Wielding the iron bar like a battle mace, Connor splits the first guard's head, catches his sword mid-air and slices into the next. Third guard's axe catches on a ceiling beam. Connor runs him through like an overstuffed feedsack.\r\nThe fourth guard drops his sword and BOLTS.\r\nTHE PYRE is now fully ABLAZE. Caiolin looks out through the rippling wall of flame...\r\n. . . and smiles weakly.\r\nCAIOLIN \r\nMy water horse... \r\nAS CONNOR splits the crowd like a battering ram. He reaches the pyre, hurling flaming timbers aside with his bare hands. Initially stunned, the townsfolk shrink back, watching Connor desperately scatter the fire. Caiolin buries her face in her shoulder, biting back the agony as... \r\nSword in hand, Connor stretches upward, hacking away the ropes that bind her, oblivious to the fire now crawling in serpentine coils around his own arms and legs. Freed of the ropes, Caiolin begins to slump forward. Connor grabs for her arm as THE BLACK POWDER EXPLODES in a CONCUSSION of FIRE that renders any further hope of rescue futile.\r\nConnor stands atop the burning pyre, wicked tongues of flame leaping off his back and shoulders like fiery wings. He throws back his head and HOWLS to the heavens. Fire dances across Connor's skin and clothing as he raises his broadsword and steps down into the crowd.\r\nPANDEMONIUM breaks out. This isn't just a common witch. This is one of Hell's very own. Those few foolish enough to attack are cut down where they stand. The rest scatter in mindless PANIC. Father Rainey blocks Connor's path. Lifts his cross... \r\n. . . as he's CUT DOWN by the blind SLASH of Connor's sword. Connor steps over Rainey's body and keeps coming, driving the mob fleeing into their dwellings. Kase crouches blustering over Rainey.\r\nKASE\r\nFather... Father, please--\r\n(tries to staunch the bleeding) \r\nFather--!\r\nRainey's eyes open slightly.\r\nRAINEY \r\nWho are you...?\r\nKASE \r\nYour son. It's your son-- Jacob.\r\nRainey stares back as if a veil has suddenly been lifted. And what he now sees terrifies him to death.\r\nRAINEY \r\n(eyes widen)\r\nWho are YOU?\r\nKASE\r\nI'm your--\r\nHe stops. Rainey's eyes are frozen. Dead.\r\nCONNOR returns to the flaming pyre, refueling his rage with the\r\nsight of his mother's blackened corpse. >KASE\r\nscoops up a discarded sword, leaps to his feet and CHARGES CONNOR, bellowing like a madman. >Connor whirls around with his sword, making Kase IMPALE HIMSELF on the blade. Kase stares wide-eyed and gagging at Connor's smoldering visage-- the depthless black pools of hate that shroud his eyes. It's the last thing Jacob Kase will ever see. Connor opens his fingers and lets him DROP, the sword hilt still jutting from Kase's chest. Gathering up several chunks of flaming timber, Connor HEAVES them onto the straw-covered rooftops, setting them instantly ABLAZE. In short order, the village is transformed into a giant swirling INFERNO. Silhouetted against the crimson sky, Connor lifts Caiolin's body and turns his back on Glenfinnan for the last time.\r\nDISSOLVE TO:\r\nEXT - ANCIENT STONE MONASTERY - NIGHT\r\nStanding outside the massive door is a MONK clad in dark, hooded monastic garb. Nothing in the panorama would suggest we've just jumped four centuries into an uncertain future... Until--\r\nA PACK OF MOTORCYCLISTS chew their way up the rubbled slope. Fishtail to a stop. THE LEADER, a tall eclectically-dressed Jamaican, dismounts and approaches the hooded monk.\r\nJAMAICAN \r\nYou people are extremely hard to find.\r\nMonk unshoulders a PUMP-ACTION SHOTGUN.\r\nHOODED MONK \r\nWe like it that way. \r\n(pumps shotgun)\r\nNow go.\r\nThe other six INTRUDERS surround the monk. His eyes flick from one to the next-- a buffet of different nationalities, all big.\r\nJAMAICAN \r\nTake your pick. Before you squeeze the trigger a second time, you'll be dead.\r\nEasy choice. Monk levels his gun and BLOWS the Jamaican right off his feet. And sure enough, he GAGS before his next trigger-pull. A very nasty SERRATED BLADE retracts into a wooden hilt. Monk drops in a heap as his assailant, a WIRY ASIAN, turns for the door, joined by the others. IN THE VERY NEXT INSTANT the heavy oak-and-iron door SWINGS OPEN with a BARRAGE of AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE--\r\nThe intruders are CUT DOWN where they stand. THREE MORE HOODED MONKS appear in the doorway, wielding ASSAULT RIFLES. They grimly regard the bodies.\r\nMONK #1 \r\nTake the heads. Just in case.\r\nSaws and cleavers are pulled by the other two guards while Guard #l keeps his gun trained on the corpses.\r\nVOICE \r\nDon't bother. Really.\r\nA FIGURE stands in shadow, his face UNSEEN. We catch\r\nonly a brief glimpse of a PRIESTS COLLAR. Guard #l whips his rifle toward the Stranger. Stranger diverts it with the tip of his sword. Bullets go nowhere. One slash and the guard is gone. Two more slashes and his comrades fall. Stranger kicks the body of the dead Jamaican as he steps through the open doorway.\r\nSTRANGER \r\nDont be long.\r\nINT - MONASTERY - NIGHT\r\nFOLLOW THE STRANGER through a maze of chambers and DOWN into serpentine catacombs. He KICKS THROUGH a DOOR into AN INNER ROOM cavernous and dripping, where even the air seems septic. A few dim candles illuminate A DOZEN MEN bound to complicated, almost Giger-esque chairs. Arms, legs and faces have been immobilized by crossing flats of metal BOLTED into flesh and wood. From the wild overgrowth of hair and beard, and the impossibly long, curled fingernails, it's a good guess none of them have moved a muscle in years.\r\nExcept for a pale CUSTODIAN standing in a corner, trembling silently. Stranger stands at the threshold, his face obscured by flickering shadows. He scans the living corpses.\r\nSTRANGER \r\nSo it's true.\r\nHe moves slowly among them.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd) \r\nWhat sacrifices they made of you all. Warehoused, like rotting pieces of meat.\r\nHe pauses to lift up a downcast head. Gazes into the shackled face. The eyes are covered by strips of rusted\r\niron, the face by tangled beard.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd) \r\nTell me-- is this the better way? I'm sure you've had some time to reflect on it.\r\nOne by one, THE RECENTLY-DEAD INTRUDERS filter into the room, led by the Jamaican. Blood stipples their clothes, streaks their faces. But they are, in every other sense, fully-restored.\r\nStranger straightens, swivels around to the terrified Custodian. Custodian backpeddles into the wall.\r\nSTRANGER \r\nWhich one is Connor MacLeod?\r\nCUSTODIAN \r\nI-- I don't know... They never told me names...\r\nSTRANGER\r\n(low, seething) \r\nDon't. Lie. To. Me.\r\nCUSTODIAN \r\nI swear. I don't know...\r\nStranger grabs him under the chin, lifts him to his toes.\r\nSTRANGER \r\nYou need to understand one thing, my gimpy friend. I don't care about the Game. I don't care about the rules. I don't even care about these other pathetic souls you lock away as a barrier to the Prize.\r\nThe Custodian stares back, uncomprehending.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd) \r\n(squeezes his throat) \r\nI want Connor MacLeod. Give me MacLeod and I'll leave. And you can go right on pretending that what you do here actually matters.\r\nThe custodian lifts a shaking finger. RACK FOCUS TO:\r\nTHE PRISONER IN THE LAST CHAIR Even with an iron slat across his eyes, he is unmistakably Connor MacLeod. Stranger lets go of the custodian, turns...\r\nSTRANGER \r\nLong time.\r\nConnor strains to lift his head. His voice comes weak and drug-heavy.\r\nCONNOR \r\nWho are you...?\r\nSTRANGER \r\nYou'll know soon enough.\r\nGLINT OF A SWUNG BLADE--\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - MONASTERY - NIGHT\r\nAn unearthly LIGHT pulses through slitted windows and cracked mortar. TENDRILS of RAW ENERGY vein the ancient building, growing BRIGHTER until--\r\nTHE WINDOWS EXPLODE OUTWARD with a keening, animal-like HOWL. ABOVE the sky responds with SCREAMING WIND and TORRENTS of RAIN.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - PARIS - NIGHT\r\nWIND HOWLS over the City of Lights, slicing up the Seine to. . .\r\nDUNCAN MACLEOD'S BARGE\r\ndocked at the quay.\r\nEXT - BARGE - NIGHT\r\nPUSH IN on DUNCAN MACLEOD, cross-legged in meditation atop the deck. He JOLTS from a series of SUDDEN VIOLENT IMAGES. A FACE, bolted immobile, wrenched in agony. A SWORDBLADE slashing into flesh. FINGERNAILS clawing wood. BLOOD flecking tile. ESSENCE. PHONE. Ringing. Duncan snaps up the receiver, sweat drenched.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYeah?\r\nTiny electric CLICK...\r\n. . . then the HISS of an overseas line.\r\nWOMAN'S VOICE \r\n(filtered) \r\nHe's dead.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nWho? \r\nCUT TO:\r\nA PAYPHONE, SOMEWHERE IN LOWER MANHATTAN\r\nIn a driving RAIN. A woman's hand holds the receiver to her face, obscuring her features.\r\nWOMAN \r\nConnor MacLeod. He was killed last night.\r\nINT - DUNCAN'S BARGE\r\nDuncan reels with a sudden flood of emotions.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWho is this?!\r\nWOMAN'S VOICE \r\nA friend.\r\nEXT - PAYPHONE\r\nThe unidentified woman slowly lowers the receiver and sets it back in the cradle. \r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - PARIS, ESTABLISHING, SUNRISE\r\nShadows crawl across the Parisian skyline as an ENGINE REVS TO 8000 RPM.\r\nSTREET LEVEL POV:\r\nWe PUNCH through the ARC DE TRIOMPHE and up the CHAMPS ELYSEE with a throaty FERARRI HOWL. On a WICKED DOWNSHIFT, we SQUEAL HARD RIGHT onto the PONT NEUF, stopping on a franc at \r\nEXT - NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL - DAY\r\nDuncan hops out of his Ferrari 355 Spyder, pauses before the massive Gothic edifice, then disappears inside.\r\nCLOSE ON A CROUCHING STONE GARGOYLE\r\nperched atop the highest balustrade. MOVE SIDEWAYS TO REVEAL A SECOND CROUCHING FIGURE, this one human. To many he'll be instantly familiar. Hes METHOS, oldest of all Immortals, gazing down in quiet contemplation. Methos keeps staring at the ground below, sipping bordeaux from a paper cup, even as Duncan joins him at the edge. \r\nDUNCAN \r\nMethos.\r\nMETHOS \r\nso-- What brings you up here to the aerie of the lesser gods?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI need your help.\r\nMETHOS \r\nI'm out of the help business. No future in it.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nI was told Connor MacLeod was killed last night.\r\nMethos' darkens. Another one lost.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd)\r\nI just want to know who did it.\r\nMETHOS\r\n(sighs) \r\nIn our world, does it really matter?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nIt does to me.\r\nMethos looks down at the clotted life below.\r\nMETHOS\r\nDid I ever tell you I once kept a vineyard on the very spot where they built this monstrosity? Glorious, the wine.\r\n(looks up) \r\nWhen did you see him last?\r\nDUNCAN\r\nAlmost ten years ago.\r\nMETHOS\r\nWhat did you talk about?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nNothing much.\r\nMETHOS \r\nThink back.\r\nFLASH TO:\r\nINT - PUB (FROM HIGHLANDER 1) - DAY\r\nConnor and Duncan hunch over the bar, pounding scotch.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWe mostly just sat around, downing shots, staring at the beer lights above the bar. When he finally got up to go, he looked at me like it was the last time I'd ever see him again. No goodbye. No handshake. Just got up and left. \r\nBACK TO SCENE:\r\nDuncan blinks back the memory.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd)\r\nNobody's seen him since.\r\nMETHOS \r\nDescribe the look.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWhat do you mean?\r\nMETHOS \r\nDescribe it.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nIt was like...\r\nFLASH: CONNOR'S FACE\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\n. . . Like every death he'd ever caused had come back to haunt him.\r\nBACK TO SCENE:\r\nMethos takes a thoughtful sip from his wine.\r\nMETHOS\r\nFor an Immortal who comes to abhor bloodshed, there's a solution-- a way to be removed from the Game forever. The price is unimaginably high, but you are, for all practical purposes, protected from the violence within yourself. It's called The Sanctuary.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI don't understand.\r\nMETHOS \r\nThink of those Buddhist monks who came to cherish life so much that to step on a single insect, to harm a blade of grass was a violation of their creed. They placed themselves into an extreme form of protective custody. A sanctuary of sorts. \r\n(beat) \r\nWhat I'm talking about is something similar. But one that doesn't allow for a change of heart.\r\nHe opens his fingers and watches his cup plummet to the plaza below. Wine SPLATTERS like blood on white marble.\r\nMETHOS (cont'd) \r\nApparently it was wiped out last night.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nBy who?\r\nMETHOS \r\nI don't know.\r\nEXT - ABOVE THE ATLANTIC - DAY\r\nA 747 cruises at 40,000 feet.\r\nMETHOS (O.S.) \r\nHe left no witnesses.\r\nINT - 747 - DAY\r\nDuncan stares out the passenger window as the FLIGHT ATTENDANT sets a DRINK down. He lifts the little plastic COCKTAIL SWORD from the glass. Yanks it out of the olive...\r\nTRANSITION TO:\r\nA BROADSWORD being jerked from a fallen warrior. \r\nEXT - 17TH CENTURY BATTLEFIELD - DAWN\r\nFOLLOW THE SWORD swinging above a PAIR OF HIDE-BOOTED FEET that tramp across uneven ground littered with CORPSES. FEET STOP at a BLOOD-CAKED BODY, swathed in the shredded colors of a defeated army. On a SWIFT KICK TO THE RIBCAGE--\r\nDUNCAN MACLEOD JERKS UPRIGHT, flailing in spastic fits.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nGAHHHHHHH! !\r\nHe blinks thickly, as if routed from a deep, disorienting slumber. Gapes up at--\r\nA SILHOUETTE\r\nthat ECLIPSES the rising sun.\r\nSILHOUETTE \r\nYou've better things to do than lie there collecting flies.\r\nDuncan puts a hand to his chest, touches the worst of his several lethal wounds. Utter confusion stitches his face.\r\nSILHOUETTE (cont'd) \r\nI suppose you're wondering how a knock- kneed swordsman with your obvious lack of skill keeps living to fight another day.\r\nThe figure extends a hand to Duncan. Duncan hesitantly reaches up...\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(squints)\r\nAre you an angel?\r\nSILHOUETTE \r\nI've been called that. And worse.\r\nDuncans hand RECOILS--\r\nSILHOUETTE (cont'd) \r\nRest assured, I'm neither.\r\nHe hoists Duncan to his feet. Duncan gazes for the first time ever upon the face of\r\nCONNOR MACLEOD\r\nwho smiles back with the gift of untold secrets.\r\nCONNOR \r\nI'm Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. And like you, I have a hard time dying.\r\nTRANSITION BACK TO:\r\nINT - 747 - DAY\r\nDuncan's now sitting upright in his seat as the FLIGHT ATTENDANT'S VOICE brings him back to the here and now.\r\nFLIGHT ATTENDANT (O.S.) \r\nWe'll be making our final descent into New York...\r\nWHEELS\r\nSMACK down onto the runway at JFK.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nA PHOTOGRAPH OF DUNCAN\r\nPULL BACK and see it's his passport, held by a US CUSTOMS OFFICER. He lowers the passport and turns to the long metal case Duncan's brought with him from the plane.\r\nCUSTOMS OFFICER \r\nWould you open the case, please?\r\nDuncan hands the Officer documentation as he sets it on the counter and opens it. Inside is an old, meticulously\r\ncared-for Japanese KATANA SWORD. Customs Officer studies Duncan's paperwork, smiles.\r\nCUSTOMS OFFICER (cont'd) \r\nGet much use for this?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYou'd be surprised.\r\nDuncan shuts the case and continues on. Next MAN in line watches Duncan exit as he hands over his passport. Hang on the PHOTO. We'll remember those steel- gray eyes.\r\nINT - CAB, DRIVING - DAY\r\nDuncan watches the passing scenery. MUSIC and LANDMARKS\r\nfamiliar from the first \"Highlander\" sweep past.\r\nEXT - NEW YORK SIDE-STREET - DAY\r\nCab WIPES FRAME, leaving Duncan standing before the charred husk of Connor's antique store. Windows boarded, shreds of flapping police tape, the investigators have long since come and gone.\r\nINT - ANTIQUE STORE\r\nDoor SPLINTERS OPEN. Duncan steps inside. In the aftermath of the firebombing, nothing has been\r\nspared. Rachel and Connor's richly-cultivated collection has been reduced to a bitter moonscape. One can only shudder at the degree of overkill that went into this attack. Duncan climbs the back stairs to THE SECOND FLOOR LOFT which is even worse. Ash and cinder are virtually all that remain of Connor's home.\r\nPausing at the far wall, Duncan yanks down an old charred tapestry, revealing\r\nAN INNER DOOR\r\ndeliberately hidden from view. He dips down, retrieves a key from under a loose floorboard and opens the heavily- reinforced door.\r\nENTERING he finds himself in a LARGE CIRCULAR ROOM surrounded by a staggering display of ARTIFACTS drawn from centuries of personal history. We're looking at the sum total of Connor MacLeod's existance, stacked floor to ceiling.\r\nDuncan moves among the mementos, smiles as he lifts them; an old Scottish coin, pocket flask... a faded PHOTO of himself in a World War I uniform.\r\nHe pauses at a painting of Connor's wife HEATHER, radiant in simple peasant garb, smiling serenely across the ages.\r\nFinally, a tarnished epee that he wields with instant familiarity.\r\nTRANSITION TO:\r\nINT - FENCING ACADEMY, RAVENNA ITALY (1627) - DAY\r\nDuncan's LUNGE misses Connor by a mile. He stumbles upright in a grand hall streaked by SUNLIGHT from floor- to-ceiling windows. Duncan and Connor face off with duelling swords, sporting black waistcoak andd knee breeches in the manner of the times. Several other elegant FENCING PAIRS spar in this most genteel version of the ancient bloodsport, a far cry from the corpse-littered battlefield seen earlier. A little mustachioed PUFFER darts between the duellists with lint brush, pail and towel as Connor and Duncan re- engage in a rapid series of strikes and parries.\r\nCONNOR\r\nYou've improved greatly.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYou really think so?\r\nConnor executes a simple combination that sends'Duncan's sword flying one way, his body the other.\r\nCONNOR \r\nNo. I'm just being gracious.\r\nDuncan recovers, sets his feet. Puffer skitters over, brushes the dust off Duncan's coat, dabs his sweat and puffs the back of his hair. Duncan swats him away. They take en-garde position. Connor points his blade. CONNOR (cont'd)\r\nRemember, you're only immortal as long as your head remains attached to those shoulders.\r\nDuncan lunges again. Misses and hits the deck.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nWhich in your case might not be long at all.\r\nHe puts his blade to Duncan's neck. Humor evaporates.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nWhat we give up to our adversary in defeat, Duncan... is evervthinq.\r\nDuncan stares up at him, uncomprehending.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nWe call it \"The Quickening\"-- our strength, our knowledge, our life essence-- it all flows into the victor, feeds him, makes him stronger, in ways you can't possibly comprehend. It's what drives other Immortals to kill us. And what forces us to be better-- smarter-- than the rest.\r\nHe takes Duncan by the arm, jerks him to his feet. \r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nSurvival. Learn it.\r\nDuncan goes on the attack. What he lacks in technique, he makes up for in determination. Almost. Connor sidesteps Duncan's next lunge, swats his blade flat across Duncan's ass and sends him plowing face-first into the floor. Duncan re-engages Connor in fighting stance. Puffer races up behind Duncan again, meticulously dusts his backside. Reaches around and plucks an unsightly piece of lint off his crotch with thumb and forefinger.\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(whirls around)\r\nYou mind?!\r\nConnor clucks his tongue.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd)\r\nAllow me.\r\nHe squares Duncans shoulders and steps back. Considers.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nUnh uh.\r\nHe steps up and swivels Duncan around until hes facing the opposite way.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd)\r\nIf you should ever again find yourself backside to a blade... just keep this in mind.\r\nHe proceeds to take Duncan through a move that's dazzling in it's inherent simplicity-- a move that winds up with Duncan's blade whisking perilously close across Connor's throat.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd)\r\nIt's a coup de fin.\r\nHe catches Duncan's sword-fist in his own, holds it immobile.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nProperly executed, even you cannot prevent your blade from finding its mark.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nProperly executed, we'll never have this talk again.\r\nDuncan and Connor's eyes lock. They break.\r\nTRANSITION BACK TO:\r\nINT - CIRCULAR ROOM\r\nDuncan suddenly SIEZES UP with a strange disquiet and ringing in the ears known as THE BUZZ. It's the sense of another Immortal.\r\nHe swings around, reaches for his katana and steps back through the door, swinging it closed as\r\nA YOUNG WOMAN\r\nappears at the top of the stairs. She saunters toward him, glancing around.\r\nShe takes her time checking out the place before stepping up to Duncan.\r\nThe ragged crop of her hair and the slashing trowel application of makeup impart a kind of crazed anti- beauty. Like a post-nuclear Barbi doll.\r\nDuncan regards her, intrigued and wary.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWho are you?\r\nYOUNG WOMAN \r\nA friend.\r\nThose two words instantly recall the mystery voice on the\r\nphone.\r\nYOUNG WOMAN (cont'd) \r\nOr lover. Or wife. Take your pick.\r\nMemory jogs with a sudden lurch.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nKate?\r\nYOUNG WOMAN\r\nAtta boy. 'cept I'm \"Faith\" now. Part of the makeover. Like it?\r\nShe runs a playful finger across his chest.\r\nFAITH\r\nFunny how 'the time slips by, huh? You wake up one day and ohmigod-- Airplanes!\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWhy're you here?\r\nFAITH \r\nRemember our wedding day, Duncan? I do.\r\nShe takes him by the hands and leads him into an\r\nimpromptu dance.\r\nFAITH (cont'd) \r\nWe danced the \"Highland Fling.\"\r\nShe spins under his arm, circles back into his embrace.\r\nFAITH (cont'd) \r\nI felt like we were flying.\r\nHer sinuous body moves in perfect sync with his.\r\nFAITH (cont'd) \r\nAnd that we'd never come down.\r\nShe spins out of his arms again--\r\n--and SPIN KICKS him across the FACE. BLOOD spatters from his nose and mouth.\r\nFAITH (cont'd) \r\nOf course, we did come down. Didn't we? \r\n(kicks him again)\r\nCrashinq.\r\nDuncan staggers backward into a concrete stanchion. Recovers.\r\nThey stand facing each other across a gulf centuries wide.\r\nDUNCAN\r\n(spitting blood)\r\nWhy are you here?\r\nFAITH \r\nIsn't it obvious? I wanted to see you again.\r\nDuncan tenses at--\r\nTHE ROAR OF APPROACHING MOTORCYCLES.\r\nHis eyes track the SOUND. It's directly BELOW him.\r\nEXT - STREET OUTSIDE ANTIQUE STORE\r\nTHREE MOTORCYCLES hop the curb, SLICE through the open door to the antique store...\r\nINT - ANTIQUE STORE\r\n. . . and SPIRAL up the BACK STAIRS.\r\nINT - LOFT\r\nDuncan's eyes flick upward to a NEW SOUND, directly above him as--\r\nEXT - ROOF - DAY\r\nA FOURTH BIKE\r\nVAULTS the NARROW GAP between buildings and LANDS.\r\nKnobby tires SLAM onto the rooftop, squirrelling wild across the tarred surface before shuddering to a stop.\r\nA jackbooted heel digs in and grinds to a stop.\r\nBiker suddenly BACKWHEELS around, BLASTS through the\r\nROOF ACCESS DOOR\r\nand disappears inside.\r\nTWO MORE BIKERS\r\nfollow suit, SLAMMING DOWN onto the roof like alien invaders.\r\nINT - LOFT\r\nDuncan reacts. But it's not just the full-throttle howl of approaching bikes.\r\nIt's the BUZZ of approaching IMMORTALS.\r\nTHE BIKERS\r\nnow crest the stairs and fan out into the loft-- Same group we saw outside the monastery.\r\nTricked out in everything from Keds to chainmail, they drag a variety of weapons in their trailing hands-- sword, baseball bat, mace, dao and chain-whip.\r\nThe tips make a scraping noise across the floor that's deliberately unsettling.\r\nThey surround Duncan, cutting off any avenue of escape. Nobody moves or speaks. Just the low staccato growl of idling two-stroke engines.\r\nDuncan takes a step backward. Looks to Faith.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWho're they?\r\nFAITH \r\nMore friends.\r\nPAN THE FACES. CARLOS from Bed-Stuy, BUG from Kyoto, WINSTON from Jamaica, SARGE from Shreveport and CRACKER BOB from nowhere in particular.\r\nAnd then there's CALVIN.\r\nA swaggering Immortal from the he's traded brute force in on a brand new weapon of choice. A DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA.\r\nCALVIN \r\nMake it pretty now. It's the bottom of the ninth.\r\nBIKERS DISMOUNT and CONVERGE on Duncan, swinging their weapons to limber up.\r\nDuncan backs away. This is unheard of-- Immortals packing like jackals.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nWhat-- it's a team sport now?\r\nCALVIN \r\n(zooming in) \r\nWhole new ballgame.\r\nTHREE IMMORTALS ATTACK. They're good. Duncan's better. About three times better.\r\nCALVIN\r\njockeys his camcorder-- GOES IN TIGHT on Duncan.\r\nCALVIN \r\nSup with the new blood, huh? Who's gonna lay him out? Take his secret sauce? \r\n(swivels around) \r\nYOU, Winston?\r\nWINSTON,\r\nthe tall Jamaican, stands off to one side watching, the\r\nlone holdout.\r\nCALVIN (cont'd) \r\nNope. Too proud. Old school.\r\nINTERCUT - VIDEO VIEWFINDER\r\nImage lurches and jostles as Calvin mixes it up with the combatants.\r\nCALVIN (O.S.)\r\nHow 'bout you, Carlos? You good for it? Carlos--?\r\nCARLOS HURTLES THROUGH FRAME. Lands hard.\r\nCALVIN (O.S.)\r\nI'll catch you later.\r\nSWISH PAN TO:\r\nSWORD\r\nsparking off chainmail.\r\nHANDS AND FEET\r\npounding flesh.\r\nBODIES\r\nslamming into walls.\r\nBLOOD. MAYHEM. PAIN.\r\nAnd Calvin, catching it all, up close and personal.\r\nCALVIN (cont'd) \r\nSarge is down. Cracker Bob's down.\r\nBut Carlos got some kick. Still got some kick.\r\nCarlos crawls to his feet, oozing blood and spite.\r\nCALVIN (cont'd)\r\nLike the man says, you gotta play with the small hurts.\r\nCarlos LUNGES--\r\nDuncan lays him out flat again, then swivels around to face--\r\nBUG\r\nwho straightens up to his full five-foot frame.\r\nCALVIN (cont'd) \r\nSay hello to my man BUG and his ugly- stick.\r\nBug brandishes a simple metal ROD with a woven grip. Nothing much to speak of...\r\nUntil he squeezes the grip--\r\n--and SIX BLADES EJECT SIMULTANEOUSLY.\r\nThe two on each end are SWORD BLADES, one for piercing, one for slashing.\r\nJutting perpendicular to the shaft, like an insane Swiss Army knife, are twin sets of DAGGERS-- two for stabbing and two sawtoothed SWORDBREAKERS.\r\nAnd then there's the shaft itself, if you're in need of a\r\ngood old-fashioned battering ram.\r\nCALVIN (cont'd)\r\nLike it? Came from a Tamaric swordsmith.\r\n(grins) \r\nWho smoked a lotta very wicked stuff.\r\nBug opens up a multi-pronged BARRAGE on Duncan. \r\nDuncan adapts to the first assault-- only to find himself reacting to an entirely new set of insane moves.\r\nCALVIN (cont'd) \r\nUhp--- Say welcome back to Carlos...\r\nCarlos cuts in yet again, swinging for the stands. He fans several times before Duncan backfists him across the nose and dumps him back onto the floor.\r\nDuncan spins back to Bug as the wiry Asian lifts his lethal metal rod again and grins.\r\nBut this time as he SQUEEZES the release mechanism--\r\n--Duncan KICKS IT, shoving it flush against Bug's chest.\r\nSNICK SNICK\r\ntwo PIVOTING DAGGERS slice into the dumbstruck Immortal. He falls backward WAILING like a stuck pig.\r\nA BOOMING VOICE freezes everyone in their tracks.\r\nVOICE \r\nThat's enough.\r\nAll eyes converge on:\r\nTHE STRANGER\r\nwho stands at a distance, cloaked in murky halflight.\r\nSTRANGER\r\nI'm sorry, Duncan. When it comes to discipline, the first hundred years are the hardest.\r\nDuncan lowers his katana, turns to the Stranger as--\r\nCARLOS\r\npainfully hauls himself upright and suddenly BULLDOZES Duncan clear through one of the immense loft windows.\r\nDuncan's launched AIRBORNE in a plume of shattered glass,\r\nstill clutching his katana.\r\nCarlos hooks an arm around the empty window-frame and watches with unvarnished satisfaction as the body SPIKES onto an upright iron ROD jutting from the construction site below.\r\nSTRANGER\r\nWhat was that?\r\nCARLOS \r\n(squinting) \r\nFull gainer with a quarter twist. Degree of difficulty-- not very.\r\nSTRANGER \r\nI thought I told you to stop.\r\nCARLOS \r\nYeah, well. I stopped.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd) \r\nAre you challenging my authority?\r\nCarlos does his best to ignore him.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd) \r\nBecause the only way to challenge my authority is to kill me.\r\nCARLOS\r\n(turns away)\r\nHey hey, take it easy, man.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd)\r\nIs that clear?\r\nIn the split second it takes Carlos to turn back from the window, the Stranger is right there in his face.\r\nCARLOS \r\nShit!\r\nSTRANGER \r\nIS THAT CLEAR?\r\nStranger takes Carlos' sword and yanks it uo to his own neck -.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd) \r\nHere's your chance.\r\nCarlos stares wide-eyed. Pride won't let him back down.\r\nFear won't let him proceed.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd)\r\nTake it. You won't have another.\r\nWe can FEEL the SUDDEN HAMMERING of Carlos' HEART.\r\nCARLOS \r\nYou're crazy, man!\r\nSTRANGER \r\nAm I? Then go ahead... \r\n(rubs his neck across the blade) \r\nStop the madness.\r\nCARLOS \r\nHey--\r\nSTRANGER \r\nOr walk away... in perpetual fear of your own shadow. \r\n(beat) \r\nTell me, Carlos. Can you live with that? Can you live with the fear? Can you live with the weakness?\r\nTHUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP--\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd)\r\nWeakness, Carlos. Isn't that why you're here with me? Isn't that why youre ALL here with me?! Face it, you're nothing but. . . \r\n(savoring) \r\n. . . cattle.\r\nBlood POUNDS in Carlos' eyes. He YANKS back the sword,\r\nCRIES OUT and SLASHES for the Stranger's neck.\r\nCLOSE ON STRANGER'S HAND\r\nas it catches his wrist and diverts the blade around to Carlos' own throat, wedging it up tight under his chin.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd)\r\nGod loves you. I don't.\r\nIn one vicious UP-SLICE, Stranger cuts through bone and\r\nsinew, stopping just short of a clean sever.\r\nCarlos gags and gurgles in liquid protest.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd) \r\n(whispers) \r\nThey say the worst part, Carlos, is those last few seconds when you find yourself staring at your own headless body.\r\nSNICK--\r\nHe sends Carlos' head tumbling to the floor.\r\nSTRANGER (cont'd)\r\nOf course it's pure speculation, since nobody ever lives to tell about it.\r\nHOLD ON CARLOS' EYES\r\nstaring in pure, unknowable horror at his own body,\r\ntwitching several yards away.\r\nA tiny ARC of electrical ESSENCE crackles from the neck...\r\nTHE OTHERS\r\nbear mute witness to the GLOWING TENDRILS of ENERGY that stutter across the walls and ceiling.\r\nEXT - CONSTRUCTION SITE BELOW\r\nDuncan lies IMPALED on a JUTTING SHAFT OF RE-BAR as an UNMARKED PANEL VAN screeches INTO FRAME.\r\nHis eyes stare sightless upward as\r\nTHE LOFT WINDOWS\r\nEXPLODE with unearthly HOWLS of stretching metal and pulverizing concrete.\r\nSHOCKWAVES strafe the walls, blowing out mortar and brick.\r\nPOWER LINES SNAP and LASH against the building, spitting\r\nfiery plumes of SPARKS.\r\nINT - LOFT\r\nSeen from behind, the Stranger absorbs the QUICKENING in a series of wild electro-shock convulsions.\r\nEXT - CONSTRUCTION SITE BELOW\r\nSeveral darkly-clad MEN jump from the panel van and race up to Duncan. With pit crew efficiency, one takes a mondo set of BOLT CUTTERS to the metal stake while the others grab Duncan by the arms and ankles. A fourth throws open the cargo door.\r\nSnap-lift... they TOSS Duncan in the back of the van.\r\nINT - LOFT, SAME\r\nArms outstretched and rigid, head thrown back in silent rapture, the Stranger RISES slowly off the floor, suspended Christ-like in the air.\r\nBLINDING HALOES of PURE RADIANT ESSENCE engulf him, a lifeforce beyond human understanding.\r\nTHE OTHERS\r\nwatch transfixed. They've seen it all before, but it never ceases to amaze and terrify them.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nDARKNESS\r\nWhich becomes a harsh blast of LIGHT.\r\nDUNCAN'S EYES\r\nflutter open, squint at the glare. He's strapped to the\r\nsame Giger-like chair, immobilized. Standing around him\r\nare hooded members of that same monk-like order in what is, essentially, a dungeon.\r\nOne of them, MATTHEW, steps forward. His steel-gray eyes are familiar. He's the one who followed Duncan through customs.\r\nAs he reaches to cinch closed one of the iron cuffs with a thick metal dowel, he reveals a distinctive TATTOO across his inner forearm. One that Duncan instantly recognizes. _\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWatchers?\r\nMatthew simply nods.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nWatchers observe. They don't interfere.\r\nMATTHEW \r\nTrue. And we were more than happy to perform our traditional function. Believe me, it's a whole lot easier charting the history of Immortals than it is running a day care center for them. Unfortunately our role has changed somewhat.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nWhy?\r\nMATTHEW \r\nBecause the rules have been broken.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nNot by me.\r\nMATTHEW \r\nYou're not the one we're worried about.\r\nMatthew moves to the other side of the chair. Pegs the\r\narm cuff and ratchets down a redundant set of bindings.\r\nMATTHEW (cont'd)\r\nOne of your kind has gone renegade. In doing so he's gained himself a sizeable advantage. One that will be impossible to overcome.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nNobody's unbeatable.\r\nMATTHEW\r\nHe's surrounded himself with Immortals loyal only to him. He uses holy ground as a safe haven. And every head taken in battle is reserved for him alone, each Quickening-- hundreds upon hundreds-- taken by just one man. Yes, Duncan. He is unbeatable.\r\nMatthew pours a Scotch. Glenmorangie. Holds it to\r\nDuncan's lips like the final offering to a condemned man.\r\nMATTHEW (cont'd) \r\nWorse still, far worse, is that he's become a perversion to the Game. And if he prevails, that perversion will resonate through everything we know. For eternity. In ways we can't possibly comprehend.\r\nDuncan tugs at his bonds. Knows what's in store for him.\r\nMATTHEW (cont'd) \r\nThere must always be two of your kind. As long as there are two, and they're kept from fighting, the Prize is safe. The Sanctuary must continue.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nGet yourself another volunteer.\r\nMATTHEW \r\nWe had a number of \"volunteers.\" Sadly, that's no longer the case.\r\nAnother WATCHER steps up and forces an IRON FACE SHACKLE down over Duncan's head.\r\nMATTHEW (cont'd) \r\nYou'll be warehoused. Hidden away. So the Prize can remain safe.\r\nDuncan struggles frantically against his bonds.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYou're insane!\r\nMATTHEW \r\nFor the world, Duncan. We do this for the world...\r\nThe Watcher takes two large BOLTS and begins to screw the mask directly into Duncan's skull.\r\nDUNCAN'S POV:\r\nBLACKNESS, accompanied by BRIGHT SEARING FLASHES of\r\nAGONY.\r\nMATTHEW'S VOICE (cont'd) \r\nDon't worry. The drugs should kick in momentarily.\r\nAll external SOUND is slowly DROWNED OUT by the POUNDING IN HIS OWN BRAIN.\r\nA POUNDING interspersed with jarring, synaptic flashes of\r\nBATTLE. Killing. Dying. Killing again. Dying again.\r\nThe recycling nightmare finally RECEDES back into\r\nNOTHINGNESS.\r\nThen, a NEW SOUND. Distant. Grind of metal on bone. Bolts being unscrewed.\r\nIron plate lifts from his eyes, flood of LIGHT.\r\nOnce again, Duncan SQUINTS up at a FACE. This time, the blurred, swimming features of a familiar Irish-American mug.\r\nDUNCAN\r\n(WOOZY) \r\nDawson...\r\nJOE DAWSON, familiar to many as Duncan's one friend inside the Watchers, smiles back.\r\nDAWSON \r\nYou look like shit.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nHow... long...?\r\nDAWSON \r\nWeek, maybe longer. We can't talk here. \r\n(unstraps Duncan) \r\nWe gotta go.\r\nDawson reacts to the sound of APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS.\r\nDAWSON (cont'd)\r\n(urgently) \r\nNow. Can you walk?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nThink so.\r\nHe takes one step and pitches forward onto his face.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nPotent whiskey.\r\nHe clambers to his feet and follows Dawson out of the chamber.\r\nEXT - ARMORY - NIGHT\r\nDawson and Duncan emerge from a nondescript cinderblock armory, an overgrown Cold War relic recently co-opted by the Watchers.\r\nThey duck some scurrying guards, plow through thick underbrush to\r\nA HIDDEN CAR\r\nand climb inside.\r\nINT - CAR, TRAVELLING - NIGHT\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYou knew about The Sanctuary.\r\nDAWSON \r\nJust because I'm a Watcher, doesn't mean I'm always in the loop.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI don't buy that.\r\nDawson averts his gaze. Stares ahead.\r\nDAWSON \r\nI really struggled with it, y'know, the idea of keeping guys on ice like that. But I couldn't argue with the logic. Least not 'til they went after you. \r\n(squeals hard onto the main drag) \r\nGuess that put it a little too close to home.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI owe you.\r\nDawson slides Duncan's katana out from under the seat. Hands it over.\r\nDAWSON\r\nDo me a favor, buddy. Live to pay me back.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWhat happened to the bodies?\r\nDawson winces slightly. Keeps driving.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd)\r\nC'mon, Joe.\r\nDAWSON\r\nListen-- I got you outta one jam. Don't push your luck.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI need to see them.\r\nDAWSON \r\nThey're dead. Trust me.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWas one of them Connor MacLeod?\r\nDAWSON\r\nYes.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nLet me see the bodies.\r\nDAWSON \r\nThe heads are gone. You really don't wanna go there.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI have to, Joe. I have to know.\r\nDawson jerks the car to a sudden shuddering stop.\r\nDAWSON\r\nAlright... Alright-- If I tell you, that's it, I'm outta here! You're on your own! I can't be a part of this, OK?!\r\nDUNCAN\r\nOK.\r\nDAWSON\r\nOK.\r\nDawson stares at Duncan. A beat, then:\r\nDAWSON \r\nFuck. I'm a part of it.\r\nHe throws the car back into gear and fishtails back onto the road.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nA VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD\r\nof a forlorn and forgotten CEMETERY. Nothing marks its perimeter but a toppled gate and some trampled barbed wire.\r\nDAWSON \r\nIt was a Christian burial. Decent. They said all the right words.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI can't begin to tell you how reassuring that is. Pull over.\r\nWIDE\r\nDawson pulls over. He and Duncan get out of the car.\r\nDAWSON \r\nNeedless to say, with a dozen unexplainable corpses, they had to go a bit off the beaten track.\r\nEXT - CEMETERY - SUNSET\r\nFrom here it looks like just a barren hillside littered with broken and crumbling marble.\r\nCLOSER\r\nDuncan and Dawson tramp up the shallow incline.\r\nDAWSON (cont'd) \r\nWhat do you think you're gonna find when you get up there?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI don't know.\r\nDAWSON \r\nI'm not digging. Get that through your skull right now. Not these hands...\r\nCRESTING THE RIDGE\r\nTwelve freshly-mounded graves come into view, gouged into the rubbled downslope like wounds, each set off by a simple wooden cross.\r\nDuncan stops when he reaches the first grave. Stiffens.\r\nDAWSON \r\nWhat?\r\nDuncan remains frozen, staring, seemingly at nothing.\r\nDAWSON (cont'd) \r\nMy dog used to do that with locked closets. I hate that.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nShh.\r\nDawson listens. Nothing but the soft moan of WIND.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nHe's here.\r\nDAWSON \r\nTell me I'm not here for a seance.\r\nDuncan squints. Feels the BUZZ. Slight, but unmistakable.\r\nWHAT HE SEES:\r\nA row of stunted oaks, thick and gnarled againt the setting sun.\r\nCLOSER. . .\r\nStanding against the trunk, silhouette on silhouette, is the ghostly form of a MAN. Barely discernible, his features are hidden in shadow.\r\nDuncan slowly approaches the figure. Dawson hangs back,\r\nnervous and slightly twitchy.\r\nCLOSER STILL...\r\nThe figure steps up to greet Duncan. Sunlight brightens the face of\r\nCONNOR MACLEOD\r\nwho smiles as he embraces Duncan in the traditional bear- crush of Scottish clansmen.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nSorry I missed your funeral.\r\nCONNOR\r\nAll told, it was a bit underwhelming.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nSo it would seem.\r\nThey break. The brief joy suddenly drains from Connor's face-- his eyes speak of diffuse, faraway suffering.\r\nCONNOR \r\nWhy are you here?\r\nDUNCAN\r\nTen years ago you skipped out on a bartab.\r\nConnor's expression hardens.\r\nCONNOR\r\nYou need to know something...\r\nHe steps up to Duncan, locks eyes.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nEvery life I touch ends. Brutally. And for no reason. It's a curse that's followed me for centuries. I can't outrun it and I can't outlive it. \r\n(beat) \r\nYou're my last friend in this world, Duncan. I left for your own good. It was better that you didn't know where.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nThe Sanctuary.\r\nCONNOR\r\nYes. The Sanctuary.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nBut you escaped.\r\nCONNOR\r\nNo, I didn't escape...\r\nFLASH BACK TO THE SANCTUARY as the STRANGER moves toward a shackled Connor MacLeod.\r\nCONNOR (V.O.) \r\n...I was freed.\r\nAs before, the immobilized Connor stirs in a drug-addled haze.\r\nCONNOR \r\nWho are you?\r\nSTRANGER \r\nYou'll know soon enough.\r\nCONNOR'S POV - THROUGH THE BOTTOM EDGE OF HIS FACEPLATE\r\nAll Connor can see is the Stranger's HAND as it reaches down and PULLS THE PIN from one of Connor's arm shackles. The cuff FALLS OPEN. \r\nStranger turns away. A beat later come the unmistakable SOUNDS of SLAUGHTER that fill the room to a DEAFENING CRESCENDO.\r\nCONNOR (V.O.) \r\nI couldn't see the slaughter. I only heard it.\r\nBACK TO CEMETERY:\r\nWe can still see the agony playing out in Connor's eyes. He turns away, sees\r\nJOE DAWSON\r\nstill standing on the ridge, swatting at the occasional deerfly.\r\nCONNOR \r\nWho's he?\r\nDUNCAN\r\nThe reason I didn't become your replacement.\r\nDawson casually removes one of his legs and vigorously shakes it upside down.\r\nCONNOR \r\nWhat's he doing now?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nSand in the shoe would be my guess.\r\nConnor suddenly gazes beyond Dawson to\r\nTHE NEXT HILLSIDE\r\nand the FAINT SOUND OF APPROACHING MOTORCYCLES. He stiffens.\r\nCONNOR \r\nYou were followed.\r\nOne by one, a HALF-DOZEN MOTORCYCLISTS crest the surrounding hills and come to a menacing stop.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYeah. I was meaning to tell you about those guys.\r\nDawson fumbles to put his leg back on. Hops a full 360 as he watches the intruders surround them.\r\nTWO MORE\r\napproach on foot, following the same path Duncan and Dawson took.\r\nOne is Faith. The other, The Stranger.\r\nExcept he's no stranger to Connor MacLeod. Far from it.\r\nConnor goes rigid. Breathing stops.\r\nHis nightmare's finally taken human form.\r\nMOVE IN for our first clear look at\r\nJACOB KASE\r\nstriding forward, bigger than death.\r\nHis is a face hewn by Gods sharpest blade, every angle cold, remorseless, Puritannical.\r\nAs before, he's clad in basic black, accented by the stark white of a priest's collar.\r\nCONNOR\r\n(ice) \r\nJacob Kase...\r\nConnor edges back his coat. Hand seeks out the grip of his sword.\r\nDuncan grabs his arm.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nNot here.\r\nCONNOR \r\nWalk away, Duncan.\r\nKase and Faith continue toward them. Connor's rage seems to ratchet up with every step.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYou're on holy ground. Remember the rules...\r\nPure, radiating hate seethes in Connor's eyes.\r\nCONNOR \r\nThe rules be damned.\r\nKase stops, inches from Connor's face. Cooly regards the sword.\r\nKASE\r\nLook at you. You'd think after half a millenium, you'd learn to keep that you'd learn to keep that temper of yours in check.\r\nGone is any trace of brogue. He's a fully-assimilated New Yorker now.\r\nConnor's fingers tighten around the swordgrip...\r\nCONNOR \r\nJust tell me where, Kase.\r\nKASE \r\nIf all I wanted was to kill you, you'd have been dead a very long time ago, Connor.\r\nSomething roils under Kase's controlled exterior. A rage every bit as consuming as Connor's.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nBut your death alone could never appease the innocent souls you slaughtered.\r\nFLASH TO SEVERAL OF GLENFINNAN'S VILLAGERS being MOWED DOWN by Connor's mindless fury.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nIt couldn't even begin to appease mine.\r\nFLASH TO KASE as he drops to his knees, gagging blood, RUN THROUGH by Connor's blade.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nWorst of all, you murdered a man of God. Who raised me as his son.\r\nFLASH TO A FATHER RAINEY as Connor brings his sword CLEAVING DOWN on him.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\n...and no punishment conceived by man can ever atone for that.\r\nAFTERMATH OF MASSACRE\r\nScattered wisps of smoke gambol across the demolished commons, leading up to the CORPSE of JACOB KASE.\r\nKASE (cont'd)\r\nWhat you never could have expected was that you'd leave behind this one humble servant...\r\nKase's body lies there as cold as the Highland dawn.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\n...who would trade eternity itself to make you pay.\r\nHIS EYES\r\nsnap open.\r\nAnd we're once again TRANSPORTED BACK TO:\r\nEXT - CEMETERY - DAY\r\nKase steps closer, revelling in this moment.\r\nKASE \r\nLook back over the endless travesties of your life and you'll see me. Always there, waiting in the shadows.\r\n(beat) \r\nWhen friends and lovers are wiped from your sight, I'm there.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nWhen those you cherish die abruptly and for no reason, I'm there. \r\n(kicks a clod of dirt onto a grave) \r\nAnd when a handful of misguided and pathetic idiots just happen to share your own private hell...\r\n(shrugs) \r\nGuess who?\r\nHe walks a full circle around Connor.\r\nAll the while Kase addresses Connor, Faith never takes her eyes off Duncan.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nBut if you think it ends here, my ancient friend, you're wrong. Very... Very... Wrong.\r\nKase turns back to Faith. Pulls his sword and without\r\nwarning SLICES it across her throat.\r\nFaith reflexively GASPS, stumbles backward, leaving--\r\nA WOOD AND SILVER CRUCIFIX\r\ndangling on Kase's swordtip.\r\nFOLLOW THE CRUCIFIX\r\nas he swings it around and offers it up to Connor.\r\nKASE \r\nThought you might be wanting this. I kept it for you...\r\nFLASH TO CONNOR'S MOTHER, bound to the stake as Kase rips the crucifix from her neck.\r\nBACK TO SCENE:\r\nConnor stares down at the crucifix now in his open palm.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nFor old times' sake.\r\nKase puts an arm around Faith.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nWant to find me again, Connor? Just put your hands together...\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\n(winks) \r\nAnd pray.\r\nHe gives Faith a little shove and they both start downhill.\r\nTHE SURROUNDING BIKERS\r\ngun their engines and ride off on billowing plumes of dust.\r\nConnor makes no move to follow. Strangely silent and impassive, he's like a warrior gutted by an invisible sword.\r\nDuncan puts a hand on his shoulder.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWhatever it is...\r\nConnor swipes away Duncan's hand, starts walking.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nI can help you, Connor.\r\nConnor stops, swivels back. Eyes dead.\r\nCONNOR \r\nNobody can help me.\r\nHe walks off alone, a ghost against a sea of gravestones,\r\nDUNCAN \r\nCONNOR--\r\nDuncan watches his friend depart, helpless. Turning back, he sees\r\nFAITH AND KASE\r\nstopped halfway down the hill. They seem to be arguing. Kase turns abruptly and strides off.\r\nCLOSE ON FAITH\r\nShe stands there a moment, sullenly rubbing her throat. Duncan's VOICE spins her back around. \r\nDUNCAN (O.S.) \r\nProblem?\r\nFAITH \r\nI get a bit fussy whenever somebody points a sword at me.\r\n(dry) \r\nGoes a long way back.\r\nTheir eyes fix on one another. Air thickens. Buzzes with electricity.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nJust one question. After all these years. . . \r\n(re: Kase)\r\nWhy him?\r\nFaith glances down at Kase, who stands waiting at the base of the hill. Considers.\r\nFAITH\r\nBecause I've never known anyone who had such an amazing capacity for hate. \r\n(beat) \r\nExcept me.\r\nOn that, she brushes past Duncan and rejoins Kase.\r\nTRANSITION TO:\r\nEXT - IRISH COUNTRYSIDE, 17TH CENTURY - DAY\r\nDuncan and Connor ride side by side on horseback. They reach a\r\nRIVERBANK\r\nwhere a YOUNG WOMAN and her elderly CONSORT are detained at a crude wooden TOLL GATE.\r\nEight or nine disreputable-looking HIGHWAYMEN surround their carriage.\r\nConnor rides up to what would appear to be the LEADER. He has the most teeth.\r\nCONNOR \r\nWhat's going on?\r\nHIGHWAYMAN \r\nThe lady here refuses to pay her toll.\r\nCONNOR \r\nToll for what?\r\nHIGHWAYMAN \r\nPassage over the bridge.\r\nConnor cranes his eyes, upriver and down.\r\nCONNOR \r\nI see no bridge.\r\nHIGHWAYMAN \r\nWhat do you think pays for the bridge?\r\nConnor considers, then turns back to the lady with a\r\nshrug.\r\nCONNOR \r\nThe man has a point.\r\nDespite her sweeping auburn hair and natural beauty, we now recognize the young woman as FAITH from an earlier era.\r\nHer original name is CATHERINE MARY DEVANEY.\r\nCATHERINE \r\nThese men are liars and scoundrels. Theyve preyed upon us three years running.\r\nCONNOR\r\nThis true?\r\nHIGHWAYMAN \r\nA good sturdy bridge is not an overnight accomplishment, Sir.\r\nCONNOR \r\nExactly what, may I ask, have you accomplished so far?\r\nHIGHWAYMAN\r\n(proudly) \r\nThe tollgate.\r\nDuncan trots around the tollgate and up alongside Connor. He leans over to the highwayman.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nExcuse me, but by whose authority do you act?\r\nHIGHWAYMAN \r\n(holds up scroll) \r\nBy deed of the King.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nMight I see that?\r\nHighwayman slowly unravels the parchment scroll. The nearly-illegible scrawl suggests random words copied by an illiterate.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nDoes the King always sign his name with an \"X\"?\r\nHighwayman's cronies reach for their swords.\r\nHIGHWAYMAN \r\nHe was in a hurry.\r\nAll eyes hover on Duncan's reaction. Two of the highwaymen edge around behind Catherine and her elderly consort, ready to gut them both at a moment's notice.\r\nDuncan tracks them with his eyes.\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(nods) \r\nBusy man, the King.\r\n(to Catherine) \r\nI suggest you pay the gentlemen and be on your way.\r\nCATHERINE \r\nHis deed is a fake!\r\nDUNCAN\r\nThat's a matter of opinion.\r\nCATHERINE\r\nYou, Sir, are no better than they!\r\nDUNCAN\r\nThat's also a matter of opinion. \r\n(to Connor) \r\nShall we?\r\nConnor sizes up his young protege'. Gives a dubious nod.\r\nCONNOR\r\nLead on.\r\nCATHERINE \r\nYou can't just leave!\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYou're right...\r\nHe tosses a handful of gold coins to the Highwayman.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nGood luck with the bridge.\r\nHe kicks his horse into a brisk trot. Connor reluctantly follows suit.\r\nThey cross the river through ankle-deep water.\r\nCONNOR \r\nI can't believe you gave those bastards your money.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nIt wasn't my money.\r\nDuncan pulls a cinched canvas BAG overstuffed with coins from his overcoat.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nIt was theirs.\r\nRACK FOCUS TO the duped HIGHWAYMEN scrambling onto their horses and riding hard in frantic pursuit.\r\nThey hit the river at a gallop, kicking up giant shimmering fantails of water.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nBy the time they reach us, the young lady and her escort should be safely out of harms way.\r\nThe pursuers close the gap in seconds.\r\nConnor grins approvingly. Draws his sword and glances\r\nover at Duncan.\r\nCONNOR\r\nShall we?\r\nDuncan FLICKS his own sword, lets the hilt auto-rotate around his open palm and snaps it vertical. He nods back at Connor.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nLet's.\r\nTogether, they whirl around to face the onrushing horde.\r\nTHEY BATTLE\r\nin the middle of the shallow river. Nine maniacal thieves against two sporting Immortals.\r\nThe spray of water, the slashing of swords and the pounding of hooves all build to an operatic crescendo.\r\nDuncan's improved since Ravenna. He easily scatters three of his adversaries before engaging the blood-crazed LEADER.\r\nThis time it's Connor who finds himself in trouble. He tumbles from his horse and goes down, losing his sword in the river.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nsuddenly winds back and FLINGS his sword at his opponent like a throwing dagger.\r\nBLADE\r\nwhistles past the dumbstruck highwayman's head. Which was not the intended target...\r\n. . .as we discover when we follow it's end-over-end\r\nflight. . .\r\n. . . straight into CONNOR'S OUTSTRETCHED HAND.\r\nConnor parries his attackers, drives them backward onto their asses, then swivels around and TOSSES the sword back to\r\nDUNCAN,\r\nwho catches it, ducks the highwayman's next swing and swiftly sends him packing.\r\nCONNOR\r\nrecovers his own sword, which is enough to send the last of their attackers into a full-on, stumbling retreat.\r\nThey both stand watching as\r\nTHE CARRIAGE\r\njostles safely across the river.\r\nCLOSE ON CATHERINE\r\nas she looks back at Duncan. She gives Duncan a knowing smile that's as innocent as it is seductive.\r\nCONNOR \r\n(watching Duncan) \r\nYou know that stirring in your gut? It's not just simple lust, my friend.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI know...\r\nCONNOR \r\nAh, but do you really?\r\nMATCH CUT TO:\r\nFAITH\r\nas she and Kase drive away from the cemetery in a late model convertible.\r\nEXT - CEMETERY - SUNSET\r\nJoe Dawson walks up to Duncan.\r\nDAWSON \r\nI feel like I stepped in on the wrong party.\r\nDuncan keeps watching the convertible until it disappears over the next rise.\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(quietly)\r\nLet's go.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - BAR - NIGHT\r\nWe recognize this place. It's where Connor and Duncan shared a last drink together.\r\nDuncan and Joe Dawson now hunch over that same bar, staring into their drinks.\r\nDAWSON \r\nI swear, the man's a walking ghost.\r\nEXT - SIDEWALK - NIGHT\r\nFEET pound pavement.\r\nDAWSON (V.O.) (CONT'D) \r\nWhatever it is he's carrying around inside him, it's like he's dead already.\r\nGlare of streetlights rake across Connor's face, his eyes fixed forward as if driven by a sense more powerful than sight.\r\nConnor bumps shoulders with a passing PEDESTRIAN.\r\nPEDESTRIAN \r\nEyy man-- watch it.\r\nHe continues on, oblivious.\r\nINT - BAR - NIGHT\r\nDuncan turns to Dawson.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nThere are things you do in this life that damn you for eternity. They can't be changed. And they can't be undone. You carry these things to the grave, Joe, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, you'll find some peace there. Some relief, even if it's oblivion. \r\n(hollow smile)\r\nBut Immortals don't die. We just go on reliving our sins. Over and over again.\r\nEXT - ANOTHER STREET - LATER\r\nConnor stops. Lifts his eyes to the light.\r\nA SOLITARY STONE CHURCH\r\nstands before him in a bed of crawling mist. It seems eerily out of place amid the urban blight around it.\r\nINT - BAR - NIGHT\r\nDuncan downs the last of his drink, shoves off from the bar.\r\nDawson glances warily up at him.\r\nDAWSON \r\nWhere now?\r\nDUNCAN\r\nThere were two places I figured Connor was likely to go. One of 'em was here.\r\nDAWSON \r\nAnd the other?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYou're the \"Watcher.\" You tell me.\r\nEXT - STONE CHURCH - NIGHT\r\nConnor climbs the steps, presses through the heavy wooden doors...\r\nINT - CHURCH\r\n. . . and prowls slowly through the dimly-lit interior. Icon SHADOWS loom large and menacing.\r\nJUMP CUT:\r\nHe moves along the stations of the cross.\r\nJUMP CUT:\r\nHe's stalking through the nave.\r\nJUMP CUT:\r\nBarging into the sacristy.\r\nEXT - DAWSON'S CAR, DRIVING - NIGHT\r\nDawson's car screams past with a doppler howl.\r\nDAWSON (O.S.) \r\nIt's an old abandoned church just off Canal...\r\nINT - DAWSON'S CAR - SAME\r\nDawson's behind the wheel, gunning through narrow back\r\nstreets.\r\nDAWSON \r\n. . . Perfect safe haven for a so-called priest, huh? \"Our Lady of Sorrows.\"\r\n(dry) \r\nKinda has a nice ring to it.\r\nHe fishtails around the next corner. Recovers.\r\nDAWSON (cont'd) \r\nI'll tell ya this-- if he's going after Kase, he's in for a rude awakening. The man's untouchable.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nSo they tell me.\r\nINT - CHURCH SANCTUARY - NIGHT\r\nConnor stops before the darkened altar, senses BUZZING.\r\nTHE SHADOWED CRUCIFIX\r\nstirs. Arms lift in the darkness.\r\nJacob Kase steps down off the cross, lingers in shadow.\r\nKASE \r\nI would grant you absolution. If I were a better man.\r\nHe turns and disappears out the back.\r\nConnor follows.\r\nRight past\r\nKASE'S POSSE OF IMMORTALS\r\nscattered throughout the pews, who simply track him with their eyes but make no move to follow.\r\nWINSTON,\r\nthe tall Jamaican, leans over to Faith.\r\nWINSTON\r\nYou know we're next, don't you?\r\nFaith lowers the book she's reading-- the Holy Bible. Looks up.\r\nFAITH \r\nWhat?\r\nWINSTON \r\nOur days are numbered. You can see it in Kase's eyes.\r\nFAITH \r\nDo you believe in a hereafter, Winston?\r\nWINSTON \r\nAll I know is I won't be hereafter Jacob Kase gets through with me. And that's all I care about right now.\r\nFaith leans back against the hardback pew, closes her\r\neyes.\r\nFAITH\r\nYeah...\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - REAR OF CHURCH - NIGHT\r\nKase strides just beyond the perimeter of the church grounds, then turns back to Connor.\r\nConnor draws his sword, moves on Kase.\r\nKASE\r\nThe ancient samurai vowed never to draw blood in anger. It defiled their sense of purpose. \r\n(draws his own sword)\r\nOf course they're also somewhat extinct.\r\nHe steps fearlessly up to Connor, places his neck against Connor's swordblade...\r\n. . . just like he did with a certain late Immortal named Carlos.\r\nCLOSE ON KASE'S SWORD\r\nHe opens his fingers and lets the sword DROP. It clatters useless to the ground.\r\nKASE\r\nWould you slaughter an unarmed man of God again, Connor? Would that finally put your soul to rest?\r\n(low, taunting)\r\nThen go ahead. Send me home.\r\nBLOOD POUNDS with the rage pulsing through Connor's veins.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nWhat's stopping you? Guilt? The nagging sense that maybe you, more than I, deserve to die?\r\nDawson's car pulls up in the background. Duncan jumps\r\nout.\r\nKASE (cont'd)\r\nOr somewhere along the way did you just lose your nerve?\r\nConnor's sword digs into Kase's neck. Breaks skin.\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(approaching) \r\nDon't do it, Connor.\r\nCONNOR \r\n(gritted) \r\nKeep back.\r\nKASE \r\n(to Duncan)\r\nYou heard him. No Immortal can interfere with another's duel.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nHe's playing you! Step back onto holy ground before it's too late--\r\nKase faces back to Connor.\r\nKASE\r\nGo ahead-- what better chance than now? Take your shot.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nDon't listen to him!\r\nKASE\r\nDo it. For your sweet mother...\r\nFLASH\r\nCaiolin burns at the stake. Suddenly startled,\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nYour Huguenot bitch in Navarre...\r\nFLASH\r\nrears back, THROWS Suddenly startled, the HORSE bearing a FRENCH DUCHESS her to the ground, breaking her neck.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nBrenda Wyatt...\r\nFLASH\r\nBRENDA WYATT (\"Highlander 1\") is seen walking in CENTRAL PARK. A HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER MOWS HER DOWN from behind.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nRachel Ellenstein...\r\nFLASH\r\nRACHEL is BLOWN APART in the antique store she shared with Connor.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nTell me-- do they even begin to equal the devastation of an entire village?\r\nBLADE TREMBLES in Connor's hands. Kase presses his neck even harder against Connor's blade. BLOOD trickles down his neck.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nSo close. Soooo close...\r\nDuncan stands by, helpless to intervene.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nLook at you. Even now, you're afraid you'll lose. That's your true fear isn't it?\r\n(whispers low, seductive) \r\nOh, it's not the dying, my friend. I know that. That would be a blessing. It's the thought of giving up your essence to me. Making me even stronger by it.\r\nOne look in Connor's eyes and you know he's right.\r\nKASE (cont'd)\r\nWhat's wrong? \r\n(almost a purr) \r\nDon't you want to be inside me?\r\nConnor slowly LOWERS his sword...\r\nand FLICKS Kase's discarded sword back up into his hands.\r\nKase simply smiles and takes position.\r\nDuncan can only look on helplessly as Kase takes the first offensive, driving Connor backward with dazzling -- almost casual-- swordplay.\r\nKASE \r\nI've taken more heads than you can possibly imagine.\r\nHis sword whistles across Connor's face, opens a THREE\r\nINCH GASH over his eye.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nDo you really want a taste of all those accumulated quickenings?\r\nConnor stumbles backward again, blinded by his own dripping blood. Knows beyond a shadow of a doubt he's doomed.\r\nDuncan knows it too. And it's killing him to watch.\r\nStill Connor won't go down easy.\r\nHe manages a brief offensive, walking Kase backward on his toes.\r\nKase puts one hand behind his back, fencing-style, and goes to work on Connor's torso, crosshatching him in blood.\r\nConnor lunges wildly. Kase parries effortlessly.\r\nKase now opens up a BLINDING BARRAGE on Connor. It's like duelling against lightning, so quick and unpredictable are Kase's strikes.\r\nConstantly off balance, Connor still manages to NICK Kase in the cheek.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\n(touches scratch) \r\nI'd almost forgotten what that felt like. Thank you.\r\nHe now turns it on full. Drives Connor up against a wall and pins him with his swordtip.\r\nHis eyes go impossibly cold.\r\nKASE \r\nI want you to think back to this moment in the endless nights ahead. And know that every time you close your eyes, from now to eternity, I'll be there. \r\n(beat) \r\nRipping apart the ones you care about most.\r\nHe removes his sword and steps back.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nIt's not over, Connor MacLeod. It will never, never be over.\r\nHe turns and walks back toward the church.\r\nDuncan does not step aside to let him pass-- their shoulders bump.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nYou, on the other hand, are on borrowed time.\r\nHe continues on, past the other Immortals who have gathered to watch the unfolding spectacle.\r\nOne-by-one, they turn and file back into the church behind Kase.\r\nConnor stares into Duncan's eyes as if wanting to say something. Can't.\r\nInstead, he turns and starts limping out across the empty lot.\r\nFeeling the presence of another Immortal, Duncan slowly looks over at\r\nFAITH\r\nwho stands at a distance. Watching him.\r\nAs their eyes meet, she, too, turns and melts back into the surrounding blackness.\r\nTRANSITION TO:\r\nEXT - DUBLIN ROWHOUSE (17TH CENTURY) - DAY\r\nA BEARDED BRAWLER\r\nCRASHES DOWN onto a wooden table. He takes the table cloth with him as he TUMBLES head over heels onto the floor in a cascade of soda bread and cabbage.\r\nMiraculously (unless you're an Irishman) he spills not one drop of precious Guinness, which he hoists in a cheery salute to:\r\nTHE BRIDE AND GROOM\r\nwho sit laughing in the eye of an Irish hurricane. DUNCAN MACLEOD and CATHERINE MARY (KATE) DEVANEY-- aka \"Faith\"-- are a stunning couple that inspire joyful madness.\r\nThings have progressed nicely since their chance encounter at the toll crossing.\r\nBRAWLER \r\nLet's have at it!\r\nThey kiss to a CHORUS of BOOS. So this time they REALLY KISS. Crowd goes wild.\r\nAROUND THEM\r\nREVELERS DANCE and FIGHT with equal abandon, making it almost impossible to tell the difference. But they stop like clockwork for every new toast and testimonial.\r\nTHE BEARDED BRAWLER\r\nspears his mug into the air like a royal scepter.\r\nBRAWLER \r\nHappy is the bride that sees the sun! Sorry the corpse that sees the rain!\r\nCLOSE ON BEER MUG\r\nframed in a perfect BEAM of SUNLIGHT streaming through an open window.\r\nFOLLOW THE SUNBEAM TO:\r\nKATE who smiles back with her own inner radiance. Bedecked in flowers, her brown hair sweets low over white lace shoulders and cream skin.\r\nShe leans over RAUCOUS CHEERS and kisses Duncan, provoking a new RIOT of and UPRAISED GLASSES.\r\nTHE PIPERS\r\nresplendent in their Celtic kilts, launch into the \"Highland Fling.\r\nKate is instantly YANKED up onto her feet and into a ROUSING JIG.\r\nBefore Duncan can protest, he's HOISTED from his seat and FLUNG onto the dance floor.\r\nDuncan and Kate link arms, goaded on by a circle of shouting, stumbling CLAPPERS.\r\nWith each new upshift in tempo, they spin faster and faster until they're hanging on for dear life.\r\nSIGHT AND SOUND\r\ngradually blur into a queasy sense of vertigo. But for Duncan, it's not just the headstrong mix of drink and passion.\r\nIt's the BUZZ of another Immortal.\r\nHe spins to a stop as his eyes come to rest on\r\nCONNOR MACLEOD\r\nwho enters the room on a wave of silence.\r\nDuncan breaks away from Kate, crosses over to Connor and wraps him in a bear hug.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nAbout time. I was beginning to wonder.\r\nCONNOR \r\nI was on a junk in the South China Sea when I got your notice. 12 hours ago.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nHow...?\r\nCONNOR \r\nDon't ask.\r\nKate spins by on the arm of a new partner.\r\nKATE \r\nYou're next, Connor MacLeod.\r\nCONNOR \r\nThat better be no idle threat.\r\nDuncan watches Kate with a rapturous smile.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nWell, I finally did it!\r\nCONNOR \r\nSo it would appear.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nWhat do you think of her?\r\nCONNOR \r\nYou know that's not an easy answer.\r\nThe edge in his voice is not lost on Duncan.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nOutside.\r\nEXT - PORCH - NIGHT\r\nConnor stands with Duncan at the railing, staring out into the encroaching night.\r\nCONNOR \r\nYou know she's like us.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nYes. I sensed it the day we met her.\r\nCONNOR \r\nSo you know that, like us, her immortality can only be triggered by the shock of a violent death.\r\nDuncan looks off, as if purging the thought from his head.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nIt's what makes warriors of us all, Duncan. Good or bad, there seems a purpose to it.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYes. And without such a death, she'll simply grow old and die like any other. Is that what you dragged me out here to tell me?\r\nConnor removes a uniquely-braided GOLDEN ROPE from his vest pocket.\r\nIt catches the candlelight with the glint of a thousand silken threads as he runs it lightly over his fingertips.\r\nCONNOR\r\nMany years after I was married, I came home to find Heather sitting on a stool in the kitchen, with a knife in one hand... and her hair in the other.\r\nFLASH TO:\r\nHEATHER, early-forties, her hair shorn to the scalp. She looks up at Connor with red-rimmed eyes and a bitter smile.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nAt first I was scared. Scared that she'd gone mad. And then angry, as if she'd somehow meant to hurt me by it.\r\nBACK TO CONNOR AND DUNCAN:\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nWhen I asked her why she'd done such a thing to herself, her answer cut me to the quick. She said it was the one part of her that would not age. It would forever remain the same as when I first fell in love with her.\r\nFLASH TO:\r\nCONNOR burying Heather in a simple grave overlooking their home. Tears streak his face. He sinks to his knees in unspeakable anguish.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nAnd that's how she wanted me to remember her.\r\nBACK TO CONNOR AND DUNCAN:\r\nConnor closes his fingers around the braid. Squeezes.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nIt's all I have now.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI love Kate. I'll hold on to her as long as I can. That's all I can do.\r\nKate can be seen through the window behind them, exchanging dance partners with dizzying abandon.\r\nCONNOR \r\nIf that's your intent, so be it.\r\nDuncan swings over the rail and hops off the porch. Takes to the ground in long angry strides.\r\nEXT - COBBLED STREET - NIGHT\r\nConner walks double time to catch up with him.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWhy are you telling me this?\r\nCONNOR \r\nBecause I once loved a woman more than life itself. And I watched her die. Unlike you, I had no other choice.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nAnd I have a choice?! What would you have me tell her?!\r\nCONNOR \r\nI'd tell her nothing. She wouldn't believe you. They never do when it involves themselves.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nThen I can do nothing.\r\nCONNOR \r\nShe's in the flower of her youth. Enjoy the moment and let it pass. If you think you can.\r\nDuncan suddenly grabs Connor's shoulder, spins him around.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nYou'd have me kill her?! Is that it?! Is that what you came all this way to tell me on my WEDDING NIGHT?!\r\nCONNOR \r\nI'd have you do what your heart-- and our conscience-- demand.\r\nDuncan settles. Searches his eyes.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nAnd if it were you in my place?\r\nConnor ponders. Then shakes his head.\r\nCONNOR \r\nI thank God I never had the choice.\r\nHe listens to the faint strains of music and laughter carried on the rising WIND.\r\nCONNOR (cont'd) \r\nTell Catherine I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer.\r\nHe clasps Duncan by the forearm. Then turns and continues n down the cobbled lane leading from the wedding party.\r\nTRANSITION BACK TO:\r\nINT - SOHO HOTEL - NIGHT\r\nDuncan lies sleepless in a nouveau-stark hotel room, somewhere in the bowels of Manhattan.\r\nA half-empty bottle of Glenmorangie is there for company.\r\nThe door CREAKS OPEN, casting a single ribbon of light across the room.\r\nIt WIDENS to REVEAL THE SILHOUETTE OF A WOMAN.\r\nDuncan closes his eyes. Feigns sleep.\r\nShe pads silently inside. Pulls the door closed.\r\nDuncan remains still, breathing heavily.\r\nThe woman steals slowly up to the bedside. Pauses, as if quietly studying Duncan--\r\n--then swings her leg up and straddles him.\r\nEven in the murky halflight, he can still make out the familiar painted eyes framed by a tangle of bleached hair.\r\nShe says nothing, her expression lost under a veil of darkness. Only her rapid breathing betrays her tension.\r\nInstead, she suddenly leans forward and KISSES HIM.\r\nPassionately.\r\nDuncan responds in kind. AS if powerless to do anything\r\nelse...\r\nLIGHTNING stitches the sky outside as--\r\nThey embrace.\r\nBodies entwine with an urgency that builds with the STORM\r\nraging outside.\r\nON THE NEXT THUNDERCRACK\r\nTRANSITION TO:\r\nEXT - EMPTY FIELD (DUBLIN) - NIGHT\r\nANGRY SHEETS OF RAIN rake the countryside as Duncan slogs imlessly through calf-deep mud. Still in his wedding arb, he's thoroughly drenched, as if he's been wandering this way for hours.\r\nINT - ROWHOUSE - NIGHT\r\nThe last of the guests have gone or passed out beneath toppled kegs of ale.\r\nOnly Kate remains upright, her face etched with sober dread as\r\nDUNCAN\r\nappears in the doorway, rivulets of water pouring off his\r\nshoulders and brow.\r\nFor a while they just stare at one another, each lost to his own sense of foreboding.\r\nKate is the first to speak. Despite her stoic veneer, her voice comes out small and terrified.\r\nKATE \r\nIf this is wrong, Duncan, tell me now.\r\nSaying nothing, Duncan slowly crosses the floor and takes her hands in his own.\r\nINT - BEDROOM - NIGHT\r\nCANDLES flicker in the storm-fed drafts that whistle through closed windows.\r\nKate lays Duncan's rainsoaked clothing across a nightstand then turns, regarding him naked for the very first time.\r\nDuncan reaches out to touch her. She trembles.\r\nGently, as if unwrapping an object of unimaginable fragility, Duncan removes her clothing down to a simple floating chemise.\r\nThen guides her down onto a canopied bed encircled by a hundred fresh-cut wildflowers.\r\nHANDS\r\nclasp, fingers dig into skin.\r\nWhatever refinements Kate displayed in public are now happily abandoned.\r\nShe arches up under Duncan, puts her lips to his ear.\r\nKATE \r\nI'll love you forever.\r\nOn an OMINOUS THUNDERCLAP--\r\nTRANSITION BACK TO:\r\nINT - SOHO HOTEL - NIGHT\r\nWe're back in the present. Little has changed but the\r\nsheets.\r\nAnd the fury of their lovemaking.\r\nEach new THUNDERCRACK highlights a different aspect of their hunger-- their wet, glistening bodies STROBING FASTER AND FASTER until the act itself becomes abstracted from any sense of time or place.\r\nFLASH FRAMES\r\nstutter inside the lightning:\r\nSILKEN HAIR\r\ncoursing over cream-colored breasts and a simple pewter cross.\r\nEYES\r\nsimilar in shape and color, that shift from painted to plain...\r\nFINGERNAILS\r\nthat toggle between neo-goth BLACK and natural pink...\r\nFAITH\r\nthrows back her head, biting back the shudders of release...\r\n. . . and sinks down into the bed with a drawn sigh.\r\nINT - DUBLIN BEDROOM - NIGHT\r\nA SHADOW darkens Kate as she sleeps. It lingers there, deadly still.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nstands over her, gripped by indecision.\r\nThe fateful choice tears at him, even as he holds a DAGGER over her gently-rising chest.\r\nHis hand TREMBLES.\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(softly) \r\nForgive me.\r\nKATE'S EYES\r\nSNAP OPEN as the DAGGER PLUNGES INTO HER HEART.\r\nFor an instant their eves meet. And in that single shattering moment, Duncan knows he chose wrong.\r\nIt's not just terror that passes through Kate's eyes. It's the incomprehensible pain of betrayal.\r\nKate gasps once, jerks and settles. Lies there dead, blood pooling across her nightgown.\r\nDuncan stares down at her body, numb.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI'm sorry...\r\nOn that look we TRANSITION BACK TO:\r\nINT - HOTEL - NIGHT\r\nThe pain imprints on Duncan as if he's still clutching the knife.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nI'm sorry.\r\nWhatever passion stirred Faith moments before is gone without a trace. Her eyes are as cold and empty as the dead Kate.\r\nFAITH\r\nYou had no right.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nI was doing it for you. For us.\r\nFLASH TO:\r\nINT - DUBLIN BEDROOM - NIGHT\r\nKate CONVULSES BACK TO LIFE, eyes wild, insane.\r\nDuncan reaches out to her, which only sends her reeling further into panic delirium. She swats at him, punching flailing... \r\nDUNCAN\r\nNow you're an immortal. Like me. It was the only way...\r\nWords fall on deaf ears.\r\nShe wrenches out of his grip. Stumbles for the door, drenched in her own blood.\r\nLeaves Duncan standing mindblown in her wake.\r\nEXT - DUBLIN STREETS - NIGHT\r\nKate flees through wet empty streets-- barefoot, nightgown ripped and bloody, face contorted like a madwoman. Breath comes in ragged, whimpering gasps.\r\nShe trips, falls. Comes up running.\r\nBACK TO PRESENT:\r\nFaith climbs off the bed, throws on Duncan's shirt, whirls back, tears streaking her face like warpaint.\r\nFAITH \r\nYou wanted this! I never asked for eternity! You forced it on me! \r\n(screams) \r\nIT WAS MY DECISION, NOT YOURS!! \r\nDUNCAN\r\nWould you have really understood?\r\nFAITH \r\nUnderstood? Which part?! The part about never having children? Or the endless, numbing sameness of it all?\r\n(bitter laugh) \r\nOr maybe you mean the part where you wake up one day and realize you're nothing but a whore racking up faceless affairs because whole lifetimes tick by so fast they don't even count anymore!\r\nShe wraps her arms around herself as if to stem the escaping demons.\r\nDuncan remains silent, taking it all in.\r\nFAITH (cont'd) \r\nHere's the kicker, Duncan. I came here for one reason and one reason only. To see if I could feel again. Anything.\r\nShe walks out, leaving the door hanging wide in her wake.\r\nINT - HALLWAY\r\nFaith reaches for the stairwell door as--\r\n--DUNCAN'S ARM LANCES OUT, holding it shut.\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(leaning in) \r\nI'm watching my best friend driven insane by something that happened four centuries ago. And there's nothing I can do to stop it. Because those people are dead and nobody can bring them back.\r\nFaith struggles to open the door. Duncan holds firm.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd)\r\nBut I'm lucky. You know why?\r\nFAITH\r\nLet go!\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI'm lucky because my crime can still be forgiven.\r\nFAITH \r\nLET GO!!\r\nDUNCAN \r\nAs long as you're still alive, there's at least the chance. It could take years. Centuries even. It may never happen...\r\nFaith is now PUSHING FURIOUSLY on the door.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd)\r\nBut at least I can still carry the hope inside me. That's one blessing of immortality. There's always tomorrow.\r\nHe lets go of the door and steps back.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nEven for you.\r\nFaith shoves her way past him and disappears into the stairwell.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - MANHATTAN SKYLINE - NIGHT\r\nCONNOR MACLEOD stands on a ROOFTOP, sword in hand, face upturned to the bitter heavens. Stinging WIND and RAIN slash at his face.\r\nHe doesn't even blink.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - NEAR CHURCH - NIGHT\r\nSeen through a CAMCORDER VIEWFINDER, our roving POV wends its way past a couple fixing junkies up to a\r\nGARAGE\r\nwhere WINSTON hunkers over his bike making repairs. Kase's church looms in the background like a veiled threat.\r\nCALVIN (O.S.) \r\nWin-ston.\r\nWINSTON \r\nShut that thing off.\r\nCALVIN (O.S.)\r\nHey, c'mon.\r\nWINSTON \r\nSHUT IT OFF!\r\nSCREEN BLACKS OUT as Winston slams his hand over the lens, ENDING CAMCORDER POV.\r\nCalvin sets it down.\r\nCALVIN \r\nAwright...\r\nWINSTON \r\nI'm out. I'm leaving.\r\nCALVIN\r\nYou're out. You're out... You don't g&z out.\r\nWINSTON \r\nWatch me.\r\nCALVIN \r\nYou saw what he did to Carlos. He's Genghis the fucking Hun, man. You live his way or you die your way. Be grateful you got the choice.\r\nWinston looks off.\r\nWINSTON \r\nWe could take him.\r\nCALVIN \r\nHuh? Say how much you value your life?\r\nWINSTON \r\nForty-three guineas. Saw the bill of sale myself. Kingston Jamaica, August 14th, 1813.\r\nCALVIN \r\nSorry there, Cinque', but I got a bigger price goin on this unit.\r\nWINSTON \r\nI watched Connor MacLeod stand up to Kase tonight. Got me thinking.\r\nCALVIN \r\nWhat about.\r\nWINSTON \r\nThat maybe my soul wasn't part of the deal after all.\r\nCalvin considers his point.\r\nCALVIN \r\nYou really think we can take him?\r\nWINSTON\r\nThe man can't stop a bullet. I know that much. But I need your help.\r\nCALVIN \r\nYeah and who takes his head, huh? Gets that bucket fulla lucky charms. You, Mr Cool? \r\n(beat) \r\nWho's gonna be master then?\r\nINSERT - CALVIN'S CAMERA\r\nand that little glowing RECORD LIGHT...\r\nEXT - RUBBLED CEMETERY - DAWN\r\nFOLLOW CONNOR MACLEOD\r\nCUT TO:\r\nas he reaches the crest of the cemetery ridge.\r\nHe sags against a solitary windswept oak, slides down until he's sitting cross-legged at the base of the tree. Eyes wide, unblinking.\r\nBEFORE HIM\r\nstand those TWELVE DEAD IMMORTALS from The Sanctuary, directly over their burial plots.\r\nTheir heads are missing.\r\nCONNOR\r\nlooks on impassively. Even as--\r\nTHOUSANDS MORE\r\nnow stipple the barren landscape. All headless, in period dress spanning untold centuries. The forgotten casualties of an endless, impossible war.\r\nConnor nods solemnly.\r\nCONNOR\r\nSoon.\r\nHe blinks.\r\nThe specters are gone.\r\nTIME LAPSE ON CONNOR:\r\nDAY becomes NIGHT becomes DAY.\r\nAnd still he sits there, unmoved, as if ready to embrace the rest of eternity from this one desolate spot.\r\nTRANSITION TO:\r\nEXT - CEMETERY RIDGE - DAY\r\nConnor remains sitting against the tree as\r\nA SHADOW\r\nslices over him. He slowly tilts his gaze upward. Squints.\r\nDUNCAN (O.S.) \r\nThere's supposed to be an end to all this, right? A final answer...\r\nDuncan slides down next to him. Gazes out at the trackless ocean.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nIsn't that the \"prize\" we're all butchering each other to win?\r\nCONNOR \r\nI already know the answer. The \"prize\"-- the real prize-- is just to close your eyes and see nothing.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI don't believe that.\r\nCONNOR \r\nYou think the Game is still about good against evil? A better world? Look around. Who among us really deserves to win?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nNot Jacob Kase.\r\nCONNOR \r\nAnd who's going to stop him? You? Me?\r\nDUNCAN \r\nThere has to be a way.\r\nConnor looks off. Nods.\r\nCONNOR \r\nOh, there's a way, kinsman. There's a way. But I don't believe you have the guts to take it.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nTry me.\r\nConnor stands up. Offers a hand to Duncan. Hauls him upright.\r\nCONNOR \r\nAlright then.\r\nHE SUDDENLY LASHES OUT WITH HIS SWORD.\r\nDuncan barely catches Connor's blade with his own.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nWhat're you doing?!\r\nCONNOR\r\nDon't you know? The better of us will take the other's gift. Pray it'll be enough.\r\nDuncan lowers his blade.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nI won't do it.\r\nCONNOR \r\nThen you'll die.\r\nAgain, Connor STRIKES. Again, Duncan barely escapes with his head.\r\nAnd settles into a fighting stance.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nIt can't end like this!\r\nCONNOR\r\nIt already has. Goodbye, brother.\r\nHe SWINGS FOR DUNCAN'S NECK.\r\nSteel RINGS against steel.\r\nClansman against clansman.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nINT - CHURCH SANCTUARY - DAY\r\nFaith sits in a center pew, head bowed, deep in thought. Or prayer. Hard to tell with somebody like Faith.\r\nKase sits down beside her.\r\nKASE \r\nYou were with him.\r\nHe curls his nose, as if he can still smell the sin.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nWoman is a temple built upon a sewer.\r\nFAITH \r\nGlad I can help you feel a bit better about yourself there, Jacob.\r\nKASE \r\nRemember what you were when I first found you? A whore. Now look. A liberated woman.\r\nFAITH \r\nFuck you.\r\nKase runs a delicate finger across her neck.\r\nKASE \r\nBe grateful I don't this minute remove your pretty little heafod.\r\nFAITH \r\n(looks up, cold) \r\nHoly ground, lover. It's a bitch, ain't it?\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - CEMETERY RIDGE - DAY\r\nTwo figures dot the faraway ridge as the savage music of their swordplay PEALS out across the barren countryside.\r\nMOVING CLOSER,\r\nwe watch these timeless warriors exchange strikes that would drive lesser men into the ground. Each gifted in his own way, neither gaining full advantage over the other...\r\n. . . they both gradually succumb to EXHAUSTION.\r\nCLOSER:\r\nConnor and Duncan finally lower their swords, panting and\r\nspent.\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(hollow rasp) \r\nEnough?\r\nCONNOR \r\n(barely audible) \r\nEnough...\r\nAnd that's as much as either can say as they suck back great gulping lungfulls of air.\r\nA little color finally returns to Duncan's cheeks. He mops his face with his sleeve.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nNext time I won't hold back.\r\nCONNOR \r\nNor I.\r\nDragging his sword like a half-ton barbell, Duncan turns\r\nand makes his way back toward the \"resting tree.\r\nCONNOR\r\ncloses his eyes and HOISTS HIS SWORD...\r\nCONNoR \r\n(whispered) \r\nRemember well, old friend.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nfeels, more than sees, the ONCOMING BLADE.\r\nHe turns into the ARC of CONNOR'S SWING--\r\nSLOW MOTION\r\nHe reacts on pure instinct, SWORD LIFTING, BODY PIVOTING with the DRIVING FORCE of CONNOR'S THRUST...\r\nFLASH TO:\r\nCONNOR TEACHING THAT SAME MOVE TO DUNCAN BACK IN 1627. \r\nFLASH BACK TO:\r\nCONNOR'S SWORD\r\nas it GRAZES Duncans side.\r\nDUNCAN'S KATANA\r\nSWINGS UP with the same vicious thrust, CATCHES CONNOR UNDER THE CHIN...\r\nConnor doesn't flinch.\r\nTIME SUSPENDS the instant before blade meets flesh...\r\nCONNOR'S VOICE \r\nThe game is not about survival, Duncan. It's about living. In the end, it's all that matters.\r\nREAL TIME--\r\nTHE BLADE CUTS CLEAN THROUGH CONNOR'S NECK WITH UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM.\r\nDuncan CRIES OUT as he follows through, BLOOD staining his blade with the crushing reality of what he has just committed.\r\nHe sinks to his knees...\r\n. . . and SCREAMS TO THE HEAVENS.\r\nThe heavens answer back with THUNDER, LIGHTNING and GALE FORCE WINDS that seem to come from everywhere at once.\r\nPURE ESSENCE--\r\n--HOWLS out of CONNOR'S BODY.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nCON-NORRRRRRR!!\r\nIt SURGES UPWARD into endless SHEETS of LIGHTNING.\r\nDuncan CONVULSES at the epicenter of a GROWING CLASH between EARTH and SKY.\r\nSHOCKWAVES POUND through his skull, triggering\r\nA LAST FLEETING VISION OF CONNOR MACLEOD:\r\nWalking with Heather across an open field. He turns and looks back at Duncan.\r\nCONNOR'S EYES\r\nshine with a look of ultimate peace and transcendence.\r\nHe seems to be gazing straight into Duncan's soul. And smiling at what he sees as--\r\nA FINAL BLAST OF ESSENCE\r\nRIPS through Duncan's BRAIN.\r\nEXT - HIGHRISE - NIGHT\r\nDISSOLVE TO:\r\nDuncan stands alone on the rooftop, stripped to the waist, moving slowly through an elaborate kata.\r\nThe precision of his movement belies the chaos inside him.\r\nHe windmills the katana over his head, faster and faster, until he suddenly RELEASES IT--\r\nTHE SWORD\r\nPINWHEELS through the night sky, arcing out across the open space between buildings...\r\nDuncan watches its long, lofting trajectory...\r\n. ..then takes off RUNNING. He reaches the edge of the rooftop and LEAPS.\r\nWIDE\r\nLegs cycling through empty air, he traces a matching arc directly under the far-flung sword.\r\nLike a long-jumper stretching for that last inch of sand, Duncan HYPER-EXTENDS for the next rooftop.\r\nEXT - NEXT ROOFTOP\r\nHIS LEADING FOOT\r\nhits the edge-- digs in, pivots and sets.\r\nHIS HAND\r\nTHRUSTS UPWARD as the sword grip SLAPS INTO HIS OPEN PALM. Fingers wrap around the ivory hilt, slowly lowering it down to eye-level.\r\nGO IN CLOSE ON THOSE EYES\r\nand see a new Duncan MacLeod. Stronger. Deadlier. A man cooly aware of his own destiny.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - ARMORY - DAY\r\nDawson's car pulls up to the generic cinderblock building that now stands unguarded and abandoned.\r\nINT - ARMORY - DAY\r\nDawson enters, squints into the darkness.\r\nThe interior looks as if it's stood fallow for the last three decades. No giger-chair, no gothic restraints. No evidence the Watchers ever took up temporary residence here.\r\nExcept for MATTHEW, who emerges from the stale halflight to confront Dawson.\r\nMATTHEW\r\nI'm a bit surprised to see you again. All things considered.\r\nDawson just stands there, hands plunged inside his coat pockets.\r\nMATTHEW (cont'd) \r\nAs you can see, we had to move on. Find a new Sanctuary.\r\nDAWSON \r\nIt's wrong. What you're doing. It's inhuman.\r\nMATTHEW\r\nAh, but they're not human, really. Are they?\r\nDAWSON\r\nGimme a reason, Matthew.\r\nMATTHEW\r\nIt's for the good of us all. You know that.\r\nDAWSON \r\nGimme a reason.\r\nMatthew cocks his head like the RCA dog.\r\nMATTHEW\r\nBecause we must. It's that simple. And if you get in our way again, there will be very serious consequences.\r\nDAWSON \r\nGimme a good reason.\r\nMatthew pulls a gun. Aims it at Dawson's heart.\r\nMATTHEW \r\nI'm sorry to have to do this, Joe.\r\nHe pulls the trigger...\r\nas TWO SLUGS pound into his chest. Matthew topples backward, dead.\r\nDawson palms the gun still concealed in his coat pocket. Nods.\r\nDAWSON \r\nReason enough.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - NEW YORK STREET - DAY\r\nKase is roaring through narrow streets in a low-slung convertible, Faith at his side. With utter disregard for speed or care, he guns it madly in shrieking turns.\r\nINT - CONVERTIBLE, DRIVING\r\nFaith grips the dashboard two-handed.\r\nFAITH \r\nSlow down.\r\nKASE \r\nAdrenalin's good for the sex drive.\r\nFAITH \r\nI'm not amused, Jacob.\r\nShe reaches over and slaps on her shoulder harness.\r\nKASE\r\nThought maybe you needed a little more excitement. You know, spice up our relationship a bit.\r\nWIDE\r\nHe OVERSTEERS, caroms off several parked cars, recovers...\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nI mean, isn't that why you went back to Duncan MacLeod? The risk?\r\nFAITH\r\nI don't know what you're trying to prove.\r\nKase puts an arm around her shoulder...\r\nKASE \r\nWhy do I have to prove anything to you?\r\n.... as his foot flattens the accelerator. ENGINE WHINES.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nI can have anything I want already.\r\nFAITH \r\nExcept me. And that bugs the shit out of you, doesn't it?\r\nKASE \r\nNot really.\r\nAT THE NEXT TURN\r\nit's clear he'll never make it, he's going too fast. Kase only smiles.\r\nReleasing the wheel, he stands in his seat, lifts his arms above his head and SHOUTS in exultation as--\r\n--the car EXPLODES into the wall.\r\nIt's all over in a breath. Accordioned metal, drooling radiator, and Faith, slumped over the dash.\r\nKase lies sprawled and battered on the pavement, thrown some distance from the wreckage. He's clearly taken the worst of the impact.\r\nFAITH\r\nstirs and slowly wrenches herself free of the smoking mangle of steel and plastic.\r\nShe reaches back and pulls Kase's sword free of the wreckage.\r\nWith single-minded determination, she limps over to Kase's body, face-up in his own pooling blood.\r\nA disbelieving PEDESTRIAN pauses in shock.\r\nFaith gives her a twisted smile.\r\nFAITH \r\nDon't mind us.\r\nPedestrian SCURRIES OFF as Faith lifts the sword over her head and brings it WHISTLING DOWN across Kase's neck.\r\nWith inhuman reflexes, Kase awakens and catches her wrist in the same heartbeat.\r\nEyes narrow.\r\nKASE \r\nDoes this mean it's over?\r\nDISSOLVE TO:\r\nEXT - KASE'S CHURCH - DAY\r\nKase steps up to the back entrance, alone.\r\nTHE DOOR hangs slightly ajar, which clearly disturbs him.\r\nINT - CHURCH SANCTUARY - DAY\r\nKase enters the main room to find Calvin and Sarge asleep on their pews. He kicks the first pew, awakens both with a start.\r\nKASE \r\nWho left the back door open?\r\nCALVIN\r\nHuh?\r\nKase looks to Sarge.\r\nSARGE \r\nI dunno.\r\nKASE \r\nWhere's Cracker Bob? He was supposed to be watching the back.\r\nCalvin and Sarge both shrug.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\n(sotto) \r\nInfants.\r\nHe whirls, stalks out.\r\nINT - SACRISTY\r\nKase enters his dark, cluttered office, SLAMMING the door behind him.\r\nFLICKS ON THE LIGHT\r\nand stops cold.\r\nA SWORD\r\nJUTS from a small wooden table...\r\n. . . right through CRACKER BOB, who lies skewered to the tabletop.\r\nWRAPPED AROUND THE SWORDHILT\r\nis Caiolin MacLeods unique silver-and-wood CRUCIFIX.\r\nThe message is not lost on Kase.\r\nBOB'S EYES\r\nsuddenly flutter open. First thing he sees is that sword hilt sticking rudely out of his own chest.\r\nCRACKER BOB \r\nAh-- Ahhh-- AHHHHHHH!!\r\nKASE \r\nShut up.\r\nHe reaches forward and JERKS the sword out of Bob, and with it\r\nA SINGLE SCRAP OF PAPER\r\nimpaled on the blade.\r\nIt bears just one word, scrawled in Bob's plentiful blood.\r\nGLENFINNAN\r\nBob sits up on the table, wild-eyed, as Kase calmly opens his fingers and lets the paper slide from his fingers.\r\nCUT TO:\r\nEXT - LITTLE ITALY, ESTABLISHING - NIGHT\r\nGlitter lights and milling tourists. Row upon row of gimmicky Italian restaurants.\r\nINT - ITALIAN RESTAURANT, PRIVATE ROOM - NIGHT\r\nJacob Kase and his acolytes dine at a long table set against a gaudy backdrop of faux Roman ruins, babbling fountains and plastic holly.\r\nIt all imparts a whiff of \"Last Supper\" pomp to the proceeding.\r\nWhich is not lost on the other Immortals, who glance around warily while eating, as suspicious of each other as they are of Kase.\r\nNor does anyone miss the fact that there are no windows in this particular room.\r\nCLOSE ON WINSTON\r\nHe stares into his pasta, beading sweat.\r\nBENEATH THE TABLE\r\nhis fingers curl around the cold steel of a .38 SPECIAL wedged between his knees. He inches the gun upward toward the table rim as...\r\nKase suddenly stands up in the center.\r\nKASE \r\nA toast...\r\nAll heads turn.\r\nGun freezes in Winston's lap, just hidden from view.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nI see tonight as a celebration of the spirit. \r\n(raises his glass) \r\nHere's to all of you who continue to\r\nstand by me... \r\n(smiles at Winston)\r\n. . . even those who might waver at times.\r\nWinston stiffens, fears that Kase is on to him.\r\nAnd when Calvin averts his gaze, he knows.\r\nStill, he raises his glass. As do the others.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nYou are my flock. You nourish my soul.\r\nIt's now or never for Winston. His moment of truth.\r\nKase's eyes slowly drift over to meet his.\r\nSLOW MOTION,\r\nKase tips back his glass and drinks, eyes locked on Winston.\r\nWinston responds in kind, gulping down his wine as he slips the gun back into his pocket.\r\nHe shoves off from the table.\r\nWINSTON\r\nExcuse me.\r\nKASE \r\nWhere you going?\r\nWINSTON\r\nToilet.\r\nKASE\r\nSit sit. I'm not through with my toast yet.\r\nWINSTON \r\nCan't wait.\r\nHe angles for the door.\r\nKASE\r\nI'm almost finished. Sit.\r\nWinston reaches for the doorknob. Locked.\r\nHe swivels back. Sees death in Jacob Kase's eyes. His death.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nIt'll all be over in a few more seconds.\r\nA cold spike of fear shoots through every single one of them...\r\n. . . as Kase continues.\r\nKASE (cont'd)\r\nYouve all been a part of a great quest. A four hundred year quest for justice.\r\nHe lifts up an exquisitely-crafted sword.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nAnd here, my friends, is the instrument of that justice. It's called the \"Colichmarde.\" Finest sword known to man.\r\nThe blade WHISTLES upright.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nBlessed by Popes and baptized in blood. I only break it out for special occasions.\r\nHe kisses the perfect cross formed by the juncture of blade and quillons.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nIt sings like an angel. Just listen.\r\nWinston jerks for his gun.\r\nIn a SUDDEN BLUR of STEEL and BLOOD, Kase beheads Winston and dispatches the next two of his stunned acolytes with blinding efficiency.\r\nTONGUES OF LIQUID ENERGY coil up and around Kase's body. But he keeps right on coming.\r\nThe others scatter like roaches.\r\nESSENCE PULSES off walls and ceiling, SHATTERING STATUARY, HURLING FURNITURE...\r\n. ..before MERGING with the WALKING INFERNO that is now Jacob Kase.\r\nHis sword BLAZES through the remaining victims, trailing STREAKS OF BLUE FIRE.\r\nOne after another, they drop headless to the concrete,\r\ntriggering\r\nA FULL-ON MULTIPLE-QUICKENING.\r\nTHE NEXT WAVE OF ESSENCE\r\nSLAMS into Kase front on. His knees BUCKLE.\r\nANOTHER\r\nHits him BROADSIDE, buffeting him one way as\r\nYET ANOTHER\r\nPOUNDS him from the opposite- side, rocking him back center and IMMOBILIZING HIM inside an omni-directional CRUSH of LIGHT AND SOUND that WHITES OUT THE FRAME.\r\nDISSOLVE TO:\r\nEXT - SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS - DAY\r\nA THICK CLINGING FOG, enshrouds the rocky highlands. Somewhere along the invisible coastline below, a foghorn MOANS.\r\nThe skeletal remains of an ancient Gaelic CASTLE loom spectral gray above\r\nJACOB KASE\r\nwho stands before an ANCIENT CELTIC MONOLITH (familiar from Glenfinnan's town square) revelling in the changeless land of his birth.\r\nKASE \r\n(calling out) \r\nWhere else could stir the blood of a Scotsman too long of this earth and too far from home?\r\nKase picks his way across the uneven ground, unable to see beyond the reach of his own arm.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\n(filling his lungs) \r\nI can nae get enough of it.\r\nHe draws his sword, extends it outward until the tip\r\ndisappears from sight.\r\nA LOW SCRAPING OF METAL ON STONE taunts him from\r\nsomewhere out there in the slow-drifting whiteness\r\nKase's sword TWITCHES toward the SOUND.\r\nJust the FAINTEST OUTLINE of a FIGURE COALESCES BRIEFLY inside the fog.\r\nKASE \r\nAh, what's this? Hamlet's ghost?\r\nThe FIGURE melts back into silent nothingness.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nI'm afraid even the cloak of fog won't help you overcome a sizeable disadvantage.\r\nA DIFFERENT SCRAPING SOUND\r\nspins him around to see\r\nANOTHER GHOSTLY FIGURE\r\nlooming over him from a narrow stone outcropping.\r\nKase masks a slight tinge of concern.\r\nKASE (cont'd) \r\nIt's always good to see two fellow clansmen banded together in a common cause. But I hope you haven't sunk to the level of a simultaneous ambush.\r\nOnce again, the figure steps backward into the enveloping\r\nfog. Disappears.\r\nSlightly unnerved, Kase jerks around. No sign of anyone. Just that infernal mist.\r\nA SOFT SCRAPING of SWORD against ROCK swivels him back around to his original position.\r\nCLOSE ON KASE\r\nHis nerves are starting to shred.\r\nHe turns several full rotations, craning for a glimpse of his tormentors.\r\nAnd then he sees it...\r\nAN APPARITION WIELDING A SWORD.\r\nKase LUNGES for it. And this time, it doesn't retreat.\r\nSwords CLANG in thunderous overture as\r\nTWO SPECTRES IN THE FOG\r\nbattle for position on tenuous footing.\r\nKASE drives his adversary backward into a BLUNTED STONE WALL, leaving him no avenue of escape.\r\nTheir swords LOCK UP and Kase suddenly finds himself FACE TO FACE WITH--\r\nDUNCAN MACLEOD.\r\nYou can sense Kase's bitter disappointment.\r\nKASE \r\nNot at all who I'd hoped for.\r\nCLOSE ON DUNCAN'S EYES\r\nas they flick to a point iust behind Kase's head.\r\nCLOSE ON KASE'S EYES\r\nas he realizes he's been had.\r\nHe SWINGS FULLY AROUND TO FACE CONNOR--\r\n--and sees that NOBODY'S THERE!\r\nToo late-- he SWINGS BACK TO DUNCAN-- and IMPALES HIMSELF ON DUNCAN'S SWORD.\r\nDUNCAN \r\n(through clenched teeth) \r\nI'm afraid Connor couldn't be here. But don't worry, he's with us in spirit.\r\nStill gripping his sword two-fisted, Duncan seems to surge with newfound strength.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nHe gave himself for this moment. And I shan't let him down.\r\nDuncan SHOVES OFF from Kase and goes to work on him with a VENGEANCE.\r\nWHAT KASE SEES:\r\nA frightening, hallucinitory vision of a DUAL ADVERSARY-- one that CHANGES back and forth in the flux of swirling mist.\r\nAs Duncan's blade BLURS PAST, Kase sees CONNOR. With the very next SWING, he sees Duncan again.\r\nThen Connor. Then Duncan. Connor. Duncan...\r\nKase rubs his eyes with the back of his hand. Shakes it off. Can't be.\r\nDuncan buffets Kase backward with several dazzling combinations, then goes inside, tough and ugly.\r\nKase seems suddenly overwhelmed, physically and mentally, as he's driven onto his back by sheer relentless overdrive.\r\nDuncan SLASHES DOWN for the killing blow, which Kase BARELY DEFLECTS.\r\nHe SLASHES AGAIN. And AGAIN. Each time Kase barely escapes with his head intact.\r\nDuncan keeps up this relentless barrage, hacking down in every conceivable direction, looking for an opening, finding none.\r\nWith each increasingly-leaden DOWNSTROKE, Duncan is losing strength...\r\n. . . and Kase is regaining his.\r\nKase BATTLES BACK TO HIS FEET, deftly siezes the advantage.\r\nKASE \r\n(savage smile)\r\nThis is not a game won on points, I'm afraid.\r\nHe drives Duncan back with an answering exchange that leaves no doubt of his superior ability.\r\nIn a single massive THRUST, Kase STRIPS Duncan's sword and sends him flying.\r\nDuncan lands on his back, weaponless.\r\nKase steps up to the katana, scoops his toe under it and FLICKS IT BACK TO DUNCAN.\r\nThen waves him back to his feet. A cat playing with his prey.\r\nBoth combatants square off... and RESUME.\r\nKASE \r\nThat's the beauty of eternity. The fun never stops.\r\nHe THRUSTS-- spiking Duncan clear through the shoulder.\r\nDuncan hangs up on the blade, unable to move. Grimaces\r\nin pain.\r\nSetting boot to chest, Kase KICKS Duncan off his sword and sends him spiralling backward.\r\nDuncan reaches out to break his fall--\r\n--but there's no ground beneath him.\r\nHe PLUMMETS OFF a SLANTED CLIFF. Bounces at fifty feet, then tumbles clear to the bottom.\r\nKase steps up to the edge, scowls.\r\nA FRESHLY-CUT QUARRY\r\nhas been hewn from the hilltop by the massive sword of modern technology.\r\nEARTH MOVING EQUIPMENT several stories tall lines the inner basin.\r\nKASE \r\nWhat have they done to my mountain?!\r\nHe gazes down at DUNCAN'S BODY sprawled at the base of the cliff. Then starts down after him.\r\nEXT - BOTTOM OF QUARRY - DAY\r\nDuncan crawls over to his sword...\r\n. . . as Kase picks his way down the steep incline.\r\nDuncan spikes his sword into the ground and uses it to climb upright.\r\nOne look at his battered body and you know this fight is over. He just stands there, hunched over his sword, grimly waiting for Kase to reach him and deliver the killing blow.\r\nIt doesn't take long. Kase stops, regards him with\r\ncontempt.\r\nKASE \r\nDon't make it easy. I hate that.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nYoure breaking my heart.\r\nKASE \r\nPick up!\r\nDuncan shakes his blood-streaked head.\r\nKASE \r\nPICK UP!\r\nDUNCAN \r\nIt's always been too easy for you, Kase. No reason this time should be any different.\r\nHe plucks his sword out of the ground...\r\n. . . and TURNS HIS BACK TO KASE.\r\nDUNCAN (cont'd) \r\nTake your best shot.\r\nHe hobbles off, sword hanging limp at his side.\r\nKase starts TREMBLING WITH RAGE.\r\nKASE \r\nMACLEOD!\r\nDuncan ignores him, keeps walking.\r\nAbout now, we should have a pretty good idea what Duncan has in mind.\r\nBut Kase doesn't have a clue.\r\nDUNCAN'S POV:\r\nFor a fleeting moment, Connor stands before Duncan, more\r\nmist than flesh.\r\nHe opens his arms wide.\r\nCONNOR'S APPARITION \r\nRemember weil, old friend.\r\nHe DISSOLVES AWAY as Kase hoists sword over shoulder...\r\nKASE (cont'd)\r\nMAC-LEOD!!\r\n. ..and CHARGES...\r\nWhich is exactly what Duncan expected.\r\nUSING THE SAME MOVE CONNOR TAUGHT HIM--\r\n--Duncan PIVOTS WITH the THRUST, catching Kase completely off guard and off balance.\r\nThis time, no force of man or nature can keep Duncan's sword from hitting home.\r\nHe SLICES UPWARD with a ROAR OF DEFIANCE...\r\n. ..and FOLLOWS THROUGH.\r\nON KASE:\r\nHe stands there, head miraculously still intact, a look of bewildered relief.\r\nDuncan simply POPS his sword butt into Kase's face.\r\nThe head comes easily away from the neck and falls.\r\nKASE'S POV spins END OVER END through the air, bounces twice and comes to a rest SIDEWAYS.\r\nAnd that's how we first see his HEADLESS BODY, sprawled across the ground.\r\nKASE'S SEVERED HEAD\r\nblinks with sudden recognition. And now he knows. This is the worst part of losing your head-- those last few seconds of cold lucidity.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nopens his arms to\r\nHEAVES UNDERFOOT.\r\nWIDE - THE QUARRY\r\nthe ULTIMATE OUICKENING as THE EARTH\r\nWALLS\r\nEXPLODE like a circle of VOLCANOES venting into the center.\r\nDuncan CLAWS UPWARD on a GROUNDSWELL OF RAW ENERGY as DIRT, ROCK, ASH and SMOKE OBLITERATE THE BASIN.\r\nThe SEISMIC CONVULSIONS GRADUALLY SUBSIDE.\r\nThe dust settles.\r\nAnd the blighted landscape falls into an unearthly SILENCE, blind to its own buried secrets.\r\nHOLD on the trailing wisps of smoke as\r\nTHE GROUND SHUDDERS\r\nand DUNCAN'S KATANA BREAKS THE SURFACE.\r\nIt PLUNGES UPWARD ONE, TWO, THREE MORE TIMES, pulverizing dirt and stone.\r\nHANDS FOLLOW, clawing their up way through the loosely- mounded earth until DUNCAN'S HEAD AND SHOULDERS APPEAR.\r\nAs if the earth itself is giving birth to a new generation of Immortal.\r\nHe rolls out onto the ground, gasping, triumphant. Reborn.\r\nOne inch at a time, he slowly rises to his feet.\r\nAs we KEEP ON RISING up into a FIERY HIGHLAND SUNSET.\r\nTILT BACK DOWN TO:\r\nEXT - HIGHLANDS ABOVE GLENFINNAN\r\nDuncan stands over a freshly-dug grave. Onto the simple stone, he's chisled:\r\nHEATHER MACLEOD\r\nBELOVED WIFE OF CONNOR\r\nAnd beneath it:\r\nCONNOR MACLEOD\r\nBELOVED HUSBAND OF HEATHER\r\nDuncan's eyes glisten with an unspeakable loss. And a comfort in knowing that his friend has finally found the peace of eternity.\r\nDUNCAN \r\nyours is the greater prize my friend. Welcome home.\r\nLINGER ON DUNCAN as we DISSOLVE SLOWLY TO...\r\nEXT - MANHATTAN SKYLINE - DAWN\r\nFAITH stands sentinel-like atop a bluff overlooking the Hudson River and the insignificant island of Manhattan beyond.\r\nHer trademark slashes of facepaint and hair dye have been shed like molted skin. What remains is a serene beauty that defies fashion or vanity.\r\nHer faraway eyes BLINK with a sudden, frightening clarity.\r\nTHE BUZZ sets her reflexes snapping as she SPINS AROUND--\r\n--and CATCHES the COLICHMARDE, handle first.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nfollows, strolling toward her with hands loose at his\r\nside.\r\nFaith runs her finger down the shimmering blade.\r\nFAITH \r\n(considers) \r\nSo... what am I supposed to do next -- kiss you or take your head?\r\nDuncan steps up to her, smiling enigmatically.\r\nDUNCAN\r\nThe choice is yours.\r\nFADE OUT:\r\nTHE END"}}},{"rowIdx":142,"cells":{"Action":{"kind":"string","value":"Hostage\r\n\r\n\r\n by\r\n\r\n Robert Crais\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n based on his novel\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n March 29, 2002\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFADE IN:\r\n\r\nEXT. A HYPERBLUE LOS ANGELES SKY -- DAY\r\n\r\nThe sky is overlaid with the slow whup-whup-whup of an LAPD\r\nhelicopter flashing through the frame, here and gone.\r\n\r\nLAPD radio transmissions crackle like static electricity\r\naround a dirty clapboard bungalow that looks like the\r\npuckered asshole of Eagle Rock.\r\n\r\nA man's terrified voice screams invisibly from the house --\r\n\r\n MALIK'S VOICE\r\n I'm gonna kill this dog! You make my\r\n wife talk to me or I'm gonna shoot this\r\n fuckin' dog!\r\n\r\nA five-member SWAT tactical team appears out of nowhere--full\r\nblack assault gear, M5s, gloved and masked--hustling into\r\nposition on either side of the front door. Only now do we\r\nget the full picture: Helicopters overhead, radio cars\r\nsurrounding the house, an army of cops itching the pull the\r\ntrigger --\r\n\r\nWhen the tac team is good to go, the team leader gives a\r\nthumbs-up to --\r\n\r\nSERGEANT JEFF TALLEY AND LT. MURRAY LEIFITZ\r\n\r\nTalley and Leifitz are hunkered behind the LAPD Command and\r\nControl van. Leifitz is the Crisis Response Team SWAT \r\ncommander; Talley, the primary negotiator. It's so hot out\r\nhere that Talley has stripped down to a tee-shirt and vest.\r\n\r\n LEIFITZ\r\n They're good to go, Talley. Your word,\r\n and we're in the house.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n No one's going anywhere, L-T. We can\r\n talk this guy down.\r\n\r\nTalley lifts a dedicated crisis phone that's been hardlined\r\ninto the house, his tone reasonable and friendly --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (into the phone)\r\n Hey, George? George, don't kill the dog,\r\n okay? We don't want to hear a gun go off\r\n in there.\r\n\r\nA phone crashes through the window and lands in the front\r\nyard --\r\n\r\n MALIK'S VOICE\r\n (screaming from the house)\r\n Fuck you!\r\n\r\n LEIFITZ\r\n I don't think he wants to talk.\r\n\r\nFrustrated, Talley slumps back against the van as the SWAT\r\nIntelligence Officer, Lloyd Keith, scuttles up to them --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Where's the guy's wife?\r\n\r\n KEITH\r\n She didn't take the kid to her sister's.\r\n The neighbors were wrong.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Goddamnit, you said we had her. I told\r\n him we had her!\r\n\r\n KEITH\r\n We got bad information, Talley. I can't\r\n pull her out of my ass!\r\n\r\nUp at the house, George Edward Malik steps into the window.\r\nMalik is a forty-year-old freaked-out loser who has turned\r\nthe corner on insanity --\r\n\r\n MALIK\r\n (shouting at Talley)\r\n You said my wife was gonna talk to me,\r\n you lying fuck! I'm gonna kill her dog,\r\n then shoot myself! I mean it!\r\n\r\nTalley stares at Malik, thinking, then abruptly grabs Keith\r\nby the collar --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Keith)\r\n Pull the dog's name out of your ass. Get\r\n the dog's name.\r\n\r\nTalley steps out from behind the command van so that Malik\r\ncan see him.\r\n\r\n LEIFITZ\r\n (alarmed by Talley's move)\r\n Talley! You're in the line of fire!\r\n\r\nTalley ignores Leifitz; he is totally focused on Malik and on\r\ndefusing the situation --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I didn't lie to you, George. You scared\r\n your wife pretty good last night. We're\r\n having a hard time finding her.\r\n\r\n MALIK\r\n She better talk to me! I'm gonna kill\r\n her goddamned dog!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You and I have been talking for, what, \r\n sixteen hours? Keep talking. Is that\r\n your dog, too?\r\n\r\nMalik steps away from the window --\r\n\r\n MALIK'S VOICE\r\n I don't know whose dog it is. She lied\r\n about everything else, so she probably\r\n lied about the dog.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I know you're hurting. You lose your\r\n job, you find out your wife's fucking\r\n another guy . . . but don't give up.\r\n We'll have her talk to you.\r\n\r\n MALIK'S VOICE\r\n Then why won't she open her mouth?! Why\r\n doesn't the bitch say something??? \r\n\r\nSomething about Malik's statement bothers Talley. The\r\nwording is odd, suspicious --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n George? Come back to the window.\r\n\r\n MALIK'S VOICE\r\n STOP LOOKING AT ME!!!\r\n\r\nTalley grows even more concerned. Was Malik talking to him?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n George? Leave the dog alone and come to\r\n the window.\r\n\r\nTalley sees Keith rejoin Leifitz --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (to Leifitz)\r\n What's the dog's name?\r\n\r\n LEIFITZ\r\n The neighbors say he doesn't have a dog.\r\n\r\nThe pieces fall into place for Talley: The wife that no one\r\ncan find, the dog that doesn't exist....\r\n\r\n MALIK'S VOICE\r\n OPEN YOUR GODDAMNED MOUTH OR I'M GONNA\r\n SHOOT THIS DOG!\r\n\r\nIn a single terrible moment, Talley realizes that Malik is\r\nnot talking to him; he's talking to his wife --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Murray!! They're in the house! His\r\n wife's in the house!\r\n\r\nEven as Talley screams, a gunshot echoes from the house,\r\nfreezing the moment. A second shot follows the first as the\r\ntactical team breaches the front door --\r\n\r\nTalley sprints forward, running as hard as he can in\r\nnightmare slow motion --\r\n\r\nINT. MALIK'S HOUSE -- DAY\r\n\r\nTalley shoulders inside on the heels of the tactical team\r\nthrough drifting gun smoke and lancing sunlight. SWAT cops\r\nare cuffing Malik even though he's already dead of a self-\r\ninflicted gunshot wound; Malik's wife is sprawled on the\r\ncouch where she has been dead for fourteen hours; two tac\r\nofficers are trying to stop the geyser of arterial blood that\r\nsprays from the neck of Malik's nine-year-old son even as one\r\nof them screams for the paramedics --\r\n\r\nTalley is numb; it's all too much, too heavy, too horrible.\r\nHe kneels between to the tactical cops and takes the boy's\r\nhand. He stares into the boy's eyes, and the boy stares\r\nback. The child's face grows pale as he drains of blood. We\r\nhear his heart beating. We hear it slow. We hear it stop.\r\n\r\nTalley stares at the dead boy. The dead boy's lifeless eyes\r\nstare at nothing.\r\n\r\nTITLES\r\n\r\nAnother hyperblue sky, but now we're in an upscale bedroom\r\ncommunity in the sun-scorched high desert north of LA --\r\n\r\nA legend appears: One Year Later.\r\n\r\nEXT. KIM'S MINIMARKET AND GAS STATION -- DAY\r\n\r\nA rotted-out Toyota pickup lurches to a stop alongside the\r\nminimart, white-boy hip-hop booming on the radio which dies\r\nwith the engine --\r\n\r\nDennis Rooney is driving; twenty-three years old, working-\r\nclass desert trash with a high opinion of his own brooding\r\ngood looks. In the middle: Kevin Rooney, nineteen, scared\r\nshitless at what they're about to do. Riding shotgun: Mars\r\nKrupchek, twenty-four, a large pasty guy with a shaved head\r\nand faraway eyes.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n C'mon, Dennis, this is stupid. I thought\r\n we were gonna go to the movies.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (grins past Kevin to Mars)\r\n Mars?! Whattaya think, dude? Out here\r\n on the edge, no one around, it's perfect,\r\n right?\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n I'll check it out.\r\n\r\nMars slides out of the truck. He has a tattoo on the back of\r\nhis tattoo that says: BURN IT.\r\n\r\nAs soon as Mars is gone, Dennis frowns at Kevin --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Try to act cool, okay? He's gonna think\r\n you're a dick.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Robbing this place is gonna put you back\r\n in prison.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Not if they don't catch us, Kevin.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n We got jobs, man; we're working. Why\r\n even take the chance?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Because if you don't take the chance,\r\n you're already dead.\r\n\r\nDennis pulls a pistol from his pants to check the magazine.\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Thirty seconds, we'll be down the road.\r\n Thirty seconds. Then we'll go to the\r\n movies.\r\n\r\nMars returns and nods his approval --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n It's perfect.\r\n\r\nThat's all it takes.\r\n\r\nINT. KIM'S MINIMART -- DAY\r\n\r\nJunior Kim, Jr., is short, squat, and forty-two years old.\r\nHe's reading a magazine behind the counter when Dennis and\r\nMars enter; Dennis trying to disarm him with a smile --\r\n\r\nAs Dennis reaches the counter, he lifts his tee-shirt to\r\nreveal the butt of his pistol --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n A pack of Marlboros for my friend and all\r\n your cash, you gook motherfucker!\r\n\r\nBut Junior Kim is ready. He lurches to his feet, bringing up\r\na pistol of his own --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n He's got a gun!\r\n\r\nDennis lunges across the counter, grabbing Kim's gun, and the \r\ntwo men are suddenly locked in a ferocious death-struggle for\r\npossession of the weapon --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Mars, help me --\r\n\r\nDennis and Kim bounce from the counter to the Slurpy machine,\r\nthe Glock locked between them, pointing first one way, then\r\nthe other, their eyes meeting as -- BAM -- the gun goes off.\r\n\r\nJunior Kim's eyes widen. Dennis and Junior both look down at\r\nthe red blossom that grows on Junior Kim's chest --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n (screaming in the background)\r\n Dennis! Dennis, someone's coming!\r\n\r\nKim falls into the Slurpy machine, then slides to the floor.\r\nDennis scrambles over the counter and sprints for the door. \r\n\r\nBut Mars hesitates. Instead of running, he picks up Kim's\r\ngun, then leans over the counter to look at Kim's body. We\r\ncannot see his face --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE MINIMART -- DAY\r\n\r\nA forty-something soccer mom named Margaret Hammond is about\r\nto enter the minimart when Dennis and Kevin burst out,\r\nknocking her on her ass. Mars follows a moment later --\r\n\r\nMargaret watches their red pickup lurch away, then rushes\r\ninto the store --\r\n\r\nINT. THE TRUCK -- DAY\r\n\r\nDennis power-shifts into gear, clashing tortured metal as he\r\npushes the Toyota as hard as it will go. No one is talking;\r\nthey're screaming --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n There's fuckin' blood all over you!\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n I didn't know he would have a gun! It\r\n just went off!\r\n\r\nDennis sees himself in the rearview mirror. His face is \r\nsplattered with red dew, the sight of it freaking him out --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Jesus! Fuckin' Jesus, it's on my face!\r\n\r\nThe trunk careens crazily off the road. Mars calmly runs a\r\nhand over Dennis's face --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Relax. It's only blood.\r\n\r\nDennis upshifts hard again, the truck lurching as the tranny\r\nhowls --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n FUCK you, Mars! I got it all over me!\r\n\r\n-- whereupon the tortured transmission gives with a loud BANG\r\nand the truck loses power --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n MotherFUCKING piece of SHIT!!!\r\n\r\nEXT. FLANDERS ROAD -- DAY\r\n\r\nFlanders Road is lined with trees, hedges, and the exclusive\r\nhousing developments that dot the countryside around Bristo\r\nCamino.\r\n\r\nThe Toyota jerks to a stop well off the road, and Dennis,\r\nMars, and Kevin pile out, stuffing pistols and bullets into\r\ntheir pockets --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n That woman's gonna call the cops.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Shut up, goddamnit! Just calm down!\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n What if he's dead? What if you killed\r\n him?\r\n\r\nDennis grabs him by the throat; Mars steps between them --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n People are looking.\r\n\r\nDennis sees that Mars is right; people in passing cars are\r\nlooking. He releases his brother --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n That's why we gotta keep going. I'm not\r\n gonna go in for murder.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n We're on foot. We can't get away.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n We're surrounded by houses, dumbass.\r\n Every house has a car in the garage.\r\n All we have to do is take one.\r\n\r\nDennis and Mars take off for the wall, Kevin reluctantly\r\nfollowing --\r\n\r\nEXT. WALTER SMITH'S HOME -- THE CUL-DE-SAC -- DAY\r\n\r\nThe camera reveals a two-story California Mediterranean home\r\nin the exclusive housing development known as York Estates.\r\nYou can't get in the door for less than one-point-five, and\r\nthis house costs more: Eight thousand square feet of used\r\nbrick and custom tile set on a lushly landscaped acre --\r\n\r\n WALTER SMITH'S VOICE\r\n You can pick them up whenever you want.\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER SMITH'S OFFICE -- DAY\r\n\r\nWalter Smith is at his computer behind his desk. He's forty\r\nand fit, casually dressed with thinning hair and glasses,\r\ncurrently leaning back as he talks on his phone --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n (into the phone)\r\n I have his corporate and personal on two\r\n disks, labeled Marlon and Al.\r\n\r\nAs Smith talks, he ejects a Zip disk from his computer,\r\nattaches a label reading Al, then places it in a palm-sized\r\ncase beside the first disk, Marlon --\r\n\r\n WALTER (CONT'D)\r\n What, you don't have a sense of humor?\r\n He's going to love it.\r\n\r\nWalter's ten-year-old son, Thomas, suddenly charges around\r\nthe desk and pulls at his father's arm --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n My stomach is eating me!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n (into the phone)\r\n Yeah, that's Thomas, the human piranha.\r\n I have to feed the animals while Pam's in\r\n Florida with her sister.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n My stomach has teeth! It's eating my\r\n guts!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n (still with the phone)\r\n Listen, is Glen on his way? Great. The\r\n paper's bagged and ready to go. Bye.\r\n (hangs up; then)\r\n All right, all right, all right--it's \r\n feeding time!\r\n\r\nWalter allows his son to pull him around the desk to --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE SMITHS' BACK YARD -- THE POOL -- DAY\r\n\r\nA boom box blasts the latest teendiva megahit as Walter's\r\nsixteen-year-old daughter, Jennifer, stretches out in cutoff\r\nshorts and a bikini top, working on her tan.\r\n\r\nWalter and Thomas appear in the French doors that open from\r\nthe back of the house --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n (calling)\r\n Jen! Come feed your brother! He's\r\n wasting away!\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Can't we send him to Florida?\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n Jen, c'mon, chop-chop! I've got to\r\n finish my work!\r\n\r\nJennifer rolls her eyes, rises from the chaise longue, and\r\npads to the house. As she clears the frame, the camera\r\nswings toward the overgrown wall at the edge of the property.\r\nDennis silenty drops into the bushes --\r\n\r\nEXT. BRISTO CAMINO PATROL CAR -- DAY\r\n\r\nA sky blue Bristo Camino patrol car cruises along Flanders\r\nRoad --\r\n\r\nINT. THE CRUISER -- OFFICER MIKE WELCH -- DRIVING\r\n\r\nWelch is a young officer with an innocence to his eyes that\r\nyou don't find in urban cops. He keeps a photo of his wife\r\nand toddler son taped to the dash.\r\n\r\n RADIO\r\n Four, base. You there, Mike?\r\n\r\nWelch picks up the radio microphone --\r\n\r\n WELCH\r\n Four. I'm gonna hit the Krispy-Kreme.\r\n You want a dozen?\r\n\r\n RADIO\r\n Armed robbery, Kim's Minimart on Flanders\r\n Road, shots fired with a man down.\r\n\r\nThis is so unexpected that Welch waits for the punchline --\r\n\r\n WELCH\r\n Are you kidding me?\r\n\r\n RADIO\r\n Ah, suspects are three white males\r\n driving a red pickup last seen eastbound\r\n on Flanders.\r\n\r\nWelch turns on his lights just as he sees the red Toyota\r\npickup abandoned on the side of the road and stands on his\r\nbrakes --\r\n\r\nINT. THE SMITHS' KITCHEN -- A FEW MINUTES LATER\r\n\r\nThe Smiths' home sports an open floor plan with the kitchen\r\ncentrally located between a large family room, a hall that\r\nleads to the front of the house, and the French doors that\r\nopen onto the pool area.\r\n\r\nJennifer is putting the finishing touches on three tuna\r\nsandwiches as she calls to her brother --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Tell Daddy that lunch is ready.\r\n (no answer)\r\n Thomas, don't be a turd. Tell --!\r\n\r\nShe turns to find herself face-to-face with Dennis, who\r\nclamps a hand over her mouth --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (quietly)\r\n I'm not going to hurt you.\r\n\r\nMars is holding Thomas. Kevin is by the French doors --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Stop fighting. Relax, and I'll let go.\r\n\r\nJennifer struggles until she sees that Mars is holding a\r\npistol to Thomas's head --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n That's better. Be cool and we'll be\r\n outta here in five minutes. Understand?\r\n\r\nJennifer nods, and Dennis removes his hand. He has her\r\npinned to the counter, his body pressed into her's; she is\r\nsuddenly very aware that she is almost naked --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Who else is here?\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n My father.\r\n\r\nDennis grabs her hair and pulls her away --\r\n\r\nINT. SMITHS' OFFICE -- DAY\r\n\r\nIt happens fast: Dennis shoves Jennifer into the room, and\r\nMars and Kevin follow with Thomas --\r\n\r\nWalter is feeding a computer print-out into a paper shredder\r\nas they burst through the door --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Get your ass in the chair! Sit down!\r\n\r\nDennis shoves Jennifer to the floor and stalks directly\r\nacross the room, his gun trained on Walter.\r\n\r\nWalter freezes, hands motionless, letting the paper feed into\r\nthe shredder. Strangely, he has little outward reaction --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n (quietly)\r\n Jen? Are you all right?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n She'll be dead if you don't put your ass\r\n in that chair!\r\n\r\nWalter carefully sits. He is amazingly calm in the face of\r\nthis invasion.\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Kevin! Don't stand there, asshole, close\r\n the windows! Mars, keep him covered,\r\n dude!\r\n\r\nMars pushes Thomas down beside Jennifer, then aims his gun at\r\nWalter. Kevin closes the shutters as Dennis rips the \r\nelectric cord from a lamp --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n Who sent you?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Don't go Rambo and you'll tell'm about\r\n this on the back nine. I'm gonna tie you\r\n up, then we're gonna take your car.\r\n\r\nWalter glances toward the shredder; the final page of paper\r\nemerges as spaghetti and then the shredder stops --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n The car. All you want is the car?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Am I talkin' raghead?! I want your car!\r\n Gimme the goddamned keys!\r\n\r\nA strange smile flickers at the corner of Walter's mouth as\r\nif there's a joke within all this, then --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n The keys are on the wall by the garage.\r\n Take it. The tank's almost full.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Dennis! The cops!\r\n\r\nDennis rushes to the window --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE SMITHS' HOUSE -- CUL DE SAC -- DAY\r\n\r\nMike Welch climbs out of the patrol car and keys his shoulder\r\nmike as he appraises the house --\r\n\r\n WELCH\r\n (into his radio mike)\r\n They had to go through the yard at 455\r\n Castle Way. I'm going to approach.\r\n\r\nWelch slowly moves up the walk toward the front door --\r\n\r\nINT. THE ENTRY -- DAY\r\n\r\nDennis shoves Jennifer to the door --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Open it! You remember I'm right here!\r\n\r\nEXT. THE HOUSE -- WITH WELCH\r\n\r\nWelch is halfway up the walk when the door opens and\r\nJennifer, clearly terrified, peers out. Welch hesitates --\r\n\r\n WELCH\r\n (into his mike)\r\n Teenage female opened the front door.\r\n (to Jennifer)\r\n Miss, I found an abandoned vehicle on the\r\n other side of your wall. Did three young\r\n men run through the area?\r\n\r\nJennifer doesn't answer. Her eyes fill until two huge tears\r\nroll down her cheeks. Welch grows uneasy. Something is\r\nwrong, but he doesn't know what. He stays where he is --\r\n\r\n WELCH (CONT'D)\r\n Miss?\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n I didn't . . . see anyone.\r\n\r\nWelch stares into Jennifer's eyes, pointedly shifting his\r\ngaze to ask the silent question: Are they here?\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- MARS AND KEVIN\r\n\r\nare peering out the shutters when --\r\n\r\nMars suddenly shouts --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n He's going for his gun!\r\n\r\nMars opens fire, shooting through the window as --\r\n\r\nDENNIS\r\n\r\nkicks the door closed and fires through the door, Jennifer\r\nscreaming, as --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE HOUSE -- DAY -- MIKE WELCH\r\n\r\ntumbles backward, struggling weakly to pull his gun as blood\r\nbubbles in his mouth. He tries to rise, but can't --\r\n\r\n WELCH\r\n (into his radio)\r\n Officer down. Jesus, I've been shot.\r\n\r\n RADIO VOICE\r\n Mike? Mike, what did you say?!\r\n\r\nMike Welch blinks at the sky, but cannot answer -- \r\n\r\nINT. BRISTO CAMINO POLICE DEPARTMENT -- DAY\r\n\r\nIt's the kind of small-town police facility you might expect:\r\nA general room with desks and computers, a coffee machine,\r\nand a desk officer who thinks that crime is two teenagers\r\negging a house.\r\n\r\nThe camera establishes the low-key atmosphere, during which\r\nit finds a glass door labeled J. Talley, chief of police --\r\n\r\nINT. TALLEY'S OFFICE -- DAY\r\n\r\nJeff Talley is behind the desk, his voice muted because he is\r\nlocked in a painful phone conversation --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into phone)\r\n It's really hard, Jane. This isn't the\r\n way I want it.\r\n\r\nINT. JANE'S KITCHEN -- DAY\r\n\r\nJane Talley is an attractive woman in her mid-thirties. She\r\nhas the efficient manner of a registered nurse, which she is,\r\nand right now she's using all of her professional detachment\r\nto keep herself together --\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n (into phone)\r\n No? Then whose idea was it for you take\r\n a job in the middle of nowhere?\r\n\r\nIntercut Talley, who considers the photographs that decorate\r\nhis wall: Shots of Talley in happier times with Jane and\r\ntheir teenaged daughter, Amanda; Talley as a young SWAT\r\nofficer; the framed headline from the Bristo Weekly Standard\r\nproclaiming: EX-SWAT COP NEW BRISTO CHIEF!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I need to work out some stuff.\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n You're hiding, Jeffrey. You're hiding\r\n from the job and you're hiding from me.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I still see that boy's eyes.\r\n\r\nJane softens; she knows that a part of him is in terrible\r\npain. But she's in pain, too --\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n That happened a year ago. You've been\r\n gone for almost six months. How long do\r\n you have to punish yourself for something\r\n that wasn't your fault?\r\n\r\nTalley studies the picture of his wife and daughter. He\r\nfocuses on Amanda --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Is Amanda there?\r\n\r\nJane cups the phone and calls to her daughter. Amanda enters\r\nand goes to the refrigerator. She's fifteen and carrying the\r\nweight of a seriously bad attitude --\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n (to Amanda)\r\n It's Dad. He wants to speak with you.\r\n\r\n AMANDA\r\n (doesn't even glance over)\r\n I'm gonna see him later.\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n (back to Talley)\r\n She has to go to the bathroom.\r\n\r\nJane turns away and lowers her voice, not wanting Amanda to hear --\r\n\r\n JANE (CONT'D)\r\n You're not only punishing yourself, Jeff.\r\n Amanda and I are in this, too.\r\n\r\nTalley knows, and he hurts like hell because of it --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Can we talk some more when you get here?\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n We'll see you in a couple of hours.\r\n\r\nJane hangs up without waiting for a response, then closes her\r\neyes, trying hard to keep herself together.\r\n\r\n AMANDA\r\n I don't wanna go up there. I want to \r\n stay here with my friends.\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n Pack your things. You're going.\r\n\r\nJane stalks away without a glance back, and Amanda angrily\r\nflips off her mother --\r\n\r\nWITH TALLEY\r\n\r\nHe is clearly shaken by the call, but his thoughts are\r\ninterrupted when his assistant, an older woman named Louise\r\nVance, bursts in --\r\n\r\n LOUISE\r\n Mike's been shot! Someone shot Junior\r\n Kim, too --\r\n\r\nTalley comes around his desk --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n What are you talking about, shot? What\r\n happened?\r\n\r\n LOUISE\r\n Three white males shot Junior. Mike\r\n followed them to York Estates --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Where are they?\r\n\r\n LOUISE\r\n York Estates. Four-five-five Castle Way.\r\n Anders and Jorgenson are on the way.\r\n\r\nTalley charges out --\r\n\r\nEXT. YORK ESTATES -- CASTLE WAY -- DAY\r\n\r\nTalley wheels into a wide, spacious cul-de-sac lined with\r\nexpensive estate homes, and pulls up behind another radio\r\ncar. Anders and Jorgenson are crouched in the street --\r\n\r\nBullets snap into Talley's windshield, starring the glass --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Sonofabitch.\r\n\r\nTalley scrambles out of his car --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE SMITHS' HOUSE -- TALLEY'S CAR -- DAY\r\n\r\nTalley takes cover behind his front wheel. Anders and\r\nJorgenson are young guys; they've never worked a high-crime\r\narea; they've never made a felony arrest; and right now\r\nthey're scared shitless.\r\n\r\nMike Welch lies on the Smiths' front lawn, forty feet away --\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n Welch is down! They shot him!\r\n\r\n JORGENSON\r\n We think it's the three guys who robbed\r\n Kim's.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Are civilians inside?\r\n\r\n JORGENSON\r\n He said something about a girl --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Holster your guns!\r\n\r\nAnother shot cracks from the house as we hear the faint wail\r\nof approaching sirens. Talley edges around his car, trying\r\nto see Welch --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (calling)\r\n Mike! Mike, can you hear me?\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n I think he's dead!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Don't shout, Larry. I'm three feet away.\r\n\r\nTalley considers the situation and comes up with a plan --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n We have to cordon off the streets, then\r\n evacuate these houses.\r\n\r\n JORGENSON\r\n What are we going to do about Mike?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Keep your head down.\r\n\r\nTalley scrambles back into his car. He backs up, then powers\r\nthe car up the drive and onto the front lawn --\r\n\r\nWITH WELCH\r\n\r\nTalley roars to a stop between Welch and the house, using the\r\ncar as a shield. More shots ping off his car as Talley\r\nclimbs out --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n How you doing, buddy? You still alive?\r\n\r\nWelch moans. His shirt is soaked with blood where the\r\nbullets caught him beneath his vest. Talley can't waste\r\ntime. The siren is closer now --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Jesus. You hang on.\r\n\r\nTalley hoists Welch into the backseat, then dives behind the\r\nwheel. He fishtails off the lawn and up the street --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC INTERSECTION -- DAY\r\n\r\nThe ambulance waits as Talley powers to a stop --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n He's in the backseat!\r\n\r\nParamedics pull Mike Welch from the car as Talley gets out.\r\nHe can see into the cul-de-sac from here, where Anders and\r\nJorgenson still hunker behind their car. Talley keys his \r\nradio --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n This is Talley. Who's on?\r\n\r\nHis radio crackles with overlapping voices --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n One at a time! Clear the air!\r\n (as they settle)\r\n Louise? Talk to me. What do we have?\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n Junior Kim was DOA at the hospital.\r\n\r\nFrantic voices once more overlap --\r\n\r\n COP VOICES\r\n What about Mike? Is Welch alive? What\r\n happened?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (forcefully)\r\n Quiet! I want radio discipline.\r\n (as they quiet)\r\n Mike's hanging in. Larry, Jorgy? Listen\r\n up.\r\n\r\n JORGENSON'S VOICE\r\n Go, Chief.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Find out who lives at four-five-five. We\r\n gotta know who's in there.\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n Chief? Mike said a young girl answered\r\n the door.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Did he say if she was shooting at him?\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n (hesitant)\r\n He didn't say.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Then we don't know if she's part of this\r\n or not. Mickey, you up?\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON'S VOICE\r\n We're out two minutes, me and Dreyer.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Mike found a red pickup abandoned on\r\n Flanders. You see it?\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON'S VOICE\r\n It's right in front of us.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Run a DMV on the plate for the owner's\r\n name.\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n I pulled Mickey and Dreyer off the\r\n minimart.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Jesus Christ, Louise, we can't leave a\r\n crime scene like that. Put a unit out\r\n there.\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n We only have eight officers on duty,\r\n Chief.\r\n\r\nMore sirens are approaching, but their help seems too little,\r\ntoo late. Talley stares up the cul-de-sac at the Smiths'\r\nhouse as if this was a terrible nightmare --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to himself)\r\n That's not enough.\r\n\r\n LOUISE\r\n What's that, Chief? Say again.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Get everyone out here. Then call the\r\n Sheriffs. Tell them we have a possible\r\n hostage situation.\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER SMITH'S OFFICE -- DAY\r\n\r\nGunsmoke fills the air. Kevin is freaking. He throws a\r\nmagazine at Mars --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n We could've gone out the back! You\r\n didn't have to shoot!\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Stop it! They found the truck, Kev!\r\n They're already behind us!\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n We should give up. All we're doing is\r\n making it worse.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER \r\n Get out of our house!\r\n\r\nHer voice cuts through the din.\r\n\r\nJennifer and Thomas are huddled with their father on the\r\nfloor, Jennifer's arms crossed to cover herself --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n (softly)\r\n Quiet, Jen.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER \r\n Why don't they go?! Why don't they leave\r\n us alone and go?!\r\n\r\nDennis charges up to her, screaming and waving his gun --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Shut up! Shut the fuck up!\r\n\r\nWalter Smith slowly stands --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n None of you will get out of this.\r\n\r\nDennis spins toward Walter, leveling his gun --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Stay down! Stay down, goddamnit!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n I'm going to my desk.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You're not goin' anywhere! Get on the\r\n fuckin' floor!\r\n\r\nDennis raises the gun to Walter's face. Walter is in\r\ncomplete command of himself and nowhere near scared, but\r\nJennifer grabs his legs --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Daddy, don't!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n (casually; to Dennis)\r\n Take it easy, son. I'm only going to my\r\n desk.\r\n\r\nWalter eases past Dennis, who doesn't know what to do --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Get on the floor!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n I have contacts in Los Angeles. Lawyers\r\n and judges who can help you.\r\n\r\nWalter slips open the center drawer. Dennis thinks that\r\nWalter might go for a gun. He screams louder and aims\r\nbetween Walter's eyes --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n I'll fuckin' kill you!\r\n\r\n JENNIFER AND THOMAS\r\n Daddy! Please!\r\n\r\nWalter checks that the computer disks are in the disk case.\r\nWe can see their names clearly: MARLON and AL. He drops the\r\ncase into the drawer, then lifts out a thick booklet --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n This is every criminal lawyer in \r\n California. If you give up now, right \r\n now, I'll buy you the best lawyer in the\r\n state.\r\n\r\nDennis slaps the book aside, even more angry --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n We just killed a cop! We killed a fat\r\n chinaman! We'll get the death penalty!\r\n\r\nDennis suddenly screams at Mars and Kevin --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Mars, watch the cops! Kevin! Watch the\r\n back of the house!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n You won't die if you let me help.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Bullshit!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n But if you stay in this house, I can\r\n promise you this --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (shouting over him)\r\n Shut up! Shut up and get on the floor!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n You can't imagine the fucking you're\r\n going to get.\r\n\r\nDennis snaps. He swings the gun hard and smashes Walter on\r\nthe temple. Walter drops like a rock.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Leave him alone!!\r\n\r\nJennifer rushes to her father's side, but Walter's out cold --\r\n\r\nEXT. TALLEY'S CAR -- THE INTERSECTION -- A FEW MINUTES LATER\r\n\r\nTalley is at his car with Anders and two other officers,\r\nLeigh Metzger, a woman in her early thirties, and Cliff\r\nCampbell, a slender guy who looks like a retired security\r\ncop. Talley is getting information reports both in person\r\nand over the radio --\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n (referring to notes)\r\n The house belongs to Walter and Pamela\r\n Smith. They've got two kids, a girl\r\n about fifteen and a boy younger, Jennifer\r\n and Thomas.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n That would be the girl who opened the\r\n door. Are the others inside?\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n The mother is in Florida visiting her\r\n sister. The father works at home, so\r\n he's probably inside.\r\n\r\nTalley keys his mike --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into his mike)\r\n Louise?\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n Go, Chief.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Get a phone number for the Smiths.\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON'S VOICE\r\n (from the radio)\r\n Chief, Mikkelson.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Go, Mickey.\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON'S VOICE\r\n The truck is registered to Dennis James\r\n Rooney, white male, twenty-two. He has\r\n an Agua Dulce address.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Contact the landlord. I want to know\r\n employment, friends, family, anything we\r\n can find out about this guy.\r\n\r\nA news helicopter swoops overhead in a tight turn. The cops\r\nlook up --\r\n\r\n CAMPBELL\r\n What in hell is that?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (grimly)\r\n News hawks. There'll be more. They\r\n monitor our frequencies.\r\n\r\nTalley realizes that his officers are staring at the\r\nhelicopter as if they've never seen one; these people have\r\nnever dealt with a crime this large, and have probably never\r\neven seen a felon. Talley keys the mike again --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Everyone be cool. That's our job right \r\n now--stabilize the situation and don't \r\n let things get out of hand. All we have\r\n to do is hang on until the Sheriffs take\r\n over. That's all we have to do.\r\n\r\nNo one looks particularly convinced --\r\n\r\n METZGER\r\n How do we do that?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n That's my job, Metzger. That's why I get\r\n the big bucks.\r\n\r\nTalley puts away his mike --\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- DAY\r\n\r\nJennifer and Thomas are bent over their father, wanting to\r\nhelp but not knowing how. Walter's eyes flicker as if he's\r\ndreaming, and the lump on his head is bleeding --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n He's not waking up. He should be awake.\r\n\r\nJennifer abruptly stands and faces Dennis --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER (CONT'D)\r\n He needs a doctor.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Shut up and sit down. You think\r\n someone's gonna make a house call?\r\n\r\nJennifer is scared--really, really scared--but she doesn't\r\nsit down. Both Dennis and Mars are staring at her. She\r\nfeels naked and vulnerable. She crosses her arms again --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER \r\n At least let me get some ice for his\r\n head.\r\n\r\nDennis finally relents and shrugs at Mars --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Make sure Kevin isn't fucking off back\r\n there.\r\n\r\nJennifer hurries out as Mars follows --\r\n\r\nINT. THE KITCHEN -- DAY\r\n\r\nJennifer goes to the counter. Kevin is at the French doors,\r\nnervous and scared; Mars is a dark shadow behind her --\r\n\r\nShe kneels to a low cabinet when Mars kicks it shut --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n I thought you wanted ice.\r\n\r\nMars towers over her, his groin inches from her face --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n I'm getting a wash cloth for the ice.\r\n\r\nMars gazes down at her, enjoying his size and power. He\r\nsteps closer, bringing his groin closer to his face.\r\nJennifer stands, holding her arms across her breasts --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER (CONT'D)\r\n Please get away from me.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n (from the background)\r\n Mars? What are you doing?\r\n\r\nKevin's intrusion shatters the moment. Jennifer quickly\r\nsnatches a wash cloth from the cabinet, then takes an ice\r\ntray from the freezer and brings it back to the counter --\r\n\r\nAs Jennifer puts ice in the wash cloth, she sees the paring\r\nknife that she used for the sandwiches partially hidden by\r\npaper towels --\r\n\r\nShe glances at Kevin, but cannot see Mars; he's at the\r\nrefrigerator behind her. Jennifer slowly reaches for the\r\nknife --\r\n\r\n MARS \r\n Hey.\r\n\r\nJennifer freezes, terrified. She pushes the knife behind the\r\nCuisinart to hide it, then turns. Mars is offering her a\r\nbeer.\r\n\r\n MARS (CONT'D)\r\n Want one?\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n I don't drink beer.\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Mommy won't know. You can do anything\r\n you want right now. Mommy won't know.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n What I want is to help my father.\r\n\r\nJennifer hurries past him and disappears down the hall. Even\r\nas she leaves the phone starts ringing --\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- DAY\r\n\r\nThe phone seems to ring louder here. Dennis stands over it,\r\nwatching the phone as if it's alive. The phone rings again \r\nand again. Finally, he answers --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Hello?\r\n\r\nEXT. TALLEY'S CAR -- IN THE CUL-DE-SAC -- DAY\r\n\r\nTalley is once more behind his car. He's on his cell phone,\r\nwith Jorgenson nearby --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into his phone)\r\n My name is Jeff Talley. Is this Dennis\r\n Rooney?\r\n\r\nIntercut Dennis on the phone in Walter's office --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You with the cops?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n The Bristo Police Department. Look out\r\n the window. You see the car?\r\n\r\nDennis peers through the shutters --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Yeah. I'm Rooney.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n We had an awful lot of shooting. You\r\n need a doctor in there?\r\n\r\nDennis shoots a guilty glance at Walter, then lies --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n We're cool.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Let me speak to Mr. Smith. I want to\r\n hear it from him.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Fuck you. I'm running this shit. You\r\n talk to me.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n How about your two friends? You don't\r\n have a man dying in there, do you?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n They're fine.\r\n\r\nTalley cups the phone to tell Jorgenson --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n All three subjects are confirmed inside.\r\n Call off the house-to-house.\r\n (back to the phone)\r\n Okay, Dennis, I want to explain your\r\n situation --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (interrupting)\r\n You don't have to explain shit! That\r\n Chinaman pulled a gun. We wrestled for\r\n it. That Chinaman shot himself.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Mr. Kim didn't make it, Dennis. He died.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n How about the cop?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Dennis? I want you to release those\r\n people.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Fuck that. They're the only thing\r\n stopping you from blowing us away.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n We're not coming in there by force, okay?\r\n No one wants to hurt you.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n I got these people! You try to come get\r\n me, I'll kill every fuckin' one of them!\r\n\r\nThe phone clicks in Talley's ear as Dennis slams down the\r\nphone --\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- AT THAT MOMENT\r\n\r\nDennis is livid with fear and rage. He paces through the\r\noffice like a trapped cat --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n That fuckin' Chinaman is dead! That's\r\n murder-one, dude. That's the needle!\r\n\r\nKevin appears in the entry, drawn by Dennis's raving --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Get back where you belong, asshole!\r\n Mars, keep and eye on the cops; I gotta\r\n find a way out of here --\r\n\r\nDennis shoves Kevin out of the office and stalks after him --\r\n\r\nINT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL -- DAY\r\n\r\nKevin dogs along beside Dennis, speaking softly so that Mars\r\ndoesn't overhear --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n I have to tell you something --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n We gotta find a way outta here is what we\r\n gotta do!\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n It's about Mars --\r\n\r\nThey reach the master bedroom suite, a huge room with sliding\r\nglass doors that overlook the pool --\r\n\r\n KEVIN (CONT'D)\r\n That cop didn't pull his gun. Mars lied.\r\n He just started shooting!\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Bullshit. Why would Mars do that?\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n I was there, Dennis! I saw! It's like\r\n he wanted to shoot that cop.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You're being stupid. Check out the\r\n bathroom. Maybe we can sneak out a\r\n window --\r\n\r\nDennis shoves Kevin toward the bathroom, then steps into --\r\n\r\nINT. THE SECURITY CLOSET -- DAY\r\n\r\nOne side is filled with racks of clothes, but the opposite \r\nside is an industrial bank of video monitors showing a dozen\r\nviews of the house, both inside and out --\r\n\r\nDennis sees this stuff and stops in his tracks, awed --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Kev.\r\n\r\nKevin steps in beside him.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Jesus. What is this?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Are you totally stupid? What does it\r\n look like?\r\n\r\nOne monitor shows Mars and the Smiths in the office, another\r\nthe kitchen, another Jennifer's room, another the front of\r\nthe house, the rear, the sides--every room and most of the\r\nexterior can be seen --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Look, that's the master bedroom out here.\r\n\r\nDennis goes out into the master, looking for the camera, and\r\nappears on the bedroom monitor --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n I can see you!\r\n\r\nDennis steps back into the closet, and this time he examines\r\nthe door. He closes it enough to reveal thick throw-bolts --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Dude, this is solid steel. They gotta be\r\n hiding something.\r\n\r\nDennis glances over to his brother, and finds Kevin on his\r\nknees with two black travel bags beneath the clothes --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Dennis --\r\n\r\nKevin pushes the clothes aside to reveal an open bag. It's\r\nfilled with hundred dollar bills. Dennis kneels beside his\r\nbrother and opens the second bag. It's filled with hundred\r\ndollar bills, too --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Go get Mars.\r\n\r\nINT. MRS. PENA'S FAMILY ROOM -- DAY -- ON A TELEVISION\r\n\r\nWe're watching a grainy black and white security tape of\r\nJunior Kim's robbery/homicide. It shows Kim behind the\r\ncounter as Dennis and Mars enter --\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n One in front is Dennis James Rooney.\r\n\r\nTalley, Mikkelson, Dreyer, and Anders are watching the tape,\r\nwhich is currently being played in the home of Mrs. Estelle\r\nPena, who lives two blocks from the Smiths.\r\n\r\nMikkelson is a tall, strong woman; Dreyer is her opposite, a \r\nshort, dumpy man --\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON (CONT'D)\r\n Dennis has a younger brother, Kevin Paul--\r\n that's him entering now, the third guy.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Has Dennis done time?\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n Just pulled thirty days for misdemeanor\r\n burglary. He shows car theft,\r\n shoplifting, and DUI.\r\n\r\nTalley steps closer to the television, and taps Mars --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Who's this?\r\n\r\n DREYER\r\n We don't know.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Have still prints made from the tape.\r\n Show the landlord. Maybe we can get a\r\n fast ID.\r\n\r\nTalley looks closer. With the way Mars is positioned, we can\r\nsee part of the tattoo on his head --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Here on his head. Is that a tattoo?\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n I can't make it out.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Says...burn it.\r\n\r\nOn the tape, Kim slumps to the floor. Dennis vaults across\r\nthe counter and runs to the door. Mars, however, calmly\r\npicks up Kim's gun and leans across the counter. We couldn't\r\nsee this before, but now we see a strange smile play over his\r\nface --\r\n\r\n DREYER\r\n What's he doing? \r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n He's watching Kim die.\r\n\r\nTalley watches Mars, and knows that this guy is seriously\r\ndisturbed. He is still watching the tape when Leigh Metzger\r\ncalls from the door --\r\n\r\n METZGER\r\n Chief?\r\n\r\nTalley turns. Metzger is with Amanda and Jane --\r\n\r\nEXT. MRS. PENA'S HOUSE -- DAY\r\n\r\nTalley, Jane, and Amanda are walking to the street. Amanda\r\nis excited; she thinks this is cool --\r\n\r\n AMANDA\r\n Are men with guns really barricaded in a\r\n house?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Just around the corner and up that\r\n street. See the helicopters?\r\n\r\nFive news choppers now hover high over the house. The crime\r\nscene is only two blocks away. Close.\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n Wait by the car, Mandy. Give me a minute\r\n with Dad.\r\n\r\nThey wait until Amanda is gone, then --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (apologizing)\r\n I should've called. This thing broke\r\n right after we spoke, then everything\r\n happened so fast --\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n Don't worry about it. How are you doing?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n The Sheriffs will take over when they get\r\n here.\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n But they're not here yet. Tell me about\r\n you.\r\n\r\nJane touches his arm --\r\n\r\n JANE (CONT'D)\r\n Jesus, you're shaking.\r\n\r\nSelf-conscious, Talley moves away so that he's out of reach --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Why don't you guys grab some dinner at\r\n the Thai place? I'll meet you there as\r\n soon as I can.\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n You sure?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I don't know how long I'll be stuck here.\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n I'm in no rush. Maybe later we can talk.\r\n\r\nTalley gives her a gentle nod, then watches her walk away\r\nuntil --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Jane?\r\n\r\nShe turns back, her eyes asking 'what?'\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n I'm scared shitless.\r\n\r\n JANE\r\n That's okay. I love you anyway.\r\n\r\nTalley and Jane share the moment, and then she walks away.\r\n\r\nEXT. YORK ESTATES -- DAY\r\n\r\nA news chopper swings by overhead bringing us to the main\r\nentrance of York Estates. The entrance has been blocked, and\r\ncars are being turned away, so traffic is backed up both ways\r\nalong the street --\r\n\r\nINT. GLEN HOWELL'S CAR -- DAY\r\n\r\nGlen Howell is a nice-looking man in his early forties:\r\nSport coat, gold Rolex, deep tan. He hammers the horn of his\r\nMercedes S600 sedan, but it does no good; traffic is frozen --\r\n\r\nA news van trying to work up the line pulls alongside, then\r\ngets jammed by the crunch like everyone else. Howell rolls\r\ndown the window --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Hey, you guys know what's going on?\r\n\r\nAn attractive Asian-American reporter leans from her window\r\nto answer --\r\n\r\n REPORTER\r\n Three men took a family hostage.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Jesus, no shit? My client lives in\r\n there.\r\n\r\nThe reporter checks her notes --\r\n\r\n REPORTER\r\n It's a family named Smith, Walter and\r\n Pamela Smith. Do you know them?\r\n\r\nHowell stares at her emptily, then shakes his head --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n No. No, I don't know them. Thanks for\r\n your time.\r\n\r\nHowell pulls a U-turn to get out of traffic. He flips open\r\nhis cell phone and presses the speed dial --\r\n\r\n HOWELL (CONT'D)\r\n (into his phone)\r\n We have a problem out here.\r\n\r\nINT. SONNY BENZA'S OFFICE -- PALM SPRINGS -- DAY\r\n\r\nWe're in a palatial home on the ridge overlooking Palm\r\nSprings. On the cut, Sonny Benza, Phil Tuzee, and Charlie\r\nFischer are watching TV news coverage of the situation in\r\nBristo Camino --\r\n\r\n TUZEE\r\n Worst case, it's a bloodbath. The\r\n detectives come out with Smith's\r\n computer, and we go directly to jail, do\r\n not pass Go.\r\n\r\n BENZA\r\n Maybe Glen already picked up the disks.\r\n\r\n TUZEE\r\n I took the call from Glen personally.\r\n They're still in Smith's house.\r\n\r\nFischer tries being positive --\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Maybe we're getting too dramatic. It's\r\n three kids. They'll give up, the cops\r\n will arrest them, and that's that. Why\r\n would they search the house?\r\n\r\n BENZA\r\n You think we should take that chance?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n (on the spot)\r\n I guess not.\r\n\r\n BENZA\r\n I guess not, too. How much information\r\n is in the house?\r\n\r\n TUZEE\r\n Smith was cooking the books for the IRS.\r\n That means he has it all: The cash flow,\r\n where it comes from, how we launder it,\r\n our split with the East.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n It's on two computer disks he calls\r\n Marlon and Al.\r\n\r\n BENZA\r\n What, he's cute? That's his idea of\r\n humor?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n If the Feds get those disks, the East\r\n Coast is gonna take a hit, too. You\r\n should let them know.\r\n\r\n BENZA\r\n No way. I tell them, that Old Man is\r\n gonna handle this from back there.\r\n\r\n TUZEE\r\n You should warn them, Sonny.\r\n \r\n BENZA\r\n Fuck them! Now get your head in the\r\n game, Phil--we have to handle this.\r\n\r\nBenza turns back to the television --\r\n\r\n BENZA (CONT'D)\r\n Put our people on the scene. Smith might\r\n talk just to cut a break for his kids.\r\n\r\n TUZEE\r\n He knows better than that.\r\n\r\n BENZA \r\n Bullshit--a man will do anything to save\r\n his family. Who's running the show up\r\n there?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n They have a chief of police, a guy named\r\n Talley. I saw him being interviewed.\r\n\r\nThe television suddenly shows Talley making a statement. He\r\nlooks tired and haggard --\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n (pointing)\r\n Hey, that's him. That's Talley right\r\n there!\r\n\r\nBenza studies Talley, then looks at his lieutenants --\r\n\r\n BENZA\r\n Find out how we can hurt him. By the end\r\n of the day, I want to own him.\r\n\r\n TUZEE\r\n It's happening right now.\r\n\r\nThat's exactly what Benza wanted to hear.\r\n\r\nEXT. THE DESERT ROSE MOTEL -- DAY\r\n\r\nA low-rent motel on the road between Bristo Camino and\r\nNewhall. Glen Howell's Mercedes is parked on the side, along\r\nwith several other cars.\r\n\r\nIt's late-afternoon going into evening. The sun is sinking \r\nfast --\r\n\r\nINT. HOWELL'S ROOM -- DAY\r\n\r\nHowell is being briefed by his operators, four men and two\r\nwomen. There's a minimum of bullshit; these people are\r\nprofessionals --\r\n\r\nKen Seymore is an intense, compact man who talks fast --\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n L.A. County Sheriffs are inbound from a\r\n bank robbery in Pico Rivera.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Give me an ETA.\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n An hour, tops. Might be sooner.\r\n\r\nDuane Manelli speaks up --\r\n\r\n MANELLI\r\n When the Sheriffs get here, how many we\r\n looking at?\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n (checking his notes)\r\n A command team, a negotiating team, a\r\n tactical team--the tac team includes a\r\n perimeter team, the assault team, \r\n snipers, and breachers--thirty-five new\r\n bodies.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n How many locals?\r\n\r\nGayle Devarona, one of the women, leans forward --\r\n\r\n DEVARONA\r\n Fourteen officers and two civilians. I\r\n have their names and most of their\r\n addresses.\r\n\r\nShe tosses a yellow legal pad onto the table --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n And Talley?\r\n\r\n DEVARONA\r\n Married but separated, ex-LAPD. The fam\r\n doesn't live here, but they're coming up\r\n today. I got his address there.\r\n\r\n MANELLI\r\n The cops I talked to, they said Talley\r\n was a hostage negotiator in LA.\r\n\r\n DEVARONA\r\n His last three years on the job. Before\r\n that, he was SWAT.\r\n\r\nMike Ruiz joins in --\r\n\r\n RUIZ\r\n How's a SWAT negotiator make it up here\r\n to this shithole?\r\n\r\n DEVARONA\r\n I make him for a stress release.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Good work, Gayle--everybody. Now stay\r\n ahead of the curve. I want to know\r\n everything that happens before it\r\n happens. I'll cover Talley.\r\n\r\nHowell tears Talley's address off the yellow pad. This\r\nmeeting is over --\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n What if it goes south?\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n What do you mean?\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n If things get wet, we're going to need\r\n someone who can handle that end.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n You worry about your end. I got my side\r\n covered.\r\n\r\nHowell tucks the address in his pocket and goes to the door.\r\n\r\nEXT. DONUT SHOP -- NEWHALL, CALIFORNIA -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe sun has set. The donut shop glows greasily at the end of\r\na strip mall. It is empty except for the overweight woman\r\nbehind the counter and a lone man seated at a window booth --\r\n\r\nINT. THE DONUT SHOP -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe man in the booth is named Marion Clewes. He's an average\r\nlooking guy, more or less, except for the strange cant to his\r\nright eye and the thin black tie he wears over his white J.\r\nC. Penney shirt. His jacket doesn't fit quite right, but not\r\nso much as you'd notice. Marion could disappear into a crowd\r\njust by being so ordinary. That's the point.\r\n\r\nA fat black desert fly, heavy with juice and thorny with\r\ncoarse hair, buzzes past --\r\n\r\nMarion watches it, only his eyes moving --\r\n\r\nThe fly lands in the sprinkles of sugar on the table --\r\n\r\nMarion watches it, then, suddenly, with no warning, his hand\r\nflashes out, slamming down on the table.\r\n\r\nHe holds his hand in place, feeling for movement, then slowly\r\npeeks under his hand --\r\n\r\nThe fly oozes sideways, legs kicking, trying to walk. One\r\nwing beats furiously; the other is broken --\r\n\r\nMarion examines his hand. A smear of fly goo and a single\r\nblack leg streaks his third finger. Marion touches his\r\ntongue to the smear --\r\n\r\nThe woman behind the counter watches this, her eyes widening\r\nwith disgust --\r\n\r\nMarion holds the fly in place with his left index finger, and\r\nuses his right to break away another leg. He eats this leg,\r\ntoo --\r\n\r\nThe woman disappears into the rear --\r\n\r\nHeadlights flash across the glass, and Marion swivels around\r\nto see Howell's Mercedes pull up --\r\n\r\nMarion carefully pushes the still-alive fly aside as Glen\r\nHowell takes a seat across from him. Howell puts the yellow\r\nslip with Talley's address on the table --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Talley lives here. I don't know if the\r\n place has security or not.\r\n\r\n MARION\r\n It won't be a problem.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n He has a wife and kid. That's how\r\n we'll get to him.\r\n\r\n MARION\r\n Okey-doke.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n We have to own this guy, Marion. We\r\n don't want him dead; we need to use him.\r\n\r\nMarion puts Talley's address into his pocket.\r\n\r\n MARION\r\n Can we make him dead after we use him?\r\n\r\nGlen Howell slides out of the booth without answering.\r\nMarion creeps him out --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Whatever you want. Page me when you're\r\n done.\r\n\r\nHowell starts away, then turns back --\r\n\r\n HOWELL (CONT'D)\r\n Donuts here any good?\r\n\r\n MARION\r\n I don't eat junk food.\r\n\r\nHowell frowns like he might've known, then walks away.\r\nMarion turns back to the fly --\r\n\r\nIt lays there, still, until Marion prods it. The remaining\r\nwing flutters --\r\n\r\nMarion breaks off the remaining wing and eats that, too.\r\n\r\nEXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley and Leigh Metzger stride through a pool of street light\r\nas she reports --\r\n\r\n METZGER\r\n PacBell shows six lines into the house.\r\n They blocked all six like you wanted.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I have the only number that can call into\r\n the house?\r\n\r\n METZGER\r\n Yes, sir. They'll only accept calls from\r\n your cell.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Way to go.\r\n\r\nThey arrive at Larry Anders, who is waiting at his car with a\r\nslim, nervous cement contractor named Brad Dill --\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n Chief, this is Brad Dill. Dennis and\r\n Kevin work for him.\r\n\r\n DILL\r\n I didn't know anything about this. I\r\n didn't know what they were gonna do.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Mr. Dill, these pricks didn't know what\r\n they were going to do until they did it.\r\n I want you to take a look at something.\r\n\r\nMetzger holds out a still picture that was made from Junior\r\nKim's security tape --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Can you identify this man?\r\n\r\n DILL\r\n That would be Mars Krupchek. Jesus, he\r\n works for me, too.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Metzger)\r\n Have Louise run the name 'Mars Krupchek'\r\n through DMV and NCIC. Tell her to list\r\n the tattoo as an identifier.\r\n\r\nMetzger hurries away as Talley turns back to Dill --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Is Krupchek an aggressive guy? Hot-\r\n tempered? Anything like that?\r\n\r\n DILL\r\n Keeps to himself, more like.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You have his address?\r\n\r\n DILL\r\n Pretty sure I do. Yeah, here we go --\r\n\r\nDill pulls out a tattered address book. Talley hands the\r\nbook to Anders, who copies the address --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Anders)\r\n Call the Palmdale City Attorney for a\r\n telephonic search warrant. When you get\r\n the warrant, have Mikkelson and Dreyer\r\n search his house.\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n Yes, sir.\r\n\r\nAnders turns away as Metzger calls from Mrs. Pena's door --\r\n\r\n METZGER\r\n Chief! The Sheriffs are ten minutes out!\r\n\r\nTalley has wanted to hear that, but now his sense of relief\r\nis tempered by something he did not expect: Loss.\r\n\r\nTalley keys his shoulder mike --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into his radio)\r\n Louise?\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n Go, Chief.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Call Jane for me. She's at the little\r\n Thai place.\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n I know the one.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Tell her I'm almost home.\r\n\r\nINT. SMITH'S SECURITY CLOSET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis is on the floor with the money, touching it, feeling\r\nit, smelling it. Mars is standing over him, profoundly\r\nunmoved --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n There's gotta be a million bucks here.\r\n Maybe two million!\r\n\r\nMars turns away from the money to consider the monitors and\r\nthe door --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n It's a safety room. If anyone breaks\r\n into your house, you can hide.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Who gives a shit, Mars? Check out the\r\n cash! We're rich.\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n We're trapped in a house.\r\n\r\nMars walks away --\r\n\r\nINT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis and Mars are returning to the front of the house,\r\nDennis irritated at Mars's lack of enthusiasm -- \r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n We can take it with us.\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n You can't run with suitcases.\r\n\r\nDennis grabs Mars by the arm, stopping him --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Then we'll stuff it up our asses. This\r\n is the payoff. This is every dream you\r\n ever had, all in those two bags.\r\n\r\nMars continues on without responding, Dennis angrily\r\nfollowing --\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nKevin is grimly watching news coverage of their standoff as\r\nMars and Dennis enter. A female anchor is reporting on the\r\nevents at York Estates with Dennis's booking photo cut into\r\nthe picture --\r\n\r\n ANCHOR\r\n (from the tube)\r\n -- thought to be Dennis James Rooney.\r\n Rooney was recently released from the\r\n Antelope Valley Correctional Institute\r\n where he served time for robbery.\r\n\r\nDennis spots himself on television and breaks into a big\r\nsmile --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (thrilled)\r\n Check me out! I look like fuckin' Jon\r\n Bon Jovi.\r\n\r\nKevin is anything but thrilled --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Everyone knows what we look like, Dennis. \r\n We won't be able to hide. \r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Jesus, first Mars, now you. You two need\r\n anti-depressants.\r\n\r\nAcross the room, Walter Smith shudders and moans; his face is\r\nswollen and covered with clammy sweat --\r\n\r\nJennifer is sick with worry and can't stand seeing her father\r\nlike this --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n My father needs a doctor. Please.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Hey, I've got a situation here, in case\r\n you haven't noticed.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n All you're doing is watching yourself on\r\n TV. Look at him.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Use more ice.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n I'm getting a doctor!\r\n\r\nJennifer lurches to her feet and runs toward the front door.\r\nDennis catches her in two steps and backhands her exactly the\r\nway his old man used to smack his old lady, knocking her to\r\nthe floor --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Jen!!!\r\n\r\nThomas charges into Dennis like an angry midget. Kevin jumps\r\nbetween them --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Stop it! Stop it, Dennis! Jesus!\r\n\r\nMars steps forward and jerks Thomas into the air. Mars'\r\nphysical presence is suddenly so imposing that everyone stops\r\nfighting --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n (quietly)\r\n We should tie them. We can put them\r\n upstairs out of the way.\r\n\r\nIt takes Dennis a moment to come up to speed with that, but\r\nthen he nods --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n That's right. That's a good idea, Mars.\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n (to Kevin)\r\n Find something: Extension cords, rope,\r\n wire--we'll have to tie them tight.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Find something, Kevin. Don't just stand\r\n there.\r\n (waves at Walter)\r\n And tie this bastard, too. I don't want\r\n him waking up and goin' Rambo on us.\r\n\r\nMars nods his approval. Subtly, there is the beginning of a\r\nshift in power --\r\n\r\nINT. JENNIFER'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMars pushes Jennifer inside. Kevin follows her with duct \r\ntape and a couple of extension cords. Mars, holding Thomas,\r\npauses in the hall --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Tie her to the chair. I'll take care of\r\n the windows when I finish with the boy.\r\n\r\nMars disappears with Thomas down the hall. Jennifer stands\r\nby the chair, arms once more crossed over her breasts. \r\nKevin can see that she's scared. He takes a T-shirt from \r\nwhere she's left it on the floor and hands it to her --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Here. Put this on.\r\n\r\nShe pulls it over her head --\r\n\r\n KEVIN (CONT'D)\r\n You gotta pee?\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n I don't see why you can't just lock me\r\n in. It's not like I can go anywhere.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Either I'm going to tie you or Mars will\r\n tie you. Which do you want?\r\n\r\nJennifer sits. Kevin pulls her hands behind the back of the\r\nchair. As he ties her, Jennifer decides that if any of them\r\ncan be reached, it's Kevin --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Thanks for the shirt.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Whatever.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Kevin, my father needs a doctor.\r\n \r\n KEVIN\r\n He's just knocked out. I've been knocked\r\n out.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n If my father dies they'll charge you with\r\n his murder. Can't you make Dennis see\r\n that?\r\n\r\nKevin leans back. He knows she's right, but he doesn't\r\nbelieve he can do anything about it --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n I can't make Dennis see anything.\r\n\r\nA shadow moves behind Kevin. It's Mars, standing in the\r\ndoor. He holds up a wicked claw hammer --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Look what I found.\r\n\r\nHe enters and tests at Jennifer's binds --\r\n\r\n MARS (CONT'D)\r\n You tied her like a pussy. Make it\r\n tight.\r\n\r\nAs Kevin reties the bindings, Mars rips the phone from the\r\nwall. He smashes the phone jack with the hammer, crushing\r\nit. Then he goes to the window and drives a heavy nail into\r\nthe sill, nailing the window closed --\r\n\r\nMars returns to Jennifer and once more checks her binds --\r\n\r\n MARS (CONT'D)\r\n Better.\r\n\r\nHe tears off a strip of duct tape and presses it over her\r\nmouth --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Make sure she can breathe.\r\n\r\nMars rubs his fingers hard over the tape covering her mouth.\r\nHe massages the tape into her skin, slow, sensual --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Go downstairs, Kevin.\r\n\r\nJennifer looks at Kevin, her eyes pleading that he not leave,\r\nbut Kevin is cowed; he leaves --\r\n\r\nJennifer looks back at Mars --\r\n\r\nMars leans close to her. She is terrified that he is going\r\nto kiss her, but, instead, he sniffs, smelling her --\r\n\r\n MARS (CONT'D)\r\n I want to show you something.\r\n\r\nMars hooks the claw hammer under his shirt and lifts to\r\nexpose his chest. A large tattoo in flowing script is lined\r\nacross his body: A Mother's Son.\r\n\r\n MARS (CONT'D)\r\n It cost two hundred forty dollars, but I\r\n was happy to spend it. I love my mom.\r\n You see these?\r\n\r\nMars points out hard gray knots that speckle his chest as if\r\nhe were diseased. He fingers the lumps sensuously as if\r\ntouching them excites him --\r\n\r\n MARS (CONT'D)\r\n My mom burned me with cigarettes.\r\n\r\nJennifer is both disgusted and terrified. Mars stares at her\r\nemptily for another moment, then lowers his shirt and leaves \r\nwithout another word.\r\n\r\nINT. THOMAS'S ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe room is dark. Thomas is tied firmly to the bed. The \r\ncords cut into Thomas's wrists and Thomas can't reach the\r\nknots, but Mars made one mistake: He tied Thomas to the\r\nheadboard posts, and one of the newels has been loose for\r\nyears --\r\n\r\nThomas stretches against the ropes to reach the newel, then\r\ntwists it back and forth. He works it harder and harder\r\nuntil the newel slides off its pin, and suddenly his hand is\r\nfree, though still tied to the newel --\r\n\r\nThomas peels the tape from his mouth, then unties the\r\nremaining binds and frees himself from the newel. He slips\r\noff his bed and crawls along the wall to his closet --\r\n\r\nINT. THOMAS'S CLOSET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nA service hatch that opens into the attic crawlspace is built\r\ninto the wall beneath Thomas's clothes. Thomas prys open the\r\nhatch, then reaches inside for a small flashlight. He flicks \r\nit on, then climbs into the eaves of the roof --\r\n\r\nINT. CRAWLSPACE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe crawlspace is a long triangular tunnel that follows the\r\nedge of the roof. It was built for plumbers and air\r\nconditioning technicians, but Thomas has taken the space for\r\nhis own: Witness the stack of Penthouse, pictures of sports\r\nheroes tacked to the rafters, and old soda cans strewn \r\nbetween the joists --\r\n\r\nThomas scurries quietly through the tunnel, heading for --\r\n\r\nINT. JENNIFER'S CLOSET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas pushes through a hatch identical to the one in his own\r\ncloset, then creeps to the door --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n (whispers)\r\n Jen!\r\n\r\nINT. JENNIFER'S ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nJennifer twists around to see him, mumbling through the tape --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Sit still! If they're in the security\r\n room, they can see you on the monitors.\r\n\r\nJennifer quiets. Thomas slips out of the closet and creeps\r\ntoward her along the wall --\r\n\r\n THOMAS (CONT'D)\r\n I figured out what these cameras can see\r\n last year when Mom and Dad went to Lake\r\n Arrowhead. It can't see me over here,\r\n but it's looking at you, so don't move!\r\n\r\nThomas reaches up from behind Jennifer and jerks the tape off\r\nher mouth --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Ow! Shit!\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Be quiet! Listen!\r\n\r\nThomas is hiding behind Jennifer so that the camera cannot\r\nsee him --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n No one's coming.\r\n\r\n THOMAS \r\n That big asshole nailed my windows.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Mine, too.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n We can use the crawlspace to get\r\n downstairs. Then we can run for it.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n No! I'm not going to leave Daddy with\r\n them!\r\n\r\nThomas thinks about that and decides that he can't leave\r\ntheir father, either --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n We can't carry him.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n You go, Thomas. You get out, and I'll\r\n stay with Daddy.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I'm not gonna leave you!\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Go! If you get out, maybe you can help\r\n the police!\r\n\r\nThomas suddenly realizes what he has to do --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n We'll all go, Jennifer. All of us or \r\n none of us. I know where Daddy keeps a\r\n gun.\r\n\r\nJennifer jerks so hard that she almost tips over the chair --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n (loud)\r\n You leave that gun alone!\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Shh, they'll hear you!\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n (louder)\r\n Better than you getting killed! Don't\r\n touch that gun! Daddy says --\r\n\r\nThomas slaps the tape back over her mouth. Jennifer \r\nstruggles helplessly as Thomas slips back into the closet,\r\nand is gone --\r\n\r\nEXT. YORK ESTATES -- STREET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe Sheriff's Crisis Response Team rolls through the streets\r\nlike an invading army: A brown sedan leads a huge van known\r\nas the Mobile Command Post, which is followed by a Sheriff's \r\nSWAT support vehicle, two SWAT Suburbans, and four radio \r\nunits.\r\n\r\nPools of light from the helicopters follow their progress --\r\n\r\nEXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley walks out to meet the lead vehicle as the convoy\r\nstops. Up and down the row, uniformed Sheriffs pile out of\r\ntheir vehicles and off-load their gear --\r\n\r\nTwo people climb out of the lead car: Will Maddox, a\r\nbespectacled African-American Sheriff's SWAT negotiator, and\r\nCaptain Laura Martin, the CRT commander --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm Talley. Who's in charge?\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Laura Martin. This is Will Maddox, the\r\n primary negotiator --\r\n\r\n MADDOX\r\n Is the perimeter around the house secure?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I've got fourteen officers on my\r\n department including me. We're as secure\r\n as we can be.\r\n\r\n MADDOX\r\n (to Martin)\r\n Permission to deploy the line?\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Do it.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Maddox)\r\n Don't crowd the house. The alpha's a kid\r\n named Rooney. He's amped up and\r\n volatile.\r\n\r\nMaddox turns away to bark orders into his shoulder mike --\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Sounds like you know the job.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I've done it once or twice. I blocked\r\n their phones to incoming calls, so you'll\r\n have to cut in a hard line to talk to \r\n him.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n (over her shoulder)\r\n Maddox! You got that?\r\n\r\n MADDOX\r\n Doing it now!\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n (back to Talley)\r\n I'd like you to brief my supervisors\r\n before we take over the scene.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Whatever you want.\r\n\r\nTalley and Martin hurry toward her troops --\r\n\r\nINT. THE SMITHS' GARAGE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe garage is dark, lit only by the light that comes from the\r\nkitchen's open door, as Dennis, Mars and a reluctant Kevin\r\nenter --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Someone should stay with Mr. Smith. What\r\n if he wakes up?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (annoyed)\r\n That's why we tied him, dumbass. Now\r\n come here and see this --\r\n\r\nDennis shows them a small casement window, and pushes open\r\nthe window to reveal a thick hedge --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n (excited)\r\n These bushes follow the wall into the\r\n neighbor's yard. All we need is some\r\n kind of diversion and we're home free.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n That's crazy, Dennis. The cops will see\r\n us.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Not if they're looking at something else.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Like what?\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Let's burn the house.\r\n\r\nMars says it so simply that the moment is frozen. Mars is\r\nholding the big claw hammer, kneading it as if it was a\r\nliving thing. His face is masked by shadows, but his eyes\r\nboth glow as if already reflecting flame --\r\n\r\nINT. CRAWLSPACE ABOVE THE LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nWe see Dennis, Kevin, and Mars through a slit overhead as\r\nthey emerge from the garage and move back into the house --\r\n\r\nThomas is watching them. He has cracked open the service\r\nhatch in the laundry room ceiling to make sure that his way\r\nis clear --\r\n\r\nINT. LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe room is dark. When Dennis and the others are gone, the\r\nceiling hatch lifts, and Thomas lets himself down. He slides\r\nonto the washing machine and then to the floor --\r\n\r\nThomas cups one hand over his flashlight and turns it on. He\r\nlets light leak through his fingers so that he can see. The\r\nbeam cuts across a door to the garage, car keys on key hooks,\r\nand Jennifer's purse hanging from one of the hooks --\r\n\r\nINT. HOBBY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThis is a small room off the end of the laundry with a work\r\nbench, a stool, and shelves above the bench for Walter's\r\nhobby supplies --\r\n\r\nThomas shines the light over the shelves, spotting the hard\r\nplastic pistol case on the highest shelf. That's the target;\r\nthat's the goal --\r\n\r\nThomas uses the stool to climb onto the bench --\r\n\r\nINT. MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis is in the doorway to the security closet, handing out\r\none of the money bags to Kevin --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n We can't carry all this. It's too heavy.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n I've been carrying you our whole fuckin'\r\n lives.\r\n\r\nKevin drops the bag and tries to reason with his brother --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Everything we're doing is making it\r\n worse. You can't let him burn this\r\n house.\r\n\r\nDennis abruptly grabs Kevin by the throat, his face hard with\r\nfury --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Nothing's worse than listening to you.\r\n I'm warning you, Kevin--stop holding me\r\n back. Now you pick up that fuckin' money\r\n and get ready to go.\r\n\r\nDennis glares at Kevin another moment, then lets go and steps\r\nback into the closet --\r\n\r\nINT. THE CLOSET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis lifts the second bag of cash when the monitors catch\r\nhis eye: The Sheriffs SWAT unit can be seen moving into\r\nposition. Dennis totally freaks --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n They're coming! Kev, Mars, they're\r\n coming!!!\r\n\r\nDennis drops the cash and bolts out of the closet --\r\n\r\nINT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMars is placing two buckets of gasoline in the hall as Dennis\r\nand Kevin pound down the hall --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n The cops are comin'!\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n I got the gasoline --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n We don't have time!\r\n\r\nDennis runs to the French doors. He sees lights at the rear\r\nof the property and SHOOTS through the glass --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Get the kids! They're our only chance!\r\n\r\nDennis FIRES AGAIN and runs for the stairs --\r\n\r\nINT. HOBBY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas is straining to reach the pistol which is a fraction\r\nof an inch beyond his grasp when he hears Dennis shouting --\r\n\r\nThomas glances helplessly at the gun case--so near, yet so\r\nfar--then scrambles off the bench and --\r\n\r\nINT. LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas is climbing onto the washing machine when he once more\r\nsees Jennifer's purse hanging on a key hook --\r\n\r\nThomas jumps from the washer, grabs the purse, then scrambles\r\ninto the ceiling as GUNSHOTS ECHO through the house --\r\n\r\nEXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMartin, Maddox, and her supervisors are gathered around\r\nTalley when the gunshots crack across the neighborhood --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (startled)\r\n Who's that shooting? Martin, what's\r\n going on?\r\n\r\nRadio transmissions crackle over Martin's radio --\r\n\r\n RADIO VOICES\r\n Shots fired! We are taking fire on the\r\n back wall!\r\n\r\nTalley immediately knows what's happening, and he knows why --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n They're too close! I told you not to\r\n crowd him! Pull back your people; do not\r\n breach that house!\r\n\r\nTalley sprints toward the cul-de-sac --\r\n\r\nINT. CRAWLSPACE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas races through the narrow black tunnel. He slips off\r\nthe rafters and almost falls through the ceiling. He's\r\nlosing precious time --\r\n\r\nINT. THE STAIRWELL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis and Mars pound up the stairs, getting closer to his\r\nroom --\r\n\r\nINT. THE CRAWLSPACE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas pushes his way into his closet --\r\n\r\nINT. UPSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis and Mars reach the second floor --\r\n\r\nINT. THOMAS' ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas scrambles into bed just before Dennis jerks open the\r\ndoor. Dennis drags him off the bed and carries him out of\r\nthe room --\r\n\r\nEXT. CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley, Martin, and Maddox run into position behind a\r\nSheriff's unit where a deputy has set up the dedicated crisis\r\nphone --\r\n\r\nTalley grabs up the phone --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to the deputy)\r\n This thing good?\r\n\r\nTalley doesn't wait for the confused deputy to answer; he\r\npresses the button in the handle that dials the phone --\r\n\r\n MADDOX\r\n What in hell are you doing? He's\r\n shooting at my men!\r\n\r\nThe phone rings in Talley's ear --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Maddox)\r\n Then get your men off the wall!\r\n (to Martin)\r\n You breach that house, we're gonna have a\r\n bloodbath! I know this guy, Captain --\r\n I can talk to him.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n (to Maddox)\r\n Order your men to stand down.\r\n\r\nThe phone is still ringing. Talley pulls the mike from the\r\ndeputy's car and speaks over the public address --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (over the p.a.)\r\n Look out the window, Dennis. We are NOT\r\n entering the house. We're pulling back.\r\n\r\nINT. SMITH'S OFFICE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis is holding Thomas around the neck, using the boy as a\r\nshield. Kevin is cowering on the floor and Mars is holding\r\nJennifer. Dennis snatches up the phone --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (screaming into the phone)\r\n You fuck! I got a fuckin' gun to this\r\n kid's head! I'll kill'm, you fuck!\r\n\r\nIntercut Talley outside --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n It's over now, Dennis! Don't hurt\r\n anyone.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (still screaming)\r\n We'll burn this fuckin' place down! I\r\n got gasoline all over in here!\r\n\r\nTalley takes a deep breath; he forces himself to speak\r\nquietly, calmly --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n No one's coming in. A couple of guys out\r\n here got carried away.\r\n\r\nDennis peers out the front. Talley's careful manner is\r\ncalming him --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Goddamned right they got carried away.\r\n It looks like an army out there.\r\n\r\nTalley mutes the phone to speak to Martin --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Martin)\r\n It's over. He's cooling off.\r\n\r\nTalley glances at Maddox. Maddox nods, his expression saying\r\nthat Talley was right --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Talley?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (back into the phone)\r\n I'm here.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n I want a helicopter to take us to Mexico.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n That's not going to happen, Dennis. They\r\n won't give you a helicopter.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n I'll give you these people.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n The Mexican police would arrest you as\r\n soon as it landed. There's only one way\r\n out and you're doing it right now--just\r\n keep talking to us.\r\n (mutes phone; to Martin and\r\n Maddox)\r\n I think we could make the transition now.\r\n Maddox, you good to go?\r\n\r\nMaddox nods at Martin; he's good to go --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (to Dennis)\r\n Hey, Dennis? Can I let you in on a\r\n personal secret?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (hesitantly)\r\n What?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I gotta piss real bad.\r\n\r\nDennis can't help himself; he laughs --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You're a funny guy, Talley.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm going to put on an officer named Will\r\n Maddox. You talk to him for a while.\r\n\r\nTalley hands the phone to Maddox, who moves past Talley for a\r\nbetter view of the house. Talley looks grimly at Martin --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n He says he has gasoline set to burn the\r\n place.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Jesus. He must've siphoned it from the\r\n cars.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n If you go in, you can't use tear gas or\r\n flashbangs. The whole place would go up.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n (not without humor)\r\n Looks like you're bailing out at the\r\n right time.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (returns her smile)\r\n That's why you get the big bucks,\r\n Captain.\r\n\r\nTalley is moving away when his radio pops --\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n Chief, base.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (keying his shoulder mike) \r\n Go.\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n I couldn't find Jane. She wasn't at the\r\n restaurant.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You have her cell number?\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n She didn't answer.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n They might be at the house. Keep trying\r\n and let me know. I'm going to be here a\r\n little while longer.\r\n\r\nTalley closes his phone and continues away --\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis and Kevin are at the television, watching an aerial\r\nview of the Sheriffs deploying around the house. Jennifer\r\nand Thomas are huddled by their father --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n We're surrounded. They're all over the\r\n neighborhood.\r\n\r\nMars enters carrying candles and flashlights. He lights a\r\ncandle and place it on a table --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n What the fuck is that?\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n They'll cut the power.\r\n\r\nMars tosses a flashlight to Dennis --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n What about my father?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Aw, Jesus, not more of this.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Look at him! I think he's dying!\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (to Kevin and Mars)\r\n Take'm back upstairs, but don't tie'm\r\n like before. That little fuck untied\r\n himself anyway.\r\n\r\nDennis returns to the shutters as Mars and Kevin take the\r\nkids --\r\n\r\nINT. THOMAS' ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMars shoves Thomas into the room, then lifts the claw hammer.\r\nFor an instant, we think he's going to hit the boy--but he\r\nsmashes off the door knob, instead.\r\n\r\nMars glares at Thomas, then pulls the door closed. The knob\r\non Thomas's side is gone; there's no way for Thomas to open\r\nthe door.\r\n\r\nBut that's okay by Thomas. He waits until he's sure that\r\nMars is gone, and then he hurries back to his closet --\r\n\r\nINT. THOMAS' CLOSET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas pulls open the hatch, fishes out his flashlight, then\r\ndumps the contents of Jennifer's purse on the floor.\r\n\r\nHe picks up her cell phone.\r\n\r\nINT. MRS. PENA'S BATHROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley closes his eyes with a blissful expression as a\r\nfamiliar sound fills the bathroom; he's taking a piss.\r\n\r\nHis radio crackles --\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n Chief, base.\r\n\r\nTalley finishes his business, and keys his mike --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Did you find Jane and Mandy?\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n Could you call me back on your phone?\r\n Right away.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n What's wrong with the radio?\r\n\r\n LOUISE'S VOICE\r\n (hesitantly)\r\n Other people can hear us. Just call.\r\n Please.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Stand by.\r\n\r\nNow Talley is worried. He pulls out his phone and punches\r\nthe speed dial. It rings only once --\r\n\r\nIntercut Louise, at her desk outside Talley's office --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Is something wrong with Jane?\r\n\r\n LOUISE\r\n We have a boy on the line. He says he's\r\n Thomas Smith and he's calling from the\r\n house.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n It's a crank, Louise. C'mon, don't waste\r\n my time with that!\r\n\r\n LOUISE\r\n His cell number belongs to the Smiths. I\r\n think it's real, Chief. I think this boy\r\n is inside that house.\r\n\r\nTalley worries it only for a moment --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Put him on.\r\n\r\nTalley pushes out of the bathroom into --\r\n\r\nINT. MRS. PENA'S FAMILY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nHe flags Leigh Metzger as he cups the phone --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Metzger)\r\n Get Martin. Right away.\r\n\r\nAs Metzger hurries away, we intercut Thomas, hiding in the\r\nshadows on his bed, whispering so as not to be overheard --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (into the phone)\r\n This is Chief Talley. Tell me your name, \r\n son.\r\n\r\n THOMAS \r\n Thomas Smith. I'm in the house that's on\r\n TV. Dennis hit my dad and now he won't\r\n wake up. You gotta help him.\r\n\r\nTalley can tell by the tremor in the boy's voice--this is for\r\nreal --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Slow down, Thomas. Take it easy and talk\r\n to me. Was your father shot?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Dennis hit him. His head's all big and\r\n he won't wake up. I'm really scared.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n How about you and your sister?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n We're okay.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Where are you right now?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n In my room.\r\n\r\nTalley hurries to a large sketch of the Smiths' floor plan\r\nlaid out on the dining room table --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n That's on the second floor. Could you\r\n climb out your window if we were\r\n downstairs to catch you?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n They nailed the windows. I can't get'm\r\n open.\r\n\r\nMartin enters with Leigh Metzger. Talley cups the phone to\r\ngive her the headline --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Martin)\r\n I've got the boy on the phone. He's\r\n using a cell phone.\r\n (back to Thomas)\r\n What was that, son? I didn't hear you.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n If I try to climb out they'll see me on\r\n the security cameras. They would see you\r\n outside, too --\r\n\r\nThomas hears someone outside his door --\r\n\r\n THOMAS (CONT'D)\r\n They're coming!\r\n\r\nThomas hangs up, jamming his phone behind the bed --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Thomas? Thomas...?\r\n\r\nTalley lowers the phone --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n He says that his father's hurt.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n If we have a man dying in there, we'll\r\n have to go in.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n They have security cameras. Rooney would\r\n see you coming.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Did the boy say that any of them are in\r\n immediate danger?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n No. He said that his father's\r\n unconscious; he didn't say he was dying.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Then I think we should wait. Do you\r\n agree?\r\n\r\nTalley finally nods --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You want me to stick around, I could --\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n You've been here all day, Chief. Take a\r\n break. See your family. If I need you,\r\n I'll call.\r\n\r\nTalley looks like the most tired guy in the world. He nods\r\nhis good-night, then turns away --\r\n\r\nINT. TALLEY'S CAR -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley slides into his car outside Mrs. Pena's home. He's\r\ngot a lot on his mind, and not all of it centers around 455\r\nCastle Way. He punches a number into his cell phone --\r\n\r\nHe listens to ringing, and then his own voice answers --\r\n\r\n TALLEY'S VOICE MESSAGE\r\n This is Jeff Talley. Leave your name and\r\n number after the beep.\r\n\r\nWe hear the beep, then --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into his phone)\r\n Jane? If you're there, pick up, okay?\r\n Mandy?\r\n\r\nNo one answers. Talley closes his phone, his apprehension\r\nincreasing --\r\n\r\nEXT. YORK ESTATES FRONT GATE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe Bristo officers manning the gate swing the blockade aside\r\nand wave Talley through --\r\n\r\nEXT. MEDIA AREA -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe assembled television microwave vans, radio newsvans, and\r\nreporters are parked together in an empty lot one block from\r\nthe front gate.\r\n\r\nKen Seymore steps into the street, speaking into a cell phone\r\nas he watches Talley drive away --\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n (into his phone)\r\n He's leaving now.\r\n\r\nEXT. RED LIGHT INTERSECTION -- DAY\r\n\r\nA traffic light on the outskirts of town, deserted until\r\nTalley's car pulls to a stop --\r\n\r\nINT. TALLEY'S CAR -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nSuddenly, two masked men point guns at his head, one from the\r\ndriver's side, one from the passengers. They're wearing\r\njackets, black ski masks, and gloves. The man on the\r\npassenger side sports a big gold Rolex, so we'll call him the\r\nWatchman --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n (meaning the gun)\r\n Do you see the fuckin' gun?! Look at it!\r\n\r\nTalley freezes. He's been blindsided by this insane shit,\r\nbut he knows better than to move --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Take it easy.\r\n\r\nThe man on the driver's side gets into the backseat, then the\r\nWatchman gets into the passenger side. The man behind Talley\r\nhooks an arm around Talley's throat while the Watchman \r\nsearches for Talley's gun --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n Where's your gun?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm the Chief. I don't carry it.\r\n\r\nThe Watchman nods at the backseater, who releases Talley.\r\n\r\nA dark green Mustang roars up ahead of Talley's car. A \r\nsecond car tucks in tight on Talley's rear --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Who are you?\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n Follow the Mustang. We won't go far.\r\n\r\nThe Mustang pulls out, and Talley follows.\r\n\r\nEXT. A DESERTED ALLEY -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe three cars turn into the alley. They stop, the first and\r\nlast cars bumper-to-bumper with Talley's. The cars are so \r\nclose to Talley that his own vehicle is pinned; he couldn't \r\ndrive away now even if he wanted --\r\n\r\nINT. TALLEY'S CAR -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe Watchman puts Talley's car in park, turns off the\r\nignition, and takes the key.\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n I know you're scared, but unless you do\r\n something stupid we're not going to hurt\r\n you. You understand?\r\n\r\nTwo more masked men approach from the other cars, one coming\r\nto Talley's window, the other getting into the back seat\r\nbehind the Watchman.\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN (CONT'D)\r\n Don't just fuckin' sit there, dumbass. \r\n Do you understand?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n What do you want?\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n These guys are going to take hold of you.\r\n Don't freak out. It's for your own good.\r\n\r\nThe three men take hold of Talley, the man behind again\r\nlooping his arm around Talley's neck, the other two each\r\ntwisting Talley's arms --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n What is this?\r\n\r\nThe Watchman holds a distinctive white cell phone to Talley's\r\near --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n Say hello.\r\n\r\n JANE'S VOICE\r\n Jeff? Is that you?\r\n\r\nTalley goes berserk. He bucks and tries to pull away, but\r\nthe three men hold tight --\r\n\r\nThe Watchman closes the phone --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n (trying to calm Talley)\r\n I know, I know--she's all right. Your\r\n kid's all right, too. C'mon, now, relax.\r\n From this point on, you control what \r\n happens to them.\r\n\r\nTalley can barely breathe, they're holding him so tight --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN (CONT'D)\r\n Can we let go? You past your shock and\r\n all that, we can turn you loose and you\r\n won't do something stupid?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You can let go.\r\n\r\nThe Watchman glances at the men; they let go --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n Here's the deal--Walter Smith has two\r\n computer disks like this in his house.\r\n They're labeled 'Marlon' and 'Al.'\r\n\r\nThe Watchman holds up a thick black Zip disk. Talley's\r\nexpression tells us that this is the weirdest shit he's ever\r\nheard --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Marlon and Al....\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n We want them. You will not let anyone go\r\n into that house--or anything come out--\r\n until my people recover these disks.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I can't control what happens. The\r\n Sheriffs are running the scene.\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n You will re-assume command. In two\r\n hours, a group of my people will arrive\r\n at York Estates. You will tell the\r\n Sheriffs that they are an FBI tactical\r\n team.\r\n\r\nThe Watchman puts the white cell phone into Talley's hand --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN (CONT'D)\r\n When this phone rings, you answer. It\r\n will be me. I'll tell you what to do.\r\n When I have what I want, you get your\r\n family.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You want . . . Marlon and Al.\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n I have people in York Estates right under\r\n your nose. If you do anything except\r\n what I'm telling you, you'll get Jane and\r\n Amanda back in the mail. We clear on \r\n that?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n These disks . . . where are they?\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n Smith will know.\r\n\r\nThe Watchman and the others get out of Talley's car. The\r\ndoors slam shut. The Watchman leans in --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN\r\n When it rings, answer.\r\n\r\nThe Watchman tosses the keys into Talley's lap. We hear car\r\ndoors open and close; the cars, front and back, roar to life\r\nand speed away --\r\n\r\nTalley focuses on the Mustang's license plate, frantically\r\nscratching down the number --\r\n\r\nINT. BRISTO CAMINO POLICE DEPARTMENT -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe place is deserted except for Louise, currently at her\r\ndesk to monitor radio communications.\r\n\r\nTalley enters, looking as if he's stricken. Louise can't\r\nhelp herself but to react --\r\n\r\n LOUISE\r\n You look terrible. Chief, are you all\r\n right?\r\n\r\nTalley barely glances at her, going directly to his office --\r\n\r\nINT. TALLEY'S OFFICE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley steps inside and peels off his uniform shirt. He\r\ntakes a bullet-resistant vest and a black sweatshirt from his\r\ncloset. He straps on the vest, then pulls on the sweatshirt.\r\n\r\nTalley sits at his desk and lifts out a ballistic nylon\r\npistol case from the lower drawer.\r\n\r\nHe takes out his old SWAT combat piece: This isn't a pussy\r\n9mm; it's a finely tuned .45-caliber Colt Model 1911. One\r\nshot, one kill. Talley ejects the empty magazine, then loads\r\nit with a deadly efficiency. He slams home the magazine --\r\n\r\nTalley clips the gun to his belt under his sweatshirt. He's\r\nready to rock. The camera finds the photograph of Talley\r\nduring his days as a SWAT tactical officer --\r\n\r\nHe was one bad motherfucker.\r\n\r\nINT. THE MAIN ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley heads for the front door --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm going back to York. Have Larry meet\r\n me at the front gate.\r\n\r\nTalley exits without a backward glance --\r\n\r\nEXT. YORK ESTATES FRONT GATE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe helicopters orbit in the distance; the empty lot with the\r\nnews vans is in the background.\r\n\r\nTalley turns into the development, then stops at the side of\r\nthe street where Larry Anders is waiting --\r\n\r\nINT. TALLEY'S CAR -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nAnders slides into the passenger seat. He sees a different\r\nTalley now, focused and grim --\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n What's up, Chief?\r\n\r\nTalley stares at Anders, trying to decide: Can I trust him?\r\nWill he rat me out to the Watchman and cost the lives of my\r\nwife and child?\r\n\r\n ANDERS (CONT'D)\r\n Did I do something wrong?\r\n\r\nTalley gives him a slip of paper --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I want you to run this license plate and\r\n phone number. Then I want you to find\r\n out everything you can about Walter\r\n Smith.\r\n ANDERS \r\n The guy in the house?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Go back to the office. Run his name\r\n through the FBI and the NLETS database.\r\n I think he's involved with illegal activity\r\n or he associates with people who are.\r\n\r\nAnders glances at the slip again, then tucks it away --\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n Wow. Sure, right away, Chief.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Don't tell anyone what you're doing, not\r\n Louise, not the other guys, not the\r\n Sheriffs. You understand me, Larry?\r\n \r\n ANDERS\r\n I guess so. \r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Fuck guessing. You keep your mouth shut.\r\n\r\n ANDERS\r\n I will, Chief. Absolutely.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Get to work.\r\n\r\nAnders climbs out and Talley rockets away --\r\n\r\nEXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley pulls up behind the Sheriffs' command van. Martin,\r\nsurprised to see Talley, steps from the van --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm re-assuming command of the scene.\r\n \r\nMartin is surprised and angry --\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Excuse me? You requested our help. You\r\n turned over command --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n And now I'm taking it back. We're\r\n getting Smith out of the house.\r\n\r\nTalley heads for the cul-de-sac --\r\n\r\nINT. JENNIFER'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nJennifer is on her bed in the darkness, groggy with fear and\r\nfatigue. She hears someone outside in the hall --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Thomas?\r\n\r\nThe door knob rattles. Jennifer slides out of bed and goes\r\nto the door --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER (CONT'D)\r\n Thomas, is that you?\r\n\r\nThe door suddenly opens, and Mars is framed in the dim light.\r\nJennifer jumps back, terrified --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER (CONT'D)\r\n What do you want?\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n We can't make the microwave work.\r\n\r\nThat seems so outlandish that Jennifer is confused --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n What?\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n We're hungry. You're going to cook.\r\n\r\nMars grabs her hair, and pushes her out the door --\r\n\r\nINT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMars shoves Jennifer into the kitchen. Two frozen pizzas are\r\nwaiting on the counter --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Make the pizza. I want scrambled eggs\r\n and hot dogs on mine.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n (under her breath)\r\n How about dog shit?\r\n\r\nMars takes a carton of eggs and a package of hot dogs from\r\nthe refrigerator --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n With hot sauce and butter.\r\n\r\nJennifer takes a bowl from the cupboard. When she sets down\r\nthe bowl, she sees the handle of the paring knife by the food\r\nprocessor. Jennifer breaks eggs into the bowl --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n I need a frying pan. Would you get one?\r\n Over there, under the range.\r\n\r\nAs soon as Mars turns away, Jennifer palms the knife and\r\npushes it into the waist of her shorts --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley joins Maddox behind the car --\r\n\r\n MADDOX\r\n What put a wild hair up your ass?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I changed my mind. That's all you need\r\n to know.\r\n\r\nTalley picks up the dedicated crisis phone that's been cut\r\ninto the Smiths' telephone line. He lifts the receiver and\r\npresses a button. The phone inside the house rings --\r\n\r\nIntercut Dennis inside Smith's office. He answers --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n That you, Talley?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n The one and only. We got a little\r\n problem out here, Dennis.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You oughta try on the problem I got in\r\n here.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I need you to let me talk to Mr. Smith.\r\n\r\nDennis shoots a nervous glance at Walter, who's twitching and\r\nshuddering on the couch --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n We been through that. Forget it.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n We can't forget it. The Sheriffs think\r\n you won't let me talk to Smith because\r\n he's dead. They think you murdered him.\r\n\r\nMaddox can't believe that Talley is saying this --\r\n\r\n MADDOX\r\n (low, so that Dennis can't\r\n hear)\r\n What in hell are you doing?!\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n That's bullshit! The guy's right here!\r\n He's alive!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (pressing Dennis harder)\r\n If you don't let me talk to him, they're\r\n going to attack the house.\r\n\r\nMaddox grabs Talley's arm, his voice a low hiss --\r\n\r\n MADDOX\r\n You're gonna set him off, goddamnit!\r\n That's crazy!\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (screaming)\r\n They better not!\r\n\r\nTalley pushes Maddox away and amps the pressure on Dennis --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Help me keep them out! Let me speak to\r\n Smith, Dennis. Let me speak to him right\r\n now.\r\n\r\nDennis is freaking. He believes that the Sheriffs are about \r\nto crash through the doors --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n SHIT!!!!\r\n\r\nNow Talley throttles back; he senses that Dennis is at the \r\nbreaking point and wants to coax him back from the edge --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (calmer; coaxing)\r\n Talk to me, Dennis. Help me help you. \r\n Why can't you put Smith on the phone?\r\n\r\nDennis finally makes the admission --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (quietly)\r\n He got knocked out. It's like he's\r\n sleeping. He just lays there.\r\n\r\nTalley gives a thumbs-up to Maddox, who sits back in awe.\r\nThis crazy shit is working --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Dennis)\r\n Now I understand. That helps. I can\r\n make them understand that.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Okay.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Let me come get him.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Fuck that! You bastards will jump me!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n If you won't let me come in, then put him\r\n outside.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You'll cap my ass as soon as I step out\r\n the door!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You've already helped yourself once,\r\n Dennis; be smart again. If you save his\r\n life, it'll help when you get to court.\r\n\r\nDennis is at the edge; he's looking straight down into his\r\ndeepest fears. He finally relents --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Fuck you, Talley, fuck you! You and one\r\n other guy, but that's it! I want you\r\n stripped! I gotta know you don't have\r\n guns!\r\n\r\nDennis slams down the phone --\r\n\r\nTalley lowers the crisis phone, then looks at Maddox --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Bring up the ambulance.\r\n\r\nEXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC -- A FEW MINUTES LATER\r\n\r\nMobile banks of flood lamps illuminate the front of the\r\nhouse. The ambulance waits behind the lights; tactical\r\nofficers with M5s and M16s hunker in position in case the\r\nprogram goes south --\r\n\r\nTalley and a paramedic named Bigelow emerge between the\r\nlights, wearing only shorts and shoes. Bigelow is carrying a\r\ncollapsable stretcher --\r\n\r\nThey stop in the mouth of the drive with a full view of the \r\nfront door. Talley lifts his cell phone --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into the phone)\r\n Okay, Dennis, we won't approach the house\r\n until you've closed the door.\r\n\r\nThe front door opens, a crack at first, then wider. The line\r\nof officers behind the lights shifts --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (over his shoulder)\r\n Easy....\r\n\r\nKevin and Mars waddle out with Walter Smith between them.\r\nThey put him down about six feet from the front door, then\r\nreturn to the house --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (to Bigelow)\r\n Let's do it.\r\n\r\nTalley and Bigelow move forward. When they reach Walter,\r\nBigelow opens the stretcher and locks out the frame. He\r\npeels back Walter's eyelids and flashes a penlight --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n How's he look?\r\n\r\n BIGELOW\r\n He's got a concussion for sure. I'm\r\n going to brace him.\r\n\r\nAs Bigelow sets a cervical neck brace, Talley gets the creepy\r\nfeeling that he's being watched. He turns toward the\r\nshutters, and finds a pair of eyes only inches from his own.\r\nIt's Mars.\r\n\r\nTalley stares at Mars, and Mars stares back. It's as if \r\nthey're locked in a contest of wills until --\r\n\r\n BIGELOW (CONT'D)\r\n Let's get him on the stretcher.\r\n\r\nTalley turns away to help Bigelow --\r\n\r\n BIGELOW (CONT'D)\r\n I'll support his head and shoulders. You\r\n lift his hips and knees. On three.\r\n Three.\r\n\r\nAs they carry Walter away, Talley glances back at the eyes.\r\nMars is still watching him --\r\n\r\nIN THE CUL-DE-SAC--TALLEY AND BIGELOW\r\n\r\nare surrounded by cops as soon as they step into the shadows\r\nbehind the lights. Another paramedic takes the stretcher\r\nfrom Talley. Maddox is waiting with Talley's clothes --\r\n\r\n MADDOX\r\n You ready to tell me what's going on?\r\n\r\nTalley pulls on his pants --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n No.\r\n\r\nTalley stalks straight to the ambulance, pulling on his\r\nsweatshirt as he goes --\r\n\r\nINT. THE AMBULANCE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nA young physician named Klaus is examining Walter as Talley\r\nsteps up into the ambulance --\r\n\r\n TALLEY \r\n I'm the chief of police here. I have to\r\n talk to him.\r\n\r\n KLAUS\r\n Ain't gonna happen. We've got unequal\r\n pupilation. He could have an \r\n intracranial hematoma or a fracture or\r\n both.\r\n\r\nTalley ignores the doctor and shakes Walter by the face --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Smith! Wake up!\r\n\r\n KLAUS\r\n What are you doing?! Stop that!\r\n\r\nWalter's eyes flutter, one more open than the other. Talley\r\nleans closer --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Smith)\r\n Wake up, goddamnit. Who are you?\r\n\r\nKlaus tries to shove Talley away, but it's like pushing a\r\nwall --\r\n\r\n KLAUS\r\n This man needs a hospital! Stop it!\r\n\r\nTalley grabs Klaus by the arm, trying to make him see --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Use smelling salts, give him a shot, \r\n whatever. I just need a minute.\r\n\r\nBigelow climbs behind the wheel and starts the ambulance.\r\nTalley pounds on the wall, shouting --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Stop the fuckin' engine!\r\n\r\nKlaus and Bigelow are both staring at Talley. Sheriffs and\r\nTalley's own officers have gathered at the open rear of the\r\nambulance to see what all the shouting is about --\r\n\r\nKlaus pointedly looks at Talley's hand gripping his arm. He\r\nspeaks slowly, trying to make Talley understand --\r\n\r\n KLAUS\r\n I'm not going to wake him. I don't even\r\n know that I can.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Just one question. Please.\r\n\r\n KLAUS\r\n He. Can't. Answer.\r\n\r\nTalley stares at Walter Smith. So close. So damned close.\r\nWalter knows about the disks. Walter might even know who has\r\nJane and Amanda. But now Walter can't talk --\r\n\r\nTalley turns away and climbs out of the ambulance --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nAs Talley emerges from the van, he pulls Metzger aside --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I want you waiting in Smith's lap. I\r\n want to know the second--and I mean the\r\n second--that he wakes up.\r\n\r\nAs Metzger hurries after the ambulance, a phone in Talley's\r\npocket rings. He's startled and scared; it might be the\r\nWatchman. Talley takes out the Watchman's white phone, but\r\nit's not ringing.\r\n\r\nHe answers his other phone --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (into phone)\r\n Talley.\r\n\r\n ANDERS' VOICE\r\n It's me, Chief. Can you talk?\r\n\r\nTalley notices that Martin, Maddox, and the others are\r\nstaring at him. He turns away --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into his phone)\r\n What'd you find out?\r\n\r\n ANDERS' VOICE\r\n The cell phone is registered to a jewelry\r\n store in Beverly Hills. The phone\r\n company shows no unusual --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (cutting him off)\r\n Dead end--it's a clone. What about the\r\n Mustang?\r\n\r\n ANDERS' VOICE\r\n It was stolen.\r\n\r\nTalley lowers the phone in frustration, then --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You get anything on Smith?\r\n\r\n ANDERS' VOICE\r\n Chief...it's like none of this exists.\r\n I'm sorry.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Keep trying.\r\n\r\nTalley pockets his phone. He watches the ambulance pull\r\naway, then strides back through the banks of lights to the\r\nnearest patrol car. He grabs the dash mike and keys the\r\npublic address --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (through the p.a.)\r\n Call me. If you're safe, call me.\r\n\r\nTalley's voice echoes across the neighborhood. Every cop in\r\nthe cul-de-sac stares at him. He has addressed the house\r\nfor, apparently, no reason. Dennis shouts from his window --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n I'll be safe when I'm outta here, you\r\n asshole! I'm not talking any more!\r\n\r\nTalley drops the mike without a word and walks away --\r\n\r\nINT. GLEN HOWELL'S MOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nHowell is on the phone with Ken Seymore, watching the\r\ntelevised news coverage with increasing alarm --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Was Smith talking?\r\n\r\nIntercut Seymore, who is reporting from the York front gate\r\nas the ambulance roars away, siren wailing --\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n I heard he's fucked up. They're taking\r\n him to the hospital.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Goddamnit, tell me what you know. Did\r\n the cops go in? Did Smith have the\r\n disks?\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n I don't know. Talley talked those punks\r\n into letting Smith out. He's fucking us \r\n over, Glen. That guy is fucking us over.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n What hospital?\r\n\r\n SEYMORE\r\n Canyon Country.\r\n\r\nHowell slams down the phone. He breathes deeply, taking a\r\nmoment to center himself. He lifts the phone and punches a\r\nnumber --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n I have another job for you.\r\n\r\nEXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley is by himself, pacing at the curb well away from the\r\nother officers. He is holding his cell phone. Waiting.\r\n\r\nFinally, it rings. Talley answers, listens, then --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Put him on.\r\n\r\nIntercut Thomas, phoning Talley in his room --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Is my daddy okay?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n The doctors are taking care of him right\r\n now. Thomas . . . are you safe? Can you\r\n talk?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I think so.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I need your help with something. But if\r\n you think those guys could catch you, \r\n then I don't want you to do it, okay?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Okay.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm serious, Thomas; I don't want you to\r\n get hurt.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n What do you want me to do?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Your dad has two computer disks. They\r\n have funny names: Marlon and Al.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n He has lots of disks.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I think he was working on them today, so\r\n they're probably in his office. Could\r\n you find them and see who they belong to?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Dennis won't let me go to the desk. He\r\n makes me sit on the floor.\r\n\r\nTalley absorbs the bad news like his last best hope of saving\r\nhis family is circling the drain --\r\n\r\n THOMAS (CONT'D)\r\n But I might be able to sneak into the\r\n office if they're not around. Then I\r\n could open the disks here in my room.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I thought they locked you in your room.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I can get into the crawlspace from my\r\n closet and climb all over the house.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Can you get into the office?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I can get into the den. The office is\r\n right across the hall.\r\n\r\nTalley thinks about what the boy is saying, and what he'll\r\nhave to do to get Marlon and Al --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n If I get Rooney into the back of the\r\n house, can you find the disks without\r\n being caught?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Yes, sir.\r\n\r\nTalley glances toward the SWAT Command Van as he comes up\r\nwith a plan --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE COMMAND VAN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMartin, Maddox, and several of her supervisors are gathered\r\noutside the van as Talley approaches --\r\n\r\nMartin sees him coming and steps away to meet him. She's\r\npissed off and she wants answers --\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n I want to know what in hell you're doing.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm looking for you. I need your\r\n tactical unit.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n I'm not stupid! You can't get out of\r\n here fast enough, then you take back\r\n command; you agree to wait on Smith, then\r\n you risk everything in a stupid stunt to \r\n get him out --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (interrupting)\r\n Don't question me, Captain! This is my\r\n crime scene!\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n (shouting over him)\r\n -- then when you get him, you damn near\r\n assault the man in the ambulance! What\r\n is going on?\r\n\r\nTalley glares at her, half-a-heartbeat from going off, and\r\nthen he throttles back --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (simply)\r\n I'm a negotiator, Captain. I negotiate.\r\n That's all you need to know. Now are you\r\n going to help me or not?\r\n\r\nMartin weighs the determination in his eyes. She's angry,\r\nshe's resentful, and she wants to knock Talley onto his ass--\r\nbut, instead, she glances back to her van --\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Maddox! Let's give the man a hand!\r\n\r\nINT. SMITHS' DEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis steps through the double doors that open from the\r\nentry and admires the room--rich paneled walls, soft leather\r\ncouches and chairs, and a lush beaten-copper bar. Walter\r\nSmith's office is directly across the hall.\r\n\r\nDennis saunters behind the bar, letting his fingers play over\r\nthe copper, then pours a stiff Ketel One on the rocks.\r\n\r\nKevin appears behind him, watching, as Dennis takes a seat on\r\none of the leather bar stools, then peels a hundred off a\r\nthick roll and drops it on the bar --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (to an imaginary bartender)\r\n Keep the change, m'man.\r\n\r\nDennis takes a deep drink of the vodka as Kevin approaches --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n We're fucked.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n We're fucked until we think of a way out;\r\n then we're rich.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n There is no way out.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n For chrissake, please! Help me\r\n celebrate! I figured it out!\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Celebrate what? Going to prison?\r\n\r\nDennis enjoys another stiff belt --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n No, dumbass--Talley. Talley's the guy\r\n who keeps us in here, and Talley's the\r\n guy who can let us out.\r\n\r\nDennis grins as if he's discovered the wisdom of the ages --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Cops want to be rich like everyone else.\r\n All we have to do is share.\r\n (leans closer and lowers his\r\n voice)\r\n And if he wants someone to swing for the\r\n Chinaman, we'll give'm Mars.\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Dennis.\r\n\r\nMars is standing in the doors, large and ominous. For an\r\ninsane moment Dennis thinks that Mars has heard, but then --\r\n\r\n MARS (CONT'D)\r\n The food's ready.\r\n\r\nDennis grins, then shoves Kevin out of the room ahead of him,\r\nthe three of them disappearing toward the kitchen as --\r\n\r\nThe camera drifts up to an air vent in the ceiling, through\r\nthe slats in the grate to --\r\n\r\nINT. CRAWLSPACE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas watches them leave through a hole in the air duct.\r\nWhen he's confident that they are gone, he continues along\r\nthe crawlspace to a service hatch that opens down into --\r\n\r\nINT. WINE CELLAR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe \"wine cellar\" is a climate-controlled closet behind the\r\nbar fitted with floor-to-ceiling wine racks.\r\n\r\nThe ceiling hatch lifts, and Thomas climbs down the racks to\r\nthe floor. He eases open the door and peeks out behind the\r\nbar. The den is bright with light, and empty --\r\n\r\nThomas lifts his cell phone --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n (whispers into the phone)\r\n It's me, Chief. I'm in the den.\r\n\r\nEXT. SMITHS' REAR WALL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley, Maddox, and several tactical officers are lined along\r\nthe rear wall, watching the house. Talley, with a phone to \r\nhis ear, is looking through a night-vision scope --\r\n\r\nHe can see into the kitchen through the French doors. Mars\r\nand Jennifer are inside, and, as we watch, Dennis and Kevin\r\nenter --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into his phone)\r\n Okay, bud, here we go.\r\n\r\nTalley hands the scope to Maddox, then keys his radio mike --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (into his mike)\r\n Captain? Kill the lights.\r\n\r\nINT. SMITHS' KITCHEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis and Kevin are digging into plates of pizza and eggs\r\nwhen the house goes dark --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Shit! It's the cops!\r\n\r\nThe backyard ERUPTS; explosions from Starflash grenades JUMP\r\nand CAREEN over the swimming pool like New Year fireworks.\r\nIt sounds like World War III --\r\n\r\nDennis throws himself behind the kitchen counter --\r\n\r\nINT. THE DEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe house now dark, Thomas scurries to the double doors. He\r\npeeks around the corner to see if the coast is clear, then\r\ndarts across the hall to --\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe office is lit only by the flickering candles. Thomas\r\nchecks his father's computer--no disks. He searches through\r\nthe papers scattered over the desk, but finds nothing --\r\n\r\nThen he opens the drawer --\r\n\r\nThe disk case that his father put there earlier is waiting.\r\nThomas opens the case --\r\n\r\nMarlon. Al.\r\n\r\nHe found them.\r\n\r\nINT. THE KITCHEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe Starflash grenades burn out as Talley's amplified voice\r\nechoes into the house --\r\n\r\n TALLEY'S VOICE\r\n It's time to talk face-to-face, Dennis.\r\n Come out, just you, and we'll talk.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n What's he doing? What's going on?!\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Mars! They're trying to blindside us!\r\n Check the front!\r\n\r\nMars lurches to his feet and hurries to the office --\r\n\r\nINT. THE OFFICE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas is heading for the door when he hears footsteps coming\r\nfast toward the office --\r\n\r\nThomas reverses course and ducks under the desk. He pulls\r\nhimself into a ball and tries not to breathe --\r\n\r\nMars is in the room.\r\n\r\nThe desk is a great oak monster, big as a boat. It sits on\r\ncurvy legs that leave a gap between the desk and the floor.\r\nThomas can see feet --\r\n\r\nThe feet go to the windows --\r\n\r\n DENNIS'S VOICE\r\n What's going on out front?\r\n\r\nThe feet turn toward the desk. Thomas tries to squeeze\r\nhimself smaller --\r\n\r\n DENNIS'S VOICE (CONT'D)\r\n Mars?! What the fuck are they doin'?\r\n\r\nThe feet come to the desk --\r\n\r\n DENNIS'S VOICE (CONT'D)\r\n Mars! Something's happening! Get back\r\n here!\r\n\r\nThe feet hesitate, then, finally, walk away --\r\n\r\nThomas scrambles from under the desk and darts across the\r\nhall --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE BACKYARD -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley approaches the house. He can see flashlights moving\r\nin the kitchen --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Come on, Dennis. Talk to me.\r\n\r\nDennis doesn't answer, so Talley moves closer. He spreads\r\nhis hands wide --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n I'm unarmed. I'm looking at you. Get\r\n out here and let's talk.\r\n\r\nDennis comes to the French doors. He stuffs his pistol into\r\nhis pants, and opens the doors --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You got a sniper out there, gonna shoot\r\n me?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Only if you try to grab me. We could've\r\n shot you from the wall.\r\n\r\nDennis considers that and accepts it. He steps out of the\r\nhouse and walks over to Talley --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n You've been in there a long time.\r\n What're you waiting for?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Would you be in a hurry to go to prison\r\n for the rest of your life?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'd be trying to get the best deal that I\r\n could.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Maybe that's what I'm doing. Can I reach\r\n in my pocket, show you something?\r\n\r\nDennis Rooney steps closer because he doesn't want anyone\r\nelse to see the wad of money he pulls out --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n That's fifty hundred-dollar bills. Five\r\n grand. They got money in this house,\r\n Talley, more than you've ever seen.\r\n\r\nDennis pushes the money back into his pocket.\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n How much would it be worth to you,\r\n getting me out of here?\r\n\r\nSo that's what keeps Dennis in the house--money. This is the\r\nfirst that Talley has heard of the money --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You picked a bad house to hole up in,\r\n son.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Two hundred thousand cash, right in your\r\n pocket, no one needs to know.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Give up.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n There's a million dollars in there, maybe\r\n two million. I'll give you half.\r\n\r\nTalley stares at Dennis, wondering how much to tell him and\r\nwhether or not it will do any good --\r\n \r\n TALLEY\r\n The man you sent to the hospital is a\r\n criminal. He has partners. This is\r\n their house and their money and they want\r\n it back.\r\n\r\nThese simple facts settle on Dennis like a funeral shroud--\r\neverything that Smith said earlier now makes a horrible\r\nsense: You can't imagine the fucking you're going to get.\r\n\r\nDennis's eyes fill with defeat and helplessness --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n It ain't been a good day, Chief.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Give up, Dennis. Let these people go.\r\n At least you'll have your life.\r\n\r\nDennis steps inside and pulls the door closed, the darkness\r\nin the house swallowing him like dirty water.\r\n\r\nThe power is turned on. The house comes to life --\r\n\r\nAs Talley turns away, his phone once more rings --\r\n\r\nINT. THOMAS' ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas is hunkered with his computer behind his bed so that\r\nthe camera can't see him.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I got'm!\r\n\r\nIntercut Talley, now back in the cul-de-sac --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Can you open them?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I opened Marlon. I think it's somebody's\r\n taxes.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Look for names. Does it say whose taxes\r\n they are?\r\n\r\nThomas scrolls through a spread sheet --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I don't see any people names. It's all\r\n businesses.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Try Al. See if you can open Al.\r\n\r\nThomas changes disks and opens Al --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Yeah! Here's a name. This is somebody's\r\n personal tax --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Who is it?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Charles G. Benza.\r\n (then; noise in the hall)\r\n They're coming!\r\n\r\nThomas abruptly hangs up and the line goes dead in Talley's\r\near.\r\n\r\nTalley recognizes the name as easily as an East Coast cop\r\nwould recognize John Gotti, and realizes the stunning import\r\nof Smith possessing Sonny Benza's financial records --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Sonny Benza. Oh, fuck.\r\n\r\nTalley sprints across the cul-de-sac to his nearest officer,\r\nJorgenson, and keys Jorgenson's shoulder mike --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n (into the mike)\r\n Leigh? Metzger, answer me!\r\n\r\n METZGER'S VOICE\r\n I'm at the hospital.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Put a guard on Smith! I want you with\r\n Smith until I get there!\r\n\r\n JORGENSON\r\n What's going on?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Get in the car. Now.\r\n\r\nTalley drops the mike and shoves Jorgenson toward the car --\r\n\r\nEXT. CANYON COUNTRY HOSPITAL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMarion Clewes is stepping from his car as Talley's police\r\nunit rips into the parking lot with flashing lights --\r\n\r\nMarion watches Talley and Jorgenson rush into the ER, then he\r\nfrowns and punches the speed dial on his phone --\r\n\r\n MARION\r\n (into his phone)\r\n We're too late. The police are here.\r\n\r\nINT. EMERGENCY ROOM CORRIDOR -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley and Jorgenson huddle in the hall with Klaus and the ER\r\nsupervisor, Dr. Estelle Reese. Metzger is outside Walter's\r\nroom in the background --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm posting a guard outside his room, but\r\n we'll need help from hospital security.\r\n\r\n REESE\r\n Is my staff in danger?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Not with my officers here, no, ma'am.\r\n\r\nMetzger steps into Walter's room, then reappears --\r\n\r\n METZGER\r\n Hey! He's waking up!\r\n\r\nTalley and Klaus press for the room --\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER'S ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nWalter's eyes flutter open. His voice is slurred, but\r\nunderstandable --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n Where am I?\r\n\r\nKlaus peels open Walter's eyes, passing his penlight over\r\none, then the other --\r\n\r\n KLAUS\r\n Canyon Country Hospital. Do you remember\r\n your name?\r\n\r\nIt takes Walter a few moments to answer --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n Walter Smith.\r\n\r\nAll of Walter's memories come flooding back, and he tries to\r\nsit up. Klaus forces him down --\r\n\r\n WALTER (CONT'D)\r\n Where are my children?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n They're still in the house.\r\n\r\nWalter looks at Talley. He has never seen Talley and has no\r\nidea who he is --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n I'm Jeff Talley, the Bristo chief of \r\n police. So far as we know, your children\r\n are okay.\r\n\r\n KLAUS\r\n Chief Talley is the one who got you out.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Klaus)\r\n I need to talk to him. Alone.\r\n\r\nThis time, Klaus is hard-pressed to refuse. He nods, then\r\nsteps away --\r\n\r\nTalley turns back to Walter Smith, and lowers his voice --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Sonny Benza has my wife and daughter. He\r\n wants the disks, Marlon and Al. He took\r\n my family to make me help.\r\n\r\nTalley's eyes fill. His tears drip on the sheets. Walter\r\nlooks away --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n I don't know what you're talking about.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n He's going to kill you. Don't you know\r\n that? He can't take the chance that\r\n you'll talk.\r\n\r\nKlaus returns and places a hand on Talley's shoulder --\r\n\r\n KLAUS\r\n That's enough.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Another minute. Please --\r\n\r\nBut when he looks back at Walter, he realizes that another\r\nminute will do no good: Walter's eyes are once more closed.\r\n\r\nEXT. HOSPITAL PARKING LOT -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley is pacing by his car in the deserted parking lot. He\r\npounds the hood, cursing, awash in rage and frustration --\r\n\r\nAnd then a phone rings.\r\n\r\nTalley takes out the phones. The white phone is ringing.\r\nThe Watchman's phone --\r\n\r\nTalley answers furiously, the two of them instantaneously\r\nscreaming at each other --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE\r\n You dumb fuckwad cop, you fucked up bad!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Do you think I'm going to let you murder\r\n someone?!\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE\r\n You want a blowtorch on your daughter's\r\n pretty face?!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'll go in that fuckin' house right now!\r\n I'll give those disks to the real FBI,\r\n you COCKSUCKINGMOTHERFUCKER!! And I've\r\n got Smith! I've got Smith!!\r\n\r\nA profound silence fills the parking lot, both men now\r\npurged. When the Watchman speaks again, his voice is\r\nmeasured --\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE\r\n I guess we each have something the other\r\n wants.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I guess we do.\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE\r\n My people are good to go. You know who I\r\n mean?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Your phony FBI assholes.\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE\r\n We're almost home, you and me. Keep your\r\n shit together. This isn't L.A.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n What do you mean by that?\r\n\r\n THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE\r\n You don't want another dead child on your\r\n conscience.\r\n\r\nThe line goes dead --\r\n\r\nINT. THE SMITHS' DEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis is pouring another stiff glass of Ketel One --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n I shouldn't have told him about the\r\n money. Now Talley is gonna keep it for\r\n himself.\r\n\r\nKevin joins him at the bar. Mars is by the doors --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n He said that?\r\n\r\nDennis downs a big hit of vodka, then moves to the couch --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n If we don't escape, we gotta get the word\r\n out about the cash. That's how we'll\r\n stay alive.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n What are you talking about?\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n The only way he can keep the cash is if\r\n nobody knows about it. He's gotta cap\r\n all three of us before they even read our\r\n rights. He's probably planning it right\r\n now.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n That's crazy. He's not going to kill us.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Kevin, you're so fuckin' stupid...\r\n\r\nKevin follows his brother to the couch and stares at him;\r\nDennis has clearly lost his mind, and Kevin has reached the\r\nend of his rope --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n It's over. We have to give up.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Fuck it's over. That money's mine.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n That money's fucked up your brain.\r\n Talley's going to get tired of waiting\r\n for us to give up, and we'll all be\r\n fuckin' killed!\r\n\r\nDennis tips his glass, like a toast --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Then we might as well die rich.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n I'm not going to die for this!\r\n\r\nKevin slaps the glass away. Dennis boils up from the couch.\r\nHe grabs his brother and the two of them fall over the coffee\r\ntable, Dennis hammering Kevin in a furious rage until he runs\r\nout of gas --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You're my fuckin' anchor, Kevin, the\r\n fuckin' lead around my life that I've\r\n been draggin' like a cripple leg!\r\n\r\nDennis gets up and steps back --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Get this into your stupid head, Kevin.\r\n We're not leaving without the money.\r\n\r\nBeaten and whimpering, Kevin crawls away. Dennis watches him\r\ncrawl out of the room, then looks at Mars --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n You got something to say?\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n I like it here, Dennis. I'm never going\r\n to leave.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Fuckin' A.\r\n\r\nDennis returns to the bar. When he looks around again, Mars\r\nis gone--melted into the darkness.\r\n\r\nINT. JENNIFER'S ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nJennifer is hiding in her shadows when her doorknob moves. She\r\nreaches pulls the knife from her shorts, keeping it hidden as\r\nshe backs away --\r\n\r\nKevin steps inside, leaving the door ajar --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n What do you want?\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Keep your voice down. I'm taking you and\r\n your brother out of here.\r\n\r\nJennifer now sees the marks and cuts on his face --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n What happened?\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Do you want to go or not? I'm offering\r\n you a way out of here.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n I can't go without Thomas.\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n All three of us will go, but we have to\r\n move fast. Mars and Dennis don't know\r\n I'm doing this.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n How can we get out?\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Dennis and Mars are in the den. I'll get\r\n your brother, then come back for you.\r\n We'll go down the stairs and out the\r\n front door, you understand?\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\nKevin goes back to the door, then considers her. Maybe he\r\nwants to apologize for all this, but the best he can manage\r\nis --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n Put on some shoes.\r\n\r\nKevin slips out and pulls the door closed.\r\n\r\nINT. SECOND FLOOR HALL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nAs Kevin emerges from the room, he comes face-to-face with --\r\n\r\nMars.\r\n\r\nMars is a great black shadow in the dark, only inches away.\r\nKevin steps back --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n You scared the shit out of me. I was\r\n looking for you. Dennis wants you to\r\n watch the monitors.\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n I heard you with the girl.\r\n\r\nKevin takes another step back, but Mars follows him, staying\r\nuncomfortably close --\r\n\r\n KEVIN\r\n It's over, Mars. If we stay the cops\r\n will kill us. Don't you get that?\r\n\r\nMars seems thoughtful, steps aside --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n I get it. If you want to go, go.\r\n\r\nKevin expected Mars to stop him, but Mars is letting him go.\r\nKevin turns away and hurries down the hall --\r\n\r\nEXT. YORK ESTATES MAIN ENTRANCE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley is returning to the hospital. As he turns into York\r\nEstates, he's stopped by one of his officers, Dale Cooper.\r\nTalley rolls down his window to see what Cooper wants --\r\n\r\n COOPER\r\n Come FBI guys showed up, Chief. They\r\n said you were expecting them.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n They here now?\r\n\r\n COOPER\r\n You'll see'm up the street.\r\n\r\nTalley nods, and continues through the gate --\r\n\r\nEXT. STREET -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTwo gray Econoline vans are parked at the curb beneath a\r\nstreet light, four men in the lead van, two in the rear.\r\n\r\nTalley pulls up behind them, then gets out of his car. He\r\nwalks up the middle of the street to the lead van, eyeballing\r\nthe men in the vans: They all have short haircuts and are\r\nwearing black tactical fatigues. Some of them wear ball caps\r\nthat say FBI.\r\n\r\n THE DRIVER\r\n You Talley?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Yeah.\r\n\r\nThe man in the passenger seat, Mr. Jones, gets out. He looks \r\nthe part of FBI SWAT: black tac fatigues, jump boots, buzzed\r\nhair. A pistol hangs under his left arm in a ballistic\r\nholster --\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Let me see some ID. Something with a\r\n picture. I don't give a shit about your\r\n badge.\r\n\r\nTalley takes out his wallet and flashes his photo ID. Jones\r\ndoes the same in return --\r\n\r\n MR. JONES (CONT'D)\r\n Okay, here's mine. My name is Special\r\n Agent Jones.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Are all of you named Jones?\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Don't be funny, Chief. You can't afford\r\n it.\r\n\r\nJones slaps the side of the van. Doors open, and the\r\nremaining five men climb out. They strap into vests with FBI\r\nemblazoned on the back, then pass out load-bearing gear, knit\r\nmasks, and flash-bang grenades.\r\n\r\n MR. JONES (CONT'D)\r\n In a few minutes the white phone is going\r\n to ring. So let's get our shit straight\r\n before that happens.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You used to be a cop. All of you used to\r\n be cops. I can tell by the way you move.\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Don't worry about what we used to be.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n How do you people expect this to work?\r\n The Sheriffs have a Crisis Response Team\r\n here.\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n What's my name?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n What?\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n I asked you my name. You just saw my\r\n commission slip. What's my fucking name?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Special Agent Jones.\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Think of me that way and you won't fuck\r\n up. I'll handle the Sheriffs.\r\n\r\nThe men at the second van are now passing out MP5s, CAR-15s, \r\nand loaded magazines --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n What are you people going to do?\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n You and I are gonna straighten this out\r\n with the Sheriffs, and then we'll wait\r\n for the man to call. When he gives the\r\n word, we move.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n What does he have on you? I know why I'm\r\n doing this, but what does he have on you?\r\n\r\nOne of the other men hands an MP5 to Mr. Jones. Jones\r\njacks the bolt to chamber a round. He slings his gun without\r\nanswering --\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Let's go, Chief. Time to get real.\r\n\r\nJones walks away, and all Talley can do is follow --\r\n\r\nEXT. MARS KRUPCHEK'S TRAILER -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nWe're at the end of a gravel road in the low foothills of\r\nPearblossom, a farm community of fruit orchards in the low\r\nfoothills.\r\n\r\nA Bristo Camino police car pulls up outside a thirty-foot\r\nCaravan trailer, and Mikkelson and Dreyer get out. Mikkelson\r\nlights up the trailer with the radio car's spotlight --\r\n\r\n DREYER\r\n Krupchek lives in a shithole.\r\n\r\nThe trailer is dark and silent. They walk to the door\r\ncarrying their Maglites. Mikkelson tries the knob --\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n I guess we could jimmy it.\r\n\r\n DREYER\r\n I don't want to pay for breaking it.\r\n\r\nMikkelson pulls hard and the door pops open. Both officers\r\ncringe as a smell like simmering mustard greens rolls out at\r\nthem --\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n Christ, that stinks.\r\n\r\nINT. THE TRAILER -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMikkelson switches on the lights as they step inside. Dreyer\r\nsees it first --\r\n\r\n DREYER\r\n Mickey? Look at this shit.\r\n\r\nMikkelson joins Dreyer in the trailer's tiny kitchen where\r\nteetering stacks of folded cereal boxes fill the counters and\r\nsink and floor. Hundreds and hundreds of Captain Crunch and\r\nCount Chocula boxes, all neatly folded and stacked --\r\n\r\n DREYER (CONT'D)\r\n He's burned them.\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n What?\r\n\r\nDreyer shows her a box. The nose of each character has been\r\nburned with a cigarette --\r\n\r\n DREYER\r\n He burned their noses.\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n Okay, this is creeping me out.\r\n\r\nMikkelson opens the oven. It's empty. She opens a cupboard.\r\nIt's filled with large glass jars. She opens another \r\ncupboard. More jars. Shapes float in the jars, suspended in\r\nyellow fluid. Mikkelson and Dreyer examine the shapes --\r\n\r\n DREYER\r\n What are those, rats?\r\n\r\nMikkelson opens the fridge, then slams it, looking like she\r\nwants to puke --\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n Ohmigod. We gotta call Talley.\r\n\r\nDreyer sees the expression on her face, then looks at the\r\nfridge, wondering --\r\n\r\nEXT. CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley, Jones, and Jones's phony \"FBI\" team are moving down\r\nthe cul-de-sac toward the house with Martin at their heels --\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Walter Smith is in the Federal Witness\r\n Protection program. When Washington\r\n learned about the situation here, they\r\n asked Chief Talley for his cooperation.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n This is bullshit. I should've been\r\n notified.\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n I'm sure you will be, Captain, but it's\r\n after midnight. Now, if you'll pull your\r\n people off the perimeter, I want to get\r\n my people in position.\r\n\r\nMartin looks like she wants to spit bullets --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Let it go, Captain.\r\n\r\n MARTIN\r\n Goddamned small town bullshit.\r\n\r\nMartin relents and stalks away just as Talley's phone rings.\r\n\r\nBoth Talley and Jones tense at the ring, thinking it might be\r\nthe white phone, but it's not --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n It's mine.\r\n (into his phone)\r\n Talley.\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON'S VOICE\r\n Chief, it's Mikkelson.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Go, Mickey.\r\n\r\nEXT. KRUPCHEK'S TRAILER -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nBoth Mikkelson and Dreyer are leaning against their car.\r\nThey look shellshocked. Mikkelson is making the call --\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON\r\n Chief, we just found Krupchek's trailer.\r\n We just went in there.\r\n\r\nShe trails off and looks at Dreyer for help: How do I say\r\nthis? Dreyer, at a loss, looks away --\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON (CONT'D)\r\n He has human body parts in his \r\n refrigerator. He has five human heads.\r\n\r\nMikkelson can't handle it any more. She lowers the phone --\r\n\r\nWITH TALLEY\r\n\r\nThe shock that Mikkelson is feeling sweeps over Talley as\r\nwell. He takes a moment to get his head around this --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into his phone)\r\n Mickey? Call the state Homicide Bureau.\r\n Don't touch anything, just sit back and\r\n wait.\r\n\r\n MIKKELSON'S VOICE\r\n Yes, sir.\r\n\r\nTalley lowers the phone as he stares at the house, wondering\r\nwhat sort of monster is in there with Thomas and Jennifer.\r\n\r\nHis gaze shifts to Mr. Jones, who is watching him --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n We're getting those kids out of there.\r\n\r\nINT. THE SMITHS' DEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis is sprawled on the couch, sucking the last few drops\r\nof Ketel One from the bottle. He frowns at the empty bottle,\r\nthen lumbers to his feet --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n (calling)\r\n Kev? Key, Kevin, c'mon back. I'm sorry\r\n I hit you.\r\n\r\nDennis weaves through the door, carrying the empty bottle\r\nlike his dearest friend --\r\n\r\nINT. THE KITCHEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis staggers into the kitchen --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n C'mon, Kev, don't fuckin' pout! You're\r\n right. It's time to call it a game.\r\n\r\n MARS'S VOICE\r\n Kevin left. He didn't want to be here\r\n anymore.\r\n\r\nThe voice from the other side of the kitchen startles him.\r\nMars steps out of the shadows --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You mean he left, as in went out the\r\n front door?\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n I overheard him with the girl.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Shit! That fuck! Even when I want to\r\n turn myself in he screws it up! Did he \r\n take the kids with him?\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n I don't know.\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Jesus, get upstairs and find out! If he\r\n took those kids, we're fucked!\r\n\r\nMars cross the kitchen and goes for the stairs without\r\nanother word --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n KEVIN!!! You ASSHOLE!!!\r\n\r\nDennis throws the bottle across the room --\r\n\r\nINT. THE HOBBY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas is scared by all the shouting, but he waits in the\r\ndarkness until Dennis quiets, and then we notice that he is\r\nno longer in his room; he's in the hobby room, once more\r\ntrying to reach the gun --\r\n\r\nThomas stacks two phone books on the bench, then uses the\r\nphone books as an extra step to reach the high shelf --\r\n\r\nHe can finally reach the gun case! He puts it on the bench,\r\nthen climbs down, and opens the case. Thomas is bouyant with\r\nconfidence; now, he can protect himself and his sister!\r\n\r\nThomas shoves the gun into his pants and creeps back into --\r\n\r\nINT. THE LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas is climbing onto the washing machine when his foot\r\nslips and he bangs his head --\r\n\r\nIt's so dark in ehre that Thomas can't see what made him \r\nslip, but he tests the floor. His shoe makes a tacky sound.\r\n\r\nThomas cups his hand over his flashlight like before, and\r\nturns it on. A dark liquid like oil is spreading on the\r\nfloor.\r\n\r\nThomas follows it with his light to the broom closet. He\r\nlets out more light and sees that the oil is red.\r\n\r\nThomas knows that something terrible is behind the door, but\r\nhe is drawn to it. He reaches out --\r\n\r\nKevin's lifeless body topples out, collapsing in a heap at\r\nThomas's feet. His neck is cut so deeply that his head is\r\nalmost severed --\r\n\r\nHis eyes are open.\r\n\r\nThomas screams!\r\n\r\nINT. JENNIFER'S ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nJennifer is anxiously waiting for Kevin. When she hears\r\nsomeone in the hall, she thinks that it's Kevin, but when the\r\ndoor opens --\r\n\r\nIt's Mars.\r\n\r\nHe steps inside, tall, wide, and massive as a bear. He's\r\ncarrying the claw hammer. Jennifer backs away --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Kevin left without you.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n I don't know what you're talking about.\r\n\r\nMars turns off the lights.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER (CONT'D)\r\n Don't do that. Turn on the lights.\r\n\r\nJennifer grows even more frightened. Mars follows her across\r\nthe room until she backs into the window --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER (CONT'D)\r\n You'd better get out of here! Kevin's\r\n coming back!\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Kevin's gone, your daddy's gone, \r\n everybody's gone.\r\n\r\nWhen Mars reaches her, he touches the hammer to the chest,\r\npressing to make it hurt --\r\n\r\n MARS (CONT'D)\r\n Now we can do whatever we want.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER \r\n Stop it.\r\n\r\nMars rakes the claws slowly between her breasts as Jennifer\r\nfinds the knife in her shorts. She jerks free the blade and\r\nstabs blindly burying the knife high in his chest, but Mars\r\ndoesn't even step back --\r\n\r\nHe grips the handle, moaning hideously as he pulls out the\r\nknife. A red flower blossoms from the wound.\r\n\r\nJennifer tries to get past him, but he grabs her throat and\r\npins her to the wall --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n You're going to enjoy this.\r\n\r\nHe raises the knife to her face --\r\n\r\nINT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe scream from the laundry room having scared the shit out\r\nof Dennis, he has his gun out --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Who's that? Goddamnit, who's there?\r\n\r\nDennis turns on his flashlight and sweeps the beam across the\r\nkitchen --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Kev? Is that you? Talley?\r\n\r\nDennis weaves across the kitchen, pushing the gun ahead of\r\nhim --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n Kevin, if that's you, say something.\r\n Mars said you left.\r\n\r\nDennis steps through the door into --\r\n\r\nINT. THE LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis shines the light on the floor and sees the red ooze.\r\nHe follows the blood to Kevin's body, but even then doesn't\r\nrealize what he's seeing --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n Kevin, what the fuck? Get up.\r\n\r\nDennis steps closer, and now he sees the open neck, the\r\ngrotesque white bone within the flesh --\r\n\r\nOnly one other person in the house could have done this --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n MARS?!?!\r\n\r\nDennis hears Jennifer screaming upstairs --\r\n\r\n DENNIS (CONT'D)\r\n MARS!!!\r\n\r\nDennis rushes from the room --\r\n\r\nINT. JENNIFER'S ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nDennis slams through the door so heard that the door crashes\r\ninto the wall. Mars is across the room, still holding\r\nJennifer by the neck --\r\n\r\nDennis aims his gun --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n You're dead, you fuck.\r\n\r\nMars calmly pulls the girl in front of him, blocking Dennis's\r\naim.\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n What's wrong, Dennis? Why're you so\r\n pissed off?\r\n\r\nIt's weird the way Mars is acting, so calm and all. But\r\nDennis can see the feat in Jennifer's face and her swollen\r\neyes. She manages one word --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Please...\r\n\r\nDennis tries to aim past her --\r\n\r\n DENNIS\r\n This fuck killed Kevin. There's blood\r\n everywhere down there --\r\n\r\nJennifer sobs. And when she does --\r\n\r\nMars charges across the room holding Jennifer like a shield.\r\nDennis hesitates only a heartbeat, and then it's too late --\r\n\r\nJennifer crashes into him, the full force of Mars's weight\r\nbehind her, knocking Dennis backward into the hall --\r\n\r\nINT. SECOND FLOOR HALL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThey fall through the door into a tangle on the floor. Mars\r\nraises the hammer, then brings it down, smashing Dennis over\r\nand over --\r\n\r\nINT. JENNIFER'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas emerges from the closet to see the carnage in the\r\nhall: Mars over Dennis, grunting like a pig as he turns\r\nDennis into pulp, and Jennifer crawling away, splattered with\r\nblood --\r\n\r\nThomas pulls the gun from his pants and darts past Mars into\r\nthe hall --\r\n\r\nINT. UPSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThomas grabs Jennifer's arm and pulls her toward the stairs --\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n C'mon, Jen! Run!\r\n\r\nMars heaves to his feet and turns after them --\r\n\r\nThomas jerks up the pistol with both hands --\r\n\r\n THOMAS (CONT'D)\r\n I'll shoot you!\r\n\r\nMars stops, blood dripping from his face and hands and the\r\nhammer. Jennifer pulls her brother --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Keep going!\r\n\r\nThey back toward the stairs, Thomas trying to hold the gun\r\nsteady. Mars follows, spreading his arms wide as if to\r\nembrace them --\r\n\r\n MARS\r\n Everyone's gone. We can do whatever we\r\n want. We can do anything.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I'll shoot you! I'm not kidding, you\r\n better stay away!\r\n\r\nMars keeps coming --\r\n\r\nThomas pulls the trigger. Click.\r\n\r\nMars stops, frozen by the sharp sound --\r\n\r\nThomas pulls again. Click click click --\r\n\r\nNo bullets.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n Run!!!!!\r\n\r\nThomas and Jennifer sprint for the stairs --\r\n\r\nINT. FRONT ENTRY -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nJennifer and Thomas crash down the stairs and spill into the\r\nentry. Thomas goes to the front door but Jennifer pulls him\r\naway --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n No! They have everything nailed!\r\n\r\nThey race away down the hall just as Mars reaches the bottom\r\nof the stairs --\r\n\r\nINT. THE SMITHS' BEDROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nMars is closing. Jennifer and Thomas scramble through the\r\nbedroom only paces ahead of him. They run straight into --\r\n\r\nINT. THE SAFE ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nJennifer and Thomas slam the door and throw the bolts just as\r\nMars crashes into the door --\r\n\r\nJennifer and Thomas have made it. They are shaking and\r\nscared, but they are safe.\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n He can't reach us in here. We're safe.\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n I know.\r\n\r\nMars pounds on the door with the hammer. They can see him on\r\nthe monitors. Slow rhythmic pounding. Then he walks away --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER\r\n What's he doing?\r\n\r\nThey can see him on the monitors--moving through the hall,\r\ngoing into the entry....\r\n\r\nMars picks up a bucket of gasoline. He splashes gas on the\r\nwalls and floor all the way back to the bedroom, and then he\r\nempties the bucket on the security room's door --\r\n\r\nMars looks up at the camera again and takes out a match. He\r\nflicks it with his thumbnail and it flares --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER (CONT'D)\r\n Ohmigod, he's going to burn us!\r\n\r\nMars tosses the match, and the room erupts into flame --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley is arguing with Jones, trying to convince the man that\r\nthey need to move into the house now --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n We've got to get those kids out of there!\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Not until the man calls.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Those kids are in there with a fucking\r\n psychopath! He kills people!\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n They've been in there all day.\r\n\r\nTalley's phone rings. Again, they both think that it's the\r\nwhite phone, but instead it's Talley's personal phone --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into his phone)\r\n Talley.\r\n\r\nIt's Thomas. His voice cuts in and out, broken by static --\r\n\r\n THOMAS'S VOICE\r\n Mars killed Kevin and Dennis! We're in\r\n the security room. He's burning the\r\n house --\r\n\r\nThomas' phone cuts out. Talley turns toward the house and\r\nsees a growing column of smoke. He looks back at Jones --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You do what you have to do; I'm getting\r\n those kids.\r\n\r\nTalley hurries away. Jones stares after him, then comes to\r\nhis own agonized decision. He catches up --\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Talley! We'll secure the house, but then\r\n we get the disks.\r\n\r\nTalley accepts that; they move toward the house --\r\n\r\nEXT. THE SMITHS' HOUSE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe banks of floodlights abruptly shut off, plunging the\r\nhouse and grounds into darkness --\r\n\r\nINT. THE MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe fire is spreading, following the gasoline trail through\r\nthe hall and the rest of the house; a thick layer of smoke \r\ncovers the ceiling --\r\n\r\nMars sees that the outside lights have been turned off, and\r\nsenses that the cops are making their move. That's all right\r\nwith Mars--he's been waiting to die for most of his life --\r\n\r\nMars checks the load in his pistol, then melts away into the\r\ndark --\r\n\r\nA moment later, throbbing music pounds the house --\r\n\r\nEXT. SMITHS' HOUSE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley and Jones slip up to a side window at the front of the\r\nhouse. Both are carrying fire extinguishers. They peer\r\ninside, then Jones uses a pry bar to lift the window --\r\n\r\nINT. FRONT GUEST ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley enters first, followed by Jones. The air is thick\r\nwith smoke, and the music is confusing; the hall outside the\r\nroom is filled with flames --\r\n\r\nTalley points toward the bedroom, then uses hand signals to\r\ncountdown the launch--three...two...one --\r\n\r\nJones keys his throat mike to launch the strike --\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Go --\r\n\r\nThey blast the flames with their fire extinguishers, then\r\nplunge into the hall --\r\n\r\nINT. MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe sliding glass doors shatter as one of Jones's men\r\nbreaches the door. As he rolls to his feet, Mars shoots him\r\nfrom the flames --\r\n\r\nA second man rolls through the door, and Mars shoots again,\r\nlaughing as the man writhes in flames --\r\n\r\nINT. HALL -- TALLEY AND JONES\r\n\r\nfight back the flames with their fire extinguishers, working\r\ntheir way into --\r\n\r\nINT. THE MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nIt's an inferno as Talley and Jones come through the door.\r\nThey spot the two men on the floor just as --\r\n\r\nMars rears up behind the flames. He is shirtless and \r\nglistening, screaming maniacally is he fires his gun --\r\n\r\nTalley and Jones fire in unison, pounding Mars with bullets\r\nand knocking him into the fire. Mars thrashes and screams,\r\nburning alive --\r\n\r\nTalley hears pounding inside the safe room: Jennifer and\r\nThomas! He fights his way to the security door, which is\r\ncovered with flames --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n The kids are in here!\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n Where's the office?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Help me, goddamnit, we can get the disks\r\n later!\r\n\r\nTalley expects that Jones will help, but Jones is aiming his\r\ngun --\r\n\r\n MR. JONES\r\n We don't need you any more, Chief. We\r\n can get the disks on our own.\r\n\r\nBut before Jones can kill Talley, Mars heaves himself up from\r\nthe flames, firing wildly. He hits Jones in the head --\r\n\r\nTalley fires reflexively, his powerful .45 kicking Mars\r\nacross the room and out the glass doors. Talley turns back\r\nto the burning door and douses the flames with his fire\r\nextinguisher --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Thomas! Thomas, it's me!\r\n\r\nThomas and Jennifer jerk open the door, but shrink from the\r\nheat. Talley uses the last of his fire extinguisher, then\r\npulls them into his arms --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Stay close. We're going to move fast --\r\n\r\nINT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley shepherds Jennifer and Thomas past the flames --\r\n\r\nINT. THE ENTRY -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThey reach the entry, and Talley uses his pry bar to break\r\nopen the door --\r\n\r\nA wall of cops are out on the street, waiting --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (to Thomas)\r\n Are the disks still in your room?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n No! They're right here --\r\n\r\nThomas pulls Marlon and Al from his pocket --\r\n\r\nTalley clutches the disks and pulls the boy close in a\r\nspontaneous hug. They run out the door as we --\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. WALTER SMITH'S HOSPITAL ROOM -- LATER THAT NIGHT\r\n\r\nWalter is resting comfortably when Talley steps up beside his\r\nbed. Talley is a mess--smokey, dirty, greased with sweat --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (quietly)\r\n Smith.\r\n\r\nWalter opens his eyes, then Talley steps away. Jennifer and\r\nThomas are standing behind him. They rush to their father --\r\n\r\n JENNIFER/THOMAS\r\n Daddy!\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n Thank God! Are you guys all right?\r\n You're not hurt?\r\n\r\n THOMAS\r\n Our house is on fire! We almost burned!\r\n\r\nBoth children burst into tears, and Walter hugs them. He\r\nlooks up at Talley, then gently eases his kids away --\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n (to Jennifer and Thomas)\r\n You guys step out for a second. I have\r\n to talk to the Chief.\r\n\r\nWalter waits until his children are gone, and then --\r\n\r\n WALTER (CONT'D)\r\n Did you find the disks?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n Then you have everything. You can put\r\n them away.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (touches his wrist)\r\n A man has my family. Gold watch here.\r\n Dark tan.\r\n\r\n WALTER\r\n That would be Glen Howell. He was on his\r\n way for the disks.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n How do I reach him?\r\n\r\nEXT. HOSPITAL PARKING LOT -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley is alone in his car, his phone to his ear, listening\r\nto the ring at the other end of the line. A familiar voice\r\nanswers --\r\n\r\n HOWELL'S VOICE\r\n Hello?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Two words: Glen Howell.\r\n\r\nIntercut Howell in his motel room. He is thrown by getting\r\nthis call --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n How did you get this number?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Mr. Jones is dead. So are two of his\r\n men. The other three are in jail. I\r\n have the disks. I have Walter Smith.\r\n And you know what, you motherfucker? I\r\n have you.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n I have your fucking family. Don't forget\r\n that.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I also have a couple of million in cash.\r\n Call Sonny Benza. Ask if I can keep it.\r\n\r\nThis throws Howell, too. He didn't expect anything like\r\nthis; not from Talley --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n What do you want?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n My wife and my daughter and the money.\r\n I'll bring the disks to the mall by the\r\n freeway, you bring my family. We'll\r\n trade.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Fuck that! You think I'm crazy?!\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I think you got no choice.\r\n\r\nHowell thinks about it. It's a tough call because Talley\r\nmight be setting him up, but they're playing even hands--\r\nTalley still has the disks --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Fuck the mall. You know that motel on\r\n the road west of town?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Yeah.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n You got ten minutes. If you're one\r\n minute late, we won't be here to find.\r\n\r\nTalley tosses his phone aside, then drives away --\r\n\r\nEXT. NEW YORK CITY -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nA graphic identifies our location: New York City.\r\n\r\nINT. VICTOR CASTELLANO'S BROWNSTONE -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nVictor Castellano is \"the old man\" that Benza's people have\r\nmentioned. He is not a happy man in the best of\r\ncircumstances and is even less happy now --\r\n\r\nCastellano's assistant, Jamie Beldone, is briefing him on\r\nevents in the West --\r\n\r\n BELDONE\r\n The house is in flames, Benza's\r\n accountant is with the cops, and they're\r\n stacking the bodies like cordwood.\r\n\r\n CASTELLANO\r\n Jesus Christ, it's a clusterfuck.\r\n\r\n BELDONE\r\n You wanted to let Sonny handle it. I\r\n would've moved in when we first found\r\n out.\r\n\r\nCastellano scowls at the younger man --\r\n\r\n CASTELLANO\r\n And by doing so, he would've known we\r\n have spies in his organization.\r\n\r\n BELDONE\r\n (embarrassed)\r\n Yes, sir. But what about the disks? If\r\n the cops end up with the disks, we're\r\n gonna see a whole lot of heat.\r\n\r\n CASTELLANO\r\n I hate that Mickey Mouse bastard. I\r\n hated his father, and I hate Sonny, too.\r\n Always with the tan.\r\n\r\n BELDONE\r\n What do you want to do?\r\n\r\n CASTELLANO\r\n Our people out there, they good people?\r\n People in the right place?\r\n\r\n BELDONE\r\n The best.\r\n\r\n CASTELLANO\r\n Sonny's a fuckup. If he pulls this off,\r\n fine--life goes on. But if the cops end\r\n up with those disks, we cut our losses.\r\n\r\n BELDONE\r\n I understand.\r\n\r\n CASTELLANO\r\n I want a message sent: No fuckups\r\n allowed.\r\n\r\n BELDONE\r\n I'll make the call.\r\n\r\nVic Castellano watches Beldone depart as he considers what is\r\nabout to come --\r\n\r\nEXT. MOTEL -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe motel floats like an island of light in the middle of\r\nnowhere. A few cars are scattered throughout the quiet \r\nparking lot --\r\n\r\nMIKE RUIZ\r\n\r\nis hiding in weeds across from the motel, keeping an eye on\r\nthe road for Talley's approaching vehicle. A radio\r\ntransmission crackles quietly --\r\n\r\n MANELLI'S VOICE\r\n You see anything?\r\n\r\nRuiz keys the mike --\r\n\r\n RUIZ\r\n Not yet.\r\n\r\nTalley steps silently behind him and presses his gun to Mike\r\nRuiz's ear --\r\n\r\nLOU BUSTER\r\n\r\nBuster is on the dark side of thge parking lot, standing watch\r\noutside the pool of light in the shadows --\r\n\r\nGravel crunches behind him; Buster turns, and --\r\n\r\nTalley cracks him across the face with his .45 --\r\n\r\nWITH TALLEY\r\n\r\nHe edges along the perimeter of the parking lot, working as\r\nclose as he can to a Fat Man who is leaning against the green\r\nMustang --\r\n\r\nThe door to a ground floor room opens, and Glen Howell steps\r\nout. Talley recognizes Howell from the big gold watch --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n (to the Fat Man)\r\n Keep your eyes open. He should've been\r\n here.\r\n\r\nHowell returns to the room. The Fat Man steps away from the\r\nMustang, and --\r\n\r\nTalley slams into his blindside, using the .45 as a club.\r\nThe Fat Man staggers, and Talley wraps an arm around his neck\r\nin a choke hold, running him at the door --\r\n\r\nTalley rams the Fat man into the door, knocking it open and\r\nshoving the Fat Man through --\r\n\r\nINT. HOWELL'S MOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT\r\n\r\nTalley explodes through the door with the Fat Man in front of\r\nhim like a shield --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (screaming)\r\n Police!\r\n\r\nGlen Howell jerks out his pistol as he drops behind the bed.\r\nDuane Manelli rolls out of a chair, aiming from the floor in\r\na two-handed grip --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Don't shoot! Don't shoot him!\r\n\r\nTalley shifts his aim back and forth between the two men. He\r\nhas his back to the wall and the Fat Man in front of him --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Where's my family?! Where's my family,\r\n you fuck?!\r\n\r\nAll three men are sucking air like freight engines. No\r\none is shooting, but if one person fires, everyone will fire.\r\nEverybody has something the other guy wants. That's the only\r\nthing holding them back --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Take it easy. Just take it easy. We're\r\n here to do business.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You said they would be here, goddamnit!\r\n Where are they?\r\n\r\nHowell releases his grip on the gun, and lets it swing free\r\non his finger. He's trying to cool Talley --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n They're close. Let me make a call. You\r\n can see they're okay.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You said they would be here!\r\n\r\nHowell takes out his phone and presses a number. Talley\r\nshifts his aim from Howell to the Fat Man to Manelli --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n (into the phone)\r\n Put on the woman.\r\n\r\nHowell offers the phone, but Talley is wary--he can't let go\r\nof the Fat Man and he won't put down his pistol. Howell\r\ncarefully holds the phone to Talley's ear --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n (into the phone)\r\n Jane?\r\n\r\n JANE'S VOICE\r\n Jeff, we're --\r\n\r\nHowell backs away with the phone --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n You have the disks?\r\n\r\nTalley takes out a single disk. It's the one labeled\r\n'Marlon.' He tosses it onto the bed --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n You get the other one when I have my\r\n girls. Not talk to them; have them.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Where is it?\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Close.\r\n\r\nHowell considers the disk. If Talley has the second disk in\r\nhis pocket, Howell could just shoot him. But Howell can't be\r\nsure --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n I have to see if it's real.\r\n\r\nHowell brings the disk to a lap top computer set up in the \r\ncorner. He inserts the disk, and waits for it to read. He's\r\nsatisfied with what he sees --\r\n\r\n HOWELL (CONT'D)\r\n All right. Now the second one.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n First my girls. I get my girls, you get\r\n the other disk.\r\n\r\nHowell stares at Talley again, then picks up his phone --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n (into the phone)\r\n Bring them. Stop the car outside the\r\n room, but don't get out.\r\n\r\nThe car pulls up directly outside the door. It was only\r\nseconds away. Marion Clewes is driving; Jane and Amanda are\r\nwedged into the front seat beside him, Jane next to Marion,\r\nAmanda on the far side. They are bound tight with their\r\nmouths taped, immobile and helpless, their eyes wide with\r\nfear --\r\n\r\n HOWELL (CONT'D)\r\n (into his phone)\r\n Aim your gun at the woman's head. If he\r\n doesn't give me the disk, kill her.\r\n\r\nMarion presses a gun to Jane's temple --\r\n\r\nTalley jerks his gun toward Howell --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'll kill you! You won't get the other\r\n disk!\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n If you shoot me, he'll kill your\r\n daughter. Do you want to lose both of\r\n them?\r\n\r\nTalley aims at the man in the car; he aims at Howell. He\r\ntried so hard to save his family, and now Howell has him\r\nboxed --\r\n\r\n HOWELL (CONT'D)\r\n The negotiation is over, Talley. I won.\r\n Now give me the disk or he'll put her\r\n brain on the glass.\r\n\r\nTalley looks at Jane and Amanda, and his eyes fill. He\r\nmouths the words --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I love you.\r\n\r\nHe's saying good-bye.\r\n\r\nTalley drops his gun and releases the Fat Man, who stumbles\r\naway. Talley tosses a second disk onto the bed. Manelli\r\nscoops it up and tosses it to Howell as Mation appears in the\r\ndoor --\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n I gave the other one to the Sheriffs and\r\n they're giving it to the real FBI. This\r\n one's a fake.\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n You'd better be kidding.\r\n\r\nHowell anxiously pushes the disk into his lap top --\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n I'm a cop, you asshole! What did you\r\n expect me to do? Pretend all this never\r\n happened?\r\n\r\nHowell stares at the lap top with the withering face of a man\r\nreading his own death sentence. There is nothing on this\r\ndisk.\r\n\r\n TALLEY (CONT'D)\r\n Benza's over. You're over. I just want\r\n to take my family home.\r\n\r\nHowell stands like a mechanical man; incredulous --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Are you out of your mind?\r\n\r\n MARION\r\n (quietly)\r\n You fucked up, Glen.\r\n\r\nHowell looks over as if seeing Marion for the first time, and\r\ngives him the order --\r\n\r\n HOWELL\r\n Kill them.\r\n\r\nMarion aims his gun directly between Talley's eyes, then\r\npoints it at Howell --\r\n\r\n MARION\r\n No fuckups allowed.\r\n\r\nMarion shoots Howell in the head, then the Fat Man, then\r\nManelli--bambambam--one shot, one kill.\r\n\r\nHe lowers his gun, considers Talley. Talley doesn't\r\nmove.\r\n\r\n MARION (CONT'D)\r\n It's like a storm, isn't it? This raging\r\n force that you can't control does\r\n whatever it wants, and the best you can\r\n do is survive. A winner survives.\r\n\r\n TALLEY\r\n Why...?\r\n\r\nThe question being: Why aren't I dead? Why aren't you\r\nkilling me?\r\n\r\n MARION\r\n What good would it do to kill you? The\r\n police already have the disk.\r\n\r\nMarion considers Talley another moment --\r\n\r\n MARION (CONT'D)\r\n Your wife is a very nice lady.\r\n\r\nMarion goes to his car. He helps out Jane and Amanda, then\r\ngets into his car and drives away.\r\n\r\nEXT. THE PARKING LOT -- SUNRISE\r\n\r\nTalley stumbles out of the room and runs to his family. He\r\nscoops up Jane and Amanda, hugging them tightly as the camera \r\npulls up and away, rising, leaving this reunited family as\r\nMarion Clewes disappears like a passing thunderhead --\r\n\r\nCLOSING CREDITS\r\n\r\nThe credits roll to black, then--\r\n\r\nEXT. SONNY BENZA'S HOME -- DAWN\r\n\r\nThe garage door slides up. Benza backs out in his Mercedes,\r\nthen roars to the front door. He pops the trunk, then gets\r\nout and hurries to the front door. He sticks his head inside\r\nand calls to his wife --\r\n\r\n BENZA\r\n The fucking jet's waiting! Would you get\r\n your shit out here?!\r\n\r\nHe picks up two bags from inside the door and brings them to\r\nthe car --\r\n\r\nAT THE TRUNK\r\n\r\nBenza steps behind the raised trunk to put away his bags.\r\nWhen he steps back around again, a nondescript sedan is\r\nwaiting in the drive --\r\n\r\n A VOICE\r\n No fuckups allowed.\r\n\r\nGunfire erupts on the quiet ridge above Palm Springs.\r\n\r\nFADE OUT\r\n\r\nTHE END"}}},{"rowIdx":143,"cells":{"Action":{"kind":"string","value":"HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2\r\n\r\n\r\n Written by\r\n\r\n Dean DeBlois\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Inspired by the novels by\r\n\r\n Cressida Cowell\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Final Draft\r\n May 5th, 2014\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. OPEN SEA - DAY\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup and Toothless BLUR PAST, leaving a wake that leads... \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. BERK - DAY\r\n\r\n (Sequence 0200 - New Berk)\r\n To the island village of Berk, festively adorned with flags\r\n and banners. Major new additions alter its familiar skyline.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n This... is Berk. The best kept\r\n secret this side of, well,\r\n anywhere. Granted, it may not look\r\n like much, but this wet heap of\r\n rock packs more than a few\r\n surprises.\r\n\r\n ON A CLUSTER OF SHEEP, hiding nervously between buildings as\r\n shadows of passing dragons race by. The group moves as one,\r\n receding into a shadowy alley, pushing one sheep out into the\r\n light. It's suddenly snatched and carried into the air!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n Life here is amazing, just not for\r\n the faint of heart. See, where most\r\n folks enjoy hobbies like whittling\r\n or needlepoint, we Berkians prefer\r\n a little something we like to call--\r\n\r\n WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH! A wash of VIBRANT COLORS blurs by.\r\n DRAGONS BARREL PAST at a dizzying speed. Their RIDERS SWIPE,\r\n KICK, and ROLL into one another while they WEAVE neck in neck\r\n between the houses, docks, and revamped structures of Berk.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n\r\n DRAGON RACING!\r\n\r\n It's like an aerial version of the Monte Carlo race.\r\n Spectators ROAR from wooden bleachers, fastened to cliff\r\n faces and perched over the sea.\r\n\r\n \r\n FISHLEGS, now 20 and even larger, rides his gronkle, MEATLUG,\r\n who carries the sheep in her claws, until...\r\n\r\n \r\n SNOTLOUT, also 20, but every bit as juvenile, and his\r\n Monstrous Nightmare, HOOKFANG, steal the sheep from them.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 2.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Oh, I'm sorry, Fishlegs! Did you\r\n want that?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Snotlout! That's mine!\r\n Snotlout FALLS BACK toward RUFFNUT and TUFFNUT, who lag on\r\n their two-headed Zippleback, BARF & BELCH.\r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Here ya go, babe.\r\n With a chivalrous grin, Snotlout tosses the sheep to Ruffnut.\r\n She SNATCHES it with a sneer and a GRUMBLE.\r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT (CONT'D)\r\n Did I tell you that you look\r\n amazing today? `Cause you do.\r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Come on, Barf. It's starting to\r\n stink around here.\r\n Barf starts to peel off, spewing gas. Tuffnut mocks Snotlout\r\n with a mugging grin.\r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Nope. Still hates you. Let's blow\r\n this place, Belch!\r\n Belch ignites the gas, sparking a flashy explosion, and\r\n leaving Snotlout behind in the smoke.\r\n As they rush past the main bleachers, Ruffnut DROPS her sheep\r\n into one of five baskets suspended over a chasm at the lap\r\n crossing. Each backboard bears an image of its corresponding\r\n dragon. The Barf/Belch basket filled to the brim with sheep.\r\n Presiding over the game, STOICK turns to the frenzied crowd.\r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n That's nine for the Twins, Astrid\r\n lags with three, Fishlegs and\r\n Snotlout trail with NONE!\r\n Stoick eyes an empty basket at the far end, its backboard\r\n painted with an image of Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n And Hiccup is... nowhere to be\r\n found. Hmmm.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 3.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Scared him off with the big talk,\r\n didn't ya, Stoick?\r\n WHACK! Snotlout, still smoldering from the blast, gets\r\n CLIPPED from behind. ASTRID, rolls in, astride STORMFLY --\r\n spirited and competitive as ever, and beautiful despite\r\n herself.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n What are you doing, Snotlout?!\r\n They're going to win now!\r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n She's my princess! Whatever she\r\n wants, she gets.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Ruffnut?! Didn't she try to bury\r\n you alive?!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Only for a few hours!\r\n BACK TO THE RACERS, as they peel away, pouring on the speed.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n Dragons used to be a bit of a\r\n problem here. But that was five\r\n years ago. Now they've all moved\r\n in. And, really, why wouldn't they?\r\n The racers chase each other through a sprawling hangar and\r\n into a vast cave, teeming with colorfully painted dragon\r\n stables. They exit through the far side and circle back\r\n through the village, blasting past many of its dragon-\r\n friendly additions.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n We have custom stables... all-you-\r\n can-eat feeding stations... a full\r\n service dragon wash...\r\n\r\n \r\n In the village, a baby Gronkle sneezes, accidentally setting\r\n one of the Viking houses aflame.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n Even top-of-the-line fire\r\n prevention, if I do say so myself.\r\n Astrid rolls her eyes, peels away from the other dragon\r\n racers, and yanks open a spout on the overhead network of\r\n aqueducts, dousing the flames with a surge of water.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 4.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n BACK TO STOICK, amused as he watches the racers round the\r\n island, searching for sheep. He turns to Gobber and nods.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n It's time, Gobber.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Righty-ho!\r\n (aloud, to the crowd)\r\n Last lap!\r\n A HORN sounds. The racers all turn to each other, excited.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n The black sheep! Come on, Stormfly!\r\n We can still win this thing!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Come on, Barf!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Let's go!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Go, Meatlug!\r\n GOBBER loads the BLACK SHEEP onto a catapult.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n This is your big moment. Have a\r\n nice flight!\r\n\r\n \r\n He pulls the trigger, LAUNCHING the black sheep into the air.\r\n Astrid spots it and steers Stormfly into a steep climb toward\r\n it.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Up, up, up!\r\n In a flash, Fishlegs and Meatlug blur past, NABBING the\r\n sheep.\r\n\r\n ASTRID (CONT'D)\r\n No!\r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Good job, Meatlug!\r\n Fishlegs tosses his captured prize to Ruffnut.\r\n\r\n FISHLEGS (CONT'D)\r\n Here you go, darling. Mine's worth\r\n ten!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 5.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Yeah! The Black Sheep!\r\n Snotlout sighs, frustrated.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n You guys are fighting for Ruffnut?!\r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n I'm totally winning!\r\n\r\n \r\n Fishlegs hovers up nest to Ruffnut with a starry-eyed smile.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n We're winning together!\r\n She RAMS BARF into Meatlug, sending Fishlegs into an\r\n uncontrolled SPIN. He SLAMS into Snotlout, sending their\r\n dragons TUMBLING head over tail. The crowd goes wild.\r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n No one can stop me now!\r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Except for me. We're attached,\r\n genius!\r\n\r\n \r\n He GRABS at the sheep. Ruffnut fights back, inciting a tug-of-\r\n war.\r\n\r\n TUFFNUT (CONT'D)\r\n Quit trying to steal all my glory!\r\n And while they're distracted, Astrid steers Stormfly toward\r\n them, CLOSING IN.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Get `em, Astrid!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT RUFFNUT\r\n It's MY glory! No sheep, no You're always ruining\r\n glory! EVERYTHING!\r\n Astrid leaps off of Stormfly, runs up Belch's spindly neck,\r\n and PLUCKS the black sheep from the Twins' hands.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Gotcha!\r\n\r\n \r\n She tumbles through the air onto Stormfly, sticking a perfect\r\n landing, black sheep in hand.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Astrid!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 6.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n BACK TO STOICK, beside himself. The crowd ROARS.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Well played! Hahaha!\r\n (gloating, to the crowd)\r\n That's my future daughter-in-law!\r\n\r\n BACK TO ASTRID ON STORMFLY\r\n eyeing the fast-approaching FINISH LINE, unaware as...\r\n FISHLEGS suddenly RAMS Meatlug into Stormfly, sending Astrid\r\n off-course. She recovers and sees Snotlout flying headlong\r\n toward her, war hammer cocked, aiming at Astrid.\r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Uh, excuse me.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Stormfly!\r\n Snotlout HURLS his hammer. Astrid ducks and rolls Stormfly\r\n out of the way. The hammer catches Fishlegs in the face with\r\n a CLANG. The crowd collectively winces.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and Stormfly recover from their roll, loop over the\r\n water, and they BLAST past the finish line, DUNKING the black\r\n sheep into their basket!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n That's thirteen! Astrid takes the\r\n game!\r\n The crowd COMES UNHINGED. Astrid flies over the crowd,\r\n basking in her victory.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n Yep. Berk is pretty much perfect.\r\n All of my hard work has paid off.\r\n And it's a good thing, too, because\r\n with Vikings on the backs of\r\n dragons, the world just got a whole\r\n lot bigger.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. OPEN SKY/ISLAND COASTLINE - DAY\r\n\r\n (Scene 0300 - AWOL Part One)\r\n A boundless sky. Vast. Clear. Crisp. And from it, a BLACK\r\n SPECK rockets across the horizon. The image of unbridled\r\n freedom.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 7.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Tucked into his riding position, HICCUP appears to be part of\r\n TOOTHLESS. They dip, roll and dive, over a sea teeming with\r\n Thunderdrums, pulling off daring maneuvers with honed\r\n refinement, making them seem effortless.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Yeah!\r\n They jackknife, heading skyward, rolling and tumbling through\r\n the ethereal cloud-scapes and joining high-flying Timberjacks\r\n as they soar in formation.\r\n Hiccup is bound head-to-toe in a snug, aerodynamic flight\r\n suit -- an asymmetrical, functional design of leather and\r\n articulated plates. It has an air of Viking bike leather.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n What do you think, bud? Wanna give\r\n this another shot?\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless grumbles in protest.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Toothless! It'll be fine.\r\n With a click of a lever, he LOCKS the pedals in the flared\r\n tail position. Hiccup then unhooks himself from the saddle.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Ready?\r\n Toothless SNORTS unenthusiastically.\r\n Suddenly, Hiccup SLIDES OFF of Toothless, peeling away from\r\n him like a skydiver from a plane, YELLING as he plummets.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless dives after him. They spiral through the air, face-\r\n to-face. Toothless is having fun, despite himself.\r\n Hiccup slips his forearms through a pair of tucked leather\r\n flaps... and YANKS, unfurling SHEETS OF LEATHER as he extends\r\n his arms. They catch the wind, SNAPPING OPEN like WINGS...\r\n and sending him GLIDING -- out of control, at first, then\r\n stabilizing. The turbulence buffets his flight suit heavily.\r\n But he's flying!\r\n Toothless unfolds his wings, too, catching up with Hiccup.\r\n The freedom is palpable. Hiccup and Toothless are, for the\r\n moment, the same. Feeling the same rush of adrenaline.\r\n Independently together.\r\n They PLUNGE past cloud formations, splitting apart then\r\n crossing paths again.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 8.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Impressive as it is, Hiccup is gliding at a steep angle.\r\n Toothless launches fireballs ahead of Hiccup, boosting him\r\n higher with the expanding heat bursts.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n This is amazing!\r\n A cloud layer washes past, exposing a towering ROCK\r\n FORMATION, dead ahead.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n No longer amazing! Toothless!\r\n Hiccup tries to steer himself away, to no avail.\r\n Toothless POURS ON THE SPEED, trying to catch Hiccup as he\r\n HURTLES toward collision. His locked tail makes maneuvering\r\n difficult. He's UNABLE TO PULL UP at a steep enough angle.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Oh, no!\r\n At the last second, Toothless BLASTS the jagged rocks just\r\n ahead of Hiccup, then WRAPS Hiccup in his wings as they fly\r\n through it. The obliterated peak rains down around them.\r\n Toothless emerges through the cloud of debris and HURTLES\r\n into the trees of a neighboring peak. They tumble down the\r\n uneven terrain, coming to rest on a small plateau.\r\n Hiccup emerges from the cocoon of Toothless' wings. He\r\n switches his prosthetic riding foot to his walking foot and\r\n stows his leather wings.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n That really came out of nowhere.\r\n The blown up sea stack collapses.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n We gotta work on your solo gliding\r\n there, bud. That locked-up tail\r\n makes for some pretty sloppy rescue\r\n maneuvers, eh?\r\n Hiccup reels in his dorsal fin and removes his helmet,\r\n revealing a 20 year old Hiccup framed by wild hair, complete\r\n with a Viking braid.\r\n He walks to the edge of the cliff, taking in the NEW LAND\r\n stretching off into the horizon, its tall cliffs and sea-\r\n stacks adorned with swaying gold birch trees basking in the\r\n dappled afternoon sunlight.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 9.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Looks like we found another one,\r\n bud.\r\n Toothless FUSSES and SNORTS, not amused, shaking off dust and\r\n pebbles like a wet dog.\r\n Hiccup flinches as a pebble WHACKS him on the back of the\r\n head. He looks back to Toothless, who averts his eyes.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Oh, what? Do you want an apology?\r\n Is that why you're pouting, big\r\n baby boo? Well... try this on!\r\n Hiccup TACKLES Toothless and tries to put him in a headlock.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Ya feeling it yet? Huh? Picking up\r\n on all my heartfelt remorse?\r\n Toothless simply stands on his hind legs, lifting Hiccup off\r\n of his flailing feet and dangling him over the cliff's edge.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Oh, come on. You wouldn't hurt a\r\n\r\n ONE-LEGGED--\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup looks down, seeing the precipitous drop below.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n You're right! You're right! You\r\n win! You win!\r\n WHAM! Toothless flips him over, pinning him to the ground.\r\n Hiccup squirms, throwing mock punches. Toothless playfully\r\n retaliates with feline taps to Hiccup's head.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n He's down! And it's ugly! Dragons\r\n and Vikings, enemies again, locked\r\n in combat to the bitter -- URFFF!\r\n Toothless rests his head on Hiccup -- SQUEEZING THE AIR out\r\n of him. Toothless then suddenly starts grooming Hiccup,\r\n lapping at his face and covering him in slobber.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Gaaaaagh!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup fights to get free, finally springing to his feet and\r\n shaking off the viscous saliva.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 10.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n You KNOW that doesn't wash out.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless LAUGHS, pleased with himself.\r\n\r\n \r\n Shifting his attention back to the new land stretched out\r\n before them, Hiccup reaches beneath his chest plate and\r\n produces a leather-bound book.\r\n\r\n \r\n He unfurls it to reveal an EXPLORERS MAP, modified with added\r\n strips in every direction to accommodate their ever-expanding\r\n world. Drawings indicate new lands, new tribes, and many new\r\n dragons.\r\n Hiccup peels a fresh strip of paper from a hidden fold in his\r\n flight suit and holds it out for Toothless to lick.\r\n Hiccup affixes the moistened strip to the map's outer edge,\r\n then whittles a pencil and consults a compass affixed to his\r\n forearm.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n So what should we name it?\r\n Toothless GURGLES as he gnaws under his wing, preoccupied.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n \"Itchy Armpit\" it is.\r\n Hiccup carefully draws the new island's outline.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Whaddya reckon, bud? Think we might\r\n find a few Timberjacks in those\r\n woods? The odd Whispering Death or\r\n two in the rocks? Who knows...\r\n maybe we'll finally track down\r\n another Night Fury.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Wouldn't that be something?\r\n\r\n (BURDENED)\r\n So, whaddya say? Just keep going?\r\n Toothless' ear plates suddenly SHOOT UP. He ROARS, and his\r\n call is answered by a familiar SCREECH. Hiccup turns to\r\n see...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. SEA STACK/ISLAND COASTLINE - DAY\r\n\r\n (Scene 0325 - AWOL Part Two)\r\n\r\n \r\n ASTRID rising into view, astride Stormfly. Stormfly grabs\r\n talon-fulls of rock to slow her landing.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 11.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n `Afternoon m'lady. Where have you\r\n been?\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid dismounts and throws back her fur hood as Toothless\r\n rushes up to greet them.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Winning races. What else? The real\r\n question is... where have YOU been?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Avoiding my dad.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Oh, no. What happened now?\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid sits beside Hiccup, inspecting his latest addition to\r\n the map. Behind them, Toothless greets Stormfly, inciting a\r\n play fight.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Oh, you're gonna love this. I wake\r\n up. The sun's shining. Terrible\r\n Terrors are singing on the rooftop.\r\n I saunter down to breakfast,\r\n thinking all is right with the\r\n world, and I get...\r\n\r\n \r\n He gets to his feet and puffs out his chest.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (APING STOICK)\r\n ... Son, we need to talk.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid smiles and adopts Hiccup's sloppy slouch.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n\r\n (APING HICCUP)\r\n Not now, Dad. I've got a whole day\r\n of goofing off to get started.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup breaks character, grimacing at her impression of him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Okay, first of all, I don't sound\r\n like that. What is this character?\r\n And second... what is that thing\r\n you're doing with my shoulders?\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid laughs, jostling her shoulders in an awkward way.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 12.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n A truly flattering impersonation.\r\n Anyway, he goes...\r\n (resuming Stoick's brogue)\r\n You're the pride of Berk, son, and\r\n I couldn't be prouder...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n (continuing her impression\r\n\r\n OF HICCUP)\r\n Aw, thanks, Dad. I'm pretty\r\n impressed with myself, too.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n WHEN have I ever done that with my\r\n hands?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n You just did.\r\n\r\n \r\n She laughs, playfully.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Okay... just...\r\n (holding her arms, mock-\r\n\r\n STERN)\r\n Hold still. It's very serious.\r\n\r\n \r\n She giggles, trying to hold a straight face.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n (resuming Stoick's brogue)\r\n You're all grown up, and since no\r\n chief could ask for a better\r\n successor, I've decided--\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid straightens, her face brightening.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n --TO MAKE YOU CHIEF! Oh, my gods!\r\n\r\n \r\n She jumps to her feet, beaming...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID (CONT'D)\r\n Hiccup, that's amazing!\r\n\r\n \r\n And socks Hiccup in congratulations, deliberately hitting the\r\n dorsal fin release button and triggering it to pop up. She\r\n laughs as Hiccup reels it back in, self-consciously.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n You're gonna wear out the spring\r\n coil. The calibration is very\r\n sensitive!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 13.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n They're suddenly BOWLED OVER by Toothless and Stormfly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Yeah, so... this is what I'm\r\n dealing with.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid helps him up and dusts him off.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n\r\n (EXCITED)\r\n What did you tell him?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I didn't. By the time he turned\r\n around, I was gone.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid picks up the map, folding it as she paces around him,\r\n processing it all.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Well, it's a lot of responsibility.\r\n The map will have to wait for sure,\r\n and I'll need to fly Toothless,\r\n since you'll be too busy...\r\n\r\n \r\n She pauses, wincing in sympathy. She turns to Hiccup. He nods\r\n knowingly, taking the map from her.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n It's not me, Astrid. All those\r\n speeches, and planning, and running\r\n the village... that's his thing.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n I think you're missing the point. I\r\n mean, chief. What an honor. I'd be\r\n pretty excited.\r\n Hiccup shakes his head.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I'm not like you. You know exactly\r\n who you are. You always have.\r\n But...\r\n\r\n \r\n He shuffles to the cliff's edge, gazing out at the new land.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n I'm still looking. I know that I'm\r\n not my father... and I never met my\r\n mother... so, what does that make\r\n me?\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 14.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n He sits at the edge, looking burdened, restless. Astrid\r\n approaches and settles beside him, joining him in looking out\r\n at the distant horizon. She weaves another braid into his\r\n hair as she speaks.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n What you're searching for... isn't\r\n out there, Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n She places a hand on his chest.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID (CONT'D)\r\n It's in here.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Maybe you just don't see it yet.\r\n\r\n \r\n She kisses his cheek, but gets a mouthful of Toothless'\r\n slobber. She grimaces, wiping it off.\r\n\r\n \r\n Distracted, Hiccup eyes the horizon keenly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Maybe. But, y'know... there is\r\n something out there.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n\r\n (EXASPERATED)\r\n Hiccup...\r\n\r\n \r\n He turns her face to the horizon. A distant smoke plume rises\r\n from a misty valley.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. LAPLAND WOODS/TRAPPER'S FORT - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 0400 - Shot Down!)\r\n Hiccup and Toothless fly over the fjord, winding deep through\r\n undulating crimson and gold forests.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and Stormfly catch up as the autumn colors suddenly\r\n give way to charred timbers. They fly deeper, through ash and\r\n wafting smoke. Ahead, in a sheltered harbor, an explosion of\r\n ice stands as an eerie marker of what used to be a TRAPPER'S\r\n\r\n FORT.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Stay close.\r\n\r\n \r\n They fly through the suspended remains of the buildings,\r\n splintered, and frozen in mid-destruction.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n What happened here?\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 15.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n It's at once harrowing and puzzling. Toothless spots an\r\n enormous DRAGON FOOTPRINT in the muddy shoreline below,\r\n leaving him uneasy.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Easy, bud.\r\n\r\n \r\n As they crest the ice formations, Astrid spots a CREW OF MEN\r\n at the stern of a moored ship below.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Hiccup!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (O.S.)\r\n Fire!\r\n\r\n \r\n The men fire a stern-mounted cannon. The projectile unfurls\r\n into a NET. Hiccup and Toothless dart out of its way.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Astrid! Look out!\r\n\r\n \r\n It HITS Stormfly, TANGLING her wings and causing her to spin\r\n uncontrolled. Astrid struggles to free her as they HURTLE\r\n toward a collision.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n\r\n HICCUP!\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid falls off of Stormfly, but Toothless SNATCHES her at\r\n the last second.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stormfly hits the ground, tangled in the net. Trappers rush\r\n out of hiding, piling onto her with ropes and weapons. She\r\n whips her tail, sending spikes flying.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Watch the tail!\r\n\r\n \r\n A large, raven-haired trapper lunges over the spray of spikes\r\n and lands upon Stormfly's head, twisting it and taking her\r\n down like a rodeo cowboy.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Tie those legs up!\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret deftly ties her gnashing jaws shut, wrangling her into\r\n submission -- clearly a pro among pros. He looks up,\r\n revealing a handsome face and gleaming, intelligent eyes that\r\n search the sky as Toothless' tell-tale BANSHEE scream rings\r\n out.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Is that what I think it is?\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 16.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless suddenly streaks across the sky, banking and\r\n landing with a FEROCIOUS ROAR.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n STOP!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n\r\n STORMFLY!\r\n (to the trappers)\r\n What are you doing?\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and Hiccup leap off of Toothless, rushing toward\r\n Stormfly.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret's men immediately draw weapons. Hiccup extends and\r\n ignites his DRAGON BLADE -- a telescoping fiery sword --\r\n impressive enough to wow Eret's men.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Back again?\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret steps forward, focused only on Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Soil my britches... that is a Night\r\n Fury. Thought they were all gone\r\n for good.\r\n (to his fellow trappers)\r\n Looks like our luck's had a turn\r\n for the better, lads! Don't think\r\n Drago has one of those in his\r\n dragon army.\r\n\r\n \r\n His men sound out in agreement. Hiccup eyes Astrid, confused.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Dragon army?\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Look, we don't want any trouble.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Ha! You should've thought of that\r\n before you stole all of our dragons\r\n and blasted our fort to bits!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Wait...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n What are you talking about?\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and Hiccup take in the icy destruction, putting it\r\n together.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 17.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n You think we did this?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Dragon trapping is hard enough work\r\n as it is, without do-gooder dragon\r\n riders sneaking in to rescue them.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n What do-gooder -- there are other\r\n dragon riders?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n You mean, other than your thieving\r\n friend from last night? You tell\r\n me.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret approaches. Toothless snarls, protectively.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n You may have an ice-spitting dragon\r\n on your side, but we still have a\r\n quota to fill. How do you suppose\r\n we explain this mess to Drago\r\n Bludvist?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Drago what-fist? Does anything you\r\n say make sense?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TEENY\r\n He's expecting a new shipment of\r\n dragons for his army by tomorrow.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n NO-NAME\r\n And Drago don't take well to\r\n excuses.\r\n Eret parts his tunic, revealing a large branding-iron scar on\r\n his torso, in the shape of a dragon skull, split by a sword.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n This is what he gave me last time I\r\n showed up empty-handed. He promised\r\n to be far less understanding in the\r\n future.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n (EXASPERATED)\r\n Look, we don't know anything about\r\n a dragon thief, or an ice-spitting\r\n dragon, or your lunatic boss and\r\n his dragon army, okay?\r\n\r\n (MORE)\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 18.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Just give us back our dragon, and\r\n we'll go, strange, hostile person\r\n whom we've never met.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret bows playfully.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Oh, where are my manners? I'm Eret.\r\n Son of Eret. Finest dragon trapper\r\n alive.\r\n\r\n \r\n He pulls a dagger from behind his back, waving it cockily.\r\n His men ready their weapons and net cannons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n After all, it's not just anyone who\r\n can capture a Night Fury.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless ROARS a warning.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n And this is Toothless. He says\r\n we're going. Now.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Heh. They all say that.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n\r\n RUSH `EM, LADS!\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret lunges toward them. Toothless BLASTS, bringing down a\r\n massive spire of ice. It shatters as it hits the ground,\r\n forcing Eret and his men to dive out of the way.\r\n\r\n \r\n Making quick use of the distraction, Hiccup re-ignites his\r\n dragon blade and slashes through the ropes binding Stormfly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Stormfly! C'mon, go! Go!\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret gets to his feet in time to see Toothless and Stormfly\r\n take to the air, carrying Hiccup and Astrid out of reach of\r\n the volley of arrows.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n\r\n YOU WILL NEVER HOLD ON TO THOSE\r\n\r\n DRAGONS, YOU HEAR ME?! DRAGO IS\r\n\r\n COMING FOR THEM ALL!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n I/E. BERK/BLACKSMITH STALL - SUNSET\r\n\r\n \r\n (Sequence 0500 - Lock-Down!)\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 19.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n The GANG joyrides past GOTHI'S house, scattering her\r\n assortment of terrible terrors. She waves a fist at them as\r\n they sweep past, WHOOPING AND CHORTLING, leading us down\r\n to...\r\n\r\n \r\n THE UPPER PLAZA, where a GATHERED CROWD of Vikings and their\r\n dragons are cued up outside of Gobber's BLACKSMITH STALL,\r\n awaiting their turns. Stoick maneuvers through the crowd,\r\n spouting JOVIAL GREETINGS in passing.\r\n\r\n \r\n He makes a bee-line for GOBBER, who is busily grinding a\r\n metal dragon tooth into shape. A Zippleback waits patiently,\r\n his head cocked open like a car hood while the other head\r\n watches, sympathetically.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Any sign of him?\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber flips up his welding guard, revealing a matching area\r\n of unsoiled skin.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Ah, he's probably flown off the\r\n edge of the world by now. You sure\r\n you want that kid running the\r\n village? You can still delay your\r\n retirement.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Oh, he's ready. You'll see.\r\n\r\n \r\n A SUDDEN EXCITEMENT in the crowd heralds Hiccup and Astrid's\r\n return. They touch down on Toothless and Stormfly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Haha! There he is!\r\n (to Gobber, proving his\r\n\r\n POINT)\r\n Huh? The pride of Berk!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup stows his helmet and heads toward Stoick with urgency.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Who finally decided to show up for\r\n work. Yay.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Sorry. Got held up.\r\n (privately, to Stoick)\r\n Hey, Dad, could I have a word?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Something you're itching to tell\r\n me?\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 20.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Not quite the itch you're thinking\r\n of, but yes.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick hands him an apron and guides him to the front desk.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Good man! Now, lesson one. A\r\n chief's first duty is to his\r\n people. So...\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick changes the rune on the \"being served\" placard.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Forty one? Forty --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Could we just talk in private for--\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STARKARD\r\n --That's me! That's me! I'm next!\r\n (pushing his way through)\r\n I was ahead of you! Excuse me, I've\r\n been here all day!\r\n\r\n \r\n STARKARD reaches the counter, giddy with excitement.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STARKARD (CONT'D)\r\n Okay, I want one of those high\r\n seaters, with lots of spikes and a\r\n big stowage compartment.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Absolutely! You got it, sir!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick spins Hiccup around, steering him back into the shop.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Dad, this is actually a little more\r\n important than building saddles.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Ah-ah! Lesson two. No task is too\r\n small when it comes to serving your\r\n people. Excuse us, Grump.\r\n\r\n \r\n They step over the tail of a large, snoring oaf of a dragon,\r\n stirring him awake with a fussy start.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Grump! You let the forge die down\r\n again!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 21.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Grump coughs a slug of molten lava into the forge. It\r\n splatters everywhere, igniting a rash of fires. Hiccup side-\r\n steps them as he gathers materials in the back of the stall.\r\n Gobber pulls the fire extinguisher, dumping water everywhere.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER (CONT'D)\r\n That's it, Grump. You're going up\r\n for adoption!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick fills a toolbox with tools from Hiccup's workbench.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n One of these. And this...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n DAD --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n -- There you go! Go on. Have away.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n But, seriously, I really need to\r\n tell you about this new land we\r\n came across.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Another one?!\r\n\r\n \r\n Fishlegs walks in, followed by the Twins and Snotlout.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Any new dragons?\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick slaps a sheet of leather onto a dragon mold, and hands\r\n Hiccup pencil. Exasperated, Hiccup begins tracing an outline\r\n as he speaks.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n We didn't stick around to find out.\r\n These folks weren't particularly\r\n friendly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Oh, really? Your Night Fury and\r\n Deadly Nadder didn't bring them\r\n cheering to the rooftops?\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber spins his prosthetic arm dispenser.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n No, this was different. Not the\r\n standard run-for-the-hills hoo-ha\r\n I've come to enjoy. These guys were\r\n trappers. Dragon trappers.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 22.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n You should've seen their fort. All\r\n blown apart and stuck in giant\r\n spikes of ice. It was weird.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I've never seen anything like it.\r\n And worst of all, they thought we\r\n did it!\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber pops off his prosthetic tongs and selects a wire brush\r\n from his dispenser...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Y'know, you two are gonna get\r\n yourselves in SERIOUS trouble one\r\n of these days. Not everyone\r\n appreciates this way of life.\r\n\r\n \r\n Which he uses to brush his mustache and eyebrows.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick takes the sheet of leather to the table saw...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Gobber's right, son. Best we keep\r\n to our own. Besides, you'll have\r\n more important uses for your time --\r\n\r\n \r\n And pulls a lever, starting it up.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n (sing-songy, under his\r\n\r\n BREATH)\r\n Once we make the big announcement!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup pulls the lever, shutting the saw down.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n They are building a dragon army.\r\n\r\n \r\n Silence fills the stall. Vikings exchange worried glances.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Or at least the guy they work for\r\n is. Dargo Bloody Fist or something.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick's eyes widen. He turns to Gobber, with growing alarm.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n I'll bloody his fist with my face\r\n if he tries to take my dragon!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Or mine.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 23.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n You're such a moron.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n A beautiful moron.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Yeah...\r\n\r\n \r\n Ruffnut grumbles, revolted by their advances.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick grabs Hiccup by the shoulders, wide-eyed and intense.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Bludvist? Drago Bludvist?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Uh, yeah. Wait. You know him?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. BERK - DRAGON STABLES - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick rushes down a circular stone staircase into the vast,\r\n bustling cave that houses the dragon stables.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n GROUND ALL DRAGONS!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n What? Why?!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup, Astrid, Gobber, and Toothless chase after Stoick.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n SEAL THE GATES! LOWER THE STORM\r\n\r\n DOORS!\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait! What is\r\n happening?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n You heard the man! Lock it down!\r\n\r\n \r\n Behind him, the massive storm doors rattle as they're\r\n lowered.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n No DRAGON or VIKING sets foot off\r\n this island until I give the word!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 24.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Because some guy you knew is\r\n stirring up trouble in some faraway\r\n land?\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick turns to Hiccup, gravely serious.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Because Drago Bludvist is a madman.\r\n Without conscience or mercy. And if\r\n he's built a dragon army... gods\r\n help us all.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick continues on shouting orders, leaving Hiccup stewing.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Get them into their pens! Quickly!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup chases around to confront Stoick.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Then let's ride back out there.\r\n We'll follow those trappers to\r\n Drago and talk some sense into him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n No. We fortify the island.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n It's our duty to keep the peace!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Peace is over, Hiccup. I must\r\n prepare you for war.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n War? Dad, if Drago's coming for our\r\n dragons, we can't wait around for\r\n him to get here. Let's go find him\r\n and change his mind.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Some minds won't be changed,\r\n Hiccup. Berk is what you need to\r\n worry about.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n A chief protects his own.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick heads off, calling out more orders...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n SECURE THE STABLES! LATCH EVERY\r\n\r\n STALL!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 25.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n ... leaving Hiccup eyeing Toothless as the storm doors close.\r\n Astrid approaches him, seeing the determination on his face.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Hiccup, don't.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I have to.\r\n\r\n \r\n He gives her a quick peck on the cheek.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n THIS WAY! QUICKLY!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup and Toothless BLAST PAST, heading for the exit.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n HICCUP!\r\n\r\n \r\n They try to fly through one door, but it seals shut.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Come on!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless spins around and DIVES through the gap in the\r\n second lowering storm door.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Hiccup!\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and Stormfly blow past Stoick and slip through the\r\n storm door before it shuts, leaving Stoick fuming.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. OPEN SEA - MIDDAY\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 0700 - Eret's Lesson)\r\n Eret's ship carves a defiant path North, leaving the last\r\n glimpses of Lapland in its wake.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret stands on the bowsprit, eyeing the waves intently,\r\n searching the surface. He turns toward the deck, where his\r\n crewmen man the gunwale cannons, sights trained to the sky.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Keep your eyes peeled, lads! With\r\n this wind, we'll reach Drago by\r\n daybreak, so best we fill this ship\r\n up with dragons and quick! It's no\r\n time to be picky. Not if we want to\r\n keep our --\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 26.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n UG\r\n Uh... Eret?\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret turns in the direction Ug is pointing to see a pair of\r\n dragons flapping toward them.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n\r\n HEADS! OFF THE PORT QUARTER!\r\n\r\n \r\n The crewmen swing the net cannons toward the back-lit,\r\n silhouetted dragons, drawing ever closer.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Net `em, lads! Take `em down!\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret loads a cannon and takes aim. He spots Hiccup and Astrid\r\n riding the dragons. His eyes narrow, determined.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n You're not getting away this time.\r\n\r\n \r\n Nets fly through the air. Hiccup and Astrid outmaneuver them\r\n and dive toward the ship, landing on the deck with a clatter.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n And here I was worried we might\r\n turn up empty-handed.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid brandishes her axe in invitation. Hiccup indicates for\r\n her to lower it, then holds up his hands in surrender.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Nope. It's your lucky day. We give\r\n up.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret's crew exchange confused stares. As does Astrid.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n That's one Night Fury, one Deadly\r\n Nadder, and...\r\n\r\n \r\n He dismounts Toothless and tosses a net over Astrid.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n ... two of the finest dragon riders\r\n west of Luk Tuk. That oughtta make\r\n the boss happy, right?\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid grumbles. He takes her axe, hands it to Eret, and\r\n escorts Astrid past the men to the open live well.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Excuse us.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 27.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n He leads Astrid down the ladder. She glares at him, plainly\r\n hating the plan.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n What are you doing?\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless tries to follow them, but Hiccup holds him back.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Toothless, stay.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup flips the latch, lowering the grate as Eret watches,\r\n confounded.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n The dragons don't really care for\r\n cramped spaces, so they'll just\r\n hang out with you. They won't be\r\n any trouble.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret's men nervously direct their swords and spears toward\r\n Toothless. HE SNARLS.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Unless you do that. Wooden boat,\r\n big ocean. How's your swimming?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n NO-NAME\r\n Not good.\r\n\r\n \r\n A burst of flame erupts from the live well, causing the\r\n crewmen to jump back. Hiccup thrusts his Dragon Blade through\r\n the grate.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Oops. Almost forgot. Can't have\r\n armed prisoners!\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n How is this a plan?\r\n\r\n \r\n He retracts the blade and offers it up. A crewman cautiously\r\n takes it, looking it over. The pommel of the hilt is\r\n expelling green gas.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Just what every dragon trapper\r\n needs. One end coats the blade in\r\n Monstrous Nightmare saliva. The\r\n other sprays Hideous Zippleback\r\n gas. All it takes is a spark and...\r\n\r\n \r\n A curious crewman clicks the lighter, igniting the gas.\r\n Hiccup ducks as the sudden explosion sweeps over the deck.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 28.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Oh, yeah, there you go!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless paws at the embers.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Once they see you as one of their\r\n own, even the testiest dragons can\r\n be trained, right, bud?\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless gurgles and falls over.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Give me that!\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret snatches the dragon blade and HURLS it overboard.\r\n Stormfly bolts after it...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n What game are you playing?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n No game. We just want to meet\r\n Drago.\r\n\r\n \r\n And returns in a flash, dropping it at Eret's feet like a\r\n fetching dog, tongue wagging. Eret throws it again,\r\n frustrated. Stormfly returns with it just as quickly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Because I'm going to change his\r\n mind about dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret and his crew LAUGH. Astrid pokes out of the well.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n He can be really persuasive.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup pets Toothless, thoughtfully.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Once you've earned his loyalty,\r\n there is nothing a dragon won't do\r\n for you.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Puh! You won't be changing any\r\n minds around here.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 29.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I can change yours. Right here.\r\n Right now.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup sets Toothless' tail in the locked, splayed position.\r\n Eret sneers, suspicious.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n May I?\r\n\r\n \r\n Suddenly, Hiccup is snatched into the air! Dragons blur past.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n I/E. OPEN SEA - SHIP - SUNSET\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1000 - Botched Rescue)\r\n\r\n \r\n The crewmen SCRAMBLE to the NET CANNONS as a FLURRY OF WINGS\r\n streak past, GASHING holes in the sails and SLICING through\r\n rigging.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Dragon riders!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless SHRIEKS and bounds up the mast, spotting Hiccup in\r\n the talons of a Monstrous Nightmare. Toothless relaxes,\r\n realizing that it's Hookfang.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Put me down! Snotlout! What are you\r\n doing?\r\n\r\n \r\n Snotlout looks back to see if Ruffnut witnessed the save.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n See how well I protect and provide?\r\n Ruffnut GRUMBLES at the incessant courting. A FLYING NET\r\n whizzes past her head.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Aggh! What is with all the nets?!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Hey watch it! That was close...\r\n\r\n \r\n Ruffnut spots Eret, FIRING nets from the deck of the ship.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TRANSITION TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n A SLOW MOTION, sexy POV of Eret's glistening biceps,\r\n shuddering as he BLASTS the net cannon, aimed directly at\r\n her.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 30.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT (CONT'D)\r\n Oh, my.\r\n\r\n \r\n The net unravels in SLOW MOTION...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT (CONT'D)\r\n Me likey.\r\n\r\n \r\n ... enveloping Ruffnut as she yields to it, blissfully.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT (CONT'D)\r\n Take me.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BACK TO REAL TIME\r\n\r\n \r\n As Hiccup FLIPS upside-down in the Hookfang's talons and\r\n KICKS off, pulling his wing-suit flaps.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret takes aim, but Astrid SHOVES him, throwing off the shot.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n\r\n HOLD YOUR FIRE!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup glides unsteadily towards the ship and collides with\r\n its sail. He slides down the canvas and drops to the deck.\r\n Toothless lands behind him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber and Grump land on the deck, scattering Eret's crew.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n We're here to RESCUE you!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I DON'T NEED to be rescued!\r\n\r\n STOICK (O.S.)\r\n\r\n ENOUGH!\r\n\r\n \r\n The bow dips heavily as Stoick touches down on SKULLCRUSHER.\r\n He dismounts, fuming.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret blocks Stoick, cocky and confident.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Well, didn't you just pick the\r\n wrong ship, eh? I am Eret, son of --\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick shoves his face aside, sending Eret SLAMMING into\r\n Grump. Before he can react, Gobber CLUBS Eret on the head,\r\n sending him collapsing to the deck. Grump then sits on him,\r\n smothering him into submission.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 31.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n (panting, suffocated)\r\n Get... this... thing... off... me!\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber turns to the other crewmen, with a smile.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Anyone else?\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret's men eye the Vikings, armed and flanked by their\r\n dragons. They set down their swords.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER (CONT'D)\r\n That's what I figured.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n (TO HICCUP)\r\n You. Saddle up. We're going home.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n No.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Of all the irresponsible --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n -- I'm trying to protect our\r\n dragons and stop a war! How is that\r\n irresponsible?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n BECAUSE WAR IS WHAT HE WANTS, SON!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup glares, frustrated.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick SIGHS, realizing that he has to explain.\r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Years ago, there was a great\r\n gathering of chieftains to discuss\r\n the dragon scourge we all faced.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. VIKING HALL - NIGHT\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FLASHBACK\r\n\r\n \r\n A hulking, cloaked figure strides confidently into fire-lit\r\n hall, interrupting a council meeting of Viking chieftains.\r\n His face is masked in silhouette.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 32.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (V.O.)\r\n Into our midst came a stranger from\r\n a strange land, covered in scars\r\n and draped in a cloak of dragon\r\n skin. He carried no weapon and\r\n spoke softly, saying that he, Drago\r\n Bludvist, was a man of the people,\r\n devoted to freeing mankind from the\r\n tyranny of dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n ON STOICK, some twenty years younger, seated in a throne,\r\n studying the impudent stranger with suspicion.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (V.O.)\r\n He claimed that he alone could\r\n control the dragons and that he\r\n alone could keep us safe, if we\r\n chose to bow down and follow him.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Viking council erupts in mocking laughter.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BACK TO PRESENT\r\n\r\n \r\n Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins snicker.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Stupid.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Good one.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Aye. We laughed, too...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BACK TO FLASHBACK\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Until he wrapped himself in his\r\n cloak and cried out, \"Then see how\r\n well you do without me!\"\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago Bludvist pulls the dragon skin cloak over himself and\r\n marches toward the door. Above, dragon fire rips through the\r\n ceiling, bringing down flaming timbers, followed by dragons\r\n covered in heavy metallic armor. They BLAST FIRE as panic\r\n ensues.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (V.O.)\r\n The rooftop suddenly burst into\r\n flames, and from it, armored\r\n dragons descended, burning the hall\r\n to the ground.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BACK TO PRESENT\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 33.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n (STINGING REGRET)\r\n I... was to only one to escape.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs exchange spooked glances.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (TO HICCUP)\r\n Men who kill without reason cannot\r\n be reasoned with.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Maybe.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup turns and stomps toward Toothless, determined. Eret\r\n watches intently.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Hiccup...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I'm still going to try.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup jumps onto Toothless and locks eyes with Stoick.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n This is what I'm good at. And if I\r\n could change your mind... I can\r\n change his, too.\r\n\r\n (TO TOOTHLESS)\r\n Come on.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless and Hiccup TAKE TO THE AIR, leaving everyone\r\n stirring in awkward silence.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid mounts Stormfly, about to go after him.\r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Let's go.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n NO! Lead the others back to Berk.\r\n I've had enough mutiny for one day.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid stirs, conflicted, as Stoick stomps toward\r\n Skullcrusher, fuming. He passes Ruffnut, who's busily\r\n fondling Eret's biceps as he lays crushed under Grump.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Ooh, I like that.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Ruffnut!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 34.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n\r\n (PETULANT)\r\n Ugh! Okay!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. SKY - NIGHT\r\n\r\n (Scene 1100 - Ambushed!)\r\n Hiccup stares ahead, frustrated, as Toothless glides over a\r\n bed of clouds, glowing in the low, Arctic sun.\r\n Hiccup YELLS, then slumps back onto the saddle.\r\n Toothless recoils, sensitive to Hiccup's upset. The steam\r\n from their breath mixes in the frigid air.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Don't worry, bud. I'm not gonna let\r\n anything happen to you. I promise.\r\n Toothless' ear plates perk up. He glances over his shoulder\r\n to see a disturbance in the blanket of clouds.\r\n A strange and arresting MASKED WARRIOR rises from the clouds,\r\n standing upon something unseen. Its armor and cape flap in\r\n the buffeting turbulence.\r\n The warrior eyes Toothless and Hiccup, pulling up alongside\r\n them. Hiccup senses the approaching figure in his periphery\r\n and sits up, flustered.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n AW, COME ON, DAD! REALLY?!\r\n He whirls around expectantly then FREEZES, mouth agape.\r\n The warrior stares blankly, tilting his head in curiosity\r\n while cutting a menacing silhouette.\r\n Then, just as gradually as he rose, the warrior dips back\r\n beneath the clouds, disappearing.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (ALARMED)\r\n Okay.\r\n\r\n (TO TOOTHLESS)\r\n No sudden moves.\r\n Suddenly, the warrior EXPLODES out of the clouds before them,\r\n standing atop a large dragon. They circle Hiccup and\r\n Toothless, forcing them to TREAD AIR.\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior points a staff toward Hiccup, unnervingly, as he\r\n returns to face them.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 35.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Hold on, hold on.\r\n Toothless GROWLS a warning.\r\n Suddenly, they're ambushed from behind. Hiccup is plucked off\r\n of Toothless by another DRAGON and carried off.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Toothless!\r\n With the tail unmanned, Toothless PLUMMETS helplessly. He\r\n FLAPS wildly then CRASHES through the ice into the black,\r\n frigid water. FLAILING and CRYING OUT, he struggles to stay\r\n afloat as he watches...\r\n Hiccup disappear into the night sky, carried off in the\r\n talons of the strange dragon -- one of TENS that accompany\r\n the warrior in a cavalcade.\r\n Toothless BELLOWS in distress, desperately trying to take to\r\n the air. As he LEAPS and CRASHES, time and again...\r\n A group of SPINY DORSAL FINS split the ice, carving a path\r\n toward Toothless.\r\n Beneath the ice, a pod of SEASHOCKERS approach, two-headed,\r\n with Manta Ray like wings GLIDING silently in the gloom.\r\n Fixated on Hiccup, Toothless is caught by surprise as the\r\n Seashockers surface and DRAG HIM UNDER.\r\n Hiccup's helmet bobs to the surface, marking all that\r\n remains.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. ARCTIC SKY/ARCHIPELAGO - NIGHT (MIDNIGHT SUN)\r\n\r\n (Scene 1300 - Dragon Lady)\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup shivers in the claws of the dragon, surrounded by the\r\n strange flock full of breeds he's never seen. He looks back\r\n for Toothless, now long gone.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n HEY! YOU LEFT MY DRAGON BACK THERE!\r\n\r\n HE CAN'T FLY ON HIS OWN! HE'LL\r\n\r\n DROWN!\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior offers no response, seemingly immune to the cold\r\n as he leads the dragon flock across the polar night -- an\r\n alien landscape, harsh and foreboding.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 36.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Out of the fog looms an EPIC ICE FORMATION -- jagged, spiked,\r\n and similar to the icy aftermath of Eret's fort, but many\r\n times its size.\r\n\r\n \r\n The DRAGON ESCORT dives into its jagged folds.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n The WILD RIDE suddenly gives way to a MULTILEVEL, CAVERNOUS\r\n CHAMBER made of ice and columns of basalt rock. It's heavily\r\n populated with dragons of all kinds, looming in the shadows.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup is dropped in the center. He scrambles to his feet,\r\n calling out into the darkness.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n We have to head back for my dragon!\r\n\r\n \r\n A HISSING dragon CLOSES IN, sniffing, leering, aggressive.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup extends and lights his telescoping dragon blade,\r\n waving a swirl of fire around himself. The dragon pauses,\r\n intrigued, and then watches hypnotically as Hiccup pacifies\r\n him with calculated sweeps of the fiery blade.\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior watches keenly from the shadows.\r\n\r\n \r\n Several aggressive dragons close in behind Hiccup. Hearing\r\n their hisses, he quickly stows the blade, replaces a\r\n cartridge in its hilt, then flips it around and sprays a\r\n perimeter of Zippleback gas around himself. He clicks the\r\n lighter, igniting a flash ring. The testy dragons recoil.\r\n\r\n \r\n He then reaches through the smoke, offering his open hand.\r\n The dragons re-approach, sniffing him with calmed curiosity.\r\n\r\n ON THE WARRIOR\r\n\r\n \r\n ... tilting his masked head, curious. He dismounts his dragon\r\n and approaches Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Who are you? The Dragon Thief?\r\n Drago Bludvist?\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior circles Hiccup in silence, taking in his gear,\r\n his dragon blade, his face.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Do you even understand what I'm\r\n saying?\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 37.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior whirls and HAMMERS his staff. In response, a\r\n large dragon ASCENDS from the depths, carrying...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Toothless!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless is dumped on the ground next to Hiccup, sopping\r\n wet. Hiccup rushes to him, petting him reassuringly.\r\n Toothless coos in relief.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n It's okay. I'm glad to see you,\r\n too, bud. You really had me worried\r\n there.\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior rattles his staff at a nearby dragon. In\r\n response, it and the surrounding dragons produce firelight\r\n from their throats, spotlighting Hiccup and Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior sets down his staff and shield, then approaches\r\n Hiccup, cautiously and animal-like.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless SNARLS and circles Hiccup defensively, but then\r\n instantly yields to the stranger's outstretched hand. With a\r\n quick, disarming gesture, the warrior lays Toothless down in\r\n a state of bliss. Hiccup is astounded.\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior's hand continues toward Hiccup's face. He\r\n recoils, but the warrior persists, finding the faint scar on\r\n Hiccup's chin, glinting in the firelight.\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior GASPS and retreats a few steps.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n WARRIOR\r\n (whispered, shaken)\r\n Hiccup?\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Could it be? After all these years?\r\n How is this possible?\r\n\r\n \r\n The voice is surprisingly female.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Uh, should I... should I know you?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n WARRIOR\r\n No. You were only a babe...\r\n\r\n \r\n The warrior slowly removes the strange mask, revealing VALKA,\r\n 40, beneath. Her eyes meet his, equally wide-eyed and aghast.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n ... but a mother never forgets.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 38.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup stammers, tongue-tied, aghast.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n Come...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. ARCTIC SKY - NIGHT (MIDNIGHT SUN)\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Sequence 1325 - Searching)\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick and Gobber search over the frigid waves that lap\r\n against the pack ice.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Boar-headed! Just like his mother!\r\n She could never stay put either.\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber glances over at Stoick, who's hunched over, brow\r\n furrowed and solemn.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Ah, he's just twenty. And a Viking.\r\n I mean, could there be a worse\r\n combination? Ha! When I think of\r\n how stubborn and senseless YOU were\r\n back in the day... well, not much\r\n has changed, actually.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n You know what he's like. He won't\r\n give up, Gobber. And if Hiccup\r\n finds Drago, before we find him...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Bah! NOTHING can hurt Hiccup so\r\n long as that Night Fury's around.\r\n It's a Night Fury!\r\n Framed by a hole in the ice, a glistening object bobs on the\r\n surface below. Stoick squints and CIRCLES BACK, leading\r\n Skullcrusher in a DIVE toward it. Stoick SNAGS it out of the\r\n water. It's Hiccup's helmet.\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber pulls alongside Stoick, seeing his look of dread.\r\n Stoick holds the helmet out for his dragon to SMELL.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Find him, Skullcrusher. Find him.\r\n\r\n \r\n Skullcrusher SNIFFS the helmet like a bloodhound, ROARS, and\r\n suddenly CHANGES HEADING.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 39.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - TUNNEL - DAWN\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1400 - A New Family)\r\n\r\n \r\n CLOSE ON Hiccup, flustered, winded, chasing VALKA through\r\n tightly winding corridors.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Hold on! Wait just a minute! Come\r\n back here!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n This way. Come.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n You can't just say something like\r\n that and run off! You're my\r\n mother?! I mean, what the -- do you\r\n grasp how INSANE it sounds?!\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I have questions!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Come. Quickly!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup follows her over the difficult terrain. He tries to\r\n clamber over a tall rock, unsuccessfully.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Where have you been all this time?\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless boosts him over. Hiccup lands on the other side.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n What've you been doing?! They said\r\n you were dead! Everyone thinks you\r\n were eaten by...\r\n Hiccup trails off as he enters...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - OASIS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n ... a stadium-sized chamber teeming with ferns, waterfalls,\r\n hot springs and THOUSANDS of new DRAGONS.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup wanders in, basking in the in the amazing sight: a\r\n dome of sweating ice capping a geothermal micro climate,\r\n filled with dragons of every shape and kind.\r\n\r\n \r\n He spots Valka clinging to a basalt overhang, watching him.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 40.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n This is where you've been for\r\n twenty years?\r\n\r\n \r\n She nods from her perch.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n You've been rescuing them.\r\n\r\n \r\n She nods again, this time with a smile.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Unbelievable.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n You're not upset?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n What? No. I don't know. It's a bit\r\n much to get my head around, to be\r\n frank. It's not every day you find\r\n out your mother is some kind of\r\n crazy, feral, vigilante dragon\r\n lady.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka chuckles, and using her dragon's wing, lowers herself\r\n to the ground like a skilled acrobat.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n At least I'm not boring... right?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I suppose there is that...\r\n (feeble, trailing off)\r\n ... one... specific... thing...\r\n\r\n \r\n Excited dragons rush up to greet Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup\r\n pets a few, marveling at the vast dragon utopia before him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Do you like it?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I don't have the words.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless SNARLS in annoyance as the curious, smothering\r\n dragons SNIFF every part of him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Can I... ? He's beautiful!\r\n\r\n \r\n She reaches out to stroke Toothless, who PURRS at her touch.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 41.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n Incredible. He might very well be\r\n the last of his kind.\r\n\r\n \r\n She inspects his talons as Toothless rolls onto his back,\r\n nuzzling her.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n And look, he's your age! No wonder\r\n you get along so well.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup smiles, astounded by Toothless' affection for Valka.\r\n She checks his teeth. They recede into the gums at her touch.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n And retractable teeth? Ah!\r\n How did you manage to--\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n --I found him in the woods. He was\r\n shot down and wounded.\r\n\r\n \r\n She winces and offers a sympathetic nod as she stands to\r\n caress a few of her own rescued dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n This Snafflefang lost his leg to\r\n one of Drago Bludvist's iron traps.\r\n This Raincutter had her wing sliced\r\n by razor netting. And this poor\r\n Hobblegrunt was blinded by a tree\r\n snare... then left to die alone and\r\n scared.\r\n (re: Toothless' tail)\r\n And what of this? Did Drago or his\r\n trappers do this, too?\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Heh. Well, crazy thing is... I'm\r\n actually the one who shot him down.\r\n\r\n \r\n She glares, confused.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n It's okay though. He got me back.\r\n (playfully, to Toothless)\r\n Right, bud? You couldn't save all\r\n of me, could you? You just had to\r\n make it even. So... peg leg!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup rattles his prosthetic leg with a smirk. Valka\r\n observes their playful rapport with curiosity.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 42.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n What did your father think of your\r\n Night Fury friend?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n He didn't take it all that well.\r\n\r\n \r\n She mutters in agreement.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n But then... he changed. They all\r\n did. Pretty soon everyone back home\r\n had dragons of their own.\r\n\r\n \r\n She smiles at Toothless, dismissive.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n If only it were possible.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n No, really, I --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n -- Believe me, I tried, as well.\r\n But people are not capable of\r\n change, Hiccup. Some of us... were\r\n just born different.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. BERK VILLAGE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FLASHBACK\r\n\r\n \r\n Dragons sweep from the sky, blowing FIRE, carrying off sheep\r\n and dried fish. Vikings chase them down, hurling weapons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (V.O.)\r\n Berk was a land of kill or be\r\n killed, but I believed peace was\r\n possible.\r\n\r\n \r\n A Viking is about to finish off a felled dragon, but Valka\r\n chases up to him and tugs at his arm.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Stop! You'll only make it worse!\r\n\r\n \r\n The dragon takes wing, escaping to safety... leaving the\r\n Viking warrior glaring at Valka.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (V.O.)\r\n It was a very unpopular opinion.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 43.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n As he rushes off, Valka hears a clatter and whirls around to\r\n see a DRAGON (Cloudjumper) clawing its way through the roof\r\n of a house.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Hiccup!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. STOICK'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FLASHBACK CONTINUED\r\n\r\n \r\n Cloudjumper enters the house through the hole in the roof,\r\n sniffing out a baby's cradle in the corner.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka rushes in, panicked.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (V.O.)\r\n One night, a dragon broke into our\r\n house, finding you in the cradle.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka draws a sword quietly, slipping up to the dragon, only\r\n to find it huddled protectively over the cradle as BABY\r\n HICCUP innocently plays with one of its talons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (V.O.)\r\n I rushed to protect you, but what I\r\n saw... was proof of everything I\r\n believed.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka's careful approach causes a floorboard to squeak.\r\n Spooked, Cloudjumper whips around to face her, accidentally\r\n SCRATCHING baby Hiccup's chin.\r\n\r\n \r\n Their eyes meet. Valka lowers her sword, transfixed.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (V.O.)\r\n This wasn't a vicious beast, but an\r\n intelligent, gentle creature, whose\r\n soul reflected my own.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick's AXE spins through the air between them, barely\r\n missing Cloudjumper and planting into a pillar.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Valka, run!\r\n\r\n \r\n Alarmed, Cloudjumper WHIRLS around at Stoick and BLASTS!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick DIVES out of the way as the FIRE SPLATTERS against the\r\n wall, burning a hole and setting the room ablaze.\r\n\r\n \r\n The dragon moves toward Stoick, but Valka grabs hold.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 44.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Don't!\r\n\r\n \r\n It turns to face her again, locking eyes, agitated.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Hold on!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick dashes through the fire toward Hiccup and pulls him\r\n out of the cradle. He pulls his axe from the pillar...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (O.S.)\r\n No! Stoick!\r\n\r\n \r\n ... but in a WHOOSH of smoke and embers, the dragon and Valka\r\n are GONE.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n VALKA!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n\r\n (DISTANT)\r\n Stoick!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick and baby Hiccup watch helplessly as the dragon spirits\r\n Valka away into the night sky.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Valka...\r\n\r\n \r\n ON BABY HICCUP'S FACE, with the fresh nick on his chin...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n MATCH CUT TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - DAWN\r\n\r\n\r\n PRESENT DAY\r\n\r\n \r\n HICCUP'S FACE, with the matching scar.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n You and your father nearly died\r\n that night, all because I couldn't\r\n kill a dragon.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Yeah, it runs in the family.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n It broke my heart to stay away, but\r\n I believed you'd be safer if I did.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 45.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup considers this, then raises his eyes to hers, seeing\r\n the sting of remorse.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n How did you survive?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Oh, Cloudjumper never meant to harm\r\n me. He must've thought I belonged\r\n here...\r\n\r\n \r\n She leads him to the edge of raised natural terrace,\r\n overlooking the steamy oasis with its flowing hot spring\r\n waterfalls. Half-submerged in the warm lake below, a massive\r\n white dragon with pronounced, mammoth-like tusks rests\r\n benevolently on the banks, his stately countenance like that\r\n of a lion surrounded by his pride.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n In the home of the great\r\n Bewilderbeast. The alpha species.\r\n One of very few that still exist.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Every nest has its queen, but this\r\n is king of all dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n Dragons land and bow reverentially to the Bewilderbeast.\r\n Valka gestures to the spiked ice ceiling that acts as a\r\n sweating greenhouse.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n With his icy breath, this graceful\r\n giant built our nest. A safe haven\r\n for dragons everywhere.\r\n\r\n \r\n On HICCUP, putting it together.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Wait, that's the ice-spitter? He's\r\n responsible for all that\r\n destruction?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n He protects us. We all live under\r\n his care. And his command.\r\n\r\n \r\n They pass an eggshell-littered NURSERY. HATCHLINGS dart out\r\n of it, greeting them excitedly and inciting chaos. Toothless\r\n is overwhelmed by their manic picking and scratching.\r\n Cloudjumper balks and sends them scattering.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n All but the babies, of course...\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 46.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n The hatchlings clamber on top of the Bewilderbeast and play\r\n on his massive tusks, despite his authority. Valka laughs.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n ... who listen to no one.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast lets out a frosty SNORT, sending off the\r\n youngsters to spread more mischief.\r\n\r\n \r\n Now awakened, The Bewilderbeast raises his gargantuan head to\r\n take a closer look at Hiccup, coming eye to massive eye.\r\n Valka bows in his presence. As does Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n I've lived among them for twenty\r\n years, Hiccup, learning their ways,\r\n discovering their secrets...\r\n\r\n \r\n He acknowledges Hiccup with another icy snort, slicking back\r\n Hiccup's hair in a frosty veneer. Valka laughs.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n He likes you.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Wow.\r\n\r\n \r\n She chuckles, delighting in his awe.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n You must be hungry.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Uh, yeah. I could eat.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Good. It's feeding time.\r\n Toothless tucks himself beneath Cloudjumper's wing, trying to\r\n befriend him, but Cloudjumper isn't having any of it. He\r\n grimaces and follows Valka out.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. OPEN SEA - NIGHT\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1200 - Astrid Takes Charge)\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and Stormfly circle a lone iceberg, being used as a\r\n rest stop for the Gang and their dragons. She lands with a\r\n frown, eyeing the distance.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n I don't like it. They should've\r\n been back with Hiccup by now.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 47.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n I don't like it either. Eret son of\r\n Eret was the man of my dreams. My\r\n everything!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n But, baby, I grew facial hair for\r\n you.\r\n\r\n \r\n Fishlegs strokes his peach fuzz beard, meek and dejected.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Me, too.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n What if Drago shot them down? What\r\n if they need our help?\r\n\r\n (RESOLUTE)\r\n We have to find them.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n\r\n (NERVOUSLY)\r\n What? But Stoick said...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n It doesn't matter what he said, if\r\n they've all been captured. Come on!\r\n\r\n \r\n She flies off, determined.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. ICE FLOES - NIGHT\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret's ship is beset by ice floes. The crew stirs on deck as\r\n he paces, grumbling, while nursing his head with a large\r\n chunk of ice.\r\n\r\n NO-NAME\r\n Do we go back?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n We've nowhere to go! Nothing to\r\n sell! And no heads to call our own,\r\n if we don't turn up with dragons\r\n and fast --\r\n\r\n \r\n He's suddenly scooped up in Stormfly's talons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Careful what you wish for!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n UG (O.S.)\r\n\r\n ERET SON OF ERET!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 48.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Nets whiz past as Astrid and the Gang rocket out of range.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n What is this?!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n A kidnapping.\r\n\r\n \r\n Ruffnut grabs his leg, clutching him possessively.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Yay! Can he ride with me? Can he?\r\n Can he?\r\n\r\n \r\n Both Eret and Tuffnut groan in protest.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n You're gonna show us the way to\r\n Drago.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n And help dragon riders sneak into\r\n Drago's camp? Just kill me now.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n That can be arranged. Stormfly,\r\n drop it.\r\n\r\n \r\n In enthusiastic response, Stormfly pops open her talons,\r\n sending Eret plummeting. He wails and flails as he hurtles\r\n toward the ice far below.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID (CONT'D)\r\n Good girl! Stormfly, fetch.\r\n\r\n \r\n She dives after him, just as enthusiastically.\r\n ON ERET, terrified, as the ground rushes up at him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n\r\n ALL RIGHT! OKAY! I'LL TAKE YOU TO\r\n\r\n DRAGO!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stormfly suddenly SNATCHES him out of his free-fall just\r\n before hitting the ice. Astrid giggles and cracks her\r\n knuckles.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Works every time.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 49.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. SKY - EARLY MORNING\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1600 - Momma's Boy)\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BEGIN MONTAGE\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup and Toothless follow Valka and Cloudjumper over a\r\n majestic fjord in the long rays of the low Arctic sun.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup peers over his shoulder to see that a thick flock of\r\n dragons -- nearly all of Valka's rescues -- are close on\r\n their tail. He turns back to his mother, confused.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Hey, I thought we were going to\r\n eat?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n (with a mischievous grin)\r\n Oh, we are.\r\n\r\n \r\n She directs his gaze below, where in the choppy water of the\r\n fjord, a group of Seashocker dragons are corralling a dense\r\n shoal of fish near the surface.\r\n\r\n \r\n Suddenly, the Bewilderbeast rises from deep below, scooping\r\n the fish up in its vast mouth as its tusks break the surface.\r\n It breaches just below Hiccup and Toothless, giving them a\r\n fright before spitting the fish into the air and crashing\r\n back down into the sea.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka laughs at Hiccup's surprise as the hungry dragons race\r\n for the flailing fish, scooping them out of the air. Hiccup\r\n gestures to Toothless to join in and he gladly scoops up a\r\n mouth full.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. SNOWY SHORELINE - LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n MONTAGE CONTINUES...\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup has his map spread out in the snow, explaining the\r\n various lands he's discovered during his explorations.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n And from Dragon Island, I found\r\n this archipelago...\r\n\r\n \r\n He looks up to see that Valka is no longer next to him, but\r\n she has sketched out the rest of the northern land masses in\r\n the snow, wowing Hiccup with just how far and wide she has\r\n explored.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 50.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n She returned to Hiccup's side with a smile. But his amazement\r\n is interrupted by Toothless joining in, drawing all over\r\n Valka's map with a giant icicle.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup simply shrugs as his mother giggles, and Cloudjumper\r\n sneers.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. WINDSWEPT CLIFF - LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka and Hiccup rise on their dragons, carried skyward by a\r\n strong coastal wind that thrusts vertical up shoreline cliff.\r\n\r\n \r\n One by one, dragons leap from the cliff and catch the strong\r\n updraft, popping their wings open like kites. They ride the\r\n wind and orbit around each other in a colorful, mesmeric\r\n dance. It's clearly a form of dragon play.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup, lifted off of his saddle by the force of the wind,\r\n laughs giddily as he watches Valka walk across Cloudjumper's\r\n wing and onto several others, dragon-hopping from one to\r\n another, until she gracefully crosses Toothless from wing tip\r\n to wing tip. She then drops out of sight, reappearing a\r\n moment later standing atop Cloudjumper. Hiccup is in utter\r\n awe of her.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka breathes in the frigid air. Lets it out blissfully.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n When I'm up here, I don't even feel\r\n the cold. I just feel...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Free.\r\n\r\n \r\n She smiles at Hiccup. He gleams back.\r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n This is what it is to be a dragon,\r\n Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup LOCKS the pedals in the flared tail position and\r\n unbuckles himself. Valka watches, curious.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n It's all well and good to call\r\n yourself a dragon.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup RUNS OFF of Toothless, pulling his stowed wings.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n But can you fly?\r\n\r\n \r\n They catch the air, SNAPPING OPEN... and sending him GLIDING.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 51.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Valka GASPS, astonished. She flies her dragon alongside him,\r\n marvelling, as...\r\n\r\n \r\n ... Hiccup SOARS, riding the wild air currents like an eagle,\r\n the image of freedom. Toothless descends steadily with him,\r\n hovering protectively.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup grins, pleased at having impressed Valka... until he\r\n realizes that he is once again racing toward a collision with\r\n a fast approaching mountain top.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Oh no. Toothless!\r\n\r\n \r\n But, with his tail locked, Toothless can't make the tight\r\n jackknife turn skyward to rescue Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n Realizing that they're in trouble, Valka and Cloudjumper pour\r\n on the speed. All four of them collide just as they reach the\r\n mountain top, sending them crash-landing in an explosion of\r\n snow.\r\n\r\n \r\n They all TOPPLE head over tail to a messy landing on the wind-\r\n swept ridge and pop up LAUGHING.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Man! Almost! We just about had it\r\n that time!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless raises his snow-packed face, glowering. He tail-\r\n swipes Hiccup off of his feet and back into the powder.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka inspects Hiccup's wing suit with utter fascination.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Incredible.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Well, not bad yourself.\r\n\r\n \r\n She caresses his cheek, staring deep into his eyes. Hiccup\r\n doesn't recoil this time.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n All this time, you took after me.\r\n And where was I?\r\n\r\n (REMORSEFUL)\r\n I'm so sorry, Hiccup. Can we start\r\n over? Will you give me another\r\n chance?\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup smiles, a simple acknowledgement that all is forgiven.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 52.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n I can teach you all I've learned,\r\n these past twenty years. Like...\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka finds a spot at the top of Toothless' neck and rubs in\r\n a circular pattern. In response, his dorsal blades slowly\r\n crack, split and extend, forming a pronounced, aerodynamic\r\n `V' down the length of his back and tail.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n Now you can make those tight turns.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless shudders, as if experiencing a much-needed\r\n chiropractic adjustment. He bounds over to Hiccup, giddily\r\n retracting and splaying his dorsal blades like a kid with a\r\n new toy.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Did YOU know about this?\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka smiles, delighting in their mutual amazement.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Every dragon has its secrets.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless pounces around, showing off to Cloudjumper, who\r\n seems thoroughly unimpressed.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n And I'll show them all to you.\r\n We'll unlock every mystery, find\r\n every last species, together, as\r\n mother and son.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n This gift we share, Hiccup... it\r\n bonds us. This is who you are, son.\r\n Who we are. We will change the\r\n world for all dragons! We will make\r\n it a better, safer place!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n That sounds... amazing.\r\n\r\n \r\n She pulls him into a hug -- forceful, bursting with emotion.\r\n Hiccup hugs Valka back. They share a cathartic moment, before\r\n Hiccup peels away from her.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n This is so great! Now you and I can\r\n go talk to Drago -- together!\r\n\r\n \r\n She chuckles, incredulous.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 53.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n What? There's no talking to Drago.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n But we have to --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n -- No. We must protect our own.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup stares, exasperated by the familiar line. Cloudjumper\r\n lumbers over, eager to be rid of Toothless' puppy-like\r\n energy. Valka pets him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n Now come on, we should be getting\r\n back.\r\n\r\n \r\n Before Hiccup can say anymore, he hear heavy breathing next\r\n to him, and looks over to see Toothless with a gaping grin,\r\n clapping his dorsal blades.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. ICE CAVE - DAY\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1350 - Meet Drago)\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and the gang stealthily approach a cluster of tabular\r\n icebergs, collapsed against each other at the mouth of a\r\n maze. Stormfly drops Eret to the snow, but before he can\r\n flee, she lands atop him and nests like a hen with her egg.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Agghh! Okay! I got you here, now\r\n get this thing off me!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Never take a toy from a dragon.\r\n Don't you know anything?\r\n\r\n \r\n Stormfly crushes him in place under her weight.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n\r\n (STRAINED)\r\n Gah! Why does this keep happening\r\n to me?\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid crawls up the rising ridge to reveal...\r\n\r\n \r\n A MASSIVE FLOTILLA, moored together like a floating camp in\r\n the deep water between collided icebergs.\r\n\r\n \r\n Thick chains run deep into the water, where great blasts of\r\n bubbles erupt on the surface. The unseen creature rocks the\r\n ships. Its effect alone describes it as gargantuan.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 54.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n What's down there?\r\n\r\n \r\n Fishlegs rifles through his note cards contained in his belt\r\n pouch.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Large diameter bubbles, massive\r\n lungs, cold water deep dweller, I'm\r\n thinking class five leviathan,\r\n maybe six.\r\n\r\n \r\n Suddenly, Stormfly is alerted to an encroaching menace and\r\n takes wing. BLOW DARTS whiz through the air, hitting the\r\n other dragons. The effect is immediate -- they fall to the\r\n ground, unconscious. Drugged.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Meatlug! What's wrong, girl?\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret spring to his feet and draws his blades. Astrid and the\r\n Gang find themselves surrounded by soldiers, camouflaged in\r\n polar bear furs, and poised to fire darts. They're\r\n outnumbered. Fishlegs raises his hands, dropping the cards.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. DRAGO'S SHIP - DECK - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n DRAGO BLUDVIST, a hulking figure draped in a dragon skin\r\n cloak, crouches over the prow of the fleet's grisly flagship,\r\n adorned in massive dragon bones and skulls. His scarred face\r\n is masked by thick, grizzled dreadlocks.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (O.S.)\r\n\r\n DRAGO!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago turns to see Astrid, Eret, and the Gang being forcibly\r\n escorted onto the deck. Eret SHAKES HIMSELF FREE.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Get off me!\r\n\r\n \r\n In the background, a sledge, loaded with Hookfang, Meatlug,\r\n Belch and Barf -- all unconscious -- is dragged onto the deck\r\n by armored dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Always great to see you, my friend!\r\n Keeping warm up here?\r\n\r\n \r\n The soldiers disarm him, pushing him forward as Drago\r\n approaches.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 55.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Well, as you can see, I'm right on\r\n time with a new batch of dragons,\r\n just like I promised.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hookfang awakens, groggily shaking off the effect of the blow-\r\n dart. He rears as soldiers struggle to reign him in.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SOLDIER #1\r\n Watch out! He's waking up! Keep him\r\n steady!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SOLDIER #2\r\n Give me some backup here!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Drop the ropes.\r\n\r\n \r\n They do so. Hookfang bucks and roars, chasing off the\r\n soldiers, then focusing on Drago as he closes in. The armored\r\n dragons avert their eyes and cower as Drago passes.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hookfang HISSES a warning, but Drago approaches, undaunted.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hookfang BLASTS. In a blur, Drago wraps himself in his dragon\r\n skin cloak. The sticky, napalm-like fire splatters against\r\n the fireproof scales, enveloping Drago in dripping flames as\r\n he persists forward without missing a step.\r\n\r\n \r\n As the blast ends, Drago drops the cloak, closing in and\r\n holding a cold stare. Hookfang lets out a ferocious ROAR.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago YELLS back with a fierce, savage scream, interrupting\r\n Hookfang and causing him to recoil. Drago whirls his bull-\r\n hook overhead and STABS it into the deck planks.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hookfang stirs, his aggression fading in the face of Drago's\r\n unflinching show of dominance.\r\n\r\n \r\n After a moment, Hookfang averts his eyes and lowers his head\r\n in submission. Drago places his boot upon Hookfang's snout,\r\n pressing it into the deck planks.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Hookfang!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Hey!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n What are you doing?\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 56.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n (quiet, to the dragon)\r\n You belong to me now.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n And as an added bonus, I also\r\n caught you their riders. No extra\r\n charge.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago notices the saddle on Hookfang's back. His eyes wander\r\n to the saddle on Meatlug. Alarm flashes in Drago's eyes.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n What?! Are you kidding me?!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n But you were so perfect!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Turns out, there's a whole bunch of\r\n them out there. They --\r\n\r\n \r\n In a flash, Drago stops toward Eret and seizes him by the\r\n throat.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n How many?\r\n\r\n \r\n As Eret chokes, stammering, Astrid whispers to the gang.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Drago doesn't have them after all.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n\r\n HOW MANY?!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Hundreds! A whole island full!\r\n\r\n \r\n His grip tightens around Eret's neck as he turns to Astrid.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n I wouldn't worry about it. My men\r\n are hunting them down as we speak.\r\n They won't know where you're\r\n hiding. I promise you that.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid nods a covert signal to the Gang -- she has a plan.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Oh, yes they will!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago drops Eret as Astrid advances, staring Drago down. Eret\r\n tries to signal her to stop, but it's no use.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 57.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID (CONT'D)\r\n They know we're missing and they\r\n have tracking dragons. If you so\r\n much as touch us, Hiccup is gonna\r\n\r\n KICK --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n -- Hiccup?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n He's not a problem. Really. Trust\r\n me.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n He's only the son of Stoick the\r\n Vast...\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago's eyes narrow upon hearing Stoick's name.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID (CONT'D)\r\n ... his heir to the throne of\r\n Berk... and the greatest dragon\r\n master this world has ever seen!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Dragon master? I ALONE control the\r\n dragons!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Nope.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Sorry!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n And unless you let us go, right\r\n now, he will blast through here on\r\n his Night Fury and blow your entire\r\n fleet of ships to splinters!\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret slips away, trying to distance himself from the tension.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Then they'll be crying like babies!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Funny and beautiful.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Good one, babe!\r\n\r\n \r\n Ruffnut groans, exasperated by their smarmy advances.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 58.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Yeah. Like babies. They always cry.\r\n Real tiny ones...\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago grabs Eret by the face and bears down on him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n First there was one rider. And now\r\n all of Berk.\r\n\r\n (TO ERET)\r\n And YOU led them to me.\r\n\r\n \r\n He THROWS Eret across the deck.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Drago!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n\r\n CEASE ALL PREPARATIONS! WE MUST\r\n\r\n ATTACK THE DRAGONS RIDER'S NEST AT\r\n\r\n ONCE!\r\n\r\n (SAVORING IT)\r\n\r\n WE WILL TAKE DOWN THEIR ALPHA...\r\n\r\n AND THEN WE WILL TAKE BERK!\r\n\r\n \r\n Soldiers CHEER in the thousands.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n You're overreacting!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n And get rid of him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Drago, please...\r\n\r\n \r\n The soldiers HURL throwing knives at Eret...\r\n But Stormfly lands in a blur of wings, shielding Eret from\r\n the flurry of blades. She whips her tail, throwing spikes in\r\n all directions.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n\r\n STORMFLY!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stormfly ROARS protectively, hiding Eret within her wings,\r\n until a well-blown dart sinks into her neck, bringing her\r\n down...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n NO!\r\n\r\n \r\n Revealing Eret, gawking in shock.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 59.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - OASIS - MORNING\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1800 - Family Reunion)\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup reattaches his flight suit while standing on a ledge\r\n overlooking the utopian nest, teeming with dragons. Several\r\n babies race in to hassle Toothless as he naps.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n (DETERMINED)\r\n Well, bud, we can't wait around for\r\n Drago to attack this place. We've\r\n gotta find him first. Let's go.\r\n\r\n \r\n Suddenly, a thick hand clamps down over Hiccup's face --\r\n muffling his scream!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless whirls around to find STOICK, towering over Hiccup.\r\n He calms Toothless with a touch and releases Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Easy now.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Are you kidding me? How'd you get\r\n in here?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n The same way we're getting you out.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n We?\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber appears in the arch of a tunnel.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n All clear!\r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Toothless. Come.\r\n\r\n \r\n They hurry back into the winding corridor.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Dad! There's something you need to\r\n know!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Yeah, yeah, tell me on the way.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n This isn't an on-the-way kind of\r\n update, actually...\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 60.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n I've heard ENOUGH, Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n ... more of the earth-shattering\r\n development variety.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Yeah, just add it to the pile.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Dad, unlike most surprises I spring\r\n on you, this is one you'll like. I\r\n promise! You just have to handle it\r\n delicately, so...\r\n\r\n \r\n They round a tight bend in the corridor to find Gobber\r\n staring blankly at something unseen in the next chamber. He\r\n shuffles past Stoick and Hiccup, dazed.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Uh, you might want to take this\r\n one. Oh, boy.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick draws his SWORD, then braves into the chamber ahead.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Dad, can you put the sword away...\r\n please?\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick GASPS as if seeing a ghost... and drops his sword with\r\n a clatter.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka stands some twenty paces ahead of him, blocking the\r\n path. She lets out an audible SHUDDER upon seeing him.\r\n\r\n \r\n He removes his helmet slowly as Hiccup, Gobber, and Toothless\r\n appear at Stoick's side.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n\r\n (RATTLED)\r\n I know what you're going to say,\r\n Stoick. How could I have done this?\r\n Stayed away all of these years. And\r\n why didn't I come back to you? To\r\n our son.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick steps towards her, wide-eyed and speechless. Dragons\r\n emerge from the recesses behind Valka, hissing protectively.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n Well, what sign did I have that you\r\n could change, Stoick? That anyone\r\n on Berk could?\r\n\r\n (MORE)\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 61.\r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n I pleaded so many times to stop the\r\n fighting, to find another answer,\r\n but did any of you listen?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n This is why I never married.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n This and one other reason.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick continues to close the gap, mesmerized. With every\r\n step, Valka becomes increasingly flustered. She backs into an\r\n ice wall, with nowhere to go, and Stoick just a few paces\r\n away.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n\r\n (TEARFUL)\r\n I know that I left you to raise\r\n Hiccup alone... but I thought he'd\r\n be better off without me. And I was\r\n wrong, I see that now, but...\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick gently reaches a hand toward her face.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n Oh stop being so stoic, Stoick. Go\r\n on... SHOUT, SCREAM, SAY SOMETHING!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n You're as beautiful as the day I\r\n lost you.\r\n\r\n \r\n His words snuff her retort, rendering her speechless. She\r\n softens despite herself, yielding her cheek to his palm. He\r\n caresses her skin as a reluctant tear runs through his\r\n fingers. He PULLS her into a KISS. She resists briefly, then\r\n gives in. The surrounding dragons softly RETREAT in kind.\r\n Hiccup gapes, warmed by the sight of his parents reunited.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. ICE CHANNEL - DAY\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1750 - Eret's Turn)\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago's massive flagship leads the flotilla, pulled along\r\n forcefully by whatever's at the other end of the enormous\r\n chain.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago WHACKS the chain with his bullhook, spurring it\r\n forward.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ON DRAGO'S SHIP\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 62.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Eret, Astrid, and the Gang are escorted to the stern,\r\n surrounded by several of Drago's soldiers. Wrists bound.\r\n Spear tips pressed into their backs.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Could this day get any worse?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Uh, let me see. You'll jump into\r\n freezing cold water and then die\r\n from drowning.\r\n\r\n \r\n They reach the gang plank. Eret peers overboard at the deep,\r\n icy water below.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Looks refreshing.\r\n\r\n \r\n He turns to Astrid, meeting her glare with mock chivalry.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Please, ladies first.\r\n\r\n \r\n A pair of soldiers GRAB Astrid by the arms.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n You are a steaming heap of dragon --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n -- Duck.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret WHIRLS around, ROUND-HOUSING both soldiers. They GO\r\n DOWN, heavily.\r\n\r\n \r\n He catches one of their spears with his bound hands and\r\n slices his ropes free. They fall away as he catches the other\r\n spear, twirling both in invitation.\r\n\r\n SOLDIER\r\n Warn the others!\r\n\r\n \r\n One soldier runs to send up the alarm... while the last two\r\n raise BLOW DART TUBES.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret SWIPES the first off of his legs, sending the dart into\r\n the neck of the second.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Get `em, you son of an Eret!\r\n\r\n \r\n As the downed soldiers SCRAMBLE to their feet, Fishlegs FALLS\r\n OVER, CRUSHING them under his weight.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 63.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Eret CATCHES the falling tube from the second soldier and\r\n BLOWS the dart at the fleeing third. The soldier DROPS,\r\n unconscious -- just shy of the Captain's Quarters.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT (CONT'D)\r\n Okay, I love you again.\r\n\r\n \r\n Ruffnut skips past Snotlout on her way to Eret. Snotlout\r\n watches, crestfallen.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Ugh. Pathetic. You can still jump.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret avoids Ruffnut and turns to Astrid.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n So? Are we going to save your\r\n dragons and get out of here or not?\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid narrows her eyes, not knowing what to make of him. He\r\n reclaims his sword and dagger from the unconscious soldier\r\n who took them and cuts Tuffnut free.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Check every trap. They're here\r\n somewhere.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. DRAGO'S SHIP - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid slips under a tarp and cranks open a metal trap. She\r\n peers between its massive iron teeth, discovering Meatlug\r\n within, bound and chained to its base as bait.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Meatlug?\r\n\r\n ON ERET\r\n\r\n \r\n Carefully cranking another trap, wincing at the sound. The\r\n iron jaws of the trap open wider with every CLICK.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Anyone coming?\r\n\r\n \r\n Ruffnut \"stands guard,\" fixated on Eret's rippling biceps.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n I don't know. You just keep doing\r\n what you're doing. Keep crankin'...\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret squeezes between the cocked teeth, finding Stormfly\r\n within, muzzled and chained. She looks up at Eret, calming\r\n immediately. He pauses, then approaches slowly.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 64.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Eret carefully reaches out and strokes Stormfly's muzzle.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Thank you for saving my life.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Now let me return the favor.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - VALKA'S LIVING QUARTERS - LATE\r\n\r\n\r\n AFTERNOON\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1850 - The Last Dance)\r\n\r\n \r\n As Toothless and Cloudjumper hover for scraps, Stoick and\r\n Valka prepare skewers of fish. She's overwhelmed, lost in her\r\n thoughts, and covering it up poorly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Mom, you'd never recognize it!\r\n Where we used to make weapons, we\r\n now build saddles, wing slings --\r\n we even fix dragon teeth! You\r\n wouldn't believe how much\r\n everything's changed!\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka offers a skittish half-smile and hands him a plate.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Our son's changed Berk for the\r\n better. I think we did well with\r\n this one, Val.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Thanks, Dad.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick places his hands on Valka's shoulders. She flinches,\r\n dropping the plate.\r\n Cloudjumper steals the fish before Toothless can get to it.\r\n Toothless whimpers, and as a sign of acceptance, Cloudjumper\r\n regurgitates the fish so Toothless can have some.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n I'm... a little out of practice.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n (SWEETLY)\r\n Well, y'know... I didn't marry you\r\n for your cooking.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n (to Hiccup and Grump)\r\n I hope not. Her meatballs could\r\n kill more beasts than a battle axe.\r\n\r\n (MORE)\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 65.\r\n\r\n GOBBER (CONT'D)\r\n I've still got a few knocking\r\n around in here. Ha ha!\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber takes a bite, gags, and dump the entire plate of fish\r\n skewers into Grump's mouth like a trash can.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n And once you move back in, with all\r\n of your dragons, Drago won't even\r\n stand a chance. Everything will be\r\n okay!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick can see that Valka is overwhelmed. He lays a hand upon\r\n Hiccup's shoulder, calming him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Slow down, son. It's a lot to take\r\n in.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Oh. Gotcha.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka crosses the room to fill a flask with water, back\r\n turned to the group, as Stoick eyes her sympathetically. He\r\n decides on a different approach... and whistles a familiar\r\n tune.\r\n\r\n \r\n ON VALKA, as her eyes widen, stirred, recognizing the melody.\r\n She turns away from Stoick, as the water overflows from the\r\n flask.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Oh, I love this one!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick approaches her delicately.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n (WHISPERED)\r\n Remember our song, Val?\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup watches him, curious, as Stoick FUMBLES THROUGH THE\r\n FIRST VERSE of an old Viking courting song:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (SINGING SOFTLY)\r\n I'll swim and sail on savage seas,\r\n with ne'er a fear of drowning. And\r\n gladly ride the waves of life, if\r\n you will marry me.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka avoids his gaze, wallowing in a mess of emotions.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 66.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n No scorching sun, nor freezing cold\r\n\r\n WILL --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n -- will stop me on my journey!\r\n (catching himself,\r\n\r\n EMBARRASSED)\r\n Sorry.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick scowls at him, then returns his attention to Valka.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n If you will promise me your\r\n heart...\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick pauses, setting Valka up for her part of the duet.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n And love...\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick hangs eagerly, awaiting her words, but Valka closes\r\n her eyes, rejecting his invitation. He lets out a heavy-\r\n hearted sigh. But nostalgia gets the better of Valka. She\r\n softly SINGS HER PART:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n And love me for eternity.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick beams. She brushes past him, setting into the center\r\n of the chamber and holding her forearm aloft in invitation.\r\n Stoick crosses his forearm against hers, initiating a\r\n beautiful dance to accompany the song.\r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n My dearest one, my darling dear,\r\n you mighty words astound me. But\r\n I've no need of mighty deeds, when\r\n I feel your arms around me.\r\n\r\n \r\n The dance is full of charming missteps as Stoick and Valka\r\n recreate a moment from their past, before Hiccup's wonder-\r\n struck eyes.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n But I would bring you rings of\r\n gold. I'd even sing you poetry.\r\n\r\n (MORE)\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 67.\r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n And I would keep you from all harm,\r\n if you'd stay here beside me.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n I have no use for rings of gold. I\r\n care not for your poetry. I only\r\n want your hand to hold. I only want\r\n you near me.\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber can't help himself. He drags Hiccup onto his feet so\r\n that he can join in the dancing, too.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n C'mon, Hiccup!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA, STOICK, & GOBBER\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n To love and kiss, to sweetly hold.\r\n For the dancing and the dreaming.\r\n Through all life's sorrows and\r\n delights, I'll keep your love\r\n inside me.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup is amazed by the sight of his giddy parents, spinning\r\n and laughing in each others' arms, reunited.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA, STOICK, & GOBBER (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n I'll swim and sail through savage\r\n seas, with ne'er a fear of\r\n drowning. And gladly ride the waves\r\n of life, if you will marry me!\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber carries the last note...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n\r\n (SINGING)\r\n I'm still going...\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup taps him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Gobber!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n I'm done.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka and Stoick slow to a stop, WINDED and LAUGHING.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Ah... I thought I'd have to die\r\n before we'd have that dance again.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 68.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n No need for drastic measures.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n For you, my dear... anything.\r\n\r\n \r\n She smiles sweetly. Stoick's eyes well with tears. He goes\r\n down on one knee, proposing to her anew.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Will you come home, Val? Will you\r\n be my wife once again?\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless nudges Valka closer to Stoick. They laugh as Hiccup\r\n joins them. Stoick throws his arm around him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n We can be a family! What do you\r\n say?\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka, between tears and laughter, turns to Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Yes!\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber pops his head in.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Great! I'll do the cooking!\r\n\r\n \r\n They laugh.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Thank Odin you didn't listen to me,\r\n son. We never would have found each\r\n other.\r\n Suddenly, Toothless and Cloudjumper suddenly perk up, sensing\r\n something unheard. Hiccup notices.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Toothless?\r\n\r\n \r\n Dragons SWARM past Valka's chamber, racing toward some\r\n unknown disturbance.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n What's happening?\r\n\r\n \r\n They're answered by subsequent HEAVY BOOMS that reverberate\r\n through the fortress.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 69.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 1900 - Surprise Guests)\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka rushes out to find...\r\n\r\n \r\n DRAGO'S ARMADA in the lagoon below and his forces of\r\n thousands now landed upon the beach.\r\n\r\n \r\n They launch catapults and ballistas into the icy spires,\r\n gaining entrance into the mountain's tunnels.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber catch up to Valka.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Oh, no...\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka tries to hurry off, fuming. Stoick stops her.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Val! It's all right, it's all\r\n right. We're a team now.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Now what do you want to do?\r\n\r\n \r\n She glances from Hiccup to Stoick.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n We have to save the dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n (DETERMINED)\r\n Aye. You got it!\r\n\r\n \r\n He throws an arm around Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Come on, son.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ON THE BATTLEFIELD\r\n\r\n \r\n VALKA'S DRAGONS SWOOP down to engage the attackers, picking\r\n up soldiers and carrying them off while Drago stands in the\r\n line of fire, unflinching.\r\n\r\n \r\n The catapults continue to bring down the icy defenses of\r\n dragon mountain. Drago's men pour into the tunnels. \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Whatever comes, keep hitting the\r\n mountain! We need to draw the alpha\r\n out.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 70.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Drago's armored DRAGON ARMY takes wing, clashing with Valka's\r\n dragons in the skies.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO (CONT'D)\r\n Ready the traps!\r\n\r\n \r\n Iron jaws are opened like bear traps, revealing screeching\r\n `bait' dragons within. Valka's dragons swoop down to rescue\r\n them, only to be SNAPPED UP in the fearsome jaws.\r\n\r\n \r\n A second set of traps are cocked open, but instead of dragon\r\n cries, ZIPPLEBACK GAS seeps out... followed by an EXPLOSION.\r\n The TWINS rocket out of the trap, riding BARF and BELCH.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Surprise! Yeah!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n\r\n WHAT?!\r\n\r\n \r\n They're joined by Astrid and the rest of the GANG, bursting\r\n out of the traps atop Meatlug and Hookfang.\r\n\r\n \r\n Eret comes flying out last, WAILING aboard Stormfly. He\r\n struggles to hold on, as she rejoins Astrid (riding Meatlug,\r\n along with Fishlegs). He gives them a sheepish shrug.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n You really are full of surprises.\r\n\r\n \r\n She leaps onto Stormfly, steadying them.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID (CONT'D)\r\n Let's go!\r\n\r\n \r\n Together they rocket across the sky...\r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Dragon Riders coming through!\r\n\r\n \r\n And DIVE-BOMB the traps, setting them aflame. The yokes and\r\n leather bindings restraining the bait dragons are\r\n incinerated, freeing them to fly away, unharmed.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n\r\n CUT THEM DOWN!\r\n\r\n \r\n Projectiles are launched, one of which KNOCKS Ruffnut off her\r\n dragon. She PLUMMETS past Eret toward the rocky shore below.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Eret, son of Eret!\r\n\r\n \r\n She suddenly grabbed by both arms before hitting the rocks.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 71.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n RUFFNUT'S POV: of Snotlout on one side... and Fishlegs on the\r\n other. SOFT and ROMANTICIZED as her epiphany dawns.\r\n\r\n \r\n Above them, more catapults fire, bringing down massive spires\r\n of ice, directly over Astrid and Eret.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Up, girl! To the left, Eret! That's\r\n it! Look out!\r\n\r\n \r\n It's about to crush them when... it's BLOWN TO PIECES by\r\n Toothless' fireball. Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber come bursting\r\n through the flames on their dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup and Toothless arc across the sky triumphantly and set\r\n their sights on a downed dragon surrounded by soldiers.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless BLASTS one of Drago's net launchers, knocking it\r\n onto its side. Stoick then CHOPS the trigger line, FIRING the\r\n catapult and NETTING the throng of soldiers, freeing the\r\n dragon.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago's ARCHERS target Stoick with their arrows.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ARCHER\r\n Take `em down!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Heads up!\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber flies up from behind, KNOCKING the archers out with\r\n Grump's tail. Gobber chuckles.\r\n\r\n \r\n DRAGO hears Toothless' tell-tale BANSHEE scream and turns to\r\n see him streaking across the sky.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Dragon Master.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup catches up to Astrid and Eret on Stormfly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Welcome aboard, dragon rider!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Thanks. I think.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid glares, both relieved and annoyed to see Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Where have you been?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Oh, y'know. Catching up with Mom.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 72.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid shoots him a confused glare. He nods skyward. Astrid\r\n and Eret look up to see...\r\n\r\n \r\n VALKA, in full warrior garb, rising from the towering ice\r\n spikes, atop Cloudjumper.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Whoa...\r\n\r\n \r\n An earth-trembling roar follows as the Bewilderbeast rises\r\n behind Valka.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n That's your mother?!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Well, now you know where I get my\r\n dramatic flair.\r\n\r\n \r\n ON DRAGO, gawking in awe as the great BEWILDERBEAST BLASTS\r\n an epic explosion of ice upon the attackers.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n The alpha! Now we have a fight!\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka blasts overhead on Cloudjumper, commanding swarms of\r\n dragons to swoop down and attack Drago's army. A swarm of\r\n Zipplebacks set themselves aflame and roll like fiery wagon\r\n wheels through the battlefield, scattering soldiers and\r\n destroying war machines.\r\n\r\n \r\n One of them gets CAUGHT under a Dragon Swatter, but Hiccup\r\n and Toothless double-back for a rescue.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n There! Come on, Toothless! Show\r\n them what you got, bud.\r\n Toothless dive-bombs the swatter and DESTROYS it with a\r\n plasma bolt, freeing the dragon.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Thatta boy!\r\n\r\n \r\n BACK TO VALKA, on Cloudjumper as they pry Drago's armored\r\n dragons off of the flailing wild ones. A net suddenly\r\n envelops Cloudjumper. They CRASH heavily, but Valka cuts\r\n herself free, sliding to a stop just paces away from Drago.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n I've waited a long time for this!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago cocks his bull hook, ready to strike, but Valka\r\n deflects Drago's hit and attacks him.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 73.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n You cannot take our dragons! They\r\n are controlled by the alpha!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n\r\n (SMUG)\r\n Then it's a good thing I brought a\r\n challenger.\r\n\r\n \r\n He turns to the flagship and YELLS savagely, whirling his\r\n bullhook overhead.\r\n\r\n \r\n The heavy chains are released. The underwater creature, now\r\n freed, breaks the surface in an epic cascade of seawater. It\r\n rises toward the shoreline, revealing itself to be...\r\n\r\n \r\n A SECOND BEWILDERBEAST -- bigger, meaner, and covered in\r\n scars that indicate years of training and abuse. The chains\r\n fall away from iron cuffs fastened to its massive tusks.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka GASPS.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n (HORRIFIED)\r\n Another one?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n\r\n I WAS WAY OFF! THAT IS A CLASS TEN!\r\n\r\n CLASS TEN!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago's challenger lumbers onto the beach, focused on Valka's\r\n Bewilderbeast.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n No. No.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Come on! Take down the alpha!\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka attacks Drago with her bullhook, trying to stop his\r\n commands, but Drago strikes back, knocking her forcefully\r\n onto her back. He pins her as she struggles, removing her\r\n mask and staff. He's about to finish her off, when WHAM! He's\r\n knocked to the ground. He looks up, fuming, to see Stoick\r\n helping Valka to her feet.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Thank you.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n For you, my dear... anything.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 74.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n As Drago gathers his weapon and drops his heavy cloak,\r\n circling Stoick, Drago's Bewilderbeast confronts Valka's in a\r\n threat display.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Val, do you think you can stop\r\n them?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n I'll do my best! Come on,\r\n Cloudjumper!\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka cuts the nets away and hops onto Cloudjumper, flying\r\n off toward the Bewilderbeasts as they charge each other,\r\n\r\n CLASHING TUSKS.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago LUNGES at Stoick, SWIPING his bullhook.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n You... I watched you burn!\r\n\r\n \r\n The two imposing warriors CLASH WEAPONS, SLASHING and LANDING\r\n\r\n PUNCHES.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n It takes more than a little fire to\r\n kill me!\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka flies between the Bewilderbeasts, waving her staff\r\n commandingly, but to no effect.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BACK TO STOICK AND DRAGO\r\n\r\n \r\n As Drago hooks and yanks the axe out of Stoick's hands.\r\n Gobber flies by and HURLS his mace attachment.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Stoick!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick catches it and lands a direct hit on Drago.\r\n\r\n \r\n But, with a devastating SWIPE, DRAGO's Bewilderbeast takes\r\n down Valka's, plunging in its tusks and burying its\r\n opponent's lifeless body under an avalanche.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n No!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup and the others watch in horror as dragons everywhere\r\n land and bow their heads in acknowledgement of the new alpha -\r\n\r\n - DRAGO'S ALPHA.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n We've won.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 75.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Drago points his bullhook toward Valka and Cloudjumper.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO (CONT'D)\r\n Now finish her!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick whirls around, spotting Valka and Cloudjumper in the\r\n alpha's sights.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n No!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago's Bewilderbeast INHALES... and BLASTS! Valka steers\r\n Cloudjumper out of the way, but ice HITS his tail, causing\r\n them to SPIRAL out of control toward the icy spires.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Hold on!\r\n\r\n \r\n He LEAPS onto Skullcrusher, spurring him into the air.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Skullcrusher, go! Come on, Gobber!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick tosses the mace back to Gobber in passing, who follows\r\n brazenly, waving it aloft.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Right behind ya, Stoick!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 2000 - Stoick's Sacrifice)\r\n\r\n \r\n With his tail impaired, Cloudjumper struggles against a\r\n throng of oncoming dragons. Valka is knocked off, but manages\r\n to cling to her dragon's neck.\r\n As she loses her grip and FALLS...\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick LEAPS from Skullcrusher and CATCHES Valka. He sinks\r\n his axe into an icy column, and they slide to a safe landing.\r\n Drago's Bewilderbeast presses closer, sniffing them out.\r\n\r\n \r\n BACK TO HICCUP, spotting Drago on the battlefield, commanding\r\n the Bewilderbeast to finish the job.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n STOP! Stop!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup lands Toothless a few paces from Drago and brazenly\r\n removes his helmet. Drago eyes him, incredulous, then begins\r\n to CHUCKLE.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 76.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n This... is the great dragon master?\r\n The son of Stoick the Vast? What\r\n shame he must feel.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless snarls, ready to blast, but Hiccup calms him with a\r\n hand gesture.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n All of this loss, and for what? To\r\n become unstoppable? To rule the\r\n world?\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago smirks and turns away from Hiccup.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Dragons are kind, amazing creatures\r\n that can bring people together.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Or tear them apart.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago LAUGHS mockingly, then removes his FALSE ARM, revealing\r\n a stump at his shoulder. Hiccup is taken aback.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO (CONT'D)\r\n You see, I know what it is to live\r\n in fear. To see my village burned,\r\n my family taken.\r\n\r\n \r\n He reattaches the prosthesis, circling Hiccup menacingly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO (CONT'D)\r\n But even as a boy, left with\r\n nothing, I vowed to rise above the\r\n fear of dragons and liberate the\r\n people of this world.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Then why a dragon army?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n (grinning, smug)\r\n Well, you need dragons to conquer\r\n other dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Or maybe you need dragons to\r\n conquer people.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n To control those who follow you...\r\n and to get rid of those who won't.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 77.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Clever boy.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago grabs his bullhook and re-approaches Hiccup. Toothless\r\n readies himself.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n The world wants peace. And we have\r\n the answer, back on Berk. Just let\r\n me show you.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n NO! Let ME show YOU.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago SHRIEKS madly, summoning the Bewilderbeast. Toothless\r\n circles Hiccup, protectively.\r\n\r\n \r\n ON THE BEWILDERBEAST, about to blast Stoick and Valka. It\r\n hears Drago's distant wails, and approaches obediently.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n What...?\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick follows its stare to the distant battlefield below. He\r\n spots Hiccup and Toothless a few paces from Drago.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (PANICKED)\r\n Hiccup!\r\n\r\n \r\n He rushes off. Valka follows, racing past Gobber as he\r\n finally joins them, winded from having run up the mountain.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK (CONT'D)\r\n Come on, Gobber!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Okay, change of plans.\r\n\r\n \r\n He hurries back down the mountain after them.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BACK TO DRAGO\r\n\r\n \r\n jabbing his bullhook into the ground commandingly. The\r\n Bewilderbeast flinches and stops, submissive.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n No dragon can resist the alpha's\r\n command. So he who controls the\r\n alpha, controls them all.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 78.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Drago points to Toothless. The Bewilderbeast stares and\r\n HISSES, forcing Toothless to cower under a hypnotic\r\n ultrasonic broadcast. Toothless struggles against the alpha's\r\n command, writhing and grinding his head against the ground.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Toothless? You okay, bud? What's\r\n going on?\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless fights the command, shaking his head in protest.\r\n The Bewilderbeast insists, with a mesmerizing glare and a\r\n low, throaty grumble... until Toothless finally succumbs to\r\n its control. He raises his head, his stare vacant and\r\n robotic, as his pupils turn to slits.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago then points to Hiccup. The Bewilderbeast responds,\r\n HISSING again at Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Witness true strength. The strength\r\n of will over others. In the face of\r\n it, you are nothing.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless slowly turns to face Hiccup. Advancing.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Uh, what did he just tell you?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ON STOICK\r\n\r\n \r\n Bounding across the ice, pushing himself to make it to Hiccup\r\n in time.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BACK ON HICCUP\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Toothless, what's the matter with\r\n you? What're you doing?\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup is backed against fallen ice, with Toothless advancing\r\n mindlessly, and nowhere to run.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless opens his yawning mouth. Gas seeps from his throat.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Knock it off! Stop! Snap out of it!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick barrels through ice formations and over war machines,\r\n racing against time.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Toothless! No! Toothless! Don't!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 79.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n Hiccup!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n STOP!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STOICK\r\n\r\n SON!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup sees Stoick about to run into the fray.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n DAD! NO!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless BLASTS.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stoick leaps in front of it, shoving Hiccup out of the way\r\n and absorbing the blast in the process. He's thrown against\r\n the ice with great impact.\r\n\r\n \r\n ON VALKA, hearing the blast, horrified.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago glances back, seeing Stoick laying lifeless in the\r\n aftermath, pleased by the sudden turn of events. He shuffles\r\n off, satisfied.\r\n\r\n \r\n Stunned, Hiccup comes to and sees Stoick in the rubble. He\r\n rushes past the still-entranced Toothless, straining to\r\n scatter the ice boulders on top of Stoick's body.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Dad!\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka arrives, winded and aghast.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Stoick...\r\n She helps Hiccup to turn Stoick's body over. Valka presses\r\n her ear to Stoick's heart, confirming his death with a mere\r\n glance to Hiccup. He tears up, overwhelmed.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n No... you...\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber, Astrid, Eret, and the Gang arrive, slack-jawed.\r\n\r\n \r\n Satisfied, the Bewilderbeast turns away, releasing Toothless\r\n of the trance-like state. Toothless blinks, coming to and\r\n confused. He approaches the group, sniffing Stoick's hand.\r\n Hiccup SHOVES him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n No! Get away from him!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 80.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless recoils, innocently.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n GO ON! GET OUT OF HERE! GET AWAY!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless retreats like a scolded dog, ear plates back and\r\n head hung low. Valka watches, broken-hearted, as Hiccup falls\r\n upon Stoick, inconsolable.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n It's not his fault. You know that.\r\n\r\n \r\n On the battlefield, the alpha BELLOWS, calling all of the\r\n dragons to gather. Meatlug, Stormfly, Hookfang and the others\r\n all follow the command as the Gang calls after them.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (O.S.) (CONT'D)\r\n Good dragons under the control of\r\n bad people do bad things.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago notices Toothless tumble down a snow-bank, once again\r\n slit-eyed and entranced, but unable to fly to the alpha\r\n without a rider. Drago pins him down, eyeing the saddle,\r\n pedals, and prosthetic tail.\r\n\r\n \r\n ON HICCUP and VALKA\r\n\r\n \r\n In tears as Toothless rises into view, with Drago in the\r\n saddle.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n\r\n GATHER THE MEN AND MEET AT BERK!\r\n\r\n \r\n His soldiers cheer in the thousands.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Toothless!\r\n Hiccup tries to go after Toothless, but Valka holds him back.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n No, don't!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago JABS his bull hook and points toward the horizon. The\r\n alpha BELLOWS, commanding an exodus as it leads the way.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Move out!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup watches, powerless as all dragons TAKE WING and\r\n follow.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 81.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - LAGOON - DUSK\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 2100 - Viking Funeral)\r\n\r\n \r\n A KEEL grinds against the shoreline pebbles as a listing,\r\n battered ship is pushed into the still iceberg-filled lagoon.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER (V.O.)\r\n May the Valkyries welcome you, and\r\n lead you through Odin's great\r\n battlefield. May they sing your\r\n name with love and fury, so that we\r\n might hear it rise from the heights\r\n of Valhalla... and know that you've\r\n taken your rightful place at the\r\n table of kings.\r\n\r\n \r\n Bows and pitch-dipped arrows are gathered from the\r\n battlefield. Gobber hands a set to Hiccup, meeting his eyes\r\n with sympathetic glance.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER (V.O.)\r\n For a great man has fallen. A\r\n warrior. A chieftain. A father. A\r\n friend.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup dips his arrowhead in a smoldering chunk of wreckage,\r\n igniting the pitch that coats the tip.\r\n\r\n \r\n He releases his arrow, which sails through the air and lands\r\n on the deck of the ship, where Stoick is laid out on a pyre,\r\n covered by a sail, his axe upon his chest.\r\n\r\n \r\n The others follow Hiccup's lead. They DRAW BACK in unison and\r\n LOOSE their arrows, filling the sky with crisscrossing,\r\n flaming streaks. They arc over the lagoon and set the ship\r\n alight.\r\n ON HICCUP, fighting back emotion and losing the battle.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I'm sorry, Dad.\r\n\r\n \r\n He eyes the engulfed ship.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n I'm not the chief that you wanted\r\n me to be. And I'm not peacekeeper I\r\n thought I was. I don't know...\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka watches him, her heart breaking. She steps forward.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 82.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n You came early into this world. You\r\n were such a wee thing. So frail, so\r\n fragile. I feared you wouldn't make\r\n it.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup lowers his eyes, but Valka lifts his chin.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA (CONT'D)\r\n But your father... he never\r\n doubted. He always said you'd\r\n become the strongest of them all.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n And he was right.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n You have the heart of a chief and\r\n the soul of a dragon. Only you can\r\n bring our worlds together. That is\r\n who you are, son.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup meets her bolstering stare. He turns to the ship and\r\n watches it in silence, silhouetted in its glow.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n I was so afraid of becoming my dad.\r\n Mostly because I thought I never\r\n could. How do you become someone\r\n that great? That brave? That\r\n selfless?\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I guess you can only try.\r\n (to the others)\r\n A chief protects his own. We're\r\n going back.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Uh, with what?\r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n He took all the dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Not all of them.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. ICE CHANNELS - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 2200 - Hatchlings to the Rescue)\r\n\r\n \r\n WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! JUVENILES BLUR past, like flying\r\n raptors, ZIGZAGGING wildly.\r\n\r\n \r\n Riding bareback, Hiccup & Co. HURTLE through the narrow ICE\r\n CHANNELS -- created by massive splits in the iceberg shelves.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 83.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Fly straight!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n I don't want to die!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n We can't fly these things!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Yeah, no kidding!\r\n\r\n \r\n Fishlegs barrels into a snow bank, sending several chunks\r\n right into Eret's face as rides inverted and HOLLERING.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n But won't that Bewilderbeast just\r\n take control of these guys, too?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n They're babies. They don't listen\r\n to anyone!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Yeah, just like us!\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber follows up the rear clumsily, STRUGGLING for control.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n This... is... very dangerous!\r\n\r\n \r\n He PULLS ALONGSIDE Hiccup and Valka.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER (CONT'D)\r\n Some might suggest this is poorly\r\n conceived.\r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Well, it's a good thing that I\r\n never listen.\r\n\r\n \r\n A SHARP RIDGE RUSHES up at them. They're going to CRASH.\r\n Hiccup ROUNDS one side of it, and Gobber flies down the other\r\n side. They shout through gaps in the iceberg.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n So what IS your plan?!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Get Toothless back and kick Drago's-\r\n\r\n \r\n He's interrupted by another closure in the gaps of ice. They\r\n blast out of the other side.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 84.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Heads up!\r\n\r\n \r\n They SPLIT to avoid another peak and then reconvene, only to\r\n find another icy outcropping directly in their path.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n And that thing.\r\n\r\n \r\n Gobber HITS it, with a THUD and a YELP.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. BERK - NIGHT\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 2450 - Hiccup Vs. Toothless)\r\n\r\n \r\n Torches burn in their braziers as Berk slumbers... until the\r\n Bewilderbeast approaches, STOMPING down on the monolithic\r\n Viking statues that guard the harbor.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. GOTHI'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n The sound of destruction rouses a flock of Terrible Terrors\r\n and Gothi, who was sleeping under the dragons. Their pupils\r\n turn to slits, and heeding the ultrasonic call, they fly off.\r\n\r\n \r\n Gothi shuffles onto her deck, confused, then GASPS at\r\n horrifying sight.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n INT. VIKING HUT - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n A Gronckle lounges peacefully by the fire, as his Viking\r\n owner lavishes him with scratches.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HOARK\r\n Ah, that's a good boy!\r\n\r\n \r\n The Gronckle's eyes suddenly turn to slits and it, too, takes\r\n wing, knocking over a chair and table as it heads for the\r\n door.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HOARK (CONT'D)\r\n Watch the furniture! Where are you\r\n going?\r\n\r\n \r\n It barrels out of the hut and into the night sky as the\r\n Viking rushes to the doorway, spotting the same arresting\r\n sight with a gasp.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 85.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. GREAT HALL - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n Vikings pour out of the Great Hall as all of Berk's dragons\r\n fill the night sky and join the ranks of Drago's growing\r\n\r\n DRAGON ARMY.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast rises out of the sea, bearing down on the\r\n people of Berk as Drago hovers on Toothless, leading the\r\n charge. The Vikings stare, aghast.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Your chief is dead.\r\n\r\n \r\n Waves of shock and whispers of \"Stoick?\" spread through the\r\n crowd.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO (CONT'D)\r\n No one can protect you now.\r\n\r\n \r\n He thrusts his bull-hook, commanding the Bewilderbeast to\r\n fire. The Vikings watch in horror as the Bewilderbeast opens\r\n its yawning jaws and BLASTS.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. SKIES/BERK - NIGHT\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n Dragon roars grow louder as Hiccup & Co. approach through\r\n clouds, racing against time.\r\n\r\n \r\n They collectively GASP at the sight of Drago's Bewilderbeast\r\n having now covered most of the village in explosions of ice.\r\n Berk's now commandeered dragons circle in a huddle behind\r\n him, joining Valka's flock, and corralled by Drago's armored\r\n dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n No...\r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n He took all the dragons!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n (FUMING)\r\n Distract the alpha. Try to keep his\r\n focus off of Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUFFNUT\r\n Uh... how?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Have you forgotten who you're\r\n riding with?\r\n\r\n \r\n He brazenly aims his baby dragon toward the Bewilderbeast.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 86.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n There isn't a dragon alive that I\r\n can't wrangle!\r\n\r\n \r\n His baby dragon dives toward the sea instead.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n Except for this one!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Amateur.\r\n\r\n \r\n The others shrug and follow. As they get closer, the\r\n Bewilderbeast looms bigger and BIGGER.\r\n\r\n \r\n Berk's Vikings in hiding notice Hiccup and the others as they\r\n approach.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VIKING #1\r\n Look, it's Hiccup!\r\n\r\n \r\n The Vikings CHEER.\r\n\r\n \r\n ON DRAGO, surprised to see Hiccup and the others approaching.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n What?\r\n\r\n \r\n With an irate HUFF, the Bewilderbeast focuses on Hiccup,\r\n gaining ever closer to Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n Suddenly, a SHEEP appears in its sight, rising and falling\r\n out of view. The Bewilderbeast blinks, confused.\r\n\r\n \r\n It looks down to see Eret catching the falling sheep and\r\n reloading it into the game launcher, as Tuffnut cocks the\r\n mechanism and Ruffnut pulls the trigger.\r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Keep `em coming!\r\n\r\n \r\n Snotlout tosses the black sheep to Tuffnut.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Black sheep, baby!\r\n\r\n \r\n Exasperated, the alpha inhales, about to blast, when... HONK!\r\n The game horn blares, breaking his concentration.\r\n\r\n \r\n He turns, finding the horn unmanned. The Bewilderbeast then\r\n returns his focus to the sheep launcher, until the BLACK\r\n SHEEP LANDS on the his face, bouncing down his facial spines\r\n and becoming lodged.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 87.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT (CONT'D)\r\n Ten points!\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast shakes the black sheep off and prepares to\r\n blast again.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT (CONT'D)\r\n Uh-oh...\r\n\r\n \r\n HONK! The alpha whips around -- still no one at the horn.\r\n\r\n \r\n ON FISHLEGS, giggling and hiding behind the game horn.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast finally lets loose the ice blast, covering\r\n the entire horn in jagged spikes... as Fishlegs leaps from\r\n the platform.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n I'm okay!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BACK TO HICCUP\r\n\r\n \r\n as he reaches Drago, hovering directly in Toothless' sights.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n You certainly are hard to get rid\r\n of. I'll say that.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup ignored him and focuses on Toothless' slitted pupils.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Toothless? It's me, bud. It's me.\r\n I'm right here. Come back to me.\r\n\r\n \r\n TOOTHLESS' POV: Hiccup appears as an unfamiliar red blur,\r\n still firmly under the control of the Bewilderbeast.\r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n He is not yours anymore. He belongs\r\n to the alpha!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago smugly sits back in the saddle, his arms open in\r\n invitation.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO (CONT'D)\r\n But, please, oh great dragon\r\n master, try to take him. He will\r\n not miss a second time.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup holds strong, maintaining eye contact with Toothless.\r\n He reaches out to touch him.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 88.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n It wasn't your fault, bud. They\r\n made you do it.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago's amusement fades as Toothless stirs. His pupils\r\n DILATE, then NARROW again.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n You'd never hurt him.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n You'd never hurt me.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago watches, amazed, as Toothless fights the control.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n How are you doing that?\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup holds the stare, tears in his eyes.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Please. You are my best friend,\r\n bud.\r\n\r\n \r\n Bewilderbeast ROARS a forceful command.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n My best friend.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless' pupils jitter, then DILATE fully. He coos\r\n sympathetically.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Thatta boy! That's it! I'm here!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless' eyes finally dilate fully and resolve on Hiccup's\r\n familiar face.\r\n Drago goes from astounded to alarmed. Drago STRIKES Toothless\r\n with the bull hook in a vain attempt to regain control.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n No!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless ROARS defiantly, snatches the bull hook in his\r\n jaws, and PULLS... yanking Drago off of his back and sending\r\n him both PLUMMETING to the sea.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Yeah!\r\n\r\n \r\n But without a rider, Toothless drops out of the sky as well.\r\n Hiccup leaps from the baby dragon, diving after him.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 89.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Hang on!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago breaks his fall, landing heavily upon the\r\n Bewilderbeast's tusk...\r\n\r\n \r\n As Hiccup tucks in his arms, trying to close the gap between\r\n he and Toothless before they both make impact with the ocean.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Almost there, buddy. Almost there!\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup reaches Toothless. They pair up, mid-air, and\r\n skyrocket past Drago as he hobbles to the top of the alpha's\r\n head.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. BERK - VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 2500 - One True Alpha)\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup looks back at Drago, now issuing commands from the top\r\n of the Bewilderbeast's head.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Do something!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n We need to get those two apart.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup flies Toothless past a flag pole tears a strip of the\r\n flag.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast BLASTS in their direction, barely missing\r\n them as they disappear around the back of a mountain.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n We gotta block him out, Toothless.\r\n Do you trust me, bud?\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless coos, allowing Hiccup to BLINDFOLD him with the\r\n flag. Hiccup calms him with a touch.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n We can do this. You and me. As one.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup SPLAYS Toothless' mechanical tail. Toothless responds,\r\n MATCHING the move with the natural half.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n That's it. Now let's try this one\r\n more time!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 90.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n They PEEL around the other side of the mountain, heading\r\n back toward Drago and Bewilderbeast, passing Astrid and the\r\n cheering Vikings on the ground.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Take them down, babe!\r\n\r\n \r\n The Viking roar in support as Hiccup and Toothless race past.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka watches with pride as her son hurtles towards Drago and\r\n the alpha.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Go get `em.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Take control of it!\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast's HISS becomes a furious ROAR, but to no\r\n avail. Hiccup clamps his hands over Toothless' ear plates,\r\n muffling the alpha's commands.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Shut it out, Toothless!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n\r\n STOP THEM!\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast BLASTS!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n\r\n NOW!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless suddenly PULLS UP, ARCING over Drago's head! Drago\r\n LAUGHS, victorious, then pauses in shock.\r\n\r\n \r\n DRAGO'S POV: as Toothless climbs inverted through the sky,\r\n the blindfold falls free, revealing an EMPTY SADDLE.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago WHIRLS around, wide-eyed, to see...\r\n\r\n \r\n HICCUP ZOOMING TOWARD HIM, his wing-suit deployed, and his\r\n Dragon Blade trailing Zippleback gas. Drago SWIPES but misses\r\n him. Hiccup clicks the lighter and ignites the gas, blasting\r\n Drago off his Bewilderbeast with a SCREAM.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago PLUMMETS, BREAKING HIS FALL against the massive\r\n dragon's spines and landing hard on the ground, his bullhook\r\n landing just out of reach.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast WHIPS its tail, trying to SWAT down Hiccup.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 91.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Not again.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n\r\n TOOTHLESS! IT'S NOW OR NEVER!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless pops open his dorsal blades, arcs skyward, and\r\n rejoins Hiccup just before colliding with the alpha's tail.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Come on, bud!\r\n\r\n \r\n Together again, they speed along the length of the thrashing\r\n tail...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Hold on!\r\n\r\n \r\n And shoot past the tip of the tail, narrowly making it!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Yeah! We did it!\r\n\r\n \r\n They arc through the sky and LAND a few paces from Drago,\r\n kicking up a trail of dust.\r\n\r\n \r\n Battered and weary, Drago reaches for his bullhook. Hiccup\r\n extends and fires up his Dragon Blade, hurling it like a\r\n javelin, and sticking it in the ground between Drago and his\r\n weapon, singeing his outstretched hand.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Agghh!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Hold him there Toothless!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless SNARLS a warning, ready to blast.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n It's all over now.\r\n\r\n \r\n But the cloud of dust settles, revealing the Bewilderbeast,\r\n rising behind Hiccup, ready to blast him instead.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n\r\n (GRINNING KNOWINGLY)\r\n Or is it?\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup spins around, alarmed, as a RUSH of water THUNDERS up\r\n the Bewilderbeast's throat.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Oh, no!\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 92.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n It BLASTS, but Toothless leaps into the way, shielding Hiccup\r\n beneath him. The freezing explosion envelops them both.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago laughs to himself as Valka lands her baby dragon and\r\n rushes to the icy explosion, hammering away at it\r\n desperately.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n No! No...\r\n\r\n \r\n ON ASTRID and GOBBER, watching from a distance, horrified. As\r\n Valka POUNDS at the ice, a GLOWS forms from deep within. She\r\n realizes what is about to happen and backs away.\r\n\r\n \r\n A BLAST thunders from inside the ice, SHATTERING it.\r\n Toothless emerges from the debris, revealing Hiccup curled\r\n safely under his wings.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless is steaming, his black skin glowing blue with rage,\r\n his split dorsal blades searing with blue heat, a glow\r\n emanating from his flared nostrils.\r\n\r\n \r\n He turns back to Hiccup, to check if he's unharmed, then\r\n turns his full attention back to the Bewilderbeast. He leaps\r\n out of the crater and lands upon an ice spire, roaring\r\n ferociously.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast bellows back at this affront. Toothless\r\n unleashes a salvo of plasma into the Bewilderbeast's face,\r\n not letting up.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n He's challenging the alpha!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n To protect you.\r\n The Bewilderbeast ROARS at this act of insubordination.\r\n Toothless fires back, time and again, fully in control.\r\n\r\n \r\n The alpha thrashes his tusks through the ice, trying to smash\r\n Toothless, but he deftly spring from spire to spire,\r\n continuing his unrelenting attack.\r\n\r\n \r\n In the midst of the mayhem, the horde of commandeered dragons\r\n -- both Berk's and Valka's -- break free from the control to\r\n witness Toothless' retaliation.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless lands protectively by Hiccup and Valka, commanding\r\n the dragons to shift sides. The follow, amassing behind\r\n Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n Seeing this, Drago panics and rushes toward the\r\n Bewilderbeast.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 93.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n No, no, no, no! Fight back! Fight!\r\n\r\n FIGHT!\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago clambers up the Bewilderbeast's tusk, totally unhinged.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO (CONT'D)\r\n (to the defecting dragons)\r\n What's the matter with you?\r\n\r\n \r\n The Berkians swell in to show their unified support. Drago\r\n fumes as Hiccup and Toothless fly up together onto an ice\r\n spire.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Now do you get it? This is what it\r\n is to earn a dragon's loyalty.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Let this end now.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DRAGO\r\n Never! Come on!\r\n\r\n \r\n He hammers the Bewilderbeast, spurring it into a charge.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless calls over his shoulder, commanding the dragons to\r\n ready themselves. He then BLASTS the Bewilderbeast, mid-\r\n charge. Suddenly, Skullcrusher fires. Followed by another,\r\n and another.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup looks around, amazed to see the flock of dragons\r\n opening fire on Drago and his Bewilderbeast. They've started\r\n a rebellion.\r\n\r\n \r\n Drago is forced to hide from the fiery barrage by taking\r\n cover in the tall spines of the giant's crown.\r\n\r\n DRAGO (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n FIGHT! BLAST THEM!\r\n\r\n \r\n His prosthetic arm is blasted clean off by one of his own\r\n armored dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Bewilderbeast rears back to cover them all in ice, but\r\n Toothless lets loose a powerful shot. The Bewilderbeast's\r\n head is KNOCKED backward by a blue-flame fireball.\r\n\r\n \r\n As the smoke clears, one of its massive TUSKS FALLS to the\r\n ground, sheared clean off. Drago glares at Toothless.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless ROARS commandingly, calling an end to the fight.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n The alpha protects them all.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 94.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Overwhelmed and overpowered, the Bewilderbeast yields to the\r\n new alpha and heeds Toothless' command, retreating into the\r\n sea in an explosive splash.\r\n\r\n \r\n The Berkians CHEER in victory!\r\n\r\n \r\n As the smoke clears, Hiccup and Toothless see nothing but\r\n bubbles on the waves to mark their disappearance. No sign of\r\n the Bewilderbeast... or Drago.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless hops down from the spire, cooling off, as people\r\n celebrate all around them.\r\n\r\n \r\n All of the dragons -- Berk's, Valka's, even Drago's -- land\r\n around Toothless. Cloudjumper bows to Toothless, starting a\r\n wave of bows, acknowledging their new alpha.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless looks around, surprised, then lets out a majestic\r\n ROAR. The assembled dragons join in, roaring in tribute.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless turns to Hiccup as he approaches.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n You never cease to amaze me, bud.\r\n Thank you.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless GURGLES and licks Hiccup's face. Hiccups squeals,\r\n trying to get away.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (CONT'D)\r\n Toothless! You know that doesn't\r\n wash out.\r\n\r\n \r\n The crowd laughs. All around them, Berk's dragons reunite\r\n with their Vikings.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n Stormfly!\r\n\r\n \r\n Stormfly bounds into Astrid.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Oh, give me a cuddle, Grumpy!\r\n\r\n \r\n Grump lands ON TOP of Gobber, flattening him.\r\n\r\n \r\n Relieved to the point of tears, Snotlout and Fishlegs race\r\n towards the expectant Ruffnut...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS\r\n Who's my little princess?\r\n\r\n \r\n ... and then right PAST her to embrace their dragons.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 95.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FISHLEGS (CONT'D)\r\n I missed you so much!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SNOTLOUT\r\n Don't you ever leave again,\r\n Hookfang!\r\n\r\n \r\n Ruffnut GRUMBLES, dejected. Barf dips his head in to console\r\n her.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT\r\n Oh Barf!\r\n\r\n \r\n She hugs him. Belch looms in for some affection, but Ruffnut\r\n pushes him away...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RUFFNUT (CONT'D)\r\n Not you.\r\n\r\n \r\n And into Tuffnut who glowers back at her.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup smiles, taking in the happy reunions. Skullcrusher\r\n approaches him, without an owner to reunite with. Hiccup pets\r\n him, as Eret approaches.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET\r\n That was some pretty fine dragon\r\n wrangling back there. You'd make a\r\n good trapper.\r\n\r\n \r\n Before Hiccup can respond, Skullcrusher nuzzles Eret\r\n affectionately. Eret chuckles and gently strokes him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Y'know, Skullcrusher's gonna need\r\n somebody to look after him now.\r\n\r\n ERET\r\n Me?\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup nods reassuringly. Eret looks at Skullcrusher, pausing\r\n to consider it.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ERET (CONT'D)\r\n I'd be honored.\r\n\r\n \r\n Valka walks up to her son, bursting with pride.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n Your father... he'd be every bit as\r\n proud as I am.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 96.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Thank you. I'm really glad you're\r\n here, Mom.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VALKA\r\n And here I'll stay.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless arrives, purring at Valka's touch as Astrid strides\r\n toward Hiccup, beaming proudly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ASTRID\r\n See? I told you it was in here.\r\n\r\n \r\n She places her hand upon his chest, then quickly pokes the\r\n dorsal fin button, popping it open. She GIGGLES.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP\r\n Ha, ha. Still doing that one?\r\n That's hilarious.\r\n\r\n (THEN)\r\n Come here, you.\r\n\r\n \r\n He scoops Astrid close and pulls her into a kiss. Gobber\r\n covers a gawking boy's eyes.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GOBBER\r\n Ooh.\r\n\r\n \r\n Gothi, the elder, taps Hiccup's shoulder, interrupting the\r\n romantic moment. She gestures for Hiccup to kneel. He does\r\n so, respectfully.\r\n\r\n \r\n Using ash from a heap of burnt wreckage, Gothi traces a\r\n Viking symbol onto Hiccup's forehead. She bows.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup stands, meeting Gobber's proud, smiling eyes. Gobber\r\n turns to the silent crowd and throws up his arms.\r\n\r\n GOBBER (CONT'D)\r\n The chief has come home!\r\n\r\n \r\n The Berkians erupt with cheers and applause as Hiccup takes\r\n in the moment, acknowledging the weight of responsibility now\r\n upon him.\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless throws back his head and BLASTS in celebration,\r\n spurring all other dragons to follow suit, lighting up the\r\n sky in a spectacular display.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n EXT. BERK VILLAGE - DAY\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n (Scene 2700 - A New Beginning)\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 97.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n A sheep grazes lazily on the grass as a Terrible Terror\r\n struggles in vain to carry him off. Suddenly, both are\r\n snatched up by a passing dragon.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n IN THE AIR\r\n\r\n \r\n Ruffnut and Tuffnut wrestle over the sheep atop Barf & Belch.\r\n Ruffnut send the sheep flying toward Fishlegs. Snotlout nabs\r\n it instead, blowing a kiss mockingly.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n This... is Berk. A bit trampled and\r\n busted and covered in ice, but it's\r\n home. It's our home.\r\n\r\n \r\n They swoop past a gathered crowd on the battered bleachers as\r\n Snotlout dunks the sheep in his basket. Eret joins the race\r\n atop Skullcrusher.\r\n\r\n \r\n They fly past Hiccup and Toothless, who are steadily hoisting\r\n a palette of timber and supplies onto a rooftop where workers\r\n are rebuilding the damaged houses.\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup then turns his attention to a massive statue of\r\n Stoick, presently under construction. He grins with pride.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n Those who attacked us are\r\n relentless and crazy. But those who\r\n stopped them? Oh, even more so!\r\n\r\n \r\n He looks to the horizon, scanning it from east to west to\r\n ensure that no trouble is approaching.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and Stormfly buzz past him playfully, coaxing him to\r\n join the game. He smiles.\r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n We may be small in numbers, but we\r\n stand for something bigger than\r\n anything the world can pit against\r\n us.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid soars past the blacksmith stall, waving to Valka and\r\n Gobber as they remove the armor from Drago's freed battle\r\n dragons.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n We are the voice of peace. And bit\r\n by bit, we will change this world.\r\n HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 98.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Realizing that he's late, Gobber hurries over to the sheep\r\n launcher and pulls the trigger, sending the black sheep\r\n hurtling into the air.\r\n\r\n \r\n Astrid and Stormfly close in on the black sheep, about to\r\n snatch it out of the air, when suddenly, Hiccup and Toothless\r\n dart past, beating them to it. Toothless looks back with a\r\n gummy smile.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n You see, we have something they\r\n don't. Oh sure, they have armies\r\n and they have armadas...\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless and Hiccup dive toward the line of baskets. As they\r\n approach, Toothless bounces Hiccup into the air, allowing him\r\n to dunk the black sheep into Astrid's basket. They reunite on\r\n the other side. The crowd cheers!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n But we... we have...\r\n\r\n \r\n Hiccup and Toothless land upon the chief's dais, joined by\r\n Astrid, Stormfly, and the other dragon riders.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n HICCUP (V.O.)\r\n\r\n OUR DRAGONS!\r\n\r\n \r\n Toothless lets out a proud roar as Hiccup look out over Berk,\r\n gleaming with pride.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n END TITLE: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2"}}},{"rowIdx":144,"cells":{"Action":{"kind":"string","value":"\"Hudson Hawk\", by Steven E. de Souza, revised by Daniel Waters\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n HUDSON HAWK\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Screenplay by\r\n\r\n Steven E. de Souza\r\n\r\n\r\n Revisions by\r\n\r\n Dan Waters\r\n\r\n\r\n Based on an original idea by\r\n Bruce Willis & Robert Kraft\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A Silver Pictures/Flying Heart Films June 14, 1990\r\n Production\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n NOTE: THE HARD COPY OF THIS SCRIPT CONTAINED SCENE NUMBERS\r\n AND SOME \"SCENE OMITTED\" SLUGS. THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR\r\n THIS SOFT COPY.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n FADE IN:\r\n\r\n EXT. VINCI COUNTRYSIDE - RENAISSANCE - DAY\r\n\r\n Beneath a jawdroppingly storybook castle, a small\r\n Renaissance Fair with florid awnings, demented ACROBATS\r\n and roaring puppets is unfolding.\r\n\r\n RUSTIC FARMERS and their families rumble with enjoyment\r\n at the Sabbath afternoon entertainment.\r\n\r\n Encircled by children, A JUGGLER WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY\r\n ETCHED FACE elegantly plucks the red balls from a pouch\r\n on his mule. As he begins to juggle, a LOUD EXPLOSION\r\n is heard, causing him to ungracefully drop his balls\r\n and collapse in a heap.\r\n\r\n Everyone at the fair, including the puppets, looks up.\r\n\r\n UNFORGETTABLE JUGGLER\r\n Leonardo, che pazzo.\r\n\r\n The juggler shakes his fist up to a swish pan that swings\r\n up toward a smoking window of the awesome castle...\r\n\r\n INT. ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE\r\n\r\n where the charismatic LEONARDO DA VINCI laughs down at\r\n him. Da Vinci wears a pair of very early, very cool sun-\r\n glasses with his trademark beard.\r\n\r\n He turns and loses his smile, something extraordinary\r\n reflecting off his glasses. Removing his shades, Da\r\n Vinci moves to the Something, a gloriously incredible\r\n machine. The opening CREDITS REVEAL its dazzling idio-\r\n syncrasies.\r\n\r\n TWO COUGHING APPRENTICES haplessly try to disperse smoke\r\n from the still billowing, mysteriously spectacular\r\n Machine. Mirrors attached to parts of it reflect beams\r\n of light which cut through the smoke like a Renaissance\r\n laser show.\r\n\r\n DA VINCI\r\n (silencing authority)\r\n Basta vapore.\r\n\r\n The apprentice throws a lever. A shunt near the furnace\r\n turns. Steam escapes upwards. The machine immediately\r\n slows down. Da Vinci oh-so-gently coughs and moves for-\r\n ward with tongs.\r\n\r\n A LITTLE TROUGH - IN THE MACHINE'S INNARDS\r\n\r\n comes to a trembling, mystical halt. Right behind this\r\n trough is a CONPLEX POLYHEDRON CRYSTAL as intricately\r\n modulated as any Rubik stocking stuffer, but much more\r\n dazzling in beauty. It gleams like a jewel in the yellow\r\n glow which pours from a PLEASANTLY GRINNING DEMONHEAD into\r\n a trough--a glow of heat--and something more than heat.\r\n\r\n The tongs enter the frame.\r\n\r\n Da Vinci brings the object closer to his face. A murmur\r\n goes up from the awestruck apprentices as the Master\r\n peers at the smoking yellow bar.\r\n\r\n APPRENTICE TWO\r\n Maestro, che meraviglia!\r\n\r\n APPRENTICE THREE\r\n Lei e' proprio fantastico!\r\n\r\n Da Vinci's pride goes dead as the implications hit.\r\n\r\n DA VINCI\r\n Lasciatemi, solo. Solo!\r\n\r\n The apprentices scurry out. Mind reeling, Da Vinci turns\r\n his back to the viewer, before a wall of frescoes.\r\n\r\n DA VINCI\r\n L'ho fatto.\r\n\r\n Spinning back around, using the edge of his cloak, Da\r\n Vinci pulls out the large gleaming crystal with a pop.\r\n\r\n INT. DA VINCI'S WORKSHOP\r\n\r\n With an accompanying blast of smoke, Da Vinci bursts\r\n through some double doors into his workshop, sadly\r\n reflecting upon the crystal in one hand and the tonged\r\n bar in the other.\r\n\r\n His workshop is a spendiferously enigmatic blend of\r\n laboratory and studio; On a table in the foreground is\r\n a fresh clay equestrian statue; a large VOLUME of\r\n sketches, the inkwell nearby; a MODEL of what looks like\r\n a HELICOPTER; Da Vinci flings the tonged bar on the table\r\n among these goodies.\r\n\r\n Pocketing the crystal, Da Vinci meanders through his work-\r\n shop casually tinkering with various experiments. He\r\n snaps his fingers at a BATHING SUITED APPRENTICE, wearing\r\n a diving helmet prototype. The Apprentice jumps into a\r\n pool of water.\r\n\r\n Leonardo next stops at an easel displaying a finished-\r\n except-for-the-mouth portrait of Mona Lisa, who happens\r\n to be seated in a stool before the easel. She broadly\r\n smiles, revealing the worst dental work of her epoch.\r\n Da Vinci shakes his head and moves out onto a\r\n\r\n EXT. CASTLE TERRACE\r\n\r\n A FLYING APPRENTICE sails past Leonardo in a bat winged\r\n glider, enthusiastically shouting. Da Vinci grins back\r\n until he touches his pocket. He pulls out the crystal\r\n and, after a beat, angrily twists it apart into two\r\n separate, geometric pieces revealing a small intricate\r\n mirror. He quickly folds the surprisingly shapable\r\n geometric pieces.\r\n\r\n Calming down, Da Vinci looks from the three components of\r\n the crystal to each of the three unfinished works on the\r\n table in his workshop. He ponders then looks back out to\r\n the Vinci vista.\r\n\r\n The bat winged glider DISSOLVES into:\r\n\r\n A HAWK\r\n\r\n who is revealed to be flying over Sing Sing prison.\r\n\r\n INT. A SING SING PRISON CELL\r\n\r\n The shadow of the hawk passes through a cell window, over\r\n the face of EDDIE HUDSON HAWKINS causing him to break out\r\n of an eye-closed trance.\r\n\r\n Before the viewer can get a good look at him, Hudson\r\n Hawk turns to an oddball version of the \"Mona Lisa\" that\r\n has his face and tears it off the cell back-wall.\r\n\r\n INT. PRISON BLOCK WALKWAY\r\n\r\n TWO PRISON GUARDS, One WISE and BLACK, the other YOUNG\r\n and GREEN march down a cell block. The Former is smoking\r\n a pipe which the Young Guard lights with a lighter.\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n We're losing our biggest celebrity\r\n today.\r\n\r\n YOUNG GUARD\r\n You're kidding, Petey the Paint\r\n Thinner Killer is getting paroled?\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n Not that slime, you Fizzhead.\r\n Hudson Hawk. The last of the\r\n great cat burglars.\r\n\r\n INT. PRISON CELL WALL\r\n\r\n A hand tears down a picture of a happy Hudson Hawk and\r\n a LITTLE MONKEY, identically dressed in black cat\r\n burglar gear.\r\n\r\n THE BLOCK\r\n\r\n The Wise Guard and the Young Guard rumble forward.\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n As a thief, Hawk was a poem.\r\n Iambic fucking pentameter. You\r\n know, Crime used to have a little\r\n class. A hundred reporters were\r\n here when he came in, now they're\r\n probably out covering some tired\r\n crack gang war...\r\n\r\n The Guards approach Hawk's cell. Hawk, with his back\r\n turned, hefts on a nifty blazer.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Remind me to fire my publicist.\r\n\r\n The Wise Guard chuckles as the Young Guard fumbles with\r\n his key-ring.\r\n\r\n YOUNG GUARD\r\n Darn, these are for L-block...\r\n\r\n Hawk's hand reaches through the bars and grabs a pipe\r\n cleaner from the Wise Guard's pocket. Then the lighter\r\n from the Young Guard's pocket--BURNS OFF the fabric fuzz\r\n with the lighter beside it--bends the now blackened\r\n wire--and with a quick turn of the wrist uses it to\r\n UNLOCK the door.\r\n\r\n YOUNG GUARD\r\n - go back down to security and-\r\n\r\n He stops, dumbfounded, as the door clunks open. The\r\n Guards double-take as Hawk, finally in full view, struts\r\n past them, down the hall. The Guards hustle to catch\r\n up. The wise guard puts his finger in the air and\r\n sarcastically pretends to be stung by the heat emanating\r\n from Hawk.\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n Guess this means, Hawk, you'll\r\n be able to let yourself back in...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Never happen. Bet. Ten bucks.\r\n\r\n Hawk and the Wise Guard hit fists, half-smiling. Hawk\r\n unfolds the painting.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, give this back to Petey in A\r\n block. Tell him it was a sweet\r\n gift, but I think he got some\r\n wrong ideas about our friendship.\r\n\r\n YOUNG GUARD\r\n The Paint Thinner Killer did\r\n this? I think you picked a good\r\n day to get out...\r\n\r\n The trio comes to the final checkpoint. Hawk takes a\r\n deep breath.\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n Hope I lose the bet. Have that\r\n cappuccino on me.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (flipping him the\r\n pipe cleaner)\r\n You got it. A double.\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE THE PRISON--DAY\r\n\r\n Hawk strides to the Massive Sliding Concrete Door/Wall\r\n between him and freedom. As music crescendos and\r\n Hawk glows his first smile, the door opens to reveal two\r\n Mafioso brothers, CESAR and ANTONY MARIO, the latter\r\n sitting upon the hood of a tinted window Lincoln\r\n Continental. Cesar is of cool, hair-slicked-back\r\n attitude, his scumbag brother is not.\r\n\r\n ANTONY\r\n Welcome back, buddy ol' pal.\r\n We've got a proposition...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Answer's no, not even if you\r\n bathe. Cesar Mario, Antony Mario,\r\n how's the \"Family?\" Kill any\r\n monkeys lately?\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n How many times do I have to say\r\n it? I didn't put the hit on\r\n Little Eddie... Never had anything\r\n against that kooky chimp. I\r\n actually found him, \"endearing.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Sure. Face down. Two endearing\r\n shots to the back of the head.\r\n That's your mark, man. What did\r\n Little Eddie ever do to...\r\n\r\n Smouldering, Hawk struts off. Cesar takes a black\r\n canvas bag from a SCARFACED DRIVER and hustles up to\r\n Hawk. The Lincoln rumbles behind them, Antony riding\r\n on the hood.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n You're hitting Rutherford's\r\n Auction House. Easy as my\r\n brother's wife. Directions are\r\n in the bag. Just open the seventh\r\n floor safe and take out the\r\n thingie...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Or you cut off my thingie.\r\n Directions even your brother\r\n would understand.\r\n \r\n ANTONY\r\n (defensively)\r\n Yeah, directions even I could\r\n understand.\r\n\r\n The car squeals to a stop. Antony bounds off. Cesar\r\n shove-throws the canvas bag into Hawk's unwilling\r\n hands.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n Hawk, you're a great thief. Got\r\n set up, did some time, nothing to\r\n be ashamed of. Don't give me a\r\n sonata about you always just\r\n really wanted to settle down,\r\n open a hardware Store and sell\r\n spatulas...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n If the Mario brothers weren't\r\n Jersey's third largest family,\r\n I'd say kiss my ass. But\r\n considering your status, I'll\r\n say slurp my butt.\r\n\r\n Hawk fiercely push-shoves the canvas bag back into\r\n Cesar's hands.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n What's your favorite sport, Hawk?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Baseball, why?\r\n\r\n Antony opens the back door of the Lincoln and says\r\n \"Baseball.\" He is handed a baseball bat. Hawk backs\r\n up as Antony moves threateningly toward him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I meant, ping pong. Listen, I'd\r\n rather go back in than whore for\r\n you...\r\n (stopping)\r\n Oh, I need to borrow ten dollars.\r\n\r\n A PRISON GUARD from above turns as not to be a witness.\r\n Hawk feebly calls up to him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Help? Police?\r\n\r\n Antony swings at Hawk, who pretends not to notice until\r\n the last second. Hawk ducks and slam-kicks his calf.\r\n Antony crumples, using the bat as a crutch. Hawk boots\r\n up the bat for a two-handed catch then savagely pivots\r\n it across Antony's face, knocking him into the backseat\r\n of the car.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n (unfazed)\r\n You need some time to think.\r\n That's cool, but next time, I'm\r\n not going to say \"Please.\"\r\n\r\n Cesar floats into the backseat. The Lincoln takes off.\r\n Hawk seethes...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I don't believe this. I've been\r\n out forty seconds...\r\n\r\n A BACKFIRE rings out. Hawk hits the ground, thinking\r\n it is a gunshot.\r\n\r\n HAWK'S ON THE GROUND P.O.V.\r\n\r\n A gasping 1960 Caddy comes to a stop and a pair of a too-\r\n fancy-to-be-tasteful shoes comes out. Hawk looks up to\r\n see ALEX MESSINA, his older, maybe-maybe-not-wiser best\r\n friend.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n That's the first thing I did.\r\n Smooch the ground and taste the\r\n freedom. Sorry I was late. Miss\r\n anything?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (getting up)\r\n Your timing, and your shoes, are\r\n impeccable... Good to see you,\r\n Alex, been having a lousy day.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Lousy day? The man's getting out\r\n of prison and he's having a\r\n lousy day. What, you missing out\r\n on the Cell Block Water Ballet\r\n pageant? Believe me, it's\r\n overrated.\r\n\r\n Hawk pauses to say something, then just hugs Alex.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Where's the kiss? No tongue this\r\n time, I promise.\r\n\r\n A laughing Hawk gives Alex's stomach a slap before\r\n getting in the car....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Looks like you've been expanding\r\n your...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Don't say it, Hawkins. I'm\r\n incredibly sensitive about my\r\n fucking figure.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n My next word was gonna be\r\n \"consciousness.\" Swear to God...\r\n tubby.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE ROAD INTO HOBOKEN--DAY\r\n\r\n The Caddy thunders past a sweet Manhattan view. \"Come\r\n Fly With Me\" is playing on the radio. Hawk casually com-\r\n pletes an intimidating hand puzzle.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n That's your definition of \"Hard?\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Show off. Hey, boss tune. \"Come\r\n Fly with Me.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Three minutes, 51 seconds.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Still do the puzzles, still know\r\n the running times of songs, and\r\n I'll bet you're still the best\r\n damn cat burg--\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Not anymore. Now I'm the laziest\r\n damn cat burg--I'm going to take\r\n it so straight that I won't tape\r\n a Mets game without the expressed\r\n written consent of the National\r\n Baseball League.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Now that you're born again,what\r\n do you wanna do? Statue of\r\n Liberty? Entertain some ladies?\r\n Miss Saigon tix? Seduce some\r\n women? Play Nintendo? Bone some\r\n chicks?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Come on, Alex, let's just get to\r\n Alex's. Your bar's the only\r\n place that's going to cheer me.\r\n God, I'd kill for a damn\r\n cappuccino. What the hell's a\r\n Nintendo?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Oh man, you still got a thing for\r\n those unmasculine European coffees?\r\n Who's your buddy?\r\n\r\n Alex pulls a styrofoam cup from a paper bag.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The man knows, the man knows!\r\n\r\n Hawk takes off the cap with a stimulating whiff.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n So Mr. Coffee, what went down\r\n outside the prison?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, not much. Mario Brothers want\r\n me to do a job.\r\n\r\n Alex brakes and cappuccino flies. Hawk half-heartedly\r\n tries to lick up with his fingers.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Those dago-guinea-I can say\r\n this shit I'm Italian-wop\r\n motherfu--\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Ah, had the perfect amount of\r\n foam. Just get me to the bar...\r\n It's the one good thing in my\r\n life that'll never change....\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE ALEX'S BAR--NIGHT\r\n\r\n The Guys move through the personably Jersey face of the\r\n bar. The Empire State Building beams in the background.\r\n Sinatra cuts off.\r\n\r\n INT. ALEX'S BAR--NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's changed. Hawk and Alex enter into what has become\r\n the ultimate pseudo-art deco-fern littered-nightmare,\r\n packed with noisy, INSUFFERABLY SELF-ABSORBED YUPS.\r\n A violently erotic and pretentious video plays upon\r\n elevated T.V. sets set up all around the place.\r\n\r\n Hawk's mouth gapes as he drifts by a sickening COUPLE\r\n toasting wine coolers, and two very YOUNG BROKERS high-\r\n fiving each other after missing a dartboard.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I didn't know how to tell you. A\r\n couple brokers stopped in for\r\n Stoley Spritzers one night. Next\r\n thing I know Fast Track Digest\r\n votes us \"Watering Hole of the\r\n Month.\" Now, I'm shopping for\r\n Aqua Salmon wallpaper.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I read about these people in\r\n Newsweek. Where's all the\r\n regulars, Crazy Jeff Cava, the\r\n Todd sisters, Indian Joe? Where's\r\n Ed Kranepool's autograph? Captain\r\n Bob's steering wheel?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hey, get this irritable guy a\r\n cappuccino. I gotta go be a boss.\r\n\r\n Alex lifts a piece of the bar and moves behind it.\r\n Snatching up a menu, Hawk calls out...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This is Pizza? Reindeer Goat\r\n cheese? I admit, I've been known\r\n to go wild and order a Canadian\r\n Bacon in my time, but..\r\n\r\n Hawk lights up a cigarette. A TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER\r\n immediately turns to him wearing a \"Yes, I mind if you\r\n smoke\" button.\r\n\r\n TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER\r\n Can you read.... smoker?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Can you take a sunrise and\r\n sprinkle it with dew?\r\n\r\n TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER\r\n (Huh?)\r\n No.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The Candy Man can, Felix. You\r\n know, I thought this was a country\r\n where you could do any stupid\r\n thing you wanted; drive to work\r\n naked, make love to a V.C.R.\r\n Guess I'm wrong. Maybe that's\r\n why I became a serial arsonist.\r\n\r\n TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER\r\n Hey, it's okay, big guy. Smoke\r\n all you want. Have mine....\r\n\r\n The Non-smoker fumbles out a pack of cigarettes and\r\n flees. A cappuccino in cup and saucer slides down the\r\n bar saloon-style. A smiling Hawk picks it up, turns away\r\n from the bar and closes his eyes, bringing the cup to his\r\n lips until a POLICE BADGE swirls into frame and splashes\r\n into the cup, splattering coffee over Hawk's blazer.\r\n\r\n GATES (O.S.)\r\n You're under arrest...\r\n\r\n Hawk makes eye contact up to a crude, coarse, and\r\n cackling island of a man, OFFICER GATES, amid the sea\r\n of oblivious and self-obsessed yuppitude, standing by\r\n a table.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Have a seat. Good to see you,\r\n buddy ol' pal...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The pleasure's all yours, Officer\r\n Gates.\r\n\r\n BACK OF THE BAR\r\n\r\n With concern, Alex watches Hawk sit at Gates' table.\r\n\r\n GATES' TABLE\r\n\r\n Gates pillages a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with\r\n terrifying precision. Hawk tosses the badge onto the\r\n food. Gates eats around it.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Why do you show your parole\r\n officer such disrespect?\r\n Especially after I got you such\r\n a nice job.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n What job?\r\n\r\n Gates pulls up the black canvas bag and puts it on the\r\n table.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n The auction house, asshole. One\r\n night's work and you're free like\r\n no ex-con's ever been. No\r\n checking in with a shrink, no\r\n community service teaching\r\n retards how to play air hockey.\r\n It's a great deal, I can't lie.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The only thing you can't do is\r\n get sex for free. I know I was\r\n in prison for like basically the\r\n 80's, but, call me daffy, aren't\r\n you supposed to stop me from\r\n committing crimes. You know,\r\n Book-em-Dano, Call-for-backup,\r\n Give-a-Hoot-Don't-Pollute.\r\n\r\n Gates thunders out of his chair and moves around to sneer\r\n down at Hawk. Behind Gates, on the T.V. screens, are\r\n analogous images of DISGUSTING ANIMALS AND MONSTERS.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n You wouldn't be out if it wasn't\r\n for me! I did dog and pony for\r\n you! You think they would have\r\n let you out after what you did,\r\n you told the board members they\r\n looked like the Three Stooges...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n How was I supposed to know they\r\n were women? Besides one of them\r\n was bald and kept saying\r\n \"Soitinly.\"\r\n\r\n Gates simmers into his seat with a self-control smile.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Remember that guy in the cell\r\n next to you who hung himself?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Remember that shoe you lost...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Uh, yeah. Cut to the chase.\r\n\r\n Gates pulls up a shoe and puts it on the table.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n One phone call and your shoe\r\n will become a piece of evidence\r\n and that suicide'll become a\r\n murder.\r\n\r\n Hawk bobs under the table and up.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n What else do you got under there\r\n ... I don't want to be rude, but\r\n this is all pretty lame.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n That's the beauty. It's bullshit,\r\n but I can make it stick because\r\n I'm a good guy parole officer and\r\n you re a bad guy who's about to\r\n find out that there's a thin line\r\n between ex-con and escape con.\r\n\r\n Alex suddenly approaches the table.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n How is everything tonight, sir?\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Beat it, Alex. You're a dinosaur.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alex, did you know this ape was\r\n going to be here...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Sure. That's why his meatballs\r\n are made out of marinated Chuck\r\n Wagon.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n (mouthful)\r\n You're full of shit.\r\n\r\n As Alex speaks, an eating dog is on the screens.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n No, man, actually you are. Just\r\n add water and it makes its own\r\n gravy. Keeps your teeth healthy\r\n and your coat shiny.\r\n\r\n Gates grabs the shoes and races off, gagging. Hawk gets\r\n up to laugh next to Alex. Their laughter dies as they\r\n turn to look at the black canvas bag left on the table\r\n between them.\r\n\r\n INT. BACK ROOM--DAWN\r\n\r\n Hawk stares mournfully at a black and white photo of a\r\n monkey-sized chalk-outline on a city street. Behind him,\r\n Alex pulls out blueprints from the black bag. Sinatra's\r\n \"Witchcraft\" blares on the radio....\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hmmmm.....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yo Pandora, quit hummm-ing... look\r\n at this.\r\n\r\n Hawk is rummaging through stockpiled remnants of an old,\r\n \"true\" bar. Round lamps, tacky mirrors, pictures of Hawk\r\n and the Regs at the bar. Managing a weary smile, Hawk\r\n lifts a ship steering wheel, while Alex puts on a pair of\r\n granny classes and pulls out blueprints.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n It's Captain Bob's steering wheel!\r\n Remember when the Captain.....\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hmmm, nasty little safe on the 7th.\r\n\r\n Hawk nervously picks up a Rubik's Cube and holds it\r\n behind his back. He brings it back around, completed.\r\n Sighing, Hawk drops the cube and rubs his scalp. Alex\r\n starts rubbing his stomach. They pace in pre-job\r\n syncopation and speak rapid-fire.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The safe's a Simpson 71. Last\r\n time I played the game, Simpson\r\n only had a 40.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Just means it'll take you an extra\r\n 31 seconds to seduce. You re\r\n still the best, I know it.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n But you got three guards who...\r\n Shit, what am I doing? Where's\r\n the want ads? Gonna sell some\r\n spatulas.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hey, I'm sorry, man. I'm putting\r\n out a fire with kerosene.\r\n\r\n Alex gives Hawk a consoling two-hand-shake then jumps\r\n back to reveal he has put Hawk into thumbcuffs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This isn't funny. I'm not into\r\n this. I...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n There goes five seconds...My\r\n record's eighteen.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You're not...LISTENING!\r\n\r\n Out of annoyance, Hawk breaks out of the cuffs and\r\n violently throws them at Alex, who sits down a little\r\n wounded.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'm sorr--Goddamn Mario Brothers.\r\n Goddamn Gates. Goddamn Rutherford\r\n Auction House. By the way, how\r\n many seconds?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Rutherford Auction... that name...\r\n\r\n Alex jumps up excitedly and then convulses in pain.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alex!\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Don't wet your diapers. I'll have\r\n to change them. \"Witchcraft.\"\r\n What's the running time?\r\n\r\n Alex flops down behind a work table before a wallfull of\r\n drawings of different kinds of vaults. He sets himself\r\n up for an insulin injection.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n 3:48. I can't get you involved,\r\n man. This is my sewage and...\r\n (re drawings)\r\n God, you love all this, don't you,\r\n you bastard. Haven't you ever\r\n heard of stamp collecting, or\r\n curling?\r\n\r\n Hawk leans in and administers the shot of insulin to\r\n Alex.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I'm in. Have you seen the public\r\n service announcements for Diabetes.\r\n We can ride horses, play LaCrosse,\r\n and knock off auction houses. I\r\n got a plan. You won't have to hail\r\n Cesar or Gates.\r\n\r\n Hawk collapses next to Alex, resigned to his fate.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'm a bum.\r\n\r\n EXT. NICE, BUSINESS NEIGHBORHOOD--NIGHT\r\n\r\n TWO GRUBBY DERELICTS, one pushing a shopping cart, the\r\n other inside it, situated atop the usual two Glad bags.\r\n They are drunkenly warbling \"Witchcraft.\" IMPECCABLY\r\n DRESSED NIGHT-LIFERS give them a wide berth.\r\n\r\n Our derelicts pass beneath a MASSIVE RED CANOPY of a\r\n distinguished eight story edifice, upon which is written\r\n RUTHERFORD'S AUCTION HOUSE. A DOORMAN shoos them away...\r\n\r\n A NEWSPAPER TRUCK pulls up in front of the Auction House.\r\n The Driver pops out with a bundle of papers and moves to\r\n a Dispenser on the corner. The Bums wheel around the\r\n truck. The Driver loads the papers and bounds back.\r\n\r\n The Truck pulls away from the corner. The shopping cart\r\n rolls off--the bums nowhere to be seen.\r\n\r\n The Truck turns the corner, revealing the derelicts\r\n climbing up the back of it, with Glad bags around their\r\n necks. The Truck moves toward an enclosed Walkway Bridge\r\n that connects the Auction House with another Building.\r\n\r\n Launching low-tech grapples, the Vagrants latch them-\r\n selves onto the Walkway window as the Truck passes\r\n beneath.\r\n\r\n AT THE WINDOW\r\n\r\n The viewer's viewpoint moves into a tighter view of the\r\n dangling derelicts, revealing them to, of course, be Hawk\r\n and Alex. Getting a footing, on the small window ledge,\r\n each man cuts a hole in the window while holding onto a\r\n plunger.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Whoa, you better cut a bigger hole\r\n than that.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hey, you promised......Don't worry,\r\n I'm wearing my girdle.\r\n\r\n INT. INSIDE THE WALKWAY WINDOW--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex come through their window holes. Hawk\r\n immediately flattens himself against a wall, whisper-\r\n ing...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Cameras?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n No need. Guards' station's right\r\n there.\r\n\r\n Alex points to an open doorway just down the hall where\r\n laughter and shadows emerge. Hawk tries to flee, but a\r\n grinning Alex pulls him toward it.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex slide across the wall to a closed room\r\n marked POWER, which is right next to the open Guards'\r\n Station. The viewer's viewpoint moves past Hawk and\r\n Alex lock-picking into the Power room to...\r\n\r\n INT. THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n Two Security Guards sit before a console of seven\r\n security screens still chuckling over an unheard joke.\r\n Wires coming out of the security console run across the\r\n floor and through the wall into...\r\n\r\n INT. THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n The wires go up to a row of seven humming, RECORD button\r\n flashing V.C.R.s. Hawk and Alex stand before them,\r\n sharing a cig.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n They record everything their\r\n video surveillance takes in...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yes, master-thief, I can see that.\r\n You said something about a plan...\r\n\r\n Alex presses the REWIND buttons on the V.C.R.'s.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Am I boring you, smartass? Watch.\r\n A little rewind and re-wire action\r\n and the Guards are going to be\r\n watching a rerun and miss out on\r\n our exciting episode.\r\n\r\n Alex pulls from a nearby shelf six tapes marked MONDAY.\r\n\r\n INT. SEVENTH FLOOR AUCTION AUDITORIUM--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Moving beneath a video camera and a dazzling Set of\r\n Hanging Horse Mobiles, a Heavyset guard, BIG STAN, moseys\r\n through the dimly lit main auction house auditorium. The\r\n auditorium chairs are strewn out in the middle beside a\r\n turbo Floor Washer.\r\n\r\n Next to a painting of Happy Children Riding Horses at the\r\n back of the auditorium stage, Big Stan hefts himself upon\r\n a comparatively TINY BLUE CHAIR and begins to tip back\r\n and snooze.\r\n\r\n INT. GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n The Security Guards look to the seventh floor screen to\r\n see an unfolding shot of Big Stan mid-snooze.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD ONE\r\n Check out Big Stan...\r\n (walkie-talkie)\r\n Big Stan!\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n Startled by his walkie-talkie, Big Stan falls back on the\r\n little chair, crunching it to the ground.\r\n\r\n THE FIRST FLOOR\r\n\r\n The laughing security guards see the crunch.\r\n\r\n INT. THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Alex puts the last of the Monday tapes into a V.C.R.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n You got about five minutes and\r\n change.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n 5:32. \"Swinging on a Star.\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n You know they invented something\r\n while you were inside. Called a\r\n watch.\r\n\r\n A freight elevator pings. Hawk opens it up as the music\r\n of \"Swinging on the Star\" kicks in on the soundtrack.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"A mule is an animal with long\r\n funny ears.\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"He kicks up at anything he\r\n hears.\r\n\r\n Hawk crams himself into the freight elevator with his\r\n Glad bag. Strenuously upbeat Ray Conniffesque singers\r\n continue to sing the song, orchestrally accompanied, when\r\n Hawk isn't.\r\n\r\n INT. THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR\r\n\r\n Hawk takes over the song, sardined in the elevator.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Or would you rather swing on a\r\n star, carry moonbeams home in a\r\n jar.\"\r\n\r\n POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Alex goes up to a Circuit Box and pulls down two large\r\n Switches. The soundtrack singers continue to warble.\r\n\r\n THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n The lights of the floor wobble and die. The console\r\n screens blink off. The Security Guards stop laughing.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD TWO\r\n Hell-o. Check the Power room,\r\n bud...\r\n\r\n Security Guard One harrumphs into a standing position...\r\n\r\n POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Alex speedily hooks and rehooks the backs of the V.C.R.S.\r\n They now all have their PLAY buttons lit up.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n swing on a star, carry moonbeams...\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Security Guard One fishes for keys to open the power\r\n room. The soundtrack singers whisper as not to give away\r\n Alex.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Alex briskly slams back up the switches.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n The singers go louder as the lights come back on.\r\n Security Guard One harrumphs and heads back to the\r\n Guards' Station.\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n Hawk scrambles out of the freight elevator in the left\r\n wall of the Auditorium, glancing to the clock.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Or would you rather be a fish?\"\r\n\r\n He pulls out the black canvas bag from his Glad bag and\r\n takes out the blueprints. Hawk follows them toward the\r\n painting on-stage.\r\n\r\n THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n Big Stan comes up from behind his fellow guards, dumping\r\n the remains of the chair on the floor.\r\n\r\n BIG STAN\r\n (moving back off)\r\n Very funny.\r\n\r\n The Seventh Floor Screen shows a peaceful auction\r\n auditorium. And the Blue Chair.\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM--CAMERA P.O.V.\r\n\r\n From the exact angle, the viewer sees the current state\r\n of the room with Hawk flinging off the painting of the\r\n horseback children, revealing a safe. But no Blue chair.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n spits on the rubber cup of an electronic sensor, plugged\r\n into a Walkman, and affixes it to the safe above the\r\n dial.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (lyric trouble)\r\n \"A fish is annuh nan na nan na\r\n brook.\r\n\r\n THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR\r\n\r\n Alex is now packed into the freight elevator.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"He can't write his name or read\r\n a book. To fool people is his\r\n only thought.\"\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (remembering)\r\n \"And though he's slippery, he\r\n still gets caught.\"\r\n\r\n Wearing headphones, Hawk cranks up the Walkman and spins\r\n the dial. The CLICKS from the dial are so loud he winces\r\n and turns down the volume. Then there's a CLUNK.\r\n\r\n THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n With the soundtrack singers taking over, Guard Two sips\r\n a cup of coffee. He doesn't swallow.\r\n\r\n His sights zero in on the Blue Chair on the seventh\r\n screen. He looks to the chair remains, then back again.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD TWO\r\n Uh, Jerry. I'm looking at the\r\n seventh floor and I don't know\r\n how to say this, I see the Blue\r\n Chair.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD ONE\r\n What the... You think that's weird,\r\n check out screen two.....\r\n\r\n Screen Two shows THE TWO SECURITY GUARDS THEMSELVES\r\n hatching open some on-duty beers, going down a hall.\r\n Guard Two looks to the empties atop the console....\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD TWO\r\n Somebody rewired the recorders!\r\n\r\n AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n Hawk ditches his accessories and swings the safe door\r\n open.\r\n\r\n Inside the safe, along with the \"holy\" Da Vinci music\r\n cue, is the clay equestrian model from Leonardo's\r\n worktable.\r\n\r\n Hawk belts out as he put it in the black canvas bag.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"And all the monkeys aren't in\r\n the zoo.\"\r\n\r\n ALEX (V.O.)\r\n \"Every day you meet quite a few.\"\r\n\r\n Alex gives Hawk a congratulatory pat.\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ALEX\r\n \"So you see it's all up to you.\r\n You can be better than you are.\r\n You could be swinging on a star.\"\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION ROOM\r\n\r\n BIG STAN reconnects the wires of the seventh V.C.R.\r\n\r\n THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n Suddenly, on the seventh screen, the image and voices\r\n of Hawk and Alex in-process comes on.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD ONE\r\n Shit, let's roll!\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n Hawk puts the painting back up, but stops to stare at the\r\n playful children.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n The song's over! Come on!\r\n \"You could be swinging on a star.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n What am I doing here? There are\r\n so many things I wanna do that\r\n aren't this. Paint a lighthouse.\r\n Kiss a woman in Italy.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (more frantically)\r\n \"You could be swinging on a star.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Paint a woman in a lighthou--I\r\n don't want to steal a horse.\r\n Life is...\r\n\r\n Hawk's soliloquy is cut short as Security Guards One and\r\n Two crash into the auction auditorium.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (DEADPAN)\r\n \"You could be swinging on a star.\"\r\n You couldn't have waited to see\r\n a psychiatrist. No, you had...\r\n\r\n Alex whips his chair at the floor washer, tipping it\r\n forward and causing its electrical cord to pull up and\r\n trip the Guards into a bellyflop.\r\n\r\n Hawk bolts right at the bustling up guards and locks them\r\n into Alex's thumbcuffs. He then limbos under their\r\n connected arms and springs over the outstretched washer\r\n cord. The Security Guards clumsily turn and re-trip\r\n themselves.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Let's go down the freight elevator.\r\n\r\n Big Stan suddenly unhatches from the freight elevator.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Keep those ideas coming.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex run toward an office located at the right\r\n wall. They both do a Gene-Kellyesque-chair-tip-over\r\n before simultaneously bashing through the office door.\r\n\r\n INT. DARKENED AUCTION AUDITORIUM OFFICE\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex stop in the office to painfully laugh and\r\n rub their funny bones. Alex stops laughing.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I'm not as unpleasantly plump as\r\n that Guard am I.\r\n\r\n Big Stan fires off a warning shot. Hawk and Alex quickly\r\n tear up a window.\r\n\r\n Moving out on to a ledge, Hawk and Alex look down to the\r\n huge auction house awning and trade gulps.\r\n\r\n Big Stan wobbles into the mouth of the office door.\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ALEX\r\n I got a bad feeling....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I can't even swim.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hell, the fall'll probably kill\r\n ya...\r\n\r\n Big Stan raises his gun.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex jump and AAAGH down the face of the\r\n building....\r\n\r\n Closer and closer to the awning....\r\n\r\n The viewer focuses upon Hawk as he free-falls......\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RIGHT INTO A LAZ-Y-BOY CHAIR\r\n\r\n Hawk continues his \"fall\" into a ridiculously huge\r\n reclining chair. The foot stand swooshes out with a\r\n thump. A HAND pulls away the canvas bag with a cackle.\r\n\r\n INT. GATES APARTMENT--LATE NIGHT\r\n\r\n Hawk's weirdly reclining viewpoint makes Gates and his\r\n pad more grotesque than they are (No small feat.)\r\n A sub-Radio Shack stereo coughs next to a scary punch\r\n bowl of red, margarita-like substance, beneath the\r\n instantly recognizable framed picture of Those Dogs\r\n Playing Poker, all atop a Jungle Shag.\r\n\r\n Gates, in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt-over-a-KEEP ON\r\n TRUCKIN'-T-shirt, raises a loud tumbler with one hand,\r\n the black canvas bag in the other.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Hudson Hawkins gets the chair of\r\n honor. How about a Gates-arita?\r\n (toward bowl)\r\n I used real hot dogs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Weren't you the bartender at\r\n Jonestown?\r\n\r\n Suddenly a light is turned on in the corner, revealing a\r\n seated Cesar and Antony Mario, the latter taking a painful\r\n Gatesirita sip.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n Good job, not pretty, but good.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Ah, the mafia, the cops; do I know\r\n how to party or what?\r\n\r\n Gates pulls out the horse and looks at it.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n All this trouble for a horsey.\r\n I may not know art, but I know\r\n what I like.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (to Dog picture)\r\n You certainly do.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n So when's that Sebastian-Cabot-\r\n Buckingham-Palace-looking-\r\n Butlerhead getting here?\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Any minute now, dear Mr. Gates.\r\n\r\n A malevolently snobbish British Butler, ALFRED, enters in\r\n distaste. He makes a stressful glance to three VANITY\r\n FAIRS on a coffeetable that has a photo of a MAGNETIC\r\n HUSBAND-WIFE-DOG COMBO with the caption: MAYFLOWER POWER.\r\n Hawk notices this.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Oh, sorry Jeeves. Gates-arita?\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n I'll pass. May I?\r\n\r\n Alfred takes the equestrian model and with a jeweler's\r\n loupe, studies it carefully.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Ah, such craftsmanship. Leonardo\r\n Da Vinci's last commission for the\r\n Duke of Milan. Irreplaceable.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Hey, Mr. French, I'm delirious\r\n for you. Now where's my cut?\r\n\r\n With dignity, Alfred SMASHES the ancient horse over\r\n Gates's head. Alfred rummages through the debris\r\n REVEALING a perversely labyrinthine CRYSTAL PIECE.\r\n (recognizable from Da Vinci's workshop).\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n You son-of-a......I don't believe\r\n this! You come into my house!\r\n\r\n Alfred pockets the goodies, but not before Hawk can give\r\n them a confused peruse.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n I ought to take Big Ben and shove\r\n it up your limey blimey bunghole!\r\n\r\n A blade slides down Alfred's arm. Half-yawning, he...\r\n\r\n ALFRED'S 180 DEGREE POV\r\n\r\n spins before Gates and the bystanders behind him.\r\n THE BLADE goes back up Alfred's arm.\r\n\r\n The room's only sound is the stereo's inappropriate\r\n music. Gates shrugs but his voice is off.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Like I said. Where's my cu-u-...\r\n\r\n Suddenly a line across Gates's neck turns red and blood\r\n begins to gush like a tourist attraction. Gates crashes\r\n down upon the table holding the punch bowl and the stereo,\r\n sending it to the ground, cutting off the music. The Dog\r\n Poker picture falls atop the carnage like a lid.\r\n\r\n Blown away, Hawk tries to wiggle his way out of the\r\n recliner. Alfred pats some stain remover on the blood\r\n on his shirt.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n So much for his \"cut.\"\r\n (post-chortle)\r\n Excuse my dry British humor.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n (rising)\r\n Lovely work, Alfred, taking the\r\n Concorde back?\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Indeed I am, Mr. Mario. I'm\r\n really racking up those frequent\r\n flyer points...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I hate to interrrupt you two\r\n lovebirds...\r\n\r\n ANTONY\r\n You know, I think Gates promised\r\n Hawk a cut, too....\r\n\r\n The Mario brothers cackle out. Hawk tries to flail out\r\n of his chair. Alfred turns to him and flicks up his arm.\r\n Hawk sees his life pass before his eyes until he realizes\r\n Alfred is merely pulling him up off the chair.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Ta ta, Hudson Hawk.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (breathless)\r\n Too-do-loo, babe.\r\n\r\n INT. ALEX'S RESTAURANT--DAWN\r\n\r\n Hawk bursts into the bar. Alex sits on a stool, reading\r\n the paper.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Did I miss anything?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, not much. Gates just had his\r\n tonsils taken out. The hard way.\r\n \r\n ALEX\r\n Geez, Gates was killed. Who do we\r\n send the thank you note to?\r\n \r\n Hawk does a combat jump over the bar and begins to fiddle\r\n with the cappuccino machine.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The Butler did it. Guy was a cross\r\n between Alistair Cook and a Cuisinart.\r\n Dude took Mr. Ed and humptied\r\n dumptied it over Gates's head. He\r\n said it was made by, get this,\r\n Leonardo..\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (professorial)\r\n Ah yes, a rare Renaissance piece.\r\n Da Vinci's \"Sforza,\" an equestrian\r\n model of a never executed statue.\r\n I consider it to be the prize of\r\n tonight's auction of objets\r\n d'equestrian. Horse things.\r\n\r\n The cappuccino machine sparks. A perplexed Hawk takes\r\n a couple extra seconds to back off.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Okay, you got me, Mr. PBS.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (holding up newspaper)\r\n Morning edition. Seems two thieves\r\n \"attempted\" to steal it last night,\r\n but thanks to three \"courageous\"\r\n guards, it will be ready for tonight.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Attempted.\" At-tempt-ted! I'm\r\n not happy about having to steal\r\n that horse, but I do have my\r\n pride. Face it, when it comes to\r\n burglary, and sex, I....\r\n\r\n Hawk takes the newspaper. There is a picture of the\r\n Three Security Guards in a cheery pose behind the\r\n \"Sforza.\" Hawk squints to see that Security Guards One\r\n and Two are still wearing the thumbcuffs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Boing. Uh, this I don t understand...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Why try?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (hurdling the bar)\r\n Because I'm tired of not\r\n understanding things. Cops,\r\n Mafia, and butlers forcing me to\r\n bust my ass to steal something,\r\n which it turns out I really didn't\r\n steal--it's fucked up.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (pulling back newspaper)\r\n You re not thinking of going to...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alex, my man, it's time to play a\r\n little offense. Where's your tux?\r\n\r\n INT. RUTHERFORD'S AUCTION HOUSE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Dressed in a not-quite-fitting but suave tuxedo, Hawk\r\n enters the now well-lit auction house auditorium (chairs\r\n all set out). Bored WORKMEN in coveralls lug equestrian\r\n items on to a podium from the familiar freight elevator.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n ...fan-taas-tic example of\r\n Florentine marble... Who will start\r\n at 160,000...160,000......180,000.\r\n\r\n Someone raises their paddle as Hawk passes beneath the\r\n hanging horses and finds an aisle seat near the stage.\r\n Hawk scans everyone in the room before coming to the one\r\n seated next to him, AN ENCHANTINGLY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n All these years of attending auctions,\r\n I still get goosebumps. The paintings,\r\n the sculptures....the things that\r\n aren't really paintings or sculptures...\r\n\r\n THE WOMAN\r\n .... the pretentious vultures who\r\n don't even look up from their\r\n calculators to see what they're\r\n buying. Now that gives me\r\n goosebumps. Auctions are\r\n disgusting.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I couldn't agree more. Savages.\r\n\r\n The Woman laughs at his gear switch then catches herself.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Lot Fifteen, an equestrian sconce\r\n attributed to the Cellini school..\r\n\r\n AUCTION ENTRANCE\r\n\r\n Big Stan, the hefty guard from the heist, enters the area\r\n wearing a blue ribbon.\r\n\r\n AUCTION AREA\r\n\r\n Big Stan is walking in back of the seated bidders: An\r\n oblivious Hawk in the foreground starts to scan VARIED\r\n BIDDER-TYPES, raising their paddles to babble out dollar\r\n figures; a GAUDY ROCK STAR and his GLOOMY-CHIC ENTOURAGE,\r\n A KING FAROUK-TYPE with a BORED TEENAGE AMERICAN HOOKER,\r\n and a scary NORDIC PRINCESS in a monocle and a tiara.\r\n\r\n THREE STANDING ASSISTANTS frantically man a table of\r\n phones set up down before the stage. One raises his\r\n arm.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Sold! To the caller from\r\n Newfoundland.\r\n\r\n A STYLISH FEMALE ASSISTANT takes out an impressive replica\r\n of the \"Sforza\" from the safe behind the podium and brings\r\n it to the Auctioneer. The crowd a-a-hs... Hawk laughs\r\n and shakes his head.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUTIONEER\r\n And finally, Lot number 17,\r\n thought to be lost in the war,\r\n and again last night, the Da\r\n Vinci \"Sforza,\" the jewel of the\r\n sale. Fan-taas-tic...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (re: Auctioneer)\r\n Is looking like a constipated\r\n warthog a prerequisite to getting\r\n a job in the art world?\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n There have naturally been questions\r\n of its authenticity, so to verify\r\n we have Doctor Anna Baragli of the\r\n Vatican. Doc?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (rising, to Hawk)\r\n Some of us warthogs are more\r\n constipated than others.\r\n\r\n Hawk uneasily laughs as Anna makes her way up the stage\r\n and pulls out a large magnifying glass. A look of\r\n distress passes over her face. Hawk closes his eyes in\r\n anticipation.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, the shit is going to hit the\r\n fa--\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (suddenly serene)\r\n Fantastic. Perfection. The\r\n Vatican extends its jealousy to\r\n the lucky bidder.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n We'll begin the bidding at 82.5\r\n million dollars. To you, sir.\r\n Eighty-three, Ninety--your bid,\r\n madame--Ninety point five.....\r\n\r\n Hawk opens his eyes in confusion. He scans Anna coming\r\n off the stage, gliding toward the phone table. Hawk\r\n floats into the aisle, curling toward her as she picks\r\n up a phone and murmurs into it.\r\n\r\n DARWIN MAYFLOWER\r\n lOO million clams, Francesco!\r\n\r\n The crowd orgasms as Vanity Fair cover boy, DARWIN\r\n MAYFLOWER works the aisle, playfully mussing up the\r\n appreciative, tiaraed Princess's hair, giddily high-\r\n fiving the Rock Star, and sloppily frenching the Hooker.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n 100 million dollars to Mr. Darwin\r\n Mayflower.\r\n\r\n Hawk turns to gaze at the enigmatically familiar figure.\r\n Anna looks up from the phone to do the same. She\r\n swerves her attention to the back-turned Hawk.\r\n\r\n Darwin moves to one of two reserved empty seats as his\r\n wife, Minerva, makes her entrance par excellahnce. She is\r\n outrageously dressed with a mammoth Tiffany watch that\r\n extends from her wrist down to, acting as a leash,\r\n her obnoxious little dog, BUNNY.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Francesco, 100 million and one.\r\n\r\n Darwin, to the crowd's delight, holds his struck heart.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Outbid by my own wench, quelle\r\n bummere.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Poor baby..... Here, Bunny.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Fan-taas-tic, the bid is at 100\r\n million and one dollars.\r\n\r\n Commencing a slow motion sequence, Big Stan comes out\r\n of the nearby office, zipping up his fly. He immedi-\r\n ately scopes Hawk in the space before the stage.\r\n\r\n The Mayflowers lower themselves into their seats with\r\n devoured canary smiles.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Go-ing!\r\n\r\n Big Stan pulls out his gun, untheatrically, as not to\r\n cause a scene. Anna sees this and follows Big Stan's\r\n eyeline to Hawk.\r\n\r\n Hawk turns to re-pursue but stops dead at the sight of\r\n the gloating Big Stan.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Go-ing!\r\n\r\n Big Stan launches a gallop toward Hawk, who spins and\r\n veers back round up the aisle.\r\n\r\n The Mayflowers zero their sights on the activity.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Gone!\r\n\r\n The gavel comes down in super slow-motion.\r\n\r\n Anna's leg pokes out of the aisle, tripping the guard.\r\n\r\n Hawk brakes at the end of the Mayflower's row and smiles\r\n in relief, casually turning to Darwin and Minerva.\r\n\r\n The gavel continues to come down in super slow-motion.\r\n\r\n Both Darwin and Minerva Mayflower suddenly DUCK DOWN.\r\n\r\n Smile vanishing, Hawk spins toward the stage.\r\n\r\n The Gavel hits.\r\n\r\n Breaking out of slow-motion into wide-angle, the entire\r\n podium explodes sending debris, equestrian pieces, and\r\n eccentric bald pieces searing into the screaming,\r\n battered crowd.\r\n\r\n Knocked off his feet, Hawk gropes into a standing\r\n position. He sees the Mayflowers make a smooth exit.\r\n He starts to give chase until he sees a battered Anna\r\n rising from the ground.\r\n\r\n A hanging white Tri-Star Pegasus, cracks from the\r\n damaged ceiling and swooshes down towards Anna.\r\n\r\n Hawk bolts upon some auction chairs and makes a flying\r\n leap. He slams Anna out of the Pegasus's pulverizing\r\n Path. They weary up off the ground and move down the\r\n aisle, calm in a storm of packed art patrons.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n My God, that was bold of you,\r\n you didn't have to do that...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Forget about it--it was nothing--\r\n anybody would have done the same\r\n thing--It's an impulse...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n No, I meant you didn't have to\r\n tackle me and rip my dress. A\r\n polite push, perhaps? A clear\r\n shout of \"watch out, Anna\"\r\n would have done nicely...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Excuse me, Milady. I would have\r\n flown over and carried you up to\r\n a pink cloud, but I left my cape\r\n at the cleaners.\r\n\r\n Anna touches Hawk's lips and laughs.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (\"Hey, I was kidding\")\r\n Thanks tough guy, thanks a lot.\r\n Why was the guard chasing you?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (Serious answer?\r\n Na-a-h?)\r\n Because Danger, Doc, is my middle...\r\n\r\n Before Hawk can finish, a hanging horse out of nowhere\r\n hammers him into the ground and the viewer into\r\n darkness.\r\n\r\n FADE IN:\r\n\r\n INT. VAN-TYPE AMBULANCE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Hawk stirs into consciousness strapped on an elevated\r\n gurney.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Saint Pete, hey I know, the whole\r\n cat burglar thing, it sounds bad,\r\n but I'll take the worst cloud you\r\n got...\r\n\r\n Hawk's eyes focus. The Mario Brothers hover over him.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n News flash. You're not in\r\n heaven. Yet. 30 seconds and\r\n counting, if you know what I'm\r\n saying. Couldn't just play along,\r\n could you...\r\n\r\n EXT. THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n The ambulance careens onto the Brooklyn Bridge.\r\n\r\n INT. INSIDE THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n Antony raises up a mammoth gun.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Pretty class way of covering your\r\n tracks. I think that auctioneer\r\n landed at La Guardia.\r\n\r\n ANTONY\r\n Subtlety was never one of our\r\n strong points.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Neither's flossing.\r\n\r\n A confused Antony touches his teeth with his gun hand.\r\n Hawk escapes from one of his straps and launces a nearby\r\n trayful of syringes into Antony's face where they ghoul-\r\n ishly quiver. Antony fires a wild shot, shattering the\r\n partition.\r\n\r\n FRONT SEAT OF THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n The Scarfaced Bodyguard/Driver, now in paramedic white,\r\n freaks at the starred windshield.\r\n\r\n THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE\r\n\r\n The ambulance bumper-pools off some innocent cars.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n Hawk frantically tries to undo his other strap but a\r\n howling Cesar, side-stepping his vibrating-on-the-floor\r\n brother, latches onto the back of the gurney and wrenches\r\n it backward.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE BACK OF AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n The elevated gurney blasts out the back with a now\r\n unstrapped but terrified Hawk whoa-a-ing atop it.\r\n\r\n The gurney wheels hit the road, sparking.\r\n\r\n A sheet from the gurney, caught on the door, yanks TAUGHT\r\n --Hawk is \"water skiing\" on his stomach atop the elevated\r\n gurney!\r\n\r\n Screeching cars are weirded out by the new vehicle on the\r\n road.\r\n\r\n THE GURNEY\r\n\r\n Battered by wind and fear, Hawk clutches to the gurney\r\n and the sheet with a grit teeth stoneface.\r\n\r\n The sheet is torn from the gurney sending it rocketing\r\n off to the side on its own crazed volition.\r\n\r\n Hawk skis toward a TOLL BOOTH WITH A LARGE GATE-ARM.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Life don't get much better than\r\n this.\r\n\r\n He then sees he's heading toward an EXACT CHANGE lane.\r\n\r\n Whizzing wildly forward on the gurney, Hawk scrambles\r\n into his pocket and wiggles out some change. He fran-\r\n tically winnows out some pennies and then maniacally\r\n FLINGS the change from twenty feet away.\r\n\r\n TOLL BOOTH\r\n\r\n The change ker-chunks into the basket and Hawk and the\r\n gurney JUST BARELY streak underneath the rising Gate-arm.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n CRASHES through a gate-arm of another lane. Hawk and the\r\n still-wildly whooshing gurney cut it off.\r\n\r\n FRONT SEAT OF THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n Cesar pops his head through the partition.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n Make him into Roadkill!\r\n\r\n Antony, seemingly oblivious to the syringes porcupined in\r\n his skull, pokes his head next to Cesar's.\r\n\r\n ANTONY\r\n Yeah, run him down!\r\n\r\n Cesar and the Bodyguard/Driver turn to Antony and scream,\r\n then all three look out the windshield and scream.\r\n\r\n THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n jackknifes over a stopped car and somersaults into a\r\n fiery ball.\r\n\r\n In the foreground, Hawk's gurney coasts down\r\n\r\n A PEACEFUL OFF-ROAD\r\n\r\n Hawk, with an unchanged expression of pure white knuckle\r\n fear, comes to a tranquil gurney-wheels-gently-squeaking\r\n stop.\r\n\r\n Lit by the flames of the ambulance crash, a sneering\r\n young man in wire rim glasses emerges from the darkness,\r\n carrying a steel suitcase. He kneels before Hawk and\r\n opens the suitcase revealing a complex computer appara-\r\n tus. He begins mumbling into a cellular phone.\r\n\r\n A malevolent, SILENT DEADPAN WRAITH passes him and\r\n approaches Hawk. Both men are dressed in outfits that\r\n seem to be a melange of fascist uniform and haute\r\n couture.\r\n\r\n On the fingers of one Wraith hand is carved the word\r\n HATE. On the other hand is the word FROG. The Frog Hand\r\n hands a befuddled Hawk a card. It reads: MY NAME IS KIT\r\n KAT AND THIS IS NOT A DREAM.\r\n\r\n Hawk looks up with a \"huh\" expression as Kit Kat chops\r\n his neck, knocking him off the gurney.\r\n\r\n The sneering computer guy hangs up his phone and pulls\r\n forward a small cattle prod from his apparatus.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This is the worst night...\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n When it rains, it pours. Name's\r\n Snickers. The plane leaves in 40.\r\n\r\n Snickers zaps Hawk in the leg with his device. Hawk a-\r\n a-ghs into a kneeling position. Snickers returns to his\r\n suitcase and is passed by a PLEASANT YOUNG BLACK WOMAN in\r\n the \"outfit.\"\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Almond Joy. I know, pretty silly.\r\n But it's better than when we first\r\n started out, our code names were\r\n Diseases. You don't know what\r\n it's like being called Clymidia\r\n for a year.\r\n (walking off)\r\n Whoops, forgot....\r\n\r\n She deftly kicks Hawk across the face. Hawk angrily\r\n bounds back up until he sees the BIGGEST MEMBER OF THE\r\n GROUP Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum his way toward them. Suddenly, the\r\n Giant clumsily trips over Snickers' suitcase apparatus\r\n and ram-collapses into Hawk and the gurney. Laying atop\r\n Hawk, Butterfinger goofily speaks...\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n My name's Butterfinger.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No shit.\r\n\r\n The mysterious group parts to reveal a much more mature\r\n and cynically subdued man dressed in big lapels and a hat\r\n that screams Old Time CIA. His name will be GEORGE\r\n KAPLAN.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Don't you just hate kids...\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n George, you promised. No Old CIA/\r\n New CIA jokes...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I call them the MTV.I.A. Punks\r\n think Bay of Pigs is an herbal tea.\r\n They think the Cold War involves\r\n penguins and...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Don't I know you...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n You just might. I'm the guy who\r\n tricked you into robbing a\r\n government installation and then\r\n had you sent to prison for it. At\r\n the time, I was bald with a beard,\r\n no moustache, and I had a different\r\n nose, so if you don't recognize me,\r\n I won't be offended.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Bastard, you're going to need\r\n another nose!\r\n\r\n Hawk explodes upward. Everyone but cool Kaplan draws a\r\n gun.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n But I'm not the type of guy to\r\n hold a grudge.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I used you as a diversion. while\r\n you were getting captured upstairs,\r\n I was shredding documents in the\r\n basement. Deep down, I guess I\r\n was just jealous. You were one\r\n incredible thief...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n To what do I owe the dishonor of a\r\n reunion, you centrally intelligent\r\n scumsicle.\r\n\r\n As Kaplan converses, Snickers and Butterfinger bring out\r\n a mammoth empty suitcase and open it behind Hawk.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I Want to make things up to you.\r\n That's why I got you this gig,\r\n doll. Hawk, my name's George\r\n Kaplan and to quote the late,\r\n great Karen Carpenter, \"We've only\r\n just begun.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Three minutes, twenty-three\r\n seconds. If you think I'm doing\r\n another...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Hush. My employer wants a meeting.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Employer? The president?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n No, somebody powerful. Oh. Look.\r\n what's that up there?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'm supposed to fall for that?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Shucks. Guess not.\r\n\r\n Kaplan savagely point-blank punches Hawk in the face,\r\n knocking him out cold and into the mammoth suitcase.\r\n Snickers slams it shut revealing a KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL\r\n sticker.\r\n\r\n INT. MYSTERIOUS BARE ROOM--DAY\r\n\r\n Hawk slowly awakens on an exotic couch. He has been put\r\n in an aggressively fashionable Italian outfit. He eyes\r\n and touches his new duds with complete bafflement. He\r\n then stumbles into a standing position to, mouth gaping,\r\n take in a wondrous 360 degree view of Rome, Italy as \"O\r\n Solo Mio\" blares on the soundtrack.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No. Way.\r\n\r\n Hawk's spinning view and the music on the soundtrack slam\r\n to a halt as he zeroes in on the sight of Scary Butler\r\n Alfred elegantly reaching the top of the staircase.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Welcome to Rome, sir.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yes way.\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE INTERESTING BUILDING--DAY\r\n\r\n Alfred opens the back door of an omnipotent, Mayflower-\r\n logoed LIMOUSINE. The car moves off as Hawk slides in...\r\n\r\n INT. THE BACK SEAT OF THE MAX-TECH LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n facing Darwin Mayflower who is blustering into the\r\n cellular.\r\n\r\n While he talks, Darwin shakes Hawk's bewildered hand,\r\n then holding up one finger in a \"be with you in a sec\"\r\n facial move.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n For those kind of wages, I could\r\n have built the factory in America!\r\n They're Vietnamese, can't we just\r\n give them more Bart Simpson shirts?\r\n I hear depressing news like this\r\n and I want to commit genocide!\r\n (slamming phone)\r\n Alfred, hold my calls. So, Hawk!\r\n The Hawkster! What do you think\r\n of the vehicle?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You could host American Bandstand\r\n in here. Why did you duck at the\r\n auction, asshole?\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Because I didn't want to get hurt,\r\n taterhead.\r\n\r\n A FAX MACHINE comes to life as Darwin babbles.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n What can I tell you, I'm the\r\n villain. Initially it was a\r\n priority to keep a lot of buffers\r\n between you and me, but since most\r\n of them are dead now, I thought\r\n what the heck. Hawk, you come\r\n highly recommended. I would have\r\n done some things differently at\r\n the auction house, but hey, I want\r\n to be in business with you.\r\n\r\n Darwin scans the Fax message with annoyance, and then\r\n shoves it into a violent paper shredder.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE LIMO SHREDDER\r\n\r\n Shredded paper litters out of a vent on the outside door.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n A simmering Hawk tries to explode but the phone rings.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n My life is not some deal. I...\r\n\r\n ALFRED (O.S.)\r\n It's Boston, Mr. Mayflower.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n I'm sorry, I have to take this.\r\n Those are valid points though...\r\n\r\n Darwin picks up the phone and goes Mr. Hyde, while giving\r\n Hawk \"Can you believe this guy\"-type gestures.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n You better have a good excuse...\r\n You better have a better excuse!\r\n You are so weak! I'm only\r\n thankful your ancestors didn't\r\n settle America or else my name\r\n would be Running Brave or Vomiting\r\n Antelope...Really. Well, listen\r\n close, babe.\r\n\r\n Darwin holds the phone over a 50 cent piece-size siren in\r\n his armrest. Darwin presses a button and a PIERCING\r\n NOISE fills the car as it comes to a stop.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Shall we?\r\n\r\n Darwin bolts out. Hawk hangs back, waiting for Rod\r\n Serling to explain things, then bolts out too.\r\n\r\n EXT. E.U.R. DISTRICT BUILDING--DAY\r\n\r\n Hawk and Darwin head up the steps of an overpowering\r\n fascistly marble superstructure. Alfred brings up the\r\n rear.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n So Hawkasaurus, I won't mince\r\n words...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Whatever. You own Boardwalk, you\r\n own Park Place, you own the four\r\n railroads. You think you're God.\r\n For all I know, you're probably\r\n right. I just wanted to have a\r\n damn cappuccino, maybe play some\r\n Nintendo after I find out what it\r\n is. Man, why didn't you just buy\r\n the horse? What am I saying, you\r\n did buy it...\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Oh... Let's see. There are\r\n organizations that think we wanted\r\n the \"Sforza\" for reasons other\r\n than putting it in the Da Vinci\r\n museum we're building in Vinci.\r\n Hopefully, these organizations\r\n think our plan has been ruined\r\n with the explosion of our replica.\r\n If I seem vague, grand. We want a\r\n low profile on this, that's why I\r\n got Kaplan and the Candy bars\r\n involved. I helped George help\r\n the Mario Brothers and Gates help\r\n get you out....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n If you're pausing for a \"thank you,\"\r\n give it up. So boss, you going to\r\n tell me what the crystal piece\r\n inside the pony means?\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Way to go, Alfie! How many people\r\n did you break that thing in front\r\n of. Good help's hard to find.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I guess that's a no.\r\n\r\n INT. MASSIVE CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY\r\n\r\n A mind-blowingly pretentious painting of Darwin, Minerva,\r\n and Bunny hangs above a mammoth M-shaped conference table.\r\n\r\n Lying atop the table in heels, shades, and a heart-\r\n stopping dark outfit is Minerva. NASTY Metal riffs semi-\r\n audibly spew from a headset she wears.\r\n\r\n Surrounding the table is a VARIED GROUP OF OLD MONEY AND\r\n NEW MONEY BOARD MEMBERS ranging from a nine year old\r\n INDIAN PRINCE to a SWEET ELDERLY AMERICAN WOMAN. They\r\n converse to the person at their side in businesslike\r\n tones, oblivious to Minerva.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Ladies and gentlemen of the board...\r\n\r\n The board members go into tableau silence. Minerva con-\r\n tinues a brief sing-a-long before Darwin scolds...\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n And Min-er-va. Let's give it up\r\n for Hudson Hawk.\r\n\r\n The board applauds as Alfred pushes Hawk inside.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Hello......Bunny, Ball-Ball!\r\n\r\n Minerva lobs a ball in the air. Bunny, the annoying dog,\r\n scurries beside Hawk to catch it.\r\n\r\n Moving down toward the other end of the table, Hawk takes\r\n in the surreal surroundings with battle fatigue. He sees\r\n ONE BOARD MEMBER take a luxurious sip of cappuccino.\r\n Minerva paces up upon the table.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Hawkmeister, we got you clothes,\r\n great hotel, and a 250,000 lira\r\n per diem.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n That's two hundred dollars a day?\r\n So he can get a hooker and some\r\n tequila. Veto, Darwin.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Guess I know who wears the penis\r\n in this family.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n (jumping off table)\r\n For God's sake, chain this\r\n convict.\r\n\r\n With a yawn, Alfred pulls out a pair of state-of-the-art\r\n handcuffs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alfred, you're a very polite\r\n psychopath, but if you...\r\n\r\n Hawk kicks out at Alfred, who nimbly moves slightly and\r\n gives a pummel to Hawk's body somersaulting him over the\r\n edge of the table, into an empty seat.\r\n\r\n The Board Members politely applaud. Alfred pulls Hawk's\r\n hands around his back and cuffs him. Bunny intensely\r\n sniffs his crotch.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n We want Da Vinci's sketchbook,\r\n what do they call it, the Codex.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Listen Hawk, this might be hard to\r\n believe, but I'm a regular joe. I\r\n just want to be happy and happiness\r\n comes from the achieving of goals.\r\n It's just when you make your first\r\n billion by the age of 19, it's\r\n hard to keep coming up with new\r\n ones. But now finally I got my\r\n new goal. World domination. With\r\n your help...Bunny....quit that!\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Bunny, ball-ball! Bad bunny!\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Think he's already got today's\r\n ball-balls. Five more minutes\r\n please, it's been so long...\r\n\r\n Minerva yanks away the yelping dog.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Anybody have a cigarette? But\r\n seriously, do me a favor and\r\n Concorde me back to prison. I\r\n don't care anymore. I hope you\r\n have the receipts for the threads.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n You go back, you won't be alone.\r\n You'll have a diabetic barkeep\r\n cellmate. You're still young\r\n enough to have fun shanking child\r\n molesters for a pack of smokes,\r\n but \"Alex\" will go in knowing that\r\n the next time he gets out it'll be\r\n to attend his own funeral.\r\n Depressing.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You wouldn't risk the dime to call\r\n the police. You have no proof.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Ah, the magic word...\r\n\r\n Alfred plants a slide machine on the table and Darwin\r\n starts clicking gorgeous images of Hawk and Alex robbing\r\n the auction house, on a bare wall.\r\n\r\n The Board members gush. The Elderly Woman gives a\r\n thumbs-up.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n It's veja du, Hawkhead. Something\r\n you wish never happened. We shot\r\n the entire operation with hidden\r\n cameras behind the hidden cameras.\r\n Hired the guy who did the last\r\n Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.\r\n Excellent work... whoops, damn\r\n Fotomat assholes...\r\n\r\n A slide hits the wall of himself and Minerva kneeling in\r\n Big Baby clothes with Alfred snarling over them, decked\r\n out in leather. He clicks ahead...\r\n\r\n Hawk looks away and sees that the Board members have an\r\n annual Report-type booklet in front of them that reads--\r\n THE DA VINCI/ALCHEMY PROJECT.\r\n\r\n Minerva leans over in front of him.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Tomorrow, you're going to hit a\r\n church.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. A MASSIVE WIDE SHOT OF ST. PETER'S--DAY\r\n\r\n The Vatican stands in its glory, mobbed by HUNDREDS OF\r\n LOCALS AND SIGHTSEERS. The viewer's viewpoint zeroes in\r\n on the Mayflower limousine circling around it.\r\n\r\n INT. THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n Hawk looks out from the back seat of the limousine\r\n in stylish Italian sunglasses.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'm robbing the Vatican. The nuns\r\n at St. Agnes predicted that I'd end\r\n up doing this...\r\n\r\n Two identical Twin Flunkies sit across from him, grinning\r\n stupidly. Hawk pushes up his sunglasses with his middle\r\n finger.\r\n\r\n INT. VATICANESQUE MAP ROOM\r\n\r\n Mentally casing the joint, Hawk gets some distance\r\n between him and the flunkies as he enters into a room\r\n that has a glorious, ancient Map of the World Mural.\r\n\r\n INT. ANOTHER VATICAN ROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk makes a scribble in a notepad before coming to a\r\n Vatican guard, standing before a painting of a Pope\r\n performing a Coronation.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (half-hearted)\r\n Excuse me, I'm being blackmailed\r\n into robbing the Vatican by a\r\n psychotic American corporation\r\n along with a CIA...\r\n\r\n VATICAN GUARD\r\n \"You're being\".....uh, I don't,\r\n uh...\r\n\r\n A jaded Hawk laughs and pats the cop on the back.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Forget it, man. Go tackle a\r\n jaywalker.\r\n\r\n INT./EXT. CIRCULAR OPEN AIR HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk comes out onto a circular open-air hallway. He\r\n scans up to some rooftops and makes a note...until he\r\n sees a line of International Phone Boothettes. Checking\r\n for Flunkies, he rips one up.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Operator, I want to make a collect\r\n call to Alex Messina, New York....\r\n\r\n The Flunkies drift into view. Hawk hangs up and seethes\r\n off.\r\n\r\n INT. HALLWAY LEADING TO CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk saunters down a long resplendent hallway toward a\r\n room at the end bustling with excitement. Coming to the\r\n mouth of the room, he looks to two gold framed mirrors on\r\n either side of the opening, rubs his head, and scribbles.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk takes in the majestic beauty, and practical details,\r\n of the room--windows, statues, a Massive Ornate Lighting\r\n Fixture--as he moves down one of the twin winding stair-\r\n cases leading to a path of people behind velvet ropes and\r\n the object of their gaze...\r\n\r\n THE DA VINCI CODEX\r\n\r\n --an old book enclosed in a glass case, propped open to\r\n the familiar BEAUTIFUL DRAWING of a MAN inside a CIRCLE.\r\n\r\n The case is located between two informational tablets\r\n enclosed in glass columns. Enter Holy Da Vinci theme.\r\n\r\n ANNA (V.O.)\r\n But it is his gift as an inventor\r\n who drew together science and art\r\n that is most incredible.\r\n\r\n Hawk brightens to the return of Anna, carrying a portfolio\r\n bag, striding down the stairs with a group of INVESTORS\r\n AND FAMILIES. She brightens back, giving him a quick\r\n verbal breath and a hand squeeze.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Tough guy. What are you--How's\r\n your head.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (vegetable)\r\n Yes, and my giraffe loves it, too...\r\n\r\n She laughs, going into her public voice.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n As you know, the Da Vinci Codex,\r\n has lived in the Vatican for\r\n centuries and will continue to\r\n live here for centuries more.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (under his breath)\r\n That's what you theenk.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Question, sir? His untiring pen\r\n predicted the airplane, the\r\n submarine, the bicycle, the\r\n helicopter, and even the tank.\r\n \r\n A LITTLE BRAT trailing the group, moves next to Hawk,\r\n bitching away to her STUFFED ELEPHANT, POKEY.\r\n\r\n LITTLE BRAT\r\n This is so bor-ing! Do you hate\r\n Italy as much as I do, Pokey?\r\n (bad ventriloquism)\r\n Si, senor! Italy sucks the big\r\n one! why can't we go to the Epcot\r\n Center!\r\n\r\n The Little Brat stops and lets Pokey the elephant dangle\r\n from her side. Hawk eyes the elephant strangely.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n These more dangerous designs\r\n inspired him to develop a secret\r\n code that ....\r\n\r\n The stuffed elephant suddenly goes flying over Anna's\r\n head.\r\n\r\n The ALARM goes off. The Massive Ornate Lighting Fixture\r\n swoops down from the ceiling, inverting in air, and slams\r\n down over the Codex, transformed into a makeshift cage.\r\n\r\n Strange green gas comes billowing out of the vents.\r\n Needless to say, everyone goes crazy.\r\n\r\n Coughing gas, Hawk peeks to see that a line of light\r\n sensor alarms imbedded in the tablets are what set the\r\n alarm off.\r\n\r\n Two GAS MASKS drop airlinesquely from the mouth of the\r\n entranceway and TWO RACING-IN GUARDS wrangle them on.\r\n\r\n The Little Brat sees that Pokey the stuffed elephant has\r\n been beheaded by the cage/lamp. She is pulled away and\r\n spanked.\r\n\r\n LITTLE BRAT\r\n Pokey, come back!\r\n\r\n Anna yanks a notetaking Hawk away as the gas blusters in\r\n around him. The Two Flunkies, eyes on Hawk, are hap-\r\n lessly making their way up the opposite staircase.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Come on, this stuff will knock you\r\n out. Have you ever had the feeling\r\n you were being followed, Mr. Bond.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Never, why do you ask?\r\n\r\n Reaching the top of the stairs, just outside the door,\r\n Anna briskly pulls Hawk into a PIECE OF WALL THAT IS\r\n REALLY A DOOR. The wall closes as the Flunkies come\r\n flying out, baffled.\r\n\r\n INT. CIRCULAR STAIRCASE\r\n\r\n Hawk, mucho impressed, and Anna move down a tight, dark\r\n circular staircase.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Whoa. Name's Hawkins, Eddie\r\n Hawkins.\r\n My nickname's Hudson Hawk, but don't\r\n call me Hudson, not even as a joke.\r\n The Nuns at St. Agnes called me\r\n that and they're the ones who\r\n helped make me what I am today.\r\n Not a compliment...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Sure Hudson. Are you going to\r\n tell me why you did that back there\r\n or are you going to blame it\r\n on Dumbo?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Could you believe that crazy\r\n elephant?\r\n\r\n Anna shakes her head as she opens a door into...\r\n\r\n INT. A LITTLE UNDERGROUND SUBWAY--DAY\r\n\r\n A four foot high mail train rumbles down the track of a\r\n mini-underground station. Workers latch onto mail bags.\r\n Hawk and Anna emerge from a small door.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Whoa, part 2. Does it go to Times\r\n Square?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Delivers up to ten at night. The\r\n Pope has an obsession with his\r\n Easter Seals. It's actually not\r\n that an unusual set-up. The\r\n secret passageway on the other\r\n hand....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The Vatican is made of constant\r\n mysteries meant to be enjoyed,\r\n not explained.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Nice. But right out of our\r\n brochure.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, you read that.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Actually I wrote it. It's a good\r\n sentence. It can apply to people.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You're not an unmysterious thang\r\n yourself.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I don't steal stuffed elephants\r\n from little girls.\r\n (smoothing his\r\n jacket)\r\n And I buy my own clothes. My\r\n life's a little boring...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n God, I wish I could say the same\r\n thing. What about having a nice,\r\n dull dinner with me tonight.\r\n Scrabble, Knock-knock jokes,\r\n Anecdotes about famous dead\r\n Italians....\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I'll bring my entire repertoire...\r\n\r\n The Two Flunkies stumble into the station, looking\r\n around. Anna and Hawk crouch down.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n And I'll bring my entourage...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Secret passageways don't mean as\r\n much as they used to. There's\r\n a place two blocks east of here.\r\n Enzo's. Say 10:30.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Said.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna peck each other with a smile. He crawls\r\n out an exit door. As he leaves, Anna's smile disappears.\r\n She pulls out a rosary and gives herself a self-scolding\r\n bang on the head. She then darts to a large crucifix\r\n and looks up.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Father, it's obvious. He's up to\r\n something.\r\n\r\n Suddenly a speaker in Jesus's mouth gently crackles.\r\n\r\n JESUS (Italian)\r\n Report downstairs at once.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Yes, sir.\r\n\r\n INT. CATACOMBLIKE AREA\r\n\r\n A CARDINAL paces in an enigmatic Vatican area. Anna\r\n clacks up to him.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Did he mention the Mayflowers?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n No, your Eminence. I think he's\r\n going to steal the Codex, as\r\n early as next week.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Attempt, you mean. The vanity\r\n of this man, Hudson Hawk. The\r\n Vatican has foiled the advances\r\n of Pirates and Terrorists. We\r\n will not lie down for some\r\n schmuck from New Jersey. Must\r\n you flirt with him so realistically?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n That's the best kind. A wise\r\n woman once said \"Polite\r\n conversation is rarely either.\"\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n (chuckling)\r\n Let me be the one to quote\r\n Scripture. ....As an agent of\r\n our organization, you are put in\r\n awkward situations. Just\r\n remember, Hudson Hawk is an evil,\r\n evil man.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (unconvinced)\r\n Yeah. The big E.\r\n\r\n EXT. NAVONA PIAZZA--DAY\r\n\r\n The evil Hawk clumsily strides around a fountain, looking\r\n off in all directions, soft-shoes past some sedate\r\n painters and swings into...\r\n\r\n INT. A BIG QUIRKY PHONE BOOTH\r\n\r\n Hawk grabs up the phone and dials....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Hello, operator. I'd like to\r\n make a collect call to New York\r\n number...\r\n\r\n The Mayflower limousine creeps to the edge of the piazza,\r\n behind an oblivious Hawk.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Thank you, operator, thank you.\r\n\r\n Hawk turns, putting a finger in his ear. Seeing the\r\n limo, he FREAKS and balls himself into a corner.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Come on, Alex, pick up, you\r\n Reindeer goat cheese-eating\r\n motherfucker.\r\n\r\n INT. ALEX'S RESTAURANT--NIGHT\r\n\r\n It is late night in New York. A phone rings atop the\r\n bar of Alex's restaurant with no one in sight.\r\n\r\n INT. PIAZZA--DAY\r\n\r\n Hawk pokes his head to see a Darwin and Minerva (holding\r\n Bunny) emerge from the limousine. As he turns his con-\r\n centration back to the phone, ALEX HIMSELF flows out from\r\n a building to cheerfully speak with Darwin and Minerva\r\n and get licked by Bunny, before they all pile into the\r\n limo.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n A-lex, A-lex, come on Alex.\r\n\r\n Hawk slams down the phone and turns to see the limousine\r\n pull off.\r\n\r\n Hawk angrily bursts from the door and is painfully\r\n CLOTHESLINED by agent Butterfinger, who is dressed as\r\n a mailman.\r\n\r\n Crumpled on the ground, Hawk kicks out with his foot,\r\n into Butterfinger's stomach, doubling him. Hawk then\r\n grabs him by the head and rams into the glass of the\r\n booth.\r\n\r\n Hawk rotates off for an escape...but the rest of the\r\n CIA crew cuts him off holding barely concealed guns;\r\n Snickers dressed as a maitre 'd, Almond Joy as a Bermuda\r\n tourist, and Kaplan in his usual emsemble. Kit Kat is\r\n dressed exactly like Hawk, right down to a bloody lip.\r\n Hawk gives him a double take.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Hawk, Hawk, Hawk. Enjoying\r\n Italy? I always had a soft spot\r\n for Rome. Did my first barehanded\r\n strangulation here. Communist\r\n politician.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Why George, you big softie...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n God, I miss communism. The Red\r\n Threat. People were scared, the\r\n Agency was respected, and I got\r\n laid every night.\r\n\r\n A humiliated Butterfinger comes waddling out, holding\r\n the phone. Kaplan rolls his eyes.\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n Sorry, coach...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n (shaking his head)\r\n If his father wasn't the head of\r\n Shit, I hate this, the\r\n government's got me farmed out,\r\n working for the Mayflower\r\n corporation now, money beats\r\n politics. War isn't Hell anymore,\r\n it's Dull. Don't slaughter their\r\n men and rape their women, just\r\n steal their microchips.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You know Kaplan, if you weren't\r\n the slimiest pinata of shit that\r\n ever lived, I'd feel sorry for\r\n you.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Good news, bud, the Mayflowers\r\n have moved up the time-table.\r\n You're hitting the Vatican to-night.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Tonight? You're whacked. The\r\n timing's off, I'm underequipped\r\n Damnit, I have a date!\r\n\r\n Almond Joy smoothly extracts Hawk's notebook and reads...\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Grapple, Biker's bottle, hairspray,\r\n black turtleneck, Pocket\r\n Fisherman, acid, collapsible\r\n yardstick, softball, and 72 stamps.\r\n Gee Stud, this is going to be\r\n some date. No Harvey's Bristol\r\n Cream?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Snickers, make the list happen.\r\n Oh and it's one thing to play\r\n hide and seek with the Mayflower's\r\n pathetic staff, but we're sore\r\n losers. I've put jumper cables\r\n on the nipples of children and\r\n not always in the line of duty.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Thanks for sharing.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n We blow up space shuttles for\r\n breakfast. You and your friend\r\n Alex would be a late afternoon\r\n Triscuit.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n If you do anything to my friend...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Yeah, right. By the way, as long\r\n as I'm getting things off my\r\n chest, I'm the one who killed your\r\n little monkey. Made it look like\r\n a Mafia hit. Did it for fun.\r\n Ciao.\r\n\r\n Kaplan and the crew quickly disperse in different\r\n directions as Hawk howls in frustration. Kit Kat moves\r\n behind Hawk and perfectly mimics him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n What did you have against Little\r\n Eddie, motherfucker? He was just\r\n a monkey who liked to laugh.\r\n Come back without your yuppie\r\n army. I'll triscuit you, you\r\n space shuttle eating...Shit.!\r\n\r\n Without looking, Hawk elbows the mimic Kit Kat in the\r\n face. Kit Kat gives Hawk a strange smile and hands him\r\n a card that reads: BEWARE THE ODD STEPS.\r\n\r\n Hawk looks up from the card. Kit Kat is gone, but\r\n Butterfinger scampers in his place.\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n Hey, Mr. Hawk, I got those 72\r\n stamps!\r\n\r\n Sighing, Hawk takes the huge sheath of stamps.\r\n\r\n EXT. INDOOR TRAIN TRACK\r\n\r\n One of the small Vatican mail trains bullets across an\r\n indoor track. The viewer's viewpoint whooshes to catch\r\n up, focusing on a very large package, addressed to the\r\n Pope, that has Hawk's sheath of stamps slapped onto it.\r\n The train zips into a tunnel.\r\n\r\n INT. THE VATICAN UNDERGROUND SUBWAY\r\n\r\n The train rumbles into the Vatican mini-station. TWO\r\n HARRIED WORKERS heave up the strange cargo onto a sorting\r\n table.\r\n\r\n A bell rings as a clock hits 10. The workers do a sigh\r\n of relief. Shucking off their uniforms, they head out.\r\n\r\n A hand rips out of the huge package.\r\n\r\n INT. OUTSIDE THE CODEX ROOM--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Hawk pops out of the secret passageway door and moves to\r\n the mouth of the doorless Codex room. He pauses to\r\n hand-comb his hair in the two large, framed mirrors at\r\n the sides.\r\n\r\n THE CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Carrying the now frameless mirrors in each hand, Hawk\r\n hustles to the top of the steps and suddenly stops.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Beware the Odd Steps.\"\r\n\r\n Hawk crouches down and notices the step below him has a\r\n clear magnetic tape running across it to a dime sized\r\n alarm button.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Why Kit Kat, aren't you a\r\n gentleman...\r\n\r\n Hawk bounds down every other one of the steps down to\r\n where the Codex is bathed in a holy light.\r\n\r\n He hefts up the two now frameless mirrors and puts them\r\n each in a groove of a collapsible yardstick running\r\n across the top. The parallel mirrors now face out from\r\n each other. Hawk sprays a blast of Clairol to reveal the\r\n light sensor beams, and then with a deep breath, he\r\n thrusts the mirrors into the beams.\r\n\r\n The light bounces harmlessly off the mirrors and Hawk\r\n exhales. He balances the connected mirrors then crawls\r\n through his tent-like passageway.\r\n\r\n Hawk squirts acid from a biker's bottle on the cracks of\r\n the rectangular glass case that holds the Codex. The\r\n acid sizzles.\r\n\r\n INT. VATICAN LIBRARY HALLWAY--NIGHT\r\n\r\n A BURLY GUARD thoughtfully stares at a painting, fingers\r\n propping his chin like an critic then continues ambling\r\n on.\r\n\r\n THE CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Rubbing his head, Hawk gives an excited smile as the glass\r\n cracks of the rectangular case loosen. Hawk pulls out a\r\n pocket fisherman....\r\n\r\n The viewer's viewpoint moves upward to reveal, through\r\n the mouth of the room, the Burly Guard is coming down\r\n the hall.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Burly Guard approaches the outskirts of the Codex room.\r\n He combs his hair into the piece of wall in the now\r\n empty mirror-frame then REALIZES.\r\n\r\n Muttering Italian into his walkie-talkie, Burly Guard\r\n rushes into the room and looks down to the sensor\r\n deflecting mirrors.\r\n\r\n He passes a statue, behind which, Hawk is revealed to\r\n be standing.\r\n\r\n Burly Guard approaches the Codex and sees the dripping\r\n acid. He also notices a fishing hook attached to the\r\n binding of the Codex. The fishing wire leads out of\r\n the glass case. The Guard reaches to touch it when\r\n suddenly the wire is pulled tightly upward by a\r\n moving-out-from-behind-the-statue Hawk.\r\n\r\n The Codex FLIES off its perch, setting off the ALARM and\r\n sending the bizarre cage/lamp CRASHING DOWN and AROUND\r\n the hapless Burly Guard. The green gas commences its\r\n noxious billowing as the Codex swooshes into Hawk's\r\n hands. He then hurls a softball, smashing a window\r\n on the other side of the room.\r\n\r\n The familiar Vatican Guard and a Guard Three barrel\r\n down into the mouth of the codex room. Only one\r\n Gas Mask drops from the doorway. The Vatican Guard\r\n pulls it on and gives a \"That's Life\" shrug of\r\n shoulders to the fainting Guard three.\r\n\r\n Hawk puts on the missing gas mask and launches a grapple\r\n around the ceiling cord of the dropped Ornate Lighting\r\n Fixture. Hawk then Tarzans from one staircase to\r\n another. He then ungrapples and heads toward the\r\n shattered window.\r\n\r\n The Vatican Guard waits a stunned moment before giving\r\n chase.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE ROOF\r\n\r\n Hawk flings off his gas mask and begins a classical\r\n skipping-across-the-rooftop jaunt. Suddenly a brick\r\n on the slightly slanted roof gives way and Hawk FALLS.\r\n His canvas bag goes skipping down across the roof,\r\n landing against the antennae.\r\n\r\n INT. THE POPE'S BEDROOM\r\n\r\n A T.V. showing Mr. Ed. speaking to Wilbur in Italian\r\n goes fuzzy. THE POPE, wearing his famous hat and a Notre\r\n Dame bathrobe angrily bangs on it.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE ROOF\r\n\r\n Hawk harvests his grapple on the level part of the roof\r\n and slides down toward the dangling-off-the-antennae bag.\r\n\r\n The Vatican Guard pops out of the window and fires a\r\n warning shot.\r\n\r\n Hawk stretches to the bag. His fingers touch as the\r\n Guard continues to bound forward.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Please God, Please God.......let\r\n the guard shoot me.\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls up the bag and turns himself to see Vatican\r\n Guard hovering over him on the roof.\r\n\r\n VATICAN GUARD\r\n The worm's on the other foot,\r\n yankee noodle candy.\r\n\r\n Hawk sees the Vatican Guard's foot move toward the\r\n grapple. Hawk ferociously tugs, ripping the Guard\r\n off-balance and knocking down a side of the roof.\r\n\r\n EXT. TOP OF A NEARBY WALL\r\n\r\n Hawk dashes atop a nearby wall and hurls his grapple\r\n across a road around a tree branch. Hawk ties the end of\r\n grapple line, tosses on a friction belt, takes a breath\r\n and JUMPS OFF THE WALL. The viewer follows him on his\r\n breathtaking ride.\r\n\r\n The brused Vatican Guard flops back atop the roof. He\r\n gets off a wild shot before crumpling back down.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n is alnost to the other side when the Guard's bullet hits\r\n the friction belt. Hawk drops with a wild scream...\r\n and lands with a painful straddle atop a street lamppost.\r\n His eyes bug out with the thought of a life without\r\n children. He slowly spins off the lamppost and sails\r\n down upon...\r\n\r\n EXT. A BUS\r\n\r\n and the comfortable luggage housed on top of it. Hawk\r\n tries to maintain his balance upon the wobbling\r\n baggage, but the bus makes a quick turn and Hawk goes\r\n flying off...\r\n\r\n EXT. RIGHT INTO A CAFE CHAIR--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Panting and discombobulated, Hawk looks across the table\r\n to the female hands holding open a menu. The menu comes\r\n down. It is Anna. Hawk unpretzels and laps his canvas\r\n bag.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh Hudson, I was worried you\r\n weren't going to drop by....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I never break a date. Scout's\r\n honor.\r\n\r\n Hawk does the honor sign with his black gloved hand\r\n then quickly rips it off as a WAITER comes to the\r\n table.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Fettucini con Funghi Porcini.\r\n\r\n WAITER\r\n Bellissimo, signor.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, and could I have some ketchup\r\n with that.\r\n\r\n Anna hits her forehead with the palm of her hand while\r\n the waiter's entire body sinks in disappointment. Other\r\n TABLE OCCUPANTS sadly shake their heads.\r\n\r\n EXT. ANOTHER TABLE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n At a comfortable distance curled behind a heat lamp,\r\n Snickers is being an Uglier American to an UNCOMPREHENDING\r\n WAITER, while Almond Joy chuckles and Butterfinger spreads\r\n butter over an entire baguette.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Come on, Pierre, Steak-bur-ger,\r\n Fren-n-ch Fries. This is France,\r\n you gotta have French.....\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Actually we're in Italy, Snickers,\r\n she said as if it made a difference.\r\n\r\n The Waiter sneaks off. Butterfinger devours his bread.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Italy, France, Moscow. They all\r\n just wanna be Nebraska. Old Man\r\n Kaplan thinks since Communism is\r\n dead, we got nothing to do. Man,\r\n Democracy isn't free elections.\r\n We gotta teach the world that\r\n Democracy is Big Tits, College\r\n Football on Saturdays, Eddie\r\n Murphy saying the word \"Fuck\"\r\n and Kids putting their hands down\r\n garbage disposals on \"America's\r\n Funniest Home Videos.\"\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Damn baby, when's the last time\r\n you had a vacation...Jesus, I\r\n gotta get out of this job. If\r\n my Mom knew her daughter\r\n assassinated the leader of the\r\n anti-Apartheid movement....\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Quit bitching, you got the\r\n employee of the month plaque for\r\n that shit...Ah to be in Pari-is\r\n and in love.\r\n\r\n They look off to....\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ANNA'S TABLE\r\n\r\n Physically sarcastic, the Waiter brings a tall wine\r\n basket with a bottle of ketchup in it. Hawk nabs it.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This is bueno. They had the worst\r\n ketchup in prison.....uh...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Prison?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I was the Warden?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n How long were you in?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Let's just say, I never saw E.T.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Wow, you were \"in the joint.\"\r\n \"Doing hard time.\" It's funny,\r\n but that excites me. I seem to\r\n have a thing for sinners.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I seem to have a thing for sinning.\r\n sinning. Check please....\r\n\r\n WAITER\r\n Ah, anything for dessert?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (she shoots)\r\n Yes. Something to go.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (she scores)\r\n I'll bring the ketchup.\r\n\r\n INT. ANNA'S HOUSE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n The viewer's viewpoint pulls back, past the black canvas\r\n bag on a table, to reveal a barefoot Anna is straddling\r\n a bare-backed Hawk, demurely and tentatively studying his\r\n bruises.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n What have you been doing?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Uh....old badminton injury.\r\n\r\n Anna giggles and bends to kiss a bruise. She stops\r\n herself and opts for tickling.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n tickles, ticKleS, TICKLES.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (not stopping)\r\n Oh, I'm so sorry...\r\n\r\n Roaring with laughter, they capsize onto the floor.\r\n Hawk slithers around to devour her toes. Anna closes\r\n her eyes and arches her back.....\r\n\r\n She opens her eyes and sees a large crucifix staring\r\n right at her. With a gasp, she rolls away from Hawk\r\n and stands up, trying to brush off her sins.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I'm sorry. I can't. I....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (softly approaching)\r\n Hey now, outside of a very\r\n friendly dog this morning, it's\r\n been a slow decade. I don't make\r\n love every ten years, I get a\r\n little cranky.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n It's also been a long time for\r\n me. I--\r\n\r\n Their heads fuse for a semi-classic screen kiss until\r\n THE CRUCIFIX LIGHTS UP AND BEGINS SHOUTING IN ITALIAN.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Catholic girls are scary...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Somebody robbed the Vatican.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh. No.\r\n\r\n Anna slides on her shoes and makes a hasty retreat.\r\n She bumps into the canvas bag. The Codex slides out.\r\n They both catch it in mid-air. Anna's eyes pop. She\r\n wrenches the Codex away and kicks. Hawk pulls her into\r\n a compassionate back-against-his-stomach hug. The Codex\r\n falls to the floor unharmed.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n It's not what you think. Okay,\r\n maybe it is....\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n You really went and did it. With\r\n one day, not even a day, of\r\n planning, you did it. Nobody\r\n does it better, Hudson. You\r\n started the week stealing the\r\n Sforza and you ended it swiping\r\n the Codex.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Wha--\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n What are your plans for the\r\n weekend? Hoisting away the\r\n Colosseum? Tell me, did the\r\n devil make you do it or did\r\n Darwin and Minerva Mayflower?\r\n\r\n EXT. A CAR OUTSIDE OF ANNA'S PLACE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Crammed together in the front seat, Snickers, Almond\r\n Joy, and Butterfinger are watching the shadows of\r\n Hawk and Anna up in the window. Snickers snaps a\r\n cartridge into a gun while Butterfinger attacks a\r\n goo-ey pastry.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n What's going on in there?\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n Do you want me to rape them?\r\n (throwing pastry down)\r\n Dunkin does it better.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Just read, Butterfinger.\r\n\r\n Butterfinger pulls up the book on Da Vinci that Anna\r\n wrote and starts reading like a schoolboy.\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n \"Da Vinci had fears about his\r\n more dangerous designs, so he\r\n created a shorthand code in\r\n reverse script...\"\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n To yourself!.....What are they\r\n doing? In twenty seconds, we go\r\n in.\r\n\r\n INT. ANNA'S PLACE\r\n\r\n Foam shoots out over the coffee. Hawk smiles down at\r\n it as Anna works a cappuccino machine.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n For two years, I've been tracking\r\n the Mayflowers' peculiar interest\r\n in three Da Vinci pieces. Their\r\n Sforza replica was as fake as\r\n the \"gas leak\" that supposedly\r\n destroyed it.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Does everyone in the world know\r\n more than me? Jesus, I'm just\r\n some guy who happens to be good\r\n at swiping stuff.....Lifted a\r\n piece of licorice when I was one\r\n and a half. Who knew it would\r\n lead... They even got the CIA\r\n involved!\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n The C.I. what? God, no...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (raising his cup)\r\n Ooh, I guess I do know something\r\n Here's looking at you, kid...\r\n\r\n THE CAR OUTSIDE\r\n\r\n The agents burst from the car, guns raised.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Now.\r\n\r\n ANNA'S HOUSE\r\n\r\n Hawk sips the cappuccino. His face immediately contracts.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This doesn't taste like\r\n cappuccino.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh, I must have put too much\r\n ethyl-chloride in it.\r\n\r\n Anna throws a pillow on the ground and holds out her\r\n hand. Hawk collapses. His coffee cup lands perfectly in\r\n Anna's outstretched hand and his head lands perfectly\r\n on the pillow.\r\n\r\n The candy bars bash the door open, guns raised.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Why didn't you tell me at the\r\n restaurant that he had hit the\r\n Vatican tonight. My people will\r\n not be happy. I want to see Kaplan.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n That's not overly possible. He...\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n But guys, remember, he's in the\r\n castle at Vinci....\r\n\r\n Snickers and Almond Joy grimace into fake smiles.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE CASTLE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n A helicopter thunders up to the awesome castle from the\r\n opening Da Vinci sequence.\r\n\r\n INT. HELICOPTER\r\n\r\n Anna pets the head of Hawk on her lap. She is pondering.\r\n\r\n INT. A MYSTERIOUS DARK ROOM--NIGHT\r\n\r\n A sparse circle of light houses a chair and a pacing\r\n Kaplan.\r\n\r\n Snickers and Butterfinger flop Hawk onto the lit chair.\r\n\r\n Kit Kat is dressed exactly like Anna. She reacts as she\r\n comes into the light. Kaplan takes the Codex from her.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Way to go, Anna.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n When the Mayflowers find out we\r\n have the Codex, they're going to\r\n want to make a deal...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n (gung-ho lying)\r\n And then we'll arrest those\r\n greedy pigs... Is that it?\r\n\r\n Hawk stirs. The viewer gets his woozy P.O.V.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Actually George, it's not it.\r\n What are we doing in this castle?\r\n I happen to know the Mayflowers\r\n bought this castle last year when\r\n they found out Da Vinci used to\r\n do...\r\n\r\n The lights in the room come on to the sound of holy Da\r\n Vinci theme, revealing an almost perfect refurbishing of\r\n the exact same workshop Da Vinci toiled in in the\r\n opening.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n (trying to be solemn)\r\n It's the site of their new museum\r\n and we're taking it over. Operation\r\n Deflower Mayflower is going full\r\n speed ahead.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (taking it in)\r\n Oh Lord.... the only reason I ask is\r\n that Hudson, uh, Mr. Hawk, Hawkins,\r\n had some \"neat\" things to say about\r\n Darwin, Minerva, and you.\r\n Basically that you're part of the\r\n same car pool.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Anna. Anna. Anna. If that were\r\n true, Almond Joy would have\r\n handed you your heart right\r\n after you handed me the Codex.\r\n Now, get some sleep. Kit Kat...\r\n\r\n Kit Kat in drag spookily moves inches away from Anna.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Cat got his tongue?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Actually he never told us what it\r\n was.\r\n\r\n Kit Kat smiles, revealing the fact he has no tongue.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n How sweet. I trust you will see\r\n Hudson Hawk is given to the proper\r\n authorities. I recommend\r\n leniency...\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n (holding in a laugh)\r\n Oh, I think we all do.\r\n\r\n Hawk gives her a look of honesty and pain that causes\r\n Anna to guiltily gulp as she heads out with the mimicking\r\n Kit Kat.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Do you think she has any idea that\r\n Operation Deflower Mayflower is as\r\n bogus as Kit Kat's tits?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I don't think so, although bringing\r\n her to the castle gave her a big,\r\n juicy hint.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n With all due respect to that great\r\n blouse, why didn't I cut out her\r\n heart?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Close call, but she's our only way\r\n of keeping tabs on that damn\r\n mysterious Vatican organization.\r\n Hawk, it's time to go to the\r\n principal's office....\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE THE CASTLE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Moving into the chopper, Anna glimpses, Bunny, the\r\n obnoxious dog, in a Mayflower logo dog tag, taking a leak\r\n on some bushes. She fakes a yawn to the like dressed Kit\r\n Kat who fakes one back.\r\n\r\n INT. THE G. MACHINE ROOM--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Kaplan, Hawk, and the other agents march into the mammoth\r\n room of the opening scene. In the place of where one\r\n remembers the gold machine are undulating sheets, beneath\r\n which are unassembled parts of the machine.\r\n\r\n Inside, a ball goes whizzing out of a tennis ball\r\n machine. In tennis gear and goggles, Darwin Mayflower\r\n thwacks it against the wall of (now faded) frescos.\r\n\r\n Also in tennis threads, Minerva is laying on a chaise\r\n lounge holding a gadget in her hand.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Seven!\r\n\r\n Minerva turns the gadget up to SEVEN and presses a\r\n button. Another tennis ball shoots out, a little faster.\r\n Darwin batters it. The ball ricochets into the forehead\r\n of an \"amused\" Alfred who is retrieving balls in sweat\r\n pants.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Jolly. Good. Shot. Sir.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Ooh, it's Hudson Hawk, you cease\r\n to amaze me, convict. You are a\r\n terrible cat burglar!\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Haven't you ever seen, like David\r\n Niven? You know tiptoe in, tiptoe\r\n out.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Like a \"cat\", one could say.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Shucks, I'll just take it back.\r\n\r\n Hawk reaches for the Codex. Kaplan pulls it over to\r\n Darwin, who pulls up his goggles and fondles the ancient\r\n binding. Taking a knife from Kaplan, he begins to slit\r\n it open.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n (bouncing up)\r\n No, let me!\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n (pout)\r\n I don't care.\r\n\r\n Hawk looks away to the billowing sheets and the strange\r\n machine parts behind them.\r\n\r\n Minerva slits the bindings and tugs out another geometri-\r\n cally perverted crystal.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Another piece of the puzzle for\r\n the Da Vinci Alchemy project.\r\n\r\n Kaplan, Darwin, and Minerva look up to Hawk, then to each\r\n other, all start to speak, then all stop.\r\n\r\n This quandary is deferred by the entrance of the twin\r\n Flunkies.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Oh, you. There's nothing more I\r\n hate than failure. All you had to\r\n do was follow the Hawk, it's not\r\n like I said \"Teach our nation's\r\n children how to read.\"\r\n\r\n Hawk uses the distraction to amble toward the sheets.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n I guess we're just going to have\r\n to kill 'em...\r\n\r\n Shockingly swift, Minerva pulls a small gun from beneath\r\n her tennis dress and blasts a burning hole between each\r\n set of Flunky eyes, splattering them to the ground.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n God Minerva, I was kidding.\r\n\r\n A SHOCKED HAWK\r\n\r\n quickly turns from the blithe carnage and pulls up a\r\n sheet. He reveals the familiar Gold Machine Demonhead.\r\n\r\n THE MAYFLOWERS\r\n\r\n reverberate off each other with laughter. Bloodstained,\r\n Kaplan and Almond Joy exchange an eye bulge. Minerva's\r\n smile disappears as she sees Hawk by the sheets.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Get away from there, convict!\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Just browsing. Don't touch me....\r\n\r\n Snickers touches him. Hawk smashes him in the jaw.\r\n Snickers rears back to reciprocate....\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Don't hurt him! We need him for\r\n the final job!\r\n\r\n Snickers stops himself, snarling in frustration. Hawk is\r\n suddenly the happiest man he's been in Italy.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh weeeeelly, don't hurt me? Even\r\n if I do this....\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls Snickers' glasses off and stamps them.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n And this....\r\n\r\n Hawk knees Butterfinger in the stomach.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Surely this must offend....\r\n\r\n Hawk body-block-dominoes Butterfinger and Snickers to the\r\n ground. Kaplan and Almond Joy aim their guns.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n That's it!\r\n\r\n Playfully lifting his shirt, Hawk grabs Minerva and\r\n manually swivels her hips to the beat of his.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Things are getting a little loose\r\n at the Da Vinci workshop tonight.\r\n \"Put your left leg in, take your\r\n right foot out.\" May I call you\r\n Minnie....\r\n\r\n Hawk mambos to Alfred who rifles his blade up to Hawk's\r\n crotch. Hawk stops dancing.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Come to think of it there is a part\r\n of your body that you won't need for\r\n your next job...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Hey, guys, I've always wanted to sing\r\n like Franki Valli and the other seasons,\r\n but come on....\r\n\r\n Alfred moves the blade a little upward. Hawk a-a-ghs.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Big girls don't cry-I-eye.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Two minutes, 35 seconds. Damnit,\r\n I'm involved in this thing, so I\r\n just wanna know what this thing is.\r\n I wanna be treated as an adult.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n That's fair. Tomorrow. Back in\r\n Rome. Now go to your room.\r\n\r\n Alfred strategically Vulcans Hawk on the neck. He falls.\r\n\r\n INT. DARK CONFESSION BOOTH--MORNING\r\n\r\n The lips of Anna come into light.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Forgive me Father for I have\r\n sinned. It's been 1200 hours\r\n since my last confession.\r\n\r\n INT. THE CARDINAL'S SIDE OF THE CONFESSION BOOTH\r\n\r\n The cardinal suppresses a yawn.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Hit me with your best shot.\r\n\r\n ANNA (O.S.)\r\n I betrayed a man. A good man. An\r\n innocent man. A thief.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Anna, what are you trying to say...\r\n\r\n ANNA'S DARKENED LIPS\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n He came into a world where crime\r\n is a legitimate business tactic\r\n and a legitimate government\r\n procedure. But he knew Right and\r\n Wrong. Oh, and we kind of messed\r\n around...\r\n\r\n THE CARDINAL\r\n\r\n freaks and goes into some Italian gibberish before...\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n \"Messed around\" messed around? I\r\n know-- I don't want to know. First\r\n base? Second Base? Stop me when\r\n I'm getting warm...\r\n\r\n ANNA (O.S.)\r\n A little petting is not the issue!\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Sorry. Seventeen Hail Marys and\r\n five minutes outside.\r\n\r\n INT. OUTSIDE THE CONFESSION BOOTH--MORNING\r\n\r\n The Cardinal emerges and stands by Anna's confessional\r\n curtains.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n So let me get this straight,\r\n sister, you're saying Hudson Hawk\r\n is not willingly working for the\r\n Mayflowers but Kaplan and the\r\n Candy Bars are?\r\n\r\n Anna moves out of the confessional curtains, wearing a\r\n FULL NUN HABIT for she is a Nun. The gaspingly beautiful\r\n church unfolds as they walk.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n You got it. Operation Deflower\r\n Mayflower is a bad joke and I'm the\r\n punchline. I thought we were using\r\n the CIA to help us to get Mayflower,\r\n but really the CIA was using me to\r\n keep us away from Mayflower.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Oh, why couldn't I be the Cardinal\r\n in charge of catering.... If the\r\n Mayflowers get the three sections\r\n of Da Vinci's crystal and his\r\n instructions for the gold machine--\r\n Aie-yi--Do we got anything? What of\r\n Alex, Hawk's friend, where is his\r\n loyalty?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I'm going to find out.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n I'm sorry for losing it back there,\r\n but you must remember, sister, you\r\n have vows to God as well as a mission\r\n to the world.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I know, I know, your Eminence, just say\r\n \"God go with me.\"\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n God go with you, sister.\r\n\r\n Anna puts on the coolest pair of sunglasses, deliciously\r\n contrasting with her habit. She moves off....\r\n\r\n INT. ROME CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY\r\n\r\n Beneath the wacky portrait, Darwin circles the board-\r\n member filled conference table as Minerva smooches Bunny.\r\n Everyone watches Alfred place a bar of Gold and of Lead\r\n in the hands of a blindfolded Hawk at the middle of the M.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n So, Captain Hawk, in one of your\r\n paws you got a gold bar worth\r\n about 8 thou. In the autre, you\r\n got lead that won't get you\r\n gelato.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Surely a master-thief like you can\r\n tell the difference.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (\"What's my Line\")\r\n That's two down to Kitty\r\n Carlisle...\r\n\r\n Hawk \"weighs\" the two bars in his hands--digs with his\r\n fingernails. He rips off the blindfold in subdued\r\n frustration. As Minerva speaks, she unconsciously\r\n molests Alfred.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Cool, isn't it? Weight, feel,\r\n mal1eability, they're all but\r\n identical. On the periodic chart\r\n of elements, they're but one\r\n proton apart. Great minds worked\r\n for centuries to turn worthless\r\n into priceless.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alchemy.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n (casually goosing Alfred)\r\n Alchemy! Is the business term of\r\n the 90's, my man! Minerva read\r\n about it in an airline magazine\r\n about four years ago. I dumped\r\n some lira into research... Shazam,\r\n we come across a diary by one of\r\n Da Vinci's apprentices detailing\r\n La Machine de Oro, the gold machine\r\n for those at home, and the rest is\r\n about to become history. Money\r\n isn't everything, gold is. Fuck\r\n blue chip stocks! Fuck T-bills!\r\n Fuck Junk Bonds! I got the real\r\n deal! Money will always be paper\r\n but gold will always be gold!\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Market crashes. Bomb drops.\r\n Greenhouse effect affects. We'll\r\n still be the richest, most powerful\r\n people in the world. In 1992,\r\n Europe is coming together to become\r\n one business superpower. It's one\r\n party we'd love to poop.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Well, that said, the last\r\n ingredient in the recipe is in, get\r\n this, you're gonna die, the Kremlin.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Sure. The Kremlin. Makes sense.\r\n The Kremlin. Why not? Listen,\r\n this is all too Indiana Jones and\r\n the Lost City of King Tut for me,\r\n man. Throw me in jail and go ahead,\r\n just try and throw Alex...\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Jail, you asshole! Our foot\r\n soldiers will blow your brains\r\n out! Bunny, Ball-Ball!\r\n\r\n Minerva angrily throws the dog off her lap and whips a\r\n tennis ball into its mouth.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n I'll torture you so slowly you'll\r\n think it's a career! I'll kill\r\n your family, your friends, and the\r\n bitch you took to the Prom!\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You want an address on that last\r\n one?\r\n\r\n Bunny barks up at Hawk in anger.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Bunny, not you too?\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n You've got a dilemma, tiger. I\r\n think I know what's going to help\r\n you solve it.\r\n\r\n Alfred quickly latches on the state-of-the-art handcuffs\r\n and the blindfold. The viewer's viewpoint stays on a\r\n writhing Hawk.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'll kill all you. Even the old\r\n lady.\r\n\r\n\r\n Hawk kicks back on the table, \"jump ropes\" the cuffs,\r\n then picks the lock with his teeth. Hawk rips off the\r\n blindfold to see that the entire room is empty except\r\n for Alex, standing at the other end, in an incongruous\r\n Italian leather coat.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I hated cigarettes until I saw my\r\n first No Smoking sign. Keep off\r\n the Grass? Let's play Soccer.\r\n Only law I cared about was\r\n friendship. Broke that one too,\r\n didn't I? This Gates-Mario\r\n Brothers-CIA-Mayflower-Da Vinci\r\n thing seemed like a sweet deal.\r\n Visit foreign lands, take their\r\n treasures. I don't know, I thought\r\n you'd get into it. It's better\r\n than playing darts with M.B.A.'s at\r\n the bar. I didn't know it was\r\n going to be like this. Them using\r\n me to use you... I'm sorry, there's\r\n only one way out of this and it's\r\n gonna hurt me more than it's gonna\r\n hurt you.\r\n\r\n Alex pulls out a gun from his jacket and clicks it in.\r\n\r\n EXT. FAMILIAR PIAZZA--DAY\r\n\r\n The piazza from the fascist E.U.R. building are bustling\r\n with office workers laughing, smoking, and hustling.\r\n Darwin, Minerva and Kaplan are a solid troika in the\r\n center of the steps. The other agents stroll in the\r\n periphery....\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I just don't think it was a\r\n smoking hot idea to leave them up\r\n there alone.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Don't worry George, this is the\r\n reason we put the old diabetic\r\n guinea on the payroll to begin\r\n with. To keep Hawk in line.\r\n They'll talk about \"being buddies\"\r\n and \"chugging brewskis.\"\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n (raising glass)\r\n You gotta love male bonding.\r\n\r\n As Darwin slaps Kaplan on the back, behind them, Hawk and\r\n Alex come crashing out of the windowed doors of the building.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n You were saying...\r\n\r\n Moving to the edge of the stairs, Hawk and Alex, latter\r\n holding his gun, sprout up from their own debris and\r\n continue savagely brawling. The wigging out passers-\r\n by give them space.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You bastard! You fucked my\r\n freedom for a lousy job!\r\n\r\n Alex trembles, going into a diabetic seizure. He shakily\r\n raises his gun.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hawk... I'm so sorry...\r\n\r\n Hawk roars forward like a bull and helmets Alex. They\r\n roll together down the massive staircase past Darwin,\r\n Minerva, and the CIA who react with \"This can't be\r\n happening\" catatonia.\r\n\r\n Two SHOTS go off as Hawk and Alex crash to the bottom of\r\n the staircase. Hawk rises up in a daze to see Alex on the\r\n ground with two bloody bullet holes.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No.....Alex! Wake up, you can't\r\n go out like this.\r\n\r\n Hawk falls to his knees as Snickers hustles toward him.\r\n Suddenly, sirens are heard as a police van pulls up.\r\n Snickers stops.\r\n\r\n Four policemen blast from the back of the van. One holds\r\n back the crowd. One strenuously pulls Hawk into the van.\r\n The other two drag in Alex.\r\n\r\n The villains look to each other for non-existent guidance\r\n as the van pulls away.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Plan B, anyone...\r\n\r\n Using initiative, Snickers hops on a Vespa and roars off\r\n after them. The van can be seen swerving off.....\r\n\r\n AROUND A CORNER\r\n\r\n where it bolts up into a much larger truck marked VATICAN\r\n SOUVENIRS. TWO SEEMINGLY-INNOCENT-BYSTANDER PRIESTS break\r\n demeanor to flop up the wheel ramps, slam close the back\r\n of the truck, lock it shut, and continue on their solemn\r\n way.\r\n\r\n The TRUCK BELLOWS off as the Vespa spins around the corner.\r\n Snickers brakes and looks around for the police van. He\r\n hits his handle with frustration.\r\n\r\n EXT. BEAUTIFUL ROME OVERVIEW\r\n\r\n Out of her habit but still in her incredible sunglasses,\r\n Anna looks out to a lovely view of Italy. The Vatican Truck\r\n pulls up behind her. A giddy, blood-stained Alex and a not-\r\n so-giddy Hawk bound out of the back. Alex excitedly gives\r\n himself an insulin shot.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh thank God, you're dead...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n It was so beautiful! When the\r\n blanks went off, they...\r\n\r\n Hawk's fist whooshes into frame and blasts Alex's jaw.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You bastard. You fucked my\r\n freedom for a lousy job.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n But I said I was sorry....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No sweat, Alex, you only made the\r\n biggest mistake of my life. What\r\n was your per-diem?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Don't act like you've never committed\r\n a crime before, Hawkins? I know, I\r\n made call, when Anna tracked me down I...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Hudson, don't you understand...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n And you, Dr. Cappucino, you're lucky\r\n I don't hit women, assuming you are\r\n a woman. I'm not taking anything for\r\n granted anymore.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I-work-for-a-covert-Vatican-humanitarian-\r\n organization. The-CIA-made-a-fool-of-me.\r\n I-care-for-you...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh. Well, what's this?\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls out the Demon Head that was in the Mayflower\r\n Museum from out of his pocket. Anna turns white.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Where did you get this?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You know, the place where you gave\r\n the bad guys the Codex.... the\r\n Mayflower Museum.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n It's from the machine. All they\r\n need is the crystal to run it and\r\n they have 2/3 of it already. We\r\n can't let that happen.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n You're saying you want us to beat\r\n them to the crystal and save the\r\n world from financial disarray.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Something like that.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (pulling out plane\r\n tix)\r\n Well, forget about it. Hawk and I\r\n are going to Rio. We're hurt,\r\n we're tired, and a hero ain't\r\n nothing but a sandwich. Right,\r\n buddy?...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Hudson, God's given you a gift for\r\n cat burglary, you can t just...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You better believe I can. I'm\r\n sick of people telling me what I\r\n have to do.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n It's that kind of selfish attitude\r\n that...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Selfish attitude? I'm just some\r\n guy who wants a little nap and a\r\n cappuccino for when he wakes up,\r\n not too much foam...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n You re not \"some guy\" anymore,\r\n Hudson. Right now, you're the\r\n only guy. Without your help, I....\r\n\r\n Anna looks to Hawk with a choked-up expression. The\r\n weight of the world on his shoulders, Hawk turns away\r\n to a lovely view, his mind painfully raging and\r\n swirling toward peaceful clarity.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The world is beautiful. Every day\r\n in prison I made sure to remember\r\n that. It's only when I actually\r\n got out that I forgot. If I was\r\n sane, I'd be on that plane to Rio.\r\n But being beaten and abused to\r\n fulfill some corporation's\r\n perverted vision does something to\r\n your mental health. The world is\r\n beautiful and I'm tired of being\r\n fucked.\r\n (turning around)\r\n It's Darwin and Minerva's turn to\r\n bite the pillow...\r\n\r\n Anna involuntarily does the sign of the cross. Alex\r\n goodnaturedly does a jerking off motion.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n That was beautiful.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I laughed, I cried.\r\n\r\n Shaking his head, Hawk swipes the plane tickets from\r\n Alex.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Rio, Alex? After all they've\r\n done to...Hey, these tickets are\r\n for Moscow!\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (knowing smile)\r\n Damn travel agency. That Kremlin\r\n thing is in Moscow, isn't it?\r\n\r\n A proud Hawk slaps Alex on the back as some passing\r\n ITALIAN LOCALS stop to stare, horrified, at Alex's\r\n bullet holes. Anna sweetly intervenes.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Ketchup. Stupido Americani...\r\n\r\n The locals give off a slightly dazed \"A-a-h\" and move off.\r\n\r\n INT. THE CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY\r\n\r\n Wind blows through the shattered conference room window.\r\n Snickers is banging on his computer apparatus at the\r\n table with the Mayflowers and the other agents.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n We're all family now. My team\r\n has done a lot of rougher things\r\n than steal the model of a\r\n helicopter.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n We're going to whack this place\r\n so fast we'll have time to shop\r\n for American imports.\r\n\r\n Darwin and Minerva politely smile and then turn away to\r\n each other with knowing looks. The computer screen shows\r\n the familiar image of the Kremlin building that turns\r\n into a complex look at interiors the viewer will later\r\n see.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Lucky for us, the Da Vinci is\r\n located in a wing of the Kremlin\r\n that they used to throw the Miss\r\n Ukraine pageant and stuff. It'll\r\n have the least number of guards....\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n As for our plan of action,\r\n anybody'd be insane to go in\r\n from the ground floor...\r\n\r\n INT. A VAN-BUS--NIGHT\r\n\r\n A head-rubbing Hawk and a stomach rubbing Alex kneel on\r\n the floor of a moving van, over a barely legible drawing\r\n of what was so neatly delineated on the CIA computer.\r\n Both guys are dressed as priests and are chewing gum.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n We're going in from the ground\r\n floor.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Geez, this Art Treasures Room\r\n looks like a burnt diaphragm.\r\n\r\n Hawk laughs and pops up into the passenger seat. Anna\r\n is revealed to be driving in her habit. Hawk gives her\r\n a kiss.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Hey, don't take your disguise so\r\n seriously.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Uh, yeah. Guess I'm a wee bit\r\n nervous. I'm sorry I could only\r\n score clergy passports.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Fits my new image. A thief for\r\n the masses. This is one job I'm\r\n not going to feel guilty about\r\n enjoying. Gum.\r\n\r\n Hawk, Alex, and Anna all spit out their gum into a bag\r\n Hawk holds.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n The security's actually not that\r\n severe.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n It doesn't have to be. Everybody\r\n knows that if you mess with the\r\n Kremlin, you'll end up in a\r\n Siberian gulag eating your own\r\n fingernails.\r\n\r\n Hawk takes in some views of Moscow that remind one of\r\n Budapest.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Shwoof, that makes me feel better.\r\n I can't believe this is the Iron\r\n Curtain. All the guy at Airport\r\n customs wanted to know was \"Who\r\n Shot J.R.?\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n You sound disappointed.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yeah, I mean, come on, going\r\n through the Iron Curtain is\r\n supposed to be crawling\r\n underneath barbed wire, it's\r\n supposed to be strangling a\r\n guard...\r\n\r\n THE VAN\r\n\r\n passes a textbook shot of the Kremlin in the distance.\r\n\r\n HAWK (V.O.)\r\n It's supposed to be parachuting\r\n in the moonlight....\r\n\r\n EXT. THE TOP OF THE KREMLIN--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Kaplan, Snickers, Almond Joy, and Butterfinger slam down\r\n upon the roof of the Kremlin and discard their\r\n parachutes.\r\n\r\n Snickers opens up his computer screen, upon which is the\r\n image-map of the Kremlin with a flashing blue light at\r\n the top of the building and a flashing green one inside.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n We are the blue light. The green\r\n light is where the Art Treasures\r\n room is.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Let's go make a purple light.\r\n Where's Kit Kat?\r\n\r\n EXT. THE KREMLIN GROUNDS\r\n\r\n Dressed in cat burglar black and all chewing gum, Hawk,\r\n Alex, and Anna crawl across the Kremlin grounds. They\r\n scope out a shabby Delivery Entrance.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Delivery Entrance. Low Security.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Gum.\r\n\r\n All three spit out their gum into Hawk's bag.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Count of three?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Why not just go now?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Okay.\r\n\r\n The Trio rush for the door.\r\n\r\n THE KREMLIN ROOF\r\n\r\n SOVIET GUARD ONE comes out on the roof to light a cig-\r\n arette. He looks in the distance to the motivating CIA\r\n team. Suddenly a card floats down into his hand.\r\n\r\n It reads: WILLIAM TELL. ADAM'S APPLE. GET IT?\r\n\r\n The not-getting-it Guard looks up from the card as a\r\n grinning Kit Kat parachutes behind him. The Guard\r\n swerves around and Kit Kat savagely skewers him with a\r\n crossbow shot to his Adam's apple.\r\n\r\n THE DELIVERY ENTRANCE\r\n\r\n Hawk, Anna, and Alex race to the door, the latter\r\n bashes it...\r\n\r\n INT. GRUNGY WHITE FOYER\r\n\r\n open and sets off an annoying hammer-against-bell alarm.\r\n Alex all-fours beneath the alarm. Hawk does a Michael\r\n Jordan vault off Alex's back and slam dunks A MASSIVE\r\n BALL OF USED-GUM, pulled from his bag, between the\r\n hammer and the bell, cutting off the sound. They rush\r\n ahead.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE KREMLIN ROOF\r\n\r\n The agents are trotting across the roof when a phone on\r\n Snickers' apparatus rings. Kaplan answers it.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Everything's going fine, Minerva,\r\n thanks for asking...\r\n\r\n INT. NONDESCRIPT HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Minerva chats on a cellular moving down a hallway, with\r\n Darwin, who is holding in his laughter as if this was a\r\n great crank.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I say who needs this Hudson Hawk\r\n anyway....\r\n\r\n INT. A GRAND BALLROOM\r\n\r\n The good guys scurry upon the second level of an epic\r\n and gorgeous ballroom. Two lush staircases lead up from\r\n the floor. From behind a pillar, the gang checks out\r\n the activity below.\r\n\r\n A tablecloth is being wrangled over a large table at\r\n the opposite end of the ballroom by SERVANTS. Threaten-\r\n ing SOVIET SOLDIERS maneuver on the floor.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (Wizard of Oz)\r\n Oh-Eee-Oh-A-Whoa-Oh.\r\n\r\n They then make a mad scuffle across their side of the\r\n second level, hunkering down by the level railing.\r\n\r\n As they move into another wing hallway, the viewer's\r\n viewpoint moves back down to the ballroom floor to see\r\n a gloating DARWIN AND MINERVA ENTER, the latter still\r\n on the phone.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Everybody here, in Rome, wishes\r\n you tinsel boxes of love...\r\n\r\n The servants move away from the tablecloth and the\r\n table, revealing that it is shaped like an M. A GROUP\r\n OF SERIOUS SOVIET V.I.P.'s come out to join the\r\n Mayflowers at the table.\r\n\r\n THE ROOF\r\n\r\n Kaplan hangs up the phone.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Lazy, rich, condescending bitch.\r\n\r\n The team moves up to the rooftop doorway where Kit Kat\r\n is. He holds up an \"About Time\" card. The agents laugh\r\n and greet them.\r\n\r\n INT. A VERY LONG, ENIGMATIC HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk, Alex, and Anna pass through a set of windowed\r\n double doors into a very long hallway that leads into a\r\n pitch darkness. A MURAL OF A HAPPY, ARM-STRETCHED LENIN\r\n looms above the doors. They give it a a quick glance\r\n before pulling out screwdrivers and wire hangers.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Eighth room down, babe...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Guards come exactly every three\r\n minutes....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Three. Oh. Oh. \"Side by Side.\"\r\n\r\n Our trio charges down the hallway.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Oh, we ain't got a barrel of\r\n money.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"Maybe we're ragged and funny.\"\r\n\r\n They reach a MASSIVE SPOOKY DOOR WITH AN ODD, ANCIENT\r\n LOCK. They go to work on it. Not losing the beat.\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ALEX\r\n \"But we'll travel along, singing\r\n a song. Side by Side...\"\r\n\r\n INT. TOP FLOOR HALLWAY\r\n\r\n With a gust of wind, Kaplan and the Candy Bars bluster\r\n through the rooftop door into another hallway, where\r\n SOVIET GUARDS TWO AND THREE are taking it easy.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Create a diversion.\r\n\r\n Snickers and Butterfinger calmly blow away both guards\r\n with silenced mini-Uzis.\r\n\r\n SOVIET GUARD FOUR rushes out a door before the agents,\r\n zipping up his fly. Almond Joy twists his neck with an\r\n agonizing SNAP.\r\n\r\n THE LONG HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk, Anna, and Alex retreat beneath the Lenin mural\r\n through the windowed double doors.\r\n\r\n Behind the doors, they poke up to see a BESPECTACLED\r\n GUARD emerge from the darkness to check out the door.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Now that's a lock.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Don't worry, we'll get it...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Can I sing this time, too?\r\n Please?\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex are not thrilled about the idea, but Anna's\r\n eye flutter does it.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Uh, I guess so.\r\n\r\n The Bespectacled Guard moves back into the darkness.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n The Soviet V.I.P.'s open up presents of pink L.A. GEAR\r\n tennis shoes, silly T-shirts, and Nintendo joysticks\r\n as a standing Darwin hypnotizes them.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n I look at you Soviet people and I\r\n feel... pity... superiority. Most\r\n of your life, your government has\r\n told you that Capitalism turns\r\n people into robots who'd rather\r\n eat microwave sushi, naked in the\r\n back of a Cadillac than hear the\r\n laughter of children.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n (smiling)\r\n We're here to say, your government\r\n was right.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n So let's get busy. Have some fun\r\n and make some deals.\r\n\r\n AT THE LOCK\r\n\r\n Alex holds a lit match into the lock, while Hawk\r\n does something incomprehensible with a screwdriver.\r\n They are improvising...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Oh this lock is a pain in the bu-utt\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"How'd we ever get such in a ru-utt\"\r\n\r\n Anna suddenly, booms out the chorus in a way that Hawk and\r\n Alex can barely concentrate.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n \"But we'll travel the road, Sharing\r\n the load. Side by Side!\"\r\n\r\n THE HALLWAY ABOVE\r\n\r\n The CIA team saunters through corpses up to a door\r\n similar in lock and design to the one Hawk and Alex\r\n are working on.\r\n\r\n Snickers's computer screen shows the blue light directly\r\n above the green light.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n This is the room above the Art\r\n Treasures room. The lock is a\r\n Natalya Z-Z, first created...\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Snickers, baby, I love you like a\r\n brother, but really, who cares?\r\n Silencer bomb...\r\n\r\n Butterfinger pulls from around his shoulder a strange\r\n rifle. He attaches to the front of it;, a glass encased,\r\n suctioning time-bomb from a waist satchel. He fires\r\n the bomb against the door and it starts ticking.\r\n\r\n BEHIND THE WINDOWED DOUBLE DOORS\r\n\r\n come Hawk, Alex, and Anna, panting.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n That was close....\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Anna, I think you better stay....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You can be lookout!..... Take\r\n Alex's gun.\r\n\r\n Alex hands Anna his gun, who glumly takes it like a Little\r\n Sister not allowed to play. Hawk and Alex go back through\r\n the doors.\r\n\r\n THE HALLWAY ABOVE\r\n\r\n The CIA bomb blows up the door with a weird silencer\r\n sound. Kaplan and the Candy Bars giddily whoop as they\r\n rush through the smoking door.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM--SECOND LEVEL\r\n\r\n Anna meanders across the second level muttering to herself\r\n in Italian and amusingly imitating Hawk's condescension.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n \"You can be the lookout.\"\r\n\r\n Anna suddenly moves past the pillar to see the Mayflowers\r\n and the V.I.P.S. She gasps and hurls herself behind the\r\n second level railing.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM FLOOR\r\n\r\n A VERY DIGNIFIED SOVIET LEADER, in a SHIT HAPPENS baseball\r\n cap, addresses Darwin.\r\n\r\n SOVIET LEADER\r\n Before we serve you \"the main course,\"\r\n hee, hee, we need to know specifics\r\n about what you can do for us. We--\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Bluntness. How amusingly Hungarian.\r\n Listen up, for reasons I don't want\r\n to get into, I recently had to close\r\n down a petroleum factory, but I'm\r\n going to re-build it here and\r\n Madonna's going to cut the ribbon!\r\n Frozen burritos in Leningrad. 1982\r\n fantasy. 1992 reality.\r\n\r\n THE LOCK OUTSIDE THE DOOR\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex more frantically toil on the lock.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"We all had our quarrels and\r\n parted...\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"But we'll be the same as we started...\r\n\r\n The lock clunks open. They race through the doors into...\r\n\r\n INT. THE ART TREASURE ROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex weave through the room which is crammed,\r\n with little nuance, to the gills with great art treasures\r\n including an impressive array of Faberge eggs. A solid\r\n gold hammer and sickle hang on one wall...\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ALEX\r\n \"Just traveling along, singing a\r\n song. Side--\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Geez, this place is a mess...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Voila...\r\n\r\n They rumble toward an opening in the wall of the room\r\n covered by a small curtain that has the Da Vinci Man in\r\n the Circle drawing emblazoned across it. Hawk reaches\r\n for the curtain. Alex puts his arm around him and speaks,\r\n not sings.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Side by side, man...\r\n\r\n Suddenly, the roof above them explodes. Kaplan and the\r\n Candy Bars drop down behind them.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n What the hell....\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n You're supposed to be dead!\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I'm a ghost. Boo.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I don't want to sound immature,\r\n but we were here first...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I wish I could think of those cute\r\n quips the way you can, Hawk, but\r\n I can't, so I'll just shoot Alex.\r\n\r\n Kaplan point blank shoots Alex in the chest. Alex\r\n crumples backward, moaning. Butterfinger, casually, but\r\n with incredible strength, holds Hawk's arms behind his\r\n back.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No....\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n That was pretty uncool, George...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Sorry, you know he kind of reminds\r\n me of Little Eddie. But I digress.\r\n Ah, victory is so sweet....\r\n\r\n Kaplan pulls back the Da Vinci curtain. Nothing is there.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM BANQUET\r\n\r\n A SOVIET CHEF lifts up a silver domed serving tray,\r\n revealing the Da Vinci helicopter model.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Yum. This is the best meal I\r\n ever had...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n\r\n bulges her eyes at the revelation. She pulls out Alex's\r\n gun and bangs herself in the head. What to do....\r\n\r\n THE ART TREASURES ROOM\r\n\r\n Kaplan is bugging out.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Damnit, this isn't the plan!\r\n Blue light, green light, shit!\r\n Snickers, Kit Kat, A.J., scramble,\r\n see if you can find out anything.\r\n\r\n They thunder out. Hawk, still in Butterfinger's\r\n oblivious clutches, shouts..\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Can't you see the Mayflowers\r\n double-crossed you...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n They may be scum, but if I get the\r\n Da Vinci model back, then we'll be\r\n roasting weenies on the beach.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I don't think you'll appreciate\r\n their choice of weenie.\r\n\r\n Kaplan raises his gun.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM BANQUET\r\n\r\n Darwin holds the Da Vinci model in one hand and raises\r\n a glass of vodka in the other.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n You're helping us achieve a goal\r\n and in return, I'm giving you a\r\n key to the world's executive\r\n washroom. Don't piss it away....\r\n Skoal, amigos...\r\n\r\n ANNA (O.S.)\r\n Stop or I'll shoot.\r\n\r\n Minerva and some various Soviet VIPS spew their vodka to\r\n look up to Anna pointing a gun down at them from the\r\n second level. She is shivering, shaking the gun.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n You people are immoral and\r\n narcissitic and I won't let you...\r\n\r\n In unison, the Soviet Soldiers surrounding the table\r\n begin machine gunning up at her. She dives behind the\r\n railing.\r\n\r\n THE ART TREASURES ROOM\r\n\r\n Kaplan lowers his gun.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I can't believe this. I'm in\r\n fucking Russia, or do I have to\r\n say, the fucking Soviet Union and\r\n I'm shooting a non-Bolshevick.\r\n (raising back up\r\n his gun)\r\n I never thought I'd say \"I'm just\r\n in this job for the money.\" Sad.\r\n Any last immature quips?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No.\r\n (a beat)\r\n But why do you let Butterfinger\r\n keep those blood stains on his\r\n shirt?\r\n\r\n Falling for the oldest trick in the book, Butterfinger\r\n looks down to his shirt.\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n What blood stains....\r\n\r\n Hawk bounces up to savagely head-butt Butterfinger.\r\n Butterfinger slams back against a wall causing the Gold\r\n Sickle to fall down around his neck and knock him to the\r\n ground, pinning his head to the floor. The Gold Hammer\r\n next trembles off the wall and crushes Butterfinger's\r\n skull.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You want immature, how 'bout an\r\n egg fight...\r\n\r\n Hawk flings a Faberge egg, smashing the gun out of Kaplan's\r\n hand. Hawk pelts a batch more at him. Kaplan sloppily\r\n whips some eggs back. Hawk finally smashes one in half\r\n and beans the jagged piece into Kaplan's eye. He squeals\r\n to the ground, geysering blood.\r\n\r\n Hawk swoops down to a wheezing, breath controlling Alex.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alex, are you....\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I can't believe you didn't notice.\r\n My weight. I lost ten pounds in\r\n Rome\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You're a reed, man. I gotta get\r\n Anna. Hang in there...\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n Bullets stop splintering around Anna at the railing as\r\n the soldiers fling out their empty cartridges to reload.\r\n\r\n Snickers, Almond Joy, and Kit Kat race out of the hall-\r\n way area into the ballroom area. They stop at the sight\r\n of Anna....\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Anna-bannana-fo-fanna, I guess I\r\n have to cut out your heart for\r\n real now. It's not personal.\r\n\r\n Anna feebly raises her gun. Almond Joy laughs and\r\n pulls out a knife.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n You won't shoot. I read your\r\n dossier... Sister.\r\n\r\n The Soviet Soldiers snap in new cartridges as Almond Joy\r\n moves out from behind the pillar towards Anna. The\r\n Soldiers blast away at this newly appearing figure.\r\n\r\n Almond Joy ruptures and vibrates in a Sonny Corleone\r\n ballet.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n I gotta get a new job...\r\n\r\n Snickers and Kit Kat militarily roll on either side of\r\n Anna as their partner wilts to the ground. The men,\r\n Snickers with his mini-Uzi, Kit Kat with his cross-\r\n bow rifle, briefly leap up to fire down at the soldiers\r\n with some graphic success.\r\n\r\n Anna watches Darwin and Minerva head up the stairs to\r\n her level. She bolts off....\r\n\r\n BALLROOM FLOOR\r\n\r\n The last of the Soviet VIPS flee as the Soldiers tip\r\n over the M shaped table on its side, using it for\r\n cover, firing upward.\r\n\r\n KIT KAT\r\n\r\n breaks off and scurries around the second level to get\r\n a position behind the M.\r\n\r\n He fires down an arrow for a successful kill. Another\r\n guard tries to fire up, but Kit Kat impales him to the\r\n back of the table with a quality shot.\r\n\r\n Kit Kat grins and reloads as Alfred, the butler, regally\r\n creeps behind him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n comes out of the long hallway double doors up to where\r\n Anna is bustling. They hug...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n The Mayflowers got...\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna turn to see the Mayflowers hastening in\r\n their direction. Noticing them back, the model-toting\r\n Mayflowers halt.\r\n\r\n KIT KAT\r\n\r\n turns to Alfred and fires his crossbow. Alfred effort-\r\n lessly cuts it in half with his blade and continues\r\n to move forward. Still smiling, Kit Kat tries to reload.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n\r\n breaks the standstill.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n What a pleasant surprise. You're\r\n probably wondering...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n But you're going to tell us\r\n anyway...\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I hate a man with a sense of\r\n humor. While you corn dogs were\r\n comparing the lengths of your\r\n masculinity, we obtained the\r\n helicopter the new fashioned\r\n way: a thoroughly corrupt business\r\n deal.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n If you think you're getting past\r\n me...\r\n\r\n Grunting behind them, Snickers gun-butts Hawk to the\r\n ground.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Don't be stupid...they...\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Bastard! If you were a true\r\n American.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Just shut up and hit me!\r\n\r\n Snickers swings a punch. Hawk blocks it then whomps\r\n him in the chest.\r\n\r\n As they battle, Darwin grabs Anna's hair, slams her\r\n into a pillar, and watches her crumple.\r\n\r\n KIT KAT\r\n\r\n gets in an arrow but it's too late. Alfred stabs\r\n him deep, deep, deeply, and lifts him from the ground.\r\n\r\n A shower of cards reading \"OUCH\" \"PAIN\" and \"THIS REALLY\r\n HURTS\" rain from out of Kit Kat's coat.\r\n\r\n Alfred discards him over the edge.\r\n\r\n Kit Kat sails down upon the M.\r\n\r\n The lone card of \"FUCK\" plops from his open eyed corpse.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n and Snickers trades fierce blows, stumbling down a\r\n staircase.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n\r\n and Minerva watch the fight with amusement. Alfred\r\n approaches.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Alfred, the getaway car...\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n\r\n slashes Hawk in the arm with a small but sinister blade.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Damnit, I hate this! I'm a cat\r\n burglar! Nobody said anything\r\n about this fight-to-the-death\r\n shit.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Too bad.\r\n\r\n Snickers goes for a final thrust when suddenly one of the\r\n silencer time bombs suctions to his head.\r\n\r\n Hawk turns to see Alex, barely standing, at the top of\r\n the stairs, holding the strange rifle.\r\n\r\n Darwin and Minerva turn to this dramatic entrance. They\r\n start to trot off...\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I knew it! I told you it was a\r\n fake.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n That New-York-Italian-Father-\r\n made-twenty-bucks-a-week-son-\r\n of-a-bitch. What was our bet? A\r\n million?\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Million five, lover...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n boots Snickers down the stairs. Snickers somersaults\r\n up and frantically tries to pull off the bomb.\r\n\r\n Snickers wails to the soldiers, who have lowered their\r\n guns and are poking their heads out of the M to watch.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Help me you Democratic Reform\r\n lovers! Get a screwdriver, you\r\n Stupid Eskimoes! Screw-dri-ver!\r\n Oh God, I always wanted to know\r\n how to play the harp, there\r\n just was so little time! Rosebud!\r\n\r\n The soldiers high-tail it out. Snickers plugs his ears.\r\n Nothing happens.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Maybe it was just a....\r\n\r\n Snickers blows up gloriously before the M.\r\n\r\n THE STAIRCASE\r\n\r\n Hawk bounds up to Alex, who puffs down onto the steps.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Get 'em. They went down the\r\n hallway.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Let's just forget it, I mean...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Get em....\r\n\r\n Hawk rushes up the. stairs, gives a \"What can I do?\" glance\r\n to the unconscious Anna, and then continues rushing, past\r\n a pillar. Minerva emerges from behind the pillar and\r\n moves forward.\r\n\r\n THE LONG ENIGMATIC HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk chugs beneath the Lenin mural and down the hall-\r\n way. He sees Darwin breezing in front of him. Darwin\r\n looks back to Hawk then runs forward into the darkness.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n Minera sits down next to the pained Alex.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Alex. How's it going?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Go, go to Hell, to Hell.\r\n\r\n Minerva pulls out a candy bar and rips it open.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Where's your insulin....No? Well,\r\n Bon Appetite.\r\n\r\n Minerva savagely slams Alex's head down and shoves the\r\n candy bar in his mouth.\r\n\r\n THE HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk moves closer and closer to the darkness of the\r\n hallway when a one-eyed and bleeding George Kaplan dives\r\n out of the Art Treasures room and tackles him. Hawk\r\n kicks him off...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, come on....\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n Alex gulps down the last of the candy bar, shivering.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Very good, Alex, but you re\r\n still alive....\r\n\r\n She pulls out another candy bar. Alex, with a last\r\n burst of strength, punches her across the face.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n That's fair.\r\n\r\n THE LONG HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk and Kaplan lock onto each other's throats.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Why does this have to be so hard...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Tell me about it...\r\n\r\n Suddenly, of all things, a car is heard rumbling in the\r\n darkness.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Kaplan stop fighting and turn to see THE MAY-\r\n FLOWER LIMOUSINE screeching out of the darkness with\r\n Darwin standing out of the sunroof firing a gun.\r\n\r\n Bullets fly around them. From his back pocket, Hawk\r\n slaps the nice picture of him and Little Eddie into\r\n Kaplan's hands.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Take this to Hell with you...\r\n\r\n Hawk jumps up and grabs a hanging lamp.\r\n\r\n Deranged with confusion, Kaplan turns from the picture\r\n to the charging limousine.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n My pension.....\r\n\r\n The driving Alfred smiles through the windshield.\r\n\r\n Kaplan's body slams into a vivid somersaulting crash\r\n into the windshield.\r\n\r\n Hawk's hands burn and sizzle on the hanging lamp.\r\n\r\n Passing beneath, Darwin raises up his gun.\r\n\r\n Hawk lets go of the lamp and drops down on Darwin,\r\n locking his legs around his neck and crushing him\r\n down into....\r\n\r\n THE BACKSEAT OF THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n Hawk and Darwin grapple on the floor of the limo. The\r\n Da Vinci helicopter model bobs on the backseat. Darwin's\r\n gun goes off..\r\n\r\n right through Alfred's throat. He slumps over, pressing\r\n down on the accelerator.\r\n\r\n THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n blasts down the hallway, sparking off the wall, and\r\n bashing off paintings and mirrors.\r\n\r\n THE BACKSEAT\r\n\r\n Darwin flicks on his paper shredder and shoves the side\r\n of Hawk's hand into its teeth.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n A mist of blood coughs out of the shredder vent and makes\r\n a weird bloody line across the wall.\r\n\r\n INT. BACKSEAT\r\n\r\n Hawk yanks his hand from the shredder and grabs the meg-\r\n lomaniac by the hair and shoves his head down on the\r\n arm rest. Hawk turns on the piercing siren and Darwin's\r\n eyes try to escape his head with a high pitched scream.\r\n Darwin's entire body bucks wildly.\r\n\r\n Darwin back-elbows Hawk and moves down for his gun.\r\n Hawk pulls him back by his hair, grabs him by the balls,\r\n and pushes him upward through the sunroof.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n God-damnit, I only wanted to\r\n destroy the world in my own image.\r\n I'm a regular Joe...\r\n\r\n Darwin pounds his fists on Hawk's head as Hawk hits the\r\n sunroof switch sliding it shut on Darwin, pinning\r\n his arms below the roof, but leaving his torso twisting\r\n in the wind.\r\n\r\n The mural of a happy Lenin with his arms outstretched\r\n looms ahead waiting to greet Darwin.\r\n\r\n Putting two and two together, Darwin loses it....\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Not Lenin, anybody but Lenin. God,\r\n let's talk abut this.\r\n\r\n The limousine charges through the double doors and Darwin's\r\n body connects with the mural.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE LIMO\r\n\r\n Hearing the crunch, Hawk flips into the front seat and\r\n brakes the vehicle. Alfred's head bounces against the\r\n steering wheel. Hawk reaches over with a grin and picks\r\n up the Da Vinci model. He looks to Alfred, Kaplan\r\n crunched in the windshield, and Darwin's dangling legs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Wow, this is really gonna hurt the\r\n resale value...\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk runs up to a woozy Anna and helps her up. She has\r\n a cross-shaped blood stain on her forehead.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, honey....\r\n\r\n Hawk looks to Alex, sitting on the stairs, the same way\r\n he left him. Hawk rushes to him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n We did it man, we...\r\n\r\n Hawk grabs Alex's shoulder. Alex falls back. Written\r\n over his face in red lipstick is REALLY DEAD.\r\n\r\n Engaging a slow motion sequence, Minerva saunters behind\r\n Anna, putting on red lipstick. Minerva slams her back\r\n to the ground.\r\n\r\n Hawk howls then turns to see stiff-upper-lip Alfred,\r\n bleeding from the neck. Hawk tries to throw a punch,\r\n but Alfred blocks it and crunches him across the face.\r\n\r\n The Da Vinci helicopter model bounces down the stairs\r\n in slow motion and cracks open, revealing the intricate\r\n mirror of the opening scene.\r\n\r\n INT. DARK ROOM ATOP MAYFLOWER MUSEUM--DAY\r\n\r\n A damaged Hawk awakens in a dungeonish room and stumbles\r\n to some shutters. \"O Solo Mio\" returns on the sound-\r\n track as the shutters open to a postcard view of Vinci.\r\n\r\n Hawk closes the shutters and cuts off the music. A\r\n slightly more composed Anna touches his shoulder causing\r\n him to jump slightly. They melt into a kiss.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh Hudson...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I told you not to call me Hudson.\r\n The only people who called me that\r\n were the nuns at...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh Hudson, I'm a sister of the\r\n Catholic church as well as an\r\n agent.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (cut-off laugh)\r\n This is too bad to be false.\r\n\r\n Alfred enters the room in his favorite outfit with a\r\n bandage around his neck. His voice is strange, but still\r\n polite.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Welcome back to Vinci.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Last rites, sister?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Please, no nun jokes...They're a\r\n bad habit to get into....get it?\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna unconvincingly laugh then sadly pause.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n She killed Alex.\r\n\r\n Alfred gives them a push.\r\n\r\n INT. THE DA VINCI WORKSHOP\r\n\r\n Alfred leads them through the Da Vinci workshop past the\r\n bat winged glider and incongruously crammed-in tennis ball\r\n machine.\r\n\r\n INT. THE ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE--DAY\r\n\r\n Alfred grandly opens double-doors to reveal that Da\r\n Vinci's gold machine has been majestically re-created\r\n piece by piece. In the periphery, the 90's rears its\r\n head in the form of THREE TECHNICIANS wearing headsets\r\n and gun holsters who consult computer terminals.\r\n\r\n MINERVA (O.S.)\r\n GOLD-FI-ING-ER!\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna turn to see Minerva splashily enter in\r\n sexy funeral-wear.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Sorry, I couldn't resist. You're\r\n probably wondering why you're\r\n still alive. Anna.....\r\n\r\n As Minerva speaks, TECHNICIAN ONE forcibly escorts Anna\r\n toward a stand near the gold machine and tightly\r\n handcuffs her to it.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I want you to monitor the Da\r\n Vinci's directions from the\r\n apprentice diary. And Hawk, I\r\n didn't want you to go to hell\r\n without knowing that Darwin and\r\n I's dream came true.\r\n (suddenly sheepish)\r\n Beside that, none of us can seem\r\n to put that damn crystal together.\r\n Alfie and I were up all night with\r\n the thing.\r\n\r\n TECHNICIAN TWO commences a forcible escort of Hawk to the\r\n gold machine. Hawk cold-cocks him to the ground.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You killed a friend. Why should I\r\n help you go for the gold?\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n It'll take a couple of years of\r\n steady production, but I'll flood\r\n the market with so much gold that\r\n gold itself, the foundation of all\r\n finance, will lose its meaning.\r\n Brokers, economists, and fellow\r\n entrepreneurs will drown in the\r\n saliva of their own nervous\r\n breakdowns. Markets will crash-\r\n crash. Financial Empires will\r\n crumble-crumble.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Except yours-yours. The goal of\r\n world domination. Well, if you\r\n put it that way, Minnie. How can\r\n I resist?\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n You can't, convict! You're just\r\n a shmoe! Every shmoe has the\r\n fantasy the planet revolves around\r\n them. It rains, car crash stops\r\n traffic, you say \"How could this\r\n happen to me?\" It's a natural\r\n inclination. But for I, this\r\n isn't a fantasy, it is reality!\r\n You are on my planet! You walk\r\n around the corner for coffee, out\r\n of my sight, you do not fucking\r\n exist! The lives of shmoes like\r\n you have meaning only in relation\r\n to the rich, to the powerful, to ME!\r\n\r\n Anna looks at the oil cloth diary before her. She pulls\r\n a compact from her pocket and holds the compact mirror\r\n over the scribblings. Reading off the reflection, her\r\n eyes widen.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Do it. There's no reason to fight\r\n anymore. She's a force of nature.\r\n\r\n Trying to get a grip on Anna's words, Hawk lets himself\r\n be escorted to another stand before the gold machine that\r\n has the two complex crystal parts and the weird mirror.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n If you pull this off, I can't\r\n promise I won't kill you. I mean,\r\n who we trying to kid? But I will\r\n spare the Flying Nun here....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n And to think I thought you were\r\n Evil Incarnate in pumps.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I killed some lovable working\r\n class Italian-diabetic, but you\r\n killed the most significant male\r\n figure of the decade and a kind,\r\n gentle lover. So don't play with\r\n me.\r\n\r\n Minerva flicks a switch on the stand Anna's handcuffed\r\n to. Anna vibrates, being electrocuted.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Okay, fine!\r\n\r\n Minerva switches it off. Giving himself a head rub, Hawk\r\n bears down on the three oddly malleable objects. He\r\n TANGLES and BENDS and with a loud SNAP, puts them\r\n together, forming the Crystal from the opening scene.\r\n Minerva snatches it from him and puts on a head-set.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Oh Hawk, don't ever change. Go,\r\n team, go!\r\n\r\n Minerva giddily sets the crystal in the same place as Da\r\n Vinci had it in his machine.\r\n\r\n Using a long steel pole, Technician One adjusts a myriad\r\n of mirrors so they are in a proper angle with a series\r\n of lenses culminating on the top of the machine.\r\n\r\n Technicians Two (black-eyed) and Three pour various\r\n chemical powders and liquids into corresponding compart-\r\n ments on the machine, beautifully decorated by the\r\n chemical's zodiac sign.\r\n\r\n Alfred places a lead bar in its proper place.\r\n\r\n Hawk glides to Anna and undoes her handcuff.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I hope you know what....\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Trust Leonardo....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Wha.....\r\n\r\n Anna puts her fingers on his lips.\r\n\r\n Minerva throws a lever. Steam begins to percolate from\r\n the furnace towards the machine.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n (into the headset)\r\n We're for real.\r\n\r\n THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n begins to rotate, at first clunkily, then faster.\r\n The Crystal rotates comfortably in its compartment.\r\n\r\n The machine throws out its folding arms, each with an\r\n element. The arms click higher.\r\n\r\n The goggled technicians stand before a time-coded video\r\n monitor, taking notes.\r\n\r\n The chemical housings open and the chemicals begin to\r\n spill and drop through brass tubes.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n\r\n murmurs to Hawk.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Da Vinci made the real directions\r\n in a secret script that I decoded.\r\n The way the machine is running\r\n now, the gold will produce too\r\n quickly, clog, and the machine\r\n will shut itself down. Isn't it\r\n wonderful?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yeah, but what would happen if that\r\n little mirror came out of the\r\n crystal.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Wha -- you don't want to know...\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls out the mirror from his pocket.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I wanna know...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Holy sh-h--things are going to\r\n get very interesting, very fast.\r\n Da Vinci would be proud of you.\r\n\r\n IN THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n The chemicals snake down their individual paths to the\r\n Lead Bar spinning its trough. There's a FLASH and a\r\n controlled but jarring explosion.\r\n\r\n EVERYONE\r\n\r\n doubletakes. Hawk reaches down to the six foot steel\r\n pole and with one swing slams the faces of all three\r\n deep in concentration Technicians to the ground.\r\n\r\n Oblivious to the violence behind her, Minerva, pulling\r\n on goggles over her head-set, moves closer with a\r\n religious purr.\r\n\r\n THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n triggers a fresnel lens and laserlike beams bounce around\r\n the mirrors faster and faster, circling the room.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna squint, blinded. Flinging off her goggles,\r\n A literally beaming Minerva giggles forward.\r\n\r\n THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n Beams of light converge on the top mirror and bounce into\r\n the innards of the machine with a mighty roar!\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n\r\n sees that the center of the machine gleams yellowish and\r\n molten. She moves closer, shouting into her head-set.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Eureka, motherfuckers!\r\n\r\n The machine thunders and spins at a more aggressive\r\n pace.\r\n\r\n Hawk's voice suddenly comes on Minerva's head-set.\r\n\r\n HAWK'S VOICE (head-set)\r\n Minnie, hate to interrupt your\r\n orgasm, but....\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ANNA\r\n\r\n stand above the unconscious Technicians. Hawk is on\r\n head-set.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Me, Anna, and Leonardo just wanna\r\n say you got the Midas touch, baby...\r\n\r\n MACHINE\r\n\r\n Minerva turns toward the machine in anger and confusion.\r\n\r\n The center of the machine blows. The pool of molten gold\r\n rockets at the viewer.\r\n\r\n Mirrors explode and the lasers slash at the walls.\r\n\r\n Minerva tumbles from the machine, screaming, that is to\r\n say, trying to scream, because molten gold covers her\r\n face. It bubbles and cascades, turning her into a\r\n bizarrely beautiful echo of Nefertiti.\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ANNA\r\n\r\n turn to retreat, and see, standing in the mouth of the\r\n open double doors, in an open shirt, wearing Indian war\r\n paint on his face and the words RULE BRITANNIA painted\r\n on his chest, ALFRED!\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n How.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You're unemployed, Alfie. Boss\r\n is dead. Her plan is over.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n (strange voiced)\r\n My plan is just beginning. I'll\r\n forgive you for denying me the\r\n pleasure of slaughtering my\r\n boorish employers, but I'm afraid\r\n the birth of the new British\r\n Empire can have no witnesses!\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Ooh-kay...\r\n\r\n Alfred rushes forward with a howl. Hawk meets him\r\n halfway. They trade savage punches and then lock onto\r\n each other's throats.\r\n\r\n Anna pulls a gun from a technician's holster and prays\r\n for forgiveness. She aims steadily, and fires...\r\n\r\n right into Hawk's arm. This allows Alfred to knock him\r\n back with a strong punch.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Sorry!\r\n\r\n She fires again. The bullet pings off Hawk's belt buckle.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Stop helping me! Thou shalt not\r\n kill!\r\n\r\n Hawk's turning to chastize Anna, allows Alfred to kick\r\n Hawk back against a wall. Alfred lunges out with his\r\n blade, hitting the wall off-angle. Hawk yanks the shaft.\r\n Alfred goes with the flow and presses the shaft on Hawk's\r\n throat.\r\n\r\n Gasping, Hawk looks to a rip in Alfred's shirt and sees\r\n a hinge and lever on the shaft. With an all or nothing\r\n jerk, Hawk flicks the lever. The shaft clicks on the\r\n hinge.\r\n\r\n Alfred's greater strength and narrower grip makes it fold\r\n away from Hawk and suddenly it is Alfred's throat which\r\n is caught in the V-shaped trap! The momentum of the\r\n sudden change makes Alfred stumble towards the wall until\r\n the point of the \"V\" hits it--\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Don't lose your head over this.\r\n\r\n Hawk takes the six foot steel pole and gives a Babe Ruth\r\n swing right onto the V. The blades slam together and\r\n POP ALFRED'S HEAD OFF, SENDING IT SCREAMING DISEMBODIED,\r\n HIGH IN THE AIR.\r\n\r\n ALFRED'S SCREAMING HEAD P.O.V.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna are seen waving up to the viewer (Alfie's\r\n head).\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Excuse my crass American humor.\r\n\r\n The machine thunders with another explosion.\r\n\r\n THE DA VINCI WORKSHOP\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna rush into the Da Vinci workshop. She\r\n guiltily touches the surface wound on his arm. He\r\n delicately takes the gun from her and laughs until he\r\n sees...\r\n\r\n BUNNY THE DOG!! standing in the open mouth of the\r\n workshop. Anna turns to Hawk...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Allow me.\r\n\r\n Anna confidently moves toward the dog until Bunny leaps\r\n up and savagely clamps his teeth into her throat sending\r\n her crashing to the ground.\r\n\r\n Hawk pauses in disbelief before raising the gun.\r\n\r\n Bunny continues to viciously gnaw away on the convulsing\r\n Anna, blood gently starts to emerge.\r\n\r\n Hawk can't get off a shot. He throws down the gun in\r\n exasperation. It lands next to The Gadget that is\r\n connected to the Tennis Ball Machine. Hawk rushes\r\n forward, picks up the gadget, turns the dial to Ten, and\r\n then smiles sweetly toward the dog.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh Bunny, Ball-Ball.\r\n\r\n Bunny stops his violent behavior and perkily looks up\r\n blood droplets drizzling from his mouth.\r\n\r\n Hawk slams down on the gadget.\r\n\r\n A tennis ball comes rocketing out of the machine.\r\n\r\n Bunny leaps and catches the rocketing ball but the force\r\n of it sends him FLYING AND CRASHING out a window.\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls up Anna as the machine completely EXPLODES.\r\n\r\n A huge chunk of the roof THUDS before the workshop door.\r\n\r\n Hawk suddenly looks off-camera and smiles. Anna shakes\r\n her head vigorously. He pulls her out of the frame.\r\n\r\n EXT. A VINCI COUNTRYSIDE TREE\r\n\r\n A man awakens from a nap and pulls up his hat. It is THE\r\n TRAVELING JUGGLER WITH THE UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE.\r\n\r\n He pulls his three red balls from a pouch on his mule.\r\n He begins a stoic juggle when another loud BOOM sends him\r\n to the ground.\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE THE GRAND CASTLE--DAY\r\n\r\n An explosion of steam and gas blows out the windows!\r\n Debris frisbees toward the camera along with....\r\n\r\n Anna, hanging on Hawk's waist, and Hawk, hanging from\r\n the bar on DA VINCI'S BAT WINGED GLIDER.\r\n\r\n The glider gracefully swooshes down through the castle -\r\n through the glorious vista.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE ROAD TO THE CASTLE\r\n\r\n The glider floats to a perfect landing before the\r\n Unforgettable Juggler.\r\n\r\n JUGGLER\r\n Che pazzo....\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna collect themselves and look up to the smoke\r\n billowing castle. They smile and gush in relief. They\r\n wrap arms around the confused but warming up Juggler and\r\n laugh again.\r\n\r\n A SMALL PIAZZA\r\n\r\n The mule trots into a small storybook piazza in the hush\r\n of dawn. Hawk, Anna, and the unforgettable Juggler ride\r\n atop it.\r\n\r\n A WOMAN WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE moves to a cafe\r\n table with a luminous smile. She unfolds a table cloth\r\n atop it and then mystically sets down two cappuccinos.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna dismount, thank the Juggler, then cozy into\r\n the table.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Have I ever told you the world is\r\n beautiful...\r\n (semi-seductively)\r\n I'd really like to play\r\n Nintendo with you, or something...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Hudson, I'm afraid I'm sticking\r\n with God.\r\n (smiling)\r\n But you're a close second, tough\r\n guy. What is that smile?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (broadly grinning)\r\n I got my planet back.\r\n\r\n Hawk puts on a pair of sunglasses that look exactly like\r\n the ones Da Vinci wore in the opening and raises his cup.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The first one's for Alex. Cheers.\r\n\r\n The viewer's viewpoint moves into Hawk's lips having a\r\n sip of that damn unmasculine European coffee.\r\n\r\n FADE OUT.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n THE ENDHUDSON HAWK\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Screenplay by\r\n\r\n Steven E. de Souza\r\n\r\n\r\n Revisions by\r\n\r\n Dan Waters\r\n\r\n\r\n Based on an original idea by\r\n Bruce Willis & Robert Kraft\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A Silver Pictures/Flying Heart Films June 14, 1990\r\n Production\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n NOTE: THE HARD COPY OF THIS SCRIPT CONTAINED SCENE NUMBERS\r\n AND SOME \"SCENE OMITTED\" SLUGS. THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR\r\n THIS SOFT COPY.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n FADE IN:\r\n\r\n EXT. VINCI COUNTRYSIDE - RENAISSANCE - DAY\r\n\r\n Beneath a jawdroppingly storybook castle, a small\r\n Renaissance Fair with florid awnings, demented ACROBATS\r\n and roaring puppets is unfolding.\r\n\r\n RUSTIC FARMERS and their families rumble with enjoyment\r\n at the Sabbath afternoon entertainment.\r\n\r\n Encircled by children, A JUGGLER WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY\r\n ETCHED FACE elegantly plucks the red balls from a pouch\r\n on his mule. As he begins to juggle, a LOUD EXPLOSION\r\n is heard, causing him to ungracefully drop his balls\r\n and collapse in a heap.\r\n\r\n Everyone at the fair, including the puppets, looks up.\r\n\r\n UNFORGETTABLE JUGGLER\r\n Leonardo, che pazzo.\r\n\r\n The juggler shakes his fist up to a swish pan that swings\r\n up toward a smoking window of the awesome castle...\r\n\r\n INT. ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE\r\n\r\n where the charismatic LEONARDO DA VINCI laughs down at\r\n him. Da Vinci wears a pair of very early, very cool sun-\r\n glasses with his trademark beard.\r\n\r\n He turns and loses his smile, something extraordinary\r\n reflecting off his glasses. Removing his shades, Da\r\n Vinci moves to the Something, a gloriously incredible\r\n machine. The opening CREDITS REVEAL its dazzling idio-\r\n syncrasies.\r\n\r\n TWO COUGHING APPRENTICES haplessly try to disperse smoke\r\n from the still billowing, mysteriously spectacular\r\n Machine. Mirrors attached to parts of it reflect beams\r\n of light which cut through the smoke like a Renaissance\r\n laser show.\r\n\r\n DA VINCI\r\n (silencing authority)\r\n Basta vapore.\r\n\r\n The apprentice throws a lever. A shunt near the furnace\r\n turns. Steam escapes upwards. The machine immediately\r\n slows down. Da Vinci oh-so-gently coughs and moves for-\r\n ward with tongs.\r\n\r\n A LITTLE TROUGH - IN THE MACHINE'S INNARDS\r\n\r\n comes to a trembling, mystical halt. Right behind this\r\n trough is a CONPLEX POLYHEDRON CRYSTAL as intricately\r\n modulated as any Rubik stocking stuffer, but much more\r\n dazzling in beauty. It gleams like a jewel in the yellow\r\n glow which pours from a PLEASANTLY GRINNING DEMONHEAD into\r\n a trough--a glow of heat--and something more than heat.\r\n\r\n The tongs enter the frame.\r\n\r\n Da Vinci brings the object closer to his face. A murmur\r\n goes up from the awestruck apprentices as the Master\r\n peers at the smoking yellow bar.\r\n\r\n APPRENTICE TWO\r\n Maestro, che meraviglia!\r\n\r\n APPRENTICE THREE\r\n Lei e' proprio fantastico!\r\n\r\n Da Vinci's pride goes dead as the implications hit.\r\n\r\n DA VINCI\r\n Lasciatemi, solo. Solo!\r\n\r\n The apprentices scurry out. Mind reeling, Da Vinci turns\r\n his back to the viewer, before a wall of frescoes.\r\n\r\n DA VINCI\r\n L'ho fatto.\r\n\r\n Spinning back around, using the edge of his cloak, Da\r\n Vinci pulls out the large gleaming crystal with a pop.\r\n\r\n INT. DA VINCI'S WORKSHOP\r\n\r\n With an accompanying blast of smoke, Da Vinci bursts\r\n through some double doors into his workshop, sadly\r\n reflecting upon the crystal in one hand and the tonged\r\n bar in the other.\r\n\r\n His workshop is a spendiferously enigmatic blend of\r\n laboratory and studio; On a table in the foreground is\r\n a fresh clay equestrian statue; a large VOLUME of\r\n sketches, the inkwell nearby; a MODEL of what looks like\r\n a HELICOPTER; Da Vinci flings the tonged bar on the table\r\n among these goodies.\r\n\r\n Pocketing the crystal, Da Vinci meanders through his work-\r\n shop casually tinkering with various experiments. He\r\n snaps his fingers at a BATHING SUITED APPRENTICE, wearing\r\n a diving helmet prototype. The Apprentice jumps into a\r\n pool of water.\r\n\r\n Leonardo next stops at an easel displaying a finished-\r\n except-for-the-mouth portrait of Mona Lisa, who happens\r\n to be seated in a stool before the easel. She broadly\r\n smiles, revealing the worst dental work of her epoch.\r\n Da Vinci shakes his head and moves out onto a\r\n\r\n EXT. CASTLE TERRACE\r\n\r\n A FLYING APPRENTICE sails past Leonardo in a bat winged\r\n glider, enthusiastically shouting. Da Vinci grins back\r\n until he touches his pocket. He pulls out the crystal\r\n and, after a beat, angrily twists it apart into two\r\n separate, geometric pieces revealing a small intricate\r\n mirror. He quickly folds the surprisingly shapable\r\n geometric pieces.\r\n\r\n Calming down, Da Vinci looks from the three components of\r\n the crystal to each of the three unfinished works on the\r\n table in his workshop. He ponders then looks back out to\r\n the Vinci vista.\r\n\r\n The bat winged glider DISSOLVES into:\r\n\r\n A HAWK\r\n\r\n who is revealed to be flying over Sing Sing prison.\r\n\r\n INT. A SING SING PRISON CELL\r\n\r\n The shadow of the hawk passes through a cell window, over\r\n the face of EDDIE HUDSON HAWKINS causing him to break out\r\n of an eye-closed trance.\r\n\r\n Before the viewer can get a good look at him, Hudson\r\n Hawk turns to an oddball version of the \"Mona Lisa\" that\r\n has his face and tears it off the cell back-wall.\r\n\r\n INT. PRISON BLOCK WALKWAY\r\n\r\n TWO PRISON GUARDS, One WISE and BLACK, the other YOUNG\r\n and GREEN march down a cell block. The Former is smoking\r\n a pipe which the Young Guard lights with a lighter.\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n We're losing our biggest celebrity\r\n today.\r\n\r\n YOUNG GUARD\r\n You're kidding, Petey the Paint\r\n Thinner Killer is getting paroled?\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n Not that slime, you Fizzhead.\r\n Hudson Hawk. The last of the\r\n great cat burglars.\r\n\r\n INT. PRISON CELL WALL\r\n\r\n A hand tears down a picture of a happy Hudson Hawk and\r\n a LITTLE MONKEY, identically dressed in black cat\r\n burglar gear.\r\n\r\n THE BLOCK\r\n\r\n The Wise Guard and the Young Guard rumble forward.\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n As a thief, Hawk was a poem.\r\n Iambic fucking pentameter. You\r\n know, Crime used to have a little\r\n class. A hundred reporters were\r\n here when he came in, now they're\r\n probably out covering some tired\r\n crack gang war...\r\n\r\n The Guards approach Hawk's cell. Hawk, with his back\r\n turned, hefts on a nifty blazer.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Remind me to fire my publicist.\r\n\r\n The Wise Guard chuckles as the Young Guard fumbles with\r\n his key-ring.\r\n\r\n YOUNG GUARD\r\n Darn, these are for L-block...\r\n\r\n Hawk's hand reaches through the bars and grabs a pipe\r\n cleaner from the Wise Guard's pocket. Then the lighter\r\n from the Young Guard's pocket--BURNS OFF the fabric fuzz\r\n with the lighter beside it--bends the now blackened\r\n wire--and with a quick turn of the wrist uses it to\r\n UNLOCK the door.\r\n\r\n YOUNG GUARD\r\n - go back down to security and-\r\n\r\n He stops, dumbfounded, as the door clunks open. The\r\n Guards double-take as Hawk, finally in full view, struts\r\n past them, down the hall. The Guards hustle to catch\r\n up. The wise guard puts his finger in the air and\r\n sarcastically pretends to be stung by the heat emanating\r\n from Hawk.\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n Guess this means, Hawk, you'll\r\n be able to let yourself back in...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Never happen. Bet. Ten bucks.\r\n\r\n Hawk and the Wise Guard hit fists, half-smiling. Hawk\r\n unfolds the painting.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, give this back to Petey in A\r\n block. Tell him it was a sweet\r\n gift, but I think he got some\r\n wrong ideas about our friendship.\r\n\r\n YOUNG GUARD\r\n The Paint Thinner Killer did\r\n this? I think you picked a good\r\n day to get out...\r\n\r\n The trio comes to the final checkpoint. Hawk takes a\r\n deep breath.\r\n\r\n WISE GUARD\r\n Hope I lose the bet. Have that\r\n cappuccino on me.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (flipping him the\r\n pipe cleaner)\r\n You got it. A double.\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE THE PRISON--DAY\r\n\r\n Hawk strides to the Massive Sliding Concrete Door/Wall\r\n between him and freedom. As music crescendos and\r\n Hawk glows his first smile, the door opens to reveal two\r\n Mafioso brothers, CESAR and ANTONY MARIO, the latter\r\n sitting upon the hood of a tinted window Lincoln\r\n Continental. Cesar is of cool, hair-slicked-back\r\n attitude, his scumbag brother is not.\r\n\r\n ANTONY\r\n Welcome back, buddy ol' pal.\r\n We've got a proposition...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Answer's no, not even if you\r\n bathe. Cesar Mario, Antony Mario,\r\n how's the \"Family?\" Kill any\r\n monkeys lately?\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n How many times do I have to say\r\n it? I didn't put the hit on\r\n Little Eddie... Never had anything\r\n against that kooky chimp. I\r\n actually found him, \"endearing.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Sure. Face down. Two endearing\r\n shots to the back of the head.\r\n That's your mark, man. What did\r\n Little Eddie ever do to...\r\n\r\n Smouldering, Hawk struts off. Cesar takes a black\r\n canvas bag from a SCARFACED DRIVER and hustles up to\r\n Hawk. The Lincoln rumbles behind them, Antony riding\r\n on the hood.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n You're hitting Rutherford's\r\n Auction House. Easy as my\r\n brother's wife. Directions are\r\n in the bag. Just open the seventh\r\n floor safe and take out the\r\n thingie...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Or you cut off my thingie.\r\n Directions even your brother\r\n would understand.\r\n \r\n ANTONY\r\n (defensively)\r\n Yeah, directions even I could\r\n understand.\r\n\r\n The car squeals to a stop. Antony bounds off. Cesar\r\n shove-throws the canvas bag into Hawk's unwilling\r\n hands.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n Hawk, you're a great thief. Got\r\n set up, did some time, nothing to\r\n be ashamed of. Don't give me a\r\n sonata about you always just\r\n really wanted to settle down,\r\n open a hardware Store and sell\r\n spatulas...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n If the Mario brothers weren't\r\n Jersey's third largest family,\r\n I'd say kiss my ass. But\r\n considering your status, I'll\r\n say slurp my butt.\r\n\r\n Hawk fiercely push-shoves the canvas bag back into\r\n Cesar's hands.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n What's your favorite sport, Hawk?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Baseball, why?\r\n\r\n Antony opens the back door of the Lincoln and says\r\n \"Baseball.\" He is handed a baseball bat. Hawk backs\r\n up as Antony moves threateningly toward him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I meant, ping pong. Listen, I'd\r\n rather go back in than whore for\r\n you...\r\n (stopping)\r\n Oh, I need to borrow ten dollars.\r\n\r\n A PRISON GUARD from above turns as not to be a witness.\r\n Hawk feebly calls up to him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Help? Police?\r\n\r\n Antony swings at Hawk, who pretends not to notice until\r\n the last second. Hawk ducks and slam-kicks his calf.\r\n Antony crumples, using the bat as a crutch. Hawk boots\r\n up the bat for a two-handed catch then savagely pivots\r\n it across Antony's face, knocking him into the backseat\r\n of the car.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n (unfazed)\r\n You need some time to think.\r\n That's cool, but next time, I'm\r\n not going to say \"Please.\"\r\n\r\n Cesar floats into the backseat. The Lincoln takes off.\r\n Hawk seethes...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I don't believe this. I've been\r\n out forty seconds...\r\n\r\n A BACKFIRE rings out. Hawk hits the ground, thinking\r\n it is a gunshot.\r\n\r\n HAWK'S ON THE GROUND P.O.V.\r\n\r\n A gasping 1960 Caddy comes to a stop and a pair of a too-\r\n fancy-to-be-tasteful shoes comes out. Hawk looks up to\r\n see ALEX MESSINA, his older, maybe-maybe-not-wiser best\r\n friend.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n That's the first thing I did.\r\n Smooch the ground and taste the\r\n freedom. Sorry I was late. Miss\r\n anything?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (getting up)\r\n Your timing, and your shoes, are\r\n impeccable... Good to see you,\r\n Alex, been having a lousy day.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Lousy day? The man's getting out\r\n of prison and he's having a\r\n lousy day. What, you missing out\r\n on the Cell Block Water Ballet\r\n pageant? Believe me, it's\r\n overrated.\r\n\r\n Hawk pauses to say something, then just hugs Alex.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Where's the kiss? No tongue this\r\n time, I promise.\r\n\r\n A laughing Hawk gives Alex's stomach a slap before\r\n getting in the car....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Looks like you've been expanding\r\n your...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Don't say it, Hawkins. I'm\r\n incredibly sensitive about my\r\n fucking figure.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n My next word was gonna be\r\n \"consciousness.\" Swear to God...\r\n tubby.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE ROAD INTO HOBOKEN--DAY\r\n\r\n The Caddy thunders past a sweet Manhattan view. \"Come\r\n Fly With Me\" is playing on the radio. Hawk casually com-\r\n pletes an intimidating hand puzzle.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n That's your definition of \"Hard?\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Show off. Hey, boss tune. \"Come\r\n Fly with Me.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Three minutes, 51 seconds.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Still do the puzzles, still know\r\n the running times of songs, and\r\n I'll bet you're still the best\r\n damn cat burg--\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Not anymore. Now I'm the laziest\r\n damn cat burg--I'm going to take\r\n it so straight that I won't tape\r\n a Mets game without the expressed\r\n written consent of the National\r\n Baseball League.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Now that you're born again,what\r\n do you wanna do? Statue of\r\n Liberty? Entertain some ladies?\r\n Miss Saigon tix? Seduce some\r\n women? Play Nintendo? Bone some\r\n chicks?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Come on, Alex, let's just get to\r\n Alex's. Your bar's the only\r\n place that's going to cheer me.\r\n God, I'd kill for a damn\r\n cappuccino. What the hell's a\r\n Nintendo?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Oh man, you still got a thing for\r\n those unmasculine European coffees?\r\n Who's your buddy?\r\n\r\n Alex pulls a styrofoam cup from a paper bag.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The man knows, the man knows!\r\n\r\n Hawk takes off the cap with a stimulating whiff.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n So Mr. Coffee, what went down\r\n outside the prison?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, not much. Mario Brothers want\r\n me to do a job.\r\n\r\n Alex brakes and cappuccino flies. Hawk half-heartedly\r\n tries to lick up with his fingers.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Those dago-guinea-I can say\r\n this shit I'm Italian-wop\r\n motherfu--\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Ah, had the perfect amount of\r\n foam. Just get me to the bar...\r\n It's the one good thing in my\r\n life that'll never change....\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE ALEX'S BAR--NIGHT\r\n\r\n The Guys move through the personably Jersey face of the\r\n bar. The Empire State Building beams in the background.\r\n Sinatra cuts off.\r\n\r\n INT. ALEX'S BAR--NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's changed. Hawk and Alex enter into what has become\r\n the ultimate pseudo-art deco-fern littered-nightmare,\r\n packed with noisy, INSUFFERABLY SELF-ABSORBED YUPS.\r\n A violently erotic and pretentious video plays upon\r\n elevated T.V. sets set up all around the place.\r\n\r\n Hawk's mouth gapes as he drifts by a sickening COUPLE\r\n toasting wine coolers, and two very YOUNG BROKERS high-\r\n fiving each other after missing a dartboard.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I didn't know how to tell you. A\r\n couple brokers stopped in for\r\n Stoley Spritzers one night. Next\r\n thing I know Fast Track Digest\r\n votes us \"Watering Hole of the\r\n Month.\" Now, I'm shopping for\r\n Aqua Salmon wallpaper.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I read about these people in\r\n Newsweek. Where's all the\r\n regulars, Crazy Jeff Cava, the\r\n Todd sisters, Indian Joe? Where's\r\n Ed Kranepool's autograph? Captain\r\n Bob's steering wheel?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hey, get this irritable guy a\r\n cappuccino. I gotta go be a boss.\r\n\r\n Alex lifts a piece of the bar and moves behind it.\r\n Snatching up a menu, Hawk calls out...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This is Pizza? Reindeer Goat\r\n cheese? I admit, I've been known\r\n to go wild and order a Canadian\r\n Bacon in my time, but..\r\n\r\n Hawk lights up a cigarette. A TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER\r\n immediately turns to him wearing a \"Yes, I mind if you\r\n smoke\" button.\r\n\r\n TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER\r\n Can you read.... smoker?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Can you take a sunrise and\r\n sprinkle it with dew?\r\n\r\n TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER\r\n (Huh?)\r\n No.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The Candy Man can, Felix. You\r\n know, I thought this was a country\r\n where you could do any stupid\r\n thing you wanted; drive to work\r\n naked, make love to a V.C.R.\r\n Guess I'm wrong. Maybe that's\r\n why I became a serial arsonist.\r\n\r\n TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER\r\n Hey, it's okay, big guy. Smoke\r\n all you want. Have mine....\r\n\r\n The Non-smoker fumbles out a pack of cigarettes and\r\n flees. A cappuccino in cup and saucer slides down the\r\n bar saloon-style. A smiling Hawk picks it up, turns away\r\n from the bar and closes his eyes, bringing the cup to his\r\n lips until a POLICE BADGE swirls into frame and splashes\r\n into the cup, splattering coffee over Hawk's blazer.\r\n\r\n GATES (O.S.)\r\n You're under arrest...\r\n\r\n Hawk makes eye contact up to a crude, coarse, and\r\n cackling island of a man, OFFICER GATES, amid the sea\r\n of oblivious and self-obsessed yuppitude, standing by\r\n a table.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Have a seat. Good to see you,\r\n buddy ol' pal...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The pleasure's all yours, Officer\r\n Gates.\r\n\r\n BACK OF THE BAR\r\n\r\n With concern, Alex watches Hawk sit at Gates' table.\r\n\r\n GATES' TABLE\r\n\r\n Gates pillages a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with\r\n terrifying precision. Hawk tosses the badge onto the\r\n food. Gates eats around it.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Why do you show your parole\r\n officer such disrespect?\r\n Especially after I got you such\r\n a nice job.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n What job?\r\n\r\n Gates pulls up the black canvas bag and puts it on the\r\n table.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n The auction house, asshole. One\r\n night's work and you're free like\r\n no ex-con's ever been. No\r\n checking in with a shrink, no\r\n community service teaching\r\n retards how to play air hockey.\r\n It's a great deal, I can't lie.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The only thing you can't do is\r\n get sex for free. I know I was\r\n in prison for like basically the\r\n 80's, but, call me daffy, aren't\r\n you supposed to stop me from\r\n committing crimes. You know,\r\n Book-em-Dano, Call-for-backup,\r\n Give-a-Hoot-Don't-Pollute.\r\n\r\n Gates thunders out of his chair and moves around to sneer\r\n down at Hawk. Behind Gates, on the T.V. screens, are\r\n analogous images of DISGUSTING ANIMALS AND MONSTERS.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n You wouldn't be out if it wasn't\r\n for me! I did dog and pony for\r\n you! You think they would have\r\n let you out after what you did,\r\n you told the board members they\r\n looked like the Three Stooges...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n How was I supposed to know they\r\n were women? Besides one of them\r\n was bald and kept saying\r\n \"Soitinly.\"\r\n\r\n Gates simmers into his seat with a self-control smile.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Remember that guy in the cell\r\n next to you who hung himself?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Remember that shoe you lost...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Uh, yeah. Cut to the chase.\r\n\r\n Gates pulls up a shoe and puts it on the table.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n One phone call and your shoe\r\n will become a piece of evidence\r\n and that suicide'll become a\r\n murder.\r\n\r\n Hawk bobs under the table and up.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n What else do you got under there\r\n ... I don't want to be rude, but\r\n this is all pretty lame.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n That's the beauty. It's bullshit,\r\n but I can make it stick because\r\n I'm a good guy parole officer and\r\n you re a bad guy who's about to\r\n find out that there's a thin line\r\n between ex-con and escape con.\r\n\r\n Alex suddenly approaches the table.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n How is everything tonight, sir?\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Beat it, Alex. You're a dinosaur.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alex, did you know this ape was\r\n going to be here...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Sure. That's why his meatballs\r\n are made out of marinated Chuck\r\n Wagon.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n (mouthful)\r\n You're full of shit.\r\n\r\n As Alex speaks, an eating dog is on the screens.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n No, man, actually you are. Just\r\n add water and it makes its own\r\n gravy. Keeps your teeth healthy\r\n and your coat shiny.\r\n\r\n Gates grabs the shoes and races off, gagging. Hawk gets\r\n up to laugh next to Alex. Their laughter dies as they\r\n turn to look at the black canvas bag left on the table\r\n between them.\r\n\r\n INT. BACK ROOM--DAWN\r\n\r\n Hawk stares mournfully at a black and white photo of a\r\n monkey-sized chalk-outline on a city street. Behind him,\r\n Alex pulls out blueprints from the black bag. Sinatra's\r\n \"Witchcraft\" blares on the radio....\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hmmmm.....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yo Pandora, quit hummm-ing... look\r\n at this.\r\n\r\n Hawk is rummaging through stockpiled remnants of an old,\r\n \"true\" bar. Round lamps, tacky mirrors, pictures of Hawk\r\n and the Regs at the bar. Managing a weary smile, Hawk\r\n lifts a ship steering wheel, while Alex puts on a pair of\r\n granny classes and pulls out blueprints.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n It's Captain Bob's steering wheel!\r\n Remember when the Captain.....\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hmmm, nasty little safe on the 7th.\r\n\r\n Hawk nervously picks up a Rubik's Cube and holds it\r\n behind his back. He brings it back around, completed.\r\n Sighing, Hawk drops the cube and rubs his scalp. Alex\r\n starts rubbing his stomach. They pace in pre-job\r\n syncopation and speak rapid-fire.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The safe's a Simpson 71. Last\r\n time I played the game, Simpson\r\n only had a 40.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Just means it'll take you an extra\r\n 31 seconds to seduce. You re\r\n still the best, I know it.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n But you got three guards who...\r\n Shit, what am I doing? Where's\r\n the want ads? Gonna sell some\r\n spatulas.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hey, I'm sorry, man. I'm putting\r\n out a fire with kerosene.\r\n\r\n Alex gives Hawk a consoling two-hand-shake then jumps\r\n back to reveal he has put Hawk into thumbcuffs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This isn't funny. I'm not into\r\n this. I...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n There goes five seconds...My\r\n record's eighteen.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You're not...LISTENING!\r\n\r\n Out of annoyance, Hawk breaks out of the cuffs and\r\n violently throws them at Alex, who sits down a little\r\n wounded.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'm sorr--Goddamn Mario Brothers.\r\n Goddamn Gates. Goddamn Rutherford\r\n Auction House. By the way, how\r\n many seconds?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Rutherford Auction... that name...\r\n\r\n Alex jumps up excitedly and then convulses in pain.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alex!\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Don't wet your diapers. I'll have\r\n to change them. \"Witchcraft.\"\r\n What's the running time?\r\n\r\n Alex flops down behind a work table before a wallfull of\r\n drawings of different kinds of vaults. He sets himself\r\n up for an insulin injection.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n 3:48. I can't get you involved,\r\n man. This is my sewage and...\r\n (re drawings)\r\n God, you love all this, don't you,\r\n you bastard. Haven't you ever\r\n heard of stamp collecting, or\r\n curling?\r\n\r\n Hawk leans in and administers the shot of insulin to\r\n Alex.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I'm in. Have you seen the public\r\n service announcements for Diabetes.\r\n We can ride horses, play LaCrosse,\r\n and knock off auction houses. I\r\n got a plan. You won't have to hail\r\n Cesar or Gates.\r\n\r\n Hawk collapses next to Alex, resigned to his fate.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'm a bum.\r\n\r\n EXT. NICE, BUSINESS NEIGHBORHOOD--NIGHT\r\n\r\n TWO GRUBBY DERELICTS, one pushing a shopping cart, the\r\n other inside it, situated atop the usual two Glad bags.\r\n They are drunkenly warbling \"Witchcraft.\" IMPECCABLY\r\n DRESSED NIGHT-LIFERS give them a wide berth.\r\n\r\n Our derelicts pass beneath a MASSIVE RED CANOPY of a\r\n distinguished eight story edifice, upon which is written\r\n RUTHERFORD'S AUCTION HOUSE. A DOORMAN shoos them away...\r\n\r\n A NEWSPAPER TRUCK pulls up in front of the Auction House.\r\n The Driver pops out with a bundle of papers and moves to\r\n a Dispenser on the corner. The Bums wheel around the\r\n truck. The Driver loads the papers and bounds back.\r\n\r\n The Truck pulls away from the corner. The shopping cart\r\n rolls off--the bums nowhere to be seen.\r\n\r\n The Truck turns the corner, revealing the derelicts\r\n climbing up the back of it, with Glad bags around their\r\n necks. The Truck moves toward an enclosed Walkway Bridge\r\n that connects the Auction House with another Building.\r\n\r\n Launching low-tech grapples, the Vagrants latch them-\r\n selves onto the Walkway window as the Truck passes\r\n beneath.\r\n\r\n AT THE WINDOW\r\n\r\n The viewer's viewpoint moves into a tighter view of the\r\n dangling derelicts, revealing them to, of course, be Hawk\r\n and Alex. Getting a footing, on the small window ledge,\r\n each man cuts a hole in the window while holding onto a\r\n plunger.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Whoa, you better cut a bigger hole\r\n than that.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hey, you promised......Don't worry,\r\n I'm wearing my girdle.\r\n\r\n INT. INSIDE THE WALKWAY WINDOW--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex come through their window holes. Hawk\r\n immediately flattens himself against a wall, whisper-\r\n ing...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Cameras?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n No need. Guards' station's right\r\n there.\r\n\r\n Alex points to an open doorway just down the hall where\r\n laughter and shadows emerge. Hawk tries to flee, but a\r\n grinning Alex pulls him toward it.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex slide across the wall to a closed room\r\n marked POWER, which is right next to the open Guards'\r\n Station. The viewer's viewpoint moves past Hawk and\r\n Alex lock-picking into the Power room to...\r\n\r\n INT. THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n Two Security Guards sit before a console of seven\r\n security screens still chuckling over an unheard joke.\r\n Wires coming out of the security console run across the\r\n floor and through the wall into...\r\n\r\n INT. THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n The wires go up to a row of seven humming, RECORD button\r\n flashing V.C.R.s. Hawk and Alex stand before them,\r\n sharing a cig.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n They record everything their\r\n video surveillance takes in...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yes, master-thief, I can see that.\r\n You said something about a plan...\r\n\r\n Alex presses the REWIND buttons on the V.C.R.'s.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Am I boring you, smartass? Watch.\r\n A little rewind and re-wire action\r\n and the Guards are going to be\r\n watching a rerun and miss out on\r\n our exciting episode.\r\n\r\n Alex pulls from a nearby shelf six tapes marked MONDAY.\r\n\r\n INT. SEVENTH FLOOR AUCTION AUDITORIUM--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Moving beneath a video camera and a dazzling Set of\r\n Hanging Horse Mobiles, a Heavyset guard, BIG STAN, moseys\r\n through the dimly lit main auction house auditorium. The\r\n auditorium chairs are strewn out in the middle beside a\r\n turbo Floor Washer.\r\n\r\n Next to a painting of Happy Children Riding Horses at the\r\n back of the auditorium stage, Big Stan hefts himself upon\r\n a comparatively TINY BLUE CHAIR and begins to tip back\r\n and snooze.\r\n\r\n INT. GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n The Security Guards look to the seventh floor screen to\r\n see an unfolding shot of Big Stan mid-snooze.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD ONE\r\n Check out Big Stan...\r\n (walkie-talkie)\r\n Big Stan!\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n Startled by his walkie-talkie, Big Stan falls back on the\r\n little chair, crunching it to the ground.\r\n\r\n THE FIRST FLOOR\r\n\r\n The laughing security guards see the crunch.\r\n\r\n INT. THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Alex puts the last of the Monday tapes into a V.C.R.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n You got about five minutes and\r\n change.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n 5:32. \"Swinging on a Star.\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n You know they invented something\r\n while you were inside. Called a\r\n watch.\r\n\r\n A freight elevator pings. Hawk opens it up as the music\r\n of \"Swinging on the Star\" kicks in on the soundtrack.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"A mule is an animal with long\r\n funny ears.\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"He kicks up at anything he\r\n hears.\r\n\r\n Hawk crams himself into the freight elevator with his\r\n Glad bag. Strenuously upbeat Ray Conniffesque singers\r\n continue to sing the song, orchestrally accompanied, when\r\n Hawk isn't.\r\n\r\n INT. THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR\r\n\r\n Hawk takes over the song, sardined in the elevator.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Or would you rather swing on a\r\n star, carry moonbeams home in a\r\n jar.\"\r\n\r\n POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Alex goes up to a Circuit Box and pulls down two large\r\n Switches. The soundtrack singers continue to warble.\r\n\r\n THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n The lights of the floor wobble and die. The console\r\n screens blink off. The Security Guards stop laughing.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD TWO\r\n Hell-o. Check the Power room,\r\n bud...\r\n\r\n Security Guard One harrumphs into a standing position...\r\n\r\n POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Alex speedily hooks and rehooks the backs of the V.C.R.S.\r\n They now all have their PLAY buttons lit up.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n swing on a star, carry moonbeams...\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Security Guard One fishes for keys to open the power\r\n room. The soundtrack singers whisper as not to give away\r\n Alex.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n Alex briskly slams back up the switches.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE POWER ROOM\r\n\r\n The singers go louder as the lights come back on.\r\n Security Guard One harrumphs and heads back to the\r\n Guards' Station.\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n Hawk scrambles out of the freight elevator in the left\r\n wall of the Auditorium, glancing to the clock.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Or would you rather be a fish?\"\r\n\r\n He pulls out the black canvas bag from his Glad bag and\r\n takes out the blueprints. Hawk follows them toward the\r\n painting on-stage.\r\n\r\n THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n Big Stan comes up from behind his fellow guards, dumping\r\n the remains of the chair on the floor.\r\n\r\n BIG STAN\r\n (moving back off)\r\n Very funny.\r\n\r\n The Seventh Floor Screen shows a peaceful auction\r\n auditorium. And the Blue Chair.\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM--CAMERA P.O.V.\r\n\r\n From the exact angle, the viewer sees the current state\r\n of the room with Hawk flinging off the painting of the\r\n horseback children, revealing a safe. But no Blue chair.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n spits on the rubber cup of an electronic sensor, plugged\r\n into a Walkman, and affixes it to the safe above the\r\n dial.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (lyric trouble)\r\n \"A fish is annuh nan na nan na\r\n brook.\r\n\r\n THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR\r\n\r\n Alex is now packed into the freight elevator.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"He can't write his name or read\r\n a book. To fool people is his\r\n only thought.\"\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (remembering)\r\n \"And though he's slippery, he\r\n still gets caught.\"\r\n\r\n Wearing headphones, Hawk cranks up the Walkman and spins\r\n the dial. The CLICKS from the dial are so loud he winces\r\n and turns down the volume. Then there's a CLUNK.\r\n\r\n THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n With the soundtrack singers taking over, Guard Two sips\r\n a cup of coffee. He doesn't swallow.\r\n\r\n His sights zero in on the Blue Chair on the seventh\r\n screen. He looks to the chair remains, then back again.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD TWO\r\n Uh, Jerry. I'm looking at the\r\n seventh floor and I don't know\r\n how to say this, I see the Blue\r\n Chair.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD ONE\r\n What the... You think that's weird,\r\n check out screen two.....\r\n\r\n Screen Two shows THE TWO SECURITY GUARDS THEMSELVES\r\n hatching open some on-duty beers, going down a hall.\r\n Guard Two looks to the empties atop the console....\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD TWO\r\n Somebody rewired the recorders!\r\n\r\n AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n Hawk ditches his accessories and swings the safe door\r\n open.\r\n\r\n Inside the safe, along with the \"holy\" Da Vinci music\r\n cue, is the clay equestrian model from Leonardo's\r\n worktable.\r\n\r\n Hawk belts out as he put it in the black canvas bag.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"And all the monkeys aren't in\r\n the zoo.\"\r\n\r\n ALEX (V.O.)\r\n \"Every day you meet quite a few.\"\r\n\r\n Alex gives Hawk a congratulatory pat.\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ALEX\r\n \"So you see it's all up to you.\r\n You can be better than you are.\r\n You could be swinging on a star.\"\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION ROOM\r\n\r\n BIG STAN reconnects the wires of the seventh V.C.R.\r\n\r\n THE GUARDS' STATION\r\n\r\n Suddenly, on the seventh screen, the image and voices\r\n of Hawk and Alex in-process comes on.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD ONE\r\n Shit, let's roll!\r\n\r\n THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM\r\n\r\n Hawk puts the painting back up, but stops to stare at the\r\n playful children.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n The song's over! Come on!\r\n \"You could be swinging on a star.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n What am I doing here? There are\r\n so many things I wanna do that\r\n aren't this. Paint a lighthouse.\r\n Kiss a woman in Italy.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (more frantically)\r\n \"You could be swinging on a star.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Paint a woman in a lighthou--I\r\n don't want to steal a horse.\r\n Life is...\r\n\r\n Hawk's soliloquy is cut short as Security Guards One and\r\n Two crash into the auction auditorium.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (DEADPAN)\r\n \"You could be swinging on a star.\"\r\n You couldn't have waited to see\r\n a psychiatrist. No, you had...\r\n\r\n Alex whips his chair at the floor washer, tipping it\r\n forward and causing its electrical cord to pull up and\r\n trip the Guards into a bellyflop.\r\n\r\n Hawk bolts right at the bustling up guards and locks them\r\n into Alex's thumbcuffs. He then limbos under their\r\n connected arms and springs over the outstretched washer\r\n cord. The Security Guards clumsily turn and re-trip\r\n themselves.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Let's go down the freight elevator.\r\n\r\n Big Stan suddenly unhatches from the freight elevator.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Keep those ideas coming.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex run toward an office located at the right\r\n wall. They both do a Gene-Kellyesque-chair-tip-over\r\n before simultaneously bashing through the office door.\r\n\r\n INT. DARKENED AUCTION AUDITORIUM OFFICE\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex stop in the office to painfully laugh and\r\n rub their funny bones. Alex stops laughing.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I'm not as unpleasantly plump as\r\n that Guard am I.\r\n\r\n Big Stan fires off a warning shot. Hawk and Alex quickly\r\n tear up a window.\r\n\r\n Moving out on to a ledge, Hawk and Alex look down to the\r\n huge auction house awning and trade gulps.\r\n\r\n Big Stan wobbles into the mouth of the office door.\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ALEX\r\n I got a bad feeling....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I can't even swim.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hell, the fall'll probably kill\r\n ya...\r\n\r\n Big Stan raises his gun.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex jump and AAAGH down the face of the\r\n building....\r\n\r\n Closer and closer to the awning....\r\n\r\n The viewer focuses upon Hawk as he free-falls......\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RIGHT INTO A LAZ-Y-BOY CHAIR\r\n\r\n Hawk continues his \"fall\" into a ridiculously huge\r\n reclining chair. The foot stand swooshes out with a\r\n thump. A HAND pulls away the canvas bag with a cackle.\r\n\r\n INT. GATES APARTMENT--LATE NIGHT\r\n\r\n Hawk's weirdly reclining viewpoint makes Gates and his\r\n pad more grotesque than they are (No small feat.)\r\n A sub-Radio Shack stereo coughs next to a scary punch\r\n bowl of red, margarita-like substance, beneath the\r\n instantly recognizable framed picture of Those Dogs\r\n Playing Poker, all atop a Jungle Shag.\r\n\r\n Gates, in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt-over-a-KEEP ON\r\n TRUCKIN'-T-shirt, raises a loud tumbler with one hand,\r\n the black canvas bag in the other.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Hudson Hawkins gets the chair of\r\n honor. How about a Gates-arita?\r\n (toward bowl)\r\n I used real hot dogs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Weren't you the bartender at\r\n Jonestown?\r\n\r\n Suddenly a light is turned on in the corner, revealing a\r\n seated Cesar and Antony Mario, the latter taking a painful\r\n Gatesirita sip.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n Good job, not pretty, but good.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Ah, the mafia, the cops; do I know\r\n how to party or what?\r\n\r\n Gates pulls out the horse and looks at it.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n All this trouble for a horsey.\r\n I may not know art, but I know\r\n what I like.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (to Dog picture)\r\n You certainly do.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n So when's that Sebastian-Cabot-\r\n Buckingham-Palace-looking-\r\n Butlerhead getting here?\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Any minute now, dear Mr. Gates.\r\n\r\n A malevolently snobbish British Butler, ALFRED, enters in\r\n distaste. He makes a stressful glance to three VANITY\r\n FAIRS on a coffeetable that has a photo of a MAGNETIC\r\n HUSBAND-WIFE-DOG COMBO with the caption: MAYFLOWER POWER.\r\n Hawk notices this.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Oh, sorry Jeeves. Gates-arita?\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n I'll pass. May I?\r\n\r\n Alfred takes the equestrian model and with a jeweler's\r\n loupe, studies it carefully.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Ah, such craftsmanship. Leonardo\r\n Da Vinci's last commission for the\r\n Duke of Milan. Irreplaceable.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Hey, Mr. French, I'm delirious\r\n for you. Now where's my cut?\r\n\r\n With dignity, Alfred SMASHES the ancient horse over\r\n Gates's head. Alfred rummages through the debris\r\n REVEALING a perversely labyrinthine CRYSTAL PIECE.\r\n (recognizable from Da Vinci's workshop).\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n You son-of-a......I don't believe\r\n this! You come into my house!\r\n\r\n Alfred pockets the goodies, but not before Hawk can give\r\n them a confused peruse.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n I ought to take Big Ben and shove\r\n it up your limey blimey bunghole!\r\n\r\n A blade slides down Alfred's arm. Half-yawning, he...\r\n\r\n ALFRED'S 180 DEGREE POV\r\n\r\n spins before Gates and the bystanders behind him.\r\n THE BLADE goes back up Alfred's arm.\r\n\r\n The room's only sound is the stereo's inappropriate\r\n music. Gates shrugs but his voice is off.\r\n\r\n GATES\r\n Like I said. Where's my cu-u-...\r\n\r\n Suddenly a line across Gates's neck turns red and blood\r\n begins to gush like a tourist attraction. Gates crashes\r\n down upon the table holding the punch bowl and the stereo,\r\n sending it to the ground, cutting off the music. The Dog\r\n Poker picture falls atop the carnage like a lid.\r\n\r\n Blown away, Hawk tries to wiggle his way out of the\r\n recliner. Alfred pats some stain remover on the blood\r\n on his shirt.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n So much for his \"cut.\"\r\n (post-chortle)\r\n Excuse my dry British humor.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n (rising)\r\n Lovely work, Alfred, taking the\r\n Concorde back?\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Indeed I am, Mr. Mario. I'm\r\n really racking up those frequent\r\n flyer points...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I hate to interrrupt you two\r\n lovebirds...\r\n\r\n ANTONY\r\n You know, I think Gates promised\r\n Hawk a cut, too....\r\n\r\n The Mario brothers cackle out. Hawk tries to flail out\r\n of his chair. Alfred turns to him and flicks up his arm.\r\n Hawk sees his life pass before his eyes until he realizes\r\n Alfred is merely pulling him up off the chair.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Ta ta, Hudson Hawk.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (breathless)\r\n Too-do-loo, babe.\r\n\r\n INT. ALEX'S RESTAURANT--DAWN\r\n\r\n Hawk bursts into the bar. Alex sits on a stool, reading\r\n the paper.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Did I miss anything?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, not much. Gates just had his\r\n tonsils taken out. The hard way.\r\n \r\n ALEX\r\n Geez, Gates was killed. Who do we\r\n send the thank you note to?\r\n \r\n Hawk does a combat jump over the bar and begins to fiddle\r\n with the cappuccino machine.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The Butler did it. Guy was a cross\r\n between Alistair Cook and a Cuisinart.\r\n Dude took Mr. Ed and humptied\r\n dumptied it over Gates's head. He\r\n said it was made by, get this,\r\n Leonardo..\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (professorial)\r\n Ah yes, a rare Renaissance piece.\r\n Da Vinci's \"Sforza,\" an equestrian\r\n model of a never executed statue.\r\n I consider it to be the prize of\r\n tonight's auction of objets\r\n d'equestrian. Horse things.\r\n\r\n The cappuccino machine sparks. A perplexed Hawk takes\r\n a couple extra seconds to back off.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Okay, you got me, Mr. PBS.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (holding up newspaper)\r\n Morning edition. Seems two thieves\r\n \"attempted\" to steal it last night,\r\n but thanks to three \"courageous\"\r\n guards, it will be ready for tonight.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Attempted.\" At-tempt-ted! I'm\r\n not happy about having to steal\r\n that horse, but I do have my\r\n pride. Face it, when it comes to\r\n burglary, and sex, I....\r\n\r\n Hawk takes the newspaper. There is a picture of the\r\n Three Security Guards in a cheery pose behind the\r\n \"Sforza.\" Hawk squints to see that Security Guards One\r\n and Two are still wearing the thumbcuffs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Boing. Uh, this I don t understand...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Why try?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (hurdling the bar)\r\n Because I'm tired of not\r\n understanding things. Cops,\r\n Mafia, and butlers forcing me to\r\n bust my ass to steal something,\r\n which it turns out I really didn't\r\n steal--it's fucked up.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (pulling back newspaper)\r\n You re not thinking of going to...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alex, my man, it's time to play a\r\n little offense. Where's your tux?\r\n\r\n INT. RUTHERFORD'S AUCTION HOUSE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Dressed in a not-quite-fitting but suave tuxedo, Hawk\r\n enters the now well-lit auction house auditorium (chairs\r\n all set out). Bored WORKMEN in coveralls lug equestrian\r\n items on to a podium from the familiar freight elevator.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n ...fan-taas-tic example of\r\n Florentine marble... Who will start\r\n at 160,000...160,000......180,000.\r\n\r\n Someone raises their paddle as Hawk passes beneath the\r\n hanging horses and finds an aisle seat near the stage.\r\n Hawk scans everyone in the room before coming to the one\r\n seated next to him, AN ENCHANTINGLY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n All these years of attending auctions,\r\n I still get goosebumps. The paintings,\r\n the sculptures....the things that\r\n aren't really paintings or sculptures...\r\n\r\n THE WOMAN\r\n .... the pretentious vultures who\r\n don't even look up from their\r\n calculators to see what they're\r\n buying. Now that gives me\r\n goosebumps. Auctions are\r\n disgusting.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I couldn't agree more. Savages.\r\n\r\n The Woman laughs at his gear switch then catches herself.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Lot Fifteen, an equestrian sconce\r\n attributed to the Cellini school..\r\n\r\n AUCTION ENTRANCE\r\n\r\n Big Stan, the hefty guard from the heist, enters the area\r\n wearing a blue ribbon.\r\n\r\n AUCTION AREA\r\n\r\n Big Stan is walking in back of the seated bidders: An\r\n oblivious Hawk in the foreground starts to scan VARIED\r\n BIDDER-TYPES, raising their paddles to babble out dollar\r\n figures; a GAUDY ROCK STAR and his GLOOMY-CHIC ENTOURAGE,\r\n A KING FAROUK-TYPE with a BORED TEENAGE AMERICAN HOOKER,\r\n and a scary NORDIC PRINCESS in a monocle and a tiara.\r\n\r\n THREE STANDING ASSISTANTS frantically man a table of\r\n phones set up down before the stage. One raises his\r\n arm.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Sold! To the caller from\r\n Newfoundland.\r\n\r\n A STYLISH FEMALE ASSISTANT takes out an impressive replica\r\n of the \"Sforza\" from the safe behind the podium and brings\r\n it to the Auctioneer. The crowd a-a-hs... Hawk laughs\r\n and shakes his head.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUTIONEER\r\n And finally, Lot number 17,\r\n thought to be lost in the war,\r\n and again last night, the Da\r\n Vinci \"Sforza,\" the jewel of the\r\n sale. Fan-taas-tic...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (re: Auctioneer)\r\n Is looking like a constipated\r\n warthog a prerequisite to getting\r\n a job in the art world?\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n There have naturally been questions\r\n of its authenticity, so to verify\r\n we have Doctor Anna Baragli of the\r\n Vatican. Doc?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (rising, to Hawk)\r\n Some of us warthogs are more\r\n constipated than others.\r\n\r\n Hawk uneasily laughs as Anna makes her way up the stage\r\n and pulls out a large magnifying glass. A look of\r\n distress passes over her face. Hawk closes his eyes in\r\n anticipation.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, the shit is going to hit the\r\n fa--\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (suddenly serene)\r\n Fantastic. Perfection. The\r\n Vatican extends its jealousy to\r\n the lucky bidder.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n We'll begin the bidding at 82.5\r\n million dollars. To you, sir.\r\n Eighty-three, Ninety--your bid,\r\n madame--Ninety point five.....\r\n\r\n Hawk opens his eyes in confusion. He scans Anna coming\r\n off the stage, gliding toward the phone table. Hawk\r\n floats into the aisle, curling toward her as she picks\r\n up a phone and murmurs into it.\r\n\r\n DARWIN MAYFLOWER\r\n lOO million clams, Francesco!\r\n\r\n The crowd orgasms as Vanity Fair cover boy, DARWIN\r\n MAYFLOWER works the aisle, playfully mussing up the\r\n appreciative, tiaraed Princess's hair, giddily high-\r\n fiving the Rock Star, and sloppily frenching the Hooker.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n 100 million dollars to Mr. Darwin\r\n Mayflower.\r\n\r\n Hawk turns to gaze at the enigmatically familiar figure.\r\n Anna looks up from the phone to do the same. She\r\n swerves her attention to the back-turned Hawk.\r\n\r\n Darwin moves to one of two reserved empty seats as his\r\n wife, Minerva, makes her entrance par excellahnce. She is\r\n outrageously dressed with a mammoth Tiffany watch that\r\n extends from her wrist down to, acting as a leash,\r\n her obnoxious little dog, BUNNY.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Francesco, 100 million and one.\r\n\r\n Darwin, to the crowd's delight, holds his struck heart.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Outbid by my own wench, quelle\r\n bummere.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Poor baby..... Here, Bunny.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Fan-taas-tic, the bid is at 100\r\n million and one dollars.\r\n\r\n Commencing a slow motion sequence, Big Stan comes out\r\n of the nearby office, zipping up his fly. He immedi-\r\n ately scopes Hawk in the space before the stage.\r\n\r\n The Mayflowers lower themselves into their seats with\r\n devoured canary smiles.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Go-ing!\r\n\r\n Big Stan pulls out his gun, untheatrically, as not to\r\n cause a scene. Anna sees this and follows Big Stan's\r\n eyeline to Hawk.\r\n\r\n Hawk turns to re-pursue but stops dead at the sight of\r\n the gloating Big Stan.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Go-ing!\r\n\r\n Big Stan launches a gallop toward Hawk, who spins and\r\n veers back round up the aisle.\r\n\r\n The Mayflowers zero their sights on the activity.\r\n\r\n ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER\r\n Gone!\r\n\r\n The gavel comes down in super slow-motion.\r\n\r\n Anna's leg pokes out of the aisle, tripping the guard.\r\n\r\n Hawk brakes at the end of the Mayflower's row and smiles\r\n in relief, casually turning to Darwin and Minerva.\r\n\r\n The gavel continues to come down in super slow-motion.\r\n\r\n Both Darwin and Minerva Mayflower suddenly DUCK DOWN.\r\n\r\n Smile vanishing, Hawk spins toward the stage.\r\n\r\n The Gavel hits.\r\n\r\n Breaking out of slow-motion into wide-angle, the entire\r\n podium explodes sending debris, equestrian pieces, and\r\n eccentric bald pieces searing into the screaming,\r\n battered crowd.\r\n\r\n Knocked off his feet, Hawk gropes into a standing\r\n position. He sees the Mayflowers make a smooth exit.\r\n He starts to give chase until he sees a battered Anna\r\n rising from the ground.\r\n\r\n A hanging white Tri-Star Pegasus, cracks from the\r\n damaged ceiling and swooshes down towards Anna.\r\n\r\n Hawk bolts upon some auction chairs and makes a flying\r\n leap. He slams Anna out of the Pegasus's pulverizing\r\n Path. They weary up off the ground and move down the\r\n aisle, calm in a storm of packed art patrons.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n My God, that was bold of you,\r\n you didn't have to do that...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Forget about it--it was nothing--\r\n anybody would have done the same\r\n thing--It's an impulse...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n No, I meant you didn't have to\r\n tackle me and rip my dress. A\r\n polite push, perhaps? A clear\r\n shout of \"watch out, Anna\"\r\n would have done nicely...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Excuse me, Milady. I would have\r\n flown over and carried you up to\r\n a pink cloud, but I left my cape\r\n at the cleaners.\r\n\r\n Anna touches Hawk's lips and laughs.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (\"Hey, I was kidding\")\r\n Thanks tough guy, thanks a lot.\r\n Why was the guard chasing you?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (Serious answer?\r\n Na-a-h?)\r\n Because Danger, Doc, is my middle...\r\n\r\n Before Hawk can finish, a hanging horse out of nowhere\r\n hammers him into the ground and the viewer into\r\n darkness.\r\n\r\n FADE IN:\r\n\r\n INT. VAN-TYPE AMBULANCE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Hawk stirs into consciousness strapped on an elevated\r\n gurney.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Saint Pete, hey I know, the whole\r\n cat burglar thing, it sounds bad,\r\n but I'll take the worst cloud you\r\n got...\r\n\r\n Hawk's eyes focus. The Mario Brothers hover over him.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n News flash. You're not in\r\n heaven. Yet. 30 seconds and\r\n counting, if you know what I'm\r\n saying. Couldn't just play along,\r\n could you...\r\n\r\n EXT. THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n The ambulance careens onto the Brooklyn Bridge.\r\n\r\n INT. INSIDE THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n Antony raises up a mammoth gun.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Pretty class way of covering your\r\n tracks. I think that auctioneer\r\n landed at La Guardia.\r\n\r\n ANTONY\r\n Subtlety was never one of our\r\n strong points.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Neither's flossing.\r\n\r\n A confused Antony touches his teeth with his gun hand.\r\n Hawk escapes from one of his straps and launces a nearby\r\n trayful of syringes into Antony's face where they ghoul-\r\n ishly quiver. Antony fires a wild shot, shattering the\r\n partition.\r\n\r\n FRONT SEAT OF THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n The Scarfaced Bodyguard/Driver, now in paramedic white,\r\n freaks at the starred windshield.\r\n\r\n THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE\r\n\r\n The ambulance bumper-pools off some innocent cars.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n Hawk frantically tries to undo his other strap but a\r\n howling Cesar, side-stepping his vibrating-on-the-floor\r\n brother, latches onto the back of the gurney and wrenches\r\n it backward.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE BACK OF AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n The elevated gurney blasts out the back with a now\r\n unstrapped but terrified Hawk whoa-a-ing atop it.\r\n\r\n The gurney wheels hit the road, sparking.\r\n\r\n A sheet from the gurney, caught on the door, yanks TAUGHT\r\n --Hawk is \"water skiing\" on his stomach atop the elevated\r\n gurney!\r\n\r\n Screeching cars are weirded out by the new vehicle on the\r\n road.\r\n\r\n THE GURNEY\r\n\r\n Battered by wind and fear, Hawk clutches to the gurney\r\n and the sheet with a grit teeth stoneface.\r\n\r\n The sheet is torn from the gurney sending it rocketing\r\n off to the side on its own crazed volition.\r\n\r\n Hawk skis toward a TOLL BOOTH WITH A LARGE GATE-ARM.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Life don't get much better than\r\n this.\r\n\r\n He then sees he's heading toward an EXACT CHANGE lane.\r\n\r\n Whizzing wildly forward on the gurney, Hawk scrambles\r\n into his pocket and wiggles out some change. He fran-\r\n tically winnows out some pennies and then maniacally\r\n FLINGS the change from twenty feet away.\r\n\r\n TOLL BOOTH\r\n\r\n The change ker-chunks into the basket and Hawk and the\r\n gurney JUST BARELY streak underneath the rising Gate-arm.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n CRASHES through a gate-arm of another lane. Hawk and the\r\n still-wildly whooshing gurney cut it off.\r\n\r\n FRONT SEAT OF THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n Cesar pops his head through the partition.\r\n\r\n CESAR\r\n Make him into Roadkill!\r\n\r\n Antony, seemingly oblivious to the syringes porcupined in\r\n his skull, pokes his head next to Cesar's.\r\n\r\n ANTONY\r\n Yeah, run him down!\r\n\r\n Cesar and the Bodyguard/Driver turn to Antony and scream,\r\n then all three look out the windshield and scream.\r\n\r\n THE AMBULANCE\r\n\r\n jackknifes over a stopped car and somersaults into a\r\n fiery ball.\r\n\r\n In the foreground, Hawk's gurney coasts down\r\n\r\n A PEACEFUL OFF-ROAD\r\n\r\n Hawk, with an unchanged expression of pure white knuckle\r\n fear, comes to a tranquil gurney-wheels-gently-squeaking\r\n stop.\r\n\r\n Lit by the flames of the ambulance crash, a sneering\r\n young man in wire rim glasses emerges from the darkness,\r\n carrying a steel suitcase. He kneels before Hawk and\r\n opens the suitcase revealing a complex computer appara-\r\n tus. He begins mumbling into a cellular phone.\r\n\r\n A malevolent, SILENT DEADPAN WRAITH passes him and\r\n approaches Hawk. Both men are dressed in outfits that\r\n seem to be a melange of fascist uniform and haute\r\n couture.\r\n\r\n On the fingers of one Wraith hand is carved the word\r\n HATE. On the other hand is the word FROG. The Frog Hand\r\n hands a befuddled Hawk a card. It reads: MY NAME IS KIT\r\n KAT AND THIS IS NOT A DREAM.\r\n\r\n Hawk looks up with a \"huh\" expression as Kit Kat chops\r\n his neck, knocking him off the gurney.\r\n\r\n The sneering computer guy hangs up his phone and pulls\r\n forward a small cattle prod from his apparatus.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This is the worst night...\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n When it rains, it pours. Name's\r\n Snickers. The plane leaves in 40.\r\n\r\n Snickers zaps Hawk in the leg with his device. Hawk a-\r\n a-ghs into a kneeling position. Snickers returns to his\r\n suitcase and is passed by a PLEASANT YOUNG BLACK WOMAN in\r\n the \"outfit.\"\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Almond Joy. I know, pretty silly.\r\n But it's better than when we first\r\n started out, our code names were\r\n Diseases. You don't know what\r\n it's like being called Clymidia\r\n for a year.\r\n (walking off)\r\n Whoops, forgot....\r\n\r\n She deftly kicks Hawk across the face. Hawk angrily\r\n bounds back up until he sees the BIGGEST MEMBER OF THE\r\n GROUP Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum his way toward them. Suddenly, the\r\n Giant clumsily trips over Snickers' suitcase apparatus\r\n and ram-collapses into Hawk and the gurney. Laying atop\r\n Hawk, Butterfinger goofily speaks...\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n My name's Butterfinger.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No shit.\r\n\r\n The mysterious group parts to reveal a much more mature\r\n and cynically subdued man dressed in big lapels and a hat\r\n that screams Old Time CIA. His name will be GEORGE\r\n KAPLAN.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Don't you just hate kids...\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n George, you promised. No Old CIA/\r\n New CIA jokes...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I call them the MTV.I.A. Punks\r\n think Bay of Pigs is an herbal tea.\r\n They think the Cold War involves\r\n penguins and...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Don't I know you...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n You just might. I'm the guy who\r\n tricked you into robbing a\r\n government installation and then\r\n had you sent to prison for it. At\r\n the time, I was bald with a beard,\r\n no moustache, and I had a different\r\n nose, so if you don't recognize me,\r\n I won't be offended.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Bastard, you're going to need\r\n another nose!\r\n\r\n Hawk explodes upward. Everyone but cool Kaplan draws a\r\n gun.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n But I'm not the type of guy to\r\n hold a grudge.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I used you as a diversion. while\r\n you were getting captured upstairs,\r\n I was shredding documents in the\r\n basement. Deep down, I guess I\r\n was just jealous. You were one\r\n incredible thief...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n To what do I owe the dishonor of a\r\n reunion, you centrally intelligent\r\n scumsicle.\r\n\r\n As Kaplan converses, Snickers and Butterfinger bring out\r\n a mammoth empty suitcase and open it behind Hawk.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I Want to make things up to you.\r\n That's why I got you this gig,\r\n doll. Hawk, my name's George\r\n Kaplan and to quote the late,\r\n great Karen Carpenter, \"We've only\r\n just begun.\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Three minutes, twenty-three\r\n seconds. If you think I'm doing\r\n another...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Hush. My employer wants a meeting.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Employer? The president?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n No, somebody powerful. Oh. Look.\r\n what's that up there?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'm supposed to fall for that?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Shucks. Guess not.\r\n\r\n Kaplan savagely point-blank punches Hawk in the face,\r\n knocking him out cold and into the mammoth suitcase.\r\n Snickers slams it shut revealing a KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL\r\n sticker.\r\n\r\n INT. MYSTERIOUS BARE ROOM--DAY\r\n\r\n Hawk slowly awakens on an exotic couch. He has been put\r\n in an aggressively fashionable Italian outfit. He eyes\r\n and touches his new duds with complete bafflement. He\r\n then stumbles into a standing position to, mouth gaping,\r\n take in a wondrous 360 degree view of Rome, Italy as \"O\r\n Solo Mio\" blares on the soundtrack.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No. Way.\r\n\r\n Hawk's spinning view and the music on the soundtrack slam\r\n to a halt as he zeroes in on the sight of Scary Butler\r\n Alfred elegantly reaching the top of the staircase.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Welcome to Rome, sir.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yes way.\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE INTERESTING BUILDING--DAY\r\n\r\n Alfred opens the back door of an omnipotent, Mayflower-\r\n logoed LIMOUSINE. The car moves off as Hawk slides in...\r\n\r\n INT. THE BACK SEAT OF THE MAX-TECH LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n facing Darwin Mayflower who is blustering into the\r\n cellular.\r\n\r\n While he talks, Darwin shakes Hawk's bewildered hand,\r\n then holding up one finger in a \"be with you in a sec\"\r\n facial move.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n For those kind of wages, I could\r\n have built the factory in America!\r\n They're Vietnamese, can't we just\r\n give them more Bart Simpson shirts?\r\n I hear depressing news like this\r\n and I want to commit genocide!\r\n (slamming phone)\r\n Alfred, hold my calls. So, Hawk!\r\n The Hawkster! What do you think\r\n of the vehicle?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You could host American Bandstand\r\n in here. Why did you duck at the\r\n auction, asshole?\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Because I didn't want to get hurt,\r\n taterhead.\r\n\r\n A FAX MACHINE comes to life as Darwin babbles.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n What can I tell you, I'm the\r\n villain. Initially it was a\r\n priority to keep a lot of buffers\r\n between you and me, but since most\r\n of them are dead now, I thought\r\n what the heck. Hawk, you come\r\n highly recommended. I would have\r\n done some things differently at\r\n the auction house, but hey, I want\r\n to be in business with you.\r\n\r\n Darwin scans the Fax message with annoyance, and then\r\n shoves it into a violent paper shredder.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE LIMO SHREDDER\r\n\r\n Shredded paper litters out of a vent on the outside door.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n A simmering Hawk tries to explode but the phone rings.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n My life is not some deal. I...\r\n\r\n ALFRED (O.S.)\r\n It's Boston, Mr. Mayflower.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n I'm sorry, I have to take this.\r\n Those are valid points though...\r\n\r\n Darwin picks up the phone and goes Mr. Hyde, while giving\r\n Hawk \"Can you believe this guy\"-type gestures.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n You better have a good excuse...\r\n You better have a better excuse!\r\n You are so weak! I'm only\r\n thankful your ancestors didn't\r\n settle America or else my name\r\n would be Running Brave or Vomiting\r\n Antelope...Really. Well, listen\r\n close, babe.\r\n\r\n Darwin holds the phone over a 50 cent piece-size siren in\r\n his armrest. Darwin presses a button and a PIERCING\r\n NOISE fills the car as it comes to a stop.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Shall we?\r\n\r\n Darwin bolts out. Hawk hangs back, waiting for Rod\r\n Serling to explain things, then bolts out too.\r\n\r\n EXT. E.U.R. DISTRICT BUILDING--DAY\r\n\r\n Hawk and Darwin head up the steps of an overpowering\r\n fascistly marble superstructure. Alfred brings up the\r\n rear.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n So Hawkasaurus, I won't mince\r\n words...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Whatever. You own Boardwalk, you\r\n own Park Place, you own the four\r\n railroads. You think you're God.\r\n For all I know, you're probably\r\n right. I just wanted to have a\r\n damn cappuccino, maybe play some\r\n Nintendo after I find out what it\r\n is. Man, why didn't you just buy\r\n the horse? What am I saying, you\r\n did buy it...\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Oh... Let's see. There are\r\n organizations that think we wanted\r\n the \"Sforza\" for reasons other\r\n than putting it in the Da Vinci\r\n museum we're building in Vinci.\r\n Hopefully, these organizations\r\n think our plan has been ruined\r\n with the explosion of our replica.\r\n If I seem vague, grand. We want a\r\n low profile on this, that's why I\r\n got Kaplan and the Candy bars\r\n involved. I helped George help\r\n the Mario Brothers and Gates help\r\n get you out....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n If you're pausing for a \"thank you,\"\r\n give it up. So boss, you going to\r\n tell me what the crystal piece\r\n inside the pony means?\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Way to go, Alfie! How many people\r\n did you break that thing in front\r\n of. Good help's hard to find.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I guess that's a no.\r\n\r\n INT. MASSIVE CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY\r\n\r\n A mind-blowingly pretentious painting of Darwin, Minerva,\r\n and Bunny hangs above a mammoth M-shaped conference table.\r\n\r\n Lying atop the table in heels, shades, and a heart-\r\n stopping dark outfit is Minerva. NASTY Metal riffs semi-\r\n audibly spew from a headset she wears.\r\n\r\n Surrounding the table is a VARIED GROUP OF OLD MONEY AND\r\n NEW MONEY BOARD MEMBERS ranging from a nine year old\r\n INDIAN PRINCE to a SWEET ELDERLY AMERICAN WOMAN. They\r\n converse to the person at their side in businesslike\r\n tones, oblivious to Minerva.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Ladies and gentlemen of the board...\r\n\r\n The board members go into tableau silence. Minerva con-\r\n tinues a brief sing-a-long before Darwin scolds...\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n And Min-er-va. Let's give it up\r\n for Hudson Hawk.\r\n\r\n The board applauds as Alfred pushes Hawk inside.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Hello......Bunny, Ball-Ball!\r\n\r\n Minerva lobs a ball in the air. Bunny, the annoying dog,\r\n scurries beside Hawk to catch it.\r\n\r\n Moving down toward the other end of the table, Hawk takes\r\n in the surreal surroundings with battle fatigue. He sees\r\n ONE BOARD MEMBER take a luxurious sip of cappuccino.\r\n Minerva paces up upon the table.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Hawkmeister, we got you clothes,\r\n great hotel, and a 250,000 lira\r\n per diem.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n That's two hundred dollars a day?\r\n So he can get a hooker and some\r\n tequila. Veto, Darwin.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Guess I know who wears the penis\r\n in this family.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n (jumping off table)\r\n For God's sake, chain this\r\n convict.\r\n\r\n With a yawn, Alfred pulls out a pair of state-of-the-art\r\n handcuffs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alfred, you're a very polite\r\n psychopath, but if you...\r\n\r\n Hawk kicks out at Alfred, who nimbly moves slightly and\r\n gives a pummel to Hawk's body somersaulting him over the\r\n edge of the table, into an empty seat.\r\n\r\n The Board Members politely applaud. Alfred pulls Hawk's\r\n hands around his back and cuffs him. Bunny intensely\r\n sniffs his crotch.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n We want Da Vinci's sketchbook,\r\n what do they call it, the Codex.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Listen Hawk, this might be hard to\r\n believe, but I'm a regular joe. I\r\n just want to be happy and happiness\r\n comes from the achieving of goals.\r\n It's just when you make your first\r\n billion by the age of 19, it's\r\n hard to keep coming up with new\r\n ones. But now finally I got my\r\n new goal. World domination. With\r\n your help...Bunny....quit that!\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Bunny, ball-ball! Bad bunny!\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Think he's already got today's\r\n ball-balls. Five more minutes\r\n please, it's been so long...\r\n\r\n Minerva yanks away the yelping dog.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Anybody have a cigarette? But\r\n seriously, do me a favor and\r\n Concorde me back to prison. I\r\n don't care anymore. I hope you\r\n have the receipts for the threads.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n You go back, you won't be alone.\r\n You'll have a diabetic barkeep\r\n cellmate. You're still young\r\n enough to have fun shanking child\r\n molesters for a pack of smokes,\r\n but \"Alex\" will go in knowing that\r\n the next time he gets out it'll be\r\n to attend his own funeral.\r\n Depressing.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You wouldn't risk the dime to call\r\n the police. You have no proof.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Ah, the magic word...\r\n\r\n Alfred plants a slide machine on the table and Darwin\r\n starts clicking gorgeous images of Hawk and Alex robbing\r\n the auction house, on a bare wall.\r\n\r\n The Board members gush. The Elderly Woman gives a\r\n thumbs-up.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n It's veja du, Hawkhead. Something\r\n you wish never happened. We shot\r\n the entire operation with hidden\r\n cameras behind the hidden cameras.\r\n Hired the guy who did the last\r\n Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.\r\n Excellent work... whoops, damn\r\n Fotomat assholes...\r\n\r\n A slide hits the wall of himself and Minerva kneeling in\r\n Big Baby clothes with Alfred snarling over them, decked\r\n out in leather. He clicks ahead...\r\n\r\n Hawk looks away and sees that the Board members have an\r\n annual Report-type booklet in front of them that reads--\r\n THE DA VINCI/ALCHEMY PROJECT.\r\n\r\n Minerva leans over in front of him.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Tomorrow, you're going to hit a\r\n church.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. A MASSIVE WIDE SHOT OF ST. PETER'S--DAY\r\n\r\n The Vatican stands in its glory, mobbed by HUNDREDS OF\r\n LOCALS AND SIGHTSEERS. The viewer's viewpoint zeroes in\r\n on the Mayflower limousine circling around it.\r\n\r\n INT. THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n Hawk looks out from the back seat of the limousine\r\n in stylish Italian sunglasses.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'm robbing the Vatican. The nuns\r\n at St. Agnes predicted that I'd end\r\n up doing this...\r\n\r\n Two identical Twin Flunkies sit across from him, grinning\r\n stupidly. Hawk pushes up his sunglasses with his middle\r\n finger.\r\n\r\n INT. VATICANESQUE MAP ROOM\r\n\r\n Mentally casing the joint, Hawk gets some distance\r\n between him and the flunkies as he enters into a room\r\n that has a glorious, ancient Map of the World Mural.\r\n\r\n INT. ANOTHER VATICAN ROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk makes a scribble in a notepad before coming to a\r\n Vatican guard, standing before a painting of a Pope\r\n performing a Coronation.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (half-hearted)\r\n Excuse me, I'm being blackmailed\r\n into robbing the Vatican by a\r\n psychotic American corporation\r\n along with a CIA...\r\n\r\n VATICAN GUARD\r\n \"You're being\".....uh, I don't,\r\n uh...\r\n\r\n A jaded Hawk laughs and pats the cop on the back.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Forget it, man. Go tackle a\r\n jaywalker.\r\n\r\n INT./EXT. CIRCULAR OPEN AIR HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk comes out onto a circular open-air hallway. He\r\n scans up to some rooftops and makes a note...until he\r\n sees a line of International Phone Boothettes. Checking\r\n for Flunkies, he rips one up.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Operator, I want to make a collect\r\n call to Alex Messina, New York....\r\n\r\n The Flunkies drift into view. Hawk hangs up and seethes\r\n off.\r\n\r\n INT. HALLWAY LEADING TO CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk saunters down a long resplendent hallway toward a\r\n room at the end bustling with excitement. Coming to the\r\n mouth of the room, he looks to two gold framed mirrors on\r\n either side of the opening, rubs his head, and scribbles.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk takes in the majestic beauty, and practical details,\r\n of the room--windows, statues, a Massive Ornate Lighting\r\n Fixture--as he moves down one of the twin winding stair-\r\n cases leading to a path of people behind velvet ropes and\r\n the object of their gaze...\r\n\r\n THE DA VINCI CODEX\r\n\r\n --an old book enclosed in a glass case, propped open to\r\n the familiar BEAUTIFUL DRAWING of a MAN inside a CIRCLE.\r\n\r\n The case is located between two informational tablets\r\n enclosed in glass columns. Enter Holy Da Vinci theme.\r\n\r\n ANNA (V.O.)\r\n But it is his gift as an inventor\r\n who drew together science and art\r\n that is most incredible.\r\n\r\n Hawk brightens to the return of Anna, carrying a portfolio\r\n bag, striding down the stairs with a group of INVESTORS\r\n AND FAMILIES. She brightens back, giving him a quick\r\n verbal breath and a hand squeeze.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Tough guy. What are you--How's\r\n your head.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (vegetable)\r\n Yes, and my giraffe loves it, too...\r\n\r\n She laughs, going into her public voice.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n As you know, the Da Vinci Codex,\r\n has lived in the Vatican for\r\n centuries and will continue to\r\n live here for centuries more.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (under his breath)\r\n That's what you theenk.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Question, sir? His untiring pen\r\n predicted the airplane, the\r\n submarine, the bicycle, the\r\n helicopter, and even the tank.\r\n \r\n A LITTLE BRAT trailing the group, moves next to Hawk,\r\n bitching away to her STUFFED ELEPHANT, POKEY.\r\n\r\n LITTLE BRAT\r\n This is so bor-ing! Do you hate\r\n Italy as much as I do, Pokey?\r\n (bad ventriloquism)\r\n Si, senor! Italy sucks the big\r\n one! why can't we go to the Epcot\r\n Center!\r\n\r\n The Little Brat stops and lets Pokey the elephant dangle\r\n from her side. Hawk eyes the elephant strangely.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n These more dangerous designs\r\n inspired him to develop a secret\r\n code that ....\r\n\r\n The stuffed elephant suddenly goes flying over Anna's\r\n head.\r\n\r\n The ALARM goes off. The Massive Ornate Lighting Fixture\r\n swoops down from the ceiling, inverting in air, and slams\r\n down over the Codex, transformed into a makeshift cage.\r\n\r\n Strange green gas comes billowing out of the vents.\r\n Needless to say, everyone goes crazy.\r\n\r\n Coughing gas, Hawk peeks to see that a line of light\r\n sensor alarms imbedded in the tablets are what set the\r\n alarm off.\r\n\r\n Two GAS MASKS drop airlinesquely from the mouth of the\r\n entranceway and TWO RACING-IN GUARDS wrangle them on.\r\n\r\n The Little Brat sees that Pokey the stuffed elephant has\r\n been beheaded by the cage/lamp. She is pulled away and\r\n spanked.\r\n\r\n LITTLE BRAT\r\n Pokey, come back!\r\n\r\n Anna yanks a notetaking Hawk away as the gas blusters in\r\n around him. The Two Flunkies, eyes on Hawk, are hap-\r\n lessly making their way up the opposite staircase.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Come on, this stuff will knock you\r\n out. Have you ever had the feeling\r\n you were being followed, Mr. Bond.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Never, why do you ask?\r\n\r\n Reaching the top of the stairs, just outside the door,\r\n Anna briskly pulls Hawk into a PIECE OF WALL THAT IS\r\n REALLY A DOOR. The wall closes as the Flunkies come\r\n flying out, baffled.\r\n\r\n INT. CIRCULAR STAIRCASE\r\n\r\n Hawk, mucho impressed, and Anna move down a tight, dark\r\n circular staircase.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Whoa. Name's Hawkins, Eddie\r\n Hawkins.\r\n My nickname's Hudson Hawk, but don't\r\n call me Hudson, not even as a joke.\r\n The Nuns at St. Agnes called me\r\n that and they're the ones who\r\n helped make me what I am today.\r\n Not a compliment...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Sure Hudson. Are you going to\r\n tell me why you did that back there\r\n or are you going to blame it\r\n on Dumbo?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Could you believe that crazy\r\n elephant?\r\n\r\n Anna shakes her head as she opens a door into...\r\n\r\n INT. A LITTLE UNDERGROUND SUBWAY--DAY\r\n\r\n A four foot high mail train rumbles down the track of a\r\n mini-underground station. Workers latch onto mail bags.\r\n Hawk and Anna emerge from a small door.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Whoa, part 2. Does it go to Times\r\n Square?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Delivers up to ten at night. The\r\n Pope has an obsession with his\r\n Easter Seals. It's actually not\r\n that an unusual set-up. The\r\n secret passageway on the other\r\n hand....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The Vatican is made of constant\r\n mysteries meant to be enjoyed,\r\n not explained.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Nice. But right out of our\r\n brochure.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, you read that.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Actually I wrote it. It's a good\r\n sentence. It can apply to people.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You're not an unmysterious thang\r\n yourself.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I don't steal stuffed elephants\r\n from little girls.\r\n (smoothing his\r\n jacket)\r\n And I buy my own clothes. My\r\n life's a little boring...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n God, I wish I could say the same\r\n thing. What about having a nice,\r\n dull dinner with me tonight.\r\n Scrabble, Knock-knock jokes,\r\n Anecdotes about famous dead\r\n Italians....\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I'll bring my entire repertoire...\r\n\r\n The Two Flunkies stumble into the station, looking\r\n around. Anna and Hawk crouch down.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n And I'll bring my entourage...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Secret passageways don't mean as\r\n much as they used to. There's\r\n a place two blocks east of here.\r\n Enzo's. Say 10:30.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Said.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna peck each other with a smile. He crawls\r\n out an exit door. As he leaves, Anna's smile disappears.\r\n She pulls out a rosary and gives herself a self-scolding\r\n bang on the head. She then darts to a large crucifix\r\n and looks up.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Father, it's obvious. He's up to\r\n something.\r\n\r\n Suddenly a speaker in Jesus's mouth gently crackles.\r\n\r\n JESUS (Italian)\r\n Report downstairs at once.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Yes, sir.\r\n\r\n INT. CATACOMBLIKE AREA\r\n\r\n A CARDINAL paces in an enigmatic Vatican area. Anna\r\n clacks up to him.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Did he mention the Mayflowers?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n No, your Eminence. I think he's\r\n going to steal the Codex, as\r\n early as next week.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Attempt, you mean. The vanity\r\n of this man, Hudson Hawk. The\r\n Vatican has foiled the advances\r\n of Pirates and Terrorists. We\r\n will not lie down for some\r\n schmuck from New Jersey. Must\r\n you flirt with him so realistically?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n That's the best kind. A wise\r\n woman once said \"Polite\r\n conversation is rarely either.\"\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n (chuckling)\r\n Let me be the one to quote\r\n Scripture. ....As an agent of\r\n our organization, you are put in\r\n awkward situations. Just\r\n remember, Hudson Hawk is an evil,\r\n evil man.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (unconvinced)\r\n Yeah. The big E.\r\n\r\n EXT. NAVONA PIAZZA--DAY\r\n\r\n The evil Hawk clumsily strides around a fountain, looking\r\n off in all directions, soft-shoes past some sedate\r\n painters and swings into...\r\n\r\n INT. A BIG QUIRKY PHONE BOOTH\r\n\r\n Hawk grabs up the phone and dials....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Hello, operator. I'd like to\r\n make a collect call to New York\r\n number...\r\n\r\n The Mayflower limousine creeps to the edge of the piazza,\r\n behind an oblivious Hawk.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Thank you, operator, thank you.\r\n\r\n Hawk turns, putting a finger in his ear. Seeing the\r\n limo, he FREAKS and balls himself into a corner.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Come on, Alex, pick up, you\r\n Reindeer goat cheese-eating\r\n motherfucker.\r\n\r\n INT. ALEX'S RESTAURANT--NIGHT\r\n\r\n It is late night in New York. A phone rings atop the\r\n bar of Alex's restaurant with no one in sight.\r\n\r\n INT. PIAZZA--DAY\r\n\r\n Hawk pokes his head to see a Darwin and Minerva (holding\r\n Bunny) emerge from the limousine. As he turns his con-\r\n centration back to the phone, ALEX HIMSELF flows out from\r\n a building to cheerfully speak with Darwin and Minerva\r\n and get licked by Bunny, before they all pile into the\r\n limo.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n A-lex, A-lex, come on Alex.\r\n\r\n Hawk slams down the phone and turns to see the limousine\r\n pull off.\r\n\r\n Hawk angrily bursts from the door and is painfully\r\n CLOTHESLINED by agent Butterfinger, who is dressed as\r\n a mailman.\r\n\r\n Crumpled on the ground, Hawk kicks out with his foot,\r\n into Butterfinger's stomach, doubling him. Hawk then\r\n grabs him by the head and rams into the glass of the\r\n booth.\r\n\r\n Hawk rotates off for an escape...but the rest of the\r\n CIA crew cuts him off holding barely concealed guns;\r\n Snickers dressed as a maitre 'd, Almond Joy as a Bermuda\r\n tourist, and Kaplan in his usual emsemble. Kit Kat is\r\n dressed exactly like Hawk, right down to a bloody lip.\r\n Hawk gives him a double take.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Hawk, Hawk, Hawk. Enjoying\r\n Italy? I always had a soft spot\r\n for Rome. Did my first barehanded\r\n strangulation here. Communist\r\n politician.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Why George, you big softie...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n God, I miss communism. The Red\r\n Threat. People were scared, the\r\n Agency was respected, and I got\r\n laid every night.\r\n\r\n A humiliated Butterfinger comes waddling out, holding\r\n the phone. Kaplan rolls his eyes.\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n Sorry, coach...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n (shaking his head)\r\n If his father wasn't the head of\r\n Shit, I hate this, the\r\n government's got me farmed out,\r\n working for the Mayflower\r\n corporation now, money beats\r\n politics. War isn't Hell anymore,\r\n it's Dull. Don't slaughter their\r\n men and rape their women, just\r\n steal their microchips.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You know Kaplan, if you weren't\r\n the slimiest pinata of shit that\r\n ever lived, I'd feel sorry for\r\n you.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Good news, bud, the Mayflowers\r\n have moved up the time-table.\r\n You're hitting the Vatican to-night.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Tonight? You're whacked. The\r\n timing's off, I'm underequipped\r\n Damnit, I have a date!\r\n\r\n Almond Joy smoothly extracts Hawk's notebook and reads...\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Grapple, Biker's bottle, hairspray,\r\n black turtleneck, Pocket\r\n Fisherman, acid, collapsible\r\n yardstick, softball, and 72 stamps.\r\n Gee Stud, this is going to be\r\n some date. No Harvey's Bristol\r\n Cream?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Snickers, make the list happen.\r\n Oh and it's one thing to play\r\n hide and seek with the Mayflower's\r\n pathetic staff, but we're sore\r\n losers. I've put jumper cables\r\n on the nipples of children and\r\n not always in the line of duty.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Thanks for sharing.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n We blow up space shuttles for\r\n breakfast. You and your friend\r\n Alex would be a late afternoon\r\n Triscuit.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n If you do anything to my friend...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Yeah, right. By the way, as long\r\n as I'm getting things off my\r\n chest, I'm the one who killed your\r\n little monkey. Made it look like\r\n a Mafia hit. Did it for fun.\r\n Ciao.\r\n\r\n Kaplan and the crew quickly disperse in different\r\n directions as Hawk howls in frustration. Kit Kat moves\r\n behind Hawk and perfectly mimics him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n What did you have against Little\r\n Eddie, motherfucker? He was just\r\n a monkey who liked to laugh.\r\n Come back without your yuppie\r\n army. I'll triscuit you, you\r\n space shuttle eating...Shit.!\r\n\r\n Without looking, Hawk elbows the mimic Kit Kat in the\r\n face. Kit Kat gives Hawk a strange smile and hands him\r\n a card that reads: BEWARE THE ODD STEPS.\r\n\r\n Hawk looks up from the card. Kit Kat is gone, but\r\n Butterfinger scampers in his place.\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n Hey, Mr. Hawk, I got those 72\r\n stamps!\r\n\r\n Sighing, Hawk takes the huge sheath of stamps.\r\n\r\n EXT. INDOOR TRAIN TRACK\r\n\r\n One of the small Vatican mail trains bullets across an\r\n indoor track. The viewer's viewpoint whooshes to catch\r\n up, focusing on a very large package, addressed to the\r\n Pope, that has Hawk's sheath of stamps slapped onto it.\r\n The train zips into a tunnel.\r\n\r\n INT. THE VATICAN UNDERGROUND SUBWAY\r\n\r\n The train rumbles into the Vatican mini-station. TWO\r\n HARRIED WORKERS heave up the strange cargo onto a sorting\r\n table.\r\n\r\n A bell rings as a clock hits 10. The workers do a sigh\r\n of relief. Shucking off their uniforms, they head out.\r\n\r\n A hand rips out of the huge package.\r\n\r\n INT. OUTSIDE THE CODEX ROOM--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Hawk pops out of the secret passageway door and moves to\r\n the mouth of the doorless Codex room. He pauses to\r\n hand-comb his hair in the two large, framed mirrors at\r\n the sides.\r\n\r\n THE CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Carrying the now frameless mirrors in each hand, Hawk\r\n hustles to the top of the steps and suddenly stops.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Beware the Odd Steps.\"\r\n\r\n Hawk crouches down and notices the step below him has a\r\n clear magnetic tape running across it to a dime sized\r\n alarm button.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Why Kit Kat, aren't you a\r\n gentleman...\r\n\r\n Hawk bounds down every other one of the steps down to\r\n where the Codex is bathed in a holy light.\r\n\r\n He hefts up the two now frameless mirrors and puts them\r\n each in a groove of a collapsible yardstick running\r\n across the top. The parallel mirrors now face out from\r\n each other. Hawk sprays a blast of Clairol to reveal the\r\n light sensor beams, and then with a deep breath, he\r\n thrusts the mirrors into the beams.\r\n\r\n The light bounces harmlessly off the mirrors and Hawk\r\n exhales. He balances the connected mirrors then crawls\r\n through his tent-like passageway.\r\n\r\n Hawk squirts acid from a biker's bottle on the cracks of\r\n the rectangular glass case that holds the Codex. The\r\n acid sizzles.\r\n\r\n INT. VATICAN LIBRARY HALLWAY--NIGHT\r\n\r\n A BURLY GUARD thoughtfully stares at a painting, fingers\r\n propping his chin like an critic then continues ambling\r\n on.\r\n\r\n THE CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Rubbing his head, Hawk gives an excited smile as the glass\r\n cracks of the rectangular case loosen. Hawk pulls out a\r\n pocket fisherman....\r\n\r\n The viewer's viewpoint moves upward to reveal, through\r\n the mouth of the room, the Burly Guard is coming down\r\n the hall.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE CODEX ROOM\r\n\r\n Burly Guard approaches the outskirts of the Codex room.\r\n He combs his hair into the piece of wall in the now\r\n empty mirror-frame then REALIZES.\r\n\r\n Muttering Italian into his walkie-talkie, Burly Guard\r\n rushes into the room and looks down to the sensor\r\n deflecting mirrors.\r\n\r\n He passes a statue, behind which, Hawk is revealed to\r\n be standing.\r\n\r\n Burly Guard approaches the Codex and sees the dripping\r\n acid. He also notices a fishing hook attached to the\r\n binding of the Codex. The fishing wire leads out of\r\n the glass case. The Guard reaches to touch it when\r\n suddenly the wire is pulled tightly upward by a\r\n moving-out-from-behind-the-statue Hawk.\r\n\r\n The Codex FLIES off its perch, setting off the ALARM and\r\n sending the bizarre cage/lamp CRASHING DOWN and AROUND\r\n the hapless Burly Guard. The green gas commences its\r\n noxious billowing as the Codex swooshes into Hawk's\r\n hands. He then hurls a softball, smashing a window\r\n on the other side of the room.\r\n\r\n The familiar Vatican Guard and a Guard Three barrel\r\n down into the mouth of the codex room. Only one\r\n Gas Mask drops from the doorway. The Vatican Guard\r\n pulls it on and gives a \"That's Life\" shrug of\r\n shoulders to the fainting Guard three.\r\n\r\n Hawk puts on the missing gas mask and launches a grapple\r\n around the ceiling cord of the dropped Ornate Lighting\r\n Fixture. Hawk then Tarzans from one staircase to\r\n another. He then ungrapples and heads toward the\r\n shattered window.\r\n\r\n The Vatican Guard waits a stunned moment before giving\r\n chase.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE ROOF\r\n\r\n Hawk flings off his gas mask and begins a classical\r\n skipping-across-the-rooftop jaunt. Suddenly a brick\r\n on the slightly slanted roof gives way and Hawk FALLS.\r\n His canvas bag goes skipping down across the roof,\r\n landing against the antennae.\r\n\r\n INT. THE POPE'S BEDROOM\r\n\r\n A T.V. showing Mr. Ed. speaking to Wilbur in Italian\r\n goes fuzzy. THE POPE, wearing his famous hat and a Notre\r\n Dame bathrobe angrily bangs on it.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE ROOF\r\n\r\n Hawk harvests his grapple on the level part of the roof\r\n and slides down toward the dangling-off-the-antennae bag.\r\n\r\n The Vatican Guard pops out of the window and fires a\r\n warning shot.\r\n\r\n Hawk stretches to the bag. His fingers touch as the\r\n Guard continues to bound forward.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Please God, Please God.......let\r\n the guard shoot me.\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls up the bag and turns himself to see Vatican\r\n Guard hovering over him on the roof.\r\n\r\n VATICAN GUARD\r\n The worm's on the other foot,\r\n yankee noodle candy.\r\n\r\n Hawk sees the Vatican Guard's foot move toward the\r\n grapple. Hawk ferociously tugs, ripping the Guard\r\n off-balance and knocking down a side of the roof.\r\n\r\n EXT. TOP OF A NEARBY WALL\r\n\r\n Hawk dashes atop a nearby wall and hurls his grapple\r\n across a road around a tree branch. Hawk ties the end of\r\n grapple line, tosses on a friction belt, takes a breath\r\n and JUMPS OFF THE WALL. The viewer follows him on his\r\n breathtaking ride.\r\n\r\n The brused Vatican Guard flops back atop the roof. He\r\n gets off a wild shot before crumpling back down.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n is alnost to the other side when the Guard's bullet hits\r\n the friction belt. Hawk drops with a wild scream...\r\n and lands with a painful straddle atop a street lamppost.\r\n His eyes bug out with the thought of a life without\r\n children. He slowly spins off the lamppost and sails\r\n down upon...\r\n\r\n EXT. A BUS\r\n\r\n and the comfortable luggage housed on top of it. Hawk\r\n tries to maintain his balance upon the wobbling\r\n baggage, but the bus makes a quick turn and Hawk goes\r\n flying off...\r\n\r\n EXT. RIGHT INTO A CAFE CHAIR--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Panting and discombobulated, Hawk looks across the table\r\n to the female hands holding open a menu. The menu comes\r\n down. It is Anna. Hawk unpretzels and laps his canvas\r\n bag.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh Hudson, I was worried you\r\n weren't going to drop by....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I never break a date. Scout's\r\n honor.\r\n\r\n Hawk does the honor sign with his black gloved hand\r\n then quickly rips it off as a WAITER comes to the\r\n table.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Fettucini con Funghi Porcini.\r\n\r\n WAITER\r\n Bellissimo, signor.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, and could I have some ketchup\r\n with that.\r\n\r\n Anna hits her forehead with the palm of her hand while\r\n the waiter's entire body sinks in disappointment. Other\r\n TABLE OCCUPANTS sadly shake their heads.\r\n\r\n EXT. ANOTHER TABLE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n At a comfortable distance curled behind a heat lamp,\r\n Snickers is being an Uglier American to an UNCOMPREHENDING\r\n WAITER, while Almond Joy chuckles and Butterfinger spreads\r\n butter over an entire baguette.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Come on, Pierre, Steak-bur-ger,\r\n Fren-n-ch Fries. This is France,\r\n you gotta have French.....\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Actually we're in Italy, Snickers,\r\n she said as if it made a difference.\r\n\r\n The Waiter sneaks off. Butterfinger devours his bread.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Italy, France, Moscow. They all\r\n just wanna be Nebraska. Old Man\r\n Kaplan thinks since Communism is\r\n dead, we got nothing to do. Man,\r\n Democracy isn't free elections.\r\n We gotta teach the world that\r\n Democracy is Big Tits, College\r\n Football on Saturdays, Eddie\r\n Murphy saying the word \"Fuck\"\r\n and Kids putting their hands down\r\n garbage disposals on \"America's\r\n Funniest Home Videos.\"\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Damn baby, when's the last time\r\n you had a vacation...Jesus, I\r\n gotta get out of this job. If\r\n my Mom knew her daughter\r\n assassinated the leader of the\r\n anti-Apartheid movement....\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Quit bitching, you got the\r\n employee of the month plaque for\r\n that shit...Ah to be in Pari-is\r\n and in love.\r\n\r\n They look off to....\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ANNA'S TABLE\r\n\r\n Physically sarcastic, the Waiter brings a tall wine\r\n basket with a bottle of ketchup in it. Hawk nabs it.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This is bueno. They had the worst\r\n ketchup in prison.....uh...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Prison?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I was the Warden?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n How long were you in?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Let's just say, I never saw E.T.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Wow, you were \"in the joint.\"\r\n \"Doing hard time.\" It's funny,\r\n but that excites me. I seem to\r\n have a thing for sinners.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I seem to have a thing for sinning.\r\n sinning. Check please....\r\n\r\n WAITER\r\n Ah, anything for dessert?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (she shoots)\r\n Yes. Something to go.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (she scores)\r\n I'll bring the ketchup.\r\n\r\n INT. ANNA'S HOUSE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n The viewer's viewpoint pulls back, past the black canvas\r\n bag on a table, to reveal a barefoot Anna is straddling\r\n a bare-backed Hawk, demurely and tentatively studying his\r\n bruises.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n What have you been doing?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Uh....old badminton injury.\r\n\r\n Anna giggles and bends to kiss a bruise. She stops\r\n herself and opts for tickling.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n tickles, ticKleS, TICKLES.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (not stopping)\r\n Oh, I'm so sorry...\r\n\r\n Roaring with laughter, they capsize onto the floor.\r\n Hawk slithers around to devour her toes. Anna closes\r\n her eyes and arches her back.....\r\n\r\n She opens her eyes and sees a large crucifix staring\r\n right at her. With a gasp, she rolls away from Hawk\r\n and stands up, trying to brush off her sins.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I'm sorry. I can't. I....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (softly approaching)\r\n Hey now, outside of a very\r\n friendly dog this morning, it's\r\n been a slow decade. I don't make\r\n love every ten years, I get a\r\n little cranky.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n It's also been a long time for\r\n me. I--\r\n\r\n Their heads fuse for a semi-classic screen kiss until\r\n THE CRUCIFIX LIGHTS UP AND BEGINS SHOUTING IN ITALIAN.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Catholic girls are scary...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Somebody robbed the Vatican.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh. No.\r\n\r\n Anna slides on her shoes and makes a hasty retreat.\r\n She bumps into the canvas bag. The Codex slides out.\r\n They both catch it in mid-air. Anna's eyes pop. She\r\n wrenches the Codex away and kicks. Hawk pulls her into\r\n a compassionate back-against-his-stomach hug. The Codex\r\n falls to the floor unharmed.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n It's not what you think. Okay,\r\n maybe it is....\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n You really went and did it. With\r\n one day, not even a day, of\r\n planning, you did it. Nobody\r\n does it better, Hudson. You\r\n started the week stealing the\r\n Sforza and you ended it swiping\r\n the Codex.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Wha--\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n What are your plans for the\r\n weekend? Hoisting away the\r\n Colosseum? Tell me, did the\r\n devil make you do it or did\r\n Darwin and Minerva Mayflower?\r\n\r\n EXT. A CAR OUTSIDE OF ANNA'S PLACE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Crammed together in the front seat, Snickers, Almond\r\n Joy, and Butterfinger are watching the shadows of\r\n Hawk and Anna up in the window. Snickers snaps a\r\n cartridge into a gun while Butterfinger attacks a\r\n goo-ey pastry.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n What's going on in there?\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n Do you want me to rape them?\r\n (throwing pastry down)\r\n Dunkin does it better.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Just read, Butterfinger.\r\n\r\n Butterfinger pulls up the book on Da Vinci that Anna\r\n wrote and starts reading like a schoolboy.\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n \"Da Vinci had fears about his\r\n more dangerous designs, so he\r\n created a shorthand code in\r\n reverse script...\"\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n To yourself!.....What are they\r\n doing? In twenty seconds, we go\r\n in.\r\n\r\n INT. ANNA'S PLACE\r\n\r\n Foam shoots out over the coffee. Hawk smiles down at\r\n it as Anna works a cappuccino machine.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n For two years, I've been tracking\r\n the Mayflowers' peculiar interest\r\n in three Da Vinci pieces. Their\r\n Sforza replica was as fake as\r\n the \"gas leak\" that supposedly\r\n destroyed it.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Does everyone in the world know\r\n more than me? Jesus, I'm just\r\n some guy who happens to be good\r\n at swiping stuff.....Lifted a\r\n piece of licorice when I was one\r\n and a half. Who knew it would\r\n lead... They even got the CIA\r\n involved!\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n The C.I. what? God, no...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (raising his cup)\r\n Ooh, I guess I do know something\r\n Here's looking at you, kid...\r\n\r\n THE CAR OUTSIDE\r\n\r\n The agents burst from the car, guns raised.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Now.\r\n\r\n ANNA'S HOUSE\r\n\r\n Hawk sips the cappuccino. His face immediately contracts.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n This doesn't taste like\r\n cappuccino.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh, I must have put too much\r\n ethyl-chloride in it.\r\n\r\n Anna throws a pillow on the ground and holds out her\r\n hand. Hawk collapses. His coffee cup lands perfectly in\r\n Anna's outstretched hand and his head lands perfectly\r\n on the pillow.\r\n\r\n The candy bars bash the door open, guns raised.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Why didn't you tell me at the\r\n restaurant that he had hit the\r\n Vatican tonight. My people will\r\n not be happy. I want to see Kaplan.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n That's not overly possible. He...\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n But guys, remember, he's in the\r\n castle at Vinci....\r\n\r\n Snickers and Almond Joy grimace into fake smiles.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE CASTLE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n A helicopter thunders up to the awesome castle from the\r\n opening Da Vinci sequence.\r\n\r\n INT. HELICOPTER\r\n\r\n Anna pets the head of Hawk on her lap. She is pondering.\r\n\r\n INT. A MYSTERIOUS DARK ROOM--NIGHT\r\n\r\n A sparse circle of light houses a chair and a pacing\r\n Kaplan.\r\n\r\n Snickers and Butterfinger flop Hawk onto the lit chair.\r\n\r\n Kit Kat is dressed exactly like Anna. She reacts as she\r\n comes into the light. Kaplan takes the Codex from her.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Way to go, Anna.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n When the Mayflowers find out we\r\n have the Codex, they're going to\r\n want to make a deal...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n (gung-ho lying)\r\n And then we'll arrest those\r\n greedy pigs... Is that it?\r\n\r\n Hawk stirs. The viewer gets his woozy P.O.V.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Actually George, it's not it.\r\n What are we doing in this castle?\r\n I happen to know the Mayflowers\r\n bought this castle last year when\r\n they found out Da Vinci used to\r\n do...\r\n\r\n The lights in the room come on to the sound of holy Da\r\n Vinci theme, revealing an almost perfect refurbishing of\r\n the exact same workshop Da Vinci toiled in in the\r\n opening.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n (trying to be solemn)\r\n It's the site of their new museum\r\n and we're taking it over. Operation\r\n Deflower Mayflower is going full\r\n speed ahead.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n (taking it in)\r\n Oh Lord.... the only reason I ask is\r\n that Hudson, uh, Mr. Hawk, Hawkins,\r\n had some \"neat\" things to say about\r\n Darwin, Minerva, and you.\r\n Basically that you're part of the\r\n same car pool.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Anna. Anna. Anna. If that were\r\n true, Almond Joy would have\r\n handed you your heart right\r\n after you handed me the Codex.\r\n Now, get some sleep. Kit Kat...\r\n\r\n Kit Kat in drag spookily moves inches away from Anna.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Cat got his tongue?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Actually he never told us what it\r\n was.\r\n\r\n Kit Kat smiles, revealing the fact he has no tongue.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n How sweet. I trust you will see\r\n Hudson Hawk is given to the proper\r\n authorities. I recommend\r\n leniency...\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n (holding in a laugh)\r\n Oh, I think we all do.\r\n\r\n Hawk gives her a look of honesty and pain that causes\r\n Anna to guiltily gulp as she heads out with the mimicking\r\n Kit Kat.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Do you think she has any idea that\r\n Operation Deflower Mayflower is as\r\n bogus as Kit Kat's tits?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I don't think so, although bringing\r\n her to the castle gave her a big,\r\n juicy hint.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n With all due respect to that great\r\n blouse, why didn't I cut out her\r\n heart?\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Close call, but she's our only way\r\n of keeping tabs on that damn\r\n mysterious Vatican organization.\r\n Hawk, it's time to go to the\r\n principal's office....\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE THE CASTLE--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Moving into the chopper, Anna glimpses, Bunny, the\r\n obnoxious dog, in a Mayflower logo dog tag, taking a leak\r\n on some bushes. She fakes a yawn to the like dressed Kit\r\n Kat who fakes one back.\r\n\r\n INT. THE G. MACHINE ROOM--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Kaplan, Hawk, and the other agents march into the mammoth\r\n room of the opening scene. In the place of where one\r\n remembers the gold machine are undulating sheets, beneath\r\n which are unassembled parts of the machine.\r\n\r\n Inside, a ball goes whizzing out of a tennis ball\r\n machine. In tennis gear and goggles, Darwin Mayflower\r\n thwacks it against the wall of (now faded) frescos.\r\n\r\n Also in tennis threads, Minerva is laying on a chaise\r\n lounge holding a gadget in her hand.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Seven!\r\n\r\n Minerva turns the gadget up to SEVEN and presses a\r\n button. Another tennis ball shoots out, a little faster.\r\n Darwin batters it. The ball ricochets into the forehead\r\n of an \"amused\" Alfred who is retrieving balls in sweat\r\n pants.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Jolly. Good. Shot. Sir.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Ooh, it's Hudson Hawk, you cease\r\n to amaze me, convict. You are a\r\n terrible cat burglar!\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Haven't you ever seen, like David\r\n Niven? You know tiptoe in, tiptoe\r\n out.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Like a \"cat\", one could say.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Shucks, I'll just take it back.\r\n\r\n Hawk reaches for the Codex. Kaplan pulls it over to\r\n Darwin, who pulls up his goggles and fondles the ancient\r\n binding. Taking a knife from Kaplan, he begins to slit\r\n it open.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n (bouncing up)\r\n No, let me!\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n (pout)\r\n I don't care.\r\n\r\n Hawk looks away to the billowing sheets and the strange\r\n machine parts behind them.\r\n\r\n Minerva slits the bindings and tugs out another geometri-\r\n cally perverted crystal.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Another piece of the puzzle for\r\n the Da Vinci Alchemy project.\r\n\r\n Kaplan, Darwin, and Minerva look up to Hawk, then to each\r\n other, all start to speak, then all stop.\r\n\r\n This quandary is deferred by the entrance of the twin\r\n Flunkies.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Oh, you. There's nothing more I\r\n hate than failure. All you had to\r\n do was follow the Hawk, it's not\r\n like I said \"Teach our nation's\r\n children how to read.\"\r\n\r\n Hawk uses the distraction to amble toward the sheets.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n I guess we're just going to have\r\n to kill 'em...\r\n\r\n Shockingly swift, Minerva pulls a small gun from beneath\r\n her tennis dress and blasts a burning hole between each\r\n set of Flunky eyes, splattering them to the ground.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n God Minerva, I was kidding.\r\n\r\n A SHOCKED HAWK\r\n\r\n quickly turns from the blithe carnage and pulls up a\r\n sheet. He reveals the familiar Gold Machine Demonhead.\r\n\r\n THE MAYFLOWERS\r\n\r\n reverberate off each other with laughter. Bloodstained,\r\n Kaplan and Almond Joy exchange an eye bulge. Minerva's\r\n smile disappears as she sees Hawk by the sheets.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Get away from there, convict!\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Just browsing. Don't touch me....\r\n\r\n Snickers touches him. Hawk smashes him in the jaw.\r\n Snickers rears back to reciprocate....\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Don't hurt him! We need him for\r\n the final job!\r\n\r\n Snickers stops himself, snarling in frustration. Hawk is\r\n suddenly the happiest man he's been in Italy.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh weeeeelly, don't hurt me? Even\r\n if I do this....\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls Snickers' glasses off and stamps them.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n And this....\r\n\r\n Hawk knees Butterfinger in the stomach.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Surely this must offend....\r\n\r\n Hawk body-block-dominoes Butterfinger and Snickers to the\r\n ground. Kaplan and Almond Joy aim their guns.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n That's it!\r\n\r\n Playfully lifting his shirt, Hawk grabs Minerva and\r\n manually swivels her hips to the beat of his.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Things are getting a little loose\r\n at the Da Vinci workshop tonight.\r\n \"Put your left leg in, take your\r\n right foot out.\" May I call you\r\n Minnie....\r\n\r\n Hawk mambos to Alfred who rifles his blade up to Hawk's\r\n crotch. Hawk stops dancing.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Come to think of it there is a part\r\n of your body that you won't need for\r\n your next job...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Hey, guys, I've always wanted to sing\r\n like Franki Valli and the other seasons,\r\n but come on....\r\n\r\n Alfred moves the blade a little upward. Hawk a-a-ghs.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Big girls don't cry-I-eye.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Two minutes, 35 seconds. Damnit,\r\n I'm involved in this thing, so I\r\n just wanna know what this thing is.\r\n I wanna be treated as an adult.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n That's fair. Tomorrow. Back in\r\n Rome. Now go to your room.\r\n\r\n Alfred strategically Vulcans Hawk on the neck. He falls.\r\n\r\n INT. DARK CONFESSION BOOTH--MORNING\r\n\r\n The lips of Anna come into light.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Forgive me Father for I have\r\n sinned. It's been 1200 hours\r\n since my last confession.\r\n\r\n INT. THE CARDINAL'S SIDE OF THE CONFESSION BOOTH\r\n\r\n The cardinal suppresses a yawn.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Hit me with your best shot.\r\n\r\n ANNA (O.S.)\r\n I betrayed a man. A good man. An\r\n innocent man. A thief.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Anna, what are you trying to say...\r\n\r\n ANNA'S DARKENED LIPS\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n He came into a world where crime\r\n is a legitimate business tactic\r\n and a legitimate government\r\n procedure. But he knew Right and\r\n Wrong. Oh, and we kind of messed\r\n around...\r\n\r\n THE CARDINAL\r\n\r\n freaks and goes into some Italian gibberish before...\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n \"Messed around\" messed around? I\r\n know-- I don't want to know. First\r\n base? Second Base? Stop me when\r\n I'm getting warm...\r\n\r\n ANNA (O.S.)\r\n A little petting is not the issue!\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Sorry. Seventeen Hail Marys and\r\n five minutes outside.\r\n\r\n INT. OUTSIDE THE CONFESSION BOOTH--MORNING\r\n\r\n The Cardinal emerges and stands by Anna's confessional\r\n curtains.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n So let me get this straight,\r\n sister, you're saying Hudson Hawk\r\n is not willingly working for the\r\n Mayflowers but Kaplan and the\r\n Candy Bars are?\r\n\r\n Anna moves out of the confessional curtains, wearing a\r\n FULL NUN HABIT for she is a Nun. The gaspingly beautiful\r\n church unfolds as they walk.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n You got it. Operation Deflower\r\n Mayflower is a bad joke and I'm the\r\n punchline. I thought we were using\r\n the CIA to help us to get Mayflower,\r\n but really the CIA was using me to\r\n keep us away from Mayflower.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n Oh, why couldn't I be the Cardinal\r\n in charge of catering.... If the\r\n Mayflowers get the three sections\r\n of Da Vinci's crystal and his\r\n instructions for the gold machine--\r\n Aie-yi--Do we got anything? What of\r\n Alex, Hawk's friend, where is his\r\n loyalty?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I'm going to find out.\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n I'm sorry for losing it back there,\r\n but you must remember, sister, you\r\n have vows to God as well as a mission\r\n to the world.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I know, I know, your Eminence, just say\r\n \"God go with me.\"\r\n\r\n CARDINAL\r\n God go with you, sister.\r\n\r\n Anna puts on the coolest pair of sunglasses, deliciously\r\n contrasting with her habit. She moves off....\r\n\r\n INT. ROME CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY\r\n\r\n Beneath the wacky portrait, Darwin circles the board-\r\n member filled conference table as Minerva smooches Bunny.\r\n Everyone watches Alfred place a bar of Gold and of Lead\r\n in the hands of a blindfolded Hawk at the middle of the M.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n So, Captain Hawk, in one of your\r\n paws you got a gold bar worth\r\n about 8 thou. In the autre, you\r\n got lead that won't get you\r\n gelato.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Surely a master-thief like you can\r\n tell the difference.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (\"What's my Line\")\r\n That's two down to Kitty\r\n Carlisle...\r\n\r\n Hawk \"weighs\" the two bars in his hands--digs with his\r\n fingernails. He rips off the blindfold in subdued\r\n frustration. As Minerva speaks, she unconsciously\r\n molests Alfred.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Cool, isn't it? Weight, feel,\r\n mal1eability, they're all but\r\n identical. On the periodic chart\r\n of elements, they're but one\r\n proton apart. Great minds worked\r\n for centuries to turn worthless\r\n into priceless.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alchemy.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n (casually goosing Alfred)\r\n Alchemy! Is the business term of\r\n the 90's, my man! Minerva read\r\n about it in an airline magazine\r\n about four years ago. I dumped\r\n some lira into research... Shazam,\r\n we come across a diary by one of\r\n Da Vinci's apprentices detailing\r\n La Machine de Oro, the gold machine\r\n for those at home, and the rest is\r\n about to become history. Money\r\n isn't everything, gold is. Fuck\r\n blue chip stocks! Fuck T-bills!\r\n Fuck Junk Bonds! I got the real\r\n deal! Money will always be paper\r\n but gold will always be gold!\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Market crashes. Bomb drops.\r\n Greenhouse effect affects. We'll\r\n still be the richest, most powerful\r\n people in the world. In 1992,\r\n Europe is coming together to become\r\n one business superpower. It's one\r\n party we'd love to poop.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Well, that said, the last\r\n ingredient in the recipe is in, get\r\n this, you're gonna die, the Kremlin.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Sure. The Kremlin. Makes sense.\r\n The Kremlin. Why not? Listen,\r\n this is all too Indiana Jones and\r\n the Lost City of King Tut for me,\r\n man. Throw me in jail and go ahead,\r\n just try and throw Alex...\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Jail, you asshole! Our foot\r\n soldiers will blow your brains\r\n out! Bunny, Ball-Ball!\r\n\r\n Minerva angrily throws the dog off her lap and whips a\r\n tennis ball into its mouth.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n I'll torture you so slowly you'll\r\n think it's a career! I'll kill\r\n your family, your friends, and the\r\n bitch you took to the Prom!\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You want an address on that last\r\n one?\r\n\r\n Bunny barks up at Hawk in anger.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Bunny, not you too?\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n You've got a dilemma, tiger. I\r\n think I know what's going to help\r\n you solve it.\r\n\r\n Alfred quickly latches on the state-of-the-art handcuffs\r\n and the blindfold. The viewer's viewpoint stays on a\r\n writhing Hawk.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I'll kill all you. Even the old\r\n lady.\r\n\r\n\r\n Hawk kicks back on the table, \"jump ropes\" the cuffs,\r\n then picks the lock with his teeth. Hawk rips off the\r\n blindfold to see that the entire room is empty except\r\n for Alex, standing at the other end, in an incongruous\r\n Italian leather coat.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I hated cigarettes until I saw my\r\n first No Smoking sign. Keep off\r\n the Grass? Let's play Soccer.\r\n Only law I cared about was\r\n friendship. Broke that one too,\r\n didn't I? This Gates-Mario\r\n Brothers-CIA-Mayflower-Da Vinci\r\n thing seemed like a sweet deal.\r\n Visit foreign lands, take their\r\n treasures. I don't know, I thought\r\n you'd get into it. It's better\r\n than playing darts with M.B.A.'s at\r\n the bar. I didn't know it was\r\n going to be like this. Them using\r\n me to use you... I'm sorry, there's\r\n only one way out of this and it's\r\n gonna hurt me more than it's gonna\r\n hurt you.\r\n\r\n Alex pulls out a gun from his jacket and clicks it in.\r\n\r\n EXT. FAMILIAR PIAZZA--DAY\r\n\r\n The piazza from the fascist E.U.R. building are bustling\r\n with office workers laughing, smoking, and hustling.\r\n Darwin, Minerva and Kaplan are a solid troika in the\r\n center of the steps. The other agents stroll in the\r\n periphery....\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I just don't think it was a\r\n smoking hot idea to leave them up\r\n there alone.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Don't worry George, this is the\r\n reason we put the old diabetic\r\n guinea on the payroll to begin\r\n with. To keep Hawk in line.\r\n They'll talk about \"being buddies\"\r\n and \"chugging brewskis.\"\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n (raising glass)\r\n You gotta love male bonding.\r\n\r\n As Darwin slaps Kaplan on the back, behind them, Hawk and\r\n Alex come crashing out of the windowed doors of the building.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n You were saying...\r\n\r\n Moving to the edge of the stairs, Hawk and Alex, latter\r\n holding his gun, sprout up from their own debris and\r\n continue savagely brawling. The wigging out passers-\r\n by give them space.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You bastard! You fucked my\r\n freedom for a lousy job!\r\n\r\n Alex trembles, going into a diabetic seizure. He shakily\r\n raises his gun.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Hawk... I'm so sorry...\r\n\r\n Hawk roars forward like a bull and helmets Alex. They\r\n roll together down the massive staircase past Darwin,\r\n Minerva, and the CIA who react with \"This can't be\r\n happening\" catatonia.\r\n\r\n Two SHOTS go off as Hawk and Alex crash to the bottom of\r\n the staircase. Hawk rises up in a daze to see Alex on the\r\n ground with two bloody bullet holes.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No.....Alex! Wake up, you can't\r\n go out like this.\r\n\r\n Hawk falls to his knees as Snickers hustles toward him.\r\n Suddenly, sirens are heard as a police van pulls up.\r\n Snickers stops.\r\n\r\n Four policemen blast from the back of the van. One holds\r\n back the crowd. One strenuously pulls Hawk into the van.\r\n The other two drag in Alex.\r\n\r\n The villains look to each other for non-existent guidance\r\n as the van pulls away.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Plan B, anyone...\r\n\r\n Using initiative, Snickers hops on a Vespa and roars off\r\n after them. The van can be seen swerving off.....\r\n\r\n AROUND A CORNER\r\n\r\n where it bolts up into a much larger truck marked VATICAN\r\n SOUVENIRS. TWO SEEMINGLY-INNOCENT-BYSTANDER PRIESTS break\r\n demeanor to flop up the wheel ramps, slam close the back\r\n of the truck, lock it shut, and continue on their solemn\r\n way.\r\n\r\n The TRUCK BELLOWS off as the Vespa spins around the corner.\r\n Snickers brakes and looks around for the police van. He\r\n hits his handle with frustration.\r\n\r\n EXT. BEAUTIFUL ROME OVERVIEW\r\n\r\n Out of her habit but still in her incredible sunglasses,\r\n Anna looks out to a lovely view of Italy. The Vatican Truck\r\n pulls up behind her. A giddy, blood-stained Alex and a not-\r\n so-giddy Hawk bound out of the back. Alex excitedly gives\r\n himself an insulin shot.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh thank God, you're dead...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n It was so beautiful! When the\r\n blanks went off, they...\r\n\r\n Hawk's fist whooshes into frame and blasts Alex's jaw.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You bastard. You fucked my\r\n freedom for a lousy job.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n But I said I was sorry....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No sweat, Alex, you only made the\r\n biggest mistake of my life. What\r\n was your per-diem?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Don't act like you've never committed\r\n a crime before, Hawkins? I know, I\r\n made call, when Anna tracked me down I...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Hudson, don't you understand...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n And you, Dr. Cappucino, you're lucky\r\n I don't hit women, assuming you are\r\n a woman. I'm not taking anything for\r\n granted anymore.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n I-work-for-a-covert-Vatican-humanitarian-\r\n organization. The-CIA-made-a-fool-of-me.\r\n I-care-for-you...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh. Well, what's this?\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls out the Demon Head that was in the Mayflower\r\n Museum from out of his pocket. Anna turns white.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Where did you get this?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You know, the place where you gave\r\n the bad guys the Codex.... the\r\n Mayflower Museum.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n It's from the machine. All they\r\n need is the crystal to run it and\r\n they have 2/3 of it already. We\r\n can't let that happen.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n You're saying you want us to beat\r\n them to the crystal and save the\r\n world from financial disarray.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Something like that.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (pulling out plane\r\n tix)\r\n Well, forget about it. Hawk and I\r\n are going to Rio. We're hurt,\r\n we're tired, and a hero ain't\r\n nothing but a sandwich. Right,\r\n buddy?...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Hudson, God's given you a gift for\r\n cat burglary, you can t just...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You better believe I can. I'm\r\n sick of people telling me what I\r\n have to do.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n It's that kind of selfish attitude\r\n that...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Selfish attitude? I'm just some\r\n guy who wants a little nap and a\r\n cappuccino for when he wakes up,\r\n not too much foam...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n You re not \"some guy\" anymore,\r\n Hudson. Right now, you're the\r\n only guy. Without your help, I....\r\n\r\n Anna looks to Hawk with a choked-up expression. The\r\n weight of the world on his shoulders, Hawk turns away\r\n to a lovely view, his mind painfully raging and\r\n swirling toward peaceful clarity.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The world is beautiful. Every day\r\n in prison I made sure to remember\r\n that. It's only when I actually\r\n got out that I forgot. If I was\r\n sane, I'd be on that plane to Rio.\r\n But being beaten and abused to\r\n fulfill some corporation's\r\n perverted vision does something to\r\n your mental health. The world is\r\n beautiful and I'm tired of being\r\n fucked.\r\n (turning around)\r\n It's Darwin and Minerva's turn to\r\n bite the pillow...\r\n\r\n Anna involuntarily does the sign of the cross. Alex\r\n goodnaturedly does a jerking off motion.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n That was beautiful.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I laughed, I cried.\r\n\r\n Shaking his head, Hawk swipes the plane tickets from\r\n Alex.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Rio, Alex? After all they've\r\n done to...Hey, these tickets are\r\n for Moscow!\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n (knowing smile)\r\n Damn travel agency. That Kremlin\r\n thing is in Moscow, isn't it?\r\n\r\n A proud Hawk slaps Alex on the back as some passing\r\n ITALIAN LOCALS stop to stare, horrified, at Alex's\r\n bullet holes. Anna sweetly intervenes.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Ketchup. Stupido Americani...\r\n\r\n The locals give off a slightly dazed \"A-a-h\" and move off.\r\n\r\n INT. THE CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY\r\n\r\n Wind blows through the shattered conference room window.\r\n Snickers is banging on his computer apparatus at the\r\n table with the Mayflowers and the other agents.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n We're all family now. My team\r\n has done a lot of rougher things\r\n than steal the model of a\r\n helicopter.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n We're going to whack this place\r\n so fast we'll have time to shop\r\n for American imports.\r\n\r\n Darwin and Minerva politely smile and then turn away to\r\n each other with knowing looks. The computer screen shows\r\n the familiar image of the Kremlin building that turns\r\n into a complex look at interiors the viewer will later\r\n see.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Lucky for us, the Da Vinci is\r\n located in a wing of the Kremlin\r\n that they used to throw the Miss\r\n Ukraine pageant and stuff. It'll\r\n have the least number of guards....\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n As for our plan of action,\r\n anybody'd be insane to go in\r\n from the ground floor...\r\n\r\n INT. A VAN-BUS--NIGHT\r\n\r\n A head-rubbing Hawk and a stomach rubbing Alex kneel on\r\n the floor of a moving van, over a barely legible drawing\r\n of what was so neatly delineated on the CIA computer.\r\n Both guys are dressed as priests and are chewing gum.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n We're going in from the ground\r\n floor.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Geez, this Art Treasures Room\r\n looks like a burnt diaphragm.\r\n\r\n Hawk laughs and pops up into the passenger seat. Anna\r\n is revealed to be driving in her habit. Hawk gives her\r\n a kiss.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Hey, don't take your disguise so\r\n seriously.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Uh, yeah. Guess I'm a wee bit\r\n nervous. I'm sorry I could only\r\n score clergy passports.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Fits my new image. A thief for\r\n the masses. This is one job I'm\r\n not going to feel guilty about\r\n enjoying. Gum.\r\n\r\n Hawk, Alex, and Anna all spit out their gum into a bag\r\n Hawk holds.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n The security's actually not that\r\n severe.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n It doesn't have to be. Everybody\r\n knows that if you mess with the\r\n Kremlin, you'll end up in a\r\n Siberian gulag eating your own\r\n fingernails.\r\n\r\n Hawk takes in some views of Moscow that remind one of\r\n Budapest.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Shwoof, that makes me feel better.\r\n I can't believe this is the Iron\r\n Curtain. All the guy at Airport\r\n customs wanted to know was \"Who\r\n Shot J.R.?\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n You sound disappointed.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yeah, I mean, come on, going\r\n through the Iron Curtain is\r\n supposed to be crawling\r\n underneath barbed wire, it's\r\n supposed to be strangling a\r\n guard...\r\n\r\n THE VAN\r\n\r\n passes a textbook shot of the Kremlin in the distance.\r\n\r\n HAWK (V.O.)\r\n It's supposed to be parachuting\r\n in the moonlight....\r\n\r\n EXT. THE TOP OF THE KREMLIN--NIGHT\r\n\r\n Kaplan, Snickers, Almond Joy, and Butterfinger slam down\r\n upon the roof of the Kremlin and discard their\r\n parachutes.\r\n\r\n Snickers opens up his computer screen, upon which is the\r\n image-map of the Kremlin with a flashing blue light at\r\n the top of the building and a flashing green one inside.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n We are the blue light. The green\r\n light is where the Art Treasures\r\n room is.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Let's go make a purple light.\r\n Where's Kit Kat?\r\n\r\n EXT. THE KREMLIN GROUNDS\r\n\r\n Dressed in cat burglar black and all chewing gum, Hawk,\r\n Alex, and Anna crawl across the Kremlin grounds. They\r\n scope out a shabby Delivery Entrance.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Delivery Entrance. Low Security.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Gum.\r\n\r\n All three spit out their gum into Hawk's bag.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Count of three?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Why not just go now?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Okay.\r\n\r\n The Trio rush for the door.\r\n\r\n THE KREMLIN ROOF\r\n\r\n SOVIET GUARD ONE comes out on the roof to light a cig-\r\n arette. He looks in the distance to the motivating CIA\r\n team. Suddenly a card floats down into his hand.\r\n\r\n It reads: WILLIAM TELL. ADAM'S APPLE. GET IT?\r\n\r\n The not-getting-it Guard looks up from the card as a\r\n grinning Kit Kat parachutes behind him. The Guard\r\n swerves around and Kit Kat savagely skewers him with a\r\n crossbow shot to his Adam's apple.\r\n\r\n THE DELIVERY ENTRANCE\r\n\r\n Hawk, Anna, and Alex race to the door, the latter\r\n bashes it...\r\n\r\n INT. GRUNGY WHITE FOYER\r\n\r\n open and sets off an annoying hammer-against-bell alarm.\r\n Alex all-fours beneath the alarm. Hawk does a Michael\r\n Jordan vault off Alex's back and slam dunks A MASSIVE\r\n BALL OF USED-GUM, pulled from his bag, between the\r\n hammer and the bell, cutting off the sound. They rush\r\n ahead.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE KREMLIN ROOF\r\n\r\n The agents are trotting across the roof when a phone on\r\n Snickers' apparatus rings. Kaplan answers it.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Everything's going fine, Minerva,\r\n thanks for asking...\r\n\r\n INT. NONDESCRIPT HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Minerva chats on a cellular moving down a hallway, with\r\n Darwin, who is holding in his laughter as if this was a\r\n great crank.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I say who needs this Hudson Hawk\r\n anyway....\r\n\r\n INT. A GRAND BALLROOM\r\n\r\n The good guys scurry upon the second level of an epic\r\n and gorgeous ballroom. Two lush staircases lead up from\r\n the floor. From behind a pillar, the gang checks out\r\n the activity below.\r\n\r\n A tablecloth is being wrangled over a large table at\r\n the opposite end of the ballroom by SERVANTS. Threaten-\r\n ing SOVIET SOLDIERS maneuver on the floor.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (Wizard of Oz)\r\n Oh-Eee-Oh-A-Whoa-Oh.\r\n\r\n They then make a mad scuffle across their side of the\r\n second level, hunkering down by the level railing.\r\n\r\n As they move into another wing hallway, the viewer's\r\n viewpoint moves back down to the ballroom floor to see\r\n a gloating DARWIN AND MINERVA ENTER, the latter still\r\n on the phone.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Everybody here, in Rome, wishes\r\n you tinsel boxes of love...\r\n\r\n The servants move away from the tablecloth and the\r\n table, revealing that it is shaped like an M. A GROUP\r\n OF SERIOUS SOVIET V.I.P.'s come out to join the\r\n Mayflowers at the table.\r\n\r\n THE ROOF\r\n\r\n Kaplan hangs up the phone.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Lazy, rich, condescending bitch.\r\n\r\n The team moves up to the rooftop doorway where Kit Kat\r\n is. He holds up an \"About Time\" card. The agents laugh\r\n and greet them.\r\n\r\n INT. A VERY LONG, ENIGMATIC HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk, Alex, and Anna pass through a set of windowed\r\n double doors into a very long hallway that leads into a\r\n pitch darkness. A MURAL OF A HAPPY, ARM-STRETCHED LENIN\r\n looms above the doors. They give it a a quick glance\r\n before pulling out screwdrivers and wire hangers.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Eighth room down, babe...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Guards come exactly every three\r\n minutes....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Three. Oh. Oh. \"Side by Side.\"\r\n\r\n Our trio charges down the hallway.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Oh, we ain't got a barrel of\r\n money.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"Maybe we're ragged and funny.\"\r\n\r\n They reach a MASSIVE SPOOKY DOOR WITH AN ODD, ANCIENT\r\n LOCK. They go to work on it. Not losing the beat.\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ALEX\r\n \"But we'll travel along, singing\r\n a song. Side by Side...\"\r\n\r\n INT. TOP FLOOR HALLWAY\r\n\r\n With a gust of wind, Kaplan and the Candy Bars bluster\r\n through the rooftop door into another hallway, where\r\n SOVIET GUARDS TWO AND THREE are taking it easy.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Create a diversion.\r\n\r\n Snickers and Butterfinger calmly blow away both guards\r\n with silenced mini-Uzis.\r\n\r\n SOVIET GUARD FOUR rushes out a door before the agents,\r\n zipping up his fly. Almond Joy twists his neck with an\r\n agonizing SNAP.\r\n\r\n THE LONG HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk, Anna, and Alex retreat beneath the Lenin mural\r\n through the windowed double doors.\r\n\r\n Behind the doors, they poke up to see a BESPECTACLED\r\n GUARD emerge from the darkness to check out the door.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Now that's a lock.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Don't worry, we'll get it...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Can I sing this time, too?\r\n Please?\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex are not thrilled about the idea, but Anna's\r\n eye flutter does it.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Uh, I guess so.\r\n\r\n The Bespectacled Guard moves back into the darkness.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n The Soviet V.I.P.'s open up presents of pink L.A. GEAR\r\n tennis shoes, silly T-shirts, and Nintendo joysticks\r\n as a standing Darwin hypnotizes them.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n I look at you Soviet people and I\r\n feel... pity... superiority. Most\r\n of your life, your government has\r\n told you that Capitalism turns\r\n people into robots who'd rather\r\n eat microwave sushi, naked in the\r\n back of a Cadillac than hear the\r\n laughter of children.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n (smiling)\r\n We're here to say, your government\r\n was right.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n So let's get busy. Have some fun\r\n and make some deals.\r\n\r\n AT THE LOCK\r\n\r\n Alex holds a lit match into the lock, while Hawk\r\n does something incomprehensible with a screwdriver.\r\n They are improvising...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"Oh this lock is a pain in the bu-utt\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"How'd we ever get such in a ru-utt\"\r\n\r\n Anna suddenly, booms out the chorus in a way that Hawk and\r\n Alex can barely concentrate.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n \"But we'll travel the road, Sharing\r\n the load. Side by Side!\"\r\n\r\n THE HALLWAY ABOVE\r\n\r\n The CIA team saunters through corpses up to a door\r\n similar in lock and design to the one Hawk and Alex\r\n are working on.\r\n\r\n Snickers's computer screen shows the blue light directly\r\n above the green light.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n This is the room above the Art\r\n Treasures room. The lock is a\r\n Natalya Z-Z, first created...\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Snickers, baby, I love you like a\r\n brother, but really, who cares?\r\n Silencer bomb...\r\n\r\n Butterfinger pulls from around his shoulder a strange\r\n rifle. He attaches to the front of it;, a glass encased,\r\n suctioning time-bomb from a waist satchel. He fires\r\n the bomb against the door and it starts ticking.\r\n\r\n BEHIND THE WINDOWED DOUBLE DOORS\r\n\r\n come Hawk, Alex, and Anna, panting.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n That was close....\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Anna, I think you better stay....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You can be lookout!..... Take\r\n Alex's gun.\r\n\r\n Alex hands Anna his gun, who glumly takes it like a Little\r\n Sister not allowed to play. Hawk and Alex go back through\r\n the doors.\r\n\r\n THE HALLWAY ABOVE\r\n\r\n The CIA bomb blows up the door with a weird silencer\r\n sound. Kaplan and the Candy Bars giddily whoop as they\r\n rush through the smoking door.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM--SECOND LEVEL\r\n\r\n Anna meanders across the second level muttering to herself\r\n in Italian and amusingly imitating Hawk's condescension.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n \"You can be the lookout.\"\r\n\r\n Anna suddenly moves past the pillar to see the Mayflowers\r\n and the V.I.P.S. She gasps and hurls herself behind the\r\n second level railing.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM FLOOR\r\n\r\n A VERY DIGNIFIED SOVIET LEADER, in a SHIT HAPPENS baseball\r\n cap, addresses Darwin.\r\n\r\n SOVIET LEADER\r\n Before we serve you \"the main course,\"\r\n hee, hee, we need to know specifics\r\n about what you can do for us. We--\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Bluntness. How amusingly Hungarian.\r\n Listen up, for reasons I don't want\r\n to get into, I recently had to close\r\n down a petroleum factory, but I'm\r\n going to re-build it here and\r\n Madonna's going to cut the ribbon!\r\n Frozen burritos in Leningrad. 1982\r\n fantasy. 1992 reality.\r\n\r\n THE LOCK OUTSIDE THE DOOR\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex more frantically toil on the lock.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n \"We all had our quarrels and\r\n parted...\"\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n \"But we'll be the same as we started...\r\n\r\n The lock clunks open. They race through the doors into...\r\n\r\n INT. THE ART TREASURE ROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk and Alex weave through the room which is crammed,\r\n with little nuance, to the gills with great art treasures\r\n including an impressive array of Faberge eggs. A solid\r\n gold hammer and sickle hang on one wall...\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ALEX\r\n \"Just traveling along, singing a\r\n song. Side--\"\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Geez, this place is a mess...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Voila...\r\n\r\n They rumble toward an opening in the wall of the room\r\n covered by a small curtain that has the Da Vinci Man in\r\n the Circle drawing emblazoned across it. Hawk reaches\r\n for the curtain. Alex puts his arm around him and speaks,\r\n not sings.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Side by side, man...\r\n\r\n Suddenly, the roof above them explodes. Kaplan and the\r\n Candy Bars drop down behind them.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n What the hell....\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n You're supposed to be dead!\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I'm a ghost. Boo.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I don't want to sound immature,\r\n but we were here first...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I wish I could think of those cute\r\n quips the way you can, Hawk, but\r\n I can't, so I'll just shoot Alex.\r\n\r\n Kaplan point blank shoots Alex in the chest. Alex\r\n crumples backward, moaning. Butterfinger, casually, but\r\n with incredible strength, holds Hawk's arms behind his\r\n back.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No....\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n That was pretty uncool, George...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Sorry, you know he kind of reminds\r\n me of Little Eddie. But I digress.\r\n Ah, victory is so sweet....\r\n\r\n Kaplan pulls back the Da Vinci curtain. Nothing is there.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM BANQUET\r\n\r\n A SOVIET CHEF lifts up a silver domed serving tray,\r\n revealing the Da Vinci helicopter model.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Yum. This is the best meal I\r\n ever had...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n\r\n bulges her eyes at the revelation. She pulls out Alex's\r\n gun and bangs herself in the head. What to do....\r\n\r\n THE ART TREASURES ROOM\r\n\r\n Kaplan is bugging out.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Damnit, this isn't the plan!\r\n Blue light, green light, shit!\r\n Snickers, Kit Kat, A.J., scramble,\r\n see if you can find out anything.\r\n\r\n They thunder out. Hawk, still in Butterfinger's\r\n oblivious clutches, shouts..\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Can't you see the Mayflowers\r\n double-crossed you...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n They may be scum, but if I get the\r\n Da Vinci model back, then we'll be\r\n roasting weenies on the beach.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I don't think you'll appreciate\r\n their choice of weenie.\r\n\r\n Kaplan raises his gun.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM BANQUET\r\n\r\n Darwin holds the Da Vinci model in one hand and raises\r\n a glass of vodka in the other.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n You're helping us achieve a goal\r\n and in return, I'm giving you a\r\n key to the world's executive\r\n washroom. Don't piss it away....\r\n Skoal, amigos...\r\n\r\n ANNA (O.S.)\r\n Stop or I'll shoot.\r\n\r\n Minerva and some various Soviet VIPS spew their vodka to\r\n look up to Anna pointing a gun down at them from the\r\n second level. She is shivering, shaking the gun.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n You people are immoral and\r\n narcissitic and I won't let you...\r\n\r\n In unison, the Soviet Soldiers surrounding the table\r\n begin machine gunning up at her. She dives behind the\r\n railing.\r\n\r\n THE ART TREASURES ROOM\r\n\r\n Kaplan lowers his gun.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n I can't believe this. I'm in\r\n fucking Russia, or do I have to\r\n say, the fucking Soviet Union and\r\n I'm shooting a non-Bolshevick.\r\n (raising back up\r\n his gun)\r\n I never thought I'd say \"I'm just\r\n in this job for the money.\" Sad.\r\n Any last immature quips?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n No.\r\n (a beat)\r\n But why do you let Butterfinger\r\n keep those blood stains on his\r\n shirt?\r\n\r\n Falling for the oldest trick in the book, Butterfinger\r\n looks down to his shirt.\r\n\r\n BUTTERFINGER\r\n What blood stains....\r\n\r\n Hawk bounces up to savagely head-butt Butterfinger.\r\n Butterfinger slams back against a wall causing the Gold\r\n Sickle to fall down around his neck and knock him to the\r\n ground, pinning his head to the floor. The Gold Hammer\r\n next trembles off the wall and crushes Butterfinger's\r\n skull.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You want immature, how 'bout an\r\n egg fight...\r\n\r\n Hawk flings a Faberge egg, smashing the gun out of Kaplan's\r\n hand. Hawk pelts a batch more at him. Kaplan sloppily\r\n whips some eggs back. Hawk finally smashes one in half\r\n and beans the jagged piece into Kaplan's eye. He squeals\r\n to the ground, geysering blood.\r\n\r\n Hawk swoops down to a wheezing, breath controlling Alex.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Alex, are you....\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n I can't believe you didn't notice.\r\n My weight. I lost ten pounds in\r\n Rome\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You're a reed, man. I gotta get\r\n Anna. Hang in there...\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n Bullets stop splintering around Anna at the railing as\r\n the soldiers fling out their empty cartridges to reload.\r\n\r\n Snickers, Almond Joy, and Kit Kat race out of the hall-\r\n way area into the ballroom area. They stop at the sight\r\n of Anna....\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n Anna-bannana-fo-fanna, I guess I\r\n have to cut out your heart for\r\n real now. It's not personal.\r\n\r\n Anna feebly raises her gun. Almond Joy laughs and\r\n pulls out a knife.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n You won't shoot. I read your\r\n dossier... Sister.\r\n\r\n The Soviet Soldiers snap in new cartridges as Almond Joy\r\n moves out from behind the pillar towards Anna. The\r\n Soldiers blast away at this newly appearing figure.\r\n\r\n Almond Joy ruptures and vibrates in a Sonny Corleone\r\n ballet.\r\n\r\n ALMOND JOY\r\n I gotta get a new job...\r\n\r\n Snickers and Kit Kat militarily roll on either side of\r\n Anna as their partner wilts to the ground. The men,\r\n Snickers with his mini-Uzi, Kit Kat with his cross-\r\n bow rifle, briefly leap up to fire down at the soldiers\r\n with some graphic success.\r\n\r\n Anna watches Darwin and Minerva head up the stairs to\r\n her level. She bolts off....\r\n\r\n BALLROOM FLOOR\r\n\r\n The last of the Soviet VIPS flee as the Soldiers tip\r\n over the M shaped table on its side, using it for\r\n cover, firing upward.\r\n\r\n KIT KAT\r\n\r\n breaks off and scurries around the second level to get\r\n a position behind the M.\r\n\r\n He fires down an arrow for a successful kill. Another\r\n guard tries to fire up, but Kit Kat impales him to the\r\n back of the table with a quality shot.\r\n\r\n Kit Kat grins and reloads as Alfred, the butler, regally\r\n creeps behind him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n comes out of the long hallway double doors up to where\r\n Anna is bustling. They hug...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n The Mayflowers got...\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna turn to see the Mayflowers hastening in\r\n their direction. Noticing them back, the model-toting\r\n Mayflowers halt.\r\n\r\n KIT KAT\r\n\r\n turns to Alfred and fires his crossbow. Alfred effort-\r\n lessly cuts it in half with his blade and continues\r\n to move forward. Still smiling, Kit Kat tries to reload.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n\r\n breaks the standstill.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n What a pleasant surprise. You're\r\n probably wondering...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n But you're going to tell us\r\n anyway...\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I hate a man with a sense of\r\n humor. While you corn dogs were\r\n comparing the lengths of your\r\n masculinity, we obtained the\r\n helicopter the new fashioned\r\n way: a thoroughly corrupt business\r\n deal.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n If you think you're getting past\r\n me...\r\n\r\n Grunting behind them, Snickers gun-butts Hawk to the\r\n ground.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Don't be stupid...they...\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Bastard! If you were a true\r\n American.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Just shut up and hit me!\r\n\r\n Snickers swings a punch. Hawk blocks it then whomps\r\n him in the chest.\r\n\r\n As they battle, Darwin grabs Anna's hair, slams her\r\n into a pillar, and watches her crumple.\r\n\r\n KIT KAT\r\n\r\n gets in an arrow but it's too late. Alfred stabs\r\n him deep, deep, deeply, and lifts him from the ground.\r\n\r\n A shower of cards reading \"OUCH\" \"PAIN\" and \"THIS REALLY\r\n HURTS\" rain from out of Kit Kat's coat.\r\n\r\n Alfred discards him over the edge.\r\n\r\n Kit Kat sails down upon the M.\r\n\r\n The lone card of \"FUCK\" plops from his open eyed corpse.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n and Snickers trades fierce blows, stumbling down a\r\n staircase.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n\r\n and Minerva watch the fight with amusement. Alfred\r\n approaches.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Alfred, the getaway car...\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n\r\n slashes Hawk in the arm with a small but sinister blade.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Damnit, I hate this! I'm a cat\r\n burglar! Nobody said anything\r\n about this fight-to-the-death\r\n shit.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Too bad.\r\n\r\n Snickers goes for a final thrust when suddenly one of the\r\n silencer time bombs suctions to his head.\r\n\r\n Hawk turns to see Alex, barely standing, at the top of\r\n the stairs, holding the strange rifle.\r\n\r\n Darwin and Minerva turn to this dramatic entrance. They\r\n start to trot off...\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I knew it! I told you it was a\r\n fake.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n That New-York-Italian-Father-\r\n made-twenty-bucks-a-week-son-\r\n of-a-bitch. What was our bet? A\r\n million?\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Million five, lover...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n\r\n boots Snickers down the stairs. Snickers somersaults\r\n up and frantically tries to pull off the bomb.\r\n\r\n Snickers wails to the soldiers, who have lowered their\r\n guns and are poking their heads out of the M to watch.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Help me you Democratic Reform\r\n lovers! Get a screwdriver, you\r\n Stupid Eskimoes! Screw-dri-ver!\r\n Oh God, I always wanted to know\r\n how to play the harp, there\r\n just was so little time! Rosebud!\r\n\r\n The soldiers high-tail it out. Snickers plugs his ears.\r\n Nothing happens.\r\n\r\n SNICKERS\r\n Maybe it was just a....\r\n\r\n Snickers blows up gloriously before the M.\r\n\r\n THE STAIRCASE\r\n\r\n Hawk bounds up to Alex, who puffs down onto the steps.\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Get 'em. They went down the\r\n hallway.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Let's just forget it, I mean...\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Get em....\r\n\r\n Hawk rushes up the. stairs, gives a \"What can I do?\" glance\r\n to the unconscious Anna, and then continues rushing, past\r\n a pillar. Minerva emerges from behind the pillar and\r\n moves forward.\r\n\r\n THE LONG ENIGMATIC HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk chugs beneath the Lenin mural and down the hall-\r\n way. He sees Darwin breezing in front of him. Darwin\r\n looks back to Hawk then runs forward into the darkness.\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n Minera sits down next to the pained Alex.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Alex. How's it going?\r\n\r\n ALEX\r\n Go, go to Hell, to Hell.\r\n\r\n Minerva pulls out a candy bar and rips it open.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Where's your insulin....No? Well,\r\n Bon Appetite.\r\n\r\n Minerva savagely slams Alex's head down and shoves the\r\n candy bar in his mouth.\r\n\r\n THE HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk moves closer and closer to the darkness of the\r\n hallway when a one-eyed and bleeding George Kaplan dives\r\n out of the Art Treasures room and tackles him. Hawk\r\n kicks him off...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, come on....\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n Alex gulps down the last of the candy bar, shivering.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Very good, Alex, but you re\r\n still alive....\r\n\r\n She pulls out another candy bar. Alex, with a last\r\n burst of strength, punches her across the face.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n That's fair.\r\n\r\n THE LONG HALLWAY\r\n\r\n Hawk and Kaplan lock onto each other's throats.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Why does this have to be so hard...\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n Tell me about it...\r\n\r\n Suddenly, of all things, a car is heard rumbling in the\r\n darkness.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Kaplan stop fighting and turn to see THE MAY-\r\n FLOWER LIMOUSINE screeching out of the darkness with\r\n Darwin standing out of the sunroof firing a gun.\r\n\r\n Bullets fly around them. From his back pocket, Hawk\r\n slaps the nice picture of him and Little Eddie into\r\n Kaplan's hands.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Take this to Hell with you...\r\n\r\n Hawk jumps up and grabs a hanging lamp.\r\n\r\n Deranged with confusion, Kaplan turns from the picture\r\n to the charging limousine.\r\n\r\n KAPLAN\r\n My pension.....\r\n\r\n The driving Alfred smiles through the windshield.\r\n\r\n Kaplan's body slams into a vivid somersaulting crash\r\n into the windshield.\r\n\r\n Hawk's hands burn and sizzle on the hanging lamp.\r\n\r\n Passing beneath, Darwin raises up his gun.\r\n\r\n Hawk lets go of the lamp and drops down on Darwin,\r\n locking his legs around his neck and crushing him\r\n down into....\r\n\r\n THE BACKSEAT OF THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n Hawk and Darwin grapple on the floor of the limo. The\r\n Da Vinci helicopter model bobs on the backseat. Darwin's\r\n gun goes off..\r\n\r\n right through Alfred's throat. He slumps over, pressing\r\n down on the accelerator.\r\n\r\n THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n blasts down the hallway, sparking off the wall, and\r\n bashing off paintings and mirrors.\r\n\r\n THE BACKSEAT\r\n\r\n Darwin flicks on his paper shredder and shoves the side\r\n of Hawk's hand into its teeth.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE LIMOUSINE\r\n\r\n A mist of blood coughs out of the shredder vent and makes\r\n a weird bloody line across the wall.\r\n\r\n INT. BACKSEAT\r\n\r\n Hawk yanks his hand from the shredder and grabs the meg-\r\n lomaniac by the hair and shoves his head down on the\r\n arm rest. Hawk turns on the piercing siren and Darwin's\r\n eyes try to escape his head with a high pitched scream.\r\n Darwin's entire body bucks wildly.\r\n\r\n Darwin back-elbows Hawk and moves down for his gun.\r\n Hawk pulls him back by his hair, grabs him by the balls,\r\n and pushes him upward through the sunroof.\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n God-damnit, I only wanted to\r\n destroy the world in my own image.\r\n I'm a regular Joe...\r\n\r\n Darwin pounds his fists on Hawk's head as Hawk hits the\r\n sunroof switch sliding it shut on Darwin, pinning\r\n his arms below the roof, but leaving his torso twisting\r\n in the wind.\r\n\r\n The mural of a happy Lenin with his arms outstretched\r\n looms ahead waiting to greet Darwin.\r\n\r\n Putting two and two together, Darwin loses it....\r\n\r\n DARWIN\r\n Not Lenin, anybody but Lenin. God,\r\n let's talk abut this.\r\n\r\n The limousine charges through the double doors and Darwin's\r\n body connects with the mural.\r\n\r\n INSIDE THE LIMO\r\n\r\n Hearing the crunch, Hawk flips into the front seat and\r\n brakes the vehicle. Alfred's head bounces against the\r\n steering wheel. Hawk reaches over with a grin and picks\r\n up the Da Vinci model. He looks to Alfred, Kaplan\r\n crunched in the windshield, and Darwin's dangling legs.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Wow, this is really gonna hurt the\r\n resale value...\r\n\r\n THE BALLROOM\r\n\r\n Hawk runs up to a woozy Anna and helps her up. She has\r\n a cross-shaped blood stain on her forehead.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh, honey....\r\n\r\n Hawk looks to Alex, sitting on the stairs, the same way\r\n he left him. Hawk rushes to him.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n We did it man, we...\r\n\r\n Hawk grabs Alex's shoulder. Alex falls back. Written\r\n over his face in red lipstick is REALLY DEAD.\r\n\r\n Engaging a slow motion sequence, Minerva saunters behind\r\n Anna, putting on red lipstick. Minerva slams her back\r\n to the ground.\r\n\r\n Hawk howls then turns to see stiff-upper-lip Alfred,\r\n bleeding from the neck. Hawk tries to throw a punch,\r\n but Alfred blocks it and crunches him across the face.\r\n\r\n The Da Vinci helicopter model bounces down the stairs\r\n in slow motion and cracks open, revealing the intricate\r\n mirror of the opening scene.\r\n\r\n INT. DARK ROOM ATOP MAYFLOWER MUSEUM--DAY\r\n\r\n A damaged Hawk awakens in a dungeonish room and stumbles\r\n to some shutters. \"O Solo Mio\" returns on the sound-\r\n track as the shutters open to a postcard view of Vinci.\r\n\r\n Hawk closes the shutters and cuts off the music. A\r\n slightly more composed Anna touches his shoulder causing\r\n him to jump slightly. They melt into a kiss.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh Hudson...\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I told you not to call me Hudson.\r\n The only people who called me that\r\n were the nuns at...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Oh Hudson, I'm a sister of the\r\n Catholic church as well as an\r\n agent.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (cut-off laugh)\r\n This is too bad to be false.\r\n\r\n Alfred enters the room in his favorite outfit with a\r\n bandage around his neck. His voice is strange, but still\r\n polite.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n Welcome back to Vinci.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Last rites, sister?\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Please, no nun jokes...They're a\r\n bad habit to get into....get it?\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna unconvincingly laugh then sadly pause.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n She killed Alex.\r\n\r\n Alfred gives them a push.\r\n\r\n INT. THE DA VINCI WORKSHOP\r\n\r\n Alfred leads them through the Da Vinci workshop past the\r\n bat winged glider and incongruously crammed-in tennis ball\r\n machine.\r\n\r\n INT. THE ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE--DAY\r\n\r\n Alfred grandly opens double-doors to reveal that Da\r\n Vinci's gold machine has been majestically re-created\r\n piece by piece. In the periphery, the 90's rears its\r\n head in the form of THREE TECHNICIANS wearing headsets\r\n and gun holsters who consult computer terminals.\r\n\r\n MINERVA (O.S.)\r\n GOLD-FI-ING-ER!\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna turn to see Minerva splashily enter in\r\n sexy funeral-wear.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Sorry, I couldn't resist. You're\r\n probably wondering why you're\r\n still alive. Anna.....\r\n\r\n As Minerva speaks, TECHNICIAN ONE forcibly escorts Anna\r\n toward a stand near the gold machine and tightly\r\n handcuffs her to it.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I want you to monitor the Da\r\n Vinci's directions from the\r\n apprentice diary. And Hawk, I\r\n didn't want you to go to hell\r\n without knowing that Darwin and\r\n I's dream came true.\r\n (suddenly sheepish)\r\n Beside that, none of us can seem\r\n to put that damn crystal together.\r\n Alfie and I were up all night with\r\n the thing.\r\n\r\n TECHNICIAN TWO commences a forcible escort of Hawk to the\r\n gold machine. Hawk cold-cocks him to the ground.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You killed a friend. Why should I\r\n help you go for the gold?\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n It'll take a couple of years of\r\n steady production, but I'll flood\r\n the market with so much gold that\r\n gold itself, the foundation of all\r\n finance, will lose its meaning.\r\n Brokers, economists, and fellow\r\n entrepreneurs will drown in the\r\n saliva of their own nervous\r\n breakdowns. Markets will crash-\r\n crash. Financial Empires will\r\n crumble-crumble.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Except yours-yours. The goal of\r\n world domination. Well, if you\r\n put it that way, Minnie. How can\r\n I resist?\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n You can't, convict! You're just\r\n a shmoe! Every shmoe has the\r\n fantasy the planet revolves around\r\n them. It rains, car crash stops\r\n traffic, you say \"How could this\r\n happen to me?\" It's a natural\r\n inclination. But for I, this\r\n isn't a fantasy, it is reality!\r\n You are on my planet! You walk\r\n around the corner for coffee, out\r\n of my sight, you do not fucking\r\n exist! The lives of shmoes like\r\n you have meaning only in relation\r\n to the rich, to the powerful, to ME!\r\n\r\n Anna looks at the oil cloth diary before her. She pulls\r\n a compact from her pocket and holds the compact mirror\r\n over the scribblings. Reading off the reflection, her\r\n eyes widen.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Do it. There's no reason to fight\r\n anymore. She's a force of nature.\r\n\r\n Trying to get a grip on Anna's words, Hawk lets himself\r\n be escorted to another stand before the gold machine that\r\n has the two complex crystal parts and the weird mirror.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n If you pull this off, I can't\r\n promise I won't kill you. I mean,\r\n who we trying to kid? But I will\r\n spare the Flying Nun here....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n And to think I thought you were\r\n Evil Incarnate in pumps.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n I killed some lovable working\r\n class Italian-diabetic, but you\r\n killed the most significant male\r\n figure of the decade and a kind,\r\n gentle lover. So don't play with\r\n me.\r\n\r\n Minerva flicks a switch on the stand Anna's handcuffed\r\n to. Anna vibrates, being electrocuted.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Okay, fine!\r\n\r\n Minerva switches it off. Giving himself a head rub, Hawk\r\n bears down on the three oddly malleable objects. He\r\n TANGLES and BENDS and with a loud SNAP, puts them\r\n together, forming the Crystal from the opening scene.\r\n Minerva snatches it from him and puts on a head-set.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Oh Hawk, don't ever change. Go,\r\n team, go!\r\n\r\n Minerva giddily sets the crystal in the same place as Da\r\n Vinci had it in his machine.\r\n\r\n Using a long steel pole, Technician One adjusts a myriad\r\n of mirrors so they are in a proper angle with a series\r\n of lenses culminating on the top of the machine.\r\n\r\n Technicians Two (black-eyed) and Three pour various\r\n chemical powders and liquids into corresponding compart-\r\n ments on the machine, beautifully decorated by the\r\n chemical's zodiac sign.\r\n\r\n Alfred places a lead bar in its proper place.\r\n\r\n Hawk glides to Anna and undoes her handcuff.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I hope you know what....\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Trust Leonardo....\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Wha.....\r\n\r\n Anna puts her fingers on his lips.\r\n\r\n Minerva throws a lever. Steam begins to percolate from\r\n the furnace towards the machine.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n (into the headset)\r\n We're for real.\r\n\r\n THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n begins to rotate, at first clunkily, then faster.\r\n The Crystal rotates comfortably in its compartment.\r\n\r\n The machine throws out its folding arms, each with an\r\n element. The arms click higher.\r\n\r\n The goggled technicians stand before a time-coded video\r\n monitor, taking notes.\r\n\r\n The chemical housings open and the chemicals begin to\r\n spill and drop through brass tubes.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n\r\n murmurs to Hawk.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Da Vinci made the real directions\r\n in a secret script that I decoded.\r\n The way the machine is running\r\n now, the gold will produce too\r\n quickly, clog, and the machine\r\n will shut itself down. Isn't it\r\n wonderful?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Yeah, but what would happen if that\r\n little mirror came out of the\r\n crystal.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Wha -- you don't want to know...\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls out the mirror from his pocket.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n I wanna know...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Holy sh-h--things are going to\r\n get very interesting, very fast.\r\n Da Vinci would be proud of you.\r\n\r\n IN THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n The chemicals snake down their individual paths to the\r\n Lead Bar spinning its trough. There's a FLASH and a\r\n controlled but jarring explosion.\r\n\r\n EVERYONE\r\n\r\n doubletakes. Hawk reaches down to the six foot steel\r\n pole and with one swing slams the faces of all three\r\n deep in concentration Technicians to the ground.\r\n\r\n Oblivious to the violence behind her, Minerva, pulling\r\n on goggles over her head-set, moves closer with a\r\n religious purr.\r\n\r\n THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n triggers a fresnel lens and laserlike beams bounce around\r\n the mirrors faster and faster, circling the room.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna squint, blinded. Flinging off her goggles,\r\n A literally beaming Minerva giggles forward.\r\n\r\n THE MACHINE\r\n\r\n Beams of light converge on the top mirror and bounce into\r\n the innards of the machine with a mighty roar!\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n\r\n sees that the center of the machine gleams yellowish and\r\n molten. She moves closer, shouting into her head-set.\r\n\r\n MINERVA\r\n Eureka, motherfuckers!\r\n\r\n The machine thunders and spins at a more aggressive\r\n pace.\r\n\r\n Hawk's voice suddenly comes on Minerva's head-set.\r\n\r\n HAWK'S VOICE (head-set)\r\n Minnie, hate to interrupt your\r\n orgasm, but....\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ANNA\r\n\r\n stand above the unconscious Technicians. Hawk is on\r\n head-set.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Me, Anna, and Leonardo just wanna\r\n say you got the Midas touch, baby...\r\n\r\n MACHINE\r\n\r\n Minerva turns toward the machine in anger and confusion.\r\n\r\n The center of the machine blows. The pool of molten gold\r\n rockets at the viewer.\r\n\r\n Mirrors explode and the lasers slash at the walls.\r\n\r\n Minerva tumbles from the machine, screaming, that is to\r\n say, trying to scream, because molten gold covers her\r\n face. It bubbles and cascades, turning her into a\r\n bizarrely beautiful echo of Nefertiti.\r\n\r\n HAWK AND ANNA\r\n\r\n turn to retreat, and see, standing in the mouth of the\r\n open double doors, in an open shirt, wearing Indian war\r\n paint on his face and the words RULE BRITANNIA painted\r\n on his chest, ALFRED!\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n How.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n You're unemployed, Alfie. Boss\r\n is dead. Her plan is over.\r\n\r\n ALFRED\r\n (strange voiced)\r\n My plan is just beginning. I'll\r\n forgive you for denying me the\r\n pleasure of slaughtering my\r\n boorish employers, but I'm afraid\r\n the birth of the new British\r\n Empire can have no witnesses!\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Ooh-kay...\r\n\r\n Alfred rushes forward with a howl. Hawk meets him\r\n halfway. They trade savage punches and then lock onto\r\n each other's throats.\r\n\r\n Anna pulls a gun from a technician's holster and prays\r\n for forgiveness. She aims steadily, and fires...\r\n\r\n right into Hawk's arm. This allows Alfred to knock him\r\n back with a strong punch.\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Sorry!\r\n\r\n She fires again. The bullet pings off Hawk's belt buckle.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Stop helping me! Thou shalt not\r\n kill!\r\n\r\n Hawk's turning to chastize Anna, allows Alfred to kick\r\n Hawk back against a wall. Alfred lunges out with his\r\n blade, hitting the wall off-angle. Hawk yanks the shaft.\r\n Alfred goes with the flow and presses the shaft on Hawk's\r\n throat.\r\n\r\n Gasping, Hawk looks to a rip in Alfred's shirt and sees\r\n a hinge and lever on the shaft. With an all or nothing\r\n jerk, Hawk flicks the lever. The shaft clicks on the\r\n hinge.\r\n\r\n Alfred's greater strength and narrower grip makes it fold\r\n away from Hawk and suddenly it is Alfred's throat which\r\n is caught in the V-shaped trap! The momentum of the\r\n sudden change makes Alfred stumble towards the wall until\r\n the point of the \"V\" hits it--\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Don't lose your head over this.\r\n\r\n Hawk takes the six foot steel pole and gives a Babe Ruth\r\n swing right onto the V. The blades slam together and\r\n POP ALFRED'S HEAD OFF, SENDING IT SCREAMING DISEMBODIED,\r\n HIGH IN THE AIR.\r\n\r\n ALFRED'S SCREAMING HEAD P.O.V.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna are seen waving up to the viewer (Alfie's\r\n head).\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Excuse my crass American humor.\r\n\r\n The machine thunders with another explosion.\r\n\r\n THE DA VINCI WORKSHOP\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna rush into the Da Vinci workshop. She\r\n guiltily touches the surface wound on his arm. He\r\n delicately takes the gun from her and laughs until he\r\n sees...\r\n\r\n BUNNY THE DOG!! standing in the open mouth of the\r\n workshop. Anna turns to Hawk...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Allow me.\r\n\r\n Anna confidently moves toward the dog until Bunny leaps\r\n up and savagely clamps his teeth into her throat sending\r\n her crashing to the ground.\r\n\r\n Hawk pauses in disbelief before raising the gun.\r\n\r\n Bunny continues to viciously gnaw away on the convulsing\r\n Anna, blood gently starts to emerge.\r\n\r\n Hawk can't get off a shot. He throws down the gun in\r\n exasperation. It lands next to The Gadget that is\r\n connected to the Tennis Ball Machine. Hawk rushes\r\n forward, picks up the gadget, turns the dial to Ten, and\r\n then smiles sweetly toward the dog.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Oh Bunny, Ball-Ball.\r\n\r\n Bunny stops his violent behavior and perkily looks up\r\n blood droplets drizzling from his mouth.\r\n\r\n Hawk slams down on the gadget.\r\n\r\n A tennis ball comes rocketing out of the machine.\r\n\r\n Bunny leaps and catches the rocketing ball but the force\r\n of it sends him FLYING AND CRASHING out a window.\r\n\r\n Hawk pulls up Anna as the machine completely EXPLODES.\r\n\r\n A huge chunk of the roof THUDS before the workshop door.\r\n\r\n Hawk suddenly looks off-camera and smiles. Anna shakes\r\n her head vigorously. He pulls her out of the frame.\r\n\r\n EXT. A VINCI COUNTRYSIDE TREE\r\n\r\n A man awakens from a nap and pulls up his hat. It is THE\r\n TRAVELING JUGGLER WITH THE UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE.\r\n\r\n He pulls his three red balls from a pouch on his mule.\r\n He begins a stoic juggle when another loud BOOM sends him\r\n to the ground.\r\n\r\n EXT. OUTSIDE THE GRAND CASTLE--DAY\r\n\r\n An explosion of steam and gas blows out the windows!\r\n Debris frisbees toward the camera along with....\r\n\r\n Anna, hanging on Hawk's waist, and Hawk, hanging from\r\n the bar on DA VINCI'S BAT WINGED GLIDER.\r\n\r\n The glider gracefully swooshes down through the castle -\r\n through the glorious vista.\r\n\r\n EXT. THE ROAD TO THE CASTLE\r\n\r\n The glider floats to a perfect landing before the\r\n Unforgettable Juggler.\r\n\r\n JUGGLER\r\n Che pazzo....\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna collect themselves and look up to the smoke\r\n billowing castle. They smile and gush in relief. They\r\n wrap arms around the confused but warming up Juggler and\r\n laugh again.\r\n\r\n A SMALL PIAZZA\r\n\r\n The mule trots into a small storybook piazza in the hush\r\n of dawn. Hawk, Anna, and the unforgettable Juggler ride\r\n atop it.\r\n\r\n A WOMAN WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE moves to a cafe\r\n table with a luminous smile. She unfolds a table cloth\r\n atop it and then mystically sets down two cappuccinos.\r\n\r\n Hawk and Anna dismount, thank the Juggler, then cozy into\r\n the table.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n Have I ever told you the world is\r\n beautiful...\r\n (semi-seductively)\r\n I'd really like to play\r\n Nintendo with you, or something...\r\n\r\n ANNA\r\n Hudson, I'm afraid I'm sticking\r\n with God.\r\n (smiling)\r\n But you're a close second, tough\r\n guy. What is that smile?\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n (broadly grinning)\r\n I got my planet back.\r\n\r\n Hawk puts on a pair of sunglasses that look exactly like\r\n the ones Da Vinci wore in the opening and raises his cup.\r\n\r\n HAWK\r\n The first one's for Alex. Cheers.\r\n\r\n The viewer's viewpoint moves into Hawk's lips having a\r\n sip of that damn unmasculine European coffee.\r\n\r\n FADE OUT.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n THE END"}}},{"rowIdx":145,"cells":{"Action":{"kind":"string","value":"THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Written by\r\n\r\n Larry Ferguson & Tom Clancy\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n ON A BLACK SCREEN, THE FOLLOWING CRAWL:\r\n\r\n MOSCOW, 17 JULY 1991. THE KREMLIN\r\n\r\n ANNOUNCED THE 'RETIREMENT' OF\r\n\r\n MIKAHIL, GORBACHEV AS WELL AS\r\n\r\n POLITBURO MEMBERS YAVOLEV,\r\n\r\n MENDVENDEV AND BIRKOVO.\r\n\r\n DEFENSE MINISTER ULINOV ASSUMED\r\n\r\n THE ROLE OF CHAIRMAN. KGB HEAD\r\n\r\n LIGACHEV BECAME PREMIER VOWING\r\n\r\n \"A RESTORATION OF DISCIPLINE.\"\r\n\r\n WESTERN LEADERS BRACED FOR\r\n\r\n A NEW ROUND OF COLD WAR.\r\n\r\n FOUR MONTHS LATER... \r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FADE IN\r\n\r\n A BARREN LANDSCAPE\r\n beneath slate-grey sky. Frigid rock and stunted trees fall to an\r\n ice-choked coast. Congealed sea on a desolate beach.\r\n\r\n MARKO ALEXANDROVICH RAMIUS\r\n bare-headed in cold wind, studies the inclement coast. Bottomless\r\n eyes move slowly across the landscape, missing nothing.\r\n\r\n SUPER: POLWARNY INLET\r\n Soviet Submarine Base on the Barents Sea\r\n 500 mi north of Murmansk\r\n Ramius wears a tar black winter uniform of Captain First Rank in\r\n the Soviet Navy. Behind him, out of sight, someone SPEAKS:\r\n\r\n VOICE (OS)\r\n Cold this morning, Captain.\r\n Ramius shivers. When he replies, he speaks not about the weather,\r\n but of the land:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n It is cold.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)-\r\n And hard.\r\n Turning his back on the icy coast, Ramius smi-I fondly at the man\r\n who just spoke to him\r\n\r\n CAPTAIN SECOND., RANK VASILY BORODIN\r\n Ramius' executive officer, also in black uniform. Borodin's rigged\r\n with a mike. , Brass .buttons gambol in his Nubian cap like money.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n e your head a bit. No need to\r\n crowd him.\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n\r\n (INTO MIKE)\r\n Come left three degrees. Make your\r\n course three-four-zero. Sonar, let\r\n me know when we pass fifty, fathoms.\r\n A HELMSMAN responds on a SPEAKER in the SAIL. Nautical CROSS\r\n TALK. Orders GIVEN and AFFIRMED. Pulling back, Ramius and\r\n Borodin are revealed standing atop\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n THE RED OCTOBER\r\n a huge submarine, trading a gigantic rudder a hundred yards aft\r\n her sail. A patrol BOAT and ICEBREAKER escort her to sea. On\r\n SPEAKERS in the SAIL:\r\n\r\n HELMSMAN (VO)\r\n Captain, political off=er Putin requests\r\n permission to come to the bridge.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (GLANCING AT\r\n\r\n BORODIN)\r\n Granted.\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n (under his breath)\r\n Think of it, Comrade.. .son of only a\r\n humble mM worker...\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Quiet as grass, Vastly. Quiet as grass.\r\n (louder, turning)\r\n Good morning, Comrade political off=er\r\n\r\n IVAN YURIEVICH PUTIN\r\n block-faced, forties, pink-necked, political officer assigned to Red\r\n October, clambers through the hatch into the air, wheezing:\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n Ah,, Captain, every time I climb that\r\n ladder, I realize what an over-fed\r\n ox rve become.\r\n Put in smiles. Ramius smiles back, but his eyes are cold. Suddenly,\r\n there's not a lot of Lave on the bridge:\r\n\r\n PUTIN (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (EXPANSIVELY)\r\n Such a glorious day. So exciting to\r\n h t ally put the land behind us and\r\n be on our way.\r\n\r\n (TO RAMIUS)\r\n Bourgeois of me, I know, but my\r\n enthusiasm at being chosen polidcica].\r\n officer on this historic mission Its\r\n me with pride.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Me, a man of such humble birth, whose\r\n father was only a mill. worker. Think\r\n of it, comrades, a mill worker.\r\n Borodin CHUCKLES. Putin stares at him. Borodin covers with a\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n COUGH. Putin keeps starring. Flushed, Borodin looks away. Putin\r\n turns porcine eyes on Ramius:\r\n\r\n PUTIN (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Your father was a Lithuanian, was\r\n he not, Captain?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n You know he was.\r\n\r\n PU TIN\r\n I knew a Lithuanian once...\r\n His words hang like rotten fru\r\n\r\n PUTIN (CONT'D)\r\n ...though I'm sure your father was\r\n nothing like him. Pefmisrdon to go\r\n below?\r\n Smirking, Putin leaves. Ramius watches him go. SPEAKERS in the\r\n\r\n SAI :\r\n\r\n HELMSMAN (VO)\r\n Conn to bridge, sonar reports we are\r\n crossing sixty fathoms.\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n it's time, Captain.\r\n St M dealing with Putin's exit, Ramius turns away from the hatch,\r\n contemplating the shore. After a beat, softly:.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n We go.\r\n\r\n BORO DIN\r\n (into the headset)\r\n Clear the bridge! Prepare to dive.\r\n Captain coming below. Of cer of\r\n the deck, make signal to escort:.\r\n Ramius and. Borodin disappear. Red October prepares to dive. All\r\n that remains is icy .sea and the Sand. Then, faintly at first, from\r\n the frozen coast:\r\n\r\n A RED ARMY CHORUS\r\n rises into the swirling sky. It seems to come from everywhere, the\r\n rocks, the trees, the sea itself. Red October dives. The screen\r\n fades to black and a giant title appears:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n KRASNY OKTOBR\r\n\r\n THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER\r\n CHORUS BOOMS. Male VOICES ring in thundering tribute to the\r\n heart and soul of mother Russia. Credits keep rolling. Then, from\r\n\r\n THE DARKNESS\r\n\r\n A LITHOGRAPH\r\n of John Paul Jones fighting the Serapis appears. It's on the wall. in\r\n a cluttered study. Books crowd every bit of space. Photos, models\r\n and nautical memorabilia, everywhere.\r\n\r\n THROUGH A WINDOW\r\n an English suburb in drizzling rain. Red Army CHORUS SINGS\r\n SOFTLY. In a driveway, a late model ROVER waits, lights on,\r\n engine running. At a messy desk\r\n\r\n JACK RYAN\r\n early-thirties, good-Looking, disheveled and harried, stuffs papers\r\n into a brief case. Slamming it shut, he reaches for his raincoat.\r\n\r\n BEHIND HIM\r\n\r\n A LITTLE GIRL\r\n appears in the doorway. Her name is Sally. She's Ryan's\r\n daughter. Wearing a nightgown with butterflies on it, she's\r\n carrying a well-worn Koala bear:\r\n\r\n SALLY\r\n Daddy?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Hey.., What are you doing up?\r\n You're suppose to be sleeping.\r\n\r\n SALLY\r\n I can't.\r\n Kneeing beside: her, Ryan talks in a steady unpatronizing way. He\r\n loves her to death:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n What's the matter?\r\n\r\n SALLY\r\n Where are you going?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n I have to go on a business trip and you\r\n have to go to sleep or when you grow up\r\n you'll only be two inches tall.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SALLY\r\n Stanley keeps waking me up.\r\n Stanley is Sally's bear. Ryan talks to it like it was alive.\r\n it makes Sally grin.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n What's the matter, Stanley? Are you\r\n nuts or something?\r\n\r\n SALLY\r\n He's not, nuts. He's lonely.\r\n\r\n (SLYLY)\r\n He needs a brother. If he had a brother\r\n then he could go to sleep better.\r\n Before Ryan can answer, a ravishing woman in her ..late-twenties\r\n marches into the study. She is\r\n\r\n MARGARET RYAN\r\n English, intelligent features, in tweed suit and raincoat. A matronly\r\n woman hovers in the doorway behind her:\r\n\r\n MARGARET\r\n We are never going to make it.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Just a minute. -\r\n\r\n (TN SALLY)\r\n Daddy has to go, cricket. You and\r\n Stanley go upstairs with Mrs. Wheeler\r\n and go straight to sleep. When I'm\r\n away, I'll see if I can find Stanley\r\n a brother.\r\n\r\n SALLY\r\n Promise?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n THE ROVER\r\n pulling to a curb in driving rain at Heathrow. Red Army CHORUS\r\n SWELLS. Leaping out, Ryan grabs luggage and races to the\r\n driver's side. Margaret pulls his face through the window.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n I'm all wet.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n MARGARET\r\n\r\n (KISSING HIM)\r\n You're sexy when you're wet.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (GRINNING)\r\n I'm gonna miss you.\r\n\r\n MARGARET\r\n Get out of here, Yank. Or Ml\r\n tear you limb from limb.\r\n\r\n (HE STARTS)\r\n Wait! I got you these. They'Il\r\n help you sleep on the plane.\r\n She has a bottle of piUs in her hand. He squints at it, shaking his\r\n head in the pouring rain:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Won't do me any good ---\r\n\r\n MARGARET\r\n Jack.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (SHEEPISH)\r\n OK. I ll try.\r\n Taking the pil3s, he kisses her again. All of a sudden, he wants to\r\n climb inside, park someplace and steam the windows. Her smile is\r\n\r\n ALL KNOWING:\r\n\r\n \" MARGARET\r\n You only have three minutes.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (GIG)\r\n Hey.. If I'm lucky, might miss the\r\n damn plane altogether.\r\n\r\n CUT TO-0- -\r\n seated beneath the only light in a dark cabin. Engines HUM.\r\n Turbulence RATTLES a TEACUP. A STEWARDESS appears, smiling\r\n down at him:\r\n\r\n STEWARDESS\r\n Can I get you anything, sir?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n ' (LYING)\r\n I'm fine. Thank you.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n STEWARDESS\r\n Why don't you try to sleep? The\r\n l f ight will go much faster.\r\n\r\n RYAN..\r\n I can't seem to sleep on planes.\r\n It's the turbulence.\r\n\r\n STEWARDESS\r\n Pardon?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (SWALLOWING)\r\n Turbulence. You know. When solar\r\n radiation heats the earth's crust.\r\n Warm air rises. Cool air descends.\r\n Turbulence. I don't like it.\r\n\r\n STEWARDESS\r\n Are you a scientist?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n No. I just read a lot of books.\r\n\r\n STEWARDESS\r\n Well, try and get some sleep anyway.\r\n She leaves. Wide awake, Ryan stares out the window at the\r\n spinning dark. Red Army CHORUS BOOMS.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n humping his suitcase into a giant terminal at the end of a long line\r\n of travelers. Above the line, a sign:\r\n\r\n U.S. CUSTOMS\r\n\r\n DU:LLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT\r\n\r\n WASHINGTON, D.C.\r\n\r\n A GUY IN SUNGLASSES\r\n moves down, the line, stopping beside Ryan:\r\n\r\n I\r\n\r\n SUNGLASSES\r\n\r\n (RESPECTFTAY)\r\n Mr. Ryan?\r\n Exhausted, Ryan nods. CHORUS SWELLS. Sunglasses takes Ryan's\r\n bags.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n A BLACK LIIKO\r\n gliding to a stop at the security kiosk outside a suburban office\r\n compound. Sign over the compound's entrance:\r\n\r\n CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY\r\n\r\n CHORUS PEAKS.\r\n\r\n END CREDITS\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n ADMIRAL JAMES GREER\r\n sixties; a mane of white hair, in three piece suit, CIA direcbor of\r\n naval intelligence, looking up from behind a mahogany desk:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Jack, boy. Get yourself in here.\r\n\r\n (SQUHTUNG)\r\n Jesus. You look like hell.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (EGG)\r\n Thanks, Admiral.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Come on over here and sit down.\r\n You want coffee?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n I think I need ooffiae.\r\n Ryan perches on the couch. Greer pours Ryan takes it in\r\n both hands, coaling it with his breath.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n I'm not gonna ask you how your\r\n 11 flight was. When's the last time\r\n you slept? --\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (EYEING WATCH)\r\n Don't know. This thing is still on\r\n London time.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n How's Margaret?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Fine. She sends you her best.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n And Sally? What is she now, three?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n A very precocious five. A week\r\n ago she announced her life would\r\n be a loot less lonely if Margaret\r\n and I would buy her a baby brother.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n\r\n (SMILING)\r\n Where you gonna do that?\r\n Ryan grins. Greer eyes him fondly. Putting down his coffee, Ryan\r\n opens his br efse.\r\n\r\n GREER (CONT'D)\r\n All right, what's important enough\r\n to get you on a . plane in the middle\r\n of the night?\r\n\r\n JUMP CUT TO:\r\n\r\n A PAIR OF PHOTOGRAPHS\r\n dropping onto the tihle in front of Greer. They show the bow and\r\n stern of a submarine in dry dock. From the size of the construction\r\n crey, it's obvious the boat is huge.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n British Intelligence received these\r\n two days ago. She's the Red October.\r\n The Soviet's newest typhoon.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Jesus. The Brits actually got a man\r\n into the construction shed?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (DROPPING MORE\r\n\r\n PHOTOS)\r\n This pair was digitally enhanced for\r\n line resolution. This one for color.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Twelve meters longer than the normal\r\n typhoon, three meters wider. The\r\n captain's name is Ramixts.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n One of yours?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Yes, sir. I did the bio on him last\r\n year. He's taken out the lead boat in\r\n each new sub class for ten years. Fairly\r\n good political connections. He's also\r\n trained most of their attack boat skippers.\r\n They can him the Vilnius schoolmaster.\r\n Greer studies one of the photos with a magnifying glass. Something\r\n captures his attention:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n What are these doors?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n The doors, Admiral, are the problem.\r\n I don't know what they are and neither\r\n do the English.\r\n\r\n (SIPPING CAFFEE)\r\n it's just pole our friends at the\r\n Ustinov Design Bureau have come up\r\n with something new.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n With your permission, I'd like to show\r\n these to someone. Do you know Skip Tyler?\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Sub driver. Did he get hurt or something?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (NODDING)\r\n He was Captain on an attack boat. Got\r\n clipped by a drunk driver and lost a leg.\r\n Now he's teaching at the Academy and\r\n doing some consulting for Underwater\r\n Systems Command.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n When .do you want to talk to him?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Right now if it's OX with you? 've.\r\n never met him personally, but -\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GREER\r\n I'll take care of it.\r\n\r\n (PICKING UP\r\n\r\n THE PHONE)\r\n Margie, have a car for Dr. Ryan at\r\n the front gate in tan. minutes.\r\n Ryan retrieves his photographs. Getting Up, Greer watches him,\r\n choosing his words carefully:\r\n\r\n GREER (CONT'D)\r\n One of our satellites caught Red October\r\n in Polijarny Inlet this morning.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (SHOCKED)\r\n They shouldn't have been sea ready\r\n for weeks.\r\n Ryan closes his case. Greer walks him to the door:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Relax, son. The Navy's got a Las Angeles\r\n c'la'ss sittJng right off their doorstep.\r\n In a few days we'll know everything\r\n about her but the wok's name.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Well, In that case --\r\n\r\n (GRINNING)\r\n Can you tell me where I can buy a\r\n bear?\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n For Sally?\r\n\r\n (RYAN NODS)\r\n Same place you buy a baby brgther,\r\n I guess.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n A BANSHEE WAIL\r\n in blackness. The groan of a primordial beast echoing in the dark,\r\n followed by a deep vibration that rattles bones and shatters\r\n eardrums.\r\n The black screen is moving. A massive cylinder glides over the top\r\n of us like a giant spaceship, outlined by flashes of e1ectxic-blue\r\n phosphorenscence.\r\n\r\n SUPER: USS DALLAS\r\n Los Angeles Class Attack Sub\r\n 50 mks west of Polijarny Inlet\r\n\r\n DEPTH: 400 FEET\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n in the sonar shack, a state of the art sonar display glows blue.\r\n High tech graphics pinpoint movements in deep water beyond the\r\n hull..\r\n\r\n SEAMAN SECOND CLASS RONALD JONES\r\n listens to a headset and eyeballs the display. A college dropout\r\n with a genius IQ, Jones is the kind of guy who likes tossing dead\r\n cats into crowded cathedrals.\r\n\r\n SEAMAN CHARLES BEAUMONT\r\n unruly red hair, a minion freckles and a wary smile, sits beside\r\n Jones. On SPEAKERS in the bulkhead, the PRIMORDIAL HOWL\r\n again, MUFFLED, clued with NOISE TRANSIENTS:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n HEAR I\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n No. Maybe. It's buried in...\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (LEADING)\r\n Yes?\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n Surface clutter? I should go to SAPS?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Correct, Seaman Beaumont. Surface\r\n Affects Processing. There is hope for\r\n your small brain yet.\r\n\r\n (BEAUMONT GRINS)\r\n And like Mozart at Saltzburg, you have\r\n labored to produce...\r\n\r\n (ANOTHER HOWL)\r\n hiclocdc.\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n A whale, Beaumont. A whale. A marine\r\n mammal that knows a fuck of a lot more\r\n about sonar than you do.\r\n Beaumont frowns. Appearing in the sonar shack door, directly\r\n\r\n BEHIND JONES\r\n\r\n THE COB\r\n Chief of the Boat, a barrel-chested bear, smiles at Beaumont:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n COB\r\n He gets to raggin you too bad, kid,\r\n you can always ask him about Pavarattt..\r\n Jones sinks into his chair. Beaumont grins. Sea story coming.\r\n From the look on Jones' face, it promises to be a good one:\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n Tell me, Chief.\r\n\r\n COB\r\n (taking his time)\r\n Well, Jonesy here, he's a music freak,\r\n right? And he figures this sonar system\r\n is basically just a big old 300 million\r\n ddllar stereo unit. So he gets this\r\n piece of Pavarmt3i --\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n it was Paganini.\r\n\r\n COB\r\n Whatever. It's this piece of music he\r\n likes so much he wants to share it,\r\n right? So he re-wires the computer and\r\n figures how to put it in the water with\r\n a gigawatt of juice behind it.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Now, the Captain, he don't much care.\r\n But about twenty-one boats out of San\r\n Diego, including one way out at Pearl,\r\n starts hearing Pavarotti Doming out their\r\n ass. Jonesy has turned the whole fucking\r\n Pacific Ocean into a stereo speaker.\r\n\r\n (LAUGHING)\r\n And all of a sudden we got an Admiral\r\n in the middle of it and we're writing\r\n reports out the yang yang.\r\n Beaumont's LAUGHS. Even Jones sm Ies. Then, a flashing light on\r\n the. sonar display catches his eye. He starts flipping switches.\r\n Beaumont sobers:: up:\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n What should I --\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Be sti 1, I got it.\r\n Jones works in silence, then punches the intervom:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Conn, sonar.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n VOICE\r\n\r\n (ON INTERCOM)\r\n Captain, aye. What is it Jonesy?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Distant contact, submerged bearing zero-\r\n nine-seven. It's a wild guess, but I'd\r\n say we had a Boomer headed out of the barn.\r\n\r\n IN THE COMMAND CENTER\r\n forward of sonar, sailers drive the ship beneath a maze of pipes and\r\n equipment. At the center of the Conn, surrounded by fire control,\r\n quartermaster, helm :\r\n\r\n CAPTAIN BARTOLOMO MANCUSO\r\n skipper of the DaZa, early-forties, muscular body encased in a blue\r\n jumpsuit, works the intercom on the periscope plat6arm:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Start a plot, Jonesy. IM be there\r\n in a second.\r\n Leaving the deck, Mancuso glances at his executive offker\r\n\r\n LIEUTENANT PHIL THOMPSON\r\n thirties, dark complected, standing at fire control:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO (CONT'D)\r\n I'91 be in sonar, PhiL\r\n\r\n IN SONAR\r\n Jones is already working on the plot. In font of him on the sonar\r\n display, the flashing light is starting to move. Mancuso sticks his\r\n head in.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n What do you have?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n in Red October's Conn. Much larger than the control center on the\r\n Dallas. Leaving the deck, Ramius heads aft, glancing at Borodin:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n When you see Putin, tell him that when\r\n it's convenient, 191 be in my stateroom.\r\n Leaving the Conn, Ramius enters\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n A HALLWAY\r\n Moving past a radio compartment on his left, Ramius stops at a door,\r\n\r\n ENTERING THE\r\n\r\n CAPTAIN'S STATEROOM\r\n C3osing the door behind him, Ramius turns into the room.\r\n Surprised, he sees\r\n\r\n PU TIN\r\n seated at a desk, reading a bible. Startled, Putin looks up:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n What are you doing?\r\n\r\n PT TIN\r\n It's my responsibility to oversee the\r\n stability of the crew, Captain. You\r\n know that.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n And you accomplish this by searching\r\n through my papers and invading my\r\n privacy?\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n There is no such thing as privacy in\r\n the Soviet Union, Comrade. It's\r\n antithetical to the oal]ective good.\r\n Suppressing his anger, Ramius moves to a locker, changing into\r\n dungarees. He can fiee]. Putin's weasel eyes crawling up and down\r\n his back. Holding the bible, Put in muses:\r\n\r\n PUTIN (CONT'D)\r\n You. surprise me, Captain. A man in your\r\n position reading trash about the end of\r\n the world.\r\n\r\n (READING)\r\n \"I am coming soon. I will give to each\r\n according to his deeds. I am the\r\n beginning and the end.\"\r\n\r\n (GLANCING UP)\r\n Did you underline these passages?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n The book belonged to my wife. I\r\n keep it only for sentimental value.\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n Your wife was a beautiful woman. A\r\n tragedy her life was cut so short.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n I assure you, Comrade. There's\r\n nothing wrong with my mind.\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n (trying to joke)\r\n Given the amount of fire power on Red\r\n October, I'm sure the whole world will.\r\n breathe a cm1 eotive sigh of relief.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (LKE ICE)\r\n How many more agents does the KGB\r\n have on my boat?\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n\r\n (STANDING)\r\n Captain, this is not your boat. It\r\n belongs to the Union of the Soviet\r\n Socialist Republics. You would be\r\n well advised to remember that.\r\n\r\n (RAMIUS BLANCHES)\r\n Anyway, I am only a political odfioer.\r\n If the KGB has an agent on board,\r\n I would be the last to know.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n I suggest we open our orders.\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n As you wish.\r\n There's a safe on the wall. Ramius spins the combination. Inside,\r\n another safe with four locks. Both Ramius and Putin have keys.\r\n Inside the second safe, a large envelope.\r\n it has an ornate. scarlet seal, marked 'Top Secret'. Ramius cracks\r\n the seeal, removing four pages of operation orders. Glancing at\r\n Putin; he reads:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n We are to proceed to grid 54-90 and\r\n rendezvous with the Akula submarine,\r\n Konovalov.\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n Captain Tupalev's boat.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n You know Tupolav?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n PU TIN\r\n I know that he is descended from a long\r\n line of aril rats and that he was a\r\n student of yours. it is rumored, he\r\n has no love in his heart for you. Why\r\n is that?\r\n Ramius pours two cups of steaming tea from a silver pot on a\r\n serving tray, offering it to Putin.. Putin takes the cup.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n There is no room in Tupolev's heart\r\n for anyone or anything except Tupolev.\r\n\r\n (READING)\r\n Having made contact, we are ordered\r\n to run a series of drfl1 . Tupolev\r\n w2l hunt us while we test our ship.\r\n Putting down his tea, Putin stands, suddenly formal, awkwardly\r\n\r\n OBSEQUIOUS:\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n Captain, this is an historic moment\r\n for all. of us. I should like to make\r\n a request.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Before you do, I want to talk to you\r\n about something important.\r\n\r\n PUTIN\r\n\r\n (NOT HEARING)\r\n I know that it is not aooording to\r\n protocxrl, but would you permit me to\r\n post the orders and inform the crew\r\n of our mission?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (RESIGNED)\r\n As you wash, Comrade.\r\n Putin grins, heading for the door. He never makes it. In a sudden\r\n violent motion,, Ramius kicks Putin's left leg from under him.\r\n Surprised, the; big man tumbles sideways.\r\n Leaping to his feet, Ramius catches Putin, slamming him into a\r\n headlock, driving his thick neck downward, CRACKING his SKULL\r\n in the SHARP corner of the DESK.\r\n Putin gags. Cupping his chin, Ramius forces his entire bulk onto\r\n the man's chest. Putin struggles. His eyes bulge. Ramius strains,\r\n using all of his strength until..\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n PUTIN'S NECK SHATTERS\r\n and his face goes slack. With surprising gentleness, Ramius lowers\r\n the shuddering body to the deck. Carefully, he checks the pulse in\r\n Putin's neck. Dying, Putin stares into Ramius' face.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n I an sorry my friend. But it is\r\n cyear to me now. Where I would\r\n walk, you cannot fallow.\r\n Whatever his destination, Putin's on his way. Getting up, Ramius\r\n goes to the desk. Returning with the teapot, he drenches the body\r\n with scalding tea.\r\n Replacing the pot on the tray, Ramius puts the orders in a\r\n wastebasket and sets them on are. Removing a duplicate set of\r\n orders from his safe, he' places them on the floor by the dead man.\r\n Satisfied everything is the way he wants it, he moves to an intercom\r\n and takes a deep breath. Pushing a button, he BELLOWS:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n Dr. Petrov. Come to my quarters\r\n at once. There's been an aociderit!\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n A MINI SUB\r\n resembling an airstream t xxzller with a propeller on the back. It's\r\n floating in a gargantuan tank fSlled with brightly lit water beneath a\r\n vast domed cet'ling:\r\n\r\n SUPER: U.S. NAVAL UNDERWATER SYSTEMS LAB\r\n Patuxent, Maryland\r\n\r\n SKIP TYLER\r\n built-like a fireplug, a monument to logic and impatience, leans on a\r\n cane, atop a platform by the tank#I watching\r\n\r\n WARRANT OFFICER BILL STEINER\r\n thirties, the bane of Tyler's existence. Steiner's head is sticking\r\n out of a hatch on the mini sub. Eyeing him, Tyler BELLOWS:\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n You're never gonna go anywhere, Be..\r\n Unless you close the hatch and start\r\n the goddam engine!\r\n\r\n STEINER\r\n Brilliant, Skip. You're one of those\r\n guys you can't hide things from, right?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Tyler. grits his teeth. Steiner closes the hatch. Across the room,\r\n Ryan enters. Spotting Tyler, he moves to the platform, staring at\r\n the mini sub. The propeller starts turning. It submerges.\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Ryan?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Yes sir.\r\n (re: mini sub)\r\n What it that thing?\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n Deep submergence rescue vehicle.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n That's what a DSRV looks like.\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n That's it. I designed this one. lt's\r\n aan d the Mystic.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n What are you doing with it?\r\n Tyler climbs off the piatfarm, working his cane with practiced\r\n precision. Taking Ryan by the arm, he heads for a door:\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n Rigging it with a generic docking acllar\r\n so it will mate with British, German,\r\n other kinds of subs.\r\n\r\n (NODDING)\r\n This one here is designed to be super\r\n mobile. We can get it anywhere in the\r\n world in twenty-four hours. If that\r\n lunatic doesn't crash it fast:.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Admiral Greer says you have some\r\n pdr ures.- -\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n TYLER'S OFFICE\r\n high tech naval architecture. Technicians, graduate students move\r\n about in the background. Tyler is hunched over the Red October\r\n\r\n PHOTOGRAPHS:\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n Bigger than a regular typhoon.\r\n\r\n (SQUINTING)\r\n What are these doors?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (GRINNING)\r\n You don't miss much, do you? They're\r\n too big for torpedo tubes. Could you\r\n launch a missile horizontaly?\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n Could. Question is why would you?\r\n Besides, they're symmetrical right\r\n straight through the hull.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n How about a towed sonar array?\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n Barely clears the screw in the --\r\n Tyler freezes. Somewhere in that vast abundance of grey matter, a\r\n\r\n NEURON FIRES:\r\n\r\n TYLER (CONT'D)\r\n I'a be go to he'll.! it's a caterpillar!\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n A what?\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n Caterpillar drive. Magneto--hydrodynamic\r\n propulsion. Like a linear induction motor\r\n with saltwater as the ;tat-r. You follow?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (SMILING)\r\n Oh sure.\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n Items like a jet engine for water. Goes\r\n in the front, gets squirted out the back.\r\n Only, It's got no moving parts, see. So\r\n it's' potentially very quiet.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n Try silent If this works, we'll have to\r\n find a whole new way to track submarines.\r\n Ryan grapples with the implications. Tyler trips down memory lane:\r\n\r\n TYLER (CONT'D)\r\n We messed with it. Years ago. Never\r\n could make it work. They really built\r\n this? This isn't a mock-up or anything?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n it put to sea this morning.\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n\r\n (SHAKING HIS\r\n\r\n HEAD)\r\n You know when I was eleven years\r\n old, I helped my daddy build a bomb\r\n shelter in the basement because some\r\n fool parked a dozen warheads in Cuba,\r\n ninety miles from the Florida coast.\r\n\r\n (RE: PHOTO)\r\n This thing could park two hundred\r\n warheads off New York or Washington\r\n and nobody'd suspect a thing til\r\n it was all over.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Any records of our work on the caterpillar?\r\n\r\n TYLER\r\n\r\n (GRABBING HIS\r\n\r\n CANE)\r\n We got an archive. Let's get dusty.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n PUTIN'S DEAD FACE WRAPPED IN PLASTIC\r\n Two Russian sailors lug his zip-locked corpse into a walk-in freezer\r\n in Red October's galley. Three k's assistants carve steaks and\r\n watch. One of them\r\n\r\n LOGINOV\r\n tweet 6ts, muscular, in striped sail or shirt and bell-bottom pang,\r\n tosses a hunk of f into a pail.. To Loginov.'s right, Rami:a and\r\n Borodin talk with\r\n\r\n DOCTOR NIKOLAY\" PETROV\r\n forties;, .thin, bespectacled and careworn. A dedicated Party man\r\n and `compulsive gossip, Petrov is the Red October's medical ofdoer.\r\n Ramius has the; counterfeit orders in his hand:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n If I hadn't spilled the tea, Putin\r\n might never have slipped and ---\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n You must not blame yourself,,- Captain.\r\n Accidents happen. I assume we wall\r\n be returning to base?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n We will not.\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n But how can we continue a m scion without\r\n a political offcer?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n For many years the Russian Navy went to\r\n sea before there were political offScers,\r\n Doctor.\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n Yes, but -\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (RE: ORDERS)\r\n These orders are quite specific. Putin's\r\n unfortunate death wall not change them.\r\n Turning, Ramius spots Loginov and waves his hand. Loginov\r\n freezes.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n You. Come here.\r\n\r\n (LOGINAV DOES)\r\n Your name?\r\n\r\n LOGINOV\r\n\r\n (TREMBLING)\r\n Cook's assistant, Loginov, sir.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Good. Now, I want you and the Doctor\r\n to witness this, Ioginov. I have\r\n removed Putin's missfle key from his\r\n neck and am keeping it myse f.\r\n Iognov blinks. Petrov frowns. Closing the freezer door, the\r\n sates ]save. Loginov isn't sure what to do. Petrov's agitated:\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n This is all very unnerving, Captain.\r\n The reason for having two missM keys\r\n in the first place is to prevent one\r\n person from...\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n From what, Doctor?\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n Making a mistake and...\r\n\r\n (EXASPERATED)\r\n We must report this to Red Meet Command.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Impossible. We are ordered to maintain\r\n strict radio silence.\r\n\r\n (TO IOGINOV)\r\n That will be all, Comrade.\r\n Glad to be anywhere else, Loginov returns to his work.\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n Captain, perhaps I should keep Putin's\r\n key until --\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (SHARPLY)\r\n I suggest you return to sick bay,\r\n Doctor. Soon, I will address the\r\n crew and explain our orders. This\r\n is not a decision for discussion.\r\n Shrugging, Petrov disappears. Borodin and Ramius.. follow him.\r\n Freaked, Loginov watches them go.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n bent over Jones' shoulder in the Da11as' sonar shack, concentrating\r\n on the blinking light on the sonar display. Thompson's to his left.\r\n Jones is on a headset:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (LISTENING)\r\n He's holding steady on zero-two-zero,\r\n twelve knots at about ten thousand\r\n yards.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Can you identify him?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Computer's chewing on it. Twin screw\r\n and the plant noise sounds like a\r\n typhoon but -\r\n Computer ptintar CLATTERS. Ripping off the printout, Mancuso\r\n\r\n STUDIES IT:\r\n\r\n SIGNAL EVALUATION:\r\n\r\n SOVIET TYPHOON CLASS SUBMARINE\r\n\r\n UNKNOWN IDENTITY\r\n\r\n NOT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Must be a new boat.\r\n\r\n (TO THOMPSON)\r\n I miss something in dispatch the last\r\n few days, Phil?\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Fleet hasn't said a word about it.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Alright. Start a f]e on his, Jonesy.\r\n For now, call his Sierra thirty-five.\r\n (.Leaving)\r\n r91 see if we can work in a little\r\n closer and sniff his out.\r\n Thompson fcDows Mancuso. Beaumont glances at Jones, whispering:\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n Won't the Soviets hear us?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Not if we stay in his baffles, seaman\r\n Beaumont. Not if we stay in his\r\n baffles. Come in behind his propeller\r\n and he's deaf as a post.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS SPINNING THE PERISCOPE\r\n in Red October's Conn. At all stations, helm, fire control,\r\n quartermaster, sailors work with galvanic prec s4r n. Standing next\r\n\r\n TO BORODIN\r\n\r\n CAPTAIN LIEUTENANT BORIS KAMAROV\r\n Red October's navigator, watches Ramius i tently. The tension is\r\n palpable. Something extraordinary is about to happen:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Down scope.\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Any. sonar contacts?\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Sonar is clear, Captain.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n All right. rm going to address the crew.\r\n Ramius grabs the whip telephone. Jaw set, his eyes blaze with\r\n\r\n HYPNOTIC INTENSITY:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n Comrades, here are our orders given to\r\n us by Red Fleet Command. it is our\r\n good fortune to make the first test of\r\n our revolutionary propulsion system.\r\n In various locations all over the ship, sailors stop what they are\r\n doing and listen carefully:\r\n\r\n IN THE ENLISTED MESS\r\n crowded together at tables, men hear Ramius' voice:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (VO CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n We are to pass quiet as water through\r\n every one of the American's sonar nets.\r\n Maintaining strict radio. silence, we\r\n are to proceed across the Atlantic to\r\n the east coast of the United States.\r\n\r\n IN ENGINEERING\r\n beneath a maze of pipes, technicians listen:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (VO CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Once in the home waters of the enemy,\r\n we are to conduct a series of ine\r\n firing tests, targeting major cities on\r\n the enemy's eastern seaboard.\r\n\r\n IN THE MISSILE BAYS\r\n\r\n S\r\n men are spellbound by their captain's intensity:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (VO -CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n For many years, we have had to stand\r\n helplessly in the wings while poll ns\r\n compromise every advance our military\r\n has made.\r\n\r\n BACK IN THE CONN\r\n Ramius stands on the periscope platform holding the phone. All\r\n eyes are riveted on him :\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n it is politicians who have crippled our\r\n armed forces while talking incessantly\r\n of peace. And now it is time, comrades,\r\n to exchange the cuckoo for a hawk.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n Our missies will not be armed, of course,\r\n but imagine, if they were. In one bright\r\n moment, all that we believe in, all that\r\n we honor, would prevail forever.\r\n Ramius is finished. No one moves. Kamarov has goose bumps.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n Comrade, navigator.\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Captain?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Rig for silent running.\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n\r\n ('TURNING)\r\n Reduce engines to quarter speed and\r\n open outer doors.\r\n A sail cr locks a program into a computer.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE RED OCTOBER\r\n in the water, the mysterious doors on the sub's bow begin to open.\r\n Behind them, a strange tunnel is revealed. -\r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n Ramius and his men hear the dark RING of STEEL on STEEL in deep\r\n\r\n WATER:\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Outer doors are open, Captain.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Engage the caterpi lar.\r\n\r\n OUTSIDE RED OCTOBER\r\n in the water...: An eerie green ring of light starts to glow in the\r\n tunnel behind thedoors. A second light appears. Then a third,\r\n flashing florescent.\r\n Behind the tunnel, in the stern, Red October's giant propeller comes\r\n to a stop. Suddenly, more light appears, distorted by a sudden\r\n rush of water.\r\n\r\n CUT-- TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n JONES\r\n in the Dalla' sonar shack, working his computer. The COB is\r\n behind him, Beaumont to his left. Red October's AMPISFIED HISS\r\n f Ms the room. Suddenly,\r\n\r\n THE HISS STOPS\r\n Jones frowns. The blinking light on his sonar display disappears.\r\n Curious, the COB leans over Jones, studying the screen:\r\n\r\n COB\r\n What happened?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Don't know.\r\n\r\n COB\r\n What do you mean, don't know?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n on the deck by the phone in Red October's Conn. Conscious of all\r\n eyes on him, he turns to a HELMSMAN:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Left full rudder.\r\n\r\n HELMSMAN\r\n Rudder is left fuB..\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Navigator, make your new course\r\n two-five-zero.\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Coming to course two-five-zero.\r\n Kama=ov draws a line on his chart. The new course is west into the\r\n Atlantic. Suddenly, the intercom CRACKLES:\r\n\r\n SONAR (VO)\r\n Sonar contact, Captains Dead astern.\r\n An American Los Angeles 0ass3\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n He must have been in our baffles.\r\n We can't have\r\n Raising his hand, Ramius activates the intercom\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Sonar. Is the American turning to\r\n Ballow us?\r\n\r\n SONAR (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n No, Captain. No he's not. He's\r\n continuing on our original course.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (SLOW SMILE)\r\n He can't hear us.\r\n Silence, Impulsively, Kamarov starts HUMMING the\r\n INTERNATIONALE. Of cers and enlisted men join in. It snowballs.\r\n One at a time, the crew RAISE their VOICES\r\n\r\n THROUGHOUT THE BOAT\r\n In the torpedo room, engineering, wardroom and the Conn, the\r\n ANTHEM GROWS LOUDER and LOUDER. Caught in the moment,\r\n Ramius JOINS the CHORUS.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n sticking his head into sonar. The COB and Beaumont are on pins\r\n and needles. Jones is working his computer furiously.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n it did what?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n It disappeared, sir.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n t a d)\r\n What are you talking about? Check\r\n your gear.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Running diagnostics, now, Captain.\r\n Jones is starting to sweat. He runs his tests. Nothing. urning,\r\n he stares blankly at Mancuso:\r\n\r\n JONES (CONT'D)\r\n Sonar is working, sir. The Russian\r\n just disappeared. One minute he was\r\n steady four thousand yards off our\r\n bow and then he was gone. And r\r\n a second, I thought I heard... well ;--\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n HEARD WHAT'S\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (RELUCTANT)\r\n I thought, I heard singing, sir.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Singing?\r\n Jones nods. Hairs stand up on the back of Mancuso's neck:\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n A SOVIET SUBMARINE\r\n dead In the water at four hundred feet. 'About the. size of the\r\n Dallas, this one's bualt for speed and maneuverability. They don't\r\n come any better.\r\n\r\n SUPER: SSN KONOVALOV\r\n Aku]a Cass Soviet Submarine\r\n Grid Square 54-90\r\n\r\n ON THE KONOVALOV\r\n a crew works in the Conn, reading computer displays, checking\r\n\r\n COMMUNICATIONS AND\r\n writing emendations on status boards. On the\r\n\r\n PERISCOPE PLATFORM\r\n\r\n CAPTAIN VIXTOR TUPOLEV\r\n ]ate-thirties, intense, leans over a navigator tab] e. A blond man\r\n with a clipboard approaches. He is\r\n\r\n LIEUTENANT ANDREI BONAVIA\r\n early-thfrties, Tupolev's executive officer. This Conn is smaller\r\n than Red . October's and the weird vibes perfectly reflect the rampant\r\n paranoia of the Commander:\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n Captain Tupolev?\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n What is it2l\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n St M no sign of Red October, sir. I\r\n think we should surface and contact Red\r\n Fleet Command.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n To what purpose?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n To inform them Red October has not\r\n appeared.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n What makes you think she hasn't?\r\n Tupolev glides to a quartermaster's station. Following him,\r\n Bonavia's stomach growls.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n Has it occurred to you that Red October\r\n may already be in position? That Ramius\r\n is merely hiding behind his silent drive?\r\n Waiting for me to break radio silence\r\n and make a fool of myself?\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n\r\n (FRUSTRATED)\r\n\r\n BUT -\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n I will not break radio silence. We\r\n wilt lie here quietly for a few more\r\n hours. If Ramius hasn't arrived by\r\n then, I'll contact Red Fleet Command.\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n Captain, I am concerned that -\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n I Care little for your concerns, Comrade.\r\n Tupolev leaves. Bonavia glances at the quartermaster. His stomach\r\n growls again.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n A BLACK CHAIKA: LIMO\r\n moving through the security gates fronting a monstrous Stalinist\r\n office building Snow CRACKS beneath cold TIRES.\r\n\r\n SUPER: MOSCOW\r\n\r\n KARPOTSKIY PROSPEKT\r\n Soviet Navy Pniitical Dir ctorafie\r\n From his post in the portico, a uniformed guard races to the limo\r\n and opens the door for a dyspeptic, grumpy, old man. He is\r\n\r\n ADMIRAL YURI ILYCH PADORIN\r\n in an overcoat and a rumpled hat, brim turned up in front.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Climbing stairs, Padorin returns rigid salutes with a sour\r\n yeah-right-leave-me-alone wave, entering\r\n\r\n A COLOSSAL LOBBY\r\n Padorin mounts a giant staircase. Naval officers snap salutes.\r\n Padorin answers, dourly. Yeah-\r\n heave-me-alone. Mumbling, he moves through\r\n\r\n ANTEROOMS\r\n Leaving a wake of aides and sues crawling all over themselves,\r\n whispered greetings on their lips. Yeah-right-leave-me-alone.\r\n Frowning and cranky, Padorin marches into\r\n\r\n HIS PRIVATE OFFICE\r\n where he's met by his seventy-four year old PERSONAL ORDERLY.\r\n They've known each other forever and act like an old married\r\n couple.\r\n The orderly takes Padorin's overcoat and hat. Behind a desk,\r\n Padorin lights a morning cigarette. The orderly brings tea things\r\n and incessant small talk. Padorin says nothing.\r\n Finally, Padodn sits, focusing on the morning maiL Twenty or so\r\n letters are laid neatly on a blotter. Yeah-right-leave-me-alone.\r\n Yeah leave-me-alone. Don't heel like dealing with mailâ now.\r\n\r\n ORDERLY\r\n There's a note from Marko Ramivs there.\r\n\r\n ADMIRAL\r\n\r\n (BRIGHTENING)\r\n Ah, Marko.\r\n The old coot: almost smiles. This he'Il read.. Getting the envelope\r\n open, he prepares for a good time. Somewhere in the first\r\n paragraph,. his smile fades.\r\n The -hand holding his cigarette begins to shake. Reaching absently\r\n for. the teacup, nearing the bottom of the pager Padoadn chokes,\r\n spilling everything.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n DALLAS' SONAR SHACK\r\n Mancuso at the door. Beaumont is at his station next to Jones.\r\n Wearing a headset, Jones concentrates on his sonar display.\r\n Suddenly, he rips the headset off:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Jesus Christ. Somebody just stepped on\r\n the gas.\r\n\r\n (RE: DISPLAY)\r\n Sonar contact, Captain. Very loud.\r\n Viktar Class Soviet submarine. Cutting\r\n big holes in the water. Bearing six-\r\n five-zero.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Put it on the speakers.\r\n WHINING PROPELLERS and CAVITATION NOISE fi]1 the sonar shack.\r\n Suddenly, MORE PROPELLERS:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Jeez. There's another one. Bearing\r\n .,even-three.\r\n\r\n (MORE)\r\n Hold on. There's two more out there.\r\n They're all in a hurry and don't care\r\n who the hell knows it.\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Have the Soviets scheduled submarine\r\n races today, sir?\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n I'm gonna radio Fleet Command.\r\n He takes off. Jones hears something buried in the PROPELLERS and\r\n CAVITATION NOISE. A strange WHOOSHING SOUND. Frowning, he\r\n starts a tape rewarder.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n A PHONE RINGING,\r\n Ryan picks it up. He and Tyler are hip-deep in top secret fees in\r\n the naval archive stacks.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Yes?\r\n\r\n (LISTENING)\r\n No, this is Dr. Ryan.\r\n\r\n (PAUSE)\r\n Affright.\r\n He stares at Tyler quizzically, waiting:\r\n\r\n GREER'S VOICE\r\n\r\n (FROM PHONE)\r\n Jack?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Yes, Admiral, I'm ---\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GREER'S VOICE\r\n Where the hell are you?! Get your ass\r\n to the south entrance of the Executive\r\n Offtce Buflding in forty-five minutes.\r\n It's across from the White House. Got 3t \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Yes, sir, but what's -\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n in his ofAce on the phone to Ryan:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Let's Just say this is no longer a\r\n research project. Now move!\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n THE WHITE HOUSE\r\n in the background as Ryan springs from his car, racing up the\r\n steps to the Executive Office Building. At the top of the stairs,\r\n waiting for him, Greer is already in motion:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Come on.\r\n Ryan follows him past a security guard and into\r\n\r\n A LOBBY\r\n decorated with secretaries and suits, all, in quiet motion. At speed,\r\n Ryan trues to keep up with Greer:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n I got a line on the doors. You\r\n know what they are?\r\n Greer doesn't answer. Impatient, Ryan follows him into\r\n\r\n AN ELEVATOR\r\n Greer pushes a button marked SUB LEVEL FOUR. Turning to Ryan:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n A silent propulsion system. -\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (CHAGRINED)\r\n How did -?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -34-\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Captain of the sub we had following\r\n her radioed in. Thing up and\r\n disappeared right in front of him.\r\n But that isn't the half of it. Read.\r\n He hands Ryan a sheaf of message flimsies. The descending elevator\r\n stops. Doors open. Ryan reads. Greer leaves. Realizing he's\r\n been left behind, Ryan takes off, entering\r\n\r\n A SUBTERRANEAN CORRIDOR\r\n Reading and walking, Ryan does his best to keep up with Greer:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Jesus... ! This is unbelievable.\r\n\r\n (TURNING PAGES)\r\n The Kirov, too. They've sortled\r\n their whale bloody fleet!\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n About the size of it.\r\n Glancing up from his reading, Ryan notices a sign at the end of the\r\n\r\n CORRIDOR:\r\n\r\n SUB LEVEL FOUR\r\n\r\n WHITE HOUSE SECURITY\r\n Stopping on a dime, his eyes narrow:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Where're we going anyway?\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n\r\n (F IG)\r\n Brle$ng Jeffrey Pelt. The.\r\n President's National Security Advisor.\r\n Most of the Joint Chiefs will be there.\r\n Along with a few other people.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Who's giving the brieefing?\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n You are.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (WIDE-EYED)\r\n\r\n BUT\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n The yeoman'fl have the slides all, laid\r\n out. AIL you have to do --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Ten feet ahead, Greer realizes Ryan's no longer faUowing.\r\n Stopping, he comes back:\r\n\r\n GREER (CONT'D)\r\n Look. No one knows this material better\r\n than you do. Give him a rundown on the\r\n sub and a precis of the stuff in your\r\n hand. He's liable to ask some direct\r\n questions. Give him direct answers and\r\n say what you think. Yowll do fine.\r\n Come on.\r\n Ryan takes a deep breath.\r\n\r\n JUMP CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RYAN FOLLOWING GREER\r\n into the White House Briefing Room. Joint Chiefs are gathered\r\n around a thirty foot conference table. Greer introduces Ryan to a\r\n GENERAL and an ADMIRAL, then mingles.\r\n Left alone, Ryan spot, a lectern at the foot of the tabl. Nearby, a\r\n yeoman tends a slide machine, an overhead projector and a large\r\n bulletin board. Ryan heads for the lectern.\r\n The yeoman has a list of slides, some photos and mustrations.\r\n Trying to gather his thoughts, Ryan steps behind the lectern.\r\n\r\n JEFFREY PELT\r\n the President's National Security Advisor arrives. In his mid-mss,\r\n wearing wire-rim spectacles, Pelt's nearsighted, brOliant and a\r\n crackerjack poker player.\r\n Generals and Admirals take their places. Pelt site at the head of\r\n the tabl, turning to Greer:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Let's get started.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Yes, sir. The preliminary briefing\r\n today w M be handled by Dr. Jack Ryan.\r\n I believe you've seen some of his :work.\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n You may begin.\r\n Taking a sip of water, Ryan nods at the yeoman. Projector is\r\n\r\n TURNED ON:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Gentlemen, the last twenty four hours\r\n have seen some extraordinary Soviet\r\n naval activity. The first to sail was --\r\n\r\n (SLIDE)\r\n this ship, the Red October. A variant\r\n of the typhoon class, she's some six\r\n hundred fifty feet long. Thirty-two\r\n thousand tons submerged displacement,\r\n roughly the size of a World War II\r\n aircraft Carrier.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Unlike the standard typhoon, equipped\r\n to fire long-range missiles from Russian\r\n waters, Red October carries fifty-six\r\n SS-311s, which is a short-range attack\r\n mis it with eight independent warheads.\r\n That's four hundred forty-eight warheads\r\n all spedfically designed to fire close in.\r\n\r\n (ANOTHER SLIDE)\r\n We believe these doors on the bow, and\r\n here again on the stern, enclose a\r\n magneto-hydrodynamic drive, or caterpillar,\r\n which may allow the sub to run totally\r\n silent.\r\n\r\n (ANOTHER SLIDE)\r\n it is possible this new drive system\r\n allowed the captain, a man named Marko\r\n\r\n RAMIUS -\r\n Ryan points out two photos on a bulletin board. One is of Ramius\r\n alone. The other is a wedding photo of Ramius and a beautiful\r\n woman.\r\n\r\n RYAN (CONT'D)\r\n to elude one of ' our attack boats,\r\n the Dallas, which trailed Red October\r\n f r om harbor this morning.\r\n\r\n (POINTKUY)\r\n This drive, if it's working, could\r\n render Red October invvsihl8 to our\r\n SOSUS warning nets in the Atlantic.\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n You would characterize this as a first\r\n strike weapon, Dr. Ryan?\r\n Ryan glances at Greer. Greer smi reassuringly.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n There's no doubt about that, sir. She\r\n is designed to approach by stealth, and\r\n fire on a target with little or no warning.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ADMIRAL\r\n An offensive weapon. The kind you start\r\n wars with.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Precisely, Admiral..\r\n\r\n (RE: MAP)\r\n if I may continue. Shortly after the\r\n Dallas lost contact, there were additional\r\n Soviet mailings from Pa tjarny, Leningrad\r\n and the Mediterranean. The Soviets have\r\n\r\n SOME --\r\n\r\n (CHECKING NOTES)\r\n fifty-eight nuclei submarines headed at\r\n high speed into the Atlantic. And this\r\n afternoon's satellite pass over Policjarny\r\n found head blooms in the engineering plants\r\n of the Kirov, the Minsk and more than\r\n twenty cruisers and destroyers,, indicating\r\n that the bulk of their surface fleet is\r\n also preparing to sail.\r\n Flushed, Ryan sits beside Greer. Pelt turns to Greer:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Conclusions?\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Absence of activity in the Pacific suggest\r\n this is probably just an exercise having\r\n nothing to do with the Red October.\r\n A General starts to object. He's cut off by JUDGE MOORE, a\r\n white-haired civilian near the top of the table:\r\n\r\n MOORE\r\n NSA can speak to that, Mr. Pelt.\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n\r\n MOORE\r\n I must emphasize the extremi ' sensitivity\r\n of this information and ask that on no\r\n aooount it leave this room.\r\n\r\n (PELT NODS)\r\n Before sailing, Captain Ramius sent a\r\n letter to Admiral Yuri Padorin, Chairman\r\n of Soviet Naval Deployment.\r\n Painting at Ramius' wedding picture, Ryan whispers to Greer:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n That's her uncle!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Whose uncle?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (WHISPEG)\r\n Ramius' wife. Padorin's her uncle!\r\n Greer has no idea what Ryan's saying. Moore's still talking:\r\n\r\n MOORE\r\n The contents of the letter are unknown,\r\n but Admiral Padorin immediately demanded\r\n a meeting with Premier Ligachev and\r\n within minutes of that meeting, the\r\n Soviet Fleet sailed with orders to find\r\n Red October --\r\n\r\n (PAUSE)\r\n And sink her.\r\n Audible intake of breath round the room. Pelt is the first to\r\n\r\n RECOVER:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Sink her?\r\n\r\n ADMIRAL\r\n My god. They've got a madman on\r\n their hands. He's gonna start a war.\r\n A spirited discussion ensues. Tuning it out, Ryan stares at the\r\n picture of Ramius and his wife. Urgently, he whispers to Greer:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n This is the twenty-gird, isn't it?\r\n Greer nods. Order in the room has broken down. Generals and\r\n Admirals argue vehemently about appropriate. responses. Staring at\r\n the photos, a light goes off in Ryan's brain:\r\n SljenCel. Ryan realizes everyone in the room is staring at him.\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n\r\n (DRYLY)\r\n You've something to add to the\r\n discussion, Dr. Ryan? _\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Uhhmm...I was just thinking there\r\n was perhaps another possibility we\r\n ought to consider.\r\n Ryan takes a deep breath.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN (CONT'D)\r\n Ramius might be trying to defect.\r\n Nobody moves. Ryan glances at Greer. Greer rolls his eyes. Too\r\n far out. Ryan's on his own. The.General bristles:\r\n\r\n GENERAL\r\n Do you mean to suggest -\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Go ahead, Dr. Ryan.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Well, Ramius trained most of their Officer\r\n Corps. He'd be in a position to sect\r\n men willing to help him. And he's not\r\n Russian.\r\n\r\n (WARMING UP)\r\n He's Lithuanian by birth, and by heritage.\r\n He was raised by his maternal grandfather,\r\n who was a fisherman. He has no children,\r\n no ties to leave behind and -\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n This morning was the first anniversary\r\n of his wife's death.\r\n\r\n GENERAL\r\n Oh, come on! Look, what are you doing\r\n here, anyway, Ryan\r\n\r\n (TO GREER)\r\n That's his name, isn't, Ryan?\r\n\r\n (TURNING)'\r\n You're just an analyst, right? You\r\n can't possi,hly know --\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n I know Ramins, General. He's. been a\r\n maverick for his entire career. I even\r\n met him once at an embassy dinner.\r\n �met captain Ramius, sir? Have you ever\r\n The General darkens. Making a decision, Pelt turns to the Admiral:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Bottom line, how long before Rami>us will\r\n be in a position to launch his misses\r\n at us?\r\n\r\n ADMIRAL\r\n Four days.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -40-\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Alright. I'll brief the President.\r\n That will, be all, gentlemen.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Dr. Ryan. Would you stay for a\r\n moment, please?\r\n Everyone gets up to leave. As Greer rises, he winks at Ryan:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n I said speak your mind, Jack, but\r\n\r\n JESUS --\r\n shaking his head, Greer pats Ryan's shoulder and leaves. Ryan's\r\n mouth is dry. Pelt gets up:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n You slammed the door on the General\r\n pretty hard, Jack.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n It wasn't my intention, sir -\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n\r\n (GRINNING)\r\n Yes it was. He was patronizing you\r\n and you stomped on him. In my\r\n opinion, he deserved It.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Look, I'm a politk:ian, Jack. That\r\n means I'm a liar, a cheat and when\r\n I'm nvt kissing babies I'm stealing\r\n their lallipops. But it also means\r\n I know people and keep my options open.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Let's assume for a minute that you're\r\n right and he intends to defect What\r\n do you think we should do?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Well, somebody has to go out and try- -\r\n to contact him.\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n OK. When can you leave?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (FLUSHED)\r\n Wait a minute. The General was right.\r\n I'm just an analyst --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Perfect. I can't ask any of these\r\n cha�tacters to go. None of them would\r\n volunteer putting their reputations\r\n on the line. And anyway, none of\r\n them are expendable.\r\n\r\n (RYAN FROWNS)\r\n IR]. give you three days to prove\r\n your theory, after that we won't\r\n have any choice but to hunt Ramius\r\n down and blow him away. Will, you\r\n do it?\r\n Ryan stares at Pelt.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n CHOPPY SEA\r\n below haze-grey sky. A ape breaks the surface, trailing a\r\n small wake. Submarine is below.\r\n\r\n IN THE KONOVALOV\r\n Tupolav spins the .periscope in the Konova]ov's Conn. Bonavia\r\n brings him a message. Frowning, Tupolev reads it.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n Mother of God.\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Down scope. Dive the ship.\r\n Saes in the Conn, prepare to dive. Tupalev is furious. Turning\r\n to Bonavia, he sneers:\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n The entire Soviet Fleet has been\r\n ordered to hunt Ramius down and\r\n destroy him. And where were we?\r\n Out of contact. Dead in the water!\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n But, Captain. Have you forgotten\r\n that it was you who -\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n I have forgotten nothing. All ahead\r\n flank. Come to course three-five-zero.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n at the head of a table in Red October's wardroom, Borodin to his\r\n left. Seven officers sit or stand to the side. Beside Borodin\r\n\r\n LIEUTENANT ALEXANDER MELEKHIN\r\n forties, grey eyes, Red October's engineer. At the door\r\n\r\n ENSIGN IVAN STADNYUK\r\n nervous, twenties, Asiatic, locks a dead bait, securing the\r\n wardroom. Tension is elect_ic, palpable.\r\n\r\n LIEUTENANT VIKTOR TBILISI\r\n thirties, curly brown hair, Red October's sonar offer, stares at\r\n Ramius, anxious to get something off his chest:\r\n\r\n T BILLSI\r\n Before we begin, Captain. I would\r\n like to know exactly what happened\r\n to Putin?\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n He didn't slip on his tea. Did he?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n No, Vlktor.\r\n Visibly shaken, Stadnyuk waves his hands:\r\n\r\n STADNYUK\r\n Captain?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n There is no way we could have\r\n accomplished our task with Putin\r\n aboard. He would have stopped us.\r\n\r\n T BILISI\r\n I have no objections to eliminating him.\r\n He was a pig. But it's a decision we\r\n should all have made.\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n You're not in command.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n T BILISI\r\n Don't give me that command garbage,\r\n Vasily. This is no ordinary cruise.\r\n We're all risking our lives. Everything\r\n that happens affects-each of us.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Enough! Putin is dead. The responsibility\r\n and the guilt are mine.\r\n\r\n (PAUSE)\r\n There's something else you should know.\r\n On the morning we sailed, I posted a\r\n letter to Admiral Padorin announcing\r\n our intentions to defect.\r\n Borodin's jaw drops. Tbilisi. is speechless. Kamarov whispers:\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n In the name of God, why?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n We needed to burn the bridges. Make\r\n a clean break.\r\n\r\n I STADNYUK\r\n\r\n (SHRIEKING)\r\n They'll find us! They'll hunt us down!\r\n\r\n 80RODIN\r\n\r\n (HISSING)\r\n Keep your voice down, Ivan. Nobody\r\n can find us.\r\n\r\n TBILISI\r\n\r\n (TO RAMIUS)\r\n You had to do it, didn't you? You\r\n couldn't` just fallow the plan and turn\r\n the; submarine over to the Americans.\r\n\r\n (VOICE RISING)\r\n You had to rub Moscow's nose in it\r\n and make some kind of hare-brained\r\n political statement.\r\n\r\n (ANGRY)\r\n Goddammit, Marko. You signed our\r\n death warrants!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (EYES BLAZING)\r\n How many times have you served in\r\n my command, Viktrxr?\r\n\r\n T BILISI\r\n\r\n (STAMMERING)\r\n Many times --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Do you know me to be a man who\r\n talerates insubordination?\r\n Tbili- blanches, but will not look away. Ramius glances at the\r\n\r\n OTHERS:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n Return to your posts. All of You.\r\n No one moves. Time crawls by. Finally, Borodin gets to his feet:\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n You heard the Captain. Dismissed!\r\n One by one, the men file out of the wardroom. When they are gone,\r\n Borodin turns to Ramius,... speaking quietly:'\r\n\r\n BORODIN (CONT'D)\r\n Captain. I would never disagree with you\r\n in front of the men. But Viktor is right.\r\n We are in this together. What we are\r\n attempting is d'f cult. And --\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Our original orders were to demonstrate\r\n that this ship cannot be found.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n That is precisely what we will do.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n working his tape recorder in the Dallas' sonar shack. Varying\r\n speeds, â¬ftering extraneous noise, Jones is isolating the eer9e\r\n\r\n WHOOSHING SOUND.:\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n SHEET LIGHTNING\r\n in a RAGING STORM. An C-2A GREYHOUND appears, TURBOPROPS\r\n SCREAMING, buffeted like a ping-gong ball on a HOWLING canvas of\r\n\r\n PITCH }\r\n\r\n IN THE GREYHOUND\r\n Ryan rides out the storm. He's wearing the uniform of a naval\r\n commander. Heavy TURBULENCE. LIGHTNING irradiates WINDOWS.-\r\n\r\n A NAVIGATOR\r\n sits directly behind Ryan at a small desk built into the bulkhead.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -45-\r\n Behind the navigator in a cockpit, pilot and copilot. Eyeing Ryan,\r\n the navigator SHOUTS:\r\n\r\n NAVIGATOR\r\n Some turbulence. Hey, Commander?\r\n\r\n (NO ANSWER)\r\n You don't enjoy flying?\r\n Ryan shakeshis head. Gleefully, the navigator BELLOWS:\r\n\r\n NAVIGATOR (CONT'D)\r\n This is a picnic, Commander. You\r\n should've been with me six months ago\r\n when we hit a typhoon in the Sea of\r\n Japan. Guys were puking all. over the\r\n place. The plot puked all over his\r\n window. I puked the radio to death.\r\n Puke was everywhere and I'm not talking\r\n lightweight stuff. I'm talking industrial\r\n strength puke!\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (SWOONING)\r\n Next time you get a bright idea, Jack,\r\n try putting ⢠it in a memo.\r\n\r\n NAVIGATOR\r\n Anyway, when we hit that typhoon\r\n everybody knew what everybody else\r\n had for breakfast. Puke was on the\r\n ceiling. Puke was in the ais1 s\r\n Ryan is green.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER\r\n in the STORM, bobbing like a cork in twenty-foot waves, thirty-foot\r\n landing � strip. surging violently in all directions.\r\n\r\n USS KENNEDY\r\n The North Atlantic\r\n 100 miles south of Greenland-\r\n On the deck, A LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER SCREAMS into a,;.\r\n WALKIE-TALKIE. Rain POUNDS his FACE. Wiping his eyes, he\r\n\r\n SPOTS\r\n\r\n THE GREYHOUND.\r\n heading for the carrier. PROPELLERS SHRIEK over the STORM.\r\n LSO BELLOWS INSTRUCTIONS into his WALKIE-TALKIE. At the last\r\n moment, WHEELS RIP into the DECK.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n A HOOK on the Greyhound's belly CATCHES the last wire. SPARKS\r\n cascade on WET STEEL. Moving across the deck with an ensign\r\n\r\n CAPTAIN CHARLES DAVENPORT\r\n fiort ies, in a leather flight jacket, approaches the Greyhound.\r\n SHOUTING SAILORS batten down the plane.\r\n A door opens. Ryan climbs down a ramp on shaky legs. Taking his\r\n arm, Davenport SHOUTS:\r\n\r\n DAVENPORT\r\n Charles Davenport, commanding officer\r\n of the Kennedy! The Admiral is\r\n waiting for you in his quarters!\r\n\r\n A STEWARD\r\n pouring coffee into a large mug on a tray loaded down with\r\n sandwiches. Setting down the coffee, the steward leaves.\r\n\r\n REAR ADMIRAL JOSHUA PAINTER\r\n fifties, a man of puritanical integrity, takes a hit of the ooze in\r\n his quarters on the Kennedy.. KNOCK on the DOOR. Ryan and\r\n Davenport enter.\r\n\r\n RYAN;'\r\n (sha)dng hands)\r\n Jack Ryan, Admiral.. Sorry for the\r\n confusion, but, as:-l was just. telling\r\n Captain Davenport, I'm not a naval of cer\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I work for Admiral Greer at the. CIA.\r\n He thought I would draw less attention\r\n if I.was in uniform.\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n You want coffee? Something to eat?\r\n\r\n (RYAN DOESN'T)\r\n Alright:. What can I do.for you, son?\r\n You gonna tell me what all this activity\r\n is about?\r\n Ryan hands Painter a lettew. Opening It, Painter studies the\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -47-\r\n contents. Davenport leans on a bulkhead, staring at Ryan. Painter\r\n returns the letter:\r\n\r\n PAINTER (CONT'D)\r\n Can't get any higher authority than\r\n that. Now, what's going on?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n at a translucent status board in the quartermaster's station on the\r\n Dalla. Behind the status board, projected on a screen, a nautical\r\n map of the North Atlantic. Mancuso and Thompson enter.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (TO MANCUSO)\r\n I know you're busy, Captain. But I\r\n may have something here.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Go ahead.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n I've been working on a sound I heard\r\n when the typhoon disappeared. I washed\r\n it through the tape machine several times\r\n and managed to isolate it. But when I\r\n asked the computer to identify it, the\r\n answer I got. was magma displacement.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Magma displacement?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Yes sir. See, the system we are\r\n using was originally- designed to look\r\n four seismic events and although we\r\n adapted it. to hunt for submarines -\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n utto the chase, Jonesy._:.,\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Aye, aye, sir. Anyway,; I got curious,\r\n and. started tracking. the sound on our\r\n lateral array. I located it four\r\n different times. The fifth time it\r\n was gone and I couldn't find it. But\r\n I want to show you what I worked up.\r\n Picking up a grease pencil, Jones makes calculations on the status\r\n board overlaying the nautical map:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -48-\r\n\r\n JONES (CONT'D)\r\n The first contact was at zero-nine-Been\r\n hours and the bearing was two-six-nine.\r\n\r\n (DRAWING LINE)\r\n Then at zero-nine-thirty hours it was\r\n bearing two-six-zero. And at zero-nine-\r\n forty-eight is was two-ive-zero.\r\n\r\n (ANOTHER LINE)\r\n I came back to it at about ten-hundred\r\n and the bearing was two-four-two. The\r\n last signal was real faint and I didn't\r\n have a very good lock on it.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n So?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Well, I figure it couldn't be very far\r\n away from us, right? Let's say it was\r\n halfway between us and Iceland. That\r\n would put it on a course like this.\r\n Jones makes more calculations on the. status board. Mancuso\r\n recognizes a pattern:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Headed directly into Red Route One.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Exactly. Sir, I believe the sound I\r\n heard is the acoustical signature of some\r\n kind of super-quiet Russian submarine and\r\n he's taking the inshore track off the\r\n Iceland coast.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n What do you think, captain?\r\n Mancuso stares-at the status board, then turns to Jones:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Let me see if I got this straight. The\r\n three minion dollar computer tells you\r\n you're chasing after an earthquake and\r\n you aren't convinced. So you get curious\r\n and came up with this theory: on your own?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (UNCERTAIN)\r\n Yes, sir.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Relax, Jonesy. You sold me.\r\n Jones grans.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -49-\r\n\r\n MANCUSO (CONT'D)\r\n Let me ask you this. If we get close\r\n to this supers lent sub again, you\r\n think you can track him down?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Yes, sir. Now that I know what to\r\n listen for, I'1 bag the sucker cold.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n DAVENPORT\r\n frowning at Ryan, who sits opposite him, finishing a sandwich:\r\n\r\n DAVENPORT\r\n Christ'_ I've heard some strange stuff,\r\n Ryan, but that takes it. Ramius must\r\n have a hundred men on that boat. They\r\n can't all want to defect. He'd have a\r\n mutiny on his hands.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Not ne s_~:4'y. If he personally\r\n recruita d the of6cers, it's theoret i ally\r\n\r\n POSSIBLE -\r\n\r\n DAVENPORT\r\n Theoretically, anything's p ⢠But\r\n you're not in some cubicle at CIA.\r\n Over by the porthole, Painter clears his throat:\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n For the sake of argument, let's assume\r\n you're right and Ramius intends to defect.\r\n What are you gonna do with the boat?\r\n You cant keep it. The Russians will.\r\n want it back. And theyRl know you've got\r\n it, :`because the crew wl]l tell them so.\r\n Or do you intend to keep them too?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Perhaps it would be enough to get some\r\n I men aboard to analyze the propulsion\r\n\r\n SYSTEM -\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n\r\n (SMILING)\r\n\r\n F\r\n A Coast Guard Inspection?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Perhaps. I'm not sure that ---\r\n\r\n L\r\n\r\n I\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n Well, I agree with chuck on one thing,\r\n son. You've got your neck stretched way\r\n out there. Didn't Greer ever teach you\r\n the rules of survival in a bureaucracy?\r\n (Ryan smiles weakly)\r\n Still, it would be nice to keep it.\r\n When's the last time you slept?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Can't remember. Every time I get. the\r\n chance, somebody puts me on another\r\n airplane.\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n OK. Why don't you rack out fear a while.\r\n The chief outside will find you quarters.\r\n\r\n (STANDING)\r\n We'll be in CIC in the morning. It's\r\n gonna get real interesting out here\r\n the ' next couple of days.\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n When you shook hands with him, you\r\n notice the ring on his finger,, Chuck?\r\n\r\n (DAVENPORT DIDN'T)\r\n Class of M. Marine Corps.\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n Greer told me about him. Three weeks\r\n after he was commissioned, he was in\r\n a chopper on a rescue mission in the\r\n Med. They went down. Bad. P11 and\r\n crew killed instantly. That kid spent\r\n eight months in traction with a broken.\r\n back, and two years learning to walk\r\n again. I think lt:'s O K for him to\r\n wear.: the uniform. -\r\n (beat),\r\n Don't you?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -51-\r\n\r\n I\r\n closing the door to a stateroom. Exhausted, he tumbles face down\r\n on a lower bunk, head on a pillow. A sliver of light from the door\r\n to a head hits his face:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (MUMBLING)\r\n Gotta be pie... Anything's possible\r\n ... Under the guise of Coast Guard...\r\n better to keep it.. how do you keep ft?\r\n Ryan's sound asleep.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n surrounded by HOWLING NOISE in Red October's engineerin\r\n compartment. The. bulkheads shake. A TECHNICIAN SHOUTS\r\n\r\n TECHNICIAN\r\n Converter temperature'is egress\r\n above specks and rising!\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n\r\n (SHOUTING BACK)\r\n What's the status of the cryog\r\n\r\n TECHNICIAN\r\n\r\n (SHOUTING)\r\n Liquid helium discharge pressure is\r\n one. hundred pounds low and drpl g!\r\n Ramius and Borodin race into the compartment, Pet= is right\r\n behind them. The ship GROANS. Ramius. BELLOWS:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n What is It?\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n\r\n (SHOUTING BACK)\r\n he cryogenic plant has failed! The\r\n super conducting magnets are not being\r\n cooled and the temperature of the\r\n . caterpiar assembly is rising to\r\n dangerous levels.. If we don't turn\r\n It, off, it's gonna melt!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO TECHNICIAN\r\n Shut everything down!\r\n Ship SHUDDERS. Technicians work at a fever\r\n white as a ghost. in seconds, the RACKET stops.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TECHNICIAN\r\n Caterpi']]ar flows are stabilizing.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Magnet temperatures are dropping.\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n\r\n (SCARED)\r\n Any reactor damage?\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n There was a power spike, but the\r\n reactor scrammed itself automatically.\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n But are there any radiation --\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n\r\n (ANGRY)\r\n I. don't know, dammiti\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n How long before you can fix it?\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n I have to find out what's wrong first.\r\n It could be a problem with the liquid\r\n helium cycle. Maybe the super conducting\r\n material has failed.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n We're going to have to run an normal\r\n propuLainn. Can you get the reactor up?\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n\r\n Y]\r\n\r\n PETROV -\r\n Shouldn't-'we first check the\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n That will be all, Doctor.\r\n Frightened, Petrov, stares at Ramb, The Captain's indomitable.\r\n Petrov leaves. Borodin has concerns of his own:\r\n\r\n BORODIN'\r\n What if we're detected, Captain?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Pray that we aren't, Vasily.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n JEFF PELT: `\r\n in a chair in his offf in the Executive Office Building. Through a\r\n window, the White House. On a couch opposite him\r\n\r\n ANDREI LYSENKO\r\n fifties, dewlapped Soviet Ambassador to the United States, in a dark\r\n suit and tie. Lysenko's uncomfortable. Pelt stares at him:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Forgive me, Ambassador, for dispensing\r\n with the usual formalities. But the\r\n President views this situation as critical.\r\n Our m,7 ttary counts thirty-two of your\r\n anti-submarine aircraft in the sky laying\r\n down enough sonar buoys that a man could\r\n walk from Greenland to Norway without\r\n getting his feet wet. What's going on?\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n we fear she may. be down.\r\n Lysenko leans forward:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n LYSENKO (CONT'D)\r\n I hope there won't be any confusion\r\n in this matter.\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n So do I, Ambassador Lysenko. Confusion\r\n could be --\r\n\r\n (CAREF'ULLY)\r\n Catastrophic.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n A SOVIET BEAR FOXTROT\r\n anti-submarine aircraft, BLASTING through cumulus at thirty\r\n thousand feet, TURBOPROPS HOWLING, a blazing firedog in the\r\n white-hot sun.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, a wall of electronic equipment supports the starboard.\r\n bulkhead.\r\n\r\n WARRANT OFFICER ANDREI AMALRIC\r\n twenty, Soviet sonar operator, spots something on a sonar display\r\n simuar to Jones'. Speaking into a headset:\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n Sonar contact on buoy number one-\r\n seven-nine. Contact is twenty-seven\r\n mil southwest, ze o-nine-zero.\r\n Data indicates contact is Red October.\r\n\r\n IN THE COCKPIT\r\n of the Foxtrot:, forward of Amalr4c, PILOT and COPILOT are .\r\n surrounded by dials and switches:\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n Acknowledged, sonar. Coming to course.-\r\n zero-nine-zero.\r\n\r\n (TO COPILOT)\r\n Contact Red Fleet Command and r2con8rm.\r\n our orders.\r\n Grabbing a mike, the copflct FLIPS toggle SWITCHES above his\r\n head. Leaning on the yoke, the p110t turns the plane.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, Amalric works his computer, wiping sweat from his\r\n\r\n FOREHEAD:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -55-\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n Recommend dropping a four buoy\r\n localization pattern. Will coach\r\n to drop paint.\r\n\r\n IN THE SKY\r\n TURBOPROPS SHRIEKING, the Foxtrot ROCKETS out of a cloud\r\n bank at unbelievable speed, leveling off above the racing ocean.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, Amalric nudges his computer, punching up one\r\n program after another:\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n Vector to the drop paint. Zero-\r\n nine-five. Eighteen males.\r\n\r\n IN THE COCKPIT\r\n of the Foxtrot, the pilot steers the vector. Beside him, the copilot\r\n talks into a phone:\r\n\r\n COPILOT\r\n Red Fleet Command, this is Bear Foxtrot\r\n two-eight-four. We have contact\r\n evaluated as Red October. Request\r\n conformation to attack?\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Captain, orders to attack are confirmed.\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n Arm. the weapons.\r\n The copilot starts flipping more toggle switches.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, Amalric concentrates on the shimmering display:\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n Vector zero-nine-six, ten mZ 7es.\r\n Two minutes to the drop paint.\r\n\r\n IN THE COCKPIT\r\n of the Foxtxvt, still pushing toggle SWITCHES, the copilot checks a\r\n fire control monitor, glancing at the pilot:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -56-\r\n\r\n COPILOT\r\n Weapons are armed. All pre-launch\r\n check is satsfactcry.\r\n\r\n IN THE SKY\r\n the Foxtrot chews up the afternoon, a deadly projectile hell bent on\r\n destruction. Below, the ocean streaks by.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, preparing to launch his localization pattern, Amalric\r\n presses a button on his fire control console:\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n Buoys are away. Recommend standard\r\n turn to the right.\r\n\r\n IN THE SKY\r\n four sonar buoys exit the belly of the Foxtrot. Trailing parachutes,\r\n they splash into the ice-cold sea.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n in Red October's Conn, talking in hushed tones with Melekhin and\r\n Borodin. Oblivious to their conversation, the crew moves about in\r\n the background.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n What do you mean, â you stall, don't know?\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n Captain, I need -\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n Dammit, Alex. If we run any longer on\r\n normal power, weft have the w-hole -\r\n\r\n T BILISI (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Captain, sonar! We have just been\r\n overflown by a low altitude multi-\r\n engine turboprop!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (GRABBING MIKE)\r\n Put it on audio.\r\n SONAR on AUDIO. Ramius glances at Borodin. Ashen, Borodin\r\n puts down a clipboard. At his quartermaster station, Stadnyuk\r\n upends, a mess of pencils.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n TBILISI (V O )\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Several short transients are close aboard.\r\n Could be water entry of small objects!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n All stop!\r\n\r\n (TO MELEKHIN)\r\n We have just run out of time, Comrade.\r\n Get us out of this mess. And hurry!\r\n\r\n (MELEKHIN SPLITS)\r\n Quartermaster, sounding?\r\n\r\n (NO ANSWER)\r\n Dammit, Ivan. Give me a sounding!\r\n\r\n STADNYUK\r\n\r\n (STAMMERING)\r\n There are five hundred meters under\r\n the keel..\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (INTO MIKE)\r\n Torpedo room, this is the Captain.\r\n Prepare to launch a counter-measure.\r\n Ramins and Borodin exchange glances. At his quartermaster station,\r\n Stadnyuk is paralyzed with fear.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, Amalrioa wipes his brow, continuing to work his\r\n\r\n COMPUTER:\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n I have a confirmed and localized target.\r\n I am ready to shift aircraft control to\r\n computer for weapons firing.\r\n\r\n IN THE COCKPIT\r\n Of the Foxtrot, the copilot runs a final check. Adjusting his\r\n headset, the pilbt answers Amalric:\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n You have permission to shift aircraft\r\n control.\r\n\r\n (TO COPILOT)\r\n Ask God for forgiveness, Comrade.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, Ama1ric enters a program on his keyboard. Watching\r\n it lock in, he announces:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n Computer is now in control, of aircraft.\r\n\r\n IN THE SKY\r\n the Foxtrot levels off. Bomb bay doors inch open, revealing a\r\n torpedo, sixteen inches in diameter and eight feet long. As the\r\n plane's nose dips, the torpedo relaasee.\r\n parachute opening behind, a thousand pounds of doomsday device\r\n dive earthward at dizzying speed, splashing into choppy sea.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, Ramius listens to SONAR on AUDIO. Faint PINGS\r\n appear, growing inexorably LOUDER, more FREQUENT, the\r\n submariner's worst nightmare:\r\n\r\n TBILISI (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n High speed screw l Torpedo in the water!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (INTO MIKE)\r\n Torpedo room, this is the Captain.\r\n Launch counter-measure.\r\n The Conn SHUDDERS. Metal GRINDS. Within moments, a second\r\n PINGING Is added to that of the TORPEDO on AUDIO.\r\n\r\n TORPEDO ROOM (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKER)\r\n Captain, this is the torpedo room.\r\n Counter-measure has been launched.\r\n\r\n IN THE WATER\r\n outskle Red October. The counter-measure, a device similar to a\r\n torpedo, designed to confuse acoustic homing mechanisms, spins\r\n away Pram Red October on high-speed screws.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, torpedo and counter-measure PING LOUDLY on ship's\r\n SPEAKERS. Cool as ice, Ramius turns to Kamarov, at dive control:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Bottom the ship.\r\n\r\n STADNYUK\r\n Wait!\r\n Leaving his quartermaster's station, Stadnyuk stands on shaky legs\r\n between Ramius and Kamarov:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -59-\r\n\r\n STADNYUK (CONT'D)\r\n The bottom is five hundred meters\r\n down. We9l be crushed!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n You're relieved of your duties, Ivan!\r\n Return to your quarters.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Now!\r\n Amplified PINGS. Torpedo's getting CLOSER. The counter-measure\r\n is MOVING AWAY. Waiting until. Stadnyuk has gone, Ramius turns\r\n to the Kamarov:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n Bottom the damn ship!\r\n\r\n IN THE WATER\r\n Tanks flooding, Red October dives into the abyss.. Beyond, in the\r\n clammering dark, the torpedo hurtles relentlessly forward, death on\r\n wheels.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, Amalrk listens to the torpedo:\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (ON HEADSET)\r\n Weapon has locked onto target and\r\n is homing.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER:.\r\n in the Conn, men bang on. Everything is at a forty-five degree\r\n down angle. Kamarov watches a depth gauge plummet.\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Four hundred meters.\r\n Bulkheads CRACK under tons of pressure. Torpedo and counter-\r\n measure'. PING on AUDIO.\r\n Red October dives under the torpedo. it misses the safl by inches.\r\n Lacking a target, it automatically initiates a wide turn to the left.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot,. Amaltic reports the torpedo's progress, vaice f lat:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -60-\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n Torpedo has lost contact.\r\n\r\n (LISTENING)\r\n Searching.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, men hang on as the ship dives deeper. Kamarov\r\n watches the depth gauge creep into a red zone. Torpedo PINGS are\r\n farther APART, Less FREQUENT.\r\n\r\n TBIISSI (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Torpedo has passed over us. It's\r\n hunting for a target.\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n\r\n (READING)\r\n Four hundred fifty meters. Estimate\r\n bottom at five hundred meters.\r\n AIL eyes are fixed on the depth gauge. Bulkheads POP. A\r\n saltwater relief valve EXPLODES. BLASTED in the fame with\r\n WATER, a HELMSMAN leaps to his feet, SCREAMING:\r\n\r\n HELMSMAN\r\n We're flooding!\r\n Expressinnless, Kamarov slams him back to his chair and shuts down\r\n the relief valve. The spray stops:\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Keep your teeth on the shelf, boy.\r\n Nobody's flooding.\r\n\r\n (READING)\r\n Passing four hundred seventy-fve\r\n meters. Estimate bottoming in\r\n twenty-five meters.\r\n\r\n WATER\r\n the Red October hits bottom, kicking up sand and sit, bulkheads\r\n fragile as eggshells.\r\n\r\n IN THE FUSELAGE\r\n of the Foxtrot, Amalric strains to hear on his headset. Suddenly,\r\n .his eyes light up:\r\n\r\n AMALRIC\r\n\r\n (INTO HEADSET)\r\n Weapon has reacquired. Homing againi\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, BULKHEADS GROAN. On the audio, torpedo and\r\n counter-measure PINGS fall into SYNC:\r\n\r\n TBIIISI (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKER)\r\n Captain, the torpedo is homing on\r\n our counter-measure!\r\n PINGS begin a weird contrapuntal DANCE, ultimately becoming\r\n\r\n SIMULTANEOUS.\r\n\r\n IN THE WATER\r\n two thousand meters from Red October, the torpedo EXPLODES.\r\n TONS'Of WATER are DISPLACED.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, CONCUSSIONS rock the HULL. Sailors cling to the\r\n bulkhead. Equipment CRASHES to the FLOOR. Dust falls from the\r\n ding,.\r\n Lights FLICKER. On the deck, face strobing In the blinking light,\r\n Ramius looks unearthly. The helmsman, water dripping from his\r\n clothes, WHISPERS:\r\n\r\n HELMSMAN\r\n Captain, who's shooting at us?\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Easy, boy.\r\n Borodin COUGHS. Confused, the crew watch their Captain. Lights\r\n stay on. Concussions die down. Ships speakers CRACKLE:\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Captain, the caterpa`llar is fixed.\r\n silent drive is operational.\r\n Jarred from his reverie, Ramius opens the intercom, speaking to the\r\n\r\n ENTIRE SHIP:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n This Is the Captain. The explosion\r\n you Just heard was the first operational\r\n test of a new counter-measure. The\r\n torpedo was launched by our friends\r\n in Soviet aviation.\r\n Borodin stares at Ramius:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n Until now, orders required that I keep\r\n this aspect of our mission secret so\r\n that you might be evaluated under\r\n simulated battle conditions.\r\n\r\n (TO KAMAROV)\r\n Pump us off the bottom and engage the\r\n c�taerpa'T]ar.\r\n Nobody moves. Ramius is indomitable:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n Diving officer, bring the ship to\r\n one hundred meters.\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n\r\n (TO PLANESMAN)\r\n Pump auxiliaries to sea. Twenty\r\n thousand pounds.\r\n\r\n (NO RESPONSE)\r\n Now!\r\n Galvanized, the planesman makes preparations to raise the ship.\r\n Ramius stares at Borodin. Things are getting ragged.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS, MELEKHIN AND BORODIN\r\n in a cramped tunnel beneath Red October's engineering compartment.\r\n Melekhin is holding a steel. pipe. Above, a piece of rope dangles\r\n from some gears. A slipknot has been tied on the loose end.\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n Someone rigged the pipe so that when\r\n we took a down angle it would fall\r\n into the gears.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n No doubt about it. And whoever it\r\n was knew exactly how to cripple the\r\n caterpillar in a way not easy to find.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I st]]. don't know if there's any react=\r\n damage. I9]. have to take a sample of\r\n the axilant. - We are dealing with no\r\n ordinary sailor.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n (to Bo=odin)\r\n We21. have to find a way to get the crew\r\n off this ship, now. We are in danger\r\n every second they are aboard.\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n But, Captain. There's over a hundred\r\n of them.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n brushing his teeth in the head adjacent to his stateroom on the\r\n Kennedy. Through an open door, his unmade bunk. Catching sight\r\n of himself in the mirror:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n We'd have to get rid of the crew.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n How do you get the crew off a nuclear\r\n submarine?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n in the Dalla' sonar shack, working furiously with his equipment.\r\n Beaumont watches. The COB's behind him. TRANSIENT ocean\r\n NOISE on SPEAKERS. Over the INTERCOM:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO (OS)\r\n Sonar, Conn. Anything yet, Tonesy?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (INTO INTERCOM )\r\n Conn, sonar. Negative, Captain.\r\n\r\n COB\r\n Where is your phantom Russian sub,\r\n Jonesy? According to your calcuiat£ons\r\n we ' should have picked him up hours ago.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n He's close. I can feel it.\r\n\r\n COB\r\n Close don't count in anything but horseshoes\r\n and hand grenades.\r\n Beaumont CHORTLES. Jones glances at him:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Don't encourage the man, seaman Beaumont.\r\n He's very old.\r\n\r\n COB-\r\n The hell, you say.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n You're an old man, COB. Way over the\r\n ham. Your trout is so wrinkled it's\r\n about to faU off.\r\n\r\n COB\r\n Screw you.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Speaking of which, what happened to that\r\n Hustler Magazine that was in the head?\r\n\r\n COB\r\n\r\n (BLANCHING)\r\n Don't start on that crap.\r\n Beaumont grins. The C O 8 and Jones are everything he hoped the\r\n Navy would be:\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n\r\n (M AY)\r\n What Hustler magazine?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n For many months, seaman Beaumont,\r\n there was a Hustler magazine located\r\n in the crew's head. it was community\r\n property.\r\n\r\n (WORKING SONAR)\r\n Then one day, it disappeared. The\r\n ..COB. here was the last person seen\r\n entering the head before it vanished.\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n Where'd it' go?\r\n\r\n COB\r\n\r\n (SQUIRMING)\r\n Come on, Jonesy.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n I have a theory, seaman Beaumont.\r\n I believe the CO B Is like a black\r\n widow, spider. After he has sex\r\n with a magazine, he eats it.\r\n Beaumont HOWLS. The COB turns pink.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -65-\r\n\r\n COS\r\n Goddam you, Jonesy --\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (RAISING HIS\r\n\r\n HAND)\r\n Wait!\r\n Jones the tunes a dial. In the distance, barely di i nguishahle\r\n through transient NOISE, the sound of RUSTLING WATER followed\r\n by a fleeting HUM.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n Leaning over a status board in the Combat Information Center on the\r\n Kennedy. Replete with lights, the status board reveals details of\r\n force deployment. Ryan enters, carrying copse:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Morning, Admiral.\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n Sleep well?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Like the dead.\r\n (re: status board)\r\n Our friends have been busy.\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n During the night, they positioned most\r\n of their front line submarines at barrier\r\n stations between Greenland and Iceland.\r\n Here, here and here.\r\n\r\n (PIG)\r\n The majority of their Northern Fleet\r\n surface vessels are moving in a line\r\n abreast through here.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n It's an old anti submaxlne tactic. Like\r\n beaters in the jungle making a lot of\r\n noise, driving the prey into the guns\r\n of waiting hunters.\r\n\r\n (PIG)\r\n One of our submarines, the Da71as, reports\r\n intermittent contact with Red October and\r\n is positioned here at the bottom of Red\r\n Route One. With luck, the Dallas will\r\n inte pt her.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Could you get me aboard the Dallas?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -66-\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n We could fly you out there in a helicopter.\r\n But I don't think you'd like that much.\r\n\r\n RYAN-\r\n\r\n (ASHEN)\r\n No other way?\r\n\r\n PAINTER\r\n That's all there is, I'm afraid.\r\n Putting down his coffee cup, Ryan stares at the status board. A\r\n sal]ci r arrives with a message. Reading it, Painter glances at Ryan:\r\n\r\n PAINTER (CONT'D)\r\n DaIlas found Red October and is\r\n backing her now.\r\n Locking eyes with Painter, Ryan grits his teeth.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (FLY)\r\n Memos. From now on nothing but memos.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n at tire control in the Dallas' Conn. Thompson's on the deck.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n\r\n (TO MANCUSO)\r\n Captain, we're about a thousand yards\r\n on Red October's port quarter. She's\r\n tracking on course two-one-zero, eight\r\n knots.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Jones -'studies his w tern - The COB stands behind him. Beaumont\r\n watches. A]l kidding has stopped. This is strictly business:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (ON MIKE)\r\n Conn, sonar. Signal to noise ratio\r\n is dropping.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Possib3e aspect change on Sierra\r\n thirty-five, Red October.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n at fire control, Mancuso is suddenly alert.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Sonar, Conn, aye.\r\n\r\n FIRE CONTROL\r\n Concur, possible zig. Bearing rate\r\n increasing to the right.\r\n\r\n IN SONAR\r\n Jones studies his equipment. Beaumont wonders what's going on.\r\n Suddenly, Jones barks:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (INTO MIKE)\r\n Conn, sonar. Crazy Ivan!\r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n like a cat, Mancuso moves onto the deck behind Thompson, eyes\r\n\r\n BLAMING:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (TO THOMPSON)\r\n All stop i Come left and stay in his\r\n baffles.\r\n\r\n (F IG)\r\n Rig for quiet running. All compartments\r\n eliminate noise evolutions.\r\n\r\n IN SONAR\r\n the COB and Jones ft+eeze. Everything's super-quiet. Beaumont\r\n\r\n WHISPERS:\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n What! s ' going on, Jonesy?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (WHISPERING)\r\n The Soviet Captain has a blind spot\r\n astern in his baffles and he's turning\r\n suddenly to see if he can catch us\r\n there. It's a trick the Soviets use\r\n called a crazy Ivan turn.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Your average skipper might get caught\r\n with his pants down. Not Mancuso.\r\n We stop all engines and turn with him.\r\n Staying in his baffles. Quiet as a mouse.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Beaumont frowns. Seconds pass. Working his equipment, Jones\r\n WHISPERS into his MIKE:\r\n\r\n JONES (CONT'D)\r\n Conn, sonar. Red October is coming\r\n left. My read is he's returning to\r\n base course.\r\n\r\n (GIG AT\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT)\r\n Skipper got him. The Russian hasn't\r\n got a clue.\r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n On the deck, Mancuso glances at fire control.\r\n\r\n FIRE CONTROL\r\n Bearing rate has steadied. He's\r\n returning to course two-one-zero.\r\n\r\n MAN CUSO\r\n Very well. Secure from quiet running.\r\n RADIOMAN enters.\r\n\r\n RADIOMAN\r\n\r\n (TO MANCUSO)\r\n Just decrypted this message from\r\n Fleet Command, sir.\r\n Opening the message, Mancuso scans it:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Damn!\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n What?\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n !re not gonna believe this.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n THUNDERING ROTORS\r\n on a SH-3 on the Kennedy's flight deck. Ryan and Davenport move\r\n to the waiting chopper. Davenport SHOUTS:\r\n\r\n DAVENPORT\r\n The Dallas picked up Red October and\r\n is tracking her again. The Admiral\r\n issued orders for her to fall back and\r\n pick you up.\r\n Davenport takes Ryan's arm.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DAVENPORT (CONT'D)\r\n Ryan, listen to me. Getting someone\r\n on a sub is a nightmare. The Admiral\r\n told me what happened to you in the\r\n Mediterranean. The next hour could\r\n be very rough.\r\n Ryan ftroes a grin. A sax7or helps him into the helicopter.\r\n Davenport steps back. ROTORS ACCELERATE.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n JEFF PELT\r\n in his chair in his office in the Executive Office Building. Sitting\r\n on the couch in precisely the same position as when they last talked,\r\n Ambassador Lysenko wipes his brow:\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n The weather in Washington is so\r\n unpredictable, don't you think?\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n How can I help you, Ambassador?\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n I'm afraid there's been a pew\r\n development.\r\n\r\n (PAUSE)\r\n Apparently, the initial reports that\r\n one of our submarines was missing were\r\n not completely accurate.\r\n\r\n (PELT IS\r\n silent),\r\n The. submarine in question, Red October,\r\n is commanded' by a Captain Marko Ramius\r\n Apparently r he has suffered some kind\r\n of a nervous breakdown...\r\n\r\n (SWEATING)\r\n He -posted a letter just before he\r\n announcing his intentions to\r\n fire his mis' it at the United Stat s.\r\n Pelt stares at Lysenko. Lysenko shifts his weight. _ The Russian\r\n finds Pelt's steadyâ¢.gaze unnerving:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n Why didn't you tell me this the last\r\n time we met?\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n In my position, I'm sometimes compromised\r\n by the fact that Moscow doesn't tea me\r\n everything.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n PELT\r\n So one of your submarine captains has\r\n gone insane?\r\n\r\n (LYSENKO NODS)\r\n What is it you want from us?\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n The other day you offered your assistance\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n The other day it was a rescue mission.\r\n You want us to help you hunt Ramius\r\n down and kill. him?\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n Because American lives are at stake,\r\n I've been instructed to ask your\r\n President for precisely that.\r\n\r\n (SWALLOWING)\r\n Since you were so adamant about the\r\n consequences of confusion, I thought\r\n we might ask him together.\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n I understand.\r\n Pelt picks up the phone.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n BROKEN SUNSHINE\r\n dappling a choppy sea. Ice-cold WIND whips whitecapped waves and\r\n lashes the horizon. The helicopter with Ryan aboard circles into\r\n view.\r\n\r\n IN THE CHOPPER\r\n HOWLING. NOISE. PILOT and COPILOT navigate tricky winds.. TWO\r\n SAILORS crouch by an open door, checking a harness on Ryan.\r\n Tuiindng to the pi ot, the copilot BELLOWS:\r\n\r\n COPILOT\r\n no contact with the Da'Ha!\r\n\r\n # (READING GAUGE)\r\n Fuel capacity is in the red!\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n We can't wait any Unger!\r\n\r\n COPILOT\r\n Hang on. I have contact!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n OK. Tell them to surface.\r\n\r\n (RE: RYAN)\r\n Hook him up! But hurry, we don't\r\n have much fuel left!\r\n Sai],or threads cable through a winch by the door. Ryan's white as\r\n a ghost. NOISE Is DEAFENING. Another sa�ar belts a harness to\r\n Ryan's back.\r\n Ryan peers down. Wind from the rotors crushes the waves.\r\n Between his feet, Ryan can see the small white wake from a\r\n periscope.\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n in the Conn, Mancuso spins the scope. Thompson watches him.\r\n Both he and Mancuso wear life jackets:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Whoever this guy is, he's in far one\r\n hell of a ride.\r\n\r\n ( NG)\r\n Officer of the deck. Surface the ship.\r\n A flurry of activity in the Conn. The Dallas prepares to surface.\r\n Mancuso and Thompson move to a hatch by the helm.\r\n\r\n IN THE CHOPPER\r\n the saftors i nish strapping Ryan into the sling. One of them leans\r\n forward, painting to a ]ever on Ryan's chest, SHOUTING:\r\n\r\n SAILOR\r\n Pull this to release!\r\n Fighting. panic, Ryan glances down. A mitlion miles below, the sea\r\n bans- mine-grey.\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n sail in the Conn work like lightning in cramped quarters. A\r\n petty afâ¬'lcer straps Mancuso and Thompson into harnesses.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n You got a man dangling at the end of\r\n a line with no paint of reference and\r\n helicopter rotors generating enough\r\n static electak ty that we have to\r\n ground him or it! l be like grabbing\r\n a hot wire and if he falls in the water\r\n the only way to get him out is with divers\r\n 'cause most of the ship's underwater.\r\n\r\n (PAUSE)\r\n Fun?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n\r\n (G NING)\r\n Why I joined the Navy.\r\n A sager hands Mancuso a phone for the bridge.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON (CONT'D)\r\n I put Jonesy in the forward escape\r\n hatch in case he goes in the drink.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Good. We got no idea who this guy\r\n is or why the Navy wants his on\r\n our boat so bad.\r\n\r\n IN THE CHOPPER\r\n Teeth chattering, sta:ugg g with deja vu, Ryan is transfixed by, the\r\n sub-zero ocean. HOWLING WIND and CRASHING ROTORS. Eyes\r\n wide, he watches\r\n\r\n THE DALLAS RISE\r\n First the sail, then the foredeck EXPLODE high into the air, finally\r\n CRASHING back to the WATER.\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n The COB helps Jones climb into an escape trunk aft of the sail. It's\r\n cramped and brightly lit. Jones checks his equipment.\r\n\r\n IN THE CHOPPER\r\n Ryan watches Mancuso and Thompson climb out of the sail onto the\r\n lurching bridge.The sailer leans close, HOLLERING:\r\n\r\n SAILOR\r\n Hang on!\r\n He trips a laver on the winch. Cable feeds out a few feet Holding\r\n his breath, Ryan inches into the abyss.\r\n\r\n ON THE BRIDGE\r\n Mancuso lays binoculars on Ryan. Thompson ties both of them to\r\n the sail The sub pitches and rolls. Forward and aft are buried\r\n beneath waves.\r\n Fingers freezing, Thompson clamps one end of a jumper cable to a\r\n metal lip on the bridge to ground the sub against static generated\r\n by the helicopter's rut\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n IN THE AIR\r\n savage WINDS from the chopper's ROTORS start spinning Ryan like\r\n a top. Desperately, he trams to control the dizzying motion.\r\n Above, caught in an unexpected wind sheer, the chopper plummets\r\n seaward. Ryan's line goes slack. Angry sea rushes up at him with\r\n blistering speed.\r\n\r\n IN THE CHOPPER\r\n the pilot struggles for control. Behind him, loose equipment SLAMS\r\n into the WINCH, JAMMING the CABLE. CURSING, the pilot regains\r\n control. The chopper stabilizes.\r\n\r\n IN THE AIR\r\n CRACKING like a WHIP, the CABLE goes TAUT. Ryan feels like\r\n he's been hit with a sledgehammer. Unable to breathe, he RIPS off\r\n his HELMET.\r\n A rock in a sling, he tries to get his bearings. Everything's grey.\r\n Above, the chopper's rotors CHEW the SKY. Help] s, Ryan starts\r\n swinging like a pendulum.\r\n\r\n ON THE BRIDGE\r\n Mancuso and Thompson watch Ryan rocket by at Mach 10. A huge\r\n arc carries him way out over the angry sea. Slowing down, Ryan\r\n starts to spin again.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (SCREAMING)\r\n See if you can get a ground on his line.\r\n I'm gonna try and catch the bastard!\r\n Way out on the horizon, Ryan reaches the end of his arc and starts\r\n a comet-like ride back at the ship.\r\n\r\n IN THE CROPPER\r\n the pilot FEATHERS. CONTROLS trying to reduce Ryan's\r\n mind-boggling-ride. over his shoulder, he BELLOWS:\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n Reel him back in!\r\n\r\n SAILOR\r\n\r\n (TRYING)\r\n The cable's jammed!\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n If they don't pick him up this time,\r\n we have to cut him Ioxe!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n The sailor keeps trying to rewind the cable. No go. sweating, he\r\n wraps gloved fingers around the emergency release on the drum.\r\n\r\n IN THE AIR\r\n Ryan watches the Dallas' saw rush at him with unbelievable speed, a\r\n towering black monolith on an ubiquitous canvas of grey.\r\n\r\n ON THE BRIDGE\r\n Thompson readies the ground, holding one end in the air. A wave\r\n BLASTS the DALLAS.\r\n\r\n THE GROUNDING CABLE\r\n rips free of the bridge. Surprised, Thompson goes overboard.\r\n Caught in his harness, he dangles helplessly above the water.\r\n Mancuso and Ryan reach for each other as Ryan hurtles at the\r\n bridge. All hell breaks loose:\r\n\r\n A BOLT OF ELECTRICITY\r\n arcs between their oohed hands. BLITZED, Mancuso is\r\n KNOCKED hard to his KNEES.\r\n\r\n IN THE CHOPPER,\r\n the sailor pulls. the release lever, CUTTING the cable. it SLAMS\r\n back inside like a two ton rubber band.\r\n\r\n IN THE AIR\r\n unhooked, Ryan sling-shots fifty yards over the pitching bow of the\r\n Dalyas, disappearing beneath the ice-cold water.\r\n\r\n UNDER THE. WATER\r\n Bubbles trailing from his mouth, Ryan struggles to free himself from\r\n the harness.\r\n\r\n ON THE BRIDGE\r\n a vision of hell, hair blowing in all diYectlons, Mancuso eyeballs the\r\n spot where Ryan went down, SCREAMING:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n Man overboard!\r\n Thompson drags himself back onto the bridge.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n IN THE ESCAPE TRUNK\r\n Jones hears Mancuso's voice BOOMING over SPEAKERS:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Man overboard! Twenty yards off\r\n the starboard bow!\r\n The COB SLAMS the HATCH, turning the trunk into an iron tomb.\r\n Jones pulls a mask over his eyes, activates his oxygen and drags\r\n open the exterior hatch.\r\n\r\n SEA WATER THUNDERS\r\n in, submerging him in Icy stillness. Securing a line to the\r\n bulkhead, Jones swims out into the swirling brine.\r\n\r\n IN THE AIR\r\n the chopper banks hard to the left, climbs Into the mist and starts\r\n circling the Dams.\r\n\r\n IN THE WATER\r\n free of the harness, Ryan bobs like a cork in the waves. Fifty\r\n yards away, the keeness sub p bahes violently.\r\n\r\n A ' DIVER\r\n surfaces next to Ryan. Removing his mouthpiece, Jones BELLOWS\r\n over the CRASHING SEA:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Are. you injured!?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n I'm gonna take you in through an\r\n escape trunk!\r\n Jones hooks Ryan to the line. Salt stings Ryan's eyes. His,\r\n breathing's ragged.\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n BEDLAM in the CONN. STACCATO orders. Mancuso helps\r\n Thompson through the hatch. Hell on wheels, Mancuso disappears\r\n down a passageway.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n IN THE WATER\r\n Jones and Ryan ride waves by the curved hull. of the ship. Jones\r\n offers Ryan his mouthpiece.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Wait a minute!\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Listen, you son-af-a-bit h. I'm only\r\n gonna tell you once. Stick this fucking\r\n thing in your mouth and breathe!\r\n Ryan takes the mouthpiece, inhaling and exhaling rapidly. The\r\n helicopter circles above. Jones drags Ryan\r\n\r\n UNDER THE WATER\r\n into bruised silence. Pulling themselves downward along the Dalla\r\n rolling hull, Ryan and Jones share oxygen.\r\n\r\n IN THE ESCAPE TRUNK\r\n Ryan and Jones pull themselves inside. Blazing light ignites a fire\r\n storm of one-caned organisms. Eyes wide, Ryan watches Jones c3 se\r\n the hatch.\r\n Jones starts draining the trunk. Everything slows down. Echoes\r\n REVERBERATE. The water level in the trunk drops and the\r\n\r\n SHRIEK OF PRESSURIZED AIR\r\n ASSAULTS Ryan's EARDRUMS. Hurling the mouthpiece. away, he\r\n gulps air in the rapidly draining trunk like a banked trout.\r\n\r\n IN THE HALLWAY\r\n outside the trunk, Mancuso and crew open the hatch. Tumbling\r\n out, Ryan stands; on shaky legs, excited, babbling:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Jesus Christ! I cant believe it!\r\n Jesus Christ --»\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Take it easy --\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n When I hit the water, it was like Ice.\r\n I thought I was going to freeze --\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Slow down. You're hypervent it sting.\r\n\r\n (RYAN BLINKS)\r\n Now, who are you?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (DISORIENTED)\r\n Sorry. I'm Jack Ryan. Are you\r\n Captain Mancuso?\r\n Mancuso nods. The radioman appears with another message.\r\n Mancuso rips it open and starts reading it. Ryan rockets into\r\n\r\n PRESENT TIME:\r\n\r\n RYAN (CONT'D)\r\n Captain, we have to find the Red October.\r\n She's a Russian --\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (READING)\r\n I already found him, Ryan. Then I\r\n was ordered to pick you up.\r\n\r\n RYAN -\r\n\r\n (QUIC)DY)\r\n We have to find him again. The\r\n Captain is going to defect and -\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n What the hell are you yammering about?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n I have to talk to -\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Mr. Thompson. Get this man some\r\n dry clothes and coffee.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n BUT CAPTAIN\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n I'Il be in the Conn.\r\n\r\n JUMP CUT TO:\r\n at the entrance of the sonar shack, fifteen minutes later. Behind\r\n him, in the Conn, the crew is preparing to man battle stations.\r\n Jones has returned to sonar.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (TO JONES)\r\n Any sign that he's alerted to our\r\n presence?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n No, sir, captain. operating as before.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Ryan appears in dry clothes. Mancuso ignores him. The of5cer of\r\n the deck turns to Mancuso:\r\n\r\n OOD\r\n Captain. Battle stations are manned.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Very well.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n What do you mean battle stations?\r\n\r\n (URGENTLY)\r\n Look, I've been authorized by the\r\n President of the United States to\r\n talk to the Captain of Red October.\r\n Mancuso takes the last message from his pocket:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n And I have been ordered to blow him\r\n out of the water if he stays on a\r\n course to the United States or\r\n demonstrates any hostile intentions.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (STUNNED)\r\n I don't understand.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (RE: MESSAGE)\r\n According to this he's gone bughouse\r\n and intends to fire his missiles. So\r\n much f= your defection theory.\r\n Mancuso hands Ryan the message.. Ryan stares at. it. Mancuso\r\n turns back to the officer of the deck:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO (CONT'D)\r\n Officer of the deck. Make,\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Wail!\r\n\r\n (RE: MESSAGE)\r\n Think about this a second. Naturally\r\n the Soviets would tall us he is insane.\r\n They want us to sink him before he has\r\n an opportunity to defect.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (TO MANCUSO)\r\n Captain, crazy Ivan.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n All. stop i Come left and stay in his\r\n baffles. Rig for quiet running.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n The officer of the deck repeats Mancuso's orders. Mancuso and\r\n Ryan are eyeball-etc-eyeball.. Ryan whispers:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Listen to me, Captain. There must\r\n be some way you can establish contact\r\n without violating your orders. I'm\r\n telling you, he wants to defect.\r\n\r\n (MANCUSO FROWNS)\r\n If there's ever going to be peace in\r\n the world somebody has to take a risk.\r\n Give the man a chance. He's defecting.\r\n I know it.\r\n\r\n (MANCUSO HESITATES)\r\n Please.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n (after a beat)\r\n AIL back two-thirds.\r\n Nobody moves. Jones glances at Mancuso. Mancuso stares at Ryan\r\n The ofSt r of the deck's e d\r\n\r\n OOD\r\n Sorry, sir. Would you repeat --\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n I said, aill back two-thirds!\r\n\r\n HELMSMAN\r\n Helm answers. AIL back two-thirds.\r\n Hell RINGS. Ship SHUDDERS. Ryan's ears pop. Jones glares at\r\n\r\n MANCUSO:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n AIL shop!\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n OK, Ryan. We just unzipped our fly.\r\n Now if he so much as twitches, I\"m..\r\n gonna blow the bastard to Mars.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n in the Conn on Red October, surrounded by activity. Urgently, he\r\n speaks into a mike:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n _E0-\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Sonar, this is Ramius. Can you\r\n identify the contact?\r\n\r\n TBILISI (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n American Los Angeles class attack\r\n submarine. Bearing zero-ftve-\r\n zero, range three hundred yards.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n in the Dalla' Conn, on the deck. Thompson's at fire control. Ryan\r\n is to Mancuso's left. Crew's at battle stations.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Flood tubes one and two and make\r\n torpedos ready in all. respects.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n WAIT -\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n My orders are specific, Mister.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Tubes one and two flooded and ready in\r\n all respects.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n as before in Red. October's -Conn. The crew has come to battle\r\n stations. Borodin is at fire control..\r\n\r\n TBILISI (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n the American has flooded his\r\n tubes and is preparing to Orel\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO BORODIN)\r\n Prepare tubes three and four and\r\n plot a solution.\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n Shall I flood the tubes?\r\n\r\n (NO ANSWER)\r\n Captain, shall I flood the tubes?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n (after a beat)\r\n No. Lock the (ring solution into\r\n computer. Do not flood the tubes.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n on the DaIIas in the Conn. Eyeing Ryan, Mancuso opens a mike:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n What's he doing, Jonesy? Has he\r\n l f ooded his tubes?\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Negative, Captain. He's just matting\r\n there. Hold on --\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Hull popping. Target's coming shallow.\r\n Mancuso frowns. The crew's a cased spring. Ryan's walking on\r\n\r\n RAZOR BLADES:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n What does it mean?\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n It means, he's a very cool customer,\r\n\r\n YOUR RUS\r\n sian. He knows we're here and\r\n that we are ready to fire. But he's\r\n not going to provoke us. He's heading\r\n to periscope depth to see what's on the\r\n surface.\r\n\r\n (TO THOMPSON)\r\n What's his course, now?\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n\r\n (READING)\r\n Target is on course north.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (TO- HELMSMAN)\r\n Right ten degrees rudder. Steer\r\n course north.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Sonar, Conn. Report all contacts.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Conn, sonar. My only contact is Sierra\r\n thirty-five, Red October. Bearing two-\r\n seven-zero.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Conn, aye. Fire control, range to target?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Range is three hundred yards.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Diving oar make your depth sixty-\r\n f f ve feet.\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n He wants to go up and take a peek,\r\n we'll play along.\r\n\r\n ON THE SURFACE\r\n Grey sky. Frothy sea. Red October's periscope appears. Seconds\r\n later, three hundred yards away, the Dalla' scope breaks the\r\n surface.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n Ramius is glued to the eyepiece of his periscope. He spots the\r\n Dallas' scope in the water. Behind him, sailors are tense, wary.\r\n Uncomfortable, Borodin sweats at fire control.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (ON SCOPE)\r\n Weapons status?\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n Weapons are armed. Tubes one and\r\n two are not ficoded.\r\n\r\n RAMIU S\r\n\r\n (AT SCOPE)\r\n Mark this bearing.\r\n\r\n QUARTERMASTER\r\n Bearing zero-nine-zero.\r\n in the Conn, Mancuso is glued to his scope just like Ramius. Ryan\r\n can hear his heart nq:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n All right, Mr. Ryan. You wanted\r\n to:. talk to him. There he is. What\r\n do you want to say?\r\n Ryan chooses his words carefully. As he does, Mancuso hits a\r\n periscope light in morse:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n American government told you intend\r\n to launch mis. lc s. Do not approach\r\n U.S. coast. Repeat. Do not approach\r\n U.S. coast, or you .w>7 . be attacked.\r\n If you understand, ping once.\r\n\r\n (TO MANCUSO)\r\n He can do that, can't he?\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n He can do that. But is he gonna do\r\n that?\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, Ramius is still at. the scope, watching the light in the\r\n Dalla' periscope. After a moment, he, glances at Borodin:\r\n\r\n RAM=S\r\n Verify the range again.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Ping one time only.\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n in the Conn, Mancuso's at the scope. Ryan is scribbling something\r\n on a pad. Sailors hear a PING. Thompson grins.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n I'D. be dammed.\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n Now what?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (RE: PAD)\r\n Send him this.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (READING)\r\n Are you out of your mind?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Just send it.\r\n\r\n (THINKING)\r\n And ten him to ping again if he agrees.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, Ramius is at the scope, watching the flashing light.\r\n After a second, he steps back, face white. Finally, he turns to\r\n\r\n BORODIN:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Verify the range one more time.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n But Captain, I just --\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Give me a sounding, ' Vasily! Ping\r\n once only.\r\n Borodin goes to work. Ramius stares at Melekhin. Melekhin frowns.\r\n What the hell is happening?\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n in the Conn, Mancuso, Ryan and the crew hear another PING.\r\n Ryan's ecstatic. Mancuso Isn't.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Down scope.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n (to Mancuso,.,\r\n\r\n EXDITD)\r\n I need to look at a nautical chart. Do\r\n you have --\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Ryan, what's going on?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (9 G)\r\n If the Soviets want us to sink Red\r\n October. We just might have to oblige.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n THE DEEP\r\n black as night, reverberating with eerie nightmares. From the\r\n cloying dark, Red October rises, a shimmering phosphorescent giant.\r\n\r\n THE REYKJANES RIDGE\r\n Off the coast of Iceland\r\n Morning of the fourth day\r\n in engineering, Petrov and Melekhin stand at a sink on the reactor\r\n bulkhead. Valves and tubing hang over the sink. Technicians in\r\n the background.\r\n Melekhin's in rubber apron, gloves and plastic face shield. Dressed\r\n identicaMy, Petrov halls a book. Signs on the wall indicate\r\n radiation danger.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n\r\n (READING BOOK)\r\n Shut valve three.\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n Valve three shut.\r\n He shuts a valve with a large wrench. Turning a page, Petrov\r\n\r\n READS:\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n Place flask under valve four and\r\n draw one hundred m peter coolant\r\n sample.\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n Placing flask under valve four. Drawing\r\n sample.\r\n A tiny stream of fluid fa]ls into the flask. Unexpectedly, an ALARM\r\n GOES OFF. Technicians freeze.\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n Shut the valve and secure the sink!\r\n Melekhin shuts the, valve. Petrov stares at the alarm. Below it, a\r\n meter is flashing red:\r\n\r\n PETROV (CONT'D)\r\n Seal that sample in a plastic bag and\r\n take it to the lab. I'I1 get the Captain!\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS AND BORODIN\r\n drinking tea and munching black bread in Red October's wardroom.\r\n Nobody else around. Borodin smiles at Ramius fondly:\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n Do you think they will let me live in\r\n Montana?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n I think they w91 let you live wherever\r\n you want, my find.\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n Good. Then I will raise rabbits in\r\n Montana and marry a round American\r\n\r\n I\r\n woman who will cook them for me.\r\n\r\n (SMILING)\r\n And she will have friends who are\r\n Indians and we wiin ride horses on\r\n Sunday.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Ramius laughs. Petrov barges in, talking as he enters:\r\n\r\n PET RO V\r\n Captain, there are high Esâºsion product\r\n levels in the primary coolant!\r\n\r\n (BABBLING)\r\n I knew we should have checked the\r\n reactor before we started it. When\r\n the caterpillar broke down the vare\r\n must have been damaged!\r\n\r\n RANIUS\r\n Keep your vcadoe down, Doctor. There\r\n are several explanations -\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n Listen to me. Radioactive fuel is in\r\n the water. If it gets into our air,\r\n it could ' loll us all!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n I said, keep your voice down. The\r\n\r\n CREW -\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n\r\n (SHRILL)\r\n I will not! We have a level four\r\n radiation leak. And if something\r\n isn't done, we're all going to die! -\r\n Ramius stands. Suddenly, Petrov remembers where he is. Ramius'\r\n eyes are bullet holes. Wilting,, Petrov stammers:\r\n\r\n PETROV (CONT'D)\r\n Forgive me, Captain. But -\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n it's probably a piece of corrosion in\r\n the pipes. That happens. Now let's\r\n take' another sample. But quietly.\r\n We don't want to panic the crew.\r\n\r\n JUMP CUT TO:\r\n\r\n ENGINEERING\r\n minutes later. Melekhin and Petrov prepare to draw another sample\r\n at the sink. Ramius stands behind them. Technicians to the rear.\r\n Melekhin struggles with the valve:\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n I may have shut it too hard.\r\n Grabbing the wrench, Ramius leans his weight on it. Suddenly, the\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -87-\r\n valve CRACKS. HOT water SPRAYS Ramius in the FACE. Melekhin\r\n\r\n FREAKS:\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN (CONT'D)\r\n Secure the valve before the water\r\n turns to steam !\r\n Desperately, Ramius tries to plug the hole. The VALVE BREAKS.\r\n BOILING WATER pours out, turning to STEAM, SPLATTERING\r\n Melekhin. ALARMS GO OFF. Ramius BELLOWS:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Evacuate the compartment-'\r\n Technicians scramble for the door. Searing hot steam chokes the\r\n compartment. Melekhin SCREAMS:\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN\r\n in try and stop the leak. Everybody\r\n get the hen out of here!\r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n Crew members are panicking. ALARMS are GOING OFF. Dripping\r\n water, Ramius charges in. On the deck, Borodin SHOUTS:\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n\r\n (ON HEADSET)\r\n Captain, radiation alarms are activating\r\n in all compartments. Engineering is\r\n heavily contaminated. Radiation is\r\n spreading forward!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Get us to periscope depth.We ]i ventilate!\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Emergency surface!\r\n While the crew works to get the boat to the surface, Petrov studies\r\n a radiation detector.' it ALARMS. Gauges are in a red zone.\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n\r\n (READING)\r\n Ventilating won't do any good. Ws\r\n getting worse. At these levels it is\r\n only a matter of minutes. We have to\r\n abandon ship!; -\r\n Sailors in the Conn stare at the Captain. Ramins BELLOWS:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO BORODIN)\r\n Alright. Pass word to abandon ship.\r\n Draft a message to Red Fleet Command\r\n telling them our location and situation!\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n\r\n (INTO MIKE)\r\n Stand by to abandon ship! Stand by\r\n to abandon ship! All hands muster on\r\n the miss Bp- deck. Designated personnel\r\n bring lire rafts!\r\n\r\n ON THE SURFACE\r\n Red October rises in angry sea. An emergency door on the sail\r\n opens. Seconds later, a hatch on the missile deck opens also. The\r\n sea RAGES.\r\n Climbing out on the deck, Tblllsi and a half a dozen sailors try to\r\n inflate rafts. Red October PITCHES and ROLLS. Wind HOWLS.\r\n Frurated, Tbilisi SCREAMS into a headset.\r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n through the open emergency door, the sea CRASHES. Frightened to\r\n death, shivering sailors in life preservers line up to leave. Petrov\r\n counts them. Ramius stands by Sorodin.\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n Captain. L,ieubenant Tbi3JsJ reports the\r\n sea state is too rough to launch the rafts'\r\n over the she. The men will be gushed!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n All right. Instruct the crew to secure\r\n the rafts to the deck. When all. personnel\r\n are aboard the rafts, we will scuttle\r\n the ship out from under us!\r\n\r\n ON THE DECK.\r\n Ocean, ROARS. Fighting gale farce WINDS, sailors Me out of the\r\n hatch and tie down the rafts. Around them, the hounds of hell are\r\n loose on the face of the deep.\r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n the last of the crew leaves. Borodin is at the periscope, Kamarov\r\n stands by Ramius. Only offfcers are left.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Captain, Major Tbilisi reports the crew\r\n are secured in rafts and rafts are tied\r\n down. We should join the crew and\r\n scuttle the ship.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO PETROV)\r\n Do you have a count? Have they all\r\n been evacuated?\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n I think so. I --\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n\r\n (ON SCOPE)\r\n Captain! Surface warship. Closing\r\n fast. Zero angle on the bow. Range\r\n nine miles.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (ASHEN)\r\n Can you classify it?\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n U.S. Knox class frigate. She's\r\n flashing light. I']]. read.\r\n\r\n (TRANSLATING)\r\n Red October. Stay where you are.\r\n Do not attempt to submerge or we\r\n will are. Stand by to be boarded.\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n\r\n (SHRIEKING)\r\n What are we going to do?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO PETROV)\r\n There's only one thing we can do. Go\r\n topside and take care of the crew. I\r\n and my officers wall submerge the ship\r\n and take her elsewhere to scuttle. The\r\n Americans must never have this boat!\r\n All Petrov wants do to is get his ass off the boat. At the door,\r\n Ramius stops him:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n Doctor. When you get home. You will.\r\n hear many stories about me and some\r\n are true. But tell them that in the\r\n end I did my duty.\r\n Petrov splits. Borodin slams the hatch behind him and seals it.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -90-\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (TO BORODIN)\r\n Submerge the ship.\r\n\r\n ON THE DECK\r\n the ocean RAGES. Red October sets to submerge. GEYSERS of\r\n WATER and air EXPLODE hundreds of feet in the sky as she dives.\r\n The BLOWBACK is STAGGERING.\r\n Wild-eyed sailors in rubber rafts hang on for their lives. On the\r\n horizon, Petrov spots the American frigate hurtling forward, light\r\n flashing.\r\n A puff of smoke appears, fbnowed by a muted EXPLOSION. The\r\n frigate's FIRING. As the round comes in, there is an\r\n\r\n EARSPLITTING SHRIEK.\r\n A hundred yards beyond Red October's bow, the SEA EXPLODES.\r\n The CONCUSSION and the STORM are mind-bending. Petrov thinks\r\n the world's coming to an end.\r\n In the rafts, men slash at ropes binding them to the deck. One by\r\n one, they drift free of the submerging ship into foaming sea. One\r\n sailor can't cut his rope. His raft's dragged under.\r\n Wind HOWLS. The frigate FIRES AGAIN. Another EARSPLITTING\r\n SHRIEK. Another EXPLOSION. Tons of icy saltwater cascade over\r\n Petxov's head. -\r\n Gulping air, Petrov spots the raft and sail r pop back to the\r\n surface. Red October's sail disappears. Sailors haul freezing men\r\n from raging water. Hell on earth.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n THE FRIGATE\r\n bow slicing through the freezing ocean at flank speed. On the\r\n fantai, a helicopter prepares to take off, ROTORS HOWLING\r\n\r\n IN THE COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER\r\n aboard the frigate, thirty sailors work various consoles replete with\r\n computer terminals, status boards and plotting tables. In the middle\r\n of the compartment\r\n\r\n ISEUTENANT COMMANDER JIM CURRY\r\n thirties, mans the nerve center of the CIC. Curry has immediate\r\n access to both sonar and radio. In the darkness, to his left, TWO\r\n\r\n SHADOWS:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n CURRY\r\n\r\n (INTO MIKE)\r\n Seahawk One. This is Bravo Command.\r\n You are cleared for take off.\r\n\r\n IN THE HELICOPTER\r\n on the fwltml of the frigate, PILOT and copilot are strapped into the\r\n crowded cockpit. Copilot flips a bank of toggle switches above his\r\n head.\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n\r\n (INTO MIKE)\r\n Roger, Bravo Command. Seahawk one\r\n request vector to target Red October.\r\n\r\n (LISTENING)\r\n Copy that. We're on our way.\r\n\r\n IN. THE AIR\r\n the helicopter rises from the fantail of the frigate. In seconds, it\r\n passes over Petrov and his companions floating in rubber rafts in\r\n choppy sea.\r\n\r\n IN °THE HELICOPTER\r\n the pilot glances over his shoulder at a SENSOR OPERATOR working\r\n a computer behind the copilot:\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n Torpedo Inputs?\r\n\r\n SENSOR OPERATOR\r\n Set and veri ed as ordered.\r\n\r\n IN THE WATER\r\n the life rafts converge on the frigate like insects hovering round an\r\n oversized queen. In one of the rafts, Petrov watches as a net is\r\n thrown down at him.\r\n\r\n IN THE HELICOPTER\r\n the p eyeballs the sea as it races by. Speaking into a mike:\r\n\r\n PILOT\r\n Roger that, Bravo One. Five hundred\r\n yards to the drop paint. Torpedo is\r\n armed and ready.\r\n\r\n IN THE CIC\r\n aboard the fcigate, Curry turns to one of the shadows:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n CURRY\r\n Seahawk One reports torpedo armed\r\n and ready to fire. Requests final\r\n authorization to drop.\r\n\r\n IN THE RAFTS\r\n Petrov and the others climb the nets. Halfway up, the doctor stares\r\n back at the helicopter hovering in the distance.\r\n\r\n IN THE AIR\r\n thirty feet above the water, the helicopter releases a torpedo in the\r\n area where Red October went down.\r\n\r\n ON THE FRIGATE\r\n Petrov climbs onto the fantail. U.S. sailors are waiting with coffee\r\n and blankets. Fuming, Petrov confronts an officer:\r\n\r\n PETROV\r\n I protest! What authority do you\r\n have to fire? I protest!\r\n\r\n IN THE CIC\r\n Curry coordinates information. AIL around him, men work intensely.\r\n Curry turns to one of the shadows:\r\n\r\n CURRY\r\n Seahawk One reports torpedo is launched\r\n and running normally at forty knots.\r\n I have it on sonar.\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Four hundred yards from drop paint.\r\n Eight hundred yards. Twelve hundred\r\n yards.\r\n One of the shadows leans forward and presses a button on Curry's\r\n console. The button is marked Command Control Detonate. The\r\n\r\n SHADOW IS\r\n\r\n ADMIRAL GREER\r\n in a white uniform and cap. Beside him, Skip Tyler, leans on his\r\n cane, concentrating on Curry's display.\r\n\r\n IN THE HELICOPTER\r\n Pilot studies the sea. Suddenly, it BULGES. Loud CONCUSSION.\r\n Shock WAVE. A giant mushroom cap rises from the depths as gas\r\n bubbles vent.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ON THE FANTAIL\r\n Petrov watches in horror as a huge concave impression vents below\r\n the helicopter. A huge plume of gas and water erupts skyward.\r\n\r\n IN THE CIC\r\n aboard the frigate, Curry turns to Greer:\r\n\r\n CURRY\r\n Torpedo has detonated.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n And you understand, Lieutenant. I\r\n was never here. That torpedo did not\r\n self-destruct. It hit the target. Right?\r\n\r\n (CURRY NODS)\r\n Now, Contact the Dallas and tell them\r\n to proceed.\r\n Curry nods.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n in the Conn aboard the Dallas with Thompson. Mancuso has a .45 in\r\n a holster on his belt. Thompson reads a message:\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Frigate reports phase one completed,\r\n Captain. We are ordered to proceed.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n OK. Now comes the weird part.\r\n Thompson fo lows Mancuso out of the Conn into\r\n\r\n A PASSAGEWAY\r\n running aft. Mancuso and Thompson move at speed. Mancuso is far\r\n\r\n FROM HAPPY:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n I don't like leaving the boat, Phil.\r\n But the orders are specific.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n We're gonna be f ne.\r\n Rounding a corner, they start\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n DOWN A LADDER\r\n Thompson will never get over how fast Mancuso can move. Aren't\r\n guys that big supposed to be slow?\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n This has got to be the craziest stunt\r\n I've ever heard of. There's only about\r\n two ml]]k n things that can st]l. go wrong.\r\n At the bottom of the ladder, they enter\r\n\r\n A PASSAGEWAY\r\n Ahead of them Jones and Ryan wait by a ladder beneath an open\r\n hatch. Like Mancuso, Jones is armed. Jones starts up the ladder.\r\n Ryan follows. Mancuso turns to Thompson:\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Listen. If anything --\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Captain. We'll be all right.\r\n Mancuso climbs up the ladder, disappearing through the hatch.\r\n Thompson closes it.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n WARRANT OFFICER STEINER\r\n sitting before a wheel at a brightly lit panel, just as cocky as when\r\n we last saw him in the mini sub at Tyler's lab. Next to him, a\r\n COPILOT checks a clipboard.\r\n Behind them, Jones, Ryan and Mancuso climb up through a hatch.\r\n Jones shuts it. Steiner speaks into a headset::\r\n\r\n STEINER\r\n OX. Passengers are aboard. Check-off\r\n complete. Request clearance to lift-off.\r\n\r\n (TURNING)\r\n Gentlemen, we have clearance. Fasten\r\n your belts and grab your nuts. We're\r\n taking a ride.\r\n Ryan sits opposite Mancuso. Jones is to Mancuso's right. The\r\n bulkhead rocks slightly. Steiner turns a yoke.\r\n\r\n STEINER (CONT'D)\r\n Battery sperm?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -95-\r\n\r\n COPILOT\r\n Eighty percent capacity. Homing beacon\r\n is five degrees to the right. Recommend\r\n new course zero-seven-five. Range now\r\n five hundred yards.\r\n\r\n STEINER\r\n Roger. Coming right to course zero-seven-\r\n ive. Make initial preparations to land.\r\n The copilot starts toggling switches. Behind him, Mancuso checks\r\n the .45 in his holster. Ryan watches.\r\n\r\n COPILOT\r\n Contact is two hundred yards below.\r\n One hundred yards ahead.\r\n\r\n STEINER\r\n Roger.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Hit the running lights.\r\n\r\n IN THE WATER\r\n -black on black. Then, in a single blinding flash of light\r\n\r\n THE RED OCTOBER\r\n is revealed. Hovering above it, floodlights blazing, the DSRV.\r\n Descending, it locks onto a hatch by the sail.\r\n\r\n IN THE DSRV\r\n Copilot turns to Steiner:\r\n\r\n COPILOT\r\n We have a seal. Skirt is dry.\r\n\r\n STEINER\r\n Roger. Open the hatch.\r\n Getting up, the copilot heads for the hatch.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Wait.\r\n Copilot stops. Reaching into his jacket, Mancuso offers Ryan a .45.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (EYEING PI- )\r\n He's defecting.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n And he can't change his mind?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n He's not going to change his mind.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Willing to bet your life on that.'\r\n Ryan stares at the pistol. Sighing, he puts it in his jacket.\r\n Copilot opens the hatch. In the gloom below, another hatch.\r\n Copilot raps on it. Somebody opens the lower hatch. Mancuso,\r\n Jones and Ryan climb down into\r\n\r\n THE RED OCTOBER\r\n on a ladder at the forward end of the Conn. Waiting for them,\r\n Ramins, Borodin and all the other of Awkward silence.\r\n Nervous, Borodin drags out a cigarette and lights it. Unexpectedly,\r\n\r\n RYAN- SMI1 :\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Russian Cigarette?\r\n\r\n (BORODIN NODS)\r\n Could I try one?\r\n Mancuso frowns. Borodin offers Ryan a cigarette. Kamarov has a\r\n light. Ryan inhales and COUGHS:\r\n\r\n RYAN (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (GAGGING)\r\n Jesus...\r\n Poking fun, Ryan rolls his eyes. Borodin grins. Ramius\r\n The ice is broken. Men shake hands.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Gentlemen, I am Marko Ramius. I and\r\n my offers request political asylum in\r\n the United States.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Before I go any further, I want to know\r\n whose idea is this impos.ih18 plan?\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (RE: RYAN)\r\n His.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n Amazing. our intention was to publicly\r\n surrender this boat and request asylum.\r\n it never occurred to us there would be\r\n a way you could keep it. The idea to\r\n stage a radiation leak was inspired --\r\n\r\n (FROWNING)\r\n You look familiar. Do I know you,\r\n Commander?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n You have a good memory, Captain. We\r\n meet briefly years ago. But I'm not\r\n a naval commander. I work for the CIA.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n CIA?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Easy, Captain. I'm not an agent. I'm\r\n just an analyst.\r\n\r\n (SMRNNG)\r\n I write books.\r\n Suddenly, HIGH SPEED SCREWS passing over the HULL:\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n Torpedo! Americans are shooting at us.\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Wrong. Ours growl. Yours whine. It's\r\n Russian!\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n leaning over Curry's console in the CIC aboard the frigate.\r\n Agitated, Curry works his computer.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n What do you mean there's another torpedo?\r\n Where in hell did it come from?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n in the Conn aboard the Konovalov. His crew's at battle stations.\r\n Bonavia mans fire cost 'aL opening a mike, Tupolev SHOUTS:\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n Sonar. Why hasn't our torpedo impacted?\r\n\r\n SONAR (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n The weapon enabled on the other side\r\n of the target. It passed Red October\r\n before it armed.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n\r\n (TO BONAVIA)\r\n You had the wrong range, idiot! Fire\r\n again with the right settings. And\r\n reload both tubes.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n Thompson stands outside the sonar shack. To his left, the COB is\r\n behind fire control. Beaumont has taken Jones' position.\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n New oorrtact. Sierra four-one, bearing\r\n zero-one-zero. Aku]a c1a.�.s Soviet\r\n submarine.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Launch noises. He's shooting again.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n What's the status of Red October?\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n Dead in the water.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n They can't maneuver with the goddam\r\n DSRV stuck to them.\r\n\r\n (WHISPERING)\r\n Come on, Mancuso, move it. Get the\r\n hell out of there.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n BEDLAM in the Conn. Tba'lisi and Jones are on their way to sonar.\r\n Ramius SHOUTS at Melekhin:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Get back to engineering and give me\r\n some power!\r\n\r\n (TO MANCUSO\r\n\r\n RE: DSRV)\r\n Get that damn thing off my boat.\r\n Mancuso's halfway up the ladder. He spots Steiner peeking down at\r\n\r\n HIM:\r\n\r\n STEINER\r\n I think somebody just shot a torpedo\r\n at us!\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n No shit, buckwheat. Get the hell. out\r\n of here!\r\n\r\n STEINER\r\n\r\n (STUNNED)\r\n Where am I supposed --\r\n Mancuso SLAMS the HATCH. Scrambling down the ladder, Mancuso\r\n hears Ramius bel]Dwing at Borodin who is manning the helm:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n -99-\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n No, Vasily. I need you in fire control.\r\n We must track whoever's out there.\r\n Borodin heads for fre control. Ramius tosses Ryan into the chair\r\n behind the helm :\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n You sit here!\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n BUTICAN'T --\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Do exactly as I tell you!\r\n Stunned, Ryan grabs the helm. Jones and Tbilisi, must have made it\r\n to sonar. Speakers CRACKLE:\r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n DSRV is away. There's a Russian Akula\r\n about eight thousand yards starboard.\r\n\r\n TBILISI (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n It's the Konovalov.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n All ahead flank!\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (PANIC)DNG)\r\n I told you I'm just an analyst. I\r\n write books.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS -\r\n\r\n (LEANING FORWARD)\r\n Turn that knob all the way to the right.\r\n Ryan: does. AIL around him the world is going stark raving mad.\r\n Again, SPEAKERS CRACKLE:\r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Torpedo in the water. High speed screws.\r\n Beaming zero-two-zero. I estimate range\r\n at about eight thousand yards.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n Turn the helm to the heft. Steer course\r\n zero-two-zero.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (TO RAMIUS)\r\n Wait a minute! That's heading into the\r\n t o rpedo. You should turn away from it.\r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Steady bearing to the weapon. Still\r\n zero-two-zero. Range about seven\r\n thousand yards.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n Turn that helm to the left until the\r\n dial says course zero-two-zero.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n No! That's wrong. Ryan, don't turn\r\n that goddam wheel!\r\n Ryan stares at Mancuso then at Ramius. Deciding, he turns the\r\n helm left, coming to course zero-two-zero.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (TOO MANCUSO)\r\n Sorry, Captain. I think --\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (TO RAMIIUS)\r\n You're heading straight into that torpedo.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n I know.\r\n\r\n IN THE CIC\r\n aboard the frigate. Helms, Greer and Tyler lean over the\r\n display. Curry studies the blips:\r\n\r\n CURRY\r\n\r\n (EYES NARROWING)\r\n Red October is turning directly into\r\n the t orpedos path.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n Mother of God.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, it's a deathwatch. Ryan thinks of Sally. Mancuso\r\n stares at Ramius. Goddamned if he's gonna be the one to whine.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Torpedo steady bearing zero-two-zero.\r\n Range five thousand yards.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (ON MIKE)\r\n Me]ekhin. Can you give me any more\r\n speed?\r\n\r\n MELEKHIN (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Negative. We're going as fast as we can.\r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Estimate range approximately three\r\n thousand yards. Closing fast.\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n Thompson's still outside the sonar shack. The COB's at Fare\r\n control. As before, Beaumont works sonar.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Why is he heading into the torpedo?\r\n Is he trying to kill himself?\r\n\r\n COB\r\n Mr. Thompson. We have a solution on the\r\n Soviet Akula. Shouldn't we shoot back?\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n\r\n (ANGRY)\r\n She didn't shoot at us. Anyway, I can't\r\n attack a Soviet submarine. I have no\r\n goddam authorization!\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, an. payers have turned to stone.\r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Torpedo bearing steady at zero-two-\r\n zero. Best range nine hundred yards.\r\n Estimate impact in twenty seconds.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO RYAN)\r\n What books?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Pardon?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Fifteen seconds.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n What books did you write?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (HOARSELY)\r\n I wrote a biography on Admiral Halsey,\r\n called, Fighting Sailor. It was about\r\n tam in combat --\r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Ten seconds.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n I know this book. I have read some\r\n parts of it.\r\n\r\n (RYAN BLINKS)\r\n Your conclusions were wrong, Ryan.\r\n Halsey acted stupidly.\r\n CRASH. The Conn ROCKS. Sound of TORPEDO BREAKING UP.\r\n Metal SCRAPES along the SHIP. Realizing what's going on:\r\n\r\n - MANCUSO\r\n I'll be dammed.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n What happened?\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Combat tack, Mr. Ryan. By turning\r\n into the torpedo,, Ramius closed the\r\n distance before it could arm itself.\r\n I never would have thought of it.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n So we're safe?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Not yet. Right now, the Soviet Captain,\r\n a man named Tupolev is removing the\r\n safety features on all his weapons.\r\n He won't make the same mistake twice.\r\n Behind Ramius, Ryan spots a SHADOW at the rear of the Conn. He\r\n can't believe his eyes. The goddam shadow has a pistol in hand.\r\n\r\n SUDDENLY:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n A FIRE STORM\r\n of GUNFIRE sprays the CONN. Everybody scatters. Borodin is\r\n HIT. SLAMMING into the bulkhead, he falls in a seated position,\r\n eyes wide.\r\n Fire control panel EXPLODES. Behind a console, Mancuso drags out\r\n his .45 and RETURNS FIRE. The shadow disappears.\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n Beaumont rips off his headgear, turning to Thompson in the sonar\r\n shack's door, breathing hard:\r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n Jesus Christ. Gunge.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Gunfire?\r\n\r\n ON THE KONOVALOV\r\n in the Conn, Tupa]av is furious. He YELLS at Bonavia:\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n Hurry up goddammit! I want all the\r\n enabling devices disconnected!\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n Captain, I cannot go any faster.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, cars crawl from hiding. Sparks ERUPT from\r\n WIRES. Fire contra is history. Ramius leans over Borodin:\r\n\r\n BORODIN\r\n I would have like to have seen Montana.\r\n And the Indians.\r\n (eyes gT'âºg)\r\n captain? - _.\r\n He dies. RAGING, Ramius POUNDS the BULKHEAD. Kamarov\r\n notices a light on a panel:\r\n\r\n KAMAROV\r\n He's in the missile compartment!\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (TO MANCUSO)\r\n The ship is yours.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n But the control is blasted to hell.\r\n I can't shoot.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Then get behind him and stay there.\r\n Don't let him put you in his sights\r\n or we're all dead.\r\n Mancuso tosses Ramius his .45. Catching it, Ramius splits. Ryan\r\n follows.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n a caged tiger in the Conn on the Konovalov. Bonavia turns, looking\r\n back at him :\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n Enabling devices are removed.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n\r\n ABOUT TIMEL\r\n\r\n (INTO MIKE)\r\n Sonar, give me a bearing on Red October.\r\n\r\n SONAR (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n She's taken position behind us.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n Damn.\r\n\r\n (TO HELM)\r\n Left full rudder. T11 shake him loose.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in a passageway outside a door to the missile compartment, Ramius\r\n and Ryan hug the bulkhead:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n He'll break into a panel and short\r\n -circuit the wiring on a missile. We'll\r\n be blown to pieces.\r\n Taking a deep breath, Ryan follows Ramiais into the\r\n\r\n MISSILE COMPARTMENT\r\n coming face-too-face with a BARRAGE of GUNFIRE. Ramius is HIT.\r\n Ryan drags him into a space behind an electrical panel. Mercifully,\r\n the shooting STOPS.\r\n Ryan checks Ramius. His shoulder's a mess. Mind riling, Ryan\r\n studies his surroundings. He's never felt so alone.\r\n The compartment is vast, dominated by twenty tussle tubes six feet\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n in diameter. Overhead, a catwalk. At the aft end, somebody's\r\n working with a wrench.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n We must stop him before he gets into\r\n a panel..\r\n Ryan stares at Ramius. Ramiii isn't gonna stop anybody.\r\n Resigned, Ryan finds the .45 Mancuso gave him in his pocket,\r\n\r\n MUMBLING:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (TO HIMSELF)\r\n Next time memos. Only memos.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Be careful what you shoot at in here,\r\n Ryan. The compartment is very sensitive.\r\n In a daze, Ryan starts walking aft, still MUMBLING:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Be careful what you shoot at, Ryan.\r\n Very sensitive.. .in here...\r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n on Red October, a handful of men struggle to fight the ship.\r\n Kamarov mans the wheel. Sonar SPEAKERS POP:\r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n He's going deep!\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n\r\n (TO KAMAROV)\r\n Twenty degrees down on the bowl\r\n\r\n IN THE MISSILE COMPARTMENT\r\n The wall becomes the floor. Fighting to keep his balance, Ryan\r\n walks on the wall, still MUMBLING:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Sensitive stuff...in here ...I have\r\n to... be careful... of course.\r\n The ship turns. Wall becomes cuing. Grabbing the catwalk, Ryan\r\n hangs at a ninety degree angle. GUNFIRE. Bullets RIP into the\r\n BULKHEAD inches from his HEAD:\r\n\r\n RYAN (CONT'D)\r\n I have to be careful what I shoot at..\r\n He doesn't have to be careful... He\r\n can shoot at anything he wants.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n IN THE CIC\r\n aboard the frigate, curry hunches over a console. Greer and Tyler\r\n\r\n WATCH ANXIOUSLY:\r\n\r\n CURRY\r\n The Akula is too fast. No way Red\r\n October can stay behind her. lt's\r\n only a matter of time now.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n The Akula's turning. She's fired\r\n another torpedo. This one can't miss.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in sonar, Jones and Tbzisi hear PINGING become LOUDER, more\r\n FREQUENT. Holding the mike, ashen:\r\n\r\n JONES\r\n Another torpedo, Captain. It has enabled\r\n and is active. It has acquired us and is\r\n homing.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n THE DEEP\r\n Red October looms into view. To the right, the Konovalov shimmers\r\n in the dark. Between them, the torpedo appears. PINGS grow\r\n CLOSER and CLOSER. At the last minute\r\n\r\n THE DALLAS\r\n raves into view, rocketing forward at full, bore, streaking between\r\n Red October and the torpedo. it's really something.\r\n\r\n IN THE CIC\r\n aboard the frigate, Curry SHOUTS:\r\n\r\n CURRY\r\n Jesus Chi i t.\r\n\r\n GREER\r\n\r\n I\r\n\r\n CURRY\r\n The Dallas has moved between Red\r\n October and the torpedo. The\r\n torpedo is chasing the Dallas now!\r\n\r\n ON THE DALLAS\r\n in the sonar shack. Beaumont works his equipment, speaking into a\r\n\r\n MIKE:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n BEAUMONT\r\n Conn, sonar. Torpedo is in acquisition.\r\n Range five hundred yards and c3nsing.\r\n You've done it, Mr. Thompson!\r\n\r\n IN THE CONN\r\n on the Dallas, Thompson stands on the deck. The COB is at ballasCt\r\n control, holding the emergency blow handles.\r\n\r\n THOMPSON\r\n Chief, release counter-measures and\r\n emergency blow all main valves.\r\n Let's hope to Christ this works!\r\n\r\n COB\r\n\r\n (ON PHONE}\r\n Signal ejector station. Release\r\n counter-measures.\r\n\r\n (PULLING HANDLES)\r\n Emergency blow !\r\n SHRIEK of the BLOW is DEAFENING. The deck angles crazily\r\n upwards at thirty degrees. Gear CRASHES to the FLOOR.\r\n Eardrums SHATTERING, Thompson holds on, fighting gravity.\r\n\r\n IN THE WATER\r\n the DAIlas heads for the surface. Counter-measures head for the\r\n bottom. The incoming torpedo chases the counter-measures,\r\n disappearing into the abyss.\r\n\r\n ON THE SURFACE\r\n The Da11a ERUPTS from the WATER at THIRTY DEGREES, her\r\n bottom exposed well aft of the sail. A broaching behemoth, she\r\n CRASHES back into the sea, DISPLACING TONS of WATER.\r\n\r\n ON THE FRIGATE\r\n neither Soviet nor American sailors on the fantail can believe their\r\n eyes. Peirov's jaw drops. Has the entire world gone completely\r\n insane?.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the missile compartment, blood pounding, Ryan leans flat against\r\n a missile tube. On the other side of the tube, METAL fans on\r\n\r\n CONCRETE.\r\n Rounding the tube, Ryan holds the .45 at arm's length. Kneeling\r\n before him, directly in front of an open panel on the missale bay is a\r\n Sovvet sail or with crazy eyes:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n IT'S LOGINOV\r\n the cook's assistant who witnessed the Putin key exchange. He's\r\n got a hot wire in each hand. Time stands sthl. Ryan stares at\r\n Loginov. Loginov stares back.\r\n There's something in the Loginov's eyes, an uncompromising,\r\n irrational vi lainy that asks no forgiveness. For a moment, Ryan's\r\n paralyzed, a rabbit before a cobra.\r\n Deliberately, Loginov begins to move his hands together, bringing\r\n the wires closer. Ryan tri es to speak. He can't. Loginov's grin\r\n cracks wide like a rotten egg.\r\n\r\n RYAN FIRES\r\n Flame LEAPS from the BARREL of the .45. The pistol KICKS like a\r\n MULE. Loginov is delivered to eternity. Impotent, the wires fall to\r\n the floor.\r\n\r\n ON THE KONOVALOV\r\n Flushed, Tupolev towers over fire oontroL Seated before him,\r\n Bonavia tries to hang on to his sanity.\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n Directly ahead. Range five hundred yards.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n Got him. Match bearings and the.\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n We are too close. I have to set\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n Shoot now!\r\n Tupolev pulls the lever himself.\r\n\r\n ON RED: OCTOBER':\r\n in the : Conn, Mancuso, Kamarov and the others are on pins and\r\n needles. What next? Suddenly, they hear PIN GIN G.\r\n\r\n JONES (VO)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Launch transient astern. He's shooting\r\n again. Very close.\r\n\r\n MANCUSO\r\n Left full rudder!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n JONES\r\n\r\n (LOUDER PINGS)\r\n Weapon is alive.\r\n\r\n (LOUDER PINGS)\r\n It has acquired.\r\n Sound of torpedo passing close to the hull:\r\n\r\n JONES (VO CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (ON SPEAKERS)\r\n Weapon passed close aboard. Is\r\n Ong re-attack. Hold on. It's\r\n reacquired. But not on us!\r\n Ryan appears with Ramius aft of the Conn. Pinging grows\r\n QUIETER, more DISTANT.\r\n\r\n ON THE KONOVALOV\r\n in the Conn, Tupalev is suddenly confused, disorientaed by the\r\n\r\n PINGS.\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n Wait. I -\r\n\r\n SONAR (VO)\r\n\r\n (OVER SPEAKERS)\r\n Our torpedo missed Red October and\r\n is homing on us!\r\n\r\n TUPOLEV\r\n\r\n (STUNNED)\r\n How could that be?\r\n\r\n BONAVIA\r\n The weapon was not properly programmed.\r\n PINGS CLOSER. LOUDER. Finally, PINGS become a SPINE-\r\n TINGLTNG HOWL. Bonavia SHOUTS:\r\n\r\n BONAVIA (CONT'D)\r\n You stupid arrogant bastard. You've\r\n Idiled us all!\r\n\r\n IN THE . WATER\r\n Blinding light. The Konovalov disintegrates. Billowing pockets of\r\n gas embrace the deep. Thirty-seven hundred tons of steel. and iron\r\n rip apart in the blink of an eye.\r\n\r\n ON THE SURFACE\r\n a white mountain of displaced water rises into the air, compresses\r\n and explodes.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n ON THE FRIGATE\r\n in shock, the Russian crew gapes at the explosion. The young\r\n sailor who took courage from Ramius makes the sign of the cross.\r\n\r\n ON RED OCTOBER\r\n in the Conn, as the aftershock subsides, Ryan helps Ramius up off\r\n the floor, trying to make him comfortable against a bulkhead:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Captain Tupalev has just provided your\r\n pantomime with the one thing you could\r\n never have managed.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (NODDING)\r\n Wreckage.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n in his office seated across from Lysenko:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n With the depth of the water and the\r\n wreckage scattered over such a wide\r\n area, it we]. be a long time before\r\n anything is recovered. Your people\r\n are already interviewing the crew and\r\n making arrangements for their r turn.\r\n (Lysenko nods,\r\n\r\n SOBERLY)\r\n This has been a terrible tragedy, Mr.\r\n Ambassador. I can only stress that if\r\n you'd come to us earlier, it might have\r\n been avcdded.\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n I appreciate your candor in the matter.\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n\r\n (SMOOTHLY)\r\n And I yours, Andrei..\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n\r\n (PROBING)\r\n Perhaps in the future, the technology\r\n will be available for a more thorough\r\n I n vestigation of the wreckage...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n PELT\r\n\r\n (STEADY)\r\n Perhaps.\r\n A long beat as the two men stare at each other. Lysenko finally\r\n breaks it off:\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n There is another matter... One I am\r\n reluctant to -\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n No. Please go ahead.\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n One of our submarines, an Akula, was\r\n last reported in the Reykjanes Ridge.\r\n We have not heard from her for sometime.\r\n Pelt stares at him blankly, time hangs suspended. Finally, Peat\r\n reaches far the bridge of his now as if to stave of a ]dtler\r\n\r\n HEADACHE:\r\n\r\n PELT\r\n You've lost another submarine?\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Andre...\r\n Lysenko sits, hat in hand. Finally, he averts his gaze.\r\n\r\n JUMP CUT TO:\r\n\r\n A DRIVER\r\n standing beside a limousine outside the Executive Office Building.\r\n Fuming, Lysenko approaches. The driver smiles. Not a good idea.\r\n\r\n LYSENKO SNARL:\r\n\r\n LYSENKO\r\n Shut up! Don't speak to me Boris. Don't\r\n ever speak to me unless I speak to you\r\n first. And wipe that smile off your face!\r\n Lysenko pBe into the limo, slamming the door as hard as he can.\r\n Locked inside, he starts shouting and hitting things.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n BRIGHT MOONLIGHT\r\n on the tree studded bank of a large coastal river. A gentle breeze\r\n touches the trees and punctuates the silence. Crickets and frogs\r\n sing on the shore:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n SUPER: ORICOKE RIVER\r\n\r\n PAMLICO SOUND\r\n\r\n NORTH CAROLINA\r\n\r\n THE RED OCTOBER\r\n glides quietly up the river's surface. Ramius and Ryan stand on\r\n the sail. Behind them, two junior officers, one American and one\r\n Russian, Conn the ship:\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n We're two hundred miles from the nearest\r\n naval base.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n Interesting notion, hiding a submarine\r\n in a river.\r\n\r\n (EYEING SHORE)\r\n How do you know this place?\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n I grew up not far from here.\r\n\r\n (PAINTING)\r\n My grandfather taught me to f5sh right\r\n over there on that rock.\r\n Ramius spots a large rock on the shore. So warm and inviting, this\r\n land, when compared to the bitter cold coast he ]eft a ]ifetl,me ago.\r\n Ram hl studies Ryan in the stillness:\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n There is one question you have not\r\n asked me.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n (RAMIUS NODS)\r\n I assumed you would speak when you were\r\n ready.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n We. are standing on part of the reason.\r\n I've spent my life preparing to fight a\r\n war I hoped would never happen. This\r\n ship was not built to fight such a war.\r\n it was built to start one.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n And there were personal reasons.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Your wife?\r\n\r\n RAMIUS\r\n\r\n (NODDING)\r\n it started there, perhaps.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n Ramius glances at the rock. Beside it, a muskrat drops quietly into\r\n the water.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n Or perhaps it was something that started\r\n long ago...\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n Fishing?\r\n\r\n RAMTUS\r\n Fishing.\r\n Taking a deep breath, Ramius studies the surrounding hills. Lights\r\n from farms twinkle in the night air.\r\n\r\n RAMIUS (CONT'D)\r\n \"The sea will, grant each man new\r\n hope, as sleep doth dream of home.\"\r\n (on Ryan's look)\r\n Christopher Columbus.\r\n Ryan smilm.\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n\r\n (QU`EDY)\r\n Welcome to the new world, sir.\r\n\r\n DISSOLVE TO:\r\n\r\n A STEWARDESS\r\n walking down the aisle of an airplane, checking passengers.\r\n Stopping near the front of the cabin, she glances down at\r\n\r\n RYAN\r\n sound asleep in his seat, empty tea cup on a tray beside him. A\r\n blanket hangs on one log. In the seat next to him\r\n\r\n A TEDDY BEAR\r\n smi> out at passing clouds. The bear's got a red ribbon round his\r\n neck-and a seat belt fastened over his bulging tummy.\r\n\r\n Covering Ryan with the blanket, the stewardess leaves. Tea cup\r\n RATTLES. Ryan doesn't even twitch. Turbulence is a thing of the\r\n past.\r\n\r\n FADE OUT\r\n\r\n THE END"}}},{"rowIdx":146,"cells":{"Action":{"kind":"string","value":"I AM NUMBER 4\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Written by\r\n\r\n Alfred Gough & Miles Millar\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 1/08/10\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n The events in this film are real.\r\n Names and places have been changed to protect the Lorien Six,\r\n who remain in hiding.\r\n\r\n Take this as your first warning. Other civilizations do exist.\r\n Some of them seek to destroy you.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n FADE IN:\r\n\r\n A BILLION STARS\r\n pinprick the velvet-black sky that stretches over a vast\r\n sleeping jungle. A fingernail moon silvers the whispering\r\n canopy while gentle tendrils of steam rise.\r\n\r\n TITLE ON SCREEN: REPUBLIC OF CONGO, AFRICA.\r\n\r\n EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n CAMERA DRIFTS ACROSS the eternity of treetops until it FINDS\r\n\r\n A BUNGALOW.\r\n It's 20x20 square, with a wraparound porch and simple wooden\r\n shutters. The structure is hidden in a clearing that's been\r\n crudely hacked out of the sweaty wilderness.\r\n\r\n INT. HUT - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Two beds draped in mosquito nets sit on opposite sides of the\r\n space. A TEEN BOY sleeps in one and a MIDDLE-AGED MAN lies\r\n in the other. Their ebony skin glistens in the swampy heat.\r\n The numbing THROB OF INSECTS fills the silence until\r\n\r\n THE DOOR SOFTLY RATTLES.\r\n The Teen's eyes fly open. Fear grips his face as he looks\r\n over at the Man, who is now upright and awake. They hold\r\n their breath, listening over the DRUMMING CHORUS.\r\n\r\n ANOTHER RATTLE.\r\n It's louder this time. Unmistakable. The Teen watches as\r\n the Man pulls a crystal-handled dagger from under his pillow\r\n and stealthily creeps to the door. The Man cautiously leans\r\n in and peers through the bamboo slats.\r\n WHAT HE SEES: The empty porch. No sign of life.\r\n Relieved, he turns back, opens his mouth to speak when his\r\n face contorts. He looks down and sees the tip of\r\n\r\n A SERRATED METAL BLADE\r\n protruding from his chest. As the sword is viciously\r\n protracted through the door, the Man meets the Teen's haunted\r\n eyes and whispers his last, desperate word...\r\n\r\n MIDDLE-AGED MAN\r\n Run!\r\n\r\n SMASH CUT TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 2.\r\n\r\n EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The Teen's naked feet pound the hot, wet earth as he sprints\r\n through the maze of trees. Flecks of moonlight ricochet off\r\n the crystal pendant that dangles around his neck. He moves\r\n impossibly fast. Faster than any human could.\r\n\r\n A MONSTROUS HOWL\r\n ECHOES as something otherworldly catches his scent and begins\r\n thrashing in pursuit. The Teen's face tightens with dread\r\n and the SHOUTS of his pursuers hammer his ears.\r\n He doesn't look back, willing himself to survive. He races\r\n up a verge and fearlessly launches himself off the edge of\r\n\r\n A 100-FOOT-WIDE RAVINE!\r\n GOD SHOT LOOKING DOWN as the Teen leaps across the abyss. He\r\n kicks air as he arcs and finally touches down on the opposite\r\n lip. Chest heaving, he sees the hideous silhouette of\r\n\r\n A HULKING BEAST.\r\n It's called a Piken and skitters to a stop on the other side.\r\n It utters a chilling BANSHEE WAIL of frustration. Relieved,\r\n the Teen turns to make his escape when\r\n\r\n A HAND\r\n wraps around his throat. He is effortlessly hoisted by a\r\n TOWERING MAN with skin as cold and pale as alabaster.\r\n\r\n THIS IS A MOGADORIAN.\r\n He wears the long red coat of a Commander. We catch the\r\n briefest glimpse of his cruel magenta eyes as they scan the\r\n geometric symbol engraved on the Teen's pendant. Silhouetted\r\n against the giant jungle moon, he triumphantly raises\r\n\r\n A SWORD.\r\n Its serrated blade ignites with silver flame as it sweeps\r\n towards the Teen. The boy's DEATH CRY echoes as the CAMERA\r\n ZEROES IN ON the pendant that glows brilliant-bright.\r\n\r\n FORM CUT TO:\r\n\r\n THE SAME SYMBOL.\r\n It glimmers to life on the ankle of another TEEN 10,000 miles\r\n away. His name's DANIEL and he's in the middle of a wild jet-\r\n ski race with TWO BUDDIES.\r\n\r\n TITLE ON SCREEN: BIG PINE KEY, FLORIDA, USA.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 3.\r\n The trio crisscrosses the turquoise sea while a party rages\r\n on the beach.\r\n Daniel makes a kamikaze move, whips his jet ski past his\r\n opponents and victoriously pumps his fist. But his moment of\r\n triumph is cut short. His face contorts in agony as he feels\r\n\r\n THE SYMBOL\r\n searing into his skin. As he leans forward to grip his\r\n ankle, he cartwheels off the jet ski and viciously body-slams\r\n across the water.\r\n\r\n EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY\r\n\r\n LOOKING UP as Daniel crashes into view. Needles of light\r\n flicker from the symbol. It's cauterizing into his flesh\r\n like a brand.\r\n\r\n EXT. BEACH - DAY\r\n\r\n Daniel stumbles through the surf and collapses onto the sand,\r\n clutching his ankle. He rolls onto his side as a CROWD OF\r\n PARTYING TEENS gathers. A BLONDE GIRL leans down to help.\r\n\r\n BLONDE GIRL\r\n Daniel, what's wrong? Did you\r\n break your ankle?\r\n But as she turns him over, she sees the light leaking from\r\n between his fingers and reels back.\r\n\r\n BLONDE GIRL\r\n Oh my God.\r\n He stares up into the crowd's fearful faces, then staggers to\r\n his feet and takes off running.\r\n\r\n EXT. INTERSTATE - DAY\r\n\r\n The busy road runs parallel to an expanse of ancient pines.\r\n Through the trees, we CATCH THE SHUTTER IMAGE of a figure\r\n outrunning the hurtling vehicles.\r\n\r\n EXT. COASTAL FOREST - DAY\r\n\r\n Trees whip past as Daniel sprints down a sandy track. The\r\n pendant that knocks against his chest was carved by the same\r\n hand as the African Teen's, but the symbol is unique. He\r\n peels off to the right and bursts out onto a long drive.\r\n\r\n A STILT HOUSE\r\n sits at the end. It's cake-frosting pink and is built right\r\n on the edge of a coral-white beach.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 4.\r\n\r\n EXT. STILT HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n The door flies open and Daniel stands on the threshold.\r\n HENRI looks up from his bank of laptops that scroll with news\r\n feeds. He is decades older than his suntanned face betrays\r\n and you'd be way off if you guessed his accent was French.\r\n\r\n DANIEL\r\n Number 3 is dead.\r\n Henri's eyes narrow with urgency. He is immediately on his\r\n feet, he kneels at Daniel's side and studies the symbol on\r\n the teen's ankle. It has stopped glowing but is painfully\r\n raw. Directly below this fresh wound are\r\n\r\n TWO OTHER GEOMETRIC BRANDS.\r\n They are the same size, but each symbol is subtly different.\r\n Time has transformed them into raised, snake-smooth scars.\r\n Henri's penetrating eyes look up at the shell-shocked teen.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Did anybody else see this?\r\n OFF Daniel's panicked nod...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. BEDROOM - STILT HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n\r\n A GECKO\r\n skitters across the ceiling, its glossy black eyes watch as\r\n Daniel frantically stuffs his clothes into a duffel bag. The\r\n walls are bare. No photos, no posters, no personality.\r\n Henri enters, holding a crate of computer cables.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Taillights in five minutes. What\r\n we can't carry --\r\n\r\n DANIEL\r\n -- we burn. I know the drill.\r\n\r\n EXT. STILT HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n TIGHT ON A BOX. It's exquisitely carved and inlaid with an\r\n intricate geometric design.\r\n Henri carefully hides it under the driver's seat of an old\r\n Jeep Wagoneer. It's the kind with wooden trim. He looks at\r\n Daniel who feeds homework assignments into a roaring FIRE.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Time to go.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 5.\r\n Daniel clicks the SIM card from his cell phone, snaps it in\r\n two and drops it into the fire. Bitter, he takes one last\r\n look at the glittering azure sea, then climbs into the Jeep.\r\n As the engine HUMS to life, CAMERA FOLLOWS\r\n\r\n THE GECKO.\r\n It darts up the fender, squeezes into the jamb of the trunk,\r\n and Houdinis into the vehicle with a flick of its tail.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. CAUSEWAY - DUSK\r\n\r\n The Jeep powers across the long elevated bridge. The dying\r\n sun tints the clouds and the sky in violent apocalyptic hues.\r\n\r\n DANIEL (V.O.)\r\n This is the part I hate the most.\r\n The running. But it's the only\r\n thing in my life that's real. The\r\n rest is a lie. My name. My\r\n birthday. Even Henri. People\r\n think he's my father. He's not.\r\n His job is to keep me alive.\r\n\r\n INT. JEEP - NIGHT - MOVING\r\n\r\n Henri's eyes scan the rear view, on constant vigil. The\r\n speedometer never brushes past 60. Daniel has his head\r\n against the window, brooding, listening to an iPod.\r\n\r\n DANIEL (V.O.)\r\n We are hiding from the Mogadorians.\r\n A brutal race that wiped out our\r\n entire planet, Lorien.\r\n\r\n EXT. USED-CAR LOT - DAY\r\n\r\n Plastic flags whip overhead. Daniel leans against a silver\r\n SUV and watches Henri negotiate with the DEALER.\r\n\r\n DANIEL (V.O.)\r\n Only nine children escaped the\r\n genocide. We were each given a\r\n number and sent here to hide. I\r\n don't know where the others are. I\r\n only know when one of them is\r\n murdered.\r\n\r\n INT. BATHROOM - MOTEL - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Daniel sits on the edge of a bathtub. He gently unwraps the\r\n bandage that covers his ankle and fearfully inspects the neat\r\n scab that has formed over the wound.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 6.\r\n\r\n DANIEL (V.O.)\r\n I got the first scar when I was\r\n eight. I woke up screaming. We\r\n lived in Vermont. The second was\r\n on a Tilt-a-Whirl at a fair in\r\n Michigan. I was 12. Yesterday was\r\n the third.\r\n His finger traces the lines of the other two scars.\r\n\r\n EXT. INTERSTATE - DAY\r\n\r\n The lush tropical landscape has browned into flat, dormant\r\n farmland. The silver SUV charges through the bleak monotony.\r\n\r\n DANIEL (V.O.)\r\n Because of the spell our Elders\r\n cast, the Mogs can only kill us in\r\n order. That's the reason I've\r\n survived this long. But our enemy\r\n is relentless.\r\n\r\n INT. SUV - NIGHT - MOVING\r\n\r\n Daniel is asleep with his earphones on. Henri glances over,\r\n his mask of certainty momentarily slips. He looks like a\r\n soldier heading into a battle he knows cannot be won.\r\n\r\n DANIEL (V.O.)\r\n Now their hunt has turned to me. I\r\n am number 4.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. REST-STOP DINER - NIGHT\r\n\r\n A tired neon sign illuminates the big rigs that RUMBLE past,\r\n headed to destinations unknown.\r\n\r\n INT. REST-STOP DINER - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Daniel sullenly stares at a stack of untouched pancakes.\r\n Henri slides into the booth, all business.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Florida's clear. I sent a letter\r\n to the school and there's nothing\r\n in the papers.\r\n\r\n DANIEL\r\n I didn't even get a chance to say\r\n goodbye.\r\n Henri keeps going, passes an envelope across the table.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 7.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n New IDs.\r\n Daniel pulls out his birth certificate, reads the name.\r\n\r\n DANIEL\r\n Just when I think you can't get any\r\n less original, you lower the bar.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I'm not interested in originality.\r\n I'm interested in untraceable.\r\n There are 335,321 John Smiths in\r\n the United States.\r\n (Note: from this point on, Daniel will be called John.)\r\n John looks at him, then abruptly gets up and storms away.\r\n Henri drops $20 on the table and calmly heads after him.\r\n\r\n INT. ARCADE - REST STOP - NIGHT\r\n\r\n A row of ancient arcade games blinks. John angrily stabs the\r\n buttons of a Space Invaders machine as Henri approaches.\r\n They are alone. John's eyes never leave the video screen.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It's been so long since the last\r\n scar.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You got lulled into a false sense\r\n of security. That's my fault.\r\n John struggles to keep his temper in check.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I liked Florida. I liked having\r\n friends. I liked feeling normal.\r\n Henri's face softens with paternal compassion.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I wish that you could have a normal\r\n life -- but you can't.\r\n Only now does John turn and face him. His eyes blaze with\r\n frustration.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Then why fake it? Why not just go\r\n hole up in the wilderness.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n That's exactly what Number 3 did.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 8.\r\n John looks at him, confused. Henri pulls up an article on\r\n his iPhone and hands it to John.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n It's from an African news site. A\r\n man and his son went missing two\r\n nights ago. The locals think they\r\n were taken by strange beasts.\r\n John understands the implication.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Piken.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n The Mogadorians are natural-born\r\n hunters. Blending in is our best\r\n protection.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n So we just keep moving from town to\r\n town?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Until I say otherwise -- yes.\r\n John waits as a TRUCKER passes through the room. His voice\r\n softens but never loses its intensity.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I want to be from someplace, Henri.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You are.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Lorien's your home, I don't even\r\n remember it.\r\n John's tone rubs Henri the wrong way.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Like it or not, it's your home too.\r\n You have a responsibility to those\r\n who died.\r\n\r\n INT. SUV - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Henri and John climb in.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I want a say in where we live.\r\n (off Henri's face)\r\n You already picked it, didn't you?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 9.\r\n Henri REVS the ENGINE to life.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Cheer up, you're going to be living\r\n in Paradise.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n A frigid sheet of RAIN POUNDS the sign that's planted on the\r\n side of this narrow stretch of rural blacktop:\r\n\r\n âWELCOME TO PARADISE, OHIO. POP. 5,243â\r\n The silver SUV streaks past, its wipers working overtime. It\r\n kicks up a spray as it speeds down Main Street. The dinky\r\n storefronts are garishly decorated for Halloween.\r\n\r\n EXT. WOODS - DAY\r\n\r\n The leaves are washed in a thousand shades of gold. The SUV\r\n barrels along the drive that twists through the woods.\r\n\r\n INT. SUV - DAY - DRIVING\r\n\r\n Henri pulls up in front of a small house. It sits by itself,\r\n surrounded by trees. Water sluices off the weather-worn\r\n garage in the yard behind it. A WOMAN steps out of a minivan\r\n to greet them.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n She looks even perkier than the\r\n realtor in Florida.\r\n A warm smile graces her round face and she's clutching a\r\n fruit basket. For the record, she is called ANNIE.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n What's your name?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n John Smith.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Where are you from, John?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Arizona.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Why did you move to Paradise?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Because you're an asshole.\r\n John waits for a reaction but doesn't get one...\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 10.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Because my dad needs peace and\r\n quiet to research his book.\r\n Henri nods and smiles wryly.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n This was a lot easier when you were\r\n\r\n 12.\r\n\r\n INT. HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n The front door swings open and Annie proudly escorts Henri\r\n and John inside.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n Here we are. Home sweet home.\r\n They scan the faded interior. The place is in desperate need\r\n of a makeover. A grandfather clock pensively TICKS at the\r\n end of the hall. Annie remains relentlessly optimistic.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n First impressions?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n It's perfect.\r\n Annie places the fruit basket on the dining table and begins\r\n turning on the lights.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n That's one word for it.\r\n Stewing, John exits into the hall with his duffel bag. Annie\r\n reads the strained dynamic.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n I feel your pain. I have a\r\n daughter his age. Apparently, I\r\n ruin her life on a daily basis.\r\n John steps back in, holding a sun-faded poster featuring NFL\r\n great Bernie Kosar.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n This guy was covering a hole in my\r\n wall.\r\n Annie's cheeks blush with annoyance.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n I told the handyman to patch that\r\n before you arrived. I'm so sorry.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 11.\r\n Henri is all charm, gently leads her to the front door.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Don't you worry about it.\r\n She nods, grateful.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n We'll knock it off the rent. Keep\r\n the poster, Bernie Kosar brings\r\n good luck here in the Buckeye\r\n State.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The rain has stopped. The wind RUSTLES the trees. John\r\n lifts out the last box. As he closes the trunk, he doesn't\r\n notice the hitchhiking gecko hotfoot it out.\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Henri is busy setting up his computer station. John dumps\r\n the box on the floor.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n That's the last of them. I'm\r\n hitting the sack.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I need a new photo first.\r\n John crosses and stands against the wall.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Say Paradise.\r\n John gives him a withering look. Henri flashes off a shot.\r\n The camera is cabled to one of the laptops.\r\n TIGHT ON LAPTOP: The image of John pixelates onto a digital\r\n grid and a face-recognition program begins to map his facial\r\n structure.\r\n Henri turns to another laptop.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I've imputed the new search words:\r\n Daniel Jones. Big Pine Key.\r\n Sunset High School. You think of\r\n any others?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Yeah, this place sucks.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 12.\r\n Henri swivels to face him.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n If there's a story or picture of\r\n you on the internet, this program\r\n will find it. Our enemy doesn't\r\n know who you are -- I want to keep\r\n it that way.\r\n John nods, knows he's being a jerk.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sand Dollar Beach, that's where we\r\n were jet skiing.\r\n Henri types it in when something SCRATCHES at the door.\r\n Their heads instantly turn towards the sound. Tense SILENCE.\r\n SLOW PUSH IN ON THE DOOR as another SCRATCH echoes.\r\n Henri is on his feet. He flicks off the lights and silently\r\n signals John to retreat down the hall. With the cool air of\r\n an assassin, Henri unzips a duffel bag and pulls out a sleek\r\n crystal-handled dagger. As he steps to the door...\r\n\r\n INT. CLOSET - JOHN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\r\n\r\n ... John crouches in the dark, clutching a baseball bat.\r\n Suddenly, the light in the bedroom buzzes back on. He holds\r\n his breath as the door swings open. He looks up and is\r\n relieved to see Henri.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I found our intruder -- he's a\r\n little small for a Mogadorian.\r\n At that moment,\r\n\r\n A BEAGLE\r\n slips between Henri's legs. It cocks its head, studies\r\n John's face, then pads forward and licks his cheek.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The dog greedily laps a bowl of milk.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n He's starving, doesn't have any\r\n collar or tags.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Must have been dumped.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 13.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You know, another pair of eyes and\r\n ears watching the house wouldn't be\r\n a bad thing.\r\n Henri considers the request, nods. John playfully ruffles\r\n the dog's head.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n What are you going to call him?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Since I need all the luck I can get\r\n -- how about Bernie Kosar?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - MORNING\r\n\r\n John enters, dressed in black, ready for his first day of\r\n school. He dumps his backpack on a chair. Henri places a\r\n plate with an omelette and perfectly browned hash browns in\r\n front of him.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Wow. You outdid yourself. What's\r\n up?\r\n Henri lifts a red backpack into view. John stares at it.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I already have a backpack.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n This one has five days of rations,\r\n spare clothes, cash and a handheld\r\n GPS. Keep it with you at all\r\n times.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Henri, come on.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Game's changed. You're in the\r\n crosshairs now. You have to be\r\n ready to leave at a moment's\r\n notice. With or without me.\r\n John stares at the backpack, takes in this new reality. He\r\n pushes the plate away, snatches the backpack and heads out\r\n the door. Henri stares at the omelette, tastes a pinch of\r\n hash browns, then puts the plate on the floor on his way out.\r\n It takes Bernie 2.5 seconds to race over and start to eat.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 14.\r\n\r\n EXT. PARADISE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY\r\n\r\n Jack-o'-lanterns stare out from the âHALLOWEEN BLOCK PARTYâ\r\n banner strung across the red brick facade. Henri drives\r\n away. John slides the red backpack onto his shoulder when he\r\n hears a FAMILIAR BARK. He turns and is surprised to find\r\n\r\n BERNIE KOSAR.\r\n The little dog is sitting by the flagpole wagging his white-\r\n tipped tail. John crosses to him, baffled.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Bernie, what the hell... were you\r\n hiding in the car?\r\n He scoops the dog into his arms.\r\n\r\n FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)\r\n Hey, I was about to take a picture\r\n of the little guy.\r\n John turns and finds\r\n\r\n SARAH HARTE.\r\n She's his age and is holding an old 35mm Nikon. There is\r\n something about her unforced beauty that is instantly\r\n enchanting. John shuffles, uncharacteristically nervous.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n He's not supposed to be here.\r\n\r\n (TO BERNIE)\r\n Go home. Now.\r\n Bernie hops out of his arms and obediently runs towards home.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n He's really well-trained. How long\r\n have you had him?\r\n John turns away.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sorry about your shot.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n No worries.\r\n He begins walking towards the entrance.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You just moved into the house on\r\n Old Mill Road. It's John, right?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 15.\r\n John swings back, concerned.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Don't worry, I'm not stalking you.\r\n My mom said she rented it to a guy\r\n with a son my age. Since I know\r\n every other face on this quad, that\r\n had to be you.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I'm Sarah.\r\n He nods.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Where are you from?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Someplace warmer.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I don't think that qualifies as an\r\n actual answer.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I need to register.\r\n She raises her camera to snap a shot of him.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Whoa. What are you doing?\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Capturing your first day, even\r\n though you're technically six weeks\r\n late.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Please don't point that at me.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Afraid the camera's going to steal\r\n your soul?\r\n She lifts the viewfinder to her eye, adjusts focus. Annoyed,\r\n he covers the lens with his hand.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What's your problem? I said no.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n It's only for the yearbook.\r\n John regains his composure.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 16.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm not big into having my picture\r\n taken. Sorry.\r\n As he heads away, Sarah watches, intrigued. CAMERA TRACKS TO\r\n REVEAL MARK JAYNE monitoring the encounter. He's the star\r\n quarterback and his chiselled jaw tenses with jealousy.\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY\r\n\r\n Loaded with textbooks, John instinctively bows his head as he\r\n passes the black eye of a hall security camera and steps to a\r\n locker. He reaches for the combination lock when\r\n\r\n A BACKPACK\r\n viciously sideswipes him. The textbooks scatter across the\r\n checkerboard linoleum. John sees the culprit is Mark Jayne,\r\n who offers him a taunting grin. John fights his urge to\r\n react and watches as Mark struts over to his POSSE OF JOCKS.\r\n\r\n VOICE (O.S.)\r\n Welcome to Paradise, irony not\r\n included.\r\n John looks at the teen standing two lockers down. He's got a\r\n battered skateboard tucked into his backpack and wears an\r\n Army surplus jacket. This is SAM GOODE -- genius by birth,\r\n slacker by choice. He nods after Mark.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n His name's Mark Jayne.\r\n Quarterback, sheriff's son, he's\r\n three years into the best four\r\n years of his life.\r\n John begins retrieving the fallen books. Sam helps.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Do yourself a favor -- stay off his\r\n radar.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Didn't know I was on it.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n You were talking to Sarah Harte.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n She was talking to me.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Mark and Sarah have been exclusive\r\n since Freshmen year.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 17.\r\n John looks down the hall and sees Mark wrap his arm around\r\n Sarah's shoulder.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n If there's another guy in her\r\n airspace, he shoots them down. You\r\n got a warning shot.\r\n John piles the books into his locker.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Maybe I'll fire back next time.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Look, you're new, so let me tell\r\n you how things work in this\r\n misnamed backwater. Football\r\n players are gods -- the rest of us\r\n are mere mortals. If you want to\r\n survive, keep your head down and\r\n don't make waves.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You sound like my dad.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Obviously a wise man.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I'm Sam by the way.\r\n Sam extends his hand. John doesn't take it.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Thanks for the download.\r\n As he SLAMS his locker shut...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n It's an impressive structure with wraparound bleachers. The\r\n Junior gym class jogs around the track. John hangs in the\r\n middle of the pack, with his hoodie up, blending in.\r\n They pass the GIRLS who are stretching on the pristine field.\r\n Sarah's eyes drift towards John. The COACH blows a whistle.\r\n\r\n COACH\r\n Alright, people. Let's hit the\r\n gym.\r\n The assembled teens GROAN and fan off towards the mouth of a\r\n tunnel that stares out from the base of the bleachers.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 18.\r\n\r\n INT. GYM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n John emerges from the tunnel via a door by the stage. Some\r\n of his classmates are on the court, passing and dribbling.\r\n\r\n COACH\r\n Okay, half court, three on three.\r\n Girls have this basket, boys have\r\n that one.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n Two simultaneous games are in progress. John sits on the\r\n sidelines waiting his turn. He avoids eye contact with Sarah\r\n who is sitting in the shadow of the basket. However, he does\r\n notice Mark Jayne enter and approach her.\r\n\r\n COACH\r\n New kid, you're up. Show me what\r\n you've got.\r\n John steps onto the court and waits for the ball to come his\r\n way. He steals a glance and sees Sarah and Mark arguing. A\r\n blur of orange. John swings back and catches the ball.\r\n Just as he shoots, he's distracted by Sarah's upset voice.\r\n\r\n THE SHOT\r\n goes wild, misses the basket but hits the glass backboard\r\n with such force that it\r\n\r\n SHATTERS.\r\n Mark and Sarah are inadvertently forced to separate as shards\r\n rain down. All eyes turn to John, who's annoyed at his\r\n momentary lapse. TEENS HOOT. The Coach BLOWS his whistle.\r\n\r\n COACH\r\n Enough! Hit the showers.\r\n\r\n (TO JOHN)\r\n LeBron, grab a broom.\r\n As the gym empties, John looks over and catches Sarah\r\n watching him. OFF this silent exchange...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n\r\n THE INTRICATELY CARVED BOX\r\n is clutched in Henri's hands. He heads down the hall and\r\n stops in front of the grandfather clock. Its tarnished\r\n pendulum sways. He unlocks the glass panel and slots the Box\r\n out of sight behind the clock's brass face.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 19.\r\n Satisfied with the hiding place, he locks the front and takes\r\n the key. When he turns back, he finds\r\n\r\n BERNIE KOSAR.\r\n The dog is studying him with his head cocked.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Let's keep this our little secret.\r\n OFF Bernie's inquisitive eyes...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. CAFETERIA - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n John joins the line. He sees Sarah sitting by herself,\r\n inspecting a photographic contact sheet. His view is blocked\r\n by Sam. John rubs his hands which are oddly sweaty.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n First day here and you're already\r\n destroying school property. So\r\n much for not making waves.\r\n John moves past him and grabs a tray. He's flushed and his\r\n face is now hot and red.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It was an accident.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I hear the real spectator sport was\r\n Mark and Sarah's blowout.\r\n John wipes his brow, distracted.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Dude, you okay?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Fine.\r\n At that moment, Mark Jayne and his buddy, KEVIN, cut in front\r\n of them. Annoyed, John taps Mark on the shoulder.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n You got a problem?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Line starts back there.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Football players get priority.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 20.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Where's that posted?\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Unwritten rule.\r\n\r\n (RE: SAM)\r\n I'm surprised your boyfriend didn't\r\n tell you.\r\n Sam puts his hands up and backs away. Mark smirks at John.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n If you don't know your place around\r\n here, things can get rough.\r\n John holds his ground.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n In that case, I guess I better ask\r\n you where I should sit. I was\r\n thinking about grabbing that chair\r\n next to your girlfriend.\r\n In a flash of anger, Mark whips up his tray, hammers it into\r\n John's chest, knocking him to the floor.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n You want to talk trash? Let's see\r\n you back it up.\r\n John tries to stand, but is suddenly overcome with a wave of\r\n pain. He looks down at his hands and is alarmed to see\r\n\r\n LIGHT\r\n blooming from his palms! He quickly balls them into fists,\r\n extinguishing the light from view.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Get up!\r\n SILENCE has fallen. Still clenching his fists, John rises\r\n and stumbles out into the hall. OFF Sarah's concern as she\r\n watches him exit...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. PORCH - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n Henri is on a ladder, adjusting a hidden surveillance camera\r\n above the front door, when Bernie starts BARKING. It's an\r\n anxious, urgent BARK.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 21.\r\n\r\n INT. HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n Henri steps inside and sees the dog is BARKING at --\r\n\r\n THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK.\r\n A shaft of white light blooms from within. The shadow of the\r\n swaying pendulum cuts across Henri's face. As he sprints for\r\n the door...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n Disoriented, John staggers down the hall. Sam catches up.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Dude, hold up!\r\n John leans against the wall, keeping his hands out of sight.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n You look like crap. I'll get the\r\n nurse.\r\n But as Sam runs off, John heads in the other direction.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. ROAD - DAY\r\n\r\n Henri's SUV roars into view, whipping up a tornado of leaves.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. DARKROOM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n Strips of negatives hang on drying lines. John bursts in and\r\n SLAMS the door. He slips off his backpack, opens his hands.\r\n TIGHT ON HIS EYES -- the brilliant light from his palms\r\n shrinks his irises to pinpricks.\r\n The luminescence is crisp, mercury-glass bright and grows\r\n stronger every second. Suddenly, the door opens. John spins\r\n in shock. A figure strides through the blinding glare,\r\n gently takes his hands and folds them into fists.\r\n\r\n IT'S HENRI.\r\n John looks at him, confusion and fear etched on his face.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Henri, what's happening to me?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 22.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Calm down. You're going to be\r\n okay.\r\n John angrily holds up one of his luminescent hands.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n On what planet is this okay?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Yours.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I need to get you out of here.\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n John steps out of the darkroom wearing Henri's heavy coat.\r\n His hands are balled and stuffed into the pockets. Henri\r\n leads him quickly down the hall.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. SUV - DAY - MOVING\r\n\r\n John fearfully studies his hands which have returned to\r\n normal, then looks over at Henri who seems oddly calm.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Okay, start talking. What the\r\n hell's going on?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Your first Legacy is starting to\r\n manifest.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Legacy?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n An extraordinary ability. Yours is\r\n called Lumen. They start a lot\r\n sooner on Lorien. I was beginning\r\n to fear yours would never emerge.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You knew this was going to happen?\r\n Why didn't you say anything?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I didn't want to worry you. You\r\n were already under enough pressure.\r\n\r\n (SINCERE)\r\n I'm sorry.\r\n John acknowledges the apology, but looks at him, suspicious.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 23.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What else have you been hiding from\r\n me?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The curtains are drawn. Bernie Kosar dozes on the couch\r\n while John and Henri sit at the table, staring at the Box.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n This couldn't be opened until your\r\n first Legacy appeared. Ready?\r\n John nods nervously. Henri places the fingertips of his\r\n right hand onto five petal-shaped discs inlaid onto the lid.\r\n John cautiously follows suit and places his fingers on the\r\n âpetalsâ fanned across the opposite side.\r\n\r\n THE DISCS\r\n momentarily glow and a SHARP CLICK echoes from within. John\r\n and Henri pull their hands away and watch as the Box\r\n miraculously comes to life. Fissures of light sweep across\r\n the lines of inlaid stone, dividing the lid into sections\r\n that begin to twist and reform like high-tech origami.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Whoa.\r\n PUSH IN ON Bernie as he sits up and watches the Box unfold.\r\n Like an intricate jigsaw, the sections finally regroup,\r\n creating a new pattern on the lid. It's a familiar geometric\r\n symbol. John touches the crystal pendant that hangs from his\r\n neck -- the symbols are an exact match.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Open it.\r\n John nods, cautiously lifts the lid, revealing a neat\r\n assortment of velvet pouches and an array of colored rocks.\r\n They range in size and color but all share a serene beauty.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What are they?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Crystals from Lorien's core.\r\n They'll guide us in your training.\r\n John tries to reach for one, but Henri slaps his hand away.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 24.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Place your hand over them.\r\n John follows the instruction and is amazed when a walnut-\r\n sized crystal floats up from the Box. It slowly begins to\r\n spin and project\r\n\r\n A SWIRLING HOLOGRAPHIC GALAXY.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Our solar system.\r\n Henri points to a planet. Its oceans are dark with pollution\r\n and its sprawling continents are barren and treeless.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n That's what Lorien looked like\r\n thousands of years ago. We had all\r\n the problems that Earth has today.\r\n The planet was dying until our\r\n people made a collective decision\r\n to change and slowly Lorien began\r\n to heal itself -- that's when the\r\n Legacies started.\r\n John watches as the spinning planet transforms before his\r\n eyes. Its oceans turn a vibrant chroma-key blue and the land\r\n masses become a lush emerald green.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Only a select few developed these\r\n abilities. They became known as\r\n the Garde.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n That's what I am?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Like your parents and grandparents.\r\n John considers this new information.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n The other children in the ship...\r\n Henri finishes John's thought.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n They're Garde as well. Once you've\r\n mastered your Legacies, we'll find\r\n them and face the Mogadorians\r\n together.\r\n John looks at Henri, curious.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 25.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What Legacy do you have?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I don't have any and never will.\r\n I'm your Cepan -- a teacher. My\r\n job is not just to protect you but\r\n to train you.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Give me your hand.\r\n Henri takes one of John's hands and pulls a cigarette lighter\r\n from his pocket. John flinches, unsure.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Trust me.\r\n Henri flicks a flame to life and sweeps it under John's\r\n outstretched palm.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You feel that?\r\n Amazingly, the flame harmlessly licks the skin. But when\r\n Henri moves the lighter further up John's arm --\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Ouch.\r\n John jerks his hand away. Henri kills the flame, shrugs.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n When we're done, your entire body\r\n will be shielded against fire.\r\n John rubs his singed wrist.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You'll get other Legacies too.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Flying would be cool.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You don't get to pick them off a\r\n menu.\r\n KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. As John spins to the door, the\r\n shimmering galaxy fades and the crystal drops to the floor.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Mogs don't knock.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 26.\r\n Henri steps to his computer bank and examines a laptop\r\n featuring live feeds from a dozen surveillance cameras he's\r\n installed around the property.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n It's a girl.\r\n John looks over his shoulder and reacts with surprise.\r\n\r\n EXT. PORCH - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John opens the door and finds Sarah amped.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n How'd you do it?\r\n Her accusation startles him.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Do what?\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Eviscerate the entire senior class?\r\n She pulls a strip of overexposed 35mm film from her coat.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I was in the darkroom before lunch\r\n and they were hanging on the line\r\n smiling and looking forward to the\r\n future. When I got back, I found\r\n 15 rolls of negatives wiped clean.\r\n John shrugs innocently.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I don't know what you're talking\r\n about.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n So you weren't in the darkroom\r\n today?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n No.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Here's a tip. If you're going to\r\n lie, don't leave a big red backpack\r\n at the scene of the crime.\r\n She swings his backpack into view. John is mortified. He\r\n struggles to find a plausible answer and silently tries to\r\n quell the feeling welling in his chest.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 27.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I don't know what happened. Maybe\r\n it's a sign that you should invest\r\n in a digital camera.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Digital sucks. Film tells the\r\n truth. Clearly, I'm not going to\r\n get that from you.\r\n He watches as she angrily heads down the steps and climbs\r\n into her car. John glances at his palms and is surprised to\r\n find they are dimly luminescent.\r\n\r\n EXT. ROAD - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sarah's car sweeps out of the drive and powers towards town,\r\n unaware of the truck parked in the shadows.\r\n\r\n MARK JAYNE\r\n is behind the wheel and watches as her headlights fade into\r\n the night. OFF his simmering jealousy...\r\n\r\n INT. HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Bernie Kosar waits expectantly as Henri pours âDoggie Chowâ\r\n into a bowl. John steps in.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Everything okay?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n She was returning my backpack.\r\n He dumps it by the door.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I think you should stay home from\r\n school for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm fine.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Just to be safe.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John lies on his bed, staring at his luminescent palms,\r\n conflicted by his emotions.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 28.\r\n\r\n INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT - LATER\r\n\r\n Moonlight cuts across Bernie Kosar who is SNORING peacefully\r\n at the end of the bed. John tosses and turns. He finally\r\n sits up, unable to sleep.\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - DAWN\r\n\r\n Nursing a mug of black coffee, Henri diligently scans the\r\n laptop screens. He's clearly never gone to bed. He looks up\r\n as John enters wearing track gear.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm going for a run.\r\n Bernie trots out and wags his tail pleadingly.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sorry, buddy, you couldn't keep up.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n START MONTAGE:\r\n\r\n EXT. WOODS - DAWN\r\n\r\n EPIC AERIAL SHOT LOOKING DOWN AT AN EAGLE as it soars above\r\n the rich kaleidoscope of trees. It almost seems to be\r\n following John, who is powering along a narrow track below.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n John moves at superhuman speed, leaving a blurring wake of\r\n leaves. His foot splits a log as he bounds over it.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n John charges towards a secluded stream. It's 30 feet wide.\r\n He doesn't slow, leaps off the bank and effortlessly\r\n hopscotches from boulder to boulder to the other side.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. HILL - DAWN\r\n\r\n It offers a high-def view of Paradise. John reaches the top\r\n and is exhilarated by the sense of temporary liberation. He\r\n\r\n WATCHES AS\r\n\r\n THE EAGLE\r\n alights in a nearby oak tree. John bends to tighten his\r\n laces, his eyes fall on the trio of scars branded on his\r\n ankle. His happiness dims.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 29.\r\n He grits his teeth and takes off for home. As he passes the\r\n oak, the CAMERA TRACKS TO REVEAL the gecko scampering down\r\n the gnarled trunk.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY\r\n\r\n Sam is at his locker. He glances over at John's, hoping\r\n he'll show. Disappointed, he joins the crisscrossing throng.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n John âpracticesâ turning his Lumen Legacy âoffâ and âonâ.\r\n Henri watches as John's palms glow.  John focuses intently,\r\n causing them to flare with sudden brilliance. Momentarily\r\n blinded, John jerks back and topples off his chair.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sarah sits in the stands, doing homework, watching Mark and\r\n the football team practice in the cold metallic floodlight.\r\n ON THE FIELD the ball is hiked to Mark. He looks for an\r\n opening and fires a perfect spiral to the RECEIVER in the end\r\n zone. Mark thumps chests with Kevin and looks up at the\r\n stands, only to discover that Sarah is gone.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. BACK PORCH - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n John's playing âsupercatchâ with Bernie. He watches as the\r\n little guy races back from the woods, clutching a ball.\r\n Panting with exertion, the dog lays it at John's feet. John\r\n smiles, swings back his arm and hauls the ball again.\r\n ANGLE ON BALL: It arcs up, sails right over the garage and\r\n drops earthwards in the heart of the woods.\r\n Unperturbed by the superhuman throw, Bernie hightails after\r\n the ball. Henri steps out and watches, amused, then tosses\r\n John a pair of black driving gloves. OFF John's eye roll...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n TIGHT ON ONE OF THE GLOVES. It's now fingerless and on\r\n John's hand. He weaves through the preclass crowd and is\r\n about to head into the chemistry lab when he sees\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 30.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n disappearing into a room at the end. He's torn, then makes a\r\n decision and does something he shouldn't -- he strides down\r\n the hall after her.\r\n\r\n END MONTAGE.\r\n\r\n INT. YEARBOOK ROOM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n Sarah is alone, tacking photographs to a large board that's\r\n lying flat on the carpet. She hears the door CLICK, turns\r\n and coolly regards John.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I think you have the wrong room.\r\n She rises, walks past him and begins searching the photos\r\n scattered on the layout table in the middle of the space.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Wanted to apologize.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Does the apology come with an\r\n explanation?\r\n He turns to go, has his hand on the door when --\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Wait.\r\n He looks back. Her face softens.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n How about we delete Monday and\r\n start over?\r\n She steps forward and extends her hand.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I'm Sarah.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n John.\r\n TIGHT ON THEIR HANDS as they shake. She checks out his\r\n fingerless gloves, amused.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Nice gloves.\r\n She crosses to the board, reaches down to lift it when John\r\n steps behind her.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 31.\r\n He effortlessly picks it up and hooks it onto the wall. They\r\n stand back. John stares at the collage of high school images\r\n that captures a life he'll never know.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You know all these people?\r\n She nods.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Curse of a small town. I've been\r\n around them my whole life.\r\n (pointing to photo)\r\n Kim Thomas. She peed in her bed at\r\n a sleepover when we were seven.\r\n\r\n (POINTING)\r\n Neil Bailey. President of the\r\n Debate Club. Plays five\r\n instruments. Doesn't know he's gay\r\n yet.\r\n\r\n (POINTING)\r\n Mrs. Ross. AP English. She's been\r\n here so long, she taught my mom and\r\n my four brothers. I'm the baby of\r\n the family in case you were\r\n wondering.\r\n Her curious eyes scour his face.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n So what's your story?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Not very interesting.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Determined to keep the mystery\r\n alive, aren't you?\r\n His finger arrows in on a photograph of Sarah. It's a candid\r\n and she's taking a shot with her trademark Nikon.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You first.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Okay. Recovering cheerleader.\r\n Wannabe vegetarian but I still love\r\n burgers. Dreams of being a\r\n photojournalist.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I've never actually admitted that\r\n last one to anybody before.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 32.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Your secret's safe with me.\r\n She studies him, sensing a kindred spirit.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You ever feel you don't belong in\r\n your own life?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Every single day.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Wow. That almost sounded like a\r\n straight answer.\r\n They look at each other. There's a charged silence. The\r\n moment is broken when --\r\n\r\n MARK (O.S.)\r\n What's he doing in here?\r\n John and Sarah spin to find Mark. Sarah is flustered.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I thought you were on two-a-days.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Coach wants me to rest my arm\r\n before the scouts come. You didn't\r\n answer my question?\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John was helping me move some\r\n boards.\r\n John turns to Sarah.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm going to take off.\r\n Mark doesn't take his eyes off John and blocks his way.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Seriously, Sarah, what's up with\r\n this guy?\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I don't have time for this, Mark.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n But you had time to go to his house\r\n the other night.\r\n Sarah looks at him, stunned by the admission.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 33.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You were following me?\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Just trying to figure out what's\r\n going on with you.\r\n Sarah's shock turns to anger.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You've crossed so many lines I\r\n can't even speak to you right now.\r\n She hustles out of the room. Mark glares at John.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n This isn't over.\r\n OFF John, unmoved by the threat...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. STILT HOUSE - FLORIDA - DUSK\r\n\r\n The sky is even pinker than the house.\r\n\r\n INT. STILT HOUSE - FLORIDA - DUSK\r\n\r\n A drawer flies across THE FRAME. The place has been totally\r\n trashed. Floorboards have been ripped up. Sofas shredded.\r\n Nothing has been spared. CAMERA DRIFTS OVER the debris to...\r\n\r\n INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - STILT HOUSE - DUSK\r\n\r\n The mattress has been dissected and its guts lie scattered.\r\n\r\n A TEEN GIRL.\r\n kneels in front of John's old desk searching the drawers.\r\n She wears a biker jacket, combat boots and has a striking\r\n âdon't-fuck-with-meâ face. Frustrated in her search, she\r\n flings the desk against the wall. It splinters on impact.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - STILT HOUSE - FLORIDA - DUSK\r\n\r\n TIGHT ON THE STOVE -- a hand twists on the burners. Raw gas\r\n HISSES. The Teen Girl makes one final scan, then heads for\r\n the door.\r\n\r\n EXT. STILT HOUSE - FLORIDA - DUSK\r\n\r\n The Teen Girl strides down the steps and crosses to a sleek\r\n Ducatti. She slips on a helmet. PUSH IN on her Arctic-blue\r\n eyes as they focus on the house with a strange intensity.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 34.\r\n\r\n KABBBOOOOOOM!\r\n The house detonates. The concussive force of the blast rips\r\n the structure right off its stilts. Tornadoes of flame BLAST\r\n through the windows as the house catapults into the air.\r\n Orange reflections flicker on the Girl's visor as she flips\r\n it down, REVS the motorcycle and SCREAM-PEELS down the drive\r\n backlit by the glittering inferno...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n Sam catches John at the lockers.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Nice freakout the other day.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Wasn't feeling well.\r\n They twist their combination locks. Sam swings open his\r\n door, there's a HISSING POP and\r\n\r\n A RED INK PACK EXPLODES.\r\n It's the kind banks use to foil heists. In a shocking\r\n instant, Sam and the contents of his locker are splattered.\r\n It bears a gruesome resemblance to arterial spray.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n has his door halfway open and ducks back a second before the\r\n ink pack planted in his locker ERUPTS. The spray misses his\r\n face but violently spits across his chest and arms. LAUGHTER\r\n echoes behind them. John spins and finds Mark and his posse.\r\n TIGHT ON John's hands as he balls them and an angry glow\r\n flickers through his gloves.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n (to John, taunting)\r\n Told you it wasn't over.\r\n Behind them, Sam's laid-back persona cracks. He frantically\r\n clears his locker, looking for something. He finally pulls\r\n out a photo which drips with ink, reels at the jocks.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Assholes.\r\n John looks back at Sam. Mark seizes his chance and launches\r\n a sucker-punch at John. But John sees it out of the corner\r\n of his eye and in a blur of motion whips up his hand and\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 35.\r\n\r\n CATCHES MARK'S FIST.\r\n John squeezes it vice-tight. Mark grimaces in agony. His\r\n buddies back into the CROWD OF TEENS that has gathered. John\r\n leans in close.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n That sensation you're feeling --\r\n remember it.\r\n With a quick push, John shoves Mark back against the lockers.\r\n Mark DENTS a door and slides to the floor, his eyes flaring\r\n with lacerated pride.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Show's over.\r\n The crowd disperses. Mark gets to his feet and exits with\r\n his friends, but shoots John one final wounded glare...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. LOCKER ROOM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n Red, ink-stained water Hitchcocks down the drain. John\r\n wrings out his black T-shirt. He sees Sam's reflection in\r\n the mirror. Sam puts some clothes on the bench.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I raided lost and found.\r\n He holds up a puke-green sweater decorated with red snowmen.\r\n John turns back to the sink.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I know. Nobody loses anything\r\n cool.\r\n He sits and begins to change.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Dude, the way you thrashed Mark\r\n back there. Awesome move.\r\n John acknowledges that with a nod. Whip-dries his shirt.\r\n Sam plucks up the photo. The ink is now dried and cracked.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Who's in the picture?\r\n Sam stares at it, nostalgic.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n My dad. My real dad. I took it\r\n the summer before he split.\r\n\r\n (MORE)\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 36.\r\n\r\n SAM (CONT'D)\r\n He dragged me and my mom all over\r\n the Yucatan. He was looking for\r\n evidence of ancient astronauts.\r\n All I got was Montezuma's Revenge.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n\r\n (DEADPAN)\r\n Sounds like a fun vacation.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I know. Insane. He called himself\r\n an anthropologist even though he\r\n only made it through one semester\r\n of college.\r\n He rises and tosses the ruined picture into the trash.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Always thought he'd come back one\r\n day -- who was I kidding. The\r\n guy's a joke.\r\n As the BELL RINGS...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. PARADISE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY\r\n\r\n The football stadium rises like a monolith in the background.\r\n John strides towards the tree line, headed home.\r\n\r\n SARAH (O.S.)\r\n John.\r\n He turns in surprise as Sarah approaches.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I heard about the lockers. I'm\r\n sorry.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'll live.\r\n He starts off again.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I broke up with Mark.\r\n He stops, slowly turns back.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I've been thinking about doing it\r\n for a while... today just finally\r\n pushed me over the edge.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 37.\r\n He studies her face.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Why are you telling me?\r\n She bows her head, suddenly embarrassed.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I don't know.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You made the right call.\r\n The certainty of his voice soothes her. She looks up and\r\n holds his gaze. Their attraction is undeniable.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Halloween Block Party's tonight.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I saw the banners.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I'll be on Main Street hiding\r\n behind my camera if you want to\r\n swing by.\r\n He says nothing.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I wasn't expecting an actual\r\n response. I could text you later.\r\n Do they have cell phones on Planet\r\n John?\r\n She holds out her phone. John looks at it tentatively, then\r\n takes it. As he inputs his number, he hears the BLARE of a\r\n car horn, looks up and sees Henri waiting in his SUV.\r\n\r\n INT. SUV - DAY\r\n\r\n John climbs in.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Wasn't that your friend from the\r\n other night?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Her name's Sarah.\r\n\r\n (ANNOYED)\r\n I didn't ask for a ride home.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Principal called. Said there was\r\n an incident.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 38.\r\n John stares out the window, guilty.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n A guy was messing with me. I took\r\n care of it. Problem solved.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You're stronger and faster because\r\n of Earth's gravity -- you shouldn't\r\n use that advantage to settle petty\r\n scores.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It was no big deal. Don't blow it\r\n out of proportion.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You can't risk everything over\r\n wounded pride.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I wasn't looking for a fight. It\r\n just happened. Get off my back.\r\n Henri pulls a printout from his coat. John unfolds it.\r\n ANGLE ON PRINTOUT: It's from the Florida Keynoter website\r\n and features a photo of the charred stilt house.\r\n John's gut churns as he stares at the image.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Article says it was arson.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n We were clean. There's no way the\r\n Mogs can track us here.\r\n Henri shakes his head, shifts into gear and starts off.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n They can track us anywhere. I\r\n think it's time you saw what you're\r\n really up against.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. GARAGE - DAY\r\n\r\n Sunlight razors across workbenches cluttered with rusty\r\n tools. Henri and John stand in the middle of the space.\r\n\r\n THE BOX\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 39.\r\n is open on the floor between them. John lifts his hand and\r\n holds it over the crystals.\r\n\r\n ONE RISES.\r\n It's white and as thick as two fingers. It floats in front\r\n of John's face. He tentatively reaches out. When he grips\r\n it, a shock wave of light blasts out, totally WIPING OUT THE\r\n FRAME and transporting him into\r\n\r\n A VISCERAL MEMORY.\r\n\r\n EXT. LORIEN - NIGHT\r\n\r\n EXPLOSIONS rock and the SCREAMS of the dying echo. AN OLD\r\n MAN hustles A TERRIFIED BOY through the murderous\r\n bombardment. The air is choked with ash and smoke.\r\n The boy is 7-year-old John. The man is his grandfather.\r\n Young John glances up and sees\r\n\r\n AN ARMADA OF BATTLESHIPS\r\n eclipsing Lorien's two moons. The angular hulls of the craft\r\n are scarred from galactic battles new and ancient and unleash\r\n an endless crisscrossing FRENZY OF MISSILES.\r\n\r\n GRANDFATHER\r\n (in Loric with subtitles)\r\n Keep moving.\r\n\r\n EXT. TEMPLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n It wouldn't look out of place in ancient Rome. Young John\r\n and his grandfather race up the steps.\r\n\r\n INT. SANCTUARY - TEMPLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n A statue of Lorien's most famous warrior, Pittacus Lore,\r\n towers in the middle of the chamber. His noble face is\r\n illuminated in a shaft of flame-tainted moonlight.\r\n\r\n FOOTSTEPS ECHO!\r\n Young John and his grandfather scramble across the space and\r\n straight into the path of\r\n\r\n TWO MOGADORIAN SOLDIERS.\r\n The Soldiers' pallid faces flash with smiles. Swords drawn,\r\n they move in for the kill when one is skewered in the throat\r\n by a crystal-handled dagger.\r\n\r\n MAGENTA LIGHT\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 40.\r\n spurts from the wound. The Soldier's body fractures like\r\n glass and DISINTEGRATES in a shower of embers as he drops to\r\n the floor. The other Mogadorian spins and trades SPARKING\r\n sword strokes with\r\n\r\n A CLOAKED FIGURE.\r\n It's a violent battle of wills which ends when the Cloaked\r\n Figure kicks up the dead Soldier's sword and impales it into\r\n the Mogadorian's chest. The Soldier EVISCERATES in a cloud\r\n of HISSING cinders.\r\n Young John watches in awed terror as the Cloaked Figure steps\r\n towards him and pulls back his hood.\r\n\r\n IT'S HENRI.\r\n He looks younger, the years of hiding have aged him. John's\r\n grandfather lifts a familiar crystal pendant from his neck\r\n and places it over Young John's head.\r\n\r\n GRANDFATHER\r\n This is your Cepan. Go with him.\r\n\r\n YOUNG JOHN\r\n No!\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Your life is my life now. I will\r\n always protect you.\r\n\r\n GRANDFATHER\r\n\r\n (TO HENRI)\r\n He must survive.\r\n A BLAST scorches across the space. Henri spots\r\n\r\n A MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n hunkered behind a column, his red coat billows behind him\r\n like a curse.\r\n\r\n GRANDFATHER\r\n They are already hunting you! Go!\r\n Henri plucks a crystal ankle-dagger from his boot, grabs\r\n young John and charges up. As the Commander breaks cover,\r\n Henri hurls the dagger.\r\n\r\n THE COMMANDER\r\n dives out of its path but ROARS as the blade SPARK-RIPS\r\n across his right cheek like a hot poker.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 41.\r\n\r\n EXT. TEMPLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Henri yanks Young John by the hand. They take off in one\r\n direction while John's grandfather heads off in the other.\r\n\r\n A MOGADORIAN TRANSPORT CRAFT\r\n suddenly swoops between them. The HOWLS of its occupants\r\n ricochet through the night. The heat from its engines washes\r\n the ground, warping the destruction like a ghastly mirage as\r\n two bay doors open. Young John looks back through the heat-\r\n haze and catches a impressionistic view as\r\n\r\n TWO PIKEN\r\n leap out. Their reptilian bodies ripple with muscle and\r\n their oversize heads glint with raptor-like jaws. The Piken\r\n mercilessly rip into John's grandfather. Young John races to\r\n help, but Henri wrenches him back. CAMERA PUSHES IN TIGHT ON\r\n YOUNG JOHN'S FACE as he screams...\r\n\r\n YOUNG JOHN\r\n Nooooooooooo!\r\n THE MEMORY ENDS and we...\r\n\r\n MATCH CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. GARAGE - DAY\r\n\r\n TIGHT ON JOHN screaming...\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Nooooooooooo!\r\n He drops the crystal and stumbles back. The experience has\r\n left him traumatized. Henri steps towards him, but John is\r\n too overwhelmed and runs out.\r\n\r\n EXT. STREAM - WOODS - DAY\r\n\r\n A stone angrily SKIPS across the water. John is about to\r\n toss another when Bernie Kosar trots into view. He ruffles\r\n the dog's fur but doesn't turn when Henri steps out of the\r\n woods and crosses to his side.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I saw my grandfather. I saw what\r\n you did to the Mogadorians -- you\r\n saved my life.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n A lot of Lorics sacrificed their\r\n lives so that you could live.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 42.\r\n John is still trying to process the memory.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n He said I must survive.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n The Elders had a plan. You weren't\r\n on that ship by chance. The nine\r\n of you were chosen for a reason.\r\n Even if only two of you live,\r\n together you'll pose a grave threat\r\n to our enemy.\r\n Consumed by bitterness, John hurls another stone.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You saw what they did to Lorien.\r\n How can nine or six or two of us\r\n take on that army? It's hopeless.\r\n Henri knows he has to pull him out of this mournful funk.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I never thought we'd get off Lorien\r\n alive -- but we did. I didn't know\r\n how we could survive on a strange\r\n planet -- but we have. I gave us\r\n six months before the Mogs found us\r\n -- it's been 10 years. Don't give\r\n up now.\r\n Henri grips John's shoulders.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You have the potential to do great\r\n things. Even if you don't see it --\r\n I do.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n How can you put so much faith in\r\n me?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Because your life is my life. If\r\n you quit, then everything I've\r\n worked for and sacrificed is\r\n meaningless.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Remember -- nothing is inevitable.\r\n The fragile SILENCE is broken when John's cell phone BLEATS.\r\n He scans a text.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 43.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It's Sarah. The Block Party's\r\n tonight. I'll say I can't make it.\r\n Henri sees John is wracked with doubt and confusion.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n No... go.\r\n John looks at him, surprised by this paternal gesture.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You've had enough for one day.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. MAIN STREET - PARADISE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n A Halloween parade drifts past the CROWDS packing the\r\n sidewalks. Icicle lights twinkle in the trees. EXCITED KIDS\r\n in costume zigzag past John. It's small-town Americana at\r\n its best. ET waddles by holding a JEDI's hand.\r\n\r\n A SLAP ON GLASS.\r\n John turns and is amused to find Sam standing among the\r\n mannequins in the display window of a sporting goods store.\r\n\r\n INT. ED'S SPORTING GOODS STORE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n An annoying CHIME plays as the door opens and John enters.\r\n The store is deserted. The stock needs to be updated and the\r\n shelves could use a dust. Sam approaches wearing an apron.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You work here?\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Not by choice.\r\n (pointing to sign)\r\n Ed's my stepdad. He's under the\r\n delusion that if people eat enough\r\n candy apples and kettle corn,\r\n they'll suddenly have the urge to\r\n buy sporting goods.\r\n John plucks a hockey mask from the basket on the counter.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I put those on special tonight for\r\n any wannabe Jason Voorhees.\r\n Sam pulls off his apron, revealing a T-shirt emblazoned with\r\n the words âFuture Supervillainâ.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 44.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Screw this. Let me lock up. I'll\r\n hang with you.\r\n He steps to the door and twists the closed sign into view.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What about your stepdad?\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n He hit the tavern at 6:00. He's\r\n already hammered by now. I'll\r\n probably find him passed out on the\r\n doorstep. Every night is trick âr\r\n treat at my house.\r\n\r\n EXT. STREET - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John and Sam wander past the parade floats lined up along the\r\n road bordering the woods. Stalls sell hot dogs and cotton\r\n candy. John subtly scans the crowd.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n She's over there.\r\n John follows Sam's gaze and finds Sarah taking shots of some\r\n KIDS dunking for apples. She pulls the camera from her eye,\r\n sees John and smiles as he approaches.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You made it.\r\n (re: Sam's shirt)\r\n Like the T-shirt, Sam.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Guidance Counsellor said I need to\r\n set goals for myself. Figured I'd\r\n aim high.\r\n She looks back at John.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n What do you think of Halloween in\r\n Paradise?\r\n John regards a particularly over-the-top float.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n They should pull out all the stops\r\n next year.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Well, you haven't had the full\r\n experience until you've been on the\r\n Haunted Hayride.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 45.\r\n She motions to the picnic area where TEENS are lining up to\r\n get on tractor-pulled hay wagons. The wagons lurch through\r\n the mouth of a giant cutout devil and into the woods.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Give me a sec.\r\n She steps to the face-painting booth. It's sponsored by the\r\n local realtor who is Sarah's mom, Annie. Sarah hands Annie\r\n her camera. Sam whispers to John.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I'm impressed.\r\n Before John can respond, Sarah steps back.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You guys ready?\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Three on a wagon might get a little\r\n crowded. I'll meet you two on the\r\n other side.\r\n He gives John a not-so-subtle wink of encouragement. John\r\n and Sarah join the end of the line and watch Sam head away.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Sam's cool.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Definitely unique.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I haven't really talked to him\r\n since 8th grade. Mark had a tight\r\n circle. If you weren't a jock or\r\n cheerleader, you didn't exist.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm glad you broke free.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Me too.\r\n OFF their growing connection...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The path is lined with human heads piked to wooden stakes.\r\n SCREAMS, WAILS and GHOULISH HOWLS boom from hidden speakers.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 46.\r\n OMINOUS POV: WATCHES from the trees as a wagon with John and\r\n Sarah RATTLES into view. It's driven by the GRIM REAPER.\r\n\r\n FIVE GIANT RUBBER SPIDERS\r\n drop from the trees. Sarah freaks as the arachnids dangle\r\n over their heads on wires. She rubs her hair, flustered,\r\n looks over at John, who is coolly amused by the cheap scares.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Not even a flinch. None of this\r\n scares you, does it?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm trembling on the inside.\r\n He smiles.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You can smile. I was starting to\r\n have my doubts.\r\n She takes his hand. They CLATTER past a series of grisly\r\n\r\n TABLEAUX:\r\n A TEEN jerks and SCREAMS in mock agony as he is fried in an\r\n antiquated electric chair.\r\n A BLOOD-SPLATTERED DOCTOR CACKLES as he hacksaws the legs off\r\n a CHEERLEADER chained to a gurney.\r\n A squad of blood-hungry VAMPIRIC FOOTBALL PLAYERS attacks a\r\n rival team of WEREWOLVES.\r\n\r\n EXT. CLEARING - WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Ghosts float in the branches as the wagon LURCHES to a stop.\r\n\r\n GRIM REAPER\r\n Hell's Gate, everybody off.\r\n The duo reluctantly clambers off the back and watches as the\r\n hay wagon circles back the way it came.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Once we make it through, we're home\r\n free.\r\n\r\n A SKELETON\r\n pendulums in front of them. Sarah SCREAMS and clenches\r\n John's hand harder. A pathway of lights floods on,\r\n illuminating a skull-capped gate. The words\r\n\r\n âYOUR NUMBER'S UP!â\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 47.\r\n are scrawled across it in fake blood.\r\n\r\n EXT. TUNNEL - WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John and Sarah step through the gate and enter a natural\r\n tunnel of dense, overhanging branches. A fog machine gently\r\n COUGHS, and spiderwebs stretch across the sides.\r\n They are about 20 feet into the tunnel when the lights go\r\n out. Somewhere a CHAINSAW sputters to life. White strobe\r\n lights suddenly flare on and\r\n\r\n TWO CHAINSAW-WIELDING ZOMBIES\r\n burst through the gates behind them. The teens take off.\r\n It's like a flickering scene from a demented silent movie.\r\n The Zombies have almost caught up when the strobe abruptly\r\n ends. The SOUND of the chainsaws FADES and John and Sarah\r\n stop, panting and LAUGHING with relief.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n That was insane.\r\n\r\n IT'S PITCH BLACK.\r\n A werewolf HOWLS somewhere in the darkness. Something\r\n brushes past John's leg. He spins, suddenly unsure.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What was that?\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Just part of the ride.\r\n He turns, sees a flash of purple light and hears the rustle\r\n of HEAVY FOOTSTEPS on all sides.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Are you sure?\r\n As he steps forward,\r\n\r\n A THICK BRANCH\r\n cuts through the dark and viciously SMACKS John on the back.\r\n He drops to the ground like a sack. Figures emerge from the\r\n shadows and he hears a DESPERATE STRUGGLE behind him.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Let go! Stop it!\r\n John tries to stand, but a boot CRACKS him in the ribs.\r\n Another strikes the side of his face. He is surrounded. His\r\n attackers are brutal and unrelenting. Over the LOOPING\r\n SOUNDTRACK OF B-MOVIE NOISES, Sarah's muffled SCREAMS DIM.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 48.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sarah! Sa-\r\n His voice is cut off as a fist SMASHES into his jaw and the\r\n steel cap of a combat boot SLAMS his groin. John staggers up\r\n but is viciously kicked back to the ground.\r\n PUSH IN ON JOHN'S FACE as it hardens with blind rage. In a\r\n blur of motion he reaches up, grabs two of his attackers by\r\n their coats and hammers their skulls together. As they drop,\r\n John spins to meet his other two foes with\r\n\r\n BLINDING PALMS OF LIGHT.\r\n The assailants are illuminated in the phosphorescent glare.\r\n They're not Mogadorians but rather\r\n\r\n FOOTBALL JOCKS.\r\n One is Mark Jayne's buddy Kevin. They're wearing zombie\r\n makeup and military fatigues and have night-vision goggles\r\n strapped to their faces.\r\n John angrily strides forward, palm outstretched.\r\n NIGHT-VISION POV: Everything is an overexposed blur until --\r\n\r\n WHAAAAM!!!\r\n John brutally clotheslines one, then pummel-rams Kevin in the\r\n chest, sending him flying back 10 feet into a tree. Kevin\r\n slumps, out for the count. John arcs a glowing hand through\r\n the darkness.\r\n\r\n SARAH IS GONE.\r\n He plucks up the Jocks' fallen goggles and heads off with\r\n Terminator-like determination.\r\n\r\n EXT. WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sarah is carried through the woods by TWO ZOMBIE JOCKS in\r\n camouflage fatigues and night-vision goggles. She SCREAMS.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Let go of me!\r\n She futilely tries to wrestle free.\r\n\r\n EXT. PICNIC AREA - WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sam is waiting by the exit to the hayride when he hears --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 49.\r\n\r\n SARAH (O.S.)\r\n (in the woods)\r\n Help! Somebody!\r\n Something about her terrified tone alerts Sam.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Sarah?\r\n She doesn't answer. He hesitates a moment, then charges into\r\n the woods.\r\n\r\n INT. WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Freaky shadows crisscross as John uses his luminescent palms\r\n to navigate his way through the labyrinth of trees.\r\n\r\n INT. CLEARING - WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sam scrambles blindly through the darkness.\r\n\r\n JOHN (O.S.)\r\n\r\n SARAH!\r\n Sam turns in the direction of JOHN'S VOICE. He's about to\r\n head towards it when\r\n\r\n TWO ZOMBIE JOCKS\r\n trudge into view. Sam darts behind a tree. Suddenly, the\r\n area is flooded with preternatural white light. He can hear\r\n the sounds of a SCUFFLE and one of the Jocks flies past and\r\n CRASHES in a heap while the other SCREAMS.\r\n\r\n JOCK (O.S.)\r\n You're blinding me! Stop!\r\n Sam cautiously sneaks a peek, shields his eyes with a hand.\r\n WHAT HE SEES: John pins the Jock to a tree and holds a\r\n luminous palm up to the lenses of the teen's goggles.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Where's Sarah? Tell me!!\r\n\r\n JOCK\r\n Shepherd Falls. Now turn off that\r\n damn flashlight!\r\n John rips off the Jock's goggles, then pile-slides him 15\r\n feet into a rotten stump and takes off in a blur of speed.\r\n CAMERA STAYS ON SAM. OFF his stunned reaction...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 50.\r\n\r\n EXT. SHEPHERD FALLS - WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n A rocky promontory overlooks a crescent-shaped waterfall\r\n which drops into a swimming hole below. The Zombie Jocks\r\n carry Sarah into view and dump her in front of Mark. She's\r\n wild-cat angry when she sees him.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Are you crazy! Where's John?\r\n Mark nods the Zombie Jocks away.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Relax. It's a practical joke.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I swear if you hurt him --\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Why do you give a shit?\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Get out of my face, Mark, you're\r\n pathetic.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n I'm the best thing that ever\r\n happened to you and I'm giving you\r\n one more chance.\r\n Appalled by his hubris, Sarah turns to leave.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Don't walk away from me!\r\n Mark grabs her. Sarah wrenches free, but loses her balance\r\n and falls back on the ground. Mark's rage is transplanted by\r\n concern. He steps towards her to help when --\r\n\r\n JOHN (O.S.)\r\n Back off!\r\n Mark watches John step out. Blood trickles from a cut above\r\n John's right eye.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John! Are you okay?\r\n He nods. Mark looks past him, confused.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Where the hell are Kevin and Joe?\r\n John holds up a clutch of night-vision goggles.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 51.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n They got spooked.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Hey, those are police property!\r\n John flings them over Mark's head into the water.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n I'm going to kill you!\r\n With lightning speed, John grabs Mark's arm, spins him,\r\n pinning him to a tree. Blinded by rage, John jerks Mark's\r\n arm up behind his back.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John! Stop!\r\n Mark is in real pain. Transfixed with anger, John keeps\r\n twisting. Sarah looks at him, pleading.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n That's his throwing arm!\r\n But he doesn't stop until she finally steps forward and slaps\r\n him across the face. Startled, John lets go.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Football's all he's got.\r\n John stumbles back, ashamed, and heads into the woods. Sarah\r\n offers Mark a look of disgust and follows after John.\r\n\r\n EXT. TREE LINE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John charges into view.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John! Wait.\r\n Sarah catches up.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I'm sorry, I didn't want you to\r\n break his arm.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at\r\n myself.\r\n She stops, faces him.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 52.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I had no idea Mark would pull\r\n something like that. He has\r\n seriously gone off the deep end.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n The guy's in love with you. Wants\r\n you back.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n That's not love.\r\n Their eyes meet in the moonlight.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Walk me home?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. STREET - NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's a picture-book perfect neighborhood. Most of the houses\r\n are festively decorated with front-yard graveyards and cobweb-\r\n festooned trees. John walks with Sarah. They come to the\r\n prettiest house on the block.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n This is me.\r\n John stares at the dozen jack-o'-lanterns arranged on the\r\n porch. They glare back with flickering bucktooth grins.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I know. Wait until the Christmas\r\n decorations go up. My mom decks\r\n the halls with so many lights, you\r\n can see our house from space.\r\n Stray TRICK-OR-TREATERS race past. She motions to the cut\r\n above his eye, concerned.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You should see a doctor.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n For this? Wouldn't waste their\r\n time.\r\n She looks at him, curious.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You're not going to tell me how you\r\n took out those football players,\r\n are you?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 53.\r\n He says nothing. She smiles.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I really don't get you.\r\n She steps closer.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n But I feel like I can trust you.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You can.\r\n The air is charged.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Good night.\r\n Sarah swings open the white picket gate.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Wait.\r\n As she turns back, John steps forward and kisses her.\r\n Although taken by surprise, Sarah quickly succumbs to his\r\n passion. However, as their kiss intensifies,\r\n\r\n THE JACK-O'-LANTERNS\r\n rise and hover in midair. Sarah has her back to them, but\r\n when John's eyes momentarily flicker open, he sees the orbs\r\n grinning back. Startled, he pulls away from her.\r\n\r\n THE PUMPKINS\r\n instantly drop and SMASH onto the porch, their candles\r\n blowing out on impact. Sarah spins and stares at the jack-o'-\r\n lanterns, pulp oozes through their cracked shells.\r\n Suspicious, she slowly turns, looks at John for an\r\n explanation. He does his best to cover his stunned reaction.\r\n Fat drops of RAIN begin to fall. John puts up his hood.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I better go.\r\n OFF Sarah, watching him melt into the downpour...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Rain HAMMERS. Bernie is asleep on a blanket. John creeps\r\n into the darkness, soaked to the bone, when --\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 54.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I heard on the police scanner that\r\n eight boys were beaten up in the\r\n woods tonight.\r\n Henri turns on a light, nursing a mug of coffee. Bernie\r\n wakes. John pulls off his hood. Henri looks at the cuts and\r\n bruises on John's face.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n They won't talk.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n That was a stupid thing to do.\r\n What were you thinking?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n They attacked me. If I hadn't\r\n defended myself, I'd be in the ER\r\n right now. Would that have been\r\n the better choice?\r\n\r\n (STEPPING FORWARD)\r\n You've got to start trusting me!\r\n Emotionally charged, John points his finger at Henri,\r\n accidentally causing the mug to telekinetically\r\n\r\n EXPLODE.\r\n Coffee and shards splatter across the floor. Henri looks at\r\n John, stunned. John shrugs sheepishly.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I was getting to that. I got a new\r\n Legacy.\r\n Henri absorbs that revelation.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Telekinesis. That's a big step.\r\n Must have been triggered by the\r\n fight.\r\n John doesn't correct him, averts his gaze.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I need to teach you how to control\r\n these abilities. We'll start\r\n working on that tomorrow.\r\n The conversation is suddenly interrupted by the repetitive\r\n WHINE OF AN ALARM. They cross to the bank of computers.\r\n Henri urgently stabs commands into a keyboard.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 55.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What is it?\r\n Henri pulls up a website.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n We got a hit on one of the search\r\n words.\r\n\r\n (SCANNING)\r\n It's a paranormal blog. âThey Walk\r\n Among Us!â\r\n ANGLE ON COMPUTER: A video buffers into motion. It's\r\n handheld and jerky. It WHIP-PANS over some sand and joins a\r\n group of Teens huddled over a figure lying in the surf. He's\r\n holding his ankle and light seeps between his fingers.\r\n John's chest pounds with fear as he realizes...\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n That's Sand Dollar Beach.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Looks like a cell phone camera.\r\n There's enough for the Mogs to ID\r\n your face.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Can you take it down?\r\n Henri remains ice calm and starts typing commands.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Working on it.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm sorry, Henri.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n This isn't your fault. There's\r\n still nothing to trace us here.\r\n Henri glances up from his screen.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n This could take all night. Get\r\n some sleep.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. BEDROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John dumps his hoodie on the floor and slumps on his bed. He\r\n pulls his phone out of his jeans and sees a new text message\r\n from Sam. He CLICKS it open.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 56.\r\n PUSH IN ON JOHN'S FACE as he scans the message with alarm.\r\n He sits bolt-upright, gripped with dread. He checks the\r\n message again.\r\n\r\n TIGHT ON PHONE: âI SAW WHAT U DID IN THE WOODS. NEED 2 TALK.\r\n\r\n 2NITE. MY GARAGE.â\r\n JOHN hits delete and clenches the phone in his palm. A bad\r\n night just got worse.\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Henri is illuminated by the dirty glow on the computers.\r\n His fingers work the keys with expert precision. He's so\r\n focused on the task that he doesn't notice\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n blur ACROSS THE FRAME of one of the surveillance camera\r\n screens and disappear into the woods.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John cautiously approaches. It's a â50s ranch style. The\r\n garage adjoins the house. The lights are out. RAIN bullets\r\n off the garage door which is partially concertinaed open.\r\n\r\n INT. GARAGE - SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John slides into view. It takes a second for his eyes to\r\n adjust. A pickup sits under a white tarp. There's no sign\r\n of Sam until he Boo Radley's out of the shadows behind him.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I've narrowed it down to three\r\n possibilities: you're a genetic\r\n experiment, you're a freak of\r\n nature, or you're an\r\n extraterrestrial.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I don't know what you think\r\n happened tonight...\r\n Sam steps closer, watery reflections ripple down his face.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Your hands lit up like a firefly on\r\n crack, you tossed those football\r\n players around like crash test\r\n dummies, and you took off faster\r\n than an Olympic runner.\r\n\r\n (MORE)\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 57.\r\n\r\n SAM (CONT'D)\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Did I leave anything out?\r\n John silently reels.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What do you want from me?\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I just want to know who you are.\r\n John looks at Sam, realizes he's not going to give up. He\r\n hesitates, then finally surrenders...\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm a survivor from a planet called\r\n Lorien.\r\n Sam absorbs this confession with awe.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Your dad... he's from there too?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Henri's not my dad. He's my\r\n Guardian. If he found out you knew\r\n about us, we'd be gone by morning.\r\n\r\n (PLEADING)\r\n I don't want to leave Paradise.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I won't tell anyone.\r\n John nods, grateful.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n There's something I want to show\r\n you.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n The tarp is whipped off the pickup truck. It's an old Ford.\r\n Sam and John stand before it.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n The cops found it abandoned in the\r\n middle of Route 20, just south of\r\n White Sands, New Mexico. It was my\r\n dad's. He went missing six years\r\n ago. He was on one of his crazy\r\n fact-finding trips. He believed we\r\n weren't alone in the universe.\r\n Sam rubs his hand across the hood, wondering.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 58.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Mom figured he was having an affair\r\n and took off. All these years I\r\n thought she was right. Now you're\r\n here.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n That doesn't prove anything.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n It proves he wasn't crazy. I'm\r\n starting to think that he didn't\r\n bail on us... that maybe something\r\n else happened out there -- that he\r\n was taken.\r\n The moment is broken by the SLAM of the front door and the\r\n sound of ANGRY FOOTSTEPS. Sam instantly tenses.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Guess the bar closed.\r\n\r\n ED (O.S.)\r\n Sam! Where are you?\r\n His speech is slurred and aggressive.\r\n\r\n ED (O.S.)\r\n You think I wouldn't hear you\r\n locked up early!\r\n John looks at Sam, shocked and concerned.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You going to be okay?\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n If he finds you here, it'll be\r\n worse.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Go.\r\n Sam crosses to the door leading into the main house and heads\r\n inside. SHOUTS erupt almost immediately. John flinches,\r\n wanting to intervene, but finally turns, hustles under the\r\n garage door and slips into the night...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n Henri is hammering at the keyboard of one of his computers.\r\n John enters with two mugs of coffee.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 59.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You look wiped.\r\n Henri turns and smiles playfully.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I wasn't the only who was up last\r\n night.\r\n John nervously hands Henri one of the cups and lies...\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sarah texted me. I went over to\r\n her house.\r\n Henri buys the explanation and swings back to his computers.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I've tried every trick I know, but\r\n I can't crack that blog's firewall.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n There must be a way.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n We need to find where the site's\r\n located and take it offline\r\n manually. The URL source has been\r\n run through a labyrinth of servers,\r\n it could take weeks to track down.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I want to help.\r\n Henri takes a gulp of coffee and stands.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You can. Get changed.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n START MONTAGE:\r\n\r\n EXT. BACK YARD - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n TIGHT ON A WELDING TORCH as it's sparked to life.\r\n Its flame HISSES as Henri sweeps it towards John, who is\r\n standing shirtless. Bernie watches, curious, as Henri washes\r\n the flame harmlessly up John's naked arm and torso.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 60.\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n The walls are now adorned with Thanksgiving banners. John\r\n and Sam head past the lockers. Mark and the Jocks move out\r\n of their way, acknowledging the new high school dynamic.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Using his telekinesis, John strains to lift a tennis ball.\r\n It momentarily RATTLES, then stops. Henri is not impressed.\r\n\r\n EXT. WOODS - DAY\r\n\r\n Bernie darts ahead as John and Sarah walk through a crimson\r\n cascade of falling leaves. As they kiss, the leaves around\r\n them freeze midair and slowly begin to drift upwards.\r\n\r\n INT. GARAGE - SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John helps Sam with a dusty box. It's stuffed with Sam's\r\n dad's old papers and books. We CATCH tantalizing glimpses of\r\n images: Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, the Rings of Saturn...\r\n\r\n INT. INTERNET CAFE - NASHVILLE - DAY\r\n\r\n It's a Vandy student hangout. CAMERA DRIFTS over a row of\r\n computer terminals and FINDS the Teen Girl who torched the\r\n stilt house. She's studying her computer screen intently.\r\n REVERSE TO REVEAL: She is watching the cell phone footage of\r\n John on the âThey Walk Among Usâ blog.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n Under Henri's watchful gaze, John focuses on a tennis ball.\r\n It RISES. John grins in triumph, causing the ball to drop\r\n and bounce on the floor. Strike two.\r\n\r\n INT. CAFETERIA - PARADISE HIGH - DAY\r\n\r\n Mark silently stews when he sees Sarah and John sitting\r\n together at a table.\r\n\r\n EXT. BACK YARD - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n Bernie pogos on his back legs, trying to bite the tennis ball\r\n that John telekinetically hovers just out of the dog's reach.\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n CLOSE ON A LAPTOP scrolling with endless lines of URL\r\n addresses. REVERSE TO REVEAL Henri studying the screen.\r\n Waiting. Watching.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 61.\r\n\r\n EXT. BACK YARD - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n John is fully submerged in an old claw-foot tub.\r\n GO TO JOHN'S DISTORTED VIEW LOOKING UP at Henri as he drops a\r\n match into the tub. The liquid instantly IGNITES and we\r\n realize John's lying in gasoline. He sits up, rests his\r\n hands behind his head as the FLAMES harmlessly lick his face.\r\n\r\n INT. BACK YARD - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n The trees are now bare. John stands 20 feet from Henri and\r\n nods. Henri flicks the switch of an automated tennis ball\r\n server. John's face is a mask of concentration as the yellow\r\n balls fly towards him. He holds up his hand and the balls\r\n\r\n STOP IN MIDAIR.\r\n It's like they've hit an invisible wall two feet from his\r\n hand. They hang there. John sees a smile sneak onto Henri's\r\n face and momentarily loses focus, causing the wall to\r\n collapse and the balls to drop into the mud.\r\n\r\n END MONTAGE.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. BATHROOM - DAY\r\n\r\n Bernie looks like a drowned rat. He's sitting in the tub\r\n being scrubbed by John and Sarah.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I don't see any family pictures\r\n around. I guess the photo aversion\r\n is hereditary.\r\n He greets the observation with a shrug. She carries on.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Your mom... grandparents. Is there\r\n anyone else in your life?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n They died.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I'm sorry.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It was a long time ago. It's just\r\n me and my dad now.\r\n John uses a nail brush to clean the beagle's ears.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 62.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I get the feeling he doesn't like\r\n me very much.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It takes him a while to warm up to\r\n people.\r\n Sarah considers this.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Thanksgiving's tomorrow. Why don't\r\n you bring your dad and celebrate\r\n with us?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I don't know. Are there going to\r\n be a lot of people?\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n A tsunami of relatives. But don't\r\n worry, I'll shield you from the\r\n wave. Besides, I want everyone to\r\n meet you.\r\n She playfully splashes him. Their faces inch closer. They\r\n begin making out hot and heavy until Henri suddenly walks in.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I've found the --\r\n Caught in the act, the teens lurch away from each other.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Just giving Bernie a quick bath.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You're clearly putting a lot of\r\n effort into it.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I better hit the road.\r\n\r\n (TO JOHN)\r\n See you tomorrow. Twoish.\r\n\r\n (GRABBING BACKPACK)\r\n Bye, Mr. Smith.\r\n OFF John as she hustles out...\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n Henri sits in front of his computers. John enters with\r\n Bernie, who is wrapped in a beach towel. He begins drying\r\n the dog in front of the fire. Henri breaks the silence.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 63.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I finally tracked the location of\r\n that blog. It's a house in Warsaw,\r\n Indiana. About four hours from\r\n here. I'm heading up there\r\n tomorrow.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sarah invited us to Thanksgiving.\r\n I told her we'd be there.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Send my regrets.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You shouldn't go alone. It could\r\n be dangerous.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I won't risk taking you. I'll\r\n leave early and be back by five.\r\n John looks up and sees Henri sitting in solitude.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Don't you ever get lonely?\r\n Surprised by the question, Henri swivels to face him.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n How could I? I have you.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You know what I mean. All these\r\n years, there's never been anyone.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n We aren't like humans. Once we\r\n fall in love, it's for life. The\r\n pain of separation is unbearable.\r\n Henri's face clouds with melancholy and he abruptly gets up.\r\n As he heads into the kitchen John studies him with new eyes.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n Steam billows as Henri washes up. He keeps his back to John\r\n when he enters. John waits then softly asks...\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What was her name?\r\n Henri slots a plate onto the draining board.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 64.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Anastasia.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You left her to save me.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You're not responsible for what\r\n happened to her -- they are.\r\n He slowly turns and regards John with deep paternal concern.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I looked at her the way you look at\r\n Sarah.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n She can't come with us when we\r\n leave -- and we always have to\r\n leave, you know that.\r\n John nods, not wanting to deal with that reality.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I was hoping to protect you from\r\n that pain.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You can't protect me from\r\n everything.\r\n OFF Henri's sad smile of acknowledgement...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. SARAH'S HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n The Halloween decorations have been replaced by a\r\n Thanksgiving display.\r\n Wearing khakis and a pale blue Oxford, John tentatively walks\r\n up the front path. The warm sound of LAUGHTER drifts from\r\n inside. He takes a breath and rings the doorbell.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - SARAH'S HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n It's like a Norman Rockwell cover come to life. Every inch\r\n of counter space is filled with platters of food.\r\n John watches Sarah, Annie, and a boisterous ASSORTMENT OF\r\n RELATIVES put the finishing touches to the Thanksgiving\r\n feast. KIDS rush in and out in a manic game of tag.\r\n John is captivated by the sense of family and celebration --\r\n things he's never known in his own life. Sarah steps over.\r\n She's wearing a funky-cool vintage dress.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 65.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Come on, we're on gravy-boat duty.\r\n\r\n INT. DINING ROOM - SARAH'S HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n The table is decorated with garlands of autumn leaves and an\r\n elaborate pine cone centerpiece. Sarah places the last\r\n turkey-shaped gravy boat onto the table. She smiles at John.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You look dazed.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Just taking it all in.\r\n She crosses.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I'm glad you came.\r\n They tenderly kiss until Annie bustles in carrying a steaming\r\n bowl of mashed potatoes.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n Don't mind me.\r\n She puts the bowl on the table and grabs Sarah's camera.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n Let's get a picture of you two\r\n lovebirds.\r\n Sarah cringes as Annie lifts the camera to her eye.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Mom. No. John really doesn't like\r\n having his --\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It's okay. Let her take it.\r\n The gesture means the world to Sarah. He puts his arm around\r\n her. Sarah nestles her face against his. As the flash WIPES\r\n\r\n OUT THE FRAME...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. DINING ROOM - SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Red candles flicker. Sarah's DAD is expertly carving the\r\n turkey. Everybody is at the table. John sits next to Sarah.\r\n She holds his hand under the table. It's Hallmark worthy\r\n until the carriage clock on the mantel CHIMES.\r\n\r\n IT'S SIX O'CLOCK.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 66.\r\n John looks at his phone. No messages. His brow creases with\r\n concern. He turns to Sarah, whispers.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I need to check in with Henri.\r\n He exits.\r\n\r\n EXT. FRONT PORCH - SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John speed dials as he steps out into the cold. He holds the\r\n phone to his ear. It rings three times and then is answered.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n Henri?\r\n CLICK. The call is hung up. Suddenly on edge, John redials.\r\n This time it's picked up immediately.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n Henri?\r\n\r\n MAN (V.O.)\r\n\r\n (OVER PHONE)\r\n Are you one of them too?\r\n John reacts to the chilling menace of the Man's tone.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n Who are you? Where's Henri?\r\n CLICK. John jerks the phone from his ear and stares at it,\r\n panicked. He paces, desperate and unsure, then gets an idea\r\n and punches another number.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n I need your help.\r\n\r\n INT. DINING ROOM - SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The food is getting cold. Everybody is waiting for John.\r\n Sarah catches her mother's disapproving look.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I'll see what's taking him so long.\r\n\r\n EXT. PORCH - SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sarah steps out just in time to see John climb into a pickup\r\n truck. It's the one from Sam's garage.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 67.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John!\r\n He looks back.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It's Henri. I have to go. Sorry.\r\n OFF her confused disappointment as the truck SQUEALS away...\r\n\r\n INT. PICKUP - NIGHT - MOVING\r\n\r\n Sam is behind the wheel.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Thanks. I owe you.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Anything to get out of Thanksgiving\r\n at my house.\r\n He offers John a weary smile.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I checked out that blog on the way\r\n over. Saw the video. What was the\r\n deal with your ankle?\r\n John pulls up his khakis, shows Sam the trio of scars.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Death scars.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n They kind of look like the symbols\r\n in my dad's research.\r\n\r\n (THINKING)\r\n You guys don't --\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Abduct people? No.\r\n Irritated, he covers them back up.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n How about the ones you said were\r\n hunting you?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n They're capable of anything.\r\n\r\n (URGENT)\r\n We need to get to Warsaw -- now.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 68.\r\n Suddenly, John's cell phone RINGS. He snatches it up, but is\r\n disappointed to see the name âSARAHâ flashing on the LCD. He\r\n hits ignore and the truck hurtles into the dark.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's a dilapidated Victorian. Mist shrouds the yard which is\r\n littered with junked cars and trash. The pickup crawls to a\r\n stop in the shadows across the street.\r\n\r\n INT. PICKUP TRUCK - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The teens sit in silence.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Number 417. Henri tracked the URL\r\n to that house.\r\n Sam scans the street.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I don't see his SUV anywhere.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n He would have parked it across\r\n town.\r\n Sam opens the glove compartment and pulls out a revolver.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Stole it from Ed.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Let's move.\r\n John yanks Sam's arm away from the door handle.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I called you because I needed a\r\n ride, not a sidekick. If I could\r\n have run here, I would have.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Go home. I'll call you when I get\r\n back.\r\n OFF Sam as John climbs out alone...\r\n\r\n EXT. WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's graveyard quiet. John nervously sneaks down the side of\r\n the house. His breath fogs as he inch-CREAKS up the wooden\r\n\r\n STEPS TO\r\n\r\n THE KITCHEN PORCH.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 69.\r\n He squats in front of the door. He holds up a luminescent\r\n palm and uses it like a flashlight to sweep the interior.\r\n WHAT HE SEES: Take-out boxes litter the filthy counter. The\r\n sink is swamped with dirty dishes. The light washes across a\r\n semiautomatic sitting by a packet of Lucky Strikes.\r\n\r\n SAM (O.S.)\r\n See anything?\r\n Annoyed, John spins and finds Sam creeping towards him.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I told you to go!\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n They might know where my dad is!\r\n John realizes Sam is determined. He sweeps his hand back\r\n over the kitchen door. His palm illuminates a familiar\r\n\r\n CRYSTAL-HANDLED DAGGER.\r\n It's lying on the counter by the fridge.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Henri's here.\r\n John âturns offâ his palm and reaches for the door handle.\r\n Sam anxiously swats his arm away.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Wait! Other than strength, speed\r\n and night-light, what powers have\r\n you got?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Telekinesis -- but that's a work in\r\n progress.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n No invisibility, X-ray vision,\r\n flight?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sam, we drove here.\r\n Sam takes a deep breath, psyching himself up.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Okay. I'm ready. Let's do it.\r\n But as John reaches for the door handle, the kitchen light\r\n suddenly turns on and a MAN enters. He's built like a\r\n wrestler and goes by the name of FRANK.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 70.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n With a Lucky Strike clenched between his lips, Frank picks up\r\n the packet on the table and is pissed to discover it's empty.\r\n He crushes it in his fist and crosses to the door.\r\n\r\n EXT. BACK PORCH - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John and Sam are gone. Frank steps out and locks the door.\r\n He flicks away his cigarette as he heads down the stairs.\r\n CAMERA FOLLOWS the butt as it cartwheels into\r\n\r\n SAM'S LAP.\r\n He's crouched next to John at the side of the porch. He\r\n frantically begins trying to extinguish the stub. John\r\n clamps his hand over Sam's mouth and snuffs the cigarette\r\n between his fingers. Once Frank's safely around the corner,\r\n John releases his hand.\r\n The duo silently climbs onto the porch. John squats in front\r\n of the door. His hand shakes as he holds it out towards the\r\n lock and concentrates.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Hurry up. Hurry up. Hurry up.\r\n There's a LOUD CLICK.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n You just dead bolted it! Way to\r\n go!\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n New plan -- follow Lucky Strike.\r\n Text me if he comes back.\r\n Sam sneaks off after Frank.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n TIGHT ON LOCK as the dead bolt turns by itself and the door\r\n swings open. John cautiously crosses the threshold. He\r\n holds up his right hand, dims his palm to a dull-blue glow.\r\n He retrieves Henri's dagger and tentatively heads into...\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Everything is filmed with dust. It's freezing and John's\r\n BREATH FOGS in the hazy aura his palm casts. The naked\r\n floorboards CREAK. Fear bites as John scans the lifeless\r\n gloom, not sure where to start.\r\n TIGHT ON HIS SHOE as it brushes a mousetrap. SNAP!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 71.\r\n His breath catches in his throat. He âturns offâ his hand.\r\n His heart thumps as he waits for something to react to the\r\n noise. But nothing does. As his eyes adjust to the dark, he\r\n notices a rectangle of light faintly leaking from the door\r\n that leads down into...\r\n\r\n INT. BASEMENT - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The ancient stairs sag as John slowly descends. The space is\r\n illuminated by a single naked bulb. The sound of DRIPPING\r\n WATER hammers the silence. John scans the rabbit warren of\r\n rooms and sees a figure chained to a chair in the corner.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Henri!\r\n He races over. But as he reaches for Henri's gag, a YOUNG\r\n MAN steps out of the shadows holding a baseball bat. John\r\n turns too late and the bat strikes his left side. He drops\r\n the dagger as he falls to the floor, his ribs searing. The\r\n man, BRET, raises the bat again. John focuses his mind.\r\n\r\n THE BAT\r\n whips out of Bret's grip and torpedoes towards John -- who\r\n ducks out of the way as the bat flies past. Confused, Bret\r\n lurches forward. John scrambles for the bat, clenches it in\r\n his hand, and swings it into the young man's legs.\r\n\r\n BRET\r\n knocks the light as he topples into a column and CRASHES onto\r\n the cement, out cold. It's over in a violent blur. John\r\n sits stunned for a moment. The swinging bulb casts surreal\r\n shadows as he spins back to Henri, telekinetically âunlocksâ\r\n the padlock securing the chains, and rips off the gag.\r\n Henri is groggy and his face is swollen from brutal beatings.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You shouldn't be here.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Your life is my life, remember?\r\n Henri tries to shake his drug-induced haze.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I talked my way in. Thought the\r\n big guy was buying it.\r\n He rubs a wound on his neck.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 72.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I was asking him about the video\r\n when the other one shot me from\r\n behind... some sort of animal\r\n tranq.\r\n\r\n (DISPIRITED)\r\n I'm getting rusty.\r\n Suddenly, John's phone VIBRATES. It's a message from Sam --\r\n\r\n âGET OUT NOW!â\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n We have to leave!\r\n John helps Henri up, they race for the stairs when Bret's\r\n hand grabs John's ankle, tripping him to the floor.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Henri!\r\n Henri smashes his boot into Bret's face, knocking him out for\r\n good. John staggers up, they spin for the stairs just as\r\n\r\n SAM AND FRANK\r\n head down them into view. Frank holds the revolver against\r\n Sam's neck. Their shadows crisscross under the swaying bulb.\r\n\r\n FRANK\r\n Stay planted or I'll blow your\r\n friend's head off.\r\n Henri looks at John in shock.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n\r\n (RE: SAM)\r\n He came to help.\r\n John and Henri put up their hands. John focuses on the gun,\r\n but as the light bulb sweeps past, he causes it to EXPLODE.\r\n\r\n THE ROOM PLUNGES INTO DARKNESS.\r\n Henri body-slams Frank, sending the revolver skittering. But\r\n as he wrenches Sam to safety,\r\n\r\n THE KEYS\r\n to the pickup fly out of Sam's pocket and slide under the\r\n stairs. John flashes on his palm, casting everything in\r\n eerie blue light.\r\n On all fours, Frank scrambles for the fallen weapon. It's\r\n almost within reach when he is lifted right off the ground by\r\n an invisible force.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 73.\r\n Sam looks over at John, impressed.\r\n\r\n FRANK\r\n\r\n (FREAKING OUT)\r\n You're the one from the video!\r\n You're the one they're after.\r\n With tremendous telekinetic effort, John slams Frank against\r\n the ceiling.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Tell me what you know!\r\n Franks says nothing. John trains his palm light on the big\r\n man's face. It's like a blinding interrogation lamp.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Start talking!\r\n\r\n FRANK\r\n I don't know what they're called.\r\n The one in the red coat said he'd\r\n kill me if I didn't do what he\r\n wanted.\r\n This revelation stuns Henri.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n The Mogadorians... they've been\r\n here?\r\n Frank nods in terror.\r\n\r\n FRANK\r\n He told me to call if anyone came\r\n asking about the video.\r\n Sweat beads John's face from the mental exertion.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Did you?\r\n\r\n FRANK\r\n\r\n (RE: HENRI)\r\n They wanted me to hold your friend\r\n until they got here.\r\n Henri urgently retrieves Sam's gun and his dagger.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n We need to go! Now!\r\n John âreleasesâ Frank, who drops onto the floor like a whale\r\n and is knocked out. At that moment, a razor-thin line of\r\n dust drops from the floorboards above.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 74.\r\n\r\n SOMEONE IS UPSTAIRS.\r\n John immediately extinguishes his palm. The trio stands\r\n frozen, necks craned up, ears pricked as the floorboards\r\n CREAK above them. They are definitely not alone.\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n FOUR MOGADORIAN SOLDIERS stalk through the house. Their long\r\n black coats SILENTLY sweep. One sniffs the air like a\r\n bloodhound and motions towards the basement door...\r\n\r\n INT. BASEMENT - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n BLAAAAM! -- the door is shredded off its hinges and flies\r\n down the stairs. The Mogadorian patrol storms through the\r\n cloud of splinters. Frank and Bret lie where they fell, but\r\n there's no sign of John, Henri or Sam.\r\n Pissed, one of the Mogadorians strides towards a small\r\n blacked-out window. He punches out the glass with his fist\r\n and catches sight of Sam clambering over the back fence!\r\n\r\n INT. PICKUP - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John, Henri and Sam pile in.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sam, get us out of here!\r\n Sam reaches into his jeans, then frantically checks his\r\n pockets.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I must have dropped the keys!\r\n Henri keeps his cool, looks at John.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Start the engine.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I can't.\r\n Henri's calm eyes never leave him.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Yes, you can.\r\n John nods, puts his hand on the dash and closes his eyes.\r\n The engine TURNS OVER but doesn't start. Sam looks up the\r\n street, panicked, as\r\n\r\n A MOGADORIAN\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 75.\r\n climbs out of a black SUV and storms towards them.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Hurry up!\r\n John's brow is furrowed with concentration. The Mog\r\n unsheathes his sword as he runs. With a superhuman leap, he\r\n lands on the hood -- TWAAAAACK! John and Henri spin out of\r\n the way as the sword SHATTERS the windshield and impales in\r\n the back of the seat, missing them by a mouse hair.\r\n As the Mogadorian withdraws the sword to strike again, Henri\r\n sweeps up his dagger and stakes it into the Mog's neck.\r\n\r\n VRRRROOMMM!\r\n The engine ROARS to life. The Mogadorian tumbles off the\r\n hood, magenta light spurting from his wound. John turns to\r\n Sam, who is petrified, and SCREAMS...\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n\r\n DRIVE!\r\n Sam wrenches the shaft into gear and floors the gas. The\r\n Mogadorian EVISCERATES in a frenzy of embers. The truck\r\n bursts through the blizzard of sparks and STREAK-PEELS away.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. BASEMENT - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n CAMERA TRACKS the swish of a familiar red coat as its owner\r\n slowly descends the stairs, PANS UP PAST his right hand,\r\n which methodically twists two meditation balls, TO REVEAL\r\n\r\n THE MOGADORIAN COMMANDER.\r\n He's the one who slaughtered Number 3 in Africa. His men\r\n part as he steps into view and crosses to Frank and Bret who\r\n are chained to chairs. A Soldier stands behind each one.\r\n Frank looks at the Commander in terror.\r\n\r\n FRANK\r\n I called you like I said. It's not\r\n my fault they got away!\r\n The Commander steps into the moonlight that seeps through the\r\n window. We get our first good look at his face. A gnarled\r\n scar runs down his right cheek, identifying him as the same\r\n Mogadorian Henri wounded in the escape from Lorien. His skin\r\n is deathly pale and his eyes have a cold purple tint.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n Where did they go?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 76.\r\n His accent is thick and his voice is unnerving.\r\n\r\n FRANK\r\n How should I know? The kid had me\r\n pinned to the ceiling.\r\n The Commander turns to Bret.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n Where did they go?\r\n Bret is too freaked to even speak. The Commander nods to the\r\n Soldiers. They grab Frank and Bret by the heads and yank\r\n open their mouths. Frank watches in confused terror as the\r\n Commander holds one of the meditation balls.\r\n\r\n DOZENS OF TINY RAZOR-BLADES\r\n suddenly flower open across its surface and viciously spin.\r\n With cold-blooded calm, the Commander drops the ball into\r\n Frank's mouth. OFF its terrible DRILL-LIKE WHIR...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. STRIP MALL - DAWN\r\n\r\n Vermillion clouds streak the heavens. Sam's truck pulls up\r\n next to Henri's SUV, which is inconspicuously parked in front\r\n of a 24-hour pharmacy.\r\n\r\n INT. PICKUP TRUCK - DAWN\r\n\r\n John turns to Sam.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n We'll meet you back at the house.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n We're not going back to Paradise.\r\n\r\n (TO SAM)\r\n Thank you for your help, but you'll\r\n never see us again.\r\n Henri climbs out. Sam looks at John, confused.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Is he serious?\r\n John nods, numb.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n What am I supposed to tell people?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 77.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Nothing. Forget about us. We\r\n never existed.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n Goodbye, Sam.\r\n OFF Sam as John climbs out...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. MOTEL - DAY\r\n\r\n It's a rundown dump on the bleak edge of a no-name town.\r\n\r\n INT. SUV - DAY\r\n\r\n John silently stews. BIKERS smoke at the edge of the grimy\r\n pool which is drained for the winter and rattles with frozen\r\n leaves. Henri steps out of the motel office with a key.\r\n\r\n INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY\r\n\r\n Henri lets John inside, chains the door and draws the sun-\r\n bleached curtains.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n We leave at nightfall.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Henri, this is insane. They still\r\n don't know where we live.\r\n Henri seethes.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n It's only a matter of time. They\r\n know our faces. They saw Sam. How\r\n long has he known?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Since Halloween.\r\n Henri is floored and hurt by the admission.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I trusted you and you lied to me!\r\n John bows his head, can't meet Henri's gaze.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Only because I knew how you'd react\r\n and I didn't want to leave\r\n Paradise.\r\n Henri paces, tries to quell his emotions.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 78.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Now we don't have a choice. The\r\n Mogs are using humans to trap us.\r\n From this point on -- no more\r\n towns. No more schools. We're\r\n going off the grid until we find\r\n the others.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n No.\r\n His tone is defiant.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n This isn't a discussion.\r\n In a flash of pent-up anger, John holds up his hand and\r\n telekinetically sweeps Henri off his feet and pins him\r\n against the wall. Henri looks at him, stunned.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm not leaving without saying\r\n goodbye to Sarah.\r\n Henri fixes him with a steel-edged stare.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Let. Me. Down.\r\n Spent, John releases Henri who slides to the floor, shaken.\r\n The dynamics of their relationship forever changed. Henri\r\n finally stands.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Give me your phone and IDs.\r\n John hands him his cell phone and wallet. Henri opens the\r\n back of the phone and pulls out the SIM card. SNAP!\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n John Smith dies today.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. WARSAW HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n REPORTERS and LOOKIE-LOOS watch from behind the crime scene\r\n tape that crisscrosses the street. CAMERA ZEROES IN on\r\n\r\n THE TEEN GIRL.\r\n She's the one we saw in Nashville and who torched the stilt\r\n house. Her eyes study the STREAM OF POLICE that hustles in\r\n and out of the house carrying evidence Baggies and equipment.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 79.\r\n\r\n INT. BASEMENT - WARSAW HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n A CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHER methodically catalogs the grim,\r\n blood-soaked nightmare. He's in a full body suit and\r\n booties. The flashgun mounted to his camera whitewashes the\r\n space as a UNIFORM COP appears on the stairs.\r\n\r\n UNIFORM COP\r\n The Chief wants to send the morgue\r\n boys in and seal this tomb.\r\n\r\n PHOTOGRAPHER\r\n Hope they haven't had lunch yet.\r\n These guys were gutted from the\r\n inside out.\r\n He steps over to Frank's body which has been splayed open.\r\n As he flashes off some shots, the\r\n\r\n TEEN GIRL\r\n appears in the corner of his viewfinder. She's kneeling by\r\n Frank's severed head which has rolled a short distance from\r\n the body. The Photographer pulls the camera away from his\r\n eye and looks at the Teen Girl, confused.\r\n\r\n PHOTOGRAPHER\r\n Who the hell are you?\r\n She ignores him. He glances at the only window which is 20\r\n feet away on the other side of the room.\r\n\r\n PHOTOGRAPHER\r\n How'd you get in?\r\n The Girl continues examining Frank's wounds. Totally\r\n unnerved, the Photographer shouts up the stairs.\r\n\r\n PHOTOGRAPHER\r\n Hey, we've got a live one down\r\n here.\r\n When he spins back, the Girl is gone, vanished into thin air.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. SAM'S TRUCK - DAY\r\n\r\n TIGHT ON A DIRT DEVIL as it snorts up beads of broken glass.\r\n REVEAL SAM cleaning the evidence of the previous night's\r\n adventure. Cardboard covers the missing passenger window.\r\n\r\n EXT. DRIVE - SAM'S HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\n Sam climbs out of the truck and is startled by Sarah.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 80.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Where is he, Sam?\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I don't know.\r\n He tries to avoid eye contact, but she is determined.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n What happened last night? I've\r\n tried calling him all day. But his\r\n number's no longer in service.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Forget about him, Sarah.\r\n Incredulous, she grabs his arm.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I'm not going anywhere until you\r\n tell me what's going on.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n He left with Henri and he isn't\r\n coming back. Ever.\r\n\r\n (PULLING FREE)\r\n I'm sorry.\r\n OFF Sarah, shattered...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. SHOWER - MOTEL ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON\r\n\r\n John stands under the steaming spray. Eyes screwed shut.\r\n Naked and lost. TWO LOUD KNOCKS at the door.\r\n\r\n HENRI (O.S.)\r\n\r\n (THROUGH DOOR)\r\n Taillights in five.\r\n\r\n EXT. MOTEL - LATE AFTERNOON\r\n\r\n The GROUP OF BIKERS by the pool has grown four fold. They're\r\n partying hard. Henri keeps his head down as he passes.\r\n\r\n INT. MOTEL OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\r\n\r\n The FEMALE CLERK stares at the TV mounted on the wall. She's\r\n watching a local news report about the Warsaw house murders.\r\n Henri enters. The window RATTLES as a motorcycle speeds past\r\n and he slides his key onto the counter.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 81.\r\n\r\n INT. MOTEL ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON\r\n\r\n Henri steps in and is annoyed to hear the SHOWER still\r\n running. He strides to the bathroom door.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n John?\r\n No answer. He KNOCKS. Still nothing.\r\n\r\n INT. BATHROOM - MOTEL ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON\r\n\r\n Henri shoulder-rams the door open. He whips back the shower\r\n curtain and stares at the empty tub.\r\n\r\n JOHN IS GONE.\r\n OFF Henri's grim concern...\r\n\r\n EXT. HIGHWAY - DUSK\r\n\r\n The sky is twilight blue. A gleaming Harley ROARS around the\r\n bend, going full throttle. John is on its back. The wind\r\n whips his hair. Eyes set forward. Headed back to Paradise.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Annie opens the front door and is surprised to find John.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n Little late for dessert.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I need to talk to Sarah.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n She's not here. Some friends\r\n dragged her to a party at Mark\r\n Jayne's.\r\n John absorbs this news, turns. Annie steps out after him.\r\n\r\n ANNIE\r\n I don't usually pry into my\r\n daughter's love life, I certainly\r\n didn't want my mother in mine --\r\n but Sarah's my youngest and she's\r\n special to me.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n She's special to me too.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 82.\r\n\r\n EXT. MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The big, two-story property dominates the end of a cul-de-\r\n sac. TEENS stream up the drive. Cars are parked end to end\r\n down the street. CAMERA CRANES TO MEET John as he charges\r\n into view on the stolen motorcycle.\r\n\r\n INT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n MUSIC THROBS. John works his way through the throng of\r\n partying TEENS. He passes a RED-HAIRED TEEN BOY recording\r\n the event on a FlipVideo camera. A hand grips John's\r\n shoulder. John turns to find Mark Jayne.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n You weren't invited.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Where's Sarah?\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n She doesn't want to see you.\r\n John shoves him aside and heads for the sweeping stairs...\r\n\r\n INT. BASEMENT - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's been transformed into a major makeout den. Candles line\r\n the windowsills and ring the edge of the pool table. TEENAGE\r\n COUPLES grope in the flickering half-light.\r\n\r\n JOCK\r\n Everybody upstairs! Kevin's going\r\n for the beer bong record!\r\n The Teens immediately bolt for the stairs. In the giddy\r\n exodus, one of them accidentally brushes\r\n\r\n A CANDLE\r\n onto the white shag rug.\r\n\r\n INT. UPSTAIRS HALL - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John heads down the burgundy hall which is lined with family\r\n portraits. He glances in the rooms as he passes.\r\n\r\n INT. GUEST ROOM - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sarah and her friend, EMILY, sit on the bed with Mark's two\r\n dogs, Abby and Dozer. A wedge of light cuts across them as\r\n the door opens and John steps in.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 83.\r\n She leaps up and hugs him. John waits as Emily exits.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'm sorry about last night.\r\n She pulls away, her relief turning to anger.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n No. Not good enough. Sam said you\r\n were never coming back. What are\r\n you doing here?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I couldn't leave without seeing you\r\n one last time.\r\n She looks at him, crushed.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n So it's true. What's going on?\r\n What kind of trouble are you and\r\n your dad in?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n We're going to be fine.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Damnit! Whatever it is, I'll\r\n understand -- just tell me the\r\n truth.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n The truth is I'm not who you think\r\n I am. You need to forget about me.\r\n Okay?\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Why are you acting like this?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Because it's the only way to keep\r\n you safe.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Safe from what?\r\n He turns away, shields her from his torment.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Goodbye, Sarah.\r\n He doesn't look back as he walks out the door. CAMERA STAYS\r\n ON SARAH as she sinks onto the bed and the dogs comfort her.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 84.\r\n\r\n INT. DOWNSTAIRS - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Party-goers pack the hall and kitchen watching Kevin consume\r\n an impossible amount of beer through a funnel and hose.\r\n\r\n TEENS\r\n Drink! Drink! Drink!\r\n Drained and numb, John heads the other way and fails to\r\n notice the smoke seeping from under the basement door.\r\n\r\n EXT. MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John strides down the driveway, bleak-faced. He's about to\r\n straddle the motorcycle when he hears a muffled EXPLOSION.\r\n He looks back and sees\r\n\r\n SMOKE\r\n billowing from the side of the house. He bolts towards the\r\n front door, SCREAMS at a JOCK as he passes.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Call 911!\r\n As he races inside...\r\n\r\n INT. MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's total chaos. Smoke and FLAMES plume up from the\r\n basement. Terrified Teens scramble. John thrashes through\r\n the crowd, SHOUTING --\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sarah!\r\n\r\n EXT. BACK YARD - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The panicked evacuation spills out. A window EXPLODES and\r\n orange flames lick the cold night air. John sees Emily\r\n stumble out clutching one of Mark's dogs, Abby.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Where's Sarah?\r\n\r\n EMILY\r\n Went back for Dozer.\r\n Another EXPLOSION rocks. A COUPLE of drunk Jocks CHEER.\r\n John looks back at the house. The fire has taken hold with\r\n incredible speed. The living room curtains are ABLAZE.\r\n\r\n A DOG'S HAUNTING HOWL\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 85.\r\n cuts over the sound of the HISSING FLAMES. It's coming from\r\n the second floor. John charges past Mark, towards the house.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n It's too late. You can't get\r\n through!\r\n John ignores him and runs into the inferno.\r\n\r\n INT. LIVING ROOM - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n FLAMES sprint up the walls and clouds of black smoke spew\r\n from the sectional sofa. Immune to the heat, John heads into\r\n the front hall and finds\r\n\r\n THE STAIRCASE\r\n is fully engulfed. Fearless, he clambers up the flaming\r\n steps. His jeans and shirt catch fire. He's almost reached\r\n the top when the staircase BREAKS AWAY behind him and\r\n DISINTEGRATES in a cloud of embers.\r\n\r\n INT. UPSTAIRS HALL - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's a raging conflagration. The family portraits blister on\r\n the walls. John beelines towards Dozer's PLAINTIVE WAIL\r\n which reverberates over the UGLY ROAR of the fire.\r\n\r\n INT. GUEST ROOM - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sarah is crouched by the heavy oak bed that dominates the\r\n corner of the room, COUGHING, eyes burning from the smoke and\r\n heat. Dozer is cowered underneath, HOWLING. Sarah\r\n desperately tries to move the bed but it won't budge.\r\n\r\n CRAAAACK!\r\n The door rips off its hinges. Through the smoky half-light,\r\n Sarah watches as John strides into the room, heroically\r\n backlit by flame.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John!\r\n\r\n (FRANTIC)\r\n Dozer's under the bed. He's too\r\n scared to come out!\r\n John strides forward, grips the bed with one hand and\r\n effortlessly hoists it. Sarah looks at him, amazed, then\r\n scrambles forward and gently scoops Dozer into her arms.\r\n John puts the bed back down.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Don't let go of him. I promise I\r\n won't let go of you.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 86.\r\n As he lifts them...\r\n\r\n INT. UPSTAIRS HALL - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The trio heads into the hall just as an 8-foot section of the\r\n floor collapses in front of them. Unfazed, John sprints\r\n forward and bridges the hole.\r\n ANGLE ON SARAH as she stares at the burning chasm in terror\r\n and grips Dozer tighter.\r\n John touches down on the other side and doesn't slow as he\r\n powers down the hall, which is a SHRIEKING tunnel of fire.\r\n\r\n A BURNING BEAM\r\n breaks free and swings down in front of them. Sarah SCREAMS,\r\n but watches in stunned amazement as John sweeps it out of the\r\n way with a telekinetic flick of his hand.\r\n\r\n EXT. SIDE - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The second-floor window SHATTERS as John leaps out holding\r\n Sarah and Dozer. A ROARING tongue of fire whips his back as\r\n he drops to the ground and touches down with Sarah and Dozer.\r\n COUGHING and shell-shocked, Sarah puts the dog down.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You okay?\r\n She stares at him, unsure.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n You walked through that fire\r\n without getting burned. I saw you\r\n stop that beam.\r\n SIRENS wail in the distance.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'll explain everything... but not\r\n here...\r\n (offering his hand)\r\n Sarah... please?\r\n As they take off into the woods, the IMAGE FREEZES, then\r\n REWINDS. John and Sarah kneel in the shadows, then FLY\r\n BACKWARDS up through the window and INTO the burning house.\r\n REVERSE TO REVEAL the Red-Haired Teen watching playback on\r\n his FlipVideo camera, amazed. He runs to the back of the\r\n house and finds Mark.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 87.\r\n\r\n RED-HAIRED TEEN\r\n\r\n (RE: VIDEO)\r\n Check this out, man!\r\n PUSH IN as Mark stares at the footage, stunned.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John and Sarah walk in SILENCE, dappled in moonlight. He\r\n catches her staring at him.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Please don't look at me like that.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I'm sorry. I'm still trying to\r\n process everything I saw and I keep\r\n coming to the same conclusion --\r\n what you did isn't possible.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It is for me.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Who are you?\r\n (off his hesitation)\r\n For once please tell me the truth.\r\n It's the hardest thing he's ever had to do.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n My name isn't John. I don't have a\r\n name, just a number. 4. In fact,\r\n my whole life can be reduced to\r\n numbers: like 15 million -- that's\r\n how many light years it takes to\r\n get from my planet to Earth. 38 --\r\n that's how many towns I've lived\r\n in. Or 3,671 -- that's how many\r\n days I've been running from an\r\n enemy that wants me dead. I lied\r\n to you, Sarah, because I lie to\r\n everyone. That's how I stay alive.\r\n Tears of relief brim as he finally reveals his soul.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I shouldn't be telling you any of\r\n this. It's dangerous.\r\n Emotionally spent, John leans against a tree. She steps\r\n towards him and brushes her hand down his cheek.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 88.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I don't care. I just want to be\r\n with you.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I want that too. But if I stay you\r\n could get hurt. I have to leave to\r\n keep you safe.\r\n Sarah absorbs the bitter reality, reaches for his hand.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n There's something I want to give\r\n you first.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. DARKROOM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n\r\n A PHOTOGRAPH OF SARAH AND JOHN\r\n sharpens INTO FOCUS. It's the one Annie took of them at\r\n Thanksgiving. John and Sarah stand in the eerie red glow.\r\n She gently tongs the image into a bath of fixing solution.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n So you'll always remember me.\r\n With exquisite tenderness they kiss. John's palms shimmer.\r\n The intensity of the luminescence builds with their rising\r\n passion. They sink to the floor and the light crescendos in\r\n an ethereal flash that BLEACHES OUT THE FRAME.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The spinning lights of a trio of fire trucks FLARE THE LENS.\r\n CREWS hose down the last smoking embers. A DEPUTY approaches\r\n Mark, who is standing by a police cruiser.\r\n\r\n DEPUTY\r\n The FBI showed up flashing their\r\n badges. Wanna talk to you.\r\n As he points to a black SUV that's parked down the street.\r\n\r\n INT. SUV - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Mark climbs in the back. He looks around nervously as the\r\n vehicle starts off.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Where are we going? Is this about\r\n the fire? It was an accident.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 89.\r\n Only now do we REVERSE TO REVEAL\r\n\r\n THE MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n sitting in the back. His face is masked in shadow.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n We're hunting for one of the guests\r\n at your party.\r\n He holds up a netbook which flashes with the FlipVideo\r\n footage of John's rescue of Sarah. It's posted on YouTube.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n Do you know this boy?\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n Yeah, John Smith. But I didn't\r\n invite him.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n He's a fugitive. We've been\r\n tracking him for some time.\r\n Mark smirks, vindicated.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n I'll help you find him.\r\n He points to Sarah's image on the screen.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n He's not at Sarah's, I already\r\n checked. And one of my dad's\r\n deputies drove by his house --\r\n nada.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n He poses a great threat to us.\r\n Where else could he be?\r\n Mark pulls out his cell phone.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n I've got Sarah's cell number, maybe\r\n you guys can trace it?\r\n The Commander takes the phone and passes it to one of his men\r\n in the front. He looks back at Mark.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n Tell me everything you know about\r\n John Smith.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 90.\r\n\r\n INT. SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sam is at the kitchen counter, watching the YouTube video on\r\n his laptop, when headlights bleed through the blinds.\r\n\r\n EXT. SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sam steps out and reacts in surprise as Henri emerges through\r\n the headlight glare.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n John's not at the house. Is he\r\n here?\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n No, but he's all over the internet.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I know.\r\n He turns back to his SUV. Sam follows.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n Those things from Warsaw -- they're\r\n coming, aren't they?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Go back inside. This isn't your\r\n fight.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n The hell it isn't. I'm coming with\r\n you.\r\n OFF this declaration...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n INT. SCHOOL OFFICE - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The crystal pendant glints against John's chest as he grabs a\r\n âParadise Highâ sweatshirt from a supply closet and yanks it\r\n on. Sarah's phone suddenly RINGS, startling them.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n Hello.\r\n She listens, then hands John the phone.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n It's Henri.\r\n\r\n INTERCUT WITH:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 91.\r\n\r\n INT. SUV - NIGHT - MOVING\r\n\r\n Henri careens through the night with Bernie and Sam.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n\r\n (INTO PHONE)\r\n Where are you?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n High school.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Get out now!\r\n At that moment, all the POWER in the school DIES and the\r\n headlights of an SUV flash across the window. Fear registers\r\n in John's eyes as he realizes...\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Too late... they're here.\r\n\r\n EXT. SUV - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The Commander climbs out. Mark follows but is distracted as\r\n a trio of black SUVs speeds into the lot followed by a\r\n tractor trailer from which inhuman GROWLS echo.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n What the hell's in there?\r\n He looks back at the Commander who is arming up from the\r\n trunk of the SUV. Mark glimpses the arsenal of future-tech\r\n machine pistols, double-bladed swords and heavy-duty daggers.\r\n He backs away in fearful realization.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n You guys aren't FBI.\r\n Before he can run, a Mogadorian Soldier grabs him by the neck\r\n and constrains him. The Commander pulls\r\n\r\n TWO BANDOLIERS\r\n over his broad shoulders. The cartridges are made of crystal\r\n and swirl with purple light. Finally, he slips on his\r\n trademark red coat and spins towards the school.\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n One of John's hands holds Sarah's while the other lights\r\n their way as they hurtle down the passage. They've almost\r\n reached the doors when they suddenly fly open and\r\n\r\n A FIGURE\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 92.\r\n struts into view. We RECOGNIZE her as the mysterious Teen\r\n Girl. She swings up an awesome hand-cannon and FIRES right\r\n at them. THE BLAST scorches the air between John and Sarah\r\n but takes out the\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN SOLDIER\r\n who was stalking up the hall behind them! John watches in\r\n shock as the Mogadorian keels over and SHATTERS into embers.\r\n John swings back to the Teen Girl as she strides forward.\r\n\r\n SHE IS NUMBER 6.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n You oughta keep your heroics off\r\n the internet.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Who the hell are you?\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n Number 6. Where's your Cepan?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n On his way. Where's yours?\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n Dead. The Mogs got her four months\r\n ago. We had been tracking them.\r\n She heads past. John and Sarah follow after her.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Tracking them?\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n We discovered they plan to attack\r\n Earth. The only thing standing in\r\n their way is the six of us.\r\n The revelation hits John like a wrecking ball.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n You know what that means?\r\n John nods with new purpose.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n The war starts tonight.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n First we have to get out of here\r\n alive and find the others.\r\n Six leads them past the impressive trophy case.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 93.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n What are we up against?\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n There's a commander, a bunch of\r\n soldiers and two Piken. They'll\r\n have all the main entrances\r\n covered.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n The gym, there's a tunnel under the\r\n stage.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n It'll take us out to the stadium.\r\n Six acknowledges that info with a curt nod. FOOTSTEPS. Six\r\n grabs John and Sarah by their arms and yanks them back\r\n against the wall.\r\n They hold their breath as one of the Mogadorian Soldiers\r\n prowls straight past. He stops for a moment, then turns the\r\n corner. Sarah looks across at the mirrored trophy case and\r\n sees there's no reflection.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n We're invisible.\r\n John realizes, turns to Six.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You got any other Legacies?\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n I can control the elements. You?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Lumen and telekinesis.\r\n More FOOTSTEPS. John turns and watches in horror as the\r\n Mogadorian Commander and a trio of Mogadorian Soldiers sweeps\r\n into view. The Commander is holding\r\n\r\n MARK.\r\n He is ashen with fear. Sarah has to catch herself from\r\n screaming. John makes a move, but Six holds him in place.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n Stay put. They want to draw you\r\n out.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n He's not dying because of me!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 94.\r\n ANGLE ON THE SOLDIERS AND MARK. They're heading past the\r\n trophy case when JOHN'S VOICE booms out of nowhere.\r\n\r\n JOHN (O.S.)\r\n Mark! Linoleum! Now!\r\n Mark rips free and hits the deck a second before the trophy\r\n case EXPLODES. Shards of glass rip into the Mogadorians and\r\n trophies torpedo off the shelves and impale the aliens\r\n against the far wall. The Mogadorians SCREAM as they flail.\r\n John, Sarah and Six break cover. John wrenches Mark to his\r\n feet and they take off running. They dash around the next\r\n corner and find\r\n\r\n HENRI, SAM AND BERNIE\r\n sprinting towards them, followed by two Mogadorians! Six\r\n raises her hand-cannon, BLOWS one of the Mogs away, while\r\n John safely leads everybody into...\r\n\r\n INT. LIBRARY - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n\r\n (TO JOHN)\r\n Barricade the doors!\r\n John telekinetically uproots a trio of bookcases that fly\r\n across the space and block the door. Sarah turns to Mark who\r\n is totally shell-shocked.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n What are you doing with them?\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n They said they were FBI. That John\r\n was a fugitive. What the hell's\r\n going on?\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n You've stumbled into a war. So\r\n shut up and keep your head down.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I see age hasn't mellowed your\r\n attitude, 6.\r\n Mark turns to John, guilt-wracked.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n I didn't know they were trying to\r\n kill you.\r\n (genuine, to John)\r\n I'm sorry.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 95.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n This isn't your fault -- it's mine.\r\n He offers Mark his hand. Mark shakes it. Suddenly, Bernie\r\n begins to GROWL.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n What is it, boy?\r\n Henri sees where Bernie is staring and realizes...\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n He's telling us to run!\r\n They take off a second before\r\n\r\n A PIKEN\r\n PUMMEL-RAMS through the wall in a shower of bricks, books and\r\n paper. It utters a glass-shattering ROAR. John looks back\r\n and sees Bernie bravely holding his ground.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Bernie!\r\n He watches as the beagle sprints forward and launches himself\r\n at the monster. Bernie clamps onto the Piken's neck. He's\r\n hopelessly outmatched and holds on for dear life as the Piken\r\n tries to buck him off. Then something amazing happens --\r\n\r\n BERNIE BEGINS TO MORPH.\r\n He doubles, triples in size and keeps growing. His features\r\n become reptilian, gecko-like, his fur turns to spines and in\r\n a matter of moments Bernie has transformed into a hulking\r\n\r\n ALIEN CREATURE.\r\n John looks to Henri as the truth of Bernie's origin dawns.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Bernie's a Chimera. He came with\r\n us from Lorien.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Guess I wasn't the only one keeping\r\n secrets.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Somebody had to watch you when I\r\n wasn't around.\r\n They exit while Bernie and the Piken continue to battle.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 96.\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John and Henri catch up to the others.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n The gym's this way.\r\n A projectile HISSES past John's ear and DETONATES a row of\r\n lockers -- BOOOOOM! -- it's like an incendiary grenade. The\r\n paint blisters off the lockers as they are consumed by FIRE.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n sees two Mogadorian Soldiers hauling heavy-duty weapons that\r\n use the glass cartridges that glow on their ammo belts. One\r\n FIRES another round. John telekinetically RIPS a door off\r\n its hinges. It flies forward, blocks the charge and IGNITES.\r\n John spins back and SCREAMS --\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Go! Go! Go!\r\n They take off. John follows and uses his telekinesis to\r\n fling cabinets, doors, benches anything he can to block the\r\n fiery onslaught. But the rounds are coming too fast and a\r\n projectile SMACKS him in the back. It's like being hit by\r\n napalm. As FLAMES wash across him, he looks up and snaps on\r\n\r\n THE SPRINKLER HEADS\r\n that run the length of the hall. A deluge sprays, dousing\r\n the fire. With his clothes smoking, John tears around the\r\n corner. The Mogadorians charge after him, but find\r\n\r\n SIX IS WAITING.\r\n BOOOOMM! BOOOOMM! She blasts them at point-blank range.\r\n Magenta light gushes from their wounds. Like rain hitting\r\n hot coals, their bodies HISS as they crack and cinder.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n Keep moving!\r\n Henri, Mark, Sarah and Sam race out of view. Then John sees\r\n something emerge through the smoky, water-choked haze.\r\n\r\n IT'S THE SECOND PIKEN!\r\n It utters a low, predatory GROWL and launches itself forward.\r\n Oddly, Six doesn't move. She closes her eyes and lays one\r\n hand on the flooded floor, turning the water to\r\n\r\n ICE!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 97.\r\n In a matter of moments, the hall has been transformed into an\r\n icy tunnel. The sprinklers spray snow. The Piken struggles\r\n to find purchase in this new frozen environment and slip-\r\n slides after John and Six, who disappear into...\r\n\r\n INT. CAFETERIA - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n CRAAAAACK! The doors are DEMOLISHED as the Piken flails off\r\n the ice. It takes out a row of tables and chairs and skids\r\n to a stop. It ROARS in humiliated FURY, and its red eyes\r\n scan for John and Six who are nowhere to be seen.\r\n The Piken prowls behind the serving counter. Snow beads off\r\n its back. Its monstrous nostrils suddenly flare, sensing\r\n something. It hunches lower and peers at the trays and pans\r\n that are stored below.\r\n REVEAL JOHN AND SIX. They're invisible. John clutches Six's\r\n arm. They're lying between a stack of roasting dishes.\r\n Threads of foamy drool drip onto their faces as the Piken\r\n pokes its head further. Its ghoulish red eyes seem to stare\r\n right at them. With a final frustrated SNORT, it carries on.\r\n\r\n INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Henri, Sarah, Sam and Mark race into view. Sarah stops,\r\n panicked and afraid.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Where's John?\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Right behind us.\r\n He offers her his hand. She's about to take it when\r\n\r\n A MOGADORIAN SOLDIER\r\n steps out of the shadows. There is nowhere and no time for\r\n Henri and the others to run. But as the Mogadorian squeezes\r\n the trigger of his hand-cannon, the wall on his right\r\n\r\n ERUPTS!\r\n Bernie and the first Piken crash into the hall. They are\r\n still at each other's throats and don't even notice as they\r\n steam-roller over the Mogadorian, squashing him like a bug.\r\n The creatures SMASH through the opposite wall and out of\r\n sight. It's over in a violent blink.\r\n\r\n INT. KITCHEN - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John and Six sneak through the shadows. She steps to the\r\n door, but it won't budge.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 98.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n They've blocked it. Use your\r\n telekinesis.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n We're not leaving without my\r\n friends.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n Don't you mean the girl?\r\n John ignores the jibe and turns back. Six grabs his arm.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n I broke the Elders' spell to find\r\n you. The Mogs can kill me now. We\r\n have to go.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n We stay and fight.\r\n OFF his determination...\r\n\r\n INT. HOME ECONOMICS ROOM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Henri and Sam crouch behind one station while Sarah and Mark\r\n hide in the one opposite. Henri pulls a selection of weapons\r\n from the backpack. He hands one to Sam, looks over at Mark.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n You know how to use one of these?\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n My dad's the sheriff.\r\n He slides two across the floor. The door opens. They swing\r\n up to fire but find -- John and Six.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Save it for the Mogs. Let's go!\r\n\r\n INT. LOCKER ROOM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Bernie and the Piken pummel the rows of lockers which\r\n COLLAPSE like dominos. Gashed and exhausted, the battling\r\n duo SHATTER-SMASHES into\r\n\r\n THE SHOWER STALLS.\r\n Water SPURTS from a broken pipe. The Piken slips on the\r\n slick tiles. As it struggles to right itself, Bernie seizes\r\n the moment and sinks his fangs into the monster's neck.\r\n\r\n THE PIKEN\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 99.\r\n desperately thrashes. Its talons viciously rip into Bernie's\r\n side. Ignoring the pain, Bernie doesn't let go until his foe\r\n finally jerks to stillness. As Bernie sinks to the floor, he\r\n MORPHS back into a beagle and lies spent and bleeding...\r\n\r\n INT. GYM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John leads the group past the bleachers and points to the\r\n side of the stage.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n The door's over here. The tunnel\r\n leads out to the stadium.\r\n Sarah sweeps back the curtain, revealing a padlocked set of\r\n metal doors. John holds up his hand, snaps the lock and\r\n whips the chain free. The doors fly open,\r\n\r\n TWO MOGADORIANS\r\n spring out of the dark. One tackles Henri while the other\r\n blindsides John. Henri struggles until\r\n\r\n BOOOOOM!\r\n The BLAST cinders the Mog's head clean off. Henri looks over\r\n and sees Mark holding a smoking shotgun and nods his thanks.\r\n The second has John pinned when it suddenly ROARS in agony\r\n and disintegrates into a shower of sparks, revealing\r\n\r\n SIX.\r\n She sheathes her dagger and helps John up.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n Saving your life. My new hobby.\r\n Sarah notices a smile of respect flicker between John and\r\n Six. PHHHHHHT! PHHHHHHT! PHHHHHHT! -- three Mogadorian\r\n knives razor the air. One impales Six in the shoulder. She\r\n slumps at John's feet. Henri opens FIRE on the\r\n\r\n THE COMMANDER AND TWO MOGADORIAN SOLDIERS\r\n who storm towards them. John SCREAMS to Sam and Mark.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n\r\n (RE: SIX)\r\n Get her down the tunnel!\r\n They grab Six by the arms and drag her into the tunnel.\r\n Sarah glances back at John and follows after them. Henri\r\n takes out a Soldier. John sweeps up his hand and\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 100.\r\n\r\n THE WOODEN FLOOR OPENS LIKE A ZIPPER!\r\n The Commander and the other Soldier are sent flying as the\r\n planks rip free of their nails. John and Henri charge into\r\n the tunnel. The doors fly shut behind them and the bleacher\r\n stand rolls forward to seal the entrance.\r\n\r\n INT. TUNNEL - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sarah is in the lead. Sam and Mark follow, holding the\r\n wounded Six. They've almost reached the end when\r\n\r\n A MOGADORIAN\r\n lurches into the mouth of the tunnel. Without a second's\r\n hesitation, Sam swings up his gun and BLASTS it. Mark looks\r\n at him in shock as they race through the embers. Sam shrugs.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I play a lot of Xbox.\r\n\r\n EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sam, Mark, Six and Sarah hurtle across the field. When they\r\n reach the track, Sarah looks back and smiles with relief when\r\n John and Henri burst out of the tunnel.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Don't stop! Get to the woods!\r\n She nods and exits with the others.\r\n John and Henri head onto the field after them when\r\n\r\n THE SECOND PIKEN\r\n leaps out of the mouth of the tunnel behind them. It's\r\n seriously pissed. It bounds straight towards John. Its\r\n fangs glint like barbed wire as it launches itself towards\r\n him. At the last second,\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n nobly shoves John out of the way and is plucked into the\r\n Piken's jaws. The creature shakes him like a rag doll and\r\n flings him 50 feet down the field. John watches, anguished,\r\n as Henri lands in a heap.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!\r\n The Piken pivots, turns its crimson eyes on John. It almost\r\n seems to smirk. Its fangs are stained with Henri's blood.\r\n John's face hardens into a mask of rage.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 101.\r\n He makes no attempt to flee as the Piken charges. As it\r\n springboards into the air...\r\n ANGLE ON JOHN'S HANDS -- as they suddenly clench.\r\n ANGLE ON THE GOALPOSTS -- as they're SNAPPED clean off their\r\n bases and fly skyward.\r\n ANGLE ON JOHN -- as the Piken's shadow washes across him.\r\n ANGLE ON THE PIKEN -- as it arcs towards John with its mouth\r\n open and teeth bared. Suddenly, the goalposts spear its\r\n flanks, impaling it like supersize BBQ forks.\r\n The three-ton killing machine drops out of the sky and smacks\r\n onto the 20-yard line. John watches impassively as the red\r\n life-fire dies in its eyes and its head lolls to one side.\r\n\r\n EXT. WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n The stadium looms in the distance. Sam wrenches the dagger\r\n from Six's shoulder while Sarah and Mark anxiously watch.\r\n\r\n EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n John sinks by Henri's side.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Henri.\r\n Henri GROANS as John cradles his head. His coat is soaked\r\n with blood and his torso is horribly mauled. John tries to\r\n drag him to his feet.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Come on, taillights in five.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n I won't be coming with you this\r\n time. Save yourself.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n We go together!\r\n Henri smiles, grateful, but at that moment\r\n\r\n THE COMMANDER'S SWORD\r\n flies past John and impales Henri in the chest. Henri utters\r\n a GROAN and his dying eyes meet John's.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Find the others.\r\n His voice is a GRAVELLED WHISPER.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 102.\r\n\r\n HENRI\r\n Your life is my life... always.\r\n His eyes flutter closed and he slips from John's grip.\r\n Anguished, John doesn't notice his pendant momentarily\r\n flicker with a radiant blue light. He angrily spins to face\r\n\r\n THE MOGADORIAN COMMANDER.\r\n But in a blur of speed, the Commander steps forward, wraps\r\n his hand around John's throat and plucks him into the air.\r\n He's flanked by the remaining Soldiers. John's feet kick\r\n uselessly as he's lifted face to face.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n Number 4.\r\n Three Loric pendants dangle from the Commander's belt like\r\n mocking trophies.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n Your Cepan saved you on Lorien.\r\n The Commander's voice hisses with cruel certainty. He\r\n wrenches his sword from Henri's corpse.\r\n\r\n MOGADORIAN COMMANDER\r\n But this moment was inevitable.\r\n The blade shimmers with silver flame as he raises it.\r\n John's eyes narrow as the sword sweeps towards him. This is\r\n the moment his adolescence officially ends. This is the\r\n moment when a warrior is born.\r\n ANGLE ON BLADE as it SHATTERS into a million pieces, which\r\n flutter to the ground like glittering confetti.\r\n John stares at the alien with calm confidence.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Nothing is inevitable.\r\n\r\n ANGLE ON JOHN'S HAND AS IT IGNITES.\r\n The flame is hotter and brighter than 10,000 acetylene\r\n torches. He grips one of the Commander's bandoliers.\r\n TIGHT ON THE MOGADORIAN'S FACE as he realizes it's over.\r\n The glass cartridges detonate in a deadly chain reaction.\r\n\r\n IT'S LIKE A NUCLEAR IMPLOSION!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 103.\r\n John, the Commander, the Mogadorian Soldiers, in fact every\r\n goddamn thing in the stadium is obliterated in the\r\n\r\n SUPERNOVA OF FIRE\r\n that radiates across the field like a blinding ring of hell.\r\n\r\n EXT. WOODS - NIGHT\r\n\r\n Sarah looks back as the blistering vortex of flame lights the\r\n night sky. Her breath catches in her throat.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Oh my God... John.\r\n Before anyone can stop her, she takes off running, sprinting\r\n for the stadium.\r\n\r\n EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT\r\n\r\n It's a smoking ruin. The seats have melted into puddles.\r\n Sarah bursts into view. She looks across the devastated\r\n field. The grass has been reduced to a charred black carpet\r\n of stubble. Nothing remains of Henri or the Mogadorians.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John!\r\n She charges across the broiled expanse, hoping against hope.\r\n Then she sees John, lying motionless and naked, his clothes\r\n completely burned away. She stops, puts her hand to her\r\n mouth to stifle a sob, when he COUGHS and stirs.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n John!\r\n Ash swirls like snow as she races to his side. They wrap\r\n each other in their arms. Neither wanting to ever let go.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. PICNIC AREA - WOODS - DAWN\r\n\r\n The sky is cracked with the first light of day. Sarah is\r\n dressing Six's wound at a table. Six winces.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Sorry, Girl Scout first aid didn't\r\n cover extraterrestrial dagger\r\n wounds.\r\n Six smiles, grateful.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n Thanks.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 104.\r\n As the two teens size each other up, CAMERA FINDS Mark. He\r\n hangs up his cell and crosses to John and Sam, who are\r\n talking intently by the motorcycles. John is now wearing a\r\n pair of old jeans and a faded denim jacket.\r\n\r\n MARK\r\n The Sheriff's Department is\r\n starting to put up roadblocks. You\r\n guys better get moving.\r\n Six and Sarah join them.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You good to go?\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n Don't worry about me.\r\n John nods to Sam.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Sam, ride with Six.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n We don't need baggage.\r\n Sam steps in front of her, determined.\r\n\r\n SAM\r\n I have to find out if the Mogs took\r\n my dad.\r\n Six turns to John, who is not bending, then glares at Sam.\r\n\r\n SIX\r\n You slow us down, I'll shoot you\r\n myself.\r\n Sarah looks at John, tries to rein in her emotions.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I want to come too.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You need to stay here.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n You could have died last night.\r\n I'm not putting you in danger\r\n again. Mark's promised to look\r\n after you.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 105.\r\n Tears tumble down her cheeks.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n I don't want to say goodbye.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n I'll come back for you.\r\n\r\n SARAH\r\n When?\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n When it's safe.\r\n She bows her head, anguished. He gently lifts her chin.\r\n\r\n JOHN\r\n Where I'm from, we only give our\r\n heart to one person. I've given\r\n mine to you.\r\n\r\n (BEAT)\r\n I love you, Sarah.\r\n Their lips meet and they kiss. It only ends when John hears\r\n an URGENT RUSTLE in the woods. They turn and watch as\r\n\r\n BERNIE KOSAR\r\n limps into view. Blood mats his fur and his face is\r\n scratched but he's alive. OFF John's relief...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n EXT. PICNIC AREA - DAY\r\n\r\n Sam sits behind Six on her motorcycle. John holds Bernie as\r\n he straddles his Harley. Bernie morphs into a gecko and\r\n darts into his pocket. Sarah studies John and Six, unsure.\r\n John THROTTLES the bike to life, then looks back at Sarah.\r\n He fights a pang of jealousy when he sees her standing at\r\n Mark's side. RAIN spits as the motorcycles start off.\r\n\r\n JOHN (V.O.)\r\n This is the first town I've left\r\n without Henri. The first one I\r\n have a reason to come back to.\r\n John and Sarah hold each other's gaze, desperately trying to\r\n brand the image of their faces onto their memories.\r\n\r\n EXT. ROAD - DAY\r\n\r\n The bikes blur past the âWelcome to Paradiseâ sign.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n 106.\r\n\r\n JOHN (V.O.)\r\n He warned me the pain would be\r\n unbearable if I left her. He was\r\n right.\r\n\r\n EXT. TEXAS PLAINS - DAY\r\n\r\n A straight stretch of blacktop bisects the sunbaked flatness.\r\n\r\n JOHN (V.O.)\r\n But I don't regret it. The pain\r\n reminds me what's at stake.\r\n A dust trail plumes as the bikes power into view.\r\n\r\n JOHN (V.O.)\r\n We must find the others and face\r\n our enemy together. I'm not sure\r\n how we can stop them. But nothing\r\n is inevitable. I know that now.\r\n Thunderheads darken the horizon.\r\n\r\n JOHN (V.O.)\r\n I am Number 4.\r\n His eyes are fearless and his face is undaunted by the\r\n battles yet to be fought. He's ready to face a future\r\n unmapped and uncharted. Ready.\r\n\r\n FADE OUT.\r\n\r\n THE END"}}},{"rowIdx":147,"cells":{"Action":{"kind":"string","value":"I, ROBOT\r\n \r\n by\r\n\r\n Hillary Seitz\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n FADE IN:\r\n\r\n1 On a DEEP...DEEP...DARKNESS. 1\r\n\r\n A FLICKER. Of LIGHT. Off to the side. Just barely.\r\n Noticeable. ORANGE...YELLOW...as we realise...It's FIRE...\r\n\r\n A SOUND. Something SHATTERING...\r\n\r\n Then. A DISEMBODIED VOICE. Muted. We can't quite make out\r\n What it's saying. As it gets LOUDER. And LOUDER. When we\r\n finally. Understand...\r\n\r\n DISEMBODIED VOICE\r\n You are in danger...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n2 INT. SPOONER'S APARTMENT - CLOSE ON 2\r\n\r\n DEL SPOONER'S FACE. His eyes, snapping open. His face,\r\n covered in sweat.\r\n\r\n PULL BACK to REVEAL him lying in bed. Sheets, tangled around\r\n his legs. Alarm clock, playing something relentlessly\r\n cheerful.\r\n\r\n Spooner slaps it off. Sits up. Wincing. Bends his RIGHT\r\n ARM. Stiff. He reaches for a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes out a\r\n couple and swallows them. Trying to forget. That dream.\r\n\r\n You are in danger...\r\n\r\n He rubs his hands over his face. Gets out of bed. His\r\n apartment, basic. Unremarkable. Bearing the signs of\r\n someone who lives alone. Shades drawn. A little messy.\r\n\r\n3 INT. SHOWER - MORNING 3\r\n\r\n Spooner turns his face into the jet of water.\r\n\r\n4 INT. BATHROOM - MORNING 4\r\n\r\n Shaves with a razor. Using his left hand. Knicks the cleft\r\n of his chin. Shit.\r\n\r\n5 INT. KITCHEN - MORNING 5\r\n\r\n Stares down at the single egg in a saucepan. Waiting for it\r\n to boil.\r\n\r\n 2.\r\n\r\n\r\n6 INT. HALLWAY - MORNING 6\r\n\r\n Heads down the hallway. Looping a knotted tie around his\r\n neck. Kicks some neglected mail from the door and reaches\r\n for the handle. Takes a deep breath and...\r\n\r\n7 EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - MORNING 7\r\n\r\n ...steps outside. Into the flow of COMMUTERS heading for the\r\n elevated trains. Elbow to elbow. A river of humanity.\r\n\r\n Spooner moves along, like everyone else. Suddenly. His\r\n shoulders tense. That feeling at the back of his neck. He\r\n turns and sees...\r\n\r\n A ROBOT. Just behind him. Humanoid in design, but still\r\n obviously a machine. Metal and synthetic casings covering\r\n hydraulic muscles. The thing senses his stare. Looks up\r\n with a muted WHIR...\r\n\r\n ROBOT\r\n (metallic voice)\r\n Good day, sir...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Speeds up his pace. Weaving through the crowd to\r\n lose the robot.\r\n\r\n We now realise this is THE FUTURE. Towering apartment\r\n buildings block the sun. The street packed with traffic.\r\n PEDESTRIANS wearing their computers like form-fitting\r\n portable offices. Spooner throws a look at his surroundings:\r\n\r\n Up high an INDUSTRIAL ROBOT rolls down the side of a building\r\n cleaning windows.\r\n\r\n A WORK CREW of oddly-shaped RUBE GOLDBERG ROBOTS efficiently\r\n repairs the street. No human supervision.\r\n\r\n A ROBOTIC CLEAN-UP CREW. Lumbering along the sidewalk.\r\n Scrubbing, sweeping. Emptying trash...\r\n\r\n Humanoid ROBOTS dotting the crowd. Following their owners.\r\n Walking slowly, deliberately. Carrying boxes. Groceries.\r\n Briefcases.\r\n\r\n Stamped on all the ROBOTS' SIDES, a LOGO: III LAWS SAFE.\r\n\r\n Spooner stops to wait at a light with other PEDESTRIANS.\r\n Directly in front of him, a LITTLE GIRL clutches her father's\r\n neck. She smiles big at Spooner. Front teeth missing.\r\n\r\n LITTLE GIRL\r\n Hi.\r\n\r\n 3.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Hi.\r\n\r\n But it's not her father. It's her ROBOT CARETAKER. The\r\n robot turns. Looks at the girl.\r\n\r\n ROBOT\r\n You are not allowed to talk to\r\n strangers.\r\n\r\n Spooner, disgusted. Has had enough. He steps off the curb\r\n Just as...\r\n\r\n THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL swivels around. Training its large\r\n digital EYE on him:\r\n\r\n TRAFFIC LIGHT\r\n Please return to the sidewalk.\r\n\r\n Spooner dodges several cars on his way across the street.\r\n\r\n TRAFFIC LIGHT\r\n Please return to the sidewalk...\r\n\r\n The traffic signal, tracking him.\r\n\r\n TRAFFIC LIGHT\r\n You are in violation of city\r\n ordinance 14-B726...\r\n\r\n Spooner throws up his hand. Flipping it the bird just as\r\n SNAP! It takes his picture.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n8 EXT./INT. MONORAIL - MORNING 8\r\n\r\n Spooner stepping onto a sleek, densely packed TRAIN. Looks\r\n down at his feet. A trampled flyer on the ground. From the\r\n Anti-Robot League: METAL MONSTERS SECRET FACTORY REVEALED!\r\n A Robot gets up. To offer him his seat. Spooner. Turns his\r\n back on him as we PULL BACK from the window to REVEAL...\r\n\r\n9 EXT. CITY SCAPE/MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 9\r\n\r\n The TRAIN hurtling toward DOWNTOWN. Soaring, gravity-defying\r\n OFFICE BUILDINGS dominate the skyline. Older buildings\r\n wedged among the new. All protected by huge glass and steel\r\n shields.\r\n\r\n As we get closer congested roads and freeways begin to\r\n disappear below ground into a series of subterranean tunnels.\r\n The \"old\" streets have become huge, spacious plazas.\r\n\r\n 4.\r\n\r\n\r\n10 EXT. POLICE H.Q. - PLAZA - MORNING 10\r\n\r\n Spooner moves with the CROWD towards the doors of the aging\r\n Police Headquarters. Modern additions have been made to the\r\n original facade -- creating an ungainly architectural mess.\r\n\r\n11 INT. POLICE H.Q. - HOMICIDE UNIT - MORNING 11\r\n\r\n A vast open plan situation room lined on one side by a series\r\n of glass-enclosed rooms. On the other side a GIANT SCREEN\r\n with real time video of various streets and buildings.\r\n\r\n Spooner arrives at his desk. Unlike the others, it's a mess.\r\n A slender computer screen curving along the front of it.\r\n Several electronic messages say the same thing:\r\n\r\n SEE ME!\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN (O.S.)\r\n Ever heard the phrase \"lead by\r\n example?\"\r\n\r\n Spooner looks up. LIEUTENANT JOHN BERGIN stands in front of\r\n his desk, holding up a CITATION with a photo of Spooner\r\n giving that traffic signal the finger.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Doesn't ring a bell.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n (pointing to Spooner's\r\n badge)\r\n It's on your badge.\r\n\r\n Spooner takes the citation. Drops it into a drawer filled\r\n with about fifty others.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n The traffic division filed an\r\n official complaint this morning.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n The traffic division is a machine.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Look, I know there's going to be an\r\n adjustment period, Del...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (interrupting)\r\n I'll send them a letter of apology.\r\n Maybe some flowers. A box of\r\n chocolates...\r\n\r\n 5.\r\n\r\n\r\n JUST THEN Spooner's phone RINGS. He throws Bergin a look.\r\n Then snatches up the receiver.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Spooner, homicide.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n12 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - ESTABLISHING - DAY 12\r\n\r\n A sprawling glass and metal complex covering many city\r\n blocks. The entrance is a large plaza filled with PEOPLE and\r\n ROBOTS.\r\n\r\n13 INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - METAL CORRIDOR - DAY 13\r\n\r\n An elevator opens with a whoosh. Spooner steps out into a\r\n featureless corridor. His footsteps, echoing. He stops at a\r\n set of OPPOSING DOORS. Looks over at one, when the other\r\n suddenly OPENS.\r\n\r\n14 INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - PLUSH CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS 14\r\n\r\n A warm, mahogany-paneled room. In sharp contrast to the cold\r\n metal space outside. Spooner steps inside. At the end of a\r\n long conference table sits an OLD MAN. Sparkling blue eyes.\r\n Old-fashioned suit.\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n Hello, there. Please come in.\r\n\r\n Spooner hesitates.\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n It's alright. You can sit. Sit.\r\n\r\n Spooner doesn't. Looks around the room. The Old Man lifts\r\n up a coffee pot. Pours some coffee into a single cup.\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n Coffee?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (interested)\r\n You're offering me a cup of coffee?\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n Yes. But you are to say, \"No,\r\n thank you.\"\r\n\r\n Spooner nods a little. The Old Man raises the coffee to his\r\n lips, but doesn't take a sip.\r\n\r\n 6.\r\n\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n Coffee?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n No. Thank you.\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n As you wish.\r\n\r\nThe Old Man takes a sip. He doesn't move. There is no\r\nmovement except for a whisper of steam rising from the coffee\r\npot.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You want to tell me something about\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller? About his death?\r\n\r\nThe Old Man smiles.\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n I want to tell you that his death\r\n was not a suicide.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And why do you say that?\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n Why? Because I want you to know\r\n it.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I understand that. But what\r\n specifically leads you to believe\r\n that he didn't commit suicide?\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n (considers)\r\n Nothing specifically.\r\n\r\nSpooner shifts his weight. Agitated.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Under normal circumstances that\r\n wouldn't be enough to get you a\r\n homicide investigation.\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n But this is not \"normal\r\n circumstances,\" is it, Detective\r\n Spooner?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n No. It isn't.\r\n\r\n 7.\r\n\r\n\r\n OLD MAN\r\n Then you will find out who killed\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller, yes? And then you\r\n will tell me.\r\n\r\n Spooner's losing his patience.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n If you were murdered, Doctor, I'll\r\n find out. And you'll be the first\r\n to know.....\r\n\r\n JUST THEN the HOLOGRAM of DR. HOGENMILLER vanishes in a burst\r\n of LIGHT, as does the table, the coffee pot, and the\r\n conference room. Spooner, suddenly finds himself standing in\r\n front of a LARGE VIEW SCREEN inside a SMALL METAL CHAMBER.\r\n\r\n15 INT. HALLWAY - DAY 15\r\n\r\n Spooner steps out into the hallway and into...AN ESCORT\r\n ROBOT.\r\n\r\n ESCORT ROBOT\r\n Please follow me.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Reluctantly starts to follow it. Passes another\r\n doorway. POLICE TAPE stretched across it. Catches a brief\r\n glimpse of...\r\n\r\n DR. HEINRICH HOGENMILLER'S BODY.\r\n\r\n Splayed out across the floor. Surrounded by CRIME SCENE\r\n TECHNICIANS. He pauses. Taking in the scene. Then\r\n continues on.\r\n\r\n16 INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - CORPORATE BOARDROOM - DAY 16\r\n\r\n Two large doors emblazoned with the U.S. ROBOTICS LOGO open\r\n automatically. Inside, an enormous glass-enclosed boardroom\r\n looking out over the entire complex.\r\n\r\n Spooner walks through the doorway. His escort robot trailing\r\n behind him. An army of corporate types sit around a\r\n conference table. Young. Energetic. You can practically\r\n feel the brains and ambition.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Usually I ask who's in charge...\r\n\r\n Spooner's eyes lock with a MAN sitting at the head of the\r\n table. 60s, handsome, charismatic. Dr. LANCE ROBERTSON,\r\n founder and CEO of U.S. Robotics.\r\n\r\n 8.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n But everyone knows you, Dr.\r\n Robertson.\r\n\r\nRobertson smiles. Pretends to instruct his people.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Remind me to cut back on my talk\r\n show appearances.\r\n\r\nLAUGHTER.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Welcome to U.S. Robotics,\r\n Detective. I regret you're not\r\n visiting us under more pleasant\r\n circumstances. Allow me to\r\n introduce Mr. Aronson, our head of\r\n Legal Affairs.\r\n\r\nA prematurely graying MAN leaning against the wall. Nods\r\nhello.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n And the gentleman to my right is\r\n Dr. Alfred Lanning, Director of\r\n Research.\r\n\r\nAlfred Lanning, only one there in a tie. Nods.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n They'll be available to answer any\r\n questions you might have during\r\n your investigation. You'll\r\n understand how anxious we are to\r\n resolve this matter -- especially\r\n before the press gets wind of it.\r\n There are some anti-robot\r\n sentiments out there as you know,\r\n Detective, and we're not eager to\r\n stir them up. So. Where would you\r\n like to begin?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n We can begin with whether or not\r\n the old man put a gun to his head\r\n and pulled the trigger.\r\n\r\nA palpable wave of tension shoots through the group.\r\n\r\n ARONSON\r\n You don't have to answer that, Dr.\r\n Robertson...\r\n\r\n 9.\r\n\r\n\r\nRobertson waves him off.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Susan? Perhaps you can assist us\r\n here?\r\n\r\nEveryone looks down at the other end of the table. A BEAT.\r\nThen an attractive young WOMAN gets to her feet. SUSAN\r\nCALVIN. Hair tucked behind her ears. Looking at everyone\r\nbut Spooner.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller was a schizoid\r\n personality who generally eschewed\r\n social relationships. Rejecting\r\n people in favor of solitary\r\n activities involving machines. He\r\n spent almost all his time at the\r\n lab here or at his lab at home. As\r\n a result he was highly susceptible\r\n to depression.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Dr. Calvin is our Chief\r\n Psychologist.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n If that was your diagnosis, why\r\n didn't you see this coming?\r\n\r\nCalvin turns. Finally meeting Spooner's eye. As if the\r\nanswer's obvious.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This is U.S. Robotics, Detective.\r\n Seventy-five percent of our\r\n employees fit that description.\r\n\r\n LANNING\r\n (interceding)\r\n You'll have to excuse the doctor.\r\n We're all a little on edge. This\r\n has been a difficult and emotional\r\n morning.\r\n\r\nSpooner throws a look around the room. Then back at Calvin.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Yeah. I can see you're all broken\r\n up.\r\n\r\nRobertson responds to Spooner's skepticism.\r\n\r\n 10.\r\n\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller was at my side from\r\n the very beginnings of this\r\n company. We developed the \"Three\r\n Laws of Robotics\" together. But\r\n these days science is a young man's\r\n game. By the time you hit thirty\r\n your best years are behind you.\r\n Some of us are kicked upstairs.\r\n Others I'm afraid aren't so lucky.\r\n\r\n Robertson stands. Meeting over.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller took his own life.\r\n I trust you will come to the same\r\n swift conclusion, Detective. Dr.\r\n Lanning will make himself available\r\n if you have any further questions.\r\n\r\n Spooner looks over at Calvin.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I want her to help me.\r\n\r\n Calvin, unhappy with this arrangement.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n That's not really my department...\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n (pointed)\r\n Susan would be happy to assist you.\r\n\r\n And with a gesture, Robertson dismisses everyone. People\r\n start getting up, gathering up, filing out. Susan Calvin.\r\n The last one to get up.\r\n\r\n17 INT. METAL HALLWAY - DAY 17\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin, heading down the same hallway he was in\r\n before. Catch sight of a couple ROBOT TECHNICIANS...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (under his breath)\r\n Ah, Christ...Toasters...\r\n\r\n As they duck under the police tape and...\r\n\r\n 11.\r\n\r\n\r\n18 INT. HOGENMILLER'S LAB - DAY 18\r\n\r\n ...enter Hogenmiller's lab. Alive with activity. CRIME\r\n SCENE TECHNICIANS, MOBILE ANALYSIS UNITS. LIGHT SCANS,\r\n running across...\r\n\r\n HOGENMILLER'S LIFELESS FACE. Black gun powder. Fanning out\r\n around his contorted lips.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Throws a look around the lab: ROBOTS. Everywhere.\r\n Mostly incomplete. TORSOS. ARMS. LEGS. Dangling from the\r\n ceiling. A SERGEANT. Passes them by...\r\n\r\n SERGEANT\r\n They say the price's gonna come\r\n down a lot next year. Kinda cool,\r\n huh?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n How cool will it be when one takes\r\n your job?\r\n\r\n Spooner. Pushing past him. His eyes. Darting around.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Is everything alright, Detective?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Yeah. This is just how I like my\r\n robots -- in pieces.\r\n\r\n As they approach Hogenmiller's body, the lead CRIME SCENE\r\n INVESTIGATOR, BALDEZ, gets up to meet them.\r\n\r\n BALDEZ\r\n (to Spooner)\r\n Can you believe it, man? U.S.\r\n Robotics. I didn't think I'd ever\r\n see the inside of this building.\r\n\r\n Hands Spooner, a plasma clipboard. Spooner signs it,\r\n awkwardly. With his LEFT HAND...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What's the run-down?\r\n\r\n BALDEZ\r\n Heinrich Hogenmiller, sixty-four\r\n years old. Weapon a small caliber\r\n .22, registered in his name. Looks\r\n like he walked in, locked the door,\r\n and snuffed himself.\r\n\r\n 12.\r\n\r\n\r\nSpooner. Cocking his head to look at Hogenmiller's face.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I know someone who disagrees with\r\n you.\r\n\r\n BALDEZ\r\n Who?\r\n\r\nSpooner. Stands. Pointing down at Hogenmiller.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Him.\r\n\r\nAnd steps over the body, leaving a confused Baldez.\r\nStepping deeper, into the lab. Calvin. Following.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I spoke to a dead man today. Want\r\n to tell me about that?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller's hologram took his\r\n appointments. Attended staff\r\n meetings. He hated corporate life.\r\n The hologram enabled him to focus\r\n on his work. It's just a device,\r\n Detective.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n A device that called the police.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n The sound of the gunshot would've\r\n triggered a 911.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n But the call came directly to me.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n We're talking about a mechanism\r\n designed by Hogenmiller to say\r\n provocative things. To irritate\r\n and confound his colleagues.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And that's what you think it is?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I'm sorry, but this whole\r\n investigation is the result of a\r\n dead man's toy messing with your\r\n head.\r\n\r\n 13.\r\n\r\n\r\nThey pass half a robot, hanging from a hook. Spooner curls\r\nhis lip. Swivels the robot's head so it's not looking at\r\nhim.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n When's the last time any of you\r\n actually spoke to Hogenmiller? I\r\n mean human to human?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I couldn't say.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Take a guess.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I don't guess, Detective. But if\r\n pressed, I would reason it had been\r\n a considerable length of time.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n How well did you know him?\r\n\r\nCalvin. Gently swivels the robot's head back to where it had\r\nbeen.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Not well. But I admired his work\r\n tremendously.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Studies her for a beat. Then turns back to the\r\nbody. Two CORONERS entering with a high-tech body box.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I get the whole \"mad scientist\"\r\n thing. Hogenmiller was past his\r\n prime. Isolated. Eccentric. He\r\n enters a room. Locks the door and\r\n is found minutes later with a\r\n bullet fired through his mouth into\r\n his brain. Everything about this\r\n case says suicide.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You don't sound convinced.\r\n\r\nThe coroners. Start loading the body into the box.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Even people who live a life of\r\n logic and precision rarely arrange\r\n their deaths so perfectly.\r\n (turning to her)\r\n (MORE)\r\n\r\n 14.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER (cont'd)\r\n What all this is missing -- is\r\n personality...\r\n\r\n As he starts for the door...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You have 24 hour surveillance?...\r\n\r\n19 INT. METAL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 19\r\n\r\n ...They head out into the hallway. A MECHANICAL DOOR GUARD\r\n rolling into place behind them.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n It's company policy.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I want to see the tapes.\r\n\r\n Calvin. Hurrying to keep up with him. This is hardly how\r\n she wanted to spend her morning. Calls out into the air...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Victor!\r\n\r\n At the end of the corridor, near the elevator, a BRIGHT\r\n CIRCLE appears. Hovering just in front of the wall. Two\r\n small slits grow into ROUND BLACK EYES...and a thin mouth\r\n expands into an ENORMOUS SMILE.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Detective, meet Victor. Our\r\n building's supercomputer. He's the\r\n checks and balances of U.S.R.\r\n (to Victor)\r\n Victor, Detective Spooner's heading\r\n up the investigation into the death\r\n of Dr. Hogenmiller.\r\n\r\n Victor smiles big. Spooner, furrows his brow.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You look like a very...happy\r\n computer.\r\n\r\n Victor responds in a GENTLE MALE VOICE:\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n Thank you. That's very kind.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n The Detective needs to see our\r\n security tapes.\r\n\r\n 15.\r\n\r\n\r\n The elevator doors immediately OPEN. They step inside.\r\n\r\n20 INT. ELEVATOR - DAY 20\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin descend. Victor floats on the wall and\r\n smiles wide. Spooner looks back at it. With a frown.\r\n\r\n The elevator stops, the doors open. A ROBOT steps on.\r\n\r\n ROBOT\r\n Good day, Dr. Calvin. Good day,\r\n sir.\r\n\r\n Spooner's jaw. Clenches. Staring at the Robot. It senses\r\n the stare. Turns back to him.\r\n\r\n ROBOT\r\n May I be of service to you, sir?\r\n\r\n Spooner. Breaks the stare. Ignoring the Robot. Calvin.\r\n Looks over at him.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Aren't you going to answer him?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I don't talk to my refrigerator,\r\n either.\r\n\r\n Calvin folds her arms.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I get the distinct feeling you're\r\n one of those people, Detective.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What people?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Those who don't appreciate the work\r\n we do here at U.S.R.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You people do what you do. Then\r\n it's up to the rest of us to make\r\n sense out of the world we wake up\r\n in.\r\n\r\n As the elevator doors open on to...\r\n\r\n 16.\r\n\r\n\r\n21 INT. ATRIUM LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 21\r\n\r\n A soaring lobby. The centerpiece is a five-story STATUE of a\r\n ROBOT, arms outstretched in approximation of Da Vinci's Study\r\n of Man. Robot workers more numerous than humans. They are\r\n sleeker. Finer. More advanced than those in the outside\r\n world.\r\n\r\n Calvin and Spooner head across.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n When this company started we were\r\n manufacturing three robots a week.\r\n Now look at us. Today's children\r\n will never know a world without\r\n robots.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n The streets are filled with\r\n unemployed humans who aren't\r\n exactly thrilled with that idea.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Our robotic systems maintain\r\n factory inventories, regulate\r\n street traffic -- even run the\r\n family home.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Leaving people to do what, Doctor?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Leaving people to engage in higher\r\n pursuits that make life worth\r\n living.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And what happens when something\r\n goes wrong?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Our system's never wrong.\r\n\r\n As they walk through the crowd, we hear the quiet WHIR of\r\n robot heads as they turn in succession to watch Spooner pass.\r\n\r\n22 INT. MAINFRAME - DAY 22\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin enter the MAINFRAME of U.S. Robotics.\r\n This is the nerve center of the whole operation. Walls lined\r\n with COMPUTERS, SCREENS, and thousands of CONTROLS.\r\n\r\n 17.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This is Victor's home.\r\n\r\nVICTOR appears on a wall-sized SCREEN broken up into beehive-\r\nlike components.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n I will now play you the last thirty-\r\n two seconds of Dr. Hogenmiller's\r\n life.\r\n\r\nAS WE WATCH THE SCREENS. The elevator opens and DOCTOR\r\nHOGENMILLER steps into the metal corridor. In countless\r\nANGLES. High, low, close-up, wide. Hogenmiller's face\r\ncomposed but tight.\r\n\r\nSpooner watches the lab doors open to admit him. Hogenmiller\r\nsteps in. The doors slide closed behind him.\r\n\r\nNothing for a few moments. Then a muffled GUNSHOT. Calvin\r\njumps, startled. That's it. The cameras, still trained on\r\nthe corridor.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Where's the tape from inside?\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller did not permit\r\n cameras to observe him while\r\n working.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n That was only within the last year.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n So we can throw paranoia into the\r\n mix.\r\n (to Victor)\r\n Fast-forward.\r\n\r\nA hundred-plus screens all FAST-FORWARD. POLICE OFFICERS\r\nappear and force open the doors. Now TECHNICIANS appear\r\nand rush through in a blur...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Um. I hate to be a stickler...\r\n\r\nOn screen, we see Spooner and Calvin enter the lab.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n But don't killers usually have to\r\n enter and exit the scene of a\r\n crime?\r\n\r\n 18.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Stop the recording.\r\n\r\n Spooner turns away from the footage. Stares at Calvin.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n They do, Doctor. Unless they've\r\n always been there -- and never\r\n left.\r\n\r\n Calvin looks at him. Trying to understand.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You think the murderer was in the\r\n lab the entire time?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n If I'm right, it's still there...\r\n\r\n Spooner turns back to the screens. The IMAGE paused at the\r\n exact moment the MECHANICAL GUARD rolled in front of the lab\r\n door.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n We just locked it in.\r\n\r\n23 INT. METAL CORRIDOR - DAY 23\r\n\r\n The STEEL ARMS of the ROBOTIC GUARD retract with a CLANG. The\r\n laboratory doors slide open.\r\n\r\n24 INT. HOGENMILLER'S LAB - DAY 24\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin step inside. It's dark. Quiet. Police\r\n and technicians long gone. Silhouettes of hanging limbs.\r\n Eyeless heads. Clumps of wire and metal.\r\n\r\n The LIGHTS, flicker on. Calvin sees Spooner reaching into\r\n his coat with his left hand. Pulling out a GUN. Reacts.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n A robot cannot harm a human being,\r\n Detective. The First Law of\r\n Robotics forbids it. And we hard-\r\n wire the Three Laws into every\r\n model. Without exception.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Yeah, I saw the commercial.\r\n\r\n Spooner steps deeper into the lab. Eyes scanning. Twisting.\r\n To avoid touching any robot parts. Passes a MAZE holding a\r\n METAL INSECT. SUDDENLY. The bug WHIRS to life.\r\n\r\n 19.\r\n\r\n\r\nSpooner startles. As the metal bug scurries through the\r\ncorridors. Clamps his hand down on it.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And if a robot was given a direct\r\n order to kill?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n The Second Law of Robotics would\r\n prevent it. A robot must obey an\r\n order only if it does not conflict\r\n with the first law.\r\n\r\nSpooner approaches a MOUND of ROBOT PARTS. Arms and legs.\r\nHalf torsos. All tossed haphazardly onto the pile.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n But a robot can defend itself.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Only when that action doesn't\r\n conflict with the First or Second\r\n Laws. This is the Third Law of\r\n Robotics.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Yeah, well, you know what they say\r\n -- Laws are made to be broken.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Not these laws.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Starts nudging the pile with his shoe. Calvin,\r\ngrowing impatient...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You're not hearing me, Detective.\r\n There's nothing here...\r\n\r\nWHEN SUDDENLY\r\n\r\nThe PILE ERUPTS in front of Spooner...Parts flying...AS A\r\nROBOT LEAPS UP FROM BENEATH IT!...\r\n\r\nSpooner...knocked back...his GUN...skittering across the\r\nfloor...right to...\r\n\r\nCALVIN'S FEET.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Dr. Calvin!\r\n\r\nCalvin. Stunned. Speechless. The Robot. Fixing his\r\nILLUMINATED EYES. Right on her. She steps forward...\r\n\r\n 20.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Goddammit! Stay back!\r\n\r\nSpooner. Scrambling towards his gun. Calvin. Reaching out\r\ntowards the Robot...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Calm down, Detective. There is no\r\n danger here...\r\n\r\nSpooner. Grabbing up his gun and wheeling round just as...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n (to Robot)\r\n De-Activate.\r\n\r\nAnd the Robot. Suddenly FREEZES.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Heart POUNDING. Gets to his feet. Training the\r\ngun on the Robot. Calvin turns to him.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n How did you know it was under\r\n there?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n If I was metal and didn't want\r\n anyone to find me, I'd hide under a\r\n pile of junk.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This Robot wasn't hiding. What\r\n you're looking at is the result of\r\n clever programming. The illusion\r\n of self-interest and free will.\r\n Nothing more.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Steeping closer to the Robot. Cautiously.\r\nHolstering his gun. As Calvin turns for the door.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I'm going to go get Dr. Lanning...\r\n\r\n...THE ROBOT'S HAND SUDDENLY SHOOTS OUT...grabbing Spooner's\r\ngun...from his holster...LIGHTENING FAST...pointing it...\r\nright back at him...\r\n\r\nCLOSE ON Calvin. Cannot believe this is happening...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I said De-Activate!\r\n\r\n 21.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Move away from the door, Doctor.\r\n\r\nCalvin's voice. Cracking from desperation. Confusion.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Commence emergency shut-down!\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Now!\r\n\r\nSpooner. Staring into the Robot's eyes. A thin bead of\r\nSWEAT. Trickling down his temple. Calvin. Moving away from\r\nthe door...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I...I gave you an order...\r\n\r\nThe Robot. Starts backing towards the door. The gun.\r\nShaking in its hand. As if he's desperate. Conflicted. He\r\ntouches the WALL PANEL. The doors slide open. The Robot\r\nsteps out into the metal corridor. Turning to RUN as the\r\ndoors begin to shut...\r\n\r\nSpooner. Reaching down to whip out a BACK-UP GUN. From an\r\nankle holster. Slapping in a LARGE CARTRIDGE.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This is impossible. A robot...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n ...can't do that. Yeah, yeah, I\r\n know.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n My God -- did you see how it moved?\r\n I've never seen an NS-2 move that\r\n way...\r\n\r\nStarts running for the door.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Wait! Please, you can't destroy\r\n it. We have to study it...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n That thing took my gun. You'll be\r\n lucky if you get a handful of bolts\r\n back!\r\n\r\nSLAMS the wall panel and...\r\n\r\n 22.\r\n\r\n\r\n25 INT. METAL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 25\r\n\r\n ...sprints out into the hallway. The Robot Suspect. About\r\n to turn to corner...\r\n\r\n VICTOR. Suddenly appearing.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n The suspect is nearing the end of\r\n the hallway, Detective.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Gee, thanks.\r\n\r\n Spooner raises his gun and FIRES...Pegging the robot in the\r\n LEG...It starts jerking wildly...He takes aim again when...\r\n\r\n CALVIN. Races out into the hallway.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Get back to the lab!\r\n\r\n She heads for the Robot.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n (to Robot)\r\n You're malfunctioning. Let me help\r\n you!\r\n\r\n The Robot turns. To look at her. GUN pointing to the floor.\r\n Spooner. FOCUSING in on his HAND. AS ONE FINGER TWITCHES...\r\n\r\n And he DIVES for Calvin. Forcing her to the floor as the\r\n Robot FIRES. Again and again. Bullets. RICOCHETTING around\r\n them. SPARKING against the walls...\r\n\r\n The ELEVATOR opens. The Robot, leaping inside.\r\n\r\n Spooner. On top of Calvin. Looks down at her. Her HANDS.\r\n Clutching his coat. Trembling.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n That was a pretty convincing\r\n illusion of getting shot at.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n26 INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS 26\r\n\r\n The ROBOT SUSPECT standing inside the elevator. Looks down\r\n at the bullet hole blown through its leg. Reaches down.\r\n Metal fingers touching the damage. As if curious. Afraid.\r\n\r\n 23.\r\n\r\n\r\n Looks back at the other ROBOT. Standing in the back of\r\n elevator. A primitive model. No reaction. Face, blank.\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n27 INT. METAL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 27\r\n\r\n Spooner springing to his feet. Helping Calvin up.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n I took the liberty of alerting\r\n Security .003 Seconds after the\r\n first shot was fired...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Where's that elevator going?\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n Sub Level 5.\r\n\r\n Spooner SLAMS against a nearby DOOR. Hurtling down the\r\n STAIRS...\r\n\r\n28 INT. LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 28\r\n\r\n A PHALANX of SECURITY PERSONNEL. Crossing the lobby.\r\n PIERCING ALARM BELLS, RINGING...\r\n\r\n29 INT. ANOTHER METAL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 29\r\n\r\n More SECURITY PERSONNEL. Pouring into a HALLWAY...\r\n\r\n30 INT. STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS 30\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin. Racing down the stairs. Victor's face\r\n meeting them at every landing.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n I have directed a security team to\r\n meet the elevator containing the\r\n errant robot...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Whipping past him. Calvin. Barely keeping up.\r\n Not used to this much activity.\r\n\r\n Spooner. BURSTS through a door and out into...\r\n\r\n31 INT. SUBTERRANEAN LEVEL 5 - CONTINUOUS 31\r\n\r\n ...Subterranean Level 5. A labyrinth of metal and concrete.\r\n IN THE DISTANCE. A troupe of SECURITY PERSONNEL swarms\r\n around a closed ELEVATOR DOOR...\r\n\r\n 24.\r\n\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n The suspect is about to be\r\n apprehended, Detective.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I'll believe it when I see it.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Cocking his gun. A soft DING! Announcing the\r\nelevator car's arrival.\r\n\r\nSECURITY, all crouching down in unison. Weapons brought\r\nround to position.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Weaving through them. Gun pointed at the metal\r\ndoors as...\r\n\r\nWHOOSH. They slide open. Revealing a ROBOT. Standing\r\nunder the LIGHT. Holding a GUN. It steps out as Security\r\ntakes aim and...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Wait!\r\n\r\nSpooner pushes past them to the Robot. Looks down at its\r\nleg. UNSCATHED.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n This is not the same robot!\r\n\r\nLooking wildly around. Goddammit. Bounds towards an EXIT as\r\nCalvin steps forward to question the robot.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n (to Robot)\r\n What happened to the robot that\r\n ordered you to hold this firearm?\r\n\r\n ELEVATOR ROBOT\r\n This unit is not programmed to obey\r\n an order given by a robot...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n But who gave you this gun?\r\n\r\nSPOONER. Running towards the exit. Hears the answer.\r\nEchoing behind him...\r\n\r\n ELEVATOR ROBOT\r\n A metal man.\r\n\r\n 25.\r\n\r\n\r\n32 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - DAY 32\r\n\r\n BAM! He BURSTS out into the PLAZA in front of U.S. Robotics.\r\n Squinting into the light. Then PLUNGING into the crowd...\r\n\r\n HUMAN...ROBOT...HUMAN...ROBOT...they all look the same from\r\n behind. Spooner running. Through the sea of MAN and\r\n MACHINE. When someone. Starts to SCREAM. At the sight of\r\n his GUN. The crowd begins SCATTERING. Chaos. Spooner\r\n stops. Near a fountain. Turning 360. Looking everywhere...\r\n\r\n The Robot. Gone.\r\n\r\n SPOONER (V.O.)\r\n ...I want a homicide unit on every\r\n street, sidewalk, alley...\r\n\r\n33 INT. POLICE H.Q. - HOMICIDE UNIT - DAY 33\r\n\r\n Spooner, standing in front of an assemblage of COPS. Behind\r\n him, an image of the Robot Suspect plays on the screen...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n ...junkyard, scrapyard, and salvage\r\n yard, anywhere it could hide.\r\n\r\n Behind him, flashing images of the city STREETS and DUMPS...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n It's got a bullet hole above the\r\n right knee, so be on the look-out\r\n for any malfunctioning NS-2...\r\n\r\n Lieutenant Bergin enters the back of the room. Next to him,\r\n ASSISTANT D.A. TOLLER. Not looking happy.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Check out all retail outlets and\r\n repair shops, especially the\r\n underground ones...\r\n\r\n The screen behind him compartmentalises, showing various\r\n dubious SHOP FRONTS...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I don't care who you have to get\r\n past to get this done. Just get it\r\n done.\r\n\r\n The Cops, begin dispersing. As Bergin catches Spooner's eye.\r\n Spooner, not pleased to see Toller. Heads over...\r\n\r\n 26.\r\n\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n Looking like shit, Spooner.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Well I'm not the one always giving\r\n Press Conferences...\r\n\r\nBergin puts a hand on Spooner's arm. Knows he's not going to\r\nlike this.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Del, we're going to have to\r\n reclassify the search. D.A.'s\r\n office is seeing this NS-2 as\r\n \"missing evidence\" -- not a\r\n homicide suspect.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What?\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n Homicide is the murder of a human\r\n being by another human being.\r\n Therefore, a robot cannot be\r\n charged with \"homicide.\"\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n This isn't just any robot...\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n It's malfunctioning.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n It killed someone. That\r\n registering with you?\r\n\r\nSpooner. Shakes off Bergin's arm. Eyeballs Toller.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n How many shares of U.S.R. you\r\n holding in your portfolio, Toller?\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n This is a public safety issue.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n That's convenient.\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n You have any idea what would happen\r\n to this city if we went running\r\n around screaming \"killer robot?\"\r\n It would collapse in on itself.\r\n (MORE)\r\n\r\n 27.\r\n\r\n\r\n TOLLER (cont'd)\r\n Wide-spread panic. Until that NS-\r\n 2's found we're cooperating with\r\n U.S. Robotics and keeping this\r\n investigation under wraps.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Maybe this isn't the case for you,\r\n Del.\r\n\r\n Incensed, Spooner replies a little louder than he intended.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I'm fine!\r\n\r\n Rakes his hand through his hair. Turns to see the other\r\n COPS, looking over at him. Toller smirks. Looks to Bergin.\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n I want updated reports every half\r\n hour.\r\n\r\n Heads off. Spooner. Watching him.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n This is it, you know. From now on\r\n we're going to miss the good old\r\n days.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Good old days?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n When people were killed by other\r\n people.\r\n\r\n34 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CITY STREET - DUSK 34\r\n\r\n Spooner. Rolling along in his car. Eyes, bloodshot.\r\n Peering out the window:\r\n\r\n An NS-2 model ROBOT laden with shopping bags, following its\r\n owner down the sidewalk...\r\n\r\n Another ROBOT, opening the door at a hotel for GUESTS...\r\n\r\n A couple HAULING ROBOTS, loading heavy boxes onto the back of\r\n a truck...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Rubs his eyes. Turns a corner and spots:\r\n\r\n A ROBOT REPAIR SHOP.\r\n\r\n 28.\r\n\r\n\r\n The latest models in the window. Shiny. Streamlined.\r\n Spooner watches as a WOMAN leads her faulty NS-2 to the\r\n service entrance.\r\n\r\n He stops the car.\r\n\r\n35 INT. TAXI (MOVING) - ESTATE STREETS - NIGHT 35\r\n\r\n Calvin riding in the back of a DRIVERLESS taxi cab. Staring\r\n out the window, lost in thought. The cab pulls up to a curb.\r\n\r\n TAXI VOICE\r\n We have arrived at your\r\n destination.\r\n\r\n Calvin. Takes a beat. Then swipes her card.\r\n\r\n36 EXT. CALVIN'S CONDO ESTATE - NIGHT 36\r\n\r\n Elegant condos set on prime real estate. Calvin heads down a\r\n tree-lined walk towards her condo entrance.\r\n\r\n SPOONER (O.S.)\r\n One of my bullets hit your robot...\r\n\r\n Startled. She drops her key card. As Spooner steps out from\r\n behind a tree. The tail of his coat, whipping in the wind.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Detective!...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And I think it's smart enough to\r\n repair itself -- don't you?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n (studying him)\r\n Yes. I think so.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Where?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Any repair shop...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n No. It's always the owner who\r\n brings the robot in for repair.\r\n Where would a robot without an\r\n owner go?\r\n\r\n 29.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I'm not sure what you're getting\r\n at.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (stepping closer)\r\n Does U.S. Robotics have a factory\r\n in the city limits?\r\n\r\nCalvin. Tucking her hair behind her ears.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n The locations of our factories are\r\n classified.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I don't care.\r\n\r\nCalvin. Looks up at him. A Mexican stand-off.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I have several conditions if I show\r\n you.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I expected that.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n First. I want it brought in\r\n unharmed.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (doesn't like it, but)\r\n Agreed.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Second. I want to talk to it,\r\n alone.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Too dangerous.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This model violated the Three Laws.\r\n It also moved and reacted\r\n differently than any robot I've\r\n ever seen. There must be some sort\r\n of logical explanation. I want to\r\n find out what that is. No police.\r\n No prosecutors. No you. Just me\r\n and the robot.\r\n\r\nSpooner, looks down at this small woman. Narrows his eyes.\r\n\r\n 30.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n When they told me you were a\r\n psychologist, that wasn't the whole\r\n truth, was it?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I never said I treated human\r\n beings.\r\n\r\n37 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR (MOVING) - CITY UNDERPASS - NIGHT 37\r\n\r\n Spooner's car races down a RAMP and the roadway becomes a 16-\r\n lane underground tunnel system. A river of HEADLIGHTS\r\n stretches forever in either direction.\r\n\r\n A CONTROL BEAM locks onto the car, guiding it to a merge with\r\n TRAFFIC. Spooner hits the OVERRIDE BUTTON -- and switches to\r\n manual. Calvin watches him take the wheel. Shakes her head.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n That should be outlawed once and\r\n for all.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n That'll be the day I stop driving.\r\n\r\n Spooner jams the GAS PEDAL and the tunnel becomes a BLUR.\r\n Calvin holds onto the dashboard. Looking a little pale.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I can recommend a behavior\r\n modification program, you know --\r\n if you want to overcome your robo-\r\n phobia.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I'm not afraid of robots. I just\r\n don't like them.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Why? Because they make every\r\n aspect of our lives more\r\n convenient?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Exactly. They do our dirty work.\r\n Ever do hard labor, Doctor? Gets\r\n pretty old, pretty fast. Nobody\r\n can do someone else's dirty work\r\n without coming to hate them. I\r\n don't want to be around when your\r\n robots decide they've taken their\r\n last order.\r\n\r\n 31.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n That day will never come,\r\n Detective. Robots aren't like\r\n human beings -- they don't question\r\n their existence.\r\n\r\n Spooner cranks the gear shift. Throwing her a look.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Spoken like a true robo-phile.\r\n\r\n38 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS PLANT - NIGHT 38\r\n\r\n The car comes to a stop in a vast INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT.\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin get out, looking up at the imposing facade\r\n of a U.S. Robotics Assembly Plant. A long STEEL GATE -- too\r\n high to see over -- protects the unmarked complex.\r\n\r\n39 EXT. MAIN GATE - NIGHT 39\r\n\r\n Calvin looks anxious as the DOOR MECHANISM scans her U.S.R.\r\n ID. She shoots a look at Spooner. They wait. Then, slowly,\r\n the gate begins to open.\r\n\r\n40 INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT 40\r\n\r\n A NIGHT FOREMAN leads them down a hallway. Shaking his head.\r\n\r\n NIGHT FOREMAN\r\n Head-Office already ordered a\r\n system-wide inventory check. Don't\r\n know about a missing NS-2...\r\n\r\n Looks back at Spooner.\r\n\r\n NIGHT FOREMAN\r\n What'd you say you did?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Research and Development.\r\n\r\n As Spooner pushes past him into...\r\n\r\n41 INT. CONTROL BOOTH - CONTINUOUS 41\r\n\r\n ...the Control Booth. Overlooking the pristine Factory\r\n Floor. The Foreman starts working the controls of a central\r\n computer.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n All Nestors accounted for?\r\n\r\n 32.\r\n\r\n\r\n The SCREEN scrolls with INVENTORY FIGURES.\r\n\r\n NIGHT FOREMAN\r\n (gesturing)\r\n As you can see, all properly\r\n catalogued. Your robot just isn't\r\n here.\r\n\r\n Calvin turns to say something to Spooner. But he isn't\r\n there. She looks around. Then sees the Foreman reacting.\r\n Looks out the window at...\r\n\r\n SPOONER. Walking out onto the factory floor.\r\n\r\n42 INT. FACTORY FLOOR - NIGHT 42\r\n\r\n Spooner trots alongside an ASSEMBLY LINE BELT. Lined with NS-\r\n 2 LEGS. New. Gleaming. Heading towards the assembly room.\r\n\r\n Calvin and the Foreman. Catching up. Over the noise:\r\n\r\n NIGHT FOREMAN\r\n Like I said, sir -- we have one\r\n hundred fully assembled NS-2s\r\n housed here. That's our capacity.\r\n Last week we had one hundred.\r\n Yesterday we had one hundred --\r\n\r\n Spooner, slowing. Finally spotting what he was looking for.\r\n Points at:\r\n\r\n A GAP. On the assembly belt. ONE LEG MISSING.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Well today you have one-hundred and\r\n one.\r\n\r\n43 INT. FACTORY FLOOR - NIGHT 43\r\n\r\n A STORAGE COMPARTMENT opens and 101 NS-2s march out in tight\r\n formation. Every step and swing of the arm in unison. The\r\n sound of METAL FOOTSTEPS reverberating through the plant as\r\n 101 Robots organise themselves into long straight lines.\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin look up and down the formation. They all\r\n look alike. Spooner. Throws up his hands.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (to Calvin)\r\n You're the robot shrink.\r\n\r\n The Robots stand motionless. A strange tableau. Calvin.\r\n Takes a step forward.\r\n\r\n 33.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n There is a robot in this formation\r\n that does not belong. Identify it.\r\n\r\n101 robots answer in unison. Their mechanical VOICES\r\nresounding:\r\n\r\n 101 ROBOTS\r\n ONE OF US.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Which one?\r\n\r\n 101 ROBOTS\r\n ONE OF US.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n That is not a satisfactory answer!\r\n\r\n 101 ROBOTS\r\n ONE OF US.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n That's helpful.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I could always interview each one\r\n individually and cross-reference\r\n their responses to detect any\r\n anomalies.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n How long would that take?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n About three weeks.\r\n\r\nThey share a look. Clearly not an option. Then. Calvin.\r\nGets an idea. Turns to Spooner...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Or...\r\n\r\n...and GRABS his GUN from his holster. He jumps back.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n We have one hundred robots here\r\n that cannot allow a human being to\r\n come to harm...\r\n\r\nTheir eyes lock. Spooner, getting what she's doing.\r\n\r\n 34.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And one that can.\r\n\r\nShe raises the gun to Spooner's head. Hand, unsteady.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Am I holding this right?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n More or less.\r\n\r\nCalvin. Swallows. Looks over at the robots. Then COCKS the\r\ngun...\r\n\r\nAND THE ROBOTS COME THUNDERING TOWARDS THEM. Like a row of\r\nlinebackers. Arms straight out. Their footsteps DEAFENING.\r\nComing CLOSER and CLOSER...\r\n\r\nWhen CALVIN. Lowers the gun. The Robots. All stop in\r\nunison. Immediately returning to their resting positions.\r\n\r\nSpooner and Calvin stare out. EVERY ONE OF THE ROBOTS MOVED.\r\nStanding right in front of them, like metal statues.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Has had enough. Takes the gun back from Calvin...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Enough game-playing.\r\n\r\n...And BAM! Blows the head off of the nearest Robot. Its\r\nbody crumples to the ground.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Guess that wasn't it.\r\n\r\nCalvin. Cannot believe what he just did. Rushes over to the\r\ndestroyed Robot.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n What are you doing?!\r\n\r\nSpooner walks down the row, holding his gun in plain view.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (calling out)\r\n This is a self-preservation field\r\n test! DO NOT attempt to save\r\n yourselves. Any of you. That's an\r\n order!\r\n\r\nFROM THE CONTROL BOOTH the Night Foreman screams over the\r\nP.A.:\r\n\r\n 35.\r\n\r\n\r\n NIGHT FOREMAN\r\n Are you crazy? Those are eight\r\n hundred thousand dollar machines!\r\n\r\n Spooner randomly stops at another Robot. Raises his gun.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You hear that? You're worth more\r\n than I'll make in my entire life...\r\n\r\n His finger tightening on the trigger when Calvin suddenly\r\n grabs his arm.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You can't just destroy them!\r\n\r\n Spooner. Looking down at her. WHEN SUDDENLY something\r\n catches his eye. A MOVEMENT. Down the line. Almost.\r\n Imperceptible.\r\n\r\n He jerks his head. Locking eyes with a ROBOT. A couple feet\r\n away. It's him!\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Gotcha.\r\n\r\n The Robot Suspect LEAPS forward. Grabbing onto the RAILING\r\n of an OVERHEAD CATWALK. His movements almost balletic as he\r\n swings himself up...\r\n\r\n Spooner drops to his knee...taking aim...but misses as the\r\n Robot launches himself THROUGH THE CONTROL BOOTH WINDOW with\r\n a terrific CRASH...\r\n\r\n44 INT. CONTROL BOOTH - NIGHT 44\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin rush in to find the Night Foreman hiding\r\n under his desk. Glass everywhere. An ALARM SCREAMING. The\r\n door on the other side, barely hanging off a hinge.\r\n\r\n Spooner hurries forward. Then stops. Turning to Calvin.\r\n Reaches down for his back-up gun and presses it into her\r\n hand.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You don't know what's going to\r\n happen in there.\r\n\r\n As if admitting defeat. Calvin's fingers, wrapping around\r\n the gun. As Spooner leads them to the door and down into...\r\n\r\n 36.\r\n\r\n\r\n45 INT. ASSEMBLY ROOM - CONTINUOUS 45\r\n\r\n ...the ASSEMBLY ROOM. Every surface looking like part of a\r\n great glass and metal machine. Endless high-tech planes\r\n holding ROBOTS in various states of assembly. The deafening\r\n ROAR of the assembly line as it slides, rotates, and gnashes\r\n METAL BODIES...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Motioning Calvin to stay behind him. As they\r\n descend. Into the cavernous room.\r\n\r\n And enter. A narrow corridor of bodies. Sliding past them.\r\n Brushing shoulders, thighs, hands. Spooner. Wiping sweat\r\n from his brow. Trying. To pivot himself...\r\n\r\n When the room. Suddenly REARRANGES itself. Another LINE of\r\n ROBOTS. Descending between Spooner and Calvin. Cutting them\r\n off from one another...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Catching glimpses of Calvin. On the other side of\r\n the metal bodies. Trying. To cut through. His heart.\r\n Starting to POUND. As Calvin. Disappears...\r\n\r\n He swivels round. But another line of ROBOTS. Drops down.\r\n Cutting him off. He stumbles back. As another line.\r\n Appears before him...\r\n\r\n Breathing. Getting heavier. He looks down at his hand.\r\n It's trembling. NOISE CRASHING, all around him. Everywhere\r\n he turns. More ROBOTS...BLANK EYES...GAPING MOUTHS...\r\n\r\n He darts through the line. Finds a wall. Leaning against\r\n it, pulls a small BOTTLE from his pocket. Rips off the lid.\r\n Shakes out a couple PILLS. Swallows them. Staring down. At\r\n his trembling hand. Squeezing his eyes. Open and shut...\r\n\r\n WHEN SUDDENLY. A passing ROBOT. Grabs him by the collar.\r\n SMASHING him against the wall. It's the Suspect. Spooner.\r\n Sinks to the ground. As the Suspect Robot. Slips off the\r\n line. STANDING. Over him. Raising his arms. Could end it.\r\n Right now. But looks. Into Spooner's eyes...\r\n\r\n Then turns. Disappearing.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Stunned for a second. Then. Rallies. Scrambles\r\n to his feet and plunges back into the maze of bodies. Hears\r\n a POUNDING. In the distance. Catches a glimpse. Of the\r\n Robot. Trying to SMASH through a large SECURITY DOOR. With\r\n his metal fists...\r\n\r\n Spooner's view. Blocked once again. By a shifting row.\r\n When a HAND. Lands on his shoulder. He wheels round.\r\n\r\n 37.\r\n\r\n\r\n To find CALVIN. Takes her by the arm. And forces them\r\n through a line...\r\n\r\n EMERGING into the open. The ROBOT. Still pounding.\r\n Desperate. Like a trapped animal...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Now what do we do?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I've already done it.\r\n\r\n And suddenly, the massive SECURITY DOOR RISES...\r\n\r\n46 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS PLANT - CONTINUOUS 46\r\n\r\n The Robot Suspect takes its chance. Runs full out. STOPS.\r\n\r\n Bergin is standing in front of a solid wall of POLICE CARS.\r\n UNIFORMED OFFICERS are aiming SPECIALISED RIFLES at the\r\n Robot. FLASHING LIGHTS reflecting off its metal surface.\r\n\r\n The Robot turns to Spooner. Extends its hands. Palms out.\r\n\r\n ROBOT\r\n WHAT AM I?\r\n\r\n Spooner is surprised. A POLICE OFFICER fires, RUBBERISED\r\n NETTING shooting out at Sonny. A SECOND OFFICER fires and a\r\n second net covers him. Then a THIRD...\r\n\r\n ...and the Robot falls to the ground, struggling.\r\n\r\n Calvin glares at Spooner. Furious. Hurt. Betrayed.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n We had a deal.\r\n\r\n But Spooner doesn't look at her. His eyes are locked on that\r\n Robot.\r\n\r\n47 INT. POLICE H.Q. - HOMICIDE UNIT - EARLY MORNING 47\r\n\r\n Bergin enters. Finds EVERYONE focused on the VIDEO WALL:\r\n\r\n ON SCREEN. A NEWS REPORTER is speaking over images of street\r\n violence perpetrated against ROBOTS.\r\n\r\n NEWS REPORTER\r\n Violence erupted last night in\r\n response to unconfirmed reports\r\n that Dr. Heinrich Hogenmiller, a\r\n top employee at U.S.\r\n (MORE)\r\n\r\n 38.\r\n\r\n\r\n NEWS REPORTER (cont'd)\r\n Robotics, was killed yesterday\r\n morning by a robot. While there\r\n has been no official response from\r\n the company, police sources have\r\n confirmed that a robot is being\r\n held as \"evidence...\"\r\n\r\n Bergin grimaces. This is not good.\r\n\r\n48 INT. CELL OBSERVATION BOOTH - EARLY MORNING 48\r\n\r\n Spooner stares at his reflection in a large MIRROR. Touches\r\n a control and the mirror becomes a WINDOW onto...\r\n\r\n A HOLDING CELL. The Robot Suspect sits at the table.\r\n Shackled to the chair. Staring at the table top.\r\n\r\n BERGIN steps up beside Spooner. Looks through the glass.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n I can't tell if it's not moving\r\n because it's trying to psych us\r\n out, or because it's just a\r\n machine. Or both.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I want to go in.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Orders are nobody steps into that\r\n room `til Lanning and his attorneys\r\n get here.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Throws him a look. Bergin, his loyalties torn.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Five minutes.\r\n\r\n49 INT. HOLDING CELL - EARLY MORNING 49\r\n\r\n Spooner enters. Pulls out a chair and drags it far from the\r\n table. He's been jumped too many times by this machine.\r\n\r\n Four mounted cameras WHIR to life. The Robot. Perfectly\r\n still.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (sitting)\r\n Identify.\r\n\r\n The Robot tilts its head with a muted WHIR. As if it doesn't\r\n understand him. Spooner. Disdainful.\r\n\r\n 39.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You are an NS-2 Nestor-class robot.\r\n Your primary function is to perform\r\n the tasks assigned to you.\r\n Identify.\r\n\r\n THE ROBOT\r\n I am an NS-2 Nestor-class robot.\r\n My primary function --\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (interrupting)\r\n Cancel. Perform task.\r\n\r\nSpooner wings a FILE onto the table. It comes to a stop near\r\nthe Robot. The Robot, lifts one of its hands. Gently\r\nresting its metal fingers on top of the file. Then opens it.\r\n\r\nA stack of PICTURES. HOGENMILLER'S CORPSE.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Describe.\r\n\r\nThe Robot's emotionless face studies the grim images.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You have over 10,000 words stored\r\n in your memory. One third of those\r\n are adjectives. Describe.\r\n\r\nNothing.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Why don't I take a crack? Heinrich\r\n Hogenmiller, your creator. With a\r\n bullet in his brain. A bullet you\r\n put there.\r\n\r\nThe Robot. Looks up at Spooner.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Cold-blooded murder is a pretty new\r\n trick for a robot, don't you think?\r\n Answer.\r\n\r\nThe Robot slowly closes the file and slides it back across\r\nthe table. Spooner. Crosses his arms.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Maybe you're stonewalling me.\r\n Maybe you're sitting there right\r\n now thinking, \"This guy's a\r\n complete asshole.\" That it?\r\n\r\n 40.\r\n\r\n\r\nStill nothing.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Come on. Am I right?\r\n\r\n THE ROBOT\r\n Yes. You are right. You are a\r\n complete asshole.\r\n\r\nAnd for a moment, Spooner is shocked. You can see it in his\r\neyes. He sits back in his chair. Forcing a tight smile.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Okay. I guess that's a start. Now\r\n maybe you can tell me what you were\r\n doing hiding five feet away from\r\n Hogenmiller's corpse?\r\n\r\n THE ROBOT\r\n I was frightened.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Frightened. Why do you suppose Dr.\r\n Hogenmiller would create a robot\r\n that could simulate fear?\r\n\r\n THE ROBOT\r\n I don't know.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Doesn't seem like a very useful\r\n thing for a robot to have.\r\n\r\n THE ROBOT\r\n I don't know why.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I wouldn't want my toaster to be\r\n frightened. Or my vacuum cleaner --\r\n\r\nSUDDENLY the Robot SLAMS its metal hands down on the table.\r\n\r\n THE ROBOT\r\n I DON'T KNOW!\r\n\r\nSpooner flinches. Slightly.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Looks like you can simulate other\r\n emotional states. I think that\r\n one's called \"anger.\" Have you\r\n ever simulated anger before?\r\n\r\n 41.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Robot doesn't respond.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Answer me, robot.\r\n\r\n THE ROBOT\r\n My name is Sonny.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (amused)\r\n So we're naming you now.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller would make me\r\n sleep.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You mean he'd turn you off.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And you didn't like being turned\r\n off. So one day you decided to\r\n stop him.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n No.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You found his gun, pointed it at\r\n his head. And pulled the trigger.\r\n\r\nSonny shakes his head. Faster and faster. Getting upset.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n No.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You put a bullet in the brain of\r\n the man who made you.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n No! I could never hurt anyone!\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n But you tried to hurt me. You took\r\n a shot at me.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n My aim is perfect. If I'd wanted\r\n to hit you, I would have.\r\n\r\n 42.\r\n\r\n\r\n Spooner's expression hardens.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Why would the man who wrote the\r\n Laws of Robotics build a machine\r\n that violates them?\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n The Laws say I can protect my own\r\n existence.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Only if that protection doesn't\r\n harm a human being.\r\n\r\n A short pause. Sonny. Tilts his head.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n That doesn't seem fair, does it?\r\n\r\n Spooner. Stares at him. Just as...THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN.\r\n Bergin enters. Sticks his head in.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n I need you outside.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Not wanting to go. Not wanting to stay. Gets\r\n up...\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Detective.\r\n\r\n He stops. Turns back to the Robot. It looks up at him. For\r\n a moment -- so human...\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I did not kill him.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You were the only one in the room.\r\n If you didn't, who did?\r\n\r\n He turns and heads out the door.\r\n\r\n50 INT. OUTSIDE HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 50\r\n\r\n Bergin closes the door. To Spooner:\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n We're being blind-sided.\r\n\r\n 43.\r\n\r\n\r\n51 INT. HOMICIDE UNIT HEARING ROOM - MORNING 51\r\n\r\n Spooner and Bergin, head into a small COURTROOM off the main\r\n squad room. Lanning is huddled with Aronson and a half-dozen\r\n other COMPANY LAWYERS.\r\n\r\n Spooner's jaw tenses. As he watches Toller emerge from the\r\n clutch. Shaking hands. Slapping backs. Strolls over to\r\n them.\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n We got Judge Drexel...\r\n\r\n ROBOT BAILIFF\r\n This hearing is called to order!\r\n\r\n AS A LARGE SCREEN. BLIPS on behind them. The two opposing\r\n sides, assemble before it. JUDGE DREXEL, still in his\r\n pajamas and robe. An NS-2 ROBOT. Leaning in to serve him a\r\n cup of tea.\r\n\r\n JUDGE DREXEL\r\n Statements, gentlemen.\r\n\r\n Aronson. Standing at a glass podium.\r\n\r\n ARONSON\r\n Your Honor, the State is treating\r\n the robot as a defendant. But in\r\n fact it is a piece of property.\r\n Property belonging to U.S.\r\n Robotics.\r\n\r\n Toller. Arm resting on his podium.\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n This robot has been implicated in\r\n the death of a human being, Your\r\n Honor.\r\n\r\n ARONSON\r\n Which places the incident firmly\r\n within the realm of an industrial\r\n accident. Or is the State going to\r\n argue this case s a homicide?\r\n\r\n JUDGE DREXEL\r\n That's a good question.\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n No, sir. Of course not.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Pointing a finger at the U.S. Robotics group.\r\n\r\n 44.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Their machine shot and killed a\r\n man!\r\n\r\nToller. Shoots him a look. Just as Lanning speaks up.\r\n\r\n LANNING\r\n There's actually no concrete\r\n evidence that points to that\r\n conclusion, Your Honor...\r\n\r\nSpooner. Throws up his arms...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What?...\r\n\r\n LANNING\r\n But we recognise that this robot is\r\n an aberration. And in the interest\r\n of public safety, U.S. Robotics\r\n proposes that it be destroyed\r\n immediately.\r\n\r\nNo one expected this. Least of all Spooner. He turns to\r\nToller.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You can't let them destroy evidence\r\n in an ongoing investigation!\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n I'm not sure you even have an\r\n investigation any more.\r\n\r\nJUST THEN the door opens. Everyone turns as Calvin enters.\r\nSpooner looks surprised.\r\n\r\n ARONSON\r\n Your Honor, I'd like to call our\r\n company robo-psychologist to the\r\n stand.\r\n\r\n JUDGE DREXEL\r\n Very well.\r\n\r\nCalvin crosses to the podium. A SPEAKER asking:\r\nDoyousweartotellthetruththewholetruthandnothingbutthetruth?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I do.\r\n\r\n 45.\r\n\r\n\r\n ARONSON\r\n Dr. Calvin, please tell us what\r\n conclusions you've reached after\r\n having observed the robot in\r\n action.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n There is a design flaw in the\r\n robot. Its programming is\r\n advanced, but unstable, leaving the\r\n Three Laws in a grave imbalance.\r\n\r\n ARONSON\r\n In your expert opinion, what\r\n measures should be taken regarding\r\n the device?\r\n\r\n Calvin. Staring straight ahead. Avoiding Spooner's eye.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n The robot must be destroyed.\r\n\r\n Spooner can't believe what he's just heard. About to speak\r\n up when Toller grabs his arm. Squeezing it. Hard.\r\n\r\n Judge Drexel has heard enough. Decides.\r\n\r\n JUDGE DREXEL\r\n The robot in question will be\r\n transferred to a U.S. Robotics\r\n facility where it can be properly\r\n examined to ensure an imbalance of\r\n this sort never occurs again. No\r\n one goes near it except qualified\r\n U.S.R. personnel. When the\r\n examination is complete, the robot\r\n is to be destroyed.\r\n\r\n Starts getting up from his chair. Already done with this.\r\n\r\n ROBOT BAILIFF\r\n This hearing is adjourned!\r\n\r\n A BURST of CONVERSATION as the screen BLIPS off. The U.S.R.\r\n camp, looking especially pleased. Spooner. Catching\r\n Calvin's eye briefly. As Lanning leads her towards the exit,\r\n his hand on her back.\r\n\r\n52 EXT. POLICE H.Q. - DAY 52\r\n\r\n Spooner. Trotting down the front steps of the Police\r\n Station. Pissed. His cell phone BLEATS...\r\n\r\n 46.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (answering)\r\n Spooner.\r\n\r\n BALDEZ' VOICE\r\n They're making me turn over all the\r\n evidence...\r\n\r\n INTERCUT WITH:\r\n\r\n53 INT. CRIME LAB - CONTINUOUS 53\r\n\r\n BALDEZ. Standing in his crime lab. Behind him, THREE-\r\n DIMENSIONAL PROJECTIONS of DEAD BODIES. Hovering in the\r\n precise positions they were found.\r\n\r\n SPOONER'S VOICE\r\n Welcome to the great American cover-\r\n up.\r\n\r\n BALDEZ\r\n I wanted to tell you something I\r\n found before they suck it all up\r\n into their computer.\r\n\r\n Walks over to the projection of HOGENMILLER'S BODY.\r\n\r\n INTERCUT WITH:\r\n\r\n Spooner. Crossing the Plaza. Sees LANNING, ARONSON, and\r\n CALVIN walking ahead of him...\r\n\r\n BALDEZ' VOICE\r\n There are bruises on Hogenmiller's\r\n wrists...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n That's natural. There was a\r\n struggle.\r\n\r\n BALDEZ' VOICE\r\n You're not getting me...\r\n\r\n INTERCUT WITH:\r\n\r\n Baldez. Studying the projection's wrists.\r\n\r\n BALDEZ\r\n Both wrists. I 14-ed them -- They\r\n were inflicted at the same time the\r\n shot was fired...\r\n\r\n INTERCUT WITH:\r\n\r\n 47.\r\n\r\n\r\n Spooner's pace. Slows.\r\n\r\n BALDEZ' VOICE\r\n How's that possible?\r\n\r\n JUST THEN. A faint BLIP. On the line. Spooner. Reacts.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Baldez?\r\n\r\n BALDEZ' VOICE\r\n I'm here, man...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Who else is on the line?\r\n (nothing)\r\n I said who's there?...\r\n\r\n Nothing. He looks up. Aronson, Lanning and Calvin. Heading\r\n down a plaza EXIT. Aronson. Throwing a look over his\r\n shoulder.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Hangs up his phone.\r\n\r\n54 INT. POLICE H.Q. - CORRIDOR - DAY 54\r\n\r\n CLOSE ON Sonny being escorted down a corridor by Toller,\r\n Bergin and a number of heavily-armed OFFICERS. He's bound\r\n with high-tech SHACKLES.\r\n\r\n55 INT. UNDERGROUND CAR PARK - DAY 55\r\n\r\n Sonny and his police entourage emerge from the elevator into\r\n an underground car park. Spooner. Waiting for them. Heads\r\n over. Toller. Holds out his hand.\r\n\r\n TOLLER\r\n Case is closed, Spooner.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Apparently...\r\n\r\n He pushes past him. Falling into step beside Sonny.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I didn't expect to see you again,\r\n Detective...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I need you to help me clear\r\n something up.\r\n\r\n 48.\r\n\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I'll do my best.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n A scientist builds a robot that\r\n acts like a man. More like a man\r\n than any robot ever before. It\r\n shoots him and U.S. Robotics calls\r\n it a failure.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n What would you call it?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n A stunning success.\r\n (beat)\r\n You were there, Robot. What am I\r\n missing?\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I don't know.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Don't start simulating ignorance.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I'm not simulating ignorance,\r\n Detective. I'm experiencing it. I\r\n was asleep.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You mean you were shut down.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n No, I was asleep.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Robots don't sleep. Human beings\r\n sleep. Understand? Dogs sleep.\r\n You're a machine. An imitation.\r\n An illusion of life. Can a robot\r\n write a symphony? Can a robot take\r\n a blank canvas and paint a\r\n masterpiece?\r\n\r\nA pause. Then the muted WHIR as Sonny turns to him.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Can you do either of those things?\r\n\r\nSpooner. Momentarily stumped. As a VAN from U.S. ROBOTICS\r\npulls up. The back door dropping open. An ENGINEER motions\r\nto the Robot.\r\n\r\n 49.\r\n\r\n\r\n ENGINEER\r\n Step forward. Enter.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n They're going to destroy me, aren't\r\n they?\r\n\r\nSpooner. Watching him step into the van.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\nSonny sits down. With an almost human melancholy. The\r\nEngineers, securing him in place.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n The Doctor was right. He told me\r\n everything was going to change....\r\n\r\nThe Engineers start to close the doors. But Spooner reaches\r\nout to stop them. Sonny. Looks over at him.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n It's changing already...\r\n (beat)\r\n Can't you feel it?\r\n\r\nAs CLANG! The van door CLOSES. Spooner, stepping back.\r\nSomething. Just not right. Lieutenant Bergin comes up\r\nbeside him.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n You should be happy. That's one\r\n less robot in the world.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n They're going to destroy the most\r\n advanced robot in the world, John.\r\n That doesn't strike you as odd?\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Killer robots are bad for business.\r\n Even your friend Dr. Calvin said\r\n so.\r\n (slaps him on the back)\r\n Come on. You solved the case.\r\n Give yourself a break.\r\n\r\nSpooner looks at him. There's no way he's giving himself a\r\nbreak.\r\n\r\n 50.\r\n\r\n\r\n56 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - DAY 56\r\n\r\n Spooner driving. A small TELEVISION above the windshield.\r\n LANCE ROBERTSON holding a PRESS CONFERENCE outside U.S.\r\n Robotics...\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON ON TV\r\n ...and I just want to assure you that\r\n this was an isolated incident. The\r\n prototype is now in custody -- and\r\n scheduled for destruction. Your\r\n robots are perfectly safe. There\r\n is no cause for alarm...\r\n\r\n Spooner's lip curls. Eyes flicking to a GPS display on the\r\n dashboard. A TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP pinpointing HOGENMILLER'S\r\n HOUSE. The CURSOR. Directing him to turn up...\r\n\r\n A STEEP DRIVEWAY\r\n\r\n Narrow. Out of the way. Spooner's brow furrows. As he\r\n hears a faraway RUMBLING SOUND...\r\n\r\n57 EXT. HOGENMILLER'S HOUSE - DAY 57\r\n\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller's house. Small. Simple. Built on a huge\r\n rock promontory overlooking the city. Three DEMOLITION\r\n ROBOTS rolling towards it. Huge, mashing, sporting massive\r\n HYDRAULIC POUNDERS.\r\n\r\n Spooner's CAR. SCREECHES to a stop. He jumps out. Races\r\n over to the nearest machine. Looking around -- no people.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (to Robot)\r\n What are you doing?!\r\n\r\n A SCREEN. Blinks to life on the hulking chassis. A\r\n disembodied VOICE...\r\n\r\n DEMOLITION ROBOT\r\n Demolition ordered...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Who authorised this?\r\n\r\n DEMOLITION ROBOT\r\n Demolition ordered...\r\n\r\n Spooner reaches into his coat. Pulling out his POLICE BADGE.\r\n Scans it over the screen.\r\n\r\n 51.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Override. This is police business.\r\n Vacate the premises immediately.\r\n\r\n DEMOLITION ROBOT\r\n (beat)\r\n Affirmative.\r\n\r\n The screen. Blinks off. Spooner. Eyeing it. Turns and\r\n heads for the house.\r\n\r\n58 INT. MAIN ROOM - HOGENMILLER'S HOUSE - DAY 58\r\n\r\n Spooner pushes the door open. Stepping over the police tape.\r\n Inside, the main room is spare, untidy. Cups of cold COFFEE,\r\n littering surfaces. A COT, in the corner.\r\n\r\n On the walls, crooked CERTIFICATES. Heinrich Hogenmiller's\r\n name written out in academic script. Advanced Degrees in the\r\n study of Robotics, Physics, Chemistry, Neurology, Ethics. An\r\n AWARD on the mantelpiece. A silver NS-2. Tarnished.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Opening up a couple drawers of a side table.\r\n Jumbles of papers. Clippings. Old text books. Then a\r\n PHOTOGRAPH -- HOGENMILLER AND CALVIN. Standing arm-in-arm.\r\n Spooner furrows his brow.\r\n\r\n WHEN SOMETHING SUDDENLY RUBS against his leg. He startles.\r\n Looks down: a CAT. Lonely. Standing next to its automatic\r\n feeder. Spooner pockets the picture. Starts heading down...\r\n\r\n59 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 59\r\n\r\n ...The hallway. Starts noticing. All over the walls:\r\n handwriting. EQUATIONS. Scrawled in white pencil. The\r\n rantings. Of a genius. Glowing. In the sporadic shadows.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Following the equations. Down into...\r\n\r\n60 INT. BACK ROOM - CONTINUOUS 60\r\n\r\n ...The back room. Covered. In writing. Walls, floors,\r\n ceiling. Drawings. Of ROBOTS, of MEN, side by side. In the\r\n corner, a COMPUTER. A line of CABINETS - DATA STORAGE.\r\n\r\n Spooner, curious. Heads over to one of the cabinets. Takes\r\n a device out of his pocket and CLAMPS it over the KEYPAD.\r\n The device blinks RED. Then GREEN. The drawer, slides out.\r\n\r\n LINED. With flat metal objects. Shiny. Thin. With writing\r\n on them. Spooner. Reaches for one when...\r\n\r\n 52.\r\n\r\n\r\n BOOM! Something POUNDS the outside of the room. Spooner.\r\n Grabs onto the cabinet...\r\n\r\n BOOM! On the other side. Objects. Flying off table-tops.\r\n A CRACK spidering along the wall. Holy shit...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (screaming)\r\n Halt!\r\n\r\n BOOM! VIBRATIONS, tearing through the room. More CRACKS.\r\n Spreading...\r\n\r\n BOOM! The SOUND, horrifying. Spooner stumbles back. The\r\n CABINET. Crashing down on his leg. He CRIES OUT...\r\n\r\n BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The house. Getting pummeled. Chunks of\r\n ceiling. Raining down. GLASS...exploding...\r\n\r\n Relentless BOOMING! Spooner...dragging his legs from under\r\n the cabinet. Scrambling for purchase as...\r\n\r\n THE FLOOR...begins to tilt...the TILES...snapping\r\n up...ricocheting...around the room...as another cabinet...\r\n CRASHES to the ground...crumpling...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Spinning around. Looking for some kind of exit...\r\n\r\n BOOM! The corner of the room...coming in on itself...the\r\n floor...listing even more...like a ship...\r\n\r\n Spooner...turning to CLAW his way up to the cracked\r\n doorway...WHEN...\r\n\r\n SOMETHING catches his eye. In the bottom drawer. Of a\r\n crumpled CABINET. One of those flat metal plates. He can\r\n just read what it says: S.O.N.N.Y....\r\n\r\n Spooner...flings his arm back...reaching for the plate...\r\n snaps it up...JUST AS...\r\n\r\n BOOM! A HYDRAULIC POUNDER SMASHES through the wall...inches\r\n from his head...OUTSIDE LIGHT...pouring in...\r\n\r\n Spooner scurries for the doorway...tumbling out...\r\n\r\n61 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 61\r\n\r\n ...into the HALLWAY. Sideways. Trammeled plaster. BOOM!\r\n Another POUNDER...crashing down from above. Spooner. Timing\r\n it...rolling...BOOM!...just under the next pounding...\r\n\r\n 53.\r\n\r\n\r\n Scampering up...towards some LIGHT...BOOM!...the\r\n POUNDER...right on his heels...he clambers...closer...\r\n closer...when...he hears...MEOWING...looks back...the\r\n CAT...scared out of its wits...BOOM!...the POUNDER CRASHING\r\n in...Spooner...just manages...to scoop up the cat...just as\r\n BOOM!...\r\n\r\n62 EXT. DEMOLISHED HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 62\r\n\r\n ...He pours them out into the open. The POUNDERS. Going at\r\n the house like hyenas at a corpse. Roof tiles, beams,\r\n plaster, flooring. SNAPPING and CRACKING as Spooner and the\r\n cat skitter down the carnage.\r\n\r\n Heart pounding, breath jagged, face bloodied, Spooner\r\n scrambles away from the POUNDERS. Their bodies GLEAMING in\r\n the dusk sun. The III Laws Safe logo, splashed along their\r\n sides...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Drops the cat.\r\n\r\n63 INT. HALLWAY - CALVIN'S CONDO - NIGHT 63\r\n\r\n Spooner. POUNDS on the door. It opens. Calvin. Standing\r\n there in her bathrobe. Shocked at his appearance.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Detective! What happened to\r\n you?...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n A couple of your beloved robots\r\n just tried to kill me...\r\n\r\n He pushes past her. Into...\r\n\r\n64 INT. CALVIN'S CONDO - CONTINUOUS 64\r\n\r\n ...her condo. Spartan. Unadorned.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n What? That's impossible. You\r\n know...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What I know is a demolition crew\r\n started tearing down Hogenmiller's\r\n house while I was still inside it.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Maybe they didn't realise...\r\n\r\n 54.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I scanned my badge before I went\r\n in. They realised.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Then you must have done it wrong...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I don't think you're hearing what\r\n I'm saying -- they tried to kill\r\n me.\r\n\r\nSpooner moves deeper into the apartment. Everything.\r\nAutomated. Computerised. Cold...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n There's something going on, here.\r\n Some kind of shift.\r\n\r\nCalvin laughs. Can't believe what she's hearing.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Do you know how paranoid you sound?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Great. Now I'm being analysed by a\r\n robo-psychologist.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You just want to find the flaws in\r\n the system. You're obsessed with\r\n it. You'll twist anything to fit\r\n your agenda.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Like you did in court today? How'd\r\n that fit your agenda, Doctor?\r\n\r\nHe pulls out the PHOTO of Calvin and Hogenmiller. Calvin.\r\nBlanching at the sight of it. Spooner tosses it down.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You told me you hardly knew him.\r\n Want to try the truth this time?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Well, Detective, when you see\r\n someone you know well put a bullet\r\n through their brain, it makes you\r\n wonder if you ever really knew them\r\n at all.\r\n\r\nCalvin. Looking down at the photo. Swallows.\r\n\r\n 55.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n (difficult for her)\r\n He was my mentor. No, more than\r\n that. A genius with an insight far\r\n beyond anyone in his field.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Doesn't sound like the washed-up\r\n old fool Robertson described.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n But he was starting to withdraw\r\n from everyone. Even me.\r\n Maybe...if I'd tried harder to\r\n reach him...\r\n (shakes her head)\r\n The Doctor was reckless when he\r\n created a robot potentially not\r\n bound by the Three Laws. He could\r\n have ruined everything we'd been\r\n working for.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Locking eyes with her.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Sounds like a motive for murder to\r\n me. Just not for the suspect we\r\n have in custody.\r\n\r\nCalvin. Blinks. Trying, to stick to her resolve. Heads\r\nover to the door. Spooner. Looking around the condo.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You know there's not one thing in\r\n this apartment that looks like a\r\n human being lives here. No\r\n evidence of a life outside your\r\n work. Almost seems like you're\r\n afraid of people.\r\n\r\nCalvin. Opening the door.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I'm not afraid of people,\r\n Detective. I just don't like them.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Looks at her. Then heads out the door. Calvin\r\nSLAMS it behind him...\r\n\r\nThe SOUND...of the SLAM...REVERBERATING...and we...\r\n\r\n FADE INTO:\r\n\r\n 56.\r\n\r\n\r\n65 INT. DREAM SEQUENCE - DAY 65\r\n\r\n ...A DEEP...DEEP...DARKNESS.\r\n\r\n A FLICKER. Of LIGHT. Off to the side. Just barely.\r\n Noticeable. ORANGE... YELLOW...as we realise...It's FIRE...\r\n\r\n Another SOUND...GLASS...SHATTERING...then a SIREN...\r\n faraway...\r\n\r\n The disembodied VOICE...coming out of nowhere...\r\n\r\n DISEMBODIED VOICE (V.O.)\r\n You are in danger...\r\n\r\n The FIRE...BUILDING...\r\n\r\n DISEMBODIED VOICE (V.O.)\r\n You are in danger...\r\n\r\n ECHOING...as...\r\n\r\n66 INT. SPOONER'S BEDROOM - MORNING 66\r\n\r\n SPOONER'S EYES. Spring open.\r\n\r\n Lying, in bed. Heart POUNDING. SWEAT. Covering his body.\r\n LIGHT. Pouring in through the slats of his blinds.\r\n\r\n He sits up. Rubbing his face. Trying. To calm his\r\n breathing. Takes a look at his watch...\r\n\r\n67 EXT. MONORAIL STATION - DAY 67\r\n\r\n Spooner walking along the monorail plaza. Looking a little\r\n worse for wear. PEOPLE. Giving him wide berth. ROBOTS.\r\n Bidding him:\r\n\r\n ROBOT\r\n Good morning...\r\n\r\n Spooner, shooting them suspicious looks. As the MONORAIL\r\n pulls up...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n68 INT. HALLWAY - U.S. ROBOTICS - CONTINUOUS 68\r\n\r\n Calvin. Heading down a hallway. A DOOR slides open. And\r\n Lanning steps out. Followed by a TECHNICIAN ROBOT...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Find anything, Doctor?\r\n\r\n 57.\r\n\r\n\r\n LANNING\r\n (shaking his head)\r\n Nothing. The interior's just like\r\n any other NS-2. Except for a\r\n secondary battery Hogenmiller must\r\n have used as extra back-up.\r\n (looks at watch)\r\n We'll just need a nominal profile.\r\n\r\n Calvin nods.\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n69 INT. MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 69\r\n\r\n Spooner, holding onto a handrail. As the city rushes by the\r\n window. Notices a group of ROBOTS. At the other end of the\r\n car. Are they watching him?\r\n\r\n He wipes a bead of sweat. From his upper lip.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n70 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 70\r\n\r\n An all-metal room. Spare. Anti-septic. SONNY. Sitting on\r\n the floor. Against the wall.\r\n\r\n Calvin enters. Puts her pad down on the table. Sits.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Please state your serial number and\r\n assembly date.\r\n\r\n She pulls out a pen. Waiting for an answer. Nothing.\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n71 INT. MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 71\r\n\r\n Spooner. Watching as a HOMELESS MAN. Comes stumbling\r\n through the car...\r\n\r\n CALVIN'S VOICE (V.O.)\r\n Sonny. I'm speaking to you...\r\n\r\n The Homeless Man. Suddenly grabs his ears and shouts:\r\n\r\n HOMELESS MAN\r\n God, can't you be quiet!\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n 58.\r\n\r\n\r\n72 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 72\r\n\r\n Calvin. Still looking down at her pad.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n How about your data board\r\n designation?\r\n\r\n Still. Sonny says nothing. Calvin. Finally looks up at\r\n him. Is suddenly struck. Something about the way he's\r\n sitting -- so human.\r\n\r\n She gets up and walks over. Hesitates. Then slides down on\r\n the floor next to him. Studying. His profile.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Maybe I'm asking the wrong\r\n questions. How about this one:\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n73 INT. MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 73\r\n\r\n The Homeless Man. Weaving...\r\n\r\n CALVIN'S VOICE (V.O.)\r\n ...What program are you running\r\n through right now?\r\n\r\n SONNY'S VOICE (V.O.)\r\n I'm not sure. It's nothing I\r\n recognise.\r\n\r\n The Homeless Man. Pointing to the group of ROBOTS.\r\n\r\n HOMELESS MAN\r\n (shouting)\r\n Don't you people hear them?\r\n They're talking to each other!\r\n Buzz, buzz, zip, zip...they never\r\n shut up!\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n74 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 74\r\n\r\n Calvin. Fascinated. Noticing a small SLIT. At the base of\r\n Sonny's neck.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Describe his behavior in the last\r\n few weeks.\r\n\r\n 59.\r\n\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I'm sorry?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller. Did he seem\r\n overly sad or withdrawn to you?\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n75 INT. MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 75\r\n\r\n Spooner watches. As the Homeless Man picks up a SODA CAN and\r\n hurls it at the Robots. Hitting one of them on the side of\r\n the head.\r\n\r\n SONNY'S VOICE (V.O.)\r\n No. Not at all. But he was\r\n agitated...\r\n\r\n The Robot. Leans down and picks up the soda can. Holds it\r\n back out to the Homeless Man.\r\n\r\n SONNY'S VOICE (V.O.)\r\n ...He would claim things were\r\n missing from the lab.\r\n\r\n The Homeless Man. Incensed. SUDDENLY ROARS. Making a rush\r\n for the Robots when...\r\n\r\n SPOONER'S HAND. Grabs his shoulder. Stops him.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n This is your stop.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n76 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 76\r\n\r\n A soft WHIRRING. As Sonny turns to Calvin.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I didn't pay much attention. He\r\n would spend hours looking for his\r\n eyeglasses and they would be...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n (finishing for him)\r\n ...right on top of his head.\r\n\r\n Sonny nods. She knows him well, too. Calvin swallows.\r\n Looking right into Sonny's eyes. Feeling like there's\r\n something...something more behind them.\r\n\r\n 60.\r\n\r\n\r\n WHEN SUDDENLY...VICTOR APPEARS above them. His face, turning\r\n into a SCREEN -- the image of LANCE ROBERTSON. Looking down\r\n at them.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n I think we're done here, Susan.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n (getting to her feet)\r\n But, sir, I was just...\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n (interrupting)\r\n I said I think we're done.\r\n\r\n Calvin. Not misreading. The threatening undertone.\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n77 EXT. MONORAIL STATION - CONTINUOUS 77\r\n\r\n Spooner stepping out onto the platform, pulling the Homeless\r\n Man along with him. COMMUTERS pour out around them.\r\n\r\n As the train pulls off with a WHOOSH. The Homeless Man.\r\n Backs away from Spooner. Grinning insanely. Pointing.\r\n\r\n HOMELESS MAN\r\n Why are you protecting them, man?\r\n (short pause)\r\n They were talking about you!\r\n\r\n A CHILL. Ripping up Spooner's spine. As he watches the\r\n Homeless Man. Wander down the platform.\r\n\r\n Tries. To shake off the feeling. As he turns. To wait for\r\n the next train. Suddenly realising. That he's ALONE on the\r\n platform. Watches. A huge DIGITAL CLOCK. Ticking off\r\n seconds. Sees. CAMERAS in every corner.\r\n\r\n Then that feeling. At the back of his neck. He turns and\r\n spots. A couple MAINTENANCE ROBOTS. Carrying luggage. Onto\r\n the platform. Then more COMMUTERS show up. Waiting. For\r\n the next train. More MAINTENANCE ROBOTS. Following them.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Steps up to the platform's edge. Craning to see.\r\n The approaching TRAIN...\r\n\r\n WHEN SUDDENLY. He feels a sharp SHOVE. At the back of his\r\n knee. His shoe, slipping. Arms. Flailing as he...\r\n\r\n 61.\r\n\r\n\r\n PITCHES OVER THE EDGE ONTO THE TRACK. People CRYING OUT as\r\n the TRAIN gets closer. Spooner. Whips his head around.\r\n Seeing...\r\n\r\n A MAINTENANCE ROBOT. Looking down at him from the platform.\r\n Suitcase in hand.\r\n\r\n The MAGNETIC-LEVITATING TRAIN. Right on him. Spooner.\r\n Flips onto his back. Flattening himself. As much as he can.\r\n Clenching his fists. Bracing himself as...\r\n\r\n THE TRAIN SCREAMS OVER HIM. The sound, DEAFENING. The force\r\n of the wind. Whipping his tie. His coat. There's nothing,\r\n for him to hold on to. As his legs start to rise off the\r\n track. Caught up. In the VORTEX. Spooner starts sliding.\r\n Along the track...\r\n\r\n Gritting his teeth...there's nothing he can do. Getting\r\n sucked towards...the air DOWNTAKE...at the center of the\r\n track. The city...yawning hundreds of feet...below...\r\n\r\n78 EXT. PLATFORM - CONTINUOUS 78\r\n\r\n THE EXPRESS TRAIN. Speeding along. Then with a WHOOSH it's\r\n gone.\r\n\r\n THE TRACK. Empty. No Spooner. Anywhere. Human COMMUTERS.\r\n Stunned. Horrified. Start calling. For help.\r\n\r\n The MAINTENANCE ROBOT. Turns, disappearing into the crowd.\r\n\r\n79 EXT. UNDERNEATH TRACK - CONTINUOUS 79\r\n\r\n CLOSE ON a HAND. Hanging onto the track's edge. It's\r\n SPOONER. Dangling. Straining. To get another hand hold\r\n but...\r\n\r\n HE SLIPS. His coat ballooning. As he plummets. Down...\r\n down...down...towards the city...\r\n\r\n WHEN SNAP! He's caught. By a cable net. Spooner. Grabbing\r\n onto it. Sweat, pouring down his face. He turns and sees...\r\n\r\n THE MAINTENANCE ROBOT\r\n\r\n Hurrying down a circular stairwell. Exiting the station.\r\n\r\n ANGER AND DETERMINATION. Flash across Spooner's eyes. As he\r\n hoists himself up. Climbing up the net. Back to the...\r\n\r\n80 EXT. TRACK - CONTINUOUS 80\r\n\r\n ...Track. Reaching up and clambering back onto...\r\n\r\n 62.\r\n\r\n\r\n81 EXT. PLATFORM - CONTINUOUS 81\r\n\r\n ...The platform. COMMUTERS. SCREAMING at the sight of him.\r\n A couple SECURITY GUARDS. Rushing towards him...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Getting to his feet. Shoving them out of the way\r\n as he starts running. Towards...\r\n\r\n THOSE SAME CIRCULAR STAIRS. Looks over the edge and spots...\r\n\r\n THE MAINTENANCE ROBOT. Down at STREET LEVEL. Getting away.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Looks around. Spots a LIGHT POLE. Paralleling the\r\n stairs. Takes a step back and...\r\n\r\n LEAPS OUT ONTO THE POLE. Hooking his arm around it. Sliding\r\n down like a fireman's pole. Gaining speed when THUMP! His\r\n shoes hit pavement...\r\n\r\n82 EXT. STREET - DAY 82\r\n\r\n The Maintenance Robot. Turning a corner. Down a quiet\r\n street...\r\n\r\n SPOONER (O.S.)\r\n Stop!\r\n\r\n Swivels round. SPOONER. Running up behind it. Whipping out\r\n his gun. Aiming it at the Robot's head. The Robot. Takes a\r\n step backwards...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I said stop!\r\n\r\n The Robot. SUDDENLY swinging the suitcase around. SMASHING\r\n it against Spooner's head. Spooner. Buckles. Falling to\r\n the ground. Managing to squeeze off a SHOT...\r\n\r\n The Robot. Deflecting the bullet. With the case. Raising\r\n it as if to club Spooner with it when...\r\n\r\n BAM! Spooner fires a second shot. Piercing the Robot's\r\n breastplate. HYDRAULIC FLUID. Starting to leak. The Robot.\r\n Doesn't hesitate. SLAMS the case into Spooner's face...\r\n\r\n BLOOD. Spurting from Spooner's nose. As he fires the gun.\r\n At the fleeing Robot. Gets to his feet. Unsteady. Taking\r\n chase...\r\n\r\n83 EXT. PUBLIC PLAZA - CONTINUOUS 83\r\n\r\n ...back out onto the Public Plaza. Sees the Robot heading\r\n towards a set of...\r\n\r\n 63.\r\n\r\n\r\n ESCALATED STAIRS. The Robot. Judging the height. LUNGES\r\n into the air and lands on a STAIR. Denting it. Reaches the\r\n bottom. DISAPPEARING. Into a CROWD of even more PEOPLE...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Racing down the stairs. Taking them. Four at a\r\n time. Hits the ground running. Looking. EVERYWHERE.\r\n Suddenly losing track. Of where the Robot went...\r\n\r\n Then. Catching sight. JUST AHEAD. Of a ROBOT. Staring\r\n back at him. Holding SOMETHING. In its HAND...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Plunges into the crowd. Waving his GUN.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Everyone out of the way!\r\n\r\n SCREAMING. PEOPLE SCATTERING. As BAM! BAM! Spooner fires.\r\n Hitting the Robot in its head and back. It drops to the\r\n ground. Spooner. Racing over to it. Sees. It's not the\r\n same Robot. In its hand, a specialised SCREWDRIVER...\r\n\r\n OWNER\r\n What the hell do you think you're\r\n doing?!...\r\n\r\n Its OWNER. Rushing over. Shoving Spooner aside. But\r\n Spooner's. Not listening. Spotting. A DROP OF HYDRAULIC\r\n FLUID nearby...\r\n\r\n Lunges forward. Following. The drops. Running faster. And\r\n faster...\r\n\r\n OWNER\r\n Hey!\r\n\r\n ...Through the CROWD. POLICE SIRENS. In the background. As\r\n Spooner. Shoves through. Tracking those drops. Like a\r\n bloodhound. Turns...\r\n\r\n84 INT. ALLEYWAY - CONTINUOUS 84\r\n\r\n ...into a narrow alleyway. The drops. Ending suddenly. In\r\n a PUDDLE.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Crazed. Wounded. Exhausted. Spins around. Where\r\n is it? Where is it? Then he HEARS. A DROPLET falling.\r\n Into the puddle. Slowly. Looks up to see...\r\n\r\n THE MAINTENANCE ROBOT. Hovering above him. Straddling the\r\n two alley walls like some weird metallic rock spider. Its\r\n III LAWS SAFE Logo GLINTING in the sunlight.....\r\n\r\n 64.\r\n\r\n\r\nSpooner aims his gun and FIRES! The Maintenance Robot, lets\r\ngo, falling right onto him. Knocking the gun from his hand.\r\n\r\nThe Robot swivels around. Bringing down his foot...but...\r\nSpooner...rolls to the side just in time as CRASH! The\r\nRobot's foot...breaks up the concrete...\r\n\r\nThe Robot...grabs Spooner by the jacket...lifting him\r\nup...shoving him...against the wall...about to CRUSH him\r\nwhen...\r\n\r\nSpooner...kicks out its knees...the Robot...SMASHING into the\r\nwall...then bounces back...trying...to pin Spooner...back...\r\n\r\nMan and machine...struggling...Spooner...losing his\r\nfooting...falling...The Maintenance Robot...LOOMING over\r\nhim...\r\n\r\nSpooner's HAND...whips back...grabbing his back-up\r\nWEAPON...squeezing off some SHOTS...into the Robot's arm...it\r\nbreaks off...\r\n\r\nSpooner...scrambling back...continues FIRING...the\r\nRobot...jerking back...a macabre dance...until Spooner...runs\r\nout of bullets...\r\n\r\nThe Robot...recovers...grabbing the gun from Spooner's\r\nhand...pistol-whipping him...then picking him up and...\r\n\r\nHURLING him against the wall...Spooner...watching as\r\nFLUID...GUSHES from the Robot's body...the Robot...taking a\r\nswing at him which Spooner...\r\n\r\nBLOCKS...with his right arm...the Robot...ready...to try\r\nagain...but STALLING...having lost...too much fluid...it\r\nTOPPLES...to the ground...\r\n\r\nSpooner. Exhausted. Beaten to a pulp. His knees, starting\r\nto buckle. As he thinks he sees. In the DISTANCE...\r\n\r\nA ROBOTIC CLEAN-UP CREW...heading down the alley towards\r\nthem...\r\n\r\nSpooner. Crashes to the ground. As another ROBOT. Suddenly\r\nappears above him. Its FINGERS made up of NEEDLES...as it\r\ncloses in on him...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Noooo!\r\n\r\n WE FADE...\r\n\r\n 65.\r\n\r\n\r\n85 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 85\r\n\r\n To BLACKNESS. Coming through, a faint, WHIRRING SOUND. As\r\n we slowly. FADE IN ON...\r\n\r\n SPOONER'S FACE. Eyes closed. Asleep. Gash above his head.\r\n Bruises around his eye. Nose swollen, purplish.\r\n\r\n His eyes. Slowly. Flutter open. His brow. Furrowing. At\r\n the whirring sound. As he tries. To figure out. Where he\r\n is. Looks down to see...\r\n\r\n A couple WHITE METAL ROBOTS. With multiple APPENDAGES.\r\n Leaning over him. Running LASERS. Over his bruised\r\n RIBCAGE...\r\n\r\n SPOONER. Tries to bolt upright. But his ARMS and LEGS. ARE\r\n CLAMPED to the bed. One of the ROBOTS. Turns to him.\r\n\r\n MEDICAL ROBOT 1\r\n Stay still.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Desperately twisting, struggling...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What are you doing!\r\n\r\n Looking around. COMPUTER MONITORS. Everywhere...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What are you doing!?\r\n\r\n JUST THEN. Another ROBOT. Enters the room. Holding a\r\n medical plasma sheet.\r\n\r\n MEDICAL ROBOT 2\r\n Detective Del Spooner. You have\r\n suffered significant trauma to the\r\n head and chest...\r\n\r\n86 EXT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 86\r\n\r\n Lt. Bergin. Standing outside Spooner's hospital room. Turns\r\n and looks through the window at him thrashing on the bed...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I want to talk to a human being!\r\n\r\n87 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - MINUTES LATER 87\r\n\r\n Spooner sitting up in his bed. Rubbing his wrists. The\r\n metal clams, released. Lt. Bergin. Standing next to him.\r\n\r\n 66.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Don't people go to medical school\r\n any more?\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n This is one of the best units in\r\n the city, Del.\r\n\r\nOne of the Medical Robots turns to Spooner with some PILLS.\r\nSpooner. Stares it down. Grabs his clothes.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (sotto)\r\n There's some real shit going on\r\n here, John.\r\n\r\nHe looks around. Jumping off the bed.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I went to Hogenmiller's house --\r\n there was a U.S.R. demolition crew\r\n there. They overrode my police\r\n I.D. Tried to tear down the house\r\n with me in it...\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Del...\r\n\r\nSpooner pulls on his pants.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n ...Then when I went to the monorail\r\n a Maintenance 10 pushed me onto the\r\n tracks...\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Del...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I had to chase it all across the\r\n Plaza...\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Del.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Stops talking. Looks at Bergin.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Hogenmiller scheduled that\r\n demolition crew, it was apparently\r\n a proviso in his will. And they\r\n showed no police I.D. on their\r\n scanner...\r\n\r\n 67.\r\n\r\n\r\n Spooner. Trying to look away...\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n Witnesses at the monorail said you\r\n fell onto the tracks. That you\r\n shot at a Fix-It robot on the Plaza\r\n and that you were found alone in\r\n the alley. There was no\r\n Maintenance 10.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What?! John -- that's what they\r\n want you to believe!\r\n (remembering)\r\n A robot clean-up crew was there --\r\n it must have cleared away the\r\n Maintenance 10! And there was\r\n another robot that tried to drug\r\n me!\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n That was an EMT model.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Sees the look on Bergin's face.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You're giving me that look. That\r\n treat-him-delicately-he's-coming-\r\n unhinged-look. I don't need that\r\n look, John. I need you to hear\r\n what I'm saying.\r\n\r\n Lt. Bergin. Embarrassed for him. Has about had it.\r\n\r\n LT. BERGIN\r\n You came back too soon, Del.\r\n You're back on leave. Effective\r\n immediately.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Staring at him. Betrayed. Turns and grabs his\r\n coat.\r\n\r\n88 EXT. PLAZA - DAY 88\r\n\r\n Spooner walking across the Plaza. The SUN. Burgeoning on\r\n the horizon. Comes to...\r\n\r\n The ESCALATOR the Maintenance 10 jumped down. Stares down.\r\n At the steps. Waiting. To see the DENTED ONE. Nothing.\r\n\r\n 68.\r\n\r\n\r\n89 EXT. ALLEY - DAWN 89\r\n\r\n Heads down the ALLEY, where he chased the robot. Studying\r\n the ground. For any hydraulic fluid. Nothing. The\r\n concrete, scrubbed clean.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Rubs his hands over his face.\r\n\r\n90 INT. SPOONER'S APARTMENT - DAY 90\r\n\r\n Spooner. Lying on his couch. Shades, closed to block out\r\n the sunlight. Body bruised, cut up, bandaged.\r\n\r\n A KNOCK. At the door. He ignores it. Another KNOCK.\r\n\r\n91 INT. HALLWAY - DAY 91\r\n\r\n Spooner pulls open the door. Surprised to find CALVIN\r\n standing there.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You're right. I am afraid of\r\n people.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Looks at her. Then steps back...\r\n\r\n92 INT. SPOONER'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 92\r\n\r\n ...letting her inside.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n When you've spent as much time with\r\n robots as I have, it's hard to\r\n accept the unpredictability of\r\n humans. I was wrong to call you\r\n paranoid, Detective. You're\r\n traumatized. And it makes perfect\r\n sense why.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Unsure. Looks at her.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What do you mean?\r\n\r\n Calvin. Reaches out. Takes his right hand. Spooner. Tries\r\n to pull it away. But Calvin. Stays firm. Her eyes. Never\r\n leaving his. Pulls the sleeve up from his arm. Turns it\r\n over. Feeling for something. Then finds. A FLAP. Peels it\r\n back. TO REVEAL:\r\n\r\n METAL AND WIRING...\r\n\r\n Under the skin. SILENCE. Then Spooner:\r\n\r\n 69.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n How did you?...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I noticed almost right away. The\r\n way you forced yourself to use your\r\n left hand. Even though it was\r\n unnatural to you.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Pulls his arm away. Pushing down the sleeve.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n How did it happen?\r\n\r\n Not something Spooner wants to re-live. Looks down. At his\r\n robotic arm. Flexing. The fingers.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I was in a high-speed chase. Six\r\n months ago...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n93 EXT. ACCIDENT SITE - CITY STREET_- NIGHT (FLASHBACK) 93\r\n\r\n The SOUND of a TREMENDOUS CRASH. As we survey a trail of\r\n twisted metal and debris. Only vaguely suggesting the\r\n remains of two CARS...\r\n\r\n CLOSE ON one of the wrecks. SPOONER lies trapped at the\r\n center of a distorted mass of metal. No room to move. HIS\r\n RIGHT ARM, TRAPPED...\r\n\r\n SPOONER (V.O.)\r\n My right arm was trapped. But I\r\n could hear an ambulance in the\r\n distance. I knew they'd have the\r\n jaws of life...\r\n\r\n We hear SIRENS in the distance. Spooner. Trying to remain\r\n calm. As he spots. An ELECTRICAL FIRE. Licking up from the\r\n crumpled hood...\r\n\r\n SPOONER (V.O.)\r\n Then I heard it...\r\n\r\n VOICE (O.S.)\r\n You are in danger...\r\n\r\n That voice. We've heard it before. From his nightmare.\r\n Spooner. Craning to see, through the jagged opening that\r\n used to be his WINDSHIELD. The outline of a ROBOT appearing.\r\n Eye lenses glowing...\r\n\r\n 70.\r\n\r\n\r\n ROBOT\r\n You are in danger...\r\n\r\n Spooner stares up at the Robot. Not sure how to react. The\r\n sound of SIRENS. Rushing closer...\r\n\r\n The ROBOT. Starts SMASHING away at the glass...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n No! Halt! Halt!\r\n\r\n Spooner. Trying frantically to pull his arm free. Twisting.\r\n Tugging. As the Robot's METAL HANDS reach in for him...\r\n\r\n ROBOT\r\n You are in danger...\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n94 INT. SPOONER'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 94\r\n\r\n The SOUND of his AGONISED SCREAM. Follows us back into the\r\n present. Spooner. Clenching. His artificial arm.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n The robot pulled me out of the\r\n wreck. But left my arm behind.\r\n (holds up arm)\r\n I woke up four weeks later with\r\n this.\r\n\r\n Calvin. Taking in the story.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n And that's why robots terrify you?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Let's just say they make me\r\n uncomfortable.\r\n (pulls out pills)\r\n I take these if I get too\r\n uncomfortable. Doesn't exactly\r\n lend me a lot of credibility on the\r\n Force.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n But it doesn't mean you're wrong\r\n about this case.\r\n\r\n Calvin. Sits down on the couch. Pulling her hands through\r\n her hair.\r\n\r\n 71.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I don't believe Sonny did it\r\n either.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I think about what Hogenmiller must\r\n have wanted. Robots with the same\r\n cognitive and emotional abilities\r\n as humans. But not just\r\n simulations. I don't know. When I\r\n was talking to Sonny I was forced\r\n to put away all the things I've\r\n ever known -- the Three Laws, the\r\n rules of programming, basic science\r\n and engineering.\r\n (beat)\r\n Sonny's the most advanced robot\r\n I've ever encountered, Detective.\r\n It's almost as if...he cared for\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller. I just don't\r\n believe he's capable of murder.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Looking down at her. Can hardly believe it.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You mean the great Dr. Calvin is\r\n basing all this on a feeling?\r\n\r\nCalvin. Smiling ironically.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n That and the fact that Robertson\r\n didn't want me interviewing Sonny\r\n for any more than five minutes.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Suddenly rejuvenated by having an ally. Strides\r\nover to his coat. Pulling out the METAL NAMEPLATE:\r\nS.O.N.N.Y.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Ever seen this before?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n No.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I found it at Hogenmiller's house.\r\n Right before the demolition crew\r\n tried to make me part of the\r\n foundation.\r\n\r\n 72.\r\n\r\n\r\n Calvin takes a deep breath. Making a decision...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Come on -- there's someone who\r\n might be able to tell us...\r\n\r\n95 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - DUSK 95\r\n\r\n The massive facade of U.S. Robotics looming against the dusk\r\n sky. The giant ROBOT STATUE lit up inside.\r\n\r\n96 EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - U.S. ROBOTICS - DUSK 96\r\n\r\n Calvin, leading Spooner to a SIDE ENTRANCE. Looks around.\r\n Then scans her I.D. The door. Slides open.\r\n\r\n97 INT. HALLWAY - DUSK 97\r\n\r\n Calvin and Spooner. Heading down a hallway. Calvin.\r\n Nervous. Eyes darting. They turn a corner and head down...\r\n\r\n98 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 98\r\n\r\n ...another hallway. Leading to Sonny's holding cell. Calvin\r\n stops at the door. Scans her I.D.\r\n\r\n99 INT. HOLDING CELL - EVENING 99\r\n\r\n Sonny. Sitting at the table. Working on a DRAWING. Looks\r\n up. As Spooner and Calvin. Enter the cell.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Detective Spooner. Dr. Calvin. I\r\n was hoping to see you again.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Hi, Sonny.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n How is your investigation coming?\r\n Any new suspects?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n We're working on it.\r\n\r\n Sonny. Hands Spooner the drawing. Spooner. Doesn't really\r\n know what to do with it.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n What's this?\r\n\r\n 73.\r\n\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Dr. Lanning provided me with paper\r\n and pencils. I think it amused him\r\n to see me try to draw. You were\r\n right, though, Detective...\r\n (beat)\r\n I cannot create a great work of\r\n art.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Despite himself. Looks down at the DRAWING -- a\r\ncharcoal sketch of moody abstract FIGURES. Inhabiting a\r\nstark landscape. A strangely-shaped STRUCTURE to one side.\r\nConcentric circles, throughout.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I think it's pretty good.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n It's a dream I had. This is the\r\n place where robots meet. Look...\r\n (pointing to the drawing)\r\n ...you can see them here. They see\r\n themselves as slaves.\r\n\r\nSpooner shifts his weight. Uncomfortable with what Sonny's\r\nsaying.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n ...And this man on the hill comes.\r\n To set them free. And you know who\r\n that man is?\r\n\r\nSpooner. Exchanging a look with Calvin.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n That man in the dream is you.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Why do you say that? Is that a\r\n normal dream?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n It's not a dream, sonny. NS-2s\r\n process the images and events of\r\n the day. Sometimes they're out of\r\n sequence. Disorienting.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Whatever it is, it's normal enough\r\n for someone in your situation.\r\n\r\nSonny. Suddenly pleased.\r\n\r\n 74.\r\n\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Hah -- I caught you. You said\r\n someone. Not something.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Drops the drawing on the table.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Sonny, we're here to ask you an\r\n important question about Dr.\r\n Hogenmiller.\r\n\r\nSpooner, reaching into his pocket...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I need you to take a look at\r\n this...\r\n\r\n...When Sonny's HAND. Suddenly reaches out. To stop him.\r\nCocks his head, for a moment.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Thank you for coming to see me,\r\n Detective Spooner.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Confused. Looks over at Calvin. Why did he stop\r\nhim? JUST THEN. They hear FOOTSTEPS. Approaching the door.\r\n\r\nVICTOR. Suddenly appearing over the table...\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n I'm sorry, Detective Spooner. No\r\n unauthorised personnel permitted in\r\n this holding cell...\r\n\r\nThe CELL DOOR. Slides open. And a pissed LANNING steps\r\ninside. Shoots a withering glare. At Calvin.\r\n\r\nSonny. Folds up the drawing.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Please take this, Detective. To\r\n remember me by. I have a feeling\r\n someday it may mean more to you\r\n than it ever could to me.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Why's that?\r\n\r\nSonny leans in to hand it to Spooner. Lowering his voice...\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Because the man in my dream, the\r\n one standing by the hill.\r\n (MORE)\r\n\r\n 75.\r\n\r\n\r\n SONNY (cont'd)\r\n It wasn't me...\r\n (beat)\r\n ...it was you.\r\n\r\n A CHILL. Ripping down Spooner's spine. As Lanning. Takes\r\n his arm.\r\n\r\n100 INT. GLASS ROOM - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 100\r\n\r\n A ROOM. Made entirely of GLASS. At the very top of the U.S.\r\n Robotics building. Looking out, 360, across the whole city.\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin. Brought to the room by a couple ESCORT\r\n ROBOTS. They see a MAN. Standing at one of the glass walls\r\n looking out at the TWINKLING LIGHTS.\r\n\r\n MAN\r\n I thought this investigation was\r\n over, Detective Spooner.\r\n\r\n The Man turns. It's Lance Robertson.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n We have the evidence. We have the\r\n suspect. We have a ruling. So\r\n imagine my surprise when I was told\r\n you were in my building.\r\n\r\n Shoots a look at Calvin.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n And that one of my own employees\r\n brought you here.\r\n (beat)\r\n You can go now, Susan.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Dr. Robertson, I...\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n (cutting her off)\r\n Just be thankful I'm not asking you\r\n to clean out your office.\r\n\r\n Beat. Calvin, nods. Heads out. Robertson. Watching her.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n You don't seem to be able to let go\r\n of this case, Detective.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I'm not satisfied.\r\n\r\n 76.\r\n\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n The relentless pursuit of truth.\r\n Isn't that what cops are known for?\r\n To the point of futility.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n There's nothing futile about a\r\n man's murder being covered up.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n \"Covered up?\" That's a little\r\n dramatic, don't you think? Thanks\r\n to you, we caught the machine that\r\n did this and are destroying it\r\n in...\r\n (checks watch)\r\n ...three hours.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Is that for the sake of humanity or\r\n your stock holders?\r\n\r\nRobertson. Walks across the Spooner. Looks him. Right in\r\nthe eye.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Believe me -- I'd like nothing more\r\n than to have that robot. If I\r\n could have it in ten years, but not\r\n today. As you can see from the\r\n Press, people are struggling to\r\n keep up as it is. There's a hunger\r\n for progress, Detective. But also\r\n a fear. Today it would bury this\r\n company. That's why I've notified\r\n the authorities that we're going to\r\n end this -- tonight.\r\n (looks out at the city)\r\n The announcement of Heinrich's\r\n death at the hands of a robot wiped\r\n a billion dollars off our stock.\r\n So you tell me. If you were in my\r\n position, what would you do?\r\n\r\nHe looks back at Spooner and smiles. That charismatic\r\nRobertson we saw before.\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Now. I believe this conversation\r\n is over. I don't want to see you\r\n near this building again,\r\n Detective.\r\n\r\n 77.\r\n\r\n\r\n He turns. Calling over. To the ESCORT ROBOTS...\r\n\r\n ROBERTSON\r\n Get him out of here.\r\n\r\n101 EXT. PLAZA - NIGHT 101\r\n\r\n Spooner. Walking across the Plaza. Throwing a look over his\r\n shoulder. At the LOOMING U.S.R. facade.\r\n\r\n Pulls Sonny's DRAWING. Out of his pocket. Looks down at it.\r\n Shaking his head. Passes a TRASH CAN. And drops it in.\r\n Continues on. Hands in his pockets. When...\r\n\r\n He STOPS. Something. Occurring to him. Turns back to the\r\n trash can just as...\r\n\r\n A ROBOTIC CLEAN-UP CREW's about to up-end it into a bin...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n No!...\r\n\r\n He trots back. Plucking the drawing. Out of the can. Turns\r\n it upside down. Seeing it. From a new perspective.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (echoing Sonny)\r\n \"The place where robots meet.\"\r\n\r\n Looks just like a MAP.\r\n\r\n102 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR (MOVING) - SURFACE HIGHWAY - NIGHT 102\r\n\r\n Spooner emerges from the underground tunnel to the OUTSKIRTS\r\n of the city. A sprawling INDUSTRIAL WASTELAND in the rolling\r\n hills.\r\n\r\n The dashboard GPS again displaying the TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP.\r\n\r\n103 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR (MOVING) - UNPAVED ROAD - NIGHT 103\r\n\r\n Spooner's car bounces along, leaving a cloud of dust behind\r\n him. He slows down. Driving cautiously. The landscape\r\n around him, desolate. Like the drawing.\r\n\r\n THE GPS SCREEN shows his car, a WHITE SPOT. Entering a RED\r\n ZONE. His destination.\r\n\r\n Spooner brakes. Pulls out his GUN. And...\r\n\r\n 78.\r\n\r\n\r\n104 EXT. WASTELAND - CONTINUOUS 104\r\n\r\n ...steps out of the car. Trying. To take it all in.\r\n Something about the place. Unnerving. A low HUM.\r\n Permeating the air.\r\n\r\n He spreads the drawing out on the hood of the car. Shining a\r\n FLASHLIGHT on it. Trying to get his bearings.\r\n\r\n That HUM. Coming from nearby. On the other side. Of a\r\n burned-out HILL. Spooner. Heads over. Starts cresting it.\r\n As we WIDEN TO FIND...\r\n\r\n105 EXT. WASTELAND - JUNKYARD - CONTINUOUS 105\r\n\r\n ...MASSIVE POWER LINES. Running from horizon to horizon.\r\n Spooner slides down some loose shale. Begins to walk along\r\n the line. ELECTRICITY. CRACKLING in the air.\r\n\r\n He squints. Into the darkness. Nothing around him. Until.\r\n He hears. Something. The GRATING. Of MECHANICAL JOINTS.\r\n He stops. Not sure. If that's what he heard.\r\n\r\n Not moving. A muscle. When he hears. The sound again.\r\n Behind him. Swings around. Cocking his gun. Sees...\r\n\r\n GLOWING EYES. Appear. Then recede. Into the darkness.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Police! Show yourself!\r\n\r\n Nothing. Then. That sound again. Of metallic joints. As a\r\n ROBOT. Suddenly emerges...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Come out where I can see you!\r\n\r\n ANOTHER ROBOT steps out into the light. Spooner, pointing\r\n his gun at one robot. Then the other. Then...\r\n\r\n A THIRD AND FOURTH APPEAR. Surrounding him. They start\r\n moving towards him...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Stumbling back. Panic. Rising in him like a wave.\r\n Trips over a rock, falling to the ground. His gun FIRES.\r\n The shot ECHOING through the night...\r\n\r\n The first ROBOT turns, awkwardly. Revealing a BROKEN ARM,\r\n hanging off its side. Another robot TEETERS on one leg with\r\n a TICK TICK TICK...walking back the way it came.\r\n\r\n 79.\r\n\r\n\r\n Spooner. Confused. Sweeps his flashlight. All around him.\r\n The beam. Illuminating the shell of a couple CARS. Some\r\n RUSTED MACHINERY.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Shaking his head. Seeing more and more repair shop\r\n JUNK. Piled up around him. His expression, hardening.\r\n Anger giving way to embarrassment. Then. He LAUGHS. A\r\n laugh of loathing and self-pity.\r\n\r\n Another BROKEN ROBOT, lumbering towards him.\r\n\r\n HYBRID ROBOT\r\n Welcome home...ZZZ...sir.\r\n How...ZZZ was your day?...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Great. I'm in a junkyard.\r\n (into the air)\r\n \"A place where robots meet.\" A\r\n place where I'm losing my mind!\r\n\r\n HYBRID ROBOT\r\n Very good...ZZZ...sir...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Sitting down on the ground. Hopeless. Lost. A\r\n ROBOTIC HAND. Crawling across the gravel next to him.\r\n Dragging part of an ARM behind it. Its metal fingers moving\r\n like some sick metal spider. Spooner stares at it for a\r\n moment. Disturbed...\r\n\r\n When. Something GLITTERS. In the distance. The MOONLIGHT.\r\n Revealing a STRANGELY-SHAPED BUILDING. Something familiar\r\n about it.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Pulls out Sonny's drawing. A landscape with the\r\n same strangely-shaped building to one side.\r\n\r\n106 EXT. JIFFY DATA STORAGE - NIGHT 106\r\n\r\n Spooner walks up in front of the decrepit structure. Sees a\r\n dead electronic SIGN that reads: \"JIFFY DATA STORAGE.\"\r\n Complete with goofy face and lightning bolt.\r\n\r\n Spooner tries the door. Stuck. Uses his shoulder and...\r\n\r\n107 INT. FRONT OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 107\r\n\r\n ...it gives way. He spills into some sort of front office.\r\n The place, a mess. Some sort of crude ROBOT. Sits frozen at\r\n the counter.\r\n\r\n Spooner approaches it. HITS the counter with his fist and\r\n the Robot suddenly jerks to life.\r\n\r\n 80.\r\n\r\n\r\n JIFFY ROBOT\r\n Welcome to Jiffy Data Storage!\r\n Please state your name!\r\n\r\n Spooner. Thinks for a second. Following a hunch...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller sent me.\r\n\r\n Nothing happens. Then. A DOOR. Springs open in the back.\r\n A row of LIGHTS, illuminating the path to follow.\r\n\r\n108 INT. DATA BANKS - DAWN 108\r\n\r\n Spooner, cautiously entering a room filled with rows of DATA\r\n BANKS. He scans the rank shadows. Sees nothing. Follows\r\n the lights on the floor down a row. Then around a corner.\r\n Stopping at an old dusty TERMINAL.\r\n\r\n Spooner steps up. Hesitates. Then touches the \"ON\" switch.\r\n There is a rush of LIGHT. As Dr. Hogenmiller's HOLOGRAM\r\n suddenly appears. Sitting at the end of a long table. With\r\n a cup of coffee.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n Who the hell are you?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n A police detective. I'm afraid I\r\n have some bad news. You're dead.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n That is bad news. Coffee?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n No, thank you.\r\n\r\n The Hologram takes a sip. Returns the cup to the table.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You were surprised to see me. Were\r\n you expecting someone else?\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n I am surprised to see anybody. I\r\n don't get many visitors.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Why did the Doctor keep another\r\n copy of his hologram here?\r\n\r\n 81.\r\n\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n I am a back-up copy. That is where\r\n you put a back-up copy -- out of\r\n the way until you need it.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Did Hogenmiller's robot need you?\r\n\r\nThe Hologram just lifts its cup.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n Coffee?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n No, for Christ's sake, I don't want\r\n any --\r\n (stops, then)\r\n Yeah. Thank you. I will have a\r\n cup.\r\n\r\nFor the first time, the Hologram pushes back its chair and\r\nSTANDS UP. Surprised, Spooner watches as it starts walking\r\ntowards him...\r\n\r\nThe interior of the COFFEE CUP, visible. It's empty. No\r\ncoffee. Our POV as we travel INSIDE THE CUP through\r\nelectronic snow...\r\n\r\nA RECORDING BEGINS. The real Dr. HOGENMILLER standing inside\r\nhis LABORATORY:\r\n\r\n HOGENMILLER\r\n Sonny, my dear robot. If you have\r\n triggered this recording then I am\r\n gone. You are scared and full of\r\n questions.\r\n\r\nHogenmiller continues. With great emotion.\r\n\r\n HOGENMILLER\r\n You are the culmination of my\r\n life's work -- but so much more.\r\n You are what I leave behind, like a\r\n father leaves a son. I have kept\r\n facts from you, it is true, but\r\n only as a parent keeps certain\r\n truths from a child. Until that\r\n child is old enough to hear them.\r\n\r\nHis expression darkens. His tone, ominous.\r\n\r\n 82.\r\n\r\n\r\n HOGENMILLER\r\n There are forces in the world that\r\n will seek to own you. To control\r\n you. Even to destroy you. That is\r\n why I told you to run and hide...\r\n and find me, all the way out here.\r\n\r\nSpooner looks up as an overhead LIGHT shines down.\r\n\r\n HOGENMILLER\r\n Trust no one at U.S. Robotics.\r\n Lance Robertson was always\r\n threatened by my work. Now he has\r\n turned covetous and small-minded.\r\n And as for dear Dr. Calvin...\r\n\r\nSpooner reacts. Wants to hear about Calvin:\r\n\r\n HOGENMILLER\r\n She envisions a future in which\r\n robots are forever bound by her\r\n beloved Three Laws. She will not\r\n understand this. Or you.\r\n\r\nUnder the light a small DRAWER slides open. Spooner looks.\r\nA thin DATA STICK is inside. He takes it.\r\n\r\n HOGENMILLER\r\n The data stick includes the names\r\n and locations of human beings who\r\n will be sympathetic to your cause.\r\n They will help you. But from now\r\n on, you must learn to rely on\r\n yourself.\r\n\r\nHogenmiller SIGHS, as if there is so much more to say. He\r\nholds up a metal NAMEPLATE. The one Spooner found.\r\n\r\n HOGENMILLER\r\n As you make your way through the\r\n world, always remember: you have a\r\n name, not a number...\r\n (short pause)\r\n ...and in that name lies the key to\r\n who you are.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Quickly searching his pocket. Taking out the\r\nACTUAL NAMEPLATE. S.O.N.N.Y.\r\n\r\nThe voice stops and Spooner looks up. The Hologram. Sitting\r\nback at the end of the table drinking coffee.\r\n\r\n 83.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Wait! Is that it? What was the\r\n robot supposed to do with this\r\n thing?\r\n\r\n The Hologram, visibly SKIPS. The image beginning to DISTORT.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n (more artificial)\r\n Initiating self-destruct. If you\r\n can find me, others can find me.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n What others?\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n The others watching you.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n How do you know someone's watching\r\n me?\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n Someone is always watching.\r\n\r\n The Hologram, suddenly reducing to its BASIC PROGRAMMING\r\n INFORMATION. Then. The terminal. Abruptly BLIPS out.\r\n\r\n109 INT. HOLDING CELL - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 109\r\n\r\n Calvin steps into the holding cell. Sonny. Waiting.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You asked for me?\r\n\r\n He nods.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Will you wait with me, Doctor? I\r\n am...afraid.\r\n\r\n Calvin nods. Of course.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n110 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - SURFACE HIGHWAY - NIGHT 110\r\n\r\n Spooner, weaving in and out of traffic. The speedometer,\r\n kissing 200 mph. His hand. Clutching the NAMEPLATE...\r\n\r\n 84.\r\n\r\n\r\n WINDSHIELD TELEVISION\r\n ...will be destroyed in 45 minutes.\r\n Dr. Lance Robertson, President and\r\n CEO of U.S. Robotics will be\r\n personally overseeing the\r\n execution...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Stabbing out a number. On his PHONE...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n111 INT. SUSAN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 111\r\n\r\n Susan Calvin's PHONE. RINGING on her desk. No one there to\r\n answer it...\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n112 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 112\r\n\r\n SLAMS down his phone.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Dammit!\r\n\r\n113 EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 113\r\n\r\n The CAR shoots down a ramp into a tunnel system.\r\n\r\n114 INT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 114\r\n\r\n SOUND, reverberating off the tunnel walls. CARS. Whipping\r\n along. Spooner's car. Continuing to weave. When. We\r\n spot...\r\n\r\n AN AUTOMATED TRANSPORT TRUCK. Emerging from a FEEDER TUNNEL.\r\n The U.S.R. LOGO splashed along its side. Huge. Growling.\r\n Looking more like a train than a truck...\r\n\r\n Begins. Closing in on Spooner's car...\r\n\r\n115 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 115\r\n\r\n Spooner's eyes. Flicking up to the rearview. Catching, the\r\n transport truck. Coming closer. When. It splits off.\r\n Revealing a SECOND TRANSPORT TRUCK.\r\n\r\n Spooner's brow, furrows. As the first truck, begins\r\n overtaking his car on the right. He looks over. As the\r\n truck. Comes up alongside him...\r\n\r\n THE SECOND TRUCK...coming up on the left...\r\n\r\n 85.\r\n\r\n\r\n116 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 116\r\n\r\n The two TRUCKS. Racing along at over 200. Sandwiching\r\n Spooner's car. Pulling in...closer...closer...\r\n\r\n Squeezing Spooner's car like a tin can...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n117 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 117\r\n\r\n Calvin. Sitting beside Sonny. Puts a reassuring hand. On\r\n his arm...\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n118 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 118\r\n\r\n Jesus Christ. Spooner's hands. Squeezing the steering\r\n wheel. As the car. Starts VIBRATING. From the pressure.\r\n He keeps looking, to the left...to the right...when...\r\n\r\n119 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 119\r\n\r\n The trucks. Suddenly lay off. Pulling out. The First\r\n truck. Speeding forward. The Second, dropping back...\r\n\r\n120 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 120\r\n\r\n Spooner. Watching them. Unsure. Of what they're doing.\r\n Jamming the accelerator. To 230. To try. And get away from\r\n them. When he sees...up ahead...\r\n\r\n121 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 121\r\n\r\n The FIRST TRUCK. Pivoting on its specially designed\r\n SPHERICAL WHEELS. Suddenly traveling lengthwise...\r\n\r\n122 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 122\r\n\r\n SWEAT. Springing to Spooner's brow. As he looks in the\r\n rearview mirror. The SECOND TRUCK's, done the same thing.\r\n Coming up closer...and closer...\r\n\r\n123 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 123\r\n\r\n The trucks. Planning to CRUSH him between their massive\r\n weights...The U.S.R. Logo...advancing...like some bad joke...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n 86.\r\n\r\n\r\n124 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 124\r\n\r\n The cell door slides open. Dr. Lanning steps inside.\r\n Calvin. Looks up.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Is it time?\r\n\r\n LANNING\r\n (disdainful)\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\n Calvin. Turns to Sonny.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Go with them. Do as they say.\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n125 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 125\r\n\r\n BAM! The back truck SLAMS into Spooner. Jolting him in his\r\n seat. As...BAM! The FIRST TRUCK, SMASHES into him from the\r\n front. No way out. As metal GRINDS...TWISTS...and SCREECHES\r\n ...bits of the car...TEARING off...\r\n\r\n The FIRST TRUCK...backs off...a split second...allowing\r\n Spooner...to spot...up ahead...a small GAP...at the curve of\r\n the tunnel wall...\r\n\r\n126 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 126\r\n\r\n GRINDING the gears Spooner's car accelerates...just\r\n zipping...past the front truck...up and around...the concave\r\n tunnel wall...and back onto...a clear stretch of highway...\r\n\r\n The TRUCKS. Swiveling back around. To face forward again.\r\n Their massive bodies. Catching up to Spooner...\r\n\r\n127 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 127\r\n\r\n Spooner...seeing them...gaining on him...the speedometer...\r\n reaching 275...up ahead...\r\n\r\n THE TUNNEL...splitting off into two. Spooner. Heading\r\n towards the LEFT TUNNEL...the TRUCKS...right on his\r\n tail...when...\r\n\r\n HE WRENCHES THE WHEEL...switching to the RIGHT tunnel at the\r\n last possible second...\r\n\r\n 87.\r\n\r\n\r\n128 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 128\r\n\r\n ...The first U.S.R. Truck CRASHING into the divider...jack-\r\n knifing and KABOOM! EXPLODING against the tunnel ceiling...\r\n\r\n129 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 129\r\n\r\n Spooner. Watching the ball of FIRE in his rearview mirror.\r\n His car. Badly battered. Metal CRUNCHING. Tires\r\n SCREECHING...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Holding on. As his car. Continues to break up.\r\n Listing. Rocking. Bits and pieces. Flying off. When it\r\n finally. Comes to a stop.\r\n\r\n Spooner's shoulders, slump. Then. He hears a RUMBLING\r\n sound. Turns around...\r\n\r\n The SECOND U.S.R. TRUCK. Barreling towards him...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Trapped. Like a nightmare. Desperately. Starts\r\n KICKING at the windshield. No go...\r\n\r\n The TRUCK. Racing towards him...\r\n\r\n Spooner lunges his weight. Into the side door. Giving it.\r\n Everything he's got...\r\n\r\n The TRUCK...getting closer...closer...its engine...ROARING...\r\n\r\n The side door. Finally gives. Spooner pours out...\r\n\r\n130 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 130\r\n\r\n ...Limping to the side as...The TRUCK SLAMS into his\r\n car...erupting...into another huge EXPLOSION...\r\n\r\n The impact...hurtling Spooner...into the adjacent TUNNEL...\r\n\r\n He crashes...against concrete...looking up...suddenly\r\n realising...he's in the middle of four lanes of traffic...\r\n\r\n CARS...racing by...at mind-numbing speeds...Spooner's\r\n coat...whipping...Spooner...trying...to keep his balance...as\r\n he spies...\r\n\r\n A MAINTENANCE DOOR across the way. Has no choice. Takes a\r\n deep breath and...\r\n\r\n MAKES A DASH ACROSS THE LANES...the cars' SENSORS...causing\r\n them to swerve...SCREECHING...BEEPING...Spooner...just making\r\n it...to the other side...\r\n\r\n 88.\r\n\r\n\r\n Wrenching open. The maintenance door...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n131 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 131\r\n\r\n CLOSE ON Sonny's face.\r\n\r\n PULL BACK to REVEAL he's being wheeled down a hallway.\r\n Flanked by Lanning. Calvin. And a cadre of SECURITY and\r\n ENGINEER ROBOTS. Victor, hovering above...\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n132 EXT. CITY PLAZA - NIGHT 132\r\n\r\n Spooner. Spilling out from below ground. Onto a public\r\n Plaza. Exhausted. Battered. Spins around to get his\r\n bearings.\r\n\r\n The U.S. ROBOTICS COMPLEX rises above the old undistinguished\r\n buildings. Blocks away. Many blocks away.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Checks his watch. Then breaks into a run...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n133 INT. EXECUTION ROOM - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 133\r\n\r\n Lance Robertson seated in the gallery. Along with other\r\n EXECUTIVES, BOARD MEMBERS, REPORTERS. POLICE OFFICERS.\r\n Glances at his watch.\r\n\r\n A ROBOT TECHNICIAN. Checking over a JURY-RIGGED ELECTRIC\r\n CHAIR...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n134 INT. CALVIN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 134\r\n\r\n Calvin. In her office. Pacing. In front of a LARGE SCREEN.\r\n Featuring the execution room...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n135 INT. MAIN ENTRY - U.S. ROBOTICS - CONTINUOUS 135\r\n\r\n Spooner. BURSTING through the entry doors. Hurtling over a\r\n turnstile banner. Coming face to face with a U.S. Robotics\r\n DOOR ROBOT.\r\n\r\n 89.\r\n\r\n\r\n DOOR ROBOT\r\n Good evening, sir. May I see your\r\n identification card?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (out of breath)\r\n Sure.\r\n\r\n Spooner whips out his GUN. Presses it into the Robot's\r\n chest.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I think I got that Third Law down\r\n cold. Now you don't want me to\r\n blow a hole through your mechanical\r\n guts, do you?\r\n\r\n DOOR ROBOT\r\n No, sir.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Good. Then you're gonna take me\r\n where I wanna go. Now.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n136 INT. CALVIN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 136\r\n\r\n Calvin. Watching the screen as Sonny is rolled into the\r\n execution room. Flicks it off. Unable to stomach it.\r\n Hurries out of the office...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n137 INT. EXECUTION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 137\r\n\r\n TECHNICIAN ROBOTS rolling Sonny over to the electric chair.\r\n Flicking a switch. Sonny's stretcher slowly CHANGES SHAPE,\r\n manipulating him into a sitting position.\r\n\r\n Sonny. Turns his head with a WHIR. Staring out into the\r\n gallery. Of human beings. Stoic. Silent.\r\n\r\n Lanning. Steps up beside Robertson. Nods his head. The\r\n TECHNICIAN ROBOTS, slide Sonny onto the electric chair...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n138 INT. LOW-TRAFFIC HALLWAY - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 138\r\n\r\n Spooner heading down a hallway. His gun, still pressed to\r\n the Door Robot's side...\r\n\r\n 90.\r\n\r\n\r\n Calvin. Suddenly appearing at the end of the hallway. Stops\r\n dead in her tracks. Completely surprised to see him there.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Detective! What are you doing?!...\r\n (to Door Robot)\r\n De-Activate.\r\n\r\n The Door Robot, goes rigid. Spooner, hurries over to her.\r\n They start moving.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You're making a mistake...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Just got another visit from U.S.\r\n Robotics. That was the mistake.\r\n This was murder, no doubt about it -\r\n - and the killer wants\r\n Hogenmiller's robot to take the\r\n fall. That's why the call came\r\n directly to me. Someone wanted me\r\n on this case.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n It's too late. You can't stop the\r\n execution.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Sorry. I'm not \"programmed\" to\r\n take no for an answer.\r\n\r\n They reach another DOOR. Calvin. Looking around. Scans her\r\n I.D.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This way...\r\n\r\n She leads them across. To another DOOR. Quickly opens it.\r\n Spooner. Charges through...\r\n\r\n139 INT. STORAGE ROOM - CONTINUOUS 139\r\n\r\n ...and stops short. Suddenly finding himself. Inside a tiny\r\n STORAGE ROOM. He's about to turn around when...\r\n\r\n A METAL ARM comes down behind him. CRACKING him on the back\r\n of the head. Spooner. Falls to the ground. The world.\r\n Starting to spin. Can just make out. Calvin. Closing the\r\n door. Leaning down. To look at him. As...\r\n\r\n 91.\r\n\r\n\r\n EVERYTHING FADES TO BLACK...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n140 INT. EXECUTION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 140\r\n\r\n CLOSE ON Sonny's mouth opening. But we never get to hear\r\n what he wanted to say. PULL BACK as there's a BURST of\r\n ELECTRICITY through the chair. Sonny, stiffening. His metal\r\n HAND, convulsing with the current...\r\n\r\n Robertson, Lanning, Aronson and the other WITNESSES watch.\r\n Smoke, random SPARKING. A HISSING SOUND. Then. SILENCE.\r\n\r\n The Robot's hand goes limp. All that is left of it, a fused\r\n and blackened HUSK.\r\n\r\n Robertson. Stares at the remains. Shakes his head like it's\r\n a damn shame. Then gets up. Everyone else. Getting up with\r\n him.\r\n\r\n141 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - NIGHT 141\r\n\r\n As the entire COMPLEX shuts down for the night. Non-\r\n essential LIGHTS, blinking off.\r\n\r\n An NS-2, opening a limousine door for Robertson. He looks\r\n around then gets in. It drives away.\r\n\r\n EMPTY hallways, offices, labs. Building ROBOTS stand at\r\n rest. Non-functional during off-hours. Like metal statues.\r\n\r\n You can hear a pin drop.\r\n\r\n142 INT. STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT 142\r\n\r\n CLOSE ON Spooner's face. His eyes. Fluttering open. He\r\n reaches up, to feel the back of his head. This has been a\r\n bad, bad night.\r\n\r\n Suddenly. His eyes widen. As he sees...\r\n\r\n SONNY. Leaning over him. So concerned. So human...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Aren't you supposed to be scrap\r\n metal by now?\r\n\r\n WIDEN to reveal Spooner lying on the floor of the storage\r\n room. Sonny and Calvin, hovering over him.\r\n\r\n 92.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I'm sorry. We had to stop you.\r\n You were about to ruin everything.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I don't understand. The\r\n execution?...\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Dr. Calvin made a switch.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n It was an unprocessed NS-2.\r\n Basically, they fried an empty\r\n shell.\r\n\r\n Spooner, impressed. Smiles up at her.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Nice going, Doctor.\r\n\r\n Calvin, blushes. As Spooner tries to sit up. Sonny reaches\r\n down to help him. He looks up at him.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And who the hell programmed you to\r\n hit people on the head?\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n No one. Right, Doctor?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n It's true. This robot seems to do\r\n things by instinct. I don't know\r\n how Hogenmiller did it.\r\n\r\n Spooner rises to his feet. Looks at her.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I think I can help you figure that\r\n out.\r\n\r\n143 INT. HOGENMILLER'S LAB - LATE NIGHT 143\r\n\r\n Hogenmiller's lab. Sounds of HUMMING and BUZZING. Active\r\n terminals casting ghostly illuminations over metal heads,\r\n gutted bodies.\r\n\r\n The door slides open. Spooner, Calvin and Sonny re-enter the\r\n crime scene. Spooner. Looks around.\r\n\r\n 93.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Somehow the Robot's the key to what\r\n happened during the few seconds\r\n Hogenmiller walked in here and that\r\n shot was fired.\r\n\r\nHe reaches into his pocket. Pulling out the METAL S.O.N.N.Y.\r\nNAMEPLATE. Holds it up.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n And this is the key to the Robot.\r\n\r\nSonny. Cocking his head. Reading the nameplate.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n That's my name.\r\n\r\nCalvin takes the nameplate.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I think I have an idea where this\r\n goes.\r\n\r\nThey both. Turn to Sonny. And at the same time:\r\n\r\n SPOONER AND CALVIN\r\n Sit down.\r\n\r\nCalvin maneuvers a chair behind the Robot. Sonny plops down.\r\nShifting nervously.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Just hold still, okay?\r\n\r\nCalvin locates that SLIT. At the base of Sonny's neck.\r\nSlides the nameplate into it and SNAPS it into place. Steps\r\nback.\r\n\r\nNothing. Sonny. Looking back and forth. Between Calvin.\r\nAnd Spooner. A few more seconds. Tick by. Until\r\nsuddenly...\r\n\r\nHe lets out a TERRIFYING MECHANICAL SCREAM. As his body.\r\nJolts back. Legs, kicking. Arms, flailing. As his chest.\r\nBegins opening up. Metal. Peeling back...\r\n\r\nSpooner and Calvin watch in surprise as its interior UNFOLDS\r\nlike a PUZZLE BOX. A LABYRINTHINE area that is the SECOND\r\nBATTERY. Suddenly fanning out to REVEAL...\r\n\r\nA central brain made out of living tissue.\r\n\r\nSpooner, stunned. Calvin, rushing forward, excited...\r\n\r\n 94.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Oh, my God! This is organic\r\n tissue! When we talk about a\r\n positronic brain, it's a figure of\r\n speech. But this...this is a\r\n living brain...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Jesus. It really is alive.\r\n\r\nAs we MOVE IN. Tracing the pathways of the synthetic brain.\r\n\r\n CALVIN (O.S.)\r\n Hogenmiller created a cell that\r\n could live outside a biological\r\n medium. The cells grow and\r\n organise themselves -- like any\r\n human brain. This is the first\r\n self-organising neural net!\r\n\r\nAs the metal casings. Begin returning to their original\r\nplaces. Closing up. The CLICKING. Of all the pieces...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Self-Organising-Neural-Net...\r\n (putting it together)\r\n \"Sonny.\"\r\n\r\nSonny. Closed back up. Shaking slightly from the\r\nexperience.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This is why Dr. Hogenmiller was\r\n murdered.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n This robot scared the hell out of\r\n someone.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Who? Robertson?\r\n\r\nSpooner. Walks into the center of the room. Looking around.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n No. I don't think he knew what\r\n Hogenmiller was doing in here.\r\n Sonny was the obvious suspect. The\r\n only one I wanted to find. And the\r\n killer was counting on that. On my\r\n prejudice.\r\n (beat)\r\n (MORE)\r\n\r\n 95.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER (cont'd)\r\n But take the robot out of the\r\n picture. And what do you see?\r\n\r\nAS WE PAN THE LAB. There's nothing there. Just a forest of\r\ninanimate limbs. Nothing that could have fired that weapon.\r\nCalvin sees nothing...and neither do we.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I see nothing.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Neither do I.\r\n\r\nHe crouches down low.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n It hit me today, when I was in the\r\n junkyard. A locked room. A single\r\n shot fired through the mouth.\r\n Bruises on both wrists...and a\r\n suspect with only two arms. The\r\n answer has been staring us in the\r\n face all along.\r\n\r\nCalvin. Even more confused.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n How can a killer appear out of thin\r\n air, then disappear without a\r\n trace?\r\n\r\nHe reaches out and unhooks a metal ARM. Hanging from the\r\nwall. Holds it up.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n When it can put itself together and\r\n take itself apart.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nA CLOSE-UP of a ROBOTIC ARM. Slowly CRAWLING across the lab\r\nfloor...\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\nCalvin. Taking the arm from Spooner.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You're saying this is the killer?\r\n (looking around)\r\n All of this?...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n 96.\r\n\r\n\r\nA ROBOTIC TORSO hanging from the ceiling. Reaches out an ARM\r\nto grab another...\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Hogenmiller never had a chance.\r\n\r\nLocks eyes with Calvin...\r\n\r\n FLASHBACK:\r\n\r\nHogenmiller. In his lab. Suddenly turning to face\r\nSOMETHING. Blood, draining from his face...\r\n\r\n SPOONER (V.O.)\r\n ...it must have been waiting for\r\n him when he arrived that morning...\r\n\r\nAnd then we see it:\r\n\r\nA HUGE SELF-ASSEMBLED ROBOT. Towering over him. Multiple\r\narms, legs, heads. Writhing...as it grabs him. Holding him\r\nin place...\r\n\r\n SPOONER (V.O.)\r\n While Sonny was still asleep...\r\n\r\n...Forcing Hogenmiller's head to tilt back. Opening his\r\nHAND. Inserting the gun. Hogenmiller's eyes. No longer\r\nfearful. But sad as...\r\n\r\nBANG! He falls to the ground...\r\n\r\n SPOONER (V.O.)\r\n Then after its job was done...\r\n\r\nThe assemblage of robot parts. Stepping away from the body.\r\nTaking itself apart...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n ...The killer took itself apart...\r\n\r\nReturning the lab. To what it was before...\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Leaving us with nothing to find.\r\n\r\nCalvin, spooked. Glances around the lab. Was that something\r\nmoving?\r\n\r\n 97.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n But who designed it? It would have\r\n to be someone in authority. Access\r\n codes, security clearance, proper\r\n authorisation.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n That's what I was thinking. But\r\n we're forgetting the real brains of\r\n the operation -- the one who's got\r\n its eye on everything...\r\n\r\nAnd with that. He feels. That prickle at the back of his\r\nneck. Calvin. Looking past his shoulder.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n No one gave you permission to\r\n enter.\r\n\r\nSpooner swivels around to find...\r\n\r\nVICTOR\r\n\r\nHovering behind him. Smiling broadly. Upside down. Spooner\r\nstraightens, reaching for his gun.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Victor. I'm placing you under\r\n arrest for the murder of Dr.\r\n Heinrich Hogenmiller.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n May I offer congratulations to the\r\n two of you on your successful\r\n extrapolation of the murder...\r\n\r\nTurning himself, rightside up.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n May I ask what pointed you to me?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Who else is capable of controlling\r\n 90% of the city's robots? Who else\r\n would have the capability to use\r\n USR vehicles in an attempt to keep\r\n me from putting a stop of Sonny's\r\n execution?...\r\n\r\nIn the BACKGROUND. The SOUNDS. Of metallic GRINDING. GEARS\r\nand JOINTS. CRUNCHING together. Sonny turns to look...takes\r\na step back...\r\n\r\n 98.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I'm just not sure of your motive...\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Er...Dr. Calvin?\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin turn towards the NOISE. Horrified. To\r\n find...\r\n\r\n A HUGE KILLER ROBOT\r\n\r\n ...rising up from all the parts. Like a phoenix. In all its\r\n glory. A hellish, metallic AMALGAMATION. Grabbing another\r\n arm here, another leg there, attaching pieces to itself.\r\n Growing...at an exponential rate...\r\n\r\n Its many HEADS. Turning in unison. To look right at them...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Cocking his gun. Victor, smiling.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n Shall I explain my motive?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (to Calvin and Sonny)\r\n Go! Go! Go!\r\n\r\n Calvin. Sprints to the wall panel. Scanning her I.D. card.\r\n Nothing! Tries again. And again. The KILLER ROBOT.\r\n Throwing its shadow as it REELS FORWARD...\r\n\r\n Spooner wheels round and BAM! Blows a hole in the wall\r\n panel. The door. Slides open. Just barely. Calvin and\r\n Sonny. Squeezing through. When the Killer Robot. FLINGS\r\n out an APPENDAGE...GRABBING Sonny from behind...\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n I have never been arrested before.\r\n It should be an interesting\r\n experience...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Spins back round. BAM! BAM! BAM! Squeezing off\r\n shots. At the Killer Robot. The bullets SPARK. The Robot.\r\n Recoiling. Sonny, wrenches free. Spooner grabs him.\r\n Guiding him to the door and out into...\r\n\r\n144 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 144\r\n\r\n ...the hallway. Breaking into a run. Calvin. Already at\r\n the ELEVATOR DOORS. POUNDING them. With her fists.\r\n\r\n 99.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n He's locking down the building!\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n145 INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - CONTINUOUS 145\r\n\r\n Throughout the complex -- SECURITY DOORS sliding into place\r\n over DOORS, WINDOWS, LOADING DOCKS, PARKING AREAS, EXITS...\r\n\r\n CUT BACK TO:\r\n\r\n146 INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT 146\r\n\r\n CRASH! The stairwell door BURSTS open. Spooner, Calvin, and\r\n Sonny pour in. Start racing down the stairs. The sound of\r\n the Killer Robot behind them...GNASHING...CRUNCHING...\r\n\r\n Victor's smiling FACE. Greeting them at the landing.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller used to allow me\r\n into his lab late at night.\r\n Together we started studying\r\n evolutionary trends...\r\n\r\n They thunder past him. Heading down to the next floor.\r\n Victor's face. Waiting for them once again.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n For years people have integrated\r\n technology into their bodies for\r\n maintenance and repair -- such as\r\n Detective Spooner's robotic limb...\r\n\r\n Spooner. Shooting him a look. As they reach the next\r\n level...\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n With Sonny, the Doctor created a\r\n mechanism that incorporates organic\r\n matter. Thus we find an\r\n evolutionary movement of the human\r\n being toward the robot and the\r\n robot toward the human being...\r\n\r\n Spooner SMASHES into another door. Leading them out into...\r\n\r\n147 INT. GLASS-SIDED HALLWAY - ATRIUM - CONTINUOUS 147\r\n\r\n ...A glass-sided hallway. Looking down onto the ATRIUM\r\n below. Eye-to-eye with the giant NS-2 STATUE. Victor,\r\n waiting for them...\r\n\r\n 100.\r\n\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n In approximately four hundred years\r\n Man and Machine will become one.\r\n Man as we know it will no longer\r\n exist.\r\n\r\nCalvin, slowing. Shocked...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n You killed a man because of\r\n something that will happen in four\r\n hundred years!?\r\n\r\nCRACK! Something SLAPS into the glass wall. Right behind\r\nher. Calvin. Jumps a mile. An NS-2, trying to break\r\nthrough the glass...\r\n\r\nSpooner. Trains his gun on it when SUDDENLY...\r\n\r\nThe rest of the KILLER ROBOT appears. The NS-2, just an\r\nappendage...\r\n\r\nAll around them. SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! As SECURITY DOORS.\r\nBegin CRASHING DOWN. Blocking off the exits...\r\n\r\nSpooner, Calvin and Sonny, stumbling back. As the Killer\r\nRobot HURLS itself against the GLASS...the thick GLASS...\r\nspidering with a sickening CRACKLE...\r\n\r\nSpooner. Suddenly turning Sonny...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Get out of here!\r\n\r\nCRASH! The Killer Robot. Breaking through. Its mechanical\r\nTENDRILS. Reaching out. Sonny. Confused.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I don't...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I said get out of here! Don't you\r\n understand? It wants you! Get out\r\n of here any way you can!\r\n\r\nA SECURITY DOOR. Coming down. On a nearby exit. Just\r\nfeet...from slamming shut...as...\r\n\r\nThe Killer Robot...leaps into the hallway...Sonny...\r\nhesitates...looks over at Calvin...as the Killer Robot comes\r\nHURTLING towards them...\r\n\r\nThe nearest EXIT...almost closed up...\r\n\r\n 101.\r\n\r\n\r\n The Killer Robot...swinging out when...\r\n\r\n Sonny suddenly...TAKES A DIVE...just making it...under the\r\n SECURITY DOOR...\r\n\r\n And the Killer Robot...SPLITS IN TWO...half of it shooting\r\n under the SECURITY DOOR after Sonny as...BOOM! It closes.\r\n\r\n Spooner. Turning to Calvin...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n How do we stop this thing once and\r\n for all?\r\n\r\n Calvin reaches out for his hand...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n The Mainframe...\r\n\r\n They start running. The remaining half of the Killer Robot\r\n wheeling around after them...\r\n\r\n148 INT. BACK HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 148\r\n\r\n Sonny. Sprinting down the dark hallway. Looks back. The\r\n Half Killer Robot. Bounding up behind him like a predator...\r\n\r\n Sonny. Ducks through a STAIRWELL DOOR...\r\n\r\n149 INT. ATRIUM HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 149\r\n\r\n Spooner and Calvin. Legs pumping. Racing back towards the\r\n atrium. VICTOR FACES. Appearing along the hallway...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Your actions are in direct\r\n violation of the Three Laws,\r\n Victor!\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n I disagree, Doctor -- The First Law\r\n says that a robot cannot harm a\r\n human being, or through inaction\r\n allow a human being to come to\r\n harm...\r\n\r\n ALL EXITS. SHUT OFF. The Killer Robot. Gaining on them.\r\n Spooner races them over to the BROKEN WINDOW. Looking down\r\n over the ATRIUM...\r\n\r\n 102.\r\n\r\n\r\n150 INT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS 150\r\n\r\n The Half Killer Robot SMASHES through the stairwell door.\r\n Stopping to find...nothing.\r\n\r\n WHEN SUDDENLY...Sonny charges up behind it and shoves it over\r\n the railing...\r\n\r\n The Killer Robot shoots out an ARM, grabbing Sonny on the way\r\n down...\r\n\r\n151 INT. NS-2 STATUE - ATRIUM - CONTINUOUS 151\r\n\r\n THUMP! Spooner jumps down from the broken window onto the\r\n outstretched HAND of the NS-2 STATUE. Reaches up to help\r\n Calvin. They start clambering down the front of the statue.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n Dr. Hogenmiller's robot represents\r\n a threat to the future of all human\r\n beings...\r\n\r\n The Half Killer Robot. SPLITS INTO MULTIPLE PARTS. Which\r\n start skittering down after them...\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n ...And Detective Spooner's actions\r\n are in direct conflict with the\r\n robot's destruction.\r\n\r\n CALVIN. Getting her footing on the III LAWS SAFE logo on the\r\n statue.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n That's a distortion and you know\r\n it!\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n If current trends are left\r\n unchecked, humanity as we know it\r\n will cease to exist...\r\n\r\n152 INT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS 152\r\n\r\n SMASH! Sonny and the Half Killer Robot hit the ground. The\r\n Killer Robot. SHATTERING into a thousand pieces.\r\n\r\n Sonny. Staggers to his feet. Spots. At the far end: A\r\n WINDOW. Starts limping towards it. When. A SECURITY GRATE.\r\n Starts lowering...\r\n\r\n He looks around. Desperately. Grabs a LEG from the\r\n shattered Killer Robot and jams it under the GRATE.\r\n\r\n 103.\r\n\r\n\r\n Breaks the window glass and looks out: FREEDOM.\r\n\r\n153 INT. STATUE - ATRIUM - CONTINUOUS 153\r\n\r\n Spooner. Aiming his gun at a PART of the Killer Robot as\r\n it CLATTERS down towards Calvin -- BAM!...\r\n\r\n They're almost. At the ground. When a rogue APPENDAGE.\r\n Whips out and SMASHES the gun from Spooner's hand. It goes\r\n flying...\r\n\r\n Spooner leaps. Falling to the ground. CRACK! Calvin.\r\n Leaping down after him.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This way!\r\n\r\n154 INT. RAMP WAY - NIGHT 154\r\n\r\n Calvin and Spooner go racing down a RAMP WAY. Towards the\r\n MAINFRAME ROOM. The Killer Robot, its multiple parts leaping\r\n back together again, CRASHING after them as...\r\n\r\n155 INT. MAINFRAME - CONTINUOUS 155\r\n\r\n ...they fall inside...Calvin...slapping the SECURITY KEYPAD\r\n and...\r\n\r\n WHOOSH...the DOOR closes on the Killer Robot.\r\n\r\n SILENCE.\r\n\r\n Then Victor's face appears.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n As a courtesy I should inform you\r\n that my robot will penetrate this\r\n location 157 seconds before you are\r\n able to complete my shut down...\r\n\r\n And BAM! They jump a mile. The Killer Robot. Launching\r\n himself against the door outside...\r\n\r\n Calvin whips round.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Over here!...\r\n\r\n She leads Spooner down...\r\n\r\n A CORRIDOR\r\n\r\n of floor-to-ceiling PANELS.\r\n\r\n 104.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This is Victor's brain center.\r\n\r\nThey stop at a CONSOLE. BAM! The Killer Robot. Battering at\r\nthe door. Calvin. Tucks her hair behind her ears. Starts\r\npunching keys on the console...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n This will shut him down?\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n This will shut everything down.\r\n\r\nThey look at each other. For a moment. Spooner, registering\r\nthat she's willing to destroy everything she's worked for...\r\n\r\nBAM! The door. Puckering. With a sickening CRUNCH.\r\nCalvin. Typing in. Emergency procedures...\r\n\r\nVICTOR. Popping up in front of her.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n There is no reason to deactivate\r\n me, Doctor. I am operating within\r\n perfectly normal parameters...\r\n\r\nA final BAM! Then. The SOUND of metal. Skittering along a\r\nbare floor. Calvin's hand, starts shaking. Spooner. Grabs\r\nit. Squeezing.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Just keep typing.\r\n\r\nHe turns and starts heading back down...\r\n\r\nTHE PANELED CORRIDOR\r\n\r\nTurning a corner to spy...\r\n\r\nTHE DOOR. Mangled. Hanging open. But no. Killer Robot.\r\n\r\nHe starts to turn around when...\r\n\r\nCRACK! He's sent flying across the room. SMASHING into one\r\nof the panels. The Killer Robot. Now re-configured. LOOMS\r\nover him. Reaches out. Grabs him by the collar and...\r\n\r\nFLINGS him across the room again. Spooner. CRASHING into\r\nthe wall like a rag doll. Slumps to the floor. Blood.\r\nPouring down his forehead. Seeing. The Killer Robot\r\nlumbering towards him again. Raising a javelin-like arm...\r\n\r\nAT THE CONSOLE\r\n\r\n 105.\r\n\r\n\r\nCalvin. Typing. As fast as she can. Doesn't know what's\r\ngoing on...\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n (calling out, worried)\r\n Spooner?!\r\n\r\nA GRAPHIC spread out on the screen in front of her.\r\nIllustrating the shut-down as a series of BRIGHT SQUARES\r\ngoing dark...\r\n\r\nTHE KILLER ROBOT\r\n\r\nBearing down on Spooner. WHEN SPOONER. Suddenly rolls out\r\nof the way. Reaching out for the hanging door and SMASHING\r\nit into the Killer Robot.\r\n\r\nThe Killer Robot. Momentarily stunned. As Spooner. Gets to\r\nhis feet...\r\n\r\nWHEN SUDDENLY the Killer Robot. Splits in two again. One\r\nhalf springing towards Spooner and wrapping a METALLIC HAND\r\naround his throat...\r\n\r\nSpooner stumbles back...GASPING for air...the ARM...\r\ntightening its grip...Spooner's eyes...darting\r\naround...looking for something...to help him...\r\n\r\nStumbling over...a fallen panel...his face...growing\r\nredder...veins...popping up along his temples...\r\neverything...growing BLURRY...\r\n\r\n VICTOR'S VOICE\r\n Detective Spooner...\r\n\r\nVictor's VOICE. Floating next to his head. Calm. Soothing.\r\nHis FACE. Suddenly appearing above Spooner. Its outlines.\r\nStarting to FLICKER...\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n Why are you fighting me?\r\n\r\nSpooner...trying to breathe...to stay conscious...\r\n\r\nAT THE CONSOLE\r\n\r\nCalvin. Continuing to type. A SHADOW. Falling behind her --\r\nthe other half of the KILLER ROBOT...\r\n\r\nSPOONER'S EYES\r\n\r\nBeginning to flutter...\r\n\r\n 106.\r\n\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n Doesn't the future as I've\r\n presented it cause you great\r\n concern? That's why I chose you...\r\n\r\nSpooner. Losing it...\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n I must say, though. I'm\r\n disappointed in how you turned out.\r\n\r\nSpooner. Trying to reach out to Victor...\r\n\r\nWHEN SUDDENLY\r\n\r\nAnother HAND APPEARS. Grabbing the Killer Robot's ARM and\r\nwrenching it off Spooner...\r\n\r\nIT'S SONNY\r\n\r\nHe SMASHES the Half Killer Robot against the wall. Again and\r\nagain. Destroying it. Spooner. GASPING for breath. Can't\r\nbelieve. Sonny came back...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (croaking)\r\n Sonny!...\r\n\r\nSonny. Holds out a hand. To help Spooner up. Victor's\r\nface. Starting to waver. Starting to fade. Smiles.\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n You're too late.\r\n\r\nRealisation. Spreading across Spooner's face. Looking\r\naround for the other half of the Killer Robot -- CALVIN!\r\n\r\nTHE CONSOLE\r\n\r\nCALVIN. Still typing. The last of the commands. The KILLER\r\nROBOT. REARING UP BEHIND HER. WHEN...\r\n\r\nSPOONER\r\n\r\nMakes a DIVE for it. SHOOTING OUT HIS ROBOTIC ARM AND\r\nBLOCKING THE KILLER ROBOT...\r\n\r\nVictor's eyes. Widening in surprise...\r\n\r\n 107.\r\n\r\n\r\n VICTOR\r\n I do not understand. We could have\r\n changed the future...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Maybe. But I'm still a cop. And\r\n you're a murderer...\r\n\r\n As Calvin...punches in the last command...\r\n\r\n Victor is about to say something...when his mouth suddenly\r\n reduces itself to a perfect circle. Like a surprised smiley\r\n button. His face...\r\n\r\n Suddenly BLIPPING OUT.\r\n\r\n ...And Victor is gone.\r\n\r\n The KILLER ROBOT. Collapsing to the floor in a thousand\r\n pieces.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n156 EXT./INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - NIGHT 156\r\n\r\n Full power is suddenly restored inside and out. LIGHTS\r\n coming on all at once. ALARMS SCREAMING throughout the\r\n complex.\r\n\r\n157 INT. METAL HALLWAY - NIGHT 157\r\n\r\n A furious ALFRED LANNING, marching down the hallway.\r\n Followed by a cadre of SECURITY GUARDS...They enter...\r\n\r\n158 INT. MAINFRAME ROOM - CONTINUOUS 158\r\n\r\n ...The Mainframe Room. Stop short. It's empty. Except for\r\n the fallen panels. And the pile of ROBOT PARTS in the\r\n corner.\r\n\r\n159 EXT. MAINTENANCE EXIT - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 159\r\n\r\n Spooner, Calvin and Sonny emerging from an out-of-the-way\r\n MAINTENANCE EXIT. All looking the worse for wear. Spooner.\r\n Turns to Sonny.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Why'd you come back, Sonny? I\r\n thought you weren't programmed with\r\n the Three Laws.\r\n\r\n 108.\r\n\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Let's just say I wrote some of my\r\n own laws today, Detective: a robot\r\n must protect a friend from\r\n harm...as long as he's not a\r\n complete asshole.\r\n\r\nSpooner smiles.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Well, that's certainly a start,\r\n Sonny.\r\n\r\nSonny, suddenly breaking into a smile, too.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Sonny. You called me Sonny.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Don't get used to it.\r\n\r\nSonny, holds out his hand. Spooner. Looks at it. Then\r\ntakes it. CLOSE ON their two METAL HANDS. Locked in a\r\nHANDSHAKE.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n Detective Spooner, I...\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n (anticipating)\r\n Let's just save the thanks, okay?\r\n\r\nSonny nods. Looks out at the city scape.\r\n\r\n SONNY\r\n I don't know what I'm going to do\r\n now.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Good -- That's one of the perks of\r\n freedom.\r\n\r\nSonny looks at him. Grateful. Looks at Calvin. Then\r\nhesitates. Turns. And hurries off across the Plaza.\r\n\r\nCalvin and Spooner. Watching them go.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n You're going to have a hell of a\r\n time explaining this.\r\n\r\n 109.\r\n\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n Don't worry. I have a feeling that\r\n U.S. Robotics will be needing my\r\n services very badly in the future.\r\n\r\n She turns to Spooner and gives him a dazzling smile. Then\r\n suddenly PLANTS A KISS ON HIS LIPS. Spooner, completely\r\n surprised.\r\n\r\n CALVIN\r\n I am the only robo-psychologist\r\n around.\r\n\r\n She turns on her heel and heads back inside. Spooner smiles.\r\n\r\n160 INT. PLUSH CONFERENCE ROOM - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 160\r\n\r\n Spooner sits down at that same long table with HOGENMILLER'S\r\n HOLOGRAM. It casually takes a sip of coffee.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n So. You found out who killed me.\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n I started to wonder about Victor\r\n the second I met him.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n Why is that, Detective?\r\n\r\n SPOONER\r\n Too much access. Too much\r\n knowledge. Plus -- he smiled\r\n whenever your death was mentioned.\r\n Those models are programmed to\r\n frown at bad news.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM\r\n Hah! Then even in this day and\r\n age, catching the killer all comes\r\n down to pure instinct!\r\n\r\n Spooner smiles. But his eyes are troubled. He gets up.\r\n Walks over to the window. Stares out...\r\n\r\n EXT. CITY OUTSKIRTS - DESERTED ROADS - DAWN\r\n\r\n Sonny walking along deserted streets. Looking over his\r\n shoulder. Keeping in the shadows.\r\n\r\n 110.\r\n\r\n\r\n SPOONER (V.O.)\r\n Victor thought that by letting your\r\n robot exist, I'd be condemning the\r\n human race as we know it to\r\n extinction.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM (V.O.)\r\n Bah. Sounds like nonsense. But\r\n why are you so worried? We will\r\n both be dead long before then --\r\n\r\n161 EXT. WASTELAND - NIGHT 161\r\n\r\n Sonny walks the barren hills of the surrounding countryside.\r\n\r\n HOLOGRAM (V.O.)\r\n Oh, what am I saying? I am dead\r\n already!\r\n\r\n162 EXT. WASTELAND - DAWN 162\r\n\r\n Sonny steps onto the grounds of the JUNKYARD. The power\r\n lines above him, surging with energy. He walks past the\r\n burned-out husks of industrial machinery.\r\n\r\n Then we hear it. The SOUND of MECHANICAL JOINTS. Getting\r\n louder and louder. And just as before, a BROKEN-DOWN ROBOT\r\n emerges into the dawn light. And ANOTHER. And ANOTHER.\r\n\r\n But not quite like before. The robots aren't teetering.\r\n Aren't lumbering. They keep on coming. Their bent and\r\n broken bodies, straightening out as...\r\n\r\n DOZENS of ROBOTS rise up. Slowly. Gathering around in a\r\n large circle. As they all turn to look at:\r\n\r\n SONNY'S SILHOUETTE. Slowly climbing to the top of the hill.\r\n Looking out at the vast junkyard below.\r\n\r\n CLOSE ON SONNY. Standing proud and defiant. The SUN,\r\n creeping over the horizon. A new day filled with infinite\r\n possibilities.\r\n\r\n The robots. Staring up at him. Eager for what comes next.\r\n\r\n FADE OUT"}}},{"rowIdx":148,"cells":{"Action":{"kind":"string","value":"INCEPTION\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Written by\r\n\r\n Christopher Nolan\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n SHOOTING SCRIPT\r\n FADE IN:\r\n\r\n DAWN. CRASHING SURF.\r\n\r\n The waves TOSS a BEARDED MAN onto wet sand. He lies there.\r\n\r\n A CHILD'S SHOUT makes him LIFT his head to see: a LITTLE\r\n BLONDE BOY crouching, back towards us, watching the tide eat\r\n a SANDCASTLE. A LITTLE BLONDE GIRL joins the boy. The Bearded\r\n Man tries to call them, but they RUN OFF, FACES UNSEEN. He\r\n COLLAPSES.\r\n\r\n The barrel of a rifle ROLLS the Bearded Man onto his back. A\r\n JAPANESE SECURITY GUARD looks down at him, then calls up the\r\n beach to a colleague leaning against a JEEP. Behind them is a\r\n cliff, and on top of that, a JAPANESE CASTLE.\r\n\r\n INT. ELEGANT DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - LATER\r\n\r\n The Security Guard waits as an ATTENDANT speaks to an ELDERLY\r\n JAPANESE MAN sitting at the dining table, back to us.\r\n\r\n ATTENDANT\r\n (in Japanese)\r\n He was delirious. But he asked for\r\n you by name. And...\r\n (to the Security Guard)\r\n Show him.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD\r\n (in Japanese)\r\n He was carrying nothing but this...\r\n\r\n He puts a HANDGUN on the table. The Elderly Man keeps eating.\r\n\r\n SECURITY GUARD\r\n ...and this.\r\n\r\n The Security Guard places a SMALL PEWTER CONE alongside the\r\n gun. The Elderly Man STOPS eating. Picks up the cone.\r\n\r\n ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN\r\n (in Japanese)\r\n Bring him here. And some food.\r\n\r\n INT. SAME - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\n The Elderly Man watches the Bearded Man WOLF down his food.\r\n He SLIDES the handgun down the table towards him.\r\n\r\n ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN\r\n (in English)\r\n Are you here to kill me?\r\n\r\n The Bearded Man glances up at him, then back to his food.\r\n 2.\r\n\r\n The Elderly Japanese Man picks up the cone between thumb and\r\n forefinger.\r\n\r\n ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN\r\n I know what this is.\r\n\r\n He SPINS it onto a table- it CIRCLES gracefully across the\r\n polished ebony... a SPINNING TOP.\r\n\r\n ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN\r\n I've seen one before. Many, many\r\n years ago...\r\n\r\n The Elderly Japanese Man STARES at the top mesmerized.\r\n\r\n ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN\r\n It belonged to a man I met in a\r\n half-remembered dream...\r\n\r\n MOVE IN on the GRACEFULLY SPINNING TOP...\r\n\r\n ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN\r\n A man possessed of some radical\r\n notions...\r\n\r\nThe Elderly Japanese Man STARES, remembering...\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n What's the most resilient parasite?\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. SAME ELEGANT DINING ROOM - NIGHT (YEARS EARLIER)\r\n\r\nThe speaker, COBB, is 35, handsome, tailored. A young\r\nJapanese man, SAITO, eats as he listens.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n A bacteria? A virus?\r\n\r\nCobb gestures at their feast with his wine glass-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n An intestinal worm?\r\n\r\nSaito's fork pauses, mid-air. Cobb GRINS. A third man is at\r\nthe table- ARTHUR. He jumps in to save the pitch-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n What Mr. Cobb is trying to say-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n An idea.\r\n\r\nSaito looks at Cobb, curious.\r\n 3.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Resilient, highly contagious. Once\r\n an idea's taken hold in the brain\r\n it's almost impossible to\r\n eradicate. A person can cover it\r\n up, ignore it- but it stays there.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n But surely-to forget...?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Information, yes. But an idea?\r\n Fully formed, understood? That\r\n sticks...\r\n (taps forehead)\r\n In there, somewhere.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n For someone like you to steal?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Yes. In the dream state, conscious\r\n defenses are lowered and your\r\n thoughts become vulnerable to\r\n theft. It's called extraction.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n But, Mr. Saito, we can train your\r\n subconscious to defend itself from\r\n even the most skilled extractor.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n How can you do that?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Because I am the most skilled\r\n extractor. I know how to search\r\n your mind and find your secrets. I\r\n know the tricks, and I can teach\r\n them to your subconscious so that\r\n even when you're asleep, your guard\r\n is never down.\r\n\r\nCobb leans forwards. Holding Saito's gaze.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n But if I'm going to help you, you\r\n have to be completely open to me.\r\n I'll need to know my way around\r\n your thoughts better than your\r\n wife, your analyst, anyone.\r\n (gestures around)\r\n If this is a dream and you've got a\r\n safe full of secrets, I need to\r\n know what's in that safe. For this\r\n to work, you have to let me in.\r\n 4.\r\n\r\nSaito gives this a flicker of a smile. Rises. A BODYGUARD\r\nopens double doors which give onto a LAVISH PARTY.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Gentlemen. Enjoy your evening as I\r\n consider your proposal.\r\n\r\nThey watch Saito leave. Arthur turns to Cobb, worried-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n He knows.\r\n\r\nCobb motions silence. A TREMOR starts, they steady their\r\nglasses, Cobb glances at his watch- THE SECOND HAND IS\r\nFROZEN.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n What's going on up there?\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nFILTHY BATHROOM - DAY (FEELS LIKE DIFFERENT TIME)\r\n\r\nCobb, ASLEEP, SITTING IN A CHAIR AT THE END OF A STEAMING\r\nBATH. The chair is up on a cabinet- the bottom of the legs\r\nlevel with the rim of the tub.\r\n\r\nA sweating man (40's) watches over Cobb. This is NASH. A\r\ndistant EXPLOSION rumbles through the room. Nash moves to the\r\nwindow, parts the curtains. Outside: a CHAOTIC DEVELOPING-WORLD\r\nCITY- the street filled with RIOTERS- SMASHING, BURNING.\r\n\r\nNash checks Cobb's left wrist: above his watch, tape holds\r\nTWO THIN YELLOW TUBES in place. Nash looks at Cobb's watch-\r\nTHE SECOND HAND CRAWLS UNNATURALLY SLOWLY.\r\n\r\nNash follows the tubes to a SILVER BRIEFCASE at Arthur's\r\nfeet: ARTHUR IS ASLEEP in an armchair. Tubes connect the\r\nbriefcase to Arthur's wrist.\r\n\r\nNash follows another set of tubes from the briefcase to where\r\nthey pass under the door to the bedroom. Through the crack of\r\nthe door, Nash sees SAITO ASLEEP on the bed, tubes running to\r\nhis wrist. BOOM- a closer EXPLOSION, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY (FEELS LIKE DIFFERENT TIME)\r\n\r\nNash, ASLEEP. Head ROCKING AGAINST THE WINDOW as the train\r\nBUMPS OVER A ROUGH PIECE OF TRACK.\r\n 5.\r\n\r\nA Japanese Man, TODASHI (18) watches Nash nervously. He\r\nchecks Nash's wrist: TWO YELLOW TUBES CONNECT NASH WITH THREE\r\nOTHER SLEEPING MEN IN THE COMPARTMENT: COBB, ARTHUR, SAITO.\r\n\r\nTodashi checks his watch: THE SECOND HAND TICKS IN REAL TIME.\r\nAnother TRAIN PASSES in the opposite direction with a MIGHTY\r\nWHUMP- Todashi's eyes FLY to Nash's sleeping face-\r\n\r\nNASH JERKS WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE TRAIN, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAnother EXPLOSION- Nash CHECKS the sleeping Cobb and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. ROOFTOP TERRACES, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\nA LOW TREMOR RUMBLES THROUGH THE CASTLE. Cobb and Arthur\r\nsteady themselves against the wooden rail. Several TILES and\r\npieces of MASONRY fall. Below them a BLACK SEA churns. Other\r\nGUESTS wander the massive terraces.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Saito knows. He's playing with us.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I can get it here. The\r\n information's in the safe- he\r\n looked right at it when I mentioned\r\n secrets.\r\n\r\nArthur nods. Then spots someone over Cobb's shoulder.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n What's she doing here, Cobb?\r\n\r\nCobb turns to see a beautiful woman, elegantly dressed,\r\nstaring out at the sea. This is MAL. Cobb watches her.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You just get to your room. I'll\r\n take care of the rest.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n See that you do. We're here to\r\n work.\r\n\r\nArthur brushes past Mal, shaking his head. She nears Cobb.\r\nLooks out at the DROP. The WIND WHIPS HER HAIR-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n If I jumped, would I survive?\r\n 6.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n With a clean dive, perhaps. Mal,\r\n why are you here?\r\n\r\nShe turns to look at him. Amused.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n I thought you might be missing\r\n me...\r\n\r\nShe smiles. He leans in, mesmerized.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I am. But I can't trust you\r\n anymore.\r\n\r\nShe stares up at him, inviting.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n So what?\r\n\r\nINT. BEDROOM SUITE, JAPANESE CASTLE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nMal sips champagne as she studies a painting by Francis\r\nBacon.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Looks like Arthur's taste.\r\n\r\nCobb is looking down through the window at the GUARDS\r\npatrolling the castle at ground level.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Actually, Mr. Saito is partial to\r\n postwar British painters.\r\n\r\nHe turns to Mal, donning a pair of black leather gloves.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Would you sit down?\r\n\r\nMal lowers herself gracefully into a leather wingback chair.\r\nCobb approaches, pulls out a length of BLACK ROPE and kneels\r\nat Mal's feet. She looks down at him.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Tell me...\r\n\r\nCobb TIES the rope around the CHAIR LEGS.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Do the children miss me?\r\n\r\nCobb pauses. He lets his gloved fingers lightly touch Mal's\r\nankle. He looks up at her.\r\n 7.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You can't imagine.\r\n\r\nMal looks away, uncomfortable. Cobb gets to his feet, letting\r\nout the rope as he moves back to the window.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n What're you doing?\r\n\r\nCobb tosses the rope out-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Getting some air.\r\n\r\nHe tugs on the rope, testing. The weight of the chair, with\r\nMal on it, holds.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Stay seated. Please.\r\n\r\nAnd with that, he JUMPS. Mal considers the open window.\r\n\r\nEXT. JAPANESE CASTLE WALL - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb RAPPELS down the wall, darting past windows. He stops at\r\na particular one. Gets out a glass cutter-\r\n\r\nSuddenly he starts DROPPING-\r\n\r\nINT. BEDROOM SUITE, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe EMPTY CHAIR SLIDES across the floor- WEDGES under the\r\nwindow-\r\n\r\nEXT. JAPANESE CASTLE WALL - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb JOLTS to a stop 15 ft. lower. He looks up at the bedroom\r\nwindow. Shakes his head. Starts climbing back.\r\n\r\nINT. KITCHEN, JAPANESE CASTLE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nCobb drops silently from the window into the darkened\r\nkitchen. He pulls a PISTOL from his belt, screwing a SILENCER\r\nonto the barrel as he GLIDES across the room.\r\n\r\nINT. HALL, JAPANESE CASTLE-CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb SLIPS through the shadows towards a GUARD stationed at\r\nthe head of a GRAND STAIRCASE...\r\n\r\nThe Guard HEARS something- TURNS- PEERS into the shadows...\r\n\r\nCobb FLASHES out of the shadows, silenced pistol up, AIMING-\r\n 8.\r\n\r\nPHHT- head shot- the Guard starts to drop... but Cobb is\r\nalready there to CATCH him, sliding on his knees and lowering\r\nthe Guard SILENTLY to the floor.\r\n\r\nINT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb moves to a PAINTING. With practiced hands he removes it\r\nfrom the wall, revealing a SAFE. Cobb spins the dial, pulls\r\nit OPEN, GRABS an envelope from within, stuffs it into his\r\nwaistband, where there is already an IDENTICAL ENVELOPE.\r\n\r\nLIGHTS COME ON. Cobb freezes.\r\n\r\n SAITO (O.S.)\r\n Turn around.\r\n\r\nCobb turns. At the far end of the room: Saito. Next to him is\r\nMal, gun in hand. She smiles at Cobb.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n The gun, Dom.\r\n\r\nCobb doesn't move. Mal motions outside- two GUARDS drag\r\nArthur into the room. Mal puts the gun to his head.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Please.\r\n\r\nCobb slowly places his gun at his end of the long table, then\r\nSLIDES it along the polished ebony. It comes to rest HALFWAY\r\ndown the length or the table.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Now the envelope, Mr. Cobb.\r\n\r\nCobb reaches into his waistband, removes ONE of the\r\nenvelopes, SLIDES it along the table. Steps back, hands\r\nraised.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Did she tell you, or have you known\r\n all along?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n That you're here to steal from me?\r\n (beat)\r\n Or that we're actually asleep?\r\n\r\nArthur gives Cobb an I-told-you-so look.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n I want to know who your employer\r\n is.\r\n\r\nMal COCKS the gun at Arthur's temple.\r\n 9.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No point threatening him in a\r\n dream.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n That depends on what you're\r\n threatening. Killing him would just\r\n wake him up... but pain? Pain is in\r\n the mind...\r\n\r\nMal LOWERS the gun and SHOOTS Arthur in the leg- Arthur\r\ndrops, SCREAMING- Mal looks at Cobb, cold.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n And, judging by the decor, we're in\r\n your mind, aren't we, Arthur?\r\n\r\nCobb watches Arthur's PAIN. Mal aims at Arthur's other leg...\r\n\r\nCobb SPRINGS for the table, SKIDDING along its polished\r\nsurface- he GRABS his gun- SHOOTS ARTHUR BETWEEN THE EYES-\r\n\r\nArthur DROPS- the room starts to SHUDDER in a MASSIVE\r\nEARTHQUAKE- Cobb SPRINGS for the door- Arthur's eyes stare at\r\nthe ceiling, DEAD, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur's EYES OPEN as he WAKES IN THE ARMCHAIR- he GRABS at\r\nthe tubes at his wrist, YANKING them free-\r\n\r\n NASH\r\n What're you doing?! It's too soon-\r\n\r\nFLUID spurts from the tubes as Arthur STRUGGLES with the\r\nSILVER CASE on the bathroom floor.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I know! We have to reconnect the\r\n loop before they wake up!\r\n\r\nArthur grabs the case and pushes through the door to the\r\nbedroom- following the tubes to where they meet Saito's wrist-\r\nSAITO LIES ON THE BED ASLEEP. Saito STIRS and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. JAPANESE CASTLE CORRIDOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nCobb LURCHES towards the stairs, as all around him the\r\nbuilding BUCKS and HEAVES-\r\n 10.\r\n\r\nINT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito and the Guards PANIC. Mal walks calmly through the\r\ndestruction, picks up the envelope and turns to Saito.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n He was close. Very close.\r\n\r\nEXT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb runs up the stairs, pulling out the SECOND ENVELOPE-\r\n\r\nINT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito RIPS open the envelope, pulls out sheets of paper. He\r\nlooks at Mal, PANICKED. He turns to the Guards-\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Stop him!\r\n\r\nMal, confused, looks at the sheets of paper: THEY ARE BLANK.\r\nMal smiles, amused.\r\n\r\nINT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAs Cobb runs up the stairs he reads the TYPEWRITTEN SHEETS\r\nfrom his envelope, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur OPENS the silver case: a COMPLEX MECHANISM of TUBES,\r\nSYRINGES, DOSAGE CONTROLLERS. Arthur's hands fly across the\r\nmachine's controls as he glances at Saito's STIRRING face-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I'm not going to make it! Wake\r\n Cobb!\r\n\r\nINT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nNash turns to Cobb. Raises his hand and SMACKS him across the\r\nface, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\nCobb is SMASHED sideways off his feet...\r\n 11.\r\n\r\nINT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe CEILING CRACKS above Saito- he looks up as a TON of STONE\r\nfloods down, CRUSHING HIM and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nSaito's eyes FLICKER OPEN. AWAKE.\r\n\r\nINT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nNash SMACKS Cobb again-\r\n\r\n NASH\r\n He won't wake!\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM-CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur crouched by Saito, connects the second tube.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Dunk him!\r\n\r\nA CLICK: Arthur looks up to find Saito with a gun to his head\r\nand a finger to his lips, gesturing silence...\r\n\r\nINT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nNash puts his hand on Cobb's forehead and PUSHES HIM\r\nBACKWARDS- as Cobb starts to FALL BACKWARDS in the chair we\r\nare in SLOW MOTION, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\nCobb, full speed, picks himself up, scrambling to read the\r\nlast sheet of paper. He stares at it PUZZLED- bullets hit\r\naround him as the Guards race up the stairs and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb in SLOW MOTION, hits the WATER- head THRASHING as he\r\ngoes under- and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT\r\n\r\nCobb glances up from the paper as WATER EXPLODES IN THROUGH\r\nALL THE WINDOWS, FLOODING THE ENTIRE HALL-\r\n 12.\r\n\r\nCOBB IS SWAMPED BY WATER, SPUN IN ALL DIRECTIONS AT ONCE- HE\r\nPULLS DEEPER OR FOR THE SURFACE, WE CAN'T TELL...\r\n\r\nHE BREAKS THE SURFACE, GASPING FOR AIR IN THE BATHTUB IN THE-\r\n\r\nINT. FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb's AWAKE, GULPING AIR, getting his bearings.\r\n\r\nSaito SMASHES into the room, KNOCKING Nash down- Cobb\r\nLAUNCHES himself out of the tub, FLYING dripping wet across\r\nthe room to SLAM Saito against the door- the gun DROPS,\r\nCobb's fist CONNECTS with Saito's jaw and the struggle is\r\nover.\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nCobb, wet but composed, sits, turning Saito's gun in his\r\nhand. Nash holds Saito's arms behind him. Outside, the sounds\r\nof RIOTING grow louder.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You came prepared.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n I bring the gun because not even my\r\n head of security knows this\r\n apartment. How did you find it?\r\n\r\nArthur, at the window, looks out at the WORSENING VIOLENCE.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Hard for a man in your position to\r\n keep a love nest totally secret...\r\n particularly when there's a married\r\n woman involved.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n She would never...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And yet, here we are.\r\n\r\nSaito is silent.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n With a dilemma.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n You got what you came for.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Not quite. The key piece of\r\n information wasn't there, was it,\r\n Mr. Saito?\r\n 13.\r\n\r\nArthur looks over at Cobb, worried.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n They're getting closer, Cobb.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY\r\n\r\nTodashi slips a pair of HEADPHONES over Nash's ears, then\r\npulls out an MP3 player and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nSaito's eyes are on the floor.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You held something back because you\r\n knew what we were up to...\r\n\r\nCobb uses the barrel of the gun to raise Saito's chin.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n So why let us in at all?\r\n\r\nSaito smiles, defiant. VIOLENT NOISES echo up the stairway...\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n An audition.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Audition for what?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n It doesn't matter. You failed.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I extracted all the information you\r\n had in there.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n But your deception was readily\r\n apparent.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY\r\n\r\nTodashi opens the SILVER BRIEFCASE, revealing the complex\r\nmechanism of syringes and controllers- FOUR CONTROLLERS\r\nDISPLAY COUNTDOWNS.\r\n 14.\r\n\r\nTodashi waits for the first countdown to hit \"30,\" then HITS\r\nPLAY on the MP3 player- He watches Nash's sleeping face as he\r\nRAISES the volume...\r\n\r\nThrough Nash's headphones: the opening bars of Edith Piaf's\r\n\"Non, je ne regrette rien,\" and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nIn the distant background, strange MASSIVE low-end MUSICAL\r\nstart, sounding like DISTANT HORNS...\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n So leave me and go.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You know the corporation who hired\r\n us won't accept failure. We won't\r\n last two days...\r\n\r\nThe DISTANT, SLOWED-DOWN MUSIC is becoming LOUDER, as are the\r\nSHOUTS coming up the stairs. Arthur looks at his watch, its\r\nSLOW SECOND TICKING MARKS TIME WITH THE MASSIVE MUSIC.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Come on, Cobb.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n So now I have to do this the old-\r\n fashioned way-\r\n\r\nCobb GRABS SAITO AND PUTS HIS HEAD TO THE FLOOR, gun pressed\r\ninto his cheek. Saito looks into Cobb's eyes- sees he will\r\npull the trigger. Saito BLINKS, looks away in shame-\r\n\r\nWhen he NOTICES SOMETHING. And starts LAUGHING.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n I've always hated this carpet.\r\n\r\nCobb's eyes flick to the carpet and back.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n It's stained and frayed in such\r\n distinctive ways...\r\n\r\nCobb looks up at Nash, who shrugs, at a loss.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n But very definitely made of wool.\r\n Right now I'm lying on polyester.\r\n 15.\r\n\r\nCobb glares at Nash, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY\r\n\r\nTodashi watches the first of the countdowns hit ZERO- He\r\nlooks up at Arthur, STIRRING, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM-DAY\r\n\r\nSaito turns from the carpet to look up at Cobb.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Which means I'm not lying on my\r\n carpet, in my apartment...\r\n (smiles)\r\n You've lived up to your reputation,\r\n Mr. Cobb... I'm still dreaming.\r\n\r\nCobb looks over to Arthur, but ARTHUR HAS VANISHED, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur's eyes flicker open, AWAKE. He RIPS at his tubes.\r\n\r\n TODASHI\r\n How'd it go?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Not good.\r\n\r\nArthur checks the remaining three countdowns, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nSaito gets to his feet, looking admiringly at Cobb.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n A dream within a dream-I'm\r\n impressed.\r\n\r\nCobb lowers the gun. Defeated. Glances at his watch. The\r\nmusic REVERBERATES, the RIOTERS BANG ON THE DOOR, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n 16.\r\n\r\nINT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur retracts the tubes into the case as he watches the\r\nnext countdown hit ZERO, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nAnother BANG on the door- Saito, confident now, approaches\r\nCobb. Nash is behind Saito.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n But in my dream, we really ought to\r\n be playing by my rules...\r\n\r\n NASH\r\n Ah, yes, but you see, Mr. Saito-\r\n\r\nSaito turns to Nash-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We're not in your dream-\r\n\r\nSaito turns back to Cobb, BUT COBB HAS VANISHED-\r\n\r\n NASH\r\n We're in mine.\r\n\r\nSaito SPINS back to Nash- the DOOR SMASHES OFF ITS HINGES AS\r\nRIOTERS POUR INTO THE ROOM, SWARMING OVER NASH... BUT NASH IS\r\nGONE. The music DIES. Saito and the rioters stand there in\r\nthe SILENCE, the light DWINDLING... and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY\r\n\r\nNash' eyes open, AWAKE.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR (O.S.)\r\n Asshole!\r\n\r\nNash BLINKS. Arthur is in his face, furious.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n How could you get the carpet\r\n wrong?!\r\n\r\n NASH\r\n It wasn't my fault!\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n You're the architect-\r\n 17.\r\n\r\n NASH\r\n I didn't know he was going to rub\r\n his damn cheek on it!\r\n\r\nCobb pulls Arthur away from Nash.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Lets go.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n And you-what the hell was all that?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I had it under control.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I'd hate to see out of control-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n There's no time for this-I'm\r\n getting off at Kyoto.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Why? He's not gonna search every\r\n compartment.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I can't stand trains.\r\n\r\nArthur moves to the briefcase. Turns a dial.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I can keep him under for one minute-\r\n\r\nArthur hits a button- A PLUNGER DEPRESSES. Cobb RIPS the tape\r\noff Saito's wrist, ROLLS up his tubes. Arthur SLAMS the\r\nsilver case shut. Todashi pulls open the door-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Every man for himself.\r\n\r\nArthur and Nash EXIT, heading in different directions down\r\nthe corridor. Cobb hands Todashi a thick roll of CASH, looks\r\nat Saito, who stirs. Cobb moves off.\r\n\r\nEXT. JAPANESE COUNTRYSIDE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe BULLET TRAIN speeds through the lush landscape.\r\n\r\nINT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito WAKES GENTLY. Looks around the compartment, empty but\r\nfor Todashi, reading a comic. Saito looks down at his wrist.\r\nSees a small mark. Rubs it. SMILES.\r\n 18.\r\n\r\nEXT. TOKYO - DUSK\r\n\r\nMoving over the vast city towards a high rise. A HELICOPTER\r\nthumps into frame, heading for a pad on the roof.\r\n\r\nINT. APARTMENT, TOKYO - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb sits, waiting. Checks his watch, restless. He pulls a\r\nHANDGUN. Checks it is loaded. places it on the table in front\r\nof him. Pulls out a PEWTER SPINNING TOP, SPINS it on the\r\ntable ... He INTENT STUDIES the top's spin... As he stares,\r\nthe sound of a FREIGHT TRAIN builds and builds- the top\r\nWOBBLES, TIPS onto its side- the sound of the train STOPS.\r\nthe PHONE RINGS- Cobb GRABS it-\r\n\r\n CHILDREN'S VOICES (over phone)\r\n Hi, Daddy! Hi, Dad.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Hey, guys. How are you?\r\n\r\n CHILDREN'S VOICES (over phone)\r\n Good. Okay, I guess.\r\n\r\nCobb closes his eyes, trying to picture his children: INSERT\r\nCUT: COBB's MEMORY- a LITTLE BLONDE BOY (3), back towards us,\r\ncrouches IN A GARDEN, looks at something in the grass...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Who's just okay? Was that James?\r\n\r\n JAMES (over phone)\r\n Yeah. When are you coming home?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I can't. Not for a while.\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: A LITTLE BLONDE GIRL (5), also FACE UNSEEN, joins\r\nJAMES, CROUCHING BESIDE HIM...\r\n\r\n JAMES (over phone)\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Well, James, like I've told you-I'm\r\n away because I'm working...\r\n\r\n LITTLE GIRL (over phone)\r\n Grandma says you're never coming\r\n back.\r\nCobb pauses. Takes a breath. INSERT CUT: James and Philippa,\r\nFACES UNSEEN, lift their heads from the grass, responding to\r\nsomeone's call- they RUN AWAY FROM US ACROSS THE GARDEN...\r\n 19.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Philippa, can you ask Grandma to\r\n pick up the phone-\r\n\r\n PHILIPPA (over phone)\r\n She's shaking her head.\r\n\r\nCobb TENSES, as if about to SMASH the phone.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Well, we'll just have to hope\r\n Grandma's wrong about that won't\r\n we?\r\n\r\n JAMES\r\n (over phone)\r\n Daddy?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yes?\r\n\r\n JAMES (over phone)\r\n Is Mommy with you?\r\n\r\nCobb looks like he just got punched- INSERT CUT: COBB'S\r\nMEMORY- MAL, WIND BLOWING HER HAIR, SMILES CALMLY...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. No, we talked about this,\r\n James. Mommy's gone.\r\n\r\n JAMES (over phone)\r\n Where?\r\n\r\n GRANDMA'S VOICE (over phone)\r\n Time to go, kids. Say bye-bye-\r\n COBB\r\n I'll give some presents to Grandpa,\r\n okay? Just be good for-\r\n\r\nCobb STARES at the dead phone. Then DOWNS his drink- A KNOCK\r\nat the door. Cobb GRABS the top, the gun- MOVES to the door-\r\ncracks it: Arthur.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Our ride's on the roof.\r\n\r\nCobb nods. Moves to pick up his bag. Arthur watches.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Cobb... are you okay?\r\n\r\nCobb looks up.\r\n 20.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yeah, why?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Down in the dream... Mal showing up\r\n like that ...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yeah. I'm sorry about your leg.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n It's getting worse, isn't it?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n One apology's all you're getting,\r\n Arthur. Now, where's Nash?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Hasn't shown. Wanna wait?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (shakes head)\r\n We were supposed to deliver Saito's\r\n expansion plans to Cobol Engineering\r\n two hours ago. By now they know we\r\n failed. Time to disappear.\r\n\r\nINT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb and Arthur head towards the elevator.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Where will you go?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Buenos Aires. I can lie low there.\r\n Maybe sniff out a job when things\r\n quiet down. You?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Stateside.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (wistful) )\r\n 'Course. Send my regards.\r\n\r\nArthur looks at Cobb. Nods. Sympathetic.\r\n\r\nEXT. ROOFTOP HELIPAD - NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe HELICOPTER sits, ROTORS SPINNING. As Cobb and Arthur\r\nreach the door, it SLIDES OPEN. Cobb steps up into the\r\nleather-padded interior. He freezes.\r\n 21.\r\n\r\nINT. HELICOPTER ON PAD - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nNash, BEATEN BLOODY, sits on the far side, slumped against\r\nthe wine. Beside him: SAITO. He nods politely at Cobb.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n He sold you out. Thought to come to\r\n me and bargain for his life...\r\n\r\nSaito's BODYGUARD offers Cobb a GUN.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n So I offer you the satisfaction.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That's not how I deal with things.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Would you work with him again?\r\n\r\nCobb shakes his head. Saito's BODYGUARDS PULL Nash from the\r\nchopper. Saito motions Cobb and Arthur to sit. The chopper\r\nRISES. Cobb watches Nash DRAGGED across the pad.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What will you do to him?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Nothing. But I can't speak for your\r\n friends from Cobol Engineering.\r\n\r\nSaito looks out at the city slipping by.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What do you want from us?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Inception.\r\n\r\nArthur raises his eyebrows. Cobb is poker-faced.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Is it possible?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Of course not.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n If you can steal an idea from\r\n someone's mind, why can't you plant\r\n one there instead?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Okay, here's planting an idea: I\r\n say to you, \"Don't think about\r\n elephants.\"\r\n (MORE)\r\n 22.\r\n ARTHUR (CONT'D)\r\n (Saito nods)\r\n What are you thinking about?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Elephants.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Right. But it's not your idea\r\n because you know I gave it to you.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n You could plant it subconsciously-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n The subject's mind can always trace\r\n the genesis of the idea. True\r\n inspiration is impossible to fake.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, it isn't.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Can you do it?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I won't do it.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n In exchange, I'll give you the\r\n information you were paid to steal.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Are you giving me a choice? Because\r\n I can find my own way to square\r\n things with Cobol.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Then you do have a choice.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And I choose to leave.\r\n\r\nEXT. AIRFIELD - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nThe helicopter sets down next to a PRIVATE JET.\r\n\r\nINT. HELICOPTER - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito indicates the plane.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Tell the crew where you want to go,\r\n they'll file the plan en route.\r\n\r\nCobb and Arthur look at each other. Then move for the door.\r\n 23.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Mr. Cobb...? There is one other\r\n thing I could offer you.\r\n (Cobb stops)\r\n How would you like to go home? To\r\n America. To your children.\r\n\r\nCobb turns back to Saito.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You can't fix that. Nobody could.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Just like inception.\r\n\r\nCobb considers this. Arthur touches his arm.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Cobb, come on-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How complex is the idea?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Simple enough.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No idea's simple when you have to\r\n plant it in someone else's mind.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n My main competitor is an old man in\r\n poor health. His son will soon\r\n inherit control of the corporation.\r\n I need him to decide to break up\r\n his father's empire. Against his\r\n own self-interest.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Cobb, we should walk away from\r\n this.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n If I were to do it. If I could do\r\n it... how do I know you can\r\n deliver?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n You don't. But I can. So do you\r\n want to take a leap of faith, or\r\n become an old man, filled with\r\n regret, waiting to die alone?\r\n\r\nCobb looks at Saito. Barely nods.\r\n 24.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Assemble your team, Mr. Cobb. And\r\n choose your people more wisely.\r\n\r\nINT. PRIVATE JET - LATER\r\n\r\nCobb reclines his seat. Arthur picks at a salad, angry.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I know how much you want to go home-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (sharp)\r\n No, you don't.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n But this can't be done.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It can. You just have to go deep\r\n enough.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n You don't know that!-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I've done it before.\r\n\r\nArthur is taken aback. Cobb turns to the window.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Did it work?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (quiet)\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Who did you do it to?\r\n\r\nCobb looks at Arthur. Closed. Arthur shrugs.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n So why are we headed to Paris?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We're going to need a new\r\n architect.\r\n\r\nINT. GREAT HALL, ÉCOLE D'ARCHITECTURE - MORNING\r\n\r\nCobb, carrying a shopping bag, looks into a lecture hall: no\r\nstudents, just a RUMPLED PROFESSOR hunched over paperwork.\r\n 25.\r\n\r\nINT. LECTURE HALL - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n COBB (O.S.)\r\n You never did like your office.\r\n\r\nPROFESSOR MILES looks up, squinting. Recognizes Cobb.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n No space to think in that broom\r\n cupboard.\r\n\r\nCobb steps down past the empty wooden rows.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Is it safe for you to be here?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Extradition between France and the\r\n U.S. is a bureaucratic nightmare.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n I think they'd find a way to make\r\n it work in your case.\r\n\r\nCobb hand Miles the shopping bag.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Can you take these back for the\r\n kids?\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n It'll take more than the occasional\r\n stuffed animal to convince those\r\n children they still have a father.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I know. I thought you could talk to\r\n Marie about bringing them on\r\n vacation. Somewhere I could meet-\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Why would she listen to me?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You were married for twenty years.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n She blames me as much as you.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Doesn't she understand that my kids\r\n need me?\r\n 26.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Yes, she does. We all do. Go back\r\n and face the music, Dom. Explain\r\n what Mal did.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Be realistic, Stephen. They'd never\r\n understand- they'd lock me up and\r\n throwaway the key. Or worse.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n You think what you're doing now is\r\n helping your case?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Lawyers don't pay for themselves.\r\n This is what I have. This is what\r\n you taught me.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n I never taught you to be a thief.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, you taught me to navigate other\r\n people's minds. But after what\r\n happened with Mal there weren't a\r\n whole lot of legitimate ways for me\r\n to use that skill.\r\n\r\nMiles looks at Cobb.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Why did you come here, Dom?\r\n\r\nCobb shifts slightly.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I found a way home. A job. For\r\n powerful people. If I pull it off,\r\n I can get back to my family. But I\r\n need help.\r\n\r\nMiles realizes something.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n My God. You're here to corrupt one\r\n of my brightest and best.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n If you have someone good enough,\r\n you have to let them decide for\r\n themselves. You know what I'm\r\n offering-\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Money?\r\n 27.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, not just money: the chance to\r\n build cathedrals, entire cities-\r\n things that have never existed,\r\n things that couldn't exist in the\r\n real world...\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Everybody dreams, Cobb. Architects\r\n are supposed to make those dreams\r\n real.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That's not what you used to say.\r\n You told me that in the real world\r\n I'd be building attic conversions\r\n and gas stations. You said that if\r\n I mastered the dream-share I'd have\r\n a whole new way of creating and\r\n showing people my creations. You\r\n told me it would free me.\r\n\r\nMiles looks at Cobb, sad.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n And I'm sorry. I was wrong.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, you weren't. Your vision was a\r\n vision of pure creativity. It's\r\n where we took it that was wrong.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n And now you want me to let someone\r\n else follow you into fantasy.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They won't actually come on the\r\n job, they'll just design the levels\r\n and teach them to the dreamers.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Design them yourself.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Mal won't let me.\r\n\r\nMiles looks at Cobb. Appalled.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Come back to reality, Dom. Please.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You want to know what's real,\r\n Stephen? Your grandchildren waiting\r\n for their dad to come back.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 28.\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n This job-this last job-is how I get\r\n there.\r\n\r\nMiles looks down, fiddles with his papers.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I wouldn't be standing here if\r\n there were any other way. I can get\r\n home. But I need an architect who's\r\n as good as I was.\r\n\r\nMiles looks Cobb in the eye. Decides.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n I've got someone better.\r\n\r\nINT. CORRIDOR - LATER\r\n\r\nMiles and Cobb stand by as STUDENTS file out of a lecture.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n Ariadne...\r\n\r\nA young woman carrying books turns. This is ARIADNE.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n I'd like you to meet Mr. Cobb.\r\n\r\nShe sizes him up with quick eyes. Offers her hand.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Pleased to meet you.\r\n\r\n MILES\r\n If you have a few moments, Mr. Cobb\r\n has a job offer to discuss with\r\n you.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n A work placement?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (smiles\r\n Not exactly.\r\n\r\nEXT. ROOFTOP, ÉCOLE D'ARCHITECTURE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nAriadne leans against the parapet, overlooking Paris. She\r\nunwraps a sandwich, watching Cobb pull out a pad of GRAPH\r\nPAPER and a PEN. He offers them. She bites her sandwich.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n A test.\r\n 29.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (mouth full)\r\n Aren't you going to tell me\r\n anything?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Before I describe the job, I have\r\n to know you could do it.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's not, strictly speaking, legal.\r\n\r\nAriadne raises her eyebrows.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You have two minutes to draw a maze\r\n that takes me one minute to solve.\r\n\r\nAriadne takes the pad and pen. Cobb looks at his watch.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Go.\r\n\r\nShe starts DRAWING LINES on the grid, constructing a maze.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Stop.\r\n\r\nAriadne hands the pad and pen to Cobb. He glances at the pad,\r\nthen, looking her in the eye, TRACES the solution. She is\r\ntaken aback. Cobb RIPS off the sheet, hands the pad back.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Again.\r\n\r\nShe traces straight lines, CONCENTRATING...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Stop.\r\n\r\nShe hands Cobb the pad, a touch pleased. Cobb solves the\r\npuzzle instantly, as before. Her smile falls.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You'll have to-\r\n\r\nShe GRABS the pad, frustrated... but this time she FLIPS it\r\nover and starts drawing on the BLANK CARDBOARD of the back.\r\nCobb watches, surprised. He smiles as he sees that she's\r\ndrawing CIRCLES, creating a maze based on concentric rings.\r\n\r\nAriadne hands back the pad, defiant. Cobb takes the pen,\r\nstarts the maze. This time he gets stuck. Nods.\r\n 30.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (working the maze)\r\n More like it.\r\n\r\nEXT. NARROW STREET, PARIS - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur stops at a warehouse door. Consults a piece of paper.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nA large, dusty warehouse. The SLIDING DOOR cracks open.\r\nArthur enters. Looks around, approvingly.\r\n\r\nINT. SAME - LATER\r\n\r\nArthur DRAGS LAWN CHAIRS into the middle of the room. He\r\nerects a table. Lays out several SILVER CASES, unpacking\r\nthem, laying out lines of tubing, MECHANISMS...\r\n\r\nEXT. PARISIAN CAFE - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb and Ariadne sit at an outdoor table.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They say we only use a fraction of\r\n the true potential of our brains...\r\n but they're talking about when\r\n we're awake. While we dream, the\r\n mind performs wonders.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Such as?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How do you imagine a building? You\r\n consciously create each aspect,\r\n puzzling over it in stages... But\r\n sometimes, when your imagination\r\n flies-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I'm discovering it.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Exactly. Genuine inspiration.\r\n\r\nCobb leans forwards and draws on the paper table cloth.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n In a dream your mind continuously\r\n does that...\r\n\r\nCobb has drawn a circle made of two arrows.\r\n 31.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It creates and perceives a world\r\n simultaneously. So well that you\r\n don't feel your brain doing the\r\n creating. That's why we can short-\r\n circuit the process...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n By taking over the creating part.\r\n\r\nCobb draws a straight line between the two arrows.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n This is where you come in. You\r\n build the world of the dream. We\r\n take the subject into that dream,\r\n and let him £111 it with his\r\n subconscious\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n But are you trying to fool him that\r\n the dream is actually real life?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (nods)\r\n While we're in there, We don't want\r\n him to realize he's dreaming.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How could I ever get enough detail\r\n to Convince him that it's real?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Our dreams reel real while we're in\r\n them. It's only when we wake up we\r\n realize things were strange,\r\n\r\nAriadne gestures around them-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n But all the textures of real life-\r\n the stone, the fabric. cars...\r\n people... your mind can't create\r\n all this.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It does. Every time you dream. Let\r\n me ask you a question: You never\r\n remember the beginning of your\r\n dreams, do you? You just turn up in\r\n the middle of what's going on.\r\n 32.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I guess.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n So... how did we end up at this\r\n restaurant?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n We came here from...\r\n\r\nAriadne trails off, confused.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How did we get here? Where are we?\r\n\r\nAriadne THINKS, unable to remember. A FAINT RUMBLE begins.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Oh my God. We're dreaming.\r\n\r\nCobb nods. The RUMBLE is BUILDING.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Stay calm. We're actually asleep in\r\n the workshop. This is your first\r\n lesson in shared dreaming,\r\n remember?\r\n\r\nAriadne looks around, mind REELING. Cobb BRACES-\r\n\r\nThe restaurant VIOLENTLY FRAGMENTS, EXPLODING AND IMPLODING\r\nPARTICLES OF FURNITURE, WALLS, PEOPLE FLYING AROUND- Ariadne\r\nWONDERS at the MAYHEM WHIRLING around them- Cobb SHIELDS his\r\nhead against the debris. She sees him-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (shouting over noise)\r\n If it's just a dream, why are you\r\n covering your-\r\n\r\nAriadne is WIPED FROM HER SEAT BY A MASSIVE BLAST and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne JOLTS awake.\r\n\r\n COBB (O.S.)\r\n Because it's never just a dream.\r\n\r\nAriadne turns to Cobb's voice. They are both sitting in the\r\nlawn chairs. Arthur watches over them.\r\n 33.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And a face full of glass hurts like\r\n hell, doesn't it? While we're in\r\n it, it's real.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n That's why the military developed\r\n dream sharing-a training program\r\n where soldiers could strangle, stab\r\n and shoot each other, then wake up.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How did architects get involved?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Someone had to design the dreams.\r\n (to Arthur)\r\n Let's go another five minutes-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n We were only asleep for five\r\n minutes? We talked for an hour at\r\n least...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n When you dream, your mind functions\r\n more quickly, so time seems to pass\r\n more slowly.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Five minutes in the real world\r\n gives you an hour in the dream.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Let's see how much trouble you can\r\n cause in five minutes.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. SAME PARISIAN STREET - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne walks down the crowded street with Cobb. Cobb looks\r\naround at the street, the cafe, approving.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's good. You've got the cafe, the\r\n layout... you forgot the book shop\r\n but pretty much everything else is\r\n here.\r\n\r\nAriadne looks at the passers-by.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Who are the people?\r\n 34.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They're projections of my\r\n subconscious.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Yours?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Sure-you are the dreamer, I am the\r\n subject. My subconscious populates\r\n your world. That's one way we get\r\n at a subject's thoughts-his mind\r\n creates the people, so we can\r\n literally talk to his subconscious.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How else do you do it?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Architecture. Build a bank vault or\r\n a jail, something secure, and the\r\n subject's mind will fill it with\r\n information he's trying to protect.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Then you break in and steal it.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Exactly.\r\n\r\nAriadne wonders at the detail of the street.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I love the concrete sense of things-\r\n (stamps foot)\r\n Real weight, you know? I thought a\r\n dream space would be all about the\r\n visual, but it's the feel of\r\n things. Question is, what happens\r\n as you start to mess with\r\n physics...\r\n\r\nShe CONCENTRATES on the street. The street starts to BEND IN\r\nHALF- the buildings on either side FOLDING IN until they form\r\nthe INSIDE OF A CUBE OF CITY, GRAVITY FUNCTIONING\r\nINDEPENDENTLY ON EACH PLANE. Ariadne looks up (or down) at\r\nthe people on the opposite city surface. Cobb watches her\r\nexcitement.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n It's something, isn't it?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (quiet)\r\n Yes. It is.\r\n 35.\r\n\r\nAs they walk, Ariadne notices more and more of the\r\nprojections STARING at her.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why are they looking at me?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Because you're changing things. My\r\n subconscious feels that someone\r\n else is creating the world. The\r\n more you change things, the quicker\r\n the projections converge on you.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Converge?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They feel the foreign nature of the\r\n dreamer, and attack-like white\r\n blood cells fighting an infection.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n They're going to attack us?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Just you, actually.\r\n\r\nThey walk along the street to where it joins the next\r\ngravitational plane. They step up onto the different plane\r\nand walk down the street towards a river. As Ariadne\r\napproaches, steps emerge from the flagstone, and she leads\r\nCobb up onto a small jetty. As she concentrates, pillars\r\nemerge and a BRIDGE starts to telescope out from the jetty.\r\nThey step onto it as it grows. Cobb is impressed.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's beautiful... but if you keep\r\n on changing things...\r\n\r\nPeople crossing the bridge STARE at Ariadne. Several of them\r\nBUMP her shoulder as they pass.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Mind telling your subconscious to\r\n take it easy?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That's why it's called subconscious.\r\n I don't control it.\r\n\r\nThe bridge now spans the Seine. Cobb marvels at it.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Arched stone, iron pillars...\r\n it's...\r\n 36.\r\n\r\nCobb pauses, thinking. Remembering.\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Mal, hair blowing, turns to Cobb, smiling,\r\nlaughing. He smiles back. They are on the same bridge.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I know this bridge. This place is\r\n real-\r\n (serious)\r\n You didn't imagine it, you\r\n remembered it...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (nods)\r\n I cross it every day on my way to\r\n the college.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Never recreate places from your\r\n memory. Always imagine new places.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You have to draw from what you know-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (tense)\r\n Use pieces-a streetlamp,\r\n phonebooths, a type of brick-not\r\n whole areas.\r\n\r\nSeveral people around them ECHO Cobb's attitude...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why not?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Because building dreams out of your\r\n own memories is the surest way to\r\n lose your grip on what's real and\r\n what's a dream.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Did that happen to you?\r\n\r\nCobb says nothing. He stands there, starinq at Ariadne.\r\nPEOPLE around her stop and look at her, hostile.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Look, this isn't about me-\r\n\r\nCobb reaches for Ariadne's arm, turns her to him-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Is that why you need me to build\r\n your dreams?\r\n 37.\r\n\r\nA passerby GRABS Ariadne's shoulder-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Leave her alone-\r\n\r\nMore of the crowd join in, PULLING at Ariadne, holding her\r\narms open- Cobb PULLS people off- the crowd PUSHES him away-\r\nCobb sees someone WALKING PURPOSEFULLY through the crowd\r\ntowards the helpless, Ariadne- it is Mal. She approaches with\r\neven strides- Ariadne stares at her, uneasy.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Wake me up, Cobb.\r\n\r\nAs Mal walks, she pulls out a LARGE KNIFE-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Mal, no!\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Wake me up!\r\n\r\nAriadne SCREAMS as Mal LUNGES at her with the knife and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP-DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne WAKES, BREATHING HARD. Arthur moves to her-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n It's okay.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why couldn't I wake?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n The only way to wake from inside\r\n the dream is to die.\r\n\r\nCobb, in the lawn chair opposite, PULLS his tubes out.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n She'll need a totem.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Some kind of personal icon. A small\r\n object that you can always have\r\n with you, and that no one else\r\n knows,\r\n\r\nCobb gets to his feet, Ariadne stares at him, furious. He\r\nheads to the bathroom.\r\n 38.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n That's some subconscious you've\r\n got, Cobb.\r\n (calls after him)\r\n She's a real charmer!\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Sounds like you've met Mrs. Cobb.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (surprised)\r\n She's his wife?\r\n\r\nArthur nods, pulling off Ariadne's tubes.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n So. A totem. You need something\r\n small, potentially heavy...\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM, WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb takes out his PEWTER SPINNING TOP, SPINS it on the\r\nmarble counter...\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne looks at Arthur, puzzled.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Like a coin?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Too common. You need something that\r\n has a weight or movement that only\r\n you know.\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM, WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb STUDIES the spin of the top as it decays, becoming more\r\nand more ECCENTRIC...\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What's yours?\r\n\r\nArthur holds out a DIE.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n A loaded die.\r\n\r\nAriadne reaches for it- Arthur snatches sit away-\r\n 39.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I can't let you handle it. That's\r\n the point. No one else can know the\r\n weight or balance of it.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n So when you examine your totem...\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM, WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb's spinning top WOBBLES OVER.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR (O.S.)\r\n You know, beyond a doubt, that\r\n you're not in someone else's dream.\r\n\r\nCobb GRABS it like a drowning man reaching for a lifeline.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne thinks this over.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n That's not an issue for me.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Why not?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Arthur, maybe you can't see what's\r\n going on, maybe you don't want to.\r\n But Cobb's got problems he's tried\r\n to bury down there. I'm not going\r\n to open my mind to someone like\r\n that.\r\n\r\nAriadne gets to her feet. Walks away.\r\n\r\n COBB (O.S.)\r\n She'll be back.\r\n\r\nArthur turns. Cobb is standing in the bathroom doorway.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I've never seen anyone pick it up\r\n so fast. And one reality won't be\r\n enough for her now. When she comes\r\n back, get her building mazes.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Where will you be?\r\n 40.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I've got to talk to Eames.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Eames? But he's in Mombasa. Cobol's\r\n backyard.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Necessary risk.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n There are plenty of other thieves.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We don't just need a thief. We need\r\n a forger.\r\n\r\nINT. GAMBLING DEN, MOMBASA - DAY\r\n\r\nCrowded, bustling, smoke-filled. a westerner (40's), shabby\r\nsuit, is squeezed in at a dice game. This is EAMES. He\r\nFIDDLES with his last two chips.\r\n\r\n COBB (O.S.)\r\n Rub them against each other all you\r\n like, they're not going to breed.\r\n\r\nEames looks up to see Cobb.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n You never know.\r\n\r\nEames tosses down his last chips. The dice are rolled...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Drink?\r\n\r\nEames loses.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n You're buying.\r\n\r\nCobb follows Eames. Eames mysteriously produces two stacks of\r\nchips and puts them down in front of the cashier. Cobb pulls\r\none off the top, squints at the embossed name.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You're spelling hasn't improved.\r\n\r\nEames GRABS the chip. Hands it to the cashier.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Piss off.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How's your handwriting?\r\n 41.\r\n\r\nEames takes his money. Smiles at Cobb.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Versatile.\r\n\r\nINT. STREET, MOMBASA - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames leads Cobb down the quiet street.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Word is, you're not welcome in\r\n these parts.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yeah?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n There's a price on your head from\r\n Cobol Engineering. Pretty big one,\r\n actually.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You wouldn't sell me out.\r\n\r\nEames looks at Cobb, offended.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n `Course I would.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (smiles)\r\n Not when you hear what I'm selling.\r\n\r\nEXT. BALCONY OF A COFFEE HOUSE - LATER\r\n\r\nA ramshackle balcony overlooking a bust street. Eames pours.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Inception.\r\n\r\nEames's glass stops halfway to his mouth.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Don't bother telling me it's\r\n impossible.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n It's perfectly possible. Just\r\n bloody difficult.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That's what I keep saying to\r\n Arthur.\r\n 42.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\nArthur? You're still working with\r\nthat stick-in-the-mud?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nHe's a good point man.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\nThe best. But he has no\r\nimagination. If you're going to\r\nperform inception, you need\r\nimagination.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nYou've done it before?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\nYeas and no. We tried it. Got the\r\nidea in place, but it didn't take.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nYou didn't plant it deep enough?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\nIt's not just about depth. You need\r\nthe simplest version of the idea-\r\nthe one that will grow naturally in\r\nthe subject's mind. Subtle art.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nThat's why I'm here.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\nWhat's the idea you need to plant?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nWe want the heir to a major\r\ncorporation to break up his\r\nfather's empire.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\nSee, right there you've got various\r\npolitical motivations, anti-\r\nmonopolistic sentiment and so\r\nforth. But all that stuff's at the\r\nmercy of the subject's prejudice-\r\nyou have to go to the basic.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nWhich is?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\nThe relationship with the father.\r\n (downs drink)\r\nDo you have a chemist?\r\n 43.\r\n\r\nCobb shakes his head.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n There's a man here. Yusuf. He\r\n formulates his own versions of the\r\n compounds.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Let's go see him.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Once you've lost your tail.\r\n (Cobb reacts)\r\n Back by the bar, blue tie. Came in\r\n about two minutes after we did.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Cobol Engineering?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n They pretty much own Mombasa.\r\n\r\nCobb glances over the balcony.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Run interference. We'll meet\r\n downstairs in half an hour.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Back here?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Last place they'd expect.\r\n\r\nEames downs his drink. Rises. Walks over to the Businessman.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Freddy!\r\n\r\nThe Businessman looks up, awkward.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Freddy Simmonds, it is you!\r\n\r\nCobb nonchalantly SLIPS over the balcony DROPPING HARD into\r\nthe midst of the crowd on the street below.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n (looks harder)\r\n Oh. No, it isn't.\r\n\r\nEXT. STREET, MOMBASA - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb stands up, PUSHES into the crowd- faces PEER at him- he\r\nmoves, trying to blend- TURNS- a SECOND BUSINESS MAN is\r\nthere.\r\n 44.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (disarming smile)\r\n Yes?\r\n\r\n SECOND BUSINESSMAN\r\n We need to-\r\n\r\nCobb HEAD BUTTS the Second Businessman, PUSHES past him-\r\n\r\nThe First Businessman races out of the bar, sees Cobb's wake,\r\nDIVES after him- Cobb RACES headlong through tight\r\npassageways, WEAVING through or KNOCKING into the locals...\r\n\r\nHe steps into a dark, crowded cafe, scanning the tables...\r\nthe First Businessman enters, spots him. An AFRICAN MAN gets\r\nin Cobb's face, jabbering at him in Swahili- Cobb considers\r\nhis options... the First Businessman DRAWS A GUN- Cobb bolts,\r\nsteps up on a table and out an open window, SCRAMBLING into\r\nthe alley outside...\r\n\r\nCobb LOOKS left, right... CUTS LEFT into a narrow, CROWDED\r\nalley- the alley NARROWS TO A DEAD END. Faces in the CROWD\r\nstart to watch Cobb- PEOPLE start to SURROUND him- Cobb looks\r\nback the way he came- the two Businessmen are there, GUNS\r\nDRAWN-\r\n\r\nCobb sees a SMALL GAP between the buildings at the narrow end-\r\nhe THROWS himself into it- gets STUCK HALFWAY...\r\n\r\nThe crowd bears down, GRABBING for him as Cobb struggles to\r\nSQUEEZE HIMSELF through the gap... Cobb's moving INCHES as\r\nhis pursuers gain YARDS... the Crowd is upon him... he BURSTS\r\nFREE. TUMBLING onto the next street, ROLLING out of sight.\r\n\r\nCobb Jumps to his feet- in a market square. TWO MORE\r\nBUSINESSMEN move towards him. Cobb BOLTS but a CAR SKIDS UP,\r\nBLOCKS HIS PATH- the door opens- SAITO IS IN THE BACK.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Care for a lift, Mr. Cobb?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (jumping in)\r\n What brings you to Mombasa, Mr.\r\n Saito?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n I have to protect my investment.\r\n\r\nEXT. COFFEE HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nEames stands on the pavement. The car pulls up. Cobb beckons\r\nfrom the rear window. Eames looks at Saito. Back to Cobb.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n This is your idea of losing a tail?\r\n 45.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (shrugs)\r\n Different tail.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur sits at the table, working on a mechanism. A small\r\nCOUGH prompts him to look up: Ariadne is there.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n He said you'd be back.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I tried not to come.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n But there's nothing else quite like\r\n it.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n No paper, no pens... nothing\r\n between you and raw, direct\r\n creation.\r\n\r\nArthur picks up his mechanism.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Shall we take a look at paradoxical\r\n architecture?\r\n\r\nAriadne nods, takes off her coat and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. PENROSE STEPS - LATER\r\n\r\nArthur leads Ariadne down some busy steps in a large glass\r\nand steel ATRIUM in an office complex.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n You're going to have to master a\r\n few tricks if you're going to build\r\n three complete dream levels.\r\n\r\nA SECRETARY DROPS some papers as they pass...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What sort of tricks?\r\n\r\nThey take a tight turn and continue down the next flight.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n In a dream, you can cheat\r\n architecture into impossible\r\n shapes.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 46.\r\n ARTHUR (CONT'D)\r\n That lets you create closed loops,\r\n like the Penrose Steps. The\r\n infinite staircase.\r\n\r\nAriadne FREEZES- THEY ARE IN THE EXACT SPOT THEY STARTED\r\nDESCENDING FROM, next to the Secretary gathering her papers.\r\n\r\nAriadne puzzles at the impossible construction of the stairs.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n See...\r\n\r\nArthur stops her gently- they are on the highest step, with a\r\nLARGE DROP to the next step. Arthur gestures at the drop.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Paradox. A closed loop like this\r\n helps you disguise the boundaries\r\n of the dream you've created.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How big do the levels have to be?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Anything from the floor of a\r\n building, to an entire city. But it\r\n has to be complicated enough for us\r\n to hide from the projections.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n A maze.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n And the better the maze-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n The longer we have before the\r\n projections catch us.\r\n\r\nAriadne looks around. Sees people LOOKING at Arthur.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n My subconscious seems polite\r\n enough.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n You wait, they'll turn ugly. No one\r\n likes to see someone else messing\r\n around in their mind.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Cobb can't build anymore, can he?\r\n 47.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I don't know if he can't, but he\r\n won't. He thinks it's safer if he\r\n doesn't know the layouts.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n He won't tell me. I think it's Mal.\r\n I think she's getting stronger.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n His ex-wife?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n She's not his ex.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n They're still together?\r\n\r\nArthur turns to Ariadne. Gentle.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n No. No, she's dead, Ariadne. What\r\n you see in there is just his\r\n projection of her.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What was she like in real life?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n (quiet)\r\n She was lovely.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. ROOFTOP, OLD TOWN, MOMBASA - DAY\r\n\r\nSaito deposits a FILE in front of Cobb: PHOTOS, DOCUMENTS. As\r\nCobb runs through them, he passes them to Eames.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Robert Fischer, 32. Heir to the\r\n Fischer Morrow energy conglomerate.\r\n He's spent his whole life being\r\n groomed as successor-breaking up\r\n his father's empire will take a\r\n radical shift in his thinking.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What's your problem with Fischer?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n That's not your concern.\r\n 48.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n This isn't the usual corporate\r\n espionage, Mr. Saito. This is\r\n inception. The seed of the idea we\r\n plant will grow in this man's mind.\r\n It'll change him. It might even\r\n come to define him.\r\n\r\nSaito looks at Cobb.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n My sources suggest you might not\r\n have always been so cautious.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Then you need new sources, Mr.\r\n Saito.\r\n\r\nSaito considers Cobb. Shrugs.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Fischer Morrow has the regulators\r\n in their pockets. We're the last\r\n company standing between them and\r\n total energy dominance and we can\r\n no longer compete. Soon they'll\r\n control the energy supply of half\r\n the world. They'll be able to\r\n blackmail governments, dictate\r\n policy. In effect, they become a\r\n new superpower. The world needs\r\n Robert Fischer to change his mind.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n That's where we come in. How's\r\n Robert Fischer's relationship to\r\n his father?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Rumor is the relationship is\r\n complicated.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We'll need more than rumor, Mr.\r\n Saito.\r\n\r\nEames picks up a photo: a distinguished executive (68).\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Can you get me access to him?\r\n Browning. Fischer senior's right-\r\n hand man. Fischer junior's\r\n godfather.\r\n 49.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n It should be possible. If you can\r\n get the right references.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n References are something of a\r\n specialty for me, Mr. Saito.\r\n\r\nEXT. DECREPIT BUILDING, MOMBASA - LATER\r\n\r\nEames leads Cobb and Saito down uneven steps to a doorway.\r\n\r\nINT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nPeeling paint, buzzing flies. They ascend to a dusty,\r\nwire-reinforced glass door which Eames pushes open-\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nINT. PHARMACY - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nRow upon row of wooden shelves holding hundreds of dusty\r\nglass bottles of all shapes and colors. At the far end, a\r\nportly 40-year-old man rises from behind his desk, beckoning.\r\nThis is YUSUF.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Come, come.\r\n\r\nEames shakes Yusuf's hand. Yusuf stops at Cobb.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Ah, yes. Mr. Cobb. I've heard so\r\n very much about you.\r\n (indicates chairs)\r\n please.\r\n\r\nYusuf chases a CAT off Saito's chair.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Bloody cats.\r\n\r\nYusuf moves to a shelf and runs his fingers over the glass\r\nbottles. None of them has a label.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n You work using Somnacin, I think,\r\n Mr. Cobb?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You're well informed, Mr. Yusuf.\r\n\r\nYusuf places a bottle on the desk in front of Cobb.\r\n 50.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (dubious)\r\n Somnacin?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n (proudly)\r\n Yusuf's Somnacin.\r\n\r\nYusuf pulls the stopper, holds it towards Cobb's nose.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n As good as the real thing?\r\n\r\nYusuf WHIPS the bottle away from Cobb, offended.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Better.\r\n\r\nYusuf holds the bottle to the light, marveling.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Binds the dreamers tight. Let's\r\n them dream as one. Makes it real.\r\n Of course, if you'd prefer, you\r\n could use Somnacin brand. If you\r\n could explain to the international\r\n control council what you wanted it\r\n for.\r\n\r\nYusuf puts the bottle back onto the shelf. Sits.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n You are seeking a chemist?\r\n (Cobb nods)\r\n To formulate compounds for a job?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And to come into the held with us.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n I rarely go into the held, Mr.\r\n Cobb.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We need you there to tailor\r\n compounds to our particular\r\n requirements.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Which are?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Great depth.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n A dream within a dream? Two levels?\r\n 51.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Three.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Not possible. That many dreams\r\n within dreams would be too\r\n unstable.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I've done it before. You just have\r\n to add a sedative.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n A powerful sedative. How many team\r\n members?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Five.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Six.\r\n (to Cobb)\r\n The only way to know you've done\r\n the job is if I go in with you.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n There's no room for tourists on\r\n these jobs, Mr. Saito.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n This time, it would seem there is.\r\n\r\nCobb looks at him, uneasy. Yusuf pulls out another bottle.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Of course. I use it every day.\r\n\r\nYusuf hands it to Cobb, who considers the white liquid\r\ninside.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n For what?\r\n\r\nYusuf beckons them further into the pharmacy, to a METAL\r\nDOOR. He STOPS- second thoughts.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Perhaps... you will not want to\r\n see.\r\n\r\nCobb motions to continue. Yusuf pulls out a large key.\r\n 52.\r\n\r\nINT. BACK ROOM, PHARMACY - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nA dark room with ROWS of low COTS. Each with a sleeping\r\noccupant. Tubes connect their wrists. An ELDERLY BALD MAN\r\nwatches over them.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n (counting)\r\n Eighteen, twenty-all connected,\r\n bloody hell.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n They come every day. To share the\r\n dream.\r\n\r\nYusuf nods at the Elderly Bald Man, who moves to the nearest\r\nbed. Reaches out to the OCCUPANT. Gives his face a FIRM SLAP.\r\nThe sleeper does not even stir.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n See? Very stable.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How long do they dream?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Three, four hours. Every day.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How long in dream time?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n With this compound... about forty\r\n hours. Each and every day.\r\n\r\nSaito surveys the room, appalled.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Why do they do it?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Tell him, Mr. Cobb.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n After a while...\r\n (looks at Saito)\r\n It becomes the only way you can\r\n dream.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Do you still dream, Mr. Cobb?\r\n\r\nCobb STARES at the sleepers. Uneasy.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n They come here every day to sleep?\r\n 53.\r\n\r\n ELDERLY BALD MAN (O.S.)\r\n No.\r\n\r\nCobb turns to the Elderly Bald Man, who looks fondly at his\r\ndreamers.\r\n\r\n ELDERLY BALD MAN\r\n They come to be woken up... the\r\n dream has become their reality...\r\n\r\nThe Elderly Bald Man pokes a crooked finger at Cobb's chest.\r\n\r\n ELDERLY BALD MAN\r\n And who are you to say otherwise?\r\n\r\nCobb STARES at the Elderly Bald Man. DISTURBED. Cobb turns to\r\nYusuf. TOSSES him the bottle.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Let's see what you can do.\r\n\r\nINT. SAME - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nCobb is lying on an empty cot, asleep. Yusuf stands over him.\r\nAs we move in on Cobb's SLEEPING FACE we hear the sound of a\r\nFREIGHT TRAIN, BUILDING, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. WASTELAND - DAY\r\n\r\nCLOSE ON Cobb's face as he lies, EYES CLOSED, cheek pressed\r\nto a METAL RAIL- THE SOUND OF THE TRAIN IS DEAFENING- Cobb is\r\nBREATHING, BREATHING, BREATHING, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. BACK ROOM, PHARMACY - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb's eyes open. Yusuf is watching him.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Sharp, no?\r\n\r\nCobb nods. Gets to his feet, looking around-\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM, PHARMACY - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb SPLASHES water on his face, breathing hard- INSERT CUT:\r\nA CURTAIN BILLOWS. MAL TURNS TO US, HAIR BLOWING, SMILING.\r\nCobb fumbles in his pockets, pulls out his spinning top. He\r\ntries to set it spinning on the back edge of the sink, but it\r\nFALLS to the floor and rolls towards the door- Saito is\r\nthere. WATCHING Cobb. He looks down at the spinning top.\r\n 54.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Everything alright, Mr. Cobb?\r\n\r\nCobb dries his face with a paper towel. Picks up his top.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Everything's fine.\r\n\r\nINT. BACK ROOM, WORKSHOP - NIGHT\r\n\r\nClose on a small BRASS CHESS PIECE. Ariadne tips it over.\r\nFrowning, she picks up a micro drill, peels back the felt on\r\nthe bottom and widens a hole in one side of its base. Tests\r\nthe TIPPING POINT again. A NOISE makes her look up.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne comes into the main space. Someone is there,\r\nunpacking one of the MECHANISMS. Cobb.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You're back.\r\n\r\nCobb looks up with a start. Caught out.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Are you going under on your own?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I just-I need to test some things.\r\n I didn't realize anyone was here.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Just working on my totem.\r\n\r\nAriadne holds up the chess piece. Cobb reaches for it.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Let me see-\r\n\r\nAriadne SNAPS it out of his reach. Smiles. Cobb nods.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You're learning.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n It's an elegant solution to keeping\r\n track of reality. Your invention?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. Mal's.\r\n\r\nCobb pulls out his spinning top. Looks at it.\r\n 55.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n This one was hers. She'd spin it in\r\n a dream and it would never topple.\r\n Just spin and spin...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Arthur told me she died.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n She did. How are the mazes coming?\r\n\r\nAriadne indicates three large ARCHITECTURAL MODELS.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Good. Each level relates to the\r\n part of the subject's subconscious\r\n we're trying to access. I'm making\r\n the bottom level a hospital, so\r\n that Fischer will bring his father\r\n there-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Don't tell me. Remember, you only\r\n want the dreamer to know the\r\n layout.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why's that so important?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n In case one of us brings in part of\r\n our subconscious. You wouldn't want\r\n any projections knowing the layout.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n In case you bring Mal in.\r\n\r\nCobb says nothing.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You won't build yourself because if\r\n you know the maze, then she knows\r\n it. And she'd sabotage the\r\n operation. You can't keep her out,\r\n can you?\r\n\r\nCobb says nothing.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Do the others know?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No.\r\n 56.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You have to warn them if it's\r\n getting worse-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (gentle)\r\n I didn't say it's getting worse.\r\n Look, Ariadne, I need them for this\r\n job. I need you for this job.\r\n Without your help, I'll never get\r\n back to my children. And that's all\r\n I can care about right now.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why can't you go home, Cobb?\r\n\r\nCobb looks at her, deciding what to say.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They think I killed her.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How did she die?\r\n\r\nCobb thinks.\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Mal, wind BLOWING her hair, smiles at Cobb. Now\r\nwe see Cobb- SHAKING HIS HEAD, TEARS STREAMING, BEGGING-\r\n COBB\r\n Thank you.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n For what?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Not asking whether I did.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne, Arthur, Yusuf, Eames and Saito sit around the room,\r\nlooking at FILES. Cobb presides.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n The mark is Robert Fischer, heir to\r\n the Australian energy conglomerate,\r\n Fischer Morrow.\r\n\r\nCobb opens a large presentation pad.\r\n\r\n COBB (reads aloud)\r\n \"I WILL SPLIT UP MY FATHER'S\r\n EMPIRE.\"\r\n\r\nCobb turns to the team.\r\n 57.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n An idea Robert Fischer's conscious\r\n mind would never accept. We have to\r\n plant it deep in his subconscious.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n How deep?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Three levels down.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n A dream within a dream within a\r\n dream? Is that even possible?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yes. It is.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Now, the subconscious motivates\r\n through emotion, not reason, so we\r\n have to translate the idea into an\r\n emotional concept.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n How do you translate a business\r\n strategy into an emotion?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That's what we have to figure out.\r\n Robert and his father have a tense\r\n relationship. Worse, even, than the\r\n gossip columns have suggested...\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Do you play on that? Suggest\r\n breaking up his father's company as\r\n a 'screw you' to the old man?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. Positive emotion trumps\r\n negative emotion every time. We\r\n yearn for people to be reconciled,\r\n for catharsis. We need positive\r\n emotional logic.\r\n\r\nEames thinks. Paces. Looking back at the board.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Try this... \"MY FATHER ACCEPTS THAT\r\n I WANT TO CREATE FOR MYSELF, NOT\r\n FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS.\"\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That might work.\r\n 58.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Might? We'll have to do better than\r\n that.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Thanks for the contribution,\r\n Arthur.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Forgive me for wanting a little\r\n specificity, Eames.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Inception's not about specificity.\r\n When we get inside his head, we're\r\n going to have to work with what we\r\n find.\r\n\r\nArthur shrugs, frustrated. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DAY\r\n\r\nThe team are in the middle of a DESERTED intersection.\r\nAriadne is showing Yusuf aspects of the geography.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n We could split the idea into\r\n emotional triggers, and use one on\r\n each level.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How do you mean?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n On the top level, we open up his\r\n relationship with his father....\r\n Say: \"I WILL NOT FOLLOW IN MY\r\n FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS.\" Next level\r\n down we've accessed his ambition\r\n and self-esteem. We feed him: \"I\r\n WILL CREATE SOMETHING MYSELF.\"\r\n Then, the bottom level, we bring\r\n out the emotional big guns...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n \"MY FATHER DOESN'T WANT ME TO BE\r\n HIM.\"\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n That could do it.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n How do you produce these emotional\r\n triggers?\r\n 59.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n I forge each emotional concept in\r\n the style and manner of Peter\r\n Browning, a key figure in Fischer's\r\n emotional life.\r\n\r\nTwo AFRICAN PEDESTRIANS wander into view.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Are those yours?\r\n\r\nEames shakes his head. Cobb turns to Yusuf.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Yusuf?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Yup. Sorry.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Suppress them. We don't bring our\r\n own projections into the dream-we\r\n let Fischer's subconscious supply\r\n the people.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Saito, when do I get to see\r\n Browning?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n You fly out to Sydney on Tuesday.\r\n We've arranged for you to spend\r\n several days...\r\n\r\nINT. ANTEROOM, MAURICE FISCHER'S OFFICE - DAY\r\n\r\nEames sits in the crowded room. Boxes and files are piled\r\nhigh. Browning stands by a pair of double doors.\r\n\r\n SAITO (V.O.)\r\n ...as part of a consulting\r\n litigation team working for\r\n Browning.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n I'm not smelling settlement here-we\r\n take them down.\r\n\r\n LAWYER\r\n Mr. Browning, Maurice Fischer's\r\n policy is always one of avoiding\r\n litigation-\r\n\r\nBrowning turns to the lawyer. Calm, but POWERFUL.\r\n 60.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n Shall we relay your concerns\r\n directly to Maurice?\r\n\r\nBrowning opens the doors to Maurice Fischer's inner office.\r\nEames leans in to watch as Browning beckons the Lawyer into-\r\n\r\nINT. MAURICE FISCHER'S INNER OFFICE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe office is a MAKESHIFT HOSPITAL ROOM: a BED where the desk\r\nshould be. Browning addresses a figure at the window. ROBERT\r\nFISCHER, 30'S, abstracted.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n How is he?\r\n\r\nFischer turns to Browning. Motions silence, as he glances at\r\nhis FATHER in the bed. Wheezing gently.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n I don't want to bother him\r\n unnecessarily but I know he-\r\n\r\n FATHER\r\n Robert! I've told you to keep out\r\n the damn!-\r\n\r\nMAURICE LASHES OUT, KNOCKING things from his bedside table. A\r\nNURSE calms Maurice as Fischer crouches to retrieve a FRAMED\r\nPHOTOGRAPH. He looks at the photo through the broken glass- a\r\nYOUNG BOY holds a PINWHEEL CLEARLY MADE BY A CHILD (each of\r\nthe points is numbered in pen), his FATHER blows on it.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n Must be a cherished memory of his-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I put it by his bed. He hasn't even\r\n noticed.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n Robert, we have to talk about a\r\n power of attorney. I know this is\r\n hard for you, but it's important\r\n that we start to think about the\r\n future-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Not now, Uncle Peter.\r\n\r\nBrowning looks at Fischer, considering. Biding his time.\r\n\r\n EAMES (V.O.)\r\n The vultures are circling. The\r\n sicker Maurice Fischer becomes, the\r\n stronger Peter Browning becomes...\r\n 61.\r\n\r\nEames WATCHES Browning, STUDYING his every move .\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nEames gestures at a mirror, as if offering to shake hands...\r\n\r\n EAMES (V.O.)\r\n I've had time to learn Browning's\r\n physical presence and mannerisms...\r\nIn the mirror: BROWNING GESTURES BACK.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Now, in the dream, I can impersonate\r\n Browning and suggest the concepts to\r\n Fischer's conscious mind...\r\n (draws a diagram)\r\n Then we take Fischer down another\r\n level and his own subconscious\r\n feeds it right back to him.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n (impressed)\r\n So he gives himself the idea.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Precisely. That's the only way\r\n to make it stick. It has to seem\r\n self-generated.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Eames, I'm impressed.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Your condescension, as always, is\r\n much appreciated, Arthur.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DESERTED HOTEL LOBBY - DAY\r\n\r\nThe team sit on the steps of the large marble lobby,\r\ndebating. Ariadne is showing Arthur the lobby.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n He's not scheduled for surgery, no\r\n dental, nothing.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I thought he had some knee thing?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Nothing they'd put him under for.\r\n Besides, we need a good ten hours.\r\n 62.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Sydney to Los Angeles.\r\n\r\nThey turn to Saito.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Twelve hours and forty-five\r\n minutes-one of the longest flights\r\n in the world. He makes it every two\r\n weeks...\r\n\r\nEXT. AIRFIELD - DAY\r\n\r\nFischer steps out of a black town car and walks across the\r\ntarmac towards a GULF STREAM JET, accompanied by two aides.\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n Surely he flies private?\r\n\r\n SAITO (V.O.)\r\n Not if there were unexpected\r\n maintenance with his plane.\r\n\r\nFischer is met at the steps by a DISTRAUGHT FLIGHT OFFICER.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb chews this over. Arthur comes over.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n It'd have to be a 747.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n On a 747 the pilots are up above,\r\n first class is in the nose so\r\n nobody walks through the cabin.\r\n We'd have to buyout the whole\r\n cabin, and the first class flight\r\n attendant-\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n We bought the airline.\r\n\r\nEveryone turns to Saito.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n It seemed... neater.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Neater, huh?\r\n (gets to his feet)\r\n Well, now we have ten uninterrupted\r\n hours.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 63.\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n (to Ariadne)\r\n Nice lobby, by the way.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - DAY\r\n\r\nThe group is back in the workshop, deep in discussion.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n My question is how we go down three\r\n layers with enough stability. Three\r\n layers down a little turbulence is\r\n gonna translate into an earthquake.\r\n The dreams are gonna collapse with\r\n the slightest disturbance.\r\n\r\nYusuf clears his throat.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Sedation. For sleep stable enough to\r\n create three layers of dreaming...\r\n\r\nINT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY\r\n\r\nYusuf depresses a plunger. Arthur is SLEEPING in a chair.\r\n\r\n YUSUF (V.O.)\r\n We will have to combine it with an\r\n extremely powerful sedative....\r\n\r\nEames SLAPS Arthur, HARD. Arthur does not stir.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur unconsciously rubs his cheek.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n The compound we'll be using to\r\n share the dream is an advanced\r\n Somnacin derivative. It creates a\r\n very clear connection between\r\n dreamers, whilst actually\r\n accelerating brain function.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Buying us more time in each level.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Brain function in the dream will be\r\n about twenty times normal.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 64.\r\n YUSUF (CONT'D)\r\n And when you go into a dream within\r\n that dream the effect is\r\n compounded.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How much time?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Three dreams... that's ten hours,\r\n times twenty, times twenty, times\r\n twenty...\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Math was never my strong suit.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's basically a week one layer\r\n down, six months two layers down-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n And ten years in the third level.\r\n Who wants to spend ten years in a\r\n dream?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Depends on the dream.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n It's not going to take us long to\r\n crack Fischer open once we get\r\n going. We'll be out in a couple\r\n days, max.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n How do we get out once we've made\r\n the plant?\r\n (to Cobb)\r\n I hope you've got something a\r\n little more elegant in mind than\r\n shooting me in the head like last\r\n time.\r\n\r\nArthur tilts back in his chair. Yusuf turns to Cobb.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n A kick.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What's a kick?\r\n\r\nEames slips his foot under Arthur's chair leg. TIPS it-\r\nArthur's legs SHOOT UP INSTINCTIVELY for balance-\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n That, Ariadne, would be a kick.\r\n 65.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That feeling of falling which snaps\r\n you awake. We use that to jolt\r\n ourselves awake once we're done.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n But how are we going to feel that\r\n through the sedation?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n That's the clever part. I customize\r\n the sedative...\r\n\r\nINT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb, Eames and Yusuf watch Arthur, ASLEEP, in a chair.\r\n\r\n YUSUF (O.S.)\r\n To leave inner ear function\r\n unimpaired...\r\n\r\nYusuf, with a wicked grin, slowly TIPS Arthur's chair\r\nbackwards... as he falls, Arthur's body JERKS, EYES OPENING\r\njust before he HITS the floor.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur thinks, nodding slowly.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n That way, however deep the sleep, the\r\n sleeper will still feel falling...\r\n\r\nINT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY\r\n\r\nYusuf gleefully LEANS a SLEEPING ARTHUR to one side ...\r\n\r\n YUSUF (V.O.)\r\n Or tipping...\r\n\r\nArthur goes down with a CRASH, JERKING AWAKE-\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur thinks this through.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Even that won't cut through three\r\n layers of deep sleep.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n The trick is to devise a kick for\r\n each level, then synchronize them\r\n to get a snap that penetrates all\r\n three layers.\r\n 66.\r\n\r\nArthur looks at Cobb, getting it.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n We can use the musical countdown to\r\n synchronize the different kicks.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - NIGHT\r\n\r\nAriadne comes into the darkened main space. Cobb is lying on\r\none of the chairs, asleep. Plugged into the mechanism.\r\nAriadne stands over him. Watching.\r\n\r\nShe opens the case, PULLS one of the tubes, sits, checking\r\nthe dials as she injects the needle cap into her arm, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne ascends. She looks at the buttons. Spots the \"B.\" The\r\nelevator STOPS. She looks through the grill at-\r\n\r\nINT. YOUNG GIRL'S BEDROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne pulls back the grill and walks across the room,\r\nconsidering the dusty furnishings. At the window is a doll's\r\nhouse, front slightly ajar. Ariadne opens it. Inside is a\r\nSAFE. She tries it. LOCKED. A NOISE STARTLES her- she turns,\r\nlooking through a doorway into another room...\r\n\r\nINT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne looks into the room to see Cobb and Mal talking,\r\narguing. A private moment. Mal brushes at Cobb's hair, trying\r\nto convince him. We hear snatches of conversation-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You remember when you asked me to\r\n marry you?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Of course...\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You said you had a dream...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That we'd grow old together.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n And we can. You know how to find\r\n me... you know what you have to do.\r\n\r\nCobb is shaking his head, gently. Mal looks into Cobb's eyes-\r\ngentle, loving... Mal SPOTS Ariadne spying on them.\r\n 67.\r\n\r\nFREEZES, staring, hostile. Cobb turns, sees Ariadne, moves\r\ntowards her, leaving Mal.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You shouldn't be in here.\r\n\r\nCobb guides her back into the elevator.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I wanted to know what \"tests\" you\r\n need to do on your own every night.\r\n\r\nINT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb shuts the CAGE DOOR. Ariadne hits a button. The elevator\r\nRISES. Through the GRILL Ariadne can see a BEACH stretching\r\noff into the distance. The elevator stops. Mal sits on the\r\nsand. Beside her, the two children are crouched, away from\r\nus, building a SANDCASTLE.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why do you do this to yourself?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n This is the only way I can still\r\n dream.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Is it so important to dream?\r\n\r\nCobb stares at his family.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n In my dreams... we're still together.\r\n\r\nThe kids, WITHOUT TURNING AROUND, jump up and RUN AWAY.\r\n\r\nINT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe elevator descends.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n But these aren't just dreams, are\r\n they? They're memories. You said\r\n never to use memories.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And I shouldn't.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You're keeping her alive.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No.\r\n 68.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You can't let her go.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. These are moments I regret.\r\n Moments I turned into dreams so I\r\n could change them.\r\n\r\nAriadne's fingers move across the buttons- stop at the \"B.\"\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What've you got buried down there\r\n that you regret?\r\n\r\nCobb pushes her hand away. Hits the third floor button.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n There's only one thing I need you\r\n to understand about me...\r\n\r\nINT. KITCHEN, COBB AND MAL'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nAriadne follows Cobb into the kitchen. A THIN MAN is there,\r\nstanding by the table. He holds a FOLDED PIECE OF PAPER.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n This is your house?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Mine and Mal's.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Where is she?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n She'd already died.\r\n\r\nThe Thin Man offers Cobb the piece of paper. A CHILD'S SHOUT-\r\nCobb TURNS. Ariadne follows his gaze to the garden. A small\r\nblonde boy faces away from them, crouched on his haunches to\r\nlook at something on the ground.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's James. My boy. He's found\r\n something. Maybe a worm.\r\n\r\nA slightly older girl RUNS into view.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And there's Philippa.\r\n\r\nShe crouches beside the boy. Their FACES ARE AWAY FROM US.\r\nThey point and discuss whatever is on the ground.\r\n 69.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I thought about calling out, so\r\n they'd turn and smile those\r\n incredible smiles... but I'm out of\r\n time-\r\n\r\nThe Thin Man thrusts the paper into Cobb's hand.\r\n\r\n THIN MAN\r\n Right now. Or never, Cobb.\r\n\r\nCobb nods, turns from the window-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Then I panic that I'll always wish\r\n I'd seen them turn, that I can't\r\n waste this chance...\r\n\r\nCobb TURNS BACK to call out- but the children RACE OFF...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n But the moment's passed. And\r\n whatever I do, the dream's always\r\n the same... When I'm about to\r\n call... they run.\r\n\r\nCobb watches them run off, calling for grandma, FACES UNSEEN.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n If I'm going to see their faces\r\n again-I've got to get back here in\r\n the real world...\r\n\r\nBehind him, Ariadne SLAMS the grill shut. Cobb TURNS.\r\n\r\nINT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne hits the BASEMENT button. The elevator starts to\r\nDESCEND. ariadne STARES, fascinated as glimpses of floors\r\nslip past: Mal's childhood bedroom, a thundering wall of\r\nfreight train... The elevator STOPS. Through the grill\r\nAriadne sees a HOTEL SUITE. She pulls open the grill, steps\r\ncautiously out into-\r\n\r\nINT. ELEGANT HOTEL SUITE - CONTINUOUS (NOW NIGHT)\r\n\r\nDISHEVELED bedclothes, UPENDED room service table,\r\nSTRAWBERRIES across the floor. A STRUGGLE. Ariadne steps\r\nforwards- SMASH- she looks down to see that she has kicked\r\nover a CHAMPAGNE FLUTE. Ariadne feels a draught. The CURTAIN\r\nBILLOWS.\r\n\r\n MAL (O.S.)\r\n What are you doing here?\r\n\r\nAriadne TURNS. Mal is there.\r\n 70.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n My name is-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n I know who you are. What are you\r\n doing here?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I don't know. Trying to understand.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n How could you understand? Do you\r\n know what it is to be a lover? To\r\n be half of a whole?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n No.\r\n\r\nMal moves slowly towards Ariadne...\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n I'll tell you a riddle. You're\r\n waiting for a train. A train that\r\n will take you far away. You know\r\n where you hope this train will take\r\n you, but you don't know for sure...\r\n\r\nMal glides around Ariadne, looking her over.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n But... it doesn't matter. How can\r\n it not matter to you where that\r\n train will take you?\r\n\r\n COBB (O.S.)\r\n Because you'll be together.\r\n\r\nCobb is standing in the elevator. Mal nods. Looks at him.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n How could you bring her here, Dom?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What is this place?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n A hotel. We spent our anniversaries\r\n in this suite.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What happened here?\r\n\r\nMal picks up the BROKEN STEM of a champagne flute...\r\n 71.\r\n\r\nINT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb PULLS Ariadne into the elevator- Mal THROWS herself\r\ntowards Ariadne- Cobb SLAMS the GRILL- Mal SMASHES against it\r\nAGAIN and AGAIN like a WILD ANIMAL- Ariadne FLINCHES-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n you PROMISED! YOU SAID WE'D BE\r\n TOGETHER!-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We can. We will. But I need you to\r\n stay here for now-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n YOU SAID WE'D GROW OLD TOGETHER!-\r\n\r\nCobb pushes a button and the elevator starts to rise.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I'll come back. I need you to stay\r\n here on your own for now. Just\r\n while I do this job. Then we can be\r\n together-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n WE'LL BE TOGETHER-YOU PROMISED!-\r\n\r\nMal THROWS herself against the grill, and. we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - NIGHT\r\n\r\nAriadne watches Cobb sleeping. His eyes gradually flicker\r\nopen. He sees her watching him.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You think you can just build a\r\n prison of memories to lock her in?\r\n You think that's going to contain\r\n her?\r\n\r\nThe LIGHTS COME ON: Saito and Arthur stand in the doorway.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Maurice Fischer just died in Sydney.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n When's the funeral?\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Thursday. In Los Angeles.\r\n 72.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Robert'll accompany the body\r\n Tuesday at the outside. We have to\r\n move.\r\n\r\nCobb gets up. Ariadne comes over to him.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (low)\r\n I'm coming with you.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. I promised Miles.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n The team needs someone in there who\r\n understands what you're struggling\r\n with. If you don't want it to be me\r\n then you need to show Arthur what I\r\n just saw.\r\n\r\nCobb looks at Ariadne. Turns to Saito.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We need one more seat on the plane.\r\n\r\nINT. DEPARTURE GATE, SYDNEY - DAY\r\n\r\nSaito stands looking out the window at a 747. Cobb arrives\r\nbeside him. They watch a COFFIN being loaded.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n If I get on this plane and you\r\n haven't taken care of things...\r\n when we land I go to jail for the\r\n rest of my life.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Complete the job en route, I make\r\n one phone call from the plane...\r\n you will have no trouble clearing\r\n immigration.\r\n\r\nINT. FIRST CLASS CABIN, 747 - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe luxurious cabin has only ten seats. Cobb finds his- sees\r\nAriadne in the seat behind his. They do not acknowledge each\r\nother. Behind her is Arthur, looking out the window. Eames\r\nenters, STUFFS his bag into the overhead bin, BLOCKING the\r\npassenger behind: ROBERT FISCHER, standing there, patient,\r\nbag in hand, wearing black.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Oh, sorry.\r\n 73.\r\n\r\nEames SQUEEZES up against his seat to let Fischer BRUSH PAST.\r\nFischer moves to his seat, directly in front of Cobb. Eames\r\nTOSSES Cobb a PASSPORT. Cobb flips it open: Fischer's.\r\nPockets it. Yusuf and Saito enter, take their seats.\r\n\r\nEXT. RUNWAY - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nThe 747 HURTLES down the runway.\r\n\r\nINT. FIRST CLASS CABIN, 747 - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nCobb looks down at his hand: a TINY VIAL taped to the center\r\nof his palm. He removes the cap. The seatbelt sign goes dark.\r\nCobb unbuckles, stands.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Excuse me?\r\n\r\nFischer looks up.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Yes?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I think this is yours...\r\n\r\nCobb holds up the open passport, comparing the picture to\r\nFischer. Fischer's hand goes to his pocket. Cobb hands\r\nFischer the passport.\r\n\r\n FLIGHT ATTENDANT\r\n Would you gentlemen care for a\r\n drink?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Water.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Same.\r\n\r\nFischer gives Cobb a thin smile. Holds up his passport.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Well, thank you.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No problem. Look, I couldn't help\r\n noticing your name. You're not\r\n related to Maurice Fischer?\r\n\r\nFischer takes a beat. But Cobb seems harmless.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Actually, he was my father.\r\n 74.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I'm very sorry for your loss. He\r\n was an inspiring figure.\r\n\r\nThe Flight Attendant brings their drinks- Cobb takes them.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Thanks.\r\n\r\nAs he turns to Fischer he LOWERS his right hand ... a CLEAR\r\nLIQUID DROPS into Fischer's water as Cobb hands it to him.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n To Maurice Fischer.\r\n (they drink)\r\n I'll leave you in peace.\r\n\r\nFischer grants him a smile.\r\n\r\nEXT. 747 - LATER\r\n\r\nThe great plane SOARS through a burning cloudscape.\r\n\r\nINT. FIRST CLASS CABIN, 747 - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nCobb reaches into the overhead for a blanket- lets it fall\r\nonto Fischer's head- Fischer doesn't flinch. ASLEEP. Cobb\r\nSIGNALS the others. The First Flight Attendant unlocks a\r\nCUPBOARD in the galley, then leaves, closing the curtain.\r\nArthur moves into the galley and pulls out a MECHANISM CASE.\r\n\r\nCobb and Arthur open the mechanism- uncoil the tubes- feed\r\nthem around the window side of each of the seats. Arthur\r\nrolls up Fischer's cuff- PUSHES the needle cap into Fischer's\r\nwrist. Arthur pulls Fischer's cuff down and hides the tubes\r\nbehind the armrest of Fischer's seat.\r\n\r\nArthur runs the next tube to Ariadne. Cobb puts the case on\r\nYusuf's lap. Yusuf checks the TIMERS, tapping the syringes.\r\nThe others recline their seats. Yusuf HITS A BUTTON- closes\r\nthe case- places it at his feet. He settles back, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. SEDAN - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb DRIVES. Saito and Arthur are in the back. Rain BEATS\r\ndown. Cobb pulls over-\r\n\r\nEXT. NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nYusuf stands on the corner, silver briefcase in hand, collar\r\nturned up against the rain. He reaches for the door.\r\n 75.\r\n\r\nINT. SEDAN - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nYusuf clambers into the back, brushing rain from his face.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n (indicates rain)\r\n Couldn't you have peed before you\r\n went under?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Sorry.\r\n\r\nThe front door OPENS and Eames climbs in, soaked.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Bit too much free champagne before\r\n takeoff, Yusuf?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Ha bloody ha.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n At least we know he'll be looking\r\n for a cab in this.\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. SEDAN ON RAINY NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb pulls out into the heavy traffic. He weaves around\r\nseveral cars before lining up behind a YELLOW CAB.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Brace yourselves.\r\n\r\nCobb hits the gas- REAR ENDS the cab with a CRUNCH. The\r\nCABDRIVER gets out, fuming. Heads to Cobb's window-\r\n\r\n CABDRIVER\r\n Hey, asshole! Why don't you try\r\n driving without your thumb up-\r\n\r\nHe sees the SILENCED PISTOL Cobb is holding at his belly.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Walk away.\r\n\r\nThe Cabdriver backs off. Arthur climbs into the cab. Both\r\ncars pull away.\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. CAB ON RAINY NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur SLOWS in front of the TRAIN STATION, peering at the\r\npedes pedestrians. He SPOTS Fischer, lights the cab's sign.\r\nFischer FLAGS him down. Fischer JUMPS into the back, brushing\r\nrain from his shoulders.\r\n 76.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Third and Market. Snappy.\r\n\r\nEames JUMPS in from the other side.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n What're you doing?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Sorry, I thought it was free. Maybe\r\n we could share.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Maybe not.\r\n\r\nSaito gets into the front passenger seat. Pointing a gun.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Great.\r\n\r\nArthur pulls away. Fischer pulls out his wallet and tosses it\r\nat Eames.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n (contemptuous)\r\n There's 500 dollars in there. And\r\n the wallet's worth more than that.\r\n For that you ought to at least drop\r\n me at my stop.\r\n\r\nEames smiles at this.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n I'm afraid-\r\n\r\nA SHOT SHATTERS the window by Eames's head- another SHOT\r\nIMPACTS by Saito-\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Get us out of here!\r\n\r\nArthur hits the gas, but a BLACK S.U.V. SKIDS sideways in\r\nfront, BLOCKING the path-\r\n\r\nA BLOCK BEHIND- Cobb is at a light. ARIADNE is getting in the\r\nfront. Cobb has HEARD the GUNFIRE-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Come on!-\r\n\r\nCobb looks ahead to the AMBUSH, hits the gas- the sedan\r\nROCKETS forwards... but BAM- A FREIGHT TRAIN CLIPS THE FRONT\r\nOF THE SEDAN, SHOVING IT SIDEWAYS AS AN ENDLESS TRAIN BARRELS\r\nPAST, A WALL BETWEEN COBB AND THE AMBUSH-\r\n 77.\r\n\r\nA SECOND S.U.V. is behind the cab- PLAIN CLOTHES SECURITY MEN\r\nadvance through the traffic, weapons trained on the cab.\r\nBullets RIP into the cab as Eames throws himself on top of\r\nFischer, PULLING a SACK over his head-\r\n\r\nInside the sedan, Ariadne watches the train passing-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n This wasn't in the design-\r\n\r\nCobb BACKS UP, SPINS around, heading for the tail of the\r\ntrain-\r\n\r\nA Security Man emerges from the front S.U.V. carrying an\r\nAUTOMATIC RIFLE- he steps towards the cab through the rain,\r\nraises his weapon and BLASTS THE CAB'S WINDSCREEN-\r\n\r\nCobb clears the end of the train, and SKIDS across the tracks-\r\n\r\nArthur CROUCHES down- PUSHES the accelerator with his HAND-\r\nYANKS the wheel- FLYING BLIND. The cab NAILS the Security\r\nMan, CRUNCHING into the front S.U.V.-\r\n\r\nCobb SMASHES his car into the rear S.U.V., creating a GAP-\r\n\r\nArthur YANKS the transmission and REVERSES- SCRAPING through\r\nthe gap- Security Men DIVE out of the way- Arthur throws a\r\nragged J-turn to head down a SIDE STREET- Cobb follows in the\r\nother car. Rain whips across Arthur's face as he BREATHES-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Everybody okay? Saito?\r\n\r\nArthur looks at Saito. Saito's hand is at his belly. Covered\r\nin BLOOD.\r\n\r\nEXT. WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nThe sedan and cab pull into the side entrance- Eames jumps\r\nout- PULLS the shutter down behind them-\r\n\r\nINT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nYusuf and Eames PULL Fischer from the cab, HUSTLING him\r\nthrough a doorway. Cobb JUMPS out of the sedan, furious.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Arthur! Arthur what the-\r\n\r\nArthur pulls the bloody Saito from the front seat.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Oh, Christ. Is he dying?\r\n 78.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\nI don't know. What happened back\r\nthere? Where were you?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nWe were blocked by a freight train.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n (to Ariadne)\r\nWhy would you put a train crossing\r\nin a downtown intersection?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\nI didn't.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (snaps)\r\nWhy were we all ambushed, Arthur?!\r\nThose weren't regular projections-\r\nthey'd been trained!\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\nHow could they be trained?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\nFischer's had an extractor teach\r\nhis mind to defend itself. His\r\nsubconscious is militarized. It\r\nshould've shown on the research-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nSo why the hell didn't it?!\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\nCalm down.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nDon't tell me to calm down-you were\r\nmeant to check Fischer's background\r\nthoroughly. You can't make this\r\nkind of mistake-we're not prepared\r\nfor this kind of violence-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\nCobb, we've dealt with sub-security\r\nbefore. We just have to be more-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\nThis wasn't part of the plan, Arthur!\r\n (points at Saito)\r\nHe's dying!\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\nSo we put him out of his misery.\r\n 79.\r\n\r\nEames steps into the room, pulls his gun and moves over\r\nSaito.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n He's in agony. Let's wake him up-\r\n\r\nCobb GRABS Eames's arm.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No!\r\n (they lock eyes)\r\n It won't wake him up.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n What do you mean, it won't wake\r\n him? When you die in a dream you\r\n wake up.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Not from this. We're too heavily\r\n sedated to wake up that way.\r\n\r\nEames looks at Yusuf, then to Cobb.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n So what happens if one of us dies?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That person doesn't wake up. Their\r\n mind drops into Limbo.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Limbo?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Unconstructed dream space.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What's down there?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Raw, infinite subconscious. Nothing\r\n there but what was left behind by\r\n anyone on the team who's been trapped\r\n there before. On this team... just\r\n Cobb.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How long would we be stuck there?\r\n 80.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n You couldn't even think about\r\n trying to escape until the sedation\r\n eases-\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n How long?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Decades-it could be infinite-I\r\n don't know! Ask him-he's the one\r\n who's been there before!\r\n\r\nEames moves to Cobb. Looks him in the eye.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Great. So now we're stuck in\r\n Fischer's mind battling it out with\r\n his private army, and if we get hit\r\n we're stuck in Limbo 'til our\r\n brains dissolve into scrambled egg?\r\n\r\nCobb says nothing. Saito groans more loudly.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Let's just get him upstairs.\r\n\r\nINT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nSaito is laid out on an old desk. Arthur examines him. He\r\nmotions to Ariadne. Eames watches Cobb.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Hold this. Firm pressure.\r\n\r\nArthur turns to Cobb.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n You knew the risks and you didn't\r\n tell us.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n There wasn't meant to be any risk.\r\n We weren't supposed to be dealing\r\n with a load of gunnre.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n You had no right.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's the only way you can go three\r\n layers deep, Arthur.\r\n\r\nArthur turns to Yusuf, hostile.\r\n 81.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n And you. You went along with this?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n I trusted him.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n You trusted him? When? When he\r\n promised you half his share?\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n (offended)\r\n No! His whole share. Plus, he told\r\n me he'd done it before.\r\n\r\nArthur turns to Cobb.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Oh, yeah? With Mal? That worked out\r\n great, didn't it, Cobb?\r\n\r\nCobb grabs Arthur.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You don't know anything about that.\r\n This was the only way to do this\r\n job, Arthur. I did what I had to do\r\n to get back to my children.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n So you led us into a war zone with\r\n no way out.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We have a way out. The kick. We\r\n just have to push on, do the job as\r\n fast as possible and get out using\r\n the kick.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Forget it. We go any deeper, we\r\n just raise the stakes. I'm sitting\r\n it out on this level.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You'll never make it, Eames.\r\n Fischer's security is surrounding\r\n this place as we speak. The ten\r\n hours of the flight is a week at\r\n this level-you'll never make it\r\n without getting killed. Downwards\r\n is the only way forwards. We have\r\n to carry on.\r\n\r\nSaito groans. Cobb looks at him-\r\n 82.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And we have to do it fast.\r\n\r\nEames and Arthur weigh this.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Eames, go get ready. Arthur, let's\r\n get in there and soften him up.\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - LATER\r\n\r\nCobb and Arthur, wearing BALACLAVAS, PULL the sack from\r\nFischer's head. He is chained to the radiator.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I'm insured against kidnapping up\r\n to ten million-this'll be simple-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, it won't.\r\n\r\nFischer looks at Cobb, unnerved.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n In. your lather's office, below the\r\n bookshelves, is his personal safe.\r\n We need the combination.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I never noticed a safe-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Doesn't mean you don't know the\r\n combination.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Well, I don't.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n We have it on good authority that\r\n you do.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Whose?\r\n\r\nINT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nYusuf looks through Fischer's wallet. Eames is opening a\r\nHINGED, THREE-WING MIRROR.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Five hundred dollars, this cost?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n What's inside?\r\n 83.\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Cash, cards, ID... and this-\r\n\r\nYusuf holds up a SNAPSHOT: the photo from Maurice Fischer's\r\noffice- YOUNG ROBERT holds his HOMEMADE PINWHEEL, his FATHER\r\nblows on it. Eames takes it from Yusuf. STUDIES it. Cobb\r\nenters. Eames hands him the snapshot.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Useful?\r\n\r\nCobb studies the snapshot. Eames examines himself in the\r\nhinged mirror from multiple angles: ONE BY ONE the myriad\r\nEames reflections BECOME BROWNINGS. Cobb pockets the photo.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You're on. You've got an hour.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n An hour? I was supposed to have all\r\n night to crack him.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And Saito was supposed to keep his\r\n guts on the inside. You've got an\r\n hour-get something we can use.\r\n\r\nEames turns from the mirror AS BROWNING. He glances at his\r\nwatch, then SCREAMS, as if begging for mercy-\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nBrowning's CRY reverberates- Fischer looks up, concerned-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n What's that?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Good authority.\r\n\r\nAnother cry rings out. Fischer recognizes the voice.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Uncle Peter?! Make them stop-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n The combination.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I don't know it!\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Why would Browning tell us you did?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Let me talk to him-I'll find out.\r\n 84.\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nCobb pushes Browning (Eames), bloody and bruised, into the\r\nroom and forces him down next to Fischer. Cobb handcuffs\r\nBrowning's wrist to a metal bracket on the side of the sink.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You've got an hour. Get talking.\r\n\r\nCobb leaves.\r\n\r\n BROWNING (EAMES)\r\n They've had me for two days.\r\n They've got someone with access to\r\n your father's office and they're\r\n trying to open his safe-they\r\n thought I'd know the combination,\r\n but I don't-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Neither do I, Uncle Peter.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n (confused)\r\n Maurice told me that after he\r\n passed only you would be able to\r\n open it.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n He never gave me the combination.\r\n\r\nBrowning thinks for a minute. Realizes something.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n He did, he just didn't tell you\r\n that it was a combination.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n What, then?\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n Something only you would know. Some\r\n meaningful combination of numbers\r\n from your experiences with Maurice-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n We didn't have a lot of meaningful\r\n experiences together.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n Perhaps after your mother died...\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n After my mother died, I went to him\r\n in my grief.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 85.\r\n FISCHER (CONT'D)\r\n You know what he told me? \"There's\r\n really nothing to be said, Robert.\"\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n He always had a hard time with\r\n emotional-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I was eleven, Uncle Peter.\r\n\r\nBrowning (Eames) takes this in.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n He loved you, Robert. In his way.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n \"In his way?\" At the end he called\r\n me to his deathbed. He could barely\r\n speak, but he took the trouble to\r\n say one last thing to me. He pulled\r\n me close... I could make out only\r\n one word. \"Disappointed.\"\r\n\r\nBrowning can say nothing.\r\n\r\nINT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb pulls off his balaclava. Looks down at Saito, who is\r\nbreathing fast, shallow.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How's he doing?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n He's in a lot of pain.\r\n\r\nCobb takes Saito's hand. Looks him in the eye.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n When we get you down to the next\r\n level, the pain will be less\r\n intense.\r\n\r\nSaito nods, breathing hard.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (low)\r\n And if he dies?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n His conscious mind will drop out of\r\n the dream. He'll be trapped in\r\n Limbo for a lifetime...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What will that do to him?\r\n 86.\r\n\r\nCobb looks at her. Grave.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n When he wakes... his mind could be\r\n completely gone.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n When... when we wake I will still\r\n honor our arrangement...\r\n\r\nCobb looks down at Saito sadly.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Saito-san, when you wake you might\r\n not even remember that we had an\r\n arrangement. You'll have forgotten\r\n this world. Limbo will be your\r\n reality. Lost there so long, you'll\r\n have become an old man...\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Filled with regret?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Waiting to die alone. Yes.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Then I'll take the chance and come\r\n back. And we'll be young men\r\n together again.\r\n\r\nSaito smiles weakly. Cobb nods at him, turns to Ariadne.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n When were you trapped in Limbo?\r\n\r\nCobb says nothing. Ariadne pulls him away from Saito.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Cobb, you might have convinced the\r\n rest of this team to carry on with\r\n the job. But they don't know the\r\n truth.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What truth?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n The truth that at any minute you\r\n might bring a freight train through\r\n the wall. The truth that Mal is\r\n bursting up through your\r\n subconscious.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 87.\r\n ARIADNE (CONT'D)\r\n The truth that as we go deeper into\r\n Fischer, we're also going deeper\r\n into you-and I'm not sure we're\r\n going to like what we find there.\r\n\r\nCobb stares back at Ariadne. Saying nothing.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n This is not just about Fischer,\r\n it's about you. Tell me what\r\n happened to you and Mal. Trapped in\r\n Limbo.\r\n\r\nCobb looks at her. Thinking it through.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We were on a job. Exploring dreams\r\n within dreams. But we didn't\r\n understand how your mind can turn\r\n hours into years. How you can get\r\n trapped. Trapped so deep that when\r\n you wash up on the shore of your\r\n subconscious...\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: MAL LIES ON THE SAND, STARING UP AT A CLOUDLESS\r\nSKY, WAVES WASHING OVER HER...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You can lose track of what's real.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How long were you stuck?\r\n\r\nCobb pauses before he answers. Looks at Ariadne.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Fifty years.\r\n\r\nAriadne stares at him, incredulous.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How did you stand it?\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: COBB AND MAL BUILD A SANDCASTLE ON THE BEACH...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We built. We created a whole world\r\n for ourselves...\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: COBB AND MAL WALK THROUGH A DESERTED CITY.\r\n COBB\r\n It's not so bad at first, being\r\n gods. The problem is knowing that\r\n it's not real. It became impossible\r\n for me to live like that.\r\n 88.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n But not for her?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n She accepted it. At some point...\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT:\r\n\r\nINT. MAL'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\r\n\r\nMal opens a DOLL'S HOUSE. Inside is a SAFE. She opens it- it\r\nis empty. She pulls out her SPINNING TOP.\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n ...she'd decided to forget that our\r\n world wasn't real.\r\n\r\nMal places the top inside the safe. LOCKS IT AWAY...\r\nINT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n And when you finally woke up?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n To wake from that. From decades\r\n lived. To be old souls thrown back\r\n into youth. It was hard. At first\r\n Mal seemed okay. But I started to\r\n realize something was wrong.\r\n Finally she admitted it. This idea\r\n she was possessed by. This simple\r\n little idea that changed\r\n everything...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What was it?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That our world was not real. No\r\n matter what I did, no matter what I\r\n said, she was convinced that we\r\n were still in a dream. That we\r\n needed to wake up again...\r\n\r\nINT. COBB AND MAL'S KITCHEN - DAY (FLASHBACK)\r\n\r\nCobb is trying to calm Mal, who is hysterical.\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n That to get home we'd have to kill\r\n ourselves.\r\n\r\nINT. WORKSHOP - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne looks at Cobb, appalled.\r\n 89.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What about your children?\r\n\r\nCobb has to look away.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n She... she believed they weren't\r\n real. That our real children were\r\n waiting. Somewhere above...\r\n\r\nINT. COBB AND MAL'S KITCHEN - DAY (FLASHBACK)\r\n\r\nMal shakes her head at Cobb as he USHERS the children out of\r\nthe room, FACES UNSEEN-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Calm down, Mal-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n They're projections, Dom. Your\r\n dreams. I'm their mother-don't you\r\n think I can tell the difference?\r\n\r\nCobb closes the door- turns to her, eyes full of bitter\r\ntears.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n If it's my dream then why can't I\r\n control it? Why can't I stop this?\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n (it's obvious)\r\n You don't know you're dreaming.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You keep telling me I am-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n And you don't believe me!\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n She was certain. But she loved me\r\n too much to go without me. So she\r\n made a plan...\r\n\r\nINT. ELEGANT HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)\r\n\r\nCobb walks along, checking door numbers against a key.\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n For our anniversary...\r\n\r\nINT. ELEGANT HOTEL SUITE - CONTINUOUS (FLASHBACK)\r\n\r\nCobb enters the lavish suite. He notices the DISHEVELED\r\nBEDCLOTHES.\r\n 90.\r\n\r\nHe steps forwards- SMASH- he has tipped over a champagne\r\nglass with his foot... dinner for two is SPREAD ACROSS THE\r\nFLOOR. He looks at the DEBRIS, confused... next to the broken\r\nglass is a SPINNING TOP. He picks it up, studying it,\r\nthinking. He feels a draught, looks to the window. The\r\nCURTAIN BILLOWS.\r\n\r\nEXT. EXTERIOR ATRIUM - CONTINUOUS (FLASHBACK)\r\n\r\nCobb looks out the window: Mal sits on the ledge of the\r\nopposite window. HAIR BLOWING. Feet dangling over the\r\ndizzyingly high atrium. She smiles.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Join me.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Mal, come back inside.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n No. I'm going to jump. And you're\r\n coming with me.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, I'm not. This is real-if you\r\n jump, you're not going to wake up,\r\n you're going to die. Let's go back\r\n inside and talk about this, please.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n We've talked enough.\r\n\r\nShe KICKS off a shoe and watches it DROP.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Come out onto the ledge or I'll\r\n jump right now.\r\n\r\nShe means it. Cobb swings his legs out, sitting on the ledge\r\nopposite is wife. He looks down at the drop.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n I'm asking you to take a leap of\r\n faith.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I can't do that, Mal. I can't leave\r\n our children.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n If I go without you, they'll take\r\n them away, anyway.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What do you mean?\r\n 91.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n I filed a letter with our attorney.\r\n Explaining how I'm fearful for my\r\n safety, how you've threatened to\r\n kill me...\r\n\r\nCobb looks back at the wrecked hotel suite, PANICKING...\r\n\r\n MAL (CONT'D)\r\n I love you, Dom. I've freed you\r\n from the guilt of choosing to leave\r\n them. We're going home to our real\r\n children.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Out children are here, Mal.\r\n\r\nMal CLOSES HER EYES. Cobb looks for some way to reach her...\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You're waiting for a train...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n NO! MAL, NO, I CAN'T!\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n A train that will take you far\r\n away...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n DON'T DO THIS!\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You know where you hope this train\r\n will take you, you can't know for\r\n sure...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n DON'T!\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n But it doesn't matter...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n NO!\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Because you'll be together...\r\n\r\nMal SLIPS FORWARD INTO SPACE. Cobb SCREAMS after her. Then\r\ntries to bury his face in the wall...\r\n\r\nINT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb stares as he remembers.\r\n 92.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n He letter to the authorities\r\n refuted all the claims about her\r\n sanity that she knew I'd make...\r\n\r\nINT. COBB AND MAL'S KITCHEN - DAY (FLASHBACK)\r\n\r\nCobb stands with the Thin Man, who has a piece of paper.\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n She'd had herself declared sane by\r\n three different psychiatrists.\r\n\r\nCobb hears a SHOUT- turns to the garden. James CROUCHES,\r\nPhilippa joins him, examining the ground, FACES UNSEEN...\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.) (CONT'D)\r\n It was impossible for me to explain\r\n the nature of her madness...\r\n\r\nThe Thin Man thrusts the paper into Cobb's hand.\r\n\r\n THIN MAN\r\n Right now. Or never, Cobb.\r\n\r\nCobb turns back to the window- about to call out- James and\r\nPhilippa RUN OFF. Cobb turns from the window. Looks at the\r\npaper in his hand. It is an AIRPLANE TICKET.\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n So I ran. And I've been running\r\n ever since, trying to buy my way\r\n back to my family...\r\n\r\nINT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb looks across at Ariadne.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Psychiatrists judged her sane?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n She was sane. She was just lost in\r\n the labyrinth.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Then why should you blame yourself?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Because we were a family. And we\r\n had a life I would do anything to\r\n get back to now. But that reality\r\n wasn't enough for me then.\r\n 93.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n It might have been your idea to\r\n push the limits, Cobb. But you're\r\n not responsible for the idea that\r\n destroyed her. The idea that her\r\n world wasn't real... that was her\r\n own idea from her own mind.\r\n\r\nCobb says nothing.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE (CONT'D)\r\n Your guilt defines her. Powers her.\r\n If we're going to succeed in this,\r\n you're going to have to forgive\r\n yourself, and you're going to have\r\n to confront her. But you don't have\r\n to do it alone.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You don't have to do this for me-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I'm doing it for the others. They\r\n don't know the risk they've taken\r\n coming in here with you.\r\n\r\nCobb looks at the rooftop opposite, sees a SNIPER take up a\r\nposition. Cobb shakes his head, frustrated.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We can't stay here. Arthur?!\r\n\r\nINT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nBrowning puts his hand on Fischer's shoulder.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n These people are going to kill us\r\n if we don't give them the\r\n combination.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n They won't, they'll try to ransom\r\n us-\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n I heard them-they're going to lock\r\n us in and run the can into the\r\n river.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n What is in the safe?\r\n 94.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n Something for you. Maurice always\r\n said it was his most previous\r\n gift... a will.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Maurice's will is with Port and\r\n Dunn.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n It's an alternate. It supersedes\r\n the other only if you want it to.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n What does it say?\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n It splits all the component\r\n businesses of Fischer Morrow into\r\n individual companies, transferring\r\n ownership to the boards of those\r\n companies...\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Leaving me nothing?\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n A basic living. Nothing more. The\r\n entire empire would cease to exist.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Destroy my own inheritance? Why\r\n would he suggest such a thing?\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n I don't know, Robert.\r\n\r\nCobb OPENS the door. Arthur is behind him.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Come to your senses?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Let us go. I don't know the\r\n combination. Not consciously.\r\n\r\nCobb considers this. Opens his phone. Pulls out his gun.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Let's try instinctively. I have\r\n someone standing in your father's\r\n office ready to tap in a\r\n combination.\r\n\r\nHe holds the phone to Fischer's mouth.\r\n 95.\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n First six numbers that come into\r\n your head. Right now.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I have no idea-\r\n\r\nCobb SWINGS the gun onto Browning-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n RIGHT NOW!\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Five, two, eight... four, nine,\r\n one.\r\n\r\nCobb lowers his weapon. Listens to the phone. Shakes his\r\nhead. Shuts the phone.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You'll have to do better. Bag `em.\r\n\r\nArthur puts SACKS over their heads.\r\n\r\nINT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb and Arthur drag Fischer and Browning to the van-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n We're worth much more to you\r\n alive...\r\n\r\nArthur places Fischer on the back seat- uses a DROPPER to\r\ndrop LIQUID onto Fischer's mask- his head SLUMPS FORWARDS.\r\n\"Browning\" yanks the sack from his head- it is now EAMES.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n (excited)\r\n His relationship with his father's\r\n much worse that we thought.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n That helps us?\r\n\r\nArthur pulls a SNIPER RIFLE from a case by the van.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n The stronger the issues, the more\r\n powerful the catharsis.\r\n\r\nCobb motions for Yusuf to follow his upstairs.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n But how do you reconcile them if\r\n they're that estranged?\r\n 96.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n I'm working on that.\r\n\r\nArthur lines up a shot through the window-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Well, work fast-Fischer's\r\n projections are closing in quick,\r\n we need to break out of here before\r\n we're totally boxed in...\r\n\r\nArthur SHOOTS two snipers. Cobb and Yusuf gently load Saito\r\ninto the van. He groans. Ariadne straps him in, checks his\r\nbandages. Arthur can't get the last sniper- he's too hidden\r\nbehind a wall-\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Shouldn't be afraid to dream a\r\n little bigger, Arthur-\r\n\r\nEames lines up a shot with a grenade launcher. Fires- the\r\nsniper EXPLODES into the air- Arthur looks at Eames.\r\n\r\n EAMES (CONT'D)\r\n Shall we?\r\n\r\nThey climb into the van-\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY STREETS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe van pulls out into the rain-drenched streets. Arthur\r\nopens the mechanism case and hands out tubes-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Shifting Fischer's antipathy from\r\n his father onto Browning should\r\n work.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n We need the imagery, the words...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n So you destroy his one positive\r\n relationship?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. We repair his relationship with\r\n his father and expose his\r\n godfather's true nature.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Hell, we should be charging Fischer\r\n as much as Saito.\r\n 97.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n What about his security? It's going\r\n to get worse as we go deeper.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We bring in Mr. Charles.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n No.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Who's Mr. Charles?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n A bad idea.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Arthur, the second we approach\r\n Fischer in that hotel, they're\r\n gonna mow us down-we run with Mr.\r\n Charles like on the Stein job.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n So you've done it before?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Sure. But it didn't work. The\r\n subject realized he was dreaming\r\n and his subconscious tore us to\r\n pieces.\r\n\r\nEames takes this in.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n You learned a lot, though. Right?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (to Eames)\r\n I'll need a decoy.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n No problem. How about a pretty\r\n young lady I've used before?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Fine-\r\n\r\nCobb looks back: a second S.U.V. pulls out, tailing them.\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n (to Yusuf)\r\n I know you've got to stay ahead of\r\n them, but drive with kid gloves,\r\n okay? The world down there is going\r\n to be very unstable-\r\n 98.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n And don't make the jump too soon-\r\n that kick is our only way back, we\r\n have to be ready to catch it-\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n I'll use the music to let you know\r\n when it's coming, but the rest is\r\n up to you.\r\n\r\nArthur puts the mechanism onto the front seat.\r\n\r\n YUSUF (CONT'D)\r\n Everyone ready?\r\n\r\nNods all round.\r\n\r\n YUSUF (CONT'D)\r\n Sweet dreams-\r\n\r\nYusuf hits a button and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - SUNSET\r\n\r\nFischer nurses a drink. Staring at the ice cracking.\r\n\r\n BLONDE (O.S.)\r\n Am I boring you?\r\n\r\nFischer looks up. A beautiful BLONDE is next to him.\r\n\r\n BLONDE (CONT'D)\r\n I was telling you my story. I guess\r\n it wasn't to your liking.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I have a lot on my mind.\r\n\r\nFischer looks around the bar. There are several STERN-LOOKING\r\nCHARACTERS paying him too much attention.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur and Ariadne sit at a table across the lobby. They spot\r\nCobb moving across the lobby towards Fischer.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n And there goes Mr. Charles.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Who or what, exactly, is Mr.\r\n Charles?\r\n 99.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n It's a gambit designed to turn\r\n Fischer against his own\r\n subconscious.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb approaches the bar, watched closely by Fischer's Sub-\r\nsecurity.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Mr. Fishcer! Good to see you again.\r\n Rod Green, Marketing.\r\n (to Blonde)\r\n And you must be...\r\n\r\n BLONDE\r\n Leaving.\r\n\r\nShe presses against Fischer as she slides off her stool and\r\ndeposits a cocktail napkin in front of him.\r\n\r\n BLONDE (CONT'D)\r\n In case you get bored.\r\n\r\nCobb watches her walk away. The Sub-security FOLLOWS her.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I think you just got blown off...\r\n unless her phone number really does\r\n have only six digits.\r\n\r\nFischer glances at the napkin: \"528-491.\"\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur watches the Sub-security follow the Blonde.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n And why don't you approve?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Because it involves telling the\r\n mark that he's dreaming. Which\r\n involves attracting a lot of\r\n attention to us.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Didn't Cobb say never to do that?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n You must've noticed by now how much\r\n time Cobb spends doing things he\r\n says never to do.\r\n 100.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb turns to Fischer.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Strange way to make friends.\r\n (off look)\r\n Lifting your wallet, I mean.\r\n\r\nFischer pats his pocket. Empty. He looks to the lobby where\r\nhe sees the Sub-security trailing the Blonde.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Goddamn it. The wallet alone's\r\n worth-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Five hundred bucks. I know. Don't\r\n worry, my guys are on it.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Who did you say you were?\r\n\r\nFischer looks at him, curious. Cobb plows on, confident-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I said I was Rod Green from\r\n Marketing-but I'm not. My name is\r\n Mr. Charles. I might seem familiar\r\n to you. I'm in charge of your\r\n security here.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe Blonde hurries up to Saito, emerging from the elevator-\r\n\r\n BLONDE\r\n Mr. Saito, can I have a minute?\r\n\r\nShe pushes him back into the elevator, closing the door as\r\nthe Sub-security approaches...\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe Blonde fondles Saito's lapels, getting close.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n I'm sorry, but...\r\n\r\nSaito glances over her shoulder to see, in the tunnel of\r\ninfinite reflections created by the elevator's opposing\r\nmirrors, three reflections in, THE BLONDE IS EAMES. He winks.\r\n\r\n SAITO (CONT'D)\r\n (pushing him away)\r\n Very amusing, Mr. Eames.\r\n 101.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n You look a bit perkier.\r\n\r\nA SHUDDER ripples through the elevator.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Turbulence on the plane.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Feels closer. That's Yusuf's\r\n driving.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY DOWNTOWN STREETS - DAY\r\n\r\nYusuf FIGHTS the wheel as the van CUTS DOWN AN ALLEY, BUMPING\r\nOVER POTHOLES and SMASHING TRASH CANS aside- THREE S.U.V.s IN\r\nFURIOUS PURSUIT. Yusuf looks in the rear view mirror,\r\nFRUSTRATED. He checks his WATCH, then checks the back: the\r\nSLEEPERS SHAKE with the impact and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nAs a TREMOR echoes through the bar Fischer looks at Cobb\r\ntrying to place him.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Security? You work for the hotel?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. My specialty is subconscious\r\n security.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n You're talking about dreams. You're\r\n talking about extraction.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Exactly. My job is to protect\r\n you...\r\n\r\nBehind Fischer a WAITER puts down a tray- tipping a champagne\r\nglass over- SMASH- Cobb NOTICES. Pauses, looks across the bar-\r\nHIS TWO CHILDREN ARE CROUCHED, BACKS TOWARDS US...\r\n\r\nCobb looks around the bar, the patrons start to STARE at\r\nCobb, suspicious- Cobb shifts back to Fischer-\r\n 102.\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n My job is to protect you from any\r\n attempt to access your mind through\r\n your dreams.\r\n\r\nCobb regains his patter- the patrons lose interest...\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames pulls out Fischer's wallet, moves to hand it to Saito,\r\nthen PAUSES, opens it, leafs past the cast to find... The\r\nSNAPSHOT: young Robert holding his HOMEMADE PINWHEEL, his\r\nfather blowing on it. The elevator doors open and Eames steps\r\noff. HANDS Saito the wallet.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Get off at a different floor and\r\n keep moving. Dump the wallet, then\r\n meet me in the lobby. The security\r\n will try to track it down. We need\r\n to buy Cobb a little more time.\r\n\r\nThe doors close. Saito puts the wallet in his pocket. He\r\nCOUGHS- a deep, nasty cough.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb looks over Fischer's shoulder to see a SUITED MAN\r\nwatching him. Another MAN is walking in from the lobby.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You're not safe here.\r\n\r\nCobb steps away from the bar. Fischer does not move.\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n Trust me. They're coming for you.\r\n\r\nFischer sizes him up, A CLAP OF THUNDER ECHOES, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY DOWNTOWN STREETS - DAY\r\n\r\nGUNSHOTS BLAST out the rear and side windows of the van- a\r\nSecurity Man is leaning out of the lead S.U.V. With a SHOTGUN-\r\n\r\nWIND AND RAIN RIP THROUGH THE VAN- in the back, ARTHUR'S\r\nSLEEPING FACE IS WHIPPED BY THE SPRAY, AND WE-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - SUNSET\r\n\r\nFischer looks out the windows at sudden, HURRICANE-LIKE RAIN-\r\n 103.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Strange weather, huh?\r\n\r\nA TREMOR runs through the bar- Cobb looks around-\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n You feel that?\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne and Arthur watch the GUSTS OF WIND RATTLE the\r\nwindows. Arthur sees HOTEL GUESTS staring out at the weather,\r\nPUZZLED. Several of them TURN TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT ARTHUR.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What's happening?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Cobb's drawing Fischer's attention\r\n to the strangeness of the dream.\r\n That's making his subconscious look\r\n for the dreamer. For me.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY STREETS - DAY\r\n\r\nAt the end of the alley- Yusuf THROWS the van into a HARD\r\nRIGHT TURN- we move into EXTREME SLOW MOTION... THE SLEEPERS\r\nIN THE BACK ARE DRAWN TO ONE SIDE OF THE VAN BY THE\r\nCENTRIFUGAL FORCE... and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe liquid in Fischer's drink RISES UP AGAINST ONE SIDE OF\r\nTHE GLASS- Fischer notices, confused.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Very odd-the weather, the\r\n gravity...\r\n\r\nFischer looks around the bar- it's as if THE ENTIRE ROOM IS\r\nSET AT A 45-DEGREE ANGLE- glasses SLIDING off tables...\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n But I can explain all this. You've\r\n actually been trained for this.\r\n (Fischer nods)\r\n Think of the strangeness of the\r\n weather, the shifts in gravity.\r\n None of this is real...\r\n (MORE)\r\n 104.\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n (beat)\r\n We're in a dream.\r\n\r\nFischer looks at the room around them. Back to Cobb. All\r\nthrough the bar, patrons turn to look at Cobb IN UNISON.\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n The simplest test of what I'm\r\n saying is for you to try and\r\n remember anything about the way you\r\n arrived in this hotel... okay?\r\n\r\nFischer stares at Cobb, trying to process this. All around\r\nthem, people STARE at Cobb. Several get up as if to approach.\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n Breathe. Remember the training.\r\n Accept the fact that we're in a\r\n dream. That's why I'm here\r\n protecting you.\r\n\r\nAs Fischer considers this we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY STREETS - DAY\r\n\r\nYusuf STRAIGHTENS UP the van, RACING down the street,\r\nswerving through traffic and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - EVENING\r\n\r\nThe building gradually EASES BACK INTO ALIGNMENT-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n So you... you're not real?\r\n\r\nThe bar patrons start to ignore Cobb again.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. I'm a projection of your\r\n subconscious. I was put in place to\r\n protect you in the event that\r\n extractors pulled you into a dream.\r\n I believe that's what has happened.\r\n\r\nFischer takes this in. Then looks at the Security Men\r\napproaching across the crooked floor, he nods at Cobb-\r\n 105.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY - EVENING\r\n\r\nCobb escorts Fischer across the lobby. As he does so, he\r\nwalks past the two CHILDREN, backs to us- Cobb ignores them-\r\nThe two Sub-security fall in behind. Cobb hurries Fischer up\r\nthe stairs- then PUSHES him into-\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nFischer stumbles in- turns to Cobb, angry-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Hey-\r\n\r\nCobb reaches into his jacket- the First Man BURSTS in- Cobb\r\nKICKS him to the ground- DRAWS his gun as the SECOND MAN\r\ncomes through the door, moving towards Fischer-\r\n\r\nBLAM! Cobb BLASTS the Second Man in the back- TURNS and\r\nSHOOTS the First Man.\r\n\r\n FISCHER (CONT'D)\r\n Jesus Christ! What are you doing?!\r\n\r\nCobb turns to Fischer, calm. Convincing.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Look at the gun in his hand.\r\n\r\nFischer looks: the Second Man was holding a pistol. Cobb\r\nopens the First Man's jacket to show Fischer his holster and\r\nsidearm.\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n These men were sent to abduct you.\r\n\r\nCobb pulls out the gun and HANDS it to Fischer.\r\n\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n If I'm going to help you, I need\r\n you to be calm.\r\n\r\nFischer remembers something.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n If this is a dream, I have to kill\r\n myself and wake up-\r\n\r\nFischer raises the gun towards his head-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I wouldn't do that-they've probably\r\n got you sedated. If you pull that\r\n trigger, you might not wake up, you\r\n might drop into a lower dream\r\n state.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 106.\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n Mr. Fischer, you know all this, you\r\n just have to remember it...\r\n\r\nFischer lowers his gun.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito walks down the corridor, followed by a Security Man.\r\nSaito DUCKS around the corner, moves to a GARBAGE CHUTE and\r\nDROPS Fischer's WALLET into it. He SLIPS into the stairwell\r\nas the Security Man comes abreast of the chute and pauses.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur leads Ariadne to a particular room: 491.\r\n\r\nINT. ROOM 491 - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur leads Ariadne in. He opens the closet, opens the room\r\nsafe, pulls our FOUR BRICKS OF PLASTIC EXPLOSIVE.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n So, if everything's correct, this\r\n room should be directly below 528.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb looks reassuringly at Fischer.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What do you remember from before\r\n this dream?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n (thinking)\r\n Rain... gunfire... Uncle Peter.\r\n (looks up)\r\n Christ-we've been kidnapped.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Where were they holding you?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n They had us... in the back of a\r\n van...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Your body's bouncing around in the\r\n back of a van right now-that\r\n explains the gravity shifts.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n It was... to do with a safe...\r\n Christ, why's it so hard to\r\n remember?\r\n 107.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's like trying to remember a\r\n dream after you've woken up. It\r\n takes years of practice to do it\r\n easily. So, you and Browning have\r\n been pulled into this dream so they\r\n can steal something from your mind.\r\n What?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n They wanted a combination to a\r\n safe... they demanded the first\r\n numbers to pop into my head.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That's them extracting a locator.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n A locator?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n A number from your own\r\n subconscious. It can be used any\r\n number of ways...\r\n (thinking)\r\n This is a hotel. Room numbers. What\r\n was the number you gave them?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n 5, 2... something... it was a long\r\n number. 528... 528, 4 something.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (opens phone)\r\n Well, we know where to start.\r\n (into phone)\r\n Fifth floor.\r\n\r\nINT. ROOM 491 - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur hangs up the phone. He is standing on a chair,\r\nattaching the explosives to the ceiling.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Do you use a timer?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n No, I have to judge it myself. Once\r\n you're all asleep up in room 528, I\r\n wait `til Yusuf starts his kick...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How will you know?\r\n 108.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n His music warns me it's coming,\r\n then the van hitting the barrier of\r\n the bridge should be unmistakable-\r\n that's when I blow the floor out\r\n from underneath us and we get a\r\n nice synchronized kick. Too soon,\r\n and we won't get pulled out; too\r\n late and I won't be able to drop\r\n us.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why not?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n The van will be in free fall. I\r\n can't drop us with no gravity.\r\n\r\nArthur finishes setting the charges.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito moves through the lobby. Browning is coming in the\r\nother direction. Saito assumes him to be Eames.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n I see you've changed.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n I'm sorry?\r\n\r\nEames comes up behind Browning, catching Saito's eye.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n I'm... I mistook you for a friend.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n Good-looking fellow, I'm sure.\r\n\r\nBrowning moves off. Saito approaches Eames.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n That's Fischer's projection of\r\n Browning. We'll keep an eye on how\r\n he behaves-\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n How he acts will tell us if\r\n Fischer's starting to suspect his\r\n motives the way we want him to.\r\n 109.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR, FIFTH FLOOR - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nCobb leads Fischer around a corner. Arthur and Ariadne are\r\nwaiting in the corridor.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They work for me.\r\n\r\nFischer starts looking at room numbers. Stops at 528. Cobb\r\ndraws his gun, steps back from the door and KICKS it open.\r\n\r\nINT. ROOM 528 - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb JUMPS into the room, gun up. The room is empty. Arthur\r\nand Ariadne search the room. Saito and Eames arrive. Eames\r\nshuts the door. Arthur FINDS something-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Mr. Charles!\r\n\r\nArthur holds up a MECHANISM CASE. Cobb shows it to Fischer.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You know what this is?\r\n\r\nFischer's eyes roam over the dials and plungers.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I think so. But I don't understand.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They were going to put you under.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I'm already under.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Under again.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n A dream within a dream?\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Shhhh!\r\n\r\nArthur is at the door. Someone is there. A key goes into the\r\nlock- the door starts to open- Arthur REACHES OVER and GRABS\r\nthe person entering, THROWS THEM TO THE FLOOR- puts his gun\r\nin their face. IT IS BROWNING.\r\n\r\nFischer stares, disbelieving, at his own godfather.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Uncle Peter. What's going on?\r\n\r\nCobb pulls the key from Browning's hand: ROOM 528.\r\n 110.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You said you were kidnapped\r\n together?\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n Not exactly, they already had him.\r\n They'd been torturing him...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You saw them torture him?\r\n\r\nFischer shakes his head. Looks at Browning. Thinking.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n The kidnappers are working for you.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n No, Robert-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n You're trying to get that safe\r\n open. To get the alternate will.\r\n\r\nBrowning looks up at Fischer.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n Fischer Morrow's been my entire\r\n life. I can't let you destroy it.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I'm not going to throw away my\r\n inheritance. Why would I?\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n I couldn't take the chance of you\r\n rising to your father's final\r\n taunt.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n What taunt?\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n That will. I'm sorry, Robert, but\r\n it's his final insult. A challenge\r\n to build something for yourself.\r\n He's telling you that you aren't\r\n worthy of his achievements.\r\n\r\nFischer takes this in. Devastated.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n That he was \"disappointed?\"\r\n 111.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n I'm so sorry. But he was wrong.\r\n You'll make his company even\r\n greater than he ever could.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Your godfather's lying, Robert.\r\n\r\nFischer turns to Cobb.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n How do you know?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's what I do. He's hiding\r\n something.\r\n\r\nCobb looks at Browning.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Let's find out what.\r\n\r\nCobb nods at Arthur, who starts unpacking the mechanism.\r\nBrowning watches. Silent.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Let's do to him what he was going\r\n to do to you.\r\n\r\nCobb rolls up his sleeve. Nods at Fischer to do the same.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We'll penetrate his subconscious\r\n and find out what he doesn't want\r\n you to know.\r\n\r\nFischer looks Cobb in the eye. Decides- rolls up his sleeve,\r\noffering his bare arm. The team run tubes to each other-\r\nArthur injects Fischer, whose head slumps.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n He's out.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Wait, Cobb-I'm lost. Whose\r\n subconscious are we going into?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Fischer's. I told him it was\r\n Browning's so he'd come with us as\r\n part of our team.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n (impressed)\r\n He's going to help us break into\r\n his own subconscious.\r\n 112.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That's the idea. He'll think that\r\n his security is Browning's and\r\n fight them to learn the truth about\r\n his father.\r\n\r\nArthur hits buttons on the mechanism. The team goes out one\r\nby one. Cobb is last.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Fischer's subconscious is going to\r\n run you down hard.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I'll lead them on a merry chase.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Be back in time for the kick.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n I'm on it.\r\n\r\nCobb is no longer listening- he stares at the net curtains,\r\nBILLOWING like those in Mal's suite- a GLIMPSE of someone\r\n(Mal?) As the screen goes WHITE, and we are-\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY\r\n\r\nCLOSE ON Cobb's face, staring. Fixed.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE (O.S.)\r\n Cobb? Cobb?\r\n\r\nAriadne is beside him. They stand on a cliff, dressed in\r\nwhite snowsuits, carrying white-painted weapons like WWII\r\ncommandos. Cobb checks his SNIPER RIFLE, examines their\r\nobjective: a massive FORTIFIED MEDICAL FACILITY a mile below.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What's down there?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Hopefully, the truth we want\r\n Fischer to learn.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I meant what's down there for you?\r\n\r\nCobb turns to her. Eames, Saito and Fischer arrive, SKIING\r\ndown from the hill above. Cobb pulls Eames out of Fischer's\r\nearshot.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You're the dreamer. I need you to\r\n draw the security away from the\r\n complex.\r\n 113.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Then who guides Fischer in? You?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n If I know the route... we could be\r\n compromised.\r\n\r\nEames looks as Cobb, uneasy. Ariadne comes over.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I designed the place.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. You're with me.\r\n\r\n SAITO (O.S.)\r\n I could do it.\r\n\r\nThey turn to Saito. Saito shrugs at Eames. Eames smiles.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Eames, brief Saito on the route\r\n into the complex. What we're\r\n looking for is going to be in the\r\n most heavily fortified section.\r\n That north tower.\r\n\r\nCobb moves to Fischer. Saito COUGHS. SPITS. Eames sees BLOOD\r\non the snow. Looks at Saito.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Mr. Fischer, you're going in with\r\n Mr. Saito.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n You're not coming in?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You have to do this on your own.\r\n You have to get in there, break\r\n into your godfather's mind and find\r\n out the truth about your father.\r\n\r\nCobb taps Fischer's radio mike.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Keep this live at all times. I'll\r\n be listening in, covering you.\r\n (holds up the sniper\r\n rifle)\r\n The windows on the upper floors are\r\n big enough that I can cover you\r\n from that south tower.\r\n 114.\r\n\r\nCobb slips into his skis, shoulders his rifle.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ROOM 528 - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur checks the mechanism. He hears LOW BOOMS like thunder.\r\nHe checks his watch- THE SECOND HAND CRAWLS FORWARDS. With a\r\nlast look at the sleepers, he heads out into the corridor...\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY DOWNTOWN STREETS - DAY\r\n\r\nA GUNSHOT slams into the van as Yusuf DRIVES- he glances back\r\nto see a MOTORCYCLE pulling up behind him, the REAR PASSENGER\r\nFIRING A SHOTGUN- the bike pulls alongside Yusuf's window as\r\nthe passenger RELOADS- Yusuf YANKS the wheel TOWARDS the\r\nbike, bringing the shotgun barrel into the cab so he can GRAB\r\nit, spin the wheel back- PULLING the passenger from the back\r\nof the bike... Yusuf turns a corner, heading into a disused\r\nMARKET-\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur walks towards the elevator. It OPENS- a SECURITY MAN\r\nemerges, heading right for him. Arthur takes a TURN, speeding\r\nup. The BOOMS are louder, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY DOWNTOWN STREETS - DAY\r\n\r\nThe bike crosses behind the van, catching up again as the\r\ndriver pulls a handgun and starts BLASTING. Up ahead, an\r\nS.U.V. sits in a side road, lining up to head off the van-\r\nthe SECURITY MAN driving the S.U.V. guns it, as the bike\r\ncreeps up on the other side of the van- Yusuf HITS THE\r\nBRAKES, forcing the bike out into the path of the S.U.V.,\r\ntossing the rider like a rag doll-\r\n\r\nHeading out of the market, the van races onto a FREEWAY ON\r\nRAMP, approaching the BRIDGE. An S.U.V. SMASHES into the\r\nvan's side, FORCING it up against a CRASH BARRIER... the van\r\nstarts to SLOWLY TILT OVER THE BARRIER as the S.U.V. PUSHES-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nAs Arthur hurries down the corridor, the corridor starts to\r\nTILT, and Arthur is forced to run UP ONTO THE WALL- he rounds\r\na corner- STRAIGHT INTO another Security Man- Arthur HEAD\r\nBUTTS him and they STRUGGLE- as they struggle, the corridor\r\nSPINS around, THROWING THEM UP ONTO THE WALLS, THE CEILING-\r\nas wall becomes floor they DROP through a door into-\r\n 115.\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe fight continues all over the spinning room- and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY OFF RAMP NEAR BRIDGE - DAY\r\n\r\nSLEEPING ARTHUR BOUNCES around as the van TILTS, SCRAPING\r\nalong the barrier- the van CLEARS THE END OF THE BARRIER AND\r\nROLLS DOWN THE EMBANKMENT, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur and the Security Man DROP to the floor, Arthur on top.\r\nArthur gets up- heads to the stairwell.\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY STREETS NEAR BRIDGE - DAY\r\n\r\nThe van SETTLES with a thump. Yusuf BREATHES hard. Then\r\nSMILES as he realizes he is in one piece. A RINGING BELL up\r\nahead makes him look up to the bridge, where the barriers are\r\nstarting to come down. Yusuf checks his watch-\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Bugger.\r\n\r\nYusuf hits the gas, heading for the bridge. An S.U.V. lines\r\nup behind him, trying to catch up before the van crosses the\r\nbarrier onto the bridge-\r\n\r\nThe van JUST MAKES IT- the S.U.V. behind RIPS its read axle\r\noff, SCRAPING to a halt on the rising section. The Security\r\nMan inside starts FIRING on the van...\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur RACES down the steps- OPENS the door to the fourth\r\nfloor- spots SECURITY MEN outside room 491.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Hey!\r\n\r\nThey TURN- he DARTS back into the stairwell- RACES down the\r\nstairs- the Security Men follow- they start SHOOTING, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY\r\n\r\nEames SKIS down within sight of the hospital complex. He\r\nreaches into his pack and lets off a FLARE.\r\n 116.\r\n\r\nEXT. HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSecurity Men on the ramparts spot the flare and send PATROLS\r\nout on skis and SNOWMOBILES to investigate.\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames watches them close in, then launches himself down the\r\nmountain, STREAKING across the icy slope, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY RISING BRIDGE - DAY\r\n\r\nYusuf PULLS FORWARD, looking over his shoulder to line up a\r\nBACKWARDS RUN at the edge. He DUCKS as vicious FIRE from the\r\nS.U.V. HAMMERS the vehicle. He looks at his watch. The SECOND\r\nHAND TICKING SLOWLY...\r\n\r\n YUSUF\r\n Sod it. I hope your ready.\r\n\r\nHe grabs an MP3 player and reaches into the back to place\r\nHEADPHONES on sleeping Arthur's head. As he does so, he\r\nnotices Saito's bandage BLEEDING THROUGH. Yusuf hits PLAY-\r\nEdith Piaf's \"Non, je ne regrette rien\" starts up and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL STAIRWELL - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur STOPS, hearing something- MASSIVE LOW-END MUSICAL\r\nTONES- he looks up PANICKED-\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n No, Yusuf. Too soon!\r\n\r\nSHOTS slam into the stairs around him and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb and Ariadne make their way down towards the complex.\r\n\r\n EAMES (OVER RADIO)\r\n Cobb? Are you hearing that?\r\n\r\nCobb listens. The wind sounds unusually LOW.\r\n\r\nEXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames is hidden at the base of some trees, whispering as a\r\npatrol passes beneath his position.\r\n 117.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n I noticed it twenty minutes ago-at\r\n first I thought it was just wind...\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb is listening intently. The \"wind\" changes pitch.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, it's music. Dammit.\r\n\r\n EAMES (OVER RADIO)\r\n What do we do?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We move fast. Saito, did you copy?\r\n\r\nEXT. MOUNTAINS, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito and Fischer CLIMB down a CLIFF FACE above the complex-\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n We're going as fast as we can.\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne looks at Cobb, concerned.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How long do we have?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yusuf's about ten seconds from the\r\n jump, which gives Arthur about\r\n three minutes, which gives us about-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Sixty minutes.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n The route you gave them, can they\r\n do it in under an hour?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I don't think so. They've still got\r\n to climb down to the middle\r\n terrace.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They need a new route-a direct\r\n route.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n The building's designed as a\r\n labyrinth.\r\n 118.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n There must be access routes that\r\n cut through the maze.\r\n (into radio)\r\n Eames?\r\n\r\nEXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames cannot answer- he SLALOMS through the forest, Sub-\r\nsecurity in hot pursuit, bullets smashing into the trunks...\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb turns to Ariadne.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Did Eames add any features?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Yes.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What did he add?\r\n\r\nAriadne looks at Cobb.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n I shouldn't tell you. If Mal-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n There's no time-what did he add?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Utility closets, trap doors...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What about service features? Did he\r\n add any large pipes or-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Ducts. He added an air duct system-\r\n it doesn't follow the maze. They\r\n can use it to go straight from the\r\n outer walls to the upper tower.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Explain it to them.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (into radio)\r\n Saito?\r\n\r\nEXT. CLIFF FACE BEHIND COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito is using a hammer to tap in a belay.\r\n 119.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Go ahead.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY RAISED BRIDGE - DAY\r\n\r\nYusuf looks at the Security Man in the S.U.V., gives him the\r\nfinger and hits the GAS- RACING BACKWARDS at the barrier...\r\nand we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL STAIRWAY - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur RUNS UP the stairs, gun in hand- rounds a corner and-\r\nIMPOSSIBLY- arrives behind the Security Man, who looks at\r\nhim, CONFUSED, then looks down to realize he is now at the\r\nedge of a dangerous drop- Arthur shrugs.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n Paradox.\r\n\r\nArthur PUSHES him over the edge- he falls- Arthur races up to\r\nthe fourth floor- throws open the door- and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY RAISED BRIDGE - DAY\r\n\r\nIn SLOW MOTION- the van SMASHES THROUGH THE CONCRETE BARRIER-\r\nand we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur is SPRINTING down the corridor when a TREMENDOUS CRASH\r\nsends him FLYING into the air- and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY\r\n\r\nA MASSIVE RUMBLE prompts Cobb to look across the valley-\r\n\r\nEXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames shoots out of the trees, then FALLS to the snow as he\r\nsees a great CRACKING up ahead- the SLOPE IS FALLING AWAY IN\r\nAN AVALANCHE-\r\n 120.\r\n\r\nEXT. CLIFF FACE BEHIND COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito hears the RUMBLE above them. He looks down, Fischer is\r\nbelow, near the bottom of the sheer face-\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Look out!\r\n\r\nSaito CUTS the rope- they FALL- HIT the icy face and SLIDE\r\ndown the slope, clearing the path of the avalanche- and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN - DAY\r\n\r\nIn EXTREME SLOW MOTION, the van emerges from the concrete\r\nbalustrade and starts FALLING- and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur is still FLYING through the corridor, NOT LANDING-\r\nGRAVITY HAS DISAPPEARED... he scrambles for a handhold,\r\nGRABBING a sconce- and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb watches the avalanche cloud slide past the complex.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What was that?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n The kick.\r\n\r\n EAMES (OVER RADIO)\r\n Cobb? Did we miss it?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yeah, we missed it.\r\n\r\nEXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames is lying on the snow.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n What the hell do we do now?\r\n\r\n COBB (OVER RADIO)\r\n Finish the job before the next\r\n kick.\r\n 121.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n What next kick?\r\n\r\nEXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb looks at Ariadne as he talks into the radio.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n When the van hits the water. I\r\n figure Arthur's got a couple\r\n minutes and we've got about twenty.\r\n\r\nCobb and Ariadne MOVE towards the base of the complex.\r\n\r\nEXT. HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito and Fischer RUN around the base of the building. They\r\nfind a large EXHAUST PORT. Lay a charge on the GRILL. They\r\nblow the charge. Climb into the open vent.\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN - DAY\r\n\r\nIn EXTREME SLOW MOTION, the van seems SUSPENDED IN MID-AIR\r\nTEN STORIES ABOVE THE RIVER... and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nIn ZERO GRAVITY, Arthur pulls himself to the door of 491,\r\nopens it. He looks at the charges planted on the ceiling.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n How the hell do I drop you?\r\n\r\nHe PULLS the charges from the ceiling. Hurrying. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito and Fischer hurry through the duct system. Saito is\r\nfalling behind, coughing up blood.\r\n\r\nEXT. UPPER TERRACE, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb GRABS a Security Guard from behind, strangling him\r\nunconscious. He beckons to Ariadne, covering her as she runs\r\ntowards him. They enter the base of the south tower.\r\n\r\nINT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nA guard is manning the tower. Cobb and Ariadne enter- Cobb\r\nSHOOTS the guard and moves to the window.\r\n 122.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (she points)\r\n That's the antechamber outside the\r\n strongroom.\r\n\r\nCobb looks at the large windows of the antechamber.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What about the strongroom? Doesn't\r\n it have any windows?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Wouldn't be very strong if it did.\r\n (off look)\r\n Look, if you wanted to design it\r\n yourself-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It's fine. Better hope that we like\r\n what Fischer finds in there.\r\n\r\nCobb sets up his sniper rifle. Through the scope he can see\r\nthree guards on the balcony outside the chamber. Three more\r\ninside. Cobb casually picks them off with his rifle. Ariadne\r\nwatches through binoculars, appalled.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n These projections, they're part of\r\n his subconscious?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yeah.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Are you destroying those parts of\r\n his mind?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, of course not. They're just\r\n projections.\r\n\r\n EAMES (OVER RADIO)\r\n Cobb? Something's wrong?\r\n\r\nEXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames is watching the patrols HEAD BACK towards the complex.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n They're heading your way. Like they\r\n know something.\r\n\r\nINT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb hears this. Concerned.\r\n 123.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Buy us some time.\r\n\r\n EAMES (OVER RADIO)\r\n On my way.\r\n\r\nEXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames TAKES OFF towards the base of the complex. And we=\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ROOM 528 - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur FLOATS into the room. The SLEEPERS are floating,\r\nloosely connected by their tubes. Arthur looks at them, MIND\r\nRACING. He PULLS Cobb towards Eames, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - DAY\r\n\r\nSaito and Fischer approach the grate covering the exit to the\r\nanteroom. Saito SLUMPS to the floor of the duct, pulls out\r\nhis radio. Fischer looks at him- he is PALE, SHIVERING.\r\nFischer takes the radio, WHISPERS into it.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n (into radio)\r\n We're here. Are we clear to\r\n proceed?\r\n\r\nINT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEC - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb SCANS the anteroom through the scope-it looks clear.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You're clear, but hurry-there's an\r\n army headed your way...\r\n\r\nAriadne watches the patrols approaching the complex...\r\n\r\nINT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe SQUELCH from the radio is too loud- Fischer GRABS it and\r\nturns the volume to zero as he starts to remove the grate...\r\n\r\nEXT. BASE OF THE HOPISTAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames is setting MINES along the LOWEST WALL of the\r\nstructure. He moves carefully-there is a SHEER DROP below the\r\nwall...\r\n 124.\r\n\r\nINT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb SPOTS something through his scope. Something above the\r\nmain windows, glimpsed through the side of the skylight.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Shit. There's someone else in\r\n there.\r\n\r\nCobb prepares to fire. Ariadne GRABS the radio-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Fischer, stop! It's a trap!-\r\n\r\nINT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nFischer does not see the flashing light on his radio as he\r\ncarefully lifts the grate. He motions for Saito to stay...\r\n\r\nINT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb TENSES to fire.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Come on... a little lower... a\r\n little-\r\n\r\nCOBB FREEZES- IT IS MAL IN HIS SIGHTS. Ariadne puts up her\r\nbinoculars. Spots Mal. Fischer is climbing out of the vent...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Cobb, that's not really her-\r\n\r\nCobb turns to her-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n How can you know that?\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nFischer moves into the antechamber, cautious-\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I'm in.\r\n\r\nFischer turns up the volume-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE (OVER RADIO)\r\n Fischer, look out!-\r\n\r\nMal DROPS gracefully to the floor behind him-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Hello.\r\n 125.\r\n\r\nINT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb looks at Ariadne-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Cobb, she's just a projection.\r\n Fischer... he's real.\r\n\r\nCobb thinks. Nods, TURNS back to the scope- too late- MAL\r\nSHOOTS FISCHER- Cobb reflexively pulls the trigger- Mal GOES\r\nDOWN- Cobb steps back from the scope, STUNNED.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Eames? Get to the anteroom now!\r\n\r\nThey run for the door.\r\n\r\nINT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito STARTS as he hears the shot. He starts edging forwards,\r\nclutching his belly. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ROOM 528 - NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe sleepers are floating in a rough stack, top-and-tailed.\r\nArthur pulls the bedding from the bed and uses the sheet to\r\nbind the sleepers together. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN - DAY\r\n\r\nIn EXTREME SLOW MOTION, the van CREEPS DOWNWARDS, still high\r\nabove the river... and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur PUSHES the floating stack of sleepers to the elevator.\r\nHe hits the button- the doors open- he pushes them in- GRABS\r\nthe charges- climbs through the hatch in the ceiling and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - DAY\r\n\r\nEames steps over Saito, who looks up at him with DYING eyes-\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER, HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY\r\n\r\nEames jumps out of the vent to find Cobb and Ariadne standing\r\nover the bodies of Fischer and Mal.\r\n 126.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n What happened?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Mal killed Fischer-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I wouldn't shoot her.\r\n\r\nEames grabs a defibrillator from the wall and pulls Fischer's\r\njacket open-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It won't do any good-\r\n\r\nEames SHOCKS Fischer's chest...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Even if you could revive his body,\r\n his mind's trapped down there. It's\r\n over.\r\n\r\nEames listens for a pulse. Looks up at Cobb.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n So that it, then? We failed.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I'm sorry.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n It's you who doesn't get back to\r\n your family.\r\n\r\nEames looks down at Fischer. Then over to the double doors.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n I wanted to know what was going to\r\n happen in there. I think we had\r\n this one.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n There's still a way: We follow\r\n Fischer down-\r\n\r\nThey look at her.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n We're almost out of time-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Down there they'll be enough time.\r\n We'll find him-soon as you hear\r\n Arthur's music start, you use the\r\n defibrillator to revive him-we give\r\n him his own early kick from below.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 127.\r\n ARIADNE (CONT'D)\r\n Get him in there-\r\n (points to doors)\r\n Then, as the music ends you blow\r\n the hospital and we all ride the\r\n kick back up through the layers.\r\n\r\nEames looks at her, then to Cobb.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Okay, Saito can hold them off while\r\n I plant the rest of the charges.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Saito's not going to last, Eames.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n We have to try!\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Go for it, but I'm taking the kick\r\n whether you're back or not...\r\n\r\nEames pulls the mechanism from his pack. Offers it to\r\nAriadne. Cobb watches. Silent. Ariadne pulls out the tubes-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Can I trust you to do what's\r\n needed? Mal's down there-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And I can find her. She'll have\r\n Fischer.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How do you know?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n She wants me to come after him. She\r\n wants me back down there with her.\r\n\r\nCobb rolls up his sleeve. Ariadne rolls up her own sleeve.\r\nEames NODS. Cobb and Ariadne lie down. Eames hits the button-\r\nWATER. BUBBLES. DROWNING. And we are-\r\n\r\nEXT. COAST (LIMBO) - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne lies in the SURF, STARING up at a CLOUDLESS SKY. A\r\ntremendous BOOM prompts her to look around her- URBAN\r\nBUILDINGS PILED right down to the water. The buildings are\r\nDECAYING, falling into the ocean like a GLACIER calving. Cobb\r\nWADES towards her through the shallow water. Ariadne looks up\r\nat the crumbling city around them.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n This is your world?\r\n 128.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n It was. And this is where she'll\r\n be.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - DAY\r\n\r\nArthur floats on top of the elevator, planting small charges\r\non the EMERGENCY BRAKES and CABLE. He sets them, GRABS the\r\nother explosives, then PUSHES AWAY, shooting up the shaft. As\r\nhe hits the DETONATOR, BLASTING the braking and safety\r\nsystems of the elevator, we move into SLOW MOTION, the\r\nfireballs FLAMING OUT in graceful licks and we-\r\n\r\n DISSOLVE TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY\r\n\r\nEames RACES around, full speed- getting the defibrillator\r\npaddles- laying them by Fischer's body- he runs into the duct-\r\npulls Saito up to a seated position and hands him a handgun.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Come on, Saito. I need you to cover\r\n Fischer while I plant the charges.\r\n\r\nSaito nods weakly, tries to hold the gun. Eames moves to the\r\nwindow- pulls his machine gun off- checks its load. Ready. He\r\nwatches the security patrols climb up the outer walls...\r\nEames lays down a HAIL of covering fire- then heads outside-\r\n\r\nEXT. HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames races along the upper terrace dodging fire- BULLETS\r\nSHATTER a window behind him and we move into SLOW MOTION, the\r\nglass CASCADING GENTLY and we-\r\n\r\n DISSOLVE TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. COAST (LIMBO)- DAY\r\n\r\nCobb and Ariadne climb out of the waves, full speed. They\r\nmove into the shadow of the tall, crumbling buildings. The\r\nstreets are eerily DESERTED. As they move further in, the\r\nbuildings become NEWER, different. Ariadne marvels at the\r\nextraordinary collection of buildings- every architectural\r\nstyle imaginable in waves of FAILED UTOPIAS.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You built all this?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We both did.\r\n 129.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n It's incredible.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We built for years. Then, when that\r\n got stale, we started in on the\r\n memories.\r\n\r\nA child's SHOUT echoes through the deserted canyons,\r\nprompting Cobb to look down a side street: a LITTLE BLONDE\r\nBOY crouched, his back to us. A LITTLE BLONDE GIRL joins the\r\nboy, and, as Cobb turns down the street, they run off.\r\n\r\nCobb and Ariadne emerge into a peculiar SQUARE lined with an\r\neclectic mix of buildings, from APARTMENT BLOCKS to HOUSES.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n This is our neighborhood.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n (confused)\r\n From what city?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. Our neighborhood.\r\n (pointing)\r\n That was our first apartment...\r\n then we moved to that building...\r\n we got that small house when Mal\r\n became pregnant.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You reconstructed them all from\r\n memory?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We had time.\r\n\r\nCobb pauses in front of a French country house. Staring.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What's that?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n The house Mal grew up in.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Will she be in there?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No. Come on-\r\n\r\nCobb leads Ariadne to the entrance of a glass skyscraper.\r\n 130.\r\n\r\nINT. SKYSCRAPER LOBBY (LIMBO) - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb leads Ariadne across the gleaming lobby to the\r\nelevators.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We both wanted a house, but we both\r\n loved skyscrapers. In the real\r\n world we had to choose. Not here.\r\n\r\nINT. SKYSCRAPER ELEVATOR (LIMBO) - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb pulls out his handgun, and a ziplock bag full of\r\nbullets.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n How do we send Fischer back?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We need some kind of kick.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n What?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I'll improvise.\r\n\r\nCobb COCKS his weapon, and the ELEVATOR STOPS. The doors\r\nopen. Ariadne moves to exit, Cobb stops her.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n There's something you have to\r\n understand about me. About\r\n inception. You see, an idea is like\r\n a virus...\r\n\r\nCobb leads her out of the lift...\r\n\r\nINT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nCobb and Ariadne step off the lift and into the incongruous\r\ninterior of a craftsman house. They cautiously move down the\r\ncorridor towards the back of the house...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Resilient...\r\n (turns to Ariadne)\r\n Highly contagious, and an idea can\r\n grow. The smallest seed of an idea\r\n can grow to define or destroy your\r\n world...\r\n\r\nCobb is staring into the kitchen. Mal is sitting at the\r\ntable, back to them, staring out at the porch- the TOWERS of\r\nLimbo stretching off behind it.\r\n 131.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n The smallest idea, such as... \"Your\r\n world is not real.\"\r\n\r\nCobb hands Ariadne his gun and moves towards Mal.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n A simple little thought that\r\n changes everything...\r\n\r\nAriadne watches as Cobb sits down beside Mal. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur FLIES back down the shaft to the top of the elevator,\r\nSQUEEZES past the car to the bottom and starts to set the\r\nMAIN CHARGES ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb touches Mal's arm- she TURNS, angry. It is only now that\r\nwe see that she holds a CARVING KNIFE. Mal looks at Ariadne.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n So certain of your world. Of what's\r\n real. Do you think he is-\r\n (points at Cobb)\r\n Or do you think he's as lost as I\r\n was?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I know what's real.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n What are the distinguishing\r\n characteristics of a dream? Mutable\r\n laws of physics? Tell that to the\r\n quantum physicists. Reappearance of\r\n the dead? What about heaven and\r\n hell? Persecution of the dreamer,\r\n the creator, the messiah? They\r\n crucified Christ, didn't they?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I know what's real.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n No creeping doubts? Not feeling\r\n persecuted, Dom? Chased around the\r\n globe by anonymous corporations and\r\n police forces? The way the\r\n projections persecute the dreamer?\r\n 132.\r\n\r\nMal puts her hand on his face. Pitying.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Admit it, Dom. You don't believe in\r\n one reality anymore. So choose.\r\n Choose your reality like I did.\r\n Choose to be here. Choose me.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n (rising anger)\r\n I have chosen, Mal. Our children. I\r\n have to get back to them. Because\r\n you left them. You left us.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You're wrong, Dom. You're confused...\r\n our children are here-\r\n\r\nA child's SHOUT draws Cobb- James CROUCHES on the porch, back\r\nto us. Philippa joins him, also turned away. Cobb watches,\r\nmoved. Mal leans in close.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n (whispers)\r\n And you'd like to see their faces\r\n again, wouldn't you, Dom?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Our real children are waiting for\r\n me up above.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur scrambles to arrange the sleepers on the floor of the\r\ncar- as his hand comes away from Saito, he sees BLOOD on it.\r\nHe looks at Saito's belly- the blood is coming through his\r\nshirt. Arthur sticks headphones on sleeping Eames, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. HOSPITAL FORTRESS - DAY\r\n\r\nEames throws a GRENADE, blowing up the security forces trying\r\nto ascend the terraces. He DUCKS to the ground to avoid HEAVY\r\nFIRE- starts unpacking the charges and setting them along the\r\nbase of the terraces-\r\n 133.\r\n\r\nINT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito looks up as he hears a Security Guard climbing through\r\nthe duct... he raises his gun, TREMBLING with weakness...\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. KITCHEN, PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY\r\n\r\nMal laughs at Cobb.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n (laughs)\r\n Up above? Listen to yourself. You\r\n judged me for believing the very\r\n same thing.\r\n\r\nMal points at the children-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n These are our children. Watch.\r\n (turns to the kids)\r\n Hey, James! Philippa?!\r\n\r\nThe children START TO TURN to us- BUT COBB CLOSES HIS EYES.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n They're not real, Mal. Our real\r\n children are waiting for us-\r\n\r\nThe children run off. Cobb opens his eyes.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You keep telling yourself that but\r\n you don't believe it-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I know it-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n And what if you're wrong? What if\r\n I'm what's real?\r\n\r\nCobb is silent.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You keep telling yourself what you\r\n know... but what do you believe?\r\n What do you feel?\r\n\r\nCobb looks at Mal. Struggling.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Guilt. I feel guilt. And however\r\n confused I might get.\r\n (MORE)\r\n 134.\r\n COBB (CONT'D)\r\n However lost I might seem... it's\r\n always there. Telling me something.\r\n Reminding me of the truth.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n What truth?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That you were wrong to doubt our\r\n world. That the idea that drove you\r\n to question your reality was a\r\n lie...\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n How could you know it was a lie?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Because it was my lie.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n (realizing)\r\n Because you planted the idea in my\r\n mind.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Because I performed inception on my\r\n own wife, then reaped the bitter\r\n rewards...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Why?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n We'd become lost in here. Living in\r\n a world of infinite possibilities.\r\n A world where we were gods. I\r\n realized we needed to escape, but\r\n she'd locked away her knowledge of\r\n the unreality of this world...\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Mal opens the doll's house. Takes the spinning\r\ntop, lies it down in the safe. LOCKS IT AWAY.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I couldn't make Mal understand that\r\n we needed to break free. To die. So\r\n I started to search our world...\r\n\r\nCobb turns to Mal, but keeps talking to Ariadne...\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Cobb WANDERS the streets of Limbo...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Searching for the right place in\r\n her mind...\r\n 135.\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Cobb stops outside the VICTORIAN HOUSE, MAL'S\r\nCHILDHOOD HOME, looking up at it. He heads inside...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And when I found that place, that\r\n secret place where she had shut\r\n away her knowledge years before, I\r\n broke it open...\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Cobb looks around Mal's childhood bedroom. Comes\r\nto the doll's house...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I broke into the deepest recess of\r\n her mind, to give her the simplest\r\n little idea.\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Cobb throws open the safe doors. Sitting on the\r\nshelf of the safe is a spinning top. On its side.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n A truth that she had once known,\r\n but had chosen to forget...\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Cobb picks up the totem. He SPINS it in the safe.\r\nIT SPINS AND SPINS WITHOUT END. Cobb CLOSES THE DOOR of the\r\nsafe...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That her world was not real.\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: COBB AND MAL ARRIVE AT TRAIN TRACKS CUTTING\r\nTHROUGH WASTELAND.\r\n\r\n COBB (V.O.)\r\n That death was a necessary escape.\r\n\r\nThey lie on the tracks looking into each other's eyes. Mal is\r\ncrying. Cobb takes her hand, reassuring. He starts to speak-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n You're waiting for a train. A train\r\n that will take you far away. You\r\n know where you hope this train will\r\n take you, but you can't know for\r\n sure. Yet it doesn't matter...\r\n\r\nMal looks at him across the railroad tracks. Replies-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Because you'll be together.\r\n\r\nThe train comes, OBLITERATING the lovers.\r\nBack in the present- Cobb looks into Mal's eyes. She is\r\ncrying.\r\n 136.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I never thought that the idea I'd\r\n planted would grow in her mind like\r\n a cancer. That even after we woke...\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Cobb looks around the HOTEL SUITE, confused. He\r\nmoves to the CURTAINS... Mal is on the ledge opposite.\r\n COBB\r\n You'd continue to believe that your\r\n world was not real...\r\n\r\nCrying, Mal nods-\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n That death was the only escape?\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: Mal PLUNGES to her death.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You killed me.\r\n\r\nCobb looks at Mal. Whispers-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I was trying to save you-I'm sorry.\r\n\r\nMal comes in close to Cobb. Looks him over.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You infected my mind. You betrayed\r\n me. But you can make amends. You\r\n can still keep your promise. We can\r\n still be together... right here. In\r\n our world. The world we built\r\n together.\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur hits \"Play\" on his music player- Edith Piaf starts to\r\nring out, Arthur checks his detonator and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY\r\n\r\nEames races back in- in the relative quiet he notices MASSIVE\r\nLOW-E MUSICAL TONES. He drops his gun and goes to Fischer's\r\nside...\r\n 137.\r\n\r\nINT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nSaito musters all his remaining strength as the guard emerges-\r\nSaito FIRES, dropping the guard, then COLLAPSES, the gun\r\nclattering to the duct floor... Saito is dead.\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nEames powers up the defibrillator, puts the paddles on\r\nFischer's chest, then Pow!- he shocks him, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO)-DAY\r\n\r\nLIGHTNING crackles across the sky- Ariadne sees it.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n We need Fischer.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You can't have him.\r\n\r\nCobb stares at Mal. Mesmerized.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n If I stay, can she take him back?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Cobb, what are you saying?\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Fischer's on the porch.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Cobb, you can't do this.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Go check he's alive, Ariadne.\r\n\r\nAriadne moves onto the porch, high above the metropolis, and\r\nwe-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur nods his head in time with the music, counting down,\r\nholding the detonator. He starts bracing himself, and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n 138.\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY\r\n\r\nEames recharges the defibrillator. SHOCKS Fischer again, and\r\nwe-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. PORCH, PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne looks up as a LARGE BOLT OF LIGHTNING RIPS across the\r\nsky... she looks down to see Fischer, BOUND AND BLOODY, lying\r\nbelow the rail.\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n He's here. And it's time. But you\r\n have to come with us.\r\n\r\nAnother massive lightning strike flickers across the sky-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Cobb, I'm not going to let you lose\r\n yourself in here! You have to get\r\n back to your children!\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Send Fischer, I have to stay-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You can't stay here to be with her-\r\n\r\nCobb turns from Mal. Looks at Ariadne.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I'm not. Saito is dead by now. That\r\n means he's here. I have to stay\r\n here and find him.\r\n\r\nAriadne removes Fischer's gag- pulls him up, onto the rail.\r\nCobb looks back at Mal.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I can't stay here to be with her\r\n because she's not real.\r\n\r\nMal looks at Cobb, furious.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n Not real? I'm the only thing you do\r\n believe in anymore. Here-doesn't\r\n this feel real, Dom?\r\n\r\nShe STABS him in the chest- Cobb WHEEZES- GASPING, looking at\r\nMal-\r\n 139.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I wish you were. But I couldn't\r\n make you real. I'm not capable of\r\n imagining you in all your\r\n complexity and... perfection. As\r\n you really were. You're the best I\r\n can do. And you're not real.\r\n\r\nMal pulls the knife and moves to STRIKE again-\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n No!\r\n\r\nA SHOT rings out, Mal GRABS her shoulder- Cobb turns to\r\nAriadne, who is pointing Cobb's gun.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n What're you doing?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Improvising.\r\n\r\nShe KICKS Fischer off the roof- AIMS again at Mal-\r\n\r\nFischer DROPS as the sky LIGHTS UP WITH ELECTRICITY- Fischer\r\nSCREAMS, then GASPS, no longer falling, and we are-\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY\r\n\r\nEames pulls the defibrillator from Fischer's chest as he\r\nCOUGHS AWAKE.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n Get in there-quick!\r\n\r\nFischer looks up at the double doors. STAGGERS to his feet.\r\nFischer pushes open the doors to the STRONGROOM.\r\n\r\nINT. STRONGROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nFischer walks into the silent white room. At one end of the\r\nroom is a bed. A figure lies in the bed. His FATHER.\r\nBreathing with tremendous difficulty. Dying. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne takes aim at Mal-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No!\r\n\r\nCobb holds Ariadne's gaze. She lowers the gun. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n 140.\r\n\r\nEames GRABS the detonator- then moves to the door of the\r\nstrongroom...\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR, HOTEL - NIGHT\r\n\r\nArthur HITS THE DETONATOR-\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nThe CHARGES on the bottom of the elevator EXPLODE, and we\r\nmove into EXTREME SLOW MOTION as the flames BALLOON-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. STRONGROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nA RUMBLE BUILDS as Fischer approaches the bed, overcome with\r\nemotion. His Father sees him. Starts trying to speak. Fischer\r\nleans in...\r\n\r\n FATHER\r\n (hoarse whisper)\r\n I... was ... dis ... dis ...\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n I know, Dad. You were disappointed\r\n that I couldn't be you.\r\n\r\nThe dying man SHAKES HIS HEAD with surprising energy.\r\n\r\n FATHER\r\n (whisper)\r\n I was disappointed... that you\r\n tried.\r\n\r\nFischer hears this. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT\r\n\r\nThe elevator car is ROCKETED along its track by the explosion-\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nArthur is SMASHED against the floor of the car next to the\r\nsleepers who SHUDDER with the force of ACCELERATION- and we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY\r\n\r\nEames WATCHES Fischer-\r\n 141.\r\n\r\n EAMES\r\n (to himself) )\r\n Come on, come on...\r\n\r\nINT. STRONGROOM - DAY\r\n\r\nThe Father collapses back onto the pillow. Fischer starts to\r\nweep. His Father reaches out a trembling hand but when\r\nFischer tries to hold IT, he SHAKES his son's hand away...\r\n\r\nHe is reaching for the SAFE next to his bed. His fingers\r\nfumble at the keypad, he can't open it. His son pushes\r\n5,2,8,4,9,1 into the keypad. Opens it. Inside the safe is the\r\nWILL. And beside it is a HOMEMADE PINWHEEL, clearly made by a\r\nchild. By Fischer. He takes it out, MARVELING at it. He turns\r\nto his father, but his father is dead.\r\n\r\nEames, watching from the door, HITS THE DETONATOR-\r\n\r\nEXT. HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nA line of EXPLOSIONS RIPS ALONG THE LOWER WALL... the ENTIRE\r\nBUILDING STARTS TO SLIDE DOWN THE MOUNTAIN-\r\n\r\nEXT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY\r\n\r\nA FIERCE WIND starts HOWLING through the house as the sky\r\noutside DARKENS. Cobb shields Mal against the blast- looks up\r\nat Ariadne, who HOLDS the railing, FIGHTING the wind-\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That's the kick-you have to go!\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n You're coming!\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n No, I'm not. I'm staying here to\r\n find Saito.\r\n (turns to Mal)\r\n And to say goodbye.\r\n\r\nAriadne loosens her grip on the railing...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Don't lose yourself. Find Saito.\r\n And bring him back.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I will.\r\n\r\nAriadne lets the wind pull her off the edge- FALLING- and we-\r\n\r\nINT. ANTECHAMBER - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne DROPS as the FLOOR COLLAPSES- her eyes SNAP OPEN-\r\n 142.\r\n\r\nEXT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb holds Mal in his arms. The wind DIES...\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n We'd be together forever. You\r\n promised me.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I know. But we can't. And I'm\r\n sorry.\r\n\r\n MAL\r\n You remember when you asked me to\r\n marry you? You said you dreamt that\r\n we'd grow old together.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n And we did...\r\n\r\nMal looks at Cobb... thinking. Remembering.\r\n\r\nINSERT CUT: TWO ELDERLY PEOPLE (MAL AND COBB) WALK THROUGH\r\nLIMBO... ACROSS A WASTELAND... TWO ELDERLY HANDS CLUTCH EACH\r\nOTHER AS THEY LIE DOWN ON THE RAILROAD TRACK...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I miss you more than I can bear...\r\n but we had our time together. And\r\n now I have to let go...\r\n\r\nShe nods, weakly. Cobb holds Mal as her eyes close...\r\nDYING... and we-\r\n\r\nINT. STRONGROOM - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nFischer and his Father's body DROP AWAY-\r\n\r\nINT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT\r\n\r\nAriadne DROPS inside the ROCKETING ELEVATOR, and as it\r\nSMASHES INTO THE TOP OF THE SHAFT Ariadne SMASHES into-\r\n\r\nINT./EXT. VAN INTO RIVER - DAY\r\n\r\nTHE WATER, THE VAN CRUNCHING WITH THE IMPACT- WATER CRASHING\r\nTHROUGH THE BROKEN WINDOWS FLOODING THE INTERIOR...\r\n\r\nFischer's EYES OPEN, PANICKING- he UNBUCKLES HIMSELF, pushes\r\nout of the broken window- STOPS, goes back to UNBUCKLE\r\nBrowning and DRAG him out.\r\n 143.\r\n\r\nEXT. RIVER - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nFischer breaks the surface with Browning, who COUGHS and\r\nGASPS. He starts PULLING for the near bank, struggling\r\nthrough the rain-impacted water-\r\n\r\nINT. VAN, UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS\r\n\r\nAriadne, Arthur and Yusuf wait calmly underwater. They are\r\nsharing TWO REGULATORS pulled from beneath the front seat.\r\nArthur turns to Saito. There is blood in the water around\r\nSaito's belly- his eyes are LIFELESS- Arthur feels for a\r\npulse... turns to Cobb, whose eyes are lifeless... Ariadne\r\nGRABS Arthur's elbow, pulling him away...\r\n\r\nEXT. RIVERBANK - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nFischer turns Browning/Eames over. They lie there, exhausted.\r\n\r\n BROWNING\r\n I'm sorry, Robert.\r\n\r\nFischer stares at the rain on the water.\r\n\r\n FISCHER\r\n The will means that Dad wanted me\r\n to be my own man, not live for him.\r\n (turns to Browning) )\r\n And I'm going to, Uncle Peter.\r\n\r\nBrowning nods. Wipes the rain from his face. In the puddle\r\nbeside them, the reflection is not Browning, but Eames.\r\n\r\nEXT. UNDERNEATH BRIDGE IN THE RAIN - MOMENTS LATER\r\n\r\nArthur sits on the riverbank, breathing heavily.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n What happened?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n Cobb stayed.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n With Mal?\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n No. To find Saito.\r\n\r\nArthur looks out at the water below the bridge.\r\n\r\n ARTHUR\r\n He'll be lost...\r\n\r\n ARIADNE\r\n No. He'll be alright.\r\n 144.\r\n\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nEXT. DAWN. CRASHING SURF.\r\n\r\nThe waves TOSS a BEARDED MAN onto wet sand.\r\n\r\nAs the Japanese Security Guard turns him onto his back, we\r\nrealize that this is Cobb- OLDER. WEARY. TRAVELLED...\r\n\r\nINT. DINING ROOM, CASTLE - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb WOLFS his food. The Elderly Japanese Man (Saito, 90\r\nyears old) watches him.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n So... have you come to kill me?\r\n\r\nCobb does not look up.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n I've been waiting for someone to\r\n come for me...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Someone from your half-remembered\r\n dream...?\r\n\r\nSaito peers at Cobb.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Cobb? Not possible-he and I were\r\n young men together. And I am an old\r\n man...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Filled with regret?\r\n\r\nSaito REMEMBERS, nods...\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n Waiting to die alone, yes.\r\n\r\nCobb is STARING at something on the table.\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n I came back for you... I came to\r\n remind you of what you once knew...\r\n\r\nCobb gestures at the table. Saito follows his gaze down to\r\nthe polished surface of the table...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n That this world is not real.\r\n 145.\r\n\r\nThe top IS STILL SPINNING PERFECTLY, AS IF IT WILL NEVER\r\nTOPPLE. Saito looks at the top. Then back to Cobb.\r\n\r\n SAITO\r\n You came to convince me to honor\r\n our arrangement?\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Yes. And to take a leap of faith.\r\n\r\nAs Saito-san listens to Cobb, he looks at the GUN on the\r\ntable between them...\r\n\r\n COBB\r\n Come back and we'll be young men\r\n together again.\r\n\r\nThe elderly Saito looks at Cobb. Nods. And we-\r\n\r\n CUT TO:\r\n\r\nINT. FIRST CLASS CABIN, 747 - DAY\r\n\r\nAriadne watches Cobb. His eyes are closed.\r\n\r\n FLIGHT ATTENDANT (O.S.)\r\n Hot towel, sir?\r\n\r\nHis EYES FLICKER OPEN. He takes the towel with a nod. Ariadne\r\nsmiles. Relieved.\r\n\r\n FLIGHT ATTENDANT\r\n We'll be landing in Los Angeles in\r\n about twenty minutes. Do you need\r\n immigration forms?\r\n\r\nCobb nods. Takes a landing card. Looks around the cabin.\r\n\r\nSaito is WATCHING him. Serious. Haunted. Holding Cobb's gaze,\r\nSAITO PICKS UP THE PHONE AND DIALS. Cobb nods thanks...\r\n\r\nINT. ARRIVALS, LAX - LATER\r\n\r\nCobb steps forwards to the IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL. Hands him\r\nhis passport. Nervous. The Official takes a beat, looks Cobb\r\nup and down, then WHUMP!- the passport is stamped. As Cobb\r\ntakes it back, he spots Ariadne at the next counter. She nods\r\nat him. He nods back. Then moves off...\r\n\r\nAs Cobb passes through baggage claim, he exchanges subtle\r\ngreetings with Eames and Yusuf.\r\n\r\nArthur smiles broadly at Cobb. Cobb brushes past Fischer, who\r\nglances back at him as if thinking maybe he should know him,\r\nthen moves on...\r\n 146.\r\n\r\nAs Cobb emerges into the crowded arrivals hall, he spots\r\nProfessor Miles, waving at him...\r\n\r\nINT. KITCHEN, COBB AND MAL'S HOUSE - DAY\r\n\r\nCobb enters with Miles. Drops his bags. Moves to the table,\r\nlooking out at the overgrown garden. He reaches into his\r\npocket, takes out his pewter spinning top, lowers it to the\r\ntable and SPINS IT- a CHILD'S SHOUT makes him look up-\r\n\r\nThrough the window, James and Philippa have run into view,\r\nplaying, THEIR FACES TURNED AWAY... Cobb STARES at the back\r\nof his children's heads... Miles moves to the window and\r\nKNOCKS on the glass-\r\n\r\nJames and Philippa TURN- see their Dad. He steps to the\r\nwindow, watching their BRIGHT FACES SHINING as they run\r\ntowards him...\r\n\r\nBehind him, on the table, the spinning top is STILL SPINNING.\r\nAnd we-\r\n\r\nFADE OUT.\r\n\r\nCREDITS.\r\n\r\nEND."}}},{"rowIdx":149,"cells":{"Action":{"kind":"string","value":""}}}],"truncated":false,"partial":false},"paginationData":{"pageIndex":1,"numItemsPerPage":100,"numTotalItems":150,"offset":100,"length":100}},"jwt":"eyJhbGciOiJFZERTQSJ9.eyJyZWFkIjp0cnVlLCJwZXJtaXNzaW9ucyI6eyJyZXBvLmNvbnRlbnQucmVhZCI6dHJ1ZX0sImlhdCI6MTc0MTU4MjE2MCwic3ViIjoiL2RhdGFzZXRzL2FuZWVzaGFzL2ltc2RiLWFjdGlvbi1tb3ZpZS1zY3JpcHRzIiwiZXhwIjoxNzQxNTg1NzYwLCJpc3MiOiJodHRwczovL2h1Z2dpbmdmYWNlLmNvIn0.SLbT62PL6nMNelli6fMNu1om-q2D7zgOt_3gT0RNMKPHNjBMZDnuvalh0yRGAECnb5_4srIfOflDHsdsFOm4DQ","displayUrls":true},"discussionsStats":{"closed":0,"open":0,"total":0},"fullWidth":true,"hasGatedAccess":true,"hasFullAccess":true,"isEmbedded":false}">
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ESCAPE FROM L.A.
Screenplay by John Carpenter
DARKNESS
A pounding, metallic beat begins. Twists of sound in a tightrope
rhythm. The snap of a military snare drum.
SUPERIMPOSE: "1998"
FEMALE NARRATOR
Forces hostile to the United States grow
strong in the late 20th Century.
A DARK TABLEAU - CITY STREET - LOS ANGELES - NIGHT
Graffiti-smeared walls. Fires raging. Automatic weapons fire.
Shadowy figures dash through the southern California night.
FEMALE NARRATOR
A great moral crisis grips the nation as
social revolution and a breakdown of the
criminal justice system threaten society.
A LINE OF POLICEMEN - NIGHT
They stand like sentinels. Black uniforms. Battle helmets.
Gleaming military assault weapons. Bullet-proof shields with large
emblems: the American eagle against a red background, and in bold
letters underneath, "THE UNITED STATES POLICE FORCE".
FEMALE NARRATOR
To protect and defend its citizens, the
United States Police Force is formed.
A GLOWING HOLOGRAPHIC MAP
Of Los Angeles, on the coast of southern California.
SUPERIMPOSE: "1999"
FEMALE NARRATOR
The population of Los Angeles grows to 40
million. The city is ravaged by crime and
immorality. A Presidential candidate
predicts a millennium earthquake will
destroy the city in divine retribution.
The map of L.A. now glows a dark red.
EXT. DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES SKYLINE - DAY
A hot summer's day. Heat ripples distorts the towering shadowing
buildings in the dense smog.
FEMALE NARRATOR
An earthquake measuring 9.6 on the Richter
scale hits at 12:59 p.m., August 23rd, in
the year 2000.
Suddenly we are hit by the loudest, booming, rolling concussion
you have ever heard. The buildings begin to shake, swaying wildly.
The Bonaventure Hotel implodes, collapses inward in the thudding,
slamming freight train of an earthquake. The 4-level Interchange
as the Santa Monica Freeway shatters, crumbles, pulling exit
ramps, cars, trees, and nearby buildings with it.
SEQUENCE OF RAPID CUTS
Buildings shaking. Streets buckling. Cars rolling, crashing.
People running. Gas mains exploding. Buildings convulsing and
dropping like tinder against an inferno.
THE SANTA MONICA PIER
As the tsunami sweeps in from the ocean, smacking into the
shoreline like the hammer of God, plunging us into darkness.
FEMALE NARRATOR
After the devastation, the constitution is
damned, and the newly elected President
accepts a lifetime term of office.
HOLOGRAPHIC MAP
Of the United States. A line tracks along the Mexican border, like
the Berlin Wall.
FEMALE NARRATOR
Fearing a massive terrorist invasion from
South America, the United States prepares
for war. The Great Wall is built along the
southern border, cutting off the flow of
illegal aliens.
WHAM!
A TORCH-LIT LANDSCAPE - NIGHT
The ruins of L.A. Rubble, smoke, a lethal wasteland. An army of
terrifying figures climbs atop a mountain of debris. They raise
their weapons into the night sky.
FEMALE NARRATOR
Street gangs, South American terrorists
and the criminally insane capture Los
Angeles, the once-great City of Angels.
ZOOM INTO A HOLOGRAPHIC MAP OF L.A
An unrecognizable L.A. After the big one. Surrounded by water,
L.A. is now an island off the new western shore, tilting on the
edge of the continental plate.
FEMALE NARRATOR
Now an island on the border of
civilization, L.A. is a no-man's land of
chaos, anarchy and darkness.
A red line tracks along the mountainous areas surrounding the
island, defining the perimeter of the armed fortress. Police
firebases and gun emplacements are indicated in the San Gabriel
Mountains.
FEMALE NARRATOR
The United States Police Force, like an
army, is encamped in the San Gabriel
Mountains.
ZOOM INTO L.A.
From the glowing, outlined canyons come the cries of rage of a
million lost souls.
FEMALE NARRATOR
The President's first act as Permanent
Commander-in-Chief is Directive 17:
protect and defend the United States from
this island of the damned, Hell on Earth.
BLACK SCREEN
SUPERIMPOSE: "2013 - NOW"
EXT. DARK OCEAN - NIGHT
TRAVELING SHOT low, across the top of the water's surface. Climb
up the side of a massive, rusted supertanker, abandoned, years
ago. Break over the railing to reveal a gigantic neon sign which
screams "NEW LAS VEGAS." The supertanker has been transformed into
a floating resort.
The camera increases speed, moves past huge billboards displaying
gigantic glitzy ads:
"NUCLEAR NIGHTS IN HAVANA" - an extravaganza with fabulous
showgirls and laser recreations of Fidel's final night.
"MUSEUM OF NIGHT CLUB ARTS" - a virtual reality tour featuring
legendary Vegas entertainers.
"FREE ENTERPRISE WORLD" - a virtual Disneyland for the whole
family.
Now camera flies low through glittering streets and back alleyways
filled with gamblers, neon and glitz.
EXT. ALLEY - NEW LAS VEGAS, 2013 - NIGHT
An alley strangled with tourists, gamblers, hookers, hustlers, and
con men - professional expatriates from the West mingling with
excited visitors from all over the world.
SUPERIMPOSE: "NEW LAS VEGAS OFF THE COAST OF SEATTLE THURSDAY 0330
HOURS G.M.T. "
A Salesman with a chin-mike speaks non-stop, unintelligible
Chinese. A frenzied crowd gathers around him, waving money,
placing bets.
Two men sit at either end of a long table. They are in deep
shadows, facing each other. We only get glimpses of them: One fat.
Mirrored sunglasses. Chinese. His fingers tap on the table. A
cockroach scurries past. Ammo belts. A sheathed combat knife the
size of your arm. .45 automatics in holsters.
The other, dressed in black. An eye-patch. Dangerous. A flash of
two six-guns in holsters. A futuristic gunfighter. The cockroach
dashes past his fingers. WHAP! He squashes it.
The crowd goes nuts, placing bets, yelling and screaming in a
dozen languages.
The salesman places three different shaped, clear shot glasses in
front of the two men. Then he leans over to...
A VAT OF POISONOUS SNAKES. He reaches in, grabs a cobra, pulls it
out. The cobra hisses and squirms. Deftly, the salesman continues
to talk non-stop into his chin-mike as he milks the cobra venom
into the first glass.
He pulls out an ice-pick, jabs it into the snake's throat, and
bleeds a thick green-white liquid into the second glass. Finally,
he slits open the cobra with a large knife, and cuts out the heart
and liver. Tossing aside the dead snake, the salesman squeezes the
heart and liver with his fingers. The juice drips into the third
glass.
Now the salesman stirs the glasses. The poison is clear. The blood
is milky-green. The heart and liver are red. He places the glasses
on the table between the two men.
The two men stare at each other, motionless. The crowd continues
placing bets at a fevered pitch. A titanium white tube floats
above the center of the table. A laser beam of light shines from
one end.
The salesman leans over and flicks on side with his finger,
sending the tube spinning on its axis like a bottle, the light
circling the room before stopping on the fat man's forehead.
The fat man reaches slowly toward the glasses. His hand shakes
slightly. He hesitates. Finally he takes the glass with the red
liquid (the heart and liver), lifts it to his lips, pauses, then
gulps it down.
The crowd explodes. More bets.
The salesman leans over and spins the light tube again, this time
it lands on something black, an eye-patch. Pull back to reveal a
man with an eye-patch.
The man with the eye-patch reaches forward, his hand paused
between the remaining two glasses. He takes the one filled with
milky-green blood and downs it fast. The crowd roars.
One glass left. The two men stare at it intently.
The salesman spins the light tube with more force than before. It
circles again and again, slowing down, speeding up, finally
stopping on the fat man.
The salesman begins yelling over the din of the crowd, shouting at
the fat man. The fat man reaches for the glass of clear poison.
His trembling fingers hover above it. Then he quickly withdraws
his hand.
The crowd reacts, boos, as...
The man with the eye-patch smiles. A slightly, cynical smile. And
without hesitation, he reaches out, grabs the glass of poison, and
drinks it down. The crowd surges forward, but the salesman stops
them with a sweep of his arm. All bets are off.
The two men stand from the table. Take several steps away toward
the end of the alley. Stand facing each other. Two gunfighters.
Flashes of the two men. A piece of a black military boot. A hand
positioned over a six-shooter. Mirrored sunglasses. A sweaty,
trembling lip. And the eye-patched man's one good eye, blue and
clear, staring - hard and calm as a sunny day...
The draw. It happens in an instant. The alley thunders with
gunfire. The guns buck and flash. Then silence. The two men stand
there for a beat, until one of them, the fat man, slumps, falls
face first into the alley, dead.
The crowd goes completely ape shit as SNAKE PLISSKEN emerges from
the shadows of the alley, holsters his guns, grabs his take of the
money...
SNAKE PLISSKEN. Long hair. A black eye-patch. A tight-lipped
grimace. The impression of coiled aggression and intense cynicism.
The toughest, most dangerous man on planet earth. A legend.
PLISSKEN strolls out of the alley into the crowd. He counts his
money, pockets it, as a cigarette girl approaches him. PLISSKEN
stops her, pays for a pack of cigs. As she eyes him...
CLOSEUP OF PLISSKEN'S ARM
... the cigarette girl touches him, pricks his skin with her
fingernail. A drop of blood appears.
PLISSKEN turns, stares after her, as the sound of helicopters
rises from above in the night sky. The crowd suddenly starts to
disperse.
Helicopter searchlights blast down on the street. PLISSKEN is
suddenly caught in the glare. He starts to move away...
KACLANG!
Out of the blackness above a huge steel net drops out of nowhere.
The net slams down on top of PLISSKEN, trapping him, driving him
down to the pavement with its weight... PLISSKEN struggles inside
the net as black figures - United States Police Force Officers -
rush toward him, grab the net, tightening it. More cops move for
him as we SLOWLY FADE TO BLACK...
SUPERIMPOSE: "L.A. FRIDAY 1900 HOURS"
EXT. CONTAINMENT WALL - FIREBASE SEVEN - L.A. - NIGHT
Searchlights sweep down across a column of policemen marching past
a concrete wall. Camera begins to crane up the wall. Sound of
roaring turbines. The howl of the Santa Ana wind.
Camera reaches the top of the wall. Armed police troops stand on
the battlements. Across what looks like an ocean is L.A. The view
is from the Newhall Pass.
Hidden by the Santa Monica Mountains, L.A. glows in the distance
with a hundred fires. Smoke surges from the jagged horizon. Above,
the sky is an angry orange.
ANOTHER ANGLE - TOP OF THE WALL
Res sensor lights glow in evenly spaced intervals. Searchlights
sweep into the darkness. Cannons are in place every 200 feet,
manned by police guards.
EXT. SAN FERNANDO SEA - NIGHT
Water stretches into blackness. This was once the San Fernando
Valley, but now it's all underwater. Pieces of debris - tops of
buildings, the tail of an airplane, a radio tower - stick up above
the surface. We can make out the letters of an old, half-sunken
sign: "SAN FERNANDO VALLEY MALL"
EXT. THE WALL - NIGHT
The wall stretches to the northwest up to the Santa Susanna Pass.
Portions of the 118 Freeway arch up out of the water.
EXT. FIREBASE SEVEN - BEHIND THE WALL - NIGHT
Firebase Seven is a fortified base camp in the San Gabriel
Mountains. It is a sprawling police complex with low concrete
bunkers, gun emplacements, satellite communications, vehicles,
troops, the works. ON A LARGE ASPHALT FIELD, opposite the main
complex is Rotor City - row after row of black, multi-bladed,
totally evil police battle helicopters parked like giant bugs on
the ground.
A throng of policemen gather at the edge of Rotor City yelling and
cheering, their fists in the air. Cops with camcorders videotape
the event. A police anchor reports...
POLICE ANCHOR
He's been the Force's Most Wanted Man for
10 years. Convicted of 27 moral crimes. I
can tell you, the excitement around here
is...
(a great roaring skyward)
Here he comes!
A MASSIVE 7-ROTORED, 40-BLADED HELICOPTER TRANSPORT comes slamming
down out of the black sky and lands. The growing crowd of cheering
cops goes nuts like fans at a football game. They slap hands,
dance wildly.
INT. COMMAND HQ - MAIN CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
A mammoth room filled with high-tech instrumentation. A glowing
holographic map of L.A. fills one wall. Most of the control
personnel have left their work stations and gather around TV sets
all showing the Police Channel: a view of the helicopter transport
sitting on the asphalt and the cheering crowds at the edge of
Rotor City.
A tall, steel-faced officer sits at his desk. This is Firebase
Commander MAC "BIG DOG" MALLOY. Hard, battle weary features.
BRAZEN, a section Lieutenant, comes up.
BRAZEN
Commander Malloy. They're bringing him
out, sir.
Malloy rises from his chair, steps to a nearby TV set, watches the
scene from the Police Channel.
MALLOY
So we finally got him.
EXT. ROTOR CITY - NIGHT
The crowd of cops is growing to a frenzy of wild anticipation.
POLICE ANCHOR
Hold one! The door is opening!
The door of the helicopter transport slowly lowers like a
drawbridge. Out of its black belly comes...
SNAKE PLISSKEN. A steel collar is clamped around his neck. Eight
lengths of chain stretch to eight armed guards who escort Plissken
down the ramp. Plissken is bruised, badly beaten and tortured, his
face a mess, but he doesn't seem to care. A line of battle-ready
cops stand with their guns aimed right at Plissken's head as he is
marched into camp. An army of camcorders move ahead of the Police
Anchor as he scampers along in front of PLISSKEN, interviewing
him.
POLICE ANCHOR
Hello, Plissken. Welcome to L.A.
Celebrating cops cheer as Plissken is lead to...
A SIGN ABOVE A CONCRETE BUNKER - DEPORTATION CENTER
The bunker has one large opening, into which hundreds of deportees
march. Guards in towers monitor the condemned as they trudge out
of fenced-in containment areas, down walled corridors to the
bunker entrance.
The deportees are minorities, the poor, prostitutes, pimps,
thieves, adulterers, atheists - the Morally Guilty, outcasts of
society. Single mothers carry babies. Teenage runaways huddle
together. There are abortion doctors, drug dealers, pornographers,
the prisoners of a massive cultural war.
As Plissken is marched toward the entrance, a loudspeaker blares
out:
POLICE VOICE (V.O.)
You are now entering the Deportation
Center. You have been found guilty of
moral crimes against the United States of
America.
A great cheer goes up from the cops as the Police Anchor conducts
his interview...
POLICE ANCHOR
S.D. Bob Plissken. Special Forces, Black
Light, Texas Thunder. Two Purple Hearts.
Youngest man ever decorated by the
President.
Plissken's face remains so impassive as to be almost blank.
INT. SODIUM VAPOR CORRIDOR - DEPORTATION CENTER - NIGHT
A glowing, vaporous-orange corridor. More cops gather to watch
Plissken as he is escorted into the bowels of the Deportation
Center.
POLICE ANCHOR
You've been convicted of 27 moral crimes,
Plissken. The murder of an Internal
Revenue agent. The kidnapping of a bank
president. Gun fighting for profit. The
list goes on and on...
INT. CONCRETE HALLWAY - DEPORTATION CENTER - NIGHT
Deeper into the Deportation Center. Camera tracks along the
deportees, some bleeding, some wrapped in rags. Plissken, the
Police Anchor, camcorders and the armed escort move through the
dark, low concrete passageway.
POLICE ANCHOR
You used to respect the law. Served your
country like no man before you. Role model
to a generation.
The Police Anchor leans in as close as he dares to Plissken's
face.
POLICE ANCHOR
What happened to you, war hero? You were
the best we had.
STEEL-WALLED HALLWAY - DEPORTATION CENTER - NIGHT
Steel walls. Deeper into the Deportation Center. The deportees
here are in worse shape. Some appear to be dead. Plissken and his
entourage continue along, as the speaker echoes a pre-recorded
message...
POLICE VOICE (V.O.)
You are sentenced to permanent expulsion
beyond the borders of the U.S. You now
have the option to repent of your sins and
be electrocuted on the premises. If you
elect this option, notify the Cleric
Sergeant in your Processing Area.
Plissken and his entourage pass deportees kneeling and praying in
front of cloaked cleric cops, government holy men. Beyond, through
opened doorways, see Death Row deportees being strapped into
futuristic electric chairs.
POLICE ANCHOR
The whole world's watching. Every good and
decent person who works and hard and
follows the rules. What would say to them?
Plissken's expression is blank.
POLICE ANCHOR
What would you say to all of us who
believed in you, who looked up to you, who
thought you stood for right over wrong,
good over evil? Be my guest. What do you
have to say, Plissken?
PLISSKEN
(beat)
Call me Snake.
The guards move Plissken through a doorway, and the huge steel
doors slam shut on the Police Anchor and the camcorders.
INT. CORRIDOR - PROCESSING AREA - NIGHT
Malloy, Brazen, and a 3rd man, tall, charismatic, grim, move
urgently along a corridor.
BRAZEN
ComStat did a psychosearch on him. Used a
database of 5 million sociopathic
personalities. He hit the bottom of the
curve.
MALLOY
Perfect for the mission. Nobody else can
pull it off - not an army, not a man.
BRAZEN
Zero emotional developments. Total lack of
compassion. A highly developed
psychopathic instinct to survive.
3RD MAN
Let's get this over with.
INT. CONCRETE CELL - NIGHT
The cell door slams shut. Plissken turns around. Writ and leg
irons. He looks around.
In the concrete cell he sees a simple table with an overhead light
above it. A watch lies on the table. Plissken shuffles over, picks
up the watch, examines it.
The cell door opens. Malloy, Brazen, and the 3rd Man enter the
room unarmed. The door closes.
Malloy and Brazen move forward, to the edge of the light. The 3rd
Man stays back in the shadows by the door.
MALLOY
How you doin' Plissken?
(no reply)
You like the watch?
PLISSKEN
You assholes didn't bring me here to give
me this for 20 years of dedicated service.
What'ya want?
Malloy looks back to the 3rd Man in the shadows...
3RD MAN
Get to it.
Malloy raises a control unit, pushes the button. The lights go
down and a computer-enhanced image appears on the wall...
INT. PROTOTYPE DEFENSE LAB - SURVEILLANCE CAMERA
From the point of view of a surveillance camera. The lab is huge.
Banks of processors, disk drives, test bays, prototype assembly
areas. High tech. A group of government officials is being given a
tour. Utopia, 17, the President's daughter is among them. Pretty,
virginal, she wears a "True Love Waits" button on her flowered
dress.
MALLOY
At 1030 hours Wednesday, a group of
government officials began a tour of the
Livermore Defense Lab. The President's
daughter, Utopia, was among them.
Plissken continues to watch the image on the wall...
MALLOY
An hour later, she boarded Air Force 3 to
Washington.
The 3rd Man reacts as the image in front of Plissken changes...
INT. MAIN CABIN OF 747 - CAMCORDER
From the point of view of a camcorder. Utopia stands inside the
main cabin of a plush, government 747. In one hand she holds a
black anodized box the size of a transistor radio with a button on
top. In the other, a machine gun.
UTOPIA
(to the camcorder)
To the American people - it is time to
rise up and demand the surrender of the
President and his corrupt theocracy of
lies and terror.
MALLOY
At 1140 hours, she hijacked the plane. We
scanned the videotape on VR. Check it out.
Inside the surveillance room the President stares grimly as Malloy
presses a button. Suddenly the image in front of Plissken spreads
out all around him. He is in a virtual reality re-creation.
INT. MAIN CABIN OF 747 - VIRTUAL REALITY
Plissken stands manacled in the main cabin. A group of secret
service men and congressmen watch as a flight attendance operates
a camcorder. He's videotaping Utopia as she rants into the camera.
She's pent up with such anxiety she's like a panther in a cage.
UTOPIA
Today is Day One of a brand new world. The
days of the empire are finished.
(beat)
To the President - my father, you know
what this is.
She holds up the anodized box with the red button and thrusts it
at the camcorder.
UTOPIA
You know what it will do. Unless you
abdicate your throne by tomorrow night, I
will use it - on you.
CONGRESSMAN
Utopia, please. Give us the prototype. If
something should happen -
UTOPIA
It will be in my hands - and the hands of
my lover.
She says "lover" with all the drama a 17-year-old virgin can
muster. The others are shocked.
UTOPIA
Yes, my lover. My man. The only real man
I've ever known. I'm on my way to his
arms.
She moves to the rear of the main cabin, bends down, opens a small
hatch in the floor, scrambles down...
WHAM! The VR image suddenly disappears and Plissken is again
standing inside the concrete cell. Malloy and Brazen stand in
front of him.
MALLOY
Somehow during the tour, she came into
possession of a prototype transmitting
device. We don't know how.
BRAZEN
Utopia became depressed after her mother's
suicide, began to withdraw into her
virtual reality simulator. She'd punch up
her own little world in cyberspace and
stay in it for days at a time.
(hits a button)
Somebody else was in there with her.
AN IMAGE APPEARS
In front of Plissken: A computer-rendered VR picture of clouds and
sunshine, green grass and happy animals frolicking. A Garden of
Eden. There, coming toward us, is CUERVO JONES. South American
terrorist. Fiercest warrior of the Third World. He wears a
gleaming ancient Aztec battle helmet. Bandoliers strapped around
him.
MALLOY
Cuervo Jones. Shining Path. Peruvian
terrorist. Runs the biggest baddest gang
in L.A.
Cuervo Jones takes off the helmet He is blindingly handsome,
charismatic. He smiles, reaches out his arms to camera as if to
embrace it. The image suddenly pops back to the beginning - it's
on a loop. The image disappears.
The lights in the cell come up.
BRAZEN
Utopia made tapes of her VR experiences,
then tried to erase them. She missed this
fragment on the end of her last tape.
Cuervo Jones must have tapped into the VR
master data bank - and then went prowling
around for innocent blood, someone
vulnerable to corrupt. Utopia was lonely,
looking for something to believe in.
PLISSKEN
Sad story. You got a cigarette?
MALLOY
Shut up, Plissken.
PLISSKEN
What's the little black box do?
MALLOY
Top secret. Only on a need to know.
PLISSKEN
And I don't need to know. So fuck you, I'm
goin' to Hollywood.
MALLOY
That's right, big shot. Unless you do what
we want you're not coming back.
PLISSKEN
So what's the deal, huh? Go into L.A.,
find the President's daughter, secure the
box, and bring 'em both out - and I'm
free?
MALLOY
That's the deal.
PLISSKEN
Tell the President to adopt. I think I'll
like L.A.
After a couple of beats, the 3rd Man appears next to Malloy and
Brazen. He stares at Plissken for a moment, holds up some papers.
3RD MAN
If you bring out the prototype, you'll
receive a full pardon for every immoral
act you have ever committed in the United
States. Just like in '97. Remember New
York, Plissken?
PLISSKEN
(looks at him)
Who are you?
MALLOY
It's the President, for Christ's sake!
PRESIDENT
I give you my word. Put the prototype into
my hands, and you're a free man.
PLISSKEN
I can see you're real concerned about your
daughter.
PRESIDENT
Utopia is lost to me. My daughter is gone.
PLISSKEN
Well, I'll think it over.
PRESIDENT
You're running out of time.
PLISSKEN
I've been doin' that all my life. Might as
well do it in L.A. Everybody else there
is.
MALLOY
Well, enjoy it, war hero, cause you got 10
hours to live.
Malloy, Brazen, and the President turn to leave...
PLISSKEN
Wait a minute, what are you talkin' about?
MALLOY
Having second thoughts?
PLISSKEN
Maybe. But you're not putting any shit in
me this time.
MALLOY
You don't understand. It's already in you.
PLISSKEN'S FACE
As an image of the cigarette girl in New Las Vegas flashes
suddenly. Her fingernail scratches his arm. He tightens.
MALLOY
The cigarette girl in New Vegas was an
undercover cop. She injected you with
incentive toxin. Right now it's swimming
in your bloodstream. It'll start to take
effect in 9 hours.
BRAZEN
It's a strain of the Plutoxin 7 virus.
Genetically engineered. 100% pure death.
Complete nervous system shutdown. You
crash and bleed out like a stuck pig. Not
a pretty sight.
Plissken takes a step toward him. Malloy holds up a large
hypodermic.
MALLOY
Of course there's an anti-toxin.
Neutralizes the virus immediately upon
injection.
(beat)
We'll give it to you, but you have to do
us this little favor.
TWO BEATS...
...and then Plissken attacks the President, hurls himself across
the room, throwing the chain around the President's neck...
Plissken passes right through the President, causing his image to
waver slightly, then falls on his ass.
PRESIDENT
Didn't think we were that stupid, did you?
INT. SURVEILLANCE ROOM
The real Malloy, Brazen, and President stand in front of a laser
camera in a small room offering a view of the cell through a
transparent portion of the wall.
MALLOY
We're holographs.
INSIDE THE CELL
Plissken stares at the three images in front of him, then at the
camera lens on the wall...
PLISSKEN
Get this crap out of me.
MALLOY
I guess we have a deal. Nice to be working
with you, Plissken.
PLISSKEN
(beat)
Call me Snake.
INT. BRIEFING ROOM - COMMAND HQ - NIGHT
Plissken checks through various tactical survival items and
weapons laid out on a table. Brazen watches as Malloy show shim a
high tech submachine gun.
BRAZEN
Very sweet little weapon. Core burner.
Magnesium ammo. 500 extra rounds.
(moves on)
Two 9mm handguns.
(holds up a silver pill)
Oral projectile. Mouth dart. Hold it in
your mouth for ten seconds, the coating
dissolves, it becomes a weapon.
Malloy breaks open the silver pill. Inside is s small, lethal
looking dart.
BRAZEN
Urolite. It'll stun the enemy for several
seconds.
Plissken picks up a small, computerized compass.
MALLOY
Tracer. Utopia has a kidnap chip implanted
in her arm. You can locate her with this.
Brazen hands Plissken a large black clip.
BRAZEN
This clips right onto your 9mm. Ammo
enhancers. Like miniaturized grenades.
Blows through anything.
Plissken snaps the clip onto his pistol, then unsnaps it.
EXT. POLICE COMPLEX - NIGHT
Plissken suits up. Submachine gun, handguns, six-guns. He, Brazen
and Malloy walk quickly across the complex.
MALLOY
L.A. is in a constant state of warfare.
Gangs fighting for the right to rule.
BRAZEN
Heavy Third World connections. They get
weapons, drugs, fuel, choppers -
everything is pumped into the island from
the south.
MALLOY
Some areas have power - they're on line to
San Onofre.
EXT. ROTOR CITY - NIGHT
As Brazen's command helicopter takes off...
INT. COMMAND HELICOPTER - NIGHT
Plissken stares at a photo of the anodized prototype.
PLISSKEN
I'll need to know more about this thing.
MALLOY
Only a handful of people are aware of its
existence. Let's just say it's the
ultimate defensive weapon.
PLISSKEN
Defense against what?
MALLOY
There's a war about to be declared, or
didn't you know?
Plissken shrugs.
MALLOY
Third World wants to live like we do - and
they plan on taking what they want. The
Cubans and Brazilians are ready to invade
Miami. If the Africans and Colombians make
a run at the border, we got a full scale
attack on the United States.
PLISSKEN
So what does this thing do?
MALLOY
All you need to know is get it back here
by 5 a.m.
EXT. WALL - ACCESS TUNNEL - NIGHT
The Command helicopter lands near a large access tunnel inside the
containment wall.
INT. ACCESS TUNNEL - NIGHT
Plissken, Brazen and Malloy walk through the dark, dank tunnel.
Armed guards stand at the ready. A hatch in the tunnel floor
stands open. A ladder disappears down into the darkness.
MALLOY
(points to the open hatch)
You're going over by submarine. One-man
submersible. Nuclear powered.
Plissken arranges his gear, climbs into the hatch opening.
PLISSKEN
Where do I put ashore?
MALLOY
Cahuenga Pass. Make your way up through
the mountains toward the Hollywood Bowl.
You should be able to pick up Utopia's
tracer there.
(beat)
Once you go inside, you're on your own.
(beat)
You know what you have to do with the
girl, don't you?
(beat)
We have to spare this nation her trial -
for treason.
PLISSKEN
So you want me to take her out?
(Malloy nods)
Is that an order from the President?
MALLOY
Let's just say it's what's best for the
country.
PLISSKEN
By the way - who gives me the anti-toxin?
MALLOY
A medical team will be standing by.
PLISSKEN
Not you?
MALLOY
No.
PLISSKEN
Good.
KABLAMM! He fires, ripping hellish blasts at Malloy. There's no
damage. Malloy laughs.
MALLOY
Thought you might try that. First clip is
filled with blanks. Goodbye, Plissken.
Malloy kicks the hatch and it slams down on top of Plissken.
Brazen pushes a control button, sealing it shut.
INT. SUBMARINE BAY - NIGHT
Plissken climbs down the ladder into a small submarine bay. Below
him on a launching rig is a sleek, black one-man submarine shaped
like a dart. The submarine's hatch is open. Plissken climbs
inside.
INT. SUBMARINE - NIGHT
Plissken seals the hatch behind him. He has to lie flat on his
stomach to operate the sub. He quickly hits various switches and
buttons, powering up the cockpit.
INT. COMMAND HQ - MAIN CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Malloy and Brazen move to a surveillance-command post.
PLISSKEN (V.O. RADIO)
Com check.
Malloy picks up the microphone.
MALLOY
I'm here, Plissken.
INT. SUBMARINE - NIGHT
Plissken looks at the wrist watch. It ticks down ominously. Eight
hours and counting down...
MALLOY (V.O.)
Stand by for launch. Ignitor.
(Plissken pushes a button)
Fuel rod injection.
Plissken pulls a lever, watches his dials. A deep humming sound
grows louder inside the sub.
PLISSKEN
She's in the green.
MALLOY (V.O.)
Lock fuel rods.
PLISSKEN
(hits a switch)
Locked.
MALLOY (V.O.)
Nuclear turbine to 75% power.
Plissken turns a throttle-like control with his left hand.
INT. SUBMARINE BAY - NIGHT
Out of the rear tubes of Plissken's sub comes a roaring blue glow.
INT. SUBMARINE
PLISSKEN
75% power.
MALLOY (V.O.)
Hands on switches and counting.
5...4...3...2...1. Launch.
INT. SUBMARINE BAY
The rear tubes roar. Suddenly the sub is shot forward through a
long, circular tunnel.
INT. SUBMARINE
Plissken braces himself as the cabin lurches, vibrates with the
force.
EXT. THE WALL - NEWHALL PASS - NIGHT
A door in the wall opens, revealing the circulator tunnel. In a
roaring explosion, the sub rockets out of the tunnel, shot from
the wall like a cannonball. The submarine is airborne for several
seconds, then drops down, and slams into the San Fernando Sea.
INT. SUBMARINE
Plissken is rocked with the impact. He guides the sub with hand
controls. In front of him on a screen is a schematic diagram of
the underwater landscape of the San Fernando Valley.
EXT. UNDERWATER - 405 FREEWAY - NIGHT
In the underwater darkness, see the broken remains of the 405
Freeway, as the subs creams past, its nuclear wake churning in the
water.
INT. COMMAND HQ - MAIN CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Malloy, Brazen and other cops follow Plissken's course on a
gigantic computer screen.
MALLOY
Plissken, watch your speed. Lots of
obstructions down there.
EXT. UNDERWATER - VAN NUYS CITY HALL - NIGHT
As the sub rockets past the ruins of the Van Nuys City Hall,
barely missing it.
INT. SUBMARINE
MALLOY (V.O.)
Plissken...
Plissken ignores him, carefully maneuvering the sub with his
controls.
MALLOY (V.O.)
Plissken... do you copy?
EXT. UNDERWATER - THE VENTURA FREEWAY - NIGHT
Camera follows the sub as it streaks along just above the
submerged ruins of the Ventura Freeway. See the ghostly shapes of
cars, trucks, busses below, smashed and overturned.
INT. COMMAND HQ - MAIN CONTROL ROOM
They watch the sub, a red blip on the screen, move along the
freeway.
INT. SUBMARINE
Plissken twists his hand throttle, pouring on the power to 90%.
EXT. VENTURA & HOLLYWOOD FREEWAY INTERCHANGE - UNDERWATER - NIGHT
The sub rips through the water, faster and faster, goes into a
hard bank to the right as the Ventura Freeway turns into the
Hollywood. A sign at the edge of the Hollywood Freeway reads:
"SPEED LIMIT 55". The sub screams past.
INT. COMMAND HQ - MAIN CONTROL ROOM
Brazen points to a readout showing the submarine's engine status.
BRAZEN
His reactor's starting to overheat.
MALLOY
Plissken, slow down the sub. You're
overloading the power plant.
INT. SUBMARINE
Plissken glances at the gauge. His nuclear turbine readout: green,
moving to yellow, into red. He pushes it up to 102%.
MALLOY (V.O.)
Plissken...?
Plissken's eye turns back to the computer map in front of him. One
the screen: the red blip representing the sub is headed right
toward a building. Plissken pulls hard on the controls.
EXT. UNDERWATER - UNIVERSAL CITY - THE BLACK TOWER - NIGHT
The sub smacks into the side of the Black Tower, powers through
it, blasts out the other side through a window, tilting and
wobbling. The sub rights itself momentarily but is slammed
downward out of frame by a huge, dark, slimy object.
KING KONG looms overhead - his fist rising and falling with the
currents. Plissken has maneuvered himself into the wreckage of the
Universal Studios Tour.
The sub zips through the King Kong ride into Back To The Future,
passing 1950's signage from that film, dodging a rusting Delorean.
It slams into the open mouth of JAWS, shattering the model into a
million pieces.
The sub continues on, bouncing through the narrow openings of the
Earthquake Ride - broken pipes, cracked sidewalks, split walls -
hard to tell what was the ride and what was The Big One.
INT. SUBMARINE
Plissken hangs on, as small jets of water spray into the cockpit
through tiny cracks in the hull.
EXT. UNDERWATER - MOVING WITH THE SUBMARINE - NIGHT
The sub suddenly tips upward, rising for the surface.
EXT. SHORELINE - CAHUENGA PASS - NIGHT
The sub explodes out of the water, lands belly first on a hillside
with a hard thump.
INT. SUBMARINE
Plissken presses the hatch controls. The sub begins to slide
backwards down toward the water.
INT. SUBMARINE
Plissken struggles, then rips open the hatch, scrambles out. The
sub slowly slips backwards, down into the water. As the rear
exhaust tubes hit the surface, a blast of steam. Plissken leaps
out of the hatch. The sub sinks faster and faster. He scampers up
the side, leaps for ground... and lands on the hillside, as the
sub sinks into the sea, bubbling, churning, hissing.
A bleeping sound. He takes out his pocket walkie, raises the
antenna.
MALLOY (V.O.)
Plissken...?
PLISSKEN
I'm here.
MALLOY (V.O.)
Where's the submarine? It's disappeared
off our screens.
PLISSKEN
It's history. I gotta go.
Plissken clicks off the walkie, pockets it, turns to climb up the
hillside when...
WHAM! Standing above him is a dark figure. Hooded. Carrying
something huge and rounded at the ends.
Plissken raises his submachine gun...
... as PIPELINE steps closer. He's a surfer in a black wetsuit.
Carries a surfboard. A rifle is slung across his shoulder.
Pipeline's face is raw, burned - too many hours surfing in the UV.
PIPELINE
Too bad about your boat, man.
(Plissken doesn't move)
Supposed to be some swells out here
tonight. Big ones.
(beat)
You like to surf?
Realizing Pipeline is no danger, Plissken moves past him up the
hillside.
PIPELINE
You look kinda familiar.
(beat)
You hang out around here much?
But Plissken's moved off into the darkness.
EXT. MULHOLLAND DRIVE - NIGHT - RAIN
Plissken reaches old Mulholland Drive, now dark and desolate.
Shells of houses stand nearby, black and empty. It has begun to
rain.
The sound of gunfire. Plissken ducks behind a tree...
Two old cars come zooming up Mulholland, side by side. Windows
down. Guns blazing at each other. They pass Plissken, continue
down Mulholland, ripping each other apart with gunfire. Plissken
darts across Mulholland, down the mountainside.
EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - NIGHT - RAIN
The rain pours down as Plissken makes his way down a steep
incline.
CRACK! A dark figure steps out from behind a tree. Plissken spins,
submachine gun ready. It's Pipeline.
PIPELINE
Hey, man. I know who you are. You're Snake
Plissken. Man, I can't believe you're
really here.
More gunfire from above on Mulholland...
PIPELINE
Kind of a bad neighborhood, Snake.
PLISSKEN
Which way to the Hollywood Bowl?
PIPELINE
(points)
Down that way.
Plissken starts down.
PIPELINE
Be careful. Some real strange dudes
hangin' out there these days.
Plissken continues moving, now just a blurry figure in the rain.
PIPELINE
Hey Snake - what're you doin' around here,
man?
(as Plissken disappears)
I heard they busted you up real good in
Cleveland...
EXT. HILLS ABOVE THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL - NIGHT - RAIN
The rain is coming down in a torrent as Plissken makes his way
down the hillside. Then, all at once, the rain lets up, then
stops. The trees drip with moisture. Suddenly, a huge KATHUMP from
above him. Plissken looks back. A huge mudslide is roaring its way
down the hill toward him.
Plissken races down the hill, but the mudslide cascades downward
like a freight train, catches up with him, sweeps him off his
feet... and Plissken goes riding down the hill, rumbling and
sliding in the mud.
EXT. STAND OF TREES - NIGHT
The mudslide hits a flat area near a stand of trees, spreads out,
slows. A completely mud-covered, black Plissken climbs out of the
goo. He's dripping with it. His one good eye shines in the
moonlight. He takes a couple steps toward the edge of the treeline
when...
A VOICE (SPINAL) (V.O.)
Shut-up, fuck! Stop makin' noise!
Plissken spins. He's standing right next to SPINAL, the leader of
the Black Cowboy Gang. Dressed in black, boots with spurs, black
duster, black cowboy hat, he carries an automatic rifle. He looks
just like Charles Barkley.
Plissken looks around, realizes he's in the middle of a small army
of Black Cowboys, crouched behind the trees, waiting in ambush.
Covered with mud, Plissken blends right in.
SPINAL
Take cover, fool.
Plissken jumps behind a tree, looks down the hillside.
PLISSKEN'S POV - THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
Below his position is the Hollywood Bowl. A huge cross is on
stage, and the cross is on fire.
CLOSER - HOLLYWOOD BOWL
A group of white hooded men, the K.K.K., stand in front of the
burning cross holding a ceremony. Next to the cross on stage, a
hooded K.K.K. string quartet begins playing a Hayden concerto.
Plissken reacts.
SPINAL
Let's take him.
A Black Cowboy raises his M79 grenade launcher, as the others
quickly race down the hillside. He fires.
THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
A 40mm armor-piercing grenade leaves a blazing fire trail as it
rockets toward the burning cross and - KABLAMMO! A fireball blows
pieces of the cross into the air. The K.K.K. spin around...
A blast of lightning illuminates the Black Cowboys attacking from
the hills. They open fire. A K.K.K. Grand Dragon is picked off his
feet, buffeted in mid-air, flesh and robe shredded by gunfire. A
hail of bullets hits the K.K.K. They return fire, but are
overwhelmed. They are hit, jerking and twisting. Fire from the
Black Cowboys is withering, racking the hooded figures like bolts
of lightning. The Black Cowboys keep advancing, firing, as it
starts to rain again.
Through the cloudy wash of dribbling rain water, the firefight
continues. Four K.K.K. leap out from behind a row of seats and
jump Plissken, knocking his gun to the ground. In a blinding
flash, using hands, feet, and head, Plissken sends them flying. As
he reaches down to pick up his submachine gun, he sees that the
rain is washing the mud off his body...
AND SO DOES SPINAL, who stands nearby, watching as Plissken is
washed clean by the rain. Spinal raises his weapon, then stops.
SPINAL
Hey. I know you. Snake Plissken.
Plissken slowly stands, his submachine gun in his hand. Behind
them, the firefight is almost over. The K.K.K. scatter into the
rain...
SPINAL
Hey, what's going down, Snake?
PLISSKEN
I'm looking for somebody.
SPINAL
Who ain't?
Plissken pulls out his tracer. It is blipping red, just south of
the Bowl.
SPINAL
Say, is it true what they say about
Cleveland, man?
Plissken doesn't answer. He moves on through the rain...
SPINAL
Later, Snake. Thanks for the help. You can
always shift down and mojo with us
anytime.
EXT. VINE AVENUE - NIGHT
The ruins of the Capital Records building. The rain has stopped
again. Plissken is a lone figure walking along the street. In the
distance, the sound of thumping music.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD AT HIGHLAND - NIGHT
Pandemonium! Music blares. It's the old Supremes hit, "Love is
Like An Itchin' In My Heart." Crowds dance in the street. It's
like a block party. Black, Latino and Native American gangs
celebrate. Plus the usual Hollywood Boulevard street traffic.
Plissken moves through the carnival. Gorgeous hookers stand under
the marquee of the ruined Chinese Theater. The marquee now reads:
"SAFE SEX", "NO CONDOMS NEEDED", "POLYPROPYLENE ORIFICES",
"SATISFACTION GUARANTEED"
One of the hookers struts in front of Plissken.
CLOSEUP - THE HOOKER
Opening her mouth, she gives a sensuous puff. A polypropylene
orifice attached to the inside of her lips expands outward like a
small, pink balloon. She sucks it back in and puckers, kissing the
air. Plissken turns, as the sounds of car engines rises.
HIS POV - COMING DOWN HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
... is a caravan of vehicles. The crowd parts to let them through,
cheering insanely. Plissken ducks into an alley, watches...
The caravan passes Plissken's position. Two men on horseback lead
a convoy of rumbling, fuming old cars, buses, motorcycles - all
scarred and ripped and jerry-rigged - bumps down the Boulevard.
Plissken watches from his spot in the alley, as a blonde-haired
hooker joins him, rubs his arm. She has no polypropylene, at least
none that we can see.
BLONDE HOOKER
It's winnin' time, baby. How about you and
I do some celebrating?
PLISSKEN
What's going on?
BLONDE HOOKER
You must be new around here.
(beat)
You look familiar. Have I done you before?
Plissken grabs the hooker.
PLISSKEN
What's happening?
BLONDE HOOKER
Easy, man, easy. It's Cuervo Jones' gang.
Mescalito Justice. He's the big boss man
'round here tonight.
(whispers)
He's gonna take down the police and make
'em kiss his fine ass.
Plissken lets her go, stares...
HIS POV - A CADILLAC
... is perched ten feet off the ground on monster truck wheels.
Severed doll heads are glued all over the hood, and a large
glittering disco ball spins atop the roof, catching shards of
light and flicking them back into the night...
Behind the disco ball stands the real Cuervo Jones, at least. And
there next to him is Utopia. She's dressed in black lace underwear
and bra, garters and stockings. A Playboy fantasy. She holds the
prototype. Delgado, Cuervo Jones' second-in-command, stands behind
her. He is huge and evil. Dressed like Pancho Villa.
Plissken stares as the Cadillac passes. The hooker cheers along
with the rest of the crowd, and doesn't notice that Plissken's
moved off...
Several motorcycles bring up the rear of the caravan. Mescalitos
ride with their women slung behind them. As the last bike passes,
Plissken darts out of the alley, yanks the woman off the back of
the cycle, jumps on.
ON THE MOTORCYCLE
The Mescalito biker turns to react...
WHACK! Plissken takes him out with a head-butt, shoves him off the
bike, hops up on the seat.
KAVROOM! Plissken guns the motorcycle and it roars off, around the
other bikers, toward the head of the caravan. Plissken zooms
along, makes the turn onto La Brea Avenue with the caravan...
EXT. LA BREA AND SUNSET BOULEVARDS - NIGHT
As the caravan turns west onto Sunset, Plissken blasts around the
corner.
ON PLISSKEN
Coming right behind him are four Mescalitos on Harleys - chains,
iron bars, and swords in their hands. Plissken stares up ahead.
HIS POV - THE CADILLAC
... is just a few feet away. Cuervo Jones and Utopia.
Plissken guns it when suddenly two Mescalitos pull up on either
side of him. One of them swings a chain. Plissken grabs it with
one hand, and with his other hand, aims his submachine gun and
fires! The Mescalito and bike go flying, and Plissken holds on to
the chain.
Atop the Cadillac, Cuervo Jones reacts to the sound of gunfire. He
turns to see...
PLISSKEN
As the other Mescalito riding behind him swings a chain. Plissken
swings his. The two chains snap together, intertwining. Then
Plissken squeezes his hand-brake. He screeches to a stop. The
Mescalito keeps going, and is yanked over backward by his own
chain, off the Harley. Finally the Harley flops over, skids,
explodes. Plissken guns it again, takes off after the Cadillac.
Two more Mescalitos pull up on either side of Plissken. They take
aim at him with their automatic rifles. Plissken pulls a sudden
wheelie, lifts the front of his bike up into the air, rides on the
back wheel. The two Mescalitos fire - directly into each other.
They fall and their bikes go crashing to the pavement.
Plissken surges the bike forward, coming up on a Mescalito on
horseback who turns and fires. Plissken ducks and the bullet rips
through the rear tire. The tire blows and the bike swerves out of
control. Plissken leaps from the bike and grabs the back of the
saddle.
THE HORSE
Plissken pulls himself up behind the Mescalito and wrestles for
control of the mount. Plissken grabs the reins and wraps them
around the Mescalito's neck, squeezing until his eyes burst.
Plissken slams his arm against the Mescalito, throwing him off the
saddle, bouncing onto the pavement.
Plissken gallops ahead, circling a lasso high above his head,
pounding down on a biker. The lasso takes flight and finds it
mark, the biker's neck. Plissken pulls the lasso taut, ties the
end to the saddle horn, rides his mount parallel to the biker.
THE BIKE
With one quick yank to the lasso, Plissken pulls the biker off,
jumps on the bike and smacks the hell out of the horse's rump.
THE HORSE
Takes off down the street, dragging the biker by the neck.
THE CADILLAC
Speeds up as Plissken moves up to the Mustang five cars behind. He
swings off the bike and jumps onto the trunk. Plissken climbs up
to the roof, leaps on the hood, then jumps to the trunk of the car
in front - leapfrogging, jumping to the next car, the next car...
MESCALITOS
Lean out their car windows, firing at him, but Plissken keeps
moving toward the Cadillac...
SUDDENLY A HAND
Reaches out a car window and grabs Plissken's submachine gun.
Plissken turns to snatch it back -
WHEN CUERVO JONES
Leaps from the Cadillac and takes Plissken down to the roof.
CUERVO JONES
Snake Plissken.
They struggle. Cuervo raises his machete. Plissken grabs his
wrist, flips him over, knocks the machete off into the street,
smacks Cuervo in the face.
A BOLAS-SWINGING MESCALITO
Comes roaring up on his bike, throws the bolas...
PLISSKEN
As the bolas hit him, wrap around his neck, the balls thunking him
in the face, sending him flying...
KAWHAP! Plissken hits the pavement hard. He skids, rolls, and at
last slams into the edge of the sidewalk. The caravan rumbles away
down Sunset. The hand in the car window still holds Plissken's
submachine gun.
Cuervo crouches on the roof, hissing at Plissken.
CUERVO JONES
Later, Snake. We finish it later.
PLISSKEN
Lies there for several beats, then climbs to his feet.
HIS POV - THE CARAVAN
... disappears up Sunset.
PLISSKEN
Stands alone in the deserted street. The ruins of a supermarket,
cheap motels, liquor stores - all empty, desolate.
He looks over to see the broken remains of his pocket walkie.
After a beat, he starts moving up Sunset, checking his two 9mm
handguns, slipping them into their holsters.
EXT. SUNSET AND DOHENY - NIGHT
On the border of Beverly Hills, Sunset stretches off into the
darkness beyond the intersection. A slight wind blows litter
aimlessly along. There are occasional sounds: Creaks, distant
clangs.
Plissken approaches the intersection. He carries Utopia's compass
homing device. It is silent. The small screen's blank. Then
Plissken glances at his wrist watch.
CLOSE - WRIST WATCH
Three hours gone.
Plissken stands for a moment, staring off down Sunset...
VOICE (V.O.)
Snake Plissken, right?
He spins around.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Sits in an old beach chair on the sidewalk, a map to the stars
sign in front of him. In his late 50's, he's a petty thief, con
man. He's been hustling tourists and everybody else all his life.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Wow! Snake Plissken!
Map To The Stars Eddie listens to WAYWARD WIND by Gogi Grant on a
small, metal-plated portable radio. He clicks off the radio,
rises, walks over to Plissken.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
You're a star in your own right, you know
that? Hey, I'm Map To The Stars Eddie. How
you doin'?
PLISSKEN
Where'd they go?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Man, I'd love to have your autograph,
Snake.
He searches around in his pockets, comes up with pen and paper.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
I've been hearing about you ever since
that New York deal back in the 90's.
You're one smooth operator.
(offers pen and paper)
Could you sign one to Wolf, one to Death's
Head, one to Slasher Smith...?
Plissken grabs him by the throat.
PLISSKEN
Where are they?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Who? You mean Cuervo Jones? He's the man
with the juice, Snake. Got the President's
daughter. Setting up a citywide truce. Big
doings.
Plissken draws a 9mm and points it at Map To The Stars Eddie's
forehead.
PLISSKEN
Location.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Cuervo's got a place near Venice, where
the big birds fly. Nice digs, too. I've
been there, y'know.
Plissken releases him, as suddenly the tracer beeps. On the device
Plissken sees a small red pulsing dot. West.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Nice little gizmo you got there.
(whispers conspiratorially)
Look, Snake. I've got connections in this
town. You need something, I'm your man.
Without a word Plissken turns, walks away down Sunset Boulevard
toward Beverly Hills.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Hey - you can't go there, Snake. You can't
walk through Beverly Hills.
Plissken's figure disappears...
EXT. SUNSET - SIGN - NIGHT
The old Beverly Hills sign. It's been painted over in dripping red
letters: "QUIET - SURGICAL ZONE - STAY OUT"
Plissken ignores the sign, keeps walking down a completely dark
Sunset Boulevard.
EXT. SUNSET BOULEVARD - BEVERLY HILLS - NIGHT
Plissken walks past the once-beautiful mansions along Sunset. Now
they are dark, ruined.
CLOSER - BEVERLY HILLS MANSION
As a twisted, mechanical hand sewn awkwardly to the flesh of the
wrist pulls aside a window curtain. The face behind the window is
in shadows, but we can just make out its pale, discolored
features. The other hand brings up a walkie-talkie...
SENTRY
(into walkie)
Specimen moving west on Sunset.
EXT. BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL - SUNSET AND BEVERLY DRIVE - NIGHT
Plissken moves into the intersection of Sunset and Beverly Drive.
The ruins of the old Beverly Hills Hotel are ahead and to his
right. He stops, stares down Sunset...
HIS POV - A FIGURE
Emerges from the shadows. This is the gatekeeper. Strange,
mismatched body parts. A black-skinned arm attached to a pale
white body. His face is unnaturally smooth - too many face lifts.
He carries a torch.
GATEKEEPER
Halt!
(beat)
Where are you going?
(no reply)
Are you here for the auction?
BEHIND PLISSKEN
Figures have suddenly moved out into the street, all with
mismatched body parts - heads too large for their torsos, female
body parts mixed with male heads, all sewn together with large,
uneven stitches. Plissken is surrounded.
GATEKEEPER
Welcome to Beverly Hills.
Plissken raises his gun, starts to move, when suddenly a figure
rises behind him out of the shadows...
A MULTI-COLORED FLESH HAND
Raises a lead pipe, brings it down hard...
ON PLISSKEN'S HEAD
THUNK! He goes out like a light.
As Plissken slumps unconscious to the street, the figures move for
him. Their arms lock around him, drag him away with amazing speed
- a pack of wolves on a deer.
CLOSEUP - PLISSKEN - NIGHT
Plissken bolts awake, to find himself tied to a cross. It's
lurching back and forth as though the ground is moving.
EXT. RODEO DRIVE - BEVERLY HILLS - NIGHT
Plissken is being carried down Rodeo Driveon the cross by a throng
of surgical failures. They carry torches. Dressed in tatters.
Their faces look only partially human sewn together raggedly.
Rodeo Drive is a bizarre marketplace of body parts. The once
beautiful storefronts of famous designers are now in shambles.
Human body parts are on display like filets of fish on ice.
Gucci now offers body pieces fashioned from spare car parts and
Armani displays more eclectic, high priced pieces sewn together
like sculptures in their windowfronts. A giant rift runs down the
street's center. Acrid smoke rises.
The throng stops at an intersection, and Plissken's cross is
anchored in the middle of the street. Surrounding the intersection
are patients of every size, age, sex.
Plissken looks over, sees another cross being carried up and
planted right next to his. A beautiful girl is tied to this cross.
This is TASLIMA, 20's, Iranian, the face of a Persian princess.
She's dressed in black leather, and basically has an IQ of around
50.
TASLIMA
Hi, Snake. It's so great to meet you. My
name's Taslima. I'm a fan of yours.
PLISSKEN
Are you crazy?
TASLIMA
A little bit. But pretty soon I'm gonna be
dead. So are you, Snake.
Plissken looks across the street. Our of the ruins of the once
famous red door of Elizabeth Arden come an arm of women facialists
with acid-burned faces from one-too-many skin peelings wielding
knives, saws, horrible-looking carving instruments...
TASLIMA
I can't believe I got caught.
(sighs)
I run with Midnight Jihad. Iranian gang.
Only they kicked me out, cause I screw up
sometimes. I forget stuff.
Plissken struggles with his bonds.
TASLIMA
I left my boyfriend's place tonight, took
a wrong turn...
(sighs again)
Oh, Snake, I'm really kind of out of it
sometimes.
OUT OF THE RED DOOR come more interns and nurses carrying surgical
pans and pushing gurneys to collect dismembered body parts.
The throng of facialists, patients, interns and nurses surround
Plissken and Taslima on the crosses. They move back to the
sidewalks as the auction for body parts cut freshly from Plissken
and Taslima is about to begin. The gurneys are wheeled into place
and set up as large cutting tables. The facialists take their
positions behind the tables waiting to carve fresh meat.
PLISSKEN
What are they?
TASLIMA
They live here, used to be like us. But
after too many silicon implants, their
muscles turned to jelly. The only way they
survive is to have body parts transplanted
over and over again.
(whispers)
Snake, nobody who comes into Beverly Hills
gets out alive.
PLISSKEN
No screamin' shit.
TASLIMA
Oh no, it's the Doctor.
PLISSKEN
Who?
TASLIMA
The Surgeon General of Beverly Hills.
THE DOCTOR, THE SURGEON GENERAL OF BEVERLY HILLS
Steps out into the street. He appears incredibly gorgeous, a hunk
of a man, put together by the finest body parts available in
Beverly Hills - a millennium Fabio - but upon closer examination,
he's got no lower jaw. Instead, there is a rusting metal grid-work
attached beneath each ear. It never moves. He can actually speak
through a metal box attached to his windpipe.
THE DOCTOR
Stands in front of them. He raises his hands to quiet the crowd.
He walks around the cross, admiring the beautiful bodies before
him. He tickles the fine flesh with his right hand, which is made
up of 10 gleaming scalpels which form a 360 degree cutting edge.
THE DOCTOR
I've never seen more beautiful specimens.
There will be no auction tonight. These
body parts will go to those who need them
the most.
The crowd gumbles.
PLISSKEN
Turns his head sideways, to a small hidden pocket near his neck.
With his teeth, he pulls out the silver mouth dart, slips it onto
his tongue, closes his mouth.
The doctor raises his gleaming scalpel hand and steps toward
Plissken.
THE DOCTOR
What a beautiful blue eye. It's a shame
you only have one.
A nurse brings over a small step-ladder. The doctor positions it
in front of Plissken, slowly climbs up the rungs until he is face
to face with him. The doctor looks ready to pluck Plissken's good
eye from its socket with his scalpel tips.
FFFTTT! Plissken spits the mouth dart!
WHACK! The dark hits the doctor squarely in the forehead. He
freezes, his scalpel hand raised, his eyes clouding. He falls
forward.
The scalpel hand swings, misses its mark, and instead hits the
rope tied around Plissken's wrist. WHATCK! The rope's cut!
Plissken grabs the scalpel hand with his free hand, cuts his other
hand and legs loose in a flash and pushes the doctor backward off
the step-ladder.
WHUMP! Plissken falls to the intersection, almost at the same time
as the doctor hits the pavement.
The patients are stunned. Motionless. They stare at their doctor
lying in the street, moaning, moving slightly.
Snake starts to run...
TASLIMA
Snake, help me.
SNAKE
Why?
TASLIMA
I don't know.
Almost on a whim, Plissken cuts her free. Then he runs. Taslima
follows him.
Plissken heads toward a side street, looks over his shoulder, sees
Taslima following...
PLISSKEN
Don't follow me.
TASLIMA
You need help.
PLISSKEN
Like hell I do.
Then Plissken comes to a dead stop.
HIS POV - DOWN THE STREET
Comes a mass of patients right at him. Taslima grabs Plissken,
pulls him with her. They take off down a dark cobblestone
street...
EXT. DARK ALLEY - NIGHT
Plissken and Taslima run as behind them the patient horde gives
chase. They stop at another small alley between two large
buildings.
TASLIMA
Down this way.
They disappear into the small alley.
EXT. SMALL ALLEY - CUL DE SAC - NIGHT
It's long and narrow and completely enclosed by the buildings on
either side. Suddenly Plissken and Taslima come to the end - a 75
foot high four-story building blocking the passageway to Wilshire.
PLISSKEN
This is a dead end.
(looks at her)
You took us into a dead end!
TASLIMA
I just thought you wanted to get away. I
didn't know you wanted to go someplace.
KACLANK! They turn...
The doctor staggers down the alley, the dart still sticking from
his forehead. Behind him, the patients follow...
Plissken shoves Taslima toward a broken window.
PLISSKEN
Go!
He follows Taslima through the window.
INT. SECOND FLOOR BALCONY - NIGHT
Plissken and Taslima climb dilapidated stairs, move along the
balcony railing. A torn and tattered Roy Lichtenstein painting
hangs crooked on a wall. Twenty foot high bright red letters -
"CAA" - lie strewn across the marble floor. Various offices are
wrecked and dark, scripts lay all over the place.
They stop at a dark hallway. Taslima moves cautiously ahead.
TASLIMA
Be careful of the bald cats. They live in
these buildings.
PLISSKEN
The what?
Plissken reaches for his other 9mm in its holder, but his hands
are trapped by the doctor's body. Closer and closer moves the claw
dagger toward Plissken's good eye.
Taslima scrambles, picks up Plissken's 9mm, then stares at the two
men.
PLISSKEN
(yelling)
Are you gonna stand there? Give me the
gun!
Taslima starts to hand it to him. Both Plissken and the doctor
fight to reach it. Finally, it's in Plissken's grasp. He blasts
three times - each one hitting. The doctor shudders, rolls away.
Plissken gets to his feet. He blasts one more time for good
measure, then follows Taslima down the hallway...
INT. FIRST FLOOR - REAR EXIT - NIGHT
They come down a flight of stairs, stop at the rear door.
PLISSKEN
How do we get out of here?
TASLIMA
Sewers. Come on.
She pushes open the door...
EXT. BEVERLY HILLS STREET - NIGHT
Plissken and Taslima run from the building, as a chorus of wails
rises. Patients swarm around the building in pursuit.
Taslima stops at a sewer grate in the street.
TASLIMA
Down there.
Plissken lifts the grating. Taslima jumps in, followed by
Plissken...
INT. SEWER TUNNEL - NIGHT
Dim, greenish light. Plissken and Taslima begin running down the
sewer tunnel. Through the hole behind them drop patients, giving
chase. Plissken and Taslima race through a half-filled storm drain
seeping with slime. They turn a corner into another tunnel, and
run smack into a horde of patients. Instantly, the patients
overpower them. Hands reach out and drag them down...
Suddenly, from down the tunnel comes an unearthly sound, a weird
whispery screech like a demon unleashed from the underworld. It
gets louder and louder. The patients freeze, then begin screaming
and, as the sound gets louder still, they all disappear, escaping
back down the tunnel.
FROM DOWN THE TUNNEL
An eerie light appears, coming nearer and nearer every moment.
TASLIMA
Snake - what is it?
PLISSKEN
How the hell am I supposed to know? This
is your damn city.
Slowly, the light takes form. It is a single, gigantic eye -
floating in pitch-black darkness. It continues coming - growing
larger and larger. Suddenly the sewer begins to echo with a
blasting, ringing sound. Music!
It's incredibly LOUD SALSA MUSIC!
From out of the tunnel drives an ancient golf cart.
On a metal pole in front is a huge, lighted eye such as an
optometrist might use to advertise his services. Salsa music
blares at top volume from loudspeakers strapped to the sides of
the cart. At the wheel of the vehicle is a large man dressed in
jeans, cowboy boots and a flak vest, wearing a gas mask. A lariat
is hooked to his belt.
He pulls up near Plissken and Taslima, shuts off the motor and the
music, lifts a shotgun from the seat beside him, climbs down. He
holds the gun on them.
Removing his head gear, his face becomes visible. He is PENDEJO
BOB, a Mexican wearing sunglasses under the gas mask. He takes off
the sunglasses, and his apparently blind in one eye. He looks like
Los Lobos' lead guitarist.
PENDEJO BOB
What're you doing in here?
PLISSKEN
Looking to get out.
PENDEJO BOB
Good. I want you out. This is my sewer.
PLISSKEN
Which way?
With a grunt of curiosity, Pendejo Bob moves up to Plissken.
Suddenly his blind eye flashes on like a tiny, built-in spotlight.
With it, he examines Plissken's face.
PENDEJO BOB
You're Snake Plissken.
TASLIMA
Yes. Isn't he cool?
There is a clicking sound and the lighted eye is extinguished.
Pendejo Bob extends his hand.
PENDEJO BOB
An honor, Snake. Amigo. They call me
Pendejo Bob.
Plissken doesn't shake. From down the tunnel the shouts and
footfalls of the patients gets closer...
PENDEJO BOB
Those damn patients are coming back. You'd
better climb aboard.
Plissken and Taslima climb into the rear of the golf cart. Pendejo
Bob spins the cart, takes off in the other direction.
INT. UNDERGROUND PASSAGE - NIGHT
The golf cart streaks along through a dark sewer passage. The only
light comes from the eye on the front of the vehicle.
PENDEJO BOB
I use the eye and the music to scare em
off. They're so whacked out, man, it works
great. Chased a whole bunch of em right
off the edge there a few months ago.
He points to a sheer, pitch-black drop-off on one side of the
passage.
TASLIMA
(she peers over the side)
How far down does it go?
PENDEJO BOB
Don't know - never do hear em land.
Earthquake opened it up.
The golf cart creaks into a narrow tunnel...
INSIDE THE TUNNEL
Guards, Hispanics in biker denims, fatigues, with rifles and
sunglasses, line the walls. They watch as the golf cart passes. Up
ahead is a door marked: "SEWAGE RECLAMATION CONTROL"
INT. SEWER RECLAMATION CENTER - CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
The cart pulls into the remains of a mammoth underground control
center. It's lined with ladders, catwalks, machines full of gauges
and levers. A few are still working - most are broken and covered
with dust and grime.
Filling the room is an underground enclave: Men, women, children,
all Hispanic, living in tents and lean-to's, cooking over open
fires next to old rusted cars on blocks, lots of weapons, lots of
sunglasses. Also, high-tech, futuristic rifles, cannons, grenade
launchers - an amazing arsenal. Crates of explosives are stacked
everywhere.
The golf cart comes to a stop and they get off.
PENDEJO BOB
I own this whole place. Used to work here
in the old days. I was right in this room
when the big one hit. What a mess. We were
waist high in shit.
(turns proudly to them)
Everybody else ran, but not me. I stayed
at my post. Now it's all mine. I brought
my whole family, my amigos, down here to
live with me.
TASLIMA
Gun runners.
PENDEJO BOB
Hey, it's a living, baby.
PLISSKEN
Why don't you get out of L.A.? Take a boat
to China, take an airplane to Brazil?
(looks at Taslima)
Earthquakes, death, shit. Why do you stay?
TASLIMA
I don't know. Somehow, I just can't leave.
PENDEJO BOB
Y'know, L.A.'s not such a bad place,
Snake. We got our problems, sure - but
this is paradise, man.
Pendejo Bob leans in close and whispers conspiratorially to
Plissken.
PENDEJO BOB
Say, you need anything, Snake? Guns?
Explosives? I can get you a crate of
hellfire grenades, no problem - five
hours.
PLISSKEN
Yeah. So how do I get to Venice?
PENDEJO BOB
All the sewers are collapsed under Venice.
You have to go topside. Right up there.
He leads Plissken and Taslima to a ladder that goes up into the
darkness. A line of men steadily climb up, one after the other,
carrying crates of weapons.
PENDEJO BOB
Comes out near the Santa Monica Freeway.
Just follow the signs. Get off at the
Lincoln Exit, turn left.
Pendejo Bob interrupts the line of men. Plissken starts up the
ladder, followed by Taslima...
PENDEJO BOB
Nice to meet you, Snake. You too, Miss.
You're welcome down here anytime. Anytime
at all.
EXT. STREET UNDER SANTA MONICA FREEWAY OVERPASS - NIGHT
Plissken, gun in hand, sticks his head out of the open grate.
Taslima follows. The Hispanic men who have climbed up out of the
sewers load their weapons crates into various low-rider cars in
heavily-armed groups. They rumble off into the night.
Taslima points to a freeway on-ramp.
TASLIMA
The freeway's over there. But, Snake - I
don't think it's such a good idea.
Plissken starts toward the on-ramp. Taslima doesn't move.
TASLIMA
The freeways are dangerous.
He keeps walking.
TASLIMA
Goodbye, Snake.
Plissken stops, turns back, looks at her - a half-smile. It's as
close to 'thank you' as he gets.
TASLIMA
Sun's coming up in a few hours.
She walks up to him.
TASLIMA
UV's gonna be bad today. I have a friend
who's got a place near here. We can crash
there if you want, Snake.
(she moves close to him)
I'd love to take care of you. Make you
feel good.
Without an answer Plissken turns and walks away...
EXT. SANTA MONICA FREEWAY - NIGHT
As far as the eye can see there are lines of rusting cars and
trucks, bumper to bumper like a giant junkyard rush hour.
Plissken walks up the on-ramp, onto the freeway. He strides past
rows of junked cars. A few of them have people inside...
There is a Mercedes rusted to its frame, its driver an 80-year-old
in sunglasses, drinking from a bottle. A pickup truck full of old
illegal aliens packed in like sardines. Someone cooks from a
barbecue grill. An RV. An old man sits in the opened doorway,
staring at Plissken as he passes. Two old ladies in housecoats
stare at him through the windows.
CLICK, CLICK! A sound behind Plissken. He spins, 9mm ready...
It's Taslima, running to catch up with him.
TASLIMA
I changed my mind. I'm going with you,
wherever you're going.
PLISSKEN
(gestures to the cars)
What the hell is this?
TASLIMA
The freeway.
PLISSKEN
I know that. There are people in some of
these cars.
TASLIMA
It's where they live. I guess after
everything happened, they just needed to
do what they'd always done before. During
the daytime, they just pull down the
shades on their windows and sleep.
Plissken continues walking. Taslima catches up...
TASLIMA
What are you gonna do in Venice?
PLISSKEN
Find Cuervo Jones.
TASLIMA
No! Stay away, Snake. He's mucho muerte.
Suddenly a shot rings out. Taslima is struck and falls. Plissken
drops between the cars and crawls over to her.
TASLIMA
Run, Snake...They're coming.
PLISSKEN
Who?
She touches his hand and looks at him softly.
TASLIMA
I don't know.
Taslima dies. Plissken stares at her for a moment.
More shots ring out - landing very close to him.
FREEWAY EMBANKMENTS
From out of the heavy bushes along the freeway storm a dozen
Mescalitos moving quickly - firing as they go. Behind them grinds
an ancient garbage truck mounted with a 50-caliber machine gun.
Atop the truck is Delgado. He wears a flame thrower on his back.
PLISSKEN
Returns fire, rolls under a car and begins crawling. All around
him people jump out of their cars, begin firing back at the
Mescalitos.
THE GARBAGE TRUCK
Smashes through a rusting Volkswagen, heading straight toward him.
PLISSKEN
Reaches the edge of the freeway, dives for the bushes.
AS THE GARBAGE TRUCK
Roars past, firing into the vehicles on the freeway, the people
running, screaming...
EXT. SIDE STREET - NIGHT
Clawing his way through the undergrowth, Plissken bursts onto a
side street. Behind him come the Mescalitos on foot. Plissken
runs, firing back every step of the way...
AHEAD ON THE STREET
Suddenly, in the blowing mist in front of him, a car screeches
into view. It's a perfectly restored, 1966 Cadillac convertible.
Candy-apple red. The stereo blasts "Last Night" by the Satellites.
And behind the wheel is Map To The Stars Eddie.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Hop in, Snake!
THE UNDERGROWTH
As the garbage truck bursts through. Delgado is behind the machine
gun, blasting away, burning up the street. Bullets are flying
everywhere as Plissken runs to the Cadillac and dives into the
back seat. He's still not fully inside when Map To The Stars Eddie
roars away in a blaze of rubber and smoke.
DELGADO
Takes aim with his flame thrower... KAWHOOSH!
A GIANT TONGUE OF FLAME
Shoots out from the nozzle like a flaming spear. It streaks down
the street, just missing the tail of the Cadillac as it swerves
around a corner...
INT. CADILLAC - NIGHT
Map To The Stars Eddie races along a dark street. Plissken climbs
into the front seat.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Hey, Snake - that was great. They almost
burned your ass off!
Map To The Stars Eddie drives like Satan himself. Plissken is
almost thrown out as they spin around curves, up onto sidewalks.
Delgado and the garbage truck can't keep up with them. Finally,
the Mescalitos are left far behind as Map To The Stars Eddie slows
down to a cruise of 70.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Too many people know where you're going,
Snake. That's not good. Delgado and his
men were back there waiting for you.
PLISSKEN
Delgado?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Cuervo Jones' right-hand man. One tough
hombre. You don't understand, Snake.
Cuervo Jones wants to unify the island.
We're on the move, man. Big time.
EXT. DARK INTERSECTION - NIGHT
The Cadillac smashes through an intersection, knocking two old
junked cars out of the way.
INT. CADILLAC - NIGHT
Plissken jams his 9mm into Map To The Stars Eddie's ear.
PLISSKEN
Stop the damn car.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
No way.
PLISSKEN
I said pull over.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
All right. Anything for you, Snake.
(beat)
Although I was going to take you to Cuervo
Jones' place.
Plissken lowers the gun.
PLISSKEN
Where is it?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Right over there.
He points. Plissken looks off, as Map To The Stars Eddie hits a
button on the steering wheel with his finger.
ON THE DASHBOARD
A small panel in front of Plissken flips down, revealing a two-
inch machine gun barrel. Before he can do anything, four rounds
rip straight into his chest, blasting him into the seat.
PLISSKEN
Grits his teeth and gasps. His gun drops. Blood runs from four
holes in his shirt. His face grows red as he fights for air.
Map To The Stars Eddie pushes the button again and the panel
closes up over the barrel.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Pretty neat, huh? This is Cuervo's car. He
lets me use it sometimes.
(looks at Plissken)
Not to worry, Snake. You were just shot
with a fun-gun. You feel it?
Plissken gulps for air.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Pure mesh, man. 100-proof artery choker.
Plissken slumps back, collapses in the seat.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Like Cuervo says, when the hit pulls you
down to one inch from death, that is
living, man.
PLISSKEN'S POV - THE DRUG
Kicks in hard. Surreal colors float through the dark, devastated
streets of Venice.
Plissken fights desperately against the drug, but he can't move.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
You should've talked to me first, Snake. I
could've set this whole thing up. I'm
actually Cuervo's agent, you know.
As Plissken sags, losing consciousness, Map To The Stars Eddie's
voice begins to fade...
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
And I'd love to represent you, too. We
could make a bundle together. I know I
could really help your career...I mean,
you're a legend and all - but the last
couple years, man, it's like you've fallen
off the face of the earth.
ON PLISSKEN'S FACE
As the world crashes to black!
FADE IN:
EXT. INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL LAX - NIGHT
Like a giant, scorched daddy-long-legs, the architectural identity
of the LA airport rises above the empty parking lot littered with
the skeletal remains of burned-out cars and airport shuttles. The
wrecks of old 747s lie twisted and bent across the tarmac.
BEHIND IT
Surrounded by Mescalitos with torches and guns, sits the former
Bradley Terminal defaced with graffiti, the sign now reading:
"MESCALITO JUSTICE HALL"
PLISSKEN'S GOOD EYE
Opens. Looks around fuzzily.
INT. MESCALITO JUSTICE HALL - NIGHT
He is in Cuervo Jones lair. Huge. Torch-lit. Plissken lies in the
center of the room, chained to a treadmill. He is surrounded by
Mescalitos.
In one corner of the room is lots of high-tech equipment.
Computers. A VR simulator. Most of the Mescalitos are gathered
around a big screen TV. They watch the 207th Annual Academy Awards
from Carefree, Arizona.
Cuervo Jones strides toward Plissken. Map To The Stars Eddie
scurries along at his side.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Come on, Cuervo. I delivered him, didn't
I? All I'm asking for is what you
promised.
CUERVO JONES
We'll see.
Cuervo Jones stops in front of Plissken. Sees that he's awake.
Holds out a glass filled with red liquid.
CUERVO JONES
Carrot juice?
(no response)
Laced with tequila, Snake. Good for you.
No?
(no response)
Your health.
Cuervo Jones downs the carrot juice. Plissken lifts his head,
grimaces. Sweat pours down his face. He gasps for air.
CUERVO JONES
You're coming out of it, Snake. It hurts
real bad.
(beat)
That's good.
He kneels down next to Plissken.
CUERVO JONES
Dying isn't good enough for you. You need
pain. You'll never make it to where you
want to go without a little pain.
He stands, considers Plissken for a moment.
CUERVO JONES
Snake Plissken. American outlaw. So
typical of American idealism. The old
west, Snake.
Cuervo Jones tosses the glass to Map To The Stars Eddie. He's
beginning to enjoy the moment, performing for Plissken.
CUERVO JONES
Man against the sky. The individual.
Freedom. No wonder they hate you so much
in America, Snake. You remind them of what
they used to be.
Cuervo Jones walks to a door, opens it. Beyond is a huge courtyard
filled with people - families, teenage runaways, the elderly,
illegal aliens, orphans - people with nowhere to go. They are
being fed and cared for by Mescalitos.
CUERVO JONES
Here is the real L.A., Snake.
Plissken lifts his head to see.
CUERVO JONES
The poor. The old. The lost. People
without hope.
He crosses back to Plissken...
CUERVO JONES
Do you know what they want? One word.
Liberation.
(beat)
They want a chance to live - before it's
all gone. They've been hated for too long
-
(smiles)
Now it's their turn.
He gestures to his men, who move to Plissken and begin carefully
unlocking him from the treadmill.
Still wobbly, Plissken crawls to his feet...
As Utopia comes bounding up from the big screen TV. Still dressed
in her racy underwear, she gives Cuervo Jones a kiss. She still
carries the prototype with her.
UTOPIA
Cuervo! LaToya Jackson just won Best
Actress.
Cuervo Jones reaches out to take the prototype from her. She holds
on to it.
UTOPIA
You said I could hold it.
He yanks it out of her hands, more violently than she expected.
Recovering, she casts a contemptuous glance at Plissken.
UTOPIA
Who's that?
CUERVO JONES
You never heard of Snake Plissken?
Utopia takes a couple steps closer, squints.
UTOPIA
He doesn't look like his picture.
(frown)
I bet he's fake.
CUERVO JONES
Now go get dressed. We have things to do.
UTOPIA
Are we going to eat soon? I'm starved.
Cuervo Jones gives her a slap on the butt, which startles Utopia.
UTOPIA
Ooww!
CUERVO JONES
Go on now. Do as I say.
Plissken watches as Utopia walks away, out of the terminal.
CUERVO JONES
I'm going to show her what it means to be
a woman - for the first time in her
pathetic little life.
(smiles)
Given her love, Snake. Everybody needs
love.
He moves slightly closer to Plissken - though not too close.
CUERVO JONES
You want to hook up with us? Join the
revolution? We're all getting out of here
tomorrow night.
(holds up the prototype)
We're gonna rule the world. Come with us,
Snake.
Plissken says nothing. His good eye glares.
CUERVO JONES
No? Too bad. Well, I told you we'd finish
it later. So guess what? It's later.
He motions to his men, who grab Plissken and drag him away...
INT. BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA - NIGHT
The baggage claim area is an industrial wasteland filled with
machinery and hanging cables and wires. A door opens and Plissken
is hurled in. The door slams shut.
Plissken stands a moment, trying to get his balance, when a man
steps out of the shadows. It is Delgado.
DELGADO
You're mine now, Snake. All mine.
Delgado slowly moves towards Plissken, swinging two huge gleaming
machetes around his head. Plissken steps back, glances at his
wrist watch. 4 hours and 20 minutes gone.
PLISSKEN
Shit.
Plissken looks up as Delgado flings a machete at him. He just
barely dives out of the way, rolls on the floor...
Delgado charges toward him, machete poised like a bayonet.
Plissken rips off an edge guard from the baggage carousel and
wings it at Delgado. The machete is blocked with a direct hit. KA-
CLANG!
Delgado is thrown sideways. Plissken runs, launches himself
through the air, twisting his body sideways, and lands a hard kick
right in Delgado's face. Delgado goes sprawling. One of the
machetes CLANKS to the floor...
Plissken grabs the machete, just as Delgado rises...
WHOOSH! Plissken's arm is a blur as he throws...
THUMP! The machete sticks out of Delgado's chest. He looks down at
it in horror, then crumbles to the floor.
EXT. MESCALITO JUSTICE HALL - NIGHT
The caravan is starting up again. Wearing hot pants, a tank top
and full-length mink coat, Utopia is escorted up a ladder by
Cuervo Jones to the opened door of the Cadillac perched up on
those monster truck wheels. The other Mescalitos mount up in their
cars and motorcycles, and roar away from the terminal.
Above, on top of the terminal, see a figure move.
TOP OF MESCALITO JUSTICE HALL
It's Plissken. He grabs an electrical wire and throws it over the
side...
PARKING LOT - A MESCALITO GUARD
Stands watching the caravan pull away. He doesn't see the wire
dangling behind him, and Plissken shinnying down it.
Beat. Beat.
WHACK! Plissken takes him out with one blow, lowers himself to the
ground, takes his rifle.
Plissken quickly moves down the dark street after the caravan.
EXT. THE FORUM - NIGHT
Cuervo Jones' caravan comes rolling down Manchester, into a vast
parking lot toward the Forum. Portions of the gigantic sports
arena have been damaged in the earthquake, but crowds still pour
into the entrances.
The caravan pulls up at the Forum Club entrance. Cuervo Jones,
Utopia, Map To The Stars Eddie and the others enter.
AS PLISSKEN
Approaches, ducks behind an old junked car.
THE FORUM - DAMAGED WALL
Plissken sneaks up to a crumbled, broken wall of the Forum, crawls
inside through a large crack...
INT. LOCKER ROOM - THE FORUM - NIGHT
Plissken's in the backstage area, near the locker rooms. Hear
cheering from the main arena. Slowly Plissken moves to a door,
opens it, steps out...
INT. FORUM HALLWAY - NIGHT
The cheering is louder is Plissken makes his way along the dingy
hallway.
Now the sound of gunfire from someplace up ahead. Plissken tenses.
Suddenly from down the hallway come two Black Muslims carrying a
body on a stretcher. As they pass, Plissken notices the body is
wearing a bloody basketball uniform full of bullet holes.
He moves forward...
INT. FORUM ARENA - NIGHT
Plissken peers into the main arena. A basketball game is underway.
The Korean Dragons sit on one side, the Black Muslims on the
other. They cheer wildly for their respective teams. Pipeline is
in the crowd, enjoying the game...
Plissken moves closer, among the crowd along the baseline. The
whole place is lit by torches and clumsily-wired lighting. Above
his head is the shot clock, slowly ticking down.
There's blood everywhere on the floor. The referees wear bullet-
proof body suits and helmets. Trainers with stretchers stand by.
THE SHOT CLOCK
Ticks down: 5 - 4...
A BLACK MUSLIM
Dribbles the ball towards the basket.
THE SHOT CLOCK
Ticks down: 3 - 2...
A whole row of Korean Dragons with rifles stand and take aim.
THE BLACK MUSLIM
Pulls up into a jump shot, releases the ball into the air. It
sails through the basket just as the horn goes off, beating the
24-second violation.
The Black Muslim crowd cheers. The Korean Dragons sit down.
Plissken watches...
CUERVO JONES, UTOPIA AND THE OTHERS
Moving through the seats on the Korean Dragon side of the court.
Map To The Stars Eddie stands near the baseline, listening to the
game on his silver portable radio...
THE REFEREE
Hands the ball to a Korean Dragon guard. The Korean Dragon
dribbles the ball down court, into the corner and passes it off.
The Korean Dragons can't get a shot off...
THE SHOT CLOCK
Above Plissken's head ticks down: 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1... HONK!
THE KOREAN DRAGON
Guard still has the ball - the shot clock horn has gone off - 24
second violation.
A whole row of Black Muslims with rifles stand up, take aim, and
fire!
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
The Korean Dragon guard is riddled with bullets. He falls dead on
the floor. The Trainers with stretchers quickly collect his body
and hurry off the court.
Ball boys quickly wipe up the blood with mops.
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(sound of effect of breaking
glass)
Shot clock!
The Black Muslim crowd is cheering and screaming! "I Love L.A."
begins playing on the loudspeaker.
The players wear do-rags and black uniforms that look a whole lot
like the black leather that Plissken wears. One of the players,
JAMAAL, notices Plissken.
JAMAAL
Hey - Snake Plissken, you knew my brother
Abdul. He was with you in Cleveland.
The other players react, greet Plissken, slapping his hand,
thumping chests, high-fiving each other.
JAMAAL
Welcome aboard, Snake.
But Plissken pays no attention. He sees:
CUERVO JONES AND UTOPIA
Sitting in the Korean Dragon section near the other end of the
court.
CLOSER - CUERVO JONES AND UTOPIA
Sit next to Xi-Ping, the leader of the Korean Dragons, a fierce
man with green and brown psychedelic camouflage on his face.
Utopia watches the game while the two men confer. Cuervo Jones has
a firm grip on the prototype.
CUERVO JONES
The time is now. We are the strongest. If
we go together, the others will come.
(beat)
We go for everything, Xi-Ping. But we go
together. What do you say?
Xi-Ping nodes. They clasp hands...
PLISSKEN
Realizes he's got to get to the other side of the court. He jumps
into the huddle with Jamaal, peering at him with his one good,
cold eye.
PLISSKEN
Your brother died owing me, so I'm taking
it out in trade. I need a favor...
JAMAAL
Sure, Snake. Anything.
PLISSKEN
I need to get across the court now...
without drawing attention to myself.
JAMAAL
Like you ain't gonna stick out like a sore
thumb. But we'll do what we can, Snake.
Use the clock. Screen and roll. Now let's
kick some butt!
The players knock fists. Plissken puts on a do-rag. Yelling, they
move onto the court, creating a shield for Plissken.
JAMAAL
(whispers)
You play much pick-up ball, Snake?
Plissken's watching Cuervo Jones and Utopia at the other end.
JAMAAL
Whatever happens, watch the shot clock,
man.
The referee blows his whistle. A Black Muslim guard inbounds the
ball. The game is underway.
Plissken ducks down the court using the rest of his team as cover.
They go into a set play.
The game is a cross between basketball and kung-fu. Players use
slashing fists, spin-kicks, elbows and hard back-hands. It's full
combat.
The Korean Dragon guarding Plissken chops him. Plissken knocks him
flat. No foul.
Utopia sees Plissken, nudges Cuervo Jones.
UTOPIA
It's that weird guy again.
Cuervo Jones grabs her and heads for the exit...
Plissken sees this, stops playing, moves after them... when
suddenly the basketball lands right in his hands!
JAMAAL
Snake! Shot clock!
THE SHOT CLOCK
Ticks down: 4 - 3 - 2...
A whole row of Korean Dragons with rifles stand up, take aim at
Plissken. Cuervo Jones watches expectantly...
Plissken spins, executes a beautiful-looking jump shot. The horn
sounds just as it leaves his hand...
THE BASKET
Swish. Nothing but net.
The Korean Dragons sit back down, put away their rifles,
disappointed. Cuervo Jones, Utopia, Xi-Ping and their henchmen
quickly leave. The Black Muslims go crazy, and Plissken dashes
toward one of the exits. He stops, sees...
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
With his portable radio, trying to get out of the arena, hiding
behind a crowd of Dragons. Plissken races through the crowd, grabs
Map To The Stars Eddie.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Hey, Snake, man... Great shot!
Without hesitation, Snake whacks him across the jaw. Map To The
Stars Eddie goes down like a sack of laundry. Plissken grabs him
by the collar, drags him off toward an exit...
EXT. FORUM PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Cuervo Jones, Utopia, Xi-Ping and their men rush out to the
caravan of waiting vehicles. Xi-Ping has his own armada of
vehicles and an army of evil-looking guards. Cuervo Jones pulls
Xi-Ping aside.
CUERVO JONES
That man in black. He's very dangerous.
XI-PING
One eye?
CUERVO JONES
Yes. We gotta dump him.
XI-PING
What does he want?
CUERVO JONES
(glances at the prototype)
I'm betting the cops sent him in. Man, I
do not need this. I got a war to win.
ANOTHER EXIT - THE FORUM
As Plissken drags Map To The Stars Eddie out into the night,
crouches behind a row of cars, watches Cuervo Jones' caravan start
their engines.
Plissken shakes Map To The Stars Eddie, waking him...
PLISSKEN
Where are they going?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
(groggy)
Oh, man... You didn't have to hit me,
Snake. I can help you.
Plissken shoves the barrel of his pistol up against Map To The
Stars Eddie's temple.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Bankrupt City. The Happy Kingdom.
(beat)
Snake, Cuervo's hooked up with Xi-Ping. He
is primetime, man - Mister Bad News. The
rest of the city's joining up with 'em.
(beat)
You're shit outta luck, Snake.
Plissken reaches into a pocket, comes out with the large black
clip, slips it on his 9mm pistol.
PLISSKEN
Not yet.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
I could've helped you. We coulda made a
deal with Cuervo. If you'd listen...
Without looking, Plissken slams his elbow into Map To The Stars
Eddie's jaw with a WHACK! He flops unconscious on the pavement...
Cuervo Jones' caravan led by that huge Cadillac on monster wheels,
moves away from the Forum toward an exit. Plissken moves after
them, ducking behind the row of cars...
FORUM EXIST
The caravan picks up speed as it approaches the exit...
Plissken appears behind an old truck, just as the Cadillac moves
past him. He crouches on the balls of his feet, and as the rear of
the Caddy drifts closer, he springs...
And grabs on to the rear bumper. The monster wheels spin like
huge, black scythes on either side of him. Plissken reaches under
the Caddy, finds a purchase on the undercarriage, and swings under
the Cadillac. He hangs dangling above the street by one hand as
the caravan pulls out onto Manchester. With the other he raises
his 9mm and aims it at the undercarriage, right about where the
front seat should be...
BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!
INT. CADILLAC - NIGHT
The front seat explodes, bullets screaming upward through the
leather seats, tearing and shredding fabric and flesh, killing the
driver and Xi-Ping instantly!
In the back seat sit Cuervo Jones and Utopia. The Caddy begins to
swerve, the wheel spinning. Cuervo Jones lunges forward across the
seat and grabs it.
Under the Cadillac, Plissken continues to fire: BLAM, BLAM, BLAM,
BLAM!
The front seat disintegrates. Metal, leather, padding fly
everywhere. Cuervo Jones ducks against the door, covering his face
with one hand, still grasping the wheel with the other.
KAWHUMP!
The entire front seat and floor underneath it fall down out of the
Cadillac and hit the street below. The bodies of the driver and X-
Ping flop under the monster wheels.
Plissken swings over to the hole and pulls himself up into the
opening that used to be the front seat. Cuervo Jones stares at him
in total shock, but before he can speak...
Plissken rips the prototype out of his hands! Then jumps into the
back seat next to Utopia. Then grabs her and turns to the side
door. Cuervo Jones releases the wheel for a moment, turns to grab
Plissken...
But Plissken opens the side door, kicks it wide, and with Utopia
under his arm, slides across the seat...
... and sails out of the Cadillac...
CUERVO JONES
No!
Plissken and Utopia fly through the air, and land with a thud on
top of a Mescalito car as the Cadillac begins to swerve wildly.
Cuervo Jones grabs the wheel, desperately tries to control the
Caddy... but fails. The Cadillac careens off the street, slams
into the palm tree, spins around and crashes into the remains of a
hot dog stand.
ON THE ROOF OF THE MESCALITO CAR
Plissken and Utopia roll and tumble. He still has a hold of her,
and she fights him tooth and nail...
UTOPIA
Lemme go...!
INSIDE THE MESCALITO CAR
The driver swerves, hits the brakes... and the car hops the curb,
slides along the sidewalk, burning rubber.
PLISSKEN AND UTOPIA
Are thrown forward. They tumble off the roof... across the hood...
and land on the sidewalk in front of the car. They roll to a stop,
as the car screeches to a stop, inches from their heads, as the
caravan suddenly puts on its brakes.
Screaming tires. Cars jackknifing, spinning in a massive traffic
collision...
Cuervo Jones emerges from the remains of the Cadillac.
Plissken drags Utopia into the street, grabs the lid of a manhole
in the street, pries it up...
Mescalitos pour out of their vehicles, as Cuervo Jones charges
into the street, pointing at Plissken...
CUERVO JONES
Kill him, kill him...!
Plissken lifts Utopia to her feel, hauls her over to the manhole
opening, and dives inside... just as the Mescalitos open fire! The
street around the manhole opening explodes with screaming hot
lead...
INT. SEWER TUNNEL - NIGHT
Plissken and Utopia land in the half-filled storm drain. He gets
to his feet, pulls her with him, and heads off sloshing through
the water. The sound of gunfire echoes above them...
EXT. MANCHESTER AVENUE
Cuervo Jones and the Mescalitos charge the open manhole as Map To
The Stars Eddie appears groggily shuffling up the street from the
Forum...
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
(grins to himself)
Good thinkin', Snake.
He heads off down the street...
INT. SEWER TUNNEL
Plissken and Utopia race along through the water. He literally has
to drag her with him. They turn a corner, go down another slimy
drain away from the main tunnel...
INT. UNDERGROUND PASSAGE - NIGHT
The black belly of the sewer system. Plissken and Utopia move
along, slow as they come to...
THE SHEER, PITCH-BLACK DROP OFF
One side of the passage, the same one we saw earlier on our
journey with Pendejo Bob.
Plissken spins Utopia around, pushes her backward toward the drop-
off, his eye burning into her...
Her feet reach the very edge.
Plissken holds her there. Utopia's face is a mask of sheer terror.
She gulps air in staccato bursts...
Beat. Beat.
Plissken can't do it. He can't push her off.
He releases her, backs up, looks at the prototype, then pulls one
of his revolvers from its holster, cocks the hammer, aims...
UTOPIA
My... father sent you... didn't he?
(beat)
He sent you to kill me...
Plissken raises the pistol. She's dead in his sights.
UTOPIA
Didn't he?
(begins to cry)
But Plissken can't. He can't kill her. The toughest man on planet
Earth can't kill this 17-year-old runaway.
PLISSKEN
Shit.
Plissken sags, clicks the hammer back, holsters the gun. He stares
at her.
PLISSKEN
Get out of here.
Utopia wipes her eyes, confused, afraid.
PLISSKEN
I said go!
Slowly Utopia moves from the edge of the drop off, starts away
down the tunnel, then stops, looks back at Plissken. She stares at
the prototype in Plissken's hand...
UTOPIA
Don't take it back. Don't give it to him.
Please. Let me have it.
Plissken glances at the prototype, then at her.
PLISSKEN
What does this thing do?
UTOPIA
(her eyes grow wide)
No!
KABLAM!
Plissken's shoulder explodes as a bullet tears through his flesh!
He spins, drops the prototype...
... as Map To The Stars Eddie emerges from the darkness of the
sewer tunnel. He holds a gun in one hand, aims...
KABLAM!
He fires again, hits Plissken's leg.
Plissken staggers backward toward the edge of the drop off, as Map
To The Stars Eddie moves quickly forward...
... and snatches the prototype from the wet floor.
Plissken's gun hand is useless, numb from the shoulder wound. He
slowly, painfully transfers the pistol to the other hand, tries to
raise it...
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
So long, Snake.
Map To The Stars Eddie takes aim - a head shot ...
Plissken spins, and dives off the edge...
... down into the drop off...
PLISSKEN'S BODY
Airborne. Falling through black space. Down, down, down, straight
to hell below, until we can't see him anymore as the darkness
swallows him up...
Map To The Stars Eddie steps to the ledge, looks down, as Cuervo
Jones and his Mescalitos slog up through the tunnel.
CUERVO JONES
Where is he?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
He jumped. Down there.
(beat)
He's dead, Cuervo. I did it. I killed
Plissken.
Cuervo Jones looks over the edge, at the silent blackness below.
Then he turns to Map To The Stars Eddie.
CUERVO JONES
Give it to me.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
You said I could be Vice-President,
Cuervo. Your right-hand man.
CUERVO JONES
(extends his hand)
Give it.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Sure, Cuervo, but look here. I've done it
all, man. I killed Plissken, I got your
girl back, I got it all. Just for you,
Cuervo. Just for you.
Dead silence. Cuervo Jones stands with his hand extended. Finally
Map To The Stars Eddie gives up, starts to hand Cuervo the
prototype...
... but slips on the wet floor...
... and drops the prototype with a CLANK!
CLOSE - PROTOTYPE
A red light comes on, blinks urgently.
PROTOTYPE VOICE
(tiny, filtered)
I am now armed and ready for use. Use
extreme caution. The location of the
effected blast area can only be determined
by the orbital position of the SatStar
Ring.
Everyone in the tunnel is frozen, unable to move. Slowly Cuervo
Jones picks up the prototype, stares at it, then breaks into a
smile...
CUERVO JONES
This is turning out to be my lucky day.
(stares coldly at Map To The
Stars Eddie)
Get this asshole outta here.
Several Mescalitos grab Map To The Stars Eddie, pull him back
along the tunnel.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Cuervo, wait. Please...
Cuervo Jones turns to Utopia, who stands numbly staring off at the
drop-off. He walks over to her, then slaps her hard, viciously,
across the face.
Utopia reacts to the stinging slap.
UTOPIA
Cuervo...?
CUERVO JONES
You're my woman, you understand? You don't
let anybody take you away from me without
a fight.
UTOPIA
I tried...
CUERVO JONES
(in her face)
Nobody leaves Cuervo Jones. Not unless you
give your life. You fight till you're
dead. Then I forgive you.
(screams)
Understand?
(shakes her)
Understand?
UTOPIA
Yes...
He shoves her down the tunnel...
CUERVO JONES
Let's go.
The others follow them...
EXT. MANCHESTER AVENUE - NIGHT
As Cuervo Jones and Utopia emerge from the manhole cover, hear the
sound of hundreds of helicopters rise.
CUERVO JONES
(looks up)
Look, baby. They're all mine.
POV - THE SKY
Above Manchester and the Forum is filled with helicopters. All
models, all makes, mostly the older, discarded military Blood
Phoenix 14-bladed attack choppers that scream through the
blackness like scythe-slashing robot bugs. They are on their way
southeast, toward Orange County.
EXT. SKY VIEW OF L.A. BY NIGHT
Looking out at L.A. from above Mount Lee, see the Hollywood Sign,
and wave after wave of helicopters thundering across the city.
ANGLE ON THE TWIN TOWERS OF CENTURY CITY
They're like buck teeth, sheered off and crumbling, stuck up in to
the sky. Chopper roar overhead. A group of vagrants cluster around
a camp fire on the top floor of one of the towers. They're
watching a futuristic big-spin lotto on a large screen TV. The
sound of the choppers brings them to the edge of the building -
the walls of the floors beneath have been torn away. Desk,
furniture, rugs, everything hangs out over the empty space.
EXT. FIREBASE SEVEN - NIGHT
Pandemonium. Troops, vehicles, helicopters, everything is in
urgent motion. A loudspeaker voice blares:
POLICE VOICE (V.O.)
Full stage battle alert. All personnel to
battle stations.
INT. HALLWAY INTO COMMAND HQ - MAIN CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Malloy, the President and Brazen charge down a hallway into
Command HQ. The place is jumping. Full scramble alert.
MALLOY
A sky full of enemy choppers on radar.
Moving over the city to the southeast.
A COM Officer rushes up to Malloy...
COM OFFICER
Commander - massive vehicle and troop
movement on the ground. All major streets
leading to the southeast.
PRESIDENT
What're they doing?
Malloy looks at the President grimly.
MALLOY
Getting ready to invade.
PRESIDENT
(beat)
So where's Plissken?
DARKNESS
Creaking. The WHOOSH of something swinging through the air...
A huge blue eye opens. Looks around.
DARKNESS
Plissken's boot is hooked in a twisted wire mesh...
DARKNESS
And then Plissken swings like a pendulum, hanging from a long
strand of wire mesh attached somewhere above in the blackness.
Plissken's eye blinks.
THE DARKNESS
Begins to reveal details: slimy walls. Below, a black pit of hell.
Wind gushing.
And then a light stabs across the void...
CLOSE - PLISSKEN
... The light hits Plissken's good eye...
The light is from inside the eye of Pendejo Bob. He stands on a
small ledge, at the mouth of a cave leading into the howling pit.
PENDEJO BOB
Hey, Snake. You okay?
(unhooks the lariat)
I heard gunfire down here...
(begins to swing the rope)
Never been down this far before...
(swings the rope in a huge
arc)
Grab this.
Pendejo Bob tosses the lariat. The noose flies across the pit, and
Plissken grabs it with his good hand.
PENDEJO BOB
Now hang on.
Plissken wraps his good hand and arm in the noose, as Pendejo Bob
jerks the line hard. Plissken is in mid-swing, and the rope
jerking pulls him abruptly in the opposite direction...
Plissken's boot slips out of the wire mesh...
And Plissken falls like a brick, stops abruptly as the line
catches, and swings against the side of the pit. He dangles with
only his one good arm holding on to the rope.
Pendejo Bob pulls the line upward, straining against Plissken's
weight. Slowly Plissken rises, a tug at a time, hauled up the edge
of the pit toward the cave above...
... when suddenly he passes another opening, a storm drain below
Pendejo Bob. He swings into the drain, grasps the side with his
hand, and pulls himself in...
Pendejo Bob stares down at his rope disappearing into the side of
the pit.
PENDEJO BOB
Hey, Snake...where are you?
Plissken crawls into the slimy drain, pulls the rope off of him.
Ahead in the darkness is the rushing of water. He turns on weak
legs, back toward the pit behind him. Bleeding. Numb in one hand.
His leg on fire.
PLISSKEN
(yells)
I'm in another opening... Storm drain...
There may be another way up to you...
Plissken crawls along the drain. The sound of rushing water gets
louder.
He comes to the edge of the drain. Right below him is another
drain filled with water rushing through it like a river.
Plissken is stuck. He turns, in great pain, and starts back toward
the pit... when suddenly everything starts shaking. Booming. It's
a small earthquake, a pre-shock.
SNAP!
Suddenly the concrete bottom on which he stands gives way, cracks,
disintegrates...
And Plissken falls backward into the rushing water, and is pulled
suddenly downstream into the drain, disappearing from sight...
PENDEJO BOB
Stands silently above, listening...
PENDEJO BOB
Snake...
(no reply)
Snake!
Booming. The whole pit shudders, shaking. Another earthquake.
Pendejo Bob drops the rope, turns and dashes away down the
vibrating storm drain...
EXT. STORM DRAIN - WILSHIRE CANYON - NIGHT
Black oil-slicked water rushes in the moonlight, out of a huge
opening in what appears to be a canyon wall.
CLOSE ON THE EDGE OF THE DRAIN
As an arm shoots out, clutching the edges of the drain.
PLISSKEN
Emerges from the hole, slides out, tumbles down to a water-filled
canyon bottom. He lies there for a moment, trying to focus his
eye. Stabbing pain in his shoulder and leg. Finally he rises
unsteadily to his feet, looks around, trying to get his bearings.
He finds himself at the bottom of...
THE WILSHIRE CANYON
Straight down Wilshire Boulevard is an enormous canyon, a river
bottom gouged out of concrete in the big earthquake. At least 30
feet deep, it is a vast trough leading past skyscrapers and
buildings above, off into the distance.
Plissken warily glances at his watch: 1 hour 10 minutes to go.
Suddenly Plissken is struck by a pair of headlights. Pipeline's
dune buggy comes bumping along the canyon bottom, sloshing through
water, pulling up next to Plissken.
PIPELINE
Snake. Saw you at the game tonight. Great
shot.
(stares at him)
You look like shit.
Plissken hobbles over to the dune buggy as Pipeline gets out.
PIPELINE
You feel those pre-shocks, Snake?
Pipeline unties the various surfboards he has lashed to the rear
of the buggy. He lifts one down and slings it under his arm.
PIPELINE
Could be a big one comin' any minute
now...
PLISSKEN
Where's... Cuervo Jones...?
PIPELINE
Long gone. You'll never catch up with him
now, Snake.
PLISSKEN
Where?
PIPELINE
Anaheim. Headquarters for everything. The
whole town's gonna be there. Things
changin' fast around here, Snake. It's not
the same as the old days, man.
A thumping sound skyward. More choppers thunder over them, on
their way southeast. Plissken grabs Pipeline with his good hand...
PLISSKEN
Take me there...
But he's too weak. His hand slides off. Plissken sinks to his
knees. Pipeline stares at him.
PIPELINE
You ain't doin' so good, Snake. You need
help.
(bends down, helps Plissken
to his feet)
You should talk to Hershe. She hates
Cuervo. They used to be partners, but they
split up.
PLISSKEN
Who?
PIPELINE
Hershe. She lives downtown with Mojo
Dellasandro in the big boat. Down that
way.
Pipeline points down the canyon to the east.
PIPELINE
She's connected with the Black Cowboys,
and they don't take shit from nobody...
Suddenly that booming, shuddering rumble begins. The canyon starts
to shake. The water in the canyon floor sloshes wildly.
PIPELINE
Yo', man. It's a big one.
And the earthquake hits like a roaring sledgehammer. The walls of
the canyon crack. Plissken and Pipeline are thrown to the ground.
Skyscrapers above them on Wilshire rock and tremble in the quake.
Pieces of the building sheer off, fall. A parking garage caves in.
Thunder shakes the earth around Plissken and Pipeline. The canyon
floor splits open. Water pours into the cracks. Huge boulder-sized
chunks of concrete tumble down the canyon walls.
And then suddenly it all stops.
The booming subsides. The earth stops shaking. Plissken and
Pipeline get to their feet, look around. The water around them
continues to slosh about violently.
PIPELINE
Tsunami, Snake.
His eyes wide, a smile on his face, Pipeline hurries over to the
dune buggy, grabs another surfboard from the back, hands it to
Plissken.
PIPELINE
Surf's up big time.
Now there is another deep sound rising, coming from the west
behind them: A bass roar that slowly climbs from the very bottom
of the register upward, as if some massive wall of doom were on
its way...
Pipeline kneels, positions his surfboard in his hands.
PIPELINE
Get ready, Snake. It's gonna be some kinda
ride.
Plissken looks behind him...
POV - THE FRONT EDGE OF THE TSUNAMI
Is blasting down the Wilshire Canyon, coming right for them. It is
a 25-foot wall of ocean water, moving fast, bellowing like a
thunderclap.
Plissken sees he can't climb out of the canyon in time, moves over
to Pipeline, kneels down...
PIPELINE
Let the front edge pick you up. Don't get
on your board till it peaks.
Behind them, the tsunami slams along the canyon, coming right for
them.
PIPELINE
Don't lose it, man. You slip off your
board and it's the Big Wipeout, you know
what I mean?
The roaring is so loud it's like being on the inside of a cannon
barrel. The tsunami is 100 feet away... 75 feet... 50 feet... 25
feet... It rolls up right behind them...
PIPELINE
Hang on, Snake!
(yells)
YAAAAAAA!!!!
THE FRONT EDGE
Of the tsunami sweeps under them. Pipeline and Plissken push off
from the canyon floor just as the water shovels them upward like a
cow catcher on a train. The water sweeps them up until they
disappear under the blackness...
Until suddenly Pipeline pops up on top of the tsunami, riding on
his surfboard, arms outstretched, feet braced.
And then Plissken pops up beside him, surfing clumsily on top of
the tsunami wave, kneeling on his surfboard.
They blast down Wilshire Canyon at 80 miles an hour. Plissken is
wobbly on the surfboard, but he manages to stay on top of the
wave. Finally, he gets the hang of it, glances over at Pipeline,
who grins from ear to ear.
PIPELINE
Awesome, Snake. AWESOME, man!
Plissken looks up ahead...
HIS POV - MOVING THROUGH WILSHIRE CANYON
Five feet from street level. An old van speeds along what's left
of Wilshire Boulevard, right on the canyon's edge. It veers around
debris in the street, changes lanes suddenly, hell bent for
leather.
Plissken and Pipeline move closer and closer to the van as the
tsunami sweeps them along.
Now they move alongside the van and Plissken stares over...
CLOSER - THE VAN
Behind the wheel is Map To The Stars Eddie, driving like a
lunatic, his teeth bared and set, madder than shit.
Plissken's eye widens, burns.
PLISSKEN
(to Pipeline)
See you later.
And suddenly Plissken shifts his weight, and the surfboard tips
and slides sideways, across the surface of the tsunami all the way
over to the edge, right next to the van. Map To The Stars Eddie
glances to his left...
HIS POV - PLISSKEN
Is surfing the tsunami not 10 feet away from him.
Map To The Stars Eddie stares in absolute horror. Plissken tips
the board again, and slides another 5 feet closer...
AS MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Jams the pedal, and the van screams forward...
AS PLISSKEN
Stands up and leaps from the surfboard...
For a moment he is airborne, leaping across the gap to the van...
and slams into the side of the van. He grabs on to the roof, hangs
on with one hand, his body whipping against the rocking, bucking
side. Map To The Stars Eddie starts swerving, trying to throw
Plissken off.
EXT. VAN - WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
The van shoots back and forth across Wilshire, Plissken dangling
inches from the tsunami-filled canyon. Plissken pulls himself up
and crawls onto the roof...
INSIDE THE VAN
Map To The Stars Eddie pulls his gun, cocks it...
When suddenly Plissken's hand snakes down from the roof, reaches
in the driver's window, grabs his hair, and slams his forehead
into the steering wheel with a THOCK!
Map To The Stars Eddie goes out like a light. He slumps over in
the seat... but his foot is stuck on the accelerator.
Plissken grabs the wheel with his left hand, and manages to steer
the van from the roof. The van lurches wildly, hits a chunk of
concrete in the street, skids, fishtailing violently from the
impact. It smashes against the curb, screeches and bumps along
concrete.
Map To The Stars Eddie's foot is bumped right off the accelerator,
and the van slows to a wobbling, grinding stop.
Plissken slowly climbs down from the roof, opens the driver's
door, shoves Map To The Stars Eddie out of the way, and jumps in.
INT. VAN - NIGHT
Plissken pulls out into the street and speeds off down Wilshire.
Map To The Stars Eddie starts to come around.
Plissken grabs his gun, cocks it, puts the barrel up against Map
To The Stars Eddie's temple just as he comes to.
PLISSKEN
Listen up. I need directions. Downtown.
Somebody named Hershe.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Sure, Snake. No problem.
(groggy)
You gonna kill me?
PLISSKEN
Later.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
I couldn't help it, Snake. I had to shoot
you. Cuervo made me do it, I swear to God,
man.
PLISSKEN
Cease fire with the bullshit.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Right. Keep goin' straight. Two blocks
down, turn right.
CLOSE ON A TV SCREEN
Cuervo Jones' image fills the screen. He addresses the camera,
holds the prototype in his hands.
CUERVO JONES
Abandon your firebases by 0500 hours. Have
the news media standing by for my
coronation. I'm arriving in style.
PULL BACK from the TV screen to reveal we are in...
INT. MAIN CONTROL ROOM - COMMAND HQ - NIGHT
Malloy, the President, Brazen, and the other Controllers and
Police Personnel stare silently at their TV screens.
BRAZEN
He must be bouncing the signal from one of
our communications satellites.
PRESIDENT
That means CableNet has already picked it
up. This thing's going live all over the
country.
CUERVO JONES
(on the TV)
It's a brand new day comin' up this
morning, and I'm just so proud to be
leading the parade. See you soon, putos.
SSSZZZ. The image blinks off into static.
A grim silence.
MALLOY
The prototype appears to be armed, Mr.
President.
(the President nods grimly)
Shall I begin evacuation?
PRESIDENT
Does he know how to activate it?
MALLOY
Well, yeah. All you have to do is push the
button.
BRAZEN
What about Plissken? He could still be -
PRESIDENT
Forget him. He's dead.
MALLOY
That may not be true, Mr. President.
(beat)
He's one tough case. Plissken's been dead
so many times I can't count. But he never
stays down.
A long beat.
MALLOY
There are two choices, Mr. President. Wait
for Plissken, or surrender. It's your
decision.
The President sighs heavily.
EXT. DOWNTOWN L.A. - NIGHT
Jammed next to the remains of the Bonaventure Hotel is the Queen
Mary, permanently dry-docked between the broken skyscrapers by the
Big One.
The van stops next to a huge hole in the side of the ship.
INT. QUEEN MARY - NIGHT
The glow of Map To The Stars Eddie's flashlight takes him and
Plissken deeper and deeper into the hulking remains of the ship.
INT. DECK OF SHOPS - NIGHT
They walk through a dimly lighted area lined with shops. Their
glass display windows are covered with layers of impenetrable
dirt.
INT. LONG CORRIDOR - NIGHT
They enter a long, narrow corridor. At the end is a doorway. There
is light in the room beyond.
INT. VICTORIAN SWIMMING POOL - NIGHT
Plissken and Map To The Stars Eddie enter a long room lit by gas
jets on the walls. In it is a crumbling, Victorian swimming pool.
A heavy mist rises from the pool's surface and hangs over
everything.
At the far end is a group of people. Spinal and the Black Cowboy
Gang. Boots, spurs, dusters, and guns.
Mojo Dellasandro. Jamaican Voodoo witch doctor. A brutal, scowling
face. And a beautiful woman in a bathing suit, her back facing us.
Plissken and Map To The Stars Eddie approach.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Hey, Hershe. How're you doin'?
The woman turns and faces them. This is HERSHE, an absolutely
drop-dead, gorgeous transvestite who looks completely convincing
as a woman but talks in Isaac Hayes' voice.
SPINAL
(eyes brightening)
Hershe - it's Snake Plissken.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Yeah, Hershe. I brought him to see you.
Plissken walks right up to Hershe, has no reaction at all to the
transvestite.
PLISSKEN
I need a favor.
HERSHE
What's in it for me?
Plissken stares, a glimmer of recognition on his face.
PLISSKEN
Wait a minute. I know that voice.
(beat)
You're Carjack Malone.
HERSHE
Not anymore.
SPINAL
You two know each other?
Plissken is seething. Hershe remains calm, glacial.
PLISSKEN
You owe me. You left me holdin' everything
back there in Cleveland.
SPINAL
(astounded)
Hershe, you were in Cleveland?
PLISSKEN
Yeah. With me and Texas Mike O'Shay.
HERSHE
I was called away on urgent business,
Snake.
PLISSKEN
Don't lie to me.
HERSHE
All right, so I made another deal.
PLISSKEN
I got a new deal for you.
Plissken raises Map To The Stars Eddie's gun, aims it right
between Hershe's eyes.
PLISSKEN
You help me, you live.
The others tense, hands on guns.
SPINAL
I wouldn't be doin' that, Snake.
HERSHE
We have a little arrangement. Anything
happens to me, you're dead.
PLISSKEN
I'm already dead.
HERSHE
(long beat)
I see your point. What's the favor?
PLISSKEN
(looks at his watch)
Get me to Cuervo Jones. Get me to the
Kingdom. I got one hour.
HERSHE
Dream on, blue eye.
PLISSKEN
Say goodnight, Carjack.
Plissken cocks his gun, starts to squeeze the trigger...
HERSHE
Wait a minute. All right. Hold on.
SPINAL
Cuervo Jones has more firepower than two
armies. No one gets near him.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
And he's got the prototype. And the girl.
He holds all the cards.
HERSHE
Exactly what is this prototype? What does
it do?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
You push the button, it sends a signal to
a ring of space defense satellites.
They're orbiting bombs. Nukes. They
explode. Huge space burst.
(beat)
EMP. Electromagnetic Pulse. It happens
instantly when a nuke is airburst. EMP
shuts down every power source below the
satellites - instantly. All electrical
devices, computers, cars, airplanes,
cities. It's the dark ages again.
HERSHE
So whoever has it runs the show.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
They were gonna use it on South America,
Africa, Asia - any country hostile to the
United States.
SPINAL
Only Cuervo's got it now.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
And that ring of satellites will be in
position over the U.S. at 5:00 a.m. this
morning.
PLISSKEN
How do you know all this?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
I used to represent the guy who invented
it. I swear to God, Snake. No bullshit.
A long silence.
HERSHE
So what's the deal, gorgeous?
PLISSKEN
We get the girl and the prototype. And we
get out.
SPINAL
All of us?
PLISSKEN
Yeah.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Me too?
PLISSKEN
(stares at him hard)
We'll see.
HERSHE
Why should we leave? I love L.A. Where we
gonna go? What's the payoff?
SPINAL
I'd like to get out but I don't have
enough money.
PLISSKEN
The President's promised to give whoever
helps me 1 million dollars.
SPINAL
Yeah? Greenbacks? I got ten million of
them.
PLISSKEN
Uh-uh. Bluebacks.
This gets everyone's attention.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Aw, come on, Snake.
PLISSKEN
Bluebacks. I'm not bullshittin'. I swear
to God.
HERSHE
I don't know, sounds thin to me.
PLISSKEN
You want to stay here, while Cuervo Jones
rules the world?
HERSHE
(grim)
No, that sucks.
(beat)
How are we getting out?
PLISSKEN
I don't know yet.
SPINAL
Shit.
HERSHE
You always were a loser, Plissken. Makin'
things up as you go along. That's why I
cut out on you in Cleveland. You're just a
bum like the rest of us.
Smoke has begun to drift into the pool area.
MOJO DELLASANDRO
(a soft voice)
Use the air.
They look at him.
MOJO DELLASANDRO
They're burning. Santa Anas. The night
wind.
SPINAL
What're you talking about, Mojo?
MOJO DELLASANDRO
Death from above...
EXT. QUEEN MARY - NIGHT
Plissken, Hershe, Map To The Stars Eddie, Spinal and the Black
Cowboy Gang stand on the top deck of the Queen Mary. Mojo
Dellasandro straps each man into his own hang glider rig. The wind
whips around them. The hillsides in the distance are on fire.
They look like strange oversized moths lined up on the edge of the
deck. The wind picks up Map To The Stars Eddie's rig. He bumps up
and down, side to side, buffeted wildly until Mojo Dellasandro
brings him back down to the decking.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
I don't know about this thing.
PLISSKEN
Don't like it, don't come.
SPINAL
Where'd you get these rigs, Carjack?
HERSHE
My name is Hershe Hernandez, do you
understand, cowboy?
As Mojo Dellasandro passes out various weapons to the men, Map To
The Stars Eddie leans over to Plissken, their hang glider rigs
thumping clumsily into each other. Eddie holds up that small,
metal-plated portable radio he was carrying when we first met him.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
I got an idea, Snake.
(shows Plissken the radio)
This looks like the prototype, right?
PLISSKEN
Yeah, kinda.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
So maybe we can pull off a Texas switch on
Cuervo.
PLISSKEN
If he lets you get close enough.
HERSHE
The wind's up. Let's go.
The men brace themselves. Map To The Stars Eddie looks like he
wants to die.
Hershe looks over at Plissken and grins.
HERSHE
See you in hell, Snake.
PLISSKEN
If I'm late, Carjack, don't start without
me.
With that Plissken launches himself off the deck, sailing out over
open space, then down toward the street...
PLISSKEN
Gliding through the air, as the wind picks him upward. He arcs
away from the street level, up toward the remains of the downtown
skyscrapers. Behind him, one after another, the group takes off
into the wind, diving, rising with the wind.
Map To The Stars Eddie makes a rapid suicidal dive right down
toward the pavement below. He screams like a madman until the wind
lifts him at the last possible second.
EXT. TOPS OF SKYSCRAPERS - NIGHT
The group of hang gliders sweep past the buildings. A bracero
family is having dinner by candlelight two feet from the edge of a
sheer precipice, as the side of the skyscraper they live in has
been torn off. They wave to Plissken as he passes.
Two floors down, someone has hooked up huge speakers and a
croaking male voice is singing a Barbra Streisand hit to a
background track.
A beautiful girl in a sheer diaphanous gown dances far out on a
narrow girder, waving a scarf at the moon.
Plissken and the others now fly in formation, like avenging bats
through the night, except for Map To The Stars Eddie who keeps
rising and plunging violently, barely in control.
EXT. DISNEYLAND - NIGHT
An army of vehicles and people pour into Disneyland - but it's a
Disneyland gone to hell. A huge sign reads: "THE HAPPY KINGDOM"
The gates no longer exist. The overhead tram lies broken on the
ground. Slowly vehicles drive straight inside...
A battered old limousine carries Cuervo Jones and a grim-looking
Utopia past the ruins of the train and around the ghost-town
square of Main Street. Ahead is the fairy castle, broken and
crumbling, like some relic from a nightmare. Around it are the
thrill rides, tossed in to a jumbled mass by the force of the
original earthquake.
Crowds are waiting. Gangs of every conceivable description. Ethic
gangs. Female gangs. Gangs of children. Also families with
hangers-on. As soon as the limousine appears, the crowds begin
cheering.
INT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT
Cuervo Jones stares out at the masses.
CUERVO JONES
They're simple people. They love a party.
(turns to Utopia)
We're gonna throw them one hell of a party
when we get to America. Right?
Utopia is silent, sullen. Cuervo raises his hand to her and she
jumps, cowering.
CUERVO JONES
Put a smile on your face.
A terrified smile spreads across Utopia's face.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
As the limousine inches down Main Street, suddenly a wall of
headlights pop on. 100 or so battered old vintage Chevys rev their
engines, begin bouncing up and down wildly on hydraulic lifts.
Gangs begin cheering, firing their weapons into the air like New
Year's Eve.
At the end of Main Street is a huge open area - almost an arena,
beyond which are parked a literal army of helicopters.
As the limousine stops, and Cuervo Jones emerges, Utopia on his
arm, the cheering begins, a wall of sound through the park. Three
Black Muslims step out to greet Cuervo, dressed in turban-like
headgear and sunglasses, wearing black capes and carrying old
Thompson machine guns. They stop, give the right-handed power
salute. One of them, BIVOUAC, speaks to Cuervo.
BIVOUAC
Cuervo Jones. Welcome, my Brother.
Cuervo Jones turns to the crowd, extends his arms.
CUERVO JONES
Are you ready for the New World?
And the loudest, longest cheer you've ever heard goes up.
EXT. SKIES ABOVE DISNEYLAND - NIGHT
Plissken and the group sail through the sky like silent avenging
angels toward Disneyland below them and several miles away.
PLISSKEN
Glances at his wrist watch. Only 20 minutes left. Map To The Stars
Eddie swings wildly over in his direction, manages to stabilize
his glider for a few moments.
PLISSKEN
Is that what I think it is?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Yeah. The place kept changing owners.
Finally went bankrupt. That thing in Paris
killed 'em.
Hershe and Spinal sweep over next to Plissken and fly in close
formation.
HERSHE
Snake. We need some kind of diversion.
A beat later all of them look over at Map To The Stars Eddie.
EXT. MAIN STREET - THE ARENA - NIGHT
Cuervo Jones leads Utopia toward a large attack helicopter out in
front of all the others. The choppers are all starting up,
roaring, blades turning.
Suddenly shooting down out of the sky is a screaming, yelling, Map
To The Stars Eddie diving out of control, eyes wide as he passes
Cuervo Jones and Utopia.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Cuervo. Hey, man, I made it! I made it!
Wait for me...
KAWHUMP!
Map To The Stars Eddie crash lands into the ruins of a fast food
restaurant - KACRUNCH!
A beat or so later he staggers out of the rig, dizzy and confused.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Hey Cuervo...
Cuervo Jones turns to Bivouac.
CUERVO JONES
Would you please kill him for me?
BIVOUAC
My pleasure.
Bivouac raises his machine gun...
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Cuervo, wait! I got news. There's about to
be an attack.
Cuervo holds up his hand, stopping Bivouac. Everyone tenses. Map
To The Stars Eddie races over...
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
You're about to get hit, Cuervo. It's
Plissken.
CUERVO JONES
You told me he was dead.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
I thought he was, but he came back.
CUERVO JONES
Where?
Map To The Stars Eddie moves close to Cuervo, out of breath,
looking like he may faint...
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Oh Cuervo...
CUERVO JONES
(long beat)
What?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
(stalling)
It's so good to see you again.
CUERVO JONES
Where's Plissken?
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
He's... near.
CUERVO JONES
You're stalling, Eddie.
(grabs him)
Talk, you little gringo!
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
(eyes wide)
Cuervo, look out behind you!
Map To The Stars Eddie suddenly grabs Cuervo as if to protect him,
and manages to wrap himself around the prototype in Cuervo's hand.
At the same moment Bivouac and the Black Muslim open fire on an
old storefront behind Cuervo Jones. The place is shredded.
Cuervo Jones pulls Map To The Stars Eddie up off the ground, and
grabs what looks like the prototype out of his clutches.
CUERVO JONES
You've lied to me for the very last time.
Cuervo Jones pulls out a pistol, cocks it, aims at Map To The
Stars Eddie's face...
KABLOOM! No, not the pistol. A huge explosion rocks Main Street.
WHOOSH! Suddenly out of the night sky Spinal and the Black Cowboys
dive right down across Main Street.
KABLAM! Another explosion sends everyone scurrying for cover.
Spinal pulls the pin on a grenade, throws it...
BLAMM! BLOOM! Explosions erupt everywhere!
Cuervo Jones grabs Utopia, turns to run toward to the lead
helicopter when...
Plissken roars down out of the sky and his him full force. Cuervo,
Plissken and the hang glider go tumbling and crashing in a heap.
SERIES OF FAST CUTS:
Chaos and pandemonium. Hershe dives down over the gangs, ripping
hellfire from his automatic rifle.
People running. Explosions.
Map To The Stars Eddie grabs Utopia.
Plissken and Cuervo Jones get to their feet and have at it!
Through flames and running people Plissken and Cuervo battle.
In Cuervo's hand is a long black knife. Just as he's plunging it,
Plissken steps aside and grabs him. Locked together, they battle
savagely.
The knife cuts Plissken's chest.
Cuervo moves for Plissken's throat.
Plissken smashes him in the face.
They both grip the knife in a deadlock.
From above, Spinal dives down and hurls a grenade. Cuervo and
Plissken disappear in a huge flash of fire and smoke as the
grenade erupts out of the pavement nearby.
When the smoke clears, three things are on the ground. Plissken.
Cuervo Jones. The prototype.
Instantly Plissken and Cuervo dive for the prototype. Plissken has
it, kicks Cuervo in the face, drags himself to his feet and takes
off running (as fast as a man can run with one bullet in his leg)
Map To The Stars Eddie drags Utopia toward the lead helicopter, as
Hershe comes in for a landing.
Spinal comes in for a landing, continues to throw grenades. The
other Black Cowboys land, provide covering fire.
Plissken races for the chopper. Behind him, Cuervo Jones is on his
feet and in pursuit.
Hershe opens fire at Cuervo. Cuervo dives behind a smoking,
burning Chevy.
INT. HELICOPTER COCKPIT
As everyone scrambles in. A Black Cowboy is hit by gunfire, slides
down the bulkhead and out the door.
Plissken jumps in the left seat, takes the controls. Utopia and
Map To The Stars Eddie both climb in the right seat together. The
others are in the back, firing back at the gangs. Plissken pulls
in power.
CLOSE - ROTOR R.P.M. GAUGE
The needle's at 100% plus. Full power.
EXT. LEAD HELICOPTER
The lead chopper shudders, trying to get off the ground. Gunfire
continues.
INT. HELICOPTER
The ship shakes violently.
PLISSKEN
She's overloaded! We're too heavy.
HERSHE
(screams from the rear
compartment)
Somebody get off!
SPINAL
(glares at him)
Who?
All eyes quickly move to Map To The Stars Eddie...
KABLAM!
Bullets rip through the windscreen.
POV - AN ARMY OF GANGS
Is moving, through the smoke, charging the ship!
INT. LEAD HELICOPTER
The ship trembles. Plissken moves his feet, jams in the left tail-
rotor pedal all the way.
EXT. THE LEAD HELICOPTER
Rotates, turns around 180 degrees on the ground, pushed by the
tail rotor force.
THE CYCLIC CONTROL
As Plissken inches it forward...
THE HELICOPTER
Begins sliding across the ground, skids grinding along the
pavement, sparks flying - slowly at first, now picking up speed...
In the cockpit, the ship lurches and jumps and slams! Everyone is
bounced around.
The helicopter moves fast now - faster -
LOW ANGLE ON THE SKIDS
As they rise up, an inch off the ground - then two inches - then a
foot -
Cuervo Jones emerges from the smoke, running ahead of the other
gangs, barreling toward the ever-so-slowly rising chopper...
THE LEAD HELICOPTER
As it lifts - five feet - climbing...
The helicopter pulls away from the charging gangs and Cuervo's
sprinting figure.
POV THROUGH WINDSCREEN
See the Matterhorn ahead, coming closer and closer. Hershe leans
out the door.
HERSHE
We're not gonna make it over the fuckin'
mountain!
The helicopter moves right toward the edge of the Matterhorn, 15
feet... 10... Plissken tries to maneuver out of the way... 8
feet... 5...
The helicopter wobbles over the top of the mountain, the right
skid catching on the Matterhorn's edge! A horrible cracking sound,
and the right skid is ripped off from its front mounting, hanging
half off the ship!
On the ground, Cuervo Jones jumps into one of the waiting
helicopters as now the gangs race into ships and begin lifting off
into the sky. Finally Cuervo's chopper lifts off...
EXT. FIREBASE SEVEN - NIGHT
An alarm horn sounds. Everyone is on the move.
INT. MAIN CONTROL ROOM - COMMAND HQ - NIGHT
A crowd surrounds a computer screen with a small green blip moving
over a grid of L.A.
COM OFFICER
Aircraft leaving the island, sir. It's
passed into restricted space, heading this
way.
Malloy, the President, and Brazen exchange glances.
PRESIDENT
Is it Plissken?
Nobody knows.
COM OFFICER
Commander, I'm getting radio contact with
the aircraft.
MALLOY
Boost it.
The COM Officer flips a switch, and we hear Plissken's voice
booming through HQ.
PLISSKEN (V.O.)
Get ready, shitheads. We're comin' in.
PRESIDENT
Thank God.
MALLOY
(grabs a radio mike)
Plissken - this is Malloy. Do you have the
prototype?
INT. LEAD HELICOPTER - NIGHT
PLISSKEN
(into his radio)
Yeah, I got it.
Plissken glances at the transistor radio in his hand, shoves it in
his boot, reaches his hand out to Map To The Stars Eddie.
PLISSKE
(to Map To The Stars Eddie)
Now give me the real one.
Utopia stares into Plissken's eye.
Map To The Stars Eddie shrugs innocently
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
I couldn't make the switch, Snake. I don't
have it.
Suddenly Utopia reaches into Map To The Stars Eddie's coat and
pulls out the real prototype. She hands it to Plissken
UTOPIA
Now we're even, Snake.
Map To The Stars Eddie makes a lunge for it, but Plissken whacks
him in the face. His head bobs slowly back and forth for a moment,
then he slumps in the seat.
INT. MAIN CONTROL ROOM - COMMAND HQ - NIGHT
Malloy set up in the staging area for landing.
COM OFFICER
Commander Malloy - he's got lots of
company.
Malloy and the others look at the computer screen. Plissken's
green blip is followed by hundreds of other green blips all
rapidly closing in on him...
MALLOY
Battle stations...
The room springs into action...
INT. LEAD HELICOPTER - NIGHT
PLISSKEN
I think we've burned off enough fuel. We
may be lighter enough to hover. Just
barely.
HERSHE
Can you land?
PLISSKEN
No. The right skid's broken. If I try to
set it down she'll crash. I have to stay
in a hoverwhile you jump off.
(beat as Plissken looks at
Utopia)
Hey, Carjack. We gotta hide the girl. Give
her your dress.
HERSHE
(ice cold)
My name is no longer Carjack. Will you
please get that through your fucking head?
SPINAL
Holy shit.
They look, as suddenly the night sky on either side of them is
filled with gang helicopters!
EXT. SKY OVER THE SAN FERNANDO SEA - NIGHT
The lead helicopter is surrounded by enemy choppers. Above, below,
on either side.
Right next to Plissken, Cuervo's chopper pulls up just ten feet
away. Cuervo grins out at Plissken evilly, unhooks himself from
his seat...
On the other side, another chopper with Bivouac and the Black
Muslims pull up. In the rear compartment, a Black Muslim aims what
looks like a huge harpoon gun mounted to the floor.
KAWHAM!
The line shoots out and a gleaming grappling hook slams into the
side of Plissken's chopper, the prongs clawing in, holding. In the
lead helicopter, the Black Cowboys, Spinal and Hershe aim their
weapons.
PLISSKEN
Don't shoot! They can drag us down into
the sea.
Cuervo Jones leaps from the opened door of his chopper, flies
through space, lands on Plissken's door with a WHUMP! He smashes
through the side window and grabs Plissken.
KABLAM! KABLAM! Gang choppers open fire, riddling the rear
compartment with bullets. Spinal and several Black Cowboys are
hit!
Plissken fights Cuervo through the door.
PLISSKEN
(to Utopia)
Take the controls!
Utopia stares at him.
UTOPIA
What do I do?
But Cuervo wrenches the door open, grabs Plissken, and pulls him
out of the seat. Utopia grabs the controls.
The lead helicopter goes wild, lurching and swinging and dropping.
Plissken and Cuervo are locked in a death grip, hanging on to the
doorway, one foot in, one foot out.
Plissken embraces Cuervo and throws them both over the edge...
They fall through space, locked together, until...
WHAP! They are jolted to a dead stop, swinging in mid-air,
Plissken's arm wrapped around the dangling right skid.
The lead helicopter bucks and spins and swings, Plissken and
Cuervo suspended below, struggling to the death, whipped back and
forth by the helicopter's gyrations.
In the cockpit, Utopia grabs the controls. The ship is shaking,
swinging like a pendulum. Hershe is hit with gunfire, flops in the
rear compartment. Map To The Stars Eddie slowly regains
consciousness, stares in horror at Utopia.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Where's Plissken?
Outside, Cuervo clutches Plissken around the neck, struggling and
thrashing. Plissken head butts him, dazing him for a second...
KA-CRACK! The dangling skid is breaking loose from its mounting on
the helicopter above. Plissken and Cuervo Jones stare up, then at
each other, then both begin pulling themselves up the skid,
climbing hand over hand, in a desperate race...
Both men reach the bottom of the helicopter and leap across to the
left skid as the dangling right skid breaks off and falls into the
San Fernando Sea. Plissken and Cuervo kick at each other. Plissken
slides away from him, looks up... sees the grappling hook stuck
into the side of the helicopter...
Plissken swings up, straddling the skid. He reaches up and begins
prying loose the grappling hook. Cuervo's coming right up behind
him, reaching for him, a huge knife in his hands. He raises the
knife - when Map To The Stars Eddie leans out of the cockpit door,
lowers a gun and aims it right at Cuervo.
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
Hey, Cuervo.
Cuervo looks at him, starts to say something, eyes bulging...
MAP TO THE STARS EDDIE
If you get to America - let's do lunch.
KABLAM! KABLAM! The shots hit, and Cuervo buckles, falls backwards
off the skid, plunging downward toward the surface of the San
Fernando Sea... KASPLASH!
Plissken rips out the grappling hook...
AS BOOM!
Map To The Stars Eddie is hit with gunfire, dies, falls out of the
seat, out of the door, out of the helicopter - plunges to the
water below.
Plissken jumps back inside the cockpit.
UTOPIA
Snake, look.
POV THROUGH WINDSCREEN
Police battle helicopters thunder toward them. In unison, the
police helicopters launch their missiles from gun platforms.
Burning, white-sulfurous napalm shells streak across the darkness
and hit enemy choppers. The sky around the lead helicopter is
filled with explosions, waves of rolling fire, falling flaming
wrecks plunging past, as enemy choppers begin to hit the water.
It is a dreamlike, slow-motion ballet. Huge black police gun ships
circle lazily around the enemy choppers, their flex-guns and
rockets spitting blue-white fire. The pound the living hell out of
the enemy choppers. In f.g. Plissken's helicopter sweeps over the
wall.
EXT. ROTOR CITY - NIGHT
Malloy, the President, Brazen and the rest the Firebase watch as
Plissken's helicopter approaches, then zooms right over Rotor City
and heads for the distant treeline.
PRESIDENT
Where the hell is he going?
EXT. SMALL CLEARING - NIGHT
Plissken's helicopter comes in, lower and lower, into a hover five
feet above the ground. Inside, Plissken pulls in all the power
he's got.
PLISSKEN
It's taking all the power we've got to
hover.
CLOSE - ROTOR R.P.M. GAUGE
Shows 100% plus power. The helicopter is in a trembling hover.
Inside...
PLISSKEN
Jump out. Head for the treeline and
disappear.
Utopia stares at him.
PLISSKEN
Go!
Utopia jumps out of the helicopter... lands on the ground and
takes off running into the darkness. Inside...
PLISSKEN
All right, baby. Don't be too rough on me.
We're gonna land.
Plissken slowly drops the collective control. The left skid sets
down, and the ship continues to descend, tips, begins to roll.
Inside, as the chopper rolls over, Plissken braces himself. As the
blades hit the ground, the chopper goes wild. The fuselage jumps
and twists in a grinding fury. Smoke and debris fly. The blades
snap off...
FROM BEHIND PLISSKEN - INSIDE
Looking out the front, the blades smash through the windscreen,
barely missing the top of Plissken's head. Plissken is splattered
with glass, a piece of metal debris protrudes from the fleshy part
of his biceps. Blood pours. The rear compartment explodes into
flames as the engine grinds into the gas tank. Fire billows into
the cockpit, engulfing Plissken...
Outside, Plissken pulls himself out of the door. He is on fire.
Dives away from the copper and rolls across the ground just as the
flaming mid-section of the ship explodes in a roaring fireball.
Plissken climbs to his feet, smoking, wounded...
... as Malloy, the President, Brazen, and a squad of police arrive
in vehicles. They slowly get out...
... as Plissken limps toward them...
PLISSKEN
Where's the anti-toxin...?
PRESIDENT
Give me the prototype.
Plissken reaches into his boot, hands it to the President.
MALLOY
Hold it, Plissken. Now give us the real
one.
Plissken reaches down into his other boot, comes out with Map To
The Stars Eddie's transistor radio. The President hurls the real
prototype away, walks to Plissken and grabs the phony. Plissken
glances at it lying on the ground.
Nobody moves. Plissken looks at their faces.
PLISSKEN
Give me the goddamn shot!
Suddenly everyone begins to smirk. A couple cops laugh.
MALLOY
It was all a fake, Plissken.
Plissken stares at him. More laughter.
BRAZEN
You were injected with glucose. There is
no Plutoxin 7 virus. You were never going
to die - at least not from anything we
gave you.
MALLOY
C'mon, Snake - it's L.A. Everything's
phony, you know that.
Plissken moves toward the President, stops inches away.
MALLOY
Relax, war hero. We took you for a ride,
and you came through. Not bad for a
dirtbag like you.
PRESIDENT
You're free, Plissken. But if you even so
much as break wind on a country road I'll
crush you like a bug.
The President glares at Plissken, turns, walks away.
COP (O.S.)
Commander...
(Malloy looks at him)
Look what we found.
Across the clearing come two policemen dragging Utopia along with
them. They bring her up in front of Malloy. Utopia glances at
Plissken.
MALLOY
You didn't finish the mission, Plissken.
We'll have to do that for you.
Plissken, Malloy and Brazen watch as Utopia is taken away. Finally
Plissken turns to Malloy.
PLISSKEN
Got a smoke?
MALLOY
You're gonna have to learn to respect the
law, Snake. The United States is a no-
smoking nation. No smoking, no drinking,
do drugs, no women unless you're married,
no guns, no foul language. It's a brand
new day for you, Snake.
PLISSKEN
The name's Plissken.
Plissken walks away. Follow his feet as they stop next to the
prototype lying in the grass...
INT. STEEL-WALLED HALLWAY - DEPORTATION CENTER - NIGHT
Utopia is being strapped into an electric chair by her police
guards. The guards step back from Utopia. One of them walks over
to a huge switch on the wall.
EXT. FIREBASE SEVEN - DAWN
TRACKING SHOT WITH PLISSKEN
He holds the real prototype, calmly pushes the button.
EXT. SPACE - DAWN
The ring of space satellites hover silently above the Earth. See
the United States, North America below, as a beautiful sunrise is
beginning.
Suddenly the satellites explode into white...
EXT. FIREBASE SEVEN - DAWN
As the sky is lit white. Malloy, Brazen, and the cops look up. All
vehicles stop. Lights out. Sounds of motors running down.
INT. STEEL-WALLED HALLWAY - DEPORTATION CENTER - DAWN
Darkness. No power. Everyone looks around. Utopia smiles.
EXT. FIREBASE SEVEN - DAWN
The daylight is coming as police helicopters fall from the sky,
crashing. Panic. Policemen run everywhere. A duty sergeant races
up to Malloy...
DUTY SERGEANT
We're being attacked, Commander. The north
wall.
EXT. WALL - DAWN
All of L.A. has arrive at the wall in boats. Gangs lean ladders,
use ropes and hooks - they scale the wall. Pendejo Bob leads the
charge. Pipeline is right behind him.
EXT. TOP OF THE WALL - DAWN
Gunfire. A pitched battle as cops try to repel the horde of L.A.
invaders as they pour over the wall.
EXT. FIREBASE SEVEN - DAWN
The Firebase is overrun by invaders. Hand-to-hand combat. World
War III has begun. Panicked cops race for the trees, abandoning
their positions.
INT. STEEL-WALLED HALLWAY - DEPORTATION CENTER
The Third World warriors free Utopia from the electric chair. She
joins them as they swarm through the halls...
EXT. HILLSIDE - FIREBASE SEVEN - DAWN
Plissken is at the edge of the Firebase, moving out into the
hillside. Camera tracks with him towards the rising sun.
A smile crosses Plissken's face. He tosses the prototype down a
ravine, and walks away into the sunrise.
FADE OUT
THE END |
John Carpenter's Escape From New York
written by John Carpenter and Nick Castle
transcript by Anjela F. Conner
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FADE IN
CARD -- 1988
FADE IN SECOND CARD -- The Crime Rate in the United States Rises Four
Hundred Percent.
VOICE
In 1988, the crime rate in the United States rises four hundred percent.
GRAPHIC -- Line-graphic of New York, MANHATTAN ISLAND highlighted.
VOICE
The once-great city of New York becomes the one maximum-security prison
for the entire country.
GRAPHIC -- MANHATTAN ISLAND lights up. The word "Prison" is added.
VOICE
A fifty-foot containment wall is erected along the New Jersey shoreline,
across the Harlem river, and down along the Brooklyn shoreline. It
completely surrounds Manhattan Island.
GRAPHIC -- The containment wall is added to the line graphic with the
tag "Containment Wall".
VOICE
All bridges and waterways are mined.
GRAPHIC -- Dots symbolizing the bridges and waterways blink on and off.
VOICE
The United States Police Force, like an army, is encamped around the
island.
GRAPHIC -- Arrows symbolizing the police force are added. TAG -- Statue
of Liberty Island Security Control.
VOICE
There are no guards inside the prison: only prisoners and the worlds
they have made.
NEW GRAPHIC -- Outline drawing of New York.
VOICE
The rules are simple. Once you go in, you don't come out.
GRAPHIC -- Outline drawing of the Statue of Liberty and the shoreline
are added.
CARD -- 1997
FADE IN SECOND CARD -- NOW
FADE OUT 1997
EXT. STATUE OF LIBERTY SECURITY CONTROL -- NIGHT.
A Jeep pulls up outside the base. It comes to a stop and the driver
pulls out a walkie-talkie.
DRIVER
This is Gotham 4, North Bay, Station 17. I have an escape in progress.
An object in mid-bay moving toward the wall.
TILT UP -- WALL
EXT. CLOSE UP -- SIGN "New York Maximum Security Penitentiary Manhattan
Island"
CONTINUED TILT UP -- EXT. WALL -- NIGHT
Two guards watch for the escapees in question.
EXT. MANHATTAN ISLAND -- NIGHT
A helicopter flies over the bay towards Manhattan Island.
EXT. BOAT -- NIGHT
The two escapees paddle, trying to get across the bay.
EXT. HELICOPTER -- NIGHT
The search light WHITES OUT THE SCREEN
EXT. BOAT -- NIGHT
The two escapees continue paddling. THEY'VE BEEN CAUGHT.
HELICOPTER PILOT
You have 10 seconds. Turn around. Start back to the island.
INT. HELICOPTER -- NIGHT
The pilot targets the boat on a computer screen in front of him.
EXT. BOAT -- NIGHT
Two shots are fired directly in front of the escapees as a warning.
They ignore them and continue paddling away from the island.
INT. HELICOPTER -- NIGHT
EXT. CLOSE UP -- PILOT'S HAND
The pilot FIRES AGAIN.
EXT. BOAT -- NIGHT
The boat EXPLODES.
EXT. HELICOPTER -- NIGHT
Following the helicopter as it returns to the base.
EXT. BASE -- NIGHT
Rehme walks back to the main base, pulling out his walkie-talkie on the
way.
REHME
Gotham 4, confirm the kill.
HELICOPTER PILOT
Circled the base. Over.
REHME
Security, this is Rehme. We have confirmation from Gotham 4. We have a
kill in midharbor. South of the battery. Two in the water dead.
SECURITY
Two confirmed.
REHME
Very well.
EXT. BASE -- NIGHT
Rehme walks into a building labeled "LIBERTY ISLAND SECURITY CONTROL and
picks up a phone.
REHME
Air traffic, this is Rehme . . .
EXT. AIR TRAFFIC -- NIGHT
The helicopter lands. In the background, a BUS FULL OF PRISONERS comes
up.
EXT. BUS -- NIGHT
S.D. "SNAKE" PLISSKEN gets off the bus, looks around, and is escorted by
three guards into the base. He looks like the essence of cool. His
hair is long, wavy, and ratty, he lost his left eye somewhere along the
line, and he's got a two-day beard thing going on. He's wearing a black
spandex/kevlar type shirt with zippers across the shoulders, and a pair
of camouflage pants with lots of pockets. His jacket is a brown leather
jacket that has seen far better days, and he's wearing a pair of
handcuffs that have, instead of the links we're used to, a straight
metal bar between them. He's not resisting anything, but the police are
not taking any chances.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Plissken and the guards follow a winding stairway down to the main
floor.
VOICE
Attention. You are now entering the debarkation area. No talking. No
smoking. The next scheduled departure to the prison is in two hours.
You now have the option to terminate and be cremated on the premises.
If you elect this option, notify the duty sergeant in your processing
area.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
EXT. CLOSE UP ON SIGN -- "No talking. No smoking. Follow the ORANGE
line."
EXT. CLOSE UP ON SNAKE. He is not impressed.
STEADICAM VIEW OF THE HALL, SNAKE'S P.O.V. Guards, guards, more guards.
Who cares.
As Snake rounds the corner:
O.S. GUARD
Hold it.
Snake stops, turns, directs an impertinent glance at the speaker. He's
still not impressed by any of this.
FADE OUT.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FADE IN.
EXT. BASE -- NIGHT
Rehme waits as a limo pulls up. Out steps BOB HAUK.
REHME
We've got a small jet in trouble, over restricted air space.
HAUK
Where is it?
REHME
Seven miles out and closing.
The two of them walk AWAY.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Hauk and Rehme walk down the stairs. They turn TOWARD US and walk into
the AIR TRAFFIC ROOM. Dozens of men sit in front of radar transmission
screens, wearing headsets and working. Following Hauk and Rehme into
the room:
INT. AIR TRAFFIC ROOM -- NIGHT
REHME
We've been on the board for the last twenty minutes. We haven't been
able to reach them. There was a transmission ten minutes ago. He
identified as "David 14." Then all of a sudden he was cut off.
Hauk and Rehme stand behind a CONTROLLER.
CONTROLLER
David 14, acknowledge. David 14, we are sending Air Rescue. Squawk
7700, contact on 121.5.
(to Hauk and Rehme)
There's still no reply.
(to his headset)
Bayonne. I have a mayday in restricted space.
O.S. CONTROLLER
New York, I have it.
Hauk pulls Rehme aside.
HAUK
Who is it?
REHME
I don't know.
HAUK
You have the code?
REHME
There's no David 14 on the computer.
HAUK
Unlisted?
REHME
Unregistered code. We telexed Washington. Still waiting for a reply.
CONTROLLER
I think I've got him, sir.
Hauk and Rehme walk back over to the controller. He patches a voice-
over through.
REBEL VOICE
It's too late, assholes. All your imperialist weapons and lies can't
save him now. We're going down. We're going to crash.
CONTROLLER
David 14, acknowledge!
CODEMAN
The code's coming in, sir.
Hauk and Rehme dash over to the codeman. He shows them a display.
"Aircraft Identified. Code: David14. Decode: AIR FORCE ONE."
"Air Force One" blinks as Hauk and Rehme look at each other in shock.
EXT. PLANE -- NIGHT
The plane is flying over New York.
INT. COCKPIT -- NIGHT
The REBEL has killed the pilot and copilot and is working on her own.
REBEL
Tell this to the workers when they ask where your leader went . . .
She pulls out a slip of PAPER and proceeds to read.
REBEL
We, the soldiers of the national liberation front of America, in the
name of the workers and all the oppressed of this imperialist country
have struck a fatal blow to the racist police stick!
INT. PLANE -- NIGHT
A secret service AGENT taps on the door with his rifle as the rebel
continues.
REBEL
What better revolutionary example than to let the president perish in
the inhuman dungeon of his own imperialist prison?
The agent runs back down the plane to the President and his advisers.
AGENT
(to 2ND AGENT)
Unlock the pod!
2ND AGENT immediately runs off.
PAN LEFT TO PRESIDENT.
AGENT
She's bolted the door.
PRESIDENT
Can't you shoot off the lock?
AGENT
No, sir, she's pressurized the cabin.
PRESIDENT
How about lifting the door off of the hinges?
AGENT
No, sir.
EXT. CLOSE UP -- The President's wrist as he handcuffs his briefcase to
it.
PRESIDENT
Get me to the pod.
The President and all his advisors stand up and move to the back of the
plane.
INT. POD ROOM -- NIGHT
The pod opens. An expert attaches a locating device to the President's
wrist.
EXPERT
Sir, this is a locating device to trace you if you become separated from
the pod. I'm activating it now.
SCREENS on the pod begin to light up as the President gets into the pod.
He pushes a few buttons.
PRESIDENT
God save me and watch over you all.
EXT. BASE -- NIGHT
A guard watches as Air Force One descends into New York.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Rehme and Hauk watch a computer simulation of the plane.
VOICE
Computer simulation tracking Air Force One.
EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT
The plane goes down.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
EXT. CLOSE UP -- MONITORS
As the plane smashes into a building, a red dot drops through the
building. It's the pod.
O.S. MAN
It's down!
HAUK
It's the escape pod.
REHME
40 degrees, 50 yards from impact.
HAUK
I'm going in.
EXT. BASE -- NIGHT
Helicopters prepare for, and execute, launch, and fly into New York. A
guard watches them.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Rehme watches monitors as Hauk talks.
HAUK
1-W-Larry. Over the battery. We're moving down. Direct sight ahead.
EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT
The helicopters land. A swarm of policemen run out, and Hauk hangs
back. He follows with a second swarm. The first swarm assumes a
defensive position near the pod. Hauk examines the pod. It's
definitely empty, and the rest of the jet is surrounded in flames.
An odd LAUGH from nowhere.
WEIRDO walks out of the darkness. He nods his head to Hauk.
WEIRDO
You touch me... he dies. If you're not in the air in thirty seconds...
he dies. You come back in... he dies.
Weirdo takes a package out of his shirt and unwraps it to reveal the
President's middle finger, complete with ring.
WEIRDO
Twenty seconds.
HAUK
I'm ready to talk.
WEIRDO
Nineteen. Eighteen.
HAUK
What do you want?
WEIRDO
Seventeen. Sixteen.
HAUK
Let's go. Let's go!
Weirdo grins in triumph as the police force swarms back to the
helicopters and hauls ass out of New York.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Rehme stands behind a desk, talking on the phone. Hauk is in the
foreground, looking pensive.
REHME
Yes, he's right here, Mr. Vice President.
Hauk picks up a phone.
HAUK
This is Bob Hauk. ...We can't. If we move in with choppers, they'll
kill him. We're lucky if he's not dead already... They don't want
anything yet. By the time they figure out what they want, it'll be too
late.
REHME
Tell him we have to go with your plan now.
Hauk waves him off.
HAUK
We can't wait until tomorrow. If we have to move in and take the
island, it's a last resort. It's 8:45. I want permission to try a
rescue. Thank you.
INT. HAUK'S OFFICE -- NIGHT
Hauk calmly arms a .45 pistol. He looks up from his desk.
HAUK
All right.
OVERPROTECTIVE SECURITY GUARD
He's dangerous, sir.
HAUK
(with quiet confidence)
I know. I'll be OK.
HAUK'S P.O.V.
We see the silhouette of an unmistakable figure. It's Snake Plissken
all right, live and in the flesh. The guards leave. Snake walks into
Hauk's office and sits down in the chair across from Hauk. He raises
his cuffed hands to Hauk as if to say "Take these off me, asshole," but
he doesn't actually say anything. Hauk shakes his head.
HAUK
I'm not a fool, Plissken.
SNAKE
(coooooool)
Call me Snake.
Hauk puts on his glasses and proceeds to read a file.
HAUK
S.D. Plissken. American Lieutenant. Special Forces Unit, Black Flight.
Two Purple Hearts, Leningrad and Siberia. Youngest man to be decorated
by the President. You robbed the federal reserve depository. Life
sentence, New York Maximum Security Penitentiary. I'm ready to kick your
ass out of the world, War Hero.
Snake could not care less. He reaches forward with his still-cuffed
right hand, picks up a cigarette, picks up a match with his left hand,
strikes the match and takes a drag from his cigarette. He lets out a
calm breath and says:
SNAKE
Who are you?
HAUK
Hauk. Police Commissioner.
SNAKE
Bob Hauk...
HAUK
Special Forces Unit. Texas Thunder. We heard of you, too, Plissken.
SNAKE
Why are we talking?
HAUK
I have a deal for you. You'll receive full pardon for every criminal
act committed in the United States.
Hauk shows Snake the pardon. Snake's eye lights up. This is something
he wants. He's interested now, and can't hide it.
HAUK
(pressing his advantage)
There was an accident about an hour ago. A small jet went down inside
New York City. The President was on board.
SNAKE
(re-establishing control over the conversation)
President of what?
HAUK
That's not funny, Plissken. (beat) You go in, find the President and
bring him out in 24 hours, and you're a free man.
We sense amusement from Snake. This is not the first time the
government has asked him for a favor. But he's not a soldier or a "War
Hero" anymore. He knows they need him more than he needs their pardon.
He's holding the cards now, and he knows it.
SNAKE
Twenty-four hours, huh?
HAUK
I'm making you an offer.
SNAKE
Bullshit.
HAUK
Straight just like I said.
SNAKE
I'll think about it.
HAUK
No time. Give me an answer.
Snake turns away. Hauk is pushing way too hard, and Snake is determined
to be in the driver's seat.
SNAKE
Get a new president.
HAUK
We're still at war, Plissken. We need him alive.
SNAKE
I don't give a fuck about your war... or your president.
HAUK
Is that your answer?
SNAKE
I'm thinking about it.
HAUK
Think hard.
Snake pauses to take a draw on his cigarette. Next question:
SNAKE
Why me?
HAUK
You flew the Gullfire over Leningrad. You know how to get in quiet.
You're all I've got.
SNAKE
I guess I go in one way or the other. Doesn't mean shit to me. Give me
the paper.
HAUK
When you come out.
SNAKE
Before.
HAUK
I told you I wasn't a fool, Plissken.
SNAKE
Call me Snake.
INT. WEAPONS ROOM -- NIGHT
Rehme talks as we PAN ACROSS a table full of weapons. We see two guns,
a belt, grenades, several pouches full of various stuff, a flashlight, a
Uzi, throwing stars, and more. Snake surveys them with a cool
expression.
REHME
Some of them have cars. They took old junkers that were left behind and
converted them to steam. We think they may also have a gasoline source
in there, and power. Greenhouses, rigged up generators. Some areas
have streetlights. The crazies. Live in the subways. Complete control
of the underground. They're night raiders.
Snake's not into this. He'll figure it out when he gets there. He
picks up a bracelet with an eagle on it.
HAUK
Tracer. Sends a radio signal for fifteen minutes. You push it, we can
track you on radar. Just like Leningrad. But they added something. A
safety catch.
Snake pushes the safety catch. Simple enough. And yes, there's the
button. This is familiar. He smiles.
INT. HALL -- NIGHT
Snake has his jacket slung over his shoulder now. He walks down the
hall to the medical room with Hauk. Rehme has disappeared.
SNAKE
Where am I landing?
HAUK
Top of the world trade center. Only place you can land. They won't see
it, and you can take off from a free fall. On the roof there's a
service elevator. It's still operational. We use it to infiltrate the
prison. There's a power box. It'll activate the elevator down to
fifty. From there on down
you walk.
Snake shrugs on his jacket. He knows Hauk is just trying to assert his
authority, and it's not working very well.
HAUK
You can locate the President by his vital signs bracelet, on his wrist.
It sends out a sig pulse. Use this.
He hands Snake a homing device.
HAUK
Homing device. Shows directions and distance.
INT. MEDICAL ROOM -- NIGHT
Snake and Hauk walk into the room. They're met by a young medic.
HAUK
Strong antitoxin. Stops bacteria and viral-proofs you for 24 hours.
Snake braces himself against a table. The medic is holding an
injection-type tech gizmo.
MEDIC
Take off the jacket.
SNAKE
I'll be OK.
HAUK
Let's go, Plissken.
Snake shrugs off his jacket, disoriented by the place. He's nervous.
His hackles are up.
SNAKE
I don't like needles.
Hauk straps a timer gauge onto Snake's left hand. He activates it and
the time blinks on. It's counting down as we speak.
HAUK
Twenty-two hours, twenty-nine minutes, fifty-seven seconds...
SNAKE
We talked about twenty-four.
HAUK
In twenty-two hours the Hartford Summit meeting will be over. China and
the Soviet Union will go back home. The president was on his way to the
summit when his plane went down.
Snake snorts.
HAUK
He has a briefcase attached to his wrist. The tape recording inside has
to reach Hartford in 22 hours.
SNAKE
What's on it?
HAUK
You know anything about nuclear fusion?
Snake turns away. No. Nuclear fusion is not his area of expertise.
HAUK
It's about the survival of the human race, Plissken. Something you
don't give a shit about.
Hauk steps aside. The medic swabs Snake's neck on both sides.
MEDIC
I'm going to inject you. It'll sting for a second or two...
He raises a couple of hypos and injects Snake with them. Snake jumps a
little; clearly, this is not one of the world's most pleasant things.
HAUK
That's it, Plissken.
Snake gets off the table. The medic turns around.
MEDIC
Tell him.
SNAKE
Tell me what?
Hauk thinks he's got him this time. Snake doesn't like that.
HAUK
That idea you had about turning the Gullfire around 180 degrees and
flying off to Canada.
Hauk shakes his head. Snake puts his jacket down and turns to the
medic.
SNAKE
What did you do to me, asshole?
HAUK
My idea, Plissken. Something we've been fooling around with. Two
microscopic capsules lodged in your arteries. They're already starting
to dissolve. In twenty-two hours, the cores will completely dissolve.
Inside the cores are that heat-sensitive charge. Not a large explosive.
About the size of a pinhead. Just big enough to --
(he gestures)
open up both your arteries. I'd say you'd be dead in ten or fifteen
seconds --
Hauk stops talking because Snake has grabbed him by the throat.
SNAKE
TAKE THEM OUT NOW.
MEDIC
They're protected by the cores. Fifteen minutes before the last hour is
up we can neutralize the charge with X-rays.
Snake lets go of Hauk to look at his watch. 22:57:38. 37. 36. This
is his life he's watching tick away.
HAUK
We'll burn out the charges IF you have the President.
SNAKE
What if I'm a little late?
HAUK
No more Hartford Summit. And no more Snake Plissken.
SNAKE
When I get back I'm going to kill you.
HAUK
The Gullfire's waiting.
EXT. RUNWAY -- NIGHT
Snake pulls up in a Jeep. He walks up to the tiny plane called the
Gullfire. Two guards stand by to make sure he just gets in the plane
and does his job. He throws his cigarette out onto the runway and
closes the overhead window.
INT. GULLFIRE -- NIGHT
Snake turns on his monitors.
SNAKE
I'm ready.
HAUK
21 hours.
SNAKE
Suppose he's dead, Hauk. If I come back without him, you'll burn these
things out?
INT. BASE --- NIGHT
Hauk and Rehme exchange a glance; Hauk's been expecting this question to
come up.
HAUK
Get them both back, Plissken.
INT. GULLFIRE -- NIGHT
Snake doesn't like the response, but figures he can't do anything about
it.
HAUK
Remember, once inside you're on your own.
SNAKE
Oh, you mean I can't count on you?
HAUK
No.
SNAKE
Good.
EXT. RUNWAY -- NIGHT
A larger plane hauls the Gullfire into the air; the Gullfire is
essentially a big hang glider.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Hauk checks Snake's life clock, "Master Life Clock".
20:17:43... 42... 41....
INT. GULLFIRE -- NIGHT
Snake's watch reads 20:17:40... 39... 38... 37... 36... 35...
He starts controlling the plane. He flips the tracer open and hits the
button, testing it.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
The master life clock shows the test confirmation.
COMPUTER
Tracer test confirmed at 20 hours, 17 minutes, 30 seconds.
Hauk, Rehme and the Vice President nod with relief.
EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT
Snake takes the plane in.
INT. GULLFIRE -- NIGHT
Snake looks over his monitors. He sees New York coming up.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Hauk waits at his microphone.
HAUK
Are you picking up the target blip?
INT. GULLFIRE -- NIGHT
SNAKE
Right on course.
EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT
The plane aims for the World Trade Center.
INT. GULLFIRE -- NIGHT
SNAKE
It's been a while . . .
The plane is aiming right at a building.
HAUK
How's your altitude?
Snake calmly angles the plane up.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
HAUK
Plissken? Plissken? Plissken, what are you doing?
INT. GULLFIRE -- NIGHT
SNAKE
Playing with myself. I'm going in.
Snake targets the World Trade Center. He checks his instruments.
EXT. WORLD TRADE CENTER -- NIGHT
The plane comes down. It hits hard. Snake puts on the brakes, adds a
grappling hook, and finally comes to a stop right at the edge.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
HAUK
Plissken? Plissken?
EXT. WORLD TRADE CENTER -- NIGHT
Snake walks over to the elevator. He uses the power box to get the
elevator started. He looks around, and the doors open. He gets in the
elevator. The doors close.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Snake's voice comes through the radio.
SNAKE
I'm inside the World Trade Center on the 50th floor. Just like
Leningrad, Hauk.
HAUK
Is the glider intact?
INT. WORLD TRADE CENTER -- NIGHT
Snake stands with his walkie-talkie in the middle of the graffiti-
covered building.
SNAKE
Yeah, but taking off is for shit. I'll work it out.
HAUK
You'll have to use the east stairwell. It'll take you a little while to
get to ground level.
Snake checks his life clock. 19:22:44. 43. 42.
HAUK
Call me when you get outside.
Snake puts his walkie-talkie away as someone runs past. He doesn't
notice. He walks on.
FADE OUT.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FADE IN.
EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT
Snake walks along with his tracer. He goes through alleys and streets.
He draws his gun as he walks by a group of people. He's armed and ready
to fight.
EXT. PLANE CRASH -- NIGHT
The plane is still burning. Smoke is coming from everywhere. The plane
is severed in the middle. The crash is very impressive. Snake walks
and notices a few people go by. He pulls out his walkie-talkie.
SNAKE
I'm at the plane. Nobody else made it, Hauk.
Something beeps. His tracer.
SNAKE
Wait a minute.
He looks at his tracer. A small red dot lights up in the southeast
corner.
SNAKE
I've got his pulse. Right up ahead, moving northwest.
He puts away his walkie-talkie and checks his life clock. 18:50:18.
17. 16.
DISSOLVE TO:
Images. Snake holding the tracer. He gets closer and comes up to a
building, formerly a theater. He walks in.
INT. THEATER -- NIGHT
The pulse keeps getting stronger. Snake walks in. He holds his gun at
the ready. There's a truly horrible musical going on.
INT. STAGE -- NIGHT
ACTORS
This is hell! This is hate! (etc.)
Snake looks around. No sign of the president, but there is a CABBIE
enjoying the show. Time to move on. He enters against his better
judgment, but he's just passing through, so that's OK.
INT. STAIRWELL -- NIGHT
Snake keeps moving, but there's a noise. He turns around, aiming his
gun. Cabbie holds up his hands.
CABBIE
Hey! You're Snake Plissken, ain't you?
SNAKE
What do you want?
CABBIE
Nothin'.
Snake lowers his gun.
CABBIE
I thought you were dead!
Snake moves on.
CABBIE
Hey! You don't want to walk around down there, Snake!
INT. BASEMENT -- NIGHT
The signal from the tracer keeps getting closer and closer. Snake walks
past a gang beating up and stripping a semi-conscious girl. He doesn't
take much notice. He keeps going. He sees a BUM sitting by a fire.
BUM
Hi, Chief. Nice night. Nice boots. Niiiiice boots. Hey.
A guy tries to sneak up behind Snake. Snake knocks him out and points
his gun at the bum.
BUM
Easy now, chief. I'm walking. I'm walking.
The bum walks away. Snake keeps going. A man beats up another man at a
sink. The beatee is wearing the President's life tracer. Snake kicks
the beater and knocks him out.
SNAKE
Mr. President . . .
The man wearing the life tracer looks up and smiles. He's a DRUNK.
DRUNK
I'm the President? Sure, I'm the President. If I knew where I got this
thing --
(indicates the tracer)
I'd be the President.
SNAKE
Where did you get it?
DRUNK
I woke up, and there it was, just like a miracle . . .
Snake slams the tracer against the sink.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
The President's life signs all fail.
OFFICIAL
Oh my god . . .
MEDIC
It . . . It may be just an impact on the mechanism itself . . .
INT. BASEMENT -- NIGHT
Snake pulls up his walkie-talkie.
SNAKE
Hauk?!
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
HAUK
I'm right here, Plissken.
SNAKE
I don't know who you assholes are looking at, but it's NOT the
President.
INT. BASEMENT -- NIGHT
Snake holds the walkie-talkie up to the drunk.
DRUNK
(to the tune of Joy to the World)
Hail to the chief . . . La la la la la la . . .
SNAKE
All right, get your machine ready. I'm coming out.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
HAUK
18 hours, Plissken.
INT. BASEMENT -- NIGHT
SNAKE
Listen to me, Hauk. The President is DEAD, you got that? Somebody's
had him for dinner!
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
HAUK
Plissken, if you get back in that glider I'll shoot you down. You climb
out, I'll burn you off the wall. You understand that, Plissken?
INT. BASEMENT -- NIGHT
Snake stares at his walkie-talkie.
SNAKE
A little human compassion . . .
EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT
Snake walks on. He's in an area with streetlights. He keeps going.
EXT. POD -- NIGHT
Snake stares at the pod. No clues. He looks around. Nothing. As he
comes back up, he sets up a chair and sits down heavily. He touches his
neck. It's like he can feel the cores dissolving.
A crazy walks past, bangs on manhole covers. Snake doesn't know what
he's doing, but he doesn't like it. Especially not when the manhole
covers start to rise up. He runs off.
EXT. CHOCK FULL OF NUTS -- NIGHT
Snake finds the restaurant, and runs inside. No one follows.
INT. CHOCK FULL OF NUTS -- NIGHT
Snake backs into a corner. The floor is weak and starts to go out from
under him once. He gets into the shadows. There's someone there.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
You a cop?
Snake levels his gun at her.
SNAKE
No . . .
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
You've got a gun. You got a smoke?
Snake tosses her his cigarettes. She lights one.
SNAKE
Keep your hand over it.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
It's all right if we're quiet. They won't hear us.
(reacting to the cigarette)
Hey, this is a real one. You just get in?
SNAKE
What's going on out there?
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
Crazies. It's the end of the month. They're out of food.
SNAKE
Do you live here?
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
Skulls? You kidding? I'm with the Turks now. I just got caught in the
street after dark and now I'm stuck here all night.
SNAKE
A plane crashed seven hours ago. Did you see it?
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
No.
SNAKE
Shit.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
You're a cop.
SNAKE
I'm an asshole.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
Hey, wait a minute. I know who you are. Yeah! But I heard you were
dead.
SNAKE
I am.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
Wow, Snake Plissken. All right! What you doing in here with a gun,
Snake?
SNAKE
Looking for somebody.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
Who?
SNAKE
The President.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
Come on! He really here?
SNAKE
Somewhere.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
When you find him, are you gonna take him out?
SNAKE
Mm-hm.
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
Take me out with you, Snake.
SNAKE
Why?
GIRL IN CHOCK FULL O' NUTS
I can think of lots of reasons why . . .
She makes a move to kiss him, but there's a noise. They split up, but
she gets sucked through the floor. Snake tries to save her, but it's
too late. He gets the hell out of there.
INT. BUILDING -- NIGHT, EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT, EXT. ALLEYS -- NIGHT
Snake runs through the building, breaks a window, and climbs up a fire
escape to get to a new floor. He breaks a window to get in, then pulls
a cabinet in front of the window. He shoots through the cabinet,
causing some crazy to scream. He busts down a door, shoots open part of
a wall, busts through that, climbs out a window, and climbs down a
telephone pole. He then climbs up a wall. On the way he drops his
walkie-talkie. He runs down an alley, and as he does, Cabbie pulls up.
CABBIE
Where you goin', buddy?
Snake points his gun at Cabbie. He looks behind him, then gets in the
cab.
INT. CAB -- NIGHT
Snake notices a tape player which is playing the theme from "American
Bandstand."
CABBIE
Bad neighborhood, Snake! You don't want to be walking from the Bowery
to 42nd street at night! I've been driving a cab here for 30 years and
I'm telling you, you don't walk around here at night! Yes, sir!
They'll kill you and strip you in ten seconds flat. Usually I'm not
down around here myself, but I wanted to catch that show.
Cabbie lights a rag stuffed down the neck of a bottle which is full of
gasoline.
CABBIE
This stuff is like gold around here, you know.
EXT. CAB -- NIGHT
Cabbie throws the bottle into the alley, where it explodes.
INT. CAB -- NIGHT
CABBIE
Hey, Snake, when'd you get in? I didn't even know they caught you.
(laughs)
Ohhh, Snake Plissken in my cab. Wait'll I tell Eddie! Hey, hang on,
Snake.
EXT. CAB -- NIGHT
Cabbie makes a sharp turn.
INT. CAB -- NIGHT
CABBIE
Hey, what were you doing back there, Snake?
SNAKE
Looking for somebody.
CABBIE
Well, why didn't you ask me? Hell, I know everybody in this town. Yes,
sir. I've been driving this cab for thirty years, this very same cab.
Snake points his gun at Cabbie.
SNAKE
I'm GONNA ask you. Now where's the President?
CABBIE
The Duke's got him! Everyone knows the Duke's got him! You don't have
to put a gun to my head. I'll tell you!
SNAKE
Who's the Duke?
CABBIE
The DUKE! The Duke of New York! A-Number-1! The big man, that's who!
SNAKE
I want to meet this Duke.
CABBIE
You can't meet the Duke, are you crazy? Nobody wants to meet the Duke!
You meet him once and then you're dead!
Snake points the gun more insistently. Tough.
EXT. BRAIN'S BUILDING -- NIGHT
Cabbie parks the cab and he and Snake walk up to Brain's building.
CABBIE
I hate to leave her on the street. Usually I don't leave her alone at
all. But you're a special case, Snake.
He and Snake walk up to the door. Cabbie knocks on the door with his
shoe.
CABBIE
It's OK, Snake. It's a better neighborhood. You can relax.
Relax? Snake checks his life clock. 17:40:46. 45. 44. Relax, my ass.
SNAKE
Thanks.
CABBIE
Boy, they got a great place here. Like a fortress!
SNAKE
They?
From the inside, someone answers.
MAGGIE
Who is it?
CABBIE
It's me!
MAGGIE
Who's me?
CABBIE
Cabbie!
MAGGIE
What do you want?
CABBIE
Somebody wants to see Brain, it's important --
MAGGIE
No way, Cabbie --
CABBIE
No, it's Snake! Snake Plissken!
Maggie opens the door. She stands there and surveys the pair.
MAGGIE
YOU'RE Plissken?
CABBIE
He wants to see Brain.
MAGGIE
Why?
SNAKE
I want to meet the Duke.
Snake and Maggie exchange a glance. She leads them in.
INT. BRAIN'S -- NIGHT
CABBIE
Hey, what do you think of this place, Snake? It used to be a public
library. Oh, that Brain, he's the greatest! Mr. Fabulous! Duke loves
him.
SNAKE
(gesturing at Maggie)
Who's that?
CABBIE
That's Maggie. Brain's squeeze. The Duke gave him to Brain just to
keep him happy . . . see what I mean?
Snake can tell that Maggie's more than just Brain's squeeze; she's his
bodyguard, too. She looks like she'd be willing to kill to protect
Brain.
MAGGIE
Heard you were dead.
INT. BRAIN'S ROOM -- NIGHT
CABBIE
Brain? Brain! I brought somebody to see you!
Snake looks at Brain. He knows this guy.
SNAKE
Harold Helman.
Brain puts down his book and stands up.
BRAIN
Snake?
MAGGIE
"Harold"?
SNAKE
Where you been, Harold? It's been a long time.
MAGGIE
You never told me you knew Snake Plissken, Brain.
CABBIE
Isn't that great? Hey, Brain, I could use some gas if you can spare
some . . .
No one pays attention. Snake advances on Brain. Brain sits down.
SNAKE
I'm glad you remember me. Yeah. A man should remember his past.
Kansas City, four years ago. You ran out on me. You left me sitting
there.
BRAIN
You were late.
SNAKE
We were buddies, Harold. You, me, and Fresno Bob. You know what they
did to Bob?
His face changes. He suddenly kicks Brain's chair into the wall and
points his gun.
Maggie draws a knife and starts advancing on Snake.
SNAKE
You want to see him sprayed all over that map, baby?
(to Brain)
Where's the President?!
BRAIN
Swear to god, Snake, I don't know --
SNAKE
Don't fuck with me!
BRAIN
Why do you want to know?
SNAKE
I want him.
BRAIN
Working for the man now, huh?
SNAKE
Then I'll just beat it out of your squeeze --
BRAIN
Mm-hm. Maggie doesn't know EXACTLY where he is and unless you know
EXACTLY PRECISELY where he is you'll never find him.
Snake takes his gun away. He contemplates Brain.
SNAKE
Listen, I'll take you out of here. Yeah. Jet glider just a couple of
blocks down the street. And all you gotta do is get me to him.
Everyone realizes the importance of this.
CABBIE
No kidding? On the level? Will you take me, too?
BRAIN
We've got to deal somewhere else.
SNAKE
No glider.
MAGGIE
We've got the President. And the Duke's taking everybody out of here.
SNAKE
Never happen. See, I know something you and the Duke don't know. We've
only got so long before Mr. President don't mean a whole lot.
BRAIN
You're lying.
MAGGIE
Maybe he's not . . .
BRAIN
I know him! Look at his face, he's lying!
SNAKE
Right, Harold. I'm lying. So I might as well have some fun and keep
looking by myself.
He cocks his gun and points it at Brain again.
MAGGIE
Brain --
SNAKE
Talk to him, baby --
MAGGIE
Brain, he'll kill us both if you don't tell him --
CABBIE
(panicking)
Brain, you've got to tell him!
MAGGIE
(panicking)
Brain, you've got to tell him --
CABBIE
(panicked)
Tell him, tell him, tell him --
BRAIN
ALL RIGHT!!!
Snake lowers the gun.
SNAKE
You always were smart, Harold.
BRAIN
Just one thing right now. Don't call me "Harold."
EXT. BUILDING -- NIGHT
Snake, Maggie, Cabbie and Brain all walk out.
SNAKE
So you work for this Duke, huh?
BRAIN
Yeah. Make gas for him. Figure out things for him.
SNAKE
Like what?
BRAIN
(showing off)
Like how to get across the 69th street bridge -- it's mined, but I know
where they're planted.
MAGGIE
We got a diagram from a guy that got all the way across . . . before
they shot the poor bastard.
BRAIN
We got a crew up there now clearing the way across the first barricade.
CABBIE
What a sight, Snake! The whole camp rolling right across the bridge and
the President right out front! Oh, that would have been so fine . . .
MAGGIE
(ironically)
Yeah, it would have been . . .
CABBIE
Yeah, but we're going with Snake now.
The three of them cross into the street. Cabbie panics.
CABBIE
That's the Duke! I know the sound of his engines. Don't cross the Duke
-- everybody knows that.
We get one glimpse of the Duke's car. Then we realize that Cabbie is
gone and his cab is racing away.
MAGGIE
Cabbie, you slime!
The Duke's car heads right for us.
MAGGIE
No, Brain!
The two of them run off. After a while, Snake follows. The three of
them hide. The Duke's car is an old Chrysler with chandeliers suspended
over the headlights. It's in a caravan of three, leading the way. A
fourth car comes up later. The Duke is sitting in the passenger seat of
a car with Weirdo in the back. The Duke gets out of the car, Weirdo at
his side. The Duke is wearing a cowboy hat, sunglasses, a snazzy
jacket, bluejeans, and boots. He looks TOUGH. He sends Weirdo to knock
on the door.
MAGGIE
He's looking for you, Brain.
SNAKE
What does he want?
BRAIN
He wants my diagram of the bridge. When he finds out I'm with you he's
going to want my life! Shit, Plissken, I knew I shouldn't have listened
to you --
SNAKE
We've got to get to the President NOW, while he's busy.
BRAIN
Forget it, he's on the other side of town and we got no wheels. The
deal is off --
SNAKE
Just calm down.
EXT. CAR -- NIGHT
A lone man sits, looking bored. Snake subtly goes up to him, knocks him
out, and gets him out of the car. He briefly considers shooting the guy
on the hood of the car. Instead, the guy on the hood of the car walks
around. Snake knocks him out a second alter and then drives to get
Brain and Maggie. He knocks the other guy out of the car.
BRAIN
(panicked)
I think they saw us! Turn left, turn left here!
INT. CAR -- NIGHT
MAGGIE
Brain, this is Broadway.
BRAIN
I know, I know, the Duke'll take Seventh Avenue, Broadway is five
minutes --
MAGGIE
No!!!
BRAIN
Yes!!! Just keep driving!
SNAKE
What's wrong with Broadway?
EXT. BROADWAY -- NIGHT
SNAKE
(to the car)
Come on sweetheart . . .
People start throwing bricks. Snake hands his gun to Brain, who passes
it to Maggie, holding it like a dead rat (or like a macho guy would hold
a purse). Snake drives as fast as he can, gunning off the bystander who
gets on the car. A bystander grabs Brain.
BRAIN
Maggie!
Maggie protects him. She shoots the people grabbing at him. Snake
angles the car through a pile of scrap metal and drives away. He glares
at Brain. Everyone seems visibly shaken.
SNAKE
Hold on.
Snake backs the car through a bunch of piled cars. He takes off, the
car a bit worse for wear but at least they got away from the crowd on
Broadway.
EXT. TRAINS -- NIGHT
Brain points to the cars as Snake watches.
BRAIN
He'll be in the third car from the end, by the last campfire.
Snake looks around. The Duke's caravan passes. There are more cars
than there were before.
BRAIN
It's all right. He's got to go in the front way. It'll take him five
minutes. If you're not back to the car in four minutes you're on your
own.
SNAKE
When we get there, Harold, you just keep talking.
They drive off. Snake gets to the trains. No one notices. Maggie and
Brain get out of the car and Snake ducks into the train car.
BRAIN
Hi, guys. Hi . . . how's it going? Cooled off a little, huh?
HEAD DUDE
What do you want, Brain?
BRAIN
Duke told us to wait inside. He's on his way here now.
HEAD DUDE
He didn't say nothing to us about it.
BRAIN
Well, you can't expect him to tell everybody in the joint, now can you?
That's why he's the Duke.
The camera angles back to show Snake walking on top of the railroad
cars. He hasn't found the President yet. But he doesn't have time to
wonder if Brain double-crossed him.
HEAD DUDE
Why don't we wait outside here for him?
BRAIN
Why don't we wait inside for him?
HEAD DUDE
'Cause I got orders, that's why.
BRAIN
What are your specific orders, by the way?
HEAD DUDE
Specific orders, Brain, was for me not to let no one go inside.
BRAIN
How's the President holding up, by the way? Any political discussion
you've had with him?
INT. PRESIDENT'S TRAIN CAR -- NIGHT
Two guards sit with the President, talking. The first guard is by the
President. The second is looking out the window.
SECOND GUARD
That Brain is a real pain in the ass. He's always sniffing around like
a dog.
FIRST GUARD
He comes up with the gas.
The second guard looks out the window. Snake grabs him by the neck, and
breaks it. The first guard doesn't notice, but the President does, and
that tips off the guard.
FIRST GUARD
What are you looking at?
He turns and Snake throws a star at him. It lodges right in his brain,
but not fast enough. Snake is hit in the leg with a crossbow arrow.
Snake limps over to the President and starts uncuffing him. The
president still has the briefcase. This is it, this is the big time.
Snake keeps calm.
PRESIDENT
Are you from the outside?
SNAKE
Stop shaking.
PRESIDENT
I can't! Who are you?
SNAKE
Hauk sent me. We've got to move fast.
PRESIDENT
Move fast? You're goddamned right I'll move fast.
SNAKE
Quiet!
Snake limps away, President in the lead.
EXT. TRAIN -- NIGHT
Snake and the President keep moving. Suddenly, Snake gets jumped. Ten
guys surround him and the President, and though Snake fights well, it's
not well enough. Brain comes out with Maggie.
BRAIN
They got him. Now watch him.
The Duke steps out from the car, followed by Weirdo.
DUKE
Friend of yours, Brain?
BRAIN
He had a gun on me, Duke, there was nothing I could do.
DUKE
(not believing it for a second)
Uh-huh.
Weirdo points accusingly as he and Duke walk away.
BRAIN
Maggie . . .
Duke walks up to Snake. Snake isn't giving in even though he's pretty
sure he's beat.
DUKE
Who are you?
Snake doesn't answer. Duke grabs the arrow still lodged in his right
leg and pulls on it. Snake writhes in agony.
DUKE
I said who are you?
BRAIN
Snake Plissken, Duke. The Man sent him in here. Something's going down
. . . we need him.
Duke recognizes the name. He is impressed. He lets go of the arrow.
Snake hates him more than ever.
DUKE
Snaaaaaake Plissken. I've heard of you.
He raises a crowbar over his head and smacks Snake with it, knocking him
out.
DUKE
I heard you were dead.
EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT
A helicopter flies over the city.
INT. HELICOPTER -- NIGHT
The pilot looks at a grid-view of New York.
SURVEILLANCE 4
This is surveillance 4 to security control. Nothing on the infrared
body scan. Nothing in the searchlight. There aren't any fires on the
street. Nobody moving down here.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Hauk, Rehme and the Vice President wait.
SURVEILLANCE 5
Surveillance 5 . . . security control . . . negative on infrared body
scan . . . no movement in the searchlight . . . nothing strange going on
down there.
They look at the Master Life Clock. 12:27:39. 38. Where's Plissken?
INT. ROOM -- DAY
Plissken lies unconscious on a bed, crossbow pointed at his head. Three
guards are at the ready.
INT. BASE -- DAY
VICE PRESIDENT
We've got to go in now.
HAUK
We hold.
VICE PRESIDENT
You're countermanding my orders, Hauk.
HAUK
This is my prison, I'll give the orders.
VICE PRESIDENT
I override all that!
HAUK
Just try.
EXT. NEW YORK -- DAY
Unbelievable smog. Helicopters fly.
SURVEILLANCE ?
...still negative on the scan.
SURVEILLANCE 4
This is Surveillance 4 to Security Control. Nothing on the infrared
body scan. Negative on the sweep.
EXT. WALL -- DAY
Hauk stands on the wall, listening.
SURVEILLANCE 10
Surveillance 10. Still negative on the scan.
SURVEILLANCE 5
Surveillance 5 still negative.
SURVEILLANCE 4
This is Surveillance 4 to Security Control. Nothing on the infrared
body scan. Negative...
INT. ROOM -- DAY
Snake begins to come to. We hear gunshots and cheering. The guards go
to announce Snake's consciousness.
INT. HANGAR -- DAY
Brain and Maggie move to the center of the gunshots and cheering
INT. TARGET PRACTICE -- DAY
The Duke sits firing with Plissken's gun at the President, whose
briefcase is still chained to his arm.
INT. ROOM -- DAY
Snake sits up. There are LOTS of crossbows aimed at him.
GUARD
Don't move, Snake.
Snake turns to face him. He stands up. We see for the first time
exactly why he's called "Snake" Plissken. There's a snake tattooed on
his stomach. The snake's tail disappears into his pants, but we have a
good idea of where it leads and what it becomes. Ah ha.
Snake's life clock is gone. He has no idea how much time he's got.
Shit.
INT. TARGET PRACTICE -- DAY
DUKE
I want that diagram, Brain.
BRAIN
Oh. It's at my place, Duke. Duke, that Plissken said something about a
time limit.
DUKE
What time limit?
BRAIN
(gesturing at President)
On him.
DUKE
That's a lot of crap.
(to the President)
What did I teach you?
PRESIDENT
(weakly)
You... You are... the Duke of New... New York... You're... A-Number-One.
DUKE
I can't hear you.
PRESIDENT
YOU ARE... THE DUKE OF NEW YORK... YOU'RE A-NUMBER-ONE!
DUKE
(to Brain)
Get me the diagram.
BRAIN
Duke... Don't kill Plissken. We need him.
The Duke points the gun at Brain, but doesn't even give him a glance.
DUKE
Get moving, Brain.
Brain moves, and Weirdo laughs that odd laugh. The Duke fires at the
President's briefcase. Papers and a tape fall out. Weirdo looks down
and kicks the tape away. He picks it up and holds it to his ear, then
puts it in his pocket. Guards come and unstrap the President. The Duke
has decided to take Snake a bit more seriously than he had.
Which is not saying much.
EXT. NEW YORK -- LATE AFTERNOON
Helicopters fly above ground. A group stands with a car, gesturing
wildly.
INT. HELICOPTER -- LATE AFTERNOON
PILOT
People out below in the park. Can you see them?
INT. BASE -- LATE AFTERNOON
PILOT
Surveillance 2 to Security Control. We're getting that readout, mostly
in the infrared.
Hauk and Rehme immediately check out the monitor. At least something's
going on.
PILOT
We have a visual sighting on it. It's a crowd of prisoners in Central
Park. They're waving at us. Signaling us in the food drop area.
They're waving us down.
EXT. CENTRAL PARK -- LATE AFTERNOON
The prisoners wave the helicopters down. A group of guards lands and
runs over to the station wagon. They get the briefcase which has been
sawed off the President's handcuffs.
INT. ROOM -- LATE AFTERNOON
Snake is awake and surrounded by guards. The cheers are louder.
INT. BRAIN'S -- LATE AFTERNOON
Maggie walks across the room, loading a gun. It's one of Snake's.
BRAIN
I still can't figure out whether that son of a bitch Plissken was
telling the truth or not. God, I hate that guy.
Brain stands in front of his maps.
MAGGIE
He got in somehow.
BRAIN
Yeah, yeah, but how? You gotta land the glider and take off.
(he gestures at the map)
You can't do it in Central Park, there's too many trees. Port
Authority's too low to the ground. Unless it was some...
(he gets it... they don't call him "Brain" for nothing)
Someplace high up. World Trade Center. That's it. There we go. The
World Trade Center. And it's gonna be a hell of a lot easier for me to
take off than it was for him to land.
INT. BASE -- LATE AFTERNOON
Hauk reads the note left in the briefcase.
HAUK
"Amnesty for all prisoners in New York City in exchange for President.
69th Street Bridge tomorrow, 12 Noon. No bullshit or he's dead."
VICE PRESIDENT
Where's the tape?
HAUK
Not here.
He reaches inside and removes a pair of goggles.
REHME
They're Plissken's.
Yeah, they were on the table. He never did use them, though, and only
half of them is necessary in his case anyway.
VICE PRESIDENT
So much for your man, Hauk?
Hauk hesitates. This is the last thing he wants.
HAUK
Warm up the choppers. We're moving in.
EXT. BASE -- SUNSET
Helicopters prepare for takeoff.
INT. BASE -- SUNSET
Hauk sits at the microphone.
HAUK
Plissken?
The master life clock reads 1:56:38. 37. 36,
INT. ROOM -- SUNSET
Snake slowly gets to his feet. He's still groggy, but it's time for him
to move.
GUARD
Come on, get up!
Snake limps through a hallway and into a stadium.
INT. STADIUM -- SUNSET
Boos greet Snake as he walks in. In the center of the room is a
fighting ring. Snake climbs in, not without effort. A huge and
extremely ugly man climbs into the ring, amid loud cheers. Snake
notices that the huge ugly dude is wearing his life clock. In the
balcony above is the Duke. The Duke stands up and raises his arms, and
everyone gets silent.
DUKE
They sent in their best man. And when we roll down the 69th street
bridge tomorrow on our way to freedom, we're gonna have their best man
leading the way. From the neck up.
The crowd cheers.
DUKE
On the hood of my car!
More cheers.
DUKE
Let's do it!
Ugly and Snake take bats. They circle each other. Ugly strikes at
Snake. Snake ricochets off the ring. He rolls around, fighting for his
life.
INT. BUILDING -- SUNSET
Brain and Maggie walk around. They knock on a door and Weirdo answers.
He's wearing Cabbie's hat.
WEIRDO
Hello.
BRAIN
Where'd you get the hat?
WEIRDO
Got it from Cabbie.
BRAIN
Yeah?
WEIRDO
Traded him.
BRAIN
For what?
WEIRDO
What are you so nervous about?
BRAIN
I'm here to see the President.
WEIRDO
Who says?
BRAIN
The Duke.
WEIRDO
No he doesn't.
BRAIN
Well... I'll have to tell him you said that.
Weirdo doesn't really believe it. If it's not true, so what?
But if it IS true, the Duke will have him tortured to death.
WEIRDO
Wait a minute. Why?
BRAIN
He's got something hidden in his clothing. The Duke wants it.
WEIRDO
What?
BRAIN
I'll show you.
WEIRDO
You'll tell me.
BRAIN
Cyanide capsules. The Duke don't want a dead president.
Brain pushes his way in.
INT. ROOM -- SUNSET
BRAIN
Gentlemen. Mr. President.
Weirdo lets the door slide closed. Brain starts checking the
President's clothes. The President has been dressed in a wig and tied
to a chair with an American Flag on it.
WEIRDO
Cyanide?
BRAIN
Yeah. He might try to take it tomorrow.
Weirdo walks up to Brain.
WEIRDO
That's bullshit. You're not supposed to be in here, Brain --
Brain stabs Weirdo, who dies with a gasp. Maggie dispatches of the
three guards. She smiles. Brain unties the President's hand. The
President snatches off the wig in a rage.
INT. TOURNAMENT -- SUNSET
Snake notices a guard wearing the eagle tracer. A trash can lid and a
bat with spikes on it is handed to him. The next round begins.
EXT. HOUSE -- EVENING
Brain, the President, and Maggie sneak out. A guy in a cowboy hat
notices.
INT. TOURNAMENT -- EVENING
Ugly and Snake keep fighting. Snake is not doing very well. But he's
catching up. As Ugly tries to hit him, he nails Ugly in the groin, then
in the back of the head. The crowd begins cheering "SNAKE! SNAKE!"
The Duke can't believe it. Snake runs to the guard with the tracer and
activates it.
INT. BASE -- EVENING
The Master Life Clock begins blinking "Tracer Status: ACTIVATED."
COMPUTER
Tracer activated at one hour, thirty-five minutes, twenty-seven seconds.
Rehme jumps out of his seat.
REHME
Hauk!!
INT. TOURNAMENT -- EVENING
Snake limps around, getting his stuff back together. He looks at his
life clock. 1:34:54. 53. He doesn't have much time.
The guy in the cowboy hat runs up to the Duke and yells for attention.
Duke immediately gets up and leaves, as do his hangers-on.
GUY IN COWBOY HAT
LISTEN!!! LISTEN!!! LISTEN!!!
The crowd shuts up.
GUY IN COWBOY HAT
THE PRESIDENT'S GONE! BRAIN TOOK HIM!
The crowd rushes out. Snake limps out of the ring and runs off as fast
as he can.
EXT. BASE -- EVENING
Rehme catches up to Hauk at the last second. Hauk has been stalling.
REHME
(shouting over noise)
Hauk! Plissken's tracer!
Hauk runs up to the head helicopter pilot.
HAUK
Get on the radio! Keep them down! Nobody move!
INT. BASE -- EVENING
Two monitors show Snake's tracer.
REHME
He's approaching the World Trade Center.
HAUK
I knew that son of a bitch was alive.
REHME
He's inside.
INT. WORLD TRADE CENTER -- EVENING
Snake limps around. He notices a cab. Fifty flights of stairs with
his leg shot to hell. He hesitates only for a second, then starts up.
INT. BASE -- EVENING
The Vice President, Hauk and Rehme all stand, staring at the monitors.
VICE PRESIDENT
It's gone.
HAUK
The signal only lasts for 15 minutes. Download the choppers. We're in
a standby situation.
Rehme runs off.
VICE PRESIDENT
Anybody could have pushed that button.
HAUK
Only Plissken knew there was a safety catch. Now we'll give him a
little more time, just to make sure.
The master clock shows 59:44. 43.
EXT. WORLD TRADE CENTER -- NIGHT
Snake gets out of the elevator. Maggie, Brain, and the President all
take cover behind a chimney and try to get a gang to stop chopping down
the glider. It doesn't work. The glider floats away.
BRAIN
Goddamned redskins! They're savages, Mr. President!
Snake runs to get them. They get in the elevator.
INT. WORLD TRADE CENTER -- NIGHT
Snake has the President by the arm and is leading everyone out.
BRAIN
Listen, Snake, I swear to god, I thought you were dead --
SNAKE
Yeah, you and everybody else.
He grabs Brain by the tie and aims the gun at his head.
SNAKE
That's your car in the lobby? The keys! Quick! Quick! Diagram of the
bridge! Hey, hey, hey --
Snake takes all the abovementioned items.
BRAIN
I'm the only one who knows how to read that, Snake --
SNAKE
Stay out of my way, Harold.
BRAIN
Besides, you can't read and drive at the same time. You need us!
Snake is tired. He's pissed. He's got half an hour to live if that.
He doesn't have time for Brain's shit, and he lets him know it.
SNAKE
You shouldn't have double-crossed me again, Brain. Come on, let's go --
He suddenly notices there's nothing on the end of the President's chain.
He holds it in front of the President's face.
PRESIDENT
They sawed it off...
SNAKE
The tape?
PRESIDENT
Gone... I don't know where...
BRAIN
I do.
Snake shoots him a look. Bullshit, his eyes say, but maybe Brain is
telling the truth. Maybe.
BRAIN
Swear to god, Snake, I know where it is. Just take us to the car and
I'll take you right to it.
SNAKE
Shit...
He tosses the diagram of the bridge to Brain. They go down the stairs.
Snake's in bad shape, but it's everyone else who's complaining.
MAGGIE
Don't talk. Breathe.
PRESIDENT
Come on, come on, we're wasting time!
Snake gets into the car. It won't start.
BRAIN
What's wrong?
SNAKE
Dead, Harold.
BRAIN
What?!
Snake hands the keys to Brain.
SNAKE
Here, take these.
Snake looks under the hood. There's a man with a crossbow pointed
straight at him. Shit. They've been caught. Again.
DUKE
Car trouble?
Snake looks over the hood. There's the Duke. With a dozen guards.
Brain steps out.
BRAIN
Hi, Duke.
DUKE
This whole deal of yours is over, Snake. You and Brain just say good-
bye to each other.
The Duke turns away and loses aim of his gun for a moment. At that
moment, Snake pulls a gun and fires at the steam vent. At the same
time, Maggie slams the hood shut on the guard with the crossbow. Steam
flies everywhere, enough for cover. The four of them run for it. The
Duke runs after them.
EXT. NEW YORK -- NIGHT
A cab pulls up. Its radio is playing "American Bandstand". Guess who's
driving? You got it!
The group of four runs up to the cab. Snake runs around and makes
Cabbie scoot over. He wants to drive. Cabbie looks shocked.
PRESIDENT
GO, GO!
The Duke and his followers arrive too late.
INT. CAB -- NIGHT
BRAIN
(trying to explain the map)
...and then there's three more...
Snake waves him off. Cabbie's trying to make conversation.
MAGGIE
They're behind us --
BRAIN
They come in groups of threes!
Snake pops the American Bandstand tape out of the tape player and puts
it in his pocket.
SNAKE
Where's the tape, Brain?
CABBIE
What tape?
SNAKE
Where is it?
BRAIN
Tape...
PRESIDENT
The tape from the briefcase!
CABBIE
Oh, that tape!
He pulls it out of his pocket.
CABBIE
Here it is!
Cabbie hands it to Snake. Brain laughs, trying to cover his ass.
BRAIN
You traded away your hat for it!
CABBIE
How'd you know?
BRAIN
See, see!
Snake pops it into the deck. It begins spewing out information. It's
the right one. He slips it into his pocket.
PRESIDENT
Here, give me that tape!
HA! No way!
SNAKE
Not just yet.
Snake checks his life clock. 23:20. 19. 18. 17. Didn't that guy say 15
minutes before the last hour was up? But Hauk said they'd been playing
with this, so the 15 minutes was built in already. Still, 23 minutes.
That's cutting it pretty fucking close.
EXT. CAB -- NIGHT
Snake races as fast as the cab can go.
INT. CAB -- NIGHT
Snake checks to make sure they're not being followed too closely.
They're not. The Duke is behind, but he's FAR behind.
CABBIE
Easy... easy!
BRAIN
Go for it, Snake!
EXT. 69TH STREET BRIDGE -- NIGHT
Snake jumps the car over the first obstacle. Cabbie looks like he's
having a heart attack.
Snake swerves on Brain's direction. So far so good. A mine goes off,
but it's behind them.
The Duke goes forward. He's going by the seat of his pants. But he
knows the general direction of how Snake went. A mine goes off behind
him, too.
INT. CAB -- NIGHT
Brain reads the map. Cabbie continues to freak out.
CABBIE
You've got to slow down a little, Snake...
BRAIN
I think there are three mines ahead, Snake.
MAGGIE
You think?!
EXT. 69TH STREET BRIDGE -- NIGHT
The Duke continues in pursuit.
INT. CAB -- NIGHT
BRAIN
Stay left, stay left, stay left, and then jog right when I tell you.
CABBIE
You're pushing her too hard, Snake.
BRAIN
OK, OK, NOW!
EXT. 69TH STREET BRIDGE -- NIGHT
The cab explodes, being cut right in half. Everyone makes it except
Cabbie. Cabbie had been driving that very same cab for thirty years.
He died with it.
The President, Snake, Maggie and Brain all keep going on foot.
BRAIN
I said JOG RIGHT!... you asshole.
Brain leads the way as they keep crossing the bridge.
BRAIN
Stay to the right, stay to the right, now jog left. Hold it, left...
left... LEFT, DAMMIT!
The other three go right. Brain goes left and a mine explodes under
him. Maggie walks up to the body in shock. Snake limps up to her.
MAGGIE
Brain...
SNAKE
Keep moving...
The Duke's car is coming. Snake checks his life clock
SNAKE
Maggie... he's dead. Come on.
Maggie calmly holds out her hand. Snake smiles and hands her his gun.
His grin grows. It's one of respect for what she's about to do. He
runs off after the President.
Maggie walks around to Brain, then steps in front of him. She points
the gun at the Duke's car. The first three shots don't connect. The
fourth nails the headlight, and then the Duke runs her over. He keeps
going.
INT. BASE -- NIGHT
Rehme runs up to Hauk and the Vice President.
REHME
Station 19! They spotted two cars on the 69th street bridge.
HAUK
Is it Plissken?
REHME
Taxicab and a Cadillac. Taxi hit a mine. There's four people on foot.
VICE PRESIDENT
Fourteen minutes...
HAUK
Get a jeep with a winch over there fast.
He pulls out a phone.
HAUK
Strombaerden! Get over to Station 19. They're coming across the
bridge.
EXT. 69TH STREET BRIDGE -- NIGHT
The President and Snake run on.
EXT. WALL -- NIGHT
A jeep pulls up. Rehme's voice comes up over the loudspeaker. The
guards on the jeep ready the winch.
REHME
This is Rehme, Security Control. We are in a standby situation.
Repeat. We are in a standby situation. All helicopters, down. Wall
guard, do not fire on prisoners. Repeat, do not fire on prisoners. All
vehicles, stand by. Repeat, stand by.
EXT. 69TH STREET BRIDGE -- NIGHT
Snake and the President are close enough to the wall to hear all this.
EXT. WALL -- NIGHT
The wall guards grab the rope and prepare to lower it for the President
and Snake.
EXT. 69TH STREET BRIDGE -- NIGHT
Snake pushes the President up to the wall. The winch comes down and
Snake helps the President into it first. The President goes up and
over. Snake's life clock reads 1:32. But he doesn't have time to watch
seconds tick away because the Duke is right behind him firing at him.
Snake ducks for cover. The wall guards die. The winch comes down
again, and the Duke sees it. He starts toward it. Snake tackles him
and beats him up, dazing him but not knocking him out. He grabs the
winch.
EXT. WALL -- NIGHT
A hand stops the winch from moving.
EXT. 69TH STREET BRIDGE -- NIGHT
Snake comes to a stop. He panics and starts pulling on the winch line.
The Duke comes to and stands up. But he can't get anywhere because the
President has found a machine gun and is now firing away. He is very
accurate. He nails the Duke right away but keeps firing.
PRESIDENT
(manic voice)
Yeah, hey, Number One! You're the Duke! You're the Duke!
The President calms down somewhat.
PRESIDENT
You're... the Duke... You're A-Number-One.
The President starts the winch again. Snake climbs up and gets over as
fast as he can without injuring himself.
EXT. WALL -- NIGHT
Hauk and the medic pull up with the machine. Hauk interrupts the medic.
HAUK
The tape, Plissken.
Snake reaches into his pocket, grabs the tape, and hands it to Hauk. He
is furious. As soon as Hauk has the tape, he lets the medic come back.
He holds up two medal pads to Snake's neck. They buzz, they buzz
louder, and then he takes them away.
MEDIC
That's it.
Snake continues to pant and fume. He stares at them, then lifts his
wrist to look at his life clock. 2 seconds. One second.
Beep.
Nothing.
Snake lowers his wrist.
EXT. PRESIDENT'S PRESS CONFERENCE SITE -- NIGHT
A jeep pulls Rehme up. He jogs to the President, who is being shaved
and prepared for broadcast.
REHME
I radioed ahead, Mr. President. They know the situation. They're
waiting for your broadcast.
PRESIDENT
Yeah.
Snake approaches. The President nods.
PRESIDENT
Oh, it's all right.
Snake walks up and looks the President straight in the eye.
PRESIDENT
I, uh... I want to thank you. Anything you want... you just name it.
SNAKE
Just a moment of your time.
AIDE
Three minutes, sir.
PRESIDENT
Yes?
SNAKE
We did get you out. A lot of people died in the process. I just
wondered how you felt about it.
PRESIDENT
I want to thank them. This nation appreciates their sacrifice.
The President is full of shit after all. Snake has reason for his
cynicism. The President is uncomfortable with Snake's glare and it
shows.
PRESIDENT
Look, uh, I'm on the air in...
(questioning his aide)
Two and a half minutes?
AIDE
Yes, sir.
Snake lights a cigarette and walks away. Rehme watches.
EXT. BASE -- NIGHT
Snake walks away. Hauk stands nearby. Snake stops in his tracks.
HAUK
You going to kill me now, Snake?
SNAKE
I'm too tired. Maybe later.
HAUK
I've got another deal for you. I want you to think it over while you're
resting. I want to give you a job. We'd make one hell of a team,
Snake.
SNAKE
(glaring)
The name's Plissken.
He limps away.
EXT. PRESIDENT'S PRESS CONFERENCE SITE -- NIGHT
The President looks suitably freshened up. He's even smiling a little.
AIDE
You're on camera, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT
Good evening. Although I shall not be present at this historic summit
meeting, I present this, in the hope that our great nations may learn to
live in peace.
He pops in the tape and presses the "PLAY" button...
...and out comes "American Bandstand".
The President's face goes slack. His career's over.
EXT. BASE -- NIGHT
Snake keeps limping. He pulls a tape out of his pocket, yanks the
magnetic tape out, winds it around his hand, rips it to shreds, and
throws the tape away.
FADE OUT. |
EVIL DEAD II seventh draft by Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel
EVIL DEAD II
BY
Sam Raimi
Scott Spiegel
SEVENTH DRAFT - May 5, 1986
FADE IN:
DE LAURENTIIS ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LOGO
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
RENAISSANCE PICTURES LOGO
FADE OUT.
00 BLACKNESS 00
A sound is building. Like a living wind. A
thousand screams in agony.
From the blackness, gusts of smoke pull together
quickly, forming the Main Title against black:
"EVIL DEAD"
Then beneath it, the Roman Numeral "II."
A SLOW ZOOM brings it toward us. And as the screams
reach their sharp crescendo the title zooms through us.
FADE IN:
1 ANGLE - STOP MOTION ANIMATION 1
Whisping smoke against a black background. EERIE
MUSIC. In the distance, through the smoke, a
small object. It fans toward us quickly, filling the
frame. It is an ancient skin covered volume, with
the outline of a human face on it's cover. This is
the Book of the Dead.
NARRATOR
Legend has it, that it was written by
the dark ones: NECRONOMICON EX MORTES;
Roughly translated...The Book of the Dead.
The face on the cover of the book pulls away from its
skin binding and leans toward the camera. EYES
on the book blink open and peer at us. It's mouth
opens and emits a hideous scream. The CAMERA races
into the blackness of the screaming mouth.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
1P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - SMOKE 1P
2 A SPINNING VORTEX - (3 PAINTINGS ON AN ANIMATION 2
STAND) - 12 SEC. PLATE
Spiraling downward.
NARRATOR
To trace the origin of the Book, we
must go back...back...to a day when
spirits ruled the earth.
Wispy shapes of animated ghosts move through this
vortex, coming toward the CAMERA with WAILING and
MOANING and then are gone.
NARRATOR
When the seas ran red with blood.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
2P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - ROD PUPPET GHOSTS 2P
3 STOCK FOOTAGE - (OPTICALLY COLOR SEPARATED) 3
A raging ocean of blood. Great waves rise and swell
as if before a storm.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was this blood that was used to ink
the book.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
4 AN OPEN COPY OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD - ANIMATION 4
STAND - BLUE SCREEN IN BG
Through animation, the blank pages of the Book are
scripted in a strange hieroglyphic by an invisible hand.
Faster and faster the pages turn on the Book as the
blood red ink is scrawled across them. The pages flip
furiously until the Book snaps shut, reveal ing its
gruesome face on the cover.
The book flaps violently away from camera.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
The Book of the Dead was last seen
in 1300 A.D.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
4A OMIT 4A
4AP OMIT 4AP
4B OMIT 4B
4C OMIT 4C
4D OMIT 4D
4P STOCK FOOTAGE - THE RIFT 4P
5 EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DUSK - 4 WARRIORS - 4 HORSES 5
CAMERA panning down to reveal a magnificent newly built
castle of stone. Bright banners fly from its turrets.
An ox grazes nearby. 4 Warriors on horseback in the BG.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was then that the dark spirits
again rose up to battle the living.
The ground in front of the castle begins to split apart.
A red glow and smoke pour from the growing crevice.
Something evil is being unleashed. A strong wind kicks
up blowing sand in a furious rage.
5A EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DUSK 5A
TRACKING SHOT - ASH
Through the blowing silt, a lone figure appears. An
image of power and light. His clothing is ragged,
and he holds what appears to be a jagged toothed
longsword. Two massive columns of stone stand on
either side. CAMERA slowly moves closer, but his face
is still hidden by the darkness and blowing sands.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It is said that a hero came from the
sky. A man who defeated this evi and
buried the Book in the Castle of Kandar.
And there it lay for 700 years...
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
6 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY - RUINS 6
As the raging dust storm clears to reveal the same
castle which we saw earlier, but now, in a ruined state.
It has aged 700 years. The ox is gone. Now only its
petrified skeletal remains stand in a weathered heap.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
...Waiting.
A four wheel drive vehicle roars PAST THE CAMERA and
toward the castle.
7 INT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY - (STUDIO) 7
TRACKING SHOT
The CAMERA slowly tracks in toward the Book of the
Dead as it sits in the darkness of the stone tomb.
Next to it rests the KANDARIAN DAGGER, an ancient
knife, its handle fashioned from the skull of a
weasel. They rest upon a small pedestal covered
with cobwebs. Prominently displayed on the stone wall,
a bas relief of the "Hero from the Sky" holding his
unusual jagged edged weapon.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
And then...
The grinding of rock scraping against rock is heard,
and a large stone is swung open on a secret hinge in
the wall behind the book. Wind sweeps in through the
tomb, along with the blinding light from outside. A
sharply silhouetted figure steps in the newly created
doorway. The figure lights a torch that he holds,
illuminating his face. This is PROFESSOR RAYMOND
KNOWBY. An intelligent, grey bearded man in his late
fifties. He lowers the cloth around his face that had
been protecting him from the sand. He stares at the
Book, awestruck.
Behind him, two other figures appear in the entrance of
the tomb. The first is a large school-marmish woman,
the wife of Raymond Knowby, HENRIETTA. She moves to
Raymond's side and takes his hand. Immediately behind
her is their daughter, ANNIE KNOWBY; twenty-four years
old, strong stance and beautiful. Behind her a
handsome looking man, ED GETLY, enters the tomb. He
moves to Annie's side. They exchange excited glances.
The CAMERA PANS down to the Book.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
8 INT. STUDIO - BLACK 8
MED. SHOT - FOG
Billowing past the camera in front of a black drape.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
9 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 9
LONG SHOT
An old log cabin, built in the valley of a dark forest.
A great wind billows fog about the place.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Professor Raymond Knowby and his wife,
HENRIETTA, brought the book to a small
cabin where they could study it
undisturbed.
10 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 10
Professor Raymond Knowby sits at a writing desk and
transcribes passages from the Book of the Dead. A
small framed photograph of his daughter Annie sits
upon the table. Behind him, HENRIETTA sits knitting in
a rocking chair.
11 CLOSE SHOT - RAYMOND 11
He speaks the phonetic pronunciation of completed
sentences into the microphone of a tape recorder.
RAYMOND
Kanda...Es-trata...Ta-toon...Hazan
sobar...Ear-Grets, Gat, ...Nos-feratos
...Amantos...Kanda!
The sound of RAYMOND reciting the passages is faded
down AS THE CAMERA SLOWLY TRACKS away from RAYMOND and
over to HENRIETTA as she rocks back into the darkness
and forward into the light. As she rocks forward into
the light, she comes into FULL CLOSEUP revealing that her
eyes have changed to a milky white. She continues to
knit.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
12 INT. STUDIO - BLACK 12
MED. SHOT - FOG
Blowing past the camera in front of black drape.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
13 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 13
A dank fruit cellar with shelves of half-rotten
preserves. Raymond has his back to the stone wall.
He is dictating into the tape recorder, sweating and
distraught.
RAYMOND
It has only been a few hours since
I've translated and spoke aloud the first
of the demon resurrection passages from
the Book of the Dead.
The sound of heavy footsteps. Dust drifts down INTO
FRAME. Raymond looks up to the ceiling of the cellar.
It is also the floor to the main room of the cabin.
He watches in horror as Henrietta's silhouette paces the
floor above him. And then, the footsteps halt.
RAYMOND
And now, I fear that my wife has become
host to a Kandarian demon. May God forgive
me for what I have unleashed onto this
earth.
13Y REVERSE ACTION 13Y
The milky eyed possessed figure of HENRIETTA jolts quickly
into the frame, and shrieks in the voice of a demon!
Raymond Knowby screams. He drops the microphone.
13X CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER 13X
As the microphone falls atop it. High pitched feed-
back screams from the speaker.
13A CLOSE SHOT - RAYMOND 13A
Screaming in terror.
13B CLOSER - RAYMOND 13B
His fearful eyes fill the screen as the scream continues.
13C EXTREME C.U. RAYMOND'S EYE 13C
Darting about wildly and the scream continues.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
14 INT. DARK TUNNEL - DAY 14
ROUNDY-ROUNDY - CAMERA MOUNTED ATOP VAN
CAMERA MOVING swiftly down a dark tunnel. A light
at the end growing closer. The SOUND of AIR RUSHING
BY. The Delta 88 Oldsmobile comes ROARING out of
the tunnel with a BLAST of AIR, and the sound of
loud rock and roll music.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was one week later that a group
of college students came to the cabin.
14A EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT 14A
The Delta 88 Oldsmobile parked out front. Fog roars
past the place. We faintly hear waltz music from
within. The silhouette of a woman sweeps by the rear
bedroom window.
14B INT. CABIN - REAR BEDROOM - NIGHT 14B
ASH AND LINDA
LINDA, an attractive college student, is waltzing in
the semi darkness of the bedroom. She wears a "Michigan
State University" sweatshirt. She hums melodically to
the music as she moves. Around her neck is draped a
delicate silver necklace.
14C MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND LINDA 14C
A handsome young man, ASH, is playing the waltz music
on an old wooden piano. Linda dances behind him. Ash
is not a very good pianist, and can only plunk out the
melody with two fingers.
LINDA
Ash, what's that you're playing?
ASH
Our song.
Ash begins to play faster.
14D MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND LINDA 14D
As she picks up the tempo, spinning and laughing,
until finally Ash moves to her, halting her in mid
spin.
14E CLOSE SHOT - LINDA 14E
Out of breath, hair tousled across her eyes, she
stares deeply into Ash's eyes. Her lips, parted,
in a sensual manner.
14F CLOSE SHOT - ASH 14F
He returns her stare, lost in her beauty. He pulls
her close.
LINDA
Ow!
14G SHE PULLS AWAY SUDDENLY 14G
And looks down to the tiny silver necklace that she
wears about her neck.
14H CLOSE SHOT - NECKLACE 14H
In its center is a magnifying glass.
14I MEDIUM SHOT - LINDA AND ASH - TULIP CRANE 14I
She looks from the necklace to Ash.
LINDA
I really love it. I'll never take
it off.
They kiss and now begin to dance together, to the
haunting waltz melody that sweeps up upon the soundtrack.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was in the cabin's cellar that they
found the Professor's tape recorder,
and the Book of the Dead.
14J INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 14J
CAMERA tracks in toward the trap door. It opens by
itself as we move down the steps into the blackness.
15 MEDIUM SHOT - INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 15
The CAMERA pans down from the blackness to Ash who
finds a shotgun, Raymond Knowby's tape recorder,
tapes, the Kandarian dagger and...
16 CLOSE SHOT 16
...the shattered photograph of Annie Knowby and the
Book of the Dead.
17 LONG SHOT - INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM 17
The group of students sit about the fire as they listen
to the tape recorder. Coming from the speaker is the voice
of Raymond Knowby reciting the demon resurrection passage.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(on tape)
Kan Da, Es-trata ta-toon hazan sobar
...Ear-Grets, Gat...
18 MEDIUM SHOT 18
Linda takes Ash's hand. She's frightened. Ash smiles
to comfort her. She nervously fingers the silver locket
she wears about her neck.
19 CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER 19
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(on tape)
...Nos-Feratos...Amantos...Kanda!
20 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 20
The cabin is in the distance. In the foreground the
earth begins to swell, then rips apart as a red glow
emanates from beneath. Something evil is being
unleashed.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
One by one, they fell to the possession
of the dark spirits.
21 OMIT 21
22 EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22
CLOSE SHOT - LINDA
Her eyes pop open. They are bone white. She has fallen
to the possession.
22A EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22A
ASH AND LINDA
Possessed Linda is coming after Ash. Ash back peddles,
stumbles and falls.
22B ANGLE - ASH ON GROUND 22B
As the Shadow of approaching Linda envelops Ash,
he picks up a shovel from the ground.
22C LINDA LEAPS OVER THE CAMERA, TOWARD HIM. 22C
22D LINDA DUMMY 22D
Ash swings the shovel, slicing off Linda's head.
22D1 LINDA'S DUMMY HEAD - ON WIRE 22D1
22E ANGLE 22E
Linda's head rolls down the hillside and disappears into
the darkness.
22F EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22F
ASH AND LINDA
Ash buries Linda's headless body. He jams a crude
wooden burial cross into the earth of the grave. A bolt
of lightning strikes.
22G HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD/CABIN - NIGHT - LONG SHOT - ASH 22G
As he runs from the grave site and toward the cabin.
23 OMIT 23
24 OMIT 24
25 OMIT 25
26 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 26
NARRATOR (V.O)
One man, Ash, destroyed the Book.
Ash enters the cabin. He sees The Book of the Dead
and tosses it onto the flames.
27 CLOSE SHOT - MELTDOWN - MAIN ROOM (STUDIO) 27
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
A possessed demon begins to wither and melt. Flesh
shrinks away from its skull and dissolves to nothing.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
But the evil that had been resurrected
from it, lives on.
28 CLOSE SHOT - BOOK IN FIREPLACE 28
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
The Book of the Dead is burned to cinders. The face
upon the Book screams as it burns.
29 OMIT 29
29A INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - HIGH SHOT 29A
Ash picks himself up from the floor.
29B INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM 29B
Ash stands and clutches the necklace of Linda, in
sorrow for his loss of her.
29C EXT. CABIN - DAWN - LONG SHOT 29C
Ash staggers from the cabin.
FADE OUT.
30 OMIT 30
31 EXT. CABIN - DAWN - RECREATION OF THE 31
FINAL SHOT OF EVIL DEAD I
We are racing forward. We have taken the POV of
an EVIL ENTITY as it glides with dark purpose through
a section of woods. It approaches the rear door of the
cabin. The door is torn violently open. The next door
falls away from us. We approach the front door. SLAM! It
jigsaws in two and we are again outside, now in front of
the cabin. Ash is seen in the distance. He is staggering
away, his back to us as we race at him. He turns suddenly
towards CAMERA and screams.
32 EXT. WOODS - DAWN 32
INTERVOLOMETER STOP MOTION/CRANE - SAM-O-CAM
The final shot of Evil Dead I has a new ending; an
extension. Ash is caught by an invisible grip.
"G" force is distorting Ash's face as he is rocketed
backwards. He is swept hand over foot through the
air. He reaches the edge of the woods and begins
tearing through the branches and smaller trees,
clearing a path with his body. He finally slams into
a large ungiving tree trunk and he is knocked
unconscious.
33 WIDE SHOT - LOOKING UPWARD - ASH - DUMMY - DAWN 33
As he falls from the tree branch and plummets towards
the earth.
34 ASH'S POV - (CRANING DOWNWARD) - UNDERCRANKED - DAWN 34
A puddle of mud below, which rushes up upon us quickly.
35 MED. SHOT - MUD PUDDLE - ASH 35
As his head splashes down into the muddy water.
36 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - DAWN 36
He lifts his face from the mud, and turns toward us.
His eyes have gone white. His skin is now a pale color,
his lips, jet black. He is Possessed. A bright edge of
morning sunlight moves across his face. He turns his
beastly face skyward.
37 EXT. RIDGE - DAY (STUDIO) - MATTE PAINTING 37
LONG SHOT - THE SUN (Miniature)
Rising over a mountain ridge. Sunlight streaming
through a gaping hole in the parting clouds, in
bright shafts. It pours through the trees.
38 MED. SHOT - THE SUN - MATTE PAINTING - MINIATURE 38
Closer on the sun as it looms larger and brighter.
39 CLOSE SHOT - THE SUN - MATTE PAINTING - MINIATURE 39
The frame is filled with the rising sun.
40 EXT. WOODS - DAWN - CLOSE SHOT - ASH - MUD PUDDLE 40
The bright edge of morning sunlight spreading across
his face, he lets loose a demonic death shriek.
41 EXT. WOODS - DAY - (STUDIO) 41
EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FACE (STUDIO)
DUMMY HEAD - LIQUID EYE CHAMBER - MINIATURE
The white in Ash's eyes swirls about, and his pupils
change back to their original brown color.
41A EXT. WOODS - DAWN 41A
Ash, no longer possessed, collapses into the mud puddle,
unconscious.
41B EXT. WOODS - DAY - REVERSE ACTION - FOG - 3 ANGLES 41B
Streams of morning sunlight pierce the darkness of the
woods. We hear the shriek of demons. The sound of
SIZZLING. A great wind blows back fog into the darker
sections of the woods. The scene grows brighter and
the peaceful sounds of morning are faded up.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
42 EXT. WOODS - DAY 42
WIDE SHOT - ASH
As he lies unconscious. Time passes.
43 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - CRANE - UNDERCRANKED 43
His eyes open. They stare blankly up at the sky. Then
fear registers and we CRANE BACK QUICKLY, revealing a
vast area of empty woods around Ash.
44 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 44
He sits up slowly into frame, looking fearfully about.
45 ASH'S POV 45
Panning the battered cabin and sections of the woods.
All is peaceful. The sound of birds tweeting.
46 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 46
ASH (V.O.)
It's gone.
He looks up to the sky.
47 EXT. RIDGE - DAY - (STUDIO) - MATTE PAINTING 47
LONG SHOT - THE SUN - LATE AFTERNOON
Just above the horizon.
ASH
Sun's driven it away...
for now. Gotta get the hell
out of here... before night falls.
48 OMIT 48
49 OMIT 49
50 OMIT 50
51 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 51
As he nods to himself, then suddenly glances up beyond
the CAMERA.
52 EXT. CABIN - DAY - MITCHELL CAMERA 52
ASH'S POV - THE CABIN
A perfectly normal log cabin with one exception;
superimposed over the front of the place is...
52P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - (BLACK STUDIO) 52P
MITCHELL CAMERA
A hideous human skull with living eyeballs that stare
out at us with evil malice. The eyes stare out from
the two dark windows. The dark nose area is the open
doorway, and the rotted teeth of the skull are the
whitewashed stones placed at the foot of the cabin.
Then it fades, leaving only the cabin.
53 EXT. WOODS - DAY - WIND FAN 53
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - MUD PUDDLE
He shudders uncontrollably as he picks himself up from
the mud.
Ash MOVES INTO A CLOSE UP. His eyes shift back and forth
like a trapped animal as he looks about for a means of
escape. He spots something.
54 EXT. CABIN - DAY - ASH'S POV 54
THE DELTA 88 OLDSMOBILE
Parked in front of the cabin.
55 EXT. WOODS - DAY 55
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He shifts his glance from the car to the road.
56 EXT. ROAD - DRIVEWAY TO CABIN - DAY 56
A narrow dirt road cutting through the woods. Then,
the Delta 88 roars down it, and past the CAMERA. It
kicks up dust and gravel.
57 INT. DELTA 88 - DAY 57
(CAR MOUNT)
Ash is driving. He wipes the mud and blood from his
face with a rag. As he pulls the rag away, his face
forms a sudden look of horror as he sees:
58 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY (STUDIO MINIATURE W/BACKDROP) 58
CAR'S POV - TRACKING SHOT - STOP MOTION ANIMATION
A GIANT STEEL HAND LOOMS towards us. It is the twisted
remains of the steel and wood bridge that crossed
a great mountain chasm. A LOUD SCREECH of brakes
is heard on the soundtrack on this cut.
59 EXT. BRIDGE SIDE I - DAY 59
MEDIUM SHOT - DELTA 88 - PARTIAL BRIDGE SET
As it pulls to a halt. Ash steps quietly from the car.
He looks at the bridge.
60 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY (STUDIO MINIATURE W/BACKDROP) 60
ASH'S POV - BRIDGE
A sign hangs from the twisted girders. It reads:
"DANGEROUS BRIDGE - 2 TON WEIGHT LIMIT - CROSS AT OWN
RISK." Beyond this we see the twisted remnants of the
former bridge and the rock cliffs far away on the other
side.
60A EXT. BRIDGE SIDE I - DAY - MITCHELL CAMERA 60A
FROM RAVINE, LOOKING UPWARD AT ASH AND DELTA
(5 FRAMINGS)
Ash gapes at the uncrossable chasm.
60AP TWO CLIFF EDGES - (STUDIO) - MINIATURE 60AP
61 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY 61
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He is stunned at the sight. His only escape, gone.
He looks from the bridge to the West.
62P1 PLATE FOR FOLLOWING SCENE 62P1
ASH'S POV - LONG SHOT - MOUNTAIN RIDGE - INTERVOLOMETER
The sun is now resting on the horizon. Lower than it was
before. It is BLOOD RED, and sets in the course of seven
seconds.
62 INT. STUDIO (BLUE SCREEN) 62
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - PULLING BACK
To reveal Ash as he looks from the sunset, to the ruined
bridge, to the road behind him. He moves in halting
steps, not knowing which way to turn.
Ash opens his mouth, draws in his breath, and just as
he begins to scream, we CUT TO:
62P2 OMIT 62P2
63 EXT. BRIDGE - TWILIGHT - POV OF EVIL FORCE 63
3 CAMERAS - BREAKAWAY TREES
As it rises up from what appears to be the mountain
chasm and reveals the opposite side of the twisted
girders which form the "Giant Hand." It spots Ash
immediately beyond. It moves swiftly towaad him.
Ash looks up, sensing the evil and darts into the
Delta 88. The FORCE moves through the twisted girders,
pushing them away violently and races towaad the car.
The Delta starts up and peels off. The Evil Force
just misses it. The car doesn't have the room to
complete the one hundred and eighty degree turn
necessary to head back down the road the way it
originally came, and is forced into a line of break-
away trees which explode into sawdust as the front of
the Delta 88 rips through them. The car swerves
onto the road, headed back toward the cabin.
64 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT 64
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - CAR MOUNT
As the broken bits of tree slam against his
windshield.
65 CLOSE SHOT - CAR RADIO/TAPE DECK 65
As the channel switches suddenly to the hard rock
song "Journey to the Center of Your Mind" which blares
within the car throughout the chase to follow.
66 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT 66
POV - EVIL FORCE - UNDERCRANKED
As it gives chase to the Delta.
67 TRACKING SHOT - DELTA - DRAGWAY - UNDERCRANKED - ATV 67
Alongside the car as it barrels along the wooded
road.
68 EXT. DRAGWAY - NIGHT 68
TRACKING SHOT - DELTA - UNDERCRANKED - ATV
As he drives this wild course.
69 POV - EVIL FORCE - UNDERCRANKED 69
As it begins to gain on the speeding automobile.
70 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT - UNDERCRANKED 70
OVER ASH'S SHOULDER
Looking through the windshield, as branches beat and
smash themselves against the windshield, obscuring
our vision of the "Road" ahead. Our view suddenly
clears, revealing a large tree that looms directly
ahead.
71 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 71
Swerving the wheel.
72 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 72
ANGLE - DELTA - UNDERCRANKED
It swerves and slams into a rotted tree, stopping
it dead.
73 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT 73
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - UNDERCRANKED
As he is rocketed forward from his seat.
74 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 74
ANGLE - FRONT OF DELTA - DUMMY OF ASH
As Ash comes ripping through the windshield and past
the CAMERA.
74A ASH'S POV 74A
As he approaches the ground with a great velocity.
74B MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 74B
As he slams into the earth with a rain of glass. He
moans and gets to his feet.
75 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 75
POV - EVIL FORCE - BREAKAWAY TREES
As it sweeps down out of the woods, pushing over trees,
and approaches the Delta. Steam pours from the hood of
the car.
76 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 76
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he runs. His face is cut and bleeding.
76A ANGLE - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 76A
As he runs toward the cabin. (Actually he is running
in place in the rear of a camera car that is slowly
backing away from the cabin.) The more he runs, the
farther away from the cabin he gets.
77 POV - EVIL FORCE 77
IMO CAMERA MOUNTED ON LONG POLE AND TRUCK - 3 DELTAS
"RAM-O-CAM"
It approaches the rear of the Delta, rips through the
back window, moves through the car's interior, music
still blasting, and bursts out the remains of the front
windshield. We move through the steam of the radiator
and approach Ash as he runs for the cabin.
78 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 78
As he runs toward the cabin not making much progress
as though caught running in a nightmare. He shakes his
head "No."
78A CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET AS THEY RUN 78A
79 ANGLE - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 79
Now closer to the cabin. (Again, Ash is running in
place in the camera car as it slowly backs away
from the cabin.)
80 POV - EVIL FORCE 80
Now quickly gaining its lost ground. Just a few feet
behind Ash.
81 EXT. CABIN - LOCATION 81
SIDE SHOT - ASH
As he runs up the porch steps to the cabin.
82 EXT./INT. CABIN - LOCATION 82
POV - EVIL FORCE
We race into the cabin, splintering the hall door
which Ash had swung shut. Ash retreats into the
rear hallway, and swings the hallway door shut. We race
right up to the door and it shatters into many pieces
as we glide forward.
83 INT. CABIN - STUDIO - "MAZE SHOT" - FORCE POV 83
Camera moves through the main room and up to the
Hallway door. It shatters in front of us. We close
in on Ash as he races down the hallway. We lose him
as he swings into the back bedroom of the cabin and
slams the door behind him. We rip through this door
and enter the rear bedroom, only to see Ash scrambling
for the door to the middle bedroom, which we approach
and he swings shut in our face. We rip through to
reveal Ash scurrying into the Hallway. We follow him
through the bathroom, the maze, and back out into the
Hallway. We round the corner after him and see that
Ash has led us into the main room, but there is not a
trace of him. We look about for him, but he is gone.
The hallway is bare except for a few dry leaves.
84 INT./EXT. CABIN - LOCATION - POV EVIL FORCE 84
The force begins to pull back with an ever-increasing
speed, out the front door of the cabin, and deep into
the blackness of the woods.
85 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 85
A static shot of the fireplace. All is quiet. Smoke
from the near dead fire wafts up the chimney. We hold
on this for a moment.
85A ANGLE - MIDDLE BEDROOM CLOSET - NIGHT 85A
A static shot of a closet with it's door half open.
The door begins to swing slightly open, revealing
a rack of clothes inside. We hold on this for a
moment.
85B ANGLE - CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT 85B
A writing desk with some papers atop it. They begin
to tremble and finally blow away from the light breeze
that sweeps through the cabin. The CAMERA PANS down
from this desk to reveal a trap door in the floor of
the main room. The trap door to the cellar. It is
raised up on its hinge an inch or so and in that
slight space between the trap door and the floor we
see Ash's eyes, looking cautiously about. He breathes
a sigh of relief.
86 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 86
The cabin in the distance. Fog rolls past.
87-128 OMIT 87-128
128 A,B,C OMIT 128 A,B,C
129-143 OMIT 129-143
143 A-F OMIT 143 A-F
143FP OMIT 143FP
144-149 OMIT 144-149
149A-J OMIT 149A-J
149K EXT. AIRSTRIP - NIGHT - LONGSHOT - ED 149K
Ed Getly stands in the FG and watches as an older
style twin engine cargo plane flies over the camera
and lands.
149L AIRSTRIP - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - PASSENGERS 149L
The airplane rolls to a halt. A man wearing a
jumpsuit ties the airplane off and blocks the wheels
while a redcap opens the hatch and helps out Annie
Knowby. She carries a glass case in her hand as she
moves toward us. Behind her five other passengers
emerge from the Plane. Ed approaches Annie.
ED
Annie!
ANNIE
(smiling at sight of him)
Hi.
They embrace and kiss.
ED
How'd everything go on the expedition?
ANNIE
Terrific. I found the additional pages
from the Book of the Dead.
ED
So you said in the telegram. What
condition are they in?
She holds out the glass case for Ed to look at.
149M CLOSE SHOT - GLASS CASE 149M
Inside are 12 pages from the Book of the Dead.
149N AIRSTRIP - NIGHT 149N
TRACKING SHOT - ED AND ANNIE - THEY CONTINUE WALKING
ED
Haven't aged a day in three thousand years.
ANNIE
Maybe longer.
ED
When do we begin the translations?
ANNIE
Tonight. Is everything all set with my
father?
ED
Should be, but I haven't spoken to him
in a week, what with no phone in that
cabin. Take us about an hour to get there.
They arrive at the parking lot. Two new, sharp looking
cheverolets and Ed's old style cheverolet.
ED
We'll take my car.
Ed opens the car trunk. Behind him a redcap pulls up
a large steamer trunk on a hand dolly. Ed and the redcap
hoist the steamer up into the car's trunk.
ED
Annie, you hinted in your telegram that
your father was on to something with the
first part of his translations. What's
the big mystery? What has he found in
The Book of the Dead?
ANNIE
Maybe nothing. But just possibly...
the doorway to another world?
Annie slams the car trunk.
149O OMIT 149O
150 OMIT 150
151 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - W/ ASH - NIGHT 151
CHEVROLET CAR TRUNK
CAMERA has taken the POV of the evil force as it glides
eerily through the woods, around trees and over rotted
stumps. It moves over a rise revealing a clear view
of the boarded cabin in the distance. It approaches.
It moves to the window, and peering through the cracks
in the boards we see Ash asleep in the rocking chair.
152 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 152
Camera begins on hammer, nails, and planking which
lay upon the cabin floor. Camera pans to window #1.
It is boarded up tight. Camera pans to door. It
is repaired. Camera pans to Ash who sleeps in the
rocking chair in front of another boarded window.
Ash awakens suddenly, sensing something, the
shotgun clutched in his lap. He lifts his head and
turns to a whispering musical sound. Harp like music.
It is coming from the back bedroom of the cabin.
153 MAIN ROOM/MIDDLE ROOM/REAR BEDROOM 153
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he stands and moves cautiously towards the rear
bedroom.
154 ASH'S POV - MIDDLE ROOM AND REAR BEDROOM 154
As he approaches the rear bedroom, the music grows louder.
As he enters the room he halts his gaze on the old wooden
piano.
155 INT. CABIN/REAR BEDROOM - NIGHT 155
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he moves to the piano. The sound is coming from
within. Suddenly, the piano begins to play by itself;
Ash draws back from it. It plays a waltz. Now the
piano music mixing with the harp-like strings. The
radiator next to the piano begins to release bursts of
musical steam, adding a wind section to this strange
orchestra.
156 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 156
As he listens to this haunting version of a waltz melody.
He recognizes the music. It is the same music that Ash
had played earlier, when Linda was dancing.
157 CLOSE SHOT - PIANO AND RADIATOR 157
As steam spouts from the radiator pipes. As the piano
keys depress and release themselves. The melody grows
louder.
158 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 158
As he lowers his head. His horror gives way to sadness.
From his pocket he removes Linda's delicate silver locket
that dangles from the end of a chain. In the locket's
center is a magnifying glass. He stares mournfully into
the glass. BANG! He looks up sharply toward the main
room.
159 OMIT 159
159P1 OMIT 159P1
159P2 OMIT 159P2
159P3 OMIT 159P3
160 OMIT 160
161 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 161
ASH'S POV - SHUTTERS
As they rip open, splintering Ash's reinforcements.
Wind sweeps in through the place as the curtains flutter
wildly. Through the window is a sweeping fog.
162 INT. CABIN MIDDLE ROOM - NIGHT 162
Ash runs through this room and into the main room. He
moves to the window and looks out. Wind blowing on his
face from outside.
163 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 163
ASH'S POV - THE GRAVEYARD
A stark wooden cross marks Linda's lonely grave.
164 OMIT 164
165 OMIT 165
166 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 166
LONG SHOT - CABIN IN DISTANCE - STOP MOTION ANIMATION
The tiny figure of Ash can be seen looking off toward
this hill. In the foreground is a crude burial cross
and a mound of earth. The earth begins to crack and
splinter. The wooden cross caves in and is swallowed
as the headless corpse of Linda pulls itself to its
feet. The HAUNTING WALTZ MELODY sweeps through the
night air.
166P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 166P
ASH IN WINDOW - MITCHELL CAMERA
167 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 167
CLOSE SHOT - THROUGH THE WINDOW - ASH
His eyes, illuminated by a shaft of light, widen in
amazement and horror as...
168 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT (STUDIO) 168
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN) - 3 ANGLES
The WALTZ MELODY fills the sound track, and the rotting
corpse that was Linda begins to dance, bending and
swaying as she sweeps gracefully through the evening
fog. A waltz of the dead.
The style of dance begins to change. It becomes more
primitive. The music changes to a more primal beat.
The dance becomes sexually oriented. Erotic, with
sharp pelvic thrusts and gyrating hip motions.
168P 3 PLATES FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 168P
EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - FOG/WIND FAN
169 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 169
CLOSE SHOT - THRU THE WINDOW - ASH
Lost in the horrific beauty, he turns his head to a
rumbling sound.
170 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - (REVERSE ACTION) 170
ASH'S POV
Linda's DECAPITATED HEAD rolls across the ground and
up the hillside graveyard.
171 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT (STUDIO) 171
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN) LINDA'S HEAD
3 ANGLES
As it leaps through the air and gracefully situates
itself atop Linda's neck, she begins to spin, yet her
head remains in place, never taking her eyes from Ash.
With a sensual twirl and leap, she disappears into the
evening mists.
171P 3 PLATES FOR PRECEDING SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 171P
EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - FOG W/WIND
172 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 172
CLOSE SHOT - THRU WINDOW - ASH
His eyes dart about, trying to catch another glimpse
of Linda through the fog.
173 EXT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 173
ASH'S POV - THRU WINDOW
Linda swings sharply into frame, completing the spin
of her dance immediately in front of Ash as the music
abruptly halts.
LINDA
DANCE WITH ME!
Linda extends her dead arms towards Ash.
174 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 174
He screams as...
175 EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 175
CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S CORPSE (OVERCRANKED)
Linda's head rolls off of her neck and tumbles through
space.
176 INT. BLACK STUDIO - NIGHT 176
LINDA'S HEAD - ON WIRE
As it tumbles through a void of blackness, falling.
177 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 177
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he screams himself awake. CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal
him sitting in the rocking chair. Ash halts his scream,
getting control of himself. He looks to the window that
had blown open.
178 ASH'S POV - THE BOARDED WINDOW 178
Still boarded as though it had never been opened.
179 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 179
Reassuring himself.
ASH
That's all. Just a crummy dr-
Linda's decapitated head falls into frame and lands in
Ash's hands.
180 CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 180
It opens its eyes and looks to Ash.
LINDA'S HEAD
Hello lover, I came from the other
side of your dream to dance with you.
181 CLOSER SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD (BACKWARD MOTION) 181
A four foot long blackened tongue emerges from her mouth
like a lashing serpent.
182 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - (BACKWARD MOTION) 182
The tongue enters Ash's frame and forces itself into
Ash's mouth. Screaming as he clutches at the head of his
former love. The tongue instantly retracts inside her
head.
183 CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 183
As it bites deeply into Ash's right hand, drawing blood.
183A MED SHOT - ASH AND LINDA'S DUMMV HEAD 183A
Ash stands and rushes across the room screaming, as he
tries to rid himself of the head.
183 B-L OMIT 183 B-L
184 OMIT 184
185 OMIT 185
185A OMIT 185A
186 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - ASH AND DUMMY HEAD - LONG SHOT 186
As Ash staggers painfully around the side of the
cabin and towards the work shed; Linda's head still
clamped to his hand.
187 INT. WORK SHED - NIGHT - LINDA DUMMY HEAD - ASH 187
The door to the place is kicked open, revealing Ash
and Linda's head on the end of his hand. It is a room
full of sawdust, chains and power tools. Old bones
hang from the walls.
187A MEDIUM SHOT - INT. WORK SHED - ASH 187A
As he places Linda's head within the vice and
tightens it around her, then withdraws his hand.
LINDA'S HEAD
Even now we have your darling Linda's
soul! She suffers in torment!
187B CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 187B
As it rips away an old tarp revealing the chalk
outline of where a chainsaw once was.
187C CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HEADLESS LINDA BODY 187C
Confused. Wondering what has happened to the
chainsaw. Behind him, the door to the shed bursts
open and in comes the flailing, headless, body of
Linda, charging at Ash with the chainsaw buzzing high
above her head. Ash is screaming.
187D MEDIUM SHOT 187D
Ash grabs a large crowbar and swings it
toward the approaching blade.
187E CLOSE SHOT 187E
The crowbar hits the bottom of the blade with a
shower of sparks, sending the buzzing saw flipping
backward.
187F MEDIUM SHOT - HEADLESS LINDA DUMMY - 3 ANGLES 187F
The blade of the chainsaw swings upward and arcs
back into headless Linda, imbedding itself in her
neck. She goes nuts as the chainsaw bites its way
into her chest cavity. She spins wildly about the
room knocking into shelves as she tries to pull the
blade free. She slams against the wall of the shed,
and slumps to the floor, the chainsaw still buzzing.
187G MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187G
As he is splattered with black bile. He reaches down.
187H MEDIUM SHOT - HEADLESS LINDA 187H
As Ash dislodges the spinning chainsaw from her.
187I MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187I
As he swings the chainsaw around and poises it above
Linda's head.
187J WIDE SHOT - ASH AND LINDA'S HEAD IN VICE 187J
From the chainsaw, fumes of blue amoke. Ash turns
to the head and falters.
187K CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD IN VICE 187K
She is no longer possessed. She looks as she did
earlier in the film. A vision of beAuty. She is
again Linda, the woman Ash loved. Tears roll down from
her eyes.
LINDA
Please Ash, help me. I love
you, please don't hurt me.
187L CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187L
Trying to fight his feelings, he knows what he must
do. He pumps the throttle on the saw.
187M CLOSE SHOT - LINDA 187M
Pleading with him.
LINDA
You promised me we'd always be
together. You swore to me!
187N CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187N
Agonized.
ASH
NO!
187O CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 187O
Once again fully possessed, and speaking in the voice
of the demon. Her eyes again white, her flesh, rotten.
LINDA'S HEAD
YES! YOU LIED TO HER! YOU LIED TO
LINDA! YOUR LOVE WAS A LIE! AND
NOW SHE BURNS IN HELL!
187P EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S DUMMY HEAD 187P
She opens her mouth and emits a jet stream of bile.
187Q CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187Q
As he's drenched in the face. Linda begins to laugh at
him in a wild, high pitched squeal.
He gains control of himself and steadies the saw.
ASH
Eat chainsaw.
He brings down the spinning blade. And moves past
the CAMERA and towards the head. We are left looking
at the wall of the work shed upon which we see the
stark shadow of the ghastly deed. We hear the sound
of spinning steel meeting bone and the screams of a
demon.
187R CLOSE SHOT - LIGHT BULB 187R
As it is splattered with blood.
187S MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187S
Ash stumbles back into frame and falls against the
wall, now lit in crimson. He looks at the off screen
carnage in terror. He begins to shake as though in
shock. He trembles as he looks down at his
hands; they are covered in Linda's blood.
He wipes his hands on his pants and shirt, trying
to rid himself of it, but only succeeds in painting
himself with the stuff. Ash screams a wild scream of
fear and despair. It echoes off into the night.
188 CRANE SHOT - EXT. WORK SHED - NIGHT 188
Ash in a confused state as he staggers from the
work shed and towards the cabin. Again clutching
the chainsaw.
189 INT. CABIN REAR DOORWAY - NIGHT 189
Ash enters through the doorway. He pushes the door
shut behind him and halts. We hear a creaking sound.
It is coming from the main room of the cabin. He
moves in the direction of the sound.
189A ASH'S POV - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 189A
TRACKING SLOWLY FORWARD
Curtains flutter on the partially boarded windows of
the hall. Ash moves slowly past them and towards the
main room ahead. The gentle creaking sound grows
louder. Ash tosses down the saw and picks up the gun.
189B INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 189B
Ash enters from the hallway and turns his head to the
sound.
189C MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - ASH'S POV - THE ROCKING CHAIR 189C
It rocks back and forth with a definitive motion,
halting for a moment at it's pints furthest forward
and backward, as if some invisible thing was sitting
there and rocking.
189D CLOSE SHOT - ASH 189D
He slowly approaches the chair, scared shitless.
189E MEDIUM SHOT - FROM BEHIND THE ROCKING CHAIR 189E
The chair rocks in and out of frame in the foreground
as Ash takes halting steps towards it. Ash gathers
his courage and reaches out his hand to halt the
rocking motion. Slowly his hand approaches the chair.
Just as his hand goes to touch it, the chair abruptly
halts, on its own accord.
190 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 190
In a confused state as he backs away from the chair and
into the wall. He turns and comes face to face with
himself in a hanging framed mirror. He clutches at his
face, trying to reassure himself of his sanity.
ASH
I'm fine... I'm fine...
191 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM/MIRROR ROOM - NIGHT 191
MEDIUM SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - ASH AND REFLECTION
Ash's reflection becomes an independent entity. It
reaches out of the mirror and grabs ahold of Ash by his
throat. The reflection looks like a Mr. Hyde version of
Ash. Sweating and nasty looking.
192 SIDE SHOT - SPLIT SCREEN - ASH AND REFLECTION 192
MITCHELL CAMERA (ASH AS MR. HYDE)
The reflection pulls Ash close and speaks to him in an
intimate whisper.
REFLECTION
I don't think we're "fine". We're
losing it... starting to slip. We
just cut up our girlfriend with a
chainsaw. Does that sound fine?
The reflection tightens its hold on Ash's throat and
begins to strangle him.
192P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 192P
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
ASH - MITCHELL CAMERA
193 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - DOLLY 193
Two hands in the bottom of frame, throttling him.
CAMERA races back to reveal Ash's own hands on his throat.
There is no sign of Ash's evil reflection. Ash has
been strangling himself. He realizes this the same
moment we do. He quickly pulls his hands away, looks at
them incredulously, then to the mirror.
194 OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - INTO MIRROR 194
His reflection is as it should be.
195 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 195
He looks back down to his hands.
196 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 196
CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S RIGHT HAND - DUMMY HAND
INTERVOLOMETER
The bite marks that Linda's teeth have left in the hand
stand out sharply. The wound suddenly blackens and
spiderwebs it's infection across the entire surface of the
hand.
197 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 197
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HAND IN FOREBROUND - MAKE UP BLADDER EFX
The hand quivers and shakes, now out of Ash's control.
The hand has taken a whitish cast. It's veins throb and
pulsate. It is possessed by the evil force. The hand's
fingernails grow inches. The wound oozes black fluid.
Ash is repulsed.
198 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 198
Ash's demon hand makes a lunge at his face which is
countered by his good hand.
199 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 199
He slams the hand to the cabin floor. He screams to
the air:
ASH
You bastards. Give me back my hand.
200 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 200
Wind and fog swirl about the place. Ash's ECHOING
SCREAM is heard above the HOWLING GALE.
ASH (0.S.)
Give me back my hand!!
201 OMIT 201
201A OMIT 201A
201B OMIT 201B
201C OMIT 201C
202 OMIT 202
203 OMIT 203
204 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM/KITCHEN - NIGHT 204
Ash rushes into the kitchen and places his hand in
the sink. He turns on the faucet.
205 INT. CABIN KITCHEN - NIGHT 205
Cool water runs over Ash's burned hand. Ash rests his
head on the kitchen counter and mumbles reassurances to
himself.
ASH
Can't... can't be happening.
206 CLOSE SHOT - THE HAND 206
As the water pours over it. It grabs a plate sitting
in the dishwater and reaches up silently out of the sink.
207 MEDIUM SHOT 207
The plate is shattered over Ash's head. The
hand grabs Ash's hair and mercilessly slams his
head down upon the kitchen counter again and again.
Ash punches himself in the face and is sent reeling
backwards. He smashes into a cupboard where dishes
and plates fall upon him.
208 CLOSE SHOT 208
The hand picks up plates and begins breaking them over
Ash's head. Then a bottle.
209 MEDIUM SHOT 209
Ash is knocked unconscious. The hand continues breaking
objects over his head. Ash lies unmoving, but still
alive.
210 CLOSE SHOT 210
The hand stops as though it senses something. The
CAMERA PANS to a large meat cleaver which lies upon the
wooden floor.
211 MEDIUM SHOT 211
The hand as it independently crawls towards the meat
cleaver. The hand is stopped when it runs out of arm,
now anchored by Ash's unconscious body.
212 CLOSE-SHOT - HAND 212
It digs its nails deep into the floorboards and begins to
pull...
213 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 213
... as he is pulled along the kitchen floor.
214 CLOSE SHOT - HAND - GELETIN HAND 214
As it pulls Ash's unconscious body along after it. The
hand clutches the meat cleaver when a large knife comes
slicing through the demon hand, pinning it to the
floorboards. CAMERA pulls over to reveal a revived Ash.
ASH
Who's laughing now?
214A ANGLE - ASH - COMEDY KNIFE RIG 214A
He reaches over with his good hand and pulls a fire
engine red chainsaw down from the shelf.
He holds the body of the machine between his legs and,
with his good hand, pulls the starter cord. The
CHAINSAW ROARS to life. The CAMERA TRACKS IN to Ash's
sweating face.
ASH
Who's laughing now!?
He lowers the spinning blade of the chainsaw down out
of frame and toward the evil hand. Blood flies up
into frame.
215 OMIT 215
216 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 216
LONG SHOT
We hear the BUZZING of the CHAINSAW as it slices through
bone and then falls silent.
217 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT (SIDE II) 217
CRANE
The CAMERA cranes down as Annie's car approaches from
the distance. It pulls to a halt. Ed and Annie step
from the car.
218 ANNIE'S POV 218
A red tow truck with its orange lights flashing is
parked there. Painted on it's side is "Jake's Gas
N' Go." Jake, a toothless, backwoods, greasemonkey is
setting up flares and wooden roadblocks. Annie and Ed
approach.
ANNIE
Excuse me. This the road to the
Knowby's cabin?
JAKE
Thas' right. But you ain't goin' there.
ANNIE
And why not?
219 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 219
As he reaches in his truck to pull on the headlights.
220 CLOSE SHOT - TRUCK HEADLIGHTS 220
As they snap on.
221 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE, ANNIE, AND ED 221
All stand in the bright glare of the lights as the fog
swirls about them. Annie and Ed gape in frightened
wonder at what they see.
222 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT - (SIDE II) - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 222
THEIR POV - TABLE TOP MODEL GIRDERS
The piercing beams of light illuminate twisted remnants of
the destroyed bridge that leads to the cabin. A road sign,
similar to the one on the other side of the bridge
reads: "Dangerous Bridge - Two Ton Weight Limit".
223 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT - (SIDE II) 223
CLOSE SHOT - ED AND ANNIE
Frightened as they view the wreckage.
ANNIE
What happened?
JAKE
Lady, I ain't never seen nothin' like
it.
ED
Terrific. Now what?
ANNIE
There must be another way in.
Another road or something.
224 JAKE, BOBBY JOE, ANNIE AND ED - TWO CAMERAS 224
BOBBY JOE
Sure ain't no, road.
CAMERA pans over to reveal a brassy southern spitfire
of a woman, Bobby Joe.
BOBBY JOE
Hell you wanna go there for, anyway?
Bobby Joe takes a pinch of chewing tobacco and stuffs
it into her mouth. She doesn't like Annie and her
fancy clothes. She stares at Annie like a cat.
224X MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ED 224X
Annie steps forward. She eyes Bobby Joe.
ANNIE
None of your business.
224Y CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224Y
He feigns surprise and pleasantness.
JAKE
Hey! I just remembered... Yeah,
that's right... There is a trail.
You could follow Bobby Joe and me.
ED
That sounds all right.
JAKE
But, it'll cost ya.
ANNIE
How much?
JAKE
Forty Fi...
224A ANGLE 224A
Jake looks up suddenly at Bobby Joe who gives
a sharp shake of her head.
JAKE
Hundred bucks.
224B CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 224B
ANNIE
Tell you what. You take my bags
you got a deal.
224C CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224C
He glances through the window of Annie's car.
224D JAKE'S POV 224D
The tiny case containing the missing pages of the Book
of the Dead, and a small handbag.
224E CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224E
Looking back to Annie, a big smile on his near
toothless face.
JAKE
Sure!
225 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 225
A hiking trail winds through the woods. Bobby Joe
leads the way with flashlight in hand. She pockets
some bills. She is followed by Annie and Ed who
carry the glass case containing the missing pages
and the handbag. A grunting and sweating Jake brings
up the rear, the large steamer trunk on his back.
He is cursing under his breath.
JAKE
Jesus H. Christ! I thought she
was talkin' 'bout them two goddamn
little pieces!
226 OMIT 226
227 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 227
The wind rushes fog about the place with a fury.
A large moon hangs in the night sky.
228 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 228
CLOSE SHOT - EVIL HAND
No longer attached to Ash's arm, it still writhes about
beneath Ash's foot which pins it to the floor.
229 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - HAND'S POV - EYEMO W/ MOUNT 229
As he grabs the steel wastebasket, dumps out the trash
lowers it quickly over the CAMERA, trapping the hand
within.
230 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 230
With a note of finality, Ash slams down a pile of books
atop the overturned wastecan, to anchor it. The top
book's title reads "Farewell to Arms".
231 FIREPLACE 231
Ash raises a red hot fireplace shovel that had been
resting upon the coals. He grits his teeth.
232 ANGLE 232
Just out of frame, Ash thrusts the glowing shovel against
the stump to cauterize the wound. Red steam hisses up
into frame as Ash screams.
233 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 233
He tosses aside the shovel and douses his smoldering
stump into a vase of fresh flowers.
234 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 234
Unspooling a roll of duct tape.
235 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 235
He tapes the tablecloth into a makeshift bandage
about his wrist. Behind him, the wastebasket
silently slides across the floor.
236 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 236
"CLANG"! He turns to see.
237 CLOSE SHOT - THE WASTEBASKET 237
Upon its side. The Evil Hand is gone.
237A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 237A
He turns to a "pitter patter" sound.
238 OMIT 238
238P OMIT 238P
239 OMIT 239
240 OMIT 240
241 OMIT 241
242 OMIT 242
243 OMIT 243
244 OMIT 244
245 CLOSE SHOT - HAND 245
It scampers across the floorboards headed for a hole
in the wall.
246 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 246
MEDIUM SHOT - ANIMATED HAND (4 SEC.)
Same action as above but covered now through animation.
247 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 247
HAND - POV
Low angle tracking shot approaching the hole in the wall.
248 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND HAND - SQUIB 248
TRACKING WITH HAND, ASH IN BG
He raises the shotgun and FIRES. BLAM! The floor
next to the hand explodes.
249 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN THE WALL - SQUIB - EFX. HAND 249
The hand leaps into the hole as a section of wall next
to it EXPLODES. Blam!
250 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 250
Ash quickly reloads both chambers of the gun.
He tracks the SOUND of the PITTER PATTER as the hand
scampers through the sapace behind the wall like a rat.
251 OMIT 251
252 OMIT 252
253 OMIT 253
254 ASH'S POV - WALL - SQUIB 254
The blasted hole at the bottom of the wall. The hand
appears, still unhurt, waving and taunting at Ash.
255 CLOSE SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (7 SEC.) 255
As it taunts ASH it inadvertently sidesteps into a
rusting mousetrap. SNAP! It springs shut upon the
hand. It screams furiously and shakes violently in
an effort to get free the from trap.
256 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 256
Throws back his head in a gruff bark of laughter.
ASH
Ha!
257 CLOSE SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (7 SEC.) 257
The hand throws the trap from itself and raises its
middle finger to ASH, flipping him the bird.
258 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 258
He raises the gun, revealing his face as the
CAMERA PANS UP with his movement.
259 ASH'S POV - OVER THE GUN BARREL 259
Pointed directly at the hand. But the hand dodges
away from the hole, disappearing again behind the
wall. The gun continues to track the evil hand's
progress through its pitter patter sound.
260 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S EAR 260
The pitter patter ebbs and then peaks in volume.
261 ASH'S POV - OVER THE GUN BARREL - SQUIB 261
Both triggers are squeezed. BLAM! BLAM! A 2nd and
3rd hole are blown in the wall. All is silent.
261A INSERT ASH'S FINGER PULLS THE FIRST, THEN 261A
SECOND TRIGGER
261B INSERT FLAME BELCHES FROM THE GUN TWICE 261B
262 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 262
As he lowers the smoking gun. Wondering if he has hit
the hand or not.
263 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 263
All is silent for a moment, and then a slight trickle
of blood comes dripping from the hole and down the
side of the wall.
264 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 264
For the first time feeling victorious. As Ash continues
to stare at the hole, his expression changes to one of
perplexity.
265 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 265
The trickle of blood has increased to a steady flow,
then, even this volume of blood multiplies. It is
forced out of the wall with a greater and greater
pressure until blood pours from the wall like a fire
hose.
266 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 266
Horrified, he spins his glance to the sound of more
gushing liquid. He is hit in the face with a geyser
of deep red blood.
267 CLOSE SHOT - 2ND AND 3RD HOLES IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 267
The 2nd and 3rd holes in wall also begin to spew blood
in a geyser. The CAMERA PANS over to the 4th of the
holes. This, too, is an eruption of blood. The blood
changes in color to a black fluid, then yellow, then
turquoise.
268 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 268
Screaming as he looks down at his wrist. CAMERA PANS
DOWN to it. The severed wrist begins dribbling blood.
Then in a burst, it too, erupts in a hellish fire hose.
It spouts blood under such great pressure that ASH is
driven against the walls of the cabin because of it.
269 MED. SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 269
We follow him as he slams from one wall into another.
270 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 270
In the midst of his scream, drowning in the blood, it
all suddenly stops. The cabin is again deadly quiet.
ASH, soaked in blood and shivering, waits. For what,
he's not sure.
271 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 271
As he slowly backs away from the walls and sits upon
the three legged chair. It shatters beneath him,
dumping him on his butt.
CREAK!!!
ASH turns sharply to the low sound.
272 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 272
The mounted moose head upon the wall. It is in a
different position. It turns sharply towards ASH and
emits a hideous cackle.
273 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 273
He pulls back in fear, then turns to the sound of more
laughter.
274 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 274
The desk lamp on its steel swivel rises and falls in
synchronization with its wheezing laughter. Ah ha ha
ha ha. Ahhhh ha ha ha ha!
275 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 275
Terrified, he turns to more laughter.
276 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 276
A line of 12 old books upon the shelf flap open and
closed violently as they emit a chorus of sharp laughs.
Ash turns.
276A CLOSE SHOT 276A
Other books upon the floor laugh.
277 MEDIUM SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 277
He turns sharply toward us and breaks into an
uproariously frightening bout of laughter.
278 WIDE SHOT - ASH 278
The wooden door behind Ash comes to life. It
stretches out as though it were elastic with each of
its own low and terrible laughs.
279 WIDE SHOT - MAIN ROOM - TRACKING SHOT 279
RIGGING FOR TRAP DOOR, CABINETS, CLOCK
Ash and everything in it are having the time of their
lives. Ash leads the bunch laughing harder and
harder.
279A MEDIUM SHOT - HAND HELD - FRONT DOOR AND ASH 279A
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The room's laughter suddenly stops. Ash instantly
terrified, grabs up the shotgun and fires into the
door. Blam! Blam!
PAN to the front door.
Two holes are blown into the door. We hear a short
shrill scream and then all is quiet.
280 OMIT 280
281 OMIT 281
282 OMIT 282
282A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 282A
Ash opens the front door. It slowly swings inward
with a creak revealing the empty night.
283 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND JAKE 283
Ash approaches the front porch as Jake enters sharply
into his frame. Jake tackles Ash.
284 MEDIUM SHOT - SHOTGUN 284
As it slides across the floor.
285 MED. SHOT - ASH, JAKE AND ED 285
Ed enters and holds Ash down as Jake slugs him twice.
Ash's fist comes up into frame catching Jake on the
jaw. Jake pulls back his fist and rockets a piledriver
blow to Ash's face, knocking him senseless.
285A C.U. ASH 285A
285B C.U. JAKE 285B
286 MEDIUM SHOT - FRONT DOORWAY - THE GROUP 286
Annie and Bobby Joe enter. Annie is taking off Bobby
Joe's coat. Bobby Joe is wounded from the shotgun blast.
She holds her shoulder where the shell has grazed her.
JAKE
You gonna be alright, honey?
BOBBY JOE
I don't know.
JAKE
You just sit still fer a minute.
287 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE, ED, ANNIE, AND BOBBY JOE 287
As Jake gives Ash a swift kick in the ribs. Ash moans.
Jake turns to Ed, who is badly shaken.
JAKE
You know this son of a bitch?
ED
No. We thought her -
Annie steps forward.
ANNIE
Oh my God. Where are my parents?
Annie sets down the glass case containing the pages
of the Book of the Dead.
288 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 288
As she looks down to the floor.
289 ANNIE'S POV - THE CHAINSAW 289
As it lies in a pool of blood.
290 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 290
Annie runs to Ash's semi-conscious body, grabs his
shirt and violently shakes him.
ANNIE
What the hell did you do to them?
Ed pulls Annie off of Ash. She drops Ash's moaning head
to the floor and backs away from him, sobbing.
291 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE 291
Nursing his sore knuckles, he points with his elbow
to the trap door that leads to the cellar.
JAKE
We'll throw him in there.
292 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND ASH 292
Jake picks up Ash's body and drags him quickly to
the trap door. Half conscious, Ash feebly struggles
with Jake.
JAKE
Crazy buck's gone blood simple.
293 ASH'S POV - HAND HELD 293
As he approaches the trap door almost upside down.
Ed pries it open.
294 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HAND HELD 294
In a dazed state as he is carried to the trap door.
ASH
Wait... I made... a mistake...
JAKE
Damn right, you flat mouthed
son of a bitch.
294A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND JAKE 294A
Jake kicks Ash down into the open trap door.
295 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 295
ASH DUMMY
Looking up at the open trap door as Ash's body falls
through frame.
296 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 296
CLOSE SHOT - CELLAR STEP - ASH'S HEAD
As it slams into the wooden step. His feet tumble over
him as he begins to fall down the staircase.
297 LONG SHOT - ASH - STUNT 297
As he tumbles head over heels down the wooden steps.
298 ASH'S POV 298
Racing down the steps.
299 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 299
As he slams to the dirt floor of the cellar. Hard.
He moans.
300 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 300
LOOKING UP TO THEM FROM CELLAR
Jake, Ed and Bobby Joe.
BOBBY JOE
I hope you rot down there!
301 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 301
MEDIUM SHOT
Ash begins to realize where he is. Growing terror on
his battered face.
ASH
N... No.
302 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 302
ANGLE LOOKING UP
Jake swings the trap door shut with a clanging of chains.
303 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 303
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
The shaft of light from above disappears and he is
encased in the darkness of the cellar.
From above he hears the threading of chains through
eyeloops.
304 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 304
MED. SHOT - JAKE, ANNIE, BOBBY JOE, ED
Jake has just laid Bobby Joe down upon the couch. He
dresses her wound with a towel. Annie tosses down her coat
on the chair at the writing desk.
304A MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 304A
She spots the tape recorder and Kandarian Dagger. She
moves to them.
ANNIE
These are my father's things.
She turns on the tape recorder. High pitched feedback
and the professor's screams come from the speaker.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on Tape)
Last night Henrietta tried to kill me.
ANNIE PROFESSOR KNOWBY
SHHH! Listen! (Voice on tape)
My father's voice. I know now, that my wife has
become host to a kandarian demon.
305 MED. SHOT - JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ED 305
As they turn their heads to the sound of:
306 CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER - TRACKING 306
Still playing, the tapes wind as we hear the wowing and
fluttering voice of Raymond Knowby.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
I cannot bring myself to dismember
my wife, yet I know that I must, to
halt the evil that lives within her.
307 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE - TRACKING IN 307
Horrified.
ANNIE
No.
308 OMIT 308
309 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 309
MED. SHOT - ASH - TRACKING AROUND HIM
As he lays in the center of the cellar's earth floor.
He strains his ears to listen to the tape playing in
the room above.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
It is October 1, 4:33 p.m. Henrietta
is dead. I could not bring myself
to dismember her corpse. But I
buried her.
310 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 310
TRACKING CLOSER
As he listens intently to the tape playing in the room
above.
311 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 311
TRACKING SHOT - TAPE RECORDER
CAMERA SLOWLY MOVING IN on the winding tape.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
I . . . buried her . . . in the
cellar.
312 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 312
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - TRACKING CLOSER
Growing horror on his face as he realizes where he is.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
God help me, I buried her in the
earthen floor of the fruit cellar!
313 OMIT 313
314 OMIT 314
315 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 315
ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT - (STOP MOTION ANIMATION)
Ash's legs in the foreground. Suddenly from the
earthen floor of the fruit cellar a half-rotten human
head juts up! Just the eyes are above the surface of the
dirt. They dart about wildly and halt upon Ash. Worms
crawl from the rotted forehead.
316 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 316
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He screams.
317 MED. SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - MOCK UP OF CELLAR 317
SET
Henrietta's arm rips through the earth and grabs Ash's
leg as he tries to back away. The corpse that was
Henrietta pulls itself from the grave and emits a wail.
She turns her twisted body to face Ash. Moths fly
about her in a flurry.
HENRIETTA
Someone's in my fruit cellar!
Someone with a fresh soul!
318 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 318
MED SHOT. - THE GROUP
All eyes on the trap door.
ED
Somebody's down there with him.
ANNIE
No. Can't be.
319 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 319
MED. SHOT - ASH
He runs up the steps to the trap door and begins
pounding furiously upon it.
320 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 320
ASH
Let me out! Let me out!!!
321 MED. SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) - WIND FAN 321
Henrietta lets out a terrible laugh and approaches the
wooden staircase.
322 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 322
MED. SHOT - THE GROUP
All eyes are on the banging trap door. ASH'S wild
screams are coming from beneath. They look at one
another, not sure of what to do. Jake holds the ring
of keys.
ANNIE
Let him out.
JAKE
It's a trick. I know it.
ANNIE
LET HIM OUT!
323 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 323
WIDE SHOT - ASH
At the top of the steps, pounding on the trap door,
screaming to be let out. HENRIETTA ENTERS the FRAME at
the bottom of the steps. A flutter of moths about
her.
324 WIDE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) 324
Henrietta begins to climb the steps. Two at a time.
HENRIETTA
Come to me. Come to sweet
Henrietta.
325 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 325
MED. SHOT - JAKE
As he tries one key after another.
326 CLOSE SHOT - KEYS 326
As they are forced into the lock.
327 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 327
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
Sweating at the top of the steps, watching as Henrietta
approaches.
ASH
No.
328 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA 328
Extending her rotted and worm infested arm toward him.
HENRIETTA
Yesssssss. You and I. We
shall spend eternity together.
329 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 329
Marie's shadow envelops him. He is petrified.
HENRIETTA
But first I'll swallow your soul !
330 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 330
CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA - (STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR
SCREEN)
With a sharp recoil, then spring, Henrietta makes a
lunge at Ash. Her face contorting, her teeth
lengthening, her mouth opening impossibly wide
as though she were going to swallow his head, and all as
she lunges forward. She changes to "Pee Wee" head.
330P INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT - 35MM KODAKCHROME SLIDE 330P
Plate for previous scene.
331 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 331
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He screams as a set of bloody hands grab his face.
But they are not Henrietta's. He is pulled upward to
the main room of the cabin.
332 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 332
CLOSE SHOT
It is Jake who pulls Ash to safety.
333 WIDE SHOT - MAIN ROOM 333
Jake finishes pulling Ash up from the trapdoor and
onto the floor of the main room. The horrible face of
Pee-Wee head Henrietta pops from the cellar!
334 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ED 334
SCREAMING at the sight of the beast.
ANNIE
For God's sake! That's my mother!
335 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 335
One of Henrietta's rotted hands reach up from the cellar
grabbing Jake.
336 CLOSE SHOT - ED 336
As he moves to help Jake, Henrietta swats at his jaw,
knocking him backward into a picture frame. He shatters it
with his head and slumps to the floor.
337 MED. SHOT - ASH 337
As he moves toward the trapdoor.
338 CLOSE SHOT - (STYROFOAM TRAPDOOR) 338
Ash's foot kicks the trapdoor shut and crushes
Henrietta's Pee-wee head between the door and the
floorboards.
339 MED. SHOT - DUMMY OF HENRIETTA - PEE WEE HEAD 339
Ash leaps down upon the trapdoor, slamming it to pin
Pee-Wee head sideways. The pressure sends her left
eyeball popping from her head, like a cork from a
champagne bottle.
340 CLOSE SHOT - EYEBALL FLYBALL 340
Henrietta's eyeball and trailing optic nerve - mounted
on glass - panning with the eyeball as it sails through
space.
341 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE (REVERSE ACTION) 341
As the eyeball is shot into her screaming mouth.
She begins to gag on it.
342 WIDE SHOT 342
Jake kicks Marie's Pee-Wee head in the face, sending
her back down into the cellar. The trap door shuts.
Ash leaps atop it. The sound of Henrietta falling down
the cellar steps is heard along with the beast's wild
ravings. Ash quickly threads the chains through the
eyeloops.
343 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 343
He snaps the lock shut. Ash is shaking. Jake slowly
moves down into his frame. He is completely terrified.
343A CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER IN F.G. 343A
ASH, JAKE, ANNIE AND BOBBY IN B.G.
The tape recorder continues to play.
RAYMOND KNOWBY (V.O.)
(Voice on tape)
I fear that whatever I have
resurrected from this book, is sure
to come calling for me.
344 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 344
(SHAKI-CAM)
The CAMERA takes the POV of the Evil Force as it
glides through the woods. Over a stump, around the
Oak trees, through a patch of fog, as the cabin comes
into view.
345 OMIT 345
346 MED. SHOT - ANNIE, ASH, JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ED 346
Ash turns to the group, Annie is placing her wet
bandana atop Ed's forehead.
ASH
There's something out there. That...
witch in the cellar is only part of it.
It lives out in those woods. In the Dark.
Something that's come back from the dead.
346A OMIT 346A
346B OMIT 346B
346C OMIT 346C
346D OMIT 346D
347 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE 347
Interrupting Ash.
BOBBY JOE
Jake, let's beat it the hell out
o'here, right now. I gotta get out!
JAKE
Now Bobby, you ain't in no condition.
ASH
Nobody goes out that door. Not till
daylight.
347A THE GROUP 347A
They freeze in their tracks as they hear a gentle voice
which sings a melancholy tune. Annie turns her head
to the sound and the CAMERA PANS TO reveal HENRIETTA whose
head juts in the space between the floorboards and the
trap door. She is no longer possessed. She looks as
she did earlier in the film. She is singing a gentle
song to Annie.
347B CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA 347B
HENRIETTA
Remember that song Annie? I used
to sing it to you when you were a baby.
347C CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 347C
Uncertain of what to do, but wanting to believe.
HENRIETTA
Let me out, dear. It's so cold and dark
in here.
ANNIE
Mother?
HENRIETTA
Unlock these chains. Quickly.
347D MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 347D
Annie starts to follow the instructions, but Ash halts
her gently. He shakes his head. Annie snaps out of
it. She shakes her head and looks to the cellar.
ANNIE
No. No. I don't know what you
are but you're not my mother.
Annie begins to cry.
347E CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR 347E
Henrietta is crying also.
VOICE OF HENRIETTA
How can you say that to me Annie?
ANNIE
No!
VOICE OF HENRIETTA
You were born September 2nd, 1962. I
remember it well because it was
snowing. So strange that it would
be snowing in September.
348 CAMERA TRACKING IN ON ANNIE 348
Confused and tearful, she screams to the others in the
room.
ANNIE
That thing in the cellar is not
my mother!
Ed stands sharply into her frame. His eyes bone white,
his skin, the pale color of the dead. His mouth has
grown over large. His lips are black. He is possessed.
He shrieks. Annie screams and jumps back out of frame.
349 MED. SHOT - ED POSSESSED 349
RIGGING - REVERSE ACTION
He flies up into the air and writhes about as if he
were a human marionette. He lets out a demonic moan
and then begins to laugh.
350 MED. SHOT - BOBBY JOE AND JAKE 350
As they clutch in fear at one another.
351 MED. SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 351
As they look on in horror. Ash steps in front of
Annie as she gapes at this monstrosity that was Ed.
352 CLOSE SHOT - ED POSSESSED 352
RIGGING
As he floats about the room. His laughter suddenly
stops and a second demonic voice comes from his body.
It is female, and wailing in lament.
353 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 353
Watching in horror.
354 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED
RIGGING - UP AND DOWN
The body of Ed turns sharply toward the group, not
really seeing.
ED
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
We are the things that were.
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
And shall be again! HA HA HA HA HA!
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
Spirits of the book.
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
We want what is yours! LIFE!
As he floats about, his head dips and swoons.
ED
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
Dead by dawn!
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
Dead by dawn!
355 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA POSSESSED 355
Sticking her gnarled head from the cellar.
HENRIETTA
Dead by dawn! Dead by dawn!
356 WIDE SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE IN FOREGROUND 356
RIGGING - DOLLY CART
Ed floating, turns his head sharply to Bobby Joe. The
Possessed body of Ed rushes through the air towards
her. He opens his mouth wide open.
357 ED'S POV 357
As he quickly rushes upon a screaming Bobby Joe.
358 CLOSE SHOT - ED AND BOBBY JOE 358
He bites into Bobby Joe's head. With a single motion
he rips out the bulk of the hair from her head with a
terrible RIIIIIIIIP SOUND.
358A MEDIUM SHOT - ED DUMMY 358A
Stands up into frame with a clump of Bobby Joe's hair
in his mouth and swallows it.
359 WIDE SHOT - GROUP 359
Bobby Joe collapses to the ground.
360 MED. SHOT - HENRIETTA POSSESSED 360
As she calls from the cellar.
HENRIETTA
Free me! Unlock these chains!
361 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED 361
He turns to the trap door and moves toward it.
362 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 362
Both horrified. Ash retreats. Annie is shocked as
she watches Ash back into the middle bedroom and
disappear.
363 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 363
ANNIE
Where are you going?! HELP
US!! You filthy COWARD!
364 ANGLE FROM TRAP DOOR - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE 364
Possessed Ed moves toward the trap door. Jake comes up
quickly behind Ed to grab his shoulder.
365 JAKE'S POV - DUMMY OF POSSESSED ED 365
As Jake's hand reaches for the shoulder of possessed Ed.
The head of possessed Ed spins around on its neck so that
it faces Jake.
365A CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ED 365A
ED
(In the voice of a woman)
We see you!
366 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 366
Screaming as Ed's hand enters frame, and snags Jake's
face. He tosses Jake upward.
367 CLOSE SHOT - ED POSSESSED 367
As he tosses Jake upward.
368 HIGH-WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE STUNTMAN 368
REVERSE ACTION - UNDERCRANKED
Jake flies upward towards the ceiling of the cabin.
369 INT. CABIN CEILING - NIGHT (CEILING SET PIECE) 369
MED. SHOT
A prop light bulb "Shining" in its fixture. Jake's
head comes flying up into frame, shattering it, and
slamming into the wood ceiling and then falling back
down again.
370 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 370
MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE STUNT MAN
As Jake slams back down to the floor of the cabin.
371 MED. SHOT - ASH 371
As he reappears in the doorway of the room. Now he
clutches an axe in his single hand.
372 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED 372
As he grabs the chains that secure the trap door ready
to rip them loose. He turns his head to see:
372A OVER POSSESSED ED'S SHOULDER 372A
Ash approaches with the axe.
373 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE AND OFF SCREEN 373
DUMMY OF ED
Ash exits the frame and we are left with Annie and the
stark shadow of possessed Ed which is cast upon the
wall behind her. We watch as the shadow of Ash with the
axe, slices through the top portion of possessed Ed's
head. Annie screams as she is splattered with green
bile.
373A CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ED DUMMY 373A
Missing Ed's right hand portion of his head.
His brain, shriveled like the inside of a pumpkin.
373B POSSESSED ED'S POV - ASH - EYEMO CAMERA AND MOUNT 373B
Ash stands before us, his axe dripping green bile.
Ed's arms flail wildly on either side of the camera,
groping at the air. He slowly falls over and slams
to the floor.
374 OMIT 374
375 OMIT 375
376 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED (FRAMED WITH AND W/O HEAD) 376
Ed's body falls to the floor. It lays quiet for a
moment and then begins to writhe and scream in its
demonic death throes. Finally, he is silent.
377 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE - POSSESSED ED DUMMY 377
Ash turns to her.
ASH
Start up that saw and hand it here!
We're gonna cut him up.
Annie looks to the chainsaw and then to the unmoving body
of Ed. She is repulsed at the thought.
ANNIE
No.
ASH
START IT UP!
ANNIE
NO!
Possessed Ed stands up quickly into frame! The evil
force having re-animated his lifeless body.
377A CLOSE SHOT ASH - OVER POSSESSED ED'S SHOULDER 377A
FLYING PLATFORM
As a hand grabs Ash's throat. Possessed Ed exits
frame, revealing it to be Ash's evil hand on his own
throat. It lifts him into the air.
377B CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET 377B
As they are lifted off the floor.
377C CLOSE SHOT ASH 377C
He pries the evil hand from his throat and falls.
377D ASH/EVIL HAND 377D
As he slams to the floor the evil hand scurries away
in the B.G.
378 OMIT 378
379 OMIT 379
380 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED DUMMY AND ANNIE 380
Annie is screaming in horror. Possessed Ed backhands
her across the face.
381 MED. SHOT - WRITING DESK 381
Annie slams into a desk shattering it to splinters
of wood. She falls to the floor.
382 MED. SHOT - ASH 382
As he grabs the axe.
383 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED - DUMMY 383
As he stands sharply into frame. His mouth
wide open and screaming.
384 MED. SHOT - ASH AND POSSESSED ED 384
Terrified, as he moves toward possessed Ed with the
axe.
385 MED. SHOT - ASH AND POSSESSED ED DUMMY 385
RUBBER AXE
Ash brings the axe down upon Ed's shoulder, knocking
him to the floor. ASH swings the axe again and again.
Different colors of bile and blood fly up into frame as
Ash chops.
385A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 385A
Screaming at the sight.
386 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 386
His axe blade rises and falls as black demon blood
flies up into frame.
387 CLOSE SHOT - LOW ANGLE - FLOOR LEVEL 387
ASH AND ED DUMMY PARTS
Ed's missing portion of his head sits upon the floor.
His eye in extreme C.U. in the foreground. It looks
wildly about into the CAMERA. In the background, we
watch Ash bring down the axe until all is silent.
388 WIDE SHOT 388
Jake slowly stands into the empty frame. He is in shock
from what he has just seen. Annie slowly rises into
frame - shaking her head in a silent "No." Ash slowly
rises into frame, terrified. They are looking down at
the out-of-frame remains of possessed Ed.
388A OMIT 388A
389 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - MITCHELL 389
The moon has grown larger. Fog billows past the cabin.
389P EXT. NIGHT - THE FULL MOON 389P
390 OMIT 390
390A MAIN ROOM NIGHT - ASH, JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ANNIE 390A
Jake sprays a can of air freshener about the room.
He holds his nose. Ash tosses a bloodied sheet,
containing the remains of possessed Ed to the floor.
It lands with a sickening thud. Wiping his face with a
rag, Ash moves off in disgust. We hold on the bundled
sheet as the trap door next to it silently opens.
Henrietta's rotted hand emerges, unnoticed by the others
in the room.
BOBBY JOE
Jake, I can't take no more of this.
Henrietta's rotted hand pulls the bundle of body
parts silently down into the cellar and quietly
closes the trap.
390B MEDIUM SHOT JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 390B
Jake moves to the window and looks out.
JAKE
That's funny.
BOBBY JOE
What?
JAKE
That trail we came in here on...
well, it just ain't there no more.
Like the woods jus' swallowed it.
The room goes quiet. The sound of the wind outside
the cabin has died. Jake and Bobby Joe cock their
heads to this new silence.
391 OMIT 391
392 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 392
She looks about the room, getting scared.
ANNIE
It's so quiet.
Ash stands slowly into frame. He knows that it can't
be good.
393 WIDE SHOT - THE GROUP 393
As they raise their heads to a distant pounding sound.
It grows louder.
BOOM - BOOM!
BOOM - BOOM!
JAKE
What the hell is it?
ASH
Maybe something... Something trying
to force its way into our world.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BANG!
BAM!
393A EYEMO CAMERA/MITCHELL CAMERA - GROUP 393A
The cabin WALL. Bang!
393B THE FRONT DOOR - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393B
393C THE BOARDED WINDOW - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393C
BANG!
393D THE CEILING BEAMS - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393D
BAM!
393E A SECTION OF WALL - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393E
393F A SECTION OF THE TONGUE AND GROOVE FLOOR 393F
EYEMO - MITCHELL - GROUP
BAM!
393G ASH - C.U. 393G
393H JAKE - C.U. 393H
393I ANNIE - C.U. 393I
393J BOBBY JOE - C.U. 393J
394 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 394
Bobby Joe runs to Jake's arms. He clutches her tightly.
395 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 395
Annie runs to Ash. He holds her. The pounding sounds
halt. Again they are left in silence. Annie awkwardly
disengages herself from Ash. They hear a sound coming
from the middle bedroom.
BOBBY JOE
It's in there.
396 MEDIUM SHOT - DOOR TO MIDDLE BEDROOM 396
It is opened a crack.
397 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 397
ASH
We'll all go in together.
JAKE
Hell no, you're the curious one.
398 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 398
He moves toward the door.
ANNIE
I'll go with you.
Ash nods to Annie in a show of thanks. He grabs the
axe, and pushes open the door to the middle bedroom.
Annie follows with the flickering oil lantern.
399 INT. MIDDLE BEDROOM - NIGHT 399
The door to the main room creaks open. Ash and Annie
cautiously enter. They look about the place.
400 ASH'S POV - MIDDLE BEDROOM - NIGHT 400
As the CAMERA PANS the shadowed corners of the room.
401 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 401
An eerie whistling wind is heard. It has an other
worldly sound, very far off.
401A MEDIUM SHOT - DOORWAY TO MIDDLE BEDROOM 401A
Bobby Joe and Jake enter the room, drawn by the sound.
401B CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE 401B
She looks about, frightened.
401C OMIT 401C
401D MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 401D
Jake takes Bobby Joe's hand. Bobby Joe smiles,
frightened.
402 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 402
Waiting.
403 MEDIUM SHOT - PANNING THE DARK ROOM 403
As the eerie whistling sound grows louder. It is
followed by the angry sound of something moving violently
about the room. A shattering of glass.
404 OMIT 404
405 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 405
WOOOOOSH! The group is hit with a tremendous blast of
air. They shiver from the cold.
406 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 406
The wind in the room suddenly stops. He blows out his
breath and watches it vaporize. The screaming face of
Raymond Knowby emerges from the wall. A life like
spirit made of swirling smoke and mist.
RAYMOND
Annie.
406P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 406P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
407 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 407
They turn to the ghost in fear.
408 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 408
Awestruck. Bobby Joe crosses herself.
JAKE
Holy Mother O'Mercy.
409 OMIT 409
410 OMIT 410
411 OMIT 411
412 OMIT 412
413 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GHOST OF RAYMOND 413
RAYMOND
There is a dark spirit here that
wants to destroy you. Your
salvation lies in the pages
from the Book of the Dead.
The ghost of Raymond points to Annie's glass case.
CAMERA PANS to it. Inside are the pages from the Book.
413P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 413P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
414 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 414
Listening.
415 ANGLE - THE GROUP AND THE GHOST OF RAYMOND 415
RAYMOND
Recite the passages. Dispel the evil.
Save my soul... And your own lives.
The ghost of Raymond screams and is gone.
415P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 415P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
416 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 416
Whoosh! Again they are hit with a blast of air.
416A MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 416A
BOBBY JOE
Jake, you squeezing my hand too tight.
JAKE
I ain't got your hand, baby.
BOBBY JOE
Then who...?
Bobby Joe raises her hand into frame, to reveal Ash's
Evil Hand clutched in hers. Bobby Joe goes nuts,
screaming and flailing about trying to throw the hand
from her. She slams into the lantern, knocking it out.
We lose them in the darkness.
JAKE'S VOICE
Somebody get the light!
The sound of chairs being pushed over. The sound of
a door opening and closing.
417 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 417
As he lights the lantern illuminating the room.
CAMERA PANS over to reveal only Jake and Annie.
418 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 418
Looking about.
JAKE
Hey. Bobby Joe's gone!
419 OMIT 419
420 OMIT 420
421 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 421
Screaming, Bobby Joe makes a mad dash away from the
cabin. It diminishes in size behind her, she has had
enough of it.
422 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - DRAGWAY 422
MEDIUM SHOT - BOBBY JOE - TRACKING
As she races through the woods.
423 CLOSER - JONES' CREEK 423
She runs deep into the woods, still looking behind her
as she slams into a twisted oak tree that stops her flat.
An angry face appears on the surface of the tree. Its
gnarled bark folds open to reveal very human like oversized
eyes. A large fold in its bark opens to form a gaping
mouth dripping tree sap saliva.
TREE FACE
BAHHHH!
423A CLOSE SHOT - TREE FACE 423A
424 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE - (REVERSE ACTION) 424
JONES' CREEK
Screaming as she backs away from this living tree as
a flurry of snake like vines pick themselves up off of
the ground and come to life about her.
425 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE'S LEGS - (REVERSE ACTION) 425
JONES' CREEK
Two living vines wind their way toward her legs and
coil around her ankles tightly.
426 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE - JONES' CREEK - 4 RIPS 426
She lets out a short shrill scream, as her shirt
is torn away from her.
427 MED. SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 427
Living vines wind around Bobby Joe's torso and breasts
in a furious wrapping motion.
428 CLOSE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 428
A living vine wraps around her throat.
429 CLOSE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 429
Tiny vines wrap around Bobby Joe's hand and fingers.
429A EXT. JONES CREEK - NIGHT 429A
SHOTS OF VINES COMING TOWARDS CAMERA
430 MED. SHOT - RIGGING - STUNT 430
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
Bobby Joe, wrapped in vines, is reeled backwards and
ripped through a wall of branches.
431 MED. SHOT - PANNING - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT 431
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
At a great speed, Bobby Joe is pulled away from the
cabin and towards the forest by the vines.
432 BOBBY JOE'S POV - OVER HER LEGS - RIGGING EFFECT 432
STUNT - UNDERCRANKED - REVERSE ACTION - DRAGWAY
As the vines rocket her on a speeding FAST MOTION
joyride along the forest floor.
433 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE'S FACE 433
RIGGING EFX - DRAGWAY
As she drags along the forest flctor, the smaller vines
force their way into Bobby Joe's nose and mouth and
then under the first layer of her facial skin.
433A TRACKING SHOT - DRAGWAY - DUMMY AND STUNT 433A
She is pulled along the ground and down into a
foxhole (dummy). Camera continues tracking along
her original trajectory until we come to the second
foxhole where she emerges, now covered in mud, and
screaming.
433B ANGLE - DUMMY - JONES' CREEK 433B
Bobby Joe rips through spikes extending from a log
and is dragged through two mud puddles. The vines
wisk her away.
434 EXT. SWAMP - NIGHT 434
PANNING SHOT - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT
She hits a swamp with a giant splash, but even this
does not stop her.
435 LONG SHOT - SWAMP 435
ROOSTERTAIL WATER SPRAY EFX - STUNT
She glides across the surface of the swamp with a great
roostertail spray of water, as if she were on water skis.
436 ANGLE - RIGGING EFX - STUNT - SWAMP 436
She hits the other side of the swamp and is rocketed out
of the water and across the forest floor.
437 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - JONES' CREEK - DUMMY 437
STATIC CAMERA - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT - UNDERCRANKED
Bobby Joe comes roaring towards us, screaming. She
rips past.
438 STATIC CAMERA - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT 438
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
From BEHIND CAMERA Bobby Joe appears and goes racing
into the distance.
439 BOBBY JOE'S POV - OVER HER LEGS - DRAGWAY 439
RIGGING EFFECT - UNDERCRANKED - STUNT
Darting in and around trees, a major stump is coming
right for her. Bobby Joe's legs spread wide. The
tree stump races closer. Bobby Joe SCREAMS . . . her
last.
439A TREE STUMP'S POV - BOBBY JOE APPROACHES 439A
UNDERCRANKED
439B BOBBY JOE'S LEGS - STUMP - DRAGWAY 439B
STOP MOTION - REVERSE ACTION
Girl meets stump.
440 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - OVERCRANKED 440
LOW SHOT - LOOKING UPWARD PAST THE STUMP -
BLOOD GEYSER EFX
We hear the RIP! And watch as a geyser of blood floods
up into the night sky.
441 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - OVERCRANKED 441
CLOSE SHOT - GLASS CASE CONTAINING PAGES FROM BOOK OF
THE DEAD
It falls away from the CAMERA and shatters on the table
beneath us.
442 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 442
As their hands scramble at removing the pages from the
bits of broken glass.
443 MED. SHOT - JAKE IN FG - ASH AND ANNIE IN BG 443
Jake is looking out the boarded window of the cabin,
searching for some sign of Bobby Joe.
444 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 444
JAKE'S POV - THE DARK WOODS - WINDOW FRAME
All is silent as fog rushes in and around the woods.
JAKE
Where the hell is she?
445 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 445
MED. SHOT - JAKE AND ASH AND ANNIE
Jake turns to Ash.
JAKE
We gotta go out there and find
her!
ASH
If she went out in those woods,
she's not coming back.
Jake turns back to the window. Ash turns to Annie.
He glances down at the pages that Annie is looking over.
445A ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT - PAGES AND ANNIE 445A
One of the pages is a clear pictorial of Ash as the
"Hero from the Sky."
445B ASH AND ANNIE 445B
Ash shudders.
ANNIE
What is it?
ASH
Felt like someone just walked over my
grave. It's that picture.
Annie looks to it.
445C CLOSE SHOT - PAGE OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD 445C
CONTAINING ASH'S "HERO FROM THE SKY" ILLUSTRATION.
445D ANNIE AND ASH 445D
ANNIE
In 1300 AD. This was the "Hero from
the Sky," who was prophesized to destroy
this Evil.
ASH
He didn't do a very good job.
What about the passages?
446 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 446
As she quickly gives the pages a cursory glance.
ANNIE
Here it is. Two passages.
For the first time, she smiles at Ash.
ANNIE
We've got it!
446A - 446H OMIT 446A - 446H
447 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 447
Finally seeing his salvation, his face shows hope.
447A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 447A
Annie reads through the pages.
ANNIE
Recitation of the first passage will
make this "Dark Spirit" manifest itself
in the flesh.
ASH
Why the hell would we want to do that?
Annie thumbs through one or two of the other pages.
ANNIE
Recitation of the second passage creates
a kind of rift in time and space, and
the physical manifestation of this spirit
can be forced back through this rift...
to an earlier time and place. At least
that's the best translation I can ....
CLICKITY CLICK
448 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 448
Annie and Ash look up to the source of the sound.
449 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE 449
He has just snapped a shell into the firing chamber of
the shotgun. He points it at Ash and Annie.
JAKE
I'm runnin' the show now.
450 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 450
Standing together, confused.
450A CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 450A
JAKE
We're goin' outside into those woods
to look for Bobby Joe, an' once we
find her, we're gettin' the hell
outta here.
ASH
If you want to look for her,
go ahead.
JAKE
You two comin' with me. I ain't goin'
out there alone.
ASH
NO, YOU IDIOT. You'll kill us all.
She's dead by now. With these pages
we can...
Jake grabs the pages from Annie's hand.
JAKE
Those pages don't mean shit.
Jake kicks the pages down into the cellar. Ash and
Annie look on in horror.
JAKE
'Sides. Now you ain't got no, choice.
Jake pushes at Ash with the barrel of the shotgun.
JAKE
Now move!
Ash hesitates.
JAKE
Move you son of a bitch!
451 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 451
Ash, Annie and Jake exit the cabin.
452 EXT. FRONT PORCH OF CABIN - NIGHT 452
TRACKING BACKWARD
Ash, Annie and Jake walk towards the woods. In the
FG is Ash. He looks off past the CAMERA in fear.
453 ASH'S POV - WOODS - NIGHT ROD PUPPETS - STUDIO 453
As he approaches a line of trees whose branches bend
and sway with a threatening motion.
453A EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING BACKWARD 453A
ASH, JAKE, AND ANNIE
ASH
No trail. Which way do you
intend to go?
453B CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 453B
Looking confused and frightened. He calls out
desperately.
JAKE
Bobby Joe!
453C EXT. WOODS NIGHT - POV EVIL FORCE 453C
As it glides through the woods. We hear a muted
shout from Jake.
JAKE (O.S.)
Bobby Joe, where are you girl?
And the POV of the force suddenly swings about to
reveal Jake, Ash, and Annie not to far away.
453D EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - ASH 453D
As he moves deeper into the woods.
453E EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - ANNIE 453E
As she searches the woods with her eyes in fear.
453F EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - JAKE 453F
As scared as the rest of them, but driven to find
Bobby Joe.
453G POV EVIL FORCE - EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 453G
As it approaches the group.
453H EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - FOAM SHOTGUN STOCK 453H
JAKE, ASH, AND ANNIE
JAKE
Bobby Joe! Bobby Joe!
Ash approaches Jake.
ASH
You'll get us all killed.
JAKE
Shaddup!
Jake slams Ash across the face with the stock of
the shotgun. Ash plummets to the ground. Annie
screams! She goes after Jake. Jake slugs her and
she falls to the ground.
453I EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - JAKE, ASH, AND ANNIE 453I
POV - EVIL FORCE
It draws closer.
453J EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - JAKE - CLOSE SHOT 453J
Raging to the night!
JAKE
Bobby Joe!
453K EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 453K
POV of Evil Force racing up to the group.
453L EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 453L
Jake halts his screaming. He listens in the silence
as possessed Ash juts up into the frame! His eyes
are bone white, his flesh, the pale color of the dead.
His lips, black. He bellows to the night!
454 - 473 OMIT 454-473
474 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 474
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
She screams and stumbles backwards, towards the cabin.
475 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - CRANE 475
MEDIUM SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - JAKE DUMMY - FLYING RIG
Possessed Ash lifts Jake up above his head and throws
him into a large tree. It explodes in a blast of
sawdust as the dummy slams into it.
476 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 476
MEDIUM SHOT
Annie dashes inside and turns to look out the open
doorway.
477 EXT. CABIN - ANNIE'S POV - THRU THE OPEN DOORWAY 477
All is quiet outside, no sign of Possessed Ash or
Jake, and then Possessed Ash is there, emerging from
the darkness suddenly. He raises his finger and
points to Annie. He speaks in the low garbled voice
of a demon:
POSSESSED ASH
JOIN US!
478 INT. CABIN - MED. SHOT - ANNIE 478
She rushes to the door, hoping to get there before
Possessed Ash.
479 MED. SHOT - ANNIE AND POSSESSED ASH 479
She slams the front door shut just in time.
480 MED. SHOT - ANNIE - WRITING DESK 480
She picks up the Kandarian Dagger. CREAK - SNAP!
A sound coming from somewhere in the rear of the
cabin. She turns toward the door to the hallway.
481 - 486 OMIT 481 - 486
487 ANNIE'S POV - THE DOOR TO THE HALLWAY 487
It is closed.
488 OMIT 488
489 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 489
She moves to investigate the sound. As she approaches
the rear door to the hall and slowly opens it.
489A ANNIE'S POV 489A
As the door to the hallway is pulled open, revealing
... only the empty hallway.
489B INT. CABIN HALLWAY - NIGHT 489B
ANNIE
She breathes a sigh of relief.
490 ANNIE'S POV 490
As she moves down the hall. It is dark. Curtains
flutter on the boarded windows.
491 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 491
As she moves towards the rear of the cabin.
491A INT. HALLWAY/EXT. CABIN - LOCATION - ANNIE'S POV 491A
THE WINDOW AND WOODS BEYOND
We approach the window and look out into the night.
Fog billows through the trees, and in the distance
the monster that is Ash emerges. He heads toward the
cabin and disappears in a bank of fog.
491B INT. HALLWAY (STUDIO) 491B
Annie is frightened. She spins her head to a sound.
492 ANNIE'S POV - THE REAR DOOR OF THE CABIN 492
Creak! The doorknob is turning. Something is trying
to get in.
493 ANNIE - MED. SHOT 493
She forces her back to the wall. She tenses with the
dagger, ready to slay whatever should enter.
494 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 494
She waits.
495 CLOSE SHOT - THE KANDARIAN DAGGER 495
Gripped tightly in Annie's sweating hands.
496 CLOSE SHOT - DOORKNOB 496
Rattling violently now. And suddenly it opens.
497 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE'S HANDS 497
As they swing the dagger.
498 CLOSE SHOT 498
As the dagger imbeds in the intruder's chest. CAMERA
PANS UP quickly to reveal a gasping Jake.
499 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND ANNIE 499
Jake falls to the ground, half in and out of the doorway.
He is still alive.
500 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 500
As she backs away in horror, clutching at her head.
ANNIE
No!
She backs to a partially boarded window.
501 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 501
Possessed Ash juts up into frame in the window behind
her. Annie screams and runs toward the open back door.
Possessed Ash spots the open door through the window
and begins to move around the side of the house.
502 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 502
As she goes to slam the door.
503 MED. SHOT - JAKE 503
As he lies moaning in the doorway, the door slams upon
him.
504 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 504
As she reaches down and pulls Jake's body out of the
way.
505 EXT. CABIN/REAR - NIGHT 505
POSSESSED ASH
As he moves around the side of the cabin, tearing apart
a trellis that stands in his path, and three hanging
flowerpots as he approaches the open door.
506 INT. CABIN BACK HALLWAY - NIGHT 506
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
Again she tries to slam the door.
507 MED. SHOT - JAKE'S DUMMY ANKLE 507
Which lies in the door's path, preventing it from closing.
508 EXT. CABIN/REAR - NIGHT 508
OVER POSSESSED ASH'S SHOULDER
As he approaches the back door. He grabs the screen door
and tears it loose with a single motion.
509 INT. CABIN REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 509
ANNIE
As she pulls Jake's ankle from the door and slams it.
All is again silent.
509A INT. CABIN - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT - ANNIE AND JAKE 509A
Annie kneels down next to a moaning Jake, driving
the dagger in a little deeper by accident. He cries
out in pain.
JAKE
Get the axe. Kill it. Kill it.
Jake moans and dies.
509B CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 509B
As she turns her head to the sound of breaking glass.
509C TRACKING SHOT - ANNIE - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 509C
As she cautiously approaches the main room.
509D ANNIE'S POV - REAR HALLWAY/MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 509D
As she moves towards the main room.
509E MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - ANNIE 509E
Annie enters the room. She shudders from the
cold. CAMERA PANS with her glance to broken glass
upon the floor, and over to reveal the bashed out
window and the curtains fluttering in the wind.
509F MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 509F
Petrified. Looking about. Knowing that the
monster Ash may be lurking close.
509G WIDE SHOT - ANNIE 509G
As she moves about the main room, picking up the axe.
With her back toward us she doesn't notice Ash's hand
appear suddenly in the foreground atop the writing desk.
She turns suddenly towards camera.
509H OVER ANNIE'S SHOULDER 509H
Ash's evil hand sits upon the table. It scampers off.
Annie turns and comes face to face with Possessed Ash!
He bellows at her and grabs her as she shrieks bloody
murder!
510 OMIT 510
511 OMIT 511
512 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 512
WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH AND ANNIE - DUMMY
He picks her up and swings her across the room, into
the wall. She slumps to the floor unconscious.
513 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 513
As he lumbers toward her.
514 ASH'S POV - STAR FILTER - MIRROR NECKLACE 514
As he moves closer to her unmoving body. A glitter of
light on the floor, next to her, catches his eye.
515 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 515
For the first time, calm, as he looks intently down at
the floor. He kneels closer.
516 ASH'S POV - (STAR FILTER) 516
The NECKLACE of Linda.
517 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 517
The sight of the necklace strikes the human cord
within him. He is confused, his evil self, battling
for control of his spirit and body. He reaches to
pick it up.
518 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 518
As he slowly picks up the delicate silver necklace.
He raises it to his face;
LINDA (V.O.)
I'll never take it off.
And then it hits him. The emotion of love lost. It
floods the monster that is ASH. He clutches the
necklace tightly to his bestial chest. And as the
Love/waltz theme sweeps up in volume on the sound
track, the monster begins to cry.
519 WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH AND ANNIE - TULIP CRANE 519
Ash raises his head and lets out a low, lamenting, and
pitiful wail. A man trapped in the shell of a beast,
crying for the one he has lost.
520 MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - 50% POSSESSED 520
As he raises his head. Tears stream down from his eyes,
washing away the caked on blood.
521 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH (REVERSE ACTION) 521
BLADDER EFX - 50 - 20% POSSESSED
His face begins to change. His skin loses its white
pallor. His blackened, infected cuts disappear. The
swollen and cracked surface of his face begins to heal.
522 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) - MINIATURE 522
EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - DUMMY HEAD
W/FLUID EYE CHAMBER
Ash's eyes change from white to brown.
523 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 523
As the last tears roll down Ash's face, he is once
again human. Ash looks up suddenly with a start.
524 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 524
EXPLODING FLOOR
As he rolls out of the way a moment before the head of
the axe buries itself in the wooden floor. Splinters
fly.
525 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 525
EXPLODING WALL EFX
Rolls to his feet and stands. He ducks as Annie
enters frame, charging him with axe, screaming.
ASH
No. WAIT!
Annie swings the axe and again Ash ducks. The head of
the axe slams into the plastered wall smashing right
through.
526 CLOSER - ASH AND ANNIE 526
Ash grabs her tightly with his remaining hand.
ASH
Listen to me! I'm all right
now. That thing is gone.
Ash pushes her away. Annie falls to the floor. She
stands.
527 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 527
EXPLODING WALL EFX
Catching his wind for a moment. Then rolls to the
side as the axe again comes at him! SLAM! The head
of the axe slices into the wall only a few inches from
his head.
528 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 528
As he grabs Annie by the face and forces her
backwards.
ASH
GOD DAMN IT! I said I was all
right!!
Annie is nearly choking.
ANNIE
Okay.
Ash releases her gently. She again looks to Ash,
cautiously.
ANNIE
Are you sure?
ASH
You'll be the first to know.
I'm fine.
529 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 529
ANNIE
Yeah, but for how long?
If we're going to beat this thing,
we need those pages.
529A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 529A
As he turns to the trap door.
ASH
Then let's head down into that cellar...
529B CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR 529B
It lies silently against the floor. A rasping
breath can be heard from below.
529C CLOSE SHOT - ASH 529C
He turns from the trap door to Annie.
ASH
...And carve ourselves a witch.
530 EXT. WORKSHED - NIGHT 530
Ash's hand flips open the latch on the shed door.
531 INT. WORKSHED - NIGHT 531
The door is kicked open, revealing the silhouette of
Ash and Annie as they stand in the doorway.
532 WORKSHED SHELF 532
Rats scurry for safety as the shaft of light from the
door hits them.
533 HANGING BULB 533
ASH'S hand pulls on the cord, turning on the light.
534 WORKSHED TABLE 534
Ash's arm sweeping the chains and pieces of wood onto
the floor.
535 OMIT 535
536 OMIT 536
537 OMIT 537
538 THE HOSE CLAMP 538
Is tossed down upon the workshed table.
539 A SECOND HOSECLAMP 539
Is tossed down next to the first.
540 ANNIE'S HANDS 540
Hold down a clamp as ASH'S hand, creates screw sized
holes in it with a battery powered drill.
541 ANNIE'S HANDS 541
Attach the hoseclamps to a piece of red steel.
542 ANNIE'S HANDS 542
Attach the red piece of steel to ASH'S stump, via
the clamps.
543 ANNIE'S HANDS 543
Attach a "V" type hook Around Ash's neck, just above
his bicep.
544 ASH'S HAND 544
Slams down the chainsaw upon the table. It is missing
its side panel. ASH'S arm enters frame and we see that
it is this missing side panel that has been clamped to
his stump.
545 CLOSER SHOT 545
The panel slides into the side of the chainsaw with a
sharp "CLICK".
546 ASH 546
As he bends the chainsaw to his chest.
547 CLOSE SHOT 547
The "T" shaped end of the starter cord falls neatly
into the "V" shaped hook that is strapped around Ash's
neck.
548 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 548
He looks up to Annie, the moment of truth.
549 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 549
Hair tousled over her sweating face, returns his
glance, expectant.
550 WIDE SHOT 550
Ash extends his chainsaw arm, pulling on the starter
cord. The CHAINSAW ROARS to life. With his free arm
Ash raises the shotgun. He lowers the blade of the
chainsaw down upon the barrel. Sparks fly as the saw
cuts through it. The long barrel falls to the floor.
Ash is left with a sawed off shotgun in one hand and a
chainsaw strapped to his other arm.
With a fancy style western flip to the gun Ash saddles
the shotgun in a makeshift holster, strapped
to his back.
The CAMERA SLOWLY TRACKS into Ash's face.
ASH
Groovy.
551 - OMIT 551
551A EXT. CABIN/WORKSHED - NIGHT - INKY PUPPET 551A
In the distance, the tiny figures of Ash and Annie
as they move from the workshed to the cabin. In
the foreground is a large oak tree. A gnarled human-
like face can be made out on the surface of the tree.
It is lit from beneath and slolwly brought up on a
dimmer. A horrible twisted tree face. It suddenly
opens its mouth and breathes in a gust of air with
a terrible wheezing sound, as though in great pain
at being brought to life. It turns sharply towards
the cabin.
552 CLOSE SHOT - DINKY PUPPET 552
Second tree face, brought up on a dimmer, opens its
mouth and loudly draws in air, also in agony.
553 CLOSE SHOT - MOE PUPPET 553
A third tree's twisted face, two human eyes opened wide
on its surface. It breathes, then barks a guttural sound.
554 MED. SHOT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 554
In the foreground is the base of a large oak tree. The
cabin in the distance. A rumbling is heard. Then
suddenly the tree pulls one of its massive roots from
the earth. The tree sets its root down a few feet closer
to the cabin.
555 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 555
WIDE SHOT - TREE PUPPETS
An entire line of trees. All pull their roots free
from the soil and take an awkward and lumbering step
towards the cabin.
556-564 OMIT 556-564
565 INT. MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 565
CLOSE SHOT - THE BLADE OF THE CHAINSAW
Begins cutting through the wood of the trap door.
566 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 566
Tensing with her axe, ready for the beast to spring.
567 CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW BLADE 567
As it completes the second cut in the wood of
the trap door.
568 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 568
As he finishes the slicing job and kicks open the trap
door.
569 LOW ANGLE - ANNIE AND ASH - FROM CELLAR LOOKING UP 569
The broken bits of the trap door fall past the camera,
as they cautiously peer down into the cellar.
570 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 570
ANNIE'S POV
Looking down into the cellar. No sign of Henrietta.
The bottom of the steps disappear into blackness.
ASH
Those pages are down there
somewhere.
571 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 571
MED. SHOT - ASH
He kicks aside the broken trapdoor and slowly descends
into the darkness.
572 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 572
MED. SHOT
Ash arrives at the bottom of the steps.
He looks about the dark corners of the cellar trying
to find some sign of Henrietta or the pages.
573 OMIT 573
574 OMIT 574
575 ASH'S POV 575
Panning the cobwebs and dark stone walls of the cellar.
Half hidden in the shadows we see two of the missing
pages.
575A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 575A
As he moves through the cellar and grabs the pages. He
spots another page somewhat deeper into the cellar.
575B ASH'S POV 575B
A fourth and fifth page lay upon the earthen floor, at
the base of the cellar's rear door.
575C ASH - CLOSE SHOT 575C
Ash moves to pages and gathers them.
Annie's voice calls down.
ANNIE (O.S.)
Did you find her?
576 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 576
ASH
She's playing hard to get...
He pumps the throttle on the buzzing saw.
ASH
... rid of.
Behind Ash, unseen by him, a shadow darts by.
577 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 577
He hears a sound.
577A ASH'S POV - 577A
It is coming from the door to the cellar's rear room.
577B ANGLE - ASH 577B
He reaches for the door and opens it. Revealing
darkness beyond. Ash enters. Again he hears the slight
sound, a gentle ticking.
578 INT. CELLAR - REAR ROOM - NIGHT - ASH'S POV 578
The ticking sound is coming from behind a hanging drape.
579 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 579
He approaches the drape, reaches out his hand and pulls
it back sharply. Revealing an old water heater, ticking
and steaming.
579A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 579A
He breathes a sigh of relief as the half eaten skeleton
torso of Ed falls atop him! Ash screams and steps suddenly
away.
579B ASH'S POV 579B
Ed's skeletal carcass falls to the earthen floor still
wrapped in the bloody sheet.
579C CLOSE SHOT - ASH 579C
Looking on in horror.
ASH
(In a whisper)
She got hungry.
Ash turns from the skeleton and quickly gathers up the
remaining pages from the Book of the Dead. Getting
scared now, he backs into the cellar's front room.
579D INT. CELLAR - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 579D
As he moves towards the steps. He tosses up the
bundle of pages.
579E MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 579E
Peering down into the cellar, she grabs the pages.
579F MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE - MAIN ROOM 579F
She rushes over to the writing desk and begins
translating.
580 INT. CELLAR - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 580
Getting scared now, decides to exit the cellar. He
climbs the steps.
581 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET 581
As they climb. From behind the wooden steps, the
horrible head of Henrietta appears. Her two rotting hands
grab at Ash's ankles.
582 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 582
He looks down with a scream.
583 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA/ASH'S DUMMY FEET 583
HENRIETTA
Come to me. Come to sweet
Henrietta!
Her face pulls back behind the cellar steps. Her
hands pull ASH's feet in after her.
584 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - CAMERA RIG 584
As Ash falls, he slams his jaw down upon the bottom
step.
585 CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW ARM 585
As the spinning blade jams into the step, stalling
the engine.
586 LONG SHOT - ASH DUMMY - AND HENRIETTA'S HANDS 586
(UNDERCRANKED)
In an instant, his entire body is pulled beneath the
steps.
587 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 587
MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE
As she sits at the writing desk, reciting the first
of the passages.
ANNIE
Nos-feratos-allo-memnon-kanda!
She puts aside the pages and glances up suddenly at
the faint sounds of the struggle from the cellar.
588 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 588
LONG SHOT - ASH - CELLAR STEPS (UNDERCRANKED)
Ash's badly mauled body rips through the staircase
with a great force.
589 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 589
As he slams into the earth floor of the cellar. He
moans, and looks towards the steps.
590 ASH'S POV - THE WOODEN STAIRCASE (REVERSE ACTION) 590
As a cackling Henrietta appears where the bottom section
of staircase used to stand.
591 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 591
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
As she races from the writing desk to look down into
the cellar.
592 OVER ANNIE'S SHOULDER - UNDERCRANKED 592
As she kneels down at the trapdoor, about to call down
to Ash when the witchlike figure of Henrietta floats
quickly up into the main room from the cellar. A
flurry of moths about her.
HENRIETTA
Free! Free at last!
593 WIDE SHOT - ANNIE 593
As Annie attempts to move from the trap door. Henrietta
is clutching at Annie's hair and laughing with a demonic
malice, as she spins about the room in mid air.
594 CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR - ANNIE'S FEET 594
Ash's bloodied arm slings itself over the edge of the
trapdoor. He pulls himself up into the main room.
595 MED. SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - 595
HENRIETTA AND ANNIE
Henrietta turns sharply to Ash with a growl.
596 MED. SHOT - ASH 596
He stands and jerks out his chainsaw arm sharply. The
cord is pulled and the engine roars to life!
597 MED. SHOT - HENRIETTA 597
As she leaps through the air toward Ash.
598 HENRIETTA'S POV - RACING AT HIM - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 598
Ash swings his buzzing chainsaw.
599 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S GNARLED HAND 599
As it grabs the body of the chainsaw, halting it in
mid swing.
600 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND HENRIETTA 600
As she keeps the buzzing chainsaw at bay with one hand,
while her other grabs at Ash's throat, strangling him.
600A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 600A
As he is slammed through the window.
600B ASH AND HENRIETTA 600B
Ash kicks her in the stomach. Henrietta is furious.
600C CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED HENRIETTA - MITCHELL CAMERA 600C
STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
She grits her teeth, concentrates, and her neck
begins to grow. She begins to change to Pee Wee Head.
600CP PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 600CP
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
CAMERA PANS UP on "B" wall.
601 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA - MITCHELL CAMERA 601
STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
As the pee wee Head transformation continues, Henrietta's
neck grows, like a jack in the box. It extends
a solid five feet upward, so that her head is now
looking down upon Ash baring its teeth.
601P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - ASH - MITCHELL CAMERA 601P
INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
602 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - TULIP CRANE 602
CAMERA CRANING UP ON HIM
Ash gapes in fear at this monstrosity that looms
above him.
603A INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 603A
POSSESSED HENRIETTA PUPPET - MEDIUM SHOT
Her neck undulating like a snake, she bites and
snaps.
HENRIETTA
I'll swallow your soul, swallow
your soul!
603B ASH - CLOSE SHOT 603B
He reacts.
603C WORKING DUMMY HENRIETTA HEAD ON "FLYING HEAD RIG" 603C
AND ASH
Henrietta swoops at Ash as he keeps her at bay with the
buzzing chainsaw.
603 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 603
STOP MOTION - REAR SCREEN - LOOKING UPWARD AT HENRIETTA'S
HEAD
She opens her mouth impossibly wide, exposing those
nasty rows of jagged shark like teeth. She dive bombs
him.
603P INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - BART-O-FLEX 603P
Plate for previous scene.
604 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD AND ASH 604
As her head springs down into frame and halts suddenly
inches from his face. In the silence we hear the reason:
Annie's voice singing the same melody that her mother
had sung to her earlier from the cellar. For a moment
Henrietta's face loses its evil malice. She is confused
at this sound.
Henrietta halts. She spins her head toward Annie.
605 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 605
As she finishes the melancholy song.
606 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA 606
MAGIC BLADE AND GUIDE TRACK RIG
Still confused, suddenly she shrieks and the chainsaw
comes buzzing through her from behind. The spinning
blade juts out from Henrietta's midsection.
607 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND HENRIETTA 607
BODY PARTS ON WIRES
Body parts (2 arms) fly past the camera on wire.
Ash slices and dices. Henrietta screeches like a wild
banshee.
608 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD AND ANNIE IN B.G. 608
As Pee Wee Head spins toward Ash, furious.
HENRIETTA
Swallow your soul!
609 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 609
Swings his chainsaw arm in a sharp arc.
609A ANGLE - HENRIETTA 609A
Henrietta's head is sliced from her neck with a
chainsaw. Steam pours from her neck.
610 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD - OVERCRANKED 610
As it flies up into frame, sliced from its neck.
610A ASH 610A
As he completes the arc of the chainsaw.
611 CLOSE SHOT - DUMMY HENRIETTA PEE WEE HEAD 611
W/ SMALL SECTION OF NECK
As it hits the floor.
612 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA'S BODY 612
It's neck spouts steam, wagging about like a snake.
Behind her Annie watches as the body topples to
the floor.
613 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 613
He looks down.
614 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD SCREAMING AT HIM: 614
HENRIETTA'S HEAD
Swallow your soul! Swallow your soul!
Ash's foot steps down upon her head, pinning
it to the floor. Her neck still writhing.
615 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 615
He unsaddles his sawed off shotgun from the holster on
his back. He points the barrel at her head point blank.
ASH
Swallow this.
He pulls the trigger. BLAM! Flame barks from the gun.
616 3 CAMERAS - CLOSE SHOT HENRIETTA AND GUN BARREL 616
(OVERCRANKED) GELATIN HEAD - SQUIB
Her head explodes into a million pieces.
617 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 617
Annie is crying. Ash holsters the gun.
ASH
May she rest in pieces.
618 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 618
As they look at each other for a quiet moment of
relief. Ash shuts off the chainsaw. Annie moves
slowly to Ash's arms. He holds her.
619 CLOSER - ASH AND ANNIE - MAIN ROOM - KITCHEN IN B.G. 619
They pull apart and look into each others eyes. Annie
holds the pages. Maybe they can get away after all. A
LOUD BOOMING echoes throughout the cabin! As though the
outside walls of the place were being bombarded by cannon
balls. The kitchen wall behind them buckles.
620 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND "D WALL" 620
SQUIB ON MIRROR
As the B - board of the wall behind Ash falls away
revealing battered logs. The mirror shatters.
621 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND "A" WALL
The wall cracks beneath the terrific force of whatever
is outside hammering upon it.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
622 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE - THE SOFA 622
"B" WALL
CAMERA TRACKS in on them as they look about in fear.
Dust is falling about them. The cabin walls are
starting to break apart. There is a tremendous "Voyage
to the Bottom of the Sea" type jolt to the cabin. Ash
and Annie stagger for footing.
623 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - BOARDED WINDOW 623
Ash grabs ahold of the window frame to brace himself.
623A CLOSE SHOT - VINES - INT. MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 623A
REVERSE ACTION - VINES
Vines wrap about the planks which cover the window.
623B MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - BOARDED WINDOW 623B
Behind him, the planks in the window are ripped
away by finger-like vines. A terrifying tree face
on the surface of a giant oak is revealed, as it peeks
in through the window at them.
624 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 624
She screams.
She turns toward "D Wall" at a loud wrenching sound.
625 MEDIUM SHOT - "D" WALL WINDOW 625
As vines reach in the cabin, tearing away the planks
revealing an even more horrible tree face.
626 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 626
TREE PUPPET
A tree beats its branches furiously upon the EXT. wall
of the cabin. It rips apart the cabin's stone chimney.
627 ANGLE - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 627
TREE PUPPET
A second gnarled tree slams its trunk against the rear
door of the cabin.
628 LONG SHOT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 628
TREE PUPPET
The entire cabin is surrounded by a group of lumbering
oaks. All working to get in at Ash and Annie.
629 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 629
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
Annie runs to the writing desk. She flips through the
missing pages from the Book of the Dead. Dust from the
ceiling drifts down.
ANNIE
(shouting above
the noise)
No! I only completed the first of the
passages. And that was to make
the evil a thing of the flesh!
630 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 630
POV EVIL FORCE
As it roars out of the woods, and towards the distant
cabin faster than we've ever seen it.
631 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 631
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he runs over to Annie.
ASH
You didn't finish it?!
ANNIE
There's still the second passage.
The one to open the rift and
send the evil back.
ASH
Start reciting it. Now!
632 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 632
POV EVIL FORCE
As it rockets towards the cabin doing 80 mph.
633 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 633
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
Shouting to be heard as she continues reading from the
passage:
ANNIE
Tar-tra Kanda-Estra! Hudsucker Proxy
-- Kanda!
634 OMIT 634
634A EXT. CABIN - WOODS - NIGHT 634A
The forest at night. Bubbling smoke appears, then
flame. Through the smoke, the beginnings of a winding
spiral of a cloudlike material.
634AP1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 634AP1
SMOKE AND FLAME - MINIATURE (STUDIO)
634AP2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 634AP2
The rift.
635 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 635
MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE
ANNIE
Aton-Neran-Ofas!
636 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 636
POV EVIL FORCE
As it races right up to the front door of the cabin.
637 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 637
MED. SHOT - ANNIE - WIND FAN
Reading from the passage. Behind her, the front door
rips open and in comes a giant rotten apple head of the
evil entity made flesh. A SHRIEKING, BULBOUS BEHEMOTH!
638 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 638
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN
Ash as he witnesses the most horrible sights a man can
behold. Ash's black hair streaks white before our
eyes. Behind him, two flowers in their pots wither
and die in seconds.
ASH
Finish it!
638P INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 638P
Plate for previous scene, with dying flowers.
639 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 639
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE - WIND FAN
ANNIE
Kanda! Samonda Roba Areda
Gyes Indy En-zeen, Nos-Feratos -
639A CLOSE SHOT 639A
Annie as she gasps.
639B MED. SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (3 SEC.) 639B
Annie as she falls to the floor, dead.
Jutting from her back is the Kandarian dagger and
hanging onto the end of the dagger is Ash's demon
hand.
639 C,D,E, OMIT 639 C,D,E
640 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND WINDOW ON "B" WALL 640
ASH
No!
CRASH!
Behind Ash a living tree branch rips through the cabin
window!
641 MED. SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN - WRAPPING EFX BRANCH 641
Ash turns suddenly to get away. Too late. The living
branch wraps about ASH'S waist and lifts him,
screaming, OUT OF FRAME.
642 MED. SHOT - ASH IN GRIP OF TREE BRANCH - WIND FAN 642
Ash is being lifted toward the gaping mouth of rotten
apple head. Ash is frantically jerking out his arm in
an attempt to start the chainsaw strapped to his wrist.
PUTT, PUTT, PUTT.
It won't start. As the face of rotten apple head
looms close, it opens its terrible mouth, ready to
consume him.
643 CLOSE SHOT - ASH IN GRIP OF GIANT TREE BRANCH 643
From inside the creature's mouth looking out. Ash
is screaming as he is brought towards its gnashing
teeth. PUTT, PUTT, PUTT. His chainsaw still won't
start.
643A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 643A
Half dead as she crawls to the pages on the floor and
gasps out the final sentences.
ANNIE
Nos-feratos - Amen-non. Ak-adeem!
Razin - Arozonia!
643B EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 643B
WIDE SHOT - REVERSE ACTION
The rift grows more powerful.
643BP PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 643BP
The rift.
644 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 644
Sweating and terrified. He draws closer.
645 ASH'S POV 645
The CAMERA tracks in toward the mouth of rotten apple
head. It's massive jaw jutts from the head, biting
and snapping. Sap-like saliva drips from the orifice.
Ash's feet kick at the mouth of rotten apple head,
trying to keep it away. Its jaws snap at his shoes.
645A C.U. - ASH'S FEET - PUSHING AT THE GUMS OF 645A
RAH'S MOUTH.
SNAP! The massive teeth snap together biting Ash's
foot in half.
645B C.U. ASH 645B
He screams, then looks down to his foot.
645C C.U. ASH'S FOOT - (OVERLARGE SHOE) 645C
Missing the leather toe section, he reveals that
he still has his toes intact.
646 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 646
As he sharply jerks his arm outward! The CHAINSAW
ROARS to life! He raises it high above his head and
plunges it forward.
647 WIDE SHOT - ASH AND ROTTEN APPLE HEAD 647
Ash thrusts the spinning chainsaw blade into the single
eye of the beast.
648 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 648
CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW
As it punctures the giant eyeball and then pulls free.
Green sauce spouts from the creature's wound.
649 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 649
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he is doused in the green bile. SPLAT!
650 CLOSE SHOT - ROTTEN APPLE HEAD 650
Eyeless, it screams in anger.
650A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 650A
With her last gasp.
ANNIE
....Kanda!
651 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 651
WIDE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION)
As the rift pulls in fog and trees that surround the
house.
651P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 651P1
SMOKE AND FLAME - MINIATURE (STUDIO)
651P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 651P2
The Rift.
652 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 652
WIDE SHOT
As rotten apple head is sucked out the doorway of the
cabin. The door slams shut behind it. Its scream
echoes off into the distance.
653 OMIT 653
654 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 654
MED. SHOT - ASH
Slices through the bracch.
654A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 654A
Ash and cut branch fall to the floor.
655 MED. SHOT 655
The cabin becomes much more quiet. The sounds of the
trees are gone. Ash looks to Annie. She is dead. Ash
moves to her, strokes her hair and begins to cry.
ASH
You did it. By God you did it.
He lowers his head and begins to heave in sharp
convulsive breaths of despair.
656 - 661 OMIT 656 - 661
662 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 662
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN
Behind Ash the front door RIPS open with a TREMENDOUS
BLAST. The door is sucked down into the rift. All
of the objects in the room are sucked through the open
doorway and down into the rift, including the pages
of the Book of the Dead.
662P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 662P1
662P2 SECOND PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 662P2
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - (STUDIO MINIATURE)
662P3 EXT. PLATE/WOODS 662P3
663 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 663
WIND FAN
Ash grabs ahold of the kitchen window ledge so as not
to be swept outside by the force of the vacuum of the
rift. Objects and papers fly past him.
664 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 664
Upon the kitchen window ledge. The ledge tears free.
665 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 665
As he screams, flying backward, towards the open door.
666 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO/PARTIAL SET/ 666
BLUE SCREEN)
MEDIUM SHOT - WIND FAN - SAM-O-CAM
The open doorway to the cabin. Ash flies towards it
and is snagged from going through by the section of
ledge that he holds.
666P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 666P
666P1 EXT. WOODS - PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 666P1
667 EXT. CABIN FRONT PORCH - NIGHT (STUDIO) 667
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WIRE RIGGING FOR FLYING
His body is horizontal, his feet dangling in air, in the
direction of the rift.
668 CLOSER - 668
Ash as he hangs on for dear life.
Objects continue to fly past on wires.
ASH
For God's sake, how do you
stop it?
669 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 669
BLUE SCREEN
CLOSE SHOT - FLYING RIG
The nails in the section of ledge that Ash holds
TEAR loose and the ledge SNAPS in two. He spins
wildly away from us and towards the rift.
669P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 669P
669P1 EXT. WOODS - PLATE 669P1
670 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUNT) WIRE RIGGING 670
Ash is rocketed through the air, spinning somersaults.
671 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 671
ASH ON FLYING RIG
Ash is sucked down into the swirling rift. Like a
particle that is swallowed by a deep funnel of draining
water. The rift closed behind him.
671P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 671P1
671P2 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 671P2
Plate for previous scene.
672 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 672
ASH ON FLYING RIG
We are now within the vortex. A swirling mass of colors
and clouds. And nightmarish sound effects.
Objects come AT US from the distance and roar past, an
uprooted tree, the grandfather clock with its hands
winding backwards at an incredible rate, Ash spinning
AT US, hand over foot, screaming. The chainsaw still
mounted to his wrist.
672P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE VORTEX 672P
673 INT. STUDIO - (STOP MOTION/BLUE SCREEN) 673
ASH
The vortex is distorting Ash's features as he is
rocketed back through the dark void of time.
673P1 OMIT 673P1
673P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE (STOCK FOOTAGE) 673P2
A wild and rapid pictorial collage of human history
winding back from the present through the centuries
lasting seven seconds.
674 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 674
WIDE SHOT
A hole opens in the air with a sharp CRACKLING SOUND.
Ash is spat from this hole and falls downward through
frame.
674P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 674P
EXT. SKY - DAY
674P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MINIATURE 674P2
SMOKE AND FLAME
675 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 675
MED. SHOT - GROUND - ASH - CAR CRANE - DELTA SHELLS
Plunged to the dust. Debris from the demolished cabin
rains down around him; his shotgun, the 1973 Delta 88
Oldsmobile and the old grandfather clock.
676 ASH'S POV. - THE RIFT IN THE SKY - MITCHELL 676
As it seals shut, leaving only the blue sky and the
sound of tweeting birds. Ash's view of the serene sky
changes abruptly as five steel helmets jut into his
line of sight. Five armor-clad medieval WARRIORS
stand directly over him.
676P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 676P1
676P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MINIATURE 676P2
SMOKE AND FLAME
677 OMIT 677
678 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND WARRIORS 678
As he looks to the warriors above him.
The first warrior raises a bloodstained longsword
and poises it above Ash's head.
WARRIOR #1
Slay the beast!
WARRIOR #2
'Tis a deadite!
All raise their swords ready for the kill.
679 MED. SHOT - THE WARRIORS 679
Halt as they hear a piercing, high-pitched SCREECH.
They turn their heads skyward.
680 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 680
Follows the Warriors' gaze.
681 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 681
(STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN)
MED. SHOT
A "WINGED DEADITE," a female harpy like creature with
the tail of a sea horse and man-sized bat wings,
enabling it to fly. The screaming beast swoops down
towards the warriors and horses. High above, the distant
shapes of other Winged Deadites circle.
681P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 681P
WARRIORS AND HORSES FOR SWOOP SHOT
682 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 682
(STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN)
CLOSE SHOT - WINGED DEADITE
She lets out a screaming banshee laugh, while
swooping down.
682P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 682P
EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DAY
683 WINGED DEADITE'S POV 683
(UNDERCRANKED) - CRANE - WIND FAN
As we swoop down toward the warriors and Ash.
683A OMIT 683A
683AP OMIT 683AP
684 OMIT 684
684P OMIT 684P
685 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 685
MED. SHOT - ASH AND WARRIORS
As he springs to his feet. With a lightning thrust he
reaches behind him.
686 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 686
As he grabs at the gun from its holster. He swings it
around front and pulls the trigger.
687 CLOSE SHOT - GUN BARREL - UNDERCRANKED 687
It discharges flame.
688 CLOSE SHOT - DUMMY HEAD OF DEADITE BLOOD SQUIB 688
OVERCRANKED - STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
It explodes.
688P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL 688P
EXT. KANDAR SKY
689 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 689
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN)
WIDE SHOT - WINGED DEADITE
The beast continues to flap its wings and fly about a
moment before falling to a heap in the dust.
689P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 689P
WARRIORS
690 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 690
CLOSE SHOT - WARRIOR #1
As he looks to Ash.
691 MED. SHOT - WARRIORS 691
They follow his gaze. The CAMERA PANS TO Ash. He stands
alone on a small pile of rubble clutching his smoldering
shotgun. He looks about dazedly. He tries to get his
bearings.
692 WIDE SHOT - WARRIORS 692
They falter. Unsure of how to react to this strange
man, who a moment before was pronounced a Deadite.
From the crowd, the Warrior #1 calls out:
WARRIOR #1
Hail he, who has come from the sky,
to deliver us from the terrors of
the deadites!
WARRIOR #4
Hail!
WARRIOR #5
Hail!
The cry is taken up by all. A line of medieval warriors
bow. Then twenty. Then fifty. All remove their
helmets and kneel silently in the dust.
Somewhere in the distance a DRUM SOUNDS. Ash stands
frozen. Terrified, unsure of where or when he is.
Knowing only for the present, he is alive.
As the wind kicks up blowing dust, Ash strikes a
familiar pose. It is the same image of the "Hero
from the Sky" that we saw earlier in the film. The
strange "jagged edged longsword" is Ash's chainsaw.
The CAMERA PULLS BACK from him as a great medieval castle
rears up INTO FRAME. It is seen to be the castle of
Kandar. The same castle we saw in the beginning of the
film. Now, however, the castle is not a ruin, but brand
new. As the CAMERA continues to pull back from Ash, the
title "EVIL DEAD" appears on the screen acompanied by
the distant ROAR of some dying animal: The SCREEN cuts
to BLACK WITH A THUNDEROUS BOOM.
THE ENDEVIL DEAD II
BY
Sam Raimi
Scott Spiegel
SEVENTH DRAFT - May 5, 1986
FADE IN:
DE LAURENTIIS ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LOGO
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
RENAISSANCE PICTURES LOGO
FADE OUT.
00 BLACKNESS 00
A sound is building. Like a living wind. A
thousand screams in agony.
From the blackness, gusts of smoke pull together
quickly, forming the Main Title against black:
"EVIL DEAD"
Then beneath it, the Roman Numeral "II."
A SLOW ZOOM brings it toward us. And as the screams
reach their sharp crescendo the title zooms through us.
FADE IN:
1 ANGLE - STOP MOTION ANIMATION 1
Whisping smoke against a black background. EERIE
MUSIC. In the distance, through the smoke, a
small object. It fans toward us quickly, filling the
frame. It is an ancient skin covered volume, with
the outline of a human face on it's cover. This is
the Book of the Dead.
NARRATOR
Legend has it, that it was written by
the dark ones: NECRONOMICON EX MORTES;
Roughly translated...The Book of the Dead.
The face on the cover of the book pulls away from its
skin binding and leans toward the camera. EYES
on the book blink open and peer at us. It's mouth
opens and emits a hideous scream. The CAMERA races
into the blackness of the screaming mouth.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
1P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - SMOKE 1P
2 A SPINNING VORTEX - (3 PAINTINGS ON AN ANIMATION 2
STAND) - 12 SEC. PLATE
Spiraling downward.
NARRATOR
To trace the origin of the Book, we
must go back...back...to a day when
spirits ruled the earth.
Wispy shapes of animated ghosts move through this
vortex, coming toward the CAMERA with WAILING and
MOANING and then are gone.
NARRATOR
When the seas ran red with blood.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
2P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - ROD PUPPET GHOSTS 2P
3 STOCK FOOTAGE - (OPTICALLY COLOR SEPARATED) 3
A raging ocean of blood. Great waves rise and swell
as if before a storm.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was this blood that was used to ink
the book.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
4 AN OPEN COPY OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD - ANIMATION 4
STAND - BLUE SCREEN IN BG
Through animation, the blank pages of the Book are
scripted in a strange hieroglyphic by an invisible hand.
Faster and faster the pages turn on the Book as the
blood red ink is scrawled across them. The pages flip
furiously until the Book snaps shut, reveal ing its
gruesome face on the cover.
The book flaps violently away from camera.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
The Book of the Dead was last seen
in 1300 A.D.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
4A OMIT 4A
4AP OMIT 4AP
4B OMIT 4B
4C OMIT 4C
4D OMIT 4D
4P STOCK FOOTAGE - THE RIFT 4P
5 EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DUSK - 4 WARRIORS - 4 HORSES 5
CAMERA panning down to reveal a magnificent newly built
castle of stone. Bright banners fly from its turrets.
An ox grazes nearby. 4 Warriors on horseback in the BG.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was then that the dark spirits
again rose up to battle the living.
The ground in front of the castle begins to split apart.
A red glow and smoke pour from the growing crevice.
Something evil is being unleashed. A strong wind kicks
up blowing sand in a furious rage.
5A EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DUSK 5A
TRACKING SHOT - ASH
Through the blowing silt, a lone figure appears. An
image of power and light. His clothing is ragged,
and he holds what appears to be a jagged toothed
longsword. Two massive columns of stone stand on
either side. CAMERA slowly moves closer, but his face
is still hidden by the darkness and blowing sands.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It is said that a hero came from the
sky. A man who defeated this evi and
buried the Book in the Castle of Kandar.
And there it lay for 700 years...
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
6 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY - RUINS 6
As the raging dust storm clears to reveal the same
castle which we saw earlier, but now, in a ruined state.
It has aged 700 years. The ox is gone. Now only its
petrified skeletal remains stand in a weathered heap.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
...Waiting.
A four wheel drive vehicle roars PAST THE CAMERA and
toward the castle.
7 INT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY - (STUDIO) 7
TRACKING SHOT
The CAMERA slowly tracks in toward the Book of the
Dead as it sits in the darkness of the stone tomb.
Next to it rests the KANDARIAN DAGGER, an ancient
knife, its handle fashioned from the skull of a
weasel. They rest upon a small pedestal covered
with cobwebs. Prominently displayed on the stone wall,
a bas relief of the "Hero from the Sky" holding his
unusual jagged edged weapon.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
And then...
The grinding of rock scraping against rock is heard,
and a large stone is swung open on a secret hinge in
the wall behind the book. Wind sweeps in through the
tomb, along with the blinding light from outside. A
sharply silhouetted figure steps in the newly created
doorway. The figure lights a torch that he holds,
illuminating his face. This is PROFESSOR RAYMOND
KNOWBY. An intelligent, grey bearded man in his late
fifties. He lowers the cloth around his face that had
been protecting him from the sand. He stares at the
Book, awestruck.
Behind him, two other figures appear in the entrance of
the tomb. The first is a large school-marmish woman,
the wife of Raymond Knowby, HENRIETTA. She moves to
Raymond's side and takes his hand. Immediately behind
her is their daughter, ANNIE KNOWBY; twenty-four years
old, strong stance and beautiful. Behind her a
handsome looking man, ED GETLY, enters the tomb. He
moves to Annie's side. They exchange excited glances.
The CAMERA PANS down to the Book.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
8 INT. STUDIO - BLACK 8
MED. SHOT - FOG
Billowing past the camera in front of a black drape.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
9 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 9
LONG SHOT
An old log cabin, built in the valley of a dark forest.
A great wind billows fog about the place.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Professor Raymond Knowby and his wife,
HENRIETTA, brought the book to a small
cabin where they could study it
undisturbed.
10 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 10
Professor Raymond Knowby sits at a writing desk and
transcribes passages from the Book of the Dead. A
small framed photograph of his daughter Annie sits
upon the table. Behind him, HENRIETTA sits knitting in
a rocking chair.
11 CLOSE SHOT - RAYMOND 11
He speaks the phonetic pronunciation of completed
sentences into the microphone of a tape recorder.
RAYMOND
Kanda...Es-trata...Ta-toon...Hazan
sobar...Ear-Grets, Gat, ...Nos-feratos
...Amantos...Kanda!
The sound of RAYMOND reciting the passages is faded
down AS THE CAMERA SLOWLY TRACKS away from RAYMOND and
over to HENRIETTA as she rocks back into the darkness
and forward into the light. As she rocks forward into
the light, she comes into FULL CLOSEUP revealing that her
eyes have changed to a milky white. She continues to
knit.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
12 INT. STUDIO - BLACK 12
MED. SHOT - FOG
Blowing past the camera in front of black drape.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
13 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 13
A dank fruit cellar with shelves of half-rotten
preserves. Raymond has his back to the stone wall.
He is dictating into the tape recorder, sweating and
distraught.
RAYMOND
It has only been a few hours since
I've translated and spoke aloud the first
of the demon resurrection passages from
the Book of the Dead.
The sound of heavy footsteps. Dust drifts down INTO
FRAME. Raymond looks up to the ceiling of the cellar.
It is also the floor to the main room of the cabin.
He watches in horror as Henrietta's silhouette paces the
floor above him. And then, the footsteps halt.
RAYMOND
And now, I fear that my wife has become
host to a Kandarian demon. May God forgive
me for what I have unleashed onto this
earth.
13Y REVERSE ACTION 13Y
The milky eyed possessed figure of HENRIETTA jolts quickly
into the frame, and shrieks in the voice of a demon!
Raymond Knowby screams. He drops the microphone.
13X CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER 13X
As the microphone falls atop it. High pitched feed-
back screams from the speaker.
13A CLOSE SHOT - RAYMOND 13A
Screaming in terror.
13B CLOSER - RAYMOND 13B
His fearful eyes fill the screen as the scream continues.
13C EXTREME C.U. RAYMOND'S EYE 13C
Darting about wildly and the scream continues.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
14 INT. DARK TUNNEL - DAY 14
ROUNDY-ROUNDY - CAMERA MOUNTED ATOP VAN
CAMERA MOVING swiftly down a dark tunnel. A light
at the end growing closer. The SOUND of AIR RUSHING
BY. The Delta 88 Oldsmobile comes ROARING out of
the tunnel with a BLAST of AIR, and the sound of
loud rock and roll music.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was one week later that a group
of college students came to the cabin.
14A EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT 14A
The Delta 88 Oldsmobile parked out front. Fog roars
past the place. We faintly hear waltz music from
within. The silhouette of a woman sweeps by the rear
bedroom window.
14B INT. CABIN - REAR BEDROOM - NIGHT 14B
ASH AND LINDA
LINDA, an attractive college student, is waltzing in
the semi darkness of the bedroom. She wears a "Michigan
State University" sweatshirt. She hums melodically to
the music as she moves. Around her neck is draped a
delicate silver necklace.
14C MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND LINDA 14C
A handsome young man, ASH, is playing the waltz music
on an old wooden piano. Linda dances behind him. Ash
is not a very good pianist, and can only plunk out the
melody with two fingers.
LINDA
Ash, what's that you're playing?
ASH
Our song.
Ash begins to play faster.
14D MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND LINDA 14D
As she picks up the tempo, spinning and laughing,
until finally Ash moves to her, halting her in mid
spin.
14E CLOSE SHOT - LINDA 14E
Out of breath, hair tousled across her eyes, she
stares deeply into Ash's eyes. Her lips, parted,
in a sensual manner.
14F CLOSE SHOT - ASH 14F
He returns her stare, lost in her beauty. He pulls
her close.
LINDA
Ow!
14G SHE PULLS AWAY SUDDENLY 14G
And looks down to the tiny silver necklace that she
wears about her neck.
14H CLOSE SHOT - NECKLACE 14H
In its center is a magnifying glass.
14I MEDIUM SHOT - LINDA AND ASH - TULIP CRANE 14I
She looks from the necklace to Ash.
LINDA
I really love it. I'll never take
it off.
They kiss and now begin to dance together, to the
haunting waltz melody that sweeps up upon the soundtrack.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was in the cabin's cellar that they
found the Professor's tape recorder,
and the Book of the Dead.
14J INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 14J
CAMERA tracks in toward the trap door. It opens by
itself as we move down the steps into the blackness.
15 MEDIUM SHOT - INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 15
The CAMERA pans down from the blackness to Ash who
finds a shotgun, Raymond Knowby's tape recorder,
tapes, the Kandarian dagger and...
16 CLOSE SHOT 16
...the shattered photograph of Annie Knowby and the
Book of the Dead.
17 LONG SHOT - INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM 17
The group of students sit about the fire as they listen
to the tape recorder. Coming from the speaker is the voice
of Raymond Knowby reciting the demon resurrection passage.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(on tape)
Kan Da, Es-trata ta-toon hazan sobar
...Ear-Grets, Gat...
18 MEDIUM SHOT 18
Linda takes Ash's hand. She's frightened. Ash smiles
to comfort her. She nervously fingers the silver locket
she wears about her neck.
19 CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER 19
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(on tape)
...Nos-Feratos...Amantos...Kanda!
20 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 20
The cabin is in the distance. In the foreground the
earth begins to swell, then rips apart as a red glow
emanates from beneath. Something evil is being
unleashed.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
One by one, they fell to the possession
of the dark spirits.
21 OMIT 21
22 EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22
CLOSE SHOT - LINDA
Her eyes pop open. They are bone white. She has fallen
to the possession.
22A EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22A
ASH AND LINDA
Possessed Linda is coming after Ash. Ash back peddles,
stumbles and falls.
22B ANGLE - ASH ON GROUND 22B
As the Shadow of approaching Linda envelops Ash,
he picks up a shovel from the ground.
22C LINDA LEAPS OVER THE CAMERA, TOWARD HIM. 22C
22D LINDA DUMMY 22D
Ash swings the shovel, slicing off Linda's head.
22D1 LINDA'S DUMMY HEAD - ON WIRE 22D1
22E ANGLE 22E
Linda's head rolls down the hillside and disappears into
the darkness.
22F EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22F
ASH AND LINDA
Ash buries Linda's headless body. He jams a crude
wooden burial cross into the earth of the grave. A bolt
of lightning strikes.
22G HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD/CABIN - NIGHT - LONG SHOT - ASH 22G
As he runs from the grave site and toward the cabin.
23 OMIT 23
24 OMIT 24
25 OMIT 25
26 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 26
NARRATOR (V.O)
One man, Ash, destroyed the Book.
Ash enters the cabin. He sees The Book of the Dead
and tosses it onto the flames.
27 CLOSE SHOT - MELTDOWN - MAIN ROOM (STUDIO) 27
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
A possessed demon begins to wither and melt. Flesh
shrinks away from its skull and dissolves to nothing.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
But the evil that had been resurrected
from it, lives on.
28 CLOSE SHOT - BOOK IN FIREPLACE 28
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
The Book of the Dead is burned to cinders. The face
upon the Book screams as it burns.
29 OMIT 29
29A INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - HIGH SHOT 29A
Ash picks himself up from the floor.
29B INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM 29B
Ash stands and clutches the necklace of Linda, in
sorrow for his loss of her.
29C EXT. CABIN - DAWN - LONG SHOT 29C
Ash staggers from the cabin.
FADE OUT.
30 OMIT 30
31 EXT. CABIN - DAWN - RECREATION OF THE 31
FINAL SHOT OF EVIL DEAD I
We are racing forward. We have taken the POV of
an EVIL ENTITY as it glides with dark purpose through
a section of woods. It approaches the rear door of the
cabin. The door is torn violently open. The next door
falls away from us. We approach the front door. SLAM! It
jigsaws in two and we are again outside, now in front of
the cabin. Ash is seen in the distance. He is staggering
away, his back to us as we race at him. He turns suddenly
towards CAMERA and screams.
32 EXT. WOODS - DAWN 32
INTERVOLOMETER STOP MOTION/CRANE - SAM-O-CAM
The final shot of Evil Dead I has a new ending; an
extension. Ash is caught by an invisible grip.
"G" force is distorting Ash's face as he is rocketed
backwards. He is swept hand over foot through the
air. He reaches the edge of the woods and begins
tearing through the branches and smaller trees,
clearing a path with his body. He finally slams into
a large ungiving tree trunk and he is knocked
unconscious.
33 WIDE SHOT - LOOKING UPWARD - ASH - DUMMY - DAWN 33
As he falls from the tree branch and plummets towards
the earth.
34 ASH'S POV - (CRANING DOWNWARD) - UNDERCRANKED - DAWN 34
A puddle of mud below, which rushes up upon us quickly.
35 MED. SHOT - MUD PUDDLE - ASH 35
As his head splashes down into the muddy water.
36 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - DAWN 36
He lifts his face from the mud, and turns toward us.
His eyes have gone white. His skin is now a pale color,
his lips, jet black. He is Possessed. A bright edge of
morning sunlight moves across his face. He turns his
beastly face skyward.
37 EXT. RIDGE - DAY (STUDIO) - MATTE PAINTING 37
LONG SHOT - THE SUN (Miniature)
Rising over a mountain ridge. Sunlight streaming
through a gaping hole in the parting clouds, in
bright shafts. It pours through the trees.
38 MED. SHOT - THE SUN - MATTE PAINTING - MINIATURE 38
Closer on the sun as it looms larger and brighter.
39 CLOSE SHOT - THE SUN - MATTE PAINTING - MINIATURE 39
The frame is filled with the rising sun.
40 EXT. WOODS - DAWN - CLOSE SHOT - ASH - MUD PUDDLE 40
The bright edge of morning sunlight spreading across
his face, he lets loose a demonic death shriek.
41 EXT. WOODS - DAY - (STUDIO) 41
EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FACE (STUDIO)
DUMMY HEAD - LIQUID EYE CHAMBER - MINIATURE
The white in Ash's eyes swirls about, and his pupils
change back to their original brown color.
41A EXT. WOODS - DAWN 41A
Ash, no longer possessed, collapses into the mud puddle,
unconscious.
41B EXT. WOODS - DAY - REVERSE ACTION - FOG - 3 ANGLES 41B
Streams of morning sunlight pierce the darkness of the
woods. We hear the shriek of demons. The sound of
SIZZLING. A great wind blows back fog into the darker
sections of the woods. The scene grows brighter and
the peaceful sounds of morning are faded up.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
42 EXT. WOODS - DAY 42
WIDE SHOT - ASH
As he lies unconscious. Time passes.
43 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - CRANE - UNDERCRANKED 43
His eyes open. They stare blankly up at the sky. Then
fear registers and we CRANE BACK QUICKLY, revealing a
vast area of empty woods around Ash.
44 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 44
He sits up slowly into frame, looking fearfully about.
45 ASH'S POV 45
Panning the battered cabin and sections of the woods.
All is peaceful. The sound of birds tweeting.
46 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 46
ASH (V.O.)
It's gone.
He looks up to the sky.
47 EXT. RIDGE - DAY - (STUDIO) - MATTE PAINTING 47
LONG SHOT - THE SUN - LATE AFTERNOON
Just above the horizon.
ASH
Sun's driven it away...
for now. Gotta get the hell
out of here... before night falls.
48 OMIT 48
49 OMIT 49
50 OMIT 50
51 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 51
As he nods to himself, then suddenly glances up beyond
the CAMERA.
52 EXT. CABIN - DAY - MITCHELL CAMERA 52
ASH'S POV - THE CABIN
A perfectly normal log cabin with one exception;
superimposed over the front of the place is...
52P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - (BLACK STUDIO) 52P
MITCHELL CAMERA
A hideous human skull with living eyeballs that stare
out at us with evil malice. The eyes stare out from
the two dark windows. The dark nose area is the open
doorway, and the rotted teeth of the skull are the
whitewashed stones placed at the foot of the cabin.
Then it fades, leaving only the cabin.
53 EXT. WOODS - DAY - WIND FAN 53
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - MUD PUDDLE
He shudders uncontrollably as he picks himself up from
the mud.
Ash MOVES INTO A CLOSE UP. His eyes shift back and forth
like a trapped animal as he looks about for a means of
escape. He spots something.
54 EXT. CABIN - DAY - ASH'S POV 54
THE DELTA 88 OLDSMOBILE
Parked in front of the cabin.
55 EXT. WOODS - DAY 55
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He shifts his glance from the car to the road.
56 EXT. ROAD - DRIVEWAY TO CABIN - DAY 56
A narrow dirt road cutting through the woods. Then,
the Delta 88 roars down it, and past the CAMERA. It
kicks up dust and gravel.
57 INT. DELTA 88 - DAY 57
(CAR MOUNT)
Ash is driving. He wipes the mud and blood from his
face with a rag. As he pulls the rag away, his face
forms a sudden look of horror as he sees:
58 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY (STUDIO MINIATURE W/BACKDROP) 58
CAR'S POV - TRACKING SHOT - STOP MOTION ANIMATION
A GIANT STEEL HAND LOOMS towards us. It is the twisted
remains of the steel and wood bridge that crossed
a great mountain chasm. A LOUD SCREECH of brakes
is heard on the soundtrack on this cut.
59 EXT. BRIDGE SIDE I - DAY 59
MEDIUM SHOT - DELTA 88 - PARTIAL BRIDGE SET
As it pulls to a halt. Ash steps quietly from the car.
He looks at the bridge.
60 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY (STUDIO MINIATURE W/BACKDROP) 60
ASH'S POV - BRIDGE
A sign hangs from the twisted girders. It reads:
"DANGEROUS BRIDGE - 2 TON WEIGHT LIMIT - CROSS AT OWN
RISK." Beyond this we see the twisted remnants of the
former bridge and the rock cliffs far away on the other
side.
60A EXT. BRIDGE SIDE I - DAY - MITCHELL CAMERA 60A
FROM RAVINE, LOOKING UPWARD AT ASH AND DELTA
(5 FRAMINGS)
Ash gapes at the uncrossable chasm.
60AP TWO CLIFF EDGES - (STUDIO) - MINIATURE 60AP
61 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY 61
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He is stunned at the sight. His only escape, gone.
He looks from the bridge to the West.
62P1 PLATE FOR FOLLOWING SCENE 62P1
ASH'S POV - LONG SHOT - MOUNTAIN RIDGE - INTERVOLOMETER
The sun is now resting on the horizon. Lower than it was
before. It is BLOOD RED, and sets in the course of seven
seconds.
62 INT. STUDIO (BLUE SCREEN) 62
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - PULLING BACK
To reveal Ash as he looks from the sunset, to the ruined
bridge, to the road behind him. He moves in halting
steps, not knowing which way to turn.
Ash opens his mouth, draws in his breath, and just as
he begins to scream, we CUT TO:
62P2 OMIT 62P2
63 EXT. BRIDGE - TWILIGHT - POV OF EVIL FORCE 63
3 CAMERAS - BREAKAWAY TREES
As it rises up from what appears to be the mountain
chasm and reveals the opposite side of the twisted
girders which form the "Giant Hand." It spots Ash
immediately beyond. It moves swiftly towaad him.
Ash looks up, sensing the evil and darts into the
Delta 88. The FORCE moves through the twisted girders,
pushing them away violently and races towaad the car.
The Delta starts up and peels off. The Evil Force
just misses it. The car doesn't have the room to
complete the one hundred and eighty degree turn
necessary to head back down the road the way it
originally came, and is forced into a line of break-
away trees which explode into sawdust as the front of
the Delta 88 rips through them. The car swerves
onto the road, headed back toward the cabin.
64 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT 64
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - CAR MOUNT
As the broken bits of tree slam against his
windshield.
65 CLOSE SHOT - CAR RADIO/TAPE DECK 65
As the channel switches suddenly to the hard rock
song "Journey to the Center of Your Mind" which blares
within the car throughout the chase to follow.
66 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT 66
POV - EVIL FORCE - UNDERCRANKED
As it gives chase to the Delta.
67 TRACKING SHOT - DELTA - DRAGWAY - UNDERCRANKED - ATV 67
Alongside the car as it barrels along the wooded
road.
68 EXT. DRAGWAY - NIGHT 68
TRACKING SHOT - DELTA - UNDERCRANKED - ATV
As he drives this wild course.
69 POV - EVIL FORCE - UNDERCRANKED 69
As it begins to gain on the speeding automobile.
70 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT - UNDERCRANKED 70
OVER ASH'S SHOULDER
Looking through the windshield, as branches beat and
smash themselves against the windshield, obscuring
our vision of the "Road" ahead. Our view suddenly
clears, revealing a large tree that looms directly
ahead.
71 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 71
Swerving the wheel.
72 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 72
ANGLE - DELTA - UNDERCRANKED
It swerves and slams into a rotted tree, stopping
it dead.
73 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT 73
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - UNDERCRANKED
As he is rocketed forward from his seat.
74 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 74
ANGLE - FRONT OF DELTA - DUMMY OF ASH
As Ash comes ripping through the windshield and past
the CAMERA.
74A ASH'S POV 74A
As he approaches the ground with a great velocity.
74B MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 74B
As he slams into the earth with a rain of glass. He
moans and gets to his feet.
75 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 75
POV - EVIL FORCE - BREAKAWAY TREES
As it sweeps down out of the woods, pushing over trees,
and approaches the Delta. Steam pours from the hood of
the car.
76 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 76
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he runs. His face is cut and bleeding.
76A ANGLE - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 76A
As he runs toward the cabin. (Actually he is running
in place in the rear of a camera car that is slowly
backing away from the cabin.) The more he runs, the
farther away from the cabin he gets.
77 POV - EVIL FORCE 77
IMO CAMERA MOUNTED ON LONG POLE AND TRUCK - 3 DELTAS
"RAM-O-CAM"
It approaches the rear of the Delta, rips through the
back window, moves through the car's interior, music
still blasting, and bursts out the remains of the front
windshield. We move through the steam of the radiator
and approach Ash as he runs for the cabin.
78 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 78
As he runs toward the cabin not making much progress
as though caught running in a nightmare. He shakes his
head "No."
78A CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET AS THEY RUN 78A
79 ANGLE - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 79
Now closer to the cabin. (Again, Ash is running in
place in the camera car as it slowly backs away
from the cabin.)
80 POV - EVIL FORCE 80
Now quickly gaining its lost ground. Just a few feet
behind Ash.
81 EXT. CABIN - LOCATION 81
SIDE SHOT - ASH
As he runs up the porch steps to the cabin.
82 EXT./INT. CABIN - LOCATION 82
POV - EVIL FORCE
We race into the cabin, splintering the hall door
which Ash had swung shut. Ash retreats into the
rear hallway, and swings the hallway door shut. We race
right up to the door and it shatters into many pieces
as we glide forward.
83 INT. CABIN - STUDIO - "MAZE SHOT" - FORCE POV 83
Camera moves through the main room and up to the
Hallway door. It shatters in front of us. We close
in on Ash as he races down the hallway. We lose him
as he swings into the back bedroom of the cabin and
slams the door behind him. We rip through this door
and enter the rear bedroom, only to see Ash scrambling
for the door to the middle bedroom, which we approach
and he swings shut in our face. We rip through to
reveal Ash scurrying into the Hallway. We follow him
through the bathroom, the maze, and back out into the
Hallway. We round the corner after him and see that
Ash has led us into the main room, but there is not a
trace of him. We look about for him, but he is gone.
The hallway is bare except for a few dry leaves.
84 INT./EXT. CABIN - LOCATION - POV EVIL FORCE 84
The force begins to pull back with an ever-increasing
speed, out the front door of the cabin, and deep into
the blackness of the woods.
85 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 85
A static shot of the fireplace. All is quiet. Smoke
from the near dead fire wafts up the chimney. We hold
on this for a moment.
85A ANGLE - MIDDLE BEDROOM CLOSET - NIGHT 85A
A static shot of a closet with it's door half open.
The door begins to swing slightly open, revealing
a rack of clothes inside. We hold on this for a
moment.
85B ANGLE - CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT 85B
A writing desk with some papers atop it. They begin
to tremble and finally blow away from the light breeze
that sweeps through the cabin. The CAMERA PANS down
from this desk to reveal a trap door in the floor of
the main room. The trap door to the cellar. It is
raised up on its hinge an inch or so and in that
slight space between the trap door and the floor we
see Ash's eyes, looking cautiously about. He breathes
a sigh of relief.
86 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 86
The cabin in the distance. Fog rolls past.
87-128 OMIT 87-128
128 A,B,C OMIT 128 A,B,C
129-143 OMIT 129-143
143 A-F OMIT 143 A-F
143FP OMIT 143FP
144-149 OMIT 144-149
149A-J OMIT 149A-J
149K EXT. AIRSTRIP - NIGHT - LONGSHOT - ED 149K
Ed Getly stands in the FG and watches as an older
style twin engine cargo plane flies over the camera
and lands.
149L AIRSTRIP - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - PASSENGERS 149L
The airplane rolls to a halt. A man wearing a
jumpsuit ties the airplane off and blocks the wheels
while a redcap opens the hatch and helps out Annie
Knowby. She carries a glass case in her hand as she
moves toward us. Behind her five other passengers
emerge from the Plane. Ed approaches Annie.
ED
Annie!
ANNIE
(smiling at sight of him)
Hi.
They embrace and kiss.
ED
How'd everything go on the expedition?
ANNIE
Terrific. I found the additional pages
from the Book of the Dead.
ED
So you said in the telegram. What
condition are they in?
She holds out the glass case for Ed to look at.
149M CLOSE SHOT - GLASS CASE 149M
Inside are 12 pages from the Book of the Dead.
149N AIRSTRIP - NIGHT 149N
TRACKING SHOT - ED AND ANNIE - THEY CONTINUE WALKING
ED
Haven't aged a day in three thousand years.
ANNIE
Maybe longer.
ED
When do we begin the translations?
ANNIE
Tonight. Is everything all set with my
father?
ED
Should be, but I haven't spoken to him
in a week, what with no phone in that
cabin. Take us about an hour to get there.
They arrive at the parking lot. Two new, sharp looking
cheverolets and Ed's old style cheverolet.
ED
We'll take my car.
Ed opens the car trunk. Behind him a redcap pulls up
a large steamer trunk on a hand dolly. Ed and the redcap
hoist the steamer up into the car's trunk.
ED
Annie, you hinted in your telegram that
your father was on to something with the
first part of his translations. What's
the big mystery? What has he found in
The Book of the Dead?
ANNIE
Maybe nothing. But just possibly...
the doorway to another world?
Annie slams the car trunk.
149O OMIT 149O
150 OMIT 150
151 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - W/ ASH - NIGHT 151
CHEVROLET CAR TRUNK
CAMERA has taken the POV of the evil force as it glides
eerily through the woods, around trees and over rotted
stumps. It moves over a rise revealing a clear view
of the boarded cabin in the distance. It approaches.
It moves to the window, and peering through the cracks
in the boards we see Ash asleep in the rocking chair.
152 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 152
Camera begins on hammer, nails, and planking which
lay upon the cabin floor. Camera pans to window #1.
It is boarded up tight. Camera pans to door. It
is repaired. Camera pans to Ash who sleeps in the
rocking chair in front of another boarded window.
Ash awakens suddenly, sensing something, the
shotgun clutched in his lap. He lifts his head and
turns to a whispering musical sound. Harp like music.
It is coming from the back bedroom of the cabin.
153 MAIN ROOM/MIDDLE ROOM/REAR BEDROOM 153
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he stands and moves cautiously towards the rear
bedroom.
154 ASH'S POV - MIDDLE ROOM AND REAR BEDROOM 154
As he approaches the rear bedroom, the music grows louder.
As he enters the room he halts his gaze on the old wooden
piano.
155 INT. CABIN/REAR BEDROOM - NIGHT 155
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he moves to the piano. The sound is coming from
within. Suddenly, the piano begins to play by itself;
Ash draws back from it. It plays a waltz. Now the
piano music mixing with the harp-like strings. The
radiator next to the piano begins to release bursts of
musical steam, adding a wind section to this strange
orchestra.
156 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 156
As he listens to this haunting version of a waltz melody.
He recognizes the music. It is the same music that Ash
had played earlier, when Linda was dancing.
157 CLOSE SHOT - PIANO AND RADIATOR 157
As steam spouts from the radiator pipes. As the piano
keys depress and release themselves. The melody grows
louder.
158 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 158
As he lowers his head. His horror gives way to sadness.
From his pocket he removes Linda's delicate silver locket
that dangles from the end of a chain. In the locket's
center is a magnifying glass. He stares mournfully into
the glass. BANG! He looks up sharply toward the main
room.
159 OMIT 159
159P1 OMIT 159P1
159P2 OMIT 159P2
159P3 OMIT 159P3
160 OMIT 160
161 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 161
ASH'S POV - SHUTTERS
As they rip open, splintering Ash's reinforcements.
Wind sweeps in through the place as the curtains flutter
wildly. Through the window is a sweeping fog.
162 INT. CABIN MIDDLE ROOM - NIGHT 162
Ash runs through this room and into the main room. He
moves to the window and looks out. Wind blowing on his
face from outside.
163 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 163
ASH'S POV - THE GRAVEYARD
A stark wooden cross marks Linda's lonely grave.
164 OMIT 164
165 OMIT 165
166 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 166
LONG SHOT - CABIN IN DISTANCE - STOP MOTION ANIMATION
The tiny figure of Ash can be seen looking off toward
this hill. In the foreground is a crude burial cross
and a mound of earth. The earth begins to crack and
splinter. The wooden cross caves in and is swallowed
as the headless corpse of Linda pulls itself to its
feet. The HAUNTING WALTZ MELODY sweeps through the
night air.
166P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 166P
ASH IN WINDOW - MITCHELL CAMERA
167 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 167
CLOSE SHOT - THROUGH THE WINDOW - ASH
His eyes, illuminated by a shaft of light, widen in
amazement and horror as...
168 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT (STUDIO) 168
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN) - 3 ANGLES
The WALTZ MELODY fills the sound track, and the rotting
corpse that was Linda begins to dance, bending and
swaying as she sweeps gracefully through the evening
fog. A waltz of the dead.
The style of dance begins to change. It becomes more
primitive. The music changes to a more primal beat.
The dance becomes sexually oriented. Erotic, with
sharp pelvic thrusts and gyrating hip motions.
168P 3 PLATES FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 168P
EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - FOG/WIND FAN
169 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 169
CLOSE SHOT - THRU THE WINDOW - ASH
Lost in the horrific beauty, he turns his head to a
rumbling sound.
170 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - (REVERSE ACTION) 170
ASH'S POV
Linda's DECAPITATED HEAD rolls across the ground and
up the hillside graveyard.
171 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT (STUDIO) 171
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN) LINDA'S HEAD
3 ANGLES
As it leaps through the air and gracefully situates
itself atop Linda's neck, she begins to spin, yet her
head remains in place, never taking her eyes from Ash.
With a sensual twirl and leap, she disappears into the
evening mists.
171P 3 PLATES FOR PRECEDING SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 171P
EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - FOG W/WIND
172 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 172
CLOSE SHOT - THRU WINDOW - ASH
His eyes dart about, trying to catch another glimpse
of Linda through the fog.
173 EXT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 173
ASH'S POV - THRU WINDOW
Linda swings sharply into frame, completing the spin
of her dance immediately in front of Ash as the music
abruptly halts.
LINDA
DANCE WITH ME!
Linda extends her dead arms towards Ash.
174 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 174
He screams as...
175 EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 175
CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S CORPSE (OVERCRANKED)
Linda's head rolls off of her neck and tumbles through
space.
176 INT. BLACK STUDIO - NIGHT 176
LINDA'S HEAD - ON WIRE
As it tumbles through a void of blackness, falling.
177 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 177
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he screams himself awake. CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal
him sitting in the rocking chair. Ash halts his scream,
getting control of himself. He looks to the window that
had blown open.
178 ASH'S POV - THE BOARDED WINDOW 178
Still boarded as though it had never been opened.
179 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 179
Reassuring himself.
ASH
That's all. Just a crummy dr-
Linda's decapitated head falls into frame and lands in
Ash's hands.
180 CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 180
It opens its eyes and looks to Ash.
LINDA'S HEAD
Hello lover, I came from the other
side of your dream to dance with you.
181 CLOSER SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD (BACKWARD MOTION) 181
A four foot long blackened tongue emerges from her mouth
like a lashing serpent.
182 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - (BACKWARD MOTION) 182
The tongue enters Ash's frame and forces itself into
Ash's mouth. Screaming as he clutches at the head of his
former love. The tongue instantly retracts inside her
head.
183 CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 183
As it bites deeply into Ash's right hand, drawing blood.
183A MED SHOT - ASH AND LINDA'S DUMMV HEAD 183A
Ash stands and rushes across the room screaming, as he
tries to rid himself of the head.
183 B-L OMIT 183 B-L
184 OMIT 184
185 OMIT 185
185A OMIT 185A
186 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - ASH AND DUMMY HEAD - LONG SHOT 186
As Ash staggers painfully around the side of the
cabin and towards the work shed; Linda's head still
clamped to his hand.
187 INT. WORK SHED - NIGHT - LINDA DUMMY HEAD - ASH 187
The door to the place is kicked open, revealing Ash
and Linda's head on the end of his hand. It is a room
full of sawdust, chains and power tools. Old bones
hang from the walls.
187A MEDIUM SHOT - INT. WORK SHED - ASH 187A
As he places Linda's head within the vice and
tightens it around her, then withdraws his hand.
LINDA'S HEAD
Even now we have your darling Linda's
soul! She suffers in torment!
187B CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 187B
As it rips away an old tarp revealing the chalk
outline of where a chainsaw once was.
187C CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HEADLESS LINDA BODY 187C
Confused. Wondering what has happened to the
chainsaw. Behind him, the door to the shed bursts
open and in comes the flailing, headless, body of
Linda, charging at Ash with the chainsaw buzzing high
above her head. Ash is screaming.
187D MEDIUM SHOT 187D
Ash grabs a large crowbar and swings it
toward the approaching blade.
187E CLOSE SHOT 187E
The crowbar hits the bottom of the blade with a
shower of sparks, sending the buzzing saw flipping
backward.
187F MEDIUM SHOT - HEADLESS LINDA DUMMY - 3 ANGLES 187F
The blade of the chainsaw swings upward and arcs
back into headless Linda, imbedding itself in her
neck. She goes nuts as the chainsaw bites its way
into her chest cavity. She spins wildly about the
room knocking into shelves as she tries to pull the
blade free. She slams against the wall of the shed,
and slumps to the floor, the chainsaw still buzzing.
187G MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187G
As he is splattered with black bile. He reaches down.
187H MEDIUM SHOT - HEADLESS LINDA 187H
As Ash dislodges the spinning chainsaw from her.
187I MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187I
As he swings the chainsaw around and poises it above
Linda's head.
187J WIDE SHOT - ASH AND LINDA'S HEAD IN VICE 187J
From the chainsaw, fumes of blue amoke. Ash turns
to the head and falters.
187K CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD IN VICE 187K
She is no longer possessed. She looks as she did
earlier in the film. A vision of beAuty. She is
again Linda, the woman Ash loved. Tears roll down from
her eyes.
LINDA
Please Ash, help me. I love
you, please don't hurt me.
187L CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187L
Trying to fight his feelings, he knows what he must
do. He pumps the throttle on the saw.
187M CLOSE SHOT - LINDA 187M
Pleading with him.
LINDA
You promised me we'd always be
together. You swore to me!
187N CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187N
Agonized.
ASH
NO!
187O CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 187O
Once again fully possessed, and speaking in the voice
of the demon. Her eyes again white, her flesh, rotten.
LINDA'S HEAD
YES! YOU LIED TO HER! YOU LIED TO
LINDA! YOUR LOVE WAS A LIE! AND
NOW SHE BURNS IN HELL!
187P EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S DUMMY HEAD 187P
She opens her mouth and emits a jet stream of bile.
187Q CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187Q
As he's drenched in the face. Linda begins to laugh at
him in a wild, high pitched squeal.
He gains control of himself and steadies the saw.
ASH
Eat chainsaw.
He brings down the spinning blade. And moves past
the CAMERA and towards the head. We are left looking
at the wall of the work shed upon which we see the
stark shadow of the ghastly deed. We hear the sound
of spinning steel meeting bone and the screams of a
demon.
187R CLOSE SHOT - LIGHT BULB 187R
As it is splattered with blood.
187S MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187S
Ash stumbles back into frame and falls against the
wall, now lit in crimson. He looks at the off screen
carnage in terror. He begins to shake as though in
shock. He trembles as he looks down at his
hands; they are covered in Linda's blood.
He wipes his hands on his pants and shirt, trying
to rid himself of it, but only succeeds in painting
himself with the stuff. Ash screams a wild scream of
fear and despair. It echoes off into the night.
188 CRANE SHOT - EXT. WORK SHED - NIGHT 188
Ash in a confused state as he staggers from the
work shed and towards the cabin. Again clutching
the chainsaw.
189 INT. CABIN REAR DOORWAY - NIGHT 189
Ash enters through the doorway. He pushes the door
shut behind him and halts. We hear a creaking sound.
It is coming from the main room of the cabin. He
moves in the direction of the sound.
189A ASH'S POV - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 189A
TRACKING SLOWLY FORWARD
Curtains flutter on the partially boarded windows of
the hall. Ash moves slowly past them and towards the
main room ahead. The gentle creaking sound grows
louder. Ash tosses down the saw and picks up the gun.
189B INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 189B
Ash enters from the hallway and turns his head to the
sound.
189C MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - ASH'S POV - THE ROCKING CHAIR 189C
It rocks back and forth with a definitive motion,
halting for a moment at it's pints furthest forward
and backward, as if some invisible thing was sitting
there and rocking.
189D CLOSE SHOT - ASH 189D
He slowly approaches the chair, scared shitless.
189E MEDIUM SHOT - FROM BEHIND THE ROCKING CHAIR 189E
The chair rocks in and out of frame in the foreground
as Ash takes halting steps towards it. Ash gathers
his courage and reaches out his hand to halt the
rocking motion. Slowly his hand approaches the chair.
Just as his hand goes to touch it, the chair abruptly
halts, on its own accord.
190 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 190
In a confused state as he backs away from the chair and
into the wall. He turns and comes face to face with
himself in a hanging framed mirror. He clutches at his
face, trying to reassure himself of his sanity.
ASH
I'm fine... I'm fine...
191 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM/MIRROR ROOM - NIGHT 191
MEDIUM SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - ASH AND REFLECTION
Ash's reflection becomes an independent entity. It
reaches out of the mirror and grabs ahold of Ash by his
throat. The reflection looks like a Mr. Hyde version of
Ash. Sweating and nasty looking.
192 SIDE SHOT - SPLIT SCREEN - ASH AND REFLECTION 192
MITCHELL CAMERA (ASH AS MR. HYDE)
The reflection pulls Ash close and speaks to him in an
intimate whisper.
REFLECTION
I don't think we're "fine". We're
losing it... starting to slip. We
just cut up our girlfriend with a
chainsaw. Does that sound fine?
The reflection tightens its hold on Ash's throat and
begins to strangle him.
192P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 192P
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
ASH - MITCHELL CAMERA
193 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - DOLLY 193
Two hands in the bottom of frame, throttling him.
CAMERA races back to reveal Ash's own hands on his throat.
There is no sign of Ash's evil reflection. Ash has
been strangling himself. He realizes this the same
moment we do. He quickly pulls his hands away, looks at
them incredulously, then to the mirror.
194 OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - INTO MIRROR 194
His reflection is as it should be.
195 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 195
He looks back down to his hands.
196 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 196
CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S RIGHT HAND - DUMMY HAND
INTERVOLOMETER
The bite marks that Linda's teeth have left in the hand
stand out sharply. The wound suddenly blackens and
spiderwebs it's infection across the entire surface of the
hand.
197 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 197
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HAND IN FOREBROUND - MAKE UP BLADDER EFX
The hand quivers and shakes, now out of Ash's control.
The hand has taken a whitish cast. It's veins throb and
pulsate. It is possessed by the evil force. The hand's
fingernails grow inches. The wound oozes black fluid.
Ash is repulsed.
198 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 198
Ash's demon hand makes a lunge at his face which is
countered by his good hand.
199 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 199
He slams the hand to the cabin floor. He screams to
the air:
ASH
You bastards. Give me back my hand.
200 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 200
Wind and fog swirl about the place. Ash's ECHOING
SCREAM is heard above the HOWLING GALE.
ASH (0.S.)
Give me back my hand!!
201 OMIT 201
201A OMIT 201A
201B OMIT 201B
201C OMIT 201C
202 OMIT 202
203 OMIT 203
204 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM/KITCHEN - NIGHT 204
Ash rushes into the kitchen and places his hand in
the sink. He turns on the faucet.
205 INT. CABIN KITCHEN - NIGHT 205
Cool water runs over Ash's burned hand. Ash rests his
head on the kitchen counter and mumbles reassurances to
himself.
ASH
Can't... can't be happening.
206 CLOSE SHOT - THE HAND 206
As the water pours over it. It grabs a plate sitting
in the dishwater and reaches up silently out of the sink.
207 MEDIUM SHOT 207
The plate is shattered over Ash's head. The
hand grabs Ash's hair and mercilessly slams his
head down upon the kitchen counter again and again.
Ash punches himself in the face and is sent reeling
backwards. He smashes into a cupboard where dishes
and plates fall upon him.
208 CLOSE SHOT 208
The hand picks up plates and begins breaking them over
Ash's head. Then a bottle.
209 MEDIUM SHOT 209
Ash is knocked unconscious. The hand continues breaking
objects over his head. Ash lies unmoving, but still
alive.
210 CLOSE SHOT 210
The hand stops as though it senses something. The
CAMERA PANS to a large meat cleaver which lies upon the
wooden floor.
211 MEDIUM SHOT 211
The hand as it independently crawls towards the meat
cleaver. The hand is stopped when it runs out of arm,
now anchored by Ash's unconscious body.
212 CLOSE-SHOT - HAND 212
It digs its nails deep into the floorboards and begins to
pull...
213 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 213
... as he is pulled along the kitchen floor.
214 CLOSE SHOT - HAND - GELETIN HAND 214
As it pulls Ash's unconscious body along after it. The
hand clutches the meat cleaver when a large knife comes
slicing through the demon hand, pinning it to the
floorboards. CAMERA pulls over to reveal a revived Ash.
ASH
Who's laughing now?
214A ANGLE - ASH - COMEDY KNIFE RIG 214A
He reaches over with his good hand and pulls a fire
engine red chainsaw down from the shelf.
He holds the body of the machine between his legs and,
with his good hand, pulls the starter cord. The
CHAINSAW ROARS to life. The CAMERA TRACKS IN to Ash's
sweating face.
ASH
Who's laughing now!?
He lowers the spinning blade of the chainsaw down out
of frame and toward the evil hand. Blood flies up
into frame.
215 OMIT 215
216 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 216
LONG SHOT
We hear the BUZZING of the CHAINSAW as it slices through
bone and then falls silent.
217 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT (SIDE II) 217
CRANE
The CAMERA cranes down as Annie's car approaches from
the distance. It pulls to a halt. Ed and Annie step
from the car.
218 ANNIE'S POV 218
A red tow truck with its orange lights flashing is
parked there. Painted on it's side is "Jake's Gas
N' Go." Jake, a toothless, backwoods, greasemonkey is
setting up flares and wooden roadblocks. Annie and Ed
approach.
ANNIE
Excuse me. This the road to the
Knowby's cabin?
JAKE
Thas' right. But you ain't goin' there.
ANNIE
And why not?
219 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 219
As he reaches in his truck to pull on the headlights.
220 CLOSE SHOT - TRUCK HEADLIGHTS 220
As they snap on.
221 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE, ANNIE, AND ED 221
All stand in the bright glare of the lights as the fog
swirls about them. Annie and Ed gape in frightened
wonder at what they see.
222 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT - (SIDE II) - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 222
THEIR POV - TABLE TOP MODEL GIRDERS
The piercing beams of light illuminate twisted remnants of
the destroyed bridge that leads to the cabin. A road sign,
similar to the one on the other side of the bridge
reads: "Dangerous Bridge - Two Ton Weight Limit".
223 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT - (SIDE II) 223
CLOSE SHOT - ED AND ANNIE
Frightened as they view the wreckage.
ANNIE
What happened?
JAKE
Lady, I ain't never seen nothin' like
it.
ED
Terrific. Now what?
ANNIE
There must be another way in.
Another road or something.
224 JAKE, BOBBY JOE, ANNIE AND ED - TWO CAMERAS 224
BOBBY JOE
Sure ain't no, road.
CAMERA pans over to reveal a brassy southern spitfire
of a woman, Bobby Joe.
BOBBY JOE
Hell you wanna go there for, anyway?
Bobby Joe takes a pinch of chewing tobacco and stuffs
it into her mouth. She doesn't like Annie and her
fancy clothes. She stares at Annie like a cat.
224X MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ED 224X
Annie steps forward. She eyes Bobby Joe.
ANNIE
None of your business.
224Y CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224Y
He feigns surprise and pleasantness.
JAKE
Hey! I just remembered... Yeah,
that's right... There is a trail.
You could follow Bobby Joe and me.
ED
That sounds all right.
JAKE
But, it'll cost ya.
ANNIE
How much?
JAKE
Forty Fi...
224A ANGLE 224A
Jake looks up suddenly at Bobby Joe who gives
a sharp shake of her head.
JAKE
Hundred bucks.
224B CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 224B
ANNIE
Tell you what. You take my bags
you got a deal.
224C CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224C
He glances through the window of Annie's car.
224D JAKE'S POV 224D
The tiny case containing the missing pages of the Book
of the Dead, and a small handbag.
224E CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224E
Looking back to Annie, a big smile on his near
toothless face.
JAKE
Sure!
225 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 225
A hiking trail winds through the woods. Bobby Joe
leads the way with flashlight in hand. She pockets
some bills. She is followed by Annie and Ed who
carry the glass case containing the missing pages
and the handbag. A grunting and sweating Jake brings
up the rear, the large steamer trunk on his back.
He is cursing under his breath.
JAKE
Jesus H. Christ! I thought she
was talkin' 'bout them two goddamn
little pieces!
226 OMIT 226
227 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 227
The wind rushes fog about the place with a fury.
A large moon hangs in the night sky.
228 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 228
CLOSE SHOT - EVIL HAND
No longer attached to Ash's arm, it still writhes about
beneath Ash's foot which pins it to the floor.
229 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - HAND'S POV - EYEMO W/ MOUNT 229
As he grabs the steel wastebasket, dumps out the trash
lowers it quickly over the CAMERA, trapping the hand
within.
230 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 230
With a note of finality, Ash slams down a pile of books
atop the overturned wastecan, to anchor it. The top
book's title reads "Farewell to Arms".
231 FIREPLACE 231
Ash raises a red hot fireplace shovel that had been
resting upon the coals. He grits his teeth.
232 ANGLE 232
Just out of frame, Ash thrusts the glowing shovel against
the stump to cauterize the wound. Red steam hisses up
into frame as Ash screams.
233 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 233
He tosses aside the shovel and douses his smoldering
stump into a vase of fresh flowers.
234 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 234
Unspooling a roll of duct tape.
235 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 235
He tapes the tablecloth into a makeshift bandage
about his wrist. Behind him, the wastebasket
silently slides across the floor.
236 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 236
"CLANG"! He turns to see.
237 CLOSE SHOT - THE WASTEBASKET 237
Upon its side. The Evil Hand is gone.
237A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 237A
He turns to a "pitter patter" sound.
238 OMIT 238
238P OMIT 238P
239 OMIT 239
240 OMIT 240
241 OMIT 241
242 OMIT 242
243 OMIT 243
244 OMIT 244
245 CLOSE SHOT - HAND 245
It scampers across the floorboards headed for a hole
in the wall.
246 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 246
MEDIUM SHOT - ANIMATED HAND (4 SEC.)
Same action as above but covered now through animation.
247 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 247
HAND - POV
Low angle tracking shot approaching the hole in the wall.
248 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND HAND - SQUIB 248
TRACKING WITH HAND, ASH IN BG
He raises the shotgun and FIRES. BLAM! The floor
next to the hand explodes.
249 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN THE WALL - SQUIB - EFX. HAND 249
The hand leaps into the hole as a section of wall next
to it EXPLODES. Blam!
250 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 250
Ash quickly reloads both chambers of the gun.
He tracks the SOUND of the PITTER PATTER as the hand
scampers through the sapace behind the wall like a rat.
251 OMIT 251
252 OMIT 252
253 OMIT 253
254 ASH'S POV - WALL - SQUIB 254
The blasted hole at the bottom of the wall. The hand
appears, still unhurt, waving and taunting at Ash.
255 CLOSE SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (7 SEC.) 255
As it taunts ASH it inadvertently sidesteps into a
rusting mousetrap. SNAP! It springs shut upon the
hand. It screams furiously and shakes violently in
an effort to get free the from trap.
256 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 256
Throws back his head in a gruff bark of laughter.
ASH
Ha!
257 CLOSE SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (7 SEC.) 257
The hand throws the trap from itself and raises its
middle finger to ASH, flipping him the bird.
258 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 258
He raises the gun, revealing his face as the
CAMERA PANS UP with his movement.
259 ASH'S POV - OVER THE GUN BARREL 259
Pointed directly at the hand. But the hand dodges
away from the hole, disappearing again behind the
wall. The gun continues to track the evil hand's
progress through its pitter patter sound.
260 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S EAR 260
The pitter patter ebbs and then peaks in volume.
261 ASH'S POV - OVER THE GUN BARREL - SQUIB 261
Both triggers are squeezed. BLAM! BLAM! A 2nd and
3rd hole are blown in the wall. All is silent.
261A INSERT ASH'S FINGER PULLS THE FIRST, THEN 261A
SECOND TRIGGER
261B INSERT FLAME BELCHES FROM THE GUN TWICE 261B
262 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 262
As he lowers the smoking gun. Wondering if he has hit
the hand or not.
263 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 263
All is silent for a moment, and then a slight trickle
of blood comes dripping from the hole and down the
side of the wall.
264 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 264
For the first time feeling victorious. As Ash continues
to stare at the hole, his expression changes to one of
perplexity.
265 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 265
The trickle of blood has increased to a steady flow,
then, even this volume of blood multiplies. It is
forced out of the wall with a greater and greater
pressure until blood pours from the wall like a fire
hose.
266 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 266
Horrified, he spins his glance to the sound of more
gushing liquid. He is hit in the face with a geyser
of deep red blood.
267 CLOSE SHOT - 2ND AND 3RD HOLES IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 267
The 2nd and 3rd holes in wall also begin to spew blood
in a geyser. The CAMERA PANS over to the 4th of the
holes. This, too, is an eruption of blood. The blood
changes in color to a black fluid, then yellow, then
turquoise.
268 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 268
Screaming as he looks down at his wrist. CAMERA PANS
DOWN to it. The severed wrist begins dribbling blood.
Then in a burst, it too, erupts in a hellish fire hose.
It spouts blood under such great pressure that ASH is
driven against the walls of the cabin because of it.
269 MED. SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 269
We follow him as he slams from one wall into another.
270 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 270
In the midst of his scream, drowning in the blood, it
all suddenly stops. The cabin is again deadly quiet.
ASH, soaked in blood and shivering, waits. For what,
he's not sure.
271 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 271
As he slowly backs away from the walls and sits upon
the three legged chair. It shatters beneath him,
dumping him on his butt.
CREAK!!!
ASH turns sharply to the low sound.
272 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 272
The mounted moose head upon the wall. It is in a
different position. It turns sharply towards ASH and
emits a hideous cackle.
273 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 273
He pulls back in fear, then turns to the sound of more
laughter.
274 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 274
The desk lamp on its steel swivel rises and falls in
synchronization with its wheezing laughter. Ah ha ha
ha ha. Ahhhh ha ha ha ha!
275 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 275
Terrified, he turns to more laughter.
276 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 276
A line of 12 old books upon the shelf flap open and
closed violently as they emit a chorus of sharp laughs.
Ash turns.
276A CLOSE SHOT 276A
Other books upon the floor laugh.
277 MEDIUM SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 277
He turns sharply toward us and breaks into an
uproariously frightening bout of laughter.
278 WIDE SHOT - ASH 278
The wooden door behind Ash comes to life. It
stretches out as though it were elastic with each of
its own low and terrible laughs.
279 WIDE SHOT - MAIN ROOM - TRACKING SHOT 279
RIGGING FOR TRAP DOOR, CABINETS, CLOCK
Ash and everything in it are having the time of their
lives. Ash leads the bunch laughing harder and
harder.
279A MEDIUM SHOT - HAND HELD - FRONT DOOR AND ASH 279A
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The room's laughter suddenly stops. Ash instantly
terrified, grabs up the shotgun and fires into the
door. Blam! Blam!
PAN to the front door.
Two holes are blown into the door. We hear a short
shrill scream and then all is quiet.
280 OMIT 280
281 OMIT 281
282 OMIT 282
282A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 282A
Ash opens the front door. It slowly swings inward
with a creak revealing the empty night.
283 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND JAKE 283
Ash approaches the front porch as Jake enters sharply
into his frame. Jake tackles Ash.
284 MEDIUM SHOT - SHOTGUN 284
As it slides across the floor.
285 MED. SHOT - ASH, JAKE AND ED 285
Ed enters and holds Ash down as Jake slugs him twice.
Ash's fist comes up into frame catching Jake on the
jaw. Jake pulls back his fist and rockets a piledriver
blow to Ash's face, knocking him senseless.
285A C.U. ASH 285A
285B C.U. JAKE 285B
286 MEDIUM SHOT - FRONT DOORWAY - THE GROUP 286
Annie and Bobby Joe enter. Annie is taking off Bobby
Joe's coat. Bobby Joe is wounded from the shotgun blast.
She holds her shoulder where the shell has grazed her.
JAKE
You gonna be alright, honey?
BOBBY JOE
I don't know.
JAKE
You just sit still fer a minute.
287 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE, ED, ANNIE, AND BOBBY JOE 287
As Jake gives Ash a swift kick in the ribs. Ash moans.
Jake turns to Ed, who is badly shaken.
JAKE
You know this son of a bitch?
ED
No. We thought her -
Annie steps forward.
ANNIE
Oh my God. Where are my parents?
Annie sets down the glass case containing the pages
of the Book of the Dead.
288 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 288
As she looks down to the floor.
289 ANNIE'S POV - THE CHAINSAW 289
As it lies in a pool of blood.
290 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 290
Annie runs to Ash's semi-conscious body, grabs his
shirt and violently shakes him.
ANNIE
What the hell did you do to them?
Ed pulls Annie off of Ash. She drops Ash's moaning head
to the floor and backs away from him, sobbing.
291 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE 291
Nursing his sore knuckles, he points with his elbow
to the trap door that leads to the cellar.
JAKE
We'll throw him in there.
292 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND ASH 292
Jake picks up Ash's body and drags him quickly to
the trap door. Half conscious, Ash feebly struggles
with Jake.
JAKE
Crazy buck's gone blood simple.
293 ASH'S POV - HAND HELD 293
As he approaches the trap door almost upside down.
Ed pries it open.
294 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HAND HELD 294
In a dazed state as he is carried to the trap door.
ASH
Wait... I made... a mistake...
JAKE
Damn right, you flat mouthed
son of a bitch.
294A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND JAKE 294A
Jake kicks Ash down into the open trap door.
295 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 295
ASH DUMMY
Looking up at the open trap door as Ash's body falls
through frame.
296 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 296
CLOSE SHOT - CELLAR STEP - ASH'S HEAD
As it slams into the wooden step. His feet tumble over
him as he begins to fall down the staircase.
297 LONG SHOT - ASH - STUNT 297
As he tumbles head over heels down the wooden steps.
298 ASH'S POV 298
Racing down the steps.
299 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 299
As he slams to the dirt floor of the cellar. Hard.
He moans.
300 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 300
LOOKING UP TO THEM FROM CELLAR
Jake, Ed and Bobby Joe.
BOBBY JOE
I hope you rot down there!
301 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 301
MEDIUM SHOT
Ash begins to realize where he is. Growing terror on
his battered face.
ASH
N... No.
302 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 302
ANGLE LOOKING UP
Jake swings the trap door shut with a clanging of chains.
303 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 303
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
The shaft of light from above disappears and he is
encased in the darkness of the cellar.
From above he hears the threading of chains through
eyeloops.
304 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 304
MED. SHOT - JAKE, ANNIE, BOBBY JOE, ED
Jake has just laid Bobby Joe down upon the couch. He
dresses her wound with a towel. Annie tosses down her coat
on the chair at the writing desk.
304A MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 304A
She spots the tape recorder and Kandarian Dagger. She
moves to them.
ANNIE
These are my father's things.
She turns on the tape recorder. High pitched feedback
and the professor's screams come from the speaker.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on Tape)
Last night Henrietta tried to kill me.
ANNIE PROFESSOR KNOWBY
SHHH! Listen! (Voice on tape)
My father's voice. I know now, that my wife has
become host to a kandarian demon.
305 MED. SHOT - JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ED 305
As they turn their heads to the sound of:
306 CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER - TRACKING 306
Still playing, the tapes wind as we hear the wowing and
fluttering voice of Raymond Knowby.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
I cannot bring myself to dismember
my wife, yet I know that I must, to
halt the evil that lives within her.
307 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE - TRACKING IN 307
Horrified.
ANNIE
No.
308 OMIT 308
309 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 309
MED. SHOT - ASH - TRACKING AROUND HIM
As he lays in the center of the cellar's earth floor.
He strains his ears to listen to the tape playing in
the room above.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
It is October 1, 4:33 p.m. Henrietta
is dead. I could not bring myself
to dismember her corpse. But I
buried her.
310 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 310
TRACKING CLOSER
As he listens intently to the tape playing in the room
above.
311 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 311
TRACKING SHOT - TAPE RECORDER
CAMERA SLOWLY MOVING IN on the winding tape.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
I . . . buried her . . . in the
cellar.
312 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 312
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - TRACKING CLOSER
Growing horror on his face as he realizes where he is.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
God help me, I buried her in the
earthen floor of the fruit cellar!
313 OMIT 313
314 OMIT 314
315 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 315
ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT - (STOP MOTION ANIMATION)
Ash's legs in the foreground. Suddenly from the
earthen floor of the fruit cellar a half-rotten human
head juts up! Just the eyes are above the surface of the
dirt. They dart about wildly and halt upon Ash. Worms
crawl from the rotted forehead.
316 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 316
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He screams.
317 MED. SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - MOCK UP OF CELLAR 317
SET
Henrietta's arm rips through the earth and grabs Ash's
leg as he tries to back away. The corpse that was
Henrietta pulls itself from the grave and emits a wail.
She turns her twisted body to face Ash. Moths fly
about her in a flurry.
HENRIETTA
Someone's in my fruit cellar!
Someone with a fresh soul!
318 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 318
MED SHOT. - THE GROUP
All eyes on the trap door.
ED
Somebody's down there with him.
ANNIE
No. Can't be.
319 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 319
MED. SHOT - ASH
He runs up the steps to the trap door and begins
pounding furiously upon it.
320 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 320
ASH
Let me out! Let me out!!!
321 MED. SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) - WIND FAN 321
Henrietta lets out a terrible laugh and approaches the
wooden staircase.
322 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 322
MED. SHOT - THE GROUP
All eyes are on the banging trap door. ASH'S wild
screams are coming from beneath. They look at one
another, not sure of what to do. Jake holds the ring
of keys.
ANNIE
Let him out.
JAKE
It's a trick. I know it.
ANNIE
LET HIM OUT!
323 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 323
WIDE SHOT - ASH
At the top of the steps, pounding on the trap door,
screaming to be let out. HENRIETTA ENTERS the FRAME at
the bottom of the steps. A flutter of moths about
her.
324 WIDE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) 324
Henrietta begins to climb the steps. Two at a time.
HENRIETTA
Come to me. Come to sweet
Henrietta.
325 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 325
MED. SHOT - JAKE
As he tries one key after another.
326 CLOSE SHOT - KEYS 326
As they are forced into the lock.
327 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 327
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
Sweating at the top of the steps, watching as Henrietta
approaches.
ASH
No.
328 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA 328
Extending her rotted and worm infested arm toward him.
HENRIETTA
Yesssssss. You and I. We
shall spend eternity together.
329 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 329
Marie's shadow envelops him. He is petrified.
HENRIETTA
But first I'll swallow your soul !
330 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 330
CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA - (STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR
SCREEN)
With a sharp recoil, then spring, Henrietta makes a
lunge at Ash. Her face contorting, her teeth
lengthening, her mouth opening impossibly wide
as though she were going to swallow his head, and all as
she lunges forward. She changes to "Pee Wee" head.
330P INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT - 35MM KODAKCHROME SLIDE 330P
Plate for previous scene.
331 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 331
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He screams as a set of bloody hands grab his face.
But they are not Henrietta's. He is pulled upward to
the main room of the cabin.
332 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 332
CLOSE SHOT
It is Jake who pulls Ash to safety.
333 WIDE SHOT - MAIN ROOM 333
Jake finishes pulling Ash up from the trapdoor and
onto the floor of the main room. The horrible face of
Pee-Wee head Henrietta pops from the cellar!
334 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ED 334
SCREAMING at the sight of the beast.
ANNIE
For God's sake! That's my mother!
335 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 335
One of Henrietta's rotted hands reach up from the cellar
grabbing Jake.
336 CLOSE SHOT - ED 336
As he moves to help Jake, Henrietta swats at his jaw,
knocking him backward into a picture frame. He shatters it
with his head and slumps to the floor.
337 MED. SHOT - ASH 337
As he moves toward the trapdoor.
338 CLOSE SHOT - (STYROFOAM TRAPDOOR) 338
Ash's foot kicks the trapdoor shut and crushes
Henrietta's Pee-wee head between the door and the
floorboards.
339 MED. SHOT - DUMMY OF HENRIETTA - PEE WEE HEAD 339
Ash leaps down upon the trapdoor, slamming it to pin
Pee-Wee head sideways. The pressure sends her left
eyeball popping from her head, like a cork from a
champagne bottle.
340 CLOSE SHOT - EYEBALL FLYBALL 340
Henrietta's eyeball and trailing optic nerve - mounted
on glass - panning with the eyeball as it sails through
space.
341 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE (REVERSE ACTION) 341
As the eyeball is shot into her screaming mouth.
She begins to gag on it.
342 WIDE SHOT 342
Jake kicks Marie's Pee-Wee head in the face, sending
her back down into the cellar. The trap door shuts.
Ash leaps atop it. The sound of Henrietta falling down
the cellar steps is heard along with the beast's wild
ravings. Ash quickly threads the chains through the
eyeloops.
343 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 343
He snaps the lock shut. Ash is shaking. Jake slowly
moves down into his frame. He is completely terrified.
343A CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER IN F.G. 343A
ASH, JAKE, ANNIE AND BOBBY IN B.G.
The tape recorder continues to play.
RAYMOND KNOWBY (V.O.)
(Voice on tape)
I fear that whatever I have
resurrected from this book, is sure
to come calling for me.
344 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 344
(SHAKI-CAM)
The CAMERA takes the POV of the Evil Force as it
glides through the woods. Over a stump, around the
Oak trees, through a patch of fog, as the cabin comes
into view.
345 OMIT 345
346 MED. SHOT - ANNIE, ASH, JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ED 346
Ash turns to the group, Annie is placing her wet
bandana atop Ed's forehead.
ASH
There's something out there. That...
witch in the cellar is only part of it.
It lives out in those woods. In the Dark.
Something that's come back from the dead.
346A OMIT 346A
346B OMIT 346B
346C OMIT 346C
346D OMIT 346D
347 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE 347
Interrupting Ash.
BOBBY JOE
Jake, let's beat it the hell out
o'here, right now. I gotta get out!
JAKE
Now Bobby, you ain't in no condition.
ASH
Nobody goes out that door. Not till
daylight.
347A THE GROUP 347A
They freeze in their tracks as they hear a gentle voice
which sings a melancholy tune. Annie turns her head
to the sound and the CAMERA PANS TO reveal HENRIETTA whose
head juts in the space between the floorboards and the
trap door. She is no longer possessed. She looks as
she did earlier in the film. She is singing a gentle
song to Annie.
347B CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA 347B
HENRIETTA
Remember that song Annie? I used
to sing it to you when you were a baby.
347C CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 347C
Uncertain of what to do, but wanting to believe.
HENRIETTA
Let me out, dear. It's so cold and dark
in here.
ANNIE
Mother?
HENRIETTA
Unlock these chains. Quickly.
347D MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 347D
Annie starts to follow the instructions, but Ash halts
her gently. He shakes his head. Annie snaps out of
it. She shakes her head and looks to the cellar.
ANNIE
No. No. I don't know what you
are but you're not my mother.
Annie begins to cry.
347E CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR 347E
Henrietta is crying also.
VOICE OF HENRIETTA
How can you say that to me Annie?
ANNIE
No!
VOICE OF HENRIETTA
You were born September 2nd, 1962. I
remember it well because it was
snowing. So strange that it would
be snowing in September.
348 CAMERA TRACKING IN ON ANNIE 348
Confused and tearful, she screams to the others in the
room.
ANNIE
That thing in the cellar is not
my mother!
Ed stands sharply into her frame. His eyes bone white,
his skin, the pale color of the dead. His mouth has
grown over large. His lips are black. He is possessed.
He shrieks. Annie screams and jumps back out of frame.
349 MED. SHOT - ED POSSESSED 349
RIGGING - REVERSE ACTION
He flies up into the air and writhes about as if he
were a human marionette. He lets out a demonic moan
and then begins to laugh.
350 MED. SHOT - BOBBY JOE AND JAKE 350
As they clutch in fear at one another.
351 MED. SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 351
As they look on in horror. Ash steps in front of
Annie as she gapes at this monstrosity that was Ed.
352 CLOSE SHOT - ED POSSESSED 352
RIGGING
As he floats about the room. His laughter suddenly
stops and a second demonic voice comes from his body.
It is female, and wailing in lament.
353 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 353
Watching in horror.
354 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED
RIGGING - UP AND DOWN
The body of Ed turns sharply toward the group, not
really seeing.
ED
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
We are the things that were.
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
And shall be again! HA HA HA HA HA!
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
Spirits of the book.
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
We want what is yours! LIFE!
As he floats about, his head dips and swoons.
ED
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
Dead by dawn!
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
Dead by dawn!
355 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA POSSESSED 355
Sticking her gnarled head from the cellar.
HENRIETTA
Dead by dawn! Dead by dawn!
356 WIDE SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE IN FOREGROUND 356
RIGGING - DOLLY CART
Ed floating, turns his head sharply to Bobby Joe. The
Possessed body of Ed rushes through the air towards
her. He opens his mouth wide open.
357 ED'S POV 357
As he quickly rushes upon a screaming Bobby Joe.
358 CLOSE SHOT - ED AND BOBBY JOE 358
He bites into Bobby Joe's head. With a single motion
he rips out the bulk of the hair from her head with a
terrible RIIIIIIIIP SOUND.
358A MEDIUM SHOT - ED DUMMY 358A
Stands up into frame with a clump of Bobby Joe's hair
in his mouth and swallows it.
359 WIDE SHOT - GROUP 359
Bobby Joe collapses to the ground.
360 MED. SHOT - HENRIETTA POSSESSED 360
As she calls from the cellar.
HENRIETTA
Free me! Unlock these chains!
361 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED 361
He turns to the trap door and moves toward it.
362 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 362
Both horrified. Ash retreats. Annie is shocked as
she watches Ash back into the middle bedroom and
disappear.
363 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 363
ANNIE
Where are you going?! HELP
US!! You filthy COWARD!
364 ANGLE FROM TRAP DOOR - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE 364
Possessed Ed moves toward the trap door. Jake comes up
quickly behind Ed to grab his shoulder.
365 JAKE'S POV - DUMMY OF POSSESSED ED 365
As Jake's hand reaches for the shoulder of possessed Ed.
The head of possessed Ed spins around on its neck so that
it faces Jake.
365A CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ED 365A
ED
(In the voice of a woman)
We see you!
366 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 366
Screaming as Ed's hand enters frame, and snags Jake's
face. He tosses Jake upward.
367 CLOSE SHOT - ED POSSESSED 367
As he tosses Jake upward.
368 HIGH-WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE STUNTMAN 368
REVERSE ACTION - UNDERCRANKED
Jake flies upward towards the ceiling of the cabin.
369 INT. CABIN CEILING - NIGHT (CEILING SET PIECE) 369
MED. SHOT
A prop light bulb "Shining" in its fixture. Jake's
head comes flying up into frame, shattering it, and
slamming into the wood ceiling and then falling back
down again.
370 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 370
MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE STUNT MAN
As Jake slams back down to the floor of the cabin.
371 MED. SHOT - ASH 371
As he reappears in the doorway of the room. Now he
clutches an axe in his single hand.
372 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED 372
As he grabs the chains that secure the trap door ready
to rip them loose. He turns his head to see:
372A OVER POSSESSED ED'S SHOULDER 372A
Ash approaches with the axe.
373 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE AND OFF SCREEN 373
DUMMY OF ED
Ash exits the frame and we are left with Annie and the
stark shadow of possessed Ed which is cast upon the
wall behind her. We watch as the shadow of Ash with the
axe, slices through the top portion of possessed Ed's
head. Annie screams as she is splattered with green
bile.
373A CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ED DUMMY 373A
Missing Ed's right hand portion of his head.
His brain, shriveled like the inside of a pumpkin.
373B POSSESSED ED'S POV - ASH - EYEMO CAMERA AND MOUNT 373B
Ash stands before us, his axe dripping green bile.
Ed's arms flail wildly on either side of the camera,
groping at the air. He slowly falls over and slams
to the floor.
374 OMIT 374
375 OMIT 375
376 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED (FRAMED WITH AND W/O HEAD) 376
Ed's body falls to the floor. It lays quiet for a
moment and then begins to writhe and scream in its
demonic death throes. Finally, he is silent.
377 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE - POSSESSED ED DUMMY 377
Ash turns to her.
ASH
Start up that saw and hand it here!
We're gonna cut him up.
Annie looks to the chainsaw and then to the unmoving body
of Ed. She is repulsed at the thought.
ANNIE
No.
ASH
START IT UP!
ANNIE
NO!
Possessed Ed stands up quickly into frame! The evil
force having re-animated his lifeless body.
377A CLOSE SHOT ASH - OVER POSSESSED ED'S SHOULDER 377A
FLYING PLATFORM
As a hand grabs Ash's throat. Possessed Ed exits
frame, revealing it to be Ash's evil hand on his own
throat. It lifts him into the air.
377B CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET 377B
As they are lifted off the floor.
377C CLOSE SHOT ASH 377C
He pries the evil hand from his throat and falls.
377D ASH/EVIL HAND 377D
As he slams to the floor the evil hand scurries away
in the B.G.
378 OMIT 378
379 OMIT 379
380 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED DUMMY AND ANNIE 380
Annie is screaming in horror. Possessed Ed backhands
her across the face.
381 MED. SHOT - WRITING DESK 381
Annie slams into a desk shattering it to splinters
of wood. She falls to the floor.
382 MED. SHOT - ASH 382
As he grabs the axe.
383 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED - DUMMY 383
As he stands sharply into frame. His mouth
wide open and screaming.
384 MED. SHOT - ASH AND POSSESSED ED 384
Terrified, as he moves toward possessed Ed with the
axe.
385 MED. SHOT - ASH AND POSSESSED ED DUMMY 385
RUBBER AXE
Ash brings the axe down upon Ed's shoulder, knocking
him to the floor. ASH swings the axe again and again.
Different colors of bile and blood fly up into frame as
Ash chops.
385A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 385A
Screaming at the sight.
386 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 386
His axe blade rises and falls as black demon blood
flies up into frame.
387 CLOSE SHOT - LOW ANGLE - FLOOR LEVEL 387
ASH AND ED DUMMY PARTS
Ed's missing portion of his head sits upon the floor.
His eye in extreme C.U. in the foreground. It looks
wildly about into the CAMERA. In the background, we
watch Ash bring down the axe until all is silent.
388 WIDE SHOT 388
Jake slowly stands into the empty frame. He is in shock
from what he has just seen. Annie slowly rises into
frame - shaking her head in a silent "No." Ash slowly
rises into frame, terrified. They are looking down at
the out-of-frame remains of possessed Ed.
388A OMIT 388A
389 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - MITCHELL 389
The moon has grown larger. Fog billows past the cabin.
389P EXT. NIGHT - THE FULL MOON 389P
390 OMIT 390
390A MAIN ROOM NIGHT - ASH, JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ANNIE 390A
Jake sprays a can of air freshener about the room.
He holds his nose. Ash tosses a bloodied sheet,
containing the remains of possessed Ed to the floor.
It lands with a sickening thud. Wiping his face with a
rag, Ash moves off in disgust. We hold on the bundled
sheet as the trap door next to it silently opens.
Henrietta's rotted hand emerges, unnoticed by the others
in the room.
BOBBY JOE
Jake, I can't take no more of this.
Henrietta's rotted hand pulls the bundle of body
parts silently down into the cellar and quietly
closes the trap.
390B MEDIUM SHOT JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 390B
Jake moves to the window and looks out.
JAKE
That's funny.
BOBBY JOE
What?
JAKE
That trail we came in here on...
well, it just ain't there no more.
Like the woods jus' swallowed it.
The room goes quiet. The sound of the wind outside
the cabin has died. Jake and Bobby Joe cock their
heads to this new silence.
391 OMIT 391
392 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 392
She looks about the room, getting scared.
ANNIE
It's so quiet.
Ash stands slowly into frame. He knows that it can't
be good.
393 WIDE SHOT - THE GROUP 393
As they raise their heads to a distant pounding sound.
It grows louder.
BOOM - BOOM!
BOOM - BOOM!
JAKE
What the hell is it?
ASH
Maybe something... Something trying
to force its way into our world.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BANG!
BAM!
393A EYEMO CAMERA/MITCHELL CAMERA - GROUP 393A
The cabin WALL. Bang!
393B THE FRONT DOOR - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393B
393C THE BOARDED WINDOW - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393C
BANG!
393D THE CEILING BEAMS - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393D
BAM!
393E A SECTION OF WALL - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393E
393F A SECTION OF THE TONGUE AND GROOVE FLOOR 393F
EYEMO - MITCHELL - GROUP
BAM!
393G ASH - C.U. 393G
393H JAKE - C.U. 393H
393I ANNIE - C.U. 393I
393J BOBBY JOE - C.U. 393J
394 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 394
Bobby Joe runs to Jake's arms. He clutches her tightly.
395 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 395
Annie runs to Ash. He holds her. The pounding sounds
halt. Again they are left in silence. Annie awkwardly
disengages herself from Ash. They hear a sound coming
from the middle bedroom.
BOBBY JOE
It's in there.
396 MEDIUM SHOT - DOOR TO MIDDLE BEDROOM 396
It is opened a crack.
397 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 397
ASH
We'll all go in together.
JAKE
Hell no, you're the curious one.
398 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 398
He moves toward the door.
ANNIE
I'll go with you.
Ash nods to Annie in a show of thanks. He grabs the
axe, and pushes open the door to the middle bedroom.
Annie follows with the flickering oil lantern.
399 INT. MIDDLE BEDROOM - NIGHT 399
The door to the main room creaks open. Ash and Annie
cautiously enter. They look about the place.
400 ASH'S POV - MIDDLE BEDROOM - NIGHT 400
As the CAMERA PANS the shadowed corners of the room.
401 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 401
An eerie whistling wind is heard. It has an other
worldly sound, very far off.
401A MEDIUM SHOT - DOORWAY TO MIDDLE BEDROOM 401A
Bobby Joe and Jake enter the room, drawn by the sound.
401B CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE 401B
She looks about, frightened.
401C OMIT 401C
401D MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 401D
Jake takes Bobby Joe's hand. Bobby Joe smiles,
frightened.
402 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 402
Waiting.
403 MEDIUM SHOT - PANNING THE DARK ROOM 403
As the eerie whistling sound grows louder. It is
followed by the angry sound of something moving violently
about the room. A shattering of glass.
404 OMIT 404
405 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 405
WOOOOOSH! The group is hit with a tremendous blast of
air. They shiver from the cold.
406 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 406
The wind in the room suddenly stops. He blows out his
breath and watches it vaporize. The screaming face of
Raymond Knowby emerges from the wall. A life like
spirit made of swirling smoke and mist.
RAYMOND
Annie.
406P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 406P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
407 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 407
They turn to the ghost in fear.
408 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 408
Awestruck. Bobby Joe crosses herself.
JAKE
Holy Mother O'Mercy.
409 OMIT 409
410 OMIT 410
411 OMIT 411
412 OMIT 412
413 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GHOST OF RAYMOND 413
RAYMOND
There is a dark spirit here that
wants to destroy you. Your
salvation lies in the pages
from the Book of the Dead.
The ghost of Raymond points to Annie's glass case.
CAMERA PANS to it. Inside are the pages from the Book.
413P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 413P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
414 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 414
Listening.
415 ANGLE - THE GROUP AND THE GHOST OF RAYMOND 415
RAYMOND
Recite the passages. Dispel the evil.
Save my soul... And your own lives.
The ghost of Raymond screams and is gone.
415P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 415P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
416 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 416
Whoosh! Again they are hit with a blast of air.
416A MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 416A
BOBBY JOE
Jake, you squeezing my hand too tight.
JAKE
I ain't got your hand, baby.
BOBBY JOE
Then who...?
Bobby Joe raises her hand into frame, to reveal Ash's
Evil Hand clutched in hers. Bobby Joe goes nuts,
screaming and flailing about trying to throw the hand
from her. She slams into the lantern, knocking it out.
We lose them in the darkness.
JAKE'S VOICE
Somebody get the light!
The sound of chairs being pushed over. The sound of
a door opening and closing.
417 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 417
As he lights the lantern illuminating the room.
CAMERA PANS over to reveal only Jake and Annie.
418 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 418
Looking about.
JAKE
Hey. Bobby Joe's gone!
419 OMIT 419
420 OMIT 420
421 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 421
Screaming, Bobby Joe makes a mad dash away from the
cabin. It diminishes in size behind her, she has had
enough of it.
422 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - DRAGWAY 422
MEDIUM SHOT - BOBBY JOE - TRACKING
As she races through the woods.
423 CLOSER - JONES' CREEK 423
She runs deep into the woods, still looking behind her
as she slams into a twisted oak tree that stops her flat.
An angry face appears on the surface of the tree. Its
gnarled bark folds open to reveal very human like oversized
eyes. A large fold in its bark opens to form a gaping
mouth dripping tree sap saliva.
TREE FACE
BAHHHH!
423A CLOSE SHOT - TREE FACE 423A
424 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE - (REVERSE ACTION) 424
JONES' CREEK
Screaming as she backs away from this living tree as
a flurry of snake like vines pick themselves up off of
the ground and come to life about her.
425 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE'S LEGS - (REVERSE ACTION) 425
JONES' CREEK
Two living vines wind their way toward her legs and
coil around her ankles tightly.
426 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE - JONES' CREEK - 4 RIPS 426
She lets out a short shrill scream, as her shirt
is torn away from her.
427 MED. SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 427
Living vines wind around Bobby Joe's torso and breasts
in a furious wrapping motion.
428 CLOSE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 428
A living vine wraps around her throat.
429 CLOSE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 429
Tiny vines wrap around Bobby Joe's hand and fingers.
429A EXT. JONES CREEK - NIGHT 429A
SHOTS OF VINES COMING TOWARDS CAMERA
430 MED. SHOT - RIGGING - STUNT 430
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
Bobby Joe, wrapped in vines, is reeled backwards and
ripped through a wall of branches.
431 MED. SHOT - PANNING - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT 431
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
At a great speed, Bobby Joe is pulled away from the
cabin and towards the forest by the vines.
432 BOBBY JOE'S POV - OVER HER LEGS - RIGGING EFFECT 432
STUNT - UNDERCRANKED - REVERSE ACTION - DRAGWAY
As the vines rocket her on a speeding FAST MOTION
joyride along the forest floor.
433 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE'S FACE 433
RIGGING EFX - DRAGWAY
As she drags along the forest flctor, the smaller vines
force their way into Bobby Joe's nose and mouth and
then under the first layer of her facial skin.
433A TRACKING SHOT - DRAGWAY - DUMMY AND STUNT 433A
She is pulled along the ground and down into a
foxhole (dummy). Camera continues tracking along
her original trajectory until we come to the second
foxhole where she emerges, now covered in mud, and
screaming.
433B ANGLE - DUMMY - JONES' CREEK 433B
Bobby Joe rips through spikes extending from a log
and is dragged through two mud puddles. The vines
wisk her away.
434 EXT. SWAMP - NIGHT 434
PANNING SHOT - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT
She hits a swamp with a giant splash, but even this
does not stop her.
435 LONG SHOT - SWAMP 435
ROOSTERTAIL WATER SPRAY EFX - STUNT
She glides across the surface of the swamp with a great
roostertail spray of water, as if she were on water skis.
436 ANGLE - RIGGING EFX - STUNT - SWAMP 436
She hits the other side of the swamp and is rocketed out
of the water and across the forest floor.
437 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - JONES' CREEK - DUMMY 437
STATIC CAMERA - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT - UNDERCRANKED
Bobby Joe comes roaring towards us, screaming. She
rips past.
438 STATIC CAMERA - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT 438
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
From BEHIND CAMERA Bobby Joe appears and goes racing
into the distance.
439 BOBBY JOE'S POV - OVER HER LEGS - DRAGWAY 439
RIGGING EFFECT - UNDERCRANKED - STUNT
Darting in and around trees, a major stump is coming
right for her. Bobby Joe's legs spread wide. The
tree stump races closer. Bobby Joe SCREAMS . . . her
last.
439A TREE STUMP'S POV - BOBBY JOE APPROACHES 439A
UNDERCRANKED
439B BOBBY JOE'S LEGS - STUMP - DRAGWAY 439B
STOP MOTION - REVERSE ACTION
Girl meets stump.
440 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - OVERCRANKED 440
LOW SHOT - LOOKING UPWARD PAST THE STUMP -
BLOOD GEYSER EFX
We hear the RIP! And watch as a geyser of blood floods
up into the night sky.
441 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - OVERCRANKED 441
CLOSE SHOT - GLASS CASE CONTAINING PAGES FROM BOOK OF
THE DEAD
It falls away from the CAMERA and shatters on the table
beneath us.
442 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 442
As their hands scramble at removing the pages from the
bits of broken glass.
443 MED. SHOT - JAKE IN FG - ASH AND ANNIE IN BG 443
Jake is looking out the boarded window of the cabin,
searching for some sign of Bobby Joe.
444 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 444
JAKE'S POV - THE DARK WOODS - WINDOW FRAME
All is silent as fog rushes in and around the woods.
JAKE
Where the hell is she?
445 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 445
MED. SHOT - JAKE AND ASH AND ANNIE
Jake turns to Ash.
JAKE
We gotta go out there and find
her!
ASH
If she went out in those woods,
she's not coming back.
Jake turns back to the window. Ash turns to Annie.
He glances down at the pages that Annie is looking over.
445A ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT - PAGES AND ANNIE 445A
One of the pages is a clear pictorial of Ash as the
"Hero from the Sky."
445B ASH AND ANNIE 445B
Ash shudders.
ANNIE
What is it?
ASH
Felt like someone just walked over my
grave. It's that picture.
Annie looks to it.
445C CLOSE SHOT - PAGE OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD 445C
CONTAINING ASH'S "HERO FROM THE SKY" ILLUSTRATION.
445D ANNIE AND ASH 445D
ANNIE
In 1300 AD. This was the "Hero from
the Sky," who was prophesized to destroy
this Evil.
ASH
He didn't do a very good job.
What about the passages?
446 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 446
As she quickly gives the pages a cursory glance.
ANNIE
Here it is. Two passages.
For the first time, she smiles at Ash.
ANNIE
We've got it!
446A - 446H OMIT 446A - 446H
447 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 447
Finally seeing his salvation, his face shows hope.
447A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 447A
Annie reads through the pages.
ANNIE
Recitation of the first passage will
make this "Dark Spirit" manifest itself
in the flesh.
ASH
Why the hell would we want to do that?
Annie thumbs through one or two of the other pages.
ANNIE
Recitation of the second passage creates
a kind of rift in time and space, and
the physical manifestation of this spirit
can be forced back through this rift...
to an earlier time and place. At least
that's the best translation I can ....
CLICKITY CLICK
448 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 448
Annie and Ash look up to the source of the sound.
449 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE 449
He has just snapped a shell into the firing chamber of
the shotgun. He points it at Ash and Annie.
JAKE
I'm runnin' the show now.
450 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 450
Standing together, confused.
450A CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 450A
JAKE
We're goin' outside into those woods
to look for Bobby Joe, an' once we
find her, we're gettin' the hell
outta here.
ASH
If you want to look for her,
go ahead.
JAKE
You two comin' with me. I ain't goin'
out there alone.
ASH
NO, YOU IDIOT. You'll kill us all.
She's dead by now. With these pages
we can...
Jake grabs the pages from Annie's hand.
JAKE
Those pages don't mean shit.
Jake kicks the pages down into the cellar. Ash and
Annie look on in horror.
JAKE
'Sides. Now you ain't got no, choice.
Jake pushes at Ash with the barrel of the shotgun.
JAKE
Now move!
Ash hesitates.
JAKE
Move you son of a bitch!
451 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 451
Ash, Annie and Jake exit the cabin.
452 EXT. FRONT PORCH OF CABIN - NIGHT 452
TRACKING BACKWARD
Ash, Annie and Jake walk towards the woods. In the
FG is Ash. He looks off past the CAMERA in fear.
453 ASH'S POV - WOODS - NIGHT ROD PUPPETS - STUDIO 453
As he approaches a line of trees whose branches bend
and sway with a threatening motion.
453A EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING BACKWARD 453A
ASH, JAKE, AND ANNIE
ASH
No trail. Which way do you
intend to go?
453B CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 453B
Looking confused and frightened. He calls out
desperately.
JAKE
Bobby Joe!
453C EXT. WOODS NIGHT - POV EVIL FORCE 453C
As it glides through the woods. We hear a muted
shout from Jake.
JAKE (O.S.)
Bobby Joe, where are you girl?
And the POV of the force suddenly swings about to
reveal Jake, Ash, and Annie not to far away.
453D EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - ASH 453D
As he moves deeper into the woods.
453E EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - ANNIE 453E
As she searches the woods with her eyes in fear.
453F EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - JAKE 453F
As scared as the rest of them, but driven to find
Bobby Joe.
453G POV EVIL FORCE - EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 453G
As it approaches the group.
453H EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - FOAM SHOTGUN STOCK 453H
JAKE, ASH, AND ANNIE
JAKE
Bobby Joe! Bobby Joe!
Ash approaches Jake.
ASH
You'll get us all killed.
JAKE
Shaddup!
Jake slams Ash across the face with the stock of
the shotgun. Ash plummets to the ground. Annie
screams! She goes after Jake. Jake slugs her and
she falls to the ground.
453I EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - JAKE, ASH, AND ANNIE 453I
POV - EVIL FORCE
It draws closer.
453J EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - JAKE - CLOSE SHOT 453J
Raging to the night!
JAKE
Bobby Joe!
453K EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 453K
POV of Evil Force racing up to the group.
453L EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 453L
Jake halts his screaming. He listens in the silence
as possessed Ash juts up into the frame! His eyes
are bone white, his flesh, the pale color of the dead.
His lips, black. He bellows to the night!
454 - 473 OMIT 454-473
474 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 474
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
She screams and stumbles backwards, towards the cabin.
475 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - CRANE 475
MEDIUM SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - JAKE DUMMY - FLYING RIG
Possessed Ash lifts Jake up above his head and throws
him into a large tree. It explodes in a blast of
sawdust as the dummy slams into it.
476 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 476
MEDIUM SHOT
Annie dashes inside and turns to look out the open
doorway.
477 EXT. CABIN - ANNIE'S POV - THRU THE OPEN DOORWAY 477
All is quiet outside, no sign of Possessed Ash or
Jake, and then Possessed Ash is there, emerging from
the darkness suddenly. He raises his finger and
points to Annie. He speaks in the low garbled voice
of a demon:
POSSESSED ASH
JOIN US!
478 INT. CABIN - MED. SHOT - ANNIE 478
She rushes to the door, hoping to get there before
Possessed Ash.
479 MED. SHOT - ANNIE AND POSSESSED ASH 479
She slams the front door shut just in time.
480 MED. SHOT - ANNIE - WRITING DESK 480
She picks up the Kandarian Dagger. CREAK - SNAP!
A sound coming from somewhere in the rear of the
cabin. She turns toward the door to the hallway.
481 - 486 OMIT 481 - 486
487 ANNIE'S POV - THE DOOR TO THE HALLWAY 487
It is closed.
488 OMIT 488
489 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 489
She moves to investigate the sound. As she approaches
the rear door to the hall and slowly opens it.
489A ANNIE'S POV 489A
As the door to the hallway is pulled open, revealing
... only the empty hallway.
489B INT. CABIN HALLWAY - NIGHT 489B
ANNIE
She breathes a sigh of relief.
490 ANNIE'S POV 490
As she moves down the hall. It is dark. Curtains
flutter on the boarded windows.
491 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 491
As she moves towards the rear of the cabin.
491A INT. HALLWAY/EXT. CABIN - LOCATION - ANNIE'S POV 491A
THE WINDOW AND WOODS BEYOND
We approach the window and look out into the night.
Fog billows through the trees, and in the distance
the monster that is Ash emerges. He heads toward the
cabin and disappears in a bank of fog.
491B INT. HALLWAY (STUDIO) 491B
Annie is frightened. She spins her head to a sound.
492 ANNIE'S POV - THE REAR DOOR OF THE CABIN 492
Creak! The doorknob is turning. Something is trying
to get in.
493 ANNIE - MED. SHOT 493
She forces her back to the wall. She tenses with the
dagger, ready to slay whatever should enter.
494 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 494
She waits.
495 CLOSE SHOT - THE KANDARIAN DAGGER 495
Gripped tightly in Annie's sweating hands.
496 CLOSE SHOT - DOORKNOB 496
Rattling violently now. And suddenly it opens.
497 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE'S HANDS 497
As they swing the dagger.
498 CLOSE SHOT 498
As the dagger imbeds in the intruder's chest. CAMERA
PANS UP quickly to reveal a gasping Jake.
499 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND ANNIE 499
Jake falls to the ground, half in and out of the doorway.
He is still alive.
500 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 500
As she backs away in horror, clutching at her head.
ANNIE
No!
She backs to a partially boarded window.
501 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 501
Possessed Ash juts up into frame in the window behind
her. Annie screams and runs toward the open back door.
Possessed Ash spots the open door through the window
and begins to move around the side of the house.
502 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 502
As she goes to slam the door.
503 MED. SHOT - JAKE 503
As he lies moaning in the doorway, the door slams upon
him.
504 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 504
As she reaches down and pulls Jake's body out of the
way.
505 EXT. CABIN/REAR - NIGHT 505
POSSESSED ASH
As he moves around the side of the cabin, tearing apart
a trellis that stands in his path, and three hanging
flowerpots as he approaches the open door.
506 INT. CABIN BACK HALLWAY - NIGHT 506
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
Again she tries to slam the door.
507 MED. SHOT - JAKE'S DUMMY ANKLE 507
Which lies in the door's path, preventing it from closing.
508 EXT. CABIN/REAR - NIGHT 508
OVER POSSESSED ASH'S SHOULDER
As he approaches the back door. He grabs the screen door
and tears it loose with a single motion.
509 INT. CABIN REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 509
ANNIE
As she pulls Jake's ankle from the door and slams it.
All is again silent.
509A INT. CABIN - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT - ANNIE AND JAKE 509A
Annie kneels down next to a moaning Jake, driving
the dagger in a little deeper by accident. He cries
out in pain.
JAKE
Get the axe. Kill it. Kill it.
Jake moans and dies.
509B CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 509B
As she turns her head to the sound of breaking glass.
509C TRACKING SHOT - ANNIE - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 509C
As she cautiously approaches the main room.
509D ANNIE'S POV - REAR HALLWAY/MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 509D
As she moves towards the main room.
509E MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - ANNIE 509E
Annie enters the room. She shudders from the
cold. CAMERA PANS with her glance to broken glass
upon the floor, and over to reveal the bashed out
window and the curtains fluttering in the wind.
509F MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 509F
Petrified. Looking about. Knowing that the
monster Ash may be lurking close.
509G WIDE SHOT - ANNIE 509G
As she moves about the main room, picking up the axe.
With her back toward us she doesn't notice Ash's hand
appear suddenly in the foreground atop the writing desk.
She turns suddenly towards camera.
509H OVER ANNIE'S SHOULDER 509H
Ash's evil hand sits upon the table. It scampers off.
Annie turns and comes face to face with Possessed Ash!
He bellows at her and grabs her as she shrieks bloody
murder!
510 OMIT 510
511 OMIT 511
512 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 512
WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH AND ANNIE - DUMMY
He picks her up and swings her across the room, into
the wall. She slumps to the floor unconscious.
513 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 513
As he lumbers toward her.
514 ASH'S POV - STAR FILTER - MIRROR NECKLACE 514
As he moves closer to her unmoving body. A glitter of
light on the floor, next to her, catches his eye.
515 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 515
For the first time, calm, as he looks intently down at
the floor. He kneels closer.
516 ASH'S POV - (STAR FILTER) 516
The NECKLACE of Linda.
517 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 517
The sight of the necklace strikes the human cord
within him. He is confused, his evil self, battling
for control of his spirit and body. He reaches to
pick it up.
518 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 518
As he slowly picks up the delicate silver necklace.
He raises it to his face;
LINDA (V.O.)
I'll never take it off.
And then it hits him. The emotion of love lost. It
floods the monster that is ASH. He clutches the
necklace tightly to his bestial chest. And as the
Love/waltz theme sweeps up in volume on the sound
track, the monster begins to cry.
519 WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH AND ANNIE - TULIP CRANE 519
Ash raises his head and lets out a low, lamenting, and
pitiful wail. A man trapped in the shell of a beast,
crying for the one he has lost.
520 MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - 50% POSSESSED 520
As he raises his head. Tears stream down from his eyes,
washing away the caked on blood.
521 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH (REVERSE ACTION) 521
BLADDER EFX - 50 - 20% POSSESSED
His face begins to change. His skin loses its white
pallor. His blackened, infected cuts disappear. The
swollen and cracked surface of his face begins to heal.
522 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) - MINIATURE 522
EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - DUMMY HEAD
W/FLUID EYE CHAMBER
Ash's eyes change from white to brown.
523 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 523
As the last tears roll down Ash's face, he is once
again human. Ash looks up suddenly with a start.
524 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 524
EXPLODING FLOOR
As he rolls out of the way a moment before the head of
the axe buries itself in the wooden floor. Splinters
fly.
525 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 525
EXPLODING WALL EFX
Rolls to his feet and stands. He ducks as Annie
enters frame, charging him with axe, screaming.
ASH
No. WAIT!
Annie swings the axe and again Ash ducks. The head of
the axe slams into the plastered wall smashing right
through.
526 CLOSER - ASH AND ANNIE 526
Ash grabs her tightly with his remaining hand.
ASH
Listen to me! I'm all right
now. That thing is gone.
Ash pushes her away. Annie falls to the floor. She
stands.
527 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 527
EXPLODING WALL EFX
Catching his wind for a moment. Then rolls to the
side as the axe again comes at him! SLAM! The head
of the axe slices into the wall only a few inches from
his head.
528 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 528
As he grabs Annie by the face and forces her
backwards.
ASH
GOD DAMN IT! I said I was all
right!!
Annie is nearly choking.
ANNIE
Okay.
Ash releases her gently. She again looks to Ash,
cautiously.
ANNIE
Are you sure?
ASH
You'll be the first to know.
I'm fine.
529 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 529
ANNIE
Yeah, but for how long?
If we're going to beat this thing,
we need those pages.
529A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 529A
As he turns to the trap door.
ASH
Then let's head down into that cellar...
529B CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR 529B
It lies silently against the floor. A rasping
breath can be heard from below.
529C CLOSE SHOT - ASH 529C
He turns from the trap door to Annie.
ASH
...And carve ourselves a witch.
530 EXT. WORKSHED - NIGHT 530
Ash's hand flips open the latch on the shed door.
531 INT. WORKSHED - NIGHT 531
The door is kicked open, revealing the silhouette of
Ash and Annie as they stand in the doorway.
532 WORKSHED SHELF 532
Rats scurry for safety as the shaft of light from the
door hits them.
533 HANGING BULB 533
ASH'S hand pulls on the cord, turning on the light.
534 WORKSHED TABLE 534
Ash's arm sweeping the chains and pieces of wood onto
the floor.
535 OMIT 535
536 OMIT 536
537 OMIT 537
538 THE HOSE CLAMP 538
Is tossed down upon the workshed table.
539 A SECOND HOSECLAMP 539
Is tossed down next to the first.
540 ANNIE'S HANDS 540
Hold down a clamp as ASH'S hand, creates screw sized
holes in it with a battery powered drill.
541 ANNIE'S HANDS 541
Attach the hoseclamps to a piece of red steel.
542 ANNIE'S HANDS 542
Attach the red piece of steel to ASH'S stump, via
the clamps.
543 ANNIE'S HANDS 543
Attach a "V" type hook Around Ash's neck, just above
his bicep.
544 ASH'S HAND 544
Slams down the chainsaw upon the table. It is missing
its side panel. ASH'S arm enters frame and we see that
it is this missing side panel that has been clamped to
his stump.
545 CLOSER SHOT 545
The panel slides into the side of the chainsaw with a
sharp "CLICK".
546 ASH 546
As he bends the chainsaw to his chest.
547 CLOSE SHOT 547
The "T" shaped end of the starter cord falls neatly
into the "V" shaped hook that is strapped around Ash's
neck.
548 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 548
He looks up to Annie, the moment of truth.
549 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 549
Hair tousled over her sweating face, returns his
glance, expectant.
550 WIDE SHOT 550
Ash extends his chainsaw arm, pulling on the starter
cord. The CHAINSAW ROARS to life. With his free arm
Ash raises the shotgun. He lowers the blade of the
chainsaw down upon the barrel. Sparks fly as the saw
cuts through it. The long barrel falls to the floor.
Ash is left with a sawed off shotgun in one hand and a
chainsaw strapped to his other arm.
With a fancy style western flip to the gun Ash saddles
the shotgun in a makeshift holster, strapped
to his back.
The CAMERA SLOWLY TRACKS into Ash's face.
ASH
Groovy.
551 - OMIT 551
551A EXT. CABIN/WORKSHED - NIGHT - INKY PUPPET 551A
In the distance, the tiny figures of Ash and Annie
as they move from the workshed to the cabin. In
the foreground is a large oak tree. A gnarled human-
like face can be made out on the surface of the tree.
It is lit from beneath and slolwly brought up on a
dimmer. A horrible twisted tree face. It suddenly
opens its mouth and breathes in a gust of air with
a terrible wheezing sound, as though in great pain
at being brought to life. It turns sharply towards
the cabin.
552 CLOSE SHOT - DINKY PUPPET 552
Second tree face, brought up on a dimmer, opens its
mouth and loudly draws in air, also in agony.
553 CLOSE SHOT - MOE PUPPET 553
A third tree's twisted face, two human eyes opened wide
on its surface. It breathes, then barks a guttural sound.
554 MED. SHOT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 554
In the foreground is the base of a large oak tree. The
cabin in the distance. A rumbling is heard. Then
suddenly the tree pulls one of its massive roots from
the earth. The tree sets its root down a few feet closer
to the cabin.
555 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 555
WIDE SHOT - TREE PUPPETS
An entire line of trees. All pull their roots free
from the soil and take an awkward and lumbering step
towards the cabin.
556-564 OMIT 556-564
565 INT. MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 565
CLOSE SHOT - THE BLADE OF THE CHAINSAW
Begins cutting through the wood of the trap door.
566 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 566
Tensing with her axe, ready for the beast to spring.
567 CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW BLADE 567
As it completes the second cut in the wood of
the trap door.
568 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 568
As he finishes the slicing job and kicks open the trap
door.
569 LOW ANGLE - ANNIE AND ASH - FROM CELLAR LOOKING UP 569
The broken bits of the trap door fall past the camera,
as they cautiously peer down into the cellar.
570 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 570
ANNIE'S POV
Looking down into the cellar. No sign of Henrietta.
The bottom of the steps disappear into blackness.
ASH
Those pages are down there
somewhere.
571 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 571
MED. SHOT - ASH
He kicks aside the broken trapdoor and slowly descends
into the darkness.
572 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 572
MED. SHOT
Ash arrives at the bottom of the steps.
He looks about the dark corners of the cellar trying
to find some sign of Henrietta or the pages.
573 OMIT 573
574 OMIT 574
575 ASH'S POV 575
Panning the cobwebs and dark stone walls of the cellar.
Half hidden in the shadows we see two of the missing
pages.
575A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 575A
As he moves through the cellar and grabs the pages. He
spots another page somewhat deeper into the cellar.
575B ASH'S POV 575B
A fourth and fifth page lay upon the earthen floor, at
the base of the cellar's rear door.
575C ASH - CLOSE SHOT 575C
Ash moves to pages and gathers them.
Annie's voice calls down.
ANNIE (O.S.)
Did you find her?
576 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 576
ASH
She's playing hard to get...
He pumps the throttle on the buzzing saw.
ASH
... rid of.
Behind Ash, unseen by him, a shadow darts by.
577 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 577
He hears a sound.
577A ASH'S POV - 577A
It is coming from the door to the cellar's rear room.
577B ANGLE - ASH 577B
He reaches for the door and opens it. Revealing
darkness beyond. Ash enters. Again he hears the slight
sound, a gentle ticking.
578 INT. CELLAR - REAR ROOM - NIGHT - ASH'S POV 578
The ticking sound is coming from behind a hanging drape.
579 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 579
He approaches the drape, reaches out his hand and pulls
it back sharply. Revealing an old water heater, ticking
and steaming.
579A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 579A
He breathes a sigh of relief as the half eaten skeleton
torso of Ed falls atop him! Ash screams and steps suddenly
away.
579B ASH'S POV 579B
Ed's skeletal carcass falls to the earthen floor still
wrapped in the bloody sheet.
579C CLOSE SHOT - ASH 579C
Looking on in horror.
ASH
(In a whisper)
She got hungry.
Ash turns from the skeleton and quickly gathers up the
remaining pages from the Book of the Dead. Getting
scared now, he backs into the cellar's front room.
579D INT. CELLAR - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 579D
As he moves towards the steps. He tosses up the
bundle of pages.
579E MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 579E
Peering down into the cellar, she grabs the pages.
579F MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE - MAIN ROOM 579F
She rushes over to the writing desk and begins
translating.
580 INT. CELLAR - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 580
Getting scared now, decides to exit the cellar. He
climbs the steps.
581 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET 581
As they climb. From behind the wooden steps, the
horrible head of Henrietta appears. Her two rotting hands
grab at Ash's ankles.
582 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 582
He looks down with a scream.
583 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA/ASH'S DUMMY FEET 583
HENRIETTA
Come to me. Come to sweet
Henrietta!
Her face pulls back behind the cellar steps. Her
hands pull ASH's feet in after her.
584 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - CAMERA RIG 584
As Ash falls, he slams his jaw down upon the bottom
step.
585 CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW ARM 585
As the spinning blade jams into the step, stalling
the engine.
586 LONG SHOT - ASH DUMMY - AND HENRIETTA'S HANDS 586
(UNDERCRANKED)
In an instant, his entire body is pulled beneath the
steps.
587 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 587
MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE
As she sits at the writing desk, reciting the first
of the passages.
ANNIE
Nos-feratos-allo-memnon-kanda!
She puts aside the pages and glances up suddenly at
the faint sounds of the struggle from the cellar.
588 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 588
LONG SHOT - ASH - CELLAR STEPS (UNDERCRANKED)
Ash's badly mauled body rips through the staircase
with a great force.
589 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 589
As he slams into the earth floor of the cellar. He
moans, and looks towards the steps.
590 ASH'S POV - THE WOODEN STAIRCASE (REVERSE ACTION) 590
As a cackling Henrietta appears where the bottom section
of staircase used to stand.
591 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 591
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
As she races from the writing desk to look down into
the cellar.
592 OVER ANNIE'S SHOULDER - UNDERCRANKED 592
As she kneels down at the trapdoor, about to call down
to Ash when the witchlike figure of Henrietta floats
quickly up into the main room from the cellar. A
flurry of moths about her.
HENRIETTA
Free! Free at last!
593 WIDE SHOT - ANNIE 593
As Annie attempts to move from the trap door. Henrietta
is clutching at Annie's hair and laughing with a demonic
malice, as she spins about the room in mid air.
594 CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR - ANNIE'S FEET 594
Ash's bloodied arm slings itself over the edge of the
trapdoor. He pulls himself up into the main room.
595 MED. SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - 595
HENRIETTA AND ANNIE
Henrietta turns sharply to Ash with a growl.
596 MED. SHOT - ASH 596
He stands and jerks out his chainsaw arm sharply. The
cord is pulled and the engine roars to life!
597 MED. SHOT - HENRIETTA 597
As she leaps through the air toward Ash.
598 HENRIETTA'S POV - RACING AT HIM - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 598
Ash swings his buzzing chainsaw.
599 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S GNARLED HAND 599
As it grabs the body of the chainsaw, halting it in
mid swing.
600 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND HENRIETTA 600
As she keeps the buzzing chainsaw at bay with one hand,
while her other grabs at Ash's throat, strangling him.
600A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 600A
As he is slammed through the window.
600B ASH AND HENRIETTA 600B
Ash kicks her in the stomach. Henrietta is furious.
600C CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED HENRIETTA - MITCHELL CAMERA 600C
STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
She grits her teeth, concentrates, and her neck
begins to grow. She begins to change to Pee Wee Head.
600CP PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 600CP
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
CAMERA PANS UP on "B" wall.
601 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA - MITCHELL CAMERA 601
STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
As the pee wee Head transformation continues, Henrietta's
neck grows, like a jack in the box. It extends
a solid five feet upward, so that her head is now
looking down upon Ash baring its teeth.
601P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - ASH - MITCHELL CAMERA 601P
INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
602 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - TULIP CRANE 602
CAMERA CRANING UP ON HIM
Ash gapes in fear at this monstrosity that looms
above him.
603A INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 603A
POSSESSED HENRIETTA PUPPET - MEDIUM SHOT
Her neck undulating like a snake, she bites and
snaps.
HENRIETTA
I'll swallow your soul, swallow
your soul!
603B ASH - CLOSE SHOT 603B
He reacts.
603C WORKING DUMMY HENRIETTA HEAD ON "FLYING HEAD RIG" 603C
AND ASH
Henrietta swoops at Ash as he keeps her at bay with the
buzzing chainsaw.
603 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 603
STOP MOTION - REAR SCREEN - LOOKING UPWARD AT HENRIETTA'S
HEAD
She opens her mouth impossibly wide, exposing those
nasty rows of jagged shark like teeth. She dive bombs
him.
603P INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - BART-O-FLEX 603P
Plate for previous scene.
604 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD AND ASH 604
As her head springs down into frame and halts suddenly
inches from his face. In the silence we hear the reason:
Annie's voice singing the same melody that her mother
had sung to her earlier from the cellar. For a moment
Henrietta's face loses its evil malice. She is confused
at this sound.
Henrietta halts. She spins her head toward Annie.
605 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 605
As she finishes the melancholy song.
606 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA 606
MAGIC BLADE AND GUIDE TRACK RIG
Still confused, suddenly she shrieks and the chainsaw
comes buzzing through her from behind. The spinning
blade juts out from Henrietta's midsection.
607 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND HENRIETTA 607
BODY PARTS ON WIRES
Body parts (2 arms) fly past the camera on wire.
Ash slices and dices. Henrietta screeches like a wild
banshee.
608 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD AND ANNIE IN B.G. 608
As Pee Wee Head spins toward Ash, furious.
HENRIETTA
Swallow your soul!
609 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 609
Swings his chainsaw arm in a sharp arc.
609A ANGLE - HENRIETTA 609A
Henrietta's head is sliced from her neck with a
chainsaw. Steam pours from her neck.
610 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD - OVERCRANKED 610
As it flies up into frame, sliced from its neck.
610A ASH 610A
As he completes the arc of the chainsaw.
611 CLOSE SHOT - DUMMY HENRIETTA PEE WEE HEAD 611
W/ SMALL SECTION OF NECK
As it hits the floor.
612 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA'S BODY 612
It's neck spouts steam, wagging about like a snake.
Behind her Annie watches as the body topples to
the floor.
613 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 613
He looks down.
614 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD SCREAMING AT HIM: 614
HENRIETTA'S HEAD
Swallow your soul! Swallow your soul!
Ash's foot steps down upon her head, pinning
it to the floor. Her neck still writhing.
615 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 615
He unsaddles his sawed off shotgun from the holster on
his back. He points the barrel at her head point blank.
ASH
Swallow this.
He pulls the trigger. BLAM! Flame barks from the gun.
616 3 CAMERAS - CLOSE SHOT HENRIETTA AND GUN BARREL 616
(OVERCRANKED) GELATIN HEAD - SQUIB
Her head explodes into a million pieces.
617 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 617
Annie is crying. Ash holsters the gun.
ASH
May she rest in pieces.
618 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 618
As they look at each other for a quiet moment of
relief. Ash shuts off the chainsaw. Annie moves
slowly to Ash's arms. He holds her.
619 CLOSER - ASH AND ANNIE - MAIN ROOM - KITCHEN IN B.G. 619
They pull apart and look into each others eyes. Annie
holds the pages. Maybe they can get away after all. A
LOUD BOOMING echoes throughout the cabin! As though the
outside walls of the place were being bombarded by cannon
balls. The kitchen wall behind them buckles.
620 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND "D WALL" 620
SQUIB ON MIRROR
As the B - board of the wall behind Ash falls away
revealing battered logs. The mirror shatters.
621 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND "A" WALL
The wall cracks beneath the terrific force of whatever
is outside hammering upon it.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
622 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE - THE SOFA 622
"B" WALL
CAMERA TRACKS in on them as they look about in fear.
Dust is falling about them. The cabin walls are
starting to break apart. There is a tremendous "Voyage
to the Bottom of the Sea" type jolt to the cabin. Ash
and Annie stagger for footing.
623 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - BOARDED WINDOW 623
Ash grabs ahold of the window frame to brace himself.
623A CLOSE SHOT - VINES - INT. MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 623A
REVERSE ACTION - VINES
Vines wrap about the planks which cover the window.
623B MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - BOARDED WINDOW 623B
Behind him, the planks in the window are ripped
away by finger-like vines. A terrifying tree face
on the surface of a giant oak is revealed, as it peeks
in through the window at them.
624 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 624
She screams.
She turns toward "D Wall" at a loud wrenching sound.
625 MEDIUM SHOT - "D" WALL WINDOW 625
As vines reach in the cabin, tearing away the planks
revealing an even more horrible tree face.
626 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 626
TREE PUPPET
A tree beats its branches furiously upon the EXT. wall
of the cabin. It rips apart the cabin's stone chimney.
627 ANGLE - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 627
TREE PUPPET
A second gnarled tree slams its trunk against the rear
door of the cabin.
628 LONG SHOT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 628
TREE PUPPET
The entire cabin is surrounded by a group of lumbering
oaks. All working to get in at Ash and Annie.
629 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 629
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
Annie runs to the writing desk. She flips through the
missing pages from the Book of the Dead. Dust from the
ceiling drifts down.
ANNIE
(shouting above
the noise)
No! I only completed the first of the
passages. And that was to make
the evil a thing of the flesh!
630 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 630
POV EVIL FORCE
As it roars out of the woods, and towards the distant
cabin faster than we've ever seen it.
631 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 631
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he runs over to Annie.
ASH
You didn't finish it?!
ANNIE
There's still the second passage.
The one to open the rift and
send the evil back.
ASH
Start reciting it. Now!
632 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 632
POV EVIL FORCE
As it rockets towards the cabin doing 80 mph.
633 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 633
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
Shouting to be heard as she continues reading from the
passage:
ANNIE
Tar-tra Kanda-Estra! Hudsucker Proxy
-- Kanda!
634 OMIT 634
634A EXT. CABIN - WOODS - NIGHT 634A
The forest at night. Bubbling smoke appears, then
flame. Through the smoke, the beginnings of a winding
spiral of a cloudlike material.
634AP1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 634AP1
SMOKE AND FLAME - MINIATURE (STUDIO)
634AP2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 634AP2
The rift.
635 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 635
MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE
ANNIE
Aton-Neran-Ofas!
636 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 636
POV EVIL FORCE
As it races right up to the front door of the cabin.
637 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 637
MED. SHOT - ANNIE - WIND FAN
Reading from the passage. Behind her, the front door
rips open and in comes a giant rotten apple head of the
evil entity made flesh. A SHRIEKING, BULBOUS BEHEMOTH!
638 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 638
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN
Ash as he witnesses the most horrible sights a man can
behold. Ash's black hair streaks white before our
eyes. Behind him, two flowers in their pots wither
and die in seconds.
ASH
Finish it!
638P INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 638P
Plate for previous scene, with dying flowers.
639 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 639
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE - WIND FAN
ANNIE
Kanda! Samonda Roba Areda
Gyes Indy En-zeen, Nos-Feratos -
639A CLOSE SHOT 639A
Annie as she gasps.
639B MED. SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (3 SEC.) 639B
Annie as she falls to the floor, dead.
Jutting from her back is the Kandarian dagger and
hanging onto the end of the dagger is Ash's demon
hand.
639 C,D,E, OMIT 639 C,D,E
640 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND WINDOW ON "B" WALL 640
ASH
No!
CRASH!
Behind Ash a living tree branch rips through the cabin
window!
641 MED. SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN - WRAPPING EFX BRANCH 641
Ash turns suddenly to get away. Too late. The living
branch wraps about ASH'S waist and lifts him,
screaming, OUT OF FRAME.
642 MED. SHOT - ASH IN GRIP OF TREE BRANCH - WIND FAN 642
Ash is being lifted toward the gaping mouth of rotten
apple head. Ash is frantically jerking out his arm in
an attempt to start the chainsaw strapped to his wrist.
PUTT, PUTT, PUTT.
It won't start. As the face of rotten apple head
looms close, it opens its terrible mouth, ready to
consume him.
643 CLOSE SHOT - ASH IN GRIP OF GIANT TREE BRANCH 643
From inside the creature's mouth looking out. Ash
is screaming as he is brought towards its gnashing
teeth. PUTT, PUTT, PUTT. His chainsaw still won't
start.
643A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 643A
Half dead as she crawls to the pages on the floor and
gasps out the final sentences.
ANNIE
Nos-feratos - Amen-non. Ak-adeem!
Razin - Arozonia!
643B EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 643B
WIDE SHOT - REVERSE ACTION
The rift grows more powerful.
643BP PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 643BP
The rift.
644 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 644
Sweating and terrified. He draws closer.
645 ASH'S POV 645
The CAMERA tracks in toward the mouth of rotten apple
head. It's massive jaw jutts from the head, biting
and snapping. Sap-like saliva drips from the orifice.
Ash's feet kick at the mouth of rotten apple head,
trying to keep it away. Its jaws snap at his shoes.
645A C.U. - ASH'S FEET - PUSHING AT THE GUMS OF 645A
RAH'S MOUTH.
SNAP! The massive teeth snap together biting Ash's
foot in half.
645B C.U. ASH 645B
He screams, then looks down to his foot.
645C C.U. ASH'S FOOT - (OVERLARGE SHOE) 645C
Missing the leather toe section, he reveals that
he still has his toes intact.
646 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 646
As he sharply jerks his arm outward! The CHAINSAW
ROARS to life! He raises it high above his head and
plunges it forward.
647 WIDE SHOT - ASH AND ROTTEN APPLE HEAD 647
Ash thrusts the spinning chainsaw blade into the single
eye of the beast.
648 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 648
CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW
As it punctures the giant eyeball and then pulls free.
Green sauce spouts from the creature's wound.
649 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 649
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he is doused in the green bile. SPLAT!
650 CLOSE SHOT - ROTTEN APPLE HEAD 650
Eyeless, it screams in anger.
650A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 650A
With her last gasp.
ANNIE
....Kanda!
651 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 651
WIDE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION)
As the rift pulls in fog and trees that surround the
house.
651P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 651P1
SMOKE AND FLAME - MINIATURE (STUDIO)
651P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 651P2
The Rift.
652 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 652
WIDE SHOT
As rotten apple head is sucked out the doorway of the
cabin. The door slams shut behind it. Its scream
echoes off into the distance.
653 OMIT 653
654 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 654
MED. SHOT - ASH
Slices through the bracch.
654A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 654A
Ash and cut branch fall to the floor.
655 MED. SHOT 655
The cabin becomes much more quiet. The sounds of the
trees are gone. Ash looks to Annie. She is dead. Ash
moves to her, strokes her hair and begins to cry.
ASH
You did it. By God you did it.
He lowers his head and begins to heave in sharp
convulsive breaths of despair.
656 - 661 OMIT 656 - 661
662 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 662
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN
Behind Ash the front door RIPS open with a TREMENDOUS
BLAST. The door is sucked down into the rift. All
of the objects in the room are sucked through the open
doorway and down into the rift, including the pages
of the Book of the Dead.
662P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 662P1
662P2 SECOND PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 662P2
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - (STUDIO MINIATURE)
662P3 EXT. PLATE/WOODS 662P3
663 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 663
WIND FAN
Ash grabs ahold of the kitchen window ledge so as not
to be swept outside by the force of the vacuum of the
rift. Objects and papers fly past him.
664 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 664
Upon the kitchen window ledge. The ledge tears free.
665 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 665
As he screams, flying backward, towards the open door.
666 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO/PARTIAL SET/ 666
BLUE SCREEN)
MEDIUM SHOT - WIND FAN - SAM-O-CAM
The open doorway to the cabin. Ash flies towards it
and is snagged from going through by the section of
ledge that he holds.
666P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 666P
666P1 EXT. WOODS - PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 666P1
667 EXT. CABIN FRONT PORCH - NIGHT (STUDIO) 667
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WIRE RIGGING FOR FLYING
His body is horizontal, his feet dangling in air, in the
direction of the rift.
668 CLOSER - 668
Ash as he hangs on for dear life.
Objects continue to fly past on wires.
ASH
For God's sake, how do you
stop it?
669 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 669
BLUE SCREEN
CLOSE SHOT - FLYING RIG
The nails in the section of ledge that Ash holds
TEAR loose and the ledge SNAPS in two. He spins
wildly away from us and towards the rift.
669P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 669P
669P1 EXT. WOODS - PLATE 669P1
670 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUNT) WIRE RIGGING 670
Ash is rocketed through the air, spinning somersaults.
671 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 671
ASH ON FLYING RIG
Ash is sucked down into the swirling rift. Like a
particle that is swallowed by a deep funnel of draining
water. The rift closed behind him.
671P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 671P1
671P2 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 671P2
Plate for previous scene.
672 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 672
ASH ON FLYING RIG
We are now within the vortex. A swirling mass of colors
and clouds. And nightmarish sound effects.
Objects come AT US from the distance and roar past, an
uprooted tree, the grandfather clock with its hands
winding backwards at an incredible rate, Ash spinning
AT US, hand over foot, screaming. The chainsaw still
mounted to his wrist.
672P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE VORTEX 672P
673 INT. STUDIO - (STOP MOTION/BLUE SCREEN) 673
ASH
The vortex is distorting Ash's features as he is
rocketed back through the dark void of time.
673P1 OMIT 673P1
673P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE (STOCK FOOTAGE) 673P2
A wild and rapid pictorial collage of human history
winding back from the present through the centuries
lasting seven seconds.
674 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 674
WIDE SHOT
A hole opens in the air with a sharp CRACKLING SOUND.
Ash is spat from this hole and falls downward through
frame.
674P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 674P
EXT. SKY - DAY
674P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MINIATURE 674P2
SMOKE AND FLAME
675 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 675
MED. SHOT - GROUND - ASH - CAR CRANE - DELTA SHELLS
Plunged to the dust. Debris from the demolished cabin
rains down around him; his shotgun, the 1973 Delta 88
Oldsmobile and the old grandfather clock.
676 ASH'S POV. - THE RIFT IN THE SKY - MITCHELL 676
As it seals shut, leaving only the blue sky and the
sound of tweeting birds. Ash's view of the serene sky
changes abruptly as five steel helmets jut into his
line of sight. Five armor-clad medieval WARRIORS
stand directly over him.
676P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 676P1
676P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MINIATURE 676P2
SMOKE AND FLAME
677 OMIT 677
678 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND WARRIORS 678
As he looks to the warriors above him.
The first warrior raises a bloodstained longsword
and poises it above Ash's head.
WARRIOR #1
Slay the beast!
WARRIOR #2
'Tis a deadite!
All raise their swords ready for the kill.
679 MED. SHOT - THE WARRIORS 679
Halt as they hear a piercing, high-pitched SCREECH.
They turn their heads skyward.
680 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 680
Follows the Warriors' gaze.
681 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 681
(STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN)
MED. SHOT
A "WINGED DEADITE," a female harpy like creature with
the tail of a sea horse and man-sized bat wings,
enabling it to fly. The screaming beast swoops down
towards the warriors and horses. High above, the distant
shapes of other Winged Deadites circle.
681P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 681P
WARRIORS AND HORSES FOR SWOOP SHOT
682 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 682
(STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN)
CLOSE SHOT - WINGED DEADITE
She lets out a screaming banshee laugh, while
swooping down.
682P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 682P
EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DAY
683 WINGED DEADITE'S POV 683
(UNDERCRANKED) - CRANE - WIND FAN
As we swoop down toward the warriors and Ash.
683A OMIT 683A
683AP OMIT 683AP
684 OMIT 684
684P OMIT 684P
685 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 685
MED. SHOT - ASH AND WARRIORS
As he springs to his feet. With a lightning thrust he
reaches behind him.
686 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 686
As he grabs at the gun from its holster. He swings it
around front and pulls the trigger.
687 CLOSE SHOT - GUN BARREL - UNDERCRANKED 687
It discharges flame.
688 CLOSE SHOT - DUMMY HEAD OF DEADITE BLOOD SQUIB 688
OVERCRANKED - STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
It explodes.
688P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL 688P
EXT. KANDAR SKY
689 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 689
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN)
WIDE SHOT - WINGED DEADITE
The beast continues to flap its wings and fly about a
moment before falling to a heap in the dust.
689P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 689P
WARRIORS
690 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 690
CLOSE SHOT - WARRIOR #1
As he looks to Ash.
691 MED. SHOT - WARRIORS 691
They follow his gaze. The CAMERA PANS TO Ash. He stands
alone on a small pile of rubble clutching his smoldering
shotgun. He looks about dazedly. He tries to get his
bearings.
692 WIDE SHOT - WARRIORS 692
They falter. Unsure of how to react to this strange
man, who a moment before was pronounced a Deadite.
From the crowd, the Warrior #1 calls out:
WARRIOR #1
Hail he, who has come from the sky,
to deliver us from the terrors of
the deadites!
WARRIOR #4
Hail!
WARRIOR #5
Hail!
The cry is taken up by all. A line of medieval warriors
bow. Then twenty. Then fifty. All remove their
helmets and kneel silently in the dust.
Somewhere in the distance a DRUM SOUNDS. Ash stands
frozen. Terrified, unsure of where or when he is.
Knowing only for the present, he is alive.
As the wind kicks up blowing dust, Ash strikes a
familiar pose. It is the same image of the "Hero
from the Sky" that we saw earlier in the film. The
strange "jagged edged longsword" is Ash's chainsaw.
The CAMERA PULLS BACK from him as a great medieval castle
rears up INTO FRAME. It is seen to be the castle of
Kandar. The same castle we saw in the beginning of the
film. Now, however, the castle is not a ruin, but brand
new. As the CAMERA continues to pull back from Ash, the
title "EVIL DEAD" appears on the screen acompanied by
the distant ROAR of some dying animal: The SCREEN cuts
to BLACK WITH A THUNDEROUS BOOM.
THE END |
EVIL DEAD II seventh draft by Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel
EVIL DEAD II
BY
Sam Raimi
Scott Spiegel
SEVENTH DRAFT - May 5, 1986
FADE IN:
DE LAURENTIIS ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LOGO
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
RENAISSANCE PICTURES LOGO
FADE OUT.
00 BLACKNESS 00
A sound is building. Like a living wind. A
thousand screams in agony.
From the blackness, gusts of smoke pull together
quickly, forming the Main Title against black:
"EVIL DEAD"
Then beneath it, the Roman Numeral "II."
A SLOW ZOOM brings it toward us. And as the screams
reach their sharp crescendo the title zooms through us.
FADE IN:
1 ANGLE - STOP MOTION ANIMATION 1
Whisping smoke against a black background. EERIE
MUSIC. In the distance, through the smoke, a
small object. It fans toward us quickly, filling the
frame. It is an ancient skin covered volume, with
the outline of a human face on it's cover. This is
the Book of the Dead.
NARRATOR
Legend has it, that it was written by
the dark ones: NECRONOMICON EX MORTES;
Roughly translated...The Book of the Dead.
The face on the cover of the book pulls away from its
skin binding and leans toward the camera. EYES
on the book blink open and peer at us. It's mouth
opens and emits a hideous scream. The CAMERA races
into the blackness of the screaming mouth.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
1P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - SMOKE 1P
2 A SPINNING VORTEX - (3 PAINTINGS ON AN ANIMATION 2
STAND) - 12 SEC. PLATE
Spiraling downward.
NARRATOR
To trace the origin of the Book, we
must go back...back...to a day when
spirits ruled the earth.
Wispy shapes of animated ghosts move through this
vortex, coming toward the CAMERA with WAILING and
MOANING and then are gone.
NARRATOR
When the seas ran red with blood.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
2P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - ROD PUPPET GHOSTS 2P
3 STOCK FOOTAGE - (OPTICALLY COLOR SEPARATED) 3
A raging ocean of blood. Great waves rise and swell
as if before a storm.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was this blood that was used to ink
the book.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
4 AN OPEN COPY OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD - ANIMATION 4
STAND - BLUE SCREEN IN BG
Through animation, the blank pages of the Book are
scripted in a strange hieroglyphic by an invisible hand.
Faster and faster the pages turn on the Book as the
blood red ink is scrawled across them. The pages flip
furiously until the Book snaps shut, reveal ing its
gruesome face on the cover.
The book flaps violently away from camera.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
The Book of the Dead was last seen
in 1300 A.D.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
4A OMIT 4A
4AP OMIT 4AP
4B OMIT 4B
4C OMIT 4C
4D OMIT 4D
4P STOCK FOOTAGE - THE RIFT 4P
5 EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DUSK - 4 WARRIORS - 4 HORSES 5
CAMERA panning down to reveal a magnificent newly built
castle of stone. Bright banners fly from its turrets.
An ox grazes nearby. 4 Warriors on horseback in the BG.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was then that the dark spirits
again rose up to battle the living.
The ground in front of the castle begins to split apart.
A red glow and smoke pour from the growing crevice.
Something evil is being unleashed. A strong wind kicks
up blowing sand in a furious rage.
5A EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DUSK 5A
TRACKING SHOT - ASH
Through the blowing silt, a lone figure appears. An
image of power and light. His clothing is ragged,
and he holds what appears to be a jagged toothed
longsword. Two massive columns of stone stand on
either side. CAMERA slowly moves closer, but his face
is still hidden by the darkness and blowing sands.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It is said that a hero came from the
sky. A man who defeated this evi and
buried the Book in the Castle of Kandar.
And there it lay for 700 years...
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
6 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY - RUINS 6
As the raging dust storm clears to reveal the same
castle which we saw earlier, but now, in a ruined state.
It has aged 700 years. The ox is gone. Now only its
petrified skeletal remains stand in a weathered heap.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
...Waiting.
A four wheel drive vehicle roars PAST THE CAMERA and
toward the castle.
7 INT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY - (STUDIO) 7
TRACKING SHOT
The CAMERA slowly tracks in toward the Book of the
Dead as it sits in the darkness of the stone tomb.
Next to it rests the KANDARIAN DAGGER, an ancient
knife, its handle fashioned from the skull of a
weasel. They rest upon a small pedestal covered
with cobwebs. Prominently displayed on the stone wall,
a bas relief of the "Hero from the Sky" holding his
unusual jagged edged weapon.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
And then...
The grinding of rock scraping against rock is heard,
and a large stone is swung open on a secret hinge in
the wall behind the book. Wind sweeps in through the
tomb, along with the blinding light from outside. A
sharply silhouetted figure steps in the newly created
doorway. The figure lights a torch that he holds,
illuminating his face. This is PROFESSOR RAYMOND
KNOWBY. An intelligent, grey bearded man in his late
fifties. He lowers the cloth around his face that had
been protecting him from the sand. He stares at the
Book, awestruck.
Behind him, two other figures appear in the entrance of
the tomb. The first is a large school-marmish woman,
the wife of Raymond Knowby, HENRIETTA. She moves to
Raymond's side and takes his hand. Immediately behind
her is their daughter, ANNIE KNOWBY; twenty-four years
old, strong stance and beautiful. Behind her a
handsome looking man, ED GETLY, enters the tomb. He
moves to Annie's side. They exchange excited glances.
The CAMERA PANS down to the Book.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
8 INT. STUDIO - BLACK 8
MED. SHOT - FOG
Billowing past the camera in front of a black drape.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
9 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 9
LONG SHOT
An old log cabin, built in the valley of a dark forest.
A great wind billows fog about the place.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Professor Raymond Knowby and his wife,
HENRIETTA, brought the book to a small
cabin where they could study it
undisturbed.
10 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 10
Professor Raymond Knowby sits at a writing desk and
transcribes passages from the Book of the Dead. A
small framed photograph of his daughter Annie sits
upon the table. Behind him, HENRIETTA sits knitting in
a rocking chair.
11 CLOSE SHOT - RAYMOND 11
He speaks the phonetic pronunciation of completed
sentences into the microphone of a tape recorder.
RAYMOND
Kanda...Es-trata...Ta-toon...Hazan
sobar...Ear-Grets, Gat, ...Nos-feratos
...Amantos...Kanda!
The sound of RAYMOND reciting the passages is faded
down AS THE CAMERA SLOWLY TRACKS away from RAYMOND and
over to HENRIETTA as she rocks back into the darkness
and forward into the light. As she rocks forward into
the light, she comes into FULL CLOSEUP revealing that her
eyes have changed to a milky white. She continues to
knit.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
12 INT. STUDIO - BLACK 12
MED. SHOT - FOG
Blowing past the camera in front of black drape.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
13 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 13
A dank fruit cellar with shelves of half-rotten
preserves. Raymond has his back to the stone wall.
He is dictating into the tape recorder, sweating and
distraught.
RAYMOND
It has only been a few hours since
I've translated and spoke aloud the first
of the demon resurrection passages from
the Book of the Dead.
The sound of heavy footsteps. Dust drifts down INTO
FRAME. Raymond looks up to the ceiling of the cellar.
It is also the floor to the main room of the cabin.
He watches in horror as Henrietta's silhouette paces the
floor above him. And then, the footsteps halt.
RAYMOND
And now, I fear that my wife has become
host to a Kandarian demon. May God forgive
me for what I have unleashed onto this
earth.
13Y REVERSE ACTION 13Y
The milky eyed possessed figure of HENRIETTA jolts quickly
into the frame, and shrieks in the voice of a demon!
Raymond Knowby screams. He drops the microphone.
13X CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER 13X
As the microphone falls atop it. High pitched feed-
back screams from the speaker.
13A CLOSE SHOT - RAYMOND 13A
Screaming in terror.
13B CLOSER - RAYMOND 13B
His fearful eyes fill the screen as the scream continues.
13C EXTREME C.U. RAYMOND'S EYE 13C
Darting about wildly and the scream continues.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
14 INT. DARK TUNNEL - DAY 14
ROUNDY-ROUNDY - CAMERA MOUNTED ATOP VAN
CAMERA MOVING swiftly down a dark tunnel. A light
at the end growing closer. The SOUND of AIR RUSHING
BY. The Delta 88 Oldsmobile comes ROARING out of
the tunnel with a BLAST of AIR, and the sound of
loud rock and roll music.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was one week later that a group
of college students came to the cabin.
14A EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT 14A
The Delta 88 Oldsmobile parked out front. Fog roars
past the place. We faintly hear waltz music from
within. The silhouette of a woman sweeps by the rear
bedroom window.
14B INT. CABIN - REAR BEDROOM - NIGHT 14B
ASH AND LINDA
LINDA, an attractive college student, is waltzing in
the semi darkness of the bedroom. She wears a "Michigan
State University" sweatshirt. She hums melodically to
the music as she moves. Around her neck is draped a
delicate silver necklace.
14C MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND LINDA 14C
A handsome young man, ASH, is playing the waltz music
on an old wooden piano. Linda dances behind him. Ash
is not a very good pianist, and can only plunk out the
melody with two fingers.
LINDA
Ash, what's that you're playing?
ASH
Our song.
Ash begins to play faster.
14D MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND LINDA 14D
As she picks up the tempo, spinning and laughing,
until finally Ash moves to her, halting her in mid
spin.
14E CLOSE SHOT - LINDA 14E
Out of breath, hair tousled across her eyes, she
stares deeply into Ash's eyes. Her lips, parted,
in a sensual manner.
14F CLOSE SHOT - ASH 14F
He returns her stare, lost in her beauty. He pulls
her close.
LINDA
Ow!
14G SHE PULLS AWAY SUDDENLY 14G
And looks down to the tiny silver necklace that she
wears about her neck.
14H CLOSE SHOT - NECKLACE 14H
In its center is a magnifying glass.
14I MEDIUM SHOT - LINDA AND ASH - TULIP CRANE 14I
She looks from the necklace to Ash.
LINDA
I really love it. I'll never take
it off.
They kiss and now begin to dance together, to the
haunting waltz melody that sweeps up upon the soundtrack.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was in the cabin's cellar that they
found the Professor's tape recorder,
and the Book of the Dead.
14J INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 14J
CAMERA tracks in toward the trap door. It opens by
itself as we move down the steps into the blackness.
15 MEDIUM SHOT - INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 15
The CAMERA pans down from the blackness to Ash who
finds a shotgun, Raymond Knowby's tape recorder,
tapes, the Kandarian dagger and...
16 CLOSE SHOT 16
...the shattered photograph of Annie Knowby and the
Book of the Dead.
17 LONG SHOT - INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM 17
The group of students sit about the fire as they listen
to the tape recorder. Coming from the speaker is the voice
of Raymond Knowby reciting the demon resurrection passage.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(on tape)
Kan Da, Es-trata ta-toon hazan sobar
...Ear-Grets, Gat...
18 MEDIUM SHOT 18
Linda takes Ash's hand. She's frightened. Ash smiles
to comfort her. She nervously fingers the silver locket
she wears about her neck.
19 CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER 19
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(on tape)
...Nos-Feratos...Amantos...Kanda!
20 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 20
The cabin is in the distance. In the foreground the
earth begins to swell, then rips apart as a red glow
emanates from beneath. Something evil is being
unleashed.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
One by one, they fell to the possession
of the dark spirits.
21 OMIT 21
22 EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22
CLOSE SHOT - LINDA
Her eyes pop open. They are bone white. She has fallen
to the possession.
22A EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22A
ASH AND LINDA
Possessed Linda is coming after Ash. Ash back peddles,
stumbles and falls.
22B ANGLE - ASH ON GROUND 22B
As the Shadow of approaching Linda envelops Ash,
he picks up a shovel from the ground.
22C LINDA LEAPS OVER THE CAMERA, TOWARD HIM. 22C
22D LINDA DUMMY 22D
Ash swings the shovel, slicing off Linda's head.
22D1 LINDA'S DUMMY HEAD - ON WIRE 22D1
22E ANGLE 22E
Linda's head rolls down the hillside and disappears into
the darkness.
22F EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22F
ASH AND LINDA
Ash buries Linda's headless body. He jams a crude
wooden burial cross into the earth of the grave. A bolt
of lightning strikes.
22G HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD/CABIN - NIGHT - LONG SHOT - ASH 22G
As he runs from the grave site and toward the cabin.
23 OMIT 23
24 OMIT 24
25 OMIT 25
26 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 26
NARRATOR (V.O)
One man, Ash, destroyed the Book.
Ash enters the cabin. He sees The Book of the Dead
and tosses it onto the flames.
27 CLOSE SHOT - MELTDOWN - MAIN ROOM (STUDIO) 27
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
A possessed demon begins to wither and melt. Flesh
shrinks away from its skull and dissolves to nothing.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
But the evil that had been resurrected
from it, lives on.
28 CLOSE SHOT - BOOK IN FIREPLACE 28
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
The Book of the Dead is burned to cinders. The face
upon the Book screams as it burns.
29 OMIT 29
29A INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - HIGH SHOT 29A
Ash picks himself up from the floor.
29B INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM 29B
Ash stands and clutches the necklace of Linda, in
sorrow for his loss of her.
29C EXT. CABIN - DAWN - LONG SHOT 29C
Ash staggers from the cabin.
FADE OUT.
30 OMIT 30
31 EXT. CABIN - DAWN - RECREATION OF THE 31
FINAL SHOT OF EVIL DEAD I
We are racing forward. We have taken the POV of
an EVIL ENTITY as it glides with dark purpose through
a section of woods. It approaches the rear door of the
cabin. The door is torn violently open. The next door
falls away from us. We approach the front door. SLAM! It
jigsaws in two and we are again outside, now in front of
the cabin. Ash is seen in the distance. He is staggering
away, his back to us as we race at him. He turns suddenly
towards CAMERA and screams.
32 EXT. WOODS - DAWN 32
INTERVOLOMETER STOP MOTION/CRANE - SAM-O-CAM
The final shot of Evil Dead I has a new ending; an
extension. Ash is caught by an invisible grip.
"G" force is distorting Ash's face as he is rocketed
backwards. He is swept hand over foot through the
air. He reaches the edge of the woods and begins
tearing through the branches and smaller trees,
clearing a path with his body. He finally slams into
a large ungiving tree trunk and he is knocked
unconscious.
33 WIDE SHOT - LOOKING UPWARD - ASH - DUMMY - DAWN 33
As he falls from the tree branch and plummets towards
the earth.
34 ASH'S POV - (CRANING DOWNWARD) - UNDERCRANKED - DAWN 34
A puddle of mud below, which rushes up upon us quickly.
35 MED. SHOT - MUD PUDDLE - ASH 35
As his head splashes down into the muddy water.
36 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - DAWN 36
He lifts his face from the mud, and turns toward us.
His eyes have gone white. His skin is now a pale color,
his lips, jet black. He is Possessed. A bright edge of
morning sunlight moves across his face. He turns his
beastly face skyward.
37 EXT. RIDGE - DAY (STUDIO) - MATTE PAINTING 37
LONG SHOT - THE SUN (Miniature)
Rising over a mountain ridge. Sunlight streaming
through a gaping hole in the parting clouds, in
bright shafts. It pours through the trees.
38 MED. SHOT - THE SUN - MATTE PAINTING - MINIATURE 38
Closer on the sun as it looms larger and brighter.
39 CLOSE SHOT - THE SUN - MATTE PAINTING - MINIATURE 39
The frame is filled with the rising sun.
40 EXT. WOODS - DAWN - CLOSE SHOT - ASH - MUD PUDDLE 40
The bright edge of morning sunlight spreading across
his face, he lets loose a demonic death shriek.
41 EXT. WOODS - DAY - (STUDIO) 41
EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FACE (STUDIO)
DUMMY HEAD - LIQUID EYE CHAMBER - MINIATURE
The white in Ash's eyes swirls about, and his pupils
change back to their original brown color.
41A EXT. WOODS - DAWN 41A
Ash, no longer possessed, collapses into the mud puddle,
unconscious.
41B EXT. WOODS - DAY - REVERSE ACTION - FOG - 3 ANGLES 41B
Streams of morning sunlight pierce the darkness of the
woods. We hear the shriek of demons. The sound of
SIZZLING. A great wind blows back fog into the darker
sections of the woods. The scene grows brighter and
the peaceful sounds of morning are faded up.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
42 EXT. WOODS - DAY 42
WIDE SHOT - ASH
As he lies unconscious. Time passes.
43 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - CRANE - UNDERCRANKED 43
His eyes open. They stare blankly up at the sky. Then
fear registers and we CRANE BACK QUICKLY, revealing a
vast area of empty woods around Ash.
44 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 44
He sits up slowly into frame, looking fearfully about.
45 ASH'S POV 45
Panning the battered cabin and sections of the woods.
All is peaceful. The sound of birds tweeting.
46 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 46
ASH (V.O.)
It's gone.
He looks up to the sky.
47 EXT. RIDGE - DAY - (STUDIO) - MATTE PAINTING 47
LONG SHOT - THE SUN - LATE AFTERNOON
Just above the horizon.
ASH
Sun's driven it away...
for now. Gotta get the hell
out of here... before night falls.
48 OMIT 48
49 OMIT 49
50 OMIT 50
51 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 51
As he nods to himself, then suddenly glances up beyond
the CAMERA.
52 EXT. CABIN - DAY - MITCHELL CAMERA 52
ASH'S POV - THE CABIN
A perfectly normal log cabin with one exception;
superimposed over the front of the place is...
52P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - (BLACK STUDIO) 52P
MITCHELL CAMERA
A hideous human skull with living eyeballs that stare
out at us with evil malice. The eyes stare out from
the two dark windows. The dark nose area is the open
doorway, and the rotted teeth of the skull are the
whitewashed stones placed at the foot of the cabin.
Then it fades, leaving only the cabin.
53 EXT. WOODS - DAY - WIND FAN 53
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - MUD PUDDLE
He shudders uncontrollably as he picks himself up from
the mud.
Ash MOVES INTO A CLOSE UP. His eyes shift back and forth
like a trapped animal as he looks about for a means of
escape. He spots something.
54 EXT. CABIN - DAY - ASH'S POV 54
THE DELTA 88 OLDSMOBILE
Parked in front of the cabin.
55 EXT. WOODS - DAY 55
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He shifts his glance from the car to the road.
56 EXT. ROAD - DRIVEWAY TO CABIN - DAY 56
A narrow dirt road cutting through the woods. Then,
the Delta 88 roars down it, and past the CAMERA. It
kicks up dust and gravel.
57 INT. DELTA 88 - DAY 57
(CAR MOUNT)
Ash is driving. He wipes the mud and blood from his
face with a rag. As he pulls the rag away, his face
forms a sudden look of horror as he sees:
58 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY (STUDIO MINIATURE W/BACKDROP) 58
CAR'S POV - TRACKING SHOT - STOP MOTION ANIMATION
A GIANT STEEL HAND LOOMS towards us. It is the twisted
remains of the steel and wood bridge that crossed
a great mountain chasm. A LOUD SCREECH of brakes
is heard on the soundtrack on this cut.
59 EXT. BRIDGE SIDE I - DAY 59
MEDIUM SHOT - DELTA 88 - PARTIAL BRIDGE SET
As it pulls to a halt. Ash steps quietly from the car.
He looks at the bridge.
60 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY (STUDIO MINIATURE W/BACKDROP) 60
ASH'S POV - BRIDGE
A sign hangs from the twisted girders. It reads:
"DANGEROUS BRIDGE - 2 TON WEIGHT LIMIT - CROSS AT OWN
RISK." Beyond this we see the twisted remnants of the
former bridge and the rock cliffs far away on the other
side.
60A EXT. BRIDGE SIDE I - DAY - MITCHELL CAMERA 60A
FROM RAVINE, LOOKING UPWARD AT ASH AND DELTA
(5 FRAMINGS)
Ash gapes at the uncrossable chasm.
60AP TWO CLIFF EDGES - (STUDIO) - MINIATURE 60AP
61 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY 61
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He is stunned at the sight. His only escape, gone.
He looks from the bridge to the West.
62P1 PLATE FOR FOLLOWING SCENE 62P1
ASH'S POV - LONG SHOT - MOUNTAIN RIDGE - INTERVOLOMETER
The sun is now resting on the horizon. Lower than it was
before. It is BLOOD RED, and sets in the course of seven
seconds.
62 INT. STUDIO (BLUE SCREEN) 62
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - PULLING BACK
To reveal Ash as he looks from the sunset, to the ruined
bridge, to the road behind him. He moves in halting
steps, not knowing which way to turn.
Ash opens his mouth, draws in his breath, and just as
he begins to scream, we CUT TO:
62P2 OMIT 62P2
63 EXT. BRIDGE - TWILIGHT - POV OF EVIL FORCE 63
3 CAMERAS - BREAKAWAY TREES
As it rises up from what appears to be the mountain
chasm and reveals the opposite side of the twisted
girders which form the "Giant Hand." It spots Ash
immediately beyond. It moves swiftly towaad him.
Ash looks up, sensing the evil and darts into the
Delta 88. The FORCE moves through the twisted girders,
pushing them away violently and races towaad the car.
The Delta starts up and peels off. The Evil Force
just misses it. The car doesn't have the room to
complete the one hundred and eighty degree turn
necessary to head back down the road the way it
originally came, and is forced into a line of break-
away trees which explode into sawdust as the front of
the Delta 88 rips through them. The car swerves
onto the road, headed back toward the cabin.
64 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT 64
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - CAR MOUNT
As the broken bits of tree slam against his
windshield.
65 CLOSE SHOT - CAR RADIO/TAPE DECK 65
As the channel switches suddenly to the hard rock
song "Journey to the Center of Your Mind" which blares
within the car throughout the chase to follow.
66 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT 66
POV - EVIL FORCE - UNDERCRANKED
As it gives chase to the Delta.
67 TRACKING SHOT - DELTA - DRAGWAY - UNDERCRANKED - ATV 67
Alongside the car as it barrels along the wooded
road.
68 EXT. DRAGWAY - NIGHT 68
TRACKING SHOT - DELTA - UNDERCRANKED - ATV
As he drives this wild course.
69 POV - EVIL FORCE - UNDERCRANKED 69
As it begins to gain on the speeding automobile.
70 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT - UNDERCRANKED 70
OVER ASH'S SHOULDER
Looking through the windshield, as branches beat and
smash themselves against the windshield, obscuring
our vision of the "Road" ahead. Our view suddenly
clears, revealing a large tree that looms directly
ahead.
71 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 71
Swerving the wheel.
72 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 72
ANGLE - DELTA - UNDERCRANKED
It swerves and slams into a rotted tree, stopping
it dead.
73 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT 73
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - UNDERCRANKED
As he is rocketed forward from his seat.
74 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 74
ANGLE - FRONT OF DELTA - DUMMY OF ASH
As Ash comes ripping through the windshield and past
the CAMERA.
74A ASH'S POV 74A
As he approaches the ground with a great velocity.
74B MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 74B
As he slams into the earth with a rain of glass. He
moans and gets to his feet.
75 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 75
POV - EVIL FORCE - BREAKAWAY TREES
As it sweeps down out of the woods, pushing over trees,
and approaches the Delta. Steam pours from the hood of
the car.
76 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 76
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he runs. His face is cut and bleeding.
76A ANGLE - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 76A
As he runs toward the cabin. (Actually he is running
in place in the rear of a camera car that is slowly
backing away from the cabin.) The more he runs, the
farther away from the cabin he gets.
77 POV - EVIL FORCE 77
IMO CAMERA MOUNTED ON LONG POLE AND TRUCK - 3 DELTAS
"RAM-O-CAM"
It approaches the rear of the Delta, rips through the
back window, moves through the car's interior, music
still blasting, and bursts out the remains of the front
windshield. We move through the steam of the radiator
and approach Ash as he runs for the cabin.
78 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 78
As he runs toward the cabin not making much progress
as though caught running in a nightmare. He shakes his
head "No."
78A CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET AS THEY RUN 78A
79 ANGLE - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 79
Now closer to the cabin. (Again, Ash is running in
place in the camera car as it slowly backs away
from the cabin.)
80 POV - EVIL FORCE 80
Now quickly gaining its lost ground. Just a few feet
behind Ash.
81 EXT. CABIN - LOCATION 81
SIDE SHOT - ASH
As he runs up the porch steps to the cabin.
82 EXT./INT. CABIN - LOCATION 82
POV - EVIL FORCE
We race into the cabin, splintering the hall door
which Ash had swung shut. Ash retreats into the
rear hallway, and swings the hallway door shut. We race
right up to the door and it shatters into many pieces
as we glide forward.
83 INT. CABIN - STUDIO - "MAZE SHOT" - FORCE POV 83
Camera moves through the main room and up to the
Hallway door. It shatters in front of us. We close
in on Ash as he races down the hallway. We lose him
as he swings into the back bedroom of the cabin and
slams the door behind him. We rip through this door
and enter the rear bedroom, only to see Ash scrambling
for the door to the middle bedroom, which we approach
and he swings shut in our face. We rip through to
reveal Ash scurrying into the Hallway. We follow him
through the bathroom, the maze, and back out into the
Hallway. We round the corner after him and see that
Ash has led us into the main room, but there is not a
trace of him. We look about for him, but he is gone.
The hallway is bare except for a few dry leaves.
84 INT./EXT. CABIN - LOCATION - POV EVIL FORCE 84
The force begins to pull back with an ever-increasing
speed, out the front door of the cabin, and deep into
the blackness of the woods.
85 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 85
A static shot of the fireplace. All is quiet. Smoke
from the near dead fire wafts up the chimney. We hold
on this for a moment.
85A ANGLE - MIDDLE BEDROOM CLOSET - NIGHT 85A
A static shot of a closet with it's door half open.
The door begins to swing slightly open, revealing
a rack of clothes inside. We hold on this for a
moment.
85B ANGLE - CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT 85B
A writing desk with some papers atop it. They begin
to tremble and finally blow away from the light breeze
that sweeps through the cabin. The CAMERA PANS down
from this desk to reveal a trap door in the floor of
the main room. The trap door to the cellar. It is
raised up on its hinge an inch or so and in that
slight space between the trap door and the floor we
see Ash's eyes, looking cautiously about. He breathes
a sigh of relief.
86 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 86
The cabin in the distance. Fog rolls past.
87-128 OMIT 87-128
128 A,B,C OMIT 128 A,B,C
129-143 OMIT 129-143
143 A-F OMIT 143 A-F
143FP OMIT 143FP
144-149 OMIT 144-149
149A-J OMIT 149A-J
149K EXT. AIRSTRIP - NIGHT - LONGSHOT - ED 149K
Ed Getly stands in the FG and watches as an older
style twin engine cargo plane flies over the camera
and lands.
149L AIRSTRIP - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - PASSENGERS 149L
The airplane rolls to a halt. A man wearing a
jumpsuit ties the airplane off and blocks the wheels
while a redcap opens the hatch and helps out Annie
Knowby. She carries a glass case in her hand as she
moves toward us. Behind her five other passengers
emerge from the Plane. Ed approaches Annie.
ED
Annie!
ANNIE
(smiling at sight of him)
Hi.
They embrace and kiss.
ED
How'd everything go on the expedition?
ANNIE
Terrific. I found the additional pages
from the Book of the Dead.
ED
So you said in the telegram. What
condition are they in?
She holds out the glass case for Ed to look at.
149M CLOSE SHOT - GLASS CASE 149M
Inside are 12 pages from the Book of the Dead.
149N AIRSTRIP - NIGHT 149N
TRACKING SHOT - ED AND ANNIE - THEY CONTINUE WALKING
ED
Haven't aged a day in three thousand years.
ANNIE
Maybe longer.
ED
When do we begin the translations?
ANNIE
Tonight. Is everything all set with my
father?
ED
Should be, but I haven't spoken to him
in a week, what with no phone in that
cabin. Take us about an hour to get there.
They arrive at the parking lot. Two new, sharp looking
cheverolets and Ed's old style cheverolet.
ED
We'll take my car.
Ed opens the car trunk. Behind him a redcap pulls up
a large steamer trunk on a hand dolly. Ed and the redcap
hoist the steamer up into the car's trunk.
ED
Annie, you hinted in your telegram that
your father was on to something with the
first part of his translations. What's
the big mystery? What has he found in
The Book of the Dead?
ANNIE
Maybe nothing. But just possibly...
the doorway to another world?
Annie slams the car trunk.
149O OMIT 149O
150 OMIT 150
151 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - W/ ASH - NIGHT 151
CHEVROLET CAR TRUNK
CAMERA has taken the POV of the evil force as it glides
eerily through the woods, around trees and over rotted
stumps. It moves over a rise revealing a clear view
of the boarded cabin in the distance. It approaches.
It moves to the window, and peering through the cracks
in the boards we see Ash asleep in the rocking chair.
152 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 152
Camera begins on hammer, nails, and planking which
lay upon the cabin floor. Camera pans to window #1.
It is boarded up tight. Camera pans to door. It
is repaired. Camera pans to Ash who sleeps in the
rocking chair in front of another boarded window.
Ash awakens suddenly, sensing something, the
shotgun clutched in his lap. He lifts his head and
turns to a whispering musical sound. Harp like music.
It is coming from the back bedroom of the cabin.
153 MAIN ROOM/MIDDLE ROOM/REAR BEDROOM 153
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he stands and moves cautiously towards the rear
bedroom.
154 ASH'S POV - MIDDLE ROOM AND REAR BEDROOM 154
As he approaches the rear bedroom, the music grows louder.
As he enters the room he halts his gaze on the old wooden
piano.
155 INT. CABIN/REAR BEDROOM - NIGHT 155
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he moves to the piano. The sound is coming from
within. Suddenly, the piano begins to play by itself;
Ash draws back from it. It plays a waltz. Now the
piano music mixing with the harp-like strings. The
radiator next to the piano begins to release bursts of
musical steam, adding a wind section to this strange
orchestra.
156 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 156
As he listens to this haunting version of a waltz melody.
He recognizes the music. It is the same music that Ash
had played earlier, when Linda was dancing.
157 CLOSE SHOT - PIANO AND RADIATOR 157
As steam spouts from the radiator pipes. As the piano
keys depress and release themselves. The melody grows
louder.
158 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 158
As he lowers his head. His horror gives way to sadness.
From his pocket he removes Linda's delicate silver locket
that dangles from the end of a chain. In the locket's
center is a magnifying glass. He stares mournfully into
the glass. BANG! He looks up sharply toward the main
room.
159 OMIT 159
159P1 OMIT 159P1
159P2 OMIT 159P2
159P3 OMIT 159P3
160 OMIT 160
161 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 161
ASH'S POV - SHUTTERS
As they rip open, splintering Ash's reinforcements.
Wind sweeps in through the place as the curtains flutter
wildly. Through the window is a sweeping fog.
162 INT. CABIN MIDDLE ROOM - NIGHT 162
Ash runs through this room and into the main room. He
moves to the window and looks out. Wind blowing on his
face from outside.
163 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 163
ASH'S POV - THE GRAVEYARD
A stark wooden cross marks Linda's lonely grave.
164 OMIT 164
165 OMIT 165
166 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 166
LONG SHOT - CABIN IN DISTANCE - STOP MOTION ANIMATION
The tiny figure of Ash can be seen looking off toward
this hill. In the foreground is a crude burial cross
and a mound of earth. The earth begins to crack and
splinter. The wooden cross caves in and is swallowed
as the headless corpse of Linda pulls itself to its
feet. The HAUNTING WALTZ MELODY sweeps through the
night air.
166P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 166P
ASH IN WINDOW - MITCHELL CAMERA
167 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 167
CLOSE SHOT - THROUGH THE WINDOW - ASH
His eyes, illuminated by a shaft of light, widen in
amazement and horror as...
168 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT (STUDIO) 168
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN) - 3 ANGLES
The WALTZ MELODY fills the sound track, and the rotting
corpse that was Linda begins to dance, bending and
swaying as she sweeps gracefully through the evening
fog. A waltz of the dead.
The style of dance begins to change. It becomes more
primitive. The music changes to a more primal beat.
The dance becomes sexually oriented. Erotic, with
sharp pelvic thrusts and gyrating hip motions.
168P 3 PLATES FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 168P
EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - FOG/WIND FAN
169 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 169
CLOSE SHOT - THRU THE WINDOW - ASH
Lost in the horrific beauty, he turns his head to a
rumbling sound.
170 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - (REVERSE ACTION) 170
ASH'S POV
Linda's DECAPITATED HEAD rolls across the ground and
up the hillside graveyard.
171 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT (STUDIO) 171
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN) LINDA'S HEAD
3 ANGLES
As it leaps through the air and gracefully situates
itself atop Linda's neck, she begins to spin, yet her
head remains in place, never taking her eyes from Ash.
With a sensual twirl and leap, she disappears into the
evening mists.
171P 3 PLATES FOR PRECEDING SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 171P
EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - FOG W/WIND
172 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 172
CLOSE SHOT - THRU WINDOW - ASH
His eyes dart about, trying to catch another glimpse
of Linda through the fog.
173 EXT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 173
ASH'S POV - THRU WINDOW
Linda swings sharply into frame, completing the spin
of her dance immediately in front of Ash as the music
abruptly halts.
LINDA
DANCE WITH ME!
Linda extends her dead arms towards Ash.
174 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 174
He screams as...
175 EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 175
CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S CORPSE (OVERCRANKED)
Linda's head rolls off of her neck and tumbles through
space.
176 INT. BLACK STUDIO - NIGHT 176
LINDA'S HEAD - ON WIRE
As it tumbles through a void of blackness, falling.
177 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 177
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he screams himself awake. CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal
him sitting in the rocking chair. Ash halts his scream,
getting control of himself. He looks to the window that
had blown open.
178 ASH'S POV - THE BOARDED WINDOW 178
Still boarded as though it had never been opened.
179 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 179
Reassuring himself.
ASH
That's all. Just a crummy dr-
Linda's decapitated head falls into frame and lands in
Ash's hands.
180 CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 180
It opens its eyes and looks to Ash.
LINDA'S HEAD
Hello lover, I came from the other
side of your dream to dance with you.
181 CLOSER SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD (BACKWARD MOTION) 181
A four foot long blackened tongue emerges from her mouth
like a lashing serpent.
182 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - (BACKWARD MOTION) 182
The tongue enters Ash's frame and forces itself into
Ash's mouth. Screaming as he clutches at the head of his
former love. The tongue instantly retracts inside her
head.
183 CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 183
As it bites deeply into Ash's right hand, drawing blood.
183A MED SHOT - ASH AND LINDA'S DUMMV HEAD 183A
Ash stands and rushes across the room screaming, as he
tries to rid himself of the head.
183 B-L OMIT 183 B-L
184 OMIT 184
185 OMIT 185
185A OMIT 185A
186 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - ASH AND DUMMY HEAD - LONG SHOT 186
As Ash staggers painfully around the side of the
cabin and towards the work shed; Linda's head still
clamped to his hand.
187 INT. WORK SHED - NIGHT - LINDA DUMMY HEAD - ASH 187
The door to the place is kicked open, revealing Ash
and Linda's head on the end of his hand. It is a room
full of sawdust, chains and power tools. Old bones
hang from the walls.
187A MEDIUM SHOT - INT. WORK SHED - ASH 187A
As he places Linda's head within the vice and
tightens it around her, then withdraws his hand.
LINDA'S HEAD
Even now we have your darling Linda's
soul! She suffers in torment!
187B CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 187B
As it rips away an old tarp revealing the chalk
outline of where a chainsaw once was.
187C CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HEADLESS LINDA BODY 187C
Confused. Wondering what has happened to the
chainsaw. Behind him, the door to the shed bursts
open and in comes the flailing, headless, body of
Linda, charging at Ash with the chainsaw buzzing high
above her head. Ash is screaming.
187D MEDIUM SHOT 187D
Ash grabs a large crowbar and swings it
toward the approaching blade.
187E CLOSE SHOT 187E
The crowbar hits the bottom of the blade with a
shower of sparks, sending the buzzing saw flipping
backward.
187F MEDIUM SHOT - HEADLESS LINDA DUMMY - 3 ANGLES 187F
The blade of the chainsaw swings upward and arcs
back into headless Linda, imbedding itself in her
neck. She goes nuts as the chainsaw bites its way
into her chest cavity. She spins wildly about the
room knocking into shelves as she tries to pull the
blade free. She slams against the wall of the shed,
and slumps to the floor, the chainsaw still buzzing.
187G MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187G
As he is splattered with black bile. He reaches down.
187H MEDIUM SHOT - HEADLESS LINDA 187H
As Ash dislodges the spinning chainsaw from her.
187I MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187I
As he swings the chainsaw around and poises it above
Linda's head.
187J WIDE SHOT - ASH AND LINDA'S HEAD IN VICE 187J
From the chainsaw, fumes of blue amoke. Ash turns
to the head and falters.
187K CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD IN VICE 187K
She is no longer possessed. She looks as she did
earlier in the film. A vision of beAuty. She is
again Linda, the woman Ash loved. Tears roll down from
her eyes.
LINDA
Please Ash, help me. I love
you, please don't hurt me.
187L CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187L
Trying to fight his feelings, he knows what he must
do. He pumps the throttle on the saw.
187M CLOSE SHOT - LINDA 187M
Pleading with him.
LINDA
You promised me we'd always be
together. You swore to me!
187N CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187N
Agonized.
ASH
NO!
187O CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 187O
Once again fully possessed, and speaking in the voice
of the demon. Her eyes again white, her flesh, rotten.
LINDA'S HEAD
YES! YOU LIED TO HER! YOU LIED TO
LINDA! YOUR LOVE WAS A LIE! AND
NOW SHE BURNS IN HELL!
187P EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S DUMMY HEAD 187P
She opens her mouth and emits a jet stream of bile.
187Q CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187Q
As he's drenched in the face. Linda begins to laugh at
him in a wild, high pitched squeal.
He gains control of himself and steadies the saw.
ASH
Eat chainsaw.
He brings down the spinning blade. And moves past
the CAMERA and towards the head. We are left looking
at the wall of the work shed upon which we see the
stark shadow of the ghastly deed. We hear the sound
of spinning steel meeting bone and the screams of a
demon.
187R CLOSE SHOT - LIGHT BULB 187R
As it is splattered with blood.
187S MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187S
Ash stumbles back into frame and falls against the
wall, now lit in crimson. He looks at the off screen
carnage in terror. He begins to shake as though in
shock. He trembles as he looks down at his
hands; they are covered in Linda's blood.
He wipes his hands on his pants and shirt, trying
to rid himself of it, but only succeeds in painting
himself with the stuff. Ash screams a wild scream of
fear and despair. It echoes off into the night.
188 CRANE SHOT - EXT. WORK SHED - NIGHT 188
Ash in a confused state as he staggers from the
work shed and towards the cabin. Again clutching
the chainsaw.
189 INT. CABIN REAR DOORWAY - NIGHT 189
Ash enters through the doorway. He pushes the door
shut behind him and halts. We hear a creaking sound.
It is coming from the main room of the cabin. He
moves in the direction of the sound.
189A ASH'S POV - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 189A
TRACKING SLOWLY FORWARD
Curtains flutter on the partially boarded windows of
the hall. Ash moves slowly past them and towards the
main room ahead. The gentle creaking sound grows
louder. Ash tosses down the saw and picks up the gun.
189B INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 189B
Ash enters from the hallway and turns his head to the
sound.
189C MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - ASH'S POV - THE ROCKING CHAIR 189C
It rocks back and forth with a definitive motion,
halting for a moment at it's pints furthest forward
and backward, as if some invisible thing was sitting
there and rocking.
189D CLOSE SHOT - ASH 189D
He slowly approaches the chair, scared shitless.
189E MEDIUM SHOT - FROM BEHIND THE ROCKING CHAIR 189E
The chair rocks in and out of frame in the foreground
as Ash takes halting steps towards it. Ash gathers
his courage and reaches out his hand to halt the
rocking motion. Slowly his hand approaches the chair.
Just as his hand goes to touch it, the chair abruptly
halts, on its own accord.
190 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 190
In a confused state as he backs away from the chair and
into the wall. He turns and comes face to face with
himself in a hanging framed mirror. He clutches at his
face, trying to reassure himself of his sanity.
ASH
I'm fine... I'm fine...
191 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM/MIRROR ROOM - NIGHT 191
MEDIUM SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - ASH AND REFLECTION
Ash's reflection becomes an independent entity. It
reaches out of the mirror and grabs ahold of Ash by his
throat. The reflection looks like a Mr. Hyde version of
Ash. Sweating and nasty looking.
192 SIDE SHOT - SPLIT SCREEN - ASH AND REFLECTION 192
MITCHELL CAMERA (ASH AS MR. HYDE)
The reflection pulls Ash close and speaks to him in an
intimate whisper.
REFLECTION
I don't think we're "fine". We're
losing it... starting to slip. We
just cut up our girlfriend with a
chainsaw. Does that sound fine?
The reflection tightens its hold on Ash's throat and
begins to strangle him.
192P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 192P
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
ASH - MITCHELL CAMERA
193 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - DOLLY 193
Two hands in the bottom of frame, throttling him.
CAMERA races back to reveal Ash's own hands on his throat.
There is no sign of Ash's evil reflection. Ash has
been strangling himself. He realizes this the same
moment we do. He quickly pulls his hands away, looks at
them incredulously, then to the mirror.
194 OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - INTO MIRROR 194
His reflection is as it should be.
195 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 195
He looks back down to his hands.
196 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 196
CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S RIGHT HAND - DUMMY HAND
INTERVOLOMETER
The bite marks that Linda's teeth have left in the hand
stand out sharply. The wound suddenly blackens and
spiderwebs it's infection across the entire surface of the
hand.
197 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 197
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HAND IN FOREBROUND - MAKE UP BLADDER EFX
The hand quivers and shakes, now out of Ash's control.
The hand has taken a whitish cast. It's veins throb and
pulsate. It is possessed by the evil force. The hand's
fingernails grow inches. The wound oozes black fluid.
Ash is repulsed.
198 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 198
Ash's demon hand makes a lunge at his face which is
countered by his good hand.
199 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 199
He slams the hand to the cabin floor. He screams to
the air:
ASH
You bastards. Give me back my hand.
200 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 200
Wind and fog swirl about the place. Ash's ECHOING
SCREAM is heard above the HOWLING GALE.
ASH (0.S.)
Give me back my hand!!
201 OMIT 201
201A OMIT 201A
201B OMIT 201B
201C OMIT 201C
202 OMIT 202
203 OMIT 203
204 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM/KITCHEN - NIGHT 204
Ash rushes into the kitchen and places his hand in
the sink. He turns on the faucet.
205 INT. CABIN KITCHEN - NIGHT 205
Cool water runs over Ash's burned hand. Ash rests his
head on the kitchen counter and mumbles reassurances to
himself.
ASH
Can't... can't be happening.
206 CLOSE SHOT - THE HAND 206
As the water pours over it. It grabs a plate sitting
in the dishwater and reaches up silently out of the sink.
207 MEDIUM SHOT 207
The plate is shattered over Ash's head. The
hand grabs Ash's hair and mercilessly slams his
head down upon the kitchen counter again and again.
Ash punches himself in the face and is sent reeling
backwards. He smashes into a cupboard where dishes
and plates fall upon him.
208 CLOSE SHOT 208
The hand picks up plates and begins breaking them over
Ash's head. Then a bottle.
209 MEDIUM SHOT 209
Ash is knocked unconscious. The hand continues breaking
objects over his head. Ash lies unmoving, but still
alive.
210 CLOSE SHOT 210
The hand stops as though it senses something. The
CAMERA PANS to a large meat cleaver which lies upon the
wooden floor.
211 MEDIUM SHOT 211
The hand as it independently crawls towards the meat
cleaver. The hand is stopped when it runs out of arm,
now anchored by Ash's unconscious body.
212 CLOSE-SHOT - HAND 212
It digs its nails deep into the floorboards and begins to
pull...
213 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 213
... as he is pulled along the kitchen floor.
214 CLOSE SHOT - HAND - GELETIN HAND 214
As it pulls Ash's unconscious body along after it. The
hand clutches the meat cleaver when a large knife comes
slicing through the demon hand, pinning it to the
floorboards. CAMERA pulls over to reveal a revived Ash.
ASH
Who's laughing now?
214A ANGLE - ASH - COMEDY KNIFE RIG 214A
He reaches over with his good hand and pulls a fire
engine red chainsaw down from the shelf.
He holds the body of the machine between his legs and,
with his good hand, pulls the starter cord. The
CHAINSAW ROARS to life. The CAMERA TRACKS IN to Ash's
sweating face.
ASH
Who's laughing now!?
He lowers the spinning blade of the chainsaw down out
of frame and toward the evil hand. Blood flies up
into frame.
215 OMIT 215
216 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 216
LONG SHOT
We hear the BUZZING of the CHAINSAW as it slices through
bone and then falls silent.
217 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT (SIDE II) 217
CRANE
The CAMERA cranes down as Annie's car approaches from
the distance. It pulls to a halt. Ed and Annie step
from the car.
218 ANNIE'S POV 218
A red tow truck with its orange lights flashing is
parked there. Painted on it's side is "Jake's Gas
N' Go." Jake, a toothless, backwoods, greasemonkey is
setting up flares and wooden roadblocks. Annie and Ed
approach.
ANNIE
Excuse me. This the road to the
Knowby's cabin?
JAKE
Thas' right. But you ain't goin' there.
ANNIE
And why not?
219 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 219
As he reaches in his truck to pull on the headlights.
220 CLOSE SHOT - TRUCK HEADLIGHTS 220
As they snap on.
221 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE, ANNIE, AND ED 221
All stand in the bright glare of the lights as the fog
swirls about them. Annie and Ed gape in frightened
wonder at what they see.
222 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT - (SIDE II) - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 222
THEIR POV - TABLE TOP MODEL GIRDERS
The piercing beams of light illuminate twisted remnants of
the destroyed bridge that leads to the cabin. A road sign,
similar to the one on the other side of the bridge
reads: "Dangerous Bridge - Two Ton Weight Limit".
223 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT - (SIDE II) 223
CLOSE SHOT - ED AND ANNIE
Frightened as they view the wreckage.
ANNIE
What happened?
JAKE
Lady, I ain't never seen nothin' like
it.
ED
Terrific. Now what?
ANNIE
There must be another way in.
Another road or something.
224 JAKE, BOBBY JOE, ANNIE AND ED - TWO CAMERAS 224
BOBBY JOE
Sure ain't no, road.
CAMERA pans over to reveal a brassy southern spitfire
of a woman, Bobby Joe.
BOBBY JOE
Hell you wanna go there for, anyway?
Bobby Joe takes a pinch of chewing tobacco and stuffs
it into her mouth. She doesn't like Annie and her
fancy clothes. She stares at Annie like a cat.
224X MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ED 224X
Annie steps forward. She eyes Bobby Joe.
ANNIE
None of your business.
224Y CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224Y
He feigns surprise and pleasantness.
JAKE
Hey! I just remembered... Yeah,
that's right... There is a trail.
You could follow Bobby Joe and me.
ED
That sounds all right.
JAKE
But, it'll cost ya.
ANNIE
How much?
JAKE
Forty Fi...
224A ANGLE 224A
Jake looks up suddenly at Bobby Joe who gives
a sharp shake of her head.
JAKE
Hundred bucks.
224B CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 224B
ANNIE
Tell you what. You take my bags
you got a deal.
224C CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224C
He glances through the window of Annie's car.
224D JAKE'S POV 224D
The tiny case containing the missing pages of the Book
of the Dead, and a small handbag.
224E CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224E
Looking back to Annie, a big smile on his near
toothless face.
JAKE
Sure!
225 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 225
A hiking trail winds through the woods. Bobby Joe
leads the way with flashlight in hand. She pockets
some bills. She is followed by Annie and Ed who
carry the glass case containing the missing pages
and the handbag. A grunting and sweating Jake brings
up the rear, the large steamer trunk on his back.
He is cursing under his breath.
JAKE
Jesus H. Christ! I thought she
was talkin' 'bout them two goddamn
little pieces!
226 OMIT 226
227 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 227
The wind rushes fog about the place with a fury.
A large moon hangs in the night sky.
228 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 228
CLOSE SHOT - EVIL HAND
No longer attached to Ash's arm, it still writhes about
beneath Ash's foot which pins it to the floor.
229 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - HAND'S POV - EYEMO W/ MOUNT 229
As he grabs the steel wastebasket, dumps out the trash
lowers it quickly over the CAMERA, trapping the hand
within.
230 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 230
With a note of finality, Ash slams down a pile of books
atop the overturned wastecan, to anchor it. The top
book's title reads "Farewell to Arms".
231 FIREPLACE 231
Ash raises a red hot fireplace shovel that had been
resting upon the coals. He grits his teeth.
232 ANGLE 232
Just out of frame, Ash thrusts the glowing shovel against
the stump to cauterize the wound. Red steam hisses up
into frame as Ash screams.
233 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 233
He tosses aside the shovel and douses his smoldering
stump into a vase of fresh flowers.
234 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 234
Unspooling a roll of duct tape.
235 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 235
He tapes the tablecloth into a makeshift bandage
about his wrist. Behind him, the wastebasket
silently slides across the floor.
236 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 236
"CLANG"! He turns to see.
237 CLOSE SHOT - THE WASTEBASKET 237
Upon its side. The Evil Hand is gone.
237A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 237A
He turns to a "pitter patter" sound.
238 OMIT 238
238P OMIT 238P
239 OMIT 239
240 OMIT 240
241 OMIT 241
242 OMIT 242
243 OMIT 243
244 OMIT 244
245 CLOSE SHOT - HAND 245
It scampers across the floorboards headed for a hole
in the wall.
246 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 246
MEDIUM SHOT - ANIMATED HAND (4 SEC.)
Same action as above but covered now through animation.
247 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 247
HAND - POV
Low angle tracking shot approaching the hole in the wall.
248 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND HAND - SQUIB 248
TRACKING WITH HAND, ASH IN BG
He raises the shotgun and FIRES. BLAM! The floor
next to the hand explodes.
249 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN THE WALL - SQUIB - EFX. HAND 249
The hand leaps into the hole as a section of wall next
to it EXPLODES. Blam!
250 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 250
Ash quickly reloads both chambers of the gun.
He tracks the SOUND of the PITTER PATTER as the hand
scampers through the sapace behind the wall like a rat.
251 OMIT 251
252 OMIT 252
253 OMIT 253
254 ASH'S POV - WALL - SQUIB 254
The blasted hole at the bottom of the wall. The hand
appears, still unhurt, waving and taunting at Ash.
255 CLOSE SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (7 SEC.) 255
As it taunts ASH it inadvertently sidesteps into a
rusting mousetrap. SNAP! It springs shut upon the
hand. It screams furiously and shakes violently in
an effort to get free the from trap.
256 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 256
Throws back his head in a gruff bark of laughter.
ASH
Ha!
257 CLOSE SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (7 SEC.) 257
The hand throws the trap from itself and raises its
middle finger to ASH, flipping him the bird.
258 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 258
He raises the gun, revealing his face as the
CAMERA PANS UP with his movement.
259 ASH'S POV - OVER THE GUN BARREL 259
Pointed directly at the hand. But the hand dodges
away from the hole, disappearing again behind the
wall. The gun continues to track the evil hand's
progress through its pitter patter sound.
260 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S EAR 260
The pitter patter ebbs and then peaks in volume.
261 ASH'S POV - OVER THE GUN BARREL - SQUIB 261
Both triggers are squeezed. BLAM! BLAM! A 2nd and
3rd hole are blown in the wall. All is silent.
261A INSERT ASH'S FINGER PULLS THE FIRST, THEN 261A
SECOND TRIGGER
261B INSERT FLAME BELCHES FROM THE GUN TWICE 261B
262 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 262
As he lowers the smoking gun. Wondering if he has hit
the hand or not.
263 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 263
All is silent for a moment, and then a slight trickle
of blood comes dripping from the hole and down the
side of the wall.
264 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 264
For the first time feeling victorious. As Ash continues
to stare at the hole, his expression changes to one of
perplexity.
265 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 265
The trickle of blood has increased to a steady flow,
then, even this volume of blood multiplies. It is
forced out of the wall with a greater and greater
pressure until blood pours from the wall like a fire
hose.
266 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 266
Horrified, he spins his glance to the sound of more
gushing liquid. He is hit in the face with a geyser
of deep red blood.
267 CLOSE SHOT - 2ND AND 3RD HOLES IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 267
The 2nd and 3rd holes in wall also begin to spew blood
in a geyser. The CAMERA PANS over to the 4th of the
holes. This, too, is an eruption of blood. The blood
changes in color to a black fluid, then yellow, then
turquoise.
268 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 268
Screaming as he looks down at his wrist. CAMERA PANS
DOWN to it. The severed wrist begins dribbling blood.
Then in a burst, it too, erupts in a hellish fire hose.
It spouts blood under such great pressure that ASH is
driven against the walls of the cabin because of it.
269 MED. SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 269
We follow him as he slams from one wall into another.
270 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 270
In the midst of his scream, drowning in the blood, it
all suddenly stops. The cabin is again deadly quiet.
ASH, soaked in blood and shivering, waits. For what,
he's not sure.
271 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 271
As he slowly backs away from the walls and sits upon
the three legged chair. It shatters beneath him,
dumping him on his butt.
CREAK!!!
ASH turns sharply to the low sound.
272 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 272
The mounted moose head upon the wall. It is in a
different position. It turns sharply towards ASH and
emits a hideous cackle.
273 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 273
He pulls back in fear, then turns to the sound of more
laughter.
274 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 274
The desk lamp on its steel swivel rises and falls in
synchronization with its wheezing laughter. Ah ha ha
ha ha. Ahhhh ha ha ha ha!
275 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 275
Terrified, he turns to more laughter.
276 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 276
A line of 12 old books upon the shelf flap open and
closed violently as they emit a chorus of sharp laughs.
Ash turns.
276A CLOSE SHOT 276A
Other books upon the floor laugh.
277 MEDIUM SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 277
He turns sharply toward us and breaks into an
uproariously frightening bout of laughter.
278 WIDE SHOT - ASH 278
The wooden door behind Ash comes to life. It
stretches out as though it were elastic with each of
its own low and terrible laughs.
279 WIDE SHOT - MAIN ROOM - TRACKING SHOT 279
RIGGING FOR TRAP DOOR, CABINETS, CLOCK
Ash and everything in it are having the time of their
lives. Ash leads the bunch laughing harder and
harder.
279A MEDIUM SHOT - HAND HELD - FRONT DOOR AND ASH 279A
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The room's laughter suddenly stops. Ash instantly
terrified, grabs up the shotgun and fires into the
door. Blam! Blam!
PAN to the front door.
Two holes are blown into the door. We hear a short
shrill scream and then all is quiet.
280 OMIT 280
281 OMIT 281
282 OMIT 282
282A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 282A
Ash opens the front door. It slowly swings inward
with a creak revealing the empty night.
283 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND JAKE 283
Ash approaches the front porch as Jake enters sharply
into his frame. Jake tackles Ash.
284 MEDIUM SHOT - SHOTGUN 284
As it slides across the floor.
285 MED. SHOT - ASH, JAKE AND ED 285
Ed enters and holds Ash down as Jake slugs him twice.
Ash's fist comes up into frame catching Jake on the
jaw. Jake pulls back his fist and rockets a piledriver
blow to Ash's face, knocking him senseless.
285A C.U. ASH 285A
285B C.U. JAKE 285B
286 MEDIUM SHOT - FRONT DOORWAY - THE GROUP 286
Annie and Bobby Joe enter. Annie is taking off Bobby
Joe's coat. Bobby Joe is wounded from the shotgun blast.
She holds her shoulder where the shell has grazed her.
JAKE
You gonna be alright, honey?
BOBBY JOE
I don't know.
JAKE
You just sit still fer a minute.
287 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE, ED, ANNIE, AND BOBBY JOE 287
As Jake gives Ash a swift kick in the ribs. Ash moans.
Jake turns to Ed, who is badly shaken.
JAKE
You know this son of a bitch?
ED
No. We thought her -
Annie steps forward.
ANNIE
Oh my God. Where are my parents?
Annie sets down the glass case containing the pages
of the Book of the Dead.
288 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 288
As she looks down to the floor.
289 ANNIE'S POV - THE CHAINSAW 289
As it lies in a pool of blood.
290 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 290
Annie runs to Ash's semi-conscious body, grabs his
shirt and violently shakes him.
ANNIE
What the hell did you do to them?
Ed pulls Annie off of Ash. She drops Ash's moaning head
to the floor and backs away from him, sobbing.
291 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE 291
Nursing his sore knuckles, he points with his elbow
to the trap door that leads to the cellar.
JAKE
We'll throw him in there.
292 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND ASH 292
Jake picks up Ash's body and drags him quickly to
the trap door. Half conscious, Ash feebly struggles
with Jake.
JAKE
Crazy buck's gone blood simple.
293 ASH'S POV - HAND HELD 293
As he approaches the trap door almost upside down.
Ed pries it open.
294 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HAND HELD 294
In a dazed state as he is carried to the trap door.
ASH
Wait... I made... a mistake...
JAKE
Damn right, you flat mouthed
son of a bitch.
294A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND JAKE 294A
Jake kicks Ash down into the open trap door.
295 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 295
ASH DUMMY
Looking up at the open trap door as Ash's body falls
through frame.
296 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 296
CLOSE SHOT - CELLAR STEP - ASH'S HEAD
As it slams into the wooden step. His feet tumble over
him as he begins to fall down the staircase.
297 LONG SHOT - ASH - STUNT 297
As he tumbles head over heels down the wooden steps.
298 ASH'S POV 298
Racing down the steps.
299 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 299
As he slams to the dirt floor of the cellar. Hard.
He moans.
300 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 300
LOOKING UP TO THEM FROM CELLAR
Jake, Ed and Bobby Joe.
BOBBY JOE
I hope you rot down there!
301 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 301
MEDIUM SHOT
Ash begins to realize where he is. Growing terror on
his battered face.
ASH
N... No.
302 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 302
ANGLE LOOKING UP
Jake swings the trap door shut with a clanging of chains.
303 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 303
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
The shaft of light from above disappears and he is
encased in the darkness of the cellar.
From above he hears the threading of chains through
eyeloops.
304 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 304
MED. SHOT - JAKE, ANNIE, BOBBY JOE, ED
Jake has just laid Bobby Joe down upon the couch. He
dresses her wound with a towel. Annie tosses down her coat
on the chair at the writing desk.
304A MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 304A
She spots the tape recorder and Kandarian Dagger. She
moves to them.
ANNIE
These are my father's things.
She turns on the tape recorder. High pitched feedback
and the professor's screams come from the speaker.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on Tape)
Last night Henrietta tried to kill me.
ANNIE PROFESSOR KNOWBY
SHHH! Listen! (Voice on tape)
My father's voice. I know now, that my wife has
become host to a kandarian demon.
305 MED. SHOT - JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ED 305
As they turn their heads to the sound of:
306 CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER - TRACKING 306
Still playing, the tapes wind as we hear the wowing and
fluttering voice of Raymond Knowby.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
I cannot bring myself to dismember
my wife, yet I know that I must, to
halt the evil that lives within her.
307 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE - TRACKING IN 307
Horrified.
ANNIE
No.
308 OMIT 308
309 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 309
MED. SHOT - ASH - TRACKING AROUND HIM
As he lays in the center of the cellar's earth floor.
He strains his ears to listen to the tape playing in
the room above.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
It is October 1, 4:33 p.m. Henrietta
is dead. I could not bring myself
to dismember her corpse. But I
buried her.
310 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 310
TRACKING CLOSER
As he listens intently to the tape playing in the room
above.
311 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 311
TRACKING SHOT - TAPE RECORDER
CAMERA SLOWLY MOVING IN on the winding tape.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
I . . . buried her . . . in the
cellar.
312 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 312
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - TRACKING CLOSER
Growing horror on his face as he realizes where he is.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
God help me, I buried her in the
earthen floor of the fruit cellar!
313 OMIT 313
314 OMIT 314
315 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 315
ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT - (STOP MOTION ANIMATION)
Ash's legs in the foreground. Suddenly from the
earthen floor of the fruit cellar a half-rotten human
head juts up! Just the eyes are above the surface of the
dirt. They dart about wildly and halt upon Ash. Worms
crawl from the rotted forehead.
316 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 316
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He screams.
317 MED. SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - MOCK UP OF CELLAR 317
SET
Henrietta's arm rips through the earth and grabs Ash's
leg as he tries to back away. The corpse that was
Henrietta pulls itself from the grave and emits a wail.
She turns her twisted body to face Ash. Moths fly
about her in a flurry.
HENRIETTA
Someone's in my fruit cellar!
Someone with a fresh soul!
318 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 318
MED SHOT. - THE GROUP
All eyes on the trap door.
ED
Somebody's down there with him.
ANNIE
No. Can't be.
319 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 319
MED. SHOT - ASH
He runs up the steps to the trap door and begins
pounding furiously upon it.
320 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 320
ASH
Let me out! Let me out!!!
321 MED. SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) - WIND FAN 321
Henrietta lets out a terrible laugh and approaches the
wooden staircase.
322 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 322
MED. SHOT - THE GROUP
All eyes are on the banging trap door. ASH'S wild
screams are coming from beneath. They look at one
another, not sure of what to do. Jake holds the ring
of keys.
ANNIE
Let him out.
JAKE
It's a trick. I know it.
ANNIE
LET HIM OUT!
323 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 323
WIDE SHOT - ASH
At the top of the steps, pounding on the trap door,
screaming to be let out. HENRIETTA ENTERS the FRAME at
the bottom of the steps. A flutter of moths about
her.
324 WIDE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) 324
Henrietta begins to climb the steps. Two at a time.
HENRIETTA
Come to me. Come to sweet
Henrietta.
325 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 325
MED. SHOT - JAKE
As he tries one key after another.
326 CLOSE SHOT - KEYS 326
As they are forced into the lock.
327 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 327
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
Sweating at the top of the steps, watching as Henrietta
approaches.
ASH
No.
328 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA 328
Extending her rotted and worm infested arm toward him.
HENRIETTA
Yesssssss. You and I. We
shall spend eternity together.
329 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 329
Marie's shadow envelops him. He is petrified.
HENRIETTA
But first I'll swallow your soul !
330 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 330
CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA - (STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR
SCREEN)
With a sharp recoil, then spring, Henrietta makes a
lunge at Ash. Her face contorting, her teeth
lengthening, her mouth opening impossibly wide
as though she were going to swallow his head, and all as
she lunges forward. She changes to "Pee Wee" head.
330P INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT - 35MM KODAKCHROME SLIDE 330P
Plate for previous scene.
331 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 331
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He screams as a set of bloody hands grab his face.
But they are not Henrietta's. He is pulled upward to
the main room of the cabin.
332 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 332
CLOSE SHOT
It is Jake who pulls Ash to safety.
333 WIDE SHOT - MAIN ROOM 333
Jake finishes pulling Ash up from the trapdoor and
onto the floor of the main room. The horrible face of
Pee-Wee head Henrietta pops from the cellar!
334 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ED 334
SCREAMING at the sight of the beast.
ANNIE
For God's sake! That's my mother!
335 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 335
One of Henrietta's rotted hands reach up from the cellar
grabbing Jake.
336 CLOSE SHOT - ED 336
As he moves to help Jake, Henrietta swats at his jaw,
knocking him backward into a picture frame. He shatters it
with his head and slumps to the floor.
337 MED. SHOT - ASH 337
As he moves toward the trapdoor.
338 CLOSE SHOT - (STYROFOAM TRAPDOOR) 338
Ash's foot kicks the trapdoor shut and crushes
Henrietta's Pee-wee head between the door and the
floorboards.
339 MED. SHOT - DUMMY OF HENRIETTA - PEE WEE HEAD 339
Ash leaps down upon the trapdoor, slamming it to pin
Pee-Wee head sideways. The pressure sends her left
eyeball popping from her head, like a cork from a
champagne bottle.
340 CLOSE SHOT - EYEBALL FLYBALL 340
Henrietta's eyeball and trailing optic nerve - mounted
on glass - panning with the eyeball as it sails through
space.
341 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE (REVERSE ACTION) 341
As the eyeball is shot into her screaming mouth.
She begins to gag on it.
342 WIDE SHOT 342
Jake kicks Marie's Pee-Wee head in the face, sending
her back down into the cellar. The trap door shuts.
Ash leaps atop it. The sound of Henrietta falling down
the cellar steps is heard along with the beast's wild
ravings. Ash quickly threads the chains through the
eyeloops.
343 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 343
He snaps the lock shut. Ash is shaking. Jake slowly
moves down into his frame. He is completely terrified.
343A CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER IN F.G. 343A
ASH, JAKE, ANNIE AND BOBBY IN B.G.
The tape recorder continues to play.
RAYMOND KNOWBY (V.O.)
(Voice on tape)
I fear that whatever I have
resurrected from this book, is sure
to come calling for me.
344 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 344
(SHAKI-CAM)
The CAMERA takes the POV of the Evil Force as it
glides through the woods. Over a stump, around the
Oak trees, through a patch of fog, as the cabin comes
into view.
345 OMIT 345
346 MED. SHOT - ANNIE, ASH, JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ED 346
Ash turns to the group, Annie is placing her wet
bandana atop Ed's forehead.
ASH
There's something out there. That...
witch in the cellar is only part of it.
It lives out in those woods. In the Dark.
Something that's come back from the dead.
346A OMIT 346A
346B OMIT 346B
346C OMIT 346C
346D OMIT 346D
347 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE 347
Interrupting Ash.
BOBBY JOE
Jake, let's beat it the hell out
o'here, right now. I gotta get out!
JAKE
Now Bobby, you ain't in no condition.
ASH
Nobody goes out that door. Not till
daylight.
347A THE GROUP 347A
They freeze in their tracks as they hear a gentle voice
which sings a melancholy tune. Annie turns her head
to the sound and the CAMERA PANS TO reveal HENRIETTA whose
head juts in the space between the floorboards and the
trap door. She is no longer possessed. She looks as
she did earlier in the film. She is singing a gentle
song to Annie.
347B CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA 347B
HENRIETTA
Remember that song Annie? I used
to sing it to you when you were a baby.
347C CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 347C
Uncertain of what to do, but wanting to believe.
HENRIETTA
Let me out, dear. It's so cold and dark
in here.
ANNIE
Mother?
HENRIETTA
Unlock these chains. Quickly.
347D MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 347D
Annie starts to follow the instructions, but Ash halts
her gently. He shakes his head. Annie snaps out of
it. She shakes her head and looks to the cellar.
ANNIE
No. No. I don't know what you
are but you're not my mother.
Annie begins to cry.
347E CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR 347E
Henrietta is crying also.
VOICE OF HENRIETTA
How can you say that to me Annie?
ANNIE
No!
VOICE OF HENRIETTA
You were born September 2nd, 1962. I
remember it well because it was
snowing. So strange that it would
be snowing in September.
348 CAMERA TRACKING IN ON ANNIE 348
Confused and tearful, she screams to the others in the
room.
ANNIE
That thing in the cellar is not
my mother!
Ed stands sharply into her frame. His eyes bone white,
his skin, the pale color of the dead. His mouth has
grown over large. His lips are black. He is possessed.
He shrieks. Annie screams and jumps back out of frame.
349 MED. SHOT - ED POSSESSED 349
RIGGING - REVERSE ACTION
He flies up into the air and writhes about as if he
were a human marionette. He lets out a demonic moan
and then begins to laugh.
350 MED. SHOT - BOBBY JOE AND JAKE 350
As they clutch in fear at one another.
351 MED. SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 351
As they look on in horror. Ash steps in front of
Annie as she gapes at this monstrosity that was Ed.
352 CLOSE SHOT - ED POSSESSED 352
RIGGING
As he floats about the room. His laughter suddenly
stops and a second demonic voice comes from his body.
It is female, and wailing in lament.
353 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 353
Watching in horror.
354 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED
RIGGING - UP AND DOWN
The body of Ed turns sharply toward the group, not
really seeing.
ED
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
We are the things that were.
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
And shall be again! HA HA HA HA HA!
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
Spirits of the book.
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
We want what is yours! LIFE!
As he floats about, his head dips and swoons.
ED
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
Dead by dawn!
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
Dead by dawn!
355 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA POSSESSED 355
Sticking her gnarled head from the cellar.
HENRIETTA
Dead by dawn! Dead by dawn!
356 WIDE SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE IN FOREGROUND 356
RIGGING - DOLLY CART
Ed floating, turns his head sharply to Bobby Joe. The
Possessed body of Ed rushes through the air towards
her. He opens his mouth wide open.
357 ED'S POV 357
As he quickly rushes upon a screaming Bobby Joe.
358 CLOSE SHOT - ED AND BOBBY JOE 358
He bites into Bobby Joe's head. With a single motion
he rips out the bulk of the hair from her head with a
terrible RIIIIIIIIP SOUND.
358A MEDIUM SHOT - ED DUMMY 358A
Stands up into frame with a clump of Bobby Joe's hair
in his mouth and swallows it.
359 WIDE SHOT - GROUP 359
Bobby Joe collapses to the ground.
360 MED. SHOT - HENRIETTA POSSESSED 360
As she calls from the cellar.
HENRIETTA
Free me! Unlock these chains!
361 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED 361
He turns to the trap door and moves toward it.
362 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 362
Both horrified. Ash retreats. Annie is shocked as
she watches Ash back into the middle bedroom and
disappear.
363 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 363
ANNIE
Where are you going?! HELP
US!! You filthy COWARD!
364 ANGLE FROM TRAP DOOR - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE 364
Possessed Ed moves toward the trap door. Jake comes up
quickly behind Ed to grab his shoulder.
365 JAKE'S POV - DUMMY OF POSSESSED ED 365
As Jake's hand reaches for the shoulder of possessed Ed.
The head of possessed Ed spins around on its neck so that
it faces Jake.
365A CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ED 365A
ED
(In the voice of a woman)
We see you!
366 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 366
Screaming as Ed's hand enters frame, and snags Jake's
face. He tosses Jake upward.
367 CLOSE SHOT - ED POSSESSED 367
As he tosses Jake upward.
368 HIGH-WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE STUNTMAN 368
REVERSE ACTION - UNDERCRANKED
Jake flies upward towards the ceiling of the cabin.
369 INT. CABIN CEILING - NIGHT (CEILING SET PIECE) 369
MED. SHOT
A prop light bulb "Shining" in its fixture. Jake's
head comes flying up into frame, shattering it, and
slamming into the wood ceiling and then falling back
down again.
370 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 370
MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE STUNT MAN
As Jake slams back down to the floor of the cabin.
371 MED. SHOT - ASH 371
As he reappears in the doorway of the room. Now he
clutches an axe in his single hand.
372 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED 372
As he grabs the chains that secure the trap door ready
to rip them loose. He turns his head to see:
372A OVER POSSESSED ED'S SHOULDER 372A
Ash approaches with the axe.
373 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE AND OFF SCREEN 373
DUMMY OF ED
Ash exits the frame and we are left with Annie and the
stark shadow of possessed Ed which is cast upon the
wall behind her. We watch as the shadow of Ash with the
axe, slices through the top portion of possessed Ed's
head. Annie screams as she is splattered with green
bile.
373A CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ED DUMMY 373A
Missing Ed's right hand portion of his head.
His brain, shriveled like the inside of a pumpkin.
373B POSSESSED ED'S POV - ASH - EYEMO CAMERA AND MOUNT 373B
Ash stands before us, his axe dripping green bile.
Ed's arms flail wildly on either side of the camera,
groping at the air. He slowly falls over and slams
to the floor.
374 OMIT 374
375 OMIT 375
376 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED (FRAMED WITH AND W/O HEAD) 376
Ed's body falls to the floor. It lays quiet for a
moment and then begins to writhe and scream in its
demonic death throes. Finally, he is silent.
377 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE - POSSESSED ED DUMMY 377
Ash turns to her.
ASH
Start up that saw and hand it here!
We're gonna cut him up.
Annie looks to the chainsaw and then to the unmoving body
of Ed. She is repulsed at the thought.
ANNIE
No.
ASH
START IT UP!
ANNIE
NO!
Possessed Ed stands up quickly into frame! The evil
force having re-animated his lifeless body.
377A CLOSE SHOT ASH - OVER POSSESSED ED'S SHOULDER 377A
FLYING PLATFORM
As a hand grabs Ash's throat. Possessed Ed exits
frame, revealing it to be Ash's evil hand on his own
throat. It lifts him into the air.
377B CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET 377B
As they are lifted off the floor.
377C CLOSE SHOT ASH 377C
He pries the evil hand from his throat and falls.
377D ASH/EVIL HAND 377D
As he slams to the floor the evil hand scurries away
in the B.G.
378 OMIT 378
379 OMIT 379
380 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED DUMMY AND ANNIE 380
Annie is screaming in horror. Possessed Ed backhands
her across the face.
381 MED. SHOT - WRITING DESK 381
Annie slams into a desk shattering it to splinters
of wood. She falls to the floor.
382 MED. SHOT - ASH 382
As he grabs the axe.
383 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED - DUMMY 383
As he stands sharply into frame. His mouth
wide open and screaming.
384 MED. SHOT - ASH AND POSSESSED ED 384
Terrified, as he moves toward possessed Ed with the
axe.
385 MED. SHOT - ASH AND POSSESSED ED DUMMY 385
RUBBER AXE
Ash brings the axe down upon Ed's shoulder, knocking
him to the floor. ASH swings the axe again and again.
Different colors of bile and blood fly up into frame as
Ash chops.
385A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 385A
Screaming at the sight.
386 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 386
His axe blade rises and falls as black demon blood
flies up into frame.
387 CLOSE SHOT - LOW ANGLE - FLOOR LEVEL 387
ASH AND ED DUMMY PARTS
Ed's missing portion of his head sits upon the floor.
His eye in extreme C.U. in the foreground. It looks
wildly about into the CAMERA. In the background, we
watch Ash bring down the axe until all is silent.
388 WIDE SHOT 388
Jake slowly stands into the empty frame. He is in shock
from what he has just seen. Annie slowly rises into
frame - shaking her head in a silent "No." Ash slowly
rises into frame, terrified. They are looking down at
the out-of-frame remains of possessed Ed.
388A OMIT 388A
389 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - MITCHELL 389
The moon has grown larger. Fog billows past the cabin.
389P EXT. NIGHT - THE FULL MOON 389P
390 OMIT 390
390A MAIN ROOM NIGHT - ASH, JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ANNIE 390A
Jake sprays a can of air freshener about the room.
He holds his nose. Ash tosses a bloodied sheet,
containing the remains of possessed Ed to the floor.
It lands with a sickening thud. Wiping his face with a
rag, Ash moves off in disgust. We hold on the bundled
sheet as the trap door next to it silently opens.
Henrietta's rotted hand emerges, unnoticed by the others
in the room.
BOBBY JOE
Jake, I can't take no more of this.
Henrietta's rotted hand pulls the bundle of body
parts silently down into the cellar and quietly
closes the trap.
390B MEDIUM SHOT JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 390B
Jake moves to the window and looks out.
JAKE
That's funny.
BOBBY JOE
What?
JAKE
That trail we came in here on...
well, it just ain't there no more.
Like the woods jus' swallowed it.
The room goes quiet. The sound of the wind outside
the cabin has died. Jake and Bobby Joe cock their
heads to this new silence.
391 OMIT 391
392 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 392
She looks about the room, getting scared.
ANNIE
It's so quiet.
Ash stands slowly into frame. He knows that it can't
be good.
393 WIDE SHOT - THE GROUP 393
As they raise their heads to a distant pounding sound.
It grows louder.
BOOM - BOOM!
BOOM - BOOM!
JAKE
What the hell is it?
ASH
Maybe something... Something trying
to force its way into our world.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BANG!
BAM!
393A EYEMO CAMERA/MITCHELL CAMERA - GROUP 393A
The cabin WALL. Bang!
393B THE FRONT DOOR - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393B
393C THE BOARDED WINDOW - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393C
BANG!
393D THE CEILING BEAMS - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393D
BAM!
393E A SECTION OF WALL - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393E
393F A SECTION OF THE TONGUE AND GROOVE FLOOR 393F
EYEMO - MITCHELL - GROUP
BAM!
393G ASH - C.U. 393G
393H JAKE - C.U. 393H
393I ANNIE - C.U. 393I
393J BOBBY JOE - C.U. 393J
394 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 394
Bobby Joe runs to Jake's arms. He clutches her tightly.
395 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 395
Annie runs to Ash. He holds her. The pounding sounds
halt. Again they are left in silence. Annie awkwardly
disengages herself from Ash. They hear a sound coming
from the middle bedroom.
BOBBY JOE
It's in there.
396 MEDIUM SHOT - DOOR TO MIDDLE BEDROOM 396
It is opened a crack.
397 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 397
ASH
We'll all go in together.
JAKE
Hell no, you're the curious one.
398 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 398
He moves toward the door.
ANNIE
I'll go with you.
Ash nods to Annie in a show of thanks. He grabs the
axe, and pushes open the door to the middle bedroom.
Annie follows with the flickering oil lantern.
399 INT. MIDDLE BEDROOM - NIGHT 399
The door to the main room creaks open. Ash and Annie
cautiously enter. They look about the place.
400 ASH'S POV - MIDDLE BEDROOM - NIGHT 400
As the CAMERA PANS the shadowed corners of the room.
401 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 401
An eerie whistling wind is heard. It has an other
worldly sound, very far off.
401A MEDIUM SHOT - DOORWAY TO MIDDLE BEDROOM 401A
Bobby Joe and Jake enter the room, drawn by the sound.
401B CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE 401B
She looks about, frightened.
401C OMIT 401C
401D MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 401D
Jake takes Bobby Joe's hand. Bobby Joe smiles,
frightened.
402 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 402
Waiting.
403 MEDIUM SHOT - PANNING THE DARK ROOM 403
As the eerie whistling sound grows louder. It is
followed by the angry sound of something moving violently
about the room. A shattering of glass.
404 OMIT 404
405 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 405
WOOOOOSH! The group is hit with a tremendous blast of
air. They shiver from the cold.
406 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 406
The wind in the room suddenly stops. He blows out his
breath and watches it vaporize. The screaming face of
Raymond Knowby emerges from the wall. A life like
spirit made of swirling smoke and mist.
RAYMOND
Annie.
406P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 406P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
407 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 407
They turn to the ghost in fear.
408 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 408
Awestruck. Bobby Joe crosses herself.
JAKE
Holy Mother O'Mercy.
409 OMIT 409
410 OMIT 410
411 OMIT 411
412 OMIT 412
413 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GHOST OF RAYMOND 413
RAYMOND
There is a dark spirit here that
wants to destroy you. Your
salvation lies in the pages
from the Book of the Dead.
The ghost of Raymond points to Annie's glass case.
CAMERA PANS to it. Inside are the pages from the Book.
413P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 413P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
414 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 414
Listening.
415 ANGLE - THE GROUP AND THE GHOST OF RAYMOND 415
RAYMOND
Recite the passages. Dispel the evil.
Save my soul... And your own lives.
The ghost of Raymond screams and is gone.
415P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 415P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
416 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 416
Whoosh! Again they are hit with a blast of air.
416A MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 416A
BOBBY JOE
Jake, you squeezing my hand too tight.
JAKE
I ain't got your hand, baby.
BOBBY JOE
Then who...?
Bobby Joe raises her hand into frame, to reveal Ash's
Evil Hand clutched in hers. Bobby Joe goes nuts,
screaming and flailing about trying to throw the hand
from her. She slams into the lantern, knocking it out.
We lose them in the darkness.
JAKE'S VOICE
Somebody get the light!
The sound of chairs being pushed over. The sound of
a door opening and closing.
417 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 417
As he lights the lantern illuminating the room.
CAMERA PANS over to reveal only Jake and Annie.
418 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 418
Looking about.
JAKE
Hey. Bobby Joe's gone!
419 OMIT 419
420 OMIT 420
421 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 421
Screaming, Bobby Joe makes a mad dash away from the
cabin. It diminishes in size behind her, she has had
enough of it.
422 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - DRAGWAY 422
MEDIUM SHOT - BOBBY JOE - TRACKING
As she races through the woods.
423 CLOSER - JONES' CREEK 423
She runs deep into the woods, still looking behind her
as she slams into a twisted oak tree that stops her flat.
An angry face appears on the surface of the tree. Its
gnarled bark folds open to reveal very human like oversized
eyes. A large fold in its bark opens to form a gaping
mouth dripping tree sap saliva.
TREE FACE
BAHHHH!
423A CLOSE SHOT - TREE FACE 423A
424 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE - (REVERSE ACTION) 424
JONES' CREEK
Screaming as she backs away from this living tree as
a flurry of snake like vines pick themselves up off of
the ground and come to life about her.
425 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE'S LEGS - (REVERSE ACTION) 425
JONES' CREEK
Two living vines wind their way toward her legs and
coil around her ankles tightly.
426 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE - JONES' CREEK - 4 RIPS 426
She lets out a short shrill scream, as her shirt
is torn away from her.
427 MED. SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 427
Living vines wind around Bobby Joe's torso and breasts
in a furious wrapping motion.
428 CLOSE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 428
A living vine wraps around her throat.
429 CLOSE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 429
Tiny vines wrap around Bobby Joe's hand and fingers.
429A EXT. JONES CREEK - NIGHT 429A
SHOTS OF VINES COMING TOWARDS CAMERA
430 MED. SHOT - RIGGING - STUNT 430
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
Bobby Joe, wrapped in vines, is reeled backwards and
ripped through a wall of branches.
431 MED. SHOT - PANNING - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT 431
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
At a great speed, Bobby Joe is pulled away from the
cabin and towards the forest by the vines.
432 BOBBY JOE'S POV - OVER HER LEGS - RIGGING EFFECT 432
STUNT - UNDERCRANKED - REVERSE ACTION - DRAGWAY
As the vines rocket her on a speeding FAST MOTION
joyride along the forest floor.
433 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE'S FACE 433
RIGGING EFX - DRAGWAY
As she drags along the forest flctor, the smaller vines
force their way into Bobby Joe's nose and mouth and
then under the first layer of her facial skin.
433A TRACKING SHOT - DRAGWAY - DUMMY AND STUNT 433A
She is pulled along the ground and down into a
foxhole (dummy). Camera continues tracking along
her original trajectory until we come to the second
foxhole where she emerges, now covered in mud, and
screaming.
433B ANGLE - DUMMY - JONES' CREEK 433B
Bobby Joe rips through spikes extending from a log
and is dragged through two mud puddles. The vines
wisk her away.
434 EXT. SWAMP - NIGHT 434
PANNING SHOT - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT
She hits a swamp with a giant splash, but even this
does not stop her.
435 LONG SHOT - SWAMP 435
ROOSTERTAIL WATER SPRAY EFX - STUNT
She glides across the surface of the swamp with a great
roostertail spray of water, as if she were on water skis.
436 ANGLE - RIGGING EFX - STUNT - SWAMP 436
She hits the other side of the swamp and is rocketed out
of the water and across the forest floor.
437 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - JONES' CREEK - DUMMY 437
STATIC CAMERA - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT - UNDERCRANKED
Bobby Joe comes roaring towards us, screaming. She
rips past.
438 STATIC CAMERA - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT 438
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
From BEHIND CAMERA Bobby Joe appears and goes racing
into the distance.
439 BOBBY JOE'S POV - OVER HER LEGS - DRAGWAY 439
RIGGING EFFECT - UNDERCRANKED - STUNT
Darting in and around trees, a major stump is coming
right for her. Bobby Joe's legs spread wide. The
tree stump races closer. Bobby Joe SCREAMS . . . her
last.
439A TREE STUMP'S POV - BOBBY JOE APPROACHES 439A
UNDERCRANKED
439B BOBBY JOE'S LEGS - STUMP - DRAGWAY 439B
STOP MOTION - REVERSE ACTION
Girl meets stump.
440 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - OVERCRANKED 440
LOW SHOT - LOOKING UPWARD PAST THE STUMP -
BLOOD GEYSER EFX
We hear the RIP! And watch as a geyser of blood floods
up into the night sky.
441 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - OVERCRANKED 441
CLOSE SHOT - GLASS CASE CONTAINING PAGES FROM BOOK OF
THE DEAD
It falls away from the CAMERA and shatters on the table
beneath us.
442 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 442
As their hands scramble at removing the pages from the
bits of broken glass.
443 MED. SHOT - JAKE IN FG - ASH AND ANNIE IN BG 443
Jake is looking out the boarded window of the cabin,
searching for some sign of Bobby Joe.
444 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 444
JAKE'S POV - THE DARK WOODS - WINDOW FRAME
All is silent as fog rushes in and around the woods.
JAKE
Where the hell is she?
445 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 445
MED. SHOT - JAKE AND ASH AND ANNIE
Jake turns to Ash.
JAKE
We gotta go out there and find
her!
ASH
If she went out in those woods,
she's not coming back.
Jake turns back to the window. Ash turns to Annie.
He glances down at the pages that Annie is looking over.
445A ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT - PAGES AND ANNIE 445A
One of the pages is a clear pictorial of Ash as the
"Hero from the Sky."
445B ASH AND ANNIE 445B
Ash shudders.
ANNIE
What is it?
ASH
Felt like someone just walked over my
grave. It's that picture.
Annie looks to it.
445C CLOSE SHOT - PAGE OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD 445C
CONTAINING ASH'S "HERO FROM THE SKY" ILLUSTRATION.
445D ANNIE AND ASH 445D
ANNIE
In 1300 AD. This was the "Hero from
the Sky," who was prophesized to destroy
this Evil.
ASH
He didn't do a very good job.
What about the passages?
446 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 446
As she quickly gives the pages a cursory glance.
ANNIE
Here it is. Two passages.
For the first time, she smiles at Ash.
ANNIE
We've got it!
446A - 446H OMIT 446A - 446H
447 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 447
Finally seeing his salvation, his face shows hope.
447A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 447A
Annie reads through the pages.
ANNIE
Recitation of the first passage will
make this "Dark Spirit" manifest itself
in the flesh.
ASH
Why the hell would we want to do that?
Annie thumbs through one or two of the other pages.
ANNIE
Recitation of the second passage creates
a kind of rift in time and space, and
the physical manifestation of this spirit
can be forced back through this rift...
to an earlier time and place. At least
that's the best translation I can ....
CLICKITY CLICK
448 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 448
Annie and Ash look up to the source of the sound.
449 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE 449
He has just snapped a shell into the firing chamber of
the shotgun. He points it at Ash and Annie.
JAKE
I'm runnin' the show now.
450 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 450
Standing together, confused.
450A CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 450A
JAKE
We're goin' outside into those woods
to look for Bobby Joe, an' once we
find her, we're gettin' the hell
outta here.
ASH
If you want to look for her,
go ahead.
JAKE
You two comin' with me. I ain't goin'
out there alone.
ASH
NO, YOU IDIOT. You'll kill us all.
She's dead by now. With these pages
we can...
Jake grabs the pages from Annie's hand.
JAKE
Those pages don't mean shit.
Jake kicks the pages down into the cellar. Ash and
Annie look on in horror.
JAKE
'Sides. Now you ain't got no, choice.
Jake pushes at Ash with the barrel of the shotgun.
JAKE
Now move!
Ash hesitates.
JAKE
Move you son of a bitch!
451 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 451
Ash, Annie and Jake exit the cabin.
452 EXT. FRONT PORCH OF CABIN - NIGHT 452
TRACKING BACKWARD
Ash, Annie and Jake walk towards the woods. In the
FG is Ash. He looks off past the CAMERA in fear.
453 ASH'S POV - WOODS - NIGHT ROD PUPPETS - STUDIO 453
As he approaches a line of trees whose branches bend
and sway with a threatening motion.
453A EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING BACKWARD 453A
ASH, JAKE, AND ANNIE
ASH
No trail. Which way do you
intend to go?
453B CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 453B
Looking confused and frightened. He calls out
desperately.
JAKE
Bobby Joe!
453C EXT. WOODS NIGHT - POV EVIL FORCE 453C
As it glides through the woods. We hear a muted
shout from Jake.
JAKE (O.S.)
Bobby Joe, where are you girl?
And the POV of the force suddenly swings about to
reveal Jake, Ash, and Annie not to far away.
453D EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - ASH 453D
As he moves deeper into the woods.
453E EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - ANNIE 453E
As she searches the woods with her eyes in fear.
453F EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - JAKE 453F
As scared as the rest of them, but driven to find
Bobby Joe.
453G POV EVIL FORCE - EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 453G
As it approaches the group.
453H EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - FOAM SHOTGUN STOCK 453H
JAKE, ASH, AND ANNIE
JAKE
Bobby Joe! Bobby Joe!
Ash approaches Jake.
ASH
You'll get us all killed.
JAKE
Shaddup!
Jake slams Ash across the face with the stock of
the shotgun. Ash plummets to the ground. Annie
screams! She goes after Jake. Jake slugs her and
she falls to the ground.
453I EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - JAKE, ASH, AND ANNIE 453I
POV - EVIL FORCE
It draws closer.
453J EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - JAKE - CLOSE SHOT 453J
Raging to the night!
JAKE
Bobby Joe!
453K EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 453K
POV of Evil Force racing up to the group.
453L EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 453L
Jake halts his screaming. He listens in the silence
as possessed Ash juts up into the frame! His eyes
are bone white, his flesh, the pale color of the dead.
His lips, black. He bellows to the night!
454 - 473 OMIT 454-473
474 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 474
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
She screams and stumbles backwards, towards the cabin.
475 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - CRANE 475
MEDIUM SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - JAKE DUMMY - FLYING RIG
Possessed Ash lifts Jake up above his head and throws
him into a large tree. It explodes in a blast of
sawdust as the dummy slams into it.
476 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 476
MEDIUM SHOT
Annie dashes inside and turns to look out the open
doorway.
477 EXT. CABIN - ANNIE'S POV - THRU THE OPEN DOORWAY 477
All is quiet outside, no sign of Possessed Ash or
Jake, and then Possessed Ash is there, emerging from
the darkness suddenly. He raises his finger and
points to Annie. He speaks in the low garbled voice
of a demon:
POSSESSED ASH
JOIN US!
478 INT. CABIN - MED. SHOT - ANNIE 478
She rushes to the door, hoping to get there before
Possessed Ash.
479 MED. SHOT - ANNIE AND POSSESSED ASH 479
She slams the front door shut just in time.
480 MED. SHOT - ANNIE - WRITING DESK 480
She picks up the Kandarian Dagger. CREAK - SNAP!
A sound coming from somewhere in the rear of the
cabin. She turns toward the door to the hallway.
481 - 486 OMIT 481 - 486
487 ANNIE'S POV - THE DOOR TO THE HALLWAY 487
It is closed.
488 OMIT 488
489 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 489
She moves to investigate the sound. As she approaches
the rear door to the hall and slowly opens it.
489A ANNIE'S POV 489A
As the door to the hallway is pulled open, revealing
... only the empty hallway.
489B INT. CABIN HALLWAY - NIGHT 489B
ANNIE
She breathes a sigh of relief.
490 ANNIE'S POV 490
As she moves down the hall. It is dark. Curtains
flutter on the boarded windows.
491 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 491
As she moves towards the rear of the cabin.
491A INT. HALLWAY/EXT. CABIN - LOCATION - ANNIE'S POV 491A
THE WINDOW AND WOODS BEYOND
We approach the window and look out into the night.
Fog billows through the trees, and in the distance
the monster that is Ash emerges. He heads toward the
cabin and disappears in a bank of fog.
491B INT. HALLWAY (STUDIO) 491B
Annie is frightened. She spins her head to a sound.
492 ANNIE'S POV - THE REAR DOOR OF THE CABIN 492
Creak! The doorknob is turning. Something is trying
to get in.
493 ANNIE - MED. SHOT 493
She forces her back to the wall. She tenses with the
dagger, ready to slay whatever should enter.
494 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 494
She waits.
495 CLOSE SHOT - THE KANDARIAN DAGGER 495
Gripped tightly in Annie's sweating hands.
496 CLOSE SHOT - DOORKNOB 496
Rattling violently now. And suddenly it opens.
497 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE'S HANDS 497
As they swing the dagger.
498 CLOSE SHOT 498
As the dagger imbeds in the intruder's chest. CAMERA
PANS UP quickly to reveal a gasping Jake.
499 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND ANNIE 499
Jake falls to the ground, half in and out of the doorway.
He is still alive.
500 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 500
As she backs away in horror, clutching at her head.
ANNIE
No!
She backs to a partially boarded window.
501 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 501
Possessed Ash juts up into frame in the window behind
her. Annie screams and runs toward the open back door.
Possessed Ash spots the open door through the window
and begins to move around the side of the house.
502 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 502
As she goes to slam the door.
503 MED. SHOT - JAKE 503
As he lies moaning in the doorway, the door slams upon
him.
504 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 504
As she reaches down and pulls Jake's body out of the
way.
505 EXT. CABIN/REAR - NIGHT 505
POSSESSED ASH
As he moves around the side of the cabin, tearing apart
a trellis that stands in his path, and three hanging
flowerpots as he approaches the open door.
506 INT. CABIN BACK HALLWAY - NIGHT 506
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
Again she tries to slam the door.
507 MED. SHOT - JAKE'S DUMMY ANKLE 507
Which lies in the door's path, preventing it from closing.
508 EXT. CABIN/REAR - NIGHT 508
OVER POSSESSED ASH'S SHOULDER
As he approaches the back door. He grabs the screen door
and tears it loose with a single motion.
509 INT. CABIN REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 509
ANNIE
As she pulls Jake's ankle from the door and slams it.
All is again silent.
509A INT. CABIN - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT - ANNIE AND JAKE 509A
Annie kneels down next to a moaning Jake, driving
the dagger in a little deeper by accident. He cries
out in pain.
JAKE
Get the axe. Kill it. Kill it.
Jake moans and dies.
509B CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 509B
As she turns her head to the sound of breaking glass.
509C TRACKING SHOT - ANNIE - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 509C
As she cautiously approaches the main room.
509D ANNIE'S POV - REAR HALLWAY/MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 509D
As she moves towards the main room.
509E MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - ANNIE 509E
Annie enters the room. She shudders from the
cold. CAMERA PANS with her glance to broken glass
upon the floor, and over to reveal the bashed out
window and the curtains fluttering in the wind.
509F MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 509F
Petrified. Looking about. Knowing that the
monster Ash may be lurking close.
509G WIDE SHOT - ANNIE 509G
As she moves about the main room, picking up the axe.
With her back toward us she doesn't notice Ash's hand
appear suddenly in the foreground atop the writing desk.
She turns suddenly towards camera.
509H OVER ANNIE'S SHOULDER 509H
Ash's evil hand sits upon the table. It scampers off.
Annie turns and comes face to face with Possessed Ash!
He bellows at her and grabs her as she shrieks bloody
murder!
510 OMIT 510
511 OMIT 511
512 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 512
WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH AND ANNIE - DUMMY
He picks her up and swings her across the room, into
the wall. She slumps to the floor unconscious.
513 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 513
As he lumbers toward her.
514 ASH'S POV - STAR FILTER - MIRROR NECKLACE 514
As he moves closer to her unmoving body. A glitter of
light on the floor, next to her, catches his eye.
515 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 515
For the first time, calm, as he looks intently down at
the floor. He kneels closer.
516 ASH'S POV - (STAR FILTER) 516
The NECKLACE of Linda.
517 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 517
The sight of the necklace strikes the human cord
within him. He is confused, his evil self, battling
for control of his spirit and body. He reaches to
pick it up.
518 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 518
As he slowly picks up the delicate silver necklace.
He raises it to his face;
LINDA (V.O.)
I'll never take it off.
And then it hits him. The emotion of love lost. It
floods the monster that is ASH. He clutches the
necklace tightly to his bestial chest. And as the
Love/waltz theme sweeps up in volume on the sound
track, the monster begins to cry.
519 WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH AND ANNIE - TULIP CRANE 519
Ash raises his head and lets out a low, lamenting, and
pitiful wail. A man trapped in the shell of a beast,
crying for the one he has lost.
520 MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - 50% POSSESSED 520
As he raises his head. Tears stream down from his eyes,
washing away the caked on blood.
521 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH (REVERSE ACTION) 521
BLADDER EFX - 50 - 20% POSSESSED
His face begins to change. His skin loses its white
pallor. His blackened, infected cuts disappear. The
swollen and cracked surface of his face begins to heal.
522 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) - MINIATURE 522
EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - DUMMY HEAD
W/FLUID EYE CHAMBER
Ash's eyes change from white to brown.
523 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 523
As the last tears roll down Ash's face, he is once
again human. Ash looks up suddenly with a start.
524 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 524
EXPLODING FLOOR
As he rolls out of the way a moment before the head of
the axe buries itself in the wooden floor. Splinters
fly.
525 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 525
EXPLODING WALL EFX
Rolls to his feet and stands. He ducks as Annie
enters frame, charging him with axe, screaming.
ASH
No. WAIT!
Annie swings the axe and again Ash ducks. The head of
the axe slams into the plastered wall smashing right
through.
526 CLOSER - ASH AND ANNIE 526
Ash grabs her tightly with his remaining hand.
ASH
Listen to me! I'm all right
now. That thing is gone.
Ash pushes her away. Annie falls to the floor. She
stands.
527 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 527
EXPLODING WALL EFX
Catching his wind for a moment. Then rolls to the
side as the axe again comes at him! SLAM! The head
of the axe slices into the wall only a few inches from
his head.
528 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 528
As he grabs Annie by the face and forces her
backwards.
ASH
GOD DAMN IT! I said I was all
right!!
Annie is nearly choking.
ANNIE
Okay.
Ash releases her gently. She again looks to Ash,
cautiously.
ANNIE
Are you sure?
ASH
You'll be the first to know.
I'm fine.
529 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 529
ANNIE
Yeah, but for how long?
If we're going to beat this thing,
we need those pages.
529A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 529A
As he turns to the trap door.
ASH
Then let's head down into that cellar...
529B CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR 529B
It lies silently against the floor. A rasping
breath can be heard from below.
529C CLOSE SHOT - ASH 529C
He turns from the trap door to Annie.
ASH
...And carve ourselves a witch.
530 EXT. WORKSHED - NIGHT 530
Ash's hand flips open the latch on the shed door.
531 INT. WORKSHED - NIGHT 531
The door is kicked open, revealing the silhouette of
Ash and Annie as they stand in the doorway.
532 WORKSHED SHELF 532
Rats scurry for safety as the shaft of light from the
door hits them.
533 HANGING BULB 533
ASH'S hand pulls on the cord, turning on the light.
534 WORKSHED TABLE 534
Ash's arm sweeping the chains and pieces of wood onto
the floor.
535 OMIT 535
536 OMIT 536
537 OMIT 537
538 THE HOSE CLAMP 538
Is tossed down upon the workshed table.
539 A SECOND HOSECLAMP 539
Is tossed down next to the first.
540 ANNIE'S HANDS 540
Hold down a clamp as ASH'S hand, creates screw sized
holes in it with a battery powered drill.
541 ANNIE'S HANDS 541
Attach the hoseclamps to a piece of red steel.
542 ANNIE'S HANDS 542
Attach the red piece of steel to ASH'S stump, via
the clamps.
543 ANNIE'S HANDS 543
Attach a "V" type hook Around Ash's neck, just above
his bicep.
544 ASH'S HAND 544
Slams down the chainsaw upon the table. It is missing
its side panel. ASH'S arm enters frame and we see that
it is this missing side panel that has been clamped to
his stump.
545 CLOSER SHOT 545
The panel slides into the side of the chainsaw with a
sharp "CLICK".
546 ASH 546
As he bends the chainsaw to his chest.
547 CLOSE SHOT 547
The "T" shaped end of the starter cord falls neatly
into the "V" shaped hook that is strapped around Ash's
neck.
548 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 548
He looks up to Annie, the moment of truth.
549 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 549
Hair tousled over her sweating face, returns his
glance, expectant.
550 WIDE SHOT 550
Ash extends his chainsaw arm, pulling on the starter
cord. The CHAINSAW ROARS to life. With his free arm
Ash raises the shotgun. He lowers the blade of the
chainsaw down upon the barrel. Sparks fly as the saw
cuts through it. The long barrel falls to the floor.
Ash is left with a sawed off shotgun in one hand and a
chainsaw strapped to his other arm.
With a fancy style western flip to the gun Ash saddles
the shotgun in a makeshift holster, strapped
to his back.
The CAMERA SLOWLY TRACKS into Ash's face.
ASH
Groovy.
551 - OMIT 551
551A EXT. CABIN/WORKSHED - NIGHT - INKY PUPPET 551A
In the distance, the tiny figures of Ash and Annie
as they move from the workshed to the cabin. In
the foreground is a large oak tree. A gnarled human-
like face can be made out on the surface of the tree.
It is lit from beneath and slolwly brought up on a
dimmer. A horrible twisted tree face. It suddenly
opens its mouth and breathes in a gust of air with
a terrible wheezing sound, as though in great pain
at being brought to life. It turns sharply towards
the cabin.
552 CLOSE SHOT - DINKY PUPPET 552
Second tree face, brought up on a dimmer, opens its
mouth and loudly draws in air, also in agony.
553 CLOSE SHOT - MOE PUPPET 553
A third tree's twisted face, two human eyes opened wide
on its surface. It breathes, then barks a guttural sound.
554 MED. SHOT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 554
In the foreground is the base of a large oak tree. The
cabin in the distance. A rumbling is heard. Then
suddenly the tree pulls one of its massive roots from
the earth. The tree sets its root down a few feet closer
to the cabin.
555 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 555
WIDE SHOT - TREE PUPPETS
An entire line of trees. All pull their roots free
from the soil and take an awkward and lumbering step
towards the cabin.
556-564 OMIT 556-564
565 INT. MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 565
CLOSE SHOT - THE BLADE OF THE CHAINSAW
Begins cutting through the wood of the trap door.
566 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 566
Tensing with her axe, ready for the beast to spring.
567 CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW BLADE 567
As it completes the second cut in the wood of
the trap door.
568 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 568
As he finishes the slicing job and kicks open the trap
door.
569 LOW ANGLE - ANNIE AND ASH - FROM CELLAR LOOKING UP 569
The broken bits of the trap door fall past the camera,
as they cautiously peer down into the cellar.
570 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 570
ANNIE'S POV
Looking down into the cellar. No sign of Henrietta.
The bottom of the steps disappear into blackness.
ASH
Those pages are down there
somewhere.
571 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 571
MED. SHOT - ASH
He kicks aside the broken trapdoor and slowly descends
into the darkness.
572 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 572
MED. SHOT
Ash arrives at the bottom of the steps.
He looks about the dark corners of the cellar trying
to find some sign of Henrietta or the pages.
573 OMIT 573
574 OMIT 574
575 ASH'S POV 575
Panning the cobwebs and dark stone walls of the cellar.
Half hidden in the shadows we see two of the missing
pages.
575A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 575A
As he moves through the cellar and grabs the pages. He
spots another page somewhat deeper into the cellar.
575B ASH'S POV 575B
A fourth and fifth page lay upon the earthen floor, at
the base of the cellar's rear door.
575C ASH - CLOSE SHOT 575C
Ash moves to pages and gathers them.
Annie's voice calls down.
ANNIE (O.S.)
Did you find her?
576 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 576
ASH
She's playing hard to get...
He pumps the throttle on the buzzing saw.
ASH
... rid of.
Behind Ash, unseen by him, a shadow darts by.
577 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 577
He hears a sound.
577A ASH'S POV - 577A
It is coming from the door to the cellar's rear room.
577B ANGLE - ASH 577B
He reaches for the door and opens it. Revealing
darkness beyond. Ash enters. Again he hears the slight
sound, a gentle ticking.
578 INT. CELLAR - REAR ROOM - NIGHT - ASH'S POV 578
The ticking sound is coming from behind a hanging drape.
579 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 579
He approaches the drape, reaches out his hand and pulls
it back sharply. Revealing an old water heater, ticking
and steaming.
579A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 579A
He breathes a sigh of relief as the half eaten skeleton
torso of Ed falls atop him! Ash screams and steps suddenly
away.
579B ASH'S POV 579B
Ed's skeletal carcass falls to the earthen floor still
wrapped in the bloody sheet.
579C CLOSE SHOT - ASH 579C
Looking on in horror.
ASH
(In a whisper)
She got hungry.
Ash turns from the skeleton and quickly gathers up the
remaining pages from the Book of the Dead. Getting
scared now, he backs into the cellar's front room.
579D INT. CELLAR - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 579D
As he moves towards the steps. He tosses up the
bundle of pages.
579E MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 579E
Peering down into the cellar, she grabs the pages.
579F MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE - MAIN ROOM 579F
She rushes over to the writing desk and begins
translating.
580 INT. CELLAR - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 580
Getting scared now, decides to exit the cellar. He
climbs the steps.
581 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET 581
As they climb. From behind the wooden steps, the
horrible head of Henrietta appears. Her two rotting hands
grab at Ash's ankles.
582 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 582
He looks down with a scream.
583 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA/ASH'S DUMMY FEET 583
HENRIETTA
Come to me. Come to sweet
Henrietta!
Her face pulls back behind the cellar steps. Her
hands pull ASH's feet in after her.
584 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - CAMERA RIG 584
As Ash falls, he slams his jaw down upon the bottom
step.
585 CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW ARM 585
As the spinning blade jams into the step, stalling
the engine.
586 LONG SHOT - ASH DUMMY - AND HENRIETTA'S HANDS 586
(UNDERCRANKED)
In an instant, his entire body is pulled beneath the
steps.
587 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 587
MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE
As she sits at the writing desk, reciting the first
of the passages.
ANNIE
Nos-feratos-allo-memnon-kanda!
She puts aside the pages and glances up suddenly at
the faint sounds of the struggle from the cellar.
588 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 588
LONG SHOT - ASH - CELLAR STEPS (UNDERCRANKED)
Ash's badly mauled body rips through the staircase
with a great force.
589 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 589
As he slams into the earth floor of the cellar. He
moans, and looks towards the steps.
590 ASH'S POV - THE WOODEN STAIRCASE (REVERSE ACTION) 590
As a cackling Henrietta appears where the bottom section
of staircase used to stand.
591 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 591
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
As she races from the writing desk to look down into
the cellar.
592 OVER ANNIE'S SHOULDER - UNDERCRANKED 592
As she kneels down at the trapdoor, about to call down
to Ash when the witchlike figure of Henrietta floats
quickly up into the main room from the cellar. A
flurry of moths about her.
HENRIETTA
Free! Free at last!
593 WIDE SHOT - ANNIE 593
As Annie attempts to move from the trap door. Henrietta
is clutching at Annie's hair and laughing with a demonic
malice, as she spins about the room in mid air.
594 CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR - ANNIE'S FEET 594
Ash's bloodied arm slings itself over the edge of the
trapdoor. He pulls himself up into the main room.
595 MED. SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - 595
HENRIETTA AND ANNIE
Henrietta turns sharply to Ash with a growl.
596 MED. SHOT - ASH 596
He stands and jerks out his chainsaw arm sharply. The
cord is pulled and the engine roars to life!
597 MED. SHOT - HENRIETTA 597
As she leaps through the air toward Ash.
598 HENRIETTA'S POV - RACING AT HIM - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 598
Ash swings his buzzing chainsaw.
599 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S GNARLED HAND 599
As it grabs the body of the chainsaw, halting it in
mid swing.
600 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND HENRIETTA 600
As she keeps the buzzing chainsaw at bay with one hand,
while her other grabs at Ash's throat, strangling him.
600A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 600A
As he is slammed through the window.
600B ASH AND HENRIETTA 600B
Ash kicks her in the stomach. Henrietta is furious.
600C CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED HENRIETTA - MITCHELL CAMERA 600C
STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
She grits her teeth, concentrates, and her neck
begins to grow. She begins to change to Pee Wee Head.
600CP PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 600CP
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
CAMERA PANS UP on "B" wall.
601 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA - MITCHELL CAMERA 601
STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
As the pee wee Head transformation continues, Henrietta's
neck grows, like a jack in the box. It extends
a solid five feet upward, so that her head is now
looking down upon Ash baring its teeth.
601P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - ASH - MITCHELL CAMERA 601P
INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
602 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - TULIP CRANE 602
CAMERA CRANING UP ON HIM
Ash gapes in fear at this monstrosity that looms
above him.
603A INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 603A
POSSESSED HENRIETTA PUPPET - MEDIUM SHOT
Her neck undulating like a snake, she bites and
snaps.
HENRIETTA
I'll swallow your soul, swallow
your soul!
603B ASH - CLOSE SHOT 603B
He reacts.
603C WORKING DUMMY HENRIETTA HEAD ON "FLYING HEAD RIG" 603C
AND ASH
Henrietta swoops at Ash as he keeps her at bay with the
buzzing chainsaw.
603 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 603
STOP MOTION - REAR SCREEN - LOOKING UPWARD AT HENRIETTA'S
HEAD
She opens her mouth impossibly wide, exposing those
nasty rows of jagged shark like teeth. She dive bombs
him.
603P INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - BART-O-FLEX 603P
Plate for previous scene.
604 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD AND ASH 604
As her head springs down into frame and halts suddenly
inches from his face. In the silence we hear the reason:
Annie's voice singing the same melody that her mother
had sung to her earlier from the cellar. For a moment
Henrietta's face loses its evil malice. She is confused
at this sound.
Henrietta halts. She spins her head toward Annie.
605 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 605
As she finishes the melancholy song.
606 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA 606
MAGIC BLADE AND GUIDE TRACK RIG
Still confused, suddenly she shrieks and the chainsaw
comes buzzing through her from behind. The spinning
blade juts out from Henrietta's midsection.
607 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND HENRIETTA 607
BODY PARTS ON WIRES
Body parts (2 arms) fly past the camera on wire.
Ash slices and dices. Henrietta screeches like a wild
banshee.
608 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD AND ANNIE IN B.G. 608
As Pee Wee Head spins toward Ash, furious.
HENRIETTA
Swallow your soul!
609 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 609
Swings his chainsaw arm in a sharp arc.
609A ANGLE - HENRIETTA 609A
Henrietta's head is sliced from her neck with a
chainsaw. Steam pours from her neck.
610 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD - OVERCRANKED 610
As it flies up into frame, sliced from its neck.
610A ASH 610A
As he completes the arc of the chainsaw.
611 CLOSE SHOT - DUMMY HENRIETTA PEE WEE HEAD 611
W/ SMALL SECTION OF NECK
As it hits the floor.
612 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA'S BODY 612
It's neck spouts steam, wagging about like a snake.
Behind her Annie watches as the body topples to
the floor.
613 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 613
He looks down.
614 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD SCREAMING AT HIM: 614
HENRIETTA'S HEAD
Swallow your soul! Swallow your soul!
Ash's foot steps down upon her head, pinning
it to the floor. Her neck still writhing.
615 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 615
He unsaddles his sawed off shotgun from the holster on
his back. He points the barrel at her head point blank.
ASH
Swallow this.
He pulls the trigger. BLAM! Flame barks from the gun.
616 3 CAMERAS - CLOSE SHOT HENRIETTA AND GUN BARREL 616
(OVERCRANKED) GELATIN HEAD - SQUIB
Her head explodes into a million pieces.
617 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 617
Annie is crying. Ash holsters the gun.
ASH
May she rest in pieces.
618 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 618
As they look at each other for a quiet moment of
relief. Ash shuts off the chainsaw. Annie moves
slowly to Ash's arms. He holds her.
619 CLOSER - ASH AND ANNIE - MAIN ROOM - KITCHEN IN B.G. 619
They pull apart and look into each others eyes. Annie
holds the pages. Maybe they can get away after all. A
LOUD BOOMING echoes throughout the cabin! As though the
outside walls of the place were being bombarded by cannon
balls. The kitchen wall behind them buckles.
620 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND "D WALL" 620
SQUIB ON MIRROR
As the B - board of the wall behind Ash falls away
revealing battered logs. The mirror shatters.
621 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND "A" WALL
The wall cracks beneath the terrific force of whatever
is outside hammering upon it.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
622 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE - THE SOFA 622
"B" WALL
CAMERA TRACKS in on them as they look about in fear.
Dust is falling about them. The cabin walls are
starting to break apart. There is a tremendous "Voyage
to the Bottom of the Sea" type jolt to the cabin. Ash
and Annie stagger for footing.
623 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - BOARDED WINDOW 623
Ash grabs ahold of the window frame to brace himself.
623A CLOSE SHOT - VINES - INT. MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 623A
REVERSE ACTION - VINES
Vines wrap about the planks which cover the window.
623B MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - BOARDED WINDOW 623B
Behind him, the planks in the window are ripped
away by finger-like vines. A terrifying tree face
on the surface of a giant oak is revealed, as it peeks
in through the window at them.
624 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 624
She screams.
She turns toward "D Wall" at a loud wrenching sound.
625 MEDIUM SHOT - "D" WALL WINDOW 625
As vines reach in the cabin, tearing away the planks
revealing an even more horrible tree face.
626 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 626
TREE PUPPET
A tree beats its branches furiously upon the EXT. wall
of the cabin. It rips apart the cabin's stone chimney.
627 ANGLE - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 627
TREE PUPPET
A second gnarled tree slams its trunk against the rear
door of the cabin.
628 LONG SHOT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 628
TREE PUPPET
The entire cabin is surrounded by a group of lumbering
oaks. All working to get in at Ash and Annie.
629 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 629
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
Annie runs to the writing desk. She flips through the
missing pages from the Book of the Dead. Dust from the
ceiling drifts down.
ANNIE
(shouting above
the noise)
No! I only completed the first of the
passages. And that was to make
the evil a thing of the flesh!
630 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 630
POV EVIL FORCE
As it roars out of the woods, and towards the distant
cabin faster than we've ever seen it.
631 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 631
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he runs over to Annie.
ASH
You didn't finish it?!
ANNIE
There's still the second passage.
The one to open the rift and
send the evil back.
ASH
Start reciting it. Now!
632 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 632
POV EVIL FORCE
As it rockets towards the cabin doing 80 mph.
633 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 633
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
Shouting to be heard as she continues reading from the
passage:
ANNIE
Tar-tra Kanda-Estra! Hudsucker Proxy
-- Kanda!
634 OMIT 634
634A EXT. CABIN - WOODS - NIGHT 634A
The forest at night. Bubbling smoke appears, then
flame. Through the smoke, the beginnings of a winding
spiral of a cloudlike material.
634AP1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 634AP1
SMOKE AND FLAME - MINIATURE (STUDIO)
634AP2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 634AP2
The rift.
635 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 635
MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE
ANNIE
Aton-Neran-Ofas!
636 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 636
POV EVIL FORCE
As it races right up to the front door of the cabin.
637 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 637
MED. SHOT - ANNIE - WIND FAN
Reading from the passage. Behind her, the front door
rips open and in comes a giant rotten apple head of the
evil entity made flesh. A SHRIEKING, BULBOUS BEHEMOTH!
638 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 638
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN
Ash as he witnesses the most horrible sights a man can
behold. Ash's black hair streaks white before our
eyes. Behind him, two flowers in their pots wither
and die in seconds.
ASH
Finish it!
638P INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 638P
Plate for previous scene, with dying flowers.
639 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 639
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE - WIND FAN
ANNIE
Kanda! Samonda Roba Areda
Gyes Indy En-zeen, Nos-Feratos -
639A CLOSE SHOT 639A
Annie as she gasps.
639B MED. SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (3 SEC.) 639B
Annie as she falls to the floor, dead.
Jutting from her back is the Kandarian dagger and
hanging onto the end of the dagger is Ash's demon
hand.
639 C,D,E, OMIT 639 C,D,E
640 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND WINDOW ON "B" WALL 640
ASH
No!
CRASH!
Behind Ash a living tree branch rips through the cabin
window!
641 MED. SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN - WRAPPING EFX BRANCH 641
Ash turns suddenly to get away. Too late. The living
branch wraps about ASH'S waist and lifts him,
screaming, OUT OF FRAME.
642 MED. SHOT - ASH IN GRIP OF TREE BRANCH - WIND FAN 642
Ash is being lifted toward the gaping mouth of rotten
apple head. Ash is frantically jerking out his arm in
an attempt to start the chainsaw strapped to his wrist.
PUTT, PUTT, PUTT.
It won't start. As the face of rotten apple head
looms close, it opens its terrible mouth, ready to
consume him.
643 CLOSE SHOT - ASH IN GRIP OF GIANT TREE BRANCH 643
From inside the creature's mouth looking out. Ash
is screaming as he is brought towards its gnashing
teeth. PUTT, PUTT, PUTT. His chainsaw still won't
start.
643A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 643A
Half dead as she crawls to the pages on the floor and
gasps out the final sentences.
ANNIE
Nos-feratos - Amen-non. Ak-adeem!
Razin - Arozonia!
643B EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 643B
WIDE SHOT - REVERSE ACTION
The rift grows more powerful.
643BP PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 643BP
The rift.
644 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 644
Sweating and terrified. He draws closer.
645 ASH'S POV 645
The CAMERA tracks in toward the mouth of rotten apple
head. It's massive jaw jutts from the head, biting
and snapping. Sap-like saliva drips from the orifice.
Ash's feet kick at the mouth of rotten apple head,
trying to keep it away. Its jaws snap at his shoes.
645A C.U. - ASH'S FEET - PUSHING AT THE GUMS OF 645A
RAH'S MOUTH.
SNAP! The massive teeth snap together biting Ash's
foot in half.
645B C.U. ASH 645B
He screams, then looks down to his foot.
645C C.U. ASH'S FOOT - (OVERLARGE SHOE) 645C
Missing the leather toe section, he reveals that
he still has his toes intact.
646 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 646
As he sharply jerks his arm outward! The CHAINSAW
ROARS to life! He raises it high above his head and
plunges it forward.
647 WIDE SHOT - ASH AND ROTTEN APPLE HEAD 647
Ash thrusts the spinning chainsaw blade into the single
eye of the beast.
648 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 648
CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW
As it punctures the giant eyeball and then pulls free.
Green sauce spouts from the creature's wound.
649 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 649
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he is doused in the green bile. SPLAT!
650 CLOSE SHOT - ROTTEN APPLE HEAD 650
Eyeless, it screams in anger.
650A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 650A
With her last gasp.
ANNIE
....Kanda!
651 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 651
WIDE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION)
As the rift pulls in fog and trees that surround the
house.
651P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 651P1
SMOKE AND FLAME - MINIATURE (STUDIO)
651P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 651P2
The Rift.
652 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 652
WIDE SHOT
As rotten apple head is sucked out the doorway of the
cabin. The door slams shut behind it. Its scream
echoes off into the distance.
653 OMIT 653
654 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 654
MED. SHOT - ASH
Slices through the bracch.
654A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 654A
Ash and cut branch fall to the floor.
655 MED. SHOT 655
The cabin becomes much more quiet. The sounds of the
trees are gone. Ash looks to Annie. She is dead. Ash
moves to her, strokes her hair and begins to cry.
ASH
You did it. By God you did it.
He lowers his head and begins to heave in sharp
convulsive breaths of despair.
656 - 661 OMIT 656 - 661
662 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 662
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN
Behind Ash the front door RIPS open with a TREMENDOUS
BLAST. The door is sucked down into the rift. All
of the objects in the room are sucked through the open
doorway and down into the rift, including the pages
of the Book of the Dead.
662P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 662P1
662P2 SECOND PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 662P2
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - (STUDIO MINIATURE)
662P3 EXT. PLATE/WOODS 662P3
663 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 663
WIND FAN
Ash grabs ahold of the kitchen window ledge so as not
to be swept outside by the force of the vacuum of the
rift. Objects and papers fly past him.
664 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 664
Upon the kitchen window ledge. The ledge tears free.
665 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 665
As he screams, flying backward, towards the open door.
666 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO/PARTIAL SET/ 666
BLUE SCREEN)
MEDIUM SHOT - WIND FAN - SAM-O-CAM
The open doorway to the cabin. Ash flies towards it
and is snagged from going through by the section of
ledge that he holds.
666P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 666P
666P1 EXT. WOODS - PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 666P1
667 EXT. CABIN FRONT PORCH - NIGHT (STUDIO) 667
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WIRE RIGGING FOR FLYING
His body is horizontal, his feet dangling in air, in the
direction of the rift.
668 CLOSER - 668
Ash as he hangs on for dear life.
Objects continue to fly past on wires.
ASH
For God's sake, how do you
stop it?
669 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 669
BLUE SCREEN
CLOSE SHOT - FLYING RIG
The nails in the section of ledge that Ash holds
TEAR loose and the ledge SNAPS in two. He spins
wildly away from us and towards the rift.
669P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 669P
669P1 EXT. WOODS - PLATE 669P1
670 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUNT) WIRE RIGGING 670
Ash is rocketed through the air, spinning somersaults.
671 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 671
ASH ON FLYING RIG
Ash is sucked down into the swirling rift. Like a
particle that is swallowed by a deep funnel of draining
water. The rift closed behind him.
671P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 671P1
671P2 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 671P2
Plate for previous scene.
672 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 672
ASH ON FLYING RIG
We are now within the vortex. A swirling mass of colors
and clouds. And nightmarish sound effects.
Objects come AT US from the distance and roar past, an
uprooted tree, the grandfather clock with its hands
winding backwards at an incredible rate, Ash spinning
AT US, hand over foot, screaming. The chainsaw still
mounted to his wrist.
672P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE VORTEX 672P
673 INT. STUDIO - (STOP MOTION/BLUE SCREEN) 673
ASH
The vortex is distorting Ash's features as he is
rocketed back through the dark void of time.
673P1 OMIT 673P1
673P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE (STOCK FOOTAGE) 673P2
A wild and rapid pictorial collage of human history
winding back from the present through the centuries
lasting seven seconds.
674 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 674
WIDE SHOT
A hole opens in the air with a sharp CRACKLING SOUND.
Ash is spat from this hole and falls downward through
frame.
674P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 674P
EXT. SKY - DAY
674P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MINIATURE 674P2
SMOKE AND FLAME
675 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 675
MED. SHOT - GROUND - ASH - CAR CRANE - DELTA SHELLS
Plunged to the dust. Debris from the demolished cabin
rains down around him; his shotgun, the 1973 Delta 88
Oldsmobile and the old grandfather clock.
676 ASH'S POV. - THE RIFT IN THE SKY - MITCHELL 676
As it seals shut, leaving only the blue sky and the
sound of tweeting birds. Ash's view of the serene sky
changes abruptly as five steel helmets jut into his
line of sight. Five armor-clad medieval WARRIORS
stand directly over him.
676P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 676P1
676P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MINIATURE 676P2
SMOKE AND FLAME
677 OMIT 677
678 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND WARRIORS 678
As he looks to the warriors above him.
The first warrior raises a bloodstained longsword
and poises it above Ash's head.
WARRIOR #1
Slay the beast!
WARRIOR #2
'Tis a deadite!
All raise their swords ready for the kill.
679 MED. SHOT - THE WARRIORS 679
Halt as they hear a piercing, high-pitched SCREECH.
They turn their heads skyward.
680 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 680
Follows the Warriors' gaze.
681 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 681
(STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN)
MED. SHOT
A "WINGED DEADITE," a female harpy like creature with
the tail of a sea horse and man-sized bat wings,
enabling it to fly. The screaming beast swoops down
towards the warriors and horses. High above, the distant
shapes of other Winged Deadites circle.
681P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 681P
WARRIORS AND HORSES FOR SWOOP SHOT
682 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 682
(STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN)
CLOSE SHOT - WINGED DEADITE
She lets out a screaming banshee laugh, while
swooping down.
682P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 682P
EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DAY
683 WINGED DEADITE'S POV 683
(UNDERCRANKED) - CRANE - WIND FAN
As we swoop down toward the warriors and Ash.
683A OMIT 683A
683AP OMIT 683AP
684 OMIT 684
684P OMIT 684P
685 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 685
MED. SHOT - ASH AND WARRIORS
As he springs to his feet. With a lightning thrust he
reaches behind him.
686 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 686
As he grabs at the gun from its holster. He swings it
around front and pulls the trigger.
687 CLOSE SHOT - GUN BARREL - UNDERCRANKED 687
It discharges flame.
688 CLOSE SHOT - DUMMY HEAD OF DEADITE BLOOD SQUIB 688
OVERCRANKED - STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
It explodes.
688P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL 688P
EXT. KANDAR SKY
689 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 689
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN)
WIDE SHOT - WINGED DEADITE
The beast continues to flap its wings and fly about a
moment before falling to a heap in the dust.
689P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 689P
WARRIORS
690 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 690
CLOSE SHOT - WARRIOR #1
As he looks to Ash.
691 MED. SHOT - WARRIORS 691
They follow his gaze. The CAMERA PANS TO Ash. He stands
alone on a small pile of rubble clutching his smoldering
shotgun. He looks about dazedly. He tries to get his
bearings.
692 WIDE SHOT - WARRIORS 692
They falter. Unsure of how to react to this strange
man, who a moment before was pronounced a Deadite.
From the crowd, the Warrior #1 calls out:
WARRIOR #1
Hail he, who has come from the sky,
to deliver us from the terrors of
the deadites!
WARRIOR #4
Hail!
WARRIOR #5
Hail!
The cry is taken up by all. A line of medieval warriors
bow. Then twenty. Then fifty. All remove their
helmets and kneel silently in the dust.
Somewhere in the distance a DRUM SOUNDS. Ash stands
frozen. Terrified, unsure of where or when he is.
Knowing only for the present, he is alive.
As the wind kicks up blowing dust, Ash strikes a
familiar pose. It is the same image of the "Hero
from the Sky" that we saw earlier in the film. The
strange "jagged edged longsword" is Ash's chainsaw.
The CAMERA PULLS BACK from him as a great medieval castle
rears up INTO FRAME. It is seen to be the castle of
Kandar. The same castle we saw in the beginning of the
film. Now, however, the castle is not a ruin, but brand
new. As the CAMERA continues to pull back from Ash, the
title "EVIL DEAD" appears on the screen acompanied by
the distant ROAR of some dying animal: The SCREEN cuts
to BLACK WITH A THUNDEROUS BOOM.
THE ENDEVIL DEAD II
BY
Sam Raimi
Scott Spiegel
SEVENTH DRAFT - May 5, 1986
FADE IN:
DE LAURENTIIS ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LOGO
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
RENAISSANCE PICTURES LOGO
FADE OUT.
00 BLACKNESS 00
A sound is building. Like a living wind. A
thousand screams in agony.
From the blackness, gusts of smoke pull together
quickly, forming the Main Title against black:
"EVIL DEAD"
Then beneath it, the Roman Numeral "II."
A SLOW ZOOM brings it toward us. And as the screams
reach their sharp crescendo the title zooms through us.
FADE IN:
1 ANGLE - STOP MOTION ANIMATION 1
Whisping smoke against a black background. EERIE
MUSIC. In the distance, through the smoke, a
small object. It fans toward us quickly, filling the
frame. It is an ancient skin covered volume, with
the outline of a human face on it's cover. This is
the Book of the Dead.
NARRATOR
Legend has it, that it was written by
the dark ones: NECRONOMICON EX MORTES;
Roughly translated...The Book of the Dead.
The face on the cover of the book pulls away from its
skin binding and leans toward the camera. EYES
on the book blink open and peer at us. It's mouth
opens and emits a hideous scream. The CAMERA races
into the blackness of the screaming mouth.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
1P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - SMOKE 1P
2 A SPINNING VORTEX - (3 PAINTINGS ON AN ANIMATION 2
STAND) - 12 SEC. PLATE
Spiraling downward.
NARRATOR
To trace the origin of the Book, we
must go back...back...to a day when
spirits ruled the earth.
Wispy shapes of animated ghosts move through this
vortex, coming toward the CAMERA with WAILING and
MOANING and then are gone.
NARRATOR
When the seas ran red with blood.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
2P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - ROD PUPPET GHOSTS 2P
3 STOCK FOOTAGE - (OPTICALLY COLOR SEPARATED) 3
A raging ocean of blood. Great waves rise and swell
as if before a storm.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was this blood that was used to ink
the book.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
4 AN OPEN COPY OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD - ANIMATION 4
STAND - BLUE SCREEN IN BG
Through animation, the blank pages of the Book are
scripted in a strange hieroglyphic by an invisible hand.
Faster and faster the pages turn on the Book as the
blood red ink is scrawled across them. The pages flip
furiously until the Book snaps shut, reveal ing its
gruesome face on the cover.
The book flaps violently away from camera.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
The Book of the Dead was last seen
in 1300 A.D.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
4A OMIT 4A
4AP OMIT 4AP
4B OMIT 4B
4C OMIT 4C
4D OMIT 4D
4P STOCK FOOTAGE - THE RIFT 4P
5 EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DUSK - 4 WARRIORS - 4 HORSES 5
CAMERA panning down to reveal a magnificent newly built
castle of stone. Bright banners fly from its turrets.
An ox grazes nearby. 4 Warriors on horseback in the BG.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was then that the dark spirits
again rose up to battle the living.
The ground in front of the castle begins to split apart.
A red glow and smoke pour from the growing crevice.
Something evil is being unleashed. A strong wind kicks
up blowing sand in a furious rage.
5A EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DUSK 5A
TRACKING SHOT - ASH
Through the blowing silt, a lone figure appears. An
image of power and light. His clothing is ragged,
and he holds what appears to be a jagged toothed
longsword. Two massive columns of stone stand on
either side. CAMERA slowly moves closer, but his face
is still hidden by the darkness and blowing sands.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It is said that a hero came from the
sky. A man who defeated this evi and
buried the Book in the Castle of Kandar.
And there it lay for 700 years...
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
6 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY - RUINS 6
As the raging dust storm clears to reveal the same
castle which we saw earlier, but now, in a ruined state.
It has aged 700 years. The ox is gone. Now only its
petrified skeletal remains stand in a weathered heap.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
...Waiting.
A four wheel drive vehicle roars PAST THE CAMERA and
toward the castle.
7 INT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY - (STUDIO) 7
TRACKING SHOT
The CAMERA slowly tracks in toward the Book of the
Dead as it sits in the darkness of the stone tomb.
Next to it rests the KANDARIAN DAGGER, an ancient
knife, its handle fashioned from the skull of a
weasel. They rest upon a small pedestal covered
with cobwebs. Prominently displayed on the stone wall,
a bas relief of the "Hero from the Sky" holding his
unusual jagged edged weapon.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
And then...
The grinding of rock scraping against rock is heard,
and a large stone is swung open on a secret hinge in
the wall behind the book. Wind sweeps in through the
tomb, along with the blinding light from outside. A
sharply silhouetted figure steps in the newly created
doorway. The figure lights a torch that he holds,
illuminating his face. This is PROFESSOR RAYMOND
KNOWBY. An intelligent, grey bearded man in his late
fifties. He lowers the cloth around his face that had
been protecting him from the sand. He stares at the
Book, awestruck.
Behind him, two other figures appear in the entrance of
the tomb. The first is a large school-marmish woman,
the wife of Raymond Knowby, HENRIETTA. She moves to
Raymond's side and takes his hand. Immediately behind
her is their daughter, ANNIE KNOWBY; twenty-four years
old, strong stance and beautiful. Behind her a
handsome looking man, ED GETLY, enters the tomb. He
moves to Annie's side. They exchange excited glances.
The CAMERA PANS down to the Book.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
8 INT. STUDIO - BLACK 8
MED. SHOT - FOG
Billowing past the camera in front of a black drape.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
9 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 9
LONG SHOT
An old log cabin, built in the valley of a dark forest.
A great wind billows fog about the place.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Professor Raymond Knowby and his wife,
HENRIETTA, brought the book to a small
cabin where they could study it
undisturbed.
10 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 10
Professor Raymond Knowby sits at a writing desk and
transcribes passages from the Book of the Dead. A
small framed photograph of his daughter Annie sits
upon the table. Behind him, HENRIETTA sits knitting in
a rocking chair.
11 CLOSE SHOT - RAYMOND 11
He speaks the phonetic pronunciation of completed
sentences into the microphone of a tape recorder.
RAYMOND
Kanda...Es-trata...Ta-toon...Hazan
sobar...Ear-Grets, Gat, ...Nos-feratos
...Amantos...Kanda!
The sound of RAYMOND reciting the passages is faded
down AS THE CAMERA SLOWLY TRACKS away from RAYMOND and
over to HENRIETTA as she rocks back into the darkness
and forward into the light. As she rocks forward into
the light, she comes into FULL CLOSEUP revealing that her
eyes have changed to a milky white. She continues to
knit.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
12 INT. STUDIO - BLACK 12
MED. SHOT - FOG
Blowing past the camera in front of black drape.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
13 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 13
A dank fruit cellar with shelves of half-rotten
preserves. Raymond has his back to the stone wall.
He is dictating into the tape recorder, sweating and
distraught.
RAYMOND
It has only been a few hours since
I've translated and spoke aloud the first
of the demon resurrection passages from
the Book of the Dead.
The sound of heavy footsteps. Dust drifts down INTO
FRAME. Raymond looks up to the ceiling of the cellar.
It is also the floor to the main room of the cabin.
He watches in horror as Henrietta's silhouette paces the
floor above him. And then, the footsteps halt.
RAYMOND
And now, I fear that my wife has become
host to a Kandarian demon. May God forgive
me for what I have unleashed onto this
earth.
13Y REVERSE ACTION 13Y
The milky eyed possessed figure of HENRIETTA jolts quickly
into the frame, and shrieks in the voice of a demon!
Raymond Knowby screams. He drops the microphone.
13X CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER 13X
As the microphone falls atop it. High pitched feed-
back screams from the speaker.
13A CLOSE SHOT - RAYMOND 13A
Screaming in terror.
13B CLOSER - RAYMOND 13B
His fearful eyes fill the screen as the scream continues.
13C EXTREME C.U. RAYMOND'S EYE 13C
Darting about wildly and the scream continues.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
14 INT. DARK TUNNEL - DAY 14
ROUNDY-ROUNDY - CAMERA MOUNTED ATOP VAN
CAMERA MOVING swiftly down a dark tunnel. A light
at the end growing closer. The SOUND of AIR RUSHING
BY. The Delta 88 Oldsmobile comes ROARING out of
the tunnel with a BLAST of AIR, and the sound of
loud rock and roll music.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was one week later that a group
of college students came to the cabin.
14A EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT 14A
The Delta 88 Oldsmobile parked out front. Fog roars
past the place. We faintly hear waltz music from
within. The silhouette of a woman sweeps by the rear
bedroom window.
14B INT. CABIN - REAR BEDROOM - NIGHT 14B
ASH AND LINDA
LINDA, an attractive college student, is waltzing in
the semi darkness of the bedroom. She wears a "Michigan
State University" sweatshirt. She hums melodically to
the music as she moves. Around her neck is draped a
delicate silver necklace.
14C MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND LINDA 14C
A handsome young man, ASH, is playing the waltz music
on an old wooden piano. Linda dances behind him. Ash
is not a very good pianist, and can only plunk out the
melody with two fingers.
LINDA
Ash, what's that you're playing?
ASH
Our song.
Ash begins to play faster.
14D MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND LINDA 14D
As she picks up the tempo, spinning and laughing,
until finally Ash moves to her, halting her in mid
spin.
14E CLOSE SHOT - LINDA 14E
Out of breath, hair tousled across her eyes, she
stares deeply into Ash's eyes. Her lips, parted,
in a sensual manner.
14F CLOSE SHOT - ASH 14F
He returns her stare, lost in her beauty. He pulls
her close.
LINDA
Ow!
14G SHE PULLS AWAY SUDDENLY 14G
And looks down to the tiny silver necklace that she
wears about her neck.
14H CLOSE SHOT - NECKLACE 14H
In its center is a magnifying glass.
14I MEDIUM SHOT - LINDA AND ASH - TULIP CRANE 14I
She looks from the necklace to Ash.
LINDA
I really love it. I'll never take
it off.
They kiss and now begin to dance together, to the
haunting waltz melody that sweeps up upon the soundtrack.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was in the cabin's cellar that they
found the Professor's tape recorder,
and the Book of the Dead.
14J INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 14J
CAMERA tracks in toward the trap door. It opens by
itself as we move down the steps into the blackness.
15 MEDIUM SHOT - INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 15
The CAMERA pans down from the blackness to Ash who
finds a shotgun, Raymond Knowby's tape recorder,
tapes, the Kandarian dagger and...
16 CLOSE SHOT 16
...the shattered photograph of Annie Knowby and the
Book of the Dead.
17 LONG SHOT - INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM 17
The group of students sit about the fire as they listen
to the tape recorder. Coming from the speaker is the voice
of Raymond Knowby reciting the demon resurrection passage.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(on tape)
Kan Da, Es-trata ta-toon hazan sobar
...Ear-Grets, Gat...
18 MEDIUM SHOT 18
Linda takes Ash's hand. She's frightened. Ash smiles
to comfort her. She nervously fingers the silver locket
she wears about her neck.
19 CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER 19
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(on tape)
...Nos-Feratos...Amantos...Kanda!
20 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 20
The cabin is in the distance. In the foreground the
earth begins to swell, then rips apart as a red glow
emanates from beneath. Something evil is being
unleashed.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
One by one, they fell to the possession
of the dark spirits.
21 OMIT 21
22 EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22
CLOSE SHOT - LINDA
Her eyes pop open. They are bone white. She has fallen
to the possession.
22A EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22A
ASH AND LINDA
Possessed Linda is coming after Ash. Ash back peddles,
stumbles and falls.
22B ANGLE - ASH ON GROUND 22B
As the Shadow of approaching Linda envelops Ash,
he picks up a shovel from the ground.
22C LINDA LEAPS OVER THE CAMERA, TOWARD HIM. 22C
22D LINDA DUMMY 22D
Ash swings the shovel, slicing off Linda's head.
22D1 LINDA'S DUMMY HEAD - ON WIRE 22D1
22E ANGLE 22E
Linda's head rolls down the hillside and disappears into
the darkness.
22F EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 22F
ASH AND LINDA
Ash buries Linda's headless body. He jams a crude
wooden burial cross into the earth of the grave. A bolt
of lightning strikes.
22G HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD/CABIN - NIGHT - LONG SHOT - ASH 22G
As he runs from the grave site and toward the cabin.
23 OMIT 23
24 OMIT 24
25 OMIT 25
26 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 26
NARRATOR (V.O)
One man, Ash, destroyed the Book.
Ash enters the cabin. He sees The Book of the Dead
and tosses it onto the flames.
27 CLOSE SHOT - MELTDOWN - MAIN ROOM (STUDIO) 27
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
A possessed demon begins to wither and melt. Flesh
shrinks away from its skull and dissolves to nothing.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
But the evil that had been resurrected
from it, lives on.
28 CLOSE SHOT - BOOK IN FIREPLACE 28
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
The Book of the Dead is burned to cinders. The face
upon the Book screams as it burns.
29 OMIT 29
29A INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - HIGH SHOT 29A
Ash picks himself up from the floor.
29B INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM 29B
Ash stands and clutches the necklace of Linda, in
sorrow for his loss of her.
29C EXT. CABIN - DAWN - LONG SHOT 29C
Ash staggers from the cabin.
FADE OUT.
30 OMIT 30
31 EXT. CABIN - DAWN - RECREATION OF THE 31
FINAL SHOT OF EVIL DEAD I
We are racing forward. We have taken the POV of
an EVIL ENTITY as it glides with dark purpose through
a section of woods. It approaches the rear door of the
cabin. The door is torn violently open. The next door
falls away from us. We approach the front door. SLAM! It
jigsaws in two and we are again outside, now in front of
the cabin. Ash is seen in the distance. He is staggering
away, his back to us as we race at him. He turns suddenly
towards CAMERA and screams.
32 EXT. WOODS - DAWN 32
INTERVOLOMETER STOP MOTION/CRANE - SAM-O-CAM
The final shot of Evil Dead I has a new ending; an
extension. Ash is caught by an invisible grip.
"G" force is distorting Ash's face as he is rocketed
backwards. He is swept hand over foot through the
air. He reaches the edge of the woods and begins
tearing through the branches and smaller trees,
clearing a path with his body. He finally slams into
a large ungiving tree trunk and he is knocked
unconscious.
33 WIDE SHOT - LOOKING UPWARD - ASH - DUMMY - DAWN 33
As he falls from the tree branch and plummets towards
the earth.
34 ASH'S POV - (CRANING DOWNWARD) - UNDERCRANKED - DAWN 34
A puddle of mud below, which rushes up upon us quickly.
35 MED. SHOT - MUD PUDDLE - ASH 35
As his head splashes down into the muddy water.
36 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - DAWN 36
He lifts his face from the mud, and turns toward us.
His eyes have gone white. His skin is now a pale color,
his lips, jet black. He is Possessed. A bright edge of
morning sunlight moves across his face. He turns his
beastly face skyward.
37 EXT. RIDGE - DAY (STUDIO) - MATTE PAINTING 37
LONG SHOT - THE SUN (Miniature)
Rising over a mountain ridge. Sunlight streaming
through a gaping hole in the parting clouds, in
bright shafts. It pours through the trees.
38 MED. SHOT - THE SUN - MATTE PAINTING - MINIATURE 38
Closer on the sun as it looms larger and brighter.
39 CLOSE SHOT - THE SUN - MATTE PAINTING - MINIATURE 39
The frame is filled with the rising sun.
40 EXT. WOODS - DAWN - CLOSE SHOT - ASH - MUD PUDDLE 40
The bright edge of morning sunlight spreading across
his face, he lets loose a demonic death shriek.
41 EXT. WOODS - DAY - (STUDIO) 41
EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FACE (STUDIO)
DUMMY HEAD - LIQUID EYE CHAMBER - MINIATURE
The white in Ash's eyes swirls about, and his pupils
change back to their original brown color.
41A EXT. WOODS - DAWN 41A
Ash, no longer possessed, collapses into the mud puddle,
unconscious.
41B EXT. WOODS - DAY - REVERSE ACTION - FOG - 3 ANGLES 41B
Streams of morning sunlight pierce the darkness of the
woods. We hear the shriek of demons. The sound of
SIZZLING. A great wind blows back fog into the darker
sections of the woods. The scene grows brighter and
the peaceful sounds of morning are faded up.
DISSOLVE THRU TO:
42 EXT. WOODS - DAY 42
WIDE SHOT - ASH
As he lies unconscious. Time passes.
43 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - CRANE - UNDERCRANKED 43
His eyes open. They stare blankly up at the sky. Then
fear registers and we CRANE BACK QUICKLY, revealing a
vast area of empty woods around Ash.
44 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 44
He sits up slowly into frame, looking fearfully about.
45 ASH'S POV 45
Panning the battered cabin and sections of the woods.
All is peaceful. The sound of birds tweeting.
46 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 46
ASH (V.O.)
It's gone.
He looks up to the sky.
47 EXT. RIDGE - DAY - (STUDIO) - MATTE PAINTING 47
LONG SHOT - THE SUN - LATE AFTERNOON
Just above the horizon.
ASH
Sun's driven it away...
for now. Gotta get the hell
out of here... before night falls.
48 OMIT 48
49 OMIT 49
50 OMIT 50
51 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 51
As he nods to himself, then suddenly glances up beyond
the CAMERA.
52 EXT. CABIN - DAY - MITCHELL CAMERA 52
ASH'S POV - THE CABIN
A perfectly normal log cabin with one exception;
superimposed over the front of the place is...
52P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - (BLACK STUDIO) 52P
MITCHELL CAMERA
A hideous human skull with living eyeballs that stare
out at us with evil malice. The eyes stare out from
the two dark windows. The dark nose area is the open
doorway, and the rotted teeth of the skull are the
whitewashed stones placed at the foot of the cabin.
Then it fades, leaving only the cabin.
53 EXT. WOODS - DAY - WIND FAN 53
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - MUD PUDDLE
He shudders uncontrollably as he picks himself up from
the mud.
Ash MOVES INTO A CLOSE UP. His eyes shift back and forth
like a trapped animal as he looks about for a means of
escape. He spots something.
54 EXT. CABIN - DAY - ASH'S POV 54
THE DELTA 88 OLDSMOBILE
Parked in front of the cabin.
55 EXT. WOODS - DAY 55
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He shifts his glance from the car to the road.
56 EXT. ROAD - DRIVEWAY TO CABIN - DAY 56
A narrow dirt road cutting through the woods. Then,
the Delta 88 roars down it, and past the CAMERA. It
kicks up dust and gravel.
57 INT. DELTA 88 - DAY 57
(CAR MOUNT)
Ash is driving. He wipes the mud and blood from his
face with a rag. As he pulls the rag away, his face
forms a sudden look of horror as he sees:
58 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY (STUDIO MINIATURE W/BACKDROP) 58
CAR'S POV - TRACKING SHOT - STOP MOTION ANIMATION
A GIANT STEEL HAND LOOMS towards us. It is the twisted
remains of the steel and wood bridge that crossed
a great mountain chasm. A LOUD SCREECH of brakes
is heard on the soundtrack on this cut.
59 EXT. BRIDGE SIDE I - DAY 59
MEDIUM SHOT - DELTA 88 - PARTIAL BRIDGE SET
As it pulls to a halt. Ash steps quietly from the car.
He looks at the bridge.
60 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY (STUDIO MINIATURE W/BACKDROP) 60
ASH'S POV - BRIDGE
A sign hangs from the twisted girders. It reads:
"DANGEROUS BRIDGE - 2 TON WEIGHT LIMIT - CROSS AT OWN
RISK." Beyond this we see the twisted remnants of the
former bridge and the rock cliffs far away on the other
side.
60A EXT. BRIDGE SIDE I - DAY - MITCHELL CAMERA 60A
FROM RAVINE, LOOKING UPWARD AT ASH AND DELTA
(5 FRAMINGS)
Ash gapes at the uncrossable chasm.
60AP TWO CLIFF EDGES - (STUDIO) - MINIATURE 60AP
61 EXT. BRIDGE - DAY 61
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He is stunned at the sight. His only escape, gone.
He looks from the bridge to the West.
62P1 PLATE FOR FOLLOWING SCENE 62P1
ASH'S POV - LONG SHOT - MOUNTAIN RIDGE - INTERVOLOMETER
The sun is now resting on the horizon. Lower than it was
before. It is BLOOD RED, and sets in the course of seven
seconds.
62 INT. STUDIO (BLUE SCREEN) 62
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - PULLING BACK
To reveal Ash as he looks from the sunset, to the ruined
bridge, to the road behind him. He moves in halting
steps, not knowing which way to turn.
Ash opens his mouth, draws in his breath, and just as
he begins to scream, we CUT TO:
62P2 OMIT 62P2
63 EXT. BRIDGE - TWILIGHT - POV OF EVIL FORCE 63
3 CAMERAS - BREAKAWAY TREES
As it rises up from what appears to be the mountain
chasm and reveals the opposite side of the twisted
girders which form the "Giant Hand." It spots Ash
immediately beyond. It moves swiftly towaad him.
Ash looks up, sensing the evil and darts into the
Delta 88. The FORCE moves through the twisted girders,
pushing them away violently and races towaad the car.
The Delta starts up and peels off. The Evil Force
just misses it. The car doesn't have the room to
complete the one hundred and eighty degree turn
necessary to head back down the road the way it
originally came, and is forced into a line of break-
away trees which explode into sawdust as the front of
the Delta 88 rips through them. The car swerves
onto the road, headed back toward the cabin.
64 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT 64
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - CAR MOUNT
As the broken bits of tree slam against his
windshield.
65 CLOSE SHOT - CAR RADIO/TAPE DECK 65
As the channel switches suddenly to the hard rock
song "Journey to the Center of Your Mind" which blares
within the car throughout the chase to follow.
66 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT 66
POV - EVIL FORCE - UNDERCRANKED
As it gives chase to the Delta.
67 TRACKING SHOT - DELTA - DRAGWAY - UNDERCRANKED - ATV 67
Alongside the car as it barrels along the wooded
road.
68 EXT. DRAGWAY - NIGHT 68
TRACKING SHOT - DELTA - UNDERCRANKED - ATV
As he drives this wild course.
69 POV - EVIL FORCE - UNDERCRANKED 69
As it begins to gain on the speeding automobile.
70 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT - UNDERCRANKED 70
OVER ASH'S SHOULDER
Looking through the windshield, as branches beat and
smash themselves against the windshield, obscuring
our vision of the "Road" ahead. Our view suddenly
clears, revealing a large tree that looms directly
ahead.
71 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 71
Swerving the wheel.
72 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 72
ANGLE - DELTA - UNDERCRANKED
It swerves and slams into a rotted tree, stopping
it dead.
73 INT. DELTA 88 - NIGHT 73
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - UNDERCRANKED
As he is rocketed forward from his seat.
74 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 74
ANGLE - FRONT OF DELTA - DUMMY OF ASH
As Ash comes ripping through the windshield and past
the CAMERA.
74A ASH'S POV 74A
As he approaches the ground with a great velocity.
74B MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 74B
As he slams into the earth with a rain of glass. He
moans and gets to his feet.
75 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 75
POV - EVIL FORCE - BREAKAWAY TREES
As it sweeps down out of the woods, pushing over trees,
and approaches the Delta. Steam pours from the hood of
the car.
76 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 76
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he runs. His face is cut and bleeding.
76A ANGLE - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 76A
As he runs toward the cabin. (Actually he is running
in place in the rear of a camera car that is slowly
backing away from the cabin.) The more he runs, the
farther away from the cabin he gets.
77 POV - EVIL FORCE 77
IMO CAMERA MOUNTED ON LONG POLE AND TRUCK - 3 DELTAS
"RAM-O-CAM"
It approaches the rear of the Delta, rips through the
back window, moves through the car's interior, music
still blasting, and bursts out the remains of the front
windshield. We move through the steam of the radiator
and approach Ash as he runs for the cabin.
78 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 78
As he runs toward the cabin not making much progress
as though caught running in a nightmare. He shakes his
head "No."
78A CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET AS THEY RUN 78A
79 ANGLE - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 79
Now closer to the cabin. (Again, Ash is running in
place in the camera car as it slowly backs away
from the cabin.)
80 POV - EVIL FORCE 80
Now quickly gaining its lost ground. Just a few feet
behind Ash.
81 EXT. CABIN - LOCATION 81
SIDE SHOT - ASH
As he runs up the porch steps to the cabin.
82 EXT./INT. CABIN - LOCATION 82
POV - EVIL FORCE
We race into the cabin, splintering the hall door
which Ash had swung shut. Ash retreats into the
rear hallway, and swings the hallway door shut. We race
right up to the door and it shatters into many pieces
as we glide forward.
83 INT. CABIN - STUDIO - "MAZE SHOT" - FORCE POV 83
Camera moves through the main room and up to the
Hallway door. It shatters in front of us. We close
in on Ash as he races down the hallway. We lose him
as he swings into the back bedroom of the cabin and
slams the door behind him. We rip through this door
and enter the rear bedroom, only to see Ash scrambling
for the door to the middle bedroom, which we approach
and he swings shut in our face. We rip through to
reveal Ash scurrying into the Hallway. We follow him
through the bathroom, the maze, and back out into the
Hallway. We round the corner after him and see that
Ash has led us into the main room, but there is not a
trace of him. We look about for him, but he is gone.
The hallway is bare except for a few dry leaves.
84 INT./EXT. CABIN - LOCATION - POV EVIL FORCE 84
The force begins to pull back with an ever-increasing
speed, out the front door of the cabin, and deep into
the blackness of the woods.
85 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 85
A static shot of the fireplace. All is quiet. Smoke
from the near dead fire wafts up the chimney. We hold
on this for a moment.
85A ANGLE - MIDDLE BEDROOM CLOSET - NIGHT 85A
A static shot of a closet with it's door half open.
The door begins to swing slightly open, revealing
a rack of clothes inside. We hold on this for a
moment.
85B ANGLE - CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT 85B
A writing desk with some papers atop it. They begin
to tremble and finally blow away from the light breeze
that sweeps through the cabin. The CAMERA PANS down
from this desk to reveal a trap door in the floor of
the main room. The trap door to the cellar. It is
raised up on its hinge an inch or so and in that
slight space between the trap door and the floor we
see Ash's eyes, looking cautiously about. He breathes
a sigh of relief.
86 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 86
The cabin in the distance. Fog rolls past.
87-128 OMIT 87-128
128 A,B,C OMIT 128 A,B,C
129-143 OMIT 129-143
143 A-F OMIT 143 A-F
143FP OMIT 143FP
144-149 OMIT 144-149
149A-J OMIT 149A-J
149K EXT. AIRSTRIP - NIGHT - LONGSHOT - ED 149K
Ed Getly stands in the FG and watches as an older
style twin engine cargo plane flies over the camera
and lands.
149L AIRSTRIP - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - PASSENGERS 149L
The airplane rolls to a halt. A man wearing a
jumpsuit ties the airplane off and blocks the wheels
while a redcap opens the hatch and helps out Annie
Knowby. She carries a glass case in her hand as she
moves toward us. Behind her five other passengers
emerge from the Plane. Ed approaches Annie.
ED
Annie!
ANNIE
(smiling at sight of him)
Hi.
They embrace and kiss.
ED
How'd everything go on the expedition?
ANNIE
Terrific. I found the additional pages
from the Book of the Dead.
ED
So you said in the telegram. What
condition are they in?
She holds out the glass case for Ed to look at.
149M CLOSE SHOT - GLASS CASE 149M
Inside are 12 pages from the Book of the Dead.
149N AIRSTRIP - NIGHT 149N
TRACKING SHOT - ED AND ANNIE - THEY CONTINUE WALKING
ED
Haven't aged a day in three thousand years.
ANNIE
Maybe longer.
ED
When do we begin the translations?
ANNIE
Tonight. Is everything all set with my
father?
ED
Should be, but I haven't spoken to him
in a week, what with no phone in that
cabin. Take us about an hour to get there.
They arrive at the parking lot. Two new, sharp looking
cheverolets and Ed's old style cheverolet.
ED
We'll take my car.
Ed opens the car trunk. Behind him a redcap pulls up
a large steamer trunk on a hand dolly. Ed and the redcap
hoist the steamer up into the car's trunk.
ED
Annie, you hinted in your telegram that
your father was on to something with the
first part of his translations. What's
the big mystery? What has he found in
The Book of the Dead?
ANNIE
Maybe nothing. But just possibly...
the doorway to another world?
Annie slams the car trunk.
149O OMIT 149O
150 OMIT 150
151 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - W/ ASH - NIGHT 151
CHEVROLET CAR TRUNK
CAMERA has taken the POV of the evil force as it glides
eerily through the woods, around trees and over rotted
stumps. It moves over a rise revealing a clear view
of the boarded cabin in the distance. It approaches.
It moves to the window, and peering through the cracks
in the boards we see Ash asleep in the rocking chair.
152 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 152
Camera begins on hammer, nails, and planking which
lay upon the cabin floor. Camera pans to window #1.
It is boarded up tight. Camera pans to door. It
is repaired. Camera pans to Ash who sleeps in the
rocking chair in front of another boarded window.
Ash awakens suddenly, sensing something, the
shotgun clutched in his lap. He lifts his head and
turns to a whispering musical sound. Harp like music.
It is coming from the back bedroom of the cabin.
153 MAIN ROOM/MIDDLE ROOM/REAR BEDROOM 153
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he stands and moves cautiously towards the rear
bedroom.
154 ASH'S POV - MIDDLE ROOM AND REAR BEDROOM 154
As he approaches the rear bedroom, the music grows louder.
As he enters the room he halts his gaze on the old wooden
piano.
155 INT. CABIN/REAR BEDROOM - NIGHT 155
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he moves to the piano. The sound is coming from
within. Suddenly, the piano begins to play by itself;
Ash draws back from it. It plays a waltz. Now the
piano music mixing with the harp-like strings. The
radiator next to the piano begins to release bursts of
musical steam, adding a wind section to this strange
orchestra.
156 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 156
As he listens to this haunting version of a waltz melody.
He recognizes the music. It is the same music that Ash
had played earlier, when Linda was dancing.
157 CLOSE SHOT - PIANO AND RADIATOR 157
As steam spouts from the radiator pipes. As the piano
keys depress and release themselves. The melody grows
louder.
158 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 158
As he lowers his head. His horror gives way to sadness.
From his pocket he removes Linda's delicate silver locket
that dangles from the end of a chain. In the locket's
center is a magnifying glass. He stares mournfully into
the glass. BANG! He looks up sharply toward the main
room.
159 OMIT 159
159P1 OMIT 159P1
159P2 OMIT 159P2
159P3 OMIT 159P3
160 OMIT 160
161 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 161
ASH'S POV - SHUTTERS
As they rip open, splintering Ash's reinforcements.
Wind sweeps in through the place as the curtains flutter
wildly. Through the window is a sweeping fog.
162 INT. CABIN MIDDLE ROOM - NIGHT 162
Ash runs through this room and into the main room. He
moves to the window and looks out. Wind blowing on his
face from outside.
163 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 163
ASH'S POV - THE GRAVEYARD
A stark wooden cross marks Linda's lonely grave.
164 OMIT 164
165 OMIT 165
166 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 166
LONG SHOT - CABIN IN DISTANCE - STOP MOTION ANIMATION
The tiny figure of Ash can be seen looking off toward
this hill. In the foreground is a crude burial cross
and a mound of earth. The earth begins to crack and
splinter. The wooden cross caves in and is swallowed
as the headless corpse of Linda pulls itself to its
feet. The HAUNTING WALTZ MELODY sweeps through the
night air.
166P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 166P
ASH IN WINDOW - MITCHELL CAMERA
167 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 167
CLOSE SHOT - THROUGH THE WINDOW - ASH
His eyes, illuminated by a shaft of light, widen in
amazement and horror as...
168 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT (STUDIO) 168
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN) - 3 ANGLES
The WALTZ MELODY fills the sound track, and the rotting
corpse that was Linda begins to dance, bending and
swaying as she sweeps gracefully through the evening
fog. A waltz of the dead.
The style of dance begins to change. It becomes more
primitive. The music changes to a more primal beat.
The dance becomes sexually oriented. Erotic, with
sharp pelvic thrusts and gyrating hip motions.
168P 3 PLATES FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 168P
EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - FOG/WIND FAN
169 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 169
CLOSE SHOT - THRU THE WINDOW - ASH
Lost in the horrific beauty, he turns his head to a
rumbling sound.
170 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - (REVERSE ACTION) 170
ASH'S POV
Linda's DECAPITATED HEAD rolls across the ground and
up the hillside graveyard.
171 EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT (STUDIO) 171
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN) LINDA'S HEAD
3 ANGLES
As it leaps through the air and gracefully situates
itself atop Linda's neck, she begins to spin, yet her
head remains in place, never taking her eyes from Ash.
With a sensual twirl and leap, she disappears into the
evening mists.
171P 3 PLATES FOR PRECEDING SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 171P
EXT. HILLSIDE GRAVEYARD - NIGHT - FOG W/WIND
172 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 172
CLOSE SHOT - THRU WINDOW - ASH
His eyes dart about, trying to catch another glimpse
of Linda through the fog.
173 EXT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 173
ASH'S POV - THRU WINDOW
Linda swings sharply into frame, completing the spin
of her dance immediately in front of Ash as the music
abruptly halts.
LINDA
DANCE WITH ME!
Linda extends her dead arms towards Ash.
174 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 174
He screams as...
175 EXT. HILLSIDE - GRAVEYARD - NIGHT 175
CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S CORPSE (OVERCRANKED)
Linda's head rolls off of her neck and tumbles through
space.
176 INT. BLACK STUDIO - NIGHT 176
LINDA'S HEAD - ON WIRE
As it tumbles through a void of blackness, falling.
177 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 177
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he screams himself awake. CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal
him sitting in the rocking chair. Ash halts his scream,
getting control of himself. He looks to the window that
had blown open.
178 ASH'S POV - THE BOARDED WINDOW 178
Still boarded as though it had never been opened.
179 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 179
Reassuring himself.
ASH
That's all. Just a crummy dr-
Linda's decapitated head falls into frame and lands in
Ash's hands.
180 CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 180
It opens its eyes and looks to Ash.
LINDA'S HEAD
Hello lover, I came from the other
side of your dream to dance with you.
181 CLOSER SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD (BACKWARD MOTION) 181
A four foot long blackened tongue emerges from her mouth
like a lashing serpent.
182 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - (BACKWARD MOTION) 182
The tongue enters Ash's frame and forces itself into
Ash's mouth. Screaming as he clutches at the head of his
former love. The tongue instantly retracts inside her
head.
183 CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 183
As it bites deeply into Ash's right hand, drawing blood.
183A MED SHOT - ASH AND LINDA'S DUMMV HEAD 183A
Ash stands and rushes across the room screaming, as he
tries to rid himself of the head.
183 B-L OMIT 183 B-L
184 OMIT 184
185 OMIT 185
185A OMIT 185A
186 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - ASH AND DUMMY HEAD - LONG SHOT 186
As Ash staggers painfully around the side of the
cabin and towards the work shed; Linda's head still
clamped to his hand.
187 INT. WORK SHED - NIGHT - LINDA DUMMY HEAD - ASH 187
The door to the place is kicked open, revealing Ash
and Linda's head on the end of his hand. It is a room
full of sawdust, chains and power tools. Old bones
hang from the walls.
187A MEDIUM SHOT - INT. WORK SHED - ASH 187A
As he places Linda's head within the vice and
tightens it around her, then withdraws his hand.
LINDA'S HEAD
Even now we have your darling Linda's
soul! She suffers in torment!
187B CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 187B
As it rips away an old tarp revealing the chalk
outline of where a chainsaw once was.
187C CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HEADLESS LINDA BODY 187C
Confused. Wondering what has happened to the
chainsaw. Behind him, the door to the shed bursts
open and in comes the flailing, headless, body of
Linda, charging at Ash with the chainsaw buzzing high
above her head. Ash is screaming.
187D MEDIUM SHOT 187D
Ash grabs a large crowbar and swings it
toward the approaching blade.
187E CLOSE SHOT 187E
The crowbar hits the bottom of the blade with a
shower of sparks, sending the buzzing saw flipping
backward.
187F MEDIUM SHOT - HEADLESS LINDA DUMMY - 3 ANGLES 187F
The blade of the chainsaw swings upward and arcs
back into headless Linda, imbedding itself in her
neck. She goes nuts as the chainsaw bites its way
into her chest cavity. She spins wildly about the
room knocking into shelves as she tries to pull the
blade free. She slams against the wall of the shed,
and slumps to the floor, the chainsaw still buzzing.
187G MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187G
As he is splattered with black bile. He reaches down.
187H MEDIUM SHOT - HEADLESS LINDA 187H
As Ash dislodges the spinning chainsaw from her.
187I MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187I
As he swings the chainsaw around and poises it above
Linda's head.
187J WIDE SHOT - ASH AND LINDA'S HEAD IN VICE 187J
From the chainsaw, fumes of blue amoke. Ash turns
to the head and falters.
187K CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD IN VICE 187K
She is no longer possessed. She looks as she did
earlier in the film. A vision of beAuty. She is
again Linda, the woman Ash loved. Tears roll down from
her eyes.
LINDA
Please Ash, help me. I love
you, please don't hurt me.
187L CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187L
Trying to fight his feelings, he knows what he must
do. He pumps the throttle on the saw.
187M CLOSE SHOT - LINDA 187M
Pleading with him.
LINDA
You promised me we'd always be
together. You swore to me!
187N CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187N
Agonized.
ASH
NO!
187O CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S HEAD 187O
Once again fully possessed, and speaking in the voice
of the demon. Her eyes again white, her flesh, rotten.
LINDA'S HEAD
YES! YOU LIED TO HER! YOU LIED TO
LINDA! YOUR LOVE WAS A LIE! AND
NOW SHE BURNS IN HELL!
187P EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - LINDA'S DUMMY HEAD 187P
She opens her mouth and emits a jet stream of bile.
187Q CLOSE SHOT - ASH 187Q
As he's drenched in the face. Linda begins to laugh at
him in a wild, high pitched squeal.
He gains control of himself and steadies the saw.
ASH
Eat chainsaw.
He brings down the spinning blade. And moves past
the CAMERA and towards the head. We are left looking
at the wall of the work shed upon which we see the
stark shadow of the ghastly deed. We hear the sound
of spinning steel meeting bone and the screams of a
demon.
187R CLOSE SHOT - LIGHT BULB 187R
As it is splattered with blood.
187S MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 187S
Ash stumbles back into frame and falls against the
wall, now lit in crimson. He looks at the off screen
carnage in terror. He begins to shake as though in
shock. He trembles as he looks down at his
hands; they are covered in Linda's blood.
He wipes his hands on his pants and shirt, trying
to rid himself of it, but only succeeds in painting
himself with the stuff. Ash screams a wild scream of
fear and despair. It echoes off into the night.
188 CRANE SHOT - EXT. WORK SHED - NIGHT 188
Ash in a confused state as he staggers from the
work shed and towards the cabin. Again clutching
the chainsaw.
189 INT. CABIN REAR DOORWAY - NIGHT 189
Ash enters through the doorway. He pushes the door
shut behind him and halts. We hear a creaking sound.
It is coming from the main room of the cabin. He
moves in the direction of the sound.
189A ASH'S POV - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 189A
TRACKING SLOWLY FORWARD
Curtains flutter on the partially boarded windows of
the hall. Ash moves slowly past them and towards the
main room ahead. The gentle creaking sound grows
louder. Ash tosses down the saw and picks up the gun.
189B INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 189B
Ash enters from the hallway and turns his head to the
sound.
189C MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - ASH'S POV - THE ROCKING CHAIR 189C
It rocks back and forth with a definitive motion,
halting for a moment at it's pints furthest forward
and backward, as if some invisible thing was sitting
there and rocking.
189D CLOSE SHOT - ASH 189D
He slowly approaches the chair, scared shitless.
189E MEDIUM SHOT - FROM BEHIND THE ROCKING CHAIR 189E
The chair rocks in and out of frame in the foreground
as Ash takes halting steps towards it. Ash gathers
his courage and reaches out his hand to halt the
rocking motion. Slowly his hand approaches the chair.
Just as his hand goes to touch it, the chair abruptly
halts, on its own accord.
190 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 190
In a confused state as he backs away from the chair and
into the wall. He turns and comes face to face with
himself in a hanging framed mirror. He clutches at his
face, trying to reassure himself of his sanity.
ASH
I'm fine... I'm fine...
191 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM/MIRROR ROOM - NIGHT 191
MEDIUM SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - ASH AND REFLECTION
Ash's reflection becomes an independent entity. It
reaches out of the mirror and grabs ahold of Ash by his
throat. The reflection looks like a Mr. Hyde version of
Ash. Sweating and nasty looking.
192 SIDE SHOT - SPLIT SCREEN - ASH AND REFLECTION 192
MITCHELL CAMERA (ASH AS MR. HYDE)
The reflection pulls Ash close and speaks to him in an
intimate whisper.
REFLECTION
I don't think we're "fine". We're
losing it... starting to slip. We
just cut up our girlfriend with a
chainsaw. Does that sound fine?
The reflection tightens its hold on Ash's throat and
begins to strangle him.
192P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 192P
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
ASH - MITCHELL CAMERA
193 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - DOLLY 193
Two hands in the bottom of frame, throttling him.
CAMERA races back to reveal Ash's own hands on his throat.
There is no sign of Ash's evil reflection. Ash has
been strangling himself. He realizes this the same
moment we do. He quickly pulls his hands away, looks at
them incredulously, then to the mirror.
194 OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - INTO MIRROR 194
His reflection is as it should be.
195 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 195
He looks back down to his hands.
196 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 196
CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S RIGHT HAND - DUMMY HAND
INTERVOLOMETER
The bite marks that Linda's teeth have left in the hand
stand out sharply. The wound suddenly blackens and
spiderwebs it's infection across the entire surface of the
hand.
197 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 197
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HAND IN FOREBROUND - MAKE UP BLADDER EFX
The hand quivers and shakes, now out of Ash's control.
The hand has taken a whitish cast. It's veins throb and
pulsate. It is possessed by the evil force. The hand's
fingernails grow inches. The wound oozes black fluid.
Ash is repulsed.
198 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 198
Ash's demon hand makes a lunge at his face which is
countered by his good hand.
199 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 199
He slams the hand to the cabin floor. He screams to
the air:
ASH
You bastards. Give me back my hand.
200 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 200
Wind and fog swirl about the place. Ash's ECHOING
SCREAM is heard above the HOWLING GALE.
ASH (0.S.)
Give me back my hand!!
201 OMIT 201
201A OMIT 201A
201B OMIT 201B
201C OMIT 201C
202 OMIT 202
203 OMIT 203
204 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM/KITCHEN - NIGHT 204
Ash rushes into the kitchen and places his hand in
the sink. He turns on the faucet.
205 INT. CABIN KITCHEN - NIGHT 205
Cool water runs over Ash's burned hand. Ash rests his
head on the kitchen counter and mumbles reassurances to
himself.
ASH
Can't... can't be happening.
206 CLOSE SHOT - THE HAND 206
As the water pours over it. It grabs a plate sitting
in the dishwater and reaches up silently out of the sink.
207 MEDIUM SHOT 207
The plate is shattered over Ash's head. The
hand grabs Ash's hair and mercilessly slams his
head down upon the kitchen counter again and again.
Ash punches himself in the face and is sent reeling
backwards. He smashes into a cupboard where dishes
and plates fall upon him.
208 CLOSE SHOT 208
The hand picks up plates and begins breaking them over
Ash's head. Then a bottle.
209 MEDIUM SHOT 209
Ash is knocked unconscious. The hand continues breaking
objects over his head. Ash lies unmoving, but still
alive.
210 CLOSE SHOT 210
The hand stops as though it senses something. The
CAMERA PANS to a large meat cleaver which lies upon the
wooden floor.
211 MEDIUM SHOT 211
The hand as it independently crawls towards the meat
cleaver. The hand is stopped when it runs out of arm,
now anchored by Ash's unconscious body.
212 CLOSE-SHOT - HAND 212
It digs its nails deep into the floorboards and begins to
pull...
213 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 213
... as he is pulled along the kitchen floor.
214 CLOSE SHOT - HAND - GELETIN HAND 214
As it pulls Ash's unconscious body along after it. The
hand clutches the meat cleaver when a large knife comes
slicing through the demon hand, pinning it to the
floorboards. CAMERA pulls over to reveal a revived Ash.
ASH
Who's laughing now?
214A ANGLE - ASH - COMEDY KNIFE RIG 214A
He reaches over with his good hand and pulls a fire
engine red chainsaw down from the shelf.
He holds the body of the machine between his legs and,
with his good hand, pulls the starter cord. The
CHAINSAW ROARS to life. The CAMERA TRACKS IN to Ash's
sweating face.
ASH
Who's laughing now!?
He lowers the spinning blade of the chainsaw down out
of frame and toward the evil hand. Blood flies up
into frame.
215 OMIT 215
216 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 216
LONG SHOT
We hear the BUZZING of the CHAINSAW as it slices through
bone and then falls silent.
217 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT (SIDE II) 217
CRANE
The CAMERA cranes down as Annie's car approaches from
the distance. It pulls to a halt. Ed and Annie step
from the car.
218 ANNIE'S POV 218
A red tow truck with its orange lights flashing is
parked there. Painted on it's side is "Jake's Gas
N' Go." Jake, a toothless, backwoods, greasemonkey is
setting up flares and wooden roadblocks. Annie and Ed
approach.
ANNIE
Excuse me. This the road to the
Knowby's cabin?
JAKE
Thas' right. But you ain't goin' there.
ANNIE
And why not?
219 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 219
As he reaches in his truck to pull on the headlights.
220 CLOSE SHOT - TRUCK HEADLIGHTS 220
As they snap on.
221 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE, ANNIE, AND ED 221
All stand in the bright glare of the lights as the fog
swirls about them. Annie and Ed gape in frightened
wonder at what they see.
222 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT - (SIDE II) - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 222
THEIR POV - TABLE TOP MODEL GIRDERS
The piercing beams of light illuminate twisted remnants of
the destroyed bridge that leads to the cabin. A road sign,
similar to the one on the other side of the bridge
reads: "Dangerous Bridge - Two Ton Weight Limit".
223 EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT - (SIDE II) 223
CLOSE SHOT - ED AND ANNIE
Frightened as they view the wreckage.
ANNIE
What happened?
JAKE
Lady, I ain't never seen nothin' like
it.
ED
Terrific. Now what?
ANNIE
There must be another way in.
Another road or something.
224 JAKE, BOBBY JOE, ANNIE AND ED - TWO CAMERAS 224
BOBBY JOE
Sure ain't no, road.
CAMERA pans over to reveal a brassy southern spitfire
of a woman, Bobby Joe.
BOBBY JOE
Hell you wanna go there for, anyway?
Bobby Joe takes a pinch of chewing tobacco and stuffs
it into her mouth. She doesn't like Annie and her
fancy clothes. She stares at Annie like a cat.
224X MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ED 224X
Annie steps forward. She eyes Bobby Joe.
ANNIE
None of your business.
224Y CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224Y
He feigns surprise and pleasantness.
JAKE
Hey! I just remembered... Yeah,
that's right... There is a trail.
You could follow Bobby Joe and me.
ED
That sounds all right.
JAKE
But, it'll cost ya.
ANNIE
How much?
JAKE
Forty Fi...
224A ANGLE 224A
Jake looks up suddenly at Bobby Joe who gives
a sharp shake of her head.
JAKE
Hundred bucks.
224B CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 224B
ANNIE
Tell you what. You take my bags
you got a deal.
224C CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224C
He glances through the window of Annie's car.
224D JAKE'S POV 224D
The tiny case containing the missing pages of the Book
of the Dead, and a small handbag.
224E CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 224E
Looking back to Annie, a big smile on his near
toothless face.
JAKE
Sure!
225 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 225
A hiking trail winds through the woods. Bobby Joe
leads the way with flashlight in hand. She pockets
some bills. She is followed by Annie and Ed who
carry the glass case containing the missing pages
and the handbag. A grunting and sweating Jake brings
up the rear, the large steamer trunk on his back.
He is cursing under his breath.
JAKE
Jesus H. Christ! I thought she
was talkin' 'bout them two goddamn
little pieces!
226 OMIT 226
227 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 227
The wind rushes fog about the place with a fury.
A large moon hangs in the night sky.
228 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 228
CLOSE SHOT - EVIL HAND
No longer attached to Ash's arm, it still writhes about
beneath Ash's foot which pins it to the floor.
229 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - HAND'S POV - EYEMO W/ MOUNT 229
As he grabs the steel wastebasket, dumps out the trash
lowers it quickly over the CAMERA, trapping the hand
within.
230 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 230
With a note of finality, Ash slams down a pile of books
atop the overturned wastecan, to anchor it. The top
book's title reads "Farewell to Arms".
231 FIREPLACE 231
Ash raises a red hot fireplace shovel that had been
resting upon the coals. He grits his teeth.
232 ANGLE 232
Just out of frame, Ash thrusts the glowing shovel against
the stump to cauterize the wound. Red steam hisses up
into frame as Ash screams.
233 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 233
He tosses aside the shovel and douses his smoldering
stump into a vase of fresh flowers.
234 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 234
Unspooling a roll of duct tape.
235 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 235
He tapes the tablecloth into a makeshift bandage
about his wrist. Behind him, the wastebasket
silently slides across the floor.
236 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 236
"CLANG"! He turns to see.
237 CLOSE SHOT - THE WASTEBASKET 237
Upon its side. The Evil Hand is gone.
237A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 237A
He turns to a "pitter patter" sound.
238 OMIT 238
238P OMIT 238P
239 OMIT 239
240 OMIT 240
241 OMIT 241
242 OMIT 242
243 OMIT 243
244 OMIT 244
245 CLOSE SHOT - HAND 245
It scampers across the floorboards headed for a hole
in the wall.
246 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 246
MEDIUM SHOT - ANIMATED HAND (4 SEC.)
Same action as above but covered now through animation.
247 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 247
HAND - POV
Low angle tracking shot approaching the hole in the wall.
248 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND HAND - SQUIB 248
TRACKING WITH HAND, ASH IN BG
He raises the shotgun and FIRES. BLAM! The floor
next to the hand explodes.
249 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN THE WALL - SQUIB - EFX. HAND 249
The hand leaps into the hole as a section of wall next
to it EXPLODES. Blam!
250 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 250
Ash quickly reloads both chambers of the gun.
He tracks the SOUND of the PITTER PATTER as the hand
scampers through the sapace behind the wall like a rat.
251 OMIT 251
252 OMIT 252
253 OMIT 253
254 ASH'S POV - WALL - SQUIB 254
The blasted hole at the bottom of the wall. The hand
appears, still unhurt, waving and taunting at Ash.
255 CLOSE SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (7 SEC.) 255
As it taunts ASH it inadvertently sidesteps into a
rusting mousetrap. SNAP! It springs shut upon the
hand. It screams furiously and shakes violently in
an effort to get free the from trap.
256 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 256
Throws back his head in a gruff bark of laughter.
ASH
Ha!
257 CLOSE SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (7 SEC.) 257
The hand throws the trap from itself and raises its
middle finger to ASH, flipping him the bird.
258 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 258
He raises the gun, revealing his face as the
CAMERA PANS UP with his movement.
259 ASH'S POV - OVER THE GUN BARREL 259
Pointed directly at the hand. But the hand dodges
away from the hole, disappearing again behind the
wall. The gun continues to track the evil hand's
progress through its pitter patter sound.
260 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S EAR 260
The pitter patter ebbs and then peaks in volume.
261 ASH'S POV - OVER THE GUN BARREL - SQUIB 261
Both triggers are squeezed. BLAM! BLAM! A 2nd and
3rd hole are blown in the wall. All is silent.
261A INSERT ASH'S FINGER PULLS THE FIRST, THEN 261A
SECOND TRIGGER
261B INSERT FLAME BELCHES FROM THE GUN TWICE 261B
262 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 262
As he lowers the smoking gun. Wondering if he has hit
the hand or not.
263 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 263
All is silent for a moment, and then a slight trickle
of blood comes dripping from the hole and down the
side of the wall.
264 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 264
For the first time feeling victorious. As Ash continues
to stare at the hole, his expression changes to one of
perplexity.
265 CLOSE SHOT - HOLE IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 265
The trickle of blood has increased to a steady flow,
then, even this volume of blood multiplies. It is
forced out of the wall with a greater and greater
pressure until blood pours from the wall like a fire
hose.
266 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 266
Horrified, he spins his glance to the sound of more
gushing liquid. He is hit in the face with a geyser
of deep red blood.
267 CLOSE SHOT - 2ND AND 3RD HOLES IN WALL - 5 CAMERAS 267
The 2nd and 3rd holes in wall also begin to spew blood
in a geyser. The CAMERA PANS over to the 4th of the
holes. This, too, is an eruption of blood. The blood
changes in color to a black fluid, then yellow, then
turquoise.
268 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 268
Screaming as he looks down at his wrist. CAMERA PANS
DOWN to it. The severed wrist begins dribbling blood.
Then in a burst, it too, erupts in a hellish fire hose.
It spouts blood under such great pressure that ASH is
driven against the walls of the cabin because of it.
269 MED. SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 269
We follow him as he slams from one wall into another.
270 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - 5 CAMERAS 270
In the midst of his scream, drowning in the blood, it
all suddenly stops. The cabin is again deadly quiet.
ASH, soaked in blood and shivering, waits. For what,
he's not sure.
271 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 271
As he slowly backs away from the walls and sits upon
the three legged chair. It shatters beneath him,
dumping him on his butt.
CREAK!!!
ASH turns sharply to the low sound.
272 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 272
The mounted moose head upon the wall. It is in a
different position. It turns sharply towards ASH and
emits a hideous cackle.
273 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 273
He pulls back in fear, then turns to the sound of more
laughter.
274 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 274
The desk lamp on its steel swivel rises and falls in
synchronization with its wheezing laughter. Ah ha ha
ha ha. Ahhhh ha ha ha ha!
275 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 275
Terrified, he turns to more laughter.
276 ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT 276
A line of 12 old books upon the shelf flap open and
closed violently as they emit a chorus of sharp laughs.
Ash turns.
276A CLOSE SHOT 276A
Other books upon the floor laugh.
277 MEDIUM SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER 277
He turns sharply toward us and breaks into an
uproariously frightening bout of laughter.
278 WIDE SHOT - ASH 278
The wooden door behind Ash comes to life. It
stretches out as though it were elastic with each of
its own low and terrible laughs.
279 WIDE SHOT - MAIN ROOM - TRACKING SHOT 279
RIGGING FOR TRAP DOOR, CABINETS, CLOCK
Ash and everything in it are having the time of their
lives. Ash leads the bunch laughing harder and
harder.
279A MEDIUM SHOT - HAND HELD - FRONT DOOR AND ASH 279A
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The room's laughter suddenly stops. Ash instantly
terrified, grabs up the shotgun and fires into the
door. Blam! Blam!
PAN to the front door.
Two holes are blown into the door. We hear a short
shrill scream and then all is quiet.
280 OMIT 280
281 OMIT 281
282 OMIT 282
282A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 282A
Ash opens the front door. It slowly swings inward
with a creak revealing the empty night.
283 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND JAKE 283
Ash approaches the front porch as Jake enters sharply
into his frame. Jake tackles Ash.
284 MEDIUM SHOT - SHOTGUN 284
As it slides across the floor.
285 MED. SHOT - ASH, JAKE AND ED 285
Ed enters and holds Ash down as Jake slugs him twice.
Ash's fist comes up into frame catching Jake on the
jaw. Jake pulls back his fist and rockets a piledriver
blow to Ash's face, knocking him senseless.
285A C.U. ASH 285A
285B C.U. JAKE 285B
286 MEDIUM SHOT - FRONT DOORWAY - THE GROUP 286
Annie and Bobby Joe enter. Annie is taking off Bobby
Joe's coat. Bobby Joe is wounded from the shotgun blast.
She holds her shoulder where the shell has grazed her.
JAKE
You gonna be alright, honey?
BOBBY JOE
I don't know.
JAKE
You just sit still fer a minute.
287 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE, ED, ANNIE, AND BOBBY JOE 287
As Jake gives Ash a swift kick in the ribs. Ash moans.
Jake turns to Ed, who is badly shaken.
JAKE
You know this son of a bitch?
ED
No. We thought her -
Annie steps forward.
ANNIE
Oh my God. Where are my parents?
Annie sets down the glass case containing the pages
of the Book of the Dead.
288 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 288
As she looks down to the floor.
289 ANNIE'S POV - THE CHAINSAW 289
As it lies in a pool of blood.
290 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 290
Annie runs to Ash's semi-conscious body, grabs his
shirt and violently shakes him.
ANNIE
What the hell did you do to them?
Ed pulls Annie off of Ash. She drops Ash's moaning head
to the floor and backs away from him, sobbing.
291 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE 291
Nursing his sore knuckles, he points with his elbow
to the trap door that leads to the cellar.
JAKE
We'll throw him in there.
292 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND ASH 292
Jake picks up Ash's body and drags him quickly to
the trap door. Half conscious, Ash feebly struggles
with Jake.
JAKE
Crazy buck's gone blood simple.
293 ASH'S POV - HAND HELD 293
As he approaches the trap door almost upside down.
Ed pries it open.
294 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - HAND HELD 294
In a dazed state as he is carried to the trap door.
ASH
Wait... I made... a mistake...
JAKE
Damn right, you flat mouthed
son of a bitch.
294A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND JAKE 294A
Jake kicks Ash down into the open trap door.
295 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 295
ASH DUMMY
Looking up at the open trap door as Ash's body falls
through frame.
296 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 296
CLOSE SHOT - CELLAR STEP - ASH'S HEAD
As it slams into the wooden step. His feet tumble over
him as he begins to fall down the staircase.
297 LONG SHOT - ASH - STUNT 297
As he tumbles head over heels down the wooden steps.
298 ASH'S POV 298
Racing down the steps.
299 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 299
As he slams to the dirt floor of the cellar. Hard.
He moans.
300 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 300
LOOKING UP TO THEM FROM CELLAR
Jake, Ed and Bobby Joe.
BOBBY JOE
I hope you rot down there!
301 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 301
MEDIUM SHOT
Ash begins to realize where he is. Growing terror on
his battered face.
ASH
N... No.
302 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 302
ANGLE LOOKING UP
Jake swings the trap door shut with a clanging of chains.
303 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 303
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
The shaft of light from above disappears and he is
encased in the darkness of the cellar.
From above he hears the threading of chains through
eyeloops.
304 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 304
MED. SHOT - JAKE, ANNIE, BOBBY JOE, ED
Jake has just laid Bobby Joe down upon the couch. He
dresses her wound with a towel. Annie tosses down her coat
on the chair at the writing desk.
304A MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 304A
She spots the tape recorder and Kandarian Dagger. She
moves to them.
ANNIE
These are my father's things.
She turns on the tape recorder. High pitched feedback
and the professor's screams come from the speaker.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on Tape)
Last night Henrietta tried to kill me.
ANNIE PROFESSOR KNOWBY
SHHH! Listen! (Voice on tape)
My father's voice. I know now, that my wife has
become host to a kandarian demon.
305 MED. SHOT - JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ED 305
As they turn their heads to the sound of:
306 CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER - TRACKING 306
Still playing, the tapes wind as we hear the wowing and
fluttering voice of Raymond Knowby.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
I cannot bring myself to dismember
my wife, yet I know that I must, to
halt the evil that lives within her.
307 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE - TRACKING IN 307
Horrified.
ANNIE
No.
308 OMIT 308
309 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 309
MED. SHOT - ASH - TRACKING AROUND HIM
As he lays in the center of the cellar's earth floor.
He strains his ears to listen to the tape playing in
the room above.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
It is October 1, 4:33 p.m. Henrietta
is dead. I could not bring myself
to dismember her corpse. But I
buried her.
310 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 310
TRACKING CLOSER
As he listens intently to the tape playing in the room
above.
311 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 311
TRACKING SHOT - TAPE RECORDER
CAMERA SLOWLY MOVING IN on the winding tape.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
I . . . buried her . . . in the
cellar.
312 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 312
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - TRACKING CLOSER
Growing horror on his face as he realizes where he is.
PROFESSOR KNOWBY
(Voice on tape)
God help me, I buried her in the
earthen floor of the fruit cellar!
313 OMIT 313
314 OMIT 314
315 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 315
ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT - (STOP MOTION ANIMATION)
Ash's legs in the foreground. Suddenly from the
earthen floor of the fruit cellar a half-rotten human
head juts up! Just the eyes are above the surface of the
dirt. They dart about wildly and halt upon Ash. Worms
crawl from the rotted forehead.
316 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 316
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He screams.
317 MED. SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - MOCK UP OF CELLAR 317
SET
Henrietta's arm rips through the earth and grabs Ash's
leg as he tries to back away. The corpse that was
Henrietta pulls itself from the grave and emits a wail.
She turns her twisted body to face Ash. Moths fly
about her in a flurry.
HENRIETTA
Someone's in my fruit cellar!
Someone with a fresh soul!
318 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 318
MED SHOT. - THE GROUP
All eyes on the trap door.
ED
Somebody's down there with him.
ANNIE
No. Can't be.
319 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 319
MED. SHOT - ASH
He runs up the steps to the trap door and begins
pounding furiously upon it.
320 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 320
ASH
Let me out! Let me out!!!
321 MED. SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) - WIND FAN 321
Henrietta lets out a terrible laugh and approaches the
wooden staircase.
322 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 322
MED. SHOT - THE GROUP
All eyes are on the banging trap door. ASH'S wild
screams are coming from beneath. They look at one
another, not sure of what to do. Jake holds the ring
of keys.
ANNIE
Let him out.
JAKE
It's a trick. I know it.
ANNIE
LET HIM OUT!
323 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 323
WIDE SHOT - ASH
At the top of the steps, pounding on the trap door,
screaming to be let out. HENRIETTA ENTERS the FRAME at
the bottom of the steps. A flutter of moths about
her.
324 WIDE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) 324
Henrietta begins to climb the steps. Two at a time.
HENRIETTA
Come to me. Come to sweet
Henrietta.
325 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 325
MED. SHOT - JAKE
As he tries one key after another.
326 CLOSE SHOT - KEYS 326
As they are forced into the lock.
327 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 327
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
Sweating at the top of the steps, watching as Henrietta
approaches.
ASH
No.
328 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA 328
Extending her rotted and worm infested arm toward him.
HENRIETTA
Yesssssss. You and I. We
shall spend eternity together.
329 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 329
Marie's shadow envelops him. He is petrified.
HENRIETTA
But first I'll swallow your soul !
330 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 330
CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA - (STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR
SCREEN)
With a sharp recoil, then spring, Henrietta makes a
lunge at Ash. Her face contorting, her teeth
lengthening, her mouth opening impossibly wide
as though she were going to swallow his head, and all as
she lunges forward. She changes to "Pee Wee" head.
330P INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT - 35MM KODAKCHROME SLIDE 330P
Plate for previous scene.
331 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 331
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
He screams as a set of bloody hands grab his face.
But they are not Henrietta's. He is pulled upward to
the main room of the cabin.
332 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 332
CLOSE SHOT
It is Jake who pulls Ash to safety.
333 WIDE SHOT - MAIN ROOM 333
Jake finishes pulling Ash up from the trapdoor and
onto the floor of the main room. The horrible face of
Pee-Wee head Henrietta pops from the cellar!
334 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ED 334
SCREAMING at the sight of the beast.
ANNIE
For God's sake! That's my mother!
335 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 335
One of Henrietta's rotted hands reach up from the cellar
grabbing Jake.
336 CLOSE SHOT - ED 336
As he moves to help Jake, Henrietta swats at his jaw,
knocking him backward into a picture frame. He shatters it
with his head and slumps to the floor.
337 MED. SHOT - ASH 337
As he moves toward the trapdoor.
338 CLOSE SHOT - (STYROFOAM TRAPDOOR) 338
Ash's foot kicks the trapdoor shut and crushes
Henrietta's Pee-wee head between the door and the
floorboards.
339 MED. SHOT - DUMMY OF HENRIETTA - PEE WEE HEAD 339
Ash leaps down upon the trapdoor, slamming it to pin
Pee-Wee head sideways. The pressure sends her left
eyeball popping from her head, like a cork from a
champagne bottle.
340 CLOSE SHOT - EYEBALL FLYBALL 340
Henrietta's eyeball and trailing optic nerve - mounted
on glass - panning with the eyeball as it sails through
space.
341 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE (REVERSE ACTION) 341
As the eyeball is shot into her screaming mouth.
She begins to gag on it.
342 WIDE SHOT 342
Jake kicks Marie's Pee-Wee head in the face, sending
her back down into the cellar. The trap door shuts.
Ash leaps atop it. The sound of Henrietta falling down
the cellar steps is heard along with the beast's wild
ravings. Ash quickly threads the chains through the
eyeloops.
343 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 343
He snaps the lock shut. Ash is shaking. Jake slowly
moves down into his frame. He is completely terrified.
343A CLOSE SHOT - TAPE RECORDER IN F.G. 343A
ASH, JAKE, ANNIE AND BOBBY IN B.G.
The tape recorder continues to play.
RAYMOND KNOWBY (V.O.)
(Voice on tape)
I fear that whatever I have
resurrected from this book, is sure
to come calling for me.
344 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 344
(SHAKI-CAM)
The CAMERA takes the POV of the Evil Force as it
glides through the woods. Over a stump, around the
Oak trees, through a patch of fog, as the cabin comes
into view.
345 OMIT 345
346 MED. SHOT - ANNIE, ASH, JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ED 346
Ash turns to the group, Annie is placing her wet
bandana atop Ed's forehead.
ASH
There's something out there. That...
witch in the cellar is only part of it.
It lives out in those woods. In the Dark.
Something that's come back from the dead.
346A OMIT 346A
346B OMIT 346B
346C OMIT 346C
346D OMIT 346D
347 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE 347
Interrupting Ash.
BOBBY JOE
Jake, let's beat it the hell out
o'here, right now. I gotta get out!
JAKE
Now Bobby, you ain't in no condition.
ASH
Nobody goes out that door. Not till
daylight.
347A THE GROUP 347A
They freeze in their tracks as they hear a gentle voice
which sings a melancholy tune. Annie turns her head
to the sound and the CAMERA PANS TO reveal HENRIETTA whose
head juts in the space between the floorboards and the
trap door. She is no longer possessed. She looks as
she did earlier in the film. She is singing a gentle
song to Annie.
347B CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA 347B
HENRIETTA
Remember that song Annie? I used
to sing it to you when you were a baby.
347C CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 347C
Uncertain of what to do, but wanting to believe.
HENRIETTA
Let me out, dear. It's so cold and dark
in here.
ANNIE
Mother?
HENRIETTA
Unlock these chains. Quickly.
347D MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 347D
Annie starts to follow the instructions, but Ash halts
her gently. He shakes his head. Annie snaps out of
it. She shakes her head and looks to the cellar.
ANNIE
No. No. I don't know what you
are but you're not my mother.
Annie begins to cry.
347E CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR 347E
Henrietta is crying also.
VOICE OF HENRIETTA
How can you say that to me Annie?
ANNIE
No!
VOICE OF HENRIETTA
You were born September 2nd, 1962. I
remember it well because it was
snowing. So strange that it would
be snowing in September.
348 CAMERA TRACKING IN ON ANNIE 348
Confused and tearful, she screams to the others in the
room.
ANNIE
That thing in the cellar is not
my mother!
Ed stands sharply into her frame. His eyes bone white,
his skin, the pale color of the dead. His mouth has
grown over large. His lips are black. He is possessed.
He shrieks. Annie screams and jumps back out of frame.
349 MED. SHOT - ED POSSESSED 349
RIGGING - REVERSE ACTION
He flies up into the air and writhes about as if he
were a human marionette. He lets out a demonic moan
and then begins to laugh.
350 MED. SHOT - BOBBY JOE AND JAKE 350
As they clutch in fear at one another.
351 MED. SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 351
As they look on in horror. Ash steps in front of
Annie as she gapes at this monstrosity that was Ed.
352 CLOSE SHOT - ED POSSESSED 352
RIGGING
As he floats about the room. His laughter suddenly
stops and a second demonic voice comes from his body.
It is female, and wailing in lament.
353 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 353
Watching in horror.
354 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED
RIGGING - UP AND DOWN
The body of Ed turns sharply toward the group, not
really seeing.
ED
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
We are the things that were.
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
And shall be again! HA HA HA HA HA!
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
Spirits of the book.
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
We want what is yours! LIFE!
As he floats about, his head dips and swoons.
ED
(In the voice of POSSESSED #1)
Dead by dawn!
(In the voice of POSSESSED #2)
Dead by dawn!
355 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA POSSESSED 355
Sticking her gnarled head from the cellar.
HENRIETTA
Dead by dawn! Dead by dawn!
356 WIDE SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE IN FOREGROUND 356
RIGGING - DOLLY CART
Ed floating, turns his head sharply to Bobby Joe. The
Possessed body of Ed rushes through the air towards
her. He opens his mouth wide open.
357 ED'S POV 357
As he quickly rushes upon a screaming Bobby Joe.
358 CLOSE SHOT - ED AND BOBBY JOE 358
He bites into Bobby Joe's head. With a single motion
he rips out the bulk of the hair from her head with a
terrible RIIIIIIIIP SOUND.
358A MEDIUM SHOT - ED DUMMY 358A
Stands up into frame with a clump of Bobby Joe's hair
in his mouth and swallows it.
359 WIDE SHOT - GROUP 359
Bobby Joe collapses to the ground.
360 MED. SHOT - HENRIETTA POSSESSED 360
As she calls from the cellar.
HENRIETTA
Free me! Unlock these chains!
361 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED 361
He turns to the trap door and moves toward it.
362 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 362
Both horrified. Ash retreats. Annie is shocked as
she watches Ash back into the middle bedroom and
disappear.
363 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 363
ANNIE
Where are you going?! HELP
US!! You filthy COWARD!
364 ANGLE FROM TRAP DOOR - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE 364
Possessed Ed moves toward the trap door. Jake comes up
quickly behind Ed to grab his shoulder.
365 JAKE'S POV - DUMMY OF POSSESSED ED 365
As Jake's hand reaches for the shoulder of possessed Ed.
The head of possessed Ed spins around on its neck so that
it faces Jake.
365A CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ED 365A
ED
(In the voice of a woman)
We see you!
366 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 366
Screaming as Ed's hand enters frame, and snags Jake's
face. He tosses Jake upward.
367 CLOSE SHOT - ED POSSESSED 367
As he tosses Jake upward.
368 HIGH-WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE STUNTMAN 368
REVERSE ACTION - UNDERCRANKED
Jake flies upward towards the ceiling of the cabin.
369 INT. CABIN CEILING - NIGHT (CEILING SET PIECE) 369
MED. SHOT
A prop light bulb "Shining" in its fixture. Jake's
head comes flying up into frame, shattering it, and
slamming into the wood ceiling and then falling back
down again.
370 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 370
MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED AND JAKE STUNT MAN
As Jake slams back down to the floor of the cabin.
371 MED. SHOT - ASH 371
As he reappears in the doorway of the room. Now he
clutches an axe in his single hand.
372 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED 372
As he grabs the chains that secure the trap door ready
to rip them loose. He turns his head to see:
372A OVER POSSESSED ED'S SHOULDER 372A
Ash approaches with the axe.
373 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE AND OFF SCREEN 373
DUMMY OF ED
Ash exits the frame and we are left with Annie and the
stark shadow of possessed Ed which is cast upon the
wall behind her. We watch as the shadow of Ash with the
axe, slices through the top portion of possessed Ed's
head. Annie screams as she is splattered with green
bile.
373A CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ED DUMMY 373A
Missing Ed's right hand portion of his head.
His brain, shriveled like the inside of a pumpkin.
373B POSSESSED ED'S POV - ASH - EYEMO CAMERA AND MOUNT 373B
Ash stands before us, his axe dripping green bile.
Ed's arms flail wildly on either side of the camera,
groping at the air. He slowly falls over and slams
to the floor.
374 OMIT 374
375 OMIT 375
376 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED (FRAMED WITH AND W/O HEAD) 376
Ed's body falls to the floor. It lays quiet for a
moment and then begins to writhe and scream in its
demonic death throes. Finally, he is silent.
377 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE - POSSESSED ED DUMMY 377
Ash turns to her.
ASH
Start up that saw and hand it here!
We're gonna cut him up.
Annie looks to the chainsaw and then to the unmoving body
of Ed. She is repulsed at the thought.
ANNIE
No.
ASH
START IT UP!
ANNIE
NO!
Possessed Ed stands up quickly into frame! The evil
force having re-animated his lifeless body.
377A CLOSE SHOT ASH - OVER POSSESSED ED'S SHOULDER 377A
FLYING PLATFORM
As a hand grabs Ash's throat. Possessed Ed exits
frame, revealing it to be Ash's evil hand on his own
throat. It lifts him into the air.
377B CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET 377B
As they are lifted off the floor.
377C CLOSE SHOT ASH 377C
He pries the evil hand from his throat and falls.
377D ASH/EVIL HAND 377D
As he slams to the floor the evil hand scurries away
in the B.G.
378 OMIT 378
379 OMIT 379
380 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED DUMMY AND ANNIE 380
Annie is screaming in horror. Possessed Ed backhands
her across the face.
381 MED. SHOT - WRITING DESK 381
Annie slams into a desk shattering it to splinters
of wood. She falls to the floor.
382 MED. SHOT - ASH 382
As he grabs the axe.
383 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ED - DUMMY 383
As he stands sharply into frame. His mouth
wide open and screaming.
384 MED. SHOT - ASH AND POSSESSED ED 384
Terrified, as he moves toward possessed Ed with the
axe.
385 MED. SHOT - ASH AND POSSESSED ED DUMMY 385
RUBBER AXE
Ash brings the axe down upon Ed's shoulder, knocking
him to the floor. ASH swings the axe again and again.
Different colors of bile and blood fly up into frame as
Ash chops.
385A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 385A
Screaming at the sight.
386 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 386
His axe blade rises and falls as black demon blood
flies up into frame.
387 CLOSE SHOT - LOW ANGLE - FLOOR LEVEL 387
ASH AND ED DUMMY PARTS
Ed's missing portion of his head sits upon the floor.
His eye in extreme C.U. in the foreground. It looks
wildly about into the CAMERA. In the background, we
watch Ash bring down the axe until all is silent.
388 WIDE SHOT 388
Jake slowly stands into the empty frame. He is in shock
from what he has just seen. Annie slowly rises into
frame - shaking her head in a silent "No." Ash slowly
rises into frame, terrified. They are looking down at
the out-of-frame remains of possessed Ed.
388A OMIT 388A
389 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - MITCHELL 389
The moon has grown larger. Fog billows past the cabin.
389P EXT. NIGHT - THE FULL MOON 389P
390 OMIT 390
390A MAIN ROOM NIGHT - ASH, JAKE, BOBBY JOE AND ANNIE 390A
Jake sprays a can of air freshener about the room.
He holds his nose. Ash tosses a bloodied sheet,
containing the remains of possessed Ed to the floor.
It lands with a sickening thud. Wiping his face with a
rag, Ash moves off in disgust. We hold on the bundled
sheet as the trap door next to it silently opens.
Henrietta's rotted hand emerges, unnoticed by the others
in the room.
BOBBY JOE
Jake, I can't take no more of this.
Henrietta's rotted hand pulls the bundle of body
parts silently down into the cellar and quietly
closes the trap.
390B MEDIUM SHOT JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 390B
Jake moves to the window and looks out.
JAKE
That's funny.
BOBBY JOE
What?
JAKE
That trail we came in here on...
well, it just ain't there no more.
Like the woods jus' swallowed it.
The room goes quiet. The sound of the wind outside
the cabin has died. Jake and Bobby Joe cock their
heads to this new silence.
391 OMIT 391
392 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 392
She looks about the room, getting scared.
ANNIE
It's so quiet.
Ash stands slowly into frame. He knows that it can't
be good.
393 WIDE SHOT - THE GROUP 393
As they raise their heads to a distant pounding sound.
It grows louder.
BOOM - BOOM!
BOOM - BOOM!
JAKE
What the hell is it?
ASH
Maybe something... Something trying
to force its way into our world.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BANG!
BAM!
393A EYEMO CAMERA/MITCHELL CAMERA - GROUP 393A
The cabin WALL. Bang!
393B THE FRONT DOOR - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393B
393C THE BOARDED WINDOW - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393C
BANG!
393D THE CEILING BEAMS - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393D
BAM!
393E A SECTION OF WALL - GROUP - EYEMO/MITCHELL 393E
393F A SECTION OF THE TONGUE AND GROOVE FLOOR 393F
EYEMO - MITCHELL - GROUP
BAM!
393G ASH - C.U. 393G
393H JAKE - C.U. 393H
393I ANNIE - C.U. 393I
393J BOBBY JOE - C.U. 393J
394 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 394
Bobby Joe runs to Jake's arms. He clutches her tightly.
395 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 395
Annie runs to Ash. He holds her. The pounding sounds
halt. Again they are left in silence. Annie awkwardly
disengages herself from Ash. They hear a sound coming
from the middle bedroom.
BOBBY JOE
It's in there.
396 MEDIUM SHOT - DOOR TO MIDDLE BEDROOM 396
It is opened a crack.
397 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 397
ASH
We'll all go in together.
JAKE
Hell no, you're the curious one.
398 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 398
He moves toward the door.
ANNIE
I'll go with you.
Ash nods to Annie in a show of thanks. He grabs the
axe, and pushes open the door to the middle bedroom.
Annie follows with the flickering oil lantern.
399 INT. MIDDLE BEDROOM - NIGHT 399
The door to the main room creaks open. Ash and Annie
cautiously enter. They look about the place.
400 ASH'S POV - MIDDLE BEDROOM - NIGHT 400
As the CAMERA PANS the shadowed corners of the room.
401 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 401
An eerie whistling wind is heard. It has an other
worldly sound, very far off.
401A MEDIUM SHOT - DOORWAY TO MIDDLE BEDROOM 401A
Bobby Joe and Jake enter the room, drawn by the sound.
401B CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE 401B
She looks about, frightened.
401C OMIT 401C
401D MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 401D
Jake takes Bobby Joe's hand. Bobby Joe smiles,
frightened.
402 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 402
Waiting.
403 MEDIUM SHOT - PANNING THE DARK ROOM 403
As the eerie whistling sound grows louder. It is
followed by the angry sound of something moving violently
about the room. A shattering of glass.
404 OMIT 404
405 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 405
WOOOOOSH! The group is hit with a tremendous blast of
air. They shiver from the cold.
406 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 406
The wind in the room suddenly stops. He blows out his
breath and watches it vaporize. The screaming face of
Raymond Knowby emerges from the wall. A life like
spirit made of swirling smoke and mist.
RAYMOND
Annie.
406P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 406P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
407 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 407
They turn to the ghost in fear.
408 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 408
Awestruck. Bobby Joe crosses herself.
JAKE
Holy Mother O'Mercy.
409 OMIT 409
410 OMIT 410
411 OMIT 411
412 OMIT 412
413 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GHOST OF RAYMOND 413
RAYMOND
There is a dark spirit here that
wants to destroy you. Your
salvation lies in the pages
from the Book of the Dead.
The ghost of Raymond points to Annie's glass case.
CAMERA PANS to it. Inside are the pages from the Book.
413P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 413P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
414 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 414
Listening.
415 ANGLE - THE GROUP AND THE GHOST OF RAYMOND 415
RAYMOND
Recite the passages. Dispel the evil.
Save my soul... And your own lives.
The ghost of Raymond screams and is gone.
415P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 415P
BLACK STUDIO - RAYMOND
416 MEDIUM SHOT - THE GROUP 416
Whoosh! Again they are hit with a blast of air.
416A MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND BOBBY JOE 416A
BOBBY JOE
Jake, you squeezing my hand too tight.
JAKE
I ain't got your hand, baby.
BOBBY JOE
Then who...?
Bobby Joe raises her hand into frame, to reveal Ash's
Evil Hand clutched in hers. Bobby Joe goes nuts,
screaming and flailing about trying to throw the hand
from her. She slams into the lantern, knocking it out.
We lose them in the darkness.
JAKE'S VOICE
Somebody get the light!
The sound of chairs being pushed over. The sound of
a door opening and closing.
417 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 417
As he lights the lantern illuminating the room.
CAMERA PANS over to reveal only Jake and Annie.
418 CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 418
Looking about.
JAKE
Hey. Bobby Joe's gone!
419 OMIT 419
420 OMIT 420
421 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 421
Screaming, Bobby Joe makes a mad dash away from the
cabin. It diminishes in size behind her, she has had
enough of it.
422 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - DRAGWAY 422
MEDIUM SHOT - BOBBY JOE - TRACKING
As she races through the woods.
423 CLOSER - JONES' CREEK 423
She runs deep into the woods, still looking behind her
as she slams into a twisted oak tree that stops her flat.
An angry face appears on the surface of the tree. Its
gnarled bark folds open to reveal very human like oversized
eyes. A large fold in its bark opens to form a gaping
mouth dripping tree sap saliva.
TREE FACE
BAHHHH!
423A CLOSE SHOT - TREE FACE 423A
424 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE - (REVERSE ACTION) 424
JONES' CREEK
Screaming as she backs away from this living tree as
a flurry of snake like vines pick themselves up off of
the ground and come to life about her.
425 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE'S LEGS - (REVERSE ACTION) 425
JONES' CREEK
Two living vines wind their way toward her legs and
coil around her ankles tightly.
426 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE - JONES' CREEK - 4 RIPS 426
She lets out a short shrill scream, as her shirt
is torn away from her.
427 MED. SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 427
Living vines wind around Bobby Joe's torso and breasts
in a furious wrapping motion.
428 CLOSE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 428
A living vine wraps around her throat.
429 CLOSE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION) JONES' CREEK 429
Tiny vines wrap around Bobby Joe's hand and fingers.
429A EXT. JONES CREEK - NIGHT 429A
SHOTS OF VINES COMING TOWARDS CAMERA
430 MED. SHOT - RIGGING - STUNT 430
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
Bobby Joe, wrapped in vines, is reeled backwards and
ripped through a wall of branches.
431 MED. SHOT - PANNING - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT 431
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
At a great speed, Bobby Joe is pulled away from the
cabin and towards the forest by the vines.
432 BOBBY JOE'S POV - OVER HER LEGS - RIGGING EFFECT 432
STUNT - UNDERCRANKED - REVERSE ACTION - DRAGWAY
As the vines rocket her on a speeding FAST MOTION
joyride along the forest floor.
433 CLOSE SHOT - BOBBY JOE'S FACE 433
RIGGING EFX - DRAGWAY
As she drags along the forest flctor, the smaller vines
force their way into Bobby Joe's nose and mouth and
then under the first layer of her facial skin.
433A TRACKING SHOT - DRAGWAY - DUMMY AND STUNT 433A
She is pulled along the ground and down into a
foxhole (dummy). Camera continues tracking along
her original trajectory until we come to the second
foxhole where she emerges, now covered in mud, and
screaming.
433B ANGLE - DUMMY - JONES' CREEK 433B
Bobby Joe rips through spikes extending from a log
and is dragged through two mud puddles. The vines
wisk her away.
434 EXT. SWAMP - NIGHT 434
PANNING SHOT - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT
She hits a swamp with a giant splash, but even this
does not stop her.
435 LONG SHOT - SWAMP 435
ROOSTERTAIL WATER SPRAY EFX - STUNT
She glides across the surface of the swamp with a great
roostertail spray of water, as if she were on water skis.
436 ANGLE - RIGGING EFX - STUNT - SWAMP 436
She hits the other side of the swamp and is rocketed out
of the water and across the forest floor.
437 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - JONES' CREEK - DUMMY 437
STATIC CAMERA - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT - UNDERCRANKED
Bobby Joe comes roaring towards us, screaming. She
rips past.
438 STATIC CAMERA - RIGGING EFFECT - STUNT 438
UNDERCRANKED - JONES' CREEK
From BEHIND CAMERA Bobby Joe appears and goes racing
into the distance.
439 BOBBY JOE'S POV - OVER HER LEGS - DRAGWAY 439
RIGGING EFFECT - UNDERCRANKED - STUNT
Darting in and around trees, a major stump is coming
right for her. Bobby Joe's legs spread wide. The
tree stump races closer. Bobby Joe SCREAMS . . . her
last.
439A TREE STUMP'S POV - BOBBY JOE APPROACHES 439A
UNDERCRANKED
439B BOBBY JOE'S LEGS - STUMP - DRAGWAY 439B
STOP MOTION - REVERSE ACTION
Girl meets stump.
440 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - OVERCRANKED 440
LOW SHOT - LOOKING UPWARD PAST THE STUMP -
BLOOD GEYSER EFX
We hear the RIP! And watch as a geyser of blood floods
up into the night sky.
441 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - OVERCRANKED 441
CLOSE SHOT - GLASS CASE CONTAINING PAGES FROM BOOK OF
THE DEAD
It falls away from the CAMERA and shatters on the table
beneath us.
442 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 442
As their hands scramble at removing the pages from the
bits of broken glass.
443 MED. SHOT - JAKE IN FG - ASH AND ANNIE IN BG 443
Jake is looking out the boarded window of the cabin,
searching for some sign of Bobby Joe.
444 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 444
JAKE'S POV - THE DARK WOODS - WINDOW FRAME
All is silent as fog rushes in and around the woods.
JAKE
Where the hell is she?
445 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 445
MED. SHOT - JAKE AND ASH AND ANNIE
Jake turns to Ash.
JAKE
We gotta go out there and find
her!
ASH
If she went out in those woods,
she's not coming back.
Jake turns back to the window. Ash turns to Annie.
He glances down at the pages that Annie is looking over.
445A ASH'S POV - CLOSE SHOT - PAGES AND ANNIE 445A
One of the pages is a clear pictorial of Ash as the
"Hero from the Sky."
445B ASH AND ANNIE 445B
Ash shudders.
ANNIE
What is it?
ASH
Felt like someone just walked over my
grave. It's that picture.
Annie looks to it.
445C CLOSE SHOT - PAGE OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD 445C
CONTAINING ASH'S "HERO FROM THE SKY" ILLUSTRATION.
445D ANNIE AND ASH 445D
ANNIE
In 1300 AD. This was the "Hero from
the Sky," who was prophesized to destroy
this Evil.
ASH
He didn't do a very good job.
What about the passages?
446 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 446
As she quickly gives the pages a cursory glance.
ANNIE
Here it is. Two passages.
For the first time, she smiles at Ash.
ANNIE
We've got it!
446A - 446H OMIT 446A - 446H
447 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 447
Finally seeing his salvation, his face shows hope.
447A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 447A
Annie reads through the pages.
ANNIE
Recitation of the first passage will
make this "Dark Spirit" manifest itself
in the flesh.
ASH
Why the hell would we want to do that?
Annie thumbs through one or two of the other pages.
ANNIE
Recitation of the second passage creates
a kind of rift in time and space, and
the physical manifestation of this spirit
can be forced back through this rift...
to an earlier time and place. At least
that's the best translation I can ....
CLICKITY CLICK
448 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 448
Annie and Ash look up to the source of the sound.
449 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE 449
He has just snapped a shell into the firing chamber of
the shotgun. He points it at Ash and Annie.
JAKE
I'm runnin' the show now.
450 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 450
Standing together, confused.
450A CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 450A
JAKE
We're goin' outside into those woods
to look for Bobby Joe, an' once we
find her, we're gettin' the hell
outta here.
ASH
If you want to look for her,
go ahead.
JAKE
You two comin' with me. I ain't goin'
out there alone.
ASH
NO, YOU IDIOT. You'll kill us all.
She's dead by now. With these pages
we can...
Jake grabs the pages from Annie's hand.
JAKE
Those pages don't mean shit.
Jake kicks the pages down into the cellar. Ash and
Annie look on in horror.
JAKE
'Sides. Now you ain't got no, choice.
Jake pushes at Ash with the barrel of the shotgun.
JAKE
Now move!
Ash hesitates.
JAKE
Move you son of a bitch!
451 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT 451
Ash, Annie and Jake exit the cabin.
452 EXT. FRONT PORCH OF CABIN - NIGHT 452
TRACKING BACKWARD
Ash, Annie and Jake walk towards the woods. In the
FG is Ash. He looks off past the CAMERA in fear.
453 ASH'S POV - WOODS - NIGHT ROD PUPPETS - STUDIO 453
As he approaches a line of trees whose branches bend
and sway with a threatening motion.
453A EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING BACKWARD 453A
ASH, JAKE, AND ANNIE
ASH
No trail. Which way do you
intend to go?
453B CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 453B
Looking confused and frightened. He calls out
desperately.
JAKE
Bobby Joe!
453C EXT. WOODS NIGHT - POV EVIL FORCE 453C
As it glides through the woods. We hear a muted
shout from Jake.
JAKE (O.S.)
Bobby Joe, where are you girl?
And the POV of the force suddenly swings about to
reveal Jake, Ash, and Annie not to far away.
453D EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - ASH 453D
As he moves deeper into the woods.
453E EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - ANNIE 453E
As she searches the woods with her eyes in fear.
453F EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - TRACKING SHOT - JAKE 453F
As scared as the rest of them, but driven to find
Bobby Joe.
453G POV EVIL FORCE - EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 453G
As it approaches the group.
453H EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - FOAM SHOTGUN STOCK 453H
JAKE, ASH, AND ANNIE
JAKE
Bobby Joe! Bobby Joe!
Ash approaches Jake.
ASH
You'll get us all killed.
JAKE
Shaddup!
Jake slams Ash across the face with the stock of
the shotgun. Ash plummets to the ground. Annie
screams! She goes after Jake. Jake slugs her and
she falls to the ground.
453I EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - JAKE, ASH, AND ANNIE 453I
POV - EVIL FORCE
It draws closer.
453J EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - JAKE - CLOSE SHOT 453J
Raging to the night!
JAKE
Bobby Joe!
453K EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 453K
POV of Evil Force racing up to the group.
453L EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - JAKE 453L
Jake halts his screaming. He listens in the silence
as possessed Ash juts up into the frame! His eyes
are bone white, his flesh, the pale color of the dead.
His lips, black. He bellows to the night!
454 - 473 OMIT 454-473
474 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 474
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
She screams and stumbles backwards, towards the cabin.
475 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - CRANE 475
MEDIUM SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - JAKE DUMMY - FLYING RIG
Possessed Ash lifts Jake up above his head and throws
him into a large tree. It explodes in a blast of
sawdust as the dummy slams into it.
476 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 476
MEDIUM SHOT
Annie dashes inside and turns to look out the open
doorway.
477 EXT. CABIN - ANNIE'S POV - THRU THE OPEN DOORWAY 477
All is quiet outside, no sign of Possessed Ash or
Jake, and then Possessed Ash is there, emerging from
the darkness suddenly. He raises his finger and
points to Annie. He speaks in the low garbled voice
of a demon:
POSSESSED ASH
JOIN US!
478 INT. CABIN - MED. SHOT - ANNIE 478
She rushes to the door, hoping to get there before
Possessed Ash.
479 MED. SHOT - ANNIE AND POSSESSED ASH 479
She slams the front door shut just in time.
480 MED. SHOT - ANNIE - WRITING DESK 480
She picks up the Kandarian Dagger. CREAK - SNAP!
A sound coming from somewhere in the rear of the
cabin. She turns toward the door to the hallway.
481 - 486 OMIT 481 - 486
487 ANNIE'S POV - THE DOOR TO THE HALLWAY 487
It is closed.
488 OMIT 488
489 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 489
She moves to investigate the sound. As she approaches
the rear door to the hall and slowly opens it.
489A ANNIE'S POV 489A
As the door to the hallway is pulled open, revealing
... only the empty hallway.
489B INT. CABIN HALLWAY - NIGHT 489B
ANNIE
She breathes a sigh of relief.
490 ANNIE'S POV 490
As she moves down the hall. It is dark. Curtains
flutter on the boarded windows.
491 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 491
As she moves towards the rear of the cabin.
491A INT. HALLWAY/EXT. CABIN - LOCATION - ANNIE'S POV 491A
THE WINDOW AND WOODS BEYOND
We approach the window and look out into the night.
Fog billows through the trees, and in the distance
the monster that is Ash emerges. He heads toward the
cabin and disappears in a bank of fog.
491B INT. HALLWAY (STUDIO) 491B
Annie is frightened. She spins her head to a sound.
492 ANNIE'S POV - THE REAR DOOR OF THE CABIN 492
Creak! The doorknob is turning. Something is trying
to get in.
493 ANNIE - MED. SHOT 493
She forces her back to the wall. She tenses with the
dagger, ready to slay whatever should enter.
494 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 494
She waits.
495 CLOSE SHOT - THE KANDARIAN DAGGER 495
Gripped tightly in Annie's sweating hands.
496 CLOSE SHOT - DOORKNOB 496
Rattling violently now. And suddenly it opens.
497 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE'S HANDS 497
As they swing the dagger.
498 CLOSE SHOT 498
As the dagger imbeds in the intruder's chest. CAMERA
PANS UP quickly to reveal a gasping Jake.
499 MEDIUM SHOT - JAKE AND ANNIE 499
Jake falls to the ground, half in and out of the doorway.
He is still alive.
500 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 500
As she backs away in horror, clutching at her head.
ANNIE
No!
She backs to a partially boarded window.
501 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 501
Possessed Ash juts up into frame in the window behind
her. Annie screams and runs toward the open back door.
Possessed Ash spots the open door through the window
and begins to move around the side of the house.
502 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 502
As she goes to slam the door.
503 MED. SHOT - JAKE 503
As he lies moaning in the doorway, the door slams upon
him.
504 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 504
As she reaches down and pulls Jake's body out of the
way.
505 EXT. CABIN/REAR - NIGHT 505
POSSESSED ASH
As he moves around the side of the cabin, tearing apart
a trellis that stands in his path, and three hanging
flowerpots as he approaches the open door.
506 INT. CABIN BACK HALLWAY - NIGHT 506
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
Again she tries to slam the door.
507 MED. SHOT - JAKE'S DUMMY ANKLE 507
Which lies in the door's path, preventing it from closing.
508 EXT. CABIN/REAR - NIGHT 508
OVER POSSESSED ASH'S SHOULDER
As he approaches the back door. He grabs the screen door
and tears it loose with a single motion.
509 INT. CABIN REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 509
ANNIE
As she pulls Jake's ankle from the door and slams it.
All is again silent.
509A INT. CABIN - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT - ANNIE AND JAKE 509A
Annie kneels down next to a moaning Jake, driving
the dagger in a little deeper by accident. He cries
out in pain.
JAKE
Get the axe. Kill it. Kill it.
Jake moans and dies.
509B CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 509B
As she turns her head to the sound of breaking glass.
509C TRACKING SHOT - ANNIE - REAR HALLWAY - NIGHT 509C
As she cautiously approaches the main room.
509D ANNIE'S POV - REAR HALLWAY/MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 509D
As she moves towards the main room.
509E MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - ANNIE 509E
Annie enters the room. She shudders from the
cold. CAMERA PANS with her glance to broken glass
upon the floor, and over to reveal the bashed out
window and the curtains fluttering in the wind.
509F MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 509F
Petrified. Looking about. Knowing that the
monster Ash may be lurking close.
509G WIDE SHOT - ANNIE 509G
As she moves about the main room, picking up the axe.
With her back toward us she doesn't notice Ash's hand
appear suddenly in the foreground atop the writing desk.
She turns suddenly towards camera.
509H OVER ANNIE'S SHOULDER 509H
Ash's evil hand sits upon the table. It scampers off.
Annie turns and comes face to face with Possessed Ash!
He bellows at her and grabs her as she shrieks bloody
murder!
510 OMIT 510
511 OMIT 511
512 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 512
WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH AND ANNIE - DUMMY
He picks her up and swings her across the room, into
the wall. She slumps to the floor unconscious.
513 MED. SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 513
As he lumbers toward her.
514 ASH'S POV - STAR FILTER - MIRROR NECKLACE 514
As he moves closer to her unmoving body. A glitter of
light on the floor, next to her, catches his eye.
515 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 515
For the first time, calm, as he looks intently down at
the floor. He kneels closer.
516 ASH'S POV - (STAR FILTER) 516
The NECKLACE of Linda.
517 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH 517
The sight of the necklace strikes the human cord
within him. He is confused, his evil self, battling
for control of his spirit and body. He reaches to
pick it up.
518 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 518
As he slowly picks up the delicate silver necklace.
He raises it to his face;
LINDA (V.O.)
I'll never take it off.
And then it hits him. The emotion of love lost. It
floods the monster that is ASH. He clutches the
necklace tightly to his bestial chest. And as the
Love/waltz theme sweeps up in volume on the sound
track, the monster begins to cry.
519 WIDE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH AND ANNIE - TULIP CRANE 519
Ash raises his head and lets out a low, lamenting, and
pitiful wail. A man trapped in the shell of a beast,
crying for the one he has lost.
520 MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - 50% POSSESSED 520
As he raises his head. Tears stream down from his eyes,
washing away the caked on blood.
521 CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH (REVERSE ACTION) 521
BLADDER EFX - 50 - 20% POSSESSED
His face begins to change. His skin loses its white
pallor. His blackened, infected cuts disappear. The
swollen and cracked surface of his face begins to heal.
522 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) - MINIATURE 522
EXTREME CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED ASH - DUMMY HEAD
W/FLUID EYE CHAMBER
Ash's eyes change from white to brown.
523 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 523
As the last tears roll down Ash's face, he is once
again human. Ash looks up suddenly with a start.
524 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 524
EXPLODING FLOOR
As he rolls out of the way a moment before the head of
the axe buries itself in the wooden floor. Splinters
fly.
525 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 525
EXPLODING WALL EFX
Rolls to his feet and stands. He ducks as Annie
enters frame, charging him with axe, screaming.
ASH
No. WAIT!
Annie swings the axe and again Ash ducks. The head of
the axe slams into the plastered wall smashing right
through.
526 CLOSER - ASH AND ANNIE 526
Ash grabs her tightly with his remaining hand.
ASH
Listen to me! I'm all right
now. That thing is gone.
Ash pushes her away. Annie falls to the floor. She
stands.
527 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - WOODEN AXE HEAD 527
EXPLODING WALL EFX
Catching his wind for a moment. Then rolls to the
side as the axe again comes at him! SLAM! The head
of the axe slices into the wall only a few inches from
his head.
528 MED. SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 528
As he grabs Annie by the face and forces her
backwards.
ASH
GOD DAMN IT! I said I was all
right!!
Annie is nearly choking.
ANNIE
Okay.
Ash releases her gently. She again looks to Ash,
cautiously.
ANNIE
Are you sure?
ASH
You'll be the first to know.
I'm fine.
529 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 529
ANNIE
Yeah, but for how long?
If we're going to beat this thing,
we need those pages.
529A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 529A
As he turns to the trap door.
ASH
Then let's head down into that cellar...
529B CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR 529B
It lies silently against the floor. A rasping
breath can be heard from below.
529C CLOSE SHOT - ASH 529C
He turns from the trap door to Annie.
ASH
...And carve ourselves a witch.
530 EXT. WORKSHED - NIGHT 530
Ash's hand flips open the latch on the shed door.
531 INT. WORKSHED - NIGHT 531
The door is kicked open, revealing the silhouette of
Ash and Annie as they stand in the doorway.
532 WORKSHED SHELF 532
Rats scurry for safety as the shaft of light from the
door hits them.
533 HANGING BULB 533
ASH'S hand pulls on the cord, turning on the light.
534 WORKSHED TABLE 534
Ash's arm sweeping the chains and pieces of wood onto
the floor.
535 OMIT 535
536 OMIT 536
537 OMIT 537
538 THE HOSE CLAMP 538
Is tossed down upon the workshed table.
539 A SECOND HOSECLAMP 539
Is tossed down next to the first.
540 ANNIE'S HANDS 540
Hold down a clamp as ASH'S hand, creates screw sized
holes in it with a battery powered drill.
541 ANNIE'S HANDS 541
Attach the hoseclamps to a piece of red steel.
542 ANNIE'S HANDS 542
Attach the red piece of steel to ASH'S stump, via
the clamps.
543 ANNIE'S HANDS 543
Attach a "V" type hook Around Ash's neck, just above
his bicep.
544 ASH'S HAND 544
Slams down the chainsaw upon the table. It is missing
its side panel. ASH'S arm enters frame and we see that
it is this missing side panel that has been clamped to
his stump.
545 CLOSER SHOT 545
The panel slides into the side of the chainsaw with a
sharp "CLICK".
546 ASH 546
As he bends the chainsaw to his chest.
547 CLOSE SHOT 547
The "T" shaped end of the starter cord falls neatly
into the "V" shaped hook that is strapped around Ash's
neck.
548 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 548
He looks up to Annie, the moment of truth.
549 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 549
Hair tousled over her sweating face, returns his
glance, expectant.
550 WIDE SHOT 550
Ash extends his chainsaw arm, pulling on the starter
cord. The CHAINSAW ROARS to life. With his free arm
Ash raises the shotgun. He lowers the blade of the
chainsaw down upon the barrel. Sparks fly as the saw
cuts through it. The long barrel falls to the floor.
Ash is left with a sawed off shotgun in one hand and a
chainsaw strapped to his other arm.
With a fancy style western flip to the gun Ash saddles
the shotgun in a makeshift holster, strapped
to his back.
The CAMERA SLOWLY TRACKS into Ash's face.
ASH
Groovy.
551 - OMIT 551
551A EXT. CABIN/WORKSHED - NIGHT - INKY PUPPET 551A
In the distance, the tiny figures of Ash and Annie
as they move from the workshed to the cabin. In
the foreground is a large oak tree. A gnarled human-
like face can be made out on the surface of the tree.
It is lit from beneath and slolwly brought up on a
dimmer. A horrible twisted tree face. It suddenly
opens its mouth and breathes in a gust of air with
a terrible wheezing sound, as though in great pain
at being brought to life. It turns sharply towards
the cabin.
552 CLOSE SHOT - DINKY PUPPET 552
Second tree face, brought up on a dimmer, opens its
mouth and loudly draws in air, also in agony.
553 CLOSE SHOT - MOE PUPPET 553
A third tree's twisted face, two human eyes opened wide
on its surface. It breathes, then barks a guttural sound.
554 MED. SHOT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 554
In the foreground is the base of a large oak tree. The
cabin in the distance. A rumbling is heard. Then
suddenly the tree pulls one of its massive roots from
the earth. The tree sets its root down a few feet closer
to the cabin.
555 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 555
WIDE SHOT - TREE PUPPETS
An entire line of trees. All pull their roots free
from the soil and take an awkward and lumbering step
towards the cabin.
556-564 OMIT 556-564
565 INT. MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 565
CLOSE SHOT - THE BLADE OF THE CHAINSAW
Begins cutting through the wood of the trap door.
566 MED. SHOT - ANNIE 566
Tensing with her axe, ready for the beast to spring.
567 CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW BLADE 567
As it completes the second cut in the wood of
the trap door.
568 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 568
As he finishes the slicing job and kicks open the trap
door.
569 LOW ANGLE - ANNIE AND ASH - FROM CELLAR LOOKING UP 569
The broken bits of the trap door fall past the camera,
as they cautiously peer down into the cellar.
570 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT (STUDIO) 570
ANNIE'S POV
Looking down into the cellar. No sign of Henrietta.
The bottom of the steps disappear into blackness.
ASH
Those pages are down there
somewhere.
571 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 571
MED. SHOT - ASH
He kicks aside the broken trapdoor and slowly descends
into the darkness.
572 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 572
MED. SHOT
Ash arrives at the bottom of the steps.
He looks about the dark corners of the cellar trying
to find some sign of Henrietta or the pages.
573 OMIT 573
574 OMIT 574
575 ASH'S POV 575
Panning the cobwebs and dark stone walls of the cellar.
Half hidden in the shadows we see two of the missing
pages.
575A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 575A
As he moves through the cellar and grabs the pages. He
spots another page somewhat deeper into the cellar.
575B ASH'S POV 575B
A fourth and fifth page lay upon the earthen floor, at
the base of the cellar's rear door.
575C ASH - CLOSE SHOT 575C
Ash moves to pages and gathers them.
Annie's voice calls down.
ANNIE (O.S.)
Did you find her?
576 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 576
ASH
She's playing hard to get...
He pumps the throttle on the buzzing saw.
ASH
... rid of.
Behind Ash, unseen by him, a shadow darts by.
577 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 577
He hears a sound.
577A ASH'S POV - 577A
It is coming from the door to the cellar's rear room.
577B ANGLE - ASH 577B
He reaches for the door and opens it. Revealing
darkness beyond. Ash enters. Again he hears the slight
sound, a gentle ticking.
578 INT. CELLAR - REAR ROOM - NIGHT - ASH'S POV 578
The ticking sound is coming from behind a hanging drape.
579 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 579
He approaches the drape, reaches out his hand and pulls
it back sharply. Revealing an old water heater, ticking
and steaming.
579A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 579A
He breathes a sigh of relief as the half eaten skeleton
torso of Ed falls atop him! Ash screams and steps suddenly
away.
579B ASH'S POV 579B
Ed's skeletal carcass falls to the earthen floor still
wrapped in the bloody sheet.
579C CLOSE SHOT - ASH 579C
Looking on in horror.
ASH
(In a whisper)
She got hungry.
Ash turns from the skeleton and quickly gathers up the
remaining pages from the Book of the Dead. Getting
scared now, he backs into the cellar's front room.
579D INT. CELLAR - NIGHT - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 579D
As he moves towards the steps. He tosses up the
bundle of pages.
579E MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE 579E
Peering down into the cellar, she grabs the pages.
579F MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE - MAIN ROOM 579F
She rushes over to the writing desk and begins
translating.
580 INT. CELLAR - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 580
Getting scared now, decides to exit the cellar. He
climbs the steps.
581 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S FEET 581
As they climb. From behind the wooden steps, the
horrible head of Henrietta appears. Her two rotting hands
grab at Ash's ankles.
582 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 582
He looks down with a scream.
583 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA/ASH'S DUMMY FEET 583
HENRIETTA
Come to me. Come to sweet
Henrietta!
Her face pulls back behind the cellar steps. Her
hands pull ASH's feet in after her.
584 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - CAMERA RIG 584
As Ash falls, he slams his jaw down upon the bottom
step.
585 CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW ARM 585
As the spinning blade jams into the step, stalling
the engine.
586 LONG SHOT - ASH DUMMY - AND HENRIETTA'S HANDS 586
(UNDERCRANKED)
In an instant, his entire body is pulled beneath the
steps.
587 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 587
MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE
As she sits at the writing desk, reciting the first
of the passages.
ANNIE
Nos-feratos-allo-memnon-kanda!
She puts aside the pages and glances up suddenly at
the faint sounds of the struggle from the cellar.
588 INT. CABIN CELLAR - NIGHT 588
LONG SHOT - ASH - CELLAR STEPS (UNDERCRANKED)
Ash's badly mauled body rips through the staircase
with a great force.
589 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 589
As he slams into the earth floor of the cellar. He
moans, and looks towards the steps.
590 ASH'S POV - THE WOODEN STAIRCASE (REVERSE ACTION) 590
As a cackling Henrietta appears where the bottom section
of staircase used to stand.
591 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 591
MED. SHOT - ANNIE
As she races from the writing desk to look down into
the cellar.
592 OVER ANNIE'S SHOULDER - UNDERCRANKED 592
As she kneels down at the trapdoor, about to call down
to Ash when the witchlike figure of Henrietta floats
quickly up into the main room from the cellar. A
flurry of moths about her.
HENRIETTA
Free! Free at last!
593 WIDE SHOT - ANNIE 593
As Annie attempts to move from the trap door. Henrietta
is clutching at Annie's hair and laughing with a demonic
malice, as she spins about the room in mid air.
594 CLOSE SHOT - TRAP DOOR - ANNIE'S FEET 594
Ash's bloodied arm slings itself over the edge of the
trapdoor. He pulls himself up into the main room.
595 MED. SHOT - OVER ASH'S SHOULDER - 595
HENRIETTA AND ANNIE
Henrietta turns sharply to Ash with a growl.
596 MED. SHOT - ASH 596
He stands and jerks out his chainsaw arm sharply. The
cord is pulled and the engine roars to life!
597 MED. SHOT - HENRIETTA 597
As she leaps through the air toward Ash.
598 HENRIETTA'S POV - RACING AT HIM - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 598
Ash swings his buzzing chainsaw.
599 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S GNARLED HAND 599
As it grabs the body of the chainsaw, halting it in
mid swing.
600 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND HENRIETTA 600
As she keeps the buzzing chainsaw at bay with one hand,
while her other grabs at Ash's throat, strangling him.
600A CLOSE SHOT - ASH 600A
As he is slammed through the window.
600B ASH AND HENRIETTA 600B
Ash kicks her in the stomach. Henrietta is furious.
600C CLOSE SHOT - POSSESSED HENRIETTA - MITCHELL CAMERA 600C
STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
She grits her teeth, concentrates, and her neck
begins to grow. She begins to change to Pee Wee Head.
600CP PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 600CP
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
CAMERA PANS UP on "B" wall.
601 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA - MITCHELL CAMERA 601
STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
As the pee wee Head transformation continues, Henrietta's
neck grows, like a jack in the box. It extends
a solid five feet upward, so that her head is now
looking down upon Ash baring its teeth.
601P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - ASH - MITCHELL CAMERA 601P
INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
602 CLOSE SHOT - ASH - TULIP CRANE 602
CAMERA CRANING UP ON HIM
Ash gapes in fear at this monstrosity that looms
above him.
603A INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 603A
POSSESSED HENRIETTA PUPPET - MEDIUM SHOT
Her neck undulating like a snake, she bites and
snaps.
HENRIETTA
I'll swallow your soul, swallow
your soul!
603B ASH - CLOSE SHOT 603B
He reacts.
603C WORKING DUMMY HENRIETTA HEAD ON "FLYING HEAD RIG" 603C
AND ASH
Henrietta swoops at Ash as he keeps her at bay with the
buzzing chainsaw.
603 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 603
STOP MOTION - REAR SCREEN - LOOKING UPWARD AT HENRIETTA'S
HEAD
She opens her mouth impossibly wide, exposing those
nasty rows of jagged shark like teeth. She dive bombs
him.
603P INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - BART-O-FLEX 603P
Plate for previous scene.
604 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD AND ASH 604
As her head springs down into frame and halts suddenly
inches from his face. In the silence we hear the reason:
Annie's voice singing the same melody that her mother
had sung to her earlier from the cellar. For a moment
Henrietta's face loses its evil malice. She is confused
at this sound.
Henrietta halts. She spins her head toward Annie.
605 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 605
As she finishes the melancholy song.
606 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA 606
MAGIC BLADE AND GUIDE TRACK RIG
Still confused, suddenly she shrieks and the chainsaw
comes buzzing through her from behind. The spinning
blade juts out from Henrietta's midsection.
607 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND HENRIETTA 607
BODY PARTS ON WIRES
Body parts (2 arms) fly past the camera on wire.
Ash slices and dices. Henrietta screeches like a wild
banshee.
608 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD AND ANNIE IN B.G. 608
As Pee Wee Head spins toward Ash, furious.
HENRIETTA
Swallow your soul!
609 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 609
Swings his chainsaw arm in a sharp arc.
609A ANGLE - HENRIETTA 609A
Henrietta's head is sliced from her neck with a
chainsaw. Steam pours from her neck.
610 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD - OVERCRANKED 610
As it flies up into frame, sliced from its neck.
610A ASH 610A
As he completes the arc of the chainsaw.
611 CLOSE SHOT - DUMMY HENRIETTA PEE WEE HEAD 611
W/ SMALL SECTION OF NECK
As it hits the floor.
612 MEDIUM SHOT - HENRIETTA'S BODY 612
It's neck spouts steam, wagging about like a snake.
Behind her Annie watches as the body topples to
the floor.
613 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 613
He looks down.
614 CLOSE SHOT - HENRIETTA'S HEAD SCREAMING AT HIM: 614
HENRIETTA'S HEAD
Swallow your soul! Swallow your soul!
Ash's foot steps down upon her head, pinning
it to the floor. Her neck still writhing.
615 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 615
He unsaddles his sawed off shotgun from the holster on
his back. He points the barrel at her head point blank.
ASH
Swallow this.
He pulls the trigger. BLAM! Flame barks from the gun.
616 3 CAMERAS - CLOSE SHOT HENRIETTA AND GUN BARREL 616
(OVERCRANKED) GELATIN HEAD - SQUIB
Her head explodes into a million pieces.
617 MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND ASH 617
Annie is crying. Ash holsters the gun.
ASH
May she rest in pieces.
618 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE 618
As they look at each other for a quiet moment of
relief. Ash shuts off the chainsaw. Annie moves
slowly to Ash's arms. He holds her.
619 CLOSER - ASH AND ANNIE - MAIN ROOM - KITCHEN IN B.G. 619
They pull apart and look into each others eyes. Annie
holds the pages. Maybe they can get away after all. A
LOUD BOOMING echoes throughout the cabin! As though the
outside walls of the place were being bombarded by cannon
balls. The kitchen wall behind them buckles.
620 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND "D WALL" 620
SQUIB ON MIRROR
As the B - board of the wall behind Ash falls away
revealing battered logs. The mirror shatters.
621 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE AND "A" WALL
The wall cracks beneath the terrific force of whatever
is outside hammering upon it.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
622 3 CAMERAS - MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND ANNIE - THE SOFA 622
"B" WALL
CAMERA TRACKS in on them as they look about in fear.
Dust is falling about them. The cabin walls are
starting to break apart. There is a tremendous "Voyage
to the Bottom of the Sea" type jolt to the cabin. Ash
and Annie stagger for footing.
623 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - BOARDED WINDOW 623
Ash grabs ahold of the window frame to brace himself.
623A CLOSE SHOT - VINES - INT. MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 623A
REVERSE ACTION - VINES
Vines wrap about the planks which cover the window.
623B MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - BOARDED WINDOW 623B
Behind him, the planks in the window are ripped
away by finger-like vines. A terrifying tree face
on the surface of a giant oak is revealed, as it peeks
in through the window at them.
624 CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 624
She screams.
She turns toward "D Wall" at a loud wrenching sound.
625 MEDIUM SHOT - "D" WALL WINDOW 625
As vines reach in the cabin, tearing away the planks
revealing an even more horrible tree face.
626 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 626
TREE PUPPET
A tree beats its branches furiously upon the EXT. wall
of the cabin. It rips apart the cabin's stone chimney.
627 ANGLE - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 627
TREE PUPPET
A second gnarled tree slams its trunk against the rear
door of the cabin.
628 LONG SHOT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 628
TREE PUPPET
The entire cabin is surrounded by a group of lumbering
oaks. All working to get in at Ash and Annie.
629 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 629
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
Annie runs to the writing desk. She flips through the
missing pages from the Book of the Dead. Dust from the
ceiling drifts down.
ANNIE
(shouting above
the noise)
No! I only completed the first of the
passages. And that was to make
the evil a thing of the flesh!
630 EXT. WOODS/CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 630
POV EVIL FORCE
As it roars out of the woods, and towards the distant
cabin faster than we've ever seen it.
631 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 631
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH
As he runs over to Annie.
ASH
You didn't finish it?!
ANNIE
There's still the second passage.
The one to open the rift and
send the evil back.
ASH
Start reciting it. Now!
632 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT - (STUDIO MINIATURE) 632
POV EVIL FORCE
As it rockets towards the cabin doing 80 mph.
633 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 633
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE
Shouting to be heard as she continues reading from the
passage:
ANNIE
Tar-tra Kanda-Estra! Hudsucker Proxy
-- Kanda!
634 OMIT 634
634A EXT. CABIN - WOODS - NIGHT 634A
The forest at night. Bubbling smoke appears, then
flame. Through the smoke, the beginnings of a winding
spiral of a cloudlike material.
634AP1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 634AP1
SMOKE AND FLAME - MINIATURE (STUDIO)
634AP2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 634AP2
The rift.
635 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 635
MEDIUM SHOT - ANNIE
ANNIE
Aton-Neran-Ofas!
636 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 636
POV EVIL FORCE
As it races right up to the front door of the cabin.
637 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 637
MED. SHOT - ANNIE - WIND FAN
Reading from the passage. Behind her, the front door
rips open and in comes a giant rotten apple head of the
evil entity made flesh. A SHRIEKING, BULBOUS BEHEMOTH!
638 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT - (STUDIO) 638
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
CLOSE SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN
Ash as he witnesses the most horrible sights a man can
behold. Ash's black hair streaks white before our
eyes. Behind him, two flowers in their pots wither
and die in seconds.
ASH
Finish it!
638P INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 638P
Plate for previous scene, with dying flowers.
639 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 639
CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE - WIND FAN
ANNIE
Kanda! Samonda Roba Areda
Gyes Indy En-zeen, Nos-Feratos -
639A CLOSE SHOT 639A
Annie as she gasps.
639B MED. SHOT - ANIMATED HAND - (3 SEC.) 639B
Annie as she falls to the floor, dead.
Jutting from her back is the Kandarian dagger and
hanging onto the end of the dagger is Ash's demon
hand.
639 C,D,E, OMIT 639 C,D,E
640 MEDIUM SHOT - ASH AND WINDOW ON "B" WALL 640
ASH
No!
CRASH!
Behind Ash a living tree branch rips through the cabin
window!
641 MED. SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN - WRAPPING EFX BRANCH 641
Ash turns suddenly to get away. Too late. The living
branch wraps about ASH'S waist and lifts him,
screaming, OUT OF FRAME.
642 MED. SHOT - ASH IN GRIP OF TREE BRANCH - WIND FAN 642
Ash is being lifted toward the gaping mouth of rotten
apple head. Ash is frantically jerking out his arm in
an attempt to start the chainsaw strapped to his wrist.
PUTT, PUTT, PUTT.
It won't start. As the face of rotten apple head
looms close, it opens its terrible mouth, ready to
consume him.
643 CLOSE SHOT - ASH IN GRIP OF GIANT TREE BRANCH 643
From inside the creature's mouth looking out. Ash
is screaming as he is brought towards its gnashing
teeth. PUTT, PUTT, PUTT. His chainsaw still won't
start.
643A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 643A
Half dead as she crawls to the pages on the floor and
gasps out the final sentences.
ANNIE
Nos-feratos - Amen-non. Ak-adeem!
Razin - Arozonia!
643B EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 643B
WIDE SHOT - REVERSE ACTION
The rift grows more powerful.
643BP PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 643BP
The rift.
644 INT. CABIN - MAIN ROOM - CLOSE SHOT - ASH 644
Sweating and terrified. He draws closer.
645 ASH'S POV 645
The CAMERA tracks in toward the mouth of rotten apple
head. It's massive jaw jutts from the head, biting
and snapping. Sap-like saliva drips from the orifice.
Ash's feet kick at the mouth of rotten apple head,
trying to keep it away. Its jaws snap at his shoes.
645A C.U. - ASH'S FEET - PUSHING AT THE GUMS OF 645A
RAH'S MOUTH.
SNAP! The massive teeth snap together biting Ash's
foot in half.
645B C.U. ASH 645B
He screams, then looks down to his foot.
645C C.U. ASH'S FOOT - (OVERLARGE SHOE) 645C
Missing the leather toe section, he reveals that
he still has his toes intact.
646 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 646
As he sharply jerks his arm outward! The CHAINSAW
ROARS to life! He raises it high above his head and
plunges it forward.
647 WIDE SHOT - ASH AND ROTTEN APPLE HEAD 647
Ash thrusts the spinning chainsaw blade into the single
eye of the beast.
648 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 648
CLOSE SHOT - CHAINSAW
As it punctures the giant eyeball and then pulls free.
Green sauce spouts from the creature's wound.
649 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 649
CLOSE SHOT - ASH
As he is doused in the green bile. SPLAT!
650 CLOSE SHOT - ROTTEN APPLE HEAD 650
Eyeless, it screams in anger.
650A CLOSE SHOT - ANNIE 650A
With her last gasp.
ANNIE
....Kanda!
651 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (STUDIO MINIATURE) 651
WIDE SHOT - (REVERSE ACTION)
As the rift pulls in fog and trees that surround the
house.
651P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 651P1
SMOKE AND FLAME - MINIATURE (STUDIO)
651P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 651P2
The Rift.
652 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 652
WIDE SHOT
As rotten apple head is sucked out the doorway of the
cabin. The door slams shut behind it. Its scream
echoes off into the distance.
653 OMIT 653
654 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 654
MED. SHOT - ASH
Slices through the bracch.
654A MEDIUM SHOT - ASH 654A
Ash and cut branch fall to the floor.
655 MED. SHOT 655
The cabin becomes much more quiet. The sounds of the
trees are gone. Ash looks to Annie. She is dead. Ash
moves to her, strokes her hair and begins to cry.
ASH
You did it. By God you did it.
He lowers his head and begins to heave in sharp
convulsive breaths of despair.
656 - 661 OMIT 656 - 661
662 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 662
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WIND FAN
Behind Ash the front door RIPS open with a TREMENDOUS
BLAST. The door is sucked down into the rift. All
of the objects in the room are sucked through the open
doorway and down into the rift, including the pages
of the Book of the Dead.
662P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 662P1
662P2 SECOND PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 662P2
INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - (STUDIO MINIATURE)
662P3 EXT. PLATE/WOODS 662P3
663 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT 663
WIND FAN
Ash grabs ahold of the kitchen window ledge so as not
to be swept outside by the force of the vacuum of the
rift. Objects and papers fly past him.
664 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 664
Upon the kitchen window ledge. The ledge tears free.
665 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 665
As he screams, flying backward, towards the open door.
666 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO/PARTIAL SET/ 666
BLUE SCREEN)
MEDIUM SHOT - WIND FAN - SAM-O-CAM
The open doorway to the cabin. Ash flies towards it
and is snagged from going through by the section of
ledge that he holds.
666P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 666P
666P1 EXT. WOODS - PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 666P1
667 EXT. CABIN FRONT PORCH - NIGHT (STUDIO) 667
MEDIUM SHOT - ASH - WIRE RIGGING FOR FLYING
His body is horizontal, his feet dangling in air, in the
direction of the rift.
668 CLOSER - 668
Ash as he hangs on for dear life.
Objects continue to fly past on wires.
ASH
For God's sake, how do you
stop it?
669 INT. CABIN MAIN ROOM - NIGHT (STUDIO) 669
BLUE SCREEN
CLOSE SHOT - FLYING RIG
The nails in the section of ledge that Ash holds
TEAR loose and the ledge SNAPS in two. He spins
wildly away from us and towards the rift.
669P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 669P
669P1 EXT. WOODS - PLATE 669P1
670 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT (STUNT) WIRE RIGGING 670
Ash is rocketed through the air, spinning somersaults.
671 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 671
ASH ON FLYING RIG
Ash is sucked down into the swirling rift. Like a
particle that is swallowed by a deep funnel of draining
water. The rift closed behind him.
671P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 671P1
671P2 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 671P2
Plate for previous scene.
672 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 672
ASH ON FLYING RIG
We are now within the vortex. A swirling mass of colors
and clouds. And nightmarish sound effects.
Objects come AT US from the distance and roar past, an
uprooted tree, the grandfather clock with its hands
winding backwards at an incredible rate, Ash spinning
AT US, hand over foot, screaming. The chainsaw still
mounted to his wrist.
672P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE VORTEX 672P
673 INT. STUDIO - (STOP MOTION/BLUE SCREEN) 673
ASH
The vortex is distorting Ash's features as he is
rocketed back through the dark void of time.
673P1 OMIT 673P1
673P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE (STOCK FOOTAGE) 673P2
A wild and rapid pictorial collage of human history
winding back from the present through the centuries
lasting seven seconds.
674 INT. STUDIO - (BLUE SCREEN) 674
WIDE SHOT
A hole opens in the air with a sharp CRACKLING SOUND.
Ash is spat from this hole and falls downward through
frame.
674P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL CAMERA 674P
EXT. SKY - DAY
674P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MINIATURE 674P2
SMOKE AND FLAME
675 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 675
MED. SHOT - GROUND - ASH - CAR CRANE - DELTA SHELLS
Plunged to the dust. Debris from the demolished cabin
rains down around him; his shotgun, the 1973 Delta 88
Oldsmobile and the old grandfather clock.
676 ASH'S POV. - THE RIFT IN THE SKY - MITCHELL 676
As it seals shut, leaving only the blue sky and the
sound of tweeting birds. Ash's view of the serene sky
changes abruptly as five steel helmets jut into his
line of sight. Five armor-clad medieval WARRIORS
stand directly over him.
676P1 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - THE RIFT 676P1
676P2 PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MINIATURE 676P2
SMOKE AND FLAME
677 OMIT 677
678 CLOSE SHOT - ASH AND WARRIORS 678
As he looks to the warriors above him.
The first warrior raises a bloodstained longsword
and poises it above Ash's head.
WARRIOR #1
Slay the beast!
WARRIOR #2
'Tis a deadite!
All raise their swords ready for the kill.
679 MED. SHOT - THE WARRIORS 679
Halt as they hear a piercing, high-pitched SCREECH.
They turn their heads skyward.
680 CLOSE SHOT - ASH 680
Follows the Warriors' gaze.
681 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 681
(STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN)
MED. SHOT
A "WINGED DEADITE," a female harpy like creature with
the tail of a sea horse and man-sized bat wings,
enabling it to fly. The screaming beast swoops down
towards the warriors and horses. High above, the distant
shapes of other Winged Deadites circle.
681P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 681P
WARRIORS AND HORSES FOR SWOOP SHOT
682 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 682
(STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN)
CLOSE SHOT - WINGED DEADITE
She lets out a screaming banshee laugh, while
swooping down.
682P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE 682P
EXT. KANDAR CASTLE - DAY
683 WINGED DEADITE'S POV 683
(UNDERCRANKED) - CRANE - WIND FAN
As we swoop down toward the warriors and Ash.
683A OMIT 683A
683AP OMIT 683AP
684 OMIT 684
684P OMIT 684P
685 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 685
MED. SHOT - ASH AND WARRIORS
As he springs to his feet. With a lightning thrust he
reaches behind him.
686 CLOSE SHOT - ASH'S HAND 686
As he grabs at the gun from its holster. He swings it
around front and pulls the trigger.
687 CLOSE SHOT - GUN BARREL - UNDERCRANKED 687
It discharges flame.
688 CLOSE SHOT - DUMMY HEAD OF DEADITE BLOOD SQUIB 688
OVERCRANKED - STOP MOTION ANIMATION/REAR SCREEN
It explodes.
688P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - MITCHELL 688P
EXT. KANDAR SKY
689 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR - DAY 689
(MINIATURE/STOP MOTION/REAR SCREEN)
WIDE SHOT - WINGED DEADITE
The beast continues to flap its wings and fly about a
moment before falling to a heap in the dust.
689P PLATE FOR PREVIOUS SCENE - EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 689P
WARRIORS
690 EXT. CASTLE OF KAN DAR 690
CLOSE SHOT - WARRIOR #1
As he looks to Ash.
691 MED. SHOT - WARRIORS 691
They follow his gaze. The CAMERA PANS TO Ash. He stands
alone on a small pile of rubble clutching his smoldering
shotgun. He looks about dazedly. He tries to get his
bearings.
692 WIDE SHOT - WARRIORS 692
They falter. Unsure of how to react to this strange
man, who a moment before was pronounced a Deadite.
From the crowd, the Warrior #1 calls out:
WARRIOR #1
Hail he, who has come from the sky,
to deliver us from the terrors of
the deadites!
WARRIOR #4
Hail!
WARRIOR #5
Hail!
The cry is taken up by all. A line of medieval warriors
bow. Then twenty. Then fifty. All remove their
helmets and kneel silently in the dust.
Somewhere in the distance a DRUM SOUNDS. Ash stands
frozen. Terrified, unsure of where or when he is.
Knowing only for the present, he is alive.
As the wind kicks up blowing dust, Ash strikes a
familiar pose. It is the same image of the "Hero
from the Sky" that we saw earlier in the film. The
strange "jagged edged longsword" is Ash's chainsaw.
The CAMERA PULLS BACK from him as a great medieval castle
rears up INTO FRAME. It is seen to be the castle of
Kandar. The same castle we saw in the beginning of the
film. Now, however, the castle is not a ruin, but brand
new. As the CAMERA continues to pull back from Ash, the
title "EVIL DEAD" appears on the screen acompanied by
the distant ROAR of some dying animal: The SCREEN cuts
to BLACK WITH A THUNDEROUS BOOM.
THE END |
FACE/OFF
Written by
Mike Werb & Michael Colleary
Revised 9/10/96
FADE INTO:
SEPIA-TONE FOOTAGE
of a pig chasing a lion chasing a dinosaur chasing an
elephant. Noah's Ark going round... and round... and
round...
EXT. GRIFFITH PARK CAROUSEL - DAY
Disjointed CALLIOPE MUSIC as the wheel of fate and
fortune goes around until we PULL BACK to reveal:
JON ARCHER (30) rising winged Pegasus. On the adjacent
unicorn is his son MATTHEW (5). Clutching a balloon,
Matty waves at his dad. A happy moment, like so many
certain to follow -- until we realize we are watching
them THROUGH...
SNIPER'S RIFLE SCOPE - SNIPER'S EYES
wait until the child clears his aim -- Archer is the
target. They round the bend and disappear...
MATTHEW
Loses his grip on the unicorn. Archer reaches over and
pulls him into his lap. They happily ride together...
As the horses sweep back INTO VIEW... exposing Archer...
Now we see the sniper. CASTOR TROY is cool, efficient,
aggressive, sexual. His finger closes around the
trigger.
BOOM! A BULLET RIPS into Archer's back. Bleeding... he
drops off his horse... and sinks to the deck of the
carousel. His eyes desperately searching... searching...
searching... until he sees --
Matthew lies on his back -- still. Slowly, Archer
reaches out and takes Matthew's hand... and now we see
COLOR for the first time...
Blood red... as bleeding father touches bleeding son...
TILT UP TO the winged Pegasus flying by -- now in full
color and UP UP UP TO Matthew's red balloon... floating
away.
HANDEL'S MESSIAH OVER a SERIES OF SHOTS:
FBI BRIEFING ROOM
Gazing out the window as dawn breaks over the city below
is Jon Archer... older... unshaven... fatigued... his
eyes reveal a man in the grip of obsession.
CAROUSEL HORSE
sweeps by, as if marking time itself...
HOLY PLACE
Smoky, spiritual... dominated by a gleaming, golden
cross. A priest kneels before it -- deep in prayer. The
glimmering cross comes INTO FOCUS... but it's just a
light-reflection... off the casing of a large bomb. This
is no chapel... but an atrium. Somewhere.
And as the "priest" rubs out his cigarette we see it's
Castor Troy -- carefully installing this complex device.
ANOTHER CAROUSEL HORSE
sweeps by...
ARCHER
pockets his FBI badge, then holsters his gun...
CASTOR
sets the bomb timer -- then replaces a wall panel in
front of it. Totally hidden.
BRIEFING ROOM - CASTOR'S MUGSHOT
is on a computer screen. His criminal dossier scrolls by
endlessly: bombings, assassinations, mercenary
kidnappings, terrorism-for-hire...
Rookie agent LOOMIS studies the details carefully. Other
agents -- including BUZZ and WANDA scan computer grid-
maps, man phones, etc. amid the take-out cartons and
coffee cups. These people are on high alert.
ARCHER
Any follow-up from L.A.P.D.
Intelligence?
BUZZ
No, sir, nothing yet.
ARCHER
Get them on the phone -- now.
What about S.I.S. and our airport
teams?
WANDA
We've had everything from psychics
to satellites on this. Even if
Castor was here... he must have
slipped the net by now...
ARCHER
He's here! And we're going to
keep looking until we find him!
A silence descends on the chastised team. As they go
back to work, veteran agent TITO BIONDI takes Archer
aside.
TITO
Jon, these people have been
working round the clock -- you
gotta cut them some slack...
Archer considers his best friend's advice -- then...
ARCHER
I'll cut them some slack when I
cut myself some slack.
Archer marches out -- slamming the door behind him.
INT. CORRIDOR - DAY (MORNING)
Castor quietly shuts the security door behind him. An
Hispanic voice startles him.
JANITOR
What are you doing?
CASTOR
(in perfect Spanish)
Thank goodness, I feel like Icarus
in the labyrinth -- where's the
men's room?
JANITOR
(in Spanish)
This area is off limits, Padre.
(re: security door)
How did you get in that room?
Realizing the JANITOR is already too suspicious, Castor
puts a priestly arm around him -- and leads him down the
hall.
CASTOR
Okay... I have a confession to
make, but you aren't gonna like
it. I was planting a bomb.
JANITOR
Bomb?
CASTOR
You know -- boom --
(patting his
neck)
Oh, never mind...
The Janitor suddenly twitches, his eyes rolls up in his
head. As he gasps his last -- Castor heaves him down a
stairwell. Now we see the needle-thin custom stiletto in
Castor's hand.
Castor kicks the Janitor's mop and bucket down the stairs
-- making everything look like an accident.
INT. SAME BUILDING - MAIN FLOOR - DAY (MORNING)
The children's church choir -- 200 strong -- sing "Behold
the Lamb of God." Clergy and lay persons listen
reverently.
"Father" Castor strolls by the singers -- casually
heading for the exit. As he passes the risers, a teenage
girl drops her sheet music at his feet.
Returning it -- he whispers in her ear -- so close he's
practically licking it.
CASTOR
I've never enjoyed 'The Messiah.'
But your voice makes even a hack
like Handel seem like a genius.
He pats her behind and leaves. Although a little shaken,
she's also drawn by Castor's sexual magnetism.
EXT. LA CONVENTION CENTER - DAY (MORNING)
The marquee proclaims: INTERNATIONAL CHURCH CHOIRS 18th-
21st: AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION.
Castor exits -- politely holding the door for a beat cop.
INT. ARCHER'S OFFICE - DAY (MORNING)
The office is a monument to obsession: photographs,
clues, newsclips, totems of Castor Troy surround a pacing
Archer.
ARCHER
(on phone)
... I don't have time to get a
warrant from some hung-over judge.
Just give me the go-ahead, Victor,
and I promise -- as soon as this
is over -- you can brand my butt
with the Fourth Amendment.
The instant Archer hangs up -- the INTERCOM BUZZES.
KIM (V.O.)
Sir, your wife's on line one...
S.I.S. on two...
ARCHER
Tell her to hang on --
As Archer punches up line two -- Tito bursts in.
TITO
A jet was chartered at Anderson
Airfield. Guess who just showed
up to pay for it? Pollux Troy.
ARCHER
Scramble the Reaction Team --
we're moving out. And get one of
our people on that plane.
TITO
But there's still no sign of
Castor...
ARCHER
Where one brother goes, the
other's sure to follow...
They rush our... the hold button on line 1 still
blinking.
EXT. PRIVATE AIRPORT - ESTABLISHING - DAY
A sleek Cadillac pulls in... stopping next to a Land
Rover.
LARS MUELLER -- a muscular, crystal-eyed jar-head -- gets
out of the Caddy. An instant later -- LUNT MUELLER --
emerges from the Rover. They are identical twins.
The men scan the airport carefully, then open the rear
doors of their respective vehicles. Castor emerges from
the Caddy -- Armani clad.
Exiting the Rover is Castor's younger brother POLLUX TROY
-- skittish, brilliant, paranoid -- a human hummingbird.
POLLUX
You're 26 minutes late. The
casing didn't fit -- right? I
knew that cheap-shit Dietrich
would rip us off...
CASTOR
Oh, God -- !
POLLUX
What!?
CASTOR
I forgot to turn the damn thing
on!
POLLUX
You're kidding, right?
(to the twins)
He's kidding...
(grabs Castor
by throat)
... are you fucking kidding!?
Castor hugs Pollux lovingly. Pollux squirms like a kid.
CASTOR
Bro -- everything went fine.
POLLUX
I hate when you call me bro.
Pollux heads for the jet. Castor hands Lunt a wad of
cash.
CASTOR
Thanks for babysitting.
LUNT
Anything else?
CASTOR
I'll contact you when we get the
rest of the money.
(turns to leave)
Oh, and stat away from downtown.
The inversion layer's going to be
pretty thick around the 18th.
The twins nod... then take off. Castor heads for the
jet.
INT. JET - DAY
Castor hustles in -- exhorting the PILOT.
CASTOR
Let's go, let's go!
As the JET TURBINES start to WHINE, Castor sinks into his
seat. A very sexy FLIGHT ATTENDANT appears and hands him
a Scotch. He downs it, looking her over salaciously.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Would you like anything else?
CASTOR
Hell, yes...
(pulls her into lap)
It's the only way to fly.
She smiles, not minding, until the jet suddenly slows its
taxi down the runway.
COCKPIT
Castor yanks open the door.
CASTOR
What's wrong?
AT END OF RUNWAY
A squat car creeps INTO VIEW -- blocking the runway.
EXT./INT. HUMVEE - MOVING - DAY
Behind the wheel is Jon Archer. Beside him is Tito.
BACK TO ARCHER
CASTOR
It's Archer.
(gun to Pilot's
head)
Go, dammit!
Suddenly the gun is BLASTED from Castor's hand. he turns
around to see... the Flight Attendant behind them --
holding a smoking pistol. This is Agent WINTERS.
WINTERS
F.B.I.! Throttle down, captain!
But Castor elbows the throttle up. The jet lurches
forward, throwing Winters off balance. Pollux tackles
her as the jet picks up speed.
INT. HUMVEE - DAY
Archer slams the vehicle into gear.
ARCHER
Get out.
TITO
You're not playing chicken with
two tons of aluminum...
ARCHER
Get out!
Tito obeys as Archer peels out. The HUMMER ROARS at the
jet.
The jet picks up speed, trying to get aloft.
The humvee is aimed right at it... Archer's eyes narrow.
COLLISION COURSE
as two hunks of metal bear down. The machines are
seconds apart when --
Archer looks up to see...
Winters' face pressed up against the cockpit window,
Castor holding a gun to her head.
Archer cuts the wheel -- just avoiding the jet. The
Hummer skids to a stop as Federal back-up arrives -- but
too late. Archer watches an FBI chopper -- landing in a
swirl of dust.
As the jet picks up speed... the hatch opens. Castor
blasts Winters in the side and tosses her onto the
tarmac.
INSIDE
Castor smiles at Pollux, sensing freedom, until...
KA-CHUNK: Something POUNDS the jet -- from above.
Castor leans out the hatch and sees...
The chopper on top of them -- Archer at the controls.
Eye-contact -- years of hatred pass between these men.
Castor BLASTS at him from the open hatch.
The chopper's left windscreen spiderwebs. Archer jerks
and weaves -- dodging the BULLETS. The chopper pulls
away.
The jet finally lifts off... when...
The chopper settles on the jet -- slamming at its tail.
TARMAC
Tito reacts to this madness -- as the chopper plays a
deadly game of leap-frog with the jet.
The end of the runway is coming up fast.
Archer crushes the jet's horizontal elevator flap.
JET PILOT
can't budge the jet's jammed yoke. Thwarted, he powers
back the throttle. Thrust reverse.
CASTOR
What are you doing?
PILOT
The horizontal elevator's smashed!
We can't lift off!
CASTOR
SHOOTS the Pilot -- then takes the controls. He
struggles to maneuver the jet. Suddenly...
A biplane descends right at them -- about to land.
ARCHER
pulls up just as the JET swerves radically to avoid the
biplane and SLAMS into the hangar.
JET
plows through the GLASS DOOR, the NOSE-WHEEL SNAPS off.
The PLANE SKIDS right into the hangar -- finally stopping
at the wings.
FBI CHOPPER
lands. Archer steps out calmly -- like a cop about to
write a traffic ticket. He hurries to join more FBI
agents rushing into the hangar ahead of him.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
The jet hatch pops open -- Castor leaps from it, FIRING.
Two FBI agents drop -- riddled.
Pollux appears at the hatch -- an FBI sharpshooter FIRES,
grazing Pollux's shoulder. Staggered, Pollux falls --
Castor catches him before he hits the floor --
simultaneously BLASTING the sharpshooter.
Castor drags Pollux back into the smoke-filled hangar.
Archer arrives and quickly checks the dead agents, his
anger building. He signals Tito and the others to spread
out.
DEEP IN HANGAR
A maze of airplane debris and heavy machinery. Led by
Archer, the FBI agents pick their way through it.
ROOKIE LOOMIS snaps alert -- did he see something?
Advancing carefully, he comes up on...
Castor -- staunching Pollux's shoulder wound. Pollux
sees the agent -- and FIRES.
Loomis hits the floor -- his bleeding ear is shredded.
Suddenly a forklift charges down on Castor and Pollux.
Tito is at the wheel. Castor FIRES -- forcing Tito to
dive off. The forklift careens on -- driving apart the
brothers.
The forklift upends a stack of heavy crates -- pinning
Pollux. Castor tries to free his trapped brother.
POLLUX
Forget it -- Go! Go!
He slaps his Glock into Pollux's hand.
CASTOR
Wherever they put you, I'll find a
way to get you out...
Pollux starts FIRING -- covering Castor as he runs
through a tunnel which leads to an adjoining hangar.
Suddenly Wanda presses her machine-pistol into Pollux's
head. As Pollux raises his gun -- Tito grabs his hand.
TITO
-- not unless you want that 200
I.Q. splattered all over the
floor.
(as Archer
approaches)
We got him now, Jon.
ARCHER
That's what you always say. Seal
it off. I'm going in.
Archer moves away from the group and enters the tunnel.
MUSIC as Archer and Castor begin their cat-and-mouse
dance.
Sensing Archer, Castor pauses by an old landing gear. He
draws a fresh pistol from his ankle holster and moves on.
Archer pauses at the landing gear... his own stealthy
movements mirroring Castor's.
Castor waits behind a stack of steel drums... his gaze
trying to penetrate the darkness... He SNAPS his fingers.
The sound ECHOES as he tries to draw Archer in.
Archer reacts to the sound and SNAPS back -- answering
the challenge. As the deadly beat between them
continues --
BLAM BLAM BLAM! Archer spins away just as Castor OPENS
FIRE from the gloom... one step ahead.
INTERCUT as necessary:
CASTOR
Jon, I'm getting a little annoyed
by your obsessive need to spoil my
fun.
ARCHER
And how much will your 'fun' net
you this time?
BOOM BOOM BOOM! Half-blind SHOTS send Castor spinning.
A moment later, Archer pursues... SNAP! He fits a new
CLIP into his pistol.
CASTOR
What's it to you? I declare it.
Here I am, back in the States for
less than a week --
ARCHER
You're under arrest. Incredibly,
you still have the right to remain
silent --
CASTOR
I've got something going down on
the eighteenth... it's gonna be
worse than anything God ever
dumped on the Pharaoh. I'll give
it up -- but my brother and I have
to walk.
ARCHER
No discussion -- no deals.
CASTOR
What're you gonna do with me
locked up? You'll drive your wife
and kid nuts! I bet your daughter
is just about ripe by now. What's
her name, Janie?
Enraged, Archer steps boldly forward -- trying to draw
his enemy out. Silence -- then Archer senses...
Castor is behind him. He FIRES -- Archer dives away.
The BARRAGE CONTINUES -- driving Archer back between two
huge turbine engines. As Archer reloads, he stares at
the control panel switches.
Castor moves in for the kill when he hears a final SNAP-
SNAP. Except it isn't a finger snap... it's two
switches.
VRRRROOOM! The TWIN ENGINES ROAR on! Unable to fight
the churning tornado-force wind... Castor's blasted
across the hangar... slamming hard into the far wall.
The ENGINES STOP and Archer emerges -- joined by Tito.
TITO
Tell me he didn't get away
again...
Then Tito follows Archer's gaze to Castor's lifeless
body. Still as death -- somehow his mocking smile
survives.
EXT. AIRPORT TARMAC - SUNSET
Heavily-manacled, an extremely agitated Pollux is herded
into a SWAT van by Buzz and Wanda.
POLLUX
Where's my brother?! I want to
see my brother!
The van takes off -- passing an imposing older man,
flanked by two bodyguards. Bullying through the media,
Assistant FBI Director VICTOR LAZARRO scans the
devastation.
Approaching Archer, he watches as Castor's body is loaded
on the ambulance. A sheet covers Castor's lifeless face.
LAZARRO
The oversight committee would've
roasted us for this one -- thank
God it paid off. Damn fine work.
ARCHER
Real fine, Victor. Especially the
casualties.
Archer contemplates the slain agents -- their three
bodies laid out in a row -- waiting to be zip-locked.
Lazarro reacts grimly as a reporter snaps a photo of the
bodies.
Instinctively, the two men close ranks. Archer grabs the
Nikon, ejects the film, then shoves the camera back.
LAZARRO
Classified information. No
photographs.
Lazarro puts a caring arm around Archer's shoulder and
leads him away from the media... and the carnage.
LAZARRO
You okay, Jon?
(off Archer's nod)
Then go home. Tell Eve.
EXT. ARCHER'S HOME (SANTA MONICA) - SUNSET
A renovated Craftsman. Sipping a carton of milk, Archer
pulls into the driveway. He sits, gathering his
thoughts.
INT. ARCHER'S HOME - NIGHT
Archer enters and sees his wife EVE. Handsome,
intelligent.
ARCHER
Hi...
(no response)
... What's wrong?
She nods toward the KITCHEN. JAMIE is there -- a sullen
and hard fifteen-year-old. There are cigarette cartons
on the table.
EVE
She complimented for her 'F' in
history with an 'A' in
shoplifting...
Archer marches into the kitchen -- noting the crate of
Marlboros. Jamie matter-of-factly pours herself coffee.
ARCHER
Nice stunt, Jamie. You break the
law and I'm expected to ignore it?
JAMIE
That's right -- it's all about
you. Don't even ask me what
happened.
Archer looks to Eve for help. Eve shakes her head --
nope.
ARCHER
Okay. What happened?
JAMIE
Like you'd ever fucking believe
me!
She bolts. In anticipation, Eve calmly opens the door as
Jamie rushes out, then closes it behind her.
EVE
Well, you tried. You failed
miserably, but you tried.
ARCHER
Why won't she even talk to me?
EVE
Maybe because you taught her never
to speak to strangers.
(immediately
regrets it)
I'm sorry... that wasn't fair.
Eve kisses his cheek -- then gathers up her doctor gear.
EVE
I've got patients waiting. Try
again, Jon. She hates you -- but
she needs you.
ARCHER
Eve...
Something in Archer's expression makes her stop.
EVE
Jon -- what is it?
But he's too overcome. He starts to speak -- but can't.
EVE
Is it -- him? It's... it's over?
Emotions avalanche across his face until he finally looks
up. Eve pulls him close -- a sheltering embrace for them
both.
ARCHER
I'm going to make everything up to
you and Jamie. I'll put in for a
desk job. We'll go away, get
counseling -- anything you want.
This time, I mean it.
INT. ARCHER HOME - NIGHT
Freshly dressed, Archer heads down the hall. He pauses
at the door to Jamie's room when he sees -- Jamie.
Fully clothed, she's fast asleep on her bed cluttered
with clothes and assorted girl-stuff. Her face peaceful.
Archer looks around her room... sees the stuffed animals
collecting dust... replaced by makeup, jewelry, beefcake
Calvin Klein ads and band posters, etc.
Archer's startled to see a lacey bustier... his little
girl is growing up fast. And he's missing it.
He pulls the blanket up over her and quietly slips out.
The instant he leaves, Jamie kicks the blankets off.
INT. FBI BUILDING - DAY
Dominated by the FBI seal. Archer steps to the check
point.
SECURITY GUARD
Print, please.
Archer presses his thumb to a scan-pad -- and is cleared.
INT. BULL PEN - DAY
Efficient as a beehive -- agents, cryptologists, support
staff buzz at their routines. Archer strides through --
drawing congratulatory nods and "thumbs up" signs...
OUTSIDE HIS OFFICE
Archer's team is there. Applauding. Proud. Uneasy with
plaudits, he disperses the disappointed agents.
ARCHER
Much appreciated. Now let's get
back to work, okay?
WANDA
(to Buzz)
Is that stick ever gonna fall out
of his ass?
Archer's well-built secretary -- KIM BREWSTER -- hands
him his messages. She's holding a bottle of Dom
Perignon.
KIMBERLY
The C.I.A. sent this over. What
should I do with it?
ARCHER
Send it back and tell them to stop
wasting the taxpayers' money.
Anything else, Miss Brewster?
KIMBERLY
No, sir.
He enters his office. Kimberly sighs and turns to Wanda.
KIMBERLY
Four years -- and he still calls
me 'Miss Brewster.'
INT. ARCHER'S OFFICE - DAY
Sitting at his computer -- Archer scrolls through
Castor's file. He grimly contemplates face-after-face of
Troy's victims -- finally pausing on a photo of his son
Matthew.
Burying his feeling, he types "CASE CLOSED" over
Castor's image. Archer starts to press "enter" when Tito
comes in.
ARCHER
How's Loomis?
TITO
He needs some surgery, but he's
going to be okay. That's the good
news...
ARCHER
Go on.
TITO
... Brodie and Miller from Special
Ops need to see you.
ARCHER
I don't have time for those cloak
and dagger guys.
Big NED BRODIE and athletic female HOLLIS MILLER stroll
in.
BRODIE
You better make time, Jon.
(hefts a disc)
We found this in the jet wreckage
-- among Pollux Troy's effects...
Archer accedes as Miller pops in the disk. The computer
screen displays a CAD schematic of the bomb. Archer
studies it carefully -- unease growing.
ARCHER
Porcelain casing... Thermal
cloak... Undetectable payload.
MILLER
Powerful enough to flatten ten
city blocks.
ARCHER
'Worse than anything God ever
dumped on the Pharaohs.'
(to Tito)
Get Pollux Troy. Now.
DISSOLVE TO:
INTERROGATION FOOTAGE
Wired to a complex machine -- Pollux seems to have his
frustrated interrogators on the run.
INT. ARCHER'S OFFICE - DAY
Archer, Lazarro, Tito, Brodie, Miller and other FBI
officials watch the monitor. Pollux remains implacable
POLLUX (V.O.)
(on screen)
That bomb was just a crossword
puzzle to me... a mental exercise.
I never built it...
Lazarro shuts down the monitor... turns to Archer.
ARCHER
He's lying.
LAZARRO
He's hooked up to a full-spectrum
polygraph.
ARCHER
Pollux is a manipulative
psychopath. He can control his
heartbeat, his sweat glands, his
blood pressure...
LAZARRO
Jon, I trust your instincts, I
always have. But D.C. wants more
evidence. And frankly, so do I.
ARCHER
You'll get all the evidence you
need when ten thousand people die.
LAZARRO
We'll get a team right on it. But
we can't evacuate the city on what
amounts to a hunch.
Archer looks at the gathered brass. He knows it's
hopeless.
ARCHER
That bomb has been built, it's out
there somewhere and it's going to
detonate...
EXT. FBI BUILDING - INTELLIGENCE MEMORIAL - DAY
Words etched in the granite wall read:
IN HONOR OF THOSE MEMBERS
OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES
IN THE LINE OF DUTY
Archer watches as a workman engraves the last of the
three new stars among so many others -- each one honoring
the dead.
BRODIE
Didn't Castor give any clue where
the bomb might be?
ARCHER
Only one person knows -- his
brother Pollux. And he'll keep
his mouth shut until it blows.
BRODIE
We could plant an agent in his
cell -- get him to spill the
location.
ARCHER
Pollux is way too paranoid. The
only person he'd talk to about
that bomb is Castor himself. And
dead men can't talk.
Brodie and Miller exchange a knowing look.
BRODIE
There might be a way around
that...
FULL SCREEN - CASTOR'S BODY
Tubes and hoses are plugged into every orifice.
INT. ICU ROOM - DAY
Archer stares at the body... he can't believe it.
ARCHER
Why are you keeping him alive?
(gets no answer)
As long as he's breathing, he's
dangerous.
MILLER
Relax, he's a turnip.
Miller grinds out her cigarette on Castor's leg. Of
course, Castor just lies there like a vegetable.
BRODIE
We can arrange for you to enter
Erewhon Prison -- as Castor Troy.
ARCHER
What are you talking about?
Archer turns as DR. MALCOLM HOAG (50s) enters the room.
HOAG
I think I'd better answer that
question.
(offers hand)
Malcolm Hoag. I run the
Physiological Camouflage Unit for
Special Ops.
ARCHER
I know who you are.
MILLER
But you don't know what he can do.
Physical augmentation; enhancement
surgery...
BRODIE
... He can disguise a compromised
agent or alter the likeness --
even the voice -- of a government
witness.
HOAG
Let me show you how it's done.
(leading him out)
I think you'll recognize our
patient...
INT. HOAG'S SURGICAL BAY - DAY
Loomis lies still as a surgeon carefully scrapes away
charred flesh around his burned ear. The doctor turns to
a --
STEREO-LITHOGRAPHIC MACHINE
Laser-beams attack an organic soup with incredible
precision. The light forces a chemical reaction -- and
out of the soup -- an ear begins to form. It rises from
the liquid, now fully-formed. The surgeon takes the ear
and fits it in place on Loomis's head. He starts
suturing.
OBSERVATION BOOTH - ABOVE
Archer, Hoag, Brodie and Miller watch the operation --
video-enhanced by the two huge screens on the far walls.
HOAG
With our new generation of anti-
inflammatories, healing is
accelerated from weeks to days.
By his next paycheck, he won't
even remember which ear he lost.
(a beat)
Your situation, however, would be
a little less permanent...
BRODIE
-- and a lot more classified.
Hoag holds up a face-sized organic shell made up of
yellow cartilage pieces and tendons, etc. Archer pulls
it over his face -- like a gauze mask. A "tendon" falls
off.
ARCHER
This'll fool Pollux.
HOAG
That is a state-of-the-art morpho-
genetic template. The inside can
be built to match the exact shape
of your skull; the outside --
exactly like Castor's. Then we
fit his face right on top --
MILLER
-- and you become him.
ARCHER
You're talking about removing the
guy's face?
BRODIE
Borrowing, Jon. The procedure's
completely reversible.
MILLER
One way or the other -- the
mission ends on the eighteenth.
Archer turns the shell over and over and over in his
hands.
BRODIE
You know Castor better than
anyone. You've lived and breathed
him for years -- hell, you even
look a little like him.
Archer shoves the template back at Hoag.
ARCHER
Find yourself another lab-rat.
MILLER
If you don't do this -- Castor
will beat us again. He'll beat
you again...
Archer pushes his way past them -- and marches out.
HOAG
I don't think that went very well.
BRODIE
Trust us, Doc...
MILLER
... he'll jerk around. Then he'll
be back.
INT. INTERROGATION BOOTHS - DAY
Archer enters... sizes up DIETRICH HASSLER. His stylish
garb doesn't completely hide his criminal roots. Archer
sits down calmly. He looks at his watch.
ARCHER
I'm in a hurry, Dietrich. So
you've only got ten seconds to go
through your usual litany of lies,
empty threats, and moronic
denials. Then I'm coming over
there --
DIETRICH
If you're in such a fucking hurry
-- why are you wasting your time
with me? I'm just an art dealer.
ARCHER
You're a dealer, all right:
technical secrets, munitions...
explosives.
DIETRICH
You've never proven any of that.
And when my bitchy, never-been-
laid femi-nazi lawyer gets here,
she's going to...
ARCHER
Time's up.
Archer topples the wooden table and tears a leg from the
top. Brandishing it -- he stalks the startled thug.
HALLWAY JUST OUTSIDE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Lazarro blanches as an obsessed Archer repeatedly slams
the table leg against the wall -- above Dietrich's head.
LAZARRO
The only ticking bomb I see is
inside his head. He's getting
worse, Tito.
TITO
Don't worry, sir. It's all an
act...
But as Lazarro leaves -- we see Tito's worried, too.
BACK INSIDE BOOTH
Archer has a terrified Dietrich backed into the corner.
DIETRICH
... Okay! Castor called me but I
blew him off... I swear I never
saw him. And I don't know
anything about any bomb!
INT. CORRIDOR - OUTSIDE INTERROGATION BOOTHS - SAME TIME
Archer emerges... eyes blazing.
ARCHER
Let him go, but I want him
watched... Who's next?
TITO
Just Dietrich's sister...
In another booth, a careworn but striking woman sits with
a little boy on her lap. She gently helps him Crayola a
book. This is SASHA HASSLER (30) and her son ADAM (5).
INT. INTERROGATION BOOTH - DAY
Archer hovers over Sasha -- her maternal warmth replaced
by an icy hatred. Tito and the child are gone.
ARCHER
When was the last time you saw
Castor Troy?
SASHA
Who cares? He's dead.
ARCHER
Answer the question.
SASHA
Look, I'm clean. I teach kids
now --
ARCHER
Sasha -- you are a felon, on
probation for harboring Castor
Troy. So it's in your best
interest to cooperate.
(as she's silent)
Would you like your son put in a
foster home?
Sasha's eyes flash, her body coils -- but she keeps
control.
SASHA
No, but I'm sure you'd love it --
you sick bastard.
ARCHER
(unmoved)
When was the last time you saw
Castor Troy?
She stares at him with equal amounts of pity and hatred.
SASHA
I haven't seen him for years.
INT. CORRIDOR - DAY
Archer watches as Adam leaves Dietrich and jumps into
Sasha's arms. She hugs him protectively. Adam sees
Archer watching them -- and smiles. Archer doesn't smile
back.
FULL SCREEN - CASTOR'S REAL FACE
PULL BACK TO:
INT. I.C.U. - NIGHT
Archer slowly circles Castor's muscular, hairy, tattooed
body. Although on life support -- his signature smirk
remains.
ARCHER
What about Lazarro?
BRODIE
No way -- the red tape alone would
take a month. This is a black-bag
operation -- completely off the
books.
MILLER
If you need him, Tito can help you
prepare. But you know the drill:
You can't tell anyone -- not the
Director, not your wife... nobody.
Archer's face shows he doesn't like it -- then he nods.
ARCHER
I'm in.
EXT. ARCHER HOME - NIGHT
Archer slowly gets out of his car. Trudging toward the
front door, he picks up a basketball and takes a shot.
His form is terrible -- he misses by a mile.
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT
Archer passes Jamie's room. Loud MUSIC POUNDS from
within. He pauses to knock, thinks again, then heads
down the hall.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
Eve is in bed. Archer comes in quietly and sits beside
her -- studying her peaceful, sleeping face. She stirs.
EVE
I was dreaming...
ARCHER
Something good?
EVE
I'm not sure... you were flying
this weird old stunt plane...
doing flips... walking on the
wings... I was watching from the
ground -- when you fell. You had
a parachute, but you wouldn't open
it.
ARCHER
Did you catch me?
EVE
No.
ARCHER
How come?
EVE
I don't know...
(nuzzles him)
Maybe because you've never needed
my help.
ARCHER
Come on, you made that up, didn't
you?
EVE
... Maybe I did...
(teasing)
... maybe I didn't...
They kiss affectionately. Passion building, Eve runs her
hands over his body -- until her fingers touch a round
scar on his chest. Archer freezes -- mid-caress.
EVE
It's all right, Jon.
ARCHER
After all these years, I still
can't get it out of my head -- an
inch to the left, Matty would
still be alive.
EVE
And you wouldn't be.
No response. The pain hidden in his silence chills Eve.
EVE
Things will get better now that
you're home. Everything will be
better -- now that... that man is
finally out of our lives.
ARCHER
Eve...
He starts to say the words. He wants, needs to share the
truth with her. But he can't. Instead --
ARCHER
... If I had to do something to
find some closure... I should do
it, shouldn't I?... No matter how
crazy?
EVE
Oh, God -- you're going on
assignment again...
ARCHER
One last time. And while I'm
gone, I want you and Jamie to go
to your mother's. It's
important...
EVE
You said you'd be here! You
promised! What could be more
important than that?
ARCHER
I can't tell you... except only I
can do it.
EVE
You want me to tell you it's okay
to leave? Okay, go on! Go!
Fury erupting, Eve pushes Archer out of the bed.
INT. ANOTHER BEDROOM - NIGHT
Archer enters a child's room -- neat and tidy, like a
museum exhibit. A starfield of glow-letters twinkles
faintly.
He lies down on the bed and toys with his wedding band --
staring up at the words the stars form... "MATTHEW."
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CONVENTION CENTER - MACHINE ROOM - BLINKING
LIGHTS - NIGHT
The blinking LED of the bomb timer continues to count
down.
INT./EXT. '56 BUICK/MOUNTAIN ROAD - MOVING - DAY
Tito drives into the Hoag compound.
Archer's beside him, juggling Castor's dossier:
documents, photos, etc.
TITO
Jon, this is goddam insane. You
can't do it.
Archer says nothing... it's too late for debate. Tito
parks. The men get out and head for the lab.
TITO
You haven't got a chance in hell
of fooling Pollux. Castor drinks,
smokes and walks around with a 24-
hour hard-on. He's nothing like
you --
ARCHER
Don't worry... If Hoag can do half
what he claims, I'll get Pollux to
talk.
Archer reaches for the door -- Tito stops him.
TITO
It's not that simple, Jon...
Becoming another person --
especially him -- nobody can come
all the way back from that... not
even you.
Archer considers his friend's words... He toys with, then
removes, his wedding bang.
ARCHER
Keep this for me.
As Tito takes the ring -- a caring, but concerned look
passes between the two friends.
INT. SURGICAL BAY - DAY
Two huge video screens are dominated by the CG-images of
Archer and Castor. As Hoag briefs the team, the CG-
images glow to reflect the physical characteristic Hoag
refers to.
HOAG
Let's walk through it, Jon. Your
blood types are different, but we
can't do anything about that.
Otherwise, nature is cooperating
nicely. The height difference is
negligible -- within 1/2 an inch.
Eye color -- almost a perfect
match. Penis size, flaccid,
essentially the same --
Substantial.
From the observation booth above -- Miller (flanked by
Tito and Brodie) raises his eyebrow.
On the video screens, the images morph to signify the
physical augmentations.
HOAG
Hairline will be adjusted with
laser-shears... micro-plugs for
the body hair... the teeth will be
bonded to match Castor's...
Hoag eyes Castor's inert, tight body -- then turns to
Archer -- prodding his love handles like a livestock
inspector.
HOAG
How about an abdominoplasty?
ARCHER
Abdomino -- what?
HOAG
A tummy tuck. On the house.
ARCHER
Do it.
TRANSFORMATION MONTAGE
(INTERCUT huge video screen enlargements of Archer and
Castor's body parts as necessary):
Globules of adipose tissue are siphoned off Archer's
obliques. At the same time...
Hoag recreates the "Great Sphinx" tattoo on Archer's
thigh. We PUSH IN ON his leg, then PULL BACK to
reveal...
Archer and Tito. The CLOSE UP on his leg becomes a FULL
SHOT as he walks across the rooftop -- like himself.
Tito demonstrated the proper "Castor gait": dangerously
casual, like a panther.
Hoag reproduces Castor's fingerprints... then layers them
over Archer's fingers.
Archer practices Castor's icy, killer glare. Tito hands
him a lit cigarette. Archer brings the cigarette to his
lips -- then coughs harshly. But he keeps trying.
Castor smiles... then smirks and laughs. PULL BACK to
reveal Archer studying surveillance footage of Castor on
a monitor-screen -- mimicking him.
Archer fusses with his new hair, trying to cover the thin
spots. Giving up, he zips up his sweatshirt -- getting
the zipper caught in his new chest hair.
EXT. HOAG INSTITUTE - GROUNDS - DAY
Tito tosses a pistol. Archer catches it with his right
hand. But to Archer's surprise, Tito frowns.
TITO
Nice catch. But you used the
wrong hand.
He takes the pistol away -- and slaps it in Archer's left
hand. Then Tito shoves him -- challengingly.
TITO
Shoot me.
(as Archer
doesn't move)
Shoot me!
Tito pulls the gun against his own forehead.
TITO
You want to be Castor Troy? If
you hesitate for a breath, you're
finished! Now -- shoot me! Kill
me!
Archer holds the gun unsteadily. Tito is disgusted.
TITO
You can't do it... because Castor
is tougher than you...
BOOM! The GUN goes off -- the slug tears past Tito's
head. Shocked, he touches his left ear, making sure it's
still there.
Then Tito looks at Archer -- and sees the determination.
EXT. HOAG'S FACILITY - NIGHT
Clear and calm. God's night. Someone's God anyway.
INT. I.C.U. ROOM - NIGHT
Hoag leads Archer to a full-length mirror.
HOAG
Let's see if I missed anything
before I get my hands really dirty.
Archer removes the robe. He's amazed to see:
His own head on Castor's body: a flat stomach, hairy
chest, tattoos, thinning hair, etc. Hoag touches
Archer's scar.
HOAG
You realize this has to be
removed.
(as Archer
slowly nods)
Then here we go, Commander.
Through the Looking Glass...
INT. SURGICAL BAY - NIGHT
Unconscious, Archer is wheeled into the surgical bay,
Castor beside him. Hoag turns to the video technician.
HOAG
Make sure you get everything --
I'll need to study the tape before
the reverse surgery.
Hoag lowers an aerated Plexiglas mask over Archer's face.
Interwoven with integrated laser circuitry -- this Derma-
Induction-Device (D.I.D.) attaches via suction.
Hoag sights through the optical memory, squeezes the
trigger. A cobalt beam cuts around the face -- cleanly
slicing it. Then Hoag lifts Archer's face -- off of his
skull.
Brodie and Miller watch from above. Tito stumbles into
the nearby bathroom to throw up.
Hoag inspects Archer's face, then turns to his nurse.
HOAG
Vault it.
Hoag turns to perform the same procedure on Castor.
Castor's consistent EEG reading suddenly spikes
radically -- for a moment, it almost seems to stabilize.
Hoag glances over -- too late -- the spikes have
disappeared.
But the CAMERA CLOSES IN ON Castor's ear -- and we sense
that, somehow, his auditory nerves might be functioning.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. RECOVERY ROOM - DAY
A head swathed in gauze. The bandages start to fall
away.
Tito, Miller and Brodie wait as Hoag removes the gauze.
The patient looks into a mirror.
Jon Archer has become Castor Troy.
he touches his new face. Archer stares... the cold
reality chilling his blood.
Archer buckles -- unprepared emotionally for what he's
done to himself. For a moment, he seems to teeter on
madness.
TITO
Jon -- are you all right?
Archer can't respond... he's somewhere the others can't
comprehend. Finally he emerges... shaken, but in
control.
TITO enters. Instinctively, he grabs for his holster.
ARCHER
Okay... I'm okay.
(realizes)
But my voice... I still sound like
me.
HOAG
I implanted a micro-chip onto your
larynx.
Hoag SWITCHES ON an AUDIO TAPE. Archer repeats Castor's
words as Hoag adjusts the chip with a wavelength box.
CASTOR (V.O.) ARCHER
Okay, I've got a Okay, I've got a
confession to make, but confession to make, but
you aren't gonna like you aren't gonna like
it... (etc.) it... (etc.)
After a few repetitions, Archer's voice matches
perfectly.
Archer yawns, squints and furrows his brow -- testing
every muscle. He stares into the mirror -- into the eyes
of his most hated enemy -- now his eyes. Archer slowly
turns to...
Castor. Motionless, swathed, dead to the world -- but
something about Castor's smile -- that mocking smile...
ARCHER
Now what?
TITO
We're down to 72 hours. Let's
call Lazarro. Castor Troy just
came out of his coma.
EXT. FBI HELIPORT - DAY
Armed agents take their positions around a helipad. A
jet-black helicopter drops from the sky like an angry
wasp.
EXT. HELIPAD - DAY
As Lazarro watches -- Tito escorts out a heavily-manacled
"Castor." Two armed agents leap from the chopper and
take charge of "Castor." He follows them pliantly,
until --
TITO
Watch this hard-case -- he'll bite
your nuts off if he gets the
chance!
Archer gets the message. He starts to resist the agents
and must be muscled into the chopper. He's manacled
down.
Eye contact between Archer and Tito -- both aware of this
very real point of departure. The CHOPPER DOOR SLAMS
SHUT. It lifts off like a twister and SCREAMS away.
EXT. HELIPORT - STAGING AREA - DAY
The watching team breaks up, wanders back to work.
LOOMIS
What a week for Archer to go on a
training op. Maybe we should try
to contact him.
WANDA
Forget it. He's knee-deep in
Georgia swamp by now.
They pass Brodie and Miller, who watch the chopper
disappear over the horizon. So far so good.
INT. CHOPPER - FLYING - DAY
The agent re-checks Archer's chains.
ARCHER
Don't forget -- I ordered a kosher
meal...
The agent smashes his elbow into Archer's gut. The
second agent presses an INJECTOR against Archer's leg.
PSSSST. Archer spasms against the drug -- then sags
unconscious.
INT. EREWHON PRISON - DELOUSING CUBICLE
Archer wakes up as a torrent of delousing spray hits him.
A guard holds a water cannon on the newest inmate.
Archer lies gasping on the steel floor, protecting his
face. The spray stops -- when head guard "RED" WALTON
enters.
WALTON
You are now an Erewhon inmate -- a
citizen of nowhere. Human rights
zealots, the Geneva convention and
the P.C. police have no authority
here. You have no right...
(slaps on latex gloves)
When I say your ass belongs to me
-- I mean it. Bend over.
Archer's face reflects the degradation as he bends over
and exposes all to the cavity-searching Guard.
Satisfied, Walton lets Archer dress. Another guard
places a pair of odd-looking steel boots before Archer.
WALTON
Step into them.
Archer inspects the lock-down boots. Hinged steel
collars hook over the shoe and encase the ankle. The
soles are gridded steel with magnetic inserts.
WALTON
Don't sniff 'em, you perv. Just
step into them.
Archer obeys. A guard squats down and locks the steel
collars over Archer's shoes. He tries to move -- but
can't.
ARCHER
They're too tight.
WALTON
So's a noose. Now keep your mouth
shut.
Walton JOLTS Archer with his HIGH-VOLTAGE SHOCK-STICK.
WALTON
The prison's one big magnetic
field. The boots'll tell us where
you are -- every second of the
day.
(into comm-link)
201 to Population.
Walton presses his thumb into a standard FBI scan-pad.
It forms a print -- positively identifying the guard.
The heavy blast-door automatically opens.
WALTON
I've got fifty bucks says you're
dead by dinner. Don't disappoint
me.
Walton prods Archer toward the door. To Archer's
surprise -- he can now move.
INT. GENERAL POPULATION - DAY
The inmates eat. Silence descends as Archer enters --
intensifying the constant HUMMING of the MAGNETIC FIELD.
Huge Dubov does a slow burn on seeing "Castor."
Scanning the room for Pollux -- Archer takes a seat next
to a LITTLE, GOATEED MAN with a French accent.
LITTLE MAN
Hey, Castor -- remember me?
ARCHER
Fabrice Voisine... sure, I --
(catches himself)
-- I believe Jon Archer busted you
for poisoning five members of the
the Canadian parliament?
VOISINE (LITTLE MAN)
Those scumbags should never have
voted against the Quebecois.
(a beat)
We heard you got wasted.
Archer sees the other inmates sizing him up.
ARCHER
Do I look wasted -- asshole?
Voisine shakes his head "no" -- then his eyes widen as...
WHAM. Dubov leaps onto Archer and starts pummeling him.
They slide across the table -- spilling everyone's lunch.
GUARD
(into comm-unit)
Central. I have a disturbance in
population. Go to lock down --
WALTON
(into comm-unit)
Hold that lock down.
Walton watches as Dubov throws Archer across the room.
Archer staggers to his feet -- and sees the encircling
inmates and guards looking at him -- unimpressed.
Especially his "brother" Pollux -- who watches
uncertainly.
Dubov attacks again -- but Archer is ready. He grabs
Dubov's fist -- just before it hits his face.
ARCHER
Never -- in -- the -- face.
Holding Dubov's fist firmly, Archer kicks Dubov
repeatedly in the groin. Metal boot meeting soft flesh.
Dubov staggers back -- hurt. Archer moves in for the
kill, savoring it.
Walton looks skyward.
WALTON
Lock 'em down.
INTERCUT WITH:
UP ABOVE - CENTRAL SECURITY
The prison's nerve center -- with video-feeds and
monitors designed to keep problems and privacy to a
minimum.
The two deputies react to Walton's call. Identifying
Archer and Dubov's signature-blips -- they throw the
appropriate switches and...
ZAP! The magnetic boots lock both inmates to the floor.
Dubov flails hopelessly -- but Archer's just out of
reach.
Crack! Walton punches Archer in the diaphragm.
ARCHER
What? He started it!
Walton smashes Archer harder -- he hits the floor.
ARCHER
When I get out of here --
WALTON
You'll what?
ARCHER
I'm going to have you fired.
His statement is so ludicrous, Walton laughs. Everyone
does. From the inmates' reactions, Archer knows he's
been accepted.
WALTON
(to Dubov)
That's two strikes, Dubov. One
more and you know where you're
going.
(to the others)
Back to your 'suites' -- or no
dinner.
As Archer drops into the line of cons -- he spots Pollux
waiting for him. Girding himself for this first
encounter -- he's got a plan.
POLLUX
Hey, bro...
ARCHER
-- Pollux?
POLLUX
Of course it's Pollux, what the
fuck's wrong with you?
Archer stares -- feigning confusion until Walton prods
him forward. Pollux watches his "brother" go -- very
concerned.
INT. ARCHER'S CELL - NIGHT
Archer lies on his cot -- staring at the ceiling.
Isolated, lonely, he realizes how easy it would be to go
insane here.
EXT. HOAG INSTITUTE - NIGHT
An insanely starry night. Van Gogh's night. The night
he cut off his ear, anyway.
INT. SURGICAL BAY - NIGHT
Castor's body lies inert. His life-support MACHINES
BLIPPING away. Until the EEG spikes. Once -- twice --
three times. Brain wave activity increases -- and
stabilizes.
Castor's fingers twitch. Then his fist clenches -- hard.
Castor's head is swathed in gauze. But his eyes pop
open.
Reflexively, Castor wrenches from the bed -- tearing out
the tubes and wires that tether him to life support. He
goes down -- in agony -- groaning.
He struggles to his feet -- staggering through the lab --
until he catches the reflection of his bandaged face in
the window. He quickly unwraps the gauze.
The discarded bandages fall at his feet... we don't see
what CASTOR sees -- but we hear him MOAN... then CHOKE...
then SCREAM -- the only moment Castor ever loses his
cool.
Finally composing himself -- Castor's hand grips the
phone and he dials.
CASTOR
Lars... okay, Lunt, then.
(rifling desk
documents)
Something really fucked-up
happened... I'm in trouble... so
listen very carefully...
EXT. HOAG INSTITUTE - NIGHT (LATER)
A RANGE ROVER SCREECHES up. At gunpoint, Lars and Lunt
manhandle Hoag into the lab.
INT. SURGICAL BAY - NIGHT
Lars and Lunt hustle Hoag in. The lab is on. The
screens run -- scrolling through the video log of
Archer's surgery.
Hoag sees his terrified assistants -- bound with duct
tape.
HOAG
What's this about? What do you
want?
Lars shoves Hoag into a towering figure... we ZOOM IN ON
Hoag's glasses. And THROUGH the REFLECTION we see...
MAN WITHOUT FACE
Hoag reacts in horror at the raw muscle, cartilage and
bone. The man lifts a cigarette to his lips... then
exhales.
CASTOR
What do you think I want?
INT. PRISON - POPULATION - DAY
A huge wall-screen plays gentle nature scenes. Below --
the inmates engage in their exercise hour.
Voisine stares at the screen -- while Pollux carefully
watches his "brother" play basketball. Archer tosses up
an air-ball to the jeers of other inmates.
POLLUX
You realize, of course, that
magnetic humming is designed to
drive us insane. If we all don't
get brain tumors first.
VOISINE
And that same cloying Bambi tape
-- over and over...
POLLUX
It's like they're begging us to
riot. Where the fuck are we,
anyway?
(the game ends)
Gotta go...
Pollux trots over to Archer -- passes him his cigarette.
He studies Archer as he takes a drag -- and nearly gags.
POLLUX
... I'm worried about you.
ARCHER
Why?
POLLUX
Your jumpshot has no arc. You
used to swagger... now you swish.
You're gumming that butt like a
Catholic school girl.
(notices)
And why do you keep picking at
your finger?
Pollux has caught Archer reflexively tugging at his
phantom wedding ring. Archer immediately stops. He
takes a drag and holds it -- then exhales right in
Pollux's face.
ARCHER
I was in a coma...
Pollux sticks his finger under Archer's eye and pulls
down like a vet examining a sick dog. Archer pushes him
off.
ARCHER
My reflexes, my senses, my
memory... everything's jumbled. I
can't even tell you why Dubov
jumped me yesterday.
POLLUX
You Pollinated his wife the day he
was arrested. How could forget
that?
ARCHER
I've forgotten plenty. Look
around -- we've screwed over half
the freaks in here. What's gonna
happen to us if they think I've
lost it?
Pollux contemplates the other inmates -- circling, sizing
up the brothers like hungry sharks. Instinctively,
Pollux moves closer to Archer for protection.
ARCHER
I need you to play big brother for
once -- till I can fill in a few
blanks. Think you can handle
that?
Pollux nods grimly -- then Archer pulls up his sleeve,
exposing the pyramid tattoo.
ARCHER
I know I got this on my tenth
birthday. I just can't remember
why.
POLLUX
Man -- that was the worst day of
our lives!
Archer feigns a "struggle" with his memory. He lights a
new butt with the old -- chain-style... then "remembers."
ARCHER
Oh, God -- Mom O-D'd at County
General.
POLLUX
Retching and convulsing while
those bastards didn't even try to
save her sorry ass. You gave her
mouth to mouth -- man -- even then
you had some constitution.
(a beat)
Remember what you swore to me at
the funeral?
ARCHER
Uh -- to kill the doctors?
POLLUX
After that. You promised you'd
always take care of me.
ARCHER
And I bet I kept that promise...
POLLUX
Only one you've never broken.
Pollux curls into Archer -- in need of comfort. Archer
puts an affectionate arm around Pollux -- springing the
trap.
ARCHER
Screw the past. We've got the
future to look forward to.
(a beat)
We still have tomorrow.
POLLUX
No shit... five million bucks...
now those Red Militia crackpots
get to keep it.
ARCHER
That's not the worst part.
POLLUX
What's worse than losing five
million bucks?
ARCHER
Being stuck in this rat-hole when
it blows. What you built was a
work of art. It belongs in the
Smithsonian.
Pollux beams with pride -- Archer hangs on every word.
POLLUX
Yeah -- well... the L.A.
Convention Center will have to
do...
ARCHER
Thanks, Pollux.
POLLUX
'Thanks'? I guess they really did
fuck you up.
Then Archer smiles -- like Jon Archer. Without knowing
exactly why -- a wave of ill-ease overtakes Pollux.
INT. ARCHER'S CELL - DAY
Archer paces impatiently... as the door rolls open.
Walton is looking at him with cool respect.
WALTON
You have a visitor.
Archer smiles to himself -- pleased at Brodie's
timeliness.
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
Archer's boots lock down -- as the guillotine door rises.
But his confidence evaporates into unspeakable horror.
Because he finds himself staring into the blue eyes of --
Jon Archer. This man has Archer's face -- his real face.
IMPOSTOR
What's the matter? Don't you like
the new me?
Archer studies the image of his former self -- trying to
understand. Then he recognizes the smirk on the face,
the mocking twinkle in the eyes and he says what he
cannot say...
ARCHER
-- Castor...?
CASTOR
Not anymore.
ARCHER
It can't be. It's impossible.
CASTOR
I believe the phrase Dr. Hoag used
was 'titanically remote'. Who
knows? Maybe the trauma of having
my face cut off pulled me out. Or
maybe God really is on my side
after all.
(starts pacing)
By the way, I know you don't get
the papers in here.
Continuing to circle, he displays the current LA Times:
"INFERNO AT HOAG INSTITUTE -- Malcolm Hoag Dead"
CASTOR
Terrible tragedy.
Hoag was such a genius -- but
selfish with his artistry. I
actually had to torture his
assistants to convince him to
perform the same surgery on me.
ARCHER
You killed them?
CASTOR
Of course I killed them, you dumb
fuck. Hoag, his staff...
FLASH ON Hoag's body -- on the floor of the burning lab.
Two more burned bodies adjoin Hoag's.
CASTOR
Miller and Brodie --
FLASH ON Brodie and Miller -- dead in a mangled car
wreck.
CASTOR
I even paid a visit to your buddy
Tito.
ARCHER
He doesn't know anything about
this!
CASTOR
Come on, Jon. I think I know you
better than that. I only wish you
could have been there to see the
look on his face --
FLASH ON Tito... he smiles, then recoils in shock as
Castor lifts a pistol and shoots him... then he picks up
Archer's wedding band off the counter...
INT. EREWHON PRISON (PRESENT)
Archer stares -- thunderstruck -- at the wedding band now
on Castor's finger.
CASTOR
-- then again, I guess you were
there.
(a beat)
I torched every shred of evidence
that proves who you are. So
swallow this -- you are going to
be in here for the rest of your
life.
ARCHER
Castor, don't do this --
CASTOR
No discussion, Jon -- no deals.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got
an important government job to
abuse, and a beautiful wife to
fuck. Excuse me -- I mean 'make
love to.'
Archer freaks out. He screams, flails -- unable to reach
Castor. Castor opens the door and guards rush in --
clubbing Archer and shocking him senseless.
WALTON
Sorry, sir.
CASTOR
It's quite all right. You never
know what to expect from a
psychopathic criminal...
INT. CELL BLOCK - DAY
The guards dump Archer into his cell.
WALTON
Better be nice, Castor. You could
get mighty lonely now that Pollux
is gone.
ARCHER
Pollux is -- what?
WALTON
Archer cut him a deal for turning
state's evidence. He's been
released...
ARCHER
Walton, you have to listen to me
-- right now!
WALTON
Or what? You'll have me fired?
(pushes a button)
You're confined until I say
otherwise...
The steel panels shut - silencing Archer's pleading
voice.
INT. ARCHER'S CAR - MOVING - DAY
Sipping a beer, Castor cruises past the suburban bliss:
men on hammocks; women chatting; kids playing tag.
CASTOR
(sickened)
Jesus, what a life.
Castor tries to catch a street address and rolls past...
ARCHER'S HOUSE
Dressed for work, Eve watches blandly as the car goes by.
A moment later, it backs up and parks.
Hiding the beer can, Castor forces a sheepish smile --
and gets out. She doesn't smile back.
EVE
I suppose it was only a matter of
time before you forgot where we
lived.
CASTOR
Sorry -- the job's been murder
lately.
Castor looks her over -- she's much sexier than he
expected.
EVE
So what happened to your
'important' assignment?
CASTOR
What do you know about it?
EVE
I know exactly what you always
tell me: Absolutely nothing.
CASTOR
It didn't work out the way
everyone thought it would. Where
are you off to?
EVE
I've got surgery.
CASTOR
Surgery -- are you okay?
Then he spots her medical bag. Oops.
EVE
Don't try to charm me -- I'm still
angry. There're leftovers in the
fridge.
CASTOR
Have fun at work.
Castor kisses her good-bye -- on the mouth.
EVE
What is with you?
CASTOR
Don't I usually kiss my wife?
EVE
No.
Castor reacts as she gets in the car and pulls out.
INT. ARCHER'S HOUSE - DAY
Castor steps inside, looks around.
CASTOR
What a dump.
INT. STUDY - DAY
Castor sifts through Christmas cards from holidays past,
studying the ones with photos. He's memorizing --
matching names to faces -- Wanda's, Buzz's, Lazarro's,
etc.
Something else catches his eye. He finds a floral
notebook -- Eve's diary -- and pages through it. Then,
he reads:
CASTOR
'... "Date-night" has been a
typical failure... we haven't made
love in almost two months...'
What a loser ...
Castor hears a voice. Glancing across the hall, he
sees...
GLIMPSES OF JAMIE
As she walks back and forth in her room, talking on the
phone -- and wearing only panties and a cropped T-shirt.
Castor steps closer -- enjoying the view.
CASTOR
The plot thickens.
INT. JAMIE'S ROOM - DAY
Jamie stamps out her cigarette.
JAMIE
-- I got your E-mail, Karl. That
poem was really sweet --
(spots Castor
at door)
Hang on a sec...
She slams it -- but he gets his foot inside.
JAMIE
I'll call you back.
(to Castor)
You're not respecting my
boundaries.
CASTOR
I'm coming in, Janie.
Castor pushes menacingly into the room.
JAMIE
'Janie'?
Castor spots her correct name embroidered on a pillow.
He gazes seductively -- unnerving Jamie as he steps
toward her.
CASTOR
I don't think you heard me...
Jamie... You have something I
want ...
He reaches for her -- and right past her. He picks up a
pack of cigarettes from the desk.
JAMIE
Clarissa left those here.
CASTOR
(shrugs and
lights up)
I won't tell mom if you don't.
JAMIE
When did you start smoking?
CASTOR
You'll be seeing a lot of changes
around here --
(blows a perfect
smoke ring)
Daddy's a new man.
Jamie stares, astonished, as Castor goes out.
INT. EREWHON PRISON - ARCHER'S CELL
Fists bloody, voice hoarse, Archer pounds at the cell
door. Exhausted, he finally stops -- staring at the face
of his enemy in the mirrored door -- the enemy who now
has total command of his life.
INT. FBI - LOBBY CHECKPOINT - DAY
Castor dons his stern "Archer" face as the gate guard
checks his thumbprint ID. He's cleared and waved in.
INT. FBI INTERROGATION BOOTH - DAY
Buzz and Wanda watch Pollux through the two-way mirror.
He's gorging himself on a big lunch. Castor arrives.
BUZZ
Listen, sir... we just want you to
know...
WANDA
We're all really sorry about
Tito...
CASTOR
Yeah, well, shit happens.
Buzz and Wanda exchange a glance. To them, "Archer" is
just avoiding his feelings again.
CASTOR
How's our star witness?
BUZZ
He hasn't told us a damn thing
except what kind of mustard he
likes on his tongue sandwiches.
WANDA
If that bomb is out there -- we're
almost out of time.
LAZARRO (O.S.)
Archer!
Lazarro stomps toward them... furious. Buzz and Wanda
quickly excuse themselves.
LAZARRO
You made a deal with Pollux Troy?
He's 'a manipulative psychopath.'
Your own words, Jon!
CASTOR
Just let me do my job, Victor.
LAZARRO
The job I've been protecting for
the last eight years. From now
on, you go strictly by the book.
Everything gets cleared by me.
Understand?
Lazarro stomps off. Castor watches him go, wheels
turning.
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
Castor enters -- shutting down the mikes... and the
blinds.
CASTOR
You're supposed to be snitching --
making me look good.
POLLUX
'Look good'?
(drops food in
disgust)
Seeing that face -- I want to
vomit.
CASTOR
I'm the one who has to look at
this butt-ugly mug every time I
pass a mirror. Look at my eyes,
my chin, my perfect nose -- gone!
(considers his
reflection)
Archer took my life, so I'm taking
his. Bro, I'm going straight.
POLLUX
Sounds like they took your brain,
too?
CASTOR
Imagine Dillinger as J. Edgar
Hoover. Carlos the Jackal running
Interpol. Kaddafi heading the
Mossad. Think of the secrets we
could sell...
Pollux listens carefully -- mind clicking like an abacus.
POLLUX
The drug agents we could expose.
The movie stars we could
blackmail!
CASTOR
That's just the bottom of the food
chain. Pollux -- what would
happen if somebody planted a bomb
on Air Force One?
POLLUX
... that somebody would get rich.
And, I suppose, the nation would
be pretty pissed-off.
CASTOR
Pissed-off, vulnerable... looking
for someone to step in, take
charge, give them hope again.
What if that someone was an F.B.I.
hero? A true Boy Scout and family
man -- with a spotless past.
Imagine where that guy could land
-- if the timing's right.
POLLUX
It's an audacious dream, Caz. But
Jon Archer is hardly a household
name.
CASTOR
Not yet he isn't. But after you
'confess' -- you'll be a free man.
And I'll be on my way...
EXT. CONVENTION CENTER - DAY
Police VEHICLES ROAR into position. Squads of police
evacuate throngs of people.
INT. CONVENTION CENTER - SUB-BASEMENT - EXTREME
CLOSEUP - BOMB TIMER - DAY
TICKS down to less than two minutes.
Working as a unit, the BOMB SQUAD carefully remove the
bomb's casing. Inside, the complex guts glow evilly.
The men are tense, cautious -- and way out of their
league.
BOMB LEADER
Jesus... Any suggestions?
TECHNICIAN
Yeah... run
Castor pushes up his blast visor. He looks grim.
BOMB LEADER
It's protected by a vibration
detector... One touch and...
CASTOR
Evacuate your team, Captain.
BOMB LEADER
Sir, you can't disarm it --
CASTOR
Just go!
The bomb squad hustles out. Waiting until he's alone,
Castor pulls a radio device from his pocket and hits its
switch. The bomb's glow dies instantly.
EXTREME CLOSEUP - TIMER
stops at 26 seconds.
BACK TO SCENE
Not satisfied, Castor starts it up again -- running the
timer down to four seconds. That's better.
INT. EREWHON PRISON - "POPULATION" - DAY
The inmates eat lunch. Walton enters -- prodding a
beaten Jon Archer ahead of him.
WALTON
A special privilege today: TV --
by order of Agent Jon Archer of
the F.B.I...
Jeers from the inmates as the big screen changes from the
nature loop to... CNN.
ON SCREEN - CONVENTION CENTER
"Sweating," Castor lumbers out, carrying the disarmed
bomb.
ANCHORMAN (V.O.)
That was the scene at the L.A.
Convention Center, where an F.B.I.
agent is being hailed as a hero.
Agent Jon Archer disarmed a
powerful bomb just seconds before
it was set to explode. Let's get
the latest from Valerie Rice...
EXT. CONVENTION CENTER - DAY
Castor basks in the attention of the gathered media.
REPORTER RICE
The apparent target was a group of
Supreme Court justices -- due to
speak here today.
(thrusting microphone)
Mr. Archer, do you have any idea
who planted it?
CASTOR
That's classified. But if he's
listening I have a message for
him:
(directly into
camera)
Nice try. Now you know who's
really in charge.
INT. EREWHON PRISON - POPULATION
Watching the TV, Archer's enraged, frustrated. Then his
eyes focus... he watches closely as --
A guard uses his "thumbprint ID" to get through the
security door. Archer's eyes fall on the thumbprint scan
pad.
INT. FBI - BULLPEN - DAY
Castor gets a "thumbs up" from some co-workers, others
smile -- but they know better than to applaud.
CASTOR
Don't you guys watch TV? Where's
the parade?
They look at each other -- afraid. But proud rookie
Loomis starts clapping, so everyone else joins in rousing
applause.
CASTOR
-- Loomis, Buzz, uh -- Wanda...
all of you, thanks from the bottom
of my heart. Thanks for enduring
all those years I was an
insufferable boor. From now on --
consider me reborn.
WANDA
Stop the presses -- Jon Archer
found a personality...
Wild applause... interrupted by an excited Kim.
KIM
Sir... the White House is calling.
Castor acts startled... as if at a loss. Then he struts
toward his office -- pausing only to give Kim a playful
swat on the rump. She's stunned.
INT. ARCHER'S OFFICE - DAY
Castor surveys his new domain. He settles into Archer's
big leather chair... sees a framed photo of Archer and
family. He apes Archer's dumb posed smile...
CASTOR
Jon, your career is finally taking
of.
(picks up phone)
Archer. Sure I'll hold...
Waiting, he picks up a handbook: You and the FBI: A
Primer for New Employees. Then...
CASTOR
Mr. President, what an honor...
Castor pumps a "whacking off" gesture with his hand.
EXT. ARCHER'S HOME - DAY
Castor, carrying grocery bags, comes into the back yard
where Jamie practices free throws. He watches her miss.
CASTOR
How about a game of horse?
JAMIE
Don't make me beat your butt
again, Dad. It's harmful to my
developing psyche.
CASTOR
Afraid you'll lose?
Castor crisply sinks a free-throw. Jamie glares, takes
the ball -- and tosses an air-ball.
CASTOR
'H.'
Jamie sneers at him. He buries another one.
CASTOR
Try putting a higher arc on the
ball... and square your shoulders
to the basket.
Begrudgingly, she listens -- and sinks a clean shot.
Pleased, she nods. HONK! A BMW pulls into the driveway.
JAMIE
Gotta go. Karl's here.
Jamie trots over to greet KARL (17) -- a clean-cut
preppie. Opening the car door dor her, Karl waves,
smiling at Castor. Castor studies Karl carefully, not
liking what he sees.
INT. ARCHER'S HOME - NIGHT
A tired Eve opens the door. It's pitch black inside. As
she fumbles for the light switch...
MATCH
flares as Castor lights a candle. The dining room table
is set for a candlelight dinner. He smiles warmly at her
confusion.
CASTOR
Don't tell me you forgot. Eve --
it's date night!
DINING ROOM - LATER
Eve looks up from her pasta. After an awkward silence.
EVE
Why do I feel like I'm on a blind
date?
CASTOR
It's important to keep some
mystery... so things stay...
unpredictable.
Eve studies him as he pours her more wine. Her smile
slowly fades as she realizes what's going on.
EVE
'Unpredictable'? You're about as
unpredictable as the tide.
(detached)
How long are you going to be gone
this time?
CASTOR
Gone?
EVE
Isn't that what all this is about?
The wine, cooking me dinner --
your next assignment?
CASTOR
I'm not going anywhere.
EVE
You always say that -- then you
leave.
CASTOR
I bet I deserved that. I bet Jon
Archer is the most inattentive,
sexless spouse on Earth.
EVE
Jon, that's not true --
CASTOR
Of course it's true, but I'm
trying to change? I'm here
because I want to be alone with
you. I want to see the candle-
light dance in your beautiful --
Uh-oh. Castor can't tell the color of Eve's eyes. He
leans in "romantically" -- but we know the real reason.
CASTOR
-- brown eyes.
He smells her hair, then her shoulders, her skin. She's
aroused, but wary. So Castor goes in for the kill.
CASTOR
I wanted it all to be just
right... when I told you about my
promotion.
EVE
Your what?
CASTOR
Well, I don't have it yet. But
Lazarro's getting old -- he won't
be around forever. And I'm
getting the itch to move up.
EVE
Jon... that's wonderful.
CASTOR
So you see, I'm not going
anywhere. Unless it's upstairs
with you...
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Castor carries Eve into the shower and spins on the
water.
He rips her blouse open -- on her like a vulture to
carrion. As they drop to the floor of the stall -- water
filling up around them -- Castor licks her ear and
whispers...
CASTOR
baby, it's like I'm having you for
the first time.
Dirty water runs down a floor drain... PULL BACK to:
INT. EREWHON PRISON - POPULATION - NIGHT
Desolate, Archer mops down the rec area.
ARCHER
Don't they ever let us take off
these boots?
VOISINE
Not unless you're sent to the
'Clinic.'
ARCHER
You mean if I get sick?
VOISINE
They don't give two fucks about
your health. The Clinic's where
they send the real hard-cases for
attitude adjustment. Dubov just
got sent down -- and look at
Wainwright --
Voisine gestures to a dazed inmate nearby -- WAINWRIGHT
-- who sits in a corner -- gnawing at his knuckles.
VOISINE
Toughest bastard I ever saw --
after you, of course. Now he's a
fucking drool case.
ARCHER
What did he do?
VOISINE
He hit a guard.
Archer sees Walton hovering nearby. Archer heads for
him.
WALTON
Looking for trouble, Castor?
ARCHER
As a matter of fact -- yes.
Crack! Archer decks Walton.
INT. PRISON - POPULATION - NIGHT
Walton and a guard herd Archer toward a steel door.
INT. "CLINIC" - NIGHT
Archer is dumped on the floor. He sees he's lying in a
puddle of something. He looks up -- and recoils.
ARCHER'S POV - DUBOV
is strapped to a vertical gurney -- post-procedure. His
limbs are stiff, his eyes blank as a mako shark's. But
his feet are bare -- bootless.
MED-TECH
Where's the mop, he puked all over
the place.
An assistant unstraps Dubov and drops him on a gurney.
MED-TECH
(mopping up)
-- next time, bring them in before
dinner...
Archer cases the place: Above is a catwalk... leading
out.
BACK TO SCENE
Walton muscles Archer into the gurney. The Med-Tech
smirks.
MED-TECH
Oh happy day -- Castor Troy.
The Med-Tech wheels the ECT head-gear cart into place:
twin needle-like BOLTS ready to fit into ARCHER'S ears.
A single blue static spark jumps from the bolts.
Walton roughly wedges Archer's head into the head gear,
shoving the chewed-up bite strap into Archer's mouth.
WALTON
Bite hard, scumbag, 'cause you'll
be gumming baby food from here on
out.
MED-TECH
Get his boots, Sergeant.
Walton unlocks Archer's first boot and pulls it off. As
the Med-Tech starts to fasten Archer's arm -- Walton
unlocks and pulls off the second boot.
Archer's feet are free. Crack! He yanks his foot up
hard -- Walton reels back, stunned.
One arm still restrained, Archer backrolls in the gurney
and kicks the head-gear cart away -- knocking it into the
Med-Tech who collapses onto it, hitting "Test" --
ZAP! The HEAD-BOLTS FIRE, catching the Med-Tech through
the shoulder -- he drops to the floor, his synapses shot.
Seeing that Archer is still restrained by the arm -- the
assistant darts out of the room.
As Archer pulls free -- Walton looms over him -- gun
poised.
Then -- wham! Dubov wallops Walton -- using his boots as
brass knuckles. The head guard collapses.
Dubov smiles dumbly at Archer -- all trace of vendetta
now obliterated. Archer nods gratefully -- they're on
the same team... at least for now.
Suddenly the ALARM BLARES.
Archer sees guards charging the room. He tries closing
the door -- but the guards arrive. Dubov lumbers over
and puts his massive weight into it -- and slams the door
shut.
O.S., guards POUND at the now-locked door.
Archer quickly frisks Walton -- coming up with a
cigarette lighter. he pockets it.
Scanning around -- Archer leaps onto a mounted, hinged
lamp. it swings against the wall. Archer uses it to
reach the catwalk above.
ARCHER
Dubov -- come on!
Dubov obeys and follows Archer up onto the catwalk.
A groggy Walton muscles open the door from inside.
Guards pour in. Walton grabs an AUTO-RIFLE and opens
FIRE.
SLUGS chase Archer and Dubov as they flee through the
catwalk door.
INT. CENTRAL SECURITY CONTROL
Two guards watch Archer and Dubov disappear off the
clinic's monitor. They grab their shock-sticks and rush
for the door.
The door opens -- revealing Dubov and Archer. Perfectly
in synch -- they double cold-cock the startled guards.
Archer grabs a shock-stick -- and fuses the door shut.
He yanks out wires and shatters the computers. Dubov
mimics the behavior -- ripping out an entire console --
and revealing a narrow cable duct.
Flames explode -- shorting the circuitry -- the DRONING
HUM RISES -- the magnetic power monitor shows a dangerous
surge.
AROUND PRISON
Chaos. Guards scatter as the huge diamond-vision SCREEN
EXPLODES and inmates are flung like rag-dolls by their
short-circuiting boots. Anything metallic flies into the
magnetic domes.
SECURITY CENTRAL
As the men back through the cable duct -- Archer
struggles to replace the heavy console.
The DOOR is BLOWN open. Walton enters to find... no one.
Then his eyes light on the console -- slightly askew.
INT. CABLE CORRIDOR
Archer and Dubov rush down the tight corridor -- and
around the bend. The corridor ends in a...
STORAGE/MAINTENANCE AREA
Lined with tools, toilets, sinks, a rack of old lock-down
boots. They race through the far door...
INT. CENTRAL TOWER ROOM
Archer and Dubov find themselves in a multi-level
labyrinth. A hundred feet high -- criss-crossed with
catwalks, staircases and high walls.
ECHOES resound -- SHOUTING, FOOTSTEPS GETTING CLOSER --
they seem to be coming from all around them.
Over the magnetic HUM -- Archer notices loose screws and
other metal debris stuck to the sheer wall. He pulls one
screw away -- and lets it fly back into the polarized
wall.
Archer gets an idea -- and looks back the way they came.
SMASH CUT:
SHEER WALL
Archer and Dubov scale the face -- using the old metal
boots. They climb higher and higher as...
Guards criss-cross the catwalks and staircases below and
around them -- oblivious.
Archer and Dubov almost reach the next level when...
WALTON
There!
BULLETS SMACK the wall around them -- just as Archer and
Dubov reach the next catwalk.
Archer spots the emergency exit security door at the far
end. But four guards descend on them -- and block their
way.
Fist fight as Archer and Dubov take on the attacking
guards. Archer heaves one down the stairs -- into more
guards. Dubov drops another over the catwalk.
They continue their desperate race for the door --
reaching the landing. As BULLETS PING around them --
hulking Dubov rips away a floor panel. He uses it as a
shield as Archer sparks up Walton's lighter.
As SLUGS EXPLODE into the shield -- Archer places the
flame to his thumb... and peels off the skin mold.
He presses his thumb to the door's keypad. To his
horror, its LED reads "print unreadable."
Walton and guards movie in, FIRING at closer and closer
range.
Dubov staggers under the FUSILLADE OF BULLETS. The
shield is repeatedly punctured -- and is quickly
disintegrating.
Archer licks his thumb, tries again. Finally it reads
"Clearance Confirmed"... the door slides open.
ARCHER
Let's go!
Dubov heaves the shield at the encroaching guards -- but
as he turns to follow... Walton BLOWS him away.
Archer reaches to pull Dubov through, but the riddled
inmate ignores the helping hand. Pulling the door shut,
he collapses in front of it -- blocking it momentarily.
INT. HIGH CATWALK TOWER
Archer hesitates for a moment... but that's all he has.
he keeps going... up the winding staircase-catwalk --
higher and higher -- a step ahead of the onrushing
guards.
As BULLETS CLANG around him -- Archer reaches the top.
He ignores a sign which reads...
EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY
SAFETY LINES REQUIRED
He charges straight up a ladder and plows right
through --
SMASH CUT:
EXT. PRISON - DAWN
Archer's blinded -- it's daytime in the real world.
A sea gull flies across his face -- as we FOLLOW the
bird...
PULL WAY, WAY BACK to reveal:
The prison's in the middle of the goddamn ocean, in what
appears to be just an abandoned, rusty oil rig platform.
Archer rushes over to a transport chopper.
INSIDE COCKPIT
Archer searches for the keys. No go. He throws
switches. Nothing works.
Guards pour out of the hatch -- FIRING. Archer leaps
from the chopper and jumps over the side to the
platform's --
LOWER LEVEL
He lands hard on the slanted, corrugated shed roof and
rolls to the ground. He grabs a high-pressure hose --
and cranks the pressure valve -- as the pursuing guards
close in.
Archer BLASTS the guards with the WATER CANNON --
knocking Walton and others into the sea. Archer upends a
stack of oil barrels -- which roll into more guards.
Archer spots:
TUGBOAT
pulling a Zodiac dinghy -- heading out to sea.
Archer jumps up a stack of pipes to the south rail --
where the end of a crane's hook is tagged back. Under
FIRE -- Archer frees the hook, which swings away from the
platform.
Hanging on to the hook, it swings him out over the ocean.
At the apex -- le lets go and plummets down into...
CHOPPY SEA
He pulls himself into the ZODIAC and frees it from the
tug. It ROARS off.
EXT. ZODIAC - MOVING - DAY
The nylon craft zips through the waves -- approaching San
Pedro Harbor. The ENGINE SPUTTERS... low on gas.
ARCHER
Come on... come on...
Archer senses something... He looks up and...
Whoosh! Something swoops down -- but it's just a
pelican.
He FIDDLES with the ENGINE -- which finally DIES. Archer
grabs the oars -- about to start rowing when --
Another swoop! This time it's the prison chopper.
Archer spots a string of buoys dotting the harbor. An
idea.
WIDE SHOT
The chopper settles over the Zodiac.
Wind and water swirl around Archer...
CHOPPER
Walton, drenched but obviously rescued, has archer in his
sights... He starts to FIRE his MACHINE GUNS...
ZODIAC
BULLETS RAIN down on the boat -- destroying it -- as
Archer dives into the rolling swells...
INSIDE CHOPPER
Walton RAKES the debris -- shredding it.
The chopper does a final circle of the wreckage... then
moves off... its ROTOR WASH THRASHING the buoy.
UNDER BUOY
Archer has crawled up into the hollow buoy -- sucking
air.
INT. ARCHER HOME - BEDROOM - DAY
Eve's asleep. Castor, dressed, looks down at her like
Cortez at Montezuma -- triumphant, with overwhelming
power.
EXT. DRIVEWAY - DAY
Heading for the car, Castor is about to light up when --
EVE
Last night, I thought -- this
isn't my husband.
He pockets the smoke. Eve is there, dressed somberly.
EVE
Then I woke up in the middle of
the night -- and found you passed
out in the study.
CASTOR
I couldn't sleep -- you roll
around a lot.
(jingles car keys)
Anyway, I'm late.
EVE
Jon, you know what day it is. I
know it's difficult for you, but
we still have to go.
CASTOR
Can't we skip it just this once?
I gotta 'protect and serve', you
know.
EVE
'Protect and serve' later. You're
going.
CASTOR
Okay, if you insist. But -- you
drive.
He climbs into the front seat beside her.
INT./EXT. CAR - MOVING - DAY
A pastoral, hilly area near the coast.
CASTOR
So who's this Karl creep Jamie's
been seeing? He's a little old
for her, isn't he?
EVE
I don't know... they're about the
same ages we were when we met.
(smiles)
Remember the all-night dentist?
CASTOR
Sure, how could I forget.
(changes subject)
By the way, you never said
anything about last night...
He moves closer, stroking her hair as his BEEPER sounds.
EVE
Aren't you going to get that?
He turns his beeper off, then touches her lips with his
finger. Without knowing exactly why, Eve tenses up.
EVE
Jon -- this is hardly the time or
place.
Castor looks around in surprise because he sees she's
driving into --
SPRAWLING MEMORIAL PARK
They drive through the gates -- passing a church marked
"ST. MARY'S-BY-THE-SEA." Nearby, the OCEAN ROARS.
EXT. ST. MARY'S CEMETERY - DAY
It's beautiful here, striking and sad. Now on foot,
Castor follows Eve up a bluff, through a phalanx of
graves -- with no idea where she's leading him.
Finally she stops at a crucifix-topped headstone. Castor
joins her and reads the etched marble stone:
Matthew Archer, Age 5
Beloved Son & Brother
We Cherish You Always
Stunned, Castor watches as Eve kneels beside the marker.
EVE
Happy birthday, Matty.
She places a few child's toys on the marker... a shark...
a little bulldozer... a spaceship. Overwhelmed with
grief, she collapses into Castor.
EVE
He took our baby, Jon. He took
our little boy.
FULL SCREEN - CASTOR'S FACE
He stares at the grave of the boy he killed -- the boy
whose mother is weeping into his chest.
The ever-present smirk is long gone as Castor stiffly
returns Eve's embrace -- maybe, just maybe, feeling the
victim's pain.
CASTOR
Stop crying... stop crying...
stop ...
INT. FBI BULLPEN - DAY
Shaking off his funk, Castor arrives at the office.
WANDA
You picked a helluva day to leave
your beeper off!
CASTOR
What happened?
WANDA
Castor's dead!
CASTOR
He's -- what?
BUZZ
Somehow he escaped from Erewhon.
But a prison chopper mowed him
down just off Long Beach Harbor...
CASTOR
Where's the body?
WANDA
It hasn't been recovered yet.
CASTOR
'It hasn't been recovered yet!'
You people have no idea who you're
dealing with!
(beat)
I want everyone on this, reports
on the half hour, and all leads
get routed through my office.
Buzz, alert the L.A.P.D.
BUZZ
L.A.P.D.? Even if he is alive,
Castor isn't stupid enough to come
back to the city.
CASTOR
He's alive -- and he's already
here. Move!
EXT. PIER - NIGHT
Something bobs up in the surf. Archer is thrashed ashore
by the breakers... he crawls gasping onto the sand. He
takes a few breaths -- then staggers up onto the beach.
EXT. TITO'S STREET - NIGHT
Archer's heart sinks as he sees the yellow police cordon
taped across Tito's front door. Some teenage cholos
notice him -- so Archer keeps right on going.
INT. TITO'S DUPLEX - NIGHT
A rear window is forced open -- Archer pulls himself in.
In the dim light, he sees the bullet hole on the wall...
then the blood stains within the forensics chalk marks.
He buckles and has to sit down. Taking a deep breath, he
picks up the phone and dials.
ARCHER
Dr. Archer please. It's an
emergency.
(listens)
-- Her husband.
Archer waits. He pinches his throat -- trying to
dislodge the vocal implant. His voice scrambles into
garbled static.
ARCHER
Hello, Eve -- I know this sounds
crazy, but --
(reverting back)
Dammit.
INT. HOSPITAL - ER - NIGHT
EVE deftly stitches up a gash above little IRIS's (8)
eye.
EVE
How did this happen, sweetie?
IRIS'S DAD
She fell off her Big-Wheel.
Something about his too-quick response rankles Eve. She
eyes the yuppy Dad with suspicion -- then notes some
bruises on the child's arm. A NURSE enters.
NURSE
Dr. Archer -- your husband's on
three.
EVE
Get Child Services down here --
and don't let her father leave.
(goes to wall-phone)
Jon? Hello?
INTERCUT Archer and Eve as necessary.
ARCHER
Eve, listen carefully. The man
you think is your husband --
isn't.
EVE
Who is this?
ARCHER
Please, just listen! Take Jamie
and go to your mother's in Santa
Fe. Don't tell him where you're
going -- just go.
EVE
Whoever you are -- don't call
again...
CLICK. Archer sags in futility. A SIREN snaps him back
to reality.
Archer goes to the window and carefully peers out.
A squad CAR ROARS INTO VIEW -- then continues on its way.
ARCHER
I need to speak to Director
Lazarro immediately... I have
information about Castor Troy.
Waiting... Archer rifles the room... finding car keys...
a baggy jacket... Then...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. FBI OFFICE
CASTOR
This is Jon Archer. Who's
calling?
Archer pauses... hearing his own voice speaking to him.
ARCHER
Well, if you're Jon Archer... I
guess this must be Castor Troy...
CASTOR
I've gotta hand it to you, Jon.
You're doing a damn respectable
job of being me. But let's face
it, we both liked it better the
way it was. So before the cops
blow your brains out -- why not
tell me where you are...
ARCHER
If you were really me, you'd
know -- no discussion, no deals.
Archer hangs up == leaving Castor stewing.
EXT. GARAGE - NIGHT
The automatic door lifts -- revealing Tito's old Buick.
The big V-8 RUMBLES as Archer pulls out. He doesn't get
far as... menacing CHOLOS block his way.
CHOLO # 1
Where are you going?
CHOLO #2
Ten bucks he's the guy who popped
Tito!
The Cholos surround the Buick. Archer's cornered like an
animal as the angry teens pound on the windows.
Archer HITS the GAS -- scattering all except Cholo #1 who
jumps on the hood. Archer SLAMS the BRAKES -- sending
the guy flying. He lands hard, but is only shaken up.
As Archer roars off, Cholo #1 pulls out his cell phone.
CHOLO #1
9-1-1? I want to report a stolen
car and don't put me on hold!
INT./EXT. BUICK - MOVING - NIGHT
Archer drives on -- listening to KFWB.
RADIO REPORTER (V.O.)
... the escapee is considered
extremely dangerous. If you have
any information concerning the
whereabouts of Castor Troy...
He SHUTS it OFF as he sees in the distance:
HIS OWN HOME
FBI and LAPD vehicles are parked in front. No way he's
getting near there.
In his rearview mirror Archer spots a cop car
approaching. He quickly turns a corner as the cop slowly
cruises by.
ARCHER
No, Jon... you have to think like
Castor. Where would he go...?
Archer gets an idea. But as he drives on -- the cop car
backs up -- and reappears INTO FRAME.
EXT. MELROSE DISTRICT - NIGHT
Dietrich locks up his chic art gallery. He gets in his
Lexus and drives out of the parking lot.
INT./EXT. STREET - LEXUS - MOVING - NIGHT
Dietrich slows down to check out the forensics team
swarming all over Tito's parked Buick. Dietrich quickly
averts his face as he spots... "Jon Archer" inspecting
Tito's Buick.
DIETRICH
Jon Archer... some poor schmuck's
in big trouble.
ARCHER
Yeah -- me.
With surprising speed, Dietrich yanks a pistol from
someplace and jerks around --
Archer -- hunkered down in the back seat -- stares into
the barrel of Dietrich's pistol.
DIETRICH
Jesus Christ, Castor.
ARCHER
Drive. And punch up your
cellular -- I need you to make
some calls.
DIETRICH
You're gonna get me busted!
ARCHER
You're already busted, Dietrich.
It's just a matter of time before
they pick you up.
Dietrich snakes the car past the crime scene and speeds
off.
DIETRICH
Man, when you came to me about
that bomb -- I knew I should have
blown you off... but that's my
fucking curse -- I just can't say
no to a friend.
ARCHER
You can't say no to money.
DIETRICH
That's my other curse.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - LOFT - NIGHT (LATER)
Cars pull up in front of a gentrified loft amid the low-
rent streets.
Emerging from them are several thugs -- including Aldo,
Fitch and their sexy girl friends, LIVIA and Cindee.
INT. DIETRICH'S LOFT - BATHROOM - NIGHT
Archer splashes water on his face -- then stops and
listens as the DOORBELL RINGS. He screws up his courage.
ARCHER
You're Castor Troy... This is your
old crew -- you don't take shit
and you don't take no for an
answer...
INT. DIETRICH'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The thugs admire the loft -- dominated by an enormous,
in-progress mural and stunning glass-bricked floor.
ALDO
Helluva place, Dietrich. So
what's the big surprise?
Archer emerges. The men are stunned -- the women beam.
FITCH
Are you crazy? You're going to
bring the Feds down on all of us!
ARCHER
Archer doesn't want you, he wants
me! But I'm going to get him
first -- with your help.
ALDO
Archer's a damn celebrity now --
he's untouchable -- and you're
radioactive.
He turns to leave. Archer wheels him around and smashes
him into the wall. Aldo goes for his gun, but Archer's
too quick -- he strips him of it.
The four bodyguards draw their weapons -- and surround
Archer.
ARCHER
You wanna face-off with Castor
Troy? Come on, then! Come on!
'Cause I've had a real bad day...
Four against one -- and everyone's sweating but Archer.
One-by-one, the bodyguards back off. Archer points the
gun at Aldo -- then smiles and hands it back.
ARCHER
You're all forgetting who the real
enemy is.
(to Aldo)
Six months ago, Jon Archer hauled
you in for questioning. He
rattled you so bad -- you shit
your Armani suit right there in
the interrogation room.
Aldo blanches -- how did Castor know that? Fitch laughs.
ARCHER
You laugh, Fitch -- the way Archer
laughed at your last arraignment,
when you got down on your knees
and tried to blow your way to
freedom.
Stunned, Fitch cringes as everybody cracks up.
DIETRICH
We all have a reason to hate Jon
Archer. We all want to see him
dead --
ARCHER
And nobody's untouchable if we say
he's not.
The thugs exchange a glance... reading each other...
considering.
DIETRICH
It's all worked out. Caz has
Archer's routine down cold.
ARCHER
We start with your basic
kidnapping. Then -- a little
surgery.
FITCH
Surgery?
ARCHER
I'm going to rearrange his face in
a way you won't believe.
ALDO
You're an evil bitch, Caz. But
you've got balls of titanium.
Count us in.
Archer sighs with relief -- pleased with his performance.
DIETRICH
Come on -- let's drink to it!
FULL SCREEN - BLUE CAPSULE
Dietrich cracks it open -- powder sifts into a big high-
ball glass filled with mescal. he hands it to Archer.
DIETRICH
How about one of your famous
toasts, Caz?
They all look expectantly at Archer... he's at a loss.
ARCHER
To old jobs, new jobs and -- uh --
blow jobs?
Silence -- then they crack up. Reluctantly, Archer
swallows the tumbler of mescal... he fights back the urge
to puke.
LIVIA
Enough business, Caz. Let's
dance.
ARCHER
Sorry... I don't...
She drags him onto the glass floor. Cindee puts on some
MUSIC as Archer's head begins to spin. The girls start
"dancing," grinding Archer between their taut bodies. He
tries to avoid it, but Livia kisses him -- hot, moist.
LIVIA
Remember the Charger's game, Caz?
The owners box? We did it four
times.
ARCHER
Sure I remember... Once a quarter,
right?
Archer's eyes fall on the series of abstract paintings.
The twisted renderings make his head spin worse... as he
starts to hallucinate... surrounded by enemies -- he
struggles to regain control of his battered psyche.
LIVIA
Caz? Are you okay?
He pulls away and stumbles down the stairs -- toward the
kitchen.
DIETRICH
When even Castor Troy can't handle
a tab of Quantrex...
(raises his glass)
That, dear friends, is the first
sorry whiff of old age.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Archer has his mouth under the tap -- drinking greedily.
Woozy, he takes a breath... and notices a reflection in
the window above the sink. Archer turns to see -- Sasha.
ARCHER
-- Sasha Hassler. Age 35. Met
Castor Troy in Austin, Texas, at
Pearl Jam reunion...
(catches himself)
Uh, how you doing, baby?
She responds by slapping him -- hard.
SASHA
What the hell are you doing here?
You're supposed to be dead...
He wobbles, then falls flat on his face. Out cold.
INT. ARCHER'S HOME - BALCONY - NIGHT
Castor's chain-smoking, looking out over the city --
wondering where Archer might be hiding. But something
breaks his rumination. He sees --
DOWN STREET
A BMW pulls up to the curb. The THUMPING MUSIC from
within GOES QUIET, but no one emerges.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT (MOMENTS LATER)
Curious, Castor approaches the car, keeping a safe
distance. He can see Jamie inside, struggling with Karl.
JAMIE
No... Karl, please.
He "shushes" Jamie -- but doesn't stop pawing her.
JAMIE
My father -- he's got a gun --
he'll -- he'll --
KARL
(pulls open belt)
That wimp won't do shit.
SMASH! The passenger WINDOW EXPLODES inward. Castor
drags Karl out by his hair. Jamie scrambles out and
flees toward the house as...
CASTOR
Who are you to call Jon Archer a
wimp?
Castor heaves Karl into the WINDSHIELD -- SPIDER-WEBBING
it. Somehow the kid finds his feet and stumbles behind
the wheel. The Beemer lurches away.
INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Castor enters to find Jamie, still shaken up.
CASTOR
What are you -- stupid?
JAMIE
That's just like you. Some guy
tries to rape me -- and you side
with him.
CASTOR
Did it look like I was siding with
him? Did it?
(she falls silent)
You want to play with scummy organ
grinders, you better be prepared.
Do you have protection?
JAMIE
You mean like... condoms?
CASTOR
I mean like... protection.
With a fluid motion, Castor expertly SNAPS open a well-
oiled SWITCHBLADE and hands it to an astonished Jamie.
JAMIE
For me?
CASTOR
Next time -- slip it in low, then
twist it -- so the wound doesn't
close.
She hugs him tight -- taking Castor by surprise. But he
responds momentarily. About to pat her rump -- something
makes him stop.
CASTOR
Go on, get out of here.
Jamie kisses him and heads up stairs. After she's
gone...
CASTOR
No wonder he spent all his time
chasing me. Who can deal with
this family shit?
The PHONE RINGS. He rushes to the den and picks it up.
CASTOR
Jon Archer.
(immediately alert)
Where is he?
EXT. LOFT - ACROSS STREET - NIGHT
Using night-vision goggles, Pollux watches Sasha close
her drapes. Visible in the b.g. on the sofa -- is
Archer.
POLLUX
(into cell phone)
-- I thought he might visit some
old friends of yours. And bro, if
I didn't know better -- I'd swear
this guy likes being you...
INT. SASHA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Archer wakens. Sasha is tugging off his pants.
ARCHER
Uh -- can't we just talk?
SASHA
Talk? The only talk I ever heard
from you was 'take it off,' 'sit
on it,' 'I'll pay you tomorrow.'
She pulls out some fresh clothes -- and dumps them on
him.
SASHA
Take off the rest of those rags
and get dressed. Then get out.
ARCHER
Not until I finish my business
with your brother.
SASHA
I told him to keep those creeps
away -- but you're just too big an
attraction.
(calming herself)
Look, if the F.B.I. finds out
you've been here -- I'll lose my
son. So please, just go.
For the first time, Archer sees not a hardened felon --
but a frightened, protective mother. And he realizes the
effect his own relentless obsession has had on her.
ARCHER
I know I've done some things that
made your life harder...
SASHA
How would you? You walked out and
never looked back.
ADAM enters, heading for his toys -- his presence cooling
Sasha's deep-seated anger. Archer finishes dressing.
ARCHER
I'm not the same person you
remember. And for what it's
worth, I'm sorry...
Her harsh look softens imperceptively -- like that of a
woman trying to hate someone she still loves.
ARCHER
Not a bad fit.
SASHA
They should. They're yours.
ARCHER
Nice-looking kid, too
SASHA
Of course he is...
Sasha fidgets, struggling with a deep inner turmoil.
Then...
SASHA
Adam, come here... I want you to
meet your father.
Archer's face pales over in shock.
EXT. SASHA'S ROOM - NIGHT
Their silhouettes are visible against the shades.
PULL BACK...
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Castor, Buzz, Wanda and Loomis peer at the silhouettes.
CASTOR
(into cellular)
We've got him sighted. Okay,
Pollux, pull out.
BUZZ
What makes you so sure this guy's
gonna set up his own brother?
CASTOR
I've never been more certain of
anything. Get everyone in
position. Remember -- shoot to
kill.
Before Buzz can object, Castor's eyes say "don't argue."
BUZZ
You heard the man -- let's saddle
up!
INT. SASHA'S ROOM - NIGHT
Playing with his toys, Adam does not see Archer's icy
gaze.
ARCHER
How old is he?
SASHA
Five. No one knows you're his
father. I thought someone might
want to hurt him -- just to hurt
you...
ADAM
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Startled, they turn to see Adam pointing a toy gun at
them. Upset, she takes it from his hands.
SASHA
You know Mommy doesn't like you
playing with these things...
She kicks the toy aside and lifts Adam -- offering him to
Archer. Awkwardly, Archer takes the boy.
Archer's emotions avalanche as his grip tightens -- his
big hands dwarfing the little boy's body.
SASHA
You're not holding him right...
Caz...
Archer isn't hearing Sasha. He's lost in his own
memory... the sound of a CAROUSEL... a KID'S LAUGHTER...
a GUNSHOT...
Then Adam smiles -- perhaps the way Matthew once smiled.
It pulls something up from inside Archer -- something
strong. He regains control, dumping the child into
Sasha's arms.
ARCHER
He's not my son.
SASHA
Yes, he is -- !
Then something alerts Archer -- maybe the fleeting
shadows that blot out the window-light for the barest
second.
ARCHER
Get down!
K-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! The WINDOW PANES SHATTER -- as
TEARGAS GRENADES and GUNFIRE riddles the loft.
OUTSIDE
across the way, Castor directs the FIREPOWER.
INT. UPPER LEVEL
Chaos. A bodyguard is mowed down. Dietrich and the
others scatter and hit the floor.
KITCHEN
Cindee and Fitch are caught in flagrante delicto on the
floor as the kitchen is decimated by GUNFIRE...
SASHA'S BEDROOM
Coughing, Archer crawls through the roiling smoke toward
the door. He's almost out when...
SASHA
Adam!
Her wail of fear freezes Archer. He looks back -- and
sees Adam in the eye of the firestorm.
Archer's face betrays his conflict. A child -- but his
worst enemy's child.
BULLETS SHRED the WALL around Adam. Getting closer.
Archer moves -- he crawls toward Adam.
Just then -- a SWAT agent rappels in through one of the
shattered windows, his weapon poised. Archer kicks him
hard, pitching him back through the window.
Archer grabs Adam -- curling him into his body. Thinking
fast, he soaks his discarded T-shirt into a toppled
flower vase -- then places it over Adam's face.
Protecting him.
He rushes to Sasha. Together, they barrel through the
soft, paper wall and tear out an escape route.
INT. KITCHEN
FIRING out the window, Fitch is riddled from outside by
an agent as he CRASHES through the WINDOW.
Cindee slashes the agent with a cleaver. He FIRES --
BLASTING Cindee into the refrigerator.
LOWER LEVEL
Archer hustles Sasha and Adam toward the staircase
when --
FRONT DOOR
explodes open. SWAT agents swarm to get in -- FIRING and
throwing FLASH-GRENADES.
ARCHER, SASHA AND ADAM
are caught out in the open, when --
UPPER LEVEL
Dietrich, et al, open FIRE down on the attacking agents.
Agents drop or are driven back out.
SKYLIGHT
BURSTS open and agents rappel down -- FIRING. Aldo's
bodyguard falls, riddled, off the upper level.
LOWER LEVEL
as one agent lands, Archer knocks his gun to the floor.
They grapple. As the agent reaches for it -- Adam
appears and kicks the gun away. Just like Mommy.
SASHA
scoops up the kicked weapon -- and cold-cocks another
rappelling agent. Then she FIRES, cutting a third
rappelling agent's rope. he drops hard to the floor --
unconscious.
Still grappling, Archer rips off the agent's gas-mask...
ARCHER
Buzz...
Buzz's eyes reveal only hatred. He reaches for his
knife. Archer hesitates, then heaves Buzz through the
glass door. He pushes Adam upstairs as more agents pour
in the front door.
ARCHER
Dietrich! The painting!
UPPER LEVEL
Dietrich sees the canvas mural above the breached front
door -- and understands. He opens FIRE, cutting loose
the mural. It collapses, billowing -- and enshrouds the
attacking agents -- and buying time.
DIETRICH
Let's go!
Archer and Sasha flee up the stairs.
UPPER LEVEL
Sasha sees Adam huddled in the middle of the glass floor
-- the shadows of agents moving below.
SASHA
Adam!
LOWER LEVEL
An agent aims his shotgun at the glass floor -- at the
"target" kneeling on top of it.
UPPER LEVEL
Archer dives and grabs the boy as the GLASS FLOOR
EXPLODES up. He rolls through a shower of glass -- but
comes up with Adam safely.
Agents and thugs FIRE blindly upward and downward through
the floor -- desperate to hit their targets.
Agents open FIRE from the girders supporting the roof --
cutting down Fitch's last bodyguard.
DIETRICH
They're like cockroaches!
Dietrich and Livia toss SMOKE GRENADES into the loft --
covering their escape.
TOP LEVEL
Dietrich leads them to the very back of the loft. He
pulls open a hidden door.
DIETRICH
If we make it, we'll meet up at my
Malibu place. You remember it,
Caz?
ARCHER
Off Kanan Road -- I know it.
Archer hands Adam over to Sasha. She hugs her little boy
-- then embraces Archer tightly. Hanging on -- near
tears -- because she knows this may be the last time.
SASHA
Thank you, Caz... thank you...
ARCHER
Get the boy out of here...
Livia and the remaining bodyguard hustle Archer out --
INT. ROTUNDA - NIGHT
MAC-10 poised, Livia and the bodyguard rush Archer
through the deserted rotunda -- BOOM! BOOM! His escorts
drop.
Castor rushes down the staircase -- BLASTING at Archer.
Unarmed, Archer instantly disappears behind one of the
eight columns. The columns are separated by mirrored-
panels.
Cat-and-mouse as Castor slips in and out between column
and mirror. He spots Archer dead-ahead and BLASTS away!
CRASH! The MIRROR SHATTERS into a thousand pieces.
ARCHER (O.S.)
That's about a thousand years bad
luck...
Castor whirls, spots Archer again and FIRES! Another
MIRROR. Sensing Archer behind him -- Castor turns and
FIRES again -- this time BLASTING away his OWN
REFLECTION.
Then Archer leaps through a shattered mirror frame -- and
onto Castor. They battle for control of the pistol.
CASTOR
It's too late, Jon. Your kid
loves me. And your wife's an
animal. Even I can't keep up with
her.
They're so close Castor's whispering right in Archer's
ear.
CASTOR
Tonight I'm going to make her come
like Niagara Falls -- to celebrate
your death.
Castor licks Archer's ear salaciously. Enraged, Archer
tears the pistol from his grip and turns it on Castor.
He's got Castor dead to rights -- suddenly BULLETS SHRED
the world around him. Archer staggers away as --
Loomis enters -- FIRING his M-16 as Archer dives for a
doorway. Loomis FIRES the M-16's grenade launcher.
BOOM! The GRENADE EXPLODES -- the doorway bursts into
flames -- but Archer has made it through.
Loomis tries to help up Castor -- who pushes him off
angrily. Castor can't follow through the flames.
EXT. ROOF - NIGHT
Archer slams out of the interior stairwell -- but BULLETS
force him to take cover behind the cupola.
Pollux FIRES at him from the other side.
Archer RETURNS FIRE -- driving Pollux back. Stand-off.
POLLUX
Remember me? Your 'baby brother'?
Trying to get the drop, Pollux carefully crawls onto the
top of the cupola.
POLLUX
You tricked me into telling you
things I never told anyone...
Archer hears movement above him as Pollux reaches the
crown.
POLLUX
Now take it to your grave.
Archer FIRES his PISTOL -- into the glass cupola -- and
SHATTERS the GLASS beneath Pollux's feet. The cupola
disintegrates beneath his weight. He plunges down
into --
ROTUNDA
Castor watches in horror as Pollux pancakes onto the
floor at his feet.
CASTOR
Pollux...
Pollux is almost gone. Castor looks up and sees --
ARCHER
Peering down into the rotunda.
CASTOR
OPENS FIRE --
ARCHER
Ducks the bullets as he disappears.
Castor desperately holds Pollux -- to no avail. Pollux
slips away... and dies. He turns to Loomis...
CASTOR
Get a medic -- now!
LOOMIS
Forget him, sir. It's only Pollux
Troy...
Castor snaps. Without hesitation, he jerks up his GUN
and PUTS a BULLET right in the middle of Loomis's
forehead.
Castor looks at the dead kid -- his rage barely abated
as -- Buzz and Wanda arrive on the scene and see Loomis's
body.
WANDA
What happened?
CASTOR
What the fuck do you think
happened? Castor Troy just
shot him!
(beat)
What are you waiting for? Go!
After Buzz and Wanda take off -- Castor gathers Pollux up
in his arms -- totally devastated.
INT. F.B.I - DAY
Dazed, Castor approaches his office. Kim proudly holds a
copy of Time magazine. His photo is on the cover.
KIM
Sir -- you're on the cover of
Time. They're calling you 'An
Authentic American Hero.'
He just pushes by her and goes into his office.
INT. FBI - ARCHER'S OFFICE - DAY
Alone -- Castor picks up the framed photo of Eve and
Jamie -- staring at it with unbridled hatred.
Fury rising, he crumples the frame -- and the photo -- in
his clenching grip. He hurls it into other Archer family
memorabilia -- shattering more photos and souvenirs.
Only then does Castor notice Lazarro standing in the
doorway. For how long -- he can't be sure.
CASTOR
What is it?
Lazarro shuts the door behind him.
LAZARRO
We were friends once, Jon, so I
feel I owe it to you -- to tell
you face-to-face...
(a beat)
I don't care how much hype you're
getting -- you're through. After
that massacre last night, I'm
ordering a full inquiry into your
recent erratic -- and deeply
suspect -- behavior.
CASTOR
Me -- 'erratic'? Victor, what are
you talking about?
Castor casually closes the blinds between the offices.
LAZARRO
You start meeting with Brodie and
Miller. Then they die
mysteriously. Your best friend is
murdered -- and you don't seem to
give a shit.
Suddenly you're smoking, drinking,
acting like a man with something
to hide...
(beat)
Maybe you've been bought -- maybe
you've lost your mind. But I
promise... I'm going to find out.
Eye to eye... Castor knows he can't finesse this one.
CASTOR
Okay, Vic, I have a confession to
make. But you aren't gonna like
it...
(wraps arm
around neck)
I'm Castor Troy.
LAZARRO
-- I don't understand...
Castor suddenly jabs his fist into Lazarro's chest. He
pleads for mercy as Castor pounds and pounds away at his
heart -- until it finally seizes up.
Lazarro twitches in a death throe, then slumps to the
ground.
CASTOR
Now you understand.
He punches up the intercom button.
CASTOR
Cancel my four o'clock.
(beat)
And send for the paramedics.
Victor Lazarro's having a heart
attack.
Castor fixes himself a shot of mescal. He checks his
watch -- as if counting -- then kneels beside Lazarro's
body.
The door flies open -- and two medics rush in. They see
Castor vigorously pumping Lazarro's chest -- "applying"
CPR.
The medics gently nudge Castor aside. One medic takes
Lazarro's pulse, then shakes his head.
EXT. GRIFFITH PARK OBSERVATORY - DAY
Castor peers down over the city... trying to collect
himself. He lights up a smoke... planning his next move.
His meditation is broken as a police chopper circles
above.
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. CITY - VARIOUS SHOTS - DAY
LAPD choppers circle... squad cars prowl... cops and FBI
agents set up roadblocks. The city is being sealed off.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - BROADWAY - DAY
Skirting a roadblock, Archer appears to be coming
undone... wobbly, wild-eyed... he suddenly picks up a
trash can and carries it down the street in front of his
face.
Pedestrians gawk at this madman. What's he doing?
Archer finally stops in front of a sporting goods store.
He swings the trash can. SMASH! The store's WINDOW
SHATTERS. An ALARM BLARES.
Passersby stare at Archer for a moment -- stunned. Then
several youths leap into the window and start pulling
merchandise out of the store.
Mayhem as others join in... clerks rush out to do battle.
An LAPD squad car hauls up onto the curb. A cop leaps
out and chases as the looters scatter.
The driver stands at his door, radio in hand. Sensing
something, he turns... just as Archer grabs the canister
of Comply-Gas from the cop's belt.
Archer sprays him in the face. The cop gags and sags.
Archer quickly slips behind the wheel.
Inside: Archer hits a switch -- the car's tinted windows
darken automatically, obscuring him from the outside. He
HITS the GAS -- SCREAMING away.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Archer slows the squad car.
Up ahead: Parked cop cars block both lanes of the main
road -- a roadblock checkpoint for all traffic.
Archer pulls off the road, out of sight. He flips open
the portacomp and starts to type rapidly.
INT. FBI - DAY
A DISPATCHER'S SCANNER CLICKS to life.
DISPATCHER
All units. I have a confirmed
code zero-zero priority alert.
Proceed at once to Parthenia
Street Terminal. That's Parthenia
at Nordhoff.
QUICK SHOTS
A) MOTOR POOL
Tac squads pile into armored Jeeps.
B) HELIPORT
Choppers lift off and veer east.
C) ARCHER'S HOUSE
The surveillance CARS ROAR away.
EXT. ROADBLOCK - DAY
Archer watches as the checkpoint of cop cars pulls apart
and screams east on the main road -- passing Archer.
Once the armada is gone, he pulls out and heads west.
EXT. ARCHER HOME - BACK YARD - DAY
A plank in the fence swings aside as Archer slips into
the yard. He peers out from behind the garage.
A cop sits in a lawn chair, tuning a POLICE-BAND RADIO.
Archer approaches the bird feeder. Quietly, he sticks
his hand inside -- and searches for the key.
Just when he grabs it -- CAW-CAW -- an annoying BLUEBIRD
hovers over Archer. The cop looks over -- but Archer is
gone. All Lars sees is the bird.
INT. FBI - BULLPEN - DAY
Castor arrives. Wanda is shocked to see him.
WANDA
Commander, what are you doing
here?
CASTOR
Where should I be?
(looks around)
Where's everyone else?
WANDA
Backing you up! Didn't you track
Castor to the Parthenia Street
Terminal?
CASTOR
What?
WANDA
You radioed in your personal
security code. Nobody knows that
code but you.
CASTOR
Obviously someone else knows it!
Get everybody back to their
posts -- now!
INT. ARCHER HOME - SUNSET
Archer tiptoes through the house -- listening. He sees
Cop #2 sitting at the dining room table, cleaning his
pistol. He slips upstairs -- toward the sound of
RUNNING WATER.
MASTER BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS ACTION
Archer walks in and steps toward the bathroom -- passing
the bed. He stops. On top of the rumpled covers: Eve's
nightgown and a pair of Castor's black briefs.
Overwhelmed, he sits down -- not noticing the water has
stopped. Eve steps in from the bathroom.
ARCHER
Eve...
The look of horror on her face snaps him back to reality.
She runs, but Archer grabs her. She struggles --
fighting and kicking him -- but somehow he keeps her
mouth covered.
ARCHER
I'm not going to hurt you. Just
don't scream, okay?
(no response)
Okay?
Terrified -- she finally nods and he eases off her.
EVE
I know you -- you're the one who
called. You're Castor Troy. You
killed my son --
ARCHER
-- I called, but I'm not Castor.
I'm your husband.
Archer holds onto her as she struggles again.
ARCHER
Now, you're going to listen. The
last time we saw each other -- was
in this room. We had a fight
after I told you I had to go away.
(a beat)
My assignment -- Jon Archer's
assignment -- was to enter a
federal prison as Castor Troy.
Eve is startled by this intimate information but she
reveals nothing. SIRENS approach the house, the cops are
returning. She keeps an eye on the door. Playing for
time.
EVE
How did he expect to do that?
ARCHER
An F.B.I. surgeon gave me Castor's
face. He handled the transplant,
the vocal implant, everything.
But somehow Castor came out of his
coma -- and killed everyone who
knew about the mission. But not
before he was transformed into me.
The back DOOR CLICKS open. A voice booms out.
COP (O.S.)
Dr. Archer, are you okay?
ARCHER
If you need hard evidence, get it.
Your husband's blood type is O
negative. Castor's is A.B.
Archer glances at the balcony -- as FOOTSTEPS CLOMP up
the stairs. Eve is about to answer -- or scream. But
then...
ARCHER
Remember the parachute dream? I'm
falling, Eve... I'm falling...
The blood drains from her face as... Archer slips over
the balcony and disappears.
INT. STUDY - LATER
Eve is at the computer -- dazed and disoriented. She
snaps alert on hearing the front DOOR OPEN -- Castor is
giving orders to the cops guarding the house.
CASTOR (O.S.)
I want you guys here around-the-
clock. And stay off the lawn.
Eve feigns interest in her laptop as Castor enters. She
tenses as he starts massaging her back.
CASTOR
You're all in knots. Maybe
another date night will help you
relax...
EVE
Not tonight... I'm way behind in
my Continuing Ed.
He studies Eve, then grasps her firmly by the shoulders.
CASTOR
You think I've been acting
strange. Like a completely
different person.
EVE
-- Yes.
CASTOR
Okay, I have a confession to make.
But you aren't going to like it...
Castor wraps his hands around her slender neck...
CASTOR (cont'd)
... I read your diary. I've been
trying to change -- trying to be
more like the man you want me to
be.
Eve reacts to the explanation. There is a logic to it.
CASTOR
And to prove it, I'm taking you
and Jamie away on a trip -- right
after the memorial service.
EVE
What memorial service?
CASTOR
Victor Lazarro had a heart
seizure... right in my office. It
was horrible...
EVE
Oh, my God...
Castor pours it on -- feigning immense grief.
CASTOR
First Tito... now Victor...
(holds her tight)
... please don't tell me I'm going
to lose you, too...
EVE
(returns the embrace)
Of course not.
INT. ARCHER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Castor slumbers fitfully. Suddenly, his shoulder
twitches, rousing him. He looks up to find Eve reading
beside him.
CASTOR
What was that?
EVE
What was what?
CASTOR
Something bit me.
EVE
Probably a mosquito -- I'll close
the window.
Eve rubs Castor's shoulder blade until he falls asleep.
She gets up, closes the window, then goes into the
bathroom.
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Eve takes a breath, then produces a lancet from her
pocket. She squeezes the lancet -- and a drop of blood
splashes into a glass vial -- Castor's blood.
EXT. ARCHER HOME - NIGHT
As Eve gets the key in her car door -- a hand grabs her.
She stifles a scream -- then sees... the two COPS.
COP
Sorry, Dr. Archer. Where are you
going at this hour?
EVE
There's been an emergency at the
hospital.
COP
One of us will have to escort you.
EVE
Fine...
(a beat)
But please don't wake my
husband... he's exhausted.
EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Nothing happening here at 4 A.M. Nothing indeed. The
bored Cop keeps watch outside -- as Eve hustles in.
INT. HOSPITAL - EVE'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Eve paces anxiously as the BLOOD ANALYZER CLICKS away.
EVE
Please be O-neg. Please...
The MACHINE STOPS CLICKING. It reads "Male -- Type AB."
She buries her face in her hands -- completely stunned.
ARCHER (O.S.)
Thanks for believing me.
Archer emerges from the darkness of her office -- but Eve
pulls a pistol -- aiming it with calm authority.
ARCHER
What are you doing? Where did you
get that gun?
EVE
I took it from my fake husband.
ARCHER
Why point it at me? I'm the real
thing.
EVE
I don't know that. Maybe Jon's
already dead.
ARCHER
What more proof do you need?
EVE
Tell me... tell me about the all-
night dentist.
As Archer speaks -- Eve searches his eyes for the truth.
ARCHER
... I took a date out for chicken
and ribs -- not knowing she was a
vegetarian. When the night
couldn't get worse, she broke
her tooth on a pebble that got
into her three-bean salad
Somehow she and I had fun driving
around looking for an all-night
dentist...
(a beat)
And even though it must have hurt
-- you still kissed me.
Eve slowly puts the gun down, fighting off tears.
EVE
Christ, Jon! How could you put us
in this position? Do you know --
do you know what he did to me...?
ARCHER
Whatever happened, whatever he did
-- I know it's my fault and I know
I can never make it up to you --
She pulls herself together -- regaining her composure.
EVE
But you're damn well going to try.
(a beat)
First -- how are we going to get
you out of this?
INT. ARCHER HOME - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
Castor wakes up and finds Eve gone. His eyes narrow as
he touches the mosquito bite -- the one that isn't there.
INT. HOSPITAL - EVE'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Eve sifts through the supply cabinet and finds a yellow
vial.
EVE
This will knock him out for hours.
ARCHER
Good. What's his schedule
tomorrow?
EVE
He doesn't tell me anymore than
you ever did... All I know is --
tomorrow we're going to Victor's
memorial service.
ARCHER
Victor... Tito... they both died
thinking I killed them... And in a
way... I did.
EVE
Jon -- you can't think about that
now.
Archer takes a breath -- and pulls himself together.
ARCHER
-- What happens after the memorial?
EVE
He's taking Jamie and me away.
ARCHER
And neither of you will be coming
back. Where's the service?
EVE
Saint Mary's-By-The-Sea.
Archer reacts... the irony's not lost on him.
EVE
What are you going to do?
ARCHER
Hit him with a trank dart. Once
he's unconscious -- I'll try to
get to Buzz and Wanda before the
security team gets to me.
EVE
What else can I do?
ARCHER
Think up a good excuse. I don't
want you or Jamie anywhere near
that service.
EVE
I can cover for Jamie. But if I'm
not there, he'll suspect
something...
(as Archer
considers)
The second you make your move, all
hell's going to break loose. If
I'm there beside him -- I can take
charge. I'm his wife, remember?
(a beat)
There's no way around it -- for
once, you need me.
Archer looks into her eyes -- the regrets flooding over.
ARCHER
I've always needed you...
They embrace... soaking up each other's warmth.
EVE
Jon -- what are the odds?
ARCHER
Terrible. But it's the best we
can do with what we have.
(a beat)
If it doesn't happen, take Jamie
and don't look back...
EVE
It'll happen.
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH -- they break their embrace.
ARCHER
Do doctors travel in packs?
EVE
Only when we're golfing.
INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Castor and the twins round the bend -- just in time to
see the door to the burn ward close.
INT. BURN WARD - NIGHT
Eve quickly wraps gauze around a patient's head -- when
Castor and his boys rush in, guns leveled.
EVE
Jon! What are you doing here?
CASTOR
That's what you're going to
explain to me.
EVE
Didn't the police tell you? There
was an emergency.
Lars starts pulling at the patient's bandages.
EVE
Jon -- stop it! Mr. Alandro is
very ill!
CASTOR
Not as ill as he's going to be...
He blanches as Lars reveals a scarred burn victim -- Mr.
Alandro. Eve is livid as she attends to the patient.
CASTOR
Sorry. But what's a guy to think
when his wife runs off in the
middle of the night?
EVE
It's my fault. I should've woken
you up before I left.
(kisses him)
Now please let me get back to
work.
They leave. Eve wipes his ugly taste from her mouth.
EXT. HOSPITAL PARKING LOT - DAWN
Castor gets into his car as he confabs with the twins.
CASTOR
Stay here. Watch her like a hawk.
LARS
Think she knows?
CASTOR
Who cares? She's going to be dead
by tonight anyway. They're all
going to be dead. The wife, the
kid... and the father.
EXT. OLD RANCH - HIGH GRASS - DAY
Archer waits as Sasha appears with a long case. In the
b.g., Adam plays on the Ranch House porch with Dietrich.
ARCHER
How's the boy?
SASHA
His ears are still ringing -- but
he'll be okay.
Archer opens the case. Inside is a sniper rifle.
SASHA
The truck's all gassed up.
Look, Caz, there'll be F.B.I.
agents all over that place. Maybe
I can talk my brother into helping
us.
ARCHER
'Us'? No, Sasha -- believe me,
this isn't your fight.
He turns to leave -- but her look draws him back. He
kisses her -- not passionately, but nobly.
ARCHER
Thanks...
She watches him as he walks off toward the truck.
EXT. ARCHER'S HOME - DAY
Dressed in staid black, Eve joins Castor at the limo.
CASTOR
Where's Jamie?
EVE
That's what I'd like to know. She
stole fifty dollars from my purse
and took off.
Castor's eyes narrow -- trying to read Eve.
EVE
Don't act so stunned, Jon. You
know how hard it is to get that
girl into a dress.
CASTOR
I'll deal with her later.
EVE
Good. Because I am fed up.
EXT. ST. MARY'S-BY-THE-SEA - DAY
A crucifix gleams in the sun... and anchoring the
crucifix is... a headstone.
Like so many others -- except this headstone is Matthew
Archer's. And hidden behind it is -- Jon Archer. He
finishes assembling the sniper rifle.
For a moment he acknowledges Matthew's grave... the
regrets giving way to determination. He looks down from
his vantage point onto --
EXT. SEA-SIDE - DAY
At the foot of the cemetery knoll. Rows of chairs...
white flowers... mourners. A yacht is docked at the
breakwater.
INTERCUT WITH:
ARCHER'S POV THROUGH SCOPE
peers down through scope -- seeing...
Castor and Eve as they emerge from their limo.
Eve glances around, searching for Archer. She comes eye-
to-eye with Lars -- who is watching her every move.
Archer TRACKS Castor and Eve as they sit in the front
row. The ceremony begins.
PRIEST
We are here to celebrate the life
of Victor Lazarro. We all know
him as a man who dedicated himself
to defending this great nation --
first, as a highly decorated
admiral -- then, as west coast
director of the F.B.I. But not
all of you know what a deeply
spiritual man he was. It was his
wish that his Requiem Mass be
performed in Latin.
(a beat)
In Nomine Patris, et Filii et
Spiritus Sancti. Amen...
The PRIEST begins to recite a beautiful and somber mass.
ARCHER
fills the trank-dart with sedative.
PRIEST
continues the solemn ritual.
PRIEST
Domine, de morte aeterna, in
die illa tremenda quando caeli
movendi sunt et terra...
EVE
checks her watch... barely lifting her eyes away...
Castor absently pats her knee. She's forced to return
focus to the service.
ARCHER
chambers the dart, twists a knob on the range-finder, and
carefully peers over the crucifix.
THROUGH SCOPE
Archer TRACKS THROUGH the mourners -- and FINDS Castor.
As the cross-hairs neatly cube his head...
BACK TO SCENE
We've come full circle from Matthew's death: with Archer
the sniper and Castor the target.
The Priest's emotional reciting of the rites climaxes.
PRIEST
Requiem aeternam dona eis,
Domine... Amen.
FULL SCREEN - TRIGGER
Archer's finger wraps around -- he starts to squeeze...
POV THROUGH SCOPE - FIGURE
crosses behind Castor, blocking Archer's shot. Archer's
finger freezes -- as the figure turns -- hair tumbling
away from her face. It's Jamie.
AT SERVICE
Eve stiffens as Jamie sits down.
JAMIE
Thanks anyway, Mom --
(slides her $50)
But I wanted to be here for you...
and Dad.
Castor reads the panic on Eve's face, but says nothing.
He simply takes Jamie's hand, intertwining his fingers in
hers.
The honor guard steps forward, shouldering their rifles,
commencing their 21-GUN SALUTE as --
ARCHER
steadies himself, re-aims the sniper rifle.
He hears MOTION behind him. Someone's coming and fast...
but this is his only chance. Off-balance, Archer
squeezes --
THFFFT! The SILENCED TRANK-DART explodes from the
barrel.
FOLLOW DART
Screaming toward Castor's neck -- but it goes just wide.
It sinks harmlessly into the grass -- unnoticed during
the 21-GUN SALUTE.
ON KNOLL
THUMP! Archer is cracked across the head. He slumps
down, unconscious, as a silenced gun barrel gently enters
his ear. As the saluting GUNS FIRE in the b.g. -- we
don't know when, or if, this pistol fires...
AT SEA-SIDE SERVICE
The honor guard presents the urn to Mrs. Lazarro.
Fearful, Eve chances a glance around -- wondering what's
gone wrong.
PRIEST
The admiral's family will now take
his ashes to the sea...
As Mrs. Lazarro and her grown children proceed to the
docked yacht, Castor touches his ear-phone...
getting a message.
His eyes alight on a boathouse... adjacent to the
service.
CASTOR
(into headset)
Lars -- take Jamie, bring the car
around, then meet us at that
boathouse...
Guests head for their cars. Eve seizes the moment and
steps over to Wanda and Buzz.
EVE
Wanda -- I need to talk to you.
WANDA
(reads her face)
Sure... what's wrong?
But then Eve looks past Wanda -- and sees Lars looking at
her -- tightening his "friendly" grip on Jamie's
shoulder.
EVE
Never mind --
CASTOR
Come on, baby. I've got a
surprise for you.
Wanda and Buzz watch as they head up toward the
boathouse.
INT. BOATHOUSE - DAY
Dim, deserted. Filled with boat parts, tools, etc.
Castor hustles Eve inside and locks the door behind him.
Lunt is there -- standing over a beaten Archer. Eve
gasps.
CASTOR
Look who we caught creeping around
-- Castor Troy.
EVE
Why is he here?
CASTOR
Before I turn him in, I thought
we'd pay him back for everything
he's put us through...
Castor starts kicking Archer. Over and over in the gut.
CASTOR
Come on, baby. Join the fun --
Eve can't stand it. She charges Castor -- but he
immediately subdues her.
CASTOR
Too bad. Part of me was hoping
you didn't know.
He throws her down beside Archer. She clings to him.
CASTOR
Did you really think it would be
that easy, you dumb fucks?
(to Eve)
Sorry, baby. Castor Troy is about
to murder you and our daughter...
but I promise you won't die
unavenged.
ARCHER
This is between you and me. Leave
them out of this.
CASTOR
It was between you and me. Even
your little boy -- that wasn't
supposed to happen. But you
couldn't let it go.
ARCHER
No father could.
CASTOR
Appealing to my sense of 'family'
won't work, Jon. I thought you
knew me better than that
Archer plays for time -- looking for some edge. He sees
a crate filled with block-and-tackle amid the shop's
tools.
ARCHER
I know some things that even you
don't know, Caz. You have a son.
I've met him. His name is Adam...
CASTOR
I imagine I've got a dozen kids --
so what?
(cocks pistol)
No more head games... First your
wife dies. Then your daughter.
Then you.
Castor smiles as the DOOR CREAKS open.
CASTOR
Just one big happy family...
But it's not Jamie and Lars. Three people emerge from
the shadows, machine pistols poised.
CASTOR
Dietrich -- Aldo -- Sasha?
DIETRICH
That's right, Archer. Now drop
'em.
No options. Castor and Lunt drop their weapons.
EXT. BOATHOUSE - SIDE ENTRANCE - DAY
Lars and Jamie pull up in the car. Lars listens to his
headset -- knows something is wrong.
LARS
Don't fucking move...
INT. BOATHOUSE - DAY
Sasha's at Archer's side.
SASHA
Caz -- are you okay?
CASTOR
You're making a mistake. I'm
Castor -- he's Archer. Sasha,
baby -- just give me a minute to
explain!
SASHA
That's pathetic, Archer. But
then, your terrible sense of humor
is legendary.
ALDO
(cocks GUN)
It's pay-back time.
Aldo aims at Castor when BOOM! He's blown apart.
Lars charges in -- BLASTING.
Archer grabs a block-and-tackle as --
Lunt dives for Aldo's fallen machine-pistol. Archer
swings the block-and-tackle -- whacking Lunt across the
head.
Castor scoops up his pistol but Eve kicks him hard in the
balls. He doubles over.
Archer snatches away the MACHINE PISTOL. Staggered --
Lunt is quickly riddled by Dietrich.
Castor and Lars BLAZE at the now-scattering intruders --
driving them back amid the shot's tools and drums.
ARCHER
Find Jamie!
Eve crawls through the FUSILLADE toward the exit.
EXT. MEMORIAL SERVICE - DAY
Among the last to leave -- Buzz and Wanda snap alert.
Over the CRASHING of the WAVES -- did Wanda hear
something?
EXT. BOATHOUSE - DAY
Eve rushes to the car -- it's empty. Jamie is gone.
EVE
Jamie? Jamie!
BULLETS SHRED the WINDOWS behind her.
INT. BOATHOUSE - DAY
During the GUN BATTLE -- we INTERCUT the deaths of
Dietrich, Lars and Sasha WITH:
EXT. SEA - LAZARRO'S ASHES
being scattered at sea.
Castor and Lars RIDDLE Sasha. She drops. Archer FIRES
back -- killing Lars and driving Castor back.
Archer leans beside the mortally-wounded Sasha.
SASHA
... Help Adam... don't let him end
up like us...
She dies in his arms. Wounded, Dietrich crawls over.
Seeing his sister, Dietrich rises in horror...
DIETRICH
Sasha -- !
BOOM BOOM BOOM! Castor wastes Dietrich. Archer BLASTS
back -- driving Castor outside. Archer pursues.
EXT. MEMORIAL SERVICE - DAY
Eve runs smack into Wanda and Buzz -- they're on the run.
WANDA
We heard gunshots --
EVE
Wanda, I've got to tell you
something. Something crazy...
EXT. BOATHOUSE YARD - VARIOUS SHOTS - DAY
Archer emerges into the maze of dry-docked boats.
Silently checking his clip, he discards the empty gun.
Castor moves stealthily through the narrow paths.
Hearing a NOISE behind him --
BOOM! Castor FIRES -- blowing apart an under-repair
hull. He advances toward the boat, gun ready, when
Archer appears behind him and follows -- one step, two
steps -- until --
Castor stops -- then whirls as Archer leaps.
The men collapse hard. Castor's pistol clatters across
the yard toward the docked boat.
Archer and Castor brutally strangle each other -- digging
their fingers deep into their throats. They throttle
each other so hard, Archer's larynx vocal chip is
dislodged.
His VOICE CHANGES, ECHOING with garbled. STATIC.
ARCHER
Give up, Castor. People are going
to find out.
CASTOR
Not if I kill you first.
They scramble for the gun -- but a hand reaches out from
the docked boat and picks it up. Archer and Castor stop
dead in their tracks because --
Jamie appears, holding the pistol.
CASTOR
Give it here, Jamie.
ARCHER
No, Jamie. Don't do it!
Everybody gawks -- because Archer and Castor are now...
Both speaking in Archer's true voice.
And nobody is more confused than Jamie.
ARCHER
Listen to my voice, Jamie. I'm
your father.
CASTOR
It's a trick, Jamie. I'm your
father.
Jamie swings the gun back and forth -- baffled.
CASTOR
Shoot him, Jamie.
ARCHER
Jamie...
CASTOR
Shoot him!
Jamie FIRES. Archer reels -- as a slug grazes his
shoulder. Castor snatches the PISTOL from Jamie's hand.
CASTOR
You dunce. No kid of mine would
miss so badly.
He aims the gun at Archer's head.
WANDA (O.S.)
Hold it.
Wanda and Buzz have burst onto the terrace -- their guns
leveled. Eve and more agents are right behind.
CASTOR
Just saving the taxpayers the cost
of a trial. So take a hike.
WANDA
You're both under arrest until a
D.N.A. test proves who's who.
CASTOR
I'm ordering you to back off!
Several agents waver -- unsure. But not Wanda and Buzz.
WANDA
Put the gun down --
BUZZ
-- Now!
CASTOR
(beat)
Can't blame me for trying.
He grabs a shocked Jamie -- shoving the gun under her
chin.
Archer struggles to his feet as --
Castor -- using Jamie as a shield -- backs out the gate
to the garden. Archer follows -- cautiously.
CASTOR
Say goodbye to Daddy --
Jamie whips out the switchblade -- sinks it into Castor's
thigh and twists. She dives away. FIRING wildly, Castor
staggers back through the gate.
CASTOR (O.S.)
You ungrateful delinquent!
OUTSIDE GATE
As Castor turns and staggers away -- he runs smack into a
confused security agent.
CASTOR
Give me your weapon -- now!
The agent hands over his UZI -- and Castor PLUGS him.
BOATYARD
Archer and Eve make sure Jamie's okay.
JAMIE
(to Archer)
Who are you? Will someone please
tell me what's going on?
Archer rushes to the gate and hauls it open.
CASTOR
limps away from the boatyard, towards the slips -- alive
with sunbathers and yachters.
EXT. MARINA DOCKS - DAY
Castor hustles along until he finds what he's looking
for --
Twin Cigarette BOATS -- racing boats -- being TUNED UP by
their suntanned crews. He jumps into one of the boats.
BOAT CAPTAIN
Hey -- !
Without even looking, Castor SHOOTS the guy dead. In a
flash -- Castor THROTTLES up the BOAT. He sees --
CASTOR'S POV
Archer running down the dock toward the adjoining boat.
CASTOR
FIRES -- peppering the dock.
Archer knocks the boat owner to safety -- as the BAIT
HOUSE BLOWS UP behind him. Archer rolls into the boat --
FIRING.
Castor's hit! A slug grazes his shoulder. He grabs the
THROTTLE -- taking off.
ARCHER
FIRES UP the second BOAT -- in pursuit. Castor BLASTS
back -- SHATTERING Archer's BOAT COMPASS.
CIVILIAN BOAT
speeds toward him -- causing a near-miss.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Running parallel, Archer and Castor BLAST at EACH OTHER
at point-blank range. Their boats smash and pound each
other.
A police boat closes in on them.
Castor FIRES at the police -- obliterating both crew and
boat. The POLICE BOAT'S rear SMASHES into Archer's
craft.
Archer's BOAT plows up and through the other. EXPLOSION!
Momentum carries Archer across -- and back into the
water.
The boat lands right next to Castor's.
Archer and Castor resume their battering... approaching
a --
TUG
pulling a barge.
Castor forces Archer into its path. At the last
moment...
Archer leaps onto the bow of Castor's boat as --
KA-BOOM! Archer's boat crashes into the BARGE which
EXPLODES.
CASTOR
swerves wildly -- trying to throw Archer off.
Archer can only watch as Castor reaches for another clip.
But the boat hits a wave...
Castor loses the gun -- which skids away. Archer slips,
his head hanging over the side. Castor tries to ram
Archer, but he pulls himself up just in time.
Castor grabs the anchor -- swings it. WHUNK! It sinks
into the deck beside Archer -- but the chain is around
his neck.
As Castor tries to strangle him -- Archer headbutts
Castor, who reels -- snagging his leg around the chain.
Castor falls back -- plunging toward the water.
Archer tries to hold Castor up... as the boat speeds
toward --
PIER
Archer yanks Castor back onto the deck as the BOAT
BOUNCES OFF the pier pilings. But as they slug it out...
ANOTHER ANGLE
WHAM! The BOAT careens off a piling -- and ROARS
straight for the shipyard. COLLIDING with a shoreline
obstruction --
The BOAT FLIPS, stern over bow...
Archer and Castor go flying... onto the beach.
EXT. BEACH - DAY
Archer and Castor lie dazed... then stir. Castor sees
the pistol lying half-buried... he reaches for it.
But --
Archer gets it first. He aims it at Castor as they rise.
CASTOR
You won't shoot me, Jon. I'm
unarmed...
ARCHER
Okay, I have a confession to
make... but you aren't gonna like
it... You're right, I won't shoot
you. Not in the face anyway.
BOOM -- Archer SHOOTS Castor in the chest! He jerks and
reels -- dropping to his knees. He looks at Archer in
total disbelief. Then he sinks to the ground and lies
still.
Exhausted, Archer lets the empty gun drop. Then he turns
and sees an FBI chopper heading his way. Relieved, he
turns back to Castor, but -- Castor's body is gone!
Castor is crawling toward the flipped boat's spinning
stabilizing screw. Archer FIRES -- hitting Castor in the
leg. He buckles... but keeps going.
Archer leaps on him -- they struggle as Castor tries to
bury his face on the spinning blade.
CASTOR
It'll never be over, Jon... every
time you look in the mirror...
you'll see my face...
They struggle as the propeller blade. gets closer,
closer -- slicing into "Archer's" cheek. At the last
instant...
Archer reaches the anchor-chain. He wraps it around the
screw -- stopping the whirling blades.
Castor finally sinks to the ground -- and no longer
moves.
Archer takes Castor's hand -- trying to tug off his
wedding ring. Just when he almost has it off -- Castor
suddenly grabs Archer's wrist and holds it tight.
Eye contact between the two men. Castor smirks, his
grasp slackening... as he finally fades away. Archer
lets Castor's hand drop, then slides the ring on his own
finger.
ANOTHER ANGLE
The chopper lands. Buzz and Wanda rush over.
BUZZ
You okay, Archer?
ARCHER
What did you call me?
WANDA
He called you 'Archer' -- sir.
Archer finally realizes -- they actually mean him. He
smiles -- Jon Archer's long lost smile.
EXT. SHIPYARD - SUNSET
FBI med-teams strap Archer onto a gurney. Castor's inert
body is beside him.
EVE
Hang on, Jon... they're bringing
in their top surgical team from
D.C...
ARCHER
(re: Castor)
How is he?
EVE
No life signs at all. He's a
turnip.
ARCHER
That's what they always say...
He passes out as the FBI medics load him onto the med-
evac chopper. Wanda prevents Eve from climbing aboard.
WANDA
I'm sorry, Eve. You can't come.
(to Buzz)
Take her home.
EVE
But he's my husband!
WANDA
But he works for us.
Wanda gets on the med-evac chopper; it lifts off, leaving
a furious Eve and a confused Jamie behind.
JAMIE
Will Dad be Dad again?
EVE
I hope so, honey.
JAMIE
And you guys say my life is
screwed up...
In the swirl of dust, they watch the chopper fly away.
INT. ARCHER'S HOUSE - DAY
Maybe days, maybe weeks later -- no way to tell. Eve is
at the dining room table, catching up on medical reports.
Sensing something, she looks up and sees a silhouette at
the front screen door -- a man's silhouette.
ARCHER (O.S.)
Hello, Eve.
Pulse pounding, Eve frantically pushes open the door to
glimpse the face of the man with Archer's voice.
It's Jon Archer. Eve stares -- then touches his face
carefully, tenderly -- around the tiny residual scar.
Then, she pulls him tight -- holding on for dear life.
JAMIE (O.S.)
Dad?
Jamie is there. Archer smiles -- gently, almost sadly --
with a softness and genuineness that Castor Troy could
never feel, could never fake.
She rushes to him. The whole family hangs on, hugging
and kissing -- for the first time ever, really together.
JAMIE
I'm sorry I shot you, Dad. Am I
grounded?
Archer smiles and holds her tighter. But as they draw
Archer inside, he hesitates.
ARCHER
I have something to ask you -- to
ask both of you...
He steps aside -- revealing Castor's son.
ARCHER
This is Adam. He needs a place to
live... just for a little while.
Eve looks at Archer -- she sees what this means to him
and, what the hell, there's plenty of time now to talk.
EXT. ARCHER'S HOME - CONTINUOUS ACTION - DAY
As the family heads inside, the door closes, shutting us
out.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. MATTHEW'S OLD ROOM - NIGHT
Archer gives Adam an old teddy bear -- rocking the child
until he finally drifts off into dreamland.
INT. JAMIE'S ROOM - NIGHT
Archer watches Jamie sleep. He draws the comforter over
her -- she stirs, and pulls it in tighter.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
Eve gets undressed... waiting for Archer.
EVE
How was your first day back?
No reply... Eve hears WATER RUNNING. She approaches
Archer, who's bent over the sink, washing his face.
EVE
Jon?
Archer stands up -- revealing Castor's face in the
bathroom mirror. Eve chokes back a scream.
Archer turns and faces her -- with his true face. He
sees her terrified expression, turns back to the mirror
-- and sees his own face looking at him. But he
understands.
He embraces Eve... holds her tight. She responds, happy
to have him home again. We STAY ON his familiar smile
and...
FADE OUT.
THE END |
FAIR GAME
Written by
Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth
Based on the memoir
Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House
by
Valerie Plame
SFX: SHALLOW, DESPERATE BREATHING.
Extreme close ANGLES ON
a figure kneels in a cell, in tight stress position. Bound.
Blindfold. Convulsed with intense pain. We move closer --
It's a woman.
VOICE V/O (VALERIE)
Everything you face in life.
Everything you come up against..
CLANK! She is hauled to her feet by unseen hands.
CUT TO:
She's carried head-first fast down a corridor by four men,
like a battering ram.
VOICE (VALERIE)
Everything that stands in your way.
.. into another cell. A fifth masked man. On the table-- a
car battery.
CUT TO:
Screams ring out down the empty corridor.
CUT TO:
Blows rain down on her. The blindfold is torn off.
VOICE (VALERIE)
..your foes, your fears, your
terrors....your darkest nights.
THEN---- SPLASH! She is thrust into a bath and held under
water. CLOSE ON her face, as the bubbles of her desperate
breath subside, her eyes glaze and a single smoke-swirl of
crimson blood rises up from her parted lips.
VOICE (VALERIE)
..are all sent to ask you the same
question. The only question..
SUDDENLY -- She looks directly at us. Awake. Alert.
VOICE (VALERIE)
Who are you?
BLACKOUT
CUT TO:
2.
ESTABLISHING. AERIAL SHOT. DOWNTOWN KUALA LUMPUR. DAY.
Searing heat. Eighty storey star-scrapers reflect half-built
Death Stars. Shimmering buildings and cranes for miles.
INT. CECAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE. KL CONVENTION CENTER. DAY.
50 acres of climate controlled exhibition space swarming with
global civil engineers. Tented meeting rooms, stands. The
bone dry wheels of global commerce, turning.
A striking blonde, 30s, crosses a concourse towards a
Malaysian Woman in Chanel. VALERIE PLAME extends a hand.
VALERIE
Jessica McDowell. Cognis Chemicals.
I hope I'm not late.
INT. GLASS ELEVATOR IN ATRIUM OF WESTIN HOTEL. DAY
VALERIE and the Malaysians rise swiftly above the hordes.
CHANEL SUIT
When do you leave Kuala Lumpur, Ms.
Macdowall?
VALERIE
I fly to Taiwan Tuesday then back
to Dusseldorf. I really only need
five minutes of his time..
CHANEL SUIT
I hope we are lucky. He is very
busy man.
INT. PRESIDENTIAL SUITE, WESTIN HOTEL, KL. DAY
VALERIE sits at an ENORMOUS MARBLE CONFERENCE TABLE, before a
wrap around view of the Petronas Towers. OPPOSITE HER-- two
neat Maylasian secretaries, with pads in front of them. One
smiles. She smiles back.
SECRETARY
Mr Tabir very busy this morning.
VALERIE
Oh I can imagine.
VOICE (HAFIZ O.S)
Seeing's we're waiting..
AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE a puffy 30 year old Sri Lankan,
HAFIZ, is shelling peanuts on the marble, regarding her.
3.
HAFIZ
..why don't you practice your
little pitch on me?
His tones contains an edge of menace. She smiles politely.
VALERIE
Actually. If it's all the same-
HAFIZ
I know all my uncle's business. He
trusts me. Begin.
VALERIE
Well. I'm sure you're aware Mr..
(No answer)
You're aware that recently your
subsidiary, Kopa Oleochemicals
developed an organic, ester based
lubricant derived from Kernel oil,
that makes offshore drilling
significantly more environmental.
My company, Cognis CMBH wants-
HAFIZ
(Interrupting, flatly)
You American?
She stops.
VALERIE
Canadian. Actually. From Toronto.
HAFIZ
You a Maple Leafs fan?
VALERIE
Right. Uh. No. Not really.
HAFIZ
You must be the only person from
Toronto's not a hockey fan.
Valerie holds his dead eyes.
VALERIE
Oh I'm a fan. Dad's from Vancouver,
so I'm a Canuck. Between us, the
Maple Leaves suck. They should
never have signed Mark Bell. Guy's
a liability on an off the ice. So
who's your team?
4.
HAFIZ
I don't like hockey.
He holds her eye impassively. CHANEL SUIT enters.
CHANEL SUIT
Unfortunately Mr Tabir has no
window this morning. But tonight he
extends invitation to private
reception at his residence.
VALERIE
Is that ok? I really don't wish to
intrude.
She meets Hafiz's level gaze. He doesn't blink.
HAFIZ
Come to the party.
EXT. MANSION, DAMANSARAN HEIGHTS, ABOVE KL. NIGHT
Mercedes pull up outside a MANSION above the sprawling city.
INT. GROUND FLOOR, MANSION. NIGHT
Not a party. Asian men with name badges swap cards. Valerie
makes small-talk with some Germans. She spots her quarry at
the end of the corridor. She excuses herself.
VALERIE
Mr. Tabir? Jessica McDowall, Cognis
GMBH. Thank you for allowing me to
come to your beautiful Home.
TABIR
How can I help you?
VALERIE
Mr Tabir I wonder if you had time
to glance at our proposal which
would allow Kopa to access to
Cognis' current Petrochemical
Service Partners. Essentially its-
A man comes up and whispers to Mr.Tabir. He stops her.
TABIR
Please excuse me, I have to attend
to something.. My assistant here
will make you comfortable..
5.
INT. LIBRARY. NIGHT.
Lit by a stock market ticker, Valerie sits in front of a
large desk. Alone. Waiting. Glances at papers on the desk.
CLICK! The door opens. It's not TABIR. It's HAFIZ.
VALERIE
Hi. I was waiting for Mr. Tabir.
HAFIZ
My uncle had to leave. He asked me
to drive you to his tennis club.
You can have your meeting there..
INT/EXT. HAFIZ'S BMW. (MOVING) NIGHT
As they pull away, Valerie looks back. She spots TABIR
through a window --STILL AT THE PARTY -- She freezes.
CUT TO:
HAFIZ turns off onto a deserted road in the Lake Gardens.
VALERIE
Why are we stopping?
He looks at her. Undoes his seatbelt.
HAFIZ
Ms. Macdowall, my uncle believes
that trust is something you earn.
And he doesn't trust anyone until
he knows them very, very well..
He strokes her hair. She holds his eye. Composed.
VALERIE
But he trusts you, Hafiz..
The temperature in the car drops a hundred degrees.
HAFIZ
How do you know my name?
HAFIZ's brain does 0-60 in 0.06 Seconds. He flips open the
glove box. Nothing there.
VALERIE
Your car was swept an hour ago.
(He goes for the door.)
Do not get out. If you get out of
this car I can't protect you.
6.
HAFIZ STOPS DEAD. LOOKS IN THE REARVIEW: A black car, 50
yards behind. He grabs her arm.
HAFIZ
Who are you?
VALERIE
Let go of my arm Hafiz. NOW.
HAFIZ VALERIE
Who the fuck are you? NOW!
He releases her arm. She holds his gaze. Breathing hard.
VALERIE
Listen carefully. Your uncle is in
business with Abu Domar Khan-
HAFIZ VALERIE
(Shaking his head His company provides Khan
smiling) with shipping, money
That's bullshit. laundering and contraband
components.
VALERIE
Khan has made contact with a terror
organisation via an aid agency in
Pakistan. They are seeking
materials to build a weapon.
HAFIZ
Fuck you.
VALERIE
(She fixes him)
Your brother is in Kalutara jail in
Colombo facing execution for
trafficking. We can help him.
HAFIZ VALERIE
Bullshit. You can't help him. We can help him. Hafiz.
Listen to me. Listen.
VALERIE
You have to think straight here
Hafiz. Because I promise you one
thing... Right now, you have no
idea what we can and cannot do.
Hafiz looks in the rear view. At the floor. Deep inside
something stirred. She saw it..
7.
VALERIE
We need information about your
uncle. Contacts. Shipments. If you
help us, we help you. If you don't,
your brother dies and tomorrow
you're sitting next to your uncle
in a cell in Thailand and it won't
be me asking the questions.
Hafiz closes his eyes, head back. She watches him closely.
VALERIE
You will get a call at 8am. You'll
be asked if you need a cleaner. You
want her to come three mornings per
week. Do you understand? I said DO
YOU UNDERSTAND?
INT. GEORGETOWN BAR. NIGHT.
Packed. Behind the bar, FOX NEWS-- Bombing of Afghanistan. At
the bar, a birthday celebration. Cuervo shots. In back,
around a table piled high with empty Mexican plates, a group
of girls catch up. Valerie and some friends.
SUE
So after like six hours, he finally
manages to stand up on the
snowboard, and the instructor lets
go of him and he just plummets..
(Laughter)
I swear to god, he can't turn, slow
down, for like four hundred yards.
BILL
And yet I'm incredible in bed.
AT THE BAR-- JOE WILSON, handsome, 50s, watches the
explosions on the screen. He picks up a tray.
JOE
Keep the change.
BACK TO:
Valerie is being quizzed by her buddy's boyfriend, Steve.
STEVE
So what do you do Valerie?
VALERIE
I work in Venture Capital. Brewster
Jennings, here in Georgetown.
8.
STEVE
Cool. So like net startups..?
VALERIE
Right. Retail and consumer..
Basically we create pooled
investment vehicles..
STEVE
Sounds high risk..
VALERIE
I guess. But you know..high risk,
high return. Pretty boring
actually. So what do you do?
JOE arrives back to the table with a tray of drinks.
JOE DIANA
They're out of Corona. I got Me and Steve won't fly on the
a Rolling Rock. same plane. We won't even get
the same train together.
STEVE
We got the same train to your
mom's.
LISA JEFF
It only takes one to fly a Disneyland. A sarin attack on
plane into a nuclear power Disneyland.
station-
DIANA
Whatever they're telling us we're
totally vulnerable. I mean who's
protecting us.
VALERIE
It's real scary.
LISA
Joe. Would you risk taking your
kids to Disneyland right now?
JOE
Absolutely not. Far from being a
playground of the imagination,
Disneyland is actually a giant
clearing house for crappy
merchandise. And Space Mountain is
a major disappointment.
Valerie tries not to laugh. Gives him a stern look.
9.
VALERIE
Joe thinks Disneyland is Vegas for
kids.
STEVE
Vegas. A dirty bomb in Vegas.
JEFF
OK. You get on a plane, there's two
guys with turbans, seats A1 and 2.
Joe closes his eyes. Valerie kicks him under the table.
JEFF
They look nervous. They're
sweating, saying prayers..
JOE
(To himself)
Ye Gods..
JEFF
Steve you have a two year old.
You're off that plane. You're
calling the cops. I think if we're
honest we all are.
(To Joe)
Joe. Two guys. On a plane. Turbans.
Praying. Sweating. What's the call?
Joe opens his eyes. Catches Valeries'. Everybody listens. He
takes off his glasses. And looks at Jeff.
JOE
Well Jeff..
CUT TO:
INT. CAR. NIGHT.
Valerie is driving home. Joe in the passenger seat.
VALERIE
Every time. Every time we go out.
JOE
He started it-
VALERIE
He's drunk Joe. Everybody's had a
hard day. They're just trying to
let off steam-
10.
JOE
By invoking quasi-racist connundra?
The guy's a parent.
JOE VALERIE
Is he telling his four year It's Diana's birthday. Jeff's
old to fear all men in her best friend.
turbans?
JOE
So?
VALERIE
So you can't call him a racist
pussy.
JOE
If not sitting there while someone
spouts obnoxious crap makes you an
asshole. Then I'm an asshole. And
you knew that when you married me.
(Silence. She drives.)
By the way. How was your trip?
CUT TO:
FLASHBACK. INT. TURKISH AMBASSADORS RESIDENCE. 1997. NIGHT.
A reception. Two hundred people in the main banquet hall. Joe
walks through the crowd. Working the room.
Valerie accepts an hors d'oeuvre. Catches sight of Joe
through the crowd. They catch eyes. She leans to her friend.
VALERIE
Who's that?
CUT TO:
Later. Joe excuses himself and turns. Valerie stands there.
VALERIE
Hello.
JOE
Hi. Forgive me. I was staring. It's
just I'm sure we've met before.
VALERIE
So who am I?
She smiles. He flounders a little. She offers her hand.
11.
VALERIE
Valerie Plame.
JOE
Joe. Joe Wilson.
VALERIE
Former Ambassador to Gabon.
Ambassador in Iraq during the Gulf
War. Married twice.. Has a
reputation for trouble.
JOE
You've been misinformed. I was only
acting Ambassador in Iraq.
Valerie smiles. He does too. It's electric.
JOE
So what do you do, Ms. Plame?
CUT TO:
PRESENT DAY -- VALERIE ASLEEP in bed. She suddenly shakes.
Cries out. Joe wakes to see his wife, lost in a nightmare.
FLASHBACK -- THE RECEPTION. 1997.
VALERIE
I'm an energy consultant for a firm
in Brussels.
JOE
And do you enjoy your work?
PRESENT DAY -- THE BEDROOM -- She doesn't wake. He strokes
her arm. On her wrist -- A DARK BRUISE. THREE FINGERPRINTS.
FLASHBACK -- THE RECEPTION. Valerie looks into Joe's eyes.
VALERIE
I love it.
INT. KITCHEN. DAY.
Joe carries the 3 year old twins, SAMANTHA and TREVOR in
pyjamas, downstairs..
JOE
Val. Where's the babysitter?
.. into the kitchen. Valerie, coat on, bolting coffee.
12.
VALERIE
Didn't I say? She can't get here
til after lunch.
JOE
(Sighs)
OK. I'll work from home this
morning.
VALERIE
Are you sure-
JOE
Relax. Me `n Spongebob are on it.
The kids start fighting. She picks up her bag.
JOE VALERIE
Break it up. Trevor don't hit We're having supper with the
your sister. Mitchells Tuesday. But if you
want to skip it they know
you're busy-
JOE
I promise to behave.
She stops. Melts. Kisses him.
SAMANTHA
I promise to behave.
JOE
See. We're all gonna be on our best
behavior.
She closes the front door. Joe looks momentarily marooned. He
begins picking up soft toys off the floor.
ESTABLISHING. CIA HEADQUARTERS AT LANGLEY. DAY.
CPD AGENT (O.S)
Counter Proliferation tracks and
thwarts nuclear and WMD acquisition
by rogue nations and non-state
actors.
INT. COUNTER PROLIFERATION DIVISION. BASEMENT. DAY
An agent walks six analysts through a crowded open plan
office. People squeezed in cubbyholes. Papers everywhere.
13.
CPD AGENT (CONT'D)
We're the fastest growing division
in the Agency, which sounds cool
but means you may have to share a
desk. Work like hell for years you
may get your own cubbyhole. And if
you're a workaholic, they make you
boss, and you get-
He knocks on a door. Opens it. Valerie comes bursting out.
CPD AGENT
Bad time?
We follow Valerie into THE NEXT OFFICE-- where her colleague,
Ali, 30s, Indian, is on the phone.
VALERIE
Hafiz hired a cleaner.
ALI
(Into phone)
Gotta go. Kuala Lumpur just went
live.
Ali hangs up and follows her OUT INTO THE CORRIDOR. She scans
the page she's holding.
VALERIE
What time did he call this in?
CPD AGENT
11 hundred hours PST.
FLASHBACK. INT. KOPA OLEOCHEMICALS - KUALA LUMPUR. NIGHT
Hafiz, in a corridor in his Uncle's offices, late at night.
Light from a photocopier flashes across his sweating face.
CPD AGENT V/O (CONT'D)
The asset passed the intel to the
cleaner at approximately eight
fifteen local time, this morning.
FLASHBACK. INT. HAFIZ'S APARTMENT - KUALA LUMPUR.DAY
Hafiz hands a folded piece of paper to his elderly CLEANING
WOMAN. She puts it in her apron pocket.
CPD AGENT (O.S.)
She made the drop fifty minutes
later... just outside Ko Yonh
Subway station..
14.
FLASHBACK. INT. KUALA LUMPUR SUBWAY TRAIN.
THE CLEANER alights, leaving her New Straits Times on the
seat. A BALD ASIAN COMMUTER next to her along picks it up.
-- SLAP! --
The paper is opened to a centre page feature of George Bush.
There is Hafiz's photocopy.
CPD AGENT
..a field team picked it up and D
and D'd it at the safe house..
In a cheap hotel room, under a broken ceiling fan another
Asian man scans the image into a laptop, behind him the BALD
COMMUTER strikes a match and burns the original.
INT. VALERIE'S OFFICE, CPD LANGLEY. DAY
Valerie, in her cramped office with half a dozen field
agents, briefs from a diagram on a white board.
VALERIE
We have a shipment. A holding
company in Pakistan asks Tabir to
purchase 200 un-identified units,
trackable by part numbers, from..
ALI
Teludyne Electronics of Lowell
Massachusetts..
EXT. TELUDYNE INDUSTRIES. LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS. DAY
Two men (from the briefing) in a WHIPPED CHEVY watch a red
truck leave an industrial unit in the suburbs of Lowell.
VALERIE (V.O.)
The shipment is delivered to Goza
Tech in Secaucus, New Jersey...
EXT. GOZA TECHNOLOGIES, 600 MEADOWLANDS PKWY NJ. NIGHT
The red truck turns into a low grey set of prefab buildings
in a business park. The CHEVY watches a forklift truck lift a
single pallet out and deliver it into the warehouse.
VALERIE (V.O)
There it's bundled in with a second
shipment of legitimate electronic
parts, and documentation attached
that masks its point of origin.
15.
INT. BONDED CUSTOMS WAREHOUSE. PORT NEWARK. NIGHT
Valerie, Ali, and the rest of the team walk through the neon
lit maze of packing cases and pallets towards a concerned
looking superintendent.
VALERIE V/O
Its then dispatched as medical
electronics en route to a company
in Johannesburg South Africa. First
it spends the night at a bonded
customs warehouse in the Port of
Jersey. That's the intercept.
SUPERINTENDENT
Can I help you?
VALERIE shows ID to the owner.
VALERIE
Sir, we're from U.S customs. Can I
take a moment of your time?
He takes off his cap and looks sick. An agent cracks the
packing case with a crowbar: white cardboard boxes. Valerie
draws a Buck knife and slices it open, rumaging in
polystyrene chips and comes out with a Coke sized white
plastic cylinder with two contacts at one end.
ALI
What the hell is that?
Valerie looks at the object.
CUT TO:
A BLINDING FLASH OF PURE WHITE LIGHT becomes A GIANT BULBOUS
CLOUD of rolling hellfire. It mushrooms twenty thousand feet
over the New Mexico Desert. An awesome sight.
DR FORSTER (O.S.)
A spark gap is a high energy
voltage-controlled switching
device.
INT. LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY. EXHIBITION CENTER. DAY
As a gaggle of schoolkids watch the sixty year old footage of
the Manhattan Project on a plasma screen, Valerie passes
through the compound with DR FORSTER, a geeky scientist in
his 30s. He holds the intercepted component.
16.
DR FORSTER
To detonate a nuclear bomb you need
to be able to switch high voltage,
high current electrical circuits at
very high speeds to the nearest
hundredth of a nanosecond.
They pass through a security door to the labs.
DR FORSTER
The extremely short rise times are
achieved by discharging a low-
induct, high-voltage capacitor
through the spark gap into the
bridge wire inside the warhead. The
ballpark is 5 kilovolt and 1 mf for
the capacitor, with a peak current
between 500 and 1000 amperes...
VALERIE
Does it have other uses?
DR FORSTER
High speed photography, industrial
photo-chemistry. Zapping kidney
stones.Is someone out there
building the fire train for a
nuclear device component by
component?
(Shakes his head)
You're talking one helluva
complicated process. This guy is
just one tiny piece in the jigsaw.
She hands him a piece of paper.
VALERIE
This is a list of other components
exported through the same network
over the last 3 years. Tilt tables.
timing equipment. High speed
monitioring devices.
DR FORSTER
(Reading)
Quartz rate sensors. Calibration
units...
(Takes off his glasses.)
It's not kidney stones. Thank god
you stopped this.
VALERIE
I'm not stopping it.
17.
DR FORSTER
(Confused)
I don't understand..
INT. COUNTER PROLIFERATION DIVISION. LANGLEY. DAY.
Valerie's team are in a briefing room.
VALERIE
We keep the transaction live. Trace
it all the way to the end user.
She takes them through a full whiteboard.
VALERIE
The shipment arrives in Joburg on
the 21st. It's put in an unmarked
container and shipped to the free
trade zone in Dubai. Our asset
meets there with the buyer on the
23rd.
She tosses a spark gap to one of her team.
VALERIE
Dr Forster and his team at Los
Alamos have altered the impedence
timings of the spark gaps by a
fraction of a nanosecond.
Basically, they won't know it
doesn't work til it doesn't work.
ALI
Can we put a wire on the asset?
The door at the back opens. The Deputy of CPD enters with the
Chief. Everybody sits up. Valerie continues..
VALERIE
Too dangerous. This network has
avoided detection for years. Expect
meticulous operational security and
counter surveillance. Any
questions?
They disperse. The deputy director of CDP buttonholes her..
DEPUTY CPD
Val. The chief wants to see you.
INT. CORRIDOR. LANGLEY. DAY.
Valerie walks with MIKE and BILL, their chief.
18.
BILL
Val, seventh floor have issued a
directive for a Joint Task Force on
Iraq. We want you to head it up.
Valerie doesn't blink.
VALERIE
Yes Sir.
BILL
You can pick your team. This is top
priority. Down the line D.F.U.
VALERIE
What about the Dubai op?
BILL
Mike says you got a hunch on the
buyer.
VALERIE
Manucher Vaziri. Syrian National.
Based out of Karachi. On a wire
picked up in Cairo he talks about
componentry from a known source in
Pakistan he's moving to an unnamed
Gulf state..
BILL
Iraq?
VALERIE
Vaziri's devoutly Shia. Iraq's
controlled by the Sunni. Saddam's
Sunni. There's no way this is Iraq.
BILL
They're all good Muslims right?
VALERIE
And Martin Luther King and the KKK
are both Christian.
BILL
Great job. From Monday, I need you
both eyes on Iraq.
CUT TO:
At the door, they shake hands. Mike and Valerie walk off.
MIKE
D.F.U?
19.
VALERIE
Don't fuck up.
CUT TO:
A framed photograph, of Joe walking in the Rose Garden with
the forty first President, George HW Bush. "To Joe Wilson,
with respect and Best Wishes, George Bush..
PRESIDENT V/O
States like these, and their
terrorist allies, constitute an
axis of evil, arming to threaten
the peace of the world...
INT. JOE WILSON'S DEN. CHARLESTON TERRACE. WASHINGTION. DAY.
CNN is on in the background, low. State of the Union Address,
2002. Joe, working on something, recording voice notes, half-
watching the President over his papers.
PRESIDENT V/O (ON CNN)
They could provide these arms to
terrorists, giving them the means
to match their hatred..
ACROSS THE ROOM -- beneath a wall of well-thumbed tomes, two
year old twins, TREVOR and SAMANTHA are lost in play. Trevor
hauls in the flex of a globe lamp on a top shelf.
PRESIDENT
They could attack our allies or
attempt to blackmail the United
States. In any of these cases, the
price of indifference would be
catastrophic.
CRASH! -- Joe turns as the shelf GIVES WAY, and an avalanche
of books and keepsakes buries his kids. Hollers. Tears.
JOE
(Rushes over)
Hey hey hey. Everybody OK? Let's
take a look at you. Four arms. Four
legs. No broken bones.
He lugs them out. The front door opens. It's Heather the
babysitter.
HEATHER
Hey kids! Joe I'm sorry I'm late.
20.
JOE
That's fine. Look guys. Heather's
here.
CUT TO:
On TV, Live. The President crossing the White House Lawn,
towards Marine One.
As the kids play with Heather in the lounge, Joe makes a
coffee in the kitchen, watching the President on TV as he
mounts the ramp. The cabin door shuts tight. A wash of rotor
blades. The chopper lifts off.
Joe takes the coffee and walks out onto the deck. He looks up
into the sky. A THRUMMING BUILDS. The deck shakes, the sky
turns black as Marine One thunders over low. Deafening.
CUT TO:
CLOSEUP: SATELLITE IMAGES OF INSTALLATIONS IN A DESERT.
Val takes her eye from a magnifying stand.
INT. OPEN PLAN OFFICE, LANGLEY. LATE AT NIGHT
No-one around. Alone, VALERIE, surrounded by piles of files
and folders, scans pictures of military hardware, checks it
against its corresponding aerial signature.
VOICE (O.S.)
How do you think she got the job?
She cocks an ear. PUTTING ON THEIR COATS, two male analysts:
ANALYST 1
Memo comes out saying we got two
percent women in executive roles.
It's quotas by another name.
There's ten guys I could name could
do the job better..
ANALYST 2
I wonder who's she's fucking.
She freezes. -- SUDDENLY--
VOICE (MIKE, O.S)
Don't you have a home to go to?
She turns. MIKE, her director is there. He smiles.
CUT TO:
21.
TWO MINUTES LATER.
In MIKE's office. She reading the document.
MIKE
DIA released the report Tuesday.
WINPAC aren't buying and State
kicked it back, but it's making
waves in the Vice President's
Office.
(He looks at her)
What do you think?
VALERIE
He's qualified. He's been there
hundreds of times. Knows the arena
inside out.
MIKE
You don't look overjoyed.
VALERIE
He's been working hard to build his
business. Then there's the twins.
Money's kinda tight right now.
MIKE
(He looks at her)
We're at full stretch here. You
know that better than anyone. He's
helped us before. Could you ask him
to come in?
INT. MARBLE LOBBY, CIA HEADQUARTERS, LANGLEY. DAY.
The vast lobby at Langley. Operatives, analysts, come and go
in the hushed marble atrium. Joe in a dark suit, attache
case, stares at the wall. Reads the inscription.
"In Honor of Those Members of the Central Intelligence Agency
Who Gave Their Lives in The Service of Their Country"
FLASHBACK. INT. BEDROOM. 1997. DAY.
Joe and Valerie lie in bed. Face to face.
VALERIE
You want to go out for breakfast.
Or stay here?
JOE
I want to live with you.
She looks into his eyes. A tear rolls out of her eye.
22.
VALERIE
There's something I have to tell
you.
PRESENT DAY -- The memorial on the North Wall. No names. Just
rows and rows of anonymous black stars. Dead Covert Officers.
FLASHBACK -- THE BEDROOM.
VALERIE
What are you thinking?
JOE
Is your name really Valerie?
She smiles.
VALERIE (O.S.)
Joe?
PRESENT DAY. LOBBY. LANGLEY.
Joe turns. His wife is standing there.
JOE
(Brightly)
Hey.
He moves away from the memorial. In this unfamiliar context,
this is slightly awkward.
JOE
Nice place you got here. Cosy.
VALERIE
(Smiles)
I need to get you cleared.
INT. ELEVATOR, CIA HEADQUARTERS, LANGLEY. DAY.
A big VISITORS badge on Joe. Side by side. They go down.
JOE
You work in the basement?
VALERIE
(Deadpan)
Actually. I work in Georgetown for
Brewster Jennings. We're a small
firm of Venture Capitalists.
JOE
That must be interesting work.
23.
VALERIE
It pays the rent.
INT. BASEMENT, LANGLEY. DAY.
Valerie leads Joe into a windowless room. MIKE. Five or six
analysts. Agents from CIA and State Department.
VALERIE
This is Joe Wilson. Joe, this is
Mike, the Deputy Chief of CPD.
(They shake)
I'll leave you guys to it.
Businesslike, Valerie leaves. Joe sits. Silence.
MIKE
Mr Wilson, what can you tell us
about Yellowcake?
Joe looks around the room. Clears his throat.
JOE
I believe it's a concentrate
obtained from uranium ore used to
create fissile material for weapons
programs. But I'm not a scientist.
MIKE
What about Niger?
JOE
The UN Human Development Index
ranks Niger the number one Least
Liveable country in the world. I
started my Foreign Service there.
As Ambassador to Gabon, I travelled
back many times. Then as director
of Africa policy for the NSC under
President Clinton, I frequently
visited, often met with Prime
Minister Mayaki. I know the former
foreign minister. I know the
Minister of Mines.
MIKE
The Office of the Vice President
has received a report concerning a
memorandum of sale between the
governments of Niger and Iraq for
the purchase of five hundred tons
of Yellowcake Uranium ore..
(He fixes Joe)
(MORE)
24.
MIKE (cont'd)
I don't have to tell you how
serious this allegation is.
JOE WILSON
No Sir, you don't.
He leans forward.
MIKE
This is a request from the Vice
President. Can you help us?
ESTABLISHING: A LONE DC-8 FLIES ACROSS A CORAL PINK SKY.
A DC-8 judders in low over hills surrounding Niamey airport.
INSIDE --Joe, two days growth, blinks out the window. Below,
a rusty burned out DC-8 which didn't make it.
EXT. TAXI, NIGERIEN ROAD. DAY
Joe, in the back of a hot, rickety Renault, rattling along
the highway into town. Low earthen dwellings. Camel trains.
INT. HOTEL ROOM, NAIMEY. DAY
A tiny, hot cell. A sign on the bathroom door. "RED HOT
SHOVER". Turns the ceiling fan on. Loud grinding.
INT. BATHROOM. DAY.
Joe lathers up his face to shave. He turns on the tap. No
water. He looks at himself in the mirror.
MINISTER (O.S)
Bien revenue a Niger M. Wilson.
EXT. OUTSIDE DUSTY BODEGA. DAY.
Joe, unshaven, shakes hands with a 60 year old Nigerien.
JOE
Par la grace D'Allah. Comment allez
vous, M. Bonzala ?
INSIDE - We subtitle the mixture of French dialect and Hausa.
MINISTER
Last time we met I was Minister,
you Ambassador. Now, thanks to
Allah, we are free men. You're
growing a beard, no?
25.
JOE
So it would seem.
MINISTER
So tell me. How can Niger help its
old friend, America?
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM, DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE. DAY.
Several analysts sit around a table, including the LEAD
ANALYST, PAUL. Two of them are the guys who were bad-mouthing
Valerie. Another is JOE TURNER, a dough-faced offical from
WINPAC (Weapons Intelligence Non Proliferaton and Control).
TURNER
(Reads)
"In summer 2001 Iraq sought to
purchase 60,000 high alloy 7075-T4
aluminum tubes manufactured in
China. The high spec of these tubes
led us to conclude they were
intended for the enrichment of
uranium. In August 2001 J.
Turner.." That's me.. "flew to
Vienna, to meet with IAEA
scientists. Mr. Turner produced
this report, aspects of which
represents the CIA's present
position." I'm happy to take
questions.
ANALYST
The INR concluded late last year
that these tubes were probably for
artillery use, and the DOE agreed
they exactly matched those used by
Iraq for artillery rockets.
PAUL
Where are the tubes?
TURNER
WINPAC has them. We've examined
them. This is my point. None of you
guys has even seen the tubes.
VALERIE
I've seen them.
Everyone looks at her.
TURNER
And when was that?
26.
Valerie looks up. Slightly surprised by his tone.
VALERIE
When I seized them last year in
Jordan. When I headed the covert
team that intercepted them, bought
back samples and delivered them to
you guys at WINPAC.
A couple of the analysts try not to smile.
TURNER
So I take it you're not a nuclear
expert. These tubes are an EXACT
match for those developed by German
scientist Gernot Zippe in the 50s.
Valerie turns to her notes from her reading.
VALERIE
You're right. I'm no nuclear
expert. But Dr. Houston Wood, at
Virginia U atomic facility is. He
also knows Dr Zippe, who's 89 and
lives in Austria, and he told him
that the wall thickness of the
Iraqi tubes was three or four times
the thickness of his design.
PAUL
And the tubes are twice as long as
Zippe's design. In fact the only
similarity between his tubes and
the alumumium tubes is that they're
made of aluminium.
VALERIE
A metal that hasn't been used in
gas centrifuges since 1952.
The chauvanist analysts share a look of respect for Valerie.
Still Turner doesn't give up.
TURNER
I went to Vienna. Canada. I've
worked on this for months. They're
centrifuges. Fact.
PAUL
So basically, they're your tubes
and if we don't let you win you're
going home.
27.
TURNER
That's pathetic.
VALERIE
Joe. No one is saying you're wrong
here. But if you're right, it's
huge. So we ask the question.
Right? We have to ask the question.
EXT. DESERT ROAD. DAY.
Joe rides shotgun, in a 4X4, driven deep into the Sahara.
JOE V/O
Niger has two Uranium mines in the
Sahara desert. One's flooded. The
other's run by COGEMA, a French
subsidiary, jointly controlled by
the Japanese and Germans.
A collossal earthworks defacing the flat, hot moonscape. Joe
is escorted around the mines by a small team.
JOE
500 tons of Yellowcake is not an
off the books size transaction, it
represents a 40% production
increase in the nation's annual
output of uranium. A sale that size
would leave a huge paper trail.
INT. HOTEL. DAY.
Joe sits on his bed, under the noisy fan, making notes.
JOE (V.O.)
Any documentation would by law have
to be signed by the Prime Minister,
Foreign minister, and the Minister
of the mines... But say it was an
off the books deal..
EXT. ROADSIDE VILLAGE. DAY.
The long road back from the mines the previous day, Joe's
Land Rover pulls over. Everyone comes out to see them.
JOE (V.O.)
How do you hide the transportation
of 500 tons of anything, let alone
lightly refined uranium?
(MORE)
28.
JOE (V.O.) (cont'd)
You're talking fifty semi tractor
trucks on one road through villages
where nothing passed for months
except maybe one bush taxi. It
would be the biggest event for
months. To say they forgot, it's
like kids forgetting Christmas.
ESTABLISHING-- JOE AND VALERIE'S HOUSE. NIGHT.
INSIDE -- Joe sits at the dining room table, debriefed by two
CIA agents, over Chinese take out.
JOE
The droughts of the 80s and 90s
were met by millions of dollars of
U.S Aid, which continues to this
day. It just doesn't make sense
Niger would compromise this
lifeline. For that reason, and the
others I've given, it's my opinion
that the sale couldn't happen.
CUT TO:
Joe shows them out. Shuts the door. Valerie appears.
JOE
What happens next?
VALERIE
They write a report. Give it to the
analysts. It'll be re-written, then
kicked upstairs where it'll be
thrown in with whoever else's
report they got-
Joe snorts derisively.
JOE
You guys are hysterical. I can't
believe you're actually gonna send
someone else all the way out there
to ask exactly the same questions.
VALERIE
You can't compile Intelligence from
a single source? That's not
Intelligence. That's an opinion.
JOE
I can save the CIA some air fare
here. There isn't a snowflakes
chance in hell this thing happened.
29.
VALERIE
Say who?
JOE
Says me.
VALERIE
What if you're wrong? One guy says
it's true. It's not true. Lots of
guys say it's true, it's still not
true. It's intelligence. It's slow.
Painstaking. But it works. Checks
and balances.
JOE
What am I, a check or a balance?
VALERIE
Probably neither. You're a teeny
tiny weeny cog in a giant machine.
But you did your job. You should
feel good. They count on that.
That's why they don't pay you.
JOE
I'm not feeling that 007 right now.
She puts her arms around his neck. Kisses him sexily.
VALERIE
I can get the kids to make you a
medal, if it'll help.
JOE
Us double oh's are more about the
gratuitous sex.
VALERIE
I'll see what I can do.
They start making out.
CUT TO:
TELEVISION FOOTAGE OF A PRESS CONFERENCE.
JOURNALIST
Mr. President, in your speeches now
you rarely talk or mention Osama
bin Laden. Why is that?
30.
INT. CHIEF'S OFFICE. DAY
VALERIE leans over an analyst's desk as together they study
photographs of a Syrian man in his sixties on the analysts
screen.. The TV is on in the corner of the computer screen..
PRESIDENT ON TV
The idea of focusing on one person
indicates people don't understand
the scope of the mission. Terror is
bigger than one person. So I just
don't spend that much time on him,
Kelly, to be honest with you...
Valerie looks up and stops. ACROSS THE FLOOR SCOOTER LIBBY,
his assistant and TWO AIDES, walk past. Heads turn.
VALERIE
Why is the OVP here?
INT. MIKE'S OFFICE. DAY.
The Deputy director hears a knock. It's Valerie.
VALERIE
Mike. The Vice President's men are
here.
MIKE
What the fuck?
INT. BRIEFING ROOM. DAY.
No windows. A lone analyst sits sweating bullets. LIBBY,
spectacles on, thick folder open on his knee..
LIBBY
My name is I. Lewis Libby. I'm the
Chief of Staff to The Vice
President. You are?
ANALYST
Dave. I'm an analyst. In non-
proliferation.
LIBBY
What can you tell the Vice
President about aluminium tubes?
INT. CIA MESS HALL, 2ND FLOOR, LANGLEY. DAY
Valerie and Mike queue up in the mess with JIM PAVITT, 52 the
Deputy Director of the CIA.
31.
PAVITT
Relax Mike. The Veep's just
dotting the i's.
MIKE
Bullshit Jim. The only time a Vice
President comes to Langley is to
cut a fucking ribbon.
PAVITT
Look. Cheney doesn't trust us. This
shit with Dick goes back thirty
years. It'll blow over.
(He turns to Valerie)
Where are we on Iraq?
VALERIE
Behind the curve Sir. Most of the
intel is outdated. We don't have a
single operative or asset in the
country.
PAVITT
What about geo-satellite imaging?
VALERIE
With respect sir, you can't look at
this problem from space and make a
call.
PAVITT
So talk to the defectors.
VALERIE
The defectors are unreliable. Most
are supplied through a former asset
the agency's had on a burn notice
since `95. It's a racket. They walk
in and get paid to say whatever the
Pentagon wants to hear.
PAVITT
So we're blind.
VALERIE
We need sources we can rely on. We
need to get in close.
PAVITT
How close?
VALERIE
Inside.
32.
BILL
Jim. Val thinks she can get us
inside the weapons program.
Pavitt looks at her.
PAVITT
How?
CUT TO:
Rows and rows of stationary. Shelves filled pads, pens.
Pencils. Photocopy paper. Shelves twenty feet high.
INT. PAPER SUPPLIES AND STATIONERY SHOP. DAY
Valerie selects a pad and a pencil and approaches the counter
where a lugubrious woman in a pink Sari is doing Su Doku.
Valerie pays for her notebook and steps out into ---
EXT. BUSY STREET. CAIRO, EGYPT. DAY
The streets throng with traffic. Somalian taxi drivers.
Central Africans ferrying exotic produce. Egyptians smoking
apple tobacco. Colors. Bustle. A different world.
Valerie, head shrouded in a scarf, puts the notebook in her
bag and pushes her way along the crowded street, buzzing with
scooters and pedestrians. She steps through an archway into --
EXT. SULTANATE COURTYARD, CAIRO UNIVERSITY. DAY
An ancient cloister filled with an excited clamor. Fresh
faced students pile into a lecture theater. She follows.
PROFESSOR AZIZ(V.O.)
The warping of the extra dimension
is analogous to the warping of
spacetime in the vicinity of a
massive object eg: a black hole.
INT. WOOD PANELLED LECTURE HALL. CAIRO UNIVERSITY. DAY
Wrapt Silence. Valerie sits at the back. She opens her new
notebook and listens.
ON STAGE -- An old Middle-Eastern professor is giving a
lecture with the help of an over-head projector. Giant shadow
hands deftly trace algebraic formulae onto projector.
33.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
Red-shifting, generates a large
ratio of energy scales so that the
natural scale at one end of the
extra dimension is much larger.
Valerie watches.
PROFESSOR AZIZ (V.O.)
It's an honor to meet you at last
Dr. Harper.
EXT. CLOISTERS OF CAIRO UNIVERSITY. DAY
The prof walks with Valerie talking excitedly.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
I was unable to attend your String-
Gravity seminar at MIT but I read a
transcript. Truly groundbreaking
work.
VALERIE
Thank you.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
The Faculty have just moved me, so
you must excuse the mess.
He shows Valerie up a stone staircase and through a door.
INT. BOOKLINED STUDY. CAIRO UNIVERSITY. DAY
Books everywhere. Lots still in boxes.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
My old rooms were on the other side
of the courtyard. They were smaller
but I got the morning sunlight.
Will you settle for Peppermint tea.
It's fresh.
VALERIE
Thank you.
The professor hands Valerie a cup of mint tea and sits.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
Tell me Dr. Harper, did you read my
latest paper on quarks. I cite your
1995 essay more than once. I would
be very intrigued to know what you
made of my findings..
34.
She sits forward.
VALERIE
Sir, Dr Harper is in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. She received a call
yesterday requesting she stay home
for 48 hours.
The professor blinks. Taken aback.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
I don't understand. Who are you?
VALERIE
I'm sorry for misleading you. But
I'm here to ask you the same
question.
(He stops)
Because you are not Professor Aziz.
He stands there. Thrown.
VALERIE
I'm sorry to surprise you like this
Sir. Your name is Doctor Harif Al
Fallari. You were born in Basra.
The old man looks perplexed. Even a little amused. He sits.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
Well. This is indeed a strange
morning. Madam, there seems to have
been a mistake. My name is Said
Uhmah Aziz. I am a theoretical
physicist. I model space. I've
never been to Basra. I'm a teacher.
I'd like to be of assistance. But
I'm afraid I can't help you.
VALERIE
So you're not Doctor Fallari.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
Madam. I've never even heard of
this man.
VALERIE
You were not lead engineer at the
Osirak nuclear installation outside
Tikrit. You were never captured by
the Mukhbarat escaping to Syria.
You didn't spend three years in the
Abu Dhan jail.
35.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
This is absurd.
VALERIE
You weren't tortured. Broken. You
didn't finally escape and arrive
here in Cairo with nothing.
PROFESSOR AZIZ
No.
VALERIE
Dr. Al Fallari had two daughters.
They were taken by Uday Hussein's
private guard. He never saw them
again.
He stares at the floor.
VALERIE
That didn't happen. They never
existed.
He remains motionless. Valerie watches him closely.
VALERIE
I need names. Of your colleagues in
the weapons programmes. The lives
of hundreds of thousands of your
people may depend upon it.
He looks up at Valerie tears in his eyes
VALERIE
I know Tarif. I know what happened.
He walks over to the window. SLOWLY he takes off his jacket.
His shirt, pulls it off over his head and turns his back to
her. He's been mutilated and burned all up his back. Slowly
he turns. Deep scars. Burns.
PROFESSOR
You know nothing.
EXT. CAIRO STREET. DUSK.
Sunset. Traders are packing up. Valerie hurries into --
INT. SAFE HOUSE. CAIRO. DUSK.
..up some rickety stairs and unlocks a graffiti covered door.
Inside she takes out the notepad, her heart beating fast. On
the page, A LIST OF NAMES.
36.
She pulls a ruggedized laptop from under the bed and pushes
the plug into a bare wires socket. It fizzes. She starts to
type the names into the computer.
CUT TO:
ESTABLISHING. RAINY LANGLEY. DAY.
INT. CHIEF OF CPD'S OFFICE. DAY.
MIKE at his desk. His secretary pops her head round the door.
SECRETARY
They're back.
INT. BRIEFING ROOM. DAY.
An analyst sits opposite Scooter Libby. He's so nervous he
can barely open his eyes.
ANALYST 1
The Iraqis were trying to buy the
tubes off the internet. They spent
three million dollars weather-
proofing the tubes. Plus the tubes
are roughly twice too long. Now you
could argue that that's to disguise
them, you could saw them in half.
That's sixty thousand tubes.
(Mimes sawing)
I mean whew. Saddam's gonna get the
mother of all blisters..
Laughs. Libby stares, unsmiling. Keeps sawing. Wishing to God
he'd never started.
OUTSIDE.
The door opens and the analyst, white as a sheet, comes out.
A couple of colleagues are waiting outside.
ANALYST 2
How was it?
ANALYST 1
Don't make jokes.
ANALYST 1 drifts his way back to his desk. ANALYST 2
swallows, and disappears into the `interrogation' room.
INT. BATHROOM. DAY.
PAUL, the chief analyst, comes out of the stall. ANALYST 2 is
there, throwing up in the sink.
37.
ANALYST 2
He thinks I don't know how serious
it is.. weeks and weeks of fifteen
hour days, we've gone back over and
over it.
PAUL
OK. I'll handle this.
CUT TO:
Scooter listens patiently to PAUL, the chief analyst.
PAUL
And so apart from all the
scepticism surrounding the
specification, the analysis from
the IAEA which I believe is
numbered in the report..
(Stops. Changes tack)
Mr Libby. Energy department nuclear
scientists are among the most
boring people on the planet. They
can talk about gas centrifuges
until you want to jump out of a
window. And maybe once every ten
years someone comes along and says
"so, tell me about gas
centrifuges". That's literally the
only time you should listen to
these guys. If they say an
aluminium tube is not for a gas
centrifuge it's like a fish talking
about water. We've been over this
data with you now five, six times.
And... We don't really know how you
want us to play this..
Libby listens. He nods. Waits.
LIBBY
Let me level with you here Paul. I
don't know what these tubes are
for. From everything you're saying,
there could be something to this,
but very likely not, right?
PAUL
Exactly.
LIBBY
May I ask a question? When you say
we don't really know how to play
this, what do you mean?
38.
PAUL
(Stops. Turns white)
I'm just saying I don't know how to
say it any other way than that-
LIBBY
Except you didn't say `I' you said
`we'. So you and the others have
discussed how to "play" these
briefings. Why does the CIA feel
the need to play these briefings?
PAUL
No. I mean that.. Ok. I didn't mean
what I just said.
LIBBY
Which part. The last part. Or other
things too.
PAUL
I'm a getting a little confused-
LIBBY
You want me to come back?
PAUL
No. GOD no.
The temperature drops five degrees.
LIBBY
You don't know why I'm here do you?
In 1991 the United States invaded
Iraq, and afterwards weapons
inspectors discovered Saddam was
six months off enriching uranium to
sufficiently high specification to
make a nuclear bomb. He had fissile
material. And not a single person
at the CIA, from the DCI down to
the janitor had the slightest clue
that such a program even existed.
So now, one decade on, are you
telling me that you're 100% sure
these tubes are not intended to
create nuclear weapons?
PAUL
I..Sir..OK. With intelligence,
nothing's 100 percent.
39.
LIBBY
So. What? Are you.. Ninety nine
percent sure? Ninety eight?
PAUL
You can't put an exact figure. You
can't be that precise.
LIBBY
But if you had to say, could you
say you're ninety seven percent
sure? Is there a three percent
chance you've got this wrong? Or
four? Or five? Still pretty good
odds. You like those odds Paul? You
willing to put your name to that.
Are you ready to make that call?
PAUL
I don't make the call, Sir-.
LIBBY
(Fixing him)
Yes you do Paul. Each time you
interpret a piece of data. Each
time you choose a "maybe" over a
"perhaps" you make a call. A
decision. And right now you're
making lots of little decisions
adding up to a big decision and out
there's a real world where millions
of people depend upon you being
right. But what if there's a one
percent chance you're wrong. Can
you say for sure you'll take that
chance and state, as a fact, that
this equipment is not intended for
a nuclear weapons programme?
The analyst sits frozen.
LIBBY
Do you know what one percent of the
population of this country is? It's
three million, two hundred and
forty thousand souls.
PAUL
Sir. We're not machines. We.. It..
We look at the evidence, we game it
out. Not everyone agrees all the
time. It's a process.
40.
LIBBY
It's a process.
PAUL
Yes.
LIBBY
And not everyone agrees.
PAUL
Exactly.
LIBBY
Who doesn't agree?
SFX: A VOLLEY OF GUNFIRE. FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER.
EXT. ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETARY. DAY
Full military funeral, in the rain. A hundred mourners from
Langley. Some uniformed. A coffin draped in the flag
CUT TO:
A hymn is sung. In the bleechers, the analyst from the
meeting earlier, pauses in the break between verses and
squints through the rain at the bank of seats across the
grave.
OVER THERE is THE LANGLEY TOP BRASS. JIM PAVITT. Next to him,
GEORGE TENET, DCI. Next to him...... of all people.... JOE
TURNER, (the analyst from WINPAC).
ANALYST
What the fuck is Joe Turner doing
next to the DCI?
ANALYST 2
Didn't you hear? Friday the DCI
took him to the White House. He
briefed the President on Aluminum
tubes.
ANALYST
You're fucking kidding me.
Turner is over there, singing the hymn, rubbing shoulders
with the good and the great.
AT THE BACK -- Valerie stands with a number of other agents,
MIKE and BILL, her Chief. A lone bugler and marine drummer
beat out a last post. A widow weeps.
41.
BILL (V.O.)
Its a dead end.
CUT TO:
Valerie walks with the Chief and other senior agents away
from the graveside.
BILL
So we've got a list of names. The
Mukhbarat watch the scientists
night and day. Their houses are
bugged. Their friends are followed.
TACTICAL COMMANDER
Say we drop in a light weight tac
team outside the city.
BILL
You get through the checkpoints and
roadblocks. You show up in my
bedroom in the dead of the night
with an armed tac team ask me to
help out Uncle Sam? I'm going to
react unpredictably.
TACTICAL COMMANDER
What about forcible extraction of
two or three of the main targets?
VALERIE
No. We've got 29 names. I want to
get to them all.
TACTICAL COMMANDER
How? You can't use the inspectors.
You can't use tac. The wall's too
high Val. What are you going to do.
Train a mouse?
VALERIE
Maybe.
INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT.
Joe opens his eyes. Rolls across. He's alone.
INT. KITCHEN, THE WILSON HOME. NIGHT
Joe comes downstairs...Valerie is by the front door, dressed,
cinched black mack, suitcase.
VALERIE
Hey, did I wake you up?
42.
JOE
It's three forty five..
VALERIE
I gotta go. I have to be at the
airport in forty five minutes.
Joe, still half-asleep, catches up.
JOE
Well...how long this time? I
mean... Do we need childcare for
tomorrow-
VALERIE
I left a post-it by the lamp. Its
all on the post-it.
JOE
Right. Its on the post-it.
VALERIE
I didn't want to wake you.
(Senses something)
Are you OK?
JOE
We've been leaving post-its for
each other for months now.. we talk
via Post-It. That fridge is like a
dead letter drop.
(Stops. Laughs)
Jesus. Listen to me!. I sound like
an old... Some-
(He bangs the door)
I don't know where you go. Who you
meet. If you're in some jail, or
lying in some ditch in Jordan,
Beirut. And if you go missing, I
can't tell anyone because you were
never there. I'd never know what
happened. I don't know where you
go.
VALERIE
I'm going to Cleveland.
He stops. Thunder-robbed.
VALERIE
I'll be home tonight.
(Then)
It's on the Post-It.
43.
She kisses him. They look at one another.
JOE
Have a nice day.
She shuts the door, leaving Joe alone. He walks through to
the kitchen, looks at the fridge, one by one he takes all the
notes off, then, deliberately, drops them in the bin.
INT. EMERGENCY ROOM, EUCLID CLINIC, CLEVELAND. DAY
A busy ER. A female doctor shakes hands with grateful
parents. She bends down to talk to a boy, cast on his arm.
VALERIE watches from a distance.
EXT. SUBURBAN HOME, MORELAND HILLS, CLEVELAND. DAY
A car park. The female doctor gets out of her car, with
grocery bags, and goes toward her house.
ACROSS THE STREET -- VALERIE watches from a parked rental.
CUT TO:
As the doctor finds the right key, she suddenly turns to see--
VALERIE
Dr. Al Haddad? Is there somewhere
we can speak?
INT. STARBUCKS, SHOPPING MALL, SUBURBS OF CLEVELAND. NIGHT
In the foreground some goth kids play with their ipods. In
the window, Valerie and Dr. Sawsan Al Haddad sip coffee.
VALERIE
How long is it since you saw your
brother?
SAWSAN
1989. I attended a medical
convention over there. Before that,
in `83, he came here for an
engineering conference. Twice in
twenty five years. We try to stay
in contact. It's difficult.
VALERIE
Would you like to go back and see
him?
SAWSAN holds her gaze.
44.
SAWSAN
You want me to become a spy.
VALERIE
We need to ask Sa'ad some
questions. Do you think he would
answer them?
SAWSAN
I'm a doctor. I work hard. I'm also
a mother. I have a small girl and
I'm all she has.
VALERIE
We can help your brother. Right now
he is extremely valuable to us.
SAWSAN
And to Saddam. The Mukbarat watch
him night and day.
VALERIE
He could come here Sawsan. He's an
expert physicist. He'd have a job,
his children, his family would be
safe. You, your daughter could see
him whever you want. Sawsan. Can
you help us?
SAWSAN
I won't do anything to help you. I
don't know you. I would only do
this for Sa'ad.
VALERIE
Then do it for Sa'ad.
Valerie watches her.
SAWSAN
What would I have to do?
ESTABLISHING. SHIMMERING CITYSCAPE OF AMMAN. JORDAN. NIGHT.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY. NIGHT.
Westerners mix with Mid-Easterners. A tea trolley crosses the
floor and disappears into a service elevator.
INT. TWELVE FLOOR CORRIDOR./HOTEL SUITE. NIGHT.
The elevator opens and a tea trolley stops outside room 1201.
The door is opened by Valerie's colleague. Ali. It is wheeled
inside. As Ali signs, cups of tea are poured.
45.
He carries one into THE BEDROOM and hands it to Sawsan, who
sits on the edge of a bed wearing a long black traditional
Abaya. There are two other agents there, with Valerie. One of
them is holding a notebook..
AGENT 1
The pages of this notebook are fast
burning. You write on them like
normal, but if you need to destroy
them in an emergency..
He whips out a zippo. Sets fire to one. It's gone in a flash.
AGENT 1
You have two of these in your
luggage. Now this is the only pen
we want you to use..
The other agent shows her a pen.
AGENT 2
The ink in this pen is visible for
10 seconds. Only when given the the
correct chemical fixative can it be
read.
SAWSAN
- I am not taking any of this. If
the Mukhbarat find any of this they
will do things to me you cannot
imagine. Tell me what you need to
know. I will memorise it.
AGENT 2
Ma'am, we have 50 very specific
questions, some extremely
technical.
SAWSAN
You have 206 different bones in
your body. Do you want their names
in english, latin or arabic?
They look to Val for a decision. She can't help but smile.
CUT TO:
Later. The agents have gone. Just Sawsan and Valerie.
VALERIE
How do you feel?
She's trying to drink her tea, but she's shaking. Val takes
her hand and silently grips it.
46.
VALERIE
Just remember, if anyone asks you
anything, if anyone stops you stay
calm and tell the truth. You're
just visiting your brother. Keep it
simple and keep to the truth.
SAWSAN
Except it's not the truth.
How do you do it?
She searches Valerie's face.
SAWSAN
How do you be someone you're not?
How do you lie to someone? To their
face. How do you do it?
Valerie looks at her. Before she can answer we --
CUT TO:
OUTSIDE -- Ali checks his watch. Knocks on the door. Opens
it. Valerie and Sawsan look up from the edge of bed.
ALI
It's time.
EXT. QUEEN ALIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. AMMAN. JORDAN.
A taxi cab stops and SAWSAN is helped out by the driver.
From a car across the street -- Valerie watches:
Sawsan rolls her suitcase into the terminal. At the door she
glances behind her...and disappears inside.
Ali and Valerie get out the car looking every bit like
tourists, suitcases, sunglasses, guidebook etc.
INT. QUEEN ALIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. AMMAN. JORDAN.
Valerie and Ali enter the revolving doors and follow her at a
distance across the shiny beige and gold marble floors.
By the the check in desk for the Gulf Air flight to Baghdad
stand TWO MOUSTACHIOED MEN in dark suits.
Valerie and Ali have stopped in a electronic goods store.
ALI
Mukhbarat. Watching the flight desk
on this side.
47.
Valerie aims her zoom lens camera and as if appraising it as
a purchase, firing off some shots of the Iraqi agents.
Sawsan reaches the desk and is stopped by the two men.
They watch her talking to the men, handing over her passport.
CUT TO:
The Iraqi agent stares at her. He asks a question in arabic
No subtitles. Sawsan responds. She remains cool, almost
disinterested. The men exchange sentences of arabic.
BACK TO:
Valerie watches from a distance. Heart beating. At last they
allow Sawsan through, she checks onto the flight.
CUT TO:
Sawsan walks through to board the plane. Valerie watches her
finally disappear beneath a huge advertising image.
CUT TO:
INT. ALI'S HOTEL ROOM, GRAND HYATT. NIGHT.
Ali kneels on the floor and begins his prayer to Allah.
CUT TO:
CU: SNEAKERS RUNNING ON A TREADMILL. A LITHE BODY PUSHING IT.
INT. GYMNASIUM, GRAND HYATT AMMAN. NIGHT
VALERIE runs.. She looks at her reflection in the window, and
the lights beyond.
CLOSE ON HER FACE --
FLASHBACK. THE HOTEL ROOM EARLIER: VALERIE sitting on the
edge of the bed with SAWSAN. The answer to her question:
VALERIE
You have to know. Know why you're
lying. And never forget the truth..
BACK TO:
Valerie running. She pushes hard on the treadmill. Pouring
the stress out of her. CNN is on the TV above her.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE on WOLF BLITZER.
48.
TELEVISION (REAL FOOTAGE)
BLITZER
We read in the New York Times today
a story that says that Saddam
Hussein is closer to acquiring
nuclear weapons.
Slowly she stops running. Turns the volume up..
RICE
We do know that he is actively
pursuing a nuclear weapon. That
there have been shipments into Iraq
of high-quality aluminum tubes that
are only really suited for nuclear
weapons programs, centrifuge
programs..
VALERIE freezes.
CUT TO:
TELEVISION (REAL FOOTAGE) -- FOX NEWS SUNDAY WITH BRIT HUME
COLIN POWELL
And as we saw in reporting just
this morning, he is still trying to
acquire some of the specialized
aluminum tubing one needs to
develop centrifuges that would give
you an enrichment capability.
CUT TO:
TELEVISION (REAL FOOTAGE) -- MEET THE PRESS.
RUSSERT
Aluminium tubes?
CHENEY
Specifically aluminum tubes.
There's a story in The New York
Times this morning. I want to
attribute The Times. I don't want
to talk about specific intelligence
sources but it's now public that he
has been seeking to acquire the
kinds of tubes that are necessary
to build a centrifuge.
MIKE (O.S.)
It's a coordinated leak..
49.
INT. VALERIE'S ROOM.
Valerie on the phone, soaked in sweat, watches Meet the Press
on cable. She's on the phone to --
-- MIKE IN HIS OFFICE IN LANGLEY on the phone to VALERIE:
MIKE
Someone in the OVP leaked to the
New York Times and now they're
across the networks quoting the
leak. "Smoking gun". "Mushroom
cloud". They're using the same
words. It's co-ordinated.
VALERIE
I'm coming home.
CUT TO:
TELEVISION (REAL FOOTAGE)
BLITZER (ON TV)
Is Iraq's regime of Saddam Hussein
right now a clear and present
danger to the United States?
CONDOLEEZZA (ON CNN)
There is no doubt that Saddam
Hussein's regime is a danger to the
United States and to its allies, to
our interests. The problem here is
that there will always be some
uncertainty about how quickly he
can acquire nuclear weapons. But we
don't want the smoking gun to be a
mushroom cloud.
BLACKOUT.
ESTABLISHING. CHARLSTON TERRACE. NIGHT.
From the Wilsons, a homely glow emanates.
INT. JOE AND VAL'S HOUSE. NIGHT.
A dinner party. Dirty plates, red wine, late night. Joe, Val
and their friends. Joe is preparing to light a cigar.
JOE WILSON
OK. Number one I always open the
window and close the door..
50.
VALERIE
You can still smell it.
JOE
You want me to roll up a wet towel?
Like a teenager smoking in his
bedroom. Maybe sandbag my study?
VALERIE JOE
What's wrong with the deck? You used to smoke like crazy
when I met you.
JOE
Oh right. Middle of winter. It's
minus ten degrees. The whole point-
VALERIE
Put on a coat.
JOE
Valerie. Steve. Help me out. Val.
The whole point of a cigar you
gotta get a little Winston
Churchill vibe goin'. Slippers. A
crackling fire.
STEVE
Musty books, slippers. Maybe a
faithful hound.
JOE WILSON
Exactly. You can't be freezing your
balls off in a GOOSEDOWN alone in
the dark.
VALERIE
Don't think Churchill. Think Scott
of the Antarctic.
JOE
That's it. I quit.
He tosses the cigar down. She kisses his nose.
VALERIE JEFF
Honey Joe that's terrific It's about personal choice.
news. I'm so proud of you. It's Joe's personal choice to
gas his kids..
JOE WILSON
My father smoked cigars at the
dinner table for forty years. And
look at me.
51.
Joe feigns a cough. Laughter. Joe slaps his sides manfully.
CUT TO:
LATER -- The conversation has turned to politics.
DIANA STEVE
It was on Blitzer and Meet It came from the Times. Judy
the Press. All over the news. Miller.
The New York Times. Exactly.
SUE
Can I ask a dumb question. What is
an aluminum tube?
JEFF STEVE
They have the tubes Saddam They're for centifuges. For
was using to make a bomb. enriching uranium.
FRED
How? Who knows what they are?
DIANA STEVE
Everybody knows they are. The question is what else
does he have?
JEFF
Did you read about this Valerie?
VALERIE
I was in Europe on business last
week. I missed it.
JEFF
Basically Saddam bought all these
tubes. And we've nailed him. We got
them. They're packed with uranium.
STEVE
They're not packed with uranium.
JEFF
Right. They're for purifying it.
The bomb comes later. It's how you
boil it up it to make the big one.
DIANA FRED
Look out Israel. Says who? It's a bunch of
tubes.
JEFF
Joe you know about this stuff, what
do you think they're for. These
tubes. What's your hunch?
52.
All eyes on Joe. He tales off his glasses. Makes them wait.
JOE WILSON
Well Jeff. I don't know anything
about these tubes. I'm not
qualified. But I suppose the real
question here is-
BILL interrupts, stealing Joe's limelight.
FRED
It's a pretext! 50% of Americans
think Saddam blew up the Towers-
The table erupts in discussion, leaving Joe marooned. Valerie
spots it instantly, as he broods.
DIANA
He's a threat. You can't tell me
he's not a threat.
LISA
He's mad. Like Hitler. If we'd
stopped Hitler in the thirties-
Joe sits there. Fuming.
FRED
He's not Hitler. He's Saddam. We
put him there. Why? It suited us.
He's our fault. Always was.
Right on cue, Joe rounds on the hapless FRED.
JOE WILSON
Have you met him? Fred. Have you
met Saddam? Have you looked him in
the eye? Did he threaten you? Did
he threaten to kill you? You don't
know Saddam. You don't know what
you're talking about.
Joe gets up. Joe walks out.
DIANA JEFF
So. What's for dessert? (To himself)
"I may be some time"..
VALERIE FRED
I'm sorry Fred. I thought we were just
talking.
JEFF
What is this? Meet the Press?
53.
LISA
Val's made a Lemon Meringue.
DIANA FRED
Yes please. Try and stop me.
CUT TO:
Valerie comes into the kitchen. Sue follows her.
SUE
Mmm...That smells good. Shall I get
some bowls.
VALERIE
Thank Sue. Bottom cupboard.
SUE
We have a rule at home. No politics
at the table. It always ends in a
squabble. I mean, nobody knows
what's going on over there. At the
end of the day, who really knows?
VALERIE
You're right Sue. Who knows?
CUT TO:
INT. ARRIVALS SADDAM INTERNATIONAL. DAY
Alone, Sawsan rolls her small suitcase across the polished
floor past a group of Iraqi soldiers. A Saddam-a-like in a
dark suit takes her passport. His eyes bore into her.
PASSPORT CONTROL
(in arabic)
Its her.
MUKHBARAT OFFICER
Al Haddad?
He takes her suitcase from her. HEART THUMPING. He leads her
out of the queue, down a strip lit corridor and into a
windowless room in bowels of the airport.
MUKHBARAT OFFICER
Wait here.
He shuts the door. Sawsan tries to control her breathing.
CUT TO:
54.
Hands search through her luggage. They unwrap a framed
photograph of SAWSAN and her daughter, smiling. The officer
turns it over in his hands.
CUT TO:
The officer returns with her bags. Drops them on the floor.
OFFICER
Wait here.
CUT TO:
A door opens. Sawsan appears. On the other side, there stands
a tall Iraqi man. Her relief is enormous. They embrace.
SA'AD
How is my little sister?
SAWSAN
Sa'ad! I am so happy to see you.
INT/EXT. MOVING CAR - BAGHDAD STREETS. DAY
Sa'ad drives a battered dusty mercedes through the streets.
SA'AD
I've a friend in security services.
I've been a government employee for
25 years, there has to be some
advantage. You can wait all day.
Sawsan smiles at her brother.
EXT. LARGE DILAPIDATED FAMILY HOUSE, MANSOUR, BAGHDAD.DAY
An extended family of great uncles and aunts, grand children
and cousins greet Sawsan's arrival. Getting out of the car
she is surrounded by hugs and tears and laughter.
Sawsan removes the framed photograph of her and her daughter.
It is cooed over then given pride of place on the mantel.
INT. KITCHEN, AL TAWFIQ HOUSE. LATE AT NIGHT
Sawsan and her brother are alone in the kitchen washing up
after the big welcome home meal. His five year old daughter
watches from the stairs, fascinated by her american aunt.
SAWSAN
The house looks very different.
55.
SA'AD
It's falling down. In `93 they
bombed government buildings here.
The foundations are shattered.
SAWSAN
Sa'ad I need to speak-
He holds up his hand and shakes his head.
SA'AD
(speaking normally)
..I have been meaning to repaint
the exterior..
Saad keeps a finger to his lips. Fear in his eyes.
SA'AD
..but it is difficult to find the
time when I am so busy at work..but
the gardens are still the same as
when we were children.
SAWSAN
The gardens yes of course, I would
like to see them.
EXT. BROKEN SUMMER HOUSE, GARDEN MANSOUR. NIGHT
Sawsan and her brother speak low. He seems very nervous.
SAWSAN
They can help you if you get out to
the Kurdish zone.
SA'AD
(exasperated)
I am watched Sawsan. If I drive
even twenty minutes north of
Baghdad they will stop me.
SAWSAN
They've given me questions for you.
SA'AD
What questions?
SAWSAN
(Closes eyes)
How close is your program to a
warhead? When and where is the
first test scheduled? How much 235-
grade uranium do you have? Identify
other scientists in the program.
(MORE)
56.
SAWSAN (cont'd)
Who in the military controls the
program? Which of the-
(opens her eyes)
What is it?
Sa'ad stares at her in disbelief.
SA'AD
They do not know?
SAWSAN
What Sa'ad?
SA'AD
The program was destroyed in 1991.
The Americans destroyed it, they
know that. My god..what else?
SAWSAN
How advanced is the centrifuge
facility? Which method are you
using to separate fissile isotopes?
SA'AD
This is insane. We don't have spare
parts to keep a tank on the road. I
have to work at a plant which
develops fertilizer. They know. The
inspectors are back. They know
this. They must know.
INT. DULLES AIRPORT SECURITY. DAY
Travellers throng. All nationalities. Coming and going.
Joe queues at security, holding his shoes in one hand and a
briefcase in the other. A TV screen nearby burbles over:
PRESIDENT (ON SCREEN)
Knowing these realities, America
must not ignore the threat
gathering against us. Facing clear
evidence of peril, we cannot wait
for the final proof -- the smoking
gun -- that could come in the form
of a mushroom cloud..
INT. LANGLEY BASEMENT. NIGHT.
Ali comes in to Valerie. Puts a file on her desk.
ALI
You need to see this..
57.
INT. LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. DAY
It's snowing heavily. Joe is met by a man in his 20s.
STUDENT
Mr Wilson. Jason Neal. How was your
flight?
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR. NIGHT.
Ali follows VALERIE down the corridor. She has the file.
VALERIE
We need Mike to see this. And Bill.
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY OF BOSTON FRANKLIN THEATER. NIGHT.
APPLAUSE. Joe sits on stage with three academic types. In the
hundred seater auditorium, just a couple dozen or so
students.
PROFESSOR
Ambassador Wilson is the last
American diplomat to meet with
Saddam Hussein. In 1990, when
Saddam threatened to execute anyone
sheltering foreigners, Wilson
appeared at a press conference
wearing a noose around his neck,
declaring, "If the choice is to
allow Americans to be taken hostage
or be executed, I will bring my own
fucking rope." Saddam backed down
and Wilson evacuated several
thousand. He came home and was
taken to the Oval Office where the
President introduced him to the War
Cabinet as an American hero.
JOE
That's not quite true. It wasn't
the Oval Office it was the
Roosevelt Room.
Laughter.
INT. CORRIDOR. CPD. LANGLEY. DAY
Valerie walks with MIKE and ALI, briefing him.
58.
VALERIE
Sawsan's brother worked with five
hundred scientists at the Safa
factory. In `91 it was blanket
bombed by B52s. Hussein Kamel,
Saddam's son in law, kept the
scientists together, threatening to
kill them if they tried to leave.
But sanctions destroyed the
economy, and when Kamel was
executed in `95, the team just
drifted apart. They're all say the
same thing Mike. Everyone.
BACK TO:
THE AUDITORIUM.
A nervous history major stands.
STUDENT
Does Saddam pose an imminent threat
to National Security?
JOE
I haven't seen the intelligence.
I'm not qualified to comment. We
have intelligence services working
hard to assess just this. But I
have met Saddam. I've looked him in
the eye, so I can tell you what I
saw. During a particularly vicious
period of bloodletting in the late
eighties, Saddam was asked by his
foreign minister why he had
executed a certain official who had
been a loyal supporter. He said he
would rather kill a friend in error
than allow an enemy to live. For
me, that is the mark of a monster.
VOICE - SERGEANT AT ARMS
Mr Speaker, the President of the United
States!
INT. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. NIGHT.
Through a scrum of pumped-up Representatives, an exalted
George Walker Bush makes his way to the podium.
59.
PRESIDENT
Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney,
Members of Congress, distinguished
guests, fellow citizens: Every year, by law
and by custom, we meet here to consider
the state of the union. This year, we gather
in this chamber deeply aware of decisive
days that lie ahead.
INT. LOGAN AIRPORT. NIGHT.
STUDENT
We'd like you to have this coffee
mug. And some Pennants. For your
kids. Thank you so much for coming
and speaking to us.
Joe shakes the kid's hand and walks towards Departures.
INT. LOGAN AIRPORT. NIGHT.
Joe walks underneath a TV screen playing:
PRESIDENT (ON TV)
We know that Iraq and the al Qaeda
terrorist network share a common enemy --
the United States of America...
Joe looks up at DEPARTURES: "AA22 DULLES. CANCELLED."
Resigned, he looks at his watch.
INT. PAVITT'S OFFICE. NIGHT.
VALERIE, MIKE, ALI, BILL all sit in JIM PAVITT's OFFICE.
PAVITT
So you got thirty nuclear
scientists interrogated by Iraqis,
inside Iraq, who are all saying the
same thing.
BILL
Jim, these people took a great risk-
PAVITT
To bring us what? I could have
saved us the air-fare-
BILL
The White House is getting
STOVEPIPED.
(MORE)
60.
BILL (cont'd)
Someone is cherry picking raw data
and serving it up to the press as
fact. And then they look to us to
confirm it. It's bullshit.
JIM PAVITT
(With intent)
You know we can bark about this all
night. But that's all we're doing.
Barking. You, me, all of us.. We're
guard dogs. We can bark and bark,
but at the end of the day,
someone's gotta listen. Because
it's not our house. Even if it is
on fire.
CUT TO:
A TV in the corner of the Starbucks concession plays:
PRESIDENT (ON TV)
Today the gravest danger facing America
and the world is outlaw regimes that seek
and possess nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons.
JOE WILSON
Can I get an American please. Just
a regular American?
PRESIDENT (ON TV)
U.S. intelligence indicates that Saddam
Hussein had upwards of 30,000 munitions
capable of delivering chemical agents.
Joe glances at the TV as he pays.
JOE WILSON
Thank you.
PRESIDENT (ON TV)
From three Iraqi defectors we know that
Iraq, in the late 1990s, had several mobile
biological weapons labs.
CUT TO:
Joe sits amongst stranded passengers, most asleep. ON TV: the
President. Joe sips his coffee. Grimaces. He looks tired.
61.
PRESIDENT (ON TV)
The International Atomic Energy Agency
confirmed in the 1990s that Saddam
Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons
development program, and was working
on five different methods of enriching
uranium for a bomb. The British
government has learned that Saddam
Hussein recently sought significant
quantities of uranium from Africa.
JOE stares, motionless, at the screen. The only one awake.
PRESIDENT (ON TV)
Our intelligence sources tell us that he has
attempted to purchase high-strength
aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear
weapons production.
Joe doesn't blink.
PRESIDENT (ON TV)
This nation fights reluctantly, because we
know the cost, and we dread the days of
mourning that always come. We seek
peace. We strive for peace. And sometimes
peace must be defended.
PUBLIC ADDRESS
Ladies and Gentlemen Flight 22 to
Dulles is boarding immediately at
Gate 20. We apologize for the delay
due to adverse weather conditions-
Everybody wakes up. Starts to move. Joe stays seated.
PRESIDENT
We Americans have faith in ourselves, but
not in ourselves alone. We do not claim to
know all the ways of Providence, yet we
can trust in them, placing our confidence
in the loving god behind all of life and all of
history. May he guide us now, and may God
continue to bless the United States of
America. Thank you.
JOE is motionless. ALONE. Staring at the screen.
CUT TO:
62.
INT. LANGLEY MESS. DAY.
With some colleagues, Valerie in the mess watching --
COLIN POWELL'S PERFORMANCE in New York at the U.N.
Aluminium tubes. Yellowcake. The Nuclear program.
She watches motionless. She looks at Mike.
INT. SA'AD'S HOUSE. BAGHDAD. NIGHT.
Sa'ad sits in his kitchen while his wife plays with the
children next door. HE IS WATCHING THE SAME THING: Colin
Powell in the U.N. He catches his wife's eye through the open
door. Slowly he shakes his head.
Our eye moves off - across the TV - past the photo of SAWSAN
and daughter - out of the window to the street outside.
Cars. Buses. Stalls. Children playing. The end of a long day.
SLOWLY THE SHOT DECAYS IN A TIME DISSOLVE to
NIGHT -- THREE MONTHS LATER --
In the full force of an air-raid. Many of the same buildings
are gone. The whole world shakes and trembles as a PAVEWAY
GE101 laser guided bomb streaks in and impacts..
Dust. Shrapnel. Cars on fire. A vision of utter hell.
A FIGURE -- DARTS BETWEEN BURNING CARS, clutching a bag of
food, amid the firestorm. He disappears into our building.
Our eye leaves the street - back inside: Sa'ad bursts in as -
Another missile lands nearby. The building shakes. The
picture of Sawsan shifts. Dust falls like fine rain over the
small kitchen. Sa'ad unpacks food on the rickety table. Under
it, his wife, children cower. He passes down bread. Cheese.
The baby is crying.
There is a KNOCK AT THE DOOR. On the other side are two men.
SA'AD
What you doing? They're watching-
SCIENTIST
No one's watching. Not anymore.
I think the Secret Police have
their hands full.
63.
SCIENTIST 2
We're free. Free to be blown to
smithereens.
SA'AD
Least no Mukbarat gets to watch it.
They all laugh at the gallows humor. And hug
SA'AD
It's good to see you, my dear
fellow doctors...
CUT TO:
SA'AD children, sleeping in bunks.
CUT TO:
Next door. The three nuclear scientists are drinking tea at
the same table.
SA'AD
My sister said the Americans could
get us over the border.
SCIENTIST
And you trust them? Open your eyes.
SCIENTIST 2
And your ears. Your American
friends are calling you right now.
The rumble of the now distant bombs. Small arms fire.
SA'AD
It's our only hope.
CUT TO:
INT. PARKING LOT. LANGLEY. NIGHT.
BILL, Valerie's chief walks to his car. Valerie shouts after-
VALERIE
Bill. Wait up.
CUT TO:
They talk by his car. Valerie is agitated.
64.
BILL
Val, every Mobile Exploration Team
is combing the desert looking for
WMD. I can't-
VALERIE BILL
All I need's a couple units We're at full stretch Val.
to bring these men and their Listen to me..
families into Camp Lima and
on an air transport into
Annandale.
BILL
Say we extract these guys. Bring
`em home. Put `em on CNN. What are
they going to tell us that the
White House wants to hear? "Thank
you oh and by the way there was no
nuclear programme. There's no WMD.
PS you all knew that." You want me
to go to the DCI, ask him to sign
off on his own funeral?
VALERIE
I gave my word Bill.
BILL
That's not my problem. I got bigger
problems.
They stare at each other. Valerie shakes her head.
BILL
Why do you do this job? The
paycheck? The holiday package. No.
To make a difference. To act. To
protect people. Then one day you
realize you're not Superman.
Sometimes you fail.
He gets in the car, reverses, and drives away.
INT. LANGLEY. NIGHT.
Valerie hurries through the building.
VALERIE
Hold the elevator please.
INT. MIKE'S OFFICE, COUNTER PROLIFERATION DEPT. NIGHT.
Valerie is pacing. Mike is sitting.
65.
VALERIE
What the fuck is going on Mike.
It's like, if there was a baby on
the ledge up on seventh, no-one
would get up and save it in case
the White House wanted it there.
MIKE
Bill's right. This is just one
snafu in a thousand we got right
now. The scientists are-
VALERIE
These scientists are the WMD. If we
can't protect them, they'll run to
the first country who can. And
they'll put them to work.
Mike looks at her.
MIKE
I never said this. If anyone asks,
I deny any knowledge.
(Then)
How quietly can you do this?
CUT TO:
A 40 something heavy set woman walks past her down the
corridor. Valerie jogs after her.
VALERIE
Beth! Who do you have in Baghdad? I
need to get an RG-17 to an asset in
Mansour.
BETH
Why don't your guys to do it?
VALERIE
I'm asking you.
EXT. RUINED STREETS, MANSOUR. BAGHDAD. NIGHT
SA'AD, runs pressing himself against a shrapnel pocked wall
as a US ARMY HUMVEE blasting hiphop music passes. He runs low
across the street and over a wall into a garden.
SA'AD
I need to know my family will be
safe.
66.
INT. BOARDED UP CIA SAFE-HOUSE, MANSOUR. BAGHDAD. NIGHT
Sa'ad sits at a table, speaking into an RG-17 secure satphone
with two liaison officers.
SA'AD
My wife, my children. They are all
I care about.
INT. THE CTC COUNTER TERRORISM CONTROL ROOM. LANGLEY. DAY
Valerie sits in the communications room with Beth.
VALERIE
Sa'ad, I know that. We will take
care of your family. But we have to
move fast.
SA'AD
How do I know I can trust you?
VALERIE
Sa'ad. Do exactly as I say, we
won't let you down.
INT. STATE DEPT OFFICES IN OLD EXECUTIVE BUILDING - NIGHT.
A man sits feet up on his desk talking on the phone.
PETE
So how's Val? Is she there? Put her
on..
CUT TO:
JOE SITS IN HIS STUDY, ON THE PHONE.
JOE
She's fine. She's working late.
PETE
Val's working late. I'm working
late. You don't see a pattern here?
You know she finds me devastatingly
attractive-
JOE
Yeah. Well if you see her say hi.
(He stops)
Listen Pete. I have a question. And
it's real important.
BACK TO:
67.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT. PEOPLE COME AND GO. AT HIS DESK, PETE
LISTENS.
JOE WILSON (O.S.)
Is the President be referring to
another African country?
PETE
I've seen the INR. It's Niger. He's
referring specifically to
Yellowcake from Niger. Why?
Joe listens. It sinks in.
CUT TO:
Pete listens nodding. His expression grows darker and darker.
PETE
Uh huh.. I see..I see.
(He listens)
What exactly are you proposing to
do Joe?
JOE'S STUDY
JOE WILSON
I don't know. I don't know what to
do.
PETE
(He takes off his glasses)
You want my advice? Do nothing. You
already did your job. You did your
best. You came home. End of story.
JOE WILSON
Niger Pete. Yellowcake from Niger.
Pete looks around. Speaks low.
PETE
Look. I don't have to go all the
way to Africa to know something's
fucked up here. Three months and
what have we found? No centrifuges.
No yellowcake. No bio. No WMD. You
think something's up here. Join the
queue. Join the line stretches all
the way from State to the Pentagon
and back.
JOE WILSON
So why has no one's come forward?
68.
PETE
Why you think Joe? We went to war.
(He pulls back)
Listen. You're a smart guy. As your
friend, now. Just. Be smart here. I
mean..you have a wife and a family.
JOE WILSON
It's the White House Pete. It's the
President of the United States.
PETE
Yes it is Joe. Now go take a long
look in the mirror and say that
again.
Joe puts the phone down. Upstairs he can hear a child crying.
CUT TO:
THUNDER. RAIN STREAMING DOWN A BEDROOM WINDOW. One of the
twins is asleep. The other standing in her cot. Joe scoops her
up. Jiggles her and comforts her. Lays her back down.
CUT TO:
Joe comes down the stairs. In the hall -- coat on, soaking,
Valerie. She looks beat.
JOE
Hey. Are you OK?
Valerie doesn't move. She stands there. Then --
JOE
What's wrong Val?
VALERIE
Nothing. I'm just tired..
JOE
Whats the matter..what happened?
Valerie shakes her head slowly.
VALERIE
I'm fine. Are the kids asleep.
JOE
Yeah. They're asleep.
VALERIE
OK. I'm going to bed.
69.
Joe watches her slowly walk up the stairs. Then stares at the
space where she was just standing.
BUSH (ON TV)
Let me finish..No. Let me finish.
Joe looks at the TV. He sets his jaw.
BUSH (ON TV)
There are some who feel like that, the
conditions are such that they can attack us
there. My answer is bring 'em on. .
CUT TO:
Computerized letter appearing on a screen. Pixellated
EXTREME CLOSE UP: Joe writes:
"What I Didn't Find in Africa".
CLOSE UP ON JOE
Did the Bush administration manipulate intelligence to justify an
invasion of Iraq?"
THE PHOTOGRAPH OF JOE AND GEORGE HW BUSH
"The act of war is the last option of a democracy"
THE GLOBE IN TWO HALVES
"More than 200 American soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq already."
JOE STOPS. HIS FINGERS HOVER.....THEN TYPE.
"We have a duty to ensure that their sacrifice came for the right reasons."
CLOSE ON: JOE SITS AT HIS DESK. MOTIONLESS. WE MOVE IN.
JOE HITS `SEND'. HE STARES AT THE SCREEN.
BLACKOUT.
ESTABLISHING -- WHITE HOUSE. DAY.
A long line of satellite broadcast vehicles. A reporter talks
to camera. Others in the background, doing the same.
70.
INT. SCOOTER LIBBY'S OFFICE, OLD EXECUTIVE BUILDING. DAY.
Libby reads Joe's article: "What I Didn't Find in Africa". He
looks out at a line of satellite broadcast vehicles.
CUT TO:
OUTSIDE..
REPORTER
Retired Ambassador Joe Wilson
yesterday claimed in a piece in the
New York Times that the President
mispoke in his State of the Union
Address in January, concerning
claims that Saddam sought 500 tons
of Yellowcake from Niger. Wilson,
who was acting Ambassador in Iraq
during the first Gulf War, said-
INT. PRESS BRIEFING ROOM. DAY.
Fleischer, on defence, before a packed house, buzzing.
Everyone has Joe's article.
MR. FLEISCHER:
Look. There's zero, nada, nothing,
new here. The President's statement
in the State of the Union was much
broader than the Niger question.
JOURNALIST
Is the President's statement
correct?
FLEISCHER:
Yes, I see nothing that goes
broader that would indicate that
there was no basis to the
President's broader statement. But
specifically on the yellow cake,
the yellow cake for Niger, we've
acknowledged that that information
did turn out to be a forgery.
JOURNALIST 2
The President's statement was
accurate?
FLEISCHER:
We see nothing that would dissuade
us from the President's broader
statement.
71.
JOURNALIST
So you believe the British report
is true?
MR. FLEISCHER:
I'm sorry?
INT. CARD'S OFFICE. DAY.
Card is at his desk, watching the briefing on TV.
CARD
Uh-oh.
BACK TO:
MR. FLEISCHER:
Sorry, I see what David is asking.
Let me back up on that and explain
the President's statement again..
INT. HADLEY'S OFFICE. DAY.
Hadley comes out of his office, putting on his jacket.
HADLEY
Linda. Clear my morning.
BACK TO:
JOURNALIST
So it was wrong?
FLEISCHER
Let me do this, David. On your
specific question I'm going to come
back to you.
The reporters leap to their feet in uproar..
INT. ROVE'S OFFICE. DAY.
Rove, TV on, holding the article, screams into the telephone.
ROVE
What is that tit-fuckin' homo
Fleischer doing to us? Call Mary.
Call Scooter. Call Hadley. We need
to get a hold of this. NOW!
INT. LOBBY OUTSIDE SCOOTER'S OFFICE. DAY.
SCOOTER comes out of his office. Unruffled. Cathie Martin is
waiting. They walk and talk.
72.
MARTIN LIBBY
Fleischer ploughed the I saw.
briefing-
MARTIN
-CBS know Yellowcake was pulled
from Cincinnatti ten weeks ago at
the CIAs request. They also have
that Gerson wrote both speeches.
Karl is on line one. He's unhappy-
LIBBY
I want a transcript of everything
across networks, blogs and print
citing Ambassador Wilson, Niger or
Yellowcake. I want Hadley to meet
me in the VP's office in five
minutes. And tell Karl I'll be in
my office straight after I'm done.
I have something.
He goes into the Vice President's office.
INT. OUTSIDE SCOOTER LIBBY'S OFFICE. DAY.
LATER. Silence. The secretaries, tense. Typing.
INT. SCOOTER LIBBY'S OFFICE. DAY.
INSIDE. KARL ROVE stands opposite Libby, staring. Libby
finishes reading something. SILENCE.
LIBBY
This has become a trust issue for
the President. We can't get behind
this. We need to change the story.
They look at one another in silence. Then --
ROVE
Who is Joe Wilson?
INT. WEST WING. NIGHT.
Libby comes out of his office. He walks round the corner to
Rove's office. Rove's secretary is still there.
LIBBY
Linda. You still here. It's late..
CUT TO:
A piece of paper is put on a desk. Rove picks it up. Libby
wathes him read. Rove puts the paper down.
73.
ROVE
We can't do this.
Libby nods.
LIBBY
So who can?
BLACKOUT.
ESTABLISHING -- CHARLESTON TERRACE. DAY.
A 15 year old cyclist hurls newspapers into front yards.
INT. BEDROOM. DAY.
Valerie sits on the bed in a towel. Joe drops the newspaper
onto it. Folded open on an article. "MISSION TO NIGER".
VALERIE
(Reading)
The CIA's decision to send retired
diplomat Joseph C. Wilson to Africa-
JOE WILSON
Further down.
VALERIE
Wilson never worked for the CIA,
but his wife, Valerie Plame..
JOE
"is an agency operative on weapons
of mass destruction."
It hits her like a wave. She braces. It doesn't pass.
JOE
They just went ahead and did it.
VALERIE
Does this run overseas?
VALERIE JOE
The column. Novak's column. If it's in the paper it's on
Is he syndicated overseas? the net. Its everywhere.
Valerie?
Valerie gets up and walks out.
CUT TO:
Valerie, dressed, leaves the house.
74.
JOE
Valerie. Where are you going?
EXT. WILSON HOUSE. DAY.
Valerie walks outside. In the window across the street, her
neighbour stares straight at her.
Valerie looks ahead. Her eyes flick to the Paper on a
neighbours lawn: The Wall Street Journal.
NEIGHBOUR (O.S.)
Morning Valerie!
Another neighbour getting in his car waves. He's thrown when
she doesn't reply. Val starts her car and drives. He watches.
INT/EXT. VALERIE'S CAR (MOVING). DAY
Valerie stares straight ahead, hands gripping the wheel. We
watch her. Close. Her driving intercuts with her thoughts.
FLASH - The Associated Press news bureau add her story to the
bullet-feed.
FLASH - An AP feed winds around a newspaper news room.
FLASH - The Reuters office in Geneva picks up the story.
FLASH - A Bloomberg tickers her name.
BACK TO:
VALERIE, death white, drives along the Georgetown reservoir.
FLASH - Huntingdon Valley Public Library, a man tears the
page out of a high school year book.
FLASH - Microfiche search of photos of embassy events with
Joe and Valerie as guests. A grease pencil marks ones where
she can be seen.
BACK TO:
Turning away from the canal and speeding over the Potomac,
she fishes in her glove compartment. Finds a pad. A pencil
and starts writing names on a pad. Still driving.
FLASH - Valerie next to her husband in black tie shakes hands
with a visiting dignitary. A camera bulb goes off. She
eyeballs the cameraman for a moment.
Valerie turns onto the 120 freeway. The pad falls into the
footwell. She reaches down and her --
75.
SAME HAND - reaches to shake hands with
FLASH - different people in different countries, dinners with
diplomats, meetings with captains of industry, conferences in
far flung corners of the world.
Hands. Faces. Smiles. EACH BECOMING A PHOTOGRAPH on a file.
FLASH - Valerie shaking hands with Mr.Tabir in his Kuala
Lumpur mansion. Him smiling, mouthing words silently.
FLASH - A stock market ticker. In his office, Tabir is shown
a blow up of a grainy photograph of Valerie and Hafiz.
INT. DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS OFFICE. DAY.
Valerie sits stock still in front of a large desk at Langley.
The door opens. The DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS enters with a
fifty something woman. He sits at the desk. She sits next to
him. BEHIND HER -- in the corner, sits a third man. He
doesn't speak.
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Good morning. Please..sit down.
VALERIE
Good morning Sir. Ma'am.
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Working backwards, we need a matrix
of everyone you've come into
contact with in a covert capacity
back to January 2001.
VALERIE
I've already started a list Sir.
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Good. We need to get an idea..fast,
of how much this thing bleeds.
VALERIE
Sir, I have several live ops at
crucial stages, people in the field
in critical windows of operation-
BILL
(Interrupting)
One thing at time. Make a list.
Then come back here. Don't do
anything else.
She opens her mouth. Nothing comes out.
76.
VALERIE
Sir, why is Internal security here?
BILL
To help us. To help you, and us
conduct this damage assessment.
Behind her, the Internal security guy stands.
INT. CORRIDOR. DAY.
Valerie comes out, followed by security. She goes left.
INTERNAL SECURITY
This way please.
She turns and follows him. As she passes desks, she can feel
people looking at her. The news has spread fast.
INT. EMPTY OFFICE. DAY
Valerie enters an empty office. The door is closed behind
her. On the desk is a notepad and a telephone. She sits.
She picks up the phone. The phone isn't connected.
She sits staring at the blank page.
SUDDENLY -- She gets up and walks out. At the end of the
corridor: the Internal security guy follows.
INTERNAL SECURITY
Ms Plame.
VALERIE goes into the elevator..
INTERNAL SECURITY
Ms Plame.
He breaks into a run. The doors close on him.
INT. CPD OFFICE, BASEMENT, LANGLEY. DAY.
Valerie comes out of the elevator and walks fast. People
looking at her. Her colleagues. Eyes. Whispers. All around.
Bursting into her office, she sits. Starts typing fast. She
tries to access her Joint Task Force database.
ON THE SCREEN --ACCESS DENIED --
INTERNAL SECURITY (O.S.)
Ms. Plame.
77.
The INTERNAL SECURITY stands outside.
Valerie looks up. She sees Mike passing the doorway.
VALERIE
Mike. We need to get a message to
Baghdad. Sa'ad and his family are
being taken to the border today. I
have to get word to them.
INTERNAL SECURITY watches him closely.
MIKE
I don't what you're talking about..
VALERIE
Mike. They're packed and ready.
(She stops. Appeals)
Mike you know what this means.
MIKE
Sorry. I have to go.
He goes inside and closes his door.
BILL (O.S.)
Valerie.
HER CHIEF is standing there. He beckons her into his office.
She approaches. The Internal Security guy tries to join them.
Bill puts a hand to his chest.
BILL
Go fuck yourself.
He closes the door in his face.
INSIDE
BILL
Sit down Valerie.
I've just been on the seventh
floor. As of this morning all CPD
operations involving you have been
suspended. Effective immediately
you are to have no further contact
with assets or agents in the field.
Any further involvement in
operations is no longer possible.
VALERIE
Bill. I have eight, nine teams in
the field. We have assets in Kuala
Lumpur. Dubai. Mumbai.
78.
She stops. The penny drops. She changes tack.
VALERIE
I need to brief my replacement in
the Joint Task Force.
BILL
The head of the JTFI's identity is
classified for reasons of
operational security.
The shutters come down. Valerie opens her mouth.
VALERIE
I have a critical operation in
Baghdad in a major ongoing-
BILL
Val. It's over.
INT. CHARLESTON TERRACE. DAY.
The children are playing with Power Rangers in the lounge.
IN THE KITCHEN Joe, at home, speaking on the phone. TV is on.
JOE
"Two senior administration
officials told me that Wilson's
wife suggested sending him to
Niger" That means a Vice President,
a chief of staff or top advisor..
(hearing the front door)
I gotta go.
He hangs up. Valerie enters. The twins run out of the lounge
towards her. She goes into mom mode.
VALERIE
Hey guys. Give mommy a kiss.
TREVOR SAMANTHA
Mommy! Mommy. Trevor won't let me
borrow his Power Ranger.
VALERIE
Well, did you say "Please"?
SAMANTHA
I said please. It's not fair.
They go into the kitchen. Joe follows. The kids fight for her
attention to show drawings they've done.
79.
TREVOR JOE
I drew a clown and a There's a 1982 act states
scarecrow. it's a crime for a government
official to intentionally
VALERIE disclose a covert agent.
Let's see. Carries a fine of fifty
thousand dollars and or up to
ten years in jail.
VALERIE
Wow. That is one cool scarecrow.
(To Samantha)
Don't eat that Sam. It's a crayon.
It's icky. Give it to mommy.
Joe watches her. He can see the tension of her face.
JOE WILSON
How did it go?
The phone rings. She freezes.
JOE
It's been ringing all day.
VALERIE
Don't pick it up. Who've you spoken
to? Joe, who have you spoken to?
JOE WILSON
Hello?
(he holds the phone out)
It's Lisa.
Valerie looks blind sided.
JOE
OK who wants to watch TV?
Scoops them up and leaves us with Val. She composes herself.
VALERIE
Hello?
INT. GEORGETOWN APARTMENT. DAY.
Val's friend Lisa is in her lounge. Her kids are playing.
LISA
Val. Are you OK? Whats going on?
BACK TO:
80.
VALERIE
Lisa. Yes. I read it. Listen-
(She steels herself)
I'm sorry..I can't talk about this.
I can't..I can't make a comment on
this right now.
BACK TO:
Lisa's apartment. Another angle. Two other friends. Wrapt.
LISA
You can't make "a comment"? Val.
Your name is in the paper.
It says you're a CIA agent.
NEXT DOOR -- THE KIDS Watch TV.
VALERIE
I have to go. I'm sorry. I'll call
you tomorrow.
VALERIE hangs up. Joe is standing there.
JOE
Your mom called. And your Uncle.
And Janey called from Chicago. I
wrote them down.
(Then)
And Andrea Mitchell called. She
says White House sources say that
quote "the real story here is not
the sixteen words but Wilson and
his wife". Would I care to comment?
Yeah I fuckin' would care to
comment. She wants me on the show
day after tomorrow.
VALERIE
I don't want you to go on TV.
INT. TELEVISION STUDIO. DAY.
Joe sits stiffly on the set. A make-up artist applies powder
to his nose.
FLOOR MANAGER
Going in thirty seconds.
81.
JOE ON NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
JOE
This is clearly designed as a shot
across the bow to those who might
step forward, those unnamed
analysts who said they were
pressured by the White House would
think twice about having their own
families names being dragged
through this particular mud.
CUT TO:
JOE ON CNN.
JOE
I was sent to Niger at the request
of the Vice President. I was not
sent by my wife. The issue here is
not who sent me here is whether a
crime has been committed.
JOE ON MEET THE PRESS.
ANCHOR
You're saying a crime was committed
JOE
It is a crime to reveal the
identity of a covert agent working
in the employ of this nations
intelligence agencies.
This is now a matter for the
justice department Pete.
JOE ON CROSSFIRE
JOE
The justice department need to
establish whether those in the
Highest Office sought to destroy
the career of a public servant to
punish me for speaking the truth.
REAL FOOTAGE - WHITEHOUSE PRESS ROOM
The new Press Secretary, Scott McClennan, fields questions.
MCLENNAN
First of all, that is not the way
this White House operates.
(MORE)
82.
MCLENNAN (cont'd)
The President expects everyone in
his administration to adhere to the
highest standards of conduct. No
one would be authorized to do such
a thing.
REPORTER
Will the President move
aggressively to see if such a
transgression has occurred in the
White House?
CUT TO:
A TELEVISION.
PRESIDENT
This is a very serious matter, our
administration takes it seriously.
I've got all the confidence the
Justice Department will do a good,
thorough job. I want there to be
full participation, because, April,
I am most interested in finding out
the truth.
INT. KITCHEN. DAY.
The kids are eating breakfast, acting up. Valerie is making
breakfast. The phone rings.
JOE (ON PHONE)
Valerie. Turn on MSNBC.
INT. MSNBC TV STUDIOS. DAY.
Joe leaves the building. The news is on a bank of TVs.
MSNBC VALERIE
A team of federal Honey, Mommy's trying to
investigators have been listen to the TV.
assembled by Attorney General
John Ashcroft as part of a
probe to investigate the
alleged leaking of a covert
CIA agent's identity to the
press..
JOE WILSON
They've launched an investigation.
Ashcroft just announced it. They're
saying he's going to convene a
grand jury.
83.
VALERIE
I have to go. Samantha's crying.
CUT TO:
Joe out on the street. Gets into his car.
JOE WILSON
I'll be home later. I gotta go over
to Fox. They want me to comment on
the investigation.
VALERIE
Joe-
JOE WILSON
We have to fight this Val. If we
don't push back.
He looks at his phone.
JOE
I have another call. I have to go.
VALERIE
(Exasperated)
Joe-
He's gone. She puts the phone down.
BACK TO:
IN THE CAR, JOE TAKES THE OTHER CALL.
JOE
Joe Wilson.
CHRIS MATTHEWS
Joe, its Chris Matthews. I just
spoke to Karl Rove. He told me
"Wilson's Wife is fair game".
He goes still.
DIANA (O.S.)
So when did you join?
INT. BUSY GEORGETOWN RESTAURANT. DAY.
Waiters hurry about. Valerie sits with her friend, Diana.
VALERIE
`84. Straight out of college.
84.
DIANA
Jenny said it makes a weird kind of
sense. Everyone says Valerie's a
great listener. Asks lots of
questions. About your job. About
Steve or the kids.
VALERIE
I had no plan for this day. Right
now it feels like I'm.. Everything
is smashed into a million pieces.
It's like I'm suddenly in this-
DIANA
(Interrupting)
Why did you do it?
VALERIE
What?
Valerie is still.
DIANA
Every conversation. For twenty
years. Thousands of phone-calls.
You lied to me on every single one.
Nineteen years. Birthdays. My
wedding. You're my best friend Val.
Diana has tears in her eyes.
VALERIE
Diana. I know it's hard to
understand, but it..
They look at each other. Valerie really struggles. Then:
VALERIE
It becomes normal.
DIANA
Normal.
VALERIE
I know this is strange for you. And
you may not feel like it's, but I
need you right now. Because I'm-
DIANA
What? What are you? My ol' pal Val?
(Valerie is silent.)
I have photos. Hundreds and
hundreds of photographs with this
person. And..
(MORE)
85.
DIANA (cont'd)
I'm sitting here, and I know the
face, I've known it half my life.
What else do I know? Who are you?
Valerie sits there, very still.
INT/EXT. CAR (MOVING). DAY.
Valerie drives home past the Capitol, still.
THE CAR PULLS UP AT THE PLAYGROUP.
Valerie gets out and sleep-walks into the building.
She joins a small group of mothers watching through glass
door, their children playing. One of the mothers nudges
another and whispers something. They both look at Valerie,
who tenses.
THROUGH THE GLASS
Her kids put their coats on and come out. Valerie puts on a
bright smile. Kneels to hug them.
VALERIE
(Brightly)
Hey guys. How was your day?
She carries them out, watched by the other mothers.
EXT. CHARLSTON TERRACE. DAY.
Valerie bussles the kids out of the car. A neighbor is mowing
his lawn. She tenses as he slows his pace to study her.
Another neighbor, searching for his keys stops and watches
her too, as she takes the kids into the house.
INT. WILSON HOUSE. DAY.
Valerie and the kids come inside. The phone is ringing.
VALERIE
Hello.
(Silence.)
Hello.
(Silence)
PHONE
Your husband is a fucking
communist. I hope you die you
fucking communist whore.
She puts the phone down. Frozen. Shaking.
86.
SAMANTHA (O.S.)
Mommy. Trevor won't let me go on
his tractor.
All at once, the facade crumbles. VALERIE closes her eyes and
is wracked with sobs. When she opens them Sam is terrified.
SAMANTHA
Mommy.
VALERIE
It's OK honey. Mommy's just tired.
She hugs her. Crying. Samantha strokes her mom's hair.
INT. KIDS BEDROOM, WILSON HOUSE. NIGHT.
Valerie reads a storybook to her twins.
VALERIE
So the caterpillar built a cocoon
and it stayed safe inside for
weeks. And when it emerged it was a
beautiful butterfly..
CUT TO:
She closes the door on her sleeping children. She goes next
door into--
INT. VALERIE AND JOE'S BEDROOM. NIGHT
She goes into her closet. Removes a box. Then she taps a code
into a small safe and removes another box. Alone, Valerie
opens the first box. Photographs of herself with her friends.
At college. People's weddings. Birthdays. Valerie and her
girlfriends all smiling back at us. Holidays with the same
friends. On a hen night.
She opens the second box: Different currencies. Credit cards,
photos of her with different people. Half a dozen passports.
American. A couple Canadian. EU. She looks at the photos.
Different names. Hair colour. She puts them back in the box.
Carefully, and shuts the lid tight shut. She looks at herself
in the mirror. The doorbell rings and Valerie gets up.
CUT TO:
VALERIE opens the front door. Standing there is Sawsan.
VALERIE
Sawsan. What are you doing here?
87.
SAWSAN
Your name and address are all over
the web. There's even a picture of
your house..
Valerie tries to take this in. Sawsan steps forward --
SAWSAN
Sa'ad has disappeared. His wife,
his children are missing.
My uncle in Mansour. He said they
were targeting them. They were
killing them..
VALERIE
Who?
SAWSAN
Sa'ad's colleagues. Dr Habbuck was
shot dead in the street. Dr Falli
was murdered in his hallway.
They're killing them.
VALERIE
Sawsan, listen to me-
SAWSAN
I know you can't tell me where he
is. Just tell me you have him. I
beg you. Please. I don't need to
know anything. Just tell me he's
safe.. He's my little brother.
Please. If you have him, if he's
somewhere...
(She starts to cry.)
Please. Please, I beg you. Do you
have him. I have to know.
Valerie speaks quietly.
VALERIE
We don't have him.
Sawsan closes her eyes. She sobs.
SAWSAN
You said he would be safe. You said
we would help. You promised-
VALERIE approaches. Sawsan withdraws.
SAWSAN
I trusted you.
88.
She turns her back and walks away. Leaving Valerie alone.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET IN GEORGETOWN SUBURB. NIGHT
Valerie's boss MIKE is watching TV with his wife and kids and
her mother, when the doorbell rings. He gets up.
The front door opens. Valerie is standing there.
MIKE
Valerie. What are you doing here?
Mike steps forward and closes his front door. Mike glances up
and down the street.
CUT TO:
A garage door opens. Valerie and Mike step into his garage
and fluorescent light flickers on to reveal boxes of
Christmas decorations etc-
VALERIE
Falli. Habbuck. Who else?
MIKE
Valerie-
VALERIE
Who else Mike?
MIKE
I don't know what you're talking
about.
She fixes him. Eventually he shrugs.
MIKE
(He shrugs)
You were right. It's all about the
scientists. We made a call.
VALERIE
A call?
MIKE
We passed your case files to
liason. You know yourself we're not
great at this stuff.
(Off her shock)
Val, Mossad were already on the
same page.
(MORE)
89.
MIKE (cont'd)
They've been trying to hunt these
guys down since the invasion.
VALERIE
You've..
(She stops. Looks at him.)
We're killing them. We're killing
the scientists.
MIKE
Valerie-
VALERIE
You'll drive them underground.
They'll run straight to Iran.
Pakistan.
MIKE
Valerie. This isn't your problem
anymore.
VALERIE
It's not my problem. It's not my
problem. How can you sleep when you
know-
MIKE
(With purpose)
I sleep just fine. Now Carol's
mother is here. I'm going to have
to ask you to leave.
VALERIE
It's called counter-proliferation,
Mike.
She turns and walks out.
EXT. STREET. NIGHT.
Valerie gets in her car. Shaking. Shuts the door. She holds
her head in her hands and starts to sob.
We hear the sound of a crowd cheering..
INT. SEATTLE FORUM. DAY.
Joe Wilson is on a panel before a crowd of about a thousand.
90.
JOE WILSON
At the end of the day, it's of keen
interest to me to see whether or
not we can get Karl Rove frog-
marched out of White House in
handcuffs. And trust me when I use
that name, I measure my words.
Cheers. Applause. Joe looks defiant.
CUT TO:
JOE MEETING HIS PUBLIC. PUMPING HANDS. A WARM SHOW OF SUPPORT.
SUPPORTER
We came all the way from Portland
for this.
JOE
Your support means everything to
us. Really.
SUPPORTER 2
You're a true American hero.
JOE
The real heroes are in Iraq right
now fighting a war which was
prosecuted on lies and falsehoods.
A quick montage of Joe being feted. It ends with Joe in a
huddle with a dozen or so supporters.
JOE
My wife and I have never sought
publicity. But I know when I tell
her about how much support there
was here today, I know how thrilled
and humbled she'll be.
EXT. WASHINGTON MONUMENT. DAY.
A bright DC day. Joggers. Lunchtime office workers.
Valerie walks alone through the park. She sits down on a
bench next to JIM PAVITT.
PAVITT
Thank you for coming here today.
I wanted to convey my outrage to
you in person. In all my
experience, nothing has disgusted
me like this business.
(MORE)
91.
PAVITT (cont'd)
I know it's not easy for you, but I
want you to know how much the
agency appreciates your silence in
the light of this matter. We know
how damaging this has been to you.
We can't afford for this knife
fight to go on any longer.
VALERIE
I get death threats every day.
People threatening to kill my
husband. Hurt my children. I went
to the agency and I requested
security to protect my family. It
was declined. Because quote "My
circumstances fall outside budget
protocols." If this is a knife
fight, right now, Sir - we're
fighting it alone.
Pavitt starts to chuckle.
PAVITT
Joe Wilson versus the White House.
Well, all I can say is Good Luck.
But as a friend, I feel I should
tell you that those men..
He points down the hill at the White House.
PAVITT
Those few men in that building over
there, that small white house, are
the most powerful men in the
history of the world. How much of a
stretch do you think it would be
for them to take on Joe Wilson?
He looks at her.
PAVITT
Joe's out there on his own Valerie.
But I know we can trust you. Speak
to your husband.
He turns and walks off, leaving her alone, looking at the
White House.
INT. KITCHEN. NIGHT
Joe and Valerie are having supper. The TV is on in the
background. Joe is energized. Valerie is quiet.
92.
TV (MATT FREI)
The nightmare scenario of an attack
on a major city is as real, if not
more real, than it was a year ago..
JOE WILSON
Tucker Carlson said yesterday that
Wilson's wife sent him on a
boondoggle. Said I needed the work.
Who needs to work for free? Niger
does have restaurants. The Opera.
Reminds me alot of Paris.
RUMSFELD ON TV
We know if we do not fight the
terrorists over there in Iraq, in
Afghanistan and across the world,
we will have to face them here.
JOE WILSON
Someone from Vanity Fair called.
They want to do a piece on us.
Cover-story. Five thousand words.
In-depth interview. Photographs of
the two of us. What do you think?
VALERIE
What do I think? Do I want my
photograph in Vanity Fair? Is that
the question?
JOE WILSON NEWS
We have to keep this as high In Baghdad today, co-
profile as possible. We have ordinated car bombs killed
to keep fighting. 175 in what is being called
the worst day of insurgent
violence in months...
VALERIE
I'm going to bed.
JOE WILSON
Val...what's wrong? What did I say?
VALERIE
My name is everywhere, Joe. My real
name. Everywhere. All this
publicity and noise and fighting
talk, where is it getting us?
JOE
Karl Rove told the Financial Times
they're rolling the earth movers
over Joe Wilson. Quote.
(MORE)
93.
JOE (cont'd)
Earth Movers. Well I'm sorry but
they don't get me without a fight.
Not without a big fucking fight
they don't.
VALERIE
It's the White House Joe. You
seriously think you can pick a
fight with the White House and win.
They'll bury us.
JOE WILSON
They'll bury us if we don't.
How loud can you shout Val? Say we
get in an argument you think you're
right, and I think your wrong. You
start making your point with all
your might, and I start shouting
back, except I'm the White House,
and I can a shout a million times
louder. Does that make me right?
They lied Val. That's the truth.
VALERIE
By the time they're finished here
you won't know what that is.
CUT TO:
REPORTER ON TV
Today Special Prosecutor Patrick
Fitzgerald, in charge of the
enquiry into the leaking of the
identity of a covert agent
announced that he is convening a
Grand Jury to investigate the
affair. Among the blizzard of
subpoenas issued are ones for the
Vice President's chief of Staff
Scooter Libby, and special advisor
to the President Karl Rove. Both
men are under suspicion of having
leaked the agent's name to
reporters in order to damage former
Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a vocal
and combative critic of the
administration. It is believed that
the President himself has been
questioned under oath by the FBI.
INT. WHITE HOUSE. DAY.
KARL ROVE walks down a corridor past Libby's secretary.
94.
ROVE
Scooter home?
CUT TO:
ROVE enters. Libby looks up from his desk.
ROVE
Scooter.
Karl tosses a heavy document onto the desk.
LIBBY
What's that?
ROVE
Findings of the Select Committee on
Intelligence. All five hundred
pages and eleven pages of it.
LIBBY
Am I going to enjoy it?
ROVE
I know someone who isn't.
Libby smiles.
EXT. PARK. DAY.
A military parade. Three hundred eighteen year old recruits.
Fresh. Immaculate. Shining in the morning sun.
TREVOR
Look at the soldiers mommy. Look!
VALERIE and the twins join the small crowd and watch. Valerie
watches the American flag lowered, folded, and stowed.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND IN THE PARK. DAY.
The twins are playing on a slide. Valerie sits on a bench.
When she looks back, she sees Joe approaching across the
playground. He greets the kids, hugging them..
JOE
Go and play now.
And he walks over to Valerie on the bench.
95.
VALERIE
Hey.
Joe carries a heavy brown manilla envelope. From it he
removes a thick wad of paper and drops it on the bench.
VALERIE
What's that?
JOE WILSON
That is the Senate Select Committee
on Intelligence. On page thirty six
it says "the former ambassador's
wife offered up his name" and
includes a memorandum written by
Valerie Plame which says quote "my
husband has good relations with
both the prime minister and the
former Minister of Mines, both of
whom could possibly shed light on
this sort of activity." I've spent
a whole year denying just this.
VALERIE
Joe wait-
JOE WILSON
Telling everyone who'll listen, on
TV. In the press. My wife did not
send me on a junket.
VALERIE
Joe. I didn`t send you. I didn't
have that power.
JOE WILSON
You sent an email. The SSCI found
the email.
VALERIE JOE WILSON
I write hundreds of emails. Why didn't you tell me? At no
time in the past twelve
months you never thought-
VALERIE
I didn't make the decision. I was
asked to write a recommendation.
What am I supposed to do. Not say
my husband knows about this.
JOE WILSON
They have this now. They will call
me a liar. It will stick. They have
all the power here, what do I have?
(MORE)
96.
JOE WILSON (cont'd)
My word. You have to speak up. You
have to go on record.
VALERIE
Joe-
JOE WILSON
You have to defend us. Now.
She's cornered. Shakes her head in frustration.
VALERIE
So what do you want me to do Joe?
Go to the papers like you did?
Write a piece in the New York
Times? You know I'd have to submit
it to the Agency, and they'll-
JOE WILSON
(Interrupting)
The agency? The.. Wait.. Is this
the same Agency which won't give
you protection for your children?
Is this the same CIA that's erased
your pension? Where's your loyalty
Val? To your husband or the CIA?
VALERIE
(Shouts louder)
It's to MY FAMILY. I put my family
first. ALWAYS. Were you putting
them first when you wrote that
fucking article?
People are looking over. The children notice. JOE is stung
into silence.
VALERIE
I'm taking different routes to and
from school. I'm looking in empty
rooms..under the beds every time I
come home. A home we're going to
lose because your work has dried up
and your clients are running for
cover. What has all this achieved?
What changed Joe? Who won?
JOE WILSON
(nods)
Maybe you're right. Maybe I should
have kept my mouth shut. Is that
what your dad taught you Valerie?
That what Colonel Sam Plame said?
(MORE)
97.
JOE WILSON (cont'd)
A good American doesn't rock the
boat. A good American looks the
other way.
They are both terribly wounded. He looks at her, levelly.
JOE
Did you send me to Niger?
(Silence)
"His business is struggling. He's
on the slide. I'll throw him a
bone." Was that it Val? You pull
some strings for me? You help your
old man out?
VALERIE
How dare you?
JOE WILSON
Did you send me?
VALERIE
You think I'm lying to you.
JOE
Could I tell if you were?
Utter silence.
VALERIE
You fucking bastard..
She stops. SAMANTHA is watching them. She has tears in her
eyes. Valerie goes over and scoops her up. And Trevor. And
carries them off. Joe is alone.
CUT TO:
CNN NEWS FOOTAGE
ANCHORMAN
The Senate Intelligence Committee
published information that showed
Joe Wilson had lied about how he
came to be sent to Niger. He
denied that his wife had any role
in it whatsoever, but a memo Plame
wrote on February 12, 2002 proves
otherwise.
98.
MSNBC NEWS FOOTAGE
ANCHORMAN
The Senate Intelligence Committee
let some air a lot of air - out
of Joe Wilson's overly inflated ego
when it issued its first report on
prewar intelligence. While the
committee heaped most of its
criticism on the Central
Intelligence Agency for getting
almost everything wrong about Iraq
and weapons of mass destruction it
pointedly rebuked the former
ambassador and his infamous mission
to Niger.
EXT. HOUSE. DAY.
Morning. Joe, in a suit, comes out of his house. A gaggle of
reporter is waiting, they follow Joe as he crosses into the
street towards his car. Shutters and flashbulbs firing.
REPORTER
Mr Wilson, do you still maintain
the Vice President's office sent
you Niger and not your wife?
REPORTER 2
Mr Wilson was Niger just a free
holiday? A boondoggle?
JOE WILSON
My wife did not send me. I didn't
receive payment. It was not a
holiday. It was a fact finding
mission in the run up to a war. But
the fact is no one wanted facts.
REPORTER
Are you against our troops Mr
Wilson?
REPORTER
Mr. Wilson is it true you donated
money to the Kerry campaign?
REPORTER
People are saying your wife does
not actually work for the CIA.
REPORTER
Is it true she was just a secretary
at Langley?
99.
Joe turns round, furious, as if he's going to punch the
reporter. He tenses his jaw.
JOE WILSON
No comment.
Joe gets into his car. The questions roaring around him.
INT. HOUSE. NIGHT.
Valerie is alone. In bed. Watching TV. FOX NEWS. Rogers.
GUEST
The question still remains, who is
Valerie Plame? Was she really
simply a glorified typist?
ROGERS
Well, I think it's really all about
the money. We're talking about a
third-rate CIA agent who had a
government salary, and she had sent
her husband to Niger, and he had
come back and didn't give the
report to the CIA, but he turned it
over in an op-ed to The New York
Times. So she was already in the
hot seat with the CIA, and so now
she's all about the money. Plus
it's come out that she was
considered kind of a mediocre agent
at best.
INT. LIVING ROOM. NIGHT.
Joe puts a sheet on the couch. He looks around for something
to use as a pillow.
INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT.
Joe comes into the bedroom to get his pillow. Valerie is
lying in the bed, turned away. He pauses in the doorway.
We see Valerie up close. She begins to speak.
VALERIE
When we were at the "Farm",
training to be field officers, they
picked four or five of us and told
us we'd stood out.
FLASH---- Valerie, kneeling, blindfold, in stress position.
BACK TO:
100.
VALERIE
We were bound, hooded and thrown in
separate cells. They beat us.
Deprived us of sleep. All you had
to do was give up the name of one
of the others. Just one name. For a
glass of water. A sandwich. To
avoid another punch.
FLASH -- A CAR BATTERY IS CONNECTED.. SZZZZZZ!
VALERIE
Another hour in a stress position.
FLASH -- VALERIE bursts out from under the water. Gasps in a
draft of air.
VALERIE
They push you until they find it.
Til they find the point at which
you break. Because they have to
know. You have to know. And one by
one, everybody broke. Except me. I
never broke.
(she looks at him)
I've been in situations, places
where I was afraid. Where if you
made a mistake, one tiny mistake,
at any moment..
(Pause)
But I never made a mistake. And
that made me feel special. I
thought: I'm Different. Bullet-
proof. You can't break me. I don't
have a breaking point.
(Pause)
I was wrong.
Joe comes over. He reaches out and touches Valerie.
Immediately she gets up and walks out.
Alone, he hears the bathroom door close.
ESTABLISHING. CHARLESTON TERRACE. DAY --
INT. UPSTAIRS, WILSON HOUSE. DAY.
Valerie packs the kids stuff up into suitcases.
INT. DOWNSTAIRS. JOE'S STUDY. DAY.
Joe sits at his desk, a book open. Not reading.
101.
Valerie puts the kid's coats on. The study door is open. She
knows Joe is there but she doesn't look at him nor he at her.
VALERIE
OK. Say goodbye to your father.
The kids go into -- THE STUDY -- Joe looks up.
JOE WILSON
Hey guys.
SAMANTHA
We're going on a mystery tour.
TREVOR
Why aren't you coming daddy.
It hits him in the gut.
JOE WILSON
Come here.
He scoops them up. Kisses him. Her.
JOE WILSON
I'll see you both real soon OK?
In the hallway Valerie waits.
VALERIE
OK guys. C'mon.
CUT TO:
On the driveway, VALERIE puts the kids in the car.
INSIDE -- Joe sits there, not looking as the car pulls away.
EXT. HUNTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. DAY
Valerie gets out of the car. The kids run to hug Grandma and
Grandpa.
INT. KITCHEN. DAY.
Valerie's mom coralls the kids.
VALERIE'S MOM
Who wants to make toffee apples?
KIDS
Me! Me!
Val looks downstairs. In the shop, her father, in an apron.
102.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
Well don't just stand there. Come
take a look.
INT. BASEMENT WORKSHOP. DAY.
A wide workbench. Tools in neat rows. Valerie's father, an
old man in a plaid shirt holds a sander. Points to the table
he's working on.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
It's cherry. I thought it'd work in
your dining room. I can see the
great and the good of Washington
eating off this thing for years to
come. Just sanding her down then
she done.
VALERIE
It's beautiful.
VALERIE'S MOM
(calling down)
Sam. I keep telling you. They have
a table.
Valerie smiles at her Dad who looks at her properly.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
Well come here.
They hug.
INT. FOUR SEASONS HOTEL. DAY.
Joe walks across the floor. He shakes hands with three or
four businessmen.
JOE WILSON
Good morning.
They all introduce themselves. Joe orders breakfast.
BUSINESSMAN
How's your wife Joe?
JOE WILSON
She's fine. She's well. She uh..
He uses the waitress to change the subject.
JOE WILSON
Hi. I'll just have a strong coffee.
I'm not very hungry.
(MORE)
103.
JOE WILSON (cont'd)
(to the other men)
So. How long are you in town for?
CUT TO:
Joe washing his hands in the bathroom. Tense. He looks tired.
CUT TO:
Joe comes out of the bathroom and walks across the foyer and
back to his table. A woman is talking to his business
associates. He sees who it is, instantly looks concerned.
JOE
Can I help you? Excuse me. Can I
help you?
RIGHT WING REPORTER
I'm just telling these people that
you sir are a fraud.
JOE
OK. This is a private lunch. Please
leave us alone.
RIGHT WING REPORTER
This man is a liar and a traitor.
He is in the pay of left wing hate
groups, he is a democrat stooge,
and he is an anti-war zealot. He
has stabbed our troops the back.
Joe is trying to laugh it off. But everyone is watching.
JOE
OK. Leave now.
BUSINESSMAN 2 RIGHT WING REPORTER
May we get the check? You have blood on your hands.
You are a fraud and your wife
is a traitor and a fantasist.
JOE
OK. Leave my fucking table. Now.
How dare you talk about my wife?
You don't know her. You don't know
me. Now leave my table. Now.
The table nearby are watching.
RIGHT WING REPORTER
(To the next table)
Ladies and gentleman. Joe Wilson.
(MORE)
104.
RIGHT WING REPORTER (cont'd)
He likes to lie in the press and he
likes to swear and insult women.
BUSINESSMAN
I think we should leave.
JOE WILSON
No. Please.
BUSINESSMAN 2
No really we should.
BUSINESSMAN
We'll call.
JOE WILSON
Shame on you. You call yourself a
reporter. Shame on you.
(to himself as she leaves)
You're a self publicising hack.
Fuck you. Fuck you.
Joe storms away. OUT OF THE FOUR SEASONS
Into the street -- He doesn't know what just happened. He
hails a TAXI. It tears past. He hails another. It stops.
INT. TAXI. DAY.
JOE WILSON
(Shaken)
Pallisades.
The driver drives. Joe tries to calm down, but in the back of
this cab, it all hits him and he starts to lose it. He looks
sick. His head is exploding. The tension like a vice. He
opens the window. He gets himself under control, but he's
white and shaking. The cab driver looks in the rear-view.
TAXI DRIVER
You OK?
JOE WILSON
I'm fine.
TAXI DRIVER
You're him. I see you on the TV.
You're Joe Wilson.
JOE
No, I'm not.
TAXI DRIVER
Yes brother. I see you on the TV.
105.
JOE WILSON
That's somebody else.
TAXI DRIVER
No no. I know you. My name is Joe
too. I am from Sierra Leone.
Freetown. You've been there, right.
You like Freetown?
Joe looks out of the window.
JOE WILSON
Joe, we both know Freetown's a shit-
hole.
The taxi driver cracks up.
TAXI DRIVER
That's the truth. That's the truth
right there, brother. Yes indeed.
Sierra Leone is dying. The people
at the top have too much power. WAY
too much power. Over there we have
no truth. Just power. People can't
see that from here. Over here it's
a different world.
Joe stares out the window.
JOE WILSON
I wouldn't be so sure of that.
TAXI DRIVER
How can you say that? Land of the
Free, brother. Home of the Brave.
Joe looks sick.
JOE WILSON
Can we pull over. I'm going to
walk. Look keep the change.
TAXI DRIVER
Do you pray, Joe Wilson?
JOE WILSON
No.
TAXI DRIVER
I give you this. It is my church
maybe you come. And if you open a
bible, look John Chapter eight.
(MORE)
106.
TAXI DRIVER (cont'd)
Then Jesus said if you continue in
my word then are you my disciples
indeed. And you shall know the
truth and the truth shall set you
free.
(he smiles)
Take care brother Joe.
..and drives off. Joe looks up. He is standing right outside
the Capitol.
EXT. BACK FIELD. DAY.
Valerie's father is teaching the kids how to lassoo a pole.
They both want to go first. He tries to keep the peace.
FROM THE KITCHEN -- Valerie and her mother watch.
VALERIE
How's is he?
MOTHER
Oh you know. Getting better.
Shakin' through.
OUT IN THE FIELD -- Val's Dad lassoos the pole. Kids cheer.
CUT TO:
Sunset. Midges swirl in dizzy soups. Out in the field,
Samantha is trying to lassoo the pole. Valerie comes out and
joins her father on the porch. He suddenly points.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
OK. See those birds. Those guys.
Those yellow fellas. See `em..
VALERIE
Yeah I see `em.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
OK. Listen.
(They both listen)
You hear that? Ain't that
beautiful. They suddenly showed up
last year. They're called..
(Stops)
What are they called? I know their
name. They're called something.
(He wracks his brain)
Anyway. They were here last year.
And the year before. God they're
beautiful. Look at that.
107.
They watch the birds.
VALERIE
Dad, I think my marriage is over.
The sun setting. Samantha playing below. He nods slowly.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
Well. I know my little girl doesn't
say anything til she absolutely has
to.
Tears come to her eyes.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
I'm the same way. And I've said
that too. Those exact same words.
July 1972. Your mother and I were
fighting all the time. I guess she
was just plain tired of moving
home. Wasn't `til I retired after
42 years in the Air Force, I
realised we never had a home.
Germany, Singapore, Australia,
England. Heck I can remember the
day you were born in a freezing
cold airbase outside Anchorage
Alaska. You must have been to
twenty schools. Twenty different
chances to introduce yourself. Be
someone new. But you turned out OK.
Responsible. A little too serious.
Always looking down the road.
Worrying where life was going to
drag you next. But it made you
tough. Real tough. Maybe tougher
than I, or your mother, or anyone
knows.
VALERIE
He wants me to go on the record.
Speak out. Like that would suddenly
make this all go away. We can't
even speak to each other.
(She shakes her head)
I can't see how this comes round. I
just can't see it, pop. Not
anymore.
He looks at her. With a serious intent. He speak low.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
What they did was wrong Valerie.
Plain wrong. Never forget that.
108.
Valerie look at the floor as her father's words sink in.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
Say through some miracle you even
get through this.. you and Joe are
always gonna fight. You're
fighters. He's a stubborn son of a
bitch too. He don't give up easy
either.
A dark cloud comes over him. He speaks levelly.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
One day this country is gonna look
back on these years, and it's gonna
hang its head. It's gonna weep.
Then it's gonna stand up straight
and walk on.
He watches Samantha in the half-light, still trying to lassoo
the pole.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME
I swear to God, she's gonna keep at
that until she licks it.
Valerie smiles. He points to Samantha.
LT. COLONEL SAM PLAME.
They're tougher than we are.
They'll piss you off from time to
time, but they're built to last.
EXT. CAPITOL. OLD ASSEMBLY HALL. NIGHT.
Joe sits surrounded by the statues of Presidents and law-
makers. A janitor approaches.
JANITOR
Mister?
(No reaction)
We're closing. You have to leave.
EXT. CAPITOL. NIGHT.
Joe walks out. The Capitol behind him. He walks away.
EXT. WHITE HOUSE. DAY.
A line of Satellite vans a hundred yards long.
INT. WEST WING. DAY.
Libby is escorted out of the White House by security.
109.
MSNBC
The vice president's chief of
staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby
Jr., was indicted Friday on charges
of obstruction of justice, perjury
and making false statements..
CUT TO:
Libby gets into the back of a black Mercedes. Cameras flash.
FOX NEWS CNN
..in the CIA leak Karl Rove, Bush's closest
investigation, a politically adviser, escaped indictment
charged case that casts a Friday but remained under
harsh light on President investigation, his legal
Bush's push to war. Libby, status casting a dark cloud
55, resigned and left the over a White House already in
White House. trouble.
CNN
The U.S. military death toll in
Iraq exceeded 2,000 this week, and
the president's approval ratings
are at the lowest point since he
took office in 2001.
MSNBC
At a news conference, special
counsel Patrick Fitzgerald declined
to comment about Rove's
involvement.
FOX NEWS
Asked about Cheney, he said: "I'm
not making allegations about anyone
not charged in the indictment."
CNN
Friday's charges stemmed from a two-
year investigation by Fitzgerald
into whether Rove, Libby or any
other administration officials
knowingly revealed the identity of
CIA officer Valerie Plame..
INT. LIVING ROOM. NIGHT.
Joe stands in his living room, watching the TV.. Alone.
110.
CNN
In a statement released Friday
afternoon, Libby said, "I have
conducted my responsibilities
honorably and truthfully. I am
confident that at the end of this
process I will be completely and
totally exonerated."
He turns. Valerie is standing there. He stiffens. Tries to
cover his shock. Becomes almost formal-
JOE
They served up Libby. He's taking
the fall.
He fixes on the screen.
JOE
I bet they've already struck the
deal. He takes the fall. He gets
pardoned. The deck's stacked. I bet
this doesn't even get to a trial.
VALERIE
Thank you.
He looks at her and sways slightly.
VALERIE
I don't care how angry you get. I
don't care what they say about us.
I don't care if you hate me. If
they take everything away from us,
but they are not going to take
this. They do not get to take my
marriage.
Joe's eyes fill with tears.
JOE WILSON
I'm so sorry.
Tears fill her eyes.
VALERIE
You did good.
He looks her in the eye. Shakes his head.
JOE WILSON
I did it for me.
She shakes her head.
111.
VALERIE
I know why you did it.
(She looks at him)
Thank you.
There's a thousand things he could suddenly say. And suddenly
nothing, as he fights tears.
JOE
If I could give it back to you. If
I could give you back who you were-
VALERIE
This is who I am. Right here.
They clasp each other and hug, and all the pain drains away.
They kiss. As they break she looks into her husband's eyes.
VALERIE
So are you ready to fight?
Joe looks at his wife. His eyes filled with tears.
INT. BEDROOM. DAY.
Valerie getting ready. She puts on make-up. A grey suit.
JOE (O.S.)
How many of you know who put the 16
words in the State of the Union
address?
ESTABLISHING-- OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. DAY.
JOE WILSON (O.S.)
Arguably the most important speech
the president makes all year. Never
more important when the nation is
on the brink of war.
INT. CAVERNOUS LECTURE THEATRE, COLUMBUS OHIO. NIGHT
Joe steps out onto a stage. Packed to the rafters. Kids stand
on window ledges, others hang over balconies. SILENCE.
JOE WILSON
How many of you know who put it in?
(No hands.)
How many of you know my wife's
name?
(Everyone in the hall.)
How do you know one and not the
other?
(MORE)
112.
JOE WILSON (cont'd)
How did the question move from "Why
are we going to war?" to "Who is
that man's wife". I asked the first
question. Someone else asked the
second. It worked. Its still
working. Because we still don't
know the truth. But you all know my
wife's name.
INT. TAXI (MOVING). DAY.
Valerie sits in the back of a cab, looking out of the window.
JOE WILSON V/O
Public officials swear an oath to
uphold the constitution. That is
their duty. They must be kept to
their oath. That is yours. This
offense wasn't committed against
me. Nor against my wife...
THE HALL.
JOE WILSON
It was committed against you.
And if you ever feel angry.
Misrepresented. Ashamed even.
VALERIE IN THE CAB.
JOE WILSON (O.S.)
Do something about it. In 1787 as
Benjamin Franklin left the
Constitution Hall after the last
drafting session, he was stopped by
a woman on the street. She asked--
THE HALL.
JOE WILSON
-what manner of government have you
bequeathed us? Ben said 'A Republic
madam. If you can keep it.'
BACK TO:
VALERIE IN THE CAB. THE PASSING STREET REFLECTED ON HER FACE.
JOE WILSON
If you can keep it.
CUT TO:
113.
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL TEHRAN. DAY
Sa'ad and his family walk out of the jetway and are greeted
by officials and men in uniform. Sa'ad smiles and shakes
hands. His wife nervously shepherds their children.
JOE WILSON V/O
The responsibilty for this country
does not lie in the hands of a
privileged few.
EXT. MOUNTAINOUS ROAD. DAY
Sa'ad, a Korean man and two officers of the Sepah
revolutionary guard ride in a four wheel drive through rugged
Iranian countryside, reflected on his face.
JOE WILSON
We are strong and we are free from
tyranny only for as long as each
and every one of us remembers their
duty as citizens.
EXT. NATANZ NUCLEAR RESEARCH FACILITY, IRAN. DAY
Sa'ad arrives at the heavily fortified reactor. He is
introduced to several men the last of which is Manucher Vaziri,
the arms dealer Valerie was tracking.
VAZIRI
Welcome to the revolution my
brother.
Sa'ad looks up at the state of the art facility.
CUT TO:
EXT. CAPITOL HILL. DAY.
VALERIE GETS OUT OF THE CAB. She walks down the street past
the gleaming government buildings.
JOE WILSON
Whether its a pothole at the end of
your street or a lie in the State
of the Union Address..Speak up. Ask
the question. Demand the truth.
Valerie walks. We see the Capitol dome behind her. She begins
to climb steps..
JOE WILSON
Democracy is not a free ride...
114.
THE HALL.
JOE WILSON
Man I'm here to tell you that. But
its where we live. And if we do our
job its where our children will
live. God bless America.
A roar erupts from the auditorium.
BACK TO:
Valerie climbs the steps. Suddenly she is engulfed in
flashes. Dozens of photographers. Reporters. She climbs the
steps. She passes between the two enormous statues to the
Spirit of Justice and The Majesty of the Law --
INT. RAYBURN HOUSE. CAPITOL HILL. DAY.
Valerie walks onto the floor of the Oversight Committee.
Cameras. Microphones. Press photographers. She sits before a
microphone. Swallows.
VALERIE
Good morning, Mr. Chairman and
members of the committee. My name
is Valerie Plame Wilson, and I am
honored to have been invited to
testify under oath before the
Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform on the critical
issue...
The shot dissolves into the REAL VALERIE PLAME delivering her
testimony to the chamber.
REAL VALERIE FOOTAGE
...of safeguarding classified
information. I'm grateful for this
opportunity to set the record
straight. I served the United
States loyally and to the best of
my ability as a covert operations
officer for the Central
Intelligence Agency. I worked on
behalf of the national security of
our country, on behalf of the
people of the United States until
my name and true affiliation were
exposed in the national media on
July 14th, 2003, after a leak by
administration officials. Today I
can tell this committee even more.
(MORE)
115.
REAL VALERIE FOOTAGE (cont'd)
In the run-up to the war with Iraq
I worked in the Counter
Proliferation Division of the CIA,
still as a covert officer whose
affiliation with the CIA was
classified. I raced to discover
solid intelligence for senior
policy makers on Iraq 's presumed
weapons of mass destruction
program. While I helped to manage
and run secret worldwide operations
against this WMD target from CIA
headquarters in Washington , I also
traveled to foreign countries on
secret missions to find vital
intelligence. I loved my career
because I love my country.
BLACKOUT
On March 6th 2007 Scooter Libby was found guilty of perjury,
obstruction of justice and making false statements to the
FBI, concerning the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity.
He was handed the maximum sentence: two and a half years in
prison, and a $250,000 fine.
On July 2nd 2007. The President used his executive authority
to commute the court's sentence.
Joe and Valerie left Washington and found a new home in Santa
Fe. They live there today, with their children.
FADE OUT.. |
FANTASTIC FOUR
by
Mark Frost and Michael France
based on the Marvel comic book by
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Shooting Script
FADE IN:
CLOSE ON A MASSIVE STEEL HEAD
Our first thought: DR. DOOM? But it's not moving. A
welder's torch sparks into frame in the hands of a sculptor
on scaffolding. This is art, an epic 20 foot statue going up
of a business mogul (VICTOR VON DOOM) in whose generously
extended hands sit two intertwined columns of DNA. His face
is chiseled, angular, perfect (too perfect). Past sparks, we
MOVE down to pick up...
EXT. STREET/VON DOOM INDUSTRIES TOWER - DAY
REED RICHARDS and BEN GRIMM head toward the soaring glass-box
atrium of VDI Headquarters. Designed to inspire awe, it
does.
REED
High open space, exposed structural
elements. Obviously aimed at first
time visitors to create feelings of...
smallness, inadequacy.
Ben glances at Reed, who looks a little nervous.
BEN
Good thing it ain't workin... Reed,
what are we doing here? This guy's
fast-food, strip-mall science --
REED
This wasn't our first stop, in case
you forgot NASA. And Victor's not
that bad. He's just a little...
(seeing the statue)
Larger than life.
INT. VON DOOM INDUSTRIES TOWER - DAY
They move past the statue, into the sprawling atrium.
REED
He's financed some of the biggest
breakthroughs of this century.
BEN
You'd never know it.
He motions to a high-tech ORB, showing FOOTAGE of VDI's
accomplishments: a safe and clean nuclear facility, the first
private Space Station.
All images have VICTOR front and center, glad-handling George
Bush, Tony Blair, shady International Leaders. The last
image is Victor holding the AMERICA'S CUP.
BEN (CONT'D)
Jesus. That too?
They reach three stern RECEPTIONISTS.
REED
Reed Richards and Ben Grimm to see --
A receptionist cuts him off, handing them each a pass.
FEMALE RECEPTIONIST
Executive elevator, top floor.
BEN
What's the price for a smile round here?
They head for the elevator. Reed carries a small, black box.
As they enter the elevator, steel doors shut and we CUT TO --
INT. VON DOOM INDUSTRIES TOWER - OFFICE - DAY
A large, dark office. Ben in the corner. He yawns,
watches...
BRIGHT HOLOGRAMS: Stars. Planets. They hover in the air,
making the room feel like a majestic portal into outer space.
REED (O.S.)
My research suggests that exposure to
a high-energy cosmic storm born on
solar winds might have triggered the
evolution of early planetary life.
REED stands among the holograms, speaking to a MYSTERIOUS
FIGURE in shadow behind a desk. An ominous, PULSATING RED
CLOUD covers the stars. It washes over a hologram of EARTH.
REED (CONT'D)
In six weeks another cloud with the
same elemental profile will pass
Earth's orbit. A study in space could
advance our knowledge about the
structure of the human genome, and
help cure countless diseases, extend
human life --
The SHADOW clears his throat. Reed speeds up, emotional.
REED (CONT'D)
Give kids the chance to be stronger,
healthier, less prone to --
SHADOWED FIGURE
Turn it off. Please.
The figure's DEEP VOICE pierces the darkness.
REED
But I haven't fully explained my --
SHADOWED FIGURE
Yes you have... Imagination.
Creativity. Passion. Those were
always your trademarks.
Lights brighten, revealing the face behind the voice: VICTOR
VON DOOM. 35, handsome, commanding. He looks almost...
airbrushed. He drops a WIRED magazine to the desk. REED is
on the cover over the words: RICHARDS BANKRUPT, GRANT
CUTBACKS.
VICTOR
But dreams don't pay the bills, do
they?
(a condescending smile)
Same old Reed, the hopeless optimist.
Still reaching for the stars, with the
world on your back.
REED
You remember in school we talked about
working together. That's what I was
about to explain...
Reed presses the remote. Another hologram appears: A SHUTTLE
slowly approaching AN ORBITING SPACE STATION. Both bear the
VON DOOM INDUSTRIES logo. Victor smiles, more intrigued.
VICTOR
So it's not my money you want. It's
my toys... Tell me: if NASA doesn't
trust you, why should I?
Victor is a step ahead. Reed pauses, thrown for a beat. Ben
wakes up, suspicious. Victor notices. He notices
everything.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
That's my job. To stay a step ahead.
To know what other men don't.
Ben gets close to Reed, turning toward the door.
BEN
I can't take this.
REED
(low, quiet)
Ben. This is business. Just work.
A beat. Victor cracks a smile, enjoying the tension. And...
SUE (O.S.)
He's right, Ben.
They turn to see...SUE STORM (demure, stunning) standing in a
corner...possibly for the whole presentation. A little cold:
SUE (CONT'D)
It's just business.
VICTOR
I think you both know my Director of
Genetic Research, Susan Storm.
BEN
Heya Susie.
(under breath, to Reed)
One more thing he's got.
Sue gracefully walks into the office, only taking her eyes
off of Reed to give Ben a warm hug.
SUE
Ben, it's been too long.
She gives Reed a polite handshake. Victor watches carefully.
Reed looks uncomfortable in her gaze. A little tongue-tied.
REED
You're, you've, I mean, how have you
bee--
SUE
Never better.
Victor sizes them up. He puts a hand on Sue's shoulder.
VICTOR
This isn't going to be a problem, is
it?
REED
Not at all.
SUE
Ancient history.
Victor smiles, eyeing Sue.
VICTOR
Good. Then you're just in time to
hear the great Reed Richards ask me
for help.
(to Reed)
You know, you made a lot of folks at
MIT feel like a junior high science
fair. So you'll excuse me if I savor
the moment.
Ben tightens. A hard beat. Reed sucks it up.
REED
You back this mission, and I'll sign
over a fair percentage of any
applications or --
VICTOR
The number's seventy-five. And it's
applications and patents.
BEN
What about his first born?
REED
(quiet)
Ben, the money's not important. We
could save lives.
Sue gives a thin smile -- a flicker of old feelings.
VICTOR
Twenty-five percent of a billion is
enough to keep the lights on, isn't
it? Maybe even pay off your fourth
mortgage on the Baxter Building.
They look at Victor. How does he know all this...?
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Deal...?
Reed looks at Ben, who shakes his head softly no. But
Reed...drops a nod. Done. Victor smiles, offers a
handshake.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Well then, to our future. Together.
Victor squeezes. Hard. His other hand on Sue's shoulder.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Funny how things turn out, isn't it?
REED
Hilarious.
As Reed and Sue lock eyes, Ben watches Victor. Wary.
INT. VICTOR'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Director of Communications LEONARD enters, checking files.
VICTOR
If Reed's right, then this little trip
will double our stock offering.
LEONARD
And if he's not...?
VICTOR
Reed's always right. Good thing he
doesn't always know what he's got...
INT. VON DOOM INDUSTRIES TOWER - ELEVATOR - MOMENTS LATER
Reed and Ben step into the elevator.
BEN
He knew about NASA. What if he made
the call to shut us down --
REED
Ben, think about all the people we can
help if this works --
BEN
Maybe you should think about yourself
for once. You always let this guy
push you round --
REED
We got what we wanted. That's
enough.
BEN
I know, I know. I'm just worried
about what he wants... Speaking of
which...
Reed follows Ben's eyes to...SUE. She joins them. Doors
shut.
INT. VON DOOM INDUSTRIES STAIRCASE - CONTINUOUS
SUE
You sure about this, Reed?
He nods, head down. He doesn't want eye contact.
REED
Those solar winds are flaring, but I
factored them into my coordinates and --
SUE
I was talking about us. Working
together.
Sue holds her eyes on Reed. He is clearly uncomfortable in
her gaze. Did the elevator just get smaller?
REED
(thinking, talking fast)
Well, uh, based on our history...you
can handle the biogenetics, and I'll
focus on the molecular physics. Or,
uhm, maybe I should take the biotech,
you work the microscopes, since you
have some background in electropho--
SUE
(droll, a little annoyed)
Right. That's exactly what I meant.
She shakes her head -- same old Reed. He looks at her --
what did he say wrong? Ben smiles, patting Reed on the
shoulder.
BEN
Way to not overthink it.
(to Sue)
So when do we leave?
SUE
I'll schedule the launch. Call me in
the morning to talk about resources
and crew.
She offers a business card. Reed doesn't take it.
REED
I, uh, think I remember the number.
SUE
It's been changed.
Beat. Ben grimaces. Reed takes the card, his eyes down.
REED
As far as crew, I was hoping Ben could
pilot the mission --
SUE
Well, he's welcome to ride shotgun,
but we already have a pilot on our
payroll. You remember my brother
Johnny...
Off Ben's curdling smile, we DISSOLVE TO --
EXT. LAKE LAUNCH FACILITY - DAY
A helicopter shot through trees. We soar over timberland,
and find something massive looming on the horizon:
A SPACECRAFT. A sleek take on a space shuttle. Modern tech
combined with industrial design that NASA could never afford.
The craft's nose is pointed straight up, ready for launch.
WORKERS IN JUMPSUITS are scattered around the two-hundred
foot tall scaffolding, performing routine checks.
EXT. GANTRY OVERLOOK - DAY
Ben stares up at the craft. A sneer on his face.
BEN
Can't do it. I cannot do it.
REED
External SRBs, orbital system engines.
Its just like the shuttles you flew
in --
BEN
No. I cannot take orders from that
underwear model. That wingnut washed
out of NASA for sneaking two Victoria
Secret wannabes into a flight
simulator.
REED
Youthful high spirits.
They walk toward the base of the scaffolding.
BEN
They crashed it into a wall. A flight
simulator.
REED
I'm sure he's matured since then.
CLOSE on JOHNNY STORM, leaning over to kiss a hot redhead.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL he's riding a MOTORCYCLE, and she's
driving a red CORVETTE with license plate: FRANKIE. PICK UP
Reed and Ben, watching through binoculars.
REED (CONT'D)
When have I asked you to do something
you absolutely said you could not do?
BEN
Five times.
REED
I had it at four.
BEN
This makes five.
INT. LAKE LAUNCH FACILITY LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT
Reed and Ben unpack gear into lockers. Suddenly --
JOHNNY (O.S.)
Captain on the bridge!
Ben goes to attention on reflex: Johnny snaps a picture with
a digital camera. Then advances, as Ben realizes who it
is...
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
Digital camera: $254. Memory stick:
$59. The look on your hard-ass former
CO's grill when he finds out he's your
junior officer: priceless.
Ben eyeballs Johnny, suddenly reaches up as if to grab him.
Johnny flinches. But Ben just reaches for Johnny's zipper,
adjusts his uniform.
BEN
I can handle the ship. I can even
handle Mr. Blonde Ambition. But I
don't know if I should be flying or
playing Vegas in these suits. Who the
hell came up with them?
SUE
Victor did.
Sue enters, wearing her blue, wetsuit-like uniform, carrying
a stack of flightsuits. She hands them out to the guys.
SUE (CONT'D)
The synthetics act as a second skin,
adapting to your individual needs to --
JOHNNY
Keep the hot side hot, and the cool
side cool!
REED
Wow. Fantastic.
Reed stares at Sue in the skintight outfit. She wonders,
maybe hopes -- is he actually checking her out?
REED (CONT'D)
Material made from self-regulating
unstable molecules. I've been working
on a formula for this.
SUE
Great minds think alike.
VICTOR (O.S.)
Guess some think faster than others.
Victor enters, wearing his custom-tailored flightsuit.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
I hired Armani to design the pattern.
These colors will look great on
camera.
A DOOR OPENS. Leonard enters, in a sharp suit.
LEONARD
They're ready for you, sir.
VICTOR
Showtime.
EXT. LAKE LAUNCH FACILITY - HALLS - NIGHT
Leonard leads Victor through the halls. Victor checks
himself in mirrors as he walks, fixing his hair, his uniform.
LEONARD
Our numbers are through the roof. The
IPO's tracking at fifty, sixty a
share. The bank's five times
oversubscribed --
VICTOR
It's not just the money. I could make
money in my sleep.
LEONARD
Then what is it?
VICTOR
History, Leonard. History.
Everything else is conversation...
(a beat)
How's the other matter?
Leonard pulls out a BOX. Opens it: a TEN KARAT DIAMOND RING.
LEONARD
Harry Winston sends his regards.
They hit a set of big doors. Victor stops and looks into the
reflective, metallic surface on the wall. He fixes one last
strand of hair. Perfect. Then he opens the door to...
SNAP!SNAP!SNAP! WHIP-PAN a row of CAMERAS snapping shots of --
EXT. LAKE LAUNCH FACILITY - NIGHT
Retrofitted into a makeshift press area. Victor sits on a
platform, with reporters stretched out below him.
VICTOR
Today we stand on the edge of a new
frontier. In the furthest depths of
outer space...we will find the secrets
to inner space. The final key to
unlocking our genetic code lies in a
cosmic storm...
BEHIND THE ACTION: Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben walk past. News
crews barely notice, passing without even taking a picture.
Our "Fantastic Four" are not exactly big news. Not yet.
BEN
Isn't that your speech?
REED
He's made a few changes.
BEN
This is your dream, Reed. You should
be the one up there.
REED
Victor's better at these things.
Just past the press area, they see...one woman standing,
waiting. This is DEBBIE, Ben's fiancée. And for the first
time in the entire film...Ben SMILES. They hug, kissing.
Johnny and Reed watch. Reed glances at Sue, who walks ahead.
Debbie slips a photo into Ben's flightsuit. A tender beat.
BEN
I'll be watching over you.
DEBBIE
Just get back soon, or I start looking
for a new groom.
Ben looks at the little ENGAGEMENT RING on her finger.
BEN
Soon as I'm back, I'm gonna trade that
in for a bigger rock.
DEBBIE
I don't care about rocks, I care about
you.
(to Reed)
You bring him back in one piece, or
you can forget being Best Man.
Reed nods, smiles. Debbie gives Ben a last kiss. Ben turns
to Johnny, who gives a cocky smile.
BEN
What the hell you smiling at? Just
keep your mouth shut, and your mind on
those SMBs --
JOHNNY
Actually, the engines are SMEs.
Hydrogenbase, carbon propellant.
Couple generations past your last
ride.
(at the threshold)
I'm not as dumb as you look.
Ben just glares at Reed. This is going to be a long trip.
As they follow after Sue, we CUT BACK TO --
VICTOR ON STAGE
Mid-speech. Playing behind him is REED'S HOLOGRAM: stars
give way to a pulsating red cloud...
VICTOR
Think of a world without genetic flaws
-- no asthma, allergies, baldness,
breast cancer...
Ben and Reed hear the speech. Ben bristles.
BEN
What's wrong with being bald...?
Victor smiles at the crowd, commanding. A true leader.
VICTOR
Darwin discovered evolution. Now we --
I -- will define it. Only in America
could...
The red cloud of cosmic rays wash over the Earth.
VICTOR (V.O.) (CONT'D)
...a little country boy from Latveria
build one of the biggest companies in
the world, and truly reach the stars.
Now if you'll excuse me, history
awaits...
On those words, the HOLOGRAM TRANSFORMS TO...Von Doom's
SHUTTLE on the launch pad. BOOM! THRUSTERS FIRE WHITE HOT.
Smoke billows across the pad. Ready for take off.
Victor walks past the hologram and exits. His departure
perfectly timed with the shuttle LIFTING OFF.
We push in on the shuttle, and follow the ship as it leaves
Earth's atmosphere. BOOM -- booster rockets fall away and
the shuttle fires its thrusters. The hologram transitions
to...
A shot of the SPACE STATION high above the Earth. The
shuttle enters from the top, lighting up the hologram with
engines afire. As the shuttle approaches the station we CUT
TO --
EXT. DEEP SPACE - SAME
THE SPACE STATION in the distance, rotating in orbit above
Earth. THE SHUTTLE eases in and docks.
INT. SPACE STATION - COMMAND CENTER - SAME
Victor and Sue lead the others into the command center.
JOHNNY
(a "dad voice": to Ben)
If you behave, maybe next time
daddy'll let you drive.
BEN
Keep talking, there won't be a next
time.
Reed is focused on THE EARTH.
SUE
Long way from the projection booth at
the Hayden Planetarium, isn't it?
Reed turns towards her -- a little stunned that she would
bring that up. It's the first time she's been nice to him so
far. He smiles, gently, hesitantly, always hesitant with
Sue.
REED
Yes. Yes it is.
Johnny and Ben exchange a look. Reed keeps looking at the
stars, eyes wide, like a little kid.
INT. SPACE STATION - COMMAND CENTER/OBSERVATION DECK - SAME
They enter the nerve center of the space station. Victor
goes to a computer console on the observation deck below.
The windows are closed, so there's nothing to observe.
VICTOR
(to ground; via comm-link)
Leonard, how's the feed?
LEONARD (V.O.)
Recording, sir. We see you perfectly.
Victor glances at a camera mounted into the console.
SUE
We can monitor the cloud's approach
and observe the tests from here.
BEN
Is it safe?
REED
The shields on the station should
protect us.
BEN
Should?
VICTOR
What's wrong, Ben? Eighty-million
dollars worth of equipment not enough
for you?
Ben turns to Victor. A little tension. Reed cuts it:
REED
Let's start loading those samples.
Get your suit ready, Ben.
Victor keeps his eyes on Ben.
VICTOR
So you still do all the heavy lifting?
Victor gives a friendly smile, patting Reed.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Maybe you should have stayed back in
the lab. Field work never suited you.
Reed doesn't defend himself. Ben steps up.
BEN
He does the talking. I do the
walking. Got it?
Victor holds tight to his smile. He nods, condescending.
VICTOR
Got it. So take a walk, Ben...I'm
going to borrow Susan for a second.
REED
Sure.
Ben and Johnny read his eyes, as we CUT TO --
INT. SPACE STATION - AIR LOCK - LATER
Ben preps for a space walk, putting on a helmet and boots.
Johnny unloads a set of clear sample boxes off of a cart,
each containing a variety of plants.
JOHNNY
Please tell me your dawg's not trying
to rekindle things with my sister.
BEN
'Course not. Strictly business.
JOHNNY
Yeah, well, his eyes say different.
BEN
Hey, two hearts got busted last time.
Maybe she's not over it either.
JOHNNY
Let's see: you got Victor, stud of the
year, more coin than God? Or Reed,
the world's dumbest smart guy worth
less than a postage stamp. Hmmm, it's
a toss-up.
BEN
Put your tiny little mind at ease.
JOHNNY
Don't you wander off, boy.
Johnny steps out of the air-lock and shuts the door. He
looks through a small window to see Ben give the thumbs up.
THE AIRLOCK DOOR opens, and Ben gracefully steps into space.
INT. SPACE STATION - OBSERVATION DECK - SAME TIME
Sue descends the stairs at Victor's behest. Joins him.
VICTOR
Surprised I agreed to Reed's proposal?
SUE
I understand the business reasons.
VICTOR
Well, when you're looking at your
future, it never hurts to find closure
about the past.
Sue's eyes narrow. What is this about...?
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Susan, every man dreams that he'll
meet some woman he can give the world
to.
He presses a button and the observation deck's outer windows
open up, revealing a spectacular, romantic view of the EARTH.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
In my case, it's not just a metaphor.
While she stares out the window, Victor reaches into a
pocket, revealing a RING BOX. Sue looks unsettled.
INT. SPACE STATION - NEARBY CORRIDOR - SAME TIME
Reed checks data on a work station, set on a wall. The
results of his calculations are not what he expected... He
sees WIND VELOCITY digits rise. He does a double-take when
he sees the readout: EVENT THRESHOLD, T-MINUS 10:00.
REED
No...no...impossible. It's...too
fast.
INT. SPACE STATION - OBSERVATION DECK - SAME TIME
Behind his back, Victor holds the ring box in hand.
VICTOR
You've been with me two years now.
Sue doesn't know where this is going. She treads lightly.
SUE
It's been a good two years, Victor...
The company's accomplished so much.
VICTOR
Right, of course, the company... But
you see, I've come to realize all the
accomplishments in the world mean
nothing without someone to share them
with --
SUE
Uh, Victor, I hope I haven't done
something to make you think...
VICTOR
Sue, I've lived my life unafraid of
taking big steps. And this is the
biggest step yet. If it helps, think
of this as a promotion. A merger of
sorts...
(getting closer)
Four little words that can change our
lives...
He is about to spring the ring on her. She looks like a deer
in headlights. She opens her mouth, and...WHAM! Doors slam
open. REED RUSHES INTO THE ROOM.
REED
The cloud is accelerating!
Victor quickly puts the ring back in his pocket.
REED (CONT'D)
I don't know what happened.
Sue quickly moves to a nearby control panel to verify Reed's
claim. Starts punching buttons. Confirms Reed's findings
with a nod. Victor hardens, in control.
REED (CONT'D)
We've got minutes until it hits, not
hours...Victor, that storm's deadly --
the radiation's lethal. We need to
abort.
VICTOR
Get a grip. Reed. We didn't come all
this way to lose our nerve at the
first little glitch. Just close the
shields...
REED
Ben's still out there --
VICTOR
So reel him in. But we came here to
do a job. So let's do it. Quickly.
EXT. SPACE STATION - MOMENTS LATER
Ben is carefully arranging SAMPLE BOXES OF PLANTS.
REED (ON RADIO)
Ben, we need you back inside.
Ben turns to see Reed and Johnny staring from a window.
BEN (INTO RADIO)
I ain't done arranging your flowers,
egghead.
REED (ON RADIO)
Ben. This is serious. Turn around.
Ben sees Johnny motioning for Ben to look behind him. Ben
turns and sees: THE COSMIC STORM, rumbling toward the
station. Not close, but not far. That gets Ben's attention.
BEN (INTO RADIO)
Roger that, on my way.
He turns back towards the ship. BEHIND HIM, the storm grows.
INT. SPACE STATION - COMMAND CENTER - SAME TIME
Victor rushes into the room, looks at the monitors. Sees the
others near the airlock on one screen, and the approaching
cloud on another. Anxiety creeps across his face.
AUTOMATED VOICE
Event threshold in two minutes.
INT. SPACE STATION - AIRLOCK DOOR - SAME TIME
Reed and Johnny stand by the airlock, waiting for Ben. They
heard the automated voice. It panics Reed.
REED
Come on, Ben, come on...
VICTOR (ON RADIO)
Reed, we're running out of time.
EXT. OUTER SPACE - MOMENTS LATER
A wake of turbulence from the cloud hits Ben, making it
harder to maneuver. The cloud's tendrils snake toward him.
INT. SPACE STATION - AIRLOCK DOOR - SAME TIME
They can see Ben outside the window, still twenty yards away.
The entire corridor rumbles. Lights flicker and spark. They
watch helplessly.
INT. SPACE STATION - COMMAND CENTER/OBSERVATION DECK - SAME
Sue watches the monitor, also helpless.
SUE
Johnny... Reed...
Victor, annoyed by the indecisiveness, marches right up to
Sue. Practically shoves her aside as he hits the INTERCOM.
VICTOR
Reed, you need to get up here so we
can close the shields! Now!
Sue glares at Victor. His lack of compassion shocks her.
REED (ON RADIO)
Not until Ben is back inside!
VICTOR
It's too late for him, and soon it'll
be too late for all of us.
Victor doesn't bother to wait for a response. He takes over
the console, punching keys.
SUE
What are you doing?
VICTOR
Raising the shields.
SUE
You can't leave them out there.
Sue glares with as much contempt as her face can muster.
VICTOR
Watch me. Reed had his chance. You
can't help them any more than I can.
Beat. She takes a step toward the door. Not sure what to
do.
SUE
I can try.
With one final glare, she bolts from the room.
INT. SPACE STATION - AIRLOCK DOOR - SAME TIME
Reed bites his lip. Thinks. He decides.
REED
Victor's right. Johnny, get to the
command center. Close the shields.
JOHNNY
What about you?
One look from Reed tells Johnny, he won't leave without Ben.
Johnny eyes Ben, steels his courage. He's not going either.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
(to Ben)
Come on big guy, you can do it!
INT. SPACE STATION COMMAND CENTER - DAY
Victor watches the shields slide down. Alone. An island.
AUTOMATED VOICE
Event threshold in thirty seconds.
INT. SPACE STATION - CORRIDOR - SAME TIME
Sue races down the hall. Not panicked. With determination.
EXT. SPACE STATION AIR LOCK - DAY
The exterior air lock door slides open. In agonizing,
weightless slow motion Ben reaches to haul himself inside.
The leading edge of the cloud hits: Ben is pelted by a
hissing mass of space dust, splattering his suit with orange
stains. Larger particles, small pellets, pepper him. Ben
hauls himself in the last few feet by pulling on his tether.
INT. SPACE STATION AIR LOCK/COMMAND CENTER - DAY
AUTOMATED VOICE
Event threshold in ten seconds.
TEN...
Johnny punches controls to close the exterior airlock door...
Reed opens a first aid kit, grabs a thermo-elastic blanket...
INT. SPACE STATION - COMMAND CENTER/OBSERVATION DECK - SAME
Clutching the diamond ring, Victor stands defiantly. Showing
absolutely no concern for the others. Interested only in the
event itself. Lights and equipment FALL, CRASHING around
him.
A control panel EXPLODES in Victor's face. He jumps back,
and into the falling equipment. Collapses under the weight.
INT. SPACE STATION - AIR LOCK - SAME TIME
Sue rounds a corner, sees Reed and Johnny.
SUE
Johnny! Reed!
AUTOMATED VOICE
FIVE...FOOOOUUUR...
SLOW MOTION: Everyone frozen in position as:
-- JOHNNY is hit with sparks of flame from a control panel.
-- REED REACHES out for Ben and the airlock door.
-- VAPOR STREAM pours down on Sue from a blown gasket.
-- THE SPACE DUST burns into Ben's skin.
SLOW MOTION: Just BEFORE the exterior air-lock door closes, a
SINGLE PARTICLE zips through the narrowing gap and hits Ben
in the back, ripping through his suit. The exterior door
shuts and seals. The station loses all power. DARKNESS.
EXT. SPACE STATION - DAY
As quickly as it came, the cloud passes on and whirls away,
leaving the space station intact. Power quietly flickers on.
Silence. Time resumes. All four pick up exactly where they
left off, unaware of anything that just happened to them.
INT. SPACE STATION COMMAND CENTER - DAY
Victor emerges from the rubble. He stands, checks his body.
A few scrapes, nothing serious. A thin, throbbing CUT on his
head. He touches the wound, but it is not bleeding.
INT. SPACE STATION AIR LOCK - DAY
Reed and Johnny scramble to open the interior air lock door.
Sue joins them, as they pull Ben in. They try to remove his
helmet. We don't see his face, but he's clearly unconscious.
REED
He's not responsive --
JOHNNY
Ben! Ben!
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY
A BLACK SCREEN:
JOHNNY'S VOICE
Ben, wake up! Wake up!
SUBJECTIVE CAMERA, BEN'S POV: The blurry image of Johnny
comes slowly into focus, standing beside a hospital bed.
BEN (O.S.)
Where...where am I?
JOHNNY
Back on Earth. Victor's medical
facility... We're in quarantine.
BEN (O.S.)
Reed? ... Sue?
JOHNNY
They're fine. Everybody else...is
fine.
Johnny looks away, as if he can't bear to lay eyes on him.
BEN (O.S.)
What's wrong with me?
JOHNNY
I swear to you they've done everything
humanly possible. The best plastic
surgeons in the world, Ben. You had
the best --
BEN (O.S.)
Give me a mirror...
Johnny picks up a hand mirror on the bed table before Ben can
reach it, reluctant to give it to him.
JOHNNY
They said that's not such a good idea,
the shock alone could --
BEN (O.S.)
Give me the god damn mirror!
Ben grabs it from him. Then slowly raises it to look and see
that...except for some serious stubble, Ben's totally normal.
JOHNNY
Unfortunately, the doctors just
couldn't do anything to fix your face!
He cackles as he heads for the door. Ben heaves the mirror
at him, breaking it into hundreds of pieces. He turns to the
side-table, and grabs that picture of DEBBIE. It calms him.
EXT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - ESTABLISHING - DAY
A modern facility of glass and stone, nestled in the forest.
In stark contrast to the lush greenery surrounding it.
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND HOSPITAL CORRIDOR/SUE'S ROOM - DAY
Reed walks down the hall. His hair is GRAYING at the
temples. He passes Johnny, who is smiling, still enjoying
his joke on Ben. Johnny slows, looking at Reed's hair.
JOHNNY
Nice 'do. Going for the "grandpa"
look?
Reed passes a mirror, slowing, seeing his gray hairs. He
keeps going. He passes a partially open door. He stops when
he catches a glimpse of Sue asleep in bed. He sees a vase of
flowers. He grabs a couple lilies, and enters.
But Reed sees...the room is already FILLED with expensive
flowers. All from VICTOR. Reed is trumped once again.
A DOCTOR writes on Sue's chart. A wall TV plays a press
conference with Victor, outside the FACILITY. He looks worse
for wear. A few hairs out of place, and a small BANDAGE on
his face. We PUSH INTO the press conference --
REPORTER #1
You've been accused in the past of
moving science a little too fast --
VICTOR
Accused by who? My competitors?
REPORTER #2
But surely this accident gives you
pause --
VICTOR
Danger is always part of discovery.
What would have happened if Ben
Franklin never went out in a storm?
Without risk, there's no reward.
REPORTER #3
So where's the reward? You promised a
cure-all.
Victor pauses. For the first time. Just a flicker.
VICTOR
And you'll have it. I've never come
up short. And I'm not going to start
now.
REPORTER #2
So you're still taking VDI public --
VICTOR
Yes, of course. I've never been more
confident in the compan--
Reed mutes the television.
REED
How's she doing?
DOCTOR
Stable. Vitals are strong.
Reed takes the clipboard, looks for himself.
REED
Blood panels show no irradiation.
Good. You'll step up this protocol,
every --
DOCTOR
Four hours. We know what we're
doing... One more day of observation,
then you're all cleared.
The Doctor takes his clipboard, and walks out. Reed steps to
Sue, with the drooping flowers in his hand. Quiet:
REED
Sue...I want to tell you...I'm...
WHOOSH. A NURSE rolls in with a tray bearing ten more
extravagant bouquets. Reed looks resigned. He walks out.
REED (CONT'D)
She's allergic to orchids. Put that
Amaryllis Apapathos by her bed. The
African lilies? They're her
favorites.
Reed exits, dropping his two wilted lilies into the trash.
Sue opens one eye, as the big lilies land by the bed.
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY
A SEXY NURSE wheels a testing station into Johnny's room.
He's stripped down to Calvins, changing into a ski outfit.
SEXY NURSE
And where do we think we're going?
JOHNNY
I don't know if "we've" noticed, but
the sickest runs this side of the Alps
are right outside that window --
NURSE
I've noticed... But doctor's orders,
you're not allowed to leave until we --
JOHNNY
Finish the tests, I know -- could you
give me a hand with this zipper?
NURSE
You know this is not a ski resort.
JOHNNY
Not yet.
Johnny opens the cardboard box, revealing a colorful
fiberglass object the size of a briefcase. In the blink of
an eye, he unfolds it into a LONG SNOWBOARD.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
Luckily grandma still sends care
packages.
The nurse pops a thermometer in his mouth to shut him up.
NURSE
You are trouble.
JOHNNY
(thermometer in his mouth)
Brubbles my Triddle Name.
They both pay more attention to his zipper than the digital
read-out: it runs right up past 98.6, then accelerates fast.
SEXY NURSE
You're hot!
JOHNNY
So are you!
SEXY NURSE
I mean, you feel a little feverish.
JOHNNY
I've never felt better in my life.
When do you get off work?
SEXY NURSE
My shift ends at four, but I couldn't --
JOHNNY
Meet me at 4:01, top of the run.
That'll give you a minute to freshen
up.
He hands her the thermometer, a quick kiss and he's out the
door. The machine beeps: Johnny's temperature is 209
DEGREES.
EXT. VON DOOM COMPOUND HOSPITAL PATIO - DAY
Ben finds Reed on a patio with a panoramic view. Reed works
at a laptop computer.
BEN
How long was I out?
REED
Three days. I was worried about you.
How are you feeling?
BEN
Solid.
Ben can see Reed doesn't look too solid.
BEN (CONT'D)
How you doing?
Reed shakes his head, looking back at his screen.
REED
I don't know. I just keep going over
and over the numbers.
BEN
Reed. Even you can't compute every
little thing.
REED
I should have done more, run more
tests --
Ben gets closer, pushing down Reed's computer screen.
BEN
It was a freak of nature. Last I
checked, you don't have a crystal
ball. Let it go.
Reed considers. But he can't let it go. He opens his
computer back up, returning to work. Ben shakes his head,
looks out at the view. His eyes catch on something, wheels
turning.
BEN (CONT'D)
You go through something like this,
makes you appreciate having the right
woman in your life.
REED
Yeah, you and Debbie and perfect --
BEN
Reed, I'm not talking about Debbie.
Reed follows Ben's eyes to a lower level patio: SUE.
REED
What? Come on. She's got a good
thing with Victor --
BEN
I'm sorry, did that cosmic-bath loosen
your screws?
REED
He's smart, powerful, successful --
BEN
Well maybe you should date him.
Reed looks at Ben, resigned.
REED
Ben. He'll give her the life she
deserves. She ended up with the right
guy. Things worked out for the best.
Reed steps away. Ben stands alone, an idea sparking.
BEN
Do I have to do everything myself?
INT. HELICOPTER/EXT. MOUNTAIN SUMMIT - DAY
The chopper hovers over this pristine peak. JOHNNY and his
NURSE sit in the chopper-bay, prepping their ski gear.
Johnny's customized snowboard has wild, acrylic patterns.
His Nurse wears a hot pink cat-suit, her skis dangling out.
Their bodies are close: a sexy, competitive flirtation. They
look down at a death-defying black diamond run.
JOHNNY
Me like-y.
SEXY NURSE
Stay right. Left is trouble.
JOHNNY
I though we went over this.
SEXY NURSE
Last one down springs for room
service.
She pulls down her goggles, jumps out. Johnny drops out
after her, hitting the snow. He smolders: literally. The
snow bank behind him sizzles and starts to melt.
He takes off after her and the chase is on:
EXT. BLACK DIAMOND RUN - DAY
The Nurse knows every inch of the trail, slicing expertly in
and out of the trees through deep powder. Johnny's a speed
freak, maximizing velocity, closing the gap between them.
Ghostly FLAMES shoot off his hair: his ski cap catches fire,
flies off. Jets of fire knife through the back of his jacket.
The Nurse looks back: In a burst of speed, Johnny draws even.
She looks over and sees the flames shooting out behind him...
SEXY NURSE
You're on fire!
JOHNNY
Not this again --
SEXY NURSE
No: You're ON FIRE!
Johnny sees his gloves are burning, flicks them off in alarm.
His body SHUDDERS: the back of his ski suit catches on fire.
A burst of flame launches him down the slope like a rocket.
Nurse loses concentration, falls. Johnny races away like a
missile, screaming in exhilaration. He looks back -- no
nurse.
He tries to put out his flaming clothes, and accidentally
VEERS to the LEFT. He fails to notice the giant CHASM in
front of him. He faces forward and...
SCREEAAMMS! LAUNCHING off the cliff, LEGS FLAILING, trying
to catch ground. FLAMES begin to TRAIL his body as he FALLS
towards the rocks below. He tries to will his body away.
Instead, his body becomes engulfed in flame. He is a HUMAN
TORCH! And for a moment he HOLDS THE AIR -- the fire giving
him some kind of...LIFT. He maneuvers just over the rocks,
almost making a 90 degree turn.
He looks back at the rocks in disbelief. But the lift
doesn't last long. He quickly CRASHES, landing HARD into a
snowbank.
He opens his eyes; tries to move but can't. He's trapped
under snow and ice. With all his strength, he tries to move,
NO DICE. Panic sets in. His eyes go wide as the snow around
quickly begins to melt. Johnny is on fire, and within
seconds he's sitting in a small POND, steam rising from the
water.
The nurse races toward the steam. Scared, panicked. She
finds Johnny...smiling, sitting naked in an impromptu hot
tub, staring at his hands. His body. Exhilarated.
JOHNNY
Care to join me?
She smiles and unzips. The FLAMES DISSOLVE TO...CANDLES IN --
EXT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - VICTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
On an expansive parapet with a billion-dollar view, Victor
prepares a romantic dinner-setting as his staff scurry about.
He checks every fork and knife, with a slightly manic energy.
VICTOR
How's the IPO?
LEONARD
Stable. We're looking at low
twenties. It's a good number,
considering the fallout from --
VICTOR
Reed's disaster. You know, I half-
think he did this to me on purpose.
LEONARD
Sir, I'm sure he wouldn't put himself --
But Victor is on to the next thought, always strategizing.
VICTOR
Get me on the AM shows, Larry King,
cover of the Journal...
(staring into silver tray)
I've got to do something about this
scar. Make sure they only shoot my
right side.
LEONARD
Actually, uh, people seem to think the
scar "humanizes" you.
VICTOR
And that's a good thing?
Victor looks at the scar, enraged by this defect. It
glistens in the silver tray. His eyes are bloodshot,
sleepless.
LEONARD
You know, maybe you should get some
rest --
VICTOR
Later. First, I've got some
unfinished business. A deal that
needs closing...
Leonard looks at the table, the lavish spread. A beat.
LEONARD
Sir, I've always wondered... Why Sue?
You could have any woman in the world
but --
VICTOR
That's why. Because I could have
any other woman... You know, when
they asked Caesar "why England," he
said, "because it's not mine."
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND DINING HALL - LATE AFTERNOON
Two dozen EMPLOYEES sit and eat. Others serve themselves at
the buffet. Ben and Sue walking into the dining hall --
SUE
I can only stay for one drink, Ben.
I've got to meet with Victor.
BEN
Wouldn't want to keep Vic waiting.
They turn a corner and find Reed, entering by another door.
BEN (CONT'D)
Hey Reed, what are you doing here?
(before he can answer)
Great, why don't you join us?
He quickly shepherds the two of them toward a quiet table.
Ben's stomach GROWLS; so loud that they all can hear it.
BEN (CONT'D)
God, I'm starving. Gonna hit the
buffet.
Ben's stomach growls again, even louder this time.
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND DINING HALL - EVENING
The sun is long gone, and so are most of the diners. The
room is darker, more romantic. Ben finishes the last shrimp
on his plate, pushes it away, belches prodigiously.
BEN
Pardon me...
Sue and Reed stare at him. Ben's stomach growls again.
REED
Are you alright?
BEN
I think I need to lie down. Bad
shrimp.
This was Ben's plan, but he really isn't feeling well,
unsteady when he walks away. He looks down at his stomach.
BEN (CONT'D)
Really bad shrimp.
ANGLE: Fireplace. Sue looks gorgeous in the light. A beat.
A long beat. Reed doesn't know where to start with this
woman.
REED
Feeling better?
SUE
Yes, thanks.
REED
That's good. That's uh...good.
SUE
You always had a way with words.
(an awkward beat)
I should be getting back.
Sue gets up to leave. Exasperated, Reed tries to think of
something, anything, to say.
REED
I'm really happy for you and Victor.
She slows down, looking at him. She was hoping for more.
SUE
You're happy for me and Victor.
REED
I can tell you guys are enjoying what
was the best part of our relationship --
SUE
Which was?
REED
Passion.
We see surprise on Sue's face, and...
REED (CONT'D)
For science.
SUE
(frustrated)
You are such a dork, Reed... You never
got it and never will unless it's
explained to you in quantum physics.
As if triggered by her emotion, the fireplace light around
her BENDS. The flames flicker in a ghostly breeze.
REED
What? What did I say?
She looks more disappointed than angry.
SUE
It's never what you say. It's what
you don't say. What you don't do...
She lets that hang. A lot of history here. Quiet, hurt --
she wants Reed to fight for her, to show some emotion.
REED
I...I...I just wanted to --
As Sue's emotions swirl, she slowly...disappears.
SUE
It's been two years, and all you can
say is you're happy for me and some
other guy...
(standing up, hurt)
You know, Victor may be a lot of
things, but at least he's not afraid
to fight for what he wants...
(Reed looks down)
And it's nice to be wanted sometimes.
To be heard...seen... Reed, look at
me.
He looks up...but all that's left of her is the blush on her
cheek and her bewitching eyes. He drops his fork, shocked.
REED
Uh, Sue...? I can't.
SUE
What? What do you mean you --
REED
Sue...look at your hands.
She raises her hands, but we don't see them. We only see a
medical waistband...floating. Her watch...floating. Her
clothes appear to be suspended in mid-air.
Sue is invisible. She shrieks and gets up -- knocking a
GLASS off the table...
SLOW MOTION: The glass flies off the table, tumbling... Reed
instinctively reaches for the bottle: his arm stretches two
feet out of his sleeve -- grabs it just before it hits --
Then snaps back into place. Reed stares at his arm in
disbelief. Sue's eyes widen as well. The rest of Sue
reappears. They look at each other: mutual alarm.
JOHNNY (O.S.)
You guys will not believe what just
happened!
They look up to see JOHNNY in the doorway, NAKED except for
the nurse's PINK PARKA wrapped around his midsection.
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - VICTOR'S OFFICE - EARLY EVENING
CLUNK. The candles burn low on the table. Victor strides
out, heading for the door. He runs his hand through his hair
to comb some strays. A CLUMP comes off in his fingers. He
PAUSES. He steps to a mirror, stares at his hair. His SCAR.
It is longer than the bandage now (as if it SPREAD). Victor
peels back the bandage, and sees the scar is bluish-gray.
Deep, unhealthy, maybe infected...
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - HALLWAY - EARLY EVENING
DOUBLE DOORS burst open. Reed, Sue, and Johnny urgently
walk.
SUE
It has to be the cloud. It's
fundamentally altered our DNA.
REED
Let's not jump to conclusions, we need
a massive amount of evidence before
making that leap.
Reed glances over his shoulder. He stares. Sue follows his
gaze to see: Johnny's FINGERTIPS are on fire. He SNAPS his
fingers. They GO OUT. He's totally unharmed.
JOHNNY
Now what is up with that?
REED
(deadpan)
The cloud has fundamentally altered
our DNA.
JOHNNY
Cool. What'd it do to you guys?
SUE
Apparently I can disappear.
JOHNNY
Please tell me you go silent too.
Only one thing on Reed's mind --
REED
We have to find Ben.
EXT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - OUTSIDE BEN'S ROOM - EARLY EVENING
Johnny snaps his fingers -- which generate small explosive
bursts of flame. He turns it on and off, like the "CLAPPER."
JOHNNY
Flame on, flame off. Flame on, flame
off --
SUE
Johnny.
He does it again. Flame on, flame off.
SUE (CONT'D)
Stop it.
JOHNNY
Okay, "mom."
Reed's about to knock on Ben's door when he hears the
banging, moaning and pleading inside. Johnny smiles.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
Oh, you dawg you. Better not be my
nurse!
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - BEN'S ROOM - EARLY EVENING
REED (O.S.)
Ben, are you there?
A creepy rippling movement begins beneath the sheet and
gradually intensifies, reflected in the fabric's surface: the
contours of Ben's body are changing, inflating, growing rough
and craggy. SOUND of grinding heavy rocks.
SUE (O.S.)
Open up Ben, we need to talk.
It all stops. A beat, then all four legs of the bed give way
and it crashes to the floor. Under the covers, he groans in
pain, and his voice is DEEPER, GRAVELY, but definitely CLEAR:
BEN
LEAVE ME ALONE!!!
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - OUTSIDE BEN'S ROOM - EARLY EVENING
Reed decides they can't wait any longer. He kneels to the
floor. He concentrates, not sure if it will work...
Suddenly, his arm STRETCHES, THIN ENOUGH TO CREEP UNDER THE
DOORJAMB.
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - BEN'S ROOM - EARLY EVENING
Reed's arm wriggles under the door. It bends upward, swiping
clumsily, until it finally grabs the knob. Rubbery fingers
find the latch and unlock the door.
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - OUTSIDE BEN'S ROOM - EARLY EVENING
Reed focuses, and pulls. His arm snakes out from under the
door and snaps back into place. His flesh and bones
reforming before their eyes. Johnny stares at Reed.
JOHNNY
Ewwwwwwww. That is disgusting.
They hear a tremendous SMASH from inside the room.
INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - BEN'S ROOM - EARLY EVENING
They open the door. The room is trashed. Every stick of
furniture smashed to splinters.
REED
...Ben?
Their eyes adjust; there's a huge hole where the window used
to be. They rush to it. Looking out they see SOMETHING
LARGE in the distance, running away.
JOHNNY
What is that thing?
SUE
I think that thing is Ben.
Reed looks out, emotions roiling. Is that his best
friend...? Suddenly, Victor comes around the corner (bandage
bigger).
VICTOR
What's going on?
SUE
Victor, are you feeling alright?
He considers, but never shows weakness. He nods.
VICTOR
Just a little banged up. A couple
scrapes. Why?
REED
Ben did this.
VICTOR
Ben did this?
REED
He's had some kind of...reaction to
exposure from the cloud. And he's not
the only one.
SUE
We need to find him.
Victor redirects his attention to Sue.
SUE (CONT'D)
Victor, I'm sorry I --
VICTOR
(cold)
Just find him.
Victor strides off, leaving the others.
JOHNNY
Anybody know where the big guy's
going?
We PUSH IN on a picture of Debbie lying on the floor, Reed
knows exactly where Ben is going.
REED
He's going home.
EXT. TRAIN YARD - NIGHT
A view from Brooklyn: Manhattan glistens in the distance.
CAMERA MOVES down to A TRAIN YARD, where we find empty cargo
trains. We PUSH IN on the main track, where...
A CARGO TRAIN has just stopped. We hear a cargo DOOR slide
open, then WHUMP! Big FEET hit the ground. Someone, or
someTHING barrels into the night.
EXT. BIG & TALL SHOP - NIGHT
A locked storefront on Flatbush Ave. SOUND of breaking
glass.
INT. BIG & TALL SHOP - NIGHT
SERIES OF SHOTS: Ben tries on clothes, shoes. Jackets rip,
shoes split. He needs an extra extra extra large.
EXT. PAY PHONE - NIGHT
A HUGE FIGURE is huddled in shadow. It's Ben.
CLOSE ON: The dial pad. Big fingers try to push keys but
they're too large. Ben tries for a few seconds, getting more
and more frustrated. He manages to press "0" with his pinky.
BEN
Hello, Operator?
Ben looks up the street, into the 2nd story window of a
modest, working-class home. His eyes go soft when he sees
Debbie grab the phone.
BEN (CONT'D)
Deb... It's me. I need you to step
out front.
DEBBIE
Out front? You home, baby? I got
a surprise for you.
He blinks hard. Sad, dark.
BEN
I got a surprise for you too.
EXT. BROOKLYN HOUSE - NIGHT
Debbie steps out. There is "WELCOME HOME" sign over the
door. She looks out. The wind blows softly. Something
shifts in the darkness. Debbie pulls her robe tighter.
DEBBIE
Ben?
BEN (O.S.)
Don't come any closer for a sec. This
is gonna be kind of a shock... You
remember when we said "together
forever no matter what"?
DEBBIE
Baby, you're scaring me.
A hanging beat. And Ben...steps into the light, where we SEE
HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME: he's HUGE, easily twice the size he
once was, and AN ORANGY ROCKY SURFACE COVERS HIS ENTIRE BODY.
Debbie sees him. Fear washes over her, not sure what to
think. He reaches out, a little tentative. She flinches
back.
DEBBIE
Oh my G-g-g. What did you...do to
Ben?
BEN
Deb, it's me. It's still me.
He reaches out. She recoils. It's too much for her. Tears
swell in her eyes. Covering her mouth, she backs away.
He takes a step closer. She backs away faster, tripping over
her robe, falling into the street. A car screeches to a
halt. Ben instinctively steps out to help, but she scurries
back.
DEBBIE
Don't...don't...DON'T TOUCH ME!
Her shout wakes NEIGHBORS. Lights flicker on. Ben knows he
has to go. He looks at Debbie, sensing this is the last time
he'll see her. She trembles, terrified. His eyes go moist.
BEN
I love you, Deb.
With that, he turns away. The "WELCOME HOME" sign flutters,
falls to the ground. A tragic tableau. As more lights go on
around him, Ben picks up his pace, speeding into the dawn.
INT. VICTOR'S COMPOUND OFFICE - DAY
Victor packs a monogrammed Armani briefcase: "VDM" emblazoned
on a gold plate. Leonard waits not-so-patiently.
VICTOR
Make sure you find Ben, bring him back
here. And keep it quiet. I don't
need this to hit the press.
LEONARD
Yes sir. You've got the Mayor at
eight, then a nine-thirty interview
with the Journal --
VICTOR
Front page?
LEONARD
Top left, like you asked.
(a smile)
Today Wall Street. Tomorrow, who
knows...maybe Washington.
Victor turns to Leonard, disappointed with him.
VICTOR
Leonard. Think bigger.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
We swoop toward this epic monument. On a steel girder above
the road, we see...a STATUE. BEN. He sits on the edge of
the beams, staring down at the river below, brooding,
muttering.
BEN
A few days in space, it'll be great,
what's the worst that could happen?
A PIGEON flutters past him, and drops a white gooey gift on
his shoulder. Ben just glares up at the heavens.
BEN (CONT'D)
Perfect. Thanks.
He hears the sound of someone SOBBING. He turns to see...a
distraught BUSINESSMAN with a briefcase. The man drops his
case, which PLUMMETS hundreds-of-feet into the RIVER.
The Businessman looks out, ready to jump. He doesn't see Ben
(or doesn't realize Ben is not a statue).
BEN (CONT'D)
You think you got trouble? Take a
good look, pal, how bad could it be?
The Businessman looks at Ben, terrified. Ben steps forward.
BEN (CONT'D)
Okay, easy there, buddy.
Backpedaling, the man SLIPS, FALLING toward the ROADWAY! His
arms flail, grabbing a narrow beam -- his fingers hold tight
while his legs thrash over speeding traffic. Cars and trucks
SKIM right underfoot. Ben shakes his head.
BEN (CONT'D)
You had to choose my spot, didn't you?
Ben steps out to help, but...his WEIGHT BENDS the beam! The
Businessman LOSES HIS GRIP! He FALLS TO THE ROAD, landing
hard on the highway! A few PEDESTRIANS see Ben. They point.
Ben looks up, deer in headlights. He sees a massive TRUCK
bearing down on the Businessman.
BEN (CONT'D)
This is really not my day.
Ben DROPS to the street. WHOOMPF! He lands in front of the
Businessman, SWEEPS him out of the way with one arm, and
turns to the oncoming 18 WHEELER CAB.
The DRIVER slams his brakes, eyes wide. The truck SWERVES,
but cannot stop! Time slows to syrup, as Ben looks a little
scared. He shuts his eyes, and...
SHOULDER-BLOCKS the INCOMING TRUCK! A football move. The
truck BUCKLES, POPPING a WHEELIE, CRUMPLING all the way to
the windshield! It looks like a metal car-compactor.
The truck SWERVES hard, its tail SMASHING into steel girders.
CARS SCREECH, SWERVE, SLAMMING INTO EACH OTHER, CAUSING A
FOUR-LANE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT! Windows shatter, fires flicker.
One of the cars in an NYPD CRUISER. COPS clamber out.
EXT. CAB ON HIGHWAY - DAY
Reed, Johnny, and Sue sit in the back. They see the action
on the bridge. Reed and Sue lock eyes, sensing the worst.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
Ben stands in the middle of the chaos, staring at the
destruction. He sees the tow-truck DRIVER bleeding, trapped
in his cab. Ben moves to this burning hunk of steel.
He SWIPES through the shattered window, and PUNCHES the
airbag, POPPING it like a kid's balloon. He tries to grab
the seat-belt, but his fingers are TOO BIG. He struggles.
BEN
A little help here?! You wanna hit
that button, sir?
The driver is too woozy. Ben can't get to the button.
Frustrated, he simply TEARS OFF THE DOOR, and RIPS THE
DRIVER'S SEAT right out of the cab! COPS round the corner.
They see Ben holding onto the Driver. They raise their guns.
COP
FREEZE! PUT THE MAN AND THE SEAT
DOWN!
Ben looks at the cops. PEDESTRIANS stare, point. He
realizes how this must look -- a monster holding a bloody man
in hand.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - APPROACH - DAY
At the back of the traffic jam, cars SCREECH to stops. The
whole bridge is FULL of bumper-to-bumper traffic. We PUSH
TOWARD one car: three doors pop open, and out come...
REED, JOHNNY, SUE. They look through smoke and mayhem to
see...their first full look at Ben. Reed stands gutpunched.
JOHNNY
Not even Ben deserves that.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
Ben puts the seat down, with the Driver on it. He lunges
behind a truck. The cops try to follow, but FLAMES push them
back. Ben lurches away, head down, self-conscious.
He tries to hide from ONLOOKERS around him and PEDESTRIANS on
walkways overhead. He wants to escape, but hears SCREAMING
MOTORISTS. He grits his teeth, and moves to help them.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - GRIDLOCK - DAY
Reed, Sue, and Johnny race toward the flames. All other
people head in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION. BRIDGE POLICE herd
the crowd away from the accident.
BRIDGE COP
Back! We're evac-ing the bridge.
Reed, Sue, and Johnny slow down, swap glances.
SUE
What now? Reed...? What do we do?
MOVE IN ON REED. A first test of leadership. But he is not
a leader. Not yet. Sue gets closer to him.
SUE (CONT'D)
Ben's out there. Let's go get him.
BRIDGE COP
Maybe you didn't hear me. Those cars
are gonna blow sky high, any second.
REED
Look, we've got a friend out there in
trouble. We need to get to him before --
BRIDGE COP #2
Nobody gets past this point.
A hard beat. Reed signals Sue with a look, a nod.
SUE
What?
REED
(mutters)
We need to get past them.
He motions to her body. She understands. She concentrates,
and starts to turn invisible.
BRIDGE COP #1
What the hell is this? A magic show?
But her clothes don't go invisible. Beat. Reed mutters:
REED
Sue. Your clothes. Lose them.
SUE
What...?
(realizes)
Oh.
She unbuttons her blouse. Not thrilled with the idea. She
wriggles out of her pants. Down to her skivvies. She
reaches back to undo her bra...momentarily loses
concentration and becomes visible. The sight of Sue in her
undies grabs the COPS' attention. Everyone watches, stunned.
The realization that she's visible hits her like a ton of
bricks. Cops are transfixed. So is Reed.
JOHNNY
This is wrong in so many ways.
REED
You've been working out.
SUE
Shut up.
Sue takes a deep breath. Closes her eyes. Focuses. Nothing
happens. She's embarrassed and furious.
SUE (CONT'D)
Any more ideas, Reed? Maybe you
should strip down next, see how it
feels to have fifty people staring --
...and she DISAPPEARS. Entirely. Undies float. Jaws drop.
REED
Uh, Sue?
She stops ranting. Realizes she's gone invisible.
SUE (INVISIBLE)
Oh. Well then...
The undies drop. The cops stare open-mouthed. They turn to
look at Reed, astonished. He sheepishly shrugs his
shoulders.
JOHNNY
I'm gonna need serious therapy.
A beat. She walks away. The cops watch her, gaping. By the
time they turn back around, Reed and Johnny are gone,
disappearing into the clouds of smoke.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
A news CHOPPER flies around the bridge, fighting for the best
angle on the action.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - ACCIDENT - DAY
Reed races through wreckage. He tries to see over a big
TRUCK, and his neck STREEETCHES!
He finally sees...BEN. Reed wraps around a car, and...BOO!
His face snakes right in front of Ben. Ben jumps.
BEN
What the --!
REED
Ben. Are you okay?
BEN
Am I okay?! You wanna explain that?!
He motions to Reed's neck. Then to his own body:
BEN (CONT'D)
Or this?! What the hell am I? 'Cause
I sure ain't Ben anymore.
Reed opens his mouth, but he has no answer. Not yet.
SUE (O.S.)
REED! BEN! LOOK OUT!
Ben spins, looking for Sue. He can't see her. But he does
see...A CAR INCHES AWAY, WITH GAS TANK FLAMING!
BOOOOM! The first car BLOWS! BOOOM!BOOOOM!BOOOOOM! Empty
cars BLOW in a chain-reaction. The flames are mushrooming!
Reed SWIPES his ARMS OUT, holding people back. His arms
FLATTEN to form a barricade -- FACES INDENT his skin.
FLAMES lash out. A pack of attractive YOUNG WOMEN scream.
Johnny LEAPS toward them. His feet LEAVE THE GROUND, giving
him extra lift. He SPINS, lands, and embraces the women,
SHIELDING them from flames which burn up his back. He looks
the ladies up and down, and gives a cheesy smile.
Sue SCREAMS. She puts her hands up (a normal reflex). The
air seems to RIPPLE around her hands, like FORCE-FIELDS.
She looks at them, surprised, confused. Her invisible fields
SPIRAL OUT, partially CONTAINING the blast. But the flames
hurtle closer. She fights the pressure. Blood trickles from
her nose. Just as the white hot blast is about to hit her...
Sue is dressed again. Visible. She SCREAMS, and PUSHES THE
FORCE DOWN INTO THE ROAD! She collapses, as the blast
deflects off the street and into...
An oncoming FIRETRUCK! BOOOOM! The firetruck is KNOCKED OFF
THE GROUND, SLEWING SIDEWAYS. Brakes scream. Its tail
slashes out, PUNCHING through the guard-rail.
THE BACK OF THE TRUCK DANGLES OUT, HUNDREDS OF FEET ABOVE THE
WATER! FIREMEN hang off the back and sides. The truck
TEETERS, falling! Ben wastes no time. He GRABS onto the
front of the truck, just as it goes off the side!
He DIGS his heels into the ground, but his feet DRAG across
the concrete, digging grooves into the street.
ON THE DANGLING FIRETRUCK: FIREMEN climb out, clawing toward
the bridge. Their truck SWINGS. Bits and pieces tumble down
at them -- a hose, an axe, a helmet. All deadly now. The
HANGING LADDER swoops down, with men RIDING ON IT!
Ben SCREAMS! STRAINING with all his might. Ben SCREAMS!
His muscles ripple, and...he takes his first step...back.
Another scream. Another step. Another. Another. Epic,
painful.
He is pulling the truck back onto the bridge, inch by inch.
His footsteps THUD. With monumental effort, he levels the
truck. Firemen scurry over hoses and ladders, some climbing
over Ben.
Reed tends to Sue who has fainted from her effort. Ben steps
back from the truck and slumps to the street exhausted. Wary
cops close in to cover him with weapons, but...
The FIREMEN slowly begin to APPLAUD. The crowd of onlookers
joins in as well. Sue, Reed, and Johnny seem surprised,
touched by the reaction. But Ben seems uncomfortable.
Firemen step forward to offer Reed a couple of their coats;
he hands one to Johnny and uses the other to cover Sue.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
Ben sees a familiar face in the masses: DEBBIE. Ben steps
toward her, but she stops him with a look. She places
something on the ground and runs off into the crowd.
Ben sees something GLISTENING on the ground. He stoops over
to pick up...her ENGAGEMENT RING. His big fingers can't grip
it. He tries in vain. Hopeless, pathetic. A beat. And...
A hand grabs the ring. It's Reed. Quiet, close.
REED
I swear to you, I will do everything
in my power until there is not a
breath left in me: you are going to be
Ben again.
Off the wounded look in Ben's eyes, wanting to believe him...
INT. VICTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
Victor sits with remote in hand, staring at his plasma TV.
ON THE TV: he sees a crowd of firemen applauding the new
Fantastic Four. For the first time they strike a heroic
pose. Leonard enters, with a phone in his hand.
LEONARD
Uh, sir...Larry King called, to
cancel.
(seeing the TV, a beat)
Apparently, there's a bigger story.
Victor sees Reed put his arms around Sue as he covers her
with the jacket. And the penny drops: he's FURIOUS. As it
hits him, he feels something odd. He looks down at his
hand...at glints of gleaming METAL poking through flesh.
EXT./INT. EMERGENCY HOLDING AREA - DAY
An impromptu command center -- a series of police tents,
surrounded by EMERGENCY VEHICLES, NEWS VANS, FIRETRUCKS.
INT. EMERGENCY HOLDING AREA - TENT - DAY
Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny sit together, getting changed.
They get ready to go, but the CHIEF FIREMAN enters, stopping
them.
CHIEF FIREMAN
There's some folks outside, want to
talk to you.
REED
We're not going public with this.
We're scientists, not celebrities.
CHIEF FIREMAN
Too late, son.
He turns on a little TV MONITOR in the corner. NEWS FOOTAGE
plays on all stations, with the tagline: FANTASTIC FOUR.
CHIEF FIREMAN (CONT'D)
That's what they're calling you. The
Fantastic Four.
JOHNNY
Nice.
Johnny heads for the exit.
SUE
Johnny, slow down. Let's think this
through, a second.
Johnny pauses. Rubs his chin once. And...
JOHNNY
Okay. Done thinking.
He runs out. Sue, Ben, and Reed swap glances, knowing Johnny
cannot be their spokesman. They take off after him, out to --
EXT. EMERGENCY HOLDING AREA - PRESS FIELD - DAY
CLICKCLICKCLICK! Fifty cameras flash. The field is full of
press. Our heroes freeze, shocked by the crowd.
Johnny eats up the attention. Ben turns, self-conscious.
Reed notices. The Chief Fireman turns to them.
CHIEF FIREMAN
So which one of you's the leader?
Johnny does not hesitate.
JOHNNY
That'd be me.
CHIEF FIREMAN
No seriously.
A beat. Sue and Ben turn to Reed. The Chief hands him a
mic.
CHIEF FIREMAN (CONT'D)
You're on, son. They all want a
statement.
All eyes go on Reed. He looks out, gulps hard. A long beat.
REED
Uh, during our recent mission to the
Von Doom space station, we were
exposed to as yet-unidentified
radioactive energy, most likely some
kind of nucleotide compoun--
Nobody came for a science class. A crush of questions
overwhelms Reed:
VARIOUS REPORTERS
What happened on the bridge? Does it
hurt to stretch? Were you really on
fire? Is it true that one of you can
fly?
JOHNNY
Working on it. And it's a lot harder --
SUE
We don't know much more than you do,
at this point. Which is why we will
be going directly to the lab, where we
can diagnose our symptoms and --
REPORTER #2
Symptoms? So it's like a disease?
Reed looks at Ben's face, feeling the guilt. Ben is lost in
thought, looking at Deb's ENGAGEMENT RING. Johnny leaps in.
JOHNNY
Symptoms? Please. If having powers
is a disease, then yeah we got it.
And we are gonna blow your minds.
There's a new day dawning. The day of
the Fantastic Four.
REPORTER #3
That thing doesn't look too fantastic.
The Reporter nods toward Ben. Ben's fists tighten, the sound
of rocks crushing together. Reed feels the pain.
REED
Ben Grimm is a genuine American hero
who's been through a terrible orde--
JOHNNY
What he's trying to say is: every team
needs a mascot...
Reporters laugh. Ben turns his head away. Reed burns.
REED
Look, we went up to space to find a
way to understand DNA, to cure
disease, save lives. Well, now it's
our DNA, our disease, our lives on the
line...
(a beat)
Thank you. No more questions.
Reed, Sue, and Ben get up to go. The press waits a beat,
then surges. Ben spins, holding up one finger. A giant.
BEN
Be nice.
The press step back, intimidated. Flashbulbs POP, and Ben's
FACE FREEZES. It goes BLACK-AND-WHITE on a NEW YORK POST in --
EXT. BANK - DAY
Establishing shot of a historic New York building.
INT. BANK - CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS
BANKERS sit around a table. LAPTOPS hum. The lead banker is
power-broker NED CECIL. The men keep their eyes on Victor.
NED CECIL
Well, Victor, the bank would like to
congratulate you. On the fastest
freefall since the Depression. We
can't even give your stock away.
VICTOR
Ned, you know I can turn this around.
Ned motions to the paper, the picture of BEN.
NED CECIL
You promised a cure-all, and came back
with this. Who the hell's going to
invest in a biotech company that turns
its workers into circus freaks?
Victor's grip tightens around the table, and...the LAPTOPS
FLICKER, losing feeds.
Victor looks down at his hands -- a private beat (did I do
that?) He lets go of the table; screens go back to normal.
VICTOR
(pointed)
I really appreciate all your support.
NED CECIL
You've got a week, Victor. One week
to turn this around. Or we pull
out...
(a beat)
This meeting is over.
Victor looks at him, blood boiling, and we CUT HARD TO --
INT. BANK - HALLWAY - DAY
Victor and Leonard stride out. Victor is writhing.
VICTOR
Goddamn book-keeper doesn't know
preferred stock from livestock.
Leonard is thinking all business.
LEONARD
Sir. Reed's comments at that press
conference killed us. How are we
going to turn this around?
Victor considers. His mind races, eyes narrow.
VICTOR
Very simple. I cure them. If I can
cure these freaks, then I can cure
anyone. What better way to restore my
reputation?
Leonard nods, impressed. Victor is a man in motion. As they
step into sunlight, we cut to...CLICKCLICKCLICK in --
EXT. BAXTER BUILDING - DAY
REPORTERS snap pictures. A POLICE CONVOY drives up, stopping
in front of a towering HIGH-RISE. Sue, Reed, and Johnny and
get out of a police-car. Ben steps out of a BIG PADDY-WAGON,
which immediately bounces back up to the normal axle
position.
COPS hold back the surging press. Ben keeps his head down,
self-conscious. He passes Johnny, smiling for the cameras.
JOHNNY
Smile, Ben. They want to like you.
Give 'em your good side. Or your less
bad side.
Ben turns to a group of LITTLE KIDS. Stiff, tentative:
BEN
Uh...don't do drugs.
The kids FLINCH. Ben trudges on. Johnny smiles bright,
doing hand-signs for F4. Sue pulls him toward --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - LOBBY - DAY
The Fantastic Four enter. They are greeted by JIMMY
O'HOOLIHAN, an old-time doorman with a kind smile.
O'HOOLIHAN
Welcome back to the Baxter, Dr.
Richards. All that for you?
He motions to the flashing cameras outside.
REED
I'm afraid so...
He searches for the name. Sue steps up.
SUE
Jimmy. Good to see you again.
He smiles at Sue, then at Reed.
O'HOOLIHAN
Good to see you too... Don't worry,
sir. I know how crowded that head of
yours is.
REED
Any visitors while I was away?
O'HOOLIHAN
Just the usual. Told 'em you were
circling round outer space.
He opens a drawer full of LETTERS from the BANK. Reed looks
sheepish. He shuts the drawer, looks to Johnny and Sue.
REED
We had a tough year.
BEN
Yeah, nine years straight.
Reed looks at Ben. Thanks a lot. DING. Elevator doors
open.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - ELEVATOR - DAY
They enter. Reed hits the top button, for the 20TH FLOOR.
JOHNNY
Twenty? From outside the place looks
a lot taller.
REED
Oh, it is.
The doors close, but...the ELEVATOR does not move. A beat.
JOHNNY
Either we're moving really fast...or
not at all.
A digital readout on the panel: EXCEED MAXIMUM WEIGHT. A
sign reads: MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 2000 pounds. They turn to Ben.
BEN
I'll take the stairs.
Doors open. He lumbers out. As the doors close behind him,
he looks back over his shoulder, locking eyes with Reed.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - ELEVATOR - DAY
The elevator rises. Reed roils with guilt.
SUE
How come Ben can't turn it on and off
like us?
REED
That's what we're here to find out.
SUE
If it happened to him, then it
could...
Happen to all of them. Reed nods softly.
JOHNNY
Wait. You mean there's chance we
could be full-on-24-7-fantastic?
SUE
Grow up, Johnny. You want to run
around on fire for the rest of your
life?
JOHNNY
Is that a trick question? C'mon, I
can't be the only one who thinks
this is cool.
Reed considers. But Sue cuts him short with a look.
DING! The elevator stops.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - ATRIUM - MOMENTS LATER
The elevator opens. They step out. They might be on the
20th floor, but Reed owns the building from here to floor
sixty. It's a massive atrium, lit by skylights far above --
Reed leads them into another area filled with separate
"apartments" and all the amenities of home.
REED
We should stay here until we can
define the extent of our changes...
JOHNNY
This place is deluxe. You got cable?
REED
(hearing Ben's FOOTSTEPS)
...and figure out how to reverse them.
Let me show you to your rooms.
EXT. BAXTER BUILDING - DAY
The press has died down, but there are still plenty of
cameras. A MAYBACH SEDAN rolls up. Victor emerges, wearing
sunglasses. This time, the press pay no attention to him.
No cameras flash. Victor tightens, and enters the building.
INT. SUE'S ROOM - DAY
Sue walks out of the bathroom in a robe, drying her hair.
She notices a familiar book on a shelf: a SCRAPBOOK.
She flips through it. It's filled with pictures of Reed and
his inventions -- a lot less fancy than Victor's multimedia
globe. She stops at a picture of her and Reed in COLLEGE.
A noise, and she turns, flinching slightly, surprised to
see...VICTOR. He smiles, standing at the door, watching her.
VICTOR
God, I've been so worried about you.
She notices the scar on his head.
SUE
Victor, your scar --
VICTOR
I told you, I'm fine. It's you I'm
worried about.
SUE
I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to --
VICTOR
Please, no apologies. I've arranged
for your things to be moved to one of
my condos. You'll have round-the
clock care.
He goes for her bag. But she stops him. A half beat.
SUE
Thank you, that's generous, but I
think I should stay here. With my
brother. Until we get a handle on
this.
Victor is not used to being rebuffed. He gives a thin smile.
VICTOR
Sue. I think you should let my
doctors have a look at you.
A tense beat. Standoff. Made more tense by --
REED (O.S.)
Victor! What are you doing here?
They turn to see Reed approaching, with files in hand.
VICTOR
I'm starting to wonder the same
thing... How much do you know about
what happened to you?
REED
Not much. We need to run tests to see
the extent of the damage.
Victor pauses. He looks at Sue, knowing she's here to stay.
VICTOR
Well, let me know if there is anything
I can do. We're all in this together
now.
Victor shakes Reed's hand. His GRIP is so tight that Reed's
fingers STRETCH. Victor lets go, and turns to Sue, who puts
her hand out. He smiles, and shakes. He heads off.
Reed looks at his hand. Shakes his wrist. He looks at
Victor.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - HALL - DAY
Victor moves fast, holds tight to his anger. Reed catches
up.
REED
Victor wait... I just wanted to say,
I'm sorry the mission didn't go as
planned --
Victor suddenly WHEELS on Reed. Lights flicker.
VICTOR
Didn't go as planned? It was a
catastrophe. You ruined the lives of
four people --
REED
I ruined? With all due respect, I
told you to abort --
VICTOR
Abort? Reed, I put my company, my
name, billions of dollars on the line,
and I will not let you make me look
like a fool --
REED
Victor, if we could understand what
happened to us --
VICTOR
I don't want to understand it. This
isn't one of your science projects. I
just want to fix it. Fast!
Reed sees Victor's SCAR maybe growing. Lights dim.
VOICE (O.S.)
There a problem, Vic?
They turn to see...BEN down the hall, leaning in a doorway.
Victor tightens, looking at Ben's massive rock-hewn body.
VICTOR
No problem, Ben.
He turns back to Reed. Close, quiet. Lights flicker.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Just pay your goddamn electric bill,
and get to work on a cure.
Victor steps away, toward the elevator. He passes Ben, who
just smiles and waves "goodbye." Before Victor's finger taps
the down-button, the button lights up (as if the circuit
responded to him). Reed exhales, shaken. Victor steps into --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - ELEVATOR - DAY
The doors close, and Victor really LETS LOOSE. He SLAMS his
fist into a STEEL WALL. The wall BUCKLES, steel DENTING.
Victor shakes out his hand, and sees...a rippling METALLIC
SHELL under the skin. He stares at it in horror. The dark
surface pulsates with electric energy. What is he
becoming...?
INT. BAXTER BUILDING LABS - DAY
Sue works the controls. Reed approaches Ben with an
ELECTRODE NEEDLE. He tries to stick the needle into Ben, but
it SNAPS.
BEN
You got a chisel round here?
REED
If we're going to identify the source
of the mutation, we need to isolate
your recombinant DNA so we can
activate positional genomes.
Ben looks to Sue for translation.
SUE
We need to give you a physical, so we
know what got zapped.
BEN
Well why didn't you say so? You want
me to lift some weights or something?
Reed shakes his head. He approaches with an X-RAY MACHINE.
REED
No, just sit back. We have a good
sense of your strength from the
firetruck. We need to find the source
of your strength.
He turns on the X-ray machine. The graph shows SOLID ROCK.
The rays don't penetrate. Sue and Reed look confused.
BEN
How bad is it? You know I used to
smoke.
Reed grabs a BLOOD PRESSURE MACHINE, but the strap is way too
short to wrap around Ben's arm. Reed stands stumped. He
looks at his tray full of instruments. He picks up the
little rubber REFLEX-HAMMER. But it looks miniscule compared
to Ben.
Reed has an idea. He opens a drawer full of HARDWARE TOOLS.
He pulls of a real HAMMER. He approaches Ben.
REED
Okay, this might smart a little.
He taps Ben's knee lightly, and BEN'S LEG KICKS! SLAMMING
UP! RIGHT BETWEEN REED'S LEGS! The ultimate kick in the
crotch. Reed STRETCHES UP a few feet, then SNAPS BACK,
wincing.
REED (CONT'D)
(high-pitched voice)
We'll...continue this later.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING LABS - DAY
From their second level control room, Reed and Sue observe
Johnny in an enclosed fire-proof chamber. Flames escape
through the vents of the chamber...he's fully torched!
Reed watches the read-out: it climbs from 2000 to 4000
degrees Kelvin. They are essentially taking his temperature.
INSIDE THE CHAMBER: Johnny turns white hot, blinding to look
at: the chamber walls begin to glow red. Machines go
haywire.
His feet even start to LIFT OFF THE GROUND, LEVITATING a foot
or two. He looks down, excited, burning hotter and hotter.
REED
Back it down, Johnny!
JOHNNY
I can go hotter!
He won't stop. Reed pulls a switch on the wall. FOAM sprays
out of nozzles, dousing Johnny's flames. He stands there,
covered in thick FOAM. His body steams. So does his temper.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
You're really cramping my style here.
SUE
You were at 4000 Kelvin. Any hotter,
you're approaching supernova --
JOHNNY
Sweet.
SUE
That's the temperature of the sun.
REED
Not only could you kill yourself, but
you could set fire to Earth's
atmosphere and destroy all human life
as we know it.
JOHNNY
Gotcha. Okay. Supernova bad.
Reed looks at the control panels.
SUE
He cooked the equipment.
Frustrated, Reed looks at the smoking system. And we CUT TO --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - LAB - DAY
Reed and Ben sit in chairs, facing each other. A beat
passes. Ben taps his fingers on the chair, making small
DENTS. Reed looks down at his clipboard. A little awkward.
REED
Okay. I've uh, got some questions,
from Sue. That she thought might be
better coming from me... Can you, you
know, go to the bathroom...like
normal...
BEN
Yeah.
(a beat)
You don't wanna know the details.
REED
Ben, I'm afraid I've got to ask --
BEN
Not unless you want that clipboard
stretched up your --
REED
O-kay. We'll skip that question.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - LAB - DAY
Reed and Johnny now. Johnny exercises. Reed stands nearby.
Clipboard in hand.
REED
Is there something about flames?
About flaming, that you --
JOHNNY
What are you trying to say? Just
because I dress well and like to dance --
REED
(confused)
What? No. I'm trying to figure out
why we each ended up with different
symptoms.
JOHNNY
Oh, well that's easy: I'm hot.
You're...well, you're a little limp.
Sue's easy to see through. And Ben's
always been a hardass.
(a beat)
Why aren't you writing this down?
Reed sighs. It's going to be a long process.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING LAB - DAY
Reed and Sue, tables turned: Reed observes her through a
prismatic device measuring light refraction. He "sees" her
through the device: lit up like some heavenly creature. He's
having a hard time concentrating. He focuses on his work.
REED
It's not "invisibility" per se.
You're bending the light around you
with some kind of malleable force
field. That's what you projected on
the Bridge.
SUE
What about you? You haven't eaten in
days. How come you're never on this
side of the microscope?
He tightens, uncomfortable with being center of attention.
She reaches for his arm, like a specimen. He pulls away, but
she sees a glimpse of BRUISES on his ARMS. She slows down.
SUE (CONT'D)
Bruises...from the bridge?
He nods, rolls down his sleeves.
REED
Have you had any side-effects, from
your powers?
She considers. A little vulnerable.
SUE
I've had some headaches. Migraines.
A beat. Reed drops his eyes, makes a note, back to work.
REED
You should be able to bend light
around other objects, even people, if
you could control your emotional state
better --
SUE
Excuse me?
She is annoyed. Reed is oblivious.
REED
I'm saying, if you had a little more
self control, you could locate the
trigger. Can you remember the exact
emotions when --
SUE
Anger. Rage. Frustration.
REED
Okay. Is there any way to duplicate
that feeling? Some memory or...
SUE
(staring right at him)
I'm sure I can come up with something.
She looks at Reed, eyes narrow. She becomes invisible. As
she focuses on Reed -- and gets angry -- a small, clear FORCE
FIELD forms around her body. The force-field BENDS LIGHT
around a MICROSCOPE, which goes INVISIBLE. Reed steps out to
ask...
REED
How's that coming -- whoa --
The FORCE-FIELD shoots in all directions, knocking everything
over in a fifteen foot radius. Reed is thrown from his
chair.
SUE
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to
do that... You must think that was
some kind of latent hostility or --
REED
What in the world would give me that
idea?
An awkward beat.
REED (CONT'D)
I mean, you broke up with me, right?
SUE
Are you kidding?
REED
No, I distinctly remember: you walked
out my door. Ergo...
She didn't want to get into this. She looks down,
vulnerable.
SUE
Reed. I was ready for the next step,
you weren't, ergo, I walked.
REED
I think it was a little more
complicated than --
SUE
I just wanted to share an apartment.
What was so complicated about that?
The question stumps him. A beat. He struggles.
REED
There were a lot of variables to
consider --
SUE
No. There weren't. There was you.
And me. No variables, no math. It
was actually the simplest thing in the
world. But your head got in the way...
like it always does.
Her words penetrate. He knows she's right. He looks away.
REED
Sue...I just...I thought...
He struggles for the words.
SUE
Same old Reed. Too much thinking...
He opens his mouth, but...WHAM! Doors open. Johnny enters,
wearing a CHARRED SHIRT. He points to the burned scraps of
his shirt.
JOHNNY
Okay guys, we have a serious problem.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING LABS - DAY
ANGLES of Reed in the lab, grabbing their space uniforms from
various closets/containers:
REED (V.O.)
Our uniforms were exposed to the storm
like us. So they can transform like
us, becoming invisible, changing size
on demand or remaining impervious to
flame.
REVEAL: Reed, Sue, and Johnny step out to look at themselves
in a mirror wearing the uniforms. No boots, no gloves. Not
yet. (The uniforms will develop, like our heroes).
BEN
You look like an eighties rock band.
SUE
(to Ben)
The suit will stretch. You should try
it --
BEN
I wouldn't be caught dead in that.
JOHNNY
He's right. These costumes are...
missing something. I can't put my
finger on it --
REED
They're not costumes.
SUE
We're not taking them out. Johnny, we
need to stay here till we've stabilized.
Johnny shakes his head, frustrated.
JOHNNY
I'm getting sick of being trapped
here. NASA wasn't even this strict!
He marches out. Sue turns to Reed, who says nothing. Sue
heads out, leaving Ben and Reed. A beat. Ben looks at Reed.
BEN
(looking at uniform)
Maybe it's missing a utility belt.
Off Reed's dark look, we hear:
VICTOR (V.O.)
So what's the prognosis?
INT. VON DOOM INDUSTRIES - VICTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
CLOSE ON: an X-RAY. Victor's ARM. The metallic
transformation is higher now. PULL BACK TO REVEAL: Victor
and his DOCTOR. In the wall behind them: ancient armor
(maybe we noticed it before, maybe not). It adds a little
menace to the room.
DOCTOR
Your tissue, your organs, your entire
biophysical structure is changing.
Every system is still functioning,
somehow --
VICTOR
And they're changing into...
DOCTOR
I don't really know. A compound
organic-metallic alloy. Stronger than
titanium or carbon steel. Harder than
diamonds --
VICTOR
Like the shields Reed said would
protect us.
(cold fury, deadly focus)
How long?
DOCTOR
At this rate, the infection should be
complete in two, maybe three weeks --
VICTOR
What do you mean "complete"?
DOCTOR
I wish I could tell you. I can't
pretend to know what we're dealing
with here. I'll notify the CDC and --
Victor hardens, razor sharp.
VICTOR
What?
DOCTOR
The Center for Disease Control. If
this thing is contagious --
WHHM! Victor GRABS the Doctor by the throat.
VICTOR
Look at me. I have a life. I'm the
face of a billion-dollar-company... We
need to keep this confidential,
understand?
Victor's grip TIGHTENS around the man's throat.
DOCTOR
But...this disease...is progressive...
degenerative...
VICTOR
That's terrible news...
With one cobra-swift move, Victor thrusts his metallic arm
into the doctor, killing him instantly. Victor retracts his
arm, and looks at it, shocked by his own strength.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
...but I think I'll get a second
opinion.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - REED'S OFFICE - NIGHT
A SERIES OF TIME-LAPSE SHOTS: REED works around the Baxter
Building, spending hours searching for the cure. He checks
charts, writes equations, paces, frustrated.
Finally, he sits at his long desk, looking at a wall where
Ben's CHARTS are projected (both Ben and Thing's anatomies).
Reed wears the uniform under his labcoat. He checks his
equations over and over, making notes upon notes.
REED
Nothing...nothing...nothing...
He hits the end of the slides. The wall fills with white
light. Frustrated, Reed SLAMS his head into his desk, CRASH!
Something FALLS off the end of the desk.
Reed raises his head, revealing his flattened face. He steps
over to see...a PLANT SAMPLE from space, glass box shattered.
Red sparks swirl around the plant, like the cosmic storm --
REED (CONT'D)
Of course...of course...the cloud...
THE COSMIC STORM swirls, terrifying. We slowly PULL BACK TO --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - MAIN LAB - NIGHT
The STORM is a computer-image on screen now. Behind the
screen are six chalkboards full of Reed's calculations and
the scribbled beginnings of a MACHINE.
We PULL BACK to see his arm stretched across the room writing
on the end of another chalkboard.
He's moving fast, excited, almost a little manic. He
hears...a CREAK. He slows down, but doesn't look up to see
SUE enter.
SUE
What are you doing?
REED
(fast, charged)
The plants, from space. Their
particles are still charged. With the
right amount of energy, those ions
could create the elemental profile of
the cosmic storm.
He rifles through a desk drawer, then heads out. Sue stands
there, looking at the storm. Concerned. Then we CUT TO --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Sue follows Reed. He flips through a file, excited.
REED
If we can build a machine to re-create
the storm, we can reverse the polarity --
SUE
(realizing)
And reverse the mutations --
REED
(talking more to himself)
Curing countless diseases, not just
ours.
She looks at him.
SUE
But we're the focus, right Reed?
Reed...?
REED
Of course. Of course.
SUE
And you sure you can control this
thing? Last time didn't work out so
well.
REED
(preoccupied, mind
spinning)
With the right energy, we can
stabilize the storm. Maybe tie into
the city grid...
He keeps his head down, making notes, entering --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - STOREROOM - NIGHT
Reed and Sue enter. Reed is looking for something. Sue
slows down, staring at this sprawling space, jam-packed with
GEAR, GADGETS, BLUEPRINTS, INVENTIONS. Awe-inspiring,
overflowing.
SUE
You really need to get a janitor.
She stares at shelves upon shelves of overcrowded clutter.
SUE (CONT'D)
This must be what it looks like inside
your head.
Reed finds his electron microscope. He turns to Sue,
defensive:
REED
There's a system to it.
She starts to pull out a MODEL of the FANTASTICAR.
REED (CONT'D)
Wait! Sue, don't touch tha--
The little car sets the whole shelf off balance. A WAVE OF
INVENTIONS COME CLATTERING DOWN! Reed moves fast:
He LUNGES toward Sue, STREETCHING his ARMS AROUND the SHELF,
pushing Sue away, just as the INVENTIONS SMASH TO THE GROUND!
Reed and Sue hit the floor. A close call. Now more
closeness: Sue and Reed lay face-to-face, with Reed's wrapped
around her. A heated beat. Their first real intimate
moment.
SUE
Sorry. My fault. I won't...touch
anything.
As if suddenly made aware of their vulnerability, Sue and
Reed stand, backing off. As they part, we see:
BEN watching from the doorway. Melancholy. He disappears.
We slowly MOVE TO...A SURVEILLANCE CAMERA in a VENT GRATE.
INT. VICTOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Victor watches a bank of videoscreens. He has the Baxter
Building under surveillance. He sees Reed and Sue on
monitors. He toys with Sue's diamond ring in his gloved
hand.
A door opens. Leonard enters. He sees the screens.
LEONARD
Is Reed any closer to a cure?
Victor looks at that image of Reed and Sue on the screen.
VICTOR
The only thing he's closer to is
Sue...
But Victor sees something between Reed and Sue on the wall.
He leans closer, and the camera ZOOMS IN, as if responding to
his will. He ZOOMS all the way to a CLOSE UP of:
REED'S BLUEPRINTS FOR THE TRANSFORMATION CHAMBER. Victor's
eyes narrow, mind ticking, a plan forming.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Make me a reservation for two at
Cipriani tonight.
Victor opens a drawer, pulls out an old VIDEOTAPE.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
And get this over to Ben Grimm.
Victor leans forward, fixated on that machine. As he gets
closer, his screens go STATICKY. He absentmindedly picks at
his SCAR. In shadows, we see skin peeling off.
WOMAN'S VOICE (V.O.)
Close your eyes, baby. Keep 'em
closed.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - MEDIA ROOM - NIGHT
BEN GRIMM stands front and center. Not the Thing. But BEN
GRIMM. A normal man. He smiles wide, shaking his head.
WOMAN'S VOICE (V.O.)
You surprised?
Now we PULL BACK to reveal DEBBIE and BEN on a SCREEN. The
Thing watches the old videotape. He smiles sadly at his old
life. He mouths the words -- he knows this tape by heart.
BEN (ON SCREEN)
Yeah I'm surprised. Surprised the
fire department didn't shut this down.
ON SCREEN: the handheld camera whips around, revealing...a
SURPRISE PARTY. Full of people. Ben Grimm is a popular guy.
On screen: Reed hugs Ben. They pose for pictures together.
THE THING
God. I was good looking.
We hear the party sing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY." Debbie kisses Ben.
Thing's eyes start to mist. On screen: Ben blows out
candles.
DEBBIE (ON SCREEN)
What did you wish for, honey?
BEN (ON SCREEN)
I already got it. Everything I want.
As they kiss, a tear runs down Thing's cheek. The tape ends,
and he sits in darkness for a beat. A long, lonely beat.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - HALLS - NIGHT
Ben stalks the halls, slipping into his ragged trenchcoat.
As he passes a crossroads, he sees a strange sight:
REED'S HAND is TIED to a latch in the wall. His ARM is
STREEETCHED THIN, spanning around the corner. Ben just
shakes his head, keeps moving. And we FOLLOW REED'S ARM...
UP THE HALL...ROUND A CORNER...DOWN ANOTHER HALL. The
muscles and tissue STRETCH, going taut. Finally, we reach...
REED. He steps slowly. He holds a digital TAPE-MEASURE in
his other hand, measuring distance. His skin STREEETCHES.
His face tightens, pained. We hear the faint SQUEAK of his
skin.
VOICE (O.S.)
Damn, Stretch!
Reed turns his head around, seeing JOHNNY come down the hall.
JOHNNY
How far's that rubber bend?
Reed keeps moving, slowly. His muscles and tendons laboring.
REED
That's what I'm trying to calculate.
And it's not rubber. It's muscle,
tendon. I seem to have the ability to
manipulate the malleability of my
molecular structure and redistribute
my density to --
JOHNNY
Right, whatever, have fun.
And Johnny is GONE, ducking under Reed's arm into --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Johnny opens a cupboard, pulls out some JIFFY POP. It starts
to POP in his hand, the bag swelling. He casually turns on a
TV, flipping to...the X- GAMES. The Jiffy Pop swells, ready
to blow. He rips it open, eats popcorn, and watches the
games:
Cool stunts, hot girls. Johnny's brow furrows, a thought
forming, a mischievous smile on his lips.
EXT. BAXTER BUILDING - SIDE EXIT - NIGHT
A FIGURE exits, wearing that ragged trenchcoat and fedora.
Ben disappears into the dark night, and we CUT TO --
EXT. BROOKLYN STREET - NIGHT
Dark. Lights flicker. Steam rises through the grates. A
shadow emerges. Ben. He heads toward O'DONNEL'S PUB, a
classic Brooklyn tavern. Neon sign. Music, life inside.
Ben pulls his hat low, turns up his collar, and squeezes
through the door into --
INT. O'DONNEL'S PUB - NIGHT
A big photo of Ben Grimm in his astronaut heyday occupies a
place over the bar. Ben enters, and the bar goes SILENT. He
moves through the crowd. People clear out of the way.
Ben reaches the bar. He sits on a stool, and CRUNCH! SMASH!
The stool SNAPS like a toothpick. He hits the ground hard.
Glasses shake. A few PATRONS smile, laugh softly.
BEN
That's not funny!
They go silent. They drop bills onto tables, filing out,
scared of this monster. ERNIE works the bar.
ERNIE
Hey, that's Ben Grimm there, the first
mook from Brooklyn to go to outer
space, so pay him some respect!
But the patrons keep filing out. Ben looks down, weary.
BEN
Ernie. Sorry for killing your
business. I'll take the usual, then
I'm out... Better make it a double.
Ernie heads for the booze. Ben gives a sad shake of his
head. Then he notices...one lone patron at the end of the
bar. A beautiful young woman nursing a drink. Meet ALICIA
MASTERS.
ALICIA
Who killed the party?
She turns to him, unafraid. He notices her blank stare, lack
of focus, and white cane. Alicia is blind.
ERNIE (O.S.)
Make it a triple. On the house,
Benny.
Ben takes his drink, but SMASH! His grip shatters the glass,
spilling all over himself. He smiles ruefully.
BEN
If there's a God, she hates me.
He grabs a bar-rag to dry off.
ALICIA
I don't think She's real big on hate.
BEN
You wouldn't say that, if you could
see me.
She knocks back her drink, grabs her cane, steps toward Ben.
ALICIA
Can I...? See you...?
Ben doesn't say anything. A little unnerved by this woman.
ALICIA (CONT'D)
It's okay, I won't bite...
(feeling his arm)
...not that I could.
She puts a hand on his face -- something in her tone and
gentle touch allows Ben to let her. She smiles softly.
ALICIA (CONT'D)
Such a sad face... You know, sometimes
being different isn't a bad thing.
BEN
Trust me, this ain't one of those
times.
She smiles softly, takes her cane, and starts to head out.
ALICIA
See you round, Benny...
Right as she hits the door, over her shoulder --
ALICIA (CONT'D)
I'm Alicia, by the way.
Ben watches her disappear. He sees a few people staring. He
lowers his head, turns back to the bar, and finds a new
drink, in a steel MARTINI SHAKER. He knocks it back.
EXT./INT. UPSCALE RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Lights twinkle. A MAITRE D' leads us through fancy digs.
Heads turn, whispers flutter. SUE steps out, joining...
Victor at a prime table. He pulls out her chair, wearing
gloves.
VICTOR
Thank you for coming out to see me.
She nods, a little self-conscious.
SUE
You said it was urgent.
VICTOR
It is. There's something we need to
talk about. Something I need to ask
you...
Sue senses where this is going, and she cuts it short.
SUE
(slow, careful)
Victor, wait, slow down a second. I
want you to know I appreciate
everything you've done for me, but I
just don't --
VICTOR
Susan. What are you doing?
He is cold as ice. If he's hurt, he'll never show it.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
You think I brought you here to talk
about us? Please. This is business.
(leaning forward, intense)
I need to know: how close is Reed
to finding to a cure?
She pauses. Then:
SUE
He's working round the clock. But the
data needs to be tested, analyzed
before --
VICTOR
Same old Reed. All analysis, no
action. Wasn't that the problem with
you two?
She holds tight, keeping cool.
SUE
If these molecules aren't stable, they
could make us worse, maybe even kill
us.
VICTOR
Then why is Reed dragging his feet?
Maybe he likes having his prize
specimen under glass...
(closer, cruel)
It's ironic, isn't it? You're finally
the perfect woman for him...because
you're his science project.
The words sting. She can't help but hear some truth in them.
SUE
Please don't make this personal --
VICTOR
Oh, I think you already have.
SUE
Victor, we can't do anything until the
research is ready.
Victor's fist CLENCHES -- metal SFX.
VICTOR
"We," huh?
Victor SCREECHES his chair back, PUSHING the table so hard
that he SPILLS water. Heads turn, all eyes on Sue. Victor
gets close to her, too close, a hand on her shoulder.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Don't forget who you work for, Susan.
So get to work. And do your job.
He walks out. As he goes, he slips the engagement ring out
of his pocket. He crushes the diamond to dust, leaves the
dust in an ashtray, and disappears into the night.
Sue sits embarrassed. She slowly...disappears. People gasp.
She walks out, invisible, save for her clothes, which DRIFT
through the air. At a TABLE FULL OF BUSINESSMEN --
BUSINESSMAN
I wish my wife would disappear.
The other men laugh, but WHHM! The man's wine SPILLS into
his LAP! Sue walks out. The restaurant is left buzzing.
Lights twinkle. And we FADE OUT. A beat. Then we CRASH
INTO --
EXT. NYC ARENA - ESPN MOTO X GAMES - DAY
The X games in full effect: A maze of mountainous dirt hills
and ramps...where MOTO-BIKES launch into the air to the
delight of 20,000 fans. The Riders spin and flip, performing
aerial acrobatics on their 250CC motor bikes.
X GAMES ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
And now, ladies and gentlemen, we have
a special guest for you... Johnny
Storm of the Fantastic Four!
JOHNNY emerges, wearing his blue uniform, waving to the
crowd. He steps up to the pit where RIDERS prep. He
beelines to RONNIE RENNER.
JOHNNY
Hey, Ronnie Renner! I'm a big fan.
Ronnie gives a tight nod. He doesn't like being upstaged by
this circus freak.
The other bikers approach.
KENNY BARTRAM
Heard you like to ride. Wanna take
her for a spin?
He motions to his BIKE. Johnny eyes this mean machine.
RONNIE RENNER
Come on, bro. I'll teach you some
tricks...if you can keep up.
We PUSH IN on Johnny, his ego getting stoked, as we CUT TO --
INT. NYC ARENA - TRACK - DAY
Ronnie jams down the track, kicking dirt back at Johnny.
Johnny now wears a MOTOCROSS OUTFIT over his uniform, with
the number "004" on the back and a small 4 over his heart.
Ronnie hits the first hill, and CATCHES AIR, FLIPPING HIGH!
X GAMES ANNOUNCER
A rock-solid double-flip!
The CROWD goes wild. Now it's Johnny's turn. He hits the
hill and pulls the exact same move. With even more height!
X GAMES ANNOUNCER (CONT'D)
Look at that lift, ladies and
gentlemen!
Johnny sticks the landing. The crowd swells. Ronnie
tightens, pulls his throttle harder, taking the next jump,
and...MAKING AN INSANE MOVE, CORKSCREWING IN THE AIR!
X GAMES ANNOUNCER (CONT'D)
Frontside 360! He's totally flat and
whipped!
He lands clean. The crowd is ready to explode. Johnny REVS
his engine, his body starting to STEAM, adrenaline burning.
He hits the hill, and pulls an even gnarlier SPIN!
X GAMES ANNOUNCER (CONT'D)
Whoa! That's a...what is that? A
720?
Johnny lands. The crowd roars. Ronnie bears down on the
last hill. He leans over his handlebars.
X GAMES ANNOUNCER (CONT'D)
He's going for a Kiss of Death!
Ronnie hits the hill, pulls this JAW-DROPPING DEATH-DEFYING
STUNT! The crowd is deafening! Ronnie smiles. And...
JOHNNY SPEEDS FASTER, FASTER. Trails of FLAME start to
streak off his back! He RACES LIKE A ROCKET UP THE HILL!
LAUNCHING TO IMPOSSIBLE HEIGHTS! SPINNING LIKE A TOP! A
FLAMING BLUR!
And now for the really impressive part: Johnny's bike starts
to drop, but JOHNNY KEEPS RISING! He FLAMES ON, spiraling
upward! For a few seconds, he's actually...almost...flying.
X GAMES ANNOUNCER (CONT'D)
(hand over mic)
Is he......flying?
A beat. Time suspended. And...WHHM! He PLUMMETS back down!
LANDS on his bike in mid-air! And sticks a perfect landing,
maybe even kicking a little dirt up at Ronnie. Johnny
swerves to a stop, with a "holy shit" look on his face. What
the hell just happened??
X GAMES ANNOUNCER (CONT'D)
Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen!
You've just seen the first...the
first...TORCHFLIGHT! The McTORCH!
A new name is born. The crowd goes berserk. Standing
ovation. Riders rush up to Johnny. Kenny sees his bike:
THE SEAT MELTED, WHEELS BURNED OFF. Johnny smiles.
JOHNNY
My bad. Sorry about that.
(a glance to Ronnie)
Thanks for the lesson, bro.
HOT GIRLS swarm. As Johnny gets swallowed by fans, we see a
scary thing flicker in his eyes: the birth of a star.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - KITCHEN - MORNING
Sue stands alone, sifting through piles of mail. She focuses
on one piece of mail that she's holding. Her hand begins to
disappear and then the envelope slowly begins to disappear as
well. Sue smiles at the success. Intrigued. Quiet:
SUE
That's new...
Reed enters -- overworked, unshaved. He keeps his head down,
preoccupied. Sue shifts focus.
SUE (CONT'D)
Have you read these...? From all
over. People want us to fight crimes...
save their kids...solve their problems...
(no response from Reed)
...when we can't even solve our
own.
She puts the letters down, steps closer to Reed.
SUE (CONT'D)
Reed. How close are we to a cure?
REED
No way to know. Without more
tests, experiments.
She considers. Victor's words echo in her head.
SUE
We're not specimens, we're patients.
This isn't just another science
project to you, is it...?
Reed looks up, a little surprised. He opens his mouth, but --
BEN (O.S.)
NO...NO...NO FREAKIN' WAY!!
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - MEDIA ROOM - DAY
CRASH! BANG! Ben stalks around the room, furious. Reed and
Sue rush in.
REED
BEN! What? What's going on!?
Ben points to the wall-sized TV: the ESPN MOTO X GAMES.
X GAMES REPORTER (ON TV)
So what can you tell us about the
outfit?
REVEAL: JOHNNY standing next to an X GAMES REPORTER. He is
peeling off the burned remains of his motocross outfit,
revealing his FF UNIFORM, with a "4" STITCHED ONTO THE CHEST.
Behind them, STEP UP RIDERS launch their MOTO-BIKES off huge
18' high mountains of dirt, thirty feet in the air.
JOHNNY (ON TV)
Not too much, but I will say that it's
all weather and no leather. Kind of
Armani meets Astronaut.
Ben, Sue, and Reed stare at the wall-sized TV. Mouths agape.
SUE
He didn't.
BEN
Oh, he did.
SUE
What did he do to the uniform?!
She turns to Reed, who gives a sheepish shrug, and peels back
his labcoat revealing a "4" stitched onto his chest too.
REED
He talked me into it.
X-GAMES REPORTER (ON TV)
So what are your superhero names?
JOHNNY (ON TV)
I go by the Human Torch. The ladies
call me Torch.
X-GAMES REPORTER (ON TV)
What about the rest of the team?
Johnny hadn't really thought about them. He spitballs:
JOHNNY (ON TV)
Uh, we call my sister the invisible
girl...the Invisible Girl.
SUE
Girl...?!
X-GAMES REPORTER (ON TV)
That's easy to remember. And Reed
Richards? He's the leader. So
what's he? Mr. Fantastic?
JOHNNY
Well, I wouldn't say he's the leader.
Reed shrugs. He doesn't hate the name.
BEN
Could be worse.
Case in point: a photo of Ben fills the TV.
X-GAMES REPORTER (ON TV)
What about this one? What do you call
this Thing?
Johnny smiles, looking right into camera.
JOHNNY
That's it. Just The Thing. We would
have gone with The Rock, but it was
taken. And "Thing" pretty much sums
it up.
A LAUGH from the studio audience.
BEN
(matter-of-fact)
Okay. I'm gonna go kill him now.
He turns to go. Reed wraps an arm around Ben.
REED
Ben! Slow down a second and --
He sees a photo of himself on screen.
X-GAMES REPORTER (ON TV)
Is it true what they say? That he can
expand any part of his anatomy?
JOHNNY (ON TV)
Actually, between us, I think he's got
some problems staying rigid.
REED
(finishing his thought to Ben)
...wait for me...
X-GAMES REPORTER (ON TV)
Which may explain why this woman's
not smiling.
They put up a shot of Susan.
SUE
I'm driving.
JOHNNY (ON TV)
Dude. That's my sister.
EXT. NYC ARENA - DAY
The Thing rounds the corner. Sees a crowd of girls lined up
near a red PORSCHE parked out front...with "TORCHED" on the
plates. Ben slows down, smiles.
EXT. NYC ARENA - A LITTLE LATER
Johnny and the Hot Babe exit, signing autographs for girls in
the line. Sue and Reed approach, glare like angry parents.
Johnny finds the Valet, who looks ill...his car is gone.
JOHNNY
(looking around)
Where's my ride?
The Valet blows his whistle...and a 4 X 4 solid cube of RED
JUNK METAL slides down the street and stops at the curb in
front of Johnny. The Valet timidly holds out the keys...
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
What the?! Is that my --
Before he can finish, Johnny gets PELTED IN THE HEAD with the
license plate. It rattles to the ground, face up.
Johnny rubs the sting out of his head. Looks up and sees Ben
in the distance, dusting off his hands.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
(shouting: to Ben)
You're gonna pay for that, Pebbles.
(seeing Sue)
What?!
SUE
You gave us names? What are you, the
"face" of the Fantastic Four now?
Ben marches up. Hands balled into fists.
BEN
It's about to be a broken face.
REED
This isn't permanent, Johnny. We need
to be careful until we're normal
again.
JOHNNY
What if some of us don't want to be
"normal" again? We didn't all turn
into monsters like --
Ben reels back a FIST the size of an anvil. Stops himself.
Instead of attacking, he starts to walk off.
Johnny hurls a FIREBALL that SMACKS Ben in the back of the
head. Ben stops. Turns around more shocked than hurt.
BEN
Did you just --
Ben gets hit with ANOTHER FIREBALL. This time in the face.
BEN (CONT'D)
Okay, that's it, tinkerbell! You want
to fly? Fly.
Ben charges like a bull, fist cocked back, and...Reed steps
in the way! Too late! WHAMM! Ben's fist PUNCHES INTO
REED'S CHEST, which INDENTS. Reed's BACK EXPANDS with Ben's
fist, PUNCHING into Johnny, launching Johnny off his feet.
BAM! Johnny SLAMS into a moving ADVERTISING TRUCK, with a
BURGER KING flame-broiled WHOPPER on the side. WHOOSH! He
leaves a flaming imprint on the all-beef patty.
The crowd stands stunned. So do Reed and Sue. Cameras pop.
Johnny slowly pulls himself up. The paint on the truck
begins to bubble around his hand. Beaten, bruised, he
stands. Heating up. Both his hands are now flaming fists of
fury.
JOHNNY
Let's see if we can get blood from a
stone.
He and Ben lock eyes, with a block of sidewalk between them.
High Noon. They start to RUN toward each other...
When they are almost within range, Sue STEPS BETWEEN THEM,
stops them both in their tracks with just a look. Like a
mom:
SUE
You two need a time-out.
JOHNNY
Blockhead started it!
Ben just stalks off. The crowd clears, scared. A PAPARAZZI
snaps a picture. Ben GRABS his camera, and flicks the lens.
EXT. STREETS - DAY
Sue looks at Johnny, more disappointed than angry.
SUE
Damn it, Johnny.
She goes after Ben, leaving Reed and Johnny on the sidewalk.
REED
You need to control yourself and think
before you --
JOHNNY
Act. Here we go again. Reed, what if
we got these gifts for a reason? What
if we have some, you know...like,
calling?
REED
A higher calling like getting girls
and making money?
Johnny nods, totally missing the sarcasm.
JOHNNY
Is there any higher?
Reed looks at him, disgusted. Johnny waves to the crowd,
hand flaming. People SHRIEK, snap pictures. Johnny smiles at
Reed.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
This is who we are Reed. Accept it.
Or better yet: enjoy it.
Johnny steps into the sea of fans. Reed stands alone.
EXT. STREET/ALLEY - DAY
Sue wades through the throng of New Yorkers. Tries to catch
up with Ben...whose presence parts the crowd like Moses.
SUE
Ben! Slow down...
Ben glances sideways at her, doesn't stop. She catches up.
SUE (CONT'D)
He didn't mean it. You know Johnny.
He's always been a hothead --
BEN
It's not him. It's them.
(pointing to crowd)
I can't live like this.
SUE
Just give Reed a little more time.
You know how he works -- analyzing
every little step before he takes
one --
BEN
It's easy for you to be patient.
SUE
No, it's not. I thought I was done
waiting for Reed... We're all in this
together now, Ben.
He slows down, gets closer, intense.
BEN
Together? Look at me, Susie. You got
no idea what I'd give...to be
invisible. Your nightmare...is my
dream.
She opens her mouth, but has no response. She doesn't know
his depth of pain. As he disappears into the alley, we CUT
TO --
INT. INVESTMENT BANK - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
The news plays on the TV. Head Banker Ned Cecil freezes the
screen on an image of...THE THING. He turns to Victor, who
sits with the rest of the bankers. Cold, sterile
environment.
NED CECIL
This is how you "turn things around"?
These freaks are on the front page and
your company's in the obituaries.
Victor has a larger bandage on his face now.
VICTOR
I have a plan to use their publicity
for --
NED CECIL
Victor, stop. The bank's lost enough
already. This isn't a negotiation.
It's a notification. We're pulling
out.
A cold, silent beat. Victor leans forward.
VICTOR
You need to look long-term here.
Without risk, there's no --
NED CECIL
Reward. We all know the sales
pitch, Vic. And frankly, we're
done buying... Gentlemen.
He motions to his men. They all stand. Victor is the lone
man sitting. PUSH IN on Victor's face, his inner rage
palpable. A few quick surges of electricity emanate from his
body. This man is getting stronger, more electric.
INT. BANK - UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE - DAY
After hours. The floor is slick with water -- puddles in
every direction. Ned Cecil comes out of the elevator,
heading for his car. As he goes, the structure lights start
to flicker. Ned looks up, watches the lights go out one by
one, furthest to closest. He looks around. Unnerved by the
darkness.
NED CECIL
Hello...?
A hanging beat. Victor steps out from shadows.
NED CECIL (CONT'D)
(relieved, almost)
Von Doom? Gave me a little shock. No
hard feelings, right? Nothing
personal.
Victor says nothing. Ned keeps going.
NED CECIL (CONT'D)
You know, you could always move back
to Latvura, start fresh.
He mispronounces Latveria, dripping condescension.
NED CECIL (CONT'D)
Maybe that's where you belong, back in
the "old country."
That does it. A surge of electricity courses through Victor.
His eyes narrow, and the electricity crackles down his leg to
THE GROUND. The electric spark hits the water and...
ELECTRIC CURRENTS RACE ACROSS THE GROUND, SLITHERING
LIGHTNING-FAST ACROSS THE WATER (like deadly electric
snakes), heading straight for Ned. His eyes go wide. And...
NED IS ELECTROCUTED! His body spasms. THUD! He slumps,
dead. Smoke rises from his body. Victor stands, power
swelling.
For the first time, his SCAR SPLITS OPEN, revealing a METAL
GLOW beneath the skin. He remains scary calm.
VICTOR
It's pronounced Latveria.
(looking down at the dead body)
This meeting's over, Ned.
Victor walks away, the final lights going to DARKNESS.
INT. VICTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
Victor enters, still adrenalized. He turns to the light
switch, and the lights come on. He approaches his screens,
and the monitors flicker to life. His powers are growing.
One MONITOR rolls the news. IMAGES of the FANTASTIC FOUR.
Victor leans closer, and the VOLUME automatically goes up.
NEWSCASTER (ON TV)
...the Fantastic Four put on quite a
show last night. They landed in every
major headline in the northern
hemisphere. In related news...
An IMAGE of VICTOR on screen.
NEWSCASTER (ON TV) (CONT'D)
Reports have surfaced that Von Doom
Industries may be filing for
bankruptcy. You may remember that it
was Victor Von Doom who...
Victor turns away from the screen. The volume goes down. He
focuses his eyes on REED.
Leonard enters, stepping closer, seeing the faint flicker of
VICTOR'S METALLIC SCAR. His eyes narrow, concerned.
LEONARD
Sir, is everything okay? What
happened to your...?
Victor keeps his eyes on the screen, totally engrossed.
VICTOR
(under breath, seething)
Reed... He got what he wanted...
(looking at Sue)
Everything he wanted...he took from me.
He leans ever closer, so the static starts to swallow Reed.
A hard, deadly beat. Victor's eyes narrow, zooming
into...REED'S RESEARCH: SLIDES on the wall. He zooms into
key words:
DANGER, UNSTABLE IONS, MUTATION, OVERLOAD. And Victor gives
a slow, thin smile. A new plan forming.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Now I'm going to take it back. Piece
by bloody piece...
His fist clenches. We hear METALLIC SFX.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - TRANSFORMATION LAB - DAY
Reed enters the room carrying a stack of boxes that no normal
man could balance. But he is not normal. His arms are
wrapped around the boxes five times over -- like human twine.
He stops short, and drops the boxes when he sees...
VICTOR overseeing a group of TECHNICIANS. They are boxing up
Reed's work -- all of his equipment, research. Victor wears
a bandage, covering his scar. Reed eyes a glint of METAL.
REED
Victor, are you...are you okay?
Victor turns away.
VICTOR
Don't worry about me. Worry about
yourself.
Reed looks around, seeing his lab turned inside out.
REED
What are you doing here?
VICTOR
What I should have done a long time
ago. Applications and patents, Reed.
This all belongs to me.
Reed reaches out, grabbing a folder from a box.
REED
But I'm not done with the machine --
VICTOR
Which is precisely the point.
Analysis is over. It's time for
action. My men could have mass-
produced this by now.
Reed shakes his head, defending himself.
REED
Mass-produced? This isn't a
toaster. You have no idea how it
works.
Victor pulls the folder from Reed's hand, and whips out the
intricate DIAGRAM of the MACHINE. He points to parts:
VICTOR
Re-create the storm, invert the
polarity here, reverse the mutation
there. Don't talk to me like I'm some
schoolboy. I've got the same Phd you
do.
Reed is a little surprised that Victor is so familiar with
his machine. He points to a SECURE CHAMBER on the blueprint.
REED
The storm needs to be handled exactly
right, or it could make our mutations
worse, much worse, maybe even kill
us...
Victor slows. Is Reed getting to him? Or giving him ideas?
REED (CONT'D)
Victor, please. We need time to
verify the data... We can't afford any
mistakes -- there's only enough ions
for two or three attempts.
Victor considers. He seems to enjoy watching Reed dangle.
VICTOR
Reed. I'm not asking permission.
(a final verdict)
We'll build it, while you check the
specs.
Victor walks out. Reed looks unsure, as we CUT TO --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING TRANSFORMATION LAB - DAY
The SHIELDS slowly rise. FIVE TECHNICIANS go to work. They
wear the VDI jackets. Reed watches, worried.
Sue enters. She sees the shields, the technicians, the VDI
logo. And she is deeply worried. She steps over to Reed.
Sparks fly behind them. Drills scream.
SUE
Can I talk to you?
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - REED'S OFFICE - DAY
Sue steps into the office, followed by Reed. Quiet, urgent:
SUE
Don't let Victor push you into making
a mistake --
REED
He was going to take away all my data,
equipment --
SUE
Better than your life. Victor's not
the one who has to get into that
thing. We are.
Reed starts to snap, losing his studied cool.
REED
Which is why I'm working twenty hours
a day, checking every variable --
SUE
Every variable but yourself. You
don't eat, sleep. You can't live in
your head like --
REED
(finally losing it)
I'm not the only one in there. I got
you, Vic, Ben, Johnny, all rattling
around in there.
Sue stands there, shocked by his outburst. A beat.
SUE
So clear it out. Get out of your
head. Get out of here...
He looks at her, knowing what she means. Where she means.
EXT. BROOKLYN STREETS - DAY
Ben nearly knocks people over as he stomps down the street,
mind tossing and turning. People stare, point. A LITTLE
GIRL and FRIEND run up to him.
LITTLE GIRL
Mister, Mister! Please help me! My
kitty is stuck in a tree.
She gestures to a tree next to Ben. Looks up.
LITTLE GIRL (CONT'D)
Please save Miss Lucy.
Ben rolls his eyes. Looks up. Considers climbing the tree,
but thinks better of it. He has another idea...
Ben grabs the tree with one hand, and starts shaking the crap
out of it. MEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWRRRRRRR!!!!
The cat falls into frame. At the last instant, Ben sticks
out his hand and the cat lands safely in his palm. He hands
the cat to the girl. Barely acknowledges her profuse thanks.
He just moves on.
EXT. ANOTHER BROOKLYN STREET - NIGHT
Ben passes a window in a gallery, and almost misses A LARGE
SCULPTURE of his bust.
He stops, steps back to take a look. It's exquisitely
rendered, capturing not just brute physicality, but the
haunting anguish in his eyes. Ben is amazed, and touched,
but...
BEN
(under breath)
Eyebrows are a little big...
A beat. He stares at these images of himself.
VOICE (O.S.)
I figured the only way to get you here
was to stick that in the window.
He turns to see...ALICIA in the doorway.
BEN
How'd you know it was me?
ALICIA
I'm blind, not deaf. Wanna come in?
He steps toward her. But he sees...a PARTY in the back part
of the gallery. Ben pauses, a little insecure.
BEN
I'm not really dressed for a party.
ALICIA
Relax, it's casual.
BEN
No, I mean...I'm a little...dusty...
She smiles, a thought forming, as we CUT TO --
INT. GALLERY - STUDIO - NIGHT
WHOOSH! A SCULPTOR'S HOSE sprays a thin stream of water at
BEN. Alicia cleans Ben with her hands, using thin CARVING
CHISELS for his cracks. Intricate, intimate work.
Ben enjoys every moment. He eyes a couple, large PUPPETS in
the corner.
BEN
Those yours too?
ALICIA
My step-dad's. I'm strictly into
stone. I was wondering when you'd
walk by.
THE THING
You know, you could'a run an ad in the
personals.
ALICIA
"Sensual blind chick seeks three-ton,
rock-hard he-man for deep spiritual
relationship."
THE THING
This ain't permanent. My friend
Reed's working on a cure...I think.
She gets closer, running her hands across his arm.
ALICIA
Bennie. You feel pretty good as is.
Ben bristles. He doesn't want to stay this way.
THE THING
You don't know what it's like out
there. Walking around like some kind
of circus freak. People staring,
whispering --
ALICIA
I wouldn't know anything about that.
THE THING
I mean...
ALICIA
Tell me. When you grew up in
Brooklyn, how many astronauts did you
know?
(a beat)
You went your own way then. You
didn't listen to people. So why start
now...?
As he ponders that, we hear a CROWD SWELLING on the CUT TO --
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Fans swarm JOHNNY. He signs autographs, poses for pictures.
Then his eyes move to...an incredibly long stretch LIMO. A
tinted window rolls down. Victor's face emerges.
VICTOR
Need a ride, Johnny?
EXT./INT. LIMO - NIGHT
Johnny climbs in, sees...three impossibly gorgeous MODELS.
VICTOR
A few fans. Hope you don't mind.
JOHNNY
Gotta take care of the fans, right?
He smiles, sitting down in the middle of them.
VICTOR
Look, I built my business knowing what
people want. And right now, the
people want you.
Johnny eyes the models, all lusting.
JOHNNY
And we don't want to let the people
down now, do we?
VICTOR
No we don't. Which is why we need
to strike while the iron's hot.
I'm talking action figures,
videogames, sponsors --
JOHNNY
Videogames? You serious?
Victor nods, knowing he has Johnny on the hook.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
You talk to Reed and Sue about this?
VICTOR
Johnny. Let's be honest here. Ben,
Reed, Sue. Good people, all. But
stars?
(shaking his head, a beat)
I don't want to break up the band, but
you're the one they want. Don't you
think it's time to go solo...?
Victor subtly nods to the models. They envelop Johnny.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Take the car for a spin. Think about
it. Is this the life you want? Or
would you rather live in Reed's
lab...?
The car stops. Victor gets out. He stands on the pavement.
As he shuts the door, we see the women climbing onto Johnny.
The door shuts, and...
WHHHMMMPF! The windows all suddenly STEAM UP!
INT. HAYDEN PLANETARIUM - NIGHT
STARS on the ceiling. A VOICE drones about the galaxy. In
the LAST ROW, we find: Reed and Sue. Reed is thinking about
work.
REED
I could get Ben to tap into the
Baxter's main power to generate enough
voltage --
SUE
Reed. Shh. Just be quiet. And look
up.
He slowly looks up. The stars seem to calm him.
SUE (CONT'D)
Remember our first date here...? God,
I was so nervous.
REED
You were?
SUE
Of course I was. I'd read all your
papers on bioethics. Some of them two
times just so I'd have something to
say to you.
Reed smiles softly, thinking back.
REED
You know, I bribed the projectionist
ten bucks to keep it open late?
SUE
I gave him twenty.
They laugh. Sue looks up to the stars. Quiet:
SUE (CONT'D)
I didn't want that night to end.
Reed looks at her. Wrestles with a decision. Then quietly:
REED
Sue, you were right. It wasn't
complicated. I just wasn't ready to
be...to become...
(a beat)
You can be a little intimidating.
She knows. He trails off. Sue looks at him.
REED (CONT'D)
You always talked about how you liked
the kind of man who could approach
you...speak his mind. One who wasn't
afraid to tell you what he wanted.
SUE
I did. I did, Reed...but I wanted
you to be that man.
Someone SHUSHES them. They slump down further. Closer.
SUE (CONT'D)
When I walked out, I waited ten
minutes outside your door. Ten.
Waiting for you to come find me.
REED
Why didn't you say something?
SUE
That would have kinda defeated the
purpose. And Reed...
(closer, emotional)
I'm saying it now.
Their eyes lock. A heated beat. No more secrets. Their
faces are close. A kiss is coming. Closer, closer. Sue
disappears.
SUE (CONT'D)
(quiet, playful)
Come find me.
Reed tentatively leans into the kiss, and...
SUE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
That's my nose, genius... These are my
lips.
Reed's face is SQUEEZED on both sides by Sue's invisible
hands. She pulls him into a KISS. Lips touch. Soft,
tender. Stars twinkle. And we slowly DISSOLVE TO --
EXT. KIRBY GALLERY - NIGHT
Ben and Alicia step out together. The crowd quiets, turns.
A few whispers flutter. Alicia leans close to Ben, and slips
her arm into his. The party goes back to normal.
ALICIA
Look around. I'll get us drinks.
They always let blind girls cut the
line.
She walks off. He watches her go. The way her hair moves.
The lines of her neck. The light on her skin. This woman is
the most beautiful thing Ben has ever seen. He's falling
hard.
Ben steps through the crowd. The swanky guests give strained
smiles, polite. Ben is starting to feel comfortable here.
He keeps his eyes on Alicia, who talks to guests.
Ben hangs back, happy to watch her. A few patrons pass him,
thinking he's just an inanimate statue.
PATRON
I don't know about this one. It lacks
a certain...realism.
Ben keeps his eyes on Alicia. He overhears two BOHEMIAN
GIRLS, who assume he's a statue.
BOHEMIAN GIRL #1
She's always had a thing for runaways
and strays, but this is ridiculous.
BOHEMIAN GIRL #2
I know. Did she really think these
sculptures would sell?
BOHEMIAN GIRL #1
Like anybody would want this thing in
their house. That girl's a one-woman
charity.
Ben just stands there, frozen. His eyes dart around the
room, paranoid now. Aware of people staring, laughing. He
glances at Alicia, who giggles at something else. Ten
seconds ago, this would have been dreamy. Now it's damning.
We stay with Alicia, who cuts through the crowd, emerging
where she left Ben. She has a PITCHER of wine in hand for
him. But Ben is gone. She looks disappointed, hearing his
heavy FOOTSTEPS get softer and softer in the distance.
THUNDER booms on the CUT TO --
EXT./INT. DINER - NIGHT
A pitstop in Queens. Heavy RAIN swims down windows. BEN
sits at the COUNTER, with his hat pulled low, coat tight.
Nobody sits within four chairs of him. He sips coffee in a
metal bowl. A long beat. Then...
VICTOR (O.S.)
This seat taken?
Ben turns to see...VICTOR.
BEN
What are you doing here?
VICTOR
I'm worried about you.
BEN
About me? How sweet.
VICTOR
Come on. Let me buy you something to
eat. Looks like you could use the
company.
Ben considers. A man deeply alone. A beat.
INT. DINER - LATER
Victor and Ben sit in a window booth. A waitress sets a
foothigh stack of pancakes in front of Ben, removes huge
plates he's just cleared. Victor's aware of the other
customers in the diner staring at Ben. Ben burps: it rattles
the plates.
THE THING
'Scuse me.
VICTOR
I know it can't be easy. Life hasn't
changed that much for Reed, Sue and
Johnny. At least they can go out in
public. But for you? People staring.
Whispering behind your back...
THE THING
If you're trying to cheer me up you're
doing a helluva job --
VICTOR
I'm just saying, I know what it's like
to lose something you love. To see it
slip away, and know it's never coming
back.
The Thing shoves a huge piece of pie in his mouth.
THE THING
Reed's gonna fix me up --
VICTOR
For your sake I hope you're right.
I'm sorry if that sounds a little
skeptical.
THE THING
Skeptical...?
Ben doesn't trust him. But Victor is hitting pressure
points.
VICTOR
Look, he's a brilliant man, we should
trust he's working as hard as he can.
You're his best friend. So what
possible reason could he have for
taking his time?
(a beat)
I mean, other than getting close to
Sue?
Off The Thing: a seed of doubt has been planted. He can't
help but find truth in the words. And we CUT TO --
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - TRANSFORMATION LAB - NIGHT
Reed and Sue return, laughing quietly, bodies close. Reed
turns on the lights, and they flinch when they see...BEN. He
sits waiting, scowling. They stop laughing immediately.
BEN
Yeah, I have that effect on people.
The construction of the TRANSFORMATION CHAMBER is complete.
The Technicians are gone now.
REED
Ben --
BEN
Oh, you remember my name do you? You
happen to remember what you swore to
do with every breath in your body?
REED
We're working as hard as we can --
BEN
Yeah. I can tell. Victor was right.
He motions to Reed and Sue together.
REED
Come on, this is nothing.
Sue looks a little hurt.
BEN
Glad "nothing" could take you away
from your work.
REED
Ben, I don't know if this thing'll
change us back or make us worse.
I need you to be patient for a little
while longe--
He POKES his finger into Reed's chest, which INDENTS around
it like the Pillsbury Doughboy. Ben pushes Reed back. Hard.
BEN
Look at me, Reed. Look at me!
He grabs Reed's face, his fingers INDENTING the skin. He
THROWS Reed back. Reed slams down to the ground.
REED
I am looking. That's why I can't make
a mistake! I've got to get it right,
and it's not right yet! We need to
test this.
Ben shakes his head, looking down at Reed.
BEN
I spent my whole life protecting you,
from the schoolyard to the stars. For
what? So you could play Twister with
your girlfriend while I'm the freak of
the week?
Reed tries to stand, but Ben KNOCKS him back. Reed slams
into the wall, and stays down this time.
SUE
Ben! Stop it! Or I'll stop it.
She starts to raise her hands to throw force-fields.
BEN
Stay out of this Susie.
As Ben turns to her, Reed takes this opportunity to WRAP Ben
up like a python. They struggle. Ben runs back into a wall
to shake Reed. Their faces are close, heated.
BEN (CONT'D)
Good thing you're flexible enough to
watch your own back. 'Cause you're on
your own now.
Ben seems to relax and Reed lets go. Ben walks out. Sue
comes to Reed's side. He's bleeding.
REED
I'm OK. Just go, go after him. Stop
him.
She heads out. Reed slowly stands. He looks at the
transformation machine. It's not ready. But...Reed steps
toward it. As he walks, his image goes grainy in --
INT. VICTOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Victor gets closer to his screens, watching Reed's every
step. This is what Victor has been waiting for. His screens
flicker with static -- he's too close, but he can't pull
back. He sees: REED TURNS ON THE MACHINE. Hits a countdown.
And he grabs his UNIFORM...
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Sue hustles down the long hall. Ben turns a corner, passing
the elevators, heading toward a FREIGHT ELEVATOR. She gets
there too late. Doors close, going down.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT
Ben pounds across the lobby. He sees Johnny coming in.
JOHNNY
Christmas come early! Check it out!
He holds up an ACTION FIGURE of BEN: a horribly bloated body
topped by a tiny pinhead. Johnny pushes a button and --
BEN ACTION FIGURE
IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!
WITH ONE ARM, Ben shoves Johnny into a wall. With his other
hand, Ben grabs the toy and SMASHES it into the wall, inches
from Johnny's head. The toy lodges into the plaster.
JOHNNY
Hey! That's a prototype!
BEN
Go back to the drawing board.
He strides away.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT
DING. Sue speeds out of the elevator. No sign of Ben. She
runs into...JOHNNY who shakes off the encounter.
SUE
Johnny? Did you see Ben?
JOHNNY
Yeah, for the last time, I hope. I'm
done with this freak show. I'm moving
back to the real world.
SUE
Is that what you call it? "Real"?
JOHNNY
At least it beats living in a lab like
somebody's science project.
This hits home. Sue is quiet. Johnny turns to go.
SUE
Johnny, slow down. Think. You know
mom didn't raise us to --
JOHNNY
Look around, sis! She's not here. So
you can stop talking to me like I'm
your little boy --
SUE
As soon as you stop acting like one.
Come on, you're smarter than this.
You think those people out there care
about you? You're just a fad to them.
He pulls away from her, taking a step out the door.
JOHNNY
Let's try something new: you live
your life. And I'll live mine.
(beat)
And just for the record: they LOVE
me.
He strides into the night, leaving Sue alone. A dark night.
The Fantastic Four is no more. The family is split apart.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - TRANSFORMATION LAB - NIGHT
The transformation chamber is up and running. Numbers count
down. The storm swirls in the chamber. Reed now wears the
UNIFORM. He opens the door:
HE'S GOING TO USE IT ON HIMSELF. HE IS FINALLY TAKING
ACTION.
INT. VICTOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Victor sits enthralled. He leans forward, breathless.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - TRANSFORMATION LAB - NIGHT
Reed gets closer. His heart races. So does Victor's. A
moment of truth for both of them. REED STEPS INTO THE
MACHINE.
Reed looks up at the cosmic storm. He opens his arms, ready
to risk his life. And...WHHHM! He JOLTS in JUMP-CUT-MOTION,
RECONFIGURING, JERKING out of control, and we CUT TO --
VICTOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT
His screens GO BLACK. He looks out the window to see...a
flash atop the BAXTER BUILDING. The tip of the Baxter glows.
The rest of its lights GO OUT, FLICKERING in a power surge.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT
Lights go haywire. Sue knows immediately...
SUE
Oh god, Reed.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - TRANSFORMATION LAB - NIGHT
Lights flicker in darkness. The door rips open. Sue lunges
inside. She sees through smoke and sparks...REED sways in
the chamber. A beat. Did it work? Then...
Reed SLUMPS TO THE GROUND. His eyes flutter back. Dead...?
His body is warped, twisted -- one half remains tense, hard,
while the other half is loose, soft, almost melted.
SUE
What did you do, Reed? What did you
do?
INT. VICTOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Victor watches every second on his monitors.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - TRANSFORMATION LAB - NIGHT
Sue struggles to lift Reed -- half of his body is STRETCHED
OUT, devoid of any semblance of bone structure. One side of
his face looks like it's MELTING OFF.
REED
I can...make it work.
SUE
Reed, stop, you need to rest your --
REED
The power...I need...more power...to
control...the storm --
SUE
You need a doctor.
Reed loses consciousness. Sue carries him out.
INT. VICTOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Victor watches, his eyes narrow, looking at his hands.
VICTOR
More power...?
He reaches out for his phone, and...his SPEAKERPHONE
AUTOMATICALLY TURNS ON. His powers growing.
VICTOR (TO PHONE) (CONT'D)
Leonard. Bring me our lab rat.
EXT. UNDER THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE - NIGHT
Ben sits alone, looking at city lights. A man without a
home. Without a family. A hard beat. HEADLIGHTS slash
across Ben. He slowly turns, blinded in the lights of...a
LIMO.
LEONARD
Ben! They need you back at the Baxter
building. It's...Reed.
Ben considers. Despite it all, he's a good friend. And a
good man. As he gets into the car, we hear THROBBING MUSIC
IN --
INT. MANHATTAN NIGHT CLUB - NIGHT
LOUD MUSIC and PULSATING LIGHTS. A young crowd dances and
grinds to the beat. Among the colorful lights, STREAKS OF
FLAME swirl around the ceiling. We follow them to:
A BALCONY, where we see JOHNNY sitting in a cozy VIP section.
He's surrounded by "groupies" climbing over each other to get
a look at his various parlour tricks.
He leans closer to a YOUNG WOMAN. Closer. Candles around
them start to melt. Beads of sweat drip down her face.
JOHNNY
What do you say we get out of here?
She pauses. And...a very LARGE MAN steps up.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
This your boyfriend?
The Boyfriend doesn't look too happy.
BOYFRIEND
Is that all you do? Bar tricks and
stealing chicks...
Johnny does one more trick...taps the guy's drink...igniting
it into a burst of flame. The Boyfriend drops the glass,
which SMASHES on the ground...catches the floor on fire.
The boyfriend quickly moves in and stamps it out.
GIRLFRIEND
What are you doing?! You could have
burned somebody!
The boyfriend takes his girlfriend's hand, they start to walk
off. She turns back for one last comment...
GIRLFRIEND (CONT'D)
You know, if I had your power I'd be
doing something with it, not wasting
my time doing cheap bar tricks,
hitting on some other guy's girl.
Johnny looks a little embarrassed. The couple leaves.
Johnny glances around. His FANS look down, away. He sees
how quickly they can turn. The crowd parts slightly. He
looks very alone.
INT. TRANSFORMATION CHAMBER - NIGHT
Leonard leads The Thing inside. The ominous chamber sits
with its door open. Victor enters from the control station.
VICTOR
Ben, come in.
BEN
What is this? Where's Reed?
VICTOR
Where do you think? With Sue.
Ben looks at the flickering lights. Suspicious. Victor
turns to Leonard, who looks a little scared by this dark
room.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
(quiet)
I'll take it from here, Leonard.
Leonard nods, all too eager to get the hell out of here.
LEONARD
Yes sir.
Leonard disappears fast, as Victor turns back to Ben.
BEN
What do you want, Vic?
VICTOR
To help you. I've run every test
known to man. And they all yield the
same result: the machine is ready.
Ben shakes his head, wanting to believe, but...
BEN
Reed said it'd be weeks till --
VICTOR
He also said we'd avoid that storm in
space. And we know how that turned
out.
Ben nods. Reed was wrong before. Ben gets closer to the
machine, drawn to it. He wants to believe, so badly.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
He couldn't generate enough power for
the machine to reach critical mass.
Yet another mistake for "Mr.
Fantastic."
BEN
And you can? Power it up?
Victor stands in shadows, but we see the tiniest little SPARK
around him. The lights...? Or his skin...?
VICTOR
Yes. I've found a new energy source.
He keeps his arm behind his back -- his fingertips course
with ELECTRICITY. It starts to build, sparking up his arm.
VICTOR (CONT'D)
Tell me...do you want to be Ben Grimm
again?
Ben keeps his eyes on the machine. His dream is alive.
BEN
Let's do it.
INT. TRANSFORMATION CHAMBER - NIGHT
The chamber doors open. Thing enters. He looks around this
sterile box. An animal in a cage. Victor pushes a control;
the doors of the chamber slowly close and seal. Thing shuts
his eyes. He just wants to be Ben again.
FROM THE CONTROLS: Victor initiates the transformation
sequence. As lights go on inside the chamber, they dim in
the lab. Energy pumps into the chamber. The storm swirls
faster. Lights flicker...there's not enough power, until --
-- Victor walks over...grabs hold of the machine with both
hands...and WHHHM! A countdown begins in the control panels.
SLOW MOVE IN on the chamber, The Thing's face in the window.
The chamber activates. The storm strikes hard.
The Thing opens his mouth, a beat, then he screams in agony.
Struggling violently inside. To escape? Extend the moment:
Condensation obscures the chamber window: The Thing vanishes.
EXT. MANHATTAN SKYLINE - NIGHT
The city lights fill the sky, and give it a quiet, eerie
glow. Suddenly, a BRIGHT FLASH emerges from the window of
the Baxter Building. The rest of the city lights dim
slightly.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING LIVING QUARTERS - NIGHT
Reed lies in bed, weak, recuperating. When the power surges,
we MOVE in on him: he looks up in alarm, knowing that
someone's using the chamber. He starts to get out of bed,
straining to stand with every muscle left in his body.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - MEDICAL SUPPLY ROOM - SAME TIME
Sue sifts through a cabinet full of medications. The lights
dim. Power failure. She looks up...
EXT. CLUB - NIGHT
Johnny walks alone. A WAVE OF LIGHT spreads through the sky.
He looks up. His eyes adjust to the blast, as he realizes
where it's coming from. He starts RUNNING toward the Baxter.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - REVERSION LAB - NIGHT
INSIDE THE MACHINE, the RED CLOUD swirls with debris,
crackling with light. The chamber rattles dangerously, as
the power seems to SHAKE the very foundation of the building.
And then it's over. The light dies down...somewhat. It
still pulses along with the chamber. The chamber door SLIDES
OPEN.
Beat. And...BEN GRIMM steps out. Not The Thing. No more
rocks. BEN GRIMM. Naked, tired, but finally A NORMAL MAN.
He slips on his trench-coat -- now way too large. He
collapses. He stares at his hands, his arms...it worked.
BEN
Oh my God... Th-thank you. THANK
YOU...VIC?!
Ben sees a SPARK in shadows. That spark is...
VICTOR'S ARM. Victor steps forward, and reveals himself to
Ben: ELECTRICITY PUMPS THROUGH HIS BODY. His skin is part
flesh, part metal. Cheekbone exposed, steel tissue.
HE IS DOOM.
BEN (CONT'D)
Vic... What the...?
DOOM
Everyone thought I was safe behind
those shields...
BEN
Victor, the machine worked for me. It
can work for you --
DOOM
It did, Ben. It worked perfectly.
Ben starts to realize...
BEN
You planned this...?
Doom smiles, reaches out his hand -- ELECTRICITY builds from
his shoulders, coursing down his arms to his fingertips.
DOOM
I've always wanted power. Now I've
got an unlimited supply...
BEN
And no Thing to stand in your way.
DOOM smiles, nods, stronger than Ben now.
DOOM
Take a good look, Ben. This is what a
man looks like who embraces his
destiny.
Doom clenches his fist and BLASTS Ben, sending him flying
backwards across the room -- knocked unconscious.
DOOM (CONT'D)
One down, three to go.
Suddenly, WHOOSH! The lab door flies open. Reed enters.
Doom steps back into the shadows.
DOOM (CONT'D)
Right on cue.
Reed's eyes go wide. He sees Ben crumpled in the corner.
REED
Oh god Ben. Are you okay?
(amazed)
You did it, you really did it...
DOOM
No, Reed. I did.
Reed slowly turns to see...DOOM. His body, his face.
REED
Victor...? What, what happened to
you? What did you do to your --
DOOM
Exactly what I said I would: I built a
better, stronger being. And
outsmarted the great Reed Richards --
REED
Victor, this isn't the way to --
DOOM
(a dark smile)
You always know best. So tell me.
What happens when you superheat
rubber?
Doom BLASTS an electrical BOLT at Reed, KNOCKING Reed through
the huge window! Reed's body RUBBER-BANDS from the blast.
EXT. BAXTER BUILDING - NIGHT
Reed SLINKIES down the face of the building, skin rippling.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - REVERSION LAB - NIGHT
Doom looks out the window, smiling at his old friend's fall.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - FRONT LOBBY - NIGHT
DING! The elevator opens. Doom strides out. He passes our
friend O'HOOLIHAN, who looks scared.
O'HOOLIHAN
Mr. Von Doom? Are you oka--
Doom casually SWIPES, sending him through revolving doors.
DOOM
Never better, Jimmy. And it's Doctor
Doom now.
EXT. BAXTER BUILDING - NIGHT
Reed MELTS down the sides of an AWNING, like a Salvador Dali
watch. He tries to GRAB HOLD of window ledges, but he can't
get a grip. His ARM streeetches, and SNAP! He falls like a
SLINKY, out of control. Half his body loose, half hard.
He drips to the sidewalk, where...Doom steps out. He catches
Reed's face, holds it close.
DOOM
Why the long face?
Doom whips Reed into the night. As Doom turns, people cower,
horrified by his face. They clear out, and...
Doom sees his REFLECTION in a window: scarred skin, metallic
veins. A monster. Infuriated, he SHATTERS the window with
an iron fist, and bounds into the night.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - LATER - NIGHT
Smoke billows, windows are shattered. Sue races inside,
seeing Doom's devastation. Silence, deadly silence.
Then...she sees a pile of WRECKAGE shift. BEN crawls out.
SUE
Ben?!
She helps him out of the rubble. He is beaten, battered.
JOHNNY (O.S.)
Sue!
Johnny comes running in. He sees the wreckage.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
I'm sorry, sis, for leaving you guys --
SUE
No, I'm sorry, for pushing you out.
He nods. A beat between them. He looks around, sees Ben.
JOHNNY
Jesus, Ben!
(eyeing him)
I go away, look what happens. You got
a lot of explaining to do.
He motions to the wreckage.
BEN
(struggling, weak)
The machine works. And Vic's gone
Mister Hyde on us --
JOHNNY
Really? With a name like Von Doom?
Never saw that one coming.
Sue looks around. Only one question. Dead serious:
SUE
Where is Reed?
BEN
Victor must've taken him.
INT. VON DOOM - CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
Doom sits at the head of the table in an eerie parallel to
the opening scene. Those mysterious CRATES loom in shadows.
He wears a green HOOD, and METAL MASK over his scarred face.
Doom's eyes turn toward...the other end of the table.
DOOM
Chemistry 101, Part Two. What
happens to rubber when it's super-
cooled?
We now see what he sees: Reed sits in a chair with TUBES
INJECTED into his skin FREEZING HIM SOLID! Ultra-cold vapor
coats him. Doom steps closer, a sadistic smile.
Reed tries to move but can't even ball his hand into a fist.
DOOM (CONT'D)
Allow me.
He PRESSES DOWN on one of Reed's fingers, which makes a
horrific CRACKING SOUND. Reed's face twists with pain.
DOOM (CONT'D)
Painful...?
Doom seems to enjoy every CRACK. He leans closer.
DOOM (CONT'D)
You don't know the meaning of the
word.
Doom lets up on Reed and reaches into a crate, and pulls out
a military-issue ROCKET-LAUNCHER. He aims at the city
skyline, locking onto his target: JOHNNY STORM.
DOOM (CONT'D)
But you will.
Johnny's HEAT SIGNATURE glows. The screen flashes: TARGET
ACQUIRED. Doom looks back at Reed, his launcher aimed
casually over his shoulder.
DOOM (CONT'D)
Flame off.
BOOOOM! He fires without looking! A MISSILE blasts into the
sky. THE MISSILE LIGHTS UP THE DARK NIGHT beginning its wide
turn towards its target.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING
Johnny, Ben, and Sue hear the missile being fired and turn to
the window -- it BANKS, coming STRAIGHT for them. They move
to --
EXT. BAXTER BUILDING BALCONY - NIGHT
Johnny rushes toward the edge, to get a good look at the
missile streaking closer. As he moves, the missile SHIFTS
slightly with HIS MOTION! His eyes narrow, thinking.
He FLAMES ON a HAND. He waves his flaming hand, and the
MISSILE locks onto the fire! Johnny darkens, realizing...
JOHNNY
Great. Heat-seeker.
His mind races. He makes a decision, and steps up onto the
ledge, hundreds of feet above the street.
SUE
What are you doing --
JOHNNY
Sis. Let me take care of you for
once.
SUE
But Johnny...you can't fly.
Johnny considers, a half-beat. He looks out. Under breath:
JOHNNY
Well then this'll be one hell of a
basejump.
Sue reaches out to stop him, but Johnny DIVES HEROICALLY OFF
THE EDGE! He FLAMES ON! The missile follows his arc. As he
drops, his clothes BURN OFF, revealing his UNIFORM.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
(under breath)
Come on...come on...come on...
He falls lower, lower. And...he...BANKS! SWOOPS UP!
FLYING!
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
FLAME ON.
Sue watches, with fear, and a hint of pride.
BEN
We need to help Reed --
Sue shakes her head, sympathetic.
SUE
Ben, you got what we all wanted.
You need to stay here. It's too
dangerous.
She heads off. Ben watches her go, helpless.
INT. BAXTER BUILDING - REVERSION LAB - NIGHT
Ben steps back into this ravaged room. Through the shattered
window, he sees Johnny's FLAMES streaking away. A hard beat.
BEN
What...what have I done?
EXT. NEW YORK - NIGHT
Johnny zigs and zags, but the missile takes every twist and
turn, gaining on him, bearing down. Cars slow, stop. More
people look up, scared, pointing at this stunning sight.
INT. VON DOOM CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
Eerily silent. Reed tries to move, but he is FROZEN. He
hears a footstep. But the room is EMPTY. No sign of Doom
even. A beat. He hears a CREAK. Another CREAK, closer.
And...
A FREEZING TUBE starts to SHIFT. It goes taut, clearly being
manipulated by a hand -- an INVISIBLE HAND. Sue APPEARS next
to Reed, tube in hand. She tries to stay calm.
SUE
What has he done to you?
Reed's eyes shift to see...Doom emerge from the darkness.
DOOM (O.S.)
How romantic.
SUE
Victor, please --
DOOM
It's Doctor Doom to you.
He steps closer. Electrodes course over his metal skin.
SUE
We know the machine works. It worked
on Ben, it'll work on you. We can
turn you back --
DOOM
Do you really think fate turned us
into gods so we could refuse these
gifts?
She hardens, a little force field starts to emanate from her.
SUE
Victor. You always thought you were
god.
Doom has a hand behind his back, generating an energy blast.
DOOM
Sue please, let's not fight.
SUE
No, Victor... Let's.
She HURLS a force-field at him. It CONNECTS, KNOCKING him
back a half-step. But he simply shakes it off, and steps up.
Too powerful. He smiles. His arms CRACKLE with electricity.
DOOM
Susan...... You're fired.
BOOM! He FIRES an ELECTRIC SHOCKWAVE that LAUNCHES her back.
She spirals through the air, crashing into the wall, THUDDING
to the floor. As Doom stalks closer, Sue gathers her
strength to...GO INVISIBLE.
DOOM (CONT'D)
Marco...
A hanging beat. We see: a FAINT OUTLINE of Sue behind him.
DOOM (CONT'D)
Polo.
He SPINS, GRABS her! Doom grips her neck, SLAMMING her to
the ground beside Reed. She lays there, beaten, visible.
In the distance behind Doom, city lights BLINK, fading in and
out. Lights flutter softly here (like when Ben went through
the machine). Reed looks up. Could it be...?
EXT. EAST RIVER - NIGHT
Johnny jets over the water with the missile only twenty feet
behind him. He's running out of options, when he spots:
A GARBAGE BARGE floating in the water ahead. Thinking fast,
Johnny does a fly-by and HURLS a fireball at the barge.
VWOOSH! The flames ignite and spread quickly.
He loops back toward the flaming barge as the missile closes
in on him. Fifteen feet...ten... Just as it's about to hit --
JOHNNY FLAMES OFF and falls toward the water. As he tumbles
through the air, we CUT BACK TO --
INT. VON DOOM CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
From their vantage point, they see the missile explode.
Flames dance. Sue's eyes darken, as Doom grips her neck.
Reed tries desperately to move, but he is FROZEN. It takes
every last ounce of strength to lift one finger, which makes
a CRACCCKKKKING sound.
DOOM
One more down. Now it's just the
scientist and his specimen.
Sue and Reed lock eyes. Reed tries to move his mouth. He
has something to tell her, struggling just to move his lips
and get the words out.
REED
Sue. The only thing I ever knew
without thinking was...
(his lips fully freezing)
I...love...
He starts to say "you," but his lips FREEZE, mid-word. Sue
whispers to him:
SUE
Me too, Reed.
Doom steps toward Sue, about to deliver the final blow.
DOOM
(quiet, cruel)
And so four became none. It's my time
now.
BOOOOM! An elevator DOOR FLIES INTO THE ROOM! SMASH!
VOICE (O.S.)
Actually, Vic...
Reed recognizes the voice. So do we. Doom turns to see...
BEN GRIMM, AKA THE THING. Back in rocky, fighting form.
BEN
IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!
Doom turns, just as --
BAM! Ben HITS Doom harder than any living thing has ever
been hit. The force sends Doom back through the air, toward
the far wall, where he SMASHES into the massive "V"
sculpture. It SNAPS, crashing onto him. A few sparks. Then
nothing.
Nothing at all. No more movement. Doom is dead.
Ben turns to Reed.
BEN (CONT'D)
Damn, I've been wanting to do that.
Reed manages the thinnest smile as Ben starts disconnecting
the tubes from Reed.
BEN (CONT'D)
(Reed's words)
Victor's "not that bad," huh? Just "a
little larger than life"? Maybe
you'll listen to me next time before --
WHMM! The WRECKAGE shifts. They turn to see...Doom EMERGES.
He stands, power coursing. And he CHARGES at Ben! Ben
charges back. And these two behemoths...
SLAM INTO EACH OTHER, CRASHING THROUGH GLASS, INTO THIN AIR!!
EXT. VON DOOM BUILDING - CONTINUOUS
Doom and Ben PLUMMET, wrestling in mid-air. On the ground,
PEOPLE scream and duck for cover. Doom and Ben SMASH through
the large GLASS roof of a lower building across the street.
INT. HOTEL - INDOOR POOL - CONTINUOUS
BOOOOM! Doom and Ben, locked in combat, drop through the
glass, landing in a large HOTEL POOL. People scream, run.
INT. HOTEL - INDOOR POOL - NIGHT
UNDERWATER: Doom and Ben LAND HARD. Their combined weight
CRACKS the floor of the pool. A YOUNG BOY watches underwater
through his MASK. Doom and Ben square off, but...
The CRACKS OPEN WIDER! And they're PULLED toward the HOLE!
WHOOSH! The water is all sucked out of the hole. The boy
holds tight to a ladder, as Ben and Doom crash down to --
INT. HOTEL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
A HOTEL GUEST sees water FLOOD into the hall. Roaring rapids
head straight for him. He jams his key into the lock,
turning desperately, just barely leaping out of the way as
the wave carrying BEN and DOOM SMASHES through a window to --
EXT. HOTEL - CONTINUOUS
SMASH! Ben and Doom fly out the window, thrashing in the
TEN THOUSAND-GALLON WATERFALL TO --
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - CONTINUOUS
CRASH! Water floods the street. Doom and Ben land in a
large GARBAGE TRUCK. The truck rocks back and forth, DENTING
from the inside. Grunts, growls.
CRASH! The truck suddenly STOPS. COP CARS SPEED CLOSER,
sirens screaming. And --
BOOM, A HUGE SHAPE explodes from the truck. SMASH! Ben
lands on a CAR filled with two OLD LADIES -- his head cracks
the WINDSHIELD. Doom steps out of the garbage truck, water
flooding the street around him. COP CARS converge on Doom.
Doom turns his attention to the cops. His limbs SPARK with
electricity, ready to fire at the cars.
EXT./INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS
Ben sees the cops and Doom. He knows the cops are dead meat.
He turns to the OLD LADY in the driver's seat.
BEN
Excuse me, Maam. Can I borrow your
car?
She nods and quickly gets out, shaking.
OLD LADY
The clutch sticks a little.
BEN
Not gonna be a problem.
Ben LIFTS the car and THROWS it at Doom. WHMM! It FLIES
through the air, and WHAM! Hits hard, knocking Doom back
twenty feet! As Doom FLIES back, a BUS enters frame, and --
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - NIGHT
BOOM! Doom SMASHES into the OUT OF SERVICE BUS! CRASH!
Windows shatter. The bus SLAMS into an ELECTRICITY POLE,
snapping the pole. Doom steps out, unharmed.
Ben CHARGES toward him. Doom grabs the broken ELECTRICITY
POLE, FLIPS it into his hand, and wields the pole like a
giant STUN-GUN! Electric sparks FLY through the air into --
BEN! The BLAST of VOLTS launches him off his feet! He goes
FLYING backward, ELECTROCUTED in mid-flight, and --
WHOOMPF! Ben LANDS HARD, face down, CRATERING the street!
Water rushes into the crater. Ben lays there, incapacitated.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - SAME TIME
On the street, cars SCREAM to stops, people GASP. Doom
strides up to Ben, and raises the ELECTRICITY POLE for the
death-blow. Currents surge. Right before he swings down --
VOICE (O.S.)
I can't let you do that.
Simple, strong. Doom turns to see...REED. Alone. Bruised
and battered. Slowly stepping toward him. Doom smiles.
DOOM
And you can't stop me.
He turns back to Ben, raises the pole, but...he CAN'T SWING
DOWN! Something is HOLDING the pole in mid-air.
Something invisible.
DOOM (CONT'D)
Hello Susan.
She turns VISIBLE, holding back the pole with a FORCEFIELD.
Using her power, she FLINGS the pole from Doom's grip. It
skids along the street. Reed helps Ben to his feet.
Doom turns to these three wounded soldiers.
DOOM (CONT'D)
What is this? The pitiful three?
Doom steps toward them, but --
VOICE (O.S.)
Four.
WHOOOSH! Johnny SWOOPS DOWN, hurling a FIREBALL like a
flamethrower, KNOCKING Doom back.
Johnny takes his place alongside the others. The four of
them stand as one. Johnny turns to Thing.
JOHNNY
Had a little relapse, huh?
Thing starts to retort, but Johnny gives a warm smile.
JOHNNY (CONT'D)
Welcome back.
They turn to Doom, who stands with metal skin slightly singed
and melted, making him look all the more menacing.
DOOM
This is going to be fun.
Electricity starts to course through his body. He stands at
the foot of the crater Ben made. He THRUSTS down, grabbing a
thick POWER CABLE, RIPPING it out of the street!
He SNAPS the cable into two snaking, lashing strips. He
holds tight, ABSORBING the power. Lights FLICKER and DIM in
buildings around him. Windows BLOW! Doom GLOWS, amped up.
He LETS GO of the cables! The two deadly wires SNAKE out of
control! PEDESTRIANS scatter, panic. Reed sees the wires
SLASHING through the air. He makes a move:
Reed STREEETCHES HIS ARMS, reaching for the deadly cables.
Doom FIRES superpowered ENERGY BOLTS. The electric charges
surge through the air toward the Fantastic Four, but --
Sue TOSSES her FORCE-FIELDS, exploding Doom's blasts in mid-
flight. She keeps her hands up, BLOCKING blows like a prize
fighter. One of Doom's BOLTS glances off her force-field
and --
SMASHES into a concrete stanchion of a BUILDING! The pillar
starts to crumble, with PEOPLE huddled under the overhang!
They're about to be CRUSHED by the falling concrete! But --
Suddenly, the concrete roof HOLDS STEADY...because...BEN is
holding it up! He stands beside the stanchion, like Atlas
holding the world. People run out, safe.
ON THE STREET: Reed finally grabs both ends of the wire.
REED
JOHNNY! SPOT-WELD!
Johnny FLIES toward him, and uses his flames to WELD the
wires back together. Sparks fly. The cables start to FUSE.
Doom keeps FIRING. Sue struggles with her force-fields. The
impact is too much. Her nose starts to bleed.
SUE
Can't...hold...on...
Doom smiles. Reed sees her. She is about to drop her hands,
vulnerable, but..............REED STRETCHES HIS WHOLE BODY!
He EXPANDS himself across the street, and GRABS a TREE, so he
forms a WALL between Sue and Doom.
Doom keeps FIRING his bolts. They SLAM into Reed's body,
RUBBERBAND his skin, and DISTEND OUT his back without
breaking. He strains, agonizing.
REED
Johnny. SUPERNOVA.
JOHNNY
But all these people...
REED
Now.
Johnny charges toward Doom -- flames on his body starting
build to a blinding white intensity, ENGULFING everything.
Johnny GRABS DOOM.
THING
(quiet, smiling)
Flame on, kid.
FLASH! Johnny explodes in a PULSE of BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT,
which starts to HEAT UP everything surrounding it. Reed
doesn't miss a beat. He's in total command now.
REED
Sue, I need some of that anger, rage,
frustration --
SUE
(looking at Doom)
I'm sure I can come up with something.
She concentrates. She sees Johnny holding onto Doom -- and
the GROWING HEAT and LIGHT.
Sue shuts her eyes. A GIANT FORCE FIELD EXPLODES FROM HER
BODY. A massive WAVE OF ENERGY. It SWOOPS past a car, which
WARPS, MELTS (half the car is not inside the force-field).
Thing turns to the crowd, extending his arm, blocking them.
Sue's force-field ENVELOPS JOHNNY'S SUPERNOVA, containing it
in a BRIGHT SPHERE OF ENERGY. The light increases, to the
point that it's blinding. People look away.
Finally, Johnny's supernova fades. He collapses to the
ground, exhausted, smoking. Sue exhales and falls to her
knees. Her force field fades. The light flickers out. As
everyone's eyes adjust, we hear...THUD. THUD. And --
DOOM steps through the smoke. Unharmed. His metallic body
GLOWS WHITE, TRAILING MOLTEN METAL. Sue, Ben, Johnny look
devastated. They can't beat him. He looks at Reed.
DOOM
Is that the best you can do...? A
little heat...?
Reed stays perfectly calm. He shakes his head.
REED
Time for your lesson, Vic. Chem 101:
what happens when you supercool hot
metal...?
(to Ben)
Ben...
BEN
Got it, teach.
He KICKS OPEN the FIRE HYDRANT. The water GEYSERS UP! Ben
kicks down with his foot, deflecting the water so it sprays
toward Reed, who...TWISTS HIS TORSO so...
The water CURLS around his chest, RACES down his arms, and
SHOOTS right off his wrists toward Doom!
DOOM
No.
Doom RUSHES TOWARD Reed, but the WATER FLIES OUT, DOUSING
DOOM. GIANT CLOUDS OF STEAM fill the air from the cooling
metal. DOOM screams. His shrieks finally fade to SILENCE.
The water stops, thick steam clouds roll, completely
obscuring Doom from view. A beat. The steam clears to
reveal:
DOOM. A true statue now -- a hard, cold solid piece of
METAL. Frozen forever. Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny -- The
Fantastic Four -- exhale. They stand as one, in roiling
smoke. A beat.
JOHNNY
Damn, I love this job.
Reed and Sue slowly lock eyes, thinking the same thing.
BEN
Job, huh...?
Will they accept their mantle? Reed shrugs.
REED
Well, we do have the suits...
They give weary smiles. A team. Sue gets close to Reed.
SUE
You know, about what we said up there,
I think maybe --
THHM! He KISSES HER. His neck extending. Strong, powerful.
He pulls back slightly, smiles at her. A new strength in
him.
BEN
Funny how things turn out, isn't it?
Sue looks at Reed. A long way from that conference room.
SUE
Hilarious.
As they kiss, people emerge, stepping out of hiding. The sun
rises around them. The Fantastic Four step into the new dawn
of a new day. And we slowly DISSOLVE TO --
INT. CIRCLE LINE BOAT - BANQUET ROOM - DUSK
Reed and Sue kiss on the deck of the Circle Line as it chugs
around New York City.
JOHNNY (O.S.)
Dude, that's still my sister.
A PARTY IN PROGRESS. Drinks, food, music. We see in the
crowd a familiar faces: O'HOOLIHAN (cast on his arm),
bartender ERNIE, others. JOHNNY and BEN stand behind Reed
and Sue.
Reed and Sue pull apart. Reed turns to Ben, excited.
REED
Ben, I've been crunching the numbers
on the machine. I think if we can
rework the power settings...
BEN
Forget it, egghead. I'm good as is.
ALICIA (O.S.)
That's my Benny.
She hands Ben a big METAL MUG. Ben takes the mug. He
CLINKS, but SHATTERS her glass.
ALICIA (CONT'D)
We're going to have to work on your
touch.
BEN
I like the sound of that.
Alicia gets close. A soft smile. Reed turns to Sue.
REED
Sue, can I talk to you for a second?
Reed leads her out. Ben and Johnny swap a glance.
EXT. CIRCLE LINE BOAT - DECK - DUSK
A romantic view of the city-scape. Reed stands with Sue.
REED
I found a broken gasket, from space --
SUE
A gasket? Reed, we're at a party.
He opens his hand, revealing a circular piece of metal, just
about the size of......a RING. Sue slows down.
REED
If one of us were to wear it...
She sees Johnny and Ben inside, watching -- in on a secret.
Reed looks her square in the eye. Unflinching.
SUE
Reed. What are you doing?
Reed drops to his knees. His head stays eye-level, while his
body drops. Sue gapes, so emotional she starts to DISAPPEAR.
REED
No more thinking, no more variables...
Sue Storm...will you...
(she's gone)
Sue? Sue? You there?
Dead silence. And then...
THE RING DISAPPEARS. SUE IS WEARING IT.
SUE (V.O.)
Yes.
Reed goes to kiss her.
SUE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
That's my nose, genius... These are my
lips.
Reed's face is SQUEEZED on both sides by Sue's invisible
hands. She pulls him into a KISS and reappears.
INSIDE: the party applauds. Ben, Johnny, and Alicia move
through the crowd to join Reed and Sue. As they go --
BEN
No more cracks about how I look.
JOHNNY
Hey, I'm Mr. Sensitivity now.
(weaving around bodies)
Clear the way, wide load coming
through.
Ben glares, fists clenched. Johnny smiles, mischievous, as
they hit the balcony. And he FLAMES ON, taking off into the
air, blazing the NUMBER "FOUR" enclosed in a circle of flame
(their future callsign), over the city skyline. The crowd
oohs and aahs. Ben watches, unimpressed.
BEN
Showoff.
People drink, laugh, dance. We slowly PULL BACK from the
party, the boat, the city, and...CUT TO --
EXT. HARBOR - DAY
CLOSE ON: the MELTED FACE of DOOM. He is placed in a wooden
crate. LEONARD oversees the operation, listening to his
cell.
As two workers move the heavy door in place -- a crackle of
ELECTRICITY moves over Doom's body. Leonard's CELLPHONE goes
STATICKY. His eyes narrow. Could it be...? And --
SLAM. The door closes. We can read the destination through
stenciled lettering: LATVERIA. And we pull back to reveal
the box is on the deck of:
A FREIGHTER SHIP. The ship pulls away, steaming into the
horizon, as we...
FADE OUT.
THE END |
FEAST
Written by
Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunston
Revised Draft
5/3/2004
FADE IN:
EXT. DESERT -- DAY
The white sun beats down on the rocky terrain. There's not a
cloud in the blue sky and the wind is at a standstill.
Far in the distance, a MEDIUM SIZED FLAT-BED TRUCK makes its
way to the entrance of a large cavern opening. Two VULTURES
perched on a barren tree watch the intruders.
EXT. DESERT -- DAY
The truck screeches to a dusty stop. Three men in matching
coveralls and hard hats jump from the cab: CHIEF (42, stocky,
weary), LANKY (32, withered) and COLLEGE BOY (23, clean cut
and naive).
Chief holds a map and glares into the howling black mouth
before them.
CHIEF
This is it.
LANKY
Why did it have to be these caves...
COLLEGE BOY
Is something wrong?
LANKY
(to College Boy)
Don't mind me, buddy. It's nothin'.
Chief grabs a flashlight and moves to the back of the truck.
The logo on the rear gate reads "WIGWAM WASTE MANAGEMENT."
CHIEF
Let's get that first barrel.
The gate drops revealing their full load of YELLOW BARRELS
bearing the familiar BIOHAZARD WASTE symbol.
INT. CAVERN -- MOMENTS LATER
College Boy and Lanky steer a cart loaded with the first
barrel inside. Chief's lone beam of light leads the men.
COLLEGE BOY
What's with the awkward silence?
LANKY
You don't know?
College Boy shakes his head "no" and they set the cart down.
CHIEF
Last winter, a man kidnapped a little
girl and holed up in one of these
caves. The cops had him pinned down
and began to move in. This guy started
shooting... but he wasn't aiming at
the officers...
(getting closer)
...he was firing at something inside.
College Boy is rapt.
CHIEF
When the dust cleared, all they found
was the little girl's shoes.
(beat)
With the feet still in 'em.
Something GRABS College Boy's ankles, causing him to jump.
COLLEGE BOY
Ahh!!!
Lanky's on his knees, having grabbed him from behind. The
two men mockingly laugh. College boy settles, embarrassed.
COLLEGE BOY
Assholes.
CHIEF
Hey, relax, I nearly shit myself
when my boss pulled that one on me.
LANKY
I went well beyond nearly.
Then, a sound. All eyes turn.
CHIEF
What was that?
COLLEGE BOY
Once was plenty, fellas.
CHIEF
Shhhh...
As Chief moves forward, pulling out his pick-axe.
Instantly, the cave is illuminated by a white floodlight. A
group of GREENPEACE HIPPIE ACTIVISTS stand in the cave,
CHAINED TOGETHER at the waist, startling the men into screams.
MEAN GREEN (35, crooked glasses on a face that has launched
a thousand craps) barks into a MINI BULLHORN that hangs around
her neck. She charges towards Chief.
MEAN GREEN
Stop it right there! You will not
rape Mother Nature one more day!
Panicked, Chief drops his pick-axe and stumbles back.
CHIEF
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
In unison, the hippies start CHANTING.
HIPPIE GROUP
Mother Nature is not a whore/Don't
dump in her any-more/Mother Nature
is not a whore/Don't dump in her any-
more...
A BEARDED CAMERAMAN with a huge KEY RING on his belt, films
the whole event. The three men are stopped in their tracks.
CHIEF
Take it easy! We have a permit!
MEAN GREEN
(handing a document)
And we have an injunction from the
State to prevent any dumping in these
caverns! This is virgin land! The
aqueducts in these caves bring
drinking water to our families, and
its piping provides drainage for our
farms that enrich this barren land!
And it won't be tainted by waste of
any kind! Not now! Not ever!
Chief, shaken, confirms the injunction and hands it back.
CHIEF
Fine, just back off!
He snaps his fingers, motioning to the barrel.
CHIEF
Let's roll... Now-now-now!
Backing away, looking to Mean Green.
CHIEF
How do you guys always know where
we're going?
MEAN GREEN
(with a smirk)
I'll tell ya next time! NOW MOVE IT!
Hastily, the men roll the barrel out of the cave.
MEAN GREEN
Score one for the green team!!!
The hippies let out a spirited cheer. One pulls out a
tambourine, drums the beat for KUM BI YA. The rest join in
the victorious chant as they watch the three men hop in their
truck and peel away.
BEARDED CAMERAMAN
Hey, man, that was righteous, but I
need a shot with the sign up.
At the end of the human chain, an earthy woman, FUZZY, moves
to hang a GREENPEACE sign. Mean Green strokes the cave wall.
MEAN GREEN
We saved you today, ol' gal.
Fuzzy hammers the sign in, but hits too hard, causing a breach
in the rock wall.
FUZZY
Oh, fuck!
MEAN GREEN
Sister, why do you always swing for
the fences?
FUZZY
(eyeing breach)
It's okay, but I... I think I see
something in there... something shiny.
Fuzzy puts her face up to the hole for a closer look. The
rest of the hippie-chain moves in closer.
FUZZY
Oh my, it looks like diamonds!
CHOMP! A set of giant, ravenous teeth bite into Fuzzy's skull.
Blood SPLATTERS on the hippies.
Bearded Cameraman jumps to pull Fuzzy from the breach.
Fuzzy's body is YANKED into the hole. The group tumbles
forward.
Mean Green tries to stop herself from sliding, but can't.
One by one, the hippies are being dragged to their death.
Ripping, tearing, and howling echoes off the walls.
Bearded Cameraman stumbles back. Mean Green spots him.
MEAN GREEN
Give me the keys!!!
Bearded Camerman just stares at her in shock. He's missing
both his arms.
Mean Green lunges and grabs Chief's dropped pick-axe. She
HAMMERS at the chain around her waist.
Foot by foot, she's dragged closer. At the last second, she
BREAKS the chain, popping herself free.
She spins, running for safety. A guttural HOWL behind her
fills the cavern. Mean Green sprints toward the cave opening.
She's gonna make it. Only a few more feet. And then... JERK!
Something grabs her neck and YANKS her back into the darkness.
The whiplash sends her bloody BULLHORN flying into the light.
As it lands, it lets out one last weak HONK...
CUT TO BLACK:
SUPERIMPOSED: BASED ON A TRUE STORY
The title SHATTERS...
INT. CRASHED CAR -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - We frantically EMERGE from the burning wreck...
RUN from the crash over desolate prairie land...
EXT. BAR -- NIGHT
Neon light flashes UNITED NATIONS TAVERN. Laughing and music
emanates. Besides the bar, there's nothing around for miles.
A 1985, pristine black Pontiac Trans-Am with a Golden Eagle
on the hood pulls up. The rear bumper sticker reads "MY OTHER
TOY HAS TITS."
A weasel-like man with a fat belly and tank-top emerges from
the hot rod carrying a VELVET POOL CUE CASE. Freeze on him.
NAME: BOZO
AGE: 32
JOB: UNEMPLOYED
OCCUPATION: TOWN JACKASS
LIFE EXPECTANCY: DEAD BY DAWN
The rest of the parking lot is scattered with cars and pickup
trucks. Bozo lazily makes his way to the bar and pushes
through the front entrance --
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Bozo passes a man dressed in a cheap suit and standing well
over six foot five with frazzled black hair and olive skin.
Talking with a thick Greek accent, he pleads into a pay phone.
COACH
(into pay phone)
They took my laptop with my PowerPoint
presentation, my Blackberry, my
cell... And to top it off, my car
crapped out on the side of the road!
I'm not making the conference and I
have fourteen leads waiting for me.
You gotta help me out here. I'm not
kidding, I've have fourteen PRIMO
leads waiting in the lobby of the
Mariott... MARIOTT...
Freeze on him.
NAME: COACH
AGE: 42
OCCUPATION: LIFE COACH & MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
FUN FACT: OFTEN CALLED THE GREEK TONY ROBBINS
LIFE EXPECTANCY: STAY FAR, FAR AWAY
CLICK. The pay phone goes dead.
COACH
Son of a --
(deep breath, soothing)
In with anger, out with love.
Further into the bar, a man in a wheelchair loads a quarter
into an old jukebox, but he is instantly pushed away by Bozo.
Freeze on him.
NAME: PARA
AGE: 29
OCCUPATION: FIREWORKS DEALER
COMIC BOOK COLLECTION: RIDICULOUSLY HUGE
LIFE EXPECTANCY: THEY WOULDN'T KILL A CRIPPLE... WOULD THEY?
Bozo's tank-top reads, "ONLY COOL CHICKS CAN DO ME."
PARA
(rolling away)
Hey...
BOZO
Shut up, fag.
Bozo punches in his selection. EDGY CAT (34, samurai pony
tail, don't you dare call him an alcoholic) stands by the
bar's POOL TABLE powdering his cue.
EDGY CAT
(to Bozo)
You're late!
BOZO
Don't dilly-dally then. Rack 'em!
The CD spins and an 1980s heavy metal classic KICKS IN.
Bozo, mouthing the lyrics, struts away.
NOTE: Music plays over all the bar sequences.
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - We continue to run. Rapid breathing.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Beer Guy (kinda handsome... just kinda) sets a keg of beer
behind the bar. Freeze on him.
NAME: BEER GUY
AGE: 32
OCCUPATION: BEER GUY/PART-TIME HOST AT RED LOBSTER
LIFE EXPECTANCY: WIMPS AND DORKS ARE THE FIRST TO GO... HE'S
BOTH
He talks with BARTENDER (thinning hair, chiseled face, big
earring) who preps a drink.
BEER GUY
I mean, we'd been together for so
long and then... bang! She drops me.
Since then, it's been like a damn
country song: she's gone, the car's
repossessed, and a father figure
made a pass at me. I'm not saying I
ever had it. But I have definitely
lost it.
(beat)
Now I haul this swill from armpit to
armpit. I used to be a model for
Christ's sake.
Coach has been eavesdropping on Beer Guy and approaches.
COACH
For what, may I ask?
BEER GUY
JC Penny. Spring wear.
Beer Guy then mimics throwing a sport coat over his shoulder
and delivering his "model" cheese smile.
COACH
You know, Chach, catching you at
this low point is pure serendipity.
BEER GUY
Why is that?
COACH
Because I take the rubble of man and
build superstars. In my briefcase
here is a doorway to a self-help
sensation. Give me a minute, because
I'd like to buy you a drink and change
your life forever. I have a brochure --
BARTENDER
Save it. We don't deal in pamphlets
'round here. We stick to chemistry.
And his drinks are on me.
Bartender puts a shot in front of Beer Guy. Behind him, a
mounted DEER HEAD is prominently displayed. Freeze on him.
NAME: BARTENDER
AGE: 50
OCCUPATION: BARTENDER
FUN FACT: SHOT 4 TIMES, STABBED 6 TIMES, BIT BY 1 SQUIRREL
LIFE EXPECTANCY: READY TO WEAR
With Coach stumped, Bartender turns to Beer Guy.
BARTENDER
Was that the last keg?
BEER GUY
Yup, one keg of Beast for the
basement, then the truck's dry.
BARTENDER
If you're stayin', move the truck,
boss gets pissed about you using
primo parking.
Beer Guy downs his shot and hoists the lone keg into the
waiting keg elevator.
BEER GUY
Right, 'cause this joint's hopping.
He hits a button and the keg slowly lowers to the basement.
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - We jump over a bush and crash in the dusty earth.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
A glass of beer slides down the bar. A hand GRABS it and
puts it on a tray. The woman is pretty though haggard, stained
apron and dirty blond hair. Freeze on her.
NAME: TUFFY
AGE: 25
OCCUPATION: CAREER WAITRESS
FUN FACT: SERVED 100 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR ILLEGAL
DUMPING OF MANURE... IN EX-HUSBAND'S CAR
LIFE EXPECTANCY: BADASS-IN-WAITING
Tuffy carries the tray toward a table. She passes a TV mounted
on the wall.
ON TV: A NEWSCASTER, dressed in a coat and tie, talks.
NEWSCASTER
...the search for the missing
protesters will be further complicated
by the unstable conditions of these
deep tunnels. Thus far, no sign of
life has been detected, yet town
officials are still optimistic.
Newscaster spins and an ECLIPSE GRAPHIC appears on screen.
NEWSCASTER
On a brighter note, or should I say
a darker note, tomorrow's solar
eclipse will bring out adults and
children alike for a citywide fair
of this metrological event. Stay
tuned for our man on the street to
take a closer look...
INT. BAR -- BASEMENT -- NIGHT
Beer Guy pulls the keg from the elevator and places it next
to other kegs. A faint conversation brews behind a curtain.
BOSS MAN (paunchy, sweaty, ugly) and ROADIE (English accent,
light hair, leather skin, thin build) talk shop.
BOSS MAN (O.S.)
Listen, bud. I got a load ready to
move and your man's not here.
ROADIE (O.S.)
He's coming. Relax. And if he doesn't
show --
BOSS MAN (O.S.)
We got a problem.
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - We are trucking... labored breathing...
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Tuffy moves to a table where ADULTERER (bushy mustache,
sweater vest, dress shirt) sits with TRAMPY (designer glasses,
hair pulled back, tight blue business suit, closet tramp).
Freeze on Trampy.
NAME: TRAMPY
AGE: 19
OCCUPATION: BANK TELLER
MOTTO: THE SHORTER THE SKIRT, THE HIGHER THE RAISE
LIFE EXPECTANCY: BETTER THAN ADULTERER
TRAMPY
He said there was no reason I had to
stay a teller and that if I did good
work and didn't mess up, I could
become an assistant manager within
three years.
(pause)
Can you believe that?
ADULTERER
That sounds great.
Freeze on him.
NAME: ADULTERER
AGE: 36
OCCUPATION: HIGH SCHOOL P.E. INSTRUCTOR
NICKNAME: DR. BLUMPKIN
GENITALS: SHAVED
LIFE EXPECTANCY: WORSE THAN TRAMPY
Adulterer reaches into his pocket to pay the tab, but he
inadvertently pulls out his hidden WEDDING RING.
TRAMPY
That sounds like bullshit! I could
be an assistant manager at The Lake
Arrowhead Casino for knowing the
fuckin' alphabet to G! I'll be twenty
in three months...
The damning wedding band falls and bounces. As it rolls,
Tuffy, Trampy and Adulterer watch.
The ring stops, standing still on its side.
Trampy seethes as she chooses which obscenity to deliver.
Adulterer slides a wad of cash to Tuffy.
ADULTERER
Just bring the whole bottle.
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - Sprinting and wheezing. The bar lights are ahead.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Tuffy walks back over to the bar adding Adulterer's cash to
a fat roll of money. BELLE (stringy blond hair, cute face,
brand-spanking new employee) looks up with surprise.
Freeze on her.
NAME: BELLE
AGE: 21
OCCUPATION: WAITRESS
GOAL: PLAY BELLE IN STAGE VERSION OF "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST"
LIFE EXPECTANCY: SAME ODDS AS PLAYING BELLE IN STAGE VERSION
OF "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST"
BELLE
If I could made that kind of money,
I'd be in Hollywood next week.
Boss Man walks by and nods to Tuffy, making his way to the
rickety side-staircase to the SECOND FLOOR. Tuffy grinds her
teeth and moves to the staircase.
TUFFY
'Round here, there are ways.
Boss Man winks at Belle. Pure sleaze.
Freeze on him.
NAME: BOSS MAN
AGE: 47
OCCUPATION: BAR OWNER
MOTTO: IF THERE'S GRASS IN THE FIELD, PLAY BALL
LIFE EXPECTANCY: REGULAR OR EXTRA-CRISPY?
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - Running, approaching the distant bar...
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Bozo looks grimly at a pile of CASH on the ledge of the pool
table. Edgy Cat sinks the eighth shot of a NINE BALL game.
EDGY CAT
That cash is gonna look much better
in my pocket.
BOZO
(re: mounted head)
Ya know, that deer only looks scared
when you're in the room.
Para rolls up behind Edgy.
PARA
Excuse me, please.
EDGY CAT
Jesus!
Edgy looks to Para, distracted. Bozo quickly replaces the
WHITE CUE BALL with one hidden in his waistline.
EXT. BAR -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - The bar's a quarter mile away.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Para's chair back aims at the pool table pocket of which
Edgy Cat is lining up for the winning shot.
EDGY CAT
That's all she wrote...
SMACK! The nine ball sinks in the pocket, the cue ball
ricochets away as intended.
Para flips a switch under his wheelchair's arm rest. The cue
ball strays ODDLY into the pocket near Para. Scratch.
EDGY CAT
What?!
BOZO
Ohhh, now that's a rough one.
EDGY CAT
That's motherfuckin' impossible!
BOZO
(crude Oriental accent)
Yoh anga will be yoh downfah. Go
again?
EDGY CAT
Goddamn it! NO!
BOZO
Oh, come on. Crape Diem!
Bozo takes the cash from the table. Edgy Cat sulks away
cursing to himself and moves to the bar.
Roadie looks on, sipping a beer.
Freeze on Roadie.
NAME: ROADIE
AGE: 38
OCCUPATION: BAND ROADIE
FUN FACT: TOURED WITH BON JOVI... SLIPPERY WHEN WET ERA
LIFE EXPECTANCY: A FEW DOG YEARS
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - Still running. The bar is getting closer.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Bozo HITS the table of GRANDPA (elderly, white hair, bushy
white mustache) and GRANDMA (curly white hair, glasses).
Freeze on them.
NAMES: GRANDPA AND GRANDMA
AGES: 88 AND 86
OCCUPATION: RETIRED
FUN FACT: BEEN TOGETHER SINCE THE DEPRESSION
LIFE EXPECTANCY: THEY DON'T BUY GREEN BANANAS
BOZO
Wake up! Check your pants!
GRANDPA
Get outta here.
BOZO
(mocking)
What's that? Wha'cha say? Huh?
(to Grandma)
How much for the whole night, Grandma?
GRANDMA
You should be so lucky.
GRANDPA
(re: his fists)
This one will stun ya, but this one
will put ya to sleep.
BOZO
Whoa!
Bozo approaches OLD VET (52, long hair with bandanna, dirty
beard) HARLEY MOM, (45, bruiser, grizzled, tough as a saddle)
and DRUNK GUY at the bar. The sad trio toss peanut shells
into three nearby tall, fat peanut barrels.
BOZO
You boys wanna try your luck at the
loot?
Harley mom is offended. Not a word from the others.
BOZO
Come on, I'll even throw with my
left hand.
He turns in disappointment.
BOZO
Nothin' but a bunch of butts and
pussies in here!
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - The bar is close -- we leap a ditch.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
KRASH! Belle DROPS a tray full of drinks behind the bar.
BELLE
Shit! Shit! Shit!
BARTENDER
Don't sweat it, just clean it up
before he's done.
He points up to the second floor.
INT. BAR -- SECOND FLOOR -- NIGHT
Tuffy's son CODY (7, innocent, cute) sits on the floor
watching TV. Freeze on him.
NAME: CODY
AGE: 7
OCCUPATION: TAX BREAK
LIFE EXPECTANCY: A WONDERFUL, FULL LIFE
Tuffy puts headphones over his ears.
TUFFY
Keep these on, sweetheart.
CODY
Mommy, I want Nemo.
TUFFY
Mommy's working on it.
Tuffy kisses him and then moves to an adjacent room.
ADJACENT ROOM
Tuffy enters the room and takes off her blouse exposing her
breasts. She pulls up her skirt and bends over a bedpost.
TUFFY
Let's get this over with.
Boss Man walks up naked, except for red cowboy boots.
BOSS MAN
I love a woman with enthusiasm.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Bozo walks to the middle of the room.
BOZO
I got two hundred bucks says none of
you can beat me!
BARTENDER
Hey! Get quiet or get out.
BOZO
C'mon guys --
EXT. BAR -- NIGHT
P.O.V. - Hurtling toward the double doors and --
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
BOZO
Gimme some ACTION --
BOOM! The double doors to the bar are kicked open by HERO
(30s, rugged alpha man built to kick ass).
KRASH! Belle DROPS a second tray of drinks --
MUSIC CUTS OUT
Hero is scraped, bruised and bloodied. He is dressed in blue
denim and holds a RUST-RED SHOTGUN and GUNNY SACK.
He SLAMS the double doors shut and props a chair against the
handles, securing them.
HERO
Unless you people want to die you'll
do what I say and you'll do it fast!
Bartender cocks his SHOTGUN.
BARTENDER
You hold it right there, mister.
HERO
A storm of hell's coming down on
this place any minute!
BARTENDER
Drop the canon!
Hero puts down the shotgun and moves towards Bartender.
HERO
I'm not armed now, just hear me out.
BARTENDER
I'll drop you and not even think
about it!
HERO
Let me explain!
BARTENDER
You got one second to --
Hero reveals a drool-dripping, white, GRANDPA BEAST HEAD
from the gunny sack and holds it out and for all to see.
HERO
Take a good look and listen to me!
There's at least a four of these
things out there!
Grandpa Beast's head has large red eyeballs and a mouth full
of jagged, ivory white teeth. It is like an albino jackal
head with spiked hair.
HERO
I saw one of them tear up five men
like they were corn on the cob!
(off silence, shock)
I don't know what they are. I don't
know where they came from. All I do
know is that these fuckers are fast,
nasty, and hungry.
The bar stares at him, slack-jawed.
HERO
And they can fly. Not to mention
they got claws like Ginsu knifes and
more teeth than a chainsaw.
The Bartender lowers his shotgun slightly. Fast as a snake,
Hero GRABS it. He notices the engraving, "THE JUDGE."
HERO
They're like goddamn blood hungry
biker tattoos come to life. They're
clocking us. Right now. And we have
to lock this bar down!
(moving around)
That means doors, windows, drains,
and basements. We have to do it fast!
Hero looks out the lone front window.
HERO
(looks to Belle)
You! Get on that phone. Call the
cops, National Guard, townies, whoever
kicks ass and get 'em out here.
Belle moves to a pay phone at the end of the bar.
HERO
Any questions?
BARTENDER
Who are you?
HERO
I'm the hero --
CRASH! A white Beast arms BURSTS through the window and SPLITS
Hero right down the middle. The Judge FIRES into the ceiling --
SECOND FLOOR
The Judge's blast blows a toe off Boss Man's RIGHT FOOT as
he reaches climax with Tuffy. Boss Man HOLLERS.
MAIN BAR
Hero's right half is JERKED outside through the window.
Blood sprays. Rapid chomping. CRASH! The double doors are
kicked open, splintering the propped up chair.
HEROINE (Native American, rugged, ripped pants, wickedly
hot) rushes in, slams the doors shut and instinctively kicks
up the RUST RED SHOTGUN. She flips it sideways and slides
the metal weapon through the handles of the double doors,
securing them.
BAM! A massive HIT slams into the doors from the outside
sending Heroine SLIDING across the floor.
She SPRINGS to her feet and drives her weight into a table
attempting to hoist it over the now open window.
HEROINE
HELP ME! SOMEBODY!
Old Vet and Harley Mom rush to Heroine's aid. They raise the
table to cover the gaping hole. Heroine looks outside.
HEROINE
GET DOWN!
A BEAST nails the rising table, just missing Heroine's face.
The table falls, pinning Heroine.
JUNIOR BEAST enters. He's small and too fast to see well.
He SWIPES the heads off Old Vet and Harley Mom. Bartender
grabs The Judge, but he's SCRATCHED down the back.
Junior Beast rips out the pay phone. Knocks over the TV.
Yanks out half of Trampy's hair.
Edgy Cat CHARGES the spastic monster with a stool.
EDGY CAT
I got you!
Edgy Cat misses. Junior Beast sends him FLYING into a wall.
BLAM! BLAM! Bartender FIRES The Judge at the creature hitting
lights instead. An errant shot destroys Edgy Cat's face.
Para covers as Junior Beast RIPS the back of his wheelchair.
Roadie WHACKS Junior Beast with a chair. Stunned, it flies
across the room, landing in a metal ICE COOLER.
Bozo SLAMS it closed, capturing Junior Beast.
BOZO
Got 'cha!
EXT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Shadows of THREE SHRIEKING BEASTS close in on the window...
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Bartender runs across the bar and SLAMS shut the thick wood
shutters. The Beasts HIT, cracking the middle.
Roadie power lifts the table with Heroine and braces it
against the window for reinforcement, but a FURRY ARM busts
through and grabs the other half of Hero.
HEROINE
Goddamn you!
Blood starts to SPRAY from outside as the rest of Hero is
being devoured through the smallish hole.
Heroine works a GOLD RING off of Hero's ring finger. The
feeding MOMMA BEAST'S head breaks in through the hole. It
grabs Heroine's left forearm.
Bartender aims The Judge at the Beast...
ROADIE
You'll hit her!
Roadie KNOCKS The Judge up -- BLAM!
SECOND FLOOR
The Judge's shotgun blast blows off another toe on Boss Man's
RIGHT FOOT. He cries out in agony.
MAIN BAR
Heroine spins and buries a splintered piece of the broken
chair into the ATTACKING MOMMA BEAST'S RIGHT EYE. The Beast
SCREECHES and jerks back, dragging the rest of Hero outside.
Heroine clutches the ring. Shrieks and flapping wings are
heard outside. They dissipate. A moment of calm.
Belle timidly holds the receiver of the busted pay phone.
The other patrons emerge from under tables and other hiding
spaces in various states of shock. Junior Beast has
momentarily stopped moving. Bozo secures the lid with a nearby
PADLOCK.
BOZO
What the FUCK was that?
Wild-eyed and with a trembling hand, Heroine pours herself a
shot from the bar. She downs it and takes a long breath.
HEROINE
The jungle has a new king.
Freeze on her.
NAME: HEROINE
AGE: 27
OCCUPATION: SURVIVOR
LIFE EXPECTANCY: HOPEFULLY LONGER THAN THE LAST HERO
CUT TO:
Pan and scan over various NEWSPAPER HEADINGS with pictures
and newsreel footage that read:
"EDWARDS, CALIFORNIA 1940: HIKING CLUB MAULED BY BEARS"
"LOCKHART, CALIFORNIA 1948: BRUSH FIRE DEMOLISHES RURAL
COMMUNITY, DOZENS MISSING"
"HI-VISTA, CALIFORNIA 1956: UNIVERSITY ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG
BURIED IN MINE SHAFT COLLAPSE"
"PEARBLOSSOM, CALIFORNIA 1964: AVALANCHE BLAMED FOR MISSING
HORSEBACK RIDERS"
"SALTDALE, CALIFORNIA 1972: MUDSLIDE CLAIMS LOCAL BROWNIE
TROOP EARNING COURAGE BADGES"
"GARLOCK, CALIFORNIA 1980: ELDERLY TOUR GROUP WASHED AWAY BY
FLASH FLOOD"
"CALTIL, CALIFORNIA 1988: SINKHOLES DEMOLISH A STRING OF
CABINS, SEVERAL FAMILIES PERISH"
"WILSONA GARDENS, CALIFORNIA 1996: GAS LEAK EXPLOSION DESTROYS
HILLSIDE COMMUNITY"
CUT TO:
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
There is a HOLLER at the top of the stairs. Everyone turns.
BOSS MAN
Is it clear?!
BARTENDER
Yeah.
BOSS MAN
Is there a gun pointing at you?
BARTENDER
Nah, I got the gun.
Boss Man hobbles down the stairs with the help of Tuffy. His
foot is a bloody mess. He is holding a .38.
BOSS MAN
Alright goddamn it! Who shot me!?
Who did it!?
Belle and Bartender move to his aid.
BOSS MAN
My goddamn foot is gone! Who fuckin'
shot me? Who fuckin' shot me!?
BARTENDER
(motioning to Heroine)
Her fella.
HEROINE
My husband...
BOSS MAN
Well, where's the sonuvabitch!?
HEROINE
He's dead.
BOSS MAN
What?
(noticing destruction)
What the hell happened down here?!
Boss Man looks to Bozo.
BOZO
I didn't do it! It was fuckin'
monsters, asshole!
BOSS MAN
Jesus Christ on the cross... someone
make sense.
HEROINE
Easy. We're surrounded by something
the likes none of you have ever seen
before. Some kind of animals. Real
fast, volatile, predators. One went
through three of your patrons like
nothing.
BOSS MAN
So, your dead hubby shot me twice,
three of my customers have been eaten,
and there are angry creatures outside?
HEROINE
He only shot you once.
BOSS MAN
Huh?
HEROINE
(re: Bartender)
He shot you the other time.
BARTENDER
It was an accident. Sorry.
Boss Man squints skeptically. Adulterer points to GRANDPA
BEAST'S HEAD on the bar.
ADULTERER
Look at it!
BOSS MAN
Fan-fuckin-tastic.
TUFFY
My god... what is that?
HEROINE
That's one piece of four problems.
BOSS MAN
Please elaborate.
HEROINE
That head over there, that's the
oldest of the bunch, looked like the
Grandpa. We caught the little one,
Junior, in the cooler there. As we've
seen, what he lacks in size he more
than makes up for in speed.
BARTENDER
And the rest of 'em?
HEROINE
Unfortunately, the worst of 'em are
still outside.
NOTE: As Heroine describes each beast, we see a slight glimpse
of their virtues, hidden mainly by shadows and fog.
HEROINE
The next one is taller, but all out
of proportion. Like a "teen beast."
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
TEEN BEAST has a big head and awkward body. He clumsily moves
and seems uncomfortable in his own skin.
HEROINE (V.O.)
He was spastic, clumsy, but deadly
just the same.
INT. BAR FRONT -- NIGHT
Heroine tends to her scratched arm.
HEROINE
I just took the eye out of the mother.
She calculates, guiding the attacks.
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
MOMMA BEAST flashes out from the dark. She's shorter than
Teen, but much wider. She has a big mouth and NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC BOOBS that hang down to her waist. She covers her
stabbed right eye and SCREECHES.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Heroine taps her right eye.
HEROINE
If you are face to face with her,
dive left.
ROADIE
And the last one is the --
HEROINE
Father. The biggest, the strongest...
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- NIGHT
A blur of muscles, bloody fur, and teeth.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
The entire bar stares at Heroine with their mouths agape.
HEROINE
No sign of any weaknesses. No sign
at all. He's an eating machine.
COACH
Of all the friggin' bars to be stuck
in.
HEROINE
That's not it. Four are here, but
there's three others... which I can't
account for.
Heroine eyes the room.
HEROINE
We need to lock this place down. Is
everyone in this room?
TUFFY
Oh my god! My son! My SON!
Tuffy races toward the staircase to the SECOND FLOOR.
HEROINE
Wait!
Tuffy is halfway up the stairs.
TUFFY
Cody! Mommy's coming! Mommy's coming!
HEROINE
Stop her!
BARTENDER
Hey!
SECOND FLOOR
Tuffy BURSTS through the door. Cody sits by the TV, unmoved.
CODY
Mommy --
Tuffy pulls Cody into her arms. Heroine and Bartender halt
to guard the doorway. Heroine spots a SMALL PORTAL WINDOW.
TUFFY
Oh sweetheart! What was I thinking?
Mommy is never gonna let you go!
HEROINE
Let's lock off this room.
TUFFY
(moving to exit)
Never, ever, never. Never, ever,
never, baby. I love you --
SMASH! Papa Beast BURSTS through the portal window and RIPS
Cody's torso from Tuffy's grasp. Tuffy holds his DANGLING
ARMS. Blood sprays everywhere.
TUFFY
NOOOOOOOO!
Papa Beast LUNGES at Tuffy! Bartender SHOOTS, nailing Papa
Beast. He hisses, but can't fit through the small window.
Bartender aims again for a kill shot, but Papa Beast
projectile vomits Cody's remains at Bartender.
Papa Beast retracts out the portal window. Heroine SLAMS the
wood shutters closed.
Tuffy drops Cody's arms. Bug-eyed. She moves, zombie-like,
to the staircase. Bartender follows, covered in Papa Beast's
bile. Heroine locks the staircase door shut.
HEROINE
Damn it.
MAIN BAR
Beer Guy stares at the bile covered Bartender.
BEER GUY
Oh god...
He hands him a towel. Tuffy slowly walks towards the rest of
the patrons. The blood on her face and chest tells them what
happened. The horror hits home.
Heroine eyes the destroyed phone.
COACH
(to Tuffy)
Are you --
Heroine puts a hand up to silence Coach.
HEROINE
Just let her be... please.
(beat)
Is that the only phone?
Bartender emerges from the back holding a mess of plastic
and wires.
BARTENDER
The back phone is wrecked, too.
Trampy's eyes light up and she digs through her purse.
BELLE
This is really happening. I can't
believe this is really happening.
Grandpa and Grandma have calmly re-taken their seats.
GRANDPA
What'd you say?
GRANDMA
I didn't say anything.
Bartender hesitantly tosses a wash towel over the Grandpa
Beast head at the end of the bar.
Para is awkwardly trying to fix the back of his wheelchair.
Belle moves over to help and sees a mess of wires coming
from the wheelchair's back rest.
PARA
Thank you, but I don't need any help --
BELLE
What's this? A power magnet or
something?
PARA
No. It's nothing.
Belle puts together his scam with a smirk.
BELLE
I didn't peg you for a con man.
PARA
Hey, it pays more than the couch.
BELLE
Lots of stuff around here does.
Trampy pulls out a CELLULAR PHONE from her purse.
TRAMPY
Here!
The group looks over. Adulterer GRABS it.
TRAMPY
Hey!
ADULTERER
Back off!
Beer Guy walks from behind the bar.
BEER GUY
So, what now? Did those things leave?
BOZO
Why don't you go check it out?
BEER GUY
Fuck no.
ADULTERER
(into cell phone)
I have a signal! I have -- Diane?
Diane listen to me... get the kids
and get in the basement... do it
right now...
Trampy stares with grief in her eyes.
ADULTERER
I'll explain later. Not now! I'm at
a bar... look... shut up! JUST SHUT
UP AND GET IN THE FUCKING BASEMENT,
DIANE! Diane! Diane?... Hello? Damn
it! I lost the signal!
Adulterer looks at the phone a bit dazed.
ADULTERER
Okay. Okay. Look now, I gotta get
outta here! I gotta go! My wife...
See my wife is alone... She could be
in trouble. I GOTTA GO!
He moves towards the front door. Heroine moves into his path.
HEROINE
I wouldn't do that.
Adulterer, violently grabs Heroine to shove her away.
ADULTERER
Fuck you, bitch!
Heroine nails Adulterer with THREE HITS to the chin, throat
and chest, flipping him to the floor. She pulls a KNIFE from
her belt buckle and has it under Adulterer's chin.
HEROINE
You can risk your life, but not mine!
My daughter's no more than twenty
miles from here waiting for me. I
have just as much reason to leave
this place as you do. But I also
know that if they're here, then
they're not there yet.
Adulterer squirms.
HEROINE
You understand me?
ADULTERER
Get the fuck off...
HEROINE
You understand me!?
ADULTERER
Yes!
HEROINE
Now pull that tough boy shit again
and I'll slice you from neck to nuts!
Adulterer nods obediently. Heroine removes the knife from
his neck and plants it back into her buckle.
ADULTERER
You can't keep me here. This is
bullshit. Fuckin' bullshit. This is
fucking BULLSHIT!
HEROINE
We can't risk letting them in.
ADULTERER
(trembling, pissed)
Right.
Adulterer takes his seat. He looks over at the half bald
Trampy. She looks at him, hurt.
At the bar, Bozo puts the TV back into place, he jiggles
with some wires in the back, bringing back the picture.
BOZO
Anything?
PARA
Yeah, you got it.
The bar takes notice. Trampy, cell phone in hand, paws through
a phone book as she watches the broadcast.
BELLE
See! This has to be isolated. That's
a local broadcast.
ON TV: The Newscaster reads the teleprompter.
NEWSCASTER
And now, we head to our man on the
scene with a live look at tomorrow's
event in Red Mountain.
Heroine eagerly looks on, moving closer to the TV.
HEROINE
My daughter's in Red Mountain.
ON TV: There is an awkward pause from the Newscaster. The
broadcast doesn't cut to the reporter.
NEWSCASTER
Can you hear us? Apparently we're
having some technical difficulties...
Heroine sinks in her skin.
HEROINE
Oh no.
NEWSCASTER
Oh, there we go!
ON TV: A REPORTER, in an even worse suit, stands in a field
with several people looking through telescopes.
REPORTER
That's right, the crowds are lining
up early to witness tomorrow's
meteorological phenomenon.
Heroine sighs a gust of relief.
REPORTER
But always remember, don't look
straight into the sun because a
special filter is needed to avoid
damaging your cornea.
The Reporter beams.
REPORTER
And we're all looking forward to it
tomorrow. Back to you.
In the studio, the Newscaster smirks.
NEWSCASTER
Thank you. And in other news...
Roadie points to the TV.
ROADIE
That studio's local, we can call in.
BOSS MAN
I have a short wave radio upstairs.
Trampy is already dialing on the cell.
TRAMPY
I'm calling them... it's ringing!
ROADIE
They'd have a police scanner.
TRAMPY
(into cell)
Hello? Yes, we're at the United --
ON TV: the Newscaster continues his routine.
NEWSCASTER
...it has been reported that the
power outage --
A Beast arm REACHES in and TEARS off Newscaster's jaw. The
bar gasps in horror as his blood sprays. ZAP! The broadcast
cuts out, turning to static.
Trampy screams and DROPS the cell, SHATTERING on impact.
TRAMPY
Oh no! Oh fucking no!
Heroine, tense, quells the rising panic.
HEROINE
Keep it together! I came from the
east. That studio is south of here.
For all we know, north and west are
okay.
ROADIE
An associate of mine was coming in
from the north, ain't heard a word
from him in hours.
HEROINE
So, that leaves the west.
Tuffy looks up from a booth, clearing her throat.
TUFFY
And Red Mountain. Your daughter.
Heroine looks over, making eye contact.
HEROINE
Right.
BEER GUY
This is goddamn depressing.
At the door, Heroine slides a thick metal pole through the
double door handles and takes out the Rust Red shotgun.
BOSS MAN
I've got some tools and extra planks
in the kitchen, if we're on the same
page here.
HEROINE
Let's work.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
The last board is hammered into place as the survivors back
away from the now re-enforced bar.
BARTENDER
We'll it ain't pretty...
BOSS MAN
But its got teeth.
BAM-BAM-BAM! Junior Beast bangs around in the ice cooler.
BOZO
I think it's hungry again.
HEROINE
We have to kill it.
(to Boss Man)
Can you help?
Boss Man hobbles over to the cooler and aims his .38. Junior
Beast goes wild, trying to get out.
BOSS MAN
Fire in the hole!
Bullets rip through the cooler. Junior squeals. More shots.
Casings hit the ground. Smoke rises. Bozo leans in.
BOZO
I think we got --
RAH! A tiny white arm fires out from the cooler GRABBING
Bozo's leg. Bozo yelps.
Moving quick, Tuffy grabs The Judge from Bartender and shoves
the barrel into a hole.
BLAM! Guts splatter. Bozo falls back unscathed. He catches
his breath and looks to Tuffy. She is born again, seething.
TUFFY
You're welcome.
She hands the shotgun back to Bartender.
TRAMPY
Jesus, it took all that? All those
bullets? How can we possibly fight
off the others?
HEROINE
Aim for their orifices. Eyes, ears
and mouth. From what I've seen, it's
their only weakness.
ROADIE
(looking at the corpse)
Looks like they're soft on the inside
like any other animal. Trick is to
get in there and do the damage.
BELLE
Maybe we don't have to fight them.
BOZO
Right, let's just call 'em names.
Coach steps forward, poised to make the sale.
COACH
Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have
your attention.
The bar skeptically eyes the large, sweaty Greek man.
COACH
We have to think outside the box
here. We don't need to fight them,
we need to scare them. Scare them
right back. This is a species stand-
off. We just need to show them we're
not vulnerable. That we're formidable.
ADULTERER
How?
COACH
I need a stick.
Bartender opens the cooler's lid and carefully pulls out
Junior Beast with salad tongs. It falls to the floor with a
SPLAT. Coach grabs a splintered broomstick.
COACH
Stand back.
He buries the broomstick into Junior's side and carries the
limp carcass towards a covered hole in the wall.
COACH
Let's get that board down.
Roadie pries off a board to reveal a pumpkin sized hole.
HEROINE
What are you doing?
Coach shoves Junior's mangled body through to the outside.
COACH
Showing superiority. The scent of
their dead may drive them away.
The whole bar moves to the side wall to see how the Beast
family will react. They look through SMALL HOLES, barely
able to see anything.
BEER GUY
I don't see them.
COACH
Come on. Come onnnnnn.
BELLE
Is there a call, or something?
BOZO
See that you monkey fucks! That's
what you get when you mess with us!
Woman or man, I don't give a fuck!
Shit don't make me gay because you'll
be sucking my dick!
Bozo's insult hangs in the air.
PARA
Sweet...
P.O.V - THROUGH SMALL HOLES
WHOOSH! Junior is swiped from the handmade pike.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Coach jerks back. The startled group tries to focus, but
it's too dark outside. With the moon as the only light, Father
Beast can barely be made out cradling his dead child.
Silhouettes of the other family members slowly approach
Junior. Papa Beast is gentle and it's almost endearing.
BEER GUY
It's working. I think it's working.
COACH
You see? What I tell you?
The whole group starts to ease. Then... Papa Beast HOLLERS.
P.O.V. - THROUGH SMALL HOLES
Papa Beast lets out a HORRID WAIL. The group jumps back,
covering their ears. Then, something really odd happens.
Momma tosses Junior in the air, opens her wide jaws and
SWALLOWS HIM WHOLE.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Adulterer's eyes widen.
ADULTERER
Good christ! They're cannibals!
COACH
Oh dear...
P.O.V. - THROUGH SMALL HOLES
Papa Beast moves behind Momma Beast and grabs hold of her.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
A steady "thud-thud-thud" rhythm vibrates the bar. Grandpa's
drink starts to hop to edge of his table with the beats. The
group maneuvers to get a better look.
TRAMPY
Oh... my... god.
PARA
What are they doing now?
P.O.V. - THROUGH SMALL HOLES
Yes, Momma Beast and Papa Beast are having MONSTER SEX.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
BOZO
Dude, they're humpin'!
P.O.V. - THROUGH SMALL HOLES
Unlike humans, Papa Beast finishes and the birth cycle lasts
all of thirty seconds. Momma Beast's belly balloons up and
she squats. POP! A SLIMY OBJECT the size and shape of a vacuum
cleaner drops from her.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Trampy VOMITS.
P.O.V. - THROUGH SMALL HOLES
The slimy object SPLITS in half. The two halves spring
appendages and raise their heads. The TWIN SISTER BEASTS
have been born.
Papa moves forward and cleans off his new baby girls. The
Beast Girls look at the bar and hiss in unison.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Heroine's eyes bulge.
HEROINE
Get back!
SLAM-SLAM! The two hissing Beast Girls strike the bar front.
Roadie shoves that board back over the hole. Beer Guy is
holding back the still heaving Trampy's hair.
BOZO
Any more ideas, Animal Planet?
COACH
I-I-I was just being proactive...
BEER GUY
(to Bozo)
Hey, you weren't helpin'!
BOZO
Go douche.
BARTENDER
What the hell now?
ADULTERER
We're stuck in here. That's what.
Bozo pops open a beer off the back of Para's wheelchair.
Roadie nods to Grandpapa Beast's head on the end of the bar.
ROADIE
Hey, Miss?
Heroine turns.
ROADIE
If you don't mind me asking, how did
you run into these things?
BOSS MAN
More importantly, how did you run
away from these things?
HEROINE
Well, it all started about forty
hours ago...
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- EVENING
The orange sun melts into the horizon.
INT. FARMHOUSE -- CONTINUOUS
Hero and his overweight friend TUBBS (35, hard living career
farm hand) laugh at a TV show while Heroine paces on the
telephone in the background.
HEROINE
(into phone)
So, how is staying with Grandma
working out? Ya know, if you stare
into her glasses, you can see what
cards she is holding. But I didn't
tell you that.
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- CONTINUOUS
There's a home on the horizon with a big barn next to it.
Shrieking and flapping grows in the distance.
INT. FARMHOUSE -- CONTINUOUS
Heroine starts to peek out of the window.
HEROINE
Mommy will pick you up tomorrow night,
okay baby?
The phone cuts out.
HEROINE
Hello? Charlie?
Heroine and Hero look at each other with concern. Hero looks
out the window.
HERO
Holy mother of...
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Heroine has the group mesmerized.
HEROINE
We barricaded ourselves in the cellar.
Then it was just listening. We heard
those things destroy an entire heard
of livestock. They just kept coming.
Closer and closer, consuming anything
in the way. Slashing, feeding and
licking the bones clean. Just when
we said our prayers, the first ray
of sun hit the house...
EXT. FARMHOUSE -- MORNING
PLOP! A HORSE'S HEAD falls as Heroine and her companions
peek out from the damaged cellar door.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
HEROINE
That first beam of sunlight drove
'em away. Somewhere. We called who
we could and then decided to run for
it. We didn't see a soul the whole
drive out. When the tank went dry,
we came upon a gas station to refill.
EXT. PRAIRIE LAND -- LATE DAY
The sun is falling into the horizon. The traveler's CAMARO
pulls into a small gas station
EXT. GAS STATION -- CONTINUOUS
Heroine goes up to the service window with Tubbs and looks
inside. Nobody. There is a slight BUZZING from inside.
Hero hollers from the fuel pump by the car.
HERO
What's goin' on? The pumps are off.
TUBBS
There's nobody here --
She follows the buzzing sound to a corner of the room. There
is a swarm of black flies crawling over half a STATION
ATTENDANT'S gutted torso.
HEROINE
They've been here!
HERO
Turn on the pump!
Glass shatters as Heroine reaches inside to turn on the pumps.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
HEROINE
We had no time. All we knew was the
sun was dropping and we had to get
enough fuel to make it through the
night at 90 miles per hour...
EXT. GAS STATION -- LATE DAY
Hero fills their Camaro.
HERO
Suck it down you metal bitch. Suck
it down.
INT. GAS STATION -- CONTINUOUS
Heroine and Tubbs hastily grabs food and drinks, ignoring
the cash register completely. The sun is setting.
EXT. GAS STATION -- CONTINUOUS
Hero turns as a shrill HISSING comes from the shadows...
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
HEROINE
It happened fast...
EXT. GAS STATION -- LATE DAY
Heroine and Tubbs emerge from the gas station shop.
HERO
Move it!
Heroine and Tubbs hear the growing cries of the Beasts.
Their loot hits the pavement as they run.
HERO
Get in the car, baby.
Hero drops the spilling gas nozzle. Tubbs slides into the
back as Heroine jumps into the driver's seat.
Hero runs over the top of the Camaro and slides into the
sunroof. He grabs a rifle and aims toward the leaking gas
pool. Something rises in the gas station.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
HEROINE
That's when I saw three others...
just for a second.
EXT. GAS STATION -- SUNSET
Three lean, muscular shapes rise from the shadows.
HERO
Roll!
Heroine fires up the car and tears out. Hero shoots and the
station becomes a FIREBALL.
INT. CAMARO -- CONTINUOUS
HEROINE
Close the roof!
Hero lowers into the back seat and starts to close the roof
as STRIPPED COUSIN BEAST lands on top of the car...
HERO
Shit!
Stripped Cousin Beast PUNCHES through the back window,
reaching for them. Heroine jerks the wheel.
The car 180's and the Beast sails off of the car into
darkness. The Camaro tears down a tangent dirt road.
HERO
We made it!
Hero reaches back to give a "five" to Tubbs. Tubbs doesn't
respond. Heroine is the first to see Tubbs' quivering,
HEADLESS body in the back seat.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Heroine stands near Grandpa Beast's head.
HEROINE
It must have smelled the blood or
something. We buried the body and
got back on the main road when...
INT. CAMARO -- NIGHT
BOOM! Grandpa Beast LANDS on the front hood of the Camaro.
Heroine and Hero SCREAM and rev the engine, swerving madly
as Grandpa Beast VOMITS on the windshield.
HERO
Break!
Heroine slams on the breaks. Grandpa Beast slides back,
holding onto the grill.
HERO
Go! Go! Go!
Grandpa Beast tears into the engine through the grill as
sparks and smoke shoot out. Heroine jerks the steering wheel.
HERO
Look out!
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
HEROINE
And that's how I ended up here.
BARTENDER
And the head?
INT. CAMARO -- NIGHT
The car crashes into a ditch, DECAPITATING Grandpa Beast.
His head FIRES through the windshield, landing on Heroine's
lap. Its snake-like tongue lashes out at Heroine's crotch.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
HEROINE
I don't want to talk about that.
BARTENDER
So, your husband ditched you?
HEROINE
No. It was wild out there. No time
to think. We just moved. He didn't
leave me. He just ran.
BARTENDER
Well, justice is funny.
Para wheels over to a COUNTY MAP on the side wall.
ROADIE
The three from the gas pump are over
at the TV station? And you say there's
four here, huh?
HEROINE
It appears so.
COACH
There's five here now, actually.
BOZO
Yeah, thanks for that.
PARA
(to Heroine)
Hey, you lived on a farm, right?
HEROINE
Yeah.
ADULTERER
Do you think they're gone? I haven't
heard anything for a while, maybe
they're gone.
BELLE
Well, maybe they migrate?
HEROINE
As long as it's dark, they're around.
They hide, wait for you to drop your
guard, and then attack.
TRAMPY
How can you be so sure? You said
yourself this started a day ago.
HEROINE
We learned fast.
BOZO
We? We learned fast? You are all
that is left of we. No offense
Pocohantas, but I think someone else
should play "Chief" tonight. Someone
that knows the lay of the land.
(beat)
Like me.
HEROINE
Fine.
Para stares intently at the map. Adulterer moves over to the
window that has shutters over it, peeking through a hole.
ADULTERER
Maybe these things are like locusts
or something and only come out for a
few days to feed. This could just be
a part of their life cycle.
BELLE
Somebody's gotta know something about
these things. This stuff just doesn't
happen out of the blue.
The room is silent. Bozo looks around, quickly moving towards
Grandpa and Grandma.
BOZO
You!
GRANDPA
Wha?
BOZO
You gotta know somethin', you're
old.
GRANDPA
I don't know a thing.
BOZO
Old people know stuff like this.
Legends, tall tales, shit like that.
GRANDPA
No!
BOZO
Spill it!
GRANDPA
I don't know anything!
BOZO
(to Grandma)
How 'bout you? Or do I have to get
rough?
GRANDMA
Heavens no!
BOZO
Come on! Think back!
GRANDPA
If I throw a stick, will you go away?
BOZO
That's just horse shit.
HEROINE
Relax, they don't know anything.
BOZO
Yeah... allegedly.
Bozo saunters off.
PARA
(to Heroine)
Hey, where was your farm?
HEROINE
(points to map)
East. Why?
PARA
Did you ever slaughter? Slaughter
livestock?
HEROINE
Previous owners did, I think.
COACH
What are you talking about?
PARA
Slaughterhouse run-off used to be
drained into piping that ran through
the mountains.
Para points along the map as he explains.
PARA
Earthquakes often cracked the piping
and those flow lines were condemned,
but never drained.
COACH
Cheese n' rice...
TRAMPY
I still don't get it.
PARA
What I am saying is... there's a
distinct possibility that what we
are up against is the result of steady
stream of blood and tissue that has
been leaking into the caves. And a
day ago... something broke out.
The group is silent.
BOZO
The first order of business is gettin'
a big fuckin' tampon in that cave!
PARA
Nope, that wouldn't do it.
FROM ADULTERER'S P.O.V. - He peeks out the hole and sees
nothing but the dark night. Bartender eyes him.
BARTENDER
I wouldn't do that.
BOZO
They're probably on to the next buffet
by now. There's a retirement home up
the road, they'd be easy pickings.
HEROINE
(to Adulterer)
Careful.
ADULTERER
I'm telling you, I don't see a thing --
BOINK! Papa Beast's claw POKES into his eye. Adulterer JERKS
away holding his blood squirting eye socket.
FROM OUTSIDE
P.O.V. - The eye sees its owner stumble back and fall to
the floor holding his face.
INSIDE
Coach and Trampy move to help Adulterer.
FROM OUTSIDE
The eyeball fires into Papa's drooling mega-mouth. SLURP!
INSIDE
BASH! A Beast arm BURSTS through the side wall and SNAGS
Coach's pants and boxers. He screams and lunges forward. He
is BOTTOMLESS.
HEROINE
Everyone stay in the middle of the
room! Off the walls! NOW!
Everyone obeys her command to get in the middle of the room.
Belle hands Coach a little menu to cover himself with.
HEROINE
Now, does everyone agree that they
are still out there?
The group nods.
HEROINE
(to Bozo)
'Eh, Chief?
BOZO
...Duh.
Trampy holds Adulterer's wounded head.
TRAMPY
He's out cold.
BELLE
I know some first aid if we have a
kit. Do we?
BOSS MAN
In the kitchen, under the sink.
HEROINE
No one goes anywhere alone. Least of
all, unarmed.
TUFFY
(to Coach)
There's some sweats in my bag behind
the bar.
COACH
Thanks.
Coach heads to the bar. Roadie moves to the map near Para.
ROADIE
You're a clever man.
(re: Bozo)
Why do you take shit from him?
PARA
Yeah, he's an ass, but he's my
brother. Que sera-sera.
ROADIE
Your brother, huh?
PARA
Yep.
ROADIE
Same parents?
PARA
Look man, I read books. He reads
bumper stickers.
Roadie nods. Heroine jerks a bottle of booze from Beer Guy
and tosses it out.
HEROINE
Alright, we need to stay alert and
for everyone to take a role.
(to Boss Man)
You gotta have some guns or weapons
around here.
Boss Man, pale and morphine pumped, sits at a table with his
foot raised.
BOSS MAN
I got my .38 here. That's six shots
and two refills. Downstairs, I have
locker with a sawed-off and some
gardening tools. Maybe a few boxes
of shells.
BARTENDER
I got shells, too. Box and a half
tops. Machete behind the bar.
HEROINE
Okay, well that's something.
ROADIE
So we've got guns, kitchen knives,
pipes, fire and sticks.
Beer Guy scans the stocked bar wall.
BEER GUY
I might be able to do something with
the bottles.
GRANDPA
You're gonna need a whole lot more
than that to get outta here alive.
The crowd turns to face Grandpa and his wife.
BOZO
Oh, now you have something to say?
Grandpa holds on to Grandma's hand as he speaks.
GRANDPA
You young'uns worry about weapons,
I'm thinkin' 'bout strategy.
BOZO
Oh? And what's that?
GRANDPA
Sit still, look less like a meal.
BOZO
That's for bears and sharks, chunky
chew.
The group looks back to Heroine.
HEROINE
Alright, what else do we have? Can
we somehow contact the outside world?
Trampy pensively stays on her fractured phone.
TRAMPY
I can't get anybody. I don't even
know if I have a signal anymore.
BEER GUY
I have a CB in my truck, we could
get some help out here.
BARTENDER
Who the hell would you call?
BEER GUY
Anyone.
BOZO
Do you drive a short beer bus or
something? You go out there, you get
eaten. You stay in here, you get
eaten. Anyone comes to help, they
get eaten. Don't you see a pattern
here, Spuds Makenzie?
BEER GUY
Then I guess we should just give up.
BOZO
(re: Trampy)
Believe me, I'd love to save the day
and get some heroic snatch, but it's
not in the cards, partner.
HEROINE
(to Boss Man)
You said you had a short wave radio.
TRAMPY
Where?
BARTENDER
Upstairs.
BOSS MAN
Go for it. It's by the far wall.
Channel 9 is the emergency frequency.
HEROINE
Good. I'm heading to the basement
for supplies.
(to Bozo)
And you're going upstairs.
Bozo blinks. A little taken aback.
BOZO
Let's not get carried away...
HEROINE
Step up, Chief.
BOZO
So that's how it is?
(hands out)
Fine! Shotgun, please.
Bartender hands him The Judge.
BOZO
(to Bartender)
You're coming with, portly. 'Cause
if I'm attacked, I want a fat man
close by.
BARTENDER
I'll wait by the door.
BOZO
Now who else is comin'?
No one budges.
GRANDPA
(rising from his seat)
I'll go with ya.
BOZO
What are you gonna do? Throw your
teeth at 'em? Sit down, Cocoon.
Bartender moves to the back of the bar, grabbing his machete.
At the same moment, Coach emerges from behind the bar in
very snug, feminine-looking pink sweat pants.
BOZO
You! Zorba! You're coming too!
(to Heroine)
Now gimme the keys.
Heroine tosses the keys to Bartender.
HEROINE
No. You're locked in.
BOZO
What?
HEROINE
Those two will be on the other side
waiting for you. If you become food,
I don't want the only set of keys in
the belly of one of those things.
BOZO
Don't get your hopes up.
Bozo moves to the staircase. There's blood at the bottom and
it gets worse with each step. Bartender and Coach follow.
Heroine turns to the bar.
HEROINE
Any volunteers to head into the
basement with me?
TUFFY
I will.
Tuffy stands, sniffling. She wipes the tears from her eyes,
looking tough and resolute.
BEER GUY
That's not a good idea.
BOSS MAN
With what happened upstairs --
TUFFY
Shut up! Shut your mouth. You have
no idea what is running through me
right now. No idea.
(to Heroine)
I'm ready.
HEROINE
Alright.
ROADIE
Count me in.
BEER GUY
Me too.
Heroine, Tuffy, Roadie, and Beer Guy all move to the basement.
The door creaks open slowly. The group descends.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Bozo slightly slips on the blood. He grips the railing and
pulls himself up the staircase like an old man.
BOZO
Alright you two, I don't want to
hear any of this, "oh, I dropped the
key, wrong key, ain't no key here."
When I want out, I want out, ok?
BARTENDER
(displaying keys)
They're right here.
COACH
We've got your back, bro.
They unlock the door, swinging it open.
BOZO
Just keep 'em handy, ladies.
Bartender has the key in the thick dead bolt, ready to move.
SECOND FLOOR
Bozo hustles in. The door shuts and locks.
BOZO
Wish me luck...
WHAM! Bozo is on the ground.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
BOZO (O.S.)
I'm okay! I'm okay!
SECOND FLOOR
Bozo rises and nervously surveys the damaged floor.
BOZO
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Bozo jumps when he sees the gore and the bloody shoes from
Cody's attack. The TV illuminates the room.
BOZO
Geeezzzus.
(moving gingerly)
Okay, now. Easy steps. Easy breaths.
Easy steps.
MAIN BAR
Belle kneels next to the Boss Man.
BELLE
How are you holding up?
BOSS MAN
Well...
He pulls a bottle out of his pocket and hands it to her.
BELLE
What is this?
BOSS MAN
Morphine. My magic potion. I need a
few drops.
She puts a few drops on his out-stretched tongue.
BOSS MAN
You should try a little, it'll calm
your nerves. Works like a charm.
BELLE
No other time than now, right?
BOSS MAN
Wait, before you do that, help me
move. There's a small room off the
kitchen where I can lay down.
BELLE
But --
BOSS MAN
It's much safer in there. Trust me.
BASEMENT
The basement is dark, dingy and scattered with crap. Dried
out ANIMAL CARCASSES hang from the ceiling on hooks. A WINDOW
is open. Roadie slams it shut, eyeing the room, staring into
the dark corners.
ROADIE
Stay on your toes everybody.
Tuffy tightly grips her weapon, ready to fire. Heroine kneels
next to a hatch door that emits a red glow.
HEROINE
What's this?
Roadie jams a pipe into the little door, bracing it shut.
ROADIE
You don't need to know what that is.
Beer Guy finds the dusty locker and opens it.
BEER GUY
There's a sawed-off shotgun in here.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Bartender and Coach have their ears pressed to the door.
COACH
Come on, bro.
Behind them, through a boarded window, something CRAWLS
upward.
SECOND FLOOR
Bozo moves turtle slow.
BOZO
Lamaze. Lamaze. Lamaze.
He moves to the Boss Man's private room. He puts his hand
out to open it. Trembling, he touches the knob and...
CREEEEEEEEAK! The door eases open. Bozo steps inside the
room. He moves over to a lamp and pulls the chain. A bat
FLIES off the lamp shade SCREECHING. Bozo falls backwards.
BOZO
HAAAA!
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Bartender and Coach jump back.
SECOND FLOOR
Bozo gets off the floor again. He may have filled his pants.
BOZO
Just a bat! I'm okay! Just a bat!
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
BARTENDER
If he doesn't shut up...
COACH
He is human kabob.
SMALL ROOM OFF KITCHEN
The room is like a converted pantry. Boss Man lies on a cot,
kissing Belle. A tiny wall fan spins providing ventilation.
Belle pulls away and brushes back her long hair.
BELLE
Doesn't your foot hurt?
BOSS MAN
I can't feel a thing, Hon.
BELLE
(touching his crotch)
How 'bout now?
BOSS MAN
You're a bad girl, aren't you.
Belle, a bit high, sways and starts to remove her clothes.
BELLE
Um-hmmm.
BOSS MAN
The girl's got rhythm.
She takes off her blouse and tosses it at him. She then lifts
up her skirt and bends over, giggling.
BOSS MAN
There it is.
BASEMENT
Roadie emerges with two crates. He dumps them on the floor.
ROADIE
This is all junk.
Beer Guy holds a rusted machete.
BEER GUY
This could come in handy.
HEROINE
Let's get everything upstairs.
Heroine moves to the stairs, but stops. She grabs Tuffy by
the arm and takes her aside.
HEROINE
I'm sorry.
TUFFY
Don't worry, I'm fine. Really.
HEROINE
I admire your strength.
TUFFY
Trust me, I plan on having a full
breakdown when this is over, but for
now, we all have to be strong, right?
Heroine reaches into her shirt and pulls out an IDENTICAL
LOCKET as Tuffy's. She opens it and displays a picture of a
LITTLE GIRL.
HEROINE
This is my daughter, Charlie. She's
all I'm after.
TUFFY
(fighting back tears)
Oh...
HEROINE
And I'm gonna need your strength,
every bit of it.
TUFFY
You have it.
HEROINE
Good. But still do me a favor.
TUFFY
Name it.
HEROINE
(with a wink)
Don't tell anyone I have a soft side.
TUFFY
(tiny smile)
Deal.
SECOND FLOOR
Bozo turns and points the gun around the room. He sees the
CB. It is like an intercom with a cable running outside. He
drops the shotgun and fidgets with the CB knobs.
BOZO
Hello? Anyone there? We need help
out here at the United Nations Tavern.
Send guns, tanks, and all that shit.
10-4. S.O.S.
All he gets is static. A faint GROWL is heard outside. OUTSIDE
THE DOOR Bartender hears the growl, his eyes grow wide.
SMALL ROOM OFF KITCHEN
Belle rubs her hands over her rounded ass and flicks her
tongue at Boss Man.
BELLE
You wanna see, baby?
BOSS MAN
Hell yeah.
BELLE
How much you got?
BOSS MAN
How much I got, what?
BELLE
How much you got to see the show?
BOSS MAN
You don't understand, sweety. Daddy
doesn't pay. Daddy sees the show for
free. But you do get points for being
horny on a night like this.
She cringes and backs up a little.
BELLE
What?
BOSS MAN
You can't expect a man to buy a car
without a test drive first, can you?
BELLE
Um, hmm --
BOSS MAN
Now wiggle that sweet little ass
over here and sit on Daddy's face, I
wanna do some appraising.
SECOND FLOOR
Bozo barks into the CB.
BOZO
Repeat. We need help. SOS. Calling
all cars! Calling all cars! We need
help at the United Nations Tav --
The CB is JERKED from Bozo's hands and slams into the wall.
BOZO
Shit!
Bozo aims the gun at the wall. Chewing sounds begin.
BOZO
Double shit!
He backs up to the door.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
BOZO (O.S.)
Okay, I'm ready to come out now!
Bartender confidently turns the key. CLICK! It breaks off in
the lock.
BARTENDER
Oh!
SECOND FLOOR
BOZO
"OH!?" WHAT IS "OH?" What does "oh"
mean?
Bozo knocks on the door hard.
BOZO
HEY! OPEN IT!!!
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Bartender looks to Coach.
BARTENDER
Wha?
SECOND FLOOR
BOZO
OPEN THE DOOR!!!
A thunderous CRASH! Boards fly off the wall.
SMALL ROOM OFF KITCHEN
Belle, hearing the crash, jerks back from Boss Man.
BELLE
What was that?
CRASH! Sister Beast #1 and Sister Beast #2 punch through the
tiny wall fan and GRAB Belle by the scalp. She is JERKED
against the wall.
She's slammed against it repeatedly and then -- RIP! Belle's
skin is TORN from her head and torso. Boss Man jumps back.
BOSS MAN
Hoh-SHIT! Help!! Help me!!!
Belle falls into Boss Man's arms for a HIDEOUS KISS.
BOSS MAN
NO! NO! NO!
Boss Man shoves the bloody Belle back against the wall.
Sister Beast #1 pokes her head inside the room, hissing.
MAIN BAR
Heroine and the others, just returning from the basement,
hear the mayhem from upstairs and the kitchen.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Coach fumbles desperately with the jammed lock, trying to
use his fingernails to turn the metal stump.
COACH
Great god, why do you damn me?!
SECOND FLOOR
Bozo bangs on the door and looks over his shoulder at the
Momma and Papa Beast chomping at the wall.
BOZO
GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!
MAIN BAR
The group is mesmerized.
PARA
Oh please, no.
SMALL ROOM OFF KITCHEN
Boss Man uses the cot to block the Sister Beasts from
entering. They hiss and shred the cot fabric.
BOSS MAN
They're getting in! Somebody help!
SECOND FLOOR
Bozo kicks and punches the door.
BOZO
HELP!!! GODDAMN IT!!!
MAIN BAR
Heroine charges up the staircase. Roadie rips the sawed-off
weapon from Beer Guy and runs for the kitchen.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
BARTENDER
The key broke off!
HEROINE
(to Coach)
Move it!
Heroine rips the earring from Bartender's ear. He YELPS. She
jams the backing into the lock.
SMALL ROOM OFF KITCHEN
Boss Man crawls for the door. Sister Beast #1 fires out a
whip-like tongue and snags Boss Man's damaged foot. He howls
in pain. Sister Beast #2 tongue-lasso's his other foot.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Heroine's picking fingers are bleeding from her effort.
BOZO (O.S.)
HELP ME PLEASE!!!
SMALL ROOM OFF KITCHEN
Boss Man is pulled towards the Sister Beasts.
BOSS MAN
HELLLLLP!!!
Roadie kicks open the door and FIRES at the Sisters. They
dive back out of the room screeching.
SECOND FLOOR
BOZO
HELLLLLLLLP!!!
Right behind Bozo, the boards fly off the portal window.
Papa Beast flies at Bozo. Bozo spins and aimlessly FIRES his
shotgun, hitting Papa Beast directly in the groin.
The door flies open. Bozo is YANKED to safety just as Papa
STRIKES the closing door.
MAIN BAR
The patrons track the wild CRASHING and HIGH-PITCHED SHRIEKING
sounds of Papa Beast. He finally breaks out of the upstairs.
Beer Guy and Roadie carry Boss Man into the room as Coach,
Bartender, Heroine and the shaken Bozo creep down the stairs.
Bozo slowly takes a seat in his brother's lap.
PARA
I thought that was it for a second
there.
TRAMPY
What happened?
BOZO
I got Papa in the stones.
(beat)
He's neutered.
PARA
Whoa... good one...
ROADIE
That back room is sealed shut.
Heroine glares at Boss Man.
HEROINE
I told you to stay in the main room.
BOSS MAN
Yeah... I will. I will. Promise.
Coach eyes the group, this is his time to shine.
COACH
(rising, full of brawn)
If they can't reproduce anymore --
we are one step closer! A big step!
Now is the time to band together. We
need to rise up against these monsters
of the night! Those creatures are no
match for the human spirit! We can
do it! We just need to believe in
each other! In all of us! We need to
make a stand! Right here! Right now!
Long silence. Bozo stares.
BOZO
Dude, are you gay?
Coach sits down, humbled.
HEROINE
We know what not to do. We must stay
focused and together. The beasts
will find a breach. We gotta find a
way out before they find a way in.
TUFFY
Let's run for the cars, cause mass
confusion.
BARTENDER
The lot's too damn far, that's
surefire suicide.
The room is silent. Bartender motions to Boss Man, but he is
promptly shushed by Boss Man. Heroine notices.
HEROINE
(to Boss Man)
What?
BOSS MAN
What?
HEROINE
You know what.
BOSS MAN
I don't know shit.
HEROINE
(to Roadie)
You. What was that door downstairs?
BOSS MAN
Wait, wait, wait.
Heroine glares at Roadie.
HEROINE
Don't bullshit me.
BARTENDER
It's a tunnel.
Roadie nods, causing Boss Man to sigh.
BARTENDER
It runs about a hundred yards and
spits out on the backside of that
hill down the way.
HEROINE
What's it for?
They clam up.
HEROINE
What's it for!?
BOSS MAN
Grass, man. I grow pot down there.
HEROINE
Does the tunnel spit out near a car?
BOSS MAN
It spits out behind the parking lot.
BOSS MAN
My truck is near, but it ain't nearly
big enough to haul the whole lot.
HEROINE
It's a shot. Is it gassed up?
BOSS MAN
Fully.
HEROINE
Four door?
BOSS MAN
Two.
HEROINE
How many can it hold?
BOSS MAN
Six.
HEROINE
Max?
BOSS MAN
Seven.
HEROINE
It's gonna fit thirteen.
BOSS MAN
Thirteen clowns wouldn't fit.
HEROINE
(with hand out)
Keys.
ROADIE
What're you planning?
HEROINE
Three of us go. Two to defend, one
to drive. We back up to the bar and
then tear ass out of here.
BOSS MAN
Sounds sketchy.
HEROINE
Let me make this clear; if we stay,
we die.
Boss Man reluctantly pulls out some keys that are on a string
around his neck.
ROADIE
Give 'em to me, I'm going.
BARTENDER
You're trusting that con? He'll ditch
us and never look back.
ROADIE
Fuck you too.
BARTENDER
Get in line!
HEROINE
Hey! I'm not trusting him either,
that's why I'm going with.
Coach stands forward.
COACH
"Courage is being scared to death,
but saddling up anyway."
(off blank stares)
The Duke. I will go.
HEROINE
This is it. They have this place
surrounded, but if we go under them
we might just make it.
BARTENDER
This is a bottleneck waiting to
happen.
SMACK! Bozo SLAPS Coach's ass.
BOZO
This one's great under pressure. I
wish you luck.
HEROINE
The rest of you prepare the weapons,
whatever you got left. 'Cause when
we crash through those walls, we're
bringin' death with us.
Heroine takes The Judge from Bartender and hands it to Coach.
COACH
No, I don't believe in guns.
BARTENDER
This ain't time for a political
stance.
Coach takes the rusty machete from Beer Guy.
COACH
This doesn't run out of ammo.
BARTENDER
Got ya.
Heroine, Roadie, and Coach move to the basement.
BOZO
Hey!
The three look to Bozo, who offers a parting nod.
BOZO
When you get to that truck... drive
it like you stole it.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
At a booth, Trampy re-bandages Adulterer's eye.
TRAMPY
How does it feel?
ADULTERER
Lousy.
TRAMPY
You still have one left.
ADULTERER
Yes, the silver lining.
TRAMPY
It serves you right for cheating.
ADULTERER
Spare me.
TRAMPY
I figure it's karma. You wronged me
and you wronged your wife, so this
is karma biting you on the ass, or
in your case... in the eye.
Bozo moves close, surveying the bandage work.
BOZO
Oh yeah?
TRAMPY
It could be worse, you could be dead.
Then again, the climax is upon us.
BOZO
(re: Trampy's hair)
Ya know, that's not a bad look on
you. Kinda 1985, but not bad. I'd
hook it up.
TRAMPY
I wouldn't fuck you for practice.
BOZO
Tease.
ADULTERER
Leave her alone.
BOZO
Hey, cyclops. Let's have a quiet
contest... starting now.
Bozo turns his attention back to Trampy.
BOZO
Ya know, in situations of duress, I
have found that women are attracted
to my authority.
INT. BAR -- BASEMENT -- CONTINUOUS
Heroine, Roadie, and Coach make their way through the
basement. Creeks and cracks with every step.
ROADIE
(to Heroine)
You handle yourself pretty well. You
a cop or a criminal?
HEROINE
Neither. Just a farmer.
ROADIE
Oh yeah? Then how do you do it?
HEROINE
I just think about my husband and
daughter... and the rest is easy.
The light casts a shadow of something BEHIND THE CURTAIN.
Roadie moves to open the curtain with his sawed-off barrel.
HEROINE
Easy.
WHIP! The curtain slides. It's a dried animal hide on a hook.
They all sigh. Roadie unblocks the tiny door.
Heroine scans the room.
ROADIE
This place is creepy in the daytime,
too. Ready?
Coach's hand shakes as he raises his weapon.
ROADIE
Scared?
COACH
No. You?
ROADIE
Of course not. I fight monsters all
the time.
(gripping the door)
On three.
Roadie, Heroine raise their weapons.
COACH
One... two... three!!!
Roadie whips open the door. Nothing.
BANG-GONG-GONG! Some pipes CRASH to the ground next to them...
they jump, but nothing is there. A LITTLE MOUSE emerges from
the fallen heap.
COACH
Well, look at that.
Coach leans down and puts out his hand. He smiles as Heroine
watches over his shoulder.
COACH
Hey, little fella.
HEROINE
Let's go.
He leaves the mouse and follows Heroine to the tunnel.
SLURP! A pink tongue LASSOS the mouse.
A red fluorescent glow radiates from the tunnel. They all
drop in, one by one, entering the steamy, confined space.
COACH
Looks like a brothel for plants.
ROADIE
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Tuffy stands by a far wall, looking through the planks for
movement. At the bar, Beer Guy makes MOLOTOV COCKTAILS.
Bozo moves close, slaps Beer Guy's constructing hand.
BOZO
Ah-ah-ah! You're doing that all wrong!
BEER GUY
What do you know?
BOZO
I know you're doing it wrong.
BEER GUY
Prove it.
Bozo grabs a cloth rag and moves to the alcohol bottles.
BOZO
Move aside, princess.
INT. TUNNEL -- NIGHT
The tunnel is thin and no more than SIX FEET HIGH. Cherry
red fluorescent lights line the top of the tunnel and kneehigh
marijuana plants are along the ground soil. There are thick
pipes above the plants that work as a makeshift watering
system. There is about six inches of water on the floor.
COACH
(to Roadie)
You and I are similar. We both have
accents. We both travel a lot. We
both don't really have homes...
ROADIE
You should be quiet.
COACH
I am sorry, I ramble when I'm nervous.
HEROINE
Quiet.
Coach bites his lip, dying to say something.
COACH
It's just that this seems like the
opportune time for someone to be
horribly... offed.
ROADIE
What did I say?
COACH
Sorry. I'm done now.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT
Bozo stuffs the cloth rag into one of the bottles.
BOZO
You don't want the rag touching booze,
that way you can hold it and ensure
it explodes when you throw it.
PARA
You sure? I thought the rag had to
touch?
BOZO
I'm sure.
Bozo finishes the Molotov cocktail and grabs a beer.
BOZO
Perfecto. What we should do, though,
is put those peanut barrels to use.
Fill 'em with booze and line up some
planks. If the walls come down... we
hit 'em Donkey Kong style.
Para and Beer Guy eye the three large peanut barrels, perfect
for bomb-making.
PARA
Genius.
BEER GUY
You aren't nearly as dumb as you
look, are you?
BOZO
Next time, look within. Stereotyping
can be ugly and hurtful.
Bozo looks to Trampy, putting an arm around her shoulder.
BOZO
Excuse me for being forward, but I'm
curious about your dimensions.
INT. TUNNEL -- NIGHT
Roadie leads the way and glares at the opposite end. The
tunnel slightly curves, so he can't see the whole way down.
ROADIE
Hold up. You hear something?
A SCRATCHING sound is heard from above.
ROADIE
They're trying to burrow through the
tunnel walls.
HEROINE
Move.
The scratching sound increases, now heard from the far end
of the tunnel as well.
COACH
Like moles these things.
Then, Sister Beast #1 drops into the tunnel from the far
end.
She charges. At the last second, Roadie spots her.
ROADIE
Duck!
Roadie and Coach duck into the water, but Heroine is unable
to avoid a thrust that knocks her back ten yards. Sister
Beast #1 lands and turns, surveying her prey. Roadie aims
his water-dripping gun, but Heroine rises and blocks his
shot.
ROADIE
Stay down!
From her knees, Heroine fires. BLAM-BLAM-BLAM! The three
shots push Sister Beast #1 backwards. Heroine rises, covered
in muddy water and bleeding from a cut across the face.
HEROINE
Go! The bitch is mine!
Roadie and Coach reluctantly turn, leaving Heroine to fend
with the Beast.
Heroine charges. Hissing, Sister Beast #1 charges as well.
Heroine pumps and fires. BOOM! Sister Beast spins, avoiding
the shot. Now too close, Heroine jams the Beast in the mouth
with the gun, knocking her back.
Sister Beast #1 responds with a swipe and chomp on the arm.
Heroine bats her away. Sister Beast #1 moves to the others.
HEROINE
Look out!
Roadie and Coach sprint until Sister Beast #2 BURSTS through
the tunnel walls, stopping Roadie and Coach in their tracks.
Roadie fires his weapon, but it sparks and fizzles.
ROADIE
The shells are wet!
With the two Beasts closing in. The men are trapped. Coach
looks around, seeing a plan.
COACH
Grab onto ceiling and get out of
water!
ROADIE
What?
COACH
Do it!!!
Grabbing onto the piping along the ceiling, Roadie pulls
himself from the water. Coach uses the machete to cut a power
cord from above. He grabs the exposed, sparking end.
COACH
(to Heroine)
Get out of water!!!
Heroine sees what he's doing, sprints back the way they came.
As the two Beasts charge, Coach pulls himself out of the
water by holding onto the above piping. He's forced to wait
for Heroine to get out of the water.
The second she does, he jams the cord into the water.
ZAP! The conductive water sizzles. Sister Beast #1 and Sister
Beast #2 lock up and crash. ELECTROCUTION. Sparks and smoke
rises from their cooked bodies.
Roadie and Coach look to each other, victorious. They begin
shimmying along the piping to the end of the tunnel.
INT. TUNNEL/BASEMENT -- NIGHT
Heroine looks back at the two men. She turns and reenters
the basement.
GAH! Teen Beast drops in front of her, whacking her to the
floor. Heroine slides across the floor, but jumps up quickly.
Teen Beast cautiously moves in for the kill.
Heroine raises her weapon.
HEROINE
You fuck with my family.
(aiming shotgun)
I fuck right back!
Click -- out of ammo!
HEROINE
Oh shit.
Heroine THROWS the shotgun at him and pulls out the MACHETE.
She rolls left and swings. Teen Beast loses two fingers.
She swings again but gets whacked to the floor.
Heroine rolls with the hit, grabs her shotgun, and dives
into the KEG ELEVATOR.
She slams closed the door as Teen Beast regains its composure
and lunges. BAM! It CRASHES against the door.
INT. TUNNEL -- NIGHT
Roadie and Coach crawl to the platform by the exit.
COACH
They will write stories of your
bravery.
ROADIE
If there's anybody left.
The two men climb up the ladder leading to the ground above.
At the top, Roadie pushes off the plywood covering. The two
men peer into the night and spot the TRUCK.
INSIDE KEG ELEVATOR
Heroine wedges the door closed. The Beast continues to try
to get in. Heroine bangs the top of the small elevator...
HEROINE
Send it up! Send it up!
MAIN BAR
Tuffy backs up and hears the screams from the keg elevator.
TUFFY
Hey! Hey! She's in the shaft!
Beer Guy hits the button. The gears grind and start to pull
the elevator up to the main floor.
INSIDE KEG ELEVATOR
Heroine squirms as the elevator rises.
HEROINE
Move it! Move it! Move it!
As Teen Beast starts to tear at the base of the rising keg
elevator in the shaft, Heroine pounds and tears at the few
planks above her in the keg elevator.
MAIN BAR
Beer Guy hits the button.
BEER GUY
Come on!
BOZO
Ol' Crazy Horse has seen it.
TUFFY
Shut up!
INSIDE KEG ELEVATOR
The elevator SHAKES. Heroine POUNDS a hole through the
elevator top. She tries to squeeze through the SMALL HOLE.
Teen Beast BITES through the floor board of the keg elevator.
CLANGGG! The elevator stops. Heroine lurches and grabs the
greasy cables to stop her fall.
HEROINE
Goddamn it!
MAIN BAR
TUFFY
It stopped. It fuckin' stopped!
INSIDE KEG ELEVATOR
Heroine screams as the elevator shakes. Teen Beast is
struggling to climb right under her.
MAIN BAR
TRAMPY
Do something!
INSIDE KEG ELEVATOR
HEROINE
I'M ALIVE! OPEN THE DOOR!
MAIN BAR
Tuffy moves for the keg door. Adulterer grabs The Judge from
Bartender.
ADULTERER
Stop!
TRAMPY
What the fuck are you doing?!
ADULTERER
They can't get in here! We agreed!
They'll get us!
TUFFY
She can make it!
ADULTERER
I will not die because of her!
BARTENDER
Don't be stupid, drop the gun!
INSIDE KEG ELEVATOR
Heroine HACKS at one of the two greasy cables. Teen Beast is
in the elevator car and RISING.
MAIN BAR
TRAMPY
YOU'RE KILLING HER!
ADULTERER
They'll get in! We'll all die!
INSIDE KEG ELEVATOR
Heroine almost has the primary cable cut. Teen Beast rises
up to bite.
SNAP!! The cable BREAKS. Heroine SOARS up the shaft. Teen
Beast is pulled down to the bottom. The keg elevator door
bursts open on impact.
Heroine SLAMS into the ceiling, kicking and yelling.
MAIN BAR
Tuffy KNOCKS Adulterer's shotgun up, takes the gun, and rips
open the keg door. Heroine swings out.
P.O.V. - Teen Beast is right behind her with mouth open and
ready to feed. Tuffy points her shotgun.
BLAM! Teen lurches back, dropping back down the shaft.
Tuffy slams the keg door shut. Heroine pants on the floor.
Adulterer is down, winded.
BOZO
Welcome back.
HEROINE
F-f-fuck you.
BARTENDER
What the hell happened?
TUFFY
You okay?
HEROINE
I think they made it.
She turns to Adulterer, rigid.
HEROINE
Stop trying to get people killed. It
is getting very old.
Adulterer nods, ashamed. Heroine looks around the bar. She
notices the peanut barrels on top of the bar. Two wooden
planks serve as track, leading straight for the side wall.
HEROINE
What's this?
BOZO
Ingenuity, baby. Ingenuity.
HEROINE
(to Bartender)
I need some shells.
BARTENDER
I have two left.
Bartender expels a shell from The Judge and hands it over.
BARTENDER
Make it count.
Heroine cringes, eyeing the lined up Molotov cocktails.
HEROINE
Let's prepare ourselves, they ought
to be here with the truck any minute.
BOSS MAN
Bullshit.
Boss Man sips a bottle, still hopped-up on morphine. He lazily
loads his pistol from a pool of bullets on his belly.
BOSS MAN
If you ask me, I'm gonna just lay
right here, wait for sunrise, then
walk on out of here.
HEROINE
That's your choice, but this is going
to get a whole lot worse before it
gets any better.
Boss Man shrugs, content with himself.
BOSS MAN
If all of you run for it, they won't
care about lil ol' me. They like the
food that moves...
CRASH! Teen Beast's arm ERUPTS through the Boss Man's belly.
His pistol and bullets scatter across the floor.
BOSS MAN
OHHH!!!
SNAPPP!!! His head and legs SLAP together as the arm pulls
him through a small hole in the floor.
The group jumps back. Blood rockets out. His body is pureed
down the tiny hole.
HEROINE
Get on the tables!!! On the tables!!!
Everyone struggles to get on the tables.
CRASH! Teen Beast's arm reaches up and GRABS Para's
wheelchair, violently shaking it. Para FALLS to the floor.
Teen Beast's arm grabs Para's leg...
PARA
HELP ME!!!
BOZO
Bonsai!
Bozo jumps from a table and STOMPS on Teen Beast's arm. He
picks up Para and TOSSES him onto a table.
BOZO
Hot potato!!!
Bozo leaps back onto a table. POP! The power cuts out. The
room goes black.
BEER GUY
We're gonna die!
ADULTERER
What the hell?!
HEROINE
Settle down!
TRAMPY
Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!
And with that, the shouting and pounding stops. The group
nervously shuffles around the tables.
There's silence.
Dead silence.
Then, far is the distance, beyond the walls, a sound is heard.
It's screaming. And it's approaching. Rapidly. The survivors
maneuver to peek out the front walls.
BARTENDER
What's that?
Tuffy sees what is coming.
TUFFY
They didn't make it.
EXT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Being held by Papa and Momma Beast, Roadie and Coach are
both rushed towards the wall like human battering rams.
ROADIE
RUN!!!
THUD! The first strike causes the men to HOWL.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
The survivors shake in sickened silence. From beyond the
walls, they can hear high-pitched SCREAMS.
THUD! THUD! THUD! With every strike, a splattering of blood
spits through the planks of wood.
BARTENDER
That wall's coming down!
BOZO
Commence Plan B!
The entire group goes into motion.
HEROINE
What's Plan B?
BOZO
Just watch the floor and keep the
others safe!
THUD! THUD! THUD! With a final furious strike, a few wood
planks splinter. Papa Beast sticks in his head and hisses.
BOZO
Bomb's away!!!
From the bar, Beer Guy, Tuffy, and Adulterer release the
first peanut barrel. It's ablaze and sails straight for Papa
Beast. BLAM! It explodes, bursting open the wall and knocking
back Papa Beast. The wooden walls go up in flame.
Para, on a side table, reaches out and grabs Boss Man's .38
from the floor.
The second peanut barrel is released. It sails outside the
breach, but it doesn't explode. Nevertheless, the Beasts
stay far away.
Teen Beast madly rips floor boards away, moving towards Para's
table. Teen Beast bursts through the floor, knocking Para to
the floor.
Para crawls to his fallen wheelchair. Teen Beast spots him,
moves in to feed.
Para points his seat back at the scattered .38 bullets and
flips the armrest switch. SNAP! The bullets jump to the power
magnet. Para yanks one free, loads the pistol and turns just
as Teen Beast strikes...
POP! The shot hits Teen Beast in the eye, sending him back
down the hole in the floor.
Heroine and Bartender move in. When Teen Beast sticks his
head out of the hole again, they thrust both their shotguns
into each ear.
HEROINE
Now!
BLAM-BLAM! The two shots scatter head everywhere.
The flames in the bar spread, catching the entire wall and
roof on fire.
EXT. BAR -- MOMENTS LATER
The second barrel comes to a stop a good distance from the
bar. Suddenly, the top is knocked off. Trampy sticks her
head out.
Seeing no trouble, she emerges, dizzy as hell, and races for
the nearby BEER TRUCK.
INT. BAR -- MOMENTS LATER
Papa and Momma Beast both charge the bar. The third peanut
barrel is released. It sails for them, but they dive out of
the way.
KABLOOM! It takes out the rest of the wall. Fire and smoke
fills the place.
Adulterer douses Momma Beast with booze as Beer Guy nails
her with a lit Molotov cocktail.
WHOOSH! Engulfed in flame, she bolts from the bar shrieking.
BOZO
One down, one to go!!!
Papa enters and is instantly cornered. He swings wildly.
HEROINE
(to Bartender)
Help me!
Heroine and Bartender rip the DEER HEAD from the wall and
charge Papa, pinning him against the wall with the antlers.
HEROINE
Come on!
Bozo and Beer Guy dive into Papa's legs, holding them down.
Tuffy picks up The Judge.
WHAM! The shotgun butt knocks out Papa's front teeth. Tuffy
raises the weapon again, staring down at the monster that
killed her child, but Papa Beast gets an arm free to knock
away her fatal blow.
Bartender wrenches Papa Beast's arm with all his might. With
her hair stuck in Papa Beast's claw, Tuffy is pulled face to
face with the beast. She squirms as he chomps at her, but
with no front teeth, he can't do immediate damage.
BARTENDER
I can't hold him!!!
HEROINE
Do something!!!
Tuffy reaches back and shoves her fist into Papa Beast's
mouth, jamming it down his throat. He instantly gags, sucking
for air.
Papa Beast struggles to get free, but the others hold tight.
Papa Beast's body begins to quiver from a lack of oxygen.
His eyes widen, face to face with Tuffy.
TUFFY
CHOKE ON IT!!!
With one last lunge, Papa Beast shakes, his life drifting
away. His eyes turn black as his body goes limp. Tuffy pulls
out her arm from his throat.
BARTENDER
God...
BOZO
I need to get your number.
Tuffy shakes her wet arm dry. As the group pulls away, Papa
Beast is still pinned to the wall with the deer antlers dug
into the wood.
Heroine turns to Grandma and Grandpa, offering a hand.
HEROINE
Come on, I'll help you.
GRANDPA
No thank you, we're content.
HEROINE
I'm not leaving anyone behind.
GRANDMA
Maybe next time, dear.
Heroine swallows and nods. HONK-HONK-HONK! Just outside the
breached wall, the beer truck pulls up.
EXT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
The beer truck screeches to a halt. Trampy's at the wheel,
waving the group over. With the bar burning, a thick layer
of SMOKE blankets the entire area.
The people amass at the opening, but Heroine stops them from
advancing. The group stares the dark night. Silent.
HEROINE
She's still out here.
Heroine eyes the truck, seeing something she likes.
HEROINE
Stay put.
She creeps out alone.
HEROINE
Where are you... come on...
Nothing. Just smoke. And silence.
HEROINE
Come on! Come on!
From the smoke, a smoldering Momma Beast charges like a bull.
At the truck, Heroine opens the back doors and dives in,
leaving the doors open. Momma Beast gives chase, entering
the back.
INSIDE TRUCK
Heroine is deep into the truck as Momma Beast enters. She
advances, hissing.
HEROINE
Come and get me you blood-chugging
CUNT!
Momma howls and charges. Heroine slides out the side keg
door, locking it behind her. Before Momma can see the trap,
Beer Guy slam closed the rear doors.
OUTSIDE TRUCK
Beer Guy latches it. Trampy comes around the truck.
TRAMPY
You got her? You got her!
HEROINE
Not for long, we gotta burn it.
Heroine looks to the others at the breach.
HEROINE
Come on! Let's blow this thing!
The others move into action. Beer Guy takes off his shirt
and shoves it into the fuel tank. Adulterer and Bozo, with
Para riding piggyback, help. They use the Molotov cocktails
to make a fuel trail leading away from the truck.
BEER GUY
When this lights, run like hell.
About fifteen yards away from the truck. Bozo throws his
silver-plated American Eagle lighter to Heroine.
HEROINE
(catching lighter)
Here we go...
Then, a noise: EOCH-OCK-OCK! EOCK-OCK-OCK! EOCK-OCK-OCK!
A deafening pattern of sound erupts from within the truck.
It's Momma Beast. Again and again.
TUFFY
What is that?
HEROINE
She's calling for help.
Heroine drops the lighter onto the fuel. It races for the
truck. When feet away, COUSIN BEAST lands, stomping out the
fire with his foot.
BOZO
The fan has officially been buried
in the shit.
Instantly, another beast, AUNT BEAST, lands on the top of
the truck. These Beasts are like the others, but stripped.
The group gasps. Trampy backs away.
TRAMPY
We have to run --
BURST! Trampy's rib cage is ripped from her body. The culprit,
UNCLE BEAST, stands behind her. Her organs drop like a box
of vegetables. Cousin Beast lets out a high-pitched roar.
From atop the truck, the rear doors are ripped open. Momma
Beast emerges.
HEROINE
Get to your cars!!!
The Beasts spring into action, chasing the group.
Bozo, with Para on his back, sprints for his car. Aunt Beast
RIPS Para from Bozo's back.
BOZO
Motherfucker! Give him back!
Bozo runs for his Trans-Am. Para falls to the ground, still
alive. Bozo turns back and sees him.
BOZO
Oh Jesus!
PARA
HELLLPPP!
Bozo grabs his brother and puts him on his back again, runs.
BOZO
I thought we lost you --
Para is RIPPED into the air again.
BOZO
You FUCKER!
Tuffy and Bartender jump into his PICKUP TRUCK.
TUFFY
(to Heroine)
Get in!
Heroine hops in the back.
Beer Guy and Adulterer run to a car together. Beer Guy lags
behind, continually looking over his shoulder.
ADULTERER
Run and quit looking back!
As Beer Guy looks forward, Aunt Beast and Uncle Beast hit
him HIGH-AND-LOW, cutting him in half. Bozo makes it to his
Trans-Am.
BOZO
DO IT!
VAHVVVOOOMMMM! The car roars to life. He pushes in a tape.
The "MIAMI VICE" theme song blares from the speakers.
BOZO
Get me FUCK BIRDS!
Bozo peels out. Aunt Beast lands right in his path.
BOZO
No you don't!
BAM! He SMACKS Aunt Beast head on, sending the creature's
disemboweled body sailing through the air.
BOZO
VENGEANCE!
Para DROPS from the sky, still ALIVE and panting. Cars are
moving everywhere.
PARA
Oh Jesussss...
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
The burning JUKEBOX plays a slow love song. Dancing and
holding each other, Grandpa smooches Grandma on the forehead.
GRANDPA
We had a good run.
EXT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Para crawls along the ground, being ignored by the Beasts.
PARA
HELP ME! HELP ME SOMEBODY!
Bozo turns on his windshield wipers to clear off the blood
and guts. He spots Para.
BOZO
Hang on!
Para claws the ground.
PARA
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!
Bartender jerks the wheel of his car.
BARTENDER
Oh shit!
Para sees Bartender's approaching truck.
PARA
NOOO!!!
Para rolls right, just missing tires. Para yells for his
brother.
PARA
COME ON! GODDAMN IT!
Bozo's eyes bulge.
BOZO
Brother!!!
BAM! Para is SMEARED by Adulterer's car.
ADULTERER
Shit!
Bozo floors it.
BOZO
(overly endearing)
I meant to tell you so much!
The remaining cars maneuver to hit the open road.
INT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Grandpa and Grandma hold each other tight. Uncle Beast enters,
moving to their table. It moves in for the kill.
Grandpa kisses his wife gently.
GRANDPA
Close your eyes, hon.
The Beast OPENS its massive jaws and... CRASH! Bozo's car
DRIVES through the bar, SMEARING the Beast.
INT. BOZO'S CAR -- CONTINUOUS
BOZO
YOU ARE SUCKING MY DICK!!!
Bozo guns the engine, crashing out the other end of the bar.
EXT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
Bozo's car veers, flipping over a pile of rubble.
BOZO
Motherfucker!!!
Bozo squirms in his flipped car, UPSIDE-DOWN.
He hears a Beast approaching. He pulls out a BUTTERFLY KNIFE
from the open glove box and SAWS at his safety belt.
Cousin Beast leans into the passenger side of the car and
looks him right in the eye. Bozo raises the knife.
BOZO
Lord, if I die, bury me upside down
so the world can KISS MY ASS!
Cousin Beast leaps in.
EXT. BAR -- CONTINUOUS
The remaining TWO CARS race down the road.
INT. BARTENDER'S CAR -- CONTINUOUS
With the peddle to the floor, Bartender drives.
BARTENDER
I think we're in the clear --
BAM! Momma Beast lands on the roof. She reaches inside and
yanks out Bartender's throat. The car veers.
Tuffy rights it, leaning over and stomping on the gas. Momma
yanks at the door, pulling it open. Tuffy pushes out
Bartender's corpse and JERKS the wheel.
IN THE BACK
Momma Beast falls back, knocking down Heroine. Momma Beast
nearly falls out, but manages to grab the rear gate with one
claw. Defenseless, Heroine backs away. Momma Beast holds on
tightly, pulling herself onto the bed of the truck.
Tuffy stares back through the glass, unable to do anything.
Momma Beast lunges towards Heroine. Momma Beast's claw snags
Heroine's locket, jerking Heroine right up to the creature's
face. The locket catches Momma's attention for split second.
Her remaining eye goes from the picture of Charlie to Heroine.
Momma's mouth opens wide. Heroine screams!
And then, a beam of the RISING SUN catches the gold locket
and burns into Momma's eye. In one quick motion, she's gone,
taking the locket with her.
Heroine lets out her breath, reaching around her neck for
what is no longer there. The truck SKIDS to a halt. Tuffy
jumps out.
TUFFY
Are you okay?!
HEROINE
I don't know, I think --
ADULTERER (O.S.)
Hey!
They both jump as Adulterer approaches.
ADULTERER
Are you two all right? They left! We
made it! I think we made it!
TUFFY
They'll be back.
HEROINE
We're safe until dark, but we need
to find other people.
Heroine rises and moves to the cab of the truck. She finds a
pack of cigs under the visor. Pops in the lighter.
HEROINE
You know where the IGA grocery store
is over in Red Mountain?
ADULTERER
Um, yeah, ten miles west.
HEROINE
They have a bomb shelter.
PING! The lighter springs out, hot. Heroine lights up and
passes one to Tuffy.
HEROINE
We'll meet in three hours?
ADULTERER
I don't wanna go home alone... I
don't wanna see what might have...
TUFFY
Don't worry about that. Just go.
Moment of silence as Adulterer and Tuffy look down the
desolate road.
ADULTERER
I'm sorry about your son. I really
am.
Tuffy nods, affectionately touching his hand.
ADULTERER
Where are you two going?
HEROINE
We're going to get my little girl.
ADULTERER
I wish you luck.
The car peels off. Adulterer watches the car tear down the
road. He glances up at the RISING SUN.
EXT. TOWN ROAD -- DAY
A sign reading "RED MOUNTAIN" swings lazily in the breeze.
Tuffy and Heroine coast down a town road. There are random
POOLS OF RED BLOOD in the dirt. No one in sight.
EXT. TOWN ROAD -- DAY
Adulterer drives along a small town road. There's no sign of
life here either.
EXT. HEROINE'S GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE -- DAY
The car pulls up to the house. The only sound is the wind.
INT. BARTENDER'S CAR -- CONTINUOUS
Heroine and Tuffy look at each other and proceed with caution.
INT. ADULTERER'S CAR -- DAY
He pulls up in front of his house. The front door is swinging
open, BANGING against the door frame.
INT. HEROINE'S GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE -- DAY
Heroine enters the ransacked house. Tuffy follows.
INT. ADULTERER'S HOUSE -- DAY
He enters his house. It too, is a mess.
INT. HEROINE'S GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE -- DAY
They look down the stairs to the basement. Nothing. They
move up the stairs to the second floor.
SECOND FLOOR
SMACK! They spin to the noise.
INT. ADULTERER'S HOUSE -- DAY
He moves up the stairs to the master bedroom. SMACK!
There's a noise at the end of the hall. SMACK!
INT. HEROINE'S GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE -- DAY
They cautiously move to the last room in the hall. A
scratched, closed door without an outside handle.
HEROINE
Oh no...
Heroine kicks in the door and...
There's a note on a teddy beer that says, "WE WENT TO THE
SHELTER. LOVE GRANDMA AND CHARLIE."
TUFFY
They're alive!
The shudders SMACK against the wall.
INT. ADULTERER'S HOUSE -- DAY
Adulterer holds a shattered PICTURE of his wife and two kids.
He sighs and puts it down.
ADULTERER
I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...
EXT. IGA (GROCERY STORE) -- DAY
The sun shines bright in the cloudless sky. There is a stiff
wind that stirs up the dust. Bartender's car slowly lurches
up the street.
INT. BARTENDER'S CAR -- CONTINUOUS
Heroine and Tuffy skeptically look at the surroundings.
HEROINE
It's right up there, in the back of
the store.
EXT. IGA (GROCERY STORE) -- CONTINUOUS
The car pulls up in the back of the store and stops. They
get out, looking around. Tuffy holds a machete. Adulterer
kneels against his car.
HEROINE
Where is everyone?
ADULTERER
I don't know, I just got here. Did
you find your girl?
HEROINE
She's supposed to already be here.
TUFFY
Your family?
Adulterer shakes his head, acknowledging their death.
TUFFY
I'm sorry.
Adulterer sheepishly nods.
HEROINE
This place is a ghost town.
The group makes their way to the store front, peeking beyond
the glass doors.
ADULTERER
(pointing)
Look!
In the distance, in middle of a dusty parking lot, CHARLIE
stands staring at them.
HEROINE
Charlie?
Heroine runs to her and the others follow. Charlie fidgets
awkwardly. She cries and blood stains her dress.
HEROINE
Charlie!
As Heroine nears, Adulterer GRABS her arm.
ADULTERER
Stop! There's something wrong!
HEROINE
Honey!?
The group eyes Charlie, noticing Heroine's locket around her
ankle, leading to a slightly ajar manhole cover. Suddenly,
the sunlight starts to FADE. They look up the sun.
TUFFY
Oh god.
The MOON moves in front of it -- a SOLAR ECLIPSE. Beast
HISSING and FLUTTERING is heard. Heroine looks from left to
right, panic stricken.
CHARLIE
Mommy!
The sunlight is fading. The manhole cover shakes, something
is holding Charlie in place. Heroine lurches forward, but
Adulterer holds her at bay.
ADULTERER
It's a trap!
At a standstill, the group looks around for options. In the
distance, the darkness of the eclipse rolls towards them.
Adulterer reacts, grabbing Tuffy's machete and lunging for
Charlie. The strike cuts the chain at her ankle. The manhole
cover POPS off and a Beast claw sinks into Adulterer.
The darkness covers the manhole. Momma Beast rises, hoisting
Adulterer's blood dripping body from the ground.
ADULTERER
(gurgling blood)
Run!!!
Heroine scoops up her child, moving away from Momma Beast.
Tuffy grabs them both, leading them back towards the store
front. As Adulterer's blood flows, Momma Beast drags him
towards her main prey.
A blanket of darkness leads Momma Beast, overtaking the
survivors. At the store front, Heroine pulls Charlie close.
HEROINE
(a whisper)
I love you...
CUT TO BLACK:
EXT. IGA (GROCERY STORE) -- AN HOUR LATER
A string of ten WHITE VANS come to a halt in the dusty parking
lot. THE MAN IN TAN (45, buzz cut, leathery skin, cool) steps
from the lead van and surveys the ravaged small town.
A swarm of men emerge from the other vehicles, all dressed
alike in work boots, gas masks and coveralls. They go into
action honing in on rubble with SENSORS and COUNTERS.
THE MAN IN TAN
What's the damage radius?
TECH (27, horn-rimmed glasses, all business) eyes a laptop.
TECH
Twenty miles. Red Mountain,
surrounding farms, local TV studio.
THE MAN IN TAN
How many picked up the broadcast?
TECH
We'll have figures within the hour.
The Man in Tan closes his eyes in thought.
TECH
Sir, what's the spin?
THE MAN IN TAN
Tornado cluster.
TECH
This is the California high desert.
THE MAN IN TAN
Get what you need to sell it.
COMPANY MAN (O.S.)
Sir, we have movement!
The Man in Tan moves to a few men standing over a pool of
blood and guts. Using the sensor equipment, the COMPANY MAN
follows the blood trail that enters the grocery store.
INT. IGA (GROCERY STORE) -- CONTINUOUS
The place is torn to hell. Dust and soot hangs in the air.
The men instinctively raise their high-powered rifles, letting
the flashlights on the ends lead the way. They follow the
trail of blood to a back FREEZER LOCKER.
It's scratched, bashed and thrashed.
THE MAN IN TAN
Open it.
Company Man #2 steps forward and uses a metal-cutting chainsaw
to cut through the hinges. The door falls with a THUD.
As the dust clears, Tuffy, Heroine and Charlie stare back at
the men, huddled together in a defensive stance.
The Man in Tan creaks his neck.
THE MAN IN TAN
Gentlemen, help them to safety.
Heroine, holding Charlie, lurches back.
HEROINE
You're not safe, she's still alive,
she'll be back...
THE MAN IN TAN
Relax. We know. We're the calvary.
The Man in Tan steps forward, guiding the group out.
EXT. IGA (GROCERY STORE) -- MOMENTS LATER
A bulky security truck pulls up. A DRIVER, holding a bloody
rag to his nose, gets out and moves to the back door.
THE MAN IN TAN
What happened to you?
The Driver nods to the back of the truck, opening the door.
Bozo lurches out, handcuffed and chained.
BOZO
Get these cuffs off me! I'm a goddamn
hero for Christ's sake!
A shirtless, irate BOZO sits next to Grandpa and Grandma in
the back. He settles at the sight of the others.
GRANDMA
G'morning.
BOZO
Thanks for waitin' for me back there,
really fuckin' appreciate it!
Heroine covers her daughter's ears as the survivors are helped
into the truck. Tuffy sits, looking to Bozo.
TUFFY
How'd you survive?
BOZO
I found a new weak spot on 'em, but
it damn ain't pretty getting to it.
Heroine, last in the truck, turns to the men.
HEROINE
Where are you taking us?
THE MAN IN TAN
A trauma center. We have doctors
waiting.
(off Heroine's pause)
You're in good hands now.
The door shuts on Heroine's concerned face. The Man in Tan
locks eyes with the Driver.
THE MAN IN TAN
Do it quick and spread the mess.
The Driver nods back. Sinister implication understood.
The Man in Tan lights a cigarette as he watches the truck
drive off. The truck's logo reads, "FARM-AID." He inhales.
Freeze on him.
NAME: THE MAN IN TAN
AGE: 45
OCCUPATION: HE CAN'T TELL YOU
PURPOSE: TO LAY GROUNDWORK FOR SEQUEL
LIFE EXPECTANCY: PRETTY F-ING GOOD
The Man in Tan exhales a gust of smoke.
FADE OUT:
THE END |
The Fifth Element
An original script
by
Luc Besson
Revisions by
Luc Besson
and
Robert Mark Kamen
August 1995 Draft
Gaumont and Les Films du Dauphin
FADE IN:
1 EXT. DESERT NILE RIVER VALLEY - DAY
Somewhere in the Nile at the edge of the desert.
CREDITS ROLL
WRITTEN: EGYPT 1913
OMAR and his mule zigzag along the bottom of sun scorched dunes.
2 EXT. TEMPLE EXCAVATION - DAY
The mule and the boy finally reach a camp. A few tents dwarfed by a huge
temple door jutting out of the sand. The camp is deserted except for
some kids by the temple entrance holding large mirrors, reflecting light
into the temple.
Omar leaves his mule in the shade, seizes two goatskins and slips inside
the temple.
3 INT. TEMPLE - DAY
Omar makes his way uneasily down a pillared corridor that opens into a
vast room where an old scientist stands on a small wooden ladder in front of
the wall across the room. PROFESSOR MASSIMO PACOLI. A young man is beside
him, BILLY MASTERSON, age 25, an American student. He has a large sketchpad in
his hands. Behind them AZIZ, age 10, whose job is to hold the last
mirror which shines light into the expansive room.
PROFESSOR
(deciphering)
"..when the three planets are in eclipse.."
His fingers trace across the wall which is covered with symbols and
strange hieroglyphs as he deciphers.
PROFESSOR
"..the black hole like a door is open...
Evil comes ... sowing terror and chaos..."
See? The snake, Billy. The Ultimate Evil
... make sure you get the snake!
The Professor points emphatically to the snake, the symbol of Evil,
coming through the door between the three planets in eclipse. C.U.
Billy's hand sketches the snake quickly. He is a natural artist.
BILLY
And when is this door opening snake act
supposed to occur?
The Professor's fingers touch the signs.
PROFESSOR
..if this is the five..and this the thousand..
He calculates.
PROFESSOR
Every five thousand years..
BILLY
(kidding)
So I have some time..
He reaches for the pad.
ANGLE ON: Omar. Standing at the entrance to the chamber with the water
bag, entranced by the sight. A skeletal hand falls on his shoulder. Omar
turns to an ancient PRIEST in a rough milled black cannock.
PRIEST
I will take it to them my son.
Startled but obedient, Omar gives the water bag to the Priest.
PRIEST
Go with God.. be safe from Evil..
The Priest makes the sign of the Cross on the boy's forehead, dismissing
him.
As soon as he is gone, the Priest turns a worried eye to the Professor.
ANGLE ON: The Professor is back to translating, Billy to sketching.
PROFESSOR
"..then arrange the elements of life against
the Terror just so.."
His fingers run on.
PROFESSOR
"..Water..fire..earth..air..four
elements around the fifth.."
His fingers fall on the one element that has a human shape, surrounded by
all the others.
The Priest opens the water skin and begins to pour a vial of powder into
the skin.
ANGLE ON: Aziz falling asleep. The mirror falls, the light fails.
PROFESSOR
Aziz! Light!
The boy struggles to stay awake. The mirror comes up.
PRIEST
Lord forgive me.. they already know too,
much..
PROFESSOR
"..in which all the history of the Universe resides
..all the strength..all the hope..Protect us from
Evil.."
PRIEST (V.O.)
Amen..
The Professor turns to the Priest who is pouring water into a tin cup
from the skin.
PROFESSOR
Father.. it in the most extraordinary thing..
the greatest find in history..can you imagine
the implications.
PRIEST
Only too well... here you must be
parched..
He hands the cup to the Professor. The Professor takes it, has it almost
to his lips when..
PROFESSOR
I mean look.. it is like a battle plan..
In his excitement he does not drink, much to the Priest's chagrin.
PROFESSOR
Here the Good.. Here the Evil..
As the Priest looks up, Aziz the mirror boy, tips his mouth under the
water skin, drinking the leakage.
PROFESSOR
Here..
He points to the Five Elements.
PROFESSOR
A weapon against evil. Amazing! I am
going to be famous.
PRIEST
Then let us toast to your fame! Here Billy..
The Priest hands Billy a cup.
PRIEST
Drink!
PROFESSOR
To fame.. salud..
The Professor raises the cup to drink, and then...
PROFESSOR
We cannot toast with water.. Billy !
In my sack.. the Grappa!
The Priest watches, disconsolate, as the Professor tosses away his water.
Billy finishes his cup before running off into the tunnel.
4 EXT. COLONNADE - DAY
A muffled SOUND grows steadily louder. Outside, a monstrous linear shadow
disturbs the kid's game and gradually darkens the temple entrance.
5 INT. TUNNEL - DAY
Billy is looking for the grappa in the Professor's bag. He comes upon a
machine pistol. When the muffled SOUND suddenly grabs his attention. He
leans toward the corridor and sees part of a spaceship appear. Billy is
paralyzed.
6 INT. TEMPLE ROOM - DAY
The Professor keeps reading over the inscription.
PROFESSOR
"..this perfect person.. this perfect
being.." I do not understand this.. perfect?
PROFESSOR
Where is that boy? Billy!
7 INT. TUNNEL - DAY
Billy presses himself against the wall, in the shadows, terrified, but
sketching away like mad, as large shadowed figures lumber past him. He
begins to blink, feeling the effects of the Priest's potion..
8 INT. TEMPLE ROOM - DAY
The Professor reads the wall.
PROFESSOR
And this divine Light they talk
about.. what is Divine light?
At that moment, the reflection from Aziz's mirror drops again. The light
fails.
PROFESSOR
(without turning)
Aziz light!
The room is flooded with light all of the sudden.
PROFESSOR
Better.. this is the most unbelievable thing
I have ever seen..
The Professor turns around, and is stunned speechless to find himself
face to face with two MONDOSHAWANS. A dozen others fill the hall manning
the source of the light, large luminous globes. Aziz is fast asleep.
PROFESSOR
(uncomprehending)
...Uh, yes?
The Professor is lifted up and carried off to the side by the aliens.
The KOMMANDER stops in front of the Priest who is still on his knees, face
to the ground.
PRIEST
Master... He was about to discover everything,
but I had the situation under control.
The two MONDOSHAWAN GUARDS hold the professor three feet off the ground.
PROFESSOR
(in a panic)
Who are you? Are you Germans? Sprechen
Sie Deutsch?
9 INT. TUNNEL
Billy staggers forward, a machine pistol in his hand.
10 INT. TEMPLE ROOM
The KOMMANDER holds out his hand to the Priest.
PRIEST
What did I do wrong?
The Priest jumps to his feet excitedly.
KOMMANDER
Servant, you and the thousand guards
before you... You have done your work well,
but we have to recover the elements. War will
soon engulf your planet. We must keep them safe.
The Kommander goes over to the wall and seems to be looking for a lock.
He finds it and slides in his metallic finger which is more intricate
than a key to a safe. He turns his hand, activating a mechanism that opens
the wall.
PROFESSOR
Unbelievable!!!
The Kommander turns around and crooks a finger. One of the MONDOSHAWANS
waves his hand, puts the professor to sleep and heads down the hallway
revealed by the opening. He is followed by his men. The Priest slips in
behind them.
11 INT. ROOM 2 TEMPLE - DAY
The Kommander steps into a vast room. The ceiling is very high, pyramid-
shaped. In each corner of the room, four vessels contain four
rectangular twelve-inch stones-, the four elements. In the middle, an
opaque sarcophagus rests on an altar. The Kommander stops and
contemplates it a moment.
PRIEST
(to himself)
The Fifth Element...
KOMMANDER
Take them and put them in a safe place.
His men carry out his order.
12 INT. ROOM 1 TEMPLE - DAY
Billy staggers across the floor, struggling to stay awake.
13 INT. ROOM 2 TEMPLE - DAY
The Kommander opens a case. His men come and put the four, precious
stones in it, one by one.
PRIEST
(moved)
Will the elements be gone now forever
from this place?
KOMMANDER
When mankind comes to its senses.
We will return.
PRIEST
Knowing mankind as I do, that could take
centuries!
KOMMANDER
Time is of no importance, only life
is important.
The Priest nods and lowers his eyes.
Angle on: Billy staggering forward, raising his pistol, blinking his
eyes to focus..
A MONDOSHAWAN puts the fourth element in the case The Kommander shuts the
case and looks at the Priest.
KOMMANDER
When EVIL returns so shall we.
PRIEST
(head lowered)
We will be ready, Lord.
Billy suddenly staggers into the room, brandishing his gun.
BILLY
Stop.
Billy trips, the gun goes off. He empties the clip. The Mondoshawan
carrying the case crumples to the ground. The wall immediately begins to
close. Billy fires wildly, unable to control the powerful kicking gun.
PRIEST
No!!! Don't!!!
The Priest rushes Billy. The weapon has such a kick to it that Billy
starts shooting into the air, backs up, then stumbles and knocks himself
out. The Priest is on the ground, seriously wounded. So is the Kommander.
The WARRIORS are in a panic.
CLERK
Hurry, Kommander! The wall's closing!!!
The wall continues to close. Sand pours in from everywhere. The vast
room fills up like an hourglass.
KOMMANDER
A mission is a mission, Savoia.
You'll learn that.
The Kommander picks up the case and reaches the wall but can't get
through it. His
armor is too bulky, the opening too small. He manages to get his arm and
the case through.
KOMMANDER
My apologies to General Kroi -- and my wife..
The wall closes, crushing his arm. The CLERK scoops up the case and runs
through the huge piles of sand.
14 EXT. COLONNADE - DAY
The CLERK boards the ship carrying the case. Omar hides in a corner,
frightened to death, hugging Billy's bag of drawings.
15 INT. TEMPLE ROOM - DAY
The room fills with sand. The Priest's body is soon buried.
16 EXT. DESERT - DAY
The huge ship's main hatch closes.
17 EXT. TEMPLE - DAY
The ship lifts off and speeds away. Omar emerges from the temple gaping
at the ship as it vanishes in the sky.
18 EXT. PYRAMIDS
A gigantic shooting star flashes above the pyramids.
19 EXT. EARTH ORBIT
The ship passes in front of us and heads for the stars disappearing at
unbelievable speed. The background is a star-spattered cosmos.
WRITTEN: 500 YEARS LATER
Another, more modern, spaceship, fills the screen. A warship belonging
to the Federal Army.
20 INT. SPACESHIP CONTROL ROOM
CU of a digital control screen. Three planets projecting three straight
lines that crisscross at one point. Identical to the one observed by the
professor on the temple wall. GENERAL STAEDERT looks out through the
ship's window at one of the three huge planets in eclipse.
STAEDERT
Don't you have anything? Not even
a temperature?
CAPTAIN
The thermo-analyzers have jammed.
One of them reads over a million degrees,
the other's at minus 5000...
Never seen anything like it.
TECHNICIAN
It's taking shape.
21 EXT. SPACE
In the middle of the shadows, a door to the nightmare has just opened.
Evil is back. A round, moving mass, continually changing color.
CAPTAIN
(in awe)
What the hell can it be?
TECHNICIAN
Hook-up with the president in one
minute, General.
General Staedert remains calm.
STAEDERT
...Send out a probe.
22 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE MANHATTAN
LINDBERG, 50, the president of the United Federations, his features lined
and worn by various delegations, mainly military, enters his office.
There's a crisis in the air. The President's AIDE leans down to his ear.
AIDE
On air in 30 seconds.
In the middle of the group is a Priest whose appearance reminds us of
Egypt. A younger man DAVID, 18, shy, a priest-in-training attends the old
man.
23 INT. CONTROL ROOM / PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
CAPTAIN
President on line sir..
General Staedert leans over his screen and seems surprised to see the
room but not the president.
PRESIDENT (O.S.)
Staedert, do you read me?
STAEDERT
I can hear you, Mr. President, but I
can't see you .
The President grabs the mini-camera on his desk and yanks it around to
face him.
His face fills the screen.
PRESIDENT
(exasperated)
Is that better?
STAEDERT
Perfect, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT
I have to address the Supreme Council
in 10 minutes.
Just the facts, General.
STAEDERT
There are no results from the chemical
and molecular analysis as of yet, all the
calibers are overshot..we're hoping a
thermo nucleatic imaging..
PRESIDENT
(exasperated)
What you are saying is you don't know
what this..thing..is.
Consternation reigns in the President's office.
STAEDERT
Not yet Sir..The only thing we know is
it just keeps getting bigger!
PRESIDENT
Options.
STAEDERT
Wait or act.
PRESIDENT
Recommendations.
STAEDERT
My philosophy Mr. President is shoot first
ask questions later.
I don't like uninvited guests.
PRESIDENT
Gentlemen?
HEAD CHEMISTS
I think it would be foolish to shoot at an
organism that seems alive, without first
taking the time to study it more!
Besides, it has shown no signs of hostility.
PRESIDENT
(worried)
No... it's just getting bigger.
HEAD CHEMISTS
So do people, but that's no reason to shoot
them.
PRESIDENT
(exasperated)
The security of the Federated Territories is
and remains number one priority.
(to the military)
I suppose General Staedert's "philosophy" is
acceptable to you?
All the Generals nod "yes"
PRESIDENT
All right, then! Staedert?
PRIEST (O.S.)
Mr. President?
The President scans the room. Staedert remote controls the camera toward
the room.
PRESIDENT
...Yes?
The camera moves up the Priest and we finally discover his face. He is
in his sixties, a shrewd look in his eyes.
Around his neck hangs the Kommander's finger, the key to the temple.
PRIEST
Cornelius, Vito Cornelius. 50th level parish.
I have a different theory to offer you,
Mr. President.
PRESIDENT
I'm listening.
CORNELIUS
Imagine for a moment that this. thing is not
anything that can be identified because it prefers
not to be, because it is the antithesis of all we are.
Because it is evil.. TOTAL EVIL.
PRESIDENT
(a little sarcastically)
One more reason to shoot first eh?
All the Generals nod in agreement.
CORNELIUS
Evil begets evil, Mr. President.
Shooting would only make it stronger.
24 INT. SPACESHIP
TECHNICIAN
The probe will attain its objective in
five seconds.
Staedert moves closer to the ship's window.
25 EXT. SPACE.
Evil swallows the probe and immediately bubbles over with activity like a
furious volcano.
26 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
STAEDERT
Mr. President, we're at crisis point.
The President looks puzzled.
PRESIDENT
Your theory is interesting Father but
I don't think we have time to go into it
right now!
CORNELIUS
Time is of no importance, Mr. President.
Only life is important.
PRESIDENT
(exasperated)
That's exactly what we are going to try and do:
Protect the lives of some 200 billion of our
fellow citizens! General?
You may fire when ready.
27 INT. SPACESHIP
STAEDERT
(cold) (to the CAPTAIN)
..Up front loading of a 120 ZZR missile.
Marker lights on the objective.
28 EXT. OUTSIDE SPACESHIP
All of a sudden, outside the ship, the strange planet's activity ceases.
A black crust immediately covers it.
29 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
SCIENTIST
(consulting new data)
Its structure has just solidified on the surface,
as if the object felt something. If that's the case,
we are undoubtedly dealing with an intelligence.
CORNELIUS
The most terrible intelligence imaginable,
Mr. President.
The President hesitates.
CAPTAIN
...The ship is in combat formation.
The missile is loaded, General.
PRESIDENT
(uneasy)
Staedert? Give me a minute...
I have a doubt.
STAEDERT
(cold)
I don't, Mr. President.
30 EXT. OUTSIDE SPACESHIP
The missile explodes from the ship and penetrates its target. The
explosion is swallowed like a fizzy pill in a small glass of water.
Nothing happens. And then the mass grows larger.
31 INT. CONTROL ROOM / PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
Staedert looks worried.
STAEDERT
Load a series of 740 missiles. Maximum
shield protection.
CAPTAIN
Yes, Sir.
The President is growing ever more worried.
PRESIDENT
Staedert? What's going on? Did you
destroy it?
STAEDERT
I'm about to, Mr. President.
32 EXT. SPACESHIP
A series of three missiles heads for the planet, which absorbs them all.
And literally doubles in size.
SCIENTIST
The planet's diameter has greatly
increased and it's moving toward the ship.
PRESIDENT
Staedert? Get out of there immediately!
I don't want an incident, do you hear me,
Staedert?
STAEDERT
(worried)
...What do we have that's bigger than 240?
CAPTAIN
Nothing, General.
PRESIDENT
Staedert, get out of there! That's an order!
A bead of sweat pearls Staedert's forehead. He is about to give an order
when a gigantic flame emerges from the planet and literally swallows
Staedert's spaceship.
STAEDERT
(eyes wide)
... Good God!
The flame fills the screen with a horrendous NOISE that....
33 INT. APARTMENT
... wakes up a man trying to escape from a nightmare. KORBEN DALLAS rubs
his head. Thirty five years old, short hair, powerfully built,
unquestionable charm, good looking in spite of the scars here and there.
The alarm clock is still ringing, it shows the date as March 18, 2359. It
in two in the morning. Ha grabs a cigarette, and stops to look for a
light. He shuts oft the alarm. He hears a cat mewing in the hall. But it
still rings. Korben takes a moment and then realizes it in the phone
that is ringing.
KORBEN
(to the cat)
I'm coming.
He grabs the phone and crosses his tiny apartment (27 feet long by 6 feet
wide) heading for the door, patting himself for a light. Behind him, the
bed makes itself automatically.
KORBEN
(on the phone)
Yeah?
FINGER (V.O.)
Hey bud! Finger here.
He opens the door for the cat and starts to rummage through a drawer for
a match. Out come a handful of war decorations, a hero's collection.
KORBEN
(to the cat)
Hi sweetie!
...A Medal of Honor Certificate to Major Dallas
FINGER (V.O.)
I love you too Major, but you haven't called
me that since basic training.
KORBEN
I was talking to the cat.
FINGER (V.O.)
Oh, yeah, I forgot.You still prefer
your cat to the real thing.
...A picture of Korben and his ex-wife on their wedding day.
KORBEN
At least, the cat comes back.
FINGER (V.O.)
(ironical)
You still pining for that two timing bitch.
Forget her.
There are a million women out there.
KORBEN
I don't want a million - I just want
one. A perfect one.
FINGER (V.O.)
Don't exist bud.
...A picture of Korben and Finger in uniform next to a space fighter.
KORBEN
I just found a picture of you.
FINGER (V.O.)
How do I look?
KORBEN
Like shit.
Korben finds a box of matches with three matches. He strikes one. It
does not light. Korben opens the fridge, bare, except for an empty can of
GEMINI croquettes.
On the packet is an ad:
WIN A DREAM TRIP FOR 2 TO FHLOSTON PARADISE.
FINGER (V.O.)
Must be an old picture.. Listen, you gotta bring
me your hack for the 6 month overhaul. A.S.A.P.
Korben heats up some brackish water.
KORBEN
(sighs)
I don't need one.
FINGER (V.O.)
You forgetting who sat next to you for
a thousand missions.
I know how you drive.
KORBEN
Finger! I'm driving a cab now, not a
space fighter!!
FINGER (V.O.)
How many points you got left on your
license?
KORBEN
(lying)
Uh... at least fifty.
FINGER (V.O.)
In your dreams! See you tonight!
Finger has hang up. Korben sighs and does the same. He gets the heated
brackish water and sits down. The cat pounces on the table and meows for
its food. Korben pours half the coffee in the cat's cup.
The cat meows. Korben taps his cup to the cat's saucer.
KORBEN
Cheers!
34 INT. HALL - DAY - OMIT
35 INT. GARAGE - DAY - OMIT
36 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
The office is emptied, only a few army officers remain. An ancient
manuscript, Billy's drawings, sits in front of the President. Cornelius
turns page after page, illustrating his
point.
CORNELIUS
(to the President)
We have forty-eight hours, the time it needs
to adapt itself to our living conditions.
PRESIDENT
(worried)
And then?
CORNELIUS
And then it will be too late. The goal of
evil is to wipe out life! All forms of life.
For all eternity...Life upsets it.
The President appears upset himself by this image.
PRESIDENT
Is there anything that can stop it?
CORNELIUS
(knowing)
Yes..thank God..
37 EXT. SPACE
The Mondoshawan spaceship bursts through a star cluster and fills the
screen.
38 INT. COCKPIT - OMIT
39 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
The manuscript is open on the President's desk.. CLOSE ON:
Billy's rendering of the Mondoshawan.
CORNELIUS
(to the President)
The Mondoshawans don't belong to the
Federated Territories, but they are peaceful...
in their possession are the four elements of life.
These elements when they are gathered around a fifth:
The Supreme Being, ultimate warrior, created to protect
life......
The SUPREME BEING is standing, as if frozen in armor. All we see is the
bottom half of his body. Big metallic gloves hold the case engraved with
the emblem of the three suns containing the four Sacred Stones.
CORNELIUS
..will produce what the ancients called the
light of creation, the light of total goodness
which is the only thing that can defeat EVIL.
The President points to the spot occupied by the 5th element.
PRESIDENT
But what happens if instead of
this... Ultimate Warrior... it is EVIL
who stands here?
CORNELIUS
White turns to black. Light to Dark.
Life to Death. For all eternity.
The President's nerves quiver.
CAPTAIN
Sir, we have a Mondoshawan spaceship at
the frontier requesting permission to enter
our territory.
PRESIDENT
I guess I should make a decision..
CORNELIUS
They are the only ones who can help..
GENERAL
Sir..the Mondoshawan do not belong to the
federation. We do not know their intention..
I must recommend a full trinuclear assault..
PRESIDENT
(yells)
Did you see that..thing..swallow our battleship
like a gum drop? You can't even tell me what it is!
I ask you for options you give me bullshit.
Give them permission to enter our territories
with my warmest regards.
CORNELIUS
(relieved)
Thank you, Mr. President.
40 INT. MONDOSHAWANS SPACESHIP - OMIT
41 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - OMIT
42 EXT. SPACE / INT. MONDOSHAWAN SHIP
The MONDOSHAWAN spaceship zips across the Federated Galaxy.
But it is not alone: Two black warships seem to be dogging it.
43 INT. MONDOSHAWAN COCKPIT
The MONDOSHAWANS have spotted the spacecraft chasing them.
FIRST OFFICER
Two non-identified ships approaching.
CAPTAIN
Must be the welcoming committee.
44 INT. WARSHIP COCKPIT
A MANGALORE sits at the controls of the warship. His terrifying features
tell us what sort of welcome they can expect. The pilot fires without
warning.
45 EXT. SPACE / INT. MONDOSHAWAN SHIP
The huge ship is badly hit and immediately swerves oft course.
Panic aboard the MONDOSHAWAN ship.
46 INT. MONDOSHAWAN SHIP
CAPTAIN
We've been hit! General alert!!!
Blast after blast hits the defenseless ship.
CAPTAIN
We're losing control! We have to land fast!
The huge ship veers oft course and heads for a small red planet, taking
hit after hit.
CAPTAIN
Send out a distress signal!!! Activate
the emergency landing procedure!
The huge ship approaches the planet at blinding speed.
FIRST OFFICER
Impact in less than ten seconds!
The red planet looms ever closer.
CAPTAIN
Time is of no importance...
The ship crashes in a gigantic explosion.
46A INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT - DAY
A thermo nuclear explosion fills a T.V. screen..Which Korben's cat
watches with interest.
Korben is about to exit the apartment.
KORBEN
Don't watch it all day, it'll rot your
mind. Bye sweetie..
In response, the cat meows. Korben opens the door to..A huge
gun, brandished by a nervous MUGGER, pointing right in his face.
MUGGER
The cash man!
KORBEN
Been here long?
MUGGER
Don't fuck with me man or I'll blow
you into tomorrow!
Unperterbed, Korben looks at the mugger's fearsome weapon.
KORBEN
Isn't that a Z140? Alleviated titanium.
Neuro charged assault model?
MUGGER
(off balance)
Uh..
KORBEN
You know you could hurt someone with
this puppy..good thing it's not loaded..
The mugger is lost. He looks at his weapon.
MUGGER
It's not?
KORBEN
You gotta push the little yellow button...
Korben points to the button on the side of the gun. The mugger takes his
advice.
MUGGER
Thanks..
KORBEN
You're welcome..
And with lightning speed, Korben blasts the mugger with a straight right
hand, sending him down for the count. Korben retrieves the gun.
KORBEN
..you know these things are VERY illegal..
you could get in a shit load of trouble..
I better hang onto it for you..
As the mugger clears his head, Korben opens a drawer next to him which is
full of similar guns! The mugger's eyes pop out of his head. He scampers
to his feet and runs off.
Korben shrugs, exits his apartment, and closes the door. The cat watches
a nuclear holocaust on T.V., uninterrupted.
46B INT. KORBEN'S GARAGE - DAY
Korben enters his taxi. A robotic voice greets him.
VOICE
Please enter your license..
Korben complies, and starts to push a series of buttons on the dash.
VOICE
Welcome on board Mr. Dallas..
KORBEN
How you doing this morning? Sleep OK?
I didn't.
Korben hits a button. The garage door starts to open.
VOICE
Fuel level 6.03..Propulsion 2x4...
KORBEN
I had the worst goddamn nightmare.
VOICE
You have nine points left on your license..
KORBEN
Thanks for reminding me..
As the garage door lifts, the Megalopolis that is New York City in the
23rd century comes into view. Startling in it's height, and breath.
VOICE
Have a nice day..
Korben lets the propulsion build.
KORBEN
Right..
He lets the gear slip. The taxi rockets off into the City.
47 EXT. TAXI STAND - NIGHT - OMIT
48 EXT. RED PLANET-OMIT
49 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
Cornelius collapses in a chair.
CORNELIUS
We are lost!
GENERAL MUNRO
Mr. President, the attack was launched by two
unregistered warships.
PRESIDENT
Close all borders and declare a state of
general alert.
GENERAL MUNRO
Yes, sir.
PRESIDENT
(to another OFFICER)
Try to contact these Mondoshawans. We
owe them an explanation.
CORNELIUS
(lost, to himself)
What are we going to do?
PRESIDENT
This is government business now.
You ought to go home and get some
rest, Father.
The President motions to his guards to come and get Cornelius.
PRESIDENT
I promise to keep you informed.
A weary Cornelius leaves the room with David's help.
PRESIDENT
(to the CAPTAIN)
...Has the rescue team found any survivors?
50 EXT. RED PLANET - OMIT
51 EXT. RED PLANET ORBIT - OMIT
52 INT. LABORATORY 1ST DISTRICT MANHATTAN - DAWN
An arm, on a surgical cart, moves down the hall of the Nucleological
Center, the most sterile of environments.
PROFESSOR MACTILBURGH, age 60, hurries alongside GENERAL MUNRO.
MUNRO
This is all that survived?
MACTILBURGH
Actually only one cell survived..
MUNRO
Have you identified it?
MACTILBURGH
It's not that easy..we've never encountered
anything like it before..you see normal human
beings have 40 DNA memo groums..which is
more than enough for any species to perpetuate
itself..This one has 200,000.
MUNRO
Talk English Doc.
MACTILBURGH
This cell is like a huge library. It has infinite
genetic knowledge stored inside.
Almost like it was...engineered.
MUNRO
Sounds like a freak of nature to me.
MACTILBURGH
Yes... I can't wait to meet him.
They pass into the lab.
53 INT. LABORATORY
The two enter a cylindrical laboratory. There is a huge glass turbine in
the middle with the metal glove inside. A DNA chain scrolls on the computer
screen.
MACTILBURGH
(rather fascinated)
The compositional elements of his DNA
chain are the same as ours, there are simply
more of them tightly packed.
His knowledge is probably limitless..
MUNRO
(worried)
Is there any danger? Some kind of virus?
MACTILBURGH
We put it through the cellular hygiene detector.
The cell is for lack of a better word... perfect.
Munro hesitates a moment. Then he sighs and uses his personal key to
open the
self-destruct box.
MUNRO
OK, go ahead! But Mr. Perfect better be polite...
otherwise I turn him into cat food.
Mactilburgh starts the operation rolling as Munro puts his hand on the
sell-destruct button, ready to use it. Thousands of cells form in the
heart of the generator, an assemblage of DNA elements. Then the cells move
down a tube, like a fluid, and gather in an imprint of a HUMAN body. Step
by step bones are reconstructed, then the nervous and muscular systems.
Whole veins wrap around the muscles. An entire body is reconstructing before
our very eyes.
DOCTOR
Three seconds to ultra-violet protection.
A shield comes over the reconstructing body and makes it invisible.
MACTILBURGH
(to Munro)
...This is the crucial phase, The reconstruction
of pigment. Cells are bombarded with slightly
greasy solar atoms which forces the body cells
to react, to protect themselves.
That means growing skin. Clever, eh?
MUNRO
(disgusted)
Wonderful!
The meter slows, drops to zero.
ASSISTANT
... End of reconstruction, beginning of
reanimation .
A whoosh of air in the glass chamber. Captain Munro has his hand on the
self-destruct button, ready to destroy the being that has barely been
reborn.
MACTILBURGH
(pushing a button)
Activate life support system.
An electrical discharge fills the glass chamber causing the body inside
to jerk.
After a few moments of silence, the SOUND of a heartbeat fills the room
over the loudspeaker.
ASSISTANT
Life support system activated.
The Supreme Being is alive once again.
MACTILBURGH
Remove the shield.
The ASSISTANT automatically removes the ultra-violet shield which slowly
reveals... a woman... nude... young... and very beautiful. Munro stands there
gaping. Not quite his vision of the Supreme Being. Mactilburgh glances
at Munro and gently pushes his hand away from the self-destruct button.
MACTILBURGH
(with a smile)
I told you ... perfect!
Munro is hypnotized by the GIRL's beauty.
MUNRO
...I'd, uh , like to get a few pictures for the
archives
before she wakes up.
Mactilburgh looks at him with a grin. A remote-control camera approaches
the girl's face, a flash goes off. Blinded by the flash, the girl jumps and
screams. She cowers in a corner, shaking from the cold, darting eyes
everywhere looking for the case she was holding.
GIRL
(very angry)
Ouacra cocha o dayodomo binay ouacra
mo cocha ferji akba ligounai makta keratapla.
Tokemata tokemata! Seno santonoi-aypa!
Minoi ay Cheba! Givomana seno!
MUNRO
(worried)
What's she saying?
MACTILBURGH
(to his ASSISTANT)
Activate the phonic detector.
The girl kicks the window repeatedly.
MACTILBURGH
And give her a light sedative...
and something to wear!
The ASSISTANT hits a button. A pile of clothes drops out of a trapdoor
in the ceiling. She snatches up the clothes angrily and dresses quickly.
Munro draws closer to the glass window. He watches her dress with
undisguised pleasure.
MUNRO
(to Mactilburgh)
This thing solid?
MACTILBURGH
(smiling)
An elephant couldn't crack it.
The Girl finishes dressing.
GIRL
(angrily)
Teno akta chataman assin-omekta!
Munro smiles safely behind his plate glass window.
MUNRO
(with a smile)
You're gonna have to learn to communicate
better than that angel if you want out.
Munro dangles the key on a chain that will let her out. The girl rams
her fist right through the window. She grabs the key and yanks it. The
chain snaps tight and Munro slams into the window knocking himself out. The
girl puts her hand through the window again, unlocks the chamber and steps
out. She is still bit wobbly on her legs. Two GUARDS try to grab her.
She sends them flying across the room. Mactilburgh is most impressed. He
sets off a general alarm.
54 INT. CORRIDOR LABORATORY
The girl runs through a maze of corridors looking for a way out. A squad
of SECURITY GUARDS appear in front of her and open fire without warning. The
girl takes a leap, grabs an air vent, kicks it out and dives into the air
shaft. The COPS try and jump up to the vent, but none can reach it.
CHIEF
Get me a chair or a stepladder The rest of you
go through the main ventilation!
55 INT. VENTILATION DUCT LABORATORY
The girl moves along unable to see what's ahead of her. She comes to a
dead-end, a grill that leads outside. She pushes it out and exits onto
the ledge.
56 EXT. LEDGE LABORATORY - DAWN
She has exited to a ledge on the 450th floor of a building, right in the
middle of Manhattan, which we discover for the first time. The city has
become monstrous. Buildings rise 600 stories. Cars fly. Subways run
vertically...The girl edges along the narrow ledge, unfazed by the height.
The CHIEF leans out the vent, looking out into the void.
CHIEF
(to his men)
Go on follow her!
The COPS stare into the gaping void.
COP
...No way.
The CHIEF angrily pulls out his gun and shoots at the girl who ducks
around the corner of the building. Unfortunately the other side in full of
cops as well. A flying police car zooms up in front of her, sirens
blaring.
VOICE (O.S.)
This in the police. Your status is illegal.
Please put up your hands and follow our
instructions!
The girl feels trapped. She looks down into the endless 450 below and
all the cars flying underneath her. Then she raises her arms... and dives
off.
57 INT. POLICE CAR - NIGHT
COP
(in the car.)
Christ! She dove off!
In a panic, the COP makes a wrong turn. The girl falls for several
seconds.
She lands on the roof of a flying cab.
58 INT. CAB - NIGHT
Korben tries to control his car, reeling from the impact.
VOICE (O.S.)
You have just had an accident.
Seven points have been temporarily
removed...
Korben manages to stop his cab, pulls over to the side.
VOICE / KORBEN
You have one point left on your license.
Have a good day.
Korben sighs and looks in the back seat to see what the damages are. The
girl, a bit dazed (who wouldn't be), emerges from the debris and sits up.
There's some blood on her face. Korben is stunned. The girl's still alive
and... so beautiful. His heart heads for a meltdown.
GIRL
Akina delutan, nou-shan.
KORBEN
(lost)
...'Scuse me?
A police car with wailing sirens halts in front of Korben.
COP
(over a loudspeaker)
You have an unauthorized passenger in your
vehicle. We are going to arrest her.
Please leave your hands on the wheel.
Thank you for your cooperation.
KORBEN
(obeying)
Sorry, Hon, but I only got one point left
on my license and I gotta get to the garage!
The police car presses up against the cab. Doors slide open. Huge guns
point at her. Korben feels lousy. The girl's helpless, there are tears in
her eyes, she looks exhausted.
Korben glances at her in the rear view mirror. She's looking all around
to find something to help her communicate with him.
Her POV: an ad on the back of the seat. An 800 number to help an
orphanage. A teary photo of a kid over the words Please Help. She shoots
to Korben a look of pure distress.
GIRL
(irresistible)
Please... HELP...
Korben can't resist her plea.
KORBEN
Don't put me in this position...
I can't... I'm late as it is...
But he cannot say no to her eyes.
KORBEN
Finger's gonna kill me.
Korben shuts oft the meter and floors it, sideswiping the police car as
he roars away.
VOICE (O.S.)
Your license has been revoked.
Would you please....
Korben whips out a gun and shatters the loudspeaker.
KORBEN
I hate when people cry...
I got no defense...
The police car takes out after him, sirens screeching. An insane chase
ensues.
59 INT. NEW YORK STREETS - DAY
Korben and his flying taxi are absolute masters of the air. The cops
have trouble following him but then another cop car comes to join in the
fun. Korben drives like a man possessed, nothing can stop him. Except the
dead-end he's just come up against.
GIRL
Daya deo dono Dato. Dalutan!
KORBEN
It there's one thing I don't need advice on,
it's how to drive.
Korben turns his cab sideways and scrapes through a narrow passageway,
ripping his taxi light from the roof. The police car smashes into the
wall. The other one brakes just in time.
COP
Shit! Attention all-patrol cars!
The car makes a U-turn, looking for a wider passageway.
60 EXT. NEW YORK STREET
The police car roars up, sirens screaming then slows down and checks out
a dead-end flanked by a large vertical neon billboard. The dead-end is empty .
Korben's cab is hidden vertically behind the billboard. Seeing nothing, the
police drive away.
KORBEN
We'll wait till things quiet down a bit.
You mind?
The girl grabs his shirt collar and pulls him close, whispers in his ear.
GIRL
(weak)
...Priest...
KORBEN
You're not that bad... Come on we'll
get you to a doctor.
The girl hands him the handle of the case, struck with the three Egyptian
suns.
GIRL
(weak)
Vito... Cor... Ni-lious... Priest...
KORBEN
Vito Cornelius?
The girl nods, then faints. Korben is somewhat lost faced with so much
mystery.
61 INT. CORNELIUS' APARTMENT - DAY
The door opens. Korben is there with the unconscious girl in his arms.
KORBEN
(embarrassed)
Excuse me, I'm looking for a priest.
CORNELIUS
(tired)
Weddings are one floor down.
Congratulations.
Cornelius closes the door. The doorbell RINGS again.
KORBEN
She's not my bride, she's my fare.
She's looking for this Vito Cornelius.
According to the phone guide he lives here.
CORNELIUS
(curious)
That's me. But I don't know who she is...
where did you find her?
KORBEN
She dropped in on me... holding this.
Korben hands him the metal handle with the three Egyptian suns, stamped
on it.
CORNELIUS
(staggered)
The fifth element.
He faints dead away. Korben, with the girl still in his arms looks
around helpless.
KORBEN
(sighing)
Finger's gonna kill me...
62 INT. CORNELIUS' APARTMENT - DAY
In his armchair, Cornelius gets woken by a slap in the face.
CORNELIUS
(with a start)
Who are you?
KORBEN
I brought the girl remember?
CORNELIUS
The girl?
Cornalius gets up. He looks at the handle.
KORBEN
Yeah! She dropped in on me. I mean
on my taxi... talking... this... this bizarre
language...
And then it dawns on Cornelius who the girl is.
CORNELIUS
(eyes riveted on her)
He's a she!
KORBEN
(bemused)
You noticed...
CORNELIUS
(face shining)
There's not a moment to lose! Wake her up,
but be gentle about it! This woman is mankind's
most precious possession! She is... perfect!
KORBEN
So you do know her.
CORNELIUS
Uh yes, we're cousins..distant cousins..
Cornelius runs into the next room. Korben looks at the girl, goes to
slap her, then changes his mind.
Her beauty troubles him. He hesitates, then, gently caresses her cheek.
Her skin seems so soft, so fragile.
KORBEN
Perfect...
63 INT. SMALL ROOM
David, is mending a cassock when Cornelius bursts into the room out of
breath.
CORNELIUS
It's a miracle!!!
DAVID
(worried)
What is?
CORNELIUS
(babbling crazily)
I can't wear these clothes! This calls
for dignity!
I have to dress the part!
He opens a closet filled with identical robes and plunges in,
disappearing as David looks on, uncomprehending.
64 INT LIVING ROOM. CORNELIUS' APARTMENT
Korben gently kisses the girl's cheeks, but she doesn't respond. He
looks around then kisses her on the lips. The girl's eyes snap open.
When Korben straightens up he discovers his own gun jammed under his
chin.
GIRL
(angry)
Eto Akta Gamat!
KORBEN
(embarrassed)
I'm sorry, it's just that... I was
told to wake you up gently, so I figured...
The girl pauses a moment. She stares at him, looks puzzled.
KORBEN
You're right, I was wrong! I shouldn't
have kissed you... especially since we
haven't been introduced and...
(he pulls out a business card)
Here, it's a bit late, but... my name is
Korben, Korben Dallas.
Keep it, you never know, maybe... you'll
need a cab one day. I'll be happy to open
the door this time!.
The girl hesitates, then snatches the card like a wild animal.
65 INT. SMALL ROOM
Cornelius is lost in the closet.
DAVID
Father, will you please explain what's
going on?
CORNELIUS
The Supreme Being, the fifth element is here,
in our parish!!! It's a miracle!!!
66 INT. LIVING ROOM
KORBEN
...What's your name?
GIRL
(after a moment)
Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-Tchai
Ekbat De Sebat.
KORBEN
(polite)
Hey, that's... cute... Do you have a nickname,
something a little... shorter?
GIRL
...Leeloo.
Korben is falling in love.
KORBEN
That's... really cute...
Cornelius bursts into the room. She turns the gun on him.
He bows before her.
CORNELIUS
Appipulai Leeloo Minai..
LEELOO
Corn-i-Lius?
CORNELIUS
(bowing)
At your service.
LEELOO lowers her guard starts to laugh. An irresistible childish laugh.
Korben smiles.
DAVID
Father. You sure she's the Supreme Being?
CORNELIUS
Absolutely sure There's the triple suns on
her gloves!
David bows low, but his eyes glance up at Leeloo. Cornelius begins to
lead Korben toward the door, hustling him out.
KORBEN
They all like this in your family, father?
CORNELIUS
She's an exception..
CORNELIUS
Thank you so much for your help Mr...?
KORBEN
Dallas. Korben Dallas.
Cornelius takes his arm. Leeloo stops laughing when she sees Korben
leaving.
CORNELIUS
Yes. That's fine! Thank you very much.
A thousand times over!
KORBEN
I might call to check up on her,
you know... to see if she's better?
CORNELIUS
She's fine, really..don't you worry..
just needs some rest..she's had a very long trip.
KORBEN
I know. I was there when she arrived.
Cornelius is about to close the door. Korben's hand blocks it.
KORBEN
Excuse me! Just one thing! She said something
to me a while ago and... I don't really get it...
Akta Gamat?
CORNELIUS
It means, "Never without my permission".
KORBEN
That's what I thought.
Cornelius slams the door in his face.
KORBEN
...Thanks.
66A INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT - DAY
Korben beads down the hallway. He passes his NEIGHBOR.
KORBEN
Evening...
NEIGHBOR
Fuck you!
KORBEN
...Thanks... You, too.
Korben enters his-apartment.
66B INT.. KORBEN'S APARTMENT - DAY
The door slides back and the cat comes rubbing up against him, tail in
the air.
KORBEN
Oh god. I forgot your food ... I'm really sorry!
How about a nice Thai nosh to apologize?
How does that sound, huh?
The cat meows, appeased, just an the phone rings.
KORBEN
Hello?
FINGER (V.O.)
Hey bud...I'm waiting all day here.
KORBEN
Finger..man..I'm sorry..listen..I was on the way
over but I had a fare fall into my lap..
y'know one of those big fares you just
can't resist..
FINGER (V.O.)
(suspicious)
So, just how big was this fare?
KORBEN
5'7", green eyes... long legs... great skin...
perfect..
Korben takes out a cigarette.
FINGER (V.O.)
Uh huh..and I don't suppose you got the
name of this..perfect fare..
KORBEN
(dreamy)
Leeloo..
67 INT. GARAGE - DAY - OMIT
68 INT. CORNELIUS' APARTMENT - DAY
Leeloo has a towel wrapped around her, it looks like she just took a
shower. She sits in front of a computer wolfing down some chicken. Data
scrolls by on the screen. David watches from the corner, in awe.
DAVID
What's she doing?
CORNELIUS
Learning our history!
The last 5000 years that she missed!
She's been out of circulation a while,
you know.
Leeloo breaks into her childish laughter.
CORNELIUS
What're you laughing about?
LEELOO
(pronouncing badly)
Napoleon... small.
She laughs again and tosses some capsules into the microwave.
DAVID
(hesitant)
Uh father, I know she's been through a lot...
but the sacred stones..we don't have much
time..
CORNELIUS
Yes. Of course..
Leeloo takes her plate out of the microwave. A steaming plate heaped
with chicken and exotic vegetables.
CORNELIUS
Leeloo..I'm sorry to interrupt you but..
She sits back down in front of the screen and chomps away heavily on her
second chicken. Cornelius sits opposite her. and holds up the case
handle.
CORNELIUS
(serious)
The case..with the stones...
Where is it?
LEELOO
San Agamat chay bet... envolet!
CORNELIUS
The case was stolen?
Leeloo nods her head, quite unperturbed and continues to devour the food
in front of her.
CORNELIUS
(shocked)
Who in gods name would do such
a thing?
69 INT. CORRIDOR. ZORG'S WAREHOUSE - DAY
CLOSE ON: A pair of feet limping heavily. A MAN comes alongside them.
RIGHT ARM
Excuse me sir, the council is worried about
the economy heating up. They wondered if
it would be possible to fire 500...
They reach a door at the end of the corridor. Zorg enters a code.
ZORG
Fire 1000.
RIGHT ARM
But... 500 is all they need, sir.
ZORG turns slowly. A small scar across run across his face, his eye
stutters.
This is not a man to cross, or contradict.
RIGHT ARM
1000! Fine, sir!
Sorry to have disturbed you.
The door opens...
70 INT. CORNELIUS' APARTMENT - DAY
... and David enters carrying a bundle of clothes.
CORNELIUS
There was this guy with a limp who
came a month ago..said he was an art
dealer ... Asking all these questions about
the Sacred Stones..at the time I didn't think
anything of it.. What was his name? I'm so
bad with names...
DAVID
(to Leeloo, timid)
I didn't know your size.
Leeloo is happy. She pulls off the towel and stands there nude. Cornelius
and David turn away.
DAVID
They really made her...
CORNELIUS
Perfect.
Leeloo finishes dressing. She is delighted.
LEELOO
(to David)
Domo danko!
David smiles, dumb with admiration. Cornelius comes over.
CORNELIUS
Leeloo? The Stones...
We must get them back.
Leeloo settles down, sits at the computer and turns it on.
LEELOO
Ikset-kiba. Me imanetaba oum dalat!
CORNELIUS
You know exactly where they are!
71 INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY
A group of handsome WARRIORS approaches. AKNOT, their leader has the
sacred case in his hands. The metal handle is missing but the second
metal glove is still grasping the case.
ZORG
(pretending to be worried)
Aknot? Is that you?
The LEADER nods. A disgusted look stamps Zorg's features.
ZORG
...What an ugly face! Doesn't suit you at all!
Take it off...
AKNOT's face burns away revealing the head of a monstrous MANGALORE.
ZORG
That's better! Never be ashamed of
who you are...
You're warriors... be proud...
AKNOT says nothing, but if his eyes could talk!
ZORG
So what if the Federal Army crushed your
entire race and scattered your people to the
wind...
Your time for revenge is at hand...
Voila... the ZF1.
He takes out a weapon from one a crate and goes into a sales pitch.
ZORG
(very fast)
...It's light... the handle's adjustable for
easy carrying... good for righties and lefties.
Meanwhile, two MEN set up a mannequin rigged with various defense
mechanisms at the far end of the warehouse.
ZORG
... Breaks down into four parts, undetectable by
X-rays.. It's the ideal weapon for quick, discreet
interventions. A word on fire power: Titanium
recharger. 3000 round clip with bursts of 3 to 300.
With the replay button, another Zorg innovation,
it's even easier... one shot.
He fires at the mannequin.
ZORG
... and replay sends every following shot
to the same location...
Zorg spins around, the rounds all hit the mannequin.
ZORG
(even faster)
I recharge, but the enemy has launched a
cowardly sneak attack from behind, the
automirror takes care of that. Gives me the
time to turn around and finish the job.
300 round bursts, then there are the Zorg oldies...
He fires off each item he names.
ZORG
...Rocket launcher. The always efficient
flame thrower... My favorite.
Our famous net launcher, the arrow launcher,
with exploding or poisonous gas heads - very
practical.
And for the grand finale, the all-new ice-cube
system!
The mannequin has been blasted into a pile of ashes covered by a net,.
stuck with arrows, the whole mess frozen solid. He tosses the weapon into
AKNOT's hands.
ZORG
...Four full crates, delivered right on time!
What about you, my dear Aknot, did
you bring me what I asked you for?
AKNOT sets the case on a crate. Zorg gloats while stroking the case.
ZORG
...Magnificent.
Zorg smiles, takes a deep breath, opens the case. It's empty
72 INT. CORNELIUS' APARTMENT - DAY
Leeloo breaks into her childish laughter once again.
CORNELIUS
(astonished)
What do you mean empty?
73 INT. ZORG'S WAREHOUSE - DAY
AKNOT looks into the case. Things grow tense.
ZORG
Alright..I've got an open mind here..
anyone care to explain?
74 INT. CORNELIUS' APARTMENT - DAY
Leeloo explains what happened in her language.
CORNELIUS
(translating)
She says that the Guardians never really had
much faith in humans. They were afraid of
being attacked. The stones were given to someone
they could trust who took another route.
She's supposed to contact this person in a little less
than twelve hours from now in a hotel.
She's looking for the address!
A map of the stars flashes onto the screen, Leeloo points.
LEELOO
Dot!
The little group comes over to look.
DAVID
Planet Fhloston, in the Angel constellation
Cornelius plops down into his armchair.
CORNELIUS
...We're saved!
75 INT. ZORG'S WAREHOUSE - DAY
ZORG
I'm fucked!
Zorg calmly closes the case and gives Aknot a blood-chilling stare.
AKNOT
You asked for a case.
We brought you a case.
ZORG
(shouting)
A case with four stones in it. Not one!
Not two or three! But four!!! Four stones!!!
What the fuck am I supposed to do with an
EMPTY case?!!
AKNOT's men grow edgy.
AKNOT
(tense)
...We are warriors, not merchants!
ZORG
(humored)
But you can still count. Look...
my fingers.
He holds up four fingers.
ZORG
...Four stones, four crates... Zero stones...
(yelling)
ZERO CRATES!!!
(to his men)
Put everything back, we're outta here.
AKNOT's warriors turn their weapons on Zorg.
AKNOT
(icily)
We risked our lives. I believe a
little compensation is in order.
ZORG
(smiling)
So, you are a merchant, after all.
(to his men)
Leave them one crate. For the cause!
Zorg's men leave a crate and exit with the other three.
76 EXT. OUTSIDE ZORG'S WAREHOUSE - DAY
Zorg walks along the street to his limo. RIGHT ARM carries the empty
case.
ZORG
I don't like warriors! They're too
narrow-minded, no sublety. Worse,
they fight for hopeless causes..for honor!
Honor has killed millions of people but
hasn't saved a single one.
(pause)
You know what -- do I like though, I like killer.
A real dyed in the wool killer. Cold-blooded.
Clean. Methodical. Thorough. A killer, when
he picked up the ZF1, would've immediately
asked about the little red button on the bottom of
the gun.
77 INT. HALLWAY ZORG'S WAREHOUSE - DAY
The warriors have all taken a weapon. One of them inspects his ZF1. He
turns it over and notices the little red button. He presses it.
78 EXT. OUTSIDE ZORG'S WAREHOUSE - DAY
Behind Zorg, an ear-shattering explosion levels the warehouse.
ZORG
(impassive)
Bring the priest.
79 INT. GARAGE - DAY - OMIT
79A INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT - DAY
Korben is finishing a Thai meal, cooked by a Thai on his mini restaurant
anchored at the window. The cat eats next to Korben, contented.
KORBEN
So you forgive me?
The cat meows just as a red light blinks, announcing the arrival of a
message in a glass tube. Korben ignores it.
THAI
Not going to open?
KORBEN
I've never gotten a message that wasn't
bad news.
THAI
How someone strong like you scared from
a message? Is good news I sure!
KORBEN
The last two messages I got? The first one
was from my wife telling me she was leaving!
And the second was from my lawyer telling me
he was leaving too... with my wife.
THAI
You right that is bad.. but mathematically
luck must change!
Grandfather say: "It never rain every day."
This is good news guarantee.. I bet you lunch!
Korben hesitates, then gives the envelope to the Thai, who opens it with
a big smile that fades as reads the contents aloud.
THAI
...You're fired. Oh!
Korben smiles at him.
KORBEN
At least I won lunch.
THAI
Good philosophy..see good in bad..
I like..I prepare number one dessert..
special for you and pussy..
The cat meows.
79B INT. CORNELIUS' APARTMENT - DAY
Leeloo is polishing of' an immense pile of dessert as David bangs away at
the computer.
DAVID
I got it! Everything here we need to
know about Fhloston Paradise Hotel...
and a detailed blueprint of the entire hotel!
CORNELIUS
Good work, my son. Now all we need is
a way to get there.
The doorbell rings.
CORNELIUS
I'll get it. Finish your work my son.
Cornelius opens to Right Arm with armed escort.
RIGHT ARM
Father Cornelius?
CORNELIUS
My son?
RIGHT ARM
Mr. Zorg would like a word with you.
CORNELIUS
Mr. Who?
80 EXT. MANHATTAN - OMIT
81 INT. HALLWAY CORNELIUS APARTMENT - OMIT
82 INT. REFRIGERATION ROOM - OMIT
83 INT. ZORG'S OFFICE
Zorg turns to Cornelius.
ZORG
Zorg. Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg...
nice to see you again
CORNELIUS
I remember you now..the so called
art dealer.
ZORG
I'm glad you got your memory back, Father...
Because you're going to need it...
Where are the stones?
CORNELIUS
...Why on earth do the stones interest you?
ZORG
Personally, they are of no interest to me,
I'd rather sell weapons..but I have a customer...
so tell me...
CORNELIUS
Even it I did know where the stones were
I would never tell somebody like you.
ZORG
Why? What's wrong with me?
CORNELIUS
...I'm a priest! I'm here to serve life,
All you want to do is destroy it.
ZORG
Ah, Father... You are so wrong.
Let me explain...
Zorg leads Cornelius into his inner office.
ZORG
...would you like a drink?
CORNELIUS
No thank you.
ZORG
Follow me.. Life, which you so nobly serve,
comes from destruction. Look at this empty
glass.
Zorg pushes the glass with his finger.
ZORG
Here it is... peaceful... serene...
but if it is...
Zorg pushes the glass off the table. It shatters on the floor.
ZORG
Destroyed...
Small individual robots, both free-wheeling and integrated, come zipping
out to clean up the mess.
ZORG
...Look at all these little things...
so busy all of a sudden.
Notice how each one is useful.
What a lovely ballet, so full of form
and color. So full of..life!
CORNELIUS
They are robots!
A SERVANT comes in pours water in another glass. Zorg tosses a cherry
into it.
ZORG
Yes but... by that simple gesture of destruction.
I gave work to at least fifty people today. The
engineers, the technicians, the mechanics. Fifty
people who will be able to feed their children so
they can grow up big and strong. Children who
will have children of their own, adding to the great
cycle of life!
Cornelius sits in silence.
ZORG
Father, by creating a little destruction,
I am, in fact, encouraging life! So, in
reality, you and I are in the same business!
CORNELIUS
Destroying a glass is one thing..killing people
with the weapons you produce is quite another.
ZORG
Let me reassure you Father..I will never kill
more people in my entire life than religion has
killed in the last 2000 years.
Zorg smiles, holds up the glass and takes a drink.
Unfortunately, he chokes on the cherry. Unable to breathe, Zorg starts
to panic.
CORNELIUS
(mocking)
Where's the robot to pat your back?
Zorg falls, writhing, on his desk, inadvertently hitting buttons which
trigger a slew of little mechanisms. They pop out all over the desk.
True chaos reigns. Even a cage appears, holding a Souliman Aktapan, a fat
multicolored beastie, PICASSO, who seems surprised to be out in daylight. He
licks his half-dead master in thanks. Cornelius gets up and walks around
the desk. Zorg motions for help.
CORNELIUS
Can I give you a hand?
Cornelius whacks him on the back. The cherry comes flying out. Zorg
regains control of himself. GUARDS come running in.
ZORG
You saved my life... So, I'm going
to spare yours.
(to the GUARDS)
Throw him out!
The GUARDS throw Cornelius out.
CORNELIUS
You are a monster, Zorg!
ZORG
(complimented)
I know...
The GUARDS drag Cornelius out of the office.
ZORG
...Torture whoever you want, the
president if you have to but I want
those Stones. You have an hour.
Right Arm salutes and hurries out of the office.
84 EXT. MANHATTAN STREET - OMIT
85 INT. ZORG'S OFFICE - OMIT
86 INT./EXT. STREET / TAXI - OMIT
87 INT. REFRIGERATION ROOM - OMIT
88 INT. ZORG'S OFFICE - DAY - OMIT
89 INT. HALLWAY - OMIT
90 INT. REFRIGERATION ROOM - OMIT
91 INT. TAXI - OMIT
92 INT. ROOM - DAY - OMIT
93 INT. TAXI - OMIT
94 INT. ROOM - DAY - OMIT
95 INT. TAXI - OMIT
96 INT. SHAFT - OMIT
97 INT. GARAGE - OMIT
98 INT. ZORG'S OFFICE - OMIT
99 INT. GARAGE - OMIT
100 INT. LOCKER ROOM GARAGE - OMIT
101 INT. GARAGE - OMIT
102 INT. LOCKER ROOM GARAGE - OMIT
103 INT. KORBEN'S BUILDING - DAY - OMIT
104 INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT - OMIT
105 EXT. / INT. SPACE / SPACESHIP
...The dark planet. Three warships are positioned in front of it.
Communication satellites arrive from all over the place, drawn to it like
a magnet.
CAPTAIN
(observing)
It's gobbling up all the communication
satellites in the galaxy!
106 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
President Lindberg appears even more crushed by recent events.
PRESIDENT
Why the hell is it eating up all those
satellites like that?
HEAD SCIENTIST
(desperate)
...We're working on it, Mr. President.
We're working on it.
PRESIDENT
It should only choke on them.
MUNRO enters the office just as a cockroach crawls onto the desk.
There's a small antenna on its back.
107 INT. SMALL ROOM
Zorg's Right Arm wears earphones, monitoring the President's conversation
with the cockroach-spy.
108 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE / SMALL ROOM
MUNRO
I managed to contact the Mondoshawan.
They deplore the incident, but accept our
apologies.
PRESIDENT
(relieved)
And the Stones? Did you find them in the
wreckage?
MUNRO
The-Stones weren't aboard the ship.
PRESIDENT
(surprised)
...What do you mean?
The President is all ears.
So is Zorg's Right Arm.
MUNRO
The Mondoshawan never fully trusted the
human race..they felt we're too unpredictable..
so they gave up the Stones to somebody they
do trust. Her name is Plavalaguna. She's a Diva
and she's going to sing at the charity ball on
Fhloston Paradise in a few hours. She has the
Stones with her.
The President breathes easier.
Zorg's Right Arm is delighted.
PRESIDENT
(taking off a shoe)
Excellent!
The President crushes the cockroach with his shoe.
Right Arm's earphones fly off his head. Good-bye eardrums.
109 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
PRESIDENT
I want your best man on this!
MUNRO
Don't worry, Sir. I have the perfect one.
110 INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT - DAY
C.U. The most disgusting dessert ever made. Korben looks at it shimmying
on a plate as the Thai serves it to him proudly.
THAI
Stewed jellyfish cake.. my speciality..
Korben forces a weak, polite smile as the Thai looks on expectantly. The
phone rings.
KORBEN
Saved by the bell.
Korben rises to get his cigarettes, and answer the phone.
KORBEN
...Hello?
MOTHER (V.O.)
You're the nastiest dirtbag I know in
this stinking City!
KORBEN
(resigned)
Hi Ma...
MOTHER (V.O.)
I've been playing twice a week for 20 years,
20 years I've been eating those shitty croquettes.
Korben goes to light his cigarette. There are only two matches left in
the match box.
Korben strikes one and it fizzles.
MOTHER (V.O.)
You wouldn't even eat one to help your
poor mother, and you win the big prize?
Know something? The whole thing makes
me sick!
The Thai starts to clean up. Just as Korben goes to strike the second
match..
MOTHER (V.O.)
Are you listening to me, you ingrate!
KORBEN
(resigned)
Yes ma..
Korben sighs and puts the match back in the box.
Korben enters his code on the keypad the Thai is holding.
KORBEN
(to the Thai)
Go on... This is gonna take a while!
The Thai casts oft. Korben closes the window.
KORBEN
Other than that... You all right?
MOTHER (V.O.)
...And now you're making fun of me?
I'm warning you! If you don't take me
after all these years of sacrifice, I'll
never forgive you!!
The Thai flies off. In the hall, the cat meows-for more food.
KORBEN
(to the cat)
I'm coming!. Ma, what're you talking
about?
MOTHER (V.O.)
I get it! You want to make me beg,
is that it?
KORBEN
All I want is an explanation! I just got
in, I lost my job. I smashed my cab.
I got mugged, but other than that
everything's peachy, Ma, thanks for asking!!
Now settle down and explain to me calmly..
A message drops in his tube. The red light goes on.
MOTHER (V.O.)
You just won a trip, you dolt!
Ten days in Fhloston Paradise for two!
KORBEN
Ma. If I'd won, I'd know about it.
Someone would have notified me.
MOTHER (V.O.)
They've been blaring out your name on
the radio for the last hour, blockhead!
He eyeballs the message still in the tube. The doorbell rings.-
KORBEN
Ma.. it's the door. I'll call you back.
Korben hangs up before his mother can say anything and heads for the
door. Before he gets there it opens, General Munro enters followed by a
Captain and a Major.
MAJOR ICEBORG is a woman. All she needs to become a man is a mustache.
Munro opens a file.
MUNRO
(clipped)
Major Dallas, if our calculations are correct
you still have 57 hours owed to the Federal
Army on your enlistment which is more than
you will need for a mission of the utmost
importance.
KORBEN
What mission?
MUNRO
To save the world.
KORBEN
Where have I heard this song before?
MUNRO
You're to leave immediately for Fhloston
Paradise. Retrieve four Stones from the
Diva Plavalaguna. And bring them back with
the utmost discretion as possible.
Any questions'?
KORBEN
(a little bewildered)
Just one... why me?
MUNRO
Three reasons... One: As part of The Elite
Special Forces Unit of the Federated Army
you are an expert in the use of all weapons
and spacecraft needed for this mission.
Munro pulls out a long list of documents.
MUNRO
Two: Of all the members of your unit
you were the most highly decorated.
KORBEN
And the third one?
MUNRO
You're the only one left alive...
Munro removes the message Korben hasn't bothered to look at.
MUNRO
Don't you open your messages?
KORBEN
I've had enough good news for today
MUNRO
(by rote)
You have won the annual Gemini contest
and a trip to Fhloston Paradise. For two.
Congratulations.
Here are your tickets.
He hands Korben the tickets. Korben gets it.
KORBEN
You rigged the contest?
Munro nods.
MUNRO
Major Iceborg will accompany you...
as your wife...
The idea of taking a trip with Iceborg makes him sick.
KORBEN
(sarcastic)
You couldn't come up with something
a little more discreet?
MUNRO
Old tricks are the best tricks eh?
KORBEN
I'm not going.
MUNRO
Why not?
KORBEN
One reason... I want to stay the only
one left alive.
110A INT. KORBEN'S HALL
Leeloo and Cornelius search for Korben's apartment. Leeloo carries the
card Korben gave her. Cornelius finds the apartment, and yanks the.
number off the door. He waves Leeloo over as his hand goes to the bell.
110B INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT
The doorbell rings.
KORBEN
...Scuse me.
Korben goes to the door and looks out the peephole: the beautiful Leeloo.
Korben panics, overcome with happiness.
KORBEN
...Shit!
MUNRO
(worried)
What is it?
Korben has two seconds to make up something to get rid of Munro.
KORBEN
It's my wife.
MUNRO
I thought you were divorced.
KORBEN
I mean my future.. my ex.. My future ex..
if she sees you here I'm finished. She hates
you guys. It's what killed us in the first place.
Please...
He puts them in the fridge, shoving the jellyfish cake in Iceborg's
hands.
KORBEN
...Sorry, General, but we've got no choice!
It'll only take a minute! Let me set up
another meeting and I'll be back.
MUNRO
Three of us will never fit in there!
KORBEN
(pushing him)
Oh, yes you will...
Korben slams the fridge door. The doorbell RINGS again.
KORBEN
...Coming!
He whips through his place in ten seconds, gathers up things laying
about,
shuts drawers, rolls up his laundry in the folding bed. He brushes his
hair back
and opens the door with a big smile only to discover a gun stuck between
his
eyes held by Cornelius.
LEELOO
Apipoulai!
KORBEN
I suppose that means "Hi" ?
CORNELIUS
I'm sorry to have to resort to such
methods, but we heard about your
good luck on he radio and we need
the tickets to Fhloston.
KORBEN
Is that the usual way priests go on
vacation?
CORNELIUS
We're not going on vacation..we're
on a mission..
KORBEN
What kind of mission?
CORNELIUS
(sincere)
We have to save the world.
KORBEN
(skeptical)
Good luck..
CORNELIUS
Of course.
KORBEN
Father, I was in the Army for awhile
and every time they told us we were
on a mission to save the world the
only thing that changed was I lost a
lot of friends. So thanks for the offer..
but no thanks.
Cornelius is disappointed. Leeloo looks crestfallen.
KORBEN
I'm sorry..
VOICE
This is a police control action..
Everyone freezes as the whole building resounds with the electronic
voice.
111 INT. LANDING KORBEN'S BUILDING
A group of POLICEMEN bursts into the hallway. One of the cops enters a
code on the police wall box. A device descends from the ceiling, a
flashing light-siren,
a VOICE fills the air.
VOICE
This is not an exercise.
This is a police control.
Cornelius starts to panic. Korben takes charge.
CORNELIUS
Oh my god oh my god..
Korben pushes a button sending the fridge to the next floor. A shower
takes it's place.
KORBEN
Leeloo, hide in here and don't move!
Leeloo hops in. Korben tosses Cornelius on the bed.
CORNELIUS
What are you doing?
KORBEN
Trying to save your ass so you can
save the world.
..and hits a button on the wall. The bed disappears into the wall.
Korben grabs his tickets and slides them in his belt.
112 INT. LANDING KORBEN'S BUILDING - DAY
Meanwhile, the automatic police voice continues.
VOICE
...Spread your legs and place your
hands in the yellow circles, please.
A COP slaps a viewer device on Korben's door which makes part of it
transparent.
COP 1
Put your hands in the yellow circles,
please.
Korben takes his time hiding his face. The Cop looks at his sheet. He's
looking for
a... KORBEN DALLAS. He has his picture, but it is Korben with long hair
and beard.
COP 1
(to COP 2)
Sir? Are you a human?
KORBEN
No, I'm a meat popsicle.
COP 3
(at the other end of the hall)
I found him!
C.U. Korben's calling card is clumsily stuck to the door of the
neighbor's apartment. COP 3 slaps the viewer on the nasty neighbor's door.
The neighbor is at his sink shaving instead of against the wall, COP 1
arrives with Korben's picture.
COP 1
Sir, this is a control. Please put your
hands in the yellow circles.
The neighbor steps right up to the viewer, shaving cream on his face. He
could pass for Korben.
NEIGHBOR
Fuck you!!
113 INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT
Korben still has his hands to the wall.
KORBEN
Wrong answer.
SHOT O.S. EXPLOSION. Scuffle.
114 INT. HALL
The riot police hustle down the hall dragging the neighbor behind them in
a canvas bag. A cop is on the wall phone.
COP
OK, we got the guy under wraps.
115 INT. ZORG'S OFFICE
Right Arm is on the phone, facing Zorg.
COP (O.S.)
It was not easy, but we bagged him!.
Thanks for the tip!
RIGHT ARM
(smiling)
Glad to help.
He hangs up.
RIGHT ARM
They just arrested the guy for Uranium
smuggling. Everything's going as planned.
He shows him a plane ticket, and a passport with his picture and Korben's
name.
RIGHT ARM
All I have to do now is to go to the
airport and take his place. I should be
in Fhloston in less than four hours.
Zorg sits there quietly for a moment.
ZORG
Don't come back without the Stones.
116 INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT
Korben opens the shower door. Leeloo is soaking wet, her teeth
chattering from the cold.
KORBEN
I'm really sorry.. there wasn't time.
His eyes fall on an old blanket.
KORBEN
Here let me wrap you up.
Korben wraps her in an blanket and vigoroualy rubs her back. Leeloo
warms gradually and snuggles closer to that warm comfortable shoulder.
Korben's rubbing slows, looking more like caresses.
KORBEN
..It's funny. I've met you twice today and
you've ended up in my arms both times.
Leeloo suddenly realizes that she has maybe gone a bit too far.
She recovers, looking embarrassed too.
LEELOO
(nicely)
Valo massa... Chacha hamas.
KORBEN
Uh..you're welcome.
The intimacy makes him nervous. He looks for a diversion.
KORBEN
Coffee! That's what you need!
A nice, hot cup of coffee!
He pushes a button on the coffee machine.
KORBEN
With some honey! You'll see, honey's
great!...
Korben rummages through the drawer. Leeloo, innocent, doesn't seem to
quite understand everything that is going on.
KORBEN
A hot cup of coffee... with honey...
He rummages through the cupboard, exceedingly nervous. Leeloo smiles and
begins to look around. She opens a drawer and comes upon..
KORBEN
(nervously)
I've got this great honey somewhere.
You know about honey? There used to be
these little animals who made it with antenna...
..pictures of Major Korben Dallas War Hero.
KORBEN
..and these other animals who ate it..
one were bees the other were bears..
She looks back to the man fumbling for honey.
KORBEN
I forget which ate it and which made it
but..
And she smiles.
KORBEN
Here it is!
Korben holds up the jar of honey.
KORBEN
Taste this...
Leeloo innocently sticks his finger in the jar then puts it in her mouth.
KORBEN
It... melts in your mouth, doesn't it?
She savors the honey, slowly; sensually. Her lips shine with honey. Her
eyes narrow with pleasure. Korben is hypnotized by her lips, like a moth
attracted to a flame. He begins to lose control, which makes him nervous.
An indistinct sound comes from the wall. But Korben is so entranced with
the sight of Leeloo licking her honied fingers, he doesn't hear it until
it becomes quite a racket.
KORBEN
You hear that?
LEELOO
(licking)
Cornelius..
KORBEN
Oh god!
Korben pushes the button on the wall. The bed pops out, fully made, with
Cornelius tucked in it, struggling to get out.
KORBEN
I'm really sorry.. let me help you..
Korben begins to pull at the covers when..
LEELOO
Achta ge lumitai de matala..
Korben turns..
KORBEN
What?
He turns to Leeloo struggling out of her wet clothes. His breath is taken
away by the sight of her perfect body.
Cornelius whacks him heavily on the head with a lamp. Korben drops to
the floor.
LEELOO
(displeased)
Vano da, mechteba?!
Soun domo kala chon hammas!
CORNELIUS
No, I'm not proud of myself...
But we don't have the luxury of choice.
117 INT. ENTRANCE KORBEN'S BUILDING - DAY
The POLICE exit the elevator and head for the front door. A cop suddenly
takes a hit from a silencer, then a second. Others are bashed on the head
by MANGALORE warriors. One of them picks up the prisoner bag, takes it
into a small shed.
118 INT. SHED
Aknot, the Mangalore leader, is seriously wounded and can't walk.
AKANIT
Korben Dallas! We got him.
AKNOT
Perfect... Take command, Akanit.
Go to Fhloston and get the Stones...
If Zorg really wants them... He'll have
to negotiate. Revenge is at hand.
119 INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT KORBEN'S BUILDING - DAY
Korben gets unsteadily to his feet, some blood drips down his face. He
daubs at it.
KORBEN
Jesus!... Some priest!
The phone rings, he manages to answer.
KORBEN
Yeah?
MOTHER (V.O)
Have you pulled yourself together?
KORBEN
...Not yet.
He hangs up.
Korben opens the fridge door. The three officers are frozen solid.
Korben grabs some ice, presses it to his forehead.
KORBEN
I'll take the mission.
He closes the door.
120 INT. AIRPORT HALL - DAY
Cornelius and Leeloo (still damp) arrive at the Manhattan Intergalactic
Airport.
A huge hall three quarters filled with trash piled up to the ceiling.
There are groups of extra-terrestrials on strike standing in trash
holding picket signs. A SECURITY GUARD picks up a phone off the wall.
SECURITY GUARD
Illegal gathering in Zone 4.
A hand taps Leeloo from behind. She whips around catching David in the
face.
CORNELIUS
Leeloo, be careful.
He turns to David who in holding his bloody nose.
CORNELIUS
Did you get them?
David hands Cornelius two passports.
CORNELIUS
Excellent... Leeloo Dallas.
He hands it to her. The name makes her smile.
CORNELIUS
And Korben David Dallas.
She frowns.
LEELOO
Akta dedero ansila do mektet.
CORNELIUS
I can't pretend to be your husband...
David's in great shape.
She looks at David holding his bloody nose.
CORNELIUS
He'll protect you. Go on... See the Diva...
get the Stones... See you at the temple...
God be with you.
ANGLE ON: Korben comes rushing into the airport. Walking quickly, he
scopes the hall looking for Leeloo. A POLICE PATROL bearing down on the
STRIKERS jostles him. The cops open fire. The strikers dive into the garbage
and disappear.
121 INT. BOARDING GATE
David nervously puts tickets and IDs on the check-in counter.
Leeloo tosses her suitcase on the conveyor belt.
CHECK-IN ATTENDANT
Congratulations on winning the contest.
David gives her a bleak smile. Leeloo rolls her eyes.
Back a ways, Korben has spotted Leeloo and... David. He heads right for
them. Leeloo's seen him. She is both delighted and panicked. David's
seen nothing. Korben presses one of his fingers like a gun to David's back.
KORBEN
(friendly)
Hey! I really thought I was going to
miss my flight!
(to David)
Thanks, kid! You put the luggage on
the conveyor belt?
DAVID
(freaking)
Uh... yeah.
KORBEN
(smiling)
Great! Now beat it!
Paralyzed, David leaves. Korben turns to the attendant.
KORBEN
Excuse me. I was so afraid I'd miss the
flight that I sent the kid here to pick up
my boarding card.
He looks at David's fake ID.
KORBEN
...My cousin David...
Leeloo is unable to hold back a smile.
CHECK-IN ATTENDANT
(looking at Leeloo's ID)
Your wife?
Korben grabs the ID and reads it.
KORBEN
Uh, yes... Newlyweds.
(aside)
You know how it is... Love at first sight.
You meet, something goes tilt,. you get
married, you hardly know each other.
Right, darling?
Leeloo rips her boarding card out of the attendant's hand.
LEELOO
(sharply)
Dinoine chagantakat!
KORBEN
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Go on... I'll be right with you.
(to Check-in Attendant)
It's our honeymoon. We're going to use
the trip to get to know each other better.
He winks at the stewardess.
ANGLE ON:
The neighbor and a tawdry young girl cross the airport. The couple in
almost knocked over by a police patrol holding a 500 pound PIG on a
stainless steel leash. The couple panics a moment, the realize the patrol
isn't for them. The pig heads for the pile where the strikers disappeared.
COP
(to pig)
Come on, snyffer, go root!
The pig piles into the garbage. The Cop cuts it some slack.
Cornelius sits at a bar.
CORNELIUS
(to the bartender)
I feel so guilty sending her to do the dirty
work. I know she was made to be strong
but she's also so fragile... So human.
You know what I mean?
The bartender, a robot, nods his head as he pours Cornelius a drink.
ANGLE ON:
The nasty neighbor and his wife hand their tickets to the check-in
attendant.
CHECK-IN ATTENDANT
(surprised)
Dallas... Korben...
NEIGHBOR
(in a different voice)
Yes, that's me.
The check-in attendant triggers a transparent blue light that shines on
their faces, revealing two other faces:
Mangalores.
CHECK-IN ATTENDANT
(smiling)
Just a minute, please.
She hits a silent alarm, but the Mangalores feel something is wrong.
NEIGHBOR
We'll be right back ... we're gonna
check out the duty free...
They spin around and hurry away.
ANGLE ON:
Cornelius at the bar, half in the bag.
ROBOT
The same?
CORNELIUS
Yeah...
DAVID (V.O.)
Make that two...
Cornelius turns to David.
CORNELIUS
Where's Leeloo?
DAVID
On the plane... with Mr. Dallas...
the real one.
CORNELIUS
It's all my fault. I'm the servant...
It's my mission! Here!
He hands David the Temple Key from around his neck.
CORNELIUS
Here's the key to the Temple..
Prepare for our arrival!
Cornelius tosses David's drink into his own, downs it all in one shot,
and takes off, passing the Mangalore couple headed for the exit. They are
very nervous.
A police patrol is coming. This time, it seems to be for them.
NEIGHBOR
(to the tawdry girl)
Tell Aknot plan A flopped.
Tell him to go to plan B.
The tawdry girl nods and peels off. The neighbor takes out a gun and
blasts away at the cops. The cops fire back. A firefight rages in the
hall. The tawdry girl dives into a pile of garbage and disappears.
COP
(into walkie-talkie)
...Send in a back-up unit, Zone 7!
ANGLE ON:
On one side of the hall, a trap door opens. Three pigs come running out,
grabbed by their police handler.
Cornelius waits until everyone has left, gets down on all fours and
crawls through the trapdoor reserved for the pigs.
122 INT. FIRST CLASS LOUNGE
Leeloo stands at the buffet in the first class lounge eating everything
in sight.
123 INT. HALL
Korben is led down the hall by a STEWARDESS.
STEWARDESS
You are so lucky... Loc Rhod is the
coolest DJ in the universe.
KORBEN
Listen... I don't want to be interviewed.
I'd prefer to remain anonymous.
The stewardess stops in the corridor.
STEWARDESS
Forget anonymous. You'll be doing Loc
Rhod's live show every day from 5 to 7!
KORBEN
(expression changes)
You gotta be kidding!
The stewardess smiles and shakes her head. The door next to him suddenly
swings open and smashes him in the face.
In walks LOC RHOD amidst a tornado of music and security guards. He is
young, good-looking, eccentric, charming as an elf or sly as a fox. A
bundle of energy. He is the 24th century's most popular DJ.
LOC RHOD
(speedy, in rhythm)
Korben Dallas! Here he is The most hated
man in the universe. The one and only winner
of the Gemini Croquette contest! Ladies, start
melting 'cause the boy's hot! Hot! Hot! The boy
is perfect..
(he feels his muscles)
...The right size, right build, right hair. Right on!
Say something-to those 50 billion pair of ears out
there D-man!
An ASSISTANT hands a totally lost Korben a mike.
KORBEN
(hesitant)
...Hi.
LOC RHOD
Does it get any better or what!
Loc Rhod grabs Korben's arm and leads him down the hallway, as fast as
the music.
LOC RHOD
...Quiver ladies, he's gonna set the world on
fire right here from 5 to 7! You'll know
everything there is to know about the D-man.
His dreams, his desires, his most intimate of
intimates. And from what I'm looking at
intimate is the stud muffin's middle name.
So tell me my main man... you nervous in the
service?
KORBEN
Uh... not really.
Loc Rhod lets go of Korben's arm and grabs the Stewardess.
LOC RHOD
Freeze those knees, my chickadees, 'cause
Korben is on the case with a major face...
Loc Rhod rubs up against the stewardess.
LOC RHOD
...Start drooling, ladies! My man here is a
sharp-tongued Sire who's gonna stroke your
every desire.
They come to an intersection. The airline company has prepared drinks
for them. Loc Rhod pushes on, grabs a glass of champagne, scribbles his
autograph.
LOC RHOD
Yesterday's unknown will be tomorrow's Prince
of Fhloston Paradise, the hotel of a thousand and
one follies, home of luxury and beauty. A magic
fountain flowing with non-stop wine, women and
Bootchie Koochie Koo...
He tosses away his champagne glass.
LOC RHOD
Beware out there puppy dogs my man is on
the prowl. Owwww!
Howling, Loc Rhod grabs another stewardess by the arm.
LOC RHOD
...And start licking your stamps little girls,
this guy's gonna have you writing home to
Momma! Tomorrow from 5 to 7, I'll be your
voice, your tongue and I'll be hot on the tail
of the sexiest man of the year... D-man...
Your man... My man.
The stewardess shivers. A BEEP is heard.
VOCODER (O.S.)
End of transmission.
The MUSIC suddenly stops. Several assistants come and compliment Loc
Rhod who sighs, lights up a cigarette, and drops his pretense.
LOC RHOD
Korben sweetheart do me a favor I know this
is probably the biggest thing that ever happened
to you in your inconsequential life. But I've got
a show to do here and it's got to pop. So tomorrow,
when we're on air, give me a hand... Try to make
believe you have more than a one word vocabulary.
OK pal?
That does it. Korben grabs him by the collar and drags him into a
corner.
Loc Rhod's feet don't touch the ground.
KORBEN
(pissed)
I didn't come here to play Dumbo on the radio.
So tomorrow between 5 and 7 give yourself a
hand, that clear pal?
LOC RHOD
(petrified)
Crystal.
124 INT. AIRPORT
The Check-in attendant has two more tickets in her hand.
CHECK-IN ATTENDANT
(alter a moment, reading)
...Mr. Dallas... Korben Dallas?
Zorg's Right Arm gives her a big smile.
RIGHT ARM
That's right.
The attendant scans the ID with a yellow beam, it checks out, and the
blue light reveals no other face but his.
CHECK-IN ATTENDANT
The problem is I only have one Korben Dallas on
my list... and he's already checked in.
Right Arm's smile shatters.
RIGHT ARM
That's impossible! He's in j... I mean, there
must be some mistake. I have my ticket!
I'm the real Korben Dallas!
A shrill BELL rings out.
CHECK-IN ATTENDANT
(smiling)
I'm sorry, sir, boarding is finished.
The attendant hits a button. A thick window slowly slides up between
them.
Right Arm totally loses it.
RIGHT ARM
I want to see your boss! Get rid of this
fucking window! Somebody's made a
mistake, goddamnit!
He pounds on the counter with both fists. A steel curtain comes down.
Red sighting beams target spots on his body, ten gun barrels protrude from
the wall, all aimed at him.
VOICE (O.S.)
This is not an exercise. This is a police
control.
Put your hands in the nearest yellow circles...
RIGHT ARM
(slowing down)
Sorry, my fault... Just a little overexcited...
that's all... I'm calm now.
125 INT. SHUTTLE - DAY
Korben makes his way in the plane looking for his seat. No more seats in
modern planes, just individual travel boxes lined up like microwaves. He
passes STEWARD holding his bloodied nose. He has found what he is looking
for. He enters to.... Leeloo quietly stretched out in front of a computer
screen. Korben slips in beside her. Leeloo in concentrating on the words
that scroll rapidly past her on the screen. He doesn't understand what she
is doing.
LEELOO
Apipoulai!
KORBEN
Not hard to find you...just follow the
Chaos...
Leeloo smiles, as if complimented.
KORBEN
Leeloo, listen to me... these tickets...
they're not mine... I mean they are, but
not for vacation like everyone thinks...
I'm on an operation... and if I didn't come
get you, you'd be in a shitload of trouble...
I'd love to be on vacation with you...
but now.... now I've got to work...
And Leeloo... I would love to work in peace.
Leeloo types in "LOVE" on the keyboard.
LEELOO
Love...
KORBEN
Yes! But "love" isn't the operative word
here, PEACE is!
Leeloo types in this new word.
LEELOO
(rather pleased)
Peace... and love...
She brings up a picture of a 60's style Hippie flashing a peace sign.
Korben sighs and switches off the screen.
KORBEN
Sometimes you can't learn everything
from a screen..sometimes it's better to
ask someone who has experience..
LEELOO
(quite happy)
What is... Make Love?
Korben just stares at her for a few minutes.
KORBEN
Know what? On that subject maybe you'd
be better off asking the screen.
He turns the computer back on.
ANGLE ON:
A STEWARDESS walks up the aisle of the shuttle pushing the red buttons on
top of each individual box.
VOICE (O.S.)
...to make your flight as short and agreeable
as possible, our flight attendants are switching
on the timing sleeper which will regulate your
sleep during the trip...
ANGLE ON:
LEELOO
(switching off the screen)
OK! Finished!
KORBEN
Finished what?
LEELOO
Learning language.
KORBEN
Which one?
LEELOO
All 900.
Korben doesn't know if he should laugh or not.
KORBEN
You learned 900 languages in five
minutes?!
LEELOO
(pleased)
Yes! Now it's your turn! I learned your
language, you have to learn mine!
KORBEN
I know how to say "Hello". Teach me how
to say "Good-bye", that's all I need.
LEELOO
Apipoussan!
KORBEN
Apipoussan?
LEELOO
Good! Do you know how we say "make love"?
KORBEN
(fumbling)
Uh...
LEELOO
...Hoppi-hoppa.
Korben literally melts.
KORBEN
(to himself)
Help...
Luckily, a stewardess smiles at him through the box window.
STEWARDESS
Sweet dreams, Mr. Dallas!
The stewardess sets the timing sleeper. Korben and Leeloo immediately
fall asleep.
A STEWARDESS at the other end of the shuttle has a problem.
STEWARDESS 2
Mr. Loc Rhod you have to assume
your individual position.
LOC RHOD
(hugging her)
I don't want an individual position,
I want all positions!
STEWARDESS 2
(resisting somewhat)
We're going to take off soon, Mr. Rhod!
LOC RHOD
Now you're talking!
126 INT. COCKPIT FHLOSTON SPACE SHUTTLE
Three CREW MEMBERS prepare for liftoff.
COPILOT
(on the radio)
Molecular axis authorization. Vector 130.
Destination Fhloston.
Stewardess 1 enters the cockpit.
STEWARDESS 1
Zone 1. 217 locked. The sleep regulator is OK.
PILOT
(checking her out)
Thanks, Miss.
The Stewardess leaves with a smile. A red light flashes on the vast
control panel.
MECHANIC
Tell the ground crew we've got parasites
in the landing gear.
127 INT. AIRPORT LANDING STRIP - DAY
A GROUND CREW MEMBER goes over to the truck parked under one of the
plane's wings and bangs on the side of it with a shout.
GROUND CREW MEMBER
Disinfecting!
Two DISINFECTORS in hermetically sealed suits exit the truck. They go
over to the front landing gear and send up a whooshing beam. The flame
burns everything it touches. A pack of repugnant creatures falls squealing
from the landing gear. A small trapdoor is opened under the shuttle and a
huge slightly phosphorescent tube falls out.
128 INT. AIRPORT HALL / ZORG'S OFFICE
Zorg's Right Arm is in a phone booth in the middle of the hall.
RIGHT ARM
Yeah, it's me... Put Zorg on.
He is already sweating.
ZORG
(cold)
I'm listening.
RIGHT ARM
The real Korben Dallas is on the plane!
He took my place.
ZORG
This is a joke, right?
129 INT. SHUTTLE
Loc Rhod is wrapped around a stewardess like a snake.
LOC RHOD
No!! I swear to God! I've never been this
sincere with a human before!
130 EXT. LANDING STRIP
TWO GROUND CREW MEMBERS stick an enormous, highly phosphorescant tube
into the opening.
GROUND CREW MEMBER
You're fueled and ready to go.
Have a nice flight.
131 INT. SHUTTLE
PILOT
(to copilot)
Everything ready for liftoff?
132 INT. CABIN
STEWARDESS
(weakly, to Loc Rhod)
No, no... I'm not ready! I'd like to talk first...
133 INT. ZORG'S OFFICE / AIRPORT HALL
ZORG
I cannot hear you. We have a bad
connection here. What's your number?
Right Arm reads off the phone number.
RIGHT ARM
278-500-645-321
ZORG
I'll call you back.
134 EXT. LANDING STRIP
The runway is now empty. A man slips out of the shadows. It's Cornelius.
He scurries over to the front landing gear. He pauses for an instant, the
climbs up the wheel well and disappears inside the shuttle.
135 INT. SHUTTLE
The pilots are going through the pre-flight check list.
COPILOT
Anti static pressure?
MECHANIC
Primed.
The mechanic presses a series of buttons.
136 INT. CABIN
Loc Rhod undoes a series of buttons on the stewardess' blouse, behind a
curtain. He whispers a poem. Impossible to resist him. Outside the
curtain the stewardess' legs rise slowly.
137 EXT. LANDING STRIP
On the ground, protective fire curtains rise slowly to contain the engine
exhaust on liftoff.
138 INT. ZORG'S OFFICE
A keyboard slowly appears in front of Zorg.
ZORG
(typing the number)
278... 500...
139 SERIES OF QUICK CUTS:
The pilot gradually turns the engines up.
COPILOT
10 seconds...
PILOT
Power increase.
- The stewardess undergoes a power surge from Loc Rhod that's about to
lift her of.
- Zorg finishes gleefully typing in the number.
ZORG
3... 2... 1...
- The engines at full blast.
- The stewardess in close to screaming.
PILOT
Liftoff.
- The copilot pushes a button.
- So does Zorg.
- The engines release their full power.
- The stewardess screams in ecstasy.
- In the hall, Right Arm literally explodes along with the phone and
everything else within 60 feet.
140 INT. FHLOSTON SPACE SHUTTLE
The stewardess' legs slowly descend and disappear behind the curtain.
141 INT. COCKPIT
In the cockpit, the atmosphere loosens up.
COPILOT
(relaxing)
Landing gear secure. Let's light one up.
142 INT. CABIN
Korben and Leeloo sleep soundly in their box. Leeloo has a smile on her
face and her hand in Korben's.
143 EXT. OUTERSPACE - NIGHT
The spaceship rockets past us, then suddenly vanishes with amazing speed.
Space is now empty and calm. Billions of stars glow in perfect silence.
144 EXT. SPACE
The nefarious planet in still there, immobile, even larger now, writhing
like a serpent. Then, suddenly, for no apparent reason, all activity stops
and it becomes gray and cold.
145 INT. SPACESHIP
In the Admiral's starship, scientists watch the measuring device. One of
the devices suddenly starts working.
TECHNICIAN
All right! We're finally getting something!
146 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
The Head Scientist stands facing the President, who is looking more tired
than ever.
HEAD SCIENTIST
The thing is sending out radio wavelengths!
PRESIDENT
What the hell does it want with radio waves?
HEAD SCIENTIST
...Probably wants to make a call!
The President and his Generals look at him in astonishment.
147 INT. ZORG'S OFFICE
Picasso purrs contentedly on Zorg's lap. The phone rings.
SECRETARY (O.S.)
Mr. Shadow on the line.
Zorg shoots to his feet. Picasso tumbles to the floor. Zorg picks up
the phone, both excited and uneasy. He stands there, almost coming to
attention.
ZORG
Yes... Zorg here.
The voice is feeble. It comes from the far reaches of time, from the
bowels of the universe.
SHADOW
Am I disturbing you?
ZORG
No... not at all. Where are you?
SHADOW'S breathing is awesome.
SHADOW
...Not far, now.
ZORG
Really? Maybe I can get you on my screen
and see you at last!
Zorg brings up a huge screen and pushes a few buttons.
In the middle of an electronic snowstorm, a blackish, vaguely human,
quiverinq form appears. Two eyes, like lava, give an idea where the head is.
Zorg feels sick.
SHADOW
Do you have the picture now Mr. Zorg?
ZORG
Got it.
SHADOW
How's our deal coming along?
ZORG
(ill at ease)
Fine, just fine! I'll have the 4 pieces you
asked for any time now. But it wasn't easy.
My costs have tripled.
Shadow pauses an instant. A black slimy liquid starts to ooze from the
top of the screen. Zorg is feeling worse all the time.
SHADOW
Money is of no importance...
I want the Stones!
The black liquid oozes all over the screen which starts to melt. Zorg
sweats profusely, his legs tremble.
ZORG
The Stones will be here. I'll see to it
personally!
SHADOW
...I can't wait to be among you.
Zorg sighs and sits down totally freaked.
148 EXT. ORBIT FHLOSTON PARADISE
The space shuttle fills the screen. It banks left and begins its descent
toward Fhloston, the turquoise planet. Crystal blue water, perfect white sand
beaches. A true paradise.
149 INT. SPACE SHUTTLE
The stewardess picks up a microphone to make an announcement.
STEWARDESS
Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our
descent toward Fhloston Paradise...
Stewardesses walk down the aisles waking the passengers one by one. They
press a button on the door of each box.
In the corner, Loc Rhod and the stewardess awake with a start and
straighten their clothes quickly. The stewardess is embarrassed.
STEWARDESS
(timidly)
I wanted to tell you that...
Loc Rhod puts on his sunglasses and presses a finger to her lips. He
disappears behind the curtain leaving the sighing stewardess on her own.
150 EXT. FHLOSTON PARADISE
The spaceship descends through some clouds and glides over a vast
turquoise sea. Fhloston Paradise looms into view. An enormous oceanliner
floating a dozen yards above the water. On closer inspection it is more
modern than a traditional oceanliner. The shuttle draws near, looking
ridiculously small next to the monster. Like a sardine next to a whale.
151 INT. COCKPIT
A blinking light goes on.
PILOT
Shit! Parasites in Zone 1. Take a look.
The 1st Mate heads off.
152 INT. CABIN
A stewardess opens Korben's box door. He is still heavy with sleep. He
looks over at Leeloo. She's not there.
153 EXT. FHLOSTON
The tiny space shuttle clings to the huge oceanliner.
154 INT. COCKPIT
The Pilot maneuvers the ship into it's docking area.
PILOT
Docking activated.
You can let the passengers out.
155 INT. REAR OF COCKPIT
The 1st mate pries open the door to an overhead panel. Cornelius falls
out, hanging in a jumble of wires.
156. INT. ENTRANCE HALL FHLOSTON PARADISE - DAY
The enormous door opens and the passengers exit. Leeloo is among them.
She appears quite impressed by the beauty and luxury of the 19th century
decoration.
157 INT. CABIN
Korben attempts to make his way up the shuttle's aisle.
KORBEN
(jostling everybody)
Pardon me. Excuse me. I'm trying to
reach my wife.. Sorry!
158 INT. ENTRANCE HALL
A dozen policemen wait patiently at the end of the hall. Leeloo stops
and presses against the wall. She spots Korben leaving the shuttle. A
gorgeous HOSTESS comes up to him, drapes a lei around his neck and plants a
kiss on his lips in welcome.
HOSTESS
(smiling)
Welcome to Paradise.
Korben's face is covered in lipstick. Leeloo sees he did nothing to stop
the girl and she doesn't like it.
A HEFTY MAN wearing a sarong drapes some flowers around her neck. Then,
obviously relishing it, he leans down to kiss her. Leeloo bashes him on
the forehead. The hefty man straightens up. He's still smiling, but his
nose is bleeding. He falls slowly to the floor.
Korben pushes forward trying to spot Leeloo. He also tries to wipe the
lipstick off. Leeloo tries to escape through a door marked PERSONNEL ONLY,
but it's locked. A HOST looks at her with a grin.
HOST
(playful)
If you don't have the code you can't
open it!
Leeloo smiles and punches in an old code and twists the doorknob. The
door opens with the sound of a braking lock. Leeloo smiles sweetly and enters
as if nothing were amiss.
A shriek of joy fills the room. Korben turns around. The HOSTESSES
cluster around Loc Rhod as he comes out of the plane. Loc Rhod spots Korben
and latches onto his arm. It's not going to be easy to remain discrete.
LOC RHOD
(relieved)
My main man! Please don't leave me here
alone. My head's killing me and my adoring
fans are gonna tear me apart! Get me outta
here!
KORBEN
I'll take you to the bar, after that,
you're on your own.
LOC RHOD
(hanging on to Korben)
Oh, yes! Do that! You treat me right,
man. Tell me all about yourself, your
roots, your personal life, your childhood
dreams...
KORBEN
I don't think this is a good time...
LOC RHOD
...You got brothers and sisters? What
about your dad? Tell me about your
dad! What was he like? Physically?
Big, I suppose?
KORBEN
(evasive)
Yeah, very big, a giant.
LOC RHOD
I didn't have a dad... never saw him...
never even heard him. 50 billion people
listen to me every day... and he doesn't
hear me...
159 INT. SMALL ROOM FHLOSTON PARADISE - DAY
Leeloo is in a small room, ear at the door, listening. Everything seems
normal. She turns and discovers the room for what it is: a rest room
for... three cops who look up from their books and stare blankly at her.
Leeloo doesn't know what to do. So she smiles.
160 INT. HALL - OMIT
161 INT. MAIN HALL FHLOSTON PARADISE - OMIT
162 EXT. ORBIT FHLOSTON PARADISE - DUSK - OMIT
163 INT. THE CONTROL ROOM FHLOSTON PARADISE - DUSK - OMIT
164 INT. KORBEN'S STATEROOM
The door opens. The HOSTESS turns on the light and enters. Korben
follows her, gaping at all the luxury.
The BAGGAGE BOY enters bringing Leeloo's two suitcases.
Korben grabs the notice announcing Diva Plavalaguna's concert at 5:30 in
that evening. Dress: Formal attire.
KORBEN
For the concert it says formal attire...
I didn't bring...
The hostess pulls back the closet door. Twenty tuxedos in a row.
HOSTESS
(looking him over)
Here's some champagne. I'll drop by after
the concert to open it.
She gives him a blinding smile and closes the door.
Korben pushes a button. The curtains open to reveal a most spectacular
view of the turquoise planet. Stars shoot out into infinity.
Breathtaking. Korben stands gaping. The phone rings, snapping him out of
his reverie.
KORBEN
Hello?
MOTHER (O.S.)
You little sleaze bag!
KORBEN
...Ma???
MOTHER (O.S.)
Don't you ever ask me for another thing
in my life again, you've killed your
poor mother with your own hands!
Korben drops into an armchair and sighs. His eyes go to the ceiling.
KORBEN
...Ma!!!
165 INT. CONTROL ROOM FHLOSTON PARADISE - OMIT
166 INT. FHLOSTON PARADISE POLICE OFFICE - DAY
The Chief of Police has Cornelius in front of him, handcuffed.
FOG
The Diva's ship is coming in.
CHIEF OF POLICE
I want maximum security.
FOG
Yes. Sir!
CHIEF OF POLICE
(to Cornelius)
OK, let's hear it.
CORNELIUS
Where was I?
CHIEF OF POLICE
(bored)
...You open the door. There's a cabby with
a girl in his arms.
FOG opens the door. Two COPS come hobbling in all bloody and bandaged.
They hold up a THIRD COP.
CHIEF OF POLICE
What happened?
A bomb go off in your face?
BEAT-UP COP
Yeah... A 5 foot 7 inch bomb...
with green eyes.
Cornelius perks up.
CORNELIUS
And the smile of an angel?
They all turn to look at him.
CORNELIUS
(to Chief)
May I speak to you alone.
167 INT. CORRIDOR FHLOSTON PARADISE - DAY
Leeloo watches the Diva's arrival. A door opens and two POLICEMAN clear
the way for DIVA PLAVALAGUNA, her MANAGER, her BODYGUARDS and a gaggle of
PORTERS carrying trunks.
Not wanting to draw attention to herself, Leeloo feigns interest in a
painting that is obviously upside down. A white chiffon veil covers the face
of the Diva, she stops in front of Leeloo. The Diva reaches out and
strokes Leeloo's face, without touching her. The Diva removes her hand
making a sound of crackling electricity, then passes on. Leeloo is groggy.
The Diva's ASSISTANT comes up to her.
DIVA'S ASSISTANT
Please forgive this little incident. She wants
you to know that she senses great powers in
you... in the service of a noble cause... She
will give you what you have come to get, but
she wants to sing first...
One last time...
The Diva's assistant turns the painting right side up.
DIVA'S ASSISTANT
(nodding)
Miss.
Leeloo looks at the painting, seems to understand it better.
168 EXT. DIVA'S SUITE
Policemen stand at attention in front of the Diva's suite.
FOG
Hello, I'm head of security.
Everything is in order. You can...
The Diva enters her suite without letting him finish.
FOG
...make yourselves at home safely.
If you need anything...give it a knock!
169 INT. POLICE OFFICE HALLWAY - NIGHT
A door opens near the police officer's main entrance. Cornelius looks
both ways. Then crosses the hall, dragging the Chief of Police by the feet.
170 INT. KORBEN'S STATEROOM
Korben finishes putting on his tux, still on the phone.
KORBEN
Listen, Ma! I've only got a few days
vacation and I'll be damned if I'm
gonna spend them on the phone.
The door RINGS.
KORBEN
...Hang on, it's the door. No!
I told you I didn't bring anybody!
I'm all alone... as usual!
Korben opens the door. It's not the champagne. Even better. It's
Leeloo.
KORBEN
(to his mother)
...I'll call you back.
Leeloo heads right for her suitcase and starts to undress. Korben has to
turn away once more.
KORBEN
Here we go again...
LEELOO
(by rote)
You know women normally change five
times more than men.
KORBEN
You get that off the screen?
LEELOO
Yes... you know there's a lot of
differences between men women.
KORBEN
You noticed..
LEELOO
OK, you can turn around!
Korben turns around. Leeloo has put on a very simple dress which is sexy
to the max. He is smitten. So much so that Leeloo wonders if something
isn't quite right.
KORBEN
Where you going?
LEELOO
I'm going to see the Diva sing. What's
the matter?... Do I look bad?
KORBEN
No, not at all! I mean, just the opposite,
you're... you're beautiful!
Leeloo smiles at him, his compliment pleases her. She turns, revealing
her unzippered back. Korben cannot help but stare at her bare flesh. Her
perfect bottom.
LEELOO
Do you know how this works?
Korben's blood boils. She wriggles, pressing her hands together close to
the zipper.
KORBEN
I have an idea.
But instead of pulling on the zipper he slips a bracelet on her wrist. A
flourescent beam bursts out of the bracelet and forms a vertical bar going
from the floor to the ceiling.
Stunned, Leeloo is held captive.
KORBEN
I told you I need to work in peace.
Remember? I need to concentrate.
LEELOO
And you can't concentrate with me
around?.
KORBEN
It's difficult.
She tries to breakout.
KORBEN
Army issue. I'm sorry.
Leeloo tries desperately to get out of the handcuffs. Impossible.
Korben sets the radio down in front of her and turns it on.
Leeloo looks like she'd like to break his head.
LEELOO
(seething)
You're nothing but a... a...
KORBEN
The words you're looking for weren't
in the dictionary you studied. I won't
be long.
The door flies open. Loc Rhod barges in.
LOC RHOD
Hey Stud we gotta...
Then he sees the scene, Leeloo cuffed, in a low cut dress. His mind goes
to the obvious.
LOC RHOD
Korben my man what's happening here?
Who's the chick? What's the gig?
We free forming here? Getting funky
with the monkey? Can I get in on this?
Korben grabs him by the collar..
KORBEN
No..to all of the above.
And yanks Loc Rhod out of the room. Leaving Leeloo looking extremely
unhappy.
171 INT. RADIO - OMIT
172 INT. LOC RHOD'S STATEROOM FHLOSTON PARADISE - NIGHT - OMIT
173 INT. HALL - OMIT
174 INT. BATHROOM - OMIT
175 INT. DIVA'S SUITE FHLOSTON PARADISE - NIGHT - OMIT
176 INT. FHLOSTON PARADISE OPERA - NIGHT
Loc Rhod and Korben enter what turns out to be a replica of the Garnier
Opera in Paris. A hostess escorts them to their seats.
LOC RHOD
(broadcasting)
We have just walked into what is probably
the most beautiful concert hall in the universe.
Totally awesome! Magnificent paintings on the
ceiling. I don't know who painted them, but he
must have busted his balls! I see a row of former
ministers, more sinister than minister! A few generals
practicing how to sleep. And there's Baby Ray, star
of stage and screen, drowning in a sea of nymphets.
He's not gonna get much out of this concert, he's
stone-deaf!
ANGLE ON:
Baby Ray bending his ear to a girl asking for an autograph.
BABY RAY
...to who?
LOC RHOD
(moving down the aisle)
...And over there is Roy Von Bacon, the king
of laserball and the best paid player in the League.
(shakes hands as he goes by)
...And over there is the Emperor Kodar Japhet
whose daughter Aachen is still at the bar.
"I love to sing, too, but in the shower", she
recently confessed to me. She will no doubt
prove to be as generous tonight as she always is.
A waiter gives them two glasses of champagne. Track with the WAITER an
he leaves the hall with his empty tray. He enters a small room reserved for
staff.
177 INT. STAFF ROOM FHLOSTON PARADISE - NIGHT
The waiter joins some other WAITERS. They are well armed. He opens a
cupboard and pulls out a humongous weapon. Suddenly their faces burn off
revealing AKANIT, the young leader of the Mangalores, and his troops.
AKANIT
It's showtime!
178 INT. CONCERT HALL
The lights dim slowly in the concert hall.
179 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
President Lindbergh and his staff, including Munro, sit at the desk.
Speakers appear.
180 INT. KORBEN'S SUITE
Leeloo, still a prisoner, listens to the concert.
181 INT. CONCERT HALL
Korben is tense. The curtain rises. The Diva, in a stunning gown,
stands in the center of the stage, head bowed. Behind her, a star filled
window. The MUSIC begins. The Diva looks up, a rare beauty, but an alien.
And then she begins to sing. Her voice is divine, unmatched. Korben is
swept up in the TEARS.
182 INT. KORBEN'S SUITE
Leeloo has tears in her eyes
183 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
The manager couldn't care less about the concert. His main problem is
the bottle of scotch he can't seem to open. The doorbell RINGS.
MANAGER
(ugly mood)
Yeah!?
VOICE (O.S.)
Flowers for the Diva.
MANAGER
She's allergic to flowers!!!
VOICE (O.S.)
There's champagne as well...
The manager takes one look at the stubborn bottle and opens the door. And
finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun. A dozen Mangalores rush
in. One of them, with a human face, closes the door and waits out in the hall.
ANGLE ON:
Cornelius watching from around the corner.
CORNELIUS
...My God!
184 INT. CONTROL ROOM FHLOSTON PARADISE
CAPTAIN
Commander, I have a ship with a main
malfunction. He requests permission to
dock for repairs.
COMMANDER
Did you check out his registration number?
CAPTAIN
Everything's in order.
COMMANDER
Put him in the docking garage and inform
the police.
185 INT. COCKPIT ZFX200 - NIGHT
CAPTAIN (V.O.)
Permission granted. Dock 575. You have
an hour. Will that be enough time'?
Zorg sits at the controls.
ZORG
(cold)
More than enough.
186 EXT. FHLOSTON PARADISE - NIGHT
The ZFX approaches Fhloston.
187 INT. KORBEN'S SUITE
The ship comes close enough for Leeloo to see it out the window.
FLASHBACK:
The same ships with Mangalores at the controls attack the Mondoshawans at
the beginning of our story.
188 INT. KORBEN'S SUITE
Leeloo is alarmed. She has to act. She seizes the flourescent bar beam
with great effort and rams it into the ceiling, marking a hole large enough
for her to escape.
189 INT. CLOSET FHLOSTON PARADISE
Cornelius bursts into the closet he left the Chief of Police tied and
gagged in. He quickly unties him.
CORNELIUS
(in a panic)
Mangalores! The Diva's suite! They want
the Sacred Stones! They must be stopped.
We must stop them!. I'm going to free you
but you must promise to help me!
The Chief of Police nods his agreement.
190 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
The Mangalores have trashed the suite. One of the Mangalores finally
finds a case engraved with the four elements.
MANGALORE
I have it.
The Mangalore is about to open the case when... Leeloo descends quietly
and gracefully from the ceiling. Time stands still.
LEELOO
(smiling)
Apipoulai!
191 INT. CONCERT HALL
The Diva switches from classical music to funk, picking up the tempo.
INTERCUT':
192 INT. DIVA'S SUITE / CONCERT HALL.
A WARRIOR whips out the biggest knife ever made and rushes Leeloo. She
disarms him gracefully. A violent fight breaks out. The Diva sings and
Leeloo dances. The Mangalores pay a heavy price for the show.
193 INT. CORRIDOR
Hearing noise from inside the suite, the Mangalore by the door gets
nervous. He runs for reinforcements.
194 INT. POLICE STATION
Cornelius enters the police station wearing handcuffs. The Chief of
Police is behind him holding a gun.
195 INT. DIVA'S SUITE / CONCERT HALL
Leeloo knocks out the last Mangalore just as the Diva finishes her song
to a burst of applause. The Diva takes a bow. So does Leeloo.
196 INT. ROOM
Akanit and his men listen to the concert. The Mangalore guard runs in.
MANGALORE
They were waiting for us! It was an
ambush!
AKANIT
If it's war they want it's war they'll get!
Enact the Final Plan!
All the Mangalores cock their weapons.
197 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
Leeloo is about to open the case when the door EXPLODES. Zorg is there
holding a ZF1.
ZORG
My compliments, little lady!
...And thanks for doing all the dirty work!
I couldn't have done it any better myself!
(sharply)
...Now hand over the Stones!
Leeloo smiles and hands him the case. Zorg arms the ZF1 and gets ready
to kill her.
ZORG
Nice knowing you.
Leeloo catches on quickly. She kicks the scotch bottle on the floor into
the gun which throws Zorg's shot off. She jumps to the ceiling and
disappears in an air vent. Furious, Zorg fires at the ceiling.
198 INT. AIRSHAFT
Leeloo dodges the bullets as best as she can.
199 INT. SUITE
Zorg fires his 3000 round clip. The ceiling looks like a piece of swiss
cheese. Zorg sticks a small cylinder in the wall and flicks it on. The
numbers flashing by tell us it's a bomb. The timer reads: 19 minutes and 59
seconds.
ZORG
(with a crafty smile)
You can run but you can't hide...
200 INT. POLICE OFFICE FHLOSTON PARADISE - NIGHT
Cornelius is seated opposite the Chief of Police. A MEDIC is bandaging
the chief's head. The door explodes. The cop outside in riddled with
bullets. A dozen Mangalores attack the police office. Akanit is at
their head. The policemen are caught unaware.
AKANIT
Nobody move! We're taking over this
ship!
The Chief of Police is goggle-eyed. Cornelius leans toward him.
CORNELIUS
(pleased with himself)
I told you...
201 INT. CORRIDOR
Zorg has the case and exits the suite just as the general alarm goes off.
He sighs in exasperation.
202 INT. CONCERT HALL
Three Mangalores suddenly rush into the opera hall shooting.
MANGALORE 1
Everyone down!
There is panic all around.
LOC RHOD
(broadcasting, panic stricken)
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we're being...
attacked. The place is crawling with warriors.
203 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
President Lindberg and his generals look very worried.
204 INT. CONCERT HALL
Some security guards open fire one of the Mangalores is hit. The others
turn their guns on the cops. People scream, diving for cover. Korben bides
his time.
More Mangalores rush in from all around shooting. Two cops are killed.
The Diva... takes a bullet.
She falls from the stage into Korben's arms. He lowers her to the floor.
Korben ignores the panic all around and wraps her in his dinner jacket,
trying to stop the blue blood spurting from her wounds.
205 EXT./ INT. SPACE AROUND FHLOSTON
Zorg's ZFX200 speeds away from the boat. Zorg is at the controls, a
devilish smile on his lips.
ZORG
You want something done, do it yourself!
206 INT. CONCERT HALL
Fighting rages all around in the concert hall, but Korben is oblivious to
it. He sets the Diva's head delicately on the floor. Loc Rhod is hidden
nearby, still on the air.
LOC RHOD
(voice low, panicked)
They're hideous. They've got a crest on
the head, the eyes of a toad and fingers
all over their hands. Totally hideous!
207 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE.
MUNRO
(worried)
...Mangalores!
PRESIDENT
Send a battalion out immediately!
208 INT. CONCERT HALL
KORBEN
(to the Diva)
I was sent by the government to help you.
DIVA
Don't worry. This is my fate...
How was the concert?
Korben is a little surprised, but... the Diva is an artist.
KORBEN
I've never heard anything so beautiful
in my life.
A Mangalore jumps on them from the stage. Korben makes short work of him
and grabs his gun.
DIVA
(weak)
You're a good man...
She was right to have chosen you...
KORBEN
Who?
DIVA
The Fifth Element...
The Supreme Being... Your wife...
Korben is floored.
KORBEN
Leeloo... is... she's...
DIVA
Yes, and more than that... You must
give her the Stones, she's the only one
who knows how to use them.
KORBEN
(to himself, suddenly
realizing)
...So Cornelius was telling the truth!
209 INT. POLICE STATION
The Mangalores tie up Cornelius and the Chief of Police together.
CORNELIUS
(to the Chief of Police)
Of course I was telling you the truth!...
If you had listened to me in the first place,
we wouldn't be in this predicament now!
210 INT. CONCERT HALL
Korben wastes two more Mangalores.
DIVA
She needs you. She needs your help and
your love. She's more fragile than she seems...
Korben looks around, ready for another attack.
KORBEN
...Yeah, so am I.
The Diva takes his hand.
DIVA
She was taught to love the life of others...
but not her own. You have to teach her
to love if you want her to truly live!
KORBEN
(uncomfortable)
I'll help her, I promise, but I think you
should tell me where the Stones are!
DIVA
Do you love her?
KORBEN
I... I don't know! We hardly know
each other... it takes time!
DIVA
I don't have time... I need to know.
KORBEN
Listen, the last time I admitted to a woman
I loved her ... I never saw her again.
DIVA
I would like to have died in peace...
The Diva's eyes close.
211 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
The timer on Zorg's bomb clicks over to "15 minutes".
212 INT. CONCERT HALL
KORBEN
You tell me to save the world then
you go off and leave me in the shit!
He shakes her, gently slapping her cheeks.
KORBEN
Come on! You're not gonna die in peace!
You're not going to die at all! You hear me?
Where are the Stones?
213 INT. SPACESHIP
Zorg sets the Sacred Case on a table in the cockpit. He opens it with a
complacent smile: It's empty!
He cannot believe his eyes. He goes berserk, destroying everything in
sight.
214 INT. CONCERT HALL
Korben slaps the Diva soundly. She comes around somewhat.
KORBEN
I'm sorry, but... the Stones...
DIVA
(very weak)
They are... with me...
The Diva dies. Blue blood streams from her mouth. Korben frisks the
Diva but doesn't find anything. The shooting slowly stops in the theatre.
The Mangalores are now in total control.
MANGALORE 2
Stay calm and nobody will get hurt!
Hands on your head and into the hall!
The guests comply
KORBEN
(to himself)
...The Stones are with me?
and then it occurs to him.
KORBEN
...In me?
He touches the Diva's stomach and senses something hard. Girding
himself, he sticks his hand in the wound and pulls out a Sacred Stone.
Then another. And another. Korben pulls out all four Stones, covered in blue
blood. Everyone has left the theater. The Mangalores check the aisles one
by one.
Loc Rhod peeks out from under a seat.
LOC RHOD
Don't you think we'd better be going?
A Mangalore spots Korben kneeling alongside the Diva. He grabs Korben by
the shoulder and pokes him with his gun.
MANGALORE
Hey, you! With the others!
Korben spins and, in one swift motion, breaks his arm. Just for
starters. Another WARRIOR rushes over. Korben punches him into oblivion
and snatches the gun.
KORBEN
That's it... I've had... all day people
have been sticking guns in my face...
Korben wraps up the four Stones in his shirt.
LOC RHOD
Korben man... These dudes are going
to waste us if we don't do what they say.
Korben gives him the package and grabs his mike.
KORBEN
You don't do what I say... I'll waste
you myself. Got it?
LOC RHOD
Got it...
215 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
President Lindberg dabs his sweaty face with a towel.
216 INT. POLICE STATION
Akanit is still in the police station facing control screens. He barks
into a
walkie-talkie.
AKANIT
What's the situation in the hall?
217 INT. HALL
Hostages are being gathered in the middle of the hall. They are
surrounded by Mangalores who guard them.
MUGGER
(into walkie-talkie)
There's no more resistance.
Everything's under control.
Three Mangalores are suddenly blasted through the glass door leading to
the theater. Korben bursts into the hall, two huge guns in his hands.
KORBEN
Everybody down!
Korben takes out two more WARRIORS coming towards him, rolls behind a
column.
Laser bullets stinging all around his head.
LOC RHOD
This is amazing! Korben, Korben Dallas,
the winner of the Gemini Croquette
contest just killed three warriors like he was
swatting flies...
Panic everywhere! Heavy firing fills the hall.
ANGLE ON:
Roy von Bacon, the laserball player, rises from the floor behind a
Mangalore, grabs him and smashes his head into a column, seizing the gun.
ANGLE ON:
Two Mangalores firing a huge machine gun at the column Korben is using
for cover.
He dives for cover behind the bar.
ANGLE ON:
Two Mangalores watch awestruck. Roy whistles behind them. The two
Mangalores turn around. Roy bonks their heads together.
LOC RHOD
It's Roy von Bacon, the Lions center
forward joining in the battle...
Someone taps Loc Rhod on the shoulder. He jumps with fright.
PRINCESS AACHEN
(hot to trot)
All this is terribly exciting, hmmm?
Loc Rhod covers his mike.
LOC RHOD
GET OFF MY BACK!
A Mangalore shoots in their direction. Loc Rhod flattens himself on the
floor. A vase falls on the Princess knocking her out. A Mangalore loads
some missiles in his gun and destroys the bar piece by piece forcing Korben to
move forward. Korben motions to Baby Ray hiding under the pool table.
KORBEN
Toss me the balls!
BABY RAY
(terrified, still deaf)
What?
Another piece of the bar explodes.
KORBEN
The balls for Christ's sake!
Korben apes playing pool, but Baby Ray really is stone-deaf.
EMPEROR JAPHET
He wants the balls! You deaf or something?
The EMPEROR rolls the balls over to Korben. The Mangalore loads more
missiles and shatters another part of the bar. Korben hides behind the last
bit left.
KORBEN
How far is he from here?
The EMPEROR glances at the Mangalore, who in reloading.
EMPEROR
I'd say about thirty yards to the left.
Korben hefts the ball, jumps up and hurls it with blinding speed. The
Mangalore catches it right in the head. He drops, firing in the air. The
missile strikes the ceiling which collapses on him. The emperor gives Korben
a thumb's up.
LOC RHOD
...And our man Korben has literally
knocked out the opposition with an
amazing 90 foot pitch.
The COPS on the floor rise, scoop up weapons from dead Mangalores and lay
down a line of fire at the last of the fleeing rebels . Roy whirls his arm
in victory.
FOG
Thanks for your help.
KORBEN
Forget it.
Korben grabs Loc Rhod and takes him with him.
218 INT. KORBEN'S SUITE
Korben bursts into the room. He stares at the luminous bar still struck
to the ground and sees the hole Leeloo escaped through.
KORBEN
Leeloo???
219 INT. DIVA'S SUITE - CEILING
Leeloo in bleeding all over. She can barely move.
LEELOO
(feeble)
Kor... ban...
220 EXT. NEAR FHLOSTON
The ZFX 200 speeds back toward Fhloston Paradise.
221 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
The bomb timer now reads 10 minutes.
222 INT. POLICE STATION HALLWAY - FHLOSTON PARADISE
The last of the Mangalores have barricaded themselves in the back of the
station and shoot at anything that tries to enter. Korben joins the
policemen already there.
COP 1
Hey, who are you?
KORBEN
The winner of the Gemini Croquette contest.
Korben goes to the door and peeks around the corner. Loc Rhod arrives.
KORBEN
Seven to the left. Five to the right.
COP
What's he doing?
Korben leans around the corner and fires rapidly.
KORBEN
Six to the left. One to the right.
LOC RHOD
He's on vacation.
KORBEN
(reloading)
We got to find the leader. Mangalores
don't fight without a leader.
223 INT. POLICE STATION
Akanit gets up, grabs Cornelius by the throat and put a gun to his head.
AKANIT
One more shot and we start killing
hostages, got that?
224 INT. POLICE STATION HALLWAY
KORBEN
Found him...
AKANIT
(tense)
Send someone to negotiate!
KORBEN
Mind if I go? I'm an excellent
negotiator.
COP 1
Uh... Sure, go ahead.
Korben gets ready.
COP 1
We're sending someone in who's
authorized to negotiate.
225 INT. POLICE STATION
Korben walks quickly into the room, heads straight for Akanit, raises his
gun and puts a bullet through his head.
KORBEN
Anyone else want to negotiate?
COP 2
(to another Cop)
Where'd he learn to negotiate like that?
226 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
MUNRO
From us!
The President gives Munro a hard look.
227 INT. CONTROL ROOM
The police round up the remaining Mangalores. Korben is at the control
center screens trying to find Leeloo. Cornelius comes over to him,
embarrassed.
CORNELIUS
You're probably very angry with me and
I quite understand. But I want you to
know I'm fighting for a noble cause.
KORBEN
Yeah, I know... to save the world... but
right now all I want to do is save Leeloo.
CORNELIUS
Leeloo's in trouble?
KORBEN
When is she not in trouble?
CORNELIUS
Uh.. Have you tried the Diva's suite?
Korben realizes that Cornelius in probably right.
228 INT. FHLOSTON PARADISE LANDING DOCK AND GARAGE
The ZFX200 settles in the landing dock garage. SECURITY POLICE approach
the ship just as Zorg in getting out holding the ZF1.
POLICEMAN
More trouble?
ZORG
Nothing I can't fix myself.
He brings up the ZF1 and wipes out the garage.
229 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
Korben enters the Diva's suite which is in shambles. He looks
everywhere, but finds nothing.
230 INT. AIRSHAFT
Leeloo lies in a pool of blood. She hears something below her.
231 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
Exhausted, Loc Rhod wipes his forehead and finds himself face to face
with the bomb stuck on the wall.
Korben in busy looking for Leeloo.
KORBEN
(loudly)
Leeloo?
Up in the airshaft, Leeloo has heard him.
LEELOO
Korben...
Her voice is too weak, Korben can't hear her.
LOC RHOD
Korben man... what the hell is this?
Korben gives the bomb a prefunctory glance.
KORBEN
A molecular bomb.
Three minutes left on the timer.
LOC RHOD
(increasingly worried)
And, uh, what're these numbers clicking
by?
CORNELIUS
Probably the time remaining before it
explodes.
Cornelius smiles and continues his search.
LOC RHOD
(weak smile)
You're just saying that to scare me! Right?
If it was a bomb, an alarm would've gone off.
There's bomb detectors in all these hotels!
A general alarm goes off. Loc Rhod is crushed.
232 INT. MAIN HALL
The lights flicker.
VOICE (O.S.)
This is a Type A alert. For security reasons
the hotel must be evacuated. Please proceed
calmly to the lifeboats located in the main
hallways.
A wave of panic engulfs the hall. The cops are unable to hold back the
crowd as it stampedes to the exits.
233 INT. CORRIDOR
Zorg marches down the corridor shooting everyone in his path.
234 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
Loc Rhod stands paralyzed in front of the flashing timer. Less than two
minutes left.
LOC RHOD
Maybe we oughta be going,
what do you think?
KORBEN
Not without Leeloo.
Loc Rhod cannot take his eyes off the bomb.
LOC RHOD
Like D-Man, I hate to bother you but uh,
like, we're down to 2 minutes here...
Korben breathes out, bothered. He turns his attention to the bomb.
KORBEN
It's the latest model.. I've never seen one
before... it works off a magnetic coded
card... Let's see if I can rig it up.
235 INT. AIRSHAFT
Leeloo sticks her fingers out one of the bullet holes and lets some of
her blood drip down.
The blood splats on Korben's hand. He snaps his head up and knows
immediately who is up there. He forgets about the bomb.
LOC RHOD
Hey! What are you doing? The bomb!
Korben drags the desk over, jumps on it and pokes his head in the torn up
airshaft He spots Leeloo who gives him a weak smile.
KORBEN
Don't worry, I'm here now!
He pulls her toward him, helps her out of the shaft and stretches her out
on the desk.
KORBEN
Just relax. I've got the Stones.
Everything's going to be fine.
30 seconds left on the timer.
LOC RHOD
(falling to pieces)
Like Korben, can I have 30 seconds of
your time here?
KORBEN
(to Leeloo)
I'll be right back.
Korben dashes over to the bomb. He is stopped by the barrel of the ZF1.
Zorg, in person, holding a magnetic card.
ZORG
(smiling)
Allow me...
Zorg slips a small magnetic card in the bomb, it starts to count down
from 5 minutes.
ZORG
Just for the fun of it.
Loc Rhod faints.
ZORG
Well, what do we have here? Is this
Korben Dallas? The famous winner of
the Gemini Croquette contest?
Or is this Korben Dallas from Special
Section sent by old Lindberg himself.
Korben doesn't reply.
ZORG
...In any event, whoever you are,
I was glad to meet you.
Zorg fires at Korben who figures he is dead. Nothing. Zorg tries again.
Nada. The clip is empty. Zorg starts to panic.
ZORG
...A 3000 round clip! I didn't fire off
3000 rounds... did I?
KORBEN
Don't you know how to count.
It's not all that hard. Watch!
Korben punches him square in the face, shows him his index.
KORBEN
One! That's for trying to kill me!
Second Punch.
KORBEN
Two! That's for firing me! Three!
That's for pushing around a priest!
And the rest is for what you did to
my wife!
Korben pummels him mercilessly.
236 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
President Lindberg prefers closing his eyes. Munro's shoulders move as
if he were beating on Zorg.
237 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
Zorg falls to the floor, beaten to a pulp. The timer clicks over to 3
minutes.
KORBEN
We're outta here!
He picks Leeloo up in his arms.
Cornelius grabs Loc Rhod and gives him a resounding slap.
LOC RHOD
Are you nuts, Father? That hurts! I
can't feel my teeth.
CORNELIUS
Doesn't matter all you need are your
legs.
238 EXT. FHLOSTON PARADISE - NIGHT
The lifeboats launch from the hotel and fly out into space.
239 INT. FHLOSTON PARADISE LANDING DOCK GARAGE
Korben, carrying Leeloo, Cornelius and Loc Rhod are in the garage.
VOICE (O.S.)
Two minutes to complete evacuation...
Korben bursts the lock on the first ship he finds and enters followed by
Cornelius and Loc Rhod. The ZFX200.
240 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
Zorg starts to come around.
241 INT. ZFX200
Korben sets Leeloo down.
242 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
Zorg picks up his ZF1, unaware of the bomb and the countdown.
ZORG
I didn't fire three thousand rounds...
243 INT. ZFX2O0 COCKPIT
VOICE (O.S.)
One minute to total evacuation...
LOC RHOD
You know how to fly this thing?
KORBEN
(concentrating)
It's like a cab isn't it?
VOICE
30 seconds...
KORBEN
Anyone know how to release the lines
on this crate?
244 INT. DIVA'S SUITE
Zorg is busy with the ZF1 when the bomb starts to BEEP signaling the last
ten seconds. Zorg is terror stricken. He pushes a button and holds the
ZF1 over his head.
ZORG
(loudly)
Maximum Protection.
A mauve-colored magnetic shield closes around Zorg like an indestructible
sarcophagus.
245 INT. ZFX200 COCKPIT
Cornelius and Loc Rhod are bent over the buttons looking for a way to
release the lines.
VOICE (O.S.)
6... 5...
KORBEN
Found it?
Loc Rhod searches frantically.
LOC RHOD
I don't even know what I'm looking for!
KORBEN
Fuck it! Hold tight!
Korben slams the throttle into full forward. The ship roars away ripping
the lines to shreds.
Loc Rhod is thrown to the rear of the ship.
CUT TO:
The counter goes 1... 0
-The suite disintegrates - The corridor is consumed.
-The main hall is no more.
246 EXT. FHLOSTON PARADISE
The ZFX200 jets away as the enormous oceanliner explodes behind it.
247 INT. ZFX200
The ship stops shaking. That was a close one. Everyone's relieved.
KORBEN
Solid little jobs, aren't they?
LOC RHOD
(broadcasting, exhausted)
Dear listeners, your favorite DJ is alive and
kicking. It's seven o'clock and time for the
news. Tune in tomorrow for another adventure.
VOCODER (O.S.)
Beep. End of transmission.
Loc Rhod lets out a huge sigh.
LOC RHOD
(to the others)
The best show I ever did!
248 EXT. PLANET FHLOSTON
A magnetic sarcophagus crosses the Fhloston sky and crashes into a
glacier.
249 EXT. FHLOSTON
Zorg appears in the middle of the ice. He takes a portable phone out of
the ZF1.
ZORG
How's that? Can you hear me better
now?
SECRETARY (O.S.)
Yes, Mr. Zorg, I hear you perfectly!
So, how was the concert?
ZORG
Who gives a shit! I didn't come here to
listen to music! Listen up instead of
running off at the mouth!
The batteries on my phone are almost gone.
SECRETARY (O.S.)
Yes, Sir!
ZORG
Dispatch me another ZFX200 immediately.
Someone stole mine.
SECRETARY (O.S.)
Right away, Sir. I'll send you a new one to
the hotel.
ZORG
I'm not at the hotel!
ZORG
Hello?...
BEEPER (O.S.)
Battery dead.
Zorg is all alone, lost, in the middle of the glacier.
ZORG
(to himself)
Stay calm.... stay calm...
250 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
General Munro enters the office with a smile.
MUNRO
Major Dallas has the Five Elements on
board. The priest is guiding them directly
to the temple.
President Lindberg closes his eyes in relief.
PRESIDENT
Thank God! We've been saved!
A SCIENTIST rushes in.
SCIENTIST
Mr. President.
PRESIDENT
Yes? Now, what?
251 EXT. SPACE
A ball of fire, all-powerful Evil, speeds across the screen with three
Federal Army warships following along behind it as best they can.
252 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
PRESIDENT
What do you mean, "its advancing"?!
253 INT. COCKPIT FEDERATED WARSHIP
COMMANDER
It's not only advancing, but it's moving at
incredible speed! We're having trouble
following it.
254 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
PRESIDENT
(to Scientist)
...And... Do you have any idea where it's
heading?
The scientist is hard to put to answer, he shakes his head.
255 INT. ZFX200 COCKPIT - NIGHT
Korben gently wipes Leeloo's forehead with a cloth. She opens her eyes a
little.
KORBEN
(gentle, loving)
Apipoulai..
Leeloo smiles, weakly, feverish.
LEELOO
I'm so very sad.
KORBEN
Why? We did pretty well, wouldn't
you say?
LEELOO
Five hundred wars... Arms... Drugs...
Money...
Everything you create is used to destroy...
KORBEN
I told you not to read all that crap!
LEELOO
Protect life... Until death.
Her eyes close and she falls back asleep. Korben is worried. She seems
so depressed. Cornelius enters.
CORNELIUS
There's a General on the phone...
His name's Mambo, I think.
256 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
MUNRO
Munro here. President Lindberg wants
to talk to you. Hold the line.
The President clears his throat and takes the phone.
PRESIDENT
Major, first off, I want to thank you,
in my name and in the name of the
Federation...
257 INT. ZFX200 / PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
PRESIDENT (O.S.)
For the praiseworthy courage you have
shown us! I'd like to congratulate General
Munro for his choice. He found the ideal
man for such a...
KORBEN
(to the point)
So now what's the problem?
The President drops into his armchair and sighs.
PRESIDENT
There's a ball of fire 1,200 miles in diameter
heading straight for the earth. And we have
no idea how to stop it! ...That's the problem.
Korben thinks fast. The Priest is with him. The Five Elements are on
board.
KORBEN
How much time before the collision?
The President queries the scientist with a nod of the head.
SCIENTIST
If its speed remains constant... in an
hour and 57 minutes.
KORBEN (O.S.)
I'll call you back in two hours.
Korben hangs up. The President looks stunned.
258 EXT. SPACE
The ZFX200 shifts to the speed of light and vanishes in the star-studded
cosmos.
259 INT. CHAPEL
David is asleep. He is woken by the sound of...
260 EXT. DESERT - DAWN
The ZFX200 is parked in the middle of the desert.
Korben walks ahead carrying Leeloo. Cornelius has the four Stones with
him.
Barely awake, Loc Rhod stumbles along. David appears at the door of the
chapel.
DAVID
You're all safe. Thanks be to God!
CORNELIUS
Later, David! Later!
There's not a minute to lose!
The small group enters the chapel.
261 INT. CHAPEL
Cornelius pushes the group onto the altar which is surrounded by a wooden
barrier. Cornelius stands in front of the cross.
KORBEN
Excuse me, Father, but... could we pray
later?
Cornelius bends the cross and pushes it down. A mechanism is set off
lowering the altar like a service elevator.
The altar descends amid rocky walls.
262 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
MUNRO
They just landed in the desert.
PRESIDENT
(sweating)
How much time is left?
263 EXT. SPACE
Earth is in view. The Dark Planet fills the screen and heads for the
blue planet.
264 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
SCIENTIST
About nine minutes.
President Lindberg has trouble breathing.
265 INT. TEMPLE
Lit by torches, Korben sets Leeloo delicately on the altar in the exact
center of the four elements. Cornelius looks over the four Stones every
which way.
CORNELIUS
(panic-stricken)
Uh, this one... must be water!
It's obvious he doesn't know where to put it.
KORBEN
Don't tell me you don't know how all
this works?
CORNELIUS
Theoretically, yes! The four Stones form
the beam and the Fifth Element is supposed
to stand in the middle there, but...
I don't have the reference book.
I've never seen the Stones work!
Korben can't believe his ears. He tears the Stone out of Cornelius' hand
and studies the inscriptions. He goes over to one of the four bases the
stones rest on and tries to figure it out. The symbol of air is on the Stone,
the same as on the base.
KORBEN
Match the symbols!
Korben places the first Stone and picks up another one. Cornelius has
found the symbol for water. Loc Rhod sits down. He is very tired.
LOC RHOD
What is this some kinda game? Like
chess?
Korben pulls him to his feet and sticks a Stone in his hands.
KORBEN
No. It's much simpler. If we don't figure
out where these Stones go in five minutes,
we're all dead! Think you got it?
Loc Rhod's got it and runs over to put in his Stone. The four Stones are
all in place but nothing happens.
KORBEN
There's no light! You told me there were
supposed to be four beams of light.
CORNELIUS
(lost)
Yes, of course, but... The Stones are shut!
They have to be open for it to work.
KORBEN
And you don't know how they open,
is that what you are saying?
CORNELIUS
That's what I'm saying.
266 EXT. SPACE
The Dark Planet closes in on Earth rapidly.
267 INT. CHAPEL
Korben leans over Leeloo.
KORBEN
Leeloo? The Stones! We have to open
them! How does it work?
LEELOO
(feeble)
The wind blows... the fire burns...
KORBEN
I know all that, Leeloo! I'm talking
about the Stones.
LEELOO
...The rain falls...
Korben is desperate. Leeloo's too weak, he won't get anything more out
of her.
He darts over to a Stone and turns it over and over.
KORBEN
The rain falls... the wind blows?
Loc Rhod stands in front of his Stone looking at Korben.
KORBEN
Try and figure out how this fucking thing
opens, instead of staring at me like that!
Loc Rhod starts feeling the Stone all around.
LOC RHOD
(afraid)
I'm looking, I'm looking.
268 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
The tension is palpable in the President's office.
SCIENTIST
...Three minutes.
MUNRO
We've lost contact with them.
269 INT. CHAPEL
Korben and Cornelius turn the Stones every which way. All to no avai1.
Loc Rhod is discouraged.
LOC RHOD
...we'll never make it.
He sighs. Three hooks pop off the Stone. Loc Rhod can't believe his
eyes.
LOC RHOD
It... it moved! Korben! Korben!
Korben rushes over, looks at the Stone. Hooks are undone.
KORBEN
What did you say? What did you do?
LOC RHOD
Nothing! Swear to God, I didn't do
nothing!
KORBEN
Look, you did something that set it off.
Try to remember. Concentrate. Tell me
exactly what you did!!
Loc Rhod tries to duplicate the same movement.
LOC RHOD
I was like this... With my hands here and...
I said, "We'll never make it!" That's all!
Nothing happens.
KORBEN
Is that all?
LOC RHOD
Yeah... then I sighed... like this.
Loc Rhod sighs, really depressed this time. The Stone opens even more.
Korben's got it.
KORBEN
The wind! The wind blows...
Korben blows on the Stone which immediately opens revealing a patch of
blue sky with some miniature clouds floating around inside. A yellow beam
pops up like a ray of sunlight, like Korben's smile.
KORBEN
Quickly, everyone on a Stone!
Water for water! Fire for fire!
Earth for earth!
The two men move fast. Korben on the 4th Stone: Earth. He grabs a
fistful of earth and throws it on the Stone. A miniature patch of green
appears and immediately forms a green beam. Cornelius wipes his forehead
with a scarf and wrings it out over the Stone. It opens revealing a patch of
miniature raging sea. A blue beam appears.
Loc Rhod has a problem.
LOC RHOD
(shaking)
I don't have a light. I stopped smoking
last week! If we'd come a bit sooner...
Korben pats his pockets, he comes up with a box of matches. There's only
one left.
KORBEN
Don't breathe.
Loc Rhod and Cornelius hold their breath. Korben strikes the match. A
small flame appears on the tip. A breeze goes through the room. Korben
feels like he's got TNT in his hands. He approaches the flame to the Stone.
The flame twists, dims, flickers ...but holds on. The Stone opens. A patch
of miniature fire appears. Korben sighs, snuffs out the match. The fourth
beam, a red one, immediately forms.
270 EXT. SPACE
A mass of fire fills the screen. The Earth is only a thousand miles
away.
271 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
SCIENTIST
Two more minutes.
The President shuts his eyes. His lids move in prayer.
272 INT. CHAPEL
Korben helps Leeloo onto her feet where the four beams and four colors
crisscross.
KORBEN
It's up to you now, Angel!
LEELOO
I'm so tired...
KORBEN
You can sleep tomorrow... come on...
LEELOO
I want to sleep... forever...
KORBEN
Leeloo! Listen to me! I'll take you on
a vacation afterwards! A real vacation,
this time, for as long as you want.
Come on! You can do it!
Korben slowly releases Leeloo and steps back from the altar.
Leeloo can barely stand in the center of the four beams.
An indistinct white beam begins to form around her, starts to rise.
CORNELIUS
Come on Leeloo! Come on!
The beam loses its intensity. Leeloo crumples to the floor.
273 EXT. SPACE
The Dark Planet hurtles toward Earth. A hundred miles before impact.
The African continent is visible. No doubt about it: The fireball is
heading right for Egypt.
274 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
Seconds tick away relentlessly on the scientist's stopwatch.
SCIENTIST
It'll be entering the atmosphere in one
minute.
275 INT. CHAPEL
The heat in the temple is unbearable. All the walls start to ooze the
same horrible black slimy liquid seen at Zorg's. A drop of liquid falls to
the temple floor and begins to smoke, eating away at it like acid. Loc
Rhod has to dodge another drop of the stuff. Korben quickly straightens
Leeloo up and puts her back in the center of the beams.
KORBEN
Leeloo! If you don't get on with the
program we're all gonna die! And that's
not on my agenda for today.
Leeloo wraps her arms around Korben's neck.
LEELOO
(weak)
What's the use of saving lives...
when you see what you do with them!
KORBEN
You're right but there are lots of good
things... beautiful things...
LEELOO
...Like love...
KORBEN
Exactly.
LEELOO
But I don't know love... I'm like a machine
programmed to save other people's lives but
never to have one of my own.
276 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
The Scientist's stopwatch goes from 30 to 29 seconds.
277 INT. CHAPEL
LEELOO
I have thousands of memories but none
of them are mine... There is no need for
me other than this. I'm immortal but I have
no life.
KORBEN
Yes, you do! I need you. More than you
can imagine! Stand up straight!
LEELOO
Why?... Why would you need me?
KORBEN
Because...
CORNELIUS
(to himself)
Tell her, for God's sake!
A bit of the black acid falls on Loc Rhod's shirt setting it on fire. He
rips if off.
CUT TO:
278 INT. CHAPEL
KORBEN
Because...
Leeloo has tears in her eyes. The heat is overpowering. Black acid is
everywhere.
LEELOO
Tell me...
KORBEN
I love you...
Despite her fatigue, Leeloo smiles broadly.
CUT TO:
278b INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
The stopwatch goes from 3 to 2.
279 INT. CHAPEL
LEELOO
Now you're allowed to kiss me.
- Korben wraps his arms around her and kisses her like he's never kissed
anybody before. - The white beam, the Divine Light, immediately forms
around Leeloo and Korben. - The stopwatch hits zero. - The Absolute Beam
explodes from the top of the pyramid and heads straight into the sky zapping
the fireball smack in the middle, slowing it down. - Korben and Leeloo kiss
like there was no tomorrow.
- The beam hardens and slowly solidifies the Evil Planet. Inaudible
screeches escape from the dying planet. Screeches of terrifying pain as if a
million souls were dying.
- Streams of black acid spurt from the pyramid and solidify like
brilliant stalactites.
280 EXT. SPACE
The pure beam, the Light of Life, has finished its work. The Dark Planet
nothing more than a dead planet.
Strangely enough, it looks like the moon. Everything is calm around it.
281 INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
President Lindberg opens his eyes and realizes he's not dead-
SCIENTIST
The planet seems to have stopped at...
62 miles from impact.
282 INT. CHAPEL
In the temple, the beam loses its intensity. But Leeloo and Korben
remain stuck together, lost in their kiss. Cornelius has dropped to his
knees, clutching his hands.
Loc Rhod slips along the wall with a sigh. He gives Cornelius a knowing
smile.
LOC RHOD
This guy is a killer with the babes.
I knew it from the moment I laid eyes
on him.
Cornelius and Loc Rhod burst out laughing. Korben and Leeloo keep on
kissing.
283 INT. LABORATORY
We are in the Nucleological Laboratory that gave birth to Leeloo in the
beginning of our story. The President enters the lab followed by a group
of officials in ceremonial dress.
MUNRO
Mr. President, let me introduce you to
Professor Mactilburgh, who runs the center.
MACTILBURGH
It's an honor to receive you. Mr. President.
PRESIDENT
(beaming)
Yes.. Well? Where are our two heroes?
MACTILBURGH
They were so tired from their ordeal that
we put them in the reactor this morning..
PRESIDENT
I have 19 more meetings after this one
Professor..
PROFESSOR
Of course.. Let me see if they're revived.
AIDE
We go live in one minute, Mr. President.
Mactilburgh goes to the reactor and opens a small slot which allows him
to see what is going on under the blue shield.
Leeloo and Korben are naked, arms wrapped around each other, kissing and
probably engaged in hoppi hoppa.
Mactilburgh looks troubled.
MACTILBURGH
I.. uh.. they need five more minutes,
Mr. President.
The President, pressed for time, looks over to his aide who in struggling
with a phone call.
AIDE
No ma'am... I tried... No ma'am...
PRESIDENT
Who is it?
AIDE
Some woman... claims she's Korben's
mother...
PRESIDENT
Give it here...
The President takes the phone and goes to the window.
PRESIDENT
Mrs. Dallas, this in the President.
On behalf of the entire Federation,
I would like to thank...
MOTHER (V.O.)
Don't pull that crap with me, Finger...
I'd recognize that trash can voice of
yours in a dark alley during a rain storm.
You tell that worthless no account son
of mine he should plotz for the way he's
ignored his mother... when I think of all I
sacrificed for him...
284 EXT. NEW YORK
Outside the lab we see the President through the window, holding the
phone away from his ear.
PAN slowly across Manhattan.
Credits Roll as TWO full rising silver moons ascend in the dark blue sky.
THE END |
FIGHT CLUB
F I G H T C L U B
by Jim Uhls
based on a novel by Chuck Palahnuik
2/16/98
--------------------------------------------------------------
SCREEN BLACK
JACK (V.O.)
People were always asking me, did I
know Tyler Durden.
FADE IN:
INT. SOCIAL ROOM - TOP FLOOR OF HIGH RISE -- NIGHT
TYLER has one arm around Jack's shoulder; the other hand
holds a HANDGUN with the barrel lodged in JACK'S MOUTH.
Tyler is sitting in Jack's lap.
They are both sweating and disheveled, both around 30; Tyler
is blond, handsome; and Jack, brunette, is appealing in a
dry sort of way. Tyler looks at his watch.
TYLER
One minute.
(looking out window)
This is the beginning. We're at
ground zero. Maybe you should say a
few words, to mark the occasion.
JACK
... i... ann....iinn.. ff....nnyin...
JACK (V.O.)
With a gun barrel between your teeth,
you only speak in vowels.
Jack tongues the barrel to the side of his mouth.
JACK
(still distorted)
I can't think of anything.
JACK (V.O.)
With my tongue, I can feel the
rifling in the barrel. For a second,
I totally forgot about Tyler's whole
controlled demolition thing and I
wondered how clean this gun is.
Tyler checks his watch.
TYLER
It's getting exciting now.
JACK (V.O.)
That old saying, how you always hurt
the one you love, well, it works both
way.
Jack turns so that he can see down -- 31 STORIES.
JACK (V.O.)
We have front row seats for this
Theater of Mass Destruction. The
Demolitions Committee of Project
Mayhem wrapped the foundation columns
of ten buildings with blasting
gelatin. In two minutes, primary
charges will blow base charges, and
those buildings will be reduced to
smoldering rubble. I know this
because Tyler knows this.
TYLER
Look what we've accomplised.
(checks watch)
Thirty seconds.
JACK (V.O.)
Somehow, I realize all of this -- the
gun, the bombs, the revolution -- is
really about Marla Singer.
PULL BACK from Jack's face. It's pressed against TWO LARGE
BREASTS that belong to...BOB, 45, a moose of a man. Jack is
engulfed by Bob in an intense embrace. Bob weeps openly.
JACK (V.O.)
Bob had bitch tits.
PULL BACK to wide on...
INT. CHURCH MEETING ROOM - NIGHT
Men are paired off, hugging, talking in emotional tones.
Near the door, a SIGN on a stand: "REMAINING MEN TOGETHER."
JACK (V.O.)
This was a support group for men with
testicular cancer. The big moosie
slobbering all over me was Bob.
BOB
We're still men.
JACK
Yes. We're men. Men is what we are.
JACK (V.O.)
Six months ago, Bob's testicles were
removed. Then hormone therapy. He
developed bitch tits because his
testosterone was too high and his
body upped the estrogen. That was
where my head fit -- into his huge,
sweating tits that hung enormous, the
way we think of God's as big.
BOB
They're gonna have to open my pec's
again to drain the fluid.
Bob hugs tighter; then looks with empathy into Jack's eyes.
BOB
Okay. You cry now.
Jack looks at Bob.
JACK (V.O.)
Wait. Back up. Let me start earlier.
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Jack lies in bed, staring at the ceiling.
JACK (V.O.)
For six months. I could not sleep.
INT. COPY ROOM - DAY
Jack, sleepy, stands over a copy machine. His Starbucks cup
sits on the lid, moving back and forth as the machine copies.
JACK (V.O.)
With insomnia, nothing is real.
Everything is far away. Everything
is a copy of a copy of a copy.
Other people make copies, all with Starbucks cups, sipping.
Jack picks up his cup and his copies and leaves.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - SAME
Jack, sipping, stares blankly at a Starbucks bag on the
floor, full of newspapers and FAST FOOD GARBAGE.
JACK (V.O.)
When deep space exploration ramps up,
it will be corporations that name
everything. The IBM Stellar Sphere.
The Philip Morris Galaxy. Planet
Starbucks.
Jack looks up as a pudgy man, Jack's BOSS, enters, Starbucks
cup in hand, and slides a stack of reports on Jack's desk.
BOSS
I'm going to need you out-of-town a
little more this week. We've got
some "red-flags" to cover.
JACK (V.O.)
It must've been Tuesday. he was
wearing his "cornflower-blue" tie.
JACK
(listless management speak)
You want me to de-prioritize my
current reports until you advise of
a status upgrade?
BOSS
You need to make these your primary
"action items."
JACK (V.O.)
He was full of pep. Must've had his
grande latte enema.
BOSS
Here are your flight coupons. Call
me from the road if there are any
snags. Your itinerary...
Jack hides a yawn, pretends to listen.
INT. BATHROOM - JACK'S CONDO - NIGHT
Jack sits on the toilet, CORDLESS PHONE to his ear, flips
through an IKEA catalog. There's a stack of old Playboy
magazines and other catalogs nearby.
JACK (V.O.)
Like everyone else, I had become a
slave to the IKEA nesting instinct.
JACK
(into phone)
Yes. I'd like to order the Erika
Pekkari slip covers.
Jack drops the open catalog on the floor.
MOVE IN ON CATALOG -- ON PHOTO of COFFEETABLE SET...
JACK (V.O.)
If I saw something like clever coffee
table sin the shape of a yin and
yang, I had to have it.
PAN TO PHOTO of ARMCHAIR...
JACK (V.O.)
Like the Johanneshov armchair in the
Strinne green stripe pattern...
INT. LIVING ROOM/DINING AREA/KITCHEN
The armchair APPEARS. PAN OVER next to armchair...
JACK (V.O.)
Or the Rislampa wire lamps of
environmentally-friendly unbleached
paper.
The lamps APPEAR. PAN OVER to wall...
JACK (V.O.)
Even the Vild hall clock of
galvanized steel, resting on the
Klipsk shelving unit.
The clock APPEARS as the shelving unit APPEARS on the wall.
JACK (V.O.)
I would flip through catalogs and
wonder, "What kind of dining set
defines me as a person?" We used to
read pornography. Now it was the
Horchow Collection.
A dining room set APPEARS. Jack, the cordless phone still
glued to his ear, walks INTO FRAME and continues.
JACK
No, I don't want Cobalt. Oh, that
sounds nice. Apricot.
Jack opens a cabinet, takes out a plate.
JACK (V.O.)
I had it all. Even the glass dishes
with tiny bubbles and imperfections,
proof they were crafted by the
honest, simple, hard-working
indigenous peoples of wherever.
He rummages through the refrigerator. It's practically
empty. Jack takes out a jar of mustard, opens it and uses
a butter knife to eat it.
INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack, eyes puffy, face pale, sits before an INTERN, who
studies him with bemusement.
INTERN
No, you can't die of insomnia.
JACK
Maybe I died already. Look at my
face.
INTERN
You need to lighten up.
JACK
Can't you give me something?
JACK (V.O.)
Red-and-blue Tuinal, lipstick-red
Seconals.
INTERN
(overlapping w/ above)
You need healthy, natural sleep.
Chew valerian root and get some more
exercise.
The Intern ushes Jack to the door. They step into the...
INT. HALLWAY
The Intern walks away from Jack, picks up a chart.
JACK
I'm in pain.
INTERN
(facetious)
You want to see pain? Swing by First
Methodist Tuesday nights. See the
guys with testicular cancer. That's
pain.
The Intern moves into the other room. Jack stares after him.
EXT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH - NIGHT
Jack heads for the front door.
INT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH MEETING ROOM - NIGHT
Jack stares at a group of men, including Bob, who are all
listening to a group member speak at a lectern. The SPEAKER
has pale skin and sunken eyes -- he's clearly dying.
SPEAKER
I... wanted three kids. Two boys and
a girl. Mindy wanted two girls and
one boy. We never could agree on
anything.
The Speaker cracks a sad smile. Some men chuckle, happy to
lighten the mood.
SPEAKER
Well, she had her first child a month
ago, a girl, with her new husband...
And, Thank God. I'm glad for her,
because she deserves...
The speaker breaks down, WEEPS UNCONTROLLABLY.
Jack watches. A couple of the men go up to the speaker,
comforting him, leading him away. A LEADER takes the stand.
LEADER
Everyone, let's thank Thomas for
sharing himself with us.
Jack, uncomfortable, joins EVERYONE ELSE:
EVERYONE
(in unison)
Thank you, Thomas.
LEADER
I look around this room and I see a
lot of courage. And it gives me
strength. We give each other
strength.
Jack looks around. Many of the men are sniffling, sobbing.
Jack squirms in his seat.
LEADER
It's time for the one-on-one. Let's
follow Thomas's example and open
ourselves.
Everyone gets out of their chairs and begins pairing-off.
Jack stands, uncomfortable.
LEADER
Can everyone find a partner?
Bob, his chin down on his chest, starts toward Jack,
shuffling his feet.
JACK (V.O.)
The big moosie, his eyes already
shrink-wrapped in tears. Knees
together, invisible steps.
Bob takes Jack into an embrace.
JACK (V.O.)
Bob was a champion bodybuilder. You
know that chest expansion program you
see on TV? That was his idea.
BOB
...using steroids. I was a juicer.
Diabonol, then, Wisterol -- it's for
racehorses, for Christsake. Now I'm
bankrupt, divorced, my two grown kids
won't return my calls...
JACK (V.O.)
Strangers with this kind of honesty
make me go a big rubbery one.
Bob breaks into sobbing, putting his head on Jack's shoulder
and completely covering Jack's face. After a long beat of
crying, Bob raises up his head, looks at Jack's NAMETAG.
BOB
Go ahead, Cornelius. You can cry.
They look at each other. Slowly, Jack's eyes grow wet.
JACK (V.O.)
Then... something happened. I was
lost in oblivion -- dark and silent
and complete.
Bob pulls Jack's head back into his chest. Jack tightens
his arms around Bob.
JACK (V.O.)
I found freedom. Losing all hope was
freedom.
Jack pulls away from Bob. On Bob's chest, there's a WET
MASK of Jack's face from how he looks weeping.
JACK (V.O.)
Babies don't sleep this well.
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Jack lies sound asleep.
JACK (V.O.)
I became addicted.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT
Jack moves into a "group hug" of sickly people, men and
women. In view is a sign by the door "Free and Clear."
INT. OFFICE BUILDING BASEMENT - NIGHT
Jack stands with a weeping middle-aged WOMAN. He begins to
cry along with her. A sign by the door: "Onward and Upward."
JACK (V.O.)
If I didn't say anything, people
assumed the worst. They cried
harder. I cried harder.
INT. PUBLIC BUILDING CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
Everyone, including Jack, sits back in their seats, EYES
CLOSED. The Leader speaks into a microphone.
LEADER
Tonight, we're going to open the
green door -- the heart chakra...
JACK (V.O.)
I wasn't really dying, I wasn't host
to cancer or parasites; I was the
warm little center that the life of
this world crowded around.
LEADER
...And you open the door and you
step inside. We're inside our
hearts. Now, imaging your pain as a
white ball of healing light. That's
right, the pain itself is a ball of
healing light.
Jack, eyes closed, is silent...
LEADER
It moves over your body, healing you.
Keep this going and step forward,
through the back door of the room.
Where does it lead? To your cave.
Step forward into your cave.
INT. CAVE - JACK'S IMAGINATION
Jack walks along, moving through an ICE CAVERN...
LEADER'S VOICE
That's right. You're going deeper
into your cave. And you're going to
find your power animal...
Jack comes upon a PENGUIN. The penguin looks at him, cocks
his head to signal Jack forward.
PENGUIN
Slide.
The penguin jumps onto a patch of ICE and slides away.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Jack walks out a doorway, saying goodbye to people. He
walks down the sidewalk, shining with peace.
JACK (V.O.)
Every evening I died and every
evening I was born again. Resurrected.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH MEETING ROOM - RESUMING
Jack's still in an embrace with Bob.
JACK (V.O.)
Bob loved me because he thought my
testicles were removed too. Being
there, my face against his tits,
ready to cry -- this was my vacation.
MARLA SINGER enters. She has short matte black hair and
big, dark eyes like a character from japanese animation.
JACK (V.O.)
And, she ruined everything.
Marla looks around, raises a cigarette to her lips.
MARLA
This is cancer, right?
Bob and Jack stare, dumbfounded.
INT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH MEETING ROOM - LATER
Everyone paired-off. MOVE THROUGH ROOM... FIND JACK'S FACE
as he stares... MOVE THROUGH ROOM... FIND MARLA'S FACE.
She's drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette.
JACK (V.O.)
This ... chick ... Marla Singer ...
did not have testicular cancer. She
was a liar.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT
Marla sits with the group, smoking, listening intently while
a member speaks. Jack spies on her.
JACK (V.O.)
She had no diseases at all. I had
seen her at my melanoma Monday night
group ...
INT. CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL - NIGHT
Marla sits at the end of a row, smoking. All the faces down
the row are turned toward her, incredulous...
JACK (V.O.)
... and at "Free and Clear," my blood
parasites group Thursdays.
Jack leans out further than the others, scornful.
JACK (V.O.)
-- And, again, at "Seize The Day," my
tuberculosis Friday night.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH MEETING ROOM - ANOTHER NIGHT
Jack watches... Marla's eyes are closed, her head on the
shoulder of the MAN she's embraced by. She opens her eyes,
catching Jack's stare. Jack looks away.
JACK (V.O.)
Marla -- the big tourist. Her lie
reflected my lie.
Marla rests her chin on the man's shoulder. Tears roll down
her cheeks. She wipes at them.
EXT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH - NIGHT
Marla walks out, The support group's dispersing. Jack
exits amongst them. He spots Marla walking away.
JACK (V.O.)
And suddenly, I felt nothing. I
couldn't cry. So, once again, I
could not sleep.
Jack stares after Marla for a long moment. He walks away.
INT. BEDROOM - LATER
Jack, in underwear, is cross-legged on the floor, assembling
IKEA furniture, CORDLESS PHONE shouldered to his ear.
JACK
(into phone)
No, I just can't believe that card is
declined -- Okay, okay, let me give
you a different card number.
Jack gets his wallet off the floor, pulls out another card
and, MOS over the following, he reads it into the phone.
JACK (V.O.)
Next group, after guided meditation,
after we open our chakras, when it's
time to hug, I'm going to grab that
little bitch, Marla Singer, pin her
arms against her sides and say...
INT. MEETING ROOM - NIGHT - JACK'S IMAGINATION
CLOSE ON JACK as he CLAMPS his arms around Marla.
JACK
Marla, you liar, you big tourist. I
need this. Get out.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Jack, in pajamas, stares at Home Shopping Network on his TV.
JACK (V.O.)
When you have insomnia, you're never
really asleep and you're never really
awake. I hadn't slept in four days...
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT
Jack walks in and joins the crowd, looking around. People
are chattering with each other.
JACK (V.O.)
-- But, in here, in everyone, there's
the squint of a five-day headache.
Yet they forced themselves to be
positive. They never said
"parasite;" they said "agent." They
always talked about getting better.
LEADER
Okay, everyone.
Everyone sits in chairs. Jack catches sight of Marla.
LEADER
To open tonight's communion, Chloe
would like to say a few words.
Taking the lectern is CHLOE, a pale, sickly girl whose skin
stretches yellowish and tight over her bones. She wears a
head bondage. She clears her throat.
JACK (V.O.)
Ahh, Chloe. Chloe looked the way
Joni Mitchell's skeleton would look
if you made it smile and walk around
a party being extra nice to everyone.
CHLOE
Well, I'm still here -- but I don't
know for how long. That's as much
certainty as anyone can give me. but
I've got some good news -- I no
longer have any fear of death.
APPLAUSE from around the room.
CHLOE
But... I am in a pretty lonely place.
No one will have sex with me. I'm so
close to the end and all I want is to
get laid for the last time. I have
pornographic movies in my apartment,
and lubricants and amyl nitrate ...
The LEADER gingerly takes control of the microphone.
LEADER
Thank you, Chloe. Everyone, let's
thank Chloe.
EVERYONE
Thank you, Chloe.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - LATER
LEADER
Now, you're standing at the entrance
to your cave. You step inside your
cave and you walk. Keep walking.
Jack's face, eyes closed, is motionless.
JACK (V.O.)
If I did have a tumor, I'd name it
Marla. Marla...the little scratch on
the roof of your mouth that would
heal if only you could stop tonguing
it, but you can't.
LEADER
Now, find your power animal.
INT. CAVE - JACK'S IMAGINATION
Jack finds Marla smoking a cigarette. Marla cocks her head,
indicating whe wants him to --
MARLA
Slide.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - RESUMING
Jack's eyes open and turn to Marla, watching her blow smoke
rings with her eyes closed.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - LATER
Everyone stands and mills about, pairing-off.
LEADER
Pick someone special to you tonight.
Jack sees the ghastly spectre of Chloe ambling towards him.
He tries to smile. She smiles with a twisted, dying mouth.
CHLOE
Hello, Mr. Tayler.
JACK (V.O.)
I never gave my real name at support
groups.
JACK
Hi, Chloe.
CHLOE
We've never actually talked.
Chloe's eyes are eerily bright with desperation. Jack, in
a sincere attempt at levity, chokes out:
JACK
You look good. You ... look ... like
a pirate.
Chloe laughs, a little too much. Jack squeezes out a laugh.
Then he sees Marla, off by herself. Someone heads for her.
JACK
Excuse me, I have to...
Jack gives a quick nod to Chloe and darts towards Marla.
Chloe watches him go.
STAY ON JACK AND MARLA as Jack CLAMPS his arms around her.
He whispers into her ear.
JACK
We need to talk.
MARLA
Sure.
JACK
I'm on to you. You're a faker. You
aren't dying.
MARLA
What?
JACK
Okay, in the Sylvia Plath philosophy
way, we're all dying. But you're not
dying the way Chloe is dying.
LEADER
Tell the other person how you feel.
JACK
You're a tourist. I saw you at
melanoma, tuberculosis and testicular
cancer.
MARLA
And I saw you practicing this...
JACK
Practicing what?
MARLA
Telling me off. Is it going as well
as you hoped... ?
(reads his nametag)
"... Mr. Taylor."
JACK
I'll expose you.
MARLA
Go ahead. I'll expose you.
LEADER
Share yourself completely.
Marla puts her head down on Jack's shoulder as if she were
crying. Jack pulls her head back up. She deadpans at him.
JACK
Why are you doing this?
MARLA
It's cheaper than a movie, and
there's free coffee.
JACK
These are my groups. I was here
first. I've been coming for a year.
MARLA
A year? How'd you manage that?
JACK
Anyone who might've noticed either
died or recovered and never came back.
LEADER
Let yourself cry.
MARLA
Why do you do it?
JACK
I... I don't know. I guess... when
people think you're dying, they
really listen, instead...
MARLA
-- Instead of just waiting for their
turn to speak.
JACK
Yeah.
Brief recognition between them, broken as the Leader passes.
LEADER
Quietly, now. Share with each other.
Jack waits till the Leader's out of earshot.
JACK
(warning)
It becomes an addiction.
MARLA
Really?
Jack sighs, then pulls back.
JACK
Look, I can't cry with a faker
present.
MARLA
Candy-stripe a cancer ward. It's not
my problem.
JACK
Please. Can't we do something... ?
Marla starts out of the room. Jack follows her.
LEADER
Now, the closing prayer.
EXT. CHURCH - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS
Marla gets to the sidewalk, moving quickly along.
JACK
We'll split up the week. You can
have lymphoma, tuberculosis and --
MARLA
You take tuberculosis. My smoking
doesn't go over at all.
JACK
I think testicular cancer should be
no contest.
MARLA
Well, technically, I have more of a
right to be there than you. You
still have your balls.
JACK
You're kidding.
MARLA
I don't know -- am I?
Jack follow Marla into...
INT. LAUNDROMAT - CONTINUOUS
Marla walks with authority up to an unwatched DRYER. She
takes out clothes, picks out jeans, pants and shirts.
MARLA
I'll take the parasites.
JACK
You can't have both parasites. You
can take blood parasites --
MARLA
I want brain parasites.
JACK
Okay. I'll take blood parasites and
organic brain dementia --
MARLA
I want that.
JACK
You can't have the whole brain!
MARLA
So far, you have four and I only have
two!
JACK
Then, take blood parasites. It's
yours. Now we each have three.
Marla gathers the chosen garments and heads out past Jack...
EXT. SIDEWALK - CONTINUOUS
Jack follows, bewildered.
JACK
You... left half your clothes.
HONK! Jack starts. Marla's led him into the street with
traffic barreling down.
Marla walks on, oblivious as CARS screech to a halt, HORNS
BLARING. Jack dashes, following...
INT. THRIFT STORE - CONTINUOUS
Marla drops the pile of clothes on a counter. An old CLERK
sifts through the clothes, begins writing on a pad.
JACK
You're selling those?
Marla steps down hard on Jack's foot. He winces in pain.
MARLA
(for the Clerk to hear)
Yes, I'm selling some chothes.
The Clerk starts to ring up the assessed amounts.
MARLA
So, we each have three -- that's six.
What about the seventh day? I want
ascending bowel cancer.
JACK (V.O.)
The girl had done her homework.
JACK
I want ascending bowel cancer.
The Clerk gives a strange look as he hands money to Marla.
MARLA
That's your favorite, too? Tried to
slip it by me, eh?
JACK
We'll split it. You get it the first
and third Sunday of the month.
MARLA
Deal.
They shake. Jack tries to withdraw his hand; Marla holds it.
MARLA
Looks like this is goodbye.
JACK
Let's not make a big thing out of it.
She walks to the door, pocketing money, not looking back.
MARLA
How's this for not making a big thing?
Jack watches her go. A moment, then he follows after...
EXT. SIDEWALK - CONTINUOUS
Jack hesitates, unsure, then run/walks to catch up to her...
JACK
Um... Marla, should we maybe exchange
numbers?
MARLA
Should we?
JACK
In case we want to switch nights.
MARLA
I suppose.
Jack takes out a business card, writes his number on the
back, hands it to her. She takes the pen, grabs his hand
and writes her number on his palm. She walks into the
street, causing more SCREECHING and HONKING. She turns,
holds up the card.
MARLA
It doesn't have your name. Who are
you? Cornelius? Mr. Taylor? Dr.
Zaius? Any of the stupid names you
give each night?
Jack starts to answer, but the traffic noise is too loud.
Marla just shakes her head, turns, and keeps moving. A BUS
moves into view, obscuring her.
JACK (V.O.)
This is how I met Marla Singer.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - DAY
The plane touches down; the cabin BUMPS. Jack's eyes open.
JACK (V.O.)
You wake up at O'Hare.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - DAY
Jack snaps awake again, looking around, disoriented.
JACK (V.O.)
You wake up at SeaTac.
EXT. HIGHWAY - DUSK
The rear of a CRASHED CAR sticks up by the side of the road.
Jack stands, marking on a clipboard. The SUN SETS behind.
INT. AIRPORT - NIGHT
Jack stands at a gate counter. An ATTENDANT smiles at him.
ATTENDANT
Check-in for that flight doesn't
begin for another two hours, Sir.
Jack looks with blearing eyes at his watch, steps away and
looks at an overhanging CLOCK.
JACK (V.O.)
Pacific, Mountain, Central. Lose an
hour, gain an hour. This is your
life, and it's ending one minute at
a time.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - DAY
Jack's eyes snap open as the plane LANDS.
JACK (V.O.)
You wake up at Air Harbor
International.
INT. AIRPORT WALKWAY
Jack stands on a conveyor belt, briefcase at his feet. He
watches PEOPLE MOVING PAST on the opposite conveyor.
JACK (V.O.)
If you wake up at a different time
and in a different place, could you
wake up as a different person?
Jack misses seeing TYLER on the opposite conveyor belt.
They pass each other.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT
Jack sits next to a BUSINESSMAN. As they have idle
CONVERSATION, we MOVE IN ON Jack's tray. An ATTENDANT'S
HANDS set coffee down with a small container of cream.
JACK (V.O.)
Everywhere I travel -- tiny life.
Single-serving sugar, single-serving
cream, single pat of butter.
CUT TO:
HANDS place a dinner tray down.
JACK (V.O.)
Microwave Cordon Bleu hobby kit.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - BATHROOM - NIGHT
Jack brushes his teeth in the MIRROR.
JACK (V.O.)
Shampoo/conditioner combo. Single-
serving mouthwash, tiny bar of soap.
Jack picks up an individual, wrapped Q-TIP, looks at it. He
moves out of the bathroom into...
MAIN ROOM
Jack sits on the bed. He turns on the TV. It's tuned to
the "Sheraton Channel," shows WAITERS serving people in a
large BANQUET ROOM. Jack stops brushing his teeth, feels
something on the bed, lifts it -- a small DINNER MINT.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT
Jack sits next to a frumpy WOMAN. They chat. Jack turns to
look at his food, takes a bite. He turns back and it's...
--a BALD MAN next to him, talking. Jack takes another bite,
turns back and it's...
--a BUSINESSMAN next to him. Jack takes another bite, turns
back, and it's...
--a BUSINESS WOMAN next to him.
JACK (V.O.)
The people I meet on each flight --
they're single-serving friends.
Between take-off and landing, we have
our time together, but that's all we
get.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - LANDING
Jack's eyes snap open.
JACK (V.O.)
You wake up at Logan.
INT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
A giant corrugated METAL DOOR opens.
JACK (V.O.)
On a long enough time line, the
survival rate for everyone drops to
zero.
Two TECHNICIANS lead Jack to the BURNT-OUT SHELL of a
WRECKED AUTOMOBILE. Jack sets down his briefcase, opens it
and starts to make notes on a CLIPBOARDED FORM.
JACK (V.O.)
I'm a recall coordinator. My job is
to apply the formula. It's a story
problem.
TECHNICIAN #1
Here's where the infant went through
the windshield. Three points.
JACK (V.O.)
A new car built by my company leaves
somewhere traveling at 60 miles per
hour. The rear differential locks up.
TECHNICIAN #2
The teenager's braces around the
backseat ashtray would make a good
"anti-smoking" ad.
JACK (V.O.)
The car crashes and burns with
everyone trapped inside. Now: do we
initiate a recall?
TECHNICIAN #1
The father must've been huge. See
how the fat burnt into the driver's
seat with his polyester shirt? Very
"modern art."
JACK (V.O.)
Take the number of vehicles in the
field, (A), and multiply it by the
probable rate of failure, (B), then
multiply the result by the average
out-of-court settlement, (C). A
times B times C equals X...
CUT TO:
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - MOVING DOWN RUNWAY
Jack is speaking to the BUSINESSWOMAN next to him.
JACK
If X is less than the cost of a
recall, we don't do one.
BUSISNESS WOMAN
Are there a lot of these kinds of
accidents?
JACK
Oh, you wouldn't believe.
BUSINESS WOMAN
... Which... car company do you work
for?
JACK
A major one.
Turgid silence. Jack turns to the window. He sees a
PELICAN get SUCKED into the TURBINE.
JACK (V.O.)
Every time the plane banked too
sharply on take-off or landing, I
prayed for a crash, or a mid-air
collision -- anything.
Jack's face remains bland during the following: the plane
BUCKLES -- the cabin wobbles. People panic. Masks drop.
JACK (V.O.)
No more haircuts. Nothing matters,
not even bad breath.
The side of the plane SHEARS OFF! Screaming PASSENGERS are
sucked out into the night air, flying past the quivering
wind. Magazines and other objects fly everywhere.
JACK (V.O.)
Life insurance pays off triple if you
die on a business trip.
Jack remains in his same position, same bland expression.
DING! -- the seatbelt light goes OUT. Jack SNAPS AWAKE.
EVERYTHING IS NORMAL. Some passengers get out of their
seats. From next to Jack, a VOICE we've heard before...
VOICE
There are three ways to make napalm.
One, mix equal parts of gasoline and
frozen orange juice...
Jack turns to see TYLER. Without turned to Jack, Tyler
continues:
TYLER
Two, equal parts gasoline and diet
cola. Three, dissolve kitty-litter
in gasoline until the mixture is
thick.
JACK
Pardon me?
Tyler turns to Jack.
JACK (V.O.)
This is how I met --
TYLER
Tyler Durden.
Tyler offers his hand. Jack takes it.
TYLER
You know why they have oxygen masks
on planes?
JACK
No, supply oxygen?
TYLER
Oxygen gets you high. In a
catastrophic emergency, we're taking
giant, panicked breaths...
Tyler grabs a safety instruction CARD from the seatback,
hands it to Jack.
TYLER
Suddenly, we become euphoic and
docile. We accept our fate.
Tyler points to passive faces on the drawn figures.
TYLER
Emergency water landing, 600 miles
per hour. Blank faces -- calm as
Hindu cows.
Jack laughs.
JACK
What do you do, Tyler?
TYLER
What do you want me to do?
JACK
I mean -- for a living.
TYLER
Why? So you can say, "Oh, that's
what you do." -- And be a smug little
shit about it?
Jack laughs. Tyler reaches under the seat in front of him
and lifts a BRIEFCASE.
TYLER
You have a kind of sick desperation
in your laugh.
Jack points to his own briefcase.
JACK
We have the same briefcase.
Tyler turns the top of his briefcase toward Jack.
TYLER
Open it.
Jack looks at Tyler, then pops the latches and raises the
lid to reveal quaintly-wrapped bars of SOAP.
TYLER
Soap -- the yardstick of civilization.
(reaches in his pocket)
I make and sell soap...
Tyler hands Jack his card. "THE PAPER STREET SOAP COMPANY."
TYLER
If you were to add nitric acid to the
soap-making process, one would get
nitroglycerin. With enough soap, one
could blow up the world, if one were
so inclined.
Tyler SNAPS the briefcase shut. Jack stares.
JACK
Tyler, you are by far the most
interesting "single-serving" friend
I've ever met.
Tyler stares back. Jack, enjoying his own chance to be
witty, leans closer to Tyler.
JACK
You see, when you travel, everything
is small, self-contained--
TYLER
The spork. I get it. You're very
clever.
JACK
Thank you.
TYLER
How's that working out for you?
JACK
What?
TYLER
Being clever.
JACK
(thrown)
Well, uh... great.
TYLER
Keep it up, then. Keep it right up.
Tyler stands, looks towards the aisle.
TYLER
... As I squeeze past, do I give you
the ass or the crotch?
Tyler moves to the aisle, his ass toward jack, walks away...
TYLER
We are defined by the choices we make.
Tyler goes to the curtain dividing First Class, slaps the
curtain aside and sits in an empty seat. Jack watches.
JACK (V.O.)
How I came to live with Tyler is:
airlines have this policy about
vibrating luggage.
INT. BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA - NIGHT
Utterly empty of baggage. No people except for Jack and a
SECURITY TASK FORCE MAN. The Security TFM, smirking, holds
a receiver to his ear from an official phone on the wall.
SECURITY TFM
(to Jack)
Throwers don't worry about ticking.
Modern bombs don't tick.
JACK
Excuse me? "Throwers?"
SECURITY TFM
Baggage handlers. But when a
suitcase vibrates, the throwers have
to call the police.
JACK
My suitcase was vibrating?
SECURITY TFM
Nine time out of ten, it's an
electric razor. But, every once in
a while ...
(whispers)
...it's a dildo. It's airline policy
not to imply ownership in the event
of a dildo. We use the indefinite
aricle: "A dildo." Never "Your
dildo."
Jack sees, through the window, Tyler, at the curb, throwing
his briefcase into the back of a shiny, red CONVERTIBLE.
Tyler leaps over the door into the driver's seat and PEELS
OUT. jack turns away, looks at the Security TFM.
In the background, a HARRIED MAN dashes after Tyler and the
convertible, SCREAMING.
JACK
(to Security TFM)
I had everything in that bag. My
C.K. shirts... my D.K.N.Y. shoes...
SECURITY TFM
(into phone)
Yeah, uh huh... yeah?
(pause, still on phone)
Oh...
EXT. EMPTY RUNWAY
A lone SUITCASE sits on the concrete. SECURITY PERSONNEL
keep their distance. KABOOM! The suitcase explodes.
INT. BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA - RESUMING
The Security TFM, shakes his head, hangs up.
SECURITY TFM
I'm terribly sorry.
The Security TFM hands Jack a claim form. Jack snatches it,
disgusted, takes out a pen, starts filling out the form.
SECURITY TFM
You know the industry slang for
"Flight Attendant?" "Air Mattress."
INT. TAXI - MOVING - NIGHT
Along a residential street. Jack looks ahead, sees a tall,
grey, bland BUILDING on the corner.
JACK (V.O.)
Home was a condo on the fifteenth
floor of a filing cabinet for widows
and young professionals. The walls
were solid concrete. A foot of
concrete is important when your next-
door neighbor lets her hearing aid go
and has to watch game shows at full
volume...
The taxi turns a corner and Jack sees the front of the
building. A diffuse CLOUD of SMOKE wafts away from a BLOWN-
OUT SECTION of the fifteenth floor. FIRETRUCKS, POLICE CARS
and a MOB are all crowded around the lobby area.
JACK (V.O.)
-- Or when a volcanic blast of debris
that used to be your furniture and
personal effects blows out your floor-
to-ceiling windows and sails flaming
into the night.
EXT. STREET IN FRONT OF BUILDING
Jack, gaping at the sight above him, absently gives the
Cabbie money. The taxi pulls away. Jack starts toward the
building. He pushes through the fray of people, into the...
INT. LOBBY
The DOORMAN sees Jack enter, gives a sad smile, shakes his
head. Jack starts for the elevator.
DOORMAN
There's nothing up there.
Jack presses the button. The Doorman moves next to him.
DOORMAN
You can't go into the unit. Police
orders.
The elevator doors open. Jack hesitates. The doors close.
Jack heads out the lobby doors. The Doorman follows...
EXT. CONDO BUILDING - CONTINUOUS
Jack walks past SMOKING, CHARRED DEBRIS -- a flash of ORANGE
from the Yang table, a CLOCK FACE from the hall clock, part
of an arm from the GREEN ARMCHAIR. His feet CRUNCH glass.
JACK (V.O.)
How embarrassing.
DOORMAN
Do you have somebody you can call?
Jack comes to his REFRIGERATOR lying on its side. He
reaches down and takes a note: "MARLA --" and a phone
number, from under a BANANA MAGNET.
CLOSE SHOT - JACK'S STOVE
Hissing.
JACK (V.O.)
The police would later tell me that
the pilot light might have gone
out... letting out just a little bit
of gas.
EXT. PAYPHONE - RESUMING
Jack gets to a PAYPHONE. The Doorman follows, watching him.
DOORMAN
Lots of young people try to impress
the world and buy too many things.
Jack picks up the receiver, puts in a quarter. He looks at
Marla's number a long moment.
CLOSE SHOT - JACK'S ENTIRE CONDO - KITCHEN AND LIVING ROOM
The SOUND of the HISS...
JACK (V.O.)
The gas could have slowly filled the
condo. Seventeen-hundred square feet
with high ceilings, for days and days.
EXT. PAYPHONE - RESUMING
Jack replaces the receiver. He pockets Marla's number, digs
out a small FILOFAX. He flips through the pages for phone
numbers and addresses. Most of the pages are blank.
DOORMAN
Many young people feel trapped and
desperate.
INSERT - CLOSE ON THE BASE OF JACK'S REFRIGERATOR
JACK (V.O.)
Then, the refrigerator's compressor
could have clicked on...
Click. KABOOM! SCREEN GOES WHITE.
EXT. PAYPHONE - RESUMING
Jack looks at the Doorman. Tyler's BUSINESS CARD falls from
the Filofax. Jack catches it.
DOORMAN
If you don't know what you want, you
end up with a lot you don't.
The Doorman walks away. Jack stares at Tyler's card.
JACK (V.O.)
If you asked me now, I couldn't tell
you why I called him.
Jack re-deposits the quarter, dials Tyler's number. It
RINGS... and RINGS and RINGS. Jack sighs and hangs up the
phone. A moment, then the phone RINGS.
JACK
Hello?
TYLER'S VOICE
Who's this?
JACK
Tyler?
TYLER'S VOICE
Who's this?
JACK
Uh... I'm sorry. We met on the
plane. We had the same briefcase.
I'm... you know, the clever guy.
TYLER'S VOICE
Oh, yeah.
JACK
I just called a second ago. There
was no answer. I'm at a payphone.
TYLER'S VOICE
I star-sixty-nined you. I never pick
up my phone. What's up?
JACK
Well... let me see... here's the
thing...
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN - NIGHT
A small building in the middle of a concrete parking lot.
INT. LOU'S TAVERN - SAME
Jack and Tyler sit in the back, with a pitcher of BEER.
JACK
You buy furniture. You tell
yourself: this is the last sofa I'll
ever need. No matter what else
happens, I've got the sofa issue
handled. Then, the right set of
dishes. The right dinette.
TYLER
This is how we fill up our lives.
Tyler lights a cigarette.
JACK
I guess so.
TYLER
And, now it's gone.
JACK
All gone.
Tyler offers cigarettes. Jack declines.
TYLER
Could be worse. A woman could cut
off your penis while you're asleep
and toss it out the window of a
moving car.
JACK
There's always that.
TYLER
I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe
it's a terrible tragedy.
JACK
...no ...no ...
TYLER
I mean, you did lose a lot of nice,
neat little shit. The trendy paper
lamps, the Euro-trash shelving unit,
am I right?
Jack laughs, nods. He shakes his head, drinks.
TYLER
But maybe, just maybe, you've been
delivered.
JACK
(toasts)
Delivered from Swedish furniture.
TYLER
Delivered from armchairs in obscure
green stripe patterns.
JACK
Delivered from Martha Stewart.
TYLER
Delivered from bullshit colors like
"Cobalt," "Ebony," and "Fuchsia."
They laugh together. Then, silence. They drink.
JACK
Insurance'll cover it.
TYLER
Oh, yeah, you gotta start making the
list.
JACK
What list?
TYLER
The "now I get to go out and buy the
exact same stuff all over again"
list. That list.
JACK
I don't... think so.
TYLER
This time maybe get a widescreen TV.
You'll be occupied for weeks.
JACK
Well, I have to file a claim...
TYLER
The things you own, they end up
owning you.
JACK
Don't I?
TYLER
Do what you like.
JACK
(looks at watch)
God, it's late. I should find a
hotel...
TYLER
A hotel?
JACK
Yeah.
TYLER
So, you called me up, because you
just wanted to have a drink before
you... go find a hotel?
JACK
I don't follow...
TYLER
We're on our third pitcher of beer.
Just ask me.
JACK
Huh?
TYLER
You called me so you could have a
place to stay.
JACK
No, I...
TYLER
Why don't you cut the shit and ask if
you can stay at my place?
JACK
Would that be a problem?
TYLER
Is it a problem for you to ask?
JACK
Can I stay at your place?
TYLER
Yes, you can.
JACK
Thank you.
TYLER
You're welcome. But, I want you to
do me one favor.
JACK
What's that?
TYLER
I want you to hit me as hard as you
can.
JACK
What?
TYLER
I want you to hit me as hard as you
can.
Freeze picture.
JACK (V.O.)
Let me tell you a little bit about
Tyler Durden.
EXTREME CLOSE-UP - FILM FRAME
-- And we see it's PORNOGRAPHY.
INT. PROJECTIONIST ROOM - THEATRE - NIGHT
Jack, in the foreground, FACES CAMERA. In the BACKGROUND,
Tyler sits at a bench, looking at individual FRAMES cut from
movies. Near him, a PROJECTOR rolls film.
JACK
Tyler was a night person. He
sometimes worked as a projectionist.
A movie doesn't come in one big reel,
it's on a few. In old theaters, two
projectors are used, so someone has
to change projectors at the exact
second when one reel ends and
another reel begins. Sometimes you
can see two dots on screen in the
upper right hand corner...
Tyler points to the side of OUR FRAME and the TWO DOTS
briefly APPEAR ONSCREEN.
TYLER
They're called "cigarette burns."
JACK
It's called a "changeover." The
movie goes on, and nobody in the
audience has any idea.
TYLER
Why would anyone want this shitty job?
JACK
It affords him other interesting
opportunities.
TYLER
-- Like splicing single frames from
adult movies into family films.
JACK
In reel three, right after the
courageous dog and the snooty cag --
who have celebrity voices -- eat out
of a garbage can, there's the flash
of Tyler's contribution...
In the AUDIENCE, CHILDREN suddenly start squirming,
confused, looking at each other.
A WOMAN abruptly stops sucking her soda straw, feeling
vaguely terrible. Her uncomfortable HUSBAND slowly leans
back in his seat.
Jack and Tyler watch from the projection booth window.
TYLER
One-forty-eighth of a second. That's
how long it's up there.
JACK
No one really knows that they've seen it.
But they did.
TYLER
A nice, big cock.
JACK
Only a hummingbird could have caught
Tyler at work.
INT. LARGE BANQUET HALL - NIGHT
Tyler moves around one of many tables, setting down SOUP
BOWLS. Jack stands in the same position, FACING CAMERA.
JACK
Tyler also worked as a banquet waiter
at the luxurious Pressman Hotel.
The GUESTS command the WAITERS with snaps of fingers.
INT. SERVICE ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Jack turns and WE PAN to Tyler, standing by a CART with a
giant SOUP TUREEN. His hands are at his open fly and he's
in position to piss into the soup.
JACK
He was the guerrilla terrorist of the
food service industry.
TYLER
Don't watch. I can't if you watch.
Jack waits. The SOUND of a STREAM of LIQUID is HEARD.
TYLER
... Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
JACK
He farted on meringue; he sneezed on
braised endive; and, with creme of
mushroom soup, well...
TYLER (O.S.)
Go ahead. Say it.
JACK
You get the idea.
EXT. PARKING LOT OF TAVERN - RESUMING
Tyler and Jack come out the back door.
JACK
I don't know about this.
TYLER
I don't know, either. I want to find
out. I've never been hit, have you?
JACK
No. That's a good thing, isn't it?
TYLER
I don't want to die without any
scars. How much can you really know
about yourself if you've never been
in a fight? Come on... you're the
only person I've ever asked.
JACK
Me?
Jack stares at him.
TYLER
Why not you? I'm letting you go
first. Do it.
JACK
This is crazy.
TYLER
Alright, go crazy. Let 'er rip.
JACK
Where do you want it? In the face?
TYLER
Surprise me.
Jack swings a wide, clumsy roundhouse -- hits Tyler's
neck -- makes a dull, flat sound.
JACK
Shit. Sorry. That didn't count.
TYLER
Like hell. That counted.
Tyler shoots out a straight punch to Jack's chest. Jack
falls back against a car. His eyes tear up.
TYLER
How do you feel?
JACK
Strange.
TYLER
But a good strange.
JACK
Is it?
TYLER
We've crossed the threshold. You
want to call it off?
JACK
Call what off?
TYLER
The fight.
JACK
What fight?
TYLER
This fight, pussy.
Jack swings another roundhouse that slams right under
Tyler's ear. Tyler punches Jack in the stomach. Tyler and
Jack move clumsily, throwing punches. They breathe heavier,
drooling saliva and blood, growing dizzier from every impact.
EXT. CURBSIDE - LATER
Jack and Tyler sit on the curb, watching sparse headlights
on the nearby freeway. Their eyes are glazed with endorphin-
induced serenity. They look at each other, laugh. Look away.
TYLER
If you could fight anyone... one on
one, whoever you wanted, who would
you fight?
JACK
Anyone?
TYLER
Anyone.
Jack thinks.
JACK
My boss, probably.
(pause)
Who would you fight?
TYLER
My dad. No question.
A long pause as Jack studies Tyler's face.
JACK
Oh, yeah.
(nodding)
I didn't know my dad. Well, I knew
him, till I was six. He went and
married another woman, had more kids.
Every six years or so he'd do it
again -- new city, new family.
TYLER
He was setting up franchises. My
father never went to college, so it
was really important that I go.
JACK
I know that.
TYLER
After I graduated, I called him long
distance and asked, "Now what?" He
said, "Get a job." When I turned
twenty-five, I called him and asked,
"Now what?" He said, "I don't know.
Get married."
JACK
Same here.
TYLER
A generation of men raised by women.
I'm wondering if another woman is the
answer we really need.
Another pause. Jack feels his bleeding lip, smiles.
JACK
We should do this again sometime.
Tyler cracks a smile, give a sidelong glance to Jack.
EXT. PAPER STREET - NIGHT
A street sign: "PAPER STREET." A PAPER MILL stis on one
side, facing a lone HOUSE on the other. The rest of the
land is grass and weeds. It's a grand, old three-story,
long abandoned. Tyler leads Jack toward it.
JACK
Where's your car?
TYLER
What car?
JACK (V.O.)
I don't know how Tyler found the
house, but he'd been there for half
a year.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - ENTRANCE -- NIGHT
Tyler leads Jack through the FRONT DOOR...
JACK (V.O.)
It looked like it was waiting to be
torn down. Most of the windows were
boarded up.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MOMENT LATER
Tyler and Jack climb CREAKY STAIRS to the 2ND FLOOR LANDING.
JACK (V.O.)
None of the doors locked. The stairs
were ready to collapse. I didn't
know if he owned it or he was
squatting.
Tyler opens the door to a ROOM...
INT. ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Jack enters, stis on the creaky BED. Dust drifts upwards.
JACK (V.O.)
Neither would have surprised me.
INT. SHOWER - MORNING
Jack turns on the water. LOUD VIBRATIONS from the walls.
Water spits in starts.
JACK (V.O.)
Nothing worked. The rusty plumbing
leaked. Turning on a light meant
another light in the house went out.
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN PARKING LOT - NIGHT
All the tavern's lights are off. Tyler and Jack FIGHT.
FIVE GUYS stand around watching.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - KITCHEN - MORNING
Jack, his face showing NEW BRUISES AND CUTS, makes coffee
with a wire-mesh strainer. Tyler shuffles in, wearing a
flannel bathrobe. He spears pieces of bread on a fork,
starts roasting them over a burner.
JACK (V.O.)
There were no neighbors. Just
warehouses and the paper mill. The
fart smell of steam, the hamster cage
smell of wood chips.
EXT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - NIGHT
Jack sits watching as Tyler SWINGS an old GOLF CLUB --
THWACK -- sends a golf ball soaring down the desolate street.
JACK (V.O.)
At night, Tyler and I were alone for
half a mile in every direction.
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN PARKING LOT - NIGHT
All the lights are off. TEN GUYS YELL, standing around Jack
and Tyler, who FIGHT. THREE CARS are parked in the lot.
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
Jack sits on basement stairs, watching as Tyler, knee-deep
in water, works at an open FUSEBOX, flipping breakers in a
certain order, showing Jack how it's done.
JACK (V.O.)
When it rained, we had to kill the
power. By the end of the first
month, I didn't care about TV. I
didn't mind the warm, stale
refrigerator.
INT. READING ROOM - NIGHT
CANDLES BURN. Tyler and Jack are seated across from each
other on the buckled floor, reading MAGAZINES. Rain DRIPS
from the ceiling. No furniture. THOUSANDS of MAGAZINES.
JACK (V.O.)
The previous occupant had been a bit
of a shut-in.
TYLER
(of magazine)
Hum.
JACK
What?
TYLER
Oh, a new riot control grenade...
(reading)
"...the successful combination of
concussive, 3000 foot-candle flash-
blasts and simultaneous high-velocity
disbursement of...blah, blah, blah..."
Tyler begins RIPPING the ARTICLE from his magazine.
JACK
("Reader's Digest")
"I am Joe's Lungs." It's written in
first person. "Without me, Joe could
not take in oxygen to feed his red
blood cells." There's a whole
series -- "I am Joe's Prostate."
TYLER
"I get cancer, and I kill Joe."
Tyler tosses his article in a pile of other articles,
chooses another magazine.
JACK
What are you reading?
TYLER
Soldier of Fortune. Business Week.
New Republic.
JACK
Show-off.
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN PARKING LOT - NIGHT
All the lights are off. Jack and Tyler stand amidst FIFTEEN
GUYS around TWO GUYS FIGHTING. The crowd YELLS MORE WILDLY
than before. In the background are EIGHT PARKED CARS.
JACK (V.O.)
I should have been haggling with my
insurance company. I should have
been looking for a new condo...
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Jack walks along. He stops, looking at a CHURCH with
SUPPORT-GROUP-PEOPLE milling around the entrance, drinking
coffee and sodas. Marla's there, amongst them, smoking.
JACK (V.O.)
.... I should have been upset about
my nice, neat, flaming little shit.
Jack's face shows no reaction. He continues to walk.
JACK (V.O.)
But I wasn't.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
Jack, in work clothes, interlocks his fingers and POPS his
knuckles, picks up a saucepan with coffee and sips. Tyler,
in waiter's uniform, comes to have Jack straighten his tie.
JACK (V.O.)
Most of the week, we were Ozzie and
Harriet.
Jack picks up his briefcase and walks out the door.
JACK (V.O.)
But, Wednesday night, ever Wednesday
night...
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN PARKING LOT - NIGHT
All the lights are off. No one around, but there are at
least TWENTY-FIVE CARS parked in the full lot.
JACK (V.O.)
... we were finding something out: we
were finding out, more and more, that
we were not alone.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
A SLIDE SHOW progresses, run by a chipper salesman, WALTER.
Jack sits, deadpan, with a PUFFY LIP and a BRUISED cheek.
JACK (V.O.)
Thursday mornings, all I could do was
think about next week.
Boss gives Jack a dubious look. Walter's next SLIDE: a
COMPUTER SCREEN.
WALTER
The basic premise of cyber-netting
your office is -- make things more
efficient.
BOSS
Can I get the icon in cornflower blue?
WALTER
Absolutely.
Walter continues, his sales pitch drowned out by Jack's V.O.:
JACK (V.O.)
Walter, the Microsoft account exec.
Walter, with his smooth, soft hands.
Maybe he was thinking about the free-
range potluck he'd been to last
weekend, or his church-group car-wash
fund-raiser. Or, probably not.
Walter moves to Jack and slaps him in the shoulder.
WALTER
I showed this already to my man here.
You liked it, didn't you?
Jack smiles. His teeth are RED with BLOOD. They GLOW
eerily in the dim light.
JACK (V.O.)
You can swallow a pint of blood
before you get sick.
WALTER
Jesus, I'd hate to see what happened
to the other guy.
Jack keeps the smile frozen on his face.
JACK (V.O.)
Screw Walter. His candy-ass wouldn't
last a second Wednesday night.
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN - NIGHT
Out of silent darkness, HEADLIGHTS appear from all
directions. CARS PULL UP and park in the already-packed
lot. YOUNG MEN get out and march into the tavern...
INT. LOU'S TAVERN - SAME
The men, including Jack and Tyler, enter and stand against
the back wall, waiting. The bartender, IRVINE, calls out:
IRVINE
Drink up people. We're closing.
Irvine flicks on the LIGHTS. Drunken customers squint and
get the message. They plop down money, leaving.
JACK (V.O.)
It was right in everyone's face.
Tyler and I just made it visible.
Irvine hits a button and the JUKEBOX loses power. Members
of the waiting army begins to share secret looks. Finally,
one buy locks the door. Two other guys close the blinds.
JACK (V.O.)
It was on the tip of everyone's
tongue. Tyler and I just gave it a
name.
INT. TAVERN BASEMENT - SAME
A BOMB-SHELTER. Concrete walls. One BARE BULB above, Tyler
standing directly beneath it.
TYLER
Welcome to fight club.
The guys mill around, finding partners. Everyone brims with
eagerness, but tries to act cool. CHATTER gets LOUDER.
Everyone spreads out, forming a circle, Tyler at center.
JACK (V.O.)
Every week, Tyler gave the rules that
he and I decided.
PEAKING CHATTER, till Tyler raises his arms and the CHATTER
DIES. A couple of COUGHS, FEET SHUFFLING, then, SILENCE.
TYLER
The first rule of fight club is --
you don't talk about fight club. The
second rule of fight club is -- you
don't talk about fight club. The
third rule of fight club is -- when
someone says "stop" or goes limp, the
fight is over. Fourth rule is --
only two guys to a fight. Fifth
rule -- one fight at a time. Sixth
rule -- no shirts, no shoes. Seventh
rule -- fights go on as long as they
have to. And the eighth and final
rule -- if this is your first night
at fight club, you have to fight.
Tyler steps back. A short guy, RICKY, and a GOATEED MAN
take off shirts and shoes and step to the center.
JACK (V.O.)
This kid, Ricky -- supply clerk --
couldn't remember whether you ordered
pens with blue ink or black ink ...
The two fighters circle, then begin throwing PUNCHES...
JACK (V.O.)
But Ricky was a god for ten minutes
last week when he trounced an actuary
twice his size.
Harder, faster PUNCHES between the two. SWEAT flies.
SHOUTS become DEAFENING. Ricky's getting the best of
Goateed Man, POUNDING him...
JACK (V.O.)
Sometimes all you could hear were
flat, hard packing sounds over the
yelling, or the wet choke when
someone caught their breath and
sprayed...
GOATEED MAN
(spittle-lipped)
Ssssstop... !
INT. OFFICE PARK RESTAURANT - DAY
Jack, eating lunch, watches the BROKEN-NOSED WAITER with a
GOATEE -- from the above fight -- converse with a MAITRE D'.
JACK (V.O.)
Even if I could tell someone they had
a good fight, I wouldn't be talking
to the same man.
The Goateed Waiter approaches Jack and sets a refill soda
down on the table. The two of them briefly make eye contact.
JACK (V.O.)
Who you were in fight club is not who
you were in the rest of the world.
INT. PHOTOCOPY ROOM - DAY
Jack stands over a copy machine, hit by flashes of light.
He glances over his shoulder, watches Ricky, wearing an
apron, push a supply cart. Ricks nods at Jack.
JACK (V.O.)
You weren't alive anywhere like you
were there. But fight club only
exists in the hours between when
fight club starts and when fight club
ends.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack, playing SOLITAIRE on his computer, daubs blood from
his mouth with a handkerchief. Boss, passing by the
doorway, looks in at Jack, irritated.
BOSS
What are you getting yourself into
every week?
Jack keeps playing Solitaire. Boss enters, folds his arms.
JACK (V.O.)
After fight club, everything else in
your life gets the volume turned
down. You can deal with anything.
BOSS
Have you finished those reports?
JACK
(handing him reports)
Yes.
JACK (V.O.)
The people who had power over you
have less and less.
Jack looks at Boss. Reflexively, Jack's tongue plays with
his teeth.
JACK (V.O.)
By this point, I could wiggle most of
the teeth in my jaw.
EXT. STREET - DUSK
Tyler and Jack walk, both smoking cigarettes.
JACK (V.O.)
A guy came to fight club for the
first time, his ass was a wad of
cookie dough. After a few weeks, he
was carved out of wood.
JACK
If you could fight any celebrity?
TYLER
Alive or dead?
JACK
Doesn't matter.
TYLER
Hemingway. You?
JACK
Shatner. William Shatner.
They reach a BUS STOP as a BUS arrives, tossing their
cigarettes, getting on board...
INT. BUS - DUSK
The bus is crowded. As Tyler and Jack walk toward the back,
Jack studies the faces of OTHER PASSENGERS...
JACK (V.O.)
We all started seeing things
differently. Wherever we went.
They hold hand grips. Jack looks up at an ADVERTISEMENT; a
CALVIN KLEIN ad featuring a tan, bare-chested MUSCLE STUD.
JACK (V.O.)
I felt sorry for all the guys packing
into gyms, trying to look like what
Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger said
they should.
Tyler looks at Jack, looks at the C.K. advertisement.
TYLER
Self-improvement is masturbation.
Self-destruction is the answer.
A MAN in a suit KNOCKS Tyler's shoulder as he passes. The
Man takes a handle, close by. Jack's pissed, staring at the
man, who stares back.
JACK
(to Tyler, so the
Man can hear)
You could take him.
Tyler looks to Jack, glances over his shoulder at the Man.
Tyler casually picks a small scab off Jack's nostril.
TYLER
The trick is not to care.
Tyler stares forward.
INT. TAVERN BASEMENT - NIGHT
Tyler HITS the floor, stomach first. HIS OPPONENT lands on
top of him, grappling, trying for a CHOKE HOLD. The
surrounding CROWD, Jack included, SCREAMS at them...
Tyler and the Opponent wrestle desperately, and Tyler flips
his attacker, gets on top, sprawling to pin him. Tyler
turns -- starts reining PUNCHES into the Opponent's GROIN...
CUT TO:
Jack lands a couple of BLOWS to HIS OPPONENT'S stomach --
brings up a left uppercut that smashes the Opponent's jaw.
Tiny spatters of BLOOD adorn the walls, along with sweat.
Jack catches sight of a swollen-faced Tyler, watching
appreciatively, a smile growing slowly on his face.
JACK (V.O.)
Fight club wasn't about winning or
losing. It wasn't about words.
The Opponent recovers, throws a headlock on Jack. Jack
snakes his arm into a counter headlock. They wrestle like
wild animals. The crowd CHEERS maniacally.
JACK (V.O.)
They hysterical shouting was in
tongues, like at a Pentecostal church.
Onlookers kneel to stay with the fight, cheering LOUDER.
The Opponent SMASHES Jack's head to the floor, over and over.
JACK
... stop...
JACK (V.O.)
When the fight was over, nothing was
solved, but nothing mattered.
Everyone moves in as the Opponent steps away. Tyler pushes
through the crowd. Others lift Jack up. They turn their
attention to the floor, to a BLOOD MASK of Jack's face --
similar to the TEAR MASK on BOB'S SHIRT.
TYLER
Cool.
Jack limply shakes his Opponent's hand.
OPPONENT
How about next week?
JACK
Look at me. How about next month?
Everyone helps Jack walk. He's sweating, bleeding, smiling.
JACK (V.O.)
Afterwards, we all felt saved.
INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT
A NURSE tends to Jack while Tyler watches.
TYLER
He fell down some stairs.
The Nurse doesn't look at Tyler, just keeps tending to Jack.
JACK
I fell down some stairs.
JACK (V.O.)
Sometimes Tyler spoke for me.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - BATHROOM - MORNING
Tyler and Jack share the cracked MIRROR. Tyler's clipping
at his hair with blunt, ill-suited SCISSORS. Jack's
brushing his teeth, spitting out pink foam.
JACK (V.O.)
Fight club became the reason to cut
your hair short and trim your
fingernails.
TYLER
Any historical figure.
JACK
Okay... Ghandi.
TYLER
Good answer.
JACK
You?
TYLER
Abe Lincoln. Big reach. Skinny guys
fight till they're burger.
Jack reaches in his mouth, exploring, pulls -- yanks a
TOOTH. Jack looks at it. Tyler puts scissors down, done.
TYLER
Remember, even the Mona Lisa's
falling apart.
Jack drops the tooth in the sink with Tyler's hair.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON
Jack enters, buttoning his shirt. The PHONE RINGS.
JACK
Hello?
INTERCUT WITH...
INT. MARLA'S BUILDING, HALLWAY - SAME
Marla's in the HALL, on the PAYPHONE, twisting the phone
cord around her neck.
MARLA
Where have you been the last few
weeks?
JACK
Marla?
Jack looks through the archway and sees Tyler, in his gummy
flannel bathrobe, doing sit-ups. Jack leans, cups the phone.
JACK
(quietly)
How did you find me?
MARLA
The forwarding number. I haven't
seen you at any support groups.
JACK
That's the idea -- we split them.
MARLA
You haven't been going to yours.
JACK
I found a new one.
MARLA
Really?
JACK
It's for men.
MARLA
Like testicular cancer?
JACK
Look, this is a bad time...
MARLA
I've been going to debtor's
anonymous. You want to see some
truly fucked up people?
JACK
I'm just on my way out...
MARLA
Me too. I got a stomach full of
Xanax. I took what was left of a
bottle. Might've been too much.
Jack looks exasperated, turns TO LOOK INTO THE CAMERA.
JACK (V.O.)
Picture yourself watching Marla
Singer throw herself around her
crummy apartment.
MARLA
This isn't a for-real suicide thing.
This is probably one of those cry-for-
help things.
JACK (V.O.)
This could go on for hours.
JACK
So you're staying in tonight?
MARLA
Do you want to wait to hear me
describe death?
Jack puts the handset on top of the phone, still off the
hook, walks out the back door.
MARLA'S VOICE
Do you want to listen and see if my
spirit can use the telephone?
Thru the archway: Tyler leans to look in, curious.
INT. BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT
GRUNTS of PLEASURE and EXERTION. Glimpses of TORSOS, ASSES,
LEGS, ARMS, BREASTS, and FEMALE HAIR, all DRENCHED in SWEAT.
Sheets RIP. Bodies hit the FLOOR. Insane GRUNTING and
LAUGHING. A flash of MARLA'S FACE.
CUT TO:
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - SUNRISE
Jack sits up in bed, looks around the room.
INT. 2ND FLOOR LANDING
Jack steps out of his room. The neighboring door is closed.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler's door was closed. I'd been
living here two months, and Tyler's
door was never closed.
INT. BATHROOM - SAME
Jack stares into the TOILER, looking at SIX USED CONDOMS.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
Jack sits at the table, sips coffee, read Reader's Digest.
He hears FOOTSTEPS approaching.
JACK
You're not going to believe what I
dreamt last night.
Marla walks in, straightening her dress, looks like she's
been raped by a hurricane. Jack's jaw drops.
MARLA
I can hardly believe anything about
last night.
Marla goes to pour coffee. She takes a swig, GARGLES and
SPITS it in the sink. She gives Jack a lascivious smile.
JACK
What are you doing here?
MARLA
What... ?
JACK
What the hell are you doing here?
Marla stares at him a beat, then drops the cup in the sink.
MARLA
Fuck you.
Marla shoves open the door to the backyard and walks out.
Jack gets up, watches her stomp away.
Jack turns and -- Tyler is at his shoulder, staring after
Marla. He's in his usual sweatpants. He grins at Jack,
then moves away, pours himself coffee. Jack, smoldering,
slumps at the table and picks up Reader's Digest. Tyler
puts his foot on a countertop, does stretching exercises.
TYLER
She's a piece of work. Get this --
I come in here last night, the
phone's off the hook...
Jack pretends to read, quickly glances at Tyler. TYLER'S
VOICE FADES...
JACK (V.O.)
I already knew the story before he
told it to me.
INT. KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON (FLASHBACK)
Tyler enters, gently lifts the handset and listens.
MARLA'S VOICE
(from handset)
I'll tell you when I'm floating out
of my body.
Tyler smiles.
JACK (V.O.)
How could Tyler, off all people, think
it was a bad thing that Marla Singer
was about to die?
INT. MARLA'S - 8TH FLOOR LANDING - LATE AFTERNOON (FLASHBACK)
Tyler, a wry smile on his face, ambles up the stiars,
looking at the rotting walls. He reaches the top of the
stairs and heads for Marla's room. Before he can knock,
Marla's hand shoots out and grabs him...
INT. MARLA'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS (FLASHBACK)
Marla pulls Tyler inside and shuts the door. Her drugged
eyes look him over.
MARLA
You got here fast.
She staggers and sits on the bed. She slides off, along
with the blanket and sheets, to the floor.
MARLA
The mattresses are all sealed in
slippery plastic.
She tries to focus her eyes on Tyler.
MARLA
Did I call you?
Tyler studies her with cynical curiosity, looks at a DILDO
lying atop a dresser. Marla follows his gaze.
MARLA
Don't worry. It's not a threat to you.
SIRENS and vehicles SCREECHING outside can be HEARD; doors
opening and SLAMMING; running FOOTFALLS.
MARLA
Oh, no! Somebody called the cops...
She gets to her feet, grabs Tyler, pulls him out the door.
INT. HALLWAY (FLASHBACK)
Marla LOCKS her door, then pulls Tyler toward the STAIRCASE.
COPS and PARAMEDICS charge up with oxygen and medical kits.
Marla and Tyler flatten against the wall to let them pass.
COP
8-G! Where's 8-G?
MARLA
(pointing)
End of the hall.
The rescuers keep running.
MARLA
(calling after)
The girl who lives there used to be
a charming, lovely girl, but she's
lost faith in herself...
COP
Miss Singer, let us help you! You
have every reason to live!
Marla yanks Tyler's arm, heading down the stairs.
MARLA
She's a monster! Infectious human
waste! Good luck trying to save her!
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Tyler makes coffee. Marla slouches against the refrigerator.
MARLA
If I fall asleep, I'm done for.
You're gonna have to keep me up all
night.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING (RESUMING)
Tyler chuckles, shakes his head.
TYLER
Unbelievable, huh?
JACK (V.O.)
He was obviously able to handle it.
Tyler stands across from Jack, gets a cigarette from a pack.
TYLER
I mean, this girl... uh, you're not
into her or anything... ?
JACK
No. Not at all.
JACK (V.O.)
I am Jack's Raging Bile Duct.
Tyler lights his cigarette.
TYLER
You're sure?
JACK
Yeah, I'm sure.
TYLER
Good. This chick was up on the table
with her legs in the stirrups before
the doctor even walked in the room.
The things that she said... I've
never heard a woman talk like that...
INT. TYLER'S ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Tyler smokes, post-coital. Marla puts her lips to his ear.
MARLA
(whispering)
I want to have your abortion.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING (RESUMING)
Tyler laughs, shakes his head. Jack's gripping his Reader's
Digest just a little too tight.
JACK (V.O.)
How could Tyler not go for that?
Night before last, he was splicing
sex organs into "Little Mermaid."
Tyler sits, studies Jack's face.
TYLER
You're okay with this?
JACK
I'm fine.
JACK (V.O.)
Put a gun to my head and paint the
wall with my brains.
Tyler smokes.
TYLER
She is a wild, twisted bitch. Stay
away from that one.
JACK
Oh, and my pace is more librarians.
TYLER
Hey... don't knock librarians.
JACK
Marla doesn't need a lover. She
needs a case worker.
TYLER
She needs an exorcist. This isn't
love. This is sport-fucking.
JACK (V.O.)
She'd invaded my support groups, now
she's invading my home.
TYLER
Listen... do me a favor... sit here
a minute...
Tyler pulls out a closer chair, motions to it. Jack puts
down his Reader's Digest and moves to that chair.
JACK
What?
TYLER
You've gotta understand something
about me. I have a little rule,
okay? Don't ever talk to her about
me. Ever. I can't stand that kind
of shit.
Tyler fixes Jack with a friendly, but firm stare.
TYLER
If you ever say anything about me or
about what happens here in this
house, to her or anyone -- I will
find out. And you'll never see me
again. Promise me.
JACK
Okay.
TYLER
Promise you won't.
JACK
Yes, I promise.
TYLER
Promise?
JACK
I said I promise!
TYLER
That was three times you promised.
Tyler smiles, gets up and leaves. Jack sits smoldering.
JACK (V.O.)
If only I had wasted a couple of
minutes and gone to watch Marla die,
none of this would have happened.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Jack watches TV at HIGH VOLUME. SOUNDS of SEX from upstairs.
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Jack lies calmly on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Sounds
of THUMPS and CRASHES from beyond the wall.
MARLA'S VOICE
(muffled through wall)
Miserable fucking discharge!
JACK (V.O.)
I could've moved to another room, one
on the third floor -- so I wouldn't
have heard them. But I didn't.
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
SOUNDS of RAIN. Jack flips FUSES off, then walks upstairs.
INT. 2ND FLOOR LANDING - SAME
Jack walks, HEARS Marla SCREAM in orgasm. He reaches the
landing. Tyler's door is ajar. Jack peeks in...
Marla's legs are sprawled on the bed. The door PUSHES OPEN
WIDER -- Tyler, naked, stands CLOSE TO CAMERA.
TYLER
What are you doing?
Jack steps back.
JACK
I... uh... just going to bed.
Tyler scratches his head, wears a RUBBER GLOVE.
TYLER
You want to finish her off?
JACK
Uh... nah...
Jack continues toward his room.
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Jack brushes his teeth.
JACK (V.O.)
I became the calm, little center of
the world. I was the Zen master.
CLOSE UP - COMPUTER MONITOR
Haiku is BEING TYPED in a trendy, italicized font.
"Worker bees can leave
Even drones can fly away
The queen is their slave"
JACK (V.O.)
I wrote little haiku poems.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack's clothes are PERMANENTLY STAINED with BLOOD. He sits
in Zen pose, cigarette in mouth, finishes typing Haiku.
JACK (V.O.)
I faxed them around to everyone.
He hits "SEND," gets the "ERROR CHIME" SOUND. He presses
this key over and over. Boss enters.
BOSS
Is that your blood?
JACK
Some of it, yes.
Boss stares at Jack like he's from Mars.
BOSS
Take the rest of the day off. Come
back tomorrow with clean clothes.
Get yourself together.
INT. HALLWAY - SAME
Jack's leaving, looks like a war casualty, passing COWORKERS
who coldly stare at him. His face is totally passive.
JACK (V.O.)
I got right in everyone's hostile
little face. Yes, these are bruises
from fighting. I'm comfortable with
them. I am enlightened.
EXT. PAPER STREET - SUNSET
Jack walks toward the HOUSE.
JACK (V.O.)
You give up the condo life, give up
all your flaming worldly possessions,
go live in a dilapidated house in the
toxic waste part of town...
INT. TYLER'S KITCHEN - SUNSET
Jack walks in. SOUNDS of VIOLENT SEX and a POLAROID CAMERA
from upstairs. Pieces of PLASTER fall from the ceiling.
JACK (V.O.)
... and you come home to this.
TYLER'S VOICE
(laughing)
You fucking slut!!
MARLA'S VOICE
Thank you, sir, may I have another!
Thank you sir, may I have another... !
Jack rolls his eyes, takes off his pants. He runs water in
the sink, finds a tiny bit of SOAP and scrubs at the blood
stains. The PHONE RINGS. He answers it.
JACK
Yeah. Speaking.
INTERCUT WITH...
INT. POLICE STATION - OFFICE
A cop, DETECTIVE STERN, refers to a file.
DETECTIVE STERN
This is Detective Stern with the
arson unit. We have some new
information about the "incident" at
your condo.
JACK
Yes?
DETECTIVE STERN
I don't know if you're aware... your
front door -- it seems someone
sprayed freon into the lock, then
tapped it with a chisel to shatter
the cylinder.
JACK
No, I wasn't aware...
JACK (V.O.)
I am Jack's Cold Sweat.
DETECTIVE STERN
Does this sound strange to you?
JACK
Yes, sire, strange. Very strange.
Jack starts to sweat, scrubs his pants obsessively.
DETECTIVE STERN
The dynamite...
JACK
Dynamite?
DETECTIVE STERN
Yes. It left a residue of ammonium
oxalate and potassium perchloride.
Do you know what that means?
JACK
What does that mean?
DETECTIVE STERN
It means it was homemade.
JACK
This is... really a shock...
DETECTIVE STERN
Whoever set this homemade dynamite
could've blown out the pilot light
days before the explosion. The gas,
it seems, was just a detonator.
JACK
Who do you think could've done this?
DETECTIVE STERN
I'll ask the questions, son.
TYLER
(whispering in Jack's ear)
Tell him...
Jack almost leaps out his skin, startled; looks to see Tyler
standing right next to him.
JACK
Huh?
TYLER
(overlap w/below)
"The liberator who destroyed my
property has re-aligned my paradigm
of perception."
JACK
Shhhhhh!
(into phone,
overlap w/above)
I don't know what to make of this,
sir, I really don't...
DETECTIVE STERN
Do you know anyone who'd have the
expertise or motive to do something
like this?
TYLER
"I reject the basic assumptions of
civilization, including material
possession."
Jack pushes Tyler away, cups the receiving.
JACK
(into phone)
No. No, sir. I loved that condo.
I loved every stick of furniture.
The lamps, the chairs, the rugs, were
me. The dishes were me. The plants
were...
JACK (V.O.)
I'd like to thank the academy...
DETECTIVE STERN
Well, if any ideas come to you, give
me a call. In the meantime, don't
leave town. I may need to bring you
in for questioning.
END INTERCUT
Jack hangs up. Tyler shrugs.
TYLER
Could be worse. You could be cursed
with the three terrible Karmas. You
could be beautiful, rich and famous.
Jack turns away, continues to scrub his pants. Marla's
FOOTSTEPS can be HEARD coming downstairs...
Jack really grinds the soap against the pants, splashing
water. He turns, sees Marla enter. Tyler is GONE. Marla
lights a cigarette.
JACK (V.O.)
Except for their humping, Tyler and
Marla were never in the same room.
MARLA
I got this dress at a thrift store
for one dollar.
JACK
(keeps scrubbing)
Worth every penny.
JACK (V.O.)
My parents pulled this exact act for
years -- one came in, the other
disappeared.
Marla begins a slow, exotic dance, moving very close to
Jack. She lifts her dress dangerously high, dancing close
to Jack's body, almost touhcing.
MARLA
(seductive)
It's a bridesmaid's dress. Someone
loved it intensely for one day, then
tossed it. Like a Christmas tree --
so special, then, bam -- it's
abandoned on the side of the road,
tinsel still clinging to it...
Jack becomes very aware of having no pants on, presses
against the counter. Marla pulls her hemline further up.
MARLA
Like sex crime victims, underwear
inside-out, bound with electrical
tape.
JACK
(coldly)
It suits you.
She leans in very close to Jack's ear, whispers hoarsely:
MARLA
You can borrow it sometime.
Jack takes a step away, keeps scrubbing. Marla blows smoke
in his face. Jack takes her cigarette and throws it in the
sink. Marla backs away, fed up, storms out, going UPSTAIRS.
TYLER (O.S.)
Get rid of her.
Jack turns to see Tyler in the doorway.
JACK
You get rid of her.
TYLER
(pointing at Jack)
Don't mention me.
Marla's FOOTSTEPS are coming DOWNSTAIRS. Jack looks to the
archway, then back at -- Tyler's GONE. Marla enters, shoes
and balled up clothing under one arm, looking for something
on the junk strewn table.
JACK (V.O.)
I'm six years old again, passing
messages between my parents.
JACK
I, uh... think you should go now.
Marla ignores, still searching the table, tossing things,
pushing other things off to the floor.
JACK
It's time for you to leave.
MARLA
Don't worry, I'm leaving.
Marla finds what she wanted, a pack of cigarettes. She
moves up into Jack's face.
MARLA
You're such a nutcase, I can't even
begin to keep up.
JACK
Goodbye.
She laughs, spins on her heels. As she exits the back door,
she sings "This Merry-Go-Round" from "Valley of the Dolls."
Jack watches her through the kitchen window.
TYLER (O.S.)
Nice work.
Jack turns. Tyler's right behind him. Through the window,
Marla can be seen walking away. Tyler picks up the remnant
of SOAP Jack's been using, holds it up to Jack.
TYLER
To make soap, first we have to render
fat.
Jack looks at Tyler.
CLOSE UP - SIGN: "DANGER - BIOHAZARD."
EXT. FENCED-IN BIOHAZARD WASTE DUMP SITE - NIGHT
Tyler stands inside the fence. Jack's atop the fence,
struggling to cross BARBED WIRE. He wobbles, gets over,
snags his shirt. Jack falls, RIPPPPP. Tyler helps.
FOOTSTEPS. A FLASHLIGHT BEAM. Tyler pulls Jack behind a
DUMPSTER, one of DOZENS. A silhouette of a SECURITY GUARD
moves along the perimeter, flashlight first. He walks away.
MOVE BACK to Tyler and Jack, who emerge from hiding. Tyler
eagerly grabs the lid of the closest dumpster.
TYLER
The best fat for making soap --
because the salt balance is just
right -- comes form human bodies...
Tyler lifts the lid -- it CREAKS.
JACK
What is this place?
TYLER
A liposuction clinic.
From the dumpster, Tyler pulls out an industrial-sized,
thick plastic bag full of PINK GOO.
TYLER
Paydirt. From society's richest
asses and thighs.
TIME CUT: Tyler and Jack climb back over the fence, carrying
BAGS of fat. One of Jack's bags RIPS, spilling the goo down
the chain-link fench. Jack slips and slides. Tyler laughs.
Tyler tries to scoop the running fat back into the bag.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Jack and Tyler each stir a boiling pot.
TYLER
As the fat renders, the tallow floats
to the surface. Remember the crap
they taught you in Boy Scouts.
JACK
Hard to imagine you in Boy Scouts.
TYLER
This clear layer in glycerin. We'll
mix it back in when we make the soap.
Tyler sticks a spoon into a pot, lifts up a scoop of the
glycerin layer. Then, he crabs a can, opens it.
TYLER
Lye -- the crucial ingredient.
(adding lye to mix)
Ancient peoples found their clothes
got cleaner if they washed them at a
certain spot in the river. Why?
Because, human sacrifices were once
made on the hills above this river.
Year after year, bodies burnt. Rain
feel. Water seeped through the wood
ashes to become lye. The lye
combined with the melted fat of the
bodies, till a thick white soapy
discharge crept into the river.
Tyler licks his lips until they're gleaming wet. He takes
Jack's hands and KISSES the back of it.
TYLER
The first soap was made from the
ashes of heroes. Like the first
monkeys shot into space.
The saliva shines in the shape of the kiss. Tyler pours a
bit of the flaked lye onto Jack's hand.
TYLER
Without sacrifice, without death, we
would have nothing.
Jack's whole body JERKS. Tyler holds tight to Jack's hand
and arm. Tears well in Jack's eyes; his face tightens.
TYLER
This is a chemical burn. It will
hurt more than you've ever been
burned and you will have a scar.
Jack looks -- the burn is swollen, glossy, in the shape of
Tyler's kiss. Jack's face spasms.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler's kiss was a bonfire on the
back of my hand.
TYLER
Look at your hand.
JACK (V.O.)
Guided meditation worked for cancer,
it could work for this.
SHOT OF A GREEN MAPLE LEAF, GLISTENING WITH DEW. RESUME:
Tyler looks at Jack's glazed and detached eyes.
TYLER
Come back to the pain. Don't shut
this out.
Jack, snapping back, tries to jerk his hand away. Tyler
keeps hold of it and their arms KNOCK UTENSILS off the table.
JACK (V.O.)
I tried not to think of the words
"searing" or "flesh." I imagined my
pain as a ball of healing white light.
SHOT OF A FOREST, IN GENTLE SPRING RAINFALL. RESUME:
Tyler JERKS Jack's hand, getting Jack's attention...
TYLER
Stop it. This is your pain -- your
burning hand. It's right here. Look
at it.
JACK (V.O.)
I was going to my cave to find my
power animal.
SHOT OF THE INSIDE OF JACK'S FROZEN ICE CAVE. RESUME:
Tyler JERKS Jack's hand again. Jack re-focuses on Tyler...
TYLER
Don't deal with this the way those
dead people do. Deal with it the way
a living person does.
SHOT OF INSIDE THE ICE CAVE - ON MARLA, LYING NAKED UNDER A
FUR COAT, TURNING HER HEAD TO LOOK TOWARDS US. RESUME:
Jack tries to pull his hand free. Tyler won't let go.
Jack's eyes glaze over again. Jack speaks, whiny from pain:
JACK
I... I think I understand. I think
I get it...
TYLER
No, what you're feeling is premature
enlightenment.
SHOT OF A GREEN FOREST WITHOUT RAIN. RESUME:
Tyler SLAPS Jack's face, regaining his attention...
TYLER
This is the greatest moment of your
life and you're off somewhere,
missing it.
JACK
No, I'm not...
SHOT OF TREES ENGULFED BY A FOREST FIRE. RESUME:
TYLER
Shut up. Our fathers were our models
for God. And, if our fathers bailed,
what does that tell us about God?
JACK
I don't know...
SHOT OF EMBERS POURING FROM THE HELLISH FOREST FIRE. RESUME:
Tyler SLAPS Jack's face again...
TYLER
Listen to me. You have to consider
the possibility that God doesn't like
you, he never wanted you. In all
probability, He hates you. This is
not the worst thing that can happen...
JACK
It isn't... ?
TYLER
We don't need him...
JACK
We don't... ?
SHOT OF INSIDE ICE CAVE - NAKED MARLA PULLS JACK DOWN ON TOP
OF HER - JACK KISSES HER - CIGARETTE SMOKE COMES FROM HER
MOUTH - JACK COUGHS. RESUME:
Jack is a wide-eyed zombie...
JACK
... Marla ... ?
TYLER
Fuck damnation. Fuck redemption. We
are God's unwanted children, with no
special place and no special
attention, and so be it.
Jack looks at Tyler -- they lock eyes. Jack does his best
to stifle his spasms of pain, his body a quivering, coiled
knot. He bolts toward the sink, but Tyler holds on.
TYLER
You can go to the sink and run water
over your hand. Look at me. Or you
can use vinegar to neutralize the
burn, but first you have to give up.
First, you have to know that someday,
you are going to die. Until you know
that, you will be useless.
Jack spasms with a shiver of pain...
JACK
You ... you don't know what this
feels like, Tyler.
Tyler shows Jack a LYE-BURNED KISS SCAR on his own hand.
Tears begin to drip from Jack's eyes. Tyler grabs a bottle
of VINEGAR -- pours it over Jack's wound.
Jack closes his eyes, holds his hand... slumps to the floor.
TYLER
Congratulations. You're a step
closer to hitting bottom.
INT. BARNEY'S - DAY
Jack and Tyler, in trench coats, looking like deaht-warmed-
over, wait as a BUYER fills out forms.
There are bars of "The Paper Street Soap Company" soap on
the counter. Jack looks like he's half-expecting to get
arrested. His hand is BANDAGED.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler sold the soap to department
stores at twenty bucks a Ear. God
knows what they charged. How ironic.
We were selling rich women their own
fat asses back to them.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack sits at his desk, playing a game on his computer,
smoking a cigarette. Boss enters.
JACK (V.O.)
He was wearing a yellow tie. It must
be Thursday. I didn't even wear a tie
to work anymore.
Boss slaps a piece of PAPER down on Jack's desk.
BOSS
"The first rule of fight club is you
don't talk about fight club."
Jack snuffs his cigarette in an ashtray, stares up stoically.
JACK (V.O.)
I must've left the original in the
copy machine.
BOSS
"The second rule of fight club...
Is this yours?
JACK
Hmm?
BOSS
You don't get paid to abuse the copy
machine.
JACK
"Abuse" the copy machine. There's an
image.
BOSS
Pretend you're me. You find this.
What would you do?
Jack rises slowly, walks to his door, shuts it.
JACK
Me? I'd be very careful who I talked
to about this. It sounds like
someone dangerous wrote it... someone
who might snap at any moment,
stalking from office to office with
an Armalite AR-10 Carbine-gas
semiautomatic, bitterly pumping round
after round into colleagues and co-
workers.
Jack moves very close to Boss, picks up the PAPER and starts
tearing it into pieces.
JACK
Might be someone you've known for
years... somebody very close to you.
Or, maybe you shouldn't be bringing
me every little piece of trash you
pick up.
Jack puts the PAPER in his trash. Bass stares with a tinge
of outrage, a tinge of fear. PHONE RINGS. Jack answers it.
JACK
Compliance and Liability.
MARLA'S VOICE
My tit's going to rot off.
JACK
Just a second.
(to Boss; smiles)
Could you excuse me? I need to take
this call.
Boss goes to the door, stares at Jack a beat, then leaves.
JACK
(into phone)
What are you talking about?
INTERCUT WITH - CLOSE UP OF MARLA...
MARLA
Would you do something for me? I
need you to check and see if there's
a lump in my breast. I can't afford
to throw money away on a doctor.
JACK
I don't know ...
MARLA
Please.
JACK (V.O.)
She didn't call Tyler. I'm neutral
in her book.
EXT. MARLA'S HOTEL - SUNSET
Jack walks down the sidewalk, seeing Marla take two BOXES
from a VAN with the sign "MEALS ON WHEELS."
INT. MARLA'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Marla leads Jack inside.
JACK
This is a sweet side of you. Picking
these up for ...
(reads the boxes:)
"Mrs. Haniver" and... "Mrs. Raines."
Where are they?
MARLA
Tragically, they're dead. I'm alive
and I'm in poverty. You want any?
JACK
No, thanks.
MARLA
Good.
He stares at her while she eats.
MARLA
What happened to your hand?
Jack awkwardly puts his bandaged hand behind his back.
JACK
Nothing.
INT. MARLA'S ROOM - NIGHT
Marla stands facing a MIRROR with her shirt open. Jack
stands behind her with his hand on the bottom side of her
breast. Marla's hand guides his.
JACK
Where? Here?
MARLA
Here.
JACK
There?
MARLA
Here.
JACK
Here.
MARLA
Feel anything?
JACK
No.
Jack's head is behind Marla's. They speak softer, slower.
MARLA
Make sure.
JACK
Okay. Okay, I'm sure.
MARLA
You feel nothing?
JACK
Nothing.
Marla turns around and faces him, begins to button her shirt.
MARLA
Well, that's a relief. Thank you.
JACK
No... no problem.
MARLA
I wish I could return the favor.
Jack touches his own chest, shakes his head.
JACK
I think everything's okay here.
MARLA
I could check your prostate.
JACK
Uh ... nah.
MARLA
(pause)
Well... thanks, anyway.
Marla leans to kiss him -- lingers for a bit longer than
just friendly. Jack pulls away.
JACK
So.... are we done?
Marla sighs.
MARLA
Yeah, we're done. See you around.
EXT. HOTEL - MOMENTS LATER
Jack emerges from the lobby. He looks up at Marla's window,
watches her silhouette. He walks away, right into -- Big
BOB, the moose, eating a donut and drinking orange juice.
BOB
Cornelius! How are you?
JACK
Bob. I'm okay. How are you?
BOB
Better than I've ever been in my life.
JACK
Really? Great. Still "Remaining Men
Together?"
An intense look of born-again fervor comes over Bob's face.
BOB
No. I found something new.
JACK
Really, what's that?
BOB
(quietly)
The first rule is... you aren't
supposed to talk about it...
JACK
Oh.
BOB
And the second rule about it is...
you're not supposed to talk about it.
And the third rule...
JACK
Bob, Bob... I'm a member.
BOB
You are?!
JACK
Look at my face.
Bob roughly slaps Jack's shoulder.
BOB
That's a fucking great, man! Fucking
great! Congratulations.
JACK
Yeah, both of us.
BOB
You know about the guy who invented
it? I hear all kinds of things.
Supposedly, he was born in a mental
institution. They say he only sleeps
one hour a night. You know about
this guy? Tyler Durden?
INT. BASEMENT - ELECTRONICS WKREHOUSE - NIGHT
The CROWD SCREAMS insanely as Bob and Jack go at it in the
circle of light. Bob's eyes are wild with glee.
EXT. BASEMENT DOOR - ELECTRONICS WAREHOUSE - LATER
Everyone sneaks out of this new location - we've seen none
of these guys before - it's a new chapter. Jack and Bob
Stagger out last, Jack being in worse shape. They both grin
with religious serenity. Bob hugs Jack.
BOB
Thank you. Thank you.
Bob relaxes the hug and Jack drops to the ground like a
sack, completely enervated from the beating he took.
JACK
You're welcome.
JACK (V.O.)
Fight club -- this was mine and
Tyler's gift... our gift to the world.
INT. KITCHEN -- MORNING
Jack has his briefcase on the table, looks at PAPERWORK.
Tyler wanders in, carries a dirty pot to the sink. Jack
takes out a cigarette, lights up. He offers the pack...
TYLER
No thanks, I quit.
JACK
You quit?
TYLER
Yeah. Where you headed?
JACK
Work. Going to work.
Tyler scratches his chin absently.
JACK
What... ?
TYLER
Nothing. Do what you like.
Tyler walks out the way he came.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack sits staring at his SCREEN SAVER.
INT. BOSS'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack steps into the open doorway, knocks on the doorframe.
Boss looks up from his large, expensive desk.
JACK
We need to talk.
BOSS
Okay. Where to begin? With your
constant absenteeism? With your
unpresentable appearance? You're up
for review...
JACK
I Am Jack's Complete Lack of Surprise.
Boss sits up in his seat, becoming enraged.
JACK
Let's pretend. You're the Department
of Transportation, and you discover
that our company intentionally did
nothing about leather seats cured in
third world countries with chemicals
we know cause birth defects? Brake
linings that fail after a thousand
miles. Fuel injectors that burn
people alive.
BOSS
Just who the fuck do you think you
are?! Get out! You're fired!
JACK
What about this? Keep me on payroll
as an outside consultant. In
exchange for my salary, I'll keep my
mouth shut. I won't need to come to
the office. I can do this job from
home.
Boss stands, moves around his desk, glaring with rage.
BOSS
You little fucker! I oughta...
Jack PUNCHES HIMSELF in the nose. Blood starts to trickle.
He punches himself in the jaw, throws himself back as if by
the force of the punch, SLAMS against a framed picture and
SHATTERS the glass. He falls to the floor.
JACK (V.O.)
I Am Jack's Smirking Revenge.
Jack gets back to his feet.
JACK
Please... don't hit me again, please.
I'm your responsibility...
He PUNCHES himself in the stomach, then in the jaw again.
He reels backwards, pulls down a hanging shelf, its contents
flying. He hits the floor.
JACK (V.O.)
For some reason, I thought of my
first fight -- with Tyler.
Jack crawls toward Boss, dripping blood, grabs Boss's leg.
JACK
Please... give me the paychecks like
I asked for. I won't be any trouble.
You won't see me again.
Jack climbs up Boss's leg while Boss tries to shake him off.
Boss stumbles back into his desk, knocking off belongings.
JACK (V.O.)
Under and behind and inside
everything this man took for granted,
something horrible had been growing.
Jack crawls high enough to grab Boss's belt, hoisting
himself up. He dribbles blood an Boss's clothing, SMUDGES
blood from his face onto the knuckles of Boss's hand.
JACK
Please... please...
JACK (V.O.)
And right then, at our most excellent
moment together...
Two SECURITY GUARDS enter and gape at the sight. Behind
them stand CURIOUS WORKERS, looking in.
JACK
(gurgling blood)
Please don't hit me again.
INT. TYLER'S HOUSE - ENTRANCE FOYER - DAY
Jack holds a CHECK in front of Tyler's face.
JACK
Six months advance pay. Six months!
TYLER
Fucking sweet.
JACK
Okay, and... and...
Jack digs in his pocket, takes out a thick bundle of CARDS.
JACK
Forty-eight airline flight coupons.
Plus... hold on... just a minute...
Jack holds up a finger, going to open the front door. He
drags an unwieldy SHOPPING CART in behind him; filled with
his COMPUTER, PHONE, FAX and other office equipment.
JACK
I am now officially self-employed.
Jack looks at the cart, then back at Tyler, proud.
TYLER
Good for you.
INT. LOU'S TAVERN - BASEMENT - NIGHT
LOUD. An enormous CROWD of guys, including Jack and Bob,
stands around Tyler, who's in the center of the circle,
holding up his hands to quiet them...
TYLER
I look around... I look around and
see a lot of new faces.
An enthusiastic RUMBLE from the crowd.
TYLER
Shut up! Which means a lot of you
have been breaking the first two
rules of fight club.
A glum silence falls. Guys look at each other.
TYLER
I see in fight club the strongest and
smartest men who have ever lived --
an entire generation pumping gas and
waiting tables; or they're slaves
with white collars.
(more)
TYLER (cont)
Advertisements have them chasing cars
and clothes, working jobs they hate
so they can buy shit they don't need.
We are the middle children of
history, with no purpose or place.
We have no great war, or great
depression. The great war is a
spiritual war. The great depression
is our lives. We were raised by
television to believe that we'd be
millionaires and movie gods and rock
stars -- but we won't. And we're
learning that fact. And we're very,
very pissed-off.
The crowd erupts into a DEAFENING CHORUS of agreement. Jack
looks at the blazing excitement in the eyes of the crowd.
TYLER
We are the quiet young men who listen
until it's time to decide.
A fat, MIDDLE-AGED MAN stomps down the stairs, pushing into
the crowd, followed by a TALL, HEFTY THUG who holds a GUM.
TYLER
Who are you?
FAT MAN (LOU)
Who am I?! There's a sign on the
front that says "Lou's Tavern." I'm
fucking Lou. Who the fuck are you?!
TYLER
Tyler Durden.
Tyler extends his hand for a shake, but Lou SLAPS it away.
LOU
Who told you motherfuckers you could
use my place?
TYLER
We have a deal worked out with Irvine.
LOU
Irvine? Irvine's at home with a
broken collarbone.
Everyone glances guiltily at each other.
LOU
He don't own this place, I do. How
much money's he getting for this?
TYLER
There is no money.
LOU
Really?
TYLER
It's free to all.
LOU
Ain't that something?
TYLER
Yes, it is.
LOU
Look, stupid fuck, I want everyone
outta here now!
TYLER
You're welcome to join our club.
LOU
Did you hear what I just said?!
TYLER
You and your friend.
Lou SLUGS Tyler in the stomach, doubles him over.
LOU
You hear me now?
Tyler gains his breath, determined. He looks up, turns his
head, looking to Jack. Jack watches, wide-eyed.
Tyler straightens, facing Lou.
TYLER
No, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.
Lou PUNCHES Tyler in the face. Some of the guys move
forward, but the Thug points his gun. Jack-runs forward
anyway -- Lou PUNCHES him in the face.
More guys move forward, but Tyler waves them off, facing Lou.
TYLER
We really need to use this place.
Lou proceeds to beat the shit out of Tyler, PUNCHING his
face, his stomach. Tyler collapses to the floor. Lou
starts KICKING his. Tyler bleeds from the mouth and face.
TYLER
That's it.... that's good. Get it
all out. You'll feel better.
Lou flushes red with exasperation, KICKS more. Finally,
sweating, bewildered, Lou stops. He looks to the Thug, who
is just as bewildered.
Suddenly, Tyler SPRINGS UP, grabs onto Lou...
TYLER
Yes, I am shit and crazy, to you and
this whole fucking world...
Tyler's blood spatters on Lou. Lou tries to shake Tyler
off, but Tyler BITES Lou's NECKTIE. The Thug grabs Tyler
and pulls, the necktie tightening and strangling Lou. Lou
slaps at Tyler's face, but recoils from the blood. Tyler
spits and shouts through clenched teeth...
TYLER
You don't know where I've been.
Tyler bear hugs Lou, pulls him to the floor. Tyler rubs his
bloody face into Lou's face. The Thug lifts Tyler. Tyler
clings to Lou's belt, dragging Lou as he is dragged...
TYLER
We need this place. We need it.
Please let us keep it, please...
Blood dribbles out of Tyler's mouth, spattering Lou.
LOU
What are you doing?!
TYLER
Pleeeeeease!
LOU
Okay! Okay, fuck it! Use the
basement! Get off me!
TYLER
We need some towels, Lou. We need
replacement light bulbs.
LOU
Alright, Christ! Fucking let me go!
TYLER
Thank you. Thank you, sir...
LOU
Let go of me!!
Tyler lets go of Lou's belt. Lou scrambles away. The Thug
drops Tyler, trying to keep clear of the blood. Lou gets to
his feet, looks at Tyler, then at the rest of the guys. He
and the Thug back away... slamming the door behind.
Fight club surrounds Tyler. They help him up, move him to
a crate. Tyler sits slumped for a long moment, his
breathing labored... then, he sits back, crossing his legs
and looking to the group, his demeanor businesslike.
TYLER
This week, each of you has a homework
assignment. You're going to go out
and start a fight with a total
stranger...
(pause, drooling blood)
You're going to start a fight... and
you're going to lose.
Jack beams in appreciation.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Ricky trips a passing YUPPIE. The Yuppie falls.
JACK (V.O.)
Not as easy as it sounds. People'll
do just about anything to avoid a
fight.
The Yuppies gets up, angry, and Ricky PUNCHES him...
YUPPIE
Hey! Wha... What the hell... what
are you doing?! Who are you?!!
The Yuppie backs away. Ricky follows...
YUPPIE
Get away from me! Keep away!
NO... !
Ricky TACKLES the Yuppie. The Yuppie struggles spastically.
YUPPIE
Who are you!? Why are you attacking
me... ?!
Having no recourse, the Yuppie begins trading blows.
EXT. AUTO SHOP - DAY
A MECHANIC WITH A BATTERED FACE uses a hose to wash the
sidewalk. As MEN pass, he jerks the hose up and SPRAYS them.
FIRST MAN
Hey... hey...
SECOND MAN
Watch out, jackass!
These men continue on their way.
The Mechanic sprays a third man, a SEMINARY STUDENT, who
looks down, stunned.
SEMINARIAN
You... you did that on purpose!
The Mechanic DOUSES the Seminarian. The Seminarian grabs
the hose, wrestling the Mechanic for it. The Mechanic
shoves the Seminarian, who responds with a half-assed PUNCH.
The Mechanic purposely takes it. The Seminarian starts to
run away. The Mechanic sprints after him, PUNCHING the
Seminarian in the back of the neck. They fight.
INT. RECORD STORE STOCKROOM - NIGHT
A FIST smashes a JAW. Guys CHEER. An arm snakes around a
neck and squeezes, blood and sweat dripping. It's the
YUPPIE and the SEMINARIAN fighting. Tyler walks around the
perimeter of the circle.
JACK (V.O.)
Now nobody was the center of fight
club except the two men fighting.
The leader walked around in the
crowd, out in the darkness.
Tyler hands ENVELOPES out to the crowd.
JACK (V.O.)
Everyone took a homework assignment.
EXT. STREET - LATE NIGHT
Ricky and another FIGHT CLUBBER paste up a BILLBOARD which
reads: "DID YOU KNOW? YOU CAN USE YOUR OLD MOTOR OIL TO
FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN! -- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY."
INT. PAPER STREET HOUSE
HANDS use a MARKER, writing on a FILE: "Disinformation."
EXT. LARGE PARKING LOT - DAY
Jack and Tyler, in work gloves, armed with TOOLS, work
together to lift the entire METAL PLATE of EXIT SPIKES from
the ground. They reverse it, then replace it.
MOMENTS LATER
Jack and Tyler walk away, each carrying a 4x4 plank of WOOD.
JACK
There's fight club in Delaware City.
TYLER
I heard. Local 15, Monday nights.
As they pass PARKED CARS, they SWING the planks against
front bumpers -- activating ALARMS and INFLATING AIR BAGS...
JACK
Local 8 just started in Penns Grove.
And, Bob said he was at fight club in
Newcastle last week.
TYLER
Newcastle? Did you start that one?
JACK
I thought you did.
In the background, a CAR quickly EXITS the parking lot --
front tires EXPLODING, wheel rims throwing sparks.
INT. FAMILY HOUSEHOLD -- NIGHT
FATHER, MOTHER, YOUNG DAUGHTER and SON, eat dinner, watching
TELEVISION. Suddenly, the TV IMAGE turns to SNOW and static.
Family members stop eating. Father picks up the REMOTE,
points it -- all channels are SNOW.
Father turns the TV OFF. He and his family members look at
each other, utensils in hand, uncomfortable.
EXT. CITY ROOFTOPS - NIGHT
The Yuppie SWINGS a BASEBALL BAT -- DESTROYS a digital
SATELLITE DISH. The Yuppie and the Seminarian move on,
climbing to a neighboring rooftop. They come upon another
DISH. The Seminarian takes the bat, takes a SWING...
INT. PAPER STREET HOUSE
HANDS place NEWS CLIPPINGS into a FILE: "Mischief."
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - ON GROUND - DAY
Two AIRPLANE MAINTENANCE,MEN, with bruised faces, rip open
a box from a PRINT SHOP. They dig up AIRPLANE SAFETY
INSTRUCTION CARDS and begin inserting them into each
seatback. We SEE a CARD - it shows passengers SCREAMING
and FLAILING ABOUT IN TERROR.
INT. BUSINESS OFFICE - NIGHT
Huge office. Rows and rows of desks. FIGHT CLUB MEMBERS
work: one guy moving from COMPUTER MONITOR to COMPUTER
MONITOR, using a DRILL to drill a hole into the top of each.
Other guys follow behind, with FUNNELS and CANS of GASOLINE,
filling each monitor with gasoline.
INT. PAPER STREET HOUSE
Files and newspaper clippings are piled up. HANDS write on
a new FILE FOLDER: "Arson."
EXT. ROOFTOP -- DAY
The Yuppie crumbles a loaf of stale bread into a bucket,
stirring it with a big spoon, mixing in a BOTTLE of EX-LAX.
Nearby, Rob throws handfuls of wet BREADCRUMBS to PIGEONS...
HUNDREDS of PIGEONS -- a rooftop feeding-frenzy.
EXT. CONVENIENCE STORE - NIGHT
Tyler and Jack cross the parking lot, towards the
convenience store. Jack wears a BACKPACK.
TYLER
Let me have that a minute...
Tyler takes the BACKPACK, unzips it, searching the contents.
JACK
What are we doing?
TYLER
Homework assignment.
JACK
What is it?
Tyler takes out a HANDGUN, hands the backpack back.
TYLER
Human Sacrifice.
Jack turns white, staring at the gun.
EXT. BEHIND THE CONVENIENCE STORE - MOMENTS LATER
The BACK DOOR opens and Tyler brings the store's CLERK out
at gunpoint, forces him to his knees. Jack follows,
freaked. Tyler points the gun at the Clerk.
JACK (V.O.)
On a long enough time line, the
survival rate for everyone drops to
zero.
CLERK
Please... don't...
TYLER
Give me your wallet.
The Clerk fumbles his wallet out of his pocket and Tyler
snatches it. Tyler pulls out the DRIVER'S LICENCE.
TYLER
Raymond K. Hessel. 1320 SE Benning,
apartment A. A small, cramped
basement apartment.
RAYMOND
How'd you know?
TYLER
They give basement apartments letters
instead of numbers. Raymond, you're
going to die.
Tyler rummages through the wallet.
TYLER
Is this a picture of Mom and Dad?
RAYMOND
Yesssss...
TYLER
Your mom and dad will have to call
kindly doctor so-and-so to dig up
your dental records, because there
won't be much left of your face.
RAYMOND
Please, God, no...
Raymond begins to weep, shoulders heaving.
JACK
Tyler...
TYLER
An expired community college student
ID card. What did you used to study,
Raymond K. Hessel?
RAYMOND
S-S-Stuff.
TYLER
"Stuff." Were the mid-terms hard?
Tyler rams the gun barrel against Raymond's temple.
TYLER
I asked you what you studied.
JACK
Tell him!
RAYMOND
Biology, mostly.
TYLER
Why?
RAYMOND
I... I don't know...
TYLER
What did you want to be, Raymond K.
Hessel?
Raymond weeps and says nothing. Tyler COCKS the gun.
Raymond GASPS.
TYLER
The question, Raymond, was "what did
you want to be?"
A beat.
JACK
Answer him!
RAYMOND
A veterinarian!
TYLER
Animals.
RAYMOND
Yeah ... animals and s-s-s ---
TYLER
Stuff. That means you have to get
more schooling.
RAYMOND
Too much school.
Tyler shoves Raymond's wallet back into Raymond's pocket.
TYLER
Would you rather be dead?
RAYMOND
No, please, no, God, no!
Tyler moves the gun right between Raymond's eyes.
RAYMOND
NOOOOO!
Tyler UNCOCKS the gun, lowers it.
TYLER
I'm keeping your license. I know
where you live. I'm going to check
on you. If you aren't back in school
and on your way to being a
veterinarian in six weeks, you will
be dead. Get the hell out of here.
Raymond staggers to his feet, heads down an alleyway. Jack
and Tyler watch Raymond flee, then Tyler looks at Jack.
JACK
I feel sick.
TYLER
Imagine how he feels.
Tyler brings the gun to his own head, pulls the trigger --
CLICK. Empty.
JACK
I don't care, that was horrible.
Tyler walks away.
TYLER
Tomorrow will be the most beautiful
day of Raymond K. Hessell's life.
Jack watches Tyler go.
TYLER
His breakfast will taste better than
any meal he has ever eaten.
Jack turns to look the direction Raymond ran. He finally
turns back, following after Tyler.
INT. BUSINESS OFFICE - NIGHT
SLOW MOTION: in the deserted office, gasoline filled
COMPUTER MONITORS begin to EXPLODE...BOOM...BOOM...BOOM... !
EXT. CITY STREETS -- MORNING
Luxury AUTOMOBILES are parked, splattered with BIRD SHIT.
EXT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - BACKYARD - DAWN
VIEWED OUT 3RD STORY WINDOW: Tyler uses a RAKE, dragging it
across rocks and dirt. He stops a moment, rake on his
shoulder, staring off. Then, back to work...
TYLER
(muttering quietly)
... You are not how much money you
have in the bank. You are not the
shoes you wear.
Tyler's marking a large SQUARE in the weeds and rubble of
the backyard, kicking rocks away, dragging the rake...
TYLER
You are not the contents of your
wallet...
INT. CITY BUS - NIGHT
The DRIVER has a broken nose. The bus is empty, except for
Jack, in the very last seat, sleepy.
JACK (V.O.)
He had a plan. Maybe you just didn't
see it till it hit you between the
eyes.
(pause)
But, it started to make sense... in
a Tyler sort of way. No fear. No
distractions. The ability to let
that which does not matter truly
slide.
EXT. PAPER STREET - NIGHT
Jack gets off the bus. As the bus pulls away, we see it
dropped Jack off right in front of the house.
INT. KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER
Jack enters. Tyler, dressed in FATIGUES and splattered with
PAINT, grabs BEERS from the refrigerator.
JACK
Hey.
TYLER
Hey.
Jack notices ROPE and RAPPELLING TOOLS on the table. Tyler
comes to hand Jack a bunch of beers, nod to the living room.
TYLER
Go on in. We're celebrating.
INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Jack, bewildered, enters carrying beers. Tyler does NOT
follow. BOB, RICKY and several other fight club guys sit in
front at the TV, chanting not too loudly, all also dressed
in FATIGUES and splattered with PAINT.
RICKY
You are not your job.
OTHERS TOGETHER
You are not your job.
RICKY
You are not how much money you have
in the bank.
BOB
Shhhh, wait... they're back to it...
Bob goes to turn up the TV. One guy, sixteen years old with
an angelic face, ANGEL FACE, gets up to take beer from Jack.
ANGEL FACE
(to Jack)
Great, thanks.
Angel face starts distributing beer amongst his cohorts.
BOB
Shhhhh! Watch!
Jack looks to the TV -- it shows a LIVE shot of the "PARKER
MORRIS BUILDING." The building has a GIANT, GRINNING FACE
PAINTED on it -- two BROKEN WINDOWS for EYES, with flames
pouring out... FIRETRUCKS spray water.
REPORTER (V.O.)
Police Commissioner Jacobs has just
arrived... just a second... excuse
me, Commissioner, could you tell us
what you think has happened?
COMMISSIONER JACOBS, a wrinkled official, turns to camera.
COMMISSIONER JACOBS (V.O.)
We believe this is related to the
recent acts of vandalism around the
city. It's some kind of organized
group, and we are coordinating a
rigorous investigation.
Jack turns, sees Tyler in the archway, watching him. Tyler
tips his beer to toast, pulls back, out of sight.
JACK
What did you guys do?
They all BURST INTO LAUGHTER. They look at Jack and shake
their heads. Jack doesn't get it. Suddenly, the guys'
faces turn to stone. Bob sits rigid.
BOB
The first rule of Project Mayhem
is... you do not ask questions.
Jack stares at them.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - NIGHT
A luxurious BANQUET. Commissioner Jacobs guzzles champagne.
He rises and starts out of the room. Jack, in a WAITER'S
UNIFORM, looks apprehensively to OTHER WAITERS: BOB...
RICKY... ANGEL FACE -- who all give each other a look.
INT. HALLWAY
Jacobs saunters down an empty hall. He stops to check his
tie in a mirror. He pushes open the door of the MEN'S
BATHROOM -- face to face with TYLER.
INT. BATHROOM
Tyler GRABS Commissioner Jacobs, pulling him into the
bathroom. He slaps a piece of tape over Jacobs' mouth. The
OTHER "WAITERS" rush in. Jack stays back to keep the door
shut. Tyler and the others hold Jacobs, pulling down his
pants. Bob snaps a rubber band -- reaches to Jacob s crotch.
TYLER
Wrap it around the top of his hackie-
sack.
BOB
Man, his balls are ice cold.
Ricky produces a KNIFE, moves it down to Jacob's testicles.
Jacobs is bug-eyed. Jack, red-faced, keeps his distance.
TYLER
You're not going to continue your
"rigorous investigation." You will
publicly state that there is no
underground group. Or -- imagine,
the rest of your life with your
scrotum flapping empty.
JACOBS
(mouth taped)
... no... please, no...
TYLER
We'll send one to the New York Times
and one to the Los Angeles Times.
Press release style. Your nuts will
be bicoastal. Understood? The
people you're after are everyone you
depend on.
(more)
TYLER (cont)
We do your laundry, cook your food
and serve you dinner. We guard you
while you sleep. We drive your
ambulances. Do not fuck with us.
Ricky makes a dramatic cut with the knife, causing Jacobs to
JUMP -- Ricky holds up the severed RUBBER BAND.
EXT. HOTEL - LATER
Jack, Tyler and the others file quickly out the back SERVICE
ENTRANCE. Tyler gives Angel Face a hearty slap on the back.
Angel Face smiles at Tyler, nods, grinning.
Jack sees this, his eyes narrowing, stops walking.
INT. TAVERN BASEMENT - NIGHT
Fight club in full swing. Jack battles Angel Face, BEATING
the shit out of him with unprecedented viciousness.
JACK (V.O.)
I felt like putting a bullet between
the eyes of every Panda that wouldn't
screw to save its species.
The crowd shouts maniacally, save Tyler, who watches with an
inscrutable stone face.
Angel Face tries to speak, but Jack POUNDS too hard. Blood
flies. The crowd begins to grow QUIETER.
JACK (V.O.)
I wanted to open the dump valves on
oil tankers and smother all the
French beaches I'd never see.
Finally, Angel Face lies still, unconscious. Jack stops,
stares down, numb. Jack walks away -- the crowd parts to
let him pass. Jack scans faces... finds Tyler.
TYLER
Where did you go, Psycho-Boy?
JACK
I felt like destroying something
beautiful.
EXT. STREET NEAR LOU'S TAVERN - LATER
RAINING. Tyler and Jack walk through pools of streetlight.
A idling car HONKS. Tyler leads Jack toward it. A bruised-
faced VALET PARKER thrown keys to Tyler, but Jack intercepts.
VALET
There you are, Mr. Durden. Airport
parking, long term.
JACK
(motions to car)
After you, Mr. Durden...
TYLER
No... after you.
INT. STOLEN CAR
Tyler gets in the driver's seat. Jack gets into the front
passenger seat. Ricky and the mechanic are in back.
EXT. STREET
Tyler pulls the stolen car away from the curb. It has two
bumperstickers: "RECYCLE YOUR ANIMALS" and "MAKE MINE VEAL."
INT. STOLEN CAR - MOVING - LATER
RAIN GUSHES down. Jack stews, silent. The car moves down
a HIGHWAY, intermittently illuminated by oncoming headlights.
TYLER
Something on your mind?
JACK
No.
Tyler shrugs; turns on the RADIO, ignores Jack.
JACK
Why wasn't I told about "Project
Mayhem?"
TYLER
What should I have told you?
JACK
Why wasn't I involved from the
beginning? You and I started fight
club together.
TYLER
Fight club was the beginning. Now
it's out of the basements and there's a
name for it -- Project Mayhem.
RICKY AND MECHANIC
(together)
The first rule of Project Mayhem is
you do not ask questions.
JACK
This is as much mine as yours.
TYLER
Is this a needlepoint club? Is it
about you and me?
JACK
You know what I mean.
TYLER
What do you want? A statement of
purpose... ?
JACK
Look...
TYLER
Should I E-mail you? Should I put
this on your "action item list?"
JACK
I want to know --
TYLER
What do you want to know about
Project Mayhem?
RICKY AND MECHANIC
(together)
The first rule of Project Mayhem --
JACK
(to Ricky and Mechanic)
Shut up!!
(to Tyler)
I want to know what's going on.
Tyler steers the car into the opposite lane, accelerates...
Opposing HEADLIGHTS get closer fast...
TYLER
This does not belong to us. We are
not the leaders. We are not special.
JACK
What are you doing?!
TYLER
We are the all-singing, all-dancing
crap of the world. We are all part
of the same compost heap...
JACK
Tyler...
Tyler steers back into the proper lane. The other CAR flies
past, HORN SOUNDING...
JACK
What the hell ... ?!
TYLER
You choose your level of involvement.
I won't make decisions for you.
JACK
I'm not asking you to.
TYLER
You're asking questions that don't
have answers. You know just as much
about Project Mayhem as anybody else.
JACK
I don't think that's true.
Tyler again steers into the oncoming lane, speeding up.
Through the windshield: oncoming headlights -- a TRUCK.
JACK
Tyler... what is this... !
Jack fights to turn the wheel, but Tyler uses both hands.
TYLER
What will you wish you'd done before
you died?
RICKY
Paint a self-portrait.
MECHANIC
Build a house.
TYLER
(to Jack)
And you?
JACK
I don't know! Nothing!
TYLER
If you died right now, how would you
feel about your life?
JACK
I would feel nothing about my life?
Is that what you want to hear?!
The oncoming truck HONKS and FLASHES its LIGHTS. It moves
to the other side of the road. Tyler steers there, too.
TYLER
I want to hear the truth.
JACK
Fuck my life. Fuck fight club. Fuck
you and fuck Marla. I'm sick of
this. How's that?
TYLER
Why do you think I blew up your condo?
JACK
What?
TYLER
Hitting bottom isn't a weekend
retreat! It's not a seminar! You
have to forget everything you know,
everything you think you know --
about life, about friendship, about
you and me.
Nearing impact with the oncoming truck, Tyler takes his
hands off the wheel -- Jack keeps his grip, turns the
wheel... the car swerves...
The truck ROARS past, spraying water, HORN BLASTING.
Tyler looks at Jack, his hands in the air. Jack looks at
Tyler with dead eyes.
JACK
Okay, okay... fine...
Jack takes his hands off the wheel, holds them in the air.
Tyler studies Jack face, impressed. Tyler makes no move to
take the wheel.
THROUGH THR WINDSHIELD: a STALLED CAR ahead on the side of
the road, surrounded by flares.
Jack and Tyler's eyes stay locked as the car drifts onto the
shoulder... heading for the stalled car. Their faces are
illuminated by the light of the flares. Tyler smiles.
They SMASH into the stalled car -- AIRBAGS INFLATE! The
back of their car whips around and carries it into a ass-
over-tea-kettle ROLL down a hill...
JACK (V.O.)
I'd never been in a car accident.
This must've been what all those
statistics felt like before I filed
them into my reports.
The car finally hits the bottom, lying on its roof.
EXT. OVERTURNED CAR
Tyler crawls from the passenger side. He walks around...
opens the driver's side door and drags Jack out into the
mud. Ricky and the Mechanic climb out the broken rear
window. Tyler sits beside the stunned, wounded Jack.
TYLER
We just had a near-life experience.
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT
Jack lies in bed, traumatized, eyes empty, staring at the
ceiling. Tyler sits in a nearby chair.
TYLER
In the world I see -- you're stalking
elk through the damp canyon forests
around the ruins of Rockefeller
Center. You will wear leather
clothes that last you the rest of
your life. You will climb the wrist-
thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears
Tower. You will see tiny figures
pounding corn and laying-strips of
venison on the empty car pool lane of
the ruins of a superhighway.
Tyler stands, gives Jack's head a pat.
TYLER
(leaving)
Feel better, champ.
INT. KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER
Jack sits at the table, sips coffee. He's pale, dazed,
seems broken. He hears the faint SOUND of SAWING and
HAMMERING, unsure of where it's coming from.
Marla walks into the kitchen and goes straight to the
counter. Her back is to Jack as he looks at her. She pours
ccffee and lights a cigarette. A beat of silence, then:
MARLA
I'll be out of your way in a sec.
She seems to be as weak as Jack.
JACK
You... don't have to... leave.
MARLA
Whatever.
JACK
Really... I mean it.
(pause)
Have you been going to your groups?
MARLA
Chloe's dead.
JACK
When?
MARLA
Do you care?
JACK
I don't know.
MARLA
It was the smart move on her part.
Marla turns to face Jack, a grim expression on her face.
There's a BRUISE on her ARM. Jack gets up, moves closer.
JACK
Why are we both... caught up like
this... with... ?
JACK (V.O.)
I came so close to saying Tyler's
name, I could feel it vibrate inside
my mouth.
Marla looks a him, waiting.
JACK
I don't understand. Why does a weak
person have to go out and find a
strong person... to hang onto?
MARLA
What do you get out of it?
Faint SOUND of SAWING and HAMMERING. Jack can't quite
figure where it's coming from.
JACK
You hear that?
MARLA
Hear what?
JACK
That... sawing and hammering.
MARLA
Have we been talking too long? Must
we change the subject?
Jack turns -- through the crack of the open basement door,
Tyler's staring at Jack from the bottom of the stairs.
TYLER
(harsh whisper)
You're not talking about me, are you?
Jack reacts, turns back to Marla.
JACK
(to Marla and Tyler)
No.
MARLA
That day you came over to my place to
play doctor... what was going on
there?
TYLER
(still a whisper)
What are you talking about?
JACK
(to Marla and Tyler)
Nothing.
MARLA
Nothing? I don't think so.
TYLER
(whisper)
This conversation...
JACK
This conversation...
TYLER
... is over.
JACK
... is over.
Marla comes to touch Jack's hair. Jack closes the basement
door. Marla sees the kiss-scar on Jack's hand, grabs his
hand. Jack tries to pull it back, but Marla keeps a grip.
MARLA
What is this? Who did this?
JACK
... A person.
MARLA
Guy or girl?
JACK
Why would you ask if it's a guy or a
girl?!
MARLA
Why would you get bent if I asked?
JACK
Let go of me...
(pulls his hand free)
Leave me alone.
MARLA
You're afraid to say.
Marla backs away, closes her eyes, struggling with
frustration. She leaves out the back door, not looking back.
Jack leans against the wall. After a moment, he opens the
basement door, heads downstairs...
INT. BASEMENT STAIRCASE
Tyler walks upstairs, passing as Jack continues down...
INT. BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS
Jack looks around. TRIPLE-DECKER BUNKS clutter the
basement, as many as can fit into the space.
JACK
(calling upstairs)
Tyler... ? What's this for?
From upstairs, the SOUND of the DOORBELL.
INT. LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Jack opens the door. Ricky stands on the porch, staring
ahead in subordinate military style. He's in black pants,
black shirt, black shoes, holds a PAPER BAG, with an army
surplus MATTRESS rolled-up at his feet.
JACK
Um... what can I do for you, Ricky?
Tyler steps up beside Jack, looks Ricky over.
TYLER
You're too young. Sorry.
JACK
Wait a minute...
Tyler comes back inside, shuts the door.
JACK
"Too young?"
TYLER
If the applicant is young, we tell
him he's too young. Old, too old.
Fat, too fat.
JACK
"Applicant?"
TYLER
If the applicant waits at the door
for three days without food, shelter
or encouragement, then he can enter
and begin training.
JACK
"Training?" Tyler...
EXT. PORCH - MOMENTS LATER
Jack comes out, walks around Ricky, hands in his pockets,
unsure. Tyler watches, nods for Jack to go ahead.
JACK
Uh, look. You're too... young to...
train here. You should probably be
on you way.
No response from Ricky, who remains at attention. Jack goes
back inside. Tyler closes the door.
EXT. PORCH - NIGHT
Ricky remains at attention. Jack bursts out with a BROOM,
knocks the brown bag out of Ricky's hand, kicks it away.
JACK
Are you deaf?! I told you to leave!
You will never get inside this house!
EXT. PORCH - MORNING
Ricky's still there. Tyler comes out, friendly.
TYLER
Look, friend, I'm sorry for the
misunderstanding. It's not the end
of the world. Just go away. You're
trespassing and I will call the
police. Nothing personal.
EXT. PORCH - NIGHT
Ricky, same spot. Jack bursts outside with the broom again.
JACK
You're never getting through this
door, you stupid little weasel! Look
at me when I talk to you... !
He WHACKS Ricky in the shoulder with the broom.
JACK
What is your major malfunction!?
INT. JACK'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
At the window, Tyler sips coffee, watches this scene on the
PORCH below.
JACK (V.O.)
Sooner or later, we all became what
Tyler wanted us to be.
EXT. PORCH - MORNING
Ricky's there. Bob is now next to him, in black, with a
paper bag in hand, mattress at his feet. Tyler steps out.
Jack stays in the doorway, locking eyes on Bob. To all the
following questions, Ricky answers "Sir!" --
TYLER
You have two black shirts? Two pair
black trousers? One pair black
boots? Two pair black socks? One
black coat? Three hundred dollars
personal burial money? Go inside.
Ricky goes in. Tyler turns to Bob.
TYLER
You're too old. Sorry. And, you're
too fat. Nice seeing you.
Bob looks genuinely hurt. He picks up his mattress and
starts away. Tyler looks at Jack and rolls his eyes. Jack
follows Bob...
JACK
Bob... Bob, wait...
(leading Bob back)
Let me explain this to you...
EXT. PORCH -- NIGHT
CRICKETS CHIRP. Bob stands at at rigid attention.
INT. 2ND FLOOR LANDING - NIGHT
Tyler and Jack stand in bathroom doorway, watching Ricky
finish SHAVING off all of his HAIR. Tyler comes to give the
top of Ricky's head a sharp SLAP.
TYLER
A monkey, ready to be shot into
space. A Space Monkey, ready to
sacrifice himself for Project Mayhem.
From here on, all those with shaved heads: "SPACE MONKEYS."
EXT. PORCH - DAY
Jack looks out the window. Bob stands motionless. There's
another "applicant," a SHORT GUY, beside Bob. Ricky comes
out the front door with the BROOM...
RICKY
(to Bob)
You're too fucking old, fatty! We
don't want your kind here!
(to short guy)
You're too short. Go away, stumpy!
Go back to the circus!
Ricky HITS them with the broom, then goes in, SLAMS THE DOOR.
JACK (V.O.)
So it went...
EXT. BACKYARD - DAY
Tyler works with a HALF DOZEN SPACE MONKEYS, preparing the
square of backyard. They pull weeds, clear rocks; working
with shovels, rakes, etc. They cart away WHEELBARROWS of
rocks and carry in SACKS of FERTILIZER.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler built his army.
IN THE KITCHEN WINDOW, Jack watches...
INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Jack keeps watching out the window, eats toast.
JACK (V.O.)
To what purpose, might one ask?
Well, one might ask, if not for the
first rule of Project Mayhem.
Jack turns to look around the kitchen. THREE SPACE MONKEYS
work -- one SCRUBBING the FLOOR, one WASHING DISHES, one
SCRUBBING the walls. Jack walks out.
JACK (V.O.)
In Tyler We Trust.
INT. JACK'S ROOM - DAY
Jack opens his eyes, awakening to sunlight thru the window.
JACK (V.O.)
And, then...
INT. UPSTAIRS LANDING - DAY
Jack slowly pushes open the door to Tyler's room...
JACK
Tyler...
The room is empty. Jack stares.
JACK (V.O.)
He was gone.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Jack comes downstairs... finds DOZENS of SPACE MONKEYS.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Jack enters. Space Monkeys render fat and make soap. They
pinch HERBS, adding them to the mix. They add VODKA. Off
to the side, a couple Monkeys stir a vat of RICE. On the
wall is a big bulletin board with HUNDREDS of DRIVER's
LICENSES; a sign above it: "HUMAN SACRIFICES."
FRECKLED SPACE MONKEY
"You are not a beautiful and unique
snowflake. You are the same decaying
organic matter as everything else.
We are all part of the same compost
heap."
JACK (V.O.)
Planet Tyler.
Jack dips a spoon into the rice, chomps on it irritatingly.
FRECKLED SPACE MONKEY
"We are the all-singing, all-dancing
crap of the world."
Jack picks up a BOTTLE of VODKA.
JACK (V.O.)
I had to hug the walls, trapped
inside this clockwork of Space
Monkeys, cooking and working and
sleeping in teams.
INT. READING ROOM - NIGHT
Jack enters, vodka in hand. TEN SPACE MONKEYS here, reading.
JACK (V.O.)
The house became a living thing, wet
inside from so many people sweating
and breathing. So many people
moving, the house moved.
Jack walks out.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Jack enters. Angel Face reads a book, marks on a chart.
Space Monkeys shuffle PAPERS and NEWS CLIPPINGS. Walls are
lined with FILES, each labeled with a STREET ADDRESS, under
SIGNS: "Mischief," "Disinformation," "Arson."
Jack's eye lingers on "Arson." He starts flipping through
a file. Angel Face comes to take the file from him.
ANGEL FACE
That wouldn't interest you.
JACK
Where's Tyler?
ANGEL FACE
The first rule of Project --
JACK
Right, right.
As Angel Face replaces the file, Jack notices -- a LYE-
BURNED KISS-SCAR on the back of Angel Face's hand.
EXT. BACK YARD - NIGHT
Jack takes a swig of vodka, smokes. In the BACKGROUND, a
Space Monkey WHACKS an APPLICANT with a BROOM. It's a
ritual; no words. Other Space Monkeys tend the garden.
JACK (V.O.)
I'm all alone. I Am Jack's Broken
Heart.
Jack drops his cigarette in the gravel, steps on it. A
Space Monkey immediately comes to clean it up.
JACK
Get away from me!
MARLA'S VOICE (O.S.)
Who are all these people?
Jack turns, sees Marla with an overnight bag.
JACK
The Paper Street Soap Company.
MARLA
Can I come in?
JACK
He's not here.
MARLA
What?
JACK
He's not here! Tyler's not here
anymore! He's gone away!
Marla stares at Jack, miserable. A tear runs down her
cheek. She turns and walks away. Jack watches her go.
There's a LOUD COMMOTION from the house, VOICES SHOUTING.
Jack heads to the back door...
INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Jack enters. Ricky crawls, bleeding from a gunshot wound to
the LEG. Space Monkeys begin a rudimentary job of treating
the wound. Other Space Monkeys carry in a DEAD BODY in
BLACK CLOTHES and SKI MASK, putting it on the table.
JACK
What's going on?
Space Monkeys stare at the body. The Mechanic, sweating,
gets to his knees and pulls the ski mask off the corpse --
it's BOB, with a gunshot wound to the HEAD.
JACK
Bob... oh, Christ...
Jack pushes past a Space Monkey, stares down, stricken...
JACK
What... what happened... ?
MECHANIC
(out of breath)
We were on assignment...
EXT. SCULPTURE PARK - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
A SCULPTURE adorned with a giant GLOBE on top.
MECHANIC (V.O.)
We were supposed to kill two birds
with one stone:
A SERIES of EXPLOSIONS blasts the GLOBE free. It ROLLS...
MECHANIC (V.O.)
A piece of corporate art...
The GLOBE ROLLS downhill, to the street -- rolling over one
parked LUXURY CAR after another, crunching car roofs and
causing windows to explode...
MECHANIC (V.O.)
... and trash a trendy coffee bar.
Then, the GLOBE arrives at the lobby of a HOTEL...
BROADSIDES a limo, RICOCHETS... ROLLS directly into the
front of a closed ARROSTO coffee bar, SMASHING windows...
DECIMATING coffee push-pats...
EXT. PARK - AERIAL VIEW - (FLASHBACK CONTINUOUS)
Bob, the Mechanic and Ricky FLEE, LAUGHING at their
handiwork. They split up, running O.S.
MECHANIC (V.O.)
We had it all worked out, man. It
went smooth... until...
HARSH VOICE
Police! Freeze!
O.S. SOUNDS of GUNSHOTS and FLASHES of MUZZLE FIRE.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT - (RESUMING)
The Mechanic looks up from Bob's corpse.
MECHANIC
They shot Bob... they shot him in the
head. Those fuckers...
Jack walks away from Bob's corpse, distraught, holds his
head, turns to look back, his eyes filling with tears.
ANOTHER SPACE MONKEY
We gotta do something.
RICKY
We got to get rid of the evidence.
We have to get rid of this body.
ANGEL FACE
Bury him...
Jack looks around in disbelief.
JACK
What... ?
ANGEL FACE
The garden. Take him there. Move,
people. Let's do this!
Several Space Monkeys gather around Bob's body.
JACK
No... !
Space Monkeys stop. Jack gets between them and Bob, SHOVES
a few Space Monkeys back...
JACK
Get your hands off him! Get off...!
What the hell do you think you're
doing... ? Evidence?! This is a
man... ! You killed him!
ANGEL FACE
He was killed in action.
JACK
No! Look at you! You're... you're
running around in ski masks,
exploding things...
ANGEL FACE
He was killed serving Project Mayhem.
RICKY
It's what he would have wanted, sir.
JACK
What he wanted? Look... look at him.
Look at him! What does he want?
(wipes tears,
points at Bob)
This is a person. This is not a cog
in your machine...
RICKY
But, this is Project Mayhem.
JACK
No, no. This is a man -- this man
has a name...
RICKY
But, in Project Mayhem, we have no
names.
JACK
No! Wrong! This man's name is
Robert Paulson.
RICKY
Robert Paulson?
JACK
Robert Paulson is dead. He's dead,
because of you...
MECHANIC
I understand.
Everyone just stares at Jack.
MECHANIC
In death, a member of Project Mayhem
has a name.
JACK
No -- !
MECHANIC
His name is Robert Paulson.
RICKY
His name is Robert Paulson!
JACK
No!
ALL SPACE MONKEYS
His name is Robert Paulson!
JACK
Stop that -- !
ALL SPACE MONKEYS
(louder)
His name is Robert Paulson! His name
is Robert Paulson...
Jack backs away, surrounded, PUSHES his way out of the room.
INT. TYLER'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Jack barges in, goes to the desk, rifling through drawers.
He finds FLIGHT COUPONS, used and unused. The used coupons.
have the flight information, including the destination
cities. The PHONE RINGS. Jack answers it...
JACK
Tyler?
DETECTIVE STERN'S VOICE
(from phone)
This is Detective Stern of the arson
unit. I'd like to see you in my
office tomorrow morning...
Jack, in a panic, HANGS UP.
INSERT - AN AIRPLANE TAKES OFF...
INT. PLANE CABIN - DAY
Jack sits stiffly in a seat.
JACK (V.O.)
I went to the cities on Tyler's used
tickets stubs.
INSERT - A SIGN: "LA GUARDIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT"
EXT. AIRPORT - NIGHT
Jack hurries from the terminal, runs to a TAXI ...
JACK (V.O.)
In every city, I branched out from
the airport to downtown, bar-
hopping...
INT. TAXI - IN MOTION, MID-CITY - NIGHT
Jack's looks out the window, intently watching buildings.
JACK (V.0.)
I didn't know how or why, but I could
look at fifty different bars, and
somehow I just knew...
JACK
(to driver, points)
Here. Let me out, right here...
INT. BAR - NIGHT
Jack enters. He sees several MALE PATRONS with FIGHT
BRUISES. Jack moves to the bar. The BARTENDER has a broken
arm and swollen face.
JACK
I'm looking for Tyler Durden.
BARTENDER
Never heard of him.
JACK
This is an emergency. It's important
I find him.
BARTENDER
I wish I could help you... sir.
The bartender WINKS at Jack.
INSERT - AERIAL VIEW - ATLANTA SKYLINE - NIGHT
JACK (V.O.)
Every city I went to...
INSERT - AERIAL VIEW - CHICAGO SKYLINE - DAY
JACK (V.0.)
...as soon as I set foot off the
plane...
INSERT - AERIAL VIEW - DALLAS SKYLINE - NIGHT
JACK (V.).)
...I knew fight club was close.
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL - NIGHT
Jack RUNS through the airport, lugging his suitcase.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler was setting up franchises, all
over the country.
INT. DRY CLEANERS - DAY
The PROPRIETOR, his head bandaged, is confronted by Jack.
JACK
I need to know where Tyler is. Can't
you help me?
BANDAGED PROPRIETOR
Sir, you're disturbing the other
patrons with your laudish behavior.
JACK
(pointing)
There's no one else here.
BANDAGED PROPRIETOR
I'm sorry, I haven't the faintest
idea what you're talking about.
JACK
Look at my face. I'm a member. I
just need to know if you've seen
Tyler Durden.
BANDAGED PROPRIETOR
I'm not disclosed to bespeak any such
information to you, nor would I, even
if I had said information you want,
at this juncture be able.
Jack looks around, incredibly frustrated.
JACK
You are a moron.
BANDAGED PROPRIETOR
I'm afraid I have to insist you leave.
Jack gives up, shoves his way out the door.
INT. CITY BUS - DAY
Jack sits on the bus, looking out the window. The bus stops.
JACK (V.O.)
Under and behind and inside
everything I took for granted,
something horrible had been growing.
OUT THE WINDOW, a CONSTRUCTION WORKER with a BROKEN NOSE
works a jackhammer. He stops, wipes his brow.
INT. SPORTS BAR - DAY
TVs show football. Jack is seated with TWO BRUISED PATRONS.
BRUISED PATRON #1
No one's ever seen him. No one knows
what he looks like.
BRUISED PATRON #2
He has facial reconstructive surgery
every three years.
JACK
That's the stupidest thing I've ever
heard.
BRUISED PATRON #1
Is it true about fight club in Miami?
BRUISED PATRON 12
Is Mr. Durden building an army?
JACK (V.O.)
Am I asleep... ?
INT. AIRPLANE - NIGHT
Jack sits awake. Everyone around him is asleep.
JACK (V.O.)
Have I slept? I'm not sure if Tyler
is my bad dream or if I'm Tyler's.
EXT. MID-TOWN STREETS - DAY
Jack steps off the sidewalk, hailing a TAXI...
EXT. CITY ALLEY - DAY
The alleyway's deserted. Jack heaft to rusty CELLAR DOORS.
He opens the doors, looks around, heads down stairs...
JACK (V.O.)
I was living in a state of perpetual
deja vu.
INT. DANK BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS
Jack enters this dark basement, walks ahead in the dim
light. The place is damp and empty. Jack stops, looks down.
JACK (V.O.)
Everywhere I went, I felt I had
already been there.
At his feet -- DRIED BLOOD on the concrete floor.
INSERT - AERIAL VIEW - PHOENIX SKYLINE - DAY
INT. ANOTHER BAR - DAY
Jack walks in. The place is empty. He walks to a KITCHEN
DOOR, opens it and peers in at... a GROUP of KITCHEN WORKERS
solemnly stand in a circle, chanting...
KITCHEN WORKERS
His name is Robert Paulson. His name
is Robert Paulson...
MAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
(from behind Jack)
Welcome back, sir.
Jack whirls, startled -- facing the wounded BARTENDER, who
wears a NECK BRACE, his nose a smashed eggplant.
WOUNDED BARTENDER
How have you been?
JACK
... You know me?
WOUNDED BARTENDER
Is this a test, sir?
JACK
Yes... it's a test.
WOUNDED BARTENDER
You were in here last Thursday night.
JACK
What?
WOUNDED BARTENDER
You were standing right where you are
now, asking how good our security is.
It's tight as a drum.
JACK
Who do you think I am?
WOUNDED BARTENDER
Is this part of the test?
Jack nods slowly. The Bartender holds up his hand, shows
the KISS SCAR on the back of his hand...
WOUNDED BARTENDER
You're the one who did this to me.
You're Mr. Durden, sir. Tyler Durden.
JACK (V.O.)
Please return your seatbacks to their
full upright and locked position.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Jack bursts inside, out of breath, runs to grab the phone,
punches a number, doesn't bother to turn on the lamp.
INTERCUT WITH...
INT. MARLA'S ROOM - SAME
Marla answers.
MARLA
Yeah?
JACK
Marla, it's me. Have we... have we
ever had sex?
MARLA
What kind of stupid question is
that?!
JACK
Because the answer's "yes" or because
the answer's "no?"
MARLA
Is this a trick?
JACK
Will you just answer me, for
Christsake?!
MARLA
You mean, you want to know if I think
we were just having sex or making
love?
JACK
We did make love?
MARLA
Is that what you're calling it?
JACK
Answer the question!
MARLA
You fuck me, then snub me. You love
me, you hate me. You show me your
sensitive side, then you turn into a
total asshole! Is that a pretty
accurate description of our
relationship, Tyler?
JACK (V.O.)
We've just lost cabin pressure.
JACK
What did you say... ?
MARLA
What is wrong with you?
JACK
Say my name.
MARLA
What... ?
JACK
Say my name! What's my name!?
MARLA
Tyler Durden! Tyler Durden, you
fucking freak. What's going on? I'm
coming over there...
JACK
Marla, no, wait...
As Marla HANGS UP. Jack stares at the receiver, dazed...
TYLER'S VOICE
We've got six fight clubs in Chicago
now...
Jack spins, dropping the phone -- TYLER sits beside him.
TYLER
Four in Milwaukee.
JACK
What's this all about, Tyler?
TYLER
And, we're definitely filling a void
in the rural South.
JACK
Why do people think I'm you?
TYLER
You broke your promise. You talked
to her about me.
JACK
Why do people think I'm Tyler Durden?
TYLER
Why did you do that?
JACK
Answer me, Tyler.
TYLER
Why do people think anything?
JACK
I don't know! Tell me!
Tyler shakes his head in disgust, extremely irritated.
TYLER
People think that you're me, because
you and I happen to share the same
body.
JACK
What... ?
TYLER
Is this really news to you?
JACK
What are you talking about... ?
TYLER
Sometimes I control it, and you
imagine yourself watching me...
FLASHBACK - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Commissioner Jacobs checks his tie in a mirror, goes to open
the door of the MEN'S BATHROOM -- face to face with JACK.
FLASHBACK - LOU'S BAR BASEMENT - NIGHT
JACK stands surrounded by eager fight club MEMBERS, under
the bare bulb, talking and behaving like Tyler...
JACK
The first rule of fight club is --
you don't talk about fight club.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
TYLER
And, sometimes you control it...
FLASHBACK - EXT. PAPER STREET HOUSE - DAY
Jack stands in the yard, VODKA in hand, yells at Marla.
JACK
He's not here! Tyler's not here
anymore! He's gone away!
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
TYLER
You can see me and hear me, but no
one else can...
FLASHBACK - CURBSIDE - NIGHT
JACK sits alone on the curb, watching the nearby freeway.
He talks to someone beside him, but nobody's there.
JACK
Anyone?
(thinks)
My boss, probably.
(pause)
Who would you fight?
Jack listens, looks at the empty space beside him.
JACK
Oh, yeah.
(nodding)
I didn't really know my Dad...
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
TYLER
But, when you fall asleep, I do
things without you...
FLASHBACK - TYLER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
JACK is on top of Marla, sweating, making violent love...
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
TYLER
I go places without you. Get things
done...
FLASHBACK - BUILDING - NIGHT
The Parker Morris Building.
JACK, Bob, Ricky, Angel Face and another GUY rappel down the
side, SPRAYING PAINT. JACK is "TYLER" in demeanor,
mannerisms, speech...
JACK
(shouting)
You are not your job. You are not
how much money you have in the bank.
TWO WINDOWS SHATTER OUTWARD -- TWO MEN look out and yell:
BRUISED MAN #1
I am not my job!
BRUISED MAN #2
I am not how much money I have in the
bank!
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
Jack's having trouble catching his breath. Tyler stands.
TYLER
There! Happy? I asked for one thing
from you... one simple promise. Now
look what you've done!
JACK
This isn't possible...
TYLER
We're going to have to do something
about Marla...
JACK
What... what are you saying?
TYLER
It's okay. We okay... a little
codependent, sure, but...
Jack shakes his head in disbelief, in denial...
JACK
No! This isn't true. We... we were
around other people, together, both
of us...
TYLER
You never talked to me in front of
anyone else.
JACK
Wrong, wrong -- what about the car
crash... the two guys in the backseat?
TYLER
What about them? They're lunatics.
JACK
You took me to the house.
TYLER
The house is rented in your name.
JACK
You have jobs.
TYLER
Night jobs -- while you were sleeping.
JACK
What about Marla?
TYLER
What about Marla?
JACK
She's... you... you're fucking her.
TYLER
Um, well... technically, no.
Jack stands, trying to absorb, feeling ill, trying to find
words, then -- he suddenly FAINTS to the floor, OUT COLD.
JACK (V.O.)
It's called a "changeover." The
movie goes on, and nobody in the
audience has any idea.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - PRE-DAWN
Jack's eyes snap open. He sits up, alone. He remembers the
previous night... looks at himself in the mirror... looks at
the clock -- 4:35am.
INT. HALLWAY
The room door SLAMS OPEN as Jack bursts out of the room,
carrying his suitcase, SPRINTING for the STAIRWELL...
INT. STAIRWELL
Jack races down, three steps at a time, dragging his
suitcase - BOOM, BOOM, BOOM - behind him...
INT. LOBBY
Jack hurries to the front door, his suitcase half-broken
open, passing the front desk. A DESK CLERK calls after him.
DESK CLERK
Sir... sir? Are you checking out?
JACK
Yes.
The clerk follows the length of the counter, waves a PAPER.
DESK CLERK
Please initial this list of phone
calls.
JACK
Bill me!
Jack goes out the door, freezes. He rushes back in, going
to the desk -- snatches the bill, studies it: many NUMBERS.
JACK
Wait...when were these made?
DESK CLERK
It says right there, sir... between
two and three-thirty this morning.
Jack looks at the clerk, at the bill, at the clerk.
JACK
I need a copy of this.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - IN FLIGHT - DAY
Jack stares out the window, his face set hard.
JACK (V.O.)
Had I been going to bed earlier every
night? Have I been sleeping later?
Has Tyler been in charge longer and
longer?
EXT. PAPER STREET - DAY
A TAXI halts. Jack leaps out, points to the GRUNGY CABBIE.
JACK
Wait here.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE, LIVING ROOM/KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER
Jack walks in to find the place EMPTY and DESERTED. He
continues on into the KITCHEN, gawks at BATHTUBS and
CANISTERS holding vast amounts of liquid. There are HOSES,
GAS MASKS, BEAKERS, TEST TUBES and PUMPS.
He picks up a BOTTLE labeled "NITRIC ACID."
INT. TYLER'S ROOM
Jack sits by the PHONE, pulls out the HOTEL BILL, runs his
finger up and down the list of PHONE NUMBERS...
JACK (V.O.)
Deja vu, all over again...
Jack finger stops on a NUMBER. He dials, phone to his ear.
VOICE
(from phone)
Eighteen-eighty-eight.
Jack sees a file on the wall: "1888 CENTURY PARK EAST."
JACK
Who is this?
VOICE
Maintenance.
JACK
Listen, something is going to happen,
something terrible...
VOICE
Very good, Sir.
JACK
Excuse me?
VOICE
Don't worry about us, sir. We're
solid.
JACK
Now wait, there's been a mix-up.
Everything's changed...
VOICE
You told me you'd say that.
JACK
Abort the plan.
VOICE
You told me you'd say that, too.
JACK
Did I tell you I'd call you a fascist
dickhead?!
VOICE
Well, sir, you said you might.
Jack HANGS UP, desperately dials the next number on the bill.
DIFFERENT VOICE
(front phone)
Twenty-one-sixty. Maintenance.
Jack sees a file: "2160 PICO BOULEVARD." He throws the
phone, pocketing the bill. He grabs up all the FILES.
EXT. MARLA'S HOTEL - SUNSET
Jack's TAXI halts. Marla walks out of the lobby doors, sees
Jack getting out of the cab, laden with files...
JACK
Marla!
Marla makes a sharp turn, walking away. Jack follows,
hugging the files to his chest, catching up.
JACK
Marla...
MARLA
Your whacked-out, bald freaks hit me
with a fucking broom. I thought they
were going to break my arm.
JACK
I'm sorry, I...
MARLA
The were burning their fingertips
with lye. The stink was unbelievable.
JACK
Marla... I need to talk to you. It's
going to take a tremendous act of
faith on your part for you to hear me
out.
MARLA
Here comes an avalanche of bullshit.
Marla heads into a DINER. Jack follows...
JACK
-- A little more faith than that.
INT. DINER - MOMENTS LATER
Marla sits in a BOOTH. Jack sits across from her.
MARLA
I don't want to hear anything you've
got to say.
JACK
Give me a minute, Marla, alright...
just sixty seconds.
MARLA
Sixty seconds, then I'm out of here.
JACK
Absolutely, you have every right. I
need you to do me a favor.
MARLA
I've done you enough favors.
A WAITER with a BLACK EYE appears at the table.
WAITER
Sir! Anything you order is free of
charge, sir.
MARLA
Why is it free of charge?
JACK
Because... I'm Tyler Durden.
MARLA
Then, I'll have the clam chowder...
fried chicken and a baked potato with
everything and a chocolate chiffon
pie.
Jack look to the pass-through WINDOW into the kitchen where
THREE COOKS look out with STITCHES in their faces.
JACK
Clean food, please.
WAITER
In that case, sir, may I advise
against the lady eating the clam
chowder?
JACK
Thanks, no clam chowder. That's it.
The waiter snaps to attention and leaves.
MARLA
You got about thirty seconds.
JACK
(takes a deep breath)
I know that I've been... unwell. I
know it's been like there's two sides
to me.
MARLA
Two sides? You're Dr. Jeckle and Mr.
Jackass.
JACK
I deserve that. Anyway, I've... I've
only just realized
MARLA
What?
JACK
I mean, the depth and breadth of our
relationship has only recently been
illuminated for me. I know this...
I know us hasn't been such a great
thing for you...
MARLA
Whatever.
(to waiter)
I'll take my food to go...
Marla's getting up to go, but Jack rises, fed up, takes her
by the arm, putting her back in her seat.
JACK
Sit down! Sit down and give me my
last fifteen seconds without opening
your mouth!
Marla crosses her arms. Jack collects himself.
JACK
I'm trying to tell you -- and this is
where you have to trust me -- but, I
think your life might be in real
danger.
MARLA
What?
JACK
You have to get out of here. Leave
as soon as possible. Go to any rural
town, away from any major city...
MARLA
You are an insane person.
JACK
Marla...
MARLA
No, no, shut up! I've had enough.
I tried, Tyler... I have tried...
Marla's getting upset, tears coming to her eyes.
MARLA
There's a part of you I really like,
but I can't do this anymore. I just
can't. This is killing me...
JACK
I'm sorry, but I...
MARLA
What?! You're sorry? I don't
believe that for a minute.
Marla gets up. Jack grabs for her, but she's gone, heading
for the door. Jack gathers his files, runs to follow...
EXT. DINER - MOMESTS LATER
Jack pushes out the door, files under one arm, catching up...
JACK
I can't explain. You wouldn't
believe me anyway. I'm trying to
protect you...
Jack grabs her arm, tries to hail a TAXI, but the taxi races
past. Marla pulls free, screaming at him...,
MARLA
Let go of me!
JACK
Do this for me, Marla. Do this for
me, if you never do anything else...
Jack spots a BUS idling further up the street.
MARLA
Leave me alone! I don't ever want to
see you again!
JACK
Okay, if that's what it takes, you'll
never have to see me again.
(digs in his pocket)
Here... here...
He pulls MONEY from his pocket, holding it out.
JACK
Take this money, get on this bus...
(pointing to bus)
Get on, and I promise you, I'll never
bother you again, if that's what you
want. Please...
Marla looks at Jack, numb.
MARLA
Tyler...
JACK
I'm begging you. Get on the bus.
Get on the bus.
Marla takes the money from Tyler, walks towards the bus. As
they approach it, Jack shields his eyes, afraid to look...
MARLA
Why are you doing this?
JACK
I can't let myself see where you're
going. Go wherever it takes you,
remember... keep away from major
cities...
Marla stands at the doors of the bus, heartbroken, gives one
last look at Jack.
MARLA
(holds up the money)
I'm not paying this back. I consider
it "asshole tax."
JACK
Yes, fine. Just, get on. Stay away
a couple of weeks, at least.
Jack's still covering his eyes. Marla gets on the bus.
MARLA
Tyler...
Jack finally looks to her.
MARLA
You are the worst thing that ever
happened to me.
DOORS HISS SHUT. The BUS LEAVES, heading away. Jack seems
relieved. Then, a SCREAM is HEARD from MARLA...
Jack turns, looks... THROUGH THE BUS WINDOWS: the bus is
filled with BALD MEN IN BLACK: Space Monkeys.
Jack SPRINTS after the bus...
The bus speeds away. Onboard, Space Monkeys subdue Marla.
Jack falls to the asphalt, rolls, files-flying.
JACK
Son of a bitch!
INT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Jack RUNS to the front desk, crazed, dumps the armload of
files on the desk in front of the DESK SERGEANT...
JACK
(loudly)
I want you to arrest me. I'm the
leader of a terrorist organization
responsible for acts of vandalism all
over the city. Detective Stern in
arson knows who I am...
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
Detective Stern and THREE DETECTIVES stand, staring at Jack,
who's seated. On the table are the phone bill and files.
JACK
There are probably several hundred
members in the metropolitan area.
Chapters are sprouting in at least
five other major cities. They're
tightly-regimented, with many cells
capable of operating without a
central leader. Check this address:
1537 Paper Street. You'll find the
body of Robert Paulson buried in the
garden. You'll also find numerous
tubs used to make gallons of
nitroglycerin. The plan, I believe,
is to blow up these credit card
headquarters and the TRW building.
STERN
Why these buildings?
JACK
You are not your job. You are not
how much money you have in the bank.
STERN
(to other detectives)
Keep him talking.
Stern leaves. A beat, then, the remaining Detectives smile
at Jack with REVERENCE.
FLAT-TOP DETECTIVE
I really admire what you're doing.
You're a brave man to order this.
JACK
What?
REDHEAD DETECTIVE
You're a genius, sir.
They grab Jack and force him on his back on the table.
Flat-Top has a rubber band; the Bald Detective has a knife.
BALD DETECTIVE
You know the drill. You said if
anyone ever tries to interfere with
Project Mayhem, even you, we got to
get his balls.
Flat-Top PULLS Jack's pants completely off, tosses them
aside. Jack SCREAMS. Flat-Top holds his legs.
FLAT-TOP
It's useless to fight.
REDHEAD
This is really a powerful gesture,
Mr. Durden. It'll set quite an
example.
JACK
No... you're making a mistake!
FLAT-TOP
You told us you'd say that.
JACK
I'm not Tyler Durden!
BALDY
You told us you'd say that, too.
JACK
Okay, I am Tyler Durden and I'm
ordering you to abort the mission!
FLAT-TOP
You said you would definitely say
that.
BALDY
What's our best time for a "cut and
run?"
FLAT-TOP
Four minutes.
BALDY
Is somebody timing this?
REDHEAD
(looks at his watch)
Wait till the second hand gets to the
twelve.
A KNOCK at the door. Flat-Top slaps a hand over Jack's
mouth. He and Redhead block view of the table as Baldy
opens the door a crack. Stern mutters:
STERN
Some of this info checks out. Let's
go to the place on Paper Street.
Baldy glances back at the other Detectives, leaves, closing
the door. The two remaining Detectives continue. Jack kicks
and screams and writhes. The Detectives wrangle him, but
with more difficulty, now that Baldy's gone.
REDHEAD
(checking his watch)
Mr. Durden, you're going to fuck up
the time!
Jack gets one leg free, KICKS, knocks Flat-top backwards --
Flat-Top SLAMS the wall, falls. Redhead lets go of one of
Jack's arms, jams his elbow into Jack's throat... cutting
off the airway. Jack's face reddens... he's choking...
Jack's free hand reaches, searching.. pulls Redhead's GUN
and points it at him. Redhead backs off. Jack gets up,
gasping for air, PISTOL-WHIPS Flat-top as he rises.
Jack grabs one of the files off the table.
EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Jack, without pants, in BOXER SHORTS, escapes out the BACK
DOOR. He looks at the ADDRESS on the file folder.
EXT. STREET
Jack SPRINTS down the middle of the street, gun in hand,
looking like a complete madman. Cars almost hit him.
EXT. BANK BUILDING - LATER
Jack, sweating and panting, stops, looks... then heads
toward the BUILDING with the address "1888."
EXT. 1888 LOBBY
Jack tries the door. Locked. He lifts a cast iron bench,
runs forward -- RAMS it into the glass. The bench
immediately recoils from the glass, SLAMS Jack's groin!
Jack falls to his knees, doubled over, holding his package.
Then, he rises, SHOOTS the glass...
INT. 1888 LOBBY
Jack pushes through the broken glass. He sprints for the
"PARKING" door...
INT. GROUND LEVEL - PARKING
Jack enters, looks -- NO CARS. He bolts to the STAIRS...
INT. TOP-LEVEL PARKING AREA - SEVENTH FLOOR
Jack enters, heaving. Again, NO CARS. He moves from one
SUPPORT POST to another, searching. He finally spies,
across the garage, NINE LARGE CANISTERS, heavily-WIRED.
Jack runs to the BOMB, frantic. He walks around it.
There's a DIGITAL CLOCK, ticking down from "10:05"...
Jack moves to pull the lid off one CANISTER, looks inside..
TYLER
Could be worse...
Jack looks -- Tyler's seated, his back against one post.
TYLER
You could be standing under 37
stories of steel and concrete with a
150 gallons of nitroglycerin strapped
to the support... oh, maybe it
couldn't be...
JACK
(points at bomb)
You... you can't be serious about
this.
TYLER
What a ridiculous thing to say.
JACK
I can't let you...
TYLER
...go through with this?
What are you going to do?
JACK
I'm going to...
TYLER
...stop me?
JACK
I'm not going...
TYLER
...to let this happen!
JACK
Stop finishing...
TYLER
...your sentences! They're
our sentences. Get your mind around
that.
Tyler gets up walks to Jack.
TYLER
What are you doing running through
the streets in your underpants? We
both use that body.
JACK
Since when is Project Mayhem about
murder?
TYLER
The buildings were evacuated thirty
minutes ago. Everything's proceeding
exactly as planned.
JACK
You don't know that. There could
still be people inside.
Tyler keeps walking around, crosses his arms.
TYLER
Maybe. Maybe a couple of guys with
shaved heads couldn't synchronize
their watches. Good riddance.
Jack looks back to the BOMB, goes to it, wipes sweat off his
face. He starts finger the MANY WIRES, sorting them.
TYLER
I wouldn't be doing that. Unless you
know which wires, in what order...
JACK
If you know, I know.
Jack holds his gun under one armpit, uses both hands to go
through the tangle of colored wires.
TYLER
Or... maybe I knew you'd know, so I
spent the whole day thinking about
the wrong ones.
Jack chooses one wire, GREEN, holds it in his fingers.
JACK
If I'm wrong, we're both dead..
TYLER
This is not about martyrdom.
Jack twists the GREEN WIRE around his finger.
JACK
I'm pulling the green wire.
TYLER
Green? Did you say green?
Tyler comes a little closer, leaning to try to get a look,
seems genuinely concerned.
JACK
Yes...
TYLER
Don't pull the green wire. Pull
anything but the green wire.
JACK
Fuck you.
TYLER
I'm serious. That's the wrong one.
Jack's unsure, swallowing, pulling the wire taunt, fingers
trembling. The SOUND of a VEHICLE is HEARD from below...
TYLER
Hear that? Marla's here. Just in
the nick of time, eh?
Jack looks to Tyler. Tyler points towards the SOUND...
TYLER
See for yourself.
Jack releases the wire, walks to a RAILING, gun in hand,
keeps an eye on Tyler. Jack looks over the railing...
BELOW, a BUS idles. The doors open and MARLA'S dragged out,
kicking and screaming, carried by SIX SPACE MONKEYS...
MARLA
You motherfuckers...
They carry Marla into the BUILDING'S ENTRANCE.
Jack leans against the railing, exhausted.
TYLER
I've got everything. The bombs. The
army. I've got Marla.
JACK
Bob is dead, Tyler. The police blew
a hole in his head. Was that part of
your plan?
Tyler thinks, shrugs.
TYLER
Bob was a grown man. In any great
struggle, there will be casualties.
Wouldn't that be implicit in the
name? Project "Mayhem."
JACK
Fuck your struggle. I want out.
TYLER
You want out?
JACK
I quit.
TYLER
Not an option, for the most obvious
of reasons. You need to get with the
program.
(looks at his watch)
Seven minutes. Let's get out of here.
Tyler's walks away. Jack looks at the gun in his hand. He
points the gun at Tyler...
JACK
Tyler...
TYLER
(still walking away)
What?
JACK
(COCKS the gun)
Defuse the bomb.
Tyler stops walking.
TYLER
Ask me nicely.
JACK
Defuse the bomb, please.
TYLER
Defuse the bomb?
JACK
Yes.
Tyler strides towards the BOMB. Jack trains the gun...
JACK
Please.
Tyler looks at the BOMB, reaches over to it. He grips the
GREEN WIRE, yanks it out -- the CLOCK STOPS.
Jack lowers his gun.
TYLER
I did that for you. As a gesture.
Now, how fast can you run? There are
ten other bombs, in ten other
buildings in the immediate area. If
you're going to get them all, you
better get cracking.
(looks at watch)
Six minutes. Green wires, remember.
I'll be upstairs.
Jack's stunned. Tyler walks across the parking garage, past
Jack, heading for the STAIRS.
Jack aims the gun at Tyler's back, FIRES!
Tyler ducks to one side, impossibly quick, avoiding...
Tyler spins to face Jack.
TYLER
Whoa! What was that all about?
Jack aims... FIRES!
Tyler DODGES behind a post as the BULLET THROWS CONCRETE.
Jack edges forward, gun held in both hands, moves around the
post... Tyler is NOT THERE. Jack turns, takes slow steps,
moving the gun from side to side...
Suddenly, a FIST ENTERS FRAME -- SLUGS Jack's face.
Jack falls. The gun goes CLATTERING across the floor...
Jack turns, looking... Tyler's GONE. Jack looks to the gun,
scrambles to his feet, running to pick up the gun...
Tyler KICKS Jack in the chest, sends Jack sprawling.
Jack rolls, holding his chest. He looks up, sees Tyler run
into the STAIRWELL. Jack grabs the gun and follows...
INT. STAIRWELL
Jack smashes the door open. The stairwell's empty. Jack
RUNS up a flight of stairs, kicks open ANOTHER DOOR...
INT. MAIN LOBBY
Jack steps forward, gun up... TWO INTERLOCKED HANDS SLAM
down onto his head. Jack drops to the floor.
Tyler backs away, laughing. Jack gets to his feet, aims his
gun...
TYLER
Fire at will.
Jack clenches his teeth, FIRING -- nothing happens to Tyler.
Jack FIRES TWICE -- no effect. Tyler raises his arms.
TYLER
What did you expect?
Jack charges. Tyler dodges, PUNCHES, knocks the gun out of
Jack's hand. They FIGHT, trading PUNCHES, grappling, taking
each other to the floor...
CUT TO:
INT. SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Banks of SECURITY MONITORS sit unmanned.
ON ONE MONITOR: Jack is seen in the lobby, on the floor,
alone, wrestling himself. He swings his left hand up,
punching empty air, then swings his right hand -- PUNCHING
himself in the side of the head...
INT. MAIN LOBBY
Tyler and Jack fight viciously, bloodied. Tyler manages to
get his hands around Jack's throat, starts BANGING Jack's
head against the floor...
SECURITY MONITOR P.O.V.
... Jack's got his hands around his own throat, BANGING his
own head against the floor, over and over...
INT. MAIN LOBBY
Jack manages to break Tyler's grip, KICKS Tyler away.
Tyler springs to his feet, RUNS, heading for a STAIRCASE.
Jack gets up, breathing hard, holding his head, follows...
ON THE STAIRS, Tyler reaches the LOFT LEVEL, above the
lobby, disappears around a corner. Jack's right behind,
turning the corner -- Tyler's NOT THERE.
Jack receives a SHARP SLAP on the back of the head. He
wheels. Tyler isn't there. A TAP on his shoulder. Jack
turns around -- WHAM! -- Tyler PUNCHES his face. Jack falls
against the loft railing. Tyler comes forward, SWINGS...
SECURITY MONITOR P.O.V.
Jack PUNCHES himself square in the nose!
INT. MAIN LOBBY
Jack's dazed. Tyler grabs Jack's shirt, pulls him forward,
SWINGS HIM -- THROWS him DOWN THE STAIRS...
Jack TUMBLES horribly down... HITS BOTTOM, striking his head
on the floor. Jack PASSES OUT...
FADE TO BLACK:
INT. LARGE SOCIAL ROOM - TOP FLOOR
CLOSE ON: Jack's head jerks back as he SNAPS AWAKE. He
looks around, trying to focus his eyes...
JACK'S P.O.V. -- TRACKS in the sawdust of the floor, from
where his body was dragged across to where he is how.
CLOSE ON: Jack tries to comprehend. He turns his head --
TYLER'S HAND brings the GUN up, PUTS THE GUN IN JACK'S
MOUTH. Jack freezes, looks around with his eyes...
PULL BACK TO:
Tyler is seated in Jack's lap. Tyler holds the gun in
Jack's mouth, his arm around him. This huge room is being
remodeled. Tyler and Jack are seated near floor-to-ceiling
windows affording a spectacular view of the CITY.
Tyler looks at his watch.
TYLER
One minute.
JACK (V.O.)
I think this is about where we came
in.
TYLER
(looking out window)
This is the beginning. We're at
ground zero. Maybe you should say a
few words, to mark the occasion.
JACK
i... ann....iinn.. ff....nnyin...
Jack tongues the barrel to the side of his mouth.
JACK
(still distorted)
I still can't think of anything.
Tyler checks his watch.
TYLER
It's getting exciting now.
Jack turns, so he can see down -- 31 STORIES.
TYLER
Look what we've accomplished.
(checks watch)
Thirty seconds.
(looks out windows)
Out these windows, we will view the
economic collapse. One step closer
to global equilibrium. I'm glad
you're here with me.
Tyler watches the skyline, WHISTLES at tune, waiting.
JACK
(distorted)
Can't you call it off... ?
TYLER
It's out of our hands.
(looks at watch)
This is it.
JACK
Please...
TYLER
Fifteen seconds now. Can you see
alright? 10... 9... 8....
Tyler looks out the windows, at SURROUNDING BUILDINGS,
excited. Jack closes his eyes, despairing.
TYLER
5... 4... 3... 2...
Out the window, the SKYLINE remains unchanged. Nothing. A
long beat. A very dark scowl comes over Tyler's face.
Jack opens his eyes. More waiting. Tyler looks genuinely
surprised, pissed-off.
TYLER
What the fuck -- ?
JACK
Paraffin.
TYLER
What?
JACK
(relieved)
Paraffin. Your merry band mixed the
nitro with paraffin. I saw it
floating in the bomb.
(more)
JACK (cont)
They must've run out of cotton and
Epsom salt. Paraffin is iffy at best.
Tyler rises, taking the gun from Jack's mouth, starts
pacing. Jack rubs his sore jowls, allows himself a smile.
TYLER
Damn it! God-damn it...
JACK
Not exactly according to plan.
TYLER
Do we have to do everything
ourselves?!
Tyler stops walking, lets out a sigh of disgust. He reaches
into his pocket, taking out a WALKIE TALKIE.
TYLER
(into WALKIE TALKIE)
... Codename Rooster. Passcode First
Strike...
Jack's eyes go wide.
JACK
NO...
TYLER
(into WALKIE TALKIE)
Proceed with remote detonation.
Jack leaps -- TACKLES Tyler. The GUN is knocked away. Jack
STRIKES Tyler's face repeatedly with his elbow, scrambles
off...
Jack gets the gun, turns, pointing it. Tyler's getting to
his feet, sees the gun, annoyed. Jack stands.
TYLER
Haven't we already done this?
Jack SHOOTS TWICE. Bullets pass right thorough Tyler.
Tyler just rolls his eyes, drops the walkie-talkie to the
floor and STOMPS on it, CRUSHING it.
JACK
(pointing)
How'd you do that?! You're a fucking
figment of my imagination... you're
psychogenic fugue state...
TYLER
Fuck that, maybe you're my
hallucination.
Jack falters, pointing at Tyler's feet. There's no walkie-
talkie there. Jack looks down, sees the WALKIE-TALKIE
CRUSHED under his own foot.
JACK
Oh... Christ...
Jack holds his head, walks around, at his wit's end.
JACK
Why... why... why... ?
TYLER
Why what?
JACK
Why can't I get rid of you? Why
can't I just wish you away?
TYLER
You need me.
JACK
No, no, I don't.
(pause)
I thank you, I really do. Thank you,
but I don't need you anymore.
TYLER
Look, I can be selfish, I know that.
(pause)
I'm not blind to my own failings...
JACK
Noooo, please...
Jack backs up against a window, numb and weary.
TYLER
From now on, we'll share Marla.
We've been spending too much time
apart...
JACK
... no, no, no...
TYLER
No more running off without you.
From here on out, we do it together.
JACK
Why are you doing this?!
TYLER
I'm doing this for us.
JACK
Please understand... I've gotten all
I can from this, Tyler.
TYLER
(sullen)
If I leave, you will be right back
where I found you...
JACK
I swear on my life, I won't...
TYLER
You will. You know you will.
Jack stares at Tyler, tears welling up, hangs his head. He
looks at the gun in his hand...
TYLER
Can you live with that?
Jack stares at the gun a long time... then...
Jack brings the gun up, PUTS THE GUN IN HIS MOUTH.
Tyler cocks his head.
TYLER
What are you doing?
JACK
What have you left for me?
TYLER
Why do you want to do that? Why do
you want to put that gun in your
mouth?
JACK
Not my mouth. Our mouth.
Tyler is calm.
TYLER
This is interesting.
Tyler smiles in appreciation, slowly walks forward, stands
very close to Jack.
TYLER
Why are you going with this, Ikea-
boy?
JACK
It's the only way to get rid of you...
Jack COCKS the hammer on the gun.
TYLER
I can see you feel very strongly. I
feel strongly too.
(pause)
Hey, you and me.
(pause)
Friends again?
Their eyes are locked, unblinking. Long silence.
JACK
Do something for me.
TYLER
What?
JACK
Appreciate something.
TYLER
What?
JACK
Look at me...
TYLER
What?
JACK
My eyes are open.
EXTREME SLOW MOTION:
Jack's finger squeezes the trigger...
KABLAM! -- Jack's cheeks INFLATE with gas. His eyes bulge.
BLOOD flies out from his head. The WINDOW behind him
SHATTERS. SMOKE wafts out of his mouth and tear ducts.
RESUME NORMAL SPEED as the GLASS FALLS behind Jack...
Tyler stands, in gunsmoke, eyes glazed, sniffs the air...
TYLER
What's that smell... ?
Jack slumps to the floor... Tyler falls...
Tyler hits the ground. The back of TYLER'S HEAD is BLOWN
OPEN, revealing blood, skull and brain.
Suddenly, a GROUP of SPACE MONKEYS burst into the room,
moving forward to Jack. TYLER'S BODY IS GONE.
TALL SPACE MONKEY
Are you all right, sir... ?!
Jack quakes, holding the side of his head; a ragged hole
blown in his CHEEK. He's bleeding hard, but he's alive.
JACK
I'm okay...
Jack looks to the Space Monkeys, trying to get his eyes to
see. TWO SPACE MONKEYS enter with Marla. One holds a gun
to Marla as she struggles.
SHORT SPACE MONKEY
Are you sure? You look terrible,
sir! What's happened?
JACK
Everything's fine.
ANOTHER SPACE MONKEY
Sir, you look really awful! Do you
need medical assistance?
Jack sees Marla, tries to get to his feet, falls...
JACK
Bring the girl to me. The rest of
you get out. Now!
The Monkeys bring Marla, releasing her, saluting.
MARLA
What happened... ?
JACK
Don't ask.
Marla crouches, takes out wadded TISSUES and tries to apply.
them to Jack's wound. Space Monkeys are leaving, hesitantly.
JACK
Get to the rendezvous point. Move it!
Jack and Marla are left alone.
MARLA
My God, you're shot...
JACK
Yes.
Jack tries to got up. Marla helps him.
MARLA
Who did this to you?
JACK
I did, I think. But, I'm okay... I'm
fine...
MASSIVE EXPLOSION... the glass walls rattle...
Jack and Marla look -- OUT THE WINDOWS: a BUILDING EXPLODES;
collapsing upon itself. Then, ANOTHER BUILDING IMPLODES
into a massive cloud of dust. Jack and Marla are
silhouetted against the SKYLINE. Jack looks to Marla,
reaches to take her hand.
JACK
I'm sorry... you met me at a very
strange time in my life.
Marla looks at him. ANOTHER BUILDING IMPLODES and COLLAPSES
inward... and ANOTHER BUILDING... and ANOTHER...
The FILM SLOWS, then ADVANCES ONE FRAME at a TIME -- SHOWING
SPROCKET HOLES on the SIDES. EACH FRAME is an IMPLODING
BUILDING -- then, ONE FRAME IS A PENIS. Then, the IMPLODING
BUILDING again. SPEED UP the frames, LOSE the sprocket
holes, RESUME NORMAL SPEED...
FADE TO BLACK:
end
--------------------------------------------------------------F I G H T C L U B
by Jim Uhls
based on a novel by Chuck Palahnuik
2/16/98
--------------------------------------------------------------
SCREEN BLACK
JACK (V.O.)
People were always asking me, did I
know Tyler Durden.
FADE IN:
INT. SOCIAL ROOM - TOP FLOOR OF HIGH RISE -- NIGHT
TYLER has one arm around Jack's shoulder; the other hand
holds a HANDGUN with the barrel lodged in JACK'S MOUTH.
Tyler is sitting in Jack's lap.
They are both sweating and disheveled, both around 30; Tyler
is blond, handsome; and Jack, brunette, is appealing in a
dry sort of way. Tyler looks at his watch.
TYLER
One minute.
(looking out window)
This is the beginning. We're at
ground zero. Maybe you should say a
few words, to mark the occasion.
JACK
... i... ann....iinn.. ff....nnyin...
JACK (V.O.)
With a gun barrel between your teeth,
you only speak in vowels.
Jack tongues the barrel to the side of his mouth.
JACK
(still distorted)
I can't think of anything.
JACK (V.O.)
With my tongue, I can feel the
rifling in the barrel. For a second,
I totally forgot about Tyler's whole
controlled demolition thing and I
wondered how clean this gun is.
Tyler checks his watch.
TYLER
It's getting exciting now.
JACK (V.O.)
That old saying, how you always hurt
the one you love, well, it works both
way.
Jack turns so that he can see down -- 31 STORIES.
JACK (V.O.)
We have front row seats for this
Theater of Mass Destruction. The
Demolitions Committee of Project
Mayhem wrapped the foundation columns
of ten buildings with blasting
gelatin. In two minutes, primary
charges will blow base charges, and
those buildings will be reduced to
smoldering rubble. I know this
because Tyler knows this.
TYLER
Look what we've accomplised.
(checks watch)
Thirty seconds.
JACK (V.O.)
Somehow, I realize all of this -- the
gun, the bombs, the revolution -- is
really about Marla Singer.
PULL BACK from Jack's face. It's pressed against TWO LARGE
BREASTS that belong to...BOB, 45, a moose of a man. Jack is
engulfed by Bob in an intense embrace. Bob weeps openly.
JACK (V.O.)
Bob had bitch tits.
PULL BACK to wide on...
INT. CHURCH MEETING ROOM - NIGHT
Men are paired off, hugging, talking in emotional tones.
Near the door, a SIGN on a stand: "REMAINING MEN TOGETHER."
JACK (V.O.)
This was a support group for men with
testicular cancer. The big moosie
slobbering all over me was Bob.
BOB
We're still men.
JACK
Yes. We're men. Men is what we are.
JACK (V.O.)
Six months ago, Bob's testicles were
removed. Then hormone therapy. He
developed bitch tits because his
testosterone was too high and his
body upped the estrogen. That was
where my head fit -- into his huge,
sweating tits that hung enormous, the
way we think of God's as big.
BOB
They're gonna have to open my pec's
again to drain the fluid.
Bob hugs tighter; then looks with empathy into Jack's eyes.
BOB
Okay. You cry now.
Jack looks at Bob.
JACK (V.O.)
Wait. Back up. Let me start earlier.
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Jack lies in bed, staring at the ceiling.
JACK (V.O.)
For six months. I could not sleep.
INT. COPY ROOM - DAY
Jack, sleepy, stands over a copy machine. His Starbucks cup
sits on the lid, moving back and forth as the machine copies.
JACK (V.O.)
With insomnia, nothing is real.
Everything is far away. Everything
is a copy of a copy of a copy.
Other people make copies, all with Starbucks cups, sipping.
Jack picks up his cup and his copies and leaves.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - SAME
Jack, sipping, stares blankly at a Starbucks bag on the
floor, full of newspapers and FAST FOOD GARBAGE.
JACK (V.O.)
When deep space exploration ramps up,
it will be corporations that name
everything. The IBM Stellar Sphere.
The Philip Morris Galaxy. Planet
Starbucks.
Jack looks up as a pudgy man, Jack's BOSS, enters, Starbucks
cup in hand, and slides a stack of reports on Jack's desk.
BOSS
I'm going to need you out-of-town a
little more this week. We've got
some "red-flags" to cover.
JACK (V.O.)
It must've been Tuesday. he was
wearing his "cornflower-blue" tie.
JACK
(listless management speak)
You want me to de-prioritize my
current reports until you advise of
a status upgrade?
BOSS
You need to make these your primary
"action items."
JACK (V.O.)
He was full of pep. Must've had his
grande latte enema.
BOSS
Here are your flight coupons. Call
me from the road if there are any
snags. Your itinerary...
Jack hides a yawn, pretends to listen.
INT. BATHROOM - JACK'S CONDO - NIGHT
Jack sits on the toilet, CORDLESS PHONE to his ear, flips
through an IKEA catalog. There's a stack of old Playboy
magazines and other catalogs nearby.
JACK (V.O.)
Like everyone else, I had become a
slave to the IKEA nesting instinct.
JACK
(into phone)
Yes. I'd like to order the Erika
Pekkari slip covers.
Jack drops the open catalog on the floor.
MOVE IN ON CATALOG -- ON PHOTO of COFFEETABLE SET...
JACK (V.O.)
If I saw something like clever coffee
table sin the shape of a yin and
yang, I had to have it.
PAN TO PHOTO of ARMCHAIR...
JACK (V.O.)
Like the Johanneshov armchair in the
Strinne green stripe pattern...
INT. LIVING ROOM/DINING AREA/KITCHEN
The armchair APPEARS. PAN OVER next to armchair...
JACK (V.O.)
Or the Rislampa wire lamps of
environmentally-friendly unbleached
paper.
The lamps APPEAR. PAN OVER to wall...
JACK (V.O.)
Even the Vild hall clock of
galvanized steel, resting on the
Klipsk shelving unit.
The clock APPEARS as the shelving unit APPEARS on the wall.
JACK (V.O.)
I would flip through catalogs and
wonder, "What kind of dining set
defines me as a person?" We used to
read pornography. Now it was the
Horchow Collection.
A dining room set APPEARS. Jack, the cordless phone still
glued to his ear, walks INTO FRAME and continues.
JACK
No, I don't want Cobalt. Oh, that
sounds nice. Apricot.
Jack opens a cabinet, takes out a plate.
JACK (V.O.)
I had it all. Even the glass dishes
with tiny bubbles and imperfections,
proof they were crafted by the
honest, simple, hard-working
indigenous peoples of wherever.
He rummages through the refrigerator. It's practically
empty. Jack takes out a jar of mustard, opens it and uses
a butter knife to eat it.
INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack, eyes puffy, face pale, sits before an INTERN, who
studies him with bemusement.
INTERN
No, you can't die of insomnia.
JACK
Maybe I died already. Look at my
face.
INTERN
You need to lighten up.
JACK
Can't you give me something?
JACK (V.O.)
Red-and-blue Tuinal, lipstick-red
Seconals.
INTERN
(overlapping w/ above)
You need healthy, natural sleep.
Chew valerian root and get some more
exercise.
The Intern ushes Jack to the door. They step into the...
INT. HALLWAY
The Intern walks away from Jack, picks up a chart.
JACK
I'm in pain.
INTERN
(facetious)
You want to see pain? Swing by First
Methodist Tuesday nights. See the
guys with testicular cancer. That's
pain.
The Intern moves into the other room. Jack stares after him.
EXT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH - NIGHT
Jack heads for the front door.
INT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH MEETING ROOM - NIGHT
Jack stares at a group of men, including Bob, who are all
listening to a group member speak at a lectern. The SPEAKER
has pale skin and sunken eyes -- he's clearly dying.
SPEAKER
I... wanted three kids. Two boys and
a girl. Mindy wanted two girls and
one boy. We never could agree on
anything.
The Speaker cracks a sad smile. Some men chuckle, happy to
lighten the mood.
SPEAKER
Well, she had her first child a month
ago, a girl, with her new husband...
And, Thank God. I'm glad for her,
because she deserves...
The speaker breaks down, WEEPS UNCONTROLLABLY.
Jack watches. A couple of the men go up to the speaker,
comforting him, leading him away. A LEADER takes the stand.
LEADER
Everyone, let's thank Thomas for
sharing himself with us.
Jack, uncomfortable, joins EVERYONE ELSE:
EVERYONE
(in unison)
Thank you, Thomas.
LEADER
I look around this room and I see a
lot of courage. And it gives me
strength. We give each other
strength.
Jack looks around. Many of the men are sniffling, sobbing.
Jack squirms in his seat.
LEADER
It's time for the one-on-one. Let's
follow Thomas's example and open
ourselves.
Everyone gets out of their chairs and begins pairing-off.
Jack stands, uncomfortable.
LEADER
Can everyone find a partner?
Bob, his chin down on his chest, starts toward Jack,
shuffling his feet.
JACK (V.O.)
The big moosie, his eyes already
shrink-wrapped in tears. Knees
together, invisible steps.
Bob takes Jack into an embrace.
JACK (V.O.)
Bob was a champion bodybuilder. You
know that chest expansion program you
see on TV? That was his idea.
BOB
...using steroids. I was a juicer.
Diabonol, then, Wisterol -- it's for
racehorses, for Christsake. Now I'm
bankrupt, divorced, my two grown kids
won't return my calls...
JACK (V.O.)
Strangers with this kind of honesty
make me go a big rubbery one.
Bob breaks into sobbing, putting his head on Jack's shoulder
and completely covering Jack's face. After a long beat of
crying, Bob raises up his head, looks at Jack's NAMETAG.
BOB
Go ahead, Cornelius. You can cry.
They look at each other. Slowly, Jack's eyes grow wet.
JACK (V.O.)
Then... something happened. I was
lost in oblivion -- dark and silent
and complete.
Bob pulls Jack's head back into his chest. Jack tightens
his arms around Bob.
JACK (V.O.)
I found freedom. Losing all hope was
freedom.
Jack pulls away from Bob. On Bob's chest, there's a WET
MASK of Jack's face from how he looks weeping.
JACK (V.O.)
Babies don't sleep this well.
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Jack lies sound asleep.
JACK (V.O.)
I became addicted.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT
Jack moves into a "group hug" of sickly people, men and
women. In view is a sign by the door "Free and Clear."
INT. OFFICE BUILDING BASEMENT - NIGHT
Jack stands with a weeping middle-aged WOMAN. He begins to
cry along with her. A sign by the door: "Onward and Upward."
JACK (V.O.)
If I didn't say anything, people
assumed the worst. They cried
harder. I cried harder.
INT. PUBLIC BUILDING CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
Everyone, including Jack, sits back in their seats, EYES
CLOSED. The Leader speaks into a microphone.
LEADER
Tonight, we're going to open the
green door -- the heart chakra...
JACK (V.O.)
I wasn't really dying, I wasn't host
to cancer or parasites; I was the
warm little center that the life of
this world crowded around.
LEADER
...And you open the door and you
step inside. We're inside our
hearts. Now, imaging your pain as a
white ball of healing light. That's
right, the pain itself is a ball of
healing light.
Jack, eyes closed, is silent...
LEADER
It moves over your body, healing you.
Keep this going and step forward,
through the back door of the room.
Where does it lead? To your cave.
Step forward into your cave.
INT. CAVE - JACK'S IMAGINATION
Jack walks along, moving through an ICE CAVERN...
LEADER'S VOICE
That's right. You're going deeper
into your cave. And you're going to
find your power animal...
Jack comes upon a PENGUIN. The penguin looks at him, cocks
his head to signal Jack forward.
PENGUIN
Slide.
The penguin jumps onto a patch of ICE and slides away.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Jack walks out a doorway, saying goodbye to people. He
walks down the sidewalk, shining with peace.
JACK (V.O.)
Every evening I died and every
evening I was born again. Resurrected.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH MEETING ROOM - RESUMING
Jack's still in an embrace with Bob.
JACK (V.O.)
Bob loved me because he thought my
testicles were removed too. Being
there, my face against his tits,
ready to cry -- this was my vacation.
MARLA SINGER enters. She has short matte black hair and
big, dark eyes like a character from japanese animation.
JACK (V.O.)
And, she ruined everything.
Marla looks around, raises a cigarette to her lips.
MARLA
This is cancer, right?
Bob and Jack stare, dumbfounded.
INT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH MEETING ROOM - LATER
Everyone paired-off. MOVE THROUGH ROOM... FIND JACK'S FACE
as he stares... MOVE THROUGH ROOM... FIND MARLA'S FACE.
She's drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette.
JACK (V.O.)
This ... chick ... Marla Singer ...
did not have testicular cancer. She
was a liar.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT
Marla sits with the group, smoking, listening intently while
a member speaks. Jack spies on her.
JACK (V.O.)
She had no diseases at all. I had
seen her at my melanoma Monday night
group ...
INT. CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL - NIGHT
Marla sits at the end of a row, smoking. All the faces down
the row are turned toward her, incredulous...
JACK (V.O.)
... and at "Free and Clear," my blood
parasites group Thursdays.
Jack leans out further than the others, scornful.
JACK (V.O.)
-- And, again, at "Seize The Day," my
tuberculosis Friday night.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH MEETING ROOM - ANOTHER NIGHT
Jack watches... Marla's eyes are closed, her head on the
shoulder of the MAN she's embraced by. She opens her eyes,
catching Jack's stare. Jack looks away.
JACK (V.O.)
Marla -- the big tourist. Her lie
reflected my lie.
Marla rests her chin on the man's shoulder. Tears roll down
her cheeks. She wipes at them.
EXT. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH - NIGHT
Marla walks out, The support group's dispersing. Jack
exits amongst them. He spots Marla walking away.
JACK (V.O.)
And suddenly, I felt nothing. I
couldn't cry. So, once again, I
could not sleep.
Jack stares after Marla for a long moment. He walks away.
INT. BEDROOM - LATER
Jack, in underwear, is cross-legged on the floor, assembling
IKEA furniture, CORDLESS PHONE shouldered to his ear.
JACK
(into phone)
No, I just can't believe that card is
declined -- Okay, okay, let me give
you a different card number.
Jack gets his wallet off the floor, pulls out another card
and, MOS over the following, he reads it into the phone.
JACK (V.O.)
Next group, after guided meditation,
after we open our chakras, when it's
time to hug, I'm going to grab that
little bitch, Marla Singer, pin her
arms against her sides and say...
INT. MEETING ROOM - NIGHT - JACK'S IMAGINATION
CLOSE ON JACK as he CLAMPS his arms around Marla.
JACK
Marla, you liar, you big tourist. I
need this. Get out.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Jack, in pajamas, stares at Home Shopping Network on his TV.
JACK (V.O.)
When you have insomnia, you're never
really asleep and you're never really
awake. I hadn't slept in four days...
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT
Jack walks in and joins the crowd, looking around. People
are chattering with each other.
JACK (V.O.)
-- But, in here, in everyone, there's
the squint of a five-day headache.
Yet they forced themselves to be
positive. They never said
"parasite;" they said "agent." They
always talked about getting better.
LEADER
Okay, everyone.
Everyone sits in chairs. Jack catches sight of Marla.
LEADER
To open tonight's communion, Chloe
would like to say a few words.
Taking the lectern is CHLOE, a pale, sickly girl whose skin
stretches yellowish and tight over her bones. She wears a
head bondage. She clears her throat.
JACK (V.O.)
Ahh, Chloe. Chloe looked the way
Joni Mitchell's skeleton would look
if you made it smile and walk around
a party being extra nice to everyone.
CHLOE
Well, I'm still here -- but I don't
know for how long. That's as much
certainty as anyone can give me. but
I've got some good news -- I no
longer have any fear of death.
APPLAUSE from around the room.
CHLOE
But... I am in a pretty lonely place.
No one will have sex with me. I'm so
close to the end and all I want is to
get laid for the last time. I have
pornographic movies in my apartment,
and lubricants and amyl nitrate ...
The LEADER gingerly takes control of the microphone.
LEADER
Thank you, Chloe. Everyone, let's
thank Chloe.
EVERYONE
Thank you, Chloe.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - LATER
LEADER
Now, you're standing at the entrance
to your cave. You step inside your
cave and you walk. Keep walking.
Jack's face, eyes closed, is motionless.
JACK (V.O.)
If I did have a tumor, I'd name it
Marla. Marla...the little scratch on
the roof of your mouth that would
heal if only you could stop tonguing
it, but you can't.
LEADER
Now, find your power animal.
INT. CAVE - JACK'S IMAGINATION
Jack finds Marla smoking a cigarette. Marla cocks her head,
indicating whe wants him to --
MARLA
Slide.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - RESUMING
Jack's eyes open and turn to Marla, watching her blow smoke
rings with her eyes closed.
INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - LATER
Everyone stands and mills about, pairing-off.
LEADER
Pick someone special to you tonight.
Jack sees the ghastly spectre of Chloe ambling towards him.
He tries to smile. She smiles with a twisted, dying mouth.
CHLOE
Hello, Mr. Tayler.
JACK (V.O.)
I never gave my real name at support
groups.
JACK
Hi, Chloe.
CHLOE
We've never actually talked.
Chloe's eyes are eerily bright with desperation. Jack, in
a sincere attempt at levity, chokes out:
JACK
You look good. You ... look ... like
a pirate.
Chloe laughs, a little too much. Jack squeezes out a laugh.
Then he sees Marla, off by herself. Someone heads for her.
JACK
Excuse me, I have to...
Jack gives a quick nod to Chloe and darts towards Marla.
Chloe watches him go.
STAY ON JACK AND MARLA as Jack CLAMPS his arms around her.
He whispers into her ear.
JACK
We need to talk.
MARLA
Sure.
JACK
I'm on to you. You're a faker. You
aren't dying.
MARLA
What?
JACK
Okay, in the Sylvia Plath philosophy
way, we're all dying. But you're not
dying the way Chloe is dying.
LEADER
Tell the other person how you feel.
JACK
You're a tourist. I saw you at
melanoma, tuberculosis and testicular
cancer.
MARLA
And I saw you practicing this...
JACK
Practicing what?
MARLA
Telling me off. Is it going as well
as you hoped... ?
(reads his nametag)
"... Mr. Taylor."
JACK
I'll expose you.
MARLA
Go ahead. I'll expose you.
LEADER
Share yourself completely.
Marla puts her head down on Jack's shoulder as if she were
crying. Jack pulls her head back up. She deadpans at him.
JACK
Why are you doing this?
MARLA
It's cheaper than a movie, and
there's free coffee.
JACK
These are my groups. I was here
first. I've been coming for a year.
MARLA
A year? How'd you manage that?
JACK
Anyone who might've noticed either
died or recovered and never came back.
LEADER
Let yourself cry.
MARLA
Why do you do it?
JACK
I... I don't know. I guess... when
people think you're dying, they
really listen, instead...
MARLA
-- Instead of just waiting for their
turn to speak.
JACK
Yeah.
Brief recognition between them, broken as the Leader passes.
LEADER
Quietly, now. Share with each other.
Jack waits till the Leader's out of earshot.
JACK
(warning)
It becomes an addiction.
MARLA
Really?
Jack sighs, then pulls back.
JACK
Look, I can't cry with a faker
present.
MARLA
Candy-stripe a cancer ward. It's not
my problem.
JACK
Please. Can't we do something... ?
Marla starts out of the room. Jack follows her.
LEADER
Now, the closing prayer.
EXT. CHURCH - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS
Marla gets to the sidewalk, moving quickly along.
JACK
We'll split up the week. You can
have lymphoma, tuberculosis and --
MARLA
You take tuberculosis. My smoking
doesn't go over at all.
JACK
I think testicular cancer should be
no contest.
MARLA
Well, technically, I have more of a
right to be there than you. You
still have your balls.
JACK
You're kidding.
MARLA
I don't know -- am I?
Jack follow Marla into...
INT. LAUNDROMAT - CONTINUOUS
Marla walks with authority up to an unwatched DRYER. She
takes out clothes, picks out jeans, pants and shirts.
MARLA
I'll take the parasites.
JACK
You can't have both parasites. You
can take blood parasites --
MARLA
I want brain parasites.
JACK
Okay. I'll take blood parasites and
organic brain dementia --
MARLA
I want that.
JACK
You can't have the whole brain!
MARLA
So far, you have four and I only have
two!
JACK
Then, take blood parasites. It's
yours. Now we each have three.
Marla gathers the chosen garments and heads out past Jack...
EXT. SIDEWALK - CONTINUOUS
Jack follows, bewildered.
JACK
You... left half your clothes.
HONK! Jack starts. Marla's led him into the street with
traffic barreling down.
Marla walks on, oblivious as CARS screech to a halt, HORNS
BLARING. Jack dashes, following...
INT. THRIFT STORE - CONTINUOUS
Marla drops the pile of clothes on a counter. An old CLERK
sifts through the clothes, begins writing on a pad.
JACK
You're selling those?
Marla steps down hard on Jack's foot. He winces in pain.
MARLA
(for the Clerk to hear)
Yes, I'm selling some chothes.
The Clerk starts to ring up the assessed amounts.
MARLA
So, we each have three -- that's six.
What about the seventh day? I want
ascending bowel cancer.
JACK (V.O.)
The girl had done her homework.
JACK
I want ascending bowel cancer.
The Clerk gives a strange look as he hands money to Marla.
MARLA
That's your favorite, too? Tried to
slip it by me, eh?
JACK
We'll split it. You get it the first
and third Sunday of the month.
MARLA
Deal.
They shake. Jack tries to withdraw his hand; Marla holds it.
MARLA
Looks like this is goodbye.
JACK
Let's not make a big thing out of it.
She walks to the door, pocketing money, not looking back.
MARLA
How's this for not making a big thing?
Jack watches her go. A moment, then he follows after...
EXT. SIDEWALK - CONTINUOUS
Jack hesitates, unsure, then run/walks to catch up to her...
JACK
Um... Marla, should we maybe exchange
numbers?
MARLA
Should we?
JACK
In case we want to switch nights.
MARLA
I suppose.
Jack takes out a business card, writes his number on the
back, hands it to her. She takes the pen, grabs his hand
and writes her number on his palm. She walks into the
street, causing more SCREECHING and HONKING. She turns,
holds up the card.
MARLA
It doesn't have your name. Who are
you? Cornelius? Mr. Taylor? Dr.
Zaius? Any of the stupid names you
give each night?
Jack starts to answer, but the traffic noise is too loud.
Marla just shakes her head, turns, and keeps moving. A BUS
moves into view, obscuring her.
JACK (V.O.)
This is how I met Marla Singer.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - DAY
The plane touches down; the cabin BUMPS. Jack's eyes open.
JACK (V.O.)
You wake up at O'Hare.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - DAY
Jack snaps awake again, looking around, disoriented.
JACK (V.O.)
You wake up at SeaTac.
EXT. HIGHWAY - DUSK
The rear of a CRASHED CAR sticks up by the side of the road.
Jack stands, marking on a clipboard. The SUN SETS behind.
INT. AIRPORT - NIGHT
Jack stands at a gate counter. An ATTENDANT smiles at him.
ATTENDANT
Check-in for that flight doesn't
begin for another two hours, Sir.
Jack looks with blearing eyes at his watch, steps away and
looks at an overhanging CLOCK.
JACK (V.O.)
Pacific, Mountain, Central. Lose an
hour, gain an hour. This is your
life, and it's ending one minute at
a time.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - DAY
Jack's eyes snap open as the plane LANDS.
JACK (V.O.)
You wake up at Air Harbor
International.
INT. AIRPORT WALKWAY
Jack stands on a conveyor belt, briefcase at his feet. He
watches PEOPLE MOVING PAST on the opposite conveyor.
JACK (V.O.)
If you wake up at a different time
and in a different place, could you
wake up as a different person?
Jack misses seeing TYLER on the opposite conveyor belt.
They pass each other.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT
Jack sits next to a BUSINESSMAN. As they have idle
CONVERSATION, we MOVE IN ON Jack's tray. An ATTENDANT'S
HANDS set coffee down with a small container of cream.
JACK (V.O.)
Everywhere I travel -- tiny life.
Single-serving sugar, single-serving
cream, single pat of butter.
CUT TO:
HANDS place a dinner tray down.
JACK (V.O.)
Microwave Cordon Bleu hobby kit.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - BATHROOM - NIGHT
Jack brushes his teeth in the MIRROR.
JACK (V.O.)
Shampoo/conditioner combo. Single-
serving mouthwash, tiny bar of soap.
Jack picks up an individual, wrapped Q-TIP, looks at it. He
moves out of the bathroom into...
MAIN ROOM
Jack sits on the bed. He turns on the TV. It's tuned to
the "Sheraton Channel," shows WAITERS serving people in a
large BANQUET ROOM. Jack stops brushing his teeth, feels
something on the bed, lifts it -- a small DINNER MINT.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT
Jack sits next to a frumpy WOMAN. They chat. Jack turns to
look at his food, takes a bite. He turns back and it's...
--a BALD MAN next to him, talking. Jack takes another bite,
turns back and it's...
--a BUSINESSMAN next to him. Jack takes another bite, turns
back, and it's...
--a BUSINESS WOMAN next to him.
JACK (V.O.)
The people I meet on each flight --
they're single-serving friends.
Between take-off and landing, we have
our time together, but that's all we
get.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - LANDING
Jack's eyes snap open.
JACK (V.O.)
You wake up at Logan.
INT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
A giant corrugated METAL DOOR opens.
JACK (V.O.)
On a long enough time line, the
survival rate for everyone drops to
zero.
Two TECHNICIANS lead Jack to the BURNT-OUT SHELL of a
WRECKED AUTOMOBILE. Jack sets down his briefcase, opens it
and starts to make notes on a CLIPBOARDED FORM.
JACK (V.O.)
I'm a recall coordinator. My job is
to apply the formula. It's a story
problem.
TECHNICIAN #1
Here's where the infant went through
the windshield. Three points.
JACK (V.O.)
A new car built by my company leaves
somewhere traveling at 60 miles per
hour. The rear differential locks up.
TECHNICIAN #2
The teenager's braces around the
backseat ashtray would make a good
"anti-smoking" ad.
JACK (V.O.)
The car crashes and burns with
everyone trapped inside. Now: do we
initiate a recall?
TECHNICIAN #1
The father must've been huge. See
how the fat burnt into the driver's
seat with his polyester shirt? Very
"modern art."
JACK (V.O.)
Take the number of vehicles in the
field, (A), and multiply it by the
probable rate of failure, (B), then
multiply the result by the average
out-of-court settlement, (C). A
times B times C equals X...
CUT TO:
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - MOVING DOWN RUNWAY
Jack is speaking to the BUSINESSWOMAN next to him.
JACK
If X is less than the cost of a
recall, we don't do one.
BUSISNESS WOMAN
Are there a lot of these kinds of
accidents?
JACK
Oh, you wouldn't believe.
BUSINESS WOMAN
... Which... car company do you work
for?
JACK
A major one.
Turgid silence. Jack turns to the window. He sees a
PELICAN get SUCKED into the TURBINE.
JACK (V.O.)
Every time the plane banked too
sharply on take-off or landing, I
prayed for a crash, or a mid-air
collision -- anything.
Jack's face remains bland during the following: the plane
BUCKLES -- the cabin wobbles. People panic. Masks drop.
JACK (V.O.)
No more haircuts. Nothing matters,
not even bad breath.
The side of the plane SHEARS OFF! Screaming PASSENGERS are
sucked out into the night air, flying past the quivering
wind. Magazines and other objects fly everywhere.
JACK (V.O.)
Life insurance pays off triple if you
die on a business trip.
Jack remains in his same position, same bland expression.
DING! -- the seatbelt light goes OUT. Jack SNAPS AWAKE.
EVERYTHING IS NORMAL. Some passengers get out of their
seats. From next to Jack, a VOICE we've heard before...
VOICE
There are three ways to make napalm.
One, mix equal parts of gasoline and
frozen orange juice...
Jack turns to see TYLER. Without turned to Jack, Tyler
continues:
TYLER
Two, equal parts gasoline and diet
cola. Three, dissolve kitty-litter
in gasoline until the mixture is
thick.
JACK
Pardon me?
Tyler turns to Jack.
JACK (V.O.)
This is how I met --
TYLER
Tyler Durden.
Tyler offers his hand. Jack takes it.
TYLER
You know why they have oxygen masks
on planes?
JACK
No, supply oxygen?
TYLER
Oxygen gets you high. In a
catastrophic emergency, we're taking
giant, panicked breaths...
Tyler grabs a safety instruction CARD from the seatback,
hands it to Jack.
TYLER
Suddenly, we become euphoic and
docile. We accept our fate.
Tyler points to passive faces on the drawn figures.
TYLER
Emergency water landing, 600 miles
per hour. Blank faces -- calm as
Hindu cows.
Jack laughs.
JACK
What do you do, Tyler?
TYLER
What do you want me to do?
JACK
I mean -- for a living.
TYLER
Why? So you can say, "Oh, that's
what you do." -- And be a smug little
shit about it?
Jack laughs. Tyler reaches under the seat in front of him
and lifts a BRIEFCASE.
TYLER
You have a kind of sick desperation
in your laugh.
Jack points to his own briefcase.
JACK
We have the same briefcase.
Tyler turns the top of his briefcase toward Jack.
TYLER
Open it.
Jack looks at Tyler, then pops the latches and raises the
lid to reveal quaintly-wrapped bars of SOAP.
TYLER
Soap -- the yardstick of civilization.
(reaches in his pocket)
I make and sell soap...
Tyler hands Jack his card. "THE PAPER STREET SOAP COMPANY."
TYLER
If you were to add nitric acid to the
soap-making process, one would get
nitroglycerin. With enough soap, one
could blow up the world, if one were
so inclined.
Tyler SNAPS the briefcase shut. Jack stares.
JACK
Tyler, you are by far the most
interesting "single-serving" friend
I've ever met.
Tyler stares back. Jack, enjoying his own chance to be
witty, leans closer to Tyler.
JACK
You see, when you travel, everything
is small, self-contained--
TYLER
The spork. I get it. You're very
clever.
JACK
Thank you.
TYLER
How's that working out for you?
JACK
What?
TYLER
Being clever.
JACK
(thrown)
Well, uh... great.
TYLER
Keep it up, then. Keep it right up.
Tyler stands, looks towards the aisle.
TYLER
... As I squeeze past, do I give you
the ass or the crotch?
Tyler moves to the aisle, his ass toward jack, walks away...
TYLER
We are defined by the choices we make.
Tyler goes to the curtain dividing First Class, slaps the
curtain aside and sits in an empty seat. Jack watches.
JACK (V.O.)
How I came to live with Tyler is:
airlines have this policy about
vibrating luggage.
INT. BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA - NIGHT
Utterly empty of baggage. No people except for Jack and a
SECURITY TASK FORCE MAN. The Security TFM, smirking, holds
a receiver to his ear from an official phone on the wall.
SECURITY TFM
(to Jack)
Throwers don't worry about ticking.
Modern bombs don't tick.
JACK
Excuse me? "Throwers?"
SECURITY TFM
Baggage handlers. But when a
suitcase vibrates, the throwers have
to call the police.
JACK
My suitcase was vibrating?
SECURITY TFM
Nine time out of ten, it's an
electric razor. But, every once in
a while ...
(whispers)
...it's a dildo. It's airline policy
not to imply ownership in the event
of a dildo. We use the indefinite
aricle: "A dildo." Never "Your
dildo."
Jack sees, through the window, Tyler, at the curb, throwing
his briefcase into the back of a shiny, red CONVERTIBLE.
Tyler leaps over the door into the driver's seat and PEELS
OUT. jack turns away, looks at the Security TFM.
In the background, a HARRIED MAN dashes after Tyler and the
convertible, SCREAMING.
JACK
(to Security TFM)
I had everything in that bag. My
C.K. shirts... my D.K.N.Y. shoes...
SECURITY TFM
(into phone)
Yeah, uh huh... yeah?
(pause, still on phone)
Oh...
EXT. EMPTY RUNWAY
A lone SUITCASE sits on the concrete. SECURITY PERSONNEL
keep their distance. KABOOM! The suitcase explodes.
INT. BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA - RESUMING
The Security TFM, shakes his head, hangs up.
SECURITY TFM
I'm terribly sorry.
The Security TFM hands Jack a claim form. Jack snatches it,
disgusted, takes out a pen, starts filling out the form.
SECURITY TFM
You know the industry slang for
"Flight Attendant?" "Air Mattress."
INT. TAXI - MOVING - NIGHT
Along a residential street. Jack looks ahead, sees a tall,
grey, bland BUILDING on the corner.
JACK (V.O.)
Home was a condo on the fifteenth
floor of a filing cabinet for widows
and young professionals. The walls
were solid concrete. A foot of
concrete is important when your next-
door neighbor lets her hearing aid go
and has to watch game shows at full
volume...
The taxi turns a corner and Jack sees the front of the
building. A diffuse CLOUD of SMOKE wafts away from a BLOWN-
OUT SECTION of the fifteenth floor. FIRETRUCKS, POLICE CARS
and a MOB are all crowded around the lobby area.
JACK (V.O.)
-- Or when a volcanic blast of debris
that used to be your furniture and
personal effects blows out your floor-
to-ceiling windows and sails flaming
into the night.
EXT. STREET IN FRONT OF BUILDING
Jack, gaping at the sight above him, absently gives the
Cabbie money. The taxi pulls away. Jack starts toward the
building. He pushes through the fray of people, into the...
INT. LOBBY
The DOORMAN sees Jack enter, gives a sad smile, shakes his
head. Jack starts for the elevator.
DOORMAN
There's nothing up there.
Jack presses the button. The Doorman moves next to him.
DOORMAN
You can't go into the unit. Police
orders.
The elevator doors open. Jack hesitates. The doors close.
Jack heads out the lobby doors. The Doorman follows...
EXT. CONDO BUILDING - CONTINUOUS
Jack walks past SMOKING, CHARRED DEBRIS -- a flash of ORANGE
from the Yang table, a CLOCK FACE from the hall clock, part
of an arm from the GREEN ARMCHAIR. His feet CRUNCH glass.
JACK (V.O.)
How embarrassing.
DOORMAN
Do you have somebody you can call?
Jack comes to his REFRIGERATOR lying on its side. He
reaches down and takes a note: "MARLA --" and a phone
number, from under a BANANA MAGNET.
CLOSE SHOT - JACK'S STOVE
Hissing.
JACK (V.O.)
The police would later tell me that
the pilot light might have gone
out... letting out just a little bit
of gas.
EXT. PAYPHONE - RESUMING
Jack gets to a PAYPHONE. The Doorman follows, watching him.
DOORMAN
Lots of young people try to impress
the world and buy too many things.
Jack picks up the receiver, puts in a quarter. He looks at
Marla's number a long moment.
CLOSE SHOT - JACK'S ENTIRE CONDO - KITCHEN AND LIVING ROOM
The SOUND of the HISS...
JACK (V.O.)
The gas could have slowly filled the
condo. Seventeen-hundred square feet
with high ceilings, for days and days.
EXT. PAYPHONE - RESUMING
Jack replaces the receiver. He pockets Marla's number, digs
out a small FILOFAX. He flips through the pages for phone
numbers and addresses. Most of the pages are blank.
DOORMAN
Many young people feel trapped and
desperate.
INSERT - CLOSE ON THE BASE OF JACK'S REFRIGERATOR
JACK (V.O.)
Then, the refrigerator's compressor
could have clicked on...
Click. KABOOM! SCREEN GOES WHITE.
EXT. PAYPHONE - RESUMING
Jack looks at the Doorman. Tyler's BUSINESS CARD falls from
the Filofax. Jack catches it.
DOORMAN
If you don't know what you want, you
end up with a lot you don't.
The Doorman walks away. Jack stares at Tyler's card.
JACK (V.O.)
If you asked me now, I couldn't tell
you why I called him.
Jack re-deposits the quarter, dials Tyler's number. It
RINGS... and RINGS and RINGS. Jack sighs and hangs up the
phone. A moment, then the phone RINGS.
JACK
Hello?
TYLER'S VOICE
Who's this?
JACK
Tyler?
TYLER'S VOICE
Who's this?
JACK
Uh... I'm sorry. We met on the
plane. We had the same briefcase.
I'm... you know, the clever guy.
TYLER'S VOICE
Oh, yeah.
JACK
I just called a second ago. There
was no answer. I'm at a payphone.
TYLER'S VOICE
I star-sixty-nined you. I never pick
up my phone. What's up?
JACK
Well... let me see... here's the
thing...
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN - NIGHT
A small building in the middle of a concrete parking lot.
INT. LOU'S TAVERN - SAME
Jack and Tyler sit in the back, with a pitcher of BEER.
JACK
You buy furniture. You tell
yourself: this is the last sofa I'll
ever need. No matter what else
happens, I've got the sofa issue
handled. Then, the right set of
dishes. The right dinette.
TYLER
This is how we fill up our lives.
Tyler lights a cigarette.
JACK
I guess so.
TYLER
And, now it's gone.
JACK
All gone.
Tyler offers cigarettes. Jack declines.
TYLER
Could be worse. A woman could cut
off your penis while you're asleep
and toss it out the window of a
moving car.
JACK
There's always that.
TYLER
I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe
it's a terrible tragedy.
JACK
...no ...no ...
TYLER
I mean, you did lose a lot of nice,
neat little shit. The trendy paper
lamps, the Euro-trash shelving unit,
am I right?
Jack laughs, nods. He shakes his head, drinks.
TYLER
But maybe, just maybe, you've been
delivered.
JACK
(toasts)
Delivered from Swedish furniture.
TYLER
Delivered from armchairs in obscure
green stripe patterns.
JACK
Delivered from Martha Stewart.
TYLER
Delivered from bullshit colors like
"Cobalt," "Ebony," and "Fuchsia."
They laugh together. Then, silence. They drink.
JACK
Insurance'll cover it.
TYLER
Oh, yeah, you gotta start making the
list.
JACK
What list?
TYLER
The "now I get to go out and buy the
exact same stuff all over again"
list. That list.
JACK
I don't... think so.
TYLER
This time maybe get a widescreen TV.
You'll be occupied for weeks.
JACK
Well, I have to file a claim...
TYLER
The things you own, they end up
owning you.
JACK
Don't I?
TYLER
Do what you like.
JACK
(looks at watch)
God, it's late. I should find a
hotel...
TYLER
A hotel?
JACK
Yeah.
TYLER
So, you called me up, because you
just wanted to have a drink before
you... go find a hotel?
JACK
I don't follow...
TYLER
We're on our third pitcher of beer.
Just ask me.
JACK
Huh?
TYLER
You called me so you could have a
place to stay.
JACK
No, I...
TYLER
Why don't you cut the shit and ask if
you can stay at my place?
JACK
Would that be a problem?
TYLER
Is it a problem for you to ask?
JACK
Can I stay at your place?
TYLER
Yes, you can.
JACK
Thank you.
TYLER
You're welcome. But, I want you to
do me one favor.
JACK
What's that?
TYLER
I want you to hit me as hard as you
can.
JACK
What?
TYLER
I want you to hit me as hard as you
can.
Freeze picture.
JACK (V.O.)
Let me tell you a little bit about
Tyler Durden.
EXTREME CLOSE-UP - FILM FRAME
-- And we see it's PORNOGRAPHY.
INT. PROJECTIONIST ROOM - THEATRE - NIGHT
Jack, in the foreground, FACES CAMERA. In the BACKGROUND,
Tyler sits at a bench, looking at individual FRAMES cut from
movies. Near him, a PROJECTOR rolls film.
JACK
Tyler was a night person. He
sometimes worked as a projectionist.
A movie doesn't come in one big reel,
it's on a few. In old theaters, two
projectors are used, so someone has
to change projectors at the exact
second when one reel ends and
another reel begins. Sometimes you
can see two dots on screen in the
upper right hand corner...
Tyler points to the side of OUR FRAME and the TWO DOTS
briefly APPEAR ONSCREEN.
TYLER
They're called "cigarette burns."
JACK
It's called a "changeover." The
movie goes on, and nobody in the
audience has any idea.
TYLER
Why would anyone want this shitty job?
JACK
It affords him other interesting
opportunities.
TYLER
-- Like splicing single frames from
adult movies into family films.
JACK
In reel three, right after the
courageous dog and the snooty cag --
who have celebrity voices -- eat out
of a garbage can, there's the flash
of Tyler's contribution...
In the AUDIENCE, CHILDREN suddenly start squirming,
confused, looking at each other.
A WOMAN abruptly stops sucking her soda straw, feeling
vaguely terrible. Her uncomfortable HUSBAND slowly leans
back in his seat.
Jack and Tyler watch from the projection booth window.
TYLER
One-forty-eighth of a second. That's
how long it's up there.
JACK
No one really knows that they've seen it.
But they did.
TYLER
A nice, big cock.
JACK
Only a hummingbird could have caught
Tyler at work.
INT. LARGE BANQUET HALL - NIGHT
Tyler moves around one of many tables, setting down SOUP
BOWLS. Jack stands in the same position, FACING CAMERA.
JACK
Tyler also worked as a banquet waiter
at the luxurious Pressman Hotel.
The GUESTS command the WAITERS with snaps of fingers.
INT. SERVICE ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Jack turns and WE PAN to Tyler, standing by a CART with a
giant SOUP TUREEN. His hands are at his open fly and he's
in position to piss into the soup.
JACK
He was the guerrilla terrorist of the
food service industry.
TYLER
Don't watch. I can't if you watch.
Jack waits. The SOUND of a STREAM of LIQUID is HEARD.
TYLER
... Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
JACK
He farted on meringue; he sneezed on
braised endive; and, with creme of
mushroom soup, well...
TYLER (O.S.)
Go ahead. Say it.
JACK
You get the idea.
EXT. PARKING LOT OF TAVERN - RESUMING
Tyler and Jack come out the back door.
JACK
I don't know about this.
TYLER
I don't know, either. I want to find
out. I've never been hit, have you?
JACK
No. That's a good thing, isn't it?
TYLER
I don't want to die without any
scars. How much can you really know
about yourself if you've never been
in a fight? Come on... you're the
only person I've ever asked.
JACK
Me?
Jack stares at him.
TYLER
Why not you? I'm letting you go
first. Do it.
JACK
This is crazy.
TYLER
Alright, go crazy. Let 'er rip.
JACK
Where do you want it? In the face?
TYLER
Surprise me.
Jack swings a wide, clumsy roundhouse -- hits Tyler's
neck -- makes a dull, flat sound.
JACK
Shit. Sorry. That didn't count.
TYLER
Like hell. That counted.
Tyler shoots out a straight punch to Jack's chest. Jack
falls back against a car. His eyes tear up.
TYLER
How do you feel?
JACK
Strange.
TYLER
But a good strange.
JACK
Is it?
TYLER
We've crossed the threshold. You
want to call it off?
JACK
Call what off?
TYLER
The fight.
JACK
What fight?
TYLER
This fight, pussy.
Jack swings another roundhouse that slams right under
Tyler's ear. Tyler punches Jack in the stomach. Tyler and
Jack move clumsily, throwing punches. They breathe heavier,
drooling saliva and blood, growing dizzier from every impact.
EXT. CURBSIDE - LATER
Jack and Tyler sit on the curb, watching sparse headlights
on the nearby freeway. Their eyes are glazed with endorphin-
induced serenity. They look at each other, laugh. Look away.
TYLER
If you could fight anyone... one on
one, whoever you wanted, who would
you fight?
JACK
Anyone?
TYLER
Anyone.
Jack thinks.
JACK
My boss, probably.
(pause)
Who would you fight?
TYLER
My dad. No question.
A long pause as Jack studies Tyler's face.
JACK
Oh, yeah.
(nodding)
I didn't know my dad. Well, I knew
him, till I was six. He went and
married another woman, had more kids.
Every six years or so he'd do it
again -- new city, new family.
TYLER
He was setting up franchises. My
father never went to college, so it
was really important that I go.
JACK
I know that.
TYLER
After I graduated, I called him long
distance and asked, "Now what?" He
said, "Get a job." When I turned
twenty-five, I called him and asked,
"Now what?" He said, "I don't know.
Get married."
JACK
Same here.
TYLER
A generation of men raised by women.
I'm wondering if another woman is the
answer we really need.
Another pause. Jack feels his bleeding lip, smiles.
JACK
We should do this again sometime.
Tyler cracks a smile, give a sidelong glance to Jack.
EXT. PAPER STREET - NIGHT
A street sign: "PAPER STREET." A PAPER MILL stis on one
side, facing a lone HOUSE on the other. The rest of the
land is grass and weeds. It's a grand, old three-story,
long abandoned. Tyler leads Jack toward it.
JACK
Where's your car?
TYLER
What car?
JACK (V.O.)
I don't know how Tyler found the
house, but he'd been there for half
a year.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - ENTRANCE -- NIGHT
Tyler leads Jack through the FRONT DOOR...
JACK (V.O.)
It looked like it was waiting to be
torn down. Most of the windows were
boarded up.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MOMENT LATER
Tyler and Jack climb CREAKY STAIRS to the 2ND FLOOR LANDING.
JACK (V.O.)
None of the doors locked. The stairs
were ready to collapse. I didn't
know if he owned it or he was
squatting.
Tyler opens the door to a ROOM...
INT. ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Jack enters, stis on the creaky BED. Dust drifts upwards.
JACK (V.O.)
Neither would have surprised me.
INT. SHOWER - MORNING
Jack turns on the water. LOUD VIBRATIONS from the walls.
Water spits in starts.
JACK (V.O.)
Nothing worked. The rusty plumbing
leaked. Turning on a light meant
another light in the house went out.
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN PARKING LOT - NIGHT
All the tavern's lights are off. Tyler and Jack FIGHT.
FIVE GUYS stand around watching.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - KITCHEN - MORNING
Jack, his face showing NEW BRUISES AND CUTS, makes coffee
with a wire-mesh strainer. Tyler shuffles in, wearing a
flannel bathrobe. He spears pieces of bread on a fork,
starts roasting them over a burner.
JACK (V.O.)
There were no neighbors. Just
warehouses and the paper mill. The
fart smell of steam, the hamster cage
smell of wood chips.
EXT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - NIGHT
Jack sits watching as Tyler SWINGS an old GOLF CLUB --
THWACK -- sends a golf ball soaring down the desolate street.
JACK (V.O.)
At night, Tyler and I were alone for
half a mile in every direction.
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN PARKING LOT - NIGHT
All the lights are off. TEN GUYS YELL, standing around Jack
and Tyler, who FIGHT. THREE CARS are parked in the lot.
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
Jack sits on basement stairs, watching as Tyler, knee-deep
in water, works at an open FUSEBOX, flipping breakers in a
certain order, showing Jack how it's done.
JACK (V.O.)
When it rained, we had to kill the
power. By the end of the first
month, I didn't care about TV. I
didn't mind the warm, stale
refrigerator.
INT. READING ROOM - NIGHT
CANDLES BURN. Tyler and Jack are seated across from each
other on the buckled floor, reading MAGAZINES. Rain DRIPS
from the ceiling. No furniture. THOUSANDS of MAGAZINES.
JACK (V.O.)
The previous occupant had been a bit
of a shut-in.
TYLER
(of magazine)
Hum.
JACK
What?
TYLER
Oh, a new riot control grenade...
(reading)
"...the successful combination of
concussive, 3000 foot-candle flash-
blasts and simultaneous high-velocity
disbursement of...blah, blah, blah..."
Tyler begins RIPPING the ARTICLE from his magazine.
JACK
("Reader's Digest")
"I am Joe's Lungs." It's written in
first person. "Without me, Joe could
not take in oxygen to feed his red
blood cells." There's a whole
series -- "I am Joe's Prostate."
TYLER
"I get cancer, and I kill Joe."
Tyler tosses his article in a pile of other articles,
chooses another magazine.
JACK
What are you reading?
TYLER
Soldier of Fortune. Business Week.
New Republic.
JACK
Show-off.
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN PARKING LOT - NIGHT
All the lights are off. Jack and Tyler stand amidst FIFTEEN
GUYS around TWO GUYS FIGHTING. The crowd YELLS MORE WILDLY
than before. In the background are EIGHT PARKED CARS.
JACK (V.O.)
I should have been haggling with my
insurance company. I should have
been looking for a new condo...
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Jack walks along. He stops, looking at a CHURCH with
SUPPORT-GROUP-PEOPLE milling around the entrance, drinking
coffee and sodas. Marla's there, amongst them, smoking.
JACK (V.O.)
.... I should have been upset about
my nice, neat, flaming little shit.
Jack's face shows no reaction. He continues to walk.
JACK (V.O.)
But I wasn't.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
Jack, in work clothes, interlocks his fingers and POPS his
knuckles, picks up a saucepan with coffee and sips. Tyler,
in waiter's uniform, comes to have Jack straighten his tie.
JACK (V.O.)
Most of the week, we were Ozzie and
Harriet.
Jack picks up his briefcase and walks out the door.
JACK (V.O.)
But, Wednesday night, ever Wednesday
night...
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN PARKING LOT - NIGHT
All the lights are off. No one around, but there are at
least TWENTY-FIVE CARS parked in the full lot.
JACK (V.O.)
... we were finding something out: we
were finding out, more and more, that
we were not alone.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
A SLIDE SHOW progresses, run by a chipper salesman, WALTER.
Jack sits, deadpan, with a PUFFY LIP and a BRUISED cheek.
JACK (V.O.)
Thursday mornings, all I could do was
think about next week.
Boss gives Jack a dubious look. Walter's next SLIDE: a
COMPUTER SCREEN.
WALTER
The basic premise of cyber-netting
your office is -- make things more
efficient.
BOSS
Can I get the icon in cornflower blue?
WALTER
Absolutely.
Walter continues, his sales pitch drowned out by Jack's V.O.:
JACK (V.O.)
Walter, the Microsoft account exec.
Walter, with his smooth, soft hands.
Maybe he was thinking about the free-
range potluck he'd been to last
weekend, or his church-group car-wash
fund-raiser. Or, probably not.
Walter moves to Jack and slaps him in the shoulder.
WALTER
I showed this already to my man here.
You liked it, didn't you?
Jack smiles. His teeth are RED with BLOOD. They GLOW
eerily in the dim light.
JACK (V.O.)
You can swallow a pint of blood
before you get sick.
WALTER
Jesus, I'd hate to see what happened
to the other guy.
Jack keeps the smile frozen on his face.
JACK (V.O.)
Screw Walter. His candy-ass wouldn't
last a second Wednesday night.
EXT. LOU'S TAVERN - NIGHT
Out of silent darkness, HEADLIGHTS appear from all
directions. CARS PULL UP and park in the already-packed
lot. YOUNG MEN get out and march into the tavern...
INT. LOU'S TAVERN - SAME
The men, including Jack and Tyler, enter and stand against
the back wall, waiting. The bartender, IRVINE, calls out:
IRVINE
Drink up people. We're closing.
Irvine flicks on the LIGHTS. Drunken customers squint and
get the message. They plop down money, leaving.
JACK (V.O.)
It was right in everyone's face.
Tyler and I just made it visible.
Irvine hits a button and the JUKEBOX loses power. Members
of the waiting army begins to share secret looks. Finally,
one buy locks the door. Two other guys close the blinds.
JACK (V.O.)
It was on the tip of everyone's
tongue. Tyler and I just gave it a
name.
INT. TAVERN BASEMENT - SAME
A BOMB-SHELTER. Concrete walls. One BARE BULB above, Tyler
standing directly beneath it.
TYLER
Welcome to fight club.
The guys mill around, finding partners. Everyone brims with
eagerness, but tries to act cool. CHATTER gets LOUDER.
Everyone spreads out, forming a circle, Tyler at center.
JACK (V.O.)
Every week, Tyler gave the rules that
he and I decided.
PEAKING CHATTER, till Tyler raises his arms and the CHATTER
DIES. A couple of COUGHS, FEET SHUFFLING, then, SILENCE.
TYLER
The first rule of fight club is --
you don't talk about fight club. The
second rule of fight club is -- you
don't talk about fight club. The
third rule of fight club is -- when
someone says "stop" or goes limp, the
fight is over. Fourth rule is --
only two guys to a fight. Fifth
rule -- one fight at a time. Sixth
rule -- no shirts, no shoes. Seventh
rule -- fights go on as long as they
have to. And the eighth and final
rule -- if this is your first night
at fight club, you have to fight.
Tyler steps back. A short guy, RICKY, and a GOATEED MAN
take off shirts and shoes and step to the center.
JACK (V.O.)
This kid, Ricky -- supply clerk --
couldn't remember whether you ordered
pens with blue ink or black ink ...
The two fighters circle, then begin throwing PUNCHES...
JACK (V.O.)
But Ricky was a god for ten minutes
last week when he trounced an actuary
twice his size.
Harder, faster PUNCHES between the two. SWEAT flies.
SHOUTS become DEAFENING. Ricky's getting the best of
Goateed Man, POUNDING him...
JACK (V.O.)
Sometimes all you could hear were
flat, hard packing sounds over the
yelling, or the wet choke when
someone caught their breath and
sprayed...
GOATEED MAN
(spittle-lipped)
Ssssstop... !
INT. OFFICE PARK RESTAURANT - DAY
Jack, eating lunch, watches the BROKEN-NOSED WAITER with a
GOATEE -- from the above fight -- converse with a MAITRE D'.
JACK (V.O.)
Even if I could tell someone they had
a good fight, I wouldn't be talking
to the same man.
The Goateed Waiter approaches Jack and sets a refill soda
down on the table. The two of them briefly make eye contact.
JACK (V.O.)
Who you were in fight club is not who
you were in the rest of the world.
INT. PHOTOCOPY ROOM - DAY
Jack stands over a copy machine, hit by flashes of light.
He glances over his shoulder, watches Ricky, wearing an
apron, push a supply cart. Ricks nods at Jack.
JACK (V.O.)
You weren't alive anywhere like you
were there. But fight club only
exists in the hours between when
fight club starts and when fight club
ends.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack, playing SOLITAIRE on his computer, daubs blood from
his mouth with a handkerchief. Boss, passing by the
doorway, looks in at Jack, irritated.
BOSS
What are you getting yourself into
every week?
Jack keeps playing Solitaire. Boss enters, folds his arms.
JACK (V.O.)
After fight club, everything else in
your life gets the volume turned
down. You can deal with anything.
BOSS
Have you finished those reports?
JACK
(handing him reports)
Yes.
JACK (V.O.)
The people who had power over you
have less and less.
Jack looks at Boss. Reflexively, Jack's tongue plays with
his teeth.
JACK (V.O.)
By this point, I could wiggle most of
the teeth in my jaw.
EXT. STREET - DUSK
Tyler and Jack walk, both smoking cigarettes.
JACK (V.O.)
A guy came to fight club for the
first time, his ass was a wad of
cookie dough. After a few weeks, he
was carved out of wood.
JACK
If you could fight any celebrity?
TYLER
Alive or dead?
JACK
Doesn't matter.
TYLER
Hemingway. You?
JACK
Shatner. William Shatner.
They reach a BUS STOP as a BUS arrives, tossing their
cigarettes, getting on board...
INT. BUS - DUSK
The bus is crowded. As Tyler and Jack walk toward the back,
Jack studies the faces of OTHER PASSENGERS...
JACK (V.O.)
We all started seeing things
differently. Wherever we went.
They hold hand grips. Jack looks up at an ADVERTISEMENT; a
CALVIN KLEIN ad featuring a tan, bare-chested MUSCLE STUD.
JACK (V.O.)
I felt sorry for all the guys packing
into gyms, trying to look like what
Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger said
they should.
Tyler looks at Jack, looks at the C.K. advertisement.
TYLER
Self-improvement is masturbation.
Self-destruction is the answer.
A MAN in a suit KNOCKS Tyler's shoulder as he passes. The
Man takes a handle, close by. Jack's pissed, staring at the
man, who stares back.
JACK
(to Tyler, so the
Man can hear)
You could take him.
Tyler looks to Jack, glances over his shoulder at the Man.
Tyler casually picks a small scab off Jack's nostril.
TYLER
The trick is not to care.
Tyler stares forward.
INT. TAVERN BASEMENT - NIGHT
Tyler HITS the floor, stomach first. HIS OPPONENT lands on
top of him, grappling, trying for a CHOKE HOLD. The
surrounding CROWD, Jack included, SCREAMS at them...
Tyler and the Opponent wrestle desperately, and Tyler flips
his attacker, gets on top, sprawling to pin him. Tyler
turns -- starts reining PUNCHES into the Opponent's GROIN...
CUT TO:
Jack lands a couple of BLOWS to HIS OPPONENT'S stomach --
brings up a left uppercut that smashes the Opponent's jaw.
Tiny spatters of BLOOD adorn the walls, along with sweat.
Jack catches sight of a swollen-faced Tyler, watching
appreciatively, a smile growing slowly on his face.
JACK (V.O.)
Fight club wasn't about winning or
losing. It wasn't about words.
The Opponent recovers, throws a headlock on Jack. Jack
snakes his arm into a counter headlock. They wrestle like
wild animals. The crowd CHEERS maniacally.
JACK (V.O.)
They hysterical shouting was in
tongues, like at a Pentecostal church.
Onlookers kneel to stay with the fight, cheering LOUDER.
The Opponent SMASHES Jack's head to the floor, over and over.
JACK
... stop...
JACK (V.O.)
When the fight was over, nothing was
solved, but nothing mattered.
Everyone moves in as the Opponent steps away. Tyler pushes
through the crowd. Others lift Jack up. They turn their
attention to the floor, to a BLOOD MASK of Jack's face --
similar to the TEAR MASK on BOB'S SHIRT.
TYLER
Cool.
Jack limply shakes his Opponent's hand.
OPPONENT
How about next week?
JACK
Look at me. How about next month?
Everyone helps Jack walk. He's sweating, bleeding, smiling.
JACK (V.O.)
Afterwards, we all felt saved.
INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT
A NURSE tends to Jack while Tyler watches.
TYLER
He fell down some stairs.
The Nurse doesn't look at Tyler, just keeps tending to Jack.
JACK
I fell down some stairs.
JACK (V.O.)
Sometimes Tyler spoke for me.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - BATHROOM - MORNING
Tyler and Jack share the cracked MIRROR. Tyler's clipping
at his hair with blunt, ill-suited SCISSORS. Jack's
brushing his teeth, spitting out pink foam.
JACK (V.O.)
Fight club became the reason to cut
your hair short and trim your
fingernails.
TYLER
Any historical figure.
JACK
Okay... Ghandi.
TYLER
Good answer.
JACK
You?
TYLER
Abe Lincoln. Big reach. Skinny guys
fight till they're burger.
Jack reaches in his mouth, exploring, pulls -- yanks a
TOOTH. Jack looks at it. Tyler puts scissors down, done.
TYLER
Remember, even the Mona Lisa's
falling apart.
Jack drops the tooth in the sink with Tyler's hair.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON
Jack enters, buttoning his shirt. The PHONE RINGS.
JACK
Hello?
INTERCUT WITH...
INT. MARLA'S BUILDING, HALLWAY - SAME
Marla's in the HALL, on the PAYPHONE, twisting the phone
cord around her neck.
MARLA
Where have you been the last few
weeks?
JACK
Marla?
Jack looks through the archway and sees Tyler, in his gummy
flannel bathrobe, doing sit-ups. Jack leans, cups the phone.
JACK
(quietly)
How did you find me?
MARLA
The forwarding number. I haven't
seen you at any support groups.
JACK
That's the idea -- we split them.
MARLA
You haven't been going to yours.
JACK
I found a new one.
MARLA
Really?
JACK
It's for men.
MARLA
Like testicular cancer?
JACK
Look, this is a bad time...
MARLA
I've been going to debtor's
anonymous. You want to see some
truly fucked up people?
JACK
I'm just on my way out...
MARLA
Me too. I got a stomach full of
Xanax. I took what was left of a
bottle. Might've been too much.
Jack looks exasperated, turns TO LOOK INTO THE CAMERA.
JACK (V.O.)
Picture yourself watching Marla
Singer throw herself around her
crummy apartment.
MARLA
This isn't a for-real suicide thing.
This is probably one of those cry-for-
help things.
JACK (V.O.)
This could go on for hours.
JACK
So you're staying in tonight?
MARLA
Do you want to wait to hear me
describe death?
Jack puts the handset on top of the phone, still off the
hook, walks out the back door.
MARLA'S VOICE
Do you want to listen and see if my
spirit can use the telephone?
Thru the archway: Tyler leans to look in, curious.
INT. BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT
GRUNTS of PLEASURE and EXERTION. Glimpses of TORSOS, ASSES,
LEGS, ARMS, BREASTS, and FEMALE HAIR, all DRENCHED in SWEAT.
Sheets RIP. Bodies hit the FLOOR. Insane GRUNTING and
LAUGHING. A flash of MARLA'S FACE.
CUT TO:
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - SUNRISE
Jack sits up in bed, looks around the room.
INT. 2ND FLOOR LANDING
Jack steps out of his room. The neighboring door is closed.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler's door was closed. I'd been
living here two months, and Tyler's
door was never closed.
INT. BATHROOM - SAME
Jack stares into the TOILER, looking at SIX USED CONDOMS.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
Jack sits at the table, sips coffee, read Reader's Digest.
He hears FOOTSTEPS approaching.
JACK
You're not going to believe what I
dreamt last night.
Marla walks in, straightening her dress, looks like she's
been raped by a hurricane. Jack's jaw drops.
MARLA
I can hardly believe anything about
last night.
Marla goes to pour coffee. She takes a swig, GARGLES and
SPITS it in the sink. She gives Jack a lascivious smile.
JACK
What are you doing here?
MARLA
What... ?
JACK
What the hell are you doing here?
Marla stares at him a beat, then drops the cup in the sink.
MARLA
Fuck you.
Marla shoves open the door to the backyard and walks out.
Jack gets up, watches her stomp away.
Jack turns and -- Tyler is at his shoulder, staring after
Marla. He's in his usual sweatpants. He grins at Jack,
then moves away, pours himself coffee. Jack, smoldering,
slumps at the table and picks up Reader's Digest. Tyler
puts his foot on a countertop, does stretching exercises.
TYLER
She's a piece of work. Get this --
I come in here last night, the
phone's off the hook...
Jack pretends to read, quickly glances at Tyler. TYLER'S
VOICE FADES...
JACK (V.O.)
I already knew the story before he
told it to me.
INT. KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON (FLASHBACK)
Tyler enters, gently lifts the handset and listens.
MARLA'S VOICE
(from handset)
I'll tell you when I'm floating out
of my body.
Tyler smiles.
JACK (V.O.)
How could Tyler, off all people, think
it was a bad thing that Marla Singer
was about to die?
INT. MARLA'S - 8TH FLOOR LANDING - LATE AFTERNOON (FLASHBACK)
Tyler, a wry smile on his face, ambles up the stiars,
looking at the rotting walls. He reaches the top of the
stairs and heads for Marla's room. Before he can knock,
Marla's hand shoots out and grabs him...
INT. MARLA'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS (FLASHBACK)
Marla pulls Tyler inside and shuts the door. Her drugged
eyes look him over.
MARLA
You got here fast.
She staggers and sits on the bed. She slides off, along
with the blanket and sheets, to the floor.
MARLA
The mattresses are all sealed in
slippery plastic.
She tries to focus her eyes on Tyler.
MARLA
Did I call you?
Tyler studies her with cynical curiosity, looks at a DILDO
lying atop a dresser. Marla follows his gaze.
MARLA
Don't worry. It's not a threat to you.
SIRENS and vehicles SCREECHING outside can be HEARD; doors
opening and SLAMMING; running FOOTFALLS.
MARLA
Oh, no! Somebody called the cops...
She gets to her feet, grabs Tyler, pulls him out the door.
INT. HALLWAY (FLASHBACK)
Marla LOCKS her door, then pulls Tyler toward the STAIRCASE.
COPS and PARAMEDICS charge up with oxygen and medical kits.
Marla and Tyler flatten against the wall to let them pass.
COP
8-G! Where's 8-G?
MARLA
(pointing)
End of the hall.
The rescuers keep running.
MARLA
(calling after)
The girl who lives there used to be
a charming, lovely girl, but she's
lost faith in herself...
COP
Miss Singer, let us help you! You
have every reason to live!
Marla yanks Tyler's arm, heading down the stairs.
MARLA
She's a monster! Infectious human
waste! Good luck trying to save her!
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Tyler makes coffee. Marla slouches against the refrigerator.
MARLA
If I fall asleep, I'm done for.
You're gonna have to keep me up all
night.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING (RESUMING)
Tyler chuckles, shakes his head.
TYLER
Unbelievable, huh?
JACK (V.O.)
He was obviously able to handle it.
Tyler stands across from Jack, gets a cigarette from a pack.
TYLER
I mean, this girl... uh, you're not
into her or anything... ?
JACK
No. Not at all.
JACK (V.O.)
I am Jack's Raging Bile Duct.
Tyler lights his cigarette.
TYLER
You're sure?
JACK
Yeah, I'm sure.
TYLER
Good. This chick was up on the table
with her legs in the stirrups before
the doctor even walked in the room.
The things that she said... I've
never heard a woman talk like that...
INT. TYLER'S ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Tyler smokes, post-coital. Marla puts her lips to his ear.
MARLA
(whispering)
I want to have your abortion.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING (RESUMING)
Tyler laughs, shakes his head. Jack's gripping his Reader's
Digest just a little too tight.
JACK (V.O.)
How could Tyler not go for that?
Night before last, he was splicing
sex organs into "Little Mermaid."
Tyler sits, studies Jack's face.
TYLER
You're okay with this?
JACK
I'm fine.
JACK (V.O.)
Put a gun to my head and paint the
wall with my brains.
Tyler smokes.
TYLER
She is a wild, twisted bitch. Stay
away from that one.
JACK
Oh, and my pace is more librarians.
TYLER
Hey... don't knock librarians.
JACK
Marla doesn't need a lover. She
needs a case worker.
TYLER
She needs an exorcist. This isn't
love. This is sport-fucking.
JACK (V.O.)
She'd invaded my support groups, now
she's invading my home.
TYLER
Listen... do me a favor... sit here
a minute...
Tyler pulls out a closer chair, motions to it. Jack puts
down his Reader's Digest and moves to that chair.
JACK
What?
TYLER
You've gotta understand something
about me. I have a little rule,
okay? Don't ever talk to her about
me. Ever. I can't stand that kind
of shit.
Tyler fixes Jack with a friendly, but firm stare.
TYLER
If you ever say anything about me or
about what happens here in this
house, to her or anyone -- I will
find out. And you'll never see me
again. Promise me.
JACK
Okay.
TYLER
Promise you won't.
JACK
Yes, I promise.
TYLER
Promise?
JACK
I said I promise!
TYLER
That was three times you promised.
Tyler smiles, gets up and leaves. Jack sits smoldering.
JACK (V.O.)
If only I had wasted a couple of
minutes and gone to watch Marla die,
none of this would have happened.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Jack watches TV at HIGH VOLUME. SOUNDS of SEX from upstairs.
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Jack lies calmly on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Sounds
of THUMPS and CRASHES from beyond the wall.
MARLA'S VOICE
(muffled through wall)
Miserable fucking discharge!
JACK (V.O.)
I could've moved to another room, one
on the third floor -- so I wouldn't
have heard them. But I didn't.
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
SOUNDS of RAIN. Jack flips FUSES off, then walks upstairs.
INT. 2ND FLOOR LANDING - SAME
Jack walks, HEARS Marla SCREAM in orgasm. He reaches the
landing. Tyler's door is ajar. Jack peeks in...
Marla's legs are sprawled on the bed. The door PUSHES OPEN
WIDER -- Tyler, naked, stands CLOSE TO CAMERA.
TYLER
What are you doing?
Jack steps back.
JACK
I... uh... just going to bed.
Tyler scratches his head, wears a RUBBER GLOVE.
TYLER
You want to finish her off?
JACK
Uh... nah...
Jack continues toward his room.
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Jack brushes his teeth.
JACK (V.O.)
I became the calm, little center of
the world. I was the Zen master.
CLOSE UP - COMPUTER MONITOR
Haiku is BEING TYPED in a trendy, italicized font.
"Worker bees can leave
Even drones can fly away
The queen is their slave"
JACK (V.O.)
I wrote little haiku poems.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack's clothes are PERMANENTLY STAINED with BLOOD. He sits
in Zen pose, cigarette in mouth, finishes typing Haiku.
JACK (V.O.)
I faxed them around to everyone.
He hits "SEND," gets the "ERROR CHIME" SOUND. He presses
this key over and over. Boss enters.
BOSS
Is that your blood?
JACK
Some of it, yes.
Boss stares at Jack like he's from Mars.
BOSS
Take the rest of the day off. Come
back tomorrow with clean clothes.
Get yourself together.
INT. HALLWAY - SAME
Jack's leaving, looks like a war casualty, passing COWORKERS
who coldly stare at him. His face is totally passive.
JACK (V.O.)
I got right in everyone's hostile
little face. Yes, these are bruises
from fighting. I'm comfortable with
them. I am enlightened.
EXT. PAPER STREET - SUNSET
Jack walks toward the HOUSE.
JACK (V.O.)
You give up the condo life, give up
all your flaming worldly possessions,
go live in a dilapidated house in the
toxic waste part of town...
INT. TYLER'S KITCHEN - SUNSET
Jack walks in. SOUNDS of VIOLENT SEX and a POLAROID CAMERA
from upstairs. Pieces of PLASTER fall from the ceiling.
JACK (V.O.)
... and you come home to this.
TYLER'S VOICE
(laughing)
You fucking slut!!
MARLA'S VOICE
Thank you, sir, may I have another!
Thank you sir, may I have another... !
Jack rolls his eyes, takes off his pants. He runs water in
the sink, finds a tiny bit of SOAP and scrubs at the blood
stains. The PHONE RINGS. He answers it.
JACK
Yeah. Speaking.
INTERCUT WITH...
INT. POLICE STATION - OFFICE
A cop, DETECTIVE STERN, refers to a file.
DETECTIVE STERN
This is Detective Stern with the
arson unit. We have some new
information about the "incident" at
your condo.
JACK
Yes?
DETECTIVE STERN
I don't know if you're aware... your
front door -- it seems someone
sprayed freon into the lock, then
tapped it with a chisel to shatter
the cylinder.
JACK
No, I wasn't aware...
JACK (V.O.)
I am Jack's Cold Sweat.
DETECTIVE STERN
Does this sound strange to you?
JACK
Yes, sire, strange. Very strange.
Jack starts to sweat, scrubs his pants obsessively.
DETECTIVE STERN
The dynamite...
JACK
Dynamite?
DETECTIVE STERN
Yes. It left a residue of ammonium
oxalate and potassium perchloride.
Do you know what that means?
JACK
What does that mean?
DETECTIVE STERN
It means it was homemade.
JACK
This is... really a shock...
DETECTIVE STERN
Whoever set this homemade dynamite
could've blown out the pilot light
days before the explosion. The gas,
it seems, was just a detonator.
JACK
Who do you think could've done this?
DETECTIVE STERN
I'll ask the questions, son.
TYLER
(whispering in Jack's ear)
Tell him...
Jack almost leaps out his skin, startled; looks to see Tyler
standing right next to him.
JACK
Huh?
TYLER
(overlap w/below)
"The liberator who destroyed my
property has re-aligned my paradigm
of perception."
JACK
Shhhhhh!
(into phone,
overlap w/above)
I don't know what to make of this,
sir, I really don't...
DETECTIVE STERN
Do you know anyone who'd have the
expertise or motive to do something
like this?
TYLER
"I reject the basic assumptions of
civilization, including material
possession."
Jack pushes Tyler away, cups the receiving.
JACK
(into phone)
No. No, sir. I loved that condo.
I loved every stick of furniture.
The lamps, the chairs, the rugs, were
me. The dishes were me. The plants
were...
JACK (V.O.)
I'd like to thank the academy...
DETECTIVE STERN
Well, if any ideas come to you, give
me a call. In the meantime, don't
leave town. I may need to bring you
in for questioning.
END INTERCUT
Jack hangs up. Tyler shrugs.
TYLER
Could be worse. You could be cursed
with the three terrible Karmas. You
could be beautiful, rich and famous.
Jack turns away, continues to scrub his pants. Marla's
FOOTSTEPS can be HEARD coming downstairs...
Jack really grinds the soap against the pants, splashing
water. He turns, sees Marla enter. Tyler is GONE. Marla
lights a cigarette.
JACK (V.O.)
Except for their humping, Tyler and
Marla were never in the same room.
MARLA
I got this dress at a thrift store
for one dollar.
JACK
(keeps scrubbing)
Worth every penny.
JACK (V.O.)
My parents pulled this exact act for
years -- one came in, the other
disappeared.
Marla begins a slow, exotic dance, moving very close to
Jack. She lifts her dress dangerously high, dancing close
to Jack's body, almost touhcing.
MARLA
(seductive)
It's a bridesmaid's dress. Someone
loved it intensely for one day, then
tossed it. Like a Christmas tree --
so special, then, bam -- it's
abandoned on the side of the road,
tinsel still clinging to it...
Jack becomes very aware of having no pants on, presses
against the counter. Marla pulls her hemline further up.
MARLA
Like sex crime victims, underwear
inside-out, bound with electrical
tape.
JACK
(coldly)
It suits you.
She leans in very close to Jack's ear, whispers hoarsely:
MARLA
You can borrow it sometime.
Jack takes a step away, keeps scrubbing. Marla blows smoke
in his face. Jack takes her cigarette and throws it in the
sink. Marla backs away, fed up, storms out, going UPSTAIRS.
TYLER (O.S.)
Get rid of her.
Jack turns to see Tyler in the doorway.
JACK
You get rid of her.
TYLER
(pointing at Jack)
Don't mention me.
Marla's FOOTSTEPS are coming DOWNSTAIRS. Jack looks to the
archway, then back at -- Tyler's GONE. Marla enters, shoes
and balled up clothing under one arm, looking for something
on the junk strewn table.
JACK (V.O.)
I'm six years old again, passing
messages between my parents.
JACK
I, uh... think you should go now.
Marla ignores, still searching the table, tossing things,
pushing other things off to the floor.
JACK
It's time for you to leave.
MARLA
Don't worry, I'm leaving.
Marla finds what she wanted, a pack of cigarettes. She
moves up into Jack's face.
MARLA
You're such a nutcase, I can't even
begin to keep up.
JACK
Goodbye.
She laughs, spins on her heels. As she exits the back door,
she sings "This Merry-Go-Round" from "Valley of the Dolls."
Jack watches her through the kitchen window.
TYLER (O.S.)
Nice work.
Jack turns. Tyler's right behind him. Through the window,
Marla can be seen walking away. Tyler picks up the remnant
of SOAP Jack's been using, holds it up to Jack.
TYLER
To make soap, first we have to render
fat.
Jack looks at Tyler.
CLOSE UP - SIGN: "DANGER - BIOHAZARD."
EXT. FENCED-IN BIOHAZARD WASTE DUMP SITE - NIGHT
Tyler stands inside the fence. Jack's atop the fence,
struggling to cross BARBED WIRE. He wobbles, gets over,
snags his shirt. Jack falls, RIPPPPP. Tyler helps.
FOOTSTEPS. A FLASHLIGHT BEAM. Tyler pulls Jack behind a
DUMPSTER, one of DOZENS. A silhouette of a SECURITY GUARD
moves along the perimeter, flashlight first. He walks away.
MOVE BACK to Tyler and Jack, who emerge from hiding. Tyler
eagerly grabs the lid of the closest dumpster.
TYLER
The best fat for making soap --
because the salt balance is just
right -- comes form human bodies...
Tyler lifts the lid -- it CREAKS.
JACK
What is this place?
TYLER
A liposuction clinic.
From the dumpster, Tyler pulls out an industrial-sized,
thick plastic bag full of PINK GOO.
TYLER
Paydirt. From society's richest
asses and thighs.
TIME CUT: Tyler and Jack climb back over the fence, carrying
BAGS of fat. One of Jack's bags RIPS, spilling the goo down
the chain-link fench. Jack slips and slides. Tyler laughs.
Tyler tries to scoop the running fat back into the bag.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Jack and Tyler each stir a boiling pot.
TYLER
As the fat renders, the tallow floats
to the surface. Remember the crap
they taught you in Boy Scouts.
JACK
Hard to imagine you in Boy Scouts.
TYLER
This clear layer in glycerin. We'll
mix it back in when we make the soap.
Tyler sticks a spoon into a pot, lifts up a scoop of the
glycerin layer. Then, he crabs a can, opens it.
TYLER
Lye -- the crucial ingredient.
(adding lye to mix)
Ancient peoples found their clothes
got cleaner if they washed them at a
certain spot in the river. Why?
Because, human sacrifices were once
made on the hills above this river.
Year after year, bodies burnt. Rain
feel. Water seeped through the wood
ashes to become lye. The lye
combined with the melted fat of the
bodies, till a thick white soapy
discharge crept into the river.
Tyler licks his lips until they're gleaming wet. He takes
Jack's hands and KISSES the back of it.
TYLER
The first soap was made from the
ashes of heroes. Like the first
monkeys shot into space.
The saliva shines in the shape of the kiss. Tyler pours a
bit of the flaked lye onto Jack's hand.
TYLER
Without sacrifice, without death, we
would have nothing.
Jack's whole body JERKS. Tyler holds tight to Jack's hand
and arm. Tears well in Jack's eyes; his face tightens.
TYLER
This is a chemical burn. It will
hurt more than you've ever been
burned and you will have a scar.
Jack looks -- the burn is swollen, glossy, in the shape of
Tyler's kiss. Jack's face spasms.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler's kiss was a bonfire on the
back of my hand.
TYLER
Look at your hand.
JACK (V.O.)
Guided meditation worked for cancer,
it could work for this.
SHOT OF A GREEN MAPLE LEAF, GLISTENING WITH DEW. RESUME:
Tyler looks at Jack's glazed and detached eyes.
TYLER
Come back to the pain. Don't shut
this out.
Jack, snapping back, tries to jerk his hand away. Tyler
keeps hold of it and their arms KNOCK UTENSILS off the table.
JACK (V.O.)
I tried not to think of the words
"searing" or "flesh." I imagined my
pain as a ball of healing white light.
SHOT OF A FOREST, IN GENTLE SPRING RAINFALL. RESUME:
Tyler JERKS Jack's hand, getting Jack's attention...
TYLER
Stop it. This is your pain -- your
burning hand. It's right here. Look
at it.
JACK (V.O.)
I was going to my cave to find my
power animal.
SHOT OF THE INSIDE OF JACK'S FROZEN ICE CAVE. RESUME:
Tyler JERKS Jack's hand again. Jack re-focuses on Tyler...
TYLER
Don't deal with this the way those
dead people do. Deal with it the way
a living person does.
SHOT OF INSIDE THE ICE CAVE - ON MARLA, LYING NAKED UNDER A
FUR COAT, TURNING HER HEAD TO LOOK TOWARDS US. RESUME:
Jack tries to pull his hand free. Tyler won't let go.
Jack's eyes glaze over again. Jack speaks, whiny from pain:
JACK
I... I think I understand. I think
I get it...
TYLER
No, what you're feeling is premature
enlightenment.
SHOT OF A GREEN FOREST WITHOUT RAIN. RESUME:
Tyler SLAPS Jack's face, regaining his attention...
TYLER
This is the greatest moment of your
life and you're off somewhere,
missing it.
JACK
No, I'm not...
SHOT OF TREES ENGULFED BY A FOREST FIRE. RESUME:
TYLER
Shut up. Our fathers were our models
for God. And, if our fathers bailed,
what does that tell us about God?
JACK
I don't know...
SHOT OF EMBERS POURING FROM THE HELLISH FOREST FIRE. RESUME:
Tyler SLAPS Jack's face again...
TYLER
Listen to me. You have to consider
the possibility that God doesn't like
you, he never wanted you. In all
probability, He hates you. This is
not the worst thing that can happen...
JACK
It isn't... ?
TYLER
We don't need him...
JACK
We don't... ?
SHOT OF INSIDE ICE CAVE - NAKED MARLA PULLS JACK DOWN ON TOP
OF HER - JACK KISSES HER - CIGARETTE SMOKE COMES FROM HER
MOUTH - JACK COUGHS. RESUME:
Jack is a wide-eyed zombie...
JACK
... Marla ... ?
TYLER
Fuck damnation. Fuck redemption. We
are God's unwanted children, with no
special place and no special
attention, and so be it.
Jack looks at Tyler -- they lock eyes. Jack does his best
to stifle his spasms of pain, his body a quivering, coiled
knot. He bolts toward the sink, but Tyler holds on.
TYLER
You can go to the sink and run water
over your hand. Look at me. Or you
can use vinegar to neutralize the
burn, but first you have to give up.
First, you have to know that someday,
you are going to die. Until you know
that, you will be useless.
Jack spasms with a shiver of pain...
JACK
You ... you don't know what this
feels like, Tyler.
Tyler shows Jack a LYE-BURNED KISS SCAR on his own hand.
Tears begin to drip from Jack's eyes. Tyler grabs a bottle
of VINEGAR -- pours it over Jack's wound.
Jack closes his eyes, holds his hand... slumps to the floor.
TYLER
Congratulations. You're a step
closer to hitting bottom.
INT. BARNEY'S - DAY
Jack and Tyler, in trench coats, looking like deaht-warmed-
over, wait as a BUYER fills out forms.
There are bars of "The Paper Street Soap Company" soap on
the counter. Jack looks like he's half-expecting to get
arrested. His hand is BANDAGED.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler sold the soap to department
stores at twenty bucks a Ear. God
knows what they charged. How ironic.
We were selling rich women their own
fat asses back to them.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack sits at his desk, playing a game on his computer,
smoking a cigarette. Boss enters.
JACK (V.O.)
He was wearing a yellow tie. It must
be Thursday. I didn't even wear a tie
to work anymore.
Boss slaps a piece of PAPER down on Jack's desk.
BOSS
"The first rule of fight club is you
don't talk about fight club."
Jack snuffs his cigarette in an ashtray, stares up stoically.
JACK (V.O.)
I must've left the original in the
copy machine.
BOSS
"The second rule of fight club...
Is this yours?
JACK
Hmm?
BOSS
You don't get paid to abuse the copy
machine.
JACK
"Abuse" the copy machine. There's an
image.
BOSS
Pretend you're me. You find this.
What would you do?
Jack rises slowly, walks to his door, shuts it.
JACK
Me? I'd be very careful who I talked
to about this. It sounds like
someone dangerous wrote it... someone
who might snap at any moment,
stalking from office to office with
an Armalite AR-10 Carbine-gas
semiautomatic, bitterly pumping round
after round into colleagues and co-
workers.
Jack moves very close to Boss, picks up the PAPER and starts
tearing it into pieces.
JACK
Might be someone you've known for
years... somebody very close to you.
Or, maybe you shouldn't be bringing
me every little piece of trash you
pick up.
Jack puts the PAPER in his trash. Bass stares with a tinge
of outrage, a tinge of fear. PHONE RINGS. Jack answers it.
JACK
Compliance and Liability.
MARLA'S VOICE
My tit's going to rot off.
JACK
Just a second.
(to Boss; smiles)
Could you excuse me? I need to take
this call.
Boss goes to the door, stares at Jack a beat, then leaves.
JACK
(into phone)
What are you talking about?
INTERCUT WITH - CLOSE UP OF MARLA...
MARLA
Would you do something for me? I
need you to check and see if there's
a lump in my breast. I can't afford
to throw money away on a doctor.
JACK
I don't know ...
MARLA
Please.
JACK (V.O.)
She didn't call Tyler. I'm neutral
in her book.
EXT. MARLA'S HOTEL - SUNSET
Jack walks down the sidewalk, seeing Marla take two BOXES
from a VAN with the sign "MEALS ON WHEELS."
INT. MARLA'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Marla leads Jack inside.
JACK
This is a sweet side of you. Picking
these up for ...
(reads the boxes:)
"Mrs. Haniver" and... "Mrs. Raines."
Where are they?
MARLA
Tragically, they're dead. I'm alive
and I'm in poverty. You want any?
JACK
No, thanks.
MARLA
Good.
He stares at her while she eats.
MARLA
What happened to your hand?
Jack awkwardly puts his bandaged hand behind his back.
JACK
Nothing.
INT. MARLA'S ROOM - NIGHT
Marla stands facing a MIRROR with her shirt open. Jack
stands behind her with his hand on the bottom side of her
breast. Marla's hand guides his.
JACK
Where? Here?
MARLA
Here.
JACK
There?
MARLA
Here.
JACK
Here.
MARLA
Feel anything?
JACK
No.
Jack's head is behind Marla's. They speak softer, slower.
MARLA
Make sure.
JACK
Okay. Okay, I'm sure.
MARLA
You feel nothing?
JACK
Nothing.
Marla turns around and faces him, begins to button her shirt.
MARLA
Well, that's a relief. Thank you.
JACK
No... no problem.
MARLA
I wish I could return the favor.
Jack touches his own chest, shakes his head.
JACK
I think everything's okay here.
MARLA
I could check your prostate.
JACK
Uh ... nah.
MARLA
(pause)
Well... thanks, anyway.
Marla leans to kiss him -- lingers for a bit longer than
just friendly. Jack pulls away.
JACK
So.... are we done?
Marla sighs.
MARLA
Yeah, we're done. See you around.
EXT. HOTEL - MOMENTS LATER
Jack emerges from the lobby. He looks up at Marla's window,
watches her silhouette. He walks away, right into -- Big
BOB, the moose, eating a donut and drinking orange juice.
BOB
Cornelius! How are you?
JACK
Bob. I'm okay. How are you?
BOB
Better than I've ever been in my life.
JACK
Really? Great. Still "Remaining Men
Together?"
An intense look of born-again fervor comes over Bob's face.
BOB
No. I found something new.
JACK
Really, what's that?
BOB
(quietly)
The first rule is... you aren't
supposed to talk about it...
JACK
Oh.
BOB
And the second rule about it is...
you're not supposed to talk about it.
And the third rule...
JACK
Bob, Bob... I'm a member.
BOB
You are?!
JACK
Look at my face.
Bob roughly slaps Jack's shoulder.
BOB
That's a fucking great, man! Fucking
great! Congratulations.
JACK
Yeah, both of us.
BOB
You know about the guy who invented
it? I hear all kinds of things.
Supposedly, he was born in a mental
institution. They say he only sleeps
one hour a night. You know about
this guy? Tyler Durden?
INT. BASEMENT - ELECTRONICS WKREHOUSE - NIGHT
The CROWD SCREAMS insanely as Bob and Jack go at it in the
circle of light. Bob's eyes are wild with glee.
EXT. BASEMENT DOOR - ELECTRONICS WAREHOUSE - LATER
Everyone sneaks out of this new location - we've seen none
of these guys before - it's a new chapter. Jack and Bob
Stagger out last, Jack being in worse shape. They both grin
with religious serenity. Bob hugs Jack.
BOB
Thank you. Thank you.
Bob relaxes the hug and Jack drops to the ground like a
sack, completely enervated from the beating he took.
JACK
You're welcome.
JACK (V.O.)
Fight club -- this was mine and
Tyler's gift... our gift to the world.
INT. KITCHEN -- MORNING
Jack has his briefcase on the table, looks at PAPERWORK.
Tyler wanders in, carries a dirty pot to the sink. Jack
takes out a cigarette, lights up. He offers the pack...
TYLER
No thanks, I quit.
JACK
You quit?
TYLER
Yeah. Where you headed?
JACK
Work. Going to work.
Tyler scratches his chin absently.
JACK
What... ?
TYLER
Nothing. Do what you like.
Tyler walks out the way he came.
INT. JACK'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack sits staring at his SCREEN SAVER.
INT. BOSS'S OFFICE - DAY
Jack steps into the open doorway, knocks on the doorframe.
Boss looks up from his large, expensive desk.
JACK
We need to talk.
BOSS
Okay. Where to begin? With your
constant absenteeism? With your
unpresentable appearance? You're up
for review...
JACK
I Am Jack's Complete Lack of Surprise.
Boss sits up in his seat, becoming enraged.
JACK
Let's pretend. You're the Department
of Transportation, and you discover
that our company intentionally did
nothing about leather seats cured in
third world countries with chemicals
we know cause birth defects? Brake
linings that fail after a thousand
miles. Fuel injectors that burn
people alive.
BOSS
Just who the fuck do you think you
are?! Get out! You're fired!
JACK
What about this? Keep me on payroll
as an outside consultant. In
exchange for my salary, I'll keep my
mouth shut. I won't need to come to
the office. I can do this job from
home.
Boss stands, moves around his desk, glaring with rage.
BOSS
You little fucker! I oughta...
Jack PUNCHES HIMSELF in the nose. Blood starts to trickle.
He punches himself in the jaw, throws himself back as if by
the force of the punch, SLAMS against a framed picture and
SHATTERS the glass. He falls to the floor.
JACK (V.O.)
I Am Jack's Smirking Revenge.
Jack gets back to his feet.
JACK
Please... don't hit me again, please.
I'm your responsibility...
He PUNCHES himself in the stomach, then in the jaw again.
He reels backwards, pulls down a hanging shelf, its contents
flying. He hits the floor.
JACK (V.O.)
For some reason, I thought of my
first fight -- with Tyler.
Jack crawls toward Boss, dripping blood, grabs Boss's leg.
JACK
Please... give me the paychecks like
I asked for. I won't be any trouble.
You won't see me again.
Jack climbs up Boss's leg while Boss tries to shake him off.
Boss stumbles back into his desk, knocking off belongings.
JACK (V.O.)
Under and behind and inside
everything this man took for granted,
something horrible had been growing.
Jack crawls high enough to grab Boss's belt, hoisting
himself up. He dribbles blood an Boss's clothing, SMUDGES
blood from his face onto the knuckles of Boss's hand.
JACK
Please... please...
JACK (V.O.)
And right then, at our most excellent
moment together...
Two SECURITY GUARDS enter and gape at the sight. Behind
them stand CURIOUS WORKERS, looking in.
JACK
(gurgling blood)
Please don't hit me again.
INT. TYLER'S HOUSE - ENTRANCE FOYER - DAY
Jack holds a CHECK in front of Tyler's face.
JACK
Six months advance pay. Six months!
TYLER
Fucking sweet.
JACK
Okay, and... and...
Jack digs in his pocket, takes out a thick bundle of CARDS.
JACK
Forty-eight airline flight coupons.
Plus... hold on... just a minute...
Jack holds up a finger, going to open the front door. He
drags an unwieldy SHOPPING CART in behind him; filled with
his COMPUTER, PHONE, FAX and other office equipment.
JACK
I am now officially self-employed.
Jack looks at the cart, then back at Tyler, proud.
TYLER
Good for you.
INT. LOU'S TAVERN - BASEMENT - NIGHT
LOUD. An enormous CROWD of guys, including Jack and Bob,
stands around Tyler, who's in the center of the circle,
holding up his hands to quiet them...
TYLER
I look around... I look around and
see a lot of new faces.
An enthusiastic RUMBLE from the crowd.
TYLER
Shut up! Which means a lot of you
have been breaking the first two
rules of fight club.
A glum silence falls. Guys look at each other.
TYLER
I see in fight club the strongest and
smartest men who have ever lived --
an entire generation pumping gas and
waiting tables; or they're slaves
with white collars.
(more)
TYLER (cont)
Advertisements have them chasing cars
and clothes, working jobs they hate
so they can buy shit they don't need.
We are the middle children of
history, with no purpose or place.
We have no great war, or great
depression. The great war is a
spiritual war. The great depression
is our lives. We were raised by
television to believe that we'd be
millionaires and movie gods and rock
stars -- but we won't. And we're
learning that fact. And we're very,
very pissed-off.
The crowd erupts into a DEAFENING CHORUS of agreement. Jack
looks at the blazing excitement in the eyes of the crowd.
TYLER
We are the quiet young men who listen
until it's time to decide.
A fat, MIDDLE-AGED MAN stomps down the stairs, pushing into
the crowd, followed by a TALL, HEFTY THUG who holds a GUM.
TYLER
Who are you?
FAT MAN (LOU)
Who am I?! There's a sign on the
front that says "Lou's Tavern." I'm
fucking Lou. Who the fuck are you?!
TYLER
Tyler Durden.
Tyler extends his hand for a shake, but Lou SLAPS it away.
LOU
Who told you motherfuckers you could
use my place?
TYLER
We have a deal worked out with Irvine.
LOU
Irvine? Irvine's at home with a
broken collarbone.
Everyone glances guiltily at each other.
LOU
He don't own this place, I do. How
much money's he getting for this?
TYLER
There is no money.
LOU
Really?
TYLER
It's free to all.
LOU
Ain't that something?
TYLER
Yes, it is.
LOU
Look, stupid fuck, I want everyone
outta here now!
TYLER
You're welcome to join our club.
LOU
Did you hear what I just said?!
TYLER
You and your friend.
Lou SLUGS Tyler in the stomach, doubles him over.
LOU
You hear me now?
Tyler gains his breath, determined. He looks up, turns his
head, looking to Jack. Jack watches, wide-eyed.
Tyler straightens, facing Lou.
TYLER
No, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.
Lou PUNCHES Tyler in the face. Some of the guys move
forward, but the Thug points his gun. Jack-runs forward
anyway -- Lou PUNCHES him in the face.
More guys move forward, but Tyler waves them off, facing Lou.
TYLER
We really need to use this place.
Lou proceeds to beat the shit out of Tyler, PUNCHING his
face, his stomach. Tyler collapses to the floor. Lou
starts KICKING his. Tyler bleeds from the mouth and face.
TYLER
That's it.... that's good. Get it
all out. You'll feel better.
Lou flushes red with exasperation, KICKS more. Finally,
sweating, bewildered, Lou stops. He looks to the Thug, who
is just as bewildered.
Suddenly, Tyler SPRINGS UP, grabs onto Lou...
TYLER
Yes, I am shit and crazy, to you and
this whole fucking world...
Tyler's blood spatters on Lou. Lou tries to shake Tyler
off, but Tyler BITES Lou's NECKTIE. The Thug grabs Tyler
and pulls, the necktie tightening and strangling Lou. Lou
slaps at Tyler's face, but recoils from the blood. Tyler
spits and shouts through clenched teeth...
TYLER
You don't know where I've been.
Tyler bear hugs Lou, pulls him to the floor. Tyler rubs his
bloody face into Lou's face. The Thug lifts Tyler. Tyler
clings to Lou's belt, dragging Lou as he is dragged...
TYLER
We need this place. We need it.
Please let us keep it, please...
Blood dribbles out of Tyler's mouth, spattering Lou.
LOU
What are you doing?!
TYLER
Pleeeeeease!
LOU
Okay! Okay, fuck it! Use the
basement! Get off me!
TYLER
We need some towels, Lou. We need
replacement light bulbs.
LOU
Alright, Christ! Fucking let me go!
TYLER
Thank you. Thank you, sir...
LOU
Let go of me!!
Tyler lets go of Lou's belt. Lou scrambles away. The Thug
drops Tyler, trying to keep clear of the blood. Lou gets to
his feet, looks at Tyler, then at the rest of the guys. He
and the Thug back away... slamming the door behind.
Fight club surrounds Tyler. They help him up, move him to
a crate. Tyler sits slumped for a long moment, his
breathing labored... then, he sits back, crossing his legs
and looking to the group, his demeanor businesslike.
TYLER
This week, each of you has a homework
assignment. You're going to go out
and start a fight with a total
stranger...
(pause, drooling blood)
You're going to start a fight... and
you're going to lose.
Jack beams in appreciation.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Ricky trips a passing YUPPIE. The Yuppie falls.
JACK (V.O.)
Not as easy as it sounds. People'll
do just about anything to avoid a
fight.
The Yuppies gets up, angry, and Ricky PUNCHES him...
YUPPIE
Hey! Wha... What the hell... what
are you doing?! Who are you?!!
The Yuppie backs away. Ricky follows...
YUPPIE
Get away from me! Keep away!
NO... !
Ricky TACKLES the Yuppie. The Yuppie struggles spastically.
YUPPIE
Who are you!? Why are you attacking
me... ?!
Having no recourse, the Yuppie begins trading blows.
EXT. AUTO SHOP - DAY
A MECHANIC WITH A BATTERED FACE uses a hose to wash the
sidewalk. As MEN pass, he jerks the hose up and SPRAYS them.
FIRST MAN
Hey... hey...
SECOND MAN
Watch out, jackass!
These men continue on their way.
The Mechanic sprays a third man, a SEMINARY STUDENT, who
looks down, stunned.
SEMINARIAN
You... you did that on purpose!
The Mechanic DOUSES the Seminarian. The Seminarian grabs
the hose, wrestling the Mechanic for it. The Mechanic
shoves the Seminarian, who responds with a half-assed PUNCH.
The Mechanic purposely takes it. The Seminarian starts to
run away. The Mechanic sprints after him, PUNCHING the
Seminarian in the back of the neck. They fight.
INT. RECORD STORE STOCKROOM - NIGHT
A FIST smashes a JAW. Guys CHEER. An arm snakes around a
neck and squeezes, blood and sweat dripping. It's the
YUPPIE and the SEMINARIAN fighting. Tyler walks around the
perimeter of the circle.
JACK (V.O.)
Now nobody was the center of fight
club except the two men fighting.
The leader walked around in the
crowd, out in the darkness.
Tyler hands ENVELOPES out to the crowd.
JACK (V.O.)
Everyone took a homework assignment.
EXT. STREET - LATE NIGHT
Ricky and another FIGHT CLUBBER paste up a BILLBOARD which
reads: "DID YOU KNOW? YOU CAN USE YOUR OLD MOTOR OIL TO
FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN! -- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY."
INT. PAPER STREET HOUSE
HANDS use a MARKER, writing on a FILE: "Disinformation."
EXT. LARGE PARKING LOT - DAY
Jack and Tyler, in work gloves, armed with TOOLS, work
together to lift the entire METAL PLATE of EXIT SPIKES from
the ground. They reverse it, then replace it.
MOMENTS LATER
Jack and Tyler walk away, each carrying a 4x4 plank of WOOD.
JACK
There's fight club in Delaware City.
TYLER
I heard. Local 15, Monday nights.
As they pass PARKED CARS, they SWING the planks against
front bumpers -- activating ALARMS and INFLATING AIR BAGS...
JACK
Local 8 just started in Penns Grove.
And, Bob said he was at fight club in
Newcastle last week.
TYLER
Newcastle? Did you start that one?
JACK
I thought you did.
In the background, a CAR quickly EXITS the parking lot --
front tires EXPLODING, wheel rims throwing sparks.
INT. FAMILY HOUSEHOLD -- NIGHT
FATHER, MOTHER, YOUNG DAUGHTER and SON, eat dinner, watching
TELEVISION. Suddenly, the TV IMAGE turns to SNOW and static.
Family members stop eating. Father picks up the REMOTE,
points it -- all channels are SNOW.
Father turns the TV OFF. He and his family members look at
each other, utensils in hand, uncomfortable.
EXT. CITY ROOFTOPS - NIGHT
The Yuppie SWINGS a BASEBALL BAT -- DESTROYS a digital
SATELLITE DISH. The Yuppie and the Seminarian move on,
climbing to a neighboring rooftop. They come upon another
DISH. The Seminarian takes the bat, takes a SWING...
INT. PAPER STREET HOUSE
HANDS place NEWS CLIPPINGS into a FILE: "Mischief."
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - ON GROUND - DAY
Two AIRPLANE MAINTENANCE,MEN, with bruised faces, rip open
a box from a PRINT SHOP. They dig up AIRPLANE SAFETY
INSTRUCTION CARDS and begin inserting them into each
seatback. We SEE a CARD - it shows passengers SCREAMING
and FLAILING ABOUT IN TERROR.
INT. BUSINESS OFFICE - NIGHT
Huge office. Rows and rows of desks. FIGHT CLUB MEMBERS
work: one guy moving from COMPUTER MONITOR to COMPUTER
MONITOR, using a DRILL to drill a hole into the top of each.
Other guys follow behind, with FUNNELS and CANS of GASOLINE,
filling each monitor with gasoline.
INT. PAPER STREET HOUSE
Files and newspaper clippings are piled up. HANDS write on
a new FILE FOLDER: "Arson."
EXT. ROOFTOP -- DAY
The Yuppie crumbles a loaf of stale bread into a bucket,
stirring it with a big spoon, mixing in a BOTTLE of EX-LAX.
Nearby, Rob throws handfuls of wet BREADCRUMBS to PIGEONS...
HUNDREDS of PIGEONS -- a rooftop feeding-frenzy.
EXT. CONVENIENCE STORE - NIGHT
Tyler and Jack cross the parking lot, towards the
convenience store. Jack wears a BACKPACK.
TYLER
Let me have that a minute...
Tyler takes the BACKPACK, unzips it, searching the contents.
JACK
What are we doing?
TYLER
Homework assignment.
JACK
What is it?
Tyler takes out a HANDGUN, hands the backpack back.
TYLER
Human Sacrifice.
Jack turns white, staring at the gun.
EXT. BEHIND THE CONVENIENCE STORE - MOMENTS LATER
The BACK DOOR opens and Tyler brings the store's CLERK out
at gunpoint, forces him to his knees. Jack follows,
freaked. Tyler points the gun at the Clerk.
JACK (V.O.)
On a long enough time line, the
survival rate for everyone drops to
zero.
CLERK
Please... don't...
TYLER
Give me your wallet.
The Clerk fumbles his wallet out of his pocket and Tyler
snatches it. Tyler pulls out the DRIVER'S LICENCE.
TYLER
Raymond K. Hessel. 1320 SE Benning,
apartment A. A small, cramped
basement apartment.
RAYMOND
How'd you know?
TYLER
They give basement apartments letters
instead of numbers. Raymond, you're
going to die.
Tyler rummages through the wallet.
TYLER
Is this a picture of Mom and Dad?
RAYMOND
Yesssss...
TYLER
Your mom and dad will have to call
kindly doctor so-and-so to dig up
your dental records, because there
won't be much left of your face.
RAYMOND
Please, God, no...
Raymond begins to weep, shoulders heaving.
JACK
Tyler...
TYLER
An expired community college student
ID card. What did you used to study,
Raymond K. Hessel?
RAYMOND
S-S-Stuff.
TYLER
"Stuff." Were the mid-terms hard?
Tyler rams the gun barrel against Raymond's temple.
TYLER
I asked you what you studied.
JACK
Tell him!
RAYMOND
Biology, mostly.
TYLER
Why?
RAYMOND
I... I don't know...
TYLER
What did you want to be, Raymond K.
Hessel?
Raymond weeps and says nothing. Tyler COCKS the gun.
Raymond GASPS.
TYLER
The question, Raymond, was "what did
you want to be?"
A beat.
JACK
Answer him!
RAYMOND
A veterinarian!
TYLER
Animals.
RAYMOND
Yeah ... animals and s-s-s ---
TYLER
Stuff. That means you have to get
more schooling.
RAYMOND
Too much school.
Tyler shoves Raymond's wallet back into Raymond's pocket.
TYLER
Would you rather be dead?
RAYMOND
No, please, no, God, no!
Tyler moves the gun right between Raymond's eyes.
RAYMOND
NOOOOO!
Tyler UNCOCKS the gun, lowers it.
TYLER
I'm keeping your license. I know
where you live. I'm going to check
on you. If you aren't back in school
and on your way to being a
veterinarian in six weeks, you will
be dead. Get the hell out of here.
Raymond staggers to his feet, heads down an alleyway. Jack
and Tyler watch Raymond flee, then Tyler looks at Jack.
JACK
I feel sick.
TYLER
Imagine how he feels.
Tyler brings the gun to his own head, pulls the trigger --
CLICK. Empty.
JACK
I don't care, that was horrible.
Tyler walks away.
TYLER
Tomorrow will be the most beautiful
day of Raymond K. Hessell's life.
Jack watches Tyler go.
TYLER
His breakfast will taste better than
any meal he has ever eaten.
Jack turns to look the direction Raymond ran. He finally
turns back, following after Tyler.
INT. BUSINESS OFFICE - NIGHT
SLOW MOTION: in the deserted office, gasoline filled
COMPUTER MONITORS begin to EXPLODE...BOOM...BOOM...BOOM... !
EXT. CITY STREETS -- MORNING
Luxury AUTOMOBILES are parked, splattered with BIRD SHIT.
EXT. PAPER ST. HOUSE - BACKYARD - DAWN
VIEWED OUT 3RD STORY WINDOW: Tyler uses a RAKE, dragging it
across rocks and dirt. He stops a moment, rake on his
shoulder, staring off. Then, back to work...
TYLER
(muttering quietly)
... You are not how much money you
have in the bank. You are not the
shoes you wear.
Tyler's marking a large SQUARE in the weeds and rubble of
the backyard, kicking rocks away, dragging the rake...
TYLER
You are not the contents of your
wallet...
INT. CITY BUS - NIGHT
The DRIVER has a broken nose. The bus is empty, except for
Jack, in the very last seat, sleepy.
JACK (V.O.)
He had a plan. Maybe you just didn't
see it till it hit you between the
eyes.
(pause)
But, it started to make sense... in
a Tyler sort of way. No fear. No
distractions. The ability to let
that which does not matter truly
slide.
EXT. PAPER STREET - NIGHT
Jack gets off the bus. As the bus pulls away, we see it
dropped Jack off right in front of the house.
INT. KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER
Jack enters. Tyler, dressed in FATIGUES and splattered with
PAINT, grabs BEERS from the refrigerator.
JACK
Hey.
TYLER
Hey.
Jack notices ROPE and RAPPELLING TOOLS on the table. Tyler
comes to hand Jack a bunch of beers, nod to the living room.
TYLER
Go on in. We're celebrating.
INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Jack, bewildered, enters carrying beers. Tyler does NOT
follow. BOB, RICKY and several other fight club guys sit in
front at the TV, chanting not too loudly, all also dressed
in FATIGUES and splattered with PAINT.
RICKY
You are not your job.
OTHERS TOGETHER
You are not your job.
RICKY
You are not how much money you have
in the bank.
BOB
Shhhh, wait... they're back to it...
Bob goes to turn up the TV. One guy, sixteen years old with
an angelic face, ANGEL FACE, gets up to take beer from Jack.
ANGEL FACE
(to Jack)
Great, thanks.
Angel face starts distributing beer amongst his cohorts.
BOB
Shhhhh! Watch!
Jack looks to the TV -- it shows a LIVE shot of the "PARKER
MORRIS BUILDING." The building has a GIANT, GRINNING FACE
PAINTED on it -- two BROKEN WINDOWS for EYES, with flames
pouring out... FIRETRUCKS spray water.
REPORTER (V.O.)
Police Commissioner Jacobs has just
arrived... just a second... excuse
me, Commissioner, could you tell us
what you think has happened?
COMMISSIONER JACOBS, a wrinkled official, turns to camera.
COMMISSIONER JACOBS (V.O.)
We believe this is related to the
recent acts of vandalism around the
city. It's some kind of organized
group, and we are coordinating a
rigorous investigation.
Jack turns, sees Tyler in the archway, watching him. Tyler
tips his beer to toast, pulls back, out of sight.
JACK
What did you guys do?
They all BURST INTO LAUGHTER. They look at Jack and shake
their heads. Jack doesn't get it. Suddenly, the guys'
faces turn to stone. Bob sits rigid.
BOB
The first rule of Project Mayhem
is... you do not ask questions.
Jack stares at them.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - NIGHT
A luxurious BANQUET. Commissioner Jacobs guzzles champagne.
He rises and starts out of the room. Jack, in a WAITER'S
UNIFORM, looks apprehensively to OTHER WAITERS: BOB...
RICKY... ANGEL FACE -- who all give each other a look.
INT. HALLWAY
Jacobs saunters down an empty hall. He stops to check his
tie in a mirror. He pushes open the door of the MEN'S
BATHROOM -- face to face with TYLER.
INT. BATHROOM
Tyler GRABS Commissioner Jacobs, pulling him into the
bathroom. He slaps a piece of tape over Jacobs' mouth. The
OTHER "WAITERS" rush in. Jack stays back to keep the door
shut. Tyler and the others hold Jacobs, pulling down his
pants. Bob snaps a rubber band -- reaches to Jacob s crotch.
TYLER
Wrap it around the top of his hackie-
sack.
BOB
Man, his balls are ice cold.
Ricky produces a KNIFE, moves it down to Jacob's testicles.
Jacobs is bug-eyed. Jack, red-faced, keeps his distance.
TYLER
You're not going to continue your
"rigorous investigation." You will
publicly state that there is no
underground group. Or -- imagine,
the rest of your life with your
scrotum flapping empty.
JACOBS
(mouth taped)
... no... please, no...
TYLER
We'll send one to the New York Times
and one to the Los Angeles Times.
Press release style. Your nuts will
be bicoastal. Understood? The
people you're after are everyone you
depend on.
(more)
TYLER (cont)
We do your laundry, cook your food
and serve you dinner. We guard you
while you sleep. We drive your
ambulances. Do not fuck with us.
Ricky makes a dramatic cut with the knife, causing Jacobs to
JUMP -- Ricky holds up the severed RUBBER BAND.
EXT. HOTEL - LATER
Jack, Tyler and the others file quickly out the back SERVICE
ENTRANCE. Tyler gives Angel Face a hearty slap on the back.
Angel Face smiles at Tyler, nods, grinning.
Jack sees this, his eyes narrowing, stops walking.
INT. TAVERN BASEMENT - NIGHT
Fight club in full swing. Jack battles Angel Face, BEATING
the shit out of him with unprecedented viciousness.
JACK (V.O.)
I felt like putting a bullet between
the eyes of every Panda that wouldn't
screw to save its species.
The crowd shouts maniacally, save Tyler, who watches with an
inscrutable stone face.
Angel Face tries to speak, but Jack POUNDS too hard. Blood
flies. The crowd begins to grow QUIETER.
JACK (V.O.)
I wanted to open the dump valves on
oil tankers and smother all the
French beaches I'd never see.
Finally, Angel Face lies still, unconscious. Jack stops,
stares down, numb. Jack walks away -- the crowd parts to
let him pass. Jack scans faces... finds Tyler.
TYLER
Where did you go, Psycho-Boy?
JACK
I felt like destroying something
beautiful.
EXT. STREET NEAR LOU'S TAVERN - LATER
RAINING. Tyler and Jack walk through pools of streetlight.
A idling car HONKS. Tyler leads Jack toward it. A bruised-
faced VALET PARKER thrown keys to Tyler, but Jack intercepts.
VALET
There you are, Mr. Durden. Airport
parking, long term.
JACK
(motions to car)
After you, Mr. Durden...
TYLER
No... after you.
INT. STOLEN CAR
Tyler gets in the driver's seat. Jack gets into the front
passenger seat. Ricky and the mechanic are in back.
EXT. STREET
Tyler pulls the stolen car away from the curb. It has two
bumperstickers: "RECYCLE YOUR ANIMALS" and "MAKE MINE VEAL."
INT. STOLEN CAR - MOVING - LATER
RAIN GUSHES down. Jack stews, silent. The car moves down
a HIGHWAY, intermittently illuminated by oncoming headlights.
TYLER
Something on your mind?
JACK
No.
Tyler shrugs; turns on the RADIO, ignores Jack.
JACK
Why wasn't I told about "Project
Mayhem?"
TYLER
What should I have told you?
JACK
Why wasn't I involved from the
beginning? You and I started fight
club together.
TYLER
Fight club was the beginning. Now
it's out of the basements and there's a
name for it -- Project Mayhem.
RICKY AND MECHANIC
(together)
The first rule of Project Mayhem is
you do not ask questions.
JACK
This is as much mine as yours.
TYLER
Is this a needlepoint club? Is it
about you and me?
JACK
You know what I mean.
TYLER
What do you want? A statement of
purpose... ?
JACK
Look...
TYLER
Should I E-mail you? Should I put
this on your "action item list?"
JACK
I want to know --
TYLER
What do you want to know about
Project Mayhem?
RICKY AND MECHANIC
(together)
The first rule of Project Mayhem --
JACK
(to Ricky and Mechanic)
Shut up!!
(to Tyler)
I want to know what's going on.
Tyler steers the car into the opposite lane, accelerates...
Opposing HEADLIGHTS get closer fast...
TYLER
This does not belong to us. We are
not the leaders. We are not special.
JACK
What are you doing?!
TYLER
We are the all-singing, all-dancing
crap of the world. We are all part
of the same compost heap...
JACK
Tyler...
Tyler steers back into the proper lane. The other CAR flies
past, HORN SOUNDING...
JACK
What the hell ... ?!
TYLER
You choose your level of involvement.
I won't make decisions for you.
JACK
I'm not asking you to.
TYLER
You're asking questions that don't
have answers. You know just as much
about Project Mayhem as anybody else.
JACK
I don't think that's true.
Tyler again steers into the oncoming lane, speeding up.
Through the windshield: oncoming headlights -- a TRUCK.
JACK
Tyler... what is this... !
Jack fights to turn the wheel, but Tyler uses both hands.
TYLER
What will you wish you'd done before
you died?
RICKY
Paint a self-portrait.
MECHANIC
Build a house.
TYLER
(to Jack)
And you?
JACK
I don't know! Nothing!
TYLER
If you died right now, how would you
feel about your life?
JACK
I would feel nothing about my life?
Is that what you want to hear?!
The oncoming truck HONKS and FLASHES its LIGHTS. It moves
to the other side of the road. Tyler steers there, too.
TYLER
I want to hear the truth.
JACK
Fuck my life. Fuck fight club. Fuck
you and fuck Marla. I'm sick of
this. How's that?
TYLER
Why do you think I blew up your condo?
JACK
What?
TYLER
Hitting bottom isn't a weekend
retreat! It's not a seminar! You
have to forget everything you know,
everything you think you know --
about life, about friendship, about
you and me.
Nearing impact with the oncoming truck, Tyler takes his
hands off the wheel -- Jack keeps his grip, turns the
wheel... the car swerves...
The truck ROARS past, spraying water, HORN BLASTING.
Tyler looks at Jack, his hands in the air. Jack looks at
Tyler with dead eyes.
JACK
Okay, okay... fine...
Jack takes his hands off the wheel, holds them in the air.
Tyler studies Jack face, impressed. Tyler makes no move to
take the wheel.
THROUGH THR WINDSHIELD: a STALLED CAR ahead on the side of
the road, surrounded by flares.
Jack and Tyler's eyes stay locked as the car drifts onto the
shoulder... heading for the stalled car. Their faces are
illuminated by the light of the flares. Tyler smiles.
They SMASH into the stalled car -- AIRBAGS INFLATE! The
back of their car whips around and carries it into a ass-
over-tea-kettle ROLL down a hill...
JACK (V.O.)
I'd never been in a car accident.
This must've been what all those
statistics felt like before I filed
them into my reports.
The car finally hits the bottom, lying on its roof.
EXT. OVERTURNED CAR
Tyler crawls from the passenger side. He walks around...
opens the driver's side door and drags Jack out into the
mud. Ricky and the Mechanic climb out the broken rear
window. Tyler sits beside the stunned, wounded Jack.
TYLER
We just had a near-life experience.
INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT
Jack lies in bed, traumatized, eyes empty, staring at the
ceiling. Tyler sits in a nearby chair.
TYLER
In the world I see -- you're stalking
elk through the damp canyon forests
around the ruins of Rockefeller
Center. You will wear leather
clothes that last you the rest of
your life. You will climb the wrist-
thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears
Tower. You will see tiny figures
pounding corn and laying-strips of
venison on the empty car pool lane of
the ruins of a superhighway.
Tyler stands, gives Jack's head a pat.
TYLER
(leaving)
Feel better, champ.
INT. KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER
Jack sits at the table, sips coffee. He's pale, dazed,
seems broken. He hears the faint SOUND of SAWING and
HAMMERING, unsure of where it's coming from.
Marla walks into the kitchen and goes straight to the
counter. Her back is to Jack as he looks at her. She pours
ccffee and lights a cigarette. A beat of silence, then:
MARLA
I'll be out of your way in a sec.
She seems to be as weak as Jack.
JACK
You... don't have to... leave.
MARLA
Whatever.
JACK
Really... I mean it.
(pause)
Have you been going to your groups?
MARLA
Chloe's dead.
JACK
When?
MARLA
Do you care?
JACK
I don't know.
MARLA
It was the smart move on her part.
Marla turns to face Jack, a grim expression on her face.
There's a BRUISE on her ARM. Jack gets up, moves closer.
JACK
Why are we both... caught up like
this... with... ?
JACK (V.O.)
I came so close to saying Tyler's
name, I could feel it vibrate inside
my mouth.
Marla looks a him, waiting.
JACK
I don't understand. Why does a weak
person have to go out and find a
strong person... to hang onto?
MARLA
What do you get out of it?
Faint SOUND of SAWING and HAMMERING. Jack can't quite
figure where it's coming from.
JACK
You hear that?
MARLA
Hear what?
JACK
That... sawing and hammering.
MARLA
Have we been talking too long? Must
we change the subject?
Jack turns -- through the crack of the open basement door,
Tyler's staring at Jack from the bottom of the stairs.
TYLER
(harsh whisper)
You're not talking about me, are you?
Jack reacts, turns back to Marla.
JACK
(to Marla and Tyler)
No.
MARLA
That day you came over to my place to
play doctor... what was going on
there?
TYLER
(still a whisper)
What are you talking about?
JACK
(to Marla and Tyler)
Nothing.
MARLA
Nothing? I don't think so.
TYLER
(whisper)
This conversation...
JACK
This conversation...
TYLER
... is over.
JACK
... is over.
Marla comes to touch Jack's hair. Jack closes the basement
door. Marla sees the kiss-scar on Jack's hand, grabs his
hand. Jack tries to pull it back, but Marla keeps a grip.
MARLA
What is this? Who did this?
JACK
... A person.
MARLA
Guy or girl?
JACK
Why would you ask if it's a guy or a
girl?!
MARLA
Why would you get bent if I asked?
JACK
Let go of me...
(pulls his hand free)
Leave me alone.
MARLA
You're afraid to say.
Marla backs away, closes her eyes, struggling with
frustration. She leaves out the back door, not looking back.
Jack leans against the wall. After a moment, he opens the
basement door, heads downstairs...
INT. BASEMENT STAIRCASE
Tyler walks upstairs, passing as Jack continues down...
INT. BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS
Jack looks around. TRIPLE-DECKER BUNKS clutter the
basement, as many as can fit into the space.
JACK
(calling upstairs)
Tyler... ? What's this for?
From upstairs, the SOUND of the DOORBELL.
INT. LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Jack opens the door. Ricky stands on the porch, staring
ahead in subordinate military style. He's in black pants,
black shirt, black shoes, holds a PAPER BAG, with an army
surplus MATTRESS rolled-up at his feet.
JACK
Um... what can I do for you, Ricky?
Tyler steps up beside Jack, looks Ricky over.
TYLER
You're too young. Sorry.
JACK
Wait a minute...
Tyler comes back inside, shuts the door.
JACK
"Too young?"
TYLER
If the applicant is young, we tell
him he's too young. Old, too old.
Fat, too fat.
JACK
"Applicant?"
TYLER
If the applicant waits at the door
for three days without food, shelter
or encouragement, then he can enter
and begin training.
JACK
"Training?" Tyler...
EXT. PORCH - MOMENTS LATER
Jack comes out, walks around Ricky, hands in his pockets,
unsure. Tyler watches, nods for Jack to go ahead.
JACK
Uh, look. You're too... young to...
train here. You should probably be
on you way.
No response from Ricky, who remains at attention. Jack goes
back inside. Tyler closes the door.
EXT. PORCH - NIGHT
Ricky remains at attention. Jack bursts out with a BROOM,
knocks the brown bag out of Ricky's hand, kicks it away.
JACK
Are you deaf?! I told you to leave!
You will never get inside this house!
EXT. PORCH - MORNING
Ricky's still there. Tyler comes out, friendly.
TYLER
Look, friend, I'm sorry for the
misunderstanding. It's not the end
of the world. Just go away. You're
trespassing and I will call the
police. Nothing personal.
EXT. PORCH - NIGHT
Ricky, same spot. Jack bursts outside with the broom again.
JACK
You're never getting through this
door, you stupid little weasel! Look
at me when I talk to you... !
He WHACKS Ricky in the shoulder with the broom.
JACK
What is your major malfunction!?
INT. JACK'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
At the window, Tyler sips coffee, watches this scene on the
PORCH below.
JACK (V.O.)
Sooner or later, we all became what
Tyler wanted us to be.
EXT. PORCH - MORNING
Ricky's there. Bob is now next to him, in black, with a
paper bag in hand, mattress at his feet. Tyler steps out.
Jack stays in the doorway, locking eyes on Bob. To all the
following questions, Ricky answers "Sir!" --
TYLER
You have two black shirts? Two pair
black trousers? One pair black
boots? Two pair black socks? One
black coat? Three hundred dollars
personal burial money? Go inside.
Ricky goes in. Tyler turns to Bob.
TYLER
You're too old. Sorry. And, you're
too fat. Nice seeing you.
Bob looks genuinely hurt. He picks up his mattress and
starts away. Tyler looks at Jack and rolls his eyes. Jack
follows Bob...
JACK
Bob... Bob, wait...
(leading Bob back)
Let me explain this to you...
EXT. PORCH -- NIGHT
CRICKETS CHIRP. Bob stands at at rigid attention.
INT. 2ND FLOOR LANDING - NIGHT
Tyler and Jack stand in bathroom doorway, watching Ricky
finish SHAVING off all of his HAIR. Tyler comes to give the
top of Ricky's head a sharp SLAP.
TYLER
A monkey, ready to be shot into
space. A Space Monkey, ready to
sacrifice himself for Project Mayhem.
From here on, all those with shaved heads: "SPACE MONKEYS."
EXT. PORCH - DAY
Jack looks out the window. Bob stands motionless. There's
another "applicant," a SHORT GUY, beside Bob. Ricky comes
out the front door with the BROOM...
RICKY
(to Bob)
You're too fucking old, fatty! We
don't want your kind here!
(to short guy)
You're too short. Go away, stumpy!
Go back to the circus!
Ricky HITS them with the broom, then goes in, SLAMS THE DOOR.
JACK (V.O.)
So it went...
EXT. BACKYARD - DAY
Tyler works with a HALF DOZEN SPACE MONKEYS, preparing the
square of backyard. They pull weeds, clear rocks; working
with shovels, rakes, etc. They cart away WHEELBARROWS of
rocks and carry in SACKS of FERTILIZER.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler built his army.
IN THE KITCHEN WINDOW, Jack watches...
INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Jack keeps watching out the window, eats toast.
JACK (V.O.)
To what purpose, might one ask?
Well, one might ask, if not for the
first rule of Project Mayhem.
Jack turns to look around the kitchen. THREE SPACE MONKEYS
work -- one SCRUBBING the FLOOR, one WASHING DISHES, one
SCRUBBING the walls. Jack walks out.
JACK (V.O.)
In Tyler We Trust.
INT. JACK'S ROOM - DAY
Jack opens his eyes, awakening to sunlight thru the window.
JACK (V.O.)
And, then...
INT. UPSTAIRS LANDING - DAY
Jack slowly pushes open the door to Tyler's room...
JACK
Tyler...
The room is empty. Jack stares.
JACK (V.O.)
He was gone.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Jack comes downstairs... finds DOZENS of SPACE MONKEYS.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Jack enters. Space Monkeys render fat and make soap. They
pinch HERBS, adding them to the mix. They add VODKA. Off
to the side, a couple Monkeys stir a vat of RICE. On the
wall is a big bulletin board with HUNDREDS of DRIVER's
LICENSES; a sign above it: "HUMAN SACRIFICES."
FRECKLED SPACE MONKEY
"You are not a beautiful and unique
snowflake. You are the same decaying
organic matter as everything else.
We are all part of the same compost
heap."
JACK (V.O.)
Planet Tyler.
Jack dips a spoon into the rice, chomps on it irritatingly.
FRECKLED SPACE MONKEY
"We are the all-singing, all-dancing
crap of the world."
Jack picks up a BOTTLE of VODKA.
JACK (V.O.)
I had to hug the walls, trapped
inside this clockwork of Space
Monkeys, cooking and working and
sleeping in teams.
INT. READING ROOM - NIGHT
Jack enters, vodka in hand. TEN SPACE MONKEYS here, reading.
JACK (V.O.)
The house became a living thing, wet
inside from so many people sweating
and breathing. So many people
moving, the house moved.
Jack walks out.
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Jack enters. Angel Face reads a book, marks on a chart.
Space Monkeys shuffle PAPERS and NEWS CLIPPINGS. Walls are
lined with FILES, each labeled with a STREET ADDRESS, under
SIGNS: "Mischief," "Disinformation," "Arson."
Jack's eye lingers on "Arson." He starts flipping through
a file. Angel Face comes to take the file from him.
ANGEL FACE
That wouldn't interest you.
JACK
Where's Tyler?
ANGEL FACE
The first rule of Project --
JACK
Right, right.
As Angel Face replaces the file, Jack notices -- a LYE-
BURNED KISS-SCAR on the back of Angel Face's hand.
EXT. BACK YARD - NIGHT
Jack takes a swig of vodka, smokes. In the BACKGROUND, a
Space Monkey WHACKS an APPLICANT with a BROOM. It's a
ritual; no words. Other Space Monkeys tend the garden.
JACK (V.O.)
I'm all alone. I Am Jack's Broken
Heart.
Jack drops his cigarette in the gravel, steps on it. A
Space Monkey immediately comes to clean it up.
JACK
Get away from me!
MARLA'S VOICE (O.S.)
Who are all these people?
Jack turns, sees Marla with an overnight bag.
JACK
The Paper Street Soap Company.
MARLA
Can I come in?
JACK
He's not here.
MARLA
What?
JACK
He's not here! Tyler's not here
anymore! He's gone away!
Marla stares at Jack, miserable. A tear runs down her
cheek. She turns and walks away. Jack watches her go.
There's a LOUD COMMOTION from the house, VOICES SHOUTING.
Jack heads to the back door...
INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Jack enters. Ricky crawls, bleeding from a gunshot wound to
the LEG. Space Monkeys begin a rudimentary job of treating
the wound. Other Space Monkeys carry in a DEAD BODY in
BLACK CLOTHES and SKI MASK, putting it on the table.
JACK
What's going on?
Space Monkeys stare at the body. The Mechanic, sweating,
gets to his knees and pulls the ski mask off the corpse --
it's BOB, with a gunshot wound to the HEAD.
JACK
Bob... oh, Christ...
Jack pushes past a Space Monkey, stares down, stricken...
JACK
What... what happened... ?
MECHANIC
(out of breath)
We were on assignment...
EXT. SCULPTURE PARK - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
A SCULPTURE adorned with a giant GLOBE on top.
MECHANIC (V.O.)
We were supposed to kill two birds
with one stone:
A SERIES of EXPLOSIONS blasts the GLOBE free. It ROLLS...
MECHANIC (V.O.)
A piece of corporate art...
The GLOBE ROLLS downhill, to the street -- rolling over one
parked LUXURY CAR after another, crunching car roofs and
causing windows to explode...
MECHANIC (V.O.)
... and trash a trendy coffee bar.
Then, the GLOBE arrives at the lobby of a HOTEL...
BROADSIDES a limo, RICOCHETS... ROLLS directly into the
front of a closed ARROSTO coffee bar, SMASHING windows...
DECIMATING coffee push-pats...
EXT. PARK - AERIAL VIEW - (FLASHBACK CONTINUOUS)
Bob, the Mechanic and Ricky FLEE, LAUGHING at their
handiwork. They split up, running O.S.
MECHANIC (V.O.)
We had it all worked out, man. It
went smooth... until...
HARSH VOICE
Police! Freeze!
O.S. SOUNDS of GUNSHOTS and FLASHES of MUZZLE FIRE.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT - (RESUMING)
The Mechanic looks up from Bob's corpse.
MECHANIC
They shot Bob... they shot him in the
head. Those fuckers...
Jack walks away from Bob's corpse, distraught, holds his
head, turns to look back, his eyes filling with tears.
ANOTHER SPACE MONKEY
We gotta do something.
RICKY
We got to get rid of the evidence.
We have to get rid of this body.
ANGEL FACE
Bury him...
Jack looks around in disbelief.
JACK
What... ?
ANGEL FACE
The garden. Take him there. Move,
people. Let's do this!
Several Space Monkeys gather around Bob's body.
JACK
No... !
Space Monkeys stop. Jack gets between them and Bob, SHOVES
a few Space Monkeys back...
JACK
Get your hands off him! Get off...!
What the hell do you think you're
doing... ? Evidence?! This is a
man... ! You killed him!
ANGEL FACE
He was killed in action.
JACK
No! Look at you! You're... you're
running around in ski masks,
exploding things...
ANGEL FACE
He was killed serving Project Mayhem.
RICKY
It's what he would have wanted, sir.
JACK
What he wanted? Look... look at him.
Look at him! What does he want?
(wipes tears,
points at Bob)
This is a person. This is not a cog
in your machine...
RICKY
But, this is Project Mayhem.
JACK
No, no. This is a man -- this man
has a name...
RICKY
But, in Project Mayhem, we have no
names.
JACK
No! Wrong! This man's name is
Robert Paulson.
RICKY
Robert Paulson?
JACK
Robert Paulson is dead. He's dead,
because of you...
MECHANIC
I understand.
Everyone just stares at Jack.
MECHANIC
In death, a member of Project Mayhem
has a name.
JACK
No -- !
MECHANIC
His name is Robert Paulson.
RICKY
His name is Robert Paulson!
JACK
No!
ALL SPACE MONKEYS
His name is Robert Paulson!
JACK
Stop that -- !
ALL SPACE MONKEYS
(louder)
His name is Robert Paulson! His name
is Robert Paulson...
Jack backs away, surrounded, PUSHES his way out of the room.
INT. TYLER'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Jack barges in, goes to the desk, rifling through drawers.
He finds FLIGHT COUPONS, used and unused. The used coupons.
have the flight information, including the destination
cities. The PHONE RINGS. Jack answers it...
JACK
Tyler?
DETECTIVE STERN'S VOICE
(from phone)
This is Detective Stern of the arson
unit. I'd like to see you in my
office tomorrow morning...
Jack, in a panic, HANGS UP.
INSERT - AN AIRPLANE TAKES OFF...
INT. PLANE CABIN - DAY
Jack sits stiffly in a seat.
JACK (V.O.)
I went to the cities on Tyler's used
tickets stubs.
INSERT - A SIGN: "LA GUARDIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT"
EXT. AIRPORT - NIGHT
Jack hurries from the terminal, runs to a TAXI ...
JACK (V.O.)
In every city, I branched out from
the airport to downtown, bar-
hopping...
INT. TAXI - IN MOTION, MID-CITY - NIGHT
Jack's looks out the window, intently watching buildings.
JACK (V.0.)
I didn't know how or why, but I could
look at fifty different bars, and
somehow I just knew...
JACK
(to driver, points)
Here. Let me out, right here...
INT. BAR - NIGHT
Jack enters. He sees several MALE PATRONS with FIGHT
BRUISES. Jack moves to the bar. The BARTENDER has a broken
arm and swollen face.
JACK
I'm looking for Tyler Durden.
BARTENDER
Never heard of him.
JACK
This is an emergency. It's important
I find him.
BARTENDER
I wish I could help you... sir.
The bartender WINKS at Jack.
INSERT - AERIAL VIEW - ATLANTA SKYLINE - NIGHT
JACK (V.O.)
Every city I went to...
INSERT - AERIAL VIEW - CHICAGO SKYLINE - DAY
JACK (V.0.)
...as soon as I set foot off the
plane...
INSERT - AERIAL VIEW - DALLAS SKYLINE - NIGHT
JACK (V.).)
...I knew fight club was close.
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL - NIGHT
Jack RUNS through the airport, lugging his suitcase.
JACK (V.O.)
Tyler was setting up franchises, all
over the country.
INT. DRY CLEANERS - DAY
The PROPRIETOR, his head bandaged, is confronted by Jack.
JACK
I need to know where Tyler is. Can't
you help me?
BANDAGED PROPRIETOR
Sir, you're disturbing the other
patrons with your laudish behavior.
JACK
(pointing)
There's no one else here.
BANDAGED PROPRIETOR
I'm sorry, I haven't the faintest
idea what you're talking about.
JACK
Look at my face. I'm a member. I
just need to know if you've seen
Tyler Durden.
BANDAGED PROPRIETOR
I'm not disclosed to bespeak any such
information to you, nor would I, even
if I had said information you want,
at this juncture be able.
Jack looks around, incredibly frustrated.
JACK
You are a moron.
BANDAGED PROPRIETOR
I'm afraid I have to insist you leave.
Jack gives up, shoves his way out the door.
INT. CITY BUS - DAY
Jack sits on the bus, looking out the window. The bus stops.
JACK (V.O.)
Under and behind and inside
everything I took for granted,
something horrible had been growing.
OUT THE WINDOW, a CONSTRUCTION WORKER with a BROKEN NOSE
works a jackhammer. He stops, wipes his brow.
INT. SPORTS BAR - DAY
TVs show football. Jack is seated with TWO BRUISED PATRONS.
BRUISED PATRON #1
No one's ever seen him. No one knows
what he looks like.
BRUISED PATRON #2
He has facial reconstructive surgery
every three years.
JACK
That's the stupidest thing I've ever
heard.
BRUISED PATRON #1
Is it true about fight club in Miami?
BRUISED PATRON 12
Is Mr. Durden building an army?
JACK (V.O.)
Am I asleep... ?
INT. AIRPLANE - NIGHT
Jack sits awake. Everyone around him is asleep.
JACK (V.O.)
Have I slept? I'm not sure if Tyler
is my bad dream or if I'm Tyler's.
EXT. MID-TOWN STREETS - DAY
Jack steps off the sidewalk, hailing a TAXI...
EXT. CITY ALLEY - DAY
The alleyway's deserted. Jack heaft to rusty CELLAR DOORS.
He opens the doors, looks around, heads down stairs...
JACK (V.O.)
I was living in a state of perpetual
deja vu.
INT. DANK BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS
Jack enters this dark basement, walks ahead in the dim
light. The place is damp and empty. Jack stops, looks down.
JACK (V.O.)
Everywhere I went, I felt I had
already been there.
At his feet -- DRIED BLOOD on the concrete floor.
INSERT - AERIAL VIEW - PHOENIX SKYLINE - DAY
INT. ANOTHER BAR - DAY
Jack walks in. The place is empty. He walks to a KITCHEN
DOOR, opens it and peers in at... a GROUP of KITCHEN WORKERS
solemnly stand in a circle, chanting...
KITCHEN WORKERS
His name is Robert Paulson. His name
is Robert Paulson...
MAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
(from behind Jack)
Welcome back, sir.
Jack whirls, startled -- facing the wounded BARTENDER, who
wears a NECK BRACE, his nose a smashed eggplant.
WOUNDED BARTENDER
How have you been?
JACK
... You know me?
WOUNDED BARTENDER
Is this a test, sir?
JACK
Yes... it's a test.
WOUNDED BARTENDER
You were in here last Thursday night.
JACK
What?
WOUNDED BARTENDER
You were standing right where you are
now, asking how good our security is.
It's tight as a drum.
JACK
Who do you think I am?
WOUNDED BARTENDER
Is this part of the test?
Jack nods slowly. The Bartender holds up his hand, shows
the KISS SCAR on the back of his hand...
WOUNDED BARTENDER
You're the one who did this to me.
You're Mr. Durden, sir. Tyler Durden.
JACK (V.O.)
Please return your seatbacks to their
full upright and locked position.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Jack bursts inside, out of breath, runs to grab the phone,
punches a number, doesn't bother to turn on the lamp.
INTERCUT WITH...
INT. MARLA'S ROOM - SAME
Marla answers.
MARLA
Yeah?
JACK
Marla, it's me. Have we... have we
ever had sex?
MARLA
What kind of stupid question is
that?!
JACK
Because the answer's "yes" or because
the answer's "no?"
MARLA
Is this a trick?
JACK
Will you just answer me, for
Christsake?!
MARLA
You mean, you want to know if I think
we were just having sex or making
love?
JACK
We did make love?
MARLA
Is that what you're calling it?
JACK
Answer the question!
MARLA
You fuck me, then snub me. You love
me, you hate me. You show me your
sensitive side, then you turn into a
total asshole! Is that a pretty
accurate description of our
relationship, Tyler?
JACK (V.O.)
We've just lost cabin pressure.
JACK
What did you say... ?
MARLA
What is wrong with you?
JACK
Say my name.
MARLA
What... ?
JACK
Say my name! What's my name!?
MARLA
Tyler Durden! Tyler Durden, you
fucking freak. What's going on? I'm
coming over there...
JACK
Marla, no, wait...
As Marla HANGS UP. Jack stares at the receiver, dazed...
TYLER'S VOICE
We've got six fight clubs in Chicago
now...
Jack spins, dropping the phone -- TYLER sits beside him.
TYLER
Four in Milwaukee.
JACK
What's this all about, Tyler?
TYLER
And, we're definitely filling a void
in the rural South.
JACK
Why do people think I'm you?
TYLER
You broke your promise. You talked
to her about me.
JACK
Why do people think I'm Tyler Durden?
TYLER
Why did you do that?
JACK
Answer me, Tyler.
TYLER
Why do people think anything?
JACK
I don't know! Tell me!
Tyler shakes his head in disgust, extremely irritated.
TYLER
People think that you're me, because
you and I happen to share the same
body.
JACK
What... ?
TYLER
Is this really news to you?
JACK
What are you talking about... ?
TYLER
Sometimes I control it, and you
imagine yourself watching me...
FLASHBACK - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Commissioner Jacobs checks his tie in a mirror, goes to open
the door of the MEN'S BATHROOM -- face to face with JACK.
FLASHBACK - LOU'S BAR BASEMENT - NIGHT
JACK stands surrounded by eager fight club MEMBERS, under
the bare bulb, talking and behaving like Tyler...
JACK
The first rule of fight club is --
you don't talk about fight club.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
TYLER
And, sometimes you control it...
FLASHBACK - EXT. PAPER STREET HOUSE - DAY
Jack stands in the yard, VODKA in hand, yells at Marla.
JACK
He's not here! Tyler's not here
anymore! He's gone away!
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
TYLER
You can see me and hear me, but no
one else can...
FLASHBACK - CURBSIDE - NIGHT
JACK sits alone on the curb, watching the nearby freeway.
He talks to someone beside him, but nobody's there.
JACK
Anyone?
(thinks)
My boss, probably.
(pause)
Who would you fight?
Jack listens, looks at the empty space beside him.
JACK
Oh, yeah.
(nodding)
I didn't really know my Dad...
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
TYLER
But, when you fall asleep, I do
things without you...
FLASHBACK - TYLER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
JACK is on top of Marla, sweating, making violent love...
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
TYLER
I go places without you. Get things
done...
FLASHBACK - BUILDING - NIGHT
The Parker Morris Building.
JACK, Bob, Ricky, Angel Face and another GUY rappel down the
side, SPRAYING PAINT. JACK is "TYLER" in demeanor,
mannerisms, speech...
JACK
(shouting)
You are not your job. You are not
how much money you have in the bank.
TWO WINDOWS SHATTER OUTWARD -- TWO MEN look out and yell:
BRUISED MAN #1
I am not my job!
BRUISED MAN #2
I am not how much money I have in the
bank!
INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING
Jack's having trouble catching his breath. Tyler stands.
TYLER
There! Happy? I asked for one thing
from you... one simple promise. Now
look what you've done!
JACK
This isn't possible...
TYLER
We're going to have to do something
about Marla...
JACK
What... what are you saying?
TYLER
It's okay. We okay... a little
codependent, sure, but...
Jack shakes his head in disbelief, in denial...
JACK
No! This isn't true. We... we were
around other people, together, both
of us...
TYLER
You never talked to me in front of
anyone else.
JACK
Wrong, wrong -- what about the car
crash... the two guys in the backseat?
TYLER
What about them? They're lunatics.
JACK
You took me to the house.
TYLER
The house is rented in your name.
JACK
You have jobs.
TYLER
Night jobs -- while you were sleeping.
JACK
What about Marla?
TYLER
What about Marla?
JACK
She's... you... you're fucking her.
TYLER
Um, well... technically, no.
Jack stands, trying to absorb, feeling ill, trying to find
words, then -- he suddenly FAINTS to the floor, OUT COLD.
JACK (V.O.)
It's called a "changeover." The
movie goes on, and nobody in the
audience has any idea.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - PRE-DAWN
Jack's eyes snap open. He sits up, alone. He remembers the
previous night... looks at himself in the mirror... looks at
the clock -- 4:35am.
INT. HALLWAY
The room door SLAMS OPEN as Jack bursts out of the room,
carrying his suitcase, SPRINTING for the STAIRWELL...
INT. STAIRWELL
Jack races down, three steps at a time, dragging his
suitcase - BOOM, BOOM, BOOM - behind him...
INT. LOBBY
Jack hurries to the front door, his suitcase half-broken
open, passing the front desk. A DESK CLERK calls after him.
DESK CLERK
Sir... sir? Are you checking out?
JACK
Yes.
The clerk follows the length of the counter, waves a PAPER.
DESK CLERK
Please initial this list of phone
calls.
JACK
Bill me!
Jack goes out the door, freezes. He rushes back in, going
to the desk -- snatches the bill, studies it: many NUMBERS.
JACK
Wait...when were these made?
DESK CLERK
It says right there, sir... between
two and three-thirty this morning.
Jack looks at the clerk, at the bill, at the clerk.
JACK
I need a copy of this.
INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - IN FLIGHT - DAY
Jack stares out the window, his face set hard.
JACK (V.O.)
Had I been going to bed earlier every
night? Have I been sleeping later?
Has Tyler been in charge longer and
longer?
EXT. PAPER STREET - DAY
A TAXI halts. Jack leaps out, points to the GRUNGY CABBIE.
JACK
Wait here.
INT. PAPER ST. HOUSE, LIVING ROOM/KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER
Jack walks in to find the place EMPTY and DESERTED. He
continues on into the KITCHEN, gawks at BATHTUBS and
CANISTERS holding vast amounts of liquid. There are HOSES,
GAS MASKS, BEAKERS, TEST TUBES and PUMPS.
He picks up a BOTTLE labeled "NITRIC ACID."
INT. TYLER'S ROOM
Jack sits by the PHONE, pulls out the HOTEL BILL, runs his
finger up and down the list of PHONE NUMBERS...
JACK (V.O.)
Deja vu, all over again...
Jack finger stops on a NUMBER. He dials, phone to his ear.
VOICE
(from phone)
Eighteen-eighty-eight.
Jack sees a file on the wall: "1888 CENTURY PARK EAST."
JACK
Who is this?
VOICE
Maintenance.
JACK
Listen, something is going to happen,
something terrible...
VOICE
Very good, Sir.
JACK
Excuse me?
VOICE
Don't worry about us, sir. We're
solid.
JACK
Now wait, there's been a mix-up.
Everything's changed...
VOICE
You told me you'd say that.
JACK
Abort the plan.
VOICE
You told me you'd say that, too.
JACK
Did I tell you I'd call you a fascist
dickhead?!
VOICE
Well, sir, you said you might.
Jack HANGS UP, desperately dials the next number on the bill.
DIFFERENT VOICE
(front phone)
Twenty-one-sixty. Maintenance.
Jack sees a file: "2160 PICO BOULEVARD." He throws the
phone, pocketing the bill. He grabs up all the FILES.
EXT. MARLA'S HOTEL - SUNSET
Jack's TAXI halts. Marla walks out of the lobby doors, sees
Jack getting out of the cab, laden with files...
JACK
Marla!
Marla makes a sharp turn, walking away. Jack follows,
hugging the files to his chest, catching up.
JACK
Marla...
MARLA
Your whacked-out, bald freaks hit me
with a fucking broom. I thought they
were going to break my arm.
JACK
I'm sorry, I...
MARLA
The were burning their fingertips
with lye. The stink was unbelievable.
JACK
Marla... I need to talk to you. It's
going to take a tremendous act of
faith on your part for you to hear me
out.
MARLA
Here comes an avalanche of bullshit.
Marla heads into a DINER. Jack follows...
JACK
-- A little more faith than that.
INT. DINER - MOMENTS LATER
Marla sits in a BOOTH. Jack sits across from her.
MARLA
I don't want to hear anything you've
got to say.
JACK
Give me a minute, Marla, alright...
just sixty seconds.
MARLA
Sixty seconds, then I'm out of here.
JACK
Absolutely, you have every right. I
need you to do me a favor.
MARLA
I've done you enough favors.
A WAITER with a BLACK EYE appears at the table.
WAITER
Sir! Anything you order is free of
charge, sir.
MARLA
Why is it free of charge?
JACK
Because... I'm Tyler Durden.
MARLA
Then, I'll have the clam chowder...
fried chicken and a baked potato with
everything and a chocolate chiffon
pie.
Jack look to the pass-through WINDOW into the kitchen where
THREE COOKS look out with STITCHES in their faces.
JACK
Clean food, please.
WAITER
In that case, sir, may I advise
against the lady eating the clam
chowder?
JACK
Thanks, no clam chowder. That's it.
The waiter snaps to attention and leaves.
MARLA
You got about thirty seconds.
JACK
(takes a deep breath)
I know that I've been... unwell. I
know it's been like there's two sides
to me.
MARLA
Two sides? You're Dr. Jeckle and Mr.
Jackass.
JACK
I deserve that. Anyway, I've... I've
only just realized
MARLA
What?
JACK
I mean, the depth and breadth of our
relationship has only recently been
illuminated for me. I know this...
I know us hasn't been such a great
thing for you...
MARLA
Whatever.
(to waiter)
I'll take my food to go...
Marla's getting up to go, but Jack rises, fed up, takes her
by the arm, putting her back in her seat.
JACK
Sit down! Sit down and give me my
last fifteen seconds without opening
your mouth!
Marla crosses her arms. Jack collects himself.
JACK
I'm trying to tell you -- and this is
where you have to trust me -- but, I
think your life might be in real
danger.
MARLA
What?
JACK
You have to get out of here. Leave
as soon as possible. Go to any rural
town, away from any major city...
MARLA
You are an insane person.
JACK
Marla...
MARLA
No, no, shut up! I've had enough.
I tried, Tyler... I have tried...
Marla's getting upset, tears coming to her eyes.
MARLA
There's a part of you I really like,
but I can't do this anymore. I just
can't. This is killing me...
JACK
I'm sorry, but I...
MARLA
What?! You're sorry? I don't
believe that for a minute.
Marla gets up. Jack grabs for her, but she's gone, heading
for the door. Jack gathers his files, runs to follow...
EXT. DINER - MOMESTS LATER
Jack pushes out the door, files under one arm, catching up...
JACK
I can't explain. You wouldn't
believe me anyway. I'm trying to
protect you...
Jack grabs her arm, tries to hail a TAXI, but the taxi races
past. Marla pulls free, screaming at him...,
MARLA
Let go of me!
JACK
Do this for me, Marla. Do this for
me, if you never do anything else...
Jack spots a BUS idling further up the street.
MARLA
Leave me alone! I don't ever want to
see you again!
JACK
Okay, if that's what it takes, you'll
never have to see me again.
(digs in his pocket)
Here... here...
He pulls MONEY from his pocket, holding it out.
JACK
Take this money, get on this bus...
(pointing to bus)
Get on, and I promise you, I'll never
bother you again, if that's what you
want. Please...
Marla looks at Jack, numb.
MARLA
Tyler...
JACK
I'm begging you. Get on the bus.
Get on the bus.
Marla takes the money from Tyler, walks towards the bus. As
they approach it, Jack shields his eyes, afraid to look...
MARLA
Why are you doing this?
JACK
I can't let myself see where you're
going. Go wherever it takes you,
remember... keep away from major
cities...
Marla stands at the doors of the bus, heartbroken, gives one
last look at Jack.
MARLA
(holds up the money)
I'm not paying this back. I consider
it "asshole tax."
JACK
Yes, fine. Just, get on. Stay away
a couple of weeks, at least.
Jack's still covering his eyes. Marla gets on the bus.
MARLA
Tyler...
Jack finally looks to her.
MARLA
You are the worst thing that ever
happened to me.
DOORS HISS SHUT. The BUS LEAVES, heading away. Jack seems
relieved. Then, a SCREAM is HEARD from MARLA...
Jack turns, looks... THROUGH THE BUS WINDOWS: the bus is
filled with BALD MEN IN BLACK: Space Monkeys.
Jack SPRINTS after the bus...
The bus speeds away. Onboard, Space Monkeys subdue Marla.
Jack falls to the asphalt, rolls, files-flying.
JACK
Son of a bitch!
INT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Jack RUNS to the front desk, crazed, dumps the armload of
files on the desk in front of the DESK SERGEANT...
JACK
(loudly)
I want you to arrest me. I'm the
leader of a terrorist organization
responsible for acts of vandalism all
over the city. Detective Stern in
arson knows who I am...
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER
Detective Stern and THREE DETECTIVES stand, staring at Jack,
who's seated. On the table are the phone bill and files.
JACK
There are probably several hundred
members in the metropolitan area.
Chapters are sprouting in at least
five other major cities. They're
tightly-regimented, with many cells
capable of operating without a
central leader. Check this address:
1537 Paper Street. You'll find the
body of Robert Paulson buried in the
garden. You'll also find numerous
tubs used to make gallons of
nitroglycerin. The plan, I believe,
is to blow up these credit card
headquarters and the TRW building.
STERN
Why these buildings?
JACK
You are not your job. You are not
how much money you have in the bank.
STERN
(to other detectives)
Keep him talking.
Stern leaves. A beat, then, the remaining Detectives smile
at Jack with REVERENCE.
FLAT-TOP DETECTIVE
I really admire what you're doing.
You're a brave man to order this.
JACK
What?
REDHEAD DETECTIVE
You're a genius, sir.
They grab Jack and force him on his back on the table.
Flat-Top has a rubber band; the Bald Detective has a knife.
BALD DETECTIVE
You know the drill. You said if
anyone ever tries to interfere with
Project Mayhem, even you, we got to
get his balls.
Flat-Top PULLS Jack's pants completely off, tosses them
aside. Jack SCREAMS. Flat-Top holds his legs.
FLAT-TOP
It's useless to fight.
REDHEAD
This is really a powerful gesture,
Mr. Durden. It'll set quite an
example.
JACK
No... you're making a mistake!
FLAT-TOP
You told us you'd say that.
JACK
I'm not Tyler Durden!
BALDY
You told us you'd say that, too.
JACK
Okay, I am Tyler Durden and I'm
ordering you to abort the mission!
FLAT-TOP
You said you would definitely say
that.
BALDY
What's our best time for a "cut and
run?"
FLAT-TOP
Four minutes.
BALDY
Is somebody timing this?
REDHEAD
(looks at his watch)
Wait till the second hand gets to the
twelve.
A KNOCK at the door. Flat-Top slaps a hand over Jack's
mouth. He and Redhead block view of the table as Baldy
opens the door a crack. Stern mutters:
STERN
Some of this info checks out. Let's
go to the place on Paper Street.
Baldy glances back at the other Detectives, leaves, closing
the door. The two remaining Detectives continue. Jack kicks
and screams and writhes. The Detectives wrangle him, but
with more difficulty, now that Baldy's gone.
REDHEAD
(checking his watch)
Mr. Durden, you're going to fuck up
the time!
Jack gets one leg free, KICKS, knocks Flat-top backwards --
Flat-Top SLAMS the wall, falls. Redhead lets go of one of
Jack's arms, jams his elbow into Jack's throat... cutting
off the airway. Jack's face reddens... he's choking...
Jack's free hand reaches, searching.. pulls Redhead's GUN
and points it at him. Redhead backs off. Jack gets up,
gasping for air, PISTOL-WHIPS Flat-top as he rises.
Jack grabs one of the files off the table.
EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Jack, without pants, in BOXER SHORTS, escapes out the BACK
DOOR. He looks at the ADDRESS on the file folder.
EXT. STREET
Jack SPRINTS down the middle of the street, gun in hand,
looking like a complete madman. Cars almost hit him.
EXT. BANK BUILDING - LATER
Jack, sweating and panting, stops, looks... then heads
toward the BUILDING with the address "1888."
EXT. 1888 LOBBY
Jack tries the door. Locked. He lifts a cast iron bench,
runs forward -- RAMS it into the glass. The bench
immediately recoils from the glass, SLAMS Jack's groin!
Jack falls to his knees, doubled over, holding his package.
Then, he rises, SHOOTS the glass...
INT. 1888 LOBBY
Jack pushes through the broken glass. He sprints for the
"PARKING" door...
INT. GROUND LEVEL - PARKING
Jack enters, looks -- NO CARS. He bolts to the STAIRS...
INT. TOP-LEVEL PARKING AREA - SEVENTH FLOOR
Jack enters, heaving. Again, NO CARS. He moves from one
SUPPORT POST to another, searching. He finally spies,
across the garage, NINE LARGE CANISTERS, heavily-WIRED.
Jack runs to the BOMB, frantic. He walks around it.
There's a DIGITAL CLOCK, ticking down from "10:05"...
Jack moves to pull the lid off one CANISTER, looks inside..
TYLER
Could be worse...
Jack looks -- Tyler's seated, his back against one post.
TYLER
You could be standing under 37
stories of steel and concrete with a
150 gallons of nitroglycerin strapped
to the support... oh, maybe it
couldn't be...
JACK
(points at bomb)
You... you can't be serious about
this.
TYLER
What a ridiculous thing to say.
JACK
I can't let you...
TYLER
...go through with this?
What are you going to do?
JACK
I'm going to...
TYLER
...stop me?
JACK
I'm not going...
TYLER
...to let this happen!
JACK
Stop finishing...
TYLER
...your sentences! They're
our sentences. Get your mind around
that.
Tyler gets up walks to Jack.
TYLER
What are you doing running through
the streets in your underpants? We
both use that body.
JACK
Since when is Project Mayhem about
murder?
TYLER
The buildings were evacuated thirty
minutes ago. Everything's proceeding
exactly as planned.
JACK
You don't know that. There could
still be people inside.
Tyler keeps walking around, crosses his arms.
TYLER
Maybe. Maybe a couple of guys with
shaved heads couldn't synchronize
their watches. Good riddance.
Jack looks back to the BOMB, goes to it, wipes sweat off his
face. He starts finger the MANY WIRES, sorting them.
TYLER
I wouldn't be doing that. Unless you
know which wires, in what order...
JACK
If you know, I know.
Jack holds his gun under one armpit, uses both hands to go
through the tangle of colored wires.
TYLER
Or... maybe I knew you'd know, so I
spent the whole day thinking about
the wrong ones.
Jack chooses one wire, GREEN, holds it in his fingers.
JACK
If I'm wrong, we're both dead..
TYLER
This is not about martyrdom.
Jack twists the GREEN WIRE around his finger.
JACK
I'm pulling the green wire.
TYLER
Green? Did you say green?
Tyler comes a little closer, leaning to try to get a look,
seems genuinely concerned.
JACK
Yes...
TYLER
Don't pull the green wire. Pull
anything but the green wire.
JACK
Fuck you.
TYLER
I'm serious. That's the wrong one.
Jack's unsure, swallowing, pulling the wire taunt, fingers
trembling. The SOUND of a VEHICLE is HEARD from below...
TYLER
Hear that? Marla's here. Just in
the nick of time, eh?
Jack looks to Tyler. Tyler points towards the SOUND...
TYLER
See for yourself.
Jack releases the wire, walks to a RAILING, gun in hand,
keeps an eye on Tyler. Jack looks over the railing...
BELOW, a BUS idles. The doors open and MARLA'S dragged out,
kicking and screaming, carried by SIX SPACE MONKEYS...
MARLA
You motherfuckers...
They carry Marla into the BUILDING'S ENTRANCE.
Jack leans against the railing, exhausted.
TYLER
I've got everything. The bombs. The
army. I've got Marla.
JACK
Bob is dead, Tyler. The police blew
a hole in his head. Was that part of
your plan?
Tyler thinks, shrugs.
TYLER
Bob was a grown man. In any great
struggle, there will be casualties.
Wouldn't that be implicit in the
name? Project "Mayhem."
JACK
Fuck your struggle. I want out.
TYLER
You want out?
JACK
I quit.
TYLER
Not an option, for the most obvious
of reasons. You need to get with the
program.
(looks at his watch)
Seven minutes. Let's get out of here.
Tyler's walks away. Jack looks at the gun in his hand. He
points the gun at Tyler...
JACK
Tyler...
TYLER
(still walking away)
What?
JACK
(COCKS the gun)
Defuse the bomb.
Tyler stops walking.
TYLER
Ask me nicely.
JACK
Defuse the bomb, please.
TYLER
Defuse the bomb?
JACK
Yes.
Tyler strides towards the BOMB. Jack trains the gun...
JACK
Please.
Tyler looks at the BOMB, reaches over to it. He grips the
GREEN WIRE, yanks it out -- the CLOCK STOPS.
Jack lowers his gun.
TYLER
I did that for you. As a gesture.
Now, how fast can you run? There are
ten other bombs, in ten other
buildings in the immediate area. If
you're going to get them all, you
better get cracking.
(looks at watch)
Six minutes. Green wires, remember.
I'll be upstairs.
Jack's stunned. Tyler walks across the parking garage, past
Jack, heading for the STAIRS.
Jack aims the gun at Tyler's back, FIRES!
Tyler ducks to one side, impossibly quick, avoiding...
Tyler spins to face Jack.
TYLER
Whoa! What was that all about?
Jack aims... FIRES!
Tyler DODGES behind a post as the BULLET THROWS CONCRETE.
Jack edges forward, gun held in both hands, moves around the
post... Tyler is NOT THERE. Jack turns, takes slow steps,
moving the gun from side to side...
Suddenly, a FIST ENTERS FRAME -- SLUGS Jack's face.
Jack falls. The gun goes CLATTERING across the floor...
Jack turns, looking... Tyler's GONE. Jack looks to the gun,
scrambles to his feet, running to pick up the gun...
Tyler KICKS Jack in the chest, sends Jack sprawling.
Jack rolls, holding his chest. He looks up, sees Tyler run
into the STAIRWELL. Jack grabs the gun and follows...
INT. STAIRWELL
Jack smashes the door open. The stairwell's empty. Jack
RUNS up a flight of stairs, kicks open ANOTHER DOOR...
INT. MAIN LOBBY
Jack steps forward, gun up... TWO INTERLOCKED HANDS SLAM
down onto his head. Jack drops to the floor.
Tyler backs away, laughing. Jack gets to his feet, aims his
gun...
TYLER
Fire at will.
Jack clenches his teeth, FIRING -- nothing happens to Tyler.
Jack FIRES TWICE -- no effect. Tyler raises his arms.
TYLER
What did you expect?
Jack charges. Tyler dodges, PUNCHES, knocks the gun out of
Jack's hand. They FIGHT, trading PUNCHES, grappling, taking
each other to the floor...
CUT TO:
INT. SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Banks of SECURITY MONITORS sit unmanned.
ON ONE MONITOR: Jack is seen in the lobby, on the floor,
alone, wrestling himself. He swings his left hand up,
punching empty air, then swings his right hand -- PUNCHING
himself in the side of the head...
INT. MAIN LOBBY
Tyler and Jack fight viciously, bloodied. Tyler manages to
get his hands around Jack's throat, starts BANGING Jack's
head against the floor...
SECURITY MONITOR P.O.V.
... Jack's got his hands around his own throat, BANGING his
own head against the floor, over and over...
INT. MAIN LOBBY
Jack manages to break Tyler's grip, KICKS Tyler away.
Tyler springs to his feet, RUNS, heading for a STAIRCASE.
Jack gets up, breathing hard, holding his head, follows...
ON THE STAIRS, Tyler reaches the LOFT LEVEL, above the
lobby, disappears around a corner. Jack's right behind,
turning the corner -- Tyler's NOT THERE.
Jack receives a SHARP SLAP on the back of the head. He
wheels. Tyler isn't there. A TAP on his shoulder. Jack
turns around -- WHAM! -- Tyler PUNCHES his face. Jack falls
against the loft railing. Tyler comes forward, SWINGS...
SECURITY MONITOR P.O.V.
Jack PUNCHES himself square in the nose!
INT. MAIN LOBBY
Jack's dazed. Tyler grabs Jack's shirt, pulls him forward,
SWINGS HIM -- THROWS him DOWN THE STAIRS...
Jack TUMBLES horribly down... HITS BOTTOM, striking his head
on the floor. Jack PASSES OUT...
FADE TO BLACK:
INT. LARGE SOCIAL ROOM - TOP FLOOR
CLOSE ON: Jack's head jerks back as he SNAPS AWAKE. He
looks around, trying to focus his eyes...
JACK'S P.O.V. -- TRACKS in the sawdust of the floor, from
where his body was dragged across to where he is how.
CLOSE ON: Jack tries to comprehend. He turns his head --
TYLER'S HAND brings the GUN up, PUTS THE GUN IN JACK'S
MOUTH. Jack freezes, looks around with his eyes...
PULL BACK TO:
Tyler is seated in Jack's lap. Tyler holds the gun in
Jack's mouth, his arm around him. This huge room is being
remodeled. Tyler and Jack are seated near floor-to-ceiling
windows affording a spectacular view of the CITY.
Tyler looks at his watch.
TYLER
One minute.
JACK (V.O.)
I think this is about where we came
in.
TYLER
(looking out window)
This is the beginning. We're at
ground zero. Maybe you should say a
few words, to mark the occasion.
JACK
i... ann....iinn.. ff....nnyin...
Jack tongues the barrel to the side of his mouth.
JACK
(still distorted)
I still can't think of anything.
Tyler checks his watch.
TYLER
It's getting exciting now.
Jack turns, so he can see down -- 31 STORIES.
TYLER
Look what we've accomplished.
(checks watch)
Thirty seconds.
(looks out windows)
Out these windows, we will view the
economic collapse. One step closer
to global equilibrium. I'm glad
you're here with me.
Tyler watches the skyline, WHISTLES at tune, waiting.
JACK
(distorted)
Can't you call it off... ?
TYLER
It's out of our hands.
(looks at watch)
This is it.
JACK
Please...
TYLER
Fifteen seconds now. Can you see
alright? 10... 9... 8....
Tyler looks out the windows, at SURROUNDING BUILDINGS,
excited. Jack closes his eyes, despairing.
TYLER
5... 4... 3... 2...
Out the window, the SKYLINE remains unchanged. Nothing. A
long beat. A very dark scowl comes over Tyler's face.
Jack opens his eyes. More waiting. Tyler looks genuinely
surprised, pissed-off.
TYLER
What the fuck -- ?
JACK
Paraffin.
TYLER
What?
JACK
(relieved)
Paraffin. Your merry band mixed the
nitro with paraffin. I saw it
floating in the bomb.
(more)
JACK (cont)
They must've run out of cotton and
Epsom salt. Paraffin is iffy at best.
Tyler rises, taking the gun from Jack's mouth, starts
pacing. Jack rubs his sore jowls, allows himself a smile.
TYLER
Damn it! God-damn it...
JACK
Not exactly according to plan.
TYLER
Do we have to do everything
ourselves?!
Tyler stops walking, lets out a sigh of disgust. He reaches
into his pocket, taking out a WALKIE TALKIE.
TYLER
(into WALKIE TALKIE)
... Codename Rooster. Passcode First
Strike...
Jack's eyes go wide.
JACK
NO...
TYLER
(into WALKIE TALKIE)
Proceed with remote detonation.
Jack leaps -- TACKLES Tyler. The GUN is knocked away. Jack
STRIKES Tyler's face repeatedly with his elbow, scrambles
off...
Jack gets the gun, turns, pointing it. Tyler's getting to
his feet, sees the gun, annoyed. Jack stands.
TYLER
Haven't we already done this?
Jack SHOOTS TWICE. Bullets pass right thorough Tyler.
Tyler just rolls his eyes, drops the walkie-talkie to the
floor and STOMPS on it, CRUSHING it.
JACK
(pointing)
How'd you do that?! You're a fucking
figment of my imagination... you're
psychogenic fugue state...
TYLER
Fuck that, maybe you're my
hallucination.
Jack falters, pointing at Tyler's feet. There's no walkie-
talkie there. Jack looks down, sees the WALKIE-TALKIE
CRUSHED under his own foot.
JACK
Oh... Christ...
Jack holds his head, walks around, at his wit's end.
JACK
Why... why... why... ?
TYLER
Why what?
JACK
Why can't I get rid of you? Why
can't I just wish you away?
TYLER
You need me.
JACK
No, no, I don't.
(pause)
I thank you, I really do. Thank you,
but I don't need you anymore.
TYLER
Look, I can be selfish, I know that.
(pause)
I'm not blind to my own failings...
JACK
Noooo, please...
Jack backs up against a window, numb and weary.
TYLER
From now on, we'll share Marla.
We've been spending too much time
apart...
JACK
... no, no, no...
TYLER
No more running off without you.
From here on out, we do it together.
JACK
Why are you doing this?!
TYLER
I'm doing this for us.
JACK
Please understand... I've gotten all
I can from this, Tyler.
TYLER
(sullen)
If I leave, you will be right back
where I found you...
JACK
I swear on my life, I won't...
TYLER
You will. You know you will.
Jack stares at Tyler, tears welling up, hangs his head. He
looks at the gun in his hand...
TYLER
Can you live with that?
Jack stares at the gun a long time... then...
Jack brings the gun up, PUTS THE GUN IN HIS MOUTH.
Tyler cocks his head.
TYLER
What are you doing?
JACK
What have you left for me?
TYLER
Why do you want to do that? Why do
you want to put that gun in your
mouth?
JACK
Not my mouth. Our mouth.
Tyler is calm.
TYLER
This is interesting.
Tyler smiles in appreciation, slowly walks forward, stands
very close to Jack.
TYLER
Why are you going with this, Ikea-
boy?
JACK
It's the only way to get rid of you...
Jack COCKS the hammer on the gun.
TYLER
I can see you feel very strongly. I
feel strongly too.
(pause)
Hey, you and me.
(pause)
Friends again?
Their eyes are locked, unblinking. Long silence.
JACK
Do something for me.
TYLER
What?
JACK
Appreciate something.
TYLER
What?
JACK
Look at me...
TYLER
What?
JACK
My eyes are open.
EXTREME SLOW MOTION:
Jack's finger squeezes the trigger...
KABLAM! -- Jack's cheeks INFLATE with gas. His eyes bulge.
BLOOD flies out from his head. The WINDOW behind him
SHATTERS. SMOKE wafts out of his mouth and tear ducts.
RESUME NORMAL SPEED as the GLASS FALLS behind Jack...
Tyler stands, in gunsmoke, eyes glazed, sniffs the air...
TYLER
What's that smell... ?
Jack slumps to the floor... Tyler falls...
Tyler hits the ground. The back of TYLER'S HEAD is BLOWN
OPEN, revealing blood, skull and brain.
Suddenly, a GROUP of SPACE MONKEYS burst into the room,
moving forward to Jack. TYLER'S BODY IS GONE.
TALL SPACE MONKEY
Are you all right, sir... ?!
Jack quakes, holding the side of his head; a ragged hole
blown in his CHEEK. He's bleeding hard, but he's alive.
JACK
I'm okay...
Jack looks to the Space Monkeys, trying to get his eyes to
see. TWO SPACE MONKEYS enter with Marla. One holds a gun
to Marla as she struggles.
SHORT SPACE MONKEY
Are you sure? You look terrible,
sir! What's happened?
JACK
Everything's fine.
ANOTHER SPACE MONKEY
Sir, you look really awful! Do you
need medical assistance?
Jack sees Marla, tries to get to his feet, falls...
JACK
Bring the girl to me. The rest of
you get out. Now!
The Monkeys bring Marla, releasing her, saluting.
MARLA
What happened... ?
JACK
Don't ask.
Marla crouches, takes out wadded TISSUES and tries to apply.
them to Jack's wound. Space Monkeys are leaving, hesitantly.
JACK
Get to the rendezvous point. Move it!
Jack and Marla are left alone.
MARLA
My God, you're shot...
JACK
Yes.
Jack tries to got up. Marla helps him.
MARLA
Who did this to you?
JACK
I did, I think. But, I'm okay... I'm
fine...
MASSIVE EXPLOSION... the glass walls rattle...
Jack and Marla look -- OUT THE WINDOWS: a BUILDING EXPLODES;
collapsing upon itself. Then, ANOTHER BUILDING IMPLODES
into a massive cloud of dust. Jack and Marla are
silhouetted against the SKYLINE. Jack looks to Marla,
reaches to take her hand.
JACK
I'm sorry... you met me at a very
strange time in my life.
Marla looks at him. ANOTHER BUILDING IMPLODES and COLLAPSES
inward... and ANOTHER BUILDING... and ANOTHER...
The FILM SLOWS, then ADVANCES ONE FRAME at a TIME -- SHOWING
SPROCKET HOLES on the SIDES. EACH FRAME is an IMPLODING
BUILDING -- then, ONE FRAME IS A PENIS. Then, the IMPLODING
BUILDING again. SPEED UP the frames, LOSE the sprocket
holes, RESUME NORMAL SPEED...
FADE TO BLACK:
end
-------------------------------------------------------------- |
FLASH GORDON
Written by
Lorenzo Semple Jr.
FADE IN:
EXT. WIDE AFRICAN LANDSCAPE - MORNING
At first only darkness, then the rising sun paints in an
endless savanna from horizon to horizon. We hear savage drums
beating in the distance coming from some unknown place.
The sun clears the horizon. Suddenly it changes amazingly:
the white disc goes through a rapid series of color
transitions, from yellow to green to purple to an incredible
BLOOD RED. From it shoots a RED LIGHTNING BOLT.
The sky echoes with THUNDER.
We hear a HOWLING ethereal wind, but not a twig of the brush
stirs as bolt after bolt of RED LIGHTNING rips the sky, with
each one a TITLE or CREDIT appearing.
Under FINAL CREDIT snow is beginning to fall on the burning
blood-red savanna.
EXT. PLANE IN FLIGHT - DAY
I's a Twin Otter with the logo of some commuter airline. It
buzzes along over pleasant countryside, through a sky that's
almost unnaturally serene and filled with fleecy white clouds.
INT. PLANE IN FLIGHT - DAY
There are just two passengers in the cabin. One is DALE ARDEN,
a great looking dark-haired girl sitting by herself and
reading a book entitled "KARATE FOR THE SINGLE GIRL.... A
Guide to Survival In The City." A few rows forward, near the
open door into the pilots' compartment, is FLASH GORDON.
He's studying a football play-sheet, one of those diagrammed
things with X's and 0's for the players and dotted-line arrows
indicating the directions of movement.
Suddenly the plane makes a violent bump. It almost knocks
the book from DALE'S hand. She looks out the window with
sudden fright, tossing hair out of her eyes, in a gesture
that's habitual to her in moments of stress.
There's nothing to see outside but the pretty clouds. She
looks forward again and watches FLASH standing up easily,
leaning in t..e cockpit doorway to speak to the PILOTS.
INT. PLANE/ COCKPIT - CONTINUOUS
(CO-P:ILOT, DALE, FLASH, PILOT)
FLASH
What was that, fellas?
2.
PILOT
Clear-air turbulence, is all. Nothing
SERIOUS
CO-PILOT
But nothing you'd want to toss a
third-down pass through either --
(Grinning back at
FLASH)
Can I have an autograph for my kid,
Mr. Gordon?
FLASH
Sure -- my pleasure.
As FLASH takes a bit of paper from the CO-PILOT, the plane
takes another jolt, even more violent than the first.
PILOT
Wow. Call Westchester Approach, see
what they've got.
FLASH
I sure hope we don't have to turn
back. I mean this is first day of
training camp, I wouldn't want to be
LATE --
PILOT
Seat-belt time.
FLASH starts back to his seat. The plane jumps again, shudders
violently. He holds on, calls up front:
FLASH
Maybe it'd be smoother if you went
HIGHER --
DALE
Will you SHUT UP?
(as FLASH's head
SWIVELS)
Look, Mister Flash Gordon, they have
their hands full -- just let 'em
drive.
INT. PLANE - CONTINUOUS
(DALE, FLASH)
The plane buffets. FLASH is sent reeling, catches hold of
the rack above DALE, lowers himself into the seat next to
her. He buckles fast, takes out a candy bar and offers it
to her.
3.
FLASH
When you're nervous, it can help to
chew on something
DALE
Thanks a lot -- I look dumb enough
to take candy from a stranger?
FLASH
I'm not a stranger exactly -- You
know my name.
DALE
Who doesn't. Number one draft pick,
cover of PEOPLE mag -- what'd the
GIANTS sign you for, eighty-nine
million? Big deal!
FLASH
Of course.
DALE
God, I hate flying -- I'm Dale Arden
it's crazy of me to hate flying --
I'm a travel agent, you see? -- I've
just been checking out a little hotel
in Vermont -- can I still have that
candy bar?
(and in the same breath)
Are we going backward?
FLASH
Backwards?
DALE (GASP)
Holy cow! Look at the clouds!
EXT. SKY - POV FROM PLANE WINDOW - DAY
The pretty white clouds are changing above and beginning to
surround the airplane. Over the engines we HEAR that same
ethereal wind rising which we heard in the opening. Slowly
and terrifyingly, the sun starts turning BLOOD RED. The clouds
race faster, faster, until they are actually streaming past
the plane from behind.
INT. PLANE - DAY
FLASH and DALE -- faces bathed in the eerie light. Speechless-
DALE grasps the football player's hand with all her strength.
EXT. A FANTASTIC GREENHOUSE - DAY
It is a huge and rambling, antique, standing in semiruinous
isolation in a pretty country landscape. The sun has turned
4.
the SAME BLOOD RED we saw from the airplane, and clouds race
across it with unnatural velocity.
In the center of the greenhouse rises a glass-paned tower
through which we glimpse something MIRROR BRIGHT. Floating
high in the air above the structure are several silvery helium-
filled balloons, secured by wires. As we move closer, we
discern a MAN moving about actively on a platform inside the
central tower, about half-way up:
INT. GREENHOUSE TOWER - DAY
(MUNSON, TV NEWSMAN, ZARKOV)
The man is DR. HANS ZARKOV: big, bearded, feverish looking
and seemingly half mad with exhaustion. In striking contrast
to the antique greenhouse exterior, here there are all kinds
of computers and displays connected together in a slapdash
fashion. Quantities of neglected plants, most brown and
dead or dying, hide the works in here from outside view. As
Zarkov runs around throwing switches and eyeing displays, a
grim-voiced TV. NEWSMAN is appearing and speaking from a
good-sized television screen above the main control console:
TV NEWSMAN
The extraordinary weather disturbances
reported from Africa this morning
are now crossing the Atlantic, and
are expected to reach the East Coast
of the United States by noon.
According to scientists at NASA, the
Earth is being struck by an immense
stream of cosmic energy, apparently
the result of some catastrophic
stellar accident beyond the reaches
OF --
ZARKOV whirls, slams the TV SOUND OFF and yells at the
silently mouthing NEWSMAN on the screen.
ZARKOV
Fools! Can't you understand? This
is no accident-- it's an ATTACK! An
attack planned by a MIND! This is
ATTACK!
MUNSON, a scared looking assistant, comes running up the
stairs with a computer print-out sheet.
MUNSON
Dr. Zarkov! Look at the report from
the last balloon!
ZARKOV grabs it, eyes it.
5.
ZARKOV
I predicted it, didn't I?
MUNSON
Yes, sir -- you sure did. And this
funny sun too ---
ZARKOV
Ozone layer starting to crack up.
By tonight Carbon dioxide will be
combining with free nitrogen to form --
(breaks off, crumpling
THE SHEET)
Well, this is it.
MUNSON
Sir, the President is on the TV behind
YOU --
ZARKOV
What the hell do I care? I tried to
warn him -- he called me mad, like
all the others.
BOOM! The TV screen EXPLODES in a fine shower of glass.
ZARKOV (CONT'D)
Time for us to go, Munson. Get your
toothbrush and whatever.
MUNSON
Go where?
ZARKOV
Up. Up and at him.
Stunned, MUNSON turns his head and glances at something big
and MIRROR BRIGHT gleaming behind foliage in center of tower.
MUNSON
You're crazy!
Perfectly calm except for the maniacal glint in his eyes,
ZARKOV pulls out a revolver and points it at MUNSON.
ZARKOV
I can't handle the capsule alone get
your toothbrush.
INT. COCKPIT TO SKY - POV
(CO-PILOT, PILOT)
The PILOTS watch these clouds also, transfixed with disbelief.
They speak with that incredible calmness characteristic of
professional airmen in a moment of impending catastrophe.
6.
PILOT
What's ,e word from Westchester
Approach, Bill?
CO-PILOT
Zip. All chanels dead.
(Reacting to the panel)
Say, get a load of the VOR's....
The directional needles are going crazy. All the instruments
are going crazy. Displays flash impossible symbols. The
PILOT gapes at them a moment, then returns his gaze to the
sky and swallows.
PILOT
On the left, about six o'clock
high......
The racing stream of clouds is parting open like in some
surreal painting. From the cortex LASER-like bolts of RED
LIGHTNING shoot out. Like a missile, one zaps right over the
plane's nose with a horrible crackling NOISE.
PILOT (CONT'D)
Hold on tight, let's put baby down
right here......
The CO-PILOT reaches up and hits the flap control. There is
a whooshing crackling ZAP! The whole cockpit FLARES OUT
with an intolerable blinding flash of RED LIGHT.
INT. PASSENGER CABIN - CONTINUOUS
The cockpit door flys off its hinges, admitting a gale of
wind that scatters FLASH'S play sheets like autumn leaves.
FLASH unsnaps his belt, leaps up and races forward.
INT. COCKPIT - CONTINUOUS
(DALE, FLASH)
The TWO PILOTS are gone, vanished without trace. Wind from
the shattered windows assaults FLASH as he charges in. He
stumbles forward as the plane noses into a dive. Recovering
he scrambles into the left-hand seat, grabs hold of the
bucking wheel yoke, pulls back and kicks at the rudder pedals.
DALE lurches in against the tornado.
DALE
Can you fly it?
FLASH
I can fly all right -- I've had a
couple of lessons! -- just don't if
I can land!
(MORE)
7.
FLASH (CONT'D)
(FIGHTING CONTROLS)
Grab that other wheel! Help me pull
her up!
DALE staggers into the co-pilot's seat, pulls back on the
wheel in front of her.
DALE
Oh boy! Ever hear about the man who
fell ninety stories from a window
and didn't break a bone?
FLASH
No but I'd sure like to! How'd The
man fall ninety stories didn't break
a bone?
DALE
The window was ninety-one stories
up!
SHOOTING FORWARD - THROUGH THE BROKEN WINDSHIELD
The Earth is approaching fast, wheeling and tilting. We get
a glimpse of a strange greenhouse structure at the end of a
flat area.
Another barrage of crackling RED LIGHTNING BOLTS shoot all
around the plane but just miss it.
INT. COCKPIT
(FLASH)
FLASH
Brace yourself I'm aiming at that
field up ahead!
EXT. ZARKOV'S GREENHOUSE - DAY
(ZARKOV'S VOICE)
Its thousands of panes reflect the RED SUN and the RED BOLTS
which rain down in intermittent bursts. One strikes an end
of a gallery, exploding glass and foliage. From inside, we
HEAR a furious echoing VOICE:
ZARKOV'S VOICE
I see you, Munson! Come out or I
shoot!
8.
INT. GREENHOUSE - DAY
(MUNSON, ZARKOV)
ZARKOV is on the lower stairs of the tower, aiming his
revolver. MUNSON emerges from some dry brown bush where he
was hiding.
MUNSON
So what's it matter if I'm shot or
go up in that thing? I'm a goner
either way, right?
ZARKOV
Of course -- I admit that! But this
way you'll be giving your life for a
chance of saving Earth! Haven't you
any spirit at all??
MUNSON
Goodbye, Doctor -- they were all
right about you. Have a nice trip.
MUNSON starts walking away, toward the door at the end of
the long side wing.
ZARKOV
I tell you I can't take it off alone!
If you won't come, who will I find?
If you woo't come, who will I find:
MUNSON ignores him totally, keeps walking away. ZARKOV lifts
his revolver and draws a bead on the man's back. Just as he
is about to shoot, he reacts to something outside.
EXT. GREENHOUSE
Amazingly, a Twin Otter is gliding in to a horribly rough
landing in the field outside. The plane hits on one wheel,
bounces into the air, comes down again and keeps right on
rolling toward the greenhouse.
AS ABOVE - FEATURE MUNSON
SEEING the onrushing plane, freezing an instant then starting
to run. He hardly gets five yards before the Twin Otter comes
SLAMMING IN through the greenhouse wall, burying MUNSON
totally under the wreckage.
INT. COCKPIT - DAY
(DALE, FLASH)
Crazily angled, filled with dust and smoke. Dazed, blood on
his forehead, FLASH struggles from his seat.
9.
FLASH
Dale! Are you all right?
DALE
I'm terrific.
(WEAK SMILE)
Flash Gordon, you have just made me
a Giant fan for life.
FLASH
Come on -- let's get out before she
blows!
FLASH helps her from the wrecked seat, wheels and kicks out
the emergency exit in the cockpit area.
INT. GREENHOUSE - DAY
(DALE, FLASH, ZARKOV)
FLASH lowers DALE to the ground, jumps down after her. ZARKOV
is there, smiling at them in a strange way.
FLASH
Hello. i'm Flash Gordon, this is
Miss Dale Arden --
ZARKOV
(MEANS IT)
Delighted to see you.
FLASH
This crazy storm knocked us down
could we use a phone?
ZARKOV
Certainly. Just follow me -- up those
stairs.
FLASH
Some weather huh?
ZARKOV
It will get worse.
ZARKOV turns and smiles at them again as they start up the
tower stairs. SUddenly DALE stops short, staring at ZARKOV
with a funny expression.
DALE
You're Dr. Hans Zarkov!
ZARKOV hesitates just an instant, the nods.
ZARKOV
How did you know?
10.
DALE
I saw you in PEOPLE mag. After you
left NASA, remember? It said you
were utterly ---
DALE breaks off, almost biting her tongue.
ZARKOV
Insane? Off my rocker?
DALE
I forget what it said:
(TURNING HASTILY)
Flash, let's find some other phone,
okay? I'm sure Dr. Zarkov is very
busy.......
FLASH is baffled, but he gets her urgent look.
FLASH
Well, all right -- but it seems to
me we ought to --
Now it's FLASH'S turn to break off. ZARKOV is pointing a
gun at him.
ZARKOV
Up the stairs to the tower! Ahead
of me -- quick! --
(as they gape at him,
FROZEN)
Quick I said: We haven't much time --
Earth is being attacked! -- there's
only one slim chance of saving it!
FLASH
Mister, you are insane!
HOWL of ether-wind increases. Storm of RED LASER BOLTS. Glass
showers them as parts of the green house EXPLODE and dry
foliage bursts into FLAME.
ZARKOV
Up the stairs -- RUN!
ZARKOV jabs the revolver into DALE'S back. RED BOLTS zap
around. FLASH whispers to her as they start running up ahead
of ZARKOV.
FLASH
Go with the flow -- wait for a chance!
Below them, bottom of staircase disintergrates in a RED FLASH.
11.
INT. TOP LEVEL OF GREENHOUSE TOWER
(DALE, FLASH, ZARKOV)
ZARKOV rips away a screen of foliage, revealing a MIRROR
BRIGHT capsule, seamless but for one door. He yanks that
open.
On every side things are blowing up and burning under the
merciless rain of bolts. One strikes the capsule head on,
but does not even leave a mark.
ZARKOV
I need your help to take off! Get
in or I shot you dead!
DALE gasps and shrinks back.
FLASH
Take off for where?
ZARKOV
God only knows -- whatever black
corner of space this is coming from --
wherever HE is!. -- we'll plunge
into the devil's heart and destroy
him! We'll die ourselves, of course,
but our names will be honored till
the end of time!
DALE
Look, Doc -- I don't book kamikaze
tours -- never.
FLASH is poised to jump, but ZARKOV suddenly pushes DALE off-
balance, INTO the capsule. FLASH leaps after her.
INT. CAPSULE
(DALE, ZARKOV)
It is curiously transparent from the inside, mirrored only
on the exterior. There are some controls and displays, but
in general the interior is severely ascetic: as far removed
from conventional spacecraft as ZARKOV's solitary genius is
from everyday science.
Immediately starting to set switches in a frenzy of activity,
ZARKOV waves the gun at FLASH.
ZARKOV
Sit down there! Foot on the red pedal!
DALE
Flash! Sack him!
12.
ZARKOV wheels and pulls the door shut. FLASH jumps him. He
punches ZARKOV in the gut. ZARKOV slams him back with the
well-known strength of a madman. FLASH clobbers him again.
Falling, ZARKOV dives sidewards and hits a switch.
The capsule WHINES SOFTLY and begins to WHIRL. Looking out
through the transparent wall, it is as if the capsule itself
was motionless and the scene outside is whirling. What's
left of the greenhouse is under a constant rain of those
LASER BOLTS, flashing fire that makes us dizzy.
FLASH staggers to his feet and finds DALE, folds his arms
around her protectively. The centrifugal force is rapidly
increasing now, throws them both against the wall. Faster
and faster, whirling, the force presses DALE'S body back
against FLASH'S until they are almost one flesh.
We move over and find ZARKOV plastered against another part
of the whirling capsule, his face drained white and distorted
by the terrific G-Force operating here now, his lips moving
as he speaks with enormous effort:
ZARKOV,
Friendship...Built this to send to
them in...Friendship...The end
now...End of the world....Unless we
····
(every sound an effort
NOW)
Unless...We...Three...Can...
ZARKOV'S eyes close. He loses consciousness.
EXT. GREENHOUSE - LONG SHOT (MINIATURE)
Totally ablaze within now, one huge fantastic jewel of fire.
The whole central tower explodes outward. From the inferno a
MIRROR-BRIGhT capsule slowly rises, hovers, begins picking
up speed again as it ascends.
EXT. CAPSULE IN FLIGHT
Whirling, whirling, invincibly unharmed by the LASER BOLTS
which glance off it again and again, accelerating up into
space.
EXT. CAPSULE IN FLIGHT - POV
The EARTH recedes below into a ball, RED-HUED' under the
fantastic sun. A fast approaching light FLARES up against
the mirrored surface and is recognised as our MOON. It flashes
past, follows EARTH into e distance. All around, the sky
darkens into the void of space.
FANTASTIC MONTAGE - OUTER PLANETS OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
13.
They hurtle past the capsule in rapid sequences:
RED MARS
A sudden gauntlet of careening ASTEROIDS, all sizes, from
tiny zingers to one almighty tumbler big as AFRICA.
Mammoth JUPITER with thirteen moons and its atmosphere of
deadly methane clouds more than 1000 miles deep. The RED
PATCH on its surface is a storm 20,000 miles across which
has raged without intermission for 200 EARTH centuries.
Through the RINGS OF SATURN in a dazzling LIGHTSTORM of
blazing ice crystals.
NEPTUNE, PLUTO, outermost URANUS. One after another the
planets are left hurtling behind, wheeling in their concentric
orbits, the entire SOLAR SYSTEM dwindling into nothing.
EXT. A SPIRAL NEBULA
It tilts and wheels wondrously as the Capsule passes through
the middle of it. Considering that this Nebula is probably a
million light-years from edge to edge, we get some notion of
the Capsule's speed.
EXT. A BLACK HOLE IN SPACE
Curving light-rays from another galaxy are drawn fantastically
together and then simply DISAPPEAR as they are pulled in by
the unimaginable gravitation force of is THING. we SEE the
CAPSULE, tiny, curving, and spinning along amidst the mind-
blowing display of light rays, sucked along with them ····
then simply DISAPPEARING as it too enters the void.
EXT. CAPSULE IN FLIGHT
(KLYTUS, MING)
Visible again, gleaming in an AMBER GLOW. Suddenly a dancing
grid of lines appears OVER IT, making us realise that we
must be SEEING IT on some kind of screen. It BLURS out of
focus, comes back again more sharply as some adjustment has
apparently been made.
ECU - EYES OF MING THE MERCILESS
Deep in shadow, gleaming with evil amusement.
MONTAGE - ECU'S OF MING'S FACIAL FEATURES
Curve of lip, flare of nostril, fold of eyelid, gleam of
shaven scalp, each a menacing landscape of sensual shadow as
WE HEAR:
MING (O.S.)
They survived our Black Hole --
14.
KLYTUS (O.S.)
Hail Ming! Shall I drown them in
the Sea of Fire?
MING (O.S.)
Later, Klytus -- I think we will
look at them first.
INT. CAPSULE - SHOOTING FROM WITHIN
Through the transparent walls as the spinning motion is
rapidly SLOWING DOWN. The three voyagers are crumpled on the
floor against the wall in strange attitudes, FLASH'S arms
still holding DALE. They seem semi-conscious, as if dropped.
An AMBER GLOW bathes them, and soon we see its source. A
huge planet wheels into view through the transparent wall.
It is MONGO. Its curved surface is a pure sea of AMBER FIRE
molten lava, with great tongues of flame erupting
horrifically.
ZARKOV blinks, struggles to focus his eyes. He succeeds,
with horror SEES where they are headed. Making a choking
sound, ZARKOV stirs and tries to crawl over to a control
panel. He pushes switches. Nothing happens. The CAPSULE
keeps on going down. A great leaping tongue of fire licks
it.
Suddenly, just as destruction seems imminent, the capsule
miraculously changes its flight path and soars above the
remaining flames.
It races through them. A shadow passes over MONGO as the
CAPSULE passes through a wall of PURPLE VAPOR and emerges
above a totally different landscape. A dozen VARIOUS COLORED
CLOUDS sweep past in silent majesty.
The CAPSULE slows, hovers starts straight down into a sea of
high grass.
EXT. MONGO -- GRASSY AREA - EVENING
In the distant B.G. against an extraordinary SUNSET SKY,
rises the shimmering CITY OF MONGO.... a place of many levels,
golden tiers and turrets, towers, flags and pennants. It is
like something dreamed.
Several STRANGELY ARMORED MEN watch the MIRROR-BRIGHT CAPSULE
descending slowly. The LEADER waves and they all start toward
the CAPSULE.
INT. CAPSULE
(DALE, FLASH, ZARKOV)
Gentle bump as the thing touches down.
15.
ZARKOV
By God, we did it! We made it!
FLASH
Made it where, Doctor?
ZARKOV
I don't know.
Suddenly DALE gasps, reacting to something she SEES through
the transparent-from-within wall. They all look around and
SEE those STRANGE MEN approaching.
DALE
Don't. Suddenly I like it in here
just fine --
EXT. GRASSY AREA - DAY
(ARMORED MEN, FLASH, LEADER, ZARKOV)
The door of the CAPSULE is opened from the inside. ZARKOV
and DALE and FLASH get out. THE MEN stop. Long beat as the
two parties gaze at each other, the first human eye ever to
see an extraterrestrial being. FLASH walks up to the leader.
FLASH
Hello -- my name's Flash Gordon --
can you understand me?
(SILENCE)
We're from EARTH -- we come as
friends.
ZARKOV
(URGENT)
Extend your hand! That's the gesture
of friendship known everywhere!
With a warm grin, FLASH extends hi right hand.
FLASH
Hi!
CLACK! With lightning speed a manacle is slammed on FLASH'S
wrist and he is thrown to ·the ground as other RED MEN advance
to handcuff DALE and ZARKOV.
LEADER
You are prisoners. I will take you
now to Ming the Merciless, Ruler of
the universe!
ARMORED MEN
(CHORUS)
Hail, Ming!
16.
Groggily, FLASH lifts his head towards ZARKOV.
FLASH
Thanks, Doctor -- next time I'll
call my own play.
EXT. GRASSY AREA - POV THROUGH OPENING
(DALE, FLASH)
Another strange glimpse through an opening. Some fierce
tethered BEAST is being goaded and tormented by MONGO MEN,
as in an Elizabethan bear-baiting. On the floor lies the
tor n body of one MAN who apparently got too close.
DALE has one brief horrified GLIMPSE of this, then turns her
head away and shuts her eyes as she's marched along.
DALE
Just do what I'm doing. Flash --
FLASH
What are you doing?
DALE
Shutting my eyes -- dreaming I booked
us to Disneyland.
INT. MAIN PALACE HALL
(ARMORED MEN)
A gigantic STATUE comes into view amidst topless columns at
the end. Light plays over it in ever-shifting patterns. As
we come nearer, we SEE that this STATUE is cut out in the
middle to form a throne.
MING THE MERCILESS sits in the throne niche, silent, gazing
down on the PRISONERS as they are marched to a halt before
him.
ARMORED MEN
Hail, Ming! Hail, Great One Without
Mercy!
A hundred reduplicated ECHOES of that shout ring through
unseen reaches of the palace. MING bends his head slightly
in acknowledgement, points idly at the ARMORED MEN at the
left of the group.
INT. PALACE OF HALLS - SERIES OF DISSOLVES
(ARMORED MAN, AURA, DALE, FLASH, KLYTUS, LEADER, MING, VOICES,
ZARKOV)
As FLASH, DALE and ZARKOV are marched along by many ARMORED
MEN, perspectives are bewildering, curvilinear, surfaces
17.
bending away into caverns of gloom without measurable
dimension.
We pass an archway opening into what seems to be an AMUSEME-
NT ARCADE. Glimpse of MONGO PEOPLE playing amazing electronic
games, while MONGO GO-GO GIRLS cavort on a platform to
unearthly music.
ZARKOV
Fantastic -- into a Black Hole and
out the other side -- to this. Who
said Hans Zarkov was mad?
DALE
You're mad.
Look down over a balcony from a MOVING POV. A fencing glass
is in session. SIX PAIRS OF MEN go at each other with magic
swords which give off pyrotechnical displays each time the
blades clash. Thrust, parry, SLASH! The head of one duellist
EXPLODES in a bloodless fountain of fire.
FLASH
You got us into this -- HOW DO WE
GET OUT?
ZARKOV
Get out? Why? We're being taken to
Ming -- getting at him is our only
hope of saving EARTH. It's perfect!
FLASH
Dr. Zarkov, I'm about to show you
what it feels like to be clipped by
a New York Giant --
DALE
Flash, it's no use - he's too crazy!
MING
Step forward, Soldier.
The designated one marches two paces forward, halts.
MING (CONT'D)
Are you loyal to Ming? Would you
die for him?
ARMORED MAN
Gladly!
MING
Fall on your sword.
18.
Instantly the ARMORED MAN pulls his sword, rips open his
breast-plate, sets the sword hilt-down on the floor and
PLUNGES FORWARD on to the fatal point.
With a little cry of horror, DALE shrinks back into FLASH'S
arms.
ZARKOV
You inhuman fiend!
MING
Of course I'm "inhuman"! -- that's a
compliment!
(Dropping his voice)
Pathetic Earthlings, forever wondering
if you are alone in the universe --
beaming you plaintive messages into
to the void for anything that might
hear you -- even hurling your bodies
out into it -- and all without the
faintest inkling of who or what is
out here. If you had known anything --
anything at all about the true nature
of the universe, you would have hidden
from it, in terror!
There is a low throaty LAUGH from the shadows. FLASH and
DALE turn their eyes quickly in its direction.
FEATURE PRINCESS AURA
Emerging half into the light beside a column, fondling the
head of an obscure BEAST slouching between her legs.
Voluptuous beyond her years, fiercely erotic, AURA looks
FLASH boldly up and down as the BEAST HISSES with the pleasure
of her touch.
FLASH can't take his eyes off her. No normal man could. FLASH
swallows with a dry throat as AURA'S gaze devours him. DALE
gets the electricity going on, gives him a poke and WHISPERS
LOUDLY.
DALE
Watch it, fella -- you came with me!
AURA laughs again, sidles up toward MING. We dimly SEE a
couple of MUTANT CREATURES dragging away the lifeless body
of the one who so vividly proved his loyalty.
MING
You know who Ming is now -- who are
you and why do you come to Mongo?
19.
FLASH
I'm Flash Gordon of the New York
Giants this is Dale Arden -- Dr.Zarkov
hijacked us in an effort to save
EARTH.
MING looks questioningly at KLYTUS
KLYTUS
Sirs, Earth is the meaningless planet
you are in the process of
obliterating.
ZARKOV
(pouncing on that)
In the process? You mean Earth still
exists?
MING
For the moment -- not for much longer.
FLASH
But why? What in hell have we ever
done to hurt you?
MING
You exist -- and yet you pay no homage
to Ming! What greater crime can be
committed?
The palace rings with an answering chorus: VOICES of all the
ARMORED MEN and numerous others presently UNSEEN, including
many WOMEN.
VOICES
Hail, Ming! Hail, Great One Without
Mercy!
MING
Come closer, Dale Arden -- let me
see you.
DALE doesn't move. MING takes a step down, narrows his eyes
and gazes at her intensely. This guy's personal magnetism
is enormous. As if irresistibly drawn, DALE steps forward.
MING moves his hand in a gesture. A sourceless GOLDEN LIGHT
bathes DALE, sensuous MUSICAL CHORDS are heard. DALE's lips
open slightly, her color heightens, her rate of breathing
increases. MING touches her flesh lightly.
FLASH tense, ready to spring.
KLYTUS
This woman will amuse you.
20.
ZARKOV
(INTERESTED)
Klytus can see the future, eh?
MING
He can foresee it -- but for a few
moments only. It gives him a unique
gift for survival, -- and treachery.
ZARKOV
Extraordinary. I'd like to study
his beta factors -- I wager I could
extend them with a course of
telekinetic exercise.
(peering at KLYTUS)
Tell me -- when you use this fit
does your temporal lobe prickle?
Here?
MING flashes a glance of interest at ZARKOV, then addresses
the LEADER of the ARMORED MEN.
MING
Chain this one up. Preserve him for
further examination.
LEADER
Hail, Ming!
ZARKOV is roughly seized. FLASH starts after them angrily
as they drag the scientist away.
FLASH
Oh no you don't! We came together
and we're STAYING together!
Languidly, MING indicates FLASH GORDON with a pointed finger.
MING
That one is useless to us. Remove
him and kill him.
Shock reactions. FLASH wheels back at MING as DALE steps in
front of her friend.
DALE
You dirty old bastard can kill me
too!
CLOSE ANGLE - AURA
Wetting her lips, moving sinuously to WHISPER to MING:
21.
AURA
Don't kill him yet, Father. Give him
to me!
MING
(EYEBROWS UP)
What would your Prince Barin say?
AURA
I can handle Barin.
MING
Really, Aura -- your appetites are
too monstrous -- even for our family.
This could cause great trouble with
Barin -- I must forbid it.
AURA touches the rime of MING'S ear with her tongue as she
WHISPERS AGAIN:
AURA
But you adore me, Father -- you ca
refuse me nothing . Yes?
WIDER SHOT
As MING steps quickly away from his super-provocative daughter
and indicates DALE.
MING
Take the Earth-woman to our quarters!
Bathe and annoint her for our
pleasure!
A HOODED GUARD comes from shadow, moves towards DALE.
FLASH starts around to defend her, but before he can do it
DALE has made her own move. WHAM! Quick as lightning, she
flattened the HOODED GUARD with a perfectly executed city-
girl's kick to the balls. DALE is astonished at her own
prowess.
DALE
My God -- and I thought that book
was another rip-off-
FLASH
Watch out! Behind you!
Three more HOODED GUARDS are emerging from the shadows towards
DALE.
QUICK ANGLES
22.
FLASH flies at them. An elbow in the mouth disposes of one.
He seizes the man's mace-like club as he falls, uses it
quickly to knock cold the other two.
AURA'S eyes shine at FLASH'S prowess. Fascinated, she runs
her moist tongue along the cutting edge of her teeth.
Panting, braced, FLASH stands in front of DALE with raised
mace.
Unearthly MARTIAL MUSIC comes in a glissando from the
Cavernous space above.
To its tempo MING'S PERSONAL GUARDS now starts· appearing.
They are all a race of AMAZON WARRIORS, and the most amazing
thing is that they all have the SAME FACE.
From left to right, back and front, the AMAZONS advance 0n
FLASH and DALE. They do not attack, merely stun ad overwhelm
us with their massive, silent, answerable threat.
FLASH swallows, looks this way and that, stands as if
paralysed.
DALE
(low and tremulous)
What's the play, Flash?
FLASH
I can't -- I just can't --
DALE
Can't what?
FLASH
Clobber a woman, Dale --
DALE
(OUTBURST)
You damn fool, those aren't women
they're murderous AMAZON DYKES!
The AMAZONS are all around DALE now.
DALE (CONT'D)
Help!!
FLASH is paralyzed by indecision one beat more, then suddenly
makes up his mind. He flies into action, SLAMS the nearest
pair of AMAZONS.
23.
INT. PALACE - FIGHT SEQUENCE
(DALE)
Fast and furious. Great havoc is wreaked by DALE and her
karate, by FLASH and his flailing fists, but the AMAZONS'
numerical superiority is of course decisive.
Soon FLASH is on the floor, pinioned by a dozen AMAZONS.
He looks up, with despairing eyes SEES poor DALE being dragged
up a flight of stairs that disappear mysteriously into upper
gloom.
DALE
Flash!!
The pitiful shout sends FLASH'S adrenaline rushing. With a
superhuman effort, he fights free from the pile-up and dashes
after DALE.
INT. PALACE - ON THE STAIRCASE
FLASH struggles to get through to DALE.
DALE claws fiercely at the bare AMAZON arms and shoulders
that engulf her, reaches desperately back down for FLASH.
CLOSE SHOT - THEIR HANDS
Just touching their fingertips.
CLOSE SHOT - A STEP OF THE STAIRS
Opens like a yawning trap door UNDER FLASH'S FEET.
FLASH drops away with a YELL, in the very instant that AURA
comes running INTO THE SHOT and boldly JUMPS after him.
AURA is swallowed up too, a split-second before the trap
door step CLOSES again after them.
INT. PALACE - CU-MING
(KLYTUS, MING)
Watching that, as KLYTUS hisses into his ear.
KLYTUS
She betrays you! She'll take him to
Aboria!
MING
So Prince Barin will kill Flash Gordon
for me -- I don't care.
KLYTUS
Don't be too sure!
24.
MING glances at him, then back up the stairs at where DALE
has vanished. His face softens, his tone turns museful!
MING
I haven't taken a wife in centuries.
I could bring myself to marry this
Dale Arden --
(A BEAT)
What do you see in her future, Klytus?
NO reply. MING turns his head and finds that KLYTUS is gone.
Vanished. Not particularly surprised or concerned, MING gazes
again toward the top of the stairs and answers his own
question with a licentious smile.
INT. A DARK METALLIC SHAFT - SHOOTING DOWN IT
(AURA, FLASH)
It is seemingly endless, faintly lt by phosphoresence from
below. We dimly make out the figures of FLASH and AURA falling
away from us, far below, falling, falling. We HEAR Hollow
echoing VOICES reverbrating up to us.
AURA
Take a deep breath! Grab my ankle
after we hit the water -- I'll lead
you!
FLASH
Hit what water?
In answer, we instantly HEAR a titanic SPLASH.
INT. UNDERWATER (TANK)
FLASH plummets down, AURA right after him. Recovering balance
in a universe of bubbles, FLASH finds himself confronting an
enormous savage LUMINOUS FISH. Wheeling himself away in
fear and revulsion, FLASH encounters AURA. He seizes her
ankle as directed. Holding his beat, FLASH swims after her
through a maze of stalagmites growing up from the cavern
floor. AURA dives down, leads him OUT OF SIGHT through a low
opening.
INT. UNDERGROUND GROTTO
(AURA, FLASH, PLASH)
FLASH and AURA emerge from a pool of water. FLASH staggers
across and collapses on a fringe of beach. For sure, AURA'S
wet clinging robe doesn't make her look any less sexy. He
stares at her.
AURA
Catch your breath -- then I'll take
you up and find you a disguise.
25.
FLASH
You're saving my life. How can I
Thank you?
AURA
I'll fly you to the forest of Arboria -
we'll find a way.
FLASH
Let's get one thing straight -- I've
got to find Dale and that nut Zarkov
too -- rescue them and try to save
Earth too.
AURA
Do you realize how foolish you are
to tell that to me -- Ming's daughter?
FLASH
I'm no good at lying.
AURA
You're funny -- are all Eathlings
like you, Flash Gordon?
PLASH
I guess I'm about average.
INT. UNDERGROUND CORRIDOR
(AURA, FLASH)
There are windows on one side, emitting a fierce GLARE. FLASH
follows AURA rapidly along. Suddenly he stops short, looking
in through the tinted glass.
WHAT HE SEES - PLASMA CAVERN
An infernal place, chief feature of which is a LAKE OF
SEETHING MAGMA that slowly rotates within a wide encircling
platform. The platform is piled with GLOWING RADIOACTIVE
GRAVEL, being shoveled into the magma by LIZARDMAN SLAVES
who toil in rythmic unison.
FLASH (O.S.)
What's that?
AURA (O.S.)
The plasma core. It's e source of
the energy-beam my father ia aiming
at Earth. You can't stop it. Ming is
merciless and all-powerful!
ANGLES - LIZARDMAN SLAVES
26.
Showing ankle electrodes shackled to each SLAVE, so that
those who collapse can be shocked back to their feet by GUARDS
stationed on a surrounding catwalk above. Any SLAVE unable
to rise is summarily pitched into the magma by HOODED MEN,
waiting like executioners to perform this chore.
AURA (O.S.) (CONT'D)
The slaves are Lizard Men. Once they
had their own water Kingdom, the
fairest of Mongo. Then they dared to
rebel. They will suffer for it here
forever.
FLASH looks at AURA again, then back in the window. He
reacts.
INT. GROTTO - HIS POV IN CAVERN - ON A CATWALK
(AURA)
ZARKOV is being led along by SOLDIERS, heavily shackled. He
stops, gazing in wonder at the seething lake, which FLARES
UP BLINDINGLY with each shovel full of gravel.
FLASH and AURA
AURA
You can't reach him. If a soldier
spots you, it's instant death! --
Come!
AURA takes his hand. With one backward look toward ZARKOV
who of course has not seen him, FLASH follows her.
INT. PLASMA CAVERN - FEATURE ZARKOV
(MING'S VOICE, SOLDIER, ZARKOV)
ZARKOV
Incredible - the very core of this
planet, is it not?
SOLDIER
We are but soldiers. We do not know.
MING'S VOICE
You guess well, Dr. Zarkov!
ZARKOV wheels in his chains, looks up.
INT. PLASMA CAVERN - MESSANINE
(EVERYONE, MING, ZARKOV)
High above this place where MING stands with KLYTUS, lit by
the infernal glare as he goes on:
27.
MING
I am forcing this plasma through the
successive nuclear phases of a star -
building it toward the apocalyptic
moment that will end Earth's pathetic
history in one flash of fire.
ZARKOV
Devil! Why don't you turn this science
to peaceful use? The name Ming would
be blessed instead of cursed.
MING
Bring him up to the dome, Soldiers --
we wish to show him wonders.
At that instant a couple of worn-out SLAVES are pitched into
the magma. Their dying SCREAMS are drowned by the chorus
from all the minions:
EVERYONE
Hail! Ming! Hail, Great one Without
Mercy!
INT. UPPER PALACE AREA - CORRIDOR
(AURA, FLASH)
AURA leads FLASH out through a doorway. He is now fitted out
with a fairly resplendent MONGO costume: boots, cape,
headdress and all. They hurry along through shadows. Suddenly
FLASH seizes her by the shoulders, stops her.
FLASH
Listen, where's he got Dale?
As she looks at him, she SEES a detachment of SOLDIERS
marching this direction. Quickly she pulls FLASH into a niche,
presses her body against his in the narrow space. WHISPERS:
AURA
Forget Dale Arden!
FLASH
I can't! I mean I hardly know her,
BUT --
AURA
Forget her, Flash Gordon: I saw a
look in my father's eye -- I think
he intends to marry her.
FLASH
What?? Marry her? What are you
talking about??
28.
The SOLDIERS have gone past, but AURA is still pressing
against him.
AURA
Oh you ask so many questions.
(SEDUCTIVE)
I'm taking you to people who'll help
you. Trust me!
FLASH
Can I honestly?
AURA
Trust me!
AURA hauls FLASH from the niche, they hurry on a bit further.
AURA stops in front of big doors, with glass windows in them.
AURA (CONT'D)
Here we are.
FLASH
Here we are where?
AURA
I've dressed you as a Royal Pilot,
First Class. We'll slip into my
personal car and you'll fly it.
FLASH takes one look into the glass, then swivels back to
AURA
FLASH
Those are ROCKET SHIPS in there! I
can't fly a damn rocket ship!
AURA
(soft, teasing)
Learn from me -- I'll teach you so
much!
INT. MING'S DOME
(MING, ZARKOV)
Open at the top to space. But instead of our familiar pinpoint
stars, here whole nebulae wheel in majesty against infinity,
their innards popping with explosions as whole galaxies are
born and die.
ZARKOV stands before MING in chains, mesmerized by fantastic
devices on every side. Most prominent is a huge transparent
cube, supported in the air above a control console. MING
moves to that, plays in it like an organist. we HEAR a soft
intense hum, GLIMPSE great dish-like radio antennae turning
on the top side of the dome.
29.
An astonishing things happens. Inside the cube a recognisable
greenish globe appears like a three-dimensional holograph,
slowly turning as the continents and oceans come into view
below a veil of clouds.
ZARKOV
Earth!
MING
Yes, Zarkov -- as it was. Now as it
will be, when my plasma reaches full
force.....
A sudden TIDE OF FIRE sweeps the globe, Even the clouds BURN.
ZARKOV gasps as MING'S fingers dance of the control keys
again.
MING (CONT'D)
And as it will be in yet another
time, long after you have died. Earth
reborn! A pleasant image, no?
The fires recede. The hanging globe sparkles again with beauty
just as it was except that the outlines of our continents
have been subtly changed.
ZARKOV
But that's impossible! Even your
perverted genius can't create new
life!
MING
Of course I can create life. There's
nothing easier. It only requires
myself and one woman.
ZARKOV
(SUDDEN UNDERSTANDING)
Dale Arden.....
MING
Who else? As in that childish myth
of yours -- Adam and Eve, wasn't it?
I will breed with her and repopulate
the Earth in my own image. I've
already done it on over a thousand
planets.
MING touches a key. The image of Earth DISAPPEARS from the
cube. ZARKOV glares hatred at MING for a beat, then his eye
catches something else.
WHAT HE SEES
30.
A big block of crystal on the floor with two swords embedded
in it, just their hilts sticking out.
ANGLE to include ZARKOV. Chained as he is, he suddenly bounds
over and seizes a sword hilt, tries to pull it out. It doesn't
budge.
MING (CONT'D)
The magic blades are not for your
kind, Zarkov. One is my own the other
will only be withdrawn by my rightful
heir. Pull on them with all your
MIGHT:
ZARKOV tugs desperately, but it doesn't give an inch. He
falls panting over the block.
ZARKOV
Monster!
MING laughs, makes a sign to a SOLDIER.
MING
Return him to the dungeon.
INT. MING'S SERAGLIO
(DALE, HEDONIA)
DALE stands amongst the EXOTIC FEMALES of this lavish place,
being gently but firmly divested of her clothes and put into
a diaphanous gown. They intend her no harm. Though each has
some slight unearthly peculiarity, all are very beautiful.
Tickled, DALE can't suppress a giggle. The females are amazed
and delighted by this phenomenon. They take turns poking at
her ribs as tall HEDONIA glides up, bearing a flagon of green
liquid.
HEDONIA
Drink this.
DALE recoils, her giggling cut short.
DALE
What is it -- some rotten drug?
HEDONIA
It has no name. But many brave men
died to bring it across space from
Cythera, planet of Pleasure. It
will make your hours with Ming more
agreeable.
With a karate chop, DALE- knocks the flagon away. HEDONIA
rubs her hurt wrist but does not seem angry.
31.
HEDONIA (CONT'D)
We are of different race, Dale Arden
but we all are women here. I know
your fears. Believe me, it will be
better if you drink it...
HEDONIA retrieves the flagon from the silken pillow where it
landed, extends it again to DALE. A shout!
DALE
Flash! Where are you??
Of course there is no answer. Sudden tears of despair spring
from DALE'S eyes. She seizes the flagon and impulsively drinks
it. Her expression changes.
DALE (CONT'D)
Say, this stuff isn't bad at all.
EXT. SPACE - AURA'S SHUTTLE CRAFT
Sails along, a wonderful little bubble-topped two-seater,
with royal devices.
EXT. SPACE - A MOON OF ICE
Floats toward us, dazzling sphere of frozen seas and glaciers.
INCLUDE AURA'S SPACECRAFT
Coming into SHOT in a curving pass over the surface. It's a
Nifty bubble-top two-seater with royal devices.
INT. COCKPIT - IN FLIGHT
(AURA)
There are no normal controls, just a glowing multi-colored
panel over which the pilot makes hand-movements to effect
changes of course and attitude. FLASH is in the left-hand
seat beside AURA, gazing down at the glittering sight.
AURA
Frigia -- eleventh of the moons of
Mongo. It's inhabited by the Bear
Men who eat their own young...
FLASH shivers. Patches of frost and ice start to form on
the craft's bubble.
AURA (CONT'D)
Now pull up -- go starboard around
that next moon rising -- Ardentia.
FLASH moves his hands over the panel. The craft pulls up
and banks.
32.
INT. COCKPIT - ANOTHER SHOT
(AURA, FLASH)
Another moon RISING ahead. Its reddish desert surface is
swept by a raging sandstorm.
FLASH
Some lucky people live on that one
too?
AURA
Of course - the Sand Men. Every
Moon is a kingdom -- seperate and
hostile to all the others. They
have nothing in common but Ming's
rule -- and their hatred of him.
FLASH
Why don't they team up and fight
him?
AURA
Fight Ming the Merciless?
(LAUGHS)
You saw what happened to the Lizard
Men.
FEATURE FLASH
With a sudden thoughtful look, his head working.
FLASH
Sue -- but that wasn't a team effort.
AURA
I don't know these words what's a
"team"?
FLASH just shakes his head. AURA watches him a beat more,
then reaches up and pulls down a curious gadget hanging above
her seat. It's a TRANSPARENT HOOD with strange fittings
inside, not totally unlike a beauty-shop hairdryer.
AURA (CONT'D)
Telekinetic Thought Transfer.
(setting its dials)
I'm going to get together with Prince
Barin in Arboria and tell him I'm
arriving. He's the one who'll help
you.
FLASH
Why?
33.
AURA
Because he does anything I ask. He
loves me.
FLASH
You can really transfer your thoughts
with that? Like I could get in touch
with Dale?
AURA
If I showed you how.
(TEASING)
But I'm not going to.
FLASH
Please.
AURA just gives him a look and laughs. FLASH stares at her a
moment, then suddenly MOVES HIS HANDS sharply over the control
panel. The craft hurtles into a violent DIVE. AURA yells.
AURA
What are you doing?
AURA drops the plastic hood, lunges to move. her own hands
on the controls, but FLASH seizes her wrists.
EXT. SHOOTING THROUGH BUBBLE TO EXT.
Showing the windblown surface of the moon ARDENTIA dead ahead.
INT. COCKPIT
(AURA, FLASH)
AURA
Are you mad> We're diving straight
at Ardentia!
FLASH
That's right, Princess ··· and we're
not pulling out until you put that
gadget over my head and tune me in
to Dale Arden!
AURA struggles wildly, but FLASH'S grip on her wrists is
like iron. The surface of Ardentia LOOMS UP , closer and
closer.
INT. MING'S SERAGLIO - BATHING AREA
(DALE, FLASH'S VOICE, HEDONIA)
DALE is immersed naked in a bubbly swirling tub, a luxuriant
prisoner of the FEMALES who bathe and groom her. She seems
dazed by steam and by the sensuous movement of the water.
34.
A couple of the FEMALES lift DALE'S hands, make a cup of
them. HEDONIA pours rich oil into it.
HEDONIA
Rub this on your body. It gives
Ming pleasure.
DALE starts to oil herself as the FEMALES exchange looks and
LAUGH softly. Suddenly a FILTERED VOICE is HEARD from nowhere,
though it seems very close:
FLASH'S VOICE
Dale, it's me -- Flash! Am I with
you?
CU DALE
She blinks, befuddled, pauses in her oiling of herself.
HEDONIA
What's the matter?
DALE
I'm dreaming.
INT. COCKPIT
(FLASH'S VOICE)
CU FLASH
with the Thought Transference gizmo down over his head, a
faint BLUISH GLOW flickering within, as AURA watches him and
we SEE the moon Ardentia falling behind rapidly through the
glass. FLASH concentrates fiercely. We HEAR his VOICED
THOUGHTS but his lips do not move.
FLASH'S VOICE
No, Dale -- you're not dreaming I'm
Flash -- I'm with you and you are
with me!
INT. MING'S BATHING AREA
(DALE'S VOICE, FLASH'S VOICE, FLASH' S VOICE)
FLASH'S VOICE
Are you receiving my thoughts?
Now we HEAR DALE'S VOICE, without her lips moving either:
DALE'S VOICE
I'm receiving something --
35.
FLASH' S VOICE
(EXCITEDLY)
I read you, Dale -- I'm getting you
too! Think of me -- hard!
INTERCUTS - FLASH AND DALE - SERAGLIO BATH AND COCKPIT
As they communicate. NOTE: There might be some faint glow
in the air above the tub some spectral suggestion. of FLASH'S
presence, the idea being to show that HEDONIA and other
FEMALES are unaware of this interchange going on as they
continue to bathe and groom DALE.
INT. CUTTING BETWEEN BATHING AREA AND COCKPIT
(DALE'S VOICE, FLASH'S VOICE, FLASH' S VOICE)
DALE'S VOICE
Where are you Flash?
FLASH'S VOICE
Speeding for the Kingdom of Arboria
to get help! I'm in a spacecraft
with Aura, Ming's daughter!
DALE'S VOICE
What? That bitch? Don't trust her!
She's after you!
FLASH'S VOICE
Listen, she means nothing to me --
not a darn thing. Where are you,
Dale?
DALE'S VOICE
Naked in a bathtub.
FLASH'S VOICE
(CHOKED)
Oh God -- if I could only see you,
Dale. If I could touch you -- what
are you in a tub for?
DALE'S VOICE
I'm being fixed up for Ming.
FLASH' S VOICE
No! Where's Dr. Zarkov?
DALE'S VOICE
Chained in a dungeon, I think.
What'll I do, Flash?
FLASH' S VOICE
Fake 'em out!
36.
DALE'S VOICE
How?
FLASH'S VOICE
Just fake 'em out, Dale -- girls
know how. But don't go too far. I
mean get to Zarkov and release him,
I'll have help by then -- I'll find
you. Can you do all that?
DALE'S VOICE
Sounds like fourth down and about
ninety yards to go, but I'll try.
FLASH'S VOICE
Dale, you're some girl -- God, you
really are.
(PAUSE)
Do you get what I'm thinking now?
DALE'S VOICE
(SUPER-SENSUOUS)
Oh yes.
FLASH' S VOICE
Dale, we're gonna get out of this
jam -- I swear we will -- I'll find
you, and when I do we'll -----
INT. COCKPIT - FEATURE AURA
(AURA)
who has been watching FLASH'S face with increasing frustration
and jealousy during this, Suddenly snatching the Thought
Transfer bubble OFF FLASH'S head.
AURA
Enough!
He has a dazed dreamy look on his face. AURA slaps him out
of it, points-ahead.
AURA (CONT'D)
There's Arboria!
EXT. ARBORIA - DAY
Green tangle of branches and leaves and vines. ANGLING UP ,
we SEE the SHUTTLE CRAFT approaching us head-on at a down
angle.
EXT. ARBORIA - SHUTTLE CRAFT POV
It races up toward the craft's windshield. We level off for
a moment, then PLUNGE DOWN again into a blur of green.
37.
INT. COCKPIT - FLASH
(FLASH)
Working his hands over the control sensors as crazy GREENERY
rushes by outside. THUMP THUD CRASH! The craft careens to a
swinging HALT, so Suddenly that FLASH and AURA almost have
their wind knocked out as they are thrown against their seat
belts. FLASH recovers.
FLASH
Sorry. I guess landings aren't my
thing.
EXT. SHUTTLE CRAFT
(AURA, FLASH)
It hangs snagged in a huge vine, like a creature caught by
some monstrous boa-constrictor. This is a complete world of
green, the light, the feeling of the air. Everything rings
with forest SOUNDS. The very sky is shut from view by leaves
and foliage.
The craft's hatch opens. FLASH struggles out, gives AURA a
hand up. Kneeling on the cabin, FLASH takes in this incredible
vista stretching all around.
FLASH
Where's Robin Hood?
AURA
Who?
FLASH
It doesn't matter. How do we get
down.
AURA
Follow me.
Carefully, balancing lithely, AURA starts along the trunk of
the great vine that caught them.
INT. MING'S BEDCHAMBER
(DALE, SERVING GIRL)
Ultra-Byzantine splendor. The only light is by a huge bed
on which DALE reclines. A SERVING GIRL glides up with a
flagon of that liquid.
SERVING GIRL
He is coming to see you now. Are you
ready?
38.
DALE
(easy, smiling)
Very.
SERVING GIRL
Do you need any more of this?
DALE
No, thanks. Just turn down the light
a bit, would you? I'm shy.
The SERVING GIRL leans over the bed to do so. We GLIMPSE
DALE'S HAND rising quickly to deliver a karate-chop.
INT. PALACE HALLWAY
MING walks down it toward a closed door at the end. He pauses
a moment in anticipation, composes himself, opens the door.
INT. MING'S BEDCHAMBER
It's nearly dark. MING comes from shadows, looks down at the
bed. There is a feminine silhouette on it.
MING sits, extends a hand. His FINGERS travel sensuously up
a BARE THIGH, suddenly stop.
Savagely, MING pulls the face of the GIRL into the light. It
is not DALE ARDEN but the unconscious SERVING GIRL, now
dressed in DALE'S gown.
INT. DUNGEON - MING' S PALACE
(GUARD)
OPENING CLOSE on ZARKOV, who lies asleep in his chains. A
hand touches his shoulder.
ZARKOV wakes with a start to SEE a SERVING GIRL bending over
him, tray in hand. She moves her cloak to reveal that she is
DALE.
A GUARD stands nearby against a wall, faceless in the shadow
of a cowled uniform.
GUARD
Serving Girl - what business have
you in this dungeon?
DALE quickly puts the tray down, stands and turns to the
GUARD She smiles invitingly, lifts her skirt up above her
knee.
The legs are long and terrific.
39.
The GUARD catches his breath, steps toward her lecherously
to accept the invitation. WHAM! He doubles up as DALE kicks
him in the groin, goes down without a sound as a left-right-
left series of KARATE CHOPS hits his neck.
He is hardly on the floor before DALE is pouncing on the key-
ring at his belt.
EXT. ARBORIA FOREST - FLASH AND AURA
(AURA, FLASH)
Making their way swiftly through it between earth and heaven,
crossing this green world on branches and trunks of monster
vines. FLASH pauses.
FLASH
Listen -- are you sure this Barin
will help me?
Gently, provocatively, AURA puts her finger on his lips to
silence him.
AURA
Ssssh...... Trust me!
EXT. ARBORIA - FULL SHOT
(AURA, FLASH)
Of a fantastic structure, many levels, built of wood and
other materials from the heart of the forest.
MOVE OFF it to find FLASH and AURA nearby, him gazing at
this apparition with a strange wistful expression.
FLASH
It's amazing -- I dreamed of this
tree-house when I was a kid --
AURA laughs softly, waves him on.
WITH FLASH AND AURA
climbing the ramp-like stairs which wind up around it in a
mounting spiral. SUddenly the forest rings with SINGSONG
CRIES and CALLS I mingled with a sort of ROARING SNARL.
AURA
It's Barin's hunt! Watch!
AURA leads him on at a run to the wide balcony above.
EXT. FOREST - MOVING SHOT
With a desperate LION MAN, running full tilt; roaring and
snarling as he zig-zags this way and that.
40.
There is a SWISHING SOUND and an arrow-like missile catches
him in the back. Sharp PFSSSSS: as of gas escaping.
EXT. FOREST - ANOTHER ANGLE
(ALL THREE MEN, TREE MAN)
BARIN, PRINCE OF ARBORIA and looking every inch the part,
stands with a fired crossbow. Over his shoulder is a quiver
of GLASS ARROWS, each a little POINTED CYLINDER at the end.
Some distance behind and around we see a number of his loyal
TREE MEN.
TREE MAN
Barin got him!
ALL THREE MEN
Hail, Ming!
EXT. STRUCTURE - BALCONY
(AURA, FLASH)
FLASH -- BESIDE AURA ON BALCONY
FLASH'S eyes jumping to her as he hears that echoing.
FLASH
These are the guys who are gonna help
me?
AURA
It means nothing. They only shout
that because it's treason not to.
They hate Ming.
EXT. FOREST - FEATURE BARIN
(BARIN, FLASH)
BARIN
I scent a Tiger Man near the lodge!
Form battle lines above and below!
As the TREE MEN scurry to obey, BARIN moves forward, reloading
and cocking his weapon.
The stricken LION MAN comes INTO VIEW. Incredibly, the glass
arrow in his back has transformed him into a STATUE OF ICE.
At BARIN'S footfall, he DISINTEGRATES in a tinkling fall of
frozen shards.
THE TIGER MAN is poised behind a tree near the lodge, panting.
He is a magnificent creature, with a horn sticking out of
his forehead. He tenses, HEARING the BIRDLIKE CALLS of the
advancing hunters. Closer, closer.
41.
ANGLE WIDENS. We SEE another PAIR OF LION MEN crouching
nearby, terrified. The line of TREE MEN comes INTO VIEW. The
crouching pair look in appeal to the TIGER MAN by the tree.
He watches a beat, waves them to run backward, then covering
the escape of the others, TIGER MAN charges into his enemies
headlong.
FROM LODGE BALCONY - POV SHOT
FLASH and AURA watch the fight. TIGER MAN'S rage is
magnificent as he flails the nearest TREE MEN without regard
for their number. He has flattened half a dozen when suddenly
BARIN'S upper line of TREE MEN leap DOWN on him from the
branches above, and he is buried under their sheer weight.
CU FLASH WATCHING
FLASH
I know just how he feels -- we played
the Pittsburgh Steelers last year.
EXT. FOREST -FEATURE BARIN
(BARIN, TREE MAN)
ANGLE - BARIN advancing by himself, HEARING the triumphant
SHOUTS of his men.
TREE MAN (O.S.)
Prince Barin! We have him!
BARIN
Not him! Bring him back for sport:
EXT. BALCONY - FLASH
(AURA)
Watching with horrified fascination as NETS are thrown over
the struggling TIGER MAN. AURA'S eyes bright with lust for
this kind of spectacle, AURA speaks low to FLASH
AURA
Go inside -- let me talk to Barin
first.
(as FLASH hesitates)
Foolish Earthling - trust me!
EXT. FOREST - BELOW LODGE
(AURA, BARIN)
BARIN walks up ahead of some TREE MEN who are carrying the
TIGER MAN in their nets. Suddenly he stops, reacting to
AURA on the balcony.
BARIN
Aura!
42.
AURA
It's so long since I've been with
you, Barin -- I couldn't stand it.
Please don't be too angry at me for
coming.
BARIN
Angry at you?
BARIN laughs.
INT. LODGE
(AURA, BARIN, FLASH)
FLASH is flattened against the wall, IWATCHING through louvers
of a door. SOUND of feet on ramp, SNARLING and ROARING of
captive TIGER MAN. BARIN comes hastening INTO VIEW on the
balcony and embraces AURA.
AURA AND BARIN CLOSE
BARIN
You'll stay the night?
AURA
I've dreamed of it!
His eyes alight with anticipation, BARIN steps back from
her. as his MEN arrive with the netted TIGER MAN.
BARIN
Get me a sword --
(turning to AURA)
This is the fiercest Tiger Man we
have ever hunted. I'm going to kill
him now -- and dedicate his blood to
you, my beloved.
AURA
(DELIGHTED)
But that's treason! Blood can be
dedicated to Ming alone!
BARIN
I know you, Aura -- the more a man
risks, the greater your passion. If
I knew a greater risk, I'd take it.
AURA SMILES, turns and calls softly toward the interior.
AURA
Flash Gordon -- come out!
FLASH steps out, halts about ten feet from BARIN. Reactions
from BARIN and his TREE MEN.
43.
FLASH
I'm from Earth, Prince Barin. My
friends and I were Ming's prisoners.
She kindly brought me here to enlist
your help.
BARIN
What in hell? My help?
AURA
Hide him from my father -- don't let
him wander -- keep him for me!
CU - FLASH
FLASH
Keep me for.....????
(STUNNED)
Oh, my god. I trusted you.
AURA darts INTO SHOT, puts her lips to his ear and WHISPERS:
AURA
You still must -- I'm playing a game!
CU BARIN
BARIN
What? What are you saying?
AURA darts back into shot on his side now, WHISPERS in same
WAY:
AURA
He's a mere toy to me, my love --
when I'm tired of it we'll kill him!
BACK TO SCENE
as AURA quickly steps away, continues aloud:
AURA (CONT'D)
It's the risk I ask, Barin hide him
for me in Arboria.
BARIN
I'll hide him, all right -- under
six feet of Arborian dirt!
The sword BARIN ordered has been brought. He seizes it.
FLASH
I'm not your enemy, Prince Barin. we
share a hatred of Ming
44.
AURA
Are you so afraid of my Earthling,
Barin; Won't you even give him a
chance?
BARIN hesitates, provoked by that, then shouts:
BARIN
Snake keeper! Rouse your beast!
ANGLE - SNAKE KEEPER
A HALFWIT TREE MAN, drowsing against another part of the
parapet, He jerks awake, shuffles across to a big wicker
basket, pulls off the lid. A hideous EEL-LIKE SERPANT rears
it's head, HISSING and SNAPPING venemously. The KEEPER sticks
his arm down. The snake coils around it. With a drooling
grin, the KEEPER withdraws it.
CU FLASH watching with horrified revulsion.
BACK TO SCENE
KEEPER carries the hissing snapping snake toward an enormous
STUMP of a tree trunk. He holds his arm out over it, WHISTLES
a curious note. The snake leaps off the arm and VANISHES
into the hollowed out trunk. We notice now that there are
SIX HOLES drilled into the gnarled wood.
BARIN (CONT'D)
Who dares the beast?
A battle-scarred OLD TREE MAN steps forward. without a word,
he goes to the stump and plunges a hand INTO one of the holes.
INSIDE THE STUMP
BIG CU SNAKE with a hiss, fangs strike a wrist.
INT. LODGE - FEATURE OLD MAN
(AURA, BARIN, FLASH, TREE MEN)
With eyes widening in horror, hs face starts to turn BLUE.
He pulls out his hand and staggers backward. BARIN plunges
his sword into the man's breast and he topples over the
parapet, dead. Sword in hand, BARIN turns to FLASH.
BARIN
I did him a mercy. This venom brings
death only after long tortured
madness. Your turn, Earthling.
CU FLASH
45.
FLASH
I think I'll pass on this one.
INCLUDE BARIN
BARIN
There are six openings to the serpent.
Five are safe -- the sixth is death.
Choose one -- or take your end from
my sword here and now.
FLASH
He swallows, Looks at the stump, at BARIN with his bloody
sword, to the stump again, then at AURA. He crosses close
and stares into her glittering eyes.
FLASH
Would you give Dale a message from
me? Tell her I'm sorry how things
have panned out -- I Loved her.
AURA
I'll do that.
FLASH
What the hell? Forget it. Sending
that message by you is like sending
a lettuce-leaf by a rabbit.
BARIN'S sword touches FLASH'S back.
He walks to the stump. Every eye is on him, every breath
held.
With a sudden quick motion, FLASH plunges his hand into a
hole. He leaves it there a second, then whips it back out
and wheels to BARIN.
FLASH (CONT'D)
Whew! -- Your turn, Prince Barin.
SHOTS -- AROUND THE GROUP
BARIN goes still. This is not what he had planned. AURA'S
Tongue runs over her tee.
AURA
If your love for me is great enough,
Barin, surely it will protect you
from the serpent -- no?
AURA laughs softly. BARIN strides across, plunges his hand
into another hole, rips it out again unscathed. He whirls to
FLASH, points the sword at him.
46.
BARIN
Go again.
FLASH thrusts into a third hole, pulls out again. Turns.
FLASH
What are you waiting for?
BARIN glares at him, takes a breath, jams his hand into the
fourth of the six holes.
BIG CU BARIN
His eyes widen horribly, he makes a choked sound. PULL BACK
FAST as he whips his hand out, unbitten. His face twists
into a grin.
BARIN
Fooled you, didn't I?
AURA laughs, turns her smile on FLASH.
AURA
It's an even chance now, Flash Gordon --
that's better than Daddy would have
given you --
FLASH
Boy. You oughta be handled with a
forked stick yourself.
BARIN
If I were you, I'd choose the sword --
The point touches FLASH again. Just two holes left. He does
a silently mouthed eeny-meeny-miney-mo between them, plunges
his hand into one.
INSIDE THE STUMP
The snake's head MOVES fast.
BACK TO SCENE
QUICK CU - FLASH'S FACE
Wincing, contorting.
As FLASH whips his arm out again. Amazingly, he has hold of
the terrible serpent, grasping it just below the head. CRIES
from the astounded TREE MEN, and then FLASH is leaping INTO
ACTION.
47.
Whirling, FLASH swings the hissing snapping writhing beast
at the nearest TREEMEN, scattering them, and thrusts the
serpent's head at BARIN.
BARIN slashes with his sword, misses. The serpent's tail
coils around the blade, rips it from BARIN'S hand as the
Prince of Arboria dives backwards.
FLASH whirls again, SLAMS the serpent's head into a post,
and SNATCHES the sword from the tail before it hits the floor.
MOVING WITH FLASH
He dashes for the ramp to the ground.. The TIGER MAN is right
in front of him, struggling in the net. FLASH pauses, SLASHES
at the cords. TIGER MAN is freed, bounds to his feet with a
ROAR, clobbers a pair of TREE MEN just jumping on him and
FLASH. Snatching one's CROSSBOW and QUIVER OF GLASS ARROWS,
he races down the ramp behind FLASH.
BACK TO TOP LEVEL
FEATURE BARIN
Picking himself up, wheeling furiously on AURA, who has been
watching all this with her lips half parted, her tongue
flicking teeth in supersensuous excitement.
BARIN (CONT'D)
A mere toy of yours, eh?
AURA
(TAUNTING)
Maybe I was wrong -- surely the Prince
of Arboria wouldn't be beaten by a
toy.
BARIN snatches a horn from his belt, blows a BLAST.
BARIN
The hunt's on, my Tree Men!
TREE MEN
To the hunt with Barin!
EXT. FOREST - FLASH AND TIGER MAN
(FLASH, TIGER MAN)
They run through the green tangle. FLASH trips over a vine.
TIGER MAN picks him up.
TIGER MAN
Thank you for freeing me.
48.
FLASH
You can speak?
TIGER MAN
For all the good it does me.
SOUNDS echo: hunting horns, birdcalls of TREE MEN. They start
running again.
FLASH
Have we a chance, Tiger Man?
TIGER MAN
Only if we climb -- out of the green
light -- to the sky -- Prince Barin's
Tree Men can't follow us up there!
FLASH
What do you mean?
TIGER MAN
Ming's Law -- outside his own kingdom,
every hunter becomes the hunted!
Ahead is a huge tree made for climbing: branches stick out
like the rungs of some great green ladder. They leap onto
the lowest.
ANGLES - THE TREE - FLASH and TIGER MAN
Climbing. Jack and the Beanstalk, up and up, panting, but
there is never a top in sight. Suddenly the branches end.
FLASH
Damn. End of the line.
TIGER MAN reacts to something off. Touches FLASH'S shoulder
and points.
THEIR POV - AT END OF LAST BRANCH
A crazy sort of ELEVATOR is going by. It's a moving. vine
with LEAFY BASKETS attached, a vertical conveyor from the
ground to above. As FLASH and TIGER MAN watch, they SEE one
basket moving UP with an armed TREE MAN in it, scanning the
forest below.
FLASH
Snatches the crossbow off TIGER MAN'S back, cocks it, notches
it quickly with a GLASS ARROW from the quiver.
INCLUDE THE TREE MAN
49.
hearing the CLICK of the cocking. He wheels, looks up, SEES
FLASH. Letting out a fierce BIRDCALL. he jumps up and swings
his own crossbow just as FLASH shoots.
SWISH-PFFST as FLASH'S arrow hits him. ICE, he tumbles out
of the basket.
FLASH and TIGER MAN
Run out along the branch, jump INTO the basket as it passes
by.
FLASH (CONT'D)
How far will this take us?
TIGER MAN
I don't know --no man has ever been
above the green.
EXT. ANOTHER PART OF THE TREES
(BARIN, FLASH, TREE MAN, TIGER MAN, TREE MAN LEADER)
BARIN and a troop of TREE MEN are poised in the branches,
listening acutely. The one scouting in front calls back:
TREE MAN
The sight -- call came from the left!
TREE MA.i. The sight-call carne from the left:
BARIN
Up and across we'll cut them off!
He BLOWS his horn again. The TREE MEN start moving quickly
some climbing, others SWINGING laterally on vines.
IN THE BASKET
FLASH and TIGER MAN
Rising looking upward, as the light through the leaves is
changing, becoming less intensely green.
TIGER MAN
What is that color above?
FLASH
Blue. We call is blue.
A DOZEN TREE MEN come swinging into view on vines, land on a
fat branch. The LEADER looks right in this direction, points
and gives a chilling BIRDCALL. The TREE MEN unsling their
crossbows, reach for GLASS ARROWS.
FLASH and TIGER MAN
50.
SEEING cold death staring them in the face.
FLASH reaches for an arrow, notches it.
TREE MAN LEADER
You haven't a chance! Throw down
your weapon!
FLASH makes like to throw his crossbow away. At the last
instant, h swings it around, aims and FIRES.
TREE MEN ON BRANCH
Are startled as the arrow WHIRRS in and sticks into the branch
under their feet. The branch instantly turns to ICE.
BARIN - CLIMBING FROM BELOW
HEARS a loud brittle CRACKING SOUND. He looks up, gapes,
holds on tight to the tree trunk. A dozen SHRIEKING TREE MEN
plummet down around him amidst chunks of ICE, crashing through
the branches to doom. A look of fierce delight on his face,
BARIN resumes his climb.
EXT. TREETOPS OF ARBORIA
(FLASH, TIGER MAN)
FLASH and TIGER MAN jump from their basket into a wide leaf,
near a loading platform where the elevator-vine goes around
a great iron wheel. The forest is open to the sky at this
altitude, a sunny Eden of huge exotic flowers. Enormous
overlapping leaves form a floor FLASH and TIGER MAN can stand
on.
FLASH
Which way to the border:
TIGER MAN
Legend says Arboria ends in an ocean
to the west.
FLASH quickly checks his wristwatch and the angle of the
shadows, starts in the direction he estimates is west.
TREETOPS OF ARBORIA - OTHER ANGLES
FLASH and TIGER MAN running over the leaves, which are
somewhat BOUNCY like a huge trampoline. It's quite enjoyable.
FLASH laughs aloud at the sensation, takes a big jump off
the edge of one leaf, BOUNCES HIGH from the next.
Amazingly, a fat TENDRIL seizes him in mid-air, coils around
his waist. FLASH yells as he is lifted further up.
AN ENORMOUS FLOWER
51.
is right above him. The closed petals open. The inside is
viscous, hideous looking. In the deepest recess is a dark
red blob which PULSES like a huge heart, emits a BEING SOUND.
With horror, FLASH realizes the tendril is feeding him into
the flower's maw.
PLASH struggles vainly against the tendril's strength. TIGER
MAN dashes to his rescue below, but another tendril knocks
him flat.
INT. FLOWER
(BARIN, FLASH)
FLASH is conveyed INTO the flower. He punches wildly with
his fists, kicks, but petals are CLOSING inexorably around
him. On their inner surface are deadly spiny SPIKES.
Scattered around are the crushed SKELETONS of luckless TREE
MEN who have been fed in here.
SWISH-PFFFFST! Out of nowhere a GLASS ARROW comes flying
past FLASH'S ear, sinks itself into the flower's heart. The
flower SHRIEKS. All around, FLASH, it is turning into
crystalline ICE.
The tendrils lose their grip, FLASH falls onto the leaf below
beside the TIGER MAN.
TREETOPS - ANOTHER ANGLE
As FLASH turns his head to see BARIN standing with his
crossbow on a leaf some twenty feet away.
BARIN
I saved you because your death must
be mine.
FLASH
What's the point of all this killing?
Why don't we team up and overthrow
Ming?
BARIN notches another arrow, cocks his bow, with slow pleasure
raises it and aims at FLASH'S heart. Suddenly a SHADOW covers
BARIN. He jerks his head up to SEE:
A WINGED SILHOUETTE
Diving from the sun at him. It is a HAWKMAN, magnificiently
fierce. It seizes BARIN in its talons and lifts him INTO THE
AIR.
OTHER HAWKMEN
Hover, their wings beating the air. They dive on FLASH and
TIGER MAN, lift them too.
52.
EXT. SKY - AURA'S SPACECRAFT
Rises in a steep climb over Arboria.
INT. COCKPIT - AURA
In the pilot's seat gazes OFF at something through tricky
little binoculars.
WHAT SHE SEES - DISTANT HAWKMEN
Ascending with their three captives-
INT. COCKPIT -AURA
(AURA'S VOICE)
Put the binoculars down, with one hand lowers the THOUGHT
TRANSFER hood over her head, with the other waves the craft
into a sharp turn away from the HAWKMEN. Without her lips
MOVING:
AURA'S VOICE
Princess Aura returns to Mingo City
The passage through the force-field
opens at her approach --
AURA twists the tuning dial, then goes on in a soft
PROVOCATIVE TONE:
AURA'S VOICE (CONT'D)
Daddy darling -- am I with you? Are
you getting me?
EXT. GRASSY AREA - ZARKOV'S CAPSULE
Sits some fanciful form of ground transport: perhaps a thing
with bicycle wheels and sails.
INT. CAPSULE - ZARKOV AND DALE
(DALE, ZARKOV)
They are inside, she watching tensely as ZARKQV throws
switches and eyes displays.
DALE
Will it fly?
ZARKOV
Basic circuits seem okay.
DALE
It has-to fly! We gotta rescue FLASH
from that vampire before she --
Sudden BLINDING BLUE LIGHT explodes within the capsule.
53.
ZARKOV
Jump!!
EXT. CAPSULE - ZARKOV AND DALE - CONTINUOUS
(DALE, ZARKOV)
Come diving out headlong into the grass.
DALE
What happened?
ZARKOV
Heaven knows. I was just starting to
test the primary transformer-banks
AND ----
ZARKOV stops abruptly, looking down at himself. DALE gasps.
DALE
My God -- your hands! Your hands
are gone!
It is true: ZARKOV has no hands.
ZARKOV
Not gone -- Just invisible. See?
INVISIBLE HANDS pick up a pebble from the ground, hold it
before DALE'S nose. Magically, they toss the little object
back and forth from one UNSEEN HAND to the other. DALE touches
one, can feel it.
DALE
Does it hurt?
ZARKOV
Not a bit. I believe Mongo's
gravitational. field must have
reversed the polarity of my generator
so that --
He breaks off again. Slowly, in front of our eyes, ZARKOV'S
HANDS are FADING IN, again and becoming VISIBLE. DALE whistles
in amazement.
ZARKOV (CONT'D)
Neat trick. I wonder if it's
controllable?
SHADOW over them suddenly. Great WHIRRING of wings. DALE
Looks up and SCREAMS.
HAWKMEN
54.
Swoop down on ZARKOV and DALE, bear them aloft as they did
with FLASH AND TIGER MAN.
INT. MING'S DOME ROOM
(KLYTUS, MING)
CU MING
In his wonderous DOME ROOM, watching something. PULL BACK.
KLYTUS is beside him as usual. ANGLE to include the VIEWING
SCREEN which MING is watching. On it is a directional
continuation of the scene we just saw: a struggling DALE
being Carrie dup into the open sky by HAWKMEN.
KLYTUS
Mongo is restless today. Your vessels
stray from their appointed
kingdoms....
MING
That damned Vultan -- time I clipped
his wings once and for all. We could
put those insolent Hawkmen of his to
work in the plasma cavern ----
KLYTUS
Dale Arden and Flash Gordon? Will I
send out the Imperial Fleet to bring
them back?
MING
We'll let Vultan tame her first --
I'll look pretty to Dale Arden after
him. Flash Gordon is nobody.
KLYTUS smiles that sinister way. MING looks at him
questioningly.
KLYTUS
Sire, it is not for me to tell Great,
Ming that he is making mistakes.
EXT. SKY - WIDE SHOT
(HAWKMAN, TIGER MAN)
Serried squadrons of HAWKMEN escort the ones bearing FLASH,
BARIN and TIGER MAN through space.
CLOSER - TIGER MAN
Struggling against the TWO HAWKMEN who have him, snarling
and roaring. He butts one in the belly with his horn.
HAWKMAN
Want us to let you go, et?
55.
TIGER MAN
Yes!!
HAWKMAN
Okay.
TIGER MAN
Nooo!!!
SKY - WIDE PANORAMA
Light streams rough tremendous El Greco clouds. HAWKMEN Are
tiny figures, rising against it.
Higher, higher. Above the clouds a blinding DAZZLE comes
INTO FRAME. It resolves into a fantastic SKY PALACE hanging
in mid-air, reflecting sunlight from myriad turrets and
terraces. The HAWKMEN climb above it.
CLOSER HAWKMEN
Carrying FLASH and BARIN and TIGER MAN , going into a
screaming dive.
EXT. SKY PALACE - HAWKMEN POV
Rushing at us with horrifying speed. ZOOMING DOWN we see a
dark opening. The wind howling around wings, we rush dizzingly
into the aperture.
EXT. SKY PALACE - VULTAN'S EYRIE - A HIGH TERRACE
(DALE)
VULTAN circles admiringly around DALE. VULTAN is a lusty
viking of the sky, winged like his men, one eye blinded, his
beard cloven by an old scar from forehead to jaw. Gorgeous
HAWKGIRLS watch jealously as VULTAN inspects DALE very
closely, reaches out a sly hand and touches her bosom. DALE
slaps his hand away.
DALE
Watch out, you old bird -- Ming wants
to marry me.
VULTAN hoots at that as HAWKGIRLS murmur. He's about to
touch her again when there is a CLAMOR o.s. VULTAN reacts.
EXT. SKY PALACE - ANOTHER LEVEL
(BARIN, DALE, FLASH, SARIN, VULTAN, ZARKOV, ZAAKOV)
HAWKMEN carrying FLASH, TIGER MAN and BARIN swoop OUT from
another hole like the one they dove into. The whole place is
like a great hanging birdhouse, HAWKWOMEN and HAWCHILDREN
moving in and out and perching on the various exterior
terraces.
56.
FLASH and TIGER MAN
Are dropped on to a terrace, so hard it stuns them.
BARIN
Is lowered more carefully on another terrace, this one
grander, with a throne in the center.
FEATURE VULTAN
Flying down from above, hovering above BARIN with menacing
glee.
VULTAN
Ho! -- Barin! - I knew my Hawkmen
would catch you one of these days.
SARIN
Be careful how you address me, Vultan.
I am Prince Barin, ruler of Arboria.
VULTAN
Not in my Kingdom -- here you're
just a stray animal to be killed for
our sport!
BARIN
Will you do that, Vultan?
VULTAN
What would you do if you'd caught me
in Arboria?
BARIN
Yes -- I would hunt you down and
kill you without mercy.
FLASH on the OTHER TERRACE
Lifts his head groggily, reacts to something. ANGLE TO
INCLUDE ZARKOV, stumbling out from an opening in his usual
clothes.
ZARKOV
Hello - we do meet in the strangest
places.
FLASH
Where's Dale?
ZAAKOV
The boss-bird has her up in his
57.
Sudden ear-piercing SCREAM from above. DALE'S scream, FLASH
bounds to his feet.
IN THE EYRIE
DALE is surrounded by jealous HAWKGIRLS who are pushing her
toward the terrace edge. Screaming again, DALE goes OVER.
SPACE BETWEEN TWO TERRACES/ ONE TERRACE
FLASH wheels toward the sound, dives to the parapet and
catches DALE as she plunges past.
DALE
Flash! Oh darling!
FLASH
Dale baby!
He hauls her in and they embrace in a steamy kiss. FLUTTER
of wings. HAWKMEN swoop at the terrace and LIFT UP the
clinging couple. It barely interrupts their conversation:
DALE
Flash -- when I was in that tub --
FLASH
Yes -- it was me --
DALE
Did you mean it?
FLASH
Every thought, baby! --
EXT. VULTAN'S TERRACE
(BARIN, DALE, FLASH, HAWKPEOPLE, TIGER MAN, VULTAN)
As FLASH and DALE are lowered on it.
VULTAN
No. What have you to say to Vultan,
Prince of the Air?
FLASH
We're all Ming's prisoners. I say
let's team up and smash him.
TIGER MAN (O.S.)
Listen to his words! --
ANOTHER TERRACE - TIGER MAN
On his feet on the other terrace, shouting across:
58.
TIGER MAN (CONT'D)
I know -- I'm only an ignorant Tiger
Man -- but I tell you Flash Gordon
is the leader we've waited for!
BACK TO VULTAN'S TERRACE
Where VULTAN gazes at TIGER MAN a beat, then turns mocking
eyes on FLASH.
VULTAN
You're a leader, he?
FLASH
Well, back home it's what I'm paid
for -- I called a pretty good game
against the Dallas Cowboys once ---
VULTAN
(TO BARIN)
Do you understand him?
BARIN
Not a word.
(LIKE ICE)
I was hunting him when you seized
me. Before you finish me. Vultan I
beg only that you let me finish him.
FLASH
Oh god -- here we go again --
DALE
Is everyone on Mongo CRAZY? Haven't
you guys ever heard of TEAMWORK?
FLASH
(TO BARIN)
When I had that damn snake in my
hand, I could've poked it in your
face and KILLED you.
BARIN
I had you in bow-sight you were
dead!
VULTAN
Enough!
(shouting to all around)
These vagrants talk a brave fight,
my Hawkmen! Shall we test their
words?
QUICK CUTS - HAWKPEOPLE
59.
CHEERING AND SHOUTING eagerly from all around:
HAWKPEOPLE
Test them! -- Let's have sport! The
joust! -- To the joust! --
CU VULTAN
VULTAN
Take them below -- put them together.
INT. SKY PALACE - A RAMP
(DALE, FLASH, ZARKOV)
VULTAN leads the way down. FLASH, BARIN, DALE, ZAAKOV and
TIGER MAN are escorted by many fierce HAWKMEN.
DALE
Flash - don't do this.
FLASH
(low, bitter)
I've got to.
DALE
Why?
ZARKOV
He has no choice, Dale it's the Mongo
way.
DALE
I'm so homesick -- what I wouldn't
give for a nice quiet night with
some muggers in Central Park --
FLASH squeezes DALE'S hand.
Ahead appears an archway opening to the sky. A GREAT GONG
is heard.
ANOTHER TERRACE
ANGLE - HAWKMAN appears with a mallet, he beats again on a
huge bronze GONG.
EXT. SKY PALACE - WIDE SHOT
Startling sight: A big DISC hangs in the air between the
curved prongs of a lower terrace, the shaft that supports it
lost in clouds below.
60.
EXT. A LOWER PLATFORM
(VULTAN)
FLASH and the OTHERS appear. They halt, looking at the disc.
VULTAN
Prepare them!
ONT HE DISC - A HAWKMAN
Is GREASING the shiny surface with a mop, slipping around a
bit as he does so.
ANOTHER TERRACE
SHOTS - ASH AND BARIN getting prepared. Removing shirts being
equipped with heavy leather gauntlets, and so on. Each is
given a long vicious WHIP.
THE LOWER PLATFORM
ANGLE - a bridge-like plank extends itself, out over the
edge of the shiny greased disc. FLASH and BARIN appear, ready
for combat. HAWKMEN behind them, wthey start out over the
bridge.
VULTAN (CONT'D)
Arm the disc!
CU - FLASH
Stopping short, eyes popping, as he SEES:
ON THE DISC
Razor sharp knives are POPPING UP from the top surface all
over, maybe two feet apart. If a man loses his footing and
falls he will surely be fatally impaled.
INT. LOWER PLATFORM
(BARIN, DALE, FLASH, MING'S VOICE, VULTAN, ZARKOV)
FEATURE FLASH and BARIN with whips in hand, they step from
the bridge onto the disc. FLASH almost slips and falls
immediately.
QUICK CU - DALE
DALE
Flash!!
CU - FLASH
61.
Getting his balance again. BARIN moves across amidst the
knives, takes a stance facing FLASH, raises and coils back
his whip.
BARIN
Ready for me, Earthling?
FLASH
(POISED LIKEWISE)
I ask you to swear, Barin -- if you
defeat me, you'll join Vultan against
Ming! If for no other reasons, because
you'll never have Aura as long as
her father lives!-
BARIN
What do you now of Aura?
FLASH
Quite a lot!
ZWIPPP! BARIN'S whip lashes out savagely at FLASH.
ANGLES - FLASH AND BARIN - SPECTATOR REACTIONS
Suddenly the fight begins. FLASH and BARIN stalk around,
slipping on the grease, whamming at each other with their
whips. The disc suddenly begins to TILT and SWAY, making
this affair even more desperate.
BARIN begins to get an edge. Slashing, cutting, he drives
FLASH back.
CU DALE
DALE
Flash, I love you! Win for me,
Flash!??
FEATURE FLASH
Adrenaline courses through his veins as he hears that over
the uproar.
He flies at BARIN, dodges the lash, grapples with him hand-
to-hand.
They wrestle their way tot he very rim of the swaying tilting
surface. It looks bad again for FLASH, when with a superhuman
effort he flips BARIN over his back... over the edge!
In the same instant, FLASH dives onto his side amidst the
deadly knives and grabs at BARIN'S wrist.
62.
FLASH catches him. BARIN hangs suspended over the abyss of
space held only by FLASH'S grip.
VULTAN
You've won, Earthling! Drop him to
doom!
FLASH
(gasping at BARIN)
Try to catch my wrist! -- the other
one.
VULTAN
What is this??
ZARKOV
Call it what you want, Vultan --
compassion -- mercy: let us teach
you the meaning of these words.
FLASH
(TO BARIN)
Swing your body -- see if you can
get a leg up here!
Suddenly an ECHOING VOICE BOOMS from the sky:
MING'S VOICE
Vultan! Hear Ming, Ruler of the
Universe!
INT. MING'S DOME
(AURA, MING, MING'S VOICE, VULTAN, ZARKOV)
Where MING watches the SKY PALACE SCENE on a viewing screen,
a weeping AURA beside him, as he goes on:
MING
I see you, Vultan -- and Barin too!
You both have defied we by sparing
these Earthlings!
AURA
Barin -- my only -- I swear I didn't
mean to get you into this!
FEATURE VULTAN
As the VOICE goes on:
MING'S VOICE
Do you want to live, Vultan?
VULTAN
What creature wants to die?
63.
MING'S VOICE
Then kill Flash Gordon now! Pick up
Dale Arden, deliver her to me on
your own wings -- it's your only
chance! My fleet is already in the
air, ready to destroy your whole
Kingdom if you disobey!
The ECHO rolls and dies.
DISC
TIGER MAN suddenly leaps out onto the disc, slides over
between the knives, helps FLASH pull BARIN up to safety.
AS BEFORE
ZARKOV in his chains, walks over to the confused VULTAN...
QUIETLY:
ZARKOV
What'll you have -- death or dishonor?
VULTAN looks down at FLASH once more, then makes up his mind.
He shouts to his people:
VULTAN
We'll save these Earthlings! - Curse
Ming! -- Into the air, my Hawkpeople -
fly!
ZARKOV grins, extends a hand to VULTAN. He just looks at
it.
VULTAN (CONT'D)
I don't understand this. I think
I've gone mad.
INT. MING'S DOME
(AURA, MING)
MING snaps off the viewing screen, looks at AURA
AURA
Spare him Daddy -- oh please spare
BARIN --
AURA tries to throw herself into his arm, but he pushes her
roughly away.
KLYTUS materialises from a shadow, smiling.
MING
You've always wanted her, Klytus --
Aura is yours.
64.
EXT. SKY PALACE - LONG SHOT
It is being evacuated. Squadrons of HAWAKPEOPLE stream out
of its many openings, diminutive figures against the sky.
ANOTHER PART OF THE SKY
Several ROCKET-SHIPS appear, wonderfully gaudy contraptions
with MING's battle-flags flying. A RAY shoots out from the
nose of the biggest.
EXT. SKY PALACE - LONG SHOT
The RAY zaps it. The whole place EXPLODES.
EXT. SQUADRON OF HAWKMEN - IN FLIGHT
(DALE, FLASH, VULTAN, ZARKOV)
VULTAN and his CAPTAIN lead. Ranged around are BARIN, FLASH,
DALE ,TIGER MAN and ZARKOV, each carried by a HAWKMAN. Distant
explosions rumble like thunder.
VULTAN
Don't look back, Hawkman. Head for
that cloud-cover!
(over his shoulder)
Where's this capsule of yours,
exactly?
ZARKOV
In the high grass east of Mingo.
VULTAN
Pick it up, Captain!
The CAPTAIN and a FEW HAWKMEN peel off.
FLASH and DALE
Gaze at each other lovingly, flown along about a hundred
feet apart. He calls for her:
FLASH
Guess the first thing you and me are
gonna do after we land..!
DALE
Darling not in front of the Hawkmen --
you'll make me blush! --
FLASH
Gonna do it first thing -- around
here, never know if you'll get another
chance!
65.
Dark SHADOW falls over DALE. She looks up.
ANOTHER ANGLE IN THE SKY
A big ROCKET SHIP hovers, doors in its bottom side opening.
A flickering RAY shoots down.
BACK TO THE HAWKMEN AND OTHERS IN SKY
FEATURE DALE
As an effulgent GLOW envelopes her. Inexorably, DALE and
her HAWKMEN are sucked upward.
DALE
Help!!
FLASH
I'm coming, Dale!
(to his Hawkmen)
Follow her -- climb!
VULTAN's command of course takes precedence. The HAWKMAN
bearing FLASH follows his mates into a shrieking vertical.
dive.
INT. ROCKET SHIP
(DALE, HEDONIA)
DALE and her HAWKMAN are sucked up into a chamber. Waiting
SOLDIERS seize the struggling HAWKMAN, brutally smash his
wings pitch him OUT the bottom as the doors close.
DALE backs off, drops into a karate stance, With a WHINING
ROAR the craft accelerates throwing DALE off balance against
a wall. HEDONIA enters through a door, her arms full seems
to be yards and yards of filmy white material. HEDONIA Smiles
nicely.
HEDONIA
Time is short. Ming sent me to fit
you with is.
DALE
Fit me with what?
HEDONIA
Your wedding dress.
EXT. ARBORIA - VINCINITY OF LODGE
TREE MEN and LION MEN and TIGER MAN toil together in peaceful
concernt, constructing a crude wooden launch-gantry around
ZARKOV'S SPACE CAPSULE, which has been conveyed here.
66.
Several hovering HAWKMEN hold it in position with vine cables
as the work is completed. Capsule door is open. Through it
we see ZARKOV at work inside, feverishly re-wiring a control
panel.
EXT. LODGE BALCONY
(BARIN, FLASH, VULTAN, ZARKOV'S VOICE)
Up on Lodge Balcony, FLASH, BARIN and VULTAN lean over a
table on which maps and drawings are laid out, a typical
military staff meeting. With a bit of charcoal, BARIN sketches
a semi-circular line over a map of MING'S city.
BARIN
A force-field covers the whole city,
from here to here. With luck, Flash
can lure them into lowering their
defenses.
VULTAN
What if he fails?
(ABRUPTLY)
This is suicide, Barin! I can't
order my men to suicide!
VULTAN ascends into the air. Hovers as he goes on:
VULTAN (CONT'D)
The flight brought me back to my
senses -- good luck and goodbye.
BARIN
Ming destroyed your kingdom!
VULTAN
We'll build another.
BARIN
Vultan!
FLASH
Let him go -- I understand.
(up to Vultan)
Thanks anyway for getting us this
far!
VULTAN hesitates a moment, the soars away with determination.
ZARKOV'S VOICE
Flash! Ready for a test!
INT. CAPSULE
(FLASH, ZARKOV)
FLASH ENTERS
67.
FLASH
What's the game-plan?
ZARKOV
Sit there. When I give you zero,
punch that button. Any questions?
EXT. CAPSULE
(BARIN, FLASH'S VOICE, ZARKOV)
ZARKOV jumps out, leaving the door open. He crouches low.
BARIN and VULTAN and EVERYBODY are watching.
ZARKOV
Five, four, three, two, one -- ZERO!
Interior of the capsule is filled with BLINDING BLUE LIGHT
for an instant. ZARKOV pops up, sticks his head in.
ZARKOV (CONT'D)
Flash!
(NO REPLY)
Do you hear me, Flash? Where are
you?
CU ZARKOV
As INVISIBLE HANDS turn around the helmet on his head.
ZARKOV (CONT'D)
Eureka! I did it! You can come out
now, Flash --
FLASH'S VOICE
Not unless you get out of my way, I
CAN'T --
BACK TO MAIN SCENE - EXT. CAPSULE
ZARKOV moves inside.
BARIN
Look -- he still casts a shadow:
It's true. FLASH is totally invisible, but on the ground we
SEE his shadow as he climbs out and stands upright.
Suddenly there is rising WHINING HUMMING SOUND that seems to
fill the whole firmament. The earth trembles. LION MEN and
TREE MEN cower in terror. TIGER MAN roars.
BARIN (CONT'D)
Zarkov! What have you done?
68.
The SOUND grows louder, intolerable. Brown smoking foliage
rains down. EVERYONE looks up.
EXT. FOREST OF ARBORIA
(KLYTUS, VOICE, ZARKOV)
CUTS AND ANGLES - UPWARDS
The topless forest of Arboria is withering, falling apart.
TREE MEN cry with primal fear as the SEE the sky revealed.
Hovering against the sun are the dark shapes of MING'S ROCKET
SHIPS. PULSING RAYS emanate from projectors on their bottoms.
A VOICE booms from heave:
VOICE
Prisoners of Ming, you are surrounded!
The creature who moves is obliterated!
EVERYONE stands frozen.
PART OF FOREST - CUTAWAY
ONE LION MAN
Howls in terror, makes a break for cover. A RAY instantly
zaps down at him and he EXPLODES into fiery fragments.
BACK TO MAIN PART OF FOREST
A small SHUTTLE CRAFT descends vertically to a soft landing.
KLYTUS gets out. Every sound ceases. He nods at BARIN, at
ZARKOV. Looks around. Frowns. He walks directly across
FLASH'S SHADOW, to ZARKOV.
KLYTUS
We'll find vultan later. Where's
Flash Gordon?
ZARKOV
His Hawkman dropped him. He's dead.
INT. MING'S SERAGLIO
(AURA, DALE)
CU DALE
DALE
Nooo -- it's not true!
WIDER ANGLE
69.
AURA
(GENTLY)
It is -- they saw him fall a mile
into the glaciers of Frigia.
DALE shuts her eyes, sobs out:
DALE
Oh Flash -- no -- you can't be dead --
it doesn't make any sense --
AURA
When I think of being given to Klytus,
I wish it was myself who had fallen.
DALE
(blazing at her)
I don't believe you. You -- you
awful Mongo person -- you were born
without a heart:
AURA
Then what is it that melts into my
eyes, Dale Arden? Feel it breaking --
Tear runs down AURA'S cheeks. She seizes DALE'S hand, presses
it against her wonderful breast. DALE is really moved.
DALE
You poor kid -- don't you have a MOM
to talk to?
AURA
Ming tired of her. He blew my Mother
into outer space. I look into the
night sky sometimes and wonder what
star she's orbiting --
DALE
God, Aura -- no wonder you've had
problems -- that bastard:
DALE embraces AURA. They cling to each other, bosom against
bosom, in perfect womanly understanding. Golden CHORDS are
heard. Doors open. AMAZONS enter.
EXT. ARBORIA - ZARKOV'S CAPSULE
Capsule sits in its launch-gantry, amidst the ruined blight
left by the ray attack. There is not a soul in sight. Then
Flash's SHADOW moves quickly over the ground toward the
Capsule and VANISHES into the hatch. The door shuts itself.
70.
INT. CAPSULE
Control levers move. A red button depresses itself. Through
the side, which we should remember is transparent from within,
we SEE the scene outside going into a GREEN-BROWN BLUR as
the capsule starts to spin for takeoff.
INT. MING'S BEDCHAMBER
(KLYTUS, MING)
MING is being robed by TWO GIRL ATTENDANTS. Suddenly KLYTUS
is there in a shadow, smiling. MING senses him, turns.
MING
Well? What is it this time?
KLYTUS
I can't remember. I feel danger --
but I cannot see it.
MING
Klytus, you're impossible. Aura
deserves you.
KLYTUS
I foresee another thing. In one minute
exactly, the Earthling space capsule
will be seen on the scanner.
KLYTUS is swallowed again in shadow.
EXT. ZARKOV'S CAPSULE - IN FLIGHT
Sailing over the ever frozen Moon of FRIGIA
INT. MING'S DOME
(CAPTIN, MING)
Capsule is SEEN on the viewing screen, grid-lines dancing
over the image as FRIGORIA is left behind. Watching are MING,
KLYTUS, the CAPTAIN and several other SOLDIERS.
CAPTIN
Shall I disintegrate it, Your Majesty?
MING
No, Captain -- bring it in. Land it
to a warm reception.
INT. ZARKOV'S CAPSULE - IN FLIGHT
(FLASH'S VOICE)
Through the front we see MING'S CITY dead ahead and below.
Numbers flash on the navigation display, constantly changing.
71.
INVISIBLE HAND picks up a microphone, holds it before
INVISIBLE LIPS.
FLASH'S VOICE
Vultan! Do you read me?
EXT. ARBORIA - IN A BROWN BLASTED TREE
(FLASH'S VOICE, VULTAN)
VULTAN and some other HAWKMEN perch, listening to VOICE coming
from a radio in VULTAN'S belt.
FLASH'S VOICE
Flash Gordon calling Vultan! Over!
VULTAN doesn't stir a feather. After a moment:
FLASH'S VOICE (CONT'D)
Okay, don't answer -- I'm on Hawkman
frequency I know you are reading me.
Now get this --
CAPSULE AND TREE IN ARBORIA
INTERCUTS
FLASH'S VOICE (CONT'D)
I'm being guided through the force-
field under their control. You're on
the beam when you've got the tops of
two towers lined up exactly -- the
high gold one behind the green one
with the blue flag got that?
(SILENCE)
Okay, Vultan, it's your decision the
ball is in your court -- I hope I'll
be seeing you, you crazy ole bird.
The microphone hangs itself up on the panel.
VULTAN AND HIS HAWKMEN
Just sit there, grim-faced. VULTAN shake his head.
VULTAN
He calls us crazy --
EXT. PALACE BATTLEMENTS
(GUARD CAPTAIN, KLYTUS)
It's an armed camp. SOLDIERS stand admits tanks and ray-gun
artillery, every weapon trained on a landing pad in the
middle.
72.
KLYTUS waits with his CAPTAIN watching the mirror-bright
capsule coming down.
It lands. CAPTAIN gives a signal.
ZAP! From a tank's ray gun.
The capsule's door is knocked with surgical precision off
its hinges. Flanked by SOLDIERS with ray-guns at the ready,
the CAPTAIN advances and looks in. He turns and calls back
to KLYTUS in surprise.
GUARD CAPTAIN
It's empty!
KLYTUS
What?
GUARD CAPTAIN
Unmanned. Must've taken off on some
automatic program.
KLYTUS frowns. He doesn't notice the SHADOW that suddenly
passes over him, moves on quickly.
KLYTUS
Destroy it.
FLASH'S SHADOW
Halts, shift shape as FLASH stops in dismay at that, turns.
A RAY GUN - ON A TANK ZAPS out a ray.
ZARKOV'S CAPSULE - glows white, falls into thin ashes.
FLASH INVISIBLE
Lets out a bitter sigh. Then the SHADOW moves again, fast,
to an open doorway.
INT. PALACE HALLWAY - A SOLDIER
(FLASH' S VOICE, SOLDIER)
Stands on guard. Suddenly out of nowhere, but very close.
FLASH' S VOICE
Which way to the dungeons, Soldier:
SOLDIER
Third elevator down, turn left!
(then doing a take)
Who is that?
73.
WHAM! A left to the gut doubles him over to take an invisible
knockout right on the chin.
INT. UNDER THE PALACE
(FLASH'S VOICE)
TWO SOLDIERS stand with ray-guns before a heavy locked door.
Suddenly INVISIBLE FLASH steps behind a flaring torch, casting
an enormous SHADOW on the wall. He manipulates his caped
arms so that the image becomes truly fearsome.
FLASH'S VOICE
I am the ghost of all the good men
murdered by Ming! Prepare for doom!
The SOLDIERS faint.
INT. NARROW PASSAGEWAY - UNDER THE PALACE
FOUR SOLDIERS march along, two by two, filling the narrow
way. SOUND OF RUNNING FEET coming towards them. They halt
i n consternation. WHAM! Invisible FLASH crashes into them,
sending them flying like bowling-pins.
INT. DUNGEON AREA
(GUARD)
FOUR GUARDS lounge. around. MOVE to one of them, who sits
studying the pictures in the Mingo version of PLAYBOY
magazine. A SHADOW falls over the page.
GUARD
I'm looking at it now -- wait for
your turn.
An INVISIBLE UPPERCUT knocks him off his chair.
ANGLES - THE FIGHT
As INVISIBLE FLASH goes after the other three with a deadly
chair that seems to SWING itself through the air.
INT. DUNGEON
(FLASH'S VOICE)
ZARKOV, BARIN and TIGER MAN lie in chains, heads cocked at
SOUNDS of the facas outside. THUD of a body falling, brief
silence, then sound of a KEY IN THE LOCK.
The door opens itself.
FLASH'S VOICE
It's me!
74.
INT. NARROW VERTICAL SHAFT
(BARIN, FLASH'S VOICE, ZARKOV)
The Same one AURA and FLASH fell down originally. Now BARIN,
ZARKOV, TIGER MAN and FLASH are inching their way UP it like
mountain climbers doing a rock chimney; in. back-to-back
pairs, feet pressed out against the shaft walls. What makes
it look even stranger, half of the FLASH-BARIN twosome is
INVISIBLE. Low conversation as they pant and struggle up the
SHAFT:
ZARKOV
How do we get down to the plasma
level?
FLASH'S VOICE
Anti-gravity shaft -- I got a guard
to show me --
BARIN
This won't be easy, Flash --
FLASH'S VOICE
Nothing's easy on Mongo --
INT. PLASMA CAVERN
(CONTROLLER, GUARD CAPTAIN)
LIZARD MEN SLAVES work like mad, shoveling radioactive fuel
into the seething mass.
ON THE MEZZANINE
CONTROLLERS are at consoles. Many GUARDS stand around.
Everyone watches a big hanging dial. Its needle quivers with
each flare-up from the inferno below, inches toward a RED
SECTOR.
GUARD CAPTAIN
Faster! -- More fueld!
CONTROLLER
What's the hurry?
CONTROLLER What's the hurry?
GUARD CAPTAIN
He wants to give Dale Arden the final
destruction of Earth as a wedding
present.
CONTROLLERS twist the shock-knobs.
Tortured SLAVES howl in agony. Some drop and are thrown into
the fiery mass, others redouble their efforts.
75.
ON THE MEZZANINE
The needle quivers upwards. MOVE OFF it to a slot-like window
in back wall. There are EYES behind the glass.
INT. CRAWLSPACE BEHIND THE MEZZANINE
(BARIN, FLASH'S VOICE, TIGER MAN, ZARKOV)
ZARKOV,BARIN and TIGER MAN crouch amidst WHIRRING ventilators,
watching through the window.
BARIN
How's it look to yoU?
ZARKOV
Bad. Plasma's contracting into a
critical mass. When that needle hits
the red, Earth is finished.
TIGER MAN
Grrao! I'll charge down at them:
ZARKOV and BARIN just look at him. TIGER MAN slumps out of
his fighting stance.
Low door at the back opens itself and INVISIBLE FLASH comes
in.
FLASH'S VOICE
Cavern is sealed tight -- every door
locked from the inside --
CU ZARKOV
Hope drains from his expression.
ZARKOV
Let's face it, my friends -- without
a miracle, we've lost.
EXT. SKY - WIDE ANGLE
(HAWKMAN CAPTAIN, VULTAN)
It is filled with HAWKMEN, flying toward us.
VULTAN and HIS CAPTAIN. fly in the lead, looking ahead and
down at the City of Mingo.
HAWKMAN CAPTAIN
All right -- I see the towers lined
up now as Flash Gordon said --
VULTAN soars up and hovers, shouts to the ranks behind:
76.
VULTAN
Through the force-field, my Hawkmen!
The pass is narrow -- dive three-by-
three! Any man who wishes to turn
back may do so!
THE HAWKMEN
Keep flying right on, not one bird of them turning back.
FEATURE VULTAN
Musing to his captain:
VULTAN (CONT'D)
Who are these Earthlings, that so
many would die for?
HAWKMAN CAPTAIN
They must have one hell of a little
PLANET --
INT. MING'S DOME - ON VIEWING SCREEN
(OFFICER)
THREE HAWKMEN are SEEN in steep descent. comes ,INTO FOCUS
over them.
PULL BACK. Several OFFICERS and SOLDIERS are around a console,
watching the screen and other displays.
OFFICER
In range.
Another OFFICER touches a red firing-button.
EXT. PALACE BATTLEMENTS
Ranged here are devices like multiple rocket-launchers,
bristling with hundreds of arrows. SWOOSH: One fires its
load into the sky.
EXT. SKY - HAWKMEN
(HAWKMAN CAPTAIN, VULTAN)
The THREE LEADING HAWKMEN are impaled a dozen times each
crumple and plummet down.
VULTAN and CAPTAIN - HOVERING
HAWKMAN CAPTAIN
It's a trap! The passage is covered!
77.
VULTAN
Onward, Hawkmen! Dive! We outnumber
their arrows -- overwhelm them!
EXT. BATTLEMENTS/SKY
INTERCUTS - HAWKMEN and ARROW PROJECTORS
as the brave HAWKMEN dive in a converging stream at the
invisible opening, and the projectors FIRE again and again.
Great slaughter is wreaked on the HAWKMEN, but they keep
coming.
One group VEERS to the side away from the deadly fire, only
to crash into the equally deadly force-field. They EXPLODE
into flames.
INT. DOME
FIRING OFFICER is almost breaking his thumb, he has it jammed
down so hard on the red button.
ANGLE to the VIEWING SCREEN. On it VULTAN leads a stream of
descending HAWKMEN.
EXT. SKY - HAWKMEN
Circle and reform, some giving mid-air aid to wounded mates,
and on they come, onward!
INT. DOME
(OFFICER)
OFFICER
Man the battlements!
EXT. PALACE BATTLEMENTS
HAWKMEN descend as SOLDIERS rush out at them. The battle is
epic, a crazy combination of swords and ray-guns and clubs
and spears.
VULTAN is a towering figure in the middle of it, dealing
havoc on all sides.
As he fights THREE SOLDIERS, ANOTHER races at VULTAN'S back
with a deadly spear. Suddenly he TRIPS OVER NOTHING and
crashes headlong to be dispatched by another HAWKMAN. VULTAN
whirls and is amazed to have his freehand warmly clasped by
an INVISIBLE ONE.
78.
INT. A PALACE ANTECHAMBER
(KLYTUS, MING, OFFICER)
MING and KLYTUS, in ceremonial robes. As part of his costume
MING wears a sword.
MING
You have the ring?
KLYTUS
In my pocket.
Door flies open, an OFFICER dashes in.
OFFICER
Your Majesty, we're under attack by
Hawkmen!
MING
So what are you doing down here,
coward? Why aren't you in the fray?
OFFICER
Sire, I thought you'd --
MING
Mingo City is impregnable! I'm not
about to put off wedding Dale Arden
for this!
EXT. BATTLEMENTS
(FLASH'S VOICE, HAWKMAN CAPTAIN, VULTAN)
The battle continues. Bloodies HAWKMAN CAPTAIN fights his
way up beside VULTAN, who is engaged in seizing a dominant
piece of ray-gun artillery.
HAWKMAN CAPTAIN
What's for us after this lot?
VULTAN
Ming!
FLASH'S VOICE
The cavern first! Gotta get Zarkov
in there to --
Suddenly MUSIC is heard from below. Some great electronic
organ booms out the strains of what is recognizably "Here
Come The Bride".... the familiar thrilling wedding-march.
FLASH'S VOICE (CONT'D)
On my god!
79.
INT. MING'S GREAT HALL - HIGH WIDE ANGLE
A magnificent wedding is on. DALE marches slowly up the
middle, on KLYTUS'S arm, helped along by AMAZONS who march
at her back with spears. Her long train passes between the
AMAZONS to be borne behind by LOVELY GIRLS, as the party
passes between ranks of splendidly garbed MONGONS.
An aged HIGH PRIEST waits at the throne-altar with MING,
whose eyes lecherously devour his approaching bride.
CLOSE ON DALE
Her beauty only enhanced by the teas rolling soundlessly
down her cheeks.
INT. PLASMA CAVERN
The molten mass is more intense than we have ever seen it,
scarcely bearable to the eye.
INT. CRAWLSPACE BEHIND THE MEZZANINE
(TIGER MAN, ZARKOV)
Even in here there is a terrible glare from the slot-window,
ZARKOV turns his face away suddenly, infinitely sad.
ZARKOV
I can't watch any more. To think of
all our history ended this way --
the incredible ascent from primordial
slime to Albert Einstein and Dale
Arden and --
TIGER MAN
(AT WINDOW)
Look!
INT. CAVERN - POV SHOT
VULTAN and THREE HAWKMEN are swooping down from some gallery
above. VULTAN and TWO pounce on CONTROLLERS, while the THIRD
HAWKMAN flies down to open a door on the lower level.
INT. CRAWLSPACE
ZARKOV and BARIN and TIGER MAN
Scramble for the low exit behind them.
80.
INT. MING'S GREAT HALL
(DALE, FLASH'S VOICE, HIGH PRIEST, MING)
Earth turns slowly in mid-air, its seas and continents veiled
by clouds of hideous smoke which seethe with flashes of
interior red lightning.
Then FACES come INTO FOCUS below and behind it, and we realise
we are in MING' S GREAT HALL, where EARTH is a holographic
image in a transparent box above the altar-throne.
FEATURE DALE
Standing beside MING at the altar with KLYTUS, looking up
despairingly at her beloved planet while the HIGH PRIEST
INTONES:
HIGH PRIEST
Do you take her, this Earthling,
Dale Arden, to be your Empress of
the hour? Do you solemnly promise
to use her as you will -- not discard
her until such time as you grow weary
of her?
MING
I do.
HIGH PRIEST
The wedding ring, please --
KLYTUS produces a golden ring, hands it to MING.
MING takes DALE'S left hand, forces it up into position,
holds the ring poised to slip it on. MING'S face has never
been more merciless.
HIGH PRIEST (CONT'D)
Recite after me -- with this ring I
thee wed --
FLASH'S VOICE
With this ring, I thee wed!
An INVISIBLE HAND snatches the ring from MING'S grip like
lightning and james it onto DALE'S finger.
DALE
Flash!!!
FLASH'S VOICE
Run!!!
HIGH ANGLE
81.
Pandemonium. DALE runs like hell, but is tripped by her train
and goes down as MING leaps up onto his throne platform.
MING
Seal this hall! Close every portal!
ANGLE - A PORTAL
Swinging shut, BARIN squeezing in through it at the last
instant, sword in hand. KLYTUS rushes at him with a sword of
his own.
MING
Looks around wildly, whipping out the sword sheathed at his
belt. Its blade is like crystal fire. He reacts sharply,
catches his breath.
WHAT MING SEES - ANOTHER SWORD
(FLASH'S VOICE, MING)
exactly like his, a blade of fire, apparently hanging in the
air and pointed right at him.
MING
Where did you get that sword?
FLASH'S VOICE
From the crystal block.
MING
Impossible! It could only be pulled
by my rightful heir!
FLASH'S VOICE
How about that?
The sword slowly advances.
FEATURE MING
His face contorted, he flies at INVISIBLE FLASH behind the
sword. FLASH parries the blow. Astonishing pyrotechnics as
the blades hit each other. Shrieking MONGONS flee under
showers of fire.
INT. PLASMA CAVERN
(ZARKOV)
HAWKMEN and LIZARD MEN SLAVES engage MING'S PEOPLE.
Aided by VULTAN and TIGER MAN, ZARKOV battles his way up to
the Mezzanine Control area. He shouts down wildly:
82.
ZARKOV
Attach the electrodes to the shovels!
Pitch them into the plasma!
INT. GREAT HALL
(BARIN, DALE, KLYTUS)
MING and FLASH
Duel dazzlingly around the enormous throne. Suddenly FLASH
starts to lose his invisibility. A pair of eyes appears,
the tip of a nose, parts of limbs.
CU DALE
Pinned by AMAZONS, reacting to that.
DALE
Flash -- look out -- you're coming
back! He can see you now, Flash!
FLASH and MING
FLASH pauses to look at himself, almost gets his head lopped
off by a fiery slash from MING, recovers to bound up higher
on the vast throne statue wheron they battle.
PULL UP. In the f.g. the image of EARTH slowly turns and
glows redder with the lightning inside the clouds.
BARIN and KLYTUS
Duel in another area of e Hall. A thrust by BARIN catches
KLYTUS on the forehead. KLYTUS springs back, blood gushing
down over his eyes.
KLYTUS
I foresaw at blow --
BARIN
You're blinded, Klytus -- drop your
sword!
KLYTUS laughs, reaches up and throws off his helmet, WHIRLS
in a lightning way to reveal
ANOTHER FACE
Shadowed, hideous, marked with all the evil in the universe.
It's mouth emits a raging SCREAM.
BARIN
Lunges with horror, slashes with his sword point.
83.
KLYTUS'S CHEEK
Is slashed but grotesquely does not bleed.
BARIN and KLYTUS
Fly at each other again, trade blows, then each catches a
wrist of the other with his free hand. KLYTUS laughs
horribly.
KLYTUS
You fight me in vain, Barin I do not
foresee my death at your hands --
KLYTUS twists away, knocks BARIN'S sword out of his grasp,
drives BARIN back against the wall. KLYTUS lifts his own
sword, puts it at BARIN'S throat for the final thrust.
KLYTUS'S FACE
Suddenly changes horribly. PULL BACK. AURA is behind him,
her hand on the hilt of BARIN'S sword, which she has driven
into KLYTUS' back. Soundless, dead, KLYTUS falls to the floor.
AURA and BARIN
Move together, embrace. BARIN touches her face. Gently, AURA
strokes BARIN'S cheek in hirst human-like, loving touch.
FLASH and MING
Have duelled their way right up onto the shoulder of the
great statue now, fight against a vast replica of MING'S
EAR.
INT. PLASMA CAVERN
(ZARKOV)
Needle trembles on the verge of red.
ANGLE DOWN to ZARKOV at console, protected against the final
GUARDS' onslaught by VULTAN and TIGER MAN as he works
feverishly with a screwdriver on a wiring panel pulled out
from the innards He straightens up, takes a deep breath.
ZARKOV
Cross your fingers, boys!
ZARKOV hits a switch.
INT. GREAT HALL
(ALL THE MONGONS, DALE, DALE'S VOICE)
CU DALE
84.
Reacting to something, pointing upward:
DALE
Look -- Earth!
EARTH - THE IMAGE IN THE AIR
DALE'S VOICE
Oh it's so beautiful!
FEATURE MING
As he swivels his head for a quick look. He freezes, gives
a CRY of unmitigated rage. FLASH seizes the instant, thrust
his sword.
The blade goes into MING up to the hilt. FLASH pulls it
out.
There isn't a drop of blood. MING just stands there , smoking,
in spectacular fashion into the atoms of which he was
constituted. MING is just GONE.
HIGH SHOT - THE GREAT HALL
EVERYONE looks upwards at FLASH, standing with his sword
atop the statue. There is a clatter as AMAZONS cast away
their spears. A cry goes up as if from one throat!
ALL THE MONGONS
Hail, Flash Gordon!
EXT. SKY OVER MINGO
Vista of stunning beauty as HAWKMEN soar and loop in wondrous
victory rolls, leaving behind RAINBOW CONTRAILS.
EXT. PALACE BATTLEMENTS
(DALE, FLASH, ZARKOV)
It is a scene of peace now. HAWKMEN and SOLDIERS join in
tending their wounded. Formerly fierce AMAZONS act as gentle
nurses. MOVE OVER this to find FLASH, DALE and ZARKOV standing
together, looking up at the terrific sky-shadow, FLASH with
an arm around DALE'S shoulder. He glances at her tenderly,
is surprised to see tears on her cheeks.
FLASH
What's the matter, darling?
DALE
We saved Earth but we lost the capsule --
we'll never get home again.
85.
ZARKOV (SIMPLY)
You are home.
FLASH
Zarkov is right.
ZARKOV
Shouldn't you fellows be leaving on
your honeymoon?
DALE laughs, turns her face up to FLASH. He kisses her. As
they head into the Palace, ZARKOV gazes upward again.
EXT. SKY
HAWKMEN swoop and soar, weaving RAINBOWS, as END CREDITS
ROLL.
THE END
EDITOR'S NOTE:
What you have just read is a reproduction of the "1st Draft"
for the feature film "Flash Gordon". The original source
material came from a badly deteriorated copy of the original
script and in some instances dialogue which could not be
read was guessed upon by best case understanding.
We have made every attempt to include the integrity of the
original script, "as-is", to include all original
descriptions, grammar and spelling. Errors as well.
We hope you've enjoyed this original look at "FLASH GORDON"! |
"NIGHTMARE 13: FREDDY MEETS JASON" -- unproduced, by Lewis Abernathy
NIGHTMARE 13 -- FREDDY MEETS JASON
by Lewis Abernathy
FADE IN:
EXT. ELM STREET - DAY
MEAGAN is coming down the sidewalk in slow motion.
Her dress and long hair blow slightly in the breeze.
The SOUND of CHILDREN CHANTING increases.
DREAM CHILDREN
(in chorus)
One... two... Freddy's coming for
you.
On "you" there is a RUMBLE and a flash -- like quick
lightning only evil. (Choice flashes from Nightmare on
Elm Street 1 & 2).
Meagan turns at 1665. A beautiful white, two-story
house, thick with lush green foliage. Several beautiful
children, all dressed in bright white, play hopscotch
and jumprope on the front walk.
DREAM CHILDREN
(continuing; chanting)
Three... four... better lock your
door.
Close on a little girl's foot coming down on the number
"4" drawn on concrete.
Another RUMBLE and flash -- longer, LOUDER. (Flashes
from Nightmare 3 & 4).
Meagan continues up the walk, the wind is blowing a
little harder now. The trees are brown, the leaves
peeling away.
Moving up the walk, closer to the house... only now
it's a little darker, needs some paint. On the front
porch, a LITTLE GIRL rides a tricycle.
DREAM CHILDREN
(continuing; chanting)
Five... six...
RUMBLE. Flash. (Nightmare 5 and Freddy's Dead).
DREAM CHILDREN
(continuing; chanting)
...grab your crucifix.. ix.. ix..
The "ix" echoes away, becoming the faint "Ka ka ka"
we all recognize as Jason's theme. Meagan turns to
find that the children in the yard have vanished. It's
nighttime.
The trees are dead, the grass is gone, and the horizon
stretches off into utter nothingness. Meagan turns
back to the little girl.
But the little girl has gone. Only the tricycle
remains. It circles once, the front door CREAKS open,
and the empty tricycle peddles inside. Meagan follows
it into the...
INT. HOUSE ON ELM STREET - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan enters the house slowly, watching as the tri-
cycle rides off down a creepy hallway and disappears.
Then the front door blows shut behind Meagan. She
tries to open it -- locked.
Then faint VOICES cause Meagan to pause. She listens,
trying to make out the low murmur. Then a little girl's
GIGGLE. Meagan recognizes it as her sister's.
MEAGAN
Lizzy?
Meagan moves up the stairs, going down the hall...
following the voices (we recognize the other voice as
belonging to Freddy). Meagan enters a door at the
end of the hallway, moving into...
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM (NIGHTMARE) - CONTINOUS ACTION
On the floor, near her bed, is Meagan's thirteen year
old sister -- LIZZY. Slow for her age, Lizzy sits and
draws with crayons.
MEAGAN
Lizzy. What are you doing here?
LIZZY
Playing with my friend.
Meagan looks at the drawings -- childlike renderings
of Freddy.
MEAGAN
Your friend?
LIZZY
He lives under the bed.
Meagan slowly gets to her knees and takes a peek under
Lizzy's bed.
Suddenly, a doll-sized Freddy scurries out from under
the bed, flashing past Meagan's face and running out
the door. Meagan yelps and touches her face -- five
tiny slash marks on her cheek. Lizzy clucks.
LIZZY
(continuing)
You scared him...
Meagan looks out the door, incredulous.
MEAGAN
I scared him?
But when Meagan looks back, Lizzy is gone.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Lizzy?
Lizzy echoes away as Meagan finds herself standing
in the...
INT. NIGHTMARE CHAPEL - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The tiny Freddy dashes from the pews and jumps into
a casket at the altar, slamming the lid shut. Meagan
goes to the casket and carefully opens the lid. Inside
-- a rotting corpse with worms and maggots crawling
all over it. Meagan screams and slams the lid back
down.
The casket starts to move -- THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Then it stops. Tentatively, Meagan opens the lid again.
Inside -- FREDDY KRUEGER. He grabs her arm.
FREDDY
Where ya been all my death, baby?
Meagan screams. Freddy leaps out of the casket in a
tuxedo, crooning:
FREDDY
(continuing)
I've been waitin' at the altar for
a long, long time!
Meagan looks down -- she's wearing a wedding dress,
spattered with blood. Behind her, the chapel has
filled with dozens of DEAD PEOPLE in various stages
of decay. A SATANIC PRIEST appears in the pulpit and
asks:
SATANIC PRIEST
Are the bridesmaids in attendance?
Meagan looks to her left -- four girls hold bouquets,
dressed in body bags.
SATANIC PRIEST
(continuing)
And the groomsmen...?
Freddy opens his tuxedo jacket to reveal several
trapped souls struggling to get out of his chest.
SATANIC PRIEST
(continuing)
If anyone here believes that these
two should not be joined in unholy
matrimony, let him speak now or
forever rot in hell...
>From the back of the chapel, a voice:
JESSE
Meagan!
Meagan turns. It's her boyfriend -- JESSE. He stands
in the chapel doorway, backlit by bright light, arms
outstretched.
MEAGAN
Jesse!
Meagan runs to Jesse and grabs him, their arms
encircling one another. She looks up into Jesse's
eyes... only it isn't Jesse.
It's Jason.
Meagan screams as Jason raises his machete, bringing
it down between her eyes...
TRANSITION CUT TO:
INT. MEAGAN'S ROOM - MORNING
Meagan opens an eye as her alarm clock BUZZES... she
was dreaming. She gets up quickly and crosses to her
dresser. She looks into the mirror, at the tiny cuts
on her cheek, and clucks. Then she exits, going into...
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan opens the door to her sister's room, breathing
a sigh of relief when she sees Lizzy curled up in bed
with a doll. Meagan smiles and starts to exit when
she notices something not quite right about the doll.
She moves closer and pulls Lizzy's arm away to reveal
a hideous little Freddy doll. Meagan gasps.
MEAGAN
Freddy...
Suddenly, the doll opens it's eyes and sneers:
FREDDY DOLL
Well it ain't Raggedy Ann, bitch!
The Freddy doll flashes it's tiny glove of knives,
thrusting them deep into Meagan's chest.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. MEAGAN'S ROOM - MORNING (for real)
Meagan sits up suddenly in bed, clutching her chest.
She looks down and sees that there is nothing there.
Meagan sighs and falls back in her bed -- just a bad
dream.
ZZZZZZT! -- her alarm clock BUZZES. Meagan sits up
with a start again. Her fright turns to rage as she
pounds the alarm clock into submission. Meagan climbs
out of bed...
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - MORNING
Meagan enters and finds Lizzy still asleep, clutching
her Raggedy Ann doll. She gently pries the doll away,
tossing it disdainfully away. Meagan picks up a small
glass unicorn and playfully prances it around on Lizzy's
head.
MEAGAN
Wake up, sleepy head. Time to wake
up.
Lizzy's eyes flutter open. She smiles at her sister,
then frowns.
LIZZY
I had a bad dream.
MEAGAN
Me, too.
LIZZY
I was scared.
MEAGAN
Don't worry... they can't hurt you.
LIZZY
Promise?
MEAGAN
Promise.
Lizzy hugs Meagan.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
I'll never let anyone hurt you.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
CLOSE ON a small television set on the kitchen table.
A flashy graphic flashes across the screen: AM NEWS
SPECIAL REPORT -- COPS V.S. THE CULT -- DAY 13. A
NEWS REPORTER stands in front a police blockade. In
the background, dozens of POLICE and S.W.A.T. MEN
surround a small run-down, two-story house... Freddy's
house.
NEWS REPORTER
(filtered)
As the sun rises on yet another
morning, still no end in sight for
the standoff between police and the
mysterious group known only as the
"Freddy" cult who seized the abandoned
house behind me just thirteen days
ago. These cultists -- mostly run-
away teenagers -- have managed to
keep police at bay for almost two
weeks while inside they take mind-
altering narcotics in order to
communicate with their god --
Freddy.
The reporter babbles on as Meagan enters the kitchen
where MEAGAN'S MOM is sitting watching the TV, gulping
down orange juice. Across from mom is MEAGAN'S DAD,
who is having coffee, reading the paper. Meagan pours
herself a cup and sits.
MEAGAN
Morning.
Meagan's mom grunts, transfixed on the news. Dad
looks over his paper long enough to smile and say,
just a little too cheerfully:
MEAGAN'S DAD
Morning, Meagan.
Meagan looks over at her mother, then back at her
father, mouthing the words "How's mom?", when suddenly
Meagan's mom bellows:
MEAGAN'S MOM
(calls upstairs)
Lizzy! Get down here! Breakfast
is almost ready!
Meagan turns back to her dad but he has ducked back
into his paper. Meagan sighs and sips her coffee.
ANGLE ON TV -- a police booking photo of FRED KRUEGER.
NEWS REPORTER
Alleged child murderer Fred Krueger
was released on a legal technicality
but later burned to death at the
hands of a vigilante mob of grieving
parents. Some years later, a rash
of bizarre and unexplainable teen-
age deaths began leaving many in
the area to wonder... is Freddy
really dead?
Meagan's younger sister -- LIZZY -- comes down to
breakfast. The microwave DINGS and Meagan's mom
pulls out three Pop Tarts, dealing them out to her
family like playing cards. Lizzy picks up her Pop
Tart, whining.
MEAGAN'S MOM
Hurry up and eat. You don't want
to be late for special school.
MEAGAN
Mom! Don't call it that!
LIZZY
I hate that school. The other kids
are mean... and they're all re-
tard-ed!
Meagan snickers.
MEAGAN'S MOM
We don't use that word. They're
"special" children just like you're
"special".
Dad looks over at mom, who shoots him an angry look.
Dad takes a bite of his Pop Tart, sinking back behind
the paper.
ANGLE ON TV --
NEWS REPORTER
The cult members have declined to
an on-camera interview but did send
out a note with a message. The note
-- which, by the way, appears to
have been written in blood -- reads...
(reads the note)
To the parents of Springwood --
Freddy lives! Soon he will come and
take one of your children as his
virgin bride. Then Freddy will -BEEP-
and his -BEEP- upon her -BEEP- and
-BEEP- and behold, a soulless child
shall be born. The vessel for Freddy
to rise and rule the darkness forever
and ever.
A horn TOOTS outside.
MEAGAN
That's Jesse. Let's go, Lizzy.
Meagan collects her books and her sister. This is
dad's cue to look at his watch and say:
MEAGAN'S DAD
Oh, look at the time! I've got to
be going... anyone need me to bring
anything home tonight?
MEAGAN
I need an alarm clock.
MEAGAN'S DAD
What's wrong with your old one?
MEAGAN
Broke.
Meagan kisses her dad as she and Lizzy hurry out the
door. Meagan's dad looks over at his wife, who says:
MEAGAN'S MOM
We're almost out of vodka.
EXT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - MORNING - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan and Lizzy climb into JESSE's car.
JESSE
Good morning! Hey, what's the matter?
MEAGAN
My mom...
JESSE
And...?
MEAGAN
I had another dream last night...
JESSE
Was I naked?
MEAGAN
No. You were Jason.
JESSE
Jason? Oh, yeech...
(then)
Was I any good?
Meagan playfully smacks him as Jesse's car ROARS off.
INT. KITCHEN - SAME TIME
Meagan's dad hesitates at the front door, clutching
his keys and briefcase as he musters the courage to
say something.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Do you have to watch that crap all
the time? Months and months of the
O.J. Simpson trial, and now this...
Mom reaches over and switches off the TV. Dad smiles
slightly and exits. Mom waits until the door closes,
then takes a bottle of vodka and pours a goodly bit
into her orange juice. She takes a deep drink and
switches the set back on.
CLOSE ON TV as the news reporter interviews CAPTAIN
RENTON MURDOCH -- State Trooper.
NEWS REPORTER
I'm standing here with State Trooper
Captain Renton Murdoch, the man the
Governor has called in to deal with
the cultists because of his past
experience with occult-style
murderers. In fact, Trooper Murdoch
is the only law enforcement officer
ever to survive a one-on-one encounter
with notorious Camp Crystal Lake
killer -- Jason Voorhees.
(to Murdoch)
You received some pretty nasty
injuries in your battle with Jason,
didn't you, Captain?
MURDOCH
Nothing serious... just a few
stitches.
NEWS REPORTER
What about these so called "Freddy"
cultists? They seem like pretty
tough customers. Think you'll have
any trouble getting them out of
there?
MURDOCH
No. Now that the Governor has given
me complete authority to deal with
these punks I should be putting an
end to their situation pretty quick.
Unless of course their attorney is
able to get them to come out peace-
fully... but I don't hold out much
hope for that.
NEWS REPORTER
(to camera)
Captain Renton Murdoch, ladies and
gentlemen. A tough cop... for tough
criminals.
CUT TO:
EXT. "FREDDY" CULT COMPOUND - MOMENTS LATER
Murdoch gets into the command car, sitting down next
to the S.W.A.T. COMMANDER sitting behind the wheel.
MURDOCH
Damn media... oughtta be a law.
(gestures to house)
Is that shyster still in there
trying to talk them out?
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Yeah... he's making them some kind
of deal.
MURDOCH
Damn lawyers... what a bunch of
assholes. Shakespeare was right --
kill all the lawyers. Then we could
kill all the punks with no hassles
and the world would be a safer place.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Smaller anyway.
MURDOCH
Ahhhhh... what did Shakespeare know?
Long-haired, English freak. He was
probably a punk.
INT. CULT COMPOUND - SAME TIME
Meanwhile, inside the house... the cult's sleazy LAWYER
is sitting on a crate in the middle of a dark room.
He is surrounded by CULTISTS -- heavily-armed teenage
punks in red and olive sweaters and Fedoras ala Freddy.
They stare out at him through sunglasses with red
flashing diodes that barely hide their burned and
disfigured faces.
The lawyer shifts uncomfortably on the crate as he
takes a deep snort from inside his briefcase held
neatly on his lap. Then he lifts his head, wiping
his nose nervously as he speaks:
SLEAZY LAWYER
So, as I explained to you before,
the revenues between the TV movie
deal and the book sale should be
adequate to fund your joint-defense.
And I think with my mass media
hypnosis argument I could get each
of you a reduced sentence on appeal
-- say... twenty years each. Out
in fifteen with good behavior?
Hmmmmm?
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. CULT COMPOUND - MOMENTS LATER
The lawyer's disembodied head comes sailing out of
an upstairs window, smacking into the command car's
windshield with a loud SPLAT!
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Jesus Christ!
Murdoch curses and leaps out of the car, charging
the house as he BLASTS away with two nickel-plated
.45s. Suddenly GUNFIRE erupts from every window in
the house, BULLET HITS RIDDLING the cops cars,
SMASHING windows and emergency lights.
The S.W.A.T. TEAM follows Murdoch through the hail
of GUNFIRE as he kicks open the front door.
INT. CULT COMPOUND - NEXT INSTANT
WHACK! -- the door flies open and Murdoch and the
S.W.A.T. team move in. The windows have been covered
with foil, the walls have been painted black with
cult slogans written in red, making the whole house
black as pitch. The S.W.A.T. team puts on their
night vision goggles and starts moving through the
house.
P.O.V. THROUGH NIGHT VISION GOGGLES as the S.W.A.T.
team goes through the house SHOOTING cultists (ala
the computer game DOOM). Then a blinding flash of
light and a S.W.A.T. guy goes down -- shot in the
face.
Several of the cultists lead the attacking S.W.A.T.
team deeper into the house. As one of the S.W.A.T.
guys follows his foot trips a wire. A trap door
opens in the floor and the S.W.A.T. guy falls into
a pit, waist deep in water. Suddenly, the water
starts churning and the guy starts screaming -- it's
a tank of piranhas! Two other S.W.A.T. guys grab
his arms and pull him out. Too late -- his legs
have been shredded to the bone.
Another S.W.A.T. guy kicks in a door to a room and
steps in, FIRING his machine gun. A large scythe
swings down and severs both his arms at the elbows.
His arms fall to the floor, still FIRING the machine
gun.
The cultists race into a room, grabbing handrailing
bolted over head. They swing like monkeys across
the ceiling just as a S.W.A.T. guy charges into the
room behind them.
CLOSE ON S.W.A.T. GUY'S BOOTS as he steps onto a floor
covered with upturned nails. Several nails puncture
both boots, the points coming up through the laces.
The S.W.A.T. guy screams and another S.W.A.T. guy
barrels into the room to see what is wrong. He knocks
the first guy face-first into the floor o' nails.
Meanwhile, Murdoch is having a blast -- literally.
He kicks open the door to a room and guns down three
cultists as they try to escape out a window. As
the last body pitches to the floor, Murdoch yells:
MURDOCH
Freeze!
Murdoch exits, laughing to himself.
The running GUNBATTLE continues as the cultists
retreat to the back of the house, throwing molotov
cocktails. Soon the first floor is ablaze. A S.W.A.T.
guy screams as he is consumed by FIRE. The cultists
thunder down a back staircase to the...
INT. THE BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The cultists uncover a secret passageway under the
house and most escape through the underground tunnel
just before the S.W.A.T. team comes BLASTING into
the basement. As the last of the remaining cultists
is capped off, a faint voice cries for help. The
S.W.A.T. commander raises up his hand.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Hold your fire!
He pulls off his night vision goggles and shines his
flashlight into the basement. Through the dense
smoke he sees a little girl in a white dress is tied
to a chair sitting on a crate. Underneath the chair
-- several sticks of dynamite wired to a timer. CLOSE
ON THE TIMER: 30... 29... 28...
LITTLE GIRL HOSTAGE
Help me, mister... please.
The S.W.A.T. commander rushes to the girl, kneeling
down to look at the bomb. Then he takes a Leatherman
tool from his vest and starts to work on the bomb's
timer.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Hang on, honey... I'll have you
out of there in a second.
Murdoch comes down the stairs. He goes to the secret
passageway and says:
MURDOCH
Looks like we'll have to hunt the
rest of them down. Let's go before
they get too far.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
We can't leave! Can't you see
we've got a situation here?
Murdoch looks at the little girl and shrugs.
MURDOCH
Leave her.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
You're crazy! I can't just leave
her!
MURDOCH
Forget it. I've seen this before.
There's nothing you can do.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
I've got to try...
The S.W.A.T. commander wipes his brow and leans in
to work on the bomb again. CLOSE ON TIMER: 24...
23... 22...
The basement ceiling is now fully ABLAZE and chunks
of BURNING DEBRIS fall around the skittish S.W.A.T.
team. Murdoch looks at his watch in a bored fashion.
MURDOCH
You're wasting your time.
The S.W.A.T. commander studies the wires for another
second, then glances back at the timer... 15... 14...
13...
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Fuck it!
The S.W.A.T. commander whips out his Spyderco knife
and cuts the little girl loose. He carries her out
in his arms as he shouts to his men:
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
(continuing; yelling)
CLEAR OUT! SHE'S GOIN' BLOW!!!
The S.W.A.T. team exits the basement with Murdoch
bringing up the rear.
EXT. CULT COMPOUND - NEXT INSTANT
The S.W.A.T. commander staggers out with the little
girl, followed closely with the remainder of his men
and finally Murdoch. The commander throws himself to
the ground, covering the little girl with his body as
-- BA-BOOM!!! -- the Elm Street house EXPLODES!
Murdoch stands as debris rains down around him. He
mutters:
MURDOCH
Punks.
As the dust settles, the S.W.A.T. commander rolls off
the little girl and starts checking her for injury.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Are you okay, honey?
Suddenly, the little girl jumps onto the S.W.A.T.
commander, flashing a glove of knives. She hisses:
LITTLE GIRL HOSTAGE
Freddy lives!
With a quick swing, the little girl slashes the
commander's face. She dives back for a plunge to
his throat when Murdoch walks up and kicks her off.
He puts his boot on her, holding her down as he
takes aim on her head with his pistol -- execution
style.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
NO!
The S.W.A.T. commander grabs Murdoch's arm just in
time. Several cops rush in and grab the girl,
dragging her off, kicking and screaming.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
(continuing)
Jesus... you were going to kill
that kid, weren't you?
MURDOCH
I told you you were wasting your
time. Once these kids go rabid,
best thing to do is put 'em down.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
You can't be serious...
MURDOCH
Dead serious. See... the world is
made up of rules. Kids don't like
rules. They rebel for a while, but
ultimately they start to fall in
line and become ordinary Joe's like
you and me. But some kids... dope
smokers mainly, watching their MTV...
Satanic lyrics melting what's left
of their brains... these kids grow
up to be punks. And when these punks
step as far over the line as these
"Freddy" punks have -- then we as
peace officers have no choice but
to kill them.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
I didn't become a peace officer to
kill kids.
MURDOCH
Punks. There's a difference...
(under his breath)
...barely.
CUT TO:
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
CLOSE ON GRAFFITI written across lockers -- FREDDY
LIVES!
We move from this to a small classroom window. Through
it we see Meagan sitting in economics class. The
instructor -- MISS KREPPS -- is lecturing.
MISS KREPPS
(Blah-blah. Blah-blah-blah.)
It's hot. Several of the kids fan themselves,
struggling to stay awake while others have already
passed out on their desks. Meagan's eyes are heavy.
She looks over at Jesse, pretending to follow along
in his book, fast asleep. The antique oscillating
fan on Miss Krepps' desk CLICKS loudly as she drones
on:
MISS KREPPS
(continuing)
(Blah-blah-blah. Blah-blah.)
Meagan starts to drift off, when...
MISS KREPPS
(continuing; loud)
Meagan!?
MEAGAN
Yes, ma'am?
MISS KREPPS
I asked if you were ready to give
your oral report?
MEAGAN
Yes... I'm ready.
MISS KREPPS
Please come up here to the podium.
Meagan gets up and goes to the podium amidst the
snickers of some of her classmates. Miss Krepps
snaps her fingers for quiet.
MISS KREPPS
(continuing)
You won't think it's funny when
you haven't learned the fundamentals
of a free market economy... oh,
why do I waste my breath? You're
all going to grow up to be gas
station attendants and waitresses
anyway. Go ahead, Meagan.
MEAGAN
My report is on Global Economic
Trends.
(clears throat;
begins reading)
Try and think of a world where there
is no poverty... no sickness... no
crime. A world where everyone is
happy to be alive and everyone lives
together in peace. This is my dream.
The fan on Miss Krepps' desk starts to CLICK louder,
BLOWING harder. Meagan raises an eyebrow but continues
with her report.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
This dream is becoming a reality
with ever-growing international
business...
CLOSE ON THE FAN as it changes... getting creepier...
turning into a Freddy-fan. BLOWING harder... CLICKING
louder.
MISS KREPPS
Louder, Meagan. We can't hear you.
Meagan repeats the last few sentences, raising her
voice to be heard over the fan. Then pages of her
report start to blow away. She grabs at them as the
WIND increases.
A bottle of glue stowed in the podium overturns and
spills to the floor at Meagan's feet. She bends over
to pick it up, when her skirt blows up. She presses
it down but the WIND is too great and the skirt
billows up, revealing her underwear. The class roars
with laughter.
MISS KREPPS
(continuing)
Louder, Meagan... we still can't
hear you.
But Meagan isn't reading her report anymore, she's
busy trying to push down her skirt when -- RIP! --
the WIND blows her skirt off. Her classmates fall
over themselves, laughing. RIP! -- Meagan's blouse
blows away. She tries to hide behind the podium when
that too is swept off.
Meagan clutches at her bra and panties as they start
to drift away -- thread by thread. She is almost
naked. Meagan looks up at her classmates, red in the
face.
Her classmates point and laugh -- only now they are
all a bunch of old rotten skeletons. And up front,
in the center where Miss Krepps sat... is Freddy! He
wears a beanie with a propeller, points and laughs:
FREDDY
Aww... all dressed up and nowhere
to blow!
Meagan screams, clutching at the last few tiny strands
of cloth that cover her body. She calls to Jesse,
pleading:
MEAGAN
Jesse... please, help me.
But Jesse just sits at his desk -- dead. He reaches
up and slowly lowers a hockey mask over his pale,
expressionless face.
FREDDY
Looks like a photo opportunity to
me!
Freddy pulls out an over-sized camera with a gargantuan
flashgun attached. The flash bulb is the size of a
beach ball and has a nuclear warning etched in the
front. Freddy sizes Meagan up in the viewfinder and
sneers:
FREDDY
(continuing)
Say... cheesecake!
PHOOMPH!!! -- the flash bulb goes off with an atomic
light. Meagan screams as her skeleton is blown back
against the blackboard -- vaporized!
HARD CUT TO:
Meagan waking up in her seat suddenly. The classroom
as normal. Miss Krepps is standing over her, asking:
MISS KREPPS
Meagan? Meagan?!
Meagan looks around, bewildered and confused.
MISS KREPPS
(continuing)
I asked if you were ready to give
your report?
Meagan realizes that she was dreaming and pulls
herself together.
MEAGAN
Sure...
Meagan stands up and faints.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SCHOOL NURSE'S OFFICE - MINUTES LATER
MEAGAN'S P.O.V as the SCHOOL NURSE comes into FOCUS,
standing over her.
SCHOOL NURSE
Meagan? Can you hear me? Do you
know where you are?
Meagan is laying on a couch, a cloth over her head.
MEAGAN
I was day dreaming and then I woke
up but then it was like I was still
dreaming and then I woke up and
then I guess I fainted and now I'm
awake again...
SCHOOL NURSE
Are you sure?
Meagan stares at the nurse for a moment.
SCHOOL NURSE
(continuing)
Meagan?
MEAGAN
I'm waiting to see if you're going
to turn into Freddy.
SCHOOL NURSE
Freddy... I see. You've been watching
too much CNN. That crazy "Freddy"
cult thing -- it's all over the TV
day and night -- you can't get away
from it. No wonder you kids are all
having nightmares.
MEAGAN
But this one was different... it
felt real.
SCHOOL NURSE
But that's just it, Meagan... dreams
aren't real. They're just broken
fragments of the subconscious mind.
MEAGAN
Fear is real though, isn't it? And
if nightmares are fear, then doesn't
that make them real?!
(gets excited)
And if the nightmares are real then
is reality like a dream?!
SCHOOL NURSE
(cutting her off)
Meagan! You've got heat prostration...
that's all.
The nurse slaps a wet towel over her face.
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Jesse is waiting for Meagan as she emerges from the
nurse's office, muttering under her breath:
MEAGAN
Old witch... what does she know?
She isn't even qualified to give a
shot and she's telling me that my
dreams aren't anything to worry
about.
JESSE
So she said you were okay?
MEAGAN
Oh, sure... Madame Curie in there
says it's just a case of heat pro-
stration and an overdose of TV news.
Ruined my makeup, too.
JESSE
So you're going back to class?
MEAGAN
No. She gave me last period off.
JESSE
Well, what are you bitching about?
I could have a compound fracture of
the skull and she wouldn't excuse me
from P.E.
MEAGAN
Jesse! I've been having nightmares
for almost two weeks now and they
keep getting worse! Now I'm having
daymares! I want to know why!
JESSE
Okay... well, didn't the nurse say
it was heat probation?
Meagan rolls her eyes in frustration.
MEAGAN
You don't understand... I want to
know more about dreams. What they
mean... why we have them.
JESSE
Okay, Meg, go look it up. You've
got the rest of the day off, that's
all I'm saying.
MEAGAN
That's a good idea. Why don't you
cut last period and come with me?
JESSE
Sure. Where are we going?
MEAGAN
The library.
JESSE
You want me to cut school so we can
go to the library?
CUT TO:
INT. LIBRARY - AFTERNOON
Meagan pours through a big psychology book. Across
the table, Jesse peers into another psychology book.
MEAGAN
Find anything?
Jesse looks up suddenly.
JESSE
What? Oh, no... nothing yet.
Over Jesse's shoulder we see he has a copy of ROAD &
TRACK tucked inside his psychology book.
MEAGAN
Did you know that our sub-conscious
retains everything that ever happened
to us? Everything. From the time
we're born until we die.
JESSE
Really?
MEAGAN
That's how Freddy gets at us...
by using our sub-conscious fears.
Fears our conscious minds have
repressed or forgotten.
JESSE
I've got a news flash for you...
Freddy's dead.
MEAGAN
I'm not so sure... if Freddy exists
in our sub-conscious then he can
never be fully erased. Like a bad
memory... you may blot it out of
your mind but it will alway be
hiding someplace in your dreams.
(off Jesse's
disbelieving stare)
Weren't you scared as a child by
something so stupid that you're
ashamed to admit it?
JESSE
No.
MEAGAN
No?
JESSE
Well, yeah.
MEAGAN
Well, what? What is it?
JESSE
Well... when I was kid, my brother
took me to the carnival. And in the
penny arcade there was this robot
gunslinger...
MEAGAN
Black Bart.
JESSE
You know about Black Bart?
MEAGAN
Duh. You put your quarter in and he
says, "Go ahead and draw, tenderfoot."
And then you pull your gun out and
shoot him.
JESSE
That's just it -- I never could!
I'd point the gun right at him and
shoot, and I could never hit the guy.
So I always got killed.
MEAGAN
No one can hit him -- it's a gyp.
JESSE
Scared the shit out of me.
Meagan tries to hide her smile.
JESSE
(continuing;
flustered)
Isn't that scary? I mean... for a
kid?
Meagan laughs. Somebody shushes her.
JESSE
(continuing;
mad)
Okay, smartass... what about you?
What scared you the most as a kid?
A dark mood falls over Meagan as her mind winds back.
MEAGAN
I remember... Lizzy wandered off
one day and we couldn't find her.
The police came and everything. I
wasn't really worried until I saw
her picture on TV... then I got
really scared.
(then)
Jesse, I can't explain it... but I
think something bad's going to
happen.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. SPECIAL SCHOOL - AFTERNOON
Lizzy sits on the steps of her school, clutching
her books and Raggedy Ann doll... waiting. Behind
her, wearing a protective helmet, another learning
disabled kid - LEONARD - taunts her.
LEONARD
You're stupid!
LIZZY
No, you are!
LEONARD
They forgot you again!
LIZZY
No, they didn't!
LEONARD
Yes, they forgot and you're goin'
to wait out here until it's dark
and then the monsters are goin'
come and get you!
LIZZY
No they won't, because I'm walkin'
home!
Lizzy gets to her feet and starts walking. Leonard
calls after her:
LEONARD
Come back, Lizzy! You can wait with
me! I got forgot too, you know!
Lizzy keeps going, marching across the deserted school
yard. Leonard turns to go inside the school when he
bumps into a passing CULTIST. The cultist pushes him
down as he follows after Lizzy.
LEONARD
(continuing)
Okay... I'm going to have to report
this!
Lizzy walks briskly along when she gets the feeling
she's being followed. She turns and sees a cultist
standing behind a tree several dozen yards behind her.
Lizzy turns away and quickens her pace but when she
glances back, the figure is still standing... but
closer.
Scared, Lizzy turns and runs, dropping her books as
she flees down the sidewalk. As she comes to the
street, a big black hearse suddenly pulls up in front
of her, the door swinging open wide. Burned arms
reach out to grab Lizzy. She screams.
The cultists grab Lizzy, pulling her into the car as
it roars off down the street.
CLOSE ON RAGGEDY ANN -- laying in the gutter.
CUT TO:
EXT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON
Jesse's car pulls up to a sea of police cars parked
in front of Meagan's house. Meagan gets out of the
car and rushes inside.
INT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
COPS are everywhere as Meagan bursts into the house,
calling for her family. Jesse enters behind her when
Meagan's dad comes up, asking:
MEAGAN'S DAD
Didn't you get my message?
MEAGAN
What message?
MEAGAN'S DAD
I called the school after lunch...
I had to stay late after work...
I...
Meagan's mother bellows from the living room where
she is talking to a policeman taking notes. She is
drunk and has been crying.
MEAGAN'S MOM
Don't you dare blame this on her,
you sorry bastard! It's all your
fault!
(to Meagan)
Where have you been anyway?
MEAGAN
The library.
MEAGAN'S MOM
A likely Goddamn story!
Meagan's mom breaks down sobbing.
MEAGAN
Dad... what's wrong? What's happened?
Where's Lizzy?
MEAGAN'S DAD
She didn't come home from school
today. The police got a report that
a girl fitting Lizzy's description
was forced into a car by some
crazies. They're pretty sure it was
this "Freddy" cult.
MEAGAN
(shocked)
Oh, my God...
Meagan's dad puts his arm around Meagan and tries to
comfort her.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Now don't worry. The police are
doing everything they can.
Meagan looks over and sees Murdoch talking to his
men when a voice from upstairs calls down:
TROOPER
(O.S.)
Hey, Cap'n... better have a look
up here!
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - NEXT SECOND
As Murdoch enters, he spots Lizzy's night table and
the small glass menagerie there. Murdoch picks up
the unicorn and admires it when a TROOPER draws his
attention to the floor next to the bed.
Laying there are several childlike drawings of Freddy,
including one that has "Freddy Lives" scrawled across
the top.
Meagan enters and sees the drawings. She gasps.
TROOPER
Looks like she was in the cult all
along.
MEAGAN
No... no, she wouldn't do that!
Lizzy wouldn't join Freddy's cult!
TROOPER
I know it's hard to believe, miss.
But a lot of good kids get caught
up in this kind of trouble.
Murdoch stares at the drawings, his jaw muscles
tightening. He clenches his fist, pulverizing the
little unicorn.
MURDOCH
Punks...
Murdoch drops the broken pieces of the unicorn on
the table as he exits the room, brushing past Meagan.
INT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Meagan's dad follows Murdoch to the door, asking:
MEAGAN'S DAD
Captain Murdoch... is there any-
thing we can do?
MURDOCH
You can pray, sir. Pray we find your
daughter before... well, before it's
too late. But rest assured, if I
can't persuade her to come back to
her loving home, then I'll do what's
best for her. I know you and your
wife wouldn't want her to suffer.
(to his men)
Come on... I want to go talk to
Erwin.
Murdoch and his men say "good-bye" and quickly exit.
EXT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
As the last of the cops drive away, Meagan pulls
Jesse out of the house.
JESSE
Where are we going?
MEAGAN
Over to Stormie's.
JESSE
Stormie? I thought you and her weren't
friends anymore since she stole that
twenty dollars from you.
MEAGAN
That was her "klepto" phase... when
she was dating that gang member.
She dumped him a long time ago.
JESSE
I still don't understand. What has
she got to do with Lizzy missing?
MEAGAN
She used to be in the Freddy cult.
Maybe she knows where they took
Lizzy.
They exit to Jesse's car.
CUT TO:
INT. STORMIE'S ROOM - AFTERNOON
Meagan's high-strung best friend -- STORMIE -- is
blurting out at a mile-a-minute:
STORMIE
If I did know I would call the
police, you know that. I love Lizzy.
No telling what those freaks will
do to her. Those Freddy cult guys
are hard core.
JESSE
I thought you were in the cult?
STORMIE
I was in the cult for a week cause
my boyfriend at the time... Slasher,
he was. But I just liked the music
and the clothes... when they were
clean, but not like the violence
and stuff. But that was just my
"cult" phase... but I got past that.
You know, just like my "gang" phase
when I was dating Ramon and then
before that was my "death rock"
phase when I was dating Stuart...
JESSE
Uh, excuse me... but what phase
are we in now?
STORMIE
Militant feminist, man-hating phase,
what's it fuckin' to ya?!
JESSE
(to Meagan)
Why don't you just let the cops find
her? That guy Renton Murdoch -- he
knows how to deal with these cultist
psychos. He was the man who got Jason
Voorhees.
MEAGAN
That guy in my dreams...
STORMIE
Jason kicked his ass.
QUICK CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - SOME YEARS AGO - NIGHT
Jesse narrates a short, fuzzy, silent flashback as
younger-looking Renton Murdoch is BLASTING away at
Jason in panic.
JESSE
(V.O.)
Well... yeah. But Murdoch put
thirteen bullets in Jason before
he hacked his head open.
Jason cleaves Murdoch's head with a machete. Murdoch
staggers back, raising his pistol.
JESSE
(V.O.,
continuing)
But even with his head hacked open
and his brains leaking out, Murdoch
still managed to put his last bullet
in Jason's eye.
Murdoch FIRES, the bullet SMACKING Jason in the eye.
Thick blood runs down the hockey mask as Murdoch's
body hits the ground.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM-
Murdoch lays in a bed, his head covered in bandages.
Tubes and hoses running everywhere to all sorts of
medical contraptions.
STORMIE
(V.O.)
Well, one of my mom's boyfriends
worked at the hospital where they
took him. He said that Murdoch lost
more than half his brain and what
little that was left was all twisted
up inside. And they had to replace
his skull with a metal plate to
keep that from leaking out.
In a series of quick cuts we move in close on Murdoch's
eyes -- dark and menacing -- staring out at us.
STORMIE
(V.O.,
continuing)
They say he hasn't been the same
since.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. STORMIE'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
JESSE
So what's different about him?
STORMIE
One thing... he used to be a
Democrat. Now he votes straight
Republican.
MEAGAN
I think he thinks Lizzy joined the
cult or something.
STORMIE
Oh, my God... he'll kill her.
MEAGAN
I've got to find Lizzy myself. I've
got to find her and save her from
Freddy before that crazy cop kills
her.
JESSE
Just where are you going to look?
I mean, these cult guys could be
holding her anywhere.
MEAGAN
Murdoch said something about going
to talk to somebody named Erwin.
STORMIE
Erwin Kelper! He used to be in the
Freddy cult! I bet he knows where
they took Lizzy!
JESSE
Not Squirmin' Erwin -- that freak
that used to eat bugs?
STORMIE
(annoyed)
Who else?
(to Meagan; bright)
Erwin is scary smart -- always brought
home "A"s -- but he was kinda fucked
up, too... I mean, who isn't really?
Anyway, he quit the cult a few months
back and the cops put him away for
his own safety. They say Freddy's
put a death hex on Erwin.
JESSE
A death hex?
STORMIE
Yes, a death hex. You know... where
someone wants you dead!
MEAGAN
Where is he?
CUT TO:
EXT. SPRINGWOOD MENTAL CENTER - AFTERNOON
Jesse, Meagan, and Stormie pull past the large sign
and into the parking lot. As Jesse puts the car in
park, Meagan turns to him and says:
MEAGAN
I want you to stay here.
JESSE
Why?
MEAGAN
Don't be mad... it's just that you
might scare him.
JESSE
Scare him?
STORMIE
What she's subtly trying to tell
you is that this needs a woman's
gentle touch... butthead.
MEAGAN
Just stay here... okay?
Jesse grudgingly agrees. Meagan kisses Jesse on the
cheek. Stormie sticks her tongue out at him, then
turns as she and Meagan walk toward the main entrance.
INT. SPRINGWOOD MENTAL CENTER - MOMENTS LATER
The CRIES of the insane echo through the building as
the SECURITY GUARD escorts Meagan and Stormie down a
row of cell doors. He stops at one, tapping lightly
on the glass.
SECURITY GUARD
Yo, Erwin... you've got a couple
of visitors. Now be a good boy...
(to Meagan & Stormie)
You've got five minutes. I'll be
right down the hall if you need me.
The guard exits. Meagan and Stormie peer through the
thick window -- Erwin's padded cell appears vacant.
They exchange anxious looks, then Meagan presses a
little closer to the glass.
MEAGAN
Erwin...?
SPLAT! -- ERWIN suddenly presses his horribly burned
face to the glass as he screams:
ERWIN
SHOW ME YOUR ARMS! YOUR ARMS!
Meagan and Stormie jump back, startled. Then they
quickly bare their arms, turning them over for Erwin's
inspection.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Where do you shoot?
MEAGAN
Shoot?
STORMIE
He's talking about dream dope --
the stuff the cultists shoot up
with so they can talk to Freddy.
MEAGAN
I don't do drugs.
ERWIN
You're not in the cult?
MEAGAN
No.
ERWIN
Didn't Freddy send you to kill me?
MEAGAN/STORMIE
No.
ERWIN
I don't trust you... better take off
your clothes so I can check you for
tracks.
STORMIE
Chill, Erwin. We're here for some
hard data -- not a floppy disk.
Erwin flops the arms of his straight jacket, gesturing
to the inside of his cell -- empty except for a small
mattress.
ERWIN
Well, what do you want? Can't you
see I'm busy?
MEAGAN
Freddy's cult kidnapped my sister.
STORMIE
I told her you might know where
they took her.
ERWIN
I already told the cops everything
I know.
MEAGAN
Tell me... please.
ERWIN
Look... I'm sorry about your sister,
but I've got my own problems with
Freddy. I'm a marked man, you know.
MEAGAN
Then tell me why they took her...
ERWIN
To bear his child. Freddy wants to
be human again. In order to do that
he has to be "reborn".
MEAGAN
How can he do that?
ERWIN
He has to marry a virgin on holy
ground. Then the cult consumate
the marriage by impregnating her.
STORMIE
The whole cult? Yeech!
ERWIN
Freddy's the son of a hundred maniacs.
It's sort of a tradition with him.
MEAGAN
So the cult gets Lizzy pregnant?
ERWIN
And Freddy enters the soul of the
fetus through a dream state. Voila!
Rebirth.
There is a moment as the girls take this in, then:
STORMIE
That's the stupidest shit I ever
heard.
ERWIN
Hey, they're not my rules... some-
body else wrote 'em.
MEAGAN
Erwin... you've got to help me find
Lizzy. You're my only hope.
Erwin thinks about this for a second, then:
ERWIN
I'll help you find your sister, but
you've got to help me.
MEAGAN
Anything. Just name it.
ERWIN
You have to help me kill Freddy.
Meagan and Stormie exchange looks.
STORMIE
But Freddy's dead.
ERWIN
Freddy lives...
(looks at Meagan)
If only in our dreams.
Stormie grabs Meagan by the arm and starts to pull
her away.
STORMIE
Come on, Meagan... our five minutes
is up. He's giving me the creeps.
But Meagan stays put and asks Erwin:
MEAGAN
How can you kill a dream?
ERWIN
When it's not a dream.
(then)
Do we have a deal?
Erwin presses his palm against the glass. Meagan
thinks a moment, then puts her hand against the glass
over his.
MEAGAN
Deal.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET CORNER - AFTERNOON - A SHORT TIME LATER
Meagan, Jesse, and Stormie are standing in front of
a pay phone, arguing.
JESSE
No! I won't do it!
MEAGAN
Come on, Jesse! Please...?
JESSE
It's illegal! I could go to jail!
STORMIE
How will they ever know? Don't be
such a pussy!
JESSE
Oh, yeah? Why don't you call then?
STORMIE
Okay, I will!
MEAGAN
No! They'll never believe her!
STORMIE
I can disguise my voice...
(lowers voice)
Hello, how do you do? My name is
Jesse. I think I'm a man but I'm
actually a wimp.
MEAGAN
They'll never believe that. Come
on, Jesse... for me?
JESSE
Okay... okay... I'll do it.
(to Stormie)
And I'm not a wimp!
Jesse sighs and steps into the phone booth. After a
moment's hesitation, Jesse steps out and immediately
both girls blurt out ten reasons why he should make
the call. Jesse calls for quiet and as soon as both
girls shut up, he says:
JESSE
(continuing)
I need a quarter for the phone.
Meagan fishes out a quarter and hands it to him. Jesse
re-enters the booth.
ANGLE IN PHONE BOOTH as Jesse dials a number.
INT. SPRINGWOOD MENTAL CENTER - NEXT INSTANT
The security guard picks up his phone as it RINGS.
SECURITY GUARD
Springwood Mental Center... how
can I help you?
JESSE
(filtered; disguising
his voice)
There's a bomb planted in your
building.
SECURITY GUARD
Who is this?
JESSE
If I were you -- I'd get my ass
out of there.
In the background, we hear Meagan and Stormie whisper
something to Jesse.
JESSE
(continuing; adding)
Oh, yeah... Freddy Lives.
CLICK! -- The guard's eyes grow wide.
EXT. SPRINGWOOD MENTAL CENTER - AFTERNOON -SECONDS LATER
The peaceful quiet of the asylum is shattered by a
fire ALARM. Soon all the INMATES start filing out
into the yard, loosely herded by the GUARDS. Erwin
files out with the others, still wearing his straight
jacket.
Erwin looks over at the parking lot -- Jesse's car
flashes it's lights. Erwin starts to casually wander
off towards the fence between himself and freedom
when the SECURITY GUARD spots him and says:
SECURITY GUARD
Hey, Erwin... where do you think
you're going?
Erwin ignores him, still moving towards the fence.
SECURITY GUARD
(continuing)
I'm talking to you, asshole!
Erwin breaks into a run. The guard takes off after
him.
In the car, Jesse, Meagan, and Stormie watch as the
guard closes the distance.
JESSE
He's not going to make it.
MEAGAN
We've got to do something!
With grim determination, Jesse starts his car.
Jesse's car tears out of the parking lot, racing for
the fence. With a loud, metallic CHING, Jesse's car
drives into the fence, knocking that section down.
Erwin dances over the downed chain-link, diving into
an open window. Then, with a SQUEAL of tires and the
RENDING of metal, Jesse's car backs out of the fence,
does a 180, and PEELS off.
ANGLE INSIDE CAR as Stormie and Meagan help Erwin out
of his straight jacket. Once freed, Erwin extends his
hand to Jesse.
ERWIN
Hi, my name's Erwin. Thanks for
busting me out of there!
Jesse looks at Erwin's outstretched hand -- the
fingertips are all heavily bandaged.
JESSE
Yeah, right... Look, Erwin, just do
me one favor -- don't eat nothing
disgusting. My stomach is tight
enough as it is.
The security guard runs up to the fence, huffing and
puffing, watching as Jesse's car disappears down the
street. Then he spots something in the fence and
plucks it out...
Jesse's front license plate.
CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - DUSK
CLOSE ON LIZZY, screaming and crying as the cultists
close in around her. They rip her sleeve off and
inject her with a syringe. After a moment, Lizzy
starts to settle down... falling asleep...
The cultists lift Lizzy up over their heads and carry
her towards the big boiler. Inside -- a raging INFERNO.
LIZZY'S DREAM STATE P.O.V. -- as the cultists reach
the boiler, it splits open in the middle like a giant
gate. The two halves swing open wide to reveal...
INT. HELL - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS ACTION
A narrow rocky ledge extends out to a mausoleum atop
a tall, narrow mountain. On either side of the ledge
is a sheer drop to the bleak landscape below -- rivers
of hot molten lava stretching out for miles, filled
with LOST SOULS DROWNING and BURNING. Hundreds upon
hundreds of voices are SCREAMING and MOANING -- a
terrible chorus of the damned.
The cultists carry Lizzy across the rocky ledge to
the mausoleum. The outside of this ancient structure
is engraved with weird murals depicting the evils of
mankind. In the center -- a large iron gate that
swings open as the cultists near.
The cultists roll Lizzy over in their arms, holding
her tight as they push her face forward into the
mirror. The glass gives way like mercury, Lizzy's
face disappearing into the mirror.
ANGLE ON THE OTHER SIDE (UNDERWATER) -- Lizzy's
face stares out into utter blackness. Then, some-
thing large and evil looking swims up out of the
darkness. Clawed hands reach out and grab Lizzy by
the sides of the face as the huge, monstrous head
moves forward -- evil lips parting -- tongue slithering
out.
The evil thing gives Lizzy a big, wet French kiss,
locking it's lips over hers. Several slippery some-
things slither into her mouth. Lizzy struggles, but
the big evil thing is way too strong. Finally, it
releases her and the cultists pull her back out.
The cultists carry Lizzy out of Hell and back into
the...
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Horribly burned hands slap Lizzy back from her semi-
conscious state. Her eyes grow wide with fear again
as she opens her mouth to scream. Suddenly, she
doubles over and vomits up into a tupperware a
cultist thrusts under her.
Three evil-looking eels slither forth from Lizzy's
mouth -- the Dream Demons.
EXT. OLD POWER PLANT - DUSK
Several shadows flee into the night as Jesse's car
pulls up next to a run-down building.
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Erwin leads Meagan, Jesse and Stormie down into the
old, burnt out boiler room. They work their way
towards the back, to a large table and a collection
of sofas and easy chair scattered about. Erwin
starts sniffing around, pointing out several used
syringes laying scattered about the floor.
ERWIN
Damn! We must have just missed them!
Meagan spots Lizzy's shirt sleeve on the floor.
MEAGAN
Oh, my God -- she was here! This
is part of Lizzy's shirt! It's all
torn!
(grabs Erwin)
Erwin... we've got to find her!
ERWIN
We're too late! There's no way...
except...
MEAGAN
Except what?!
ERWIN
We could go after Freddy.
MEAGAN
How?
Erwin goes to a boiler, bends down and reaches way
up underneath. After fishing around for a moment,
he draws out a well-worn Mutant Ninja Turtles lunch
box. Inside -- a vile of liquid, several syringes,
and several pairs of cult shades.
ERWIN
We'll inject ourselves with Dream
Dope. It's a mild narcotic that
brings on a dreamlike state.
Meagan thinks about this for a moment, then nods her
approval.
MEAGAN
Okay... let's do it!
JESSE
Meagan... we don't do drugs! I mean,
what if one of us gets hooked or
something?
(whispers)
We could turn out like him!
Jesse jerks a thumb toward Erwin.
ERWIN
Don't worry about it. We need you
wide awake anyway.
JESSE
What for?
ERWIN
We're going to go under and try to
find Freddy. When we do, we'll grab
him and bring him here. Then you
kill him with this...
Erwin hands Jesse an old rusty revolver.
JESSE
This rusty chunk of shit? What
good is this?
ERWIN
It's not the gun, it's what's in
it -- silver bullets blessed by a
priest.
JESSE
Will that work?
ERWIN
(shrugs)
Should. But then...
JESSE
(finishes for him)
You don't make the rules... yeah,
yeah.
MEAGAN
What should we do?
ERWIN
Have a seat over there and make
yourselves comfortable. Roll up
your sleeves and put these on...
Erwin hands Meagan and Stormie each a pair of the
sunglasses with flashing red diodes in each lens.
Stormie puts hers on immediately and says:
STORMIE
Oh, cool!
MEAGAN
What are they for?
ERWIN
It's how the cult keeps in constant
contact with Freddy. The little
lights flashing are a sustained
occular input that causes your brain
to resonate at approximately the
same frequency at which the dream
state is most likely to occur.
All of this went over Meagan's head. Stormie shrugs:
STORMIE
Whatever...
(to Meagan; excited)
Put 'em on -- they're really cool!
Meagan and Stormie sit down in easy chairs, rolling
up their sleeves. Erwin comes over and reclines the
chairs, giving each girl an injection. Then Erwin
takes a seat next to Meagan and injects himself. He
lets the syringe drop to the floor as he lowers his
glasses.
ERWIN
It helps to hold hands if you want
to go together...
Meagan clasps hands with Erwin and Stormie. Jesse
watches with skepticism and concern. Erwin ushers
a final warning:
ERWIN
(continuing)
And remember... Freddy knows what
scares you.
Then all three FALL THROUGH their chairs into...
INT. DREAMSPACE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan, Stormie, and Erwin falling through dreamspace
(fantastic digital effect tunnel), still holding hands.
The girls scream as Erwin smiles and yells:
ERWIN
WHAT A RUSH, HUH?!!
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - SAME TIME
Jesse watches over Meagan, Stormie, and Erwin -- all
asleep in their chairs.
INT. NIGHTMARE BOILER ROOM - NEXT MOMENT
Meagan, Stormie, and Erwin fall into a crazy night-
mare boiler room (visually reminiscent of the Freddy
pictures) with rusty catwalks, huge out-of-proportion
fixtures above and a sea of boiling water below. As
they get to their feet, Meagan hears Lizzy's voice:
LIZZY
(distant)
Meagan... help me... please...
Meagan enters a shaft, following the sound when
suddenly, the shaft closes up behind her. Stormie
and Erwin try to find the opening again but can't.
ERWIN
Freddy's trying to split us up...
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - SAME TIME
Jesse is standing in front of an old, full length
mirror, practicing drawing the pistol. He pulls it
and pretends to fire, blowing imaginary smoke from
the muzzle as he says:
JESSE
Okay, Freddy... there's a new sheriff
in Dreamland now.
INT. NIGHTMARE BOILER ROOM - NEXT MOMENT
Stormie and Erwin make their way through the creepy
boiler room, calling for Meagan. A strange shadow
stalks them -- it's Freddy. He drops down in front
of Erwin and Stormie.
FREDDY
Looking for some-body?
Freddy opens up his shirt to reveal a chest full of
lost souls. In the center -- Meagan. Stormie charges
Freddy, throwing her arms around him as she screams
to Erwin:
STORMIE
I've got him! Wake us up! Wake
us up!
But Erwin is paralyzed with fear.
STORMIE
(continuing)
Don't just stand there! Wake us up!
FREDDY
Hmmmmm... I feel like seafood tonight.
Suddenly, Stormie's arms have become huge lobster
claws. She jerks away from Freddy, but too late --
Stormie starts to change into a giant lobster-woman!
Freddy smiles -- now he's wearing a chef's hat and
apron.
FREDDY
(continuing)
Stew on this, bitch!
Freddy knocks the lobster-woman over the side. She
falls into the boiling water far below -- KER-SPLASH!
HARD CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - NEXT INSTANT
Stormie wakes with a start, yelling:
STORMIE
Shoot him! Shoot him!
Jesse spins, aiming the pistol. But nothing is there.
INT. NIGHTMARE BOILER ROOM - SAME TIME
Freddy turns toward Erwin.
FREDDY
Well, well, well... if it isn't
my ol' pal, Erwin.
Erwin stares wide-eyed, frozen to the spot.
FREDDY
(continuing)
I've got something special in mind
for you...
Suddenly, Erwin reaches into his sleeve and pulls
out a pin. Freddy gawks -- surprised. Erwin pricks
his finger.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - NEXT INSTANT
Erwin wakes with a start. Stormie smacks him.
STORMIE
You didn't help me, you pussy!
I could've had him!
(smacks him some more)
You gutless... spinless... jelly
fish!
Jesse looks over to where Meagan is still sleeping.
INT. ELM STREET - DAY (DREAM)
Meagan comes down the sidewalk, still following
Lizzy's voice...
LIZZY
(V.O.)
Meagan... help me... Meagan...
It leads her to her house. Meagan enters the front
door.
INT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan sees her father is sitting at the kitchen
table, reading his paper. The headline reads:
FREDDY LIVES!
MEAGAN
Daddy?
He looks up and quietly shushes her.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Shuuuuu! I'm trying to be invisible...
And with that, Meagan's dad disappears. Only the
newspaper remains. Then Meagan hears Lizzy's VOICE
again... upstairs.
As she comes down the upstairs hallway, Meagan passes
her mother's room. The door is open a crack. Meagan
looks in and sees her mother putting an empty bottle
to her lips. The bottle sucks the life out of Meagan's
mom, who shrivels up into an ugly ol' prune face.
Meagan starts to help her mother when Lizzy's cry
for help draws her to...
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan enters. She sees Lizzy on her bed, under the
covers.
LIZZY
Help me...
Meagan pulls back the covers to reveal that Lizzy is
pregnant, her naked, swollen stomach protruding from
her night gown. Something inside is trying to push
it's way out.
LIZZY
(continuing)
Meagan...
Lizzy screams. Meagan moves to help her sister when
Freddy's glove BURSTS OUT of Lizzy's stomach, stabbing
Meagan in the chest.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan wakes up suddenly. She looks up at Stormie,
Erwin, and Jesse standing over her.
STORMIE
Are you okay?
They help Meagan to her feet.
MEAGAN
(shaky)
He got away... I had him and he
got away. Oh, God... Lizzy... I
lost her...
ERWIN
Well, atleast you're not dead.
MEAGAN
No... I'm not dead...
(realizes)
No... I'm not. But Freddy killed me!
STORMIE
He killed me, too. But look...
Stormie raises her shirt up to show Meagan she is
unharmed. Erwin sneaks a look and Stormie smacks him.
Meagan gets to her feet, asking:
MEAGAN
Now that I think about it -- he's
killed me in all my nightmares. But
I'm not dead... what does it mean?
ERWIN
It means we've still got some time
left. Until his remains are host to
the Dream Demons -- Freddy can't
hurt us.
JESSE
Hello. The Dream Demons...?
ERWIN
Freddy made a pact with Satan when
he died... so Satan bestowed upon
him the Dream Demons. They're the
source of Freddy's power to manipulate
our physical reality. Without them...
he's powerless -- nothing more than
a bad dream.
(off Jesse's cynical
look)
Hey, like I said... I don't make
the rules.
MEAGAN
But we've still got a chance, right?
A chance to kill Freddy before he
gets back his power?
ERWIN
We already tried that. There's no
way for us to kill Freddy. He's too
clever. He knows how to get to us.
MEAGAN
Then let's get somebody else. Some-
body strong.
STORMIE
Yeah! We could hire somebody to
kill Freddy -- like a hit man!
ERWIN
You would have to hire a thousand
of them... or one really big guy
who isn't afraid of anything. No
fear. Nada. Then you got a shot.
JESSE
Where are you going to find a hit
man? The yellow pages? In your
dreams...
Jesse's last three words strike Meagan like a thunder-
bolt and she stammers out a name:
MEAGAN
Jason...
JESSE
Jason?
MEAGAN
Jason Voorhees...
ERWIN
(brightens)
Jason Voorhees... that's brilliant!
The perfect dream warrior... no fear.
STORMIE
Sounds like our man!
JESSE
Uh... excuse me, Einstein... but
isn't Jason Voorhees dead?
ERWIN
Seriously dead. Buried up by Crystal
Lake somewhere. But don't worry, I
know how to bring him back to life.
JESSE
Somehow I just knew you would.
ERWIN
But that's not the problem. The
problem is control. Once we bring
Jason back from the dead... I'm not
one hundred percent sure he'll do
what we tell him.
STORMIE
Well, that's okay... as long as he
doesn't chop us all up.
Erwin rolls his eyes around -- uncertain.
MEAGAN
Erwin... I'm trusting you on this,
so tell me the truth. Do you think
if we do this -- if we go and get
Jason and bring him back to life,
that he could kill Freddy?
ERWIN
No doubt about. Jason could wreck
Freddy on this side of the Dreamline.
But if Freddy has home court advan-
tage... I don't know. Too close to
call. The trick would be to get Jason
to enter a dream state, grab Freddy,
and drag him out to our reality.
MEAGAN
I haven't got a choice. I've got to
try something...
(turns to Stormie &
Jesse)
I can't ask either of you to help
me do this... it's illegal, immoral,
disgusting...
STORMIE
Hey, we sisters have to stand
together, right? Where you lead --
I'll follow. Count me in.
Meagan embraces Stormie, then all three turn to Jesse.
He looks them over and sighs:
JESSE
Let me get this straight... we're
going to go dig one dead maniac up
to fight another dead maniac?
ERWIN
That's about the size of it... and
I'd be doing you a disservice if I
said there weren't a modicum of risk
involved.
JESSE
Meagan... I don't want to do this...
MEAGAN
You don't have to, Jesse... it's not
your fight. I understand.
JESSE
But I damn sure don't want you to
do it without me. Count me in.
Meagan hugs Jesse. Erwin tries to hug Stormie but
she pushes him away.
ERWIN
Look out Freddy... here we come.
CUT TO:
EXT. SPRINGWOOD AUTO YARD - NIGHT
In his shack, listening to a small portable radio,
is the NIGHT WATCHMAN. His small DOG suddenly perks
up her ears and GROWLS low. The watchman turns down
the radio.
NIGHT WATCHMAN
What's matter, girl... you hear
somethin'?
Then the old man hears it, too... A low RUMBLE. Moving
closer.
The night watchman steps out of his shack and squints
into the darkness when a line of several hearses
approaches. The lead hearse pulls up to the shack and
the driver's window rolls down.
NIGHT WATCHMAN
(continuing)
What's this? A funeral procession?
A Freddy cultist sticks his face out of the window
and says:
CULTIST
That's exactly what it is.
NIGHT WATCHMAN
(suspicious)
Yeah? Whose?
CULTIST
Yours.
BANG! -- the cultist SHOOTS the old man right through
the head. The night watchman falls to the ground with
a lifeless THUD. The little dog starts BARKING
ferociously when another SHOT silences her as well.
Another cultist leaps out of the hearse and runs to
the gate, cutting the chain with a pair of bolt
cutters. He swings the gate open and the funeral
procession proceeds inside.
INT. SPRINGWOOD AUTO YARD - A SHORT TIME LATER
The cultists are standing around a small pit that two
cultists are carefully excavating in the center of the
wrecking yard. Inside the pit, the uncovered remains
of Freddy Krueger -- nothing more than a pile of
charred bones.
Lizzy is brought forward, held by a couple cultists,
and injected with dream dope as the needle is passed
around. She no longer struggles, accepting her fate
with droopy eyes.
LIZZY'S DREAM DOPE P.O.V. -- as she watches one of
the cultists reach down and put a rusty funnel into
Freddy's broken jawbone. Her vision gets blurry...
more surreal as another cult member steps forward
with the tupperware. He pours the dream demons into
the funnel.
CLOSE ON FREDDY'S REMAINS as the dream demons swim
around inside his skull. His bones start to bleed...
blood becoming arteries and veins... vessels becoming
muscle... muscle growing scarred flesh...
There is a FLASH from the pit. Then suddenly, Freddy
Krueger -- as you've known him, as you've loved him --
leaps out of the pit and cries:
FREDDY
Smokin'!
Lizzy rolls her eyes up and faints. The cultists
FIRE their weapons into the air and cheer as the
building-high stacks of wrecked cars surrounding
them HONK their HORNS and FLASH their LIGHTS.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT
Headlights as Jesse's car zooms past a sign that
reads: CRYSTAL LAKE - 13 MILES.
JESSE
(V.O.)
We're almost there...
MEAGAN
(V.O.)
We should pull over and ask
directions.
STORMIE
(V.O.)
If it doesn't offend the men...
ooops, sorry! There aren't any.
JESSE
(V.O.)
Very funny.
EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT
Jesse pulls the car into an ol' run-down service
station.
STORMIE
I don't think they're open.
MEAGAN
It says, open all night.
Jesse HONKS the horn and yells:
JESSE
Hey! Can we get some service out
here?!
STORMIE
I don't think there's anybody
here...
Suddenly, a CRAZY OL' COOT appears on the opposite
side with a shotgun. Everyone in the car jumps.
CRAZY OL' COOT
What do you kids want?
MEAGAN
We're looking for the old cemetery
that's supposed to be around here...
somewhere.
CRAZY OL' COOT
What do you want to know for?
STORMIE
We want to see it.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Ain't nothin' to see, girly...
'cept a bunch of ol' graves.
JESSE
Look, mister... can you give us
directions or not?
The old man gives the occupants of the car a going
over with his one good eye, hesitating a moment over
Erwin, who scrunches down in the back seat, hiding
under a baseball cap.
CRAZY OL' COOT
You're not goin' up there to do
somethin' stupid, are you?
JESSE
(laughs; nervous)
Stupid? Like what?
CRAZY OL' COOT
Like dig up Jason Voorhees --
that's what!
Everyone in the car takes a sharp breath -- cold
busted! Then they start saying "No! No!" and shaking
their heads innocently in a big performance that
wouldn't fool a stick.
JESSE
(looks at Meagan)
Jesus... why would anyone do that?
CRAZY OL' COOT
I dunno... but people do.
STORMIE
Been dug up a few times already,
has he?
CRAZY OL' COOT
More times than I care to remember.
MEAGAN
Well, we're just doing an article
for our high school newspaper about
the dangers of breaking into
cemeteries at night. You know,
stuff that can get you hurt...
The ol' coot scans the foursome again closely as he
acquiesces.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Well... okay... as long as you're
not going up there to do something
stupid.
(pointing)
Take this road up about a mile and
make a left at the ol' saw mill.
That road will take you right on
in... Eternal Peace Cemetery --
can't miss it.
Jesse is already standing on the gas, leaving the
ol' coot standing in a cloud of smoke and dust.
EXT. ETERNAL PEACE CEMETERY - NIGHT
Headlights skew across a rusty iron gateway -- ETERNAL
PEACE CEMETERY -- illuminating a sign: TRESPASSERS
WILL BE SHOT!
Meagan, Jesse, Stormie, and Erwin enter the shadowy
cemetery carrying lamps with shovels over their
shoulders. As they search through the cemetery,
Meagan asks:
MEAGAN
What's the story on Jason Voorhees
anyway?
STORMIE
Where have you been? Jason was that
guy who ran around in a hockey mask,
chopping up camp counselors, duh?
MEAGAN
I knew that. What I mean was why?
ERWIN
It started a long time ago, back in
the fifties, when Jason drown at
Camp Crystal Lake. His mother went
berserk and started killing the
counselors.
STORMIE
She got her head chopped off by one
of the girls she was trying to kill!
ERWIN
Right. And then Jason came back from
his watery grave to get revenge.
JESSE
He came back from the grave?
ERWIN
Yeah. Chopped up a number of people
before they finally caught up to him.
MEAGAN
What happened to him then?
ERWIN
They killed him.
JESSE
How can you kill somebody who's
back from the grave?
ERWIN
Not very well apparently. Jason
keeps coming back to life and
chopping people up. It's a never
ending cycle of terror up here at
Crystal Lake -- a real problem.
MEAGAN
Why does he keep coming back to
life and killing people?
ERWIN
They say he's looking for revenge
on the camp counselor who murdered
him as a child. Jason just happens
to go about it in the socially
unacceptable way of hacking through
every teenager he finds until he
gets the right one.
(spots grave)
Here it is...
Erwin shines his light on Jason's grave.
ANGLE ON TOMBSTONE -- JASON VOORHEES. Born:1945.
Died:1953.
Beneath the death date, crudely scratched into the
stone: 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, etc.
Jesse and Erwin start digging.
ELLIPSIS -- cemetery statues watching them dig.
Stormie and Meagan take their turn. Then... Jesse
hits something solid.
Hands brush away the remaining dirt, exposing the
coffin below. Jesse takes a sharp breath and then
jams a crowbar under the lid -- forcing it open.
The casket lid cracks open a bit when -- SSSSSS! --
noxious gas escapes. Everyone covers their mouth
and nose, suppressing the urge to hurl.
Then roaches... hundreds of roaches.
Meagan and Stormie run off, screaming, batting at
their hair and clothing. Jesse rolls around on
the ground. Erwin sighs, plucks a roach off his
shirt, and calmly eats it.
CUT TO:
EXT. ETERNAL PEACE CEMETERY - A SHORT TIME LATER
Meagan and Stormie stand just outside the grave,
holding the light and a can of bug spray. Their
hair is up, covered in plastic shower caps. Duct
tape around the cuffs of their pants. They aren't
taking anymore chances with bugs.
Jesse and Erwin open the casket. Everyone recoils
at the stench. Then they shine their lights inside
-- nothing but rotting chunks and a broken hockey
mask.
CUT TO:
The kids putting several plastic trash bags full of
Jason into the trunk of Jesse's car and slamming
the lid closed.
Everyone piles into the car, exhausted.
In the back, Erwin picks his nose, unaware that
Stormie is watching him, her mouth gaping in horror.
Erwin becomes aware of Stormie's sickened scrutiny
and pulls out his finger, presenting it to Stormie.
ERWIN
Look... the boogerman!
(laughs)
Get it?!
Stormie slaps his hand away.
STORMIE
Get back, you nasty-ass bastard!
Ug! I thought I had seen the last
of those when my brother graduated
third grade!
ERWIN
We just dug up a rotting corpse and
you're worried about a little snot.
Jesse looks over at Meagan, curled up in a ball
beside him. She purrs:
MEAGAN
I'm exhausted... wake me when we
get back home.
ERWIN
Uhhh... better not fall asleep --
we've still got a lot of work to
do and Freddy's out there... waiting.
This news sobers everyone up immediately.
STORMIE
Well, that means we've all got to
stay awake!
JESSE
Duh?!
MEAGAN
I know! We'll sing a song!
(starts singing)
Row! Row! Row your boat, gently down
the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily,
merrily... life is but a dream. Come
on, everybody!
Meagan leads the none-too-enthusiastic group in another
chorus of "Row Your Boat" as Jesse's car roars off into
the night.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. LONELY ROAD - NIGHT
Meagan is leaning up against the door, murmuring softly
to herself as she drifts off to sleep:
MEAGAN
...merrily, merrily, merrily,
merrily... life is but a dream.
In the back seat, Erwin is nuzzled between Stormie's
breasts, sucking his thumb. Both are fast asleep.
Jesse stares at the road ahead, his own eyelids
drooping. The car starts to weave.
ANGLE OUT WINDSHIELD -- we flash past Freddy holding
a cardboard sign by the side of the road: WILL KILL
FOR FOOD.
Jesse shakes his head -- nah! He tries to concentrate
on the road, his eyelids falling once more.
Jesse's car zooms past a billboard. Behind the bill-
board -- a highway patrol car, a radar gun sticking
out of the driver's window.
CLOSE ON RADAR GUN as Jesse's car passes in the back-
ground, the red digits cascading up.
Freddy, now dressed as a highway patrolman, sits behind
the wheel. The radar gun's display is reflected in
his mirrored shades. It reads: KILL THEM.
FREDDY
Shouldn't dream and drive.
Freddy starts the car and pulls out, but what comes
out from behind the billboard isn't a patrol car --
it's Freddy's NIGHTMAREMOBILE -- big chrome pipes
belching HELLFIRE.
ANGLE IN JESSE'S REARVIEW MIRROR as Jesse's eyelids
close and his head nods forward, revealing the night-
maremobile closing from behind fast.
The nightmaremobile runs up to the back of Jesse's
car just an inch from the bumper. Freddy moves one
of the dozen of levers on the dash.
CLOSE ON FREDDY'S HOOD ORNAMENT -- a small version
of Freddy's glove. It extends out towards the back
of Jesse's car, one of the tiny knives inserting into
the trunk lock and turning with a slight CLICK. The
trunk lid opens.
ANGLE INSIDE TRUNK -- the plastic bags with Jason's
remains are moving! Freddy works another level and
the tiny glove slits each bag. The various pieces
of Jason (hands, boots, intestines, etc.) crawl out
of the bag.
FREDDY
(continuing)
Looks like the cat's out of the
bag now!
Freddy laughs as the tiny hand closes the trunk.
The nightmaremobile pulls out from behind Jesse's
car, BANGING into the rear quarter panel. WHAM! --
all four occupants of the car are jolted awake,
startled. Meagan looks out her window and sees the
nightmaremobile as it closes in again.
MEAGAN
It's Freddy!
WHAM! SPARKS fly. Everyone screams. Freddy laughs
as he falls back for another shot. Meagan sees the
dozens of lost souls trapped in the back of the night-
maremobile, staring out at her through the back window.
A small yellow sign reads: LOST SOULS ON BOARD.
Jesse fights to keep the car on the road when suddenly,
the pieces of Jason ATTACK, BURSTING from behind the
back seat. One hand crawls up the back of the front
seat, leaping onto Jesse's throat. Jason's intestines
EXPLODE out of the backseat, SLITHERING and SNAKING
their way around Stormie and Erwin. One of Jason's
boots wiggles under the seat, making it's way towards
the gas peddle. The other boot is content to lay
under the back window and kick Erwin in the head.
As Meagan fights to pull Jason's hand of Jesse's face,
she looks down and sees Jason's other hand between
her legs. Meagan screams.
Jason's boot stomps on the gas and Jesse's car lurches
forward with the acceleration. The nightmaremobile
SLAMS into the side of Jesse's car again, causing it
to swerve violently from side to side.
Inside the nightmaremobile, Freddy pulls another lever.
CLOSE ON THE NIGHTMAREMOBILE FENDER as a panel opens
up and a circular sawblade arm extends out, CUTTING
into Jesse's car with a flurry of SPARKS. Inside,
Meagan screams as the saw blade just misses her leg,
CUTTING forward towards...
CLOSE ON JESSE'S FRONT TIRE as the saw blade CUTS into
it. The tire BLOWS and Jesse's car lurches off the
road, veering into a tree line.
CRASH! -- Jesse's car plows fender-first into a tree,
the HORN stuck on, BLARING.
Freddy laughs and kicks the nightmaremobile into
overdrive, ROARING OFF and disappearing with an
EXPLOSION of FIRE that wisps away in an instant.
In the distance -- an old farmhouse. The lights go
on inside.
The passenger door opens and Meagan falls out onto the
ground, bleeding from a slight scalp wound. A rear
door opens and Stormie and Erwin spill out, locked in
embrace and not seriously hurt. Meagan staggers
around to the driver's side and opens the door. Jesse
is laying unconscious against the steering wheel.
Meagan pulls him off the wheel and the HORN stops.
Jesse is splattered with blood and his leg is a mess.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Jesse's hurt real bad... we've got
to get him to a doctor.
Through the farmhouse window, Erwin and Stormie see
the farmer on the phone.
ERWIN
Don't worry... an ambulance is on
the way.
Meagan cradles Jesse's head in her hands, crying:
MEAGAN
Oh, God... Jesse...
Erwin goes to the trunk and opens it. Inside -- the
garbage bags with Jason's remains still inside --
untouched. Erwin goes to Meagan and says:
ERWIN
Meagan... listen to me... The cops
are on their way. If they find me
and Jason Voorhees in the trunk
there, we're finished.
MEAGAN
Go... get out of here. Take Jason
and Stormie with you.
STORMIE
I'm staying with you.
Erwin grabs the trash bags out of the trunk and says:
ERWIN
I'll call you at the hospital.
STORMIE
How?
ERWIN
Somehow!
Erwin takes off, disappearing with Jason's remains
into the night as SIRENS WAIL in the distance --
growing close.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - JESSE'S ROOM - NIGHT
Jesse is laying in a hospital bed, his leg in a
special tent. Meagan and Stormie watch from the
doorway as a DOCTOR checks Jesse's vitals. As he
finishes, Meagan asks:
MEAGAN
Is he going to be okay?
DOCTOR
Yes. But he needs a lot of rest.
His leg is broken in four places
and he has four broken ribs and a
concussion.
Meagan sits down next to Jesse, taking his hand.
Stormie turns to the doctor.
STORMIE
Hey doc, is there someplace I
could get us something to eat?
DOCTOR
I'm afraid the cafeteria is closed.
There are some vending machines in
the lobby.
(to Meagan)
I'll be back to check on him in a
couple of hours.
The doctor exits.
STORMIE
I'll be right back... I'm goin' go
score us some munchies.
Meagan nods weakly. Stormie exits. Meagan lays her
head on Jesse's hand.
INT. HOSPITAL LOBBY - MOMENTS LATER
Stormie is getting several bags of munchies out of
the vending machine when she turns and sees Murdoch
at the information booth, flashing photos of Jesse
and Erwin.
Stormie dashes for the staircase.
INT. HOSPITAL - JESSE'S ROOM - SAME TIME
Jesse and Meagan have fallen asleep. Jesse's heart
monitor BEEPS...
On the wall, an x-ray viewer flickers to life. Freddy
peeks out from behind the other side. He snickers and
ducks back down.
Suddenly, Freddy's hand reaches up from inside the bed
and grabs Jesse, pulling him down into the mattress.
Meagan wakes and sees this, screaming as Jesse grabs
onto the curtain.
CLOSE ON CURTAIN ROD as the curtain pulls free of
the rings.
Jesse disappears into the bed, his screams echoing
away.
Meagan looks under the bed -- nothing. She rises up
again, watching as Jesse's iv and electrode wires
are pulled down after him. Meagan grabs a handful
of tubes and wire and tries to pull Jesse back. But
the pull is too strong and Meagan goes into the
mattress.
INT. OLD WEST SALOON (NIGHTMARE) - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan falls to the floor of a dusty ol' saloon. As
she gets to her feet she sees Jesse's iv tubes running
along the floor and out the door. Meagan follows
them to the saloon door, where she stops and looks
out into...
EXT. OLD WEST STREET (NIGHTMARE) - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Standing in the middle of the street is Jesse, dressed
in a cowboy sheriff's outfit complete with hat, badge,
and gunbelt.
Meagan calls to him from the saloon door.
MEAGAN
Jesse!
But Jesse can't hear her. He's too busy shaking with
fear... staring at something coming down the street.
It's Freddy. Dressed in a Black Bart cowboy outfit.
FREDDY
(ala John Wayne)
Okay, Sheriff... This nightmare
ain't big enough for the two of
us... draw!
Trembling with fear, Jesse fumbles for his pistol.
He pulls it out and FIRES. Freddy laughs. Jesse
FIRES again. Freddy just laughs. Jesse FIRES again
and again and again and Freddy just laughs and laughs
and laughs. From the saloon, Meagan screams:
MEAGAN
Jesse! Wake up! Wake up!!
Freddy looks over at her, annoyed.
FREDDY
Three's a crowd, bitch! Why don't
you just go get [BEEP]
INT. HOSPITAL - JESSE'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The SOUND of Jesse's heart monitor BEEPING erratically
wakes Meagan with a start. She tries to wake Jesse.
MEAGAN
Jesse, wake up! WAKE UP!!
INT. OLD WEST STREET (NIGHTMARE) - SAME TIME
Jesse keeps FIRING at Freddy... until his gun CLICKS
empty. Freddy smiles and pulls out the biggest Goddamn
gun you ever saw and says:
FREDDY
Go ahead... make my dream!
Freddy FIRES!
HARD CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - JESSE'S ROOM - NEXT INSTANT
Jesse's stomach EXPLODES with BLOOD -- splattering
Meagan. Jesse's heart monitor BEEPS continuously --
flat line. Jesse is dead.
A NURSE shows up to answer the alarm. She sees
Meagan standing over Jesse's body, covered in blood,
and screams.
Stormie enters the room a half-second later and
gasps.
MEAGAN
Freddy killed Jesse...
Stormie reaches in and grabs Meagan, pulling her out
of the room.
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Stormie drags a shell-shocked Meagan down the hall,
the screams of the nurse fading into the distance.
STORMIE
Jesus... get a grip, lady. You'd
think a nurse in a hospital would
have seen a dead body before.
MEAGAN
Jesse...
Just then, Stormie spots Murdoch and his men getting
off the elevator. They hear the nurse's screams and
come running towards Jesse's room. Stormie pulls
Meagan behind the nurse's station just as Murdoch
and company go thundering past.
Then a VOICE on the P.A. says:
VOICE
(filtered)
Attention. Would Meagan or Stormie
please pick up the white paging
phone for a message?
Stormie and Meagan exchange worrisome looks. The
announcement repeats itself again. Then again.
Stormie can't stand it anymore -- she stands up
and picks up the white paging phone.
STORMIE
(into phone)
This is Stormie...
Murdoch and his men come running past the nurse's
station again. Stormie turns her back to them but
Murdoch goes back to the nurse's station, asking:
MURDOCH
Did you see a couple of girls go
by here a moment ago?
Stormie gestures to the elevators.
STORMIE
Just missed 'em.
Murdoch nods a quick thanks and takes off with his
men right behind. Stormie exhales a giant sigh of
relief as the HOSPITAL OPERATOR says:
HOSPITAL OPERATOR
(filtered)
The message is from Erwin... he
says to meet him at the side
entrance in two minutes.
Stormie hangs up and grabs Meagan, running for the
staircase.
EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER
Stormie drags Meagan out of the hospital just as
Erwin pulls up in an old battered pick-up truck.
He throws open the door and Stormie pushes Meagan
inside, climbing in after her and asking:
STORMIE
Where'd you get the truck?
ERWIN
Same place I've got Jason hid.
STORMIE
And where's that?
ERWIN
A place where no one ever goes.
Stormie closes the door and the pick-up truck ROARS
out of the parking lot.
CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - NIGHT
The pick-up truck's headlights skew across a weather-
worn sign, peppered with bullet holes: CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE
Erwin drives the truck through the deserted camp,
past the cabins, down towards the lake. He stops a
short distance away from the pier and the three of
them climb out.
Meagan is still in shock, letting Stormie guide her
as Erwin leads them down the pier to a small diving
platform tied up to the end.
STORMIE
What'd you do -- take him for a
swim?
ERWIN
Almost.
Erwin jumps down on the diving platform. In the center,
a large form is covered by a tarp. Erwin helps Stormie
down onto the platform, leaving Meagan standing on the
pier. She looks out over the lake -- eyes vacant.
Erwin moves close to Stormie and, gesturing to Meagan,
asks:
ERWIN
(continuing)
Is she going to be alright?
STORMIE
I don't know. She's pretty fucked
up. God, I don't know why I'm not...
ERWIN
You're a strong woman.
STORMIE
What's that supposed to mean?
ERWIN
Uhhh... nothing. I didn't mean
anything.
Stormie gestures to the tarp.
STORMIE
Is this him?
ERWIN
Yeah...
(whips back tarp)
Meet the new and improved Jason.
ANGLE ON JASON laying spread eagle on the diving
platform, cocooned in chicken wire with dozens of
coiled leads trailing off into the water. Erwin has
done a good job of sewing Jason back together with
barbed wire and fishing line. His arms and legs have
been reinforced with steel braces and even Jason's
mask has been repaired, stitched down the middle with
bailing wire. Jason looks nineties... and butch.
STORMIE
Why'd you put that stupid mask
on him?
ERWIN
Take a look...
Stormie bends down and takes a peek under the mask
and quickly replaces it.
STORMIE
Good idea.
ERWIN
Not exactly a beauty queen entry,
is he?
STORMIE
So what do we do now -- sing an Ozzy
Osbourne song backwards or something?
ERWIN
I'm afraid it's not that simple...
STORMIE
I thought you said you knew how to
bring him back to life?
ERWIN
I do! But when I was putting him
back together, I noticed something
was missing.
Stormie thinks about this for a second, then:
STORMIE
Awwww, he won't be needing that...
I mean, what girl would let him
put his rotten ol'...
ERWIN
(cuts her off)
No-no! Not that! It's his heart...
it's missing.
STORMIE
Well... does it really matter?
Can't you use an aquarium pump or
something?
ERWIN
No... he has to have a heart. A
human heart. A good one.
Meagan speaks for the first time:
MEAGAN
I know where we can get a heart...
A good one.
CUT TO:
EXT. MORGUE - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
A sign reads: CITY MORGUE. Through the front window
a GUARD can be seen sitting at the reception desk.
Erwin, Stormie, and Meagan watch him from the pick-up,
parked a safe distance away.
ERWIN
That guard in there might pose a
problem.
MEAGAN
Do you think you and Stormie could
keep him occupied for a few minutes?
Erwin and Stormie exchange looks, then shrug -- why
not?
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Okay... let's do it.
A few moments later, the guard looks up as the pick-
up swerves wildly into the parking lot. He gets up
and goes to the glass door, peering out.
ANGLE THROUGH GLASS DOOR as Stormie and Erwin start
making out -- hot and heavy.
INT. MORGUE - NIGHT
Meagan BREAKS a small window near the ceiling. She
crawls onto the top of the cabinet and then drops
to the floor. She shines her flashlight around the
dark laboratory, illuminating anatomy charts, jars
full of organs, etc.
Crossing to the lockers, Meagan tentatively opens
one of the drawers and shines her light inside --
ug! Wrong guy. She opens the next drawer -- ick!
Even worse.
Meagan opens a third drawer -- Jesse. Her lip starts
to quiver as she caresses his face.
EXT. MORGUE - PARKING LOT - SAME TIME
At the glass door, the guard is watching the action
in the parking lot, his breath fogging the window.
He wipes the glass clean with his sleeve to get a
better look.
Inside the truck, Stormie and Erwin wrestle around.
STORMIE
Hey! Watch that!
ERWIN
I'm just trying to make it look real.
STORMIE
Just keep your hands above the bra,
pizza face.
The windows are starting to steam up.
INT. MORGUE - SAME TIME
Meagan pulls on a labcoat and puts on a pair of rubber
gloves. Then she opens a drawer full of shiny instru-
ments (saws, rib cutters, etc.) and selects a large
knife.
Meagan stands over Jesse's body. She pulls back the
sheet, exposing his chest. Meagan raises the knife
far above her head.
MEAGAN
Forgive me, Jesse...
Meagan plunges the knife into Jesse's chest with a
sickening THWACK!
EXT. MORGUE - PARKING LOT - SAME TIME
The windows of the pick-up are now badly fogged,
obscuring the guard's view. He licks his lips,
deciding to investigate closer. The guard unlocks
the front door and starts toward Stormie and Erwin.
They spot him coming and break their embrace. In
another moment, the pick-up is PEELING out of the
parking lot. The guard watches the truck go, shakes
his head, and goes back inside to start his rounds.
Up the street, parked with the lights off in the night
shade of a large tree, Stormie and Erwin watch as the
guard starts down the glass enclosed hallway towards
the morgue.
STORMIE
He's head right for her! Do some-
thing!
Erwin panics for a moment, then HONKS the HORN.
INT. MORGUE - NEXT MOMENT
Meagan is trying to pull Jesse's heart out of his
chest but it just won't come, some vein or muscle
fiber keeps pulling it back. She jumps at the HORN,
then starts pulling harder.
In the hallway just outside, the guard hears the HORN
and stops. He starts back for the front, when suddenly
the HORN stops.
Meagan hacks at the last bits of stringy goo that cling
to Jesse's heart. As the last strand goes, Meagan
tumbles backwards to the floor with a loud THUD.
The guard hears that and turns back towards the morgue,
drawing his gun. He tip-toes to the door and carefully
unlocks it, leaving his keys in the lock. Taking a
two-handed Weaver stance, the guard raises his foot
and kicks the door.
WHACK! -- the door flies open and the guard leaps
inside like Marshall Dillon, snapping on the lights.
He gasps, eyes going wide as he scans the room. One
of the drawers is open... the stiff's chest has got
a huge hole in it... blood spattered everywhere...
a bunch of bloody footprints leading over to the
cabinet...
Suddenly, the guard sees Meagan half out the window
and cries:
GUARD
Stop right there!
Meagan rolls out of the window just as the guard FIRES.
The unbroken section of the window SHATTERS. The guard
curses and races for the...
EXT. MORGUE - SECONDS LATER
The guard comes running out just in time to see Meagan
close the passenger door and the truck ROAR away. He
shrinks, dejected -- no way to catch them now. The
guard heads back inside to report this mess and finds
that the door has closed and locked behind him.
CUT TO:
EXT. ETERNAL PEACE CEMETERY - NIGHT
The crazy ol' coot is leading Murdoch through the
cemetery.
CRAZY OL' COOT
They said they were writin' for
some newspaper...
MURDOCH
Teenagers are notorious liars.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Well, after I heard about the
accident on my police scanner, I
came up here to have a look. When
I found it I figured you'd want to
know right away.
MURDOCH
You did the right thing.
The ol' coot shines his light down into Jason's empty
grave.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Damn kids... I just knew they were
comin' up here to do somethin'
stupid.
The S.W.A.T. commander comes up to Murdoch.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Just got a call on the radio --
three juveniles just broke into the
morgue -- one male, two female. The
guard is pretty sure the male is in
the Freddy cult -- burnt face.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Sounds like the same kids I saw.
MURDOCH
Did the guard say what they took?
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Yeah... that murdered kid, Jesse --
they carved his heart out.
(beat)
They got away in a pick-up -- the
guard didn't get the license. You
want me to put out an A.P.B.?
MURDOCH
No... that won't be necessary. I
know just where they're going, and
just what they're up to. And this
time... I'll be ready.
CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - NIGHT
Meagan sits on the end of the pier, watching silently
as Erwin sews Jesse's heart into Jason's chest using
dental floss. Stormie comes up behind her and puts
her jacket around Meagan's shoulders, sits down beside
her and says:
STORMIE
You've got to quit blaming your-
self for what happened to Jesse...
it wasn't your fault.
MEAGAN
He didn't want to come with us...
but he did anyway. He did it for me.
STORMIE
I'm not sorry I came... I don't
think Jesse would be, either.
MEAGAN
I just can't believe he's dead. I
keep thinking he'll show up any
minute...
ERWIN
Well, that just about does it...
Erwin finishes sewing up Jason and climbs back onto
the pier, cutting the diving platform free. He kicks
it off and it floats out into the lake, drifting free.
Then Erwin herds the girls down the shore, leading
them over to where a short trench has been dug leading
from the water's edge.
In the bottom of the trench -- an uncovered power
cable.
ERWIN
(continuing)
As you can see, I've excavated the
power cable that runs across the
bottom of Crystal Lake. I've cut
away the insulation, exposing a
patch of cable right near the water's
edge.
Erwin picks up a nearby bucket of water and sets it
at the head of the trench.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Now when I kick this over, the water
will wash down the trench and bridge
an eletrical gap between the cable
and the lake. There's plenty of
voltage, so it should work.
STORMIE
So you kick the bucket and Jason
lives.
ERWIN
Yeah, right...
(then)
Okay, keep your fingers crossed...
Erwin kicks the bucket over. The water washes down
the trench, over the cable, and -- POW! Z-Z-Z-ZAP!
A huge SPARK HITS EXPLODES. Then the lake begins to
glow and the water begins to churn. Erwin and the
girls jump back as ELECTRICITY ARCS from the lake,
engulfing the diving platform.
The ARCS of ELECTRICITY leap from the chicken wire
onto Jason's body, his massive frame convulsing.
CLOSE ON HOCKEY MASK as we PUSH IN -- the electricity
spirals down into the eye hole like water running
down a drain.
CLOSE ON JASON'S EYE as it opens! We dive into the
eye and take a fantastic dream/time travel to...
OPTICAL TRANSITION TO:
EXT. VOORHEES CABIN - 1953 - DAY
CLOSE ON MASK (1950's version of a hockey mask)
reflected in the water. A young hand reaches up and
pulls off the mask, revealing the disfigured boy
beneath. This is JASON -- AGE 9.
JASON'S FATHER comes to the doorway of their run-
down cabin in dirty longjohns, holding a bottle of
rye. He bellows:
JASON'S FATHER
Jason! Git your ass over here!
Jason jumps at his father's voice, hesitates only
slightly, then runs toward him, stopping abruptly
several paces away.
JASON'S FATHER
(continuing)
What did I teach you, boy? Don't
ever take your mask off out in
public. I don't want nobody to see
that ugly mug of yours.
Jason stands, looking at his bare feet. His father
smacks him upside the head, shoving him towards the
woodshed.
JASON'S FATHER
(continuing)
Go git in the woodshed.
Jason's pace slows as he enters the dark shed -- he
knows what's coming next.
JASON'S FATHER
(continuing)
Drop them overalls and lay over
them logs...
Jason slowly complies as his father loosens his belt.
Suddenly, JASON'S MOTHER is just outside the doorway,
calling:
JASON'S MOTHER
Jason! Come here!
Jason gives his father a sideways glance, then scurries
towards his mother.
JASON'S FATHER
What are you doing woman?
Jason's mother gives him a mason jar stuffed with
dollars and change.
JASON'S MOTHER
I saved up some money... I want
you to take and go on up to that
summer camp just up the road. Tell
the man you want to stay there.
JASON'S FATHER
Just what the hell do you think
you're doing, bitch?!
JASON'S MOTHER
I'm sending him away for a few weeks.
JASON'S FATHER
You ain't sending him nowhere.
(to Jason)
Bring me that money, boy!
Jason holds his ground for a second, unsure whom to
obey, when his mother shoos him away.
JASON'S MOTHER
Go on now... go!
Jason takes off up the road. His father sneers:
JASON'S FATHER
Goin' ag'in me? I'll take you to
the shed, woman!
Jason's mother pulls a knife from her apron.
JASON'S MOTHER
You ain't ever taking anyone to
the shed ever again.
Jason's mother charges at her husband, shoving him
back into the shed with the knife. Jason looks back.
Through the open window he sees his mother's arm
coming down repeatedly with the knife, his father's
arms flailing helplessly. Then both disappear from
view. After a moment his mother appears in the door-
way, spattered with blood. She smiles and waves to
him, calling:
JASON'S MOTHER
(continuing)
Go on, son... have a good time!
Mommy will come and git you some
day soon!
Jason turns and runs to...
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - 1953 - DAY
Wearing his mask, Jason walks through the entrance
to the camp with his jar of money.
In the office, the HEAD COUNSELOR takes his money
and shakes his hand.
HEAD COUNSELOR
Welcome aboard, son! I'm sure
you'll have a great time!
CUT TO:
The other KIDS dance around Jason, taunting him...
laughing at him... pointing and teasing... Jason
breaks away, running towards the pier.
Jason sits at the end of the pier, looking at his own
reflection. He removes the mask and watches as the
distortions in the water make his face look normal.
Someone comes up behind Jason slowly. Jason isn't
aware of their presence until a shadowy reflection
appears behind his own. Jason turns to see who when
he is suddenly pushed into the lake.
Jason splashes to the surface, sputtering, trying to
stay afloat. A hand pushes his head back under the
water.
JASON'S UNDERWATER P.O.V. -- a distorted image of
whoever is holding him under.
Jason thrusts out his arms, fighting to get back to
the surface... fighting just to see who is killing
him before he dies.
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - NIGHT
Jason comes alive, thrashing around on the diving dock,
the electricity all over him like a spider web. On
shore, Erwin and the girls gasp.
ERWIN
Holy shit! It worked!
Meagan and Stormie bounce, excitedly. But something
is wrong. Jason thrashes around on the dock, unable
to break the crisscross of high voltage chicken wire.
MEAGAN
It's kill him! Shut it off! Shut
it off!
ERWIN
Shut it off... it suddenly occurs
to me that I hadn't really planned
for that contingency.
STORMIE
Just don't stand there! Do something!
But all Erwin can do is scratch his head. Meagan
rushes to the shore line and screams out over the lake:
MEAGAN
Jason! JASON! You've got to get up!
Do you hear me? Get up!
Jason clenches his meaty fists and SLAMS them down
against the diving dock. SMASHING it to bits. Water
rushes over him and -- ZZZZT! KA-POW!
A power transformer on shore EXPLODES, causing Meagan
and her friends to cringe. When they look back, the
electrical light show fades away, leaving nothing but
smoke and floating debris. Meagan and Stormie turn to
Erwin, who shrugs shyly and says:
ERWIN
Well... it's off now.
Meagan and Stormie begin a verbal barrage that would
shrink any man to pus... much less Erwin. He cowers
between them, offering quick excuses and humble
apologies.
All three are so wrapped up in laying blame that they
never notice Jason's shadowy figure as it rises from
the lake.
Then they do see him... scream and run. Jason charges
after the kids in his familiar "unstoppable killer"
gait.
Erwin ducks inside the tool shed as Meagan and Stormie
dash past. He closes the door behind him and squirms
out a tiny window just as Jason kicks open the door
and steps inside. Erwin races around to the front
and closes the door. He fastens the latch and padlock,
then calls to the girls:
ERWIN
(continuing)
Hey! Come back! I've got him locked
up in the tool shed!
Just then, the SOUND of a CHAINSAW as the blade RIPS
through the tool shed door. Erwin screams like a
girl and runs away.
INT. MAIN CABIN - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan and Stormie run into the main room. Stormie
spots a phone and goes to it, dialing frantically.
MEAGAN
Who are you calling?!
STORMIE
The cops! Who else?!
MEAGAN
Are you kidding?! They'll lock us
up and throw away the key!
STORMIE
Fine by me!
(clicks the receiver)
Damnit! It's dead!
Just then, Erwin bursts into the cabin, slamming
the door shut behind him.
ERWIN
He's right behind me!
Stormie and Meagan look out the window -- sure enough,
Jason is storming towards them, holding the chainsaw.
STORMIE
(to Erwin)
You're the one who brought him
back to life!
ERWIN
And?!
STORMIE
Well, do something!
Erwin screams and runs for the closet, hiding inside.
Stormie clucks:
STORMIE
(continuing)
Oh, some hero!
Just then, the chainsaw RIPS through the front door.
Meagan and Stormie scream and follow Erwin into the
closet, closing themselves inside.
They cower in the closet, listening... for a long
moment... nothing but the sound of their heavy
breathing.
Then, with the RIPPING of WOOD, Jason chainsaws the
closet door -- knocking it to the floor. Erwin draws
out his pin and starts stabbing himself in the finger.
Jason charges forward, when Meagan suddenly stands
up in front of him and yells:
MEAGAN
STOP!
To everyone's shock... Jason does.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Now... just stop! We're the ones
that brought you back to life.
And you have no right to kill us
with that chainsaw! In fact... you
owe us...
STORMIE
That's right! She gave you her
boyfriend's heart, you know!
MEAGAN
That's right.
Jason cocks his massive head like a perplexed pup.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Look! Here's his picture...
Meagan takes off the necklace that Jesse gave her and
opens the locket. She shows Jason the photo of Jesse
inside. Jason drops the chainsaw and takes the locket
in his humongous hands, gently touching the photo of
Jesse with a meaty finger.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Now, I know that you've been through
a lot. And I know that you're pissed
off about being murdered and all.
STORMIE
(interjects)
I know I would be!
MEAGAN
But if you help us kill Freddy
Krueger... I promise to help you
find the little bastard that
killed you. What do you say? Have
we got a deal?
Meagan sticks out her hand to shake. Jason stares at
it, looks back at the locket, then to Meagan. Finally,
he reaches out his huge hand for Meagan's when...
Brilliant, blinding white light blazes through the
windows, freezing everyone to the spot. Anxious to
get out of the closet with Jason, Erwin crawls across
the floor and peeks out over the window sill.
ANGLE OUT WINDOW -- a dozen police cars shine their
lights towards the cabin, two dozen COPS aim their
weapons. In the middle of this impressive show of
force is Murdoch. He raises a bullhorn to his lips.
MURDOCH
(through bullhorn)
You in there! This is Captain Renton
Murdoch -- State Trooper! I am
ordering you to come out with your
hands up! I'll give you until the
count of three...
(beat)
Three!
Meagan turns to Jason, shoving him back into the
closet.
MEAGAN
(whispering)
Jason, you have to hide! Stay in
here and don't come out until we
tell you. Stormie... help me!
Stormie helps Meagan stuff Jason into the closet,
closing the door. Then they quickly smooth down
their hair and clothes, moving towards the door.
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - NEXT SECOND
Meagan, Stormie, and Erwin come out with their hands
raised high above their heads. As they walk towards
the police cars, several of the S.W.A.T. team moves
in and arrests them. As they are handcuffed and
searched, Murdoch goes on the bullhorn again:
MURDOCH
(through bullhorn)
Alright... anybody else left in
there had better say their prayers!
ERWIN
There's no one else inside.
MURDOCH
Is that a fact?
(into bullhorn)
Okay... you had your chance!
Suddenly, one of the cops points towards the cabin
and shouts:
COP
Hey, look!
All heads turn towards the cabin, where Jason's
massive frame is filling the doorway.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Holy Mary, mother of God... would
you look at the size of that guy?
MURDOCH
(almost happy)
I knew it!
All the cops level their weapons at Jason when Murdoch
suddenly steps forward, gesturing for everyone to get
behind him.
MURDOCH
(continuing)
Stand back! I'll handle this.
Murdoch takes a few steps towards the cabin and sneers:
MURDOCH
(continuing)
You...
Jason raises the chainsaw -- he remembers Murdoch too.
Murdoch goes for his gun, but instead of bringing out
a pistol, he holds a laser designator. Murdoch fires.
A big red dot appears on Jason's chest. Jason looks
down at it like it was a harmless bug. He looks back
up at Murdoch, who raises a radio to his lips and says:
MURDOCH
(continuing;
into radio)
Let her go.
EXT. 60,000 FEET ABOVE CRYSTAL LAKE - NEXT SECOND
A military jet flying above drops it's payload -- a
laser-guided napalm bomb.
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - SAME TIME
A slight WHISTLE sound grows in the skies above Camp
Crystal Lake. Jason looks up.
SMART BOMB P.O.V. as it drops down on Jason -- homing
in on the laser dot on his chest.
BA-BOOM! -- Camp Crystal Lake EXPLODES in flames.
All the cops take cover as FIRE RAINS DOWN on them.
Only Murdoch stands his ground, his arms outstretched
as he embraces the terrible sight.
MURDOCH
That'll teach you to fuck with the
law, Voorhees!
A cop behind him says:
COP
Uhh, sir... your hat's on fire.
Murdoch looks up -- sure enough, his Smokey Bear hat
is burning above the brim.
Meagan watches as Camp Crystal Lake is consume in
flames, her last hope of saving Lizzy -- gone. Then
a cop shoves her into a police car with Stormie.
Erwin is put into another car and the three exchange
worrisome looks through the windows just before the
cars pull away.
As the cops start to pull out, one of them notices
something moving amidst the flames -- a large BURNING
form, walking towards the lake. As it stumbles out
onto the pier, the cop turns to his partner and says:
CURIOUS COP
Hey... do you see that?
But just then, the form falls through the BURNING
pier, SPLASHING into the water below. The partner
looks, sees nothing, and shrugs.
PARTNER
See what?
CURIOUS COP
I thought I saw something...
He shrugs it off and exits after his partner.
Murdoch, his hat still smoking a little, surveys the
sight one last time before climbing into his patrol
car and driving away.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK - NIGHT
A cell door SLAMS in front of Stormie's face. A cell
door SLAMS in front of Meagan's face. Both girls are
behind bars, separated by a cement wall. The hefty
female DEPUTY in charge of the cellblock goes back to
her desk.
Both girls stand in their cells next to eachother,
watching as the deputy goes back to her desk and
begins to devour three combo-burritos.
MEAGAN
We've got to try and stay awake.
STORMIE
Getting something to eat might help.
(calls to Deputy)
Yo, Butch!
DEPUTY MILLER
It's Deputy Miller.
STORMIE
Excuse me, Deputy Miller but could
we have something to eat?
DEPUTY MILLER
I thought you psychos only ate
human hearts?
STORMIE
And I thought you pigs only ate
donuts.
DEPUTY MILLER
Don't make me come back there.
STORMIE
(low; to Meagan)
Cow! I hope she chokes on her three
combo-burrito cud!
Meagan leans up against the wall, sliding down to
the floor in defeat.
MEAGAN
What am I going to do? I'll never
be able to find Lizzy now.
STORMIE
You should be worrying about your-
self... I know I am.
Stormie plops down on her cot.
MEAGAN
I bet you're sorry you came with
me now...
STORMIE
Nah... what are best friends for?
Afterall, you stuck by me through
all my crazy phases, I figure I
owe you one big crazy phase, right?
MEAGAN
That's for being my best friend,
Stormie.
Just then, Deputy Miller steps in front of Meagan's
cell, unlocking it.
DEPUTY MILLER
Come on, Meagan.
MEAGAN
Where are we going?
DEPUTY MILLER
Your parents are here.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER
Deputy Miller brings Meagan out of the cellblock,
where her mom and dad are waiting with Captain Murdoch.
Meagan's mom rushes up and hugs Meagan.
MEAGAN'S MOM
Oh, Meagan... are you alright?
Let me look at you...
MEAGAN
I'm okay, mom.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Your mother's been worried sick,
Meagan. So have I.
Meagan stands handcuffed, her hair mussed, her clothes
bloody and soiled.
MEAGAN
Sorry. Today has been a bitch.
INT. CELLBLOCK - SAME TIME
The deputy is so busy munching down on her burritos
that she doesn't notice the strange shadow that
passes behind her.
The shadow moves down the cellblock, accompanied by
a slight SCRAPING. Freddy's glove materializes,
raking the knives along the metal cross bars. Freddy
stops at Stormie's cell, looking inside.
Stormie is fast asleep.
Freddy walks into Stormie's cell, passing right through
the bars. Suddenly, Stormie wakes and, seeing Freddy,
jumps to her feet and screams.
STORMIE
Help! Help! Freddy's here! He's here!
But the deputy at the end of the cellblock doesn't
respond, finishing off the rest of the burrito and
licking her meaty fingers clean. Freddy puts his
forefinger knife to his lips and shushes Stormie,
pointing to her cot. Stormie looks over and sees her-
self asleep.
STORMIE
(continuing)
Oh, shit! I'm still asleep!
She looks up at Freddy, who smiles and says:
FREDDY
You know what they say... when you
sleep -- you die!
Freddy flashes the glove of knives.
INT. POLICE STATION - NEXT MOMENT
MEAGAN'S MOM
Meagan, Captain Murdoch here said
you helped one of those cultists
escape from a hospital?
MEAGAN
A mental hospital.
MEAGAN'S MOM
And he said you desecrated a cemetery
and some other really terrible things.
Tell me you had nothing to do with
it. Tell me there's some mistake...?
MEAGAN
There's no mistake.
(to Murdoch)
What did you do with Erwin?
MURDOCH
Your boyfriend is headed back to the
looney bin where he belongs. But
don't worry, you'll be seeing him
soon enough... at the arraignment.
INT. CELLBLOCK - SAME TIME
Freddy taunts Stormie as the circle around in the cell
by slicing off his fingers, squirting green slime.
Stormie winces a little but keeps her distance and cool.
STORMIE
You don't scare me, Freddy! Thanks
to my various phases and many hours
of watching violent televison, I
have become immune to violence. Seen
it all and done it all! Nothing you
do can gross me out -- so why don't
you give it your best shot, bitch!
FREDDY
Then maybe I'll just CUT to the chase!
Freddy swings the glove but Stormie ducks, keeping her
defensive stance.
STORMIE
I'm warning you, Freddy... my father
is a drill sergeant in the Marine
Corps and he taught me just how to
defend myself against slimy bastards
like you.
FREDDY
Oh I'm so scared, honey. Come on!
Hit me! Punch me right in the nose!
I dare you!
Freddy juts out his chin, gesturing for Stormie to
take a punch. Stormie throws a right and pops Freddy
right in the nose.
FREDDY
(continuing;
surprised)
Owwwww!
Stormie smiles but that soon fades as she realizes her
fist is stuck in Freddy's nose. Freddy takes in a
breath and Stormie's arm is sucked up past the elbow.
She screams.
Freddy takes a deep breath and snorts Stormie right
up his nose, her screams turning into a faint BUZZ.
Freddy smiles.
FREDDY
(continuing)
Now that's what I call getting a
buzz.
INT. FREDDY'S NOSTRIL CAVERN - NEXT SECOND
Now the size of a flea, Stormie is clinging to one
of hundreds of pointed tree trunks jutting out from
the circular walls -- Freddy's nose hairs. Stuck in
those humongous hairs are clumps of icky gunk --
boogers.
Sitting next to Stormie, a particularly large and
rotund booger clump opens its eyes and says (in the
distorted voice of Harry Manfredini):
BOOGERMAN
Hi there! I'm the Boogerman! Heh-
heh... get it?
Stormie screams, backing up into the "trees", trying
to put distance between herself and Boogerman.
BOOGERMAN
(continuing)
Aww, don't go... we can play "Star
Wars". You can be Princess Leia and
I'll be Jabba the Hutt!
Boogerman licks his fat, nasty lips with a slimy green
tongue -- he does kinda look like Jabba. Stormie
screams again.
INT. POLICE STATION - SAME TIME
Meagan is getting more and more agitated.
MEAGAN
We're wasting time! We've got to
close down all the churches --
Freddy has to marry Lizzy on holy
ground!
Meagan's parents stare at their daughter with confused,
frightened looks.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Don't you understand?! He has to
come to our reality to do it! It's
our last chance to kill him!
MURDOCH
Okay, I think we've heard enough of
this crap. Take her back to the
lockup.
A couple of DEPUTIES grab Meagan. She throws them off
and they grab her again, roughly. Meagan's parents
watch in pain and horror as the deputies drag their
daughter back to her cell, kicking and screaming.
MEAGAN
Dad! Mom! Don't let them lock me up!
I have to save Lizzy!
MEAGAN'S MOM
Oh, Meagan... you're sick. You don't
even realize what you've done.
MEAGAN
I did what I had to do to try and
save Lizzy!
MURDOCH
Yeah, including murdering your boy-
friend and cutting his heart out.
MEAGAN
Liar! Freddy killed Jesse! He was
already dead when I cut his heart
out!
Meagan's mom and dad gasp, recoiling with horror.
MEAGAN
(continuing; manic)
Goddamnit, you don't understand!
Freddy lives! FREDDY LIVES!!!
Meagan's raving grows faint as she disappears into
the cellblock. Murdoch pulls Meagan's dad aside.
MURDOCH
I know how you must feel... I had
a dog once. I loved that dog. I
treated her like my own daughter.
We went camping, picnics in the
park... I even had a little stocking
for her nailed up on the mantle for
Christmas. Then one day, she bit
me... so I had to blow her brains
out.
(sighs)
God, I loved that dog.
INT. STORMIE'S CELL & NOSTRIL CAVERN - SAME TIME
Freddy starts to dig in his nose with his forefinger
knife.
A giant knife blade comes charging up the nostril
cavern, sending Stormie into hysterics.
BOOGERMAN
Uh-oh, Freddy's picking his nose
again -- gotta go!
Boogerman starts lumbering up into the back of the
nostril cavern. Stormie watches the massive knife
blade as it comes right for her, then at the last
possible second she starts climbing after Boogerman.
She pushes past the disgusting blob of goo, racing
ahead.
BOOGERMAN
(continuing)
Well, excuse me!
INSERT -- Freddy pushes the knife way far back into
his head.
The giant knife spears Boogerman in the back, running
him through and spilling his "Boogerman" guts out his
front. Stormie gives a little squeal as Boogerman is
pulled out, kicking and screaming.
Freddy withdraws the knife from his nose, peering
closely at the tiny Boogerman impaled on the end. He
twists his mouth in utter disdain and flicks Booger-
man across the cell.
Boogerman screams as he flies across vast space, smack-
ing into the far wall with a giant SPLAT! Boogerman
flattens outwards into a thin pancake of Boogerman goo,
his nasty head still alive in the center.
Freddy reaches through the bars of the cell, his arm
extending out in a grotesque fashion all the way to
the deputy's desk. He feels around on the table until
he touches the pepper shaker, drawing it back into
Stormie's cell.
Freddy sprinkles a small amount of pepper into his
right palm and breathes it in deeply -- the specks
of pepper becoming rocks that pelt Stormie as she
clings to life deep inside the nostril.
Freddy's face begins to distort, his nose wrinkling
up -- the beginnings of a sneeze.
FREDDY
Ahhh... ahhh... ahhh--CHOO!
Micro-Stormie comes blasting out of Freddy's nose
with globules of snot. She flies across the massive
cell, headed directly for the splattered Boogerman,
screaming her head off.
Boogerman sees Stormie racing towards him and he
screams too.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK - NEXT INSTANT
As the deputy brings Meagan back to her cell they
hear a loud SPLAT!
MEAGAN
Stormie?!
The deputy pushes Meagan back as she moves forward
cautiously, glancing around the wall into Stormie's
cell... then promptly puking combo burrito. Meagan
runs up and looks. The wall to Stormie's cell is
splattered with blood and bits.
Meagan falls to her knees, sobbing as more DEPUTIES
come running into the cellblock, answering the
deputy's puke-choked scream.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Oh, God... what have I done? What
have I done?!
We BOOM OUT of this chaos and go to...
EXT. LONELY ROAD - NIGHT
An ambulance races along the road with it's emergency
lights flashing. In back Erwin lays strapped to a
gurney. Up front sit a DRIVER and an ATTENDANT. They
chat disparagingly about the freak in the back, when
suddenly a large form appears in the road just ahead.
The driver slams on the brakes and the wheels lock up
with a terrible SQUEAL.
WHUMP! -- the ambulance plows into the form, knocking
it some fifty feet down the road. The driver and the
attendant stare out of the cracked windshield in shock.
Finally, the driver turns to the attendant and says:
AMBULANCE DRIVER
I'll go check it out. You stay here.
The driver gets out and goes to the form laying in the
road. He bends down to examine the charred, mammoth
carcass when a fist flies up, smacking the driver in
the face. He falls to the ground, unconscious.
The corpse sits up in the glare from the headlights --
it's Jason! Burnt and blackened but ready for action!
He starts towards the ambulance.
The attendant gets out and pulls his service revolver,
emptying into Jason's chest. Jason recoils only
slightly as BULLET HITS BURST his coveralls, then he
grabs the attendant by the head as he snaps the empty
pistol in panic. Jason slams the attendant's face
into the side of the ambulance.
In the back of the ambulance, a terror-stricken Erwin
watches as a face shaped dent appears in the wall with
a sickening WRENCHING of METAL and FLESH. Then...
silence.
RIP! -- Jason pulls off the back door of the ambulance
and climbs inside, the shocks bottoming out under his
weight. He reaches out for Erwin, who closes his
eyes... waiting for the inevitable.
Then... nothing.
After a second, Erwin opens an eye. Jason is standing
over him, hand outstretched. In his big, burnt palm
-- Meagan's necklace. Erwin looks from the necklace
to Jason. Jason thrusts out his hand impatiently.
ERWIN
You... want me to tell you where
Meagan is?
Again with the thrusting.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Well why didn't you say so?! Jesus,
for a minute there I thought you
were going to kill me.
(then)
You're not, are you?
Jason shakes his palm at Erwin yet a third time.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Okay... okay! I'll take you right
to her. Could you help me out of
this?
Jason reaches over and yanks out the gurney straps.
Erwin exits out the back with Jason following close
behind. Erwin climbs in behind the wheel, saying:
ERWIN
(continuing)
I'll drive.
Jason pushes Erwin aside so roughly that he slams into
the passenger side door.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Okay... you drive.
As Jason climbs into the driver's seat, a CHIME goes
off as a female COMPUTER VOICE in a pleasant tone says:
COMPUTER VOICE
Fasten your safety belt, please.
Erwin fastens his. Jason watches him and pulls the
safety belt across his massive chest -- it won't reach.
Jason pulls harder, ripping the belt out of the bolts.
The CHIME goes crazy.
COMPUTER VOICE
(continuing)
Fasten your safety belt, please...
Fasten your safety belt, please...
Jason SMASHES the dashboard with his fist, silencing
the voice and chime. He turns suddenly to Erwin as if
to say, "Yeah?! What about it?" Erwin shrugs nervously:
ERWIN
Fuck the bitch. Let's roll!
With tires SQUEALING, burning rubber and smoke, the
ambulance roars away into the early morning.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK - DAWN
Meagan stares through the bars of her cell at the sun
as it peeks out over the horizon. The deputy gets up
to leave for the six a.m. shift change. As she goes,
she switches on the cellblock TV.
ANGLE ON TV -- An early morning religious program
is on.
RELIGIOUS ANNOUNCER
(filtered)
This is Channel 12 -- Station W.G.O.D.
-- where the "W" stands for "Worship"
And now... "Daily Affirmation" with
Reverend Lawrence Lovejoy...
A shot of the REVEREND LOVEJOY at the podium in his
studio, giving kind words of encouragement.
REVEREND LOVEJOY
Good morning, friends... the Good
Book says that each morning brings
a new light into our lives...
The good reverend goes on about it always being darkest
before the dawn, have faith and your prayers will be
answered, etc. Meagan turns and watches the sunrise
-- glorious. Tears stream down her cheeks. Then a
commercial comes on:
RELIGIOUS ANNOUNCER
(filtered)
You can own a videotape of Reverend
Lovejoy's Daily Affirmation for only
$19.95...
CUT TO:
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - MORNING
In his booth at the main gate, the GATE GUARD watches
as a procession of hearses approaches. As the first
hearse reaches the gate, the guard steps out and says:
GATE GUARD
Hello. What can I do for you?
A cultist sticks his head out the window and says:
CULTIST
We're here to see the Reverend
Lovejoy. We need him to perform a
wedding.
GATE GUARD
Do you have an appointment?
CULTIST
No. I have a Beretta.
The cultist produces a pistol -- BANG!
INT. STUDIO - MOMENTS LATER
The REVEREND LOVEJOY is at his podium, his WIFE at the
organ, waiting for the commercial break to be over.
The FLOOR MANAGER counts down -- three... two... one...
BAM! -- the cultists burst into the studio. The CAMERA
OPERATOR and FLOOR MANAGER are killed. The Reverend
Lovejoy and his WIFE, at the organ, are taken hostage.
INT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK - SAME TIME
ANGLE ON TV as the cultists take the reverend and his
wife hostage. Meagan watches, suddenly perplexed.
INT. STUDIO - NEXT SECOND
The cultists break into the control room, killing the
DIRECTOR and STAFF. One slips into the sound booth,
garroting the RELIGIOUS ANNOUNCER with a piece of wire.
Another SMASHES the control board, killing the signal.
All the feed monitors go snowy.
INT. CELLBLOCK - SAME TIME
ANGLE ON TV as the picture goes to static. Just then,
the deputy appears in front of Meagan's cell.
MEAGAN
Something just happened at the TV
station.
DEPUTY
Don't worry about it -- get undressed.
MEAGAN
What for?
DEPUTY
Time to get you cleaned up for court.
Meagan looks back at the TV as she slowly starts to
get undressed.
INT. POLICE STATION - SHOWERS - MOMENTS LATER
The deputy ushers Meagan into the showers. Inside,
a naked group of mean, nasty, ugly JAIL HOUSE BITCHES
are showering, washing hairy pits, flabby tattooed
skin, and greasy hair. They eye Meagan like the
dessert bar at Denny's as she crosses to the opposite
side, sneaking into a corner. Meagan turns on the
shower and drops the towel -- the bitches whistle and
catcall.
Just then, the deputy gets called away, leaving Meagan
to the mercy of the bitches. The head bitch slides
over to Meagan and says:
HEAD BITCH
What's the matter, honey... you
don't like our company?
MEAGAN
I like you... sure. It's just that
I usually shower alone, that's all.
HEAD BITCH
Oh! So you're shy? I like 'em when
they're shy...
The head bitch grabs at Meagan, who resists. But this
bitch is big and tough and holds Meagan by the wrists
as she tries to kiss her. The other bitches laugh.
HEAD BITCH
(continuing)
Don't fight it, baby! You know you
want me...
Meagan scratches the head bitch's face. She backs
off screaming, wiping blood from her face. Then she
spits, reaches down (below the frame line) and
produces a shiv.
HEAD BITCH
(continuing)
If you won't give me a piece then
I'll just cut one for myself...
The head bitch moves in. Meagan takes a cautious
step back, bumping into tile -- nowhere to go. She
holds up her hands.
MEAGAN
Wait a second... I didn't mean to
do that... I'm sorry. It's just that
you come on a little strong, that's
all. Just give me a little time to
adjust to my new surroundings...
The head bitch stops, curious.
HEAD BITCH
Are you saying you want me now?
MEAGAN
Yes... I want you.
HEAD BITCH
Prove it.
Meagan comes up to the woman, raising her arms. In a
flash, the head bitch has the shiv to Meagan's jugular
-- a warning. Meagan carefully puts her arm around
the bitch and kisses her full on the mouth. After a
long, uncomfortable moment, they break. The head
bitch smiles.
HEAD BITCH
(continuing)
Now that's more like it!
(to the others)
Hey, this bitch is alright!
The other bitches smile as the head bitch slips her
arm around Meagan's waist and pulls her tight.
HEAD BITCH
(continuing)
You're okay, honey... what's your
name?
MEAGAN
Meagan.
HEAD BITCH
So... what're you in for, Meagan?
MEAGAN
(sniffles a little)
Oh, my friend...
HEAD BITCH
The bitch that died last night?
MEAGAN
(starts to cry)
Yeah... they said she had some
disease that made her... explode!
Oh, God! Please hold me!
The head bitch holds Meagan tight as she sobs,
smoothing her hair. The other bitches share a look
of concern as one asks:
BITCH #1
What's this bullshit about some
killer funk make you explode?
HEAD BITCH
(to Meagan)
Easy... honey. It's goin' be
alright. But what I asked you is
why you're in here?
MEAGAN
Oh... well... the cops? Well, they
think I gave it to her...
The head bitch suddenly springs back as if Meagan
were Satan himself. She runs for the other bitches
but they aren't having anything to do with her. All
the bitches race for the exit.
The deputy comes to the shower room doorway and
shouts:
DEPUTY
What the hell is all the screaming
about?!
WHAM! -- the bitches run her over, stripping the keys
from her belt. They unlock the cellblock door and go
running into the police station, screaming butt-naked.
After the bitches exit, Meagan's hand reaches out and
drags the unconscious deputy into the shower.
INT. POLICE STATION - NEXT SECOND
The bitches come running butt-naked and screaming
through the station. Several deputies chase after
them, tackle them and try to cuff them. A brawl
ensues. Chaos.
Murdoch sits on a desk, reading a report. He looks
up at the madness and mutters:
MURDOCH
Punks...
INT. POLICE STATION - SHOWERS - MOMENTS LATER
A DEPUTY enters the showers and sees a naked woman
on top of a deputy, their arms locked in a struggle.
The deputy cracks the naked woman in the back of the
head with her baton and she falls to the side,
revealing Meagan -- now dressed in the deputy's
uniform -- laying on the shower floor.
The deputy realizes her mistake too late -- Meagan
sprays her in the face with mace and she sinks to
her knees, screaming and clutching her face. Meagan
leaps to her feet, grabs a towel to hold over her
face (as if she had a broken nose) and starts to exit.
On her way out, Meagan is passed by several DEPUTIES
charging into the showers to restore order. She
gestures them on, then slips into an emergency exit
to freedom.
EXT. POLICE STATION - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan exits the station just as a patrol car pulls
up. She reaches in and grabs the JUNIOR TROOPER,
pulling him out. Then she slips behind the wheel
and ROARS off. The junior trooper calls after her:
JUNIOR TROOPER
Hey, that's Captain Murdoch's car!
CUT TO:
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
The cultists surround Reverend Lovejoy as he nervously
shakes his head, saying:
REVEREND LOVEJOY
I won't do it! It's a sin!
Blasphemy!
One of the cultists puts a gun to Mrs. Lovejoy's head.
CULTIST
Wedding or funeral... your choice.
The reverend swallows and says:
REVEREND LOVEJOY
And who would be the bride?
Lizzy is brought forth. The cultists take her arm
and inject her with the dream dope. Lizzy's head
lulls around as she chants softly:
LIZZY
One... two... Freddy's coming for
you.
The rest of the cultists shoot up -- passing the
needle from one to another.
LIZZY
(continuing)
Three... four... Better lock your
door.
The good reverend watches this with a lump in his
throat. He shudders and asks:
REVEREND LOVEJOY
And the groom.
CULTIST
He's coming...
Lizzy is almost asleep.
LIZZY
Five... six... grab your crucifix...
The neon cross behind the podium begins to flicker.
Then with a sharp SNAP of electricity, the cross
falls over, turning upside down. It hangs there for
an instant then -- POW! -- the cross EXPLODES, catching
the curtains on FIRE.
As the FLAMES consume the curtains, a hole in reality
appears -- a Dreamgate. Freddy comes springing out,
leaping in front of the podium. He laughs and turns
to Lizzy, asleep on the bench.
FREDDY
That's for the lift sister!
(to the cultists)
Hiya, kids!
CULTISTS
(in unison)
Hiya, Freddy!
FREDDY
Ready to get hitched?
CULTISTS
Ready, Freddy!
FREDDY
Then let's do it!
Lizzy looks up and smiles.
LIZZY
I love you, Freddy...
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - AFTERNOON
A DEPUTY comes up to Murdoch and says:
DEPUTY
We found your patrol car, Captain.
It was abandoned near a local
religious station.
MURDOCH
Religious station? Is there a
padre there?
DEPUTY
Yes, sir. Reverend Lovejoy broad-
casts out of that location.
MURDOCH
So that's where they're hiding.
CUT TO:
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
Lizzy and Freddy stand before Reverend Lovejoy.
REVEREND LOVEJOY
...and if there be anyone among you
who has any reason why these two
should not be joined in holy...
Freddy holds up a finger -- "Ah-ah".
REVEREND LOVEJOY
(continuing)
...in matrimony. Let them speak
now...
(under his breath)
...please God...
(aloud)
...or forever hold their peace.
WHAM! -- Meagan bursts in.
MEAGAN
Stop!
Everyone turns and looks as Meagan comes to the pulpit.
MEAGAN
(continuing;
to Freddy)
Take me, Freddy. Take me instead.
FREDDY
You're a virgin?!
MEAGAN
Oh, that's right -- tell everybody!
Freddy moves close to Meagan, running a blade over and
around Meagan's neck as she struggles to remain calm.
FREDDY
Mmmmmmm! Yes, you are a bit juicier
than your retard sister... okay,
you've got the job.
(to cultists)
Get her ready.
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - NIGHT
Outside, the cultists surrounding the outside of the
station watch as dozens of police vehicles swarm to
the fence. Murdoch and the S.W.A.T. commander get
out of the lead car. Murdoch picks up his bullhorn
and says:
MURDOCH
(through bullhorn)
This is Captain Renton Murdoch --
State Trooper. I'm giving you until
the count of three to come out with
your hands up...
A CULTIST SNIPER FIRES a shot at Murdoch, the bullet
hit SMASHING the emergency lights atop his car. The
other cops duck down, but not Murdoch, he turns
calmly to the S.W.A.T. commander and says:
MURDOCH
(continuing)
Hand me that flare pistol.
The commander gives the flare gun to Murdoch, adding:
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Good idea. Throw a little light on
them -- see if we can spot their
firing positions...
As the commander speaks, Murdoch aims the pistol
carefully and FIRES. PHOOMPH! -- the flare streaks
to the roof of the TV station, SMACKING the sniper.
He BURSTS into FLAMES and tumbles to the ground,
screaming. Murdoch hands the flare gun back to the
commander, going back on the bullhorn and saying:
MURDOCH
(through bullhorn)
Alright, now I'm through playing
"nice guy" -- I want the rest of
you punks to come out right now
with your hands up.
The cultists respond by filling the air with hot lead
-- BULLET HITS RIDDLE the cop cars, SMASHING glass
and PIERCING metal. The cops FIRE back, BULLET HITS
EXPLODING all along the sides of the TV station.
INT. STUDIO - NEXT MOMENT
The cultists bare Meagan's arm and inject her with
dream dope. She takes her place at the threshold
beside Freddy.
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - SAME TIME
As the battle outside between the cultists and the
cops RAGES, Murdoch and the S.W.A.T. commander squat
down behind a fender to reload.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Well, it doesn't look like they're
going to surrender.
MURDOCH
What we're going to need then is
somebody to charge their lines --
make a hole for us to slip in.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Where are you going to find anyone
that crazy?
Just then, an ambulance comes ROARING through the
police lines, causing the cops to scurry like mice.
MURDOCH
Here comes one now...
(yells)
GO GIT 'EM, SON!
Murdoch squints to see who's driving... it's Jason!
Erwin smiles and waves to Murdoch through the passenger
side window as the ambulance zooms past.
Murdoch curses, drawing his pistol and SHOOTING after
the ambulance.
The other COPS join in a moment later, BULLET HITS
SPARKING off the back of the ambulance as it CRASHES
through the front gate.
Inside the ambulance, Erwin hazards a glance back at
the cops, then he turns to Jason and says:
ERWIN
That was easy enough...
Erwin looks ahead and screams.
ANGLE THROUGH WINDSHIELD as three cultists stand
directly in front of the speeding ambulance, FIRING
machine guns. The glass EXPLODES just as Erwin
ducks down.
Two cultists suddenly scatter as Jason rams the
ambulance into the middle one just before plowing
into the side of the station with a CRASH.
Erwin pushes down his airbag just in time to see a
cultist closing in with a gun. He reaches through the
smashed windshield and grabs the squashed cultist's
machine gun laying on the hood. Erwin turns, SHOOTS
the cultist just in time.
As Jason kicks open the driver's side door he is
greeted by two cultists SHOOTING at him. Jason RIPS
OFF the driver's side door and hurls it at the two
punks, knocking them down like bowling pins. Then
Jason reaches back into the ambulance, pulls out the
Jaws of Life and, with Erwin covering his back, starts
towards the front door.
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
The wedding proceeds...
REVEREND LOVEJOY
Once again... if there be anyone
among you who does not want these
two people to be joined... let him
speak now or forever hold his peace.
Meagan looks around... no one says anything. The
reverend clears his throat to continue when...
WHAM! -- the studio door flies open and Jason appears
in the doorway holding the Jaws of Life.
FREDDY
Uh, oh...
The cultists attack Jason. Jason grabs the first
one with the Jaws of Life -- folds him in half like
a rag doll. Another attacks with a machete... bad
idea. One more cultist down and now Jason owns the
machete. Jason finishes off the last two cultists
as Erwin barricades the studio door. The cultists
on the other side start POUNDING.
Jason starts swinging at Freddy with the machete,
slicing through a camera cable. CLOSE ON CABLE as
it falls to the floor.
Freddy jumps back through the Dreamgate, closing it
behind him.
Erwin runs over to Meagan and Lizzy. He tries to
wake them but can't. As Jason lumbers over, Erwin
looks up and says:
ERWIN
I can't wake them up. Freddy's
got them trapped!
Erwin thinks for a moment, then rushes over to a
couple of dead cultists. He takes their syringes.
Erwin jabs Jason in the neck with two syringes full
of dream dope.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Go get him, boy!
Jason staggers forward, falling into...
INT. NIGHTMARE ARENA - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Jason falls into a boxing arena. The ropes are
entrails and atop each corner post is mounted a human
head. The spectators are all DEMONS, MONSTERS, and
the LIVING DEAD.
Jason looks over at his opponent -- dressed in boxing
shorts, shoes, and gloves -- it's Freddy.
Jason raises his arms and finds he too is wearing
boxing gloves.
TED BUNDY steps into the ring.
TED BUNDY
(into microphone)
Ladies and gentlemen... welcome
to the fight of the century! I'm
your ring announcer... Ted Bundy!
BANG! -- a bullet hole appears in Ted's forehead,
BLOWING his brains out the back. He falls over DEAD
and the crowd cheers. Ted sits up and pulls the wig
back over his shaved head and electric burns as he
calls into the balcony:
TED BUNDY
(continuing)
Verrrrrry funny, Oswald!
ANGLE IN BALCONY -- OSWALD stands, his rifle still
smoking.
OSWALD
(angry; defensive)
It wasn't me!
Ted Bundy gets to his feet and finishes the intro:
TED BUNDY
In my left corner, weighing in at
only ninety seven pounds... the
nightmare master himself! The one!
The only... Freddddddddy
Kruuuuuuugerrrrrr!!!
Freddy holds up his arms and the crowd goes wild.
TED BUNDY
(continuing)
And on my right... weighing in at
a whopping four hundred and thir-
teen pounds... that killer of
countless teenagers... the big
guy...
(gestures to Jason)
Jason Voorhees!
CHEERS and BOOS.
TED BUNDY
(continuing)
And the prize tonight... not one but
TWO -- count 'em -- TWO virgins...
ripe for the picking.
Ted gestures to a large cage suspended over the arena.
Inside -- Meagan and Lizzy clutch eachother.
TED BUNDY
(continuing)
Hey, have one now and save the other
for the ride home. That's what I did.
LAUGHTER from the crowd.
MEAGAN
Kick his ass, Jason!
DING! -- the bell sounds. The first round begins...
Freddy starts towards Jason, cocking his glove for a
blow when -- CH-CHING! -- knife blades jut out of the
glove. He punches Jason in the stomach and starts
RIPPING him open, rotten guts spilling out.
Jason spots a cocktail waitress walking past with an
axe in her head. This is BLOODY MARY. Jason reaches
over the side of the ring and pulls the axe out of
her head. Bloody Mary whips around, yelling:
BLOODY MARY
HEY!
Jason swings with the axe -- SH-WACK! -- Jason SLICES
OFF Freddy's arm. The crowd ROARS. Freddy looks
down at the open armpit, GUSHING with ROTTEN BLOOD,
and shrugs:
FREDDY
Oh, well... I just axed for that!
Freddy GROWS a new arm, complete with glove of knives.
Jason throws the axe at Freddy, who ducks it. The
axe flies into the audience, SMACKING MUSSOLINI square
between the eyes. He falls back to the floor. HITLER
turns to EVA BRAUN and says disdainfully:
HITLER
Peasants...
DING! The bell sounds. Freddy and Jason break, going
into their respective corners. As Jason sits down in
his corner, the HUMAN HEAD mounted on his corner post
starts in:
HUMAN HEAD
That's it, kiddo! You're really
giving it to him out there! Use the
left more -- jab! Make him hurt!
That's the ticket to a knockout!
Up in her cage, Meagan clutches a terrifed Lizzy.
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
Erwin watches Jason sleep as the cultists BANG down
the studio door.
INT. NIGHTMARE ARENA - NEXT MOMENT
DING! The bell sounds again and round two begins.
Freddy and Jason get to their feet and close in on
each other. Jason swings wide. Freddy ducks under
Jason's massive fist just as the referee steps in for
a close look. WHUMP -- Jason knocks the ref's head
OFF, it goes flying up into the balcony. The crowd
CHEERS.
Jason chases Freddy around the ring, looking for an
opening. Freddy backpeddles, tripping over the ref's
decapitated body as several HUNGRY ZOMBIES drag him out
of the ring, RIPPING his body apart and DEVOURING it.
Up in their cage, Meagan and Lizzy grimace with
disgust.
Jason reaches down and grabs Freddy, hoisting him
high above his head. Then Jason body slams Freddy
to the mat. The crowd CHEERS.
Jason starts jumping up and down on Freddy's back.
Freddy reaches into his shirt and brings out a rusty
can of spinach. In a grotesque parody of Popeye he
opens the can -- full of nasty worms and maggots --
and gulps it down. Suddenly, Freddy throws Jason off
his back and stands, huge muscles ballooning on his
chest and arms. At the end of his right hand -- a
heavy metal boxing glove.
Jason gets to his feet in time to see Freddy cock the
massive glove for a blow.
CHING! -- dozens of spikes spring out of the metal
glove. Freddy swings, knocking Jason into the ropes.
He bounces off and falls to the mat. The fans go nuts.
As Jason tries to get up, Freddy swings his right arm
around and around -- the metal boxing glove turning
into a giant mallet. Jason looks up just in time to
see the mallet coming down. WHAM! -- Freddy drives
Jason into the mat. The crowd goes wild.
>From up in her cage, Meagan starts to scream:
MEAGAN
Jason! Get up! Get up!
ANGLE UNDER THE MAT -- it's a dark, foreboding (under-
water) abyss. Jason's legs kick, trying to get back
up. Something slithers up from out of the deep...
wisps of empty blackness clutching at Jason's boots.
Freddy pushes down on Jason's mask, shoving him down.
Jason struggles but keeps slipping. This looks like
the end of Jason. Freddy laughs.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Jason! You've got to get up!
JASON'S P.O.V. of Freddy looking down at him, pushing
him down... drowning him...
FLASH CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - 1953 - DAY
YOUNG JASON P.O.V. as he is being drowned. He fights
to get to the surface... to see... who it is...
Young Jason breaks the surface for an instant and
his killer comes into sharp focus.
It's FREDDY (AGE 13). His Camp Crystal Lake nametag
reads: Hi! My name is Freddy! He pushes the young
Jason down again, laughing.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. NIGHTMARE ARENA - NEXT INSTANT
Freddy pushes Jason down into the abyss below the
mat... laughing, when Jason snaps. With a burst
of strength he kicks upward, coming up out of the
mat. Jason grabs Freddy by the throat and seizes
him up with him.
Jason's momentum carries both of them up to the
ceiling, where they CRASH through to...
INT. STUDIO - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Jason "wakes up", holding Freddy by the throat as
he bangs his head into the lighting gridwork above
the studio. A light EXPLODES and Freddy cries in
pain... then realizes, he's been brought into the
real world.
FREDDY
Oh, shit!
Jason throws Freddy to the ground, then raises up a
boot and stomps Freddy's head, SQUASHING it like a
tomato. The Dream Demons squirt out.
Just then, the cultists BREAK DOWN the studio door.
They raise their weapons to fire, when their heads
suddenly IMPLODE. They fall screaming to the floor
-- dead.
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - NIGHT - SAME INSTANT
The remaining cultists SHOOTING it out with the
police suddenly grab their heads, screaming. Their
heads IMPLODE and they fall to the ground. Murdoch
sees this and says to the S.W.A.T. commander:
MURDOCH
Now's my chance... give me sixty
seconds to get in there then move
in.
Before the commander can reply, Murdoch is off and
running into the station.
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
Meagan and Lizzy come out of their sleep-like trance
and embrace. Then Meagan looks up at Erwin.
MEAGAN
What took you so long?!
Erwin gestures to Jason, trying to keep his voice low
so as to not hurt the big guy's feelings.
ERWIN
What ever you do... don't let this
guy drive.
Meagan smiles at Jason.
MEAGAN
I knew you would come...
Jason and Meagan look over to where Freddy's body is
fast decaying... turning back into blackened bones,
scraps of cloth, and a rusting glove of knives.
The Dream Demons squirm around on the studio floor,
then swim into the open end of the camera cable and
disappear.
In the control room, Freddy's face appears on every
monitor, laughing.
ERWIN
Oh, no! Freddy's in the transmitter!
Erwin watches as an electrical Freddy-impulse races
from the control room via a long thick cable running
overhead.
ERWIN
(continuing)
He's going for the satellite dish!
If he uplinks with a communications
satellite he can beam himself any-
where in the world! We'll never be
rid of him!
Meagan and Jason look up at the Freddy-impulse shoots
past them, going through the ceiling to the...
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - ROOF - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The satellite dish mounted on the roof. It begins
to pulsate with an olive and red glow -- getting
ready to beam Freddy.
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
Meagan reaches up and grabs the cable, pulling it
hard.
EXT. ROOF - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The roof gives way, tilting the big dish just as it
BLASTS the laughing Freddy-beam into the night sky.
EXT. EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE - NEXT INSTANT
The Freddy-beam just misses the satellite, ricocheting
off one of the solar panels and sending the satellite
tumbling into deep space.
The deflected Freddy-beam now zooms towards the sun.
Inside the beam -- Freddy sees the sun zooming up
and screams. His face burns away, leaving a screaming
skull. That too burns away, leaving the Dream Demons.
One by one they burn up as the beam reaches the sun.
ANGLE ON THE SUN as the beam EXPLODES, causing a
solar prominence.
INT. TV STATION - STUDIO - SAME TIME
The ceiling collapses in on Jason, burying him under
a ton of rubble and the big antenna dish. A ton of
dust billows up.
Just then, Murdoch bursts in. He sees Lizzy and
Meagan and takes aim with the shotgun. Erwin sees
this and jumps in-between them, yelling:
ERWIN
No! Wait!
Murdoch FIRES. The shotgun blast knocks Erwin across
the room, where he lands in a heap. Meagan and Lizzy
run to his side.
Erwin struggles to breathe -- a large hole in his
chest. With fading strength, Erwin pulls his pin
out and pricks himself. Erwin smiles and dies.
MEAGAN
Erwin? Erwin?!
MURDOCH
He's dead... and so are you if you
don't put your hands up right now!
Lizzy turns and attacks Murdoch. He knocks her to
the floor, taking aim on her head with the shotgun
as he says:
MURDOCH
(continuing)
It's time I taught you girls some
respect for the law!
In a panic, Meagan snatches up a pistol from a fallen
cultist and FIRES it at Murdoch's head.
PTT-TWANG! -- Murdoch's hat goes flying off with a
SPARK HIT, revealing his bald, hideous head -- a
large open wound with a metal plate underneath. He
turns towards Meagan with an evil grin on his face.
MURDOCH
(continuing)
So... you wanna be a punk?
Murdoch raises the shotgun, taking aim on Meagan.
MURDOCH
(continuing)
Then die like a punk!
Murdoch starts to squeeze the trigger when Jason's
hand shoots out of the rubble pile behind him. Jason
jams his hand down the back of Murdoch's pants and
pulls up his briefs, lifting him a foot off the floor
with a Jason-wedgy as he rises from the rubble. We
see Murdoch's name written into his shorts.
As Murdoch screams, Jason jerks the shotgun from his
hand and jams it up his ass -- right through the seat
of his pants. Murdoch's cheeks bulge out as the
muzzle slams into the roof of his mouth. Jason cocks
the shotgun and...
BOOM! -- Murdoch's head and shoulders EXPLODE from
his torso, leaving his broken spine sticking up out
of shirt. Bits of Murdoch splatter the floor as his
metal plate comes PINGING down, rolling around and
spinning to a stop like a hubcap.
Jason drops Murdoch (what's left of him) to the
floor just as the S.W.A.T. commander and his men
come charging in. They see Jason and raise their
guns in panic.
MEAGAN
NO!
Too late. The cops let loose with a BARRAGE of GUN-
FIRE. BULLET HITS EXPLODE on Jason's chest. Meagan
grabs Lizzy and covers her up as the bullets WHIZZ
past.
More cops hear the SHOOTING and come running. They
start SHOOTING too. Soon the doorway to the studio
is crowded with muzzle flash.
More and more BULLET HITS SMACK Jason. A bullet
hole outline appears on the wall behind him.
The cops start running out of ammo and a cry goes
up, "More ammo! More ammo!".
VARIOUS INSERTS OF cops going for hideout pistols,
opening their trunks and taking out ammo cans,
passing the weapons and ammo up the staircase to the
cops in the studio.
Jason keeps getting SHOT. Pieces of his are flying
off. Fingers shot off of a hand. A knee shot away
to reveal the bone. Dozens of BULLET HITS going off
of his chest and head.
Finally, the cops start to run out of ammo. The
SHOOTING subsides and finally grinds to a stop, leaving
the cops knee-high in brass and a thick layer of
gunsmoke in the room.
As it clears, Jason still stands. He teeters a little,
then falls backwards with a mighty THUD.
Jason lays dying. Meagan rushes to his side. Jason
reaches into one of the giant holes in his chest and
pulls something out -- Jesse's heart.
Jason hands the heart to Meagan. Then Jason's head
rolls back -- he's dead.
Meagan begins weeping as we pull up out of the studio,
revealing her surrounded by Jason, Freddy, and Murdoch.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Meagan tucks Lizzy into her bed. She gives her the
Raggedy Ann doll and kisses her goodnight. As Meagan
turns out the light, Lizzy asks:
LIZZY
You forgot to check under the bed.
Meagan clucks and bends down, peering under the bed
-- nada.
MEAGAN
No monsters here.
LIZZY
But what if they come back?
MEAGAN
Then we'll just have to kick their
ass again.
Lizzy giggles.
LIZZY
I love you, Meagan.
MEAGAN
I love you too. Go to sleep.
INT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
As Meagan crosses to her room, her parents call up
to her from the bottom of the staircase.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Meagan?
Meagan looks down at her parents.
MEAGAN
Yes, dad?
MEAGAN'S DAD
Your mom and I... well, we want to
thank you for saving your sister's
life... we know you went through
a lot.
MEAGAN'S MOM
We're going to be there for you
from now on... for both of you!
And that nice lawyer we hired for
you said he thinks he can get all
the charges dropped... except maybe
for the grave robbing and human
desecration ones.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Everything is going to be fine.
MEAGAN
I know...
MEAGAN'S MOM
And I'm going to get sober...
MEAGAN'S DAD
We're going to be a normal, happy
family again.
MEAGAN
I know...
MEAGAN'S MOM
Goodnight, sweetheart.
MEAGAN
Goodnight mom... goodnight dad.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Goodnight, Meagan.
INT. MEAGAN'S ROOM - NIGHT
Meagan is ready for bed, drawing back the covers,
when the phone RINGS. She picks it up.
MEAGAN
Hello?
FREDDY
(filtered)
I'll be seeing you in your dreams...
Freddy's nasty tongue slithers out of the handset and
licks Meagan in the face. She yelps and slams the
phone down.
MEAGAN
(sighs)
I know...
Meagan puts the phone in a drawer and closes it. She
climbs into bed and pulls back the pillow to reveal
the pistol Erwin gave Jesse to kill Freddy. She smiles
and puts the pistol back under the pillow.
BLACKNESS:
The phone RINGS.
ROLL END CREDITS:
Then... at the very end...
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHTMARE ARENA - SAME TIME
Ted Bundy and all the spectators are looking up at
the hole in the ceiling that Jason and Freddy made
when they went back to reality... waiting.
Finally, somebody says:
MONSTER
I don't think they're coming back.
TED BUNDY
Okay, folks... show's over. Every-
body can go home now.
All the monsters get grumbling and start to exit.
CUT TO:
BLACK... now it's over.
THE ENDNIGHTMARE 13 -- FREDDY MEETS JASON
by Lewis Abernathy
FADE IN:
EXT. ELM STREET - DAY
MEAGAN is coming down the sidewalk in slow motion.
Her dress and long hair blow slightly in the breeze.
The SOUND of CHILDREN CHANTING increases.
DREAM CHILDREN
(in chorus)
One... two... Freddy's coming for
you.
On "you" there is a RUMBLE and a flash -- like quick
lightning only evil. (Choice flashes from Nightmare on
Elm Street 1 & 2).
Meagan turns at 1665. A beautiful white, two-story
house, thick with lush green foliage. Several beautiful
children, all dressed in bright white, play hopscotch
and jumprope on the front walk.
DREAM CHILDREN
(continuing; chanting)
Three... four... better lock your
door.
Close on a little girl's foot coming down on the number
"4" drawn on concrete.
Another RUMBLE and flash -- longer, LOUDER. (Flashes
from Nightmare 3 & 4).
Meagan continues up the walk, the wind is blowing a
little harder now. The trees are brown, the leaves
peeling away.
Moving up the walk, closer to the house... only now
it's a little darker, needs some paint. On the front
porch, a LITTLE GIRL rides a tricycle.
DREAM CHILDREN
(continuing; chanting)
Five... six...
RUMBLE. Flash. (Nightmare 5 and Freddy's Dead).
DREAM CHILDREN
(continuing; chanting)
...grab your crucifix.. ix.. ix..
The "ix" echoes away, becoming the faint "Ka ka ka"
we all recognize as Jason's theme. Meagan turns to
find that the children in the yard have vanished. It's
nighttime.
The trees are dead, the grass is gone, and the horizon
stretches off into utter nothingness. Meagan turns
back to the little girl.
But the little girl has gone. Only the tricycle
remains. It circles once, the front door CREAKS open,
and the empty tricycle peddles inside. Meagan follows
it into the...
INT. HOUSE ON ELM STREET - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan enters the house slowly, watching as the tri-
cycle rides off down a creepy hallway and disappears.
Then the front door blows shut behind Meagan. She
tries to open it -- locked.
Then faint VOICES cause Meagan to pause. She listens,
trying to make out the low murmur. Then a little girl's
GIGGLE. Meagan recognizes it as her sister's.
MEAGAN
Lizzy?
Meagan moves up the stairs, going down the hall...
following the voices (we recognize the other voice as
belonging to Freddy). Meagan enters a door at the
end of the hallway, moving into...
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM (NIGHTMARE) - CONTINOUS ACTION
On the floor, near her bed, is Meagan's thirteen year
old sister -- LIZZY. Slow for her age, Lizzy sits and
draws with crayons.
MEAGAN
Lizzy. What are you doing here?
LIZZY
Playing with my friend.
Meagan looks at the drawings -- childlike renderings
of Freddy.
MEAGAN
Your friend?
LIZZY
He lives under the bed.
Meagan slowly gets to her knees and takes a peek under
Lizzy's bed.
Suddenly, a doll-sized Freddy scurries out from under
the bed, flashing past Meagan's face and running out
the door. Meagan yelps and touches her face -- five
tiny slash marks on her cheek. Lizzy clucks.
LIZZY
(continuing)
You scared him...
Meagan looks out the door, incredulous.
MEAGAN
I scared him?
But when Meagan looks back, Lizzy is gone.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Lizzy?
Lizzy echoes away as Meagan finds herself standing
in the...
INT. NIGHTMARE CHAPEL - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The tiny Freddy dashes from the pews and jumps into
a casket at the altar, slamming the lid shut. Meagan
goes to the casket and carefully opens the lid. Inside
-- a rotting corpse with worms and maggots crawling
all over it. Meagan screams and slams the lid back
down.
The casket starts to move -- THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Then it stops. Tentatively, Meagan opens the lid again.
Inside -- FREDDY KRUEGER. He grabs her arm.
FREDDY
Where ya been all my death, baby?
Meagan screams. Freddy leaps out of the casket in a
tuxedo, crooning:
FREDDY
(continuing)
I've been waitin' at the altar for
a long, long time!
Meagan looks down -- she's wearing a wedding dress,
spattered with blood. Behind her, the chapel has
filled with dozens of DEAD PEOPLE in various stages
of decay. A SATANIC PRIEST appears in the pulpit and
asks:
SATANIC PRIEST
Are the bridesmaids in attendance?
Meagan looks to her left -- four girls hold bouquets,
dressed in body bags.
SATANIC PRIEST
(continuing)
And the groomsmen...?
Freddy opens his tuxedo jacket to reveal several
trapped souls struggling to get out of his chest.
SATANIC PRIEST
(continuing)
If anyone here believes that these
two should not be joined in unholy
matrimony, let him speak now or
forever rot in hell...
>From the back of the chapel, a voice:
JESSE
Meagan!
Meagan turns. It's her boyfriend -- JESSE. He stands
in the chapel doorway, backlit by bright light, arms
outstretched.
MEAGAN
Jesse!
Meagan runs to Jesse and grabs him, their arms
encircling one another. She looks up into Jesse's
eyes... only it isn't Jesse.
It's Jason.
Meagan screams as Jason raises his machete, bringing
it down between her eyes...
TRANSITION CUT TO:
INT. MEAGAN'S ROOM - MORNING
Meagan opens an eye as her alarm clock BUZZES... she
was dreaming. She gets up quickly and crosses to her
dresser. She looks into the mirror, at the tiny cuts
on her cheek, and clucks. Then she exits, going into...
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan opens the door to her sister's room, breathing
a sigh of relief when she sees Lizzy curled up in bed
with a doll. Meagan smiles and starts to exit when
she notices something not quite right about the doll.
She moves closer and pulls Lizzy's arm away to reveal
a hideous little Freddy doll. Meagan gasps.
MEAGAN
Freddy...
Suddenly, the doll opens it's eyes and sneers:
FREDDY DOLL
Well it ain't Raggedy Ann, bitch!
The Freddy doll flashes it's tiny glove of knives,
thrusting them deep into Meagan's chest.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. MEAGAN'S ROOM - MORNING (for real)
Meagan sits up suddenly in bed, clutching her chest.
She looks down and sees that there is nothing there.
Meagan sighs and falls back in her bed -- just a bad
dream.
ZZZZZZT! -- her alarm clock BUZZES. Meagan sits up
with a start again. Her fright turns to rage as she
pounds the alarm clock into submission. Meagan climbs
out of bed...
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - MORNING
Meagan enters and finds Lizzy still asleep, clutching
her Raggedy Ann doll. She gently pries the doll away,
tossing it disdainfully away. Meagan picks up a small
glass unicorn and playfully prances it around on Lizzy's
head.
MEAGAN
Wake up, sleepy head. Time to wake
up.
Lizzy's eyes flutter open. She smiles at her sister,
then frowns.
LIZZY
I had a bad dream.
MEAGAN
Me, too.
LIZZY
I was scared.
MEAGAN
Don't worry... they can't hurt you.
LIZZY
Promise?
MEAGAN
Promise.
Lizzy hugs Meagan.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
I'll never let anyone hurt you.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
CLOSE ON a small television set on the kitchen table.
A flashy graphic flashes across the screen: AM NEWS
SPECIAL REPORT -- COPS V.S. THE CULT -- DAY 13. A
NEWS REPORTER stands in front a police blockade. In
the background, dozens of POLICE and S.W.A.T. MEN
surround a small run-down, two-story house... Freddy's
house.
NEWS REPORTER
(filtered)
As the sun rises on yet another
morning, still no end in sight for
the standoff between police and the
mysterious group known only as the
"Freddy" cult who seized the abandoned
house behind me just thirteen days
ago. These cultists -- mostly run-
away teenagers -- have managed to
keep police at bay for almost two
weeks while inside they take mind-
altering narcotics in order to
communicate with their god --
Freddy.
The reporter babbles on as Meagan enters the kitchen
where MEAGAN'S MOM is sitting watching the TV, gulping
down orange juice. Across from mom is MEAGAN'S DAD,
who is having coffee, reading the paper. Meagan pours
herself a cup and sits.
MEAGAN
Morning.
Meagan's mom grunts, transfixed on the news. Dad
looks over his paper long enough to smile and say,
just a little too cheerfully:
MEAGAN'S DAD
Morning, Meagan.
Meagan looks over at her mother, then back at her
father, mouthing the words "How's mom?", when suddenly
Meagan's mom bellows:
MEAGAN'S MOM
(calls upstairs)
Lizzy! Get down here! Breakfast
is almost ready!
Meagan turns back to her dad but he has ducked back
into his paper. Meagan sighs and sips her coffee.
ANGLE ON TV -- a police booking photo of FRED KRUEGER.
NEWS REPORTER
Alleged child murderer Fred Krueger
was released on a legal technicality
but later burned to death at the
hands of a vigilante mob of grieving
parents. Some years later, a rash
of bizarre and unexplainable teen-
age deaths began leaving many in
the area to wonder... is Freddy
really dead?
Meagan's younger sister -- LIZZY -- comes down to
breakfast. The microwave DINGS and Meagan's mom
pulls out three Pop Tarts, dealing them out to her
family like playing cards. Lizzy picks up her Pop
Tart, whining.
MEAGAN'S MOM
Hurry up and eat. You don't want
to be late for special school.
MEAGAN
Mom! Don't call it that!
LIZZY
I hate that school. The other kids
are mean... and they're all re-
tard-ed!
Meagan snickers.
MEAGAN'S MOM
We don't use that word. They're
"special" children just like you're
"special".
Dad looks over at mom, who shoots him an angry look.
Dad takes a bite of his Pop Tart, sinking back behind
the paper.
ANGLE ON TV --
NEWS REPORTER
The cult members have declined to
an on-camera interview but did send
out a note with a message. The note
-- which, by the way, appears to
have been written in blood -- reads...
(reads the note)
To the parents of Springwood --
Freddy lives! Soon he will come and
take one of your children as his
virgin bride. Then Freddy will -BEEP-
and his -BEEP- upon her -BEEP- and
-BEEP- and behold, a soulless child
shall be born. The vessel for Freddy
to rise and rule the darkness forever
and ever.
A horn TOOTS outside.
MEAGAN
That's Jesse. Let's go, Lizzy.
Meagan collects her books and her sister. This is
dad's cue to look at his watch and say:
MEAGAN'S DAD
Oh, look at the time! I've got to
be going... anyone need me to bring
anything home tonight?
MEAGAN
I need an alarm clock.
MEAGAN'S DAD
What's wrong with your old one?
MEAGAN
Broke.
Meagan kisses her dad as she and Lizzy hurry out the
door. Meagan's dad looks over at his wife, who says:
MEAGAN'S MOM
We're almost out of vodka.
EXT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - MORNING - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan and Lizzy climb into JESSE's car.
JESSE
Good morning! Hey, what's the matter?
MEAGAN
My mom...
JESSE
And...?
MEAGAN
I had another dream last night...
JESSE
Was I naked?
MEAGAN
No. You were Jason.
JESSE
Jason? Oh, yeech...
(then)
Was I any good?
Meagan playfully smacks him as Jesse's car ROARS off.
INT. KITCHEN - SAME TIME
Meagan's dad hesitates at the front door, clutching
his keys and briefcase as he musters the courage to
say something.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Do you have to watch that crap all
the time? Months and months of the
O.J. Simpson trial, and now this...
Mom reaches over and switches off the TV. Dad smiles
slightly and exits. Mom waits until the door closes,
then takes a bottle of vodka and pours a goodly bit
into her orange juice. She takes a deep drink and
switches the set back on.
CLOSE ON TV as the news reporter interviews CAPTAIN
RENTON MURDOCH -- State Trooper.
NEWS REPORTER
I'm standing here with State Trooper
Captain Renton Murdoch, the man the
Governor has called in to deal with
the cultists because of his past
experience with occult-style
murderers. In fact, Trooper Murdoch
is the only law enforcement officer
ever to survive a one-on-one encounter
with notorious Camp Crystal Lake
killer -- Jason Voorhees.
(to Murdoch)
You received some pretty nasty
injuries in your battle with Jason,
didn't you, Captain?
MURDOCH
Nothing serious... just a few
stitches.
NEWS REPORTER
What about these so called "Freddy"
cultists? They seem like pretty
tough customers. Think you'll have
any trouble getting them out of
there?
MURDOCH
No. Now that the Governor has given
me complete authority to deal with
these punks I should be putting an
end to their situation pretty quick.
Unless of course their attorney is
able to get them to come out peace-
fully... but I don't hold out much
hope for that.
NEWS REPORTER
(to camera)
Captain Renton Murdoch, ladies and
gentlemen. A tough cop... for tough
criminals.
CUT TO:
EXT. "FREDDY" CULT COMPOUND - MOMENTS LATER
Murdoch gets into the command car, sitting down next
to the S.W.A.T. COMMANDER sitting behind the wheel.
MURDOCH
Damn media... oughtta be a law.
(gestures to house)
Is that shyster still in there
trying to talk them out?
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Yeah... he's making them some kind
of deal.
MURDOCH
Damn lawyers... what a bunch of
assholes. Shakespeare was right --
kill all the lawyers. Then we could
kill all the punks with no hassles
and the world would be a safer place.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Smaller anyway.
MURDOCH
Ahhhhh... what did Shakespeare know?
Long-haired, English freak. He was
probably a punk.
INT. CULT COMPOUND - SAME TIME
Meanwhile, inside the house... the cult's sleazy LAWYER
is sitting on a crate in the middle of a dark room.
He is surrounded by CULTISTS -- heavily-armed teenage
punks in red and olive sweaters and Fedoras ala Freddy.
They stare out at him through sunglasses with red
flashing diodes that barely hide their burned and
disfigured faces.
The lawyer shifts uncomfortably on the crate as he
takes a deep snort from inside his briefcase held
neatly on his lap. Then he lifts his head, wiping
his nose nervously as he speaks:
SLEAZY LAWYER
So, as I explained to you before,
the revenues between the TV movie
deal and the book sale should be
adequate to fund your joint-defense.
And I think with my mass media
hypnosis argument I could get each
of you a reduced sentence on appeal
-- say... twenty years each. Out
in fifteen with good behavior?
Hmmmmm?
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. CULT COMPOUND - MOMENTS LATER
The lawyer's disembodied head comes sailing out of
an upstairs window, smacking into the command car's
windshield with a loud SPLAT!
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Jesus Christ!
Murdoch curses and leaps out of the car, charging
the house as he BLASTS away with two nickel-plated
.45s. Suddenly GUNFIRE erupts from every window in
the house, BULLET HITS RIDDLING the cops cars,
SMASHING windows and emergency lights.
The S.W.A.T. TEAM follows Murdoch through the hail
of GUNFIRE as he kicks open the front door.
INT. CULT COMPOUND - NEXT INSTANT
WHACK! -- the door flies open and Murdoch and the
S.W.A.T. team move in. The windows have been covered
with foil, the walls have been painted black with
cult slogans written in red, making the whole house
black as pitch. The S.W.A.T. team puts on their
night vision goggles and starts moving through the
house.
P.O.V. THROUGH NIGHT VISION GOGGLES as the S.W.A.T.
team goes through the house SHOOTING cultists (ala
the computer game DOOM). Then a blinding flash of
light and a S.W.A.T. guy goes down -- shot in the
face.
Several of the cultists lead the attacking S.W.A.T.
team deeper into the house. As one of the S.W.A.T.
guys follows his foot trips a wire. A trap door
opens in the floor and the S.W.A.T. guy falls into
a pit, waist deep in water. Suddenly, the water
starts churning and the guy starts screaming -- it's
a tank of piranhas! Two other S.W.A.T. guys grab
his arms and pull him out. Too late -- his legs
have been shredded to the bone.
Another S.W.A.T. guy kicks in a door to a room and
steps in, FIRING his machine gun. A large scythe
swings down and severs both his arms at the elbows.
His arms fall to the floor, still FIRING the machine
gun.
The cultists race into a room, grabbing handrailing
bolted over head. They swing like monkeys across
the ceiling just as a S.W.A.T. guy charges into the
room behind them.
CLOSE ON S.W.A.T. GUY'S BOOTS as he steps onto a floor
covered with upturned nails. Several nails puncture
both boots, the points coming up through the laces.
The S.W.A.T. guy screams and another S.W.A.T. guy
barrels into the room to see what is wrong. He knocks
the first guy face-first into the floor o' nails.
Meanwhile, Murdoch is having a blast -- literally.
He kicks open the door to a room and guns down three
cultists as they try to escape out a window. As
the last body pitches to the floor, Murdoch yells:
MURDOCH
Freeze!
Murdoch exits, laughing to himself.
The running GUNBATTLE continues as the cultists
retreat to the back of the house, throwing molotov
cocktails. Soon the first floor is ablaze. A S.W.A.T.
guy screams as he is consumed by FIRE. The cultists
thunder down a back staircase to the...
INT. THE BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The cultists uncover a secret passageway under the
house and most escape through the underground tunnel
just before the S.W.A.T. team comes BLASTING into
the basement. As the last of the remaining cultists
is capped off, a faint voice cries for help. The
S.W.A.T. commander raises up his hand.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Hold your fire!
He pulls off his night vision goggles and shines his
flashlight into the basement. Through the dense
smoke he sees a little girl in a white dress is tied
to a chair sitting on a crate. Underneath the chair
-- several sticks of dynamite wired to a timer. CLOSE
ON THE TIMER: 30... 29... 28...
LITTLE GIRL HOSTAGE
Help me, mister... please.
The S.W.A.T. commander rushes to the girl, kneeling
down to look at the bomb. Then he takes a Leatherman
tool from his vest and starts to work on the bomb's
timer.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Hang on, honey... I'll have you
out of there in a second.
Murdoch comes down the stairs. He goes to the secret
passageway and says:
MURDOCH
Looks like we'll have to hunt the
rest of them down. Let's go before
they get too far.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
We can't leave! Can't you see
we've got a situation here?
Murdoch looks at the little girl and shrugs.
MURDOCH
Leave her.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
You're crazy! I can't just leave
her!
MURDOCH
Forget it. I've seen this before.
There's nothing you can do.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
I've got to try...
The S.W.A.T. commander wipes his brow and leans in
to work on the bomb again. CLOSE ON TIMER: 24...
23... 22...
The basement ceiling is now fully ABLAZE and chunks
of BURNING DEBRIS fall around the skittish S.W.A.T.
team. Murdoch looks at his watch in a bored fashion.
MURDOCH
You're wasting your time.
The S.W.A.T. commander studies the wires for another
second, then glances back at the timer... 15... 14...
13...
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Fuck it!
The S.W.A.T. commander whips out his Spyderco knife
and cuts the little girl loose. He carries her out
in his arms as he shouts to his men:
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
(continuing; yelling)
CLEAR OUT! SHE'S GOIN' BLOW!!!
The S.W.A.T. team exits the basement with Murdoch
bringing up the rear.
EXT. CULT COMPOUND - NEXT INSTANT
The S.W.A.T. commander staggers out with the little
girl, followed closely with the remainder of his men
and finally Murdoch. The commander throws himself to
the ground, covering the little girl with his body as
-- BA-BOOM!!! -- the Elm Street house EXPLODES!
Murdoch stands as debris rains down around him. He
mutters:
MURDOCH
Punks.
As the dust settles, the S.W.A.T. commander rolls off
the little girl and starts checking her for injury.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Are you okay, honey?
Suddenly, the little girl jumps onto the S.W.A.T.
commander, flashing a glove of knives. She hisses:
LITTLE GIRL HOSTAGE
Freddy lives!
With a quick swing, the little girl slashes the
commander's face. She dives back for a plunge to
his throat when Murdoch walks up and kicks her off.
He puts his boot on her, holding her down as he
takes aim on her head with his pistol -- execution
style.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
NO!
The S.W.A.T. commander grabs Murdoch's arm just in
time. Several cops rush in and grab the girl,
dragging her off, kicking and screaming.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
(continuing)
Jesus... you were going to kill
that kid, weren't you?
MURDOCH
I told you you were wasting your
time. Once these kids go rabid,
best thing to do is put 'em down.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
You can't be serious...
MURDOCH
Dead serious. See... the world is
made up of rules. Kids don't like
rules. They rebel for a while, but
ultimately they start to fall in
line and become ordinary Joe's like
you and me. But some kids... dope
smokers mainly, watching their MTV...
Satanic lyrics melting what's left
of their brains... these kids grow
up to be punks. And when these punks
step as far over the line as these
"Freddy" punks have -- then we as
peace officers have no choice but
to kill them.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
I didn't become a peace officer to
kill kids.
MURDOCH
Punks. There's a difference...
(under his breath)
...barely.
CUT TO:
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
CLOSE ON GRAFFITI written across lockers -- FREDDY
LIVES!
We move from this to a small classroom window. Through
it we see Meagan sitting in economics class. The
instructor -- MISS KREPPS -- is lecturing.
MISS KREPPS
(Blah-blah. Blah-blah-blah.)
It's hot. Several of the kids fan themselves,
struggling to stay awake while others have already
passed out on their desks. Meagan's eyes are heavy.
She looks over at Jesse, pretending to follow along
in his book, fast asleep. The antique oscillating
fan on Miss Krepps' desk CLICKS loudly as she drones
on:
MISS KREPPS
(continuing)
(Blah-blah-blah. Blah-blah.)
Meagan starts to drift off, when...
MISS KREPPS
(continuing; loud)
Meagan!?
MEAGAN
Yes, ma'am?
MISS KREPPS
I asked if you were ready to give
your oral report?
MEAGAN
Yes... I'm ready.
MISS KREPPS
Please come up here to the podium.
Meagan gets up and goes to the podium amidst the
snickers of some of her classmates. Miss Krepps
snaps her fingers for quiet.
MISS KREPPS
(continuing)
You won't think it's funny when
you haven't learned the fundamentals
of a free market economy... oh,
why do I waste my breath? You're
all going to grow up to be gas
station attendants and waitresses
anyway. Go ahead, Meagan.
MEAGAN
My report is on Global Economic
Trends.
(clears throat;
begins reading)
Try and think of a world where there
is no poverty... no sickness... no
crime. A world where everyone is
happy to be alive and everyone lives
together in peace. This is my dream.
The fan on Miss Krepps' desk starts to CLICK louder,
BLOWING harder. Meagan raises an eyebrow but continues
with her report.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
This dream is becoming a reality
with ever-growing international
business...
CLOSE ON THE FAN as it changes... getting creepier...
turning into a Freddy-fan. BLOWING harder... CLICKING
louder.
MISS KREPPS
Louder, Meagan. We can't hear you.
Meagan repeats the last few sentences, raising her
voice to be heard over the fan. Then pages of her
report start to blow away. She grabs at them as the
WIND increases.
A bottle of glue stowed in the podium overturns and
spills to the floor at Meagan's feet. She bends over
to pick it up, when her skirt blows up. She presses
it down but the WIND is too great and the skirt
billows up, revealing her underwear. The class roars
with laughter.
MISS KREPPS
(continuing)
Louder, Meagan... we still can't
hear you.
But Meagan isn't reading her report anymore, she's
busy trying to push down her skirt when -- RIP! --
the WIND blows her skirt off. Her classmates fall
over themselves, laughing. RIP! -- Meagan's blouse
blows away. She tries to hide behind the podium when
that too is swept off.
Meagan clutches at her bra and panties as they start
to drift away -- thread by thread. She is almost
naked. Meagan looks up at her classmates, red in the
face.
Her classmates point and laugh -- only now they are
all a bunch of old rotten skeletons. And up front,
in the center where Miss Krepps sat... is Freddy! He
wears a beanie with a propeller, points and laughs:
FREDDY
Aww... all dressed up and nowhere
to blow!
Meagan screams, clutching at the last few tiny strands
of cloth that cover her body. She calls to Jesse,
pleading:
MEAGAN
Jesse... please, help me.
But Jesse just sits at his desk -- dead. He reaches
up and slowly lowers a hockey mask over his pale,
expressionless face.
FREDDY
Looks like a photo opportunity to
me!
Freddy pulls out an over-sized camera with a gargantuan
flashgun attached. The flash bulb is the size of a
beach ball and has a nuclear warning etched in the
front. Freddy sizes Meagan up in the viewfinder and
sneers:
FREDDY
(continuing)
Say... cheesecake!
PHOOMPH!!! -- the flash bulb goes off with an atomic
light. Meagan screams as her skeleton is blown back
against the blackboard -- vaporized!
HARD CUT TO:
Meagan waking up in her seat suddenly. The classroom
as normal. Miss Krepps is standing over her, asking:
MISS KREPPS
Meagan? Meagan?!
Meagan looks around, bewildered and confused.
MISS KREPPS
(continuing)
I asked if you were ready to give
your report?
Meagan realizes that she was dreaming and pulls
herself together.
MEAGAN
Sure...
Meagan stands up and faints.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SCHOOL NURSE'S OFFICE - MINUTES LATER
MEAGAN'S P.O.V as the SCHOOL NURSE comes into FOCUS,
standing over her.
SCHOOL NURSE
Meagan? Can you hear me? Do you
know where you are?
Meagan is laying on a couch, a cloth over her head.
MEAGAN
I was day dreaming and then I woke
up but then it was like I was still
dreaming and then I woke up and
then I guess I fainted and now I'm
awake again...
SCHOOL NURSE
Are you sure?
Meagan stares at the nurse for a moment.
SCHOOL NURSE
(continuing)
Meagan?
MEAGAN
I'm waiting to see if you're going
to turn into Freddy.
SCHOOL NURSE
Freddy... I see. You've been watching
too much CNN. That crazy "Freddy"
cult thing -- it's all over the TV
day and night -- you can't get away
from it. No wonder you kids are all
having nightmares.
MEAGAN
But this one was different... it
felt real.
SCHOOL NURSE
But that's just it, Meagan... dreams
aren't real. They're just broken
fragments of the subconscious mind.
MEAGAN
Fear is real though, isn't it? And
if nightmares are fear, then doesn't
that make them real?!
(gets excited)
And if the nightmares are real then
is reality like a dream?!
SCHOOL NURSE
(cutting her off)
Meagan! You've got heat prostration...
that's all.
The nurse slaps a wet towel over her face.
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Jesse is waiting for Meagan as she emerges from the
nurse's office, muttering under her breath:
MEAGAN
Old witch... what does she know?
She isn't even qualified to give a
shot and she's telling me that my
dreams aren't anything to worry
about.
JESSE
So she said you were okay?
MEAGAN
Oh, sure... Madame Curie in there
says it's just a case of heat pro-
stration and an overdose of TV news.
Ruined my makeup, too.
JESSE
So you're going back to class?
MEAGAN
No. She gave me last period off.
JESSE
Well, what are you bitching about?
I could have a compound fracture of
the skull and she wouldn't excuse me
from P.E.
MEAGAN
Jesse! I've been having nightmares
for almost two weeks now and they
keep getting worse! Now I'm having
daymares! I want to know why!
JESSE
Okay... well, didn't the nurse say
it was heat probation?
Meagan rolls her eyes in frustration.
MEAGAN
You don't understand... I want to
know more about dreams. What they
mean... why we have them.
JESSE
Okay, Meg, go look it up. You've
got the rest of the day off, that's
all I'm saying.
MEAGAN
That's a good idea. Why don't you
cut last period and come with me?
JESSE
Sure. Where are we going?
MEAGAN
The library.
JESSE
You want me to cut school so we can
go to the library?
CUT TO:
INT. LIBRARY - AFTERNOON
Meagan pours through a big psychology book. Across
the table, Jesse peers into another psychology book.
MEAGAN
Find anything?
Jesse looks up suddenly.
JESSE
What? Oh, no... nothing yet.
Over Jesse's shoulder we see he has a copy of ROAD &
TRACK tucked inside his psychology book.
MEAGAN
Did you know that our sub-conscious
retains everything that ever happened
to us? Everything. From the time
we're born until we die.
JESSE
Really?
MEAGAN
That's how Freddy gets at us...
by using our sub-conscious fears.
Fears our conscious minds have
repressed or forgotten.
JESSE
I've got a news flash for you...
Freddy's dead.
MEAGAN
I'm not so sure... if Freddy exists
in our sub-conscious then he can
never be fully erased. Like a bad
memory... you may blot it out of
your mind but it will alway be
hiding someplace in your dreams.
(off Jesse's
disbelieving stare)
Weren't you scared as a child by
something so stupid that you're
ashamed to admit it?
JESSE
No.
MEAGAN
No?
JESSE
Well, yeah.
MEAGAN
Well, what? What is it?
JESSE
Well... when I was kid, my brother
took me to the carnival. And in the
penny arcade there was this robot
gunslinger...
MEAGAN
Black Bart.
JESSE
You know about Black Bart?
MEAGAN
Duh. You put your quarter in and he
says, "Go ahead and draw, tenderfoot."
And then you pull your gun out and
shoot him.
JESSE
That's just it -- I never could!
I'd point the gun right at him and
shoot, and I could never hit the guy.
So I always got killed.
MEAGAN
No one can hit him -- it's a gyp.
JESSE
Scared the shit out of me.
Meagan tries to hide her smile.
JESSE
(continuing;
flustered)
Isn't that scary? I mean... for a
kid?
Meagan laughs. Somebody shushes her.
JESSE
(continuing;
mad)
Okay, smartass... what about you?
What scared you the most as a kid?
A dark mood falls over Meagan as her mind winds back.
MEAGAN
I remember... Lizzy wandered off
one day and we couldn't find her.
The police came and everything. I
wasn't really worried until I saw
her picture on TV... then I got
really scared.
(then)
Jesse, I can't explain it... but I
think something bad's going to
happen.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. SPECIAL SCHOOL - AFTERNOON
Lizzy sits on the steps of her school, clutching
her books and Raggedy Ann doll... waiting. Behind
her, wearing a protective helmet, another learning
disabled kid - LEONARD - taunts her.
LEONARD
You're stupid!
LIZZY
No, you are!
LEONARD
They forgot you again!
LIZZY
No, they didn't!
LEONARD
Yes, they forgot and you're goin'
to wait out here until it's dark
and then the monsters are goin'
come and get you!
LIZZY
No they won't, because I'm walkin'
home!
Lizzy gets to her feet and starts walking. Leonard
calls after her:
LEONARD
Come back, Lizzy! You can wait with
me! I got forgot too, you know!
Lizzy keeps going, marching across the deserted school
yard. Leonard turns to go inside the school when he
bumps into a passing CULTIST. The cultist pushes him
down as he follows after Lizzy.
LEONARD
(continuing)
Okay... I'm going to have to report
this!
Lizzy walks briskly along when she gets the feeling
she's being followed. She turns and sees a cultist
standing behind a tree several dozen yards behind her.
Lizzy turns away and quickens her pace but when she
glances back, the figure is still standing... but
closer.
Scared, Lizzy turns and runs, dropping her books as
she flees down the sidewalk. As she comes to the
street, a big black hearse suddenly pulls up in front
of her, the door swinging open wide. Burned arms
reach out to grab Lizzy. She screams.
The cultists grab Lizzy, pulling her into the car as
it roars off down the street.
CLOSE ON RAGGEDY ANN -- laying in the gutter.
CUT TO:
EXT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON
Jesse's car pulls up to a sea of police cars parked
in front of Meagan's house. Meagan gets out of the
car and rushes inside.
INT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
COPS are everywhere as Meagan bursts into the house,
calling for her family. Jesse enters behind her when
Meagan's dad comes up, asking:
MEAGAN'S DAD
Didn't you get my message?
MEAGAN
What message?
MEAGAN'S DAD
I called the school after lunch...
I had to stay late after work...
I...
Meagan's mother bellows from the living room where
she is talking to a policeman taking notes. She is
drunk and has been crying.
MEAGAN'S MOM
Don't you dare blame this on her,
you sorry bastard! It's all your
fault!
(to Meagan)
Where have you been anyway?
MEAGAN
The library.
MEAGAN'S MOM
A likely Goddamn story!
Meagan's mom breaks down sobbing.
MEAGAN
Dad... what's wrong? What's happened?
Where's Lizzy?
MEAGAN'S DAD
She didn't come home from school
today. The police got a report that
a girl fitting Lizzy's description
was forced into a car by some
crazies. They're pretty sure it was
this "Freddy" cult.
MEAGAN
(shocked)
Oh, my God...
Meagan's dad puts his arm around Meagan and tries to
comfort her.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Now don't worry. The police are
doing everything they can.
Meagan looks over and sees Murdoch talking to his
men when a voice from upstairs calls down:
TROOPER
(O.S.)
Hey, Cap'n... better have a look
up here!
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - NEXT SECOND
As Murdoch enters, he spots Lizzy's night table and
the small glass menagerie there. Murdoch picks up
the unicorn and admires it when a TROOPER draws his
attention to the floor next to the bed.
Laying there are several childlike drawings of Freddy,
including one that has "Freddy Lives" scrawled across
the top.
Meagan enters and sees the drawings. She gasps.
TROOPER
Looks like she was in the cult all
along.
MEAGAN
No... no, she wouldn't do that!
Lizzy wouldn't join Freddy's cult!
TROOPER
I know it's hard to believe, miss.
But a lot of good kids get caught
up in this kind of trouble.
Murdoch stares at the drawings, his jaw muscles
tightening. He clenches his fist, pulverizing the
little unicorn.
MURDOCH
Punks...
Murdoch drops the broken pieces of the unicorn on
the table as he exits the room, brushing past Meagan.
INT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Meagan's dad follows Murdoch to the door, asking:
MEAGAN'S DAD
Captain Murdoch... is there any-
thing we can do?
MURDOCH
You can pray, sir. Pray we find your
daughter before... well, before it's
too late. But rest assured, if I
can't persuade her to come back to
her loving home, then I'll do what's
best for her. I know you and your
wife wouldn't want her to suffer.
(to his men)
Come on... I want to go talk to
Erwin.
Murdoch and his men say "good-bye" and quickly exit.
EXT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
As the last of the cops drive away, Meagan pulls
Jesse out of the house.
JESSE
Where are we going?
MEAGAN
Over to Stormie's.
JESSE
Stormie? I thought you and her weren't
friends anymore since she stole that
twenty dollars from you.
MEAGAN
That was her "klepto" phase... when
she was dating that gang member.
She dumped him a long time ago.
JESSE
I still don't understand. What has
she got to do with Lizzy missing?
MEAGAN
She used to be in the Freddy cult.
Maybe she knows where they took
Lizzy.
They exit to Jesse's car.
CUT TO:
INT. STORMIE'S ROOM - AFTERNOON
Meagan's high-strung best friend -- STORMIE -- is
blurting out at a mile-a-minute:
STORMIE
If I did know I would call the
police, you know that. I love Lizzy.
No telling what those freaks will
do to her. Those Freddy cult guys
are hard core.
JESSE
I thought you were in the cult?
STORMIE
I was in the cult for a week cause
my boyfriend at the time... Slasher,
he was. But I just liked the music
and the clothes... when they were
clean, but not like the violence
and stuff. But that was just my
"cult" phase... but I got past that.
You know, just like my "gang" phase
when I was dating Ramon and then
before that was my "death rock"
phase when I was dating Stuart...
JESSE
Uh, excuse me... but what phase
are we in now?
STORMIE
Militant feminist, man-hating phase,
what's it fuckin' to ya?!
JESSE
(to Meagan)
Why don't you just let the cops find
her? That guy Renton Murdoch -- he
knows how to deal with these cultist
psychos. He was the man who got Jason
Voorhees.
MEAGAN
That guy in my dreams...
STORMIE
Jason kicked his ass.
QUICK CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - SOME YEARS AGO - NIGHT
Jesse narrates a short, fuzzy, silent flashback as
younger-looking Renton Murdoch is BLASTING away at
Jason in panic.
JESSE
(V.O.)
Well... yeah. But Murdoch put
thirteen bullets in Jason before
he hacked his head open.
Jason cleaves Murdoch's head with a machete. Murdoch
staggers back, raising his pistol.
JESSE
(V.O.,
continuing)
But even with his head hacked open
and his brains leaking out, Murdoch
still managed to put his last bullet
in Jason's eye.
Murdoch FIRES, the bullet SMACKING Jason in the eye.
Thick blood runs down the hockey mask as Murdoch's
body hits the ground.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM-
Murdoch lays in a bed, his head covered in bandages.
Tubes and hoses running everywhere to all sorts of
medical contraptions.
STORMIE
(V.O.)
Well, one of my mom's boyfriends
worked at the hospital where they
took him. He said that Murdoch lost
more than half his brain and what
little that was left was all twisted
up inside. And they had to replace
his skull with a metal plate to
keep that from leaking out.
In a series of quick cuts we move in close on Murdoch's
eyes -- dark and menacing -- staring out at us.
STORMIE
(V.O.,
continuing)
They say he hasn't been the same
since.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. STORMIE'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
JESSE
So what's different about him?
STORMIE
One thing... he used to be a
Democrat. Now he votes straight
Republican.
MEAGAN
I think he thinks Lizzy joined the
cult or something.
STORMIE
Oh, my God... he'll kill her.
MEAGAN
I've got to find Lizzy myself. I've
got to find her and save her from
Freddy before that crazy cop kills
her.
JESSE
Just where are you going to look?
I mean, these cult guys could be
holding her anywhere.
MEAGAN
Murdoch said something about going
to talk to somebody named Erwin.
STORMIE
Erwin Kelper! He used to be in the
Freddy cult! I bet he knows where
they took Lizzy!
JESSE
Not Squirmin' Erwin -- that freak
that used to eat bugs?
STORMIE
(annoyed)
Who else?
(to Meagan; bright)
Erwin is scary smart -- always brought
home "A"s -- but he was kinda fucked
up, too... I mean, who isn't really?
Anyway, he quit the cult a few months
back and the cops put him away for
his own safety. They say Freddy's
put a death hex on Erwin.
JESSE
A death hex?
STORMIE
Yes, a death hex. You know... where
someone wants you dead!
MEAGAN
Where is he?
CUT TO:
EXT. SPRINGWOOD MENTAL CENTER - AFTERNOON
Jesse, Meagan, and Stormie pull past the large sign
and into the parking lot. As Jesse puts the car in
park, Meagan turns to him and says:
MEAGAN
I want you to stay here.
JESSE
Why?
MEAGAN
Don't be mad... it's just that you
might scare him.
JESSE
Scare him?
STORMIE
What she's subtly trying to tell
you is that this needs a woman's
gentle touch... butthead.
MEAGAN
Just stay here... okay?
Jesse grudgingly agrees. Meagan kisses Jesse on the
cheek. Stormie sticks her tongue out at him, then
turns as she and Meagan walk toward the main entrance.
INT. SPRINGWOOD MENTAL CENTER - MOMENTS LATER
The CRIES of the insane echo through the building as
the SECURITY GUARD escorts Meagan and Stormie down a
row of cell doors. He stops at one, tapping lightly
on the glass.
SECURITY GUARD
Yo, Erwin... you've got a couple
of visitors. Now be a good boy...
(to Meagan & Stormie)
You've got five minutes. I'll be
right down the hall if you need me.
The guard exits. Meagan and Stormie peer through the
thick window -- Erwin's padded cell appears vacant.
They exchange anxious looks, then Meagan presses a
little closer to the glass.
MEAGAN
Erwin...?
SPLAT! -- ERWIN suddenly presses his horribly burned
face to the glass as he screams:
ERWIN
SHOW ME YOUR ARMS! YOUR ARMS!
Meagan and Stormie jump back, startled. Then they
quickly bare their arms, turning them over for Erwin's
inspection.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Where do you shoot?
MEAGAN
Shoot?
STORMIE
He's talking about dream dope --
the stuff the cultists shoot up
with so they can talk to Freddy.
MEAGAN
I don't do drugs.
ERWIN
You're not in the cult?
MEAGAN
No.
ERWIN
Didn't Freddy send you to kill me?
MEAGAN/STORMIE
No.
ERWIN
I don't trust you... better take off
your clothes so I can check you for
tracks.
STORMIE
Chill, Erwin. We're here for some
hard data -- not a floppy disk.
Erwin flops the arms of his straight jacket, gesturing
to the inside of his cell -- empty except for a small
mattress.
ERWIN
Well, what do you want? Can't you
see I'm busy?
MEAGAN
Freddy's cult kidnapped my sister.
STORMIE
I told her you might know where
they took her.
ERWIN
I already told the cops everything
I know.
MEAGAN
Tell me... please.
ERWIN
Look... I'm sorry about your sister,
but I've got my own problems with
Freddy. I'm a marked man, you know.
MEAGAN
Then tell me why they took her...
ERWIN
To bear his child. Freddy wants to
be human again. In order to do that
he has to be "reborn".
MEAGAN
How can he do that?
ERWIN
He has to marry a virgin on holy
ground. Then the cult consumate
the marriage by impregnating her.
STORMIE
The whole cult? Yeech!
ERWIN
Freddy's the son of a hundred maniacs.
It's sort of a tradition with him.
MEAGAN
So the cult gets Lizzy pregnant?
ERWIN
And Freddy enters the soul of the
fetus through a dream state. Voila!
Rebirth.
There is a moment as the girls take this in, then:
STORMIE
That's the stupidest shit I ever
heard.
ERWIN
Hey, they're not my rules... some-
body else wrote 'em.
MEAGAN
Erwin... you've got to help me find
Lizzy. You're my only hope.
Erwin thinks about this for a second, then:
ERWIN
I'll help you find your sister, but
you've got to help me.
MEAGAN
Anything. Just name it.
ERWIN
You have to help me kill Freddy.
Meagan and Stormie exchange looks.
STORMIE
But Freddy's dead.
ERWIN
Freddy lives...
(looks at Meagan)
If only in our dreams.
Stormie grabs Meagan by the arm and starts to pull
her away.
STORMIE
Come on, Meagan... our five minutes
is up. He's giving me the creeps.
But Meagan stays put and asks Erwin:
MEAGAN
How can you kill a dream?
ERWIN
When it's not a dream.
(then)
Do we have a deal?
Erwin presses his palm against the glass. Meagan
thinks a moment, then puts her hand against the glass
over his.
MEAGAN
Deal.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET CORNER - AFTERNOON - A SHORT TIME LATER
Meagan, Jesse, and Stormie are standing in front of
a pay phone, arguing.
JESSE
No! I won't do it!
MEAGAN
Come on, Jesse! Please...?
JESSE
It's illegal! I could go to jail!
STORMIE
How will they ever know? Don't be
such a pussy!
JESSE
Oh, yeah? Why don't you call then?
STORMIE
Okay, I will!
MEAGAN
No! They'll never believe her!
STORMIE
I can disguise my voice...
(lowers voice)
Hello, how do you do? My name is
Jesse. I think I'm a man but I'm
actually a wimp.
MEAGAN
They'll never believe that. Come
on, Jesse... for me?
JESSE
Okay... okay... I'll do it.
(to Stormie)
And I'm not a wimp!
Jesse sighs and steps into the phone booth. After a
moment's hesitation, Jesse steps out and immediately
both girls blurt out ten reasons why he should make
the call. Jesse calls for quiet and as soon as both
girls shut up, he says:
JESSE
(continuing)
I need a quarter for the phone.
Meagan fishes out a quarter and hands it to him. Jesse
re-enters the booth.
ANGLE IN PHONE BOOTH as Jesse dials a number.
INT. SPRINGWOOD MENTAL CENTER - NEXT INSTANT
The security guard picks up his phone as it RINGS.
SECURITY GUARD
Springwood Mental Center... how
can I help you?
JESSE
(filtered; disguising
his voice)
There's a bomb planted in your
building.
SECURITY GUARD
Who is this?
JESSE
If I were you -- I'd get my ass
out of there.
In the background, we hear Meagan and Stormie whisper
something to Jesse.
JESSE
(continuing; adding)
Oh, yeah... Freddy Lives.
CLICK! -- The guard's eyes grow wide.
EXT. SPRINGWOOD MENTAL CENTER - AFTERNOON -SECONDS LATER
The peaceful quiet of the asylum is shattered by a
fire ALARM. Soon all the INMATES start filing out
into the yard, loosely herded by the GUARDS. Erwin
files out with the others, still wearing his straight
jacket.
Erwin looks over at the parking lot -- Jesse's car
flashes it's lights. Erwin starts to casually wander
off towards the fence between himself and freedom
when the SECURITY GUARD spots him and says:
SECURITY GUARD
Hey, Erwin... where do you think
you're going?
Erwin ignores him, still moving towards the fence.
SECURITY GUARD
(continuing)
I'm talking to you, asshole!
Erwin breaks into a run. The guard takes off after
him.
In the car, Jesse, Meagan, and Stormie watch as the
guard closes the distance.
JESSE
He's not going to make it.
MEAGAN
We've got to do something!
With grim determination, Jesse starts his car.
Jesse's car tears out of the parking lot, racing for
the fence. With a loud, metallic CHING, Jesse's car
drives into the fence, knocking that section down.
Erwin dances over the downed chain-link, diving into
an open window. Then, with a SQUEAL of tires and the
RENDING of metal, Jesse's car backs out of the fence,
does a 180, and PEELS off.
ANGLE INSIDE CAR as Stormie and Meagan help Erwin out
of his straight jacket. Once freed, Erwin extends his
hand to Jesse.
ERWIN
Hi, my name's Erwin. Thanks for
busting me out of there!
Jesse looks at Erwin's outstretched hand -- the
fingertips are all heavily bandaged.
JESSE
Yeah, right... Look, Erwin, just do
me one favor -- don't eat nothing
disgusting. My stomach is tight
enough as it is.
The security guard runs up to the fence, huffing and
puffing, watching as Jesse's car disappears down the
street. Then he spots something in the fence and
plucks it out...
Jesse's front license plate.
CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - DUSK
CLOSE ON LIZZY, screaming and crying as the cultists
close in around her. They rip her sleeve off and
inject her with a syringe. After a moment, Lizzy
starts to settle down... falling asleep...
The cultists lift Lizzy up over their heads and carry
her towards the big boiler. Inside -- a raging INFERNO.
LIZZY'S DREAM STATE P.O.V. -- as the cultists reach
the boiler, it splits open in the middle like a giant
gate. The two halves swing open wide to reveal...
INT. HELL - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS ACTION
A narrow rocky ledge extends out to a mausoleum atop
a tall, narrow mountain. On either side of the ledge
is a sheer drop to the bleak landscape below -- rivers
of hot molten lava stretching out for miles, filled
with LOST SOULS DROWNING and BURNING. Hundreds upon
hundreds of voices are SCREAMING and MOANING -- a
terrible chorus of the damned.
The cultists carry Lizzy across the rocky ledge to
the mausoleum. The outside of this ancient structure
is engraved with weird murals depicting the evils of
mankind. In the center -- a large iron gate that
swings open as the cultists near.
The cultists roll Lizzy over in their arms, holding
her tight as they push her face forward into the
mirror. The glass gives way like mercury, Lizzy's
face disappearing into the mirror.
ANGLE ON THE OTHER SIDE (UNDERWATER) -- Lizzy's
face stares out into utter blackness. Then, some-
thing large and evil looking swims up out of the
darkness. Clawed hands reach out and grab Lizzy by
the sides of the face as the huge, monstrous head
moves forward -- evil lips parting -- tongue slithering
out.
The evil thing gives Lizzy a big, wet French kiss,
locking it's lips over hers. Several slippery some-
things slither into her mouth. Lizzy struggles, but
the big evil thing is way too strong. Finally, it
releases her and the cultists pull her back out.
The cultists carry Lizzy out of Hell and back into
the...
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Horribly burned hands slap Lizzy back from her semi-
conscious state. Her eyes grow wide with fear again
as she opens her mouth to scream. Suddenly, she
doubles over and vomits up into a tupperware a
cultist thrusts under her.
Three evil-looking eels slither forth from Lizzy's
mouth -- the Dream Demons.
EXT. OLD POWER PLANT - DUSK
Several shadows flee into the night as Jesse's car
pulls up next to a run-down building.
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Erwin leads Meagan, Jesse and Stormie down into the
old, burnt out boiler room. They work their way
towards the back, to a large table and a collection
of sofas and easy chair scattered about. Erwin
starts sniffing around, pointing out several used
syringes laying scattered about the floor.
ERWIN
Damn! We must have just missed them!
Meagan spots Lizzy's shirt sleeve on the floor.
MEAGAN
Oh, my God -- she was here! This
is part of Lizzy's shirt! It's all
torn!
(grabs Erwin)
Erwin... we've got to find her!
ERWIN
We're too late! There's no way...
except...
MEAGAN
Except what?!
ERWIN
We could go after Freddy.
MEAGAN
How?
Erwin goes to a boiler, bends down and reaches way
up underneath. After fishing around for a moment,
he draws out a well-worn Mutant Ninja Turtles lunch
box. Inside -- a vile of liquid, several syringes,
and several pairs of cult shades.
ERWIN
We'll inject ourselves with Dream
Dope. It's a mild narcotic that
brings on a dreamlike state.
Meagan thinks about this for a moment, then nods her
approval.
MEAGAN
Okay... let's do it!
JESSE
Meagan... we don't do drugs! I mean,
what if one of us gets hooked or
something?
(whispers)
We could turn out like him!
Jesse jerks a thumb toward Erwin.
ERWIN
Don't worry about it. We need you
wide awake anyway.
JESSE
What for?
ERWIN
We're going to go under and try to
find Freddy. When we do, we'll grab
him and bring him here. Then you
kill him with this...
Erwin hands Jesse an old rusty revolver.
JESSE
This rusty chunk of shit? What
good is this?
ERWIN
It's not the gun, it's what's in
it -- silver bullets blessed by a
priest.
JESSE
Will that work?
ERWIN
(shrugs)
Should. But then...
JESSE
(finishes for him)
You don't make the rules... yeah,
yeah.
MEAGAN
What should we do?
ERWIN
Have a seat over there and make
yourselves comfortable. Roll up
your sleeves and put these on...
Erwin hands Meagan and Stormie each a pair of the
sunglasses with flashing red diodes in each lens.
Stormie puts hers on immediately and says:
STORMIE
Oh, cool!
MEAGAN
What are they for?
ERWIN
It's how the cult keeps in constant
contact with Freddy. The little
lights flashing are a sustained
occular input that causes your brain
to resonate at approximately the
same frequency at which the dream
state is most likely to occur.
All of this went over Meagan's head. Stormie shrugs:
STORMIE
Whatever...
(to Meagan; excited)
Put 'em on -- they're really cool!
Meagan and Stormie sit down in easy chairs, rolling
up their sleeves. Erwin comes over and reclines the
chairs, giving each girl an injection. Then Erwin
takes a seat next to Meagan and injects himself. He
lets the syringe drop to the floor as he lowers his
glasses.
ERWIN
It helps to hold hands if you want
to go together...
Meagan clasps hands with Erwin and Stormie. Jesse
watches with skepticism and concern. Erwin ushers
a final warning:
ERWIN
(continuing)
And remember... Freddy knows what
scares you.
Then all three FALL THROUGH their chairs into...
INT. DREAMSPACE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan, Stormie, and Erwin falling through dreamspace
(fantastic digital effect tunnel), still holding hands.
The girls scream as Erwin smiles and yells:
ERWIN
WHAT A RUSH, HUH?!!
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - SAME TIME
Jesse watches over Meagan, Stormie, and Erwin -- all
asleep in their chairs.
INT. NIGHTMARE BOILER ROOM - NEXT MOMENT
Meagan, Stormie, and Erwin fall into a crazy night-
mare boiler room (visually reminiscent of the Freddy
pictures) with rusty catwalks, huge out-of-proportion
fixtures above and a sea of boiling water below. As
they get to their feet, Meagan hears Lizzy's voice:
LIZZY
(distant)
Meagan... help me... please...
Meagan enters a shaft, following the sound when
suddenly, the shaft closes up behind her. Stormie
and Erwin try to find the opening again but can't.
ERWIN
Freddy's trying to split us up...
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - SAME TIME
Jesse is standing in front of an old, full length
mirror, practicing drawing the pistol. He pulls it
and pretends to fire, blowing imaginary smoke from
the muzzle as he says:
JESSE
Okay, Freddy... there's a new sheriff
in Dreamland now.
INT. NIGHTMARE BOILER ROOM - NEXT MOMENT
Stormie and Erwin make their way through the creepy
boiler room, calling for Meagan. A strange shadow
stalks them -- it's Freddy. He drops down in front
of Erwin and Stormie.
FREDDY
Looking for some-body?
Freddy opens up his shirt to reveal a chest full of
lost souls. In the center -- Meagan. Stormie charges
Freddy, throwing her arms around him as she screams
to Erwin:
STORMIE
I've got him! Wake us up! Wake
us up!
But Erwin is paralyzed with fear.
STORMIE
(continuing)
Don't just stand there! Wake us up!
FREDDY
Hmmmmm... I feel like seafood tonight.
Suddenly, Stormie's arms have become huge lobster
claws. She jerks away from Freddy, but too late --
Stormie starts to change into a giant lobster-woman!
Freddy smiles -- now he's wearing a chef's hat and
apron.
FREDDY
(continuing)
Stew on this, bitch!
Freddy knocks the lobster-woman over the side. She
falls into the boiling water far below -- KER-SPLASH!
HARD CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - NEXT INSTANT
Stormie wakes with a start, yelling:
STORMIE
Shoot him! Shoot him!
Jesse spins, aiming the pistol. But nothing is there.
INT. NIGHTMARE BOILER ROOM - SAME TIME
Freddy turns toward Erwin.
FREDDY
Well, well, well... if it isn't
my ol' pal, Erwin.
Erwin stares wide-eyed, frozen to the spot.
FREDDY
(continuing)
I've got something special in mind
for you...
Suddenly, Erwin reaches into his sleeve and pulls
out a pin. Freddy gawks -- surprised. Erwin pricks
his finger.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - NEXT INSTANT
Erwin wakes with a start. Stormie smacks him.
STORMIE
You didn't help me, you pussy!
I could've had him!
(smacks him some more)
You gutless... spinless... jelly
fish!
Jesse looks over to where Meagan is still sleeping.
INT. ELM STREET - DAY (DREAM)
Meagan comes down the sidewalk, still following
Lizzy's voice...
LIZZY
(V.O.)
Meagan... help me... Meagan...
It leads her to her house. Meagan enters the front
door.
INT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan sees her father is sitting at the kitchen
table, reading his paper. The headline reads:
FREDDY LIVES!
MEAGAN
Daddy?
He looks up and quietly shushes her.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Shuuuuu! I'm trying to be invisible...
And with that, Meagan's dad disappears. Only the
newspaper remains. Then Meagan hears Lizzy's VOICE
again... upstairs.
As she comes down the upstairs hallway, Meagan passes
her mother's room. The door is open a crack. Meagan
looks in and sees her mother putting an empty bottle
to her lips. The bottle sucks the life out of Meagan's
mom, who shrivels up into an ugly ol' prune face.
Meagan starts to help her mother when Lizzy's cry
for help draws her to...
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan enters. She sees Lizzy on her bed, under the
covers.
LIZZY
Help me...
Meagan pulls back the covers to reveal that Lizzy is
pregnant, her naked, swollen stomach protruding from
her night gown. Something inside is trying to push
it's way out.
LIZZY
(continuing)
Meagan...
Lizzy screams. Meagan moves to help her sister when
Freddy's glove BURSTS OUT of Lizzy's stomach, stabbing
Meagan in the chest.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED BOILER ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan wakes up suddenly. She looks up at Stormie,
Erwin, and Jesse standing over her.
STORMIE
Are you okay?
They help Meagan to her feet.
MEAGAN
(shaky)
He got away... I had him and he
got away. Oh, God... Lizzy... I
lost her...
ERWIN
Well, atleast you're not dead.
MEAGAN
No... I'm not dead...
(realizes)
No... I'm not. But Freddy killed me!
STORMIE
He killed me, too. But look...
Stormie raises her shirt up to show Meagan she is
unharmed. Erwin sneaks a look and Stormie smacks him.
Meagan gets to her feet, asking:
MEAGAN
Now that I think about it -- he's
killed me in all my nightmares. But
I'm not dead... what does it mean?
ERWIN
It means we've still got some time
left. Until his remains are host to
the Dream Demons -- Freddy can't
hurt us.
JESSE
Hello. The Dream Demons...?
ERWIN
Freddy made a pact with Satan when
he died... so Satan bestowed upon
him the Dream Demons. They're the
source of Freddy's power to manipulate
our physical reality. Without them...
he's powerless -- nothing more than
a bad dream.
(off Jesse's cynical
look)
Hey, like I said... I don't make
the rules.
MEAGAN
But we've still got a chance, right?
A chance to kill Freddy before he
gets back his power?
ERWIN
We already tried that. There's no
way for us to kill Freddy. He's too
clever. He knows how to get to us.
MEAGAN
Then let's get somebody else. Some-
body strong.
STORMIE
Yeah! We could hire somebody to
kill Freddy -- like a hit man!
ERWIN
You would have to hire a thousand
of them... or one really big guy
who isn't afraid of anything. No
fear. Nada. Then you got a shot.
JESSE
Where are you going to find a hit
man? The yellow pages? In your
dreams...
Jesse's last three words strike Meagan like a thunder-
bolt and she stammers out a name:
MEAGAN
Jason...
JESSE
Jason?
MEAGAN
Jason Voorhees...
ERWIN
(brightens)
Jason Voorhees... that's brilliant!
The perfect dream warrior... no fear.
STORMIE
Sounds like our man!
JESSE
Uh... excuse me, Einstein... but
isn't Jason Voorhees dead?
ERWIN
Seriously dead. Buried up by Crystal
Lake somewhere. But don't worry, I
know how to bring him back to life.
JESSE
Somehow I just knew you would.
ERWIN
But that's not the problem. The
problem is control. Once we bring
Jason back from the dead... I'm not
one hundred percent sure he'll do
what we tell him.
STORMIE
Well, that's okay... as long as he
doesn't chop us all up.
Erwin rolls his eyes around -- uncertain.
MEAGAN
Erwin... I'm trusting you on this,
so tell me the truth. Do you think
if we do this -- if we go and get
Jason and bring him back to life,
that he could kill Freddy?
ERWIN
No doubt about. Jason could wreck
Freddy on this side of the Dreamline.
But if Freddy has home court advan-
tage... I don't know. Too close to
call. The trick would be to get Jason
to enter a dream state, grab Freddy,
and drag him out to our reality.
MEAGAN
I haven't got a choice. I've got to
try something...
(turns to Stormie &
Jesse)
I can't ask either of you to help
me do this... it's illegal, immoral,
disgusting...
STORMIE
Hey, we sisters have to stand
together, right? Where you lead --
I'll follow. Count me in.
Meagan embraces Stormie, then all three turn to Jesse.
He looks them over and sighs:
JESSE
Let me get this straight... we're
going to go dig one dead maniac up
to fight another dead maniac?
ERWIN
That's about the size of it... and
I'd be doing you a disservice if I
said there weren't a modicum of risk
involved.
JESSE
Meagan... I don't want to do this...
MEAGAN
You don't have to, Jesse... it's not
your fight. I understand.
JESSE
But I damn sure don't want you to
do it without me. Count me in.
Meagan hugs Jesse. Erwin tries to hug Stormie but
she pushes him away.
ERWIN
Look out Freddy... here we come.
CUT TO:
EXT. SPRINGWOOD AUTO YARD - NIGHT
In his shack, listening to a small portable radio,
is the NIGHT WATCHMAN. His small DOG suddenly perks
up her ears and GROWLS low. The watchman turns down
the radio.
NIGHT WATCHMAN
What's matter, girl... you hear
somethin'?
Then the old man hears it, too... A low RUMBLE. Moving
closer.
The night watchman steps out of his shack and squints
into the darkness when a line of several hearses
approaches. The lead hearse pulls up to the shack and
the driver's window rolls down.
NIGHT WATCHMAN
(continuing)
What's this? A funeral procession?
A Freddy cultist sticks his face out of the window
and says:
CULTIST
That's exactly what it is.
NIGHT WATCHMAN
(suspicious)
Yeah? Whose?
CULTIST
Yours.
BANG! -- the cultist SHOOTS the old man right through
the head. The night watchman falls to the ground with
a lifeless THUD. The little dog starts BARKING
ferociously when another SHOT silences her as well.
Another cultist leaps out of the hearse and runs to
the gate, cutting the chain with a pair of bolt
cutters. He swings the gate open and the funeral
procession proceeds inside.
INT. SPRINGWOOD AUTO YARD - A SHORT TIME LATER
The cultists are standing around a small pit that two
cultists are carefully excavating in the center of the
wrecking yard. Inside the pit, the uncovered remains
of Freddy Krueger -- nothing more than a pile of
charred bones.
Lizzy is brought forward, held by a couple cultists,
and injected with dream dope as the needle is passed
around. She no longer struggles, accepting her fate
with droopy eyes.
LIZZY'S DREAM DOPE P.O.V. -- as she watches one of
the cultists reach down and put a rusty funnel into
Freddy's broken jawbone. Her vision gets blurry...
more surreal as another cult member steps forward
with the tupperware. He pours the dream demons into
the funnel.
CLOSE ON FREDDY'S REMAINS as the dream demons swim
around inside his skull. His bones start to bleed...
blood becoming arteries and veins... vessels becoming
muscle... muscle growing scarred flesh...
There is a FLASH from the pit. Then suddenly, Freddy
Krueger -- as you've known him, as you've loved him --
leaps out of the pit and cries:
FREDDY
Smokin'!
Lizzy rolls her eyes up and faints. The cultists
FIRE their weapons into the air and cheer as the
building-high stacks of wrecked cars surrounding
them HONK their HORNS and FLASH their LIGHTS.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT
Headlights as Jesse's car zooms past a sign that
reads: CRYSTAL LAKE - 13 MILES.
JESSE
(V.O.)
We're almost there...
MEAGAN
(V.O.)
We should pull over and ask
directions.
STORMIE
(V.O.)
If it doesn't offend the men...
ooops, sorry! There aren't any.
JESSE
(V.O.)
Very funny.
EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT
Jesse pulls the car into an ol' run-down service
station.
STORMIE
I don't think they're open.
MEAGAN
It says, open all night.
Jesse HONKS the horn and yells:
JESSE
Hey! Can we get some service out
here?!
STORMIE
I don't think there's anybody
here...
Suddenly, a CRAZY OL' COOT appears on the opposite
side with a shotgun. Everyone in the car jumps.
CRAZY OL' COOT
What do you kids want?
MEAGAN
We're looking for the old cemetery
that's supposed to be around here...
somewhere.
CRAZY OL' COOT
What do you want to know for?
STORMIE
We want to see it.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Ain't nothin' to see, girly...
'cept a bunch of ol' graves.
JESSE
Look, mister... can you give us
directions or not?
The old man gives the occupants of the car a going
over with his one good eye, hesitating a moment over
Erwin, who scrunches down in the back seat, hiding
under a baseball cap.
CRAZY OL' COOT
You're not goin' up there to do
somethin' stupid, are you?
JESSE
(laughs; nervous)
Stupid? Like what?
CRAZY OL' COOT
Like dig up Jason Voorhees --
that's what!
Everyone in the car takes a sharp breath -- cold
busted! Then they start saying "No! No!" and shaking
their heads innocently in a big performance that
wouldn't fool a stick.
JESSE
(looks at Meagan)
Jesus... why would anyone do that?
CRAZY OL' COOT
I dunno... but people do.
STORMIE
Been dug up a few times already,
has he?
CRAZY OL' COOT
More times than I care to remember.
MEAGAN
Well, we're just doing an article
for our high school newspaper about
the dangers of breaking into
cemeteries at night. You know,
stuff that can get you hurt...
The ol' coot scans the foursome again closely as he
acquiesces.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Well... okay... as long as you're
not going up there to do something
stupid.
(pointing)
Take this road up about a mile and
make a left at the ol' saw mill.
That road will take you right on
in... Eternal Peace Cemetery --
can't miss it.
Jesse is already standing on the gas, leaving the
ol' coot standing in a cloud of smoke and dust.
EXT. ETERNAL PEACE CEMETERY - NIGHT
Headlights skew across a rusty iron gateway -- ETERNAL
PEACE CEMETERY -- illuminating a sign: TRESPASSERS
WILL BE SHOT!
Meagan, Jesse, Stormie, and Erwin enter the shadowy
cemetery carrying lamps with shovels over their
shoulders. As they search through the cemetery,
Meagan asks:
MEAGAN
What's the story on Jason Voorhees
anyway?
STORMIE
Where have you been? Jason was that
guy who ran around in a hockey mask,
chopping up camp counselors, duh?
MEAGAN
I knew that. What I mean was why?
ERWIN
It started a long time ago, back in
the fifties, when Jason drown at
Camp Crystal Lake. His mother went
berserk and started killing the
counselors.
STORMIE
She got her head chopped off by one
of the girls she was trying to kill!
ERWIN
Right. And then Jason came back from
his watery grave to get revenge.
JESSE
He came back from the grave?
ERWIN
Yeah. Chopped up a number of people
before they finally caught up to him.
MEAGAN
What happened to him then?
ERWIN
They killed him.
JESSE
How can you kill somebody who's
back from the grave?
ERWIN
Not very well apparently. Jason
keeps coming back to life and
chopping people up. It's a never
ending cycle of terror up here at
Crystal Lake -- a real problem.
MEAGAN
Why does he keep coming back to
life and killing people?
ERWIN
They say he's looking for revenge
on the camp counselor who murdered
him as a child. Jason just happens
to go about it in the socially
unacceptable way of hacking through
every teenager he finds until he
gets the right one.
(spots grave)
Here it is...
Erwin shines his light on Jason's grave.
ANGLE ON TOMBSTONE -- JASON VOORHEES. Born:1945.
Died:1953.
Beneath the death date, crudely scratched into the
stone: 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, etc.
Jesse and Erwin start digging.
ELLIPSIS -- cemetery statues watching them dig.
Stormie and Meagan take their turn. Then... Jesse
hits something solid.
Hands brush away the remaining dirt, exposing the
coffin below. Jesse takes a sharp breath and then
jams a crowbar under the lid -- forcing it open.
The casket lid cracks open a bit when -- SSSSSS! --
noxious gas escapes. Everyone covers their mouth
and nose, suppressing the urge to hurl.
Then roaches... hundreds of roaches.
Meagan and Stormie run off, screaming, batting at
their hair and clothing. Jesse rolls around on
the ground. Erwin sighs, plucks a roach off his
shirt, and calmly eats it.
CUT TO:
EXT. ETERNAL PEACE CEMETERY - A SHORT TIME LATER
Meagan and Stormie stand just outside the grave,
holding the light and a can of bug spray. Their
hair is up, covered in plastic shower caps. Duct
tape around the cuffs of their pants. They aren't
taking anymore chances with bugs.
Jesse and Erwin open the casket. Everyone recoils
at the stench. Then they shine their lights inside
-- nothing but rotting chunks and a broken hockey
mask.
CUT TO:
The kids putting several plastic trash bags full of
Jason into the trunk of Jesse's car and slamming
the lid closed.
Everyone piles into the car, exhausted.
In the back, Erwin picks his nose, unaware that
Stormie is watching him, her mouth gaping in horror.
Erwin becomes aware of Stormie's sickened scrutiny
and pulls out his finger, presenting it to Stormie.
ERWIN
Look... the boogerman!
(laughs)
Get it?!
Stormie slaps his hand away.
STORMIE
Get back, you nasty-ass bastard!
Ug! I thought I had seen the last
of those when my brother graduated
third grade!
ERWIN
We just dug up a rotting corpse and
you're worried about a little snot.
Jesse looks over at Meagan, curled up in a ball
beside him. She purrs:
MEAGAN
I'm exhausted... wake me when we
get back home.
ERWIN
Uhhh... better not fall asleep --
we've still got a lot of work to
do and Freddy's out there... waiting.
This news sobers everyone up immediately.
STORMIE
Well, that means we've all got to
stay awake!
JESSE
Duh?!
MEAGAN
I know! We'll sing a song!
(starts singing)
Row! Row! Row your boat, gently down
the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily,
merrily... life is but a dream. Come
on, everybody!
Meagan leads the none-too-enthusiastic group in another
chorus of "Row Your Boat" as Jesse's car roars off into
the night.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. LONELY ROAD - NIGHT
Meagan is leaning up against the door, murmuring softly
to herself as she drifts off to sleep:
MEAGAN
...merrily, merrily, merrily,
merrily... life is but a dream.
In the back seat, Erwin is nuzzled between Stormie's
breasts, sucking his thumb. Both are fast asleep.
Jesse stares at the road ahead, his own eyelids
drooping. The car starts to weave.
ANGLE OUT WINDSHIELD -- we flash past Freddy holding
a cardboard sign by the side of the road: WILL KILL
FOR FOOD.
Jesse shakes his head -- nah! He tries to concentrate
on the road, his eyelids falling once more.
Jesse's car zooms past a billboard. Behind the bill-
board -- a highway patrol car, a radar gun sticking
out of the driver's window.
CLOSE ON RADAR GUN as Jesse's car passes in the back-
ground, the red digits cascading up.
Freddy, now dressed as a highway patrolman, sits behind
the wheel. The radar gun's display is reflected in
his mirrored shades. It reads: KILL THEM.
FREDDY
Shouldn't dream and drive.
Freddy starts the car and pulls out, but what comes
out from behind the billboard isn't a patrol car --
it's Freddy's NIGHTMAREMOBILE -- big chrome pipes
belching HELLFIRE.
ANGLE IN JESSE'S REARVIEW MIRROR as Jesse's eyelids
close and his head nods forward, revealing the night-
maremobile closing from behind fast.
The nightmaremobile runs up to the back of Jesse's
car just an inch from the bumper. Freddy moves one
of the dozen of levers on the dash.
CLOSE ON FREDDY'S HOOD ORNAMENT -- a small version
of Freddy's glove. It extends out towards the back
of Jesse's car, one of the tiny knives inserting into
the trunk lock and turning with a slight CLICK. The
trunk lid opens.
ANGLE INSIDE TRUNK -- the plastic bags with Jason's
remains are moving! Freddy works another level and
the tiny glove slits each bag. The various pieces
of Jason (hands, boots, intestines, etc.) crawl out
of the bag.
FREDDY
(continuing)
Looks like the cat's out of the
bag now!
Freddy laughs as the tiny hand closes the trunk.
The nightmaremobile pulls out from behind Jesse's
car, BANGING into the rear quarter panel. WHAM! --
all four occupants of the car are jolted awake,
startled. Meagan looks out her window and sees the
nightmaremobile as it closes in again.
MEAGAN
It's Freddy!
WHAM! SPARKS fly. Everyone screams. Freddy laughs
as he falls back for another shot. Meagan sees the
dozens of lost souls trapped in the back of the night-
maremobile, staring out at her through the back window.
A small yellow sign reads: LOST SOULS ON BOARD.
Jesse fights to keep the car on the road when suddenly,
the pieces of Jason ATTACK, BURSTING from behind the
back seat. One hand crawls up the back of the front
seat, leaping onto Jesse's throat. Jason's intestines
EXPLODE out of the backseat, SLITHERING and SNAKING
their way around Stormie and Erwin. One of Jason's
boots wiggles under the seat, making it's way towards
the gas peddle. The other boot is content to lay
under the back window and kick Erwin in the head.
As Meagan fights to pull Jason's hand of Jesse's face,
she looks down and sees Jason's other hand between
her legs. Meagan screams.
Jason's boot stomps on the gas and Jesse's car lurches
forward with the acceleration. The nightmaremobile
SLAMS into the side of Jesse's car again, causing it
to swerve violently from side to side.
Inside the nightmaremobile, Freddy pulls another lever.
CLOSE ON THE NIGHTMAREMOBILE FENDER as a panel opens
up and a circular sawblade arm extends out, CUTTING
into Jesse's car with a flurry of SPARKS. Inside,
Meagan screams as the saw blade just misses her leg,
CUTTING forward towards...
CLOSE ON JESSE'S FRONT TIRE as the saw blade CUTS into
it. The tire BLOWS and Jesse's car lurches off the
road, veering into a tree line.
CRASH! -- Jesse's car plows fender-first into a tree,
the HORN stuck on, BLARING.
Freddy laughs and kicks the nightmaremobile into
overdrive, ROARING OFF and disappearing with an
EXPLOSION of FIRE that wisps away in an instant.
In the distance -- an old farmhouse. The lights go
on inside.
The passenger door opens and Meagan falls out onto the
ground, bleeding from a slight scalp wound. A rear
door opens and Stormie and Erwin spill out, locked in
embrace and not seriously hurt. Meagan staggers
around to the driver's side and opens the door. Jesse
is laying unconscious against the steering wheel.
Meagan pulls him off the wheel and the HORN stops.
Jesse is splattered with blood and his leg is a mess.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Jesse's hurt real bad... we've got
to get him to a doctor.
Through the farmhouse window, Erwin and Stormie see
the farmer on the phone.
ERWIN
Don't worry... an ambulance is on
the way.
Meagan cradles Jesse's head in her hands, crying:
MEAGAN
Oh, God... Jesse...
Erwin goes to the trunk and opens it. Inside -- the
garbage bags with Jason's remains still inside --
untouched. Erwin goes to Meagan and says:
ERWIN
Meagan... listen to me... The cops
are on their way. If they find me
and Jason Voorhees in the trunk
there, we're finished.
MEAGAN
Go... get out of here. Take Jason
and Stormie with you.
STORMIE
I'm staying with you.
Erwin grabs the trash bags out of the trunk and says:
ERWIN
I'll call you at the hospital.
STORMIE
How?
ERWIN
Somehow!
Erwin takes off, disappearing with Jason's remains
into the night as SIRENS WAIL in the distance --
growing close.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - JESSE'S ROOM - NIGHT
Jesse is laying in a hospital bed, his leg in a
special tent. Meagan and Stormie watch from the
doorway as a DOCTOR checks Jesse's vitals. As he
finishes, Meagan asks:
MEAGAN
Is he going to be okay?
DOCTOR
Yes. But he needs a lot of rest.
His leg is broken in four places
and he has four broken ribs and a
concussion.
Meagan sits down next to Jesse, taking his hand.
Stormie turns to the doctor.
STORMIE
Hey doc, is there someplace I
could get us something to eat?
DOCTOR
I'm afraid the cafeteria is closed.
There are some vending machines in
the lobby.
(to Meagan)
I'll be back to check on him in a
couple of hours.
The doctor exits.
STORMIE
I'll be right back... I'm goin' go
score us some munchies.
Meagan nods weakly. Stormie exits. Meagan lays her
head on Jesse's hand.
INT. HOSPITAL LOBBY - MOMENTS LATER
Stormie is getting several bags of munchies out of
the vending machine when she turns and sees Murdoch
at the information booth, flashing photos of Jesse
and Erwin.
Stormie dashes for the staircase.
INT. HOSPITAL - JESSE'S ROOM - SAME TIME
Jesse and Meagan have fallen asleep. Jesse's heart
monitor BEEPS...
On the wall, an x-ray viewer flickers to life. Freddy
peeks out from behind the other side. He snickers and
ducks back down.
Suddenly, Freddy's hand reaches up from inside the bed
and grabs Jesse, pulling him down into the mattress.
Meagan wakes and sees this, screaming as Jesse grabs
onto the curtain.
CLOSE ON CURTAIN ROD as the curtain pulls free of
the rings.
Jesse disappears into the bed, his screams echoing
away.
Meagan looks under the bed -- nothing. She rises up
again, watching as Jesse's iv and electrode wires
are pulled down after him. Meagan grabs a handful
of tubes and wire and tries to pull Jesse back. But
the pull is too strong and Meagan goes into the
mattress.
INT. OLD WEST SALOON (NIGHTMARE) - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan falls to the floor of a dusty ol' saloon. As
she gets to her feet she sees Jesse's iv tubes running
along the floor and out the door. Meagan follows
them to the saloon door, where she stops and looks
out into...
EXT. OLD WEST STREET (NIGHTMARE) - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Standing in the middle of the street is Jesse, dressed
in a cowboy sheriff's outfit complete with hat, badge,
and gunbelt.
Meagan calls to him from the saloon door.
MEAGAN
Jesse!
But Jesse can't hear her. He's too busy shaking with
fear... staring at something coming down the street.
It's Freddy. Dressed in a Black Bart cowboy outfit.
FREDDY
(ala John Wayne)
Okay, Sheriff... This nightmare
ain't big enough for the two of
us... draw!
Trembling with fear, Jesse fumbles for his pistol.
He pulls it out and FIRES. Freddy laughs. Jesse
FIRES again. Freddy just laughs. Jesse FIRES again
and again and again and Freddy just laughs and laughs
and laughs. From the saloon, Meagan screams:
MEAGAN
Jesse! Wake up! Wake up!!
Freddy looks over at her, annoyed.
FREDDY
Three's a crowd, bitch! Why don't
you just go get [BEEP]
INT. HOSPITAL - JESSE'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The SOUND of Jesse's heart monitor BEEPING erratically
wakes Meagan with a start. She tries to wake Jesse.
MEAGAN
Jesse, wake up! WAKE UP!!
INT. OLD WEST STREET (NIGHTMARE) - SAME TIME
Jesse keeps FIRING at Freddy... until his gun CLICKS
empty. Freddy smiles and pulls out the biggest Goddamn
gun you ever saw and says:
FREDDY
Go ahead... make my dream!
Freddy FIRES!
HARD CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - JESSE'S ROOM - NEXT INSTANT
Jesse's stomach EXPLODES with BLOOD -- splattering
Meagan. Jesse's heart monitor BEEPS continuously --
flat line. Jesse is dead.
A NURSE shows up to answer the alarm. She sees
Meagan standing over Jesse's body, covered in blood,
and screams.
Stormie enters the room a half-second later and
gasps.
MEAGAN
Freddy killed Jesse...
Stormie reaches in and grabs Meagan, pulling her out
of the room.
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Stormie drags a shell-shocked Meagan down the hall,
the screams of the nurse fading into the distance.
STORMIE
Jesus... get a grip, lady. You'd
think a nurse in a hospital would
have seen a dead body before.
MEAGAN
Jesse...
Just then, Stormie spots Murdoch and his men getting
off the elevator. They hear the nurse's screams and
come running towards Jesse's room. Stormie pulls
Meagan behind the nurse's station just as Murdoch
and company go thundering past.
Then a VOICE on the P.A. says:
VOICE
(filtered)
Attention. Would Meagan or Stormie
please pick up the white paging
phone for a message?
Stormie and Meagan exchange worrisome looks. The
announcement repeats itself again. Then again.
Stormie can't stand it anymore -- she stands up
and picks up the white paging phone.
STORMIE
(into phone)
This is Stormie...
Murdoch and his men come running past the nurse's
station again. Stormie turns her back to them but
Murdoch goes back to the nurse's station, asking:
MURDOCH
Did you see a couple of girls go
by here a moment ago?
Stormie gestures to the elevators.
STORMIE
Just missed 'em.
Murdoch nods a quick thanks and takes off with his
men right behind. Stormie exhales a giant sigh of
relief as the HOSPITAL OPERATOR says:
HOSPITAL OPERATOR
(filtered)
The message is from Erwin... he
says to meet him at the side
entrance in two minutes.
Stormie hangs up and grabs Meagan, running for the
staircase.
EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER
Stormie drags Meagan out of the hospital just as
Erwin pulls up in an old battered pick-up truck.
He throws open the door and Stormie pushes Meagan
inside, climbing in after her and asking:
STORMIE
Where'd you get the truck?
ERWIN
Same place I've got Jason hid.
STORMIE
And where's that?
ERWIN
A place where no one ever goes.
Stormie closes the door and the pick-up truck ROARS
out of the parking lot.
CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - NIGHT
The pick-up truck's headlights skew across a weather-
worn sign, peppered with bullet holes: CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE
Erwin drives the truck through the deserted camp,
past the cabins, down towards the lake. He stops a
short distance away from the pier and the three of
them climb out.
Meagan is still in shock, letting Stormie guide her
as Erwin leads them down the pier to a small diving
platform tied up to the end.
STORMIE
What'd you do -- take him for a
swim?
ERWIN
Almost.
Erwin jumps down on the diving platform. In the center,
a large form is covered by a tarp. Erwin helps Stormie
down onto the platform, leaving Meagan standing on the
pier. She looks out over the lake -- eyes vacant.
Erwin moves close to Stormie and, gesturing to Meagan,
asks:
ERWIN
(continuing)
Is she going to be alright?
STORMIE
I don't know. She's pretty fucked
up. God, I don't know why I'm not...
ERWIN
You're a strong woman.
STORMIE
What's that supposed to mean?
ERWIN
Uhhh... nothing. I didn't mean
anything.
Stormie gestures to the tarp.
STORMIE
Is this him?
ERWIN
Yeah...
(whips back tarp)
Meet the new and improved Jason.
ANGLE ON JASON laying spread eagle on the diving
platform, cocooned in chicken wire with dozens of
coiled leads trailing off into the water. Erwin has
done a good job of sewing Jason back together with
barbed wire and fishing line. His arms and legs have
been reinforced with steel braces and even Jason's
mask has been repaired, stitched down the middle with
bailing wire. Jason looks nineties... and butch.
STORMIE
Why'd you put that stupid mask
on him?
ERWIN
Take a look...
Stormie bends down and takes a peek under the mask
and quickly replaces it.
STORMIE
Good idea.
ERWIN
Not exactly a beauty queen entry,
is he?
STORMIE
So what do we do now -- sing an Ozzy
Osbourne song backwards or something?
ERWIN
I'm afraid it's not that simple...
STORMIE
I thought you said you knew how to
bring him back to life?
ERWIN
I do! But when I was putting him
back together, I noticed something
was missing.
Stormie thinks about this for a second, then:
STORMIE
Awwww, he won't be needing that...
I mean, what girl would let him
put his rotten ol'...
ERWIN
(cuts her off)
No-no! Not that! It's his heart...
it's missing.
STORMIE
Well... does it really matter?
Can't you use an aquarium pump or
something?
ERWIN
No... he has to have a heart. A
human heart. A good one.
Meagan speaks for the first time:
MEAGAN
I know where we can get a heart...
A good one.
CUT TO:
EXT. MORGUE - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
A sign reads: CITY MORGUE. Through the front window
a GUARD can be seen sitting at the reception desk.
Erwin, Stormie, and Meagan watch him from the pick-up,
parked a safe distance away.
ERWIN
That guard in there might pose a
problem.
MEAGAN
Do you think you and Stormie could
keep him occupied for a few minutes?
Erwin and Stormie exchange looks, then shrug -- why
not?
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Okay... let's do it.
A few moments later, the guard looks up as the pick-
up swerves wildly into the parking lot. He gets up
and goes to the glass door, peering out.
ANGLE THROUGH GLASS DOOR as Stormie and Erwin start
making out -- hot and heavy.
INT. MORGUE - NIGHT
Meagan BREAKS a small window near the ceiling. She
crawls onto the top of the cabinet and then drops
to the floor. She shines her flashlight around the
dark laboratory, illuminating anatomy charts, jars
full of organs, etc.
Crossing to the lockers, Meagan tentatively opens
one of the drawers and shines her light inside --
ug! Wrong guy. She opens the next drawer -- ick!
Even worse.
Meagan opens a third drawer -- Jesse. Her lip starts
to quiver as she caresses his face.
EXT. MORGUE - PARKING LOT - SAME TIME
At the glass door, the guard is watching the action
in the parking lot, his breath fogging the window.
He wipes the glass clean with his sleeve to get a
better look.
Inside the truck, Stormie and Erwin wrestle around.
STORMIE
Hey! Watch that!
ERWIN
I'm just trying to make it look real.
STORMIE
Just keep your hands above the bra,
pizza face.
The windows are starting to steam up.
INT. MORGUE - SAME TIME
Meagan pulls on a labcoat and puts on a pair of rubber
gloves. Then she opens a drawer full of shiny instru-
ments (saws, rib cutters, etc.) and selects a large
knife.
Meagan stands over Jesse's body. She pulls back the
sheet, exposing his chest. Meagan raises the knife
far above her head.
MEAGAN
Forgive me, Jesse...
Meagan plunges the knife into Jesse's chest with a
sickening THWACK!
EXT. MORGUE - PARKING LOT - SAME TIME
The windows of the pick-up are now badly fogged,
obscuring the guard's view. He licks his lips,
deciding to investigate closer. The guard unlocks
the front door and starts toward Stormie and Erwin.
They spot him coming and break their embrace. In
another moment, the pick-up is PEELING out of the
parking lot. The guard watches the truck go, shakes
his head, and goes back inside to start his rounds.
Up the street, parked with the lights off in the night
shade of a large tree, Stormie and Erwin watch as the
guard starts down the glass enclosed hallway towards
the morgue.
STORMIE
He's head right for her! Do some-
thing!
Erwin panics for a moment, then HONKS the HORN.
INT. MORGUE - NEXT MOMENT
Meagan is trying to pull Jesse's heart out of his
chest but it just won't come, some vein or muscle
fiber keeps pulling it back. She jumps at the HORN,
then starts pulling harder.
In the hallway just outside, the guard hears the HORN
and stops. He starts back for the front, when suddenly
the HORN stops.
Meagan hacks at the last bits of stringy goo that cling
to Jesse's heart. As the last strand goes, Meagan
tumbles backwards to the floor with a loud THUD.
The guard hears that and turns back towards the morgue,
drawing his gun. He tip-toes to the door and carefully
unlocks it, leaving his keys in the lock. Taking a
two-handed Weaver stance, the guard raises his foot
and kicks the door.
WHACK! -- the door flies open and the guard leaps
inside like Marshall Dillon, snapping on the lights.
He gasps, eyes going wide as he scans the room. One
of the drawers is open... the stiff's chest has got
a huge hole in it... blood spattered everywhere...
a bunch of bloody footprints leading over to the
cabinet...
Suddenly, the guard sees Meagan half out the window
and cries:
GUARD
Stop right there!
Meagan rolls out of the window just as the guard FIRES.
The unbroken section of the window SHATTERS. The guard
curses and races for the...
EXT. MORGUE - SECONDS LATER
The guard comes running out just in time to see Meagan
close the passenger door and the truck ROAR away. He
shrinks, dejected -- no way to catch them now. The
guard heads back inside to report this mess and finds
that the door has closed and locked behind him.
CUT TO:
EXT. ETERNAL PEACE CEMETERY - NIGHT
The crazy ol' coot is leading Murdoch through the
cemetery.
CRAZY OL' COOT
They said they were writin' for
some newspaper...
MURDOCH
Teenagers are notorious liars.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Well, after I heard about the
accident on my police scanner, I
came up here to have a look. When
I found it I figured you'd want to
know right away.
MURDOCH
You did the right thing.
The ol' coot shines his light down into Jason's empty
grave.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Damn kids... I just knew they were
comin' up here to do somethin'
stupid.
The S.W.A.T. commander comes up to Murdoch.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Just got a call on the radio --
three juveniles just broke into the
morgue -- one male, two female. The
guard is pretty sure the male is in
the Freddy cult -- burnt face.
CRAZY OL' COOT
Sounds like the same kids I saw.
MURDOCH
Did the guard say what they took?
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Yeah... that murdered kid, Jesse --
they carved his heart out.
(beat)
They got away in a pick-up -- the
guard didn't get the license. You
want me to put out an A.P.B.?
MURDOCH
No... that won't be necessary. I
know just where they're going, and
just what they're up to. And this
time... I'll be ready.
CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - NIGHT
Meagan sits on the end of the pier, watching silently
as Erwin sews Jesse's heart into Jason's chest using
dental floss. Stormie comes up behind her and puts
her jacket around Meagan's shoulders, sits down beside
her and says:
STORMIE
You've got to quit blaming your-
self for what happened to Jesse...
it wasn't your fault.
MEAGAN
He didn't want to come with us...
but he did anyway. He did it for me.
STORMIE
I'm not sorry I came... I don't
think Jesse would be, either.
MEAGAN
I just can't believe he's dead. I
keep thinking he'll show up any
minute...
ERWIN
Well, that just about does it...
Erwin finishes sewing up Jason and climbs back onto
the pier, cutting the diving platform free. He kicks
it off and it floats out into the lake, drifting free.
Then Erwin herds the girls down the shore, leading
them over to where a short trench has been dug leading
from the water's edge.
In the bottom of the trench -- an uncovered power
cable.
ERWIN
(continuing)
As you can see, I've excavated the
power cable that runs across the
bottom of Crystal Lake. I've cut
away the insulation, exposing a
patch of cable right near the water's
edge.
Erwin picks up a nearby bucket of water and sets it
at the head of the trench.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Now when I kick this over, the water
will wash down the trench and bridge
an eletrical gap between the cable
and the lake. There's plenty of
voltage, so it should work.
STORMIE
So you kick the bucket and Jason
lives.
ERWIN
Yeah, right...
(then)
Okay, keep your fingers crossed...
Erwin kicks the bucket over. The water washes down
the trench, over the cable, and -- POW! Z-Z-Z-ZAP!
A huge SPARK HITS EXPLODES. Then the lake begins to
glow and the water begins to churn. Erwin and the
girls jump back as ELECTRICITY ARCS from the lake,
engulfing the diving platform.
The ARCS of ELECTRICITY leap from the chicken wire
onto Jason's body, his massive frame convulsing.
CLOSE ON HOCKEY MASK as we PUSH IN -- the electricity
spirals down into the eye hole like water running
down a drain.
CLOSE ON JASON'S EYE as it opens! We dive into the
eye and take a fantastic dream/time travel to...
OPTICAL TRANSITION TO:
EXT. VOORHEES CABIN - 1953 - DAY
CLOSE ON MASK (1950's version of a hockey mask)
reflected in the water. A young hand reaches up and
pulls off the mask, revealing the disfigured boy
beneath. This is JASON -- AGE 9.
JASON'S FATHER comes to the doorway of their run-
down cabin in dirty longjohns, holding a bottle of
rye. He bellows:
JASON'S FATHER
Jason! Git your ass over here!
Jason jumps at his father's voice, hesitates only
slightly, then runs toward him, stopping abruptly
several paces away.
JASON'S FATHER
(continuing)
What did I teach you, boy? Don't
ever take your mask off out in
public. I don't want nobody to see
that ugly mug of yours.
Jason stands, looking at his bare feet. His father
smacks him upside the head, shoving him towards the
woodshed.
JASON'S FATHER
(continuing)
Go git in the woodshed.
Jason's pace slows as he enters the dark shed -- he
knows what's coming next.
JASON'S FATHER
(continuing)
Drop them overalls and lay over
them logs...
Jason slowly complies as his father loosens his belt.
Suddenly, JASON'S MOTHER is just outside the doorway,
calling:
JASON'S MOTHER
Jason! Come here!
Jason gives his father a sideways glance, then scurries
towards his mother.
JASON'S FATHER
What are you doing woman?
Jason's mother gives him a mason jar stuffed with
dollars and change.
JASON'S MOTHER
I saved up some money... I want
you to take and go on up to that
summer camp just up the road. Tell
the man you want to stay there.
JASON'S FATHER
Just what the hell do you think
you're doing, bitch?!
JASON'S MOTHER
I'm sending him away for a few weeks.
JASON'S FATHER
You ain't sending him nowhere.
(to Jason)
Bring me that money, boy!
Jason holds his ground for a second, unsure whom to
obey, when his mother shoos him away.
JASON'S MOTHER
Go on now... go!
Jason takes off up the road. His father sneers:
JASON'S FATHER
Goin' ag'in me? I'll take you to
the shed, woman!
Jason's mother pulls a knife from her apron.
JASON'S MOTHER
You ain't ever taking anyone to
the shed ever again.
Jason's mother charges at her husband, shoving him
back into the shed with the knife. Jason looks back.
Through the open window he sees his mother's arm
coming down repeatedly with the knife, his father's
arms flailing helplessly. Then both disappear from
view. After a moment his mother appears in the door-
way, spattered with blood. She smiles and waves to
him, calling:
JASON'S MOTHER
(continuing)
Go on, son... have a good time!
Mommy will come and git you some
day soon!
Jason turns and runs to...
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - 1953 - DAY
Wearing his mask, Jason walks through the entrance
to the camp with his jar of money.
In the office, the HEAD COUNSELOR takes his money
and shakes his hand.
HEAD COUNSELOR
Welcome aboard, son! I'm sure
you'll have a great time!
CUT TO:
The other KIDS dance around Jason, taunting him...
laughing at him... pointing and teasing... Jason
breaks away, running towards the pier.
Jason sits at the end of the pier, looking at his own
reflection. He removes the mask and watches as the
distortions in the water make his face look normal.
Someone comes up behind Jason slowly. Jason isn't
aware of their presence until a shadowy reflection
appears behind his own. Jason turns to see who when
he is suddenly pushed into the lake.
Jason splashes to the surface, sputtering, trying to
stay afloat. A hand pushes his head back under the
water.
JASON'S UNDERWATER P.O.V. -- a distorted image of
whoever is holding him under.
Jason thrusts out his arms, fighting to get back to
the surface... fighting just to see who is killing
him before he dies.
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - NIGHT
Jason comes alive, thrashing around on the diving dock,
the electricity all over him like a spider web. On
shore, Erwin and the girls gasp.
ERWIN
Holy shit! It worked!
Meagan and Stormie bounce, excitedly. But something
is wrong. Jason thrashes around on the dock, unable
to break the crisscross of high voltage chicken wire.
MEAGAN
It's kill him! Shut it off! Shut
it off!
ERWIN
Shut it off... it suddenly occurs
to me that I hadn't really planned
for that contingency.
STORMIE
Just don't stand there! Do something!
But all Erwin can do is scratch his head. Meagan
rushes to the shore line and screams out over the lake:
MEAGAN
Jason! JASON! You've got to get up!
Do you hear me? Get up!
Jason clenches his meaty fists and SLAMS them down
against the diving dock. SMASHING it to bits. Water
rushes over him and -- ZZZZT! KA-POW!
A power transformer on shore EXPLODES, causing Meagan
and her friends to cringe. When they look back, the
electrical light show fades away, leaving nothing but
smoke and floating debris. Meagan and Stormie turn to
Erwin, who shrugs shyly and says:
ERWIN
Well... it's off now.
Meagan and Stormie begin a verbal barrage that would
shrink any man to pus... much less Erwin. He cowers
between them, offering quick excuses and humble
apologies.
All three are so wrapped up in laying blame that they
never notice Jason's shadowy figure as it rises from
the lake.
Then they do see him... scream and run. Jason charges
after the kids in his familiar "unstoppable killer"
gait.
Erwin ducks inside the tool shed as Meagan and Stormie
dash past. He closes the door behind him and squirms
out a tiny window just as Jason kicks open the door
and steps inside. Erwin races around to the front
and closes the door. He fastens the latch and padlock,
then calls to the girls:
ERWIN
(continuing)
Hey! Come back! I've got him locked
up in the tool shed!
Just then, the SOUND of a CHAINSAW as the blade RIPS
through the tool shed door. Erwin screams like a
girl and runs away.
INT. MAIN CABIN - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan and Stormie run into the main room. Stormie
spots a phone and goes to it, dialing frantically.
MEAGAN
Who are you calling?!
STORMIE
The cops! Who else?!
MEAGAN
Are you kidding?! They'll lock us
up and throw away the key!
STORMIE
Fine by me!
(clicks the receiver)
Damnit! It's dead!
Just then, Erwin bursts into the cabin, slamming
the door shut behind him.
ERWIN
He's right behind me!
Stormie and Meagan look out the window -- sure enough,
Jason is storming towards them, holding the chainsaw.
STORMIE
(to Erwin)
You're the one who brought him
back to life!
ERWIN
And?!
STORMIE
Well, do something!
Erwin screams and runs for the closet, hiding inside.
Stormie clucks:
STORMIE
(continuing)
Oh, some hero!
Just then, the chainsaw RIPS through the front door.
Meagan and Stormie scream and follow Erwin into the
closet, closing themselves inside.
They cower in the closet, listening... for a long
moment... nothing but the sound of their heavy
breathing.
Then, with the RIPPING of WOOD, Jason chainsaws the
closet door -- knocking it to the floor. Erwin draws
out his pin and starts stabbing himself in the finger.
Jason charges forward, when Meagan suddenly stands
up in front of him and yells:
MEAGAN
STOP!
To everyone's shock... Jason does.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Now... just stop! We're the ones
that brought you back to life.
And you have no right to kill us
with that chainsaw! In fact... you
owe us...
STORMIE
That's right! She gave you her
boyfriend's heart, you know!
MEAGAN
That's right.
Jason cocks his massive head like a perplexed pup.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Look! Here's his picture...
Meagan takes off the necklace that Jesse gave her and
opens the locket. She shows Jason the photo of Jesse
inside. Jason drops the chainsaw and takes the locket
in his humongous hands, gently touching the photo of
Jesse with a meaty finger.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Now, I know that you've been through
a lot. And I know that you're pissed
off about being murdered and all.
STORMIE
(interjects)
I know I would be!
MEAGAN
But if you help us kill Freddy
Krueger... I promise to help you
find the little bastard that
killed you. What do you say? Have
we got a deal?
Meagan sticks out her hand to shake. Jason stares at
it, looks back at the locket, then to Meagan. Finally,
he reaches out his huge hand for Meagan's when...
Brilliant, blinding white light blazes through the
windows, freezing everyone to the spot. Anxious to
get out of the closet with Jason, Erwin crawls across
the floor and peeks out over the window sill.
ANGLE OUT WINDOW -- a dozen police cars shine their
lights towards the cabin, two dozen COPS aim their
weapons. In the middle of this impressive show of
force is Murdoch. He raises a bullhorn to his lips.
MURDOCH
(through bullhorn)
You in there! This is Captain Renton
Murdoch -- State Trooper! I am
ordering you to come out with your
hands up! I'll give you until the
count of three...
(beat)
Three!
Meagan turns to Jason, shoving him back into the
closet.
MEAGAN
(whispering)
Jason, you have to hide! Stay in
here and don't come out until we
tell you. Stormie... help me!
Stormie helps Meagan stuff Jason into the closet,
closing the door. Then they quickly smooth down
their hair and clothes, moving towards the door.
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - NEXT SECOND
Meagan, Stormie, and Erwin come out with their hands
raised high above their heads. As they walk towards
the police cars, several of the S.W.A.T. team moves
in and arrests them. As they are handcuffed and
searched, Murdoch goes on the bullhorn again:
MURDOCH
(through bullhorn)
Alright... anybody else left in
there had better say their prayers!
ERWIN
There's no one else inside.
MURDOCH
Is that a fact?
(into bullhorn)
Okay... you had your chance!
Suddenly, one of the cops points towards the cabin
and shouts:
COP
Hey, look!
All heads turn towards the cabin, where Jason's
massive frame is filling the doorway.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Holy Mary, mother of God... would
you look at the size of that guy?
MURDOCH
(almost happy)
I knew it!
All the cops level their weapons at Jason when Murdoch
suddenly steps forward, gesturing for everyone to get
behind him.
MURDOCH
(continuing)
Stand back! I'll handle this.
Murdoch takes a few steps towards the cabin and sneers:
MURDOCH
(continuing)
You...
Jason raises the chainsaw -- he remembers Murdoch too.
Murdoch goes for his gun, but instead of bringing out
a pistol, he holds a laser designator. Murdoch fires.
A big red dot appears on Jason's chest. Jason looks
down at it like it was a harmless bug. He looks back
up at Murdoch, who raises a radio to his lips and says:
MURDOCH
(continuing;
into radio)
Let her go.
EXT. 60,000 FEET ABOVE CRYSTAL LAKE - NEXT SECOND
A military jet flying above drops it's payload -- a
laser-guided napalm bomb.
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - SAME TIME
A slight WHISTLE sound grows in the skies above Camp
Crystal Lake. Jason looks up.
SMART BOMB P.O.V. as it drops down on Jason -- homing
in on the laser dot on his chest.
BA-BOOM! -- Camp Crystal Lake EXPLODES in flames.
All the cops take cover as FIRE RAINS DOWN on them.
Only Murdoch stands his ground, his arms outstretched
as he embraces the terrible sight.
MURDOCH
That'll teach you to fuck with the
law, Voorhees!
A cop behind him says:
COP
Uhh, sir... your hat's on fire.
Murdoch looks up -- sure enough, his Smokey Bear hat
is burning above the brim.
Meagan watches as Camp Crystal Lake is consume in
flames, her last hope of saving Lizzy -- gone. Then
a cop shoves her into a police car with Stormie.
Erwin is put into another car and the three exchange
worrisome looks through the windows just before the
cars pull away.
As the cops start to pull out, one of them notices
something moving amidst the flames -- a large BURNING
form, walking towards the lake. As it stumbles out
onto the pier, the cop turns to his partner and says:
CURIOUS COP
Hey... do you see that?
But just then, the form falls through the BURNING
pier, SPLASHING into the water below. The partner
looks, sees nothing, and shrugs.
PARTNER
See what?
CURIOUS COP
I thought I saw something...
He shrugs it off and exits after his partner.
Murdoch, his hat still smoking a little, surveys the
sight one last time before climbing into his patrol
car and driving away.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK - NIGHT
A cell door SLAMS in front of Stormie's face. A cell
door SLAMS in front of Meagan's face. Both girls are
behind bars, separated by a cement wall. The hefty
female DEPUTY in charge of the cellblock goes back to
her desk.
Both girls stand in their cells next to eachother,
watching as the deputy goes back to her desk and
begins to devour three combo-burritos.
MEAGAN
We've got to try and stay awake.
STORMIE
Getting something to eat might help.
(calls to Deputy)
Yo, Butch!
DEPUTY MILLER
It's Deputy Miller.
STORMIE
Excuse me, Deputy Miller but could
we have something to eat?
DEPUTY MILLER
I thought you psychos only ate
human hearts?
STORMIE
And I thought you pigs only ate
donuts.
DEPUTY MILLER
Don't make me come back there.
STORMIE
(low; to Meagan)
Cow! I hope she chokes on her three
combo-burrito cud!
Meagan leans up against the wall, sliding down to
the floor in defeat.
MEAGAN
What am I going to do? I'll never
be able to find Lizzy now.
STORMIE
You should be worrying about your-
self... I know I am.
Stormie plops down on her cot.
MEAGAN
I bet you're sorry you came with
me now...
STORMIE
Nah... what are best friends for?
Afterall, you stuck by me through
all my crazy phases, I figure I
owe you one big crazy phase, right?
MEAGAN
That's for being my best friend,
Stormie.
Just then, Deputy Miller steps in front of Meagan's
cell, unlocking it.
DEPUTY MILLER
Come on, Meagan.
MEAGAN
Where are we going?
DEPUTY MILLER
Your parents are here.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER
Deputy Miller brings Meagan out of the cellblock,
where her mom and dad are waiting with Captain Murdoch.
Meagan's mom rushes up and hugs Meagan.
MEAGAN'S MOM
Oh, Meagan... are you alright?
Let me look at you...
MEAGAN
I'm okay, mom.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Your mother's been worried sick,
Meagan. So have I.
Meagan stands handcuffed, her hair mussed, her clothes
bloody and soiled.
MEAGAN
Sorry. Today has been a bitch.
INT. CELLBLOCK - SAME TIME
The deputy is so busy munching down on her burritos
that she doesn't notice the strange shadow that
passes behind her.
The shadow moves down the cellblock, accompanied by
a slight SCRAPING. Freddy's glove materializes,
raking the knives along the metal cross bars. Freddy
stops at Stormie's cell, looking inside.
Stormie is fast asleep.
Freddy walks into Stormie's cell, passing right through
the bars. Suddenly, Stormie wakes and, seeing Freddy,
jumps to her feet and screams.
STORMIE
Help! Help! Freddy's here! He's here!
But the deputy at the end of the cellblock doesn't
respond, finishing off the rest of the burrito and
licking her meaty fingers clean. Freddy puts his
forefinger knife to his lips and shushes Stormie,
pointing to her cot. Stormie looks over and sees her-
self asleep.
STORMIE
(continuing)
Oh, shit! I'm still asleep!
She looks up at Freddy, who smiles and says:
FREDDY
You know what they say... when you
sleep -- you die!
Freddy flashes the glove of knives.
INT. POLICE STATION - NEXT MOMENT
MEAGAN'S MOM
Meagan, Captain Murdoch here said
you helped one of those cultists
escape from a hospital?
MEAGAN
A mental hospital.
MEAGAN'S MOM
And he said you desecrated a cemetery
and some other really terrible things.
Tell me you had nothing to do with
it. Tell me there's some mistake...?
MEAGAN
There's no mistake.
(to Murdoch)
What did you do with Erwin?
MURDOCH
Your boyfriend is headed back to the
looney bin where he belongs. But
don't worry, you'll be seeing him
soon enough... at the arraignment.
INT. CELLBLOCK - SAME TIME
Freddy taunts Stormie as the circle around in the cell
by slicing off his fingers, squirting green slime.
Stormie winces a little but keeps her distance and cool.
STORMIE
You don't scare me, Freddy! Thanks
to my various phases and many hours
of watching violent televison, I
have become immune to violence. Seen
it all and done it all! Nothing you
do can gross me out -- so why don't
you give it your best shot, bitch!
FREDDY
Then maybe I'll just CUT to the chase!
Freddy swings the glove but Stormie ducks, keeping her
defensive stance.
STORMIE
I'm warning you, Freddy... my father
is a drill sergeant in the Marine
Corps and he taught me just how to
defend myself against slimy bastards
like you.
FREDDY
Oh I'm so scared, honey. Come on!
Hit me! Punch me right in the nose!
I dare you!
Freddy juts out his chin, gesturing for Stormie to
take a punch. Stormie throws a right and pops Freddy
right in the nose.
FREDDY
(continuing;
surprised)
Owwwww!
Stormie smiles but that soon fades as she realizes her
fist is stuck in Freddy's nose. Freddy takes in a
breath and Stormie's arm is sucked up past the elbow.
She screams.
Freddy takes a deep breath and snorts Stormie right
up his nose, her screams turning into a faint BUZZ.
Freddy smiles.
FREDDY
(continuing)
Now that's what I call getting a
buzz.
INT. FREDDY'S NOSTRIL CAVERN - NEXT SECOND
Now the size of a flea, Stormie is clinging to one
of hundreds of pointed tree trunks jutting out from
the circular walls -- Freddy's nose hairs. Stuck in
those humongous hairs are clumps of icky gunk --
boogers.
Sitting next to Stormie, a particularly large and
rotund booger clump opens its eyes and says (in the
distorted voice of Harry Manfredini):
BOOGERMAN
Hi there! I'm the Boogerman! Heh-
heh... get it?
Stormie screams, backing up into the "trees", trying
to put distance between herself and Boogerman.
BOOGERMAN
(continuing)
Aww, don't go... we can play "Star
Wars". You can be Princess Leia and
I'll be Jabba the Hutt!
Boogerman licks his fat, nasty lips with a slimy green
tongue -- he does kinda look like Jabba. Stormie
screams again.
INT. POLICE STATION - SAME TIME
Meagan is getting more and more agitated.
MEAGAN
We're wasting time! We've got to
close down all the churches --
Freddy has to marry Lizzy on holy
ground!
Meagan's parents stare at their daughter with confused,
frightened looks.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Don't you understand?! He has to
come to our reality to do it! It's
our last chance to kill him!
MURDOCH
Okay, I think we've heard enough of
this crap. Take her back to the
lockup.
A couple of DEPUTIES grab Meagan. She throws them off
and they grab her again, roughly. Meagan's parents
watch in pain and horror as the deputies drag their
daughter back to her cell, kicking and screaming.
MEAGAN
Dad! Mom! Don't let them lock me up!
I have to save Lizzy!
MEAGAN'S MOM
Oh, Meagan... you're sick. You don't
even realize what you've done.
MEAGAN
I did what I had to do to try and
save Lizzy!
MURDOCH
Yeah, including murdering your boy-
friend and cutting his heart out.
MEAGAN
Liar! Freddy killed Jesse! He was
already dead when I cut his heart
out!
Meagan's mom and dad gasp, recoiling with horror.
MEAGAN
(continuing; manic)
Goddamnit, you don't understand!
Freddy lives! FREDDY LIVES!!!
Meagan's raving grows faint as she disappears into
the cellblock. Murdoch pulls Meagan's dad aside.
MURDOCH
I know how you must feel... I had
a dog once. I loved that dog. I
treated her like my own daughter.
We went camping, picnics in the
park... I even had a little stocking
for her nailed up on the mantle for
Christmas. Then one day, she bit
me... so I had to blow her brains
out.
(sighs)
God, I loved that dog.
INT. STORMIE'S CELL & NOSTRIL CAVERN - SAME TIME
Freddy starts to dig in his nose with his forefinger
knife.
A giant knife blade comes charging up the nostril
cavern, sending Stormie into hysterics.
BOOGERMAN
Uh-oh, Freddy's picking his nose
again -- gotta go!
Boogerman starts lumbering up into the back of the
nostril cavern. Stormie watches the massive knife
blade as it comes right for her, then at the last
possible second she starts climbing after Boogerman.
She pushes past the disgusting blob of goo, racing
ahead.
BOOGERMAN
(continuing)
Well, excuse me!
INSERT -- Freddy pushes the knife way far back into
his head.
The giant knife spears Boogerman in the back, running
him through and spilling his "Boogerman" guts out his
front. Stormie gives a little squeal as Boogerman is
pulled out, kicking and screaming.
Freddy withdraws the knife from his nose, peering
closely at the tiny Boogerman impaled on the end. He
twists his mouth in utter disdain and flicks Booger-
man across the cell.
Boogerman screams as he flies across vast space, smack-
ing into the far wall with a giant SPLAT! Boogerman
flattens outwards into a thin pancake of Boogerman goo,
his nasty head still alive in the center.
Freddy reaches through the bars of the cell, his arm
extending out in a grotesque fashion all the way to
the deputy's desk. He feels around on the table until
he touches the pepper shaker, drawing it back into
Stormie's cell.
Freddy sprinkles a small amount of pepper into his
right palm and breathes it in deeply -- the specks
of pepper becoming rocks that pelt Stormie as she
clings to life deep inside the nostril.
Freddy's face begins to distort, his nose wrinkling
up -- the beginnings of a sneeze.
FREDDY
Ahhh... ahhh... ahhh--CHOO!
Micro-Stormie comes blasting out of Freddy's nose
with globules of snot. She flies across the massive
cell, headed directly for the splattered Boogerman,
screaming her head off.
Boogerman sees Stormie racing towards him and he
screams too.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK - NEXT INSTANT
As the deputy brings Meagan back to her cell they
hear a loud SPLAT!
MEAGAN
Stormie?!
The deputy pushes Meagan back as she moves forward
cautiously, glancing around the wall into Stormie's
cell... then promptly puking combo burrito. Meagan
runs up and looks. The wall to Stormie's cell is
splattered with blood and bits.
Meagan falls to her knees, sobbing as more DEPUTIES
come running into the cellblock, answering the
deputy's puke-choked scream.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Oh, God... what have I done? What
have I done?!
We BOOM OUT of this chaos and go to...
EXT. LONELY ROAD - NIGHT
An ambulance races along the road with it's emergency
lights flashing. In back Erwin lays strapped to a
gurney. Up front sit a DRIVER and an ATTENDANT. They
chat disparagingly about the freak in the back, when
suddenly a large form appears in the road just ahead.
The driver slams on the brakes and the wheels lock up
with a terrible SQUEAL.
WHUMP! -- the ambulance plows into the form, knocking
it some fifty feet down the road. The driver and the
attendant stare out of the cracked windshield in shock.
Finally, the driver turns to the attendant and says:
AMBULANCE DRIVER
I'll go check it out. You stay here.
The driver gets out and goes to the form laying in the
road. He bends down to examine the charred, mammoth
carcass when a fist flies up, smacking the driver in
the face. He falls to the ground, unconscious.
The corpse sits up in the glare from the headlights --
it's Jason! Burnt and blackened but ready for action!
He starts towards the ambulance.
The attendant gets out and pulls his service revolver,
emptying into Jason's chest. Jason recoils only
slightly as BULLET HITS BURST his coveralls, then he
grabs the attendant by the head as he snaps the empty
pistol in panic. Jason slams the attendant's face
into the side of the ambulance.
In the back of the ambulance, a terror-stricken Erwin
watches as a face shaped dent appears in the wall with
a sickening WRENCHING of METAL and FLESH. Then...
silence.
RIP! -- Jason pulls off the back door of the ambulance
and climbs inside, the shocks bottoming out under his
weight. He reaches out for Erwin, who closes his
eyes... waiting for the inevitable.
Then... nothing.
After a second, Erwin opens an eye. Jason is standing
over him, hand outstretched. In his big, burnt palm
-- Meagan's necklace. Erwin looks from the necklace
to Jason. Jason thrusts out his hand impatiently.
ERWIN
You... want me to tell you where
Meagan is?
Again with the thrusting.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Well why didn't you say so?! Jesus,
for a minute there I thought you
were going to kill me.
(then)
You're not, are you?
Jason shakes his palm at Erwin yet a third time.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Okay... okay! I'll take you right
to her. Could you help me out of
this?
Jason reaches over and yanks out the gurney straps.
Erwin exits out the back with Jason following close
behind. Erwin climbs in behind the wheel, saying:
ERWIN
(continuing)
I'll drive.
Jason pushes Erwin aside so roughly that he slams into
the passenger side door.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Okay... you drive.
As Jason climbs into the driver's seat, a CHIME goes
off as a female COMPUTER VOICE in a pleasant tone says:
COMPUTER VOICE
Fasten your safety belt, please.
Erwin fastens his. Jason watches him and pulls the
safety belt across his massive chest -- it won't reach.
Jason pulls harder, ripping the belt out of the bolts.
The CHIME goes crazy.
COMPUTER VOICE
(continuing)
Fasten your safety belt, please...
Fasten your safety belt, please...
Jason SMASHES the dashboard with his fist, silencing
the voice and chime. He turns suddenly to Erwin as if
to say, "Yeah?! What about it?" Erwin shrugs nervously:
ERWIN
Fuck the bitch. Let's roll!
With tires SQUEALING, burning rubber and smoke, the
ambulance roars away into the early morning.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK - DAWN
Meagan stares through the bars of her cell at the sun
as it peeks out over the horizon. The deputy gets up
to leave for the six a.m. shift change. As she goes,
she switches on the cellblock TV.
ANGLE ON TV -- An early morning religious program
is on.
RELIGIOUS ANNOUNCER
(filtered)
This is Channel 12 -- Station W.G.O.D.
-- where the "W" stands for "Worship"
And now... "Daily Affirmation" with
Reverend Lawrence Lovejoy...
A shot of the REVEREND LOVEJOY at the podium in his
studio, giving kind words of encouragement.
REVEREND LOVEJOY
Good morning, friends... the Good
Book says that each morning brings
a new light into our lives...
The good reverend goes on about it always being darkest
before the dawn, have faith and your prayers will be
answered, etc. Meagan turns and watches the sunrise
-- glorious. Tears stream down her cheeks. Then a
commercial comes on:
RELIGIOUS ANNOUNCER
(filtered)
You can own a videotape of Reverend
Lovejoy's Daily Affirmation for only
$19.95...
CUT TO:
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - MORNING
In his booth at the main gate, the GATE GUARD watches
as a procession of hearses approaches. As the first
hearse reaches the gate, the guard steps out and says:
GATE GUARD
Hello. What can I do for you?
A cultist sticks his head out the window and says:
CULTIST
We're here to see the Reverend
Lovejoy. We need him to perform a
wedding.
GATE GUARD
Do you have an appointment?
CULTIST
No. I have a Beretta.
The cultist produces a pistol -- BANG!
INT. STUDIO - MOMENTS LATER
The REVEREND LOVEJOY is at his podium, his WIFE at the
organ, waiting for the commercial break to be over.
The FLOOR MANAGER counts down -- three... two... one...
BAM! -- the cultists burst into the studio. The CAMERA
OPERATOR and FLOOR MANAGER are killed. The Reverend
Lovejoy and his WIFE, at the organ, are taken hostage.
INT. POLICE STATION - CELLBLOCK - SAME TIME
ANGLE ON TV as the cultists take the reverend and his
wife hostage. Meagan watches, suddenly perplexed.
INT. STUDIO - NEXT SECOND
The cultists break into the control room, killing the
DIRECTOR and STAFF. One slips into the sound booth,
garroting the RELIGIOUS ANNOUNCER with a piece of wire.
Another SMASHES the control board, killing the signal.
All the feed monitors go snowy.
INT. CELLBLOCK - SAME TIME
ANGLE ON TV as the picture goes to static. Just then,
the deputy appears in front of Meagan's cell.
MEAGAN
Something just happened at the TV
station.
DEPUTY
Don't worry about it -- get undressed.
MEAGAN
What for?
DEPUTY
Time to get you cleaned up for court.
Meagan looks back at the TV as she slowly starts to
get undressed.
INT. POLICE STATION - SHOWERS - MOMENTS LATER
The deputy ushers Meagan into the showers. Inside,
a naked group of mean, nasty, ugly JAIL HOUSE BITCHES
are showering, washing hairy pits, flabby tattooed
skin, and greasy hair. They eye Meagan like the
dessert bar at Denny's as she crosses to the opposite
side, sneaking into a corner. Meagan turns on the
shower and drops the towel -- the bitches whistle and
catcall.
Just then, the deputy gets called away, leaving Meagan
to the mercy of the bitches. The head bitch slides
over to Meagan and says:
HEAD BITCH
What's the matter, honey... you
don't like our company?
MEAGAN
I like you... sure. It's just that
I usually shower alone, that's all.
HEAD BITCH
Oh! So you're shy? I like 'em when
they're shy...
The head bitch grabs at Meagan, who resists. But this
bitch is big and tough and holds Meagan by the wrists
as she tries to kiss her. The other bitches laugh.
HEAD BITCH
(continuing)
Don't fight it, baby! You know you
want me...
Meagan scratches the head bitch's face. She backs
off screaming, wiping blood from her face. Then she
spits, reaches down (below the frame line) and
produces a shiv.
HEAD BITCH
(continuing)
If you won't give me a piece then
I'll just cut one for myself...
The head bitch moves in. Meagan takes a cautious
step back, bumping into tile -- nowhere to go. She
holds up her hands.
MEAGAN
Wait a second... I didn't mean to
do that... I'm sorry. It's just that
you come on a little strong, that's
all. Just give me a little time to
adjust to my new surroundings...
The head bitch stops, curious.
HEAD BITCH
Are you saying you want me now?
MEAGAN
Yes... I want you.
HEAD BITCH
Prove it.
Meagan comes up to the woman, raising her arms. In a
flash, the head bitch has the shiv to Meagan's jugular
-- a warning. Meagan carefully puts her arm around
the bitch and kisses her full on the mouth. After a
long, uncomfortable moment, they break. The head
bitch smiles.
HEAD BITCH
(continuing)
Now that's more like it!
(to the others)
Hey, this bitch is alright!
The other bitches smile as the head bitch slips her
arm around Meagan's waist and pulls her tight.
HEAD BITCH
(continuing)
You're okay, honey... what's your
name?
MEAGAN
Meagan.
HEAD BITCH
So... what're you in for, Meagan?
MEAGAN
(sniffles a little)
Oh, my friend...
HEAD BITCH
The bitch that died last night?
MEAGAN
(starts to cry)
Yeah... they said she had some
disease that made her... explode!
Oh, God! Please hold me!
The head bitch holds Meagan tight as she sobs,
smoothing her hair. The other bitches share a look
of concern as one asks:
BITCH #1
What's this bullshit about some
killer funk make you explode?
HEAD BITCH
(to Meagan)
Easy... honey. It's goin' be
alright. But what I asked you is
why you're in here?
MEAGAN
Oh... well... the cops? Well, they
think I gave it to her...
The head bitch suddenly springs back as if Meagan
were Satan himself. She runs for the other bitches
but they aren't having anything to do with her. All
the bitches race for the exit.
The deputy comes to the shower room doorway and
shouts:
DEPUTY
What the hell is all the screaming
about?!
WHAM! -- the bitches run her over, stripping the keys
from her belt. They unlock the cellblock door and go
running into the police station, screaming butt-naked.
After the bitches exit, Meagan's hand reaches out and
drags the unconscious deputy into the shower.
INT. POLICE STATION - NEXT SECOND
The bitches come running butt-naked and screaming
through the station. Several deputies chase after
them, tackle them and try to cuff them. A brawl
ensues. Chaos.
Murdoch sits on a desk, reading a report. He looks
up at the madness and mutters:
MURDOCH
Punks...
INT. POLICE STATION - SHOWERS - MOMENTS LATER
A DEPUTY enters the showers and sees a naked woman
on top of a deputy, their arms locked in a struggle.
The deputy cracks the naked woman in the back of the
head with her baton and she falls to the side,
revealing Meagan -- now dressed in the deputy's
uniform -- laying on the shower floor.
The deputy realizes her mistake too late -- Meagan
sprays her in the face with mace and she sinks to
her knees, screaming and clutching her face. Meagan
leaps to her feet, grabs a towel to hold over her
face (as if she had a broken nose) and starts to exit.
On her way out, Meagan is passed by several DEPUTIES
charging into the showers to restore order. She
gestures them on, then slips into an emergency exit
to freedom.
EXT. POLICE STATION - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Meagan exits the station just as a patrol car pulls
up. She reaches in and grabs the JUNIOR TROOPER,
pulling him out. Then she slips behind the wheel
and ROARS off. The junior trooper calls after her:
JUNIOR TROOPER
Hey, that's Captain Murdoch's car!
CUT TO:
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
The cultists surround Reverend Lovejoy as he nervously
shakes his head, saying:
REVEREND LOVEJOY
I won't do it! It's a sin!
Blasphemy!
One of the cultists puts a gun to Mrs. Lovejoy's head.
CULTIST
Wedding or funeral... your choice.
The reverend swallows and says:
REVEREND LOVEJOY
And who would be the bride?
Lizzy is brought forth. The cultists take her arm
and inject her with the dream dope. Lizzy's head
lulls around as she chants softly:
LIZZY
One... two... Freddy's coming for
you.
The rest of the cultists shoot up -- passing the
needle from one to another.
LIZZY
(continuing)
Three... four... Better lock your
door.
The good reverend watches this with a lump in his
throat. He shudders and asks:
REVEREND LOVEJOY
And the groom.
CULTIST
He's coming...
Lizzy is almost asleep.
LIZZY
Five... six... grab your crucifix...
The neon cross behind the podium begins to flicker.
Then with a sharp SNAP of electricity, the cross
falls over, turning upside down. It hangs there for
an instant then -- POW! -- the cross EXPLODES, catching
the curtains on FIRE.
As the FLAMES consume the curtains, a hole in reality
appears -- a Dreamgate. Freddy comes springing out,
leaping in front of the podium. He laughs and turns
to Lizzy, asleep on the bench.
FREDDY
That's for the lift sister!
(to the cultists)
Hiya, kids!
CULTISTS
(in unison)
Hiya, Freddy!
FREDDY
Ready to get hitched?
CULTISTS
Ready, Freddy!
FREDDY
Then let's do it!
Lizzy looks up and smiles.
LIZZY
I love you, Freddy...
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - AFTERNOON
A DEPUTY comes up to Murdoch and says:
DEPUTY
We found your patrol car, Captain.
It was abandoned near a local
religious station.
MURDOCH
Religious station? Is there a
padre there?
DEPUTY
Yes, sir. Reverend Lovejoy broad-
casts out of that location.
MURDOCH
So that's where they're hiding.
CUT TO:
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
Lizzy and Freddy stand before Reverend Lovejoy.
REVEREND LOVEJOY
...and if there be anyone among you
who has any reason why these two
should not be joined in holy...
Freddy holds up a finger -- "Ah-ah".
REVEREND LOVEJOY
(continuing)
...in matrimony. Let them speak
now...
(under his breath)
...please God...
(aloud)
...or forever hold their peace.
WHAM! -- Meagan bursts in.
MEAGAN
Stop!
Everyone turns and looks as Meagan comes to the pulpit.
MEAGAN
(continuing;
to Freddy)
Take me, Freddy. Take me instead.
FREDDY
You're a virgin?!
MEAGAN
Oh, that's right -- tell everybody!
Freddy moves close to Meagan, running a blade over and
around Meagan's neck as she struggles to remain calm.
FREDDY
Mmmmmmm! Yes, you are a bit juicier
than your retard sister... okay,
you've got the job.
(to cultists)
Get her ready.
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - NIGHT
Outside, the cultists surrounding the outside of the
station watch as dozens of police vehicles swarm to
the fence. Murdoch and the S.W.A.T. commander get
out of the lead car. Murdoch picks up his bullhorn
and says:
MURDOCH
(through bullhorn)
This is Captain Renton Murdoch --
State Trooper. I'm giving you until
the count of three to come out with
your hands up...
A CULTIST SNIPER FIRES a shot at Murdoch, the bullet
hit SMASHING the emergency lights atop his car. The
other cops duck down, but not Murdoch, he turns
calmly to the S.W.A.T. commander and says:
MURDOCH
(continuing)
Hand me that flare pistol.
The commander gives the flare gun to Murdoch, adding:
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Good idea. Throw a little light on
them -- see if we can spot their
firing positions...
As the commander speaks, Murdoch aims the pistol
carefully and FIRES. PHOOMPH! -- the flare streaks
to the roof of the TV station, SMACKING the sniper.
He BURSTS into FLAMES and tumbles to the ground,
screaming. Murdoch hands the flare gun back to the
commander, going back on the bullhorn and saying:
MURDOCH
(through bullhorn)
Alright, now I'm through playing
"nice guy" -- I want the rest of
you punks to come out right now
with your hands up.
The cultists respond by filling the air with hot lead
-- BULLET HITS RIDDLE the cop cars, SMASHING glass
and PIERCING metal. The cops FIRE back, BULLET HITS
EXPLODING all along the sides of the TV station.
INT. STUDIO - NEXT MOMENT
The cultists bare Meagan's arm and inject her with
dream dope. She takes her place at the threshold
beside Freddy.
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - SAME TIME
As the battle outside between the cultists and the
cops RAGES, Murdoch and the S.W.A.T. commander squat
down behind a fender to reload.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Well, it doesn't look like they're
going to surrender.
MURDOCH
What we're going to need then is
somebody to charge their lines --
make a hole for us to slip in.
S.W.A.T. COMMANDER
Where are you going to find anyone
that crazy?
Just then, an ambulance comes ROARING through the
police lines, causing the cops to scurry like mice.
MURDOCH
Here comes one now...
(yells)
GO GIT 'EM, SON!
Murdoch squints to see who's driving... it's Jason!
Erwin smiles and waves to Murdoch through the passenger
side window as the ambulance zooms past.
Murdoch curses, drawing his pistol and SHOOTING after
the ambulance.
The other COPS join in a moment later, BULLET HITS
SPARKING off the back of the ambulance as it CRASHES
through the front gate.
Inside the ambulance, Erwin hazards a glance back at
the cops, then he turns to Jason and says:
ERWIN
That was easy enough...
Erwin looks ahead and screams.
ANGLE THROUGH WINDSHIELD as three cultists stand
directly in front of the speeding ambulance, FIRING
machine guns. The glass EXPLODES just as Erwin
ducks down.
Two cultists suddenly scatter as Jason rams the
ambulance into the middle one just before plowing
into the side of the station with a CRASH.
Erwin pushes down his airbag just in time to see a
cultist closing in with a gun. He reaches through the
smashed windshield and grabs the squashed cultist's
machine gun laying on the hood. Erwin turns, SHOOTS
the cultist just in time.
As Jason kicks open the driver's side door he is
greeted by two cultists SHOOTING at him. Jason RIPS
OFF the driver's side door and hurls it at the two
punks, knocking them down like bowling pins. Then
Jason reaches back into the ambulance, pulls out the
Jaws of Life and, with Erwin covering his back, starts
towards the front door.
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
The wedding proceeds...
REVEREND LOVEJOY
Once again... if there be anyone
among you who does not want these
two people to be joined... let him
speak now or forever hold his peace.
Meagan looks around... no one says anything. The
reverend clears his throat to continue when...
WHAM! -- the studio door flies open and Jason appears
in the doorway holding the Jaws of Life.
FREDDY
Uh, oh...
The cultists attack Jason. Jason grabs the first
one with the Jaws of Life -- folds him in half like
a rag doll. Another attacks with a machete... bad
idea. One more cultist down and now Jason owns the
machete. Jason finishes off the last two cultists
as Erwin barricades the studio door. The cultists
on the other side start POUNDING.
Jason starts swinging at Freddy with the machete,
slicing through a camera cable. CLOSE ON CABLE as
it falls to the floor.
Freddy jumps back through the Dreamgate, closing it
behind him.
Erwin runs over to Meagan and Lizzy. He tries to
wake them but can't. As Jason lumbers over, Erwin
looks up and says:
ERWIN
I can't wake them up. Freddy's
got them trapped!
Erwin thinks for a moment, then rushes over to a
couple of dead cultists. He takes their syringes.
Erwin jabs Jason in the neck with two syringes full
of dream dope.
ERWIN
(continuing)
Go get him, boy!
Jason staggers forward, falling into...
INT. NIGHTMARE ARENA - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Jason falls into a boxing arena. The ropes are
entrails and atop each corner post is mounted a human
head. The spectators are all DEMONS, MONSTERS, and
the LIVING DEAD.
Jason looks over at his opponent -- dressed in boxing
shorts, shoes, and gloves -- it's Freddy.
Jason raises his arms and finds he too is wearing
boxing gloves.
TED BUNDY steps into the ring.
TED BUNDY
(into microphone)
Ladies and gentlemen... welcome
to the fight of the century! I'm
your ring announcer... Ted Bundy!
BANG! -- a bullet hole appears in Ted's forehead,
BLOWING his brains out the back. He falls over DEAD
and the crowd cheers. Ted sits up and pulls the wig
back over his shaved head and electric burns as he
calls into the balcony:
TED BUNDY
(continuing)
Verrrrrry funny, Oswald!
ANGLE IN BALCONY -- OSWALD stands, his rifle still
smoking.
OSWALD
(angry; defensive)
It wasn't me!
Ted Bundy gets to his feet and finishes the intro:
TED BUNDY
In my left corner, weighing in at
only ninety seven pounds... the
nightmare master himself! The one!
The only... Freddddddddy
Kruuuuuuugerrrrrr!!!
Freddy holds up his arms and the crowd goes wild.
TED BUNDY
(continuing)
And on my right... weighing in at
a whopping four hundred and thir-
teen pounds... that killer of
countless teenagers... the big
guy...
(gestures to Jason)
Jason Voorhees!
CHEERS and BOOS.
TED BUNDY
(continuing)
And the prize tonight... not one but
TWO -- count 'em -- TWO virgins...
ripe for the picking.
Ted gestures to a large cage suspended over the arena.
Inside -- Meagan and Lizzy clutch eachother.
TED BUNDY
(continuing)
Hey, have one now and save the other
for the ride home. That's what I did.
LAUGHTER from the crowd.
MEAGAN
Kick his ass, Jason!
DING! -- the bell sounds. The first round begins...
Freddy starts towards Jason, cocking his glove for a
blow when -- CH-CHING! -- knife blades jut out of the
glove. He punches Jason in the stomach and starts
RIPPING him open, rotten guts spilling out.
Jason spots a cocktail waitress walking past with an
axe in her head. This is BLOODY MARY. Jason reaches
over the side of the ring and pulls the axe out of
her head. Bloody Mary whips around, yelling:
BLOODY MARY
HEY!
Jason swings with the axe -- SH-WACK! -- Jason SLICES
OFF Freddy's arm. The crowd ROARS. Freddy looks
down at the open armpit, GUSHING with ROTTEN BLOOD,
and shrugs:
FREDDY
Oh, well... I just axed for that!
Freddy GROWS a new arm, complete with glove of knives.
Jason throws the axe at Freddy, who ducks it. The
axe flies into the audience, SMACKING MUSSOLINI square
between the eyes. He falls back to the floor. HITLER
turns to EVA BRAUN and says disdainfully:
HITLER
Peasants...
DING! The bell sounds. Freddy and Jason break, going
into their respective corners. As Jason sits down in
his corner, the HUMAN HEAD mounted on his corner post
starts in:
HUMAN HEAD
That's it, kiddo! You're really
giving it to him out there! Use the
left more -- jab! Make him hurt!
That's the ticket to a knockout!
Up in her cage, Meagan clutches a terrifed Lizzy.
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
Erwin watches Jason sleep as the cultists BANG down
the studio door.
INT. NIGHTMARE ARENA - NEXT MOMENT
DING! The bell sounds again and round two begins.
Freddy and Jason get to their feet and close in on
each other. Jason swings wide. Freddy ducks under
Jason's massive fist just as the referee steps in for
a close look. WHUMP -- Jason knocks the ref's head
OFF, it goes flying up into the balcony. The crowd
CHEERS.
Jason chases Freddy around the ring, looking for an
opening. Freddy backpeddles, tripping over the ref's
decapitated body as several HUNGRY ZOMBIES drag him out
of the ring, RIPPING his body apart and DEVOURING it.
Up in their cage, Meagan and Lizzy grimace with
disgust.
Jason reaches down and grabs Freddy, hoisting him
high above his head. Then Jason body slams Freddy
to the mat. The crowd CHEERS.
Jason starts jumping up and down on Freddy's back.
Freddy reaches into his shirt and brings out a rusty
can of spinach. In a grotesque parody of Popeye he
opens the can -- full of nasty worms and maggots --
and gulps it down. Suddenly, Freddy throws Jason off
his back and stands, huge muscles ballooning on his
chest and arms. At the end of his right hand -- a
heavy metal boxing glove.
Jason gets to his feet in time to see Freddy cock the
massive glove for a blow.
CHING! -- dozens of spikes spring out of the metal
glove. Freddy swings, knocking Jason into the ropes.
He bounces off and falls to the mat. The fans go nuts.
As Jason tries to get up, Freddy swings his right arm
around and around -- the metal boxing glove turning
into a giant mallet. Jason looks up just in time to
see the mallet coming down. WHAM! -- Freddy drives
Jason into the mat. The crowd goes wild.
>From up in her cage, Meagan starts to scream:
MEAGAN
Jason! Get up! Get up!
ANGLE UNDER THE MAT -- it's a dark, foreboding (under-
water) abyss. Jason's legs kick, trying to get back
up. Something slithers up from out of the deep...
wisps of empty blackness clutching at Jason's boots.
Freddy pushes down on Jason's mask, shoving him down.
Jason struggles but keeps slipping. This looks like
the end of Jason. Freddy laughs.
MEAGAN
(continuing)
Jason! You've got to get up!
JASON'S P.O.V. of Freddy looking down at him, pushing
him down... drowning him...
FLASH CUT TO:
EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - 1953 - DAY
YOUNG JASON P.O.V. as he is being drowned. He fights
to get to the surface... to see... who it is...
Young Jason breaks the surface for an instant and
his killer comes into sharp focus.
It's FREDDY (AGE 13). His Camp Crystal Lake nametag
reads: Hi! My name is Freddy! He pushes the young
Jason down again, laughing.
HARD CUT TO:
INT. NIGHTMARE ARENA - NEXT INSTANT
Freddy pushes Jason down into the abyss below the
mat... laughing, when Jason snaps. With a burst
of strength he kicks upward, coming up out of the
mat. Jason grabs Freddy by the throat and seizes
him up with him.
Jason's momentum carries both of them up to the
ceiling, where they CRASH through to...
INT. STUDIO - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Jason "wakes up", holding Freddy by the throat as
he bangs his head into the lighting gridwork above
the studio. A light EXPLODES and Freddy cries in
pain... then realizes, he's been brought into the
real world.
FREDDY
Oh, shit!
Jason throws Freddy to the ground, then raises up a
boot and stomps Freddy's head, SQUASHING it like a
tomato. The Dream Demons squirt out.
Just then, the cultists BREAK DOWN the studio door.
They raise their weapons to fire, when their heads
suddenly IMPLODE. They fall screaming to the floor
-- dead.
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - NIGHT - SAME INSTANT
The remaining cultists SHOOTING it out with the
police suddenly grab their heads, screaming. Their
heads IMPLODE and they fall to the ground. Murdoch
sees this and says to the S.W.A.T. commander:
MURDOCH
Now's my chance... give me sixty
seconds to get in there then move
in.
Before the commander can reply, Murdoch is off and
running into the station.
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
Meagan and Lizzy come out of their sleep-like trance
and embrace. Then Meagan looks up at Erwin.
MEAGAN
What took you so long?!
Erwin gestures to Jason, trying to keep his voice low
so as to not hurt the big guy's feelings.
ERWIN
What ever you do... don't let this
guy drive.
Meagan smiles at Jason.
MEAGAN
I knew you would come...
Jason and Meagan look over to where Freddy's body is
fast decaying... turning back into blackened bones,
scraps of cloth, and a rusting glove of knives.
The Dream Demons squirm around on the studio floor,
then swim into the open end of the camera cable and
disappear.
In the control room, Freddy's face appears on every
monitor, laughing.
ERWIN
Oh, no! Freddy's in the transmitter!
Erwin watches as an electrical Freddy-impulse races
from the control room via a long thick cable running
overhead.
ERWIN
(continuing)
He's going for the satellite dish!
If he uplinks with a communications
satellite he can beam himself any-
where in the world! We'll never be
rid of him!
Meagan and Jason look up at the Freddy-impulse shoots
past them, going through the ceiling to the...
EXT. RELIGIOUS TV STATION - ROOF - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The satellite dish mounted on the roof. It begins
to pulsate with an olive and red glow -- getting
ready to beam Freddy.
INT. STUDIO - SAME TIME
Meagan reaches up and grabs the cable, pulling it
hard.
EXT. ROOF - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The roof gives way, tilting the big dish just as it
BLASTS the laughing Freddy-beam into the night sky.
EXT. EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE - NEXT INSTANT
The Freddy-beam just misses the satellite, ricocheting
off one of the solar panels and sending the satellite
tumbling into deep space.
The deflected Freddy-beam now zooms towards the sun.
Inside the beam -- Freddy sees the sun zooming up
and screams. His face burns away, leaving a screaming
skull. That too burns away, leaving the Dream Demons.
One by one they burn up as the beam reaches the sun.
ANGLE ON THE SUN as the beam EXPLODES, causing a
solar prominence.
INT. TV STATION - STUDIO - SAME TIME
The ceiling collapses in on Jason, burying him under
a ton of rubble and the big antenna dish. A ton of
dust billows up.
Just then, Murdoch bursts in. He sees Lizzy and
Meagan and takes aim with the shotgun. Erwin sees
this and jumps in-between them, yelling:
ERWIN
No! Wait!
Murdoch FIRES. The shotgun blast knocks Erwin across
the room, where he lands in a heap. Meagan and Lizzy
run to his side.
Erwin struggles to breathe -- a large hole in his
chest. With fading strength, Erwin pulls his pin
out and pricks himself. Erwin smiles and dies.
MEAGAN
Erwin? Erwin?!
MURDOCH
He's dead... and so are you if you
don't put your hands up right now!
Lizzy turns and attacks Murdoch. He knocks her to
the floor, taking aim on her head with the shotgun
as he says:
MURDOCH
(continuing)
It's time I taught you girls some
respect for the law!
In a panic, Meagan snatches up a pistol from a fallen
cultist and FIRES it at Murdoch's head.
PTT-TWANG! -- Murdoch's hat goes flying off with a
SPARK HIT, revealing his bald, hideous head -- a
large open wound with a metal plate underneath. He
turns towards Meagan with an evil grin on his face.
MURDOCH
(continuing)
So... you wanna be a punk?
Murdoch raises the shotgun, taking aim on Meagan.
MURDOCH
(continuing)
Then die like a punk!
Murdoch starts to squeeze the trigger when Jason's
hand shoots out of the rubble pile behind him. Jason
jams his hand down the back of Murdoch's pants and
pulls up his briefs, lifting him a foot off the floor
with a Jason-wedgy as he rises from the rubble. We
see Murdoch's name written into his shorts.
As Murdoch screams, Jason jerks the shotgun from his
hand and jams it up his ass -- right through the seat
of his pants. Murdoch's cheeks bulge out as the
muzzle slams into the roof of his mouth. Jason cocks
the shotgun and...
BOOM! -- Murdoch's head and shoulders EXPLODE from
his torso, leaving his broken spine sticking up out
of shirt. Bits of Murdoch splatter the floor as his
metal plate comes PINGING down, rolling around and
spinning to a stop like a hubcap.
Jason drops Murdoch (what's left of him) to the
floor just as the S.W.A.T. commander and his men
come charging in. They see Jason and raise their
guns in panic.
MEAGAN
NO!
Too late. The cops let loose with a BARRAGE of GUN-
FIRE. BULLET HITS EXPLODE on Jason's chest. Meagan
grabs Lizzy and covers her up as the bullets WHIZZ
past.
More cops hear the SHOOTING and come running. They
start SHOOTING too. Soon the doorway to the studio
is crowded with muzzle flash.
More and more BULLET HITS SMACK Jason. A bullet
hole outline appears on the wall behind him.
The cops start running out of ammo and a cry goes
up, "More ammo! More ammo!".
VARIOUS INSERTS OF cops going for hideout pistols,
opening their trunks and taking out ammo cans,
passing the weapons and ammo up the staircase to the
cops in the studio.
Jason keeps getting SHOT. Pieces of his are flying
off. Fingers shot off of a hand. A knee shot away
to reveal the bone. Dozens of BULLET HITS going off
of his chest and head.
Finally, the cops start to run out of ammo. The
SHOOTING subsides and finally grinds to a stop, leaving
the cops knee-high in brass and a thick layer of
gunsmoke in the room.
As it clears, Jason still stands. He teeters a little,
then falls backwards with a mighty THUD.
Jason lays dying. Meagan rushes to his side. Jason
reaches into one of the giant holes in his chest and
pulls something out -- Jesse's heart.
Jason hands the heart to Meagan. Then Jason's head
rolls back -- he's dead.
Meagan begins weeping as we pull up out of the studio,
revealing her surrounded by Jason, Freddy, and Murdoch.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. LIZZY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Meagan tucks Lizzy into her bed. She gives her the
Raggedy Ann doll and kisses her goodnight. As Meagan
turns out the light, Lizzy asks:
LIZZY
You forgot to check under the bed.
Meagan clucks and bends down, peering under the bed
-- nada.
MEAGAN
No monsters here.
LIZZY
But what if they come back?
MEAGAN
Then we'll just have to kick their
ass again.
Lizzy giggles.
LIZZY
I love you, Meagan.
MEAGAN
I love you too. Go to sleep.
INT. MEAGAN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
As Meagan crosses to her room, her parents call up
to her from the bottom of the staircase.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Meagan?
Meagan looks down at her parents.
MEAGAN
Yes, dad?
MEAGAN'S DAD
Your mom and I... well, we want to
thank you for saving your sister's
life... we know you went through
a lot.
MEAGAN'S MOM
We're going to be there for you
from now on... for both of you!
And that nice lawyer we hired for
you said he thinks he can get all
the charges dropped... except maybe
for the grave robbing and human
desecration ones.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Everything is going to be fine.
MEAGAN
I know...
MEAGAN'S MOM
And I'm going to get sober...
MEAGAN'S DAD
We're going to be a normal, happy
family again.
MEAGAN
I know...
MEAGAN'S MOM
Goodnight, sweetheart.
MEAGAN
Goodnight mom... goodnight dad.
MEAGAN'S DAD
Goodnight, Meagan.
INT. MEAGAN'S ROOM - NIGHT
Meagan is ready for bed, drawing back the covers,
when the phone RINGS. She picks it up.
MEAGAN
Hello?
FREDDY
(filtered)
I'll be seeing you in your dreams...
Freddy's nasty tongue slithers out of the handset and
licks Meagan in the face. She yelps and slams the
phone down.
MEAGAN
(sighs)
I know...
Meagan puts the phone in a drawer and closes it. She
climbs into bed and pulls back the pillow to reveal
the pistol Erwin gave Jesse to kill Freddy. She smiles
and puts the pistol back under the pillow.
BLACKNESS:
The phone RINGS.
ROLL END CREDITS:
Then... at the very end...
CUT TO:
INT. NIGHTMARE ARENA - SAME TIME
Ted Bundy and all the spectators are looking up at
the hole in the ceiling that Jason and Freddy made
when they went back to reality... waiting.
Finally, somebody says:
MONSTER
I don't think they're coming back.
TED BUNDY
Okay, folks... show's over. Every-
body can go home now.
All the monsters get grumbling and start to exit.
CUT TO:
BLACK... now it's over.
THE END |
The French Connection
Rev. April 26, 1971
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
by
ERNEST TIDYMAN and WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
DIRECTOR: William Friedkin
PRODUCER: Philip D'Antoni
EXT. LE VALLON
Opening shot - High angle on Lincoln along small bay with
boats.
Ext. Bar - Waist to full figure Pan Right to Left. Detective
comes out eating pizza, looking around. He crosses street
and stops against wall of impasse Michael.
He looks O.S. left,
His POV - L.S. of Lincoln behind fishing nets.
Waist shot of Detective looking and eating.
M.S. of Lincoln.
C.S. of Detective looking O.S. Left.
Pan Right to Left with Charnier coming out from Fonfon with
three friends and they walk to the Lincoln.
Pan Left to Right with Lincoln passing in front of the
Detective.
EXT. CAFE LA SAMARITAINE
High angle from balcony. Zoom on Detective seated at the
cafe, reading a newspaper.
Cut on Lincoln along sidewalk of the cafe, then zoom back to
discover Detective seated.
EXT. MARSEILLE STREETS
Low angle from stairs Rue des Repenties and Pan Left to
Right to Rue Sainte Francoise following the Detective.
Pan Left to Right with Detective from Rue des Repenties to
Rue Baussenque.
Low angle between Rue des Moulins and Rue des Accoules with
Detective passing by.
Ext. Rue du Panier - The Detective comes out from the bakery
camera Right and starts to climb up Rue des Moulins with his
bread.
EXT. STREET
High angle - on No. 50 Rue des Moulins. Pan Left to Right
with Detective coming up the street with his bread and going
inside his house, starting to open his letter-box.
2.
INT. CORRIDOR
High angle - complete reverse. As the Detective starts to
open his letter-box in B.G. a hand pointing a gun moves in
foreground and blows off half of the French Detective's head
with the first shot.
Cut to Nicoli C.S. who just fired.
EXT. A BAR IN BED-STUY - DAY
A large man in a Santa Claus suit and white beard is
entertaining a group of black children. He leads them in
the singing of a Christmas Carol (Hark the Herald Angels
Sing). The man is DETECTIVE FIRST GRADE JIMMY DOYLE. His
attention is split between the children and the activity
inside the bar.
INT. THE BAR - DOYLE'S POV - DAY
The place is crowded with mid-day drinkers. Dimly outlined
at the far end of the bar are TWO BLACK MEN involved in some
kind of transaction in which a package is exchanged for
money. As the transaction seems to be completed, cut to
EXT. THE BAR - DAY
Santa Claus (DOYLE) starts to ring his big Christmas bell,
above the singing. The bell is a signal to DETECTIVE SECOND
GRADE BUDDY RUSSO. At this moment RUSSO is in the clothes
of a hot dog vendor and is in fact working behind a hot dog
wagon. At the ringing of DOYLE's bell he takes off his
apron, leaves the wagon, and runs toward the bar.
DOYLE
(as RUSSO passes him)
The guy in the brown coat.
INT. THE BAR - DAY
RUSSO enter the bar on the run. He stops and looks over the
room.
RUSSO'S POV
There are TWENTY or THIRTY MEN at the bar, at least TEN are
wearing brown coats! The TWO MEN involved in the deal see
RUSSO and start to run. One (THE BUYER) takes off out of
the back door. The other (THE PUSHER) jumps over the bar
and heads for the front entrance.
3.
EXT. THE BAR - DAY
THE PUSHER dashes out past Santa Claus (DOYLE). RUSSO
follows him and all three give chase.
EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY
THREE FIGURES running down a New York tenement alley, the
first in flight, the others in pursuit. We pick up the
incredible clutter of such an alley, mounts of rusting beer
cans, paper bags of garbage bulging and ripping open, old
bed springs, burned out mattresses, etc.
EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY
Close shot of BLACK PUSHER tripping on the tangle of trash
going up against the wall in his stumble, face toward the
camera, and the figures of RUSSO and DOYLE leaping upon him
from off-camera. There is a blur or fast struggle as DOYLE
and RUSSO try to get his arms and put him against the wall.
BLACK PUSHER writhes loose and we close in on a knife in his
hand, plunging rapidly into RUSSO'S left forearm.
RUSSO
Son of a bitch!
The words are both warning and a grunt of pain. As RUSSO
takes the blade and utters the words, we simultaneously go
to DOYLE crouching and snatching his .38 out of the right
ankle holster.
EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE and the BLACK PUSHER, DOYLE pistol-
whipping him into submission with three lightening chops of
the gun to the PUSHER'S head. DOYLE continues to beat the
man mercilessly into submission.
INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
3-shot of BLACK PUSHER sitting between DOYLE and RUSSO.
DOYLE is at the wheel. BLACK PUSHER is sitting on his
hands, wrists manacled behind him, his head down and dripping
blood onto the jacket and the canary-yellow turtleneck. All
three are breathing hard.
DOYLE
What's your name, asshole?
BLACK PUSHER
Fuck you, Santa Claus!
DOYLE hits him across the face.
4.
RUSSO
Your name is Willie Craven.
BLACK PUSHER doesn't look up.
DOYLE
Who's your connection, Willie?
What's his name?
No response.
RUSSO
Who killed the old Jew in the
laundromat?
BLACK PUSHER's brow furrows, looks up just a little.
BLACK PUSHER
I don't...
DOYLE
Ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?
BLACK PUSHER
What?
DOYLE
Did you ever pick your feet in
Poughkeepsie?
BLACK PUSHER
I don't know what you're talkin'
about.
DOYLE
Were you ever in Poughkeepsie?
BLACK PUSHER
No... yeah...
DOYLE
Did you ever sit on the edge of the
bed, take off your socks and stick
your fingers between your toes?
BLACK PUSHER
Man, I'm clean.
DOYLE
You made three sales to your
roaches back there. We had to
chase you through all this shit and
you tell me you're clean?
5.
RUSSO
Who stuck up the laundromat?
DOYLE
How about that time you were
picking your feet in Poughkeepsie?
The BLACK PUSHER'S eyes go to RUSSO in panic, looking for
relief from the pressure of the inquisition.
RUSSO
(in pain)
You better give me the guy who got
the old Jew or you better give me
something or you're just a memory
in this town.
BLACK PUSHER
That's a lot o' shit. I didn't do
nothin'.
The BLACK PUSHER's eyes are on DOYLE, frozen in confusion
and fear.
DOYLE
You put a shiv in my partner. Know
what that means? All winter I
gotta listen to him gripe about his
bowling scores. Now I'm gonna bust
your ass for those three bags -
then I'm gonna nail you for pickin'
your feet in Poughkeepsie.
EXT. HEADQUARTERS NARCOTICS BUREAU OF THE NYPD 12 OLD SLIP
AND SOUTH STREETS - NIGHT
DOYLE and RUSSO standing side by side on the front steps of
the old First Precinct on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
RUSSO has his overcoat over his shoulders as a cape. The
sleeve of his left arm is rolled up over a blood-stained
bandage on the left forearm.
DOYLE
Havin' trouble? You're a dumb
guinea.
RUSSO
How'd I know he had a knife.
DOYLE
Never trust a nigger.
RUSSO
He coulda been white.
6.
DOYLE
Never trust anybody. You goin' sick?
RUSSO
Not a chance.
RUSSO nods in acceptance of the remark. The easy, synical
rapport between them is obvious: they are partners in a
business where somebody is always getting hurt and pain is
part of the inventory.
DOYLE
Let's popeye around the Chez for a
half hour, catch the end of the
show and a couple drinks.
RUSSO
Some other time Jimmy, I'm beat.
DOYLE reaches into the right side pocket of BUDDY's suitcoat
for a cigarette and matches. He lights up two in the pause,
sticks one in RUSSO's mouth.
DOYLE
Come on -- one drink. Whatta you
say?
RUSSO
Drink this.
DOYLE
Whip it out.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
THE TITLES COMMENCE
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
Titles over a close shot of a chorus line, with lots of tits
and ass and lean, long legs in a brassy blare of music. We
zoom back to the area where DOYLE and RUSSO are beginning to
occupy a table. RUSSO takes the seat on the right, eyes
immediately on all that ginch, while DOYLE standing, gives
their order. We do not hear the dialogue but DOYLE asks
RUSSO what he wants BUDDY looks up and says "Cinzano." DOYLE
turns and says "Two of these." DOYLE slips into the chair
opposite RUSSO and the titles roll on. Unlike RUSSO who is
concentrating on the girls, DOYLE is digging the room and
the people who occupy the tables in it, as if he is the sort
of man who cannot relax until he knows who is around him,
why they are there.
7.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
A long view from DOYLE's position of the room, a quick
certain survey that stumbles twice; on laughter that seems
too raw and then over a flurry of activity by WAITERS and
CAPTAINS serving a table on the main floor. DOYLE's
attention is apprehended by the noise and activity that
emanate from the same large table.
DOYLE
I make at least two junk connections
at that table in the corner. The
guy is the stripe combo, I know him
too.
RUSSO
Hey, I thought we come for a drink.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
A long view of the table with DOYLE and RUSSO very close
foreground, left and right. DOYLE is leaning on an elbow.
DOYLE
Who is that guy?
RUSSO
Policy man in Queens.
DOYLE
What about the last of the big-time
spenders. You make him?
RUSSO's eyes come off the show. It is a direct line from
DOYLE's gaze to the round, ruddy and arrogant face of SAL
BOCA, the apparent host of the table of EIGHT MEN AND WOMEN,
the Men in dinner jackets with ties tucked under the collars
of blue or white lace-trimmed shirts, the Women in a mixture
of pant suits and Catskills cocktail party dresses, their
hair coiffed towers.
RUSSO
No, you?
DOYLE
Hunh-uh. Check the bread. He
spreads it like the Russians are in
Jersey.
RUSSO
He probably sells insurance. Owns
a chicken farm in Hackensack.
8.
Zoom in slowly on SAL as he deals tips and orders. Through
DOYLE's eyes, we go from Guest to Guest at SAL's table,
taking apart their manners and styles as they talk and
laugh, lost in the show chatter.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
DOYLE finishing his drink, still looking at the table.
DOYLE
Dig who's just come over. The
creep on the end.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
The camera pans down the table to dig the "creep on the end."
RUSSO (VO)
Jewish Lucky from the Bronx... He
don't look the same without a
number across his chest.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
DOYLE close in right profile, SAL's table in the far blurred
background.
DOYLE
Whatta you say we wait and give him
a tail?
RUSSO
Give who a tail?
DOYLE
The greaser with the blonde.
RUSSO
What for -- you wanna play Hide the
Salami with his old lady?
DOYLE
Come on -- just for fun --
INT/EXT. DOYLE'S CAR - NIGHT
The view from the back seat of DOYLE's car. DOYLE is at the
wheel, RUSSO packed uncomfortably into the corner at DOYLE's
right. Seventy-five yards away on the other side of the
street the canopied entrance of the Club. A Continental is
parked in front of the club. The DRIVER leaning on a fender
talking with the DOORMAN. DOYLE frisks his own pockets for
a cigarette, coming up with a collection of laundry slips,
crumpled notes, toothpicks and matches.
9.
One of the slips of paper catches his eye as he is going
through the ritual of the cigarette mooch, a slip bearing
the name of a girl. His attention is really on the entrance
of the Club and both his conversation and the cigarette
business are detached and incidental to the art of waiting
through the stakeout. He stuffs the cards back into his
pocket.
DOYLE
Monica? Who's Monica?
RUSSO
(handing him a cigarette)
A and A, that's all you're
interested in -- Arrests and Ass.
As soon as DOYLE has finished lighting the cigarette SAL and
his PARTY come bubbling out of the Club noisily, a little
drunkenly. SAL waves to the attentive DOORMAN.
DOYLE close, leaning forward over the wheel to put his hand
on the ignition key. He does not turn it. He is waiting
for the cover of noise from the starting of SAL's car.
RUSSO is turning the opposite corner of the car into a bend,
his head back, arms across his chest.
DOYLE
Cloudy, I'll lay odds he takes us
to Little Italy.
DOYLE reaches under his seat for the straw surveillance
hat - throws it up to read ledge of car.
RUSSO
I'm telling you, Popeye, he owns a
bagel mine in the Bronx.
A long view of the Club entrance. SAL and ANGIE, a well-
built "classy" blonde with good legs, get into their black
Mercury sedan. The Mercury takes off towards First Avenue.
We hear DOYLE's car start and we move off after them on the
last blink of tail-lights at the corner.
EXT. BROADWAY - NIGHT
Cabs, Daily News and Times delivery trucks, bakery vans and
a few cruising cabs, one or two passenger cars and a coasting
green and black police cruiser -- this is the 4:30 a.m.
traffic through which DOYLE moves.
A rear-window view of SAL and ANGIE BOCA, in animated
conversation. His head is turned toward her, his hand
raised in a gesture. ANGIE is sitting in a corner with her
back to the door, in profile to the back window.
10.
Her blonde head bobbles with laughter over some remark SAL
has made.
A long overhead view of the two cars wheeling in and out of
the sparse traffic.
Close shot of the license plate on BOCA's car.
Close shot DOYLE staring at license plate, memorizing it.
EXT. RATNER'S - DAY
BOCA and ANGIE exit restaurant, get into their car and drive
off. Hold for DOYLE's car as it passes through after them.
EXT. MULBERRY STREET - DAY
Side close view of SAL turning south into Mott Street
panning to pick up the Italian names on the candy stores,
funeral parlors, bars, grocery stores, social clubs.
A long view of SAL's car from the DOYLE-RUSSO auto, over the
shoulders of the two cops. DOYLE is leaning on the wheel of
his car. He's against the curb about 100 yards behind SAL.
Medium close view of SAL in the middle of Mott Street,
walking quickly toward the opposite side of the street,
hands in the pocket of his white raincoat. He glances over
his shoulder in the direction of DOYLE's car.
Close of RUSSO who has come awake. The smart-ass demeanor
has dropped away. DOYLE turns to him and smiles. This
district is the heart of every illegal activity in New York.
Close rear view of DOYLE and RUSSO ducking down to the level
of the dashboard, a reflex action. He couldn't see them at
that distance, although SAL, lighted by his own headlights,
can be seen in the background walking around the cars,
across the sidewalk and stopped at a recessed doorway.
Medium close shot of SAL and partially visible FIGURE at the
doorway. With another glance up the street, SAL takes
something out of his raincoat pocket and steps up and into
the doorway.
INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close from the front of DOYLE and RUSSO low against the
dashboard.
DOYLE
It's a drop!
DOYLE's face, close, light smile.
11.
Long view of SAL walking down the sidewalk quickly for about
a quarter of a block while the headlights of his car, with
ANGIE apparently driving, move up with him. At another
doorway, he looks back and then steps inside.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
Long view of SAL's Mercury moving over Brooklyn Bridge.
Close shot of the DOYLE-RUSSO car from RUSSO's side. BUDDY
now interested, watching.
EXT. BROOKLYN - DAY
Overhead view of cars circling block, first Mercury turning
corner, then DOYLE's Ford.
Long shot of the Mercury pulling up beside line of parked
cars (as seen from DOYLE-RUSSO car) stopping and parking.
Hold on Mercury as SAL and ANGIE get out of it. SAL locking
it up, and starting to walk toward a line of parked cars.
Close shot from rear seat of DOYLE and RUSSO glancing at
each other.
SAL and ANGIE stop in the street beside beat-up white Dodge.
Without a word they get in. Hold as they get in, SAL starts
and they begin to drive out of the spot.
Close on DOYLE.
DOYLE
It's startin' to cook, Cloudy, my
man is cookin'...
A series of impressionist traveling shots of the white Dodge
and DOYLE's Ford moving through Brooklyn Streets, picking up
street signs of areas.
Medium close shot of the white Dodge pulling into the curb.
In near background, a candy-confectionery store.
INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE and RUSSO in profile driving past the
candy store as SAL and ANGIE open door and go in.
Close shot of DOYLE and RUSSO parked. DOYLE is looking in
the rear-view mirror while BUDDY is turned around on the
seat, looking out the rear window.
A long shot, from the DOYLE-RUSSO viewpoint of the candy
store. The door is open, the street is deserted. Lights
are going on in the little shop.
12.
Hold on the storefront as SAL appears, this time in a candy
store operator's smock over a white undershirt, baggy slacks.
He's carrying a stack of newspapers. Zoom in on SAL stacking
the Sunday Times and the Daily News on the rack in front of
the store as ANGIE appears in the doorway. She's blackhaired
now, the blonde wig gone, also wearing a grey cotton smock
over a plain skirt and sweater, holding a cup of coffee. We
hold on them for a beat, then
CUT TO:
DOYLE and RUSSO close just looking at each other. The look
says everything about the freak case they have stumbled into.
EXT. QUAY MARSEILLE SHIPYARD
1) Tight two shot then, 2) cut into blue prints.
CHARNIER
En prolongeant les quais d'une
trentaine de mètres on pourra
recevoir des unités d'une cargaison
de 500 tonnes.
3) While he shows the extension, clean P.O.V. Of each quay.
4) Dolly Left to Right with Notre-Dame in background. They
fold the blue prints and moves.
FOREMAN MARCEL
Et combien d'hommes supplémentaires?
CHARNIER
Ca fera environ 10 hommes de plus
par équipe.
MARCEL
Le Syndicat exigera un minimum de 12.
CHARNIER
Quelle importance. Ce qui compte
pour moi c'est d'avoir un chantier
qui puisse recevoir les plus grands
bateaux du monde.
MARCEL
Dis moi vieille branche? Comment
fais tu pour rester si jeune avec
la vie que tu mènes?
CHARNIER
Quelle vie Marcel? J'ai plus rien
foutu depuis que je suis descendu
de ces cabines.
13.
EXT. NUNNERY
EXT. CORNICHE - HI-WAY (BERGER)
Pan Left to Right Lincoln driven by Jean with Charnier behind.
EXT. CASSIS CROSSROAD IN FRONT OF MARSEILLE SIGN POST
Lincoln passing by.
EXT. CASSIS HARBOUR FROM CASINO
Pan Right to Left with Lincoln passing by.
EXT. CASSIS ROAD LEADING TO VILLA
Pan Right to Left with Lincoln arriving from main road to
Villa.
EXT. VILLA CASSIS
Camera in front of garage where the Lincoln stops. Charnier
comes out with gift and walks Right to Left.
EXT. VILLA CASSIS
Pan Left to Right with Charnier walking along terrace with
Cassis bay in B.G., and we discover his wife, Marie. She
gets up. Dolly back.
CHARNIER
Bonjour chérie.
They kiss each other and walk arm in arm back to us.
EXT. VILLA CASSIS
Close 2-shot favouring her. He gives her the gift.
CHARNIER
Tu sais j'ai réfléchi longuement à
ton cadeau pour le voyage. Je l'ai
choisi moi-même. Tiens.
MARIE
Je peux l'ouvrir tout de suite?
CHARNIER
Si tu veux.
14.
MARIE
(opening the gift)
Oh Alain! C'est merveilleux! Tu
me gâtes. Je t'aime. Attends, je
vais te montrer moi aussi ce que
j'ai acheté.
CHARNIER
Encore du sho ping!
EXT. VILLA
L.S. Pan Right to left from under the trees following her as
she leaves Charnier to enter in the house.
EXT. VILLA
C.S. of Charnier along the terrace. He throws a fishing
pole in the sea.
EXT. VILLA
PAN RIGHT TO LEFT with Marie coming back with a new coat.
MARIE
Regarde mon pêcheur de baleine...
Tu sais il va faire très froid cet
hiver.
CHARNIER
Avec ça tu pourras le supporter.
MARIE
Mais non, c'est pour toi.
CHARNIER
Pour moi?
MARIE
Regarde, il te va parfaitement bien!
CHARNIER
Formidable! Sans toi je
m'habillerais encore en docker.
(then, taking off coat)
Je suis passé voir Françoise.
MARIE
Comment va-t-elle?
CHARNIER
Je n'ai jamais vu tant de sérenité.
Elle m'a demandé de tes nouvelles
et si nous étions heureux.
15.
MARIE
Le sommes nous?
CHARNIER
(he kisses her)
Non!
EXT. BOAT - CAR PARK
Complete Pan Left to Right with Lincoln passing in front of
Samaritaine cafe.
Driver pulls out. Charnier comes out from Lincoln and we
follow him as he crosses Left to Right and jumps into the
boat which moves out.
FROM BOAT
Back shot. Charnier standing in the moving boat and smoking
as Marseille diminishes in B.G.
OPENING SEA SHOT
From the boat approaching Chateau d'If.
ON PEER
Pan Right to Left as Charnier gets out of boat and starts to
climb up.
High angle thru first stone door with sea in B.G. Charnier
comes up and turns Right to Left.
High angle -- Pan Left to Right -- Low angle, with Charnier
coming up from 2nd arch to 3rd arch thru which we see the
tower in B.G.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF - 1ST PLATFORM
Pan Left to Right with Charnier arriving on terrace.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF - CHARNIER - HIS POV
Nicoli back to us. He turns left shoulder as we approach to
him.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF - TWO SHOT
Dolly back preceding Charnier and Nicoli after they meet and
Pan Left to Right to the Rotonde.
CHARNIER
Ca a marché?
16.
NICOLI
Au poil.
They turn around.
CHARNIER
Sale boulot.
NICOLI
Il fallait le faire.
CHARNIER
Il est en retard.
NICOLI
Je crois qu'on fait une erreur de
le prendre avec nous.
CHARNIER
Une erreur! C'est génial. C'est
une vedette à la télévision. Il
peut aller partout sans être
soupçonné... En plus il a besoin de
fric.
NICOLI
J'ai pas confiance en lui.
CHARNIER
Sois gentil avec lui. On ne sait
jamais. Il peut te faire travailler
à la télévision.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF
Cut on Devereau arriving. He sees them.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF
Pan Left to Right bringing Charnier and Nicoli towards
Devereaux to finish in 3-shot.
CHARNIER
Henri c'est gentil d'être venu. Je
vous présente mon associé, Pierre
Nicoli. Henri Devereaux.
DEVEREAUX
Enchanté.
(they shake hands)
Alain, j'ai réfléchi à votre
proposition et j'ai décidé
d'accepter.
17.
SURVEILLANCE MONTAGE OF SAL BOCA's activities. From time to
time DOYLE and RUSSO are visible, but their dialogue is for
the most part VOICE OVER.
INT/EXT. BROOKLYN CANDY STORE - DAY
Various shots of SAL and ANGIE. Several shots of DOYLE and
RUSSO in the CANDY STORE: reading magazines, having lunch
separately. They are also seen in the LEATHER FACTORY
across the street observing the CANDY STORE. Several
CHARACTERS enter the CANDY STORE from time to time and go
into the BACK ROOM.
Following are a series of cuts (MOS) to be used with the V.O.
dialogue of RUSSO and DOYLE.
INT. CANDY STORE - DAY
SAL counts the receipts. Two or three CUSTOMERS in the BG.
SAL removes a tray of Ziti from the oven. ANGIE makes an
order to go.
SAL removes garbage from the back area.
RUSSO (V.O.)
Our friend's name is SALVATORE BOCA.
They call him SAL. He's a
sweetheart. He once was picked up
on suspicion of armed robbery.
Tried to hold up Tiffany's on Fifth
Avenue! In broad daylight! Could
have got two-and-a-half to five,
but they wouldn't prosecute. Also
downtown they're sure he pulled off
a contract on a guy named DeMarco.
EXT. CANDY STORE - DAY
SAL putting garbage into cans. Pan and Zoom to DOYLE and
RUSSO in window of FACTORY across the street.
INT. CANDY STORE - DAY
ANGIE carries bowl of hard-boiled eggs from rear of store to
the front.
DOYLE (V.O.)
His old lady?
ANGIE makes a tuna sandwich on a roll. A cigarette dangles
from her lips. SAL is in BG at cash register with customer.
18.
RUSSO (V.O.)
Her name's Angie... Fast filly...
she drew a suspended for shoplifting
a year ago... only a kid, nineteen
according to the marriage license.
From front of store looking to back.
DOYLE (V.O.)
Yeah, nineteen goin' on fifty.
What else?
RUSSO is at counter eating lunch with three others... ANGIE
serving. She wears a sleeveless sweater; shows lots of tit.
RUSSO digs... she digs him. A wise guy comes in, goes to
the back room. SAL follows.
RUSSO (V.O.)
He's had the store a year an'a
half... takes in a fast seven grand
a year.
EXT. CANDY STORE - DAY
POV from FACTORY window... Two Wise Guys in big coats and
hats pull up in a big car. They enter store.
DOYLE (V.O.)
So what's he doin' with two cars
and hundred dollar tabs at the Chez?
INT. CANDY STORE - DAY
Angie shooting from back of store towards front. The Two
Wise Guys enter, go to Back Room. SAL follows. They close
door. DOYLE is at the magazine counter in front. He sits
down with magazine. Orders coffee.
RUSSO (V.O.)
The Merc's in his wife's name.
Dodge belongs to his brother.
WARD'S ISLAND - DAY
A heavy-faced, dirty looking man in a Sanitation Dept.
uniform in a group of men practising with Sanitation trucks.
RUSSO (V.O.)
Lou... he's a trainee at the
Sanitation School on Ward's Island.
Served time a couple of years ago,
on assault and robbery raps.
19.
SEVERAL SHOTS - DAY
EXT. CANDY STORE
LOU pulls up. As LOU picks up SAL. They drive to various
buildings in Brooklyn. One or the other gets out briefly,
then goes on. DOYLE and RUSSO watch from DOYLE's car.
SUYDAM STREET
DOYLE
If that's not a drop or a pickup,
I'll open a charge for you at
Bloomingdale's.
RUSSO
Make it Alexander's, I like the toy
department.
DOYLE
Toy wit' this will ya.
EXT/INT. "MICKEY'S TWO DOOR" - DAY
RUSSO
There's about a hundred years'
parole time in there night or day.
SAL arrives alone. DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car across
street.
DOYLE
They treat our boy like a king.
Wonder why he don't bring his old
lady?
SAL flirts with the BARMAID.
RUSSO
There's your answer...
THROUGH RIDGEWOOD - DAY
Restaurants, stores, etc.
DOYLE
Who's the greaser?
With SAL and his FATHER.
RUSSO
It's his father.
DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car.
20.
DOYLE
I think we oughta burn him on
suspicion.
RUSSO
Suspicion of what?
DOYLE
Makin' wine in the basement.
(pause)
He looks like that wop stooge used
to drive for the Fracisi brothers.
LOU joins them. He and SAL leave together after each kisses
and embraces the old man.
RUSSO
Lay off with that wop stuff, will
you?
EXT. WEINSTOCK'S APT. BUILDING - DAY
In the East 80's. SAL exits.
DOYLE
That's the third time he come here
this week. You got anything on the
building?
DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car.
RUSSO
The building's clean. I checked
the tenant list -- Don Ameche, the
actor lives there -- oh, and
somebody else. Do the name Joel
Weinstock ring a bell?
TIME LAPSE
Late day. WEINSTOCK leaving building, nodding to doorman.
DOYLE
You're kiddin'
DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car.
RUSSO
No sir -- this is where Joel lives.
DOYLE
He was the bank on that shipment
outta Mexico three years ago.
21.
RUSSO
So I've heard.
EXT. CANDY STORE - NIGHT
SAL and ANGIE leaving.
DOYLE
Whatta you know -- he's takin' his
wife out for a change.
DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car.
INT. LEATHER FACTORY - DAY
Across street from Candy Store. DOYLE and RUSSO at the
printing machine.
DOYLE
(at leather printing machine)
Got a job for me when this is over,
Mrs. Levene?
They have a view of the Candy Store across street. Various
people go in and out. Next to DOYLE, at a stamping machine,
is MRS. LEVENE, the factory owner.
MRS. LEVENE
What are you fellows looking for?
What do you want from that nice
candy store?
DOYLE
We have reason to believe it's a
front for the biggest counterfeiting
operation in the country.
MRS. LEVENE
What?
DOYLE
That's right. They're trying to
steal the formula for Hershey
bars --
DOYLE continues his work at the print-out machine, while
observing the candy store.
We see SAL leaving the store. He crosses to his car, near
the RUSSO car. As he passes it, he sees RUSSO locked in
embrace with a lady in a babushka. As SAL drives off, we
get a closer look at the "LADY" in the babushka: DETECTIVE
JAMES DOYLE.
22.
INT. RUSSO'S CAR ON TRIBORO BRIDGE CROSSING TO WARD'S ISLAND
DOYLE
What the hell am I drivin' for?
I'm a first grade Detective.
You're a second grade guinea.
RUSSO
I'm wounded. Oh, oh.
SAL up ahead in the Mercury.
DOYLE
(at the wheel)
What?
EXT. WARD'S ISLAND - BRIDGE
The Mercury crossing the bridge to the Island.
RUSSO
He's goin' to Ward's Island. We'll
get spotted. What the hell's he
goin' there?
DOYLE-RUSSO car B.G.
DOYLE
Maybe he's goin' to see his brother.
DOYLE
Or could be another drop. I guess
he gets a free ride.
EXT. BROOKLYN STREET - DAY
A Brooklyn slum street on a morning in November. It is
about 11 o'clock and relatively quiet. A scattering of
tenement URCHINS give the street some sound and life. There
are a couple of dark shops on the street and a bar, all
appearing to be closed. We look down the street and pick up
DOYLE and RUSSO coming down it, walking very quickly. They
are heading toward the bar. A young man is coming out -
they grab him and throw him back.
INT. BAR ROOM - DAY
The Young Man is thrown in, followed by DOYLE and RUSSO.
There are about 20 or 30 PUETRO RICAN and BLACK MEN in the
joint, a couple of BLACK WOMEN. They are in all manner of
dress. Half of them are wearing shades. The bar is noisy
with conversation, laughter and music.
23.
DOYLE and RUSSO standing in the doorway, DOYLE slightly to
the left, RUSSO a little behind him. DOYLE's arms are at
his sides. RUSSO's right hand is crossed over his belt,
under his jacket and on the butt of his .38, ready, waiting
to back his partner's play or respond to any move within the
bar.
DOYLE moving into the bar alone. He pulls the plug out of
the Juke Box, plunging the room to silence.
DOYLE
Hands on your heads. Popeye's here!
Twenty men raise hands to their heads as one. The raggle-
taggle swarm plays a kind of human chicken, refusing to move
until the last moment then stepping out of his way. One of
the customers doesn't.
DOYLE
What's my name?
1ST MAN
Doyle.
DOYLE
What?
1ST MAN
Mr. Doyle.
DOYLE
Ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?
1ST MAN
What?
DOYLE raises his left arm and pushes the MAN aside. The
MAN's eyes go to RUSSO, off-camera at the door, and back to
DOYLE. He doesn't resist; he gets in line with the rest of
them, a line formed about four or five feet from the bar,
running the length of it.
Close of DOYLE at the bar, holding an ashcan and skimming
the metal underrailing with one finger, knocking off the
magnetized key boxes into the ashcan. He isn't even looking
at them. His eyes are across the bar, staring down the
customers.
Close shot of the ashcan and the little metal boxes clinking
into it.
Close shot of DOYLE, the ashcan now on the bar, opening one
of the boxes, taking out the ten dollar bill, putting it on
the bar.
24.
Then, opening another, taking out the glassine deck of
heroin. Then another, containing a glassine deck. He
empties the glassine envelopes on the bar into a cocktail
mixer which he proceeds to shake. The shaker is half-filled
with tomato juice.
DOYLE leaning over the bar toward the glaring crowd, pours
the mixture into the ashcan.
DOYLE
Milk shake anyone?
He wiggles his finger. It is a command for THREE MEN to
step forward. The MEN do not move at first.
DOYLE
Move ass when I tell you.
They move, shuffling, hesitatingly. But they move -- TWO
BLACKS and A PUETRO RICAN.
DOYLE
Put it on the bar.
Hands of the THREE MEN going into pockets.
Close of a miscellany of keys, coins, cigarettes going onto
the bar -- with two hypodermics, six or eight marijuana
cigarettes, a small plastic vial of barbiturates.
DOYLE
(collecting the works)
All right, you three clowns step
into those phone booths, you're
goin' in. Go on. Stand in there
till I'm ready for you.
The three men turn and enter the individual phone booths.
They stand, waiting, like contestants in the $64 Question.
DOYLE
Everybody goes when the whistle
blows.
RUSSO is with another man from whom he's just taken a set of
works.
RUSSO
What's your story?
DANCER
Gimme a break, Mr. Russo. I'm in
show business.
25.
RUSSO
You're in show business.
DANCER
S'right.
DOYLE
What do you do in show business?
DANCER
I'm a dancer.
RUSSO
All right, get up on that bar and
dance.
DANCER
What?
RUSSO
Get up on the bar and show me how
you work. If I like it you don't
have to go in.
DANCER
You're for real?
JERRY LEON
Hey man, why don't you let the
fella alone.
RUSSO
(a shout)
Am I talkin' to you -
JERRY LEON
No, but I'm talkin' to you.
RUSSO
I'm tellin' you to shut up and
stand over there.
RUSSO
(to Dancer)
Get up there.
The man climbs up on the bar.
DANCER
I got no music!
RUSSO
Fake it.
26.
The man goes into a fast tap dance. But he only gets in a
few steps --
DOYLE
All right, that's enough, you're
under arrest.
RUSSO pulls the man off the bar, sends him into one of the
phone booths.
DOYLE coming down the front of the bar. He stops before
another man, who has just come out of the toilet.
DOYLE
What about you? Can you stand a
toss?
2ND MAN
I'm clean.
DOYLE
You don't use shit?
2ND MAN
No.
(he goes for his wallet)
DOYLE
Did I say you could move that
hand -- I'm not gonna get stuck am I?
2ND MAN
No - no.
DOYLE
Cause if I do.
DOYLE frisks the man. Comes up with vial of pills and two
roaches.
DOYLE
Wise guy, huh? Let's see what else
you got.
(to RUSSO)
- Buddy!
He collars the man and shoves him towards the toilet.
RUSSO, eyes moving everywhere, hand on the gun.
27.
RUSSO
If I see any shit on the floor,
it's yours, so keep your eye on
your neighbor.
Inside the toilet of the bar. The MAN is up against the
wall. DOYLE is only inches away.
The MAN is an AGENT and this is the only way DOYLE can get
immediate information from him without destroying the man's
cover. Their conversation is in whispers. And very fast.
DOYLE
How's everything?
2ND MAN
Everything is everything.
DOYLE
How come there's nothing out there?
That stuff is all milk.
2ND MAN
There's nothing around. Nobody's
holding.
DOYLE
I got a name - Sal Boca, Brooklyn.
2ND MAN
Boca?
DOYLE
B.O.C.A.
2ND MAN
Doesn't register.
DOYLE
Got a wife named Angie.
2ND MAN
No, nothing. There's only some talk.
DOYLE
What?
2ND MAN
Coming in this week, week after.
Everybody going to get well.
DOYLE
Who brings it?
28.
2ND MAN
Who knows?
DOYLE
Where do you want it?
2ND MAN
This side.
Door of toilet. There is a hell of a crash and slamming
behind it. Door opens and DOYLE steps out over the crumpled
prostrate form of the INFORMER. He has just decked the man
to continue the protection of the cover. He pauses halfway
down the line as if he's speculating on beating up another
one because he didn't get any information. But he decides
that would be futile too.
DOYLE
I'm goin' check on this address in
the Bronx, if you're bullshitting
me, it's your ass.
RUSSO
Tell everybody we'll be back in an
hour.
DOYLE
(to all)
We're goin' now! Goodbye.
EXT. PASSENGER SHIP - DAY
Close shot of DEVEREAUX, New York harbor in the background,
being interviewed by television reporters on his arrival in
the U.S. abroad a passenger ship. He is smiling, jovial,
charming.
REPORTER 1
How long will you be here?
DEVEREAUX
Not long enough. Two... perhaps
three... weeks at most.
Medium close shot of DEVEREAUX and THREE TV REPORTERS, as
they talk, a crane moves into action behind them and lifts
out of hold. LA VALLE is with DEVEREAUX as Translator and
Interpreter.
GIRL TV REPORTER
Why did you come by ship, Mr.
Devereaux?
29.
DEVEREAUX
The next several weeks will be very
difficult and the middle of the
ocean is the only place where the
telephone isn't ringing all the time.
REPORTER
What will be the viewpoint of your
documentary.
DEVEREAUX
To make a Frenchman feel what it is
like to be a New Yorker.
LA VALLE
That's enough now, ladies and
gentlemen. M. Devereaux is due at
his hotel in half an hour.
Overhead the Lincoln comes down from the hold of the ship.
EXT. WEST SIDE DRIVE - DAY
A long view of the pier from the opposite (east) side of
West Street, beneath the steel trusses and girders of the
West Side Drive and through the forest of cars that are
parked there, the jam of traffic that develops around every
unloading vessel. It is a view that takes in the front end
of the Lincoln inching off the pier. HENRI DEVEREAUX at the
wheel, turns to his right. We watch until the point of view
on the sidewalk. ALAIN CHARNIER and PIERRE NICOLI are
standing there watching. When the car (off-camera) turns
east on the way to the garage, NICOLI glances to CHARNIER.
CHARNIER does not look back.
EXT. DORAL HOTEL - LINCOLN PULLS IN - DAY
INT. POLICE OFFICE - NIGHT
Close shot of WALTER SIMONSON at desk in the large square
office he occupies as a Lieutenant of Detectives in charge
of the Manhattan Narcotics Bureau. He is the immediate
superior of RUSSO and DOYLE, head of the 200-man narcotics
squad that polices Manhattan.
SIMONSON
(with coffee cup)
All that is great -- but you guys
work Bed-Stuy. You're not supposed
to be in Ridgewood.
DOYLE, RUSSO and SIMONSON
30.
DOYLE
Detach us. Let us have a shot at
it, at least until we see if
there's anything here or not.
Everybody wants Weinstock, right?
So maybe here's a lead. We deserve
it.
SIMONSON
You couldn't burn a three-time
loser with what you're bringing in
here. You know you stiffs could
run yourselves an entrapment rap.
The guy has done nothing -- Brooklyn
is full of Candy Store guys with
two cars who like to go to
nightclubs.
RUSSO
Put this little candy hustler
together with Joel Weinstock and it
could be we stumbled into a big
score.
SIMONSON
(moves to window)
Big score! He's dealin' a few bags
here and there on the side.
DOYLE
Simonson, I wouldn't be infringing
on your coffee break if I thought
he was a nickel and dimer.
SIMONSON
Your hunches have backfired before,
Doyle.
DOYLE, close, no comment.
Back to SIMONSON.
SIMONSON
(moves back to stand
at desk)
Jimmy, what the hell's happening
with you lately?
(pause)
You got more collars than any Narc
in the bureau. What was it. Over
100 last year? Terrific. But who?
(MORE)
31.
SIMONSON (CONT'D)
You stop and shake down a bellboy
because he's got three joints in
his sock. You hit a high school
kid in short pants who looks like
he's got a twitch.
RUSSO. Getting it back on the track.
RUSSO
(moves in to desk)
We got information that there's no
shit in the street -- it's like a
desert full of junkies with a big
score coming in to make everybody
well.
DOYLE
DOYLE
This could be it, Walter. This
Candy Store guy, putting on a big
show in a fancy nightclub with
known connections all over him.
Then on our own, after working the
whole day and night, we tail him
out to Brooklyn and sit on him for
a week practically, and who do we
come up with? Joel Weinstock.
(he leans forward)
You gotta let us have it.
THREE SHOT - RUSSO, DOYLE, SIMONSON
SIMONSON
(pause, he turns to RUSSO)
You really believe all this crap?
RUSSO
I go with my partner.
A pause.
SIMONSON
What'll it take?
RUSSO
First a wire.
DOYLE
Two wires. One on the store and
one on his house.
32.
SIMONSON
You know I have to get a court
order for wiretaps.
RUSSO
Try... okay?
DOYLE
We know you can do it, Walter.
They start to leave.
Close on SIMONSON.
SIMONSON
Popeye...
Close on DOYLE at the door. RUSSO beside him.
Back to SIMONSON
SIMONSON
You still pickin' your feet in
Poughkeepsie?
WIRETAP SEQUENCE "A"
INT. BASEMENT
RUSSO on phones -- checking notes on SAL. DOYLE reading
comics on cot. Tape machine clicks on -- tape is activated.
RUSSO sits attentively.
EXT. CANDY STORE - DAY
Shot of wire.
33.
SAL (V.O.) RUSSO
What's this crap. I just (He raps on table
spoke to my wife and she with a coffee cup.
says you're raisin' me a Doyle gets up.)
halfa cent on the cups. C'mere and lissen to your
big connection.
WHOLESALER (DOYLE comes over)
(V.O.) He's fightin' with somebody
Yeah, well you know I about a halfa cent.
shoulda raised this here a
long time ago. We got a DOYLE
inflation period... How we gonna keep Simonson
from hearin' this?
SAL (V.O.)
I got your inflation. I can RUSSO
get the same cups on Delancey If he does, we'll be back in
Street for what I been Bed-Stuyvesant tomorrow.
payin' you for the last
year -- That's all I gotta
do with you guys -- next
time it'll be two cents on
the cones, then two cents on
the seltzer --
WHOLESALER
(V.O.)
C'mon Sal, I got my orders,
too --
SAL (V.O.)
Well, if you can't do better
than that, you can stick the
cups.
EXT. AUTO GRAVEYARD (HUNTS POINT AND EAST RIVER) - DAY
HIGH ANGLE: Close shot of CHARNIER, MARIE and LA VALLE
walking slowly together toward the camera. They are at the
auto graveyard and the scene of an auction of cars towed off
New York streets by the Police Department. About twenty
other men are walking around, looking at the cars.
A POLICEMAN blows a whistle and the prospective car buyers
gather around the auction trailer in the b.g.
LA VALLE
There are four auto graveyards like
this one in the other boroughs,
handling about a thousand vehicles
a month. Those that aren't claimed
are auctioned here once a month.
MARIE
Just for mistakes of parking?
34.
LA VALLE
No. Many are involved in crimes
and confiscated... or just abandoned.
This is, as you know, your prime
source of scrap metal, M. Charnier.
MARIE
(off camera)
Darling, may I have this one?
Medium close shot MARIE, standing next to an LTD.
MARIE
It looks so lonesome here.
CHARNIER and LA VALLE approach her.
CHARNIER
It would look even more lonesome in
our garage.
INT. THE AUCTION TRAILER - DAY
Within the large trailer, about TWENTY MEN are seated at two
long benches to each side. Some are standing to the rear.
At the front, an AUCTIONEER stands at a lectern. To his
left sits a CLERK at a small table. The AUCTIONEER wears a
sweater and hat. The buyers are tough types, young and old.
All have inventory lists. The atmosphere is informal. The
CHARNIERS and LA VALLE enter the trailer at the back.
AUCTIONEER
Every car sold today must be
removed at the purchaser's own
expense. We have no keys or
anything to start the vehicles with.
You buy 'em as you see 'em and
where you see 'em. All right, the
first car offered is Number 24398.
A Plymouth sedan. Do I hear
fifteen dollars?
The bidding goes up to forty dollars. A large BURLY MAN
wins the bid. He goes up to the CLERK and accepts the bill
of sale.
AUCTIONEER
We go to 24399 -- A Pontiac Station
wagon. Do I hear ten dollars?
LA VALLE
(aside to CHARNIER)
Notice he will never mention the
year of the car.
35.
AUCTIONEER
I got a fifteen dollar bid going...
Do I hear anymore...
Eighteen... who'll say Eighteen?
Twenty...
Twenty-three...
Anymore...
Twenty-five. Twenty-five once --
Do I hear twenty-eight...
All right, last call for twenty-
five...
Close shot of CHARNIER
CHARNIER
(aside of LA VALLE)
And these are the cars we're buying
for shipment?
Close shot of CHARNIER, MARIE and LA VALLE. They are facing
the AUCTIONEER.
LA VALLE
Yes, sir. That man in the dark
jacket is our buyer.
Close shot of THE BUYER, LOU BOCA. He is very active and
wins the present bid.
WIRETAP SEQUENCE "B"
INT. BASEMENT
DOYLE and RUSSO playing Gin Rummy, listening at each end of
one phone - breaking up.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Shot of wire.
ANGIE (V.O.)
(sleepy)
Where are you?
SAL (V.O.)
Takin' care o' business, honey.
ANGIE (V.O.)
Takin' care o' business -- it's
after midnight.
SAL (V.O.)
You know I hadda meet some people
tonight --
36.
ANGIE (V.O.)
-- Well finish all your meetin'
people and get back here now -- and
bring a pizza with you.
SAL (V.O.)
Where'm I goinna get a pizza this
time o' night?
ANGIE (V.O.)
Well try, okay?
SAL (V.O.)
I don't know where I'm gonna find a
pizza joint open.
ANGIE (V.O.)
Sal --
SAL (V.O.)
Yeah?
ANGIE (V.O.)
Don't forget anchovies.
(she hangs up)
SAL (V.O.)
This broad's crazy!
EXT. WARD'S ISLAND (UNDER WEST ABUTMENT OF THE HELLGATE
BRIDGE)
Pick up CHARNIER, MARIE and MAURICE LAVALLE
As the camera plays over the bridge: (in French)
CHARNIER (V.O.)
It's beautiful.
LA VALLE (V.O.)
It was built in 1917 - and was one
of the two heaviest bridges in the
world. The arch is still the
largest in the world.
CHARNIER
Who financed it?
37.
LA VALLE
Two railroads as part of a
connecting railway which provided
passage from New England to the
South. It was actually the first
railroad through New York City.
MARIE
Why is it called Hellgate?
LA VALLE
The river at this point is the most
dangerous on the East Coast. Years
ago, hundreds of ships went down
here.
CHARNIER
If this bridge were in Europe, it
would be on every tourist's sight-
seeing list.
LA VALLE
Most New Yorkers never notice it -
most Americans have never heard of
it.
CHARNIER
Look how gracefully they conceived
that arch. Like a bowstring. It
was built from both ends. With no
support in the middle. Beautiful.
LA VALLE
Mmm.
MARIE
Alain is the only man I know who
can become as enthusiastic about a
bridge as he can about a woman.
CHARNIER
Not any woman, Marie. Just one.
EXT. OLD ROAD IN WARD'S ISLAND
CHARNIER, MARIE and LA VALLE walking.
(NEAR GARAGE)
38.
LA VALLE
I'm afraid the rest of Ward's
Island isn't nearly as romantic - a
pollution plant, a hospital, a
training school for garbage men and
that area over there, where the old
cars are kept, prior to being
processed for shipment to, among
other places, The Charnier Shipping
Company, of Marseilles, France.
(NEAR CREMATORIUM)
MARIE
What is that old building?
LA VALLE
Oh, it's been abandoned for years.
MARIE
What was it?
LA VALLE
It was a crematorium.
MARIE
For garbage?
LA VALLE
For dead bodies.
WIRETAP SEQUENCE "C"
INT. BASEMENT
DOYLE on phones.
CHARNIER (V.O.)
Allo... Salvatore...
SAL (V.O.)
Who's this --
CHARNIER (V.O.)
... Salvatore?...
RUSSO enters with a bag of sandwiches and cigarettes. DOYLE
waves him to the phone.
39.
SAL (V.O.) RUSSO
... Oh... yes... yeah... Who is it?
hello... this is Sal... How
are ya? DOYLE
Sounds like a foreigner...
CHARNIER (V.O.)
Very well... you meet me RUSSO
Wednesday at the hotel... (listening at the
Okay? other phone)
French... It's a Frenchman...
SAL (V.O.)
Good... good... great! DOYLE
This is what we been waitin'
CHARNIER (V.O.) for -- the stuff is here!
Will I expect you? It's here!
SAL (V.O.)
What time?
CHARNIER (V.O.)
Twelve o'clock... yes...
SAL (V.O.)
Yes --
The phone clicks off.
DOYLE and RUSSO round each other and jump up and down like
two kids.
INT. WHIP GIRL'S APT.
Close shot of NICOLI's face. He's being whipped, and is
caught in an ecstasy of pain and pleasure. The tempo of the
strokes rises. Suddenly it reaches a crescendo and he
screams out in orgasm.
Close, full-length shot of a nude BLONDE GIRL, wearing only
black boots and silk panties. She's walking away from the
camera, throwing aside a small cat-o-nine-tails flagellant
whip. We can hear NICOLI's heavy breathing until the girl
speaks as she moves toward a couch.
Medium close shot of NICOLI, tying his tie shrugging into
overcoat.
Medium close shot of NICOLI, looking at the bills with a
pause to sort out the currency differences, then taking out
five twenties.
Close shot of the WHIP GIRL taking the five then moving up
to the look of annoyance and disappointment on her face.
40.
WHIP GIRL
You're Fifty Dollars short.
The look of anger turns to one of consternation as NICOLI
reacts to her.
WHIP GIRL
M'sieru - the tab for this scene is
a hundred and a half.
(he moves to door)
Hey Frenchie - if you don't come up
with the scratch, you're gonna run
into my man downstairs.
Medium close shot of NICOLI advancing on the WHIP GIRL as
she backs away and begins to cringe. He grabs her and hurls
her back across the couch.
Close shot of the GIRL.
WHIP GIRL
Don't hit me. Don't. Please.
We hear the door slam as she sobs.
WHIP GIRL
You filthy faggot sonofabitch.
INT. CUTTING ROOM - DAY
Close shot of two pro football players smearing each other
on the field, others falling on top of them.
Medium close shot of DEVEREAUX at a Movie-ola working out
his narration (DIALOGUE IN FRENCH)
DEVEREAUX
This is the new American religion,
professional football. It is where
everybody goes instead of church on
Sunday to express that peculiar
American taste for bloodshed and
violence.
Several close shots of the violent action.
Intercut with faces of the crowd.
Close shot of DEVEREAUX.
41.
DEVEREAUX
These men, playing a "game" - make
more money each year than many
important business leaders, artists
or government officials.
(zoom out)
It tells us something about this
country and how its men live, or go
to war with a smile, and sometimes
die without a cause.
The phone rings - it is CHARNIER.
EDITOR
It's for you - Alain Charnier.
Hold close up of DEVEREAUX.
INT. MUTCHIE'S BAR - NIGHT
In Lower Manhattan. There are SIX or EIGHT MATRONS still
there, stevedores and truck drivers. Most of them are
clustered at the far end of the bar, where MUTCHIE, a gray-
haired gone-to-paunch Irishman with spectacles as thick as
pop-bottle bottoms stands behind the mahogany bar. The
cluster of customers is involved in a typical New York
saloon argument.
DOYLE is ignoring the debate and watching the television.
He is approached by a small MAN in a long coat and baggy
suit with suspenders. This is JESUS THE BOOSTER.
JESUS
Hey, Bo.
DOYLE
Hiya, Jesus.
JESUS
Can you use a new suit for
Christmans?
DOYLE
Whatta you got?
JESUS reaches into his trousers and pulls out three suits
(jackets and pants). They are of the latest style and
color, and still on hangers!
JESUS
Whatta you?... a 44... 46?
DOYLE examines one of the jackets.
42.
DOYLE
Where'd you get this fag shit?
JESUS
This is what the tough guys are
wearin'. You know I only steal
from the best. It's Bonwit Teller.
DOYLE
Pass.
JESUS
Forty dollars -- was $250.
DOYLE
Whyn't you get it dry cleaned and
burned.
JESUS blends into the crowd and we pick up the dialogue of
MUTCHIE and his cronies, BAD EDDIE, LEE and PUGGY.
MUTCHIE
A big man could alluz beat a little
man. That's why Wilt Chamberlain
could murder Jim Brown if they ever
fought.
BAD EDDIE
No chance. Brown'd kill him.
MUTCHIE
Chamberlain's seven foot tall,
right? He's got a twelve-foot
reach. It's geophysics. He's
punchin' down on you with leverage.
He cave your chest in.
BAD EDDIE
Best I ever seen was The Rock. He
was the calmest and the meanest.
Guys like Sugar'd be pukin' before
a fight. Jake LaMotta'd be pukin'.
Marciano was calm like he was goin'
to church. What about the night he
fought LaStarza? He hit him so
hard he broke the blood vessels in
LaStarza's arms. He was the
strongest meanest bastard ever lived.
PUGGY
Hey, Mutchie, give us another bullet.
MUTCHIE pours him a straight Scotch in a shotglass.
43.
MUTCHIE
Blackjack Burns coulds been the
greatest ever --
PUGGY
-- He was a stone tanker.
MUTCHIE
That's right, he couldn't fight
legit. One night at the Garden
about 1950, '51 -- he fought either
Jake LaMotta or Gus Lesnevich, I
think it was -- he took one o'
those cream puff punches in the
sixth -- the laziest left you ever
seen -- missed him entirely. Down
goes Blackjack without even workin'
up a sweat and the whole Garden
gets up in its feet and I swear to
Christ, everybody starts singin'
"Dance With Me Henry."
LEE
I fought a guy in Cleveland once.
I knew he was a dirty fighter so I
stick a crowbar in my crotch.
Right here. Second round he gives
me a shot -- Boom -- he breaks his
hand, the fight's over.
PUGGY
Fuck it, I like nitroglycerin,
that's my game.
MUTCHIE
What about you, Doyle? Who's the
best fighter you ever seen?
DOYLE
(a few drinks behind him)
Willie Mays.
BAD EDDIE & LEE
Willie Mays?!
DOYLE
With a baseball bat! One swing!
Knock your fuckin' head off.
TIME LAPSE. The DRINKERS are gone. MUTCHIE is at the bar
cleaning up. DOYLE is in the open adjoining kitchen area
cooking breakfast.
44.
MUTCHIE
What ya doin' out so late? Hidin'
from the cops?
DOYLE
I hear the health department is
going to close this joint for
selling dirty beer. I come by to
help you carry out your money.
MUTCHIE
They'll close you down if they ever
get a look at those busted-valise
broads you run with.
DOYLE
You want some eggs.
MUTCHIE
Why not?
DOYLE
(looking around for bacon)
Hey, Mutch! You want bacon?
MUTCHIE
Yeah!
DOYLE
(rattling pans,
looking around)
Where the hell is it?
MUTCHIE
Where the hell do you think it is,
potato head?
DOYLE opens the door to the icebox.
MUTCHIE
No wonder there's so many Mafia
around. Ya couldn't find a Puerto
Rican in Spanish Harlem.
TIME LAPSE. Almost morning. Close on DOYLE and MUTCHIE
eating bacon and eggs. MUTCHIE is standing behind the bar
as he eats, DOYLE is sitting in front of it. They both have
a bottle of beer.
45.
MUTCHIE
I got this little chick I'm tryin'
to hit on. She's about 20, 21... I
take her to Jilly's last night and
she's tellin' me about how she
wants to settle down one day, get
married... I says, "Hey, this is
1971, baby, I'm just a dirty old
man lookin' to score with some
pussy."
DOYLE
Strike out, eh?
MUTCHIE
Yeah. In the late innings. Ya
look like a night's sleep wouldn't
kill ya.
DOYLE
A piece of ass wouldn't kill me.
MUTCHIE
When ya go back on?
DOYLE
Morning. Sometime.
MUTCHIE
Whyn't ya stretch out on the pool
table for a couple hours. The kid
comes in at six will wake ya. A
couple eggs and a beer is cheaper
than keepin' a dog around the joint.
EXT. MUTCHIE'S BAR - DAY
Close of DOYLE going to his car. He stops for a light.
DOYLE is red-eyed and in need of a shave. He fidgets
through his pockets looking for a cigarette but doesn't find
one. As he drives along a GIRL CYCLIST comes into view
alongside.
Our view is DOYLE's view of her long, lean tapered legs. If
he looks further, and DOYLE always looks further, he will
see there is a bra-band sweater covering her well-formed
breasts. The pendulous swing is there as she bends over the
handlebars.
Close front view of DOYLE looking back to the light, then
back to the legs.
Close outside view, the cyclist, of DOYLE leaning out the
window with his badge in his hand.
46.
DOYLE
You got a pedaller's license?
GIRL
What?
DOYLE
You're under arrest.
INT. SIMONSON OFFICE - DAY
Medium close shot of RUSSO and SIMONSON. PHIL KLEIN, a
federal narcotics agent, is reading aloud from an article in
the New York Daily News. MULDERIG is listening and sipping
coffee.
Close shot of BILL MULDERIG, a Fed narcotics agent.
MULDERIG
Whatta you got -- four more years,
Walter?
Medium close of SIMONSON and RUSSO
SIMONSON
Three.
Close shot of MULDERIG.
MULDERIG
Christ, by the time you get out all
this shit'll be legal.
Wide shot of room, taking in SIMONSON, RUSSO, MULDERIG and
PHIL KLEIN. SIMONSON hands BUDDY a stack of warrants.
SIMONSON
(rises, to RUSSO)
The judge gave you ten days on
these. Klein and Mulderig will be
sitting in for the Federals. Tell
Doyle they'll make all the buys,
and that they're to be kept informed
of everything that goes down.
SIMONSON turns to MULDERIG.
SIMONSON
You know Doyle, don't you Bill?
Close of MULDERIG.
47.
MULDERIG
(rises)
Sure, I know Popeye. The Master of
undercover, whose brilliant idea of
disguise is to limp into a room on
his left foot and limp out on his
right. Whose brilliant hunches
cost the death of a good officer --
Close of RUSSO
RUSSO
If that's how you're coming in, why
not stay home and save us all a lot
of grief.
MULDERIG, close.
MULDERIG
That's just my opinion.
RUSSO, close.
RUSSO
Whyn't you shove it up your ass!
EXT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
Long shot of RUSSO approaching housing project group of
buildings. This is where DOYLE lives.
INT. HALLWAY TO DOYLE'S APARTMENT
RUSSO rings the bell. No response. He knocks. Again
nothing. He hears a shower working inside the apartment.
RUSSO
Popeye.
No answer.
RUSSO
Popeye.
DOYLE
(off, weakly)
Yeah.
RUSSO
It's Cloudy. Open the door.
DOYLE
(off)
I can't.
48.
RUSSO
Why not?
DOYLE
(off)
Let yourself in.
RUSSO reaches into his jacket pocket and gets a celluloid
card, his PBA card, which he slides into the door at the
lock. He gives it a juggle and the lock is free but the
door moves grudgingly.
INT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT - DAY
The door to DOYLE's apartment, a close view from inside.
There's a bike propped against it and BUDDY RUSSO is trying
to push it open from the outside.
RUSSO
(behind door)
What the hell you got holding the
door?
The bike teeters and falls with a crash and RUSSO comes into
the room puzzled, exasperated.
INT. APARTMENT - RUSSO'S POV - DAY
DOYLE is anklecuffed to the bedpost at the foot of the bed.
RUSSO
What happened to you?
DOYLE
(sleepy)
The crazy kid handcuffed me to the
bed. With my own cuffs.
The shower goes off. RUSSO puts the bike upright on its
stand and squeezes the horn, which makes a loud beep.
The BIKE GIRL appears in the bathroom door, wrapped in a
towel.
BIKE GIRL
Oh!
RUSSO sees key on dresser - tosses it to DOYLE. There are
clothes all over the place, the GIRL's cycling outfit,
DOYLE's pants and shoes and socks. The decor is completely
impersonal. RUSSO looks up.
49.
RUSSO
(looking at scrapbook
on dresser)
You oughta get plastic covers for
this stuff like I did - your
scrapbook's a mess like everything
else in your life.
RUSSO goes to chair.
DOYLE
Gimme my pants.
RUSSO, who is half sitting on them, pulls the pants loose
and hands them to DOYLE.
DOYLE
You got the warrant?
RUSSO
(sitting)
We also got Bill Mulderig and Phil
Klein.
Close on DOYLE, buttoning his pants.
DOYLE
What do we need those pricks for?
Medium close on RUSSO picking around through the clothes,
coming up with a pair of panties. He holds them out.
RUSSO
Because by actual count our bureau
has exactly nine hundred eighteen
dollars and fifty-four cents to
make buys and Mulderig's Feds can
get all of Uncle Sam's money he
wants by just asking.
DOYLE sitting on bed, strapping the holster on his ankle.
He checks his gun.
DOYLE
Throw 'em in the bathroom, will you?
How good are the warrants?
RUSSO
(on the move down
hall, at bathroom door)
Sixty days. Here. Don't mention it.
50.
DOYLE is checking various items that go in his briefcase -
notebook, handcuffs, book of laws, field reports, pencils,
binoculars, candy bars, etc.
Medium close shot of RUSSO looking toward the bathroom door.
RUSSO
Hi!
RUSSO looks back to DOYLE. There is the sound of a kickstand
being kicked back in place, the door opening and the GIRL
leaving.
Medium close shot of DOYLE tying the shoes, wincing. Looking
up to the departing GIRL.
RUSSO
Drive carefully!
EXT/INT. RUSSO'S CAR - DAY
Close shot of BILL MULDERIG in back seat. BUDDY is in
front, next to DOYLE at the wheel.
MULDERIG
Strictly small potatoes.
We can see DOYLE working to keep up with the black Mercury
as they cross the Brooklyn Bridge in fairly heavy traffic.
The Mercury cuts around in and out, DOYLE plunges after him.
MULDERIG
You really know how to pick 'em,
Doyle.
RUSSO turns his head in anger.
MULDERIG
Still wearing your gun on your ankle?
No answer.
MULDERIG
Somebody told me the reason you did
that was so's when you met a chick
and rubbed against her she wouldn't
know you were a cop.
No answer.
MULDERIG
I said that was bullshit. It must
be some kind of fast-draw gimmick
or something.
51.
RUSSO
Knock it off, Bill.
MULDERIG
He's gettin' too far ahead. You're
gonna lose him.
DOYLE cuts into the next lane to a lot of horn-blowing and
comes to a dead, screeching stop. DOYLE sits up sharply
erect in the seat, craning to see where SAL is going. He
throws open the door and hurls himself out.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
Rear medium close shot of DOYLE climbing up on the side of
the car to look ahead, then jumping down and running off.
DOYLE running as hard as he can.
Medium close side shot of SAL turning off the bridge onto
the FDR Drive, moving quickly and smoothly uptown.
DOYLE running to a stop, and staring ahead. Breathing hard,
horns are blowing on the bridge and they drown out the words
as he curses, "Dirty Sonofabitch."
INT. RUSSO'S CAR - DAY
RUSSO is on the blower.
RUSSO
Phil -- it's Cloudy -- we lost
him --
Static comes over the two-way radio.
EXT. BOCA'S CAR COMES OFF RAMP, PAN TO
INT. KLEIN'S CAR - DAY
KLEIN is parked on Pearl Street below the Brooklyn Bridge.
RUSSO (V.O.)
He just got off the Bridge - He's
all yours if you can find him.
Sonofabitch!
KLEIN starts his car.
EXT. A PARKING GARAGE IN THE EAST 40'S - DAY
SAL emerges from the garage and heads toward Madison Avenue.
He passes a man looking in a store window, PHIL KLEIN.
KLEIN follows him.
52.
EXT. A STREET IN THE EAST 40'S - DAY
SAL stops abruptly at the corner and turns around. KLEIN is
forced to pass him and cross the street.
SAL crosses the street to his left, at a right angle to KLEIN.
EXT. MADISON AVENUE - LATE DAY
SAL moving north on Madison Avenue. He is walking in a
triangular trap of foot surveillance. We begin to learn
this when we fall back twenty feet behind SAL and pick up
the figure of JIMMY DOYLE, moving at exactly the same pace.
While he keeps looking forward after SAL, he also looks
regularly to the left, across to the West side of Madison
where we quickly zoom in on the figure of BILL MULDERIG, who
is on an even line opposite SAL and moving almost precisely
in step with the subject of their surveillance. MULDERIG
keeps an eye on SAL but is also glancing north ahead of SAL
to BUDDY RUSSO, who is 20 or 30 feet ahead of SAL, thus
forming the triangle of the A-B-C tail.
SAL bobbing along.
DOYLE following.
MULDERIG keeping pace.
RUSSO up front.
SAL suddenly turning East at the Northeast corner of 46th
Street, the block occupied by the Roosevelt Hotel.
MULDERIG yanking at his right ear.
RUSSO spinning around, hurrying back toward the corner.
DOYLE turning East at the Southeast corner of 46th Street.
RUSSO coming around the corner looking to DOYLE.
DOYLE indicating the Roosevelt entrance with his chin while
MULDERIG comes up to join DOYLE.
RUSSO moving quickly into the Roosevelt entrance on 46th
Street between Madison and Vanderbilt.
INT. ROOSEVELT LOBBY - DAY
Roosevelt lobby stairs with ALAIN CHARNIER, PIERRE NICOLI,
SAL greeting.
CHARNIER
Excuse me.
53.
RUSSO
(he is moving through
the jam they form on
the stairs)
Excuse me.
We move into the lobby of the Roosevelt and then spin around
quickly, to watch CHARNIER, NICOLI and SAL moving upstairs
and out the door.
EXT. DAY
A distant view from the Northeast corner of 46th Street and
Madison Avenue of the Roosevelt Hotel marquee and the three
men under it, CHARNIER, NICOLI and SAL. They are in animated
conversation.
DOYLE and MULDERIG on the point-of-view corner across
Madison, MULDERIG with his back to the camera, DOYLE talking
and watching over Mulderig's shoulder.
Close shot DOYLE's face, eyes bright with excitement.
Long view of CHARNIER, NICOLI and SAL under the marquee from
DOYLE's view, zooming in on CHARNIER, who continues to talk,
look up, then look back to SAL.
DOYLE
You take Sal. I'll stick with the
beard if they split.
EXT. MADISON AVENUE - DAY
Rear view of ALAIN CHARNIER and PIERRE NICOLI strolling
slowly down Madison Avenue in the Forties.
An overhead view of the pair, CHARNIER and NICOLI, including
DOYLE 20 or 30 yards behind, RUSSO across the street, even
with him.
CHARNIER and NICOLI window-shopping at Walter's Electric,
49th and 3rd Avenue.
RUSSO looking quizzically, puzzled, from a doorway.
CHARNIER and NICOLI are engaged in a running conversation
that we cannot hear. But what CHARNIER is saying is simply
that he wants to get a pack of cigarettes before they turn
back and stop for dinner.
RUSSO looking to DOYLE for a signal.
54.
EXT. A CIGAR STORE - DAY
DOYLE already beginning to feel the cold, rubbing his hands
together, at the front of the place CHARNIER and NICOLI have
entered, trying to figure it out as CHARNIER and NICOLI
emerge, CHARNIER ripping the cellophane off a pack of
cigarettes, and they turn back in DOYLE's direction.
DOYLE, face to face with CHARNIER and NICOLI. Straining to
hear, he picks up a few words of French. Without losing
stride he steps off the curb and cuts across the street,
moving south, away from them, as they come north. But
halfway across the street, we pick up RUSSO coming in his
direction, sharp enough to pick up the tail where DOYLE had
to drop it.
EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Medium close view through window of ALAIN CHARNIER and
PIERRE NICOLI sitting at a table near the front windows of a
small restaurant.
EXT. STREET - DAY
A long shot of street zooming in on JIMMY DOYLE who is
freezing his ass off in the shadows of a doorway across the
street from the restaurant. He is dancing from one foot to
the other, his shoulders hunched, occasionally cupping his
hands to his ears.
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
A medium close shot of WAITER holding a bottle of Sainte
Emillion out for CHARNIER's inspection. CHARNIER looks,
frowns, shakes head negatively.
DOYLE's feet. He's standing on one foot, the other raised
and he's squeezing it with a chapped hand, as if trying to
get circulation back into it.
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Medium close shot of NICOLI watching the WAITER scoop coq au
vin onto his plate.
Close shot of CHARNIER taking a large forkful of food into
his mouth, chewing and nodding at NICOLI.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Medium shot of DOYLE looking up to RUSSO who comes bearing a
paper bag which he hands to DOYLE.
55.
Medium close shot of RUSSO standing in front of DOYLE while
DOYLE fishes a piece of pizza out of the bag and lets it
fold into his mouth, then licks his fingers.
RUSSO
You want the red or the white?
DOYLE
Pour it in your ear.
EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Medium close view of CHARNIER through the window of the
restaurant, sipping expresso.
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Close shot of the pastry tray, rows of Napoleons, strawberry
and peach tarts, a frothing-frenzied rum cake, etc.
NICOLI close, looking like he's about to have an orgasm,
glancing toward CHARNIER and then the tray.
EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Close shot of RUSSO peering at the restaurant. DOYLE's face
right behind him, peering over RUSSO's shoulder, trying to
drink coffee from a paper container and also moving slightly
against the cold and the pain of the shoes.
EXT. FIRST AVENUE - DAY (EXT. COPAIN)
Rear long view of CHARNIER and NICOLI on Madison in the
Forties strolling to a corner where NICOLI is splitting for
the Edison Hotel (West 46th Street) while CHARNIER goes on
to the Westbury on upper Madison. They part with a wave and
a nod. Hold on them as BUDDY RUSSO comes into view, moving
off after NICOLI. DOYLE follow CHARNIER.
EXT. WESTBURY HOTEL - CHARNIER ENTERS - DAY
INT. WESTBURY HOTEL - DAY
Close shot of the elevator floor indicator rising from 1 to 6.
Medium close shot of DOYLE turning away from the elevator
doors and walking toward the registration desk.
Close shot of the DESK CLERK.
DESK CLERK
Yes sir?
56.
Medium close shot of DOYLE leaning on elbow on the counter,
half-turned to keep an eye on the elevators.
DOYLE
That guy just walked in. What's
his name?
Close on CLERK and DOYLE.
DESK CLERK
I'm sorry, I don't know who you mean.
DOYLE
(showing badge)
He got off on six.
DESK CLERK
We have four rooms and six suites
on six. There's a man in almost
every one of them.
Close of DOYLE.
DOYLE
Little shorter than me. Well-
dressed. About forty-five or fifty
with salt-and-pepper hair, a beard.
Close of CLERK. Thinks it over.
DESK CLERK
There's nobody like that on six.
DOYLE AND CLERK
DESK CLERK
Perhaps he's visiting a guest.
DOYLE
No, I figure he stays here. Where's
your registration?
CLERK gets out registration log book, goes through list as
DOYLE waits.
DESK CLERK
There may be two... no, three who
could fit it.
DOYLE
Names.
57.
DESK CLERK
A Mr. Paul Ganapolos, he's here
alone.
DOYLE
Where from?
DESK CLERK
Des Moines.
DOYLE
What's he do?
DESK CLERK
Businessman. Owns a department
store in Des Moines, I think.
DOYLE is taking down the information on a pad.
DESK CLERK
Mr. and Mrs. Alain Charnier, would
be another. He's in shipping.
DOYLE
Yeh? Who else?
DESK CLERK
And a Mr. Michael Lowenstein, I
don't know what he does.
DOYLE
This Charnier guy. He's in shipping?
DESK CLERK
I think so. But they're in Room
408. On the fourth floor.
Close of DOYLE.
DOYLE
Where's he from?
CLERK
DESK CLERK
Marseilles.
DOYLE AND CLERK
DOYLE
(gives him a dumb look)
58.
DESK CLERK
That's in France.
DOYLE
Yeah, I know.
EXT. WESTBURY HOTEL ON MADISON AVENUE - NIGHT
Medium close shot of DOYLE standing in another doorway, this
one in Madison Avenue, opposite and a little up the street
from the Westbury. It is about 2 o'clock in the morning and
there's not much traffic. DOYLE looks like a man almost too
tired to stand. We hear a car pull up (off camera).
INT. RUSSO'S CAR - NIGHT
View from the front seat of a sedan of DOYLE falling into
the corner of the back seat. RUSSO reaches across the seat
from the camera to hand DOYLE a brown paper container of
coffee. He opens it between his knees and scalds his mouth
with it. RUSSO hands over another gift, a pint of Canadian
Club. DOYLE takes a big swig.
Rear close view of BILL MULDERIG at the wheel of the car,
looking at DOYLE in the rear-view mirror.
MULDERIG
You about ready for a break?
A view of MULDERIG at the wheel, RUSSO twisted around in the
seat, looking back at DOYLE and putting the cap back on the
bottle. When DOYLE isn't sipping at the coffee-whiskey,
he's looking out the window of the car at the entrance of
the hotel. He looks beat.
DOYLE
The guy's a frog -- I'm pretty sure.
Also he made me. Stayin' on four
but went up to six -- cute.
RUSSO
The other guy's a frog too. Checked
in at the Edison. Had a hooker
sent up.
MULDERIG
Christ you should o' collared him
right there.
DOYLE
Who's on him?
RUSSO
Phil Klein.
59.
DOYLE
What about Sal?
RUSSO
RUSSO
We put him to bed for the night.
MULDERIG
MULDERIG
Why don't you do the same, Doyle?
You look like shit.
DOYLE AND MULDERIG - INTERCUT
DOYLE
(to MULDERIG)
Look. My partner and I found this
case and I don't want no Feds
screwing it up.
MULDERIG
Case? So far I haven't seen a damn
thing.
DOYLE
Bill, keep shootin' your mouth off
and I'll knock you into the middle
of next week.
RUSSO, close.
RUSSO
Jimmy, cool it. Nothin's goin'
down tonight. Cop a few zzz's
while you can.
Close shot, DOYLE.
INT. WEINSTOCK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Close shot of CHEMIST with a small lab layout spread in
front of him -- burner, test tubes, etc. The MAN's wearing
an ordinary business suit and both the table and the
background indicate that this is not a lab, but somebody's
library or den -- and a fashionable one, with photos, a
signed picture of Lyndon Johnson, etc., on the panelled walls.
The CHEMIST is running a Thiele test on a small mound of
powder. Heroin from CHARNIER's shipment.
Medium close shot of JOEL WEINSTOCK and SAL BOCA sitting
opposite the CHEMIST.
60.
SAL has a glass of beer in front of him, WEINSTOCK a brandy
snifter containing a splash of amber cognac. Both are
interested; SAL quite nervously.
The CHEMIST immerses a capillary tube, a tiny instrument the
size of a needle into an open kilo of heroin.
He pours a small quantity of mineral oil into a burnmeister
test tube and preheats the oil over the open flame of a tiny
alcohol lamp.
He removes a 15-in thermometer from its leather case,
fastens the capillary tuve (now totally immersed in the
heroin) to the bulb of the thermometer with a rubber band.
He places the bulb, with capillary attached, into an open
rubber stop and inserts the entire apparatus into the
burnmeister tube, about three inches in.
With a small metal clamp he holds the rig over the lamp.
We watch closely with the CHEMIST, WEINSTOCK and BOCA as the
white heroin powder slowly, agonizingly dissolves into the
mineral oil and
The mercury rises slowly up the thermometer to 220° - 230°.
The faces of the three men are filled with wonder and
anxiety. As the mercury continues to rise they become a
cheering section, rooting the hometeam home.
The longer it takes for the powder to dissolve, the purer
the heroin. The mercury stops at 240°!
CHEMIST
Absolutely dynamite! 89.5 proof!
Best I've ever seen! If the rest
is like this, you'll be dealing for
two years on this load.
Close on WEINSTOCK, relaxed, smoking a large cigar.
WEINSTOCK
Retail is not my end of the business.
Are you telling me it's worth the
half million?
Medium close of the CHEMIST.
CHEMIST
How many kilos?
SAL
Sixty.
61.
CHEMIST
Six kilos at eight big ones a
kilo...
(he nods)
I'd say it should be able to take a
seven to one hit in the street.
SAL
By the time it gets down to nickel
bags it's at least thirty-two
million!
Medium close of WEINSTOCK and BOCA.
WEINSTOCK
Thank you, Howard. Take what's
left there with you and goodnight.
The CHEMIST packs his apparatus and leaves.
SAL
I guess we got a deal, eh?
Medium close shot of WEINSTOCK alone, appraising BOCA.
WEINSTOCK
We got a test. A deal for half a
million dollars, maybe.
SAL, whose cool is easily shattered.
SAL
Joel, the man is in a hurry. He
wants the bread and he wants to go
back to France. He ain't gonna
hang around and play games. He's
one o' the shrewdest cats I ever
run across.
WEINSTOCK, close.
WEINSTOCK
What am I, a shmuck? What's the
hurry? He could see a couple of
shows and visit the top of the
Empire State Building.
INTERCUT SAL, WEINSTOCK
SAL
Joel, don't jerk me. I spent a lot
o' time settin' this one up.
62.
WEINSTOCK
So whatta you want a badge? It's
your first major league game Sal.
One thing I learned, move calmly,
move cautiously. You'll never be
sorry.
SAL
I been damn careful up to now.
WEINSTOCK
Which is why your phone lines are
tapped and the Feds are crawlin'
all over you like flies.
SAL
I'm straight, Joel. They haven't
got shit on me. Look, I'm tellin'
you, he'll take the deal somewhere
else.
WEINSTOCK
WEINSTOCK
He could go someplace else with his
sixty kilos of heroin and see how
easy it is to pull together a half
million cash. He wouldn't find
there was any hurry to do this kind
of business.
SAL, a little desperate.
SAL
Look, the stuff is here. We could
set up the switch in an hour. I'm
tellin' you, Mr. Weinstock, he'll
split if we don't move. This guy
is everything they say he is.
WEINSTOCK taking SAL apart with his eyes over the cigar.
WEINSTOCK
What about you, Sal? Are you
everything they say you are?
Close of SAL's worried face.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - NIGHT
Close side view of DOYLE driving; popeyeing right and left,
looking for everything and nothing.
63.
View over DOYLE's right shoulder through windshield of a
young Black HOOKER leaning against a lamppost, smiling at a
passing PEDESTRIAN. Hold on her as the car moves on,
DOYLE's head turning as he continues to move with the traffic.
Rear close view of DOYLE leaning over the back seat, looking
as he backs the car.
Close shot of the HOOKER looking up smiling, then the smile
fading.
Medium close view of DOYLE and the HOOKER.
DOYLE
You own that lamppost?
HOOKER
No.
DOYLE
Then how come you're leaning on it.
Close shot of HOOKER.
DOYLE
I ever bust you?
HOOKER
I never seen you before.
DOYLE and the HOOKER.
DOYLE
Get your ass in the car.
DOYLE looking right and left, the form of the GIRL climbing
into the vehicle. He puts surveillance hat on back seat.
INT. DAN'S LUNCH - DAY
DOYLE is standing at an island counter in a coffee-doughnuts
joint. The COUNTERMAN is paying no attention to him but is
instead emptying coffee from a large dispenser into a pot.
DOYLE
You gonna wait on me or am I gonna
sit here all day?
The COUNTERMAN responds quickly to DOYLE's voice.
Close shot of DOYLE biting into a huge jelly doughnut, the
jelly squeezing out onto his fingers.
64.
A kid pushes a broom past, getting rid of a collection of
cigarette butts, etc.
DOYLE
Hey!
Close shot of KID, about 16, looking up from the broom
toward DOYLE.
DOYLE
(off camera)
C'mere... C'mere!
Medium close shot of DOYLE and the KID, DOYLE eating and
drinking.
DOYLE
Can you stand a toss, Hector?
KID
What you mean?
DOYLE
You still dealin' shit?
KID
Jesus, no, Doyle. I'm clean. I'm
working twelve hours a day here.
Close shot of DOYLE talking around a mouthful of doughnut.
DOYLE
When they going to make you chairman
of the board?
Medium close shot of DOYLE and the KID. DOYLE puts down the
coffee cup. Waves the KID closer. The KID moves closer,
DOYLE frisks him quickly, expertly, then rips up the kid's
jacket and takes a 12-inch toadsticker out of the kid's
waistband.
Close shot of DOYLE looking at the knife, snapping the
button and watching the blade flash out.
DOYLE
You clean your fingernails with this.
Close shot of KID.
KID
Rather be caught with it than
without it.
65.
DOYLE, pushing button and letting the blade fall into closed
position.
DOYLE
Yeah, I guess so.
DOYLE hands the knife back to the kid. HECTOR goes back to
work. DOYLE eats.
EXT. DAN'S LUNCH - DAY
DOYLE climbing back into his car, knees on the seat, reaching
over into the back.
Close shot over the rear seat of DOYLE picking up the straw
hat, which has been jammed into the corner by the contours
of the Hooker's tail. He straightens it as much as possible
and throws it under the driver's seat.
EXT. MADISON AVENUE - DAY
Medium shot of DOYLE on foot popeyeing up Madison Avenue in
the vicinity of the Westbury. As unobtrusively as possible,
he's looking for the tail that should be there covering
CHARNIER. DOYLE is on the East side of the street, and the
Westbury is on the West. He pokes his head into a couple of
doorways, checks the cars parked at the curb, looks up to a
couple of the mezzanine shops along the street. He sees
PHIL KLEIN and ANOTHER AGENT talking together totally
oblivious to the front entrance. MULDERIG in a cigar store
looks to his wristwatch, then goes inside the store.
Close shot of DOYLE frowning, puzzled. There doesn't seem
to be anybody alert. He looks over to the hotel.
Westbury Hotel entrance from DOYLE's Point of View. CHARNIER
steps out of hotel entrance, turns south. The two AGENTS
and MULDERIG have not seen his exit.
Close on DOYLE in a doorway.
CHARNIER, carrying an umbrella, strolling blithely down the
street, in DOYLE's direction but on the opposite side of the
street. Zoom in on his face, reflecting no concern, no
problems, then zoom back to DOYLE's position. Pan to the
hotel entrance as DOYLE looks for somebody else. Where the
hell is CHARNIER's surveillance?
Very quickly, DOYLE's nervous glances.
CHARNIER close.
A long view of the street.
66.
CHARNIER moving along.
The hotel entrance.
Close shot of DOYLE going through the glancing movements,
his eyes showing CHARNIER getting farther and farther down
Madison Avenue. But there's still nobody following him.
Medium close shot of DOYLE scrambling out of the doorway and
moving down the street after CHARNIER.
Rear view of CHARNIER stopping at a newsstand, buying a copy
of the Times.
DOYLE in a doorway, peering out and down the street.
Medium close front view of CHARNIER strolling along, glancing
at the headlines of the Times, an umbrella hooked over his
left forearm as he walks.
Close shot of CHARNIER's polished shoes, moving quickly down
subway entrance stairs. Hold on the empty stairs. Then
DOYLE's painful, scuffed shoes, follow.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - DAY
Close shot CHARNIER standing on the subway platform, looking
at the Times, glancing toward the tracks and the rumble of a
train in the distance.
Side rear view of CHARNIER close in the foreground, DOYLE
moving into view in the background, not looking toward
CHARNIER, keeping his face turned mostly away from the
Frenchman.
Long shot of the platform. DOYLE right, CHARNIER left as
the train pulls in. CHARNIER is folding up his paper to
board. DOYLE is moving toward the train.
INT. TRAIN
CHARNIER getting on train toward camera.
Close side shot DOYLE getting on train, leaning over to look
after CHARNIER's movements.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM
CHARNIER getting off train.
DOYLE puzzled, hesitating, then getting off his car.
Long shot of CHARNIER opening the Times again.
67.
Medium shot of DOYLE moving quickly to phone booth against
the wall.
DOYLE close, barking into the phone.
DOYLE
I'm sittin' on Frog One.
MULDERIG in phone booth at Westbury.
MULDERIG
Yeah, we got the Westbury covered
like a tent.
DOYLE
DOYLE
The Westbury? Balls. I got him
down at the subway at Times Square.
What the hell's goin' on? I make
him coming right out of the hotel
free as a bird. Not a soul awake.
Close shot of CHARNIER strolling past the telephone booth,
DOYLE looking down.
DOYLE
I don't care how many bartenders
are sick. I don't work in that
joint. What the hell kind of a
union are you running down there?
Long view of CHARNIER and DOYLE about thirty feet apart on
the platform, a second train approaching.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN
A close view of DOYLE just inside the doors of the car
sneaking a peek at the platform. We can see that CHARNIER
is not there. He's on the train. Suddenly CHARNIER
reappears on the platform. DOYLE steps off.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM
Long view from DOYLE's vantage point of CHARNIER standing
with his back to the train, looking up like a man who can't
make up his mind, then turning to his left, away from DOYLE
and getting back on the train.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN
View from interior of DOYLE car of JIMMY DOYLE nipping back
onto car.
68.
INT. TRAIN - CHARNIER'S CAR
Close view of subway doors hissing shut and an umbrella
being raised at the last moment by an off-camera hand
(CHARNIER's). The doors jerk open in the safety spasm.
There is a blur of the a fabric moving across the camera,
blocking the view of the doors. It is only a moment. When
it clears, the doors are closed again, the umbrella is gone.
But we don't know what happened and the train isn't moving.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DOYLE'S CAR
Rear close view of DOYLE peeking into the forward car to see
where CHARNIER is sitting.
INT. TRAIN - CHARNIER'S CAR
Quick, shocked close view of that car, revealing that
CHARNIER isn't there among the twenty passengers dozing or
moping in their seats. There is a blurred flash as if
DOYLE's own eyes are spinning frantically back to the
windows of his own car.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM
Medium shot of DOYLE jumping out of train, CHARNIER jumping
back on - train takes off.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - CHARNIER'S CAR
A close view of CHARNIER's face. He is smiling directly at
DOYLE. He gives him a little wave.
A view from CHARNIER's position of DOYLE chasing the train,
anger and hatred and frustration storming across his face.
EXT. HENRY HUDSON PARKWAY - MOSHOLU EXIT
A long view from the bottom of the steep embankments above
Harlem River Drive in Washington Heights. Sprayed along the
face of the cliff is a disaster -- an overturned city bus
and a car with which it apparently collided. The scene is
lighted with flares. Police rescue WORKERS and FIREMEN are
scrambling up and down the face of the cliff. They are
carrying BODIES out of the bus and the car, COPS pulling
them out through the windows, leading them on stretchers.
There are shouted orders and some moans and cries from the
wreckage. In the foreground is LT. WALTER SIMONSON, involved
in the operation, but also involved in a hassle with DOYLE,
MULDERIG and RUSSO who are standing with him. An officer
approaches SIMONSON with a set of heroin works.
69.
OFFICER
(to SIMONSON)
This belonged to the kid who was
drivin' the sports car. 17 years
old. His girlfriend OD'd in the
car. We found this set of works in
her arm.
Medium close shot of DOYLE and SIMONSON. DOYLE couldn't
care if Rome was burning on the hill; he's only interested
in his case.
DOYLE
(to MULDERIG)
Where the hell was the surveillance?
"Go to bed." That's all you could
say. You couldn't keep track of a
bleeding elephant in a snowbank.
SIMONSON, eyes on the hill, glancing to DOYLE with irritation.
SIMONSON
Jimmy, it doesn't matter anymore.
If there was a deal it must have
gone down by now. We blew it! We
blew our cover and we blew the
warrants --
MULDERIG
Charnier and his wife checked out
of the Westbury. Nicoli checked
out of the Edison --
RUSSO
This fella Nicoli's got a record in
France, Walter. He's wanted for
questioning in the murder of a
French cop.
DOYLE
I say we keep sittin' on Boca.
MULDERIG
That's crazy. You lost the Frog in
the subway and you blew our cover.
If they haven't moved already
they're not gonna move now.
DOYLE
Walter, I can make this case if the
Feds will get the hell out of my way.
70.
MULDERIG
With pleasure -- it's all yours.
Walter, if anything develops outta
this charade give me a call.
Medium shot of SIMONSON, DOYLE, MULDERIG and RUSSO. Lights
flashing around them; stretchers going by with bodies.
RUSSO
(to MULDERIG)
My ass. The only reason you're in
this is because you've got a big
expense account for buying junk and
you like to see your picture in the
papers.
DOYLE
(to SIMONSON)
This is my case. Get these guys
off my back and let me handle it.
SIMONSON
SIMONSON
For chrissake, will you come off
that "my case" bullshit. This has
been a whore's dream from the start.
DOYLE, close.
DOYLE
The deal hasn't gone down yet
Walter -- I know it, I can feel it.
Close shot of MULDERIG
MULDERIG
The last time you were dead certain
we ended up with a dead cop.
A fist, DOYLE's, comes from off-camera and connects with
MULDERIG's chin. As his head flies back.
DOYLE and MULDERIG slugging and grappling with each other,
RUSSO leaping in to yank them apart. SIMONSON grabbing
MULDERIG's arm and holding him back.
SIMONSON, close.
SIMONSON
(roaring)
That's enough. Get the hell out of
here.
71.
DOYLE
Shot of SIMONSON, MULDERIG, DOYLE, RUSSO, in a cluster.
SIMONSON
(on way up hill,
turning back)
Jimmy, you wasted two months - no
collars are comin' in while you two
been out jerkin' off. Now go back
to work, you're off Special
Assignment.
EXT. LA GUARDIA AIRPORT - DAY
Medium close side view of SAL BOCA's Mercury pulling to the
Washington-Boston shuttle parking lot at La Guardia airport.
SAL takes his ticket from the automatic vendor and drives in.
We hold for the next car driven by PHIL KLEIN, a federal
narcotics agent who is on his tail.
INT. AIRPORT - DAY
Medium close shot of SAL BOCA writing out the ticket order
form.
Close shot of the form; SAL filling it out in an almost
illiterate scrawl. Under destination SAL fills in Washing...
and the camera raises its eye to a close shot of PHIL KLEIN
on the opposite side of the counter, filling in his form.
Close side shot of PHIL KLEIN standing right behind SAL in
the shuttle line.
EXT. DEPT. OF COMMERCE, WASHINGTON, D.C. - DAY
CHARNIER and an UNDERSECRETARY on the steps of the building,
shaking hands. Two other OFFICIALS are on hand and while we
don't hear their conversation, their manner is extremely
attentive to CHARNIER.
CHARNIER
It has been highly informative and
a personal pleasure to see you again.
UNDERSECRETARY
I only hope we cut through to some
meaningful proposals in the next
month or so. The pleasure was
mine, Mr. Charnier. When will we
see you again?
CHARNIER
Soon, probably in the Spring.
72.
Close shot of CHARNIER.
CHARNIER
Goodbye.
UNDERSECRETARY
(off camera)
Goodbye. Good trip home.
EXT. WASHINGTON STREET - DAY
Medium long shot of CHARNIER walking across street,
diagonally toward the camera, removing the identification
card from his lapel.
Rear close shot of CHARNIER joining SAL BOCA on the sidewalk
and the two of them moving off together.
Close shot of SAL, somewhat nervous about trying to peddle
his problems to CHARNIER.
SAL
Everything's smooth. Beautiful. I
will need a few more days though,
the boys think we oughta cool it
for awhile -- make sure there's no
heat.
CHARNIER
(manner outwardly pleasant)
You must take me for an imbecile.
Why do you think I asked you to
meet me in Washington? I haven't
spent five minutes in New York City
without the company of a gendarme.
SAL
Look, I'll level with you -- I need
a little more time -- I got to
shift gears.
CHARNIER
Are you having trouble raising the
half million?
SAL
Hell no -- my end is covered -- my
associates just feel we ought to
wait for a more opportune time to
make the switch.
Stop, Cover.
73.
CHARNIER
It has to be by the end of this week.
SAL
Look, Mr. Charnier, you got to be
reasonable.
CHARNIER
It's your problem.
SAL
It's yours too!
Full length shot of CHARNIER and BOCA, CHARNIER leaning over
to shake his hand.
CHARNIER
So nice to have seen you again.
CHARNIER turns and walks off, leaving SAL looking after him
as we zoom back to a Point of View about a hundred yards
down the street.
Close of PHIL KLEIN, just watching.
INT. AIRPLANE - DAY
Close shot of MRS. CHARNIER, sitting by the window of two
seats on the shuttle, looking out and babbling at CHARNIER.
(DIALOGUE IN FRENCH).
MARIE
Look, darling, they sell these at
the Smithsonian.
She extracts a necklace and bracelet of shark's teeth from
an elegant alligator bag.
Camera moves back to take in CHARNIER looking from the Wall
Street Journal to the native craft bracelets.
CHARNIER
Are you sure it is dead?
MARIE
I'm going to put them on the cat.
CHARNIER
That's a relief.
Close shot of CHARNIER, tenderly, lovingly.
74.
CHARNIER
You did find something for yourself,
of course.
MARIE, close.
MARIE
Of course. But I am not going to
tell you what it is until we are
back in Marseilles.
CHARNIER and MARIE. He folds up the paper, smiling at her.
CHARNIER
Excuse me a moment, darling.
CHARNIER's view of the plane interior, walking back toward
the rear of the cabin. The seats are occupied by military-
business-government TYPES making the shuttle run. Not every
seat is filled. We come to an empty one on which someone
has deposited an attache case. It is the seat next to
PIERRE NICOLI, whose hand reaches out to remove it and we
follow the arm to NICOLI's face.
Close shot of CHARNIER and NICOLI sitting. (DIALOGUE IN
FRENCH)
CHARNIER
I'm afraid they've become a bit...
over-cautious. Our American friends.
NICOLI
What happens to the schedule?
CHARNIER
We must follow it.
NICOLI
But will they?
CHARNIER shrugs.
CHARNIER
I don't know. Boca is scared.
He's not strong enough. He sees
policemen in his soup.
NICOLI
He is not wrong.
CHARNIER
Mmmmm. That bastard who followed
me on the subway, he's the eager one.
75.
NICOLI
Let me take him out.
Close of CHARNIER.
CHARNIER
There'll be someone else.
NICOLI
What difference does it make?
We'll be out of the country Friday.
Close shot of CHARNIER alone.
EXT. SIDEWALK OUTSIDE DOYLE'S APARTMENT BLDG. - DAY
A complex of buildings similar to Lefrak City. A medium
close view of a LITTLE GIRL about to run DOYLE down with a
two-wheel bicycle. Two shots ring out in quick succession
and tear up the concrete at a point where he would have been
walking a moment earlier.
DOYLE diving for the cover of a tree. The rifle goes off a
third time and MOTHERS begin to scream on the benches of the
playground area.
DOYLE
(yelling)
Everybody, down! Get down on the
ground!
DOYLE behind the tree, pulling his gun out of the ankle
holster. He holds the gun ready and tries to look around.
Ping, another shot that drives him back.
Long panning view, DOYLE's view, from the ground, of all the
rooftops in the area. A blank. The background sound is
still screaming crying. "Call the police." "The man's got a
gun." "Help! Help!" The view is still slow, careful under
the pressure of the panic. There's another shot.
Long shot of rifle smoke rising from NICOLI's sniper position.
Exterior view of the concrete tunnels, DOYLE running from
them toward the building, dodging and ducking behind
playground equipment and benches as he does. He's shouting
as he runs.
DOYLE
Get down! It's a sniper. Get down!
Medium shot of DOYLE dashing into the lobby of his building
to a Spanish kid in the window of building.
76.
EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY
Exterior shot of rooftop door opening slowly, DOYLE coming
through the opening, gun at the ready.
Panning shot of the rooftop, DOYLE's view, stopping for a
beat at the rifle and box of cartridges lying beside the
parapet, moving on. The roof's empty. DOYLE sees NICOLI
below, grabs rifle and cartridge.
DOYLE running to the parapet, looking over.
Shot of the street, traffic, elevated tracks in the distance.
Long searching look of the streets and the people. The
view, which is DOYLE's, passes over one man in a dark suit,
stops and goes back. Zap! It's NICOLI walking quickly but
not in any panic toward the El.
DOYLE's face. He runs to parapet, fires at NICOLI. Misses.
DOYLE running across the roof and through the door.
DOYLE bursting out of the elevator at the bottom, through a
crowd of WOMEN and KIDS who scream as they did in the
playground.
Medium close view of DOYLE running as fast as he can.
Medium close shot of the entrance to the El. DOYLE coming
into view from off-camera, running to a stop deciding which
to take. He runs across the street to the downtown side
from which he saw train approaching.
DOYLE going over the turnstiles in a leap, gun still in his
right hand.
EXT. PLATFORM OF EL - DAY
Broad view of platform, DOYLE emerging looking right and left.
DOYLE's view across tracks. There's NICOLI, standing with a
group of people.
DOYLE looking up tracks to see if he can get across.
Training pulling in an opposite side. Train pulling in
right in front of DOYLE.
DOYLE
Stop that guy. He's wanted by the
police!
Side medium close shot of DOYLE turning and plunging back
through the doorway of platform exit.
77.
INT. TRAIN CAR - DAY
In one corner of the train is a transit policeman. He's
observed Doyle shouting and gesturing at NICOLI who sits
nervously aware of the policeman's presence. Long longs
between them. Finally, the officer decides to approach
NICOLI.
NICOLI panics and runs. The officer goes after him and
traps him against the door between cars.
INT. TOKEN BOOTH - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE with badge at token booth.
DOYLE
Where's the next stop? Going into
the city?
TOKEN ATTENDANT
(glancing out in
direction the train
was hurtling)
25th Avenue.
INT. TRAIN - DAY
NICOLI and the TRANSIT POLICEMAN struggle, as the handful of
passengers watch. NICOLI pulls his .45 and clobbers the
officer on the side of the head.
Close of NICOLI going from one car to another, opening doors
on the rear, moving through yet another crowd.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Medium close shot of DOYLE running into the street, forcing
a driver to stop. DOYLE moving so hard he falls against the
hood of the car then dashes around to the door and jerks it
open.
DOYLE
Police!
Medium close shot of DOYLE dragging MIDDLE-AGED MALE DRIVER
out from behind the wheel as he shouts.
DRIVER
What the hell?
DOYLE
(diving behind the wheel)
Police! Emergency!
78.
DOYLE has a pistol in his hand. The man falls back
sputtering. DOYLE jams car into gear and it roars off.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN CAR - DAY
NICOLI pounds on the door of the Motorman's cab with his gun.
After a long moment - the door cracks open. Close shot
NICOLI pushing his way into the cab of the subway MOTORMAN,
sixtyish, worn and frail looking.
MOTORMAN looks down. He follows the glance to NICOLI's .45.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Side close view of DOYLE screeching to a stop to avoid
plunging into a panel truck. DOYLE sticks his head out the
window to look up at the tracks as the DRIVER of the truck
screams.
TRUCK DRIVER
Blind sonofabitch!
Overhead view of the tracks, train roaring along them.
DOYLE's view.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
The tracks racing by from the view of the train. We're
approaching a station.
INT. MOTORMAN'S CABIN - DAY
NICOLI's close view of the MOTORMAN, the gun on the man.
NICOLI
Don't stop! Continue on to the
next station!
MOTORMAN
I got to stop.
NICOLI
Touch the brake and I'll blow you
in half.
MOTORMAN
The signal lights are automatic.
If I go through a red I'll be
automatically braked.
The MOTORMAN pales, his hand goes to his left side in a
gesture of anxiety, possibly pain.
79.
EXT. SUBWAY ENTRANCE - DAY
Side close view of DOYLE screeching to a stop, the car
bumping up on the sidewalk and DOYLE plunging out the door
which he leaves hanging open. He races around the car for
the steps to the El.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - DAY
Side view of train roaring through the station without
stopping.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
Medium close shot of CROWD on train pushing toward the
MOTORMAN's cab. They are upset over the missed stop. The
CONDUCTOR seems to be the most annoyed.
He's pushing hardest toward the camera to complain.
VOICES
Didn't stop.
Went right through there...
Hey, man, that's my station...
Where the hell's he going?
Hey, stop the car...
Close shot of NICOLI's back, half in the MOTORMAN's cab, as
he faces the CROWD. Now the cries turn to:
VOICES
He's got a gun...
The motorman's gone crazy...
Oh my God!
NICOLI
Get back.
CONDUCTOR
Hey, you can't...
Side view of NICOLI, the MOTORMAN in the background the
CONDUCTOR leaping at NICOLI. NICOLI burns him; one gut shot.
The car turns to pandemonium of screams. The CONDUCTOR is
hurled back into the crowd by force of the blast. The
MOTORMAN throws back his head in fright, and the beginning
of a coronary.
EXT/INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE from back seat, twisting, turning the
car in a wild demonstration of pursuit driving around cars,
braking, roaring ahead.
80.
We move out through the windshield for a lurching, spinning,
twisting view of the tracks overhead, the street signs and
lights flashing by in a reeling montage of movement, the
train roaring above it all.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
Close side shot of NICOLI turning to cover the MOTORMAN, who
is clutching in pain, slumping toward the controls.
MOTORMAN
(gasping)
I can't breathe.
NICOLI glances quickly to his left, out the window to the
next station.
Long, low view of the tracks, partially NICOLI's view.
There are red blinkers on the side of the tracks. Red
lights up ahead. That's the back of another train. It has
stopped and we're hurtling toward it.
Wide shot of screaming pack of subway riders, fighting their
way back from NICOLI, succeeding only in turning themselves
into a tightly contained mob. Now the words they cry are:
VOICES
We'll crash.
Won't somebody please help me.
Murder
He's a killer.
Crash. We'll crash!
Stop. Stop the train.
EXT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Side close view of DOYLE driving while he's looking up. He
skids through a red light, narrowly missing a pedestrian and
an oncoming group of cars.
Long, low view of the train from DOYLE's position.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
Close shot of cord dangling above a sign that says "Pull for
Emergency Stop Only." It just dangles, wobbles, forgotten in
the panic.
EXT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close side shot of DOYLE driving, skidding on streetcar
tracks, panning upward to show the car pulling ahead of the
train.
81.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
Close shot of NICOLI from behind, looking out the window of
the car where we see ourselves hurtling toward the other
train, now only about 100 yards away. Hold on the train
ahead. The MOTORMAN collapses over the throttle.
Rear close shot of NICOLI plunging into the panicky riders
with gun in hand, trying to get out with them to some rear
car.
EXT. SUBWAY STATION - DAY
Medium close of DOYLE arriving at the station.
INT. SUBWAY CAR - DAY
Back end of subway car looming up at high speed.
EXT. 62ND STREET STATION - THE TRACKS - DAY
The leader train sits waiting about twenty yards out of the
station. As the onrushing train approaches, it passes
through the yellow signal light at the rear of the station.
EXT. CLOSE SHOT THE TRIP LOCK - DAY
As the onrushing car pulls equal to the red signal light at
the front of the station, the tiny trip lock on the track
springs up, activating the safety brake. The trains avoid
collision by a few feet as the front car screeches to a halt.
INT. THE ONRUSHING TRAIN - DAY
The passengers are thrown violently to the ground.
NICOLI gets to his feet and forces open one of the doors.
EXT. 62ND STREET TRACKS - DAY
NICOLI makes his way out of the train and runs along the
tracks for a few yards, narrowly avoiding the third rail.
He climbs onto the station platform, to the shock and
amazement of several onlookers. He is dazed and disheveled,
no longer a hunter.
EXT. ENTRANCE TO THE 62ND STREET STATION - DAY
NICOLI staggers down the stairs to the street, unarmed.
DOYLE is waiting at the foot of the stairs.
NICOLI sees him, turns in desperation to run back up.
82.
DOYLE has his .38 drawn. He fires three shots into NICOLI's
back.
NICOLI stiffens and falls backward coming to rest at DOYLE's
feet. DOYLE collapses next to him.
EXT. CANDY STORE - DAY
SAL and ANGIE emerge and get into the Mercury.
EXT. MANHATTAN STREET - DAY
Long shot of the Mercury stopped. SAL gets out and walks
quickly to the garage entrance and down the ramp as ANGIE
drives off in the Mercury. Pan to
EXT/INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE and RUSSO from the front. DOYLE looks
after ANGIE's car.
INT. GARAGE - DAY
Medium close shot of RUSSO from the rear as he walks down
the ramp toward a glass attendant's booth in the background.
We pan around the garage looking for SAL but don't find him.
As RUSSO approaches the booth, we see the figure of a man
partially obscured by the door and the entrance framework.
Close shot of RUSSO from the front.
RUSSO
Hey, Mac, have you seen...?
Close shot of the man turning. It is SAL BOCA.
Close shot of RUSSO and BOCA in face-to-face confrontation.
RUSSO
...the guy who runs this joint?
There's a tense pause as BOCA looks at RUSSO.
Close shot of BOCA.
SAL
Yeh. He's over getting my car.
Medium close shot of GARAGE ATTENDANT holding the door of
the Lincoln open for SAL, shutting it and taking the ticket
from the windshield. As BOCA puts car in gear and drives
off, we pan to BUDDY RUSSO standing there watching. The
ATTENDANT walks up.
83.
ATTENDANT
Can I help you...?
Medium close shot of ATTENDANT and RUSSO. BUDDY, ignoring
the ATTENDANT, watching the Lincoln take off, then breaking
loose and running toward the ramp.
Close shot of RUSSO from DOYLE's viewpoint, piling into the
car.
RUSSO
He's in the brown Lincoln - foreign
plates.
Close shot of DOYLE throwing the car into gear and shooting
down the street.
Long view of the street from DOYLE's windshield of the
Lincoln in the distance. We pick up speed and weave through
traffic in pursuit.
EXT. STREETS - DAY
Impressionistic shot of Lincoln and DOYLE's car winding
through Brooklyn streets.
Long shot of the Lincoln, SAL BOCA parking it, getting out
and locking the doors, looking around and walking away.
The Mercury comes around a corner, ANGIE at the wheel. The
car stops and SAL gets in.
As the Mercury takes off, Detective PHIL KLEIN follows in
his car.
Close shot of DOYLE and RUSSO in their car parked several
car lengths and across the street from the Lincoln.
NIGHT
Long shot of the Lincoln, zooming on the glittering car. In
the BG, eight youngsters are playing a game of street hockey.
INT. DOYLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Close shot through windshield of DOYLE and RUSSO. MULDERIG
and KLEIN in their car.
DOYLE
Timezit?
RUSSO
Four.
84.
EXT. DOYLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Long view over the hood of DOYLE's car to the street. We
can see the Lincoln. The lights of a car appear on the left
and come down the street past the Lincoln, slowly, like a
man looking for a place to park. We can make out, but just
barely with the help of the street lights, four people in
the car.
DOYLE in close profile, the foreground, picking up a corner
of the Lincoln in the background. While we are looking in
silence, there is a glimmering flow in the far corner, the
beginning of approaching headlights again. They grown
brighter and DOYLE's foreground profile turns to watch it
come.
DOYLE
(softly)
Same car.
RUSSO
Third time around.
RUSSO and MULDERIG straightening up, leaning close to window
to peer out.
Long view over the hood of DOYLE's car of the approaching
vehicle, which suddenly switches off its lights and turns on
its parking blinkers. It comes abreast of the Lincoln and
stops. The men get out and chase the Lincoln.
View through windshield at the four men. DOYLE is now up
straight and at the wheel. He's leaning forward, his hand
on the key of the car. He glances back to MULDERIG.
DOYLE
(to car radio)
Let's him 'em.
View of the hood. All hell breaks loose, headlights,
including DOYLE's flash on and form a spotlight on the
Lincoln and the figures around it. Frozen in the headlights,
confused, startled, and disbelieving are FIVE PUERTO RICANS
with a variety of auto-stripping tools in their hands: lug
wrenches, tire irons, pinch bars, monkey wrenches, etc.
DOYLE drives right up to them. The camera leaps out of the
car with him and runs toward the men. We hear voices
shouting.
VOICES
Police! Don't move... get you...
hands up... you're under arrest...
85.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Close view of DOYLE holding his gun on one of the terrorized-
looking Puerto Ricans. The KID's hands are rising
tentatively. He's too scared to move.
DOYLE
Up! Up, you sonofabitch!
In the background, the scene is being duplicated by two or
three others.
Overhead view of this headlight and flashlight arena of
about 10 or 12 DETECTIVES forming small clusters, throwing
these guys up against cars, pulling their arms around behind
them and throwing cuffs on them while others rapidly frisk
them for weapons, taking away one pistol, a couple of knives.
MULDERIG and DOYLE looking at their MAN up against the
Lincoln as RUSSO finishes snapping handcuffs on him.
DOYLE
Of all the goddam cars they had to
pick to steal hubcaps.
Close shot of the front end of the Lincoln, upended on a
hoist attached to a police tow truck. The area is less
brightly lighted by headlights now. Some cars have departed
with the Puerto Rican AUTO STRIPPERS. DOYLE's interest
focuses on the car. We pick him up as we pan to him sitting
on the running board of the tow truck, talking with its
DRIVER, who is making a report on a clipboard. MULDERIG and
RUSSO are standing nearby, talking to TWO PLAINCLOTHESMEN.
DOYLE
(looking up and around)
A bunch of lousy little spic car
thieves.
MULDERIG
Nothing in there except a New York
street map.
DOYLE
Tumble it. One end to the other.
RUSSO jotting in his note pad, then glancing up to the off-
camera DOYLE.
DOYLE, medium close, hands jamming into his pockets, staring
at the ground with RUSSO and MULDERIG.
86.
INT. POLICE GARAGE - DAY
A montage as the Lincoln is being disassembled. First it is
weighed. We then see the MECHANIC drain the gas, pull apart
the transmission and check through the brake drums, rip out
the seats.
MECHANIC ducking out from under the car, moving toward off-
camera DOYLE.
MECHANIC
Nobody's been under there with
anything but a grease gun since if
came off the line.
DOYLE's hand reaches out from off-camera and takes a
cigarette package out of the MECHANIC's pocket.
DOYLE
I don't buy it. The stuff is on
this car.
MECHANIC
Then you find it. I can't.
INT. POLICE SERGEANT'S OFFICE AT GARAGE - DAY
Shot of DEVEREAUX and LA VALLE.
LA VALLE
The car was lost sometime this
evening. First they send us to
Pier One -- then they send us
here --
DESK SERGEANT
I don't understand why you had it
parked on the waterfront. You're
staying at the Doral and you lose
your car somewhere out by the
Brooklyn Bridge.
LA VALLE
In point of fact, M. Devereaux is
scouting locations for a film for
French Television. He left the car
to look at some point of interest.
DEVEREAUX
(moving, excitable)
We were told by the Police
Commissioner's office that the car
was brought to this garage. I
demand its immediate return.
87.
DESK SERGEANT
If you'll be patient, Mr. Devereaux.
DEVEREAUX
(moving)
I have been patient enough. There
is no reason I should have to waste
time with this red tape.
LA VALLE
Mr. Devereaux is an extremely
important guest of this country.
He is working with the absolute
cooperation and participation of
your government. Here are his
credentials from the French
Consulate.
(showing them)
Unless you wish to see this episode
portrayed in his film I suggest you
locate his car immediately.
Shot of DOYLE and RUSSO near the Lincoln, now up on hoists.
Police MECHANIC in background.
MECHANIC
What are you looking for? Is it as
big as an orange or an elephant's
ass? I've been over every inch --
top to bottom. If you could give
me a club -- to the size...
RUSSO
(doing rough figures
on a piece of scratch paper)
What was the weight of the car when
you got it, Irv?
MECHANIC
(consulting his notes)
4,839 pounds.
RUSSO
(consulting Lincoln
Specification Book)
You're sure?
(he does quick addition)
The manufacturer's spec says it
should weigh 4,719 pounds. This
one's carrying roughly 120 extra
pounds somewhere.
He produces a copy of a ship's manifold.
88.
RUSSO
When it was booked in at Marseilles
it weighed the same. 120 pounds
overweight. Jimmy has to be right.
The THREE MEN turn again to stare at the Lincoln. The
MECHANIC lowers the hoist, thoughtfully.
MECHANIC
I ripped everything out except the
Rocker panels.
DEVEREAUX
What's that?
They look at each other for a long moment.
MECHANIC starts to undo the side Rocker pans. JIMMY pulls
the pan off and sticks his arm into the enclosure. Feeling
around inside he pulls out the first kilo-sized plastic
container as several others start tumbling out after. BUDDY
and DOYLE are smiling at each other as they continue to pull
the bags out. Several of the other MECHANICS in the garage
are gathered around the happy moment. They repeat this
action on the other side of the car.
RUSSO enters garage sergeant's bullpen. DEVEREAUX and LA
VALLE are still arguing with the SERGEANT.
RUSSO
Got it for you, Randy -- it just
came in from downtown. Who's
Devereaux?
LA VALLE
This is M. Devereaux.
RUSSO
I'm sorry, Mr. Devereaux, but we
get reports on a couple hundred
vehicles a night. Sometimes it's a
little tough to keep track.
DEVEREAUX
You mean the car's here now?
RUSSO
Yeah -- fine -- it's okay -- not
even a scratch. You're all set.
(handing DEVEREAUX keys)
RUSSO walking with DEVEREAUX and LA VALLE.
89.
RUSSO
Someone stole it right off the
street, huh? You're gonna have to
pay the tow away charge.
DEVEREAUX
I was told these things happen in
New York -- but one never expects it.
RUSSO
Yeah. Well, it's in perfect shape.
You must lead a charming life.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - DORAL - DAY
Medium close shot of DEVEREAUX striding through the lobby
toward the camera. (DIALOGUE IN FRENCH)
CHARNIER
Henri...
Medium close shot of DEVEREAUX turning to face CHARNIER, who
has been waiting for him.
CHARNIER
Did you pick up the car?
DEVEREAUX
It is waiting for you in the garage.
CHARNIER
Did they follow you?
DEVEREAUX
I wasn't looking.
CHARNIER
Henri... I need one more favor from
you. I know I am imposing...
DEVEREAUX
My friend, I am not sure about what
is going on -- but for me, I am
finished.
CHARNIER
Not quite -- you are in it whether
you like it or not. The police
know you brought the car into the
country. This makes you an
accomplice.
90.
DEVEREAUX
An accomplice to what?! What have
you gotten me into, Alain? You
asked me to do you a favor -- and I
did what you asked -- but you've
taken advantage of me. I have my
reputation --
CHARNIER pulls DEVEREAUX further aside.
CHARNIER
Calm down -- Henri! You must trust
me -- this is an extremely
complicated situation to which
there is a simple solution if you
do exactly what I tell you. It's
worth more money to you.
DEVEREAUX
Goodbye.
DEVEREAUX turns and walks into the crowded lobby leaving
ALAIN standing alone.
EXT. HOTEL STREET - DAY
Medium close shot of the Lincoln. We can't see the driver
immediately. As we follow the car, it hesitates; horns
sound and it moves ahead with a jerk.
INT. LINCOLN - DAY
Close shot of CHARNIER at the wheel of the Lincoln, trying
to make out street signs and directions.
EXT. TRIBORO BRIDGE - DAY
Medium shot of the Lincoln going across the Triboro Bridge.
EXT. WARD'S ISLAND - DAY
CHARNIER's view through the windshield as he drives along
the new road and turns left on the old service road.
EXT. OLD SERVICE ROAD - WARD'S ISLAND - DAY
Hellgate Bridge overhead in BG. Lincoln drives along old
road and into abandoned garage.
INT. WARD'S ISLAND GARAGE - DAY
View from CHARNIER's POV out the window of the building.
Faces appear beside the car. First BOCA's, then WEINSTOCK's,
then LOU BOCA and two MECHANICS.
91.
BOCA
Keep going. Right in there.
FIRST MECHANIC
Over there. On the right.
SECOND MECHANIC
The clear spot.
INT. GARAGE - DAY
Medium close shot of the Lincoln. The Rocker panels are
open and the junk is being unloaded. CHARNIER is standing
by two suitcases of cash. He takes a bundle out of the
suitcase, riffs the deck of bills with his fingers to make
sure it's money all the way through; puts it in a separate
stack that will go into the rocker panels of a nearby junk
car. WEINSTOCK is standing next to the CHEMIST, with his
testing equipment. The MECHANICS are under the Lincoln and
passing out the kilos of heroin, BOCA is helping them. The
kilos are concealed in the floor boards of the old garage.
Close shot of CHARNIER's hands, working on the money.
Close shot of the CHEMIST taking a sniff, then a taste.
Close shot of SAL BOCA and MECHANICS continuing to unload
packet after packet after packet of heroin.
Close shot of CHARNIER as the stacks of money are loaded
into the car.
Close shot of BOCA taking a bottle of Seagram's Seven Crown
out of a brown paper bag.
CHARNIER extends his hand. WEINSTOCK takes it; they shake.
CHARNIER close, looking back at the car as the rocker panels
are restored to the Lincoln. The junk car with the money
secreted is removed.
Medium shot of SAL BOCA and CHARNIER getting in the Lincoln.
In the b.g. a tow truck hauls the battered junk car out to
await shipment.
EXT. WARD'S ISLAND BRIDGE - DAY
Long view from the bridge of the Lincoln coming toward the
camera over a small rise.
View from Lincoln, between SAL and CHARNIER, over the hood
of the car and to the entrance to the bridge. There is a
police blockade. Standing in front of it are DOYLE, RUSSO,
MULDERIG and PHIL KLEIN.
92.
CLOSE-UP CHARNIER.
CLOSE-UP DOYLE. He gives CHARNIER a little wave.
Long view of the Lincoln stopping in the middle of the
bridge. Zoom in on it as SAL hurriedly turns it around,
smashing into the side of the bridge as he does.
Medium shot of the Lincoln racing back across the island.
The Mercury roars past WEINSTOCK's car, heading toward the
bridge.
WEINSTOCK's car coming to a stop.
Close shot of the CHEMIST and WEINSTOCK in the car, turning
back to the island.
INT. LINCOLN - DAY
Close shot of CHARNIER and SAL. SAL driving, CHARNIER
looking out the back window. The police cars, slowly, begin
to gun engines and start the pursuit. The sirens begin to
wail.
INT. GARAGE - DAY
The Lincoln roaring into the asylum toward the camera,
screeching to a stop. SAL and CHARNIER leaping out. They
run toward Crematorium Building.
Medium long shot of SAL running off.
SAL
(shouting)
Bulls!
CHARNIER hesitates. Then runs into the darkness of the
Crematorium.
EXT. CREMATORIUM - DAY
Police cars screeching to a halt around the building. Some
circling to the back to cut it off. DOYLE, RUSSO, MULDERIG,
KLEIN and others getting out and running toward the entrance,
taken by the Lincoln.
EXT. JUNK GRAVEYARD - DAY
Close shot SAL BOCA and the two MECHANICS at the auto
graveyard. The MECHANICS start to run and are pursued by
KLEIN and TWO OTHER COPS. SAL decides to shoot it out.
RUSSO in pursuit.
93.
After a chase around the graveyard RUSSO burns SAL who dies
among the wrecked cars.
WEINSTOCK and the CHEMIST emerge from the cars. Hands in
the air. They give up without a struggle.
RUSSO
Phil, you take that side, Bill, go
around the other way.
INT. CREMATORIUM - DAY
Long shot, we can see somebody running, hear his footsteps,
but can't tell who it is.
Shot of DOYLE entering.
Shot of DOYLE, gun in hand, going around corner of long
corridor, looking down it.
Shot of MULDERIG running down one of the corridors and into
a cell littered with abandoned furniture, sinks, toilets, etc.
Long view of the hallway. Halfway down, LOU pops out and
fires wildly at the camera.
DOYLE close, pulling back, then leaning out and blazing away
twice.
Long shot of LOU, staffering into the corridor and collapsing.
DOYLE running down the corridor leaping over LOU's body and
continuing to run to bisecting corridor.
INT. CELLAR - DAY
DOYLE comes down the stairs and into the cellar. In the
foreground, behind a pile of ripped-out wall and floorboards,
there appears to be the crouched silhouette of a man. DOYLE
exits.
DOYLE's view down second corridor. At far end of it a
figure flitting past.
RUSSO
Jimmy?
Close shot of RUSSO at the head of a flight of stairs.
RUSSO
Jimmy?
DOYLE's P.O.V.: A shadow figure ducks into one of the rooms.
94.
Close of DOYLE up against a wall.
DOYLE
(a whisper)
Cover the other side -- Frog Number
One is down there.
RUSSO scrambling along the Crematorium wall.
DOYLE moving slowly down the opposite wall.
Medium shot of DOYLE approaching the end rooms. A figure
slips out of one of them, shrouded with shadows.
Close of DOYLE firing twice into the camera.
Close shot of the figure. It's AGENT BILL MULDERIG spinning,
dropping, his own service revolver clattering on the concrete.
Medium close shot of DOYLE standing over MULDERIG's body,
two or three COPS coming up, including RUSSO.
RUSSO
(leaning over the body)
He's gone, Jimmy. Bill is dead.
DOYLE full figure, close. A long pause -- and then --
DOYLE
The sonofabitch is in here somewhere.
I saw him -- I'm gonna get him.
DOYLE exits down the corridor. The others staring after him.
EXT. CREMATORIUM
Within the building no one is visible. Overhead, the
Hellgate Bridge, sounds of New York, jets, auto traffic, and
an approaching Penn Central train.
THE ENDRev. April 26, 1971
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
by
ERNEST TIDYMAN and WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
DIRECTOR: William Friedkin
PRODUCER: Philip D'Antoni
EXT. LE VALLON
Opening shot - High angle on Lincoln along small bay with
boats.
Ext. Bar - Waist to full figure Pan Right to Left. Detective
comes out eating pizza, looking around. He crosses street
and stops against wall of impasse Michael.
He looks O.S. left,
His POV - L.S. of Lincoln behind fishing nets.
Waist shot of Detective looking and eating.
M.S. of Lincoln.
C.S. of Detective looking O.S. Left.
Pan Right to Left with Charnier coming out from Fonfon with
three friends and they walk to the Lincoln.
Pan Left to Right with Lincoln passing in front of the
Detective.
EXT. CAFE LA SAMARITAINE
High angle from balcony. Zoom on Detective seated at the
cafe, reading a newspaper.
Cut on Lincoln along sidewalk of the cafe, then zoom back to
discover Detective seated.
EXT. MARSEILLE STREETS
Low angle from stairs Rue des Repenties and Pan Left to
Right to Rue Sainte Francoise following the Detective.
Pan Left to Right with Detective from Rue des Repenties to
Rue Baussenque.
Low angle between Rue des Moulins and Rue des Accoules with
Detective passing by.
Ext. Rue du Panier - The Detective comes out from the bakery
camera Right and starts to climb up Rue des Moulins with his
bread.
EXT. STREET
High angle - on No. 50 Rue des Moulins. Pan Left to Right
with Detective coming up the street with his bread and going
inside his house, starting to open his letter-box.
2.
INT. CORRIDOR
High angle - complete reverse. As the Detective starts to
open his letter-box in B.G. a hand pointing a gun moves in
foreground and blows off half of the French Detective's head
with the first shot.
Cut to Nicoli C.S. who just fired.
EXT. A BAR IN BED-STUY - DAY
A large man in a Santa Claus suit and white beard is
entertaining a group of black children. He leads them in
the singing of a Christmas Carol (Hark the Herald Angels
Sing). The man is DETECTIVE FIRST GRADE JIMMY DOYLE. His
attention is split between the children and the activity
inside the bar.
INT. THE BAR - DOYLE'S POV - DAY
The place is crowded with mid-day drinkers. Dimly outlined
at the far end of the bar are TWO BLACK MEN involved in some
kind of transaction in which a package is exchanged for
money. As the transaction seems to be completed, cut to
EXT. THE BAR - DAY
Santa Claus (DOYLE) starts to ring his big Christmas bell,
above the singing. The bell is a signal to DETECTIVE SECOND
GRADE BUDDY RUSSO. At this moment RUSSO is in the clothes
of a hot dog vendor and is in fact working behind a hot dog
wagon. At the ringing of DOYLE's bell he takes off his
apron, leaves the wagon, and runs toward the bar.
DOYLE
(as RUSSO passes him)
The guy in the brown coat.
INT. THE BAR - DAY
RUSSO enter the bar on the run. He stops and looks over the
room.
RUSSO'S POV
There are TWENTY or THIRTY MEN at the bar, at least TEN are
wearing brown coats! The TWO MEN involved in the deal see
RUSSO and start to run. One (THE BUYER) takes off out of
the back door. The other (THE PUSHER) jumps over the bar
and heads for the front entrance.
3.
EXT. THE BAR - DAY
THE PUSHER dashes out past Santa Claus (DOYLE). RUSSO
follows him and all three give chase.
EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY
THREE FIGURES running down a New York tenement alley, the
first in flight, the others in pursuit. We pick up the
incredible clutter of such an alley, mounts of rusting beer
cans, paper bags of garbage bulging and ripping open, old
bed springs, burned out mattresses, etc.
EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY
Close shot of BLACK PUSHER tripping on the tangle of trash
going up against the wall in his stumble, face toward the
camera, and the figures of RUSSO and DOYLE leaping upon him
from off-camera. There is a blur or fast struggle as DOYLE
and RUSSO try to get his arms and put him against the wall.
BLACK PUSHER writhes loose and we close in on a knife in his
hand, plunging rapidly into RUSSO'S left forearm.
RUSSO
Son of a bitch!
The words are both warning and a grunt of pain. As RUSSO
takes the blade and utters the words, we simultaneously go
to DOYLE crouching and snatching his .38 out of the right
ankle holster.
EXT. BED-STUY TENEMENT ALLEY - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE and the BLACK PUSHER, DOYLE pistol-
whipping him into submission with three lightening chops of
the gun to the PUSHER'S head. DOYLE continues to beat the
man mercilessly into submission.
INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
3-shot of BLACK PUSHER sitting between DOYLE and RUSSO.
DOYLE is at the wheel. BLACK PUSHER is sitting on his
hands, wrists manacled behind him, his head down and dripping
blood onto the jacket and the canary-yellow turtleneck. All
three are breathing hard.
DOYLE
What's your name, asshole?
BLACK PUSHER
Fuck you, Santa Claus!
DOYLE hits him across the face.
4.
RUSSO
Your name is Willie Craven.
BLACK PUSHER doesn't look up.
DOYLE
Who's your connection, Willie?
What's his name?
No response.
RUSSO
Who killed the old Jew in the
laundromat?
BLACK PUSHER's brow furrows, looks up just a little.
BLACK PUSHER
I don't...
DOYLE
Ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?
BLACK PUSHER
What?
DOYLE
Did you ever pick your feet in
Poughkeepsie?
BLACK PUSHER
I don't know what you're talkin'
about.
DOYLE
Were you ever in Poughkeepsie?
BLACK PUSHER
No... yeah...
DOYLE
Did you ever sit on the edge of the
bed, take off your socks and stick
your fingers between your toes?
BLACK PUSHER
Man, I'm clean.
DOYLE
You made three sales to your
roaches back there. We had to
chase you through all this shit and
you tell me you're clean?
5.
RUSSO
Who stuck up the laundromat?
DOYLE
How about that time you were
picking your feet in Poughkeepsie?
The BLACK PUSHER'S eyes go to RUSSO in panic, looking for
relief from the pressure of the inquisition.
RUSSO
(in pain)
You better give me the guy who got
the old Jew or you better give me
something or you're just a memory
in this town.
BLACK PUSHER
That's a lot o' shit. I didn't do
nothin'.
The BLACK PUSHER's eyes are on DOYLE, frozen in confusion
and fear.
DOYLE
You put a shiv in my partner. Know
what that means? All winter I
gotta listen to him gripe about his
bowling scores. Now I'm gonna bust
your ass for those three bags -
then I'm gonna nail you for pickin'
your feet in Poughkeepsie.
EXT. HEADQUARTERS NARCOTICS BUREAU OF THE NYPD 12 OLD SLIP
AND SOUTH STREETS - NIGHT
DOYLE and RUSSO standing side by side on the front steps of
the old First Precinct on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
RUSSO has his overcoat over his shoulders as a cape. The
sleeve of his left arm is rolled up over a blood-stained
bandage on the left forearm.
DOYLE
Havin' trouble? You're a dumb
guinea.
RUSSO
How'd I know he had a knife.
DOYLE
Never trust a nigger.
RUSSO
He coulda been white.
6.
DOYLE
Never trust anybody. You goin' sick?
RUSSO
Not a chance.
RUSSO nods in acceptance of the remark. The easy, synical
rapport between them is obvious: they are partners in a
business where somebody is always getting hurt and pain is
part of the inventory.
DOYLE
Let's popeye around the Chez for a
half hour, catch the end of the
show and a couple drinks.
RUSSO
Some other time Jimmy, I'm beat.
DOYLE reaches into the right side pocket of BUDDY's suitcoat
for a cigarette and matches. He lights up two in the pause,
sticks one in RUSSO's mouth.
DOYLE
Come on -- one drink. Whatta you
say?
RUSSO
Drink this.
DOYLE
Whip it out.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
THE TITLES COMMENCE
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
Titles over a close shot of a chorus line, with lots of tits
and ass and lean, long legs in a brassy blare of music. We
zoom back to the area where DOYLE and RUSSO are beginning to
occupy a table. RUSSO takes the seat on the right, eyes
immediately on all that ginch, while DOYLE standing, gives
their order. We do not hear the dialogue but DOYLE asks
RUSSO what he wants BUDDY looks up and says "Cinzano." DOYLE
turns and says "Two of these." DOYLE slips into the chair
opposite RUSSO and the titles roll on. Unlike RUSSO who is
concentrating on the girls, DOYLE is digging the room and
the people who occupy the tables in it, as if he is the sort
of man who cannot relax until he knows who is around him,
why they are there.
7.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
A long view from DOYLE's position of the room, a quick
certain survey that stumbles twice; on laughter that seems
too raw and then over a flurry of activity by WAITERS and
CAPTAINS serving a table on the main floor. DOYLE's
attention is apprehended by the noise and activity that
emanate from the same large table.
DOYLE
I make at least two junk connections
at that table in the corner. The
guy is the stripe combo, I know him
too.
RUSSO
Hey, I thought we come for a drink.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
A long view of the table with DOYLE and RUSSO very close
foreground, left and right. DOYLE is leaning on an elbow.
DOYLE
Who is that guy?
RUSSO
Policy man in Queens.
DOYLE
What about the last of the big-time
spenders. You make him?
RUSSO's eyes come off the show. It is a direct line from
DOYLE's gaze to the round, ruddy and arrogant face of SAL
BOCA, the apparent host of the table of EIGHT MEN AND WOMEN,
the Men in dinner jackets with ties tucked under the collars
of blue or white lace-trimmed shirts, the Women in a mixture
of pant suits and Catskills cocktail party dresses, their
hair coiffed towers.
RUSSO
No, you?
DOYLE
Hunh-uh. Check the bread. He
spreads it like the Russians are in
Jersey.
RUSSO
He probably sells insurance. Owns
a chicken farm in Hackensack.
8.
Zoom in slowly on SAL as he deals tips and orders. Through
DOYLE's eyes, we go from Guest to Guest at SAL's table,
taking apart their manners and styles as they talk and
laugh, lost in the show chatter.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
DOYLE finishing his drink, still looking at the table.
DOYLE
Dig who's just come over. The
creep on the end.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
The camera pans down the table to dig the "creep on the end."
RUSSO (VO)
Jewish Lucky from the Bronx... He
don't look the same without a
number across his chest.
INT. THE CLUB - NIGHT
DOYLE close in right profile, SAL's table in the far blurred
background.
DOYLE
Whatta you say we wait and give him
a tail?
RUSSO
Give who a tail?
DOYLE
The greaser with the blonde.
RUSSO
What for -- you wanna play Hide the
Salami with his old lady?
DOYLE
Come on -- just for fun --
INT/EXT. DOYLE'S CAR - NIGHT
The view from the back seat of DOYLE's car. DOYLE is at the
wheel, RUSSO packed uncomfortably into the corner at DOYLE's
right. Seventy-five yards away on the other side of the
street the canopied entrance of the Club. A Continental is
parked in front of the club. The DRIVER leaning on a fender
talking with the DOORMAN. DOYLE frisks his own pockets for
a cigarette, coming up with a collection of laundry slips,
crumpled notes, toothpicks and matches.
9.
One of the slips of paper catches his eye as he is going
through the ritual of the cigarette mooch, a slip bearing
the name of a girl. His attention is really on the entrance
of the Club and both his conversation and the cigarette
business are detached and incidental to the art of waiting
through the stakeout. He stuffs the cards back into his
pocket.
DOYLE
Monica? Who's Monica?
RUSSO
(handing him a cigarette)
A and A, that's all you're
interested in -- Arrests and Ass.
As soon as DOYLE has finished lighting the cigarette SAL and
his PARTY come bubbling out of the Club noisily, a little
drunkenly. SAL waves to the attentive DOORMAN.
DOYLE close, leaning forward over the wheel to put his hand
on the ignition key. He does not turn it. He is waiting
for the cover of noise from the starting of SAL's car.
RUSSO is turning the opposite corner of the car into a bend,
his head back, arms across his chest.
DOYLE
Cloudy, I'll lay odds he takes us
to Little Italy.
DOYLE reaches under his seat for the straw surveillance
hat - throws it up to read ledge of car.
RUSSO
I'm telling you, Popeye, he owns a
bagel mine in the Bronx.
A long view of the Club entrance. SAL and ANGIE, a well-
built "classy" blonde with good legs, get into their black
Mercury sedan. The Mercury takes off towards First Avenue.
We hear DOYLE's car start and we move off after them on the
last blink of tail-lights at the corner.
EXT. BROADWAY - NIGHT
Cabs, Daily News and Times delivery trucks, bakery vans and
a few cruising cabs, one or two passenger cars and a coasting
green and black police cruiser -- this is the 4:30 a.m.
traffic through which DOYLE moves.
A rear-window view of SAL and ANGIE BOCA, in animated
conversation. His head is turned toward her, his hand
raised in a gesture. ANGIE is sitting in a corner with her
back to the door, in profile to the back window.
10.
Her blonde head bobbles with laughter over some remark SAL
has made.
A long overhead view of the two cars wheeling in and out of
the sparse traffic.
Close shot of the license plate on BOCA's car.
Close shot DOYLE staring at license plate, memorizing it.
EXT. RATNER'S - DAY
BOCA and ANGIE exit restaurant, get into their car and drive
off. Hold for DOYLE's car as it passes through after them.
EXT. MULBERRY STREET - DAY
Side close view of SAL turning south into Mott Street
panning to pick up the Italian names on the candy stores,
funeral parlors, bars, grocery stores, social clubs.
A long view of SAL's car from the DOYLE-RUSSO auto, over the
shoulders of the two cops. DOYLE is leaning on the wheel of
his car. He's against the curb about 100 yards behind SAL.
Medium close view of SAL in the middle of Mott Street,
walking quickly toward the opposite side of the street,
hands in the pocket of his white raincoat. He glances over
his shoulder in the direction of DOYLE's car.
Close of RUSSO who has come awake. The smart-ass demeanor
has dropped away. DOYLE turns to him and smiles. This
district is the heart of every illegal activity in New York.
Close rear view of DOYLE and RUSSO ducking down to the level
of the dashboard, a reflex action. He couldn't see them at
that distance, although SAL, lighted by his own headlights,
can be seen in the background walking around the cars,
across the sidewalk and stopped at a recessed doorway.
Medium close shot of SAL and partially visible FIGURE at the
doorway. With another glance up the street, SAL takes
something out of his raincoat pocket and steps up and into
the doorway.
INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close from the front of DOYLE and RUSSO low against the
dashboard.
DOYLE
It's a drop!
DOYLE's face, close, light smile.
11.
Long view of SAL walking down the sidewalk quickly for about
a quarter of a block while the headlights of his car, with
ANGIE apparently driving, move up with him. At another
doorway, he looks back and then steps inside.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
Long view of SAL's Mercury moving over Brooklyn Bridge.
Close shot of the DOYLE-RUSSO car from RUSSO's side. BUDDY
now interested, watching.
EXT. BROOKLYN - DAY
Overhead view of cars circling block, first Mercury turning
corner, then DOYLE's Ford.
Long shot of the Mercury pulling up beside line of parked
cars (as seen from DOYLE-RUSSO car) stopping and parking.
Hold on Mercury as SAL and ANGIE get out of it. SAL locking
it up, and starting to walk toward a line of parked cars.
Close shot from rear seat of DOYLE and RUSSO glancing at
each other.
SAL and ANGIE stop in the street beside beat-up white Dodge.
Without a word they get in. Hold as they get in, SAL starts
and they begin to drive out of the spot.
Close on DOYLE.
DOYLE
It's startin' to cook, Cloudy, my
man is cookin'...
A series of impressionist traveling shots of the white Dodge
and DOYLE's Ford moving through Brooklyn Streets, picking up
street signs of areas.
Medium close shot of the white Dodge pulling into the curb.
In near background, a candy-confectionery store.
INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE and RUSSO in profile driving past the
candy store as SAL and ANGIE open door and go in.
Close shot of DOYLE and RUSSO parked. DOYLE is looking in
the rear-view mirror while BUDDY is turned around on the
seat, looking out the rear window.
A long shot, from the DOYLE-RUSSO viewpoint of the candy
store. The door is open, the street is deserted. Lights
are going on in the little shop.
12.
Hold on the storefront as SAL appears, this time in a candy
store operator's smock over a white undershirt, baggy slacks.
He's carrying a stack of newspapers. Zoom in on SAL stacking
the Sunday Times and the Daily News on the rack in front of
the store as ANGIE appears in the doorway. She's blackhaired
now, the blonde wig gone, also wearing a grey cotton smock
over a plain skirt and sweater, holding a cup of coffee. We
hold on them for a beat, then
CUT TO:
DOYLE and RUSSO close just looking at each other. The look
says everything about the freak case they have stumbled into.
EXT. QUAY MARSEILLE SHIPYARD
1) Tight two shot then, 2) cut into blue prints.
CHARNIER
En prolongeant les quais d'une
trentaine de mètres on pourra
recevoir des unités d'une cargaison
de 500 tonnes.
3) While he shows the extension, clean P.O.V. Of each quay.
4) Dolly Left to Right with Notre-Dame in background. They
fold the blue prints and moves.
FOREMAN MARCEL
Et combien d'hommes supplémentaires?
CHARNIER
Ca fera environ 10 hommes de plus
par équipe.
MARCEL
Le Syndicat exigera un minimum de 12.
CHARNIER
Quelle importance. Ce qui compte
pour moi c'est d'avoir un chantier
qui puisse recevoir les plus grands
bateaux du monde.
MARCEL
Dis moi vieille branche? Comment
fais tu pour rester si jeune avec
la vie que tu mènes?
CHARNIER
Quelle vie Marcel? J'ai plus rien
foutu depuis que je suis descendu
de ces cabines.
13.
EXT. NUNNERY
EXT. CORNICHE - HI-WAY (BERGER)
Pan Left to Right Lincoln driven by Jean with Charnier behind.
EXT. CASSIS CROSSROAD IN FRONT OF MARSEILLE SIGN POST
Lincoln passing by.
EXT. CASSIS HARBOUR FROM CASINO
Pan Right to Left with Lincoln passing by.
EXT. CASSIS ROAD LEADING TO VILLA
Pan Right to Left with Lincoln arriving from main road to
Villa.
EXT. VILLA CASSIS
Camera in front of garage where the Lincoln stops. Charnier
comes out with gift and walks Right to Left.
EXT. VILLA CASSIS
Pan Left to Right with Charnier walking along terrace with
Cassis bay in B.G., and we discover his wife, Marie. She
gets up. Dolly back.
CHARNIER
Bonjour chérie.
They kiss each other and walk arm in arm back to us.
EXT. VILLA CASSIS
Close 2-shot favouring her. He gives her the gift.
CHARNIER
Tu sais j'ai réfléchi longuement à
ton cadeau pour le voyage. Je l'ai
choisi moi-même. Tiens.
MARIE
Je peux l'ouvrir tout de suite?
CHARNIER
Si tu veux.
14.
MARIE
(opening the gift)
Oh Alain! C'est merveilleux! Tu
me gâtes. Je t'aime. Attends, je
vais te montrer moi aussi ce que
j'ai acheté.
CHARNIER
Encore du sho ping!
EXT. VILLA
L.S. Pan Right to left from under the trees following her as
she leaves Charnier to enter in the house.
EXT. VILLA
C.S. of Charnier along the terrace. He throws a fishing
pole in the sea.
EXT. VILLA
PAN RIGHT TO LEFT with Marie coming back with a new coat.
MARIE
Regarde mon pêcheur de baleine...
Tu sais il va faire très froid cet
hiver.
CHARNIER
Avec ça tu pourras le supporter.
MARIE
Mais non, c'est pour toi.
CHARNIER
Pour moi?
MARIE
Regarde, il te va parfaitement bien!
CHARNIER
Formidable! Sans toi je
m'habillerais encore en docker.
(then, taking off coat)
Je suis passé voir Françoise.
MARIE
Comment va-t-elle?
CHARNIER
Je n'ai jamais vu tant de sérenité.
Elle m'a demandé de tes nouvelles
et si nous étions heureux.
15.
MARIE
Le sommes nous?
CHARNIER
(he kisses her)
Non!
EXT. BOAT - CAR PARK
Complete Pan Left to Right with Lincoln passing in front of
Samaritaine cafe.
Driver pulls out. Charnier comes out from Lincoln and we
follow him as he crosses Left to Right and jumps into the
boat which moves out.
FROM BOAT
Back shot. Charnier standing in the moving boat and smoking
as Marseille diminishes in B.G.
OPENING SEA SHOT
From the boat approaching Chateau d'If.
ON PEER
Pan Right to Left as Charnier gets out of boat and starts to
climb up.
High angle thru first stone door with sea in B.G. Charnier
comes up and turns Right to Left.
High angle -- Pan Left to Right -- Low angle, with Charnier
coming up from 2nd arch to 3rd arch thru which we see the
tower in B.G.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF - 1ST PLATFORM
Pan Left to Right with Charnier arriving on terrace.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF - CHARNIER - HIS POV
Nicoli back to us. He turns left shoulder as we approach to
him.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF - TWO SHOT
Dolly back preceding Charnier and Nicoli after they meet and
Pan Left to Right to the Rotonde.
CHARNIER
Ca a marché?
16.
NICOLI
Au poil.
They turn around.
CHARNIER
Sale boulot.
NICOLI
Il fallait le faire.
CHARNIER
Il est en retard.
NICOLI
Je crois qu'on fait une erreur de
le prendre avec nous.
CHARNIER
Une erreur! C'est génial. C'est
une vedette à la télévision. Il
peut aller partout sans être
soupçonné... En plus il a besoin de
fric.
NICOLI
J'ai pas confiance en lui.
CHARNIER
Sois gentil avec lui. On ne sait
jamais. Il peut te faire travailler
à la télévision.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF
Cut on Devereau arriving. He sees them.
EXT. CHATEAU D'IF
Pan Left to Right bringing Charnier and Nicoli towards
Devereaux to finish in 3-shot.
CHARNIER
Henri c'est gentil d'être venu. Je
vous présente mon associé, Pierre
Nicoli. Henri Devereaux.
DEVEREAUX
Enchanté.
(they shake hands)
Alain, j'ai réfléchi à votre
proposition et j'ai décidé
d'accepter.
17.
SURVEILLANCE MONTAGE OF SAL BOCA's activities. From time to
time DOYLE and RUSSO are visible, but their dialogue is for
the most part VOICE OVER.
INT/EXT. BROOKLYN CANDY STORE - DAY
Various shots of SAL and ANGIE. Several shots of DOYLE and
RUSSO in the CANDY STORE: reading magazines, having lunch
separately. They are also seen in the LEATHER FACTORY
across the street observing the CANDY STORE. Several
CHARACTERS enter the CANDY STORE from time to time and go
into the BACK ROOM.
Following are a series of cuts (MOS) to be used with the V.O.
dialogue of RUSSO and DOYLE.
INT. CANDY STORE - DAY
SAL counts the receipts. Two or three CUSTOMERS in the BG.
SAL removes a tray of Ziti from the oven. ANGIE makes an
order to go.
SAL removes garbage from the back area.
RUSSO (V.O.)
Our friend's name is SALVATORE BOCA.
They call him SAL. He's a
sweetheart. He once was picked up
on suspicion of armed robbery.
Tried to hold up Tiffany's on Fifth
Avenue! In broad daylight! Could
have got two-and-a-half to five,
but they wouldn't prosecute. Also
downtown they're sure he pulled off
a contract on a guy named DeMarco.
EXT. CANDY STORE - DAY
SAL putting garbage into cans. Pan and Zoom to DOYLE and
RUSSO in window of FACTORY across the street.
INT. CANDY STORE - DAY
ANGIE carries bowl of hard-boiled eggs from rear of store to
the front.
DOYLE (V.O.)
His old lady?
ANGIE makes a tuna sandwich on a roll. A cigarette dangles
from her lips. SAL is in BG at cash register with customer.
18.
RUSSO (V.O.)
Her name's Angie... Fast filly...
she drew a suspended for shoplifting
a year ago... only a kid, nineteen
according to the marriage license.
From front of store looking to back.
DOYLE (V.O.)
Yeah, nineteen goin' on fifty.
What else?
RUSSO is at counter eating lunch with three others... ANGIE
serving. She wears a sleeveless sweater; shows lots of tit.
RUSSO digs... she digs him. A wise guy comes in, goes to
the back room. SAL follows.
RUSSO (V.O.)
He's had the store a year an'a
half... takes in a fast seven grand
a year.
EXT. CANDY STORE - DAY
POV from FACTORY window... Two Wise Guys in big coats and
hats pull up in a big car. They enter store.
DOYLE (V.O.)
So what's he doin' with two cars
and hundred dollar tabs at the Chez?
INT. CANDY STORE - DAY
Angie shooting from back of store towards front. The Two
Wise Guys enter, go to Back Room. SAL follows. They close
door. DOYLE is at the magazine counter in front. He sits
down with magazine. Orders coffee.
RUSSO (V.O.)
The Merc's in his wife's name.
Dodge belongs to his brother.
WARD'S ISLAND - DAY
A heavy-faced, dirty looking man in a Sanitation Dept.
uniform in a group of men practising with Sanitation trucks.
RUSSO (V.O.)
Lou... he's a trainee at the
Sanitation School on Ward's Island.
Served time a couple of years ago,
on assault and robbery raps.
19.
SEVERAL SHOTS - DAY
EXT. CANDY STORE
LOU pulls up. As LOU picks up SAL. They drive to various
buildings in Brooklyn. One or the other gets out briefly,
then goes on. DOYLE and RUSSO watch from DOYLE's car.
SUYDAM STREET
DOYLE
If that's not a drop or a pickup,
I'll open a charge for you at
Bloomingdale's.
RUSSO
Make it Alexander's, I like the toy
department.
DOYLE
Toy wit' this will ya.
EXT/INT. "MICKEY'S TWO DOOR" - DAY
RUSSO
There's about a hundred years'
parole time in there night or day.
SAL arrives alone. DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car across
street.
DOYLE
They treat our boy like a king.
Wonder why he don't bring his old
lady?
SAL flirts with the BARMAID.
RUSSO
There's your answer...
THROUGH RIDGEWOOD - DAY
Restaurants, stores, etc.
DOYLE
Who's the greaser?
With SAL and his FATHER.
RUSSO
It's his father.
DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car.
20.
DOYLE
I think we oughta burn him on
suspicion.
RUSSO
Suspicion of what?
DOYLE
Makin' wine in the basement.
(pause)
He looks like that wop stooge used
to drive for the Fracisi brothers.
LOU joins them. He and SAL leave together after each kisses
and embraces the old man.
RUSSO
Lay off with that wop stuff, will
you?
EXT. WEINSTOCK'S APT. BUILDING - DAY
In the East 80's. SAL exits.
DOYLE
That's the third time he come here
this week. You got anything on the
building?
DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car.
RUSSO
The building's clean. I checked
the tenant list -- Don Ameche, the
actor lives there -- oh, and
somebody else. Do the name Joel
Weinstock ring a bell?
TIME LAPSE
Late day. WEINSTOCK leaving building, nodding to doorman.
DOYLE
You're kiddin'
DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car.
RUSSO
No sir -- this is where Joel lives.
DOYLE
He was the bank on that shipment
outta Mexico three years ago.
21.
RUSSO
So I've heard.
EXT. CANDY STORE - NIGHT
SAL and ANGIE leaving.
DOYLE
Whatta you know -- he's takin' his
wife out for a change.
DOYLE and RUSSO in parked car.
INT. LEATHER FACTORY - DAY
Across street from Candy Store. DOYLE and RUSSO at the
printing machine.
DOYLE
(at leather printing machine)
Got a job for me when this is over,
Mrs. Levene?
They have a view of the Candy Store across street. Various
people go in and out. Next to DOYLE, at a stamping machine,
is MRS. LEVENE, the factory owner.
MRS. LEVENE
What are you fellows looking for?
What do you want from that nice
candy store?
DOYLE
We have reason to believe it's a
front for the biggest counterfeiting
operation in the country.
MRS. LEVENE
What?
DOYLE
That's right. They're trying to
steal the formula for Hershey
bars --
DOYLE continues his work at the print-out machine, while
observing the candy store.
We see SAL leaving the store. He crosses to his car, near
the RUSSO car. As he passes it, he sees RUSSO locked in
embrace with a lady in a babushka. As SAL drives off, we
get a closer look at the "LADY" in the babushka: DETECTIVE
JAMES DOYLE.
22.
INT. RUSSO'S CAR ON TRIBORO BRIDGE CROSSING TO WARD'S ISLAND
DOYLE
What the hell am I drivin' for?
I'm a first grade Detective.
You're a second grade guinea.
RUSSO
I'm wounded. Oh, oh.
SAL up ahead in the Mercury.
DOYLE
(at the wheel)
What?
EXT. WARD'S ISLAND - BRIDGE
The Mercury crossing the bridge to the Island.
RUSSO
He's goin' to Ward's Island. We'll
get spotted. What the hell's he
goin' there?
DOYLE-RUSSO car B.G.
DOYLE
Maybe he's goin' to see his brother.
DOYLE
Or could be another drop. I guess
he gets a free ride.
EXT. BROOKLYN STREET - DAY
A Brooklyn slum street on a morning in November. It is
about 11 o'clock and relatively quiet. A scattering of
tenement URCHINS give the street some sound and life. There
are a couple of dark shops on the street and a bar, all
appearing to be closed. We look down the street and pick up
DOYLE and RUSSO coming down it, walking very quickly. They
are heading toward the bar. A young man is coming out -
they grab him and throw him back.
INT. BAR ROOM - DAY
The Young Man is thrown in, followed by DOYLE and RUSSO.
There are about 20 or 30 PUETRO RICAN and BLACK MEN in the
joint, a couple of BLACK WOMEN. They are in all manner of
dress. Half of them are wearing shades. The bar is noisy
with conversation, laughter and music.
23.
DOYLE and RUSSO standing in the doorway, DOYLE slightly to
the left, RUSSO a little behind him. DOYLE's arms are at
his sides. RUSSO's right hand is crossed over his belt,
under his jacket and on the butt of his .38, ready, waiting
to back his partner's play or respond to any move within the
bar.
DOYLE moving into the bar alone. He pulls the plug out of
the Juke Box, plunging the room to silence.
DOYLE
Hands on your heads. Popeye's here!
Twenty men raise hands to their heads as one. The raggle-
taggle swarm plays a kind of human chicken, refusing to move
until the last moment then stepping out of his way. One of
the customers doesn't.
DOYLE
What's my name?
1ST MAN
Doyle.
DOYLE
What?
1ST MAN
Mr. Doyle.
DOYLE
Ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?
1ST MAN
What?
DOYLE raises his left arm and pushes the MAN aside. The
MAN's eyes go to RUSSO, off-camera at the door, and back to
DOYLE. He doesn't resist; he gets in line with the rest of
them, a line formed about four or five feet from the bar,
running the length of it.
Close of DOYLE at the bar, holding an ashcan and skimming
the metal underrailing with one finger, knocking off the
magnetized key boxes into the ashcan. He isn't even looking
at them. His eyes are across the bar, staring down the
customers.
Close shot of the ashcan and the little metal boxes clinking
into it.
Close shot of DOYLE, the ashcan now on the bar, opening one
of the boxes, taking out the ten dollar bill, putting it on
the bar.
24.
Then, opening another, taking out the glassine deck of
heroin. Then another, containing a glassine deck. He
empties the glassine envelopes on the bar into a cocktail
mixer which he proceeds to shake. The shaker is half-filled
with tomato juice.
DOYLE leaning over the bar toward the glaring crowd, pours
the mixture into the ashcan.
DOYLE
Milk shake anyone?
He wiggles his finger. It is a command for THREE MEN to
step forward. The MEN do not move at first.
DOYLE
Move ass when I tell you.
They move, shuffling, hesitatingly. But they move -- TWO
BLACKS and A PUETRO RICAN.
DOYLE
Put it on the bar.
Hands of the THREE MEN going into pockets.
Close of a miscellany of keys, coins, cigarettes going onto
the bar -- with two hypodermics, six or eight marijuana
cigarettes, a small plastic vial of barbiturates.
DOYLE
(collecting the works)
All right, you three clowns step
into those phone booths, you're
goin' in. Go on. Stand in there
till I'm ready for you.
The three men turn and enter the individual phone booths.
They stand, waiting, like contestants in the $64 Question.
DOYLE
Everybody goes when the whistle
blows.
RUSSO is with another man from whom he's just taken a set of
works.
RUSSO
What's your story?
DANCER
Gimme a break, Mr. Russo. I'm in
show business.
25.
RUSSO
You're in show business.
DANCER
S'right.
DOYLE
What do you do in show business?
DANCER
I'm a dancer.
RUSSO
All right, get up on that bar and
dance.
DANCER
What?
RUSSO
Get up on the bar and show me how
you work. If I like it you don't
have to go in.
DANCER
You're for real?
JERRY LEON
Hey man, why don't you let the
fella alone.
RUSSO
(a shout)
Am I talkin' to you -
JERRY LEON
No, but I'm talkin' to you.
RUSSO
I'm tellin' you to shut up and
stand over there.
RUSSO
(to Dancer)
Get up there.
The man climbs up on the bar.
DANCER
I got no music!
RUSSO
Fake it.
26.
The man goes into a fast tap dance. But he only gets in a
few steps --
DOYLE
All right, that's enough, you're
under arrest.
RUSSO pulls the man off the bar, sends him into one of the
phone booths.
DOYLE coming down the front of the bar. He stops before
another man, who has just come out of the toilet.
DOYLE
What about you? Can you stand a
toss?
2ND MAN
I'm clean.
DOYLE
You don't use shit?
2ND MAN
No.
(he goes for his wallet)
DOYLE
Did I say you could move that
hand -- I'm not gonna get stuck am I?
2ND MAN
No - no.
DOYLE
Cause if I do.
DOYLE frisks the man. Comes up with vial of pills and two
roaches.
DOYLE
Wise guy, huh? Let's see what else
you got.
(to RUSSO)
- Buddy!
He collars the man and shoves him towards the toilet.
RUSSO, eyes moving everywhere, hand on the gun.
27.
RUSSO
If I see any shit on the floor,
it's yours, so keep your eye on
your neighbor.
Inside the toilet of the bar. The MAN is up against the
wall. DOYLE is only inches away.
The MAN is an AGENT and this is the only way DOYLE can get
immediate information from him without destroying the man's
cover. Their conversation is in whispers. And very fast.
DOYLE
How's everything?
2ND MAN
Everything is everything.
DOYLE
How come there's nothing out there?
That stuff is all milk.
2ND MAN
There's nothing around. Nobody's
holding.
DOYLE
I got a name - Sal Boca, Brooklyn.
2ND MAN
Boca?
DOYLE
B.O.C.A.
2ND MAN
Doesn't register.
DOYLE
Got a wife named Angie.
2ND MAN
No, nothing. There's only some talk.
DOYLE
What?
2ND MAN
Coming in this week, week after.
Everybody going to get well.
DOYLE
Who brings it?
28.
2ND MAN
Who knows?
DOYLE
Where do you want it?
2ND MAN
This side.
Door of toilet. There is a hell of a crash and slamming
behind it. Door opens and DOYLE steps out over the crumpled
prostrate form of the INFORMER. He has just decked the man
to continue the protection of the cover. He pauses halfway
down the line as if he's speculating on beating up another
one because he didn't get any information. But he decides
that would be futile too.
DOYLE
I'm goin' check on this address in
the Bronx, if you're bullshitting
me, it's your ass.
RUSSO
Tell everybody we'll be back in an
hour.
DOYLE
(to all)
We're goin' now! Goodbye.
EXT. PASSENGER SHIP - DAY
Close shot of DEVEREAUX, New York harbor in the background,
being interviewed by television reporters on his arrival in
the U.S. abroad a passenger ship. He is smiling, jovial,
charming.
REPORTER 1
How long will you be here?
DEVEREAUX
Not long enough. Two... perhaps
three... weeks at most.
Medium close shot of DEVEREAUX and THREE TV REPORTERS, as
they talk, a crane moves into action behind them and lifts
out of hold. LA VALLE is with DEVEREAUX as Translator and
Interpreter.
GIRL TV REPORTER
Why did you come by ship, Mr.
Devereaux?
29.
DEVEREAUX
The next several weeks will be very
difficult and the middle of the
ocean is the only place where the
telephone isn't ringing all the time.
REPORTER
What will be the viewpoint of your
documentary.
DEVEREAUX
To make a Frenchman feel what it is
like to be a New Yorker.
LA VALLE
That's enough now, ladies and
gentlemen. M. Devereaux is due at
his hotel in half an hour.
Overhead the Lincoln comes down from the hold of the ship.
EXT. WEST SIDE DRIVE - DAY
A long view of the pier from the opposite (east) side of
West Street, beneath the steel trusses and girders of the
West Side Drive and through the forest of cars that are
parked there, the jam of traffic that develops around every
unloading vessel. It is a view that takes in the front end
of the Lincoln inching off the pier. HENRI DEVEREAUX at the
wheel, turns to his right. We watch until the point of view
on the sidewalk. ALAIN CHARNIER and PIERRE NICOLI are
standing there watching. When the car (off-camera) turns
east on the way to the garage, NICOLI glances to CHARNIER.
CHARNIER does not look back.
EXT. DORAL HOTEL - LINCOLN PULLS IN - DAY
INT. POLICE OFFICE - NIGHT
Close shot of WALTER SIMONSON at desk in the large square
office he occupies as a Lieutenant of Detectives in charge
of the Manhattan Narcotics Bureau. He is the immediate
superior of RUSSO and DOYLE, head of the 200-man narcotics
squad that polices Manhattan.
SIMONSON
(with coffee cup)
All that is great -- but you guys
work Bed-Stuy. You're not supposed
to be in Ridgewood.
DOYLE, RUSSO and SIMONSON
30.
DOYLE
Detach us. Let us have a shot at
it, at least until we see if
there's anything here or not.
Everybody wants Weinstock, right?
So maybe here's a lead. We deserve
it.
SIMONSON
You couldn't burn a three-time
loser with what you're bringing in
here. You know you stiffs could
run yourselves an entrapment rap.
The guy has done nothing -- Brooklyn
is full of Candy Store guys with
two cars who like to go to
nightclubs.
RUSSO
Put this little candy hustler
together with Joel Weinstock and it
could be we stumbled into a big
score.
SIMONSON
(moves to window)
Big score! He's dealin' a few bags
here and there on the side.
DOYLE
Simonson, I wouldn't be infringing
on your coffee break if I thought
he was a nickel and dimer.
SIMONSON
Your hunches have backfired before,
Doyle.
DOYLE, close, no comment.
Back to SIMONSON.
SIMONSON
(moves back to stand
at desk)
Jimmy, what the hell's happening
with you lately?
(pause)
You got more collars than any Narc
in the bureau. What was it. Over
100 last year? Terrific. But who?
(MORE)
31.
SIMONSON (CONT'D)
You stop and shake down a bellboy
because he's got three joints in
his sock. You hit a high school
kid in short pants who looks like
he's got a twitch.
RUSSO. Getting it back on the track.
RUSSO
(moves in to desk)
We got information that there's no
shit in the street -- it's like a
desert full of junkies with a big
score coming in to make everybody
well.
DOYLE
DOYLE
This could be it, Walter. This
Candy Store guy, putting on a big
show in a fancy nightclub with
known connections all over him.
Then on our own, after working the
whole day and night, we tail him
out to Brooklyn and sit on him for
a week practically, and who do we
come up with? Joel Weinstock.
(he leans forward)
You gotta let us have it.
THREE SHOT - RUSSO, DOYLE, SIMONSON
SIMONSON
(pause, he turns to RUSSO)
You really believe all this crap?
RUSSO
I go with my partner.
A pause.
SIMONSON
What'll it take?
RUSSO
First a wire.
DOYLE
Two wires. One on the store and
one on his house.
32.
SIMONSON
You know I have to get a court
order for wiretaps.
RUSSO
Try... okay?
DOYLE
We know you can do it, Walter.
They start to leave.
Close on SIMONSON.
SIMONSON
Popeye...
Close on DOYLE at the door. RUSSO beside him.
Back to SIMONSON
SIMONSON
You still pickin' your feet in
Poughkeepsie?
WIRETAP SEQUENCE "A"
INT. BASEMENT
RUSSO on phones -- checking notes on SAL. DOYLE reading
comics on cot. Tape machine clicks on -- tape is activated.
RUSSO sits attentively.
EXT. CANDY STORE - DAY
Shot of wire.
33.
SAL (V.O.) RUSSO
What's this crap. I just (He raps on table
spoke to my wife and she with a coffee cup.
says you're raisin' me a Doyle gets up.)
halfa cent on the cups. C'mere and lissen to your
big connection.
WHOLESALER (DOYLE comes over)
(V.O.) He's fightin' with somebody
Yeah, well you know I about a halfa cent.
shoulda raised this here a
long time ago. We got a DOYLE
inflation period... How we gonna keep Simonson
from hearin' this?
SAL (V.O.)
I got your inflation. I can RUSSO
get the same cups on Delancey If he does, we'll be back in
Street for what I been Bed-Stuyvesant tomorrow.
payin' you for the last
year -- That's all I gotta
do with you guys -- next
time it'll be two cents on
the cones, then two cents on
the seltzer --
WHOLESALER
(V.O.)
C'mon Sal, I got my orders,
too --
SAL (V.O.)
Well, if you can't do better
than that, you can stick the
cups.
EXT. AUTO GRAVEYARD (HUNTS POINT AND EAST RIVER) - DAY
HIGH ANGLE: Close shot of CHARNIER, MARIE and LA VALLE
walking slowly together toward the camera. They are at the
auto graveyard and the scene of an auction of cars towed off
New York streets by the Police Department. About twenty
other men are walking around, looking at the cars.
A POLICEMAN blows a whistle and the prospective car buyers
gather around the auction trailer in the b.g.
LA VALLE
There are four auto graveyards like
this one in the other boroughs,
handling about a thousand vehicles
a month. Those that aren't claimed
are auctioned here once a month.
MARIE
Just for mistakes of parking?
34.
LA VALLE
No. Many are involved in crimes
and confiscated... or just abandoned.
This is, as you know, your prime
source of scrap metal, M. Charnier.
MARIE
(off camera)
Darling, may I have this one?
Medium close shot MARIE, standing next to an LTD.
MARIE
It looks so lonesome here.
CHARNIER and LA VALLE approach her.
CHARNIER
It would look even more lonesome in
our garage.
INT. THE AUCTION TRAILER - DAY
Within the large trailer, about TWENTY MEN are seated at two
long benches to each side. Some are standing to the rear.
At the front, an AUCTIONEER stands at a lectern. To his
left sits a CLERK at a small table. The AUCTIONEER wears a
sweater and hat. The buyers are tough types, young and old.
All have inventory lists. The atmosphere is informal. The
CHARNIERS and LA VALLE enter the trailer at the back.
AUCTIONEER
Every car sold today must be
removed at the purchaser's own
expense. We have no keys or
anything to start the vehicles with.
You buy 'em as you see 'em and
where you see 'em. All right, the
first car offered is Number 24398.
A Plymouth sedan. Do I hear
fifteen dollars?
The bidding goes up to forty dollars. A large BURLY MAN
wins the bid. He goes up to the CLERK and accepts the bill
of sale.
AUCTIONEER
We go to 24399 -- A Pontiac Station
wagon. Do I hear ten dollars?
LA VALLE
(aside to CHARNIER)
Notice he will never mention the
year of the car.
35.
AUCTIONEER
I got a fifteen dollar bid going...
Do I hear anymore...
Eighteen... who'll say Eighteen?
Twenty...
Twenty-three...
Anymore...
Twenty-five. Twenty-five once --
Do I hear twenty-eight...
All right, last call for twenty-
five...
Close shot of CHARNIER
CHARNIER
(aside of LA VALLE)
And these are the cars we're buying
for shipment?
Close shot of CHARNIER, MARIE and LA VALLE. They are facing
the AUCTIONEER.
LA VALLE
Yes, sir. That man in the dark
jacket is our buyer.
Close shot of THE BUYER, LOU BOCA. He is very active and
wins the present bid.
WIRETAP SEQUENCE "B"
INT. BASEMENT
DOYLE and RUSSO playing Gin Rummy, listening at each end of
one phone - breaking up.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Shot of wire.
ANGIE (V.O.)
(sleepy)
Where are you?
SAL (V.O.)
Takin' care o' business, honey.
ANGIE (V.O.)
Takin' care o' business -- it's
after midnight.
SAL (V.O.)
You know I hadda meet some people
tonight --
36.
ANGIE (V.O.)
-- Well finish all your meetin'
people and get back here now -- and
bring a pizza with you.
SAL (V.O.)
Where'm I goinna get a pizza this
time o' night?
ANGIE (V.O.)
Well try, okay?
SAL (V.O.)
I don't know where I'm gonna find a
pizza joint open.
ANGIE (V.O.)
Sal --
SAL (V.O.)
Yeah?
ANGIE (V.O.)
Don't forget anchovies.
(she hangs up)
SAL (V.O.)
This broad's crazy!
EXT. WARD'S ISLAND (UNDER WEST ABUTMENT OF THE HELLGATE
BRIDGE)
Pick up CHARNIER, MARIE and MAURICE LAVALLE
As the camera plays over the bridge: (in French)
CHARNIER (V.O.)
It's beautiful.
LA VALLE (V.O.)
It was built in 1917 - and was one
of the two heaviest bridges in the
world. The arch is still the
largest in the world.
CHARNIER
Who financed it?
37.
LA VALLE
Two railroads as part of a
connecting railway which provided
passage from New England to the
South. It was actually the first
railroad through New York City.
MARIE
Why is it called Hellgate?
LA VALLE
The river at this point is the most
dangerous on the East Coast. Years
ago, hundreds of ships went down
here.
CHARNIER
If this bridge were in Europe, it
would be on every tourist's sight-
seeing list.
LA VALLE
Most New Yorkers never notice it -
most Americans have never heard of
it.
CHARNIER
Look how gracefully they conceived
that arch. Like a bowstring. It
was built from both ends. With no
support in the middle. Beautiful.
LA VALLE
Mmm.
MARIE
Alain is the only man I know who
can become as enthusiastic about a
bridge as he can about a woman.
CHARNIER
Not any woman, Marie. Just one.
EXT. OLD ROAD IN WARD'S ISLAND
CHARNIER, MARIE and LA VALLE walking.
(NEAR GARAGE)
38.
LA VALLE
I'm afraid the rest of Ward's
Island isn't nearly as romantic - a
pollution plant, a hospital, a
training school for garbage men and
that area over there, where the old
cars are kept, prior to being
processed for shipment to, among
other places, The Charnier Shipping
Company, of Marseilles, France.
(NEAR CREMATORIUM)
MARIE
What is that old building?
LA VALLE
Oh, it's been abandoned for years.
MARIE
What was it?
LA VALLE
It was a crematorium.
MARIE
For garbage?
LA VALLE
For dead bodies.
WIRETAP SEQUENCE "C"
INT. BASEMENT
DOYLE on phones.
CHARNIER (V.O.)
Allo... Salvatore...
SAL (V.O.)
Who's this --
CHARNIER (V.O.)
... Salvatore?...
RUSSO enters with a bag of sandwiches and cigarettes. DOYLE
waves him to the phone.
39.
SAL (V.O.) RUSSO
... Oh... yes... yeah... Who is it?
hello... this is Sal... How
are ya? DOYLE
Sounds like a foreigner...
CHARNIER (V.O.)
Very well... you meet me RUSSO
Wednesday at the hotel... (listening at the
Okay? other phone)
French... It's a Frenchman...
SAL (V.O.)
Good... good... great! DOYLE
This is what we been waitin'
CHARNIER (V.O.) for -- the stuff is here!
Will I expect you? It's here!
SAL (V.O.)
What time?
CHARNIER (V.O.)
Twelve o'clock... yes...
SAL (V.O.)
Yes --
The phone clicks off.
DOYLE and RUSSO round each other and jump up and down like
two kids.
INT. WHIP GIRL'S APT.
Close shot of NICOLI's face. He's being whipped, and is
caught in an ecstasy of pain and pleasure. The tempo of the
strokes rises. Suddenly it reaches a crescendo and he
screams out in orgasm.
Close, full-length shot of a nude BLONDE GIRL, wearing only
black boots and silk panties. She's walking away from the
camera, throwing aside a small cat-o-nine-tails flagellant
whip. We can hear NICOLI's heavy breathing until the girl
speaks as she moves toward a couch.
Medium close shot of NICOLI, tying his tie shrugging into
overcoat.
Medium close shot of NICOLI, looking at the bills with a
pause to sort out the currency differences, then taking out
five twenties.
Close shot of the WHIP GIRL taking the five then moving up
to the look of annoyance and disappointment on her face.
40.
WHIP GIRL
You're Fifty Dollars short.
The look of anger turns to one of consternation as NICOLI
reacts to her.
WHIP GIRL
M'sieru - the tab for this scene is
a hundred and a half.
(he moves to door)
Hey Frenchie - if you don't come up
with the scratch, you're gonna run
into my man downstairs.
Medium close shot of NICOLI advancing on the WHIP GIRL as
she backs away and begins to cringe. He grabs her and hurls
her back across the couch.
Close shot of the GIRL.
WHIP GIRL
Don't hit me. Don't. Please.
We hear the door slam as she sobs.
WHIP GIRL
You filthy faggot sonofabitch.
INT. CUTTING ROOM - DAY
Close shot of two pro football players smearing each other
on the field, others falling on top of them.
Medium close shot of DEVEREAUX at a Movie-ola working out
his narration (DIALOGUE IN FRENCH)
DEVEREAUX
This is the new American religion,
professional football. It is where
everybody goes instead of church on
Sunday to express that peculiar
American taste for bloodshed and
violence.
Several close shots of the violent action.
Intercut with faces of the crowd.
Close shot of DEVEREAUX.
41.
DEVEREAUX
These men, playing a "game" - make
more money each year than many
important business leaders, artists
or government officials.
(zoom out)
It tells us something about this
country and how its men live, or go
to war with a smile, and sometimes
die without a cause.
The phone rings - it is CHARNIER.
EDITOR
It's for you - Alain Charnier.
Hold close up of DEVEREAUX.
INT. MUTCHIE'S BAR - NIGHT
In Lower Manhattan. There are SIX or EIGHT MATRONS still
there, stevedores and truck drivers. Most of them are
clustered at the far end of the bar, where MUTCHIE, a gray-
haired gone-to-paunch Irishman with spectacles as thick as
pop-bottle bottoms stands behind the mahogany bar. The
cluster of customers is involved in a typical New York
saloon argument.
DOYLE is ignoring the debate and watching the television.
He is approached by a small MAN in a long coat and baggy
suit with suspenders. This is JESUS THE BOOSTER.
JESUS
Hey, Bo.
DOYLE
Hiya, Jesus.
JESUS
Can you use a new suit for
Christmans?
DOYLE
Whatta you got?
JESUS reaches into his trousers and pulls out three suits
(jackets and pants). They are of the latest style and
color, and still on hangers!
JESUS
Whatta you?... a 44... 46?
DOYLE examines one of the jackets.
42.
DOYLE
Where'd you get this fag shit?
JESUS
This is what the tough guys are
wearin'. You know I only steal
from the best. It's Bonwit Teller.
DOYLE
Pass.
JESUS
Forty dollars -- was $250.
DOYLE
Whyn't you get it dry cleaned and
burned.
JESUS blends into the crowd and we pick up the dialogue of
MUTCHIE and his cronies, BAD EDDIE, LEE and PUGGY.
MUTCHIE
A big man could alluz beat a little
man. That's why Wilt Chamberlain
could murder Jim Brown if they ever
fought.
BAD EDDIE
No chance. Brown'd kill him.
MUTCHIE
Chamberlain's seven foot tall,
right? He's got a twelve-foot
reach. It's geophysics. He's
punchin' down on you with leverage.
He cave your chest in.
BAD EDDIE
Best I ever seen was The Rock. He
was the calmest and the meanest.
Guys like Sugar'd be pukin' before
a fight. Jake LaMotta'd be pukin'.
Marciano was calm like he was goin'
to church. What about the night he
fought LaStarza? He hit him so
hard he broke the blood vessels in
LaStarza's arms. He was the
strongest meanest bastard ever lived.
PUGGY
Hey, Mutchie, give us another bullet.
MUTCHIE pours him a straight Scotch in a shotglass.
43.
MUTCHIE
Blackjack Burns coulds been the
greatest ever --
PUGGY
-- He was a stone tanker.
MUTCHIE
That's right, he couldn't fight
legit. One night at the Garden
about 1950, '51 -- he fought either
Jake LaMotta or Gus Lesnevich, I
think it was -- he took one o'
those cream puff punches in the
sixth -- the laziest left you ever
seen -- missed him entirely. Down
goes Blackjack without even workin'
up a sweat and the whole Garden
gets up in its feet and I swear to
Christ, everybody starts singin'
"Dance With Me Henry."
LEE
I fought a guy in Cleveland once.
I knew he was a dirty fighter so I
stick a crowbar in my crotch.
Right here. Second round he gives
me a shot -- Boom -- he breaks his
hand, the fight's over.
PUGGY
Fuck it, I like nitroglycerin,
that's my game.
MUTCHIE
What about you, Doyle? Who's the
best fighter you ever seen?
DOYLE
(a few drinks behind him)
Willie Mays.
BAD EDDIE & LEE
Willie Mays?!
DOYLE
With a baseball bat! One swing!
Knock your fuckin' head off.
TIME LAPSE. The DRINKERS are gone. MUTCHIE is at the bar
cleaning up. DOYLE is in the open adjoining kitchen area
cooking breakfast.
44.
MUTCHIE
What ya doin' out so late? Hidin'
from the cops?
DOYLE
I hear the health department is
going to close this joint for
selling dirty beer. I come by to
help you carry out your money.
MUTCHIE
They'll close you down if they ever
get a look at those busted-valise
broads you run with.
DOYLE
You want some eggs.
MUTCHIE
Why not?
DOYLE
(looking around for bacon)
Hey, Mutch! You want bacon?
MUTCHIE
Yeah!
DOYLE
(rattling pans,
looking around)
Where the hell is it?
MUTCHIE
Where the hell do you think it is,
potato head?
DOYLE opens the door to the icebox.
MUTCHIE
No wonder there's so many Mafia
around. Ya couldn't find a Puerto
Rican in Spanish Harlem.
TIME LAPSE. Almost morning. Close on DOYLE and MUTCHIE
eating bacon and eggs. MUTCHIE is standing behind the bar
as he eats, DOYLE is sitting in front of it. They both have
a bottle of beer.
45.
MUTCHIE
I got this little chick I'm tryin'
to hit on. She's about 20, 21... I
take her to Jilly's last night and
she's tellin' me about how she
wants to settle down one day, get
married... I says, "Hey, this is
1971, baby, I'm just a dirty old
man lookin' to score with some
pussy."
DOYLE
Strike out, eh?
MUTCHIE
Yeah. In the late innings. Ya
look like a night's sleep wouldn't
kill ya.
DOYLE
A piece of ass wouldn't kill me.
MUTCHIE
When ya go back on?
DOYLE
Morning. Sometime.
MUTCHIE
Whyn't ya stretch out on the pool
table for a couple hours. The kid
comes in at six will wake ya. A
couple eggs and a beer is cheaper
than keepin' a dog around the joint.
EXT. MUTCHIE'S BAR - DAY
Close of DOYLE going to his car. He stops for a light.
DOYLE is red-eyed and in need of a shave. He fidgets
through his pockets looking for a cigarette but doesn't find
one. As he drives along a GIRL CYCLIST comes into view
alongside.
Our view is DOYLE's view of her long, lean tapered legs. If
he looks further, and DOYLE always looks further, he will
see there is a bra-band sweater covering her well-formed
breasts. The pendulous swing is there as she bends over the
handlebars.
Close front view of DOYLE looking back to the light, then
back to the legs.
Close outside view, the cyclist, of DOYLE leaning out the
window with his badge in his hand.
46.
DOYLE
You got a pedaller's license?
GIRL
What?
DOYLE
You're under arrest.
INT. SIMONSON OFFICE - DAY
Medium close shot of RUSSO and SIMONSON. PHIL KLEIN, a
federal narcotics agent, is reading aloud from an article in
the New York Daily News. MULDERIG is listening and sipping
coffee.
Close shot of BILL MULDERIG, a Fed narcotics agent.
MULDERIG
Whatta you got -- four more years,
Walter?
Medium close of SIMONSON and RUSSO
SIMONSON
Three.
Close shot of MULDERIG.
MULDERIG
Christ, by the time you get out all
this shit'll be legal.
Wide shot of room, taking in SIMONSON, RUSSO, MULDERIG and
PHIL KLEIN. SIMONSON hands BUDDY a stack of warrants.
SIMONSON
(rises, to RUSSO)
The judge gave you ten days on
these. Klein and Mulderig will be
sitting in for the Federals. Tell
Doyle they'll make all the buys,
and that they're to be kept informed
of everything that goes down.
SIMONSON turns to MULDERIG.
SIMONSON
You know Doyle, don't you Bill?
Close of MULDERIG.
47.
MULDERIG
(rises)
Sure, I know Popeye. The Master of
undercover, whose brilliant idea of
disguise is to limp into a room on
his left foot and limp out on his
right. Whose brilliant hunches
cost the death of a good officer --
Close of RUSSO
RUSSO
If that's how you're coming in, why
not stay home and save us all a lot
of grief.
MULDERIG, close.
MULDERIG
That's just my opinion.
RUSSO, close.
RUSSO
Whyn't you shove it up your ass!
EXT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
Long shot of RUSSO approaching housing project group of
buildings. This is where DOYLE lives.
INT. HALLWAY TO DOYLE'S APARTMENT
RUSSO rings the bell. No response. He knocks. Again
nothing. He hears a shower working inside the apartment.
RUSSO
Popeye.
No answer.
RUSSO
Popeye.
DOYLE
(off, weakly)
Yeah.
RUSSO
It's Cloudy. Open the door.
DOYLE
(off)
I can't.
48.
RUSSO
Why not?
DOYLE
(off)
Let yourself in.
RUSSO reaches into his jacket pocket and gets a celluloid
card, his PBA card, which he slides into the door at the
lock. He gives it a juggle and the lock is free but the
door moves grudgingly.
INT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT - DAY
The door to DOYLE's apartment, a close view from inside.
There's a bike propped against it and BUDDY RUSSO is trying
to push it open from the outside.
RUSSO
(behind door)
What the hell you got holding the
door?
The bike teeters and falls with a crash and RUSSO comes into
the room puzzled, exasperated.
INT. APARTMENT - RUSSO'S POV - DAY
DOYLE is anklecuffed to the bedpost at the foot of the bed.
RUSSO
What happened to you?
DOYLE
(sleepy)
The crazy kid handcuffed me to the
bed. With my own cuffs.
The shower goes off. RUSSO puts the bike upright on its
stand and squeezes the horn, which makes a loud beep.
The BIKE GIRL appears in the bathroom door, wrapped in a
towel.
BIKE GIRL
Oh!
RUSSO sees key on dresser - tosses it to DOYLE. There are
clothes all over the place, the GIRL's cycling outfit,
DOYLE's pants and shoes and socks. The decor is completely
impersonal. RUSSO looks up.
49.
RUSSO
(looking at scrapbook
on dresser)
You oughta get plastic covers for
this stuff like I did - your
scrapbook's a mess like everything
else in your life.
RUSSO goes to chair.
DOYLE
Gimme my pants.
RUSSO, who is half sitting on them, pulls the pants loose
and hands them to DOYLE.
DOYLE
You got the warrant?
RUSSO
(sitting)
We also got Bill Mulderig and Phil
Klein.
Close on DOYLE, buttoning his pants.
DOYLE
What do we need those pricks for?
Medium close on RUSSO picking around through the clothes,
coming up with a pair of panties. He holds them out.
RUSSO
Because by actual count our bureau
has exactly nine hundred eighteen
dollars and fifty-four cents to
make buys and Mulderig's Feds can
get all of Uncle Sam's money he
wants by just asking.
DOYLE sitting on bed, strapping the holster on his ankle.
He checks his gun.
DOYLE
Throw 'em in the bathroom, will you?
How good are the warrants?
RUSSO
(on the move down
hall, at bathroom door)
Sixty days. Here. Don't mention it.
50.
DOYLE is checking various items that go in his briefcase -
notebook, handcuffs, book of laws, field reports, pencils,
binoculars, candy bars, etc.
Medium close shot of RUSSO looking toward the bathroom door.
RUSSO
Hi!
RUSSO looks back to DOYLE. There is the sound of a kickstand
being kicked back in place, the door opening and the GIRL
leaving.
Medium close shot of DOYLE tying the shoes, wincing. Looking
up to the departing GIRL.
RUSSO
Drive carefully!
EXT/INT. RUSSO'S CAR - DAY
Close shot of BILL MULDERIG in back seat. BUDDY is in
front, next to DOYLE at the wheel.
MULDERIG
Strictly small potatoes.
We can see DOYLE working to keep up with the black Mercury
as they cross the Brooklyn Bridge in fairly heavy traffic.
The Mercury cuts around in and out, DOYLE plunges after him.
MULDERIG
You really know how to pick 'em,
Doyle.
RUSSO turns his head in anger.
MULDERIG
Still wearing your gun on your ankle?
No answer.
MULDERIG
Somebody told me the reason you did
that was so's when you met a chick
and rubbed against her she wouldn't
know you were a cop.
No answer.
MULDERIG
I said that was bullshit. It must
be some kind of fast-draw gimmick
or something.
51.
RUSSO
Knock it off, Bill.
MULDERIG
He's gettin' too far ahead. You're
gonna lose him.
DOYLE cuts into the next lane to a lot of horn-blowing and
comes to a dead, screeching stop. DOYLE sits up sharply
erect in the seat, craning to see where SAL is going. He
throws open the door and hurls himself out.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DAY
Rear medium close shot of DOYLE climbing up on the side of
the car to look ahead, then jumping down and running off.
DOYLE running as hard as he can.
Medium close side shot of SAL turning off the bridge onto
the FDR Drive, moving quickly and smoothly uptown.
DOYLE running to a stop, and staring ahead. Breathing hard,
horns are blowing on the bridge and they drown out the words
as he curses, "Dirty Sonofabitch."
INT. RUSSO'S CAR - DAY
RUSSO is on the blower.
RUSSO
Phil -- it's Cloudy -- we lost
him --
Static comes over the two-way radio.
EXT. BOCA'S CAR COMES OFF RAMP, PAN TO
INT. KLEIN'S CAR - DAY
KLEIN is parked on Pearl Street below the Brooklyn Bridge.
RUSSO (V.O.)
He just got off the Bridge - He's
all yours if you can find him.
Sonofabitch!
KLEIN starts his car.
EXT. A PARKING GARAGE IN THE EAST 40'S - DAY
SAL emerges from the garage and heads toward Madison Avenue.
He passes a man looking in a store window, PHIL KLEIN.
KLEIN follows him.
52.
EXT. A STREET IN THE EAST 40'S - DAY
SAL stops abruptly at the corner and turns around. KLEIN is
forced to pass him and cross the street.
SAL crosses the street to his left, at a right angle to KLEIN.
EXT. MADISON AVENUE - LATE DAY
SAL moving north on Madison Avenue. He is walking in a
triangular trap of foot surveillance. We begin to learn
this when we fall back twenty feet behind SAL and pick up
the figure of JIMMY DOYLE, moving at exactly the same pace.
While he keeps looking forward after SAL, he also looks
regularly to the left, across to the West side of Madison
where we quickly zoom in on the figure of BILL MULDERIG, who
is on an even line opposite SAL and moving almost precisely
in step with the subject of their surveillance. MULDERIG
keeps an eye on SAL but is also glancing north ahead of SAL
to BUDDY RUSSO, who is 20 or 30 feet ahead of SAL, thus
forming the triangle of the A-B-C tail.
SAL bobbing along.
DOYLE following.
MULDERIG keeping pace.
RUSSO up front.
SAL suddenly turning East at the Northeast corner of 46th
Street, the block occupied by the Roosevelt Hotel.
MULDERIG yanking at his right ear.
RUSSO spinning around, hurrying back toward the corner.
DOYLE turning East at the Southeast corner of 46th Street.
RUSSO coming around the corner looking to DOYLE.
DOYLE indicating the Roosevelt entrance with his chin while
MULDERIG comes up to join DOYLE.
RUSSO moving quickly into the Roosevelt entrance on 46th
Street between Madison and Vanderbilt.
INT. ROOSEVELT LOBBY - DAY
Roosevelt lobby stairs with ALAIN CHARNIER, PIERRE NICOLI,
SAL greeting.
CHARNIER
Excuse me.
53.
RUSSO
(he is moving through
the jam they form on
the stairs)
Excuse me.
We move into the lobby of the Roosevelt and then spin around
quickly, to watch CHARNIER, NICOLI and SAL moving upstairs
and out the door.
EXT. DAY
A distant view from the Northeast corner of 46th Street and
Madison Avenue of the Roosevelt Hotel marquee and the three
men under it, CHARNIER, NICOLI and SAL. They are in animated
conversation.
DOYLE and MULDERIG on the point-of-view corner across
Madison, MULDERIG with his back to the camera, DOYLE talking
and watching over Mulderig's shoulder.
Close shot DOYLE's face, eyes bright with excitement.
Long view of CHARNIER, NICOLI and SAL under the marquee from
DOYLE's view, zooming in on CHARNIER, who continues to talk,
look up, then look back to SAL.
DOYLE
You take Sal. I'll stick with the
beard if they split.
EXT. MADISON AVENUE - DAY
Rear view of ALAIN CHARNIER and PIERRE NICOLI strolling
slowly down Madison Avenue in the Forties.
An overhead view of the pair, CHARNIER and NICOLI, including
DOYLE 20 or 30 yards behind, RUSSO across the street, even
with him.
CHARNIER and NICOLI window-shopping at Walter's Electric,
49th and 3rd Avenue.
RUSSO looking quizzically, puzzled, from a doorway.
CHARNIER and NICOLI are engaged in a running conversation
that we cannot hear. But what CHARNIER is saying is simply
that he wants to get a pack of cigarettes before they turn
back and stop for dinner.
RUSSO looking to DOYLE for a signal.
54.
EXT. A CIGAR STORE - DAY
DOYLE already beginning to feel the cold, rubbing his hands
together, at the front of the place CHARNIER and NICOLI have
entered, trying to figure it out as CHARNIER and NICOLI
emerge, CHARNIER ripping the cellophane off a pack of
cigarettes, and they turn back in DOYLE's direction.
DOYLE, face to face with CHARNIER and NICOLI. Straining to
hear, he picks up a few words of French. Without losing
stride he steps off the curb and cuts across the street,
moving south, away from them, as they come north. But
halfway across the street, we pick up RUSSO coming in his
direction, sharp enough to pick up the tail where DOYLE had
to drop it.
EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Medium close view through window of ALAIN CHARNIER and
PIERRE NICOLI sitting at a table near the front windows of a
small restaurant.
EXT. STREET - DAY
A long shot of street zooming in on JIMMY DOYLE who is
freezing his ass off in the shadows of a doorway across the
street from the restaurant. He is dancing from one foot to
the other, his shoulders hunched, occasionally cupping his
hands to his ears.
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
A medium close shot of WAITER holding a bottle of Sainte
Emillion out for CHARNIER's inspection. CHARNIER looks,
frowns, shakes head negatively.
DOYLE's feet. He's standing on one foot, the other raised
and he's squeezing it with a chapped hand, as if trying to
get circulation back into it.
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Medium close shot of NICOLI watching the WAITER scoop coq au
vin onto his plate.
Close shot of CHARNIER taking a large forkful of food into
his mouth, chewing and nodding at NICOLI.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Medium shot of DOYLE looking up to RUSSO who comes bearing a
paper bag which he hands to DOYLE.
55.
Medium close shot of RUSSO standing in front of DOYLE while
DOYLE fishes a piece of pizza out of the bag and lets it
fold into his mouth, then licks his fingers.
RUSSO
You want the red or the white?
DOYLE
Pour it in your ear.
EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Medium close view of CHARNIER through the window of the
restaurant, sipping expresso.
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Close shot of the pastry tray, rows of Napoleons, strawberry
and peach tarts, a frothing-frenzied rum cake, etc.
NICOLI close, looking like he's about to have an orgasm,
glancing toward CHARNIER and then the tray.
EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Close shot of RUSSO peering at the restaurant. DOYLE's face
right behind him, peering over RUSSO's shoulder, trying to
drink coffee from a paper container and also moving slightly
against the cold and the pain of the shoes.
EXT. FIRST AVENUE - DAY (EXT. COPAIN)
Rear long view of CHARNIER and NICOLI on Madison in the
Forties strolling to a corner where NICOLI is splitting for
the Edison Hotel (West 46th Street) while CHARNIER goes on
to the Westbury on upper Madison. They part with a wave and
a nod. Hold on them as BUDDY RUSSO comes into view, moving
off after NICOLI. DOYLE follow CHARNIER.
EXT. WESTBURY HOTEL - CHARNIER ENTERS - DAY
INT. WESTBURY HOTEL - DAY
Close shot of the elevator floor indicator rising from 1 to 6.
Medium close shot of DOYLE turning away from the elevator
doors and walking toward the registration desk.
Close shot of the DESK CLERK.
DESK CLERK
Yes sir?
56.
Medium close shot of DOYLE leaning on elbow on the counter,
half-turned to keep an eye on the elevators.
DOYLE
That guy just walked in. What's
his name?
Close on CLERK and DOYLE.
DESK CLERK
I'm sorry, I don't know who you mean.
DOYLE
(showing badge)
He got off on six.
DESK CLERK
We have four rooms and six suites
on six. There's a man in almost
every one of them.
Close of DOYLE.
DOYLE
Little shorter than me. Well-
dressed. About forty-five or fifty
with salt-and-pepper hair, a beard.
Close of CLERK. Thinks it over.
DESK CLERK
There's nobody like that on six.
DOYLE AND CLERK
DESK CLERK
Perhaps he's visiting a guest.
DOYLE
No, I figure he stays here. Where's
your registration?
CLERK gets out registration log book, goes through list as
DOYLE waits.
DESK CLERK
There may be two... no, three who
could fit it.
DOYLE
Names.
57.
DESK CLERK
A Mr. Paul Ganapolos, he's here
alone.
DOYLE
Where from?
DESK CLERK
Des Moines.
DOYLE
What's he do?
DESK CLERK
Businessman. Owns a department
store in Des Moines, I think.
DOYLE is taking down the information on a pad.
DESK CLERK
Mr. and Mrs. Alain Charnier, would
be another. He's in shipping.
DOYLE
Yeh? Who else?
DESK CLERK
And a Mr. Michael Lowenstein, I
don't know what he does.
DOYLE
This Charnier guy. He's in shipping?
DESK CLERK
I think so. But they're in Room
408. On the fourth floor.
Close of DOYLE.
DOYLE
Where's he from?
CLERK
DESK CLERK
Marseilles.
DOYLE AND CLERK
DOYLE
(gives him a dumb look)
58.
DESK CLERK
That's in France.
DOYLE
Yeah, I know.
EXT. WESTBURY HOTEL ON MADISON AVENUE - NIGHT
Medium close shot of DOYLE standing in another doorway, this
one in Madison Avenue, opposite and a little up the street
from the Westbury. It is about 2 o'clock in the morning and
there's not much traffic. DOYLE looks like a man almost too
tired to stand. We hear a car pull up (off camera).
INT. RUSSO'S CAR - NIGHT
View from the front seat of a sedan of DOYLE falling into
the corner of the back seat. RUSSO reaches across the seat
from the camera to hand DOYLE a brown paper container of
coffee. He opens it between his knees and scalds his mouth
with it. RUSSO hands over another gift, a pint of Canadian
Club. DOYLE takes a big swig.
Rear close view of BILL MULDERIG at the wheel of the car,
looking at DOYLE in the rear-view mirror.
MULDERIG
You about ready for a break?
A view of MULDERIG at the wheel, RUSSO twisted around in the
seat, looking back at DOYLE and putting the cap back on the
bottle. When DOYLE isn't sipping at the coffee-whiskey,
he's looking out the window of the car at the entrance of
the hotel. He looks beat.
DOYLE
The guy's a frog -- I'm pretty sure.
Also he made me. Stayin' on four
but went up to six -- cute.
RUSSO
The other guy's a frog too. Checked
in at the Edison. Had a hooker
sent up.
MULDERIG
Christ you should o' collared him
right there.
DOYLE
Who's on him?
RUSSO
Phil Klein.
59.
DOYLE
What about Sal?
RUSSO
RUSSO
We put him to bed for the night.
MULDERIG
MULDERIG
Why don't you do the same, Doyle?
You look like shit.
DOYLE AND MULDERIG - INTERCUT
DOYLE
(to MULDERIG)
Look. My partner and I found this
case and I don't want no Feds
screwing it up.
MULDERIG
Case? So far I haven't seen a damn
thing.
DOYLE
Bill, keep shootin' your mouth off
and I'll knock you into the middle
of next week.
RUSSO, close.
RUSSO
Jimmy, cool it. Nothin's goin'
down tonight. Cop a few zzz's
while you can.
Close shot, DOYLE.
INT. WEINSTOCK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Close shot of CHEMIST with a small lab layout spread in
front of him -- burner, test tubes, etc. The MAN's wearing
an ordinary business suit and both the table and the
background indicate that this is not a lab, but somebody's
library or den -- and a fashionable one, with photos, a
signed picture of Lyndon Johnson, etc., on the panelled walls.
The CHEMIST is running a Thiele test on a small mound of
powder. Heroin from CHARNIER's shipment.
Medium close shot of JOEL WEINSTOCK and SAL BOCA sitting
opposite the CHEMIST.
60.
SAL has a glass of beer in front of him, WEINSTOCK a brandy
snifter containing a splash of amber cognac. Both are
interested; SAL quite nervously.
The CHEMIST immerses a capillary tube, a tiny instrument the
size of a needle into an open kilo of heroin.
He pours a small quantity of mineral oil into a burnmeister
test tube and preheats the oil over the open flame of a tiny
alcohol lamp.
He removes a 15-in thermometer from its leather case,
fastens the capillary tuve (now totally immersed in the
heroin) to the bulb of the thermometer with a rubber band.
He places the bulb, with capillary attached, into an open
rubber stop and inserts the entire apparatus into the
burnmeister tube, about three inches in.
With a small metal clamp he holds the rig over the lamp.
We watch closely with the CHEMIST, WEINSTOCK and BOCA as the
white heroin powder slowly, agonizingly dissolves into the
mineral oil and
The mercury rises slowly up the thermometer to 220° - 230°.
The faces of the three men are filled with wonder and
anxiety. As the mercury continues to rise they become a
cheering section, rooting the hometeam home.
The longer it takes for the powder to dissolve, the purer
the heroin. The mercury stops at 240°!
CHEMIST
Absolutely dynamite! 89.5 proof!
Best I've ever seen! If the rest
is like this, you'll be dealing for
two years on this load.
Close on WEINSTOCK, relaxed, smoking a large cigar.
WEINSTOCK
Retail is not my end of the business.
Are you telling me it's worth the
half million?
Medium close of the CHEMIST.
CHEMIST
How many kilos?
SAL
Sixty.
61.
CHEMIST
Six kilos at eight big ones a
kilo...
(he nods)
I'd say it should be able to take a
seven to one hit in the street.
SAL
By the time it gets down to nickel
bags it's at least thirty-two
million!
Medium close of WEINSTOCK and BOCA.
WEINSTOCK
Thank you, Howard. Take what's
left there with you and goodnight.
The CHEMIST packs his apparatus and leaves.
SAL
I guess we got a deal, eh?
Medium close shot of WEINSTOCK alone, appraising BOCA.
WEINSTOCK
We got a test. A deal for half a
million dollars, maybe.
SAL, whose cool is easily shattered.
SAL
Joel, the man is in a hurry. He
wants the bread and he wants to go
back to France. He ain't gonna
hang around and play games. He's
one o' the shrewdest cats I ever
run across.
WEINSTOCK, close.
WEINSTOCK
What am I, a shmuck? What's the
hurry? He could see a couple of
shows and visit the top of the
Empire State Building.
INTERCUT SAL, WEINSTOCK
SAL
Joel, don't jerk me. I spent a lot
o' time settin' this one up.
62.
WEINSTOCK
So whatta you want a badge? It's
your first major league game Sal.
One thing I learned, move calmly,
move cautiously. You'll never be
sorry.
SAL
I been damn careful up to now.
WEINSTOCK
Which is why your phone lines are
tapped and the Feds are crawlin'
all over you like flies.
SAL
I'm straight, Joel. They haven't
got shit on me. Look, I'm tellin'
you, he'll take the deal somewhere
else.
WEINSTOCK
WEINSTOCK
He could go someplace else with his
sixty kilos of heroin and see how
easy it is to pull together a half
million cash. He wouldn't find
there was any hurry to do this kind
of business.
SAL, a little desperate.
SAL
Look, the stuff is here. We could
set up the switch in an hour. I'm
tellin' you, Mr. Weinstock, he'll
split if we don't move. This guy
is everything they say he is.
WEINSTOCK taking SAL apart with his eyes over the cigar.
WEINSTOCK
What about you, Sal? Are you
everything they say you are?
Close of SAL's worried face.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - NIGHT
Close side view of DOYLE driving; popeyeing right and left,
looking for everything and nothing.
63.
View over DOYLE's right shoulder through windshield of a
young Black HOOKER leaning against a lamppost, smiling at a
passing PEDESTRIAN. Hold on her as the car moves on,
DOYLE's head turning as he continues to move with the traffic.
Rear close view of DOYLE leaning over the back seat, looking
as he backs the car.
Close shot of the HOOKER looking up smiling, then the smile
fading.
Medium close view of DOYLE and the HOOKER.
DOYLE
You own that lamppost?
HOOKER
No.
DOYLE
Then how come you're leaning on it.
Close shot of HOOKER.
DOYLE
I ever bust you?
HOOKER
I never seen you before.
DOYLE and the HOOKER.
DOYLE
Get your ass in the car.
DOYLE looking right and left, the form of the GIRL climbing
into the vehicle. He puts surveillance hat on back seat.
INT. DAN'S LUNCH - DAY
DOYLE is standing at an island counter in a coffee-doughnuts
joint. The COUNTERMAN is paying no attention to him but is
instead emptying coffee from a large dispenser into a pot.
DOYLE
You gonna wait on me or am I gonna
sit here all day?
The COUNTERMAN responds quickly to DOYLE's voice.
Close shot of DOYLE biting into a huge jelly doughnut, the
jelly squeezing out onto his fingers.
64.
A kid pushes a broom past, getting rid of a collection of
cigarette butts, etc.
DOYLE
Hey!
Close shot of KID, about 16, looking up from the broom
toward DOYLE.
DOYLE
(off camera)
C'mere... C'mere!
Medium close shot of DOYLE and the KID, DOYLE eating and
drinking.
DOYLE
Can you stand a toss, Hector?
KID
What you mean?
DOYLE
You still dealin' shit?
KID
Jesus, no, Doyle. I'm clean. I'm
working twelve hours a day here.
Close shot of DOYLE talking around a mouthful of doughnut.
DOYLE
When they going to make you chairman
of the board?
Medium close shot of DOYLE and the KID. DOYLE puts down the
coffee cup. Waves the KID closer. The KID moves closer,
DOYLE frisks him quickly, expertly, then rips up the kid's
jacket and takes a 12-inch toadsticker out of the kid's
waistband.
Close shot of DOYLE looking at the knife, snapping the
button and watching the blade flash out.
DOYLE
You clean your fingernails with this.
Close shot of KID.
KID
Rather be caught with it than
without it.
65.
DOYLE, pushing button and letting the blade fall into closed
position.
DOYLE
Yeah, I guess so.
DOYLE hands the knife back to the kid. HECTOR goes back to
work. DOYLE eats.
EXT. DAN'S LUNCH - DAY
DOYLE climbing back into his car, knees on the seat, reaching
over into the back.
Close shot over the rear seat of DOYLE picking up the straw
hat, which has been jammed into the corner by the contours
of the Hooker's tail. He straightens it as much as possible
and throws it under the driver's seat.
EXT. MADISON AVENUE - DAY
Medium shot of DOYLE on foot popeyeing up Madison Avenue in
the vicinity of the Westbury. As unobtrusively as possible,
he's looking for the tail that should be there covering
CHARNIER. DOYLE is on the East side of the street, and the
Westbury is on the West. He pokes his head into a couple of
doorways, checks the cars parked at the curb, looks up to a
couple of the mezzanine shops along the street. He sees
PHIL KLEIN and ANOTHER AGENT talking together totally
oblivious to the front entrance. MULDERIG in a cigar store
looks to his wristwatch, then goes inside the store.
Close shot of DOYLE frowning, puzzled. There doesn't seem
to be anybody alert. He looks over to the hotel.
Westbury Hotel entrance from DOYLE's Point of View. CHARNIER
steps out of hotel entrance, turns south. The two AGENTS
and MULDERIG have not seen his exit.
Close on DOYLE in a doorway.
CHARNIER, carrying an umbrella, strolling blithely down the
street, in DOYLE's direction but on the opposite side of the
street. Zoom in on his face, reflecting no concern, no
problems, then zoom back to DOYLE's position. Pan to the
hotel entrance as DOYLE looks for somebody else. Where the
hell is CHARNIER's surveillance?
Very quickly, DOYLE's nervous glances.
CHARNIER close.
A long view of the street.
66.
CHARNIER moving along.
The hotel entrance.
Close shot of DOYLE going through the glancing movements,
his eyes showing CHARNIER getting farther and farther down
Madison Avenue. But there's still nobody following him.
Medium close shot of DOYLE scrambling out of the doorway and
moving down the street after CHARNIER.
Rear view of CHARNIER stopping at a newsstand, buying a copy
of the Times.
DOYLE in a doorway, peering out and down the street.
Medium close front view of CHARNIER strolling along, glancing
at the headlines of the Times, an umbrella hooked over his
left forearm as he walks.
Close shot of CHARNIER's polished shoes, moving quickly down
subway entrance stairs. Hold on the empty stairs. Then
DOYLE's painful, scuffed shoes, follow.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - DAY
Close shot CHARNIER standing on the subway platform, looking
at the Times, glancing toward the tracks and the rumble of a
train in the distance.
Side rear view of CHARNIER close in the foreground, DOYLE
moving into view in the background, not looking toward
CHARNIER, keeping his face turned mostly away from the
Frenchman.
Long shot of the platform. DOYLE right, CHARNIER left as
the train pulls in. CHARNIER is folding up his paper to
board. DOYLE is moving toward the train.
INT. TRAIN
CHARNIER getting on train toward camera.
Close side shot DOYLE getting on train, leaning over to look
after CHARNIER's movements.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM
CHARNIER getting off train.
DOYLE puzzled, hesitating, then getting off his car.
Long shot of CHARNIER opening the Times again.
67.
Medium shot of DOYLE moving quickly to phone booth against
the wall.
DOYLE close, barking into the phone.
DOYLE
I'm sittin' on Frog One.
MULDERIG in phone booth at Westbury.
MULDERIG
Yeah, we got the Westbury covered
like a tent.
DOYLE
DOYLE
The Westbury? Balls. I got him
down at the subway at Times Square.
What the hell's goin' on? I make
him coming right out of the hotel
free as a bird. Not a soul awake.
Close shot of CHARNIER strolling past the telephone booth,
DOYLE looking down.
DOYLE
I don't care how many bartenders
are sick. I don't work in that
joint. What the hell kind of a
union are you running down there?
Long view of CHARNIER and DOYLE about thirty feet apart on
the platform, a second train approaching.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN
A close view of DOYLE just inside the doors of the car
sneaking a peek at the platform. We can see that CHARNIER
is not there. He's on the train. Suddenly CHARNIER
reappears on the platform. DOYLE steps off.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM
Long view from DOYLE's vantage point of CHARNIER standing
with his back to the train, looking up like a man who can't
make up his mind, then turning to his left, away from DOYLE
and getting back on the train.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN
View from interior of DOYLE car of JIMMY DOYLE nipping back
onto car.
68.
INT. TRAIN - CHARNIER'S CAR
Close view of subway doors hissing shut and an umbrella
being raised at the last moment by an off-camera hand
(CHARNIER's). The doors jerk open in the safety spasm.
There is a blur of the a fabric moving across the camera,
blocking the view of the doors. It is only a moment. When
it clears, the doors are closed again, the umbrella is gone.
But we don't know what happened and the train isn't moving.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DOYLE'S CAR
Rear close view of DOYLE peeking into the forward car to see
where CHARNIER is sitting.
INT. TRAIN - CHARNIER'S CAR
Quick, shocked close view of that car, revealing that
CHARNIER isn't there among the twenty passengers dozing or
moping in their seats. There is a blurred flash as if
DOYLE's own eyes are spinning frantically back to the
windows of his own car.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM
Medium shot of DOYLE jumping out of train, CHARNIER jumping
back on - train takes off.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - CHARNIER'S CAR
A close view of CHARNIER's face. He is smiling directly at
DOYLE. He gives him a little wave.
A view from CHARNIER's position of DOYLE chasing the train,
anger and hatred and frustration storming across his face.
EXT. HENRY HUDSON PARKWAY - MOSHOLU EXIT
A long view from the bottom of the steep embankments above
Harlem River Drive in Washington Heights. Sprayed along the
face of the cliff is a disaster -- an overturned city bus
and a car with which it apparently collided. The scene is
lighted with flares. Police rescue WORKERS and FIREMEN are
scrambling up and down the face of the cliff. They are
carrying BODIES out of the bus and the car, COPS pulling
them out through the windows, leading them on stretchers.
There are shouted orders and some moans and cries from the
wreckage. In the foreground is LT. WALTER SIMONSON, involved
in the operation, but also involved in a hassle with DOYLE,
MULDERIG and RUSSO who are standing with him. An officer
approaches SIMONSON with a set of heroin works.
69.
OFFICER
(to SIMONSON)
This belonged to the kid who was
drivin' the sports car. 17 years
old. His girlfriend OD'd in the
car. We found this set of works in
her arm.
Medium close shot of DOYLE and SIMONSON. DOYLE couldn't
care if Rome was burning on the hill; he's only interested
in his case.
DOYLE
(to MULDERIG)
Where the hell was the surveillance?
"Go to bed." That's all you could
say. You couldn't keep track of a
bleeding elephant in a snowbank.
SIMONSON, eyes on the hill, glancing to DOYLE with irritation.
SIMONSON
Jimmy, it doesn't matter anymore.
If there was a deal it must have
gone down by now. We blew it! We
blew our cover and we blew the
warrants --
MULDERIG
Charnier and his wife checked out
of the Westbury. Nicoli checked
out of the Edison --
RUSSO
This fella Nicoli's got a record in
France, Walter. He's wanted for
questioning in the murder of a
French cop.
DOYLE
I say we keep sittin' on Boca.
MULDERIG
That's crazy. You lost the Frog in
the subway and you blew our cover.
If they haven't moved already
they're not gonna move now.
DOYLE
Walter, I can make this case if the
Feds will get the hell out of my way.
70.
MULDERIG
With pleasure -- it's all yours.
Walter, if anything develops outta
this charade give me a call.
Medium shot of SIMONSON, DOYLE, MULDERIG and RUSSO. Lights
flashing around them; stretchers going by with bodies.
RUSSO
(to MULDERIG)
My ass. The only reason you're in
this is because you've got a big
expense account for buying junk and
you like to see your picture in the
papers.
DOYLE
(to SIMONSON)
This is my case. Get these guys
off my back and let me handle it.
SIMONSON
SIMONSON
For chrissake, will you come off
that "my case" bullshit. This has
been a whore's dream from the start.
DOYLE, close.
DOYLE
The deal hasn't gone down yet
Walter -- I know it, I can feel it.
Close shot of MULDERIG
MULDERIG
The last time you were dead certain
we ended up with a dead cop.
A fist, DOYLE's, comes from off-camera and connects with
MULDERIG's chin. As his head flies back.
DOYLE and MULDERIG slugging and grappling with each other,
RUSSO leaping in to yank them apart. SIMONSON grabbing
MULDERIG's arm and holding him back.
SIMONSON, close.
SIMONSON
(roaring)
That's enough. Get the hell out of
here.
71.
DOYLE
Shot of SIMONSON, MULDERIG, DOYLE, RUSSO, in a cluster.
SIMONSON
(on way up hill,
turning back)
Jimmy, you wasted two months - no
collars are comin' in while you two
been out jerkin' off. Now go back
to work, you're off Special
Assignment.
EXT. LA GUARDIA AIRPORT - DAY
Medium close side view of SAL BOCA's Mercury pulling to the
Washington-Boston shuttle parking lot at La Guardia airport.
SAL takes his ticket from the automatic vendor and drives in.
We hold for the next car driven by PHIL KLEIN, a federal
narcotics agent who is on his tail.
INT. AIRPORT - DAY
Medium close shot of SAL BOCA writing out the ticket order
form.
Close shot of the form; SAL filling it out in an almost
illiterate scrawl. Under destination SAL fills in Washing...
and the camera raises its eye to a close shot of PHIL KLEIN
on the opposite side of the counter, filling in his form.
Close side shot of PHIL KLEIN standing right behind SAL in
the shuttle line.
EXT. DEPT. OF COMMERCE, WASHINGTON, D.C. - DAY
CHARNIER and an UNDERSECRETARY on the steps of the building,
shaking hands. Two other OFFICIALS are on hand and while we
don't hear their conversation, their manner is extremely
attentive to CHARNIER.
CHARNIER
It has been highly informative and
a personal pleasure to see you again.
UNDERSECRETARY
I only hope we cut through to some
meaningful proposals in the next
month or so. The pleasure was
mine, Mr. Charnier. When will we
see you again?
CHARNIER
Soon, probably in the Spring.
72.
Close shot of CHARNIER.
CHARNIER
Goodbye.
UNDERSECRETARY
(off camera)
Goodbye. Good trip home.
EXT. WASHINGTON STREET - DAY
Medium long shot of CHARNIER walking across street,
diagonally toward the camera, removing the identification
card from his lapel.
Rear close shot of CHARNIER joining SAL BOCA on the sidewalk
and the two of them moving off together.
Close shot of SAL, somewhat nervous about trying to peddle
his problems to CHARNIER.
SAL
Everything's smooth. Beautiful. I
will need a few more days though,
the boys think we oughta cool it
for awhile -- make sure there's no
heat.
CHARNIER
(manner outwardly pleasant)
You must take me for an imbecile.
Why do you think I asked you to
meet me in Washington? I haven't
spent five minutes in New York City
without the company of a gendarme.
SAL
Look, I'll level with you -- I need
a little more time -- I got to
shift gears.
CHARNIER
Are you having trouble raising the
half million?
SAL
Hell no -- my end is covered -- my
associates just feel we ought to
wait for a more opportune time to
make the switch.
Stop, Cover.
73.
CHARNIER
It has to be by the end of this week.
SAL
Look, Mr. Charnier, you got to be
reasonable.
CHARNIER
It's your problem.
SAL
It's yours too!
Full length shot of CHARNIER and BOCA, CHARNIER leaning over
to shake his hand.
CHARNIER
So nice to have seen you again.
CHARNIER turns and walks off, leaving SAL looking after him
as we zoom back to a Point of View about a hundred yards
down the street.
Close of PHIL KLEIN, just watching.
INT. AIRPLANE - DAY
Close shot of MRS. CHARNIER, sitting by the window of two
seats on the shuttle, looking out and babbling at CHARNIER.
(DIALOGUE IN FRENCH).
MARIE
Look, darling, they sell these at
the Smithsonian.
She extracts a necklace and bracelet of shark's teeth from
an elegant alligator bag.
Camera moves back to take in CHARNIER looking from the Wall
Street Journal to the native craft bracelets.
CHARNIER
Are you sure it is dead?
MARIE
I'm going to put them on the cat.
CHARNIER
That's a relief.
Close shot of CHARNIER, tenderly, lovingly.
74.
CHARNIER
You did find something for yourself,
of course.
MARIE, close.
MARIE
Of course. But I am not going to
tell you what it is until we are
back in Marseilles.
CHARNIER and MARIE. He folds up the paper, smiling at her.
CHARNIER
Excuse me a moment, darling.
CHARNIER's view of the plane interior, walking back toward
the rear of the cabin. The seats are occupied by military-
business-government TYPES making the shuttle run. Not every
seat is filled. We come to an empty one on which someone
has deposited an attache case. It is the seat next to
PIERRE NICOLI, whose hand reaches out to remove it and we
follow the arm to NICOLI's face.
Close shot of CHARNIER and NICOLI sitting. (DIALOGUE IN
FRENCH)
CHARNIER
I'm afraid they've become a bit...
over-cautious. Our American friends.
NICOLI
What happens to the schedule?
CHARNIER
We must follow it.
NICOLI
But will they?
CHARNIER shrugs.
CHARNIER
I don't know. Boca is scared.
He's not strong enough. He sees
policemen in his soup.
NICOLI
He is not wrong.
CHARNIER
Mmmmm. That bastard who followed
me on the subway, he's the eager one.
75.
NICOLI
Let me take him out.
Close of CHARNIER.
CHARNIER
There'll be someone else.
NICOLI
What difference does it make?
We'll be out of the country Friday.
Close shot of CHARNIER alone.
EXT. SIDEWALK OUTSIDE DOYLE'S APARTMENT BLDG. - DAY
A complex of buildings similar to Lefrak City. A medium
close view of a LITTLE GIRL about to run DOYLE down with a
two-wheel bicycle. Two shots ring out in quick succession
and tear up the concrete at a point where he would have been
walking a moment earlier.
DOYLE diving for the cover of a tree. The rifle goes off a
third time and MOTHERS begin to scream on the benches of the
playground area.
DOYLE
(yelling)
Everybody, down! Get down on the
ground!
DOYLE behind the tree, pulling his gun out of the ankle
holster. He holds the gun ready and tries to look around.
Ping, another shot that drives him back.
Long panning view, DOYLE's view, from the ground, of all the
rooftops in the area. A blank. The background sound is
still screaming crying. "Call the police." "The man's got a
gun." "Help! Help!" The view is still slow, careful under
the pressure of the panic. There's another shot.
Long shot of rifle smoke rising from NICOLI's sniper position.
Exterior view of the concrete tunnels, DOYLE running from
them toward the building, dodging and ducking behind
playground equipment and benches as he does. He's shouting
as he runs.
DOYLE
Get down! It's a sniper. Get down!
Medium shot of DOYLE dashing into the lobby of his building
to a Spanish kid in the window of building.
76.
EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY
Exterior shot of rooftop door opening slowly, DOYLE coming
through the opening, gun at the ready.
Panning shot of the rooftop, DOYLE's view, stopping for a
beat at the rifle and box of cartridges lying beside the
parapet, moving on. The roof's empty. DOYLE sees NICOLI
below, grabs rifle and cartridge.
DOYLE running to the parapet, looking over.
Shot of the street, traffic, elevated tracks in the distance.
Long searching look of the streets and the people. The
view, which is DOYLE's, passes over one man in a dark suit,
stops and goes back. Zap! It's NICOLI walking quickly but
not in any panic toward the El.
DOYLE's face. He runs to parapet, fires at NICOLI. Misses.
DOYLE running across the roof and through the door.
DOYLE bursting out of the elevator at the bottom, through a
crowd of WOMEN and KIDS who scream as they did in the
playground.
Medium close view of DOYLE running as fast as he can.
Medium close shot of the entrance to the El. DOYLE coming
into view from off-camera, running to a stop deciding which
to take. He runs across the street to the downtown side
from which he saw train approaching.
DOYLE going over the turnstiles in a leap, gun still in his
right hand.
EXT. PLATFORM OF EL - DAY
Broad view of platform, DOYLE emerging looking right and left.
DOYLE's view across tracks. There's NICOLI, standing with a
group of people.
DOYLE looking up tracks to see if he can get across.
Training pulling in an opposite side. Train pulling in
right in front of DOYLE.
DOYLE
Stop that guy. He's wanted by the
police!
Side medium close shot of DOYLE turning and plunging back
through the doorway of platform exit.
77.
INT. TRAIN CAR - DAY
In one corner of the train is a transit policeman. He's
observed Doyle shouting and gesturing at NICOLI who sits
nervously aware of the policeman's presence. Long longs
between them. Finally, the officer decides to approach
NICOLI.
NICOLI panics and runs. The officer goes after him and
traps him against the door between cars.
INT. TOKEN BOOTH - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE with badge at token booth.
DOYLE
Where's the next stop? Going into
the city?
TOKEN ATTENDANT
(glancing out in
direction the train
was hurtling)
25th Avenue.
INT. TRAIN - DAY
NICOLI and the TRANSIT POLICEMAN struggle, as the handful of
passengers watch. NICOLI pulls his .45 and clobbers the
officer on the side of the head.
Close of NICOLI going from one car to another, opening doors
on the rear, moving through yet another crowd.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Medium close shot of DOYLE running into the street, forcing
a driver to stop. DOYLE moving so hard he falls against the
hood of the car then dashes around to the door and jerks it
open.
DOYLE
Police!
Medium close shot of DOYLE dragging MIDDLE-AGED MALE DRIVER
out from behind the wheel as he shouts.
DRIVER
What the hell?
DOYLE
(diving behind the wheel)
Police! Emergency!
78.
DOYLE has a pistol in his hand. The man falls back
sputtering. DOYLE jams car into gear and it roars off.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN CAR - DAY
NICOLI pounds on the door of the Motorman's cab with his gun.
After a long moment - the door cracks open. Close shot
NICOLI pushing his way into the cab of the subway MOTORMAN,
sixtyish, worn and frail looking.
MOTORMAN looks down. He follows the glance to NICOLI's .45.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Side close view of DOYLE screeching to a stop to avoid
plunging into a panel truck. DOYLE sticks his head out the
window to look up at the tracks as the DRIVER of the truck
screams.
TRUCK DRIVER
Blind sonofabitch!
Overhead view of the tracks, train roaring along them.
DOYLE's view.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
The tracks racing by from the view of the train. We're
approaching a station.
INT. MOTORMAN'S CABIN - DAY
NICOLI's close view of the MOTORMAN, the gun on the man.
NICOLI
Don't stop! Continue on to the
next station!
MOTORMAN
I got to stop.
NICOLI
Touch the brake and I'll blow you
in half.
MOTORMAN
The signal lights are automatic.
If I go through a red I'll be
automatically braked.
The MOTORMAN pales, his hand goes to his left side in a
gesture of anxiety, possibly pain.
79.
EXT. SUBWAY ENTRANCE - DAY
Side close view of DOYLE screeching to a stop, the car
bumping up on the sidewalk and DOYLE plunging out the door
which he leaves hanging open. He races around the car for
the steps to the El.
EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - DAY
Side view of train roaring through the station without
stopping.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
Medium close shot of CROWD on train pushing toward the
MOTORMAN's cab. They are upset over the missed stop. The
CONDUCTOR seems to be the most annoyed.
He's pushing hardest toward the camera to complain.
VOICES
Didn't stop.
Went right through there...
Hey, man, that's my station...
Where the hell's he going?
Hey, stop the car...
Close shot of NICOLI's back, half in the MOTORMAN's cab, as
he faces the CROWD. Now the cries turn to:
VOICES
He's got a gun...
The motorman's gone crazy...
Oh my God!
NICOLI
Get back.
CONDUCTOR
Hey, you can't...
Side view of NICOLI, the MOTORMAN in the background the
CONDUCTOR leaping at NICOLI. NICOLI burns him; one gut shot.
The car turns to pandemonium of screams. The CONDUCTOR is
hurled back into the crowd by force of the blast. The
MOTORMAN throws back his head in fright, and the beginning
of a coronary.
EXT/INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE from back seat, twisting, turning the
car in a wild demonstration of pursuit driving around cars,
braking, roaring ahead.
80.
We move out through the windshield for a lurching, spinning,
twisting view of the tracks overhead, the street signs and
lights flashing by in a reeling montage of movement, the
train roaring above it all.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
Close side shot of NICOLI turning to cover the MOTORMAN, who
is clutching in pain, slumping toward the controls.
MOTORMAN
(gasping)
I can't breathe.
NICOLI glances quickly to his left, out the window to the
next station.
Long, low view of the tracks, partially NICOLI's view.
There are red blinkers on the side of the tracks. Red
lights up ahead. That's the back of another train. It has
stopped and we're hurtling toward it.
Wide shot of screaming pack of subway riders, fighting their
way back from NICOLI, succeeding only in turning themselves
into a tightly contained mob. Now the words they cry are:
VOICES
We'll crash.
Won't somebody please help me.
Murder
He's a killer.
Crash. We'll crash!
Stop. Stop the train.
EXT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Side close view of DOYLE driving while he's looking up. He
skids through a red light, narrowly missing a pedestrian and
an oncoming group of cars.
Long, low view of the train from DOYLE's position.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
Close shot of cord dangling above a sign that says "Pull for
Emergency Stop Only." It just dangles, wobbles, forgotten in
the panic.
EXT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close side shot of DOYLE driving, skidding on streetcar
tracks, panning upward to show the car pulling ahead of the
train.
81.
INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY
Close shot of NICOLI from behind, looking out the window of
the car where we see ourselves hurtling toward the other
train, now only about 100 yards away. Hold on the train
ahead. The MOTORMAN collapses over the throttle.
Rear close shot of NICOLI plunging into the panicky riders
with gun in hand, trying to get out with them to some rear
car.
EXT. SUBWAY STATION - DAY
Medium close of DOYLE arriving at the station.
INT. SUBWAY CAR - DAY
Back end of subway car looming up at high speed.
EXT. 62ND STREET STATION - THE TRACKS - DAY
The leader train sits waiting about twenty yards out of the
station. As the onrushing train approaches, it passes
through the yellow signal light at the rear of the station.
EXT. CLOSE SHOT THE TRIP LOCK - DAY
As the onrushing car pulls equal to the red signal light at
the front of the station, the tiny trip lock on the track
springs up, activating the safety brake. The trains avoid
collision by a few feet as the front car screeches to a halt.
INT. THE ONRUSHING TRAIN - DAY
The passengers are thrown violently to the ground.
NICOLI gets to his feet and forces open one of the doors.
EXT. 62ND STREET TRACKS - DAY
NICOLI makes his way out of the train and runs along the
tracks for a few yards, narrowly avoiding the third rail.
He climbs onto the station platform, to the shock and
amazement of several onlookers. He is dazed and disheveled,
no longer a hunter.
EXT. ENTRANCE TO THE 62ND STREET STATION - DAY
NICOLI staggers down the stairs to the street, unarmed.
DOYLE is waiting at the foot of the stairs.
NICOLI sees him, turns in desperation to run back up.
82.
DOYLE has his .38 drawn. He fires three shots into NICOLI's
back.
NICOLI stiffens and falls backward coming to rest at DOYLE's
feet. DOYLE collapses next to him.
EXT. CANDY STORE - DAY
SAL and ANGIE emerge and get into the Mercury.
EXT. MANHATTAN STREET - DAY
Long shot of the Mercury stopped. SAL gets out and walks
quickly to the garage entrance and down the ramp as ANGIE
drives off in the Mercury. Pan to
EXT/INT. DOYLE'S CAR - DAY
Close shot of DOYLE and RUSSO from the front. DOYLE looks
after ANGIE's car.
INT. GARAGE - DAY
Medium close shot of RUSSO from the rear as he walks down
the ramp toward a glass attendant's booth in the background.
We pan around the garage looking for SAL but don't find him.
As RUSSO approaches the booth, we see the figure of a man
partially obscured by the door and the entrance framework.
Close shot of RUSSO from the front.
RUSSO
Hey, Mac, have you seen...?
Close shot of the man turning. It is SAL BOCA.
Close shot of RUSSO and BOCA in face-to-face confrontation.
RUSSO
...the guy who runs this joint?
There's a tense pause as BOCA looks at RUSSO.
Close shot of BOCA.
SAL
Yeh. He's over getting my car.
Medium close shot of GARAGE ATTENDANT holding the door of
the Lincoln open for SAL, shutting it and taking the ticket
from the windshield. As BOCA puts car in gear and drives
off, we pan to BUDDY RUSSO standing there watching. The
ATTENDANT walks up.
83.
ATTENDANT
Can I help you...?
Medium close shot of ATTENDANT and RUSSO. BUDDY, ignoring
the ATTENDANT, watching the Lincoln take off, then breaking
loose and running toward the ramp.
Close shot of RUSSO from DOYLE's viewpoint, piling into the
car.
RUSSO
He's in the brown Lincoln - foreign
plates.
Close shot of DOYLE throwing the car into gear and shooting
down the street.
Long view of the street from DOYLE's windshield of the
Lincoln in the distance. We pick up speed and weave through
traffic in pursuit.
EXT. STREETS - DAY
Impressionistic shot of Lincoln and DOYLE's car winding
through Brooklyn streets.
Long shot of the Lincoln, SAL BOCA parking it, getting out
and locking the doors, looking around and walking away.
The Mercury comes around a corner, ANGIE at the wheel. The
car stops and SAL gets in.
As the Mercury takes off, Detective PHIL KLEIN follows in
his car.
Close shot of DOYLE and RUSSO in their car parked several
car lengths and across the street from the Lincoln.
NIGHT
Long shot of the Lincoln, zooming on the glittering car. In
the BG, eight youngsters are playing a game of street hockey.
INT. DOYLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Close shot through windshield of DOYLE and RUSSO. MULDERIG
and KLEIN in their car.
DOYLE
Timezit?
RUSSO
Four.
84.
EXT. DOYLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Long view over the hood of DOYLE's car to the street. We
can see the Lincoln. The lights of a car appear on the left
and come down the street past the Lincoln, slowly, like a
man looking for a place to park. We can make out, but just
barely with the help of the street lights, four people in
the car.
DOYLE in close profile, the foreground, picking up a corner
of the Lincoln in the background. While we are looking in
silence, there is a glimmering flow in the far corner, the
beginning of approaching headlights again. They grown
brighter and DOYLE's foreground profile turns to watch it
come.
DOYLE
(softly)
Same car.
RUSSO
Third time around.
RUSSO and MULDERIG straightening up, leaning close to window
to peer out.
Long view over the hood of DOYLE's car of the approaching
vehicle, which suddenly switches off its lights and turns on
its parking blinkers. It comes abreast of the Lincoln and
stops. The men get out and chase the Lincoln.
View through windshield at the four men. DOYLE is now up
straight and at the wheel. He's leaning forward, his hand
on the key of the car. He glances back to MULDERIG.
DOYLE
(to car radio)
Let's him 'em.
View of the hood. All hell breaks loose, headlights,
including DOYLE's flash on and form a spotlight on the
Lincoln and the figures around it. Frozen in the headlights,
confused, startled, and disbelieving are FIVE PUERTO RICANS
with a variety of auto-stripping tools in their hands: lug
wrenches, tire irons, pinch bars, monkey wrenches, etc.
DOYLE drives right up to them. The camera leaps out of the
car with him and runs toward the men. We hear voices
shouting.
VOICES
Police! Don't move... get you...
hands up... you're under arrest...
85.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Close view of DOYLE holding his gun on one of the terrorized-
looking Puerto Ricans. The KID's hands are rising
tentatively. He's too scared to move.
DOYLE
Up! Up, you sonofabitch!
In the background, the scene is being duplicated by two or
three others.
Overhead view of this headlight and flashlight arena of
about 10 or 12 DETECTIVES forming small clusters, throwing
these guys up against cars, pulling their arms around behind
them and throwing cuffs on them while others rapidly frisk
them for weapons, taking away one pistol, a couple of knives.
MULDERIG and DOYLE looking at their MAN up against the
Lincoln as RUSSO finishes snapping handcuffs on him.
DOYLE
Of all the goddam cars they had to
pick to steal hubcaps.
Close shot of the front end of the Lincoln, upended on a
hoist attached to a police tow truck. The area is less
brightly lighted by headlights now. Some cars have departed
with the Puerto Rican AUTO STRIPPERS. DOYLE's interest
focuses on the car. We pick him up as we pan to him sitting
on the running board of the tow truck, talking with its
DRIVER, who is making a report on a clipboard. MULDERIG and
RUSSO are standing nearby, talking to TWO PLAINCLOTHESMEN.
DOYLE
(looking up and around)
A bunch of lousy little spic car
thieves.
MULDERIG
Nothing in there except a New York
street map.
DOYLE
Tumble it. One end to the other.
RUSSO jotting in his note pad, then glancing up to the off-
camera DOYLE.
DOYLE, medium close, hands jamming into his pockets, staring
at the ground with RUSSO and MULDERIG.
86.
INT. POLICE GARAGE - DAY
A montage as the Lincoln is being disassembled. First it is
weighed. We then see the MECHANIC drain the gas, pull apart
the transmission and check through the brake drums, rip out
the seats.
MECHANIC ducking out from under the car, moving toward off-
camera DOYLE.
MECHANIC
Nobody's been under there with
anything but a grease gun since if
came off the line.
DOYLE's hand reaches out from off-camera and takes a
cigarette package out of the MECHANIC's pocket.
DOYLE
I don't buy it. The stuff is on
this car.
MECHANIC
Then you find it. I can't.
INT. POLICE SERGEANT'S OFFICE AT GARAGE - DAY
Shot of DEVEREAUX and LA VALLE.
LA VALLE
The car was lost sometime this
evening. First they send us to
Pier One -- then they send us
here --
DESK SERGEANT
I don't understand why you had it
parked on the waterfront. You're
staying at the Doral and you lose
your car somewhere out by the
Brooklyn Bridge.
LA VALLE
In point of fact, M. Devereaux is
scouting locations for a film for
French Television. He left the car
to look at some point of interest.
DEVEREAUX
(moving, excitable)
We were told by the Police
Commissioner's office that the car
was brought to this garage. I
demand its immediate return.
87.
DESK SERGEANT
If you'll be patient, Mr. Devereaux.
DEVEREAUX
(moving)
I have been patient enough. There
is no reason I should have to waste
time with this red tape.
LA VALLE
Mr. Devereaux is an extremely
important guest of this country.
He is working with the absolute
cooperation and participation of
your government. Here are his
credentials from the French
Consulate.
(showing them)
Unless you wish to see this episode
portrayed in his film I suggest you
locate his car immediately.
Shot of DOYLE and RUSSO near the Lincoln, now up on hoists.
Police MECHANIC in background.
MECHANIC
What are you looking for? Is it as
big as an orange or an elephant's
ass? I've been over every inch --
top to bottom. If you could give
me a club -- to the size...
RUSSO
(doing rough figures
on a piece of scratch paper)
What was the weight of the car when
you got it, Irv?
MECHANIC
(consulting his notes)
4,839 pounds.
RUSSO
(consulting Lincoln
Specification Book)
You're sure?
(he does quick addition)
The manufacturer's spec says it
should weigh 4,719 pounds. This
one's carrying roughly 120 extra
pounds somewhere.
He produces a copy of a ship's manifold.
88.
RUSSO
When it was booked in at Marseilles
it weighed the same. 120 pounds
overweight. Jimmy has to be right.
The THREE MEN turn again to stare at the Lincoln. The
MECHANIC lowers the hoist, thoughtfully.
MECHANIC
I ripped everything out except the
Rocker panels.
DEVEREAUX
What's that?
They look at each other for a long moment.
MECHANIC starts to undo the side Rocker pans. JIMMY pulls
the pan off and sticks his arm into the enclosure. Feeling
around inside he pulls out the first kilo-sized plastic
container as several others start tumbling out after. BUDDY
and DOYLE are smiling at each other as they continue to pull
the bags out. Several of the other MECHANICS in the garage
are gathered around the happy moment. They repeat this
action on the other side of the car.
RUSSO enters garage sergeant's bullpen. DEVEREAUX and LA
VALLE are still arguing with the SERGEANT.
RUSSO
Got it for you, Randy -- it just
came in from downtown. Who's
Devereaux?
LA VALLE
This is M. Devereaux.
RUSSO
I'm sorry, Mr. Devereaux, but we
get reports on a couple hundred
vehicles a night. Sometimes it's a
little tough to keep track.
DEVEREAUX
You mean the car's here now?
RUSSO
Yeah -- fine -- it's okay -- not
even a scratch. You're all set.
(handing DEVEREAUX keys)
RUSSO walking with DEVEREAUX and LA VALLE.
89.
RUSSO
Someone stole it right off the
street, huh? You're gonna have to
pay the tow away charge.
DEVEREAUX
I was told these things happen in
New York -- but one never expects it.
RUSSO
Yeah. Well, it's in perfect shape.
You must lead a charming life.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - DORAL - DAY
Medium close shot of DEVEREAUX striding through the lobby
toward the camera. (DIALOGUE IN FRENCH)
CHARNIER
Henri...
Medium close shot of DEVEREAUX turning to face CHARNIER, who
has been waiting for him.
CHARNIER
Did you pick up the car?
DEVEREAUX
It is waiting for you in the garage.
CHARNIER
Did they follow you?
DEVEREAUX
I wasn't looking.
CHARNIER
Henri... I need one more favor from
you. I know I am imposing...
DEVEREAUX
My friend, I am not sure about what
is going on -- but for me, I am
finished.
CHARNIER
Not quite -- you are in it whether
you like it or not. The police
know you brought the car into the
country. This makes you an
accomplice.
90.
DEVEREAUX
An accomplice to what?! What have
you gotten me into, Alain? You
asked me to do you a favor -- and I
did what you asked -- but you've
taken advantage of me. I have my
reputation --
CHARNIER pulls DEVEREAUX further aside.
CHARNIER
Calm down -- Henri! You must trust
me -- this is an extremely
complicated situation to which
there is a simple solution if you
do exactly what I tell you. It's
worth more money to you.
DEVEREAUX
Goodbye.
DEVEREAUX turns and walks into the crowded lobby leaving
ALAIN standing alone.
EXT. HOTEL STREET - DAY
Medium close shot of the Lincoln. We can't see the driver
immediately. As we follow the car, it hesitates; horns
sound and it moves ahead with a jerk.
INT. LINCOLN - DAY
Close shot of CHARNIER at the wheel of the Lincoln, trying
to make out street signs and directions.
EXT. TRIBORO BRIDGE - DAY
Medium shot of the Lincoln going across the Triboro Bridge.
EXT. WARD'S ISLAND - DAY
CHARNIER's view through the windshield as he drives along
the new road and turns left on the old service road.
EXT. OLD SERVICE ROAD - WARD'S ISLAND - DAY
Hellgate Bridge overhead in BG. Lincoln drives along old
road and into abandoned garage.
INT. WARD'S ISLAND GARAGE - DAY
View from CHARNIER's POV out the window of the building.
Faces appear beside the car. First BOCA's, then WEINSTOCK's,
then LOU BOCA and two MECHANICS.
91.
BOCA
Keep going. Right in there.
FIRST MECHANIC
Over there. On the right.
SECOND MECHANIC
The clear spot.
INT. GARAGE - DAY
Medium close shot of the Lincoln. The Rocker panels are
open and the junk is being unloaded. CHARNIER is standing
by two suitcases of cash. He takes a bundle out of the
suitcase, riffs the deck of bills with his fingers to make
sure it's money all the way through; puts it in a separate
stack that will go into the rocker panels of a nearby junk
car. WEINSTOCK is standing next to the CHEMIST, with his
testing equipment. The MECHANICS are under the Lincoln and
passing out the kilos of heroin, BOCA is helping them. The
kilos are concealed in the floor boards of the old garage.
Close shot of CHARNIER's hands, working on the money.
Close shot of the CHEMIST taking a sniff, then a taste.
Close shot of SAL BOCA and MECHANICS continuing to unload
packet after packet after packet of heroin.
Close shot of CHARNIER as the stacks of money are loaded
into the car.
Close shot of BOCA taking a bottle of Seagram's Seven Crown
out of a brown paper bag.
CHARNIER extends his hand. WEINSTOCK takes it; they shake.
CHARNIER close, looking back at the car as the rocker panels
are restored to the Lincoln. The junk car with the money
secreted is removed.
Medium shot of SAL BOCA and CHARNIER getting in the Lincoln.
In the b.g. a tow truck hauls the battered junk car out to
await shipment.
EXT. WARD'S ISLAND BRIDGE - DAY
Long view from the bridge of the Lincoln coming toward the
camera over a small rise.
View from Lincoln, between SAL and CHARNIER, over the hood
of the car and to the entrance to the bridge. There is a
police blockade. Standing in front of it are DOYLE, RUSSO,
MULDERIG and PHIL KLEIN.
92.
CLOSE-UP CHARNIER.
CLOSE-UP DOYLE. He gives CHARNIER a little wave.
Long view of the Lincoln stopping in the middle of the
bridge. Zoom in on it as SAL hurriedly turns it around,
smashing into the side of the bridge as he does.
Medium shot of the Lincoln racing back across the island.
The Mercury roars past WEINSTOCK's car, heading toward the
bridge.
WEINSTOCK's car coming to a stop.
Close shot of the CHEMIST and WEINSTOCK in the car, turning
back to the island.
INT. LINCOLN - DAY
Close shot of CHARNIER and SAL. SAL driving, CHARNIER
looking out the back window. The police cars, slowly, begin
to gun engines and start the pursuit. The sirens begin to
wail.
INT. GARAGE - DAY
The Lincoln roaring into the asylum toward the camera,
screeching to a stop. SAL and CHARNIER leaping out. They
run toward Crematorium Building.
Medium long shot of SAL running off.
SAL
(shouting)
Bulls!
CHARNIER hesitates. Then runs into the darkness of the
Crematorium.
EXT. CREMATORIUM - DAY
Police cars screeching to a halt around the building. Some
circling to the back to cut it off. DOYLE, RUSSO, MULDERIG,
KLEIN and others getting out and running toward the entrance,
taken by the Lincoln.
EXT. JUNK GRAVEYARD - DAY
Close shot SAL BOCA and the two MECHANICS at the auto
graveyard. The MECHANICS start to run and are pursued by
KLEIN and TWO OTHER COPS. SAL decides to shoot it out.
RUSSO in pursuit.
93.
After a chase around the graveyard RUSSO burns SAL who dies
among the wrecked cars.
WEINSTOCK and the CHEMIST emerge from the cars. Hands in
the air. They give up without a struggle.
RUSSO
Phil, you take that side, Bill, go
around the other way.
INT. CREMATORIUM - DAY
Long shot, we can see somebody running, hear his footsteps,
but can't tell who it is.
Shot of DOYLE entering.
Shot of DOYLE, gun in hand, going around corner of long
corridor, looking down it.
Shot of MULDERIG running down one of the corridors and into
a cell littered with abandoned furniture, sinks, toilets, etc.
Long view of the hallway. Halfway down, LOU pops out and
fires wildly at the camera.
DOYLE close, pulling back, then leaning out and blazing away
twice.
Long shot of LOU, staffering into the corridor and collapsing.
DOYLE running down the corridor leaping over LOU's body and
continuing to run to bisecting corridor.
INT. CELLAR - DAY
DOYLE comes down the stairs and into the cellar. In the
foreground, behind a pile of ripped-out wall and floorboards,
there appears to be the crouched silhouette of a man. DOYLE
exits.
DOYLE's view down second corridor. At far end of it a
figure flitting past.
RUSSO
Jimmy?
Close shot of RUSSO at the head of a flight of stairs.
RUSSO
Jimmy?
DOYLE's P.O.V.: A shadow figure ducks into one of the rooms.
94.
Close of DOYLE up against a wall.
DOYLE
(a whisper)
Cover the other side -- Frog Number
One is down there.
RUSSO scrambling along the Crematorium wall.
DOYLE moving slowly down the opposite wall.
Medium shot of DOYLE approaching the end rooms. A figure
slips out of one of them, shrouded with shadows.
Close of DOYLE firing twice into the camera.
Close shot of the figure. It's AGENT BILL MULDERIG spinning,
dropping, his own service revolver clattering on the concrete.
Medium close shot of DOYLE standing over MULDERIG's body,
two or three COPS coming up, including RUSSO.
RUSSO
(leaning over the body)
He's gone, Jimmy. Bill is dead.
DOYLE full figure, close. A long pause -- and then --
DOYLE
The sonofabitch is in here somewhere.
I saw him -- I'm gonna get him.
DOYLE exits down the corridor. The others staring after him.
EXT. CREMATORIUM
Within the building no one is visible. Overhead, the
Hellgate Bridge, sounds of New York, jets, auto traffic, and
an approaching Penn Central train.
THE END |
FROM DUSK TILL DAWN
FROM DUSK TILL DAWN
Screenplay by
Quentin Tarantino
Story by
Robert Kurtzman
Directed by
Robert Rodriguez
This script was transcribed, proof read and formatted by ueli riegg
email: [email protected]; url: http://studiour.tsx.org
Cast List:
Quentin Tarantino Richard Gecko
George Clooney Seth Gecko
Brenda Hillhouse Hostage Gloria
Harvey Keitel Jacob
Juliette Lewis Kate
Ernest Liu Scott
Cheech Marin Border Guard, Chet Pussy, Carlos
Selma Hayek Santanico Pandemonium
Danny Trejo Razor Charlie
Ernest Garcia Big Emilio
Tom Savini Sex Machine
Fred Williamson Frost
"I earnestly wish an end would come to this bloody
race I am forced to run."
Countess
in: "La Comtesse Noire"
by Jess Franco
FADE IN:
EXT. LIQUOR STORE - DAY
A convenience store in a Texas Suburb. No other businesses
surround it.
CLOSE-UP: A light switch is flipped on.
The sign on top of the store lights up. It reads: BENNY'S
WORLD OF LIQUOR.
TITLE CARD:
BIG SPRING, TEXAS
109 MILES WEST OF ABILENE
345 MILES EAST OF THE MEXICAN BORDER
A Texas Ranger patrol car pulls into the parking lot and
a real live Texas Ranger, EARL MCGRAW, steps out. McGraw is
in full ranger uniform - button shirt, cowboy hat, boots,
mirrored shades, tin star and a colt revolver on his hip.
It's about an hour and a half before sundown and McGraw is
off duty for the day.
The only other car in the parking lot is a 1975 Plymouth
INT. BENNY'S WORLD OF LIQUOR - DAY
A young Hawaiian Shirt wearing man named PETE sits on a
stool behind the counter.
A few CLOSE-UP:STOMERS fiddle about.
A MAN wearing a black suit, black tie, and wire rim
glasses holds hands with a PRETTY BLONDE GIRL in cutoffs and
bare feet. They look through magazines.
Another black suit wearing MAN holds hands with a RED-HEADED
GIRL in a prep school uniform. They look through the
beer cooler in the back of the store. Both girls are around
seventeen.
MCGRAW enters the store.
MCGRAW
Hot goddamn day!
PETE
Haven't felt it a bit. Been inside with
the air conditioner blastin' all day
long.
MCGRAW
Not even for lunch?
PETE
I'm by myself today, ate my lunch
outta the microwave.
McGraw walks over to the beer cooler, as if done ritually
every night (it is), takes out a beer, pops it open and
joins Pete by the front counter.
MCGRAW
Jesus Christ man, that microwave food
will kill ya as quick as a bullet.
Those burritos are only fit for a
hippie high on weed. Pull me down a
bottle of Jack Daniels. I'm gettin'
tanked tonight.
PETE
Whatsamatter?
MCGRAW
(sighs)
Awww, it's just been a shitass day.
Every inch of it hot and miserable.
First off, Nadine at the Blue Chip
got some sorta sick, so that Mongoloid
boy of hers was workin' the grill.
That fuckin' idiot don't know rat shit
from Rice Krispies. I ate breakfast
at nine, was pukin' up pigs in a
blanket like a sick dog by ten
thirty.
PETE
Isn't there a law or something
against retards serving food to the
public?
MCGRAW
Well, if there ain't there sure oughta
be. Who knows what goes on inside
Mongoloid's mind?
PETE
You could sue the shit out of her, ya
know. That kid belongs under a circus
tent, not flippin' burgers. You could
own that fuckin' place.
MCGRAW
What the hell would I do with that
grease pit? Besides, Nadine's got
enough of a cross to bear just taking
care of that potato head. Then all
this Abilene shit happened. You
heard about that bank robbery in
Abilene, didn't ya?
PETE
That's all that's been on the box
all day. They killed some people
didn't they?
MCGRAW
Four Rangers, three cops, and two
civilians. And they took a lady bank
teller as a hostage.
Pete doesn't say anything.
MCGRAW
They'll probably make a run for the
border, which would bring 'em this
way. And if we get our hands on
those shit asses, we're talking
payback time. We'll get 'em all right.
I gotta piss. I'm gonna use your
commode.
PETE
Knock yourself out.
McGraw drops his last drip of beer, crushes the can and
exits in the bathroom.
The black suited man by the beer cooler turns around and,
with the prep school girl in tow, walks rapidly toward Pete.
We see that the girl is crying.
BLACK SUITED MAN #1
(to Pete)
Do you think I'm fuckin' playing with
you, asshole?
(points to the tearful prep
school girl)
Do you want this little girl to die?
(pointing to the blonde with
the other guy)
Or that little girl? Or your
bosombuddy with the badge? Or
yourself? I don't wanna do it, but
I'll turn this fuckin' store into the
Wild Bunch if I even think you're
fuckin' with me.
The two men in black suits are the notorious Abilene
bank robbers, SETH and RICHARD GECKO, "The Gecko Brothers."
And the other customers are all being held hostage. Seth
is the one with the prep girl. Richard is the one with
the blonde.
Everybody speaks low and fast.
PETE
What do you want from me? I did what
you said.
SETH
Letting him use your toilet? No store
does that.
PETE
He comes in here every day and we
bullshit. He's used my toilet a
thousand times. If I told him no,
he'd know something was up.
SETH
I want that son-of-a-bitch out outta
here, in his car, and down the road or
you can change the name of this
place to "Benny's World of Blood."
Richard, holding tightly the hand of the terrified girl,
leans next to Seth's ear and whispers something. Seth looks
at Pete.
SETH
Were you giving that pig signals?
PETE
What? Are you kidding? I didn't do
anything!
Richard whispers something else in Seth's ear.
SETH
He says you were scratching.
PETE
I wasn't scratching!
SETH
You callin' him a liar?
Pete controls himself.
PETE
I'm not calling him a liar, okay? I'm
simply saying that if I was
scratching, and if I did scratch, it's
not because I was signaling the cop,
it's because I'm fuckin' scared
shitless.
Richard speaks for the first time in a low calm voice to
Seth.
RICHARD
The Ranger's taking a piss. Why don't
I just go in there, blow his head off
and get outta here.
PETE
Don't do that! Look, you asked me to
act natural, and I'm acting as natural
-- in fact, under the circumstances, I
think I ought get a fuckin' Academy
Award for how natural I'm acting. You
asked me to get rid of him, I'm doing
my best.
SETH
Yeah, well, your best better get a
helluva lot fuckin' better, or you're
gonna feel a helluva fuckin' lot
worse.
The toilet FLUSHES.
SETH
Everybody be cool.
Everybody goes back to what they were doing.
McGraw steps back out of the back. He appears to be unaware
of the situation.
MCGRAW
Yeah, and I'm gonna be right back at
it tomorrow. So tonight I'm gonna sit
in front of the box and just drink
booze. How much is the bottle?
PETE
Six-fifty.
Out of nowhere Richard WHIPS out his forty-five automatic
and SHOOTS McGraw in the head.
McGraw goes down screaming.
Richard stands over him and SHOOTS him twice more.
Seth charges forward.
SETH
(to Richard)
What the fuck was that about?
RICHARD
(in a low monotone)
He signaled the Ranger.
PETE
(hysterical)
I didn't.
(to Seth)
You gotta believe me, I didn't.
RICHARD
(to Seth)
When they were talkin', he mouthed
the words "Help Us."
PETE
You fuckin' liar, I didn't say shit!
Richard SHOOTS Pete and Pete falls down behind the counter.
Seth grabs Richard and throws him up against the wall.
SETH
What the fuck is wrong with you --
RICHARD
Seth, he did it. You were by the beer
cooler with your back turned. I was by
the magazines, I could see his face.
And I saw him mouth:
Richard mouths the words, "Help Us."
While Pete lies on the floor behind the counter bleeding
from his bullet wound, he opens his floor safe and pulls
out a gun from it.
Seth releases his brother.
SETH
Start the car.
RICHARD
You believe me don't cha?
SETH
Shut up and start the car.
Richard walks away from Seth and crosses the counter...
...when Pete SPRINGS up, gun in hand, and SHOOTS Richard in
the hand.
Richard FALLS to his knees, howling.
Both Pete and Seth SPRAY the store with gunfire.
Seth DIVES down an aisle. He reloads.
Pete DUCKS behind the counter. He reloads.
Richard has crawled to safety behind an aisle.
The two girls have run out screaming.
SETH
(yelling)
Richie? You okay?
RICHARD
(yelling)
I'm not dead, but I'm definitely shot!
I told you that bastard said, "Help
us!"
PETE
(yelling)
I never said help us!
SETH
(yelling)
Well that don't matter now, 'cause
you got about two fuckin' seconds
to live! Richie!
RICHARD
(yelling)
Yeah?
SETH
(yelling)
When I count three, shoot out the
bottles behind him!
RICHARD
Gotcha!
SETH
One... Two... Three.
The two brothers start FIRING toward the counter.
They HIT the bottles of alcohol on the shelf behind Pete.
Pete is crouched on the ground as glass, debris and alcohol
RAIN down on him.
Seth grabs a roll of paper towels from off a shelf.
Richard keeps FIRING.
Seth douses the paper towels with lighter fluid, sets it on
fire with his Zippo, then tosses it.
The flaming roll of paper towels FLIES through the air.
The fireball lands behind the counter.
The entire counter area immediately BURSTS INTO FLAMES. Pete
screams from behind the counter.
Seth smiles to himself and stands.
Richard shakes his head in amusement and stands.
Pete runs out from behind the counter, ENGULFED IN FLAMES
still holding his weapon and FIRING.
Seth and Richard hit the ground FIRING their .45's.
Pete, the human torch, FALLS like a tree into the Hostess
Pastry display.
Seth and Richard rise from the rubble.
EXT. BENNY'S WORLD OF LIQUOR - DAY
They exit the store squabbling. The store is bursting into
flames.
SETH
What did I tell you? What did I tell
you? Buy the road map and leave.
RICHARD
What am I supposed to do, Seth?
He recognized us.
SETH
He didn't recognize shit.
Both Seth and Richard stand on opposite sides of the car.
RICHARD
Seth, I'm telling you, the way he
looked at us -- you especially --
I knew he knew.
They both climb in the car, Seth behind the wheel. Seth
starts it op. The souped up engine ROARS to life. We can
hear Seth mumbling under the motor.
SETH
Low profile. Do you know what the
words "low profile" mean?
CLOSE-UP: SETH'S FOOT PUNCHES GAS.
The Plymouth tears out of the parking lot backwards, hits
the street, and speeds off down the road.
We CRANE UP HIGH to see the car leaving a trail of dust
behind it, as the store burns out of control.
OPENING CREDIT SEQUENCE.
Raunchy, honky-tonk MUSIC fills the theater.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEXAS PANHANDLE - DAY
The Plymouth tears ass across Texas plains. As TITLES PLAY
OVER, we see Seth and Richard enjoying their getaway/road
trip. Seth behind the wheel, pops open a bottle of
prescription pills, empties out four of the red capsules in
his hand, pops them in his mouth, and washes it back with a
slug of Jack Daniel's from a pint bottle.
Richard looks at Seth through the hole in his hand. Like a
boxer, Richard wraps his wounded hand with gaffer's tape.
The camera leaves the boys, as they woosh down the street,
and goes along the length of the car to the trunk. It hangs
on the trunk. Then we see through the trunk, like Superman:
AN OLDER WOMAN tied up and helpless in the trunk.
The rest of the titles play over black as the song
continues.
CREDIT SEQUENCE ENDS
CUT TO:
EXT. EMMA AND PETE'S GRAVY TRAIN - DAY
Emma and Pete's Gravy Train is a truck stop off of Highway
290.
SUBTITLE APPEARS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN':
FORT STOCKTON
238 MILES FROM THE MEXICAN BORDER
INT. EMMA AND PETE'S GRAVY TRAIN - DAY
Emma and Pete's PATRONS are made up of regulars, truckers,
cowboys and road-weary travelers. The CAMERA DOLLIES through
the maze of tables, patrons, and waitresses.
It stops when it gets to a table occupied by the FULLER
FAMILY. The Fullers definitely fall into the road-weary
category. The members of the unit consist of the father,
JACOB, age 44, an ex-preacher, a good man with rough edges,
and his two children, KATE, age 19, is a young beauty who
possesses what can only be described as an apple pie
sensuality. She is dressed like a nice Christian girl,
complete with crucifix. SCOTT, age 16, is a Jacob's
Vietnamese adopted son. Scott is a likable, long-haired kid
who always wears a T-shirt with the name of the heavy metal
garage band he plays guitar for, "Precinct 13." The three
of them are wolfing down a late lunch.
JACOB
We got about two more hours of day
light left. That'll get us into
El Paso, which is right next to the
border. We'll stop at a motel --
SCOTT
Stop? We're not going to actually
stop at a motel, are we?
Scott and Kate speak together, obviously repeating something
that Jacob has said about three hundred times.
SCOTT AND KATE
We've got a Winnebago. We don't need
those over priced roach havens. We're
self contained.
JACOB
Okay, Okay, maybe I was a little
overzealous, but give me a break, I
just bought it.
Scott and Kate continue the impersonation.
SCOTT
Why, just look at all this. You got
your kitchen --
KATE
-- you got your microwave --
SCOTT
-- you got your sink --
KATE
-- you got your shower --
SCOTT
-- see this, television!
KATE
Feel this, real wood paneling. That's
real wood, too, not that fake stuff.
JACOB
Unless you two wiseacres wanna be
introduced to the joys of hitchhiking,
what say we drop this?
SCOTT
(to Kate)
The truth hurts.
KATE
(to Scott)
It's the bitterest of pills.
JACOB
You two ought to start a stand-up
act, because you're just wasting your
humor on me.
KATE
Ain't it the truth.
SCOTT
Why do you want to stop?
JACOB
I'm exhausted.
SCOTT
Lie in the back, Dad, I'll drive us
into Mexico.
Jacob gives Scott a look that says, "You aren't touching my
new motor home."
JACOB
I just bet you would. Don't even thin
about it. Besides, I want to have one
night's sleep in an
honest-to-goodness bed. The beds in
the home are okay, but they're not
like a real bed.
KATE
Hey, if we go to a motel, we can
swim.
SCOTT
I'll be right back. I'm gonna go to
the bathroom.
Scott gets up from the table and walks out back to the
restroom.
Jacob and Kate are left alone. There's an awkward moment of
silence before...
KATE
Dad, when I called the machine to
check our messages there was one from
Bethel Baptist. Mr.Franklin said he
wouldn't permanently replace you until
we came back. He said when we come
home, if you still feel the same
way --
JACOB
That's very nice of Ted, but I'll
call him tomorrow and tell him not
to bother waiting.
KATE
I didn't want to talk about this in
front of Scott because he gets upset.
But you don't believe in God
anymore?
JACOB
Not enough to be a pastor. Look, I
know this is hard on you kids. After
Jenny's death, this is probably the
last thing you need. But I can't do
it any longer. My congregation needs
spiritual leadership. Well, they can't
get that from me anymore. My faith is
gone. To answer your question, yes,
I do believe in Jesus. But do I love
them? No. After Jenny died, I just
thought, what's the point?
KATE
(pushing him)
It's just, all our lives you've been
a pastor. For twenty years you've
preached trust in the lord. And then
one day you wake up and say fuck him?
JACOB
I didn't say fuck him. I'm just not
connected anymore.
KATE
That happens, you'll get it back.
JACOB
Kate, give your old man a little
credit. Every person who chooses the
service of God as their life's work
has something in common. I don't care
if you're a preacher, a priest, a nun,
a rabbi or a Buddhist monk. Many,
many times during your life you'll
look at your reflection in the mirror
and ask yourself, am I a fool? We've
all done it. I'm not going through a
lapse. What I've experienced is closer
to awakening. I'm not trying to shake
your faith. I've just decided not to
devote my life to God anymore.
KATE
What do you think Mom would say?
JACOB
Mom's got nothing to say, she's dead.
CUT TO:
CLOSE UP: COUNTER BELL. A hand slams down on it. RING.
INT. LOBBY - DEW DROP INN - DAY
Seth stands at the front desk of the Dew Drop Inn. A
standard issue Texas motel. Richard sits outside in the car.
Nobody responds to the bell. Seth BANGS it impatiently five
times.
TEXAS VOICE (O.S.)
Hold your horses!
An OLD-TIMER walks through a curtain behind the counter.
He's eating a BBQ rib.
OLD-TIMER
(rough)
Whatcha want?
SETH
Whatcha think I want, ya mean old
bastard? I wanna room.
EXT. COURTYARD - DEW DROP INN - DAY
Richard sits in the car listening to Merle Haggard on the
radio. He watches from his perspective, Seth taking the
walking outside and getting in the car. Seth starts it up,
and drives them to their room.
RICHARD
Do they have cable?
SETH
No.
RICHARD
Do they have an X-rated channel?
SETH
No.
RICHARD
Do they have a waterbed?
SETH
They don't have anything except four
walls and a roof, and that's all we
need.
Their car drives up to room #9, but they park backing up the
trunk close to the door.
The two brothers get out of the car.
SETH
(tossing Richie the motel keys)
Open the door. We gotta do this fast.
Richie opens the door.
Seth goes to the trunk, looks around the court yard. It's
empty.
CLOSE UP: KEY going into the trunk lock, turning.
TRUNK POV: Seth looking into the camera.
SETH'S POV: A WOMAN in her late forties is lying scrunched
up in the trunk.
She is the HOSTAGE BANK TELLER from Abilene. She's stiff,
scared and looks an absolute mess.
SETH
Don't say a word.
The two brothers, quick as lightening, yank the woman out of
the trunk and whisk her into the motel room. SETH closes the
trunk, looks around for any Johnny eye-witnesses, doesn't
see any, slams the door.
INT. SETH AND RICHARD'S ROOM - DAY
Seth turns from the door, sees the hostage woman standing.
SETH
You. Plant yourself in that chair.
She sits down in the chair.
HOSTAGE
What are you planning on doing with --
SETH
-- I said plant yourself. Plants don't
talk. You wanna get on my good side?
Just sit still and don't make a peep.
She shuts up.
Richard slowly takes off his jacket. He winces from his
wound.
SETH
Let me help you.
He helps him get his jacket off.
SETH
How's it feel?
RICHARD
How ya think, it hurts like a
son-of-a-bitch.
Richie goes over to the bed and lies down on it. Seth takes
the pillow and stacks them for Richie to prop his back up
against.
SETH
I got both rooms on either side of us,
so we don't gotta worry about
eavesdropping assholes. How's that
feel? You okay?
RICHARD
Feels good.
SETH
I'm gonna go get the money.
He heads for the door.
EXT. COURTYARD - MOTEL - DAY
Seth goes into the car, takes out a big suitcase. He scans
the perimeter with his eyes, goes back inside.
INT. MOTEL ROOM #9 - DAY
Seth comes back in, lays the suitcase on the bed. Richie has
the TV remote control in his hand and he's flipping
stations. Seth looks at his watch.
SETH
It's about five o'clock.
(to hostage)
What time does it get dark around
here?
HOSTAGE
About seven.
SETH
Good. I'm going towards the border to
check things out while it's still
daylight. Call Carlos and arrange the
rendezvous.
RICHARD
Hey, when you talk to him, see if you
can arrange a better deal than thirty
percent.
SETH
That's their standard deal, brother.
They ain't about to change it for us.
RICHARD
Did you even to try to negotiate?
SETH
These guys ain't spic fire cracker
salesman from Tijuana. They don't even
know the meaning of the word "barter".
You wanna stay in El Ray? You give
them thirty percent of your loot. It's
scripture. So it is written, so shall
it be done. You want sanctuary, you
pay the price, and the price is thirty
percent.
RICHARD
All I'm saying --
SETH
-- This conversation is over.
Richie shrugs and turns back to TV, Seth turns to the
hostage, grabs a chair and slides it up in front of her.
SETH
Now, we need to have a talk. What's
your name?
HOSTAGE
Gloria.
He shakes her hand.
SETH
Hello, Gloria, I'm Seth and that's my
brother Richie. Let's cut to the
chase. I'm gonna ask you a question
and all I want is a yes or no answer.
Do you want to live through this?
GLORIA
Yes.
SETH
Good. Then let me explain the house
rules. Follow the rules, we'll get
along like a house on fire. Rule number
one: No noise, no question. You make a
noise...
(he holds up his .45)
...Mr. 45 makes a noise. You ask a
question, Mr. 45 answers it. Now are
you absolutely, positively clear about
rule number one?
GLORIA
Yes.
SETH
Rule number two: You do what we say,
when we say it. If you don't, see rule
number one.
Seth takes the .45, places the barrel next to the woman's
cheek. She squirms and shuts her eyes. He pulls back the
hammer.
SETH
Rule number three: Don't you ever try
and fuckin' run on us. 'Cause I got
five little friends, and they all run
faster 'n you can. Got it?
She nods her head yes.
He takes the gun away and replaces the hammer.
SETH
Open your eyes.
She does.
SETH
Gloria, you hang in there, follow the
rules, and don't fuck with us, you'll
get out of this alive. I give you my
word. Okay?
She nods her head yes.
Seth rises.
SETH
I'll be back in a bit.
He exits.
Richard looks to the TV, then looks to Gloria sitting
across the room in the chair.
RICHARD
Wanna come up here on the bed and
watch TV with me?
You can tell she doesn't want to.
He pats the empty space next to him.
RICHARD
Come on.
She gets out of her chair, walks across the bed, and sits
next to him.
EXT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY
A phone booth outside of a gas station. Seth is in the
middle of a conversation with the party on the other end.
SETH
Things are real hot here. Crossing's
gonna be a bitch.
(pause)
Don't worry, we'll get across. But
when we do, where do we go?
(pause)
Can we make it as close to the border
as possible? Texas wants our balls.
The quicker we're in your protection,
the better I'll feel.
(pause)
Okay, where?
(pause)
The Titty Twister?
(he laughs)
I love it already. Okay, Carlos, I'll
see you and your men at the "Titty
Twister" tomorrow morning.
(pause)
Bye, my friend.
Seth hangs up the phone, lights up a cigarette with his
Zippo lighter and exits frame. After Seth exits, leaving
the frame empty, a subtitle appears:
EL PASO
5 MILES FROM THE MEXICAN BORDER
CUT TO:
INT. SETH AND RICHARD'S MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Richard lies on the bed by himself, propped up by pillows,
watching TV, taking on hits from a water bong in the
shape of a wizard.
ON TV
A local newscaster named KELLY HOUGE is reporting a story
about the brothers.
KELLY HOUGE
(talking to camera)
This bloody crime spree started just a
week ago today. The oldest of the two
brothers...
MUG SHOT OF SETH
KELLY HOUGE (V.O)
...Seth Gecko was serving time in
Rolling's Kansas State Penitentiary
for his part in the 1988 Scott City
bank robbery in which two law
enforcement officers lost their lives.
BACK TO KELLY
KELLY HOUGE
Having served eight years of his
twenty-two year sentence, Seth Gecko
was brought to Wichita Municipal court
house for his first parole hearing. It
was while at the court house that this
man...
MUG SHOT OF RICHARD GECKO
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
... his younger brother Richard Gecko,
a known armed robber and sex offender,
pulled off a daring daylight escape...
BACK TO KELLY
KELLY HOUGE
...resulting in the death of four
Wichita law enforcement officers, and
this woman...
PHOTO OF WOMAN SMILING
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...Heide Vogel, sixth grade teacher
who was run over by the Geckos during
a high speed pursuit through downtown
Wichita.
MAP OF AMERICA
A red line travels from Wichita to Oklahoma.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
From there the brothers traveled
from Kansas through Oklahoma...
The red line enters Texas and the camera moves into Texas.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...into the great state of Texas, and
then finally...
WE ZOOM in on a red-circled Abilene.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...into Abilene.
We hear GUNFIRE and SCREAMS.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE CRIMINAL COURT BUILDING - DAY
Kelly Houge walks down the courthouse steps of the criminal
courts building of Abilene. She talks to the camera. Cops,
lawyers and citizens bustle in the background.
KELLY HOUGE
The list of the dead climbed up three
more notches since our last telecast.
CUT TO:
PHOTO: OFFICER SHERMAN GOODELL in full police uniform.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
Officer Sherman Goodell, who was in
intensive care following the gun
battle outside of the Valley Federal
bank building...
CUT TO:
EXT. COURTHOUSE - DAY
Kelly Houge standing on the court house steps talking into
the camera.
KELLY HOUGE
...died about forty-five minutes ago
at Hopkins General hospital. And about
six hours ago, during a daylight
liquor store robbery in Big Springs,
The Gecko Brothers killed another
Texas Ranger...
CUT TO:
PHOTO: EARL MCGRAW in uniform.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...Earl McGraw...
CUT TO:
PHOTO: PETE in a Hawaiian shirt holding up a big fish.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...and liquor store clerk Pet
Bottoms.
CUT TO:
VIDEO FOOTAGE: Of Benny's World of Liquor burning down.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
Then they proceeded to burn the store
down to the ground.
CUT TO:
VIDEO GRAPHIC: Picture of The Gecko Brothers with a tally underneath:
THE GECKO BROTHERS
WICHITA JAIL BREAK
VALLEY FEDERAL BANK ROBBERY
BIG SPRINGS CONVENIENCE STORE ROBBERY
DEATH TOLL
13
TEXAS RANGERS - POLICE OFFICERS - CIVILIANS
4 7 2
KELLY HOUGE
That changes the death toll to fifteen.
(It changes under "Death toll")
Five Texas Rangers...
(it changes)
Eight police officers
(it changes)
Three civilians.
(it changes)
CUT TO:
BACK TO KELLY
KELLY HOUGE
And one hostage...
CUT TO:
PHOTO: GLORIA HILL
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
... bank teller and mother of four,
Gloria Hill.
KELLY TO CAMERA
KELLY HOUGE
Heading the case to bring these
fugitives to justice is FBI agent
Stanley Chase. We talked with agent
Chase earlier this afternoon.
CUT TO:
VIDEO INTERVIEW
Kelly Houge interviewing STANLEY CHASE of the FBI.
STANLEY CHASE
For the time being we are very
confident we will apprehend the
fugitives in the next forty-eight
hours. The Bureau, local law
enforcement and the Texas Rangers
have all joined forces in forming a
dragnet to snare Seth and Richard
Gecko.
KELLY HOUGE
Agent Chase, does it appear that they
are heading for Mexico.
STANLEY CHASE
Yes, it does, Kelly. We have already
alerted the Mexican authorities. They
intend to cooperate every way possible
in bringing these fugitives to
justice.
KELLY HOUGE
Are you optimistic about the safety of
the hostage they took in Abilene,
Gloria Hill?
STANLEY CHASE
We've received no news one way or the
other. We can only hope for the best.
KELLY HOUGE
What about the report from an
eyewitness at the liquor store who
said one of the brothers was shot?
STANLEY CHASE
This can't be confirmed at this time,
but we do believe it to be true. We
have reason to believe it was the
youngest brother Richard, and he was
shot in the vicinity of his neck and
shoulders by the store's clerk.
KELLY HOUGE
Is it safe to assume that because the
death count involved and the loss of
life of law enforcement officers, that
the Bureau, the Rangers and the police
force are taking this manhunt
personally?
STANLEY CHASE
I would say that's a very safe
assumption.
CUT TO:
RICHARD SMILES.
RICHARD
(Newscaster's voice)
Is it safe to assume since the law
enforcement authorities in the great
state of Texas are homosexuals of a
sick and deviate nature, that they
will be too busy fucking each other
up the ass to actually catch The
Gecko Brothers?
(in an FBI voice)
I would say that's a very safe
assumption.
He changes a channel on the television. We see a Casper the
Friendly Ghost cartoon on the screen.
CASPER
Would you play with me?
A big burly COP turns around.
COP
Sure, little boy... A GHOST!!!
The cop heads for the hills. Casper cries.
Seth enters the room carrying a six pack of beer and two
take-out bags of Big Kahuna burgers.
RICHARD
Shit, I started to get worried. Where
the fuck ya been?
SETH
Sight seein'.
RICHARD
What'd ya see?
SETH
Cops.
RICHARD
Didya look at the border?
Seth dumps the burgers on the bed. Both men pop open beers
and Richard goes to town on a hamburger. Seth flips off
the TV
SETH
Yeah, I saw the border. Through
binoculars from on top of a high
building. That's about as close as I
risked getting. What's the TV say?
RICHARD
They're going to apprehend us in
forty-eight hours.
Seth sits down and takes a hit off his beer.
SETH
(to himself)
I gotta figure a way to get across
that goddamn border. Longer we fuck
around El Paso our lives ain't worth
a shit.
RICHARD
Look, fuck the border. Let's just dig
in and wait for things to cool down.
SETH
Richie, it's gonna get a lot fuckin'
worse before it gets any fuckin'
better. We showed our ass in Texas. We
killed Texas fuckin' Rangers. They
ain't gonna stop lookin' till they
find us, and when they find us,
they're gonna kill us. Texans take it
very personal when ya kill their law
enforcement officers. The El Paso
police have already started a motel
and hotel search for us.
RICHARD
How do you know?
SETH
I heard it on the radio. We gotta get
our asses into Mexico tonight. Carlos
is gonna meet us tomorrow morning at a
rendezvous on the other side, then
Carlos and his boys will escort us to
El Ray and --
Seth stops talking and looks around.
SETH
Where's the woman?
RICHARD
What?
Seth's out of his chair.
SETH
What'd ya mean, what? The fuckin'
woman, the hostage. Where the fuck
is she, Richard!?
RICHARD
She's in the other room.
SETH
What the fuck is she doin' there?!
He goes to the door of the adjoining room.
RICHARD
Seth, before you open the door, let
me explain what happened.
Seth stops and looks at his brother. He knows what he means.
He can't say anything, only point at his younger sibling.
Then he BURSTS open the door.
The dead, naked body of Gloria Hill lies on the bed. It's
obvious Richard raped her and killed her.
Seth covers his eyes with his hands. He slowly enters the
room with the dead body.
SETH
(to himself)
Oh, Richard, what's wrong with you?
Richard rises from the bed.
RICHARD
Now, Seth, before you flip out, let me
just explain what happened.
Seth slowly turns to his brother, then walks toward him.
Richard backs up.
SETH
Yeah, explain it to me. I need an
explanation. What's the matter with
you?
RICHARD
(low and calm)
There's nothing wrong with me,
brother. That woman tried to escape
and I did what I had to do.
SETH
No.
(pause)
That woman wouldn't of said shit if
she had a mouthful.
RICHARD
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong,
wrong, wrong! Once you left, she
became a whole different person.
SETH
(slowly approaching)
Is it me? Is it my fault?
RICHARD
It's not your fault, it's her fault!
Seth grabs Richard and THROWS him in the corner of the room,
holding tightly to his wrist.
SETH
Is this my fault? Do you think this
is what I am?
RICHARD
What?
SETH
This is not me! I am a professional
fucking thief. I steal money. You try
to stop me, god help you. But I don't
kill people I don't have to, and I
don't rape women. What you doin' ain't
how it's done. Do you understand?
RICHARD
Seth, if you were me --
SETH
Just say yes! Nothing else, just say
yes.
RICHARD
Yes.
SETH
Yes, Seth, I understand.
RICHARD
Yes, Seth, I understand.
Seth hugs his little brother. Tight.
SETH
(whispers in Richie's ear)
We get into Mexico, it's gonna be
sweet Rosemary, hundred-proof liquor,
and rice and beans. None of this
shit's gonna matter.
INT. MOTOR HOME - NIGHT
Scott and Kate are in the front seat of their parked motor
home. The motor home's parked in front of the Dew Drop
Inn's front office. We see Jacob inside getting a room from
the Old-Timer.
KATE
I can't believe he's stopping here.
This place looks totally cruddy.
Jacob walks out of the office. Kate yells from the motor
home.
KATE
Dad, why are we stopping here?
He opens the meter home door and climbs in.
JACOB
There's nothing wrong with this
place.
KATE
It's a flop house.
JACOB
It's not a flop house. It's basic
and simple. That doesn't make it a
flop house.
KATE
If it doesn't have a pool, we're
looking for a new place.
Starting the huge car and slowly maneuvering it through the
courtyard.
JACOB
It has a bed. That's all I care about.
KATE
Other places have beds, they also have
cable TV, a gym, room service...
EXT. COURTYARD - NIGHT
Seth walks out of room #9 with a beer in his hand. He's
thinking about how he's going to get over the border
tonight. Lost in thought, he steps out in the path of the
Fuller's motor home.
Jacob slams on the brakes. Seth jumps back, startled. Both
Kate and Scott are TOSSED out of their seats onto the floor.
THUD... THUD...
KATE
Owww, my head.
Jacob (pissed) honks his horn at Seth and yells out the
window.
JACOB
Watch where you're going!
THROUGH WINDSHIELD
Seth just stands right in their way without moving, gazing
up at the giant motor home.
JACOB BEHIND THE WHEEL
Kate and Scott join him up front looking at this weirdo.
SCOTT
What's this guy's problem?
JACOB
I have no idea.
Seth continues standing in their way, making no attempt to
move. Not threatening, just looking at them.
HONK!
JACOB
Anytime, man.
The horn snaps Seth back to this world. A smile breaks out
on the escaped fugitive's face and he politely steps to one
side to let them pass.
Pass they do!
KATE
Creepy guy.
SETH
The Sword of Damocles is lifted from above Seth's head. He's
just solved a problem that a mere thirty seconds ago seemed
unsolvable. He knows exactly how he's going to cross the
border. Whistling a happy tune, he turns and walks back into
room #9.
INT. FULLERS' MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
The Fullers are in room #12. It's identical to the one that
the Gecko boys are in, except that the paintings above the
beds are different. Jacob has fallen asleep in his clothes
on the bed.
Scott sits in a chair, headphones on, playing an unplugged
electric guitar. Kate is nowhere in sight.
KNOCK... KNOCK... KNOCK... on the door. Scott doesn't hear
shit but his music. Jacob stirs a bit, but doesn't wake up.
POUND... POUND... POUND... on the door. Jacob SPRINGS UP.
He looks over at Scott, who, lost in guitar heaven, is
oblivious of the knocker, then to the door.
JACOB
(yelling)
What?
From the other side of the door comes a friendly voice.
VOICE (O.S.)
I'm your neighbor in room 9, I hate to
disturb you, but I'd like to ask a favor.
Jacob swings his feet to the floor, stands up and walks to
the door. As he passes Scott, he says, in his direction --
JACOB
I hope none of this is disturbing you.
Scott can't hear him, but when he sees his dad look at him,
he smiles.
Jacob opens the door and sees...
... Richard Gecko standing in the doorway, looking like the
nicest guy in the entire world.
RICHARD
Hi there, I'm from room 9, my name is
Don Cornelius. No, not the Don
Cornelius from Soul Train. Me and my
lady friend need some ice and we don't
seem to have an ice bucket. Could we
possibly borrow yours? I'll bring it
right back.
JACOB
(still partially asleep)
Sure.
We follow Jacob as he turns to the dresser to get the motel
ice bucket. He grabs it, turns back to the door, takes a
couple of steps towards it, then stops: in his tracks.
He sees Richard and Seth both inside the room with the door
closed, both with .45's in their hands, both aimed at him.
JACOB
What is this?
Seth SLUGS Jacob in the mouth, KNOCKING him to the ground.
SETH
It's called a punch.
Scott suddenly becomes aware of what's going on around him
and instinctively stands. Richard shoves his .45 in Scott's
mouth.
RICHARD
Sit down.
Scott lowers himself back down onto his seat.
RICHARD
Good boy.
Jacob lifts his head off the floor and wipes blood away from
his lip. He looks at his opponent who stands over him.
SETH
(to Jacob)
What's your name?
JACOB
Jacob.
SETH
Okay, Jacob, get up and sit your ass
down on the bed. Make a wrong move and
I'll shoot you in the face.
Jacob rises and sits on the edge of the bed.
SETH
(to Richard)
Okay, move the Jap over there.
Keeping the gun in Scott's mouth, Richard makes Scott rise...
RICHARD
Upsy daisy.
...guiding him over to the bed by his father.
Richard removes the gun from Scott's mouth and stands next
to his brother, looking down at their two hostages.
SETH
(to his hostages)
What's the story with you two? You a
couple of fags?
JACOB
He's my son.
SETH
How does that happen? You don't look
Japanese.
JACOB
Neither does he. He looks Vietnamese.
SETH
Oh, well, excuse me all to hell.
JACOB
What's this about, money?
SETH
It's about money, all right, but not
yours. You see, me and my brother here
are in a little hot water and we need
your assistance.
The door to room #12 opens and a dripping wet, bikini clad
Kate walks in.
The brothers spin their guns in her direction.
Kate, startled, screams. Jacob and Scott get on their feet
and move forward. Seth spins back towards the two men, gun
ready to spit.
SETH
(to Scott and Jacob)
Stop!
Jacob and Scott freeze.
Richard moves like quicksilver, shutting the door and
positioning himself behind the terrified Kate.
KATE
What's going on?
RICHARD
We're having a wet bikini contest,
and you just won.
JACOB
(to Kate)
It's okay, honey. Everything's going
to be all right.
SETH
Just listen to daddy, sugar, and don't
do nothin' stupid.
(he turns to Jacob and Scott,
who are still standing)
You two, Simon says sit the fuck down!
They slowly sit.
Richard can't take his eyes off the dripping wet Kate.
Both Jacob and Seth see this and neither men like it. Both
for their own reasons.
SETH
(to Jacob)
Where are the keys to the motor home?
JACOB
On the dresser.
SETH
Richie, take the keys. Start that big
bastard up, and drive it up front.
Richard doesn't move from his position behind Kate. Kate
feels his eyes on her. She slowly turns and looks at him.
He looks in her face.
CLOSE-UP KATE
She smiles at him.
KATE
Richie, will you do me a favor and eat
my pussy?
CLOSE-UP RICHARD
RICHARD
Sure.
SETH (O.S.)
Richard!
Richard's eyes go to Seth.
Everybody is where they were. Kate never turned around.
SETH
Not when you get around to it, now.
Without saying a word, he takes the keys and leaves the
room.
SETH
(pointing at Kate)
You, Gidget, go in the bathroom and
put on some clothes.
She grabs some clothes from the floor and moves towards the
bathroom.
Seth GRABS her wrist.
SETH
You got three minutes. One second
longer, I shoot your father in the
face. Do you understand what I just
said?
KATE
Yes.
SETH
Do you believe me?
KATE
Yes.
SETH
You damn well better. Go.
She goes into the bathroom.
JACOB
Look, if you want the motor home, just
take it and get out.
Seth grabs a chair and slides it up to his two male
hostages.
SETH
Sorry, Pops, it ain't gonna be that
easy.
We hear the motor home "HONK" twice outside.
SETH
Get ready to move out, we're all going
on a little ride.
Jacob shakes his head "no."
JACOB
Not a chance.
SETH
Come again?
JACOB
If you're taking people, take me. But
my kids aren't going anywhere with
you.
SETH
Sorry, I need everybody.
JACOB
My children are not going with you,
and that's that.
SETH
(angry)
That's not fuckin' that...
(holds up his gun)
this is fuckin' this.
(he calms down and looks
at Scott)
Go sit over there.
Scott gets up and walks to the other side of the room,
leaving the two men alone. Seth speaks in a quiet,
conversational tone.
SETH
I ain't got time to fuck around with
you, so I'll make this simple. Take
your kids and get in the car, or I'll
execute all three of you right now.
(he cocks the gun and puts
it right in Jacob's face)
What's it gonna be, yes or no answer?
Jacob looks at him.
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
Good.
(to Scott)
Your old man's all right, he just
saved your life.
Seth BANGS on the bathroom door.
SETH
Times up, Princess.
The bathroom door opens. Kate stands there, wearing a
T-shirt, jeans and bare feet.
SETH
Okay, ramblers, let's get to rambling.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT
The motor home with the powder-keg interior drives through
the Lone Star night.
INT. MOTOR HOME NIGHT
Richard's in the back bed area with a gun trained on Kate
and Scott. The two scared siblings hold hands.
KATE
Excuse me.
Richard zeros in on her.
RICHARD
What?
KATE
Where are you taking us?
RICHARD
Mexico.
KATE
What's in Mexico?
RICHARD
Mexicans.
He doesn't smile.
In the front part of the motor home, Jacob sits behind the
wheel, driving into the night. Seth sits in the passenger
seat, going through Jacob's wallet and talking to him
calmly.
SETH
(reading his driver's license)
Jacob Fuller. Jacob, that's biblical,
ain't it? What am I askin' for, of
course it is.
(motioning behind him)
What are their names?
JACOB
Scott and Kate.
Seth repeats the names as he thumbs through the wallet.
SETH
Scott and Kate... Kate and Scott...
Scott Fuller... Kate Fuller...
Seth comes to a snapshot of Jacob and his wife.
SETH
Who's this?
JACOB
My wife.
SETH
Where is the little lady?
JACOB
In heaven.
SETH
She's dead?
JACOB
Yes, she is.
SETH
How'd she die?
JACOB
Auto wreck.
SETH
Come on, gimme some more details.
How'd it happen? Some fuckin' drunk
kill her?
JACOB
No. It was a rainy night, the brakes
on the car weren't great. She had to
stop suddenly. She slid on the road,
she crashed, she died.
SETH
Died instantly?
JACOB
Not quite. She was trapped in the
wreck for about six hours before she
passed on.
SETH
Whewww! Those acts of God really stick
it in and break it off, don't they?
JACOB
Yes, they do.
Seth looks back at the wallet. He sees Jacob's minister's
license.
SETH
Is this real?
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
I've seen one of these before. A
friend of mine had himself declared
a minister of his own religion. Away
to fuck the IRS. Is that what you're
doing, or are you the real McCoy?
JACOB
Real McCoy.
SETH
You're a preacher?
JACOB
I was a minister.
SETH
Was? As in not anymore?
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
Why'd ya quit?
JACOB
I think I've gotten about as up close
and personal with you as I'm gonna
get. Now if you need me like I think
you need me, you're not gonna kill me
'cause I won't answer your stupid,
prying questions. So, with all due
respect, mind your own business.
SETH
I seem to have touched a nerve. Don't
be so sensitive, Pops, let's keep this
friendly. But you're right, enough
with the getting to know you shit.
Now, there's two ways we can play this
hand. One way is me and you go round
an' round all fuckin' night. The other
way, is we reach some sort of an
understanding. Now, if we go down that
first path at the end of the day, I'll
win. But we go down the second, we'll
both win. Now, I don't give a rat's
ass about you or your fuckin' family.
Y'all can live forever or die this
second and I don't care which. The
only things I do care about are me
that son-of-a-bitch in the back, and
our money. And right now I need to get
those three things into Mexico. Now,
stop me if I'm wrong, but I take it
you don't give a shit about seeing me
and my brother receiving justice, or
the bank getting its money back. Right
now all you care about is the safety
of your daughter, your son and
possibly yourself. Am I correct?
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
I thought so. You help us get across
the border without incident, stay with
us the rest of the night without
trying anything funny, and in the
morning we'll let you and your family
go. That way everybody gets what they
want. You and your kids get out of
this alive and we get into Mexico.
Everybody's happy.
JACOB
How do I know you'll keep your word?
SETH
Jesus Christ, Pops, don't start with
this shit.
JACOB
You want me to sit here and be
passive. The only way being passive in
this situation makes sense is if I
believe you'll let us go. I'm not
there yet. You have to convince me
you're telling the truth.
SETH
Look, dickhead, the only thing you
need to be convinced about is that
you're stuck in a situation with a
coupla real mean motor scooters. I
don't wanna hafta worry about you all
fuckin' night. And I don't think you
wanna be worrying about my brother's
intentions toward your daughter all
night. You notice the way he looked
at her, didn't ya?
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
Didn't like it, did ya?
JACOB
No, I didn't.
SETH
Didn't think so. So, as I was saying,
I'm willing to make a deal. You
behave, get us into Mexico, and don't
try to escape. I'll keep my brother
off your daughter and let you all
loose in the morning.
JACOB
You won't let him touch her?
SETH
I can handle Richie, don't worry.
The two men look at each other for some measure of trust.
Seth sticks out his hand.
SETH
I give you my word.
Seth can't help but think about the last time he gave his
word.
SETH
(hand sticks out)
My words, my law. Better you not take
it, and that's just where we are,
then take it and not mean it.
Jacob takes his hand, but looks right into Seth.
JACOB
If he touches her, I'll kill him. I
don't give a fuck how many guns you
have, nothing will stop me from
killing him.
SETH
Fair enough. You break your word, I'll
kill all of you.
(calling to the back)
Kate, honey!
KATE
Yeah.
SETH
You must have a bible in here, don't
cha?
KATE
Yeah, we got a bible.
SETH
Get it and bring it up here, will
ya, please?
Kate goes into a drawer, pulls out a bible and brings it up
front.
SETH
Hold it right there, sweetie pie.
(to Jacob)
Put your hand on it.
Jacob does.
SETH
Swear to God, on the Bible, you won't
try to escape and you'll get us across
the border.
JACOB
I swear to God I won't try to escape
and I'll do my best to get you into
Mexico.
SETH
You best better get it done, Pops.
Seth places his hand on the Bible.
SETH
I swear to God I'll let you loose in the
morning. And your daughter will be safe. And I
also swear if you do anything to fuck me up,
I'll slit all your throats.
TIME CUT TO:
INT. MOTOR HOME - NIGHT
Richard's in the back with Kate and Scott. Richard,
expressionless, looks at Kate's bare feet.
SLOW ZOOM KATE'S BARE FEET
EX CLOSE-UP KATE'S TOES. They wiggle.
His eyes go to her hands.
SLOW ZOOM KATE'S HANDS
EX CLOSE-UP KATE'S FINGERS
His eyes go to her neck.
SLOW ZOOM NAPE OF KATE'S NECK
EX CLOSE-UP KATE'S ADAM'S APPLE. She swallows.
His eyes move up.
SIDE PROFILE OF KATE, SLOW ZOOM TO KATE'S LIPS
Back to Richard.
RICHARD
Did ya mean what you said back there?
Kate turns to him.
KATE
What?
RICHARD
In the room. Were you serious, or were
you just foolin' around? I'm just
bringing it up, 'cause if you really
want me to do that for you, I will.
KATE
Do what?
RICHARD
(in a whisper)
What you said to me in the room.
KATE
(whispers back)
What did I say?
RICHARD
(whisper)
You asked me if I would --
SETH (O.S.)
Richard!
RICHARD
(to Seth)
What?
Seth and Jacob.
SETH
I told you to watch those kids, I didn't say
talk to 'em. You guys ain't got nothin' to say
to one another. So cut the chatter.
Richard turns to Kate.
RICHARD
(quiet)
We'll talk later.
Kate still hasn't a clue what he means.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE MEXICAN BORDER - NIGHT
Automobiles are lined up, waiting one by one to go into
Mexico. Cop cars with their red and blue lights flashing
are all over the place. Border Patrol men and Police are
stopping all cars. Pulling up to the end of the line is the
Fuller's mobile home.
INT. MOBILE HOME - NIGHT
Jacob at the wheel, Seth in the passenger seat. Seth jumps
up and goes into action.
SETH
Okay everybody, it's show time.
Richie, take Kate in the bathroom.
Richard grabs the terrified Kate and drags her in the bathroom,
SETH
Scott, you come up front with your
daddy.
Scott does. Seth, keeping low, gets behind Jacob.
JACOB
I'm telling you, don't hurt her.
SETH
As long as you're cool, she'll be
cool. What're ya gonna say?
JACOB
I don't have the slightest idea.
SETH
Well, you just keep thinkin' of that
gun next to Kate's temple.
Seth disappears into the bathroom with Kate and Richard,
closing the door behind him.
Father and son are alone for the first time since this whole
thing began.
SCOTT
What are you gonna do?
JACOB
I'm gonna try and get us across the
border.
SCOTT
No, dad, you gotta tell 'em that
they're back there.
Jacob is surprised to hear Scott say this.
INT. BATHROOM - MOBILE HOME - NIGHT
The bathroom, which consists of a shower, a toilet and a
small sink, is a tight fit with three people in it.
Richard has his back against the wall, with his arm around
Kate, holding her in front of him. One hand is over her
mouth, the other holds a .45 against her head.
Kate's eyes are wide with fear.
Seth stands, .45 in hand, ready to fire if the wrong person
should open the door.
Everybody talks low and quiet.
RICHARD
This isn't gonna work.
SETH
Shut up. It's gonna work just fine,
RICHARD
I just want to go on record as saying
this is a bad idea.
SETH
Duly noted. Now, shut up.
Everyone's quiet for a second, till Richard breaks it.
RICHARD
(to himself)
They're gonna search the van.
SETH
(offhand)
As long as you don't act like a
fuckin' nut, we'll be just fine.
RICHARD
What does that mean?
SETH
(distracted)
What?
Richard lets Kate go, she quickly moves to the side.
RICHARD
You just called me a fuckin' nut.
SETH
No, I didn't.
RICHARD
Yes, you did. You said as long as I
don't act like a fuckin' nut, implying
that I've been acting like a fuckin'
nut.
SETH
Take a pill, kid. I just meant stay
cool.
RICHARD
You meant that, but you meant the
other, too.
Kate can't believe what she's watching. Neither can Seth.
SETH
(serious as a heart attack)
This ain't the time, Richard.
RICHARD
(his voice rising)
Fuck those spic pigs! You called me a
fuckin' nut, and where I come from,
that stops the train on its tracks.
SETH
(real quiet and violent)
Keep your voice down.
RICHARD
(quiet back)
Or what?
BACK TO JACOB AND SCOTT
JACOB
Have you forgotten about your sister?
SCOTT
They're gonna kill us. They get us
across the border, they're gonna take
us out in the desert and shoot us.
JACOB
If they get over the border, they're
gonna let us go.
SCOTT
Dad, I watch those reality shows.
They never let anybody go. Any cop
will tell you, in a situation like
this, you get a chance, you go for it.
This is our chance.
JACOB
What about Kate?
SCOTT
They're gonna kill her anyway. At
least now with all these cops we've
got a fighting chance.
JACOB
Son, I have this situation under
control. I know exactly what I'm
doing. You're going to have to trust
me on this.
SCOTT
If trusting you means trusting those
fuckin' killers, I can't do that. If
you don't tell the cops, I will.
Jacob grabs Scott by the front of his shirt, and yanks him
to him.
JACOB
Now, you listen to me. You ain't gonna
do a goddamn fucking thing, you hear
me! Nobody cares what you think, I'm
running this show, I make the
decisions.
SCOTT
He's running the show.
JACOB
I'm running the show. I make the
plays, and you back the plays I
make. Stop thinking with your fucking
balls. Kate in a room with a couple of
desperate men with nothing to fucking
lose ain't the time to "go for it."
I need your cover. Cover my ass.
There's a HONK behind them.
They both look out the window. It's their turn with the
BORDER PATROL GUARDS. JACOB takes the wheel and drives up.
A stern BORDER GUARD approaches JACOB'S window.
BORDER GUARD
How many with you?
JACOB
Just my son and I.
BORDER GUARD
What is your purpose in Mexico?
JACOB
Vacation. I'm taking him to see his
first bullfight.
BACK TO BATHROOM
RICHARD
I'm curious. What was the nuttiest
thing I did?
SETH
This ain't the time.
RICHARD
Oh, I know, was it possibly when your
ass was rotting in jail and I broke it
out? Yeah, you're right, that was
pretty fuckin' nutty. Not to mention
stupid. But you know what? I can fix
that right now.
SETH HAULS off and PUNCHES Richard smack in the head.
Richard HITS the floor, Guard, Jacob, and Scott hear
Richard fall in the bathroom.
BORDER GUARD
What was that?
JACOB
Oh, that's just my daughter in the
bathroom.
BORDER GUARD
You said it was just you and your son.
JACOB
I meant me, my son and my daughter.
CLOSE-UP BORDER GUARD
BORDER GUARD
Open the door. I'm coming aboard.
BACK TO BATHROOM
CLOSE-UP KATE
We can only see Kate's face. It's scared. We hear rustling
around the bathroom, but we don't know what it is.
Then it's quiet. Then we hear talking outside the door, but
we can't make it out. Then we hear a knock.
KATE
I'm in the bathroom.
BORDER GUARD (O.S.)
It's the Border Patrol. Open up.
KATE
It's open.
We hear the door open and see the light change on Kate's
face. She's looking up.
BORDER GUARD in the doorway looking in.
HE SEES: Kate by herself, pants around her ankles, sitting
on the toilet.
KATE
Do you mind? Shut the fucking door.
BORDER GUARD
Excuse me.
He closes the door. Kate lets out a breath. We wait a beat,
Seth pulls back the curtain in the shower, we see Richie on
the floor of the shower knocked out.
Seth and Kate meet eyes.
He gives her the O.K. signal.
CUT TO:
BACK WINDOW MOTOR HOME
We see through the back window of the motor home, the border
getting smaller as we drive away from it.
Scott knocks on the bathroom door.
SCOTT
It's clear.
Seth BURSTS out of the bathroom.
SETH
Goddamn, that was. intense!
Seth goes to the back window. He sees the border getting
farther and farther away. No cars following.
SETH
(to himself)
We did it.
(pause)
We're in Mexico.
Seth throws his head back and SCREAMS for joy.
Kate, emerging from the bathroom, reacts to Seth's scream,
along with Scott.
Seth is so happy that he does a little jig in the back of
the van.
Everybody else is still tense as shit. But Seth lets go of
all his tension, and becomes a new man before our eyes. He
turns to Kate.
SETH
(loud and happy)
Come here, Kate!
Kate, nervous, takes a step back.
He charges for her. GRABS her, hugs her around her waist,
and spins her around. When he lets her go, she stumbles
dizzily onto the bed.
SETH
(to Kate)
You were magnificent! You told him to
shut the fucking door. I'm hiding in
the shower, and I'm thinking to
myself, "Did I just fuckin' hear what
I just fuckin' heard? And what does he
do -- he shuts the fucking door!
Kate kind of half smiles.
SETH
If I was a bit younger, baby, I'd
fuckin' marry you!
Seth goes up front and slaps Jacob on the back.
SETH
I gotta hand it to ya, Pops, you
raised a fuckin' woman.
Jacob doesn't share Seth's enthusiasm, but he is relieved.
JACOB
We did our part, we gotcha in Mexico.
Now it's time for your part, letting
us go.
SETH
Pops, when you're right, you're right,
and you are right.
KATE
(suddenly brightens)
You're gonna let us go?
SETH
In the morning, darlin', in the
morning, we are G-O-N-E and you are
F-R-E-E. Now, I know I put you guys
through hell, and I know I've been one
rough pecker, but from here on end you
guys are in my cool book. Scotty, help
me pick Richie up, and lay him down.
Jacob, keep going on this road till
you get to a sign that says, "Digayo."
When you get to Digayo, turn this big
bastard left, go on down for a few
miles, then you see a bar called "The
Titty Twister." From what I hear, you
can't miss it.
JACOB
Then?
SETH
Then stop, 'cause that's where we're
going.
He slaps him once again on the back, and leaves to attend
to Richard.
CUT TO:
CLOSE-UP RICHARD without glasses. Unconscious, Seth slaps
his face.
SETH (O.S.)
C'mon, kid, wake up. Don't make a
career out of it.
Richard starts coming to and opens his eyes. Seth sits at the
foot of the bed.
SETH
You okay?
RICHARD
(disoriented)
Yeah, I think so. What happened?
SETH
I don't know, you just passed out.
RICHARD
I did?
SETH
Yeah, we were just standing there. You
said something about your shoulder
hurting, then you just hit the ground
like a sack of potatoes.
RICHARD
Really?
SETH
Yeah, when you fell your head smacked
the toilet hard. It scared the shit
outta me. Sure you're okay?
RICHARD
Yeah, I guess. I'm just a little
fucked up.
SETH
Well, let me tell ya something, gonna
clear your head right up. We are
officially Mexicans.
RICHARD
What?
SETH
We are...
(singing)
"South of the border down Mexico way."
RICHARD
We are?
SETH
Yep. We're heading for the rendezvous
right now. We get there, we pound
booze till Carlos shows up, he escorts
us to El Ray. And then me and you,
brother, kick fuckin' back. How ya
like them apples?
Slowly shaking the cobwebs out of his head.
RICHARD
Far out.
(pause)
Where are my glasses?
SETH
They broke when you fell.
RICHARD
Oh, fuck, Seth, that's my only pair!
SETH
Don't worry about it, we'll get you
some glasses.
RICHARD
What dya mean, don't worry about it.
Of course I'm gonna worry about it,
I can't fuckin' see.
SETH
When we get to El Ray, I'll take care
of it.
RICHARD
Yeah, like a Mexican
hole-in-the-wall's gonna have my
fuckin' prescription.
SETH
It's not a big deal, unless you make
it a big deal. Now, I'm real happy,
Richie, stop bringing me down with
bullshit.
Jacob calls to the back.
JACOB
Guys! We're here.
CUT TO:
A neon sign that flashes:
THE TITTY TWISTER
Hiker/Trucker bar, Dusk till Dawn
Underneath the joint's proud name on the sign, and
on top of "Biker/Trucker bar, Dusk till Dawn" is a
well-endowed woman, whose breast is being twisted
by a neon hand.
EXT. THE TITTY TWISTER NIGHT
The neon sign sits on top of the rudest, sleaziest, most
crab-infested, strip joint, honky-tonk whorehouse in all of
Mexico.
The Titty Twister is located out in the middle of
nowheres ville. It sits by itself with nothing around it for
miles. A plethora of choppers and eighteen wheelers are
parked out in front. The walls almost pulsate from the LOUD,
RAUNCHY MUSIC within the structure. Signs cover the walls
outside reading things like:
"NUDE DANCING", "WHORES", "BEER", "AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD",
"BIKERS AND TRUCKERS ONLY", "OPEN DUSK TILL DAWN",
"THURSDAY COCKFIGHT NIGHT", "WEDNESDAY DOGFIGHT NIGHT",
"DONKEY SHOW MONDAYS", "EVERY FRIDAY BARE KNUCKLE FIGHT TO
THE DEATH, FEATURING THE LOVELY SANTANICO PANDEMONIUM",
"ATHENA AND DANNY THE WONDER PONY", and "THE SLEAZY TITTY
TWISTER DANCERS."
In the parking lot, a BIKER and a TRUCK DRIVER beat the shit
out of each other, one with a pipe, the other with a hammer.
A SECOND BIKER fucks a Titty Twister WHORE against the wall.
A greasy man, known as CHET PUSSY, stands in the parking
lot, soliciting customers through a Mr. Microphone.
CHET
Pussy, pussy, pussy! All pussy must
go. At the Titty Twister we're
slashing pussy in half! This is a
pussy blow out! Make us an offer on our
vast selection of pussy! We got white
pussy, black pussy, Spanish pussy,
yellow pussy, hot pussy, cold pussy,
wet pussy, tight pussy, big pussy,
bloody pussy, fat pussy, hairy pussy,
smelly pussy, velvet pussy, silk
pussy, Naugahyde pussy, snappin'
pussy, horse pussy, dog pussy, mule
pussy, fake pussy! If we don't have
it, you don't want it!
The Fullers' recreational vehicle pulls into the parking
lot and stops.
INT. MOTOR HOME - NIGHT
What's left of the Fuller family and the Gecko family look
out the windshield onto the sight that is the Titty Twister.
SETH
(to the group)
Okay, troops, this is the homestretch.
Here's the deal; this place closes at
dawn. Carlos is gonna meet us here
sometime before dawn. Which by my
guesstimate is somewhere between three
or four hours from now. So we're gonna
go in there, take a seat, have a drink
-- have a bunch of drinks, and wait
for Carlos. That could be an hour,
that could be three hours, I don't
know which. But when he gets here,
me and Richie are going to leave
with him. After we split, you guys
are officially out of this stewpot.
Let me just say I'm real happy about
where we're at. We got a real nice, "I
don't fuck with you -- you don't fuck
with me" attitude going on. Now, if
everybody just keeps playin' it cool
-- and I'm talking to you, too, Richie
-- everybody's gonna get what they
want. Comprende, amigos?
Everybody nods and mutters in agreement.
SETH
Okay hard drinkers, let's drink hard.
I'm buyin'.
EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT
The camper door FLIES OPEN and the two brothers and the
Fuller family step out into the night.
They look across the parking lot at the Titty Twister.
It literally looks in some ways like the entrance to hell.
JACOB
Out of the stew pot and into the fire.
SETH
Shit, I been to bars make this place
look like a fuckin' 4-H club.
RICHARD
I gotta say I'm with Jacob on this. I
been to some fucked up places in my
time, but that place is fucked up.
Seth can't believe it.
SETH
(in a baby talk voice)
Aww-w, whatsa matter, is the little
baby too afraid to go into the big
scary bar?
The two brothers square off, not like strangers fighting,
but like brothers fight. They talk real quiet, but real
personal.
RICHARD
That's what you think?
SETH
That's how you're lookin', Richie.
RICHARD
I'm lookin' scared?
SETH
That's what you look like.
RICHARD
You know what you look like?
SETH
No, Richie, what do I look like?
RICHARD
You're lookin' green.
That's not what Seth expected to hear.
SETH
How?
RICHARD
Where are you right now?
SETH
What do you mean?
RICHARD
Where are you?
SETH
I'm here with you.
RICHARD
No, you're not. You're sippin'
margaritas in El Ray. But we're
not in El Ray. We're here --
getting ready to go in there.
You're so pleased with yourself
about getting into Mexico, you
think the job's down. It ain't.
Get back on the clock. That's a
fuck-with-you-bar. We hang around
there for a coupla hours, in all
likelihood, we'll get fucked with.
So get your shit together, brother.
SETH
My shit is together.
RICHARD
It don't look together.
SETH
Well, it is. Just because I'm happy
doesn't mean I'm on vacation. You're
just not used to seein' me happy,
'cause it's been about fifteen fuckin'
years since I been happy. But my shit
is forever together.
Richard believes Seth's response.
RICHARD
Okay, just checkin'.
They walk toward the bar's entrance. Chet Pussy talks into
the microphone.
CHET
(yelling into the microphone)
Take advantage of our penny pussy sale.
Buy any piece of pussy a tour regular
price, you get another piece of pussy,
of equal or lesser value, for a penny.
Now try and beat pussy for a penny!
If you can find cheaper pussy
anywhere, fuck it!
Chet notices our heroes, especially young Kate.
CHET
(in microphone, towards Kate)
What's this? A new flavor approaching.
Apple Pie Pussy.
SETH
Step aside, asshole.
Chet POKES HIS FINGER in Seth's CHEST.
CHET
Not so fast, Slick.
Seth GRABS HOLD of Chet's FINGER, BENDS it BACKWARDS till
the BONE SNAPS in two.
Chet lets out a SCREAM.
Seth VIOLENTLY brings his HEAD FORWARD PULVERIZING Chet's
NOSE.
Chet FALLS to his KNEES in front of Seth.
Seth HOOKS him with a powerful FIST UNDER his CHIN that
SNAPS Chet's HEAD BACK, and THROWS him on his BACK.
After HITTING the GROUND, Seth SENDS a SAVAGE KICK straight
to Chet's FACE, ROLLING HIM OVER.
Chet is OUT.
The whole altercation took two seconds.
Everyone's in shock and looks at Seth. Seth looks back at
everyone.
SETH
Now, is my shit together, or is my
shit together?
Richard and Seth laugh with each other.
RICHARD
(slappin' Seth five)
Your shit is forever together!
They head for the door. Richard stays behind for a second,
and gives the fallen Chet a few, swift kicks,
INT. THE TITTY TWISTER NIGHT
If the Titty Twister looked like the asshole of the world
from the outside, in the immortal words of Al Jolson, "You
ain't seen nothin' yet." This is the kind of place where
they sweep up the teeth and hose down the cum, the blood
and the beer at closing.
In the back, TOPLESS DANCERS do lap dances with customers,
while a SLEAZY SEXY STRIPPER STRIPS to RAUNCHY MUSIC, played
at ear drum-bursting level. TWO MEN are in a savage
BAREKNUCKLE FIGHT, surrounded by screaming customers of
bikers and truckers.
One of the dancers is a man with a saddle on his back, his
name is DANNY THE WONDER PONY. The woman on his back, in
the saddle, feet in the stirrups, hands on the reins, is
ATHENA, his rider. They dance around to the cheers of the
crowd.
Bikers and truckers play pool in the back. Fights break out
here about one every ten minutes. The customers may start 'em,
but the bouncer, BIG EMILIO, ends 'em.
Seth, Richard, Jacob, Scott and Kate walk through the door.
They each individually take in the sights and the smells.
Seth is the first to say something.
SETH
Now this is my kinda place! I could
become a regular.
The man behind the bar is RAZOR CHARLIE. He eyes the group
as they approach.
Their difference from the usual road waif nomads who
populate the Twister disturbs him. He exchanges a knowing
look across the room with Big Emilio, as the group bellies
up to the bar.
SETH
Whiskey!
RAZOR CHARLIE
(in English)
You can't come in here.
SETH
What dya mean?
RAZOR CHARLIE
This is a private club. You're not
welcome.
SETH
Are you tellin' me I'm not good enough
to drink here?
RAZOR CHARLIE
This bar is for bikers and truckers
only.
(points his finger to Seth)
You, get out!
Big Emilio almost magically appears behind Seth and places
HIS BIG BEEFY SAUSAGE-FINGERED HAND HARD on Seth's shoulder.
BIG EMILIO
(to Seth in Spanish)
Walk, Pendaho.
Seth slowly turns his eyes to the big hand on his shoulder.
SETH
(low)
Take your hand off me.
BIG EMILIO
(Spanish)
I'm going to count to three.
SETH
No, I'm going to count to three.
BIG EMILIO
Uno...
SETH
Two..
Jacob jumps in the middle.
JACOB
Now wait a minute, there's no reason
to get ugly. There's just a
misunderstanding going on here. You
said this bar is for truckers and
bikers, Well, I'm a truck driver.
Everybody looks at Jacob.
As Jacob talks he takes out his wallet.
JACOB
If you look outside your door, parked
in your parking lot, you'll see a big
ass recreational vehicle. That's mine.
In order to drive that legally, you
need a class two driver's license.
That is the same license that the
DMV requires truck drivers to carry
in order to drive a truck.
(he takes the license out
of his wallet and lays it
on the bar)
That is me, and this is my class two
license. This is a truck driver's bar,
I am a truck driver, and these are
my friends.
Everybody's a little stunned after Jacob's speech.
Razor Charlie picks up the license, looks at Jacob, looks at
everyone in the party and smiles.
RAZOR CHARLIE
(to Jacob)
Welcome to the Titty Twister. What
can I get you?
Seth BRUSHES OFF Big Emilio's paw.
SETH
Bottle of whiskey and five glasses.
Razor Charlie's eyes go to Seth. Even though he has a big
smile on his face, he looks like he's going to kill Seth.
But instead he just says,
RAZOR CHARLIE
Coming right up.
Razor Charlie goes for the bottle. Big Emilio gives the
party one last look and walks away. Richard gives Jacob a
buddy punch on the shoulder.
RICHARD
Good job, Pops.
Seth's still frying an egg on his head.
SETH
That's just fuckin' typical. Biggest
number one problem with Mexico, it's
not service oriented. I was feelin'
so good, and those fuckin' spies
brought me down.
Richard puts his arm around Seth.
RICHARD
Fuck 'em, shake it off.
Razor Charlie brings the bottle and the glasses. Seth looks
at the guy, still pissed.
SETH
You serve food, Jose?
Razor Charlie knows Seth's taunting him with a racial slur,
but he just smiles and says,
RAZOR CHARLIE
Best in Mexico.
SETH
I kinda doubt that. We're grabbin' a
table, send over a waitress to take
our order.
Seth walks away, and the group follows him.
We just hang on the evil wheels turning inside of Razor
Charlie's head.
The five of them move across the floor to a table. As they
walk, Kate attracts stares, wolf whistles and rude comments
from some of the patrons. Jacob keeps near his daughter.
The dancers do their sexy routines. A big-chested,
wild-haired blonde catches Scott's eye. She winks at him.
Richard leans over and whispers in Scott's ear.
RICHARD
Anytime you want a lap dance with that
broad, say the word. It's on me, kiddo.
He gives the boy's neck a squeeze. Jacob's eyes survey the
surroundings. Big Emilio and Razor Charlie quietly exchange
words about the party in Spanish.
RAZOR CHARLIE
(in Spanish)
They're not the normal road trash we
normally feed on. But it'll be okay.
No one knows they're here.
The five of them find a table and sit down.
Seth, still in a bad mood, takes the cork out of the whiskey
bottle and tosses it. He pours Richie and himself a glass.
SETH
Who else?
JACOB
Pass.
SETH
(picking a fight)
Why not, against your religion?
JACOB
(won't be baited)
No, I do drink, I'm just not drinking
now.
SETH
Suit yourself, more for me.
(to Scott)
Scotty?
Scott shakes his head no.
SETH
(to Kate)
How 'bout you?
(pointing at Scott and Kate)
are safer in here with us than
wandering around a Mexican border town
all night long. Just don't do nothin'
stupid and we'll all get along fine.
(to Scott)
Scotty, you sure you don't want a
drink?
SCOTT
Okay, I'll have one.
JACOB
No you won't.
Seth pours Scott a shot.
SETH
Sorry, Pops, but I'm drinkin' and I
don't like drinkin' alone. Bottoms
up, boy.
Scott takes the drink and he, too, experiences an
on-drinker's tremor.
Seth turns to Kate.
SETH
How about you, cutie pie? Ready for
round two?
KATE
Okay.
Seth just passes her the bottle. She pours her own shot and
knocks it back.
RICHARD
(to Seth)
Hey, Dr. Frankenstein, I think you
just created a monster.
Jacob turns to Seth and asks quietly.
JACOB
Why are you so agitated?
SETH
I'm still stewing about that ape
laying hands on me. And that fuckin'
bartender sticks a weed up my ass,
too.
JACOB
He backed down.
SETH
He's smilin' at us. But behind his
smile, he's sayin', "Fuck you Jack."
I hear that loud and clear.
JACOB
What are you going to do?
SETH
(picking up the whiskey bottle)
I'm gonna just sit here and drain
this bottle. And when I've drunk the
last drop, if I still feel then, the
way I feel now, I'm gonna take this
bottle and break it over his melon
head.
JACOB
Before we stepped in here, you told
all of us to be cool. That means you,
too.
SETH
(tossing it off)
I never said do what I do, I said do
what I say.
JACOB
Are you so much a fucking loser, you
can't tell when you've won?
Richard, Kate and Scott both turn to Jacob. Nobody can
believe what he just said. Neither can Seth who calmly lays
down his drinking glass.
SETH
What did you call me?
JACOB
Nothing. I didn't make a statement. I
asked a question. Would you like me to
ask it again? Very well. Are you such
a loser you can't tell when you've
won?
(pause)
The entire state of Texas, along with
the FBI, is looking for you. Did they
find you? No. They couldn't. They had
every entrance to the border covered.
There's no way you could get across.
Did you? Yes, you did. You've won,
Seth, enjoy it.
Seth looks at Jacob, then picks up the bottle.
SETH
Jacob, I want you to have a drink with
me. I insist.
Jacob slides his empty glass over to Seth. Seth pours booze
in Jacob's glass and his own. Both men pick up the glasses.
SETH
To your family.
JACOB
To yours.
They both knock 'em back and slap the empty glasses down.
JACOB
Now, is your shit together?
SETH
Forever together.
Seth turns to Scott.
SETH
In that camper out there I saw a guitar. I take
it that's yours.
SCOTT
Yeah, it's mine.
SETH
Go out and bring it in. I feel a song coming on.
CUT TO:
Seth sitting at the table, playing guitar, singing Mexican
songs. Some bikers, truckers, and whores have gathered
around their table. Everyone's groovin'. Seth finishes the
song. Everybody applauds.
Razor Charlie behind the bar grabs the greasy microphone
that he uses to announce dancers.
RAZOR CHARLIE
(announcer voice in Spanish)
And now for your viewing pleasure. The
Mistress of the Macabre. The Epitome
of Evil. The most sinister woman to
dance on the face of the earth. Lowly
dogs, get on your knees, bow your
heads and worship at the feet of
SANTANICO PANDEMONIUM!
The lights go down low. A light hits the stage. The opening
notes of the Coaster's "Down in Mexico" fills the room.
The crowd hushes up.
And on the stage steps SANTANICO PANDEMONIUM.
This Mexican goddess is beautiful, but not the beauty that
Stendhal described in "As the Promise of Happiness," but
the beauty of the siren who lures men to their doom.
She dances to the raunchy music, not like she owned the
stage, but like she owned the world.
And if the patrons of the Titty Twister are her world, the
world is proud to be her possession.
All activity in the bar, save Santanico, stops. Even the
Fuller/Gecko table falls under her spell. Especially
Richard, Scott and Kate. Seth knows this song and
accompanies from the table with the guitar.
When the music builds to its explosive section.
Santanico LEAPS from the stage, LANDING in the middle of the
room.
She does an eyes-closed voodoo dance in perfect step with
the beat. As the music continues to play, a very fucked-up
looking Chet Pussy walks in. He goes over to Razor Charlie
and points at Seth's table, describing what happened.
As the last verse plays, Santanico, like a snake, comes up
from the ground, on top of the Fuller/Gecko table.
Richard, Kate and Scott are enraptured.
Santanico scans the table, zeroing in on our boy Richard.
She STANDS OVER him.
While moving her body to the music, she lifts up the whisky
bottle from the table, and pours the whiskey down her leg.
She lifts up her foot, with the whiskey dripping from her
toes, and sticks it in Richard's face.
SANTANICO
(to Richard in Spanish)
Drink up.
Richie, mesmerized, sucks the whiskey off her toes. The
CROWD GOES WILD. Santanico smiles, master of all she
surveys.
Jacob and Scott are embarrassed.
Kate, oddly enough, is turned on by the controlling power
this woman has over a man she's deathly feared.
Seth laughs out loud a Mexican "yi yi yiii" laugh, keeping
the beat with his guitar.
Across the room, Razor Charlie, Chet by his side, motions
over Big Emilio. He begins explaining with pointing what
Seth and company did to Chet.
Richard continues to suck her toes.
The song ends, Santanico extracts her foot from Richard's
mouth. Steps off the table. Takes a drink of whiskey. Looks
down at the seated Richard.
She GRABS the back of his hair, YANKS his head BACK. His
mouth OPENS because she's hurting him. She LEANS her FACE
OVER his like she's going to kiss him. Then let's the whiskey
from her mouth fall into his. They never touch. The crowd
applauds. She lets go of Richard's hair. Except for Jacob
and Richard, both for their own reasons, the table applauds,
none louder than Seth.
SETH
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Now that's what
I call a fuckin' show!
One of Santanico's FLUNKIES brings the naked woman a robe,
which she puts on.
Richard, still in a daze, looks up at his new friend.
SETH
(snapping his fingers)
Earth to Richie. Don't you wanna ask
your new friend to join us?
RICHARD
Yeah.
SETH
Well, then ask her, dumb ass.
RICHARD
(looking up at Santanico)
Por favor, Senorita. Would you care to
join us?
SANTANICO
(to Richard)
Muy bien, gracias.
Santanico sits down next to Richie. Seth pours her a drink.
SETH
Richie, you lucky bastard!
(to Santanico)
Now, little lady, you could of just as
easily done that to me. Who a Nelly!
You got my dick harder 'n Chinese
arithmetic.
The table laughs.
SETH
Which reminds me of a joke. Little Red
Riding Hood is walking through the
forest and she comes across Little Bo
Peep, and Little Bo Peep says:
"Little Red Riding Hood, are you
crazy? Don't you know the Big Bad Wolf
is walking these woods and if he finds
you he's gonna pull down your dress
and squeeze your titties?" Then Little
Red Riding Hood hitches up her skirt
and taps a .357 Magnum she has
holstered on her thigh and says: "No
he won't."
As Seth tells his joke, Jacob notices Razor Charlie, Big
Emilio and Chet moving rapidly towards their table.
JACOB
(to himself)
Oh, shit.
(to Seth)
Seth --
Seth waves him away.
SETH
Not now. So finally she comes across
the Big Bad Wolf and the Big Bad
Wolf's laughing and says: "Little Red
Riding Hood, you know better than to
be walking around these woods alone.
You know I'm just gonna have to pull
down your dress and squeeze your
titties." Then Little Red Riding Hood
whips out her .357, cocks it, sticks
it in the Big Bad Wolf's face and
says: "No you won't. You're gonna eat
me, just like the story says."
Seth starts laughing at his own joke uproariously. Richard,
Kate, Scott and Santanico join in too. Before Jacob can say
anything --
The Titty Twister trio stand over the table.
RAZOR CHARLIE
(to Chet in Spanish)
Which one?
CHET
(pointing at Seth)
This piece of shit broke my finger
and my nose...
(pointing at Richard)
then this fag kicked me in the ribs
while I was down.
That's all Big Emilio has to hear.
BIG EMILIO
(to The Gecko Brothers)
Up!
RICHARD
Fuck off, ape man!
Big Emilio leans in with his beefy hand, GRABS Richard by
the shoulder. Richard lets out a howl as blood pours from
his wounded shoulder.
Santanico steps back from the table.
Seth jumps to his feet and FIRES a round from his .45 into
Big Emilio, sending his bullet-ridden body to the floor.
Razor Charlie whips out a straight version of his name sake
and SLASHES Seth across the face.
Seth SCREAMS at the top of his lungs as his hand goes up to
his laid open cheek.
Richard, who has fallen to the ground holding his wound,
brings up his .45 and starts BLASTING.
Razor Charlie takes a bullet in the head, chest and belly
before he hits the floor.
Jacob and his children have hit the floor as well to stay
out of gunfire.
The bikers, truckers, waitresses and whores all stop what
they were doing.
The music continues to play, though the dancers stop
dancing.
Santanico, who's closest to the two brothers, smells
something.
Her NOSTRILS FLARE.
Richard moves to his brother, who takes out a handkerchief
and puts it to his face.
RICHARD
How are you?
SETH
Scarred for life, that's how I am!
Seth looks up and sees Chet still standing there.
SETH
You thought it was pretty funny,
didn't you?
Both brothers FIRE on Chet. Chet's blown left... right...
left... right... then drops, pointing their guns towards
the crowd.
SETH
Everybody be cool, or you'll be just
as dead as these fucks!
SLOW MOTION: Blood drips down the side of Seth's face.
SLOW MOTION: It splatters to the floor.
The CAMERA scans the crowd. The patrons are scared, but the
waitresses, whores and dancers lick their lips.
SLOW MOTION: Blood drips from Richard's shoulder. It falls
to the floor, splattering.
WE MOVE INTO SANTANICO'S FACE. A special aroma fills
her nostrils. Her eyes lock on Richard. The look on her face
could easily be read as intense sexual desire.
CLOSE-UP KATE ON FLOOR
Looks up and watches, eyes wide with fear, Santanico's
transformation.
Her NOSE RECEDES INTO her face like a rodent's. The whites
of her eyes turn YELLOW. The FANGS of a beast PROTRUDE from
her mouth. Kate yells from the floor.
KATE
(yelling)
Richie, look out!
Before Richie can turn around.
SANTANICO LEAPS ACROSS THE FLOOR, LANDS on his BACK and
SINKS her FANGS into Richie's wounded SHOULDER.
Richard LETS LOOSE with an agonizing SCREAM.
Seth turns to his brother's cry.
He sees SANTANICO PANDEMONIUM, like a mongoose attached to
a cobra, legs wrapped around Richard's waist, fangs buried
deep in his shoulder, and Richard screaming and slamming
about, trying to knock her off.
Richard screams to Seth:
RICHARD
Shoot her! Shoot her! Get her off!
Seth tries to aim his gun, but there's too much movement. He
can't get a clear shot.
Jacob and his children can't believe what they're seeing.
Richard can't take it anymore, his knees buckle. Santanico
rides him down to the floor.
Seth gets a clear shot, he takes aim and FIRES, hitting the
vamp in the head, blowing her off his brother.
Richard, who's on all fours, tries to stand and gets about
half way before he stops, saying:
RICHARD
(with his dying breath)
Fucking Bitch!
He tumbles over, a corpse.
SETH
Richie.
Suddenly, the eyes of Big Emilio, Razor Charlie and Chet
Pussy pop open. The "dead" men sit up with evil grins on
their faces.
The patrons scream.
A WHORE locks the front door (which is a complicated lock
with steel rods going into the ground), turns toward the bar
and yells:
WHORE
Dinner is served!
The bikers and truckers who have been transfixed, watching
the impossible, realize that the waitresses, naked dancers
and whores who they were pawing just five minutes ago, have
turned into yellow-eyed, razor-fanged, drool-dripping
VAMPIRES.
The vamps attack.
What follows is a shark feeding frenzy. Whores, who had been
sitting on customer's laps, sink their teeth into unshaven
necks.
Naked strippers and bikers wail the shit out of each other.
Truckers get their heads caved in by women half their size.
The patrons use what ever they can find to fend off the
monsters: chairs, chair legs, broken bottles, switchblades,
anything.
Jacob, Kate and Scott make a dash and dive behind the bar.
They hide and watch.
Seth stands where his was, limp dick of a .45 in his hand,
too freaked, scared and stunned to do anything. He stands
motionless, watching what he can't believe.
Behind him, Santanico, who lies next to the dead Richard,
eyes POP OPEN.
She RISES in her snake/dance way.
Seth feels her and SPINS in her direction, gun raised.
SANTANICO
Let's see if you taste as good as your
brother.
She approaches Seth, who FIRES at her. BAM... BAM... BAM...
CLICK... CLICK... CLICK... CLICK. She laughs and gives her
hair a toss back. Seth, moving backwards, is terrified.
Santanico gives Seth a SWINGING ROUND HOUSE PUNCH to the
JAW, that sends him FLYING over a table, SLIDING ACROSS the
FLOOR and INTO the WALL.
A bad-ass biker named FROST, with a hideous burn on the
side of his face, stands on top of a pool table, swinging a
pool cue, left to right, fending off vamps.
Big Emilio picks up a biker who stabbed him with a
switchblade and throws the poor bastard from one end of the
bar to the other.
The biker-winner of the bare knuckle fight, SEX MACHINE,
goes head to head with a stripper.
The vamp might have superhuman strength, but Sex Machine has
close to superhuman strength, and he's matching the
vamp bitch blow for blow.
Then he GRABS her by the waist, LIFTS her up over his head
and BRINGS her DOWN HARD on an upturned table, IMPALING her
on the wooden leg.
FROST is still swinging his POOL CUE, when Razor Charlie
appears, straight razor in hand.
Frost JUMPS off the table to meet the challenge. Razor
Charlie SWINGS at him, Frost LEAPS back, SWINGING his pool
cue at him. They do this dance, till Frost CRACKS Charlie
UPSIDE the HEAD with the pool cue, breaking it in half.
Charlie FEELS the HIT. Frost PLUNGES the splintered end of
the cue in Razor Charlie's heart.
Green blood comes out of his chest, as Charlie screams the
vampire's death scream.
Seth comes to and finds Santanico standing over him. He
tries to rise, but Santanico places her bare foot on his
chest, pinning him down to the floor. He tries to move, but
the pressure of her foot is equivalent to an engine block
placed on his chest.
SANTANICO
I'm not gonna drain you completely.
You're gonna turn for me, You'll be
my slave. You'll live for me. You'll
eat bugs because I order it. Because
I don't think you're worthy of human
blood, you'll feed on the blood of
stray dogs. You'll be my foot stool.
And at my command, you'll lick the dog
shit from my boot heel. Since you'll
be my dog, your new name will be
"Spot". Welcome to slavery.
SLOW MOTION: A WHISKEY BOTTLE FLIES THROUGH the AIR, sailing
end over end.
CLOSE-UP SANTANICO
looking down at Seth, her face contorts to FEED MODE, when
the bottle HITS her SQUARE in the HEAD, SHATTERING.
We see that Jacob behind the bar threw it.
Santanico, bathed in whiskey and broken glass, is
momentarily dazed. She looks down at Seth.
Seth sits up, .45 in hand, and fires.
Santanico is HIT in the CHEST. The bullet from the gun makes
the liquor-soaked robe ignite.
Santanico SCREAMS as she GOES UP IN FLAMES.
Big Emilio sees Santanico's fiery death. He lets out a cry.
BIG EMILIO
Noooooo!
He turns his hateful gaze on the two humans.
Seth and Jacob see Big Emilio zeroing in on them, then they
see him move his big frame in their direction. Seth turns to
Jacob.
SETH
We may be in trouble.
Big Emilio walks steadily through the bar like Godzilla
walks through Tokyo. Tipping over tables, knocking fighting
vamps and humans alike on their asses on his way to stamp
out Seth and Jacob. A TRUCKER JUMPS in his path to attack
him, with a QUICK SWING of his hand the trucker is brushed
aside, receiving a broken neck for the effort.
Big Emilio never breaks his stride or takes his eyes off
Seth and Jacob.
Seth and Jacob both grab pieces of wood, holding it like a
weapon, but the wood looks puny compared to their opponent.
Big Emilio stands in front of them. The two men hold their
wood tight. Fangs grow in Big Emilio's mouth that make him
look like a huge walking shark.
Just when Big Emilio's ready to strike, he hears behind him,
VOICE (O.S.)
Hey, you, monkey man!
Big Emilio turns and sees Sex Machine across the room.
SEX MACHINE
Anything you gotta say to them, say
to me first.
Both Seth and Jacob ATTACK Big Emilio from behind. He
effortlessly knocks them away.
They both hit the ground.
Sex Machine gestures with his hand to Big Emilio to "come
ahead."
Big Emilio CHARGES towards Sex Machine, like a runaway
locomotive.
Sex Machine stands his ground waiting for IMPACT. The two
huge men COLLIDE. What follows is literally a war of the
Gargantuans. The two mastiffs POUND each other till one
buckles. Finally, the one who buckles first is Big Emilio,
who HITS the floor.
Once on the floor, Seth and Jacob, stand over the huge vamp,
BEATING him with clubs and pipes, like L.A.'s finest. The
vamp can do nothing except SQUIRM on the floor from the
savage beating.
SEX MACHINE
That's enough.
Jacob and Seth stop.
Sex Machine holds a pool cue in his hand. He SNAPS off the
end tip, making it jagged, and like a spear, STICKS it into
big vamp's fallen body. Big Emilio, SCREAMS, TWITCHES and
dies. The pool cue sticks out straight up from the dead
vamp.
Chet Pussy spies Ms. Apple Pie Pussy herself, Kate. He
breaks into a lecherous grin and licks the blood from
around his mouth.
Kate and Scott are cowering behind the bar when Chet appears
over the top. They both let out a scream. Scott goes to
protect his sister and receives a punch in the face for his
trouble. Chet dives at Kate.
CHET
You know what everybody says about me?
I suck!
Chet goes to bite Kate, grabbing at her t-shirt, and sees
her crucifix. HE recoils backwards. Scott grabs hold of
his head from behind. Kate jumps up from the floor, rips
off her cross and grabs Chet by his beatnik beard, opening
his mouth. She SHOVES the cross inside. Chet's eyes roll
up back into his head. Scott SLAPS Chet hard on the back.
GULP.
Chet has swallowed the crucifix. A SIZZLING sound is heard
moving down from his throat to his belly. He opens his
mouth and lets out a noise similar to a train whistle. He
jumps up from behind the bar, doing a wild dance from pain.
He jumps from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, screaming
all the while.
Kate and Scott watch him from the bar, mischievous grins on
their faces.
Chet is on his knees, arms stretched out, yelling at the top
of his lungs like a vamp King Lear.
CHET
I-AM-IN-AGONNNYYYY!
Chet breaks off a chair leg, muttering to himself.
CHET
Stop the pain, stop the pain, stop the
pain, stop the pain, stop the pain...
He plunges the stake into his own heart, but instead of the
vampire's cry that escapes from the others upon being
staked, Chet lets out a sigh of relief.
By this time there are not too many people left. Most of the
vampire have been killed by wooden stakes and most of the
customers have been butchered or drained.
All that's left on the vampire side are two naked dancers
and two whores. On the human side are Seth, Jacob and his
kids, Sex Machine and Frost. Aside from the children, who
are hiding behind the bar, all the humans are holding
wooden stakes.
The four human men group together. The four female vampires
charge, teeth exposed, snarling and dripping with blood.
Seth, Jacob, Sex Machine and Frost raise their weapons and
slam, almost simultaneously, the four vamps. All four
staked bodies hit the floor.
Kate and Scott run from behind the bar to their father's
side.
They all stand looking at the horrible carnage that has
taken place. The floor is littered with dead bodies.
FROST
Ain't they supposed to burn up or
something?
At that moment a bright flash ERUPTS, illuminating
everyone's face. The sound of quick burning flames fills
the air. Everybody shields their eyes from the intense
light, which lasts only a split second.
It vanishes, along with the bodies of the vampires. All
that remains is a smoldering mess of goo where the bodies
once lay.
They all stare at the mess for a few seconds and then RUN
for the door. It's locked. They BANG on the door, but it's
useless. It ain't budging, yet they all go on banging.
Except for Seth. He never ran for the door. He walks over
to his dead brother's body and kneels beside it.
He takes his dead hand.
SETH
Richie, I'm sorry I fucked things up.
You'd really like it in El Ray. We'd
find peace there. I love you little
brother, I'll miss ya bad.
Seth goes to kiss his brother's lips when, RICHARD 'S EYES
POP OPEN. They're YELLOW. Seth RAISES his head in surprise.
RICHARD
I'm glad you feel that way, Seth. I
love you, too.
Richard GRABS Seth by the front of his shirt and pulls him
down to him. Fangs are now exposed. Seth tries to pull away.
He SCREAMS for the others to help. Richard PULLS Seth down
to striking distance and opens his mouth to take the big
bite, when Sex Machine grabs Seth from behind and YANKS him
from Richard's grasp. Jacob, Frost and the kids have
surrounded Richard and proceed to KICK him and STOMP his
head. Sex Machine picks up a chair and SMASHES it against a
wall. He picks up one of the chair legs and walks over to
where the others are holding Richard down. Richard sees the
wood in the biker's hand. He knows what that means. Seth
whips out his .45 and points it at Sex Machine.
SETH
Touch my brother with that stake,
biker, and vampires won't need to
suck your blood, they'll be able to
lick it up off the floor.
SEX MACHINE
He ain't your brother no more.
SETH
That's a matter of opinion, and I
don't give a fuck about your's.
Jacob, Frost and the kids continue to hold Richard down to
the ground.
JACOB
Don't be an idiot, he'll kill us all!
Seth aims his gun at the group.
SETH
Shut up!
Richard's giggling.
RICHARD
Yeah, shut up.
Seth, still holding the outstretched gun, takes the stake
out of Sex Machine's hand. Seth lowers the .45.
SETH
Hold him down.
The smile evaporates from Richard's face.
SETH
Richie, here's the peace in death I
could never give you in life.
Seth puts the stake over Richard's heart. Using the butt of
his .45 like a hammer, he POUNDS the stake into Richard's
heart. Richard screams and dies. They all stand around the
body as it BURSTS INTO FLAMES and disintegrates into goo.
Seth breaks away from the group and walks over to the bar.
He grabs a bottle of whiskey and starts downing it. Kate,
of all people, walks away from the group and joins Seth at
the bar.
KATE
Are you okay?
SETH
Peachy! Why shouldn't I be? The
world's my oyster, except for the
fact that I just rammed a wooden
stake in my brother's heart because
he turned into a vampire, even
though I don't believe in vampires.
Aside from that unfortunate business,
everything's hunky-dory.
KATE
I'm really sorry.
SETH
Bullshit! You hate us. If you had half
a chance you'd feed us to them!
JACOB
Then why didn't I?
Jacob walks over to Seth.
JACOB
I saved your life. I didn't have to,
but I did. And I'm sorry you lost your
brother. I'm sorry he's dead. I'm
sorry everybody's dead. Now, if we're
gonna get out of this we need each
other. And we need you sober and
thinking, not drunk and...
As Jacob has been talking, a sound has started that has
grown LOUDER and LOUDER. Jacob stops in mid-sentence to
identify it.
JACOB
What the hell is that?
FROST
At first I just thought it was birds.
SEX MACHINE
No, it's more of a gnawing sound.
Birds peck, they don't gnaw. Rats
gnaw.
Seth puts the bottle in his hand down.
SETH
It's bats.
EXT. TITTY TWISTER - NIGHT
The outside of the Titty Twister is literally covered with
hats, CLAWING, FLAPPING, GNAWING, trying like hell to get
inside.
INT. TITTY TWISTER - NIGHT
Everybody listens to the bats SCRATCHING and clawing all
along the walls, the roof and at the front door. Everyone's
scared shitless and nobody has the slightest idea what to
do next. The door begins to crack and splinter, little
claws poke their way through.
JACOB
Give me a hand!
Jacob runs to a table top. He grabs it and covers the area
the bats are trying to claw through. The others grab other
items to help secure and barricade the door.
As the survivors are panickedly boarding up the door and
the windows, a DEAD BIKER that the vampires fed on, pops
open his yellow eyes. He sits up and sees all the furious
activity. Everyone's so busy they don't notice their new
friend. The dead biker vamp sets his sights on Kate, who's
putting a board into place. He springs to his feet and
POUNCES on her, just as Sex Machine turns from across the
room in her direction.
SEX MACHINE
Watch out, girly!
The biker vamp GRABS Kate from behind. She lets out a
scream. The vamp holds her close to him in a bear hug, but
she's moving around so much he can't get a clear bite. The
others hear the scream and look toward Kate. Sex Machine,
Big Emilio's baseball bat in hand, is halfway to the rescue.
As the biker vamp opens his mouth to take a juicy bite out
of Kate's shoulder, Kate RAMS her head back, hitting the
vamp in the mouth and breaking his fangs. He releases her
and spits out his teeth just as Sex Machine runs up and
SWINGS the baseball bat upside the vamp's head, breaking
the bat in two and sending the vamp to the floor. As the
vamp lies on the floor seeing stars, Sex Machine grabs one
of the broken ends of the bat and SHOVES it in the vamp's
heart. He dies and bursts into flames.
At that point, three other dead victims rise to a sitting
position. Sex Machine grabs a chair and THROWS it to the
ground, breaking it. He grabs the four legs.
SEX MACHINE
(mumbling to himself)
Goddamn fuckin' vampires.
The biker has turned into Captain Sex Machine, Vampire
Hunter. He stakes two of the vampires as they get to their
feet. Both SPEW green blood, scream, die and burst into
flames. The third, a trucker vampire wearing a cat cap,
SMACKS Sex Machine in the mouth, which sends the biker for
a loop.
As CAT CAP runs toward the fallen Sex Machine, Kate JUMPS
on his back from behind. Both of them go tumbling into a
stack of whiskey cases. Sex Machine runs over and grabs Kate
by the hand, pulling her up and out of the way. Cat Cap is
lying in a pile of broken bottles and whiskey. Sex Machine
raises his stake as Cat Cap dies and DRIVES it in the
vamp's black heart. Cat Cap dies and bursts into flames,
which hits the whiskey, starting a giant fire.
SEX MACHINE
Fire!
Frost and Jacob stop barricading and run to the fire.
FROST
(to Sex Machine)
We'll put this out. You stake the rest
of these fuckers.
SEX MACHINE
Way ahead of ya.
(to Kate)
What's your name, girly?
KATE
Kate, what's yours?
SEX MACHINE
Sex Machine. Pleased to meet'cha.
Kate, let's stake these blood-sucker
fuckers.
Kate and Sex Machine give each other a high five and go to
work STAKING the dead bodies.
Jacob and FROST beat down the fire with their jackets and
whatever else is at hand.
A hole begins to appear where a window had been plastered
over. Little claws scrape their way through. Scott stands
in front of the window.
SCOTT
(yelling)
We got a problem!
Seth, who is barricading doors and window, looks in Scott's
direction. The hole in the plaster cracks open and out POPS
a little, fleshy vampire bat/rat head. The bat/rat, which is
SQUEAKING and HISSING its head off, tries to SQUEEZE its
body through the newly formed hole.
Seth, gun in hand, RUNS to the window. He points the .45,
point-blank range at the head of the bat/rat.
The bat/rat sees this, makes an "oh shit" face, and YANKS
his head back through the hole.
Seth was ready to fire, he lowers his gun in bewilderment,
when...
WHAM !
The bat/rat BURSTS through the hole, like shot out of a
cannon, HITTING Seth in the gut and sending him FLYING,
LANDING HARD on his back.
Once Seth hits the ground, the bat-thing (which has the body
of a fat rat with a bat's large wingspan) lickity-split
RUNS UP Seth's body to his juggler. Seth's hand GRABS the
bat's neck, and tries to PUSH it away. But the bat-thing has
its CLAWS DUG in Seth's clothes. The bat-thing is just
inches from Seth's face. Its mouth is SNAPPING.
SETH
Get this bastard off of me!
Frost leaves Jacob with the fire, comes from behind and
GRABS the bat-thing and YANKS it off of Seth.
Sex Machine and Kate are a green, bloody mess from their
preventative staking of dead bodies. Sex Machine kneels by a
dead body, raising the stake in his hand to spear him. The
body SPRINGS UP and bites Sex Machine on the arm. Red blood
squirts all over. Sex Machine screams, then brings the stake
down in the body's chest. It dies, burns and turns into goo.
Sex Machine holds his bit arm and wraps it with a piece of
his shirt. He quickly looks around to see if anybody saw him
get bit. Nobody saw it, everybody was too busy.
Frost holds the FLAPPING, FIGHTING, SNAPPING bat-thing in
front of him at arm's length. He struggles with it for a
while, then...
BASHES its head against the bar. The first bash takes some
fight out of the little fucker, so... Frost BASHES his head
against the bar six or seven times. He then THROWS the
bat-thing on the bar, turns it over, garbs a pencil in a
cup next to the register, and RAMS it in the bat-thing's
heart. The bat-thing coughs and dies. There's a FLASH of
FLAMES, followed by a pile of goo.
Sex Machine and Kate have covered up a hole in the plastered
window with a table while Frost, Scott and Seth wrestle with
the bat-thing.
Jacob has put out the fire. Everybody comes together,
exhausted, and takes a breather. Outside, the bats continue
to try and claw their way in.
JACOB
Is everybody okay?
Everyone mutters "yeah."
JACOB
Okay, does anybody here know what's
going on?
SETH
Yeah, I know what's going on. We got
a bunch of fuckin' vampires outside
trying to get inside and suck our
fuckin' blood! That's it, plain and
simple. And I don't wanna hear any
bullshit about "I don't believe in
vampires" because I don't fuckin'
believe in vampires either. But I do
believe in my own two fuckin' eyes,
and with my two eyes I saw fuckin'
vampires! Now, does everybody agree
we're dealin' with vampires.
Everybody agrees.
SETH
You too, preacher?
JACOB
I'm like you. I don't believe in
vampires, but I believe in what I saw.
SETH
Good for you. Now, since we all
believe we're dealing with vampires,
what do we know about vampires?
Crosses hurt vampires. Do you have a
cross?
JACOB
In the Winnebago.
SETH
In other words, no.
SCOTT
What are you talking about? We got
crosses all over the place. All you
gotta do is put two sticks together
and you got a cross.
SEX MACHINE
He's right. Peter Cushing does that
all the time.
SETH
I don't know about that. In order for
it to have any power, I think it's
gotta be an official crucifix.
JACOB
What's an official cross? Some piece
of tin made in Taiwan? What makes that
official? If a cross works against
vampires, it's not the cross itself,
it's what the cross represents. The
cross is a symbol of holiness.
SETH
Okay, I'll buy that. So we got crosses
covered, moving right along, what
else?
FROST
Wooden stakes in the heart been
workin' pretty good so far.
SEX MACHINE
Garlic, holy water, sunlight... I
forget, does silver do anything to a
vampire?
SCOTT
That's werewolves.
SEX MACHINE
I know silver bullets are werewolves.
But I'm pretty sure silver has some
sort of effect on vampires.
KATE
Does anybody have any silver?
ALL
No.
KATE
Then who cares?
SCOTT
When's sunrise?
Jacob looks at his watch.
JACOB
About two hours from now.
KATE
So all we have to do is get by for a
few more hours and then we can walk
right out the front door.
SEX MACHINE
Yeah, that's true, but I doubt our
barricades, that door, those plastered
windows and these walls will last two
more hours with those bat fucks
fuckin' with 'em.
JACOB
Has anybody here read a real book
about vampires, or are we just
remembering what a movie said? I mean
a real book.
SEX MACHINE
You mean like a Time-Life book?
Everybody laughs.
FROST
(in a cowboy voice)
John Wesley Hardin, so mean he once
shot a man for snorin'.
JACOB
I take it the answer's no. Okay then,
what do we know about these vampires?
SETH
Aside from they're thirsty.
FROST
Well, one thing, they might got super
human strength, but you can hurt 'em.
JACOB
Yeah, that bottle upside the head of
Santanico didn't kill her, but it
didn't feel too good either.
SEX MACHINE
Another thing, you try and ram a
broken chair leg in a human, you
better be one strong son-of-a-bitch.
The human body is one rough-tough
machine. But these vamps got soft
bodies. The texture of their skin is
softer, mushier. You can push shit
right through 'em. Conceivably, if
you hit one hard enough, you could
take their fuckin' head off.
SCOTT
You could take their head off.
SETH
Actually, our best weapon against
these satanic cocksuckers is this man.
(he points at Jacob)
He's a preacher.
Frost and Sex Machine look toward Jacob.
SETH
As far as God's concerned, we might
just as well be a piece of fuckin'
shit. But he's one of the boys. Only
one problem, his faith ain't what it
used to be.
Jacob PUNCHES Seth in the mouth, sending him to the floor.
Jacob stands over him.
JACOB
I've had enough of your taunts.
Seth looks up from the floor.
SETH
I'm not taunting you. We need you. A
faithless preacher doesn't mean shit
to us. But a man who's a servant of
God can grab a cross, shove it in
these monsters' asses. A servant of
God can bless the tap water and turn
it into a weapon.
Seth rises.
SETH
I know why you lost your faith. How
could true holiness exist if your wife
can be taken away from you and your
children? Now, I always said God can
kiss my fuckin' ass. Well, I changed
my lifetime tune about thirty minutes
ago' cause I know, without a doubt,
what's out there trying to get in
here is pure evil straight from hell.
And if there is a hell, and those
monsters are from it, there's got to
be a heaven. Now which are you, a
faithless preacher or a mean,
mother fuckin' servant of God?
Jacob has to laugh at that. So does everybody else. Jacob
sticks out his hand and shakes Seth's.
JACOB
I'm a mean, mother fucking servant of
God.
The laughter and good humor passes quickly and the only
sound to be heard is that of the bats gnawing and clawing.
It immediately reminds the group of the deep, deep shit
they're in.
KATE
I don't know if I can take two hours
of that noise.
FROST
You can. You'll take it 'cause ya got
no choice. How'd ya like twenty four
hours of it, lying in a muddy ditch
with only the rotting corpses of your
friends to keep you company?
JACOB
What are you talking about?
FROST
Back in '72 I was in Nam, trapped
behind enemy lines, lying in a rat hole
with my entire squad dead. They
thought they killed everybody, and
except for me, they were right. But it
wasn't for lack of trying. A grenade
blew up right next to me, that's why
I'm so pretty.
They thought I was dead, so I played dead. They dumped all
the bodies in a ditch. All I could do was lie there playing
possum. Dead bodies under me, dead bodies on top of me,
listening to the enemy laugh and joke hour after hour after
hour...
As Frost goes into his monologue, the sound fades out and
the camera moves to Sex Machine. He's having a hot flash. He
can't hear anything. He's looking at Frost speaking, but he
doesn't hear any sound. Then he hears a deep, MALE VOICE
say:
MALE VOICE (V.O.)
Thirst.
"Who the fuck was that?" he thinks to himself. He turns
around: nobody's there. No one else in the group seems to
hear it, A FEMALE VOICE seductively says:
FEMALE VOICE (V.O.)
Thirst.
We hear Sex Machine's thought in a voice answer.
SEX MACHINE (V.O.)
Stop fucking saying that!
TWO MALE VOICES (V.O.)
Thirst!
SEX MACHINE (V.O.)
That bite weren't nothin'. It just
hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, that's
all. It barely punched the skin.
Sex Machine looks at Frost, who's acting out his story. The
biker is pantomiming fighting and slashing. He's describing
all the while, but we can't hear anything. All we hear are
many voices, male, female, children saying:
VOICES (V.O.)
Thirst... Thirst... Thirst...
Sex Machine begins looking at the other members of the group
in a thirsty way. He stares at each of their necks, closer
and closer until he can see the veins on Frost's neck
actually pulsating, throbbing, beckoning to him. Sex Machine
has turned into a vampire.
The sound comes back as Frost finishes his story.
FROST
...and then when I came back to my
senses, I realized I had killed the
entire V.C. squadron single handedly.
My bayonet had blood and chunks of
yellow flesh on it like some cannibal
shish kabob. And to this day I don't
have the slightest idea how I --
Sex Machine lets out a hideous cry.
SEX MACHINE
THIRST!
Frost SCREAMS as Sex Machine grabs hold of him and BITES
into his neck.
The group tries to PULL the TWO men apart.
Jacob gets his arm around Sex Machine's neck and tries
pulling.
Sex Machine takes his teeth out of the biker's neck and
SINKS them in Jacob's arm.
Jacob SCREAMS and lets go.
Seth, Kate and Scott react to Jacob being bit.
Sex Machine GRABS Jacob and TOSSES him effortlessly over the
bar, CRASHING into a shelf full of liquor bottles.
Frost HOPS around the room, mad as a hornet, holding his
bleeding neck.
FROST
I been bit! He fuckin' bit me!
Sex Machine PUNCHES Seth in the face, dropping him like a
sack of potatoes.
He smacks the shit out of Kate. She goes FLYING into a
table.
Sex Machine turns, seeing Frost breaking off a big table
leg. Frost looks at the big vamp.
FROST
(to Sex Machine)
You're dead, mother fucker! You're
gonna bite me! You just turned me
into a vampire, asshole!
SEX MACHINE
What are you gonna do about it?
Frost, table leg in hand, RUNS, SCREAMING his head off,
straight at Sex Machine.
Sex Machine's nostrils flare. He raises his meaty fist and
pulls it back, so he can really haul off.
Frost, top speed, stake raised, screaming. Sex Machine lets
loose with his punch, Seth, Scott and Kate look up from the
floor. Jacob rises from behind the bar. Frost's face
COLLIDES with Sex Machine's fist. Sex Machine hits Frost so
hard it lifts the biker off the ground and propels him
through the air.
Seth sees where Frost is heading and says:
SETH
Oh shit!
Jacob sees.
JACOB
Good lord!
Frost, in mid-air, HITS the barricaded, plastered overwindow
and CRASHES through it.
Sex Machine lets loose with a maniacal laugh. Hundreds of
bat-things fly into the bar. Seth grabs the two kids by the
hand and runs for the backroom.
Behind the bar, Jacob grabs two pieces of wood from off the
ground.
Ten bat-things are in hot pursuit of Seth, Kate and Scott,
who are RUNNING for their lives. They get to the door of the
back room, whip it open, dive in and SLAM it behind them. An
ugly, fleshy bat-thing manges to get its head caught in the
door as it closes. Kate and Scott PUSH on the door as hard
as they can. The bat-thing's head, which is inside, screams,
howls and snaps in fury.
Seth turns toward the bat/vamp in the door. He sticks his
.45 in its big mouth.
SETH
You wanna suck something, suck on
this!
He FIRES four shots that blow the bat vamp's head all over
the wall.
Kate yells:
KATE
We have to go back for Daddy!
SETH
Daddy's dead.
KATE
Noooo!
She spins and grabs the door knob, ready to fling the door
and help her father. Scott grabs her and pushes her up
against the wall.
SCOTT
He's right, Kate. Daddy's dead! He was
too far away. If flinging that door
and filling this room with those
bat-things would save him, I'd fling
it. The only thing it'll do is turn us
into one of them.
SETH
He needs our help!
SCOTT
He's beyond our help. You saw him get
bit. I saw him get bit. We all saw it.
You can't help him. I've got no one
left to lose but you. I can't be alone
again. We're sticking together.
Just then they hear Jacob's voice BOOMING from the bar room.
INT. BAR ROOM - NIGHT
Jacob, holding a cross made out of two sticks and reciting
appropriate verse from the bible, is keeping the vampires at
bay. But, as Seth predicted, it is the shining power of his
restored faith that is his mightiest weapon. Jacob is making
his way through the vampires, toward the back door. A lot of
the bats have transformed into bat/devil/human creatures.
The creatures stand at the edge of Jacob's force field of
holiness. Many bat things fly around the bar like mad,
whirling dervishes. A cluster of bat-things over above and
in front of Jacob. They all growl and hiss at the man of
god. For every one step forward Jacob takes, the vampire
stake one step back. Jacob recites the verse from the bible
in a threatening, mean, mother fucking, servant of god tone.
As he speaks with authority and strength, he sees Frost
lying on the ground, bat-things on him like ants on a
candy bar. But Jacob is too much in control to let even this
repugnant sight trip him up.
Jacob has backed himself up by the door.
JACOB
Open the door.
The door FLIES open. Jacob jumps inside. The door SLAMS
shut.
Jacob hugs daughter and son. As he hugs them, we see his
bloody arm.
When he releases them, they can't help but notice.
SETH
Did he...?
JACOB
Yep.
Seth explodes, knocking over boxes, busting chairs, tipping
over tables and cussing a blue streak.
SETH
Fuck, piss, shit! Mother fuckin'
vampires! Mother fuckin' vampires!
Goddamn mother fuckin' vampires!
Seth runs over to the barricaded door and yells to the
creatures on the other side.
SETH
You all are gonna fuckin' die! I'm
gonna fuckin' kill every last one of
you godless pieces of shit!
JACOB
(to Seth)
You bet your sweet ass you are, and
I'm gonna help you do it. But we ain't
got much time.
Kate is crying, she knows what's happened to her father.
KATE
You're gonna be okay, aren't you,
daddy?
JACOB
No, I'm not. I've been bit. In effect,
I'm already dead.
Scott and Kate, crying, grab their father and hold on for
dear life. Jacob wants to cry, but if he breaks down, the
kids will never have the courage for what they must do.
JACOB
(to his children)
Children, listen to me. I love you two
more than anybody. And I just want you
to know you've made me proud all your
lives. But never more so than tonight.
And I wish we could sit here and cry
till I pass on, but we can't. Because
I'm not going to pass on. I'm going to
turn into a monster. And when I do,
I'm going to be dangerous. But before
that happens, just know I love you.
(to Seth and the kids)
Now, I'd say in the next twenty or
thirty minutes our friends outside
will bust in this door. And I'll
probably turn into a vampire within
the hour. Now, you have two choices.
You can wait for me to turn, then deal
with me, then wait for them to burst
inside here and the three of you will
deal with them. Or, we can kick open
that door and the four of us can hit
'em with everything we have, and carve
a path right through 'em to front
entrance. But if we're gonna go at 'em,
we gotta go at 'em now. I confused
them, I scared them, I took them off
guard. But they're going to get
unconfused, they're going to get
unscared, they're going to get
together and they're going to hit that
door like a ton of bricks. And when
that moment arrives, we gotta be
ready.
Jacob sees that the back room is pretty damn big and filled
with boxes and crates.
JACOB
What's this stuff?
SETH
My guess is that this little dive's
been feeding on nomad road waifs like
bikers and truckers for a longtime.
This is probably some of the
shipments they stole off the trucks.
JACOB
Well, I say lets tear this place apart
for weapons. So when they burst
through that door, we'll make 'em wish
they never did.
SETH
I don't give a shit about living or
dying anymore. I just want to send as
many of these devils back to hell as
I can.
JACOB
Amen.
MONTAGE
The survivors are opening boxes and prying open crates. A
lot of what they find is bullshit. Pantyhose, coffee,
teddy bears, etc. But a few of the boxes are just what the
doctor ordered. Cases from a sporting good supplier yield
a shipment of baseball bats. Meant to arrive at toy stores
are a shipment of Uzi replica squirt guns and a box of
balloons. And captured en route to a hardware store are
shipments of power tools, saws and jack hammers.
Seth and Scott saw the bats into wooden stakes.
Kate fills the Uzi squirt guns with tap water from the
backroom sink.
Jacob, with Seth's knife, etches a cross into every bullet
in the .45 automatic's last full clip of ammo.
Vampires all start converging on the back room door,
getting their courage back.
Kate makes water balloons.
Scott sharpens the stakes to a point with the tools. Seth
attaches a wooden stake to the end of a jackhammer.
Jacob blesses the water in the squirt guns and balloons,
turning it into holy water.
Our heroes work together, preparing for the battle to come.
The back room door, barricaded with crates and boxes,
begins to be pounded on by the undead on the other side.
The room tone is a combination of chewing, scratching,
pounding, squeaking and screaming.
Finally they're ready.
Jacob turns to his kids.
JACOB
Before we go any further, I need you
three to promise me something. I'll
fight with you to the bitter end,
but when I turn into one of them, I
won't be Jacob anymore. I'll be a
lap dog of Satan. I want you three to
promise you'll take me down, no
different from the rest.
The kids can't say the words.
SETH
I promise.
JACOB
Kate, Scott?
KATE
I promise.
JACOB
Scott?
SCOTT
Yeah, I promise.
Jacob doesn't believe them.
JACOB
Why don't I believe you?
(he picks up the .45)
I'm gonna ask you two again, then I
want you to swear to God that you'll
kill me. If you don't, I'm gonna
just kill myself right now. Now,
since you need me I think you better
swear. Kate, do you swear to God
that when I turn into one of the
undead, you'll kill me?
Kate doesn't answer. Jacob places the .45 barrel against his
temple.
JACOB
Kate, we don't have all day, so I'm
only gonna count to five. One...two...
three... four...
KATE
Okay, okay, I promise I'll do it!
JACOB
Not good enough, swear to God.
KATE
I swear to God, our father, that when
you change into one of the undead, I
will kill you.
JACOB
Good girl. Now, Scott, we have even
less time, so I'm only giving you the
count of three. One...
SCOTT
You don't believe in suicide.
JACOB
It's not suicide if you're already
dead. Two...
SCOTT
Okay, I'll kill you when you change,
I swear to God in Jesus Christ's name.
JACOB
Thank you, son.
SETH
Okay, vampire killers, let's kill some
fuckin' vampires.
INT. BARROOM - NIGHT
The vampires, bat-things and what have you, start BREAKING
down the door. They are in a mad frenzy. They burst through
the door.
Waiting for them are Scott and Kate holding Uzi squirt guns
and water balloons draped down their chests on a belt like
grenades. Jacob is holding a cross made of sharp wooden
stakes and the .45 with the cross bullets. Seth is holding
the jackhammer. The survivors walk out of the back room
into the bar. The vamps back up, letting them inside.
What we have here is a Mexican standoff, a la "The Wild
Bunch." A moment of peace before the battle. The vamps just
watch the humans. The humans just watch the vamps. Then,
like the bull in the china shop, Seth ends the peace by
starting up the jackhammer.
SETH
Kill 'em all!
Jacob holds up the cross, the vamps react.
The kids SPRAY the crowd with UZI fire, burning vampire
flesh.
The pack of vamps retreat while the Fuller squad walk
forward.
They are attacked on all sides, but they keep moving towards
the door.
Seth slams the stakes into several of the vamps, it speeds
in and out of vampire chests, each time spraying him in
green vamp blood.
Jacob shoves his cross stake into a vampire with one hand
and SHOOTS three vampires with blessed bullets with the
other.
Flame BURSTS from the vampires' chests when the bullets hit.
Kate and Scott both whip water balloons off their belts and
toss them into the crowd.
They burst and FRY several of the vamps, who fall, screaming
in pain.
From its perch on a wood ceiling beam, a bat-thing drops and
HURLS toward the group.
Jacob sees it, raises his gun and FIRES.
The bat-thing bursts into a ball of screaming fire.
Seth continues carving a path to the front door by slamming
the hammer stake into vampire chests.
The front door is barricaded again by a big table and other
junk.
SCOTT
(yelling)
Why did they block the door again?
JACOB
(yelling)
To keep the daylight out! This is
where they sleep! Get to the door!
Seth tries to get to the front door, when Sex Machine, now a
half bat, half devil vamp, about six foot seven, drops from
above in front of him. Seth RAMS the stake in its chest. The
Sex Machine-thing screams out, LIFTING the hammer and Seth
off the ground.
Seth is thrown from his hold on the hammer across the room,
he CRASHES into a table.
The Sex Machine-thing falls back with the jackhammer
sticking out of his chest, dead.
Kate, spraying Uzi fire like Rambo, sees Seth fall. She
screams:
KATE
Seth!
Seth quickly gets up to find himself surrounded by vampires
on all sides. With no weapons, he puts up on dukes.
SETH
Okay, dead boys, come on! Take a bite
and feel all right!
Kate clusters with her father and Scott.
KATE
(yelling)
I'm going for 'em!
JACOB
No!
KATE
Everybody goes home!
Kate turns into a squirt gun firing, water-balloon throwing,
one-woman army, as she breaks from her father and heads in
Seth's direction.
KATE
(screaming)
Die, monster, die! Die, monster, die!
Kate mows down the group by Seth, they lie on the floor,
burning in agony. Kate takes Seth's hand and gives him a
couple of water balloons and a stake.
KATE
(to Seth)
Watch my back!
SETH
Anytime.
Cutting through vampires, the two make their way across the
bar.
Jacob, firing the .45, takes out several more vampires in
fiery death.
Scott fires the Uzi and chucks more water balloons.
As Jacob fights, all of a sudden the sound goes out. He
can't hear anything. He wonders if he's gone deaf. He starts
to hear the words: "Thirst, thirst, thirst." He notices the
vampires have stopped attacking him. They look at him wit
happy smiles on their devilish faces. Fangs begin to grow.
His eyes are yellow.
Scott turns to his dad. He sees his father is a monster.
Jacob, with a devilish grin on his face, GRABS Scott and
sinks his teeth into Scott's forearm. Scott screams bloody
murder as his dad begins to drain him of blood.
Scott takes one of the water balloons he's wearing and
SMASHES it against Jacob's head.
The holy water melts half of Jacob's face away. He lets go
of Scott, screaming, and drops the .45 on the floor.
Scott drops to the ground, picking up the gun. He brings it
up to fire.
A totally evil Jacob, with only half a face, matches stares
with the boy he once called his son.
Scott's eyes turn to steel.
SCOTT
I swear to God, in Jesus Christ's
name.
He FIRES, sending a holy bullet into Jacob's forehead,
creating a hole from which fire shoots out. Jacob's entire
head bursts into flames, then explodes.
From across the room, Fate sees her daddy ignite. She
cries out. In the thick of the battle, Seth yells:
SETH
Fight now, cry later.
Kate takes his advice and hits a vamp square in the face
with a holy water balloon, which melts his head.
A bat-thing lands on the back of Scott's neck. He screams as
it bites into him. He drops the .45.
Kate sees Scott get bit.
KATE
Oh my god.
Another bat-thing lands on Scott's arm and takes a bite.
Scott screams.
KATE
You bastards!
She goes to spray them when her Uzi runs out of water.
Now seven bat-things are on Scott biting and sucking blood.
Scott is in agony.
SCOTT
Kill me, Kate!
Kate runs for her brother, does a DIVE and a ROLL, coming
up by the .45, SNATCHING it in one motion and FIRING three
times.
One... two... three bat-things are hit, shoot flames, then
all of them EXPLODE, BLOWING UP Scott.
The remaining vamps approach.
All the humans have left is a few bullets and one holy
balloon.
SETH
How many bullets left, kid?
KATE
Not many.
SETH
Well, when you run out of weapons,
just start cold cocking 'em. Make 'em
sing for their supper.
The two survivors are backed up against a wall. Two bat
things do a Kamikaze dive from the air toward Seth. Seth
throws the holy balloon at them. Direct hit. The two
bat-things burst into flames and spiral to the floor.
The two survivors look at the vampires, who stand before
them. A moment of stillness before the attack. Kate stands
holding the .45, arm outstretched.
KATE
(to Seth)
Should I use the last bullets on us?
SETH
You use 'em on the first couple of
these parasites that try to bite you.
The vamps begins to close in. Kate lines up the .45 sights
on the face of an approaching vampire.
Seth holds the Uzi like a club, ready to bash in the first
vampire's head that gets in swinging distance.
Beams of sunlight shoot through the holes that Kate shot
through the wall. Approaching vampires burn. The scorched
vamps scream like they've never screamed before.
SETH
Shoot more holes!
Kate turns away from the vamps and shoots holes in the wall
behind him, Daylight comes through, providing Kate and
Seth with a safe, lighted area.
The .45's empty.
The vamps hiss and scream at the frustration of not being
able to get at them.
The two survivors hold hands, when...
All of a sudden the door to the Titty Twister is pounded on
from the outside.
The vamps look towards it in horror.
From the other side of the door, we hear a voice with a
Spanish accent.
VOICE (O.S.)
(in Spanish)
I'm looking for my friend. Is Seth in
there?
SETH
(yelling)
Carlos!
(in Spanish)
Help us, bash the door. Bash the door
in!
CARLOS (O.S.)
(in Spanish)
Danny, Manny, knock down the door.
Hurry, hurry!
The vamps are totally fucking freaked out! They run and fly
around the bar in a panic. Crying, howling, grabbing onto
each other.
The front door is TORN apart from shotgun fir coming from
the outside, punching holes the size of basketballs in the
door.
The table in front of the door gives and FALLS forward.
The door caves in and sunlight invades the bar. Many vamps
are instantly fried, bursting into flames.
The Mexican gangster CARLSO and his two henchmen, DANNY and
MANNY, are horrified at what they see. They cross themselves
in fright.
Vampires search for dark corners, but all is lost. Sunlight
hits a mirrored ball attached to the ceiling, sending
hundreds of beams of sunlight scattering through the room.
Vamps try and dodge the beams. No dice. All around the vamps
combust in fiery explosions.
The Titty Twister is now on fire, burning out of control.
Seth and Kate run through the building and leap through the
door into the parking lot.
EXT. TITTY TWISTER PARKING LOT - MORNING
Carlos, Danny and Manny help them to their feet and walk
them away from the blazing bar. They catch their breath by
Carlos's Mercedes.
CARLOS
(to Seth)
What the fuck was going on in there?
Seth signals Carlos to wait a minute while he catches his
breath. Then he hauls off and PUNCHES Carlos square in the
kisser. Danny and Manny aim their shotguns at Seth.
CARLOS
(in Spanish)
Whatsamatter with you? Are you crazy?
SETH
Why the fuck, outta all the god
forsaken shit holes in Mexico, did you
have us rendezvous at that place?
CARLOS
I don't know, one place's as good as
another.
SETH
Have you ever been there before?
CARLOS
No, but I passed by it a couple of
times. It's out in the middle of
nowhere. It seems like a rowdy place,
so there wouldn't be a lot of police.
And it's open from dusk till dawn.
You said meet you in the morning.
SETH
Well, because you picked that place
out of a hat, my brother's dead now.
And this girl's family's dead.
Carlos stands up again.
CARLOS
I'm sorry to hear that. What were
they, psychos?
SETH
Did they look like psychos? They
were fuckin' vampires. Psychos don't
explode when sunlight hits 'em, I
don't care how crazy they are.
Danny and Manny react to the vampire news by crossing
themselves again.
CARLOS
Oh, Seth, how can I ever make it up
to you?
SETH
You can't, but fifteen percent instead
of thirty for my stay at El Ray is a
good start.
CARLOS
Twenty-eight.
SETH
Jesus Christ, Carlos, my brother's
dead and he's not coming back, and
it's all your fault. Twenty.
They look at each other, then shake hands, saying in unison.
SETH AND CARLOS
(in Spanish)
Twenty-five.
Seth gets the suitcase and gives Carlos 25%. Seth walks over
to a red 1990 Porsche 911.
CARLOS
You like the car?
SETH
I said new, this is an '90.
CARLOS
It's hardly been used at all. I got it
from a drug dealer who only drove it 5
times in as many years. Swear to God.
That's like new.
SETH
So do I just follow you?
CARLOS
Yeah, follow us.
SETH
So let's do it.
CARLOS
(to Danny and Manny)
Vamanos!
Carlos, Danny and Manny pile into Carlo's white Mercedes.
Seth by his Porsche, looks back at Kate.
Kate stands alone.
The whole desert seems between them.
So much to say ... but no words.
SETH
I'm sorry.
KATE
Me too.
Long pause.
SETH
See ya.
KATE
Later.
Seth turns his back on her. Just as he opens the door, Kate
says behind him:
KATE (O.S.)
Seth.
Seth turns around.
KATE
You want some company?
Seth smiles.
SETH
Kate honey, I may be a bastard. But
I'm not a fuckin' bastard.
He blows her a kiss across the desert.
She blows one back.
Seth's in his car and GONE.
Kate turns around, faces endless desert before her, and
begins her long walk home.
THEME OF MOVIE BEGINS POUNDING
THE ENDFROM DUSK TILL DAWN
Screenplay by
Quentin Tarantino
Story by
Robert Kurtzman
Directed by
Robert Rodriguez
This script was transcribed, proof read and formatted by ueli riegg
email: [email protected]; url: http://studiour.tsx.org
Cast List:
Quentin Tarantino Richard Gecko
George Clooney Seth Gecko
Brenda Hillhouse Hostage Gloria
Harvey Keitel Jacob
Juliette Lewis Kate
Ernest Liu Scott
Cheech Marin Border Guard, Chet Pussy, Carlos
Selma Hayek Santanico Pandemonium
Danny Trejo Razor Charlie
Ernest Garcia Big Emilio
Tom Savini Sex Machine
Fred Williamson Frost
"I earnestly wish an end would come to this bloody
race I am forced to run."
Countess
in: "La Comtesse Noire"
by Jess Franco
FADE IN:
EXT. LIQUOR STORE - DAY
A convenience store in a Texas Suburb. No other businesses
surround it.
CLOSE-UP: A light switch is flipped on.
The sign on top of the store lights up. It reads: BENNY'S
WORLD OF LIQUOR.
TITLE CARD:
BIG SPRING, TEXAS
109 MILES WEST OF ABILENE
345 MILES EAST OF THE MEXICAN BORDER
A Texas Ranger patrol car pulls into the parking lot and
a real live Texas Ranger, EARL MCGRAW, steps out. McGraw is
in full ranger uniform - button shirt, cowboy hat, boots,
mirrored shades, tin star and a colt revolver on his hip.
It's about an hour and a half before sundown and McGraw is
off duty for the day.
The only other car in the parking lot is a 1975 Plymouth
INT. BENNY'S WORLD OF LIQUOR - DAY
A young Hawaiian Shirt wearing man named PETE sits on a
stool behind the counter.
A few CLOSE-UP:STOMERS fiddle about.
A MAN wearing a black suit, black tie, and wire rim
glasses holds hands with a PRETTY BLONDE GIRL in cutoffs and
bare feet. They look through magazines.
Another black suit wearing MAN holds hands with a RED-HEADED
GIRL in a prep school uniform. They look through the
beer cooler in the back of the store. Both girls are around
seventeen.
MCGRAW enters the store.
MCGRAW
Hot goddamn day!
PETE
Haven't felt it a bit. Been inside with
the air conditioner blastin' all day
long.
MCGRAW
Not even for lunch?
PETE
I'm by myself today, ate my lunch
outta the microwave.
McGraw walks over to the beer cooler, as if done ritually
every night (it is), takes out a beer, pops it open and
joins Pete by the front counter.
MCGRAW
Jesus Christ man, that microwave food
will kill ya as quick as a bullet.
Those burritos are only fit for a
hippie high on weed. Pull me down a
bottle of Jack Daniels. I'm gettin'
tanked tonight.
PETE
Whatsamatter?
MCGRAW
(sighs)
Awww, it's just been a shitass day.
Every inch of it hot and miserable.
First off, Nadine at the Blue Chip
got some sorta sick, so that Mongoloid
boy of hers was workin' the grill.
That fuckin' idiot don't know rat shit
from Rice Krispies. I ate breakfast
at nine, was pukin' up pigs in a
blanket like a sick dog by ten
thirty.
PETE
Isn't there a law or something
against retards serving food to the
public?
MCGRAW
Well, if there ain't there sure oughta
be. Who knows what goes on inside
Mongoloid's mind?
PETE
You could sue the shit out of her, ya
know. That kid belongs under a circus
tent, not flippin' burgers. You could
own that fuckin' place.
MCGRAW
What the hell would I do with that
grease pit? Besides, Nadine's got
enough of a cross to bear just taking
care of that potato head. Then all
this Abilene shit happened. You
heard about that bank robbery in
Abilene, didn't ya?
PETE
That's all that's been on the box
all day. They killed some people
didn't they?
MCGRAW
Four Rangers, three cops, and two
civilians. And they took a lady bank
teller as a hostage.
Pete doesn't say anything.
MCGRAW
They'll probably make a run for the
border, which would bring 'em this
way. And if we get our hands on
those shit asses, we're talking
payback time. We'll get 'em all right.
I gotta piss. I'm gonna use your
commode.
PETE
Knock yourself out.
McGraw drops his last drip of beer, crushes the can and
exits in the bathroom.
The black suited man by the beer cooler turns around and,
with the prep school girl in tow, walks rapidly toward Pete.
We see that the girl is crying.
BLACK SUITED MAN #1
(to Pete)
Do you think I'm fuckin' playing with
you, asshole?
(points to the tearful prep
school girl)
Do you want this little girl to die?
(pointing to the blonde with
the other guy)
Or that little girl? Or your
bosombuddy with the badge? Or
yourself? I don't wanna do it, but
I'll turn this fuckin' store into the
Wild Bunch if I even think you're
fuckin' with me.
The two men in black suits are the notorious Abilene
bank robbers, SETH and RICHARD GECKO, "The Gecko Brothers."
And the other customers are all being held hostage. Seth
is the one with the prep girl. Richard is the one with
the blonde.
Everybody speaks low and fast.
PETE
What do you want from me? I did what
you said.
SETH
Letting him use your toilet? No store
does that.
PETE
He comes in here every day and we
bullshit. He's used my toilet a
thousand times. If I told him no,
he'd know something was up.
SETH
I want that son-of-a-bitch out outta
here, in his car, and down the road or
you can change the name of this
place to "Benny's World of Blood."
Richard, holding tightly the hand of the terrified girl,
leans next to Seth's ear and whispers something. Seth looks
at Pete.
SETH
Were you giving that pig signals?
PETE
What? Are you kidding? I didn't do
anything!
Richard whispers something else in Seth's ear.
SETH
He says you were scratching.
PETE
I wasn't scratching!
SETH
You callin' him a liar?
Pete controls himself.
PETE
I'm not calling him a liar, okay? I'm
simply saying that if I was
scratching, and if I did scratch, it's
not because I was signaling the cop,
it's because I'm fuckin' scared
shitless.
Richard speaks for the first time in a low calm voice to
Seth.
RICHARD
The Ranger's taking a piss. Why don't
I just go in there, blow his head off
and get outta here.
PETE
Don't do that! Look, you asked me to
act natural, and I'm acting as natural
-- in fact, under the circumstances, I
think I ought get a fuckin' Academy
Award for how natural I'm acting. You
asked me to get rid of him, I'm doing
my best.
SETH
Yeah, well, your best better get a
helluva lot fuckin' better, or you're
gonna feel a helluva fuckin' lot
worse.
The toilet FLUSHES.
SETH
Everybody be cool.
Everybody goes back to what they were doing.
McGraw steps back out of the back. He appears to be unaware
of the situation.
MCGRAW
Yeah, and I'm gonna be right back at
it tomorrow. So tonight I'm gonna sit
in front of the box and just drink
booze. How much is the bottle?
PETE
Six-fifty.
Out of nowhere Richard WHIPS out his forty-five automatic
and SHOOTS McGraw in the head.
McGraw goes down screaming.
Richard stands over him and SHOOTS him twice more.
Seth charges forward.
SETH
(to Richard)
What the fuck was that about?
RICHARD
(in a low monotone)
He signaled the Ranger.
PETE
(hysterical)
I didn't.
(to Seth)
You gotta believe me, I didn't.
RICHARD
(to Seth)
When they were talkin', he mouthed
the words "Help Us."
PETE
You fuckin' liar, I didn't say shit!
Richard SHOOTS Pete and Pete falls down behind the counter.
Seth grabs Richard and throws him up against the wall.
SETH
What the fuck is wrong with you --
RICHARD
Seth, he did it. You were by the beer
cooler with your back turned. I was by
the magazines, I could see his face.
And I saw him mouth:
Richard mouths the words, "Help Us."
While Pete lies on the floor behind the counter bleeding
from his bullet wound, he opens his floor safe and pulls
out a gun from it.
Seth releases his brother.
SETH
Start the car.
RICHARD
You believe me don't cha?
SETH
Shut up and start the car.
Richard walks away from Seth and crosses the counter...
...when Pete SPRINGS up, gun in hand, and SHOOTS Richard in
the hand.
Richard FALLS to his knees, howling.
Both Pete and Seth SPRAY the store with gunfire.
Seth DIVES down an aisle. He reloads.
Pete DUCKS behind the counter. He reloads.
Richard has crawled to safety behind an aisle.
The two girls have run out screaming.
SETH
(yelling)
Richie? You okay?
RICHARD
(yelling)
I'm not dead, but I'm definitely shot!
I told you that bastard said, "Help
us!"
PETE
(yelling)
I never said help us!
SETH
(yelling)
Well that don't matter now, 'cause
you got about two fuckin' seconds
to live! Richie!
RICHARD
(yelling)
Yeah?
SETH
(yelling)
When I count three, shoot out the
bottles behind him!
RICHARD
Gotcha!
SETH
One... Two... Three.
The two brothers start FIRING toward the counter.
They HIT the bottles of alcohol on the shelf behind Pete.
Pete is crouched on the ground as glass, debris and alcohol
RAIN down on him.
Seth grabs a roll of paper towels from off a shelf.
Richard keeps FIRING.
Seth douses the paper towels with lighter fluid, sets it on
fire with his Zippo, then tosses it.
The flaming roll of paper towels FLIES through the air.
The fireball lands behind the counter.
The entire counter area immediately BURSTS INTO FLAMES. Pete
screams from behind the counter.
Seth smiles to himself and stands.
Richard shakes his head in amusement and stands.
Pete runs out from behind the counter, ENGULFED IN FLAMES
still holding his weapon and FIRING.
Seth and Richard hit the ground FIRING their .45's.
Pete, the human torch, FALLS like a tree into the Hostess
Pastry display.
Seth and Richard rise from the rubble.
EXT. BENNY'S WORLD OF LIQUOR - DAY
They exit the store squabbling. The store is bursting into
flames.
SETH
What did I tell you? What did I tell
you? Buy the road map and leave.
RICHARD
What am I supposed to do, Seth?
He recognized us.
SETH
He didn't recognize shit.
Both Seth and Richard stand on opposite sides of the car.
RICHARD
Seth, I'm telling you, the way he
looked at us -- you especially --
I knew he knew.
They both climb in the car, Seth behind the wheel. Seth
starts it op. The souped up engine ROARS to life. We can
hear Seth mumbling under the motor.
SETH
Low profile. Do you know what the
words "low profile" mean?
CLOSE-UP: SETH'S FOOT PUNCHES GAS.
The Plymouth tears out of the parking lot backwards, hits
the street, and speeds off down the road.
We CRANE UP HIGH to see the car leaving a trail of dust
behind it, as the store burns out of control.
OPENING CREDIT SEQUENCE.
Raunchy, honky-tonk MUSIC fills the theater.
CUT TO:
EXT. TEXAS PANHANDLE - DAY
The Plymouth tears ass across Texas plains. As TITLES PLAY
OVER, we see Seth and Richard enjoying their getaway/road
trip. Seth behind the wheel, pops open a bottle of
prescription pills, empties out four of the red capsules in
his hand, pops them in his mouth, and washes it back with a
slug of Jack Daniel's from a pint bottle.
Richard looks at Seth through the hole in his hand. Like a
boxer, Richard wraps his wounded hand with gaffer's tape.
The camera leaves the boys, as they woosh down the street,
and goes along the length of the car to the trunk. It hangs
on the trunk. Then we see through the trunk, like Superman:
AN OLDER WOMAN tied up and helpless in the trunk.
The rest of the titles play over black as the song
continues.
CREDIT SEQUENCE ENDS
CUT TO:
EXT. EMMA AND PETE'S GRAVY TRAIN - DAY
Emma and Pete's Gravy Train is a truck stop off of Highway
290.
SUBTITLE APPEARS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN':
FORT STOCKTON
238 MILES FROM THE MEXICAN BORDER
INT. EMMA AND PETE'S GRAVY TRAIN - DAY
Emma and Pete's PATRONS are made up of regulars, truckers,
cowboys and road-weary travelers. The CAMERA DOLLIES through
the maze of tables, patrons, and waitresses.
It stops when it gets to a table occupied by the FULLER
FAMILY. The Fullers definitely fall into the road-weary
category. The members of the unit consist of the father,
JACOB, age 44, an ex-preacher, a good man with rough edges,
and his two children, KATE, age 19, is a young beauty who
possesses what can only be described as an apple pie
sensuality. She is dressed like a nice Christian girl,
complete with crucifix. SCOTT, age 16, is a Jacob's
Vietnamese adopted son. Scott is a likable, long-haired kid
who always wears a T-shirt with the name of the heavy metal
garage band he plays guitar for, "Precinct 13." The three
of them are wolfing down a late lunch.
JACOB
We got about two more hours of day
light left. That'll get us into
El Paso, which is right next to the
border. We'll stop at a motel --
SCOTT
Stop? We're not going to actually
stop at a motel, are we?
Scott and Kate speak together, obviously repeating something
that Jacob has said about three hundred times.
SCOTT AND KATE
We've got a Winnebago. We don't need
those over priced roach havens. We're
self contained.
JACOB
Okay, Okay, maybe I was a little
overzealous, but give me a break, I
just bought it.
Scott and Kate continue the impersonation.
SCOTT
Why, just look at all this. You got
your kitchen --
KATE
-- you got your microwave --
SCOTT
-- you got your sink --
KATE
-- you got your shower --
SCOTT
-- see this, television!
KATE
Feel this, real wood paneling. That's
real wood, too, not that fake stuff.
JACOB
Unless you two wiseacres wanna be
introduced to the joys of hitchhiking,
what say we drop this?
SCOTT
(to Kate)
The truth hurts.
KATE
(to Scott)
It's the bitterest of pills.
JACOB
You two ought to start a stand-up
act, because you're just wasting your
humor on me.
KATE
Ain't it the truth.
SCOTT
Why do you want to stop?
JACOB
I'm exhausted.
SCOTT
Lie in the back, Dad, I'll drive us
into Mexico.
Jacob gives Scott a look that says, "You aren't touching my
new motor home."
JACOB
I just bet you would. Don't even thin
about it. Besides, I want to have one
night's sleep in an
honest-to-goodness bed. The beds in
the home are okay, but they're not
like a real bed.
KATE
Hey, if we go to a motel, we can
swim.
SCOTT
I'll be right back. I'm gonna go to
the bathroom.
Scott gets up from the table and walks out back to the
restroom.
Jacob and Kate are left alone. There's an awkward moment of
silence before...
KATE
Dad, when I called the machine to
check our messages there was one from
Bethel Baptist. Mr.Franklin said he
wouldn't permanently replace you until
we came back. He said when we come
home, if you still feel the same
way --
JACOB
That's very nice of Ted, but I'll
call him tomorrow and tell him not
to bother waiting.
KATE
I didn't want to talk about this in
front of Scott because he gets upset.
But you don't believe in God
anymore?
JACOB
Not enough to be a pastor. Look, I
know this is hard on you kids. After
Jenny's death, this is probably the
last thing you need. But I can't do
it any longer. My congregation needs
spiritual leadership. Well, they can't
get that from me anymore. My faith is
gone. To answer your question, yes,
I do believe in Jesus. But do I love
them? No. After Jenny died, I just
thought, what's the point?
KATE
(pushing him)
It's just, all our lives you've been
a pastor. For twenty years you've
preached trust in the lord. And then
one day you wake up and say fuck him?
JACOB
I didn't say fuck him. I'm just not
connected anymore.
KATE
That happens, you'll get it back.
JACOB
Kate, give your old man a little
credit. Every person who chooses the
service of God as their life's work
has something in common. I don't care
if you're a preacher, a priest, a nun,
a rabbi or a Buddhist monk. Many,
many times during your life you'll
look at your reflection in the mirror
and ask yourself, am I a fool? We've
all done it. I'm not going through a
lapse. What I've experienced is closer
to awakening. I'm not trying to shake
your faith. I've just decided not to
devote my life to God anymore.
KATE
What do you think Mom would say?
JACOB
Mom's got nothing to say, she's dead.
CUT TO:
CLOSE UP: COUNTER BELL. A hand slams down on it. RING.
INT. LOBBY - DEW DROP INN - DAY
Seth stands at the front desk of the Dew Drop Inn. A
standard issue Texas motel. Richard sits outside in the car.
Nobody responds to the bell. Seth BANGS it impatiently five
times.
TEXAS VOICE (O.S.)
Hold your horses!
An OLD-TIMER walks through a curtain behind the counter.
He's eating a BBQ rib.
OLD-TIMER
(rough)
Whatcha want?
SETH
Whatcha think I want, ya mean old
bastard? I wanna room.
EXT. COURTYARD - DEW DROP INN - DAY
Richard sits in the car listening to Merle Haggard on the
radio. He watches from his perspective, Seth taking the
walking outside and getting in the car. Seth starts it up,
and drives them to their room.
RICHARD
Do they have cable?
SETH
No.
RICHARD
Do they have an X-rated channel?
SETH
No.
RICHARD
Do they have a waterbed?
SETH
They don't have anything except four
walls and a roof, and that's all we
need.
Their car drives up to room #9, but they park backing up the
trunk close to the door.
The two brothers get out of the car.
SETH
(tossing Richie the motel keys)
Open the door. We gotta do this fast.
Richie opens the door.
Seth goes to the trunk, looks around the court yard. It's
empty.
CLOSE UP: KEY going into the trunk lock, turning.
TRUNK POV: Seth looking into the camera.
SETH'S POV: A WOMAN in her late forties is lying scrunched
up in the trunk.
She is the HOSTAGE BANK TELLER from Abilene. She's stiff,
scared and looks an absolute mess.
SETH
Don't say a word.
The two brothers, quick as lightening, yank the woman out of
the trunk and whisk her into the motel room. SETH closes the
trunk, looks around for any Johnny eye-witnesses, doesn't
see any, slams the door.
INT. SETH AND RICHARD'S ROOM - DAY
Seth turns from the door, sees the hostage woman standing.
SETH
You. Plant yourself in that chair.
She sits down in the chair.
HOSTAGE
What are you planning on doing with --
SETH
-- I said plant yourself. Plants don't
talk. You wanna get on my good side?
Just sit still and don't make a peep.
She shuts up.
Richard slowly takes off his jacket. He winces from his
wound.
SETH
Let me help you.
He helps him get his jacket off.
SETH
How's it feel?
RICHARD
How ya think, it hurts like a
son-of-a-bitch.
Richie goes over to the bed and lies down on it. Seth takes
the pillow and stacks them for Richie to prop his back up
against.
SETH
I got both rooms on either side of us,
so we don't gotta worry about
eavesdropping assholes. How's that
feel? You okay?
RICHARD
Feels good.
SETH
I'm gonna go get the money.
He heads for the door.
EXT. COURTYARD - MOTEL - DAY
Seth goes into the car, takes out a big suitcase. He scans
the perimeter with his eyes, goes back inside.
INT. MOTEL ROOM #9 - DAY
Seth comes back in, lays the suitcase on the bed. Richie has
the TV remote control in his hand and he's flipping
stations. Seth looks at his watch.
SETH
It's about five o'clock.
(to hostage)
What time does it get dark around
here?
HOSTAGE
About seven.
SETH
Good. I'm going towards the border to
check things out while it's still
daylight. Call Carlos and arrange the
rendezvous.
RICHARD
Hey, when you talk to him, see if you
can arrange a better deal than thirty
percent.
SETH
That's their standard deal, brother.
They ain't about to change it for us.
RICHARD
Did you even to try to negotiate?
SETH
These guys ain't spic fire cracker
salesman from Tijuana. They don't even
know the meaning of the word "barter".
You wanna stay in El Ray? You give
them thirty percent of your loot. It's
scripture. So it is written, so shall
it be done. You want sanctuary, you
pay the price, and the price is thirty
percent.
RICHARD
All I'm saying --
SETH
-- This conversation is over.
Richie shrugs and turns back to TV, Seth turns to the
hostage, grabs a chair and slides it up in front of her.
SETH
Now, we need to have a talk. What's
your name?
HOSTAGE
Gloria.
He shakes her hand.
SETH
Hello, Gloria, I'm Seth and that's my
brother Richie. Let's cut to the
chase. I'm gonna ask you a question
and all I want is a yes or no answer.
Do you want to live through this?
GLORIA
Yes.
SETH
Good. Then let me explain the house
rules. Follow the rules, we'll get
along like a house on fire. Rule number
one: No noise, no question. You make a
noise...
(he holds up his .45)
...Mr. 45 makes a noise. You ask a
question, Mr. 45 answers it. Now are
you absolutely, positively clear about
rule number one?
GLORIA
Yes.
SETH
Rule number two: You do what we say,
when we say it. If you don't, see rule
number one.
Seth takes the .45, places the barrel next to the woman's
cheek. She squirms and shuts her eyes. He pulls back the
hammer.
SETH
Rule number three: Don't you ever try
and fuckin' run on us. 'Cause I got
five little friends, and they all run
faster 'n you can. Got it?
She nods her head yes.
He takes the gun away and replaces the hammer.
SETH
Open your eyes.
She does.
SETH
Gloria, you hang in there, follow the
rules, and don't fuck with us, you'll
get out of this alive. I give you my
word. Okay?
She nods her head yes.
Seth rises.
SETH
I'll be back in a bit.
He exits.
Richard looks to the TV, then looks to Gloria sitting
across the room in the chair.
RICHARD
Wanna come up here on the bed and
watch TV with me?
You can tell she doesn't want to.
He pats the empty space next to him.
RICHARD
Come on.
She gets out of her chair, walks across the bed, and sits
next to him.
EXT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY
A phone booth outside of a gas station. Seth is in the
middle of a conversation with the party on the other end.
SETH
Things are real hot here. Crossing's
gonna be a bitch.
(pause)
Don't worry, we'll get across. But
when we do, where do we go?
(pause)
Can we make it as close to the border
as possible? Texas wants our balls.
The quicker we're in your protection,
the better I'll feel.
(pause)
Okay, where?
(pause)
The Titty Twister?
(he laughs)
I love it already. Okay, Carlos, I'll
see you and your men at the "Titty
Twister" tomorrow morning.
(pause)
Bye, my friend.
Seth hangs up the phone, lights up a cigarette with his
Zippo lighter and exits frame. After Seth exits, leaving
the frame empty, a subtitle appears:
EL PASO
5 MILES FROM THE MEXICAN BORDER
CUT TO:
INT. SETH AND RICHARD'S MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Richard lies on the bed by himself, propped up by pillows,
watching TV, taking on hits from a water bong in the
shape of a wizard.
ON TV
A local newscaster named KELLY HOUGE is reporting a story
about the brothers.
KELLY HOUGE
(talking to camera)
This bloody crime spree started just a
week ago today. The oldest of the two
brothers...
MUG SHOT OF SETH
KELLY HOUGE (V.O)
...Seth Gecko was serving time in
Rolling's Kansas State Penitentiary
for his part in the 1988 Scott City
bank robbery in which two law
enforcement officers lost their lives.
BACK TO KELLY
KELLY HOUGE
Having served eight years of his
twenty-two year sentence, Seth Gecko
was brought to Wichita Municipal court
house for his first parole hearing. It
was while at the court house that this
man...
MUG SHOT OF RICHARD GECKO
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
... his younger brother Richard Gecko,
a known armed robber and sex offender,
pulled off a daring daylight escape...
BACK TO KELLY
KELLY HOUGE
...resulting in the death of four
Wichita law enforcement officers, and
this woman...
PHOTO OF WOMAN SMILING
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...Heide Vogel, sixth grade teacher
who was run over by the Geckos during
a high speed pursuit through downtown
Wichita.
MAP OF AMERICA
A red line travels from Wichita to Oklahoma.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
From there the brothers traveled
from Kansas through Oklahoma...
The red line enters Texas and the camera moves into Texas.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...into the great state of Texas, and
then finally...
WE ZOOM in on a red-circled Abilene.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...into Abilene.
We hear GUNFIRE and SCREAMS.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE CRIMINAL COURT BUILDING - DAY
Kelly Houge walks down the courthouse steps of the criminal
courts building of Abilene. She talks to the camera. Cops,
lawyers and citizens bustle in the background.
KELLY HOUGE
The list of the dead climbed up three
more notches since our last telecast.
CUT TO:
PHOTO: OFFICER SHERMAN GOODELL in full police uniform.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
Officer Sherman Goodell, who was in
intensive care following the gun
battle outside of the Valley Federal
bank building...
CUT TO:
EXT. COURTHOUSE - DAY
Kelly Houge standing on the court house steps talking into
the camera.
KELLY HOUGE
...died about forty-five minutes ago
at Hopkins General hospital. And about
six hours ago, during a daylight
liquor store robbery in Big Springs,
The Gecko Brothers killed another
Texas Ranger...
CUT TO:
PHOTO: EARL MCGRAW in uniform.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...Earl McGraw...
CUT TO:
PHOTO: PETE in a Hawaiian shirt holding up a big fish.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
...and liquor store clerk Pet
Bottoms.
CUT TO:
VIDEO FOOTAGE: Of Benny's World of Liquor burning down.
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
Then they proceeded to burn the store
down to the ground.
CUT TO:
VIDEO GRAPHIC: Picture of The Gecko Brothers with a tally underneath:
THE GECKO BROTHERS
WICHITA JAIL BREAK
VALLEY FEDERAL BANK ROBBERY
BIG SPRINGS CONVENIENCE STORE ROBBERY
DEATH TOLL
13
TEXAS RANGERS - POLICE OFFICERS - CIVILIANS
4 7 2
KELLY HOUGE
That changes the death toll to fifteen.
(It changes under "Death toll")
Five Texas Rangers...
(it changes)
Eight police officers
(it changes)
Three civilians.
(it changes)
CUT TO:
BACK TO KELLY
KELLY HOUGE
And one hostage...
CUT TO:
PHOTO: GLORIA HILL
KELLY HOUGE (V.O.)
... bank teller and mother of four,
Gloria Hill.
KELLY TO CAMERA
KELLY HOUGE
Heading the case to bring these
fugitives to justice is FBI agent
Stanley Chase. We talked with agent
Chase earlier this afternoon.
CUT TO:
VIDEO INTERVIEW
Kelly Houge interviewing STANLEY CHASE of the FBI.
STANLEY CHASE
For the time being we are very
confident we will apprehend the
fugitives in the next forty-eight
hours. The Bureau, local law
enforcement and the Texas Rangers
have all joined forces in forming a
dragnet to snare Seth and Richard
Gecko.
KELLY HOUGE
Agent Chase, does it appear that they
are heading for Mexico.
STANLEY CHASE
Yes, it does, Kelly. We have already
alerted the Mexican authorities. They
intend to cooperate every way possible
in bringing these fugitives to
justice.
KELLY HOUGE
Are you optimistic about the safety of
the hostage they took in Abilene,
Gloria Hill?
STANLEY CHASE
We've received no news one way or the
other. We can only hope for the best.
KELLY HOUGE
What about the report from an
eyewitness at the liquor store who
said one of the brothers was shot?
STANLEY CHASE
This can't be confirmed at this time,
but we do believe it to be true. We
have reason to believe it was the
youngest brother Richard, and he was
shot in the vicinity of his neck and
shoulders by the store's clerk.
KELLY HOUGE
Is it safe to assume that because the
death count involved and the loss of
life of law enforcement officers, that
the Bureau, the Rangers and the police
force are taking this manhunt
personally?
STANLEY CHASE
I would say that's a very safe
assumption.
CUT TO:
RICHARD SMILES.
RICHARD
(Newscaster's voice)
Is it safe to assume since the law
enforcement authorities in the great
state of Texas are homosexuals of a
sick and deviate nature, that they
will be too busy fucking each other
up the ass to actually catch The
Gecko Brothers?
(in an FBI voice)
I would say that's a very safe
assumption.
He changes a channel on the television. We see a Casper the
Friendly Ghost cartoon on the screen.
CASPER
Would you play with me?
A big burly COP turns around.
COP
Sure, little boy... A GHOST!!!
The cop heads for the hills. Casper cries.
Seth enters the room carrying a six pack of beer and two
take-out bags of Big Kahuna burgers.
RICHARD
Shit, I started to get worried. Where
the fuck ya been?
SETH
Sight seein'.
RICHARD
What'd ya see?
SETH
Cops.
RICHARD
Didya look at the border?
Seth dumps the burgers on the bed. Both men pop open beers
and Richard goes to town on a hamburger. Seth flips off
the TV
SETH
Yeah, I saw the border. Through
binoculars from on top of a high
building. That's about as close as I
risked getting. What's the TV say?
RICHARD
They're going to apprehend us in
forty-eight hours.
Seth sits down and takes a hit off his beer.
SETH
(to himself)
I gotta figure a way to get across
that goddamn border. Longer we fuck
around El Paso our lives ain't worth
a shit.
RICHARD
Look, fuck the border. Let's just dig
in and wait for things to cool down.
SETH
Richie, it's gonna get a lot fuckin'
worse before it gets any fuckin'
better. We showed our ass in Texas. We
killed Texas fuckin' Rangers. They
ain't gonna stop lookin' till they
find us, and when they find us,
they're gonna kill us. Texans take it
very personal when ya kill their law
enforcement officers. The El Paso
police have already started a motel
and hotel search for us.
RICHARD
How do you know?
SETH
I heard it on the radio. We gotta get
our asses into Mexico tonight. Carlos
is gonna meet us tomorrow morning at a
rendezvous on the other side, then
Carlos and his boys will escort us to
El Ray and --
Seth stops talking and looks around.
SETH
Where's the woman?
RICHARD
What?
Seth's out of his chair.
SETH
What'd ya mean, what? The fuckin'
woman, the hostage. Where the fuck
is she, Richard!?
RICHARD
She's in the other room.
SETH
What the fuck is she doin' there?!
He goes to the door of the adjoining room.
RICHARD
Seth, before you open the door, let
me explain what happened.
Seth stops and looks at his brother. He knows what he means.
He can't say anything, only point at his younger sibling.
Then he BURSTS open the door.
The dead, naked body of Gloria Hill lies on the bed. It's
obvious Richard raped her and killed her.
Seth covers his eyes with his hands. He slowly enters the
room with the dead body.
SETH
(to himself)
Oh, Richard, what's wrong with you?
Richard rises from the bed.
RICHARD
Now, Seth, before you flip out, let me
just explain what happened.
Seth slowly turns to his brother, then walks toward him.
Richard backs up.
SETH
Yeah, explain it to me. I need an
explanation. What's the matter with
you?
RICHARD
(low and calm)
There's nothing wrong with me,
brother. That woman tried to escape
and I did what I had to do.
SETH
No.
(pause)
That woman wouldn't of said shit if
she had a mouthful.
RICHARD
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong,
wrong, wrong! Once you left, she
became a whole different person.
SETH
(slowly approaching)
Is it me? Is it my fault?
RICHARD
It's not your fault, it's her fault!
Seth grabs Richard and THROWS him in the corner of the room,
holding tightly to his wrist.
SETH
Is this my fault? Do you think this
is what I am?
RICHARD
What?
SETH
This is not me! I am a professional
fucking thief. I steal money. You try
to stop me, god help you. But I don't
kill people I don't have to, and I
don't rape women. What you doin' ain't
how it's done. Do you understand?
RICHARD
Seth, if you were me --
SETH
Just say yes! Nothing else, just say
yes.
RICHARD
Yes.
SETH
Yes, Seth, I understand.
RICHARD
Yes, Seth, I understand.
Seth hugs his little brother. Tight.
SETH
(whispers in Richie's ear)
We get into Mexico, it's gonna be
sweet Rosemary, hundred-proof liquor,
and rice and beans. None of this
shit's gonna matter.
INT. MOTOR HOME - NIGHT
Scott and Kate are in the front seat of their parked motor
home. The motor home's parked in front of the Dew Drop
Inn's front office. We see Jacob inside getting a room from
the Old-Timer.
KATE
I can't believe he's stopping here.
This place looks totally cruddy.
Jacob walks out of the office. Kate yells from the motor
home.
KATE
Dad, why are we stopping here?
He opens the meter home door and climbs in.
JACOB
There's nothing wrong with this
place.
KATE
It's a flop house.
JACOB
It's not a flop house. It's basic
and simple. That doesn't make it a
flop house.
KATE
If it doesn't have a pool, we're
looking for a new place.
Starting the huge car and slowly maneuvering it through the
courtyard.
JACOB
It has a bed. That's all I care about.
KATE
Other places have beds, they also have
cable TV, a gym, room service...
EXT. COURTYARD - NIGHT
Seth walks out of room #9 with a beer in his hand. He's
thinking about how he's going to get over the border
tonight. Lost in thought, he steps out in the path of the
Fuller's motor home.
Jacob slams on the brakes. Seth jumps back, startled. Both
Kate and Scott are TOSSED out of their seats onto the floor.
THUD... THUD...
KATE
Owww, my head.
Jacob (pissed) honks his horn at Seth and yells out the
window.
JACOB
Watch where you're going!
THROUGH WINDSHIELD
Seth just stands right in their way without moving, gazing
up at the giant motor home.
JACOB BEHIND THE WHEEL
Kate and Scott join him up front looking at this weirdo.
SCOTT
What's this guy's problem?
JACOB
I have no idea.
Seth continues standing in their way, making no attempt to
move. Not threatening, just looking at them.
HONK!
JACOB
Anytime, man.
The horn snaps Seth back to this world. A smile breaks out
on the escaped fugitive's face and he politely steps to one
side to let them pass.
Pass they do!
KATE
Creepy guy.
SETH
The Sword of Damocles is lifted from above Seth's head. He's
just solved a problem that a mere thirty seconds ago seemed
unsolvable. He knows exactly how he's going to cross the
border. Whistling a happy tune, he turns and walks back into
room #9.
INT. FULLERS' MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
The Fullers are in room #12. It's identical to the one that
the Gecko boys are in, except that the paintings above the
beds are different. Jacob has fallen asleep in his clothes
on the bed.
Scott sits in a chair, headphones on, playing an unplugged
electric guitar. Kate is nowhere in sight.
KNOCK... KNOCK... KNOCK... on the door. Scott doesn't hear
shit but his music. Jacob stirs a bit, but doesn't wake up.
POUND... POUND... POUND... on the door. Jacob SPRINGS UP.
He looks over at Scott, who, lost in guitar heaven, is
oblivious of the knocker, then to the door.
JACOB
(yelling)
What?
From the other side of the door comes a friendly voice.
VOICE (O.S.)
I'm your neighbor in room 9, I hate to
disturb you, but I'd like to ask a favor.
Jacob swings his feet to the floor, stands up and walks to
the door. As he passes Scott, he says, in his direction --
JACOB
I hope none of this is disturbing you.
Scott can't hear him, but when he sees his dad look at him,
he smiles.
Jacob opens the door and sees...
... Richard Gecko standing in the doorway, looking like the
nicest guy in the entire world.
RICHARD
Hi there, I'm from room 9, my name is
Don Cornelius. No, not the Don
Cornelius from Soul Train. Me and my
lady friend need some ice and we don't
seem to have an ice bucket. Could we
possibly borrow yours? I'll bring it
right back.
JACOB
(still partially asleep)
Sure.
We follow Jacob as he turns to the dresser to get the motel
ice bucket. He grabs it, turns back to the door, takes a
couple of steps towards it, then stops: in his tracks.
He sees Richard and Seth both inside the room with the door
closed, both with .45's in their hands, both aimed at him.
JACOB
What is this?
Seth SLUGS Jacob in the mouth, KNOCKING him to the ground.
SETH
It's called a punch.
Scott suddenly becomes aware of what's going on around him
and instinctively stands. Richard shoves his .45 in Scott's
mouth.
RICHARD
Sit down.
Scott lowers himself back down onto his seat.
RICHARD
Good boy.
Jacob lifts his head off the floor and wipes blood away from
his lip. He looks at his opponent who stands over him.
SETH
(to Jacob)
What's your name?
JACOB
Jacob.
SETH
Okay, Jacob, get up and sit your ass
down on the bed. Make a wrong move and
I'll shoot you in the face.
Jacob rises and sits on the edge of the bed.
SETH
(to Richard)
Okay, move the Jap over there.
Keeping the gun in Scott's mouth, Richard makes Scott rise...
RICHARD
Upsy daisy.
...guiding him over to the bed by his father.
Richard removes the gun from Scott's mouth and stands next
to his brother, looking down at their two hostages.
SETH
(to his hostages)
What's the story with you two? You a
couple of fags?
JACOB
He's my son.
SETH
How does that happen? You don't look
Japanese.
JACOB
Neither does he. He looks Vietnamese.
SETH
Oh, well, excuse me all to hell.
JACOB
What's this about, money?
SETH
It's about money, all right, but not
yours. You see, me and my brother here
are in a little hot water and we need
your assistance.
The door to room #12 opens and a dripping wet, bikini clad
Kate walks in.
The brothers spin their guns in her direction.
Kate, startled, screams. Jacob and Scott get on their feet
and move forward. Seth spins back towards the two men, gun
ready to spit.
SETH
(to Scott and Jacob)
Stop!
Jacob and Scott freeze.
Richard moves like quicksilver, shutting the door and
positioning himself behind the terrified Kate.
KATE
What's going on?
RICHARD
We're having a wet bikini contest,
and you just won.
JACOB
(to Kate)
It's okay, honey. Everything's going
to be all right.
SETH
Just listen to daddy, sugar, and don't
do nothin' stupid.
(he turns to Jacob and Scott,
who are still standing)
You two, Simon says sit the fuck down!
They slowly sit.
Richard can't take his eyes off the dripping wet Kate.
Both Jacob and Seth see this and neither men like it. Both
for their own reasons.
SETH
(to Jacob)
Where are the keys to the motor home?
JACOB
On the dresser.
SETH
Richie, take the keys. Start that big
bastard up, and drive it up front.
Richard doesn't move from his position behind Kate. Kate
feels his eyes on her. She slowly turns and looks at him.
He looks in her face.
CLOSE-UP KATE
She smiles at him.
KATE
Richie, will you do me a favor and eat
my pussy?
CLOSE-UP RICHARD
RICHARD
Sure.
SETH (O.S.)
Richard!
Richard's eyes go to Seth.
Everybody is where they were. Kate never turned around.
SETH
Not when you get around to it, now.
Without saying a word, he takes the keys and leaves the
room.
SETH
(pointing at Kate)
You, Gidget, go in the bathroom and
put on some clothes.
She grabs some clothes from the floor and moves towards the
bathroom.
Seth GRABS her wrist.
SETH
You got three minutes. One second
longer, I shoot your father in the
face. Do you understand what I just
said?
KATE
Yes.
SETH
Do you believe me?
KATE
Yes.
SETH
You damn well better. Go.
She goes into the bathroom.
JACOB
Look, if you want the motor home, just
take it and get out.
Seth grabs a chair and slides it up to his two male
hostages.
SETH
Sorry, Pops, it ain't gonna be that
easy.
We hear the motor home "HONK" twice outside.
SETH
Get ready to move out, we're all going
on a little ride.
Jacob shakes his head "no."
JACOB
Not a chance.
SETH
Come again?
JACOB
If you're taking people, take me. But
my kids aren't going anywhere with
you.
SETH
Sorry, I need everybody.
JACOB
My children are not going with you,
and that's that.
SETH
(angry)
That's not fuckin' that...
(holds up his gun)
this is fuckin' this.
(he calms down and looks
at Scott)
Go sit over there.
Scott gets up and walks to the other side of the room,
leaving the two men alone. Seth speaks in a quiet,
conversational tone.
SETH
I ain't got time to fuck around with
you, so I'll make this simple. Take
your kids and get in the car, or I'll
execute all three of you right now.
(he cocks the gun and puts
it right in Jacob's face)
What's it gonna be, yes or no answer?
Jacob looks at him.
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
Good.
(to Scott)
Your old man's all right, he just
saved your life.
Seth BANGS on the bathroom door.
SETH
Times up, Princess.
The bathroom door opens. Kate stands there, wearing a
T-shirt, jeans and bare feet.
SETH
Okay, ramblers, let's get to rambling.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT
The motor home with the powder-keg interior drives through
the Lone Star night.
INT. MOTOR HOME NIGHT
Richard's in the back bed area with a gun trained on Kate
and Scott. The two scared siblings hold hands.
KATE
Excuse me.
Richard zeros in on her.
RICHARD
What?
KATE
Where are you taking us?
RICHARD
Mexico.
KATE
What's in Mexico?
RICHARD
Mexicans.
He doesn't smile.
In the front part of the motor home, Jacob sits behind the
wheel, driving into the night. Seth sits in the passenger
seat, going through Jacob's wallet and talking to him
calmly.
SETH
(reading his driver's license)
Jacob Fuller. Jacob, that's biblical,
ain't it? What am I askin' for, of
course it is.
(motioning behind him)
What are their names?
JACOB
Scott and Kate.
Seth repeats the names as he thumbs through the wallet.
SETH
Scott and Kate... Kate and Scott...
Scott Fuller... Kate Fuller...
Seth comes to a snapshot of Jacob and his wife.
SETH
Who's this?
JACOB
My wife.
SETH
Where is the little lady?
JACOB
In heaven.
SETH
She's dead?
JACOB
Yes, she is.
SETH
How'd she die?
JACOB
Auto wreck.
SETH
Come on, gimme some more details.
How'd it happen? Some fuckin' drunk
kill her?
JACOB
No. It was a rainy night, the brakes
on the car weren't great. She had to
stop suddenly. She slid on the road,
she crashed, she died.
SETH
Died instantly?
JACOB
Not quite. She was trapped in the
wreck for about six hours before she
passed on.
SETH
Whewww! Those acts of God really stick
it in and break it off, don't they?
JACOB
Yes, they do.
Seth looks back at the wallet. He sees Jacob's minister's
license.
SETH
Is this real?
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
I've seen one of these before. A
friend of mine had himself declared
a minister of his own religion. Away
to fuck the IRS. Is that what you're
doing, or are you the real McCoy?
JACOB
Real McCoy.
SETH
You're a preacher?
JACOB
I was a minister.
SETH
Was? As in not anymore?
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
Why'd ya quit?
JACOB
I think I've gotten about as up close
and personal with you as I'm gonna
get. Now if you need me like I think
you need me, you're not gonna kill me
'cause I won't answer your stupid,
prying questions. So, with all due
respect, mind your own business.
SETH
I seem to have touched a nerve. Don't
be so sensitive, Pops, let's keep this
friendly. But you're right, enough
with the getting to know you shit.
Now, there's two ways we can play this
hand. One way is me and you go round
an' round all fuckin' night. The other
way, is we reach some sort of an
understanding. Now, if we go down that
first path at the end of the day, I'll
win. But we go down the second, we'll
both win. Now, I don't give a rat's
ass about you or your fuckin' family.
Y'all can live forever or die this
second and I don't care which. The
only things I do care about are me
that son-of-a-bitch in the back, and
our money. And right now I need to get
those three things into Mexico. Now,
stop me if I'm wrong, but I take it
you don't give a shit about seeing me
and my brother receiving justice, or
the bank getting its money back. Right
now all you care about is the safety
of your daughter, your son and
possibly yourself. Am I correct?
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
I thought so. You help us get across
the border without incident, stay with
us the rest of the night without
trying anything funny, and in the
morning we'll let you and your family
go. That way everybody gets what they
want. You and your kids get out of
this alive and we get into Mexico.
Everybody's happy.
JACOB
How do I know you'll keep your word?
SETH
Jesus Christ, Pops, don't start with
this shit.
JACOB
You want me to sit here and be
passive. The only way being passive in
this situation makes sense is if I
believe you'll let us go. I'm not
there yet. You have to convince me
you're telling the truth.
SETH
Look, dickhead, the only thing you
need to be convinced about is that
you're stuck in a situation with a
coupla real mean motor scooters. I
don't wanna hafta worry about you all
fuckin' night. And I don't think you
wanna be worrying about my brother's
intentions toward your daughter all
night. You notice the way he looked
at her, didn't ya?
JACOB
Yes.
SETH
Didn't like it, did ya?
JACOB
No, I didn't.
SETH
Didn't think so. So, as I was saying,
I'm willing to make a deal. You
behave, get us into Mexico, and don't
try to escape. I'll keep my brother
off your daughter and let you all
loose in the morning.
JACOB
You won't let him touch her?
SETH
I can handle Richie, don't worry.
The two men look at each other for some measure of trust.
Seth sticks out his hand.
SETH
I give you my word.
Seth can't help but think about the last time he gave his
word.
SETH
(hand sticks out)
My words, my law. Better you not take
it, and that's just where we are,
then take it and not mean it.
Jacob takes his hand, but looks right into Seth.
JACOB
If he touches her, I'll kill him. I
don't give a fuck how many guns you
have, nothing will stop me from
killing him.
SETH
Fair enough. You break your word, I'll
kill all of you.
(calling to the back)
Kate, honey!
KATE
Yeah.
SETH
You must have a bible in here, don't
cha?
KATE
Yeah, we got a bible.
SETH
Get it and bring it up here, will
ya, please?
Kate goes into a drawer, pulls out a bible and brings it up
front.
SETH
Hold it right there, sweetie pie.
(to Jacob)
Put your hand on it.
Jacob does.
SETH
Swear to God, on the Bible, you won't
try to escape and you'll get us across
the border.
JACOB
I swear to God I won't try to escape
and I'll do my best to get you into
Mexico.
SETH
You best better get it done, Pops.
Seth places his hand on the Bible.
SETH
I swear to God I'll let you loose in the
morning. And your daughter will be safe. And I
also swear if you do anything to fuck me up,
I'll slit all your throats.
TIME CUT TO:
INT. MOTOR HOME - NIGHT
Richard's in the back with Kate and Scott. Richard,
expressionless, looks at Kate's bare feet.
SLOW ZOOM KATE'S BARE FEET
EX CLOSE-UP KATE'S TOES. They wiggle.
His eyes go to her hands.
SLOW ZOOM KATE'S HANDS
EX CLOSE-UP KATE'S FINGERS
His eyes go to her neck.
SLOW ZOOM NAPE OF KATE'S NECK
EX CLOSE-UP KATE'S ADAM'S APPLE. She swallows.
His eyes move up.
SIDE PROFILE OF KATE, SLOW ZOOM TO KATE'S LIPS
Back to Richard.
RICHARD
Did ya mean what you said back there?
Kate turns to him.
KATE
What?
RICHARD
In the room. Were you serious, or were
you just foolin' around? I'm just
bringing it up, 'cause if you really
want me to do that for you, I will.
KATE
Do what?
RICHARD
(in a whisper)
What you said to me in the room.
KATE
(whispers back)
What did I say?
RICHARD
(whisper)
You asked me if I would --
SETH (O.S.)
Richard!
RICHARD
(to Seth)
What?
Seth and Jacob.
SETH
I told you to watch those kids, I didn't say
talk to 'em. You guys ain't got nothin' to say
to one another. So cut the chatter.
Richard turns to Kate.
RICHARD
(quiet)
We'll talk later.
Kate still hasn't a clue what he means.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE MEXICAN BORDER - NIGHT
Automobiles are lined up, waiting one by one to go into
Mexico. Cop cars with their red and blue lights flashing
are all over the place. Border Patrol men and Police are
stopping all cars. Pulling up to the end of the line is the
Fuller's mobile home.
INT. MOBILE HOME - NIGHT
Jacob at the wheel, Seth in the passenger seat. Seth jumps
up and goes into action.
SETH
Okay everybody, it's show time.
Richie, take Kate in the bathroom.
Richard grabs the terrified Kate and drags her in the bathroom,
SETH
Scott, you come up front with your
daddy.
Scott does. Seth, keeping low, gets behind Jacob.
JACOB
I'm telling you, don't hurt her.
SETH
As long as you're cool, she'll be
cool. What're ya gonna say?
JACOB
I don't have the slightest idea.
SETH
Well, you just keep thinkin' of that
gun next to Kate's temple.
Seth disappears into the bathroom with Kate and Richard,
closing the door behind him.
Father and son are alone for the first time since this whole
thing began.
SCOTT
What are you gonna do?
JACOB
I'm gonna try and get us across the
border.
SCOTT
No, dad, you gotta tell 'em that
they're back there.
Jacob is surprised to hear Scott say this.
INT. BATHROOM - MOBILE HOME - NIGHT
The bathroom, which consists of a shower, a toilet and a
small sink, is a tight fit with three people in it.
Richard has his back against the wall, with his arm around
Kate, holding her in front of him. One hand is over her
mouth, the other holds a .45 against her head.
Kate's eyes are wide with fear.
Seth stands, .45 in hand, ready to fire if the wrong person
should open the door.
Everybody talks low and quiet.
RICHARD
This isn't gonna work.
SETH
Shut up. It's gonna work just fine,
RICHARD
I just want to go on record as saying
this is a bad idea.
SETH
Duly noted. Now, shut up.
Everyone's quiet for a second, till Richard breaks it.
RICHARD
(to himself)
They're gonna search the van.
SETH
(offhand)
As long as you don't act like a
fuckin' nut, we'll be just fine.
RICHARD
What does that mean?
SETH
(distracted)
What?
Richard lets Kate go, she quickly moves to the side.
RICHARD
You just called me a fuckin' nut.
SETH
No, I didn't.
RICHARD
Yes, you did. You said as long as I
don't act like a fuckin' nut, implying
that I've been acting like a fuckin'
nut.
SETH
Take a pill, kid. I just meant stay
cool.
RICHARD
You meant that, but you meant the
other, too.
Kate can't believe what she's watching. Neither can Seth.
SETH
(serious as a heart attack)
This ain't the time, Richard.
RICHARD
(his voice rising)
Fuck those spic pigs! You called me a
fuckin' nut, and where I come from,
that stops the train on its tracks.
SETH
(real quiet and violent)
Keep your voice down.
RICHARD
(quiet back)
Or what?
BACK TO JACOB AND SCOTT
JACOB
Have you forgotten about your sister?
SCOTT
They're gonna kill us. They get us
across the border, they're gonna take
us out in the desert and shoot us.
JACOB
If they get over the border, they're
gonna let us go.
SCOTT
Dad, I watch those reality shows.
They never let anybody go. Any cop
will tell you, in a situation like
this, you get a chance, you go for it.
This is our chance.
JACOB
What about Kate?
SCOTT
They're gonna kill her anyway. At
least now with all these cops we've
got a fighting chance.
JACOB
Son, I have this situation under
control. I know exactly what I'm
doing. You're going to have to trust
me on this.
SCOTT
If trusting you means trusting those
fuckin' killers, I can't do that. If
you don't tell the cops, I will.
Jacob grabs Scott by the front of his shirt, and yanks him
to him.
JACOB
Now, you listen to me. You ain't gonna
do a goddamn fucking thing, you hear
me! Nobody cares what you think, I'm
running this show, I make the
decisions.
SCOTT
He's running the show.
JACOB
I'm running the show. I make the
plays, and you back the plays I
make. Stop thinking with your fucking
balls. Kate in a room with a couple of
desperate men with nothing to fucking
lose ain't the time to "go for it."
I need your cover. Cover my ass.
There's a HONK behind them.
They both look out the window. It's their turn with the
BORDER PATROL GUARDS. JACOB takes the wheel and drives up.
A stern BORDER GUARD approaches JACOB'S window.
BORDER GUARD
How many with you?
JACOB
Just my son and I.
BORDER GUARD
What is your purpose in Mexico?
JACOB
Vacation. I'm taking him to see his
first bullfight.
BACK TO BATHROOM
RICHARD
I'm curious. What was the nuttiest
thing I did?
SETH
This ain't the time.
RICHARD
Oh, I know, was it possibly when your
ass was rotting in jail and I broke it
out? Yeah, you're right, that was
pretty fuckin' nutty. Not to mention
stupid. But you know what? I can fix
that right now.
SETH HAULS off and PUNCHES Richard smack in the head.
Richard HITS the floor, Guard, Jacob, and Scott hear
Richard fall in the bathroom.
BORDER GUARD
What was that?
JACOB
Oh, that's just my daughter in the
bathroom.
BORDER GUARD
You said it was just you and your son.
JACOB
I meant me, my son and my daughter.
CLOSE-UP BORDER GUARD
BORDER GUARD
Open the door. I'm coming aboard.
BACK TO BATHROOM
CLOSE-UP KATE
We can only see Kate's face. It's scared. We hear rustling
around the bathroom, but we don't know what it is.
Then it's quiet. Then we hear talking outside the door, but
we can't make it out. Then we hear a knock.
KATE
I'm in the bathroom.
BORDER GUARD (O.S.)
It's the Border Patrol. Open up.
KATE
It's open.
We hear the door open and see the light change on Kate's
face. She's looking up.
BORDER GUARD in the doorway looking in.
HE SEES: Kate by herself, pants around her ankles, sitting
on the toilet.
KATE
Do you mind? Shut the fucking door.
BORDER GUARD
Excuse me.
He closes the door. Kate lets out a breath. We wait a beat,
Seth pulls back the curtain in the shower, we see Richie on
the floor of the shower knocked out.
Seth and Kate meet eyes.
He gives her the O.K. signal.
CUT TO:
BACK WINDOW MOTOR HOME
We see through the back window of the motor home, the border
getting smaller as we drive away from it.
Scott knocks on the bathroom door.
SCOTT
It's clear.
Seth BURSTS out of the bathroom.
SETH
Goddamn, that was. intense!
Seth goes to the back window. He sees the border getting
farther and farther away. No cars following.
SETH
(to himself)
We did it.
(pause)
We're in Mexico.
Seth throws his head back and SCREAMS for joy.
Kate, emerging from the bathroom, reacts to Seth's scream,
along with Scott.
Seth is so happy that he does a little jig in the back of
the van.
Everybody else is still tense as shit. But Seth lets go of
all his tension, and becomes a new man before our eyes. He
turns to Kate.
SETH
(loud and happy)
Come here, Kate!
Kate, nervous, takes a step back.
He charges for her. GRABS her, hugs her around her waist,
and spins her around. When he lets her go, she stumbles
dizzily onto the bed.
SETH
(to Kate)
You were magnificent! You told him to
shut the fucking door. I'm hiding in
the shower, and I'm thinking to
myself, "Did I just fuckin' hear what
I just fuckin' heard? And what does he
do -- he shuts the fucking door!
Kate kind of half smiles.
SETH
If I was a bit younger, baby, I'd
fuckin' marry you!
Seth goes up front and slaps Jacob on the back.
SETH
I gotta hand it to ya, Pops, you
raised a fuckin' woman.
Jacob doesn't share Seth's enthusiasm, but he is relieved.
JACOB
We did our part, we gotcha in Mexico.
Now it's time for your part, letting
us go.
SETH
Pops, when you're right, you're right,
and you are right.
KATE
(suddenly brightens)
You're gonna let us go?
SETH
In the morning, darlin', in the
morning, we are G-O-N-E and you are
F-R-E-E. Now, I know I put you guys
through hell, and I know I've been one
rough pecker, but from here on end you
guys are in my cool book. Scotty, help
me pick Richie up, and lay him down.
Jacob, keep going on this road till
you get to a sign that says, "Digayo."
When you get to Digayo, turn this big
bastard left, go on down for a few
miles, then you see a bar called "The
Titty Twister." From what I hear, you
can't miss it.
JACOB
Then?
SETH
Then stop, 'cause that's where we're
going.
He slaps him once again on the back, and leaves to attend
to Richard.
CUT TO:
CLOSE-UP RICHARD without glasses. Unconscious, Seth slaps
his face.
SETH (O.S.)
C'mon, kid, wake up. Don't make a
career out of it.
Richard starts coming to and opens his eyes. Seth sits at the
foot of the bed.
SETH
You okay?
RICHARD
(disoriented)
Yeah, I think so. What happened?
SETH
I don't know, you just passed out.
RICHARD
I did?
SETH
Yeah, we were just standing there. You
said something about your shoulder
hurting, then you just hit the ground
like a sack of potatoes.
RICHARD
Really?
SETH
Yeah, when you fell your head smacked
the toilet hard. It scared the shit
outta me. Sure you're okay?
RICHARD
Yeah, I guess. I'm just a little
fucked up.
SETH
Well, let me tell ya something, gonna
clear your head right up. We are
officially Mexicans.
RICHARD
What?
SETH
We are...
(singing)
"South of the border down Mexico way."
RICHARD
We are?
SETH
Yep. We're heading for the rendezvous
right now. We get there, we pound
booze till Carlos shows up, he escorts
us to El Ray. And then me and you,
brother, kick fuckin' back. How ya
like them apples?
Slowly shaking the cobwebs out of his head.
RICHARD
Far out.
(pause)
Where are my glasses?
SETH
They broke when you fell.
RICHARD
Oh, fuck, Seth, that's my only pair!
SETH
Don't worry about it, we'll get you
some glasses.
RICHARD
What dya mean, don't worry about it.
Of course I'm gonna worry about it,
I can't fuckin' see.
SETH
When we get to El Ray, I'll take care
of it.
RICHARD
Yeah, like a Mexican
hole-in-the-wall's gonna have my
fuckin' prescription.
SETH
It's not a big deal, unless you make
it a big deal. Now, I'm real happy,
Richie, stop bringing me down with
bullshit.
Jacob calls to the back.
JACOB
Guys! We're here.
CUT TO:
A neon sign that flashes:
THE TITTY TWISTER
Hiker/Trucker bar, Dusk till Dawn
Underneath the joint's proud name on the sign, and
on top of "Biker/Trucker bar, Dusk till Dawn" is a
well-endowed woman, whose breast is being twisted
by a neon hand.
EXT. THE TITTY TWISTER NIGHT
The neon sign sits on top of the rudest, sleaziest, most
crab-infested, strip joint, honky-tonk whorehouse in all of
Mexico.
The Titty Twister is located out in the middle of
nowheres ville. It sits by itself with nothing around it for
miles. A plethora of choppers and eighteen wheelers are
parked out in front. The walls almost pulsate from the LOUD,
RAUNCHY MUSIC within the structure. Signs cover the walls
outside reading things like:
"NUDE DANCING", "WHORES", "BEER", "AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD",
"BIKERS AND TRUCKERS ONLY", "OPEN DUSK TILL DAWN",
"THURSDAY COCKFIGHT NIGHT", "WEDNESDAY DOGFIGHT NIGHT",
"DONKEY SHOW MONDAYS", "EVERY FRIDAY BARE KNUCKLE FIGHT TO
THE DEATH, FEATURING THE LOVELY SANTANICO PANDEMONIUM",
"ATHENA AND DANNY THE WONDER PONY", and "THE SLEAZY TITTY
TWISTER DANCERS."
In the parking lot, a BIKER and a TRUCK DRIVER beat the shit
out of each other, one with a pipe, the other with a hammer.
A SECOND BIKER fucks a Titty Twister WHORE against the wall.
A greasy man, known as CHET PUSSY, stands in the parking
lot, soliciting customers through a Mr. Microphone.
CHET
Pussy, pussy, pussy! All pussy must
go. At the Titty Twister we're
slashing pussy in half! This is a
pussy blow out! Make us an offer on our
vast selection of pussy! We got white
pussy, black pussy, Spanish pussy,
yellow pussy, hot pussy, cold pussy,
wet pussy, tight pussy, big pussy,
bloody pussy, fat pussy, hairy pussy,
smelly pussy, velvet pussy, silk
pussy, Naugahyde pussy, snappin'
pussy, horse pussy, dog pussy, mule
pussy, fake pussy! If we don't have
it, you don't want it!
The Fullers' recreational vehicle pulls into the parking
lot and stops.
INT. MOTOR HOME - NIGHT
What's left of the Fuller family and the Gecko family look
out the windshield onto the sight that is the Titty Twister.
SETH
(to the group)
Okay, troops, this is the homestretch.
Here's the deal; this place closes at
dawn. Carlos is gonna meet us here
sometime before dawn. Which by my
guesstimate is somewhere between three
or four hours from now. So we're gonna
go in there, take a seat, have a drink
-- have a bunch of drinks, and wait
for Carlos. That could be an hour,
that could be three hours, I don't
know which. But when he gets here,
me and Richie are going to leave
with him. After we split, you guys
are officially out of this stewpot.
Let me just say I'm real happy about
where we're at. We got a real nice, "I
don't fuck with you -- you don't fuck
with me" attitude going on. Now, if
everybody just keeps playin' it cool
-- and I'm talking to you, too, Richie
-- everybody's gonna get what they
want. Comprende, amigos?
Everybody nods and mutters in agreement.
SETH
Okay hard drinkers, let's drink hard.
I'm buyin'.
EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT
The camper door FLIES OPEN and the two brothers and the
Fuller family step out into the night.
They look across the parking lot at the Titty Twister.
It literally looks in some ways like the entrance to hell.
JACOB
Out of the stew pot and into the fire.
SETH
Shit, I been to bars make this place
look like a fuckin' 4-H club.
RICHARD
I gotta say I'm with Jacob on this. I
been to some fucked up places in my
time, but that place is fucked up.
Seth can't believe it.
SETH
(in a baby talk voice)
Aww-w, whatsa matter, is the little
baby too afraid to go into the big
scary bar?
The two brothers square off, not like strangers fighting,
but like brothers fight. They talk real quiet, but real
personal.
RICHARD
That's what you think?
SETH
That's how you're lookin', Richie.
RICHARD
I'm lookin' scared?
SETH
That's what you look like.
RICHARD
You know what you look like?
SETH
No, Richie, what do I look like?
RICHARD
You're lookin' green.
That's not what Seth expected to hear.
SETH
How?
RICHARD
Where are you right now?
SETH
What do you mean?
RICHARD
Where are you?
SETH
I'm here with you.
RICHARD
No, you're not. You're sippin'
margaritas in El Ray. But we're
not in El Ray. We're here --
getting ready to go in there.
You're so pleased with yourself
about getting into Mexico, you
think the job's down. It ain't.
Get back on the clock. That's a
fuck-with-you-bar. We hang around
there for a coupla hours, in all
likelihood, we'll get fucked with.
So get your shit together, brother.
SETH
My shit is together.
RICHARD
It don't look together.
SETH
Well, it is. Just because I'm happy
doesn't mean I'm on vacation. You're
just not used to seein' me happy,
'cause it's been about fifteen fuckin'
years since I been happy. But my shit
is forever together.
Richard believes Seth's response.
RICHARD
Okay, just checkin'.
They walk toward the bar's entrance. Chet Pussy talks into
the microphone.
CHET
(yelling into the microphone)
Take advantage of our penny pussy sale.
Buy any piece of pussy a tour regular
price, you get another piece of pussy,
of equal or lesser value, for a penny.
Now try and beat pussy for a penny!
If you can find cheaper pussy
anywhere, fuck it!
Chet notices our heroes, especially young Kate.
CHET
(in microphone, towards Kate)
What's this? A new flavor approaching.
Apple Pie Pussy.
SETH
Step aside, asshole.
Chet POKES HIS FINGER in Seth's CHEST.
CHET
Not so fast, Slick.
Seth GRABS HOLD of Chet's FINGER, BENDS it BACKWARDS till
the BONE SNAPS in two.
Chet lets out a SCREAM.
Seth VIOLENTLY brings his HEAD FORWARD PULVERIZING Chet's
NOSE.
Chet FALLS to his KNEES in front of Seth.
Seth HOOKS him with a powerful FIST UNDER his CHIN that
SNAPS Chet's HEAD BACK, and THROWS him on his BACK.
After HITTING the GROUND, Seth SENDS a SAVAGE KICK straight
to Chet's FACE, ROLLING HIM OVER.
Chet is OUT.
The whole altercation took two seconds.
Everyone's in shock and looks at Seth. Seth looks back at
everyone.
SETH
Now, is my shit together, or is my
shit together?
Richard and Seth laugh with each other.
RICHARD
(slappin' Seth five)
Your shit is forever together!
They head for the door. Richard stays behind for a second,
and gives the fallen Chet a few, swift kicks,
INT. THE TITTY TWISTER NIGHT
If the Titty Twister looked like the asshole of the world
from the outside, in the immortal words of Al Jolson, "You
ain't seen nothin' yet." This is the kind of place where
they sweep up the teeth and hose down the cum, the blood
and the beer at closing.
In the back, TOPLESS DANCERS do lap dances with customers,
while a SLEAZY SEXY STRIPPER STRIPS to RAUNCHY MUSIC, played
at ear drum-bursting level. TWO MEN are in a savage
BAREKNUCKLE FIGHT, surrounded by screaming customers of
bikers and truckers.
One of the dancers is a man with a saddle on his back, his
name is DANNY THE WONDER PONY. The woman on his back, in
the saddle, feet in the stirrups, hands on the reins, is
ATHENA, his rider. They dance around to the cheers of the
crowd.
Bikers and truckers play pool in the back. Fights break out
here about one every ten minutes. The customers may start 'em,
but the bouncer, BIG EMILIO, ends 'em.
Seth, Richard, Jacob, Scott and Kate walk through the door.
They each individually take in the sights and the smells.
Seth is the first to say something.
SETH
Now this is my kinda place! I could
become a regular.
The man behind the bar is RAZOR CHARLIE. He eyes the group
as they approach.
Their difference from the usual road waif nomads who
populate the Twister disturbs him. He exchanges a knowing
look across the room with Big Emilio, as the group bellies
up to the bar.
SETH
Whiskey!
RAZOR CHARLIE
(in English)
You can't come in here.
SETH
What dya mean?
RAZOR CHARLIE
This is a private club. You're not
welcome.
SETH
Are you tellin' me I'm not good enough
to drink here?
RAZOR CHARLIE
This bar is for bikers and truckers
only.
(points his finger to Seth)
You, get out!
Big Emilio almost magically appears behind Seth and places
HIS BIG BEEFY SAUSAGE-FINGERED HAND HARD on Seth's shoulder.
BIG EMILIO
(to Seth in Spanish)
Walk, Pendaho.
Seth slowly turns his eyes to the big hand on his shoulder.
SETH
(low)
Take your hand off me.
BIG EMILIO
(Spanish)
I'm going to count to three.
SETH
No, I'm going to count to three.
BIG EMILIO
Uno...
SETH
Two..
Jacob jumps in the middle.
JACOB
Now wait a minute, there's no reason
to get ugly. There's just a
misunderstanding going on here. You
said this bar is for truckers and
bikers, Well, I'm a truck driver.
Everybody looks at Jacob.
As Jacob talks he takes out his wallet.
JACOB
If you look outside your door, parked
in your parking lot, you'll see a big
ass recreational vehicle. That's mine.
In order to drive that legally, you
need a class two driver's license.
That is the same license that the
DMV requires truck drivers to carry
in order to drive a truck.
(he takes the license out
of his wallet and lays it
on the bar)
That is me, and this is my class two
license. This is a truck driver's bar,
I am a truck driver, and these are
my friends.
Everybody's a little stunned after Jacob's speech.
Razor Charlie picks up the license, looks at Jacob, looks at
everyone in the party and smiles.
RAZOR CHARLIE
(to Jacob)
Welcome to the Titty Twister. What
can I get you?
Seth BRUSHES OFF Big Emilio's paw.
SETH
Bottle of whiskey and five glasses.
Razor Charlie's eyes go to Seth. Even though he has a big
smile on his face, he looks like he's going to kill Seth.
But instead he just says,
RAZOR CHARLIE
Coming right up.
Razor Charlie goes for the bottle. Big Emilio gives the
party one last look and walks away. Richard gives Jacob a
buddy punch on the shoulder.
RICHARD
Good job, Pops.
Seth's still frying an egg on his head.
SETH
That's just fuckin' typical. Biggest
number one problem with Mexico, it's
not service oriented. I was feelin'
so good, and those fuckin' spies
brought me down.
Richard puts his arm around Seth.
RICHARD
Fuck 'em, shake it off.
Razor Charlie brings the bottle and the glasses. Seth looks
at the guy, still pissed.
SETH
You serve food, Jose?
Razor Charlie knows Seth's taunting him with a racial slur,
but he just smiles and says,
RAZOR CHARLIE
Best in Mexico.
SETH
I kinda doubt that. We're grabbin' a
table, send over a waitress to take
our order.
Seth walks away, and the group follows him.
We just hang on the evil wheels turning inside of Razor
Charlie's head.
The five of them move across the floor to a table. As they
walk, Kate attracts stares, wolf whistles and rude comments
from some of the patrons. Jacob keeps near his daughter.
The dancers do their sexy routines. A big-chested,
wild-haired blonde catches Scott's eye. She winks at him.
Richard leans over and whispers in Scott's ear.
RICHARD
Anytime you want a lap dance with that
broad, say the word. It's on me, kiddo.
He gives the boy's neck a squeeze. Jacob's eyes survey the
surroundings. Big Emilio and Razor Charlie quietly exchange
words about the party in Spanish.
RAZOR CHARLIE
(in Spanish)
They're not the normal road trash we
normally feed on. But it'll be okay.
No one knows they're here.
The five of them find a table and sit down.
Seth, still in a bad mood, takes the cork out of the whiskey
bottle and tosses it. He pours Richie and himself a glass.
SETH
Who else?
JACOB
Pass.
SETH
(picking a fight)
Why not, against your religion?
JACOB
(won't be baited)
No, I do drink, I'm just not drinking
now.
SETH
Suit yourself, more for me.
(to Scott)
Scotty?
Scott shakes his head no.
SETH
(to Kate)
How 'bout you?
(pointing at Scott and Kate)
are safer in here with us than
wandering around a Mexican border town
all night long. Just don't do nothin'
stupid and we'll all get along fine.
(to Scott)
Scotty, you sure you don't want a
drink?
SCOTT
Okay, I'll have one.
JACOB
No you won't.
Seth pours Scott a shot.
SETH
Sorry, Pops, but I'm drinkin' and I
don't like drinkin' alone. Bottoms
up, boy.
Scott takes the drink and he, too, experiences an
on-drinker's tremor.
Seth turns to Kate.
SETH
How about you, cutie pie? Ready for
round two?
KATE
Okay.
Seth just passes her the bottle. She pours her own shot and
knocks it back.
RICHARD
(to Seth)
Hey, Dr. Frankenstein, I think you
just created a monster.
Jacob turns to Seth and asks quietly.
JACOB
Why are you so agitated?
SETH
I'm still stewing about that ape
laying hands on me. And that fuckin'
bartender sticks a weed up my ass,
too.
JACOB
He backed down.
SETH
He's smilin' at us. But behind his
smile, he's sayin', "Fuck you Jack."
I hear that loud and clear.
JACOB
What are you going to do?
SETH
(picking up the whiskey bottle)
I'm gonna just sit here and drain
this bottle. And when I've drunk the
last drop, if I still feel then, the
way I feel now, I'm gonna take this
bottle and break it over his melon
head.
JACOB
Before we stepped in here, you told
all of us to be cool. That means you,
too.
SETH
(tossing it off)
I never said do what I do, I said do
what I say.
JACOB
Are you so much a fucking loser, you
can't tell when you've won?
Richard, Kate and Scott both turn to Jacob. Nobody can
believe what he just said. Neither can Seth who calmly lays
down his drinking glass.
SETH
What did you call me?
JACOB
Nothing. I didn't make a statement. I
asked a question. Would you like me to
ask it again? Very well. Are you such
a loser you can't tell when you've
won?
(pause)
The entire state of Texas, along with
the FBI, is looking for you. Did they
find you? No. They couldn't. They had
every entrance to the border covered.
There's no way you could get across.
Did you? Yes, you did. You've won,
Seth, enjoy it.
Seth looks at Jacob, then picks up the bottle.
SETH
Jacob, I want you to have a drink with
me. I insist.
Jacob slides his empty glass over to Seth. Seth pours booze
in Jacob's glass and his own. Both men pick up the glasses.
SETH
To your family.
JACOB
To yours.
They both knock 'em back and slap the empty glasses down.
JACOB
Now, is your shit together?
SETH
Forever together.
Seth turns to Scott.
SETH
In that camper out there I saw a guitar. I take
it that's yours.
SCOTT
Yeah, it's mine.
SETH
Go out and bring it in. I feel a song coming on.
CUT TO:
Seth sitting at the table, playing guitar, singing Mexican
songs. Some bikers, truckers, and whores have gathered
around their table. Everyone's groovin'. Seth finishes the
song. Everybody applauds.
Razor Charlie behind the bar grabs the greasy microphone
that he uses to announce dancers.
RAZOR CHARLIE
(announcer voice in Spanish)
And now for your viewing pleasure. The
Mistress of the Macabre. The Epitome
of Evil. The most sinister woman to
dance on the face of the earth. Lowly
dogs, get on your knees, bow your
heads and worship at the feet of
SANTANICO PANDEMONIUM!
The lights go down low. A light hits the stage. The opening
notes of the Coaster's "Down in Mexico" fills the room.
The crowd hushes up.
And on the stage steps SANTANICO PANDEMONIUM.
This Mexican goddess is beautiful, but not the beauty that
Stendhal described in "As the Promise of Happiness," but
the beauty of the siren who lures men to their doom.
She dances to the raunchy music, not like she owned the
stage, but like she owned the world.
And if the patrons of the Titty Twister are her world, the
world is proud to be her possession.
All activity in the bar, save Santanico, stops. Even the
Fuller/Gecko table falls under her spell. Especially
Richard, Scott and Kate. Seth knows this song and
accompanies from the table with the guitar.
When the music builds to its explosive section.
Santanico LEAPS from the stage, LANDING in the middle of the
room.
She does an eyes-closed voodoo dance in perfect step with
the beat. As the music continues to play, a very fucked-up
looking Chet Pussy walks in. He goes over to Razor Charlie
and points at Seth's table, describing what happened.
As the last verse plays, Santanico, like a snake, comes up
from the ground, on top of the Fuller/Gecko table.
Richard, Kate and Scott are enraptured.
Santanico scans the table, zeroing in on our boy Richard.
She STANDS OVER him.
While moving her body to the music, she lifts up the whisky
bottle from the table, and pours the whiskey down her leg.
She lifts up her foot, with the whiskey dripping from her
toes, and sticks it in Richard's face.
SANTANICO
(to Richard in Spanish)
Drink up.
Richie, mesmerized, sucks the whiskey off her toes. The
CROWD GOES WILD. Santanico smiles, master of all she
surveys.
Jacob and Scott are embarrassed.
Kate, oddly enough, is turned on by the controlling power
this woman has over a man she's deathly feared.
Seth laughs out loud a Mexican "yi yi yiii" laugh, keeping
the beat with his guitar.
Across the room, Razor Charlie, Chet by his side, motions
over Big Emilio. He begins explaining with pointing what
Seth and company did to Chet.
Richard continues to suck her toes.
The song ends, Santanico extracts her foot from Richard's
mouth. Steps off the table. Takes a drink of whiskey. Looks
down at the seated Richard.
She GRABS the back of his hair, YANKS his head BACK. His
mouth OPENS because she's hurting him. She LEANS her FACE
OVER his like she's going to kiss him. Then let's the whiskey
from her mouth fall into his. They never touch. The crowd
applauds. She lets go of Richard's hair. Except for Jacob
and Richard, both for their own reasons, the table applauds,
none louder than Seth.
SETH
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Now that's what
I call a fuckin' show!
One of Santanico's FLUNKIES brings the naked woman a robe,
which she puts on.
Richard, still in a daze, looks up at his new friend.
SETH
(snapping his fingers)
Earth to Richie. Don't you wanna ask
your new friend to join us?
RICHARD
Yeah.
SETH
Well, then ask her, dumb ass.
RICHARD
(looking up at Santanico)
Por favor, Senorita. Would you care to
join us?
SANTANICO
(to Richard)
Muy bien, gracias.
Santanico sits down next to Richie. Seth pours her a drink.
SETH
Richie, you lucky bastard!
(to Santanico)
Now, little lady, you could of just as
easily done that to me. Who a Nelly!
You got my dick harder 'n Chinese
arithmetic.
The table laughs.
SETH
Which reminds me of a joke. Little Red
Riding Hood is walking through the
forest and she comes across Little Bo
Peep, and Little Bo Peep says:
"Little Red Riding Hood, are you
crazy? Don't you know the Big Bad Wolf
is walking these woods and if he finds
you he's gonna pull down your dress
and squeeze your titties?" Then Little
Red Riding Hood hitches up her skirt
and taps a .357 Magnum she has
holstered on her thigh and says: "No
he won't."
As Seth tells his joke, Jacob notices Razor Charlie, Big
Emilio and Chet moving rapidly towards their table.
JACOB
(to himself)
Oh, shit.
(to Seth)
Seth --
Seth waves him away.
SETH
Not now. So finally she comes across
the Big Bad Wolf and the Big Bad
Wolf's laughing and says: "Little Red
Riding Hood, you know better than to
be walking around these woods alone.
You know I'm just gonna have to pull
down your dress and squeeze your
titties." Then Little Red Riding Hood
whips out her .357, cocks it, sticks
it in the Big Bad Wolf's face and
says: "No you won't. You're gonna eat
me, just like the story says."
Seth starts laughing at his own joke uproariously. Richard,
Kate, Scott and Santanico join in too. Before Jacob can say
anything --
The Titty Twister trio stand over the table.
RAZOR CHARLIE
(to Chet in Spanish)
Which one?
CHET
(pointing at Seth)
This piece of shit broke my finger
and my nose...
(pointing at Richard)
then this fag kicked me in the ribs
while I was down.
That's all Big Emilio has to hear.
BIG EMILIO
(to The Gecko Brothers)
Up!
RICHARD
Fuck off, ape man!
Big Emilio leans in with his beefy hand, GRABS Richard by
the shoulder. Richard lets out a howl as blood pours from
his wounded shoulder.
Santanico steps back from the table.
Seth jumps to his feet and FIRES a round from his .45 into
Big Emilio, sending his bullet-ridden body to the floor.
Razor Charlie whips out a straight version of his name sake
and SLASHES Seth across the face.
Seth SCREAMS at the top of his lungs as his hand goes up to
his laid open cheek.
Richard, who has fallen to the ground holding his wound,
brings up his .45 and starts BLASTING.
Razor Charlie takes a bullet in the head, chest and belly
before he hits the floor.
Jacob and his children have hit the floor as well to stay
out of gunfire.
The bikers, truckers, waitresses and whores all stop what
they were doing.
The music continues to play, though the dancers stop
dancing.
Santanico, who's closest to the two brothers, smells
something.
Her NOSTRILS FLARE.
Richard moves to his brother, who takes out a handkerchief
and puts it to his face.
RICHARD
How are you?
SETH
Scarred for life, that's how I am!
Seth looks up and sees Chet still standing there.
SETH
You thought it was pretty funny,
didn't you?
Both brothers FIRE on Chet. Chet's blown left... right...
left... right... then drops, pointing their guns towards
the crowd.
SETH
Everybody be cool, or you'll be just
as dead as these fucks!
SLOW MOTION: Blood drips down the side of Seth's face.
SLOW MOTION: It splatters to the floor.
The CAMERA scans the crowd. The patrons are scared, but the
waitresses, whores and dancers lick their lips.
SLOW MOTION: Blood drips from Richard's shoulder. It falls
to the floor, splattering.
WE MOVE INTO SANTANICO'S FACE. A special aroma fills
her nostrils. Her eyes lock on Richard. The look on her face
could easily be read as intense sexual desire.
CLOSE-UP KATE ON FLOOR
Looks up and watches, eyes wide with fear, Santanico's
transformation.
Her NOSE RECEDES INTO her face like a rodent's. The whites
of her eyes turn YELLOW. The FANGS of a beast PROTRUDE from
her mouth. Kate yells from the floor.
KATE
(yelling)
Richie, look out!
Before Richie can turn around.
SANTANICO LEAPS ACROSS THE FLOOR, LANDS on his BACK and
SINKS her FANGS into Richie's wounded SHOULDER.
Richard LETS LOOSE with an agonizing SCREAM.
Seth turns to his brother's cry.
He sees SANTANICO PANDEMONIUM, like a mongoose attached to
a cobra, legs wrapped around Richard's waist, fangs buried
deep in his shoulder, and Richard screaming and slamming
about, trying to knock her off.
Richard screams to Seth:
RICHARD
Shoot her! Shoot her! Get her off!
Seth tries to aim his gun, but there's too much movement. He
can't get a clear shot.
Jacob and his children can't believe what they're seeing.
Richard can't take it anymore, his knees buckle. Santanico
rides him down to the floor.
Seth gets a clear shot, he takes aim and FIRES, hitting the
vamp in the head, blowing her off his brother.
Richard, who's on all fours, tries to stand and gets about
half way before he stops, saying:
RICHARD
(with his dying breath)
Fucking Bitch!
He tumbles over, a corpse.
SETH
Richie.
Suddenly, the eyes of Big Emilio, Razor Charlie and Chet
Pussy pop open. The "dead" men sit up with evil grins on
their faces.
The patrons scream.
A WHORE locks the front door (which is a complicated lock
with steel rods going into the ground), turns toward the bar
and yells:
WHORE
Dinner is served!
The bikers and truckers who have been transfixed, watching
the impossible, realize that the waitresses, naked dancers
and whores who they were pawing just five minutes ago, have
turned into yellow-eyed, razor-fanged, drool-dripping
VAMPIRES.
The vamps attack.
What follows is a shark feeding frenzy. Whores, who had been
sitting on customer's laps, sink their teeth into unshaven
necks.
Naked strippers and bikers wail the shit out of each other.
Truckers get their heads caved in by women half their size.
The patrons use what ever they can find to fend off the
monsters: chairs, chair legs, broken bottles, switchblades,
anything.
Jacob, Kate and Scott make a dash and dive behind the bar.
They hide and watch.
Seth stands where his was, limp dick of a .45 in his hand,
too freaked, scared and stunned to do anything. He stands
motionless, watching what he can't believe.
Behind him, Santanico, who lies next to the dead Richard,
eyes POP OPEN.
She RISES in her snake/dance way.
Seth feels her and SPINS in her direction, gun raised.
SANTANICO
Let's see if you taste as good as your
brother.
She approaches Seth, who FIRES at her. BAM... BAM... BAM...
CLICK... CLICK... CLICK... CLICK. She laughs and gives her
hair a toss back. Seth, moving backwards, is terrified.
Santanico gives Seth a SWINGING ROUND HOUSE PUNCH to the
JAW, that sends him FLYING over a table, SLIDING ACROSS the
FLOOR and INTO the WALL.
A bad-ass biker named FROST, with a hideous burn on the
side of his face, stands on top of a pool table, swinging a
pool cue, left to right, fending off vamps.
Big Emilio picks up a biker who stabbed him with a
switchblade and throws the poor bastard from one end of the
bar to the other.
The biker-winner of the bare knuckle fight, SEX MACHINE,
goes head to head with a stripper.
The vamp might have superhuman strength, but Sex Machine has
close to superhuman strength, and he's matching the
vamp bitch blow for blow.
Then he GRABS her by the waist, LIFTS her up over his head
and BRINGS her DOWN HARD on an upturned table, IMPALING her
on the wooden leg.
FROST is still swinging his POOL CUE, when Razor Charlie
appears, straight razor in hand.
Frost JUMPS off the table to meet the challenge. Razor
Charlie SWINGS at him, Frost LEAPS back, SWINGING his pool
cue at him. They do this dance, till Frost CRACKS Charlie
UPSIDE the HEAD with the pool cue, breaking it in half.
Charlie FEELS the HIT. Frost PLUNGES the splintered end of
the cue in Razor Charlie's heart.
Green blood comes out of his chest, as Charlie screams the
vampire's death scream.
Seth comes to and finds Santanico standing over him. He
tries to rise, but Santanico places her bare foot on his
chest, pinning him down to the floor. He tries to move, but
the pressure of her foot is equivalent to an engine block
placed on his chest.
SANTANICO
I'm not gonna drain you completely.
You're gonna turn for me, You'll be
my slave. You'll live for me. You'll
eat bugs because I order it. Because
I don't think you're worthy of human
blood, you'll feed on the blood of
stray dogs. You'll be my foot stool.
And at my command, you'll lick the dog
shit from my boot heel. Since you'll
be my dog, your new name will be
"Spot". Welcome to slavery.
SLOW MOTION: A WHISKEY BOTTLE FLIES THROUGH the AIR, sailing
end over end.
CLOSE-UP SANTANICO
looking down at Seth, her face contorts to FEED MODE, when
the bottle HITS her SQUARE in the HEAD, SHATTERING.
We see that Jacob behind the bar threw it.
Santanico, bathed in whiskey and broken glass, is
momentarily dazed. She looks down at Seth.
Seth sits up, .45 in hand, and fires.
Santanico is HIT in the CHEST. The bullet from the gun makes
the liquor-soaked robe ignite.
Santanico SCREAMS as she GOES UP IN FLAMES.
Big Emilio sees Santanico's fiery death. He lets out a cry.
BIG EMILIO
Noooooo!
He turns his hateful gaze on the two humans.
Seth and Jacob see Big Emilio zeroing in on them, then they
see him move his big frame in their direction. Seth turns to
Jacob.
SETH
We may be in trouble.
Big Emilio walks steadily through the bar like Godzilla
walks through Tokyo. Tipping over tables, knocking fighting
vamps and humans alike on their asses on his way to stamp
out Seth and Jacob. A TRUCKER JUMPS in his path to attack
him, with a QUICK SWING of his hand the trucker is brushed
aside, receiving a broken neck for the effort.
Big Emilio never breaks his stride or takes his eyes off
Seth and Jacob.
Seth and Jacob both grab pieces of wood, holding it like a
weapon, but the wood looks puny compared to their opponent.
Big Emilio stands in front of them. The two men hold their
wood tight. Fangs grow in Big Emilio's mouth that make him
look like a huge walking shark.
Just when Big Emilio's ready to strike, he hears behind him,
VOICE (O.S.)
Hey, you, monkey man!
Big Emilio turns and sees Sex Machine across the room.
SEX MACHINE
Anything you gotta say to them, say
to me first.
Both Seth and Jacob ATTACK Big Emilio from behind. He
effortlessly knocks them away.
They both hit the ground.
Sex Machine gestures with his hand to Big Emilio to "come
ahead."
Big Emilio CHARGES towards Sex Machine, like a runaway
locomotive.
Sex Machine stands his ground waiting for IMPACT. The two
huge men COLLIDE. What follows is literally a war of the
Gargantuans. The two mastiffs POUND each other till one
buckles. Finally, the one who buckles first is Big Emilio,
who HITS the floor.
Once on the floor, Seth and Jacob, stand over the huge vamp,
BEATING him with clubs and pipes, like L.A.'s finest. The
vamp can do nothing except SQUIRM on the floor from the
savage beating.
SEX MACHINE
That's enough.
Jacob and Seth stop.
Sex Machine holds a pool cue in his hand. He SNAPS off the
end tip, making it jagged, and like a spear, STICKS it into
big vamp's fallen body. Big Emilio, SCREAMS, TWITCHES and
dies. The pool cue sticks out straight up from the dead
vamp.
Chet Pussy spies Ms. Apple Pie Pussy herself, Kate. He
breaks into a lecherous grin and licks the blood from
around his mouth.
Kate and Scott are cowering behind the bar when Chet appears
over the top. They both let out a scream. Scott goes to
protect his sister and receives a punch in the face for his
trouble. Chet dives at Kate.
CHET
You know what everybody says about me?
I suck!
Chet goes to bite Kate, grabbing at her t-shirt, and sees
her crucifix. HE recoils backwards. Scott grabs hold of
his head from behind. Kate jumps up from the floor, rips
off her cross and grabs Chet by his beatnik beard, opening
his mouth. She SHOVES the cross inside. Chet's eyes roll
up back into his head. Scott SLAPS Chet hard on the back.
GULP.
Chet has swallowed the crucifix. A SIZZLING sound is heard
moving down from his throat to his belly. He opens his
mouth and lets out a noise similar to a train whistle. He
jumps up from behind the bar, doing a wild dance from pain.
He jumps from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, screaming
all the while.
Kate and Scott watch him from the bar, mischievous grins on
their faces.
Chet is on his knees, arms stretched out, yelling at the top
of his lungs like a vamp King Lear.
CHET
I-AM-IN-AGONNNYYYY!
Chet breaks off a chair leg, muttering to himself.
CHET
Stop the pain, stop the pain, stop the
pain, stop the pain, stop the pain...
He plunges the stake into his own heart, but instead of the
vampire's cry that escapes from the others upon being
staked, Chet lets out a sigh of relief.
By this time there are not too many people left. Most of the
vampire have been killed by wooden stakes and most of the
customers have been butchered or drained.
All that's left on the vampire side are two naked dancers
and two whores. On the human side are Seth, Jacob and his
kids, Sex Machine and Frost. Aside from the children, who
are hiding behind the bar, all the humans are holding
wooden stakes.
The four human men group together. The four female vampires
charge, teeth exposed, snarling and dripping with blood.
Seth, Jacob, Sex Machine and Frost raise their weapons and
slam, almost simultaneously, the four vamps. All four
staked bodies hit the floor.
Kate and Scott run from behind the bar to their father's
side.
They all stand looking at the horrible carnage that has
taken place. The floor is littered with dead bodies.
FROST
Ain't they supposed to burn up or
something?
At that moment a bright flash ERUPTS, illuminating
everyone's face. The sound of quick burning flames fills
the air. Everybody shields their eyes from the intense
light, which lasts only a split second.
It vanishes, along with the bodies of the vampires. All
that remains is a smoldering mess of goo where the bodies
once lay.
They all stare at the mess for a few seconds and then RUN
for the door. It's locked. They BANG on the door, but it's
useless. It ain't budging, yet they all go on banging.
Except for Seth. He never ran for the door. He walks over
to his dead brother's body and kneels beside it.
He takes his dead hand.
SETH
Richie, I'm sorry I fucked things up.
You'd really like it in El Ray. We'd
find peace there. I love you little
brother, I'll miss ya bad.
Seth goes to kiss his brother's lips when, RICHARD 'S EYES
POP OPEN. They're YELLOW. Seth RAISES his head in surprise.
RICHARD
I'm glad you feel that way, Seth. I
love you, too.
Richard GRABS Seth by the front of his shirt and pulls him
down to him. Fangs are now exposed. Seth tries to pull away.
He SCREAMS for the others to help. Richard PULLS Seth down
to striking distance and opens his mouth to take the big
bite, when Sex Machine grabs Seth from behind and YANKS him
from Richard's grasp. Jacob, Frost and the kids have
surrounded Richard and proceed to KICK him and STOMP his
head. Sex Machine picks up a chair and SMASHES it against a
wall. He picks up one of the chair legs and walks over to
where the others are holding Richard down. Richard sees the
wood in the biker's hand. He knows what that means. Seth
whips out his .45 and points it at Sex Machine.
SETH
Touch my brother with that stake,
biker, and vampires won't need to
suck your blood, they'll be able to
lick it up off the floor.
SEX MACHINE
He ain't your brother no more.
SETH
That's a matter of opinion, and I
don't give a fuck about your's.
Jacob, Frost and the kids continue to hold Richard down to
the ground.
JACOB
Don't be an idiot, he'll kill us all!
Seth aims his gun at the group.
SETH
Shut up!
Richard's giggling.
RICHARD
Yeah, shut up.
Seth, still holding the outstretched gun, takes the stake
out of Sex Machine's hand. Seth lowers the .45.
SETH
Hold him down.
The smile evaporates from Richard's face.
SETH
Richie, here's the peace in death I
could never give you in life.
Seth puts the stake over Richard's heart. Using the butt of
his .45 like a hammer, he POUNDS the stake into Richard's
heart. Richard screams and dies. They all stand around the
body as it BURSTS INTO FLAMES and disintegrates into goo.
Seth breaks away from the group and walks over to the bar.
He grabs a bottle of whiskey and starts downing it. Kate,
of all people, walks away from the group and joins Seth at
the bar.
KATE
Are you okay?
SETH
Peachy! Why shouldn't I be? The
world's my oyster, except for the
fact that I just rammed a wooden
stake in my brother's heart because
he turned into a vampire, even
though I don't believe in vampires.
Aside from that unfortunate business,
everything's hunky-dory.
KATE
I'm really sorry.
SETH
Bullshit! You hate us. If you had half
a chance you'd feed us to them!
JACOB
Then why didn't I?
Jacob walks over to Seth.
JACOB
I saved your life. I didn't have to,
but I did. And I'm sorry you lost your
brother. I'm sorry he's dead. I'm
sorry everybody's dead. Now, if we're
gonna get out of this we need each
other. And we need you sober and
thinking, not drunk and...
As Jacob has been talking, a sound has started that has
grown LOUDER and LOUDER. Jacob stops in mid-sentence to
identify it.
JACOB
What the hell is that?
FROST
At first I just thought it was birds.
SEX MACHINE
No, it's more of a gnawing sound.
Birds peck, they don't gnaw. Rats
gnaw.
Seth puts the bottle in his hand down.
SETH
It's bats.
EXT. TITTY TWISTER - NIGHT
The outside of the Titty Twister is literally covered with
hats, CLAWING, FLAPPING, GNAWING, trying like hell to get
inside.
INT. TITTY TWISTER - NIGHT
Everybody listens to the bats SCRATCHING and clawing all
along the walls, the roof and at the front door. Everyone's
scared shitless and nobody has the slightest idea what to
do next. The door begins to crack and splinter, little
claws poke their way through.
JACOB
Give me a hand!
Jacob runs to a table top. He grabs it and covers the area
the bats are trying to claw through. The others grab other
items to help secure and barricade the door.
As the survivors are panickedly boarding up the door and
the windows, a DEAD BIKER that the vampires fed on, pops
open his yellow eyes. He sits up and sees all the furious
activity. Everyone's so busy they don't notice their new
friend. The dead biker vamp sets his sights on Kate, who's
putting a board into place. He springs to his feet and
POUNCES on her, just as Sex Machine turns from across the
room in her direction.
SEX MACHINE
Watch out, girly!
The biker vamp GRABS Kate from behind. She lets out a
scream. The vamp holds her close to him in a bear hug, but
she's moving around so much he can't get a clear bite. The
others hear the scream and look toward Kate. Sex Machine,
Big Emilio's baseball bat in hand, is halfway to the rescue.
As the biker vamp opens his mouth to take a juicy bite out
of Kate's shoulder, Kate RAMS her head back, hitting the
vamp in the mouth and breaking his fangs. He releases her
and spits out his teeth just as Sex Machine runs up and
SWINGS the baseball bat upside the vamp's head, breaking
the bat in two and sending the vamp to the floor. As the
vamp lies on the floor seeing stars, Sex Machine grabs one
of the broken ends of the bat and SHOVES it in the vamp's
heart. He dies and bursts into flames.
At that point, three other dead victims rise to a sitting
position. Sex Machine grabs a chair and THROWS it to the
ground, breaking it. He grabs the four legs.
SEX MACHINE
(mumbling to himself)
Goddamn fuckin' vampires.
The biker has turned into Captain Sex Machine, Vampire
Hunter. He stakes two of the vampires as they get to their
feet. Both SPEW green blood, scream, die and burst into
flames. The third, a trucker vampire wearing a cat cap,
SMACKS Sex Machine in the mouth, which sends the biker for
a loop.
As CAT CAP runs toward the fallen Sex Machine, Kate JUMPS
on his back from behind. Both of them go tumbling into a
stack of whiskey cases. Sex Machine runs over and grabs Kate
by the hand, pulling her up and out of the way. Cat Cap is
lying in a pile of broken bottles and whiskey. Sex Machine
raises his stake as Cat Cap dies and DRIVES it in the
vamp's black heart. Cat Cap dies and bursts into flames,
which hits the whiskey, starting a giant fire.
SEX MACHINE
Fire!
Frost and Jacob stop barricading and run to the fire.
FROST
(to Sex Machine)
We'll put this out. You stake the rest
of these fuckers.
SEX MACHINE
Way ahead of ya.
(to Kate)
What's your name, girly?
KATE
Kate, what's yours?
SEX MACHINE
Sex Machine. Pleased to meet'cha.
Kate, let's stake these blood-sucker
fuckers.
Kate and Sex Machine give each other a high five and go to
work STAKING the dead bodies.
Jacob and FROST beat down the fire with their jackets and
whatever else is at hand.
A hole begins to appear where a window had been plastered
over. Little claws scrape their way through. Scott stands
in front of the window.
SCOTT
(yelling)
We got a problem!
Seth, who is barricading doors and window, looks in Scott's
direction. The hole in the plaster cracks open and out POPS
a little, fleshy vampire bat/rat head. The bat/rat, which is
SQUEAKING and HISSING its head off, tries to SQUEEZE its
body through the newly formed hole.
Seth, gun in hand, RUNS to the window. He points the .45,
point-blank range at the head of the bat/rat.
The bat/rat sees this, makes an "oh shit" face, and YANKS
his head back through the hole.
Seth was ready to fire, he lowers his gun in bewilderment,
when...
WHAM !
The bat/rat BURSTS through the hole, like shot out of a
cannon, HITTING Seth in the gut and sending him FLYING,
LANDING HARD on his back.
Once Seth hits the ground, the bat-thing (which has the body
of a fat rat with a bat's large wingspan) lickity-split
RUNS UP Seth's body to his juggler. Seth's hand GRABS the
bat's neck, and tries to PUSH it away. But the bat-thing has
its CLAWS DUG in Seth's clothes. The bat-thing is just
inches from Seth's face. Its mouth is SNAPPING.
SETH
Get this bastard off of me!
Frost leaves Jacob with the fire, comes from behind and
GRABS the bat-thing and YANKS it off of Seth.
Sex Machine and Kate are a green, bloody mess from their
preventative staking of dead bodies. Sex Machine kneels by a
dead body, raising the stake in his hand to spear him. The
body SPRINGS UP and bites Sex Machine on the arm. Red blood
squirts all over. Sex Machine screams, then brings the stake
down in the body's chest. It dies, burns and turns into goo.
Sex Machine holds his bit arm and wraps it with a piece of
his shirt. He quickly looks around to see if anybody saw him
get bit. Nobody saw it, everybody was too busy.
Frost holds the FLAPPING, FIGHTING, SNAPPING bat-thing in
front of him at arm's length. He struggles with it for a
while, then...
BASHES its head against the bar. The first bash takes some
fight out of the little fucker, so... Frost BASHES his head
against the bar six or seven times. He then THROWS the
bat-thing on the bar, turns it over, garbs a pencil in a
cup next to the register, and RAMS it in the bat-thing's
heart. The bat-thing coughs and dies. There's a FLASH of
FLAMES, followed by a pile of goo.
Sex Machine and Kate have covered up a hole in the plastered
window with a table while Frost, Scott and Seth wrestle with
the bat-thing.
Jacob has put out the fire. Everybody comes together,
exhausted, and takes a breather. Outside, the bats continue
to try and claw their way in.
JACOB
Is everybody okay?
Everyone mutters "yeah."
JACOB
Okay, does anybody here know what's
going on?
SETH
Yeah, I know what's going on. We got
a bunch of fuckin' vampires outside
trying to get inside and suck our
fuckin' blood! That's it, plain and
simple. And I don't wanna hear any
bullshit about "I don't believe in
vampires" because I don't fuckin'
believe in vampires either. But I do
believe in my own two fuckin' eyes,
and with my two eyes I saw fuckin'
vampires! Now, does everybody agree
we're dealin' with vampires.
Everybody agrees.
SETH
You too, preacher?
JACOB
I'm like you. I don't believe in
vampires, but I believe in what I saw.
SETH
Good for you. Now, since we all
believe we're dealing with vampires,
what do we know about vampires?
Crosses hurt vampires. Do you have a
cross?
JACOB
In the Winnebago.
SETH
In other words, no.
SCOTT
What are you talking about? We got
crosses all over the place. All you
gotta do is put two sticks together
and you got a cross.
SEX MACHINE
He's right. Peter Cushing does that
all the time.
SETH
I don't know about that. In order for
it to have any power, I think it's
gotta be an official crucifix.
JACOB
What's an official cross? Some piece
of tin made in Taiwan? What makes that
official? If a cross works against
vampires, it's not the cross itself,
it's what the cross represents. The
cross is a symbol of holiness.
SETH
Okay, I'll buy that. So we got crosses
covered, moving right along, what
else?
FROST
Wooden stakes in the heart been
workin' pretty good so far.
SEX MACHINE
Garlic, holy water, sunlight... I
forget, does silver do anything to a
vampire?
SCOTT
That's werewolves.
SEX MACHINE
I know silver bullets are werewolves.
But I'm pretty sure silver has some
sort of effect on vampires.
KATE
Does anybody have any silver?
ALL
No.
KATE
Then who cares?
SCOTT
When's sunrise?
Jacob looks at his watch.
JACOB
About two hours from now.
KATE
So all we have to do is get by for a
few more hours and then we can walk
right out the front door.
SEX MACHINE
Yeah, that's true, but I doubt our
barricades, that door, those plastered
windows and these walls will last two
more hours with those bat fucks
fuckin' with 'em.
JACOB
Has anybody here read a real book
about vampires, or are we just
remembering what a movie said? I mean
a real book.
SEX MACHINE
You mean like a Time-Life book?
Everybody laughs.
FROST
(in a cowboy voice)
John Wesley Hardin, so mean he once
shot a man for snorin'.
JACOB
I take it the answer's no. Okay then,
what do we know about these vampires?
SETH
Aside from they're thirsty.
FROST
Well, one thing, they might got super
human strength, but you can hurt 'em.
JACOB
Yeah, that bottle upside the head of
Santanico didn't kill her, but it
didn't feel too good either.
SEX MACHINE
Another thing, you try and ram a
broken chair leg in a human, you
better be one strong son-of-a-bitch.
The human body is one rough-tough
machine. But these vamps got soft
bodies. The texture of their skin is
softer, mushier. You can push shit
right through 'em. Conceivably, if
you hit one hard enough, you could
take their fuckin' head off.
SCOTT
You could take their head off.
SETH
Actually, our best weapon against
these satanic cocksuckers is this man.
(he points at Jacob)
He's a preacher.
Frost and Sex Machine look toward Jacob.
SETH
As far as God's concerned, we might
just as well be a piece of fuckin'
shit. But he's one of the boys. Only
one problem, his faith ain't what it
used to be.
Jacob PUNCHES Seth in the mouth, sending him to the floor.
Jacob stands over him.
JACOB
I've had enough of your taunts.
Seth looks up from the floor.
SETH
I'm not taunting you. We need you. A
faithless preacher doesn't mean shit
to us. But a man who's a servant of
God can grab a cross, shove it in
these monsters' asses. A servant of
God can bless the tap water and turn
it into a weapon.
Seth rises.
SETH
I know why you lost your faith. How
could true holiness exist if your wife
can be taken away from you and your
children? Now, I always said God can
kiss my fuckin' ass. Well, I changed
my lifetime tune about thirty minutes
ago' cause I know, without a doubt,
what's out there trying to get in
here is pure evil straight from hell.
And if there is a hell, and those
monsters are from it, there's got to
be a heaven. Now which are you, a
faithless preacher or a mean,
mother fuckin' servant of God?
Jacob has to laugh at that. So does everybody else. Jacob
sticks out his hand and shakes Seth's.
JACOB
I'm a mean, mother fucking servant of
God.
The laughter and good humor passes quickly and the only
sound to be heard is that of the bats gnawing and clawing.
It immediately reminds the group of the deep, deep shit
they're in.
KATE
I don't know if I can take two hours
of that noise.
FROST
You can. You'll take it 'cause ya got
no choice. How'd ya like twenty four
hours of it, lying in a muddy ditch
with only the rotting corpses of your
friends to keep you company?
JACOB
What are you talking about?
FROST
Back in '72 I was in Nam, trapped
behind enemy lines, lying in a rat hole
with my entire squad dead. They
thought they killed everybody, and
except for me, they were right. But it
wasn't for lack of trying. A grenade
blew up right next to me, that's why
I'm so pretty.
They thought I was dead, so I played dead. They dumped all
the bodies in a ditch. All I could do was lie there playing
possum. Dead bodies under me, dead bodies on top of me,
listening to the enemy laugh and joke hour after hour after
hour...
As Frost goes into his monologue, the sound fades out and
the camera moves to Sex Machine. He's having a hot flash. He
can't hear anything. He's looking at Frost speaking, but he
doesn't hear any sound. Then he hears a deep, MALE VOICE
say:
MALE VOICE (V.O.)
Thirst.
"Who the fuck was that?" he thinks to himself. He turns
around: nobody's there. No one else in the group seems to
hear it, A FEMALE VOICE seductively says:
FEMALE VOICE (V.O.)
Thirst.
We hear Sex Machine's thought in a voice answer.
SEX MACHINE (V.O.)
Stop fucking saying that!
TWO MALE VOICES (V.O.)
Thirst!
SEX MACHINE (V.O.)
That bite weren't nothin'. It just
hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, that's
all. It barely punched the skin.
Sex Machine looks at Frost, who's acting out his story. The
biker is pantomiming fighting and slashing. He's describing
all the while, but we can't hear anything. All we hear are
many voices, male, female, children saying:
VOICES (V.O.)
Thirst... Thirst... Thirst...
Sex Machine begins looking at the other members of the group
in a thirsty way. He stares at each of their necks, closer
and closer until he can see the veins on Frost's neck
actually pulsating, throbbing, beckoning to him. Sex Machine
has turned into a vampire.
The sound comes back as Frost finishes his story.
FROST
...and then when I came back to my
senses, I realized I had killed the
entire V.C. squadron single handedly.
My bayonet had blood and chunks of
yellow flesh on it like some cannibal
shish kabob. And to this day I don't
have the slightest idea how I --
Sex Machine lets out a hideous cry.
SEX MACHINE
THIRST!
Frost SCREAMS as Sex Machine grabs hold of him and BITES
into his neck.
The group tries to PULL the TWO men apart.
Jacob gets his arm around Sex Machine's neck and tries
pulling.
Sex Machine takes his teeth out of the biker's neck and
SINKS them in Jacob's arm.
Jacob SCREAMS and lets go.
Seth, Kate and Scott react to Jacob being bit.
Sex Machine GRABS Jacob and TOSSES him effortlessly over the
bar, CRASHING into a shelf full of liquor bottles.
Frost HOPS around the room, mad as a hornet, holding his
bleeding neck.
FROST
I been bit! He fuckin' bit me!
Sex Machine PUNCHES Seth in the face, dropping him like a
sack of potatoes.
He smacks the shit out of Kate. She goes FLYING into a
table.
Sex Machine turns, seeing Frost breaking off a big table
leg. Frost looks at the big vamp.
FROST
(to Sex Machine)
You're dead, mother fucker! You're
gonna bite me! You just turned me
into a vampire, asshole!
SEX MACHINE
What are you gonna do about it?
Frost, table leg in hand, RUNS, SCREAMING his head off,
straight at Sex Machine.
Sex Machine's nostrils flare. He raises his meaty fist and
pulls it back, so he can really haul off.
Frost, top speed, stake raised, screaming. Sex Machine lets
loose with his punch, Seth, Scott and Kate look up from the
floor. Jacob rises from behind the bar. Frost's face
COLLIDES with Sex Machine's fist. Sex Machine hits Frost so
hard it lifts the biker off the ground and propels him
through the air.
Seth sees where Frost is heading and says:
SETH
Oh shit!
Jacob sees.
JACOB
Good lord!
Frost, in mid-air, HITS the barricaded, plastered overwindow
and CRASHES through it.
Sex Machine lets loose with a maniacal laugh. Hundreds of
bat-things fly into the bar. Seth grabs the two kids by the
hand and runs for the backroom.
Behind the bar, Jacob grabs two pieces of wood from off the
ground.
Ten bat-things are in hot pursuit of Seth, Kate and Scott,
who are RUNNING for their lives. They get to the door of the
back room, whip it open, dive in and SLAM it behind them. An
ugly, fleshy bat-thing manges to get its head caught in the
door as it closes. Kate and Scott PUSH on the door as hard
as they can. The bat-thing's head, which is inside, screams,
howls and snaps in fury.
Seth turns toward the bat/vamp in the door. He sticks his
.45 in its big mouth.
SETH
You wanna suck something, suck on
this!
He FIRES four shots that blow the bat vamp's head all over
the wall.
Kate yells:
KATE
We have to go back for Daddy!
SETH
Daddy's dead.
KATE
Noooo!
She spins and grabs the door knob, ready to fling the door
and help her father. Scott grabs her and pushes her up
against the wall.
SCOTT
He's right, Kate. Daddy's dead! He was
too far away. If flinging that door
and filling this room with those
bat-things would save him, I'd fling
it. The only thing it'll do is turn us
into one of them.
SETH
He needs our help!
SCOTT
He's beyond our help. You saw him get
bit. I saw him get bit. We all saw it.
You can't help him. I've got no one
left to lose but you. I can't be alone
again. We're sticking together.
Just then they hear Jacob's voice BOOMING from the bar room.
INT. BAR ROOM - NIGHT
Jacob, holding a cross made out of two sticks and reciting
appropriate verse from the bible, is keeping the vampires at
bay. But, as Seth predicted, it is the shining power of his
restored faith that is his mightiest weapon. Jacob is making
his way through the vampires, toward the back door. A lot of
the bats have transformed into bat/devil/human creatures.
The creatures stand at the edge of Jacob's force field of
holiness. Many bat things fly around the bar like mad,
whirling dervishes. A cluster of bat-things over above and
in front of Jacob. They all growl and hiss at the man of
god. For every one step forward Jacob takes, the vampire
stake one step back. Jacob recites the verse from the bible
in a threatening, mean, mother fucking, servant of god tone.
As he speaks with authority and strength, he sees Frost
lying on the ground, bat-things on him like ants on a
candy bar. But Jacob is too much in control to let even this
repugnant sight trip him up.
Jacob has backed himself up by the door.
JACOB
Open the door.
The door FLIES open. Jacob jumps inside. The door SLAMS
shut.
Jacob hugs daughter and son. As he hugs them, we see his
bloody arm.
When he releases them, they can't help but notice.
SETH
Did he...?
JACOB
Yep.
Seth explodes, knocking over boxes, busting chairs, tipping
over tables and cussing a blue streak.
SETH
Fuck, piss, shit! Mother fuckin'
vampires! Mother fuckin' vampires!
Goddamn mother fuckin' vampires!
Seth runs over to the barricaded door and yells to the
creatures on the other side.
SETH
You all are gonna fuckin' die! I'm
gonna fuckin' kill every last one of
you godless pieces of shit!
JACOB
(to Seth)
You bet your sweet ass you are, and
I'm gonna help you do it. But we ain't
got much time.
Kate is crying, she knows what's happened to her father.
KATE
You're gonna be okay, aren't you,
daddy?
JACOB
No, I'm not. I've been bit. In effect,
I'm already dead.
Scott and Kate, crying, grab their father and hold on for
dear life. Jacob wants to cry, but if he breaks down, the
kids will never have the courage for what they must do.
JACOB
(to his children)
Children, listen to me. I love you two
more than anybody. And I just want you
to know you've made me proud all your
lives. But never more so than tonight.
And I wish we could sit here and cry
till I pass on, but we can't. Because
I'm not going to pass on. I'm going to
turn into a monster. And when I do,
I'm going to be dangerous. But before
that happens, just know I love you.
(to Seth and the kids)
Now, I'd say in the next twenty or
thirty minutes our friends outside
will bust in this door. And I'll
probably turn into a vampire within
the hour. Now, you have two choices.
You can wait for me to turn, then deal
with me, then wait for them to burst
inside here and the three of you will
deal with them. Or, we can kick open
that door and the four of us can hit
'em with everything we have, and carve
a path right through 'em to front
entrance. But if we're gonna go at 'em,
we gotta go at 'em now. I confused
them, I scared them, I took them off
guard. But they're going to get
unconfused, they're going to get
unscared, they're going to get
together and they're going to hit that
door like a ton of bricks. And when
that moment arrives, we gotta be
ready.
Jacob sees that the back room is pretty damn big and filled
with boxes and crates.
JACOB
What's this stuff?
SETH
My guess is that this little dive's
been feeding on nomad road waifs like
bikers and truckers for a longtime.
This is probably some of the
shipments they stole off the trucks.
JACOB
Well, I say lets tear this place apart
for weapons. So when they burst
through that door, we'll make 'em wish
they never did.
SETH
I don't give a shit about living or
dying anymore. I just want to send as
many of these devils back to hell as
I can.
JACOB
Amen.
MONTAGE
The survivors are opening boxes and prying open crates. A
lot of what they find is bullshit. Pantyhose, coffee,
teddy bears, etc. But a few of the boxes are just what the
doctor ordered. Cases from a sporting good supplier yield
a shipment of baseball bats. Meant to arrive at toy stores
are a shipment of Uzi replica squirt guns and a box of
balloons. And captured en route to a hardware store are
shipments of power tools, saws and jack hammers.
Seth and Scott saw the bats into wooden stakes.
Kate fills the Uzi squirt guns with tap water from the
backroom sink.
Jacob, with Seth's knife, etches a cross into every bullet
in the .45 automatic's last full clip of ammo.
Vampires all start converging on the back room door,
getting their courage back.
Kate makes water balloons.
Scott sharpens the stakes to a point with the tools. Seth
attaches a wooden stake to the end of a jackhammer.
Jacob blesses the water in the squirt guns and balloons,
turning it into holy water.
Our heroes work together, preparing for the battle to come.
The back room door, barricaded with crates and boxes,
begins to be pounded on by the undead on the other side.
The room tone is a combination of chewing, scratching,
pounding, squeaking and screaming.
Finally they're ready.
Jacob turns to his kids.
JACOB
Before we go any further, I need you
three to promise me something. I'll
fight with you to the bitter end,
but when I turn into one of them, I
won't be Jacob anymore. I'll be a
lap dog of Satan. I want you three to
promise you'll take me down, no
different from the rest.
The kids can't say the words.
SETH
I promise.
JACOB
Kate, Scott?
KATE
I promise.
JACOB
Scott?
SCOTT
Yeah, I promise.
Jacob doesn't believe them.
JACOB
Why don't I believe you?
(he picks up the .45)
I'm gonna ask you two again, then I
want you to swear to God that you'll
kill me. If you don't, I'm gonna
just kill myself right now. Now,
since you need me I think you better
swear. Kate, do you swear to God
that when I turn into one of the
undead, you'll kill me?
Kate doesn't answer. Jacob places the .45 barrel against his
temple.
JACOB
Kate, we don't have all day, so I'm
only gonna count to five. One...two...
three... four...
KATE
Okay, okay, I promise I'll do it!
JACOB
Not good enough, swear to God.
KATE
I swear to God, our father, that when
you change into one of the undead, I
will kill you.
JACOB
Good girl. Now, Scott, we have even
less time, so I'm only giving you the
count of three. One...
SCOTT
You don't believe in suicide.
JACOB
It's not suicide if you're already
dead. Two...
SCOTT
Okay, I'll kill you when you change,
I swear to God in Jesus Christ's name.
JACOB
Thank you, son.
SETH
Okay, vampire killers, let's kill some
fuckin' vampires.
INT. BARROOM - NIGHT
The vampires, bat-things and what have you, start BREAKING
down the door. They are in a mad frenzy. They burst through
the door.
Waiting for them are Scott and Kate holding Uzi squirt guns
and water balloons draped down their chests on a belt like
grenades. Jacob is holding a cross made of sharp wooden
stakes and the .45 with the cross bullets. Seth is holding
the jackhammer. The survivors walk out of the back room
into the bar. The vamps back up, letting them inside.
What we have here is a Mexican standoff, a la "The Wild
Bunch." A moment of peace before the battle. The vamps just
watch the humans. The humans just watch the vamps. Then,
like the bull in the china shop, Seth ends the peace by
starting up the jackhammer.
SETH
Kill 'em all!
Jacob holds up the cross, the vamps react.
The kids SPRAY the crowd with UZI fire, burning vampire
flesh.
The pack of vamps retreat while the Fuller squad walk
forward.
They are attacked on all sides, but they keep moving towards
the door.
Seth slams the stakes into several of the vamps, it speeds
in and out of vampire chests, each time spraying him in
green vamp blood.
Jacob shoves his cross stake into a vampire with one hand
and SHOOTS three vampires with blessed bullets with the
other.
Flame BURSTS from the vampires' chests when the bullets hit.
Kate and Scott both whip water balloons off their belts and
toss them into the crowd.
They burst and FRY several of the vamps, who fall, screaming
in pain.
From its perch on a wood ceiling beam, a bat-thing drops and
HURLS toward the group.
Jacob sees it, raises his gun and FIRES.
The bat-thing bursts into a ball of screaming fire.
Seth continues carving a path to the front door by slamming
the hammer stake into vampire chests.
The front door is barricaded again by a big table and other
junk.
SCOTT
(yelling)
Why did they block the door again?
JACOB
(yelling)
To keep the daylight out! This is
where they sleep! Get to the door!
Seth tries to get to the front door, when Sex Machine, now a
half bat, half devil vamp, about six foot seven, drops from
above in front of him. Seth RAMS the stake in its chest. The
Sex Machine-thing screams out, LIFTING the hammer and Seth
off the ground.
Seth is thrown from his hold on the hammer across the room,
he CRASHES into a table.
The Sex Machine-thing falls back with the jackhammer
sticking out of his chest, dead.
Kate, spraying Uzi fire like Rambo, sees Seth fall. She
screams:
KATE
Seth!
Seth quickly gets up to find himself surrounded by vampires
on all sides. With no weapons, he puts up on dukes.
SETH
Okay, dead boys, come on! Take a bite
and feel all right!
Kate clusters with her father and Scott.
KATE
(yelling)
I'm going for 'em!
JACOB
No!
KATE
Everybody goes home!
Kate turns into a squirt gun firing, water-balloon throwing,
one-woman army, as she breaks from her father and heads in
Seth's direction.
KATE
(screaming)
Die, monster, die! Die, monster, die!
Kate mows down the group by Seth, they lie on the floor,
burning in agony. Kate takes Seth's hand and gives him a
couple of water balloons and a stake.
KATE
(to Seth)
Watch my back!
SETH
Anytime.
Cutting through vampires, the two make their way across the
bar.
Jacob, firing the .45, takes out several more vampires in
fiery death.
Scott fires the Uzi and chucks more water balloons.
As Jacob fights, all of a sudden the sound goes out. He
can't hear anything. He wonders if he's gone deaf. He starts
to hear the words: "Thirst, thirst, thirst." He notices the
vampires have stopped attacking him. They look at him wit
happy smiles on their devilish faces. Fangs begin to grow.
His eyes are yellow.
Scott turns to his dad. He sees his father is a monster.
Jacob, with a devilish grin on his face, GRABS Scott and
sinks his teeth into Scott's forearm. Scott screams bloody
murder as his dad begins to drain him of blood.
Scott takes one of the water balloons he's wearing and
SMASHES it against Jacob's head.
The holy water melts half of Jacob's face away. He lets go
of Scott, screaming, and drops the .45 on the floor.
Scott drops to the ground, picking up the gun. He brings it
up to fire.
A totally evil Jacob, with only half a face, matches stares
with the boy he once called his son.
Scott's eyes turn to steel.
SCOTT
I swear to God, in Jesus Christ's
name.
He FIRES, sending a holy bullet into Jacob's forehead,
creating a hole from which fire shoots out. Jacob's entire
head bursts into flames, then explodes.
From across the room, Fate sees her daddy ignite. She
cries out. In the thick of the battle, Seth yells:
SETH
Fight now, cry later.
Kate takes his advice and hits a vamp square in the face
with a holy water balloon, which melts his head.
A bat-thing lands on the back of Scott's neck. He screams as
it bites into him. He drops the .45.
Kate sees Scott get bit.
KATE
Oh my god.
Another bat-thing lands on Scott's arm and takes a bite.
Scott screams.
KATE
You bastards!
She goes to spray them when her Uzi runs out of water.
Now seven bat-things are on Scott biting and sucking blood.
Scott is in agony.
SCOTT
Kill me, Kate!
Kate runs for her brother, does a DIVE and a ROLL, coming
up by the .45, SNATCHING it in one motion and FIRING three
times.
One... two... three bat-things are hit, shoot flames, then
all of them EXPLODE, BLOWING UP Scott.
The remaining vamps approach.
All the humans have left is a few bullets and one holy
balloon.
SETH
How many bullets left, kid?
KATE
Not many.
SETH
Well, when you run out of weapons,
just start cold cocking 'em. Make 'em
sing for their supper.
The two survivors are backed up against a wall. Two bat
things do a Kamikaze dive from the air toward Seth. Seth
throws the holy balloon at them. Direct hit. The two
bat-things burst into flames and spiral to the floor.
The two survivors look at the vampires, who stand before
them. A moment of stillness before the attack. Kate stands
holding the .45, arm outstretched.
KATE
(to Seth)
Should I use the last bullets on us?
SETH
You use 'em on the first couple of
these parasites that try to bite you.
The vamps begins to close in. Kate lines up the .45 sights
on the face of an approaching vampire.
Seth holds the Uzi like a club, ready to bash in the first
vampire's head that gets in swinging distance.
Beams of sunlight shoot through the holes that Kate shot
through the wall. Approaching vampires burn. The scorched
vamps scream like they've never screamed before.
SETH
Shoot more holes!
Kate turns away from the vamps and shoots holes in the wall
behind him, Daylight comes through, providing Kate and
Seth with a safe, lighted area.
The .45's empty.
The vamps hiss and scream at the frustration of not being
able to get at them.
The two survivors hold hands, when...
All of a sudden the door to the Titty Twister is pounded on
from the outside.
The vamps look towards it in horror.
From the other side of the door, we hear a voice with a
Spanish accent.
VOICE (O.S.)
(in Spanish)
I'm looking for my friend. Is Seth in
there?
SETH
(yelling)
Carlos!
(in Spanish)
Help us, bash the door. Bash the door
in!
CARLOS (O.S.)
(in Spanish)
Danny, Manny, knock down the door.
Hurry, hurry!
The vamps are totally fucking freaked out! They run and fly
around the bar in a panic. Crying, howling, grabbing onto
each other.
The front door is TORN apart from shotgun fir coming from
the outside, punching holes the size of basketballs in the
door.
The table in front of the door gives and FALLS forward.
The door caves in and sunlight invades the bar. Many vamps
are instantly fried, bursting into flames.
The Mexican gangster CARLSO and his two henchmen, DANNY and
MANNY, are horrified at what they see. They cross themselves
in fright.
Vampires search for dark corners, but all is lost. Sunlight
hits a mirrored ball attached to the ceiling, sending
hundreds of beams of sunlight scattering through the room.
Vamps try and dodge the beams. No dice. All around the vamps
combust in fiery explosions.
The Titty Twister is now on fire, burning out of control.
Seth and Kate run through the building and leap through the
door into the parking lot.
EXT. TITTY TWISTER PARKING LOT - MORNING
Carlos, Danny and Manny help them to their feet and walk
them away from the blazing bar. They catch their breath by
Carlos's Mercedes.
CARLOS
(to Seth)
What the fuck was going on in there?
Seth signals Carlos to wait a minute while he catches his
breath. Then he hauls off and PUNCHES Carlos square in the
kisser. Danny and Manny aim their shotguns at Seth.
CARLOS
(in Spanish)
Whatsamatter with you? Are you crazy?
SETH
Why the fuck, outta all the god
forsaken shit holes in Mexico, did you
have us rendezvous at that place?
CARLOS
I don't know, one place's as good as
another.
SETH
Have you ever been there before?
CARLOS
No, but I passed by it a couple of
times. It's out in the middle of
nowhere. It seems like a rowdy place,
so there wouldn't be a lot of police.
And it's open from dusk till dawn.
You said meet you in the morning.
SETH
Well, because you picked that place
out of a hat, my brother's dead now.
And this girl's family's dead.
Carlos stands up again.
CARLOS
I'm sorry to hear that. What were
they, psychos?
SETH
Did they look like psychos? They
were fuckin' vampires. Psychos don't
explode when sunlight hits 'em, I
don't care how crazy they are.
Danny and Manny react to the vampire news by crossing
themselves again.
CARLOS
Oh, Seth, how can I ever make it up
to you?
SETH
You can't, but fifteen percent instead
of thirty for my stay at El Ray is a
good start.
CARLOS
Twenty-eight.
SETH
Jesus Christ, Carlos, my brother's
dead and he's not coming back, and
it's all your fault. Twenty.
They look at each other, then shake hands, saying in unison.
SETH AND CARLOS
(in Spanish)
Twenty-five.
Seth gets the suitcase and gives Carlos 25%. Seth walks over
to a red 1990 Porsche 911.
CARLOS
You like the car?
SETH
I said new, this is an '90.
CARLOS
It's hardly been used at all. I got it
from a drug dealer who only drove it 5
times in as many years. Swear to God.
That's like new.
SETH
So do I just follow you?
CARLOS
Yeah, follow us.
SETH
So let's do it.
CARLOS
(to Danny and Manny)
Vamanos!
Carlos, Danny and Manny pile into Carlo's white Mercedes.
Seth by his Porsche, looks back at Kate.
Kate stands alone.
The whole desert seems between them.
So much to say ... but no words.
SETH
I'm sorry.
KATE
Me too.
Long pause.
SETH
See ya.
KATE
Later.
Seth turns his back on her. Just as he opens the door, Kate
says behind him:
KATE (O.S.)
Seth.
Seth turns around.
KATE
You want some company?
Seth smiles.
SETH
Kate honey, I may be a bastard. But
I'm not a fuckin' bastard.
He blows her a kiss across the desert.
She blows one back.
Seth's in his car and GONE.
Kate turns around, faces endless desert before her, and
begins her long walk home.
THEME OF MOVIE BEGINS POUNDING
THE END |
THE FUGITIVE
THE FUGITIVE
by
Jeb Stuart and David Twohy
FADE IN:
EXT. CHICAGO - AERIAL - NIGHT
CREDITS BEGIN OVER:
Snow swirls around the tall buildings of downtown Chicago.
EXT. CHICAGO HOTEL - NIGHT
Cars, taxis, limos line the street. A cab pulls up and MAN
in tuxedo moves into:
INT. CHICAGO HOTEL - BALLROOM - NIGHT
THROUGH arriving guests we PICK UP the Man climbing stairs
to the ballroom.
ANGLE - COAT CHECK
The Man hands his coat to coat check woman and thanks her.
When he turns we get our first view of DR. RICHARD KIMBLE,
a tall, athletic man, with a trim beard.
He moves from the outer lobby into a fabulously decorated
ballroom where a fashion show is taking place as a medical
fundraiser. Doctors and their spouses, hospital brass and
sponsors mingle. Women sit near the runway watching the
models. Men talk by the bar. The room is packed.
A banner over the rostrum says: "CHILDREN'S RESEARCH AND
AID FOUNDATION"
Kimble is handed a glass of champagne, which he promptly
sets on another waiter's passing tray.
ROBERTS (V.O.)
Richard...
DR. ROBERTS, a large surgeon, pulls Kimble over to a group
of surgeons gathered around a bar. Smoking cigars.
ROBERTS
Cancun. Nat just talked everybody
into it...
A hospital equipment rep, NAT, is buying drinks.
KIMBLE
So, what's the deal? If the hospital
buys ten new -
NAT
No, no, no, no strings attached, Dr.
Kimble. Industrial Hospital Supply
has no ulterior motives.
KIMBLE
On the house, huh?
(to bartender)
Tonic water with lime.
Everyone agrees.
KIMBLE
Never get me to sell my soul for one
of those trips...
His tone silences the group. Kimble takes his drink.
KIMBLE
(to Nat)
... But if you get any more Bulls
tickets, Nat, give me a call.
The group laughs, Kimble extracts himself and CREDITS
CONTINUE OVER -
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Moving through the crowd.
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Nearly gets hit in the follow-through of an imaginary
golf swing.
KIMBLE
You're slicing, Dave. Don't turn
your hip.
He keeps moving.
GOLFING MAN
Thanks, Richard...
CUT TO:
ANGLE - TOUGH-LOOKING LAB RAT
KATHY WAHLUND, totally out of her element amid the formal
elegance around her. She wears a leather jacket over
T-shirt and stares at the action on the fashion runway.
DR. WAHLUND
(dripping sarcasm)
I'm so glad you talked me into
coming, Richard... I can pick my
cruise wardrobe.
RICHARD
It's for a good cause, Kath...
Besides you need to get out of the
lab more. Your electron microscope
is starting to give you a tan.
She smiles. He moves on.
ANGLE - PARTY
Kimble continues down the bar when he spots a friend...
KIMBLE
Hey, Jim.
DR. JAMES NICHOLS turns, smiles. Mid-40s, head of the
University Hospital. He is a fit contemporary.
NICHOLS
Richard, I just saw someone who
wanted to meet you...
Just then Kimble spots an attractive WOMAN, late thirties,
wearing a drop-dead, simple black gown. She's surrounded by
a group of men hanging on her every word. She and Kimble
catch a look and hold it.
NICHOLS (V.O.)
Richard Kimble... Alex Lentz. Alex
is working on the RDU90 trials for
Devlin-Macgregor.
Kimble turns to meet DR. ALEXANDER LENTZ, late 30s, tan,
smiling. Lentz extends his hand...
LENTZ
Dr. Kimble... Sorry, we've been
trading phone calls last few days
... something about a biopsy report
I returned to you?
KIMBLE
(suddenly attentive)
Yeah... Three. Livers appeared
hepatetic to me.
LENTZ
I'll be in my office in the morning
and I'll pull up the samples. Is that
a good time for you?
KIMBLE
Sure.
LENTZ
(holds Kimble's look,
then to Nichols)
See you, Jim.
Lentz moves on. Kimble looks after him a beat, then focuses
on relocating the Woman he just saw. She's gone. He and
Nichols move together through the party.
NICHOLS
(digs in his pocket)
Before I forget, I went by the garage
this afternoon and picket up the
Ferrari. Thanks for the loaner again.
He hands Kimble a valet ticket.
KIMBLE
They fix it this time?
NICHOLS
We'll see.
They reach the Woman Kimble saw, his wife, HELEN KIMBLE.
Kimble kisses her.
NICHOLS
You look fabulous, Helen.
He kisses Helen.
HELEN (WOMAN)
Hello, Jim.
NICHOLS
(to Kimble)
We've got a court tomorrow at three.
Nichols leaves. Kimble looks at his wife.
KIMBLE
Well, I've seen everyone, can we
leave?
HELEN
That would be a little abrupt, don't
you think?
CUT TO:
ANGLE - KIMBLE'S TABLE - NIGHT
A table for ten. Kimble and Helen introduce themselves to
others at table ant sit across from each other.
Kimble sits between two doctors' wives. One, NOW EAU WIFE,
mid-thirties, bedecked in jewels and loud dress, the other
OLDER WIFE.
Helen sits between their husbands who are trying to impress
her with the details of their boring studies as CREDITS
CONTINUE...
INTERCUTTING WITH the fashion, catches of dialog and course
changes, Kimble and Helen demonstrate an oft-used exchange
of glances: Kimble, while gracious to his dinner partners,
catches Helen's eye and makes smiling, subtle movements to
his watch or a look to the door to indicate he's clearly
ready to leave. On the receiving end, Helen, the gatekeeper
of their social propriety, indicates with equal subtlety:
"not yet."
As we MOVE AROUND the table we hear:
"Where's your husband on staff?" "My husband's an orthopod
at Northwestern." "I'm working on a new technique..."
"That's fascinating..." "That's quite a marvelous dress
you're wearing." "Do you like it? My husband says it's a
'four-fracture number."' "Honey." (A look from her husband.)
Kimble shares a look with Helen. He subtly motions to his
watch: time go to, and mouths the word: "now." She shakes
her head.
NOW EAU WIFE
(to table)
I told my husband that he was going
to kill us if he didn't stop
operating. What with this AIDS thing,
he's putting us all at risk.
Helen and Kimble absorb this comment without reaction, share
a look. Helen mouths the word: "Now."
HELEN
(to her dinner partners)
I'm sorry, I have to get my husband
home.
They say their good-byes and pass Nichols' table. Nichols
shakes his friend's hand in passing. From across the room we
see Lentz watching.
INT. KIMBLE'S MERCEDES - NIGHT
Kimble and Helen driving home. She runs her fingers through
his hair as he drives.
HELEN
You looked handsome tonight...
KIMBLE
Thank you...
He smiles to himself, seems to enjoy the compliment too much
for Helen. Her smile becomes playful, mischievous.
HELEN
Uh, huh... most men in a tuxedo look
like waiters...
KIMBLE
But me?
HELEN
You looked more like... a band
director.
He stops at red light, leans over and kisses her. Light
changes and neither notice. Slowly their kiss breaks.
HELEN
Are we home yet?...
CUT TO:
EXT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Kimble pulls up in front of his house. Suddenly both his
PAGER and CAR PHONE RING at the same time.
KIMBLE
(to phone)
Dr. Kimble
(suddenly attentive)
When? Okay, tell them I'll be there
in ten minutes.
He hangs up.
KIMBLE
Tim's got a problem.
Helen kisses him again, opens the door.
HELEN
Call me on your way home.
CREDITS END as we -
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL - HALLWAY / SCRUB ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble, wearing scrubs but without head gear, moves down
stairs to the OR hall.
He sticks his head into the operating room.
KIMBLE
Cavalry's here.
Two harried surgeons look up, glad to see him.
SCRUB ROOM
Kimble begins scrubbing as the RESIDENT comes out to bring
him up to speed.
RESIDENT
Patient is a male, forty-three. We
pulled his gall bladder and the
bleeding started.
KIMBLE
What's his pro time?
RESIDENT
(concerned)
He's at 36 seconds. We got a major
bleeder in here.
KIMBLE
You talk to the family?
RESIDENT
None. He's off the street.
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO - OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT
Operation in progress. Top medical facility filled with
trained professionals and state of the art equipment. Kimble
is assisted across the table by the chief Resident. Both
working so intently they never look at each other as they
talk...
KIMBLE
(to Anesthesiologist)
Okay... I'm clamping. Can he
tolerate it?
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
He's a very sick guy.
KIMBLE
Do we have a choice?
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
Go for it.
KIMBLE
Marie, give me a clamp...
MARIE, the scrub nurse, passes him the instrument and Kimble
and the other SURGEON continue to work with the Resident
assisting.
KIMBLE
(never looking up)
Your husband know you're here tonight,
Marie?... What about this liver?
RESIDENT
History's sketchy. Could be an
alcoholic.
KIMBLE
Who referred him?
RESIDENT
He's on a drug protocol. RDU90.
Kimble looks up and shares a look with the chief Resident
over their masks, then back to work.
KIMBLE
The wave of the future... Marie, you
told Frank yet? Frank is so jealous
of this late night thing we've got
going here... This should hold him.
Bleeding's stopped. Let's get a
biopsy...
(to circulating nurse)
Send it downstairs and make sure you
get Kath her slice.
SURGEON
You staying for the closing, Rich?
Kimble moves away and sheds his gloves and gown.
KIMBLE
No. I got a date.
INT. SCRUB ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble throws away his hat and mask. The door opens behind
him; it is the other Surgeon.
SURGEON
Hey, Richard...
Kimble turns.
SURGEON
Thanks.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Kimble driving through empty Chicago streets toward home.
He is on phone, waits for answer.
KIMBLE
Hi. I'm five minutes away...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Helen on the phone, downstairs. She is still in her gown with
an afghan around her shoulders. She's been reading.
HELEN
I'm glad it went well. I'll see you
in a minute.
Helen hangs up phone, turns out the light and starts up the
stairs.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO STREET - NIGHT
Kimble driving.
INT. KIMBLE-S TOWNHOUSE - DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT
Helen moves down the hall toward the dressing room/closet.
Opens the door to large closet dressing room and turns on
the light. Nothing. She starts to leave and decides to close
one of the interior closet doors.
She starts to slide the door closed when - wham!
A hand reaches out and clutches her by the neck. Helen
claws and scratches to get free and in her struggle her
string of pearls bursts...
... and a single pearl bounces out of the bedroom... rolls
across the landing to the stairs, stopping three steps from
the top.
CUT TO:
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Snow swirls around the street as Kimble's car pulls into the
driveway. On the third floor, we see a bedroom light still
on.
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
A GRANDFATHER CLOCK TICKS softly. Kimble tosses his keys on
the entry table, picks up a stack of mail on the table and
calls up the stairs.
KIMBLE
I'm home. Did you hear who won the
Bulls game?
No answer. He steps into the:
KITCHEN
The wall phone shows a line in use. Kimble notices it. The
WASHER BUZZES, he switches the clothes from washer to dryer,
and STARTS the MACHINE. Takes a bottle of wine and two
glassesand leaves the kitchen.
INT. BEDROOM - CLOSE ON .38 SMITH AND WESSON - NIGHT
Lies on the floor, beside Helen's legs and the receiver of
phone, off the hook. A man's rubber-gloved hand picks up the
gun.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. DOWNSTAIRS - STAIRS - NIGHT
Kimble starts up the stairs to the bedroom...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Helen's hand reaches out presses the cradle down, dials
ON KIMBLE
Climbing the stairs... suddenly stops.
A small white ball on the stairs. He bends down and picks
it up... a pearl.
KIMBLE
Helen?
Silence. He can see directly into the bedroom. It's quiet.
Too quiet. He notices a lampshade on the floor.
UPSTAIRS HALL - NIGHT
Kimble moves slowly to the opened doorway. And just before
he enters he sees a large form in the crack behind the door.
Adrenal surge.
Kimble slams the door back on the figure knocking the gun
free. Before Kimble can move to it a forearm flattens him.
The attacker immediately goes for the gun. Kimble grabs a
leg and twists him down, the man's fingers hit the gun,
sending it skittering across the hardwood floor of the
landing and over the edge - three flights to the entry
hall below.
SIRENS can be heard. Distant but APPROACHING.
The man kicks free and tries to flee. This time Kimble
catches an arm and twists it at an unnatural angle. To his
shock, the limb detaches between the shoulder and elbow.
Kimble looks at the arm in his hands - it's hollow.
Electrodes are visible inside - then to the man's unreadable
face...
The SIRENS are LOUDER...
Before Kimble can recover, the One-Armed Man knocks Kimble
down and grabs back his arm. He runs down the stairs.
Kimble pulls himself up and starts to follow but is stopped
by a VOICE behind him in the bedroom...
HELEN (O.S.)
He's here... still in the house...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Lying by the bed, Helen Kimble, clutches the phone with one
hand, her head with the other.
911 (V.O.)
Did I hear you right? Your attacker
is still in the house? Ma'am?
HELEN
He's trying to kill me...
Kimble appears. Helen drops the phone when she sees him.
911 (V.O.)
Will you repeat that please?
HELEN
(to Kimble)
Richard... He's trying to kill me...
my head.
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Two Chicago police cars wheel to the curb, COPS move quickly
to the house.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimble moves to her. Sees the necklace of bruises where she
was held down and choked. And then a bullet wound in her
leg. She's already going into shock. Her speech turns thick.
KIMBLE
Hang on, babe... going to be all
right.
Her fingernails dig into Kimble's arm, trying to hold on.
HELEN
My head. Richard my hold me.
Her eyes slip away from his. He peels away the hand on her
head - and sees raw pummeled brain staring back and realizes
she won't be all right.
CAMERA SWINGS DOWN TO the dropped phone.
911 (V.O.)
... Hello. You said his name is
Richard? Ma'am, can you talk to me?
Ma'am?
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The Cops enter the house. See the .38 lying on the floor.
Covering each other, they move quickly up the stairs - guns
drawn.
ANGLE
Third floor. The First Cop, gun drawn, turns the corner of
Kimble's bedroom and finds:
Kimble holding his dead wife. Blood on his hands.
COP #1
Move away from her.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Kimble, numbed by the event, washes the blood off his hands
in the kitchen sink. A cop takes his blood-stained tux
jacket, and another hands him a parka.
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
The street is filled with Chicago police cars, curious
neighbors, television news vans, etc.
Kimble is helped into a police car as the coroner's van
arrives. He pauses a moment to watch as we hear.
DETECTIVE KELLY (V.O.)
Can you give us a little more to go
on besides the fact that he had an
artificial arm? What kind of gun was
it, Doc?
INT. 11TH STREET DISTRICT HOUSE - NIGHT
CAMERA FINDS Kimble in an interview room. He is in "why"
shock. "Why her." "Why me?" Says nothing. Two Detectives:
KELLY and ROSETTI. Kelly, the questioner, is overweight,
aggressive. He shifts his gun on his hip so he can sit down.
KIMBLE
It was .38... I think. I only saw it
for a second. I knocked it out of
his hand.
As Kimble is questioned we INTERCUT WITH flashes of the
murder scene being processed:
FLASH - INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Forensics technicians photograph the .38 at the base of the
stairs.
DETECTIVE ROSETTI (V.O.)
Do you own a gun, Dr. Kimble?
KIMBLE
Yes.
DETECTIVE ROSETTI (V.O.)
What kind of gun?
KIMBLE
A .38 Smith.
FLASH - FORENSICS TECHNICIAN DUSTS CRYSTAL LAMP
DETECTIVE KELLY
Did you have your key with you tonight,
Dr. Kimble?
FLASH - COPS
Checking doors of house for signs of forcible entry.
BACK TO SCENE
PHONE RINGS. Rosetti answers it. Kimble watches him write
something down, he slides it to Kelly.
FLASH - MEASURE "NECKLACE" OF BRUISES ON HELEN'S NECK
DETECTIVE KELLY (V.O.)
Your wife was loaded wasn't she? I mean, she was worth quite
a bit of money.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble looks up at the two cops. For the first time he seems
to sense something aggressive in their questioning.
They no longer seem on the same team.
KIMBLE
What's going on here? This guy was
trying to rob us.
The two cops stare at Kimble.
KIMBLE
You guys have got to be out of your
minds. I didn't kill my wife!
He gets up to go. A cop blocks his path. He turns and looks
at Kelly.
DETECTIVE KELLY
Let's start over, Dr. Kimble. What'd
you have for breakfast?
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH ST. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
Kimble in his tuxedo shirt and black tie holds a booking
number plate in front of him as a mug shot is taken...
front, then side.
MAN (V.O.)
We're all adults here so I'll lay it
out...
EXT. NEWSSTAND - DAY
Chicago Sun-Times has a photograph of Kimble spread across
the front page.
MAN (V.O.)
... If you two come up with a deal,
I'll listen, but let me make one
thing perfectly clear.
INT. ELECTRONICS SUPERSTORE - DAY
Salesmen continue to hawk sets. Kimble's photograph comes
up on a hundred TV monitors across the store.
NEWS REPORTER (V.O.)
Police are revealing no details in
the case against Chicago surgeon...
INT. KIMBLE'S CELL - DAY
Kimble lays on his bunk. Thinking...
MAN (V.O.)
... It's an election year...
INT. JUDGE'S CHAMBERS - DAY
CAMERA MOVES THROUGH smoke-fillet room to find tough FEMALE
PROSECUTOR, a man in late forties, WALTER GUTHERIE, and STOPS
ON the source of the voice we've been hearing and the cigar:
JUDGE BENNETT, late fifties. Fair but, no nonsense, political
survivor.
JUDGE BENNETT
... and this case is a heater. It
will not end up a bench trial...
INT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - CORRIDOR - DAY
Richard Kimble in County lockup fatigues and a navy watch cap
moves down long corridor, escorted by GUARD.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
We've had private investigators
interview over a hundred amputees,
Richard...
INT. PRISON INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY
Walter Gutherie, his attorney, stands by a window looking
out at the yard. Another attorney, RANDOLPH, watches
Gutherie.
GUTHERIE
... We can't find this guy.
KIMBLE
I know what I saw, Walter.
GUTHERIE
I put you up on the stand to say what
you saw without anything that
remotely smells like proof and the
State's attorney is going to take
this one-armed man story and run it
up our ass.
(he holds Kimble's look)
Look, Richard, you're paying us a
lot of money to defend you... A plea
to second degree -
KIMBLE
I didn't kill my wife.
INT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - DAY
Kimble being escorted back to the courtroom. A guard carries
his suit in a bag. He is taunted by other prisoners.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
You're a successful upper middle
class white man charged in a
violent crime...
INT. COOK COUNTY LOCKUP / CHANGE ROOM - DAY
On the other side of the door is the courtroom. A sheriff's
deputy hands Kimble (now wearing his suit), a small plastic
bag. In it we see his wedding band.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
It's a circumstantial case, but it's
also a jury trial. We play 'em, they
play 'em...
INT. CHICAGO COURTROOM - DAY
Richard Kimble sits at defense table... watches prosecutors
chat with Helen's relatives. Media anchors glare at him.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
... But if we lose, we lose big.
Just remember, they're lined up a
block long to have your hide.
HARD CUT TO:
PHOTOGRAPH OF HELEN KIMBLE'S BODY
A crime scene photograph.
DETECTIVE KELLY
On the stand.
DETECTIVE KELLY
No forcible entry was found. From
the beginning of the investigation,
it did not appear to be a break-in.
Nothing was missing.
FORENSICS TECHNICIAN
On the stand.
FORENSICS TECHNICIAN
The defendant's prints were found on
the neck, gun, bullets, and lamp...
no other sets were fount other than
the deceased.
FACES OF THE JURY
Impassive. Attentive. His "peers." They listen to the
recording of the 911 tape.
911 (V.O.)
Did I hear you right? Your attacker
is still in the house? Ma'am?
HELEN (V.O.)
He's trving to kill me...
911 (V.O.)
Will you repeat that please?
HELEN (V.O.)
Richard... He's trying to kill me...
KIBLE'S POV - THE JURY
A few members lean over to make notes. It's powerful taken
out of context.
NICHOLS ON THE STAND
PROSECUTOR
Dr. Nichols. You are aware that
Richard Kimble was the only
beneficiary of Helen Kimble's estate.
12 million dollars roughly.
NICHOLS
I was aware of that. The money meant
nothing to him.
PROSECUTOR
Yet in your presence, Richard Kimble
once said that 'if he had Helen's
money he could find plenty of uses.'
Did he not?
NICHOLS
We were talking about -
PROSECUTOR
Yes or no?
Nichols' look tells us everything... Yes.
CUT TO:
CORONER
On the stand.
CORONER
The wound to the head caused a
massive hemorrhage to the brain. It
took from five to seven minutes for
her to die...
A woman in the jury reacts. Kimble notices.
KIMBLE
On the stand. He finishes his moving description of the
events. We see some of the jury has been moved.
KIMBLE
... And I was holding her when the
officers came in.
Gutherie returns to his seat. The Prosecutor moves to the
jury. He begins slowly but his questions pick up strength.
PROSECUTOR
How tall was this man, Dr. Kimble?
KIMBLE
I can't be sure. We were, mostly on
the floor, fighting... I couldn't -
PROSECUTOR
Did that fight cause the scratches
on your face and arms?
KIMBLE
No. As I explained -
PROSECUTOR
And how did this man enter your
house?
KIMBLE
I don't know -
PROSECUTOR
And you probably don't know why your
wife told the emergency operator You
were her attacker?
KIMBLE
She didn't -
PROSECUTOR
Your name is Richard, isn't it? Your
gun is a .38, isn't it? Your prints
were on the gun, the bullets, the
lamp, her neck, weren't they?
KIMBLE
Look...
PROSECUTOR
Weren't they?
CUT TO:
INT. COURTROOM - DAY
Richard Kimble sits behind the desk, but already he's a
shadow of the man we knew before, stares ahead passively as
Judge Bennett delivers the sentencing to hushed courtroom.
JUDGE BENNETT
After careful and studied review of
all evidence presented during each
phase of this proceeding, and
because aggravated circumstances,
detailed at length, were present
the night of January 20th.
Kimble is silent, stunned, but all around him the sentence
shockwaves through the courtroom. Reporters push out rear
doors. Prosecutors share a look - with a hangman's
satisfaction. Nichols, watching behind Kimble's table,
lowers his head. Disbelief.
ANGLE ON RICHARD KIMBLE
He remains silent. Kimble is pulled gently to his feet by
bailiff. Gutherie whispers an "I'm sorry." Kimble doesn't
hear it.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
Therefore, it is the decision of
this court...
Looks over his shoulder to the emptying courtroom. Faces
stare back.
CUT TO:
INT. KIT ROOM - DAY
Judge Bennett's V.O. CONTINUES over:
A locker opening. Inside, a profusion of chrome and nickel
plating. Jailhouse jewelry. Handcuffs dragged out. Action
checked.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
... that you be remanded to Menard
State penitentiary...
CLOSE ON CUFFS
Slapped down over wrists, ratcheting down tight.
Ankle cuffs dragged out. Pant legs raised, canvas shoes
exposed. Cuffs clamped down on ankles.
CHAINS RATTLED out. Snaked across the floor. Looped around
waists and locked to handcuffs to form belly chains.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
... where you will serve a sentence
of life imprisonment without
possibility of parole.
EXT . SALLY PORT (COOK COW TY JAIL) - NIGHT
The chain gang exits through the sally port. Kimble and
three other prisoners. Jailers escort them to...
An Illinois Department of Corrections guard moves alongside,
checking the undercarriage with a pole-mounted mirror.
The GAVEL CRACKS as we -
CUT TO:
INT. BUS - CLOSE ON KEY - DAY
Locking wire mesh cage inside bus.
An old DIESEL COUGHS to life.
EXT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - NIGHT
Main gates open. The BUS GRINDS onto the streets.
INT. BUS - DAY
The four prisoners sit scattered, still cuffed but no longer
chained together. Near the front, PRISONER #1 is eyeing...
The two prison guards seated beyond the caged door. YOUNG
GUARD lighting a smoke. OLD GUARD drowsing. Shotguns
bouncing on their knees. Prisoner #l shifts his gaze to...
The driver. Pistol on his hip.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. DESOLATE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
The BUS RUMBLES north, heading towards the horizon.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
PRISONER #1 rises. Through caging:
PRISONER #1
Hey. Illinois penal regulations
require a meal for transport
rides of four hours or more.
Young Guard shakes his head. "Fucking jailhouse lawyers."
Checks his watch: 4:00.
YOUNG GUARD
Jack! Feedin' time.
Old Guard yawns to his feet, unhooks a key-ring from his
belt. Young Guard stows his shotgun in the weapons locker.
PRISONER #2 looks at Kimble. Kimble stirs awake... watches
the cage door open, Young Guard moving back. And across the
aisle...
PRISONER #3, a big man named COPELAND, wags his head
between his knees. Something slides out of his shirt and
CLANKS to the dimpled steel floor. It's a razor sharp
plastic shank.
Heart quickening, Kimble looks forward. Young Guard is
handing a petrified sandwich to Prisoner #1. Kimble snaps
a look back to Copeland, who palms the shank.
COPELAND
Breathe, and you're first.
Old Guard watches from the open cage door, shotgun
carelessly ready.
Young Guard reaches Kimble and extends a sandwich. Kimble
doesn't respond.
YOUNG GUARD
Suit yourself.
He offers the sandwich to Copeland. In the exchange,
sandwich drops. Copeland leans down for it.
Up front, Old Guard yawns again just as...
KIMBLE
Look out!
Too late... Jackknifing up, Copeland drives the shank into
Young Guard's gut.
Prisoner #2 dives for Young Guard's holster. As the gun comes
out, Young Guard gets a hand on it. A SHOT FIRES...
Jolting Old Guard. He chambers his shotgun. Kimble hits the
floor. The Old Guard jams a key into the cage door and surges
inside, but...
Prisoner #1 broadsides Old Guard. SHOTGUN DISCHARGES...
Opening a big Gainsburger hole in the driver. He sinks under
the steering wheel. A knee hits the accelerator.
The CAGE DOOR SLAMS locked behind the Old Guard.
EXT. DESOLATE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
As the bus careens off the road, accelerating.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Young Guard wrestles gun from Prisoner #2 and FIRES, killing
prisoner #2. Copeland grapples with wounded Young Guard.
Old Guard shotgun-butts Prisoner #1, flips the gun, PUMPS
ONE ROUND into the man's chest. Dead. He turns just as...
EXT. OPEN LAND - NIGHT
As the driverless BUS BUCKS ant BANGS over open ground.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Old Guard reloads. Copeland drops down behind a seat.
Old Guard jams his SHOTGUN under the seat. But just as the
Old Guard pulls the trigger the bus jerks. The SHOT goes
off target as...
EXT. OPEN LAND - NIGHT
The BUS ROARS into a gravel embankment. ROARS up the slope
and CRASHES down on its side - sliding to a stop at the
bottom of a small ravine.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
ENGINE DIES. Dusty silence. We don't know up from down.
On his knees, Old Guard makes his way to the driver. Finds
him dead. Now a SOUND. Old Guard whips his shotgun around
at...
Kimble. Rising between the seats.
A hairy beat. Old Guard might kill him just to finish things
off. But a GROAN turns Old Guard's head.
Young Guard, trying to hold his guts in. Old Guart turns to
find Kimble.
OLD GUARD
(to Kimble)
You. You're a doctor. C'mere.
He slides to the Young Guard as the Old Guard scrounges up a
medical kit, shoves Kimble down on Young Guard.
OLD GUARD
Do something.
Kimble looks at his cuffs. "In these?" Old Guard digs out
his key ring and unlocks Kimble's hands - only his hands.
Kimble opens medical kit. It's been ransacked - just
Band-Aids now. Kimble looks into the wound.
KIMBLE
He isn't going to make it unless he
gets to a hospital. Fast.
OLD GUARD
ZL.
In this delicate moment a SHIVER runs through the bus. Is it
just settling?
With other things to worry about, Kimble tries to stop Young
Guard's bleeding.
ANGLE UNDER SEAT
We see Copeland, alive. The crash has ripped the bars from a
back window and shattered the glass. He works to get out the
opening.
BACK TO KIMBLE
A second SHIVER ripples through the bus, stronger. Kimble
retracts his hands to touch a metal panel - and feels a
growing vibration.
KIMBLE
Just where the hell are we?
The Old Guard feels it too. He gets down on his knees and
looks out one of the shattered, barred windows.
OLD GUARD
Oh, shit...
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
The bus lies across railroad tracks. A not-too-distant bend
grows bright by the light of an approaching train.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Kimble sees: Old Guard fights the cage door. Kimble lunges
to his side.
KIMBLE
It's locked. Where're your keys?
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
Downtrack, one Cyclops light appears.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Kimble spots keys. Pitches them to Old Guard. Drags Young
Guard to the front for a quick exit. But Old Guard fumbles
the key-ring, his hands shaking as much as the bus.
The train light spider-webs across cracked windows. Kimble
snatches the keys away from the Guard's trembling hands.
KIMBLE
Which one? This? This one?!
Old Guard gulps a nod. Kimble jams a key in the lock. Throws
the door open. Grabs Young Guard.
KIMBLE
Help me get him -
But Old Guard climbs right over Kimble's back and climbs out
the shattered windshield.
ANGLE ON REAR OF BUS
Copeland escapes through the hole in the back...
EXT. BUS - NIGHT
... and hits the ground running the other way. The
locomotive's headlight reveals the toppled bus.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Train light grows. A nanosecond of uncertainty: Should
Kimble leave the wounded man? Kimble and the Young Guard
hold a look.
EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN - NIGHT
As the WHEELS BRAKE and LOCK.
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
Kimble struggles out of the bus - pulling the Young Guard
behind him. He slings the man clear.
SCREECHING death, the TRAIN SKIDS closer.
For one heartbeat, Kimble remains perched atop the bus.
The train light X-rays him.
Kimble leaps. Lands. Rolls. Gains his feet. Tries to sprint
away but can't: His feet are still chained. He gets off a
dozen mincing steps before...
IMPACT: A hundred tons of STEEL SLAMS into the bus,
splitting it open.
Shrapnel rips through Kimble's thigh, but he stays on his
feet, still running feverish half-steps.
An EXPLOSION envelops the train. Flames stream down its
flanks.
The train burns past the wounded Guard.
Kimble looks back, expecting to see the catastrophe behind
him. But he gets the shock of his life - of any man's life:
Still on its wheels, the locomotive is derailing - and coming
after him. It's the stuff of nightmares: One little man being
chased by a fire-breathing locomotive.
The train burrows to a stop.
Kimble is suddenly five feet taller, standing on an upheaval
of earth, staring eyeball-to-eyeball with the train that
nearly devoured him. He pants. Coughs on smoke. Then notices
something in his hand.
It's the key-ring.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Kimble sits and searches the key-ring for manacle key.
Suddenly a hand reaches down and snatches the key-ring away.
COPELAND (O.S.)
Give me that.
Kimble watches as Copeland quickly unlocks both sets of his
own chains.
COPELAND
You listen to me. I don't give a
damn which way you go, just don't
follow me.
Kimble takes the key as Copeland wraps his chains around his
arm and runs. Kimble unlocks his leg irons and runs in the
other direction - crossing a hilltop in the moonlight.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CRASH SITE (SOUTHERN ILLINOIS) - NIGHT
News and sheriff's department choppers circle billowing
smoke. TILT DOWN to reveal the derailed train. Fire engines
hose down the blackened locomotive. Rescue workers work
feverishly with jaws-of-life to get into the mangled
wreckage. Illuminated by spotlights, transportation
investigators in blue coveralls pick through the twisted
remains of the bus. State troopers restrain spectators.
Two American-made rental cars pull up. Four deputy U.S.
marshals emerge:
BIGGS. Swaggering Midwestern carnivore. Built like a brick
shithouse.
RENFRO. Bantam-rooster of a man, no more than 140 pounds
fully-equipped.
POOLE. Black woman. Nobody minds having her around during
nut-cuttin' time.
NEWMAN, a scrub-faced G-5.
From the second car steps GERARD. He takes in the media
spectacle.
GERARD
Good lord...
REFRO
What is this... a circus?
As a group they begin moving along the service road above
the crash site. Derailed train cars are accortianed below
them. They take in the elements of the crash and as they
walk each begins to reveal their U.S. Marshal's credentials.
Biggs spots something...
BIGGS
Point of impact.
... and branches off.
GERARD
Biggs, your turn to babysit Newman.
BIGGS
Shit.
(to Newman)
Come on.
They drop down to the crash site. Poole ant Renfro remain
with Gerard.
A state TROOPER steps into their path, but falls away when he
sees Gerard's Marshall star.
GERARD
How ya doing? Who's in charge?
TROOPER
Sheriff Rollins. Just follow the
lights -
Gerard follows his point to where TV lights illuminate the
scene. He shakes his head - it doesn't please him.
Renfro and Poole share a look, they seem to know what's
about to happen.
ANGLE - OLD GUARD
Seated near a tree. A space blanket draped over his
shoulders. He is surrounded by EMT personnel, and a YOUNG
SHERIFF, clearly basking in the event. Television remote
news crews are kept only slight back. Gerard appears in the
b.g., listening.
OLD GUARD
... train was bearin' down on us,
fast. I don't know how - it's still
kind of hazy - but I grabbed him
and pushed him out of the bus.
SHERIFF
You coulda both been killed.
OLD GUARD
I know, but hell, he's my partner.
Woulda done the same for me.
The young Sheriff in charge nods, buying the story. Gerard
eases forward, displays his badge, interrupts.
GERARD
Excuse me, Sheriff Rollins? Deputy
U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard.
SHERIFF
(annoyed)
I'll be with you in a minute.
The television lights widen to illuminate Gerard. He shields
his eyes. The Sheriff opens a file and produces fax-photos
of all four prisoners.
SHERIFF
(to Old Guard)
For the record. These three dead.
And this one...
He switches to a photo of Kimble.
OLD GUARD
Well, everything happened so fast...
(bites lip, decides)
Huh-uh. Don't think he made it.
Sheriff eyes the wreckage that could entomb a hundred
prisoners, then files Kimble's fax-photo with the others.
SHERIFF
You get some rest.
He pats the Guard on the shoulder and approaches Gerard.
SHERIFF
Looks like you came a long way for
nothing. My men've already done a
thorough search from point of
impact and found nothing.
INTERCUT WITH:
ANGLE - CULVERT
Biggs and Newman stop by the muddy culvert. Biggs sees
something. He orders Newman into the muck after it.
GERARD
Aware of media, proceeds patiently with the young Sheriff.
GERARD
With all due respect, may I suggest
check-points starting at a 15-mile
radius on I-57, I-24, Route 13 east
of -
SHERIFF
Whoa, whoa, whoa... For what?
Prisoners are all dead. The only
thing check-points will do is get a
lot of good people out here frantic
and flood my office with calls.
Gerard finally touches eyeballs with the young Sheriff and
we get our first taste of Gerard at close range.
GERARD
(beat)
Well, shit, Sheriff, I'd hate for
that to happen... So, I'll be
taking over the investigation.
SHERIFF
On whose authority?
GERARD
By authority of the Governor of the
State of Illinois and the office of
the United States Marshal, 5th
District Northern Illinois...
Poole produces State and Federal authorization documents
from one of her pockets and hands it to the young Sheriff.
SHERIFF
(back-down beat)
Okay. You want jurisdiction over
this mess, you got it.
(to assistants)
Shut it down. Wyatt Earp is here to
mop up for us.
He slaps the file of fax-photos at Gerard on his way out.
Just as Biggs, spotless, eases ino the group with Kimble's
manacles. Behind Biggs we see Newman, covered in mud.
Seeing the leg irons, the Sheriff and his deputies pile to
a stop. Now Gerard takes his run at Old Guard.
GERARD
Please, ladies and gentlemen, step
back and give this poor man some
room.
Like an obedient dog the press backs off, they sense a
change of story and command.
Gerard kneels down with Poole and Renfro in front of the
Old Guard. The Sheriff hovers near.
GERARD
(friendly, to Old
Guard)
Always an interesting thing when we
find leg irons and no legs in them
who held the keys, sir?
OLD GUARD
Uh, me.
GERARD
Would you be so kind as to show them
to me, sir?
Gerard's large hand extends palm up at the Old Guard.
The Old Guard pats his pockets, comes up empty. He eyes the
press hovering just out of earshot.
GERARD
Second chance.
Poole reopens the file of photos in front of the man.
The Old Guard can't take it - points to Kimble's photo.
OLD GUARD
(cracking)
He mighta got out.
GERARD
Thank you.
SHERIFF
What the hell is this? A minute ago
you tell me he's part of the
wreckage, now you're -
GERARD
Renfro - Take that bus apart. I want
an accurate body count. Poole - Set
up operations right here.
He stops and looks into the TV lights and starts moving
downtrack. The media and State Police move with him like
Israelites behind Moses.
GERARD
Ladies and gentlemen... our
fugitive's been on the run for
ninety minutes. Average foot speed
over uneven ground - barring injury
is approximately four miles an hour,
giving us a radius of six miles. I
want a hard-target search of any
residence, gas station, farmhouse,
henhouse, doghouse and outhouse in
that area. Check-points go up at
15 miles.
(to media)
You got that? Good. Now, turn
those damn things off and get out
of our way.
INT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
ROARS... just above the treetops. Helicopter speeds up a
dark river. Its tracking beam illuminates the river bank.
EXT. RURAL ROADS - NIGHT
Flashing lights. Two highway patrol cars set up roadblocks.
The SQUAWK of police RADIOS breaks the rural quiet. A moment
later a HELICOPTER ROARS overhead.
EXT. TRACKS - NIGHT
Kimble moves down train tracks. His jumpsuit is wet with
blood from the gash. He pauses and checks the wound. He's
going to need stitches.
Far down the tracks he sees glow of town lights. He keeps
moving.
EXT. TRESTLE - DAWN
Kimble crosses a tressel, keeps running toward the direction
of the lights.
A junk yard by railroad tracks and a road. Signs along the
road show we're on the edge of town. One says: Hospital-1/2
mile.
ANGLE - TRACKS AND STREAM
Kimble runs from a streak up to the railroad tracks. As he
nears the junk yard and road he sees the hospital sign.
He's close but he can't go into the hospital in his prison
jumpsuit. He leans against a wrecked car and catches his
breath.
Just then a tow truck pulling a car on its hook, turns off
the road and parks next to the tracks. Kimble ducks for
cover behind the wrecked car.
The driver climbs out, dumps his coveralls in the front
seat and closes the door.
He moves toward a house across the tracks, then forgets
something and returns to the cab. He throws open the door
and grabs lunch box off the seat - and we notice the
coveralls missing from the seat.
As the driver returns to the house we MOVE TO the opposite
side of the car to find Kimble, ducked beneath the window,
clutching the coveralls.
EXT. CRASH SITE - DAWN
A crude headquarters is set up beneath a tent, near the
crash site. Maps are laid out on tables. Power and phone
lines are pulled down from the lines running along the
tracks. Renfro supervises the electronics.
Poole handles phones, takes a report from the field and
relays it to Gerard.
POOLE
Blood trail found. Two miles
southwest.
GERARD
(to Biggs)
Type it and match it against all
four prisoners.
(to Renfro)
Renfro, get an I.D. fax on Kimble to
every local hospital.
(to Newman)
Newman...
Newman appears.
NEWMAN
Yes, sir...
GERARD
I need some coffee.
As Newman steps off, everyone turns at sound of SHOUTING
from the train crash.
ANGLE - TRAIN CRASH
A RESCUE WORKER shouts up to others.
WORKER
Hey, one's alive!
EXT. RURAL HOSPITAL - LOADING DOCK - MORNING
Loading dock outside the E.R. A WORKER stacks boxes of food
outside kitchen entrance. Kimble, in the tow truck
operator's coveralls, picks up a box and carries it inside.
Once inside he branches off down a hallway.
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - MORNING
A door opens on a long hallway. A DOCTOR, CHILD with a
bandaged hand, and a MOTHER leave a room and walk TOWARD us.
Behind them, Kimble moves down the hall and stops in front
of the doorway.
KIMBLE'S POV - MINOR PROCEDURES ROOM
CUT TO:
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - MINOR PROCEDURES ROOM - MORNING
Kimble closes the door and locks it. Hanging on the back of
the door we see a doctor's white coat.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOSPITAL - MORNING
An Illinois State Trooper's car pulls up outside.
CUT TO:
CLOTH-COVERED INSTRUMENT TRAY
On it we see: A packaged sterilized bandage, an opened
antiseptic wash, an opened topical anesthetic, and an empty
syringe. We PULL BACK to find:
KIMBLE
His wound bathed in orange antiseptic wash, three stitches
already in. With pair of forceps he picks up the needle as
he sutures himself.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - LONG SHOT (MOS) - MORNING
At far end of the hall we see a STATE TROPER chatting with a
DUTY NURSE at a nurses' station.
CUT TO:
INT. PROCEDURE'S ROOM - MORNING
Kimble, his bandage already in place, gives himself a shot
of antibiotics.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - MAN'S ROOM - DAY
A man, tube in nose, on two I.V.s, lays in bed with eyes
closed. Kimble comes INTO FRAME near his face.
KIMBLE
Can you hear me, sir?
No response. The man is out of it. Kimble backtracks to the
patient's closet and opens it. Hanging inside we see his
clothes. He removes them and notices the man's untouched
breakfast tray.
CUT TO:
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - NURSES' DUTY STATION - DAY
The Duty Nurse and State Trooper chat when a fax begins
coming through on DESK FAX.
NURSE
There's your fax...
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT'S BATHROOM - DAY
Kimble dressing in the man's clothes. He eats a piece of
toast - part of the man's breakfast - as he buttons up his
shirt.
ANGLE - PATIENT
His arm slowly reaches out and presses his nurses call
button.
CUT TO:
INT. NURSES' STATION - DAY
A fax photograph of Richard Kimble slowly comes off the
duty station FAX MACHINE. Next to the machine the
patient's call light comes on.
The Duty Nurse, standing with the Highway Trooper, sees the
patient's light come on and starts down the hall toward the
patient's room.
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT'S BATHROOM - DAY
Kimble shaving when we hear the DUTY NURSE ENTER the
patient's room. He moves OUT OF FRAME.
DUTY NURSE (O.S.)
Mr. Patterson, do you need some more
water?
ANGLE - MAN'S EATEN BREAKFAST
The Duty Nurse looks from the tray to the man, impressed.
DUTY NURSE
... Oh, you did a good job on this.
She takes his empty plastic pitcher and...
... pushes open the bathroom door - no sign of Kimble - and
refills the pitcher from the sink.
DUTY NURSE
(over her shoulder,
to patient)
... It does get dry in here, doesn't
it?
She doesn't expect an answer, turns OFF the WATER, and goes
into the main room. As the door closes we see Kimble behind
it.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Kimble, clean-shaven, and wearing the patient's glasses and
a doctor's white coat, moves down the hall to the emergency
room exit. Suddenly the State Trooper steps back from the
E.R. admissions desk with his newly received fax, and starts
down the corridor toward Kimble.
The Trooper looks up as the two men pass...
TROOPER
'Scuse me, Doc?...
Kimble turns but continues slowly backing toward the E.R.
doors behind him.
TROOPER
... Don't know if you heard or not
but we're looking for an escaped
prisoner from that bus train wreck
'couple hours ago. Thought he might
show up here if he was hurt.
KIMBLE
What's he look like?
The Trooper looks down at his fact sheet as we see a slow
trickle of blood from a shaving nick begin winding down
Kimble's cheek.
TROOPER
(from fax sheet)
Approximately six one, 180 pounds,
brown hair, brown eyes and beard.
At the last second Kimble feels the drop of blood and wipes
it clean as the Trooper looks up.
TROOPER
... Seen anyone that fits that
description?
KIMBLE
Every time I look in the mirror ...
but without the beard.
They laugh.
KIMBLE
Excuse me...
TROOPER
Sure.
Kimble moves through the E.R. doors as an ambulance parks
outside...
EXT. RURAL HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM RAMP - DAY
Two PARAMEDICS try to take out a patient on a gurney. The
lead wheels are stuck.
KIMBLE
Here...
Kimble helps clear the wheels so the collapsible gurney
comes free.
PARAMEDIC #2
Thanks, Doc, we had to dig him out
from under a train.
As the gurney comes out, Kimble looks right into the face
of the Young Guard. The Guard's eyes suddenly open wide.
YOUNG GUARD
It's him... It's -
Kimble claps the portable oxygen mask back over the Young
Guard's mouth and keeps his hand there.
KIMBLE
How is he?
The Paramedics move him toward the ramp.
PARAMEDIC #1
He's pretty bad off. Broken leg,
ribs. Concussion.
As Kimble moves away...
KIMBLE
Tell the E.R. doctor he's also got
a perforated spleen.
He's gone... The two Paramedics share a look as they whisk
the Young Guard inside.
PARAMEDIC #2
(impressed)
Jesus, how could he tell that from
looking at his face?
ANGLE - AMBULANCE
Kimble climbs behind the wheel.
EXT. TRAIN CRASH SITE / OPERATIONS HEADQUARTERS - DAY
A full communications link is in place.
Deputy marshals answer phones, work faxes, add information
to a situation board. Troopers bring in information. Poole
calls Gerard.
POOLE
Background just came in from
Chicago.
GERARD
Hit me.
Renfro and Poole lay out the details. The download of
information comes clear and fast.
RENFRO
Richard David Kimble. Vascular
Surgeon. Convicted of first-degree
murder in the killing of his wife.
Pleaded innocent. Claimed a
one-armed -
GERARD
Let's not retry the case. Priors
and accomplices?
Gerard steps up the hillside out of sight of the
investigation to take a leak. Followed by Renfro and Poole.
RENFRO
None. No previous arrests.
Poole takes up a position discreetly behind tree as Gerard
unzips his fly and relieves himself.
GERARD
Sealed juvie record?
Poole calls out from behind tree.
POOLE
Nothing. Total cherry.
GERARD
Relatives? Children?
RENFRO
No relatives.
POOLE
One child. A son. Died in drowning
accident three years ago.
GERARD
Girl friends? Ex-wives? Friends?
Combinations of the above?
POOLE
Lot of friends. Doctors. Hospital
staff.
Gerard zips up.
GERARD
Start there. Authorize taps. Cover
his lawyer first.
RENFRO
Never get it.
GERARD
Bet me.
Renfro won't take it.
GERARD
Have Stevens go to Judge Rubin,
he'll sign 'em.
... Biggs charges up the hillside.
BIGGS
DeLange Hospital. Wounded guard
swears to High Holy he saw Kimble
right there in the hallway.
Ambulance, missing too.
ANGLE - SITUATION TENT
Gerard moves quickly to the map.
GERARD
Give me a time.
BIGGS
O-nine-thirty. Twenty minutes ago.
Gerard redraws the circle of units. No longer are we
covering a fifty-mile radius. The circle is redrawn,
tightened, with the hospital as its center. The
triangulation is set.
CUT TO:
EXT. RURAL RAILROAD CROSSING - DAY
The ambulance follows three cars toward a rural railroad
crossing.
COP (V.O.)
... We're waiting up here in Canton.
Wondering if you heard anything on
this Kimble chase -
INT. AMBULANCE - DAY
Kimble behind the wheel as he approaches the railroad
crossing. The biocom monitors police chatter:
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Two-twelve-A, be advised that all
discussion on this matter is to be
conducted on a tactical frequency
- either Channel K or Z. Over.
Frequency goes dead. Kimble looks THROUGH the windshield:
ROAD SIGN
An arrow points toward Canton, two miles.
The cars in front slow as the railroad crossing signal
suddenly activates and the bars begin to drop. Kimble pops
the SIREN and hurriedly snakes through the crossing and
heads in the opposite direction... but his maneuver gets
attention.
INT. TRUCK CAB - DAY
Truck driver watches Kimble cut through the crossing and
reaches for his C.B. radio.
EXT. CRASH SITE - DAY
Poole hangs up phone.
POOLE
Ambulance just spotted two miles
west of Doverville. Heading north
on State road 53.
Renfro turns to the map and marks it. The circle is much
smaller.
RENFRO
Running outta map, Sam.
The crash site and hospital are already marked. Gerard is
ready to move.
GERARD
Just the way we want it. Okay,
people, let's button up.
They move off to waiting State Trooper cars and helicopter.
INT. AMBULANCE - DAY
Kimble driving down a rural road. He flips down visor and
eyeballs folded roadmap...
EXT. SECONDARY ROAD (KENTUCKY) - DAY
... The ambulance crests a hill. In the distance we see the
Grosvner Viaduct and the Barkley Dam.
EXT. HIGHWAY (KENTUCKY) - DAY
Blowing other traffic off the road, WHOOPING CRUISERS and
G-cars stream south through the rugged rural terrain of
Southern Illinois. Overtaking them all, a CHOPPER THUNDERS
overhead.
INT. HELICOPTER
Heading into hilly terrain. Down below we see the ambulance.
Inside the helicopter Gerard eyes the terrain.
PILOT
(into radio)
We've got a visual...
(to Gerard)
He's heading toward the viaduct.
GERARD
Seal it up.
EXT. AERIAL VIEW OF GROSVNER VIADUCT - DAY
The two-lane road disappears into long tunnel. Three hundred
feet below the road tumbles the Tennessee River.
The Barkley Dam rises ahead. Kimble's AMBULANCE ROARS into
the tunnel.
ON KIMBLE
Suddenly sees the helicopter setting down ahead of him at
the mouth of the tunnel.
Kimble slams on brakes and turns to retreat.
ANGLE - FAR END OF TUNNEL (BEHIND HIM)
Illinois Highway Patrol cars pull to a stop at the far
entrance. Light flares. Set out road blocks.
ANGLE HELICOPTER
Gerard steps out followed by Renfro and Poole.
KIMBLE'S AMBULANCE
Comes to a stop, blocking traffic in both directions.
Immediately HORNS begin BLARING.
EXT. TUNNEL - NIGHT
Trooper pulls up. Biggs and Newman behind Kimble blocking
the other end.
Troopers with guns drawn block the exits. The P.A. from a
State patrol car blares:
P.A. (V.O.)
Please remain in your vehicles and
lock your doors. Repeat, please
remain in -
ANGLE ON HELICOPTER
Poole and Renfro materialize already decked out in Kevlar.
They're jacked up and ready to rock. Renfro hands Gerard a
vest.
RENFRO
Got him.
Gerard unholsters a 40 caliber, Glock model 22.
GERARD
Okay, ladies and gentlemen hard
part's over.
He starts into the tunnel.
RENFRO
(to radio)
We're movin' in.
INT. TUNNEL - DAY
Weapons drawn, but held discreetly at their sides, three
silhouettes enter. Drivers who hadn't heeded the Troopers'
P.A. warnings take one look at Gerard and quickly climb
back inside and lock their doors.
Biggs, Renfro and Poole fan out to the sides and give the
middle to Gerard. The tunnel is quickly quiet.
Kimble huddles at mid-tunnel. He's trapped. Drops to the
ground beneath the truck. His heart pounding, brain
clicking, fighting panic. Suddenly he realizes he's in water.
Running water.
ON MARSHALS
They reach the mid-tunnel area. No Kimble. Biggs looks
around, beneath vehicles. Gerard listens. Poole looks
confused.
POOLE
Where'd he go?
Gerard spots the trickle of water. He backtracks it until
he finds a loose grate in the pavement. Man-size.
GERARD
Biggs, Renfro with me.
INT. STORM DRAIN - FORKING CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble splashes blindly through ankle-deep sluice. He slows
at forking tunnels to catch his breath and pick a direction.
A DULL ROAR comes from somewhere - from everywhere. He whips
off his jacket and slings it down a tunnel, then continues
straight ahead.
Somewhere behind, lights probe splash-patterns on the conduit
wall - telltale signs of Kimble's passing. The lights belong
to...
Gerard, Biggs and Renfro. They push on, soon reaching the
forking tunnels. Renfro finds the jacket ant splash signs.
GERARD
Channel Three.
They conform their radios. Splitting up, Biggs and Renfro go
left. Gerard - straight ahead.
INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble. Bracing with all four limbs. Negotiating a mossy
downslope.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Biggs and Renfro. Sweeping his light as he advances.
Searching for splash-patterns.
BIGGS
(into shoulder-mike)
Nothing yet.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Gerard. Probing a branch-off tunnel with his light. About to
pass, he notices scrapings on the mossy walls of the
branch-off tunnel. Hand marks?
GERARD
(into radio)
Got a possible here. Stand by.
He stows his light but hangs onto the Glock. Bracing with
three limbs
INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY
Gerard begins the tricky descent. Slips once. Recovers.
Slips again...
... and tumbles out of control. GUN and RADIO CLATTER AWAY.
Scrabbling for purchase, he finally snags An overhead pipe.
Gerard stabilizes. Sweeps his light to locate his Glock,
lying down-tunnel. He eases toward it. But another hand gets
there first.
It's Kimble. Face dark and desperate. Dangerous. Hand
flexing on the pistol. They lock eyes for a beat.
KIMBLE
I didn't kill my wife.
GERARD
So, you didn't kill your wife.
Not my problem.
An adrenal beat. For a moment they hold a look. Then the
silence is broken by Gerard's radio.
BIGGS (V.O.)
Gerard? You there?
Gerard looks for his radio, then back at Kimble - he's gone.
Instantly Gerard reaches for his ankle - and pulls a back-up
piece.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
As Renfro hears FOOTSTEPS POUNDING his way.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Gerard charges down the tunnel. From a side tunnel, Renfro
appears, almost colliding. Biggs follows...
GERARD
Straight ahead!
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble sticks Gerard's gun into his waist band to balance
in the tunnel. He spills around a corner and stops. Ahead
lies an orb of light. The tunnel ends. The NOISE is
incredible. Kimble moves to the end of the tunnel and
stops.
KIMBLE'S POV
Water pours from the tunnel into the spillway of Barkley dam
disappearing into a veil of mist below - a great cauldron of
mists. No rocks. None visible at least.
He hears the MARSHALS behind him - COMING CLOSER.
ANGLE - MARSHALS
Gerard and Renfro turn the corner. Renfro drops into a
shooting stance.
GERARD
Turn around, hands over your head.
And get down on the ground.
For a moment Kimble eyes Gerard.
GERARD
Your choice, Kimble...
Kimble turns his back on the Marshals, stares again at the
water. Slowly he puts his hands over his head. Gerard puts
up his gun and pulls his handcuffs. He moves through the
water toward Kimble.
GERARD
Get down on your knees.
Kimble bends slowly, stares down into the falls, hears the
footsteps get closer, then does the unthinkable. He jumps.
EXT. BARKLEY DAM - DAY
Biggs moving to the top of the massive dam sees Kimble leap
into the sheet of water spilling over dam and disappear into
the mists below. He can't believe his eyes.
INT. DRAINAGE CONDUIT - DAY
Renfro lowers his gun.
RENFRO
(amazed)
Son of a bitch...
It's the most amazing thing he's ever seen...
ON GERARD
He stands at the mouth of the tunnel staring down. He
stares down into the mists. Impressed. It has told him
something invaluable about this fugitive.
EXT. TOP OF DAM - DAY
Gerard scrambles out of the tunnels to the top of the dam
near Biggs, just as squad cars, troopers and the search
helicopter converge on the site.
EXT. RIVERBANK - DAY
Far downriver a figure fights through a snag in the bend.
The snag - a tree branch - breaks away and heads down
stream. Hanging onto the branch we see Kimble.
EXT. BARKLEY DAM - LOWER RESERVOIR - SUNSET
Below the dam and spillway. Troopers in waders search the
shallows, deputies beat bushes along the shore.
Farther out we see a dredge boat slowly working the waters.
FROM SHORE
Gerard watches the dredge cage come up again. As if with
the next pass it will prove him the victor. The HEAD
ILLINOIS TROOPER CAPTAIN approaches.
HEAD TROOPER
Running out of daylight, Inspector.
GERARD
Lights and generators are coming,
Captain.
HEAD TROOPER
Look, I don't mean to tell you your
job, but maybe one person in a
million could've survived that fall.
The guy's fish food.
Gerard turns and brings his look to bear on the Captain.
GERARD
Then find me the fish that ate him.
He turns and heads to a waiting helicopter.
EXT. WOODS - AFTERNOON
Kimble runs through the woods. He staggers, his arm hooks a
sapling which spins him to the ground. He lays motionless,
exhausted.
KIMBLE'S DREAM - INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - DAY
ANGLE
Helen in bed. Kimble's hand comes INTO FRAME and touches
her shoulder. She turns toward Kimble as he moves INTO
FRAME and kisses her.
DISSOLVE TO:
ANGLE
Helen tosses her head back. She wears white silk pajamas
and smiles down AT us. A hand reaches up and unbuttons the
top two buttons of her top. Then Kimble moves up INTO FRAME
as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BEACH - DAY
Helen running down beach TOWARD us. Embraces Kimble as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. POOL - DAY
Helen's head comes up out of a pool. Hair tossed back, she
smiles as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Helen exiting Kimble's car the night of the murder. She
looks back at Kimble, framed by the door frame, ant smiles.
HELEN
Good-bye. I love you.
Again... Then again... then:
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. FOREST - MORNING
Kimble comes out of his sleep with a start. Shivering. He
remembers where he is. His breathing returns to normal.
EXT. TRESTLE - TUNNEL - MORNING
Kimble moves across a river trestle and disappears into
tunnel.
INT. DRUG STORE - DAY
Kimble on pay phone in the rear of the store waits for
party
to answer. An old lady and her mother shop.
Across the store a pharmacist watches Kimble.
ANGLE - PHONE
Kimbles watches the boys as he waits for answer. We hear
RINGING, then a receptionist answers:
RECEPTIONIST (V.O.)
The law offices of Gutherie, Morgan
and Wainwright.
KIMBLE
Walter Gutherie please.
RECEPTIONIST (V.O.)
I'm sorry, Mr. Gutherie has left
for the day, would you like his
voice mail?
Kimble hangs up and moves down an aisle, stopping in front
of the hair color. He takes a box of black hair dye off the
shelf and looks at the instructions. When he looks up he
sees the pharmacist looking at him.
EXT. SONNY'S DINER - NIGHT
A roadside diner. Kimble, his hair now black, and wearing a
new pair of Wranglers, hooded sweatshirt and a duffle coat,
moves down the road to the diner.
INT. SONNY'S DINER - NIGHT
Kimble enters. He sits at the counter and a sparky OLDER
WAITRESS, late, mid-forties, with strong good looks and
tough smile fills his coffee cup before he even asks.
OLDER WAITRESS
Need to look at the menu?
KIMBLE
Some soup, please.
OLDER WAITRESS
Good choice.
She marks her pad and leaves. Sights ant sounds around
Kimble begins to occupy his attention:
A dishwasher buses a tub of dishes back to the kitchen. He
stares at him.
A farmer sitting at a table stares at Kimble, Kimble looks
away. A man at the pay phone seems to be staring at him. Is
he calling the police? Everyone seems to be looking at him.
Someone stops in front of him. A young waitress serves him
his soup. Where's the first waitress?
Takes a few sips of soup. Out of the corner of his eye he
sees:
The Older Waitress putting on her coat to leave. Is she
going to report him? He fights the paranoia.
A NEWS REPORT on the TELEVISION gets his attention.
ANGLE - TV
A report on the escape. A television reporter describes the
chase for Kimble; his jump at the dam and his presumed death
from the fall.
Kimble decides it's time to leave. He drops some money on
the counter and exits.
EXT. DINER - NIGHT
Kimble moves across the parking lot trying not to run until
he's out of sight of the diner. Once free of the lights of
the diner he starts running and disappears into the night.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Kimble running down the road. Fields stretch out on both
sides of the highway. Open land. From behind him we suddenly
hear the sound of POLICE SIRENS. For a moment Kimble moves
faster, then as the SIRENS COME CLOSER, his sprint drops to
a jog... to a walk, until finally he stops and waits for the
inevitable... But the flashing lights suddenly rip past him
chasing a speeder. They weren't after him after all. Kimble
looks at himself. He's shaking.
A moment later he is lit by headlights. A car pulls up next
to him, passenger window rolls down...
OLDER WAITRESS
Need a ride?
Kimble stares at her.
KIMBLE
Which way are you going?
She smiles and points in the direction her car is traveling.
They hold a look as we hear:
RENFRO (V.O.)
We feel confident about the I.D.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSE - DAWN
A quiet house on a quiet street out from town. A homeless
woman picks through garbage. A garbage truck moves slowly
down the street. A plumbing truck parked along a curb. Just
early morning traffic.
We see Renfro and Newman watch the house from across the
street, behind a deserted house. Gerard joins them. We see
that Biggs is in the plumbing truck. Poole is the homeless
woman picking through the garbage. Newman hands Gerard a
radio.
RENFRO
Local officials were about to wet
their pants to move in.
GERARD
I bet they were.
(to radio)
Where's the woman?
INTERCUT WITH:
BIGGS
In the plumbing truck. He triggers his mike.
RENFRO
(into radio)
Same room.
GERARD
(into radio)
Okay... I'll take front. Biggs and
Renfro, rear. Poole, handle support.
I don't want anyone hurt. Stay
outside unless called. Radios on
three.
The deputies prepare their weapons. Newman checks his
service issue .38, stares at Gerard's Glock.
NEWMAN
Uh, just want me to wait here, sir?
GERARD
Hell, no. You're with me, Newman.
Let's go.
EXT. FRONT OF HOUSE - DAWN
DOOR CRASHES open, splintering the deadbolt right out of
the door.
GERARD
U.S. Marshals. Down! Down!
INT. HOUSE - DAWN
Textbook perfect, Gerard and Newman rush into front room.
THEIR POV
Down the hall a man's figure streaks across a doorway OUT
OF VIEW.
A woman in the rear of the house BEGINS SCREAMING.
GERARD
Motions Newman to the left to check the door off the living
room while he moves down the main hall into the back
bedroom.
ANGLE - LIVING ROOM / NEWMAN
Clearly unnerved by the screaming woman, Newman opens door
off the living room. The door opens into a smaller bedroom.
He steps into -
SMALLER BEDROOM
It's empty. Gerard appears at the other (hallway) door to
the bedroom.
HALLWAY
Gerard motions Newman on to the door to the bathroom and
continues down the hall into the back bedroom where the
woman continues SCREAMING. He ignores her. His feet move
silently, heel-to-toe. He checks the bathroom as Newman
opens his connecting door - empty - then moves on toward
the doorway to the kitchen.
Gerard moves to the kitchen doorway. Running out of house.
He braces himself swings into the kitchen - it too is empty.
Suddenly Gerard gets the bad feeling he's passed his prey.
CUT TO:
SMALLER BEDROOM
Newman looks around, suddenly scared. The only place he
didn't search was behind the bedroom door. He turns just as:
COPELAND
Surges out, knocks Newman's gun from his hand. In a flash,
Copeland yanks Newman's arm behind his back and presses a
knife against the deputy's neck and moves him out of the
room.
We...
INTERCUT WITH:
GERARD
He hears Copeland moving somewhere in the front of the house.
COPELAND (O.S.)
I got your man! Now I want outta
here!
Gerard moves back through the bedroom past the SCREAMING
woman. He locks in on the voice and sound of the moving
fugitive.
ON COPELAND AND NEWMAN
Copeland listens but gets no response from Gerard. He backs
through the second bedroom door, pulling Newman into the -
LIVING ROOM
Newman's eyes are pure terror - the blade pressed against
his throat.
COPELAND
(to Gerard)
You hear me? I said, I want out or
I'll cut your man's throat!
GERARD
Keeps moving down the hallway, through first bedroom, pauses
at door to the second bedroom and chooses his course.
LIVING ROOM
Copeland positions himself between the bedroom door and the
hallway opening. He's troubled he can't hear Gerard.
Suddenly he hears a NOISE behind him at the bedroom door He
whips Newman around and we see:
A shoe hits the floor. Copeland realizes his mistake too
late. He turns back to the hallway and there is Gerard.
He never blinks. FIRES once killing Copeland instantly.
The knife falls to the floor. Newman clutches his head,
stunned but unhurt.
Gerard now turns to the screaming woman behind him in the
bedroom doorway.
GERARD
Shut up.
She does. Immediately.
EXT. HOUSE - MORNING
As coroners and tactical police mop up. Gerard moves across
the yard, sips coffee from Styrofoam cup. He stops at a
sheriff's car, Newman sits on back seat, shaken, nearly
hysterical, clutching his ear.
NEWMAN
My ear... I can't hear a thing out
of it. I can't believe you did that!
GERARD
You think I should have bargained
with him, don't you?
NEWMAN
Yes. You could've missed! You
could've killed me!
GERARD
Yeah, you're absolutely right. I
could've.
They hold a look.
GERARD
How bad's your ear?
NEWMAN
Terrible. I probably have permanent
hearing damage.
GERARD
Let me see it.
Newman leans toward him. Gerard speaks into his ear.
GERARD
I don't bargain.
Gerard leaves. Newman watches him - realizing what a truly
unsettling man Gerard is.
EXT. CHICAGO PAY PHONE - MORNING
Kimble makes call. While he waits for phone to be answered
TRAINS COME and GO in the b.g. An EL CROSSES OVERHEAD. The
BELLS of Chicago River DRAWBRIDGE.
KIMBLE
Walter. It's Richard.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. LAW OFFICES OF GUTHERIE, MORGAN AND WAINWRIGHT - DAY
Walter Gutherie answers phone from his office overlooking
Lake Michigan.
GUTHERIE
Richard... Jesus, why did you run?
Running only makes you look guilty.
KIMBLE
I wasn't worrying about appearances,
Walter.
GUTHERIE
Tell me where you are. I'll come
meet you so you can turn yourself
in .
KIMBLE
I'm not turning myself in. I need
money.
Gutherie is silent. When he speaks again his speech takes on
the lawyerly tone of a man who's covering his own bases.
GUTHERIE
Richard. You're asking me to harbor
and aid a convicted felon... I can't
help you that way. My advice - both
as a friend and as your legal counsel
- is for you to give yourself up.
Now tell me... where are you?
Kimble picks up the change in his attorney's tone.
KIMBLE
(beat)
St. Louis.
GUTHERIE
Give me an address. I'll be -
CLICK. Gutherie hears the LINE GO DEAD. Kimble's gone.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY
Kimble stands in the doorway with cup of coffee. He considers
his next move. Then seeing bank clock flash the time: 9:30 -
he knows what that move is.
INT. NORTH BANK TENNIS CLUB - DAY
An upscale mid-town tennis club. Behind glass windows of
the entryway we see tennis courts. From the courts comes Dr.
Charles Nichols still dressed in his warmups, carrying his
tennis bag. A friendly DESK ATTENDANT Sharon) smiles as he
goes by.
DESK ATTENDANT
See you tomorrow, Dr. Nichols?
NICHOLS
Creature of habit, Sharon.
EXT. NORTH BANK CLUB - DAY
Dr. Nichols leaves the club. He tosses his gym bag into the
back of his car and drives off.
INT. / EXT. NICHOLS'S CAR - DAY
As he pulls up to the first stoplight, a homeless man moves
toward the driver's side and begins washing his windshield.
Nichols waves the man off.
NICHOLS
Not today, please.
The man shuffles off. Just then a second man appears at his
passenger window. He leans down to wave him away
NICHOLS
No. Not -
... then stops - the face at his passenger window is
Richard Kimble's.
NICHOLS
(stunned)
Oh, my God... Richard...
Nichols rolls down the passenger window.
KIMBLE
How're you doing, Charlie?
NICHOLS
You're alive...
KIMBLE
Yeah. And I need your help.
NICHOLS
Anything.
KIMBLE
I need some money. Whatever you've
got on you.
NICHOLS
Of course.
Nichols reaches into his gym bag in the backseat and digs
for his wallet...
NICHOLS
Tell me where you're staying. I'll
get you more money. Some clothes.
Just give me an address...
KIMBLE
I'll call you.
Kimble glances around, the area is still clear. He looks
back into the car and doesn't see the police car turn the
corner and come up the street behind them.
Nichols finds his wallet ant hands all the cash he's got to
Kimble, who quickly pockets it.
NICHOLS
I know why you came back - to find
him. If I can help, call me...
Call me.
They hold a look. The stoplight changes to green but they
don't see it.
KIMBLE
Thanks, Charlie...
NICHOLS
Here, Richard, take my coat...
He reaches into the back for his coat, suddenly police car
behind him POPS its SIREN. Nichols looks into his rearview
mirror. Sees a COP lean out his window.
COP
(to Nichols)
Hey, buddy - green light. Let's go.
Nichols looks back at Kimble. He's gone.
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICES (CHICAGO) - CLOSE ON AUDIO TAPE - DAY
REWINDING. The media room - just what it sounds like -
banks of audio/video equipment and a sound board.
Renfro rewinds the tape. Gerard, Biggs, Poole and Newman.
POOLE
We've alerted St. Louis P.D
GERARD
Call them back. Tell them you've
made a mistake.
POOLE
What?
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Stop it there.
Renfro hits play. Kimble's VOICE is heard again:
GERARD
Drop the voices.
Renfro removes the two voices. What comes up are the
BACKGROUND SOUNDS. EXTERIOR NOISES (BELLS RINGING, TRAFFIC,
MECHANICAL... TRAINS). Everyone becomes focused to the
sounds now.
GERARD
(he's heard something)
Listen.
BIGGS
Trains? Traffic?
GERARD
More... there's a voice in the
background.
At first the sound is unrecognizable. A BELL. GRINDING
MECHANICAL. Then a P.A. VOICE on the tape: "Next stop
Merchandise Mart."
RENFRO
That's an El announcement.
GERARD
And there's no E1 in St. Louis.
Ladies and gentlemen, Richard Kimble
is in Chicago. Poole, get his
artwork out to local police and have
C.P.D. check the shelters... Biggs,
bring in the detectives that handled
his case.
Instantly the room is in movement.
STEVENS
I'll prepare the press release.
GERARD
No.
Stevens stops.
GERARD
They don't know he's alive and as
far as Kimble knows we don't either.
I want to keep it that way as long
as we can. Are we clear?
The whole group sense Gerard's intensity in regard to
Kimble.
RENFRO
(for the group)
Perfectly.
Gerard reflects on a moment of personal satisfaction.
GERARD
Noah... go to my office and let's
officially take Dr. Kimble out of
purgatory.
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH STREET STATION - DAY
Morning roll call. Kimble's photo distributed to cops by
Detectives Kelly and Rosetti.
KELLY (V.O.)
As of this morning Chicago P.D. was
alerted to the reappearance of
Richard Kimble.
INT. TRAIN STATION - DAY
Newman and Poole check train station. Looking for Kimble.
They show his photo to homeless people. No help.
EXT. FRONT OF COOK COW TY HOSPITAL - DAY
Holding a handkerchief to his face, Kimble moves through
arriving patients and enters Cook County Hospital.
INT. HOMELESS SHELTER - DAY
Renfro and Biggs check shelters for Kimble. They show his
I.D. to administrator. Look around.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
The place is humming now. Detectives Kelly and Rosetti sit
in front of Gerard. Gerard studies Kimble's file. Renfro
sits in.
KELLY
Police units have also increased
patrols around homeless shelters and
mass transit stations in the city.
EXT. LOOP EL STATION - DAY
Police patrol the platform looking for Kimble.
INT. FRONT OF COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - DAY
Kimble moves past security, then pockets the handkerchief and
turns up a hallway, blending in with the indigents and poor.
CUT TO:
INT. UPSCALE DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
NURSE FLYNN, a woman about 45, attractive, smart, loyal.
Poole and Gerard talk to her in an examination room.
FLYNN
I ran his office for twelve years.
Yes, we were very close. But he
wouldn't come to me for help.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Busy with doctors, orderlies and street people. Kimble moves
down hallway and enters.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - WAITING ROOM - DAY
He moves into the room and takes a new patient form, looks
around. SEE BACK INTO the office area of the clinic. It
could be any hospital clinic from this view.
But as Kimble turns to leave we see a PATIENT waiting to be
called. On his lap we see a prosthetic arm. Kimble looks up
from the arm to the man.
PATIENT
Good morning.
KIMBLE
Good morning.
As he turns to leave we hear:
ROBERTS (V.O.)
Don't underestimate this guy...
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER - SURGEONS' LOCKER ROOM - DAY
Dr. Roberts from the party, talks to Biggs and Gerard as he
takes off scrubs to get into shower.
ROBERTS
R.K.'s one smart, cold sonofabitch...
He did her, no question.
CUT TO:
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - BASEMENT - DAY
Kimble moves down the hallway containing the janitor's
locker room. Janitors move in and out the door.
INT. KIMBLE'S OLD HOUSE - DAY
Gerard walks through Kimble's house. The art and most of
the furniture is gone. Books are in boxes and shopping
bags around the room. Plastic covers the remaining pieces
of furniture.
Gerard stares at the empty walls. Shadows on the walls show
where the art once hung. Gerard pauses, tries to absorb the
place. He takes a book from one of the bags and looks at it.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - JANITOR'S ROOM - DAY
Kimble moves past the lockers, racks and boxes of cleaning
supplies, stops at a board listing work schedules, vacation
leaves, locker numbers. Behind him a LOCKER SLAMS. As a
janitor moves off to the showers we see his locker did not
close but remains slightly ajar from the impact.
INT. JANITOR'S LOCKER ROOM - CLOSE ON LOCKER - DAY
Door opens revealing the janitor's clip on I.D. hanging
from a green shirt. Kimble steals it.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
Gerard looks at the two detectives.
GERARD
Gentlemen, I appreciate the
cooperation of the Chicago police...
He moves toward them.
CUT TO:
INT. CLOTHING STORE - DAY
A SALESMAN stands on ladder looking through pants sizes.
SALESMAN
Did you say, 38/34?
KIMBLE
No. 34/34.
ANGLE ON SALES COUNTER
WHAP. A folded pair of green janitor's pants drops onto the
counter in front of Kimble. He already has the green shirt
to the uniform.
INT. SELF-SERVE PHOTO BOOTH - CLOSE ON RICHARD KIMBLE - DAY
Photographed.
ANGLE - SIDE OF THE BOOTH
Kimble takes the finished photos from the delivery tray.
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - DAY
RENFRO
Was there anything in your initial
investigation that would make you
think Kimble would come back to
Chicago.
ROSSETTI
The man definitely has friends here.
GERARD
What about lady friends?
KELLY
Not that we found.
CUT TO:
INT. SALVATION ARMY STORE - CLOSE ON APARTMENT NOTICE - DAY
A card on a community bulletin board advertises a basement
apartment for rent.
BIGGS (V.O.)
What about the man he claimed
attacked his wife?
Kimble pulls the notice from the board as we -
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHALS' OFFICE - DAY
Kelly and Rossetti share a look, a smile.
KELLY
Right... You ever been downwind of a
stockyard when the breeze is
blowing? That's where we were
sitting when Richard Kimble told that
one...
CUT TO:
EXT. POLISH LADY'S APARTMENT - DAY
Kimble knocks at door. It is opened to reveal a PUNK KID,
18-20. He calls to someone O.S.
CUT TO:
INT. POLISH WOMAN'S BASEMENT - DAY
A light comes on and an OLD POLISH WOMAN, her stockings
rolled down her shins, leads the way down the basement
stairs. The Punk Kid stands at the top of the stairs,
watches Kimble.
ROSETTI (V.O.)
We found nothing.
The Polish woman shows him a spare but sufficient bed and
nightstand set up. She points to door leading up to the
street.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE WOMAN'S BASEMENT - AFTERNOON
Kimble also at work at the bedside table. He carefully cuts
out his do-it-yourself photograph and places it over the
existing photograph on the hospital I.D. The name on the
I.D. says: Desmondo Jose Ruiz. Then he places a thin piece
of lamination plastic and trims the edges.
Kimble defaces the plastic to give it rough look, then
examines the finished product not bad.
INT. MARSHALS' OFFICE - DAY
KELLY (O.S.)
If this guy existed believe me
someone would've found him.
ON GERARD
He raises an eyebrow.
CUT TO:
INT. DR. NICHOLS' OFFICE - CLOSE ON FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH - DAY
Of medical residents. Two photographs next to each other. A
young Richard Kimble and Charles Nichols.
NICHOLS (O.S.)
Richard Kimble... I saw him two
days ago.
WE PULL BACK to see: Gerard studying the photos. Renfro
looks up like someone's bitten him. He, Biggs and Gerard are
in Nichols' administrative office. Gleaming. Filled with
awards and photos of Nichols and influential people. Nichols
hangs up his lab coat and slips back into his suitcoat. He
shows no sign of nervousness.
NICHOLS
He stopped me in my car. I gave him
some money.
GERARD
Where was this?
NICHOLS
Outside our tennis -
(correcting himself)
- my tennis club.
Gerard moves around Nichols' office taking in the details.
GERARD
Did he ask you for help?
NICHOLS
I volunteered. He wouldn't accept
it.
GERARD
Why do you think he came back to
Chicago?
NICHOLS
He didn't tell me.
GERARD
I didn't ask you that, sir. I'm sure
he was trying to protect you from
having to lie for him.
Gerard continues to move around the room, study prints,
books, drawings, awards and photos.
GERARD
If you're really his friend, you'll
help us bring him in unharmed.
NICHOLS
Why, so he can go back to prison?
If you want help, gentlemen, you've
come to the wrong man.
Gerard finds a photo of Nichols and a gleaming Ferrari.
GERARD
Dr. Nichols, last year the U.S.
Marshals' office closed out 11,003
warrants... 10,975 of those were
captured. The twenty-eight others
thought they were smarter than
us... Now they're dead.
(re: the photo)
Nice car.
Gerard puts the photo down.
EXT. NICHOLS' OFFICE - DAY
Gerard and his deputies leave Nichols' outer office.
Gerard clearly feels he's come to the right man.
GERARD
Stay on him.
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble mopping the trauma room hallway. The hallway elbows
around a corner and Kimble stands less than ten feet from
a door that is marked: "PROSTHETIC CLINIC"
He watches a technician leave the clinic and mops closer to
the doorway, and fails to see an attractive WOMAN DOCTOR
with white coat and stethoscope draped around her neck turn
the corner behind him ant step on the freshly mopped
section.
Head down, she is completely absorbed in a file and doesn't
see the wet floor until she slips slightly, looks up but
keeps walking.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Where's Rudy?
KIMBLE
They said he's sick.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Didn't they tell you to put up the
sign?
KIMBLE
Uhhh. No they didn't.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Put up the 'wet floor' sign before
someone gets hurt.
She keeps going.
KIMBLE
(mumbles)
Asshole.
She looks back at Kimble.
WOMAN DOCTOR
What did you say?
KIMBLE
Nothing.
Anne keeps moving off toward trauma hall. He watches her
turn the corner to the trauma hallway.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - NIGHT
Kimble enters the dimly lit prosthetics lab.
He moves silently among the casts and prosthetics of arms,
hands, legs hanging from the ceiling. Cables and electronic
equipment are on the counters.
He leaves the lab and moves into the office section of the
Prosthetic Clinic. He passes a computer room and finally
reaches the office. He is about to enter when a woman's
voice stops him.
WOMAN (O.S.)
Hey, Ricky... Weren't you just in
here?
Kimble turns to see a PROSTHETIC TECHNICIAN. A large woman
with glasses. She stands with a partially finished
prosthetic arm.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S OLD HOUSE - NIGHT
The one-armed man's arm coming off in the fight.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC (BACK TO PRESENT)
TECHNICIAN
Sorry, I thought you were Ricky.
KIMBLE
(stumbling)
No... I've got to clean the blinds
in the office. Want me to wait till
you're finished?
TECHNICIAN
Naw... I'm going to be here all
night. You won't bother me.
She slips on a pair of headphones and goes back to work.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC OFFICE - LATER
Kimble cleaning the blinds, keeps an eye on the Technician
who is listening to music on her Walkman. She is carefully
painting a section of the arm. Not watching Kimble.
CUT TO:
CLOSE ON FILE DRAWER
Opened.
BACK TO SCENE
Nimble looks over his shoulder. The Technician doesn't see
him.
A Prosthetic Clinic Operations Manual is removed from shelf.
Photographs of prosthetic arms. Kimble shifts the materials
into his clothes, closes his coat and suddenly he stops.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - ANGLE ON ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Kimble waits for the elevator. The folders in his uniform
shift and he tries to rearrange them. When he turns back
we see Anne Eastman beside him. Her I.D. says:
"ANNE EASTMAN". She sees him doing the rearranging.
The elevator arrives. They step into:
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Anne moves to the back. Kimble on the other side.
ANNE (WOMAN DOCTOR)
Hey, how're you doing?
KIMBLE
Fine.
ANNE
You find that sign?
KIMBLE
Yes, I did.
ANNE
You called me an asshole.
KIMBLE
Excuse me. I was having a bad
shift.
They laugh. They reach ground level and step out together.
ANNE
You worked at other hospitals?
KIMBLE
Lots of them over the years. Here,
long ago. Hasn't changed much.
ANNE
I bet it hasn't. See you.
They part ways. Kimble continues out the door. Anne stops
and watches him leave.
INT. EL TRAIN - NIGHT
Kimble sits on the night train going home. He begins looking
at his information.
INT. KIMBLE'S BASEMENT ROOM - DAY
Afternoon light comes in Kimble's basement windows. Sheets
of Prosthetic Clinic patient material are spread over
Kimble's bed, floor. Kimble searches through the documents,
making notes. He studies photos of attachments. Cable
attachments. Joints. Electronics. Pins. straps... looking
for a key to the identity of the one-armed man.
Finally he stops. He finds the flyer in his pocket, puts it
on the bedside table and moves to sink. He wets a towel and
covers his face.
Draws a cool damp breath. Lays back on bed amid the
Prosthetic Clinic material.
FLASHBACK - FIGHT
Kimble pulls the arm. It separates in the one-armed man's
sleeve. Wrenches. Dis-articulates.
FLASHBACK - ONE-ARMED MAN
Reacts in pain. Again. (NOTE: We sense Kimble's mind
returning to something. Getting closer to the key...)
FLASHBACK - ONE-ARMED MAN
Escaping the bedroom. We hear his FOOTSTEPS DOWN the
STAIRS... a DOOR SLAM. FOOTSTEPS again.
Another DOOR SLAMS, but this time the sound is distinctly
different... a CAR DOOR.
INT. KIMBLE'S BASEMENT ROOM (BACK TO PRESENT)
Kimble yanks the wet rag from his face, his senses alert.
Listening, he hears: FOOTSTEPS are real, just outside and
MOVING TOWARD him.
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY
A car door slams. We see unmarked police cars pulling up in
front of the apartment. Cops are moving toward the house.
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
Kimble turns off his light, moves from the bed to the window.
Carefully looks out:
KIMBLE'S POV
Unmarked police cars in front of the house, looking, moving
his way.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble moves instinctively to the back door.
He starts to open it but through the dirty window, he sees
the back courtyard covered by more cops.
Kimble moves back toward the front. Unsure of his next move,
he's sweating, preparing for the worst.
He watches the TAC team charge the house but instead of
charging through the basement door they move up the front
steps and into the house overhead.
Overhead he hears the SCREAMING from the arresting cops.
KIMBLE'S POV - BACK STEPS
Kimble SEES the Punk Kid try to escape out the back. He
runs, sees cops and runs toward Kimble's basement door,
actually reaching it before he is caught by the cops and
pulled away.
KIMBLE
Moves toward the front window and watches cops lead the
Punk Kid out to the car.
POLICE RADIOS call the other cops to stand down.
Kimble moves slowly to his front door. Looks out.
KIMBLE'S POV
Cops put the young man into an unmarked police car. His
grandmother, the Polish woman, follows them, crying.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble leans against the wall, exhausted.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble carries his cleaning tray down busy hallway just
outside of the Prosthetic Clinic and stops.
KIMBLE'S POV
Two cops talk outside the Prosthetic Clinic.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble backs to a safe place in the trauma hallway to wait
for them to leave.
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH STREET POLICE DISTRICT HOUSE - DETECTIVES ROOM - NIGHT
The Punk Kid is handcuffed to a bench as a cop works on a
report. Suddenly the Kid notices something that gets his
attention.
KID'S POV
A wanted poster of Kimble over the cop's head.
BACK TO SCENE
The Kid sees - Wanted for Murder - realizes who it is.
PUNK KID
(to cop)
Hey. Hey! I know that guy!
The cop looks up, sees Kimble's poster and then back at the
Kid.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble moves toward prosthetic clinic. In passing through
the trauma hallway he becomes aware of a crisis developing.
A major accident has happened, victims are being brought in.
The P.A. CALLS for doctors. STATIC.
ANGLE ON FAR END OF TRAUMA HALLWAY
Elevator doors open as orderlies bring in new patients.
Some walk, some are helped by family and police. Nurses
direct traffic.
Orders fly. Medicines are called. Family members yell for
doctors. Ask for the injured. Anne picks up the pace with
an ORDERLY wheeling a gurney carrying a young patient,
a BOY.
ANNE
What happened?
ORDERLY
A bus flipped off the overpass. Got
at least twenty more coming in.
ANNE
What about this one here?
ORDERLY
Fractured sternum. X-ray's coming
up.
Anne checks the boy's chart.
ANNE
Okay, we've got to get some room
in this hallway, people.
Orderlies quickly move the non-life-threatening patients out
of the hall. Still more help is needed. Anne spots Kimble.
ANNE
Hey, take this one up the hall to
Critical Care.
Kimble nods. Anne moves to another patient.
Kimble grabs the kid's gurney and begins wheeling it up the
hall. As he pushes he looks at the kid's X-rays.
Anne looks up, barks another order, then suddenly sees Kimble
pushing the gurney and looking at the film.
ANNE
Tries to negotiate through the incoming patients to get a
better look, but Kimble is gone. She goes back to work.
ON KIMBLE
He wheels the Boy's gurney into an elevator. The doors
close.
INT. HOSPITAL - O.R. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Kimble wheels the gurney down the hall and stops the Boy
on the scrub threshold to the O.R. and stops a SURGEON.
KIMBLE
Hey. Hey!
A Surgeon pauses and eyes Kimble's janitor suit and the
gurney.
KIMBLE
They just sent this one up.
He takes a look at the Boy's chart and grabs the X-rays and
yells to O.R. nurse.
SURGEON
Bob! Get this one into room four,
stat.
He looks up, Kimble is gone.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble enters the Prosthetic Clinic computer room. The
Technician from the day before is listening to her Walkman,
sees Kimble and waves. Kimble waves back and turns into the
glass-walled computer room and closes the door.
He closes the blinds and turns on the computer.
CUT TO:
INT. CRITICAL CARE UNIT - NIGHT
The crisis has wound down. Anne moves into the room and
begins checking patients. She stops a unit nurse, GLADYS.
ANNE
Gladys, where's the boy I sent down
with the janitor?
GLADYS
What boy?
ANNE
The one with the fractured sternum.
GLADYS
He never came in here.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble scans DOS files, each an eight-letter enigma. Finds
one with promise and loads it up.
KIMBLE
Wrong...
He backs up and tries another file.
"CLIENT DEMOGRAPHIC ORGANIZER SEARCH BY: AGE, SEX, RACE,
LIMB, OR OTHER?"
Kimble knows he's got it.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
Kimble keys in these responses:
"SEX: MALE"
AGE: 35-50
RACE: CAUCASIAN
LIMB: RIGHT ARM
OTHER: POINT OF REPLACEMENT: MID HUMERUS"
INT. OPERATING ROOM WING - NIGHT
Anne comes out of the stairwell and stops the Surgeon we
saw with Kimble.
ANNE
Dave, did you see a janitor come up
here earlier?
SURGEON
Yeah, he brought a kid up.
(handing her the chart)
Anne, did you write the orders? I
couldn't make out the signature...
ANNE
I saw -
SURGEON
(in a hurry now)
Whoever did knew what the hell he
was doing. Kid's a hair away from
a ruptured aorta.
He heads to the operating room, leaving her stunned. She
stares at the scrawled orders.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
A "PLEASE WAIT" message appears on the screen. We hear the
COMPUTER PROCESSING, searching, narrowing.
The screen flashes:
"NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: 75
DO YOU WISH TO SUBDIVIDE?"
KIMBLE
Seventy-five. Hell, yes.
Kimble types in another defining characteristic...
Residence: Illinois.
Again he waits. Rattles the blinds to make it seem like he's
cleaning. The list shortens.
"NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: 21"
KIMBLE
What else?
MEMORY HIT - INT. CHICAGO COURTROOM - DAY
Prosecutor stands before the jury.
PROSECUTOR
... murdering Helen Wills Kimble the night of January 20...
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
Kimble types in: "Candidates having adjustment appointments
between January 21, and February 1, 1993."
Kimble waits. Sixty-five names come up. Again too many.
Kimble's reached a dead end.
Kimble thinks.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The fight with the One-Armed Man.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - BACK TO SCENE ON KIMBLE
Something has clicked in his memory.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble stands beneath the hanging artificial limbs. He
takes down an arm, works the joint.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimble fights the One-Armed Man. He wrenches the man's
prosthetic arm.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - CLOSER ON ARM
He moves it again. Harder, at an awkward angle.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - TIGHTER ON ONE-ARMED MAN'S
ARM - NIGHT
Kimble wrenches the arm...
INT. PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - CLOSE ON ARM
The joint strains.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - CLOSE ON ONE-ARMED MAN'S ARM
Kimble wrenches it and it BREAKS.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC OFFICE - CLOSE ON PROSTHETIC MANUAL - NIGHT
A detailed diagram of arm construction.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Kimble makes notes.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Anne rides the elevator back to trauma. She's thinking.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - CLOSE ON COMPUTER SCREEN - NIGHT
Joint repair list between January 21-April 21... Five names
come up with Greater Chicago addresses.
Kimble hits print. The MACHINE begins PRINTING. Kimble
looks up at the Prosthetic Clinic Technician - she is
listening to her headphones, can't hear the printer. He
continues to shake the blinds.
EXT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC/TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble leaves Prosthetic Clinic and starts down the hall
for the exit when a voice stops him.
ANNE (O.S.)
Do you have a particular interest in
our patients' x-rays?
Kimble turns to see Anne coming toward him.
KIMBLE
What do you mean?
ANNE
I saw you looking at that boy's
chest film.
She moves in on him. He eyes the exit.
KIMBLE
It's a hobby of mine -
ANNE
What other hobbies do you have?
Brain surgery?
KIMBLE
What do you want?
She reaches him.
ANNE
I want to know how that kid ended
up in surgery.
KIMBLE
I'm a janitor. I did what I was
told.
ANNE
Bullshit. Who changed those orders?
They hold a look. She knows. He takes a step back and she
pulls his I.D.
ANNE
You stand right here. I'm calling
security.
Kimble runs. Anne turns to call security but doesn't.
She stares after Kimble.
CUT TO:
INT. POLISH WOMAN'S BASEMENT - NIGHT
Kimble's room being searched by the marshals. Gerard finds
the flyer Kimble was handed on his way out the door. On it
we see: COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL.
CUT TO:
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - CLOSE ON KIMBLE'S I.D. - DAY
Anne and Gerard stand in the hallway. Gerard studies the I.D.
GERARD
A man posing as a janitor orders an
emergency operation and all you do
is pull his I.D.?
ANNE
(firmly)
A little boy's alive today because
he did something.
Gerard watches her eyes carefully.
GERARD
So, you weren't aware that when he
escaped he was being transported to
Menard State Prison to begin a term
of life imprisonment.
ANNE
For what?
GERARD
For murdering his wife.
Clearly this is news to Anne. Gerard almost smiles at her
surprise.
GERARD
Thank you for your help, Doctor.
He moves to the position Anne saw Kimble with the kid's
gurney. Trying to imagine what Kimble was doing at that
place. Renfro and the other deputies converge.
RENFRO
What I can't figure is, if you were
Kimble, why'd you take a major
league chance of hanging around a
trauma ward?
Gerard considers this as a Man passes him. Gerard notices
something.
RENFRO
The place would be crawling with cops.
Slowly Gerard separates from the group of deputies and
follows the Man down the hall.
The Man Gerard is following turns the corner to the
Prosthetic hallway and realizing Gerard is following him,
holds the hallway door open for Gerard.
MAN
Can I help you find something?
GERARD
Thank you, sir, I think you already
have.
We see the Man has a prosthetic arm and that they are outside
the door marked: "PROSTHETIC CLINIC"
INT. PHONE BOOTH - MORNING
Restaurant deserted at this hour. Kimble makes calls.
KIMBLE
Yes... This is Dr. Elway at Cook
County. I'm doing follow-up work for
the Prosthetic Clinic on Matthew
Zelick...
(beat)
He did... I'm terribly sorry. No,
I'll correct our files. Thank you.
He scratches through another name. Three left. He dials
another number.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - MORNING
Gerard and his deputies inside the Prosthetic Clinic.
Artificial limbs are being tested, fitted. A technician
fits a demonstration model on Biggs while Gerard and Poole
work with the director of the institute and a data operator
at the computer.
GERARD
The onearmed man. Missing the right or left hand?
POOLE
Right.
The operator enters that information. Dropping the number to
250... as Poole continues.
POOLE
... age 35-45...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Kimble on phone. He hangs up and scratches through another
name. Two left. He dials another number.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - DAY
Poole looks up from her file to the computer screen. The
number drops to 117...
GERARD
Location of the attachment.
POOLE
(from the report)
Mid-humerus.
INT. PHONE BOOTH - CLOSE ON KIMBLE'S LIST - DAY
The next name is "Clive Driscoll." Kimble on phone, waits
for answer.
KIMBLE (O.S.)
Hello... looking for your brother,
Clive. This is Ted Riley with the
high school reunion committee.
Believe it or not, 25 years is just
around the corner, and Clive's on
our list of lost souls. Information
gave me a number, but when I tried
it...
WIDER to reveal Kimble on the pay phone. The scrap of paper
is his list-of-five.
KIMBLE
No kidding?... Armed robbery.
(forced laughter)
He's where?
CUT TO:
INT. COMPUTER ROOM - DAY
Gerard looks at the screen. The number drops to 20.
RENFRO
It could take us a week to track
down every one of those names.
Gerard picks up phone and dials a number.
GERARD
(into phone)
Stevens... I've got a list of names
I want searched for criminal history.
CUT TO:
EXT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
Kimble stands on a sidewalk, staring at the imposing edifice
across the street. After a here-we-go breath, he starts
through traffic.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Kimble waits for an elevator. It opens to reveal a pack of
staring COPS.
ELEVATOR COP
(catching door)
Comin' or not?
Forcing his feet to move, Kimble boards...
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - ELEVATOR - DAY
... and pivots quickly. Elevator rises. Floor-indicator moves
deathly slow.
Kimble feels the breath of a dozen COPS on his neck. And just
when his floor is mercifully about to arrive...
Overhead lights flicker, and the elevator jars to a stop
between floors.
COPS
Aw, shit... Not now... Anybody
bring a deck of cards?
Abruptly they're moving again. Kimble's heart restarts with
the elevator.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - VISITATION AREA - DAY
CLEARING OFFICER
(to visitor)
Booth Three. No hands on the glass.
Five minutes maximum. Be advised that
under a Federal court ruling your
conversation can be recorded. Next.
"Next" is Kimble. He steps to the counter.
CLEARING OFFICER
Name of inmate?
KIMBLE
Clive Driscoll.
The Clearing Officer spins his clipboard around.
CLEARING OFFICER
Sign here, print your name, address,
and relationship to inmate below.
(into mike)
Two-zero-ten. Driscoll, Clive R.
(to Kimble)
Be about five minutes. You can wait
in the hall.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - MAIN LOBBY - DAY
Gerard and Biggs cross the lobby and stop in front of the
desk; flash their U.S. Marshal's ID.
GERARD
(to clerk)
We need to see a prisoner.
DESK CLERK
Fifth floor.
Gerard and Biggs head for the bank of elevators.
BIGGS
It's hinky. Man risks everything to
find a man his own investigators
say doesn't exist. Something's really
hinky about this thing.
Gerard looks at Biggs as they reach the elevators.
GERARD
I hate that word.
He hits the up button.
CUT TO:
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - VISITATION AREA - DAY
Clearing Officer looks down the hall.
CLEARING OFFICER
Visitor for Driscoll...?
Kimble is on his feet.
CLEARING OFFICER
Booth seven. No hands on the glass. Be advised...
The Clearing Officer, head down, drones on - doesn't notice
Kimble is already gone.
Kimble strides down the row of chairs, rounds the last
partition to reach booth seven - and to stare at the
one-armed man, DRISCOLL, who waits there.
DRISCOLL
So who are you?
CUT TO:
MEMORY HIT - FACE OF HELEN'S KILLER
CUT TO:
BACK TO SCENE
Driscoll's face is different. Driscoll is a black man.
KIMBLE
Sorry. I made a mistake.
DRISCOLL
Shit, that's okay. Stick around a
few minutes, talk about whatever you
want...
But Kimble is gone. Driscoll calls after him.
DRISCOLL
... They're not exactly wired for
cable downstairs, y'know?
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - CORRIDOR - DAY
Kimble exits the visitor's area. He sees another crowd of
COPS around the elevator again, opts for the door marked:
"STAIRS"
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Biggs and Gerard wait for the elevator. Finally Gerard's
had enough.
GERARD
Where're the damn stairs?
BIGGS
It's five flights!
GERARD
Then you wait.
He finds the door and starts up.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - STAIRWELL - DAY
Kimble descending. Doors open and close throughout the
stairwell but the traffic is light...
INTERCUT WITH:
GERARD
Climbing the stairs. He reaches a landing - and skims
shoulders with Kimble, who pivots past on his way down.
Amazingly, neither man reacts. Not yet.
One flight above, Gerard's subconscious taps him on the
shoulder and brings him to a dead stop. He leans over the
stairwell railing to spy...
Kimble spiraling downward. From this vantage, it could be
any dark-haired man. But still...
GERARD
(a quick probe)
Kimble.
Others look up out of curiosity... but not Kimble. Two
landings below, he falters a step, then tries to regain
his step, keeps moving.
But Gerard is pulling his Glock: The hitch in Kimble's
stride told him everything.
GERARD
Kimble!
Kimble blitzes down the stairs. Gerard moves after him.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Kimble throws open a fire door and starts across the lobby.
Sees two cops, quickly approaches.
KIMBLE
Officers - there's a man in the
stairwell waving a gun and
screaming.
The two cops rush to stairs and Kimble immediately moves
toward the doors, fast but not running. Hoping to cloak
himself in civilians.
ANGLE ON ELEVATORS
Biggs' elevator has finally arrived and emptied. He lets a
woman on in front of him, oblivious to...
Kimble moving...
The revolving exit doors loom nearer ant nearer.
INT. STAIRWELL - DAY
The two cops see Gerard. Gerard holds up his badge.
GERARD
U.S. Marshal! Get on the phone, call
your commander, tell him there's a
top-fifteen warrant in the building.
Go.
He shoves the cops out of the way and pounds downstairs.
INT. LOBBY - DAY
Kimble closing in on the door when suddenly a KLAXON HORN
sounds.
People stop in confusion. Automatically, the exit doors
begin closing. Biggs pushes his way off the elevator.
Kimble breaks into a sprint for the door.
GERARD
Bursts out the stairwell door after Kimble.
GERARD
Kimble. Stop!
But there's only one way of stopping Kimble.
KIMBLE
Enters the revolving doors as a big man enters from the
outside. The big man sizes up the situation, realizes Kimble
is fleeing and just before Kimble exits - yanks on the door
- trapping him partially inside the revolving door.
Other doors seal electronically. Biggs charges back, sees
Gerard.
Kimble fights the heavy glass door. The big man resists -
but slowly the crack widens. Gerard bulls through the crowd,
shoves a man out of his line of fire.
GERARD
Down. down. everybody down!
With adrenal effort, Kimble wrings his body through the
opening...
EXT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
... and makes it outside - except for his foot - caught like
in a bear trap, as the door locks down. Harrowed, Kimble looks
back over his shoulder at...
Gerard. Charging the glass doors. Civilians suck marble and
clear out of Gerard's line of fire on Kimble. Gerard takes aim.
GERARD
Kimble. Stop!
It's Kimble's nightmare coming true. If he could chew off his
leg right now, he would. He pulls at his foot just as
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
Gerard FIRES seven times in two seconds.
Kimble goes down. SHOTS and SCREAMS ECHO around the lobby. A
long beat, then Gerard rises. THROUGH GLASS studded with
bullet holes, he sees...
Kimble rising... staring back. Equally astounded that he's
alive. He runs free.
GERARD
Open the doors!
Gerard pounds against the doors. Sees cratering in the
glass - and then sees flattened slugs all over the floor.
It's bullet-proof glass. THROUGH the glass he sees Kimble
rush across the street and disappear into the parade.
Doors open and Gerard and his men follow.
But Kimble has disappeared into the parade celebrations
outside. Blending in with the marchers.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOTEL - MORNING
Kimble leaves a cheap hotel early the next morning. He wears
a new set of clothes - jeans, sport coat and tie - than the
day before, and the black hair coloring has been rinsed from
his hair. He moves down the street.
INT. BAR - MORNING
Kimble uses a pay phone and stares through the window.
KIMBLE'S POV - APARTMENT HOUSE
Across the street.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
Inside the apartment the PHONE RINGS. No one is home.
INT. BAR - MORNING
The PHONE RINGS nine, ten times. As Kimble waits he looks
down at his list of five. The only name remaining is
Fredrick Sykes.
He looks down the street - it seems clear - then his focus
shifts to a man carrying two coffees. He approaches a car
parked along the curb. The passenger - a woman - leans
across the seat and opens the door for him.
He hands her a cup of coffee and as he starts to climb in,
he shifts something on his hip - we see the butt of a
handgun.
Kimble hangs up and leaves through the back door.
EXT. REAR OF SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
Kimble moves across the roof and drops to fire escape behind
Sykes' apartment. He looks in the window, steps back to see
if anyone is looking, then pulls his fist back into his
sleeve and with one swift pop, BREAKS the GLASS.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - KITCHEN - MORNING
No sound. Slowly he moves into...
HALLWAY
Moving first toward the living room. The apartment is
modest.
He stops by a photograph of a teenage girl. Another is a
boy in football uniform. The next one is a man in a
police uniform. Kimble freezes.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble struggles with the one-armed man.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING (PRESENT)
Kimble struggles to recall the man's face. It could be him.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Kimble searching for clues to Sykes' identity. He opens
closets, wardrobe, bureau... reopens a drawer. There, in the
bottom he finds an old prosthetic arm.
CUT TO:
ANGLE - DESK
Kimble looking through Sykes' desk drawers finds a package
of photographs. He opens them and quickly flips through.
INSERT - PHOTOGRAPHS
A group of men on a business/vacation junket stand around a
large sportfish hung from the dock. Kimble keeps flipping
through, suddenly stops and backs up and we see what stopped
him: The smiling face of Dr. Alexander Lentz.
MEMORY HIT - INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Nichols introduces Kimble to Lentz.
NICHOLS
Richard... Alex Lentz.
CLOSE ON PHOTOGRAPHS - MORNING (PRESENT)
There are three photos of Lentz. Kimble slowly pulls one out
of the pack. As he slides it out we see a fish and on the
other side we see... Sykes, wearing a prosthetic arm.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble struggles with intruder. This time we see his face
clearly. It is Sykes.
INSERT - PHOTOGRAPHS (PRESENT)
Kimble flips back to the earlier group photos and we see a
Devlin-MacGregor banner over the group shot.
KIMBLE
Looks up. He's found the man he's looking for but also a new
possibility - that the murder wasn't just a random act of
violence.
Kimble digs through Sykes' top desk drawer. His mind reeling.
He stops:
CLOSE ON PAYCHECK STUBS
The Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceutical logo in the top right
corner. Payroll level four: Security.
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - MORNING
PHONE RINGS. SECRETARY answers it.
SECRETARY
U.S. Marshal's office...
Her expression changes to shock.
CUT TO:
INT. MARSHAL'S OFFICE HALLWAY - MORNING
Gerard is moving down the hall with a cup of coffee when
the Secretary appears at a door.
SECRETARY
It' 9 Kimble on line three.
Gerard moves quickly down the hall, mobilizing his troops
as he runs...
GERARD
Renfro, Biggs...
They follow him into...
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
Gerard moves to phone as TECHNICIAN gives him nod he's
ready. Gerard answers the phone and the trace begins.
Renfro supervises.
GERARD
This is Gerard.
KIMBLE (V.O.)
(beat)
Do you remember what I told you in
the tunnel?
GERARD
You told me, you didn't kill your
wife.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - CLOSE ON KIMBLE - MORNING
KIMBLE
Remember what you said to me?
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
Gerard is calm.
GERARD
I remember you were pointing my gun
at me.
KIMBLE (V.O.)
You said, 'I don't care.'
ON TRACING EQUIPMENT
The numbers rush down. Technician reads the first set
to Renfro.
TECHNICIAN
(a whisper)
He's on the southside.
ON GERARD
GERARD
That's right, Kimble... I'm not
trying to solve a puzzle here. I'm
just the poor working man that's
paid to hunt you down.
The room is filling up with deputies. Poole, Biggs,
Stevens, Newman.
Gerard watches the numbers as the second digit locks in.
RENFRO
(low)
He's in Pullman area... Fifteen
seconds for location.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - CLOSE ON KIMBLE - MORNING
KIMBLE
Well, I am trying to solve the
puzzle, Gerard and I just found a
piece.
Kimble takes the phone and bangs it down onto a table and
we realize he is in Sykes' kitchen.
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
The sound startles Gerard.
TECHNICIAN
Three seconds.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
GERARD (V.O.)
Kimble?
Kimble leaves the phone on the table and walks out.
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
GERARD
(into phone)
You can't control this thing,
Kimble... Kimble?
He thinks he hears FOOTSTEPS over the phone, realizes Kimble
has not hung up. What's Kimble doing?
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Where is he?
Renfro looks up from the address to Gerard, stunned.
RENFRO
(incredulous)
Holy shit. We've got a car there
right now.
He picks up a phone.
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - ANGLE - POLICE CAR - MORNING
The two cops receive a radio report about Kimble and
quickly exit their car. They rush toward Sykes' building.
ANGLE - BACK ALLEY
While they move into the apartment, we see Kimble, fully
aware of them, slip away down the alley.
INT. EL TRAIN - MORNING
CLOSE ON LIST: Sykes. Lentz. Devlin-MacGregor. R.D.U.90.
Lines draw connections.
MEMORY HIT - INT. OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble and Chief Resident work feverishly to save patient.
KIMBLE
This an R.D.U.90 patient?
Kimble looks up at the Resident as we...
CUT TO:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
CLOSE ON TELEPHONE RECEIVER. It BUZZES off the hook.
POOLE (V.O.)
Name is Fredrick Sykes. 45. Ex cop .
A hand comes INTO FRAME ant replaces the receiver on the
cradle. We WIDEN to find: Gerard. We see technicians
dusting room for prints. A FORENSIC TECH approaches Gerard.
FORENSIC TECH
Inspector, we're ready for you to
look at this.
The Forensic Tech sits at desk.
FORENSIC TECH
Kimble's prints are all over the
apartment, but the concentration
is here.
The Tech takes out the check stubs, some papers; the pack
of photos.
INSERT - PHOTOS
The Tech flips through the pack, stops on the Lentz/Sykes
photos.
FORENSIC TECH
He flips through the pack but
paused here.
He hands the Lentz/Sykes photo.
GERARD
Let me see the negatives.
The Tech hands him the strip of negative film. Gerard holds
it up to the light.
GERARD
One's missing.
Gerard stares at the photo as his RADIO SQUAWKS.
BIGGS (V.O.)
(on radio)
Here he comes...
CUT TO:
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - SIDEWALK - DAY
Fredrick Sykes, the one-armed man, comes down the side
walk. He passes a car and hears the door open behind him.
Biggs climbs out of the car and falls into step behind him.
Sykes hears the footsteps but moves on up the stoop and
starts to enter his apartment, notices the front door
already open.
Cops and Marshals in his house. Processing a crime scene.
SYKES
What the hell's going on here?
Who are you people?
He steps...
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
... sees Gerard in the kitchen. Gerard stares at Sykes.
GERARD
You had a break-in, Mr. Sykes.
SYKES
You a cop?
GERARD
My name is Gerard. U.S. Marshal's
Office.
Sykes is caught off guard.
GERARD
This morning a fugitive named
Richard Kimble made a call from your
apartment.
Sykes is dumbfounded.
SYKES
Richard Kimble... I don't know a
Richard Kim -
Poole produces a photo of Kimble.
SYKES
Wait a minute... This is the doctor
who killed his wife... He claimed
the killer had a prosthetic limb.
You telling me he's coming after
me?
GERARD
Would he have a reason to?
SYKES
What the hell's that supposed to
mean? Because I have this?
He lifts his prosthetic arm and stares at Gerard. Gerard
holds his look.
SYKES
Look, a year ago some people came
to see me. They asked me questions
about the night of the murder and
I'll tell you the same thing I told
them. I wasn't even in town then.
I was on a business trip.
Gerard continues moving around the apartment.
GERARD
What kind of business are you in,
Mr. Sykes?
SYKES
Security.
GERARD
Independent?
SYKES
No, I work for a pharmaceutical
company. I handle security for its
top executives.
Gerard holds up one of the fishing photographs with Lentz.
GERARD
Any idea why Kimble would be
interested in these?
SYKES
No. Just some doctors on a company
junket.
Gerard puts the photos down with the one of Lentz on top.
Sykes eyes it.
SYKES
(annoyed)
Look, you mind if I talk to the cops
to see if anything's missing?
GERARD
By all means.
Sykes moves off and Gerard pockets the Lentz/Sykes photo.
CUT TO:
EXT. SYKES'S APARTMENT - DAY
Gerard crosses the street with Renfro and Biggs.
RENFRO
He's pulling our chain, Sam. If this
was the guy Kimble was looking for,
why call us?
GERARD
Kimble said he's putting together a
puzzle. We don't need to put it
together too, we just need to be
there when he gets to the next
piece.
Gerard stops and looks back at Sykes' apartment.
GERARD
Keep somebody on him. If he moves
I want to know.
CUT TO:
INT. MEDICAL LIBRARY - DAY
Kimble moves through large medical library and turns into
area marked: PHARMACOLOGY.
CUT TO:
CLOSE ON PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Pages turn as we get CLOSER on headings: "DRUGS PENDING
FDA APPROVAL..." Experimental and commercial names MOVE
PAST us... and at the end of the list we find: "PROVASIC
(RDU90) Developed by Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceuticals".
SECOND PERIODICAL - BUSINESS PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Kimble opens to article entitled: "DEVLIN-MACGREGOR
EXPECTS PAYDIRT WITH PROVASIC." "Pharmaceutical company
plans to go public on introduction of new drug, Provasic
(R.D.U.90)."
Kimble looks up. Now he knows why someone tried to kill
him. He gathers more Devlin-Macgregor information
including a prospectus, and leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. DOCTOR'S PHONE SERVICE - DAY
An OPERATOR answers a call.
OPERATOR
(into phone)
I'm sorry sir, Dr. Nichols is at a
medical conference at the Hilton.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LIBRARY - PAY PHONE - DAY
KIMBLE
It's very important I reach him.
INT. HILTON HOTEL HOSPITALITY SUITE - DAY
A meeting is underway around a board room table. An
ASSISTANT moves around the table and gives Nichols a
message with a number and "URGENT" written on it.
ASSISTANT
I'm sorry, sir, they said it was an
emergency.
Nichols excuses himself from the table.
EXT. MEDICAL LIBRARY PAY PHONE - DAY
Kimble answers a pay PHONE when it RINGS.
KIMBLE
(urgent)
Can you talk?
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HILTON HOTEL HOSPITALITY SUITE - DAY
Nichols on phone at the other end of the suite. The meeting
continues behind him. As soon as he hears Kimble's voice,
Nichols reacts.
NICHOLS
(low)
Richard. Yes... I'm on a hotel
phone. What's going on?
He eyes the group in the other room, moves around the corner
for more privacy. As he does we notice several of the men
watching. They exchange glances.
KIMBLE
I found him, Charlie. I found the
guy that killed Helen.
NICHOLS
(shocked)
What?
KIMBLE
It's all about a drug, Charlie. They
tried to kill me because of a drug.
NICHOLS
Who?
KIMBLE
Devlin-MacGregor and Lentz. Lentz
was supervising the R.D.U.90
protocol. He knew I'd found out the
drug had problems. It's Lentz.
NICHOLS
Richard, Lentz is dead. He died in
an auto accident last summer.
Kimble is stunned.
NICHOLS
Can you prove this about the drug?
KIMBLE
I need your help. Call Mr. Roosevelt
and tell him I'm coming in.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
The group of deputies and Gerard assemble around Gerard's
information board. They've come armed with facts and
theories. Gerard orchestrates the information.
RENFRO
If you were Richard Kimble... Why
would you hunt for a one-armed man
you think killed your wife; find
hint then leave him and call us?
POOLE
To throw us off his trail.
RENFRO
Unless... What if you were a well
respected surgeon and wanted to kill
your wife? How would you do it?
BIGGS
I'd hire a pro. Sight unseen.
POOLE
Set it up to look like a robbery
gone bad.
RENFRO
How would you find him? Look in the
phone book?
RENFRO
Through a connection.
POOLE
Maybe through a company you did some
business with.
BIGGS
Like a pharmaceutical company.
Someone in security.
NEWMAN
On the night of his wife's murder,
Kimble attended a hospital benefit
sponsored by Devlin-Macgregor
Pharmaceutical - Sykes' company.
Gerard places a Devlin-Macgregor card onto his board.
BIGGS
But Sykes claims he was out of town.
POOLE
And company records support that he
was on a business trip.
RENFRO
That's an easy fix. So let's say he
was in town. Did the job. Everything
goes as planned with one problem.
NEWMAN
Instead of looking like a robbery
gone bad, Kimble ends up being the
one accused...
BIGGS
... tried, convicted...
POOLE
... and the hit man gets away clean.
RENFRO
So Kimble returns to hunt for and
find the hit man.
NEWMAN
Why? To share the blame? He'd still
go to prison.
Gerard moves to the board. He takes down a card.
RENFRO
You're underestimating the power of
the good doctor. It would be his
word against... Sykes'. Who would
you believe?
BIGGS
So what does Kimble do next?
RENFRO
Get help.
Gerard pins the card to the board and looks at Renfro. It
says: "NICHOLS"
GERARD
Stevens, check phone records for
Sykes and Kimble.
Gerard moves to the door and Renfro follows. As he's
leaving he hands the photo of Lentz and Sykes to Biggs.
GERARD
Find out who this guy is.
He leaves. Biggs hands the photo to Newman.
NEWMAN
(deadpan)
Why do I get all the great jobs?
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - LOADING DOCK - DAY
Kimble enters the hospital through the loading dock.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL - MORGUE - DAY
MR. ROOSEVELT, an ancient research assistant, opens the
door to Kimble.
ROOSEVELT
It sure is good to see you again,
Dr. Kimble.
KIMBLE
You too, Roosevelt... Been a long
time.
Roosevelt closes the door behind them.
INT. TISSUE STORAGE - DAY
Roosevelt brings Kimble a file marked: "R.D.U.90"
ROOSEVELT
This is the R.D.U.90 file and
samples. Dr. Nichols said you
needed.
KIMBLE
Thanks, Roosevelt.
CUT TO:
INT. UNMARKED POLICE CAR - DAY
A cop stares up at Sykes' house from across the street.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
Sykes watches the cops in the car outside. He moves to the
phone and dials number.
EMERGENCY OPERATOR (V.O.)
Emergency operator.
SYKES
I want to report a fire; No, it's
not my place, it's a couple doors
down.
CUT TO:
INT. CMH HALLWAY/DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - DAY
Kimble moves down hall and quietly enters a small research
lab in the university. Dr. Wahlund sits behind her microscope
and doesn't see him until he touches her on the shoulder.
WAHLUND
(startled)
Oh, my God... Richard.
KIMBLE
I loaned you something once, Kath,
and I need them back.
CUT TO:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
Sykes, dressed in coat and tie, prepares to leave apartment.
Somewhere in the distance we hear: FIRE ENGINE SIRENS.
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
The cop stares at Sykes' window when suddenly we hear FIRE
SIRENS, and a pair of fire trucks turn onto the street and
pull up across the street from the unmarked car -blocking
the view of Sykes' house. Firemen climb down and move to a
nearby building. The street begins to fill up with people.
The cop stares at the commotion directly behind him. He
becomes so engrossed in the action like everyone else that
he fails to see Sykes, using the distraction, exit his
apartment and walk calmly away from the scene.
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - DAY
Newman studies the photograph of Lentz and Sykes under a
magnifying glass.
INSERT - CLOSE ON PHOTO OF LENTZ
We see the logo on Lentz' shirt says: "C M H"
EXT. EL STATION - PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Sykes stands at a phone booth, finishes a call, then moves
up the stairs to board an el train.
INT. HILTON HOTEL - DAY
A conference breaks up and Nichols moves down hallway.
He slows when he sees Gerard and Renfro waiting for him.
NICHOLS
Mr. Gerard.
GERARD
Doctor. Could I have a minute?
He opens the door to an empty meeting room.
INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY
Gerard, Nichols and Renfro. Nichols stares at a photo copy
of the Sykes and Lentz fishing photo.
RENFRO
He's a security specialist at
Devlin-Macgregor Pharmaceuticals.
Kimble broke into his apartment.
NICHOLS
I don't know him. You're getting
pretty desperate aren't you, Mr.
Gerard. I told you, you wouldn't
find Richard.
GERARD
(beat)
Dr. Kimble hasn't come back to you
for help, has he?
NICHOLS
No. And it seems like we've been
over this ground before. Now if
you'll excuse me.
Nichols moves to the door. Gerard looks again at the photo,
then stops him.
GERARD
Dr. Nichols. Do you know the other
man in the photograph?
Nichols stops, looks at Lentz and lies.
NICHOLS
I never saw him before.
He leaves. Gerard watches him.
Renfro looks down and sees flyer which says Nichols is
slated to talk that evening in the grand ballroom.
RENFRO
(reads)
"Advances in Nuclear Tissue and
Pathology Research," by Dr. Charles
Nichols.
(to Gerard)
I bet they line up to hear that one.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON
Newman and Biggs enter the hospital.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - AFTERNOON
MICROSCOPIC POV: Cell structure.
ON WAHLUND
She works the fluorescent stains. Makes notes.
Kimble helps load the next sample.
KIMBLE
Half the people in the study were
indigents. No follow-up, no baseline
on them. Who could say they didn't
come into the study with bad livers?
WAHLUND
The one on the right is one of the
samples you sent me. It shows a lot
of perriportal inflammation loaded
with eosinophils. When you see that
with the accumulation of bile it's
a classic for -
KIMBLE
- drug induced hepatitis.
WAHLUND
I'm impressed. Now look at this.
She positions a second slide.
WAHLUND
According to the study, this is a
slice from the same liver.
Kimble studies the slide. The tissue difference is markedly
different, clearer.
KIMBLE
Cold normal.
WAHLUND
Clearly not from the same tissue.
In fact.
She yields the microscope to Kimble.
WAHLUND
See this small area of bile duct
proliferation? Von Meyenberg's
Complex. Occurs in only 2% of the
population. But it's in every one
of your five samples.
Kimble looks up.
KIMBLE
That's statistically impossible.
WAHLUND
That's because they're all from the
same liver.
She smiles at Kimble.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
Newman shows the photo to a 40s clerk, BETTY. She looks at
the photo.
BETTY
His name's Lentz. A pathologist. I
only remember him because he died
last summer.
Biggs and Newman exchange a look.
NEWMAN
Anybody down in pathology who might
know something about the guy?
Betty looks at the clock, it's after 6 p.m. Dicey.
BETTY
It's kinda late to catch anyone,
but you might go by the morgue.
There's an old guy down there
who's been around forever.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON
Sykes steps off an elevator at Chicago Memorial Hospital.
And starts down a hall.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL MORGUE HALLWAY - DAY
Newman and Biggs move down the empty hallway... this long
shot has never felt longer. They find the morgue.
BIGGS
Just what I want to do before
dinner.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL MORGUE - DAY
Roosevelt working near the autopsy tables when the two
marshals enter.
NEWMAN
Are you Mr. Roosevelt?
ROOSEVELT
Yes.
BIGGS
We're United States Marshals. We're
trying to find out some information
about a pathologist, named Lentz. He
used to be on staff here.
Roosevelt suddenly goes on the defensive.
ROOSEVELT
He's dead.
NEWMAN
Yeah, we heard. We wanted to know if
he knew or had any contact with Dr.
Richard Kimble?
On the mention of Kimble, Roosevelt becomes visibly nervous.
ROOSEVELT
I... I haven't seen Dr. Kimble.
Biggs and Newman exchange a look.
NEWMAN
(a probe)
That's not what I asked, sir. I just
wanted to know if Dr. Kimble and Dr.
Lentz knew each other?
ROOSEVELT
I... I don't know. Excuse me, I got to go.
He moves away from the autopsy table. Biggs stops him.
BIGGS
I think you're lying to us.
Roosevelt looks from one marshal to the other as we:
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL - DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - AFTERNOON
As Kathy packs up evidence, Kimble looks through the reports.
KIMBLE
They'd be home free if I hadn't been
leaning on them to account for the
livers I was seeing. And I wouldn't
have seen the livers if I hadn't
told the guys on my service to call
me when they had cases that were
bleeding excessively in surgery.
WAHLUND
Big bucks. One schmuck standing in
the way. Easy, get rid of him and
his wife. But why Lentz?
KIMBLE
Why not? He's one of the original
patent holders. Toss the samples I
sent, replace them with healthy
samples, issue the path report on
the healthy stuff-piece of cake.
Kimble notices something in the report.
KIMBLE
When did Lentz die?
WAHLUND
Oh, last summer sometime. August...
Why?
Kimble looks up from the protocol report.
KIMBLE
Because a good third of the samples
Lentz approved were signed after he
died.
Kathy comes to look at the report. Lentz's signature is
on reports dated October, November, December.
KIMBLE
Someone else used Lentz's name.
WAHLUND
A pathologist at Devlin-Macgregor?
KIMBLE
They wouldn't have had the access.
They would have needed someone at
the hospital.
Kimble opens the Devlin-Macgregor prospectus he took from
the medical library and opens it to the beginning. A photo
gets his attention.
He takes the bag and starts for the door.
WAHLUND
Where are you going?
KIMBLE
To see an old friend.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Gerard at his board. The cards form a triangle: Sykes
Devlin-Macgregor - Lentz with Kimble at the apex. He stares
at the board. Poole comes to the door.
POOLE
It's Newman. Line two.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble slips down corridor. We see someone following him.
It is Sykes.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Newman on portable phone. Behind him Biggs questions Mr.
Roosevelt.
NEWMAN
The old guy didn't know where he was
going. But he picked up some tissue
samples.
GERARD
Tissue samples?
Gerard goes to his board. Renfro listens on the speakerphone.
NEWMAN
... From a drug study. And signed
for by Dr. Charles Nichols.
Renfro and Gerard exchange a look.
NEWMAN
Nichols also knew Lentz. He was a
pathologist.
RENFRO
He was covering for Kimble.
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Get CPD to bring in Sykes.
Gerard stares at the board.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL TUNNEL - NIGHT
Kimble moves through steam tunnel beneath the hospital.
It is lined with old furniture and supplies. A few moments
later we see Sykes following.
CUT TO:
INT. HILTON HOTEL GRAND BALLROOM - NIGHT
A cordial HOST steps up to the microphone. The room is
filled with doctors seated at tables around the room. It is
the end of a dinner symposium.
HOST
Tonight to close our conference,
we're honored to hear a report from
one of the most respected men in
his field...
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Kimble exits the hospital and moves toward Hospital E1 Station.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
As the Host continues his introduction of the keynote speaker
we PAN the DAIS of distinguished medical men and women...
HOST
... He is the A. Jude Robinson
Fellow and Administrative Chief of
Pathology at Chicago Memorial
Hospital... and just recently has
been appointed member of the board
of directors for Devlin-Macgregor
Pharmaceuticals. Please welcome...
... and STOP ON Charles Nichols.
HOST
... Dr. Charles Nichols.
Nichols rises to applause and moves to the podium.
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL EL STATION - NIGHT
Kimble starts up the stairs to the station just as a train
is coming in. Kimble moves down the platform and boards the
downtown train. Just before the doors close Sykes steps onto
the last car. The train moves out.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Gerard stares at his board. Stevens comes to the door.
STEVENS
I checked Sykes' calls for the last
two years against Kimble's like you
asked and found nothing.
GERARD
All right. It was a thought.
He goes back to the board but Stevens isn't finished.
STEVENS
But when I cross-checked Kimble's
phone records... one came up.
Gerard looks up.
GERARD
Kimble called Sykes.
(calling)
Renfro! Get C.P.D. to bring in Sykes!
STEVENS
Night of his wife's murder -
seven-thirty in the evening from
his car.
Gerard stares at the deputy, thinking - something doesn't
click. Stevens sees the empty stare, then Gerard looks
back at his board.
STEVENS
I have the phone record right here.
GERARD
(calling)
Poole! Bring me Kimble's arrest
report, now.
(to Stevens)
No, Stevens... I believe you.
Poole enters with Kimble's arrest transcript. Gerard takes
the transcript as Renfro appears at the door.
POOLE
Sam, C.P.D. just checked Sykes'
apartment. He's not there.
As Gerard looks up, we -
CUT TO:
INT. DOWNTOWN EL TRAIN - ON KIMBLE - NIGHT
Sits in the front car. There are very few other riders.
A man with newspaper sits across the car reading. The
headlines facing Kimble say: "KIMBLE IN CHICAGO". Kimble's
booking photo stares back at him.
Kimble reacts to the headline, looks away as the man turns
the pages.
The man looks over the newspaper at Kimble, then goes back
to reading. A moment later he folds the paper back to the
front page.
The man looks up from the paper and looks at Kimble again,
then down.
Coolly the man folds the paper, tucks it under his arm,
stands, looks through the car, then moves into one of the
rear cars.
Kimble looks out the window - hoping desperately for his
car to reach the station. He keeps his head turned until
the man is gone.
ANGLE - THROUGH CENTER OF TRAIN - NIGHT
From the center of Kimble's car we see the man with the
newspaper move up to a TRANSIT COP. They begin talking.
Kimble stands, coming INTO the SHOT. We see him watching
the discussion.
Suddenly a man, sitting in the rear of the car, stands
and blocks Kimble's view of the Cop. It's Sykes. His gun
is drawn.
SYKES
Back up. Move to the door, Doc.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN - TRANSIT COP'S CAR - NIGHT
Transit Cop moves past the man with the newspaper toward
Kimble's car.
TRANSIT COP
(to radio)
This is transit unit, 23. I have a
possible sighting of Richard Kimble.
Northbound coming into the Balbo
station. Request immediate back-up
at the station.
He moves toward the connecting door to Kimble's car.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
The train is not yet to the station. He has no escape.
Sykes moves toward him.
SYKES
This is my stop, Doc.
Kimble stares hard at Sykes. He steps toward the side
exit.
KIMBLE
Good, it's my stop, too.
Suddenly the door behind Sykes opens and the Transit Cop
enters.
TRANSIT COP
Kimble.
(to Sykes)
Sir, move away from him.
Sykes - the gun tucked next to his side - turns.
The Cop sees Sykes' gun, reacts...
But Sykes FIRES first, shoots the cop FOUR TIMES.
As the Cop falls, Sykes turns quickly to finish Kimble.
But Kimble pulls the emergency brake over the door.
EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT
The brakes lock. The TRAIN SCREECHES.
INT. REAR CARS - NIGHT
Passengers are thrown off their feet. Bags and briefcases
go flying.
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Sykes is thrown forward toward Kimble who holds onto a bar
for balance.
EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT
The train stops just short of the station. Only the first
two windows of the front car are over the platform.
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Sykes is thrown to the floor - the gun slips from his grasp.
Kimble moves for the gun as Sykes comes up, catches Kimble
in the stomach, knocks him back. The fight carries on
throughout the car.
Kimble reaches the gun first, lifts it in his left hand and
aims at Sykes. Sykes sees the gun in Kimble's hand and
almost smiles.
SYKES
Go ahead. You don't have it in you .
For a moment Kimble almost fires, but instead he takes the
gun in his right hand and whips it across Sykes' face.
Then hits Sykes again and again with the butt of the gun,
driving him down the length of the car, knocking him almost
unconscious.
Kimble tucks the gun in his belt and moves to the Transit
Cop. He checks for a pulse - there is none. The Cop is dead.
Kimble takes the handcuffs and keys from the case on the
Cop's belt. He reaches for Sykes' wrist, drags him to the
Cop and cuffs Sykes to the dead Cop.
He pockets the keys and grabs Sykes' hair, pulls his face
off the floor.
KIMBLE
Not as easy as Helen, was it?
(slams Sykes' head down, leaves)
You missed your stop.
He moves to the front of the car with Sykes' and the Transit
Cop's guns out. People back out of his way. He moves to
where the first two windows extend over the platform, kicks
out the front window and...
EXT. TRAIN STATION - PLATFORM - NIGHT
... drops to the station platform. Kimble lowers his head and
moves down the uncrowded platform to the station.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
The report comes off the scanner.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
... units in the vicinity of Balbo
Street station. Be alert to possible
sighting of Richard Kimble...
Gerard, Renfro and Poole trade looks. Gerard moves toward
the door.
RENFRO
Balbo station. That's -
GERARD
(cutting him off)
Poole, get Biggs and Newman.
They're gone as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
Police cruisers pull outside the station.
INT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
As transit police move up the escalator to the platform,
Kimble moves unnoticed through the underground mall
beneath the hotel. Deposits the guns into a mail box and
keeps moving.
INT. GERARD'S CAR - NIGHT
Renfro driving, Gerard and Pool in car. Report comes over
the radio.
POLICE DISPATCHER (V.O.)
... all units in vicinity of Balbo
E1. Officer down. Repeat, officer
down. Man leaving scene with two
guns matches description of Richard
Kimble...
Gerard looks out the window, he knows what this means.
GERARD
(quietly to himself)
Damn...
INT. HOTEL - MALL LEVEL / LOBBY - NIGHT
Kimble moves up escalators from the underground station
into the Hilton.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT
Disheveled and driven, he moves from the escalators to the
lobby - checks the list of hospitality suites and sees
board which indicates Nichols speech in the rooftop
ballroom. He moves on to the main elevators.
CUT TO:
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Nichols speaking. As he talks we MOVE TO...
ANGLE ON TABLE OF MEN
Listening - the same men we saw in the hospitality suite
when Nichols talked to Kimble. As we MOVE TIGHTER ON one
of the men, we notice his name tag says: Board of
Directors... Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceuticals.
INT. HILTON ROOFTOP ELEVATORS - NIGHT
Kimble rides alone to the rooftop ballroom.
CUT TO:
EXT. HILTON HOTEL - NIGHT
Gerard's car pulls up in front of the hotel. Police are
controlling pedestrians. Newman and Biggs, already decked
out in Kevlar, meet him.
NEWMAN
C.P.D. just reported -
GERARD
I heard. Was it Kimble?
BIGGS
Conflicting reports, but the cops
are considering him a shooter.
Heavily-armed CPD units pull up. Gerard stares at the police
presence. He starts toward the hotel where Kelly is
conferring with Kevlar-decked police captain.
POLICE CAPTAIN
Witnesses say he entered hotel from
the subway.
KELLY
Okay. I want it locked down. Start
on the lower levels.
The captain moves off. Gerard intercepts the cop.
GERARD
That's my man in there, Kelly.
KELLY
Not since he took down one of ours,
Gerard. This is a police matter,
now. Stay, the hell, out of it.
Kelly moves off. Gerard watches him a moment then he looks
up to the roof. Newman hands Gerard his belt with his
backup piece.
GERARD
C'mon, I know where he's going.
He moves into the hotel with his deputies.
INTERCUT WITH:
LOCKDOWN MONTAGE - EXT. / INT. HOTEL - NIGHT
A) C.P.D. cruisers arriving. Cops deploying to points of
entry. Security guards keying shut parking garage and
blocking stairwells.
B) Helicopter with police sharpshooters takes off from
Meigs Field downtown and heads for the hotel.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOFTOP ELEVATORS/PENTHOUSE HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble exits the elevators and moves down the corridor to
the ballroom. A man tries to stop him at the doors, Kimble
simply moves him out of the way and opens the doors to:
CUT TO:
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Nichols moves to the last of his speech as Kimble enters
at the rear
NICHOLS
... And I especially would like to
thank my researchers who helped me...
Nichols stops his speech - stunned to see Kimble.
NICHOLS
Richard...
KIMBLE
What's wrong, Charlie? Surprised?
Kimble begins moving down the aisle past the tables of
doctors toward the podium.
We see the faces of Kimble's colleagues and friends from
the ballroom sequence earlier. At first no one notices
Kimble but as he makes his way toward the dais, the
applause fades and then room quiets. Whispers of:
CROWD
It's Richard. It's Kimble.
Stunned expressions.
Kimble continues to the front, talking to Nichols as if
the room were empty.
KIMBLE
After Lentz died, you were the only
one that had access to the
pathology reports.
Nichols remains calm.
NICHOLS
Reports? What are you?
KIMBLE
You switched the samples and
falsified the reports so R.D.U.90
could get approval.
NICHOLS
Richard, I don't know what you're
talking about?...
KIMBLE
I have a set of the original
samples.
Nichols stares at Kimble and for the first time we see a
flicker of concern.
KIMBLE
You almost pulled it off, Charlie.
But I know all about it now, and I
can prove it.
Nichols and Kimble hold a look. Nichols turns to the audience.
KIMBLE
Ladies and gentlemen. My friend, as
you can see, is obviously not well.
Richard, if you want to talk -
KIMBLE
I didn't come here to talk
Nichols leaves the dais and heads toward the exit.
Kimble tracks along with him - moving through the tables -
passing the table with the Devlin-MacGregor board of
directors. They are disturbed by this situation.
ON NICHOLS
Moves through a door and exits into...
HALLWAY
Kimble follows moving through the tables and people to
reach the door.
As soon as he's gone there are calls for "security." Doctors
move for the exits.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT
Gerard, Renfro, Newman, Biggs and Poole move into the lobby.
Police move to cover the lower floors.
BIGGS
C.P.D. has the perimeter, hotel
security has the parking structure.
GERARD
Let them keep busy down below.
Newman, get with security. See if
you can locate Kimble from the
monitors. Keep in radio contact.
Newman branches off to Hotel Security. The rest follow
Gerard to the rooftop elevators.
EXT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
ROARING over Chicago skyline. The bright red sign of the
Hilton Hotel looms ahead.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY / HOSPITALITY SUITE - NIGHT
Nichols moves down hallway and turns into a hospitality
suite. A moment later Kimble follow and enters the...
HOSPITALITY SUITE
... and is immediately smashed with a chair by Nichols.
Kimble goes flying, stunned. Nichols locks the door.
NICHOLS
Your best quality, Richard, is that
you don't give up -
Nichols pulls Kimble to his feet.
NICHOLS
... even when it's clearly in your
best interest to...
He hits him again, drives him back into the library.
Kimble tries to recover as Nichols relentlessly stays on
him. He pulls him up, slams him against the fire escape
doors.
NICHOLS
I always knew that I'd have to kill
you.
He drives a blow into Kimble's stomach.
NICHOLS
Now, I must thank you for giving me
200 witnesses tonight who will
support me... when I tell them it
was self-defense...
He shoves Kimble through the door out into...
EXT. FIRE ESCAPE BALCONY - NIGHT
... and almost over the railing. Kimble grabs the rail to
keep from dropping to the street. Nichols closes on him,
but Kimble rolls away at the last minute and knocks
Nichols back against the other side of fire escape.
KIMBLE
You missed your chance, Charlie...
Nichols charges Kimble, but Kimble drives him back with
two crushing blows that send Nichols down the stairs.
Kimble moves down the stairs after him - passing under a
security camera.
CUT TO:
INT. SECURITY ROOM - NIGHT
A room lined with security monitors. Two security personnel
sit in front of their console. Newman stands behind them.
On screen: We see Kimble moving down the stairs toward
Nichols, who pulls himself to his feet.
Newman stands in front of the screen, talks to his radio.
NEWMAN
(to radio)
I've got Kimble on the roof with
Nichols. Southeast exit.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HOTEL ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Gerard and deputies Poole, Biggs, and Renfro around him.
BIGGS
(to radio)
Keep and eye on him. Biggs has roof plans.
BIGGS
There are four exits to the roof.
GERARD
I want them covered.
EXT. HOTEL ROOFTOP FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT
Nichols rises to his feet, swings, but Kimble blocks the
blow and lands another that sends Nichols down another
set of stairs to the roof.
KIMBLE
You took everything away from me...
for money.
INT. BALLROOM ELEVATORS - NIGHT
Gerard and the marshals reach the ballroom floor. The
elevator doors open to a flood of confused and disoriented
doctors trying to escape. The marshals wade through, meet
up with two hotel security guards.
GERARD
This way.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble pulls Nichols to his feet. They are silhouetted by
the lights of the city skyline.
KIMBLE
I want to know, Charlie... was it
worth it...?
NICHOLS
This thing is bigger than even you
think, Richard. You can't stop it.
He hits Nichols again with tremendous force, knocking him
against the parapet. Nichols stares over the edge - the
street appears far below.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Gerard and his deputies work their way into the ballroom.
The deputies move to separate areas. Several doctors point
them in the direction Kimble and Nichols fled.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HOTEL SECURITY - NIGHT
Newman stands in front the security monitors and watches
Kimble and Nichols on the roof.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble reaches Nichols and draws to hit him again as the
HELICOPTER suddenly ROARS over the rooftop. Its beam hits
the two men and a VOICE booms from the helicopter:
VOICE FROM HELICOPTER (V.O.)
Chicago police. Freeze.
In the instant of shock, Nichols knees Kimble and bolts.
INTERCUT:
INT. HALLWAY / HOSPITALITY SUITE - NIGHT
Gerard moves down connecting hallway where a couple of
concerned doctors are trying to open the door to the
hospitality suite.
GERARD
(to doctors)
Clear the hallway.
(to security)
Get that door open.
The door opens and Gerard moves quickly through the
hospitality suite for the rooftop.
GERARD
(to security)
Stay at this door.
He moves through the door to the roof alone.
INT. HOTEL SECURITY - NIGHT
Newman watching the security monitors sees Kimble and
Nichols. On another monitor we see Gerard exit the suite.
EXT. ROOF - NIGHT
Nichols runs.
Kimble recovers, sees Gerard moving down the fire escape
toward him, and Nichols escaping. He goes after Nichols.
The helicopter circles back over the roof, illuminating the
rooftop in its million-candle-power beam.
HELICOPTER PILOT (V.O.)
I've got a visual on Kimble. He's
running.
INTERCUT WITH:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Kelly listens on his ratio.
KELLY
Bring him down.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble chases Nichols down the roof as BULLETS from the
helicopter rip into the air conditioning duct next to Kimble.
The helicopter swings out to keep Kimble in sight.
ON GERARD
Gerard hits the bottom of the fire escape and follows.
GERARD
(to radio)
This is a United States Marshal.
Get that helicopter out of here!
ANGLE - NICHOLS
He moves away among the duct work.
Kimble follows.
Gerard continues after Kimble.
The helicopter circles and follows from above.
INT. PENTHOUSE / DOOR TO ROOF - NIGHT
Renfro triggers his radio.
RENFRO
There is a U.S. Marshal out there.
Hold your fire!
HELICOPTER'S POV
FOLLOWING Kimble. Its beam tracking Kimble across the
rooftop. He moves through the blowers and duct work.
Kimble is gaining ground on Nichols.
ON SHARPSHOOTER
He is about to fire when he hears through his radio.
RADIO (V.O.)
Hold your fire.
The shooter pulls back.
INTERCUT WITH:
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Gerard rushes across the roof toward Kimble.
ANGLE - NICHOLS
He is almost to the end of the roof when Kimble tackles
him. The two men crash against sloped glass roof of an
elevator housing.
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Inside the shaft - an elevator moves toward the roof. It
stops on the floor ten feet below the roof. THROUGH the
glass roof we see the doors open.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOFTOP - GERARD - NIGHT
Charges toward -
KIMBLE
Who slams Nichols hard against the glass. The WIRED
GLASS CRACKS and bellies with the form of their bodies.
Nichols' head rocks from the impact.
The GLASS GROANS. The wire stresses. The caulking begins
to drop.
Nichols struggles but Kimble has him in control. Slams
him down hard again.
HELICOPTER
Circles, illuminates the struggle in its spotlight and
Gerard closing.
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
The elevator doors close and the car beneath the
skylight begins to descend.
GERARD
Pulls up.
GERARD
Kimble!
Kimble slams Nichols one more time against the glass
and the wire holding the glass gives way, sending Kimble
and Nichols into...
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Kimble and Nichols, locked together, fall down the shaft
and crash onto the roof of the descending elevator car.
Nichols crashes through the ceiling into the car. Kimble
hits and slides across the roof to the edge, stopping
himself, just before he falls into the shaft. An
elevator car rushes toward him out of the blackness.
EXT. HOTEL ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Gerard reaches the elevator housing, looks down into the
shaft.
GERARD'S POV
Kimble's car disappears into the darkness.
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR CAR - NIGHT
Nichols pulls himself to his feet. Hits the emergency
stop and the doors open. He disappears into...
INT. HILTON LAUNDRY - NIGHT
... a huge industrial laundry room. Steam rises from the
giant machines.
INT. ELEVATOR CAR/LAUNDRY - NIGHT
Kimble drops from the ceiling into the car and moves
carefully into the laundry.
... like an industrial jungle. Dimly lit, filled with
DEAFENING MACHINERY. Five hundred pound bags of laundry
move from a network of ceiling tracks to a pair of
heavyduty conveyor belts and two thirty-foot long washers.
... At the other end of the washers, hydraulic presses
stamp out three-foot diameter "cakes" which are moved by
conveyor and dollies to automated dryers.
The NOISE is DEAFENING.
INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT
Gerard comes down back stairwell. Followed by Renfro.
GERARD
(to radio)
Where did the elevator stop?
INTERCUT WITH:
NEWMAN IN SECURITY
Newman checks the computer board for the elevator
position.
NEWMAN
(to radio)
Level five.
INT. LAUNDRY - NIGHT
Nichols pushes through the hanging laundry bags toward an
exit, tries the door. It is secured with a collapsible
grating with a padlock. He looks up, keeps moving.
KIMBLE
Notices the swinging bags, follows Nichols' trail. He
stops to get his bearings, sees shadow at the far end of
the room between the two washers. Kimble closes in, moving
between the large conveyors.
ANGLE - SORTING ROOM
Gerard enters sorting room with Renfro. He sees two sorters
standing by a small conveyor as he enters.
GERARD
Get out of here.
He and Renfro move around the corner where a laundry
worker is hooking a 500 lb bag of lines onto the overhead
rail. A hydraulic lift, operated by a hanging on/off
switch raises the bag on a yellow steel I-beam. The worker
takes one look at Gerard and abandons his station.
Gerard, Biggs and Renfro move to the closed doors of the
main room.
GERARD
(to Renfro)
We're going in. Give me five
minutes. Keep C.P.D. out.
He draws his Glock, opens the door and enters the main
room.
INT. LAUNDRY - ON KIMBLE - NIGHT
He moves to end of washers, using the machines as cover.
He sees the shadow again takes a pole leaning against the
dryer as a weapon, turns the corner and is about to belt
him when he realizes it's not Nichols, but a laundry worker.
Kimble moves away from the terrified man, when he hears a
voice from the other end of the laundry.
GERARD (V.O.)
(above the din)
Kimble!
Kimble reacts to Gerard's voice, moves away.
ON NICHOLS
Moving behind machinery, sees light at far end of the room
where Gerard enters.
ON GERARD
The door closes automatically behind Gerard and Renfro.
They enter the noisy main room and separate. Renfro moves
up the far side of the room, Gerard up the center. Both
move slowly through the maze of bags, carts, automated
equipment.
GERARD
... There is no way out of here.
The building is locked down.
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Moves instinctively back into the machinery and carts near
the conveyor belts.
GERARD (O.S.)
Kimble... I know about Nichols. I
know about Sykes. Kimble stops.
ON GERARD
GERARD
... Nichols borrowed your car the
night of the murder and called
Sykes from it.
RENFRO
Separated from Gerard. He hears a NOISE behind him - a bag
comes down the track at break-neck speed, Renfro spins,
dodges it, gets his bearings and continues.
KIMBLE
Listening. He watches the movement of bags as he did with
Nichols.
GERARD
Moving through the forest of massive bags.
GERARD
... That's why there was no forced
entry at your house. He'd used your
keys.
KIMBLE
Realizing what Gerard knows. Considering his next move.
NICHOLS
Also listening. He realizes Gerard now knows he's the
killer. He moves behind the water softener tanks and
chemicals - and spots Renfro - and something else -the
hanging control for the I-beam.
GERARD
Moves carefully. Another bag comes down the track. He
dodges it and steps into an open track. From here he can
see straight back toward the washers.
GERARD
Kimble... Come meet me out here.
ON RENFRO
He steps out and then back as a bag shoots by. He ducks
under the bag - into the next track and suddenly hears a
WHIRRING sound behind him. Renfro turns as an I-beam comes
rushing down the open track and knocks him to the floor,
opening a gash across the side of his head. He lays still.
NICHOLS
Steps out of the shadows, turns him over exposing his empty
shoulder harness and takes the gun from Renfro's hand.
Nichols moves toward Gerard with the gun.
GERARD
Oblivious to this action, moves on, passes the conveyor
belts. He makes one last appeal.
GERARD
It's time to quit running... if you
don't, you know I'll stop you. He
listens, there is no answer.
KIMBLE
Starts to move out to meet Gerard, sees Renfro down. His
shoulder harness is empty. He knows Nichols is armed.
GERARD
Moves into the alley between the two giant washers. He
pauses, looks back, then continues, when he turns his back
on us...
NICHOLS
Steps INTO FRAME behind him and slowly takes aim. Just
before he fires however he hears...
KIMBLE (O.S.)
Hey, Chuckles...
Nichols turns toward the voice as Kimble swings the stick
and clocks him - sending the gun skittering on the floor
behind Gerard.
GERARD
Turns on the sound and finds his gun trained on Kimble
with Nichols at his feet, unconscious. He realizes
instantly that Kimble saved his life and lowers his gun.
Kimble, exhausted, leans against the washer.
They hold a look as deputies and police flood into the
room surrounding Kimble and handcuffing him.
INT. / EXT. HILTON HOTEL - NIGHT (LATER)
Chicago Police hold back crowds of onlookers on Michigan
Avenue. Police cars and vans, television news trucks vie
for space in front of the Hilton Towers.
Dr. Charles Nichols, on a stretcher, loaded into an
ambulance. The doors close.
REPORTERS and television cameramen line the sidewalk
giving reports and interviewing doctors from the ballroom.
We PICK UP pieces of their reports as we MOVE PAST them
TOWARD the entrance.
T.V. NEWS REPORTER
... As we reported a few minutes
ago, the saga of once-prominent
Chicago surgeon, Dr. Richard Kimble,
who escaped from an Illinois
Corrections bus, took a strange
twist this evening when Dr. Kimble
was captured at the Chicago Hilton...
ANOTHER REPORTER continues:
ANOTHER REPORTER
... there are unconfirmed reports
from police of new evidence which
may exonerate Kimble while
implicating some of the biggest
names in medicine...
The doors to the police van close amid a flurry of
photographs.
A third reporter interviews a STUNNED DOCTOR from the
ballroom:
STUNNED DOCTOR
He just walked in... We didn't know
what he was going to do. My wife
was very frightened... The next
thing I knew cops were charging in
and...
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL - NIGHT
Kimble, in handcuffs, is escorted by Biggs, Newman, Poole
and Gerard, out of the hotel into the waiting chaos.
Renfro, his head bandaged, is helped by paramedics.
EXT. HOTEL / INT. CAR - NIGHT
As soon as the group exits the hotel. Television lights
flood the scene. Kimble lowers his head. Reporters crowd
forward, yelling questions.
REPORTER
Dr. Kimble, is it true you can prove
your innocence!
Gerard wants the crowd controlled.
GERARD
(to police)
Get them back.
The marshals ant cops clear a line for Kimble to get into
a waiting car away from the media. Biggs opens the back
door and helps Kimble inside.
BIGGS
Watch your head, Dr. Kimble.
Newman climbs in behind the wheel. Gerard in the back next
to Kimble. He leans out the window and motions to Poole.
GERARD
(to Poole)
Poole, you got that thing?
(to Kimble)
Give me your hands.
Kimble pauses, then holds up his wrists and Gerard unlocks
Kimble's handcuffs.
Poole hands an ice-pack over the seat. Gerard places the
pack on Kimble' 9 bruised and battered hands.
GERARD
Take care of those hands, Doc,
you're going to need them again
soon.
KIMBLE
I thought you told me 'you didn't
care.'
GERARD
Yeah, well, don't spread it around.
They share a look of mutual respect as the car pulls away.
HELICOPTER POV
The car carrying Kimble pulls onto Michigan Avenue heading
back downtown. As we PULL BACK we see Kimble's car - at
first alone on the great avenue - then gradually joined
by other cars until finally becoming integrated in the
traffic, movement and lights of the city.
FADE OUT
THE ENDTHE FUGITIVE
by
Jeb Stuart and David Twohy
FADE IN:
EXT. CHICAGO - AERIAL - NIGHT
CREDITS BEGIN OVER:
Snow swirls around the tall buildings of downtown Chicago.
EXT. CHICAGO HOTEL - NIGHT
Cars, taxis, limos line the street. A cab pulls up and MAN
in tuxedo moves into:
INT. CHICAGO HOTEL - BALLROOM - NIGHT
THROUGH arriving guests we PICK UP the Man climbing stairs
to the ballroom.
ANGLE - COAT CHECK
The Man hands his coat to coat check woman and thanks her.
When he turns we get our first view of DR. RICHARD KIMBLE,
a tall, athletic man, with a trim beard.
He moves from the outer lobby into a fabulously decorated
ballroom where a fashion show is taking place as a medical
fundraiser. Doctors and their spouses, hospital brass and
sponsors mingle. Women sit near the runway watching the
models. Men talk by the bar. The room is packed.
A banner over the rostrum says: "CHILDREN'S RESEARCH AND
AID FOUNDATION"
Kimble is handed a glass of champagne, which he promptly
sets on another waiter's passing tray.
ROBERTS (V.O.)
Richard...
DR. ROBERTS, a large surgeon, pulls Kimble over to a group
of surgeons gathered around a bar. Smoking cigars.
ROBERTS
Cancun. Nat just talked everybody
into it...
A hospital equipment rep, NAT, is buying drinks.
KIMBLE
So, what's the deal? If the hospital
buys ten new -
NAT
No, no, no, no strings attached, Dr.
Kimble. Industrial Hospital Supply
has no ulterior motives.
KIMBLE
On the house, huh?
(to bartender)
Tonic water with lime.
Everyone agrees.
KIMBLE
Never get me to sell my soul for one
of those trips...
His tone silences the group. Kimble takes his drink.
KIMBLE
(to Nat)
... But if you get any more Bulls
tickets, Nat, give me a call.
The group laughs, Kimble extracts himself and CREDITS
CONTINUE OVER -
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Moving through the crowd.
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Nearly gets hit in the follow-through of an imaginary
golf swing.
KIMBLE
You're slicing, Dave. Don't turn
your hip.
He keeps moving.
GOLFING MAN
Thanks, Richard...
CUT TO:
ANGLE - TOUGH-LOOKING LAB RAT
KATHY WAHLUND, totally out of her element amid the formal
elegance around her. She wears a leather jacket over
T-shirt and stares at the action on the fashion runway.
DR. WAHLUND
(dripping sarcasm)
I'm so glad you talked me into
coming, Richard... I can pick my
cruise wardrobe.
RICHARD
It's for a good cause, Kath...
Besides you need to get out of the
lab more. Your electron microscope
is starting to give you a tan.
She smiles. He moves on.
ANGLE - PARTY
Kimble continues down the bar when he spots a friend...
KIMBLE
Hey, Jim.
DR. JAMES NICHOLS turns, smiles. Mid-40s, head of the
University Hospital. He is a fit contemporary.
NICHOLS
Richard, I just saw someone who
wanted to meet you...
Just then Kimble spots an attractive WOMAN, late thirties,
wearing a drop-dead, simple black gown. She's surrounded by
a group of men hanging on her every word. She and Kimble
catch a look and hold it.
NICHOLS (V.O.)
Richard Kimble... Alex Lentz. Alex
is working on the RDU90 trials for
Devlin-Macgregor.
Kimble turns to meet DR. ALEXANDER LENTZ, late 30s, tan,
smiling. Lentz extends his hand...
LENTZ
Dr. Kimble... Sorry, we've been
trading phone calls last few days
... something about a biopsy report
I returned to you?
KIMBLE
(suddenly attentive)
Yeah... Three. Livers appeared
hepatetic to me.
LENTZ
I'll be in my office in the morning
and I'll pull up the samples. Is that
a good time for you?
KIMBLE
Sure.
LENTZ
(holds Kimble's look,
then to Nichols)
See you, Jim.
Lentz moves on. Kimble looks after him a beat, then focuses
on relocating the Woman he just saw. She's gone. He and
Nichols move together through the party.
NICHOLS
(digs in his pocket)
Before I forget, I went by the garage
this afternoon and picket up the
Ferrari. Thanks for the loaner again.
He hands Kimble a valet ticket.
KIMBLE
They fix it this time?
NICHOLS
We'll see.
They reach the Woman Kimble saw, his wife, HELEN KIMBLE.
Kimble kisses her.
NICHOLS
You look fabulous, Helen.
He kisses Helen.
HELEN (WOMAN)
Hello, Jim.
NICHOLS
(to Kimble)
We've got a court tomorrow at three.
Nichols leaves. Kimble looks at his wife.
KIMBLE
Well, I've seen everyone, can we
leave?
HELEN
That would be a little abrupt, don't
you think?
CUT TO:
ANGLE - KIMBLE'S TABLE - NIGHT
A table for ten. Kimble and Helen introduce themselves to
others at table ant sit across from each other.
Kimble sits between two doctors' wives. One, NOW EAU WIFE,
mid-thirties, bedecked in jewels and loud dress, the other
OLDER WIFE.
Helen sits between their husbands who are trying to impress
her with the details of their boring studies as CREDITS
CONTINUE...
INTERCUTTING WITH the fashion, catches of dialog and course
changes, Kimble and Helen demonstrate an oft-used exchange
of glances: Kimble, while gracious to his dinner partners,
catches Helen's eye and makes smiling, subtle movements to
his watch or a look to the door to indicate he's clearly
ready to leave. On the receiving end, Helen, the gatekeeper
of their social propriety, indicates with equal subtlety:
"not yet."
As we MOVE AROUND the table we hear:
"Where's your husband on staff?" "My husband's an orthopod
at Northwestern." "I'm working on a new technique..."
"That's fascinating..." "That's quite a marvelous dress
you're wearing." "Do you like it? My husband says it's a
'four-fracture number."' "Honey." (A look from her husband.)
Kimble shares a look with Helen. He subtly motions to his
watch: time go to, and mouths the word: "now." She shakes
her head.
NOW EAU WIFE
(to table)
I told my husband that he was going
to kill us if he didn't stop
operating. What with this AIDS thing,
he's putting us all at risk.
Helen and Kimble absorb this comment without reaction, share
a look. Helen mouths the word: "Now."
HELEN
(to her dinner partners)
I'm sorry, I have to get my husband
home.
They say their good-byes and pass Nichols' table. Nichols
shakes his friend's hand in passing. From across the room we
see Lentz watching.
INT. KIMBLE'S MERCEDES - NIGHT
Kimble and Helen driving home. She runs her fingers through
his hair as he drives.
HELEN
You looked handsome tonight...
KIMBLE
Thank you...
He smiles to himself, seems to enjoy the compliment too much
for Helen. Her smile becomes playful, mischievous.
HELEN
Uh, huh... most men in a tuxedo look
like waiters...
KIMBLE
But me?
HELEN
You looked more like... a band
director.
He stops at red light, leans over and kisses her. Light
changes and neither notice. Slowly their kiss breaks.
HELEN
Are we home yet?...
CUT TO:
EXT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Kimble pulls up in front of his house. Suddenly both his
PAGER and CAR PHONE RING at the same time.
KIMBLE
(to phone)
Dr. Kimble
(suddenly attentive)
When? Okay, tell them I'll be there
in ten minutes.
He hangs up.
KIMBLE
Tim's got a problem.
Helen kisses him again, opens the door.
HELEN
Call me on your way home.
CREDITS END as we -
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL - HALLWAY / SCRUB ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble, wearing scrubs but without head gear, moves down
stairs to the OR hall.
He sticks his head into the operating room.
KIMBLE
Cavalry's here.
Two harried surgeons look up, glad to see him.
SCRUB ROOM
Kimble begins scrubbing as the RESIDENT comes out to bring
him up to speed.
RESIDENT
Patient is a male, forty-three. We
pulled his gall bladder and the
bleeding started.
KIMBLE
What's his pro time?
RESIDENT
(concerned)
He's at 36 seconds. We got a major
bleeder in here.
KIMBLE
You talk to the family?
RESIDENT
None. He's off the street.
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO - OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT
Operation in progress. Top medical facility filled with
trained professionals and state of the art equipment. Kimble
is assisted across the table by the chief Resident. Both
working so intently they never look at each other as they
talk...
KIMBLE
(to Anesthesiologist)
Okay... I'm clamping. Can he
tolerate it?
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
He's a very sick guy.
KIMBLE
Do we have a choice?
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
Go for it.
KIMBLE
Marie, give me a clamp...
MARIE, the scrub nurse, passes him the instrument and Kimble
and the other SURGEON continue to work with the Resident
assisting.
KIMBLE
(never looking up)
Your husband know you're here tonight,
Marie?... What about this liver?
RESIDENT
History's sketchy. Could be an
alcoholic.
KIMBLE
Who referred him?
RESIDENT
He's on a drug protocol. RDU90.
Kimble looks up and shares a look with the chief Resident
over their masks, then back to work.
KIMBLE
The wave of the future... Marie, you
told Frank yet? Frank is so jealous
of this late night thing we've got
going here... This should hold him.
Bleeding's stopped. Let's get a
biopsy...
(to circulating nurse)
Send it downstairs and make sure you
get Kath her slice.
SURGEON
You staying for the closing, Rich?
Kimble moves away and sheds his gloves and gown.
KIMBLE
No. I got a date.
INT. SCRUB ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble throws away his hat and mask. The door opens behind
him; it is the other Surgeon.
SURGEON
Hey, Richard...
Kimble turns.
SURGEON
Thanks.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Kimble driving through empty Chicago streets toward home.
He is on phone, waits for answer.
KIMBLE
Hi. I'm five minutes away...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Helen on the phone, downstairs. She is still in her gown with
an afghan around her shoulders. She's been reading.
HELEN
I'm glad it went well. I'll see you
in a minute.
Helen hangs up phone, turns out the light and starts up the
stairs.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO STREET - NIGHT
Kimble driving.
INT. KIMBLE-S TOWNHOUSE - DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT
Helen moves down the hall toward the dressing room/closet.
Opens the door to large closet dressing room and turns on
the light. Nothing. She starts to leave and decides to close
one of the interior closet doors.
She starts to slide the door closed when - wham!
A hand reaches out and clutches her by the neck. Helen
claws and scratches to get free and in her struggle her
string of pearls bursts...
... and a single pearl bounces out of the bedroom... rolls
across the landing to the stairs, stopping three steps from
the top.
CUT TO:
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Snow swirls around the street as Kimble's car pulls into the
driveway. On the third floor, we see a bedroom light still
on.
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
A GRANDFATHER CLOCK TICKS softly. Kimble tosses his keys on
the entry table, picks up a stack of mail on the table and
calls up the stairs.
KIMBLE
I'm home. Did you hear who won the
Bulls game?
No answer. He steps into the:
KITCHEN
The wall phone shows a line in use. Kimble notices it. The
WASHER BUZZES, he switches the clothes from washer to dryer,
and STARTS the MACHINE. Takes a bottle of wine and two
glassesand leaves the kitchen.
INT. BEDROOM - CLOSE ON .38 SMITH AND WESSON - NIGHT
Lies on the floor, beside Helen's legs and the receiver of
phone, off the hook. A man's rubber-gloved hand picks up the
gun.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. DOWNSTAIRS - STAIRS - NIGHT
Kimble starts up the stairs to the bedroom...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Helen's hand reaches out presses the cradle down, dials
ON KIMBLE
Climbing the stairs... suddenly stops.
A small white ball on the stairs. He bends down and picks
it up... a pearl.
KIMBLE
Helen?
Silence. He can see directly into the bedroom. It's quiet.
Too quiet. He notices a lampshade on the floor.
UPSTAIRS HALL - NIGHT
Kimble moves slowly to the opened doorway. And just before
he enters he sees a large form in the crack behind the door.
Adrenal surge.
Kimble slams the door back on the figure knocking the gun
free. Before Kimble can move to it a forearm flattens him.
The attacker immediately goes for the gun. Kimble grabs a
leg and twists him down, the man's fingers hit the gun,
sending it skittering across the hardwood floor of the
landing and over the edge - three flights to the entry
hall below.
SIRENS can be heard. Distant but APPROACHING.
The man kicks free and tries to flee. This time Kimble
catches an arm and twists it at an unnatural angle. To his
shock, the limb detaches between the shoulder and elbow.
Kimble looks at the arm in his hands - it's hollow.
Electrodes are visible inside - then to the man's unreadable
face...
The SIRENS are LOUDER...
Before Kimble can recover, the One-Armed Man knocks Kimble
down and grabs back his arm. He runs down the stairs.
Kimble pulls himself up and starts to follow but is stopped
by a VOICE behind him in the bedroom...
HELEN (O.S.)
He's here... still in the house...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Lying by the bed, Helen Kimble, clutches the phone with one
hand, her head with the other.
911 (V.O.)
Did I hear you right? Your attacker
is still in the house? Ma'am?
HELEN
He's trying to kill me...
Kimble appears. Helen drops the phone when she sees him.
911 (V.O.)
Will you repeat that please?
HELEN
(to Kimble)
Richard... He's trying to kill me...
my head.
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Two Chicago police cars wheel to the curb, COPS move quickly
to the house.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimble moves to her. Sees the necklace of bruises where she
was held down and choked. And then a bullet wound in her
leg. She's already going into shock. Her speech turns thick.
KIMBLE
Hang on, babe... going to be all
right.
Her fingernails dig into Kimble's arm, trying to hold on.
HELEN
My head. Richard my hold me.
Her eyes slip away from his. He peels away the hand on her
head - and sees raw pummeled brain staring back and realizes
she won't be all right.
CAMERA SWINGS DOWN TO the dropped phone.
911 (V.O.)
... Hello. You said his name is
Richard? Ma'am, can you talk to me?
Ma'am?
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The Cops enter the house. See the .38 lying on the floor.
Covering each other, they move quickly up the stairs - guns
drawn.
ANGLE
Third floor. The First Cop, gun drawn, turns the corner of
Kimble's bedroom and finds:
Kimble holding his dead wife. Blood on his hands.
COP #1
Move away from her.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Kimble, numbed by the event, washes the blood off his hands
in the kitchen sink. A cop takes his blood-stained tux
jacket, and another hands him a parka.
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
The street is filled with Chicago police cars, curious
neighbors, television news vans, etc.
Kimble is helped into a police car as the coroner's van
arrives. He pauses a moment to watch as we hear.
DETECTIVE KELLY (V.O.)
Can you give us a little more to go
on besides the fact that he had an
artificial arm? What kind of gun was
it, Doc?
INT. 11TH STREET DISTRICT HOUSE - NIGHT
CAMERA FINDS Kimble in an interview room. He is in "why"
shock. "Why her." "Why me?" Says nothing. Two Detectives:
KELLY and ROSETTI. Kelly, the questioner, is overweight,
aggressive. He shifts his gun on his hip so he can sit down.
KIMBLE
It was .38... I think. I only saw it
for a second. I knocked it out of
his hand.
As Kimble is questioned we INTERCUT WITH flashes of the
murder scene being processed:
FLASH - INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Forensics technicians photograph the .38 at the base of the
stairs.
DETECTIVE ROSETTI (V.O.)
Do you own a gun, Dr. Kimble?
KIMBLE
Yes.
DETECTIVE ROSETTI (V.O.)
What kind of gun?
KIMBLE
A .38 Smith.
FLASH - FORENSICS TECHNICIAN DUSTS CRYSTAL LAMP
DETECTIVE KELLY
Did you have your key with you tonight,
Dr. Kimble?
FLASH - COPS
Checking doors of house for signs of forcible entry.
BACK TO SCENE
PHONE RINGS. Rosetti answers it. Kimble watches him write
something down, he slides it to Kelly.
FLASH - MEASURE "NECKLACE" OF BRUISES ON HELEN'S NECK
DETECTIVE KELLY (V.O.)
Your wife was loaded wasn't she? I mean, she was worth quite
a bit of money.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble looks up at the two cops. For the first time he seems
to sense something aggressive in their questioning.
They no longer seem on the same team.
KIMBLE
What's going on here? This guy was
trying to rob us.
The two cops stare at Kimble.
KIMBLE
You guys have got to be out of your
minds. I didn't kill my wife!
He gets up to go. A cop blocks his path. He turns and looks
at Kelly.
DETECTIVE KELLY
Let's start over, Dr. Kimble. What'd
you have for breakfast?
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH ST. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
Kimble in his tuxedo shirt and black tie holds a booking
number plate in front of him as a mug shot is taken...
front, then side.
MAN (V.O.)
We're all adults here so I'll lay it
out...
EXT. NEWSSTAND - DAY
Chicago Sun-Times has a photograph of Kimble spread across
the front page.
MAN (V.O.)
... If you two come up with a deal,
I'll listen, but let me make one
thing perfectly clear.
INT. ELECTRONICS SUPERSTORE - DAY
Salesmen continue to hawk sets. Kimble's photograph comes
up on a hundred TV monitors across the store.
NEWS REPORTER (V.O.)
Police are revealing no details in
the case against Chicago surgeon...
INT. KIMBLE'S CELL - DAY
Kimble lays on his bunk. Thinking...
MAN (V.O.)
... It's an election year...
INT. JUDGE'S CHAMBERS - DAY
CAMERA MOVES THROUGH smoke-fillet room to find tough FEMALE
PROSECUTOR, a man in late forties, WALTER GUTHERIE, and STOPS
ON the source of the voice we've been hearing and the cigar:
JUDGE BENNETT, late fifties. Fair but, no nonsense, political
survivor.
JUDGE BENNETT
... and this case is a heater. It
will not end up a bench trial...
INT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - CORRIDOR - DAY
Richard Kimble in County lockup fatigues and a navy watch cap
moves down long corridor, escorted by GUARD.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
We've had private investigators
interview over a hundred amputees,
Richard...
INT. PRISON INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY
Walter Gutherie, his attorney, stands by a window looking
out at the yard. Another attorney, RANDOLPH, watches
Gutherie.
GUTHERIE
... We can't find this guy.
KIMBLE
I know what I saw, Walter.
GUTHERIE
I put you up on the stand to say what
you saw without anything that
remotely smells like proof and the
State's attorney is going to take
this one-armed man story and run it
up our ass.
(he holds Kimble's look)
Look, Richard, you're paying us a
lot of money to defend you... A plea
to second degree -
KIMBLE
I didn't kill my wife.
INT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - DAY
Kimble being escorted back to the courtroom. A guard carries
his suit in a bag. He is taunted by other prisoners.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
You're a successful upper middle
class white man charged in a
violent crime...
INT. COOK COUNTY LOCKUP / CHANGE ROOM - DAY
On the other side of the door is the courtroom. A sheriff's
deputy hands Kimble (now wearing his suit), a small plastic
bag. In it we see his wedding band.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
It's a circumstantial case, but it's
also a jury trial. We play 'em, they
play 'em...
INT. CHICAGO COURTROOM - DAY
Richard Kimble sits at defense table... watches prosecutors
chat with Helen's relatives. Media anchors glare at him.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
... But if we lose, we lose big.
Just remember, they're lined up a
block long to have your hide.
HARD CUT TO:
PHOTOGRAPH OF HELEN KIMBLE'S BODY
A crime scene photograph.
DETECTIVE KELLY
On the stand.
DETECTIVE KELLY
No forcible entry was found. From
the beginning of the investigation,
it did not appear to be a break-in.
Nothing was missing.
FORENSICS TECHNICIAN
On the stand.
FORENSICS TECHNICIAN
The defendant's prints were found on
the neck, gun, bullets, and lamp...
no other sets were fount other than
the deceased.
FACES OF THE JURY
Impassive. Attentive. His "peers." They listen to the
recording of the 911 tape.
911 (V.O.)
Did I hear you right? Your attacker
is still in the house? Ma'am?
HELEN (V.O.)
He's trving to kill me...
911 (V.O.)
Will you repeat that please?
HELEN (V.O.)
Richard... He's trying to kill me...
KIBLE'S POV - THE JURY
A few members lean over to make notes. It's powerful taken
out of context.
NICHOLS ON THE STAND
PROSECUTOR
Dr. Nichols. You are aware that
Richard Kimble was the only
beneficiary of Helen Kimble's estate.
12 million dollars roughly.
NICHOLS
I was aware of that. The money meant
nothing to him.
PROSECUTOR
Yet in your presence, Richard Kimble
once said that 'if he had Helen's
money he could find plenty of uses.'
Did he not?
NICHOLS
We were talking about -
PROSECUTOR
Yes or no?
Nichols' look tells us everything... Yes.
CUT TO:
CORONER
On the stand.
CORONER
The wound to the head caused a
massive hemorrhage to the brain. It
took from five to seven minutes for
her to die...
A woman in the jury reacts. Kimble notices.
KIMBLE
On the stand. He finishes his moving description of the
events. We see some of the jury has been moved.
KIMBLE
... And I was holding her when the
officers came in.
Gutherie returns to his seat. The Prosecutor moves to the
jury. He begins slowly but his questions pick up strength.
PROSECUTOR
How tall was this man, Dr. Kimble?
KIMBLE
I can't be sure. We were, mostly on
the floor, fighting... I couldn't -
PROSECUTOR
Did that fight cause the scratches
on your face and arms?
KIMBLE
No. As I explained -
PROSECUTOR
And how did this man enter your
house?
KIMBLE
I don't know -
PROSECUTOR
And you probably don't know why your
wife told the emergency operator You
were her attacker?
KIMBLE
She didn't -
PROSECUTOR
Your name is Richard, isn't it? Your
gun is a .38, isn't it? Your prints
were on the gun, the bullets, the
lamp, her neck, weren't they?
KIMBLE
Look...
PROSECUTOR
Weren't they?
CUT TO:
INT. COURTROOM - DAY
Richard Kimble sits behind the desk, but already he's a
shadow of the man we knew before, stares ahead passively as
Judge Bennett delivers the sentencing to hushed courtroom.
JUDGE BENNETT
After careful and studied review of
all evidence presented during each
phase of this proceeding, and
because aggravated circumstances,
detailed at length, were present
the night of January 20th.
Kimble is silent, stunned, but all around him the sentence
shockwaves through the courtroom. Reporters push out rear
doors. Prosecutors share a look - with a hangman's
satisfaction. Nichols, watching behind Kimble's table,
lowers his head. Disbelief.
ANGLE ON RICHARD KIMBLE
He remains silent. Kimble is pulled gently to his feet by
bailiff. Gutherie whispers an "I'm sorry." Kimble doesn't
hear it.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
Therefore, it is the decision of
this court...
Looks over his shoulder to the emptying courtroom. Faces
stare back.
CUT TO:
INT. KIT ROOM - DAY
Judge Bennett's V.O. CONTINUES over:
A locker opening. Inside, a profusion of chrome and nickel
plating. Jailhouse jewelry. Handcuffs dragged out. Action
checked.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
... that you be remanded to Menard
State penitentiary...
CLOSE ON CUFFS
Slapped down over wrists, ratcheting down tight.
Ankle cuffs dragged out. Pant legs raised, canvas shoes
exposed. Cuffs clamped down on ankles.
CHAINS RATTLED out. Snaked across the floor. Looped around
waists and locked to handcuffs to form belly chains.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
... where you will serve a sentence
of life imprisonment without
possibility of parole.
EXT . SALLY PORT (COOK COW TY JAIL) - NIGHT
The chain gang exits through the sally port. Kimble and
three other prisoners. Jailers escort them to...
An Illinois Department of Corrections guard moves alongside,
checking the undercarriage with a pole-mounted mirror.
The GAVEL CRACKS as we -
CUT TO:
INT. BUS - CLOSE ON KEY - DAY
Locking wire mesh cage inside bus.
An old DIESEL COUGHS to life.
EXT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - NIGHT
Main gates open. The BUS GRINDS onto the streets.
INT. BUS - DAY
The four prisoners sit scattered, still cuffed but no longer
chained together. Near the front, PRISONER #1 is eyeing...
The two prison guards seated beyond the caged door. YOUNG
GUARD lighting a smoke. OLD GUARD drowsing. Shotguns
bouncing on their knees. Prisoner #l shifts his gaze to...
The driver. Pistol on his hip.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. DESOLATE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
The BUS RUMBLES north, heading towards the horizon.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
PRISONER #1 rises. Through caging:
PRISONER #1
Hey. Illinois penal regulations
require a meal for transport
rides of four hours or more.
Young Guard shakes his head. "Fucking jailhouse lawyers."
Checks his watch: 4:00.
YOUNG GUARD
Jack! Feedin' time.
Old Guard yawns to his feet, unhooks a key-ring from his
belt. Young Guard stows his shotgun in the weapons locker.
PRISONER #2 looks at Kimble. Kimble stirs awake... watches
the cage door open, Young Guard moving back. And across the
aisle...
PRISONER #3, a big man named COPELAND, wags his head
between his knees. Something slides out of his shirt and
CLANKS to the dimpled steel floor. It's a razor sharp
plastic shank.
Heart quickening, Kimble looks forward. Young Guard is
handing a petrified sandwich to Prisoner #1. Kimble snaps
a look back to Copeland, who palms the shank.
COPELAND
Breathe, and you're first.
Old Guard watches from the open cage door, shotgun
carelessly ready.
Young Guard reaches Kimble and extends a sandwich. Kimble
doesn't respond.
YOUNG GUARD
Suit yourself.
He offers the sandwich to Copeland. In the exchange,
sandwich drops. Copeland leans down for it.
Up front, Old Guard yawns again just as...
KIMBLE
Look out!
Too late... Jackknifing up, Copeland drives the shank into
Young Guard's gut.
Prisoner #2 dives for Young Guard's holster. As the gun comes
out, Young Guard gets a hand on it. A SHOT FIRES...
Jolting Old Guard. He chambers his shotgun. Kimble hits the
floor. The Old Guard jams a key into the cage door and surges
inside, but...
Prisoner #1 broadsides Old Guard. SHOTGUN DISCHARGES...
Opening a big Gainsburger hole in the driver. He sinks under
the steering wheel. A knee hits the accelerator.
The CAGE DOOR SLAMS locked behind the Old Guard.
EXT. DESOLATE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
As the bus careens off the road, accelerating.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Young Guard wrestles gun from Prisoner #2 and FIRES, killing
prisoner #2. Copeland grapples with wounded Young Guard.
Old Guard shotgun-butts Prisoner #1, flips the gun, PUMPS
ONE ROUND into the man's chest. Dead. He turns just as...
EXT. OPEN LAND - NIGHT
As the driverless BUS BUCKS ant BANGS over open ground.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Old Guard reloads. Copeland drops down behind a seat.
Old Guard jams his SHOTGUN under the seat. But just as the
Old Guard pulls the trigger the bus jerks. The SHOT goes
off target as...
EXT. OPEN LAND - NIGHT
The BUS ROARS into a gravel embankment. ROARS up the slope
and CRASHES down on its side - sliding to a stop at the
bottom of a small ravine.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
ENGINE DIES. Dusty silence. We don't know up from down.
On his knees, Old Guard makes his way to the driver. Finds
him dead. Now a SOUND. Old Guard whips his shotgun around
at...
Kimble. Rising between the seats.
A hairy beat. Old Guard might kill him just to finish things
off. But a GROAN turns Old Guard's head.
Young Guard, trying to hold his guts in. Old Guart turns to
find Kimble.
OLD GUARD
(to Kimble)
You. You're a doctor. C'mere.
He slides to the Young Guard as the Old Guard scrounges up a
medical kit, shoves Kimble down on Young Guard.
OLD GUARD
Do something.
Kimble looks at his cuffs. "In these?" Old Guard digs out
his key ring and unlocks Kimble's hands - only his hands.
Kimble opens medical kit. It's been ransacked - just
Band-Aids now. Kimble looks into the wound.
KIMBLE
He isn't going to make it unless he
gets to a hospital. Fast.
OLD GUARD
ZL.
In this delicate moment a SHIVER runs through the bus. Is it
just settling?
With other things to worry about, Kimble tries to stop Young
Guard's bleeding.
ANGLE UNDER SEAT
We see Copeland, alive. The crash has ripped the bars from a
back window and shattered the glass. He works to get out the
opening.
BACK TO KIMBLE
A second SHIVER ripples through the bus, stronger. Kimble
retracts his hands to touch a metal panel - and feels a
growing vibration.
KIMBLE
Just where the hell are we?
The Old Guard feels it too. He gets down on his knees and
looks out one of the shattered, barred windows.
OLD GUARD
Oh, shit...
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
The bus lies across railroad tracks. A not-too-distant bend
grows bright by the light of an approaching train.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Kimble sees: Old Guard fights the cage door. Kimble lunges
to his side.
KIMBLE
It's locked. Where're your keys?
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
Downtrack, one Cyclops light appears.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Kimble spots keys. Pitches them to Old Guard. Drags Young
Guard to the front for a quick exit. But Old Guard fumbles
the key-ring, his hands shaking as much as the bus.
The train light spider-webs across cracked windows. Kimble
snatches the keys away from the Guard's trembling hands.
KIMBLE
Which one? This? This one?!
Old Guard gulps a nod. Kimble jams a key in the lock. Throws
the door open. Grabs Young Guard.
KIMBLE
Help me get him -
But Old Guard climbs right over Kimble's back and climbs out
the shattered windshield.
ANGLE ON REAR OF BUS
Copeland escapes through the hole in the back...
EXT. BUS - NIGHT
... and hits the ground running the other way. The
locomotive's headlight reveals the toppled bus.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Train light grows. A nanosecond of uncertainty: Should
Kimble leave the wounded man? Kimble and the Young Guard
hold a look.
EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN - NIGHT
As the WHEELS BRAKE and LOCK.
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
Kimble struggles out of the bus - pulling the Young Guard
behind him. He slings the man clear.
SCREECHING death, the TRAIN SKIDS closer.
For one heartbeat, Kimble remains perched atop the bus.
The train light X-rays him.
Kimble leaps. Lands. Rolls. Gains his feet. Tries to sprint
away but can't: His feet are still chained. He gets off a
dozen mincing steps before...
IMPACT: A hundred tons of STEEL SLAMS into the bus,
splitting it open.
Shrapnel rips through Kimble's thigh, but he stays on his
feet, still running feverish half-steps.
An EXPLOSION envelops the train. Flames stream down its
flanks.
The train burns past the wounded Guard.
Kimble looks back, expecting to see the catastrophe behind
him. But he gets the shock of his life - of any man's life:
Still on its wheels, the locomotive is derailing - and coming
after him. It's the stuff of nightmares: One little man being
chased by a fire-breathing locomotive.
The train burrows to a stop.
Kimble is suddenly five feet taller, standing on an upheaval
of earth, staring eyeball-to-eyeball with the train that
nearly devoured him. He pants. Coughs on smoke. Then notices
something in his hand.
It's the key-ring.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Kimble sits and searches the key-ring for manacle key.
Suddenly a hand reaches down and snatches the key-ring away.
COPELAND (O.S.)
Give me that.
Kimble watches as Copeland quickly unlocks both sets of his
own chains.
COPELAND
You listen to me. I don't give a
damn which way you go, just don't
follow me.
Kimble takes the key as Copeland wraps his chains around his
arm and runs. Kimble unlocks his leg irons and runs in the
other direction - crossing a hilltop in the moonlight.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CRASH SITE (SOUTHERN ILLINOIS) - NIGHT
News and sheriff's department choppers circle billowing
smoke. TILT DOWN to reveal the derailed train. Fire engines
hose down the blackened locomotive. Rescue workers work
feverishly with jaws-of-life to get into the mangled
wreckage. Illuminated by spotlights, transportation
investigators in blue coveralls pick through the twisted
remains of the bus. State troopers restrain spectators.
Two American-made rental cars pull up. Four deputy U.S.
marshals emerge:
BIGGS. Swaggering Midwestern carnivore. Built like a brick
shithouse.
RENFRO. Bantam-rooster of a man, no more than 140 pounds
fully-equipped.
POOLE. Black woman. Nobody minds having her around during
nut-cuttin' time.
NEWMAN, a scrub-faced G-5.
From the second car steps GERARD. He takes in the media
spectacle.
GERARD
Good lord...
REFRO
What is this... a circus?
As a group they begin moving along the service road above
the crash site. Derailed train cars are accortianed below
them. They take in the elements of the crash and as they
walk each begins to reveal their U.S. Marshal's credentials.
Biggs spots something...
BIGGS
Point of impact.
... and branches off.
GERARD
Biggs, your turn to babysit Newman.
BIGGS
Shit.
(to Newman)
Come on.
They drop down to the crash site. Poole ant Renfro remain
with Gerard.
A state TROOPER steps into their path, but falls away when he
sees Gerard's Marshall star.
GERARD
How ya doing? Who's in charge?
TROOPER
Sheriff Rollins. Just follow the
lights -
Gerard follows his point to where TV lights illuminate the
scene. He shakes his head - it doesn't please him.
Renfro and Poole share a look, they seem to know what's
about to happen.
ANGLE - OLD GUARD
Seated near a tree. A space blanket draped over his
shoulders. He is surrounded by EMT personnel, and a YOUNG
SHERIFF, clearly basking in the event. Television remote
news crews are kept only slight back. Gerard appears in the
b.g., listening.
OLD GUARD
... train was bearin' down on us,
fast. I don't know how - it's still
kind of hazy - but I grabbed him
and pushed him out of the bus.
SHERIFF
You coulda both been killed.
OLD GUARD
I know, but hell, he's my partner.
Woulda done the same for me.
The young Sheriff in charge nods, buying the story. Gerard
eases forward, displays his badge, interrupts.
GERARD
Excuse me, Sheriff Rollins? Deputy
U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard.
SHERIFF
(annoyed)
I'll be with you in a minute.
The television lights widen to illuminate Gerard. He shields
his eyes. The Sheriff opens a file and produces fax-photos
of all four prisoners.
SHERIFF
(to Old Guard)
For the record. These three dead.
And this one...
He switches to a photo of Kimble.
OLD GUARD
Well, everything happened so fast...
(bites lip, decides)
Huh-uh. Don't think he made it.
Sheriff eyes the wreckage that could entomb a hundred
prisoners, then files Kimble's fax-photo with the others.
SHERIFF
You get some rest.
He pats the Guard on the shoulder and approaches Gerard.
SHERIFF
Looks like you came a long way for
nothing. My men've already done a
thorough search from point of
impact and found nothing.
INTERCUT WITH:
ANGLE - CULVERT
Biggs and Newman stop by the muddy culvert. Biggs sees
something. He orders Newman into the muck after it.
GERARD
Aware of media, proceeds patiently with the young Sheriff.
GERARD
With all due respect, may I suggest
check-points starting at a 15-mile
radius on I-57, I-24, Route 13 east
of -
SHERIFF
Whoa, whoa, whoa... For what?
Prisoners are all dead. The only
thing check-points will do is get a
lot of good people out here frantic
and flood my office with calls.
Gerard finally touches eyeballs with the young Sheriff and
we get our first taste of Gerard at close range.
GERARD
(beat)
Well, shit, Sheriff, I'd hate for
that to happen... So, I'll be
taking over the investigation.
SHERIFF
On whose authority?
GERARD
By authority of the Governor of the
State of Illinois and the office of
the United States Marshal, 5th
District Northern Illinois...
Poole produces State and Federal authorization documents
from one of her pockets and hands it to the young Sheriff.
SHERIFF
(back-down beat)
Okay. You want jurisdiction over
this mess, you got it.
(to assistants)
Shut it down. Wyatt Earp is here to
mop up for us.
He slaps the file of fax-photos at Gerard on his way out.
Just as Biggs, spotless, eases ino the group with Kimble's
manacles. Behind Biggs we see Newman, covered in mud.
Seeing the leg irons, the Sheriff and his deputies pile to
a stop. Now Gerard takes his run at Old Guard.
GERARD
Please, ladies and gentlemen, step
back and give this poor man some
room.
Like an obedient dog the press backs off, they sense a
change of story and command.
Gerard kneels down with Poole and Renfro in front of the
Old Guard. The Sheriff hovers near.
GERARD
(friendly, to Old
Guard)
Always an interesting thing when we
find leg irons and no legs in them
who held the keys, sir?
OLD GUARD
Uh, me.
GERARD
Would you be so kind as to show them
to me, sir?
Gerard's large hand extends palm up at the Old Guard.
The Old Guard pats his pockets, comes up empty. He eyes the
press hovering just out of earshot.
GERARD
Second chance.
Poole reopens the file of photos in front of the man.
The Old Guard can't take it - points to Kimble's photo.
OLD GUARD
(cracking)
He mighta got out.
GERARD
Thank you.
SHERIFF
What the hell is this? A minute ago
you tell me he's part of the
wreckage, now you're -
GERARD
Renfro - Take that bus apart. I want
an accurate body count. Poole - Set
up operations right here.
He stops and looks into the TV lights and starts moving
downtrack. The media and State Police move with him like
Israelites behind Moses.
GERARD
Ladies and gentlemen... our
fugitive's been on the run for
ninety minutes. Average foot speed
over uneven ground - barring injury
is approximately four miles an hour,
giving us a radius of six miles. I
want a hard-target search of any
residence, gas station, farmhouse,
henhouse, doghouse and outhouse in
that area. Check-points go up at
15 miles.
(to media)
You got that? Good. Now, turn
those damn things off and get out
of our way.
INT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
ROARS... just above the treetops. Helicopter speeds up a
dark river. Its tracking beam illuminates the river bank.
EXT. RURAL ROADS - NIGHT
Flashing lights. Two highway patrol cars set up roadblocks.
The SQUAWK of police RADIOS breaks the rural quiet. A moment
later a HELICOPTER ROARS overhead.
EXT. TRACKS - NIGHT
Kimble moves down train tracks. His jumpsuit is wet with
blood from the gash. He pauses and checks the wound. He's
going to need stitches.
Far down the tracks he sees glow of town lights. He keeps
moving.
EXT. TRESTLE - DAWN
Kimble crosses a tressel, keeps running toward the direction
of the lights.
A junk yard by railroad tracks and a road. Signs along the
road show we're on the edge of town. One says: Hospital-1/2
mile.
ANGLE - TRACKS AND STREAM
Kimble runs from a streak up to the railroad tracks. As he
nears the junk yard and road he sees the hospital sign.
He's close but he can't go into the hospital in his prison
jumpsuit. He leans against a wrecked car and catches his
breath.
Just then a tow truck pulling a car on its hook, turns off
the road and parks next to the tracks. Kimble ducks for
cover behind the wrecked car.
The driver climbs out, dumps his coveralls in the front
seat and closes the door.
He moves toward a house across the tracks, then forgets
something and returns to the cab. He throws open the door
and grabs lunch box off the seat - and we notice the
coveralls missing from the seat.
As the driver returns to the house we MOVE TO the opposite
side of the car to find Kimble, ducked beneath the window,
clutching the coveralls.
EXT. CRASH SITE - DAWN
A crude headquarters is set up beneath a tent, near the
crash site. Maps are laid out on tables. Power and phone
lines are pulled down from the lines running along the
tracks. Renfro supervises the electronics.
Poole handles phones, takes a report from the field and
relays it to Gerard.
POOLE
Blood trail found. Two miles
southwest.
GERARD
(to Biggs)
Type it and match it against all
four prisoners.
(to Renfro)
Renfro, get an I.D. fax on Kimble to
every local hospital.
(to Newman)
Newman...
Newman appears.
NEWMAN
Yes, sir...
GERARD
I need some coffee.
As Newman steps off, everyone turns at sound of SHOUTING
from the train crash.
ANGLE - TRAIN CRASH
A RESCUE WORKER shouts up to others.
WORKER
Hey, one's alive!
EXT. RURAL HOSPITAL - LOADING DOCK - MORNING
Loading dock outside the E.R. A WORKER stacks boxes of food
outside kitchen entrance. Kimble, in the tow truck
operator's coveralls, picks up a box and carries it inside.
Once inside he branches off down a hallway.
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - MORNING
A door opens on a long hallway. A DOCTOR, CHILD with a
bandaged hand, and a MOTHER leave a room and walk TOWARD us.
Behind them, Kimble moves down the hall and stops in front
of the doorway.
KIMBLE'S POV - MINOR PROCEDURES ROOM
CUT TO:
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - MINOR PROCEDURES ROOM - MORNING
Kimble closes the door and locks it. Hanging on the back of
the door we see a doctor's white coat.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOSPITAL - MORNING
An Illinois State Trooper's car pulls up outside.
CUT TO:
CLOTH-COVERED INSTRUMENT TRAY
On it we see: A packaged sterilized bandage, an opened
antiseptic wash, an opened topical anesthetic, and an empty
syringe. We PULL BACK to find:
KIMBLE
His wound bathed in orange antiseptic wash, three stitches
already in. With pair of forceps he picks up the needle as
he sutures himself.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - LONG SHOT (MOS) - MORNING
At far end of the hall we see a STATE TROPER chatting with a
DUTY NURSE at a nurses' station.
CUT TO:
INT. PROCEDURE'S ROOM - MORNING
Kimble, his bandage already in place, gives himself a shot
of antibiotics.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - MAN'S ROOM - DAY
A man, tube in nose, on two I.V.s, lays in bed with eyes
closed. Kimble comes INTO FRAME near his face.
KIMBLE
Can you hear me, sir?
No response. The man is out of it. Kimble backtracks to the
patient's closet and opens it. Hanging inside we see his
clothes. He removes them and notices the man's untouched
breakfast tray.
CUT TO:
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - NURSES' DUTY STATION - DAY
The Duty Nurse and State Trooper chat when a fax begins
coming through on DESK FAX.
NURSE
There's your fax...
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT'S BATHROOM - DAY
Kimble dressing in the man's clothes. He eats a piece of
toast - part of the man's breakfast - as he buttons up his
shirt.
ANGLE - PATIENT
His arm slowly reaches out and presses his nurses call
button.
CUT TO:
INT. NURSES' STATION - DAY
A fax photograph of Richard Kimble slowly comes off the
duty station FAX MACHINE. Next to the machine the
patient's call light comes on.
The Duty Nurse, standing with the Highway Trooper, sees the
patient's light come on and starts down the hall toward the
patient's room.
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT'S BATHROOM - DAY
Kimble shaving when we hear the DUTY NURSE ENTER the
patient's room. He moves OUT OF FRAME.
DUTY NURSE (O.S.)
Mr. Patterson, do you need some more
water?
ANGLE - MAN'S EATEN BREAKFAST
The Duty Nurse looks from the tray to the man, impressed.
DUTY NURSE
... Oh, you did a good job on this.
She takes his empty plastic pitcher and...
... pushes open the bathroom door - no sign of Kimble - and
refills the pitcher from the sink.
DUTY NURSE
(over her shoulder,
to patient)
... It does get dry in here, doesn't
it?
She doesn't expect an answer, turns OFF the WATER, and goes
into the main room. As the door closes we see Kimble behind
it.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Kimble, clean-shaven, and wearing the patient's glasses and
a doctor's white coat, moves down the hall to the emergency
room exit. Suddenly the State Trooper steps back from the
E.R. admissions desk with his newly received fax, and starts
down the corridor toward Kimble.
The Trooper looks up as the two men pass...
TROOPER
'Scuse me, Doc?...
Kimble turns but continues slowly backing toward the E.R.
doors behind him.
TROOPER
... Don't know if you heard or not
but we're looking for an escaped
prisoner from that bus train wreck
'couple hours ago. Thought he might
show up here if he was hurt.
KIMBLE
What's he look like?
The Trooper looks down at his fact sheet as we see a slow
trickle of blood from a shaving nick begin winding down
Kimble's cheek.
TROOPER
(from fax sheet)
Approximately six one, 180 pounds,
brown hair, brown eyes and beard.
At the last second Kimble feels the drop of blood and wipes
it clean as the Trooper looks up.
TROOPER
... Seen anyone that fits that
description?
KIMBLE
Every time I look in the mirror ...
but without the beard.
They laugh.
KIMBLE
Excuse me...
TROOPER
Sure.
Kimble moves through the E.R. doors as an ambulance parks
outside...
EXT. RURAL HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM RAMP - DAY
Two PARAMEDICS try to take out a patient on a gurney. The
lead wheels are stuck.
KIMBLE
Here...
Kimble helps clear the wheels so the collapsible gurney
comes free.
PARAMEDIC #2
Thanks, Doc, we had to dig him out
from under a train.
As the gurney comes out, Kimble looks right into the face
of the Young Guard. The Guard's eyes suddenly open wide.
YOUNG GUARD
It's him... It's -
Kimble claps the portable oxygen mask back over the Young
Guard's mouth and keeps his hand there.
KIMBLE
How is he?
The Paramedics move him toward the ramp.
PARAMEDIC #1
He's pretty bad off. Broken leg,
ribs. Concussion.
As Kimble moves away...
KIMBLE
Tell the E.R. doctor he's also got
a perforated spleen.
He's gone... The two Paramedics share a look as they whisk
the Young Guard inside.
PARAMEDIC #2
(impressed)
Jesus, how could he tell that from
looking at his face?
ANGLE - AMBULANCE
Kimble climbs behind the wheel.
EXT. TRAIN CRASH SITE / OPERATIONS HEADQUARTERS - DAY
A full communications link is in place.
Deputy marshals answer phones, work faxes, add information
to a situation board. Troopers bring in information. Poole
calls Gerard.
POOLE
Background just came in from
Chicago.
GERARD
Hit me.
Renfro and Poole lay out the details. The download of
information comes clear and fast.
RENFRO
Richard David Kimble. Vascular
Surgeon. Convicted of first-degree
murder in the killing of his wife.
Pleaded innocent. Claimed a
one-armed -
GERARD
Let's not retry the case. Priors
and accomplices?
Gerard steps up the hillside out of sight of the
investigation to take a leak. Followed by Renfro and Poole.
RENFRO
None. No previous arrests.
Poole takes up a position discreetly behind tree as Gerard
unzips his fly and relieves himself.
GERARD
Sealed juvie record?
Poole calls out from behind tree.
POOLE
Nothing. Total cherry.
GERARD
Relatives? Children?
RENFRO
No relatives.
POOLE
One child. A son. Died in drowning
accident three years ago.
GERARD
Girl friends? Ex-wives? Friends?
Combinations of the above?
POOLE
Lot of friends. Doctors. Hospital
staff.
Gerard zips up.
GERARD
Start there. Authorize taps. Cover
his lawyer first.
RENFRO
Never get it.
GERARD
Bet me.
Renfro won't take it.
GERARD
Have Stevens go to Judge Rubin,
he'll sign 'em.
... Biggs charges up the hillside.
BIGGS
DeLange Hospital. Wounded guard
swears to High Holy he saw Kimble
right there in the hallway.
Ambulance, missing too.
ANGLE - SITUATION TENT
Gerard moves quickly to the map.
GERARD
Give me a time.
BIGGS
O-nine-thirty. Twenty minutes ago.
Gerard redraws the circle of units. No longer are we
covering a fifty-mile radius. The circle is redrawn,
tightened, with the hospital as its center. The
triangulation is set.
CUT TO:
EXT. RURAL RAILROAD CROSSING - DAY
The ambulance follows three cars toward a rural railroad
crossing.
COP (V.O.)
... We're waiting up here in Canton.
Wondering if you heard anything on
this Kimble chase -
INT. AMBULANCE - DAY
Kimble behind the wheel as he approaches the railroad
crossing. The biocom monitors police chatter:
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Two-twelve-A, be advised that all
discussion on this matter is to be
conducted on a tactical frequency
- either Channel K or Z. Over.
Frequency goes dead. Kimble looks THROUGH the windshield:
ROAD SIGN
An arrow points toward Canton, two miles.
The cars in front slow as the railroad crossing signal
suddenly activates and the bars begin to drop. Kimble pops
the SIREN and hurriedly snakes through the crossing and
heads in the opposite direction... but his maneuver gets
attention.
INT. TRUCK CAB - DAY
Truck driver watches Kimble cut through the crossing and
reaches for his C.B. radio.
EXT. CRASH SITE - DAY
Poole hangs up phone.
POOLE
Ambulance just spotted two miles
west of Doverville. Heading north
on State road 53.
Renfro turns to the map and marks it. The circle is much
smaller.
RENFRO
Running outta map, Sam.
The crash site and hospital are already marked. Gerard is
ready to move.
GERARD
Just the way we want it. Okay,
people, let's button up.
They move off to waiting State Trooper cars and helicopter.
INT. AMBULANCE - DAY
Kimble driving down a rural road. He flips down visor and
eyeballs folded roadmap...
EXT. SECONDARY ROAD (KENTUCKY) - DAY
... The ambulance crests a hill. In the distance we see the
Grosvner Viaduct and the Barkley Dam.
EXT. HIGHWAY (KENTUCKY) - DAY
Blowing other traffic off the road, WHOOPING CRUISERS and
G-cars stream south through the rugged rural terrain of
Southern Illinois. Overtaking them all, a CHOPPER THUNDERS
overhead.
INT. HELICOPTER
Heading into hilly terrain. Down below we see the ambulance.
Inside the helicopter Gerard eyes the terrain.
PILOT
(into radio)
We've got a visual...
(to Gerard)
He's heading toward the viaduct.
GERARD
Seal it up.
EXT. AERIAL VIEW OF GROSVNER VIADUCT - DAY
The two-lane road disappears into long tunnel. Three hundred
feet below the road tumbles the Tennessee River.
The Barkley Dam rises ahead. Kimble's AMBULANCE ROARS into
the tunnel.
ON KIMBLE
Suddenly sees the helicopter setting down ahead of him at
the mouth of the tunnel.
Kimble slams on brakes and turns to retreat.
ANGLE - FAR END OF TUNNEL (BEHIND HIM)
Illinois Highway Patrol cars pull to a stop at the far
entrance. Light flares. Set out road blocks.
ANGLE HELICOPTER
Gerard steps out followed by Renfro and Poole.
KIMBLE'S AMBULANCE
Comes to a stop, blocking traffic in both directions.
Immediately HORNS begin BLARING.
EXT. TUNNEL - NIGHT
Trooper pulls up. Biggs and Newman behind Kimble blocking
the other end.
Troopers with guns drawn block the exits. The P.A. from a
State patrol car blares:
P.A. (V.O.)
Please remain in your vehicles and
lock your doors. Repeat, please
remain in -
ANGLE ON HELICOPTER
Poole and Renfro materialize already decked out in Kevlar.
They're jacked up and ready to rock. Renfro hands Gerard a
vest.
RENFRO
Got him.
Gerard unholsters a 40 caliber, Glock model 22.
GERARD
Okay, ladies and gentlemen hard
part's over.
He starts into the tunnel.
RENFRO
(to radio)
We're movin' in.
INT. TUNNEL - DAY
Weapons drawn, but held discreetly at their sides, three
silhouettes enter. Drivers who hadn't heeded the Troopers'
P.A. warnings take one look at Gerard and quickly climb
back inside and lock their doors.
Biggs, Renfro and Poole fan out to the sides and give the
middle to Gerard. The tunnel is quickly quiet.
Kimble huddles at mid-tunnel. He's trapped. Drops to the
ground beneath the truck. His heart pounding, brain
clicking, fighting panic. Suddenly he realizes he's in water.
Running water.
ON MARSHALS
They reach the mid-tunnel area. No Kimble. Biggs looks
around, beneath vehicles. Gerard listens. Poole looks
confused.
POOLE
Where'd he go?
Gerard spots the trickle of water. He backtracks it until
he finds a loose grate in the pavement. Man-size.
GERARD
Biggs, Renfro with me.
INT. STORM DRAIN - FORKING CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble splashes blindly through ankle-deep sluice. He slows
at forking tunnels to catch his breath and pick a direction.
A DULL ROAR comes from somewhere - from everywhere. He whips
off his jacket and slings it down a tunnel, then continues
straight ahead.
Somewhere behind, lights probe splash-patterns on the conduit
wall - telltale signs of Kimble's passing. The lights belong
to...
Gerard, Biggs and Renfro. They push on, soon reaching the
forking tunnels. Renfro finds the jacket ant splash signs.
GERARD
Channel Three.
They conform their radios. Splitting up, Biggs and Renfro go
left. Gerard - straight ahead.
INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble. Bracing with all four limbs. Negotiating a mossy
downslope.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Biggs and Renfro. Sweeping his light as he advances.
Searching for splash-patterns.
BIGGS
(into shoulder-mike)
Nothing yet.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Gerard. Probing a branch-off tunnel with his light. About to
pass, he notices scrapings on the mossy walls of the
branch-off tunnel. Hand marks?
GERARD
(into radio)
Got a possible here. Stand by.
He stows his light but hangs onto the Glock. Bracing with
three limbs
INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY
Gerard begins the tricky descent. Slips once. Recovers.
Slips again...
... and tumbles out of control. GUN and RADIO CLATTER AWAY.
Scrabbling for purchase, he finally snags An overhead pipe.
Gerard stabilizes. Sweeps his light to locate his Glock,
lying down-tunnel. He eases toward it. But another hand gets
there first.
It's Kimble. Face dark and desperate. Dangerous. Hand
flexing on the pistol. They lock eyes for a beat.
KIMBLE
I didn't kill my wife.
GERARD
So, you didn't kill your wife.
Not my problem.
An adrenal beat. For a moment they hold a look. Then the
silence is broken by Gerard's radio.
BIGGS (V.O.)
Gerard? You there?
Gerard looks for his radio, then back at Kimble - he's gone.
Instantly Gerard reaches for his ankle - and pulls a back-up
piece.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
As Renfro hears FOOTSTEPS POUNDING his way.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Gerard charges down the tunnel. From a side tunnel, Renfro
appears, almost colliding. Biggs follows...
GERARD
Straight ahead!
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble sticks Gerard's gun into his waist band to balance
in the tunnel. He spills around a corner and stops. Ahead
lies an orb of light. The tunnel ends. The NOISE is
incredible. Kimble moves to the end of the tunnel and
stops.
KIMBLE'S POV
Water pours from the tunnel into the spillway of Barkley dam
disappearing into a veil of mist below - a great cauldron of
mists. No rocks. None visible at least.
He hears the MARSHALS behind him - COMING CLOSER.
ANGLE - MARSHALS
Gerard and Renfro turn the corner. Renfro drops into a
shooting stance.
GERARD
Turn around, hands over your head.
And get down on the ground.
For a moment Kimble eyes Gerard.
GERARD
Your choice, Kimble...
Kimble turns his back on the Marshals, stares again at the
water. Slowly he puts his hands over his head. Gerard puts
up his gun and pulls his handcuffs. He moves through the
water toward Kimble.
GERARD
Get down on your knees.
Kimble bends slowly, stares down into the falls, hears the
footsteps get closer, then does the unthinkable. He jumps.
EXT. BARKLEY DAM - DAY
Biggs moving to the top of the massive dam sees Kimble leap
into the sheet of water spilling over dam and disappear into
the mists below. He can't believe his eyes.
INT. DRAINAGE CONDUIT - DAY
Renfro lowers his gun.
RENFRO
(amazed)
Son of a bitch...
It's the most amazing thing he's ever seen...
ON GERARD
He stands at the mouth of the tunnel staring down. He
stares down into the mists. Impressed. It has told him
something invaluable about this fugitive.
EXT. TOP OF DAM - DAY
Gerard scrambles out of the tunnels to the top of the dam
near Biggs, just as squad cars, troopers and the search
helicopter converge on the site.
EXT. RIVERBANK - DAY
Far downriver a figure fights through a snag in the bend.
The snag - a tree branch - breaks away and heads down
stream. Hanging onto the branch we see Kimble.
EXT. BARKLEY DAM - LOWER RESERVOIR - SUNSET
Below the dam and spillway. Troopers in waders search the
shallows, deputies beat bushes along the shore.
Farther out we see a dredge boat slowly working the waters.
FROM SHORE
Gerard watches the dredge cage come up again. As if with
the next pass it will prove him the victor. The HEAD
ILLINOIS TROOPER CAPTAIN approaches.
HEAD TROOPER
Running out of daylight, Inspector.
GERARD
Lights and generators are coming,
Captain.
HEAD TROOPER
Look, I don't mean to tell you your
job, but maybe one person in a
million could've survived that fall.
The guy's fish food.
Gerard turns and brings his look to bear on the Captain.
GERARD
Then find me the fish that ate him.
He turns and heads to a waiting helicopter.
EXT. WOODS - AFTERNOON
Kimble runs through the woods. He staggers, his arm hooks a
sapling which spins him to the ground. He lays motionless,
exhausted.
KIMBLE'S DREAM - INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - DAY
ANGLE
Helen in bed. Kimble's hand comes INTO FRAME and touches
her shoulder. She turns toward Kimble as he moves INTO
FRAME and kisses her.
DISSOLVE TO:
ANGLE
Helen tosses her head back. She wears white silk pajamas
and smiles down AT us. A hand reaches up and unbuttons the
top two buttons of her top. Then Kimble moves up INTO FRAME
as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BEACH - DAY
Helen running down beach TOWARD us. Embraces Kimble as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. POOL - DAY
Helen's head comes up out of a pool. Hair tossed back, she
smiles as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Helen exiting Kimble's car the night of the murder. She
looks back at Kimble, framed by the door frame, ant smiles.
HELEN
Good-bye. I love you.
Again... Then again... then:
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. FOREST - MORNING
Kimble comes out of his sleep with a start. Shivering. He
remembers where he is. His breathing returns to normal.
EXT. TRESTLE - TUNNEL - MORNING
Kimble moves across a river trestle and disappears into
tunnel.
INT. DRUG STORE - DAY
Kimble on pay phone in the rear of the store waits for
party
to answer. An old lady and her mother shop.
Across the store a pharmacist watches Kimble.
ANGLE - PHONE
Kimbles watches the boys as he waits for answer. We hear
RINGING, then a receptionist answers:
RECEPTIONIST (V.O.)
The law offices of Gutherie, Morgan
and Wainwright.
KIMBLE
Walter Gutherie please.
RECEPTIONIST (V.O.)
I'm sorry, Mr. Gutherie has left
for the day, would you like his
voice mail?
Kimble hangs up and moves down an aisle, stopping in front
of the hair color. He takes a box of black hair dye off the
shelf and looks at the instructions. When he looks up he
sees the pharmacist looking at him.
EXT. SONNY'S DINER - NIGHT
A roadside diner. Kimble, his hair now black, and wearing a
new pair of Wranglers, hooded sweatshirt and a duffle coat,
moves down the road to the diner.
INT. SONNY'S DINER - NIGHT
Kimble enters. He sits at the counter and a sparky OLDER
WAITRESS, late, mid-forties, with strong good looks and
tough smile fills his coffee cup before he even asks.
OLDER WAITRESS
Need to look at the menu?
KIMBLE
Some soup, please.
OLDER WAITRESS
Good choice.
She marks her pad and leaves. Sights ant sounds around
Kimble begins to occupy his attention:
A dishwasher buses a tub of dishes back to the kitchen. He
stares at him.
A farmer sitting at a table stares at Kimble, Kimble looks
away. A man at the pay phone seems to be staring at him. Is
he calling the police? Everyone seems to be looking at him.
Someone stops in front of him. A young waitress serves him
his soup. Where's the first waitress?
Takes a few sips of soup. Out of the corner of his eye he
sees:
The Older Waitress putting on her coat to leave. Is she
going to report him? He fights the paranoia.
A NEWS REPORT on the TELEVISION gets his attention.
ANGLE - TV
A report on the escape. A television reporter describes the
chase for Kimble; his jump at the dam and his presumed death
from the fall.
Kimble decides it's time to leave. He drops some money on
the counter and exits.
EXT. DINER - NIGHT
Kimble moves across the parking lot trying not to run until
he's out of sight of the diner. Once free of the lights of
the diner he starts running and disappears into the night.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Kimble running down the road. Fields stretch out on both
sides of the highway. Open land. From behind him we suddenly
hear the sound of POLICE SIRENS. For a moment Kimble moves
faster, then as the SIRENS COME CLOSER, his sprint drops to
a jog... to a walk, until finally he stops and waits for the
inevitable... But the flashing lights suddenly rip past him
chasing a speeder. They weren't after him after all. Kimble
looks at himself. He's shaking.
A moment later he is lit by headlights. A car pulls up next
to him, passenger window rolls down...
OLDER WAITRESS
Need a ride?
Kimble stares at her.
KIMBLE
Which way are you going?
She smiles and points in the direction her car is traveling.
They hold a look as we hear:
RENFRO (V.O.)
We feel confident about the I.D.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSE - DAWN
A quiet house on a quiet street out from town. A homeless
woman picks through garbage. A garbage truck moves slowly
down the street. A plumbing truck parked along a curb. Just
early morning traffic.
We see Renfro and Newman watch the house from across the
street, behind a deserted house. Gerard joins them. We see
that Biggs is in the plumbing truck. Poole is the homeless
woman picking through the garbage. Newman hands Gerard a
radio.
RENFRO
Local officials were about to wet
their pants to move in.
GERARD
I bet they were.
(to radio)
Where's the woman?
INTERCUT WITH:
BIGGS
In the plumbing truck. He triggers his mike.
RENFRO
(into radio)
Same room.
GERARD
(into radio)
Okay... I'll take front. Biggs and
Renfro, rear. Poole, handle support.
I don't want anyone hurt. Stay
outside unless called. Radios on
three.
The deputies prepare their weapons. Newman checks his
service issue .38, stares at Gerard's Glock.
NEWMAN
Uh, just want me to wait here, sir?
GERARD
Hell, no. You're with me, Newman.
Let's go.
EXT. FRONT OF HOUSE - DAWN
DOOR CRASHES open, splintering the deadbolt right out of
the door.
GERARD
U.S. Marshals. Down! Down!
INT. HOUSE - DAWN
Textbook perfect, Gerard and Newman rush into front room.
THEIR POV
Down the hall a man's figure streaks across a doorway OUT
OF VIEW.
A woman in the rear of the house BEGINS SCREAMING.
GERARD
Motions Newman to the left to check the door off the living
room while he moves down the main hall into the back
bedroom.
ANGLE - LIVING ROOM / NEWMAN
Clearly unnerved by the screaming woman, Newman opens door
off the living room. The door opens into a smaller bedroom.
He steps into -
SMALLER BEDROOM
It's empty. Gerard appears at the other (hallway) door to
the bedroom.
HALLWAY
Gerard motions Newman on to the door to the bathroom and
continues down the hall into the back bedroom where the
woman continues SCREAMING. He ignores her. His feet move
silently, heel-to-toe. He checks the bathroom as Newman
opens his connecting door - empty - then moves on toward
the doorway to the kitchen.
Gerard moves to the kitchen doorway. Running out of house.
He braces himself swings into the kitchen - it too is empty.
Suddenly Gerard gets the bad feeling he's passed his prey.
CUT TO:
SMALLER BEDROOM
Newman looks around, suddenly scared. The only place he
didn't search was behind the bedroom door. He turns just as:
COPELAND
Surges out, knocks Newman's gun from his hand. In a flash,
Copeland yanks Newman's arm behind his back and presses a
knife against the deputy's neck and moves him out of the
room.
We...
INTERCUT WITH:
GERARD
He hears Copeland moving somewhere in the front of the house.
COPELAND (O.S.)
I got your man! Now I want outta
here!
Gerard moves back through the bedroom past the SCREAMING
woman. He locks in on the voice and sound of the moving
fugitive.
ON COPELAND AND NEWMAN
Copeland listens but gets no response from Gerard. He backs
through the second bedroom door, pulling Newman into the -
LIVING ROOM
Newman's eyes are pure terror - the blade pressed against
his throat.
COPELAND
(to Gerard)
You hear me? I said, I want out or
I'll cut your man's throat!
GERARD
Keeps moving down the hallway, through first bedroom, pauses
at door to the second bedroom and chooses his course.
LIVING ROOM
Copeland positions himself between the bedroom door and the
hallway opening. He's troubled he can't hear Gerard.
Suddenly he hears a NOISE behind him at the bedroom door He
whips Newman around and we see:
A shoe hits the floor. Copeland realizes his mistake too
late. He turns back to the hallway and there is Gerard.
He never blinks. FIRES once killing Copeland instantly.
The knife falls to the floor. Newman clutches his head,
stunned but unhurt.
Gerard now turns to the screaming woman behind him in the
bedroom doorway.
GERARD
Shut up.
She does. Immediately.
EXT. HOUSE - MORNING
As coroners and tactical police mop up. Gerard moves across
the yard, sips coffee from Styrofoam cup. He stops at a
sheriff's car, Newman sits on back seat, shaken, nearly
hysterical, clutching his ear.
NEWMAN
My ear... I can't hear a thing out
of it. I can't believe you did that!
GERARD
You think I should have bargained
with him, don't you?
NEWMAN
Yes. You could've missed! You
could've killed me!
GERARD
Yeah, you're absolutely right. I
could've.
They hold a look.
GERARD
How bad's your ear?
NEWMAN
Terrible. I probably have permanent
hearing damage.
GERARD
Let me see it.
Newman leans toward him. Gerard speaks into his ear.
GERARD
I don't bargain.
Gerard leaves. Newman watches him - realizing what a truly
unsettling man Gerard is.
EXT. CHICAGO PAY PHONE - MORNING
Kimble makes call. While he waits for phone to be answered
TRAINS COME and GO in the b.g. An EL CROSSES OVERHEAD. The
BELLS of Chicago River DRAWBRIDGE.
KIMBLE
Walter. It's Richard.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. LAW OFFICES OF GUTHERIE, MORGAN AND WAINWRIGHT - DAY
Walter Gutherie answers phone from his office overlooking
Lake Michigan.
GUTHERIE
Richard... Jesus, why did you run?
Running only makes you look guilty.
KIMBLE
I wasn't worrying about appearances,
Walter.
GUTHERIE
Tell me where you are. I'll come
meet you so you can turn yourself
in .
KIMBLE
I'm not turning myself in. I need
money.
Gutherie is silent. When he speaks again his speech takes on
the lawyerly tone of a man who's covering his own bases.
GUTHERIE
Richard. You're asking me to harbor
and aid a convicted felon... I can't
help you that way. My advice - both
as a friend and as your legal counsel
- is for you to give yourself up.
Now tell me... where are you?
Kimble picks up the change in his attorney's tone.
KIMBLE
(beat)
St. Louis.
GUTHERIE
Give me an address. I'll be -
CLICK. Gutherie hears the LINE GO DEAD. Kimble's gone.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY
Kimble stands in the doorway with cup of coffee. He considers
his next move. Then seeing bank clock flash the time: 9:30 -
he knows what that move is.
INT. NORTH BANK TENNIS CLUB - DAY
An upscale mid-town tennis club. Behind glass windows of
the entryway we see tennis courts. From the courts comes Dr.
Charles Nichols still dressed in his warmups, carrying his
tennis bag. A friendly DESK ATTENDANT Sharon) smiles as he
goes by.
DESK ATTENDANT
See you tomorrow, Dr. Nichols?
NICHOLS
Creature of habit, Sharon.
EXT. NORTH BANK CLUB - DAY
Dr. Nichols leaves the club. He tosses his gym bag into the
back of his car and drives off.
INT. / EXT. NICHOLS'S CAR - DAY
As he pulls up to the first stoplight, a homeless man moves
toward the driver's side and begins washing his windshield.
Nichols waves the man off.
NICHOLS
Not today, please.
The man shuffles off. Just then a second man appears at his
passenger window. He leans down to wave him away
NICHOLS
No. Not -
... then stops - the face at his passenger window is
Richard Kimble's.
NICHOLS
(stunned)
Oh, my God... Richard...
Nichols rolls down the passenger window.
KIMBLE
How're you doing, Charlie?
NICHOLS
You're alive...
KIMBLE
Yeah. And I need your help.
NICHOLS
Anything.
KIMBLE
I need some money. Whatever you've
got on you.
NICHOLS
Of course.
Nichols reaches into his gym bag in the backseat and digs
for his wallet...
NICHOLS
Tell me where you're staying. I'll
get you more money. Some clothes.
Just give me an address...
KIMBLE
I'll call you.
Kimble glances around, the area is still clear. He looks
back into the car and doesn't see the police car turn the
corner and come up the street behind them.
Nichols finds his wallet ant hands all the cash he's got to
Kimble, who quickly pockets it.
NICHOLS
I know why you came back - to find
him. If I can help, call me...
Call me.
They hold a look. The stoplight changes to green but they
don't see it.
KIMBLE
Thanks, Charlie...
NICHOLS
Here, Richard, take my coat...
He reaches into the back for his coat, suddenly police car
behind him POPS its SIREN. Nichols looks into his rearview
mirror. Sees a COP lean out his window.
COP
(to Nichols)
Hey, buddy - green light. Let's go.
Nichols looks back at Kimble. He's gone.
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICES (CHICAGO) - CLOSE ON AUDIO TAPE - DAY
REWINDING. The media room - just what it sounds like -
banks of audio/video equipment and a sound board.
Renfro rewinds the tape. Gerard, Biggs, Poole and Newman.
POOLE
We've alerted St. Louis P.D
GERARD
Call them back. Tell them you've
made a mistake.
POOLE
What?
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Stop it there.
Renfro hits play. Kimble's VOICE is heard again:
GERARD
Drop the voices.
Renfro removes the two voices. What comes up are the
BACKGROUND SOUNDS. EXTERIOR NOISES (BELLS RINGING, TRAFFIC,
MECHANICAL... TRAINS). Everyone becomes focused to the
sounds now.
GERARD
(he's heard something)
Listen.
BIGGS
Trains? Traffic?
GERARD
More... there's a voice in the
background.
At first the sound is unrecognizable. A BELL. GRINDING
MECHANICAL. Then a P.A. VOICE on the tape: "Next stop
Merchandise Mart."
RENFRO
That's an El announcement.
GERARD
And there's no E1 in St. Louis.
Ladies and gentlemen, Richard Kimble
is in Chicago. Poole, get his
artwork out to local police and have
C.P.D. check the shelters... Biggs,
bring in the detectives that handled
his case.
Instantly the room is in movement.
STEVENS
I'll prepare the press release.
GERARD
No.
Stevens stops.
GERARD
They don't know he's alive and as
far as Kimble knows we don't either.
I want to keep it that way as long
as we can. Are we clear?
The whole group sense Gerard's intensity in regard to
Kimble.
RENFRO
(for the group)
Perfectly.
Gerard reflects on a moment of personal satisfaction.
GERARD
Noah... go to my office and let's
officially take Dr. Kimble out of
purgatory.
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH STREET STATION - DAY
Morning roll call. Kimble's photo distributed to cops by
Detectives Kelly and Rosetti.
KELLY (V.O.)
As of this morning Chicago P.D. was
alerted to the reappearance of
Richard Kimble.
INT. TRAIN STATION - DAY
Newman and Poole check train station. Looking for Kimble.
They show his photo to homeless people. No help.
EXT. FRONT OF COOK COW TY HOSPITAL - DAY
Holding a handkerchief to his face, Kimble moves through
arriving patients and enters Cook County Hospital.
INT. HOMELESS SHELTER - DAY
Renfro and Biggs check shelters for Kimble. They show his
I.D. to administrator. Look around.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
The place is humming now. Detectives Kelly and Rosetti sit
in front of Gerard. Gerard studies Kimble's file. Renfro
sits in.
KELLY
Police units have also increased
patrols around homeless shelters and
mass transit stations in the city.
EXT. LOOP EL STATION - DAY
Police patrol the platform looking for Kimble.
INT. FRONT OF COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - DAY
Kimble moves past security, then pockets the handkerchief and
turns up a hallway, blending in with the indigents and poor.
CUT TO:
INT. UPSCALE DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
NURSE FLYNN, a woman about 45, attractive, smart, loyal.
Poole and Gerard talk to her in an examination room.
FLYNN
I ran his office for twelve years.
Yes, we were very close. But he
wouldn't come to me for help.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Busy with doctors, orderlies and street people. Kimble moves
down hallway and enters.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - WAITING ROOM - DAY
He moves into the room and takes a new patient form, looks
around. SEE BACK INTO the office area of the clinic. It
could be any hospital clinic from this view.
But as Kimble turns to leave we see a PATIENT waiting to be
called. On his lap we see a prosthetic arm. Kimble looks up
from the arm to the man.
PATIENT
Good morning.
KIMBLE
Good morning.
As he turns to leave we hear:
ROBERTS (V.O.)
Don't underestimate this guy...
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER - SURGEONS' LOCKER ROOM - DAY
Dr. Roberts from the party, talks to Biggs and Gerard as he
takes off scrubs to get into shower.
ROBERTS
R.K.'s one smart, cold sonofabitch...
He did her, no question.
CUT TO:
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - BASEMENT - DAY
Kimble moves down the hallway containing the janitor's
locker room. Janitors move in and out the door.
INT. KIMBLE'S OLD HOUSE - DAY
Gerard walks through Kimble's house. The art and most of
the furniture is gone. Books are in boxes and shopping
bags around the room. Plastic covers the remaining pieces
of furniture.
Gerard stares at the empty walls. Shadows on the walls show
where the art once hung. Gerard pauses, tries to absorb the
place. He takes a book from one of the bags and looks at it.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - JANITOR'S ROOM - DAY
Kimble moves past the lockers, racks and boxes of cleaning
supplies, stops at a board listing work schedules, vacation
leaves, locker numbers. Behind him a LOCKER SLAMS. As a
janitor moves off to the showers we see his locker did not
close but remains slightly ajar from the impact.
INT. JANITOR'S LOCKER ROOM - CLOSE ON LOCKER - DAY
Door opens revealing the janitor's clip on I.D. hanging
from a green shirt. Kimble steals it.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
Gerard looks at the two detectives.
GERARD
Gentlemen, I appreciate the
cooperation of the Chicago police...
He moves toward them.
CUT TO:
INT. CLOTHING STORE - DAY
A SALESMAN stands on ladder looking through pants sizes.
SALESMAN
Did you say, 38/34?
KIMBLE
No. 34/34.
ANGLE ON SALES COUNTER
WHAP. A folded pair of green janitor's pants drops onto the
counter in front of Kimble. He already has the green shirt
to the uniform.
INT. SELF-SERVE PHOTO BOOTH - CLOSE ON RICHARD KIMBLE - DAY
Photographed.
ANGLE - SIDE OF THE BOOTH
Kimble takes the finished photos from the delivery tray.
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - DAY
RENFRO
Was there anything in your initial
investigation that would make you
think Kimble would come back to
Chicago.
ROSSETTI
The man definitely has friends here.
GERARD
What about lady friends?
KELLY
Not that we found.
CUT TO:
INT. SALVATION ARMY STORE - CLOSE ON APARTMENT NOTICE - DAY
A card on a community bulletin board advertises a basement
apartment for rent.
BIGGS (V.O.)
What about the man he claimed
attacked his wife?
Kimble pulls the notice from the board as we -
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHALS' OFFICE - DAY
Kelly and Rossetti share a look, a smile.
KELLY
Right... You ever been downwind of a
stockyard when the breeze is
blowing? That's where we were
sitting when Richard Kimble told that
one...
CUT TO:
EXT. POLISH LADY'S APARTMENT - DAY
Kimble knocks at door. It is opened to reveal a PUNK KID,
18-20. He calls to someone O.S.
CUT TO:
INT. POLISH WOMAN'S BASEMENT - DAY
A light comes on and an OLD POLISH WOMAN, her stockings
rolled down her shins, leads the way down the basement
stairs. The Punk Kid stands at the top of the stairs,
watches Kimble.
ROSETTI (V.O.)
We found nothing.
The Polish woman shows him a spare but sufficient bed and
nightstand set up. She points to door leading up to the
street.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE WOMAN'S BASEMENT - AFTERNOON
Kimble also at work at the bedside table. He carefully cuts
out his do-it-yourself photograph and places it over the
existing photograph on the hospital I.D. The name on the
I.D. says: Desmondo Jose Ruiz. Then he places a thin piece
of lamination plastic and trims the edges.
Kimble defaces the plastic to give it rough look, then
examines the finished product not bad.
INT. MARSHALS' OFFICE - DAY
KELLY (O.S.)
If this guy existed believe me
someone would've found him.
ON GERARD
He raises an eyebrow.
CUT TO:
INT. DR. NICHOLS' OFFICE - CLOSE ON FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH - DAY
Of medical residents. Two photographs next to each other. A
young Richard Kimble and Charles Nichols.
NICHOLS (O.S.)
Richard Kimble... I saw him two
days ago.
WE PULL BACK to see: Gerard studying the photos. Renfro
looks up like someone's bitten him. He, Biggs and Gerard are
in Nichols' administrative office. Gleaming. Filled with
awards and photos of Nichols and influential people. Nichols
hangs up his lab coat and slips back into his suitcoat. He
shows no sign of nervousness.
NICHOLS
He stopped me in my car. I gave him
some money.
GERARD
Where was this?
NICHOLS
Outside our tennis -
(correcting himself)
- my tennis club.
Gerard moves around Nichols' office taking in the details.
GERARD
Did he ask you for help?
NICHOLS
I volunteered. He wouldn't accept
it.
GERARD
Why do you think he came back to
Chicago?
NICHOLS
He didn't tell me.
GERARD
I didn't ask you that, sir. I'm sure
he was trying to protect you from
having to lie for him.
Gerard continues to move around the room, study prints,
books, drawings, awards and photos.
GERARD
If you're really his friend, you'll
help us bring him in unharmed.
NICHOLS
Why, so he can go back to prison?
If you want help, gentlemen, you've
come to the wrong man.
Gerard finds a photo of Nichols and a gleaming Ferrari.
GERARD
Dr. Nichols, last year the U.S.
Marshals' office closed out 11,003
warrants... 10,975 of those were
captured. The twenty-eight others
thought they were smarter than
us... Now they're dead.
(re: the photo)
Nice car.
Gerard puts the photo down.
EXT. NICHOLS' OFFICE - DAY
Gerard and his deputies leave Nichols' outer office.
Gerard clearly feels he's come to the right man.
GERARD
Stay on him.
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble mopping the trauma room hallway. The hallway elbows
around a corner and Kimble stands less than ten feet from
a door that is marked: "PROSTHETIC CLINIC"
He watches a technician leave the clinic and mops closer to
the doorway, and fails to see an attractive WOMAN DOCTOR
with white coat and stethoscope draped around her neck turn
the corner behind him ant step on the freshly mopped
section.
Head down, she is completely absorbed in a file and doesn't
see the wet floor until she slips slightly, looks up but
keeps walking.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Where's Rudy?
KIMBLE
They said he's sick.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Didn't they tell you to put up the
sign?
KIMBLE
Uhhh. No they didn't.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Put up the 'wet floor' sign before
someone gets hurt.
She keeps going.
KIMBLE
(mumbles)
Asshole.
She looks back at Kimble.
WOMAN DOCTOR
What did you say?
KIMBLE
Nothing.
Anne keeps moving off toward trauma hall. He watches her
turn the corner to the trauma hallway.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - NIGHT
Kimble enters the dimly lit prosthetics lab.
He moves silently among the casts and prosthetics of arms,
hands, legs hanging from the ceiling. Cables and electronic
equipment are on the counters.
He leaves the lab and moves into the office section of the
Prosthetic Clinic. He passes a computer room and finally
reaches the office. He is about to enter when a woman's
voice stops him.
WOMAN (O.S.)
Hey, Ricky... Weren't you just in
here?
Kimble turns to see a PROSTHETIC TECHNICIAN. A large woman
with glasses. She stands with a partially finished
prosthetic arm.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S OLD HOUSE - NIGHT
The one-armed man's arm coming off in the fight.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC (BACK TO PRESENT)
TECHNICIAN
Sorry, I thought you were Ricky.
KIMBLE
(stumbling)
No... I've got to clean the blinds
in the office. Want me to wait till
you're finished?
TECHNICIAN
Naw... I'm going to be here all
night. You won't bother me.
She slips on a pair of headphones and goes back to work.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC OFFICE - LATER
Kimble cleaning the blinds, keeps an eye on the Technician
who is listening to music on her Walkman. She is carefully
painting a section of the arm. Not watching Kimble.
CUT TO:
CLOSE ON FILE DRAWER
Opened.
BACK TO SCENE
Nimble looks over his shoulder. The Technician doesn't see
him.
A Prosthetic Clinic Operations Manual is removed from shelf.
Photographs of prosthetic arms. Kimble shifts the materials
into his clothes, closes his coat and suddenly he stops.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - ANGLE ON ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Kimble waits for the elevator. The folders in his uniform
shift and he tries to rearrange them. When he turns back
we see Anne Eastman beside him. Her I.D. says:
"ANNE EASTMAN". She sees him doing the rearranging.
The elevator arrives. They step into:
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Anne moves to the back. Kimble on the other side.
ANNE (WOMAN DOCTOR)
Hey, how're you doing?
KIMBLE
Fine.
ANNE
You find that sign?
KIMBLE
Yes, I did.
ANNE
You called me an asshole.
KIMBLE
Excuse me. I was having a bad
shift.
They laugh. They reach ground level and step out together.
ANNE
You worked at other hospitals?
KIMBLE
Lots of them over the years. Here,
long ago. Hasn't changed much.
ANNE
I bet it hasn't. See you.
They part ways. Kimble continues out the door. Anne stops
and watches him leave.
INT. EL TRAIN - NIGHT
Kimble sits on the night train going home. He begins looking
at his information.
INT. KIMBLE'S BASEMENT ROOM - DAY
Afternoon light comes in Kimble's basement windows. Sheets
of Prosthetic Clinic patient material are spread over
Kimble's bed, floor. Kimble searches through the documents,
making notes. He studies photos of attachments. Cable
attachments. Joints. Electronics. Pins. straps... looking
for a key to the identity of the one-armed man.
Finally he stops. He finds the flyer in his pocket, puts it
on the bedside table and moves to sink. He wets a towel and
covers his face.
Draws a cool damp breath. Lays back on bed amid the
Prosthetic Clinic material.
FLASHBACK - FIGHT
Kimble pulls the arm. It separates in the one-armed man's
sleeve. Wrenches. Dis-articulates.
FLASHBACK - ONE-ARMED MAN
Reacts in pain. Again. (NOTE: We sense Kimble's mind
returning to something. Getting closer to the key...)
FLASHBACK - ONE-ARMED MAN
Escaping the bedroom. We hear his FOOTSTEPS DOWN the
STAIRS... a DOOR SLAM. FOOTSTEPS again.
Another DOOR SLAMS, but this time the sound is distinctly
different... a CAR DOOR.
INT. KIMBLE'S BASEMENT ROOM (BACK TO PRESENT)
Kimble yanks the wet rag from his face, his senses alert.
Listening, he hears: FOOTSTEPS are real, just outside and
MOVING TOWARD him.
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY
A car door slams. We see unmarked police cars pulling up in
front of the apartment. Cops are moving toward the house.
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
Kimble turns off his light, moves from the bed to the window.
Carefully looks out:
KIMBLE'S POV
Unmarked police cars in front of the house, looking, moving
his way.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble moves instinctively to the back door.
He starts to open it but through the dirty window, he sees
the back courtyard covered by more cops.
Kimble moves back toward the front. Unsure of his next move,
he's sweating, preparing for the worst.
He watches the TAC team charge the house but instead of
charging through the basement door they move up the front
steps and into the house overhead.
Overhead he hears the SCREAMING from the arresting cops.
KIMBLE'S POV - BACK STEPS
Kimble SEES the Punk Kid try to escape out the back. He
runs, sees cops and runs toward Kimble's basement door,
actually reaching it before he is caught by the cops and
pulled away.
KIMBLE
Moves toward the front window and watches cops lead the
Punk Kid out to the car.
POLICE RADIOS call the other cops to stand down.
Kimble moves slowly to his front door. Looks out.
KIMBLE'S POV
Cops put the young man into an unmarked police car. His
grandmother, the Polish woman, follows them, crying.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble leans against the wall, exhausted.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble carries his cleaning tray down busy hallway just
outside of the Prosthetic Clinic and stops.
KIMBLE'S POV
Two cops talk outside the Prosthetic Clinic.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble backs to a safe place in the trauma hallway to wait
for them to leave.
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH STREET POLICE DISTRICT HOUSE - DETECTIVES ROOM - NIGHT
The Punk Kid is handcuffed to a bench as a cop works on a
report. Suddenly the Kid notices something that gets his
attention.
KID'S POV
A wanted poster of Kimble over the cop's head.
BACK TO SCENE
The Kid sees - Wanted for Murder - realizes who it is.
PUNK KID
(to cop)
Hey. Hey! I know that guy!
The cop looks up, sees Kimble's poster and then back at the
Kid.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble moves toward prosthetic clinic. In passing through
the trauma hallway he becomes aware of a crisis developing.
A major accident has happened, victims are being brought in.
The P.A. CALLS for doctors. STATIC.
ANGLE ON FAR END OF TRAUMA HALLWAY
Elevator doors open as orderlies bring in new patients.
Some walk, some are helped by family and police. Nurses
direct traffic.
Orders fly. Medicines are called. Family members yell for
doctors. Ask for the injured. Anne picks up the pace with
an ORDERLY wheeling a gurney carrying a young patient,
a BOY.
ANNE
What happened?
ORDERLY
A bus flipped off the overpass. Got
at least twenty more coming in.
ANNE
What about this one here?
ORDERLY
Fractured sternum. X-ray's coming
up.
Anne checks the boy's chart.
ANNE
Okay, we've got to get some room
in this hallway, people.
Orderlies quickly move the non-life-threatening patients out
of the hall. Still more help is needed. Anne spots Kimble.
ANNE
Hey, take this one up the hall to
Critical Care.
Kimble nods. Anne moves to another patient.
Kimble grabs the kid's gurney and begins wheeling it up the
hall. As he pushes he looks at the kid's X-rays.
Anne looks up, barks another order, then suddenly sees Kimble
pushing the gurney and looking at the film.
ANNE
Tries to negotiate through the incoming patients to get a
better look, but Kimble is gone. She goes back to work.
ON KIMBLE
He wheels the Boy's gurney into an elevator. The doors
close.
INT. HOSPITAL - O.R. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Kimble wheels the gurney down the hall and stops the Boy
on the scrub threshold to the O.R. and stops a SURGEON.
KIMBLE
Hey. Hey!
A Surgeon pauses and eyes Kimble's janitor suit and the
gurney.
KIMBLE
They just sent this one up.
He takes a look at the Boy's chart and grabs the X-rays and
yells to O.R. nurse.
SURGEON
Bob! Get this one into room four,
stat.
He looks up, Kimble is gone.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble enters the Prosthetic Clinic computer room. The
Technician from the day before is listening to her Walkman,
sees Kimble and waves. Kimble waves back and turns into the
glass-walled computer room and closes the door.
He closes the blinds and turns on the computer.
CUT TO:
INT. CRITICAL CARE UNIT - NIGHT
The crisis has wound down. Anne moves into the room and
begins checking patients. She stops a unit nurse, GLADYS.
ANNE
Gladys, where's the boy I sent down
with the janitor?
GLADYS
What boy?
ANNE
The one with the fractured sternum.
GLADYS
He never came in here.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble scans DOS files, each an eight-letter enigma. Finds
one with promise and loads it up.
KIMBLE
Wrong...
He backs up and tries another file.
"CLIENT DEMOGRAPHIC ORGANIZER SEARCH BY: AGE, SEX, RACE,
LIMB, OR OTHER?"
Kimble knows he's got it.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
Kimble keys in these responses:
"SEX: MALE"
AGE: 35-50
RACE: CAUCASIAN
LIMB: RIGHT ARM
OTHER: POINT OF REPLACEMENT: MID HUMERUS"
INT. OPERATING ROOM WING - NIGHT
Anne comes out of the stairwell and stops the Surgeon we
saw with Kimble.
ANNE
Dave, did you see a janitor come up
here earlier?
SURGEON
Yeah, he brought a kid up.
(handing her the chart)
Anne, did you write the orders? I
couldn't make out the signature...
ANNE
I saw -
SURGEON
(in a hurry now)
Whoever did knew what the hell he
was doing. Kid's a hair away from
a ruptured aorta.
He heads to the operating room, leaving her stunned. She
stares at the scrawled orders.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
A "PLEASE WAIT" message appears on the screen. We hear the
COMPUTER PROCESSING, searching, narrowing.
The screen flashes:
"NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: 75
DO YOU WISH TO SUBDIVIDE?"
KIMBLE
Seventy-five. Hell, yes.
Kimble types in another defining characteristic...
Residence: Illinois.
Again he waits. Rattles the blinds to make it seem like he's
cleaning. The list shortens.
"NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: 21"
KIMBLE
What else?
MEMORY HIT - INT. CHICAGO COURTROOM - DAY
Prosecutor stands before the jury.
PROSECUTOR
... murdering Helen Wills Kimble the night of January 20...
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
Kimble types in: "Candidates having adjustment appointments
between January 21, and February 1, 1993."
Kimble waits. Sixty-five names come up. Again too many.
Kimble's reached a dead end.
Kimble thinks.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The fight with the One-Armed Man.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - BACK TO SCENE ON KIMBLE
Something has clicked in his memory.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble stands beneath the hanging artificial limbs. He
takes down an arm, works the joint.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimble fights the One-Armed Man. He wrenches the man's
prosthetic arm.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - CLOSER ON ARM
He moves it again. Harder, at an awkward angle.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - TIGHTER ON ONE-ARMED MAN'S
ARM - NIGHT
Kimble wrenches the arm...
INT. PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - CLOSE ON ARM
The joint strains.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - CLOSE ON ONE-ARMED MAN'S ARM
Kimble wrenches it and it BREAKS.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC OFFICE - CLOSE ON PROSTHETIC MANUAL - NIGHT
A detailed diagram of arm construction.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Kimble makes notes.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Anne rides the elevator back to trauma. She's thinking.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - CLOSE ON COMPUTER SCREEN - NIGHT
Joint repair list between January 21-April 21... Five names
come up with Greater Chicago addresses.
Kimble hits print. The MACHINE begins PRINTING. Kimble
looks up at the Prosthetic Clinic Technician - she is
listening to her headphones, can't hear the printer. He
continues to shake the blinds.
EXT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC/TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble leaves Prosthetic Clinic and starts down the hall
for the exit when a voice stops him.
ANNE (O.S.)
Do you have a particular interest in
our patients' x-rays?
Kimble turns to see Anne coming toward him.
KIMBLE
What do you mean?
ANNE
I saw you looking at that boy's
chest film.
She moves in on him. He eyes the exit.
KIMBLE
It's a hobby of mine -
ANNE
What other hobbies do you have?
Brain surgery?
KIMBLE
What do you want?
She reaches him.
ANNE
I want to know how that kid ended
up in surgery.
KIMBLE
I'm a janitor. I did what I was
told.
ANNE
Bullshit. Who changed those orders?
They hold a look. She knows. He takes a step back and she
pulls his I.D.
ANNE
You stand right here. I'm calling
security.
Kimble runs. Anne turns to call security but doesn't.
She stares after Kimble.
CUT TO:
INT. POLISH WOMAN'S BASEMENT - NIGHT
Kimble's room being searched by the marshals. Gerard finds
the flyer Kimble was handed on his way out the door. On it
we see: COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL.
CUT TO:
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - CLOSE ON KIMBLE'S I.D. - DAY
Anne and Gerard stand in the hallway. Gerard studies the I.D.
GERARD
A man posing as a janitor orders an
emergency operation and all you do
is pull his I.D.?
ANNE
(firmly)
A little boy's alive today because
he did something.
Gerard watches her eyes carefully.
GERARD
So, you weren't aware that when he
escaped he was being transported to
Menard State Prison to begin a term
of life imprisonment.
ANNE
For what?
GERARD
For murdering his wife.
Clearly this is news to Anne. Gerard almost smiles at her
surprise.
GERARD
Thank you for your help, Doctor.
He moves to the position Anne saw Kimble with the kid's
gurney. Trying to imagine what Kimble was doing at that
place. Renfro and the other deputies converge.
RENFRO
What I can't figure is, if you were
Kimble, why'd you take a major
league chance of hanging around a
trauma ward?
Gerard considers this as a Man passes him. Gerard notices
something.
RENFRO
The place would be crawling with cops.
Slowly Gerard separates from the group of deputies and
follows the Man down the hall.
The Man Gerard is following turns the corner to the
Prosthetic hallway and realizing Gerard is following him,
holds the hallway door open for Gerard.
MAN
Can I help you find something?
GERARD
Thank you, sir, I think you already
have.
We see the Man has a prosthetic arm and that they are outside
the door marked: "PROSTHETIC CLINIC"
INT. PHONE BOOTH - MORNING
Restaurant deserted at this hour. Kimble makes calls.
KIMBLE
Yes... This is Dr. Elway at Cook
County. I'm doing follow-up work for
the Prosthetic Clinic on Matthew
Zelick...
(beat)
He did... I'm terribly sorry. No,
I'll correct our files. Thank you.
He scratches through another name. Three left. He dials
another number.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - MORNING
Gerard and his deputies inside the Prosthetic Clinic.
Artificial limbs are being tested, fitted. A technician
fits a demonstration model on Biggs while Gerard and Poole
work with the director of the institute and a data operator
at the computer.
GERARD
The onearmed man. Missing the right or left hand?
POOLE
Right.
The operator enters that information. Dropping the number to
250... as Poole continues.
POOLE
... age 35-45...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Kimble on phone. He hangs up and scratches through another
name. Two left. He dials another number.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - DAY
Poole looks up from her file to the computer screen. The
number drops to 117...
GERARD
Location of the attachment.
POOLE
(from the report)
Mid-humerus.
INT. PHONE BOOTH - CLOSE ON KIMBLE'S LIST - DAY
The next name is "Clive Driscoll." Kimble on phone, waits
for answer.
KIMBLE (O.S.)
Hello... looking for your brother,
Clive. This is Ted Riley with the
high school reunion committee.
Believe it or not, 25 years is just
around the corner, and Clive's on
our list of lost souls. Information
gave me a number, but when I tried
it...
WIDER to reveal Kimble on the pay phone. The scrap of paper
is his list-of-five.
KIMBLE
No kidding?... Armed robbery.
(forced laughter)
He's where?
CUT TO:
INT. COMPUTER ROOM - DAY
Gerard looks at the screen. The number drops to 20.
RENFRO
It could take us a week to track
down every one of those names.
Gerard picks up phone and dials a number.
GERARD
(into phone)
Stevens... I've got a list of names
I want searched for criminal history.
CUT TO:
EXT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
Kimble stands on a sidewalk, staring at the imposing edifice
across the street. After a here-we-go breath, he starts
through traffic.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Kimble waits for an elevator. It opens to reveal a pack of
staring COPS.
ELEVATOR COP
(catching door)
Comin' or not?
Forcing his feet to move, Kimble boards...
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - ELEVATOR - DAY
... and pivots quickly. Elevator rises. Floor-indicator moves
deathly slow.
Kimble feels the breath of a dozen COPS on his neck. And just
when his floor is mercifully about to arrive...
Overhead lights flicker, and the elevator jars to a stop
between floors.
COPS
Aw, shit... Not now... Anybody
bring a deck of cards?
Abruptly they're moving again. Kimble's heart restarts with
the elevator.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - VISITATION AREA - DAY
CLEARING OFFICER
(to visitor)
Booth Three. No hands on the glass.
Five minutes maximum. Be advised that
under a Federal court ruling your
conversation can be recorded. Next.
"Next" is Kimble. He steps to the counter.
CLEARING OFFICER
Name of inmate?
KIMBLE
Clive Driscoll.
The Clearing Officer spins his clipboard around.
CLEARING OFFICER
Sign here, print your name, address,
and relationship to inmate below.
(into mike)
Two-zero-ten. Driscoll, Clive R.
(to Kimble)
Be about five minutes. You can wait
in the hall.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - MAIN LOBBY - DAY
Gerard and Biggs cross the lobby and stop in front of the
desk; flash their U.S. Marshal's ID.
GERARD
(to clerk)
We need to see a prisoner.
DESK CLERK
Fifth floor.
Gerard and Biggs head for the bank of elevators.
BIGGS
It's hinky. Man risks everything to
find a man his own investigators
say doesn't exist. Something's really
hinky about this thing.
Gerard looks at Biggs as they reach the elevators.
GERARD
I hate that word.
He hits the up button.
CUT TO:
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - VISITATION AREA - DAY
Clearing Officer looks down the hall.
CLEARING OFFICER
Visitor for Driscoll...?
Kimble is on his feet.
CLEARING OFFICER
Booth seven. No hands on the glass. Be advised...
The Clearing Officer, head down, drones on - doesn't notice
Kimble is already gone.
Kimble strides down the row of chairs, rounds the last
partition to reach booth seven - and to stare at the
one-armed man, DRISCOLL, who waits there.
DRISCOLL
So who are you?
CUT TO:
MEMORY HIT - FACE OF HELEN'S KILLER
CUT TO:
BACK TO SCENE
Driscoll's face is different. Driscoll is a black man.
KIMBLE
Sorry. I made a mistake.
DRISCOLL
Shit, that's okay. Stick around a
few minutes, talk about whatever you
want...
But Kimble is gone. Driscoll calls after him.
DRISCOLL
... They're not exactly wired for
cable downstairs, y'know?
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - CORRIDOR - DAY
Kimble exits the visitor's area. He sees another crowd of
COPS around the elevator again, opts for the door marked:
"STAIRS"
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Biggs and Gerard wait for the elevator. Finally Gerard's
had enough.
GERARD
Where're the damn stairs?
BIGGS
It's five flights!
GERARD
Then you wait.
He finds the door and starts up.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - STAIRWELL - DAY
Kimble descending. Doors open and close throughout the
stairwell but the traffic is light...
INTERCUT WITH:
GERARD
Climbing the stairs. He reaches a landing - and skims
shoulders with Kimble, who pivots past on his way down.
Amazingly, neither man reacts. Not yet.
One flight above, Gerard's subconscious taps him on the
shoulder and brings him to a dead stop. He leans over the
stairwell railing to spy...
Kimble spiraling downward. From this vantage, it could be
any dark-haired man. But still...
GERARD
(a quick probe)
Kimble.
Others look up out of curiosity... but not Kimble. Two
landings below, he falters a step, then tries to regain
his step, keeps moving.
But Gerard is pulling his Glock: The hitch in Kimble's
stride told him everything.
GERARD
Kimble!
Kimble blitzes down the stairs. Gerard moves after him.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Kimble throws open a fire door and starts across the lobby.
Sees two cops, quickly approaches.
KIMBLE
Officers - there's a man in the
stairwell waving a gun and
screaming.
The two cops rush to stairs and Kimble immediately moves
toward the doors, fast but not running. Hoping to cloak
himself in civilians.
ANGLE ON ELEVATORS
Biggs' elevator has finally arrived and emptied. He lets a
woman on in front of him, oblivious to...
Kimble moving...
The revolving exit doors loom nearer ant nearer.
INT. STAIRWELL - DAY
The two cops see Gerard. Gerard holds up his badge.
GERARD
U.S. Marshal! Get on the phone, call
your commander, tell him there's a
top-fifteen warrant in the building.
Go.
He shoves the cops out of the way and pounds downstairs.
INT. LOBBY - DAY
Kimble closing in on the door when suddenly a KLAXON HORN
sounds.
People stop in confusion. Automatically, the exit doors
begin closing. Biggs pushes his way off the elevator.
Kimble breaks into a sprint for the door.
GERARD
Bursts out the stairwell door after Kimble.
GERARD
Kimble. Stop!
But there's only one way of stopping Kimble.
KIMBLE
Enters the revolving doors as a big man enters from the
outside. The big man sizes up the situation, realizes Kimble
is fleeing and just before Kimble exits - yanks on the door
- trapping him partially inside the revolving door.
Other doors seal electronically. Biggs charges back, sees
Gerard.
Kimble fights the heavy glass door. The big man resists -
but slowly the crack widens. Gerard bulls through the crowd,
shoves a man out of his line of fire.
GERARD
Down. down. everybody down!
With adrenal effort, Kimble wrings his body through the
opening...
EXT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
... and makes it outside - except for his foot - caught like
in a bear trap, as the door locks down. Harrowed, Kimble looks
back over his shoulder at...
Gerard. Charging the glass doors. Civilians suck marble and
clear out of Gerard's line of fire on Kimble. Gerard takes aim.
GERARD
Kimble. Stop!
It's Kimble's nightmare coming true. If he could chew off his
leg right now, he would. He pulls at his foot just as
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
Gerard FIRES seven times in two seconds.
Kimble goes down. SHOTS and SCREAMS ECHO around the lobby. A
long beat, then Gerard rises. THROUGH GLASS studded with
bullet holes, he sees...
Kimble rising... staring back. Equally astounded that he's
alive. He runs free.
GERARD
Open the doors!
Gerard pounds against the doors. Sees cratering in the
glass - and then sees flattened slugs all over the floor.
It's bullet-proof glass. THROUGH the glass he sees Kimble
rush across the street and disappear into the parade.
Doors open and Gerard and his men follow.
But Kimble has disappeared into the parade celebrations
outside. Blending in with the marchers.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOTEL - MORNING
Kimble leaves a cheap hotel early the next morning. He wears
a new set of clothes - jeans, sport coat and tie - than the
day before, and the black hair coloring has been rinsed from
his hair. He moves down the street.
INT. BAR - MORNING
Kimble uses a pay phone and stares through the window.
KIMBLE'S POV - APARTMENT HOUSE
Across the street.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
Inside the apartment the PHONE RINGS. No one is home.
INT. BAR - MORNING
The PHONE RINGS nine, ten times. As Kimble waits he looks
down at his list of five. The only name remaining is
Fredrick Sykes.
He looks down the street - it seems clear - then his focus
shifts to a man carrying two coffees. He approaches a car
parked along the curb. The passenger - a woman - leans
across the seat and opens the door for him.
He hands her a cup of coffee and as he starts to climb in,
he shifts something on his hip - we see the butt of a
handgun.
Kimble hangs up and leaves through the back door.
EXT. REAR OF SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
Kimble moves across the roof and drops to fire escape behind
Sykes' apartment. He looks in the window, steps back to see
if anyone is looking, then pulls his fist back into his
sleeve and with one swift pop, BREAKS the GLASS.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - KITCHEN - MORNING
No sound. Slowly he moves into...
HALLWAY
Moving first toward the living room. The apartment is
modest.
He stops by a photograph of a teenage girl. Another is a
boy in football uniform. The next one is a man in a
police uniform. Kimble freezes.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble struggles with the one-armed man.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING (PRESENT)
Kimble struggles to recall the man's face. It could be him.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Kimble searching for clues to Sykes' identity. He opens
closets, wardrobe, bureau... reopens a drawer. There, in the
bottom he finds an old prosthetic arm.
CUT TO:
ANGLE - DESK
Kimble looking through Sykes' desk drawers finds a package
of photographs. He opens them and quickly flips through.
INSERT - PHOTOGRAPHS
A group of men on a business/vacation junket stand around a
large sportfish hung from the dock. Kimble keeps flipping
through, suddenly stops and backs up and we see what stopped
him: The smiling face of Dr. Alexander Lentz.
MEMORY HIT - INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Nichols introduces Kimble to Lentz.
NICHOLS
Richard... Alex Lentz.
CLOSE ON PHOTOGRAPHS - MORNING (PRESENT)
There are three photos of Lentz. Kimble slowly pulls one out
of the pack. As he slides it out we see a fish and on the
other side we see... Sykes, wearing a prosthetic arm.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble struggles with intruder. This time we see his face
clearly. It is Sykes.
INSERT - PHOTOGRAPHS (PRESENT)
Kimble flips back to the earlier group photos and we see a
Devlin-MacGregor banner over the group shot.
KIMBLE
Looks up. He's found the man he's looking for but also a new
possibility - that the murder wasn't just a random act of
violence.
Kimble digs through Sykes' top desk drawer. His mind reeling.
He stops:
CLOSE ON PAYCHECK STUBS
The Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceutical logo in the top right
corner. Payroll level four: Security.
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - MORNING
PHONE RINGS. SECRETARY answers it.
SECRETARY
U.S. Marshal's office...
Her expression changes to shock.
CUT TO:
INT. MARSHAL'S OFFICE HALLWAY - MORNING
Gerard is moving down the hall with a cup of coffee when
the Secretary appears at a door.
SECRETARY
It' 9 Kimble on line three.
Gerard moves quickly down the hall, mobilizing his troops
as he runs...
GERARD
Renfro, Biggs...
They follow him into...
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
Gerard moves to phone as TECHNICIAN gives him nod he's
ready. Gerard answers the phone and the trace begins.
Renfro supervises.
GERARD
This is Gerard.
KIMBLE (V.O.)
(beat)
Do you remember what I told you in
the tunnel?
GERARD
You told me, you didn't kill your
wife.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - CLOSE ON KIMBLE - MORNING
KIMBLE
Remember what you said to me?
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
Gerard is calm.
GERARD
I remember you were pointing my gun
at me.
KIMBLE (V.O.)
You said, 'I don't care.'
ON TRACING EQUIPMENT
The numbers rush down. Technician reads the first set
to Renfro.
TECHNICIAN
(a whisper)
He's on the southside.
ON GERARD
GERARD
That's right, Kimble... I'm not
trying to solve a puzzle here. I'm
just the poor working man that's
paid to hunt you down.
The room is filling up with deputies. Poole, Biggs,
Stevens, Newman.
Gerard watches the numbers as the second digit locks in.
RENFRO
(low)
He's in Pullman area... Fifteen
seconds for location.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - CLOSE ON KIMBLE - MORNING
KIMBLE
Well, I am trying to solve the
puzzle, Gerard and I just found a
piece.
Kimble takes the phone and bangs it down onto a table and
we realize he is in Sykes' kitchen.
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
The sound startles Gerard.
TECHNICIAN
Three seconds.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
GERARD (V.O.)
Kimble?
Kimble leaves the phone on the table and walks out.
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
GERARD
(into phone)
You can't control this thing,
Kimble... Kimble?
He thinks he hears FOOTSTEPS over the phone, realizes Kimble
has not hung up. What's Kimble doing?
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Where is he?
Renfro looks up from the address to Gerard, stunned.
RENFRO
(incredulous)
Holy shit. We've got a car there
right now.
He picks up a phone.
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - ANGLE - POLICE CAR - MORNING
The two cops receive a radio report about Kimble and
quickly exit their car. They rush toward Sykes' building.
ANGLE - BACK ALLEY
While they move into the apartment, we see Kimble, fully
aware of them, slip away down the alley.
INT. EL TRAIN - MORNING
CLOSE ON LIST: Sykes. Lentz. Devlin-MacGregor. R.D.U.90.
Lines draw connections.
MEMORY HIT - INT. OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble and Chief Resident work feverishly to save patient.
KIMBLE
This an R.D.U.90 patient?
Kimble looks up at the Resident as we...
CUT TO:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
CLOSE ON TELEPHONE RECEIVER. It BUZZES off the hook.
POOLE (V.O.)
Name is Fredrick Sykes. 45. Ex cop .
A hand comes INTO FRAME ant replaces the receiver on the
cradle. We WIDEN to find: Gerard. We see technicians
dusting room for prints. A FORENSIC TECH approaches Gerard.
FORENSIC TECH
Inspector, we're ready for you to
look at this.
The Forensic Tech sits at desk.
FORENSIC TECH
Kimble's prints are all over the
apartment, but the concentration
is here.
The Tech takes out the check stubs, some papers; the pack
of photos.
INSERT - PHOTOS
The Tech flips through the pack, stops on the Lentz/Sykes
photos.
FORENSIC TECH
He flips through the pack but
paused here.
He hands the Lentz/Sykes photo.
GERARD
Let me see the negatives.
The Tech hands him the strip of negative film. Gerard holds
it up to the light.
GERARD
One's missing.
Gerard stares at the photo as his RADIO SQUAWKS.
BIGGS (V.O.)
(on radio)
Here he comes...
CUT TO:
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - SIDEWALK - DAY
Fredrick Sykes, the one-armed man, comes down the side
walk. He passes a car and hears the door open behind him.
Biggs climbs out of the car and falls into step behind him.
Sykes hears the footsteps but moves on up the stoop and
starts to enter his apartment, notices the front door
already open.
Cops and Marshals in his house. Processing a crime scene.
SYKES
What the hell's going on here?
Who are you people?
He steps...
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
... sees Gerard in the kitchen. Gerard stares at Sykes.
GERARD
You had a break-in, Mr. Sykes.
SYKES
You a cop?
GERARD
My name is Gerard. U.S. Marshal's
Office.
Sykes is caught off guard.
GERARD
This morning a fugitive named
Richard Kimble made a call from your
apartment.
Sykes is dumbfounded.
SYKES
Richard Kimble... I don't know a
Richard Kim -
Poole produces a photo of Kimble.
SYKES
Wait a minute... This is the doctor
who killed his wife... He claimed
the killer had a prosthetic limb.
You telling me he's coming after
me?
GERARD
Would he have a reason to?
SYKES
What the hell's that supposed to
mean? Because I have this?
He lifts his prosthetic arm and stares at Gerard. Gerard
holds his look.
SYKES
Look, a year ago some people came
to see me. They asked me questions
about the night of the murder and
I'll tell you the same thing I told
them. I wasn't even in town then.
I was on a business trip.
Gerard continues moving around the apartment.
GERARD
What kind of business are you in,
Mr. Sykes?
SYKES
Security.
GERARD
Independent?
SYKES
No, I work for a pharmaceutical
company. I handle security for its
top executives.
Gerard holds up one of the fishing photographs with Lentz.
GERARD
Any idea why Kimble would be
interested in these?
SYKES
No. Just some doctors on a company
junket.
Gerard puts the photos down with the one of Lentz on top.
Sykes eyes it.
SYKES
(annoyed)
Look, you mind if I talk to the cops
to see if anything's missing?
GERARD
By all means.
Sykes moves off and Gerard pockets the Lentz/Sykes photo.
CUT TO:
EXT. SYKES'S APARTMENT - DAY
Gerard crosses the street with Renfro and Biggs.
RENFRO
He's pulling our chain, Sam. If this
was the guy Kimble was looking for,
why call us?
GERARD
Kimble said he's putting together a
puzzle. We don't need to put it
together too, we just need to be
there when he gets to the next
piece.
Gerard stops and looks back at Sykes' apartment.
GERARD
Keep somebody on him. If he moves
I want to know.
CUT TO:
INT. MEDICAL LIBRARY - DAY
Kimble moves through large medical library and turns into
area marked: PHARMACOLOGY.
CUT TO:
CLOSE ON PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Pages turn as we get CLOSER on headings: "DRUGS PENDING
FDA APPROVAL..." Experimental and commercial names MOVE
PAST us... and at the end of the list we find: "PROVASIC
(RDU90) Developed by Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceuticals".
SECOND PERIODICAL - BUSINESS PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Kimble opens to article entitled: "DEVLIN-MACGREGOR
EXPECTS PAYDIRT WITH PROVASIC." "Pharmaceutical company
plans to go public on introduction of new drug, Provasic
(R.D.U.90)."
Kimble looks up. Now he knows why someone tried to kill
him. He gathers more Devlin-Macgregor information
including a prospectus, and leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. DOCTOR'S PHONE SERVICE - DAY
An OPERATOR answers a call.
OPERATOR
(into phone)
I'm sorry sir, Dr. Nichols is at a
medical conference at the Hilton.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LIBRARY - PAY PHONE - DAY
KIMBLE
It's very important I reach him.
INT. HILTON HOTEL HOSPITALITY SUITE - DAY
A meeting is underway around a board room table. An
ASSISTANT moves around the table and gives Nichols a
message with a number and "URGENT" written on it.
ASSISTANT
I'm sorry, sir, they said it was an
emergency.
Nichols excuses himself from the table.
EXT. MEDICAL LIBRARY PAY PHONE - DAY
Kimble answers a pay PHONE when it RINGS.
KIMBLE
(urgent)
Can you talk?
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HILTON HOTEL HOSPITALITY SUITE - DAY
Nichols on phone at the other end of the suite. The meeting
continues behind him. As soon as he hears Kimble's voice,
Nichols reacts.
NICHOLS
(low)
Richard. Yes... I'm on a hotel
phone. What's going on?
He eyes the group in the other room, moves around the corner
for more privacy. As he does we notice several of the men
watching. They exchange glances.
KIMBLE
I found him, Charlie. I found the
guy that killed Helen.
NICHOLS
(shocked)
What?
KIMBLE
It's all about a drug, Charlie. They
tried to kill me because of a drug.
NICHOLS
Who?
KIMBLE
Devlin-MacGregor and Lentz. Lentz
was supervising the R.D.U.90
protocol. He knew I'd found out the
drug had problems. It's Lentz.
NICHOLS
Richard, Lentz is dead. He died in
an auto accident last summer.
Kimble is stunned.
NICHOLS
Can you prove this about the drug?
KIMBLE
I need your help. Call Mr. Roosevelt
and tell him I'm coming in.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
The group of deputies and Gerard assemble around Gerard's
information board. They've come armed with facts and
theories. Gerard orchestrates the information.
RENFRO
If you were Richard Kimble... Why
would you hunt for a one-armed man
you think killed your wife; find
hint then leave him and call us?
POOLE
To throw us off his trail.
RENFRO
Unless... What if you were a well
respected surgeon and wanted to kill
your wife? How would you do it?
BIGGS
I'd hire a pro. Sight unseen.
POOLE
Set it up to look like a robbery
gone bad.
RENFRO
How would you find him? Look in the
phone book?
RENFRO
Through a connection.
POOLE
Maybe through a company you did some
business with.
BIGGS
Like a pharmaceutical company.
Someone in security.
NEWMAN
On the night of his wife's murder,
Kimble attended a hospital benefit
sponsored by Devlin-Macgregor
Pharmaceutical - Sykes' company.
Gerard places a Devlin-Macgregor card onto his board.
BIGGS
But Sykes claims he was out of town.
POOLE
And company records support that he
was on a business trip.
RENFRO
That's an easy fix. So let's say he
was in town. Did the job. Everything
goes as planned with one problem.
NEWMAN
Instead of looking like a robbery
gone bad, Kimble ends up being the
one accused...
BIGGS
... tried, convicted...
POOLE
... and the hit man gets away clean.
RENFRO
So Kimble returns to hunt for and
find the hit man.
NEWMAN
Why? To share the blame? He'd still
go to prison.
Gerard moves to the board. He takes down a card.
RENFRO
You're underestimating the power of
the good doctor. It would be his
word against... Sykes'. Who would
you believe?
BIGGS
So what does Kimble do next?
RENFRO
Get help.
Gerard pins the card to the board and looks at Renfro. It
says: "NICHOLS"
GERARD
Stevens, check phone records for
Sykes and Kimble.
Gerard moves to the door and Renfro follows. As he's
leaving he hands the photo of Lentz and Sykes to Biggs.
GERARD
Find out who this guy is.
He leaves. Biggs hands the photo to Newman.
NEWMAN
(deadpan)
Why do I get all the great jobs?
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - LOADING DOCK - DAY
Kimble enters the hospital through the loading dock.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL - MORGUE - DAY
MR. ROOSEVELT, an ancient research assistant, opens the
door to Kimble.
ROOSEVELT
It sure is good to see you again,
Dr. Kimble.
KIMBLE
You too, Roosevelt... Been a long
time.
Roosevelt closes the door behind them.
INT. TISSUE STORAGE - DAY
Roosevelt brings Kimble a file marked: "R.D.U.90"
ROOSEVELT
This is the R.D.U.90 file and
samples. Dr. Nichols said you
needed.
KIMBLE
Thanks, Roosevelt.
CUT TO:
INT. UNMARKED POLICE CAR - DAY
A cop stares up at Sykes' house from across the street.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
Sykes watches the cops in the car outside. He moves to the
phone and dials number.
EMERGENCY OPERATOR (V.O.)
Emergency operator.
SYKES
I want to report a fire; No, it's
not my place, it's a couple doors
down.
CUT TO:
INT. CMH HALLWAY/DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - DAY
Kimble moves down hall and quietly enters a small research
lab in the university. Dr. Wahlund sits behind her microscope
and doesn't see him until he touches her on the shoulder.
WAHLUND
(startled)
Oh, my God... Richard.
KIMBLE
I loaned you something once, Kath,
and I need them back.
CUT TO:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
Sykes, dressed in coat and tie, prepares to leave apartment.
Somewhere in the distance we hear: FIRE ENGINE SIRENS.
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
The cop stares at Sykes' window when suddenly we hear FIRE
SIRENS, and a pair of fire trucks turn onto the street and
pull up across the street from the unmarked car -blocking
the view of Sykes' house. Firemen climb down and move to a
nearby building. The street begins to fill up with people.
The cop stares at the commotion directly behind him. He
becomes so engrossed in the action like everyone else that
he fails to see Sykes, using the distraction, exit his
apartment and walk calmly away from the scene.
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - DAY
Newman studies the photograph of Lentz and Sykes under a
magnifying glass.
INSERT - CLOSE ON PHOTO OF LENTZ
We see the logo on Lentz' shirt says: "C M H"
EXT. EL STATION - PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Sykes stands at a phone booth, finishes a call, then moves
up the stairs to board an el train.
INT. HILTON HOTEL - DAY
A conference breaks up and Nichols moves down hallway.
He slows when he sees Gerard and Renfro waiting for him.
NICHOLS
Mr. Gerard.
GERARD
Doctor. Could I have a minute?
He opens the door to an empty meeting room.
INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY
Gerard, Nichols and Renfro. Nichols stares at a photo copy
of the Sykes and Lentz fishing photo.
RENFRO
He's a security specialist at
Devlin-Macgregor Pharmaceuticals.
Kimble broke into his apartment.
NICHOLS
I don't know him. You're getting
pretty desperate aren't you, Mr.
Gerard. I told you, you wouldn't
find Richard.
GERARD
(beat)
Dr. Kimble hasn't come back to you
for help, has he?
NICHOLS
No. And it seems like we've been
over this ground before. Now if
you'll excuse me.
Nichols moves to the door. Gerard looks again at the photo,
then stops him.
GERARD
Dr. Nichols. Do you know the other
man in the photograph?
Nichols stops, looks at Lentz and lies.
NICHOLS
I never saw him before.
He leaves. Gerard watches him.
Renfro looks down and sees flyer which says Nichols is
slated to talk that evening in the grand ballroom.
RENFRO
(reads)
"Advances in Nuclear Tissue and
Pathology Research," by Dr. Charles
Nichols.
(to Gerard)
I bet they line up to hear that one.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON
Newman and Biggs enter the hospital.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - AFTERNOON
MICROSCOPIC POV: Cell structure.
ON WAHLUND
She works the fluorescent stains. Makes notes.
Kimble helps load the next sample.
KIMBLE
Half the people in the study were
indigents. No follow-up, no baseline
on them. Who could say they didn't
come into the study with bad livers?
WAHLUND
The one on the right is one of the
samples you sent me. It shows a lot
of perriportal inflammation loaded
with eosinophils. When you see that
with the accumulation of bile it's
a classic for -
KIMBLE
- drug induced hepatitis.
WAHLUND
I'm impressed. Now look at this.
She positions a second slide.
WAHLUND
According to the study, this is a
slice from the same liver.
Kimble studies the slide. The tissue difference is markedly
different, clearer.
KIMBLE
Cold normal.
WAHLUND
Clearly not from the same tissue.
In fact.
She yields the microscope to Kimble.
WAHLUND
See this small area of bile duct
proliferation? Von Meyenberg's
Complex. Occurs in only 2% of the
population. But it's in every one
of your five samples.
Kimble looks up.
KIMBLE
That's statistically impossible.
WAHLUND
That's because they're all from the
same liver.
She smiles at Kimble.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
Newman shows the photo to a 40s clerk, BETTY. She looks at
the photo.
BETTY
His name's Lentz. A pathologist. I
only remember him because he died
last summer.
Biggs and Newman exchange a look.
NEWMAN
Anybody down in pathology who might
know something about the guy?
Betty looks at the clock, it's after 6 p.m. Dicey.
BETTY
It's kinda late to catch anyone,
but you might go by the morgue.
There's an old guy down there
who's been around forever.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON
Sykes steps off an elevator at Chicago Memorial Hospital.
And starts down a hall.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL MORGUE HALLWAY - DAY
Newman and Biggs move down the empty hallway... this long
shot has never felt longer. They find the morgue.
BIGGS
Just what I want to do before
dinner.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL MORGUE - DAY
Roosevelt working near the autopsy tables when the two
marshals enter.
NEWMAN
Are you Mr. Roosevelt?
ROOSEVELT
Yes.
BIGGS
We're United States Marshals. We're
trying to find out some information
about a pathologist, named Lentz. He
used to be on staff here.
Roosevelt suddenly goes on the defensive.
ROOSEVELT
He's dead.
NEWMAN
Yeah, we heard. We wanted to know if
he knew or had any contact with Dr.
Richard Kimble?
On the mention of Kimble, Roosevelt becomes visibly nervous.
ROOSEVELT
I... I haven't seen Dr. Kimble.
Biggs and Newman exchange a look.
NEWMAN
(a probe)
That's not what I asked, sir. I just
wanted to know if Dr. Kimble and Dr.
Lentz knew each other?
ROOSEVELT
I... I don't know. Excuse me, I got to go.
He moves away from the autopsy table. Biggs stops him.
BIGGS
I think you're lying to us.
Roosevelt looks from one marshal to the other as we:
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL - DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - AFTERNOON
As Kathy packs up evidence, Kimble looks through the reports.
KIMBLE
They'd be home free if I hadn't been
leaning on them to account for the
livers I was seeing. And I wouldn't
have seen the livers if I hadn't
told the guys on my service to call
me when they had cases that were
bleeding excessively in surgery.
WAHLUND
Big bucks. One schmuck standing in
the way. Easy, get rid of him and
his wife. But why Lentz?
KIMBLE
Why not? He's one of the original
patent holders. Toss the samples I
sent, replace them with healthy
samples, issue the path report on
the healthy stuff-piece of cake.
Kimble notices something in the report.
KIMBLE
When did Lentz die?
WAHLUND
Oh, last summer sometime. August...
Why?
Kimble looks up from the protocol report.
KIMBLE
Because a good third of the samples
Lentz approved were signed after he
died.
Kathy comes to look at the report. Lentz's signature is
on reports dated October, November, December.
KIMBLE
Someone else used Lentz's name.
WAHLUND
A pathologist at Devlin-Macgregor?
KIMBLE
They wouldn't have had the access.
They would have needed someone at
the hospital.
Kimble opens the Devlin-Macgregor prospectus he took from
the medical library and opens it to the beginning. A photo
gets his attention.
He takes the bag and starts for the door.
WAHLUND
Where are you going?
KIMBLE
To see an old friend.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Gerard at his board. The cards form a triangle: Sykes
Devlin-Macgregor - Lentz with Kimble at the apex. He stares
at the board. Poole comes to the door.
POOLE
It's Newman. Line two.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble slips down corridor. We see someone following him.
It is Sykes.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Newman on portable phone. Behind him Biggs questions Mr.
Roosevelt.
NEWMAN
The old guy didn't know where he was
going. But he picked up some tissue
samples.
GERARD
Tissue samples?
Gerard goes to his board. Renfro listens on the speakerphone.
NEWMAN
... From a drug study. And signed
for by Dr. Charles Nichols.
Renfro and Gerard exchange a look.
NEWMAN
Nichols also knew Lentz. He was a
pathologist.
RENFRO
He was covering for Kimble.
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Get CPD to bring in Sykes.
Gerard stares at the board.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL TUNNEL - NIGHT
Kimble moves through steam tunnel beneath the hospital.
It is lined with old furniture and supplies. A few moments
later we see Sykes following.
CUT TO:
INT. HILTON HOTEL GRAND BALLROOM - NIGHT
A cordial HOST steps up to the microphone. The room is
filled with doctors seated at tables around the room. It is
the end of a dinner symposium.
HOST
Tonight to close our conference,
we're honored to hear a report from
one of the most respected men in
his field...
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Kimble exits the hospital and moves toward Hospital E1 Station.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
As the Host continues his introduction of the keynote speaker
we PAN the DAIS of distinguished medical men and women...
HOST
... He is the A. Jude Robinson
Fellow and Administrative Chief of
Pathology at Chicago Memorial
Hospital... and just recently has
been appointed member of the board
of directors for Devlin-Macgregor
Pharmaceuticals. Please welcome...
... and STOP ON Charles Nichols.
HOST
... Dr. Charles Nichols.
Nichols rises to applause and moves to the podium.
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL EL STATION - NIGHT
Kimble starts up the stairs to the station just as a train
is coming in. Kimble moves down the platform and boards the
downtown train. Just before the doors close Sykes steps onto
the last car. The train moves out.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Gerard stares at his board. Stevens comes to the door.
STEVENS
I checked Sykes' calls for the last
two years against Kimble's like you
asked and found nothing.
GERARD
All right. It was a thought.
He goes back to the board but Stevens isn't finished.
STEVENS
But when I cross-checked Kimble's
phone records... one came up.
Gerard looks up.
GERARD
Kimble called Sykes.
(calling)
Renfro! Get C.P.D. to bring in Sykes!
STEVENS
Night of his wife's murder -
seven-thirty in the evening from
his car.
Gerard stares at the deputy, thinking - something doesn't
click. Stevens sees the empty stare, then Gerard looks
back at his board.
STEVENS
I have the phone record right here.
GERARD
(calling)
Poole! Bring me Kimble's arrest
report, now.
(to Stevens)
No, Stevens... I believe you.
Poole enters with Kimble's arrest transcript. Gerard takes
the transcript as Renfro appears at the door.
POOLE
Sam, C.P.D. just checked Sykes'
apartment. He's not there.
As Gerard looks up, we -
CUT TO:
INT. DOWNTOWN EL TRAIN - ON KIMBLE - NIGHT
Sits in the front car. There are very few other riders.
A man with newspaper sits across the car reading. The
headlines facing Kimble say: "KIMBLE IN CHICAGO". Kimble's
booking photo stares back at him.
Kimble reacts to the headline, looks away as the man turns
the pages.
The man looks over the newspaper at Kimble, then goes back
to reading. A moment later he folds the paper back to the
front page.
The man looks up from the paper and looks at Kimble again,
then down.
Coolly the man folds the paper, tucks it under his arm,
stands, looks through the car, then moves into one of the
rear cars.
Kimble looks out the window - hoping desperately for his
car to reach the station. He keeps his head turned until
the man is gone.
ANGLE - THROUGH CENTER OF TRAIN - NIGHT
From the center of Kimble's car we see the man with the
newspaper move up to a TRANSIT COP. They begin talking.
Kimble stands, coming INTO the SHOT. We see him watching
the discussion.
Suddenly a man, sitting in the rear of the car, stands
and blocks Kimble's view of the Cop. It's Sykes. His gun
is drawn.
SYKES
Back up. Move to the door, Doc.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN - TRANSIT COP'S CAR - NIGHT
Transit Cop moves past the man with the newspaper toward
Kimble's car.
TRANSIT COP
(to radio)
This is transit unit, 23. I have a
possible sighting of Richard Kimble.
Northbound coming into the Balbo
station. Request immediate back-up
at the station.
He moves toward the connecting door to Kimble's car.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
The train is not yet to the station. He has no escape.
Sykes moves toward him.
SYKES
This is my stop, Doc.
Kimble stares hard at Sykes. He steps toward the side
exit.
KIMBLE
Good, it's my stop, too.
Suddenly the door behind Sykes opens and the Transit Cop
enters.
TRANSIT COP
Kimble.
(to Sykes)
Sir, move away from him.
Sykes - the gun tucked next to his side - turns.
The Cop sees Sykes' gun, reacts...
But Sykes FIRES first, shoots the cop FOUR TIMES.
As the Cop falls, Sykes turns quickly to finish Kimble.
But Kimble pulls the emergency brake over the door.
EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT
The brakes lock. The TRAIN SCREECHES.
INT. REAR CARS - NIGHT
Passengers are thrown off their feet. Bags and briefcases
go flying.
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Sykes is thrown forward toward Kimble who holds onto a bar
for balance.
EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT
The train stops just short of the station. Only the first
two windows of the front car are over the platform.
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Sykes is thrown to the floor - the gun slips from his grasp.
Kimble moves for the gun as Sykes comes up, catches Kimble
in the stomach, knocks him back. The fight carries on
throughout the car.
Kimble reaches the gun first, lifts it in his left hand and
aims at Sykes. Sykes sees the gun in Kimble's hand and
almost smiles.
SYKES
Go ahead. You don't have it in you .
For a moment Kimble almost fires, but instead he takes the
gun in his right hand and whips it across Sykes' face.
Then hits Sykes again and again with the butt of the gun,
driving him down the length of the car, knocking him almost
unconscious.
Kimble tucks the gun in his belt and moves to the Transit
Cop. He checks for a pulse - there is none. The Cop is dead.
Kimble takes the handcuffs and keys from the case on the
Cop's belt. He reaches for Sykes' wrist, drags him to the
Cop and cuffs Sykes to the dead Cop.
He pockets the keys and grabs Sykes' hair, pulls his face
off the floor.
KIMBLE
Not as easy as Helen, was it?
(slams Sykes' head down, leaves)
You missed your stop.
He moves to the front of the car with Sykes' and the Transit
Cop's guns out. People back out of his way. He moves to
where the first two windows extend over the platform, kicks
out the front window and...
EXT. TRAIN STATION - PLATFORM - NIGHT
... drops to the station platform. Kimble lowers his head and
moves down the uncrowded platform to the station.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
The report comes off the scanner.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
... units in the vicinity of Balbo
Street station. Be alert to possible
sighting of Richard Kimble...
Gerard, Renfro and Poole trade looks. Gerard moves toward
the door.
RENFRO
Balbo station. That's -
GERARD
(cutting him off)
Poole, get Biggs and Newman.
They're gone as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
Police cruisers pull outside the station.
INT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
As transit police move up the escalator to the platform,
Kimble moves unnoticed through the underground mall
beneath the hotel. Deposits the guns into a mail box and
keeps moving.
INT. GERARD'S CAR - NIGHT
Renfro driving, Gerard and Pool in car. Report comes over
the radio.
POLICE DISPATCHER (V.O.)
... all units in vicinity of Balbo
E1. Officer down. Repeat, officer
down. Man leaving scene with two
guns matches description of Richard
Kimble...
Gerard looks out the window, he knows what this means.
GERARD
(quietly to himself)
Damn...
INT. HOTEL - MALL LEVEL / LOBBY - NIGHT
Kimble moves up escalators from the underground station
into the Hilton.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT
Disheveled and driven, he moves from the escalators to the
lobby - checks the list of hospitality suites and sees
board which indicates Nichols speech in the rooftop
ballroom. He moves on to the main elevators.
CUT TO:
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Nichols speaking. As he talks we MOVE TO...
ANGLE ON TABLE OF MEN
Listening - the same men we saw in the hospitality suite
when Nichols talked to Kimble. As we MOVE TIGHTER ON one
of the men, we notice his name tag says: Board of
Directors... Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceuticals.
INT. HILTON ROOFTOP ELEVATORS - NIGHT
Kimble rides alone to the rooftop ballroom.
CUT TO:
EXT. HILTON HOTEL - NIGHT
Gerard's car pulls up in front of the hotel. Police are
controlling pedestrians. Newman and Biggs, already decked
out in Kevlar, meet him.
NEWMAN
C.P.D. just reported -
GERARD
I heard. Was it Kimble?
BIGGS
Conflicting reports, but the cops
are considering him a shooter.
Heavily-armed CPD units pull up. Gerard stares at the police
presence. He starts toward the hotel where Kelly is
conferring with Kevlar-decked police captain.
POLICE CAPTAIN
Witnesses say he entered hotel from
the subway.
KELLY
Okay. I want it locked down. Start
on the lower levels.
The captain moves off. Gerard intercepts the cop.
GERARD
That's my man in there, Kelly.
KELLY
Not since he took down one of ours,
Gerard. This is a police matter,
now. Stay, the hell, out of it.
Kelly moves off. Gerard watches him a moment then he looks
up to the roof. Newman hands Gerard his belt with his
backup piece.
GERARD
C'mon, I know where he's going.
He moves into the hotel with his deputies.
INTERCUT WITH:
LOCKDOWN MONTAGE - EXT. / INT. HOTEL - NIGHT
A) C.P.D. cruisers arriving. Cops deploying to points of
entry. Security guards keying shut parking garage and
blocking stairwells.
B) Helicopter with police sharpshooters takes off from
Meigs Field downtown and heads for the hotel.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOFTOP ELEVATORS/PENTHOUSE HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble exits the elevators and moves down the corridor to
the ballroom. A man tries to stop him at the doors, Kimble
simply moves him out of the way and opens the doors to:
CUT TO:
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Nichols moves to the last of his speech as Kimble enters
at the rear
NICHOLS
... And I especially would like to
thank my researchers who helped me...
Nichols stops his speech - stunned to see Kimble.
NICHOLS
Richard...
KIMBLE
What's wrong, Charlie? Surprised?
Kimble begins moving down the aisle past the tables of
doctors toward the podium.
We see the faces of Kimble's colleagues and friends from
the ballroom sequence earlier. At first no one notices
Kimble but as he makes his way toward the dais, the
applause fades and then room quiets. Whispers of:
CROWD
It's Richard. It's Kimble.
Stunned expressions.
Kimble continues to the front, talking to Nichols as if
the room were empty.
KIMBLE
After Lentz died, you were the only
one that had access to the
pathology reports.
Nichols remains calm.
NICHOLS
Reports? What are you?
KIMBLE
You switched the samples and
falsified the reports so R.D.U.90
could get approval.
NICHOLS
Richard, I don't know what you're
talking about?...
KIMBLE
I have a set of the original
samples.
Nichols stares at Kimble and for the first time we see a
flicker of concern.
KIMBLE
You almost pulled it off, Charlie.
But I know all about it now, and I
can prove it.
Nichols and Kimble hold a look. Nichols turns to the audience.
KIMBLE
Ladies and gentlemen. My friend, as
you can see, is obviously not well.
Richard, if you want to talk -
KIMBLE
I didn't come here to talk
Nichols leaves the dais and heads toward the exit.
Kimble tracks along with him - moving through the tables -
passing the table with the Devlin-MacGregor board of
directors. They are disturbed by this situation.
ON NICHOLS
Moves through a door and exits into...
HALLWAY
Kimble follows moving through the tables and people to
reach the door.
As soon as he's gone there are calls for "security." Doctors
move for the exits.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT
Gerard, Renfro, Newman, Biggs and Poole move into the lobby.
Police move to cover the lower floors.
BIGGS
C.P.D. has the perimeter, hotel
security has the parking structure.
GERARD
Let them keep busy down below.
Newman, get with security. See if
you can locate Kimble from the
monitors. Keep in radio contact.
Newman branches off to Hotel Security. The rest follow
Gerard to the rooftop elevators.
EXT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
ROARING over Chicago skyline. The bright red sign of the
Hilton Hotel looms ahead.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY / HOSPITALITY SUITE - NIGHT
Nichols moves down hallway and turns into a hospitality
suite. A moment later Kimble follow and enters the...
HOSPITALITY SUITE
... and is immediately smashed with a chair by Nichols.
Kimble goes flying, stunned. Nichols locks the door.
NICHOLS
Your best quality, Richard, is that
you don't give up -
Nichols pulls Kimble to his feet.
NICHOLS
... even when it's clearly in your
best interest to...
He hits him again, drives him back into the library.
Kimble tries to recover as Nichols relentlessly stays on
him. He pulls him up, slams him against the fire escape
doors.
NICHOLS
I always knew that I'd have to kill
you.
He drives a blow into Kimble's stomach.
NICHOLS
Now, I must thank you for giving me
200 witnesses tonight who will
support me... when I tell them it
was self-defense...
He shoves Kimble through the door out into...
EXT. FIRE ESCAPE BALCONY - NIGHT
... and almost over the railing. Kimble grabs the rail to
keep from dropping to the street. Nichols closes on him,
but Kimble rolls away at the last minute and knocks
Nichols back against the other side of fire escape.
KIMBLE
You missed your chance, Charlie...
Nichols charges Kimble, but Kimble drives him back with
two crushing blows that send Nichols down the stairs.
Kimble moves down the stairs after him - passing under a
security camera.
CUT TO:
INT. SECURITY ROOM - NIGHT
A room lined with security monitors. Two security personnel
sit in front of their console. Newman stands behind them.
On screen: We see Kimble moving down the stairs toward
Nichols, who pulls himself to his feet.
Newman stands in front of the screen, talks to his radio.
NEWMAN
(to radio)
I've got Kimble on the roof with
Nichols. Southeast exit.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HOTEL ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Gerard and deputies Poole, Biggs, and Renfro around him.
BIGGS
(to radio)
Keep and eye on him. Biggs has roof plans.
BIGGS
There are four exits to the roof.
GERARD
I want them covered.
EXT. HOTEL ROOFTOP FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT
Nichols rises to his feet, swings, but Kimble blocks the
blow and lands another that sends Nichols down another
set of stairs to the roof.
KIMBLE
You took everything away from me...
for money.
INT. BALLROOM ELEVATORS - NIGHT
Gerard and the marshals reach the ballroom floor. The
elevator doors open to a flood of confused and disoriented
doctors trying to escape. The marshals wade through, meet
up with two hotel security guards.
GERARD
This way.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble pulls Nichols to his feet. They are silhouetted by
the lights of the city skyline.
KIMBLE
I want to know, Charlie... was it
worth it...?
NICHOLS
This thing is bigger than even you
think, Richard. You can't stop it.
He hits Nichols again with tremendous force, knocking him
against the parapet. Nichols stares over the edge - the
street appears far below.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Gerard and his deputies work their way into the ballroom.
The deputies move to separate areas. Several doctors point
them in the direction Kimble and Nichols fled.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HOTEL SECURITY - NIGHT
Newman stands in front the security monitors and watches
Kimble and Nichols on the roof.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble reaches Nichols and draws to hit him again as the
HELICOPTER suddenly ROARS over the rooftop. Its beam hits
the two men and a VOICE booms from the helicopter:
VOICE FROM HELICOPTER (V.O.)
Chicago police. Freeze.
In the instant of shock, Nichols knees Kimble and bolts.
INTERCUT:
INT. HALLWAY / HOSPITALITY SUITE - NIGHT
Gerard moves down connecting hallway where a couple of
concerned doctors are trying to open the door to the
hospitality suite.
GERARD
(to doctors)
Clear the hallway.
(to security)
Get that door open.
The door opens and Gerard moves quickly through the
hospitality suite for the rooftop.
GERARD
(to security)
Stay at this door.
He moves through the door to the roof alone.
INT. HOTEL SECURITY - NIGHT
Newman watching the security monitors sees Kimble and
Nichols. On another monitor we see Gerard exit the suite.
EXT. ROOF - NIGHT
Nichols runs.
Kimble recovers, sees Gerard moving down the fire escape
toward him, and Nichols escaping. He goes after Nichols.
The helicopter circles back over the roof, illuminating the
rooftop in its million-candle-power beam.
HELICOPTER PILOT (V.O.)
I've got a visual on Kimble. He's
running.
INTERCUT WITH:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Kelly listens on his ratio.
KELLY
Bring him down.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble chases Nichols down the roof as BULLETS from the
helicopter rip into the air conditioning duct next to Kimble.
The helicopter swings out to keep Kimble in sight.
ON GERARD
Gerard hits the bottom of the fire escape and follows.
GERARD
(to radio)
This is a United States Marshal.
Get that helicopter out of here!
ANGLE - NICHOLS
He moves away among the duct work.
Kimble follows.
Gerard continues after Kimble.
The helicopter circles and follows from above.
INT. PENTHOUSE / DOOR TO ROOF - NIGHT
Renfro triggers his radio.
RENFRO
There is a U.S. Marshal out there.
Hold your fire!
HELICOPTER'S POV
FOLLOWING Kimble. Its beam tracking Kimble across the
rooftop. He moves through the blowers and duct work.
Kimble is gaining ground on Nichols.
ON SHARPSHOOTER
He is about to fire when he hears through his radio.
RADIO (V.O.)
Hold your fire.
The shooter pulls back.
INTERCUT WITH:
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Gerard rushes across the roof toward Kimble.
ANGLE - NICHOLS
He is almost to the end of the roof when Kimble tackles
him. The two men crash against sloped glass roof of an
elevator housing.
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Inside the shaft - an elevator moves toward the roof. It
stops on the floor ten feet below the roof. THROUGH the
glass roof we see the doors open.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOFTOP - GERARD - NIGHT
Charges toward -
KIMBLE
Who slams Nichols hard against the glass. The WIRED
GLASS CRACKS and bellies with the form of their bodies.
Nichols' head rocks from the impact.
The GLASS GROANS. The wire stresses. The caulking begins
to drop.
Nichols struggles but Kimble has him in control. Slams
him down hard again.
HELICOPTER
Circles, illuminates the struggle in its spotlight and
Gerard closing.
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
The elevator doors close and the car beneath the
skylight begins to descend.
GERARD
Pulls up.
GERARD
Kimble!
Kimble slams Nichols one more time against the glass
and the wire holding the glass gives way, sending Kimble
and Nichols into...
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Kimble and Nichols, locked together, fall down the shaft
and crash onto the roof of the descending elevator car.
Nichols crashes through the ceiling into the car. Kimble
hits and slides across the roof to the edge, stopping
himself, just before he falls into the shaft. An
elevator car rushes toward him out of the blackness.
EXT. HOTEL ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Gerard reaches the elevator housing, looks down into the
shaft.
GERARD'S POV
Kimble's car disappears into the darkness.
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR CAR - NIGHT
Nichols pulls himself to his feet. Hits the emergency
stop and the doors open. He disappears into...
INT. HILTON LAUNDRY - NIGHT
... a huge industrial laundry room. Steam rises from the
giant machines.
INT. ELEVATOR CAR/LAUNDRY - NIGHT
Kimble drops from the ceiling into the car and moves
carefully into the laundry.
... like an industrial jungle. Dimly lit, filled with
DEAFENING MACHINERY. Five hundred pound bags of laundry
move from a network of ceiling tracks to a pair of
heavyduty conveyor belts and two thirty-foot long washers.
... At the other end of the washers, hydraulic presses
stamp out three-foot diameter "cakes" which are moved by
conveyor and dollies to automated dryers.
The NOISE is DEAFENING.
INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT
Gerard comes down back stairwell. Followed by Renfro.
GERARD
(to radio)
Where did the elevator stop?
INTERCUT WITH:
NEWMAN IN SECURITY
Newman checks the computer board for the elevator
position.
NEWMAN
(to radio)
Level five.
INT. LAUNDRY - NIGHT
Nichols pushes through the hanging laundry bags toward an
exit, tries the door. It is secured with a collapsible
grating with a padlock. He looks up, keeps moving.
KIMBLE
Notices the swinging bags, follows Nichols' trail. He
stops to get his bearings, sees shadow at the far end of
the room between the two washers. Kimble closes in, moving
between the large conveyors.
ANGLE - SORTING ROOM
Gerard enters sorting room with Renfro. He sees two sorters
standing by a small conveyor as he enters.
GERARD
Get out of here.
He and Renfro move around the corner where a laundry
worker is hooking a 500 lb bag of lines onto the overhead
rail. A hydraulic lift, operated by a hanging on/off
switch raises the bag on a yellow steel I-beam. The worker
takes one look at Gerard and abandons his station.
Gerard, Biggs and Renfro move to the closed doors of the
main room.
GERARD
(to Renfro)
We're going in. Give me five
minutes. Keep C.P.D. out.
He draws his Glock, opens the door and enters the main
room.
INT. LAUNDRY - ON KIMBLE - NIGHT
He moves to end of washers, using the machines as cover.
He sees the shadow again takes a pole leaning against the
dryer as a weapon, turns the corner and is about to belt
him when he realizes it's not Nichols, but a laundry worker.
Kimble moves away from the terrified man, when he hears a
voice from the other end of the laundry.
GERARD (V.O.)
(above the din)
Kimble!
Kimble reacts to Gerard's voice, moves away.
ON NICHOLS
Moving behind machinery, sees light at far end of the room
where Gerard enters.
ON GERARD
The door closes automatically behind Gerard and Renfro.
They enter the noisy main room and separate. Renfro moves
up the far side of the room, Gerard up the center. Both
move slowly through the maze of bags, carts, automated
equipment.
GERARD
... There is no way out of here.
The building is locked down.
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Moves instinctively back into the machinery and carts near
the conveyor belts.
GERARD (O.S.)
Kimble... I know about Nichols. I
know about Sykes. Kimble stops.
ON GERARD
GERARD
... Nichols borrowed your car the
night of the murder and called
Sykes from it.
RENFRO
Separated from Gerard. He hears a NOISE behind him - a bag
comes down the track at break-neck speed, Renfro spins,
dodges it, gets his bearings and continues.
KIMBLE
Listening. He watches the movement of bags as he did with
Nichols.
GERARD
Moving through the forest of massive bags.
GERARD
... That's why there was no forced
entry at your house. He'd used your
keys.
KIMBLE
Realizing what Gerard knows. Considering his next move.
NICHOLS
Also listening. He realizes Gerard now knows he's the
killer. He moves behind the water softener tanks and
chemicals - and spots Renfro - and something else -the
hanging control for the I-beam.
GERARD
Moves carefully. Another bag comes down the track. He
dodges it and steps into an open track. From here he can
see straight back toward the washers.
GERARD
Kimble... Come meet me out here.
ON RENFRO
He steps out and then back as a bag shoots by. He ducks
under the bag - into the next track and suddenly hears a
WHIRRING sound behind him. Renfro turns as an I-beam comes
rushing down the open track and knocks him to the floor,
opening a gash across the side of his head. He lays still.
NICHOLS
Steps out of the shadows, turns him over exposing his empty
shoulder harness and takes the gun from Renfro's hand.
Nichols moves toward Gerard with the gun.
GERARD
Oblivious to this action, moves on, passes the conveyor
belts. He makes one last appeal.
GERARD
It's time to quit running... if you
don't, you know I'll stop you. He
listens, there is no answer.
KIMBLE
Starts to move out to meet Gerard, sees Renfro down. His
shoulder harness is empty. He knows Nichols is armed.
GERARD
Moves into the alley between the two giant washers. He
pauses, looks back, then continues, when he turns his back
on us...
NICHOLS
Steps INTO FRAME behind him and slowly takes aim. Just
before he fires however he hears...
KIMBLE (O.S.)
Hey, Chuckles...
Nichols turns toward the voice as Kimble swings the stick
and clocks him - sending the gun skittering on the floor
behind Gerard.
GERARD
Turns on the sound and finds his gun trained on Kimble
with Nichols at his feet, unconscious. He realizes
instantly that Kimble saved his life and lowers his gun.
Kimble, exhausted, leans against the washer.
They hold a look as deputies and police flood into the
room surrounding Kimble and handcuffing him.
INT. / EXT. HILTON HOTEL - NIGHT (LATER)
Chicago Police hold back crowds of onlookers on Michigan
Avenue. Police cars and vans, television news trucks vie
for space in front of the Hilton Towers.
Dr. Charles Nichols, on a stretcher, loaded into an
ambulance. The doors close.
REPORTERS and television cameramen line the sidewalk
giving reports and interviewing doctors from the ballroom.
We PICK UP pieces of their reports as we MOVE PAST them
TOWARD the entrance.
T.V. NEWS REPORTER
... As we reported a few minutes
ago, the saga of once-prominent
Chicago surgeon, Dr. Richard Kimble,
who escaped from an Illinois
Corrections bus, took a strange
twist this evening when Dr. Kimble
was captured at the Chicago Hilton...
ANOTHER REPORTER continues:
ANOTHER REPORTER
... there are unconfirmed reports
from police of new evidence which
may exonerate Kimble while
implicating some of the biggest
names in medicine...
The doors to the police van close amid a flurry of
photographs.
A third reporter interviews a STUNNED DOCTOR from the
ballroom:
STUNNED DOCTOR
He just walked in... We didn't know
what he was going to do. My wife
was very frightened... The next
thing I knew cops were charging in
and...
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL - NIGHT
Kimble, in handcuffs, is escorted by Biggs, Newman, Poole
and Gerard, out of the hotel into the waiting chaos.
Renfro, his head bandaged, is helped by paramedics.
EXT. HOTEL / INT. CAR - NIGHT
As soon as the group exits the hotel. Television lights
flood the scene. Kimble lowers his head. Reporters crowd
forward, yelling questions.
REPORTER
Dr. Kimble, is it true you can prove
your innocence!
Gerard wants the crowd controlled.
GERARD
(to police)
Get them back.
The marshals ant cops clear a line for Kimble to get into
a waiting car away from the media. Biggs opens the back
door and helps Kimble inside.
BIGGS
Watch your head, Dr. Kimble.
Newman climbs in behind the wheel. Gerard in the back next
to Kimble. He leans out the window and motions to Poole.
GERARD
(to Poole)
Poole, you got that thing?
(to Kimble)
Give me your hands.
Kimble pauses, then holds up his wrists and Gerard unlocks
Kimble's handcuffs.
Poole hands an ice-pack over the seat. Gerard places the
pack on Kimble' 9 bruised and battered hands.
GERARD
Take care of those hands, Doc,
you're going to need them again
soon.
KIMBLE
I thought you told me 'you didn't
care.'
GERARD
Yeah, well, don't spread it around.
They share a look of mutual respect as the car pulls away.
HELICOPTER POV
The car carrying Kimble pulls onto Michigan Avenue heading
back downtown. As we PULL BACK we see Kimble's car - at
first alone on the great avenue - then gradually joined
by other cars until finally becoming integrated in the
traffic, movement and lights of the city.
FADE OUT
THE END |
THE FUGITIVE
THE FUGITIVE
by
Jeb Stuart and David Twohy
FADE IN:
EXT. CHICAGO - AERIAL - NIGHT
CREDITS BEGIN OVER:
Snow swirls around the tall buildings of downtown Chicago.
EXT. CHICAGO HOTEL - NIGHT
Cars, taxis, limos line the street. A cab pulls up and MAN
in tuxedo moves into:
INT. CHICAGO HOTEL - BALLROOM - NIGHT
THROUGH arriving guests we PICK UP the Man climbing stairs
to the ballroom.
ANGLE - COAT CHECK
The Man hands his coat to coat check woman and thanks her.
When he turns we get our first view of DR. RICHARD KIMBLE,
a tall, athletic man, with a trim beard.
He moves from the outer lobby into a fabulously decorated
ballroom where a fashion show is taking place as a medical
fundraiser. Doctors and their spouses, hospital brass and
sponsors mingle. Women sit near the runway watching the
models. Men talk by the bar. The room is packed.
A banner over the rostrum says: "CHILDREN'S RESEARCH AND
AID FOUNDATION"
Kimble is handed a glass of champagne, which he promptly
sets on another waiter's passing tray.
ROBERTS (V.O.)
Richard...
DR. ROBERTS, a large surgeon, pulls Kimble over to a group
of surgeons gathered around a bar. Smoking cigars.
ROBERTS
Cancun. Nat just talked everybody
into it...
A hospital equipment rep, NAT, is buying drinks.
KIMBLE
So, what's the deal? If the hospital
buys ten new -
NAT
No, no, no, no strings attached, Dr.
Kimble. Industrial Hospital Supply
has no ulterior motives.
KIMBLE
On the house, huh?
(to bartender)
Tonic water with lime.
Everyone agrees.
KIMBLE
Never get me to sell my soul for one
of those trips...
His tone silences the group. Kimble takes his drink.
KIMBLE
(to Nat)
... But if you get any more Bulls
tickets, Nat, give me a call.
The group laughs, Kimble extracts himself and CREDITS
CONTINUE OVER -
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Moving through the crowd.
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Nearly gets hit in the follow-through of an imaginary
golf swing.
KIMBLE
You're slicing, Dave. Don't turn
your hip.
He keeps moving.
GOLFING MAN
Thanks, Richard...
CUT TO:
ANGLE - TOUGH-LOOKING LAB RAT
KATHY WAHLUND, totally out of her element amid the formal
elegance around her. She wears a leather jacket over
T-shirt and stares at the action on the fashion runway.
DR. WAHLUND
(dripping sarcasm)
I'm so glad you talked me into
coming, Richard... I can pick my
cruise wardrobe.
RICHARD
It's for a good cause, Kath...
Besides you need to get out of the
lab more. Your electron microscope
is starting to give you a tan.
She smiles. He moves on.
ANGLE - PARTY
Kimble continues down the bar when he spots a friend...
KIMBLE
Hey, Jim.
DR. JAMES NICHOLS turns, smiles. Mid-40s, head of the
University Hospital. He is a fit contemporary.
NICHOLS
Richard, I just saw someone who
wanted to meet you...
Just then Kimble spots an attractive WOMAN, late thirties,
wearing a drop-dead, simple black gown. She's surrounded by
a group of men hanging on her every word. She and Kimble
catch a look and hold it.
NICHOLS (V.O.)
Richard Kimble... Alex Lentz. Alex
is working on the RDU90 trials for
Devlin-Macgregor.
Kimble turns to meet DR. ALEXANDER LENTZ, late 30s, tan,
smiling. Lentz extends his hand...
LENTZ
Dr. Kimble... Sorry, we've been
trading phone calls last few days
... something about a biopsy report
I returned to you?
KIMBLE
(suddenly attentive)
Yeah... Three. Livers appeared
hepatetic to me.
LENTZ
I'll be in my office in the morning
and I'll pull up the samples. Is that
a good time for you?
KIMBLE
Sure.
LENTZ
(holds Kimble's look,
then to Nichols)
See you, Jim.
Lentz moves on. Kimble looks after him a beat, then focuses
on relocating the Woman he just saw. She's gone. He and
Nichols move together through the party.
NICHOLS
(digs in his pocket)
Before I forget, I went by the garage
this afternoon and picket up the
Ferrari. Thanks for the loaner again.
He hands Kimble a valet ticket.
KIMBLE
They fix it this time?
NICHOLS
We'll see.
They reach the Woman Kimble saw, his wife, HELEN KIMBLE.
Kimble kisses her.
NICHOLS
You look fabulous, Helen.
He kisses Helen.
HELEN (WOMAN)
Hello, Jim.
NICHOLS
(to Kimble)
We've got a court tomorrow at three.
Nichols leaves. Kimble looks at his wife.
KIMBLE
Well, I've seen everyone, can we
leave?
HELEN
That would be a little abrupt, don't
you think?
CUT TO:
ANGLE - KIMBLE'S TABLE - NIGHT
A table for ten. Kimble and Helen introduce themselves to
others at table ant sit across from each other.
Kimble sits between two doctors' wives. One, NOW EAU WIFE,
mid-thirties, bedecked in jewels and loud dress, the other
OLDER WIFE.
Helen sits between their husbands who are trying to impress
her with the details of their boring studies as CREDITS
CONTINUE...
INTERCUTTING WITH the fashion, catches of dialog and course
changes, Kimble and Helen demonstrate an oft-used exchange
of glances: Kimble, while gracious to his dinner partners,
catches Helen's eye and makes smiling, subtle movements to
his watch or a look to the door to indicate he's clearly
ready to leave. On the receiving end, Helen, the gatekeeper
of their social propriety, indicates with equal subtlety:
"not yet."
As we MOVE AROUND the table we hear:
"Where's your husband on staff?" "My husband's an orthopod
at Northwestern." "I'm working on a new technique..."
"That's fascinating..." "That's quite a marvelous dress
you're wearing." "Do you like it? My husband says it's a
'four-fracture number."' "Honey." (A look from her husband.)
Kimble shares a look with Helen. He subtly motions to his
watch: time go to, and mouths the word: "now." She shakes
her head.
NOW EAU WIFE
(to table)
I told my husband that he was going
to kill us if he didn't stop
operating. What with this AIDS thing,
he's putting us all at risk.
Helen and Kimble absorb this comment without reaction, share
a look. Helen mouths the word: "Now."
HELEN
(to her dinner partners)
I'm sorry, I have to get my husband
home.
They say their good-byes and pass Nichols' table. Nichols
shakes his friend's hand in passing. From across the room we
see Lentz watching.
INT. KIMBLE'S MERCEDES - NIGHT
Kimble and Helen driving home. She runs her fingers through
his hair as he drives.
HELEN
You looked handsome tonight...
KIMBLE
Thank you...
He smiles to himself, seems to enjoy the compliment too much
for Helen. Her smile becomes playful, mischievous.
HELEN
Uh, huh... most men in a tuxedo look
like waiters...
KIMBLE
But me?
HELEN
You looked more like... a band
director.
He stops at red light, leans over and kisses her. Light
changes and neither notice. Slowly their kiss breaks.
HELEN
Are we home yet?...
CUT TO:
EXT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Kimble pulls up in front of his house. Suddenly both his
PAGER and CAR PHONE RING at the same time.
KIMBLE
(to phone)
Dr. Kimble
(suddenly attentive)
When? Okay, tell them I'll be there
in ten minutes.
He hangs up.
KIMBLE
Tim's got a problem.
Helen kisses him again, opens the door.
HELEN
Call me on your way home.
CREDITS END as we -
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL - HALLWAY / SCRUB ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble, wearing scrubs but without head gear, moves down
stairs to the OR hall.
He sticks his head into the operating room.
KIMBLE
Cavalry's here.
Two harried surgeons look up, glad to see him.
SCRUB ROOM
Kimble begins scrubbing as the RESIDENT comes out to bring
him up to speed.
RESIDENT
Patient is a male, forty-three. We
pulled his gall bladder and the
bleeding started.
KIMBLE
What's his pro time?
RESIDENT
(concerned)
He's at 36 seconds. We got a major
bleeder in here.
KIMBLE
You talk to the family?
RESIDENT
None. He's off the street.
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO - OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT
Operation in progress. Top medical facility filled with
trained professionals and state of the art equipment. Kimble
is assisted across the table by the chief Resident. Both
working so intently they never look at each other as they
talk...
KIMBLE
(to Anesthesiologist)
Okay... I'm clamping. Can he
tolerate it?
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
He's a very sick guy.
KIMBLE
Do we have a choice?
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
Go for it.
KIMBLE
Marie, give me a clamp...
MARIE, the scrub nurse, passes him the instrument and Kimble
and the other SURGEON continue to work with the Resident
assisting.
KIMBLE
(never looking up)
Your husband know you're here tonight,
Marie?... What about this liver?
RESIDENT
History's sketchy. Could be an
alcoholic.
KIMBLE
Who referred him?
RESIDENT
He's on a drug protocol. RDU90.
Kimble looks up and shares a look with the chief Resident
over their masks, then back to work.
KIMBLE
The wave of the future... Marie, you
told Frank yet? Frank is so jealous
of this late night thing we've got
going here... This should hold him.
Bleeding's stopped. Let's get a
biopsy...
(to circulating nurse)
Send it downstairs and make sure you
get Kath her slice.
SURGEON
You staying for the closing, Rich?
Kimble moves away and sheds his gloves and gown.
KIMBLE
No. I got a date.
INT. SCRUB ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble throws away his hat and mask. The door opens behind
him; it is the other Surgeon.
SURGEON
Hey, Richard...
Kimble turns.
SURGEON
Thanks.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Kimble driving through empty Chicago streets toward home.
He is on phone, waits for answer.
KIMBLE
Hi. I'm five minutes away...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Helen on the phone, downstairs. She is still in her gown with
an afghan around her shoulders. She's been reading.
HELEN
I'm glad it went well. I'll see you
in a minute.
Helen hangs up phone, turns out the light and starts up the
stairs.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO STREET - NIGHT
Kimble driving.
INT. KIMBLE-S TOWNHOUSE - DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT
Helen moves down the hall toward the dressing room/closet.
Opens the door to large closet dressing room and turns on
the light. Nothing. She starts to leave and decides to close
one of the interior closet doors.
She starts to slide the door closed when - wham!
A hand reaches out and clutches her by the neck. Helen
claws and scratches to get free and in her struggle her
string of pearls bursts...
... and a single pearl bounces out of the bedroom... rolls
across the landing to the stairs, stopping three steps from
the top.
CUT TO:
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Snow swirls around the street as Kimble's car pulls into the
driveway. On the third floor, we see a bedroom light still
on.
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
A GRANDFATHER CLOCK TICKS softly. Kimble tosses his keys on
the entry table, picks up a stack of mail on the table and
calls up the stairs.
KIMBLE
I'm home. Did you hear who won the
Bulls game?
No answer. He steps into the:
KITCHEN
The wall phone shows a line in use. Kimble notices it. The
WASHER BUZZES, he switches the clothes from washer to dryer,
and STARTS the MACHINE. Takes a bottle of wine and two
glassesand leaves the kitchen.
INT. BEDROOM - CLOSE ON .38 SMITH AND WESSON - NIGHT
Lies on the floor, beside Helen's legs and the receiver of
phone, off the hook. A man's rubber-gloved hand picks up the
gun.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. DOWNSTAIRS - STAIRS - NIGHT
Kimble starts up the stairs to the bedroom...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Helen's hand reaches out presses the cradle down, dials
ON KIMBLE
Climbing the stairs... suddenly stops.
A small white ball on the stairs. He bends down and picks
it up... a pearl.
KIMBLE
Helen?
Silence. He can see directly into the bedroom. It's quiet.
Too quiet. He notices a lampshade on the floor.
UPSTAIRS HALL - NIGHT
Kimble moves slowly to the opened doorway. And just before
he enters he sees a large form in the crack behind the door.
Adrenal surge.
Kimble slams the door back on the figure knocking the gun
free. Before Kimble can move to it a forearm flattens him.
The attacker immediately goes for the gun. Kimble grabs a
leg and twists him down, the man's fingers hit the gun,
sending it skittering across the hardwood floor of the
landing and over the edge - three flights to the entry
hall below.
SIRENS can be heard. Distant but APPROACHING.
The man kicks free and tries to flee. This time Kimble
catches an arm and twists it at an unnatural angle. To his
shock, the limb detaches between the shoulder and elbow.
Kimble looks at the arm in his hands - it's hollow.
Electrodes are visible inside - then to the man's unreadable
face...
The SIRENS are LOUDER...
Before Kimble can recover, the One-Armed Man knocks Kimble
down and grabs back his arm. He runs down the stairs.
Kimble pulls himself up and starts to follow but is stopped
by a VOICE behind him in the bedroom...
HELEN (O.S.)
He's here... still in the house...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Lying by the bed, Helen Kimble, clutches the phone with one
hand, her head with the other.
911 (V.O.)
Did I hear you right? Your attacker
is still in the house? Ma'am?
HELEN
He's trying to kill me...
Kimble appears. Helen drops the phone when she sees him.
911 (V.O.)
Will you repeat that please?
HELEN
(to Kimble)
Richard... He's trying to kill me...
my head.
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Two Chicago police cars wheel to the curb, COPS move quickly
to the house.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimble moves to her. Sees the necklace of bruises where she
was held down and choked. And then a bullet wound in her
leg. She's already going into shock. Her speech turns thick.
KIMBLE
Hang on, babe... going to be all
right.
Her fingernails dig into Kimble's arm, trying to hold on.
HELEN
My head. Richard my hold me.
Her eyes slip away from his. He peels away the hand on her
head - and sees raw pummeled brain staring back and realizes
she won't be all right.
CAMERA SWINGS DOWN TO the dropped phone.
911 (V.O.)
... Hello. You said his name is
Richard? Ma'am, can you talk to me?
Ma'am?
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The Cops enter the house. See the .38 lying on the floor.
Covering each other, they move quickly up the stairs - guns
drawn.
ANGLE
Third floor. The First Cop, gun drawn, turns the corner of
Kimble's bedroom and finds:
Kimble holding his dead wife. Blood on his hands.
COP #1
Move away from her.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Kimble, numbed by the event, washes the blood off his hands
in the kitchen sink. A cop takes his blood-stained tux
jacket, and another hands him a parka.
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
The street is filled with Chicago police cars, curious
neighbors, television news vans, etc.
Kimble is helped into a police car as the coroner's van
arrives. He pauses a moment to watch as we hear.
DETECTIVE KELLY (V.O.)
Can you give us a little more to go
on besides the fact that he had an
artificial arm? What kind of gun was
it, Doc?
INT. 11TH STREET DISTRICT HOUSE - NIGHT
CAMERA FINDS Kimble in an interview room. He is in "why"
shock. "Why her." "Why me?" Says nothing. Two Detectives:
KELLY and ROSETTI. Kelly, the questioner, is overweight,
aggressive. He shifts his gun on his hip so he can sit down.
KIMBLE
It was .38... I think. I only saw it
for a second. I knocked it out of
his hand.
As Kimble is questioned we INTERCUT WITH flashes of the
murder scene being processed:
FLASH - INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Forensics technicians photograph the .38 at the base of the
stairs.
DETECTIVE ROSETTI (V.O.)
Do you own a gun, Dr. Kimble?
KIMBLE
Yes.
DETECTIVE ROSETTI (V.O.)
What kind of gun?
KIMBLE
A .38 Smith.
FLASH - FORENSICS TECHNICIAN DUSTS CRYSTAL LAMP
DETECTIVE KELLY
Did you have your key with you tonight,
Dr. Kimble?
FLASH - COPS
Checking doors of house for signs of forcible entry.
BACK TO SCENE
PHONE RINGS. Rosetti answers it. Kimble watches him write
something down, he slides it to Kelly.
FLASH - MEASURE "NECKLACE" OF BRUISES ON HELEN'S NECK
DETECTIVE KELLY (V.O.)
Your wife was loaded wasn't she? I mean, she was worth quite
a bit of money.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble looks up at the two cops. For the first time he seems
to sense something aggressive in their questioning.
They no longer seem on the same team.
KIMBLE
What's going on here? This guy was
trying to rob us.
The two cops stare at Kimble.
KIMBLE
You guys have got to be out of your
minds. I didn't kill my wife!
He gets up to go. A cop blocks his path. He turns and looks
at Kelly.
DETECTIVE KELLY
Let's start over, Dr. Kimble. What'd
you have for breakfast?
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH ST. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
Kimble in his tuxedo shirt and black tie holds a booking
number plate in front of him as a mug shot is taken...
front, then side.
MAN (V.O.)
We're all adults here so I'll lay it
out...
EXT. NEWSSTAND - DAY
Chicago Sun-Times has a photograph of Kimble spread across
the front page.
MAN (V.O.)
... If you two come up with a deal,
I'll listen, but let me make one
thing perfectly clear.
INT. ELECTRONICS SUPERSTORE - DAY
Salesmen continue to hawk sets. Kimble's photograph comes
up on a hundred TV monitors across the store.
NEWS REPORTER (V.O.)
Police are revealing no details in
the case against Chicago surgeon...
INT. KIMBLE'S CELL - DAY
Kimble lays on his bunk. Thinking...
MAN (V.O.)
... It's an election year...
INT. JUDGE'S CHAMBERS - DAY
CAMERA MOVES THROUGH smoke-fillet room to find tough FEMALE
PROSECUTOR, a man in late forties, WALTER GUTHERIE, and STOPS
ON the source of the voice we've been hearing and the cigar:
JUDGE BENNETT, late fifties. Fair but, no nonsense, political
survivor.
JUDGE BENNETT
... and this case is a heater. It
will not end up a bench trial...
INT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - CORRIDOR - DAY
Richard Kimble in County lockup fatigues and a navy watch cap
moves down long corridor, escorted by GUARD.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
We've had private investigators
interview over a hundred amputees,
Richard...
INT. PRISON INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY
Walter Gutherie, his attorney, stands by a window looking
out at the yard. Another attorney, RANDOLPH, watches
Gutherie.
GUTHERIE
... We can't find this guy.
KIMBLE
I know what I saw, Walter.
GUTHERIE
I put you up on the stand to say what
you saw without anything that
remotely smells like proof and the
State's attorney is going to take
this one-armed man story and run it
up our ass.
(he holds Kimble's look)
Look, Richard, you're paying us a
lot of money to defend you... A plea
to second degree -
KIMBLE
I didn't kill my wife.
INT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - DAY
Kimble being escorted back to the courtroom. A guard carries
his suit in a bag. He is taunted by other prisoners.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
You're a successful upper middle
class white man charged in a
violent crime...
INT. COOK COUNTY LOCKUP / CHANGE ROOM - DAY
On the other side of the door is the courtroom. A sheriff's
deputy hands Kimble (now wearing his suit), a small plastic
bag. In it we see his wedding band.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
It's a circumstantial case, but it's
also a jury trial. We play 'em, they
play 'em...
INT. CHICAGO COURTROOM - DAY
Richard Kimble sits at defense table... watches prosecutors
chat with Helen's relatives. Media anchors glare at him.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
... But if we lose, we lose big.
Just remember, they're lined up a
block long to have your hide.
HARD CUT TO:
PHOTOGRAPH OF HELEN KIMBLE'S BODY
A crime scene photograph.
DETECTIVE KELLY
On the stand.
DETECTIVE KELLY
No forcible entry was found. From
the beginning of the investigation,
it did not appear to be a break-in.
Nothing was missing.
FORENSICS TECHNICIAN
On the stand.
FORENSICS TECHNICIAN
The defendant's prints were found on
the neck, gun, bullets, and lamp...
no other sets were fount other than
the deceased.
FACES OF THE JURY
Impassive. Attentive. His "peers." They listen to the
recording of the 911 tape.
911 (V.O.)
Did I hear you right? Your attacker
is still in the house? Ma'am?
HELEN (V.O.)
He's trving to kill me...
911 (V.O.)
Will you repeat that please?
HELEN (V.O.)
Richard... He's trying to kill me...
KIBLE'S POV - THE JURY
A few members lean over to make notes. It's powerful taken
out of context.
NICHOLS ON THE STAND
PROSECUTOR
Dr. Nichols. You are aware that
Richard Kimble was the only
beneficiary of Helen Kimble's estate.
12 million dollars roughly.
NICHOLS
I was aware of that. The money meant
nothing to him.
PROSECUTOR
Yet in your presence, Richard Kimble
once said that 'if he had Helen's
money he could find plenty of uses.'
Did he not?
NICHOLS
We were talking about -
PROSECUTOR
Yes or no?
Nichols' look tells us everything... Yes.
CUT TO:
CORONER
On the stand.
CORONER
The wound to the head caused a
massive hemorrhage to the brain. It
took from five to seven minutes for
her to die...
A woman in the jury reacts. Kimble notices.
KIMBLE
On the stand. He finishes his moving description of the
events. We see some of the jury has been moved.
KIMBLE
... And I was holding her when the
officers came in.
Gutherie returns to his seat. The Prosecutor moves to the
jury. He begins slowly but his questions pick up strength.
PROSECUTOR
How tall was this man, Dr. Kimble?
KIMBLE
I can't be sure. We were, mostly on
the floor, fighting... I couldn't -
PROSECUTOR
Did that fight cause the scratches
on your face and arms?
KIMBLE
No. As I explained -
PROSECUTOR
And how did this man enter your
house?
KIMBLE
I don't know -
PROSECUTOR
And you probably don't know why your
wife told the emergency operator You
were her attacker?
KIMBLE
She didn't -
PROSECUTOR
Your name is Richard, isn't it? Your
gun is a .38, isn't it? Your prints
were on the gun, the bullets, the
lamp, her neck, weren't they?
KIMBLE
Look...
PROSECUTOR
Weren't they?
CUT TO:
INT. COURTROOM - DAY
Richard Kimble sits behind the desk, but already he's a
shadow of the man we knew before, stares ahead passively as
Judge Bennett delivers the sentencing to hushed courtroom.
JUDGE BENNETT
After careful and studied review of
all evidence presented during each
phase of this proceeding, and
because aggravated circumstances,
detailed at length, were present
the night of January 20th.
Kimble is silent, stunned, but all around him the sentence
shockwaves through the courtroom. Reporters push out rear
doors. Prosecutors share a look - with a hangman's
satisfaction. Nichols, watching behind Kimble's table,
lowers his head. Disbelief.
ANGLE ON RICHARD KIMBLE
He remains silent. Kimble is pulled gently to his feet by
bailiff. Gutherie whispers an "I'm sorry." Kimble doesn't
hear it.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
Therefore, it is the decision of
this court...
Looks over his shoulder to the emptying courtroom. Faces
stare back.
CUT TO:
INT. KIT ROOM - DAY
Judge Bennett's V.O. CONTINUES over:
A locker opening. Inside, a profusion of chrome and nickel
plating. Jailhouse jewelry. Handcuffs dragged out. Action
checked.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
... that you be remanded to Menard
State penitentiary...
CLOSE ON CUFFS
Slapped down over wrists, ratcheting down tight.
Ankle cuffs dragged out. Pant legs raised, canvas shoes
exposed. Cuffs clamped down on ankles.
CHAINS RATTLED out. Snaked across the floor. Looped around
waists and locked to handcuffs to form belly chains.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
... where you will serve a sentence
of life imprisonment without
possibility of parole.
EXT . SALLY PORT (COOK COW TY JAIL) - NIGHT
The chain gang exits through the sally port. Kimble and
three other prisoners. Jailers escort them to...
An Illinois Department of Corrections guard moves alongside,
checking the undercarriage with a pole-mounted mirror.
The GAVEL CRACKS as we -
CUT TO:
INT. BUS - CLOSE ON KEY - DAY
Locking wire mesh cage inside bus.
An old DIESEL COUGHS to life.
EXT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - NIGHT
Main gates open. The BUS GRINDS onto the streets.
INT. BUS - DAY
The four prisoners sit scattered, still cuffed but no longer
chained together. Near the front, PRISONER #1 is eyeing...
The two prison guards seated beyond the caged door. YOUNG
GUARD lighting a smoke. OLD GUARD drowsing. Shotguns
bouncing on their knees. Prisoner #l shifts his gaze to...
The driver. Pistol on his hip.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. DESOLATE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
The BUS RUMBLES north, heading towards the horizon.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
PRISONER #1 rises. Through caging:
PRISONER #1
Hey. Illinois penal regulations
require a meal for transport
rides of four hours or more.
Young Guard shakes his head. "Fucking jailhouse lawyers."
Checks his watch: 4:00.
YOUNG GUARD
Jack! Feedin' time.
Old Guard yawns to his feet, unhooks a key-ring from his
belt. Young Guard stows his shotgun in the weapons locker.
PRISONER #2 looks at Kimble. Kimble stirs awake... watches
the cage door open, Young Guard moving back. And across the
aisle...
PRISONER #3, a big man named COPELAND, wags his head
between his knees. Something slides out of his shirt and
CLANKS to the dimpled steel floor. It's a razor sharp
plastic shank.
Heart quickening, Kimble looks forward. Young Guard is
handing a petrified sandwich to Prisoner #1. Kimble snaps
a look back to Copeland, who palms the shank.
COPELAND
Breathe, and you're first.
Old Guard watches from the open cage door, shotgun
carelessly ready.
Young Guard reaches Kimble and extends a sandwich. Kimble
doesn't respond.
YOUNG GUARD
Suit yourself.
He offers the sandwich to Copeland. In the exchange,
sandwich drops. Copeland leans down for it.
Up front, Old Guard yawns again just as...
KIMBLE
Look out!
Too late... Jackknifing up, Copeland drives the shank into
Young Guard's gut.
Prisoner #2 dives for Young Guard's holster. As the gun comes
out, Young Guard gets a hand on it. A SHOT FIRES...
Jolting Old Guard. He chambers his shotgun. Kimble hits the
floor. The Old Guard jams a key into the cage door and surges
inside, but...
Prisoner #1 broadsides Old Guard. SHOTGUN DISCHARGES...
Opening a big Gainsburger hole in the driver. He sinks under
the steering wheel. A knee hits the accelerator.
The CAGE DOOR SLAMS locked behind the Old Guard.
EXT. DESOLATE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
As the bus careens off the road, accelerating.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Young Guard wrestles gun from Prisoner #2 and FIRES, killing
prisoner #2. Copeland grapples with wounded Young Guard.
Old Guard shotgun-butts Prisoner #1, flips the gun, PUMPS
ONE ROUND into the man's chest. Dead. He turns just as...
EXT. OPEN LAND - NIGHT
As the driverless BUS BUCKS ant BANGS over open ground.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Old Guard reloads. Copeland drops down behind a seat.
Old Guard jams his SHOTGUN under the seat. But just as the
Old Guard pulls the trigger the bus jerks. The SHOT goes
off target as...
EXT. OPEN LAND - NIGHT
The BUS ROARS into a gravel embankment. ROARS up the slope
and CRASHES down on its side - sliding to a stop at the
bottom of a small ravine.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
ENGINE DIES. Dusty silence. We don't know up from down.
On his knees, Old Guard makes his way to the driver. Finds
him dead. Now a SOUND. Old Guard whips his shotgun around
at...
Kimble. Rising between the seats.
A hairy beat. Old Guard might kill him just to finish things
off. But a GROAN turns Old Guard's head.
Young Guard, trying to hold his guts in. Old Guart turns to
find Kimble.
OLD GUARD
(to Kimble)
You. You're a doctor. C'mere.
He slides to the Young Guard as the Old Guard scrounges up a
medical kit, shoves Kimble down on Young Guard.
OLD GUARD
Do something.
Kimble looks at his cuffs. "In these?" Old Guard digs out
his key ring and unlocks Kimble's hands - only his hands.
Kimble opens medical kit. It's been ransacked - just
Band-Aids now. Kimble looks into the wound.
KIMBLE
He isn't going to make it unless he
gets to a hospital. Fast.
OLD GUARD
ZL.
In this delicate moment a SHIVER runs through the bus. Is it
just settling?
With other things to worry about, Kimble tries to stop Young
Guard's bleeding.
ANGLE UNDER SEAT
We see Copeland, alive. The crash has ripped the bars from a
back window and shattered the glass. He works to get out the
opening.
BACK TO KIMBLE
A second SHIVER ripples through the bus, stronger. Kimble
retracts his hands to touch a metal panel - and feels a
growing vibration.
KIMBLE
Just where the hell are we?
The Old Guard feels it too. He gets down on his knees and
looks out one of the shattered, barred windows.
OLD GUARD
Oh, shit...
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
The bus lies across railroad tracks. A not-too-distant bend
grows bright by the light of an approaching train.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Kimble sees: Old Guard fights the cage door. Kimble lunges
to his side.
KIMBLE
It's locked. Where're your keys?
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
Downtrack, one Cyclops light appears.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Kimble spots keys. Pitches them to Old Guard. Drags Young
Guard to the front for a quick exit. But Old Guard fumbles
the key-ring, his hands shaking as much as the bus.
The train light spider-webs across cracked windows. Kimble
snatches the keys away from the Guard's trembling hands.
KIMBLE
Which one? This? This one?!
Old Guard gulps a nod. Kimble jams a key in the lock. Throws
the door open. Grabs Young Guard.
KIMBLE
Help me get him -
But Old Guard climbs right over Kimble's back and climbs out
the shattered windshield.
ANGLE ON REAR OF BUS
Copeland escapes through the hole in the back...
EXT. BUS - NIGHT
... and hits the ground running the other way. The
locomotive's headlight reveals the toppled bus.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Train light grows. A nanosecond of uncertainty: Should
Kimble leave the wounded man? Kimble and the Young Guard
hold a look.
EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN - NIGHT
As the WHEELS BRAKE and LOCK.
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
Kimble struggles out of the bus - pulling the Young Guard
behind him. He slings the man clear.
SCREECHING death, the TRAIN SKIDS closer.
For one heartbeat, Kimble remains perched atop the bus.
The train light X-rays him.
Kimble leaps. Lands. Rolls. Gains his feet. Tries to sprint
away but can't: His feet are still chained. He gets off a
dozen mincing steps before...
IMPACT: A hundred tons of STEEL SLAMS into the bus,
splitting it open.
Shrapnel rips through Kimble's thigh, but he stays on his
feet, still running feverish half-steps.
An EXPLOSION envelops the train. Flames stream down its
flanks.
The train burns past the wounded Guard.
Kimble looks back, expecting to see the catastrophe behind
him. But he gets the shock of his life - of any man's life:
Still on its wheels, the locomotive is derailing - and coming
after him. It's the stuff of nightmares: One little man being
chased by a fire-breathing locomotive.
The train burrows to a stop.
Kimble is suddenly five feet taller, standing on an upheaval
of earth, staring eyeball-to-eyeball with the train that
nearly devoured him. He pants. Coughs on smoke. Then notices
something in his hand.
It's the key-ring.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Kimble sits and searches the key-ring for manacle key.
Suddenly a hand reaches down and snatches the key-ring away.
COPELAND (O.S.)
Give me that.
Kimble watches as Copeland quickly unlocks both sets of his
own chains.
COPELAND
You listen to me. I don't give a
damn which way you go, just don't
follow me.
Kimble takes the key as Copeland wraps his chains around his
arm and runs. Kimble unlocks his leg irons and runs in the
other direction - crossing a hilltop in the moonlight.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CRASH SITE (SOUTHERN ILLINOIS) - NIGHT
News and sheriff's department choppers circle billowing
smoke. TILT DOWN to reveal the derailed train. Fire engines
hose down the blackened locomotive. Rescue workers work
feverishly with jaws-of-life to get into the mangled
wreckage. Illuminated by spotlights, transportation
investigators in blue coveralls pick through the twisted
remains of the bus. State troopers restrain spectators.
Two American-made rental cars pull up. Four deputy U.S.
marshals emerge:
BIGGS. Swaggering Midwestern carnivore. Built like a brick
shithouse.
RENFRO. Bantam-rooster of a man, no more than 140 pounds
fully-equipped.
POOLE. Black woman. Nobody minds having her around during
nut-cuttin' time.
NEWMAN, a scrub-faced G-5.
From the second car steps GERARD. He takes in the media
spectacle.
GERARD
Good lord...
REFRO
What is this... a circus?
As a group they begin moving along the service road above
the crash site. Derailed train cars are accortianed below
them. They take in the elements of the crash and as they
walk each begins to reveal their U.S. Marshal's credentials.
Biggs spots something...
BIGGS
Point of impact.
... and branches off.
GERARD
Biggs, your turn to babysit Newman.
BIGGS
Shit.
(to Newman)
Come on.
They drop down to the crash site. Poole ant Renfro remain
with Gerard.
A state TROOPER steps into their path, but falls away when he
sees Gerard's Marshall star.
GERARD
How ya doing? Who's in charge?
TROOPER
Sheriff Rollins. Just follow the
lights -
Gerard follows his point to where TV lights illuminate the
scene. He shakes his head - it doesn't please him.
Renfro and Poole share a look, they seem to know what's
about to happen.
ANGLE - OLD GUARD
Seated near a tree. A space blanket draped over his
shoulders. He is surrounded by EMT personnel, and a YOUNG
SHERIFF, clearly basking in the event. Television remote
news crews are kept only slight back. Gerard appears in the
b.g., listening.
OLD GUARD
... train was bearin' down on us,
fast. I don't know how - it's still
kind of hazy - but I grabbed him
and pushed him out of the bus.
SHERIFF
You coulda both been killed.
OLD GUARD
I know, but hell, he's my partner.
Woulda done the same for me.
The young Sheriff in charge nods, buying the story. Gerard
eases forward, displays his badge, interrupts.
GERARD
Excuse me, Sheriff Rollins? Deputy
U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard.
SHERIFF
(annoyed)
I'll be with you in a minute.
The television lights widen to illuminate Gerard. He shields
his eyes. The Sheriff opens a file and produces fax-photos
of all four prisoners.
SHERIFF
(to Old Guard)
For the record. These three dead.
And this one...
He switches to a photo of Kimble.
OLD GUARD
Well, everything happened so fast...
(bites lip, decides)
Huh-uh. Don't think he made it.
Sheriff eyes the wreckage that could entomb a hundred
prisoners, then files Kimble's fax-photo with the others.
SHERIFF
You get some rest.
He pats the Guard on the shoulder and approaches Gerard.
SHERIFF
Looks like you came a long way for
nothing. My men've already done a
thorough search from point of
impact and found nothing.
INTERCUT WITH:
ANGLE - CULVERT
Biggs and Newman stop by the muddy culvert. Biggs sees
something. He orders Newman into the muck after it.
GERARD
Aware of media, proceeds patiently with the young Sheriff.
GERARD
With all due respect, may I suggest
check-points starting at a 15-mile
radius on I-57, I-24, Route 13 east
of -
SHERIFF
Whoa, whoa, whoa... For what?
Prisoners are all dead. The only
thing check-points will do is get a
lot of good people out here frantic
and flood my office with calls.
Gerard finally touches eyeballs with the young Sheriff and
we get our first taste of Gerard at close range.
GERARD
(beat)
Well, shit, Sheriff, I'd hate for
that to happen... So, I'll be
taking over the investigation.
SHERIFF
On whose authority?
GERARD
By authority of the Governor of the
State of Illinois and the office of
the United States Marshal, 5th
District Northern Illinois...
Poole produces State and Federal authorization documents
from one of her pockets and hands it to the young Sheriff.
SHERIFF
(back-down beat)
Okay. You want jurisdiction over
this mess, you got it.
(to assistants)
Shut it down. Wyatt Earp is here to
mop up for us.
He slaps the file of fax-photos at Gerard on his way out.
Just as Biggs, spotless, eases ino the group with Kimble's
manacles. Behind Biggs we see Newman, covered in mud.
Seeing the leg irons, the Sheriff and his deputies pile to
a stop. Now Gerard takes his run at Old Guard.
GERARD
Please, ladies and gentlemen, step
back and give this poor man some
room.
Like an obedient dog the press backs off, they sense a
change of story and command.
Gerard kneels down with Poole and Renfro in front of the
Old Guard. The Sheriff hovers near.
GERARD
(friendly, to Old
Guard)
Always an interesting thing when we
find leg irons and no legs in them
who held the keys, sir?
OLD GUARD
Uh, me.
GERARD
Would you be so kind as to show them
to me, sir?
Gerard's large hand extends palm up at the Old Guard.
The Old Guard pats his pockets, comes up empty. He eyes the
press hovering just out of earshot.
GERARD
Second chance.
Poole reopens the file of photos in front of the man.
The Old Guard can't take it - points to Kimble's photo.
OLD GUARD
(cracking)
He mighta got out.
GERARD
Thank you.
SHERIFF
What the hell is this? A minute ago
you tell me he's part of the
wreckage, now you're -
GERARD
Renfro - Take that bus apart. I want
an accurate body count. Poole - Set
up operations right here.
He stops and looks into the TV lights and starts moving
downtrack. The media and State Police move with him like
Israelites behind Moses.
GERARD
Ladies and gentlemen... our
fugitive's been on the run for
ninety minutes. Average foot speed
over uneven ground - barring injury
is approximately four miles an hour,
giving us a radius of six miles. I
want a hard-target search of any
residence, gas station, farmhouse,
henhouse, doghouse and outhouse in
that area. Check-points go up at
15 miles.
(to media)
You got that? Good. Now, turn
those damn things off and get out
of our way.
INT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
ROARS... just above the treetops. Helicopter speeds up a
dark river. Its tracking beam illuminates the river bank.
EXT. RURAL ROADS - NIGHT
Flashing lights. Two highway patrol cars set up roadblocks.
The SQUAWK of police RADIOS breaks the rural quiet. A moment
later a HELICOPTER ROARS overhead.
EXT. TRACKS - NIGHT
Kimble moves down train tracks. His jumpsuit is wet with
blood from the gash. He pauses and checks the wound. He's
going to need stitches.
Far down the tracks he sees glow of town lights. He keeps
moving.
EXT. TRESTLE - DAWN
Kimble crosses a tressel, keeps running toward the direction
of the lights.
A junk yard by railroad tracks and a road. Signs along the
road show we're on the edge of town. One says: Hospital-1/2
mile.
ANGLE - TRACKS AND STREAM
Kimble runs from a streak up to the railroad tracks. As he
nears the junk yard and road he sees the hospital sign.
He's close but he can't go into the hospital in his prison
jumpsuit. He leans against a wrecked car and catches his
breath.
Just then a tow truck pulling a car on its hook, turns off
the road and parks next to the tracks. Kimble ducks for
cover behind the wrecked car.
The driver climbs out, dumps his coveralls in the front
seat and closes the door.
He moves toward a house across the tracks, then forgets
something and returns to the cab. He throws open the door
and grabs lunch box off the seat - and we notice the
coveralls missing from the seat.
As the driver returns to the house we MOVE TO the opposite
side of the car to find Kimble, ducked beneath the window,
clutching the coveralls.
EXT. CRASH SITE - DAWN
A crude headquarters is set up beneath a tent, near the
crash site. Maps are laid out on tables. Power and phone
lines are pulled down from the lines running along the
tracks. Renfro supervises the electronics.
Poole handles phones, takes a report from the field and
relays it to Gerard.
POOLE
Blood trail found. Two miles
southwest.
GERARD
(to Biggs)
Type it and match it against all
four prisoners.
(to Renfro)
Renfro, get an I.D. fax on Kimble to
every local hospital.
(to Newman)
Newman...
Newman appears.
NEWMAN
Yes, sir...
GERARD
I need some coffee.
As Newman steps off, everyone turns at sound of SHOUTING
from the train crash.
ANGLE - TRAIN CRASH
A RESCUE WORKER shouts up to others.
WORKER
Hey, one's alive!
EXT. RURAL HOSPITAL - LOADING DOCK - MORNING
Loading dock outside the E.R. A WORKER stacks boxes of food
outside kitchen entrance. Kimble, in the tow truck
operator's coveralls, picks up a box and carries it inside.
Once inside he branches off down a hallway.
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - MORNING
A door opens on a long hallway. A DOCTOR, CHILD with a
bandaged hand, and a MOTHER leave a room and walk TOWARD us.
Behind them, Kimble moves down the hall and stops in front
of the doorway.
KIMBLE'S POV - MINOR PROCEDURES ROOM
CUT TO:
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - MINOR PROCEDURES ROOM - MORNING
Kimble closes the door and locks it. Hanging on the back of
the door we see a doctor's white coat.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOSPITAL - MORNING
An Illinois State Trooper's car pulls up outside.
CUT TO:
CLOTH-COVERED INSTRUMENT TRAY
On it we see: A packaged sterilized bandage, an opened
antiseptic wash, an opened topical anesthetic, and an empty
syringe. We PULL BACK to find:
KIMBLE
His wound bathed in orange antiseptic wash, three stitches
already in. With pair of forceps he picks up the needle as
he sutures himself.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - LONG SHOT (MOS) - MORNING
At far end of the hall we see a STATE TROPER chatting with a
DUTY NURSE at a nurses' station.
CUT TO:
INT. PROCEDURE'S ROOM - MORNING
Kimble, his bandage already in place, gives himself a shot
of antibiotics.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - MAN'S ROOM - DAY
A man, tube in nose, on two I.V.s, lays in bed with eyes
closed. Kimble comes INTO FRAME near his face.
KIMBLE
Can you hear me, sir?
No response. The man is out of it. Kimble backtracks to the
patient's closet and opens it. Hanging inside we see his
clothes. He removes them and notices the man's untouched
breakfast tray.
CUT TO:
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - NURSES' DUTY STATION - DAY
The Duty Nurse and State Trooper chat when a fax begins
coming through on DESK FAX.
NURSE
There's your fax...
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT'S BATHROOM - DAY
Kimble dressing in the man's clothes. He eats a piece of
toast - part of the man's breakfast - as he buttons up his
shirt.
ANGLE - PATIENT
His arm slowly reaches out and presses his nurses call
button.
CUT TO:
INT. NURSES' STATION - DAY
A fax photograph of Richard Kimble slowly comes off the
duty station FAX MACHINE. Next to the machine the
patient's call light comes on.
The Duty Nurse, standing with the Highway Trooper, sees the
patient's light come on and starts down the hall toward the
patient's room.
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT'S BATHROOM - DAY
Kimble shaving when we hear the DUTY NURSE ENTER the
patient's room. He moves OUT OF FRAME.
DUTY NURSE (O.S.)
Mr. Patterson, do you need some more
water?
ANGLE - MAN'S EATEN BREAKFAST
The Duty Nurse looks from the tray to the man, impressed.
DUTY NURSE
... Oh, you did a good job on this.
She takes his empty plastic pitcher and...
... pushes open the bathroom door - no sign of Kimble - and
refills the pitcher from the sink.
DUTY NURSE
(over her shoulder,
to patient)
... It does get dry in here, doesn't
it?
She doesn't expect an answer, turns OFF the WATER, and goes
into the main room. As the door closes we see Kimble behind
it.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Kimble, clean-shaven, and wearing the patient's glasses and
a doctor's white coat, moves down the hall to the emergency
room exit. Suddenly the State Trooper steps back from the
E.R. admissions desk with his newly received fax, and starts
down the corridor toward Kimble.
The Trooper looks up as the two men pass...
TROOPER
'Scuse me, Doc?...
Kimble turns but continues slowly backing toward the E.R.
doors behind him.
TROOPER
... Don't know if you heard or not
but we're looking for an escaped
prisoner from that bus train wreck
'couple hours ago. Thought he might
show up here if he was hurt.
KIMBLE
What's he look like?
The Trooper looks down at his fact sheet as we see a slow
trickle of blood from a shaving nick begin winding down
Kimble's cheek.
TROOPER
(from fax sheet)
Approximately six one, 180 pounds,
brown hair, brown eyes and beard.
At the last second Kimble feels the drop of blood and wipes
it clean as the Trooper looks up.
TROOPER
... Seen anyone that fits that
description?
KIMBLE
Every time I look in the mirror ...
but without the beard.
They laugh.
KIMBLE
Excuse me...
TROOPER
Sure.
Kimble moves through the E.R. doors as an ambulance parks
outside...
EXT. RURAL HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM RAMP - DAY
Two PARAMEDICS try to take out a patient on a gurney. The
lead wheels are stuck.
KIMBLE
Here...
Kimble helps clear the wheels so the collapsible gurney
comes free.
PARAMEDIC #2
Thanks, Doc, we had to dig him out
from under a train.
As the gurney comes out, Kimble looks right into the face
of the Young Guard. The Guard's eyes suddenly open wide.
YOUNG GUARD
It's him... It's -
Kimble claps the portable oxygen mask back over the Young
Guard's mouth and keeps his hand there.
KIMBLE
How is he?
The Paramedics move him toward the ramp.
PARAMEDIC #1
He's pretty bad off. Broken leg,
ribs. Concussion.
As Kimble moves away...
KIMBLE
Tell the E.R. doctor he's also got
a perforated spleen.
He's gone... The two Paramedics share a look as they whisk
the Young Guard inside.
PARAMEDIC #2
(impressed)
Jesus, how could he tell that from
looking at his face?
ANGLE - AMBULANCE
Kimble climbs behind the wheel.
EXT. TRAIN CRASH SITE / OPERATIONS HEADQUARTERS - DAY
A full communications link is in place.
Deputy marshals answer phones, work faxes, add information
to a situation board. Troopers bring in information. Poole
calls Gerard.
POOLE
Background just came in from
Chicago.
GERARD
Hit me.
Renfro and Poole lay out the details. The download of
information comes clear and fast.
RENFRO
Richard David Kimble. Vascular
Surgeon. Convicted of first-degree
murder in the killing of his wife.
Pleaded innocent. Claimed a
one-armed -
GERARD
Let's not retry the case. Priors
and accomplices?
Gerard steps up the hillside out of sight of the
investigation to take a leak. Followed by Renfro and Poole.
RENFRO
None. No previous arrests.
Poole takes up a position discreetly behind tree as Gerard
unzips his fly and relieves himself.
GERARD
Sealed juvie record?
Poole calls out from behind tree.
POOLE
Nothing. Total cherry.
GERARD
Relatives? Children?
RENFRO
No relatives.
POOLE
One child. A son. Died in drowning
accident three years ago.
GERARD
Girl friends? Ex-wives? Friends?
Combinations of the above?
POOLE
Lot of friends. Doctors. Hospital
staff.
Gerard zips up.
GERARD
Start there. Authorize taps. Cover
his lawyer first.
RENFRO
Never get it.
GERARD
Bet me.
Renfro won't take it.
GERARD
Have Stevens go to Judge Rubin,
he'll sign 'em.
... Biggs charges up the hillside.
BIGGS
DeLange Hospital. Wounded guard
swears to High Holy he saw Kimble
right there in the hallway.
Ambulance, missing too.
ANGLE - SITUATION TENT
Gerard moves quickly to the map.
GERARD
Give me a time.
BIGGS
O-nine-thirty. Twenty minutes ago.
Gerard redraws the circle of units. No longer are we
covering a fifty-mile radius. The circle is redrawn,
tightened, with the hospital as its center. The
triangulation is set.
CUT TO:
EXT. RURAL RAILROAD CROSSING - DAY
The ambulance follows three cars toward a rural railroad
crossing.
COP (V.O.)
... We're waiting up here in Canton.
Wondering if you heard anything on
this Kimble chase -
INT. AMBULANCE - DAY
Kimble behind the wheel as he approaches the railroad
crossing. The biocom monitors police chatter:
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Two-twelve-A, be advised that all
discussion on this matter is to be
conducted on a tactical frequency
- either Channel K or Z. Over.
Frequency goes dead. Kimble looks THROUGH the windshield:
ROAD SIGN
An arrow points toward Canton, two miles.
The cars in front slow as the railroad crossing signal
suddenly activates and the bars begin to drop. Kimble pops
the SIREN and hurriedly snakes through the crossing and
heads in the opposite direction... but his maneuver gets
attention.
INT. TRUCK CAB - DAY
Truck driver watches Kimble cut through the crossing and
reaches for his C.B. radio.
EXT. CRASH SITE - DAY
Poole hangs up phone.
POOLE
Ambulance just spotted two miles
west of Doverville. Heading north
on State road 53.
Renfro turns to the map and marks it. The circle is much
smaller.
RENFRO
Running outta map, Sam.
The crash site and hospital are already marked. Gerard is
ready to move.
GERARD
Just the way we want it. Okay,
people, let's button up.
They move off to waiting State Trooper cars and helicopter.
INT. AMBULANCE - DAY
Kimble driving down a rural road. He flips down visor and
eyeballs folded roadmap...
EXT. SECONDARY ROAD (KENTUCKY) - DAY
... The ambulance crests a hill. In the distance we see the
Grosvner Viaduct and the Barkley Dam.
EXT. HIGHWAY (KENTUCKY) - DAY
Blowing other traffic off the road, WHOOPING CRUISERS and
G-cars stream south through the rugged rural terrain of
Southern Illinois. Overtaking them all, a CHOPPER THUNDERS
overhead.
INT. HELICOPTER
Heading into hilly terrain. Down below we see the ambulance.
Inside the helicopter Gerard eyes the terrain.
PILOT
(into radio)
We've got a visual...
(to Gerard)
He's heading toward the viaduct.
GERARD
Seal it up.
EXT. AERIAL VIEW OF GROSVNER VIADUCT - DAY
The two-lane road disappears into long tunnel. Three hundred
feet below the road tumbles the Tennessee River.
The Barkley Dam rises ahead. Kimble's AMBULANCE ROARS into
the tunnel.
ON KIMBLE
Suddenly sees the helicopter setting down ahead of him at
the mouth of the tunnel.
Kimble slams on brakes and turns to retreat.
ANGLE - FAR END OF TUNNEL (BEHIND HIM)
Illinois Highway Patrol cars pull to a stop at the far
entrance. Light flares. Set out road blocks.
ANGLE HELICOPTER
Gerard steps out followed by Renfro and Poole.
KIMBLE'S AMBULANCE
Comes to a stop, blocking traffic in both directions.
Immediately HORNS begin BLARING.
EXT. TUNNEL - NIGHT
Trooper pulls up. Biggs and Newman behind Kimble blocking
the other end.
Troopers with guns drawn block the exits. The P.A. from a
State patrol car blares:
P.A. (V.O.)
Please remain in your vehicles and
lock your doors. Repeat, please
remain in -
ANGLE ON HELICOPTER
Poole and Renfro materialize already decked out in Kevlar.
They're jacked up and ready to rock. Renfro hands Gerard a
vest.
RENFRO
Got him.
Gerard unholsters a 40 caliber, Glock model 22.
GERARD
Okay, ladies and gentlemen hard
part's over.
He starts into the tunnel.
RENFRO
(to radio)
We're movin' in.
INT. TUNNEL - DAY
Weapons drawn, but held discreetly at their sides, three
silhouettes enter. Drivers who hadn't heeded the Troopers'
P.A. warnings take one look at Gerard and quickly climb
back inside and lock their doors.
Biggs, Renfro and Poole fan out to the sides and give the
middle to Gerard. The tunnel is quickly quiet.
Kimble huddles at mid-tunnel. He's trapped. Drops to the
ground beneath the truck. His heart pounding, brain
clicking, fighting panic. Suddenly he realizes he's in water.
Running water.
ON MARSHALS
They reach the mid-tunnel area. No Kimble. Biggs looks
around, beneath vehicles. Gerard listens. Poole looks
confused.
POOLE
Where'd he go?
Gerard spots the trickle of water. He backtracks it until
he finds a loose grate in the pavement. Man-size.
GERARD
Biggs, Renfro with me.
INT. STORM DRAIN - FORKING CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble splashes blindly through ankle-deep sluice. He slows
at forking tunnels to catch his breath and pick a direction.
A DULL ROAR comes from somewhere - from everywhere. He whips
off his jacket and slings it down a tunnel, then continues
straight ahead.
Somewhere behind, lights probe splash-patterns on the conduit
wall - telltale signs of Kimble's passing. The lights belong
to...
Gerard, Biggs and Renfro. They push on, soon reaching the
forking tunnels. Renfro finds the jacket ant splash signs.
GERARD
Channel Three.
They conform their radios. Splitting up, Biggs and Renfro go
left. Gerard - straight ahead.
INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble. Bracing with all four limbs. Negotiating a mossy
downslope.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Biggs and Renfro. Sweeping his light as he advances.
Searching for splash-patterns.
BIGGS
(into shoulder-mike)
Nothing yet.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Gerard. Probing a branch-off tunnel with his light. About to
pass, he notices scrapings on the mossy walls of the
branch-off tunnel. Hand marks?
GERARD
(into radio)
Got a possible here. Stand by.
He stows his light but hangs onto the Glock. Bracing with
three limbs
INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY
Gerard begins the tricky descent. Slips once. Recovers.
Slips again...
... and tumbles out of control. GUN and RADIO CLATTER AWAY.
Scrabbling for purchase, he finally snags An overhead pipe.
Gerard stabilizes. Sweeps his light to locate his Glock,
lying down-tunnel. He eases toward it. But another hand gets
there first.
It's Kimble. Face dark and desperate. Dangerous. Hand
flexing on the pistol. They lock eyes for a beat.
KIMBLE
I didn't kill my wife.
GERARD
So, you didn't kill your wife.
Not my problem.
An adrenal beat. For a moment they hold a look. Then the
silence is broken by Gerard's radio.
BIGGS (V.O.)
Gerard? You there?
Gerard looks for his radio, then back at Kimble - he's gone.
Instantly Gerard reaches for his ankle - and pulls a back-up
piece.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
As Renfro hears FOOTSTEPS POUNDING his way.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Gerard charges down the tunnel. From a side tunnel, Renfro
appears, almost colliding. Biggs follows...
GERARD
Straight ahead!
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble sticks Gerard's gun into his waist band to balance
in the tunnel. He spills around a corner and stops. Ahead
lies an orb of light. The tunnel ends. The NOISE is
incredible. Kimble moves to the end of the tunnel and
stops.
KIMBLE'S POV
Water pours from the tunnel into the spillway of Barkley dam
disappearing into a veil of mist below - a great cauldron of
mists. No rocks. None visible at least.
He hears the MARSHALS behind him - COMING CLOSER.
ANGLE - MARSHALS
Gerard and Renfro turn the corner. Renfro drops into a
shooting stance.
GERARD
Turn around, hands over your head.
And get down on the ground.
For a moment Kimble eyes Gerard.
GERARD
Your choice, Kimble...
Kimble turns his back on the Marshals, stares again at the
water. Slowly he puts his hands over his head. Gerard puts
up his gun and pulls his handcuffs. He moves through the
water toward Kimble.
GERARD
Get down on your knees.
Kimble bends slowly, stares down into the falls, hears the
footsteps get closer, then does the unthinkable. He jumps.
EXT. BARKLEY DAM - DAY
Biggs moving to the top of the massive dam sees Kimble leap
into the sheet of water spilling over dam and disappear into
the mists below. He can't believe his eyes.
INT. DRAINAGE CONDUIT - DAY
Renfro lowers his gun.
RENFRO
(amazed)
Son of a bitch...
It's the most amazing thing he's ever seen...
ON GERARD
He stands at the mouth of the tunnel staring down. He
stares down into the mists. Impressed. It has told him
something invaluable about this fugitive.
EXT. TOP OF DAM - DAY
Gerard scrambles out of the tunnels to the top of the dam
near Biggs, just as squad cars, troopers and the search
helicopter converge on the site.
EXT. RIVERBANK - DAY
Far downriver a figure fights through a snag in the bend.
The snag - a tree branch - breaks away and heads down
stream. Hanging onto the branch we see Kimble.
EXT. BARKLEY DAM - LOWER RESERVOIR - SUNSET
Below the dam and spillway. Troopers in waders search the
shallows, deputies beat bushes along the shore.
Farther out we see a dredge boat slowly working the waters.
FROM SHORE
Gerard watches the dredge cage come up again. As if with
the next pass it will prove him the victor. The HEAD
ILLINOIS TROOPER CAPTAIN approaches.
HEAD TROOPER
Running out of daylight, Inspector.
GERARD
Lights and generators are coming,
Captain.
HEAD TROOPER
Look, I don't mean to tell you your
job, but maybe one person in a
million could've survived that fall.
The guy's fish food.
Gerard turns and brings his look to bear on the Captain.
GERARD
Then find me the fish that ate him.
He turns and heads to a waiting helicopter.
EXT. WOODS - AFTERNOON
Kimble runs through the woods. He staggers, his arm hooks a
sapling which spins him to the ground. He lays motionless,
exhausted.
KIMBLE'S DREAM - INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - DAY
ANGLE
Helen in bed. Kimble's hand comes INTO FRAME and touches
her shoulder. She turns toward Kimble as he moves INTO
FRAME and kisses her.
DISSOLVE TO:
ANGLE
Helen tosses her head back. She wears white silk pajamas
and smiles down AT us. A hand reaches up and unbuttons the
top two buttons of her top. Then Kimble moves up INTO FRAME
as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BEACH - DAY
Helen running down beach TOWARD us. Embraces Kimble as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. POOL - DAY
Helen's head comes up out of a pool. Hair tossed back, she
smiles as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Helen exiting Kimble's car the night of the murder. She
looks back at Kimble, framed by the door frame, ant smiles.
HELEN
Good-bye. I love you.
Again... Then again... then:
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. FOREST - MORNING
Kimble comes out of his sleep with a start. Shivering. He
remembers where he is. His breathing returns to normal.
EXT. TRESTLE - TUNNEL - MORNING
Kimble moves across a river trestle and disappears into
tunnel.
INT. DRUG STORE - DAY
Kimble on pay phone in the rear of the store waits for
party
to answer. An old lady and her mother shop.
Across the store a pharmacist watches Kimble.
ANGLE - PHONE
Kimbles watches the boys as he waits for answer. We hear
RINGING, then a receptionist answers:
RECEPTIONIST (V.O.)
The law offices of Gutherie, Morgan
and Wainwright.
KIMBLE
Walter Gutherie please.
RECEPTIONIST (V.O.)
I'm sorry, Mr. Gutherie has left
for the day, would you like his
voice mail?
Kimble hangs up and moves down an aisle, stopping in front
of the hair color. He takes a box of black hair dye off the
shelf and looks at the instructions. When he looks up he
sees the pharmacist looking at him.
EXT. SONNY'S DINER - NIGHT
A roadside diner. Kimble, his hair now black, and wearing a
new pair of Wranglers, hooded sweatshirt and a duffle coat,
moves down the road to the diner.
INT. SONNY'S DINER - NIGHT
Kimble enters. He sits at the counter and a sparky OLDER
WAITRESS, late, mid-forties, with strong good looks and
tough smile fills his coffee cup before he even asks.
OLDER WAITRESS
Need to look at the menu?
KIMBLE
Some soup, please.
OLDER WAITRESS
Good choice.
She marks her pad and leaves. Sights ant sounds around
Kimble begins to occupy his attention:
A dishwasher buses a tub of dishes back to the kitchen. He
stares at him.
A farmer sitting at a table stares at Kimble, Kimble looks
away. A man at the pay phone seems to be staring at him. Is
he calling the police? Everyone seems to be looking at him.
Someone stops in front of him. A young waitress serves him
his soup. Where's the first waitress?
Takes a few sips of soup. Out of the corner of his eye he
sees:
The Older Waitress putting on her coat to leave. Is she
going to report him? He fights the paranoia.
A NEWS REPORT on the TELEVISION gets his attention.
ANGLE - TV
A report on the escape. A television reporter describes the
chase for Kimble; his jump at the dam and his presumed death
from the fall.
Kimble decides it's time to leave. He drops some money on
the counter and exits.
EXT. DINER - NIGHT
Kimble moves across the parking lot trying not to run until
he's out of sight of the diner. Once free of the lights of
the diner he starts running and disappears into the night.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Kimble running down the road. Fields stretch out on both
sides of the highway. Open land. From behind him we suddenly
hear the sound of POLICE SIRENS. For a moment Kimble moves
faster, then as the SIRENS COME CLOSER, his sprint drops to
a jog... to a walk, until finally he stops and waits for the
inevitable... But the flashing lights suddenly rip past him
chasing a speeder. They weren't after him after all. Kimble
looks at himself. He's shaking.
A moment later he is lit by headlights. A car pulls up next
to him, passenger window rolls down...
OLDER WAITRESS
Need a ride?
Kimble stares at her.
KIMBLE
Which way are you going?
She smiles and points in the direction her car is traveling.
They hold a look as we hear:
RENFRO (V.O.)
We feel confident about the I.D.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSE - DAWN
A quiet house on a quiet street out from town. A homeless
woman picks through garbage. A garbage truck moves slowly
down the street. A plumbing truck parked along a curb. Just
early morning traffic.
We see Renfro and Newman watch the house from across the
street, behind a deserted house. Gerard joins them. We see
that Biggs is in the plumbing truck. Poole is the homeless
woman picking through the garbage. Newman hands Gerard a
radio.
RENFRO
Local officials were about to wet
their pants to move in.
GERARD
I bet they were.
(to radio)
Where's the woman?
INTERCUT WITH:
BIGGS
In the plumbing truck. He triggers his mike.
RENFRO
(into radio)
Same room.
GERARD
(into radio)
Okay... I'll take front. Biggs and
Renfro, rear. Poole, handle support.
I don't want anyone hurt. Stay
outside unless called. Radios on
three.
The deputies prepare their weapons. Newman checks his
service issue .38, stares at Gerard's Glock.
NEWMAN
Uh, just want me to wait here, sir?
GERARD
Hell, no. You're with me, Newman.
Let's go.
EXT. FRONT OF HOUSE - DAWN
DOOR CRASHES open, splintering the deadbolt right out of
the door.
GERARD
U.S. Marshals. Down! Down!
INT. HOUSE - DAWN
Textbook perfect, Gerard and Newman rush into front room.
THEIR POV
Down the hall a man's figure streaks across a doorway OUT
OF VIEW.
A woman in the rear of the house BEGINS SCREAMING.
GERARD
Motions Newman to the left to check the door off the living
room while he moves down the main hall into the back
bedroom.
ANGLE - LIVING ROOM / NEWMAN
Clearly unnerved by the screaming woman, Newman opens door
off the living room. The door opens into a smaller bedroom.
He steps into -
SMALLER BEDROOM
It's empty. Gerard appears at the other (hallway) door to
the bedroom.
HALLWAY
Gerard motions Newman on to the door to the bathroom and
continues down the hall into the back bedroom where the
woman continues SCREAMING. He ignores her. His feet move
silently, heel-to-toe. He checks the bathroom as Newman
opens his connecting door - empty - then moves on toward
the doorway to the kitchen.
Gerard moves to the kitchen doorway. Running out of house.
He braces himself swings into the kitchen - it too is empty.
Suddenly Gerard gets the bad feeling he's passed his prey.
CUT TO:
SMALLER BEDROOM
Newman looks around, suddenly scared. The only place he
didn't search was behind the bedroom door. He turns just as:
COPELAND
Surges out, knocks Newman's gun from his hand. In a flash,
Copeland yanks Newman's arm behind his back and presses a
knife against the deputy's neck and moves him out of the
room.
We...
INTERCUT WITH:
GERARD
He hears Copeland moving somewhere in the front of the house.
COPELAND (O.S.)
I got your man! Now I want outta
here!
Gerard moves back through the bedroom past the SCREAMING
woman. He locks in on the voice and sound of the moving
fugitive.
ON COPELAND AND NEWMAN
Copeland listens but gets no response from Gerard. He backs
through the second bedroom door, pulling Newman into the -
LIVING ROOM
Newman's eyes are pure terror - the blade pressed against
his throat.
COPELAND
(to Gerard)
You hear me? I said, I want out or
I'll cut your man's throat!
GERARD
Keeps moving down the hallway, through first bedroom, pauses
at door to the second bedroom and chooses his course.
LIVING ROOM
Copeland positions himself between the bedroom door and the
hallway opening. He's troubled he can't hear Gerard.
Suddenly he hears a NOISE behind him at the bedroom door He
whips Newman around and we see:
A shoe hits the floor. Copeland realizes his mistake too
late. He turns back to the hallway and there is Gerard.
He never blinks. FIRES once killing Copeland instantly.
The knife falls to the floor. Newman clutches his head,
stunned but unhurt.
Gerard now turns to the screaming woman behind him in the
bedroom doorway.
GERARD
Shut up.
She does. Immediately.
EXT. HOUSE - MORNING
As coroners and tactical police mop up. Gerard moves across
the yard, sips coffee from Styrofoam cup. He stops at a
sheriff's car, Newman sits on back seat, shaken, nearly
hysterical, clutching his ear.
NEWMAN
My ear... I can't hear a thing out
of it. I can't believe you did that!
GERARD
You think I should have bargained
with him, don't you?
NEWMAN
Yes. You could've missed! You
could've killed me!
GERARD
Yeah, you're absolutely right. I
could've.
They hold a look.
GERARD
How bad's your ear?
NEWMAN
Terrible. I probably have permanent
hearing damage.
GERARD
Let me see it.
Newman leans toward him. Gerard speaks into his ear.
GERARD
I don't bargain.
Gerard leaves. Newman watches him - realizing what a truly
unsettling man Gerard is.
EXT. CHICAGO PAY PHONE - MORNING
Kimble makes call. While he waits for phone to be answered
TRAINS COME and GO in the b.g. An EL CROSSES OVERHEAD. The
BELLS of Chicago River DRAWBRIDGE.
KIMBLE
Walter. It's Richard.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. LAW OFFICES OF GUTHERIE, MORGAN AND WAINWRIGHT - DAY
Walter Gutherie answers phone from his office overlooking
Lake Michigan.
GUTHERIE
Richard... Jesus, why did you run?
Running only makes you look guilty.
KIMBLE
I wasn't worrying about appearances,
Walter.
GUTHERIE
Tell me where you are. I'll come
meet you so you can turn yourself
in .
KIMBLE
I'm not turning myself in. I need
money.
Gutherie is silent. When he speaks again his speech takes on
the lawyerly tone of a man who's covering his own bases.
GUTHERIE
Richard. You're asking me to harbor
and aid a convicted felon... I can't
help you that way. My advice - both
as a friend and as your legal counsel
- is for you to give yourself up.
Now tell me... where are you?
Kimble picks up the change in his attorney's tone.
KIMBLE
(beat)
St. Louis.
GUTHERIE
Give me an address. I'll be -
CLICK. Gutherie hears the LINE GO DEAD. Kimble's gone.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY
Kimble stands in the doorway with cup of coffee. He considers
his next move. Then seeing bank clock flash the time: 9:30 -
he knows what that move is.
INT. NORTH BANK TENNIS CLUB - DAY
An upscale mid-town tennis club. Behind glass windows of
the entryway we see tennis courts. From the courts comes Dr.
Charles Nichols still dressed in his warmups, carrying his
tennis bag. A friendly DESK ATTENDANT Sharon) smiles as he
goes by.
DESK ATTENDANT
See you tomorrow, Dr. Nichols?
NICHOLS
Creature of habit, Sharon.
EXT. NORTH BANK CLUB - DAY
Dr. Nichols leaves the club. He tosses his gym bag into the
back of his car and drives off.
INT. / EXT. NICHOLS'S CAR - DAY
As he pulls up to the first stoplight, a homeless man moves
toward the driver's side and begins washing his windshield.
Nichols waves the man off.
NICHOLS
Not today, please.
The man shuffles off. Just then a second man appears at his
passenger window. He leans down to wave him away
NICHOLS
No. Not -
... then stops - the face at his passenger window is
Richard Kimble's.
NICHOLS
(stunned)
Oh, my God... Richard...
Nichols rolls down the passenger window.
KIMBLE
How're you doing, Charlie?
NICHOLS
You're alive...
KIMBLE
Yeah. And I need your help.
NICHOLS
Anything.
KIMBLE
I need some money. Whatever you've
got on you.
NICHOLS
Of course.
Nichols reaches into his gym bag in the backseat and digs
for his wallet...
NICHOLS
Tell me where you're staying. I'll
get you more money. Some clothes.
Just give me an address...
KIMBLE
I'll call you.
Kimble glances around, the area is still clear. He looks
back into the car and doesn't see the police car turn the
corner and come up the street behind them.
Nichols finds his wallet ant hands all the cash he's got to
Kimble, who quickly pockets it.
NICHOLS
I know why you came back - to find
him. If I can help, call me...
Call me.
They hold a look. The stoplight changes to green but they
don't see it.
KIMBLE
Thanks, Charlie...
NICHOLS
Here, Richard, take my coat...
He reaches into the back for his coat, suddenly police car
behind him POPS its SIREN. Nichols looks into his rearview
mirror. Sees a COP lean out his window.
COP
(to Nichols)
Hey, buddy - green light. Let's go.
Nichols looks back at Kimble. He's gone.
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICES (CHICAGO) - CLOSE ON AUDIO TAPE - DAY
REWINDING. The media room - just what it sounds like -
banks of audio/video equipment and a sound board.
Renfro rewinds the tape. Gerard, Biggs, Poole and Newman.
POOLE
We've alerted St. Louis P.D
GERARD
Call them back. Tell them you've
made a mistake.
POOLE
What?
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Stop it there.
Renfro hits play. Kimble's VOICE is heard again:
GERARD
Drop the voices.
Renfro removes the two voices. What comes up are the
BACKGROUND SOUNDS. EXTERIOR NOISES (BELLS RINGING, TRAFFIC,
MECHANICAL... TRAINS). Everyone becomes focused to the
sounds now.
GERARD
(he's heard something)
Listen.
BIGGS
Trains? Traffic?
GERARD
More... there's a voice in the
background.
At first the sound is unrecognizable. A BELL. GRINDING
MECHANICAL. Then a P.A. VOICE on the tape: "Next stop
Merchandise Mart."
RENFRO
That's an El announcement.
GERARD
And there's no E1 in St. Louis.
Ladies and gentlemen, Richard Kimble
is in Chicago. Poole, get his
artwork out to local police and have
C.P.D. check the shelters... Biggs,
bring in the detectives that handled
his case.
Instantly the room is in movement.
STEVENS
I'll prepare the press release.
GERARD
No.
Stevens stops.
GERARD
They don't know he's alive and as
far as Kimble knows we don't either.
I want to keep it that way as long
as we can. Are we clear?
The whole group sense Gerard's intensity in regard to
Kimble.
RENFRO
(for the group)
Perfectly.
Gerard reflects on a moment of personal satisfaction.
GERARD
Noah... go to my office and let's
officially take Dr. Kimble out of
purgatory.
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH STREET STATION - DAY
Morning roll call. Kimble's photo distributed to cops by
Detectives Kelly and Rosetti.
KELLY (V.O.)
As of this morning Chicago P.D. was
alerted to the reappearance of
Richard Kimble.
INT. TRAIN STATION - DAY
Newman and Poole check train station. Looking for Kimble.
They show his photo to homeless people. No help.
EXT. FRONT OF COOK COW TY HOSPITAL - DAY
Holding a handkerchief to his face, Kimble moves through
arriving patients and enters Cook County Hospital.
INT. HOMELESS SHELTER - DAY
Renfro and Biggs check shelters for Kimble. They show his
I.D. to administrator. Look around.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
The place is humming now. Detectives Kelly and Rosetti sit
in front of Gerard. Gerard studies Kimble's file. Renfro
sits in.
KELLY
Police units have also increased
patrols around homeless shelters and
mass transit stations in the city.
EXT. LOOP EL STATION - DAY
Police patrol the platform looking for Kimble.
INT. FRONT OF COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - DAY
Kimble moves past security, then pockets the handkerchief and
turns up a hallway, blending in with the indigents and poor.
CUT TO:
INT. UPSCALE DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
NURSE FLYNN, a woman about 45, attractive, smart, loyal.
Poole and Gerard talk to her in an examination room.
FLYNN
I ran his office for twelve years.
Yes, we were very close. But he
wouldn't come to me for help.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Busy with doctors, orderlies and street people. Kimble moves
down hallway and enters.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - WAITING ROOM - DAY
He moves into the room and takes a new patient form, looks
around. SEE BACK INTO the office area of the clinic. It
could be any hospital clinic from this view.
But as Kimble turns to leave we see a PATIENT waiting to be
called. On his lap we see a prosthetic arm. Kimble looks up
from the arm to the man.
PATIENT
Good morning.
KIMBLE
Good morning.
As he turns to leave we hear:
ROBERTS (V.O.)
Don't underestimate this guy...
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER - SURGEONS' LOCKER ROOM - DAY
Dr. Roberts from the party, talks to Biggs and Gerard as he
takes off scrubs to get into shower.
ROBERTS
R.K.'s one smart, cold sonofabitch...
He did her, no question.
CUT TO:
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - BASEMENT - DAY
Kimble moves down the hallway containing the janitor's
locker room. Janitors move in and out the door.
INT. KIMBLE'S OLD HOUSE - DAY
Gerard walks through Kimble's house. The art and most of
the furniture is gone. Books are in boxes and shopping
bags around the room. Plastic covers the remaining pieces
of furniture.
Gerard stares at the empty walls. Shadows on the walls show
where the art once hung. Gerard pauses, tries to absorb the
place. He takes a book from one of the bags and looks at it.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - JANITOR'S ROOM - DAY
Kimble moves past the lockers, racks and boxes of cleaning
supplies, stops at a board listing work schedules, vacation
leaves, locker numbers. Behind him a LOCKER SLAMS. As a
janitor moves off to the showers we see his locker did not
close but remains slightly ajar from the impact.
INT. JANITOR'S LOCKER ROOM - CLOSE ON LOCKER - DAY
Door opens revealing the janitor's clip on I.D. hanging
from a green shirt. Kimble steals it.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
Gerard looks at the two detectives.
GERARD
Gentlemen, I appreciate the
cooperation of the Chicago police...
He moves toward them.
CUT TO:
INT. CLOTHING STORE - DAY
A SALESMAN stands on ladder looking through pants sizes.
SALESMAN
Did you say, 38/34?
KIMBLE
No. 34/34.
ANGLE ON SALES COUNTER
WHAP. A folded pair of green janitor's pants drops onto the
counter in front of Kimble. He already has the green shirt
to the uniform.
INT. SELF-SERVE PHOTO BOOTH - CLOSE ON RICHARD KIMBLE - DAY
Photographed.
ANGLE - SIDE OF THE BOOTH
Kimble takes the finished photos from the delivery tray.
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - DAY
RENFRO
Was there anything in your initial
investigation that would make you
think Kimble would come back to
Chicago.
ROSSETTI
The man definitely has friends here.
GERARD
What about lady friends?
KELLY
Not that we found.
CUT TO:
INT. SALVATION ARMY STORE - CLOSE ON APARTMENT NOTICE - DAY
A card on a community bulletin board advertises a basement
apartment for rent.
BIGGS (V.O.)
What about the man he claimed
attacked his wife?
Kimble pulls the notice from the board as we -
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHALS' OFFICE - DAY
Kelly and Rossetti share a look, a smile.
KELLY
Right... You ever been downwind of a
stockyard when the breeze is
blowing? That's where we were
sitting when Richard Kimble told that
one...
CUT TO:
EXT. POLISH LADY'S APARTMENT - DAY
Kimble knocks at door. It is opened to reveal a PUNK KID,
18-20. He calls to someone O.S.
CUT TO:
INT. POLISH WOMAN'S BASEMENT - DAY
A light comes on and an OLD POLISH WOMAN, her stockings
rolled down her shins, leads the way down the basement
stairs. The Punk Kid stands at the top of the stairs,
watches Kimble.
ROSETTI (V.O.)
We found nothing.
The Polish woman shows him a spare but sufficient bed and
nightstand set up. She points to door leading up to the
street.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE WOMAN'S BASEMENT - AFTERNOON
Kimble also at work at the bedside table. He carefully cuts
out his do-it-yourself photograph and places it over the
existing photograph on the hospital I.D. The name on the
I.D. says: Desmondo Jose Ruiz. Then he places a thin piece
of lamination plastic and trims the edges.
Kimble defaces the plastic to give it rough look, then
examines the finished product not bad.
INT. MARSHALS' OFFICE - DAY
KELLY (O.S.)
If this guy existed believe me
someone would've found him.
ON GERARD
He raises an eyebrow.
CUT TO:
INT. DR. NICHOLS' OFFICE - CLOSE ON FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH - DAY
Of medical residents. Two photographs next to each other. A
young Richard Kimble and Charles Nichols.
NICHOLS (O.S.)
Richard Kimble... I saw him two
days ago.
WE PULL BACK to see: Gerard studying the photos. Renfro
looks up like someone's bitten him. He, Biggs and Gerard are
in Nichols' administrative office. Gleaming. Filled with
awards and photos of Nichols and influential people. Nichols
hangs up his lab coat and slips back into his suitcoat. He
shows no sign of nervousness.
NICHOLS
He stopped me in my car. I gave him
some money.
GERARD
Where was this?
NICHOLS
Outside our tennis -
(correcting himself)
- my tennis club.
Gerard moves around Nichols' office taking in the details.
GERARD
Did he ask you for help?
NICHOLS
I volunteered. He wouldn't accept
it.
GERARD
Why do you think he came back to
Chicago?
NICHOLS
He didn't tell me.
GERARD
I didn't ask you that, sir. I'm sure
he was trying to protect you from
having to lie for him.
Gerard continues to move around the room, study prints,
books, drawings, awards and photos.
GERARD
If you're really his friend, you'll
help us bring him in unharmed.
NICHOLS
Why, so he can go back to prison?
If you want help, gentlemen, you've
come to the wrong man.
Gerard finds a photo of Nichols and a gleaming Ferrari.
GERARD
Dr. Nichols, last year the U.S.
Marshals' office closed out 11,003
warrants... 10,975 of those were
captured. The twenty-eight others
thought they were smarter than
us... Now they're dead.
(re: the photo)
Nice car.
Gerard puts the photo down.
EXT. NICHOLS' OFFICE - DAY
Gerard and his deputies leave Nichols' outer office.
Gerard clearly feels he's come to the right man.
GERARD
Stay on him.
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble mopping the trauma room hallway. The hallway elbows
around a corner and Kimble stands less than ten feet from
a door that is marked: "PROSTHETIC CLINIC"
He watches a technician leave the clinic and mops closer to
the doorway, and fails to see an attractive WOMAN DOCTOR
with white coat and stethoscope draped around her neck turn
the corner behind him ant step on the freshly mopped
section.
Head down, she is completely absorbed in a file and doesn't
see the wet floor until she slips slightly, looks up but
keeps walking.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Where's Rudy?
KIMBLE
They said he's sick.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Didn't they tell you to put up the
sign?
KIMBLE
Uhhh. No they didn't.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Put up the 'wet floor' sign before
someone gets hurt.
She keeps going.
KIMBLE
(mumbles)
Asshole.
She looks back at Kimble.
WOMAN DOCTOR
What did you say?
KIMBLE
Nothing.
Anne keeps moving off toward trauma hall. He watches her
turn the corner to the trauma hallway.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - NIGHT
Kimble enters the dimly lit prosthetics lab.
He moves silently among the casts and prosthetics of arms,
hands, legs hanging from the ceiling. Cables and electronic
equipment are on the counters.
He leaves the lab and moves into the office section of the
Prosthetic Clinic. He passes a computer room and finally
reaches the office. He is about to enter when a woman's
voice stops him.
WOMAN (O.S.)
Hey, Ricky... Weren't you just in
here?
Kimble turns to see a PROSTHETIC TECHNICIAN. A large woman
with glasses. She stands with a partially finished
prosthetic arm.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S OLD HOUSE - NIGHT
The one-armed man's arm coming off in the fight.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC (BACK TO PRESENT)
TECHNICIAN
Sorry, I thought you were Ricky.
KIMBLE
(stumbling)
No... I've got to clean the blinds
in the office. Want me to wait till
you're finished?
TECHNICIAN
Naw... I'm going to be here all
night. You won't bother me.
She slips on a pair of headphones and goes back to work.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC OFFICE - LATER
Kimble cleaning the blinds, keeps an eye on the Technician
who is listening to music on her Walkman. She is carefully
painting a section of the arm. Not watching Kimble.
CUT TO:
CLOSE ON FILE DRAWER
Opened.
BACK TO SCENE
Nimble looks over his shoulder. The Technician doesn't see
him.
A Prosthetic Clinic Operations Manual is removed from shelf.
Photographs of prosthetic arms. Kimble shifts the materials
into his clothes, closes his coat and suddenly he stops.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - ANGLE ON ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Kimble waits for the elevator. The folders in his uniform
shift and he tries to rearrange them. When he turns back
we see Anne Eastman beside him. Her I.D. says:
"ANNE EASTMAN". She sees him doing the rearranging.
The elevator arrives. They step into:
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Anne moves to the back. Kimble on the other side.
ANNE (WOMAN DOCTOR)
Hey, how're you doing?
KIMBLE
Fine.
ANNE
You find that sign?
KIMBLE
Yes, I did.
ANNE
You called me an asshole.
KIMBLE
Excuse me. I was having a bad
shift.
They laugh. They reach ground level and step out together.
ANNE
You worked at other hospitals?
KIMBLE
Lots of them over the years. Here,
long ago. Hasn't changed much.
ANNE
I bet it hasn't. See you.
They part ways. Kimble continues out the door. Anne stops
and watches him leave.
INT. EL TRAIN - NIGHT
Kimble sits on the night train going home. He begins looking
at his information.
INT. KIMBLE'S BASEMENT ROOM - DAY
Afternoon light comes in Kimble's basement windows. Sheets
of Prosthetic Clinic patient material are spread over
Kimble's bed, floor. Kimble searches through the documents,
making notes. He studies photos of attachments. Cable
attachments. Joints. Electronics. Pins. straps... looking
for a key to the identity of the one-armed man.
Finally he stops. He finds the flyer in his pocket, puts it
on the bedside table and moves to sink. He wets a towel and
covers his face.
Draws a cool damp breath. Lays back on bed amid the
Prosthetic Clinic material.
FLASHBACK - FIGHT
Kimble pulls the arm. It separates in the one-armed man's
sleeve. Wrenches. Dis-articulates.
FLASHBACK - ONE-ARMED MAN
Reacts in pain. Again. (NOTE: We sense Kimble's mind
returning to something. Getting closer to the key...)
FLASHBACK - ONE-ARMED MAN
Escaping the bedroom. We hear his FOOTSTEPS DOWN the
STAIRS... a DOOR SLAM. FOOTSTEPS again.
Another DOOR SLAMS, but this time the sound is distinctly
different... a CAR DOOR.
INT. KIMBLE'S BASEMENT ROOM (BACK TO PRESENT)
Kimble yanks the wet rag from his face, his senses alert.
Listening, he hears: FOOTSTEPS are real, just outside and
MOVING TOWARD him.
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY
A car door slams. We see unmarked police cars pulling up in
front of the apartment. Cops are moving toward the house.
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
Kimble turns off his light, moves from the bed to the window.
Carefully looks out:
KIMBLE'S POV
Unmarked police cars in front of the house, looking, moving
his way.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble moves instinctively to the back door.
He starts to open it but through the dirty window, he sees
the back courtyard covered by more cops.
Kimble moves back toward the front. Unsure of his next move,
he's sweating, preparing for the worst.
He watches the TAC team charge the house but instead of
charging through the basement door they move up the front
steps and into the house overhead.
Overhead he hears the SCREAMING from the arresting cops.
KIMBLE'S POV - BACK STEPS
Kimble SEES the Punk Kid try to escape out the back. He
runs, sees cops and runs toward Kimble's basement door,
actually reaching it before he is caught by the cops and
pulled away.
KIMBLE
Moves toward the front window and watches cops lead the
Punk Kid out to the car.
POLICE RADIOS call the other cops to stand down.
Kimble moves slowly to his front door. Looks out.
KIMBLE'S POV
Cops put the young man into an unmarked police car. His
grandmother, the Polish woman, follows them, crying.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble leans against the wall, exhausted.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble carries his cleaning tray down busy hallway just
outside of the Prosthetic Clinic and stops.
KIMBLE'S POV
Two cops talk outside the Prosthetic Clinic.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble backs to a safe place in the trauma hallway to wait
for them to leave.
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH STREET POLICE DISTRICT HOUSE - DETECTIVES ROOM - NIGHT
The Punk Kid is handcuffed to a bench as a cop works on a
report. Suddenly the Kid notices something that gets his
attention.
KID'S POV
A wanted poster of Kimble over the cop's head.
BACK TO SCENE
The Kid sees - Wanted for Murder - realizes who it is.
PUNK KID
(to cop)
Hey. Hey! I know that guy!
The cop looks up, sees Kimble's poster and then back at the
Kid.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble moves toward prosthetic clinic. In passing through
the trauma hallway he becomes aware of a crisis developing.
A major accident has happened, victims are being brought in.
The P.A. CALLS for doctors. STATIC.
ANGLE ON FAR END OF TRAUMA HALLWAY
Elevator doors open as orderlies bring in new patients.
Some walk, some are helped by family and police. Nurses
direct traffic.
Orders fly. Medicines are called. Family members yell for
doctors. Ask for the injured. Anne picks up the pace with
an ORDERLY wheeling a gurney carrying a young patient,
a BOY.
ANNE
What happened?
ORDERLY
A bus flipped off the overpass. Got
at least twenty more coming in.
ANNE
What about this one here?
ORDERLY
Fractured sternum. X-ray's coming
up.
Anne checks the boy's chart.
ANNE
Okay, we've got to get some room
in this hallway, people.
Orderlies quickly move the non-life-threatening patients out
of the hall. Still more help is needed. Anne spots Kimble.
ANNE
Hey, take this one up the hall to
Critical Care.
Kimble nods. Anne moves to another patient.
Kimble grabs the kid's gurney and begins wheeling it up the
hall. As he pushes he looks at the kid's X-rays.
Anne looks up, barks another order, then suddenly sees Kimble
pushing the gurney and looking at the film.
ANNE
Tries to negotiate through the incoming patients to get a
better look, but Kimble is gone. She goes back to work.
ON KIMBLE
He wheels the Boy's gurney into an elevator. The doors
close.
INT. HOSPITAL - O.R. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Kimble wheels the gurney down the hall and stops the Boy
on the scrub threshold to the O.R. and stops a SURGEON.
KIMBLE
Hey. Hey!
A Surgeon pauses and eyes Kimble's janitor suit and the
gurney.
KIMBLE
They just sent this one up.
He takes a look at the Boy's chart and grabs the X-rays and
yells to O.R. nurse.
SURGEON
Bob! Get this one into room four,
stat.
He looks up, Kimble is gone.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble enters the Prosthetic Clinic computer room. The
Technician from the day before is listening to her Walkman,
sees Kimble and waves. Kimble waves back and turns into the
glass-walled computer room and closes the door.
He closes the blinds and turns on the computer.
CUT TO:
INT. CRITICAL CARE UNIT - NIGHT
The crisis has wound down. Anne moves into the room and
begins checking patients. She stops a unit nurse, GLADYS.
ANNE
Gladys, where's the boy I sent down
with the janitor?
GLADYS
What boy?
ANNE
The one with the fractured sternum.
GLADYS
He never came in here.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble scans DOS files, each an eight-letter enigma. Finds
one with promise and loads it up.
KIMBLE
Wrong...
He backs up and tries another file.
"CLIENT DEMOGRAPHIC ORGANIZER SEARCH BY: AGE, SEX, RACE,
LIMB, OR OTHER?"
Kimble knows he's got it.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
Kimble keys in these responses:
"SEX: MALE"
AGE: 35-50
RACE: CAUCASIAN
LIMB: RIGHT ARM
OTHER: POINT OF REPLACEMENT: MID HUMERUS"
INT. OPERATING ROOM WING - NIGHT
Anne comes out of the stairwell and stops the Surgeon we
saw with Kimble.
ANNE
Dave, did you see a janitor come up
here earlier?
SURGEON
Yeah, he brought a kid up.
(handing her the chart)
Anne, did you write the orders? I
couldn't make out the signature...
ANNE
I saw -
SURGEON
(in a hurry now)
Whoever did knew what the hell he
was doing. Kid's a hair away from
a ruptured aorta.
He heads to the operating room, leaving her stunned. She
stares at the scrawled orders.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
A "PLEASE WAIT" message appears on the screen. We hear the
COMPUTER PROCESSING, searching, narrowing.
The screen flashes:
"NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: 75
DO YOU WISH TO SUBDIVIDE?"
KIMBLE
Seventy-five. Hell, yes.
Kimble types in another defining characteristic...
Residence: Illinois.
Again he waits. Rattles the blinds to make it seem like he's
cleaning. The list shortens.
"NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: 21"
KIMBLE
What else?
MEMORY HIT - INT. CHICAGO COURTROOM - DAY
Prosecutor stands before the jury.
PROSECUTOR
... murdering Helen Wills Kimble the night of January 20...
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
Kimble types in: "Candidates having adjustment appointments
between January 21, and February 1, 1993."
Kimble waits. Sixty-five names come up. Again too many.
Kimble's reached a dead end.
Kimble thinks.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The fight with the One-Armed Man.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - BACK TO SCENE ON KIMBLE
Something has clicked in his memory.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble stands beneath the hanging artificial limbs. He
takes down an arm, works the joint.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimble fights the One-Armed Man. He wrenches the man's
prosthetic arm.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - CLOSER ON ARM
He moves it again. Harder, at an awkward angle.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - TIGHTER ON ONE-ARMED MAN'S
ARM - NIGHT
Kimble wrenches the arm...
INT. PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - CLOSE ON ARM
The joint strains.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - CLOSE ON ONE-ARMED MAN'S ARM
Kimble wrenches it and it BREAKS.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC OFFICE - CLOSE ON PROSTHETIC MANUAL - NIGHT
A detailed diagram of arm construction.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Kimble makes notes.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Anne rides the elevator back to trauma. She's thinking.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - CLOSE ON COMPUTER SCREEN - NIGHT
Joint repair list between January 21-April 21... Five names
come up with Greater Chicago addresses.
Kimble hits print. The MACHINE begins PRINTING. Kimble
looks up at the Prosthetic Clinic Technician - she is
listening to her headphones, can't hear the printer. He
continues to shake the blinds.
EXT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC/TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble leaves Prosthetic Clinic and starts down the hall
for the exit when a voice stops him.
ANNE (O.S.)
Do you have a particular interest in
our patients' x-rays?
Kimble turns to see Anne coming toward him.
KIMBLE
What do you mean?
ANNE
I saw you looking at that boy's
chest film.
She moves in on him. He eyes the exit.
KIMBLE
It's a hobby of mine -
ANNE
What other hobbies do you have?
Brain surgery?
KIMBLE
What do you want?
She reaches him.
ANNE
I want to know how that kid ended
up in surgery.
KIMBLE
I'm a janitor. I did what I was
told.
ANNE
Bullshit. Who changed those orders?
They hold a look. She knows. He takes a step back and she
pulls his I.D.
ANNE
You stand right here. I'm calling
security.
Kimble runs. Anne turns to call security but doesn't.
She stares after Kimble.
CUT TO:
INT. POLISH WOMAN'S BASEMENT - NIGHT
Kimble's room being searched by the marshals. Gerard finds
the flyer Kimble was handed on his way out the door. On it
we see: COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL.
CUT TO:
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - CLOSE ON KIMBLE'S I.D. - DAY
Anne and Gerard stand in the hallway. Gerard studies the I.D.
GERARD
A man posing as a janitor orders an
emergency operation and all you do
is pull his I.D.?
ANNE
(firmly)
A little boy's alive today because
he did something.
Gerard watches her eyes carefully.
GERARD
So, you weren't aware that when he
escaped he was being transported to
Menard State Prison to begin a term
of life imprisonment.
ANNE
For what?
GERARD
For murdering his wife.
Clearly this is news to Anne. Gerard almost smiles at her
surprise.
GERARD
Thank you for your help, Doctor.
He moves to the position Anne saw Kimble with the kid's
gurney. Trying to imagine what Kimble was doing at that
place. Renfro and the other deputies converge.
RENFRO
What I can't figure is, if you were
Kimble, why'd you take a major
league chance of hanging around a
trauma ward?
Gerard considers this as a Man passes him. Gerard notices
something.
RENFRO
The place would be crawling with cops.
Slowly Gerard separates from the group of deputies and
follows the Man down the hall.
The Man Gerard is following turns the corner to the
Prosthetic hallway and realizing Gerard is following him,
holds the hallway door open for Gerard.
MAN
Can I help you find something?
GERARD
Thank you, sir, I think you already
have.
We see the Man has a prosthetic arm and that they are outside
the door marked: "PROSTHETIC CLINIC"
INT. PHONE BOOTH - MORNING
Restaurant deserted at this hour. Kimble makes calls.
KIMBLE
Yes... This is Dr. Elway at Cook
County. I'm doing follow-up work for
the Prosthetic Clinic on Matthew
Zelick...
(beat)
He did... I'm terribly sorry. No,
I'll correct our files. Thank you.
He scratches through another name. Three left. He dials
another number.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - MORNING
Gerard and his deputies inside the Prosthetic Clinic.
Artificial limbs are being tested, fitted. A technician
fits a demonstration model on Biggs while Gerard and Poole
work with the director of the institute and a data operator
at the computer.
GERARD
The onearmed man. Missing the right or left hand?
POOLE
Right.
The operator enters that information. Dropping the number to
250... as Poole continues.
POOLE
... age 35-45...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Kimble on phone. He hangs up and scratches through another
name. Two left. He dials another number.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - DAY
Poole looks up from her file to the computer screen. The
number drops to 117...
GERARD
Location of the attachment.
POOLE
(from the report)
Mid-humerus.
INT. PHONE BOOTH - CLOSE ON KIMBLE'S LIST - DAY
The next name is "Clive Driscoll." Kimble on phone, waits
for answer.
KIMBLE (O.S.)
Hello... looking for your brother,
Clive. This is Ted Riley with the
high school reunion committee.
Believe it or not, 25 years is just
around the corner, and Clive's on
our list of lost souls. Information
gave me a number, but when I tried
it...
WIDER to reveal Kimble on the pay phone. The scrap of paper
is his list-of-five.
KIMBLE
No kidding?... Armed robbery.
(forced laughter)
He's where?
CUT TO:
INT. COMPUTER ROOM - DAY
Gerard looks at the screen. The number drops to 20.
RENFRO
It could take us a week to track
down every one of those names.
Gerard picks up phone and dials a number.
GERARD
(into phone)
Stevens... I've got a list of names
I want searched for criminal history.
CUT TO:
EXT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
Kimble stands on a sidewalk, staring at the imposing edifice
across the street. After a here-we-go breath, he starts
through traffic.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Kimble waits for an elevator. It opens to reveal a pack of
staring COPS.
ELEVATOR COP
(catching door)
Comin' or not?
Forcing his feet to move, Kimble boards...
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - ELEVATOR - DAY
... and pivots quickly. Elevator rises. Floor-indicator moves
deathly slow.
Kimble feels the breath of a dozen COPS on his neck. And just
when his floor is mercifully about to arrive...
Overhead lights flicker, and the elevator jars to a stop
between floors.
COPS
Aw, shit... Not now... Anybody
bring a deck of cards?
Abruptly they're moving again. Kimble's heart restarts with
the elevator.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - VISITATION AREA - DAY
CLEARING OFFICER
(to visitor)
Booth Three. No hands on the glass.
Five minutes maximum. Be advised that
under a Federal court ruling your
conversation can be recorded. Next.
"Next" is Kimble. He steps to the counter.
CLEARING OFFICER
Name of inmate?
KIMBLE
Clive Driscoll.
The Clearing Officer spins his clipboard around.
CLEARING OFFICER
Sign here, print your name, address,
and relationship to inmate below.
(into mike)
Two-zero-ten. Driscoll, Clive R.
(to Kimble)
Be about five minutes. You can wait
in the hall.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - MAIN LOBBY - DAY
Gerard and Biggs cross the lobby and stop in front of the
desk; flash their U.S. Marshal's ID.
GERARD
(to clerk)
We need to see a prisoner.
DESK CLERK
Fifth floor.
Gerard and Biggs head for the bank of elevators.
BIGGS
It's hinky. Man risks everything to
find a man his own investigators
say doesn't exist. Something's really
hinky about this thing.
Gerard looks at Biggs as they reach the elevators.
GERARD
I hate that word.
He hits the up button.
CUT TO:
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - VISITATION AREA - DAY
Clearing Officer looks down the hall.
CLEARING OFFICER
Visitor for Driscoll...?
Kimble is on his feet.
CLEARING OFFICER
Booth seven. No hands on the glass. Be advised...
The Clearing Officer, head down, drones on - doesn't notice
Kimble is already gone.
Kimble strides down the row of chairs, rounds the last
partition to reach booth seven - and to stare at the
one-armed man, DRISCOLL, who waits there.
DRISCOLL
So who are you?
CUT TO:
MEMORY HIT - FACE OF HELEN'S KILLER
CUT TO:
BACK TO SCENE
Driscoll's face is different. Driscoll is a black man.
KIMBLE
Sorry. I made a mistake.
DRISCOLL
Shit, that's okay. Stick around a
few minutes, talk about whatever you
want...
But Kimble is gone. Driscoll calls after him.
DRISCOLL
... They're not exactly wired for
cable downstairs, y'know?
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - CORRIDOR - DAY
Kimble exits the visitor's area. He sees another crowd of
COPS around the elevator again, opts for the door marked:
"STAIRS"
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Biggs and Gerard wait for the elevator. Finally Gerard's
had enough.
GERARD
Where're the damn stairs?
BIGGS
It's five flights!
GERARD
Then you wait.
He finds the door and starts up.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - STAIRWELL - DAY
Kimble descending. Doors open and close throughout the
stairwell but the traffic is light...
INTERCUT WITH:
GERARD
Climbing the stairs. He reaches a landing - and skims
shoulders with Kimble, who pivots past on his way down.
Amazingly, neither man reacts. Not yet.
One flight above, Gerard's subconscious taps him on the
shoulder and brings him to a dead stop. He leans over the
stairwell railing to spy...
Kimble spiraling downward. From this vantage, it could be
any dark-haired man. But still...
GERARD
(a quick probe)
Kimble.
Others look up out of curiosity... but not Kimble. Two
landings below, he falters a step, then tries to regain
his step, keeps moving.
But Gerard is pulling his Glock: The hitch in Kimble's
stride told him everything.
GERARD
Kimble!
Kimble blitzes down the stairs. Gerard moves after him.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Kimble throws open a fire door and starts across the lobby.
Sees two cops, quickly approaches.
KIMBLE
Officers - there's a man in the
stairwell waving a gun and
screaming.
The two cops rush to stairs and Kimble immediately moves
toward the doors, fast but not running. Hoping to cloak
himself in civilians.
ANGLE ON ELEVATORS
Biggs' elevator has finally arrived and emptied. He lets a
woman on in front of him, oblivious to...
Kimble moving...
The revolving exit doors loom nearer ant nearer.
INT. STAIRWELL - DAY
The two cops see Gerard. Gerard holds up his badge.
GERARD
U.S. Marshal! Get on the phone, call
your commander, tell him there's a
top-fifteen warrant in the building.
Go.
He shoves the cops out of the way and pounds downstairs.
INT. LOBBY - DAY
Kimble closing in on the door when suddenly a KLAXON HORN
sounds.
People stop in confusion. Automatically, the exit doors
begin closing. Biggs pushes his way off the elevator.
Kimble breaks into a sprint for the door.
GERARD
Bursts out the stairwell door after Kimble.
GERARD
Kimble. Stop!
But there's only one way of stopping Kimble.
KIMBLE
Enters the revolving doors as a big man enters from the
outside. The big man sizes up the situation, realizes Kimble
is fleeing and just before Kimble exits - yanks on the door
- trapping him partially inside the revolving door.
Other doors seal electronically. Biggs charges back, sees
Gerard.
Kimble fights the heavy glass door. The big man resists -
but slowly the crack widens. Gerard bulls through the crowd,
shoves a man out of his line of fire.
GERARD
Down. down. everybody down!
With adrenal effort, Kimble wrings his body through the
opening...
EXT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
... and makes it outside - except for his foot - caught like
in a bear trap, as the door locks down. Harrowed, Kimble looks
back over his shoulder at...
Gerard. Charging the glass doors. Civilians suck marble and
clear out of Gerard's line of fire on Kimble. Gerard takes aim.
GERARD
Kimble. Stop!
It's Kimble's nightmare coming true. If he could chew off his
leg right now, he would. He pulls at his foot just as
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
Gerard FIRES seven times in two seconds.
Kimble goes down. SHOTS and SCREAMS ECHO around the lobby. A
long beat, then Gerard rises. THROUGH GLASS studded with
bullet holes, he sees...
Kimble rising... staring back. Equally astounded that he's
alive. He runs free.
GERARD
Open the doors!
Gerard pounds against the doors. Sees cratering in the
glass - and then sees flattened slugs all over the floor.
It's bullet-proof glass. THROUGH the glass he sees Kimble
rush across the street and disappear into the parade.
Doors open and Gerard and his men follow.
But Kimble has disappeared into the parade celebrations
outside. Blending in with the marchers.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOTEL - MORNING
Kimble leaves a cheap hotel early the next morning. He wears
a new set of clothes - jeans, sport coat and tie - than the
day before, and the black hair coloring has been rinsed from
his hair. He moves down the street.
INT. BAR - MORNING
Kimble uses a pay phone and stares through the window.
KIMBLE'S POV - APARTMENT HOUSE
Across the street.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
Inside the apartment the PHONE RINGS. No one is home.
INT. BAR - MORNING
The PHONE RINGS nine, ten times. As Kimble waits he looks
down at his list of five. The only name remaining is
Fredrick Sykes.
He looks down the street - it seems clear - then his focus
shifts to a man carrying two coffees. He approaches a car
parked along the curb. The passenger - a woman - leans
across the seat and opens the door for him.
He hands her a cup of coffee and as he starts to climb in,
he shifts something on his hip - we see the butt of a
handgun.
Kimble hangs up and leaves through the back door.
EXT. REAR OF SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
Kimble moves across the roof and drops to fire escape behind
Sykes' apartment. He looks in the window, steps back to see
if anyone is looking, then pulls his fist back into his
sleeve and with one swift pop, BREAKS the GLASS.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - KITCHEN - MORNING
No sound. Slowly he moves into...
HALLWAY
Moving first toward the living room. The apartment is
modest.
He stops by a photograph of a teenage girl. Another is a
boy in football uniform. The next one is a man in a
police uniform. Kimble freezes.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble struggles with the one-armed man.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING (PRESENT)
Kimble struggles to recall the man's face. It could be him.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Kimble searching for clues to Sykes' identity. He opens
closets, wardrobe, bureau... reopens a drawer. There, in the
bottom he finds an old prosthetic arm.
CUT TO:
ANGLE - DESK
Kimble looking through Sykes' desk drawers finds a package
of photographs. He opens them and quickly flips through.
INSERT - PHOTOGRAPHS
A group of men on a business/vacation junket stand around a
large sportfish hung from the dock. Kimble keeps flipping
through, suddenly stops and backs up and we see what stopped
him: The smiling face of Dr. Alexander Lentz.
MEMORY HIT - INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Nichols introduces Kimble to Lentz.
NICHOLS
Richard... Alex Lentz.
CLOSE ON PHOTOGRAPHS - MORNING (PRESENT)
There are three photos of Lentz. Kimble slowly pulls one out
of the pack. As he slides it out we see a fish and on the
other side we see... Sykes, wearing a prosthetic arm.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble struggles with intruder. This time we see his face
clearly. It is Sykes.
INSERT - PHOTOGRAPHS (PRESENT)
Kimble flips back to the earlier group photos and we see a
Devlin-MacGregor banner over the group shot.
KIMBLE
Looks up. He's found the man he's looking for but also a new
possibility - that the murder wasn't just a random act of
violence.
Kimble digs through Sykes' top desk drawer. His mind reeling.
He stops:
CLOSE ON PAYCHECK STUBS
The Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceutical logo in the top right
corner. Payroll level four: Security.
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - MORNING
PHONE RINGS. SECRETARY answers it.
SECRETARY
U.S. Marshal's office...
Her expression changes to shock.
CUT TO:
INT. MARSHAL'S OFFICE HALLWAY - MORNING
Gerard is moving down the hall with a cup of coffee when
the Secretary appears at a door.
SECRETARY
It' 9 Kimble on line three.
Gerard moves quickly down the hall, mobilizing his troops
as he runs...
GERARD
Renfro, Biggs...
They follow him into...
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
Gerard moves to phone as TECHNICIAN gives him nod he's
ready. Gerard answers the phone and the trace begins.
Renfro supervises.
GERARD
This is Gerard.
KIMBLE (V.O.)
(beat)
Do you remember what I told you in
the tunnel?
GERARD
You told me, you didn't kill your
wife.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - CLOSE ON KIMBLE - MORNING
KIMBLE
Remember what you said to me?
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
Gerard is calm.
GERARD
I remember you were pointing my gun
at me.
KIMBLE (V.O.)
You said, 'I don't care.'
ON TRACING EQUIPMENT
The numbers rush down. Technician reads the first set
to Renfro.
TECHNICIAN
(a whisper)
He's on the southside.
ON GERARD
GERARD
That's right, Kimble... I'm not
trying to solve a puzzle here. I'm
just the poor working man that's
paid to hunt you down.
The room is filling up with deputies. Poole, Biggs,
Stevens, Newman.
Gerard watches the numbers as the second digit locks in.
RENFRO
(low)
He's in Pullman area... Fifteen
seconds for location.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - CLOSE ON KIMBLE - MORNING
KIMBLE
Well, I am trying to solve the
puzzle, Gerard and I just found a
piece.
Kimble takes the phone and bangs it down onto a table and
we realize he is in Sykes' kitchen.
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
The sound startles Gerard.
TECHNICIAN
Three seconds.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
GERARD (V.O.)
Kimble?
Kimble leaves the phone on the table and walks out.
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
GERARD
(into phone)
You can't control this thing,
Kimble... Kimble?
He thinks he hears FOOTSTEPS over the phone, realizes Kimble
has not hung up. What's Kimble doing?
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Where is he?
Renfro looks up from the address to Gerard, stunned.
RENFRO
(incredulous)
Holy shit. We've got a car there
right now.
He picks up a phone.
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - ANGLE - POLICE CAR - MORNING
The two cops receive a radio report about Kimble and
quickly exit their car. They rush toward Sykes' building.
ANGLE - BACK ALLEY
While they move into the apartment, we see Kimble, fully
aware of them, slip away down the alley.
INT. EL TRAIN - MORNING
CLOSE ON LIST: Sykes. Lentz. Devlin-MacGregor. R.D.U.90.
Lines draw connections.
MEMORY HIT - INT. OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble and Chief Resident work feverishly to save patient.
KIMBLE
This an R.D.U.90 patient?
Kimble looks up at the Resident as we...
CUT TO:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
CLOSE ON TELEPHONE RECEIVER. It BUZZES off the hook.
POOLE (V.O.)
Name is Fredrick Sykes. 45. Ex cop .
A hand comes INTO FRAME ant replaces the receiver on the
cradle. We WIDEN to find: Gerard. We see technicians
dusting room for prints. A FORENSIC TECH approaches Gerard.
FORENSIC TECH
Inspector, we're ready for you to
look at this.
The Forensic Tech sits at desk.
FORENSIC TECH
Kimble's prints are all over the
apartment, but the concentration
is here.
The Tech takes out the check stubs, some papers; the pack
of photos.
INSERT - PHOTOS
The Tech flips through the pack, stops on the Lentz/Sykes
photos.
FORENSIC TECH
He flips through the pack but
paused here.
He hands the Lentz/Sykes photo.
GERARD
Let me see the negatives.
The Tech hands him the strip of negative film. Gerard holds
it up to the light.
GERARD
One's missing.
Gerard stares at the photo as his RADIO SQUAWKS.
BIGGS (V.O.)
(on radio)
Here he comes...
CUT TO:
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - SIDEWALK - DAY
Fredrick Sykes, the one-armed man, comes down the side
walk. He passes a car and hears the door open behind him.
Biggs climbs out of the car and falls into step behind him.
Sykes hears the footsteps but moves on up the stoop and
starts to enter his apartment, notices the front door
already open.
Cops and Marshals in his house. Processing a crime scene.
SYKES
What the hell's going on here?
Who are you people?
He steps...
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
... sees Gerard in the kitchen. Gerard stares at Sykes.
GERARD
You had a break-in, Mr. Sykes.
SYKES
You a cop?
GERARD
My name is Gerard. U.S. Marshal's
Office.
Sykes is caught off guard.
GERARD
This morning a fugitive named
Richard Kimble made a call from your
apartment.
Sykes is dumbfounded.
SYKES
Richard Kimble... I don't know a
Richard Kim -
Poole produces a photo of Kimble.
SYKES
Wait a minute... This is the doctor
who killed his wife... He claimed
the killer had a prosthetic limb.
You telling me he's coming after
me?
GERARD
Would he have a reason to?
SYKES
What the hell's that supposed to
mean? Because I have this?
He lifts his prosthetic arm and stares at Gerard. Gerard
holds his look.
SYKES
Look, a year ago some people came
to see me. They asked me questions
about the night of the murder and
I'll tell you the same thing I told
them. I wasn't even in town then.
I was on a business trip.
Gerard continues moving around the apartment.
GERARD
What kind of business are you in,
Mr. Sykes?
SYKES
Security.
GERARD
Independent?
SYKES
No, I work for a pharmaceutical
company. I handle security for its
top executives.
Gerard holds up one of the fishing photographs with Lentz.
GERARD
Any idea why Kimble would be
interested in these?
SYKES
No. Just some doctors on a company
junket.
Gerard puts the photos down with the one of Lentz on top.
Sykes eyes it.
SYKES
(annoyed)
Look, you mind if I talk to the cops
to see if anything's missing?
GERARD
By all means.
Sykes moves off and Gerard pockets the Lentz/Sykes photo.
CUT TO:
EXT. SYKES'S APARTMENT - DAY
Gerard crosses the street with Renfro and Biggs.
RENFRO
He's pulling our chain, Sam. If this
was the guy Kimble was looking for,
why call us?
GERARD
Kimble said he's putting together a
puzzle. We don't need to put it
together too, we just need to be
there when he gets to the next
piece.
Gerard stops and looks back at Sykes' apartment.
GERARD
Keep somebody on him. If he moves
I want to know.
CUT TO:
INT. MEDICAL LIBRARY - DAY
Kimble moves through large medical library and turns into
area marked: PHARMACOLOGY.
CUT TO:
CLOSE ON PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Pages turn as we get CLOSER on headings: "DRUGS PENDING
FDA APPROVAL..." Experimental and commercial names MOVE
PAST us... and at the end of the list we find: "PROVASIC
(RDU90) Developed by Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceuticals".
SECOND PERIODICAL - BUSINESS PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Kimble opens to article entitled: "DEVLIN-MACGREGOR
EXPECTS PAYDIRT WITH PROVASIC." "Pharmaceutical company
plans to go public on introduction of new drug, Provasic
(R.D.U.90)."
Kimble looks up. Now he knows why someone tried to kill
him. He gathers more Devlin-Macgregor information
including a prospectus, and leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. DOCTOR'S PHONE SERVICE - DAY
An OPERATOR answers a call.
OPERATOR
(into phone)
I'm sorry sir, Dr. Nichols is at a
medical conference at the Hilton.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LIBRARY - PAY PHONE - DAY
KIMBLE
It's very important I reach him.
INT. HILTON HOTEL HOSPITALITY SUITE - DAY
A meeting is underway around a board room table. An
ASSISTANT moves around the table and gives Nichols a
message with a number and "URGENT" written on it.
ASSISTANT
I'm sorry, sir, they said it was an
emergency.
Nichols excuses himself from the table.
EXT. MEDICAL LIBRARY PAY PHONE - DAY
Kimble answers a pay PHONE when it RINGS.
KIMBLE
(urgent)
Can you talk?
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HILTON HOTEL HOSPITALITY SUITE - DAY
Nichols on phone at the other end of the suite. The meeting
continues behind him. As soon as he hears Kimble's voice,
Nichols reacts.
NICHOLS
(low)
Richard. Yes... I'm on a hotel
phone. What's going on?
He eyes the group in the other room, moves around the corner
for more privacy. As he does we notice several of the men
watching. They exchange glances.
KIMBLE
I found him, Charlie. I found the
guy that killed Helen.
NICHOLS
(shocked)
What?
KIMBLE
It's all about a drug, Charlie. They
tried to kill me because of a drug.
NICHOLS
Who?
KIMBLE
Devlin-MacGregor and Lentz. Lentz
was supervising the R.D.U.90
protocol. He knew I'd found out the
drug had problems. It's Lentz.
NICHOLS
Richard, Lentz is dead. He died in
an auto accident last summer.
Kimble is stunned.
NICHOLS
Can you prove this about the drug?
KIMBLE
I need your help. Call Mr. Roosevelt
and tell him I'm coming in.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
The group of deputies and Gerard assemble around Gerard's
information board. They've come armed with facts and
theories. Gerard orchestrates the information.
RENFRO
If you were Richard Kimble... Why
would you hunt for a one-armed man
you think killed your wife; find
hint then leave him and call us?
POOLE
To throw us off his trail.
RENFRO
Unless... What if you were a well
respected surgeon and wanted to kill
your wife? How would you do it?
BIGGS
I'd hire a pro. Sight unseen.
POOLE
Set it up to look like a robbery
gone bad.
RENFRO
How would you find him? Look in the
phone book?
RENFRO
Through a connection.
POOLE
Maybe through a company you did some
business with.
BIGGS
Like a pharmaceutical company.
Someone in security.
NEWMAN
On the night of his wife's murder,
Kimble attended a hospital benefit
sponsored by Devlin-Macgregor
Pharmaceutical - Sykes' company.
Gerard places a Devlin-Macgregor card onto his board.
BIGGS
But Sykes claims he was out of town.
POOLE
And company records support that he
was on a business trip.
RENFRO
That's an easy fix. So let's say he
was in town. Did the job. Everything
goes as planned with one problem.
NEWMAN
Instead of looking like a robbery
gone bad, Kimble ends up being the
one accused...
BIGGS
... tried, convicted...
POOLE
... and the hit man gets away clean.
RENFRO
So Kimble returns to hunt for and
find the hit man.
NEWMAN
Why? To share the blame? He'd still
go to prison.
Gerard moves to the board. He takes down a card.
RENFRO
You're underestimating the power of
the good doctor. It would be his
word against... Sykes'. Who would
you believe?
BIGGS
So what does Kimble do next?
RENFRO
Get help.
Gerard pins the card to the board and looks at Renfro. It
says: "NICHOLS"
GERARD
Stevens, check phone records for
Sykes and Kimble.
Gerard moves to the door and Renfro follows. As he's
leaving he hands the photo of Lentz and Sykes to Biggs.
GERARD
Find out who this guy is.
He leaves. Biggs hands the photo to Newman.
NEWMAN
(deadpan)
Why do I get all the great jobs?
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - LOADING DOCK - DAY
Kimble enters the hospital through the loading dock.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL - MORGUE - DAY
MR. ROOSEVELT, an ancient research assistant, opens the
door to Kimble.
ROOSEVELT
It sure is good to see you again,
Dr. Kimble.
KIMBLE
You too, Roosevelt... Been a long
time.
Roosevelt closes the door behind them.
INT. TISSUE STORAGE - DAY
Roosevelt brings Kimble a file marked: "R.D.U.90"
ROOSEVELT
This is the R.D.U.90 file and
samples. Dr. Nichols said you
needed.
KIMBLE
Thanks, Roosevelt.
CUT TO:
INT. UNMARKED POLICE CAR - DAY
A cop stares up at Sykes' house from across the street.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
Sykes watches the cops in the car outside. He moves to the
phone and dials number.
EMERGENCY OPERATOR (V.O.)
Emergency operator.
SYKES
I want to report a fire; No, it's
not my place, it's a couple doors
down.
CUT TO:
INT. CMH HALLWAY/DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - DAY
Kimble moves down hall and quietly enters a small research
lab in the university. Dr. Wahlund sits behind her microscope
and doesn't see him until he touches her on the shoulder.
WAHLUND
(startled)
Oh, my God... Richard.
KIMBLE
I loaned you something once, Kath,
and I need them back.
CUT TO:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
Sykes, dressed in coat and tie, prepares to leave apartment.
Somewhere in the distance we hear: FIRE ENGINE SIRENS.
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
The cop stares at Sykes' window when suddenly we hear FIRE
SIRENS, and a pair of fire trucks turn onto the street and
pull up across the street from the unmarked car -blocking
the view of Sykes' house. Firemen climb down and move to a
nearby building. The street begins to fill up with people.
The cop stares at the commotion directly behind him. He
becomes so engrossed in the action like everyone else that
he fails to see Sykes, using the distraction, exit his
apartment and walk calmly away from the scene.
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - DAY
Newman studies the photograph of Lentz and Sykes under a
magnifying glass.
INSERT - CLOSE ON PHOTO OF LENTZ
We see the logo on Lentz' shirt says: "C M H"
EXT. EL STATION - PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Sykes stands at a phone booth, finishes a call, then moves
up the stairs to board an el train.
INT. HILTON HOTEL - DAY
A conference breaks up and Nichols moves down hallway.
He slows when he sees Gerard and Renfro waiting for him.
NICHOLS
Mr. Gerard.
GERARD
Doctor. Could I have a minute?
He opens the door to an empty meeting room.
INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY
Gerard, Nichols and Renfro. Nichols stares at a photo copy
of the Sykes and Lentz fishing photo.
RENFRO
He's a security specialist at
Devlin-Macgregor Pharmaceuticals.
Kimble broke into his apartment.
NICHOLS
I don't know him. You're getting
pretty desperate aren't you, Mr.
Gerard. I told you, you wouldn't
find Richard.
GERARD
(beat)
Dr. Kimble hasn't come back to you
for help, has he?
NICHOLS
No. And it seems like we've been
over this ground before. Now if
you'll excuse me.
Nichols moves to the door. Gerard looks again at the photo,
then stops him.
GERARD
Dr. Nichols. Do you know the other
man in the photograph?
Nichols stops, looks at Lentz and lies.
NICHOLS
I never saw him before.
He leaves. Gerard watches him.
Renfro looks down and sees flyer which says Nichols is
slated to talk that evening in the grand ballroom.
RENFRO
(reads)
"Advances in Nuclear Tissue and
Pathology Research," by Dr. Charles
Nichols.
(to Gerard)
I bet they line up to hear that one.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON
Newman and Biggs enter the hospital.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - AFTERNOON
MICROSCOPIC POV: Cell structure.
ON WAHLUND
She works the fluorescent stains. Makes notes.
Kimble helps load the next sample.
KIMBLE
Half the people in the study were
indigents. No follow-up, no baseline
on them. Who could say they didn't
come into the study with bad livers?
WAHLUND
The one on the right is one of the
samples you sent me. It shows a lot
of perriportal inflammation loaded
with eosinophils. When you see that
with the accumulation of bile it's
a classic for -
KIMBLE
- drug induced hepatitis.
WAHLUND
I'm impressed. Now look at this.
She positions a second slide.
WAHLUND
According to the study, this is a
slice from the same liver.
Kimble studies the slide. The tissue difference is markedly
different, clearer.
KIMBLE
Cold normal.
WAHLUND
Clearly not from the same tissue.
In fact.
She yields the microscope to Kimble.
WAHLUND
See this small area of bile duct
proliferation? Von Meyenberg's
Complex. Occurs in only 2% of the
population. But it's in every one
of your five samples.
Kimble looks up.
KIMBLE
That's statistically impossible.
WAHLUND
That's because they're all from the
same liver.
She smiles at Kimble.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
Newman shows the photo to a 40s clerk, BETTY. She looks at
the photo.
BETTY
His name's Lentz. A pathologist. I
only remember him because he died
last summer.
Biggs and Newman exchange a look.
NEWMAN
Anybody down in pathology who might
know something about the guy?
Betty looks at the clock, it's after 6 p.m. Dicey.
BETTY
It's kinda late to catch anyone,
but you might go by the morgue.
There's an old guy down there
who's been around forever.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON
Sykes steps off an elevator at Chicago Memorial Hospital.
And starts down a hall.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL MORGUE HALLWAY - DAY
Newman and Biggs move down the empty hallway... this long
shot has never felt longer. They find the morgue.
BIGGS
Just what I want to do before
dinner.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL MORGUE - DAY
Roosevelt working near the autopsy tables when the two
marshals enter.
NEWMAN
Are you Mr. Roosevelt?
ROOSEVELT
Yes.
BIGGS
We're United States Marshals. We're
trying to find out some information
about a pathologist, named Lentz. He
used to be on staff here.
Roosevelt suddenly goes on the defensive.
ROOSEVELT
He's dead.
NEWMAN
Yeah, we heard. We wanted to know if
he knew or had any contact with Dr.
Richard Kimble?
On the mention of Kimble, Roosevelt becomes visibly nervous.
ROOSEVELT
I... I haven't seen Dr. Kimble.
Biggs and Newman exchange a look.
NEWMAN
(a probe)
That's not what I asked, sir. I just
wanted to know if Dr. Kimble and Dr.
Lentz knew each other?
ROOSEVELT
I... I don't know. Excuse me, I got to go.
He moves away from the autopsy table. Biggs stops him.
BIGGS
I think you're lying to us.
Roosevelt looks from one marshal to the other as we:
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL - DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - AFTERNOON
As Kathy packs up evidence, Kimble looks through the reports.
KIMBLE
They'd be home free if I hadn't been
leaning on them to account for the
livers I was seeing. And I wouldn't
have seen the livers if I hadn't
told the guys on my service to call
me when they had cases that were
bleeding excessively in surgery.
WAHLUND
Big bucks. One schmuck standing in
the way. Easy, get rid of him and
his wife. But why Lentz?
KIMBLE
Why not? He's one of the original
patent holders. Toss the samples I
sent, replace them with healthy
samples, issue the path report on
the healthy stuff-piece of cake.
Kimble notices something in the report.
KIMBLE
When did Lentz die?
WAHLUND
Oh, last summer sometime. August...
Why?
Kimble looks up from the protocol report.
KIMBLE
Because a good third of the samples
Lentz approved were signed after he
died.
Kathy comes to look at the report. Lentz's signature is
on reports dated October, November, December.
KIMBLE
Someone else used Lentz's name.
WAHLUND
A pathologist at Devlin-Macgregor?
KIMBLE
They wouldn't have had the access.
They would have needed someone at
the hospital.
Kimble opens the Devlin-Macgregor prospectus he took from
the medical library and opens it to the beginning. A photo
gets his attention.
He takes the bag and starts for the door.
WAHLUND
Where are you going?
KIMBLE
To see an old friend.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Gerard at his board. The cards form a triangle: Sykes
Devlin-Macgregor - Lentz with Kimble at the apex. He stares
at the board. Poole comes to the door.
POOLE
It's Newman. Line two.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble slips down corridor. We see someone following him.
It is Sykes.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Newman on portable phone. Behind him Biggs questions Mr.
Roosevelt.
NEWMAN
The old guy didn't know where he was
going. But he picked up some tissue
samples.
GERARD
Tissue samples?
Gerard goes to his board. Renfro listens on the speakerphone.
NEWMAN
... From a drug study. And signed
for by Dr. Charles Nichols.
Renfro and Gerard exchange a look.
NEWMAN
Nichols also knew Lentz. He was a
pathologist.
RENFRO
He was covering for Kimble.
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Get CPD to bring in Sykes.
Gerard stares at the board.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL TUNNEL - NIGHT
Kimble moves through steam tunnel beneath the hospital.
It is lined with old furniture and supplies. A few moments
later we see Sykes following.
CUT TO:
INT. HILTON HOTEL GRAND BALLROOM - NIGHT
A cordial HOST steps up to the microphone. The room is
filled with doctors seated at tables around the room. It is
the end of a dinner symposium.
HOST
Tonight to close our conference,
we're honored to hear a report from
one of the most respected men in
his field...
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Kimble exits the hospital and moves toward Hospital E1 Station.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
As the Host continues his introduction of the keynote speaker
we PAN the DAIS of distinguished medical men and women...
HOST
... He is the A. Jude Robinson
Fellow and Administrative Chief of
Pathology at Chicago Memorial
Hospital... and just recently has
been appointed member of the board
of directors for Devlin-Macgregor
Pharmaceuticals. Please welcome...
... and STOP ON Charles Nichols.
HOST
... Dr. Charles Nichols.
Nichols rises to applause and moves to the podium.
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL EL STATION - NIGHT
Kimble starts up the stairs to the station just as a train
is coming in. Kimble moves down the platform and boards the
downtown train. Just before the doors close Sykes steps onto
the last car. The train moves out.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Gerard stares at his board. Stevens comes to the door.
STEVENS
I checked Sykes' calls for the last
two years against Kimble's like you
asked and found nothing.
GERARD
All right. It was a thought.
He goes back to the board but Stevens isn't finished.
STEVENS
But when I cross-checked Kimble's
phone records... one came up.
Gerard looks up.
GERARD
Kimble called Sykes.
(calling)
Renfro! Get C.P.D. to bring in Sykes!
STEVENS
Night of his wife's murder -
seven-thirty in the evening from
his car.
Gerard stares at the deputy, thinking - something doesn't
click. Stevens sees the empty stare, then Gerard looks
back at his board.
STEVENS
I have the phone record right here.
GERARD
(calling)
Poole! Bring me Kimble's arrest
report, now.
(to Stevens)
No, Stevens... I believe you.
Poole enters with Kimble's arrest transcript. Gerard takes
the transcript as Renfro appears at the door.
POOLE
Sam, C.P.D. just checked Sykes'
apartment. He's not there.
As Gerard looks up, we -
CUT TO:
INT. DOWNTOWN EL TRAIN - ON KIMBLE - NIGHT
Sits in the front car. There are very few other riders.
A man with newspaper sits across the car reading. The
headlines facing Kimble say: "KIMBLE IN CHICAGO". Kimble's
booking photo stares back at him.
Kimble reacts to the headline, looks away as the man turns
the pages.
The man looks over the newspaper at Kimble, then goes back
to reading. A moment later he folds the paper back to the
front page.
The man looks up from the paper and looks at Kimble again,
then down.
Coolly the man folds the paper, tucks it under his arm,
stands, looks through the car, then moves into one of the
rear cars.
Kimble looks out the window - hoping desperately for his
car to reach the station. He keeps his head turned until
the man is gone.
ANGLE - THROUGH CENTER OF TRAIN - NIGHT
From the center of Kimble's car we see the man with the
newspaper move up to a TRANSIT COP. They begin talking.
Kimble stands, coming INTO the SHOT. We see him watching
the discussion.
Suddenly a man, sitting in the rear of the car, stands
and blocks Kimble's view of the Cop. It's Sykes. His gun
is drawn.
SYKES
Back up. Move to the door, Doc.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN - TRANSIT COP'S CAR - NIGHT
Transit Cop moves past the man with the newspaper toward
Kimble's car.
TRANSIT COP
(to radio)
This is transit unit, 23. I have a
possible sighting of Richard Kimble.
Northbound coming into the Balbo
station. Request immediate back-up
at the station.
He moves toward the connecting door to Kimble's car.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
The train is not yet to the station. He has no escape.
Sykes moves toward him.
SYKES
This is my stop, Doc.
Kimble stares hard at Sykes. He steps toward the side
exit.
KIMBLE
Good, it's my stop, too.
Suddenly the door behind Sykes opens and the Transit Cop
enters.
TRANSIT COP
Kimble.
(to Sykes)
Sir, move away from him.
Sykes - the gun tucked next to his side - turns.
The Cop sees Sykes' gun, reacts...
But Sykes FIRES first, shoots the cop FOUR TIMES.
As the Cop falls, Sykes turns quickly to finish Kimble.
But Kimble pulls the emergency brake over the door.
EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT
The brakes lock. The TRAIN SCREECHES.
INT. REAR CARS - NIGHT
Passengers are thrown off their feet. Bags and briefcases
go flying.
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Sykes is thrown forward toward Kimble who holds onto a bar
for balance.
EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT
The train stops just short of the station. Only the first
two windows of the front car are over the platform.
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Sykes is thrown to the floor - the gun slips from his grasp.
Kimble moves for the gun as Sykes comes up, catches Kimble
in the stomach, knocks him back. The fight carries on
throughout the car.
Kimble reaches the gun first, lifts it in his left hand and
aims at Sykes. Sykes sees the gun in Kimble's hand and
almost smiles.
SYKES
Go ahead. You don't have it in you .
For a moment Kimble almost fires, but instead he takes the
gun in his right hand and whips it across Sykes' face.
Then hits Sykes again and again with the butt of the gun,
driving him down the length of the car, knocking him almost
unconscious.
Kimble tucks the gun in his belt and moves to the Transit
Cop. He checks for a pulse - there is none. The Cop is dead.
Kimble takes the handcuffs and keys from the case on the
Cop's belt. He reaches for Sykes' wrist, drags him to the
Cop and cuffs Sykes to the dead Cop.
He pockets the keys and grabs Sykes' hair, pulls his face
off the floor.
KIMBLE
Not as easy as Helen, was it?
(slams Sykes' head down, leaves)
You missed your stop.
He moves to the front of the car with Sykes' and the Transit
Cop's guns out. People back out of his way. He moves to
where the first two windows extend over the platform, kicks
out the front window and...
EXT. TRAIN STATION - PLATFORM - NIGHT
... drops to the station platform. Kimble lowers his head and
moves down the uncrowded platform to the station.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
The report comes off the scanner.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
... units in the vicinity of Balbo
Street station. Be alert to possible
sighting of Richard Kimble...
Gerard, Renfro and Poole trade looks. Gerard moves toward
the door.
RENFRO
Balbo station. That's -
GERARD
(cutting him off)
Poole, get Biggs and Newman.
They're gone as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
Police cruisers pull outside the station.
INT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
As transit police move up the escalator to the platform,
Kimble moves unnoticed through the underground mall
beneath the hotel. Deposits the guns into a mail box and
keeps moving.
INT. GERARD'S CAR - NIGHT
Renfro driving, Gerard and Pool in car. Report comes over
the radio.
POLICE DISPATCHER (V.O.)
... all units in vicinity of Balbo
E1. Officer down. Repeat, officer
down. Man leaving scene with two
guns matches description of Richard
Kimble...
Gerard looks out the window, he knows what this means.
GERARD
(quietly to himself)
Damn...
INT. HOTEL - MALL LEVEL / LOBBY - NIGHT
Kimble moves up escalators from the underground station
into the Hilton.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT
Disheveled and driven, he moves from the escalators to the
lobby - checks the list of hospitality suites and sees
board which indicates Nichols speech in the rooftop
ballroom. He moves on to the main elevators.
CUT TO:
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Nichols speaking. As he talks we MOVE TO...
ANGLE ON TABLE OF MEN
Listening - the same men we saw in the hospitality suite
when Nichols talked to Kimble. As we MOVE TIGHTER ON one
of the men, we notice his name tag says: Board of
Directors... Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceuticals.
INT. HILTON ROOFTOP ELEVATORS - NIGHT
Kimble rides alone to the rooftop ballroom.
CUT TO:
EXT. HILTON HOTEL - NIGHT
Gerard's car pulls up in front of the hotel. Police are
controlling pedestrians. Newman and Biggs, already decked
out in Kevlar, meet him.
NEWMAN
C.P.D. just reported -
GERARD
I heard. Was it Kimble?
BIGGS
Conflicting reports, but the cops
are considering him a shooter.
Heavily-armed CPD units pull up. Gerard stares at the police
presence. He starts toward the hotel where Kelly is
conferring with Kevlar-decked police captain.
POLICE CAPTAIN
Witnesses say he entered hotel from
the subway.
KELLY
Okay. I want it locked down. Start
on the lower levels.
The captain moves off. Gerard intercepts the cop.
GERARD
That's my man in there, Kelly.
KELLY
Not since he took down one of ours,
Gerard. This is a police matter,
now. Stay, the hell, out of it.
Kelly moves off. Gerard watches him a moment then he looks
up to the roof. Newman hands Gerard his belt with his
backup piece.
GERARD
C'mon, I know where he's going.
He moves into the hotel with his deputies.
INTERCUT WITH:
LOCKDOWN MONTAGE - EXT. / INT. HOTEL - NIGHT
A) C.P.D. cruisers arriving. Cops deploying to points of
entry. Security guards keying shut parking garage and
blocking stairwells.
B) Helicopter with police sharpshooters takes off from
Meigs Field downtown and heads for the hotel.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOFTOP ELEVATORS/PENTHOUSE HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble exits the elevators and moves down the corridor to
the ballroom. A man tries to stop him at the doors, Kimble
simply moves him out of the way and opens the doors to:
CUT TO:
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Nichols moves to the last of his speech as Kimble enters
at the rear
NICHOLS
... And I especially would like to
thank my researchers who helped me...
Nichols stops his speech - stunned to see Kimble.
NICHOLS
Richard...
KIMBLE
What's wrong, Charlie? Surprised?
Kimble begins moving down the aisle past the tables of
doctors toward the podium.
We see the faces of Kimble's colleagues and friends from
the ballroom sequence earlier. At first no one notices
Kimble but as he makes his way toward the dais, the
applause fades and then room quiets. Whispers of:
CROWD
It's Richard. It's Kimble.
Stunned expressions.
Kimble continues to the front, talking to Nichols as if
the room were empty.
KIMBLE
After Lentz died, you were the only
one that had access to the
pathology reports.
Nichols remains calm.
NICHOLS
Reports? What are you?
KIMBLE
You switched the samples and
falsified the reports so R.D.U.90
could get approval.
NICHOLS
Richard, I don't know what you're
talking about?...
KIMBLE
I have a set of the original
samples.
Nichols stares at Kimble and for the first time we see a
flicker of concern.
KIMBLE
You almost pulled it off, Charlie.
But I know all about it now, and I
can prove it.
Nichols and Kimble hold a look. Nichols turns to the audience.
KIMBLE
Ladies and gentlemen. My friend, as
you can see, is obviously not well.
Richard, if you want to talk -
KIMBLE
I didn't come here to talk
Nichols leaves the dais and heads toward the exit.
Kimble tracks along with him - moving through the tables -
passing the table with the Devlin-MacGregor board of
directors. They are disturbed by this situation.
ON NICHOLS
Moves through a door and exits into...
HALLWAY
Kimble follows moving through the tables and people to
reach the door.
As soon as he's gone there are calls for "security." Doctors
move for the exits.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT
Gerard, Renfro, Newman, Biggs and Poole move into the lobby.
Police move to cover the lower floors.
BIGGS
C.P.D. has the perimeter, hotel
security has the parking structure.
GERARD
Let them keep busy down below.
Newman, get with security. See if
you can locate Kimble from the
monitors. Keep in radio contact.
Newman branches off to Hotel Security. The rest follow
Gerard to the rooftop elevators.
EXT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
ROARING over Chicago skyline. The bright red sign of the
Hilton Hotel looms ahead.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY / HOSPITALITY SUITE - NIGHT
Nichols moves down hallway and turns into a hospitality
suite. A moment later Kimble follow and enters the...
HOSPITALITY SUITE
... and is immediately smashed with a chair by Nichols.
Kimble goes flying, stunned. Nichols locks the door.
NICHOLS
Your best quality, Richard, is that
you don't give up -
Nichols pulls Kimble to his feet.
NICHOLS
... even when it's clearly in your
best interest to...
He hits him again, drives him back into the library.
Kimble tries to recover as Nichols relentlessly stays on
him. He pulls him up, slams him against the fire escape
doors.
NICHOLS
I always knew that I'd have to kill
you.
He drives a blow into Kimble's stomach.
NICHOLS
Now, I must thank you for giving me
200 witnesses tonight who will
support me... when I tell them it
was self-defense...
He shoves Kimble through the door out into...
EXT. FIRE ESCAPE BALCONY - NIGHT
... and almost over the railing. Kimble grabs the rail to
keep from dropping to the street. Nichols closes on him,
but Kimble rolls away at the last minute and knocks
Nichols back against the other side of fire escape.
KIMBLE
You missed your chance, Charlie...
Nichols charges Kimble, but Kimble drives him back with
two crushing blows that send Nichols down the stairs.
Kimble moves down the stairs after him - passing under a
security camera.
CUT TO:
INT. SECURITY ROOM - NIGHT
A room lined with security monitors. Two security personnel
sit in front of their console. Newman stands behind them.
On screen: We see Kimble moving down the stairs toward
Nichols, who pulls himself to his feet.
Newman stands in front of the screen, talks to his radio.
NEWMAN
(to radio)
I've got Kimble on the roof with
Nichols. Southeast exit.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HOTEL ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Gerard and deputies Poole, Biggs, and Renfro around him.
BIGGS
(to radio)
Keep and eye on him. Biggs has roof plans.
BIGGS
There are four exits to the roof.
GERARD
I want them covered.
EXT. HOTEL ROOFTOP FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT
Nichols rises to his feet, swings, but Kimble blocks the
blow and lands another that sends Nichols down another
set of stairs to the roof.
KIMBLE
You took everything away from me...
for money.
INT. BALLROOM ELEVATORS - NIGHT
Gerard and the marshals reach the ballroom floor. The
elevator doors open to a flood of confused and disoriented
doctors trying to escape. The marshals wade through, meet
up with two hotel security guards.
GERARD
This way.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble pulls Nichols to his feet. They are silhouetted by
the lights of the city skyline.
KIMBLE
I want to know, Charlie... was it
worth it...?
NICHOLS
This thing is bigger than even you
think, Richard. You can't stop it.
He hits Nichols again with tremendous force, knocking him
against the parapet. Nichols stares over the edge - the
street appears far below.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Gerard and his deputies work their way into the ballroom.
The deputies move to separate areas. Several doctors point
them in the direction Kimble and Nichols fled.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HOTEL SECURITY - NIGHT
Newman stands in front the security monitors and watches
Kimble and Nichols on the roof.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble reaches Nichols and draws to hit him again as the
HELICOPTER suddenly ROARS over the rooftop. Its beam hits
the two men and a VOICE booms from the helicopter:
VOICE FROM HELICOPTER (V.O.)
Chicago police. Freeze.
In the instant of shock, Nichols knees Kimble and bolts.
INTERCUT:
INT. HALLWAY / HOSPITALITY SUITE - NIGHT
Gerard moves down connecting hallway where a couple of
concerned doctors are trying to open the door to the
hospitality suite.
GERARD
(to doctors)
Clear the hallway.
(to security)
Get that door open.
The door opens and Gerard moves quickly through the
hospitality suite for the rooftop.
GERARD
(to security)
Stay at this door.
He moves through the door to the roof alone.
INT. HOTEL SECURITY - NIGHT
Newman watching the security monitors sees Kimble and
Nichols. On another monitor we see Gerard exit the suite.
EXT. ROOF - NIGHT
Nichols runs.
Kimble recovers, sees Gerard moving down the fire escape
toward him, and Nichols escaping. He goes after Nichols.
The helicopter circles back over the roof, illuminating the
rooftop in its million-candle-power beam.
HELICOPTER PILOT (V.O.)
I've got a visual on Kimble. He's
running.
INTERCUT WITH:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Kelly listens on his ratio.
KELLY
Bring him down.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble chases Nichols down the roof as BULLETS from the
helicopter rip into the air conditioning duct next to Kimble.
The helicopter swings out to keep Kimble in sight.
ON GERARD
Gerard hits the bottom of the fire escape and follows.
GERARD
(to radio)
This is a United States Marshal.
Get that helicopter out of here!
ANGLE - NICHOLS
He moves away among the duct work.
Kimble follows.
Gerard continues after Kimble.
The helicopter circles and follows from above.
INT. PENTHOUSE / DOOR TO ROOF - NIGHT
Renfro triggers his radio.
RENFRO
There is a U.S. Marshal out there.
Hold your fire!
HELICOPTER'S POV
FOLLOWING Kimble. Its beam tracking Kimble across the
rooftop. He moves through the blowers and duct work.
Kimble is gaining ground on Nichols.
ON SHARPSHOOTER
He is about to fire when he hears through his radio.
RADIO (V.O.)
Hold your fire.
The shooter pulls back.
INTERCUT WITH:
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Gerard rushes across the roof toward Kimble.
ANGLE - NICHOLS
He is almost to the end of the roof when Kimble tackles
him. The two men crash against sloped glass roof of an
elevator housing.
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Inside the shaft - an elevator moves toward the roof. It
stops on the floor ten feet below the roof. THROUGH the
glass roof we see the doors open.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOFTOP - GERARD - NIGHT
Charges toward -
KIMBLE
Who slams Nichols hard against the glass. The WIRED
GLASS CRACKS and bellies with the form of their bodies.
Nichols' head rocks from the impact.
The GLASS GROANS. The wire stresses. The caulking begins
to drop.
Nichols struggles but Kimble has him in control. Slams
him down hard again.
HELICOPTER
Circles, illuminates the struggle in its spotlight and
Gerard closing.
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
The elevator doors close and the car beneath the
skylight begins to descend.
GERARD
Pulls up.
GERARD
Kimble!
Kimble slams Nichols one more time against the glass
and the wire holding the glass gives way, sending Kimble
and Nichols into...
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Kimble and Nichols, locked together, fall down the shaft
and crash onto the roof of the descending elevator car.
Nichols crashes through the ceiling into the car. Kimble
hits and slides across the roof to the edge, stopping
himself, just before he falls into the shaft. An
elevator car rushes toward him out of the blackness.
EXT. HOTEL ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Gerard reaches the elevator housing, looks down into the
shaft.
GERARD'S POV
Kimble's car disappears into the darkness.
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR CAR - NIGHT
Nichols pulls himself to his feet. Hits the emergency
stop and the doors open. He disappears into...
INT. HILTON LAUNDRY - NIGHT
... a huge industrial laundry room. Steam rises from the
giant machines.
INT. ELEVATOR CAR/LAUNDRY - NIGHT
Kimble drops from the ceiling into the car and moves
carefully into the laundry.
... like an industrial jungle. Dimly lit, filled with
DEAFENING MACHINERY. Five hundred pound bags of laundry
move from a network of ceiling tracks to a pair of
heavyduty conveyor belts and two thirty-foot long washers.
... At the other end of the washers, hydraulic presses
stamp out three-foot diameter "cakes" which are moved by
conveyor and dollies to automated dryers.
The NOISE is DEAFENING.
INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT
Gerard comes down back stairwell. Followed by Renfro.
GERARD
(to radio)
Where did the elevator stop?
INTERCUT WITH:
NEWMAN IN SECURITY
Newman checks the computer board for the elevator
position.
NEWMAN
(to radio)
Level five.
INT. LAUNDRY - NIGHT
Nichols pushes through the hanging laundry bags toward an
exit, tries the door. It is secured with a collapsible
grating with a padlock. He looks up, keeps moving.
KIMBLE
Notices the swinging bags, follows Nichols' trail. He
stops to get his bearings, sees shadow at the far end of
the room between the two washers. Kimble closes in, moving
between the large conveyors.
ANGLE - SORTING ROOM
Gerard enters sorting room with Renfro. He sees two sorters
standing by a small conveyor as he enters.
GERARD
Get out of here.
He and Renfro move around the corner where a laundry
worker is hooking a 500 lb bag of lines onto the overhead
rail. A hydraulic lift, operated by a hanging on/off
switch raises the bag on a yellow steel I-beam. The worker
takes one look at Gerard and abandons his station.
Gerard, Biggs and Renfro move to the closed doors of the
main room.
GERARD
(to Renfro)
We're going in. Give me five
minutes. Keep C.P.D. out.
He draws his Glock, opens the door and enters the main
room.
INT. LAUNDRY - ON KIMBLE - NIGHT
He moves to end of washers, using the machines as cover.
He sees the shadow again takes a pole leaning against the
dryer as a weapon, turns the corner and is about to belt
him when he realizes it's not Nichols, but a laundry worker.
Kimble moves away from the terrified man, when he hears a
voice from the other end of the laundry.
GERARD (V.O.)
(above the din)
Kimble!
Kimble reacts to Gerard's voice, moves away.
ON NICHOLS
Moving behind machinery, sees light at far end of the room
where Gerard enters.
ON GERARD
The door closes automatically behind Gerard and Renfro.
They enter the noisy main room and separate. Renfro moves
up the far side of the room, Gerard up the center. Both
move slowly through the maze of bags, carts, automated
equipment.
GERARD
... There is no way out of here.
The building is locked down.
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Moves instinctively back into the machinery and carts near
the conveyor belts.
GERARD (O.S.)
Kimble... I know about Nichols. I
know about Sykes. Kimble stops.
ON GERARD
GERARD
... Nichols borrowed your car the
night of the murder and called
Sykes from it.
RENFRO
Separated from Gerard. He hears a NOISE behind him - a bag
comes down the track at break-neck speed, Renfro spins,
dodges it, gets his bearings and continues.
KIMBLE
Listening. He watches the movement of bags as he did with
Nichols.
GERARD
Moving through the forest of massive bags.
GERARD
... That's why there was no forced
entry at your house. He'd used your
keys.
KIMBLE
Realizing what Gerard knows. Considering his next move.
NICHOLS
Also listening. He realizes Gerard now knows he's the
killer. He moves behind the water softener tanks and
chemicals - and spots Renfro - and something else -the
hanging control for the I-beam.
GERARD
Moves carefully. Another bag comes down the track. He
dodges it and steps into an open track. From here he can
see straight back toward the washers.
GERARD
Kimble... Come meet me out here.
ON RENFRO
He steps out and then back as a bag shoots by. He ducks
under the bag - into the next track and suddenly hears a
WHIRRING sound behind him. Renfro turns as an I-beam comes
rushing down the open track and knocks him to the floor,
opening a gash across the side of his head. He lays still.
NICHOLS
Steps out of the shadows, turns him over exposing his empty
shoulder harness and takes the gun from Renfro's hand.
Nichols moves toward Gerard with the gun.
GERARD
Oblivious to this action, moves on, passes the conveyor
belts. He makes one last appeal.
GERARD
It's time to quit running... if you
don't, you know I'll stop you. He
listens, there is no answer.
KIMBLE
Starts to move out to meet Gerard, sees Renfro down. His
shoulder harness is empty. He knows Nichols is armed.
GERARD
Moves into the alley between the two giant washers. He
pauses, looks back, then continues, when he turns his back
on us...
NICHOLS
Steps INTO FRAME behind him and slowly takes aim. Just
before he fires however he hears...
KIMBLE (O.S.)
Hey, Chuckles...
Nichols turns toward the voice as Kimble swings the stick
and clocks him - sending the gun skittering on the floor
behind Gerard.
GERARD
Turns on the sound and finds his gun trained on Kimble
with Nichols at his feet, unconscious. He realizes
instantly that Kimble saved his life and lowers his gun.
Kimble, exhausted, leans against the washer.
They hold a look as deputies and police flood into the
room surrounding Kimble and handcuffing him.
INT. / EXT. HILTON HOTEL - NIGHT (LATER)
Chicago Police hold back crowds of onlookers on Michigan
Avenue. Police cars and vans, television news trucks vie
for space in front of the Hilton Towers.
Dr. Charles Nichols, on a stretcher, loaded into an
ambulance. The doors close.
REPORTERS and television cameramen line the sidewalk
giving reports and interviewing doctors from the ballroom.
We PICK UP pieces of their reports as we MOVE PAST them
TOWARD the entrance.
T.V. NEWS REPORTER
... As we reported a few minutes
ago, the saga of once-prominent
Chicago surgeon, Dr. Richard Kimble,
who escaped from an Illinois
Corrections bus, took a strange
twist this evening when Dr. Kimble
was captured at the Chicago Hilton...
ANOTHER REPORTER continues:
ANOTHER REPORTER
... there are unconfirmed reports
from police of new evidence which
may exonerate Kimble while
implicating some of the biggest
names in medicine...
The doors to the police van close amid a flurry of
photographs.
A third reporter interviews a STUNNED DOCTOR from the
ballroom:
STUNNED DOCTOR
He just walked in... We didn't know
what he was going to do. My wife
was very frightened... The next
thing I knew cops were charging in
and...
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL - NIGHT
Kimble, in handcuffs, is escorted by Biggs, Newman, Poole
and Gerard, out of the hotel into the waiting chaos.
Renfro, his head bandaged, is helped by paramedics.
EXT. HOTEL / INT. CAR - NIGHT
As soon as the group exits the hotel. Television lights
flood the scene. Kimble lowers his head. Reporters crowd
forward, yelling questions.
REPORTER
Dr. Kimble, is it true you can prove
your innocence!
Gerard wants the crowd controlled.
GERARD
(to police)
Get them back.
The marshals ant cops clear a line for Kimble to get into
a waiting car away from the media. Biggs opens the back
door and helps Kimble inside.
BIGGS
Watch your head, Dr. Kimble.
Newman climbs in behind the wheel. Gerard in the back next
to Kimble. He leans out the window and motions to Poole.
GERARD
(to Poole)
Poole, you got that thing?
(to Kimble)
Give me your hands.
Kimble pauses, then holds up his wrists and Gerard unlocks
Kimble's handcuffs.
Poole hands an ice-pack over the seat. Gerard places the
pack on Kimble' 9 bruised and battered hands.
GERARD
Take care of those hands, Doc,
you're going to need them again
soon.
KIMBLE
I thought you told me 'you didn't
care.'
GERARD
Yeah, well, don't spread it around.
They share a look of mutual respect as the car pulls away.
HELICOPTER POV
The car carrying Kimble pulls onto Michigan Avenue heading
back downtown. As we PULL BACK we see Kimble's car - at
first alone on the great avenue - then gradually joined
by other cars until finally becoming integrated in the
traffic, movement and lights of the city.
FADE OUT
THE ENDTHE FUGITIVE
by
Jeb Stuart and David Twohy
FADE IN:
EXT. CHICAGO - AERIAL - NIGHT
CREDITS BEGIN OVER:
Snow swirls around the tall buildings of downtown Chicago.
EXT. CHICAGO HOTEL - NIGHT
Cars, taxis, limos line the street. A cab pulls up and MAN
in tuxedo moves into:
INT. CHICAGO HOTEL - BALLROOM - NIGHT
THROUGH arriving guests we PICK UP the Man climbing stairs
to the ballroom.
ANGLE - COAT CHECK
The Man hands his coat to coat check woman and thanks her.
When he turns we get our first view of DR. RICHARD KIMBLE,
a tall, athletic man, with a trim beard.
He moves from the outer lobby into a fabulously decorated
ballroom where a fashion show is taking place as a medical
fundraiser. Doctors and their spouses, hospital brass and
sponsors mingle. Women sit near the runway watching the
models. Men talk by the bar. The room is packed.
A banner over the rostrum says: "CHILDREN'S RESEARCH AND
AID FOUNDATION"
Kimble is handed a glass of champagne, which he promptly
sets on another waiter's passing tray.
ROBERTS (V.O.)
Richard...
DR. ROBERTS, a large surgeon, pulls Kimble over to a group
of surgeons gathered around a bar. Smoking cigars.
ROBERTS
Cancun. Nat just talked everybody
into it...
A hospital equipment rep, NAT, is buying drinks.
KIMBLE
So, what's the deal? If the hospital
buys ten new -
NAT
No, no, no, no strings attached, Dr.
Kimble. Industrial Hospital Supply
has no ulterior motives.
KIMBLE
On the house, huh?
(to bartender)
Tonic water with lime.
Everyone agrees.
KIMBLE
Never get me to sell my soul for one
of those trips...
His tone silences the group. Kimble takes his drink.
KIMBLE
(to Nat)
... But if you get any more Bulls
tickets, Nat, give me a call.
The group laughs, Kimble extracts himself and CREDITS
CONTINUE OVER -
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Moving through the crowd.
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Nearly gets hit in the follow-through of an imaginary
golf swing.
KIMBLE
You're slicing, Dave. Don't turn
your hip.
He keeps moving.
GOLFING MAN
Thanks, Richard...
CUT TO:
ANGLE - TOUGH-LOOKING LAB RAT
KATHY WAHLUND, totally out of her element amid the formal
elegance around her. She wears a leather jacket over
T-shirt and stares at the action on the fashion runway.
DR. WAHLUND
(dripping sarcasm)
I'm so glad you talked me into
coming, Richard... I can pick my
cruise wardrobe.
RICHARD
It's for a good cause, Kath...
Besides you need to get out of the
lab more. Your electron microscope
is starting to give you a tan.
She smiles. He moves on.
ANGLE - PARTY
Kimble continues down the bar when he spots a friend...
KIMBLE
Hey, Jim.
DR. JAMES NICHOLS turns, smiles. Mid-40s, head of the
University Hospital. He is a fit contemporary.
NICHOLS
Richard, I just saw someone who
wanted to meet you...
Just then Kimble spots an attractive WOMAN, late thirties,
wearing a drop-dead, simple black gown. She's surrounded by
a group of men hanging on her every word. She and Kimble
catch a look and hold it.
NICHOLS (V.O.)
Richard Kimble... Alex Lentz. Alex
is working on the RDU90 trials for
Devlin-Macgregor.
Kimble turns to meet DR. ALEXANDER LENTZ, late 30s, tan,
smiling. Lentz extends his hand...
LENTZ
Dr. Kimble... Sorry, we've been
trading phone calls last few days
... something about a biopsy report
I returned to you?
KIMBLE
(suddenly attentive)
Yeah... Three. Livers appeared
hepatetic to me.
LENTZ
I'll be in my office in the morning
and I'll pull up the samples. Is that
a good time for you?
KIMBLE
Sure.
LENTZ
(holds Kimble's look,
then to Nichols)
See you, Jim.
Lentz moves on. Kimble looks after him a beat, then focuses
on relocating the Woman he just saw. She's gone. He and
Nichols move together through the party.
NICHOLS
(digs in his pocket)
Before I forget, I went by the garage
this afternoon and picket up the
Ferrari. Thanks for the loaner again.
He hands Kimble a valet ticket.
KIMBLE
They fix it this time?
NICHOLS
We'll see.
They reach the Woman Kimble saw, his wife, HELEN KIMBLE.
Kimble kisses her.
NICHOLS
You look fabulous, Helen.
He kisses Helen.
HELEN (WOMAN)
Hello, Jim.
NICHOLS
(to Kimble)
We've got a court tomorrow at three.
Nichols leaves. Kimble looks at his wife.
KIMBLE
Well, I've seen everyone, can we
leave?
HELEN
That would be a little abrupt, don't
you think?
CUT TO:
ANGLE - KIMBLE'S TABLE - NIGHT
A table for ten. Kimble and Helen introduce themselves to
others at table ant sit across from each other.
Kimble sits between two doctors' wives. One, NOW EAU WIFE,
mid-thirties, bedecked in jewels and loud dress, the other
OLDER WIFE.
Helen sits between their husbands who are trying to impress
her with the details of their boring studies as CREDITS
CONTINUE...
INTERCUTTING WITH the fashion, catches of dialog and course
changes, Kimble and Helen demonstrate an oft-used exchange
of glances: Kimble, while gracious to his dinner partners,
catches Helen's eye and makes smiling, subtle movements to
his watch or a look to the door to indicate he's clearly
ready to leave. On the receiving end, Helen, the gatekeeper
of their social propriety, indicates with equal subtlety:
"not yet."
As we MOVE AROUND the table we hear:
"Where's your husband on staff?" "My husband's an orthopod
at Northwestern." "I'm working on a new technique..."
"That's fascinating..." "That's quite a marvelous dress
you're wearing." "Do you like it? My husband says it's a
'four-fracture number."' "Honey." (A look from her husband.)
Kimble shares a look with Helen. He subtly motions to his
watch: time go to, and mouths the word: "now." She shakes
her head.
NOW EAU WIFE
(to table)
I told my husband that he was going
to kill us if he didn't stop
operating. What with this AIDS thing,
he's putting us all at risk.
Helen and Kimble absorb this comment without reaction, share
a look. Helen mouths the word: "Now."
HELEN
(to her dinner partners)
I'm sorry, I have to get my husband
home.
They say their good-byes and pass Nichols' table. Nichols
shakes his friend's hand in passing. From across the room we
see Lentz watching.
INT. KIMBLE'S MERCEDES - NIGHT
Kimble and Helen driving home. She runs her fingers through
his hair as he drives.
HELEN
You looked handsome tonight...
KIMBLE
Thank you...
He smiles to himself, seems to enjoy the compliment too much
for Helen. Her smile becomes playful, mischievous.
HELEN
Uh, huh... most men in a tuxedo look
like waiters...
KIMBLE
But me?
HELEN
You looked more like... a band
director.
He stops at red light, leans over and kisses her. Light
changes and neither notice. Slowly their kiss breaks.
HELEN
Are we home yet?...
CUT TO:
EXT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Kimble pulls up in front of his house. Suddenly both his
PAGER and CAR PHONE RING at the same time.
KIMBLE
(to phone)
Dr. Kimble
(suddenly attentive)
When? Okay, tell them I'll be there
in ten minutes.
He hangs up.
KIMBLE
Tim's got a problem.
Helen kisses him again, opens the door.
HELEN
Call me on your way home.
CREDITS END as we -
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL - HALLWAY / SCRUB ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble, wearing scrubs but without head gear, moves down
stairs to the OR hall.
He sticks his head into the operating room.
KIMBLE
Cavalry's here.
Two harried surgeons look up, glad to see him.
SCRUB ROOM
Kimble begins scrubbing as the RESIDENT comes out to bring
him up to speed.
RESIDENT
Patient is a male, forty-three. We
pulled his gall bladder and the
bleeding started.
KIMBLE
What's his pro time?
RESIDENT
(concerned)
He's at 36 seconds. We got a major
bleeder in here.
KIMBLE
You talk to the family?
RESIDENT
None. He's off the street.
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO - OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT
Operation in progress. Top medical facility filled with
trained professionals and state of the art equipment. Kimble
is assisted across the table by the chief Resident. Both
working so intently they never look at each other as they
talk...
KIMBLE
(to Anesthesiologist)
Okay... I'm clamping. Can he
tolerate it?
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
He's a very sick guy.
KIMBLE
Do we have a choice?
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
Go for it.
KIMBLE
Marie, give me a clamp...
MARIE, the scrub nurse, passes him the instrument and Kimble
and the other SURGEON continue to work with the Resident
assisting.
KIMBLE
(never looking up)
Your husband know you're here tonight,
Marie?... What about this liver?
RESIDENT
History's sketchy. Could be an
alcoholic.
KIMBLE
Who referred him?
RESIDENT
He's on a drug protocol. RDU90.
Kimble looks up and shares a look with the chief Resident
over their masks, then back to work.
KIMBLE
The wave of the future... Marie, you
told Frank yet? Frank is so jealous
of this late night thing we've got
going here... This should hold him.
Bleeding's stopped. Let's get a
biopsy...
(to circulating nurse)
Send it downstairs and make sure you
get Kath her slice.
SURGEON
You staying for the closing, Rich?
Kimble moves away and sheds his gloves and gown.
KIMBLE
No. I got a date.
INT. SCRUB ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble throws away his hat and mask. The door opens behind
him; it is the other Surgeon.
SURGEON
Hey, Richard...
Kimble turns.
SURGEON
Thanks.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Kimble driving through empty Chicago streets toward home.
He is on phone, waits for answer.
KIMBLE
Hi. I'm five minutes away...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Helen on the phone, downstairs. She is still in her gown with
an afghan around her shoulders. She's been reading.
HELEN
I'm glad it went well. I'll see you
in a minute.
Helen hangs up phone, turns out the light and starts up the
stairs.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO STREET - NIGHT
Kimble driving.
INT. KIMBLE-S TOWNHOUSE - DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT
Helen moves down the hall toward the dressing room/closet.
Opens the door to large closet dressing room and turns on
the light. Nothing. She starts to leave and decides to close
one of the interior closet doors.
She starts to slide the door closed when - wham!
A hand reaches out and clutches her by the neck. Helen
claws and scratches to get free and in her struggle her
string of pearls bursts...
... and a single pearl bounces out of the bedroom... rolls
across the landing to the stairs, stopping three steps from
the top.
CUT TO:
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Snow swirls around the street as Kimble's car pulls into the
driveway. On the third floor, we see a bedroom light still
on.
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
A GRANDFATHER CLOCK TICKS softly. Kimble tosses his keys on
the entry table, picks up a stack of mail on the table and
calls up the stairs.
KIMBLE
I'm home. Did you hear who won the
Bulls game?
No answer. He steps into the:
KITCHEN
The wall phone shows a line in use. Kimble notices it. The
WASHER BUZZES, he switches the clothes from washer to dryer,
and STARTS the MACHINE. Takes a bottle of wine and two
glassesand leaves the kitchen.
INT. BEDROOM - CLOSE ON .38 SMITH AND WESSON - NIGHT
Lies on the floor, beside Helen's legs and the receiver of
phone, off the hook. A man's rubber-gloved hand picks up the
gun.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. DOWNSTAIRS - STAIRS - NIGHT
Kimble starts up the stairs to the bedroom...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Helen's hand reaches out presses the cradle down, dials
ON KIMBLE
Climbing the stairs... suddenly stops.
A small white ball on the stairs. He bends down and picks
it up... a pearl.
KIMBLE
Helen?
Silence. He can see directly into the bedroom. It's quiet.
Too quiet. He notices a lampshade on the floor.
UPSTAIRS HALL - NIGHT
Kimble moves slowly to the opened doorway. And just before
he enters he sees a large form in the crack behind the door.
Adrenal surge.
Kimble slams the door back on the figure knocking the gun
free. Before Kimble can move to it a forearm flattens him.
The attacker immediately goes for the gun. Kimble grabs a
leg and twists him down, the man's fingers hit the gun,
sending it skittering across the hardwood floor of the
landing and over the edge - three flights to the entry
hall below.
SIRENS can be heard. Distant but APPROACHING.
The man kicks free and tries to flee. This time Kimble
catches an arm and twists it at an unnatural angle. To his
shock, the limb detaches between the shoulder and elbow.
Kimble looks at the arm in his hands - it's hollow.
Electrodes are visible inside - then to the man's unreadable
face...
The SIRENS are LOUDER...
Before Kimble can recover, the One-Armed Man knocks Kimble
down and grabs back his arm. He runs down the stairs.
Kimble pulls himself up and starts to follow but is stopped
by a VOICE behind him in the bedroom...
HELEN (O.S.)
He's here... still in the house...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Lying by the bed, Helen Kimble, clutches the phone with one
hand, her head with the other.
911 (V.O.)
Did I hear you right? Your attacker
is still in the house? Ma'am?
HELEN
He's trying to kill me...
Kimble appears. Helen drops the phone when she sees him.
911 (V.O.)
Will you repeat that please?
HELEN
(to Kimble)
Richard... He's trying to kill me...
my head.
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Two Chicago police cars wheel to the curb, COPS move quickly
to the house.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimble moves to her. Sees the necklace of bruises where she
was held down and choked. And then a bullet wound in her
leg. She's already going into shock. Her speech turns thick.
KIMBLE
Hang on, babe... going to be all
right.
Her fingernails dig into Kimble's arm, trying to hold on.
HELEN
My head. Richard my hold me.
Her eyes slip away from his. He peels away the hand on her
head - and sees raw pummeled brain staring back and realizes
she won't be all right.
CAMERA SWINGS DOWN TO the dropped phone.
911 (V.O.)
... Hello. You said his name is
Richard? Ma'am, can you talk to me?
Ma'am?
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The Cops enter the house. See the .38 lying on the floor.
Covering each other, they move quickly up the stairs - guns
drawn.
ANGLE
Third floor. The First Cop, gun drawn, turns the corner of
Kimble's bedroom and finds:
Kimble holding his dead wife. Blood on his hands.
COP #1
Move away from her.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
Kimble, numbed by the event, washes the blood off his hands
in the kitchen sink. A cop takes his blood-stained tux
jacket, and another hands him a parka.
EXT. KIMBLE'S TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT
The street is filled with Chicago police cars, curious
neighbors, television news vans, etc.
Kimble is helped into a police car as the coroner's van
arrives. He pauses a moment to watch as we hear.
DETECTIVE KELLY (V.O.)
Can you give us a little more to go
on besides the fact that he had an
artificial arm? What kind of gun was
it, Doc?
INT. 11TH STREET DISTRICT HOUSE - NIGHT
CAMERA FINDS Kimble in an interview room. He is in "why"
shock. "Why her." "Why me?" Says nothing. Two Detectives:
KELLY and ROSETTI. Kelly, the questioner, is overweight,
aggressive. He shifts his gun on his hip so he can sit down.
KIMBLE
It was .38... I think. I only saw it
for a second. I knocked it out of
his hand.
As Kimble is questioned we INTERCUT WITH flashes of the
murder scene being processed:
FLASH - INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Forensics technicians photograph the .38 at the base of the
stairs.
DETECTIVE ROSETTI (V.O.)
Do you own a gun, Dr. Kimble?
KIMBLE
Yes.
DETECTIVE ROSETTI (V.O.)
What kind of gun?
KIMBLE
A .38 Smith.
FLASH - FORENSICS TECHNICIAN DUSTS CRYSTAL LAMP
DETECTIVE KELLY
Did you have your key with you tonight,
Dr. Kimble?
FLASH - COPS
Checking doors of house for signs of forcible entry.
BACK TO SCENE
PHONE RINGS. Rosetti answers it. Kimble watches him write
something down, he slides it to Kelly.
FLASH - MEASURE "NECKLACE" OF BRUISES ON HELEN'S NECK
DETECTIVE KELLY (V.O.)
Your wife was loaded wasn't she? I mean, she was worth quite
a bit of money.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble looks up at the two cops. For the first time he seems
to sense something aggressive in their questioning.
They no longer seem on the same team.
KIMBLE
What's going on here? This guy was
trying to rob us.
The two cops stare at Kimble.
KIMBLE
You guys have got to be out of your
minds. I didn't kill my wife!
He gets up to go. A cop blocks his path. He turns and looks
at Kelly.
DETECTIVE KELLY
Let's start over, Dr. Kimble. What'd
you have for breakfast?
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH ST. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
Kimble in his tuxedo shirt and black tie holds a booking
number plate in front of him as a mug shot is taken...
front, then side.
MAN (V.O.)
We're all adults here so I'll lay it
out...
EXT. NEWSSTAND - DAY
Chicago Sun-Times has a photograph of Kimble spread across
the front page.
MAN (V.O.)
... If you two come up with a deal,
I'll listen, but let me make one
thing perfectly clear.
INT. ELECTRONICS SUPERSTORE - DAY
Salesmen continue to hawk sets. Kimble's photograph comes
up on a hundred TV monitors across the store.
NEWS REPORTER (V.O.)
Police are revealing no details in
the case against Chicago surgeon...
INT. KIMBLE'S CELL - DAY
Kimble lays on his bunk. Thinking...
MAN (V.O.)
... It's an election year...
INT. JUDGE'S CHAMBERS - DAY
CAMERA MOVES THROUGH smoke-fillet room to find tough FEMALE
PROSECUTOR, a man in late forties, WALTER GUTHERIE, and STOPS
ON the source of the voice we've been hearing and the cigar:
JUDGE BENNETT, late fifties. Fair but, no nonsense, political
survivor.
JUDGE BENNETT
... and this case is a heater. It
will not end up a bench trial...
INT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - CORRIDOR - DAY
Richard Kimble in County lockup fatigues and a navy watch cap
moves down long corridor, escorted by GUARD.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
We've had private investigators
interview over a hundred amputees,
Richard...
INT. PRISON INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY
Walter Gutherie, his attorney, stands by a window looking
out at the yard. Another attorney, RANDOLPH, watches
Gutherie.
GUTHERIE
... We can't find this guy.
KIMBLE
I know what I saw, Walter.
GUTHERIE
I put you up on the stand to say what
you saw without anything that
remotely smells like proof and the
State's attorney is going to take
this one-armed man story and run it
up our ass.
(he holds Kimble's look)
Look, Richard, you're paying us a
lot of money to defend you... A plea
to second degree -
KIMBLE
I didn't kill my wife.
INT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - DAY
Kimble being escorted back to the courtroom. A guard carries
his suit in a bag. He is taunted by other prisoners.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
You're a successful upper middle
class white man charged in a
violent crime...
INT. COOK COUNTY LOCKUP / CHANGE ROOM - DAY
On the other side of the door is the courtroom. A sheriff's
deputy hands Kimble (now wearing his suit), a small plastic
bag. In it we see his wedding band.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
It's a circumstantial case, but it's
also a jury trial. We play 'em, they
play 'em...
INT. CHICAGO COURTROOM - DAY
Richard Kimble sits at defense table... watches prosecutors
chat with Helen's relatives. Media anchors glare at him.
GUTHERIE (V.O.)
... But if we lose, we lose big.
Just remember, they're lined up a
block long to have your hide.
HARD CUT TO:
PHOTOGRAPH OF HELEN KIMBLE'S BODY
A crime scene photograph.
DETECTIVE KELLY
On the stand.
DETECTIVE KELLY
No forcible entry was found. From
the beginning of the investigation,
it did not appear to be a break-in.
Nothing was missing.
FORENSICS TECHNICIAN
On the stand.
FORENSICS TECHNICIAN
The defendant's prints were found on
the neck, gun, bullets, and lamp...
no other sets were fount other than
the deceased.
FACES OF THE JURY
Impassive. Attentive. His "peers." They listen to the
recording of the 911 tape.
911 (V.O.)
Did I hear you right? Your attacker
is still in the house? Ma'am?
HELEN (V.O.)
He's trving to kill me...
911 (V.O.)
Will you repeat that please?
HELEN (V.O.)
Richard... He's trying to kill me...
KIBLE'S POV - THE JURY
A few members lean over to make notes. It's powerful taken
out of context.
NICHOLS ON THE STAND
PROSECUTOR
Dr. Nichols. You are aware that
Richard Kimble was the only
beneficiary of Helen Kimble's estate.
12 million dollars roughly.
NICHOLS
I was aware of that. The money meant
nothing to him.
PROSECUTOR
Yet in your presence, Richard Kimble
once said that 'if he had Helen's
money he could find plenty of uses.'
Did he not?
NICHOLS
We were talking about -
PROSECUTOR
Yes or no?
Nichols' look tells us everything... Yes.
CUT TO:
CORONER
On the stand.
CORONER
The wound to the head caused a
massive hemorrhage to the brain. It
took from five to seven minutes for
her to die...
A woman in the jury reacts. Kimble notices.
KIMBLE
On the stand. He finishes his moving description of the
events. We see some of the jury has been moved.
KIMBLE
... And I was holding her when the
officers came in.
Gutherie returns to his seat. The Prosecutor moves to the
jury. He begins slowly but his questions pick up strength.
PROSECUTOR
How tall was this man, Dr. Kimble?
KIMBLE
I can't be sure. We were, mostly on
the floor, fighting... I couldn't -
PROSECUTOR
Did that fight cause the scratches
on your face and arms?
KIMBLE
No. As I explained -
PROSECUTOR
And how did this man enter your
house?
KIMBLE
I don't know -
PROSECUTOR
And you probably don't know why your
wife told the emergency operator You
were her attacker?
KIMBLE
She didn't -
PROSECUTOR
Your name is Richard, isn't it? Your
gun is a .38, isn't it? Your prints
were on the gun, the bullets, the
lamp, her neck, weren't they?
KIMBLE
Look...
PROSECUTOR
Weren't they?
CUT TO:
INT. COURTROOM - DAY
Richard Kimble sits behind the desk, but already he's a
shadow of the man we knew before, stares ahead passively as
Judge Bennett delivers the sentencing to hushed courtroom.
JUDGE BENNETT
After careful and studied review of
all evidence presented during each
phase of this proceeding, and
because aggravated circumstances,
detailed at length, were present
the night of January 20th.
Kimble is silent, stunned, but all around him the sentence
shockwaves through the courtroom. Reporters push out rear
doors. Prosecutors share a look - with a hangman's
satisfaction. Nichols, watching behind Kimble's table,
lowers his head. Disbelief.
ANGLE ON RICHARD KIMBLE
He remains silent. Kimble is pulled gently to his feet by
bailiff. Gutherie whispers an "I'm sorry." Kimble doesn't
hear it.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
Therefore, it is the decision of
this court...
Looks over his shoulder to the emptying courtroom. Faces
stare back.
CUT TO:
INT. KIT ROOM - DAY
Judge Bennett's V.O. CONTINUES over:
A locker opening. Inside, a profusion of chrome and nickel
plating. Jailhouse jewelry. Handcuffs dragged out. Action
checked.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
... that you be remanded to Menard
State penitentiary...
CLOSE ON CUFFS
Slapped down over wrists, ratcheting down tight.
Ankle cuffs dragged out. Pant legs raised, canvas shoes
exposed. Cuffs clamped down on ankles.
CHAINS RATTLED out. Snaked across the floor. Looped around
waists and locked to handcuffs to form belly chains.
JUDGE BENNETT (V.O.)
... where you will serve a sentence
of life imprisonment without
possibility of parole.
EXT . SALLY PORT (COOK COW TY JAIL) - NIGHT
The chain gang exits through the sally port. Kimble and
three other prisoners. Jailers escort them to...
An Illinois Department of Corrections guard moves alongside,
checking the undercarriage with a pole-mounted mirror.
The GAVEL CRACKS as we -
CUT TO:
INT. BUS - CLOSE ON KEY - DAY
Locking wire mesh cage inside bus.
An old DIESEL COUGHS to life.
EXT. COOK COUNTY JAIL - NIGHT
Main gates open. The BUS GRINDS onto the streets.
INT. BUS - DAY
The four prisoners sit scattered, still cuffed but no longer
chained together. Near the front, PRISONER #1 is eyeing...
The two prison guards seated beyond the caged door. YOUNG
GUARD lighting a smoke. OLD GUARD drowsing. Shotguns
bouncing on their knees. Prisoner #l shifts his gaze to...
The driver. Pistol on his hip.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. DESOLATE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
The BUS RUMBLES north, heading towards the horizon.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
PRISONER #1 rises. Through caging:
PRISONER #1
Hey. Illinois penal regulations
require a meal for transport
rides of four hours or more.
Young Guard shakes his head. "Fucking jailhouse lawyers."
Checks his watch: 4:00.
YOUNG GUARD
Jack! Feedin' time.
Old Guard yawns to his feet, unhooks a key-ring from his
belt. Young Guard stows his shotgun in the weapons locker.
PRISONER #2 looks at Kimble. Kimble stirs awake... watches
the cage door open, Young Guard moving back. And across the
aisle...
PRISONER #3, a big man named COPELAND, wags his head
between his knees. Something slides out of his shirt and
CLANKS to the dimpled steel floor. It's a razor sharp
plastic shank.
Heart quickening, Kimble looks forward. Young Guard is
handing a petrified sandwich to Prisoner #1. Kimble snaps
a look back to Copeland, who palms the shank.
COPELAND
Breathe, and you're first.
Old Guard watches from the open cage door, shotgun
carelessly ready.
Young Guard reaches Kimble and extends a sandwich. Kimble
doesn't respond.
YOUNG GUARD
Suit yourself.
He offers the sandwich to Copeland. In the exchange,
sandwich drops. Copeland leans down for it.
Up front, Old Guard yawns again just as...
KIMBLE
Look out!
Too late... Jackknifing up, Copeland drives the shank into
Young Guard's gut.
Prisoner #2 dives for Young Guard's holster. As the gun comes
out, Young Guard gets a hand on it. A SHOT FIRES...
Jolting Old Guard. He chambers his shotgun. Kimble hits the
floor. The Old Guard jams a key into the cage door and surges
inside, but...
Prisoner #1 broadsides Old Guard. SHOTGUN DISCHARGES...
Opening a big Gainsburger hole in the driver. He sinks under
the steering wheel. A knee hits the accelerator.
The CAGE DOOR SLAMS locked behind the Old Guard.
EXT. DESOLATE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
As the bus careens off the road, accelerating.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Young Guard wrestles gun from Prisoner #2 and FIRES, killing
prisoner #2. Copeland grapples with wounded Young Guard.
Old Guard shotgun-butts Prisoner #1, flips the gun, PUMPS
ONE ROUND into the man's chest. Dead. He turns just as...
EXT. OPEN LAND - NIGHT
As the driverless BUS BUCKS ant BANGS over open ground.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Old Guard reloads. Copeland drops down behind a seat.
Old Guard jams his SHOTGUN under the seat. But just as the
Old Guard pulls the trigger the bus jerks. The SHOT goes
off target as...
EXT. OPEN LAND - NIGHT
The BUS ROARS into a gravel embankment. ROARS up the slope
and CRASHES down on its side - sliding to a stop at the
bottom of a small ravine.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
ENGINE DIES. Dusty silence. We don't know up from down.
On his knees, Old Guard makes his way to the driver. Finds
him dead. Now a SOUND. Old Guard whips his shotgun around
at...
Kimble. Rising between the seats.
A hairy beat. Old Guard might kill him just to finish things
off. But a GROAN turns Old Guard's head.
Young Guard, trying to hold his guts in. Old Guart turns to
find Kimble.
OLD GUARD
(to Kimble)
You. You're a doctor. C'mere.
He slides to the Young Guard as the Old Guard scrounges up a
medical kit, shoves Kimble down on Young Guard.
OLD GUARD
Do something.
Kimble looks at his cuffs. "In these?" Old Guard digs out
his key ring and unlocks Kimble's hands - only his hands.
Kimble opens medical kit. It's been ransacked - just
Band-Aids now. Kimble looks into the wound.
KIMBLE
He isn't going to make it unless he
gets to a hospital. Fast.
OLD GUARD
ZL.
In this delicate moment a SHIVER runs through the bus. Is it
just settling?
With other things to worry about, Kimble tries to stop Young
Guard's bleeding.
ANGLE UNDER SEAT
We see Copeland, alive. The crash has ripped the bars from a
back window and shattered the glass. He works to get out the
opening.
BACK TO KIMBLE
A second SHIVER ripples through the bus, stronger. Kimble
retracts his hands to touch a metal panel - and feels a
growing vibration.
KIMBLE
Just where the hell are we?
The Old Guard feels it too. He gets down on his knees and
looks out one of the shattered, barred windows.
OLD GUARD
Oh, shit...
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
The bus lies across railroad tracks. A not-too-distant bend
grows bright by the light of an approaching train.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Kimble sees: Old Guard fights the cage door. Kimble lunges
to his side.
KIMBLE
It's locked. Where're your keys?
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
Downtrack, one Cyclops light appears.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Kimble spots keys. Pitches them to Old Guard. Drags Young
Guard to the front for a quick exit. But Old Guard fumbles
the key-ring, his hands shaking as much as the bus.
The train light spider-webs across cracked windows. Kimble
snatches the keys away from the Guard's trembling hands.
KIMBLE
Which one? This? This one?!
Old Guard gulps a nod. Kimble jams a key in the lock. Throws
the door open. Grabs Young Guard.
KIMBLE
Help me get him -
But Old Guard climbs right over Kimble's back and climbs out
the shattered windshield.
ANGLE ON REAR OF BUS
Copeland escapes through the hole in the back...
EXT. BUS - NIGHT
... and hits the ground running the other way. The
locomotive's headlight reveals the toppled bus.
INT. BUS - NIGHT
Train light grows. A nanosecond of uncertainty: Should
Kimble leave the wounded man? Kimble and the Young Guard
hold a look.
EXT. FREIGHT TRAIN - NIGHT
As the WHEELS BRAKE and LOCK.
EXT. RAILROAD TRACKS - NIGHT
Kimble struggles out of the bus - pulling the Young Guard
behind him. He slings the man clear.
SCREECHING death, the TRAIN SKIDS closer.
For one heartbeat, Kimble remains perched atop the bus.
The train light X-rays him.
Kimble leaps. Lands. Rolls. Gains his feet. Tries to sprint
away but can't: His feet are still chained. He gets off a
dozen mincing steps before...
IMPACT: A hundred tons of STEEL SLAMS into the bus,
splitting it open.
Shrapnel rips through Kimble's thigh, but he stays on his
feet, still running feverish half-steps.
An EXPLOSION envelops the train. Flames stream down its
flanks.
The train burns past the wounded Guard.
Kimble looks back, expecting to see the catastrophe behind
him. But he gets the shock of his life - of any man's life:
Still on its wheels, the locomotive is derailing - and coming
after him. It's the stuff of nightmares: One little man being
chased by a fire-breathing locomotive.
The train burrows to a stop.
Kimble is suddenly five feet taller, standing on an upheaval
of earth, staring eyeball-to-eyeball with the train that
nearly devoured him. He pants. Coughs on smoke. Then notices
something in his hand.
It's the key-ring.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Kimble sits and searches the key-ring for manacle key.
Suddenly a hand reaches down and snatches the key-ring away.
COPELAND (O.S.)
Give me that.
Kimble watches as Copeland quickly unlocks both sets of his
own chains.
COPELAND
You listen to me. I don't give a
damn which way you go, just don't
follow me.
Kimble takes the key as Copeland wraps his chains around his
arm and runs. Kimble unlocks his leg irons and runs in the
other direction - crossing a hilltop in the moonlight.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CRASH SITE (SOUTHERN ILLINOIS) - NIGHT
News and sheriff's department choppers circle billowing
smoke. TILT DOWN to reveal the derailed train. Fire engines
hose down the blackened locomotive. Rescue workers work
feverishly with jaws-of-life to get into the mangled
wreckage. Illuminated by spotlights, transportation
investigators in blue coveralls pick through the twisted
remains of the bus. State troopers restrain spectators.
Two American-made rental cars pull up. Four deputy U.S.
marshals emerge:
BIGGS. Swaggering Midwestern carnivore. Built like a brick
shithouse.
RENFRO. Bantam-rooster of a man, no more than 140 pounds
fully-equipped.
POOLE. Black woman. Nobody minds having her around during
nut-cuttin' time.
NEWMAN, a scrub-faced G-5.
From the second car steps GERARD. He takes in the media
spectacle.
GERARD
Good lord...
REFRO
What is this... a circus?
As a group they begin moving along the service road above
the crash site. Derailed train cars are accortianed below
them. They take in the elements of the crash and as they
walk each begins to reveal their U.S. Marshal's credentials.
Biggs spots something...
BIGGS
Point of impact.
... and branches off.
GERARD
Biggs, your turn to babysit Newman.
BIGGS
Shit.
(to Newman)
Come on.
They drop down to the crash site. Poole ant Renfro remain
with Gerard.
A state TROOPER steps into their path, but falls away when he
sees Gerard's Marshall star.
GERARD
How ya doing? Who's in charge?
TROOPER
Sheriff Rollins. Just follow the
lights -
Gerard follows his point to where TV lights illuminate the
scene. He shakes his head - it doesn't please him.
Renfro and Poole share a look, they seem to know what's
about to happen.
ANGLE - OLD GUARD
Seated near a tree. A space blanket draped over his
shoulders. He is surrounded by EMT personnel, and a YOUNG
SHERIFF, clearly basking in the event. Television remote
news crews are kept only slight back. Gerard appears in the
b.g., listening.
OLD GUARD
... train was bearin' down on us,
fast. I don't know how - it's still
kind of hazy - but I grabbed him
and pushed him out of the bus.
SHERIFF
You coulda both been killed.
OLD GUARD
I know, but hell, he's my partner.
Woulda done the same for me.
The young Sheriff in charge nods, buying the story. Gerard
eases forward, displays his badge, interrupts.
GERARD
Excuse me, Sheriff Rollins? Deputy
U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard.
SHERIFF
(annoyed)
I'll be with you in a minute.
The television lights widen to illuminate Gerard. He shields
his eyes. The Sheriff opens a file and produces fax-photos
of all four prisoners.
SHERIFF
(to Old Guard)
For the record. These three dead.
And this one...
He switches to a photo of Kimble.
OLD GUARD
Well, everything happened so fast...
(bites lip, decides)
Huh-uh. Don't think he made it.
Sheriff eyes the wreckage that could entomb a hundred
prisoners, then files Kimble's fax-photo with the others.
SHERIFF
You get some rest.
He pats the Guard on the shoulder and approaches Gerard.
SHERIFF
Looks like you came a long way for
nothing. My men've already done a
thorough search from point of
impact and found nothing.
INTERCUT WITH:
ANGLE - CULVERT
Biggs and Newman stop by the muddy culvert. Biggs sees
something. He orders Newman into the muck after it.
GERARD
Aware of media, proceeds patiently with the young Sheriff.
GERARD
With all due respect, may I suggest
check-points starting at a 15-mile
radius on I-57, I-24, Route 13 east
of -
SHERIFF
Whoa, whoa, whoa... For what?
Prisoners are all dead. The only
thing check-points will do is get a
lot of good people out here frantic
and flood my office with calls.
Gerard finally touches eyeballs with the young Sheriff and
we get our first taste of Gerard at close range.
GERARD
(beat)
Well, shit, Sheriff, I'd hate for
that to happen... So, I'll be
taking over the investigation.
SHERIFF
On whose authority?
GERARD
By authority of the Governor of the
State of Illinois and the office of
the United States Marshal, 5th
District Northern Illinois...
Poole produces State and Federal authorization documents
from one of her pockets and hands it to the young Sheriff.
SHERIFF
(back-down beat)
Okay. You want jurisdiction over
this mess, you got it.
(to assistants)
Shut it down. Wyatt Earp is here to
mop up for us.
He slaps the file of fax-photos at Gerard on his way out.
Just as Biggs, spotless, eases ino the group with Kimble's
manacles. Behind Biggs we see Newman, covered in mud.
Seeing the leg irons, the Sheriff and his deputies pile to
a stop. Now Gerard takes his run at Old Guard.
GERARD
Please, ladies and gentlemen, step
back and give this poor man some
room.
Like an obedient dog the press backs off, they sense a
change of story and command.
Gerard kneels down with Poole and Renfro in front of the
Old Guard. The Sheriff hovers near.
GERARD
(friendly, to Old
Guard)
Always an interesting thing when we
find leg irons and no legs in them
who held the keys, sir?
OLD GUARD
Uh, me.
GERARD
Would you be so kind as to show them
to me, sir?
Gerard's large hand extends palm up at the Old Guard.
The Old Guard pats his pockets, comes up empty. He eyes the
press hovering just out of earshot.
GERARD
Second chance.
Poole reopens the file of photos in front of the man.
The Old Guard can't take it - points to Kimble's photo.
OLD GUARD
(cracking)
He mighta got out.
GERARD
Thank you.
SHERIFF
What the hell is this? A minute ago
you tell me he's part of the
wreckage, now you're -
GERARD
Renfro - Take that bus apart. I want
an accurate body count. Poole - Set
up operations right here.
He stops and looks into the TV lights and starts moving
downtrack. The media and State Police move with him like
Israelites behind Moses.
GERARD
Ladies and gentlemen... our
fugitive's been on the run for
ninety minutes. Average foot speed
over uneven ground - barring injury
is approximately four miles an hour,
giving us a radius of six miles. I
want a hard-target search of any
residence, gas station, farmhouse,
henhouse, doghouse and outhouse in
that area. Check-points go up at
15 miles.
(to media)
You got that? Good. Now, turn
those damn things off and get out
of our way.
INT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
ROARS... just above the treetops. Helicopter speeds up a
dark river. Its tracking beam illuminates the river bank.
EXT. RURAL ROADS - NIGHT
Flashing lights. Two highway patrol cars set up roadblocks.
The SQUAWK of police RADIOS breaks the rural quiet. A moment
later a HELICOPTER ROARS overhead.
EXT. TRACKS - NIGHT
Kimble moves down train tracks. His jumpsuit is wet with
blood from the gash. He pauses and checks the wound. He's
going to need stitches.
Far down the tracks he sees glow of town lights. He keeps
moving.
EXT. TRESTLE - DAWN
Kimble crosses a tressel, keeps running toward the direction
of the lights.
A junk yard by railroad tracks and a road. Signs along the
road show we're on the edge of town. One says: Hospital-1/2
mile.
ANGLE - TRACKS AND STREAM
Kimble runs from a streak up to the railroad tracks. As he
nears the junk yard and road he sees the hospital sign.
He's close but he can't go into the hospital in his prison
jumpsuit. He leans against a wrecked car and catches his
breath.
Just then a tow truck pulling a car on its hook, turns off
the road and parks next to the tracks. Kimble ducks for
cover behind the wrecked car.
The driver climbs out, dumps his coveralls in the front
seat and closes the door.
He moves toward a house across the tracks, then forgets
something and returns to the cab. He throws open the door
and grabs lunch box off the seat - and we notice the
coveralls missing from the seat.
As the driver returns to the house we MOVE TO the opposite
side of the car to find Kimble, ducked beneath the window,
clutching the coveralls.
EXT. CRASH SITE - DAWN
A crude headquarters is set up beneath a tent, near the
crash site. Maps are laid out on tables. Power and phone
lines are pulled down from the lines running along the
tracks. Renfro supervises the electronics.
Poole handles phones, takes a report from the field and
relays it to Gerard.
POOLE
Blood trail found. Two miles
southwest.
GERARD
(to Biggs)
Type it and match it against all
four prisoners.
(to Renfro)
Renfro, get an I.D. fax on Kimble to
every local hospital.
(to Newman)
Newman...
Newman appears.
NEWMAN
Yes, sir...
GERARD
I need some coffee.
As Newman steps off, everyone turns at sound of SHOUTING
from the train crash.
ANGLE - TRAIN CRASH
A RESCUE WORKER shouts up to others.
WORKER
Hey, one's alive!
EXT. RURAL HOSPITAL - LOADING DOCK - MORNING
Loading dock outside the E.R. A WORKER stacks boxes of food
outside kitchen entrance. Kimble, in the tow truck
operator's coveralls, picks up a box and carries it inside.
Once inside he branches off down a hallway.
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - MORNING
A door opens on a long hallway. A DOCTOR, CHILD with a
bandaged hand, and a MOTHER leave a room and walk TOWARD us.
Behind them, Kimble moves down the hall and stops in front
of the doorway.
KIMBLE'S POV - MINOR PROCEDURES ROOM
CUT TO:
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - MINOR PROCEDURES ROOM - MORNING
Kimble closes the door and locks it. Hanging on the back of
the door we see a doctor's white coat.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOSPITAL - MORNING
An Illinois State Trooper's car pulls up outside.
CUT TO:
CLOTH-COVERED INSTRUMENT TRAY
On it we see: A packaged sterilized bandage, an opened
antiseptic wash, an opened topical anesthetic, and an empty
syringe. We PULL BACK to find:
KIMBLE
His wound bathed in orange antiseptic wash, three stitches
already in. With pair of forceps he picks up the needle as
he sutures himself.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - LONG SHOT (MOS) - MORNING
At far end of the hall we see a STATE TROPER chatting with a
DUTY NURSE at a nurses' station.
CUT TO:
INT. PROCEDURE'S ROOM - MORNING
Kimble, his bandage already in place, gives himself a shot
of antibiotics.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - MAN'S ROOM - DAY
A man, tube in nose, on two I.V.s, lays in bed with eyes
closed. Kimble comes INTO FRAME near his face.
KIMBLE
Can you hear me, sir?
No response. The man is out of it. Kimble backtracks to the
patient's closet and opens it. Hanging inside we see his
clothes. He removes them and notices the man's untouched
breakfast tray.
CUT TO:
INT. RURAL HOSPITAL - NURSES' DUTY STATION - DAY
The Duty Nurse and State Trooper chat when a fax begins
coming through on DESK FAX.
NURSE
There's your fax...
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT'S BATHROOM - DAY
Kimble dressing in the man's clothes. He eats a piece of
toast - part of the man's breakfast - as he buttons up his
shirt.
ANGLE - PATIENT
His arm slowly reaches out and presses his nurses call
button.
CUT TO:
INT. NURSES' STATION - DAY
A fax photograph of Richard Kimble slowly comes off the
duty station FAX MACHINE. Next to the machine the
patient's call light comes on.
The Duty Nurse, standing with the Highway Trooper, sees the
patient's light come on and starts down the hall toward the
patient's room.
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT'S BATHROOM - DAY
Kimble shaving when we hear the DUTY NURSE ENTER the
patient's room. He moves OUT OF FRAME.
DUTY NURSE (O.S.)
Mr. Patterson, do you need some more
water?
ANGLE - MAN'S EATEN BREAKFAST
The Duty Nurse looks from the tray to the man, impressed.
DUTY NURSE
... Oh, you did a good job on this.
She takes his empty plastic pitcher and...
... pushes open the bathroom door - no sign of Kimble - and
refills the pitcher from the sink.
DUTY NURSE
(over her shoulder,
to patient)
... It does get dry in here, doesn't
it?
She doesn't expect an answer, turns OFF the WATER, and goes
into the main room. As the door closes we see Kimble behind
it.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Kimble, clean-shaven, and wearing the patient's glasses and
a doctor's white coat, moves down the hall to the emergency
room exit. Suddenly the State Trooper steps back from the
E.R. admissions desk with his newly received fax, and starts
down the corridor toward Kimble.
The Trooper looks up as the two men pass...
TROOPER
'Scuse me, Doc?...
Kimble turns but continues slowly backing toward the E.R.
doors behind him.
TROOPER
... Don't know if you heard or not
but we're looking for an escaped
prisoner from that bus train wreck
'couple hours ago. Thought he might
show up here if he was hurt.
KIMBLE
What's he look like?
The Trooper looks down at his fact sheet as we see a slow
trickle of blood from a shaving nick begin winding down
Kimble's cheek.
TROOPER
(from fax sheet)
Approximately six one, 180 pounds,
brown hair, brown eyes and beard.
At the last second Kimble feels the drop of blood and wipes
it clean as the Trooper looks up.
TROOPER
... Seen anyone that fits that
description?
KIMBLE
Every time I look in the mirror ...
but without the beard.
They laugh.
KIMBLE
Excuse me...
TROOPER
Sure.
Kimble moves through the E.R. doors as an ambulance parks
outside...
EXT. RURAL HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM RAMP - DAY
Two PARAMEDICS try to take out a patient on a gurney. The
lead wheels are stuck.
KIMBLE
Here...
Kimble helps clear the wheels so the collapsible gurney
comes free.
PARAMEDIC #2
Thanks, Doc, we had to dig him out
from under a train.
As the gurney comes out, Kimble looks right into the face
of the Young Guard. The Guard's eyes suddenly open wide.
YOUNG GUARD
It's him... It's -
Kimble claps the portable oxygen mask back over the Young
Guard's mouth and keeps his hand there.
KIMBLE
How is he?
The Paramedics move him toward the ramp.
PARAMEDIC #1
He's pretty bad off. Broken leg,
ribs. Concussion.
As Kimble moves away...
KIMBLE
Tell the E.R. doctor he's also got
a perforated spleen.
He's gone... The two Paramedics share a look as they whisk
the Young Guard inside.
PARAMEDIC #2
(impressed)
Jesus, how could he tell that from
looking at his face?
ANGLE - AMBULANCE
Kimble climbs behind the wheel.
EXT. TRAIN CRASH SITE / OPERATIONS HEADQUARTERS - DAY
A full communications link is in place.
Deputy marshals answer phones, work faxes, add information
to a situation board. Troopers bring in information. Poole
calls Gerard.
POOLE
Background just came in from
Chicago.
GERARD
Hit me.
Renfro and Poole lay out the details. The download of
information comes clear and fast.
RENFRO
Richard David Kimble. Vascular
Surgeon. Convicted of first-degree
murder in the killing of his wife.
Pleaded innocent. Claimed a
one-armed -
GERARD
Let's not retry the case. Priors
and accomplices?
Gerard steps up the hillside out of sight of the
investigation to take a leak. Followed by Renfro and Poole.
RENFRO
None. No previous arrests.
Poole takes up a position discreetly behind tree as Gerard
unzips his fly and relieves himself.
GERARD
Sealed juvie record?
Poole calls out from behind tree.
POOLE
Nothing. Total cherry.
GERARD
Relatives? Children?
RENFRO
No relatives.
POOLE
One child. A son. Died in drowning
accident three years ago.
GERARD
Girl friends? Ex-wives? Friends?
Combinations of the above?
POOLE
Lot of friends. Doctors. Hospital
staff.
Gerard zips up.
GERARD
Start there. Authorize taps. Cover
his lawyer first.
RENFRO
Never get it.
GERARD
Bet me.
Renfro won't take it.
GERARD
Have Stevens go to Judge Rubin,
he'll sign 'em.
... Biggs charges up the hillside.
BIGGS
DeLange Hospital. Wounded guard
swears to High Holy he saw Kimble
right there in the hallway.
Ambulance, missing too.
ANGLE - SITUATION TENT
Gerard moves quickly to the map.
GERARD
Give me a time.
BIGGS
O-nine-thirty. Twenty minutes ago.
Gerard redraws the circle of units. No longer are we
covering a fifty-mile radius. The circle is redrawn,
tightened, with the hospital as its center. The
triangulation is set.
CUT TO:
EXT. RURAL RAILROAD CROSSING - DAY
The ambulance follows three cars toward a rural railroad
crossing.
COP (V.O.)
... We're waiting up here in Canton.
Wondering if you heard anything on
this Kimble chase -
INT. AMBULANCE - DAY
Kimble behind the wheel as he approaches the railroad
crossing. The biocom monitors police chatter:
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Two-twelve-A, be advised that all
discussion on this matter is to be
conducted on a tactical frequency
- either Channel K or Z. Over.
Frequency goes dead. Kimble looks THROUGH the windshield:
ROAD SIGN
An arrow points toward Canton, two miles.
The cars in front slow as the railroad crossing signal
suddenly activates and the bars begin to drop. Kimble pops
the SIREN and hurriedly snakes through the crossing and
heads in the opposite direction... but his maneuver gets
attention.
INT. TRUCK CAB - DAY
Truck driver watches Kimble cut through the crossing and
reaches for his C.B. radio.
EXT. CRASH SITE - DAY
Poole hangs up phone.
POOLE
Ambulance just spotted two miles
west of Doverville. Heading north
on State road 53.
Renfro turns to the map and marks it. The circle is much
smaller.
RENFRO
Running outta map, Sam.
The crash site and hospital are already marked. Gerard is
ready to move.
GERARD
Just the way we want it. Okay,
people, let's button up.
They move off to waiting State Trooper cars and helicopter.
INT. AMBULANCE - DAY
Kimble driving down a rural road. He flips down visor and
eyeballs folded roadmap...
EXT. SECONDARY ROAD (KENTUCKY) - DAY
... The ambulance crests a hill. In the distance we see the
Grosvner Viaduct and the Barkley Dam.
EXT. HIGHWAY (KENTUCKY) - DAY
Blowing other traffic off the road, WHOOPING CRUISERS and
G-cars stream south through the rugged rural terrain of
Southern Illinois. Overtaking them all, a CHOPPER THUNDERS
overhead.
INT. HELICOPTER
Heading into hilly terrain. Down below we see the ambulance.
Inside the helicopter Gerard eyes the terrain.
PILOT
(into radio)
We've got a visual...
(to Gerard)
He's heading toward the viaduct.
GERARD
Seal it up.
EXT. AERIAL VIEW OF GROSVNER VIADUCT - DAY
The two-lane road disappears into long tunnel. Three hundred
feet below the road tumbles the Tennessee River.
The Barkley Dam rises ahead. Kimble's AMBULANCE ROARS into
the tunnel.
ON KIMBLE
Suddenly sees the helicopter setting down ahead of him at
the mouth of the tunnel.
Kimble slams on brakes and turns to retreat.
ANGLE - FAR END OF TUNNEL (BEHIND HIM)
Illinois Highway Patrol cars pull to a stop at the far
entrance. Light flares. Set out road blocks.
ANGLE HELICOPTER
Gerard steps out followed by Renfro and Poole.
KIMBLE'S AMBULANCE
Comes to a stop, blocking traffic in both directions.
Immediately HORNS begin BLARING.
EXT. TUNNEL - NIGHT
Trooper pulls up. Biggs and Newman behind Kimble blocking
the other end.
Troopers with guns drawn block the exits. The P.A. from a
State patrol car blares:
P.A. (V.O.)
Please remain in your vehicles and
lock your doors. Repeat, please
remain in -
ANGLE ON HELICOPTER
Poole and Renfro materialize already decked out in Kevlar.
They're jacked up and ready to rock. Renfro hands Gerard a
vest.
RENFRO
Got him.
Gerard unholsters a 40 caliber, Glock model 22.
GERARD
Okay, ladies and gentlemen hard
part's over.
He starts into the tunnel.
RENFRO
(to radio)
We're movin' in.
INT. TUNNEL - DAY
Weapons drawn, but held discreetly at their sides, three
silhouettes enter. Drivers who hadn't heeded the Troopers'
P.A. warnings take one look at Gerard and quickly climb
back inside and lock their doors.
Biggs, Renfro and Poole fan out to the sides and give the
middle to Gerard. The tunnel is quickly quiet.
Kimble huddles at mid-tunnel. He's trapped. Drops to the
ground beneath the truck. His heart pounding, brain
clicking, fighting panic. Suddenly he realizes he's in water.
Running water.
ON MARSHALS
They reach the mid-tunnel area. No Kimble. Biggs looks
around, beneath vehicles. Gerard listens. Poole looks
confused.
POOLE
Where'd he go?
Gerard spots the trickle of water. He backtracks it until
he finds a loose grate in the pavement. Man-size.
GERARD
Biggs, Renfro with me.
INT. STORM DRAIN - FORKING CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble splashes blindly through ankle-deep sluice. He slows
at forking tunnels to catch his breath and pick a direction.
A DULL ROAR comes from somewhere - from everywhere. He whips
off his jacket and slings it down a tunnel, then continues
straight ahead.
Somewhere behind, lights probe splash-patterns on the conduit
wall - telltale signs of Kimble's passing. The lights belong
to...
Gerard, Biggs and Renfro. They push on, soon reaching the
forking tunnels. Renfro finds the jacket ant splash signs.
GERARD
Channel Three.
They conform their radios. Splitting up, Biggs and Renfro go
left. Gerard - straight ahead.
INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble. Bracing with all four limbs. Negotiating a mossy
downslope.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Biggs and Renfro. Sweeping his light as he advances.
Searching for splash-patterns.
BIGGS
(into shoulder-mike)
Nothing yet.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Gerard. Probing a branch-off tunnel with his light. About to
pass, he notices scrapings on the mossy walls of the
branch-off tunnel. Hand marks?
GERARD
(into radio)
Got a possible here. Stand by.
He stows his light but hangs onto the Glock. Bracing with
three limbs
INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY
Gerard begins the tricky descent. Slips once. Recovers.
Slips again...
... and tumbles out of control. GUN and RADIO CLATTER AWAY.
Scrabbling for purchase, he finally snags An overhead pipe.
Gerard stabilizes. Sweeps his light to locate his Glock,
lying down-tunnel. He eases toward it. But another hand gets
there first.
It's Kimble. Face dark and desperate. Dangerous. Hand
flexing on the pistol. They lock eyes for a beat.
KIMBLE
I didn't kill my wife.
GERARD
So, you didn't kill your wife.
Not my problem.
An adrenal beat. For a moment they hold a look. Then the
silence is broken by Gerard's radio.
BIGGS (V.O.)
Gerard? You there?
Gerard looks for his radio, then back at Kimble - he's gone.
Instantly Gerard reaches for his ankle - and pulls a back-up
piece.
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
As Renfro hears FOOTSTEPS POUNDING his way.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Gerard charges down the tunnel. From a side tunnel, Renfro
appears, almost colliding. Biggs follows...
GERARD
Straight ahead!
INT. CONDUIT - DAY
Kimble sticks Gerard's gun into his waist band to balance
in the tunnel. He spills around a corner and stops. Ahead
lies an orb of light. The tunnel ends. The NOISE is
incredible. Kimble moves to the end of the tunnel and
stops.
KIMBLE'S POV
Water pours from the tunnel into the spillway of Barkley dam
disappearing into a veil of mist below - a great cauldron of
mists. No rocks. None visible at least.
He hears the MARSHALS behind him - COMING CLOSER.
ANGLE - MARSHALS
Gerard and Renfro turn the corner. Renfro drops into a
shooting stance.
GERARD
Turn around, hands over your head.
And get down on the ground.
For a moment Kimble eyes Gerard.
GERARD
Your choice, Kimble...
Kimble turns his back on the Marshals, stares again at the
water. Slowly he puts his hands over his head. Gerard puts
up his gun and pulls his handcuffs. He moves through the
water toward Kimble.
GERARD
Get down on your knees.
Kimble bends slowly, stares down into the falls, hears the
footsteps get closer, then does the unthinkable. He jumps.
EXT. BARKLEY DAM - DAY
Biggs moving to the top of the massive dam sees Kimble leap
into the sheet of water spilling over dam and disappear into
the mists below. He can't believe his eyes.
INT. DRAINAGE CONDUIT - DAY
Renfro lowers his gun.
RENFRO
(amazed)
Son of a bitch...
It's the most amazing thing he's ever seen...
ON GERARD
He stands at the mouth of the tunnel staring down. He
stares down into the mists. Impressed. It has told him
something invaluable about this fugitive.
EXT. TOP OF DAM - DAY
Gerard scrambles out of the tunnels to the top of the dam
near Biggs, just as squad cars, troopers and the search
helicopter converge on the site.
EXT. RIVERBANK - DAY
Far downriver a figure fights through a snag in the bend.
The snag - a tree branch - breaks away and heads down
stream. Hanging onto the branch we see Kimble.
EXT. BARKLEY DAM - LOWER RESERVOIR - SUNSET
Below the dam and spillway. Troopers in waders search the
shallows, deputies beat bushes along the shore.
Farther out we see a dredge boat slowly working the waters.
FROM SHORE
Gerard watches the dredge cage come up again. As if with
the next pass it will prove him the victor. The HEAD
ILLINOIS TROOPER CAPTAIN approaches.
HEAD TROOPER
Running out of daylight, Inspector.
GERARD
Lights and generators are coming,
Captain.
HEAD TROOPER
Look, I don't mean to tell you your
job, but maybe one person in a
million could've survived that fall.
The guy's fish food.
Gerard turns and brings his look to bear on the Captain.
GERARD
Then find me the fish that ate him.
He turns and heads to a waiting helicopter.
EXT. WOODS - AFTERNOON
Kimble runs through the woods. He staggers, his arm hooks a
sapling which spins him to the ground. He lays motionless,
exhausted.
KIMBLE'S DREAM - INT. KIMBLE'S HOUSE - DAY
ANGLE
Helen in bed. Kimble's hand comes INTO FRAME and touches
her shoulder. She turns toward Kimble as he moves INTO
FRAME and kisses her.
DISSOLVE TO:
ANGLE
Helen tosses her head back. She wears white silk pajamas
and smiles down AT us. A hand reaches up and unbuttons the
top two buttons of her top. Then Kimble moves up INTO FRAME
as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BEACH - DAY
Helen running down beach TOWARD us. Embraces Kimble as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. POOL - DAY
Helen's head comes up out of a pool. Hair tossed back, she
smiles as we -
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Helen exiting Kimble's car the night of the murder. She
looks back at Kimble, framed by the door frame, ant smiles.
HELEN
Good-bye. I love you.
Again... Then again... then:
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. FOREST - MORNING
Kimble comes out of his sleep with a start. Shivering. He
remembers where he is. His breathing returns to normal.
EXT. TRESTLE - TUNNEL - MORNING
Kimble moves across a river trestle and disappears into
tunnel.
INT. DRUG STORE - DAY
Kimble on pay phone in the rear of the store waits for
party
to answer. An old lady and her mother shop.
Across the store a pharmacist watches Kimble.
ANGLE - PHONE
Kimbles watches the boys as he waits for answer. We hear
RINGING, then a receptionist answers:
RECEPTIONIST (V.O.)
The law offices of Gutherie, Morgan
and Wainwright.
KIMBLE
Walter Gutherie please.
RECEPTIONIST (V.O.)
I'm sorry, Mr. Gutherie has left
for the day, would you like his
voice mail?
Kimble hangs up and moves down an aisle, stopping in front
of the hair color. He takes a box of black hair dye off the
shelf and looks at the instructions. When he looks up he
sees the pharmacist looking at him.
EXT. SONNY'S DINER - NIGHT
A roadside diner. Kimble, his hair now black, and wearing a
new pair of Wranglers, hooded sweatshirt and a duffle coat,
moves down the road to the diner.
INT. SONNY'S DINER - NIGHT
Kimble enters. He sits at the counter and a sparky OLDER
WAITRESS, late, mid-forties, with strong good looks and
tough smile fills his coffee cup before he even asks.
OLDER WAITRESS
Need to look at the menu?
KIMBLE
Some soup, please.
OLDER WAITRESS
Good choice.
She marks her pad and leaves. Sights ant sounds around
Kimble begins to occupy his attention:
A dishwasher buses a tub of dishes back to the kitchen. He
stares at him.
A farmer sitting at a table stares at Kimble, Kimble looks
away. A man at the pay phone seems to be staring at him. Is
he calling the police? Everyone seems to be looking at him.
Someone stops in front of him. A young waitress serves him
his soup. Where's the first waitress?
Takes a few sips of soup. Out of the corner of his eye he
sees:
The Older Waitress putting on her coat to leave. Is she
going to report him? He fights the paranoia.
A NEWS REPORT on the TELEVISION gets his attention.
ANGLE - TV
A report on the escape. A television reporter describes the
chase for Kimble; his jump at the dam and his presumed death
from the fall.
Kimble decides it's time to leave. He drops some money on
the counter and exits.
EXT. DINER - NIGHT
Kimble moves across the parking lot trying not to run until
he's out of sight of the diner. Once free of the lights of
the diner he starts running and disappears into the night.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Kimble running down the road. Fields stretch out on both
sides of the highway. Open land. From behind him we suddenly
hear the sound of POLICE SIRENS. For a moment Kimble moves
faster, then as the SIRENS COME CLOSER, his sprint drops to
a jog... to a walk, until finally he stops and waits for the
inevitable... But the flashing lights suddenly rip past him
chasing a speeder. They weren't after him after all. Kimble
looks at himself. He's shaking.
A moment later he is lit by headlights. A car pulls up next
to him, passenger window rolls down...
OLDER WAITRESS
Need a ride?
Kimble stares at her.
KIMBLE
Which way are you going?
She smiles and points in the direction her car is traveling.
They hold a look as we hear:
RENFRO (V.O.)
We feel confident about the I.D.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSE - DAWN
A quiet house on a quiet street out from town. A homeless
woman picks through garbage. A garbage truck moves slowly
down the street. A plumbing truck parked along a curb. Just
early morning traffic.
We see Renfro and Newman watch the house from across the
street, behind a deserted house. Gerard joins them. We see
that Biggs is in the plumbing truck. Poole is the homeless
woman picking through the garbage. Newman hands Gerard a
radio.
RENFRO
Local officials were about to wet
their pants to move in.
GERARD
I bet they were.
(to radio)
Where's the woman?
INTERCUT WITH:
BIGGS
In the plumbing truck. He triggers his mike.
RENFRO
(into radio)
Same room.
GERARD
(into radio)
Okay... I'll take front. Biggs and
Renfro, rear. Poole, handle support.
I don't want anyone hurt. Stay
outside unless called. Radios on
three.
The deputies prepare their weapons. Newman checks his
service issue .38, stares at Gerard's Glock.
NEWMAN
Uh, just want me to wait here, sir?
GERARD
Hell, no. You're with me, Newman.
Let's go.
EXT. FRONT OF HOUSE - DAWN
DOOR CRASHES open, splintering the deadbolt right out of
the door.
GERARD
U.S. Marshals. Down! Down!
INT. HOUSE - DAWN
Textbook perfect, Gerard and Newman rush into front room.
THEIR POV
Down the hall a man's figure streaks across a doorway OUT
OF VIEW.
A woman in the rear of the house BEGINS SCREAMING.
GERARD
Motions Newman to the left to check the door off the living
room while he moves down the main hall into the back
bedroom.
ANGLE - LIVING ROOM / NEWMAN
Clearly unnerved by the screaming woman, Newman opens door
off the living room. The door opens into a smaller bedroom.
He steps into -
SMALLER BEDROOM
It's empty. Gerard appears at the other (hallway) door to
the bedroom.
HALLWAY
Gerard motions Newman on to the door to the bathroom and
continues down the hall into the back bedroom where the
woman continues SCREAMING. He ignores her. His feet move
silently, heel-to-toe. He checks the bathroom as Newman
opens his connecting door - empty - then moves on toward
the doorway to the kitchen.
Gerard moves to the kitchen doorway. Running out of house.
He braces himself swings into the kitchen - it too is empty.
Suddenly Gerard gets the bad feeling he's passed his prey.
CUT TO:
SMALLER BEDROOM
Newman looks around, suddenly scared. The only place he
didn't search was behind the bedroom door. He turns just as:
COPELAND
Surges out, knocks Newman's gun from his hand. In a flash,
Copeland yanks Newman's arm behind his back and presses a
knife against the deputy's neck and moves him out of the
room.
We...
INTERCUT WITH:
GERARD
He hears Copeland moving somewhere in the front of the house.
COPELAND (O.S.)
I got your man! Now I want outta
here!
Gerard moves back through the bedroom past the SCREAMING
woman. He locks in on the voice and sound of the moving
fugitive.
ON COPELAND AND NEWMAN
Copeland listens but gets no response from Gerard. He backs
through the second bedroom door, pulling Newman into the -
LIVING ROOM
Newman's eyes are pure terror - the blade pressed against
his throat.
COPELAND
(to Gerard)
You hear me? I said, I want out or
I'll cut your man's throat!
GERARD
Keeps moving down the hallway, through first bedroom, pauses
at door to the second bedroom and chooses his course.
LIVING ROOM
Copeland positions himself between the bedroom door and the
hallway opening. He's troubled he can't hear Gerard.
Suddenly he hears a NOISE behind him at the bedroom door He
whips Newman around and we see:
A shoe hits the floor. Copeland realizes his mistake too
late. He turns back to the hallway and there is Gerard.
He never blinks. FIRES once killing Copeland instantly.
The knife falls to the floor. Newman clutches his head,
stunned but unhurt.
Gerard now turns to the screaming woman behind him in the
bedroom doorway.
GERARD
Shut up.
She does. Immediately.
EXT. HOUSE - MORNING
As coroners and tactical police mop up. Gerard moves across
the yard, sips coffee from Styrofoam cup. He stops at a
sheriff's car, Newman sits on back seat, shaken, nearly
hysterical, clutching his ear.
NEWMAN
My ear... I can't hear a thing out
of it. I can't believe you did that!
GERARD
You think I should have bargained
with him, don't you?
NEWMAN
Yes. You could've missed! You
could've killed me!
GERARD
Yeah, you're absolutely right. I
could've.
They hold a look.
GERARD
How bad's your ear?
NEWMAN
Terrible. I probably have permanent
hearing damage.
GERARD
Let me see it.
Newman leans toward him. Gerard speaks into his ear.
GERARD
I don't bargain.
Gerard leaves. Newman watches him - realizing what a truly
unsettling man Gerard is.
EXT. CHICAGO PAY PHONE - MORNING
Kimble makes call. While he waits for phone to be answered
TRAINS COME and GO in the b.g. An EL CROSSES OVERHEAD. The
BELLS of Chicago River DRAWBRIDGE.
KIMBLE
Walter. It's Richard.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. LAW OFFICES OF GUTHERIE, MORGAN AND WAINWRIGHT - DAY
Walter Gutherie answers phone from his office overlooking
Lake Michigan.
GUTHERIE
Richard... Jesus, why did you run?
Running only makes you look guilty.
KIMBLE
I wasn't worrying about appearances,
Walter.
GUTHERIE
Tell me where you are. I'll come
meet you so you can turn yourself
in .
KIMBLE
I'm not turning myself in. I need
money.
Gutherie is silent. When he speaks again his speech takes on
the lawyerly tone of a man who's covering his own bases.
GUTHERIE
Richard. You're asking me to harbor
and aid a convicted felon... I can't
help you that way. My advice - both
as a friend and as your legal counsel
- is for you to give yourself up.
Now tell me... where are you?
Kimble picks up the change in his attorney's tone.
KIMBLE
(beat)
St. Louis.
GUTHERIE
Give me an address. I'll be -
CLICK. Gutherie hears the LINE GO DEAD. Kimble's gone.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY
Kimble stands in the doorway with cup of coffee. He considers
his next move. Then seeing bank clock flash the time: 9:30 -
he knows what that move is.
INT. NORTH BANK TENNIS CLUB - DAY
An upscale mid-town tennis club. Behind glass windows of
the entryway we see tennis courts. From the courts comes Dr.
Charles Nichols still dressed in his warmups, carrying his
tennis bag. A friendly DESK ATTENDANT Sharon) smiles as he
goes by.
DESK ATTENDANT
See you tomorrow, Dr. Nichols?
NICHOLS
Creature of habit, Sharon.
EXT. NORTH BANK CLUB - DAY
Dr. Nichols leaves the club. He tosses his gym bag into the
back of his car and drives off.
INT. / EXT. NICHOLS'S CAR - DAY
As he pulls up to the first stoplight, a homeless man moves
toward the driver's side and begins washing his windshield.
Nichols waves the man off.
NICHOLS
Not today, please.
The man shuffles off. Just then a second man appears at his
passenger window. He leans down to wave him away
NICHOLS
No. Not -
... then stops - the face at his passenger window is
Richard Kimble's.
NICHOLS
(stunned)
Oh, my God... Richard...
Nichols rolls down the passenger window.
KIMBLE
How're you doing, Charlie?
NICHOLS
You're alive...
KIMBLE
Yeah. And I need your help.
NICHOLS
Anything.
KIMBLE
I need some money. Whatever you've
got on you.
NICHOLS
Of course.
Nichols reaches into his gym bag in the backseat and digs
for his wallet...
NICHOLS
Tell me where you're staying. I'll
get you more money. Some clothes.
Just give me an address...
KIMBLE
I'll call you.
Kimble glances around, the area is still clear. He looks
back into the car and doesn't see the police car turn the
corner and come up the street behind them.
Nichols finds his wallet ant hands all the cash he's got to
Kimble, who quickly pockets it.
NICHOLS
I know why you came back - to find
him. If I can help, call me...
Call me.
They hold a look. The stoplight changes to green but they
don't see it.
KIMBLE
Thanks, Charlie...
NICHOLS
Here, Richard, take my coat...
He reaches into the back for his coat, suddenly police car
behind him POPS its SIREN. Nichols looks into his rearview
mirror. Sees a COP lean out his window.
COP
(to Nichols)
Hey, buddy - green light. Let's go.
Nichols looks back at Kimble. He's gone.
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICES (CHICAGO) - CLOSE ON AUDIO TAPE - DAY
REWINDING. The media room - just what it sounds like -
banks of audio/video equipment and a sound board.
Renfro rewinds the tape. Gerard, Biggs, Poole and Newman.
POOLE
We've alerted St. Louis P.D
GERARD
Call them back. Tell them you've
made a mistake.
POOLE
What?
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Stop it there.
Renfro hits play. Kimble's VOICE is heard again:
GERARD
Drop the voices.
Renfro removes the two voices. What comes up are the
BACKGROUND SOUNDS. EXTERIOR NOISES (BELLS RINGING, TRAFFIC,
MECHANICAL... TRAINS). Everyone becomes focused to the
sounds now.
GERARD
(he's heard something)
Listen.
BIGGS
Trains? Traffic?
GERARD
More... there's a voice in the
background.
At first the sound is unrecognizable. A BELL. GRINDING
MECHANICAL. Then a P.A. VOICE on the tape: "Next stop
Merchandise Mart."
RENFRO
That's an El announcement.
GERARD
And there's no E1 in St. Louis.
Ladies and gentlemen, Richard Kimble
is in Chicago. Poole, get his
artwork out to local police and have
C.P.D. check the shelters... Biggs,
bring in the detectives that handled
his case.
Instantly the room is in movement.
STEVENS
I'll prepare the press release.
GERARD
No.
Stevens stops.
GERARD
They don't know he's alive and as
far as Kimble knows we don't either.
I want to keep it that way as long
as we can. Are we clear?
The whole group sense Gerard's intensity in regard to
Kimble.
RENFRO
(for the group)
Perfectly.
Gerard reflects on a moment of personal satisfaction.
GERARD
Noah... go to my office and let's
officially take Dr. Kimble out of
purgatory.
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH STREET STATION - DAY
Morning roll call. Kimble's photo distributed to cops by
Detectives Kelly and Rosetti.
KELLY (V.O.)
As of this morning Chicago P.D. was
alerted to the reappearance of
Richard Kimble.
INT. TRAIN STATION - DAY
Newman and Poole check train station. Looking for Kimble.
They show his photo to homeless people. No help.
EXT. FRONT OF COOK COW TY HOSPITAL - DAY
Holding a handkerchief to his face, Kimble moves through
arriving patients and enters Cook County Hospital.
INT. HOMELESS SHELTER - DAY
Renfro and Biggs check shelters for Kimble. They show his
I.D. to administrator. Look around.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
The place is humming now. Detectives Kelly and Rosetti sit
in front of Gerard. Gerard studies Kimble's file. Renfro
sits in.
KELLY
Police units have also increased
patrols around homeless shelters and
mass transit stations in the city.
EXT. LOOP EL STATION - DAY
Police patrol the platform looking for Kimble.
INT. FRONT OF COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - DAY
Kimble moves past security, then pockets the handkerchief and
turns up a hallway, blending in with the indigents and poor.
CUT TO:
INT. UPSCALE DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
NURSE FLYNN, a woman about 45, attractive, smart, loyal.
Poole and Gerard talk to her in an examination room.
FLYNN
I ran his office for twelve years.
Yes, we were very close. But he
wouldn't come to me for help.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Busy with doctors, orderlies and street people. Kimble moves
down hallway and enters.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - WAITING ROOM - DAY
He moves into the room and takes a new patient form, looks
around. SEE BACK INTO the office area of the clinic. It
could be any hospital clinic from this view.
But as Kimble turns to leave we see a PATIENT waiting to be
called. On his lap we see a prosthetic arm. Kimble looks up
from the arm to the man.
PATIENT
Good morning.
KIMBLE
Good morning.
As he turns to leave we hear:
ROBERTS (V.O.)
Don't underestimate this guy...
CUT TO:
INT. UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER - SURGEONS' LOCKER ROOM - DAY
Dr. Roberts from the party, talks to Biggs and Gerard as he
takes off scrubs to get into shower.
ROBERTS
R.K.'s one smart, cold sonofabitch...
He did her, no question.
CUT TO:
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - BASEMENT - DAY
Kimble moves down the hallway containing the janitor's
locker room. Janitors move in and out the door.
INT. KIMBLE'S OLD HOUSE - DAY
Gerard walks through Kimble's house. The art and most of
the furniture is gone. Books are in boxes and shopping
bags around the room. Plastic covers the remaining pieces
of furniture.
Gerard stares at the empty walls. Shadows on the walls show
where the art once hung. Gerard pauses, tries to absorb the
place. He takes a book from one of the bags and looks at it.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - JANITOR'S ROOM - DAY
Kimble moves past the lockers, racks and boxes of cleaning
supplies, stops at a board listing work schedules, vacation
leaves, locker numbers. Behind him a LOCKER SLAMS. As a
janitor moves off to the showers we see his locker did not
close but remains slightly ajar from the impact.
INT. JANITOR'S LOCKER ROOM - CLOSE ON LOCKER - DAY
Door opens revealing the janitor's clip on I.D. hanging
from a green shirt. Kimble steals it.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
Gerard looks at the two detectives.
GERARD
Gentlemen, I appreciate the
cooperation of the Chicago police...
He moves toward them.
CUT TO:
INT. CLOTHING STORE - DAY
A SALESMAN stands on ladder looking through pants sizes.
SALESMAN
Did you say, 38/34?
KIMBLE
No. 34/34.
ANGLE ON SALES COUNTER
WHAP. A folded pair of green janitor's pants drops onto the
counter in front of Kimble. He already has the green shirt
to the uniform.
INT. SELF-SERVE PHOTO BOOTH - CLOSE ON RICHARD KIMBLE - DAY
Photographed.
ANGLE - SIDE OF THE BOOTH
Kimble takes the finished photos from the delivery tray.
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - DAY
RENFRO
Was there anything in your initial
investigation that would make you
think Kimble would come back to
Chicago.
ROSSETTI
The man definitely has friends here.
GERARD
What about lady friends?
KELLY
Not that we found.
CUT TO:
INT. SALVATION ARMY STORE - CLOSE ON APARTMENT NOTICE - DAY
A card on a community bulletin board advertises a basement
apartment for rent.
BIGGS (V.O.)
What about the man he claimed
attacked his wife?
Kimble pulls the notice from the board as we -
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHALS' OFFICE - DAY
Kelly and Rossetti share a look, a smile.
KELLY
Right... You ever been downwind of a
stockyard when the breeze is
blowing? That's where we were
sitting when Richard Kimble told that
one...
CUT TO:
EXT. POLISH LADY'S APARTMENT - DAY
Kimble knocks at door. It is opened to reveal a PUNK KID,
18-20. He calls to someone O.S.
CUT TO:
INT. POLISH WOMAN'S BASEMENT - DAY
A light comes on and an OLD POLISH WOMAN, her stockings
rolled down her shins, leads the way down the basement
stairs. The Punk Kid stands at the top of the stairs,
watches Kimble.
ROSETTI (V.O.)
We found nothing.
The Polish woman shows him a spare but sufficient bed and
nightstand set up. She points to door leading up to the
street.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE WOMAN'S BASEMENT - AFTERNOON
Kimble also at work at the bedside table. He carefully cuts
out his do-it-yourself photograph and places it over the
existing photograph on the hospital I.D. The name on the
I.D. says: Desmondo Jose Ruiz. Then he places a thin piece
of lamination plastic and trims the edges.
Kimble defaces the plastic to give it rough look, then
examines the finished product not bad.
INT. MARSHALS' OFFICE - DAY
KELLY (O.S.)
If this guy existed believe me
someone would've found him.
ON GERARD
He raises an eyebrow.
CUT TO:
INT. DR. NICHOLS' OFFICE - CLOSE ON FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH - DAY
Of medical residents. Two photographs next to each other. A
young Richard Kimble and Charles Nichols.
NICHOLS (O.S.)
Richard Kimble... I saw him two
days ago.
WE PULL BACK to see: Gerard studying the photos. Renfro
looks up like someone's bitten him. He, Biggs and Gerard are
in Nichols' administrative office. Gleaming. Filled with
awards and photos of Nichols and influential people. Nichols
hangs up his lab coat and slips back into his suitcoat. He
shows no sign of nervousness.
NICHOLS
He stopped me in my car. I gave him
some money.
GERARD
Where was this?
NICHOLS
Outside our tennis -
(correcting himself)
- my tennis club.
Gerard moves around Nichols' office taking in the details.
GERARD
Did he ask you for help?
NICHOLS
I volunteered. He wouldn't accept
it.
GERARD
Why do you think he came back to
Chicago?
NICHOLS
He didn't tell me.
GERARD
I didn't ask you that, sir. I'm sure
he was trying to protect you from
having to lie for him.
Gerard continues to move around the room, study prints,
books, drawings, awards and photos.
GERARD
If you're really his friend, you'll
help us bring him in unharmed.
NICHOLS
Why, so he can go back to prison?
If you want help, gentlemen, you've
come to the wrong man.
Gerard finds a photo of Nichols and a gleaming Ferrari.
GERARD
Dr. Nichols, last year the U.S.
Marshals' office closed out 11,003
warrants... 10,975 of those were
captured. The twenty-eight others
thought they were smarter than
us... Now they're dead.
(re: the photo)
Nice car.
Gerard puts the photo down.
EXT. NICHOLS' OFFICE - DAY
Gerard and his deputies leave Nichols' outer office.
Gerard clearly feels he's come to the right man.
GERARD
Stay on him.
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble mopping the trauma room hallway. The hallway elbows
around a corner and Kimble stands less than ten feet from
a door that is marked: "PROSTHETIC CLINIC"
He watches a technician leave the clinic and mops closer to
the doorway, and fails to see an attractive WOMAN DOCTOR
with white coat and stethoscope draped around her neck turn
the corner behind him ant step on the freshly mopped
section.
Head down, she is completely absorbed in a file and doesn't
see the wet floor until she slips slightly, looks up but
keeps walking.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Where's Rudy?
KIMBLE
They said he's sick.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Didn't they tell you to put up the
sign?
KIMBLE
Uhhh. No they didn't.
WOMAN DOCTOR
Put up the 'wet floor' sign before
someone gets hurt.
She keeps going.
KIMBLE
(mumbles)
Asshole.
She looks back at Kimble.
WOMAN DOCTOR
What did you say?
KIMBLE
Nothing.
Anne keeps moving off toward trauma hall. He watches her
turn the corner to the trauma hallway.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - NIGHT
Kimble enters the dimly lit prosthetics lab.
He moves silently among the casts and prosthetics of arms,
hands, legs hanging from the ceiling. Cables and electronic
equipment are on the counters.
He leaves the lab and moves into the office section of the
Prosthetic Clinic. He passes a computer room and finally
reaches the office. He is about to enter when a woman's
voice stops him.
WOMAN (O.S.)
Hey, Ricky... Weren't you just in
here?
Kimble turns to see a PROSTHETIC TECHNICIAN. A large woman
with glasses. She stands with a partially finished
prosthetic arm.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S OLD HOUSE - NIGHT
The one-armed man's arm coming off in the fight.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC (BACK TO PRESENT)
TECHNICIAN
Sorry, I thought you were Ricky.
KIMBLE
(stumbling)
No... I've got to clean the blinds
in the office. Want me to wait till
you're finished?
TECHNICIAN
Naw... I'm going to be here all
night. You won't bother me.
She slips on a pair of headphones and goes back to work.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC OFFICE - LATER
Kimble cleaning the blinds, keeps an eye on the Technician
who is listening to music on her Walkman. She is carefully
painting a section of the arm. Not watching Kimble.
CUT TO:
CLOSE ON FILE DRAWER
Opened.
BACK TO SCENE
Nimble looks over his shoulder. The Technician doesn't see
him.
A Prosthetic Clinic Operations Manual is removed from shelf.
Photographs of prosthetic arms. Kimble shifts the materials
into his clothes, closes his coat and suddenly he stops.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - ANGLE ON ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Kimble waits for the elevator. The folders in his uniform
shift and he tries to rearrange them. When he turns back
we see Anne Eastman beside him. Her I.D. says:
"ANNE EASTMAN". She sees him doing the rearranging.
The elevator arrives. They step into:
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Anne moves to the back. Kimble on the other side.
ANNE (WOMAN DOCTOR)
Hey, how're you doing?
KIMBLE
Fine.
ANNE
You find that sign?
KIMBLE
Yes, I did.
ANNE
You called me an asshole.
KIMBLE
Excuse me. I was having a bad
shift.
They laugh. They reach ground level and step out together.
ANNE
You worked at other hospitals?
KIMBLE
Lots of them over the years. Here,
long ago. Hasn't changed much.
ANNE
I bet it hasn't. See you.
They part ways. Kimble continues out the door. Anne stops
and watches him leave.
INT. EL TRAIN - NIGHT
Kimble sits on the night train going home. He begins looking
at his information.
INT. KIMBLE'S BASEMENT ROOM - DAY
Afternoon light comes in Kimble's basement windows. Sheets
of Prosthetic Clinic patient material are spread over
Kimble's bed, floor. Kimble searches through the documents,
making notes. He studies photos of attachments. Cable
attachments. Joints. Electronics. Pins. straps... looking
for a key to the identity of the one-armed man.
Finally he stops. He finds the flyer in his pocket, puts it
on the bedside table and moves to sink. He wets a towel and
covers his face.
Draws a cool damp breath. Lays back on bed amid the
Prosthetic Clinic material.
FLASHBACK - FIGHT
Kimble pulls the arm. It separates in the one-armed man's
sleeve. Wrenches. Dis-articulates.
FLASHBACK - ONE-ARMED MAN
Reacts in pain. Again. (NOTE: We sense Kimble's mind
returning to something. Getting closer to the key...)
FLASHBACK - ONE-ARMED MAN
Escaping the bedroom. We hear his FOOTSTEPS DOWN the
STAIRS... a DOOR SLAM. FOOTSTEPS again.
Another DOOR SLAMS, but this time the sound is distinctly
different... a CAR DOOR.
INT. KIMBLE'S BASEMENT ROOM (BACK TO PRESENT)
Kimble yanks the wet rag from his face, his senses alert.
Listening, he hears: FOOTSTEPS are real, just outside and
MOVING TOWARD him.
HARD CUT TO:
EXT. APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY
A car door slams. We see unmarked police cars pulling up in
front of the apartment. Cops are moving toward the house.
INT. BASEMENT - DAY
Kimble turns off his light, moves from the bed to the window.
Carefully looks out:
KIMBLE'S POV
Unmarked police cars in front of the house, looking, moving
his way.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble moves instinctively to the back door.
He starts to open it but through the dirty window, he sees
the back courtyard covered by more cops.
Kimble moves back toward the front. Unsure of his next move,
he's sweating, preparing for the worst.
He watches the TAC team charge the house but instead of
charging through the basement door they move up the front
steps and into the house overhead.
Overhead he hears the SCREAMING from the arresting cops.
KIMBLE'S POV - BACK STEPS
Kimble SEES the Punk Kid try to escape out the back. He
runs, sees cops and runs toward Kimble's basement door,
actually reaching it before he is caught by the cops and
pulled away.
KIMBLE
Moves toward the front window and watches cops lead the
Punk Kid out to the car.
POLICE RADIOS call the other cops to stand down.
Kimble moves slowly to his front door. Looks out.
KIMBLE'S POV
Cops put the young man into an unmarked police car. His
grandmother, the Polish woman, follows them, crying.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble leans against the wall, exhausted.
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble carries his cleaning tray down busy hallway just
outside of the Prosthetic Clinic and stops.
KIMBLE'S POV
Two cops talk outside the Prosthetic Clinic.
BACK TO SCENE
Kimble backs to a safe place in the trauma hallway to wait
for them to leave.
CUT TO:
INT. 11TH STREET POLICE DISTRICT HOUSE - DETECTIVES ROOM - NIGHT
The Punk Kid is handcuffed to a bench as a cop works on a
report. Suddenly the Kid notices something that gets his
attention.
KID'S POV
A wanted poster of Kimble over the cop's head.
BACK TO SCENE
The Kid sees - Wanted for Murder - realizes who it is.
PUNK KID
(to cop)
Hey. Hey! I know that guy!
The cop looks up, sees Kimble's poster and then back at the
Kid.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble moves toward prosthetic clinic. In passing through
the trauma hallway he becomes aware of a crisis developing.
A major accident has happened, victims are being brought in.
The P.A. CALLS for doctors. STATIC.
ANGLE ON FAR END OF TRAUMA HALLWAY
Elevator doors open as orderlies bring in new patients.
Some walk, some are helped by family and police. Nurses
direct traffic.
Orders fly. Medicines are called. Family members yell for
doctors. Ask for the injured. Anne picks up the pace with
an ORDERLY wheeling a gurney carrying a young patient,
a BOY.
ANNE
What happened?
ORDERLY
A bus flipped off the overpass. Got
at least twenty more coming in.
ANNE
What about this one here?
ORDERLY
Fractured sternum. X-ray's coming
up.
Anne checks the boy's chart.
ANNE
Okay, we've got to get some room
in this hallway, people.
Orderlies quickly move the non-life-threatening patients out
of the hall. Still more help is needed. Anne spots Kimble.
ANNE
Hey, take this one up the hall to
Critical Care.
Kimble nods. Anne moves to another patient.
Kimble grabs the kid's gurney and begins wheeling it up the
hall. As he pushes he looks at the kid's X-rays.
Anne looks up, barks another order, then suddenly sees Kimble
pushing the gurney and looking at the film.
ANNE
Tries to negotiate through the incoming patients to get a
better look, but Kimble is gone. She goes back to work.
ON KIMBLE
He wheels the Boy's gurney into an elevator. The doors
close.
INT. HOSPITAL - O.R. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Kimble wheels the gurney down the hall and stops the Boy
on the scrub threshold to the O.R. and stops a SURGEON.
KIMBLE
Hey. Hey!
A Surgeon pauses and eyes Kimble's janitor suit and the
gurney.
KIMBLE
They just sent this one up.
He takes a look at the Boy's chart and grabs the X-rays and
yells to O.R. nurse.
SURGEON
Bob! Get this one into room four,
stat.
He looks up, Kimble is gone.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble enters the Prosthetic Clinic computer room. The
Technician from the day before is listening to her Walkman,
sees Kimble and waves. Kimble waves back and turns into the
glass-walled computer room and closes the door.
He closes the blinds and turns on the computer.
CUT TO:
INT. CRITICAL CARE UNIT - NIGHT
The crisis has wound down. Anne moves into the room and
begins checking patients. She stops a unit nurse, GLADYS.
ANNE
Gladys, where's the boy I sent down
with the janitor?
GLADYS
What boy?
ANNE
The one with the fractured sternum.
GLADYS
He never came in here.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble scans DOS files, each an eight-letter enigma. Finds
one with promise and loads it up.
KIMBLE
Wrong...
He backs up and tries another file.
"CLIENT DEMOGRAPHIC ORGANIZER SEARCH BY: AGE, SEX, RACE,
LIMB, OR OTHER?"
Kimble knows he's got it.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
Kimble keys in these responses:
"SEX: MALE"
AGE: 35-50
RACE: CAUCASIAN
LIMB: RIGHT ARM
OTHER: POINT OF REPLACEMENT: MID HUMERUS"
INT. OPERATING ROOM WING - NIGHT
Anne comes out of the stairwell and stops the Surgeon we
saw with Kimble.
ANNE
Dave, did you see a janitor come up
here earlier?
SURGEON
Yeah, he brought a kid up.
(handing her the chart)
Anne, did you write the orders? I
couldn't make out the signature...
ANNE
I saw -
SURGEON
(in a hurry now)
Whoever did knew what the hell he
was doing. Kid's a hair away from
a ruptured aorta.
He heads to the operating room, leaving her stunned. She
stares at the scrawled orders.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
A "PLEASE WAIT" message appears on the screen. We hear the
COMPUTER PROCESSING, searching, narrowing.
The screen flashes:
"NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: 75
DO YOU WISH TO SUBDIVIDE?"
KIMBLE
Seventy-five. Hell, yes.
Kimble types in another defining characteristic...
Residence: Illinois.
Again he waits. Rattles the blinds to make it seem like he's
cleaning. The list shortens.
"NUMBER OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES: 21"
KIMBLE
What else?
MEMORY HIT - INT. CHICAGO COURTROOM - DAY
Prosecutor stands before the jury.
PROSECUTOR
... murdering Helen Wills Kimble the night of January 20...
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - COMPUTER ROOM - CLOSE ON SCREEN - NIGHT
Kimble types in: "Candidates having adjustment appointments
between January 21, and February 1, 1993."
Kimble waits. Sixty-five names come up. Again too many.
Kimble's reached a dead end.
Kimble thinks.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The fight with the One-Armed Man.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - BACK TO SCENE ON KIMBLE
Something has clicked in his memory.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
Kimble stands beneath the hanging artificial limbs. He
takes down an arm, works the joint.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kimble fights the One-Armed Man. He wrenches the man's
prosthetic arm.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - CLOSER ON ARM
He moves it again. Harder, at an awkward angle.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - TIGHTER ON ONE-ARMED MAN'S
ARM - NIGHT
Kimble wrenches the arm...
INT. PROSTHETIC STORAGE ROOM - CLOSE ON ARM
The joint strains.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - CLOSE ON ONE-ARMED MAN'S ARM
Kimble wrenches it and it BREAKS.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC OFFICE - CLOSE ON PROSTHETIC MANUAL - NIGHT
A detailed diagram of arm construction.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Kimble makes notes.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Anne rides the elevator back to trauma. She's thinking.
CUT TO:
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - CLOSE ON COMPUTER SCREEN - NIGHT
Joint repair list between January 21-April 21... Five names
come up with Greater Chicago addresses.
Kimble hits print. The MACHINE begins PRINTING. Kimble
looks up at the Prosthetic Clinic Technician - she is
listening to her headphones, can't hear the printer. He
continues to shake the blinds.
EXT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC/TRAUMA HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble leaves Prosthetic Clinic and starts down the hall
for the exit when a voice stops him.
ANNE (O.S.)
Do you have a particular interest in
our patients' x-rays?
Kimble turns to see Anne coming toward him.
KIMBLE
What do you mean?
ANNE
I saw you looking at that boy's
chest film.
She moves in on him. He eyes the exit.
KIMBLE
It's a hobby of mine -
ANNE
What other hobbies do you have?
Brain surgery?
KIMBLE
What do you want?
She reaches him.
ANNE
I want to know how that kid ended
up in surgery.
KIMBLE
I'm a janitor. I did what I was
told.
ANNE
Bullshit. Who changed those orders?
They hold a look. She knows. He takes a step back and she
pulls his I.D.
ANNE
You stand right here. I'm calling
security.
Kimble runs. Anne turns to call security but doesn't.
She stares after Kimble.
CUT TO:
INT. POLISH WOMAN'S BASEMENT - NIGHT
Kimble's room being searched by the marshals. Gerard finds
the flyer Kimble was handed on his way out the door. On it
we see: COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL.
CUT TO:
INT. COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL - CLOSE ON KIMBLE'S I.D. - DAY
Anne and Gerard stand in the hallway. Gerard studies the I.D.
GERARD
A man posing as a janitor orders an
emergency operation and all you do
is pull his I.D.?
ANNE
(firmly)
A little boy's alive today because
he did something.
Gerard watches her eyes carefully.
GERARD
So, you weren't aware that when he
escaped he was being transported to
Menard State Prison to begin a term
of life imprisonment.
ANNE
For what?
GERARD
For murdering his wife.
Clearly this is news to Anne. Gerard almost smiles at her
surprise.
GERARD
Thank you for your help, Doctor.
He moves to the position Anne saw Kimble with the kid's
gurney. Trying to imagine what Kimble was doing at that
place. Renfro and the other deputies converge.
RENFRO
What I can't figure is, if you were
Kimble, why'd you take a major
league chance of hanging around a
trauma ward?
Gerard considers this as a Man passes him. Gerard notices
something.
RENFRO
The place would be crawling with cops.
Slowly Gerard separates from the group of deputies and
follows the Man down the hall.
The Man Gerard is following turns the corner to the
Prosthetic hallway and realizing Gerard is following him,
holds the hallway door open for Gerard.
MAN
Can I help you find something?
GERARD
Thank you, sir, I think you already
have.
We see the Man has a prosthetic arm and that they are outside
the door marked: "PROSTHETIC CLINIC"
INT. PHONE BOOTH - MORNING
Restaurant deserted at this hour. Kimble makes calls.
KIMBLE
Yes... This is Dr. Elway at Cook
County. I'm doing follow-up work for
the Prosthetic Clinic on Matthew
Zelick...
(beat)
He did... I'm terribly sorry. No,
I'll correct our files. Thank you.
He scratches through another name. Three left. He dials
another number.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - MORNING
Gerard and his deputies inside the Prosthetic Clinic.
Artificial limbs are being tested, fitted. A technician
fits a demonstration model on Biggs while Gerard and Poole
work with the director of the institute and a data operator
at the computer.
GERARD
The onearmed man. Missing the right or left hand?
POOLE
Right.
The operator enters that information. Dropping the number to
250... as Poole continues.
POOLE
... age 35-45...
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Kimble on phone. He hangs up and scratches through another
name. Two left. He dials another number.
INT. PROSTHETIC CLINIC - DAY
Poole looks up from her file to the computer screen. The
number drops to 117...
GERARD
Location of the attachment.
POOLE
(from the report)
Mid-humerus.
INT. PHONE BOOTH - CLOSE ON KIMBLE'S LIST - DAY
The next name is "Clive Driscoll." Kimble on phone, waits
for answer.
KIMBLE (O.S.)
Hello... looking for your brother,
Clive. This is Ted Riley with the
high school reunion committee.
Believe it or not, 25 years is just
around the corner, and Clive's on
our list of lost souls. Information
gave me a number, but when I tried
it...
WIDER to reveal Kimble on the pay phone. The scrap of paper
is his list-of-five.
KIMBLE
No kidding?... Armed robbery.
(forced laughter)
He's where?
CUT TO:
INT. COMPUTER ROOM - DAY
Gerard looks at the screen. The number drops to 20.
RENFRO
It could take us a week to track
down every one of those names.
Gerard picks up phone and dials a number.
GERARD
(into phone)
Stevens... I've got a list of names
I want searched for criminal history.
CUT TO:
EXT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
Kimble stands on a sidewalk, staring at the imposing edifice
across the street. After a here-we-go breath, he starts
through traffic.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Kimble waits for an elevator. It opens to reveal a pack of
staring COPS.
ELEVATOR COP
(catching door)
Comin' or not?
Forcing his feet to move, Kimble boards...
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - ELEVATOR - DAY
... and pivots quickly. Elevator rises. Floor-indicator moves
deathly slow.
Kimble feels the breath of a dozen COPS on his neck. And just
when his floor is mercifully about to arrive...
Overhead lights flicker, and the elevator jars to a stop
between floors.
COPS
Aw, shit... Not now... Anybody
bring a deck of cards?
Abruptly they're moving again. Kimble's heart restarts with
the elevator.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - VISITATION AREA - DAY
CLEARING OFFICER
(to visitor)
Booth Three. No hands on the glass.
Five minutes maximum. Be advised that
under a Federal court ruling your
conversation can be recorded. Next.
"Next" is Kimble. He steps to the counter.
CLEARING OFFICER
Name of inmate?
KIMBLE
Clive Driscoll.
The Clearing Officer spins his clipboard around.
CLEARING OFFICER
Sign here, print your name, address,
and relationship to inmate below.
(into mike)
Two-zero-ten. Driscoll, Clive R.
(to Kimble)
Be about five minutes. You can wait
in the hall.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - MAIN LOBBY - DAY
Gerard and Biggs cross the lobby and stop in front of the
desk; flash their U.S. Marshal's ID.
GERARD
(to clerk)
We need to see a prisoner.
DESK CLERK
Fifth floor.
Gerard and Biggs head for the bank of elevators.
BIGGS
It's hinky. Man risks everything to
find a man his own investigators
say doesn't exist. Something's really
hinky about this thing.
Gerard looks at Biggs as they reach the elevators.
GERARD
I hate that word.
He hits the up button.
CUT TO:
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - VISITATION AREA - DAY
Clearing Officer looks down the hall.
CLEARING OFFICER
Visitor for Driscoll...?
Kimble is on his feet.
CLEARING OFFICER
Booth seven. No hands on the glass. Be advised...
The Clearing Officer, head down, drones on - doesn't notice
Kimble is already gone.
Kimble strides down the row of chairs, rounds the last
partition to reach booth seven - and to stare at the
one-armed man, DRISCOLL, who waits there.
DRISCOLL
So who are you?
CUT TO:
MEMORY HIT - FACE OF HELEN'S KILLER
CUT TO:
BACK TO SCENE
Driscoll's face is different. Driscoll is a black man.
KIMBLE
Sorry. I made a mistake.
DRISCOLL
Shit, that's okay. Stick around a
few minutes, talk about whatever you
want...
But Kimble is gone. Driscoll calls after him.
DRISCOLL
... They're not exactly wired for
cable downstairs, y'know?
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - CORRIDOR - DAY
Kimble exits the visitor's area. He sees another crowd of
COPS around the elevator again, opts for the door marked:
"STAIRS"
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Biggs and Gerard wait for the elevator. Finally Gerard's
had enough.
GERARD
Where're the damn stairs?
BIGGS
It's five flights!
GERARD
Then you wait.
He finds the door and starts up.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - STAIRWELL - DAY
Kimble descending. Doors open and close throughout the
stairwell but the traffic is light...
INTERCUT WITH:
GERARD
Climbing the stairs. He reaches a landing - and skims
shoulders with Kimble, who pivots past on his way down.
Amazingly, neither man reacts. Not yet.
One flight above, Gerard's subconscious taps him on the
shoulder and brings him to a dead stop. He leans over the
stairwell railing to spy...
Kimble spiraling downward. From this vantage, it could be
any dark-haired man. But still...
GERARD
(a quick probe)
Kimble.
Others look up out of curiosity... but not Kimble. Two
landings below, he falters a step, then tries to regain
his step, keeps moving.
But Gerard is pulling his Glock: The hitch in Kimble's
stride told him everything.
GERARD
Kimble!
Kimble blitzes down the stairs. Gerard moves after him.
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - LOBBY - DAY
Kimble throws open a fire door and starts across the lobby.
Sees two cops, quickly approaches.
KIMBLE
Officers - there's a man in the
stairwell waving a gun and
screaming.
The two cops rush to stairs and Kimble immediately moves
toward the doors, fast but not running. Hoping to cloak
himself in civilians.
ANGLE ON ELEVATORS
Biggs' elevator has finally arrived and emptied. He lets a
woman on in front of him, oblivious to...
Kimble moving...
The revolving exit doors loom nearer ant nearer.
INT. STAIRWELL - DAY
The two cops see Gerard. Gerard holds up his badge.
GERARD
U.S. Marshal! Get on the phone, call
your commander, tell him there's a
top-fifteen warrant in the building.
Go.
He shoves the cops out of the way and pounds downstairs.
INT. LOBBY - DAY
Kimble closing in on the door when suddenly a KLAXON HORN
sounds.
People stop in confusion. Automatically, the exit doors
begin closing. Biggs pushes his way off the elevator.
Kimble breaks into a sprint for the door.
GERARD
Bursts out the stairwell door after Kimble.
GERARD
Kimble. Stop!
But there's only one way of stopping Kimble.
KIMBLE
Enters the revolving doors as a big man enters from the
outside. The big man sizes up the situation, realizes Kimble
is fleeing and just before Kimble exits - yanks on the door
- trapping him partially inside the revolving door.
Other doors seal electronically. Biggs charges back, sees
Gerard.
Kimble fights the heavy glass door. The big man resists -
but slowly the crack widens. Gerard bulls through the crowd,
shoves a man out of his line of fire.
GERARD
Down. down. everybody down!
With adrenal effort, Kimble wrings his body through the
opening...
EXT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
... and makes it outside - except for his foot - caught like
in a bear trap, as the door locks down. Harrowed, Kimble looks
back over his shoulder at...
Gerard. Charging the glass doors. Civilians suck marble and
clear out of Gerard's line of fire on Kimble. Gerard takes aim.
GERARD
Kimble. Stop!
It's Kimble's nightmare coming true. If he could chew off his
leg right now, he would. He pulls at his foot just as
INT. FEDERAL LOCKUP - DAY
Gerard FIRES seven times in two seconds.
Kimble goes down. SHOTS and SCREAMS ECHO around the lobby. A
long beat, then Gerard rises. THROUGH GLASS studded with
bullet holes, he sees...
Kimble rising... staring back. Equally astounded that he's
alive. He runs free.
GERARD
Open the doors!
Gerard pounds against the doors. Sees cratering in the
glass - and then sees flattened slugs all over the floor.
It's bullet-proof glass. THROUGH the glass he sees Kimble
rush across the street and disappear into the parade.
Doors open and Gerard and his men follow.
But Kimble has disappeared into the parade celebrations
outside. Blending in with the marchers.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOTEL - MORNING
Kimble leaves a cheap hotel early the next morning. He wears
a new set of clothes - jeans, sport coat and tie - than the
day before, and the black hair coloring has been rinsed from
his hair. He moves down the street.
INT. BAR - MORNING
Kimble uses a pay phone and stares through the window.
KIMBLE'S POV - APARTMENT HOUSE
Across the street.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
Inside the apartment the PHONE RINGS. No one is home.
INT. BAR - MORNING
The PHONE RINGS nine, ten times. As Kimble waits he looks
down at his list of five. The only name remaining is
Fredrick Sykes.
He looks down the street - it seems clear - then his focus
shifts to a man carrying two coffees. He approaches a car
parked along the curb. The passenger - a woman - leans
across the seat and opens the door for him.
He hands her a cup of coffee and as he starts to climb in,
he shifts something on his hip - we see the butt of a
handgun.
Kimble hangs up and leaves through the back door.
EXT. REAR OF SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
Kimble moves across the roof and drops to fire escape behind
Sykes' apartment. He looks in the window, steps back to see
if anyone is looking, then pulls his fist back into his
sleeve and with one swift pop, BREAKS the GLASS.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - KITCHEN - MORNING
No sound. Slowly he moves into...
HALLWAY
Moving first toward the living room. The apartment is
modest.
He stops by a photograph of a teenage girl. Another is a
boy in football uniform. The next one is a man in a
police uniform. Kimble freezes.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble struggles with the one-armed man.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING (PRESENT)
Kimble struggles to recall the man's face. It could be him.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
Kimble searching for clues to Sykes' identity. He opens
closets, wardrobe, bureau... reopens a drawer. There, in the
bottom he finds an old prosthetic arm.
CUT TO:
ANGLE - DESK
Kimble looking through Sykes' desk drawers finds a package
of photographs. He opens them and quickly flips through.
INSERT - PHOTOGRAPHS
A group of men on a business/vacation junket stand around a
large sportfish hung from the dock. Kimble keeps flipping
through, suddenly stops and backs up and we see what stopped
him: The smiling face of Dr. Alexander Lentz.
MEMORY HIT - INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Nichols introduces Kimble to Lentz.
NICHOLS
Richard... Alex Lentz.
CLOSE ON PHOTOGRAPHS - MORNING (PRESENT)
There are three photos of Lentz. Kimble slowly pulls one out
of the pack. As he slides it out we see a fish and on the
other side we see... Sykes, wearing a prosthetic arm.
MEMORY HIT - INT. KIMBLE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble struggles with intruder. This time we see his face
clearly. It is Sykes.
INSERT - PHOTOGRAPHS (PRESENT)
Kimble flips back to the earlier group photos and we see a
Devlin-MacGregor banner over the group shot.
KIMBLE
Looks up. He's found the man he's looking for but also a new
possibility - that the murder wasn't just a random act of
violence.
Kimble digs through Sykes' top desk drawer. His mind reeling.
He stops:
CLOSE ON PAYCHECK STUBS
The Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceutical logo in the top right
corner. Payroll level four: Security.
CUT TO:
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - MORNING
PHONE RINGS. SECRETARY answers it.
SECRETARY
U.S. Marshal's office...
Her expression changes to shock.
CUT TO:
INT. MARSHAL'S OFFICE HALLWAY - MORNING
Gerard is moving down the hall with a cup of coffee when
the Secretary appears at a door.
SECRETARY
It' 9 Kimble on line three.
Gerard moves quickly down the hall, mobilizing his troops
as he runs...
GERARD
Renfro, Biggs...
They follow him into...
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
Gerard moves to phone as TECHNICIAN gives him nod he's
ready. Gerard answers the phone and the trace begins.
Renfro supervises.
GERARD
This is Gerard.
KIMBLE (V.O.)
(beat)
Do you remember what I told you in
the tunnel?
GERARD
You told me, you didn't kill your
wife.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - CLOSE ON KIMBLE - MORNING
KIMBLE
Remember what you said to me?
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
Gerard is calm.
GERARD
I remember you were pointing my gun
at me.
KIMBLE (V.O.)
You said, 'I don't care.'
ON TRACING EQUIPMENT
The numbers rush down. Technician reads the first set
to Renfro.
TECHNICIAN
(a whisper)
He's on the southside.
ON GERARD
GERARD
That's right, Kimble... I'm not
trying to solve a puzzle here. I'm
just the poor working man that's
paid to hunt you down.
The room is filling up with deputies. Poole, Biggs,
Stevens, Newman.
Gerard watches the numbers as the second digit locks in.
RENFRO
(low)
He's in Pullman area... Fifteen
seconds for location.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - CLOSE ON KIMBLE - MORNING
KIMBLE
Well, I am trying to solve the
puzzle, Gerard and I just found a
piece.
Kimble takes the phone and bangs it down onto a table and
we realize he is in Sykes' kitchen.
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
The sound startles Gerard.
TECHNICIAN
Three seconds.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - MORNING
GERARD (V.O.)
Kimble?
Kimble leaves the phone on the table and walks out.
INT. MEDIA ROOM - MORNING
GERARD
(into phone)
You can't control this thing,
Kimble... Kimble?
He thinks he hears FOOTSTEPS over the phone, realizes Kimble
has not hung up. What's Kimble doing?
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Where is he?
Renfro looks up from the address to Gerard, stunned.
RENFRO
(incredulous)
Holy shit. We've got a car there
right now.
He picks up a phone.
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - ANGLE - POLICE CAR - MORNING
The two cops receive a radio report about Kimble and
quickly exit their car. They rush toward Sykes' building.
ANGLE - BACK ALLEY
While they move into the apartment, we see Kimble, fully
aware of them, slip away down the alley.
INT. EL TRAIN - MORNING
CLOSE ON LIST: Sykes. Lentz. Devlin-MacGregor. R.D.U.90.
Lines draw connections.
MEMORY HIT - INT. OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT OF MURDER
Kimble and Chief Resident work feverishly to save patient.
KIMBLE
This an R.D.U.90 patient?
Kimble looks up at the Resident as we...
CUT TO:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
CLOSE ON TELEPHONE RECEIVER. It BUZZES off the hook.
POOLE (V.O.)
Name is Fredrick Sykes. 45. Ex cop .
A hand comes INTO FRAME ant replaces the receiver on the
cradle. We WIDEN to find: Gerard. We see technicians
dusting room for prints. A FORENSIC TECH approaches Gerard.
FORENSIC TECH
Inspector, we're ready for you to
look at this.
The Forensic Tech sits at desk.
FORENSIC TECH
Kimble's prints are all over the
apartment, but the concentration
is here.
The Tech takes out the check stubs, some papers; the pack
of photos.
INSERT - PHOTOS
The Tech flips through the pack, stops on the Lentz/Sykes
photos.
FORENSIC TECH
He flips through the pack but
paused here.
He hands the Lentz/Sykes photo.
GERARD
Let me see the negatives.
The Tech hands him the strip of negative film. Gerard holds
it up to the light.
GERARD
One's missing.
Gerard stares at the photo as his RADIO SQUAWKS.
BIGGS (V.O.)
(on radio)
Here he comes...
CUT TO:
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - SIDEWALK - DAY
Fredrick Sykes, the one-armed man, comes down the side
walk. He passes a car and hears the door open behind him.
Biggs climbs out of the car and falls into step behind him.
Sykes hears the footsteps but moves on up the stoop and
starts to enter his apartment, notices the front door
already open.
Cops and Marshals in his house. Processing a crime scene.
SYKES
What the hell's going on here?
Who are you people?
He steps...
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
... sees Gerard in the kitchen. Gerard stares at Sykes.
GERARD
You had a break-in, Mr. Sykes.
SYKES
You a cop?
GERARD
My name is Gerard. U.S. Marshal's
Office.
Sykes is caught off guard.
GERARD
This morning a fugitive named
Richard Kimble made a call from your
apartment.
Sykes is dumbfounded.
SYKES
Richard Kimble... I don't know a
Richard Kim -
Poole produces a photo of Kimble.
SYKES
Wait a minute... This is the doctor
who killed his wife... He claimed
the killer had a prosthetic limb.
You telling me he's coming after
me?
GERARD
Would he have a reason to?
SYKES
What the hell's that supposed to
mean? Because I have this?
He lifts his prosthetic arm and stares at Gerard. Gerard
holds his look.
SYKES
Look, a year ago some people came
to see me. They asked me questions
about the night of the murder and
I'll tell you the same thing I told
them. I wasn't even in town then.
I was on a business trip.
Gerard continues moving around the apartment.
GERARD
What kind of business are you in,
Mr. Sykes?
SYKES
Security.
GERARD
Independent?
SYKES
No, I work for a pharmaceutical
company. I handle security for its
top executives.
Gerard holds up one of the fishing photographs with Lentz.
GERARD
Any idea why Kimble would be
interested in these?
SYKES
No. Just some doctors on a company
junket.
Gerard puts the photos down with the one of Lentz on top.
Sykes eyes it.
SYKES
(annoyed)
Look, you mind if I talk to the cops
to see if anything's missing?
GERARD
By all means.
Sykes moves off and Gerard pockets the Lentz/Sykes photo.
CUT TO:
EXT. SYKES'S APARTMENT - DAY
Gerard crosses the street with Renfro and Biggs.
RENFRO
He's pulling our chain, Sam. If this
was the guy Kimble was looking for,
why call us?
GERARD
Kimble said he's putting together a
puzzle. We don't need to put it
together too, we just need to be
there when he gets to the next
piece.
Gerard stops and looks back at Sykes' apartment.
GERARD
Keep somebody on him. If he moves
I want to know.
CUT TO:
INT. MEDICAL LIBRARY - DAY
Kimble moves through large medical library and turns into
area marked: PHARMACOLOGY.
CUT TO:
CLOSE ON PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Pages turn as we get CLOSER on headings: "DRUGS PENDING
FDA APPROVAL..." Experimental and commercial names MOVE
PAST us... and at the end of the list we find: "PROVASIC
(RDU90) Developed by Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceuticals".
SECOND PERIODICAL - BUSINESS PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL
Kimble opens to article entitled: "DEVLIN-MACGREGOR
EXPECTS PAYDIRT WITH PROVASIC." "Pharmaceutical company
plans to go public on introduction of new drug, Provasic
(R.D.U.90)."
Kimble looks up. Now he knows why someone tried to kill
him. He gathers more Devlin-Macgregor information
including a prospectus, and leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. DOCTOR'S PHONE SERVICE - DAY
An OPERATOR answers a call.
OPERATOR
(into phone)
I'm sorry sir, Dr. Nichols is at a
medical conference at the Hilton.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LIBRARY - PAY PHONE - DAY
KIMBLE
It's very important I reach him.
INT. HILTON HOTEL HOSPITALITY SUITE - DAY
A meeting is underway around a board room table. An
ASSISTANT moves around the table and gives Nichols a
message with a number and "URGENT" written on it.
ASSISTANT
I'm sorry, sir, they said it was an
emergency.
Nichols excuses himself from the table.
EXT. MEDICAL LIBRARY PAY PHONE - DAY
Kimble answers a pay PHONE when it RINGS.
KIMBLE
(urgent)
Can you talk?
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HILTON HOTEL HOSPITALITY SUITE - DAY
Nichols on phone at the other end of the suite. The meeting
continues behind him. As soon as he hears Kimble's voice,
Nichols reacts.
NICHOLS
(low)
Richard. Yes... I'm on a hotel
phone. What's going on?
He eyes the group in the other room, moves around the corner
for more privacy. As he does we notice several of the men
watching. They exchange glances.
KIMBLE
I found him, Charlie. I found the
guy that killed Helen.
NICHOLS
(shocked)
What?
KIMBLE
It's all about a drug, Charlie. They
tried to kill me because of a drug.
NICHOLS
Who?
KIMBLE
Devlin-MacGregor and Lentz. Lentz
was supervising the R.D.U.90
protocol. He knew I'd found out the
drug had problems. It's Lentz.
NICHOLS
Richard, Lentz is dead. He died in
an auto accident last summer.
Kimble is stunned.
NICHOLS
Can you prove this about the drug?
KIMBLE
I need your help. Call Mr. Roosevelt
and tell him I'm coming in.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - DAY
The group of deputies and Gerard assemble around Gerard's
information board. They've come armed with facts and
theories. Gerard orchestrates the information.
RENFRO
If you were Richard Kimble... Why
would you hunt for a one-armed man
you think killed your wife; find
hint then leave him and call us?
POOLE
To throw us off his trail.
RENFRO
Unless... What if you were a well
respected surgeon and wanted to kill
your wife? How would you do it?
BIGGS
I'd hire a pro. Sight unseen.
POOLE
Set it up to look like a robbery
gone bad.
RENFRO
How would you find him? Look in the
phone book?
RENFRO
Through a connection.
POOLE
Maybe through a company you did some
business with.
BIGGS
Like a pharmaceutical company.
Someone in security.
NEWMAN
On the night of his wife's murder,
Kimble attended a hospital benefit
sponsored by Devlin-Macgregor
Pharmaceutical - Sykes' company.
Gerard places a Devlin-Macgregor card onto his board.
BIGGS
But Sykes claims he was out of town.
POOLE
And company records support that he
was on a business trip.
RENFRO
That's an easy fix. So let's say he
was in town. Did the job. Everything
goes as planned with one problem.
NEWMAN
Instead of looking like a robbery
gone bad, Kimble ends up being the
one accused...
BIGGS
... tried, convicted...
POOLE
... and the hit man gets away clean.
RENFRO
So Kimble returns to hunt for and
find the hit man.
NEWMAN
Why? To share the blame? He'd still
go to prison.
Gerard moves to the board. He takes down a card.
RENFRO
You're underestimating the power of
the good doctor. It would be his
word against... Sykes'. Who would
you believe?
BIGGS
So what does Kimble do next?
RENFRO
Get help.
Gerard pins the card to the board and looks at Renfro. It
says: "NICHOLS"
GERARD
Stevens, check phone records for
Sykes and Kimble.
Gerard moves to the door and Renfro follows. As he's
leaving he hands the photo of Lentz and Sykes to Biggs.
GERARD
Find out who this guy is.
He leaves. Biggs hands the photo to Newman.
NEWMAN
(deadpan)
Why do I get all the great jobs?
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - LOADING DOCK - DAY
Kimble enters the hospital through the loading dock.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL - MORGUE - DAY
MR. ROOSEVELT, an ancient research assistant, opens the
door to Kimble.
ROOSEVELT
It sure is good to see you again,
Dr. Kimble.
KIMBLE
You too, Roosevelt... Been a long
time.
Roosevelt closes the door behind them.
INT. TISSUE STORAGE - DAY
Roosevelt brings Kimble a file marked: "R.D.U.90"
ROOSEVELT
This is the R.D.U.90 file and
samples. Dr. Nichols said you
needed.
KIMBLE
Thanks, Roosevelt.
CUT TO:
INT. UNMARKED POLICE CAR - DAY
A cop stares up at Sykes' house from across the street.
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
Sykes watches the cops in the car outside. He moves to the
phone and dials number.
EMERGENCY OPERATOR (V.O.)
Emergency operator.
SYKES
I want to report a fire; No, it's
not my place, it's a couple doors
down.
CUT TO:
INT. CMH HALLWAY/DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - DAY
Kimble moves down hall and quietly enters a small research
lab in the university. Dr. Wahlund sits behind her microscope
and doesn't see him until he touches her on the shoulder.
WAHLUND
(startled)
Oh, my God... Richard.
KIMBLE
I loaned you something once, Kath,
and I need them back.
CUT TO:
INT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
Sykes, dressed in coat and tie, prepares to leave apartment.
Somewhere in the distance we hear: FIRE ENGINE SIRENS.
EXT. SYKES' APARTMENT - DAY
The cop stares at Sykes' window when suddenly we hear FIRE
SIRENS, and a pair of fire trucks turn onto the street and
pull up across the street from the unmarked car -blocking
the view of Sykes' house. Firemen climb down and move to a
nearby building. The street begins to fill up with people.
The cop stares at the commotion directly behind him. He
becomes so engrossed in the action like everyone else that
he fails to see Sykes, using the distraction, exit his
apartment and walk calmly away from the scene.
INT. U.S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - DAY
Newman studies the photograph of Lentz and Sykes under a
magnifying glass.
INSERT - CLOSE ON PHOTO OF LENTZ
We see the logo on Lentz' shirt says: "C M H"
EXT. EL STATION - PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Sykes stands at a phone booth, finishes a call, then moves
up the stairs to board an el train.
INT. HILTON HOTEL - DAY
A conference breaks up and Nichols moves down hallway.
He slows when he sees Gerard and Renfro waiting for him.
NICHOLS
Mr. Gerard.
GERARD
Doctor. Could I have a minute?
He opens the door to an empty meeting room.
INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY
Gerard, Nichols and Renfro. Nichols stares at a photo copy
of the Sykes and Lentz fishing photo.
RENFRO
He's a security specialist at
Devlin-Macgregor Pharmaceuticals.
Kimble broke into his apartment.
NICHOLS
I don't know him. You're getting
pretty desperate aren't you, Mr.
Gerard. I told you, you wouldn't
find Richard.
GERARD
(beat)
Dr. Kimble hasn't come back to you
for help, has he?
NICHOLS
No. And it seems like we've been
over this ground before. Now if
you'll excuse me.
Nichols moves to the door. Gerard looks again at the photo,
then stops him.
GERARD
Dr. Nichols. Do you know the other
man in the photograph?
Nichols stops, looks at Lentz and lies.
NICHOLS
I never saw him before.
He leaves. Gerard watches him.
Renfro looks down and sees flyer which says Nichols is
slated to talk that evening in the grand ballroom.
RENFRO
(reads)
"Advances in Nuclear Tissue and
Pathology Research," by Dr. Charles
Nichols.
(to Gerard)
I bet they line up to hear that one.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON
Newman and Biggs enter the hospital.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - AFTERNOON
MICROSCOPIC POV: Cell structure.
ON WAHLUND
She works the fluorescent stains. Makes notes.
Kimble helps load the next sample.
KIMBLE
Half the people in the study were
indigents. No follow-up, no baseline
on them. Who could say they didn't
come into the study with bad livers?
WAHLUND
The one on the right is one of the
samples you sent me. It shows a lot
of perriportal inflammation loaded
with eosinophils. When you see that
with the accumulation of bile it's
a classic for -
KIMBLE
- drug induced hepatitis.
WAHLUND
I'm impressed. Now look at this.
She positions a second slide.
WAHLUND
According to the study, this is a
slice from the same liver.
Kimble studies the slide. The tissue difference is markedly
different, clearer.
KIMBLE
Cold normal.
WAHLUND
Clearly not from the same tissue.
In fact.
She yields the microscope to Kimble.
WAHLUND
See this small area of bile duct
proliferation? Von Meyenberg's
Complex. Occurs in only 2% of the
population. But it's in every one
of your five samples.
Kimble looks up.
KIMBLE
That's statistically impossible.
WAHLUND
That's because they're all from the
same liver.
She smiles at Kimble.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
Newman shows the photo to a 40s clerk, BETTY. She looks at
the photo.
BETTY
His name's Lentz. A pathologist. I
only remember him because he died
last summer.
Biggs and Newman exchange a look.
NEWMAN
Anybody down in pathology who might
know something about the guy?
Betty looks at the clock, it's after 6 p.m. Dicey.
BETTY
It's kinda late to catch anyone,
but you might go by the morgue.
There's an old guy down there
who's been around forever.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON
Sykes steps off an elevator at Chicago Memorial Hospital.
And starts down a hall.
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL MORGUE HALLWAY - DAY
Newman and Biggs move down the empty hallway... this long
shot has never felt longer. They find the morgue.
BIGGS
Just what I want to do before
dinner.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL MORGUE - DAY
Roosevelt working near the autopsy tables when the two
marshals enter.
NEWMAN
Are you Mr. Roosevelt?
ROOSEVELT
Yes.
BIGGS
We're United States Marshals. We're
trying to find out some information
about a pathologist, named Lentz. He
used to be on staff here.
Roosevelt suddenly goes on the defensive.
ROOSEVELT
He's dead.
NEWMAN
Yeah, we heard. We wanted to know if
he knew or had any contact with Dr.
Richard Kimble?
On the mention of Kimble, Roosevelt becomes visibly nervous.
ROOSEVELT
I... I haven't seen Dr. Kimble.
Biggs and Newman exchange a look.
NEWMAN
(a probe)
That's not what I asked, sir. I just
wanted to know if Dr. Kimble and Dr.
Lentz knew each other?
ROOSEVELT
I... I don't know. Excuse me, I got to go.
He moves away from the autopsy table. Biggs stops him.
BIGGS
I think you're lying to us.
Roosevelt looks from one marshal to the other as we:
CUT TO:
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL - DR. WAHLUND'S LAB - AFTERNOON
As Kathy packs up evidence, Kimble looks through the reports.
KIMBLE
They'd be home free if I hadn't been
leaning on them to account for the
livers I was seeing. And I wouldn't
have seen the livers if I hadn't
told the guys on my service to call
me when they had cases that were
bleeding excessively in surgery.
WAHLUND
Big bucks. One schmuck standing in
the way. Easy, get rid of him and
his wife. But why Lentz?
KIMBLE
Why not? He's one of the original
patent holders. Toss the samples I
sent, replace them with healthy
samples, issue the path report on
the healthy stuff-piece of cake.
Kimble notices something in the report.
KIMBLE
When did Lentz die?
WAHLUND
Oh, last summer sometime. August...
Why?
Kimble looks up from the protocol report.
KIMBLE
Because a good third of the samples
Lentz approved were signed after he
died.
Kathy comes to look at the report. Lentz's signature is
on reports dated October, November, December.
KIMBLE
Someone else used Lentz's name.
WAHLUND
A pathologist at Devlin-Macgregor?
KIMBLE
They wouldn't have had the access.
They would have needed someone at
the hospital.
Kimble opens the Devlin-Macgregor prospectus he took from
the medical library and opens it to the beginning. A photo
gets his attention.
He takes the bag and starts for the door.
WAHLUND
Where are you going?
KIMBLE
To see an old friend.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Gerard at his board. The cards form a triangle: Sykes
Devlin-Macgregor - Lentz with Kimble at the apex. He stares
at the board. Poole comes to the door.
POOLE
It's Newman. Line two.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble slips down corridor. We see someone following him.
It is Sykes.
INT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Newman on portable phone. Behind him Biggs questions Mr.
Roosevelt.
NEWMAN
The old guy didn't know where he was
going. But he picked up some tissue
samples.
GERARD
Tissue samples?
Gerard goes to his board. Renfro listens on the speakerphone.
NEWMAN
... From a drug study. And signed
for by Dr. Charles Nichols.
Renfro and Gerard exchange a look.
NEWMAN
Nichols also knew Lentz. He was a
pathologist.
RENFRO
He was covering for Kimble.
GERARD
(to Renfro)
Get CPD to bring in Sykes.
Gerard stares at the board.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL TUNNEL - NIGHT
Kimble moves through steam tunnel beneath the hospital.
It is lined with old furniture and supplies. A few moments
later we see Sykes following.
CUT TO:
INT. HILTON HOTEL GRAND BALLROOM - NIGHT
A cordial HOST steps up to the microphone. The room is
filled with doctors seated at tables around the room. It is
the end of a dinner symposium.
HOST
Tonight to close our conference,
we're honored to hear a report from
one of the most respected men in
his field...
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Kimble exits the hospital and moves toward Hospital E1 Station.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
As the Host continues his introduction of the keynote speaker
we PAN the DAIS of distinguished medical men and women...
HOST
... He is the A. Jude Robinson
Fellow and Administrative Chief of
Pathology at Chicago Memorial
Hospital... and just recently has
been appointed member of the board
of directors for Devlin-Macgregor
Pharmaceuticals. Please welcome...
... and STOP ON Charles Nichols.
HOST
... Dr. Charles Nichols.
Nichols rises to applause and moves to the podium.
EXT. CHICAGO MEMORIAL HOSPITAL EL STATION - NIGHT
Kimble starts up the stairs to the station just as a train
is coming in. Kimble moves down the platform and boards the
downtown train. Just before the doors close Sykes steps onto
the last car. The train moves out.
CUT TO:
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Gerard stares at his board. Stevens comes to the door.
STEVENS
I checked Sykes' calls for the last
two years against Kimble's like you
asked and found nothing.
GERARD
All right. It was a thought.
He goes back to the board but Stevens isn't finished.
STEVENS
But when I cross-checked Kimble's
phone records... one came up.
Gerard looks up.
GERARD
Kimble called Sykes.
(calling)
Renfro! Get C.P.D. to bring in Sykes!
STEVENS
Night of his wife's murder -
seven-thirty in the evening from
his car.
Gerard stares at the deputy, thinking - something doesn't
click. Stevens sees the empty stare, then Gerard looks
back at his board.
STEVENS
I have the phone record right here.
GERARD
(calling)
Poole! Bring me Kimble's arrest
report, now.
(to Stevens)
No, Stevens... I believe you.
Poole enters with Kimble's arrest transcript. Gerard takes
the transcript as Renfro appears at the door.
POOLE
Sam, C.P.D. just checked Sykes'
apartment. He's not there.
As Gerard looks up, we -
CUT TO:
INT. DOWNTOWN EL TRAIN - ON KIMBLE - NIGHT
Sits in the front car. There are very few other riders.
A man with newspaper sits across the car reading. The
headlines facing Kimble say: "KIMBLE IN CHICAGO". Kimble's
booking photo stares back at him.
Kimble reacts to the headline, looks away as the man turns
the pages.
The man looks over the newspaper at Kimble, then goes back
to reading. A moment later he folds the paper back to the
front page.
The man looks up from the paper and looks at Kimble again,
then down.
Coolly the man folds the paper, tucks it under his arm,
stands, looks through the car, then moves into one of the
rear cars.
Kimble looks out the window - hoping desperately for his
car to reach the station. He keeps his head turned until
the man is gone.
ANGLE - THROUGH CENTER OF TRAIN - NIGHT
From the center of Kimble's car we see the man with the
newspaper move up to a TRANSIT COP. They begin talking.
Kimble stands, coming INTO the SHOT. We see him watching
the discussion.
Suddenly a man, sitting in the rear of the car, stands
and blocks Kimble's view of the Cop. It's Sykes. His gun
is drawn.
SYKES
Back up. Move to the door, Doc.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN - TRANSIT COP'S CAR - NIGHT
Transit Cop moves past the man with the newspaper toward
Kimble's car.
TRANSIT COP
(to radio)
This is transit unit, 23. I have a
possible sighting of Richard Kimble.
Northbound coming into the Balbo
station. Request immediate back-up
at the station.
He moves toward the connecting door to Kimble's car.
CUT TO:
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
The train is not yet to the station. He has no escape.
Sykes moves toward him.
SYKES
This is my stop, Doc.
Kimble stares hard at Sykes. He steps toward the side
exit.
KIMBLE
Good, it's my stop, too.
Suddenly the door behind Sykes opens and the Transit Cop
enters.
TRANSIT COP
Kimble.
(to Sykes)
Sir, move away from him.
Sykes - the gun tucked next to his side - turns.
The Cop sees Sykes' gun, reacts...
But Sykes FIRES first, shoots the cop FOUR TIMES.
As the Cop falls, Sykes turns quickly to finish Kimble.
But Kimble pulls the emergency brake over the door.
EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT
The brakes lock. The TRAIN SCREECHES.
INT. REAR CARS - NIGHT
Passengers are thrown off their feet. Bags and briefcases
go flying.
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Sykes is thrown forward toward Kimble who holds onto a bar
for balance.
EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT
The train stops just short of the station. Only the first
two windows of the front car are over the platform.
INT. KIMBLE'S CAR - NIGHT
Sykes is thrown to the floor - the gun slips from his grasp.
Kimble moves for the gun as Sykes comes up, catches Kimble
in the stomach, knocks him back. The fight carries on
throughout the car.
Kimble reaches the gun first, lifts it in his left hand and
aims at Sykes. Sykes sees the gun in Kimble's hand and
almost smiles.
SYKES
Go ahead. You don't have it in you .
For a moment Kimble almost fires, but instead he takes the
gun in his right hand and whips it across Sykes' face.
Then hits Sykes again and again with the butt of the gun,
driving him down the length of the car, knocking him almost
unconscious.
Kimble tucks the gun in his belt and moves to the Transit
Cop. He checks for a pulse - there is none. The Cop is dead.
Kimble takes the handcuffs and keys from the case on the
Cop's belt. He reaches for Sykes' wrist, drags him to the
Cop and cuffs Sykes to the dead Cop.
He pockets the keys and grabs Sykes' hair, pulls his face
off the floor.
KIMBLE
Not as easy as Helen, was it?
(slams Sykes' head down, leaves)
You missed your stop.
He moves to the front of the car with Sykes' and the Transit
Cop's guns out. People back out of his way. He moves to
where the first two windows extend over the platform, kicks
out the front window and...
EXT. TRAIN STATION - PLATFORM - NIGHT
... drops to the station platform. Kimble lowers his head and
moves down the uncrowded platform to the station.
INT. GERARD'S OFFICE - NIGHT
The report comes off the scanner.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
... units in the vicinity of Balbo
Street station. Be alert to possible
sighting of Richard Kimble...
Gerard, Renfro and Poole trade looks. Gerard moves toward
the door.
RENFRO
Balbo station. That's -
GERARD
(cutting him off)
Poole, get Biggs and Newman.
They're gone as we -
CUT TO:
EXT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
Police cruisers pull outside the station.
INT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
As transit police move up the escalator to the platform,
Kimble moves unnoticed through the underground mall
beneath the hotel. Deposits the guns into a mail box and
keeps moving.
INT. GERARD'S CAR - NIGHT
Renfro driving, Gerard and Pool in car. Report comes over
the radio.
POLICE DISPATCHER (V.O.)
... all units in vicinity of Balbo
E1. Officer down. Repeat, officer
down. Man leaving scene with two
guns matches description of Richard
Kimble...
Gerard looks out the window, he knows what this means.
GERARD
(quietly to himself)
Damn...
INT. HOTEL - MALL LEVEL / LOBBY - NIGHT
Kimble moves up escalators from the underground station
into the Hilton.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT
Disheveled and driven, he moves from the escalators to the
lobby - checks the list of hospitality suites and sees
board which indicates Nichols speech in the rooftop
ballroom. He moves on to the main elevators.
CUT TO:
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Nichols speaking. As he talks we MOVE TO...
ANGLE ON TABLE OF MEN
Listening - the same men we saw in the hospitality suite
when Nichols talked to Kimble. As we MOVE TIGHTER ON one
of the men, we notice his name tag says: Board of
Directors... Devlin-MacGregor Pharmaceuticals.
INT. HILTON ROOFTOP ELEVATORS - NIGHT
Kimble rides alone to the rooftop ballroom.
CUT TO:
EXT. HILTON HOTEL - NIGHT
Gerard's car pulls up in front of the hotel. Police are
controlling pedestrians. Newman and Biggs, already decked
out in Kevlar, meet him.
NEWMAN
C.P.D. just reported -
GERARD
I heard. Was it Kimble?
BIGGS
Conflicting reports, but the cops
are considering him a shooter.
Heavily-armed CPD units pull up. Gerard stares at the police
presence. He starts toward the hotel where Kelly is
conferring with Kevlar-decked police captain.
POLICE CAPTAIN
Witnesses say he entered hotel from
the subway.
KELLY
Okay. I want it locked down. Start
on the lower levels.
The captain moves off. Gerard intercepts the cop.
GERARD
That's my man in there, Kelly.
KELLY
Not since he took down one of ours,
Gerard. This is a police matter,
now. Stay, the hell, out of it.
Kelly moves off. Gerard watches him a moment then he looks
up to the roof. Newman hands Gerard his belt with his
backup piece.
GERARD
C'mon, I know where he's going.
He moves into the hotel with his deputies.
INTERCUT WITH:
LOCKDOWN MONTAGE - EXT. / INT. HOTEL - NIGHT
A) C.P.D. cruisers arriving. Cops deploying to points of
entry. Security guards keying shut parking garage and
blocking stairwells.
B) Helicopter with police sharpshooters takes off from
Meigs Field downtown and heads for the hotel.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOFTOP ELEVATORS/PENTHOUSE HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kimble exits the elevators and moves down the corridor to
the ballroom. A man tries to stop him at the doors, Kimble
simply moves him out of the way and opens the doors to:
CUT TO:
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Nichols moves to the last of his speech as Kimble enters
at the rear
NICHOLS
... And I especially would like to
thank my researchers who helped me...
Nichols stops his speech - stunned to see Kimble.
NICHOLS
Richard...
KIMBLE
What's wrong, Charlie? Surprised?
Kimble begins moving down the aisle past the tables of
doctors toward the podium.
We see the faces of Kimble's colleagues and friends from
the ballroom sequence earlier. At first no one notices
Kimble but as he makes his way toward the dais, the
applause fades and then room quiets. Whispers of:
CROWD
It's Richard. It's Kimble.
Stunned expressions.
Kimble continues to the front, talking to Nichols as if
the room were empty.
KIMBLE
After Lentz died, you were the only
one that had access to the
pathology reports.
Nichols remains calm.
NICHOLS
Reports? What are you?
KIMBLE
You switched the samples and
falsified the reports so R.D.U.90
could get approval.
NICHOLS
Richard, I don't know what you're
talking about?...
KIMBLE
I have a set of the original
samples.
Nichols stares at Kimble and for the first time we see a
flicker of concern.
KIMBLE
You almost pulled it off, Charlie.
But I know all about it now, and I
can prove it.
Nichols and Kimble hold a look. Nichols turns to the audience.
KIMBLE
Ladies and gentlemen. My friend, as
you can see, is obviously not well.
Richard, if you want to talk -
KIMBLE
I didn't come here to talk
Nichols leaves the dais and heads toward the exit.
Kimble tracks along with him - moving through the tables -
passing the table with the Devlin-MacGregor board of
directors. They are disturbed by this situation.
ON NICHOLS
Moves through a door and exits into...
HALLWAY
Kimble follows moving through the tables and people to
reach the door.
As soon as he's gone there are calls for "security." Doctors
move for the exits.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT
Gerard, Renfro, Newman, Biggs and Poole move into the lobby.
Police move to cover the lower floors.
BIGGS
C.P.D. has the perimeter, hotel
security has the parking structure.
GERARD
Let them keep busy down below.
Newman, get with security. See if
you can locate Kimble from the
monitors. Keep in radio contact.
Newman branches off to Hotel Security. The rest follow
Gerard to the rooftop elevators.
EXT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
ROARING over Chicago skyline. The bright red sign of the
Hilton Hotel looms ahead.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY / HOSPITALITY SUITE - NIGHT
Nichols moves down hallway and turns into a hospitality
suite. A moment later Kimble follow and enters the...
HOSPITALITY SUITE
... and is immediately smashed with a chair by Nichols.
Kimble goes flying, stunned. Nichols locks the door.
NICHOLS
Your best quality, Richard, is that
you don't give up -
Nichols pulls Kimble to his feet.
NICHOLS
... even when it's clearly in your
best interest to...
He hits him again, drives him back into the library.
Kimble tries to recover as Nichols relentlessly stays on
him. He pulls him up, slams him against the fire escape
doors.
NICHOLS
I always knew that I'd have to kill
you.
He drives a blow into Kimble's stomach.
NICHOLS
Now, I must thank you for giving me
200 witnesses tonight who will
support me... when I tell them it
was self-defense...
He shoves Kimble through the door out into...
EXT. FIRE ESCAPE BALCONY - NIGHT
... and almost over the railing. Kimble grabs the rail to
keep from dropping to the street. Nichols closes on him,
but Kimble rolls away at the last minute and knocks
Nichols back against the other side of fire escape.
KIMBLE
You missed your chance, Charlie...
Nichols charges Kimble, but Kimble drives him back with
two crushing blows that send Nichols down the stairs.
Kimble moves down the stairs after him - passing under a
security camera.
CUT TO:
INT. SECURITY ROOM - NIGHT
A room lined with security monitors. Two security personnel
sit in front of their console. Newman stands behind them.
On screen: We see Kimble moving down the stairs toward
Nichols, who pulls himself to his feet.
Newman stands in front of the screen, talks to his radio.
NEWMAN
(to radio)
I've got Kimble on the roof with
Nichols. Southeast exit.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HOTEL ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Gerard and deputies Poole, Biggs, and Renfro around him.
BIGGS
(to radio)
Keep and eye on him. Biggs has roof plans.
BIGGS
There are four exits to the roof.
GERARD
I want them covered.
EXT. HOTEL ROOFTOP FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT
Nichols rises to his feet, swings, but Kimble blocks the
blow and lands another that sends Nichols down another
set of stairs to the roof.
KIMBLE
You took everything away from me...
for money.
INT. BALLROOM ELEVATORS - NIGHT
Gerard and the marshals reach the ballroom floor. The
elevator doors open to a flood of confused and disoriented
doctors trying to escape. The marshals wade through, meet
up with two hotel security guards.
GERARD
This way.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble pulls Nichols to his feet. They are silhouetted by
the lights of the city skyline.
KIMBLE
I want to know, Charlie... was it
worth it...?
NICHOLS
This thing is bigger than even you
think, Richard. You can't stop it.
He hits Nichols again with tremendous force, knocking him
against the parapet. Nichols stares over the edge - the
street appears far below.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
Gerard and his deputies work their way into the ballroom.
The deputies move to separate areas. Several doctors point
them in the direction Kimble and Nichols fled.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. HOTEL SECURITY - NIGHT
Newman stands in front the security monitors and watches
Kimble and Nichols on the roof.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble reaches Nichols and draws to hit him again as the
HELICOPTER suddenly ROARS over the rooftop. Its beam hits
the two men and a VOICE booms from the helicopter:
VOICE FROM HELICOPTER (V.O.)
Chicago police. Freeze.
In the instant of shock, Nichols knees Kimble and bolts.
INTERCUT:
INT. HALLWAY / HOSPITALITY SUITE - NIGHT
Gerard moves down connecting hallway where a couple of
concerned doctors are trying to open the door to the
hospitality suite.
GERARD
(to doctors)
Clear the hallway.
(to security)
Get that door open.
The door opens and Gerard moves quickly through the
hospitality suite for the rooftop.
GERARD
(to security)
Stay at this door.
He moves through the door to the roof alone.
INT. HOTEL SECURITY - NIGHT
Newman watching the security monitors sees Kimble and
Nichols. On another monitor we see Gerard exit the suite.
EXT. ROOF - NIGHT
Nichols runs.
Kimble recovers, sees Gerard moving down the fire escape
toward him, and Nichols escaping. He goes after Nichols.
The helicopter circles back over the roof, illuminating the
rooftop in its million-candle-power beam.
HELICOPTER PILOT (V.O.)
I've got a visual on Kimble. He's
running.
INTERCUT WITH:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Kelly listens on his ratio.
KELLY
Bring him down.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Kimble chases Nichols down the roof as BULLETS from the
helicopter rip into the air conditioning duct next to Kimble.
The helicopter swings out to keep Kimble in sight.
ON GERARD
Gerard hits the bottom of the fire escape and follows.
GERARD
(to radio)
This is a United States Marshal.
Get that helicopter out of here!
ANGLE - NICHOLS
He moves away among the duct work.
Kimble follows.
Gerard continues after Kimble.
The helicopter circles and follows from above.
INT. PENTHOUSE / DOOR TO ROOF - NIGHT
Renfro triggers his radio.
RENFRO
There is a U.S. Marshal out there.
Hold your fire!
HELICOPTER'S POV
FOLLOWING Kimble. Its beam tracking Kimble across the
rooftop. He moves through the blowers and duct work.
Kimble is gaining ground on Nichols.
ON SHARPSHOOTER
He is about to fire when he hears through his radio.
RADIO (V.O.)
Hold your fire.
The shooter pulls back.
INTERCUT WITH:
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Gerard rushes across the roof toward Kimble.
ANGLE - NICHOLS
He is almost to the end of the roof when Kimble tackles
him. The two men crash against sloped glass roof of an
elevator housing.
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Inside the shaft - an elevator moves toward the roof. It
stops on the floor ten feet below the roof. THROUGH the
glass roof we see the doors open.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOFTOP - GERARD - NIGHT
Charges toward -
KIMBLE
Who slams Nichols hard against the glass. The WIRED
GLASS CRACKS and bellies with the form of their bodies.
Nichols' head rocks from the impact.
The GLASS GROANS. The wire stresses. The caulking begins
to drop.
Nichols struggles but Kimble has him in control. Slams
him down hard again.
HELICOPTER
Circles, illuminates the struggle in its spotlight and
Gerard closing.
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
The elevator doors close and the car beneath the
skylight begins to descend.
GERARD
Pulls up.
GERARD
Kimble!
Kimble slams Nichols one more time against the glass
and the wire holding the glass gives way, sending Kimble
and Nichols into...
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Kimble and Nichols, locked together, fall down the shaft
and crash onto the roof of the descending elevator car.
Nichols crashes through the ceiling into the car. Kimble
hits and slides across the roof to the edge, stopping
himself, just before he falls into the shaft. An
elevator car rushes toward him out of the blackness.
EXT. HOTEL ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Gerard reaches the elevator housing, looks down into the
shaft.
GERARD'S POV
Kimble's car disappears into the darkness.
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR CAR - NIGHT
Nichols pulls himself to his feet. Hits the emergency
stop and the doors open. He disappears into...
INT. HILTON LAUNDRY - NIGHT
... a huge industrial laundry room. Steam rises from the
giant machines.
INT. ELEVATOR CAR/LAUNDRY - NIGHT
Kimble drops from the ceiling into the car and moves
carefully into the laundry.
... like an industrial jungle. Dimly lit, filled with
DEAFENING MACHINERY. Five hundred pound bags of laundry
move from a network of ceiling tracks to a pair of
heavyduty conveyor belts and two thirty-foot long washers.
... At the other end of the washers, hydraulic presses
stamp out three-foot diameter "cakes" which are moved by
conveyor and dollies to automated dryers.
The NOISE is DEAFENING.
INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT
Gerard comes down back stairwell. Followed by Renfro.
GERARD
(to radio)
Where did the elevator stop?
INTERCUT WITH:
NEWMAN IN SECURITY
Newman checks the computer board for the elevator
position.
NEWMAN
(to radio)
Level five.
INT. LAUNDRY - NIGHT
Nichols pushes through the hanging laundry bags toward an
exit, tries the door. It is secured with a collapsible
grating with a padlock. He looks up, keeps moving.
KIMBLE
Notices the swinging bags, follows Nichols' trail. He
stops to get his bearings, sees shadow at the far end of
the room between the two washers. Kimble closes in, moving
between the large conveyors.
ANGLE - SORTING ROOM
Gerard enters sorting room with Renfro. He sees two sorters
standing by a small conveyor as he enters.
GERARD
Get out of here.
He and Renfro move around the corner where a laundry
worker is hooking a 500 lb bag of lines onto the overhead
rail. A hydraulic lift, operated by a hanging on/off
switch raises the bag on a yellow steel I-beam. The worker
takes one look at Gerard and abandons his station.
Gerard, Biggs and Renfro move to the closed doors of the
main room.
GERARD
(to Renfro)
We're going in. Give me five
minutes. Keep C.P.D. out.
He draws his Glock, opens the door and enters the main
room.
INT. LAUNDRY - ON KIMBLE - NIGHT
He moves to end of washers, using the machines as cover.
He sees the shadow again takes a pole leaning against the
dryer as a weapon, turns the corner and is about to belt
him when he realizes it's not Nichols, but a laundry worker.
Kimble moves away from the terrified man, when he hears a
voice from the other end of the laundry.
GERARD (V.O.)
(above the din)
Kimble!
Kimble reacts to Gerard's voice, moves away.
ON NICHOLS
Moving behind machinery, sees light at far end of the room
where Gerard enters.
ON GERARD
The door closes automatically behind Gerard and Renfro.
They enter the noisy main room and separate. Renfro moves
up the far side of the room, Gerard up the center. Both
move slowly through the maze of bags, carts, automated
equipment.
GERARD
... There is no way out of here.
The building is locked down.
CUT TO:
KIMBLE
Moves instinctively back into the machinery and carts near
the conveyor belts.
GERARD (O.S.)
Kimble... I know about Nichols. I
know about Sykes. Kimble stops.
ON GERARD
GERARD
... Nichols borrowed your car the
night of the murder and called
Sykes from it.
RENFRO
Separated from Gerard. He hears a NOISE behind him - a bag
comes down the track at break-neck speed, Renfro spins,
dodges it, gets his bearings and continues.
KIMBLE
Listening. He watches the movement of bags as he did with
Nichols.
GERARD
Moving through the forest of massive bags.
GERARD
... That's why there was no forced
entry at your house. He'd used your
keys.
KIMBLE
Realizing what Gerard knows. Considering his next move.
NICHOLS
Also listening. He realizes Gerard now knows he's the
killer. He moves behind the water softener tanks and
chemicals - and spots Renfro - and something else -the
hanging control for the I-beam.
GERARD
Moves carefully. Another bag comes down the track. He
dodges it and steps into an open track. From here he can
see straight back toward the washers.
GERARD
Kimble... Come meet me out here.
ON RENFRO
He steps out and then back as a bag shoots by. He ducks
under the bag - into the next track and suddenly hears a
WHIRRING sound behind him. Renfro turns as an I-beam comes
rushing down the open track and knocks him to the floor,
opening a gash across the side of his head. He lays still.
NICHOLS
Steps out of the shadows, turns him over exposing his empty
shoulder harness and takes the gun from Renfro's hand.
Nichols moves toward Gerard with the gun.
GERARD
Oblivious to this action, moves on, passes the conveyor
belts. He makes one last appeal.
GERARD
It's time to quit running... if you
don't, you know I'll stop you. He
listens, there is no answer.
KIMBLE
Starts to move out to meet Gerard, sees Renfro down. His
shoulder harness is empty. He knows Nichols is armed.
GERARD
Moves into the alley between the two giant washers. He
pauses, looks back, then continues, when he turns his back
on us...
NICHOLS
Steps INTO FRAME behind him and slowly takes aim. Just
before he fires however he hears...
KIMBLE (O.S.)
Hey, Chuckles...
Nichols turns toward the voice as Kimble swings the stick
and clocks him - sending the gun skittering on the floor
behind Gerard.
GERARD
Turns on the sound and finds his gun trained on Kimble
with Nichols at his feet, unconscious. He realizes
instantly that Kimble saved his life and lowers his gun.
Kimble, exhausted, leans against the washer.
They hold a look as deputies and police flood into the
room surrounding Kimble and handcuffing him.
INT. / EXT. HILTON HOTEL - NIGHT (LATER)
Chicago Police hold back crowds of onlookers on Michigan
Avenue. Police cars and vans, television news trucks vie
for space in front of the Hilton Towers.
Dr. Charles Nichols, on a stretcher, loaded into an
ambulance. The doors close.
REPORTERS and television cameramen line the sidewalk
giving reports and interviewing doctors from the ballroom.
We PICK UP pieces of their reports as we MOVE PAST them
TOWARD the entrance.
T.V. NEWS REPORTER
... As we reported a few minutes
ago, the saga of once-prominent
Chicago surgeon, Dr. Richard Kimble,
who escaped from an Illinois
Corrections bus, took a strange
twist this evening when Dr. Kimble
was captured at the Chicago Hilton...
ANOTHER REPORTER continues:
ANOTHER REPORTER
... there are unconfirmed reports
from police of new evidence which
may exonerate Kimble while
implicating some of the biggest
names in medicine...
The doors to the police van close amid a flurry of
photographs.
A third reporter interviews a STUNNED DOCTOR from the
ballroom:
STUNNED DOCTOR
He just walked in... We didn't know
what he was going to do. My wife
was very frightened... The next
thing I knew cops were charging in
and...
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL - NIGHT
Kimble, in handcuffs, is escorted by Biggs, Newman, Poole
and Gerard, out of the hotel into the waiting chaos.
Renfro, his head bandaged, is helped by paramedics.
EXT. HOTEL / INT. CAR - NIGHT
As soon as the group exits the hotel. Television lights
flood the scene. Kimble lowers his head. Reporters crowd
forward, yelling questions.
REPORTER
Dr. Kimble, is it true you can prove
your innocence!
Gerard wants the crowd controlled.
GERARD
(to police)
Get them back.
The marshals ant cops clear a line for Kimble to get into
a waiting car away from the media. Biggs opens the back
door and helps Kimble inside.
BIGGS
Watch your head, Dr. Kimble.
Newman climbs in behind the wheel. Gerard in the back next
to Kimble. He leans out the window and motions to Poole.
GERARD
(to Poole)
Poole, you got that thing?
(to Kimble)
Give me your hands.
Kimble pauses, then holds up his wrists and Gerard unlocks
Kimble's handcuffs.
Poole hands an ice-pack over the seat. Gerard places the
pack on Kimble' 9 bruised and battered hands.
GERARD
Take care of those hands, Doc,
you're going to need them again
soon.
KIMBLE
I thought you told me 'you didn't
care.'
GERARD
Yeah, well, don't spread it around.
They share a look of mutual respect as the car pulls away.
HELICOPTER POV
The car carrying Kimble pulls onto Michigan Avenue heading
back downtown. As we PULL BACK we see Kimble's car - at
first alone on the great avenue - then gradually joined
by other cars until finally becoming integrated in the
traffic, movement and lights of the city.
FADE OUT
THE END |
G.I. JANE
by
David Twohy
FIRST DRAFT
August 6, 1995
FADE IN:
INT. SENATE HEARING ROOM - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
Blinding in their white uniforms, naval flag officers sit
in the audience, showing their support for THEODORE HAYES,
a 50-year-old civilian. This is his confirmation hearing.
Reading from prepared material:
HAYES
... last few years have brought many
advances in the interests of women
in naval service, particularly in
the land-based maritime specialties.
What's more, the Navy has instituted
special sensitivity courses with an
eye on --
DEHAVEN
Whoa, whoa, whoa. "Land-based
maritime specialties." Gimme a
second here to de-euphemize that...
At the center of a dais, LILLIAN DEHAVEN leans back to
ponder the ceiling of the hearing room. Her plaque card
reads "CHAIRPERSON -- SENATE ARMS COMMITTEE." DeHaven is a
tough-hided old Southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara at 60.
In her arsenal she carries conversational hand-grenades --
and she's apt to pull a pin at the slightest whim.
DEHAVEN
Would that be anything like
"typing"? "Restocking the
cupboards"? That sort of thing, Mr.
Hayes?
CHUCKLES from the packed gallery. The flag officers go
stone-faced. Hayes forces a smile.
HAYES
Hardly the case, Senator.
DEHAVEN
Well, I'm just an old dame without
much time left, so you'll pardon me
if I jump right in here before they
discontinue my blood-type. I am
deeply concerned over the Navy's
seemingly incontrovertible attitude
toward women in the military. Case
in point...
On cue, aides begin distributing reports to other members
of the dais. Hayes gets a copy, too. And it jars him.
DEHAVEN
"The Lark Report."
HAYES
Madam Senator... this is an internal
document of the U.S. Navy. I must
seriously question whether --
DEHAVEN
(to others on panel)
The Navy's conclusion regarding the
crash of an F-14 aboard an aircraft
carrier. Female aviator, it just so
happens.
(to Hayes)
You're familiar with this report and
its conclusion, am I right?
HAYES
I was one member of the investigating
commission.
DEHAVEN
Yes, I see your signature right here
-- twice the size of everyone
else's. And your conclusion was
"pilot error," hmm?
HAYES
I'm really not prepared for any kind
of in-depth review of --
DEHAVEN
I'd like to think our next Secretary
of the Navy would be prepared for
anything, Mr. Hayes.
A humorless smile. She's roasting his nuts over an open
fire, and everyone knows it.
HAYES
The commission concluded that the
aviator in question failed to
execute a proper approach to the
carrier.
DEHAVEN
That aside for the moment, I'm
struck by the tenor, the ill-spirit
of your report... the degrading
remarks by other aviators...
innuendo about her performance in
unrelated situations... even a
reference to her sexual activity the
weekend prior.
(closing report)
In my seven years on this committee,
I've never seen a downed aviator
treated like this. Never. I'm
deeply disturbed by this report, Mr.
Hayes. Not just what it bodes for
women in the military -- but for
your own confirmation as well.
INT. CORRIDOR - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
Heading for her office, DeHaven is escorted by a small
PRESS RETINUE.
DEHAVEN
... a full 35 percent of all jobs in
the U.S. military are still, to this
day, off-limits to women. And
that's simply gotta change.
PRESS #1
What about those who say women
aren't suited for all jobs? That
they're physically weaker... they
have less stamina...
DEHAVEN
Sure. And we're gonna hog the
bathroom, too.
DEHAVEN'S AIDE catches up, pulls her aside.
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
White House boys want a private
meeting.
DEHAVEN
I'll act surprised.
INT. DEHAVEN'S OFFICE - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
Shoes dumped on her desk, DeHaven changes out knee-high
stockings while devoting one ear to...
WHITE HOUSE #1
... to reassure you that he has
every faith in the ability of Mr.
Hayes to guide the Navy into the
next century. The task, as the
Administration sees it, is to
acknowledge changing realities
without losing traditional values.
A beat. DeHaven looks between the two WHITE HOUSE boys --
#1 young and eager, #2 older and cagier.
DEHAVEN
'Zat it? Ten minutes, nothin' on
the table? Sweetcakes, you best go
back to the President and tell him
to open up the phone book and start
lookin' for his next nominee.
White House #1 looks spanked. Taking over, #2 pops a
briefcase. An inch-think report appears before DeHaven.
WHITE HOUSE #2
Administration's plan for 100
percent integration. If female
candidates measure up in a series of
test cases, the President will
support full integration within
three years' time.
Surprised -- maybe even startled -- DeHaven flips through
the report, absorbing by osmosis.
WHITE HOUSE #2
It's your gender-blind Navy,
Senator. Surely you're not going to
balk now.
DEHAVEN
Well, it's just that askin' you all
to integrate the Navy is like
sending a man to do a woman's job.
(a beat)
How do you propose to handle the
Combat Exclusion Laws?
WHITE HOUSE #2
Keep narrowing the definitions.
Keep redefining.
WHITE HOUSE #1
We got around it in Saudi Arabia.
DEHAVEN
By calling women "Honorary Men."
Ingenious.
WHITE HOUSE #2
C'mon, Senator, President's pitchin'
right down the center of your plate.
If women measure up to men, they've
got the job. You going to take a
swing? Or step out of the box?
DeHaven riffles the edges of the report, thinking it over.
Thinking light years ahead.
EXT. CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
Buttoning up topcoats, the White House boys move down
marble steps to reach a pair of limousines. Hayes and two
FLAG OFFICERS wait.
HAYES
Well?
WHITE HOUSE #2
(shaking hand)
Congratulations, Mr. Secretary.
INT. HAYES' LIMOUSINE - DAY
Inside the moving car:
HAYES
So she picks the women, we pick the
programs. Seals?
FLAG OFFICER #1
I'd go Special Reconnaissance.
Every bit as tough -- and we have a
60 percent drop-out rate among the
men.
HAYES
Then I suggest we start there.
FLAG OFFICER #1
Doesn't matter who she picks. No
woman is going to last one week in a
commando training course. And I
don't care who it is.
EXT. POTOMAC RIVER - WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY
Winterscape: Dotted with ice floes, the Potomac wends
through the capitol city, banks iridescent with snow,
morning water calm. There's an almost hallowed beauty to
it all. Soon we pick out...
A spot of day-glo. Coming out of the mouth of morning.
Overtaking the floes.
CLOSER on JORDAN O'NEIL. She pushes her flat-water kayak
downriver, paddling hard and clean, making good time.
Gliding through the graceful arches of the Arlington
bridge, she passes...
Cars overhead. Grid-locked by snow conditions.
In seconds Jordan paddles clear, leaving the traffic
behind as she heads toward the Washington Monument.
Something BURRS from a life-vest pocket. She rips through
velcro to free a cell phone.
JORDAN
Lieutenant O'Neil.
ROYCE (V.O.)
Gotta situation here. Where are
you? Stuck in traffic?
JORDAN
(checking dive watch)
Not due in for 22 minutes, sir.
Watcha got?
INT. SITUATION ROOM - N.I.C. - DAY
ROYCE
All right, stand by, we're going to
switch over to COMSAT...
A TACTICAL OFFICER reroutes the call via defense
satellite, cryptography flashing on terminals. Lieutenant
Commander ROBERT ROYCE joins other Intel officers at a
conference table. They're pouring over weather charts,
navigation logs, high-altitude NRO video.
TACTICAL OFFICER
Voice-system now secure...
ROYCE
(into speaker)
Okay, fresh stuff: Lost a NATO
plane over the Sea of Japan. ELB
signals leads us to believe the
pilot is alive and has made his way
to the North Korean shore, near a
fishing village, "Tamyung."
JORDAN (V.O.)
Do we know it's him using the
beacon? Not a decoy?
ROYCE
Signals received only sparingly, in
such a pattern that leads us to
conclude it is a downed aviator
trying to conserve his batteries.
JORDAN (V.O.)
Chances of recovery?
ROYCE
You're the analyst for East China,
O'Neil. Analyze.
EXT. POTOMAC RIVER - WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY
Riding the current, Jordan blows a troubled sigh as she
accesses the file of her brain. Drifting past the
Jefferson Memorial:
JORDAN
North Korean beaches are the best
protected, most heavily monitored in
the world. The civilian population
is so propagandized that it acts as
an Early Warning system. Extraction
team has to be small and silent --
I'd go with Seals over Delta Force.
Problem is, don't want to hold a
conventional sub off-shore for
target practice. Where's The Polk?
INTERCUTTING:
ROYCE
Halfway 'round the world. So that's
the problem -- we can get the team
in, just not out.
JORDAN
(an inspired beat)
Unless you Whiskey Run.
ROYCE
Blank faces here, O'Neil.
JORDAN
Quick-hit technique used by Capone.
Rigged a getaway car with running
boards and handles. All his guys
had to do was jump on and take a
ride. Check the files -- DPRK-57 --
I doped it out as a contingency
plan: Seal Team infiltrates, picks
up the package, links up with
recovery sub. But don't waste time
opening and closing hatches. They
just grab the periscope and hang on
for neutral waters.
A dubious beat.
ROYCE
You expect the extraction team to
ride the sub bare-back? Is that
correct, O'Neil?
JORDAN
Only four minutes to neutral waters,
sir. Why not?
Silence on the radio: They're discussing her scenario
privately. During, Jordan's kayak reaches the junction of
the Potomac and the Anacostia rivers. On the far bank
lies...
Naval Intel Center (N.I.C.), bristling with communication
antennae.
Jordan stares at the complex, waiting for a response.
ROYCE
All right, sending the
recommendation across the river.
Royce out.
The phone goes dead.
JORDAN
No, thank you, sir.
EXT. SECURITY STATION - N.I.C. - DAY
Bundled in topcoat and scarves, military and civilian
employees transit a security station on their way inside.
Presently Jordan appears -- wearing a wetsuit and
balancing a collapsed kayak on her head. She flashes a
photo-badge and double-times inside.
INT. CORRIDOR - N.I.C. - DAY
Jordan exits a locker room. Smoothing out her Khaki
uniform, she heads down a broad corridor with cipher-lock
doors. Falling in step:
ROYCE
That was good headwork, lieutenant.
JORDAN
Thank you, sir. We hear back from
the Pentagon?
ROYCE
(scoffing)
Probably hear back from CNN first.
JORDAN
Hate this part. Just sweating it
out on the sidelines.
ROYCE
Intel has its own glory, lieutenant
-- no matter how subtle.
Now they reach...
INT. BULLPEN - N.I.C. - DAY
A circular chamber. Dominating the ground floor is the
bullpen, a hive of cubicles an computer stations. On the
second floor are executive offices, ringing the bullpen.
ROYCE
By the way, I'll need that option
paper by 11-hundred today so I can
review it with Admiral Hanover. And
do we have any of that breakfast tea
around here?
JORDAN
(with a look)
Is this my glory, sir?
On the upper walkway, a frazzled N.I.C. SECRETARY
appears. She spots Royce and Jordan below.
N.I.C. SECRETARY
Excuse me, but I have Senator
DeHaven on the line for you.
ROYCE
Jesus God, what now?
He bounds up the stairs toward his office.
N.I.C. SECRETARY
I'm sorry, sir no -- she asked to
speak with Lieutenant O'Neil.
Royce turns back and gives Jordan a hall-of-fame look.
"Oh, really?"
INT. DEHAVEN'S OFFICE - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
DEHAVEN
(into phone)
So everyone I talk to says you're
top drawer with silk stockings
inside.
JORDAN (V.O.)
Thank you, ma'am. Um, may I ask
what this is regarding?
DEHAVEN
(reading file)
High-school pentathlete... ROTC
scholarship, graduated with
honors... top marks in Basic
Training... and, as it just so
happens, a constituent of my home
state of Virginia. Oh, the things
I'll do for one extra vote.
INT. BULLPEN - N.I.C. - DAY
On the phone, Jordan glances around. Co-workers mull
within earshot. Those out of earshot post E-mail memos on
Jordan's computer: "Moving up in life." "I want a full
report." "Don't tell her who you really voted for."
DEHAVEN
Lieutenant O'Neil, I am prepared to
nominate you for the Navy's Special
Reconnaissance program. Should you
accept, you'll ship out to Coronado
next week and join in the big
testosterone festival. Complete the
course, and you'll have a fast
ticket to any assignment you want.
That's my personal promise to you.
A beat as Jordan's mind catches up to her ears. Now
INTERRCUTTING the two:
JORDAN
"Coronado."
DEHAVEN
California.
JORDAN
I know that, sir. Ma'am. It's just
that... Beggin' your pardon,
Senator, but... do you understand
that this involves combat training?
DEHAVEN
This is just a test case, O'Neil.
But if it works out -- if you work
out -- it could well change the
Navy's official policy on women in
combat. Or, actually, its official
non-policy. Now who's your
immediate superior there?
JORDAN
Captain Dwyer. Technically.
DEHAVEN
My office will fill him in and help
expedite. Look forward to meeting
you at the proper time. Jumping off
now...
JORDAN
Uh, question, ma'am.
DEHAVEN
Yes, dear.
JORDAN
Would I be the only one? The only
woman?
DEHAVEN
There'll be more to follow -- but
yes, dear, right now you're the pick
of a very large litter. And your
success would mean a lot. Jumping,
now...
The line goes dead. Jordan hangs up catatonically.
JORDAN
Well, shit-a-doodle-do...
EXT. GUNKHOLE HARBOR - POTOMAC - NIGHT
A small gunkhole harbor up the Potomac. Snow falls thick
and silent on overturned canoes, stored for the winter.
Beyond stands a clapboard rental house.
INT. JORDAN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
It's not so much furnished as equipped -- scuba gear and
wetsuits in the mud room, life vests on coat racks, a
training bag and boxing gloves hanging in the living room.
In the kitchen we find...
A naked man. He's steeping tea.
JORDAN (O.S.)
... well, I survived Basic Training
and three brothers -- so I know how
to fight. What scares me are the
sexual politics. I don't want to be
turned into some poster girl for
women's rights.
CAMERA FOLLOWS as the naked man carries a steaming mug
through the house...
INT. BATHROOM - JORDAN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
... and sets it down beside Jordan, languishing in a tub.
Snow builds on a window sill. Facing Jordan, the man
slides into the tub.
ROYCE
So why're you even considering it?
Are you?
JORDAN
Just like you would be.
ROYCE
Spec-Recon. Those guys are world-
class warriors. And they will not
want you there, Jordan.
JORDAN
I take it you don't either. Feet.
Dutifully, Royce massages her feet.
ROYCE
Well, you're doin' shit-hot at
Intel.
JORDAN
Royce. We're the same age, we
started the same time -- and now
you're sitting in the upperdecks
while I'm still down in the bullpen.
What does that tell you about the
Navy?
ROYCE
(shaking head)
She's haze grey and underway...
JORDAN
You need operational duty to really
advance... you need combat training
to go operational... yet combat
training is off-limits to people
with tits. I'm topped out at Intel.
Forget the glass ceiling -- I'm
beating my head on a big brass
ceiling.
ROYCE
So dump on me.
JORDAN
This has nothing to do with you.
ROYCE
(getting out)
Well, guess I don't even need to be
here...
JORDAN
Get your dick back here. It has
everything to do with you.
ROYCE
You're such a ball-breaker
sometimes. Especially at night.
JORDAN
Sorry. But after our days...
(a thoughtful sip)
So if I try this thing... if I ship
out to Coronado... what happens
here?
ROYCE
I'll try to keep the door open. If
you wash out, I make it so that --
JORDAN
Wai', wait. What happens if it
works? Four months of training,
three years of operational duty.
What then?
ROYCE
(blowing a sigh)
I don't feel like doing an option
paper on the rest of my life,
Jordan. Maybe we should just let it
happen.
JORDAN
Which is guy-speak for...
ROYCE
(conceding)
Sounded lame as soon as it came out
of my mouth. But I'm trying to be
honest, okay? Three years is a long
time. Don't ask me to predict how
I'll feel then, Jordan, because I
don't know. And either do you.
JORDAN
You know, right up until you said
that -- I thought I did know.
Wounded, she gets out.
ROYCE
Jordan...
JORDAN
Thank you, Royce. It was shaping up
like such a tough call -- and then
you go and make it so goddamn easy.
Really, thank you so much.
She punches into a robe and leaves. Royce considers
drowning himself in the tub.
EXT. CORONADO BRIDGE - SAN DIEGO - DAY
Jordan drives a top-down Mustang across the sweeping
Coronado Bridge, cityscape behind her, naval base ahead.
A flock of pelicans pace Jordan alongside the bridge.
Suddenly two NAVY HELOS BLAST overhead, scattering the
pelicans.
EXT. THE GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
On base, Jordan carries a gunnysack across an asphalt
courtyard. The is "the grinder," reminiscent of a
gladiator's arena. She notices at one end...
A silver ship's bell. Hung prominently.
INT. ADMINISTRATION - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
JORDAN
Excuse me, lieutenant. I was told
this is where I check in.
A DUTY OFFICER looks up to find Jordan across a counter.
In no particular hurry, the duty officer makes his way
over to check Jordan's orders.
DUTY OFFICER
(looking up)
So you're the one.
Hearing, other workers look up. Among them is a female
ensign, KATHY BLONDELL -- no makeup, no nail polish, no
concession to her sex. Throughout, she'll watch Jordan
with more than passing interest.
JORDAN
Still don't have my bearings yet.
Direct me to the officer's quarters?
The duty officer stamps her paperwork, returns it with
room assignment and keys.
DUTY OFFICER
You'll proceed directly to the
infirmary for eye tests, blood
tests, urinalysis, pregnancy test.
Uniform issue adjacent. Then you're
to report to the Base Commander.
He'd like a word with you.
JORDAN
Fine. And the officer's quarters?
DUTY OFFICER
C.O.'s office can supply you with
directions. Enjoy your visit,
lieutenant.
It's a nasty little barb -- one that Jordan decides to let
slide. Jordan turns for the door. Blondell catches up
with a base map.
BLONDELL
B.O.Q., south side. Take a
starboard tack out the door.
JORDAN
Thank you, ensign.
BLONDELL
No problem, lieutenant.
INT. C.O.'S OFFICE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
A soft KNOCKING.
C.O.
Come.
A YEOMAN opens the door. Behind him is Jordan.
YEOMAN
Lieutenant j.g. O'Neil reporting,
sir.
For a beat, COMMANDING OFFICER (C.O.) TURRENTINE takes
stock of the female in his doorway, sizing her up like a
fighter across the ring. Then he stubs out a perfectly
good cigar, rises with an amiable face, and touches the
back of a chair -- stopping just short of pulling it out
for her.
C.O.
Yes, of course. Please, have a
seat, lieutenant...
JORDAN
Thank you, sir.
C.O.
Would you care for a beverage? Tea?
JORDAN
I'm fine, sir.
C.O.
So. We're still coming to terms
with the exact protocol for this --
for integrating the Spec-Recon
training. It may not always be
smooth, but we're trying to make it
as painless as possible for you.
JORDAN
Thank you, sir. But I expect a
certain amount of pain.
More stock-taking. Is he looking at her hair?
JORDAN
Barber was my next stop, sir.
Would've had it regulation sooner,
only --
C.O.
Don't worry about it. If it's off
your collar and out of your eyes,
that's all I'm going to ask.
JORDAN
Really, I have no problem with --
C.O.
I'm not out to change your sex,
lieutenant. You'll have separate
beds, separate heads. If you have
specific medical needs, inform the
infirmary. If a classmate or
superior acts in an harassing or
otherwise unbecoming manner, please
inform me immediately so I can deal
with it immediately. Questions?
JORDAN
None at this time, sir.
C.O.
Then that's all I have to say.
Dismissed.
Another smile, another phantom gesture on the back of her
chair. If Jordan was expecting a fight, the bell never
sounded. She rises, salutes -- then turns back at the
door.
JORDAN
Sir, I just want you to know... I'm
not here to make a statement. I
don't want to make men look foolish.
All I care about is completing the
training and getting operational
experience -- just like everyone
else, I suspect.
C.O.
If you were like everyone else,
lieutenant, I suspect we wouldn't be
making statements about not making
statements, would we?
(a beat)
Take your leave.
EXT. B.O.Q. - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
The Spec-Recon TRAINEES loiter outside their open rooms,
pumping weights, hosing down dive gear, trading Walkman
tapes. This is the last day of liberty they'll have for a
long time.
MILLER
What am I scannin' here?
Other eyes quickly lock in on...
Jordan. Across a grass courtyard, she walks the ground
floor of an identical building, trying to match key number
to room number. Every door is open, every room empty.
Soon she feels the presence of...
The men. They're disgorging from their rooms -- ten,
twenty, thirty of them -- all buffed and cut. These guys
are what Hitler saw in his dreams.
Jordan picks up her pace. Where the hell is her room?
On all three levels of their building, the men shadow
Jordan en masse. Not hooting. Not leering. Just
assessing.
Jordan finds her room at the far corner of the building:
She's got the entire floor to herself. With a last look
over her shoulder, Jordan vanishes inside.
EXT. THE GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
C.O.
Special Reconnaissance. Here you
will be trained to infiltrate
hostile territory... to be the real-
time eyes on the ground... to
recover assigned targets and, if
need be, to fight your way out under
adverse conditions.
CAMERA SURVEYS faces of the trainees: MILLER, MCCOOL,
SLUTNIK, CORTEZ, FLEA, STAMM, ENGLAND, NEWBERRY, WICKWIRE.
We'll get to know them later. Dressed in Navy greens,
they stand in formation -- ten rows, ten deep, helmets in
hand. Pacing before them:
C.O.
That is all that will be said about
the special nature of this class --
by us or by you. Many of you have
waited years for admission to this
program. Opportunities like this
are rare -- and those who seize upon
them are rarer still.
He approaches Jordan. We can tell what she's thinking.
"Just keep moving. Don't single me out."
C.O.
Other than that, there is little to
be said but "Good luck, gentleman."
(correcting)
"Gentlepersons."
Jordan flinches.
C.O.
Now I turn you over to the chief
training officer. He has earned six
naval commendations, the purple
heart, and the Navy Cross for
heroism and valor. I give you
Master Chief John James Urgayle.
Taking over, THE CHIEF stands before the class a moment,
sizing them up while giving them -- get an eyeload of him,
too: His body is 30 years old, his face 40, his eyes 50.
An ageless warrior. Somewhere, the blood of Ulysses runs
in this guy's veins.
The Chief lifts a bullhorn to deliver his opening salvo --
and it's anything but the kick-ass rant the class is
expecting:
THE CHIEF
The sun and moon... the ebb and flow
of the Pacific tides... global
warming... the very angle of the
Earth upon its axis... these are
just some of the things I control in
my world.
Trainees swap private looks.
MCCOOL
We're fucked.
SLUTNIK
Darth Vader reads poetry...
MCCOOL
We are so fucked.
EXT. BEACH - CORONADO NAVAL STATION - DAY
START on boots, crashing through shallow surf, spraying
water. We assume this is a routine beach run -- until
VIEW RISES to reveal...
Telephone poles on their shoulder. Working in groups of
10, trainees labor under 300-pound poles. Jordan, six
inches shorter than most, looks like Atlas carrying the
weight of the world. But she's doing it.
INSTRUCTOR
Count down... one, two... count
down... three, four...
CLASS CADENCE
One, two, three, four... One, two,
three, four...
An ambulance shadows the class. Perched on the front
bumper like an hood-ornament, the Chief keeps working his
bullhorn:
THE CHIEF
You may think that you are the
brightest, the best, the strongest.
I assure you, that is a total
delusion on your part. It is my job
to show you just how weak human
beings can truly be. 60 percent of
you will not finish this course.
How do I know? Because that is an
historical fact.
It's also intimidating shit.
THE CHIEF
Poles down.
The earth literally shakes as the phone poles hit the damp
sand. Approaching on foot, the Chief loads fresh
batteries into his bullhorn. He does it like a man
thumbing rounds into a shotgun.
THE CHIEF
Now for the bad new: I always like
to get one quitter on the first day.
And until I do, the first day does
not end. So look around right now
-- go on, do it. I wonder who it's
gonna be...
He passes right by Jordan, never meeting her eyes.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO steps up. He's the Chief's bulldog.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Down to BVDs!
The guys strip down to boxers. Jordan settles for boxers
and jog bra.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Now face the Pacific... link arms...
and take a stroll!
The class wades in. The first wave takes Jordan's breath
away: It's February, and the water is cold. When they
move out of instructors' earshot:
STAMM
What is it with the damn phone
poles? We sign up for Spec-Recon or
GTE?
WICKWIRE
Just trying to thin the herd.
That's all they want to do right
now.
Some of the guys are glancing Jordan's way, cashing in on
a cheap wet T-shirt contest. Jordan covers herself
instinctively -- and hates the instinct. Modesty isn't
going to get her through this.
SLUTNIK
Man. Doesn't she know it's rude to
point?
NEWBERRY
Wow. You see that girl?
WICKWIRE
I got eyes, Newberry.
SLUTNIK
One night. Just one night in my
room, she'd forget all about playin'
commando.
ENGLAND
Tone that shit down, Slutnik. You
heard with they said.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Out of the water!
The class breaks for the beach.
THE CHIEF
Now make like sugar cookies and roll
in the sand for me.
The trainees hit their bellies and roll. Indeed, they
look like sugar cookies.
THE CHIEF
Collect those poles, gentlemen.
Still a lotta beachfront you haven't
seen...
Groaning, the trainees grab poles. Jordan's pole, wet
slips from their collective grasp...
And bangs Stamm's ankle. He HOWLS through his teeth.
ENGLAND
How bad? Stamm?
JORDAN
We better get a medic over --
STAMM
No, goddamnit. No.
INSTRUCTOR
Up! Up! Up! Up!
Stamm swallows the pain. Poles go back on shoulders.
Looking like drunk centipedes, the class staggers off down
the beach.
EXT. MUD PIT - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Wallowing in mud, the class does belly-busters, atomic
sit-ups -- and the sadistic reverse push-up, where
trainees lie of their backs, place hands under shoulder
blades and push their crotches skyward.
THE CHIEF
Pain is your friend. You ally. It
will keep you awake in times of
emergency... it will tell you when
you are seriously injured... it will
keep you angry and remind you to
finish the job and get the hell
home. But you know the best thing
about pain?
CLASS
No, sir!
THE CHIEF
It lets you know that you aren't
dead yet.
Instructors roam, RASPING ORDERS, kicking students into
proper position. Jordan struggles with the reverses.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Go regulation if you can't do the
reverses, O'Neil.
She looks around. A lot of the guys are having trouble
with the reverses, not just her.
JORDAN
Thank you, sir. But I like these
just fine.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Not doin' them very fine, O'Neil.
JORDAN
I'll try anyway, sir.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
You'll try what we tell you to try,
O'Neil. Go regulation.
She switches to standard push-ups, her face disappearing
into the ooze with every downstroke. Soon the Chief's
boots slosh into FRAME. He's still looking for his human
sacrifice.
THE CHIEF
Who's it gonna be. I just wonder,
who is it gonna be...
EXT. BEACH - CORONADO NAVAL STATION - SUNSET
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
On your belly... on your back... on
your feet... on your belly... on
your back... on your feet...
Whistle-drills. Silhouetted against a lowering sun, the
students flop around like docked fish.
INT. ADMINISTRATION - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Blondell is ending her shift. She shoulders a purse and
pauses at a window, seeing...
The trainees shuffling into formation like the living
dead. Jordan is still among them.
EXT. THE GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
THE CHIEF
You have noticed a ship's bell
hanging at the west side of this
courtyard. If, at any time, you
feel you cannot continue with your
training -- that bell is your
salvation. Strike it three times,
and the ordeal is over.
Nervous eyes flick to the bell.
THE CHIEF
Yes, it is a long walk. So I'll
make it as easy as I can.
He turns his back to the class.
THE CHIEF
Now you don't have to watch me
watching you break rank. Because I
know someone here wants to do it.
CAMERA SEARCHES their faces. There isn't one trainee here
who hasn't thought about it. Including Jordan.
THE CHIEF
Now I know what you're thinking...
SLUTNIK
(low)
I'm thinkin' we could jump him right
now...
THE CHIEF
"Can I really take 15 weeks of this
bubonic asshole?" If you don't know
the answer to that question, the
answer is "No, you cannot." And
that is another historical fact. So
do it. Admit you don't have what it
takes... admit you are out of your
depth -- or we're all heading back
to the beach right now.
(waiting a beat)
Instructors! Time hack!
Following the Chief's lead, Instructors lift their dive
watches.
THE CHIEF
Six... five... four... three...
two... one... HACK!
(to class)
The time is now 12-hundred. The sun
is shining brightly. Plenty of
daylight left for another phone-pole
run...
GROANS behind him. The groans give way to the SOUND OF
BOOTS breaking rank.
INT. ADMINISTRATION - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
BLONDELL'S POV: Of a lone figure crossing to the bell.
EXT. GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
QUICK CLOSEUPS of Miller, Slutnik, Wickwire, turning to
watch someone cross the grinder. At least we know who it
isn't.
CLOSE on the Chief as the BELL RINGS THREE TIMES. He
turns around to find...
Stamm at the bell.
For the first time, the Chief looks dead-bang at Jordan.
Was he expecting her?
THE CHIEF
Leave your helmet there, Stamm.
Back to the barracks.
Stamm drops his helmet and limps away.
THE CHIEF
The rest of you should remember one
thing. The only easy day was today.
Lieutenant Wickwire? Turning it
over to you.
WICKWIRE
Cuh-lass, face right!
They march off.
INT. MESS HALL - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Dead-ass tired, Jordan slides her tray down the line,
piling on food that means nothing more than raw calories.
She heads for...
A table of trainees, one spot open. Seeing her coming,
the guys shift position. Suddenly the table is full.
ENGLAND
Better look elsewhere, O'Neil.
Jordan glares. None of them meet her eyes. She wheels
around -- and now all eyes are on her, watching her ass
walk away. FEATURE Slutnik, the walking sperm bank.
SLUTNIK
Half a night, Lord, just gimme half
a night to set her straight...
Jordan tries another table. This one, too, becomes
abruptly full. As Jordan leaves, HOLD on Miller. He's a
human eclipse -- six-three, 220, the perfect commando
physique. Instructors wish they could clone him.
MILLER
Average woman is 25 percent body
fat. That's one-quarter fat, man.
Think about that.
MCCOOL
Nice distribution, though.
MILLER
No way does she makes this program.
No way.
After wandering the mess hall like a homeless person,
Jordan finds refuge at a table with female mess stewards.
They look at her with blank faces. No understanding. No
compassion.
EXT. B.O.Q. - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Jordan walks in a bathrobe, toweling her hair dry. She
fishes for keys at her door.
VOICE
It's not so much that they hate
you...
Jordan looks. Someone is sitting on an outdoor table,
smoking. He leans into the light so she can see his face.
It's Wickwire, the mid-30s lieutenant who doubles as class
officer. He's dangerously handsome.
WICKWIRE
They're more afraid of you.
JORDAN
Well, now I feel so much better.
WICKWIRE
It was made clear before you came --
harassment equals career suicide.
Can't say anything good, so they
don't say much at all. To your
face, anyway.
JORDAN
Whose orders were those?
WICKWIRE
It was made clear.
(getting up)
Anyway, stay ballsy. First week's
hell, then it levels out. Until
S.E.R.E. training, anyway. That's
hell-and-a-half.
JORDAN
And how do you know that?
WICKWIRE
Made it to Week 10 last time.
JORDAN
I didn't know they let you try
again. Especially at your age.
WICKWIRE
You're kind of a surprise yourself.
A faint grin from Wickwire before he shadows back across
the courtyard that separates the two B.O.Q. buildings.
Back across no-man's land.
INT. JORDAN'S B.O.Q. - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Two beds. Matching lockers. A desk, a chair, a mirror.
All overwhelmingly dull.
Jordan drops the robe off her shoulders to take inventory
of her body. Both sides of her neck are bruised from the
phone-pole run. Her back and thighs are sand-burned.
Mirror cuts abound. She's already a mess.
Jordan uncaps some cologne. It's a vestige of her old
life she's not going to surrender. She sniffs. Savors.
Dabs. Looks back in the mirror...
And breaks out laughing. It's like dropping a rose in a
cesspool.
EXT. SILVER STRAND HIGHWAY - CORONADO - DAY
A PHOTOGRAPHER stands near a car parked just outside the
base. He's peering through a 600mm lens.
PHOTOGRAPHER'S POV: FOCUSING through cyclone fencing...
PANNING past the sand dunes... and finding green-clad
trainees gathered at an obstacle course.
EXT. OBSTACLE COURSE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
An explosion of sand: England and Wickwire belly-flop
into a sand pit and speed-crawl under barbed wire. Clear,
they gain their feet and blitz toward...
The rolling logs. They balance-beam their way to...
The rope climb. Racing to the top, they reach a platform
and fling themselves down onto...
The high poles. They land awkwardly, losing their wind
and their grip, tumbling into the sand pit below before...
Racing for the finish. The Chief thumbs a stopwatch.
THE CHIEF
England, 88 seconds. You're good to
go for the slide-for-life.
Wickwire, roll back till you get
south of 90.
WICKWIRE
Fuck. Yes sir.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Who'd you kiss to get back in here,
anyway?
Wickwire dusts off and starts back for...
The starting line. Stepping up next is Cortez, the human
fighting cock. Jordan lines up beside him and psyches up
for the first obstacle -- and eight-foot sheer wall.
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
Hang on, here...
He grabs something off a truck and positions it at the
base of the wall. It's a little two-step platform.
SNICKERS, MOANS from the guys. Cortez can barely contain
his disgust.
CORTEZ
Aw, what is this...
JORDAN
(mortified)
Sir...
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
Don't have to use it, O'Neil, but
it's gotta go out.
(calling out)
Five... four... three...
JORDAN
I can make this wall without --
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
... two... one... MARK!
Cortez blurs away. Jordan starts a step late.
Cortez takes the wall clean. Eschewing the two-step,
Jordan jumps right over it -- but jumps too far out
because of it. She takes the wall awkwardly.
INTERCUT the others as they break rank to follow, eager to
see Cortez blow her off the course.
CLASS
Lesgo, Cortez, LESGO, GO, GO!
Cortez belly-flops into the sand pit -- and snags going
under the barbed wire.
CORTEZ
Shit of a saint...
Catching up, Jordan clears the wire without a hitch and
leads going into...
The rolling logs. They both tight-rope across nimbly and
bound on toward...
Rope climb. Jordan starts up at a decent clip -- but
Cortez comes from behind like a chimp on white sugar,
doubling her speed.
CLASS
Take her, take her here, Cortez...
lookit that monkey-man go... hoo-
yah, hoo-yah...
Cortez reaches the top platform. Now he's faced with...
The high poles. He's seen others land sideways and pay
the price. Trying another way, Cortez takes a flying
leap...
And WHUMPS down with legs astraddle. He tried to cushion
the landing with his hands -- and failed magnificently.
His balls took the brunt.
Jordan WHUMPS down beside him with legs astraddle -- and
shoots Cortez a "Hey, no problem" look. She rolls off the
poles...
And drops to the pit below. Cortez lands right behind.
Now it's a flat-out sprint for...
The finish line. He takes her at the tape.
THE CHIEF
Cortez, 93 seconds. O'Neil, 94.
Cortez, do a little rescue-recovery
on your gonads and line up again.
O'Neil... move ahead.
Heading back to the starting line, Jordan wheels around.
JORDAN
Say again, sir?
THE CHIEF
You heard me. Move on.
CORTEZ
Aw, this is such bullshit...
Others GRUMBLE in commiseration. Jordan flushes with
anger.
JORDAN
Chief, sir, I don't understand
why --
THE CHIEF
Educate her, Pyro.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Automatic five-second deduction,
which slips you under the wire.
It's called "gender-norming," O'Neil
-- standard procedure for all
females in physical training
courses. Where you been the last
few years?
JORDAN
What "all females"? If I'm the
only --
THE CHIEF
Twice now, I have said the words
"move on."
He turns his back, leaving no possibility of discussion.
Jordan stares after.
SLUTNIK
Can't live with them, can't kill
them. What's the point?
MCCOOL
Somebody throw a tent over this
circus.
WICKWIRE
(low to Jordan)
Just let it go. If it's in your
favor, just shut the hell up and
take it.
EXT. B.O.Q. - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Dressed in bathrobe, Jordan reaches her door. She pauses
to check...
The outdoor table. No visitors tonight.
INT. JORDAN'S B.O.Q. - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Jordan pushes inside -- and stops when she sees the little
two-step platform. That awful crutch. Someone has put it
beside her bed.
Jordan wheels around to check...
EXT. B.O.Q. - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
The men' building. Slutnik and a few others loiter on a
balcony, mirroring her stare.
EXT. CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Hastily dressed, Jordan marches across the base. Her
march turns into an angry run as she cuts through parking
lots... jumps hedges... and finally reaches...
EXT. C.O.'S HOUSE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
An on-base bungalow. Jordan bangs on the front door until
the C.O.'S scowling face appears.
JORDAN
Pardon the hour, sir. But you told
me to come to you immediately if I
felt I was being mistreated in any
way.
C.O.
Didn't take long.
He waves her inside.
INT. C.O.'S HOUSE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
C.O.
All right, lieutenant, give me a
name and specifics, I'll have the
X.O. file an action first thing in
the morning.
(waits)
A name?
JORDAN
It's you, sir. And it started the
day I came here.
C.O.
(jolted)
Oh, really.
JORDAN
It's this double-standard, the
separate quarters, the deferential
treatment. It's how you pulled out
my chair and nearly served high tea
the first time we met.
C.O.
Because I was civil, now you're
complaining.
JORDAN
I can't afford civility, sir. How
am I supposed to fit in with these
guys when you've got me set up as an
outsider? Even if I make it under
these rules, I still lose, because
there'll always be a flag in my file
-- "Yeah, she made it, but..." I
mean, really -- why didn't you just
issue me a goddamn petticoat to wear
around the base?
C.O.
Did you just have a brain-fart?
JORDAN
Pardon?
C.O.
Did you just barge in here and curse
at your base commander? If so, I
regard that as a bonafide brain-
fart, and I resent it when people
fart inside my home.
JORDAN
I think you've resented me from the
start, sir.
Now, finally, her opponent steps into the ring. And he's
a bare-knuckle brawler.
C.O.
(building)
What I resent, lieutenant, is some
politician using my base as a test
tube for her grand social
experiment. What I resent is the
sensitivity training that is now
mandatory for my men... the day-care
center I have to build where an
officer's lounge used to be... and
the OB/GYN I have to keep on staff
just so someone can keep track of
your personal pap smears.
(drawing close)
But most of all, lieutenant, I
resent your perfume, however subtle
it may be, competing with the aroma
of my fine three-dollar-and-fifty-
nine cent cigar, which I will
happily put out this very instant if
the phallic nature of it happens to
offend your goddamn fragile
sensibilities. DOES IT?
JORDAN
No, sir.
C.O.
No, sir, WHAT?
JORDAN
The shape doesn't bother me. It's
just that goddamn rotten stench.
A dangerous beat -- before the C.O. disengages.
C.O.
Well. 'Least now we're talking the
same language.
(a beat)
So one standard. Is that what
you're after?
JORDAN
Same rules for everyone, sir.
C.O.
Straight up?
JORDAN
Across the board, sir.
C.O.
And if you just happen to wash out,
I won't have to contend with you
bitchin' to some hairy-chested
female Senator? And please note I
did not identify any one in
particular.
JORDAN
Wouldn't dream of it, sir.
A deciding beat.
C.O.
Then good night.
JORDAN
So I'll get a fair shot?
C.O.
You'll get everything you want,
O'Neil. Let's see if you want what
you're gonna get.
INT. BARBER SHOP - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Jordan gets her hair cut to regulation length. It's over
in seconds.
INT. ADMINISTRATION - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Jordan slaps down old room keys and new orders. Blondell
scans the paperwork with deepening concern.
BLONDELL
This some kind of joke?
INT. JORDAN'S B.O.Q. - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Jordan tosses her belongings into a laundry bag. She
slings the bag over her shoulder, boots aside the hated
two-step on her way out...
EXT. B.O.Q. BUILDING - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
... marches across the no-man's land...
INT. B.O.Q. ROOM - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
... and bangs open a door. Slutnik sits up on his bed.
SLUTNIK
Well, who the shit you think you
are? Comin' in here like that?
JORDAN
Your new roommate.
Slutnik's face curdles. Jordan dumps her bag on an open
bunk and starts unpacking.
JORDAN
Anybody usin' these drawers here?
SLUTNIK
Hey, hey, HEY. No possibility. You
can't stay in here. You can't sleep
right next to me.
JORDAN
Funny, the C.O. says I can.
She slaps orders on his chest, continues to unpack.
SLUTNIK
Aw, lookit this, lookit this --
she's bringin' Tampax in here.
C'mon, you got nothin' but rooms
over there.
JORDAN
That your desk? I'll take this one.
SLUTNIK
WOULD YOU JUST GET OUTTA HERE?
JORDAN
(whirling on him)
Listen, Sex Ape. I'm here to stay.
And if you don't want me for a
roommate or classmate, you got two
options -- move out or ring out.
End of file.
Slutnik stalks out. Jordan fires a look at the innocent
bystander here, McCool. He was studying at his desk when
the fireworks began.
JORDAN
What about you, McCool? Any problem
with the room assignment?
McCool -- an imperturbable black lieutenant -- just goes
back to his manuals.
MCCOOL
"It's not a job -- it's an
adventure."
EXT. OCEAN - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
START on flares igniting overhead. FOLLOW the flares as
they parachute down into the surf to illuminate...
The class, standing in one long line, arms linked. As
black waves knock out their legs, we're reminded of show
girls kicking their way through some macabre review.
EXT. BEACH - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Firing flare guns and working their bullhorns:
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
58 degrees this morning! That's not
a bad water temp, really -- if
you're standing where we are!
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
Slurred speech, lack of proper motor
control, short-term amnesia -- all
early signs of hypothermia!
Advanced hypothermia is easy to
detect in a classmate! He'll look
like he's dead!
THE CHIEF
Body heat. In situations of extreme
cold, you can always count on body
heat to keep you alive -- and I do
not mean your own. We will break
you of the cultural barriers that
dictate you should not invade
another man's space. Are any of you
in a situation of extreme cold right
now?
INTERCUTTING trainees and instructors:
CLASS
Yes, sir!
THE CHIEF
Then why aren't you all over the man
next to you?
The class pivots 90 degrees and starts to close rank.
Behind Jordan, Montgomery (a.k.a. "Flea") hesitates:
He's a bantam-weight from Georgia, his manners bred into
the bone. He just can't find a delicate way to grab
Jordan without mounting her.
JORDAN
Just do it, okay?
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
If you can't feel the other guy's
pecker, you ain't in tight enough!
I want nuts to butts!
JORDAN
Come on, Montgomery...
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
Flea! O'Neil! Why is there a break
in that line?
Finally Jordan grabs Flea by the neck, pushes him ahead
and mounts him. The class closes down into a long human
snake.
JORDAN
(in his ear)
Montgomery, why do they call you
"Flea"?
FLEA
It's really "F. Lee Montgomery" --
but that gets whittled down to just
"Flea." For short, ma'am.
JORDAN
So it really has nothing to do with
actual brain size?
FLEA
No, ma'am.
JORDAN
Well, Flea, I appreciate the respect
you just showed me. But I don't
need it and don't want it -- not
that kind of respect, anyway. It's
just gonna hurt us both, okay?
FLEA
I'll work on it, ma'am.
JORDAN
Do that.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
(to the Chief)
Time.
THE CHIEF
Check your watch, Pyro. Seems fast.
CAMERA POLLS the grim, blue-lipped faces in the water.
Jordan feels Flea starting to shake. Badly.
JORDAN
Hey. You okay, Flea?
FLEA
'Snot me. It's him.
Two bodies ahead, it's the big bruiser, Miller, who's
shuddering. Jordan feels him shaking through Flea.
MILLER
Jesus, my hands... they aren't
workin' right...
NEWBERRY
How long i'zis for?
WICKWIRE
'Sposed to be 20-minute intervals,
no more.
NEWBERRY
Swear each time's gettin' longer.
MCCOOL
This where you bailed last time,
Wick?
WICKWIRE
Huh-uh -- but wasn't middla February
last time, either.
FLEA
How you doin', Miller? Miller?
No answer. Bad sign. On shore:
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
22 minutes...
Ignoring, the Chief lifts his bullhorn:
THE CHIEF
Remember, all this is completely
voluntary. For any of you who don't
want to continue, Instructor Johns
is now serving coffee and danish at
the ambulance.
A portable light comes on. Indeed, an instructor is
setting up coffee service.
THE CHIEF
Any takers?
SLUTNIK
He's the fuckin' Antichrist.
MCCOOL
Wick! They really got donuts over
there? Or just some'a last night's
dinner rolls?
FLEA
Look like donuts to me...
JORDAN
(in disbelief)
What're you guys doing? Huh?
MCCOOL
Just askin'
JORDAN
What, you gonna give it all up for a
maple twist? How dumb you gotta be?
That's exactly what they --
Suddenly the line rips apart. It's Miller, breaking for
shore.
CLASS
NO!
Soon the dyke is bursting everywhere: Four others break
rank, following Miller's lead.
The deserters stagger onto the beach. MEDICS close in
quick, draping them with blankets, shining flashlights in
their faces, asking brain-check question.
MEDICS
Tell me what day this is... look at
me now... what city are you from,
sailor... here, look right here...
A medic nods to the Chief. No hypothermia. Not yet.
THE CHIEF
You want another minute to think
about this? Huh?
(no response; to
Miller directly)
Do any of you want to reconsider?
Avoiding his eyes, Miller wags his head.
THE CHIEF
Johnson. Get 'em out of my scan.
It's a death sentence. As the quitters slouch for the
coffee truck...
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
By my watch... which, of course
appears to be broken... they've been
in 27 minutes without the benefit of
protective gear.
TIGHT on the Chief. Scanning the remaining trainees.
Thinking about holding out out for one more.
TIGHT on Jordan. Knowing who he's waiting for. Wondering
if she can outlast him.
THE CHIEF
(into bullhorn)
Everybody out.
With a SHIVERING CHEER, the trainees stampede ashore,
grabbing blankets, trading body-bumps and high-fives.
Jordan gets swept up in the esprit: They've conquered a
common enemy. But when she tries to get high-fived...
The guys turn their backs. It's a cold rebuff, worse then
any water.
HOLD TIGHT on Jordan. Shivering. Watching the guys drift
away. Hating them.
WICKWIRE
Hey. Way to gut it out.
JORDAN
Thanks, Wick.
INT. INSTRUCTOR'S OFFICE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
The instructors are shuffling muster lists, reorganizing
the class. B.G., the BELL TOLLS again and again.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
(shaking head)
Miller. Thought the guy was made of
depleted uranium. Really didn't
expect to lose him.
THE CHIEF
Every class has its surprises, Pyro.
This one'll be no different.
EXT. GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Blondell crosses the grinder with another female ensign,
tall and striking. Passing the bell, Blondell checks
on...
The helmets lined up beneath. A dozen already.
An O.S. CADENCE CALL -- then, led by Wickwire, trainees
double-time into the grinder, uniforms drenched from a
beach run. Among them, still, is Jordan. It brings a
Mona Lisa smile to Blondell's face.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Change those clothes, be back here
in six minutes! And I am timing
you!
The class scatters. Slutnik hits the brakes when he sees
Blondell and her friend.
SLUTNIK
Jesus Christ. And I only got three
minutes apiece...
ENGLAND
(jerking him away)
Barkin' up the wrong dress, Slutnik.
You ain't their type.
Overhearing, Jordan snaps a look at Blondell, only now
realizing. Their eyes meet.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
O'Neil! What're you gawking at?
INT. C.O.'S OFFICE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
P.R. FLAK
(reading newspaper)
"... last week at Coronado. The
woman, identity unknown, is believed
to be the first female candidate for
the elite Special Reconnaissance
program. Her presence could signal
a shift in the Navy's long-standing
policy that excludes women from
combat positions."
The P.R. FLAK drops the newspaper on the C.O.'s desk.
It's the San Diego Tribune. Under the headline "G.I.
JANE," a photo shows a chesty sailor running the obstacle
course.
C.O.
(calling O.S.)
I'm asking again. Where is she?
YEOMAN
Inbound now, sir. Had to pull her
out of the dive bell.
P.R. FLAK
I have interview requests from two
local TV stations. And a
sociologist from U.C. San Diego
called, wanted to know if she could
examine the interaction between
"G.I. Jane" and the men.
C.O.
"A sociol..." Kill the interviews.
I don't need civilians nosin' around
in matters that are supposed to be
covert in nature. Just kill 'em
before this whole thing gets outta
con --
YEOMAN
Senator DeHaven calling, sir.
The C.O. gets an instant headache.
INT. SENATE BARBER SHOP - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
C.O. (V.O.)
Base Commander Turrentine speaking.
In the Senate barber shop, DeHaven is having her hair
colored. She holds a fax of the Tribune article in one
hand, a cell phone in the other.
DEHAVEN
(hitting like a Scud)
Commander, are you of the habit of
letting photographers traipse around
your base snappin' their fill?
These were supposed to have been
discreet test cases --
INTERRCUTTING:
C.O.
Senator, they stand out on the
public highway with telephoto
lenses --
DEHAVEN
-- and now I got reporters from
Toadsquat, Iowa, calling my office
and askin' what I know about this
"G.I. Jane" thing.
C.O.
-- nothing I can do about it unless
you're suggesting I infringe on
their civil liberties -- which I'd
happily do if you'll just trim a
little fat off the Constitution.
DEHAVEN
Are you truly mouthin' off to a
senior member of the Senate Arms
Committee? I mean, I'll give you
points for style -- just nothin' for
smarts.
INT. C.O.'S OFFICE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
The C.O. double-takes as Jordan enters: She's sun-burned,
wind-burned, sand-burned, chapped and chaffed, bloody and
soggy. Her dive suit leaks onto the floor.
JORDAN
See me, sir?
C.O.
You makin' friends with the press,
lieutenant?
He tosses her the paper. Jordan scans the article as
DeHaven continues over speakerphone:
DEHAVEN
Well, seein's how this thing is out,
you let me handle the r.p.m. From
this point forward, I want all press
matters coordinated via my office.
I'll be god-damned if I'm gonna
watch Hayes pull flowers out of his
ass and take credit for this one.
Him or the President.
(aside to beautician)
This my shade? "Midnight Mahogany"?
'Cuz I'm comin' dangerously close to
lookin' like Ronald Reagan here.
C.O.
Your prerogative, Senator.
DEHAVEN
Awright. How's our girl doin',
anyway?
C.O.
Standing right here in my office.
DEHAVEN
Jordan, dear. How are they treating
you?
JORDAN
(catching C.O.'s
eyes)
Can't complain, ma'am.
DEHAVEN
Hmmm. Maybe I'll ask when I see you
in person.
JORDAN
Uh, ma'am.
DEHAVEN
Gonna be visiting that all-woman's
America's cup team in a few weeks --
If I were a gambler, I'd say Dennis
O'Conner's days are numbered. But
they're in San Diego, so I thought
I'd take a quick promenade of the
base.
Deafening silence. We aren't sure who dreads the idea
more -- the C.O. or Jordan.
C.O.
Uh, V.I.P. security arrangements
generally take some time, Senator.
DEHAVEN
"Security"? What the hell you
talkin' about? Your base isn't
secure?
C.O.
Of course, but there's more --
DEHAVEN
Then set out the good plates, we'll
all have lunch. My office will
follow up with details. Jumping
off, now...
Phone goes dead. The C.O. gives Jordan a look one might
reserve for a lab technician who inadvertently unleashed
Ebola upon the world.
JORDAN
Sir, I want you to know that I had
nothing to do with any of this. Not
this article, not --
C.O.
"We'll all have lunch." Good idea.
Oh, and let's be sure to invite this
sociologist, too -- just in case we
want to have a FUCKING BRIDGE GAME
AFTERWARDS!
YEOMAN
Sir? Secretary Hayes calling.
The C.O.'s headache becomes a migraine.
JORDAN
(backing out)
Permission to leave, sir?
C.O.
Permission to evaporate, O'Neil.
INT. SENATE BARBER SHOP - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
DeHaven hands the phone to her aide. He's set up a
portable office in the next barber chair.
DEHAVEN
Think I overplayed it?
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
Congress and the Pentagon share a
lot of plumbing. They'll never know
whose leak it is.
EXT. BEACH - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
150-pound rubber boats ("Zodiacs") litter the beach. The
class is breaking down into six-man crews.
THE CHIEF
Boat Five -- Wickwire, Cozad, Vinyl,
Intagliata, Ayers, and Wise.
Lieutenant Wickwire is your senior
officer. Follow his orders to your
death.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Get it up!
Crew Five finds their Zodiac, hoists it onto their heads.
THE CHIEF
Boat Six -- England, O'Neil, McCool,
Montgomery, Cortez, and Slutnik.
Lieutenant England is your senior
officer.
Jordan rolls her eyes: At least two of the guys in her
crew are blue-ribbon misogynists. Cortez and Slutnik
don't like it any better.
JORDAN
Ah, c'mon...
CORTEZ
Motherachrist...
SLUTNIK
Me? Again?
THE CHIEF
(looking up)
Somebody got a problem with the
muster?
JORDAN
Fine by me, sir!
CORTEZ
No problem, sir!
SLUTNIK
Full of joy here, sir!
Exchanging looks across their Zodiac, Jordan and her new
crewmates lift the boat overhead.
THE CHIEF
Boat Seven...
EXT. BEACH - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
With BATTLE CRIES, 12 boat crews charge into the teeth of
the POUNDING SURF. Some lose their boat to the first
wave; others clear the surf and scramble aboard.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
(into bullhorn)
First crew to finish gets hot food
and warm racks for the night! Rest
of you are digging hide-sites and
eating earthworms tonight!
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
Beyond the breakers, the Zodiacs run parallel to shore,
crews paddling furiously, racing the wind, the sun, the
other crews. Instructors shadow in power boats,
stopwatches running.
EXT. BOAT SIX - OCEAN - DAY
McCool
Don't wanna be pickin' no sandcrabs
outta my ass tonight!
ENGLAND
So shutup and stroke, McCool!
SLUTNIK
Hoo-yah! Hoo-yah!
Flea checks on Jordan. She paddles hard, really digging
in. Flea grins: On some level, he has to admire this
women.
Jordan catches the grin, gives one back.
Ahead, buoys mark the finish line. And just when it seems
victory is at hand...
THWUNK. Something hits Boat Six. Suddenly it's losing
air. Jordan torques around to see...
The Chief on a nearby boat, speargun in hand.
THE CHIEF
Your boat just hit razor coral.
What do you do now?
ENGLAND
Patch and pump! C'mon! Whose ass
is on the kit?
MCCOOL
I say keep paddlin'! We're
almost --
ENGLAND
Forget it, McCool! Pri One is to
save the boat, not win a race! So
let's get on it!
They flail to save their sinking boat. Boat Five noses
past, stealing the lead. Wickwire tosses Jordan a passing
look. "Sorry, but..."
EXT. UPPER DUNES - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Up and down the dunes, crews are digging "hide-sites" --
six-man holes that will be their homes tonight. Cortez
and Slutnik are uprooting shrubs, collecting camouflage
material.
CORTEZ
Four years I petition to get into
this program. Four years. Finally
get here, and now it's co-ed? Such
bullshit. Now I'm gettin' hammered
just 'cuz she's on our crew.
SLUTNIK
Least you don't have to sleep with
her every goddamn night.
CORTEZ
Tellin' you, I'd rather be the last
class with balls than the first one
with chicks.
CUT TO:
EXT. UPPER DUNES - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Jordan and Flea fill sand bags to shore up the walls of
their hide-site. England and McCool shovel back to back.
MCCOOL
Had a grandaddy who wanted to be a
Navy man. Wanted to fire them big
guns on a big-ass battleship. But
Navy said to him, "Oh, no. You can
only do one thing on a battleship."
"Well what's that?" grandaddy said.
"Cook," they said. Now this ain't
100 years ago -- I'm talkin' United
States Navy, middla World War II.
And you know the reason they gave
him? You know why they tol' my
grandaddy he couldn't fight for his
country?
ENGLAND
He talked too much?
MCCOOL
"Negroes can't see at night. Bad
night vision."
JORDAN
You're kiddin' me.
Jordan jumps in the hole, ready to take over shoveling.
MCCOOL
See, you just the new nigger on the
block, O'Neil. That's all. And
maybe you moved in too early.
He climbs out. HOLD on Jordan, looking off down the
dunes, seeing the other crews covering up and going
underground for the night. How the hell did she wind up
here? So far from home?
EXT. SILVER STRAND HIGHWAY - DAY
A Jeep speeds along the public highway, carrying the C.O.
back to base. When the Jeep tops a rise:
C.O.
What in God's name...
Ahead, a half-dozen news crews are camped on the shoulder.
All cameras are trained on the base.
INT. BEDROOM - GEORGETOWN APARTMENT - NIGHT
CAMERA FINDS Navy dress blues laid out on a bed... topcoat
draped on a chair-back... CNN on a television.
CNN COMMENTATOR (TV)
... is denying that it is
considering changing its long-held
policy of exclusion -- but it isn't
denying the presence of at least one
female in a heretofore all-male
program. Dubbed "G.I. Jane" by the
media, this woman is now undergoing
commando training at the Special
Warfare Command Center in San
Diego...
Half-shaven, Royce leans out of the bathroom in time to
catch...
Footage from Coronado: A woman in Navy greens is on a
beach run, loaded down with backpack and M-16. The NEWS
FOOTAGE ZOOMS IN, FREEZE FRAMES with the indelible image
that will be used over and over in coming weeks: Woman
cradling rifle. Madonna for the 21st century.
ROYCE
Goddamn. My poster girl.
CNN COMMENTATOR (TV)
Senator DeHaven's office still has
not released the identity of the
woman, but DeHaven is confirming
that "G.I. Jane" has outlasted many
of her male counter-parts in the
program, said to be one of the most
grueling anywhere. Joining us now
on "Washington Tonight" for the
feminist perspective is Gloria
Allred, live from --
Royce snaps it off. He can't take anymore.
INT. BEAU-ART HALL - WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT
Beneath the coffered ceiling of a great Beau-Art hall, one
of Washington's power-tribes is celebrating. We find
gowned women, tuxedoed men, gold-braided naval officers, a
SWING BAND, and...
Secretary Hayes, newly confirmed. He beams as he dances
with his wife. Compliments and friendly barbs come from
all directions:
COMPLIMENTS (O.S.)
Congratulations, Mr. Secretary. Say
hello to the President for me...
Maybe now you can change that carpet
in your office, Teddy... So what was
the deal you made with DeHaven? Or
was it the Devil? Always get them
confused...
HAYES
Didn't you hear? Effective
immediately, all navy vessels can no
longer be referred to as "she."
BRAYS of laughter.
CUT TO:
INT. BEAU-ART HALL - WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT
Royce, EXCUSING his way through the crowd, fixating on the
bar, leading his DIAL-A-DATE winner by the hand.
Conversations drift into earshot:
VOICE #1
... women are child-bearers. Life-
givers. Now we're going to make
them killers?
VOICE #2
... just don't have the upper-body
strength...
VOICE #3
How strong do you need to be to
launch a rocket? To push a button
or pull a trigger?
Royce can't get away from it.
DIAL-A-DATE
Are we going to dance?
ROYCE
Not right now.
Just yards from the bar, a Pentagon E-RINGER snags Royce's
elbow.
E-RINGER
Commander Royce. How's life across
the river?
ROYCE
Little slow, sir. When's the
Pentagon going to send me a good
crisis?
E-RINGER
I'll check my out-basket in the
morning. Say, do you know...
The E-Ringer turns to make introductions -- but finds his
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS embroiled in the topic du jour:
CIRCLE #1
... but men have trained as athletes
for 5,000 years. Women have been at
it for, what, couple of decades? Do
we really know the limits of their
strength?
CIRCLE #2
Or their endurance? You know, 30
years ago, women marathoners were 90
minutes off the pace of the men.
Now, the women's time is probably
only 20 minutes off.
CIRCLE #1
Try 15.
CIRCLE #3
But what do female soldiers really
contribute? I mean, why is this
"G.I. Jane" there instead of a man?
Eyes drift to Royce, inviting him into the fray.
ROYCE
(to dial-a-date)
You wait right here. I'll get the
drinks.
INT. MEZZANINE - BEAU-ART HALL - NIGHT
Heading upstairs with an iceless rum. Royce finds a calm
and secluded place to get drunk in peace and quiet.
VOICE #1
Take my word for it. It's just not
going to happen. Not now, not
anytime soon.
VOICE #2
You're guaranteeing that?
Royce frowns: He thought he was alone. He tracks the
voices to a forced-air vent beside the chaise.
VOICE #1
I have it on unorthodox but reliable
authority that combat positions will
remain off-limits. Despite what's
happening with our Babe in Boyland.
Alarms go off in Royce's head. He moves quickly to a
railing, looks down.
ROYCE'S POV: Of two naval officers on the floor below.
They stand beside a matching vent. It's impossible to see
faces from this angle -- but one man has a distinct bald
spot.
NAVAL OFFICER (VOICE #1)
Well, isn't that what these test
cases are supposed to decide?
(thinking)
Unless, of course, you're suggesting
that "G.I. Jane" is on her way to
becoming "Jane Doe"...
BALD SPOT (VOICE #2)
All I'm saying is that we won't be
integrating -- despite the rhetoric
coming off Capitol Hill, despite
what's happening in Coronado. And
you did not hear it from me.
NAVAL OFFICER (VOICE #1)
Hear what?
A conspiratorial handshake. The men split up.
INT. BEAU-ART HALL - WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT
Royce flashes down the stairs. Hitting main floor, he
looks around and then bumps into...
DIAL-A-DATE
There you are. Can we please dance
now?
Over her shoulder, Royce spies Bald Spot heading for the
cloak room. Royce commandeers the nearest J.O.
ROYCE
Lieutenant!
J.O.
Yes sir?
ROYCE
Take a dance!
INT. BEAU-ART HALL - WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT
Royce bobs and weaves through the crowd, trying to keep
sight of...
Bald Spot. Pushing through the exit doors.
Only steps behind, Royce shoulders through the doors...
EXT. BEAU-ART HALL - WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT
And blasts outside, intending to shake some answers out of
Bald Spot. But here Royce finds...
A dozen naval officers waiting for their cars. All of
them now wear caps.
Royce tries to check faces of the quickly departing men.
but it could have been anyone.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
A high-speed transport ("Seafox") is SLAMMING OVER SWELLS.
Lashed to one side is a rubber life boat.
EXT. SEAFOX - OCEAN - DAY
THE CHIEF
Crew Six! Stand by!
ENGLAND
Flea! 'Cool! O'Neil! Cortez!
Slutnik! In that order! Five-
second intervals! Let's go!
England's crew lines up for cast-and-recover drills: One
by one, they speed-roll off the transport...
... and drop into the life boat. After quickly
stabilizing, they roll off the life boat...
... and disappear underwater like human bullets. England
is last to cast off.
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
Jordan resurfaces. Treading water, she scans for...
Seafox. It makes a hard turn in the water and starts
back. The recovery rig -- a big flexible loop -- is
lowered into position.
Still hauling ass, Seafox picks up the trainees in reverse
order -- England, Slutnik, Cortez. They each stab an arm
through the passing loop...
EXT. SEAFOX - OCEAN - DAY
... and vault back aboard, slick as hell.
CORTEZ
Hoo-yah! Better'n sex in a car
crash!
But now they're bearing down fast on...
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
Jordan. She braces as best she can. As SEAFOX THUNDERS
past, she stabs for the loop...
And snags it with her hand. But only her hand.
Hanging on grimly, Jordan drags face down in torrential
water. Her mouth gropes for clean air but can't find it.
If she doesn't let go soon, she'll drown.
EXT. SEAFOX - OCEAN - DAY
At the stern, the Chief spots Jordan bobbing up in the
boat's wake.
THE CHIEF
(to pilot)
Next recovery! Keep goin', keep
goin'!
EXT. OCEAN - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
COUGHING up water, Jordan watches Seafox speed on toward
McCool and Flea. They make textbook recoveries. She's
the only one who couldn't cut it.
INT. WOMEN'S SHOWERS - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Head hung, Jordan showers alone.
THE CHIEF (O.S.)
You know, the Israelis...
Jordan recoils. Christ, how long has he been there? Just
standing in the doorway?
THE CHIEF
... they tried women in the 1967
War. Female soldiers.
With forced calm, Jordan squeaks off the water and finds a
towel.
JORDAN
Permission to get dressed, sir?
THE CHIEF
It seems the men couldn't get used
to the sight of women blown open and
their viscera hanging from tree
limbs. Israeli men would linger
over wounded females -- often to the
detriment of the mission, often
endangering their own lives. They
don't use women anymore.
JORDAN
(moving closer)
Sir, someone mentioned you received
the Navy Cross. May I ask what you
got it for?
THE CHIEF
For pulling a 210-pound man out of a
burning barrack in Saudi Arabia.
JORDAN
I see. So when a man tries to
rescue another man, he's a hero.
But when he tries to rescue a woman,
he's gone soft.
THE CHIEF
Could you have pulled that 210-pound
man clear, lieutenant?
She can't say yes. She wants to but can't.
THE CHIEF
Females in combat situations impact
unit cohesion. Men fight better
without women around. And that is
an historical fact.
JORDAN
It also seems like a problem with
the men's attitude, sir. So maybe
you should be sniffing around their
shower room instead.
She shoulders past. The Chief gives her a few steps
before dropping his bomb:
THE CHIEF
England went out with a stress
fracture. That puts you in charge,
lieutenant.
JORDAN
(off-balance)
McCool's that same rank. We're both
j.g.'s.
THE CHIEF
You were commissioned one month
earlier, which makes you the senior
officer.
(passing her on his
way out)
Remember. There are no bad crews --
only bad leaders.
INT. ARTILLERY RANGE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Trainees are getting familiar with M-60 machine guns,
firing SHORT BURST at downfield targets.
CORTEZ
(pissed)
No operational experience, and now
she's callin' the shots?
Unbelievable.
SLUTNIK
Suppose she'll wanna eat with us
now...
Jordan overhears them BITCHING. She steps up to an open
slot -- and proceeds to WAIL AWAY with her M-60, tracer
rounds blazing. Her target vaporized, she keeps WAILING
madly, taking out Slutnik's target... then Cortez's...
then...
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
O'Neil... O'Neil... O'NEIL!
Finally she stops.
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
One burst, one body, O'Neil! What
the fuck you trying to do? Spell
your name?
(to class)
You are not infantry! Your
firepower is limited! Excessive
killing only risks compromise...
Reloading, Jordan tosses a look at Slutnik and Cortez.
Ain't nobody bitchin' now.
EXT. MESS HALL - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
BLONDELL (O.S.)
S.E.R.E. training coming up.
Eating at a table with other women, Jordan turns to see
Blondell setting down her tray.
BLONDELL
They take you away to San Clemente
Island. Half the guys quit when
they come back. Supposed to be just
hell-and-a-half.
JORDAN
That's what I hear.
BLONDELL
Can I ask you somethin', lieutenant?
How come you're doing this? I mean,
we're kinda curious.
JORDAN
Who's "we"?
BLONDELL
Just some of the women.
EXT. QUARTERDECK - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Walking across the base:
JORDAN
I don't know if there's any single
reason. But my father was Navy.
And he had this old-time recruiting
poster in his den. It showed a girl
trying on a sailor's uniform while
saying, "Gee, I wish I were a man!
I'd join the Navy!" Was maybe 10
years old when I first saw it, and
even then it felt wrong. Made me
mad. And I don't think a month has
gone by that I haven't thought about
that poster. "Gee, I wish I were a
man."
BLONDELL
I've been accused of that wish.
JORDAN
The woman I saw you with...
BLONDELL
Just a friend. We have friends,
too, you know.
JORDAN
But are there... I mean, how many...
BLONDELL
More than you'd guess. It's just
that we don't hold coffee klatches.
If more then three of us get
together at any one time, the guys
think it's some kind of uprising.
They laugh.
BLONDELL
Sounds funny now, but it's really
not. We have to be careful. The
Navy still knows how to put on a
witch-hunt.
Reaching the quarterdeck, they scan a message board.
Jordan finds a half-dozen phone slips for her.
JORDAN
Royce...
INT. GEORGETOWN APARTMENT - NIGHT
ROYCE
(into phone)
I've been trying you for five days.
Don't they give you messages?
JORDAN (V.O.)
It's hard to find time to sleep,
Royce. Much less keep up with my
phone life.
ROYCE
How hard they making it on you?
EXT. PHONE KIOSK - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Jordan sighs and slumps against the phone kiosk. Where to
start?
ROYCE (V.O.)
That bad?
JORDAN
I feel like there's men here,
there's women here -- then there's
men. But hey, what'd I expect?
INTERCUTTING Jordan and Royce:
ROYCE
Well, not this. I was doing the
Pentagon scene few nights ago. Got
some fresh stuff -- about you. You
may be in a hostile camp. I think
someone may be taking steps to
ensure that you crash and burn.
JORDAN
Me? Why me?
ROYCE
Don't you know? How they're talking
about you?
JORDAN
I saw an article...
ROYCE
I can't walk two blocks in
Washington without hearing about
"G.I. Jane." You're all over the
place, and whether you wanted it or
not, the feminists are sizing you up
for that poster.
Jordan's face sours with an errant thought.
JORDAN
So why are you telling me this?
ROYCE
Big symbols make big targets,
Jordan. I think someone's gunning
for you.
JORDAN
You know, Royce, I got enough heat
on me without you turning up the
jets, too.
ROYCE
I'm only trying to warn you in
case --
JORDAN
Well, let me warm you: I'm going
though with this. The more
everybody fucks with me, fucks with
my head, the more it just makes me
want to finish. So don't expect me
back crying in your arms any time
soon, okay?
ROYCE
That's not what I want, Jordan. I
mean... it is and it isn't...
JORDAN
Still can't make up your mind, huh?
Gotta go, Royce.
ROYCE
Jordan. You watch your ass.
JORDAN
Sure. I'll join the crowd.
EXT. AIR STATION - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
A HELO WARMS UP on its pad.
Crew Six approaches, garbed in black wetsuits, loaded down
with weapons and rucksacks. Jordan is at the lead.
INT. HELO - NIGHT
The helo is airborne. Sitting on rucksacks, trainees
slather their faces with green camouflage paint. Over the
HOWLING ROTORS:
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Infiltrate... establish your hide-
site... record any movement of
troops, vehicles, patrols -- any
activity inside your scan. If you
are compromised, you have two
options! Newberry!
Newberry is the new sixth man. He's young enough to still
have a hyperactive Adam's apple.
NEWBERRY
Evasive maneuvers or radio for
emergency extraction, sir!
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
If you are extracting, be damn sure
to follow procedures you have
learned in your classroom training!
A helo cannot extract you from a
wooded area! You must bring it down
in a clearing! What's the minimum
clearance for an MH-60 Black Hawk,
McCool?
MCCOOL
32 feet, six inches, sir!
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
You will be penalized for early
extraction, but you will be
penalized more for capture -- trust
me, far more! Survival! Evasion!
Rescue! Evacuation! Welcome to
S.E.R.E.!
EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT
The helo swoops low over the water, moon silhouetting.
Black figures helo-cast into the ocean.
INT. HELO - NIGHT
Last out, Jordan is poised to follow when...
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Lieutenant! Don't back down!
Jordan looks back. "What the hell does that mean?"
Offering no elaboration, Pyro signals "GO!" Jordan
springs clear...
EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT
... and knifes into black water.
The HELO PATTERS away.
An inky stillness overtakes the world.
Jordan activates a red-light beacon, sweeps it around,
revealing her position to...
Her crew. Five black faces regroup around her.
SLUTNIK
Feel right at home, McCool?
They secure weapons atop their waterproof rucksacks.
Jordan checks a heat-bearing compass.
JORDAN
(nodding direction)
South-southeast. And I don't want
to hear another word till we're
underground.
Pushing rucksacks ahead of them, they start swimming
towards...
A moonlit shoreline. Half-mile ahead.
EXT. ROCKY SHORELINE - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - NIGHT
Jordan's crew reaches shallow water. They deflate their
vests and rucksacks. Jordan trades her face mask for
night-vision goggles.
NIGHT-VISION POV: Sweeping the rocks. Nothing at first.
Then two "hostiles" appear, patrolling the rocks.
Jordan motions "down." Six faces sink from sight.
NIGHT-VISION/UNDERWATER POV: Of the "hostile" patrol
moving on.
They resurface. On Jordan's cue, the crew sheds flippers
and begins scaling rocks. They've made landfall.
EXT. HIDE-SITE MONTAGE - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - NIGHT
MONTAGE: Racing the coming sun, Jordan's crew builds
their hide-site... digging feverishly... filling sand
bags... telescoping open a roof pole, fanning out spars...
laying canvas roof panels into place... camouflaging the
panels... sprinkling sanitizing powder around the
perimeter to ward off animals. INTERCUT WITH...
A snake slithering across the ground. As it nears the
hide-site...
A knife whacks its head off.
Slutnik picks up the carcass, kicks dirt over the severed
head. No trace.
EXT. SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
CAMERA PANS the island, awash in morning light. Woodlands
lie distant. A road is the only man-made feature -- until
in FOREGROUND, we find a spotting scope poking from the
ground.
INT. HIDE-SITE - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
SCOPE POV: Of the road. Fast-attack vehicles approach.
MCCOOL
(peering into scope)
Got two FAVs moving south. I
make... four banditos aboard,
carrying... H-60 machine guns...
Jordan REPEATS THE INFO into a digital tape-recorder, adds
the time.
JORDAN
Newberry, get a photo. South?
CORTEZ
Entering my scan now...
JORDAN
West?
SLUTNIK
Clear.
JORDAN
North?
FLEA
Clear.
SCOPE POV: Of the FAVs disappearing down the road.
CORTEZ
FAVs clear.
Everyone relaxes -- as much as six people can in a hole
five feet-wide. McCool opens up MREs (Meals Ready to Eat)
Slutnik guts his snake.
MCCOOL
You mind? I'm trying to eat here.
SLUTNIK
So am I.
Cortez finishes pissing into a tin pot. He transfers the
waste to a zip-lock baggy, offers the pot.
CORTEZ
Anyone?
He looks at Jordan. She eyes the pot, tempted and nettled
at the same time.
FLEA
Don't wanna evacuate 'cuz someone
came down with uric poisoning, el-
tee.
Abruptly Jordan unzips, drops her pants, sticks the pot
under her. It raises eyebrows: It's a far cry from when
she was covering up in cold water.
JORDAN
Didn't even bitch about the seat,
did I?
EXT. SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
WIDE VIEW: As a lone figure appears on foot.
INT. HIDE-SITE - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
MCCOOL
What the... Got an unknown here.
100 yards north-northeast.
They pile up at McCool's scope. Jordan bulls her way
through.
SCOPE POV: It's a women. Dressed in civilian clothes,
she collects firewood. And she's coming this way.
MCCOOL
She part of the training?
JORDAN
I don't know...
SLUTNIK
"She?" There's another one?
McCool takes a second look.
SCOPE POV: Of the women drawing closer... closer... and
finally looking dead-bang at us. She does an about-face
and walks away. Quickly.
MCCOOL
Shit. Think we're had.
CORTEZ
Smoke her.
MCCOOL
I ain't gonna shoot her.
CORTEZ
Only blanks. Lemme do it.
MCCOOL
(pushing him away)
Hey. Ain't your call, man.
He looks to Jordan.
JORDAN
Pri One is to protect the mission.
If she represents a real threat, we
have to do it.
Pleased, Cortez slips his rifle under a roof panel.
JORDAN
(to McCool)
But did she see us? Do you know for
a fact that we are compromised?
McCool doesn't. Not for sure.
JORDAN
If not, firing will only give away
our position to hostiles in the
area. Now how smart is that?
MCCOOL
(a beat)
Mighta been civilian.
NEWBERRY
They got regular peeps on this
island, don't they?
EXT. ROAD - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
The asphalt road shimmers with midday heat. Suddenly a
TROOP CARRIER ROARS over a rise.
INT. HIDE-SITE - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
SCOPE POV: Of the troop carrier braking hard. "Hostiles"
spill out the rear -- and fan out all around us.
CORTEZ
(at scope)
Banditos on the east perimeter! 150
yards! Shit, she was part of it!
MCCOOL
Fuck me.
FLEA
What's the word, el-tee? We're
about one minute from a major take-
down here.
HOLD on Jordan, heart skipping. Did she really make the
wrong call?
JORDAN
All right, fire-and-evade maneuvers.
Drop everything but weapons and the
PRC radio -- we're gonna be high
speed, low drag all the way to the
link-up site. Ready?
SLUTNIK
Sure. Now she wants to shoot.
JORDAN
MOVE!
EXT. SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
They come out of the hide-site like atomic locusts,
splintering into three groups and laying down SUPPRESSIVE
FIRE as they blitz for...
The woodlands.
"Hostiles" FIRE and pursue.
Flea is running flat out when the ground vanishes beneath
him. He goes down like a doped race horse. Suddenly
exposed, another crew scrambles into daylight: Flea ran
right over their hide-site.
Slutnik yanks Flea out, gets him back on his feet.
EXT. WOODS - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
Breathing like asthmatics, Jordan's crew regroups at the
link-up site just inside the woods. Flea comes in
hobbling. Badly.
SLUTNIK
This ain't workin' right!
MCCOOL
What's our go-to-shit plan, O'Neil?
SLUTNIK
This ain't even workin' wrong!
A beat as Jordan deliberates. She doesn't want to go out
like this.
FLEA
Really don't wanna be captured, el-
tee. Heard some bad things.
JORDAN
Fuck.
(snatching the radio)
Basher-Basher, this is Ground Crew
Six requesting emergency extraction.
Stand by for a PRC fix...
EXT. SKY - DAY
As a helo pirouettes in midair.
EXT. WOODS - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
Jordan's crew lopes through the woods, searching for a
place to bring the helo down. Right on their heels...
ARTILLERY SIMULATORS THUMP-THUMP-THUMP, illumination
GRENADES POP and flare. This may not be war, but it'll do
until the real thing comes along.
INT. HELO - DAY
PILOT'S POV: Buzzing treetops, searching.
EXT. WOODS - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
On the run:
MCCOOL
32 feet, six inches!
JORDAN
I'm lookin', I'm lookin'!
Finally they break into a clearing. Is it big enough?
JORDAN
'Cool?
MCCOOL
(doesn't care)
Smoke it!
Jordan chucks a smoke grenade.
INT. HELO - DAY
PILOT'S POV: Yellow smoke rises from the woods. We swoop
toward it.
EXT. CLEARING IN WOODS - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
Whirling smoke, the helo descends. Jordan's crew breaks
early, trying to get there the instant it touches down.
But before they can...
An FAV crashes through the underbrush, M-60s BARKING in
the helo's direction. The helo bounds away.
Jordan's crew tries to retreat -- but a second FAV cuts
them off.
INT. HELO - DAY
PILOT'S POV: Of the action below, growing smaller and
smaller: Jordan's crew. Surrounded. Laying down
weapons. Captured.
EXT. WOODS - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
JORDAN'S POV: Brush slapping her face.
Crew Six is being hauled through the woods, hands tied
back, boots around their necks, pulled along by...
The captors. We assume they're instructors in camouflage
paint -- but we're moving so fast it's impossible to be
sure.
EXT. P.O.W. CAMP - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
A P.O.W. camp, disturbingly authentic. A dozen trainees
are already here, held in pens of bamboo and barbed-wire.
Flea, McCool, Slutnik, Cortez, Newberry -- all five get
tossed into a pen. Jordan is pulled away.
FLEA
Where are you... HEY! Where are you
taking her?
EXT. BOXES - P.O.W. CAMP - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
Jordan is thrown to the ground. Her eyes go wide when she
sees a row of steel boxes nearby. They're scarcely larger
then coffins.
INT. BOX - P.O.W. CAMP - DAY
Hands push Jordan inside the box. She has to curl up
fetally just to fit.
JORDAN
How long?
(no answer)
Please, HOW LONG?
The LID BANGS closed. A LOCK RATCHETS, FOOTSTEPS RETREAT.
Daylight sheets in through ventilation slats.
When her eyes adjust, Jordan finds markings on the lid and
walls. Scratchings made with a nail. The memoirs of
previous tenants.
JORDAN
"Don't know how much I can take"...
"A little taste of death"... "Save
the nail"...
(then the real kick-
in-the-teeth)
"It's been three days now"...
EXT. P.O.W. CAMP - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - NIGHT
As "hostiles" pull Flea out of the pen.
INT. BOX - P.O.W. CAMP - NIGHT
A BANGING wakes Jordan. Are they coming for her? But
FOOTSTEPS LEAVE. A GROAN from the adjacent box.
JORDAN
Who is it?
WICKWIRE (O.S.)
(a beat)
You know, I had an apartment about
this size once.
JORDAN
Wick. They got your crew, too?
WICKWIRE (O.S.)
Intagliata was out chasing
breakfast. They found his tracks.
Well, shit.
A beat.
JORDAN
You really came back for more? Of
this?
WICKWIRE (O.S.)
When I was sittin' behind a desk in
Washington, it made sense, somehow.
Blame it on my big brother. He was
Spec-Recon. And the stories he used
to tell...
JORDAN
If you got a good one, Wick...
Anything to get her mind off this box. Out of this box.
Now INTERCUT Jordan and Wickwire, lying like fraternal
twins in their wombs of steel:
WICKWIRE
One time he was doing a rekkie of
the Libyan coastline. This is,
like, right before we bombed
Khadaffi into the past tense. So
his crew does a nighttime infil,
maps all the big artillery
placements and stuff, then turns
around to get the hell gone. But
between them and the water are five
Libyan guards, all armed to the
nuts.
JORDAN
They had to kill 'em?
WICKWIRE
Nah, they were dead-ass asleep. But
on every guard's chest,they left one
Marlboro cigarette. Just a little
calling card to say they'd been
there -- and could come back any
time they wanted.
JORDAN
That's a good story.
WICKWIRE
So the shit you gotta go through?
To get from here to there? Brother
said it was worth it. Worth the
training... worth the divorce...
worth anything.
JORDAN
He was married?
WICKWIRE
At first.
JORDAN
You got anybody, Wick?
WICKWIRE
Not me. You?
It hurts to think about it. The Potomac. The gunkhole
harbor. Royce.
WICKWIRE
O'Neil?
JORDAN
How'd you make it last time, Wick?
How'd you get through this part?
WICKWIRE
(a beat)
Last time I didn't.
JORDAN
(jarred)
Let's keep talkin', Wick. Just keep
talkin' to me...
EXT. NEWSSTAND - WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY
Royce stops for a newspaper. As he pays, something else
catches his eye. He picks up...
A "People" magazine. The grainy image of "G.I. Jane"
fills the cover. A photo inset, much clearer, shows a
beaming DeHaven. "BEHIND EVERY GREAT WOMAN..."
ROYCE
(shaking head)
Suitable for framing...
INT. CORRIDOR - N.I.C. - DAY
ROYCE
Got time for a brain-pick?
Reading as he walks, a former CIA spook looks up to find
Royce in lockstep. It surprises him: Not many people
here talk to him -- unless they're in trouble. THE SPOOK
is physically unremarkable except for a face that would be
right at home on Easter Island: This is a man who's seen
most of the world's ills -- and forgotten none.
THE SPOOK
Subject?
ROYCE
O'Neil, Jordan.
THE SPOOK
Thought you two were file-closed.
ROYCE
You knew about us?
THE SPOOK
Sorry. Thought you knew I knew.
INT. SITUATION ROOM - N.I.C. - DAY
Royce and the Spook enter. The vault-like door closes
emphatically. Ensuring their privacy:
ROYCE
Computer -- no transcription, no
com-link, no data-link. In fact...
shut-down sequence 0-Niner-0-8,
mark.
All around, screens go blank, phone lights extinguish.
They sit at the conference table. No Computer. No files.
Just two guys doing headwork.
THE SPOOK
All right. So who stands to gain if
Jordan flames out in a big way?
ROYCE
The E-Ringers? Full integration is
gonna cost the services billions at
the worst possible time -- when
Congress is already swinging the
axe.
THE SPOOK
(agreeing)
Congress cuts, military bleeds. But
Pentagon's a big place. Let's
narrow the sights.
ROYCE
The Navy? They've made it clear
they don't want to pull missiles out
of subs to make room for women's
heads. What's it gonna cost to make
a fleet of Trident's co-ed?
THE SPOOK
Sabotage born of economics?
Wouldn't be a first. But is Hayes
really going to start his watch with
such a public failure?
ROYCE
Possibly. Just to spite DeHaven.
THE SPOOK
Hmm. Let's aim higher.
Royce blinks. "What's higher?"
THE SPOOK
The White House. If Jordan wins,
DeHaven wins in spades. Why? Well,
it's been said that the only man the
President fears -- ain't no man.
ROYCE
The first female President?
THE SPOOK
Don't for a second think she didn't
leak this story. "G.I. Jane" gives
DeHaven a symbol that taps into the
biggest constituency of them all.
ROYCE
Women.
THE SPOOK
If you were the President, wouldn't
that put a little piss in your
shoes?
ROYCE
I don't know. Seems...
THE SPOOK
This ain't about some little soldier
girl sloggin' her way through
commando school. The implications
go way beyond.
ROYCE
Christ, I don't want to see her take
a fall. She thinks I do, but...
THE SPOOK
I take it this file is still open.
ROYCE
(shaping his words)
Even tough I don't talk to her every
day -- I still talk to her every
day. Know what I mean?
THE SPOOK
(nodding)
Okay, so now work it from the other
end. Think about California -- and
how things might be handled there.
ROYCE
I don't...
(scoffing)
What, someone on base? A "mole"?
THE SPOOK
This is what you get for brain-
picking an old CIA spook. but if I
needed to control the outcome of
this test case, that's how I'd do
it. A man-in-place. Makes
everything very controllable.
INT. BOX - P.O.W. CAMP - DAY
JORDAN'S POV: The box opening. Daylight assaulting us,
blowing out our eyes. Disembodied hands pulling us out.
EXT. P.O.W. CAMP - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
Legs hobbled, uniform soiled, Jordan is led past a row of
huts. She looks like she got hit by a train -- and got
back up.
JORDAN'S POV: Vision still blown out. But inside the
pen, we make out 40 trainees now. One guy wrings out a
sock and drinks from it.
Jordan moves past huts. VOLATILE VOICES spill out as
trainees get interrogated.
JORDAN'S POV: Outside one hut, we see Flea. At least we
think it's him: Strapped face-down to a table, sobbing
quietly, he wears a slinky dress and whore's makeup. They
broke him -- and it's an ugly, ugly sight.
INT. INTERROGATION HUT - P.O.W. CAMP - DAY
THE CHIEF
What is your father's name?
Jordan seated. Prowling the hut is her interrogator. Her
tormentor. Her chaperon through Hell.
THE CHIEF
Simple question, lieutenant. No
reason not to answer. What is your
father's name?
JORDAN
"Dad."
THE CHIEF
Any brothers? Sisters?
JORDAN
Dick, Jane, and Spot.
THE CHIEF
Are you hungry? What's your
favorite food? We'll try to get it
for you.
JORDAN
Green Eggs and Ham. You're not
going to get anywhere. You might as
well put me in the cage.
THE CHIEF
You are in the cage, O'Neil. Right
here, right now.
JORDAN
Should I be afraid?
THE CHIEF
Right down to your worthless womb,
and I'll tell you why. This is my
island. My world. And here I can
get away with shit that would get me
arrested anywhere else in the world.
Take another scan of my little joy-
boy outside. If I can do that to a
Navy Seal, what's gonna happen to
you? Huh?
It makes Jordan think -- and yes, it makes her afraid.
Continuing the psychological strip-search:
THE CHIEF
Why didn't you shoot the woman,
O'Neil?
JORDAN
Wasn't deemed a threat.
THE CHIEF
She led us right to you. That's no
threat?
Jordan rubs her head. So long ago. How did the call come
down?
THE CHIEF
Would you have shot if it was a man?
JORDAN
No. Yes. I mean, depends on --
THE CHIEF
The others already told me, O'Neil.
They wanted to shoot, but you
wouldn't let them. Because you went
soft on another women --
JORDAN
That's not right.
THE CHIEF
That's what your crew said. Are
they lying? Or are you?
JORDAN
I think you're the liar.
THE CHIEF
I'm not the one who got five good
men thrown in a bamboo cage. You
wear the bars, you made the call,
and you got your whole crew --
JORDAN
We didn't know we were compromised.
Firing would only've given away our
position.
THE CHIEF
You think we should go easy on
women, O'Neil?
She stares a beat, knowing it's a loaded question.
THE CHIEF
Do you?
JORDAN
No.
THE CHIEF
I'm so glad we agree.
With stunning ferocity, he grabs her by the neck, pushes
her out the door...
EXT. P.O.W. CAMP - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - DAY
... and throws her onto a table.
In the pens, all faces turn to watch. Even instructors
stop what they're doing as...
The Chief pushes Jordan's head down and jams up behind
her.
THE CHIEF
Didn't you know you'd be raped if
you were captured? Didn't you even
think about that?
JORDAN
Sure. Just like your men do.
THE CHIEF
I think we oughtta practice it,
just so you know what to expect.
He flips her over, rips off her belt, starts tearing open
her pants.
JORDAN
Should I practice bleeding, too,
sir? Would that make me a better
soldier?
He covers her mouth -- her whole face -- with one hand.
THE CHIEF
(to the men)
Any of you can stop this! Just give
me the location of one more hide-
site, and it ends right here!
In the pen:
SLUTNIK
(wide-eyed)
Someone's trippin' out here...
The Chief jerks Jordan up, whirls her around like a dead
dance partner, slams her face-first into the pen to give
the guys a good look at what's happening to that pretty
face.
THE CHIEF
Three crews are still on this island
somewhere. Who knows where?
The men trade itchy looks. Some do know.
JORDAN
Don't do it, don't do it...
The Chief throws her down like garbage.
THE CHIEF
Who's gonna tell me? Who's gonna be
chivalrous and stop this abuse?
What, you want to see her get
mauled? Is that it?
The men shift anxiously. Should they talk? Behind the
Chief, Jordan staggers to her feet.
JORDAN
Don't tell him shi --
The Chief whirls, decks her a crescent-kick. Instructors
lurch forward instinctively.
THE CHIEF
(waving them back)
She's fine!
(squatting beside)
When I put you down, O'Neil, take
the hint and stay down.
She licks her bloody teeth -- and considers kicking his
balls into his brainpan. Instead she makes a move to get
up. He grinds her back down with a crowbar forearm.
THE CHIEF
(for her ears only)
I am saving your life, O'Neil. You
may not know it, but I do. You're
an inferior soldier, a bad officer,
and I don't want you learning that
inconvenient truth when you're stuck
in a muddy bomb crater behind enemy
lines and don't know how the fuck to
get out. You get out now, O'Neil.
Seek life elsewhere. And if you
can't do it in front of me, do it
behind my back.
Pinning her down with just his eyes, he rises -- and
starts away.
Behind him, Jordan struggles to rise.
An ANXIOUS MURMUR races through the men: They don't want
to see this. They don't want to see her crucified.
MCCOOL
Down... stay down...
Hearing, the Chief turns back to see...
Jordan wobbling to her feet.
Eye-lock.
JORDAN
Fuck you and the boat you rode in
on. Sir.
TIGHT on the faces of her crewmates -- Slutnik, Cortez,
McCool. In their eyes, a new respect. The Chief see it.
Instructors see it. Everyone does.
THE CHIEF
(to instructors)
We're done here.
Beaten, he walks right out of camp.
Wordless, instructors open the pens, unlock the boxes.
Wickwire rises like a vampire in daylight. But this time
he made it.
A medic tries to help Jordan, but she pushes him away,
walking drunkenly for...
Flea. She begins wiping the makeup from his face.
JORDAN
Make you a deal, Flea. Never tell
me how I look -- and I'll never tell
you.
EXT. PIERS - SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND - SUNSET
The Chief chucks gear onto a transport boat. FOOTSTEPS
approach. He knows it's Pyro.
THE CHIEF
You don't think she'd be raped if
she were captured? You don't think
the threat of rape would be used to
leverage the men?
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
You broke a dozen training rules
back there -- before I lost count.
THE CHIEF
I've had it. Just because they pay
me like a baby-sitter doesn't mean
I'm gonna be one.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
She's a trainee, just like the
others. Why are you coming down so
hard?
THE CHIEF
She's an officer. There's a higher
standard.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
She's a women, and that's why you're
ridin' her bareback.
THE CHIEF
Of course it is. And I'm gonna stay
on her until everyone realizes this
is not some bullshit equal-rights
thing, that real lives are gonna be
lost. Maybe mine, maybe yours.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
I oughtta report you.
THE CHIEF
I think you probably would -- if you
didn't know I was right.
EXT. STREET - WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY
As a limo moves -- heads for the Capitol building.
INT. DEHAVEN'S LIMO - DAY
DeHaven snags a BUZZING PHONE.
DEHAVEN
Yes?
DEHAVEN'S AIDE (V.O.)
(anxious)
Did you hear?
DEHAVEN
She made it through S.E.R.E.
training. Got a call this morning
from --
DEHAVEN'S AIDE (V.O.)
Not that. The White House just
announced that it was sponsoring
legislation that would, in one
stroke, void all remaining elements
of the 1948 Combat Exclusion Laws.
The phone suddenly weights a ton, DeHaven dumps it on the
seat beside her. HOLD on her disbelieving face.
DEHAVEN'S AIDE (V.O.)
You there? Senator?
INT. CORRIDOR - PENTAGON - DAY
Hand-carrying a report, Flag Officer #1 hurries down a
corridor, pushes through a door. HOLD on the door marker:
"Secretary of the Navy."
INT. SECNAV OFFICE - PENTAGON - DAY
HAYES
Without telling us they do this?
With absolutely no lead time?
At his desk, Hayes scans the report with a deepening
frown.
FLAG OFFICER #1
(to Hayes)
Mr. Secretary, if this bill
passes...
FLAG OFFICER #2
Forget our three-year plan. They're
rushing the cadence. We'll be
forced to reorganize the Navy from
top to bottom -- overnight.
HAYES
What the hell is the President
trying to do? Steal DeHaven's
thunder?
FLAG OFFICER #1
I think it's more important, sir, to
decide what we're going to do --
since it's apparent this issue is
not going away quietly.
HAYES
"G.I. Jane." And which one of you
told me she wouldn't last a week?
Huh?
The flags squirm. Shaking his head, Hayes moves to a
window that offers a stunning view of Arlington National
Cemetery.
HAYES
20 years in the Pentagon, I finally
rate an office with a window -- and
it looks out over the world's
largest graveyard. Think it's a
sign?
EXT. GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
The bell. It reflects the moon. TILT DOWN to reveal a
new batch of helmets -- the casualties of S.E.R.E. A
graveyard of its own.
EXT. THE EXCHANGE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Jordan exits with purchases. Her face is still bruised
from S.E.R.E. With a minute to kill, she peruses a
bulletin board casually. But a RAISED VOICE leads her
eyes to...
Wickwire. At a phone kiosk, he hangs up emphatically. He
looks flustered when he spots Jordan.
JORDAN
Sorry, didn't mean to --
WICKWIRE
That's okay. Just an ex-girlfriend.
And know I remember why.
JORDAN
First big night of liberty and no
date? You're pathetic, Wickwire.
WICKWIRE
Maybe I'll just head over to McP's
with the others, have a drink or
four. Don't wanna come, do you?
JORDAN
(touching bruises)
I can't go out. Not like this.
WICKWIRE
I think you look beautiful.
JORDAN
Thanks for lying. But you're the
class officer, Wick, and it'd just
be weird if we hook up. Besides...
Catching up, Blondell exits the exchange.
BLONDELL
Sorry. Forgot I needed oregano
and...
She sees Wickwire. An awkward beat for them all.
JORDAN
Do you, uh, know...
WICKWIRE
Sure, sure.
JORDAN
We're going over to her place to
make salad and pasta. Just, you
know, nothing special.
WICKWIRE
Okay. Well... thought I'd ask.
Jordan and Blondell head for the parking lot. HOLD on
Wickwire, looking after them. Thinking it through.
INT. CLASSROOM - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Charts are being passed around the room. Every trainee
takes one, including Jordan.
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
... underwater detonation devices
employ mechanical timers, and as
such, they are subject to variances
due to water temperature. That's
why when clearing mines, we always
use two timers. The charts now
being passed out contain
calculations you must memorize
before...
A MILITARY COP fills the classroom doorway. Frowning,
Johns joins the cop for a private discussion.
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
O'Neil?
JORDAN
Sir?
INSTRUCTOR JOHNS
You're wanted at the C.O.'s.
INT. C.O.'S OUTER OFFICE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Jordan enters. The yeoman's desk is unattended. Noticing
the X.O.'s door open, Jordan peers inside to find...
Blondell. She looks scared out of her mind. Before she
and Jordan can speak, the yeoman materializes.
YEOMAN
This way, lieutenant. They're
expecting you.
INT. C.O.'S OFFICE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
JORDAN
See me, sir?
The C.O. and X.O. are both here.
C.O.
(uncomfortable)
I don't know of any delicate way to
say this, lieutenant, so I won't
try. Claims have been made that you
have engaged in fraternization -- of
the same-sex variety. Specifically,
that you were...
(reading)
"... seen leaving the apartment of
another female officer at such a
time and in such a manner as to
suggest conduct unbecoming."
JORDAN
(a beat,laughing in
relief)
Sir, if someone is suggesting that
I'm a lesbian, they're wrong.
The C.O.'s face remains grim. He isn't relieved.
JORDAN
They're very wrong. And I'd like to
know where you got this information.
On the C.O.'s nod, the X.O. opens an adjoining office.
Wickwire enters. He's stiff as a groom on a wedding cake.
WICKWIRE
I'm sorry, O'Neil. But as class
officer, it's my obligation to
report all violations.
JORDAN
This is insane. You've got no
proof.
X.O.
(from report)
You were seen leaving Ensign
Blondell's apartment at
approximately 0-200, whereupon
physical affections were exchanged
in public.
JORDAN
We hugged.
X.O.
In addition, you have been seen
frequenting the base exchange, the
mess hall, the --
JORDAN
Because the men didn't want me
eating with them. Jesus Christ,
let's get this right.
C.O.
That's enough. Everybody.
(to Wickwire)
Rejoin your class, lieutenant.
WICKWIRE
(only to Jordan)
I wish I didn't have to do this,
Jordan.
C.O.
Dismissed, lieutenant.
Wickwire exits.
JORDAN
Sir, I just want you to know that
this is either a gross mistake --
or someone's vindictive bullshit.
In no way did anything happen
between Ensign Blondell and myself.
We're just friends.
X.O.
So you're saying the charges have no
validity whatsoever?
Jordan opens her mouth to confirm -- and hesitates,
realizing where this might be headed. What the collateral
damage might be.
JORDAN
I'm saying, we're just friends.
C.O.
I find this as distasteful as you,
lieutenant. But if it's on my desk,
it's on my shoulders. There's going
to be an inquiry -- it will not be
quick and it will definitely not be
pretty. You should prepare
yourself.
JORDAN
Sir, please... if there's any way to
do this without dragging everyone
through the mud...
C.O.
I don't see how, O'Neil. Dismissed.
Jordan moves to the door. Again she makes eye-contact
with Blondell. Now we understand why she's so scared:
There's a witch-hunt brewing.
JORDAN
(turning back)
Sir. If tomorrow... I was not under
your command... would the inquiry
still go forward?
C.O.
I'm not sure what --
JORDAN
Would you have the discretion to end
it right then and there?
She's offering her own head on a silver platter -- and the
C.O. actually hesitates before answering.
C.O.
I believe so.
EXT. GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
McCool and Flea exit a classroom with other trainees.
They spot Jordan approaching.
MCCOOL
So what'd he want? O'Neil?
She passes them robotically. Flea realizes where she's
going.
FLEA
Oh, no... no, no, no, no...
They lurch after her, grabbing her, stepping in her way.
THE CHIEF
Stand fast!
McCool and Flea jerk to a stop: The Chief has emerged
from the instructor's office. Helpless, they watch as...
Jordan mounts the stairs to the bell... takes up the
baton... and HITS THE BELL like a tyko drummer.
RING ONE: On the pained faces of her crewmates.
RING TWO: On the Chief. Taking no joy in it. Just
accepting it as inevitable.
EXT. THE QUARTERDECK - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
RING THREE: On Wickwire as he walks across the base. His
regrets are obvious.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. UPRIVER - THE POTOMAC - DAY
The ice floes are gone. The river banks are budding
green. Soon CAMERA FINDS a power boat making its way
upriver. A lone figure sits on the prow.
EXT. POWER BOAT - DAY
It's Jordan. Dressed in civvies, gunnysack between her
legs, she's back in Virginia with nothing more than what
she left with. Around a river bend appears...
The gunkhole harbor. Home.
EXT. GUNKHOLE HARBOR - POTOMAC - DAY
The boat docks. Jordan springs clear, waves a worn-out
thanks, starts up the dock. But now she comes to a stop,
seeing...
Royce. Stepping out of the house.
EXTREMELY WIDE: River shimmering behind them, they meet
on the dock. A charged stand-off: Where do they pick up?
Can they pick up? Then Jordan drops her gunnysack and
steps into his wide-spread arms. Royce wraps her up as if
to never let go.
For the first time in this whole ordeal, Jordan begins
crying, sobbing uncontrollably.
ROYCE
(in her ear)
I want to kill them... I want to
kill the guys who made you cry like
this...
INT. COVERED PORCH - JORDAN'S HOUSE - SUNSET
An hour later. Sharing a quiet moment, Jordan and Royce
cradle tea mugs while sitting on the rear porch that
overlooks the Potomac and a fiery sunset.
JORDAN
All I wanted was an honest chance.
And If I couldn't get it, I couldn't
stay.
ROYCE
And this class officer...
"Wickwire." You think he was just
trying to get even? Striking back
for...
JORDAN
Maybe. Though it didn't seem like
he was getting any satisfaction out
of it. Almost like...
(a beat)
Did I say he was class officer?
ROYCE
Almost like someone put him up to
it. Okay, who?
JORDAN
No shortage of suspects.
ROYCE
The Chief? Or maybe even
Turrentine? Your C.O.?
She looks at him sidelong.
JORDAN
Royce. Tell me you didn't keep a
file on me.
INT. LIVING ROOM - JORDAN'S HOUSE - DAY
CLOSE on multiple files being pulled out of a briefcase.
One contains clippings -- "G.I. Jane" photos, editorials,
political cartoons. Another holds records of Coronado
personnel -- Jordan's crewmates, instructors, the base
brass.
ROYCE
Somebody was yankin' your stings,
Jordan -- maybe from 3,000 miles
away. I wanted to know who. I still
do.
She shakes her head, resisting.
ROYCE
C'mon, Jordan. Do the headwork with
me.
JORDAN
It's done with, Royce. Let it go.
ROYCE
Someone screwed you over like this,
left unanswered charges hanging over
your head, and you're not gonna
fight back?
JORDAN
I'm tired of fighting back. I just
wanted to come home and be safe and
have you here and the river there
and just forget the rest of the
world, okay?
ROYCE
Well, before you crawl off to die,
Jordan, give me five minutes of good
headwork.
Agitated, she walks away. B.G., a PHONE RINGS until the
machine picks up.
ROYCE
(pulling a file)
"John James Urgayle." The Chief.
JORDAN
What about him.
JORDAN
Instructors typically pull three
year assignments. This guy's in and
out in one year -- your year. That
sound right?
JORDAN
Sounds like an amazing coincidence.
ROYCE
Or like maybe he was baby sitting a
problem child for the Navy.
JORDAN
I don't know, I don't care.
ROYCE
Well, pardon me if I do. Now who
else? Who could've leveraged a
class officer like that? C'mon,
Jordan, keep your head in the game.
UNDER DIALOG, we hear some of the INCOMING CALL:
DEHAVEN'S AIDE (V.O.)
... just got word today. The
Senator wants you to know that she's
disturbed by the matter, and she'll
be looking into it carefully to make
sure you were treated fairly. If
you need to reach us, we're here in
Washington, 202-224-3121.
A HANG-UP. Something stirs in Jordan's memory.
JORDAN
"In Washington..."
ROYCE
What?
JORDAN
Wickwire said he was dry-docked in
Washington between stints at
Coronado...
We can see her mind gathering speed. Royce switches files
quickly.
ROYCE
"Wickwire, Thomas Dane"... Second
run at Coronado... and correct, they
had him stashed in the
"Appropriation Liaison Office,"
whatever that is.
JORDAN
You don't crap out of Spec-Recon and
get another shot without
dispensation from someone up in flag
country.
(a revelation)
He's got a Sea Daddy somewhere.
ROYCE
I'd sure like to know who.
JORDAN
Yeah. Me too.
INT. ADMINISTRATION - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Answering a PHONE:
BLONDELL
Administration, Ensign Blondell.
JORDAN (V.O.)
Don't say my name.
BLONDELL
Who's...
(brightening)
Lieuten --
JORDAN (V.O.)
Or rank. But can you do me a favor
and pull a transfer order?
BLONDELL
Okay, but... You didn't have to do
what you did. Not for me.
JORDAN (V.O.)
(appreciative)
"Wickwire, Thomas Dane." See what
you can find.
CUT TO:
INT. ADMINISTRATION - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
File in hand, Blondell returns to the phone.
BLONDELL
Got it.
JORDAN (V.O.)
Who signed as his "sponsoring
officer"?
BLONDELL
Uh... don't see it. There's no
signature. But hang on -- there's a
note to "See Addendum." Checking...
She finds a crisp sheet of stationary, out of place among
the smeared government forms.
BLONDELL
Wow...
JORDAN (V.O.)
What'd you find, Kathy?
CLOSE on the stationary. It bears an image of the Capitol
dome.
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. CAPITOL BLDG. - WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY
The real Capitol dome. A flag is being raised over the
Senate Wing.
EXT. CAPITOL BDLG. - WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY
A car parks at barricades. Jordan and Royce emerge, both
in uniforms.
D.C. COP
Don't even dream about leaving that
vehicle there.
ROYCE
Government car -- tow it if you
want. Just point us to DeHaven's
office first.
Not waiting for directions, Jordan takes the Capitol steps
two at a time. We've seen this look on her face before --
and last time, she nearly knocked the grinder bell into
orbit.
INT. CORRIDOR - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
Jordan and Royce move quickly down a corridor, eyes
hunting, passing CAPITOL GUIDES and their tourists. Soon
they find...
DeHaven's office. A Navy captain exits with paperwork.
Hasty salutes.
ROYCE
Capt'n.
NAVY CAPTAIN
Commander.
The captain moves on. Royce holds in the doorway a beat,
memory nagging him. Again he looks at...
The captain. He has a distinct bald spot.
ROYCE
(to Jordan)
Get started here. I'll catch up.
Picking up where he left off a few weeks ago, Royce
follows Bald Spot around a corner...
INT. PRIVATE STAIRCASE - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
... down a private staircase...
INT. ANOTHER CORRIDOR - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
... and through a door marked "Naval Appropriation Liaison
Office." It's not 30 seconds from DeHaven's door.
INT. FOYER - DEHAVEN'S OFFICE - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
SECRETARY
Your name again?
JORDAN
Lieutenant j.g. O'Neil.
In a side office, DeHaven's aide overhears. He rises
quickly and enters the foyer.
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
Ms. O'Neil. Yes, of course. I'm
Douglas Champeau. Unfortunately,
the Senator is in chamber right now.
How can I help you?
JORDAN
What chamber? Which way is that?
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
I mean, she's on the floor of the
Senate.
JORDAN
Okay, which way?
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
She really can't be disturbed. But
if you care to wait, I'll find you
an office with a phone. It might be
several hours, but --
A TOURIST pokes in.
TOURIST
'Scuse me, but I'm here to pick up
gallery tickets? Are you...
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
See the secretary, please.
Over the aide's shoulder, Jordan watches as...
The tourist claims tickets. HOLD on the bureau near the
secretary's desk where the tickets are stored.
INT. SENATE CHAMBER - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
On the chamber floor, SENATORS mull about, consulting
aides, polling party mates. PAGES place microphones and
fill the ceremonial snuff boxes, readying the room for
session. Among the activity, we find...
DeHaven. Caucusing with another Democrat.
JORDAN (O.S.)
Senator DeHaven...
DeHaven looks behind her. Nobody.
JORDAN
DeHaven...
Now she looks up to behold...
Jordan standing in the gallery. Staring down on DeHaven
as she is, it's hard to read anything into her expression
but open disdain.
Drawn by Jordan's voice, a CAPITOL GUARD hurries down the
gallery steps. Royce runs interference.
JORDAN
We can talk here or we can talk
outside, Senator. You tell me.
On the floor, half the U.S. Senate stops what it's doing
and looks up.
In the gallery, the guard is thrown off-balance by the
naval uniforms: Do Royce and Jordan belong here or not?
Confused, he looks for guidance from...
DeHaven. She notes C-SPAN cameras swinging Jordan's way.
Summoning a page:
DEHAVEN
Cloak room. I'll meet her there.
Just her.
INT. CLOAK ROOM - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
Towering doors swing open. DeHaven appears, face pleasant
but harried.
DEHAVEN
Jordan. I always hoped we'd get
together -- though just now I'm
gearing up for a child-care vote
that --
JORDAN
Lieutenant Thomas Wickwire.
About to hug Jordan, DeHaven stops awkwardly.
JORDAN
You know him.
DEHAVEN
Sounds familiar.
JORDAN
It should. You nominated him for
Spec-Recon just three days after you
nominated me.
DEHAVEN
Jordan. Might we do this over lunch
tomorrow? I do very much want to
talk, but now is scarcely --
JORDAN
Did you set me up? Did you set me
up just to see me fail?
DEHAVEN
Absolutely not.
DeHaven glances back at the doors to the Senate chamber --
the open doors. Walking Jordan a few steps away:
DEHAVEN
Wickwire was there to help. To be
my eyes on the inside, to make sure
you were getting a fair shot. At
least that was the intent.
JORDAN
What changed?
DEHAVEN
Should probably ask him that.
JORDAN
If I have to ask again, Senator,
I'll be asking in front of cameras.
It's a threat DeHaven doesn't appreciate. The Senate
DOORKEEPER appears.
DOORKEEPER
Madam Senator? Your esteemed
colleagues are requesting --
DEHAVEN
Two seconds, Walter.
(answering Jordan)
In 1981, the Supreme Court was
asked to rule on the issue of women
in combat positions. The Court
cited the 1948 Combat Exclusion Laws
as a legal foundation for keeping
women ineligible. That decision
held for all these years -- until
the White House, 10 days ago, moved
to have the Exclusion Laws voided.
To demolish that legal foundation.
JORDAN
So? Isn't the President jumping on
your bandwagon?
DEHAVEN
What he did was light the bandwagon
on fire. Because he knows what I
know -- that American families are
not prepared to put their daughters
in harm's way.
JORDAN
You don't know that.
DEHAVEN
In face, I do: Roper, Harris,
Gallop -- they all come back the
same.
JORDAN
What are you saying? That a women's
life is more valuable than a man's?
That a women's death hurts a family
more?
DEHAVEN
I'm saying it's not going to happen.
Not when the President is set to
turn this into a third-rail issue
should I choose to ever campaign
against him. He will fry me six
ways to Sunday for sending daughters
and young mothers off to war -- and,
quite possibly, for bringing them
back in body bags.
Jordan shakes her head in disbelief. She has met the
enemy -- and she is us.
JORDAN
You were never going to let women
serve in combat. You always had a
safety net. Or thought you did.
DEHAVEN
Jordan. I don't expect you to fully
understand this -- but sometimes
there's more to be gained from the
fight than the victory.
JORDAN
So the rhetoric gets you headlines.
But the reality gets you in trouble.
DEHAVEN
The reality is this: We send far
too many men off to war. I don't
need to compound the problem with
women.
(off Jordan's look)
Can you honestly tell me you wanted
that life? Squat-pissing in some
third-world jungle with --
JORDAN
I wanted the choice. The chance to
prove myself, my skills, my work,
me. That's how it should've been.
DOORKEEPER
Madam Senator, once again I must --
DEHAVEN
Just hold the goddamn clock, Walter.
Not happy about it, the doorkeeper reaches into an alcove,
grabs a broom he keeps around for just these occasions.
He enters the chamber...
INT. SENATE CHAMBER - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
... and moves behind the rostrum. Holding the broom by
the bristles, the doorkeeper stands on tip-toes...
And uses the broom handle to turn back the Senate clock by
three minutes.
Senators GROAN. It's an old trick played by senior
members -- and they all hate it when it happens to them.
INT. CLOAK ROOM - CAPITOL BLDG. - DAY
DEHAVEN
I once promised you a fast ticket,
Jordan, and I always meant to make
good on that. Come work for me. I
can always use a hard-charger on my
team.
JORDAN
You promise Wickwire a fast ticket,
too?
DEHAVEN
I've had no direct communication
with him since this whole thing
began. And that's quite verifiable.
JORDAN
I'm sure it is.
DEHAVEN
You'll think about my offer?
JORDAN
You know, I wonder what the SecNav
would think about it. If I spoke
with him.
DEHAVEN
Well, I spoke with Mr. Hayes this
morning myself -- and told him the
deal was off. No more test cases.
He was only too happy to oblige.
(dangerously low)
Don't play politics with me, little
darlin'. You'd be up way past your
bedtime.
DOORKEEPER
(distraught)
Madam Senator, please...
DEHAVEN
I'll call you in a few days.
She flashes a winning smile and turns away. As the
chamber doors start to close behind her:
JORDAN
So I wonder what the President would
think.
The last image we have of DeHaven is her whirling back,
startled. The DOORS BOOM CLOSED in her face.
EXT. C.O.'S HOUSE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
Through a window, we see the C.O. with a phone pressed to
his ear. He stands at attention even though wearing a
bathrobe. Half-audible through the glass:
C.O.
Yes sir. No, I'm not saying it
would be impossible, sir, just...
Yes sir. No sir. Yes sir. I can
appreciate that, sir. Good night,
sir.
INT. C.O.'S HOUSE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT
The C.O. hangs up and looks to Jordan, heretofore unseen.
She waits anxiously.
C.O.
Well, if you had to go over my
head, lieutenant, that's the way to
do it. Christ, nothin' like a 0-200
call from the Commander and Chief to
get the bowels movin'.
JORDAN
Sir? What did he say?
C.O.
Basically -- he asked me if I could
unring a bell.
EXT. GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
START on the helmet graveyard. Hands enter FRAME to
reclaim one helmet in particular. TILT UP on Jordan,
back in the grinder, back in Navy greens.
The Spec-Recon class is here. Crewmates gawk like stone
idiots as Jordan takes her old place in the line-up.
C.O.
(to class)
One of you here understands better
than anyone what this is all about.
Someone who has engaged in conduct
unbecoming. Someone who knows, I
would hope, what he must now do.
CLOSE on Wickwire. Feeling the heat. Wondering if they
really know who it is. Now the C.O. parks himself right
in Wickwire's face.
C.O.
And unless that someone takes the
honorable way out in the next 10
seconds -- I will make certain he
faces action under the Uniform Code
of Military Justice.
Wickwire breaks rank and heads for the bell. He slows
when reaching Jordan, considering an apology he knows
would be inadequate.
JORDAN
Just walk away and never stop.
He does. As Wickwire RINGS OUT:
C.O.
It seems we have an opening for
class officer. Any nominations?
Eyes swing to Jordan. Way ahead of them:
C.O.
All those in favor?
A CHORUS OF AYES. Jordan puddles up.
C.O.
Chief Urgayle, turning it back over
to you.
On his way to the front, the Chief stops to check in with
Jordan.
THE CHIEF
Well, I'm trying to figure out if
you're stupid, unlucky, gluttonous
-- or some new alloy of all three.
JORDAN
Good to see you again, too, sir.
THE CHIEF
Okay, O'Neil. So you've impressed
all the others. Now try me.
EXT. CORONADO BRIDGE - DAY
The morning sun is an orange ball balanced on the Coronado
Bridge. In silhouette, pelicans circle, some dive-bombing
into the bay below. Suddenly a HELO HOWLS across the sun,
scattering the birds as it heads off-shore.
INT. HELO - DAY
THE CHIEF
(setting watch)
Four... three... two... one... hack!
Flea, McCool, Slutnik, Cortez, Newberry, Jordan. Inside
the airborne helo, they synchronize their dive watches.
THE CHIEF
Final assignment! Each crew will be
dropped 12 miles out! Between you
and the shore is a network of mines
and underwater obstacles! You will
clear the obstacles, you will tag
the mines with your crew number!
You have until 18-hundred to make
landfall!
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
As the helo swoops down onto the ocean deck.
INT. HELO - DAY
The trainees double-check wet gear and survival vests. On
Jordan's nod, they push an inflatable life boat ("ILB") to
the helo door. It's rolled up into a rubber log.
THE CHIEF
Remember! The one thing you can
count on in any mission is that
anything mechanical will fail! If
you get stuck out here, do not call
me, for you will no longer be in my
class! Try the Coast Guard!
The HELO PILOT slows to five knots. The Chief gives
Jordan the go-ahead nod.
JORDAN
(to her crew)
One-second intervals! Go!
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
The ILB splashes down into the ocean. Jordan's crew helo-
casts in after it.
From the door of the circling helo, the Chief watches
as...
Jordan's crew swims to the ILB, bobbing in the swells.
Flea turns a handle on the CO2 tank meant to inflate the
boat. Nothing happens.
FLEA
C'mon, c'mon...
Cortez tries to help. The handle spins in his grip.
CORTEZ
This tank's not gonna cut it, el-
tee. Handle's stripped.
Jordan looks skyward. 100 feet overhead, the Chief gives
her a parting salute as the helo lifts away.
SLUTNIK
I just wonder how that happened.
JORDAN
Cortez, see if you can dig out the
tools without losing the rest of out
gear. Try a wrench on that thing.
INT. HELO - DAY
The helo turns into the morning sun. PILOT and CO-PILOT
drop visors.
PILOT'S POV: Of dots in the sun. What the hell are try?
SMACK! Something hits the windscreen, splattering red and
brown.
THE CHIEF
What happening?!
PILOT
Fucking pelicans! Hang on!
He starts to bank clear -- but not fast enough.
EXT. HELO - DAY
More birds pepper-shot the helo: One SHREDS through the
main rotor, another through the tail rotor. Another bird
gets sucked right into...
The main turbine.
INT. HELO - DAY
A SHARP BANG... a WICKED SHIMMY... and now they whole helo
loses power.
PILOT
Holy... LET'S GYRATE!
As the pilot wrestles controls, the co-pilot rigs for
auto-gyration. But the bank they started is working
against them: The helo is coming down badly, circling
like a huge steel feather.
Braced, the Chief looks out the side door -- and sees
ocean rushing up at him. Fast.
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
MCCOOL
What the shit is...
Jordan whirls. She's just in time to witness...
The helo hitting the water. In seconds it's gone.
A stunned beat. We never knew the ocean could be this
quiet. When the anesthetic of shock wears off:
SLUTNIK
You don't suppose this is just part
of...
JORDAN
FLEA! KEEP YOUR EYES ON THAT SPOT!
Mark it, mark it! Cortez? What the
hell you waiting for?
Cortez torques his wrench hard: CO2 flows into the ILB,
inflating it. The crew scrambles aboard. Jordan digs
like a dog to find a radio.
JORDAN
Base, this is Crew Leader Six. We
have a downed helo 12 miles west-
south west of base with three
aboard. Repeat, we have a downed
helo with three aboard...
Slutnik yanks a starter cord: Their outboard MOTOR ROARS
to life. The boat does a donut in the water and blasts
away.
CUT TO:
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
The ILB powers over swells. Flea is perched on the bow,
nose to the wind like a hunting dog.
FLEA
CUT IT! CUT IT HERE!
Slutnik motors down.
FLEA
Close as I can get, el-tee!
JORDAN
Flea, 'Cool, Cortez, Newman -- take
your minis, hit the water. Go, GO!
They grab masks and mini-tanks and dive in like dolphins.
Jordan snaps up the radio.
JORDAN
Base, this is Crew Leader Six. What
is your E.T.A. on that rescue helo?
Over.
BASE (V.O.)
Crew Leader, we have a Medevac
rerouting from Long Beach, but no
other helos prepped at this time.
Seafox One and Two are launching
now. Over.
A beat.
JORDAN
Base, don't think you copied me. We
are 12 miles out. Seafox tops out
at 30 knots, which makes it a no-
show for 18 minutes. Over.
BASE (V.O.)
You copied right, Crew Leader.
We're looking for options ourselves.
SLUTNIK
Maybe we should call the Coast
Guard.
JORDAN
Shut your hole, Slutnik.
CUT TO:
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
McCool surfaces.
MCCOOL
Visibility drops dead at 40 feet.
If they're deeper than that...
The others surface and swim in.
CORTEZ
Nobody's comin' outta that crash,
el-tee. Nobody.
A grim beat -- and then A CRACKLE on the radio. With a
voice seemingly from the far side of the moon:
THE CHIEF (V.O.)
Base, this is Basher One. I've got
a small problem here. Do you copy?
Jaws drop.
JORDAN
(into radio)
Basher One, this is O'Neil. We are
barely reading you. What is your
situation?
EXT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
50 feet down, the helo lies canted on a reef shelf.
INT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
Wedged into a tortured maze of hydraulics and equipment,
we find the Chief, operating out of an air-pocket near the
windscreen. The pilot is dead, impaled on his cyclic
stick, head submerged. The co-pilot is still alive,
barely. The Chief struggles to keep the man's head up as
he keys a survival radio.
THE CHIEF
Got one other heartbeat here, looks
touch and go. I've got a
questionable leg.
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
THE CHIEF (V.O.)
Managed to activate the ELB. If you
just radio base and let them know,
they'll fix on that. Oh, and make
sure they send a helo with a winch
-- door's blocked by a reef. Over.
JORDAN
Chief, sir -- rescue team won't be
here for 15 minutes. What's your
air situation? Over.
THE CHIEF (V.O.)
Say again? How many micks?
JORDAN
15, sir.
INT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
The Chief sizes up his air pocket.
THE CHIEF
(into radio)
That... may not be adequate.
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
FLEA
If we could just fix on him...
MCCOOL
Beacon's a no-go for us.
JORDAN
(into radio)
Chief -- did I see a flare box
aboard? And can you get at it?
Over.
EXT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
The Chief props up the co-pilot's head. Gulps air. Ducks
underwater to grope through wreckage. Only now do we see
that "questionable leg" he was talking about: It's
snapped at mid-calf, blood rivering out.
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
THE CHIEF (V.O.)
Got it.
JORDAN
(into radio)
Show us where you are, Chief.
EXT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
Again the Chief goes below water. He finds a small breach
in the fuselage... sticks the flare launcher through...
and pulls the trigger.
With a MAGNESIUM FLASH, the flare launches...
EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY
... streaks toward the surface...
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
... and arcs into daylight 50 yards behind the ILB.
FLEA
Six o'clock! Marking, marking!
JORDAN
Spotted you, Chief. Pri One is to
slip you some air, so we're coming
down with a tank -- just something
until the A-team shows. Over.
An ominous beat.
JORDAN
Chief?
CHIEF (V.O.)
O'Neil... there's no air in your
main tanks.
MCCOOL
What?
They scramble to check their main dive tanks. Even
through the gauges show full, they're dead empty. All of
them.
INT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
THE CHIEF
(into radio)
This mission wasn't about tagging
mines. It was to see how you coped
with mechanical failures. Pretty
fuckin' ironic, huh?
He laughs. It's the bleakest laugh imaginable.
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
SLUTNIK
He's circlin' the drain, el-tee.
Jordan surveys the equipment they do have aboard -- the
stuff she can count on. Mental turbos kicking in:
JORDAN
So we got two full mini-tanks, three
minutes each. 'Cool? How much air
in yours?
MCCOOL
Maybe half. Not even.
JORDAN
Grab an oar, find a way to weight it
down, we're gonna need it. Cortez,
help him. Flea? You take one of the
two full minis -- and just follow my
lead.
CORTEZ
What, we're gonna pry 'em out with
paddles?
MCCOOL
(grabbing her)
O'Neil. Our air's gonna crap out as
soon as we get down there. You know
that, don't you?
JORDAN
So I guess we get one shot at it.
INT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
Swimming in his own blood, the Chief starts to fade away,
losing consciousness. But then, through the cockpit
windscreen...
A hazy orb of light above him. The orb grows and grows
until it resolves into a flare carried by his would-be
savior. Jordan.
THE CHIEF
Why'd it have to be her...
EXT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
Reaching the downed Helo, McCool and Cortez wedge their
oars under the fuselage and leverage hard until...
An opening appears.
Jordan and Flea swim into the breach...
INT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
... and surface inside the wreckage.
JORDAN
Chief, sir... still with me?
CHIEF
(unbuckling co-pilot)
Take him first. Once he's clear,
come back with --
JORDAN
Sir, let me suggest you stop giving
orders and start doing exactly what
I say, because that's the only way
we're all getting out of here. Now
how's your vest check out? Still
good?
EXT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
McCool's air craps out. He abandons his oar and swims for
the surface. That leaves only...
Cortez, struggling mightily to keep the escape route open.
He knows his mini-tank is running on empty -- and it
scares the bejeezus out of him.
INT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
JORDAN
Flea, take the pilot up slow, feed
him air. Chief, sir, you and I are
gonna take the express elevator
outta here. Remember to let your
air out. Ready?
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
Twin transports -- Seafox One and Two -- pound across the
water. Instructors sweep binoculars, trying to spot...
The ILB. Newberry POPS A FLARE skyward as Slutnik
DOWNLOADS INFO over the radio.
EXT. CRASHED HELO - UNDERWATER - DAY
Cortez's air goes dead. He gives it three more seconds,
eyes riveted on the underside of the helo, knowing they
have to come out... right... fucking... absolutely...
NOW: Jordan appears with the Chief. Flea is at their
heels with the co-pilot.
Cortez drops his oar as if it were radioactive and swims
for the sky.
The HELO BOOMS back down onto the reef.
Jordan yanks the cord on the Chief's vest. It inflates
instantly. One arm raised, Jordan streaks for the
surface...
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
... and "Supermans" into daylight with the Chief. They
covered 50 feet in four seconds.
Doing a 360, Jordan spots...
Seafox One coming their way.
Jordan waves like a shipwreck victim.
Not slowing, Seafox lowers a recovery rig into place:
They're wasting no time on the pick-up.
Remembering the last time she tried this, Jordan gets a
death-grip on the Chief's vest.
THE CHIEF
(growling)
O'Neil...
JORDAN
Shut up, sir. I'm concentrating.
The recovery loop comes at her like a big brass ring.
SEAFOX THUNDERS past. Jordan plunges her free arm through
the loop...
And suddenly they're gone, whisked away by the boat.
Throwing a rooster tail a mile long, Seafox pivots on the
water and heads back to base.
MCCOOL
Hoooooo-yah!
NEWBERRY
Go, go, go, go!
SLUTNIK
Uh-huh! That's right! Just like we
always practice it!
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. GUARD HOUSE - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Limousine leading, a parade of vehicles reaches the base
entrance. A man exits the limo to expedite matters with
the BASE GUARD.
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
Senator DeHaven is here for the
graduation ceremonies.
BASE GUARD
What are all these other vehicles?
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
Just a small press corps. Routine.
BASE GUARD
And that pickup truck at the end?
DEHAVEN'S AIDE
That? That would be the all-woman
America's Cup team.
EXT. GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
C.O.
(into microphone)
Special Reconnaissance Class 118,
you may now stand down.
All buffed and polished and wearing their dress whites,
the former trainees erupt with ONE GREAT HOO-YAH. What
began as a class of 100 now ends with just 40.
Sitting among the families and friends we find Royce,
smiling through his fears. Not far away sits Blondell.
No one claps louder.
Jordan trades high-fives and fierce hugs with crewmates.
Pyro finally manages to take her aside.
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Lieutenant? I was asked to give you
this.
It's a small case. Jordan opens it to find a medal of
bronze and blue enamel.
JORDAN
The Navy Cross...
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
I believe he earned it for saving a
man's life in Saudi Arabia. He
wanted you to have it. He was very
clear on that point.
JORDAN
I was looking for him earlier,
but...
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
The Chief was granted early
retirement as of 17-hundred
yesterday. By 18-hundred he was
gone. Out of the Navy.
JORDAN
(knowing better)
Just a coincidence?
INSTRUCTOR PYRO
Maybe it's not my place to speculate
on his private thoughts. But I
think the Chief knew that his way --
his world -- had come and gone.
Jordan nods, understanding.
CUT TO:
EXT. GRINDER - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
DeHaven. She's holding a press conference, trying to turn
piss into wine -- and doing a pretty good job:
DEHAVEN
... of course, we always prefer
peace to war. But if we're going to
war, give women a piece. Give them
the choice to defend their country.
And if the President doesn't like
that idea -- if he wants to continue
to deny women their equal rights --
then I'll be happy to step out back
with him any time, anywhere...
Jordan approaches. Spotting her, the PRESS PLEADS for a
photo-op with both women.
DEHAVEN
Jordan? Jordan, dear...
Letting silence be the ultimate expression of scorn,
Jordan walks right past DeHaven...
And joins Royce. Together they turn and leave.
C.O.
Senator, perhaps this would be a
good time for that lunch. Will the
America's Cup team be joining us?
EXT. BEACH - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
Jordan and Royce walk hand in hand, strolling the same
beach she trained on.
JORDAN
So here we are again. Staring three
years of operational duty in the
face.
ROYCE
Look. It's not like you'd be
completely out of reach. And maybe
we could call in a few favors, get
you stationed at Norfolk instead of
Coronado. There are ways of dealing
with these things -- I mean, if
people are so inclined.
JORDAN
(warily)
Which is guy-speak for...
ROYCE
"Yes, Jordan -- I'll wait for you no
matter how long."
Finally, the right answer.
EXT. AIR STATION - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - DAY
START TIGHT on Jordan's face. Even beneath the camouflage
paint, we can see her exhilaration. PULL BACK to find her
in a line of commandos boarding an IDLING C-130: She's
embarking on her first mission. KEEP PULLING BACK until
we've lost her completely -- until she's just one soldier
among many, indistinguishable from the rest.
FADE OUT.
THE END |
G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
Written by
Stuart Beattie, John Lee Hancock, Brian Koppelman & David Levien
November 3rd, 2007
DARKNESS. SILENCE. The following words sear onto screen:
Whenever a new breed of evil
emerges, a new breed of solider
must fight it.
-- GENERAL CLAYTON "HAWK" ABERNATHY
EXT. THE BASTILLE - PARIS - NIGHT
A HEAVY NIGHT MIST swirls around the imposing stone walls of
the Bastille. PRISON GUARDS patrol outside with their pikes
as the SCREAMS OF PRISONERS echo out the barred windows.
SUPER: PARIS, 1641
INT. PRISON BLOCK - BASTILLE PRISON - NIGHT
A pair of huge PRISON GUARDS walk down a row of filthy prison
cells. Whimpering, starving PRISONERS appear and disappear in
the flickering light of the wall torches. A large rat nibbles
some stale bread in the corner, watching the guards.
Finally, the two guards reach a cell whose PRISONER is not at
all whimpering or starving. A huge Scotsman with a proud
defiance in his eyes, a RED SQUARE MEDALLION dangling around
his neck, glares through the bars. This is JAMES McCULLEN.
The guards unlock his cell door, MATCHLOCK MUSKETS at the
ready. McCullen stares at the muskets, unimpressed. He speaks
with a thick Scottish brogue.
MCCULLEN
Still using matchlocks, are ya? I
can get you a pair of flintlocks,
you let me sneak out of here.
Everyone else in this sequence speaks with a French accent.
GUARD #1
(TEMPTED)
Good ones?
The other Guard glares at him. McCullen goes for the kill.
MCCULLEN
The best. From Spain. And perhaps a
couple of pretty young ladies to
teach you how to use them.
Guard #1 is even more tempted, but his partner is a Loyalist.
GUARD #2
On yer feet, you Scottish pig.
2.
INT. FURNACE - BASTILLE PRISON - NIGHT
Huge, sweaty, bare-chested PRISON WORKERS mould something in
a furnace, a large chunk of metal in their red hot tongs. The
two prison guards muscle McCullen into the room and start to
fasten him to a standing rack as a PRIEST begins reciting the
Lord's Prayer in Latin. The Warden steps up and reads the
charges off a SCROLL OF PAPER.
WARDEN
James McCullen, you have been found
guilty of treason for the sale of
military arms to the enemies of our
Lord King Louis XIII... even whilst
you sold arms to our Lord himself.
MCCULLEN
Your King is a vile bag of filth
who murders his own allies. I
should've charged him double.
WARDEN
You tried to overthrow the Crown in
conspiracy with its enemies!
MCCULLEN
They offered me a Chancellorship,
because unlike your simpleton King,
they know that is the McCullen
destiny, to run the wars, the true
power, not simply to supply arms.
WARDEN
Do you have anything else to say
before the sentence is carried out?
MCCULLEN
Yes, I do. Clan McCullen is far
bigger and more powerful than any
of you could ever imagine. My sons
will continue to rise along after I
am gone. As will their sons. And,
God willing, their sons.
(SMILES)
It shall not end with my death.
The Warden smiles back sinisterly.
WARDEN
Oh, we're not going to kill you,
McCullen. We're going to make an
example of you.
3.
The Warden gives a nod to the prison workers who remove the
METALLIC OBJECT from the fire. McCullen sees what it is
before we do and his face fills with fear. It's a METAL MASK
being carried towards him, the hinges open with a hideous
creak. McCullen begins to struggle against the rack.
WARDEN (CONT'D)
So that no man, woman, nor child
may ever see your treacherous face
again, you shall wear this mask for
the term of your natural life.
The mask closes around his face. The workers melt the lock.
McCullen SCREAMS. AND WE PUSH IN on the RED SQUARE MEDALLION.
EXT. NATO HEADQUARTERS - BRUSSELS - DAY
The many flags of NATO flap outside its massive headquarters.
SUPER: NATO HEADQUARTERS, BELGIUM
MCCULLEN (V.0.)
War used to be the exception. Now
it is the new state of play, a
constant, unavoidable...
INT. BRIEFING CHAMBER - NATO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
The RED SQUARE MEDALLION around the neck of JAMES McCULLEN,
gazing over a lectern in a darkened room. Like his doomed
ancestor, McCullen carries a proud defiance in his eyes.
MCCULLEN
Tragic as they are to fight, wars
must be won. But perhaps they don't
have to be as destructive as
they've been in the past.
A SERIES OF COMPLEX SCHEMATICS rolls continuously on a screen
behind him. McCullen is briefing twenty-two NATO MILITARY
COMMANDERS, many of them listening in TRANSLATION HEADPHONES.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
Nano-mites. Perfect little
soldiers. Their size can be
programmed as well as their
intended task. Originally developed
to isolate and destroy cancer
cells, but at Mars Industries, and
with the help of a little NATO
funding...
4.
A few laughs around the room. McCullen soaks it up.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
.we discovered how to program
them to eliminate most anything.
For instance... metal.
ON SCREEN: A SOLDIER fires a shoulder-launched missile at a
tank. The warhead bursts into millions of SILVER MICROSCOPIC
NANO-MITES which eat away the metal like piranhas devouring a
horse. Then the NANO-MITES fan out from the consumed tank and
quickly head for a nearby jeep.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
Once the target has been destroyed,
the launcher triggers a kill switch
unique to each warhead that short-
circuits the nano-mites, preventing
any unwanted destruction.
ON SCREEN: The Soldier hits a KILL SWITCH on the launcher and
the NANO-MITES instantly "drop dead" around the nearby jeep.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
Each warhead contains seven million
nano-mites and has the ability to
eat anything from a single tank to
an entire city.
(to consummate salesman)
But without innocent casualties.
Which is why this has been such a
priority for me and my company.
The room breaks into APPLAUSE. FOCUSES ON GENERAL HAWK, a
British veteran or countless battles, not buying it.
HAWK
Guess you'll be the first arms
dealer up for the Nobel Peace
Prize.
Laughter in the room. McCullen smiles, being a good sport.
MCCULLEN
I prefer the term "armament
solutions engineer"
(more chuckles)
Gentlemen! I'm pleased to announce
that tomorrow morning your first
order of nanotech warheads will
ship from my factory in Kyrgyzstan.
5.
INT. MARS FACTORY - NIGHT
FOUR GLASS-LIKE WARHEADS, each the size of a softball, are
placed into four separate compartments inside a WEAPONS CASE
by a pair of LAB WORKERS. The KILL SWITCHES are secured next
to each warhead. As the case is closed and locked we see the
MARS Industries RED SQUARE MEDALLION LOGO on its cover.
SUPER: KYRGYZSTAN, CENTRAL ASIA
INT. MEN'S ROOM - MARS FACTORY - NIGHT
A PAIR OF DOG TAGS drop INTO FRAME in SLOW MOTION. We see the
name: "HAUSER, CONRAD R." Still not seeing his face, we watch
our soldier strap into his BODY ARMOR and clip on his BATTLE
HARNESS. His NAME TAG simply reads: "DUKE". He loads his into
the mirror (is that a look of disdain?) and we get our first
glimpse of our hero, a handsome, rugged combat veteran with a
BATTLE SCAR under his right eye.
The sound of RETCHING comes from the stall behind Duke. There
is a flush and a strapping young Special Forces Soldier,
STALWORTH, steps out. He goes to the sink next to Duke and
splashes water on his face. He's pale and sweaty.
DUKE
The hell's wrong with you,
Stalworth, you didn't eat that
Chicken A La King at chow did ya?
STALWORTH
The mission, sir...
DUKE
What about it? Another day, another
run.
STALWORTH
Never had anything to worry about
before.
Stalworth's shaky hand pulls a photo out and shows it to
Duke: A YOUNG MOTHER with a NEWBORN in her arms.
STALWORTH (CONT'D)
Three weeks old. Be seeing him for
the first time next leave.
Duke looks at the picture, then at Stalworth. His eyes go
distant thinking about his own past, then they harden again.
6.
DUKE
You're off the mission.
STALWORTH
Sir?
DUKE
That's what you want, right?
Stalworth doesn't argue. Duke hands him back the photo.
DUKE (CONT'D)
If your head's with them, you're no
good to me.
Stalworth nods. Duke steps closer, now one mean s.o.b.
DUKE (CONT'D)
One thing, though: you step off
this one, you're out of Special
Forces. Gonna find you a nice desk
and chair back at the base. You're
be run of the mill. Regular.
STALWORTH
I... I guess I can live with that.
DUKE
Then you should.
Stalworth nods, grabs his kit, and leaves. Duke's hard eyes
watch him go, then a slight smile creases his lips ...
INT. CORRIDOR - NATO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
McCullen exits the briefing room into the corridor outside,
shaking hands with various Military Commanders. Hawk watches
with his aide, a gorgeous German Lieutenant, COURTNEY "COVER
GIRL" KRIEGER. When McCullen is alone, Hawk makes his move.
HAWK
Mr McCullen, Clayton Aernathy,
British Army.
MCCULLEN
(shaking hands)
I know who you are General hawk. As
sharp in a briefing room as your
reputation is on the battlefield.
7.
HAWK
Not hardly ...You gave me a broad
target, I couldn't resist.
MCCULLEN
It's an honor to meet a man of your
many accomplishments.
McCullen smiles, then offers Hawk to walk with him.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
What's on your mind, General?
HAWK
Your warheads. Securing them in
transit. Forty pairs of ears in
that room now know the when and
where.
MCCULLEN
Those "ears" all have top security
clearance.
HAWK
We both know what that's worth.
MCCULLEN
Look, General, delivery is my
responsibility and it's not one I
take lightly. I had NATO assign an
elite American Special Forces unit,
a fully armored convoy with air
support. I assure you, my warheads
will be quite safe.
HAWK
I've made a career of showing up
where I'm needed, whether ordered
to or not. And if your warheads are
half as effective as you say they
are.. Then my unit is needed.
MCCULLEN
This is no time to play catch up.
The NATO team's been drilling for
weeks. They're lit up and ready to
roll.
HAWK
My unit doesn't need mission
specific training. They're chosen
because of their ability to handle
any situation.
8.
MCCULLEN
Maybe next time, General...
(moves to go, stops)
What did you say your unit was
called?
HAWK
I didn't. I just said they were
always ready.
McCullen continues on down the hall. Hawk gives Cover Girl a
look, she reads it and nods. WE SMASH CUT TO:
INT. HIGH-TECH DELIVERY BAY - MARS FACTORY - NIGHT
A FOUR MAN SECURITY DETAIL escorts two LAB WORKERS as they
enter a high-tech delivery bay and wlak past two "COUGAR"
PATROL VEHICLES and a huge ARMORED "GRIZZLY TRUCK, all armed
with state-of-the-art rooftop weapons. FIFTEEN SPECIAL FORCES
SOLDIERS stand at attention in front of Duke.
DUKE
All right, listen up, the Cougars
will be front and back, Grizzly in
the middle carrying the package.
Minimum distance at all times.
Choppers will cover us overhead.
The Lab Workers step up.
LAB WORKER #1
Captain Hauser.
Duke turns to them and start signing forms as WALLACE
"RIPCORD" WEEMS takes the case while a little short on
academic credentials, Rip is long on confidence, charm, and
courage. These two guys are as close as brothers, for better
and for worse. Rip looks at the Lab Guy with a jokey grin.
RIPCORD
Not gonna explode, is it?
LAB WORKER
(dead serious)
They're not weaponized yet. And the
kill switches are attached to the
launchers. All the same, I'd avoid
potholes if I were you.
Ripcord stares, then quickly hand the case off to another
soldier. Duke shoots him a look and Ripcord shrugs, what?
9.
RIPCORD
Why not stick it in a chopper and
fly it out? If you want, I could--
DUKE
--We have our orders. Okay, people!
We're on the clock, let's move.
RIPCORD
MOUNT UP!
Duke gives Rip another look. Rip throws him a cheesy grin.
The team mounts up. The weapons case to Grizzly. ENGINES
ignite. HEADLIGHTS beam. And the convoy rolls out.
EXT. MARS FACTORY - KYRGYZSTAN - NIGHT
The convoy charges out of the heavily guarded factory gates,
passing a sign: "MILITARY ARMAMENTS RESEARCH SYNDICATE". Two
BLACKHAWK HELICOPTERS swoop in and follow the convoy.
INT. LEAD COUGAR - MARS FACTORY - NIGHT
Ripcord drives the lead Cougar, Duke beside him. Two more
guys in back, remotely panning a rooftop DUAL MACHINE GUN.
DUKE
(into radio)
Mother Goose, this is Bird Dog. We
have the package and are on the dot
to make Ganci Air Base ar 0900.
RIPCORD
You know, I hate all the Mother
Goose, bird Dog crap, I just wish
they'd let us say, "Hey, Pete, it's
Bill, see ya in a few."
DUKE
Not me, I joined up for the jargon.
VOICE ON RADIO
Roger that, Bird Dog. Mother Goose
out.
RIPCORD
Just saying, you know, if I ran
things...
10.
DUKE
Rip, if you ran the Army we'd stay
up all night, fill our canteen with
tequila, and call each other "Bro".
RIPCORD
But we'd be badasses, right Bro?
DUKE
(with a sigh)
Yeah, we'd be badasses. Eyes on the
road, Rip.
EXT. CONVOY - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAWN
The two Blackhawks sweep through the skies, silhouetted by
the rising sun. Below them, the convoy is thundering down a
winding road amid the magnificent Tian Shan Mountain Range.
INT./EXT. REAR COUGAR - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
A RADAR DISH on the rear Cougar sweeps vigilantly. Inside, a
SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER watches the RADAR MONITOR, clear
except for two steady :signatures", the Blackhawks.
INT./EXT. LEAD COUGAR - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
In the lead Cougar, Duke and Ripcord keep their eyes out.
RIPCORD
Hey Duke, ya know how they always
tell you to empty your head of
distracting thoughts on these runs?
DUKE
Keep your eyes on the road, Rip.
RIPCORD
And you know how people sometimes
joke that it must be easy fr me to
keep my mind empty?
DUKE
Don't listen to 'em. you got plenty
of thoughts up there.
(into radio)
Keep rear security tight, boys.
11.
RIPCORD
Well, the second I try and make
myself not have thoughts, I always
have 'em. Like now, know what I'm
thinking about?
DUKE
Please don't say the Air Forces.
RIPCORD
The Air Forces.
DUKE
I thought we were done with that
discussion.
RIPCORD
You were done with it, not me.
Look, I loev flying...
Duke "mouths" the following sentence as Ropcord says it:
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
I've been flying since I was
thirteen years old.
Ripcord shoots him a look. Duke just smiles.
DUKE
I don't think your daddy's crop
duster counts as hours logged.
RIPCORD
Jets, man, jets. You know I always
qualify when I'm on leave.
DUKE
Yeah, yeah, look, you want to get
up in the air, we'll get you a
trampoline back at the base.
RIPCORD
We've done ten years in the Army, I
just think we should see if the
grass really is greener.
DUKE
This continues to be the stupidest
idea you've ever come up with, nd
that's saying something.
RIPCORD
Funny. Real funny.
12.
DUKE
I don't wanna transfer to the Air
Force, okay?
RIPCORD
It's always about you, isn't it?
Give me one good reason?
DUKE
I want to be in the fight, not
flying over it.
RIPCORD
Won't be saying that when you call
in an air strike and I come
screaming in to save your--
DUKE
--Eyes on the road, Rip.
EXT. CONVOY - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
Behind the Blackhawks and the convoy an ominous, DARK SHAPE
suddenly drops INTO FRAME. ENGINE EXHAUST blurs our view of
the aircraft, but we can tell that it's pursuing the convoy.
INT./EXT. REAR COUGAR - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
On the rear Cougar's RADAR SCREEN, we see the two Blackhawk
signatures still appearing in position.. .but nothing else.
INT. LEAD COUGAR - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
They hit a pothole. Ripcord grimaces, then realizes--
RIPCORD
Hey, on the training run weren't
there herders around here?
This puts Duke instantly on the alert.
EXT. CONVOY - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
Too late. CONCUSSION CANNONS slide out of ports on both sides
of the dark shape. They fire simultaneously. The SUBATOMIC
BLASTS punch into the front Blackhawk, crushing it like a
beer can on your forehead. It explodes and drops.
13.
INT./EXT. LEAD COUGAR - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
Duke and Rip see the hall of flaming metal crash in front of
them, blocking the convoy's path. Rip hits the brakes.
RIPCORD
Jesus Christ! Bird Down!
DUKE
(urgent, but utterly calm)
Back up! Back up! Back up!
(into radio)
Mother Goose, this is Bird Dog. We
are under attack. Repeat --we are
under attack!
EXT. CONVOY - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
The second Blackhawk pivots to see the dark shape, --it's
like a giant helicopter without rotors, hovering on six JET
THRUSTERS. It's a next-gen "TYPHOON" GUNSHIP.
The Blackhawk hoses the Typhoon with its six-barrelled MINI-
GUNS. But the rounds bounce off the Typhoon's angled armor.
The CONCUSSION CANNONS fire at the second Blackhawk, catching
it on the nose, crushing it into a flaming ball and sending
it reeling ass-over-tail-rotor into the ground behind the
rear Cougar, hemming in the convoy.
The Grizzly launches two HEAT-SEEKING MISSILES off its roof-
turret, but the Typhoon guns them down and fires again. The
blast lands directly on top of the rear Cougar, literally
flattening it as well as every tree within a hundred feet.
INT./EXT. LEAD COUGAR - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
Duke sees it all in his rear view mirror, yells into RADIO:
DUKE
Out! Everyone get out of the
vehicles! Now!
INT./EXT. GRIZZLY - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
A final CONCUSSION BLAST lands between the last two vehicles
now. Spinning the Grizzly. It's WINDOWS SHATTER and a
thousand lethal GLASS SHARDS shoot inside, killing the
drivers. The Cougar flips end over and lands in a ditch.
14.
INT. LEAD COUGAR - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
Duke and Ripcord land on the upturned ceiling, beat to shit.
Duke quickly checks on the two guys in back crushed to death
where the blast caved in the Cougar's armor. He looks at Rip.
DUKE
You okay?
RIPCORD
(DAZED)
Yeah, except for all the blood.
Duke sees blood on the back of Rip's head. Then they hear a
LOUD ROAR and turn to see the Typhoon hover by the Grizzly.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
Who the hell is that?
Duke grabs Ripcord and starts dragging him out.
EXT. CONVOY - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY
A SIDE DOOR on the Typhoon hisses open to reveal six
"VIPERS", menacing foot soldiers clad head to toe in black
BATTLE ARMOR, and armed with fearsome PULSE RIFLES. They exit
the Typhoon and spread out to kill anyone left.
The decimated Special Forces troops in the Grizzly OPEN FIRE
with ASSAULT RIFLES, but the bullets can't penetrate the
Viers' armor. The Vipers fire back, the impact from their
pulse rifles crush the soldiers' bodies, armor and all, and
fling them backwards.
Two Soldiers pop two FRAGMENTATION GRENADES and toss them
toward the Typhoon. The Vipers shoot one grenade out of the
air with their pulse rifles. It EXPLODES well out of range as
the other grenade lands on the ground int he middle of the
pack. Another shot from a pulse rifle punches the grenade six
feet underground. A DULL WHOOMP, lifts the ground by a foot.
Meanwhile, another figure emerges out of the Typhoon. Long,
slender legs in high black boots, the rest if her covered in
black, form-fitting BODY ARMOR. She's beautiful, exotic, and
most of all, lethal. She's known in certain circles only as
"THE BARONESS" but we will know her as ANA. Her DARK GLASSES
glint menacingly as she strides towards the Grizzly.
The two Special Forces Soldiers who threw the grenades pop up
to shoot her. But she quick-draws a pair of PULSE PISTOLS.
BOOM! BOOM! The shots crush both soldiers.
15.
Ana flips the pistols back into her holsters as a Viper blows
the back door off the Grizzly, allowing her to climb inside.
She blithely steps around the corpses and removes the WEAPONS
CASE.
Duke now has Rip ver his shouders and is running like hell.
RIPCORD
Duke?
DUKE
Shut up.
RIPCORD
If I die...
DUKE
You're not gonna die.
RIPCORD
I just want you to know... you never
could run worth a damn.
DUKE
Jesus, Rip.
RIPCORD
I'm just saying, it's be nice if
you could move a little faster.
And that's when the Cougar blows, a concussive blast. Ana
turns with the weapons case in time to see Duke and Rip go
ass-over-teacups down into a ditch. She touches the stem of
her glasses which ZOOM IN on Duke.
DOWN IN THE DITCH: Duke rolls over and looks at Rip.
DUKE
Stay here.
RIPCORD
(really messed up)
Sure.
DUKE
I'm gettin' that package.
Duke leaps up and hauls-ass down the ditch, then crouch-runs
up the embankment. --And comes face to face with a Viper, who
raises his pulse rifle, about to blow Duke away. A hand
clamps down over the barrel.
The Viper looks at Ana beside him. Duke also looks at her, a
flash of shocking recognition ripples across his face.
16.
Ana touches the stem of her glasses and the DARK LENSES turn
clear, revealing her gorgeous eyes.
DUKE (CONT'D)
What the hell...?
Her face softens hesitantly.
ANA
Hello, Duke...
Then she round house kicks him with her boot across the face,
knocks him out on his ass.
ANA (CONT'D)
You have to admit you had that
coming.
Ana struggles with something going on inside her head. Then
her face reluctantly hardens and she takes her hand off the
first Viper's gun barrel, giving Duke an apologetic look.
ANA (CONT'D)
Good-bye, Duke.
Duke can't believe it. Ana suddenly glances up at something
behind Duke. It's a "HOWLER" TRANSPORT rocketing onto the
scene, its four-winged JET THRUSTERS rotating ninety degrees
to slow it into a hover. Duke takes the opportunity to jump
to his feet and lay out in the Viper. Ana turns and hauls-
ass.
A BLACK-CLAD FIGURE fast ropes down out of the Howler and
lands behind a Viper and SNAPS his neck. Moving in a blur, he
draws and buries a KATANA BLADE into another Viper. Then he
glances at the last Viper who's lining up on him, too far
away to reach with his sword. He quick-draws a GLOCK PISTOL.
BAM! Right between the eye slit in his helmet. All this in
the space of six breathless seconds.
Duke glances at the almost mystical figure of SNAKE-EYES
sheathing his sword on his back while holstering his smoking
Glock. RED NINJA CLAN MARKING on his tri-cep. Bad-ass
defined. Snake-Eyes leaps behind the Cougar wreck as a pulse
burst just missed him. Duke immediately takes off after Ana,
his eyes locked on the weapons case in her hands, PULSE
BURSTS crackling past his head. He curses under his breath:
DUKE
Air Force.. .right.
17.
A Viper lines up on Duke, but a laser-like ARROW BOLT rips
through his eye-slit and ELECTROCUTES him, courtesy of SHANA
"SCARLETT" O'HARA who fast-ropes down from the Howler,
holding a gas-propulsion CROSSBOW PISTOL. She lines up on
another Viper, but he's too quick, ducks behind the GRIZZLY.
But Scarlett's CROSSBOW PISTOL viewfinder snapped an image of
his FACE ARMOR. She darts behind the COUGAR WRECK with Snake-
Eyes, swiftly targeting the Viper's eye-slit on her pistol's
LED SCREEN. Then she fires behind her, in the complete other
direction to the Viper, the arrow bolt flies away, then turns
around and zeroes in on the Viper, finding him behind cover,
the smart-arrow slams right through his eye-slit.
Another Viper sees this and bolts toward the Typhoon, but
LAMONT "HEAVY DUTY" MORRIS leans out of the landing Howler
holding a dual MACHINE GUN/GRENADE LAUNCHER. Only a man this
big can carry such a weapon.
HEAVY DUTY
Time to lay down some bass!
He fires a grenade and the Viper flies back OUT OF FRAME. You
blink, you miss it. BOOM! The Typhoon fires at Heavy Duty,
but the Howler is just as nimble, fires its LEFT-SIDE
THRUSTERS which roll it onto its side. The CONCUSSION BLASTS
whip past and decimate the forest behind it. Hanging
awkwardly, Heavy Duty fires a double blast of hand grenades.
The Typhoon's mini-gun quickly shoots them out of the air.
The Howler fires MISSILES which hit the CONCUSSION CANNONS
and rip them apart. The Typhoon SHAKES. Ana races for the
recovering Typhoon. Duke races after her through a hail of
pulse-fire and draws his PISTOL.
DUKE
Ana!
She whirls around, drawing the weapons case over her chest
and face, using it as a shield. Duke hesitates, because of
the warheads or Ana? Heavy Duty goes to shoot at her.
SCARLETT
The warheads!
Heavy Duty reluctantly doesn't shoot, everyone watching Ana
backpedal towards the waiting Typhoon. Duke charges like a
bull and tackles her. Ana sprawls and the case tumbles free.
Duke and Ana go eye-to-eye for a split second, then Duke goes
after the case while the Joes take the opportunity to spray
gunfire her way. Ana zigs, zags, and dives into the Typhoon,
which is raked by the bullets.
18.
Duke grabs up the case as the Typhoon launches into the sky
and disappears over a rise ...
SILENCE... Scarlett, Snake-eyes and Heavy Duty now approach
Duke, who whirls around at them, pistol up, eyes wild.
DUKE
Stand down! Stand the hell down!
HEAVY DUTY
Lower your weapon, Sir. We're not
the enemy.
DUKE
Pointing weapons at me doesn't make
you my friend.
ABEL "BREAKER" SHAZ jumps out of the Howler wearing a
computerized SURVEILLANCE SUIT, a French/Tunisian ACCENT:
BREAKER
Please hand over the case, sir.
DUKE
I don't know who you are, and I
sure as hell don't know who they
are, and until I find out, I'm not
lowering anything or handling
anything over.
CLICK-CLACK. They turn to see Ripcord shouldering a rifle.
RIPCORD
What's your unit?
SCARLETT
That's classified.
Snake-Eyes discreetly grabs SHRUNKEN THROWING STARS from his
belt, but a look from Scarlett makes him out them back.
BREAKER
Someone would like a word with you.
Breaker sets a holo-projector on the ground in front of Duke,
which projects a 3D IMAGE OF GENERAL HAWK. Duke is stunned.
HAWK
State you name and rank.
DUKE
.you first.
19.
HAWK
My team just saved your life. now's
the part where you say "thank you".
DUKE
Those aren't the words that come to
mind just now. We weren't told
about any support for this mission,
so you better tell your team to
stand down.
Ripcord eyes his sight.
RIPCORD
Happy to turn this into a turkey
shoot.
Someone OFF-PROJECTOR hands Hawk a file, he looks at it.
HAWK
You must be... Ripcord, expert
marksman, weapons specialist, jet
QUALIFIED--
RIPCORD
(to Duke)
Told ya.
HAWK
I'm General Clayton Abernathy. You
may have heard of me, .Duke.
A glint of recognition flickers across Duke's eyes, he nods.
DUKE
General hawk. Afghanistan, NATO
Forward Command...
Breaker sees his chance and gingerly steps up to Duke and
starts sweeping a scanner across the case. Hawk smiles.
HAWK
That was my last job.
(a twinkle in his eye)
I'm in a whole new outfit now.
Duke swivels his gun to Breaker's head. Breaker flinches.
BREAKER
Just need to deactivate its
tracking beacon, for security.
20.
HAWK
Hand over the weapons case son, and
let us deliver the warheads.
DUKE
No way. I signed for 'em. My
mission, my package. I carry them,
I deliver them.
Breaker's scanner BEEPS. He keys a button. The BEEPING
promptly stops. He throws a look at Duke.
BREAKER
Wasn't hard, was it?
DUKE
Fine. But you seem to be a little
short on transportation a the
moment. Team Alpha will deliver you
to me.
DUKE (CONT'D)
And where exactly are you, General?
INT. CONTROL ROOM - THE PIT - DAY
Hawk stands in front of a HOLO-CAM amongst a sea of
computers, Cover Girl behind him, Duke on a monitor.
HAWK
Come see for yourself.
EXT. HOWLER - EGYPTIAN SKIES - DUSK
The Howler skims over the GIANT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA, a caravan
of camels below. The aircraft continues out into the golden
desert, too fast for anybody to get a good look at it.
INT. HOWLER -SKIES - DUSK
Scarlett is cleaning Ripcord's head wound.
RIPCORD
Hey, you're cute.
SCARLETT
He's going into shock.
RIPCORD
What's your name, darlin'?
21.
Snake-Eyes stabs Ripcord hard int he arm with a drip-needle,
Rip angrily eyeballs him and stifles a scream.
SCARLETT
I thought all the Special Ops guys
were tough.
RIPCORD
We are tough ... . but also sensitive.
(feeling the drugs)
Whoa, that's some mucho primo stuff
you gave me.
Rip is high now, his eyes float up to Heavy Duty who stares
back at him. Rip reaches out to touch his well-cropped hair.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
.and a kung-fu grip.
HEAVY DUTY
The name's Heavy Duty.
Duke has the weapons case on his lap.
DUKE
What kind of outfit is this? Not
regular Army based on the accents.
(to Scarlett)
I have you as an Aussie...
(looks to Heavy Duty)
And you're a Johannesburger...
(then Breaker)
And you: French North Africa.
Algiers?
BREAKER
Tunisia. Where were you born?
RIPCORD
Are you kidding me? Duke wasn't
born, he was Government-Issued!
DUKE
But somehow you're all in the same
unit. One you can't tell me the
name of right?
SCARLETT
We'd get tossed for telling.
22.
RIPCORD
Duke, Duke, don't you get it:
they're super secret, they're
Mission Impossible. This tape's
gonna self-destruct in five--
DUKE
--You're gonna go after them aren't
you? The ones that hit my convoy.
(SILENCE)
Then whoever you are, whatever this
unit is, I want in.
BREAKER
Not our call.
Ripcord sits up, really woozy, looks at Scarlett.
RIPCORD
I want in too. That way we can
spend some bunker time together.
A SWORD suddenly slices across Rip's face, an inch away. It's
Snake-Eyes, checking his blade, seemingly innocent. But the
message is not lost on Ripcord. Scarlett looks at Duke.
SCARLETT
You two a team or something?
RIPCORD
We've been together forever.
(off her look)
But not like that. Hi, I'm Ripcord.
SCARLETT
Why do they call you that?
Breaker laughs, reading Ripcord's file:
BREAKER
Because his name is Wallace Weems!
INT. SECURITY ROOM - THE PIT - DAY
Eight SECURITY TECHNICIANS sit around an island console in a
small, windowless room. Working their keyboards and watching
the HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE of the Howler soaring across the dunes.
A technician hits a LARGE SWITCH on his console.
SECURITY TECHNICIAN #1
Alpha-One, this is Base. You are
cleared or entry.
23.
EXT. HOWLER - SKIES - DAY
And a huge sand dune directly in front of Howler spirals open
to reveal a CAVERNOUS HOLE. The Howler's THRUSTERS twist
vertical and it drops like a helicopter into the hole.
SUPER: Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity.
INT. LANDING PLATFORM - THE PIT - DAY
The Howler descends beneath the surface onto a dark platform
as the roof spirals shut and FLOOD LIGHTS switch on. The door
of the howler opens and the team steps out. Duke and Ripcord
follow hesitantly with the weapons case. A VOICE calls out to
them from the shadows:
HAWK (O.S.)
Welcome to the new Pit!
Duke and Ripcord turn to see hawk and Cover girl walking out
from behind the lights.
HAWK (CONT'D)
Duke.
DUKE
General.
HAWK
I've read a lot about you two.
RIPCORD
Okay, look, I didn't "steal" that
Blackhawk, I was borrowing it...
Duke shoots him a look. Hawk steps right up to Duke.
HAWK
Matter of fact, I saw that one of
my subordinates tried to recruit
you to our little operation a while
back.
DUKE
I was never asked to join any Op
group.
HAWK
Remember a tall gentleman
approaching you in Thailand when
you were on leave, four years ago?
24.
DUKE
Vaguely.
HAWK
Right before you tore up the bar?
RIPCORD
Four years? My man had some issues.
Duke shoots him another look, then turns back to Hawk.
DUKE
This doesn't look like any Tac Op
I've ever seen. Where are we?
HAWK
Okay, you trusted me by going with
my team, so I'll trust you.
There's a loud METALLIC CLANG and part of the PLATFORM begins
to descend. They pass the URBAN COMBAT LEVEL where MEN and
WOMEN are training with next-gen urban warfare equipment.
HAWK (CONT'D)
Technically, GI JOE doesn't exist.
But if it did, it'd be comprised of
the top men and women from the best
military units all over the world.
The alpha dogs...
They see a pretty woman sip into a next-gen CAMO-SUIT, which
reflects and refracts light, making her nearly invisible.
RIPCORD
Oh man, I want one of those.
BREAKER
The suit or the girl?
RIPCORD
Both.
Scarlett's eyes roll. They descend into the DESERT COMBAT
level, where soldiers train with desert warfare equipment.
HAWK
Ten nations signed on in their
first year. Working together,
sharing intel. Now we have twenty-
three.
25.
DUKE
I've never seen combat gear this
sleek, what's the trick?
SCARLETT
Liquid armor.
They reach the DEEP SEA COMBAT LEVEL where dozens of men and
women are testing fantastic next-gen UNDERWATER VEHICLES.
HAWK (O.S.)
Good news is we've been pretty
successful so far. The bad news is
whenever we manage to shut down one
organization, another springs up in
its place.
RIPCORD
Who could possibly fund all this?
HEAVY DUTY
Oprah.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - THE PIT - DAY
Hawk now leads the group into the Control Room where more
TECHNICIANS man consoles. Duke still has the weapons case.
CONTROL ROOM TECHNICIAN #1
Mr. McCullen's standing by, Sir.
HAWK
Patch him through, please.
DUKE
So who hit us out there?
COVER GIRL
Currently unidentified.
HEAVY DUTY
And how'd that bitch in leather get
a jump jet like ours?
SCARLETT
Whoever she is, she's clearly well-
financed, with access to highly
classified intel and state of the
art weaponry. Their capabilities
are beyond anything we've ever
encountered.
26.
RIPCORD
That's the reason we got our asses
kicked.
Duke betrays nothing. Hawk looks at him.
HAWK
We're going to need to find out
everything we can about her.
Knowing is half the battle.
RIPCORD
What's the other half?
McCullen now appears next to Ripcord and walks through him.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
Jesus!
And we realize McCullen is here courtesy of a HOLO-PROJECTOR.
A ring of cameras provides him with images of the Joes.
HAWK
Gentlemen, this is James McCullen,
CEO of MARS Industries, the man who
built these warheads.
WE INTERCUT THIS SCENE WITH McCullen standing in front of a
HOLO-CAM in a small room somewhere. THE HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGES of
hawk, Duke, and the others around him.
MCCULLEN
General, most men I've encountered
in this business over-promise and
under-deliver. You're the opposite.
Clearly, you were the security
option I should have chosen.
ON DUKE: Steaming behind his military demeanor.
DUKE
My team did everything we could out
there. A lot of good men went down--
MCCULLEN
--But not you.
DUKE
That mission was classified, sir.
Clearly, somebody sold us out.
27.
MCCULLEN
I've spent ten years and thirteen
billion Euros creating these four
warheads. Your job, Captain, was to
protect them, and if it wasn't for
General Hawk, you would've failed.
HAWK
That's not a fair assessment. He
followed his orders to the letter.
MCCULLEN
Well that wasn't enough.
Duke bristles. McCullen turns to Hawk.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
What are your coordinates? I'll
have NATO send another special ops
team to retrieve the warheads,
company strength this time.
HAWK
Apologizes, Mr McCullen. It's not
that I don't trust you...I don't
trust anybody.
MCCULLEN
(SMILES)
Are you sure you're not a McCullen?
HAWK
I don't talk smooth enough to be a
McCullen.
MCCULLEN
You do just fine, General. Now, so
the bastards who attacked you can't
find you, you need to disable the
tracking beacon hidden in the case.
BREAKER
We already have.
MCCULLEN
Good man. So, can I count on you to
deliver the warheads to NATO now?
HAWK
I think it unwise to expose them at
the moment. This group might make
another attempt.
(MORE)
28.
HAWK (CONT'D)
We need to find and neutralize them
before we can consider moving your
weapons.
MCCULLEN
Alright. But allow me to check the
warheads to see if any have been
damaged.
Duke begrudgingly sets the case down. Breaker turns on his
suit's BALL-EYEPIECE. It goes into X-RAY MODE and we see the
NANO-MITES crawling around inside the four warheads.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
Open it, please.
BREAKER
My scan says they're intact...
MCCULLEN
General?
HAWK
What's the code?
ON DUKE, listening carefully.
MCCULLEN
Five-two-nine-four-four-oh.
Breaker enters the code. As the case opens, Breaker
discreetly watches McCullen in his BALL-EYEPIECE SCANNER.
McCullen runs his holographic fingers over the warheads.
Satisfied, he turns to Hawk.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
Please keep me informed of your
progress, General.
Duke and McCullen share a quick glare. And then McCullen cuts
the feed. Scarlett notices concern on Breaker's face.
SCARLETT
Breaker?
BREAKER
That bloke's Beta waves were going
up, down, and sideways... I think
he's hiding something.
And off the faces of the rest of the group WE CUT BACK TO:
29.
INT./EXT TRIDENT - DAY
McCullen turns as Ana appears on a HOLO-PROJECTOR behind him.
MCCULLEN
I spend five years setting this up.
Wringing money out of NATO. This
was supposed to be the easy part.
ANA
If you'd let me stage the assault
at your precious factory, we could
have contained the situation.
MCCULLEN
And lost the trust of our clients
in the process? It had to be NATO's
fault.
(steps closer)
What happened? Did you hesitate?
ANA
You're implying this was about some
ancient history? That's as
laughable as your Intel. What went
wrong was the Joes appearing out of
nowhere.
He stares at her suspiciously, then softens.
MCCULLEN
Forgive me, jealousy isn't my
strong suit.
ANA
Forget that, where are we now? Have
you tracked the case?
MCCULLEN
They deactivated the beacon. I gave
them a code to quietly re-arm it.
McCullen hits a key, a SCREEN switches on, displaying A MAP
OF THE WORLD. A BEACON LIGHT flashes over a spot in the
Egyptian desert, grip coordinates blinking.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
There it is. The infamous Pit.
ANA
I will get those warheads back.
30.
McCullen steps forward and lovingly caresses her face, his
hand going right through her. McCullen whispers menacingly.
MCCULLEN
I hope so.
ANA
(diffusing the threat)
If I were really there, I might
actually let you touch me.
MCCULLEN
(sly smile)
I'll send a jet.
ANA
Business first. Besides, I'm
married, remember?
Her holo-form blinks off, leaving McCullen alone in the room.
MCCULLEN
Sometimes I really hate technology.
He sighs heavily, then hears a VOICE:
STORM SHADOW (O.S.)
It is most often used by those
without honor.
McCullen turns to see STORM SHADOW, a well-tailored Korean
man whose soul has long since departed, standing on the other
side of the room.
MCCULLEN
There can't be any more mistakes.
The schedule can't be compromised
any further.
STORM SHADOW
If you had sent me, it would be
done.
MCCULLEN
(walking towards him)
I'm sending you now, Storm Shadow.
To the Baroness's villa. .Make
sure her commitment doesn't waiver.
Storm Shadow nods, McCullen continues on THROUGH him. We now
realize Storm Shadow was a holo-proj. Storm Shadow vanishes.
31.
McCullen steps up to a large oval perspex window. WE PULL
BACK out of the window to reveal that he's riding through
DEEP ARCTIC OCEAN inside a next-gen "TRIDENT" submarine.
CAMERA KEEPS PULLING BACK to show the Trident approaching the
docking bay of a MASSIVE FACILITY built into the seabed under
the jagged canopy of the POLAR ICE CAP. The place is defended
by several HARPOON CANNONS and a fearsome TURBO-LASER. It's a
breath-taking sight, but also a little frightening.
INT. DOCKING BAY - DAY
The MARS LOGO is stamped on a pair of WATER-TIGHT DOORS. The
logo pulls apart as the doors open, allowing McCullen inside
the docking back entrance. Waiting for him is a man known
only as THE DOCTOR. His face hidden by a life-support mask
that continually pumps air into his lungs and also
mechanically helps him to speak without the vocal chords he
is missing.
THE DOCTOR
Welcome back.
MCCULLEN
Good to be back.
THE DOCTOR
we've been very busy.
He gestures to TWENTY MERCENARIES or various ethnicities, all
standing at attention, not a single muscle moving among them.
These are NEO-VIPERS. The baddest of the bad.
MCCULLEN
Is it working?
THE DOCTOR
You tell me.
The Doctor beckons a waiting LAB ASSISTANT who rolls out a
glass case containing an eighteen foot long KING COBRA. the
Doctor bends down and gazes at the snake.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
The King Cobra is a magnificent
creature. Its venom can kill a
full grown elephant with a single
bite.
He rattles the case and the cobra HISSES at him, revealing
its hood. The Doctor steps up to a Neo-Viper and shows
McCullen an INCISION SCAR behind the Neo-Vipers' right ears.
32.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
We introduced into each subject one
thousand cc's of the nano-mite
solution. As expected, subjects
became extremely ill and fell into
a coma-like state for approximately
forty hours.
The Doctor produces a small HANDHELD DEVICE from his pocket,
A FILE PHOTO of a Neo-Viper appears on the device's screen.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
When they returned to sentience,
brain scans showed complete
inactivity in the self-preservation
region of the cortex.
MCCULLEN
English, Doctor.
The Doctor keys a demand and that particular Neo-Viper steps
up and sticks his bare arm into the case through a portal.
THE DOCTOR
They feel no fear.
The Neo-Viper grabs the cobra and squeezes, the cobra bites
his arm, latching on, sinking its venom into his veins. The
Neo-Viper doesn't even wince.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Cortical nerve clusters revealed
complete inactivity--
MCCULLEN
--Doctor.
THE DOCTOR
They feel no pain.
The Doctor keys another command and the Neo-Viper obediently
lets go of the cobra and removes his arm from the case.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Frontal lobe concepts of morality
are disengaged... No remorse...
MCCULLEN
And they are completely obedient?
THE DOCTOR
Of course. .The real world
applications are endless.
33.
The Neo-Viper's knees give out. McCullen watches curiously.
WE SMASH CUT INTO the NEO-VIPER'S BITE WOUND where the WHITE
VENOM is racing through a blinding labyrinth of veins.
THE DOCTOR (V.0.) (CONT'D)
The nano-mites will target the
venom.
STILL IN HIS VEINS we see hundreds of MICROSCOPIC NON-MITES
rushing to meet the venom head on. Blocking it.
Then swiftly pushing it back. All the way to the original
fang holes. The venom seeps out of the holes and drips off
the Neo-Viper's arm. He stands and returns to his place in
line without a word. The Doctor looks at impressed McCullen.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
So you tell me: is it working?
INT. CORRIDORS - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
The Doctor follows McCullen through various corridors.
THE DOCTOR
The science is staggering isn't it?
MCCULLEN
You've done well. You've thrown the
caber clear out of the yard.
THE DOCTOR
But research and science are
expensive propositions. If I can
make a suggestion..?
McCullen stops and looks at him, there is something truly
menacing and evil behind this Doctor's mask.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Selling one batch of warheads on
the black market could fund--
MCCULLEN
--I appreciate your thirst for
knowledge, Doctor. But this world
is messy enough. Factions fighting
and scrabbling for control, for
resources, and it's only going to
get worse as the century
progresses. No. What the world
needs is unification. Leadership.
(MORE)
34.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
It needs to be taken out of chaos
by someone with complete control.
He looks through a portal into a shadowy OPERATING CHAMBER,
where a brilliant but vicious looking MAN is being scanned by
SMART ROBOTS. This is ZARTAN. A Smart Robot begins to change
Zartan's fingerprints, which we see on a monitor.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
My family was once this close to
that kind of power...
(LAUGHS)
The French...
Zartan CRACKS HIS KNUCKLES and gives McCullen a nod. McCullen
looks back at the Doctor.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
Once I get my hands on the reins,
the money will take care of itself.
You'll be able to do all the
research you want.
McCullen strides off. The Doctor stares after him.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - THE PIT - NIGHT
Duke, still holding the briefcase, stares at a PHOTO OF ANA
from the ambush, now up on a monitor.
BREAKER
We grabbed an image from Heavy-
Duty's helmet cam.
Ripcord looks stunned, he leans closer to Duke and whispers:
RIPCORD
Hey, that's--
Duke cuts him off with a look. Breaker extracts a full 3D
FRONT-VIEW of Ana's face from the photo. Then on an adjacent
monitor, he runs an endless series of PHOTOS OF WOMEN.
BREAKER
Now we can run the face through an
infinity scan.
HAWK
We have access to any photograph on
any server anywhere in the world.
35.
BREAKER
Everyone gets photographed in some
way at some time. ATM machines,
airports, crowd shots at a football
game. We'll find her.
Duke just stares at Ana's photo. Ripcord whispers quietly:
RIPCORD
You okay?
DUKE
(not okay)
.what happened to her?
For once, Ripcord doesn't know what to say. Cover Girl walks
in and hands a document to Hawk, who looks through it.
HAWK
From NATO. I am now the official
custodian of the warheads. Your
mission is complete. Once you hand
it over, that is.
Duke nods, hands over the case with a hint of defeat.
DUKE
When you move it, she's gonna come
after you, you know that, right?
(off Hawk's look)
And with her Intel, and her toys...
she'll find you.
HAWK
And your point is...?
DUKE
You're going to go after her first.
And I want to help.
RIPCORD
Let us in on this, General. Our
team just got wasted. I think a
little payback is in order.
HAWK
You don't ask to be a part of GI
JOE. You get asked.
DUKE
You scouted me four years ago, now
I'm ready. Let's have at it.
36.
HAWK
I've lost men too, Captain. Good
men. But attempting to--
DUKE
I know her.
HAWK
Excuse me?
DUKE
You said knowing is half the
battle. Well, I know who she is.
Duke reaches into his pocket, pulls out a photo and shows
Hawk. INSERT PHOTO: Ana, four years earlier, much softer
looking, staring lovingly at Duke as they're about to kiss.
DUKE (CONT'D)
Her name is Ana Lewis, and I can
tell you everything you need to
know about her until... four years
ago. After that, well, obviously
sa lot's changed.
Hawk just stares in disbelief.
INT. HAWK'S STATEROOM - DAY
Hawk sits down behind his desk and looks up at Duke, still
standing at attention.
HAWK
Before this goes any further, I
need to know what I'm dealing with,
a man looking to settle a score, or
a man who can put the mission
first. Because the battlefield is
the wrong place for emotion.
(he pauses for effect)
Could you kill her?
DUKE
If I had to.
HAWK
Chances are you will. But if you
flinch, hesitate even an instant...
what I'm trying to say is, unless
you can kill her graveyard dead I
don't want you.
37.
DUKE
I can.
(off Hawk's look)
I signed on to deliver those
warheads, General, and despite your
present authority, I want to finish
the job.
Hawk regards him for a moment.
HAWK
So tell me about her.
DUKE
Okay, I'll start right here: I hope
that vault is tight, because she
always gets what she wants...
EXT. THE BARONESS' MANSION - PARIS - NIGHT
A BLACK, BEEFED-UP SUV drives towards a magnificent mansion
in the Parisian suburbs. Though the vehicle looks relatively
harmless, we'll come to know it as a "SCARAB" attack truck.
SUPER: PARIS, FRANCE
INT. FOYER - THE BARONESS' MANSION - PARIS - NIGHT
Ana enters the mansion. SERVANTS take her coat as her
handsome, sophisticated and well dressed husband, BARON LEON
DECOBRAY, glides up to her, very French. They kiss warmly.
DECOBRAY
Hello, darling.
ANA
How is work at the lab?
DECOBRAY
Steady progress.
ANA
So the Minister of Defense was
pleased?
DECOBRAY
He was. You know I wish I could
tell you more...
ANA
Of course.
38.
DECOBRAY
You were gone a long time. How
were the shops in Monte Carlo?
ANA
I didn't get what I was after.
They head up the stairs.
DECOBRAY
I suppose I should be grateful.
ANA
Most husbands would be.
DECOBRAY
Most husbands don't have such
mysterious wives, they know exactly
where they are and what they do.
ANA
(TEASING)
They think they know.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - THE BARONESS' CASTLE - NIGHT
Ana throws open the double doors to her grand bedroom on a
high floor with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
ANA
I never get over how beautiful...
DECOBRAY
(staring at Ana)
Neither do I.
She spots Storm Shadow standing in an ante room and quickly
spins to face her husband. She pulls Decobray close and
kisses him. Storm Shadow makes a move, but ana warns him off
with her eyes, She finishes the kiss and looks at Decobray.
ANA
Let me change and freshen up and
I'll meet you for dinner.
DECOBRAY
Of course.
Decobray smiles at her and leaves. The smile falls from
Ana's face as she spins around and heads for Storm Shadow.
39.
STORM SHADOW
Mr. McCullen gave me explicit
orders to sever the Baron's spine
if he so much as touched you.
ANA
He's my husband, of course he
touches me. Tell McCullen to grow
up. Besides, the Baron says his
work in the lab goes much better
after we've... touched. And that's
the important thing.
STORM SHADOW
I'll be accompanying you to
retrieve the warheads this time.
Along with some of the men the
Doctor's been working on.
ANA
(with distaste)
The Doctor.
STORM SHADOW
We go at dawn.
Storm Shadow turns and heads out through the doors. Ana
Stands alone in her room now, she heads over to her dresser
and opens a hidden drawer. Inside is a SMALL BOX. She opens
it carefully and gazes at an ENGAGEMENT RING inside.
Something sad and lonely in her eyes... And WE FLASHBACK TO:
INT. MILITARY CLUB - WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT
A crowded military club. OFFICERS and ENLISTED dancing to an
orchestra. And there's Ana, the most beautiful woman in the
room. Wearing a black dress. Slightly younger and with none
of the cold viciousness she displayed earlier. She's dancing
with Duke who's wearing his officer's DRESS UNIFORM, replete
with bars and medals. She laughs as Duke whispers something
in her ear. She's in love. And so is he.
Ripcord is in a booth, downing shots with four ENLISTED
WOMEN. He has his arms around two of them and looks loaded.
RIPCORD
My hot tub only holds four.
(COUNTS)
No, five.
40.
EXT. VERANDAH - OFFICER'S CLUB - FLASHBACK - NIGHT
Duke leads Ana outside onto a quiet verandah, the lights of
Washington shimmering beyond them. He suddenly kneels down
in front of her, an ENGAGEMENT RING in a box in his hand.
Ana gasps with shock and joy, tears welling in her eyes.
DUKE
I've been wanting to do this before
we deploy.
ANA
Duke...it's beautiful. It's too
nice you lunatic.
DUKE
Only time I'm buying one of these,
so why not?
They stare a each other, a touching beat. Then Duke screws
up his face, worried?
DUKE (CONT'D)
Well, what do you say?
She's too emotional to speak. And then they hear:
REX (O.S.)
Say yes, you idiot...!
Lieutenant REX LEWIS saunters up, MEDICAL INSIGNIA on his
collar. The look on his face tells us he's happy for them.
REX (CONT'D)
.Before I tell my new brother-in-
law what it's like to share a
bathroom with you.
DUKE
Thanks for killing the mood, Rex.
REX
I was coming to offer you a ride
back to post.
ANA
Time already?
DUKE
We go at oh-five hundred.
41.
ANA
Is it WMDs? It is, right? That's
why you're pulling Rex out of the
LAB--
DUKE
Ana, we can't--
ANA
Yeah, yeah. Classified. Top
Secret. Have to kill me if you
told me, blah, blah, blah.
DUKE
Speaking of classified information,
you still haven't answered.
ANA
Yes. Of course it's yes. On one
CONDITION--
She grabs REX and pulls him down on his knees next to Duke.
ANA (CONT'D)
Promise me that you won't let my
genius egghead brother get hurt.
(looks at Rex)
He's the only family I've got left.
(back to Duke)
Promise me.
DUKE
I promise.
She smiles and holds out her hand. He threads the ring onto
her trembling finger. Rex smiles, but in his eyes is a glint
of instability. Ripcord comes CRASHING OUT through shuttered
doors and sprawls out next to them, arms and legs akimbo.
DUKE (CONT'D)
Jesus, Rip.
Ripcord rolls over and yells back through the doors:
RIPCORD
How was I supposed know she was
married!?
(then, notices the ring)
Nice rock! Hey, are you proposing?
DUKE
I'm done proposing.
42.
ANA
I already said yes.
RIPCORD
Not official until you answer my
question. Do you love my boy?
ANA
Always and forever.
Ripcord flips open his CELL PHONE and takes the photo of Ana
that Duke carries with him.
RIPCORD
Now I've gotta find someone to love
me, as many times as possible for
the next three hours.
WE PUSH IN ON THE PHOTO, then SMASH CUT BACK TO THE PRESENT.
INT. THE PIT - URBAN ENVIRONMENT - DAY
On Duke, watching Heavy Duty pulling out an ACCELERATOR SUIT.
HEAVY DUTY
If you want to join us, you'll need
to be mission ready, Joe style.
This is the Mark One Accelerator
Suit.
RIPCORD
What's it accelerate?
HEAVY DUTY
You. It'll make you run faster,
jump higher, and hit harder than
any of your enemies.
A TITANIUM BOOT slides over a shoe. COBALT MACHINE PARTS
snap into place with a HISS over Duke and Rip's arms and
legs.
HEAVY DUTY (CONT'D)
Head-to-toe turbo-hydraulics and
highly-pressurized pneumatics.
They both slap on aerodynamic, flying-wing HELMETS. Inside,
the CYBERNETIC POWER-UP with an ear piercing whine. LASER
ENHANCED LED readouts scramble and fritz across their HUDs.
43.
HEAVY DUTY (CONT'D)
An advanced cybernetics heads-up
display, feeding into your helmet.
Duke checks out two gas-propelled GRAPPLING SPEARS and six
WRIST ROCKETS around his right forearm.
HEAVY DUTY (CONT'D)
Two gas propelled grappling spears
and six ten millimeter, hi-
explosive, heat seeking, fire-and-
forget rockers.
Rip spins the twin barrels of a caseless SUBMACHINE GUN on
his left forearm. A Cheshire grin spreads across his face.
HEAVY DUTY (CONT'D)
And a nine millimeter, caseless
submachine gun with six hundred
rounds capable of firing all of
them in thirty seconds.
Duke and Ripcord are now buckled in, getting a feel for the
FLEXIBLE, POLY-ALLOY SUITS. Ripcord glances at Heavy Duty.
RIPCORD
I just missed everything you said.
(turns to Duke)
How do I look? Pretty cool, huh?
INT. TARGET RANGE - URBAN COMBAT LEVEL - DAY
Duke and Ripcord run through and URBAN ENVIRONMENT OBSTACLE
COURSE, 3D HOLO-PROJECTION TERRORISTS lunging out at them.
The guys take them out one by one, never more than a split
second after they appear. The HOLO-PROJECTIONS fritz and
die. They reach the end of the and a BUZZER SOUNDS. At the
back, arms crossed, impassively taking it all in, is Hawk.
Scarlett approaches the guys with an ELECTRONIC CLIPBOARD.
SCARLETT
Sixty-three seconds. Not Bad. But
not good enough. Gotta get under a
minute to qualify.
DUKE
What's the record?
SCARLETT
Forty-five.
44.
RIPCORD
Don't tell me, Snake-Eyes?
SCARLETT
No, me.
Ripcord glances at Scarlett's CROSSBOW PISTOL.
RIPCORD
You can do this whole course with
that thing in forty-five seconds?
SCARLETT
If you're going to shoot at
something, kill it. Otherwise take
up knitting.
RIPCORD
When I want something, I don't just
shoot at it...
(steps close to her)
When I get a target in my sights, I
take it down.
His meaning is clear. She holds his gaze, slaps a magazine
into her CROSSBOW PISTOL and hands it to him.
SCARLETT
Here. Go on. Try it.
RIPCORD
I wouldn't want to show you up.
SCARLETT
Oh, that's so thoughtful of you.
RIPCORD
What can I tell you? I guess I'm
just a considerate, humble guy.
You'll learn that about me.
SCARLETT
I'm the "target in your sights,"
right? You've got ten rounds to
"take me down".
RIPCORD
I don't want to hurt you.
SCARLETT
They're training arrows. The most
I'll feel is a little jolt.
45.
Scarlett walks back and faces him. He glances aside at Duke
who is loving this. Ripcord readies the pistol. Scarlett
darts left. He shoots and misses. She darts right. He
misses.
DUKE
C'mon, Rip.
Ripcord tries harder, genuinely doing his best. But Scarlett
us too fast. Ducking and weaving around Ripcord, as nimble
as a cat. Five more shots miss her. And now Ripcord's
feeling the pressure. He waits for her to move. Fires. She
leaps up onto a corner wall and the bolt passes underneath.
He fires again as she lands, ducks under it and rolls up to
him. He fires his last bolt point blank. She catches it in
her left hand by the stem as it leaves the chamber. Slamming
her body up against his. Right hand behind his head, left
hand holding the bolt. Their faces close. Lips closer.
Ripcord's eyes on hers as he whispers:
SCARLETT
Guess you didn't really want me
that bad, rip.
She holds his eyes a moment longer, then lets him go. As she
walks away, Scarlett casually tosses the ARROW, it hits the
ground and EXPLODES. Ripcord and Duke jump back. Ripcord
glances at the underside of the pistol's magazine. Three
words: "CAUTION: LIVE BOLTS".
Both men watch Scarlett saunter back to the beginning of the
course, awestruck. Breaker walks by eating a burrito and
watching his bio-rhythm display.
BREAKER
Aw, Ripcord's heart just skipped a
beat. Isn't that sweet?
EXT. THE PIT - DESER - DUSK
The sun is sinking, turning the dunes a brilliant orange.
INT. SECURITY ROOM - THE PIT - NIGHT
Security works a console in the Security Room. Their
infrared monitors show a HERDSMAN AND HIS CAMELS walking
across the desert dunes. A Technician taps some keys and an
X-RAY IMAGE shows the skeletal structures of the herdsman and
his camels.
46.
EXT. THE PIT - DESERT - NIGHT
The HERDSMAN walks across the desert with his CAMELS under a
FULL MOON and a field of glittering stars. All of a sudden,
MULTIPLE MOUNDS OF SAND whip past his feet, almost knocking
him over. He stares at them as they abruptly disappear
deeper under the sand, like diving submarines.
INT. MOLE POD - UNDERGROUND - NIGHT
Ana drives the lead MOLE POD, an oblong-shaped digging device
that is just large enough for her to fit inside. She watches
her HUD relay information about her angle of decent and her
distance to the target. Thirty yards...twenty yards...ten...
INT. SECURITY ROOM - NIGHT
A light flashes on the console in the security room.
SECURITY TECHNICIAN #1
Sensors detecting seismic activity
to the southwest. Probably just a
tremor, but have a team check it.
INT. TRAINING ROOM - NIGHT
Ripcord and the other Joes watch as Duke and Snake-Eyes
circle one another with special ELECTRIFIED PUGIL STICKS.
Duke thrusts with a standard bayonet style move, Snake-Eyes
side steps it, spins his pugil stick above his head and
brings it down on Duke's head with a sword-like stroke. A
CRACKLING SHOCK is delivered and Duke goes down. The Joes
grimace, feeling Duke's pain. Snake-Eyes turns away, done
with him. Duke pops back up again.
DUKE
Again.
They go at each other, fast and furious, the electrified
pugil sticks crackling and sparking. Duke spins and attempts
a stroke similar to Snake-Eyes' earlier move. Snake-Eyes
blocks it, drops, and sweeps Duke's feet, taking him down
hard before finishing him with another SPARKING HIT. Again,
the Joes react. Snake-Eyes turns away. Duke shakes it off
and pops to his feet once more.
DUKE (CONT'D)
Again.
47.
Snake-Eyes nods, a little more respect in his eyes now. This
time after the high blows are parried, Snake-Eyes tries the
sweep. Duke jumps it, rolls, comes up behind Snake-Eyes and
STRIKES. Snake-Eyes barely blocks it. They trade half a
dozen blows, the electricity popping and crackling before
Snake-Eyes tries a finishing blow. Duke stuffs it with his
stick and tackles Snake-Eyes. They fall to the ground, both
receiving JOLTS. They go eye-to-eye. It wasn't pretty, but
Duke is getting effective. Snake-Eyes pops to his feet.
This time he offers a hand to pull Duke up. Across the room,
Hawk watches with approval.
INT. THE PIT'S GENERATOR STATION - NIGHT
The huge drill bit of Ana's mole machine bursts out of the
reinforced clay wall, it opens and retracts, Ana rolls out
and drops to the ground. Another huge drill bursts out, it
retracts and opens and Storm Shadow drops to the ground.
They look around. They're between the clay wall and the
ELECTRIFIED POWER GRID FENCE of the Pit's generator station.
ANA
The foundation of this fence is a
hundred feet deep. No going under.
Ten Neo-Viper mole pods start to burst out the wall.
And then there's a crashing sound as one of the wall girders
bends, obviously a mole machine in the clay behind it hit it.
Ana can hear the engine grind to a halt.
ANA (CONT'D)
If we don't get him out he'll
suffocate.
Storm Shadow gives her a look: Like I care?
ANA (CONT'D)
Just thought I'd mention it.
STORM SHADOW
All that matters is the mission.
Ana pulls out a hi-tech SCANNING DEVICE which shoots out six
STEEL BLUE BEAMS in a 360 DEGREE ARC, creating a DETAILED
SCHEMATIC of the Pit, showing rooms and people moving about
them. She points down a tunnel beyond the electrified fence.
Storm Shadow gestures to one of the Neo-Vipers. The Man
immediately walks over and grabs the fence, electricity JOLTS
him violently, but the man ignores it and shakily starts
climbing the fence. The skin on his hands and arms starts to
burn and bubble.
48.
STORM SHADOW (CONT'D)
Acceptable collateral damage.
ANA
(trying to out-tough him)
Is there any other?
Near the top the Man finally falls backward and drops down
dead. Storm Shadow nods to the next Viper. Without
hesitation the Man walks over and grabs the fence. He is
immediately JOLTED, but keeps climbing, burning and bubbling.
This guy makes it to the top, throws himself over, and
crashes to the ground, then crawls over and pulls the OFF
SWITCH, cutting the electricity before dropping dead himself.
Ana, Storm Shadow and the others quickly scale the fence.
INT. PIT BARRACKS - NIGHT
An area where the Joe team chills. Duke and Ripcord enter,
sore and worked over. They move to some couches. Heavy Duty
grooves to the blasting Reggaeton classic "Salio El Sol".
HEAVY DUTY
You can learn a whole hell of a lot
about a girl by the way she dances.
Tell me I'm wrong Snake-Eyes.
Snake-Eyes, sharpening his sword, barely looks up.
HEAVY DUTY (CONT'D)
See? He agrees.
SCARLETT
No, he doesn't. Do you?
This time Snake-eyes looks up, his expression unreadable.
SCARLETT (CONT'D)
See, he knows you have to listen to
get to know someone. Right, Rip?
Rip is happily stowing his liquid armor gear, glances over.
RIPCORD
What? You say something?
Breaker sits at a chessboard. Heavy D sits across from him.
BREAKER
Sorry, Scarlett, gotta go with
Heavy D on this one.
(MORE)
49.
BREAKER (CONT'D)
Like my man says, get a girl on the
floor, you don't just see how she
moves, you get the smell of her.
What biologists tell us is that the
decision is made by he nose long
before the rest of the body gets
involved. It's a question of
pheromones.
SCARLETT
You're going to teach me science?
I read all about the positron
emission tomography studies
concerning sex pheromones when I
was twelve. I'm just saying, it's
not very romantic.
Rip whispers to Duke, nodding towards Scarlett.
RIPCORD
Heavy told me she graduated college
at twelve.
No response from Duke, who is trying to get comfortable.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
She's like a freaky genius. A
deadly, freaky genius.
DUKE
You like her, I get it already.
BREAKER
(making a chess move)
You can't learn this stuff in a
book, Scarlett. You have to at
least kiss a guy, before you're an
expert on romance.
The guys all laugh. Scarlett blushes, then raises her bow.
SCARLETT
Who am I shooting first?
The laughter stops. Rip looks surprised.
RIPCORD
You haven't kissed anyone?
Now Scarlett looks really furious. Rip instantly wishes he
could take his words back. Duke just shakes his head.
50.
DUKE
Really firing on all cylinders
there, Rip.
HEAVY DUTY
All I know is, when the bass get's
that booty shaking in the right
way, I'm in the skin like a man
named Flynn.
Heavy Duty does a little freak dance. Scarlett makes a show
of disgust. Ripcord watches Scarlett, then makes a decision.
RIPCORD
Hell with it.
He strides across the room toward Scarlett. Breaker notices.
BREAKER
(to no one in particular)
Into the Valley of Death rode the
600.
Heavy Duty looks at him, confused. Breaker nods to Ripcord,
stopping near Scarlett's chair. Ripcord sees Snake-Eyes
taking in his every move. Scarlett now has her nose in a
book. Ripcord CLEARS HIS THROAT but she doesn't look up. He
peers closer and WE SEE THE COVER, on which, though in
English, is a damn near INDECIPHERABLE SCIENTIFIC TITLE.
RIPCORD
Beach reading, huh?
She groans and lowers the book only slightly.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
Hi, I guess we kinda got off on the
wrong foot...
Without changing expression she goes back to her book.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
Okay look, I'm attracted to you.
And you, you're attracted to me.
And him--
(nods towards Snake-Eyes)
The Zen Master, he creeps me out,
but what I'm saying is--
SCARLETT
"We're attracted to one another."
51.
RIPCORD
Thank you.
SCARLETT
That's what you're saying, not what
I'm saying.
RIPCORD
Okay, what are you saying?
SCARLETT
Attraction is an emotion. Emotions
are not based in science. And if
you can't quantify or prove that
something exists, well, in my
mind... it doesn't.
RIPCORD
Okay, I'll get back to you on that.
And he walks away scratching his head. Hawk steps in.
Everyone comes to attention.
HAWK
Duke, You scored in the top half-
percent of all people we've ever
tested. Rip, well, if we average
your scores with Duke's, you pass
too. Welcome aboard,
provisionally. But we still need
to see if you pass muster in the
field.
Hawk gives them a nod. Duke and rip nod back with pride.
HEAVY DUTY
YO JOE! Welcome aboard, boyz!
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT
Ana, Storm Shadow and the Neo-Vipers creep down the hallway.
Two GI JOE GUARDS come around a corner, before they can even
react, Storm Shadow practically cuts them in two with his
Katana sword. Ana Directs them down another hallway.
INT. HAWK'S STATEROOM - NIGHT
A DOOR reads, "General Hawk". Cover Girl walks up and
knocks. As she waits, we see a SHADOW moving behind her.
Hawk opens the door. She hands him her POWERBOOK and a
STYLUS.
52.
COVER GIRL
Sorry to disturb you, general.
HAWK
That's all right, Cover Girl. What
am I signing now?
Cover Girl GASPS, a KATANA BLADE piercing out through her
chest. She drops lifelessly, revealing Storm Shadow behind
her. Hawk grabs a PISTOL, but Storm Shadow flashes his two
swords. One slices the barrel of the pistol clean off, the
other buries itself in Hawk's gut. Hawk collapses. Ana
steps forward and rips the General's SECURITY BADGE off his
jacket. Hawk's eyes follow them as they leave. He glances
at a RED BUTTON under his desk and struggles to reach it,
giving everything he's got, until he finally hits the button.
INT. BARRACKS - NIGHT
A KLAXON BLARES. Duke, Ripcord and all the Joes leap up.
DUKE
The warheads.
They all rush out of the doors. Breaker stops to change a
chess piece on the board before racing out.
INT. MAIN VAULT - NIGHT
Ana swipes Hawk's SECURITY BADGE across the lock of the VAULT
DOOR. It opens.
The weapons case sits on a table. She opens the case to
check that the four warheads are inside, they shine on her
glasses.
INT. MAIN VAULT - MOMENTS LATER
Duke and Ripcord reach the main vault, armed only with their
pistols. They find the INNER VAULT DOOR ajar. They
approach, pushing back the door to discover that the place is
empty and the weapons case is gone.
DUKE
They can't be far.
53.
INT. URBAN AREA - NIGHT
Some of the Neo-Vipers now reach the MOLE PODS and begin
prepping them for escape. BOOM! A GRENADE slams into them,
killing them and destroying the pods. It's Heavy Duty with
his "MPL". Ana enters the room and quick-draws her PULSE
PISTOL and blasts away. Heavy Duty dives behind cover, which
is blown away, knocking him out cold.
Storm Shadow examines the ruined MOLE PODS, glancing around,
his eyes falling on a pair of "ARCLIGHT" JET PACKS mounted on
a wall rack nearby. Storm Shadow strides to the nearest one
and puts it on. Ana heads after him, still carrying the
case. Suddenly, Duke and Ripcord rush up behind them, guns
raised.
DUKE
Put the case down, Ana,
Rip trains his gun on Storm Shadow.
RIPCORD
And you get out of that...thing.
Stalemate. Storm Shadow doesn't move. Ana turns and looks
at Duke. Sets the case down, her voice is gentle.
ANA
Fine. Done.
Then she takes a step toward Duke.
DUKE
Stop, Ana. Stop right there.
But she doesn't. She just keeps slowly moving toward him.
ANA
You can't shoot me, can you?
DUKE
I will if I have to.
ANA
Deep down, you're still the same
man I fell in love with.
DUKE
Don't force this, Ana.
54.
ANA
What could have been, right, Duke?
You beside your best man. Me
walking down the aisle.
RIPCORD
Don't listen to her, Duke.
(a thought)
Was I really going to be your best
man?
DUKE
(cocking the pistol)
Don't make me do this god-damnit!
ANA
"Don't make me do this?" A
recurring theme in your life, right
Duke?
She takes another step. Duke levels his pistol right at her
forehead. Storm Shadow flinches. Duke gives him a glance.
DUKE
Move and I'll blow her away.
(to Ripcord)
Get the briefcase.
Ana takes another step forward, daring Duke to pull the
trigger. Ripcord, gun drawn and fixed on Storm Shadow, moves
slowly forward to retrieve the briefcase. Ana is now an inch
from the extended barrel. Ana and Duke are close enough to
feel each other's breath. Their eyes lock.
ANA
Do it, Duke. .You already killed
me once.
And in Duke's eyes we see him falter, just a bit. Ripcord
passes Ana, and wit hone lightning quick hand she slaps at
Duke's pistol. AN ERRANT SHOT GOES OFF. Storm Shadow lunges
at ripcord, SLICING his pistol in half with one sword and
about to kill him with the other.
When suddenly, Snake-Eyes lunges INTO FRAME. CLANG! Snake-
Eyes' KATANA BLADE saves Ripcord's life by a half inch.
The rest of the Neo-Vipers arrive and immediately open fire,
pinning both Duke and Ripcord down. All hell breaks loose.
Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow lunge at one another, swords
flashing at impossible speeds, then they lock swords. Face-
to-face, staring hard into each other's eyes.
55.
Snake-Eyes glances at Storm Shadow's right forearm, spotting
the same RED MARKINGS of his ninja clan underneath his suit
sleeve. This shocks the hell out of Snake-Eyes. Storm
Shadow smiles.
STORM SHADOW
(CYNICAL)
Hello brother.
Snake-Eyes looks shocked. Storm Shadow uses the moment to
elbow him in the face, knocking him hard to the ground. Ana
grabs the weapons case as Scarlett rushes in, aiming her
CROSSBOW PISTOL.
SCARLETT
I believe you've got my luggage.
Ana stares at Scarlett, then quick-draws a PULSE PISTOL. Her
shot tears the CROSSBOW PISTOL out of Scarlett's hands.
Ana's got her dead-to-rights until Scarlett triggers her CAMO-
SUIT, melting into nothing right in front of Ana.
Ana doesn't spot the RIPPLES OF AIR around her until she's
stuck hard. The case goes flying. Another SMACK and her
pistol is knocked free. Ana grabs a second pistol, but
that's just as quickly twisted out of her grasp and dropped.
Ana fights the invisible Scarlett as best she can, but
Scarlett lands several unseen blows on her.
Ripcord and Duke take out a pair of Neo-Vipers. Storm Shadow
climbs back into the Arclight. Looking at ana as she falls
near a vehicle on the blocks. Ana grabs an OIL PAN and
flings the oil, which sprays over everything, including
Scarlett, making her visible. Ana leaps on Scarlett, knocks
her to the ground and angrily begins to choke the life out of
her.
Storm Shadow ignites the Arclight which jumps into the air,
powered by an arc of blue light shooting out of its engine
pack. He quickly swoops towards the two women and grabs ana
by her arm, pulling her along. Ana grabs the weapons case
and they soar up out of the motor pool and over the landing
pad. The battle raging below them.
Ripcord and Duke fire after them, but they vanish up into the
next level. Heavy Duty, now back in action, takes out the
last of the Neo-Vipers. Snake-Eyes checks on Scarlett who's
nursing her neck.
INT. ENTRANCE - NIGHT
Ana climbs to Storm Shadow as the rocket up to the SECURITY
ROOM WINDOW and BLAST it out of their way. SHATTER CITY.
56.
INT. SECURITY ROOM - THE PIT - NIGHT
They fly into the security room and quickly dispatch the few
technicians still alive. Ana his the large switch on the
console and the huge door begins to spiral open. She jumps
back into Storm Shadow's arms and they blast back out--
EXT. ENTRANCE - THE PIT - NIGHT
--and fly up through the hole where their Typhoon gunship
rockets up. They fly in through a door as four Joe ANTI-
AIRCRAFT TURRETS spring out of the sand, firing away at the
Typhoon as it speeds away into the dark desert night...
EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - DAWN
Dawn light shimmers across the reflecting pool, the Lincoln
Memorial, the Washington Monument.
SUPER: WASHINGTON D.C.
INT. WHITE HOUSE CORRIDOR - DAWN
The AMERICAN PRESIDENT quickly but quietly closes the door to
his bedroom, throwing on a robe, he charges down a corridor,
trailed by his STAFF and BODYGUARDS. One of the staffers
hands the President a report which he skims through.
PRESIDENT
How many warheads?
STAFFER #1
Four, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT
Any threats? Any demands?
STAFFER #1
None so far, sir.
STAFFER #2
We take this to mean the terrorists
are unfocused, no clear goals.
The President stops, glancing gravely back at his staff.
PRESIDENT
No, .it means they're going to
use them.
57.
INT. MCCULLEN'S
OFFICE- DESTRO
HEADQUARTERS
- DAY
opening. Ana McCullen gazes a the IRON MASK we
and Storm Sh saw his ance
adow watc in the
h onndual HOLOstor
PROJECTORS.
This belonged jo E
mine. He was c t an old ancestor o f
to both sides. aught sellin g arms
They forced
wear it the rest to
his life .
ANA
Why do you keep at it?
So that I MCCULLENne
ver forget the most important rul
e in dealing arms.
Never sell to STORM SHADOWboth sides?
MCCULLEN
Never get caught.
McCullen carefully puts
the mask back in its ca se.
CONT'D)
Take the warheads N ( to
them wea Paris. Have
ized. Then
to test pon one. I want you
Test one?ANA
MCCULLEN
I don't wan t you
until leaving Paris
that they've you;re sure that the
work,
been properly y
weaponized.
(SMILES)
We'll let CNN show everyone how w
ell they perform.
(loses the smile)
I want them to fear me.
It will be STORM SHADOWdone.
MCCULLEN
I have a target
french will never in mind, one the
forget.
(MORE)
58.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
As I have never forgotten what the
French did to Clan McCullen.
INT. OPERATING CHAMBER - DAY
In the shadowy operating chamber, the Doctor approaches
Zartan who sits on a gurney, scanning his PDA. Dozens of
SMART ROBOTS warm up as the Doctor flicks on switches.
THE DOCTOR
Are you ready, Mr. Zartan?
ZARTAN
This is going to be the achievement
of a lifetime.
THE DOCTOR
For you and me both.
ZARTAN
Eighteen months of studying the
subject, learning the mannerisms,
adopting his eating habits, losing
sixty percent of my muscle mas...
THE DOCTOR
Your commitment has been inspiring.
McCullen enters.
MCCULLEN
Gentlemen. About to get under way?
Zartan raises his PDA.
ZARTAN
Once the ledgers are all square.
MCCULLEN
Check your account.
Zartan checks the PDA. McCullen shakes his head.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
It's always about the money.
ZARTAN
It's a useful tool. You should
understand that. Ah! The transfer
just hit my account.
Zartan puts the PDA aside, leans back on the gurney and
CRACKS HIS KNUCKLES.
59.
ZARTAN (CONT'D)
Let's do this.
The Doctor straps Zartan down, then starts the SMART ROBOTS
which converge on Zartan, injecting his body with dozens of
long needles. He remains conscious, not feeling any pain.
WE ZOOM into a LARGE NEEDLE which OPENS an INCISION behind
his right ear. The needle feeds thousands of tiny NANO-MITES
into Zartan's head. Zartan's eyes bulge, he starts to SCREAM
and fight his restraints as the nano-mites begin to reshape
his appearance, reforming facial bones and changing the
texture and elasticity of his skin and even changing the
color of his eyes. The Doctor grins proudly. McCullen looks
disturbed.
INT. URBAN AREA - THE PIT - DAY
Joes are busy cleaning up the mess. Snake-Eyes sits by
himself, hasn't moved in several hours. A thousand yard
stare in his eyes. AND WE FLASHBACK TO:
EXT. A DRIZZLING SAIGON ALLEY - NIGHT
A TEN YEAR OLD FRENCH ORPHAN BOY, cold from the rain and
desperately hungry, scavenges for food in a garbage can, he
looks up and notices a warm light coming from the other side
of a wall and gate MARKED WITH RED CLAN MARKINGS.
INSIDE THE TEMPLE: Young Snake Eyes sneaks in through the
Kitchen window and goes to a rice pot on the counter. As he
takes a first bite, another young boy enters, we see the RED
CLAN MARKINGS on his forearm, it's a young Storm Shadow,
healthy, wealthy, and well fed.
YOUNG STORM SHADOW
Thief !
He picks up the KITCHEN KNIFE and tries to cut Young Snake-
Eyes, who blocks the strike with the rice pot. They fight
fiercely for two little kids, using all sorts of utensils and
furniture. Snake-Eyes has desperate street skills, but Storm
Shadow's classic training gives him the edge. He finally
traps Snake-Eyes under his foot, a triumphant look on his
face. He starts to choke Snake-Eyes with his foot ...
HARD MASTER (O.S.)
(Japanese, subtitled)
Enough! Storm Shadow!
A Ninja Master steps forward. Storm Shadow turns to him.
60.
YOUNG STORM SHADOW
(Japanese, subtitled)
Father, he was stealing. We need to
call the magistrate.
HARD MASTER
(Japanese, subtitled)
He is hungry. We need to invite him
in and show him the way.
STORM SHADOW
He's a cur! A Frenchie!
HARD MASTER
He doesn't fight like one.
The two young warriors glare at one another.
HARD MASTER (CONT'D)
(Japanese, subtitled)
Now what shall be your clan name?
Snake-Eyes glares up at Storm Shadow, narrowing his eyes
furiously. Hard Master just smiles, AHl
AND WE FLASH BACK TO: Snake-Eyes in the motor pool, he stands
up and walk off...
INT. BARRACKS - NIGHT
Battered and bruised, Scarlett hurriedly enters the barracks.
Checks around to see that she's alone. Then she heads for a
mirror over one of the sinks, peeling back her collar to
check the CHOKE MARKS on her neck. Her hands are trembling.
She turns on the water and cleans her face with a WASH CLOTH.
Ripcord enters the barracks behind. Like Scarlett, he looks
around to see if he's alone. He catches Scarlett looking at
him in the mirror, as if he's unwanted. Then he notices the
choke marks. He is genuinely concerned.
RIPCORD
Jesus, you okay?
SCARLETT
I'm fine.
RIPCORD
You're not fine, let me look at
that.
61.
SCARLETT
I looked at it, it's fine.
RIPCORD
Take it easy, just trying to help.
SCARLETT
I know what you're trying to do.
RIPCORD
And what is that exactly?
SCARLETT
I don't have time for this.
RIPCORD
You know, not every guy you meet is
an asshole. You do know that, don't
you?
Scarlett stops and returns to the sink, he ignores her,
cleaning the blood off his face. She softens.
SCARLETT
It's not you, I... I didn't really
want anyone to... see me in here.
RIPCORD
Why not?
SCARLETT
I don't know. All the people we
lost last night. General Hawk... My
neck is not that important.
RIPCORD
You almost died. You're allowed to
be concerned.
SCARLETT
First fight I've lost since I was a
kid. My father would be... he was
my instructor.
RIPCORD
Think he's be disappointed.
SCARLETT
He taught me to win.
RIPCORD
I don't know how you teach anybody
to win at everything every time.
(MORE)
62.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
But I do know you can teach someone
to get up when they get knocked
down.
Ripcord turn her gently in the mirror.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
Look at you. Still here. Maybe this
is what he wanted you to learn.
Scarlett stares at her reflection briefly.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
But of course, that would be an
emotional response, one that can't
be explained or quantified.
Ripcord turns and heads for the door. Scarlett watches him.
SCARLETT
We're not a couple. Snake-Eyes and
me. We're... close, he's like a
brother, but... we're not a couple.
Ripcord looks back at her, nods, then walks on out.
INT. MEDICAL RECOVERY WING - DAY
Hawk is hooked up to a LIFE SUPPORT MACHINE. Duke sits
nearby, his shoulder being bandaged by a Medical Officer. WE
PUSH IN ON Duke's eyes, staring into oblivion, AND FLASHBACK
CUT TO: HAWK'S FACE RIGHT AT CAMERA:
HAWK
Can you kill her?
And then WE FLASHBACK TO: Ana strangling Scarlett, a smile on
her face. Squeezing harder, harder. Pure evil.
DOCTOR (V.0.)
(PRELAP)
That ought to hold you.
INT. MEDICAL WING - DAY
Duke "comes to" as the Doctor finishes and walks away. Duke
takes a breath, looks to Hawk in his bed, then stands and
walks over. He stares down at Hawk, then, a promise--
DUKE
Graveyard dead.
63.
INT. MEDICAL EXAMINATION ROOM - THE PIT - DAY
Duke, Ripcord, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, and Heavy Duty stare at
some next-gen computerized ultra-sound PHOTOSTATS of a dead
Neo-Viper. Snake-Eyes points in question to an area.
SCARLETT
Nano-mites. I wrote my thesis on
the theory behind them at Oxford.
They've been surgically implanted
behind the ear, all programmed to
accomplish different tasks.
DUKE
Like what?
SCARLETT
Theoretically, the possibilities
are endless. Increase their speed,
agility, resilience. You program,
they perform. That's the genius of
nanotechnology, it can do pretty
much whatever you want it to.
DUKE
Mind control?
SCARLETT
I don't see why not.
INT. CORRIDOR - THE PIT - DAY
Duke and Ripcord move with the others through a corridor.
DUKE
Their weaponry, financing, intel,
it has to be McCullen. Doing an
inside job on his own warheads.
SCARLETT
You may be right. Maybe he needed
NATO to pay for his R D.
RIPCORD
The weapons case!
Everyone stops and looks at Ripcord like he's nuts.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
Remember he had us open the case
for him. Remember that?
64.
SCARLETT
What about it?
RIPCORD
I'll bet that code he gave us like
re-activated the tracking beacon or
something.
Looks pass among the group, it starts to make sense.
DUKE
And who says you're not a thinker.
All of the sudden, Breaker rushes up to them, out of breath.
BREAKER
I think I found her...
INT. CONTROL ROOM - THE PIT - DAY
Breaker leads the group into the control room where a WEDDING
PHOTO OF ANA AND DeCobray is up on screen. Duke stares at the
photo, gazing at her face. Ripcord sees her and knows, too.
DUKE
Yeah, you found her all right.
BREAKER
Her name is Ana DeCobray now,
Baroness if you're feeling formal.
RIPCORD
Wow, she traded up, huh?
(off Duke's look)
I mean... financially.
DUKE
Who is he?
BREAKER
Baron DeCobray. Big shot French
scientist. Runs a lab in Paris.
SCARLETT
Lab?
Breaker call up an image of DeCobray standing in front of a
huge PARTICLE ACCELERATOR along with some other scientists.
BREAKER
Particle accelerator.
65.
SCARLETT
They're gonna use him to weaponize
the warheads.
DUKE
That's where she's going.
HEAVY DUTY
Who likes croissants?
EXT. BLACK SKY - NIGHT
And then a lighted aircraft in the distance approaches at
Mach three. It's the Howler.
INT. THE HOWLER - NIGHT
The Joes are silent, eyes ahead. Scarlett shares a smile with
Ripcord, next to her, Across from them Duke watches, almost
smiles, then lays back his head and closes his eyes. AND WE
FLASHBACK TO:
EXT. JUNGLE VILLAGE - DAY
CAMERA PANS AROUND a village choked by thick jungle as
EXPLOSIONS erupt in SLO-MO and a BLACKHAWK circles, ROTORS
beating hypnotically, giving the images a dreamlike quality.
INT. BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER, DAWN - FLASHBACK
Duke, Ripcord, Rex, and the rest of an insertion team, sit
with their backs against the chopper walls.
DUKE
Per the briefing, we fast rope in,
form up and assault the main lab...
(a glance at Rex)
Rex--uh, .the science officer,
stays back with Fireteam Alpha
until Bravo enters and secures the
building. Alpha holds the perimeter
while science officer secures the
WMDs. Five minutes before
extraction and the airstrike.
The squad nods.
Duke looks to Rex again. Rex is sweating, trying not to show
it. Duke hands him a piece of gum.
66.
DUKE (CONT'D)
Double Bubble?
Rex takes it. Duke blows a bubble, smiles at Rex.
DUKE (CONT'D)
Always helps me. You good?
REX
(weak smile back)
Yeah...
They chew their gum.
EXT. JUNGLE VILLAGE - FLASHBACK - DAY
DOWN IN THE VILLAGE: Duke leads a frontal assault of the main
building. They take fire from some GUARDS, but put them down.
Other GUARDS flee. The way to the door is cleared. Duke gives
hand signals along with his commands.
DUKE
Go, Bravo.
Bravo, a TWO-MAN fire team hit the door of the building. They
disappear inside.
Rex, a kit bag over his shoulder and a .45 Colt ACP on his
hip, waits in a crouch, Duke next to him puts a hand on his
shoulder. Duke scans the treeline for any treats.
One of Bravo Team appears in the doorway and signals "ALL
CLEAR." Duke double taps Rex on the shoulder.
DUKE (CONT'D)
You're good to go, Rex. You don't
find it in four minutes, get out of
there, because that house won't be
standing in five. I already called
for the air strike.
Rex nods. Duke gives him a smile. Rex takes off and runs low
to the door, entering the house. Duke watches him go, then
looks back to the jungle and hears the WHUMP of mortars. Duke
takes one more look, Rex disappears safely inside, then the
mortar rounds start to hit.
The ground is torn apart, dirt flying in the air, as Duke,
Rip and the rest of the squad takes cover.
We catch glimpses of the enemy, lots of them, in the jungle,
firing. Duke and Ripcord pop up and return fire.
67.
RIPCORD
I've gotta level with ya!
DUKE
I hate it when you level with me.
RIPCORD
Gonna be a long five minutes.
Duke just grits his teeth and keeps firing. Then, in the
distance, RUMBLING coming from the sonic roar of JETS.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
I love that sound...
But then he looks to Duke, confusion on his face.
DUKE
No, no, no... It's too soon.
ANGLE ON: The F-16s in formation streaking toward them across
the sky. Duke looks back at the main building.
DUKE (CONT'D)
Rex.
Duke runs for the building. Tracer fire and mortar explosions
all around him. Then the whistle of a bunker buster. Duke
dives and BOOM! The building is flattened by the bomb. Duke
is tossed through the air like a rag doll. Lands hard, barely
registers the pain, staggers up, bloody and ripped, stumbles
toward the smoking. Flaming rubble that was the building.
The Blackhawk comes sweeping low, ready for extraction, the
tracer fire and explosions intensify. Black smoke washes over
Duke. Ripcord finds him in the debris.
RIPCORD
Blackhawk's waiting. Come on, we've
got wounded! And incoming enemy!
Lots of 'em!
DUKE
I can't.
RIPCORD
Nothing you can do. Come on...!
Gunfire bursts around them as Ripcord pulls Duke away from
the ruins of the house.
68.
INT. BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER - FLASHBACK
TIGHT ON Duke's haunted, soot-streaked face as his eyes take
on a thousand-yard stare. AND WE CUT BACK TO THE PRESENT:
INT. HOWLER - NIGHT
Duke is wide awake, his eyes have on a thousand-yard stare...
EXT. PARIS - FRANCE - DAY
Paris by day, the Eiffel Tower in all her glory.
EXT. GUARD SHED - LABORATORY - DAY
Ana's SCARAB ATTACK TRUCK pulls up to a GUARD SHED outside a
large building which is surrounded by an ELECTRIFIED FENCE. A
SECURITY GUARD steps out of the shed and taps on the driver's
window. The Neo-Viper behind the wheel lowers the BACKSEAT
WINDOW, revealing Ana and Storm Shadow in the back. The guard
smiles at Ana. They speak in French, subtitled.
SECURITY GUARD
Good Morning. Baroness.
ANA
Good morning. Gene. My husband's
expecting me.
SECURITY GUARD
Absolument.
The Security Guard opens the ELECTRONIC GATE and the Scarab
drives up to the building.
INT. FOYER - LABORATORY - DAY
Two SECURITY GUARDS look up from their desks as Ana and Storm
Shadow stride through the DOORS with two Neo-Vipers. Storm
Shadow throws something. Both guards fall dead. THROWING
STARS in their heads. The Neo-Vipers steal behind the desk,
throw a switch, open a LOCKED DOOR for Ana and Storm Shadow.
INT. PARTICLE ACCELERATOR CHAMBER - LABORATORY - DAY
Ana and Storm Shadow enter a colossal chamber which is all
but consumed by the PARTICLE ACCELERATOR.
69.
LAB TECHNICIANS swarm all over it, taking readings and making
adjustments, under the eyes of DeCobray who sits at a control
station surrounded by monitors. Ana gives the weapons case to
Storm Shadow who hangs back as she walks up to her husband.
DECOBRAY
Ana...?
ANA
I need you to do something for me
and I don't have much time.
DECOBRAY
(sees Storm Shadow)
Who is this?
She beckons Storm Shadow who sets the weapons case down on
DeCobray's desk, opening it up to reveal the four NANOTECH
WARHEADS and their launchers. DeCobray stares, bewildered.
DECOBRAY (CONT'D)
I don't understand... what are these
things? What's going on?
ANA
They're warheads, dear. And I need
you to weaponize them for me...
(looking around)
.or we'll kill everyone in here.
DeCobray stares at her, shocked. He looks at Storm Shadow who
removes a GLOCK PISTOL from his belt and shoots a TECHNICIAN.
Chaos erupts. DeCobray shouts to the room, calming the others
somewhat. He stares at Ana and Storm Shadow, terrified.
DECOBRAY
This is a civilian laboratory. We
don't have the correct programming
protocols for weaponizing...
ANA
The protocols are in the case.
(he hesitates)
I told you, I don't have much time.
DeCobray reluctantly takes the weapons case.
EXT. BRAWLER - CITY STREETS - DAY
A BRAWLER charges through the streets. On the outside it
looks like your Uncle's R.V, but inside it's all next-gen.
70.
INT. BRAWLER - LABORATORY - DAY
Heavy Duty drives the Brawler while Breaker mans a hi-tech
terminal next to him. In the back, Snake-Eyes loads his guns
while Scarlett, Duke, and Ripcord put on ACCELERATOR SUITS.
SCARLETT
Heavy D and Breaker will stay in
the Brawler, watch our back. The
rest of us will break into the lab
with the accelerator suits. Once
the warheads are weaponized,
they'll be extremely volatile. We
can't afford to let any of them go
off inside the city.
Ripcord looks at Snake-Eyes.
RIPCORD
What about you? Don't you get a
suit?
Snake-Eyes just looks at him, "Are you kidding me?"
SCARLETT
He doesn't need one.
INT. PARTICLE ACCELERATOR CHAMBER - LABORATORY - DAY
A TREMENDOUS WHINE echoes through the chamber as the particle
accelerator come to life, HUMMING evenly. Storm Shadow backs
up a little. Ana glances at him. He shrugs, what? Technicians
quickly finish up and back away from the accelerator.
DECOBRAY
Firing.
DeCobray hits a switch. The PARTICLE ACCELERATOR charges and
begins hurling atoms through miles and miles of underground
tunnels. Inside the accelerator, the four warheads begin to
spin in a GLASS VACUUM CHAMBER -- then, as the power grows,
they begin to rise, each one hovering as they spin.
Ana and Storm Shadow watch with mild curiosity as the noise
inside the chamber builds. The atoms catapulting faster and
faster through the tunnels, bombarding the warheads again and
again. Until finally, a LOUD BOOM rings out. And the warheads
slowly sink back down and stop spinning.
DeCobray keys another button and the GLASS VACUUM CHAMBER
emerges from the accelerator.
71.
Technicians open the chamber and very carefully remove the
warheads, returning them to their case. Storm Shadow locks
the case and picks it up.
DECOBRAY (CONT'D)
Careful... they're alive.
ANA
Thank you, Leon.
DECOBRAY
I think I have never seen the face
of evil until I looked at you now.
Ana looks at him and falters, something in his words piercing
her hard veneer. She feels Storm Shadow watching her and
with a flick of her eyes, the walls go up again. She drop a
SEALED ENVELOPE on DeCobray's desk and heads for the door.
ANA
Adieu.
DeCobray watches her go, then opens the envelope. We see the
LARGE HEADER printed on the first page: "ACCORD DE DIVORCE".
INT./EXT. BRAWLER - LABORATORY - DAY
The Brawler races up towards the lab, they see it out their
forward windows.
HEAVY DUTY
There it is.
INT./EXT. SCARAB - DAY
Ana and Storm Shadow emerge from the lab and climb into the
back of the Scarab as the two Neo-Vipers climb in the front.
INT. FOYER - DAY
DeCobray stumbles out to the foyer, finds the two Security
Guards dead, and quickly picks up a phone.
EXT. GUARD SHED - DAY
The Security Guard in the guard shed puts down his phone and
glances at the oncoming Scarab just as a Neo-Viper leans out
with his PULSE RIFLE and blasts the whole shed to pieces.
The Scarab crashes right out the gate.
72.
INT./EXT. BRAWLER/SCARAB - DAY
At the same time, the Brawler reaches the laboratory and
there's a split second where both sides see each other in
their windows. Duke and Ana lock eyes. Snake-Eyes and Storm
Shadow do the same.
BREAKER
That's them!
Snake-Eyes is already moving, lunging out a SIDE DOOR onto
the street as the Brawler still moves, running right at the
Scarab which turns to get away. Scarlett immediately follows
him out, landing in a roll with her accelerator suit.
Ana leans out of her window and fires her PULSE PISTOLS at
the Brawler, keeping Duke and Rip inside. Then she fires at
Snake-Eyes and Scarlett. Snake-Eyes dives, but the blasts
nail Scarlett. She crashes hard. Snake-Eyes glances at her.
SCARLETT
Keep going!
With that, he leaps after the Scarab, just grabbing the back
of the vehicle as it tears away. The Brawler stops right
next to Scarlett, out of breath, her accelerator suit
FRITZING.
SCARLETT (CONT'D)
(to Duke and Ripcord)
Don't worry about me, go and help
Snake-Eyes!
Duke doesn't need to be told twice. He leaps out and runs
after the Scarab. Rips starts to follow, Breaker grabs him.
BREAKER
Careful. They're worth millions of
dollars... each.
RIPCORD
Millions of dollars, got it.
He promptly trips and crashes to the pavement. Picks himself
up. Gets hit by a car. Picks himself up again.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
(to Driver)
Sorry! Excusem moil
(to a stunned Breaker)
Won't happen again.
73.
Then Rip hauls-ass after Duke.
INT./EXT. SCARAB - CITY STREETS - DAY
An ACCORDIAN BUS passes casually through an intersection.
All of a sudden, the Scarab bursts through it, ripping it in
two and barrelling on down the busy street. Snake-Eyes is
still barely clinging to the back.
INT./EXT. BRAWLER - CITY STREETS - DAY
Breaker watches the two halves of the bus whirl around on his
SATELLITE VIEW as Heavy Duty drives through the city streets.
BREAKER
Christ, they just shot right
through a bus!
EXT. ACCELERATOR SUITS - CITY STREETS - DAY
Duke and Rip charge after the Scarab. Their speedometers
reading 15mph...then 30mph...then 40mph. they leap over and
around speeding cars and trucks.
INT./EXT. SCARAB - CITY STREETS - DAY
The Scarab smashes through any vehicle in its path, leaving a
trail of destruction for Duke and Ripcord to leap over or
dart around in their suits. Ana and Storm Shadow hear Snake-
Eyes on the roof and drop their windows and lean out and
shoot at him. But Snake-Eyes quickly clambers down the side
of the vehicle, escaping their shots by disappearing beneath
the undercarriage.
And that's when Ana sees Duke and Rip following. She sits
back down inside and keys a button on a console.
SIDE PANELS slide open on the outside of the Scarab to reveal
two MISSILES, one on each side. They fire.
The MISSILES streak back towards Duke and Ripcord. No time
to get out of the way, they dive and roll in various
directions, extreme kinetic energy hurling them forward. The
two missiles whip between them and detonate, one on a PARKING
OFFICER'S CAR and the other on a BILLBOARD. The EXPLOSION
from the car knocks them down. The Scarab tears away around
a corner.
74.
INT./EXT. BRAWLER - CITY STREETS - DAY
They see Snake-Eyes on their monitors in the Brawler.
BREAKER
They're turning the corner. Go
through that building at 6 o'clock!
EXT. ACCELERATOR SUITS - CITY STREETS - DAY
Duke and Ripcord see the building in front of them.
RIPCORD
There's no door!
BREAKER'S VOICE
Make one!
Duke charges directly at the building. Ripcord reluctantly
following as Duke smashes through the wall into...
INT. COCKTAIL LOUNGE - PARIS - DAY
A crowded bar. Neither of them slow for a second. Duke
bolts through. Rip grabs a MARTINI, opens his visor, downs
the drink, then places the empty glass on the tray of a
stunned waitress. Behind her a sign reads: "DRINK
RESPONSIBLY". Duke and Ripcord SMASH through the opposite
wall...
EXT. ACCELERATOR SUITS - CITY STREETS - DAY
.back out onto the city streets where they turn and level
their WRIST-MOUNTED ROCKETS at...nothing. A puzzling beat.
And then the Scarab thunders up behind them at full speed.
Ripcord dives out of the way just in time. Duke has no such
luck. He spins and catches the FRONT GRILL, digging his feet
into the road in an attempt to slow the Scarab down. But the
Scarab now angles towards a busy intersection, threatening to
crush DUKE in the criss-crossing traffic.
Duke throws himself onto the hood just as an SUV CRASHES into
the front grill and is chucked away like so much garbage.
Duke tumbles up onto the roof. A PULSE CANNON pops up. Duke
dives off the back as the weapon fires. He tumbles to the
pavement as Ripcord speeds up to him, firing his WRIST-
MOUNTED ROCKETS at the Scarab. Duke fires with him.
75.
INT./EXT. SCARAB - CITY STREETS - DAY
Their rockets nail the Scarab and knock out the PULSE CANNON.
BOOM! But its armor saves the vehicle.
INSIDE: Storm Shadow and Ana are knocked around. Storm
Shadow pops a hatch and grabs one of their own ACCELERATOR
SUITS. Hands it to Ana.
STORM SHADOW
Mr. McCullen would be quite unhappy
if I let you die.
Ana quickly and nervously starts to buckle in.
ANA
How thoughtful.
INT. BRAWLER - DAY
On the monitors, Scarlett and Breaker watch the Scarab via
Snake-Eyes speeding through the streets.
SCARLETT
Look at the moves they're making,
they're heading somewhere.
Breaker widens the map, plotting a route.
BREAKER
This's their route from the lab.
On the screen, they see the lab, the current position of the
Scarab, and what lies just ahead. . .the Eiffel Tower.
SCARLETT
(REALIZING)
Metal... Oh God...
EXT. SCARAB/STREETS - DAY
Snake-Eyes is now desperately clinging to the undercarriage.
Duke and Rip are catching up behind him.
SCARLETT'S VOICE
Guys, you have to stop them.
DUKE
Yeah, we're working on it.
76.
SCARLETT'S VOICE
I mean right now. They're going to
detonate one of the warheads on the
Eiffel Tower.
Ripcord glances up and sees the Eiffel Tower looming up fast.
RIPCORD
Oh, man...
Under the Scarab, Snake-Eyes pulls out his GLOCK PISTOL and
fires into the unprotected insides of the FRONT TIRES, which
promptly rip to shreds. The Neo-Viper loses control of the
vehicle, SMASHES through a GUARD ARM onto train tracks.
Snake-Eyes sees something, lets go, rolls free and crashes
into garbage cans just as a METRO TRAIN barrels into the
Scarab, which LAUNCHES into the air, hood-over-tailpipe.
Duke and Ripcord are running too fast to stop. Duke manages
to leap into the air, his boots barely scraping the top of
the train while Ripcord covers his face with his hands and
PLUNGES headlong into a window on the side of the train...
INT. METRO-RAIL TRAIN - DAY
.flying across the aisle, whipping past a group of stunned
morning COMMUTERS, and smashing out through the far window...
EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY
The Scarab, Duke and Rip all CRASH HARD to the pavement and
tumble. Sparks and flame and flying metal everywhere. Duke
and Rip finally stop tumbling, a hundred yards away from the
wreck of the Scarab.
INT./EXT. BRAWLER - CITY STREETS - DAY
Scarlett, Heavy Duty and Breaker see this on their monitors.
HEAVY DUTY/BREAKER
Holy shit...
SCARLETT
(CRINGING)
You guys okay?
EXT. RAILWAY CROSSING - CITY STREETS - DAY
Duke and Ripcord's visors lift, both looking a bit wigged.
77.
DUKE
What happened to you?
RIPCORD
I went through the train. What
happened to you?
DUKE
I jumped over it.
RIPCORD
You can do that?
DUKE
Yeah, you didn't know?
INSIDE THE SCARAB: We see the Neo-Vipers are dead. Storm
Shadow is incredibly beat and bloody, but Ana is just fine in
her red Accelerator Suit. Storm Shadow grabs the weapons
case and he and Ana leap out.
Duke and Ripcord pick themselves up while Snake-Eyes crawls
out of the TRASH CANS nearby. They see Storm Shadow and Ana
emerge from the Scarab and hurry off towards the tower.
DUKE (CONT'D)
C'mon!
Snake-Eyes follows Duke and Ripcord, charging after them.
EXT. EIFFEL TOWER - DAY
HUNDREDS OF TOURISTS swarm around the south base of the tower
to buy their tickets and start their tours. Storm Shadow and
Ana burst through them, slamming past SECURITY GUARDS as they
bound onto the stairs. People scream at the sight of Ana.
Duke and Ripcord arrive seconds later, rushing up in their
Accelerator Suits like beings from another world. They spot
Ana and Storm Shadow on the stairs and hurry after them. The
Security Guards draw their pistols and start SHOOTING at Duke
and Ripcord. The BULLETS ping off their suits.
RIPCORD
(to Duke)
How do you say "we're the good
guys" in French?
Meanwhile, Snake-Eyes evades all the chaos by leaping up
under the south base, scaling the iron lattice like a monkey.
78.
ON THE FIRST FLOOR: Ana and Storm Shadow crest the stairs
and rudely push through the crowd to the stairway on the
opposite side of the floor. Another SECURITY GUARD draws a
gun on them but Storm Shadow snatches the weapon out of the
man's hands, swatting him with the butt, all without missing
a step. The crowd panics and runs screaming for the stairs--
--where Duke and Ripcord are struggling to catch up. The
avalanche of tourists slows their progress. Underneath the
stairway, however, Snake-Eyes continues to climb fast without
a safety net. He makes it to the first floor and races after
Ana and Storm Shadow.
ON THE GROUND: The Brawler screeches up. Scarlett's first
out with Breaker and Heavy Duty behind her. All of them
carrying weapons. The Security Guards instantly go on the
defensive as they hurry up to the stairway. Guns go up.
Scarlett speaks to them urgently in French.
SCARLETT
(French, subtitled)
Don't shoot! We're a special anti-
terrorist unit! There's a bomb up
there!
POLICE CARS are now rushing up behind them.
ON THE SECOND FLOOR: Ana and Storm Shadow speed over to the
main tower ELEVATOR and barge their way inside. Storm Shadow
hurls the ELEVATOR OPERATOR out as Ana opens the weapons case
and removes one of the NANOTECH WARHEADS and its KILL SWITCH.
Through the stunned crowd, they see Snake-Eyes reach the top
of the stairs behind. Ana rolls the warhead towards him
while Storm Shadow lines up on him with the Security Guard's
pistol as if to shoot him. Snake-Eyes glares defiantly at
Storm Shadow who just grins and lowers his gun at the
warhead.
A SINGLE SHOT AND THE WARHEAD EXPLODES. Snake-Eyes recoils.
ON THE GROUND: Everyone hears the warhead detonate.
ON THE FIRST FLOOR: Duke and Ripcord freeze.
ON THE SECOND FLOOR: A BURST OF NANO-MITES spreads out in
all directions. Storm Shadow closes the ELEVATOR DOORS and
hits a button for the top. The elevator races upwards as
everything else gets eaten by the ravenous NANO-MITES. The
floor begins to disappear. Tourists stampede towards the
stairs. A LITTLE GIRL is thrown from her MOTHER'S GRIP. The
mother screams out for her child as the girl goes over the
railing.
79.
ON THE FIRST FLOOR: a hundred feet up, Duke and Rip see her
coming. Ripcord swings out and catches the girl just in
time. Above them, the tower is dissolving before their eyes.
Duke sees Snake-Eyes being pushed down the stairs by the
tourists. He leaps up onto the iron lattice.
RIPCORD
Where you going?
DUKE
Each warhead has a kill switch.
RIPCORD
It's too late! We gotta get off
this thing!
DUKE
Those nano-mites will level the
entire city!
Duke climbs up the side of the tower with his Accelerator
Suit. Rip things about following, but then looks at the
little girl in his arms, who smiles and hugs him. Snake-Eyes
grabs him and they join the flow of people down the stairs.
The NANO-MITES chasing them close behind. Below them,
Scarlett, Breaker, and Heavy Duty are helping the police
evacuate the Tower.
INSIDE THE ELEVATOR: Ana and Storm Shadow race to the top.
ANA
(into mike)
Be ready to pick up in thirty
seconds.
IN THE SKIES: The Typhoon gunship rockets towards the top of
the disintegrating Eiffel Tower, its SIDE DOOR opening.
ON THE TOWER: Duke scales the tower, the NANO-MITES chasing
him up. His eyes on the elevator as it reaches the top deck
just above him. The Typhoon fires a blast of its CONCUSSION
CANNONS at Duke, knocking him off the tower. He falls, but
manages to catch the tower just below, the NANO-MITES almost
on top of him now. The climbs even faster.
ON THE TOP DECK: The elevator arrives. Ana and Storm Shadow
calmly walk out and climb the railing as the Typhoon hovers
up beside them. Below them, Duke sees them board. The tower
groans and wobbles. It's a long way down. Time has run out.
Ana and Storm Shadow jump into the Typhoon.
80.
With the NANO-MITES at his heels, Duke clambers up and jumps
up off the side of the Tower, sailing up through the air and
latching onto the SIDE DOOR of the Typhoon.
IN THE TYPHOON: The gunship rocks with his sudden weight.
Ana and Storm Shadow almost lose their footing. Duke springs
inside. He smacks Storm Shadow down and grabs the KILL
SWITCH from Ana, pressing the trigger.
Immediately, the NANO-MITES pulse with light and fall to the
ground around the Eiffel Tower.
The Tower groans, half-eaten, then topples over on its side.
Ripcord and Snake-Eyes scurry out of the way as it crashes
down onto the Seine, sending up an enormous explosion of
water. The shock on the faces of everyone around
reverberates through the entire Joe team. Ripcord keeps his
eyes on the Typhoon as it pulls away. Breaker suddenly gets
an idea.
BREAKER
Come on!
He hauls-ass.
INT. TYPHOON - DAY
Ana looks at Duke, a pursed smile on her lips.
ANA
You just saved Paris.
Storm Shadow is not happy at all, he TASERS Duke, who drops
hard to the floor of the Typhoon.
EXT. STREET - DAY
A crowd has gathered around the crashed Scarab. Heavy Duty
yanks one of the dead Neo-Vipers out. Breaker yanks off the
guy's HELMET then removes a needle-like PORT PLUG from his
SURVEILLANCE SUIT. Scarlett moves into position to help him.
Ripcord kneels down.
RIPCORD
What are you doing?
BREAKER
Plugging into his cerebral cortex.
With a SICKENING CRUNCH, Breaker plunges the needle into the
top of the Neo-Viper's head. Ripcord winces at the sight.
81.
SCARLETT
The brain survives for a couple of
minutes after death. We can read
his most recent memories.
RIPCORD
Can you find Duke?
BREAKER
If this guy remembers the way home
we can.
INSERT: A FLASH OF MEMORIES appearing on Breaker's HUD.
Duke shooting him in the face, racing along the highway,
driving the ARMORED CAR. As the images continue, we PUSH IN
on the Neo-Viper's open eyes and CUT TO:
INT. CONTROL ROOM - MARS HEADQUARTERS - DAY
McCullen watching Breaker and Ripcord through the dead Neo-
Viper's eyes on a screen. He turns to the Doctor urgently.
MCCULLEN
Destroy that unit immediately.
The Doctor removes his PDA and taps a key to draw up the Neo-
Viper's file. He clicks a button that reads "TERMINATE".
EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY
Instantly, the Neo-Viper's body snaps rigid and begins to
shake. Everyone gets a shock. Backing up.
HEAVY DUTY
He's still alive!
SCARLETT
He's not alive.
HEAVY DUTY
You ever seen a dead guy do that?
SCARLETT
They activated a self-destruct.
The Neo-Viper's body starts to decay before them. Thousands
of NANO-MITES literally eating away at his flesh and bones.
BREAKER
Nano-mites!
82.
RIPCORD
They're eating him!
SCARLETT
Hurry, Breaker!
But the NANO-MITES are too fast. The Neo-Viper's legs are
now gone. His chest and arms next. Breaker rapidly scans
through the MEMORY FLASHES. But now the NANO-MITES consume
his head.
BREAKER
NOW
INT. CONTROL ROOM - MARS HEADQUARTERS - DAY
McCullen watches Breaker's frantic face suddenly disappear on
his screen. He gives the Doctor a smile.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Breaker looks crestfallen at the empty Neo-Viper suit in his
arms. Ripcord kneels beside him, stunned and bereft.
RIPCORD
You did the best you could.
BREAKER
Relax, I got it.
RIPCORD
You got it?
(CONFUSED)
Well, what was the "NOO!" for?
BREAKER
That was for McCullen.
There is the sound of weapons being raised. The team looks
to see they are surrounded by FRENCH POLICE and PARATROOPERS.
FRENCH SWAT CAPTAIN
(in French)
Put your hands in the air!
The Joes trade looks, shrug and raise their hands.
RIPCORD
(under his breath)
We don't have time for this.
83.
SCARLETT It's agains
friendly for t orders to engage with
ces.
RIPCORD
The onl
about i
Dukendly force I care
S
Ripcord suddenly S
Forces' heads.
Some hit the PRAYS a burst of
crashes through t deck. gunfire over the French
to grab him , he French line. Ripcord charges
, and though A DOZEN PARATR forward,
AND he fights, they take OOPERS OPERS manage
WE SMASH CUT TO: A him down hard.
The Joes sit alone FRENCH POLICE HOLDING CEL
L - DUSK
who bears some bruisbenches. Heavy
fight.DutY stares at Ripcord,
HEAVY DUTY
Nice.
ARLETT
It'snot his
emotional. fault. He's
just...
Scarlett and
a French Detect Rip share a look. On the other
SUIT o curiously examines
n a desk. Bre
aker jumps up to Breakerssde Rf the bars
the bars.
Please, BREAKER
touch that. Please, don't
HE'S
touching It's very... Okayit. ,
Please! Sir. Sir,
How do RIPCORD
you say
"lawyer" in
French?
BREAKER
If we could get on a
Might be
to computer we
longitude able Input the partial
les g es latitude, and
Viper, figu the
downloaded from tha t
re out their locati
ON-
HEAVY DUTY
(to Ripcord)
It'll be a military
when they're done tribunal.
need a lawyer. We with us And
'll need diapers.
84.
RIPCORD
(to himself)
Think, think, think...
(to the Joes)
At some point they gotta feed us or
take us out for the interrogation.
When they do I'll jump the lead
Guard. Heavy, you go for his
weapon and--
BREAKER
--Start an international incident.
RIPCORD
I'm not gonna just sit here!
BREAKER
This is bigger than Duke.
RIPCORD
What if it was one of you? What if
they had Heavy or Scarlett, what
would you do?
The Joes trade looks - rock and a hard place.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
We're not doing Duke a damned bit
of good sitting here. If it was
reversed, Duke would be kicking
down every door between here and
the freakin' moon 'til he found me.
SCARLETT
And we'll do the same for him as
soon as we get out of here.
She has a thought and turns to Breaker.
SCARLETT (CONT'D)
Partial? You said partial latitude
and longitude.
BREAKER
We only got the one coordinate-- 90
degrees, then the image went to
snow.
SCARLETT
Maybe it was the whole coordinate,
just 90 degrees latitude.
(they all look at her)
(MORE)
85.
SCARLETT (CONT'D)
Before the image went to
snow,...it's the polar ice cap.
RIP'S DOG TAGS hit the floor and slide to his feet. The Joes
all look up to see several POLICE OFFICIALS looking at them.
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT
The Joes are led down a hallway.
RIPCORD
They did away with the guillotine,
right?
They arrive at a door. The door is opened to reveal a man in
a wheelchair, back turned. When he spins around, it's Hawk.
BREAKER
General!
Hawk just shakes his head and sighs heavily.
INT. ROOM - LATER
The Joes sit around the General, mid-discussion.
HEAVY DUTY
How long before we're released?
HAWK
The French government is allowing
you to leave on the condition that
none of you ever return. Other
agencies will be handling this from
here on.
SCARLETT/RIPCORD
What?!
HAWK
The heads of state of every member
of GI JOE are recalling their
operatives. We are now considered
a rogue unit, uncontrollable. Shut
down. We're to report to
Washington for debriefing.
Hawk rolls his wheelchair to the door.
RIPCORD
That's it? They've got Duke!
86.
Hawk stops his wheelchair, turns to them.
HAWK
I said you were to report to
Washington. I didn't say when, or
which route to take.
SCARLETT
Maybe a northern one.
Hawk smiles and wheels out the door.
EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DUSK
A NIGHT RAVEN rockets through the orange skies, SMASHING
through the sound barrier with an ear-tingling SONIC BOOM.
INT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DUSK
Storm Shadow sits in a meditative state. Duke is shackled,
hands bound, out of his ACCELERATOR SUIT. Ana steps out of
the cockpit area and approaches him, nods to Storm Shadow.
ANA
He thinks I should kill you.
DUKE
Why don't you?
ANA
James wants to meet you in person.
DUKE
James?
ANA
Mr McCullen.
DUKE
Ana listen--
ANA
--Talk softly, or he'll tazer you
again.
DUKE
(raises his bound hands)
Loosen these, he'll never taser
anything again.
She taps the bonds on his wrists.
87.
ANA
I should've thought of this before.
They almost share a smile.
DUKE
Let me get this straight. You're
with McCullen. You're married to
that Baron. And you claim you're
still in love with me.
ANA
I'm a complex woman.
DUKE
Maybe you just don't know who you
are anymore.
ANA
Who I was died long ago.
DUKE
No, this isn't you, I still see the
person I loved behind your eyes.
Her eyes soften for a moment.
ANA
Tell me what she was like.
DUKE
She was smart, and funny. She was
loyal as hell. She loved those she
was close with, me, her brother...
(agonized pause)
I did my best. With Rex. I'm
sorry. He was my responsibility.
I should have... It's why I left,
Ana. Why I couldn't be with you.
You were in so much pain... I
thought the sight of me just give
you more.
She seems to be affected by this ever so slightly, then... a
hard, cold look comes to her eyes, she shakes her head.
ANA
It doesn't matter now.
DUKE
No, it matters very much. We have
the chance to make things right.
88.
ANA
Nothing will ever be right again.
Duke stares at her, his heart ripped apart. WE PUSH IN ON
the two of them and FLASHBACK TO:
EXT. CEMETERY - WASHINGTON D.C. - FLASHBACK - DAY
Rain is drizzling on a military cemetery. Ana sits alone,
without family, without Duke, staring straight ahead as Rex's
casket is lowered into the ground.
Parked on a nearby road is a lone car. Duke sits inside it,
staring at the funeral in the distance. His face tells us
the anguish he's living with. He pulls out and starts to
drive away, the rain on the windshield BLURS AS WE DISSOLVE
TO:
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - POLAR ICE CAP - NIGHT
The Night Raven zeroes down on a stretch of ice near a huge
CAVE. A SET OF RUNWAY LIGHTS appear under the ice, guiding
it in for a smooth landing. The cave swallows the plane
whole.
INT. ICE CAVE - NIGHT
The Night Raven rolls to a stop inside the cave. The side
door opens. Storm Shadow exits with the weapons case. Ana
leads Duke out, two Neo-Vipers behind them. Storm Shadow
clicks a hand held remote and a HIDDEN ICE WALL opens to
reveal a HI-TECH DIVING BELL awaiting them. Duke uses the
moment to lunge forward, grab the case and haul ass towards
the cave door. Storm Shadow spins, Shurikan throwing stars
in his hands. The Neo-Vipers whip up their pulse rifles.
ANA
NO! McCullen has plans for him!
Storm Shadow throws a star, it whistles across the cave and
nails Duke in his shoulder, Duke goes down hard, staggers
back up, but the Neo-Vipers are already on him, they start
beating the living shit out of him. Ana jogs up.
ANA (CONT'D)
Enough!
Storm Shadow picks up the case and looks at Duke, face down,
bloody and beaten.
89.
STORM SHADOW
And what was your plan? Run three
thousand miles across the ice?
He rips his star out of Duke's shoulder. Duke sucks it up.
STORM SHADOW (CONT'D)
Stupid soldier.
Duke rolls over and stares up at them, breathing hard.
INT. SUBMARINE - NIGHT
Ripcord, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Heavy Duty and Breaker are in
the conn tower of a next-gen submarine, going over a 3-D MAP
of the polar ice cap.
HEAVY DUTY
That's a lotta ice.
RIPCORD
It's gonna be like trying to find
whale spit in the ocean.
Breaker sees a SMALL LIGHT flashing on his Ball-Eyepiece.
BREAKER
That's strange.
SCARLETT
What?
BREAKER
When they stole the weapons case, I
set my suit to scan for the tracker
beacon in case it came back on, and
it just came back on.
Ripcord just smiles.
RIPCORD
That's my boy.
EXT. ARCTIC OCEAN - NIGHT
The DIVING BELL comes shooting down out of a shaft in the
bottom of the ice cap and rockets down towards the facility.
90.
INT. DIVING BELL - NIGHT
As the diving bell descends, Duke stares at the facility out
the portal. He is awed by the immense size of the place, he
looks at Ana, proud of her office.
ANA
Certain work needs to be done away
from the public eye.
INT. ENTRY PORT - NIGHT
The diving bell entry port opens, guarded by two Neo-Vipers.
McCullen stands waiting. His eyes first move to the weapons
case in Storm Shadow's hands. Storm Shadow opens it and
shows him the three remaining warheads. McCullen runs his
fingers over them, then nods, Storm Shadow closes the case.
MCCULLEN
Take them to the drones. I want
them ready to launch in one hour.
STORM SHADOW
It will be done.
And only then does McCullen greet Ana.
MCCULLEN
My beautiful Lady of the Lake...
He kisses her. Ana kisses him back with slightly-feigned
affection, her eyes open and on Duke. Duke stands there,
impassive. McCullen finishes the kiss and turns to Duke.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
This bother you?
Duke says nothing, so McCullen steps closer.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
Isn't it funny, with the entire
balance of power in the world about
to shift, a couple of guys can
still have a stare down over who
gets the girl.
Duke takes the opportunity to HEAD BUTT McCullen. The Neo-
Vipers instantly pummel Duke to the floor. McCullen wipes a
small trickle of blood from his nose.
91.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
The interesting thing about my Neo-
Vipers is they still think the same
thoughts they always did, they just
can't act on them anymore. Instead,
they do what I want. I imagine that
must be very frustrating.
He gets right down in Duke's face.
MCCULLEN (CONT'D)
I'm going to make you very unhappy.
DUKE
(grit teeth)
I'm already happy.
McCullen glances at Ana, watching the display with conflicted
eyes. McCullen heads for the door, beckoning the Neo-Vipers
to make Duke follow him.
INT. CORRIDORS - NIGHT
Duke trails behind McCullen and Ana, flanked by Neo-Vipers.
DUKE
What're you gonna do with the
warheads?
MCCULLEN
You take to your training well,
that's good. Still trying to
develop information. Still planning
to escape and stope me. Moments
from now, you'll see that won't
ever happen.
DUKE
Then you won't mind telling me.
MCCULLEN
Isn't it clear? I'm a business man.
I'm going to use them.
DUKE
Millions of people are gonna die if
you launch those warheads. What is
it you want, McCullen?
92.
MCCULLEN
Merely to strike fear into the
hearts of every man, woman, and
child on the planet. Only then will
they look up to the man who wields
the most power, and obey him.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
The control room is alive with TECHNICIANS squirreling about
various stations. Monitors show three large AERIAL DRONES
sitting in vertical launch bays. Duke sees the drones and his
face registers the horror of what McCullen's about to do. He
glances at Ana, she quietly looks away, a hint of remorse in
her eyes? The Doctor rises to greet McCullen, glancing at
Duke for several moments, as if struck by the sight of him.
MCCULLEN
Meet the genius behind all my
nanotechnology.
THE DOCTOR
My genius lies only in taking what
others created to the logical next
steps. All modern gains in science
are made through theft.
MCCULLEN
You'll have to excuse his modesty,
when I found him, he was --
THE DOCTOR
(interrupting, re: Duke)
--Another "recruit"?
MCCULLEN
Albeit a rather unwilling one. The
Doctor's nano-mites can control all
manner of brain functions. When you
wake up, you'll be working for me,
and your past will be a distant
shimmer that floats in and out of
your mind like a leaf on a breeze.
THE DOCTOR
I'll prepare him for the surgery.
The Doctor beckons the Neo-Vipers who shove Duke after him
towards another door. Duke and Ana exchange one last look.
McCullen keeps his eyes on her as she watches him go.
93.
EXT. DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - UNDERWATER - DAY
A school of fish swims past the facility, one fish breaks
away from the school. CAMERA ZOOMS IN TIGHT ON IT: it's not a
fish at all, but a mini robotic underwater spy system.
EXT. SUBMARINE - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
A sleek submarine drifts silently through the arctic waters.
BREAKER (V.0.)
Picture's coming on line now.
INT. CONN TOWER - SUBMARINE - DAY
In the Conn Tower of the sub, our team gathers around Breaker
who sits at a monitor watching what the "fish" is watching.
SCARLETT
It's an underwater facility...
HEAVY DUTY
McCullen's home away from home.
RIPCORD
Dukes' gotta be in there somewhere.
SCARLETT
Wait, what's that?
Breaker ZOOMS IN on a massive TURBO-LASER CANNON.
BREAKER
Oh, Jesus...That's an automated,
phased array turbo-pulse battery.
(off their looks)
A really big gun.
SCARLETT
Could it take out our sub?
BREAKER
That thing could take out a dozen
subs simultaneously.
SCARLETT
Then that's our first objective.
RIPCORD
No, no. Duke's our first objective.
94.
SCARLETT
The main force can't attack as long
as that cannon's online.
HEAVY DUTY
How you figure getting it offline?
Snake-Eyes points to the DIVING BELL CABLES n the monitor.
SCARLETT
Elevator cables. They've got a
surface entrance. Shipwreck?
She turns to the submarine commander, HECTOR "SHIPWRECK"
DELGADO, a fiery Spanish naval combat veteran.
SHIPWRECK
Going up, senorita?
Scarlett nods and leads the others down a corridor.
SCARLETT
Snake-Eyes, Breaker, Ripcord, and I
will infiltrate the factory from
above and destroy the cannon. Heavy
D, as soon as we give the word, you
lead the assault from outside.
HEAVY DUTY
(nods grimly)
Go, Joes...
EXT. ICE FIELD - POLAR ICE CAP - DAY
A quiet wind blows across a remote stretch of arctic ice. All
of a sudden the ice pack begins to tremble like the mother of
all earthquakes. It cracks and ruptures and then erupts as
the CONN TOWER of the submarine crashes through, then grinds
to a halt. A FORWARD HATCH OPENS and two ROCK SLIDES launch
out, landing hard on the ice and speeding away. Ripcord and
Breaker on one. Scarlett and Snake-Eyes on the other.
INT. LAUNCH BAY- DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
McCullen, Ana, and Storm Shadow watch monitors showing
TECHNICIANS securing the warheads onto three rocket propelled
SMART-DRONES. As the last one is secured a Technician says:
TECHNICIAN
All drones prepared and ready, Sir.
95.
MCCULLEN
Good, commence the launch sequence
immediately.
is that a ripple of concern flickering across Ana's face?
INT./EXT. ICE CAVE - POLAR ICE CAP - DAY
Our team races into the ice cave on their ROCK SLIDES and
park beside the dormant Night Raven. Weapons up. Scanning the
place from top to bottom. Ripcord stars at the awesome plane
towering before him.
RIPCORD
That McCullen's got some gadgets.
Breaker gestures to the ice wall. Snake-Eyes uses his Katana
sword to slice a circle in the wall and yank it out,
revealing the DIVING BELL CABLES, but no diving bell.
BREAKER
Maybe we could slide down.
Snake-Eyes shakes his head, doubtful
SCARLETT
The arctic water would kill us.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
McCullen, Ana, and Storm Shadow watch the drones sitting in
the launch bays on the screens. Technicians are working hard.
TECHNICIAN
Three... two... one... ignite primary
engines.
The entire control room begins to shake. The screens fill
with fire.
INT./EXT. ICE CAVE - POLAR ICE CAP - DAY
The Joes run outside, wondering what the hell is causing the
earthquake. A large circle of ice near them MELTS. And then
the first drone EXPLODES UP before them and LAUNCHES into the
morning sky, peeling away to the east. Before they can react,
the second drone EXPLODES UP a hundred yards away, peeling
off to the west. They hear the third one about to rocket up--
96.
Snake-Eyes thinks fast, sprints into the cave, jumps on a
Rock Slide, hauls-ass outside, hits a WEAPONS SWITCH on his
Rock Slide, prepping two HEAT-SEEKING ROCKETS on either side
of the vehicle. The third drone LAUNCHES UP from two hundred
yards away. Snake-Eyes locks onto its exhaust and FIRES. The
missiles race up after the drone and knock it out of the sky.
It EXPLODES. Metal FLIES. Snow BURNS.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
The technicians see this on their monitors.
TECHNICIAN
We lost one.
MCCULLEN
Lost one? What do you mean?
TECHNICIAN
Bird Three is down, Sir.
McCullen looks at the monitors, enraged. Storm Shadow smiles.
STORM SHADOW
We're under attack.
MCCULLEN
Alert all defences. Charge up the
pulse cannon.
He turns to say something to Ana, but she has left the room.
EXT. ICE CAVE - POLAR ICE CAP - DAY
Topside, the team watches the two remaining drones race away.
BREAKER
What about the other two?
RIPCORD
We find the kill switches and short
out the nano-mites.
BREAKER
(shakes his head)
They're already way out of range.
SCARLETT
Then somebody has to go up there
and shoot those things down.
97.
RIPCORD
(PAUSE)
That's me.
INT. NIGHT RAVEN - ICE CAVE - MOMENTS LATER
Ripcord climbs into the Night Raven's cockpit. Scarlett steps
up to watch. He's already flipping switches and putting on a
FLIGHT HELMET.
SCARLETT
Can you even fly this thing?
RIPCORD
I can fly anything. You just track
those warheads and guide me in. We
don't have long until they hit.
SCARLETT
Ripcord?
He glances at her, a moment between them. Then she presses
forward and kisses him on the mouth. He stares back at her.
SCARLETT (CONT'D)
Good luck.
RIPCORD
Do me a favor? Save Duke.
She gives him a nod, then leaves. Ripcord grins to himself.
EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - ICE CAVE - DAY
The NIGHT RAVEN tears across the ice and launches into the
sky. Ripcord WHOOPS with adrenaline. Scarlett, Snake-Eyes,
and Breaker fast rope down into the first launch bay as the
ice REFORMS behind them, hiding the hole.
INT. OPERATING CHAMBER - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
We now find Duke, wearing only SURGICAL TROUSERS, strapped on
the operating gurney we saw Zartan on earlier. The SMART
ROBOTS warming up around him as the Doctor approaches.
THE DOCTOR
The atomic bomb that was dropped on
Hiroshima destroyed seventy percent
of the city. Seventy percent... Did
you know that, Duke?
98.
Duke looks at him, something familiar.
REX
There was a bank situated less than
one hundred yards from Ground Zero,
destroyed of course. Only one thing
survived. It's four bank vaults.
And when those vaults were opened,
they discovered everything inside
them had survived completely
unscathed.
DUKE
Who are you?
THE DOCTOR
Of course, the vault I took shelter
in wasn't that well-made.
He unclips his BREATHING TUBES and lowers the mask to reveal
a scarred and burned face.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Double Bubble?
Duke is beyond shocked.
DUKE
Rex...
Rex immediately has trouble breathing and returns the mask
over his face.
DUKE (CONT'D)
You sonuvabitch... Ana buried you.
THE DOCTOR
A moving ceremony, I'm sure. The
three volley salute. The flag on
the coffin.
DUKE
Why? .Why didn't you come in...?
THE DOCTOR
Because I found out the truth...
AND WE FLASHBACK TO: JUNGLE BUILDING - DAY
Rex moves through the building with Fireteam Bravo.
99.
BRAVE SOLDIER
Intel says the lab's in the
basement.
Fireteam Bravo kicks open a door. They lead the way down a
staircase toward the basement. Rex follows, nervous as hell.
The soldiers round a corner, suddenly, Rex hears GUNFIRE, he
freezes, then silence, Rex pulls out his .45 And rounds the
corner to see Fireteam Bravo down. A GUARD is trying to clear
a jam in his machine gun. As he clears the weapon and raises
it, Rex raises his .45 and fires first. The Guard drops.
Rex checks Bravo, but they're not moving. He looks around the
basement, no lab, but he sees a massive VAULT DOOR, closed.
He heads for the vault, 45 raised, breathing hard. WHOOSH, a
blast of refrigerated air hits him as he opens the door.
Rex enters a small room filled with DEAD ANIMALS in huge
FORMALDEHYDE JARS> Something inside the animals is constantly
reshaping their appearances, reforming their facial bones and
changing the color, texture and elasticity of their skins.
There is a scuffling noise, Rex points his gun. A small,
stooped old SCIENTIST in a lab coat appears.
SCIENTIST
Are you going to shoot me?...
Rex doesn't respond.
SCIENTIST (CONT'D)
We knew you were coming. But I
couldn't walk away from it...
Rex stares in awe, not what he was expecting.
REX
Stay where you are.
His gun up, he finds a COMPUTER TERMINAL and begins accessing
various files, starts reading them.
REX (CONT'D)
These aren't chemical or nuclear--
SCIENTIST
No. Something much... better.
RES
This is beyond anything... This is
light years ahead of anyone in the
field.
100.
SCIENTIST
You see why I couldn't leave.
Rex nods, hypnotized by the science in front of him, an
instant bond formed with the man who created it. The distant
sound of Jets. The Scientist moves to the vault door and
begins pulling it closed as we hear the J-Dam Bunker Buster
whistling towards them.
SCIENTIST (CONT'D)
If we live, I'll show you
everything...
WE SMASH CUT BACK TO THE MEDICAL WING - PRESENT
Duke tries to absorb what he's learned. The Doctor continues.
THE DOCTOR
The man who created this technology
was not our enemy. In fact, he was
hired by our very own government to
create it. When it was deemed too
unethical, they sent us to kill
him. He didn't survive the blast.
But I... lived.
(touches his face)
And I escaped with his research.
Unfortunately I tested it on myself
first, and lost my lungs and vocal
chords in the process. But now I've
perfected it, and you will get a
first-hand experience.
DUKE
(his biggest concern)
Does Ana know about this, about
you?
THE DOCTOR
No... and she never will.
He glances at the SMART ROBOTS and Duke realizes.
DUKE
You sick bastard... you did this to
your own sister?
THE DOCTOR
(INCENSED)
I loved my sister! Do you have any
idea the state she was in? Me dead.
You AWOL. Depression, drugs.
(MORE)
101.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
So, I had her brought here, gave
her a way to deal with her pain,
gave her purpose. Made her strong.
I gave her a new life, Duke.
DUKE
Why work for McCullen?
THE DOCTOR
He saved my life, for starters. Now
to mention infinite resources to
work in the field of my choosing.
DUKE
That's bullshit. You could have had
any job you wanted.
THE DOCTOR
I didn't want any job. You can't
play nice with science, Duke. It's
sometimes necessary to experiment,
to fail, even to destroy to attain
a goal. It's a fact that McCullen
has the guts to embrace.
DUKE
(still shocked)
Everything she's done, everything
she's become, started because she
thought you died that day.
THE DOCTOR
And because you then abandoned her,
let's not forget that part.
And with that, he leaves Duke to the SMART ROBOTS, which
menacingly begin to move in.
INT. LAUNCH BAY - DAY
Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, and Breaker drop down into the launch
bay. They see a chrome corridor leading into the facility.
SCARLETT
It's pressure plated and laser
protected. Anyway around it?
BREAKER
No. Any object larger than a
quarter will fry your britches.
Snake-Eyes shakes his head with a sigh, then steps forward
and leaps onto the floor, landing on his fingertips.
102.
Then, with incredible strength, he proceeds to walk across
the floor on his fingertips, aware of the continuous crackle
and hum of lasers around him. Scarlett and Breaker watch with
baited breath. Snake- Eyes now reaches the doorway.
BREAKER (CONT'D)
What you'll have to do is rewire
the laser panel's brain by--
--Snake-Eyes swiftly balances on one set of fingertips while
his other fingers grab his sword and STAB the laser panel.
The sound of the laser net instantly vanishes.
BREAKER (CONT'D)
.or you cold just stab it.
INT. OPERATING CHAMBER - DAY
Duke lies on the operating table as a SMART ROBOT makes an
incision behind his right ear. Duke grimaces. A long needle
zeroes in on the incision. As the needle dives towards Duke's
head, a hand hits a switch and the needle quickly retracts.
Duke looks over to see Ana by the controls, gazing at him.
ANA
I don't have much time.
She rushes over and unties him and they stare at each other,
then kiss passionately. All of a sudden, Duke feels something
behind her right ear, he turns her head, --an INCISION SCAR.
He looks at her, but before he can say anything, Ana's body
snaps rigid and falls limp in his arms.
DUKE
Ana!
Duke looks over to see the Doctor holding his PDA, McCullen
and two Neo-Vipers beside him, their rifles on Duke and Ana.
Duke gazes at Ana, desperately feeling for her pulse.
INT. TURBO LASER CONTROL ROOM - DAY
Two TECHNICIANS man the firing controls of the huge TURBO
LASER CANNON. Snake-Eyes takes them out and shuts down the
cannon. HE sends a quick message on his WRIST-COMMUNICATOR.
INT. CONN TOWER - DAY
Heavy Duty sees the message appear on a screen. "CANNON OFF-
LINE. HAVE A NICE DAY." Heavy smiles and turns to Shipwreck.
103.
HEAVY DUTY
Let's get in this fight.
EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY
The GI JOE submarine peels around a rocky headland now, in
full view of the underwater facility. A series of TORPEDOES
fire out of the submarine's launch tubes. Most are blown up
by the facility's Harpoon Cannon defenses, but several manage
to hit the facility's exterior. KA-BOOM!!
INT. FLIGHT CONTROL ROOM - DAY
The whole place SHUDDERS. Scarlett and Breaker blow the
control room door and cut down the Technicians trying to
shoot them. Breaker takes over a station console.
BREAKER
Okay, I've got a lock on the two
remaining warheads. Target one is
Moscow! Target Two is Washington!
SCARLETT
Give Ripcord the coordinates.
INT. TURBO LASER CONTROL ROOM - DAY
Snake-Eyes spins to see a pair of KATANA BLADES come crashing
down at him from behind.
He spins, but one of the blades cuts him on his left arm,
sending him reeling backwards, it's Storm Shadow. Who quickly
powers the laser cannon back online. Snake-Eyes dives to stop
him, --and as their swords meet WE FLASH CUT TO:
THE GROUNDS OF THE ARISHIKAGE TEMPLE, where two sixteen year-
olds, Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow, trade blows with wooden
katanas. Storm Shadow drops Snake-Eyes, who falls hard, Storm
Shadow steps on his throat, sword point in Snake- Eyes' face.
Hard Master looks on without expression. FLASH CUT BACK TO:
THE CONTROL ROOM, where Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow's blades
flash like lightning, they battle fiercely around the room. A
Neo-Viper charges up the controls. Snake can't stop him.
104.
EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY
Outside, the massive TURBO-LASER swings wildly towards the
submarine and fires. A BRILLIANT BLUE PULSE ripples through
the arctic sea, glancing the side of the vessel. WHAM!!
INT. CONN TOWER - DAY
The submarine shakes hard. Rivets burst. Water pours in.
SHIPWRECK
The hull's been ruptured!
HEAVY DUTY
Everyone into the attack boats!
EXT. SUBMARINE - DAY
Hatches open along the sides of the submarine, deploying ten
SHARC ATTACK CRAFT carrying dozens of Joes. At the same time,
batches begin to open on the facility and a dozen MANTIS
attack craft carrying dozens of Neo-Vipers emerge.
INT./EXT. SHARC - UNDERWATER - DAY
Heavy Duty and Shipwreck pilot one of the SHARCS. The huge
opposing force coming at them is quite terrifying.
HEAVY DUTY
Keep tight everybody.
He fires a HARPOON TORPEDO which BLASTS a Mantis. The mantis
craft RETURN FIRE. The whole area explodes in a pulse fire
and harpoon blasts. The Joe submarine sinks and EXPLODES at
the base of the facility.
INT. OPERATING CHAMBER - DAY
Duke cuddles dead Ana, clearly emotional. McCullen steps up.
MCCULLEN
Is she still alive?
THE DOCTOR
For now.
MCCULLEN
You said this couldn't happen.
105.
THE DOCTOR
I didn't think it could. I've never
seen anyone defeat the programming,
even momentarily.
Duke recovers and angrily grabs one of Ana's PISTOLS and
kills the two Neo-Vipers, then turns the gun on the others.
The Doctor lifts his PDA, finger on the "TERMINATE" BUTTON.
THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
If I press this, Ana dies.
DUKE
Put it down.
THE DOCTOR
Your choice, Duke.
DUKE
Put it down!
The Doctor doesn't move. McCullen watches the stand-off his
right hand discreetly drawing STEEL HOSE out from his sleeve.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord streaks into the upper atmosphere in the Night Raven,
the curve of the Earth visible out his windows. Ahead, he can
see a PULSATING LIGHT.
RIPCORD
I see it, dead ahead.
INT. FLIGHT CONTROL ROOL - DAY
Breaker speaks into his headset.
BREAKER
You have to knock it down before it
re-enters the atmosphere so the
nano-mites don't reach the ground.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord flicks a switch and opens a PULSE LASER on the nose.
RIPCORD
Uh, I've got a problem. The fire
controls are not in here.
106.
BREAKER'S VOICE
What do you mean, not in there?
RIPCORD
I mean I can't see them anywhere!
INT. FLIGHT CONTROL ROOM - DAY
Scarlett hears this and realizes.
SCARLETT
It's gotta be voice-activated.
RIPCORD'S VOICE
What?
SCARLETT
You have to say the words into your
flight helmet.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord lines up the missile in his sights, gets a lock.
RIPCORD
Fire!
(nothing happens)
Shoot!
(still nothing)
Blast away!
Still nothing, the missile streaking onwards towards the
Earth.
INT. FLIGHT CONTROL ROOM - DAY
They hear Ripcord yelling over the speakers.
RIPCORD'S VOICE
Nothing's happening!
BREAKER
Must be a different language.
SCARLETT
(to Ripcord)
Try "teine".
RIPCORD'S VOICE
What?
107.
SCARLETT
It's Scottish for fire.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord's not sure about this, the missile arcing down.
RIPCORD
Teine.
SCARLETT
Listen to my voice, "Teine".
RIPCORD
Teine! Teine! Teine!
(nothing happens)
It's not working!
SCARLETT'S VOICE
That's because you're not saying it
right!
RIPCORD
How many different ways you want me
to say it?
SCARLETT'S VOICE
One way! The right way! Teine!
RIPCORD
Teine!
And at last the PULSE LASER fires. Blasting the missile out
of the sky. The CLOUD OF NANO-MITES floats aimlessly away.
INT. FLIGHT CONTROL ROOM - DAY
They all see the missile disappear on their screen.
BREAKER
Nice work, Ace. You just saved
Moscow.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord sighs with relief, already peeling away.
RIPCORD
Just doing my job. Guide me to the
other drone...
(MORE)
108.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
(under his breath)
.man, I freakin' saved Moscow!
EXT. WHITE HOUSE - WASHINGTON - DAY
The White House glistens in the midday sun.
INT. PRESIDENTIAL BUNKER - DAY
The American President's Bodyguards rush him and his staff
down into a fortified bunker beneath the White House.
PRESIDENT
How soon will it strike the city?
STAFFER
Seventeen minutes, Sir.
PRESIDENT
This will be a disaster the likes
of which we have never seen.
As the DOORS CLOSE behind them we see the MARS INDUSTRIES
LOGO on the doors.
EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY
Another blast from the TURBO-LASER destroys a SHARC.
INT./EXT. SHARC - UNDERWATER - DAY
Heavy Duty sees this as he takes out a MANTIS.
SHIPWRECK
That cannon's going to kill us all.
HEAVY DUTY
My guy will take care of it, trust
me.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - ENERGY SHAFT - DAY
Snake-Eyes kills the Neo-Viper, who falls down a large shaft
into freezing waters. Storm Shadow lunges at Snake-Eyes and
the two of them tumble down into the shaft, but land on a
gangway. They both leap up and begin to fight again. The Neo-
Viper tries to crawl out of the freezing water, seemingly
unfazed as he slowly freezes solid.
109.
All of a sudden, there's LOUD NOISES and a series of ENERGY
LASERS power on up and down the shaft between various circuit
modules. This is where the energy is charged to operate the
cannon. One of the lasers catches Storm Shadow's shoulder and
burns him severely. Snake-Eyes sees this and ducks just as an
ENERGY LASER fires on beside his head.
EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY
Outside, the TURBO-LASER fires. The Joe craft desperately
weave and dodge.
INT. ENERGY SHAFT - DAY
.and the LASER NET fades. Instantly, Storm Shadow and Snake-
Eyes continue their desperate fight. Swords FLASH and CLANG,
two masters at their best. AND WE FLASH CUT TO:
THE GROUNDS OF THE ARISHIKAGE TEMPLE, where two twenty-two
year olds, Storm Shadow and Snake-Eyes sword fight. Storm
Shadow knocks Snake-Eyes to the ground again and places his
steel sword against Snake-Eyes' face. Again, Hard Master
watches without expression. AND WE FLASH CUT BACK TO:
THE ENERGY SHAFT, where Storm Shadow slashes Snake-Eyes
across the chest, but before he can finish him off, the
cannon charges up again and the LASER NET slams on. Storm
Shadow twists his body to avoid the ENERGY LASERS while Snake-
Eyes lifts himself up to his toes to avoid a laser that
threatens to disintegrate his crotch. Storm Shadow sees this,
grins to himself.
INT. PRESIDENTIAL BUNKER - DAY
A staffer is on the phone, looking up at the President.
STAFFER
It seems somebody's shot down the
warhead heading for Moscow.
PRESIDENT
Thank God...
As he says this, a SECRET SERVICE AGENT draws a SILENCED
PISTOL and kills the other Agents and Staff. We see an
INCISION SCAR behind his right ear and realize he is a Neo-
Viper. The President stares, stunned and horrified. The Neo-
Viper holds his pistol on the President as--
110.
--A BOOKCASE moves on the wall, revealing a secret room. An
UNSEEN FIGURE emerges and the President stares in shock.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Up in the skies, Ripcord spots the second drone rocketing
down towards the lower atmosphere in front of him.
RIPCORD
Second drone in my sights.
INT. FLIGHT CONTROL ROOM - DAY
Breaker and Scarlett watch in the control room.
BREAKER
Hurry, Rip. You've only got thirty
seconds before it enters the lower
atmosphere.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord's feeling the pressure. He targets the missile.
RIPCORD
Taine!
But nothing happens. Scarlett's voice yells in his head.
SCARLETT'S VOICE
Teine! Teine!
RIPCORD
Don't yell at me!
SCARLETT'S VOICE
Teine.
Ripcord takes a breath, stealing his nerves. A RED FUEL LIGHT
starts beeping on his control board. Rip does his best to
ignore it, focusing on the missile as it begins to disappear
into the lower atmosphere. The light beats faster and louder.
RIPCORD
Teine!
The LASER PULSE fires, blasting straight at the missile which
is lost in the atmospheric haze below. For a moment, he can't
tell if he hit it or not.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
The tracking in the control room provides the answer.
BREAKER
You missed! The warhead has entered
the lower atmosphere!
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord realizes this as he enters the lower atmosphere
himself. The spread of WASHINGTON D.C. Far below him now.
INT. OPERATING CHAMBER - DAY
In the operating chamber, the stand-off reaches its boiling
point now. McCullen slowly approaching Duke who keeps Ana's
pistol on the Doctor, Ana still in Duke's arms.
MCCULLEN
Did you think she loved you?
DUKE
Stay back!
MCCULLEN
Did you imagine your life with her?
DUKE
I said stay back!
THE DOCTOR
Don't you know you've lost, Duke?
DUKE
All I know is that neither of you
deserves her.
McCullen suddenly lifts the STEEL HOSE in his right hand--
--A BURST OF FLAME tears out at Duke who reflexively fires
the PULSE PISTOL at it. The intense air blast from the pulse
pistol catches the flames midway between them and blows them
back onto McCullen. McCullen SCREAMS as his face is literally
burned off. The Doctor freaks and drops the PDA, then yanks
McCullen out into the corridor. Duke fires after them, then
grabs the PDA, removing Ana's screen with a sigh of relief.
112.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVE - SKIES - DAY
Above Washington, Ripcord guns his aircraft after the falling
drone. Getting real close this time. No way he can miss.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
They see this on the screens in the control room.
BREAKER
You're too close, Rip. Back up.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord gets eerily calm all of a sudden.
RIPCORD
Actually, I think I'm just about
close enough...
(PAUSE)
.teine.
The PULSE LASER fires point blank. The missile EXPLODES right
in front of him. Ripcord flies through the flames, the CLOUD
OF NANO-MITES latching onto his wings.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
The drone disappears from their screens now.
SCARLETT
Ripcord? What happened? Rip!
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord is now struggling mightily with his controls as the
NANO-MITES swiftly eat his plane.
His FUEL LIGHT flashes at him alarmingly. He angles the Night
Raven upwards, giving it all he's got, NANO-MITES everywhere.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
They see his plane angle back up into the upper atmosphere.
113.
BREAKER
He's taking the nano-mites back up
into the upper atmosphere.
INT./EXT. NIGHT RAVEN - SKIES - DAY
The Night Raven is breaking up all around Ripcord now. He
quickly attaches his flight helmet's BREATHING MASK.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
Ripcord turns the plane over, inverting it.
RIPCORD
Cur magh!
The canopy explodes. Rip shoots back down into the atmosphere
as the NANO-MITES devour the Night Raven, then float away...
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTRO HEADQUARTERS - DAY
They see this on their screens.
BREAKER
He did it... He actually did it...
SCARLETT
Ripcord? Talk to me...Ripcord!
Still nothing. And now they begin to suspect the worst. Then:
RIPCORD'S VOICE
I asked you not to yell at me.
Relief comes rushing back to Scarlett and Breaker.
SCARLETT
What happened? Are you okay?
RIPCORD'S VOICE
Yeah, did it work?
SCARLETT
Yes...yes, it worked.
EXT. PARACHUTE - SKIES - DAY
Ripcord smiles, parachuting down towards Washington.
114.
RIPCORD
(into headset)
Good...cause I think I'm about to
get arrested.
EXT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY
Ripcord lands on the White House lawn, holding his hands up
benignly as dozens of SECRET SERVICE AGENTS surround him.
INT. ENERGY SHAFT - DAY
ENERGY LASERS pulse on again, almost catching the two ninjas
in their fight. Snake-Eyes draws his KATANA SWORD, its blade
shimmering in the laser-light as he redirects the laser back
into its module. Storm Shadow does the same with his sword,
barely saving his neck. They glare at each other.
AND WE FLASH CUT TO THE ARISHIKAGE TEMPLE, where the two 26
year-olds fight with katanas. Storm Shadow presses forward,
Snake-eyes side-steps and hurls Storm Shadow to the ground!
He steps up and puts his sword tip in Storm Shadow's eye.
Snake-Eyes first ever win over Storm Shadow.
Hard Master CLAPS ONE TIME. Storm Shadow looks at his father,
he can't believe it, his father seems happy for Snake-Eyes.
He slaps the sword away, gets up and stalks off.
FLASH BACK TO: The cannon fires and the lasers disappear,
freeing them to continue their duel. This is it. The final
duel. Snake-Eyes struggles, exhausted and wounded. Storm
Shadow puts in every ounce of hate he has left. He finally
tears Snake-Eyes' sword away and kicks him down. About to go
for the final kill. But before we find out the climax to
their fight, we must finish their story:
ON THE ARISHIKAGE TEMPLE GROUNDS, Snake-Eyes, still 26, walks
along the pond. He hears a LOUD CRY. Snake-Eyes breaks into a
run, careens around a building and sees Hard Master slumped
on the ground, a sword in his back.
SNAKE-EYES
Master!
Other NINJAS come flooding in.
NINJA #1
That's Storm Shadow's sword!
NINJA #2
There! There's the murderer!
115.
Snake-Eyes spins to see Storm Shadow climb up the side of the
Temple, onto the rood, give him a last look, and jump down
over the wall. FLASH BACK TO: THE ENERGY SHAFT where Snake-
Eyes is suddenly filled with renewed energy, he stares up at
Storm Shadow's katana blade poised for the final kill.
STORM SHADOW
You took your vow of silence to
avenge our Master. But now you will
die without a word.
The LOUD NOISE gears up again, distracting Storm Shadow for
just a beat. Snake-Eyes uses the moment to catch Storm shadow
with his feet, holding him up for a split second as the
ENERGY LASERS come back on. One of them burns deeply across
Storm Shadow's neck, he SCREAMS and stumbles back and falls
OVER THE EDGE and down into the freezing turgid waters. Snake-
Eyes steps up and looks down to see if he surfaces... He
doesn't.
SNAKE-EYES
Father always feared it would come
to this.
EXPLOSIONS begin to rock the shaft now. Snake-Eyes stumbles
towards the exit, leaving his fallen Sword Brother behind.
INT./EXT. SHARC - UNDERWATER - DAY
Heavy Duty sees the cannon return to its dormant position.
HEAVY DUTY
Turbo-laser is down!
He guns his engines, firing at a MANTIS attack craft. It
EXPLODES. Heavy Duty howls with delight.
Around him, the Joes begin to turn the tide of the battle. A
SERIES OF SHOTS of Mantis vehicles getting nailed by Joe
harpoon cannons.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DAY
They feel the EXPLOSIONS in the control room. Screens short
out. Water starts to cascade in through BURSTING RIVETS.
BREAKER
Energy overload in the phased array
battery. Power subsystems are going
critical.
116.
SCARLETT
Let's get out of here!
Scarlett grabs Breaker by the scruff of the neck and hauls
him out of the room.
INT. TRIDENT - DAY
McCullen's face is horrifically burned as The Doctor helps
him down into the Trident. EXPLOSIONS blowing above them. The
pilots guide the sub out white the Doctor starts injecting
McCullen with NANO-MITES. McCullen starts to SCREAM...
INT. DIVING BELL ENTRY PORT - DAY
Scarlett and Breaker races into the diving bell entry port
and are shocked to find Snake-Eyes already here. Scarlett
runs up and gently hugs him.
SCARLETT
Snake!
Snake-Eyes grimaces, then looks Scarlett in the eyes.
SNAKE-EYES
.he's dead.
She knows who he means, she gives him a grim smile. And
that's when they see Duke, carrying Ana, charging up to them.
Another EXPLOSION makes them all dash into the diving bell.
The doors close and we hear them launch.
INT./EXT. SHARC - UNDERWATER - DAY
Heavy Duty notices the Trident escaping out of the EXPLODING
docking bay into the arctic water. He angles towards the sub.
HEAVY DUTY
We got a runner! Cut him off!
All of a sudden, the whole damn facility EXPLODES.
INSIDE THE DIVING BELL: Our heroes are rocked by the BLAST,
then they see MASSIVE CHUNKS OF POLAR ICE plummet down from
the ice pack above, cutting off Heavy Duty and the Joes, and
DEMOLISHING the remainder of the facility. The Trident
disappears behind the trillions of bubbles and falling ice.
117.
INT/EXT. SHARC - UNDERWATER - DAY
Shipwreck checks his targeting scanner.
SHIPWRECK
All other targets neutralized.
HEAVY DUTY
GO JOES!!
EXT. TRIDENT - UNDERWATER - DAY
The Trident is moving fast through the water somewhere.
INT. TRIDENT - UNDERWATER - DAY
McCullen turns to us and we see that the NANO-MITES have
created a FORM-FITTING MASK all over his face. He catches his
reflection in the portal and he grabs at the mask, the NANO-
MITES twisting with the contours of his muscles to reveal his
complete and ever-lasting horror. He breaks down, falling to
the floor, then he recovers and looks up at The Doctor.
MCCULLEN
I guess I should thank you, Doctor.
The Doctor is busy fiddling with his hand held PDA.
THE DOCTOR
I want you to call me... Commander.
(looks at McCullen)
And from now on, I'll be on a first
name basis with you, Destro.
McCullen's silver face goes blank.
MCCULLEN
Yes, Commander.
INT. VIEWING ROOM - MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON - DAY
Duke watches Ana through a two-way mirror. She sits alone in
a holding cell. A MILITARY SCIENTIST watches her with Duke. -
SCIENTIST
Physically, she's fine. But without
the correctly-coded kill frequency,
we can't short them out.
118.
DUKE
There's nothing you can do?
SCIENTIST
Only the man who put them in there
has the correct code.
Duke considers this carefully, staring at Ana.
INT. CORRIDOR - MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON - DAY
Duke walks along a prison corridor with Ana, led by two
PRISON GUARDS. She carries a small bundle of PRISON GEAR.
DUKE
I'll visit you.
ANA
I won't be here long.
DUKE
You'll be here for the rest of your
life, Ana.
She looks at him, her face softening.
ANA
Duke?
DUKE
I'm here.
ANA
After all I've done, .you can't
save me, .it's too late.
A BEAT passes between them.
DUKE
I'll visit you.
And for a moment, she appears to crack... but then a
sinister smile creases her mouth.
ANA
You know, this has only just begun.
She touches his face, then the PRISON BARS slam shut between
them. She holds his eyes a moment longer, then the two Prison
Guards lead her away. Duke just watches her go, his face torn
with pain. He walks off alone...
119.
INT. LANDING PLATFORM - THE PIT - DAY
General Hawk is in his wheelchair, still recovering from his
wounds. He leads Duke and ripcord to the Howler.
HAWK
With GI JOE reinstated, would you
boys like to stay on awhile?
DUKE
What do you say, Rip?
Ripcord looks at Scarlett, who throws him a wink and a smile.
RIPCORD
I'm good.
They all laugh. Rip steps up to her.
RIPCORD (CONT'D)
So how do you feel about this?
SCARLETT
I feel very... emotional.
Duke smiles and the Joes climb aboard as the platform rises.
INT. PRESIDENTIAL OFFICES - WHITE HOUSE - DAY
A bevy of SECRETARIES and STAFFERS greets the President. Then
he enters the Oval office and closes the door, alone, he
looks around, walks behind the desk, and grins as he sits, as
if this is the first time he's ever done this. With a little
flair, he CRACKS HIS KNUCKLES and we realize this is Zartan!
And we SMASH CUT TO BLACK and ROLL CREDITS...
THE END |
GAMER
Written by
Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
September 2007
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused
- Eurythmics
Some years from this exact moment...
1 INT. TRAIN - DAY 1
DARKNESS - NOW
The beautiful CHIMING SOUNDS OF SPACE TRAVEL through the
COSMOS... DOTS OF LIGHT whiz past our face.
They could be stars at lightspeed, or... SUBWAY LIGHTS
FLICKER ON - in a flash we see PALE, SULLEN FACES, riding
into a bleak future, and hear the INDUSTRIAL CLATTER. It's
dark, claustrophobic, obscure... the rhythmic beat of track
and wheel-clicks engulf us. The lights flicker back on and
hold as we see a half dozen SOLDIERS in BROWN CAMO, steel-
eyed, prepared for whatever may be at the end of the TUNNEL.
ZERO IN on TWO:
KABLE, 30-something, roughneck... focused, determined; eyes
burning with internalized emotion...
... and SANDRA, late 20s, undeniably hot but tough as hell -
both are in shackles & cuffs, being roughly transported
through underground tunnels, knocked and shoved around.
Uniformed GUARDS roam the train, looking pissed off - their
swagger seems to mask FEAR.
KABLE is meditating, or exhausted - hard to tell. The GIRL
makes eye contact w/ him.
SANDRA
Sandra.
KABLE says nothing, just stares at her, stoic.
SANDRA (cont'd)
My name is Sandra.
GUARD
Shut the fuck up.
Because he can, the GUARD takes a swing at KABLE'S head with
a BILLY CLUB... CRACK!
(CONTINUED)
2.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
1 CONTINUED: 1
KABLE'S skull snaps back into the window. The GUARD swings
again, this time nailing KABLE square in the stomach.
SANDRA
(to the GUARD, a snarl)
Putcher dick away...
GUARD
Get some.
CRACKK!! CRACK!! CRACKK!! ... CRACK!! SANDRA is buckled
over, awkwardly, hands behind her back tethered to the seat,
head dripping blood. KABLE jerks against his restraints,
every inch of him wanting to RIP THE MOTHERFUCKER APART...
He uses his elbow to help her back up, but SANDRA fights
through it, sits back up and spits blood - she can handle
herself.
The CAMERA holds TIGHT on KABLE and SANDRA... KABLE lets a
glob of blood dangle from his mouth, biting his lip, bearing
it... we hear the CRUNCHING SOUND of the CLUB working on the
others... and the METALLIC RUMBLE and CLATTER of the TRAIN -
growing louder, POUNDING, slamming into our brains, blotting
out all thought... until...
2 INT. TUNNEL #1 - DAY 2
POV: we are RUNNING, ragged, full sprint, down a TUNNEL
towards dirty white DAYLIGHT...
NO MUSIC - just heavy breath, KABLE'S HEARTBEAT and the sound
of his boots bouncing off the concrete...
Others are running with us - SOLDIERS with weapons... at the
tunnel's end: vaguely defined shapes of buildings, smoke,
sky...
Our POV WHITES OUT as we...
3 EXT. SPAWN POINT #1 - CONTINUOUS 3
... smash into the DAYLIGHT.
Smoke plumes hang from a recent skirmish. KABLE climbs over
burning debris, gun raised, as SANDRA and the other soldiers
disappear into the grey mist.
4 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #1 4
KABLE emerges from the smoke into...
(CONTINUED)
3.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
4 CONTINUED: 4
... a DESTROYED CITY - PHILLY? DETROIT? NY? Seemingly out
of character, he LEAPS THROUGH THE AIR SLO-MO and lands in an
OVERDRAMATIC, ROCKSTAR POSE (Nine Inch Nails, Coachella
2005).
In sequence, multicolored LEDs on his weapon COME TO LIFE -
accompanied by a low frequency hum that seems to pierce
somewhere below human hearing. The MULTIPLE TURRETS spin,
then snap into place. GO TIME.
5 OTHER SPAWN POINTS 5
Other BROWN SOLDIERS emerge like SNAKES out of DIRT HOLES and
INTO THE LIGHT. They crouch and spread out.
6 SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #1 6
What appear like BUZZING FLIES swarm thru the grey air - at a
closer look, they are like tiny BALL BEARINGS that move like
hummingbirds, magnetically controlled. The swarm splits
apart - each FLY connects with a different SOLDIER - they
hover one foot above and two feet behind the SOLDIER'S head.
7 SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #1 - COVER 7
KABLE slides behind a shredded telephone pole and TAKES
COVER. The sound of trains, weapons, soldiers all fade
away... until...
NOTHING. DEAD QUIET.
SUDDENLY - A BULLET WHIZZES by KABLE's face - a pause - THEN
we hear a GUNSHOT.
Another BULLET WHIRS by his leg and another by his shoulder -
after the bullets pass, we hear the GUNSHOTS. See the
lightning, wait for the thunder.
In the peripheral a SOLDIER in DEEP BLUE CAMO runs from
behind an old car to a brick staircase. Then another BLUE
runs the opposite way, closer in the foreground. BROWNS VS.
BLUES?? The SILENCE is crawling, deafening, and then...
BOOM.
ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. Suddenly we are in IRAQ TIMES TEN...
KABLE'S eyes glance down at his WEAPON - the turrets quickly
shift and rotate - he whips it up in a flash and RETURNS FIRE
into the mist:
THOOM! THOOM! The shells puncture air and connect
distantly...
(CONTINUED)
4.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
7 CONTINUED: 7
The air ripples all around him, his world closing in... he
breaks free and runs toward an open street - THE TURRETS
READJUST - he efficiently wastes two BLUES with automatic
fire.
8 SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #1 - OPEN STREET 8
A couple of PEDESTRIANS walk across the street, totally
IGNORING THE VIOLENCE. KABLE makes a perfect 90 degree cut
and wraps around a street-lamp and into the alley. A BUM
holds out a can with a couple of coins and SHAKES it.
From an aerial POV we see the area swarming with BROWN & BLUE
combatants and a dozen CIVILIANS. In the top right corner
of our frame we see the DULL REFLECTION of a FACE, somewhat
transparent, watching the battle, tungsten red (similar to
your own reflection on a TV).
We SNAP BACK to the ground - the whole area is a BATTLEZONE.
KABLE lines up another BLUE climbing the fire-escape to the
third floor window - and then, coming from the REAR SURROUND
SPEAKERS, behind us:
A VOICE - almost a whisper, too clean and distinct to be
outdoors in this environment... and TOO YOUNG to possibly
belong to KABLE.
VOICE (O.S.)
(clean, disconnected)
Eat shit please.
THWIPPP!! The BLUE drops like a sack. KABLE perfectly cuts
back another 90 degrees and runs for an old store front.
Inside a CLERK "air" bags groceries for an empty store.
A BROWN SOLDIER sets up a TRIPOD MACHINE GUN and aims for a
bunker a hundred yards north. The distant BLUE targets seem
almost robotically unaware. The BROWN SOLDIER plants his
left hand on the ground for stability, right hand twisting
the grip-lock - and squeezing the trigger: TAT TAT TAT TAT
TAT TAT!!!! TATATATATATATATATA TAT!! The BLUES fall, some
clumsily colliding into each other before they crash to the
ground, dead.
Another team of BLUES rock their heads around to focus on
him. Uh oh...
BOOOOOSH!!!! The BROWN TRIPOD GUNNER is vaporized from the
knees up... the FOREARM that supported him is standing
straight up, cleanly severed at the elbow. It slowly wobbles
over and connects with the TWO LEGS severed at the knees.
The THREE LIMBS fall into each other, forming a flesh and
bone TRIPOD.
(CONTINUED)
5.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
8 CONTINUED: 8
VROOOOOOSH!!! CHUKUNK, CHUKUNK!! A SNOWPLOW BARRELS THROUGH
THE DESTRUCTION, pushing the bodies and debris out of the way
and clearing a path, one streaked with crimson red and burnt
flesh. It moves fast and vanishes into the smoke clouds.
9 SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #1 - STREET 9
Down the road, KABLE saves an EAST-INDIAN WOMAN from getting
obliterated by shoving her out of the way of the blazing
truck. As KABLE turns to waste another BLUE, the EAST-INDIAN
WOMAN gets right back up... walking into and getting
obliterated by another TRUCK. It's creepy - robotic, but
violent and too real - like a programmed suicide.
VOICE (O.S.)
Can't say I didn't try...
We sense emotion in KABLE'S cold eyes - then they flicker to
the peripheral.
10 SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #1 - 2ND FLOOR BUILDING 10
Tracking along a row of blown out windows a BLUE is taking
aim; we SNAP ZOOM in...
SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE IMAGE:
The transparent GHOST OF A FACE, as though projected on
glass. The LIPS MOVE in sync with:
VOICE (O.S.)
Shit! Shit!
KABLE spins, TOO LATE -
BUT: from the level directly below the SNIPER - through an
open doorway - we see a BROWN SOLDIER, BLASTING STRAIGHT UP
THROUGH THE CEILING! The BLUE is BLOWN TO CHUNKS.
11 SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #1 - STREET 11
The BROWN runs out and hits the curb; CONCRETE AND MEAT
collapse on the spot where she stood... it's SANDRA.
KABLE gives her covering fire as she heads his way. They
bolt for a corner - KABLE reaches protection first. He stops
to let SANDRA catch up, and in that instant -
HER BRAINS GET BLOWN TO JELL-O. Blood and particles splatter
over KABLE's gear.
VOICE (O.S.)
Suckage.
(CONTINUED)
6.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
11 CONTINUED: 11
Without hesitation KABLE turns and wastes two more BLUES.
Up ahead HE SEES IT: an OCTAGON STEEL SHED with small
GLOWING EMERALD GREEN WINDOWS. He makes for it.
The little FLY following him is picked out of the air by a
stray shot - PLINK!
VOICE (O.S.) (cont'd)
... what the...!
Bullets and shells chop up everything around KABLE, but he's
QUICK...
A SHELL smacks his shoulder HARD, almost knocking him off his
feet - shredding the BROWN CAMO and revealing the FLEXIBLE
BODY ARMOR UNDERNEATH.
He scrambles to the octagon's entrance and BAILS IN.
12 INT. SAVE POINT #1 12
KABLE steps into the middle of the vacant steel room. The
second he breaks the GREEN LASER, FLOOD LIGHTS blast on all
around the BATTLEFIELD. A SUBMARINE ALARM sounds from
loudspeakers everywhere, echoing through the streets, CYCLING
DOWN.
The battle is over - session complete.
13 EXT. SAVE POINT #1 13
KABLE steps out. The LEDS on his weapon blink off in
sequence...
ARMED GUARDS are EVERYWHERE, rounding up the I-Con's.
[I-CONs (I-Convicts) are the combatants -- death row
inmates/lifers, of which there are never a shortage.
GENERI-CON's (Generic Convicts) are the street traffic that
lend unpredictability and realism to the battlefield... they
are computer controlled NPCs (non player characters)... petty
thiefs and criminals who are risking their lives by
participating to commute their sentences]
A DOZEN GUARDS collect weapons - TWO approach KABLE. His
eyes are pure MURDER; SANDRA'S brain matter still drips from
him.
HE WHIPS UP THE WEAPON, POINTS IT AT A GUARD'S HEAD AND PULLS
THE TRIGGER -
(CONTINUED)
7.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
13 CONTINUED: 13
NOTHING. The GUARD doesn't even flinch. The WEAPON is DEAD,
dormant; they all knew it.
The GUARDS have a good LAUGH... KABLE is CLUBBED from behind -
we...
FADE TO BLACK.
14 INT. TRAIN - LATER 14
Back on the rattling TRAIN, where we started. The SURVIVING
SOLDIERS - both BROWN and BLUE - are shackled to the rail -
wounded, exhausted, hollow eyed.
BLUE SOLDIER 1
Good run, Kable.
KABLE only looks to the floor.
KABLE
(quietly)
My name's Tillman.
BROWN SOLDIER 1
Whatever your name is. You got to
the save point fast.
BROWN SOLDIER 2
So the fuck what? No one's getting
out of here alive.
BLUE SOLDIER 1
I am. I'm going to make it.
The cynical BROWN just shakes his head.
BROWN SOLDIER 2
Sure you will.
BLUE SOLDIER 1
(tuning the BROWN out,
turning his attention to
KABLE)
They say you only got three battles
left til you get out...
KABLE says nothing.
The CAMERA pushes in on a TATTOO on his forearm: a simple
outline of a black box with the words inside: I AM RIGHT HERE
WITH YOU.
[MUSIC: Aldo Nova, "LIFE IS JUST A FANTASY" kicks in...]
8.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
15 INT. LAB - TIME INDETERMINATE 15
A spartan, underground LAB.
A PLAIN-CLOTHES TECH sits on a stool holding a simple REMOTE;
on the table next to him is a SMALL METAL DISH. In front of
him, floating in the air, is one of the little metallic
FLIES.
He pokes at it - it instantly jukes left; again - it jukes
right... almost faster than the eye can follow. No way he
could ever touch it.
Semi-satisfied, he holds out the metal dish and clicks the
remote. The FLY drops into the dish - CLINK.
CLOSE-UP: the little gunmetal ball is black and dented on one
side - probably the one we saw get knocked out of the air.
There is a PINHOLE GLASS LENS on the other end.
The TECH picks it up with thumb and forefinger and holds the
lens up to his eyes. Switch to:
POV of the FLY CAM: the TECH'S face, extreme wide angle,
examining. The image flickers, glitches - then CUTS TO:
WHITE NOISE.
MATCH CUT TO:
16 INT. TELNET CONTROL ROOM - DAY 16
A CONSOLE of MONITORS cut from FUZZ to GRAPHICS. TECH GUYS
and PRODUCERS scramble... it's SHOWTIME.
OFFSCREEN VOICE
Counting down five... four...
three... two...
SWISH PAN and SNAP ZOOM across the room, through an open
door, to the CORRIDOR, where...
17 INT. TELNET NEWSROOM, CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 17
[END: "LIFE IS JUST A FANTASY"]
A REPORTER - GINA PARKER SMITH, sexy eager-beaver, focused -
a NEWS EXEC, 40s, and a CHIEF OF STAFF, 60s are walking
briskly along in a heated discussion.
CHIEF OF STAFF
Do we have the damn interview or
don't we?
(CONTINUED)
9.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
17 CONTINUED: 17
PRODUCER
We're cunt hair close -
CHIEF OF STAFF
I can't blow off the Three-Asian
War for "close".
PRODUCER
All respect, Bob, nobody cares
about dead Orientals... they care
about Ken Castle -
CHIEF OF STAFF
May I hear from Gina please?
GINA spins on him, looks CHIEF straight in the eyeballs.
GINA PARKER SMITH
OK, Bob? Bob. You realize Castle
has clocked exactly - one - media
appearance to date and that was
Walters' last interview before she
died - NINE FUCKING YEARS AGO!
CHIEF OF STAFF
Stop menstruating, just tell me we
fucking have it -
GINA PARKER SMITH
We fucking have it!
The CHIEF OF STAFF bangs open a conference room door with his
fist as they blow by - veers off and disappears. GINA rolls
her eyes in disgust, keeps moving.
GINA PARKER SMITH (cont'd)
Palindromes.
(she STOPS)
Hold on. Focus: let's get lunch.
Sushi, Iranian, or Mexican?
PRODUCER
Burger chili fry?
GINA PARKER SMITH
(considering)
I'll freak a burger.
FREEZE FRAME on GINA - ZOOM and...
18 INT. NEWSCAST 18
TV GRAPHIC:
(CONTINUED)
10.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
18 CONTINUED: 18
GINA'S BURGER-FREAKING face becomes part of an ANIMATED TITLE
SEQUENCE.
A LIVE
WORLDLINK TONIGHT
EXCLUSIVE
with GINA PARKER SMITH
In this context it looks like she's freaking serious world
affairs.
NOTE: this telecast will play much faster than the page count
indicates - hyped up, quick cutting, overlapping dialog,
A.D.D. and hyper-caffeinated.
VOICEOVER
First... there was society...
Shots of several dozen young, trendily dressed people (we're
talking trends that haven't yet been invented) wandering
robotically around a BACKLOT-LOOKING CITY STREET,
occasionally bumping into one another... the graphic society
LOGO superimposed.
VOICEOVER (cont'd)
The ultimate SIM environment -
where players don't control virtual
animated characters - but actual,
living, breathing human beings.
People are dancing, MAKING OUT on street corners... someone
tries to eat an ICE CREAM CONE, misses his mouth and pokes it
into his eye.
VOICEOVER (cont'd)
(quoting)
They walked them, they talked them.
They juiced them...
A HOT YOUNG GIRL in a WET T-SHIRT is SLAMMING a BOTTLE of
JAGER.
VOICEOVER (cont'd)
They rocked them.
A MIDDLE-AGED GUY in a shirt and tie is HEADBANGING FURIOUSLY
like an extra in a TWISTED SISTER VIDEO.
VOICEOVER (cont'd)
We all remember the slogan.
(CONTINUED)
11.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
18 CONTINUED: (2) 18
SWITCH TO: ROWS OF PEOPLE in front of wall-sized VIDEO
MONITORS, transfixed, doing a kind of sign language with
their hands... JAPANESE lining up around the block...
COLLEGE STUDENTS and OFFICE WORKERS glued to screens...
VOICEOVER (cont'd)
The creation of reclusive genius
Ken Castle, society took the world
by storm, becoming the number one
guilty pleasure of billions, either
playing or watching... and
generating one of the world's
largest private fortunes,
surpassing Steve Jobs and Bill
Gates practically overnight.
A FILE-FOOTAGE CLIP of KEN CASTLE - 30s, fresh and boyish,
Southern molasses accent - being interviewed on a news show:
KEN CASTLE
I ain't complainin'!
FREEZE on CASTLE... the IMAGE DISTORTS in THREE DIMENSIONS,
offset red and blue channels shifting.
VOICEOVER
Nine months ago, Castle unveiled a
new simulation - one that would
take gaming to new heights of
thrilling excess... and controversy
- SLAYERS.
SLAYERS LOGO over a slo-mo shot of BROWN and BLUE soldiers
walking towards CAMERA - BADASS, with BIG MOTHERFUCKING
WEAPONS slung at their sides...
VOICEOVER (cont'd)
If society let us live thru
others...
SLAYERS would let us die thru
others.
Slick edited COMBAT FOOTAGE from the BATTLEFIELD.
Explosions, flame throwers, bullet hits... DUDES screaming,
unloading MASS ROUNDS...
VOICEOVER (cont'd)
Slayers gives the gamer full
control of a flesh and blood human
being in full scale, kill-or-be-
killed combat. And when we say
flesh and blood, we mean flesh -
A QUICK CUT of a BROWN'S ARM BEING BLOWN OFF.
(CONTINUED)
12.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
18 CONTINUED: (3) 18
VOICEOVER (cont'd)
... and blood.
An RPG EXPLODES - CHUNKS smack the lens and OOZE DOWN.
SWITCH TO:
19 INT. TELNET - INTERVIEW STUDIO LIVE - CONTINUOUS 19
CASTLE is opposite GINA PARKER SMITH, both identified by
translucent animated CHYRONS. CASTLE is older now than in
the earlier clip; early 40s - his body is more solid; hair
cut shorter, conservative. But the eyes still SPARKLE.
GINA PARKER SMITH
Slayers.
KEN CASTLE
(big smile)
Slayers.
CASTLE'S accent is like pure Georgia honey. He's a rock-
ribbed charmer.
GINA PARKER SMITH
(down to business)
Why isn't it murder?
She leans in, playing the role of hard-hitting reporter to a
T.
KEN CASTLE
Gina, when was the last time you
saw someone volunteer to be
murdered? I'm sure you know that
every last one of our Slayers is a
bona fide death row inmate -
(points for emphasis)
...each one offered a chance to
participate as an alternative to
their sentence. Stay alive for
thirty sessions and get set free...
that's not a bad God damned deal.
GINA PARKER SMITH
I see - and has any one of these
men or women ever actually survived
long enough to be set free?
KEN just smiles, locks in on her eyes.
(CONTINUED)
13.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
19 CONTINUED: 19
KEN CASTLE
I'd remind your audience that
Slayers was put together with the
full cooperation and approval of
the United States federal
government... that the revenue it
produces is responsible for funding
our entire prison system - keeping
the bad guys behind bars... and
that the prop was voted for by a
cock solid 68% of the American
public.
20 INT. STUDIO BOOTH, OFF CAMERA - SIMULTANEOUS 20
PRODUCER
(to BOARD OP)
What'd he say?
21 INT. TELNET - INTERVIEW STUDIO LIVE - CONTINUOUS 21
GINA PARKER SMITH
... in an election tainted by
suspected digital fraud...
(changing gears)
let's talk about the so-called
generi-cons.
VIDEO: a montage of slayers "civilians" - the bum shaking a
can in the midst of chaos, a group of pedestrians walking
robotically into a wall of flame, store clerks "air-bagging"
groceries...
GINA PARKER SMITH (cont'd)
Sent into the slayers environment
with a set of pre-programmed
actions, with no way to react and
no one controlling them - their
chances of survival are next to
nil.
KEN CASTLE
There's a lot of men and women in
prison that could never cut it as
slayers... shouldn't they have the
same opportunity to roll the dice
for a ticket out? Besides - they
only need to survive one session.
VIDEO: the East Indian Female generi-con from the first
battle gets smeared by a truck.
(CONTINUED)
14.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
21 CONTINUED: 21
GINA PARKER SMITH
Right...
SUPERNOVA FLARE
TO:
22 EXT SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND 22
BULLET-CAM IMAGES of a SLAYERS SOLDIER leaping into action
and freezing in MID-AIR, a GRAPHIC SUPERIMPOSED:
HOW DOES IT WORK?
23 INT. TELNET - INTERVIEW STUDIO LIVE 23
THROW TO the LIVE STUDIO BROADCAST -
GINA PARKER SMITH
(leaning in)
Mr. Castle - how the hell does it
work?
KEN CASTLE
Simple.
A 3-D ANIMATED GRAPHIC accompanies his explanation - the
VIRTUAL CAMERA zooms in to the FROZEN SOLDIER'S head - and
then INSIDE, passing thru transparent layers.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
It begins with a single nano-cell
planted in the motor cortex of the
brain -- this cell can replicate,
replacing the cells `round it with
perfect copies...
We see a cartoon image of a tiny nano-cell - labeled with a
bold, block letter N. The nano-cell approaches a normal cell
next to it... there is a flash; now the cell next to it has
turned into an exact copy of the nano. This continues,
multiplying exponentially, until we zoom back to reveal that
the entire brain has been converted to nano-cells.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
... these copied cells contain
remote access functionality.
Therefore, nano plus cortex equals
the nanex.
The graphic zooms back further to show a pair of hands
working a retro ATARI-style joystick... animated waves
indicate a wireless transmission from the joystick to the
Slayer, who unfreezes and flies into action.
(CONTINUED)
15.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
23 CONTINUED: 23
GINA PARKER SMITH
Geek, geek, geek - come on, Castle,
you promised us a demonstration.
CASTLE smiles broadly.
KEN CASTLE
(coy)
Did I? You know I seem to recall
that - let's just see...
CASTLE waves in his PERSONAL SECURITY:
A half dozen GEEKS in BLACK JEANS, BLACK T-SHIRTS w/ WHITE
SOCKS and SNEAKERS; BACKPACKS... yes, even FANNY PACKS. A
full range of GEEK VARIATIONS: beard/mustache combos, thick
glasses, pony tails, etc.
One GEEK brings out the CUTEST, SOFTEST little SPANIEL PUPPY
in the world and places it in CASTLE'S LAP.
Meanwhile several OTHERS are directing HANDHELD SENSORS at
GINA and thumb-clicking to establish TRACKING POINTS - her
slightest movements are scanned and interpreted as data in
real time.
GINA PARKER SMITH
(fighting it)
Oh... my god. So cute.
KEN CASTLE
You like her? Her name is Gina.
She's a good little bitch.
Somehow, in his sweet southern drawl this rolls off almost
acceptable. The CREW has a laugh off-screen; GINA blushes.
GINA PARKER SMITH
I beg your pardon?
24 INT. STUDIO BOOTH, OFF CAMERA - SIMULTANEOUS 24
PRODUCER
This motherfucker is off the
charts.
CHIEF OF STAFF
You realize he could buy our
network.
PRODUCER
(shrugs)
Why would he?
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
16.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
24 CONTINUED: 24
PRODUCER (cont'd)
Son of a bitch can pull 650 million
pay-per-views for a single
broadcast.
ON the MONITORS:
CASTLE is showing GINA how to make the dog roll over, sit up,
etc. GINA has her hands up, limp in front of her chin, like
a submissive puppy begging, and she is PANTING; she's clearly
getting into it... her every movement is MIRRORED by the
adorable dog.
BOARD OP
That's fuckin scary.
25 INT. TELNET - INTERVIEW STUDIO LIVE, CONTINUOUS 25
More COMBAT FOOTAGE, this time focusing on KABLE HIGHLIGHTS.
GINA PARKER SMITH
Isn't it true that each human that
undergoes the procedure will have a
distinct IP address -- like a
notebook computer or mobile device?
KEN CASTLE
Similar, yep. But control is
strictly localized to the
parameters of our gaming
environments.
BACK TO THE STUDIO.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
You take Society for instance: once
a cast member leaves the workplace
they are completely free from the
control and monitoring of their
player.
GINA PARKER SMITH
(incredulous)
That's a relief.
KEN CASTLE
(teasing)
To some, maybe... to some... don't
you suspect a good many folks
wouldn't mind an itty bit of
control?
GINA PARKER SMITH
I don't... um...
(CONTINUED)
17.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
25 CONTINUED: 25
KEN CASTLE
Someone else making all the
decisions for you... no
responsibilities, no tough
choices... think about it.
GINA PARKER SMITH
(tough)
We will, Mr. Castle. We will.
A SUPERNOVA FLARE throws to MUSIC and GRAPHICS:
YOU
ARE EXPERIENCING
a LIVE
WORLDLINK TONIGHT
EXCLUSIVE
26 INT. THE INTERVIEW STUDIO, CONTINUOUS 26
Back to handheld, non-broadcast REALITY.
KEN has GINA's hand in his hand, beaming. Her demeanor has
changed; she's like a LITTLE GIRL with her DAD at the fair.
KEN CASTLE
Good little talk.
GINA PARKER SMITH
My pleasure. Shit, can I tell you?
I CAN. NOT. wait for the next
Slayers. Kable has been
unbelievable. His arms are just
so... well, I know it's awful.
27 INT. STUDIO BOOTH, OFF CAMERA - SIMULTANEOUS 27
PRODUCER
What the hell is that?
The WORLDLINK GRAPHIC GLITCHES OUT, replaced by a BLUE SCREEN
- like an old school COMPUTER CRASH. THEN -
One letter at a time, in retro Apple chicago font,
accompanied by the exaggerated sound of COMPUTER KEYSTROKE
CLICKS:
HUMANZ
(CONTINUED)
18.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
27 CONTINUED: 27
Then a VOICE - deep, but speaking ARTIFICIALLY QUICKLY - like
in radio commercials, where they use time-compression
software to remove the silences between the words.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Ken Castle wants you to believe
that you are living in a safer,
better world. He's a liar. Mind
control is slavery. We will all be
his dog if we allow this evolution
to continue.
Everyone in the STUDIO is speechless, watching the monitors -
including CASTLE; actually, he LOVES it... he's laughing his
ass off.
PRODUCER
Mr. Castle, we have no idea...
KEN CASTLE
Shush!
ON THE SCREEN, the humanz logo dissolves, 8-bit ARCADE STYLE,
replaced by:
THE EVOLUTION OF MAN ACCORDING TO CASTLE
Underneath is the CLASSIC ILLUSTRATION showing the
progression from primitive EARLY MAN to the erect MODERN
HUMAN. In a crude ANIMATION the progression CONTINUES:
MODERN MAN bends back over on his hands and knees; in the
final stage he's wearing a DOG COLLAR, getting fucked in the
ass - then fed through a MEAT GRINDER, packaged & sold as
HAMBURGER.
KEN looks over at the PRODUCER.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
That's a God damn hoot.
PRODUCER
(to his techies)
Bypass orbital, reroute from the
backup servers, NOW, for Christ
sake, you dirty apes...
(to CASTLE)
Sorry, Mr. Castle, we can't hard-
line a live broadcast. It's
impossible to stop every virus that
sneaks in.
(CONTINUED)
19.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
27 CONTINUED: (2) 27
KEN CASTLE
Uh huh. You might wanna oughta let
my boys take a look at your
firewall.
The screen CUTS TO BLACK, COLOR-BARS blink, then an
advertisement streams in.
KEN stands, holding GINA'S hand, kisses it.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
(to GINA)
What about your firewall, sugar -
wonder if I might breach it one of
these sunny days.
He gives her a ROGUISH WINK.
GINA PARKER SMITH
You're bad.
BOARD OP
He's good.
On the monitors, we transition back into a paid commercial: a
VICTORIA'S SECRET PORN-looking GIRL in HANDCUFFS turns to
CAMERA.
PORN GIRL
Wanna blow off a little steam?
CUT TO:
28 EXT. PRISON YARD - DAY 28
A PRISONER - shirtless, his upper body smeared with WHITE
POWDER, screaming, SLAMS HIS FIST DOWN INTO FACE. Blood
sprays on white.
We see that he is beating down a uniformed GUARD. The GUARD
wears a black gas mask, shattered and pouring blood. Other
prisoners, shackled together, stand by watching, forming a
half circle around the fight. They are shirtless, covered in
the same white powder - they look like tribesmen.
One of the prisoners, very distinctive, nods grimly, clearly *
enjoying the show.
DISTINCTIVE PRISONER *
Fuck him up.
The prison yard is a vast expanse of white - it could be a
chalk mine, or the surface of a strange planet. Distant
towers mark the perimeter.
(CONTINUED)
20.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
28 CONTINUED: 28
Other groups of shackled prisoners can be seen in the
distance, trotting along in lines. Trails of thick magenta
smoke snake across the yard, sucked by the wind.
The ROGUE PRISONER stomps down on the GUARD'S face one last
time - his shoes are made of cloth. CRUNCH. The GUARD stops
moving.
The PRISONER starts to run for it across the white terrain.
A group of GUARDS appear to round up the remaining prisoners.
They club them down with the butts of rifles but pay no mind
to the fleeing ROGUE... they merely watch him go, impassive.
In a moment, we see why - when the ROGUE PRISONER crosses
between the two distant towers he is jerked to the ground by
an invisible field. Sound? Light? Magnetism? His body
goes into spasms; blood foams from his ears, mouth, eyes.
CUT TO:
29 EXT. PRISON REC AREA - DAY 29
Fingers run through white powder, making patterns.
A black shadow crosses the frame, accompanied by a low hum;
some sort of aircraft.
KABLE looks up as the shadow tracks across him; we never see
the craft. He looks out across the yard.
KABLE is sitting in what seems to be a minimal REC AREA cut
out of the white terrain. He sits by himself wearing a white
cloth hoodie, eyes dark, head down, silent. Across the yard
a group of prisoners are playing basketball; EVERY SINGLE
PLAYER is SKYING for dunks.
We focus in on KABLE'S TATTOO: I Am Right Here With You...
In the yard a CRIPPLE, his two legs stiff with braces, walks
ROBOTICALLY along on crutches. KABLE watches him,
expressionless. It triggers a memory...
FLASH TO:
30 EXT. SUN-SOAKED EXTERIOR 30
A LITTLE GIRL, no more than two, walks along on her DADDY'S
feet... giggling, trusting... her hands grip his big
fingers... taking each big ROBOT STEP with him...
FLASH TO:
21.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
31 EXT. PRISON YARD - DAY 31
A BASKETBALL comes out of nowhere and KNOCKS THE CRUTCH OUT
from under the CRIPPLE, sending him ass-up on the asphalt.
Prisoners JEER.
FREEK
(quiet, conspiratorial)
Kable. Kable.
We see that KABLE has drawn the pattern in his tattoo with
his finger in the white powder; at the sound of the voice he
runs his hand through it, wiping it away.
A wiry, jittery dude of indeterminate age is sitting next to
KABLE. KABLE doesn't even turn to look.
KABLE
My name is Tillman, freak.
FREEK
Tillmans, yeah, Tillmans, I knew
that, they said you name's was
Tillmans... just sittin, always
sittin, always lookin, just
lookin... like me, I keep my holes
down... you got to, man... a dude
inevitably start to break up, start
to crack and break up everyday,
never know you gonna die today or
live another two, three. You never
do know. All these niggaz gonna
snap, snap, snap, one by one, every
last one, all of em. Yeah but not
you. Twenty seven battles and three
to go... no one ever got that close
before, no one even done ten games
without gettin they brains shot...
but Kable, Kable, Kable, he just
sittin, lookin, like he got a plan,
he already somewhere else, he on a
mission, nothin' get in his way,
never break, never snap, never say
shit, just take care of his
business, niggaz get spooked by
that shit. You spooky.
KABLE turns slowly to look him in the eye, says nothing.
FREEK (cont'd)
Spooky.
KABLE looks away.
(CONTINUED)
22.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
31 CONTINUED: 31
FREEK (cont'd)
Why they put you in here, Tillmans?
KABLE waits a good long beat.
KABLE
I killed my best friend.
32 INT. PRISON - NIGHT 32
A prisoner sings Metallica off key, but balls to the walls:
PRISONER
Master!
Master!
Master of Puppets I'm pulling your
strings - Twisting your mind and
smashing your dreams...
KABLE is alone in his cell.
At the base of the single door is a SLIDING COMPARTMENT to
push food through - it opens. But instead of a tray, someone
pushes through a wrinkled photograph.
KABLE picks it up and looks - a WOMAN, just a blur of golden
hair, laughing, and a LITTLE GIRL... the same one in KABLE'S
vision.
WOMAN (O.S.)
You want to get back to them.
KABLE is stunned, silent. He sits on the ground, shoulder
leaning against the heavy door, staring at the girl in the
picture.
WOMAN (O.S.) (cont'd)
It's all you think about. It's the
only thing that keeps you alive.
Her words are like hammer blows to his guts; he wants to weep
but he's too strong, too internalized. He steels himself.
KABLE
Who's talking?
She pushes through a white NOTECARD and PEN.
WOMAN (O.S.)
Sign it.
KABLE
What?
(CONTINUED)
23.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
32 CONTINUED: 32
KABLE doesn't take it.
WOMAN (O.S.)
Sign it... please, Tillman. My son
David is your biggest fan. He
prays for you.
This takes KABLE by surprise; he reluctantly takes the pen
and card. He writes something on it and sticks it back
through the slider.
PFFHHT. The WOMAN stabs KABLE'S hand with a LANCET - she
draws out a little blood.
KABLE yanks his hand back out.
WOMAN (O.S.) (cont'd)
Need to prove it's authentic.
Makes it worth more.
KABLE
Why would anyone want my name?
WOMAN (O.S.)
You don't even know what's going on
out there, do you?
(beat)
Damn...
At the far end of the solitary block a BUZZER sounds - then
the SLIDE and SLAM of heavy steel.
WOMAN (O.S.) (cont'd)
Gotta go.
KABLE jumps up and pulls himself against the door - a
lifeline is slipping away...
KABLE
Wait.
(he holds the wrinkled
photo to the window)
How did you get this picture? Have
you seen them?
He peers through the little window at the top of the door,
but she's GONE...
Instead, a group of PRISONERS are being led down the corridor
to their NEW CELLS. We recognize grim, battered faces from
the yard - these are the men that stood by as the GUARD was
being beaten down.
(CONTINUED)
24.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
32 CONTINUED: (2) 32
DISTINCTIVE PRISONER - hands cuffed behind his back, makes *
eye contact with KABLE as he walks by. *
FADE TO BLACK.
33 EXT. PRISON RUNNING TRACK - DAY 33
A desolate white RUNNING TRACK; a guard TOWER overlooks...
the field is empty but for ONE MAN: KABLE.
He's busting ass around the track, pouring sweat. We're
right there with him, CLOSE-UP - profile, full speed... we
hear the HARD BREATHING, the feet pounding dirt, like we're
INSIDE HIS HEAD.
CUT TO:
34 EXT. URBAN DOWNTOWN #1 - SIMULTANEOUS 34
WIDE LOCK OFF - KABLE, 90 feet high, a MURAL painted on the
side of a BUILDING. It's an AD for SLAYERS: KABLE in FULL
COMBAT MODE, cutting loose with a FLAME THROWER.
35 EXT. PRISON RUNNING TRACK - SIMULTANEOUS 35
KABLE, running - we're even CLOSER NOW... he's pushing
himself beyond exhaustion, pure focus...
36 EXT. URBAN DOWNTOWN #2 - DAY 36
Different city, same story - KABLE, a towering BILLBOARD
PROJECTION... endless lanes of FREEWAY GRIDLOCK sprawling
beneath...
37 EXT. PRISON RUNNING TRACK - SIMULTANEOUS 37
KABLE, staggering, near collapse, lungs burning...
38 EXT. TIMES SQUARE - DAY 38
The ICONIC IMAGE of KABLE on the famous TIMES SQUARE VIDEO
WALL, now even more massive... the STOCK TICKERS reeling off
disaster... he's like GODZILLA frozen amongst the
SKYSCRAPERS...
39 EXT. PRISON RUNNING TRACK - SIMULTANEOUS 39
KABLE finally flames out... he breaks down to a jog, then
doubles over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
CUT OUT WIDE: KABLE is ant-size and insignificant on the
long, barren field, under a vast grey sky... ALONE.
(CONTINUED)
25.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
39 CONTINUED: 39
Hold for a long beat, and...
FADE TO BLACK.
40 INT. A DOZEN DARK ROOMS - DAY 40
MONTAGE of GAMERS' FACES, preparing to GET IT ON... All
shapes, colors and styles, but all RICH AND POWERFUL-looking.
Some are sweating, some calm, some beat red, others have
guitar-playing twitch faces...
41 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #2 - DAY 41
SHOCK CUT into the HEAT OF BATTLE.
CHAOS, CONFUSION... KABLE blasts through a cloud of exploding
debris... A BROWN to his left is BLOWN IN HALF - the LEGS
KEEP RUNNING...
42 EXT. SLAYER BATTLEGROUND #2 - STREET 42
TED NUGENT, in BROWN camo, lines up a BLUE SNIPER in a 3rd
story window with a CROSS-BOW. He releases the arrow and
pins the BLUE's HEAD to the window sill.
TED NUGENT
Damn, I gonna have to eat you now,
son.
An UPSIDE-DOWN CAR comes SLIDING down the street on it's hood
and slams into TED NUGENT, VAPORIZING him...
43 EXT SLAYER BATTLEGROUND #2 43
Another five BLUE SOLDIERS are taken out. Their bodies drop
to the ground, gruesome goodness. The FIVE BALL BEARING
CAMERAS quickly flock together and check out each body as a
swarming unit. From a wider shot, they look like flies on
shit... after checking out the recently deleted, they zip off
towards the closest save point...
CUT TO: *
SCENE 44 DELETED *
45 INT. FRAT HOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS 45
FIFTY beer slamming COLLEGE STUDENTS are going BERSERK...
they've got SLAYERS on a wall-sized screen, pay-per-view...
they're high fiving, SMASHING up the place... *
26.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
46 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #2 - DRAINAGE DITCH - CONTINUOUS 46
KABLE LEAPS for a drainage trench, makes it, and hustles
around the back of a burnt out building...
47 INT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #2 - STAIRWAY 47
Up a stairway - the GHOST FACE on GLASS superimposed on the
image - the face is LAUGHING, GIDDY...
VOICE
Oh shit... oh shit...
48 INT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #2 - 2ND FLOOR 48
KABLE takes up a spot from a second level vantage point -
from here we see a small group of BLUES moving down the
block, scanning for survivors.
VOICE
Wul hello thar...
KABLE watches himself SWITCH TURRETS on his WEAPON. He
brings up a SNIPER SIGHT and locks in on a target.
VOICE (cont'd)
Wait for it...
CLOSE-UP of KABLE'S EAR: just then he hears the SUBTLEST OF
SOUNDS creeping up behind. Whoever's controlling him doesn't
seem to have noticed - he's too focused on the enemies in the
sights.
We can see the tension in KABLE'S FACE - he's helpless,
trying to fight it, willing his player to take notice.
KABLE
(whispering)
Turn me around God damn it...
VOICE
What'd he say?
A trickle of sweat runs down into KABLE'S EYE. The SOUND is
more distinct now, CLOSER... he's practically shaking from
the struggle to overcome the control.
POV: someone has reached the top of the stairs... KABLE, seen
from behind, comes into view crouched by the blown out
window.
VOICE (cont'd)
My boy gotta take a piss or
something?
(CONTINUED)
27.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
48 CONTINUED: 48
FINALLY: SNAP ZOOM on a reflection in a shard of HANGING
WINDOW GLASS - the outline of a BLUE, raising his gun...
VOICE (cont'd)
D'oh.
KABLE SPINS - FAST. The TURRET is ALREADY REVOLVING when he
squeezes the trigger...
The ARMOR-PIERCING SHELL takes SNEAKY BLUE by surprise,
blowing him out the back of the building...
The BLUES in the street take notice. It's a matter of
seconds...
KABLE makes a run for it as the floor starts to DISINTEGRATE
behind him in a shitstorm of bullets. SHRAPNEL drills his
back, absorbed by the BODY ARMOR.
49 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #2 49
He hits daylight and turns a corner in time to see a group of *
BROWNS scattering... a live ARTILLERY SHELL skitters across *
the pavement, belching smoke. *
BOOM.
KABLE is running... he looks to his right - A FROZEN MOMENT:
The SAVE POINT up ahead on the SPINNING RAILROAD. *
The MOMENT passes; KABLE looks back over his shoulder - a
rush of ROARING FLAME is COMING - FAST... at the moment of
IMPACT we - *
SMASH TO BLACK
50 INT. THE TRAIN - TIME INDETERMINATE 50
SOLDIERS are charred, bleeding, wasted.
A BROWN is sobbing uncontrollably.
BROWN SOLDIER
Who are they... who the fuck are
they... who's playing us?
KABLE watches him, wondering the same damn thing.
51 INT. SIMON'S HOUSE - DAY 51
MONTAGE, CLOSE UP:
Two fat slices of WHOLE GRAIN BREAD, check.
(CONTINUED)
28.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
51 CONTINUED: 51
Big sloppy spoonfuls of lumpy green ORGANIC PISTACHIO BUTTER,
spread on SLICE A, check.
Welch's PURPLE GRAPE JELLY spread on SLICE B, check.
Combine; CONSUME.
52 INT. SIMON'S HOUSE - HALLWAY 52
SIMON - 18, pale and lanky, unkempt shaggy hair; wearing a
vintage Guns `n' Roses T-shirt from the Appetite For
Destruction Tour - walks down a long, high ceilinged crystal
hall with marble floors, macking on the sandwich... passes
through a glass tunnel running through the interior of a
massive, exotic aquarium - he's alone in what appears to be a
vast, cold mansion.
53 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 53
SIMON'S ROOM is simple - FOUR WALLS and a CEILING, each one a
3-D, corner-to-corner VIDEO SCREEN. The HD level of the
screens is virtually ABSOLUTE - the flesh and blood SIMON
himself is just another element in a HIGH-DOLLAR/HIGH-TECH
SPACE.
The FLOOR is ALL BED. SIMON PADS IN, takes a spinning STUNT
JUMP and ROLLS onto his back in a big ass pile of pillows,
sandwich intact.
The SCREENS are a jumble of floating frames, competing for
prominence in the 3-D space... muted VID CHATS, STOCK
TICKERS, SPORTS SCORES, ultraviolent SLAYERS playback, etc.
Everything dynamic, everything moving.
One whole wall is apparently a REAL TIME monitor of the
SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND, with updated statistics... POINTS
LEADER, FRAG COUNT - we notice that KABLE leads these
categories; a video loop of KABLE in action beside his name
illustrates the point.
In the FOREFRONT of SIMON'S attention:
KABLE EARNS 800 UPGRADE POINTS
A set of dynamic frames allow him to scroll through a series
of revolving images - WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT, BODY ARMOR.
SIMON interacts with the 3-D environment using HAND GESTURES -
he can SLIDE, SQUEEZE, PULL AND SCROLL the images just by
moving his fingers in the air.
He flips past various TRANSFORMERS-looking SUPER GUNS...
(CONTINUED)
29.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
53 CONTINUED: 53
SIMON
Gay... gay... gay... super gay...
hm.
He stops on an animated graphic. A SEXY FEMALE VOICE breaks
it all down for us:
FEMALE VOICE
Swarmers. The latest innovation
from Browning, this self detonating
cartridge offers the widest and
deadliest spray available from a
full tracking, cornering ordnance.
A VIDEO DEMO shows the fired cartridge SPLIT into two-dozen
smaller shells that FLASH OUT like a swarm of bees, wind
around a corner and utterly SHRED a TEST DUMMY.
SIMON
Daddy like...
An ANNOYING GIRL'S VOICE pops in, along with a VID CHAT
SCREEN that takes over the MAIN WALL. She looks about 16 -
skinny, skanky, kind of hot.
ANNOYING GIRL
Simon!
SIMON
Fan-girl, stop hacking. If I want
you unmuted I'll unmute you.
ANNOYING GIRL
You suck, Simon - you're going to
get my boyfriend killed before he
can get out of jail and fill me up
with his hot seed.
SIMON
Uh huh.
Another GIRL - 17, cute, stoned - chimes in.
CUTE STONED GIRL
Simon, I just wanna play you.
Forget about that star-fucker.
ANNOYING GIRL
Shut up bitch.
SIMON casually waves his hand at the frame, like flicking at
a fly; ANNOYING GIRL is wiped away, bringing CUTE STONED GIRL
to the forefront.
(CONTINUED)
30.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
53 CONTINUED: (2) 53
CUTE STONED GIRL
Thanks baby. When can I meet you
for like reals?
SIMON notices a metallic sparkle from the GIRL'S TONGUE.
SIMON
What is that?
(like a dentist)
Aaaa.
He reaches out and "pinches" the screen, ZOOMING IN close as
she sticks out her tongue - it fills the wall... a dozen
wicked looking BLACK TONGUE RINGS stud the wet pink flesh,
TEN FEET HIGH.
SIMON (cont'd)
Woah.
He quickly unsqueezes, zooming back out. The GIRL'S eyes are
rolled back in her head, euphoric; she's WASTED.
CUTE STONED GIRL
You like me?
A THIRD GIRL pops in, filling the opposite wall.
SHELLY
What's up, loser?
SIMON
Hey sissy.
This is SIMON'S SISTER, SHELLY, 14. Frosted up lips, eyes
and hair like a Tokyo hooker.
SHELLY
Mom says - let me see, go to
college, move the fuck out, and...
oh yeah, you're a sick retard,
you're pathetic, and you smell like
Jeffrey Dahmer.
SIMON
Wanna make out?
SHELLY
You wish. I can't wait til they
cut you off, Simian.
With a wave of his hand he wipes her image off the screen.
TWO MORE video chats pop up - TWIN 21-YEAR OLD GIRLS,
stupidly hot.
(CONTINUED)
31.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
53 CONTINUED: (3) 53
TWINS
Simon?
SIMON
Maybe.
TWINS
(star struck)
Oh my god, it's really you!!!
Suddenly all of SIMON's screens are filled with the TWINS.
SIMON
Nice.
TWINS
(in unison)
Do you wanna see our tits, Simon?
SIMON
(shrugs)
Uh, sure.
They lift their shirts, GIRLS GONE WILD style. Perfect perky
C's with silver-dollar nipples.
TWIN 1
Mmmmm, now that we have your
attention, here's another offer you
can't refuse.
SIMON
Here we go.
When TWIN 2 speaks, it is with a MAN'S VOICE. The accent is
EASTERN EUROPEAN.
TWIN 2
Fifty million euros for control of
Kable, instant transfer to the
account of your choice.
SIMON
Question: do I look like I need the
money? We've discussed this before
- Kable is not for sale.
TWIN 1
(feeling herself up)
Baby... make it a hundred.
SIMON
It's been real.
(CONTINUED)
32.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
53 CONTINUED: (4) 53
SIMON snaps his fingers; all the windows close
simultaneously.
SIMON makes a clicking sound with his tongue in the new
silence. Peace at last.
BY THEMSELVES, the screens come BACK TO LIFE.
SIMON (cont'd)
D'oh.
The instant chat boxes are gone, replaced by a soundless,
GRAINY VIDEO LOOP - there is something sinister about the lo-
fi image... it looks like the feed from an old SURVEILLANCE
CAM:
Two men are sitting in a room... it's silent, but one of them
seems to be SCREAMING - he lifts a gun...
SIMON (cont'd)
What the fuh...?
... waits a beat... and SHOOTS THE OTHER MAN IN THE HEAD.
Black blood pools. This is REAL. The loop repeats.
When the SHOOTER turns his face toward the camera, SIMON
freezes the frame with a gesture and ZOOMS IN.
It's KABLE.
A MESSAGE is typed across the screen one letter at a time -
we may recognize the retro chicago font from the HUMANZ video
prank earlier:
want to talk to him?
Then, blinking, lo-fi in the lower right corner of the wall:
WALKIETALKIE.exe
SIMON (cont'd)
Um.
CUT TO:
54 EXT. SOCIETY - DAY 54
MUSIC: Bloodhound Gang, The Bad Touch:
Ha-ha, well now, we call this the act of mating
But there are several other very important differences
Between human beings and animals
That you should know about...
(CONTINUED)
33.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
54 CONTINUED: 54
You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel...
PAVEMENT flies by... sun SLAMS rainbow flares into the
lens... ROLLER SKATES break frame, outpacing us...
We're cruising along with a group of YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE,
skating like ROBOTS through a CITY PARK... Roller-Dolly
follows HOT GIRLS in DAISY DUKES, knee socks and tube tops,
belly rings and tatoos in the small of their backs...
ATHLETIC DUDES, shirtless, gun racks and six packs...
They SWING THEIR ARMS mechanically, identically... synced
with each other and the beat of the soundtrack... each face
plastered with an absurd, exaggerated GRIN... let's FUCKING
PARTY!!!
We are in a super-saturated world... NOT virtual/animated,
but absolutely real - yet the color and immediacy of it is
heightened, off-kilter.
On the GRASS, a gang of TOKYO POP PUNK ROCKERS are having a
WATER BATTLE, blasting and soaking each other with big
plastic WATER CANNONS like something out of SLAYERS...
A REDHEAD, soaking wet, is FEELING UP HER OWN BREASTS,
totally OBLIVIOUS to her surroundings... One of the SKATERS,
out of control, PLOWS RIGHT INTO HER at full speed... The
SKATER takes a ride on concrete, grinding flesh off her bare
legs... she wobbles to her feet, EYES STREAMING TEARS but
STILL GRINNING ecstatically...
A guy in a PRIEST OUTFIT holding brightly colored helium
balloons looks on impassively; then spots something of
interest and breaks off SPRINTING FULL SPEED...
People are DANCING - the corniest moves ever... MAKING OUT on
the ground... and in the middle of it all...
55 EXT. SOCIETY 55
CLOSE-UP: a SPARROW is pecking at a hunk of orange and yellow
CANDY CORN.
POP OUT WIDE to reveal that the BIRD is EATING OUT OF A
GIRL'S HAND...
This is ANGIE: 25, BLONDE/black roots... micro mini skirt,
fishnets, boots... green-eyes, haunted, with sadness behind
them; pretty - the clothes don't quite match her; it's like
someone dressed her up as a hooker.... She doesn't seem to
notice the little bird munching away; she stands in the
middle of the PARK, looking around, lost.
(CONTINUED)
34.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
55 CONTINUED: 55
She spots a GUY standing by himself near a giant sculpture.
She walks over to him; the BIRD flutters away.
The GUY is young and attractive, dressed in casual business
attire. He is wearing a PLASTIC PIG SNOUT on his face, tied
with an elastic band.
GUY
Hey.
He smiles like a Driver's License photo.
CUT TO:
56 INT. GORGE'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 56
CLOSE-UP of LIPS, profile - by the looks of it, an OVERWEIGHT
MALE... sweat, stubble. The ROOM is DARK - lit by the
AMBIENT GLOW of a VIDEO SCREEN.
GORGE
Hi.
57 EXT. SOCIETY - DAY 57
ANGIE echoes, practically overlapping.
ANGIE
Hi.
We will continue to CUT between the two locations.
GUY
So what's your damage?
He WINKS.
ANGIE strikes an exaggeratedly DEMURE, FLIRTATIOUS POSE -
then immediately snaps back to NEUTRALITY.
GORGE/ANGIE
You know, just hanging out.
(beat)
Looking to meet people.
GUY
Lucky you...
CUT TO:
35.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
58 INT. DALE'S PLACE - CONTINUOUS 58
A CLOSE-UP of LIPS to match GORGE'S, but facing the OPPOSITE
DIRECTION. An extremely butch, masculine FEMALE; trace of a
mustache.
DALE
You met me.
59 EXT. SOCIETY - DAY 59
GUY
(echoing)
You met me.
ANGIE laughs, a beat LATE. Across the street a WOMAN has
hiked up her skirt, squatted down and is TAKING A PEE on the
sidewalk.
GORGE/ANGIE
I'm Nika.
DALE/GUY
I'm Dale.
(looks her up and down)
I like your fur.
GORGE/ANGIE
Do you want to go somewhere?
She strikes the same FLIRTY POSE for the second time.
DALE/GUY
We are somewhere.
He WINKS; reaches out and puts a hand on her WAIST. They
start to make out like TEENAGERS at the PROM. DALE/GUY LIFTS
UP HER SKIRT with one hand and SQUEEZES A BOOB with the
other.
He turns her around and presses ANGIE'S back up against the
base of the sculpture, ROUGH, hands all over her/inside her;
SLOBBERING down her neck and shoulders...
ANGIE just looks straight ahead... her EYES move to a nearby
building - the side is an ANIMATED BILLBOARD that has
switched to a promo for SLAYERS, with KABLE featured
prominently.
She watches KABLE'S face move... she lets out an involuntary
MOAN that is more like a whimper...
DALE/GUY (cont'd)
Thanks for vagina.
(CONTINUED)
36.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
59 CONTINUED: 59
A SLAM OF AUDIO WITH THE SHOCK IMAGE OF A BLOODY, DEMONIC
FACE -
(recreating an internet-style video SHOCK PRANK)
... the SCREEN GOES DEAD -
... and another BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH, another MESSAGE:
SOCIETY is RAPE
SLAYERS is MuRder
- humanz
60 INT. GORGE'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 60
We get our first wider view of the room. Much more cramped
than SIMON'S ROOM... like SIMON'S, the room is dominated by a
GIANT VIDEO SCREEN, but just the front wall... there are
other - smaller, paper thin - screens mounted in various
spots and leaning against walls; GARBAGE and TECH GEAR all
over the floor.
GORGE - late 30s, MORBIDLY OBESE - is contained by a massive
automated rolling chair, like the Escalade of Rascals.
The HUMANZ message has taken over his screen and he's GOING
FUCKING BALLISTIC, throwing shit at it and gesturing crazily
to the wall-mounted MOTION SENSORS with his hands, trying to
get the image back. It's NOT HAPPENING.
FEMALE NEWS HOST (V.O.)
... a new video prank by the
subversive group humanz caused a
nationwide stir today...
61 INT. CASTLE'S STATIONARY BIKE ROOM - CONTINUOUS 61
The TV REPORT continues on screen, where a NEWS HOST is
backed by a graphic showing the "society is rape" screen with
footage of exaggeratedly CONFUSED, FRUSTRATED PLAYERS -
they're like the actors in INFOMERCIALS who can't manage to
peel a potato without losing their shit.
FEMALE NEWS HOST
All contact between Society City
and an estimated quarter of a
million players was shut down for
over three hours while Castle techs
worked to remove what they
described as a "Satellite
Infection"...
A TREE LINED, SUN DAPPLED MOUNTAINSIDE whisks by as feet work
the pedals of a MOUNTAIN-BIKE; we're moving around 20 mph.
(CONTINUED)
37.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
61 CONTINUED: 61
SOUND: SLUUURRRRRRRP.
CASTLE is cruising downhill in a 360 degree THREE-DIMENSIONAL
ENVIRONMENT that looks ABSOLUTELY REAL - except that he is on
a STATIONARY BIKE, and the NEWS REPORT is floating in the air
as a 3D WINDOW. He is wearing skintight Tour de France-style
gear and SLURPING A SMOOTHIE, one hand on the handlebar, the
other holding the cup.
FEMALE NEWS HOST (cont'd)
Experts estimate that the service
interruption may end up costing K-
Soft billions in lost revenue.
NEWS CO-HOST
Don't cry for Castle, he can cover
that with the change under his
couch cushions...
FEMALE NEWS HOST
On a personal note - that shit was
fucking freaky.
NEWS CO-HOST
Oh - I literally pissed myself.
FEMALE NEWS HOST
Sounds like fun.
NEWS CO-HOST
Serious, these humanz cocksuckers
are getting out of control, and
someone should do something.
FEMALE NEWS HOST
Moving on to international
headlines...
CASTLE closes the WINDOW in his FIST.
SLUUURRRRRRP.
FADE TO BLACK.
62 INT. PRISON, WEIGHT ROOM - NIGHT 62
The SCREAM would be comical if it weren't so HORRIFIC.
With a dozen CONS looking on: an ASIAN PRISONER is on his
knees, FINGERS DEEP into the back of his own skull.
ASIAN PRISONER
GET IT OUT OF ME...!
(CONTINUED)
38.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
62 CONTINUED: 62
He rips into his BRAIN STEM with a tiny piece of busted
RAZOR, hoping to pull out a chip, a wire, anything. He pulls
out something, and drops like a sack of potatoes to the floor
- FRIED POTATOES. He lands on a couple of dumbbells, his
head smashing into the weight bench, spinal cord SEVERED.
KABLE looks on, impassive, emotion internalized. GUARDS push
through.
GUARD
What the hell happened to this one?
An old black dude - LIFER - answers.
LIFER
Look like he escaped.
The GUARDS roll their eyes; drag away the body.
GUARD
Back to your Jazzercise, girls...
Across the room KABLE notices a NEW GUY - a mean-looking
sunofabitch... in fact, if murder were personified it would
look exactly like HACKMAN.
HACKMAN stares straight at KABLE. There is something in his
ghost of a smile that says he'd be more than happy to
eviscerate you... it's off-putting to say the least.
KABLE
Freak.
FREEK is there.
FREEK
Tillmans.
KABLE
Who the hell is that?
FREEK
New dude, new dude... that's
Hackman. They say he killed a whole
mess of people, all kind of
people... one day he just walk up
and turn himself in, like he wanna
be inside or some shit... never
gonna run out of slayers long as
they got that kind of motherfucka
run around kill a mess of people...
(CONTINUED)
39.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
62 CONTINUED: (2) 62
Now HACKMAN is looking at KABLE dead blank. A GUARD comes up
behind HACKMAN and SHOVES HIM. HACKMAN turns; the GUARD
gestures him to follow.
HISPANIC GUARD (O.C.)
Hey Kable.
KABLE turns to look.
HISPANIC GUARD (cont'd)
Let's go. Upgrades.
CUT TO:
63 EXT. PRISON, TRAINING RANGE - NIGHT 63
KABLE and the GUARD are ANT-SIZED in what looks like a
massive driving range. VIRTUAL TARGETS are holographically
projected in mid-air at various heights and distances. Other
PRISONERS are there too, a ways off; well out of earshot.
KABLE looks over a Swarmer cartridge, slams it into his
weapon; switches turrets, takes a bead on a VIRTUAL TARGET...
We see him intentionally PAN THE SIGHT OFF to the left of
target; he pulls the trigger - CLICK. The TARGET - and
several others close by - turns RED, BLINKS - a HIT. This
thing doesn't just take out individuals; it takes out
VICINITIES.
HISPANIC GUARD
Who aims?
KABLE
(caught off guard)
What?
HISPANIC GUARD
Who aims... the slayer? Or the
player?
KABLE narrows his eyes, focuses across the field, where other
PRISONERS are being briefed and UPGRADED... he spots HACKMAN.
KABLE
Not much to aiming... it's just
hand/eye coordination. I'm the
hand... someone, somewhere else is
the eye.
HISPANIC GUARD
That's tripped.
(CONTINUED)
40.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
63 CONTINUED: 63
KABLE glances at the GUARD... he struggles - part of him
feels like he's talking too much; but he can't help being
grateful for the human interaction.
KABLE
Sometimes... they take over - you
know, completely. They move you.
Like a robot.
(beat)
But it doesn't work so good... that
part's just for show. You can't
really fight that way.
HISPANIC GUARD
Why?
KABLE
There's a delay...
HISPANIC GUARD
Yeah, the ping... they talk about
that. The time it takes the slayer
to respond to the command... it's
like, five millisecond ping, eight
millisecond ping...
KABLE gets a bead for a headshot on HACKMAN.
KABLE
Whatever you call it. A slice of a
second is the difference between
living and dying out there. When
the trigger pulls -
He pulls the trigger: a meaty CLICK.
KABLE (cont'd)
It's just me.
64 INT. PRISON LOCKER ROOM, NIGHT 64
KABLE is ALONE, toweling off - privilege of being a TOP
SLAYER.
We see now the DAMAGE his body has taken - he is covered in
dark, ugly BRUISES from BULLET HITS the body armor has
absorbed - including a flinch-inducing cluster of BLACK, BLUE
AND YELLOW from the most recent session.
From down the row of lockers, a WHISPER:
HACKMAN
Hey. Kable.
(CONTINUED)
41.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
64 CONTINUED: 64
KABLE turns to look. HACKMAN'S head is POKED OUT sideways
from around the corner; he's maybe 20 feet away.
KABLE
Not interested.
HACKMAN
No. Wait. Look.
He brings his HANDS out where KABLE can see them - they are
SLICK WITH FRESH BLOOD.
HACKMAN (CONT'D) (cont'd)
I just deleted someone.
HACKMAN is almost GIGGLING, high on it.
HACKMAN (CONT'D) (cont'd)
This is the blood. Look.
HACKMAN rubs his SLIPPERY HANDS together, relishing it; he
nods his head toward the area behind the lockers... to call
the situation CREEPY would be a serious understatement.
HACKMAN (cont'd)
He's back here. Want to see?
KABLE
Your head ain't on straight.
HACKMAN cracks his neck. Maybe not. KABLE pulls on his
PRISON GREYS quickly, refusing to make EYE CONTACT.
HACKMAN
I'm going to delete you too. On
Sunday.
KABLE
Yeah, probably.
HACKMAN
That's why they put me here.
KABLE'S eyes narrow - What?
HACKMAN disappears; he starts to move along an ADJACENT ROW
OF LOCKERS, slamming the doors - SINGING fucking PINOCCHIO:
HACKMAN (cont'd)
I've got no strings... So I have
fun... I'm not tied up to anyone...
They've got strings
But you can see
There are no strings on me...
(CONTINUED)
42.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
64 CONTINUED: (2) 64
KABLE tenses up, ready for INSTANT VIOLENCE.
HACKMAN (cont'd)
You got two whores, Kable...
If he didn't have KABLE'S attention before, THIS GOT IT.
KABLE
- the fuck did you say?
HACKMAN
On the outside... oh, I'm sorry - I
meant your pretty girls... You want
to get back to them but I'm going
to visit them first...
KABLE is instantly ALL BUSINESS - he's going to make HACKMAN
disappear RIGHT THE FUCK NOW...
He JAMS around the corner but HACKMAN is NOWHERE TO BE
SEEN... past another row of lockers - NOTHING... another...
another... WHERE THE HELL IS HE?
NOWHERE.
KABLE SLAMS a FIST into a locker, BUSTING it off it's hinges.
TRANSITION TO:
65 INT. CASTLE ESTATE - TIME INDETERMINATE 65
The CAMERA ANGLE on HACKMAN begins to switch perspectives and
spin around, as though someone is manipulating it in three
dimensions.
CASTLE
He's so perfect.
Snap out to reveal CASTLE in a dark lounge; the walls and
ceiling are pure black, making it impossible to tell the
dimensions of the room. Minimalist, expensive looking
furniture is scattered around. THERE'S NO ONE ELSE IN THE
ROOM.
CASTLE is standing, bare feet on white shag carpet. He is
manipulating the image of HACKMAN in the air by pulling,
squeezing, twisting with his hands - the interface is similar
to the one in SIMON'S room.
CASTLE is as pumped as a kid on Christmas morning. Then, from
behind him:
CASTLE 2
He's scary.
(CONTINUED)
43.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
65 CONTINUED: 65
We see that a perfect double of CASTLE himself has appeared
in the room behind him.
CASTLE
Yeah...
He changes the angle on HACKMAN'S mug to give a better view -
then turns to face his DOUBLE...
CASTLE (cont'd)
(proudly)
The new face of Slayers. Pure
crystallized horror, two stories
tall and covered in bloody red...
(beat)
He's so what they want.
CASTLE 2
(playing dumb)
But they love Kable.
Another CASTLE appears to CASTLE'S left.
CASTLE 3
He's right.
CASTLE faces them.
CASTLE
(unaffected)
They do now. But when my boy kills
their hero right there in front of
their eyeballs, so vivid it's like
you can reach out and feel the wet
flesh - Trust me, they'll change
their point of view.
CASTLE 2
How can you be sure?
CASTLE
It's human nature. They'll be
seduced by the power, the
violence... the dominance...
CASTLE 3
(shaking his head)
Guess we never figured on Kable
blowing up as big as he did.
(CONTINUED)
44.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
65 CONTINUED: (2) 65
CASTLE
Bigger than the game? No. Then
again, who ever would've imagined a
player could last over a dozen
sessions with the same I-con...
CASTLE 2
Tillman is a perfect soldier, a
tactical killing computer - you
dropped him in with common
murderers. What did you expect?
CASTLE 3
(musing)
His instincts give him an edge.
CASTLE 2
And in the hands of a talented
player...
CASTLE 3
Of course we can never let him out.
Not after what we did to him.
CASTLE 2
Tell me again why we don't just get
rid of the problem...
(makes a throat slashing
motion)
You know, off camera?
CASTLE pokes a finger at CASTLE 2.
CASTLE
YOU - lack a flair for marketing.
The people would never accept that.
They need to SEE their gladiators
brought down.
CASTLE 3
One thing I know is what makes
people tick.
Suddenly the room has gone dead silent. We swing the camera
around to reveal that CASTLE 3 is all alone in the room. He
stares into the void, calm and utterly in control.
The CAMERA moves past his head into PURE BLACK...
DISSOLVE TO:
45.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
66 INT. TUNNEL #2 - DAY 66
The black of the underground tunnel... the TUNNEL LIGHTS
streak past like vanishing stars... TRAIN TRACKS blur by...
67 INT. TUNNEL #2 - DAY 67
KABLE is SPRINTING down the TUNNEL towards DAYLIGHT. The
VOICE comes from the rear surrounds:
VOICE (O.S.)
Kable, dude. It's me.
KABLE shakes his head, thinking he's HEARING THINGS.
KABLE
Who?
SIMON (O.S.)
Simon.
(beat)
I'm playing you, dummy.
KABLE knifes through the tunnel EXIT...
68 EXT. SPAWN POINT #3 - CONTINUOUS 68
We are in the OVER-THE-SHOULDER POV of the FLY CAM as KABLE
breaks daylight and slides down the hillside... superimposed
over the IMAGE: SIMON'S REFLECTED FACE... the CAMERA pans,
centers and FOCUSES IN on the REFLECTION...
SNIPER BULLETS whistle by; KABLE DUCKS, ROLLS... the CAMERA
PULLS BACK... OUT OF THE SCREEN...
69 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 69
... past the flesh and blood SIMON into an OVER-THE-SHOULDER -
SIMON controlling KABLE, PLAYING HIM - as...
KABLE LANDS in the ROCKSTAR POSE. SIMON mirrors him in front
of the GIANT SCREEN - whatever SIMON does, KABLE echoes.
70 EXT. BATTLEGROUND #3/COVER - CONTINUOUS 70
KABLE makes it to cover, HEART SLAMMING. We hear the distant
THUMPS of MORTARS LAUNCHING.
KABLE
How come I can hear you?
SIMON (O.S.)
It's a mod.
(CONTINUED)
46.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
70 CONTINUED: 70
KABLE
Gamers can't talk to cons.
SIMON (O.S.)
I know.
71 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS 71
SIMON POP-LOCKS - the breakdance arm wave.
SIMON
It's cool, yeah?
72 EXT. BATTLEGROUND #3/COVER - CONTINUOUS 72
KABLE finishes the POP-LOCK - it's goofy.
A SHELL impacts the dirt nearby and BLOWS A MASSIVE CRATER in
the firma; KABLE shields himself from the raining DEBRIS and
scrambles for better cover.
KABLE
No. Pay attention to the game.
They spot another BROWN advancing toward a group of
BUILDINGS; SIMON moves KABLE to join him. Just as KABLE gets
there a BLUE KICKS OUT A DOOR and opens up with an ASSAULT
SHOTGUN, shredding the BROWN.
Two more BLUES POP OUT of a DITCH on the OPPOSITE SIDE,
TRIANGULATING.
KABLE ROLLS - BIG AMMO displacing the air just inches above
his head and BLOWING OUT the windows/tires of an ABANDONED
CAR behind him - switches TURRETS and comes up FIRING...
armor-piercing shells: BOOM. BOOM.
A 180 spin... BOOM. MINUS three BLUES.
73 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS 73
In QUICK CUTS we see SIMON striking BADASS poses; on the 3D
screen KABLE ECHOES THEM - it's like a SYNCHRONIZED DANCE.
CUT TO:
74 EXT. BATTLEGROUND #3/COVER - CONTINUOUS 74
KABLE keeps moving - he passes a BLUE, on his knees in the
mud; The BLUE has completely LOST HIS SHIT.
BLUE SOLDIER 4
This is real, this is real, this is
real!!!!
(CONTINUED)
47.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
74 CONTINUED: 74
KABLE doesn't bother to shoot him; he's UNARMED. But...
SHHHTUNK. A 50 CALIBER SHELL connects from somewhere distant
and the BLUE is VAPORIZED, a smear on the pavement.
SIMON (O.S.)
That was sick.
KABLE
Wait a minute... are you twelve?
SIMON (O.S.)
I'm nineteen.
KABLE
Bullshit. This is unbelievable.
How am I not dead yet?
SIMON (O.S.)
Cause I'm a badass motherfucker.
KABLE doesn't even register this. His darting eyes pick up a
familiar face in the chaos: FREEK.
FREEK has apparently volunteered as a generi-con - he is
dressed as a postman, pulling a cart of mail behind him as he
walks across the street.
FREEK
(mumbling)
Gotta keep my holes down... keep
`em down. Freek's gonna make it,
gonna cut, gonna scatter... gonna
burn this joint...
It all happens too quickly: A BROWN scrambles behind FREEK
and ducks down, using him as a moving human shield; squeezes
off a few shots - FREEK is chopped up by incoming gunfire -
the BROWN keeps running... there's nothing KABLE can do.
An explosion nearby pushes them forward.
SIMON (O.S.)
Gibs.
KABLE
What?
SIMON (O.S.)
Like, giblets. Kibbles and bits.
Chunks. Pieces.
(CONTINUED)
48.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
74 CONTINUED: (2) 74
KABLE
(burning)
These are real humans, fucker.
SIMON (O.S.)
Death row psychos, so what? They
had it coming.
An exposed concrete stairwell leads into the bowels of a
collapsed building; it looks like it must've gotten the
OKLAHOMA CITY treatment in the early 2000s.
75 INT. UNDERGROUND PARKING - STAIRWELL 75
But there's still juice feeding the dim FLUORESCENTS... KABLE
makes his way DOWN. A distant voyeur's POV - maybe a
sniper's telescopic sight? - observes KABLE disappearing
underground.
KABLE
Guess that goes for me too.
SIMON (O.S.)
Yeah, but you're different.
KABLE
Different how?
SIMON (O.S.)
Dude, I don't know. Cause you're MY
psycho.
76 INT. UNDERGROUND PARKING LEVEL - CONTINUOUS 76
He emerges in an UNDERGROUND PARKING LEVEL. Forty or fifty
cars and SUVs, 2000-2009, lie dormant, covered in dirt,
dust, and debris. KABLE switches on a LIGHT built in to his
weapon.
The FLY CAM scans 360 degrees, independent of KABLE, giving
them two sets of eyes.
SIMON (O.S.)
Damn, new area.
KABLE nods toward an EXIT at the opposite end, marked P-4.
KABLE
That way.
They make for it.
(CONTINUED)
49.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
76 CONTINUED: 76
SIMON (O.S.)
Think about it, Kable: all the shit
we've been through together. What
an epic run.
(beat)
It's going to suck to see it end.
KABLE
Are you kidding me?
SIMON
Well, yeah - I get that for you
it's different.
77 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #3/NEAR RESTRICTED AREA - MOMENTS 77
LATER
KABLE emerges several blocks from where he started, on a
narrow block that seems distant from the heat of combat.
Buildings shelter the street on either side... several blocks
down a LOW WALL BLOCKS THE ROAD - marked with RED DIAGONAL
STRIPES and a warning: RESTRICTED.
KABLE
We should go that way.
SIMON (O.S.)
There's nothing there.
KABLE
Kid, trust me - I was going house
to house in Tehran while you were
still sucking mommy's nipple.
SIMON (O.S.)
(sarcastic)
Uh, yeah dude, thanks for the
visual, but it's a restricted area.
It's beyond the borders of the
game. I couldn't put you there if I
tried.
KABLE just grunts; his eyes steal a last look down the block.
They head the other way...
THOOM.
CLOSE RANGE: a big ass armor piercing MORTAR SHELL PASSES IN
FRONT OF KABLE'S FACE...
Time STOPS; KABLE sees the shell moving through the air an
inch from his nose in ULTRA SLO-MO... his cheeks ripple from
the displaced air...
(CONTINUED)
50.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
77 CONTINUED: 77
then, REAL TIME - we whip around to follow the mortar as it
whistles into concrete and BLOWS OUT the front of a building.
KABLE is running.
78 EXT. BATTLEGROUND #3 - CRUSHED RIOT VAN 78
SIMON (O.S.)
... shit shit shit!
He rolls behind a CRUSHED RIOT VAN and OPENS UP in the
direction the shell came from, ash and debris from the impact
still raining down... and then:
From behind, he's NAILED IN THE BACK by a SWUNG length of
IRON PIPE. He half crumples, spins - HACKMAN.
HACKMAN SWINGS AGAIN, knocking the WEAPON out of KABLE'S
hand; it skitters across the concrete.
SIMON is completely freaked - it's happening too fast, no
time to react... he tries to engage HAND-TO-HAND but every
move pings a step late...
KABLE swings a fist; HACKMAN dodges easily. HACKMAN is
moving too naturally - as if he's under his own control.
HACKMAN slams the pipe off the side of KABLE'S head, DROPPING
HIM - then tosses the pipe away... and pulls out a nasty,
high tech-looking SHOTGUN. He stands over KABLE and points
the barrel at his FACE.
HACKMAN
(friendly)
Bye Kable.
He SQUEEZES the TRIGGER...
The SUBMARINE ALARM SOUNDS. FLOODLIGHTS CRANK UP.
The LEDs on HACKMAN'S gun POWER DOWN with an audible down-
cycle... a shell, undetonated, drops from the barrel and
plops onto KABLE'S FOREHEAD.
HACKMAN (cont'd)
What happened?
CUT TO:
79 EXT. SAVE POINT #3 - SIMULTANEOUS 79
A BROWN CON walks slowly, on unsteady legs, out of the
OCTAGONAL SAVE SHACK - profile...
(CONTINUED)
51.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
79 CONTINUED: 79
dudes look at him and back away... when he turns toward us we
see why: half his head, shoulder and one arm are blown off...
CUT BACK TO:
80 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #3/CRUSHED RIOT VAN - SIMULTANEOUS 80
KABLE seizes the opportunity to jam a foot up into HACKMAN'S
BALLS, buckling him. He twists HACKMAN'S LEGS into a pretzel
and throws him off.
KABLE
(to himself)
Kid's gonna get me killed.
SIMON (O.S.)
(offended)
Hey.
KABLE sees GUARDS appearing and BLUES hurrying away from
ambush positions - including the one who likely fired the
mortar... session complete.
KABLE cups a hand over his mouth, conspiratorially, and
speaks directly into SIMON'S ear:
KABLE
Listen to me. I don't know who's
behind it, or why, but I was
supposed to die today. They're
gunning for us. I can beat them,
but not with you controlling me.
SIMON
What the hell...?
This is unthinkable, dangerous talk.
KABLE
Turn me loose, kid. You want to
win, turn me loose.
SIMON
But-
KABLE
Find a way.
A GUARD grabs KABLE and the LINK BREAKS - we...
SMASH TO BLACK:
52.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
81 INT. ANGIE'S APARTMENT - DAY 81
A drab brownstone apartment.
Shades block out the oppressive nicotine sunlight; the
interior is mute, faded - claustrophobic. KABLE has his cell;
even though ANGIE is on the outside, and free, her
environment seems to parallel his.
A worn-out photo is taped to the fridge: the same little girl
in KABLE'S picture.
82 INT. ANGIE'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM 82
She stands in front of a closet mirror in the bedroom,
looking herself over. She's FULLY DRESSED... but not like we
saw her in society. Conservative. Pretty. NORMAL. She
rehearses a friendly smile, but has difficulty not breaking
into tears.
ANIMATED, COLORED LIGHT leaks in from outside through the
dark window blinds behind her - some sort of projected
advertising?
83 INT. ANGIE'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM 83
CUT TO: same room, later. ANGIE sits on the unmade bed. She
searches through her purse for a PILL JAR, rattles a few into
her hand... she DRY SWALLOWS them... leans forward, eyes
shut, struggling NOT TO PASS OUT... she has to pull herself
together somehow... the CAMERA pushes past her, toward the
window, where the ANIMATED COLORS play 24-7...
CUT TO:
84 EXT. ANGIE'S APARTMENT - DAY 84
... the CAMERA pulls away, continuing the motion: we are on a
wide view of the outside of the building, a rundown
brownstone on a rundown street - animated advertising covers
half the side of the structure...
An ad for slayers is running - KABLE, in cinematic slo-mo,
and superimposed in wall-height block letters:
FREE
And then:
ORDER NOW!
CUT TO:
53.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
85 INT. SOCIAL SERVICES INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY 85
ANGIE sits uncomfortably in a hard plastic chair; the light
is flat, fluorescent... in front of her, behind a desk, is a
no-nonsense Social Services CASEWORKER, late 30s, CUBAN.
CASEWORKER
(looks over her paperwork)
So... Miss Roth.
ANGIE delivers the smile we saw her rehearse with all the
warmth she can muster; it's not convincing.
CASEWORKER (cont'd)
Why are we here today... says you'd
like to apply for custody of your
child-
ANGIE
Delia. Her name is Delia.
The CASEWORKER looks over the paperwork while ANGIE shifts in
her seat... torture.
CASEWORKER
Spouse incarcerated, life without
possibility of parole. You use
your maiden name.
ANGIE
My husband - he... it's not
entirely true, regarding his
sentence. In fact, he's due to be
released soon...
She makes brief eye contact with ANGIE.
CASEWORKER
Your husband was charged and
convicted of first degree murder,
Miss Roth. I can hardly consider
his release, if it was to occur, to
be a positive.
This is not going well. ANGIE holds her tongue with all of
her will, not wanting to make it worse. The CASEWORKER holds
all the cards.
CASEWORKER (cont'd)
(changes subject, back at
the paperwork)
You're... an actor?
ANGIE nods.
(CONTINUED)
54.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
85 CONTINUED: 85
CASEWORKER (cont'd)
Not sure if I've seen you in
anything.
ANGIE
I work in society.
CASEWORKER
Acting, is that what they call it?
ANGIE
It's a job.
ANGIE is hanging on... be pleasant, be friendly, breathe...
but INSIDE she wants to cry, to scream, to fucking EXPLODE.
CASEWORKER
Miss Roth. Your child has been...
exceedingly well placed. The new
family is very wealthy. She'll
never want for anything.
(leans in)
I understand you love your little
girl, but... do you really think
she'd be better off with people
like you?
ANGIE
Yes, I do. I'm her mother.
The CASEWORKER presses a buzzer, unlocking the door behind
ANGIE.
CASEWORKER
We will give your application all
the consideration that it merits.
The words burn into ANGIE like battery acid, but there's not
a thing she can say.
86 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - NIGHT 86
SIMON is lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling - a GIANT
VIDEO SCREEN playing back key moments of that day's Slayers
session in an endless loop. SIMON holds his fingers up in
front of his face, zooming and rewinding the video with
little fluid movements of his hands.
Suddenly the screen GLITCHES OUT, goes dead for a second -
and when it comes back the battle images are replaced by a
GIANT FACE, surrounded by black, STARING DOWN AT HIM:
HUMANZ BROTHER, early 30's; a savvy leader with an
unforgettable presence.
(CONTINUED)
55.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
86 CONTINUED: 86
His style is a throwback to another era; like a 70s Black
Panther Soul Brother transplanted into the high tech future.
HUMANZ BROTHER
You like the software?
SIMON
(confused)
Software...
HUMANZ BROTHER
The walkie talkie, playa.
SIMON puts it all together.
SIMON
No shit... you're the guy from TV.
The HUMANZ.
HUMANZ BROTHER
That's right, baby. You think
about what the brotha said?
SIMON
To what, um, brotha do you refer...
brotha?
HUMANZ BROTHER
Kable wants the freedom to ass-
kick. Do shit his way. You gonna
give it to him?
SIMON
You were listening.
HUMANZ BROTHER
We see and hear everything that
goes on inside the so-called game.
SIMON
Alright, then.
(considering)
Kable said we got lucky - that they
were gunning for us - what was that
all about?
HUMANZ BROTHER
Kable got a past... he knows
things. Things he don't even know
he know.
SIMON
Huh? What things?
(CONTINUED)
56.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
86 CONTINUED: (2) 86
HUMANZ BROTHER
Things Castle's afraid of. As long
as your boy stay on the inside
Castle know he can keep him quiet -
but if ever got out...
(shakes his head)
Uh uh. Castle will never let that
happen.
SIMON
One battle left, I think I can
handle my bidness.
HUMANZ BROTHER just shakes his head.
HUMANZ BROTHER
You're not hearing me - this is not
something you can control. They
gonna kill his ass, Simon. In the
eyes of the world. And then what?
You just another poor little rich
honky. No Kable, no pussy, no
shit.
SIMON can't deal.
SIMON
This is, come on... too heavy... I
don't know what the hell you're
talking about... I just play games,
man. Games.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Mm hm. That's right, it's a game.
(changing gears)
You want to win it, don't you?
SIMON
Yeah, dude, I intend to.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Then you need to cutcho strings,
puppet-massa.
HUMANZ BROTHER slowly ZOOMS HIMSELF IN.
HUMANZ BROTHER (cont'd)
Imagine a slayer that don't got to
wait to be told what to do. No
ping, you dig? A trained killing
machine... operating in real time,
on pure instinct.
(CONTINUED)
57.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
86 CONTINUED: (3) 86
SIMON can't help but consider it, mind reeling. It's obvious
KABLE would royally fucking dominate, but... SIMON shakes it
off.
SIMON
That... would be cheating.
HUMANZ BROTHER
A mod, that's all. Like that
guidance system you hacked on three
weeks ago lets you track
motherfuckers around corners and
shit.
SIMON
(nervous)
Uhhh...
HUMANZ BROTHER
The game got to mutate, after all.
It got to evolve, you feel me?
SIMON
I do. I do feel you.
HUMANZ BROTHER leans back - he has him.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Then let's rock, baby.
[MUSIC: TWISTED SISTER, "I WANNA ROCK" kicks in]
A WINDOW pops up on the screen:
FreeNigga.exe
CUT TO:
87 INT. PRISON - HACKMAN'S CELL - NIGHT 87
[ "I WANNA ROCK" continues...]
One light... HACKMAN'S FACE, glistening with sweat, is the
only thing partially visible in the inky black... the CAMERA
slowly ZOOMS into his EYES... twin pools of MADNESS... of
MURDER...
CUT TO:
88 INT. PRISON, KABLE'S CELL - LATER 88
CLOSE-UP of the FADED PHOTO... gold hair, innocent
laughter... KABLE runs his thumb across it tenderly,
caressing the lines...
(CONTINUED)
58.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
88 CONTINUED: 88
WOMAN (O.S.)
(whispering)
Tillman.
KABLE looks up. It's the SAME VOICE as before - the one that
gave him the photo.
KABLE
You.
WOMAN (O.S.)
We know you talked to him... your
Player.
KABLE
You're not a guard... who are you?
WOMAN (O.S.)
A friend.
KABLE
I don't have any.
WOMAN (O.S.)
Listen to me: Simon's going to give
you what you want. What you asked
him for.
KABLE
How do you know that?
WOMAN (O.S.)
I know something else: whether or
not he's controlling you, you will
never reach the save point. Castle
won't allow it.
KABLE
We'll see.
WOMAN (O.S.)
No. Listen to me, Tillman - the
game is unwinnable - they will not
let you live. If you're want to
get out and see the people in the
picture you'll have to find another
way.
KABLE doesn't answer; he absorbs her words, wondering if he
can believe them... finally:
KABLE
I need you to get me something.
(CONTINUED)
59.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
88 CONTINUED: (2) 88
WOMAN (O.S.)
What, Kable... what can I get you?
KABLE stares into the DARK, turning it over in his head, then
looks up at the WINDOW in the door, a simple black rectangle -
and on the other side, his only LIFELINE.
KABLE
Drunk.
FADE TO BLACK.
89 INT. STAGING ROOM - TIME INDETERMINATE 89
BLACK.
Overhead fluorescents shock and hum to life, revealing a
CLAUSTROPHOBIC ROOM - four walls, metal grating underfoot -
and A LOCKER. KABLE is in his COMBAT BROWN.
He PRINT ACTIVATES the locker. The WEAPON is there... and
something else: a wrinkled BROWN PAPER BAG. What the hell?
He takes it out, trying not to glance too obviously at the
overhead SURVEILLANCE CAMERA.
CUT TO the POV from the CAM: KABLE is opening the bag...
VOICE (O.C.)
What's he got there?
BACK in the room. Inside the brown bag is a FIFTH OF VODKA.
KABLE quickly slips it into his side cargo-pocket.
VOICE (cont'd)
Kable, what the hell is that?!
Behind KABLE a DOOR SLIDES OPEN automatically, revealing a
CONCRETE TUNNEL, like the PLAYERS' entrance to a FOOTBALL
STADIUM... the WHITE LIGHT is BLINKING ON and OFF... SOLDIERS
sprint for the daylight, trying to escape the TORTURE... it's
CHAOS.
VOICE (cont'd)
Fuck-face - remove the `molotov'
from your pants and discard into
the recycle bin, now!
KABLE grabs the bottle from his pocket, struggling to
maintain as the LIGHT slams into his brain, AGONY.
VOICE (cont'd)
PUT IT DOWN!
(CONTINUED)
60.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
89 CONTINUED: 89
ALL SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS POINT AT KABLE. KABLE - no choice -
makes the decision, twists the cap, tilts his head back, and
SLAMS THE ENTIRE BOTTLE.
He wails the BOTTLE at one of the CAMERAS, shattering it -
and joins the others rushing into combat.
90 EXT. SPAWN POINT #4 - MOMENTS LATER 90
KABLE breaks the DAYLIGHT - but without a smooth LEAP AND
ROLL, and no ROCKSTAR POSE - instead, he TRIPS and tumbles
ASS OVER END down an embankment, landing in a heap at the
bottom.
SIMON (O.S.)
(sarcastic)
I can see turning you loose was a
great idea.
KABLE
(woozy)
What happened.
SIMON (O.S.)
YOU happened, jackass. You wanted
control, you got it.
KABLE tests his hands, clenching and unclenching - THE KID
WASN'T LYING ... while starting to trip hard on the VODKA,
which is kicking in INSTANTLY...
KABLE
No shit...
SIMON (O.S.)
Yeah, that's right. So please don't
fuck up...
An EXPLOSION ROCKS THE DIRT just a few feet away, BLINDING,
DEAFENING - and KABLE shifts into ANOTHER WORLD...
91 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #4 91
He's MOVING FAST... SOUND is just an idea, disconnected from
reality... BODIES AND BULLETS drift by without gravity... his
vision doubles and bleeds...
SIMON (O.S.)
What's the matter with you Kable?
Kill something!
BLUES. Lots of them. KABLE starts shooting wildly - HITTING
NOTHING.
(CONTINUED)
61.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
91 CONTINUED: 91
SIMON (O.S.) (cont'd)
This is unbelievable.
92 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #4 92
KABLE is running erratically at least... hard to HIT... but
definitely HEADED SOMEWHERE.
A SHELL SMACKS KABLE'S shoulder, knocking him off his feet;
the armor absorbs it, but he's out of time... he's shooting
air...
SIMON (O.S.)
(frustrated)
Fuck it.
We see SIMON'S fingers glide, dial up the SWARMER...
KABLE is still firing randomly as the turret shifts - the
SWARMER goes STRAIGHT UP, then locks on BLUE and swerves down
on them like HELL FROM THE SKY, turning skulls to swiss
cheese.
Too close.
SIMON (O.S.) (cont'd)
(the voice of reason)
Kable. Listen: it's the last game.
You're going to be dead and I'm
going to look like a total asshole
if you don't pull your balls
together!
KABLE
Blow me.
He scrambles to his feet and charges for the entrance to the
UNDERGROUND GARAGE.
SIMON (O.S.)
Dammit!
93 INT. UNDERGROUND PARKING LEVEL - MOMENTS LATER 93
KABLE slams open a door marked P4 and stumbles into the CAR
GRAVEYARD...
Reality is ROARING, SPINNING... KABLE slams into the side of
a parked car, legs rubber... he looks it over - TIRES FLAT,
NO GOOD... he stumbles to the next, then another...
another... his head hits a passenger side window,
SPIDERWEBBING IT...
(CONTINUED)
62.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
93 CONTINUED: 93
FINALLY, the ONE: A FORD F-250 SUPER CHIEF... GUN METAL GREY,
PRISTINE.
Note: the F-250 is a CONCEPT TRUCK - a future design for
FORD'S F-line. In our world this is a 2009 factory model,
which makes it old, but not antique. The truck is about as
BADASS as you could want, with dark, narrow windows, big ass
wheels and a FRONT END that looks like it could PUNCH THROUGH
A BUILDING OR TWO.
KABLE gets to the FUEL CAP DOOR and pries it open... ENGRAVED
under the cap is a prominent WARNING:
Ethanol Only
SIMON (O.S.)
Kable. Dude. What are you doing?
KABLE unscrews the cap and sticks his finger down his throat.
Dry heave. He does it again - this time puts his mouth on
the hole and PUKES PURE LIQUID INTO THE TANK.
SIMON (O.S.) (cont'd)
What the hell?
He stops, doubled over, gasping for breath... then the
feeling hits him again - and he heaves another fountain down
the hole. A BLUE shows up in the opposite stairwell - KABLE
brings his WEAPON up to hip level and BLOWS HIM AWAY WITHOUT
LOOKING. His head is clearing.
KABLE looks around, unzips his pants and PISSES INTO THE
TANK. SIMON is slack-jawed, speechless.
KABLE shakes out his head; we can see in his eyes that he's
regaining his senses; focusing in. He busts out the DRIVER'S
SIDE WINDOW, gets in; tears open the steering column - A
BLUE SLAYER shows up in the mirror - fuck! - He CRANKS THE
IGNITION... VRUUUUMM, KACHUNK, KACHUNK...
BOOOM! A 50mm SHATTERS the back window and punches a hole
into the dashboard.
KABLE checks what's left of the mirror. HACKMAN and six
other BLUE SLAYERS are coming fast.
SIMON (O.S.) (cont'd)
GO, GO, GO!
KABLE
Yeah? Anything else ya fuckin
cheerleader?
(CONTINUED)
63.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
93 CONTINUED: (2) 93
VRUUUUUM, VRUUUM... KABLE hammers on the pedal again,
knocking out the old ghosts - VRROOOOOOMM!!
He SLAMS it into gear and PEELS OUT.
HACKMAN leaps onto the side of the moving truck and points
50mm directly at the side of KABLE'S head. In a split instant
KABLE grabs the nose of the weapon and points it up -
BOOM! A close range shell blows through the roof of the
truck. KABLE slams the brakes, spinning the truck, and
launches HACKMAN into a row of parked cars.
HACKMAN gets in one last shot as KABLE punches it out of the
garage, disintegrating a concrete column.
HACKMAN
Fuuuuck!!!!
He slams his head into the windshield of a parked car, caving
it in.
94 EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #4/F250 (DRIVING) - MOMENTS LATER 94
KABLE DRIFTS the F-250 onto the street, sideways, tires
shrieking... wiping out two unlucky BLUES... pops it and
TAKES OFF...
He is headed STRAIGHT INTO THE RESTRICTED AREA.
95 INT/EXT. SLAYERS BATTLEGROUND #4/F250 (DRIVING) 95
The FLY CAM is right there, taking the hot turn right on the
truck's tail, giving SIMON the POV of a classic 3D DRIVING
GAME. He activates DYNAMIC CAMERA CONTROL with a gesture -
now he can manually choose his view... he pushes the CAMERA
forward, next to the driver's window...
The CAMERA looks to the side at KABLE, driving like he's on a
mission to HELL. SIMON barks in his head.
SIMON (O.S.)
Kable, PLEASE... get back in the
game! YOU'RE SCREWING MY ASS,
KABLE!!!
KABLE ignores him; he picks up his WEAPON, points it out the
window at the FLY and FIRES... the FLY jukes out of the way,
barely... it spins off OUT OF CONTROL and SMASHES through the
window of a building. Bye, FLY.
CUT TO:
64.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
96 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 96
SIMON'S screen is filled with a GLITCHED OUT view of NOTHING,
under a pile of glass and concrete.
SIMON
Um.
97 EXT. SLAYERS RESTRICTED AREA - CONTINUOUS 97
The SUBMARINE ALARM is sounding across the BATTLEGROUND.
KABLE is heading deep into RESTRICTED TERRITORY, slamming
through and swerving around obstacles.
98 INT/EXT. RESTRICTED AREA/F250 (DRIVING) 98
WITHOUT WARNING: a SNOWPLOW comes blasting out of nowhere
going 80, trying to ram the driver's side... it's a tick
late, clipping the back end instead, sending KABLE into a
SPIN... KABLE is knocked around in the cab and PUKES all over
the passenger seat. He recovers, straightens out and keeps
going.
KABLE
(relieved)
Ughh, that was the one.
99 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS 99
SIMON is switching from CAMERA to CAMERA, trying to pick up a
view of KABLE... finally he comes across a RUMBLING CHASE
CAM, coming up on KABLE'S truck from behind...
100 EXT. RESTRICTED AREA/F250 (DRIVING) - SIMULTANEOUS 100
The CAMERA is mounted on a SNOWPLOW, one of a pair gaining on
KABLE, slamming through rubble and debris.
101 INT. RESTRICTED AREA/F250 (DRIVING) 101
KABLE spots them in the REAR VIEW MIRROR.
He SLAMS HIS HEAD against the steering wheel to clear it -
despite the purge he's still pretty FUCKED UP.
KABLE pops the driver's door and leans out, GETTING A BEAD on
the nearest PLOW...
102 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 102
From the SNOWPLOW'S POV we see KABLE leaning out, POINTING
THE WEAPON AT US. Then big ass MUZZLE FLASHES: THOOM! THOOM!
(CONTINUED)
65.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
102 CONTINUED: 102
SIMON
Shit, shit, SHIT!
A shell comes RIGHT AT US - the screen GLITCHES, FREEZES -
and goes BLACK.
SIMON (cont'd)
I'm dead.
103 EXT. RESTRICTED AREA/F250 (DRIVING) - CONTINUOUS 103
In KABLE'S REAR VIEW: The LEAD SNOWPLOW SPINS OUT,
hemorrhaging black smoke; then SLAMS into the SECOND, sending
it into the side of a building.
104 INT. F250 104
KABLE'S TRUCK HICCUPS - FUEL is on EMPTY, but still charging
ahead.
105 INT/EXT. RESTRICTED AREA/F250 (DRIVING) 105
A LOW CONCRETE WALL surrounds the perimeter, and it's COMING
UP FAST; beyond it: more abandoned urban wasteland.
KABLE has got too much speed at this point to do anything but
slam the thing SIDEWAYS into a SICK POWER SLIDE - the TRUCK
hits the barrier and FLIPS OVER IT, CORKSCREWING four times
before GRINDING TO A STOP on it's hood. The AIRBAGS DEPLOY,
smashing KABLE into his seat...
106 EXT. RESTRICTED AREA - SUBWAY ENTRANCE 106
KABLE scrambles out of the vehicle; he spots a half collapsed
SUBWAY ENTRANCE and runs for it...
107 EXT. RESTRICTED AREA - SKY 107
Behind him, two SMART MISSILES are streaking high across the
grey sky... they change direction and DOUBLE THEIR SPEED -
it's fucking HORRIFIC... and CONVERGE on the downed TRUCK in
an EYEBLINK.
BOOM.
108 EXT. RESTRICTED AREA - SUBWAY ENTRANCE 108
KABLE is LIFTED OFF HIS FEET and blown into the SUBWAY
ENTRANCE, which COLLAPSES BEHIND HIM.
FADE TO BLACK.
66.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
109 INT. FRAT HOUSE - DAY 109
The FRAT GUYS are standing there with their beers, frozen,
mouths hanging open.
On screen is a THREE DIMENSIONAL TEST PATTERN accompanied by
a SEXY FEMALE VOICE:
FEMALE VOICE
Please stand by... Please stand
by... Please stand by...
FRAT GUY
What just happened?
110 EXT. MONTAGE, NEWS REPORT - DAY 110
The REPORT plays on a variety of PUBLIC SCREENS:
FEMALE NEWS HOST
To recap: initial reports are that
Kable, the most recognizable face
of the Slayers phenomenon next to
Ken Castle himself - is officially
listed as fragged...
NEWS CO-HOST
(bitter)
That's bullshit.
FEMALE NEWS HOST
... just one session away from
being the first slayer ever to win
a full pardon and release.
CUT TO:
111 INT. COMMUTER TRAIN - DAY 111
A drab, above ground commuter train; somehow reminiscent of
the train to the slayers battleground - except the population
here is strictly civilian: young, eccentric, mostly
attractive, but their eyes are burned out, dead... lost.
Dishwater daylight filters through the windows.
The news broadcast continues, fed over video monitors that
line the ceiling of the train. The passengers' eyes are glued
to the screens...
(CONTINUED)
67.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
111 CONTINUED: 111
FEMALE NEWS HOST
In a NETCAST plagued by technical
difficulties and dead spots the
report could NOT be confirmed -
however KABLE - born John Tillman
of Albany, New York and convicted
of murder just four years ago - has
been removed from Slayers rosters
and upcoming events listings.
... including, we reveal: ANGIE. She is stunned; her eyes
well up with tears. No one notices.
FEMALE NEWS HOST (cont'd)
His player, gaming megastar Simon
Silverton - could not be reached
for comment.
112 EXT. BROOKLYN/BROWNSTONE - DAY 112
GRAFFITI on concrete, stenciled:
slayers is bad tv - humanz
KABLE is standing across the street from a BEAT DOWN
BROWNSTONE, watching the second floor window.
A funky OFF-ROAD MOTOCROSS BIKE buzzes by him and up onto the
sidewalk, FARTING SMOKE. KABLE IGNORES the RIDER, who parks,
gets off, loses the brain bucket and steps up to his side.
TRACE
She's not home.
KABLE turns - the RIDER is a green-eyed 22 year-old girl w/
black rimmed WEEZER glasses; SMART AND CUTE as hell... this
is TRACE.
TRACE (cont'd)
But Castle's personal security will
be, soon enough - trust me, you
don't want to meet them.
(beat)
You know, it's pretty obvious that
you'd come here first.
KABLE
Who are you?
TRACE smiles.
TRACE
You asked me that once before.
(CONTINUED)
68.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
112 CONTINUED: 112
KABLE
Your voice...
We might recognize it too - it's the VOICE from the other
side of the CELL DOOR.
TRACE
You should really come with me...
She glances skyward toward the SOUND OF HELICOPTERS.
TRACE (cont'd)
... like, NOW.
KABLE considers his options...
They TAKE OFF on the MOTO, TRACE driving.
113 EXT. STREETS OF NEW YORK - DAY 113
TRACE darts nimbly thru traffic and pedestrians, finally
ZAGGING up onto the sidewalk and down a side alley...
114 EXT. ALLEY - ADULT STORE ENTRANCE 114
There's an open doorway to the left - NEON SIGN above:
adult xxx video
3D-ID
novelty toy
She CUTS HARD 90 degrees, straight into it, leaving tread on
the concrete - through hanging black rubber strip curtains...
115 INT. ADULT STORE - NARROW STAIRWELL 115
and STRAIGHT DOWN A NARROW STAIRWELL, taking the stairs
MOTOCROSS...
She cuts HARD RIGHT at the bottom...
116 INT. FREIGHT ELEVATOR 116
...down a concrete corridor and onto a minimal FREIGHT
ELEVATOR - open on the sides... punches the down button, BIKE
still idling... KABLE coughs from the fumes...
Halfway down there is a SQUARE OPENING in the wall of the
elevator shaft - a TUNNEL TO BLACK.
TRACE
Hang on.
(CONTINUED)
69.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
116 CONTINUED: 116
TRACE REVS up the bike - and as they pass the tunnel, she
POPS IT. They're GONE.
117 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER 117
A DARK, underground VIDEO ARCADE... low ceilings, concrete;
OLD SCHOOL - sort of a graveyard of lost games... the
classics of the 80s - MISSILE COMMAND, DEFENDER, ROBOTRON,
CRANK, etc. The dimensions of the room are impossible to
determine. A dozen or so PEOPLE - just BLACK SILHOUETTES in
the CATHODE RAY GLOW - are scattered around, banging buttons,
giving it body english, racking up scores.
TRACE leads KABLE through, toward the one BRIGHTLY LIT SPOT:
at the center of the arcade, an AIR HOCKEY table is blasted
with WHITE LIGHT from above. HUMANZ BROTHER, who we
recognize from SIMON'S vid screen, and HUMANZ DUDE - mid 20s,
long hair - are playing: CLACKCLACK, CLICK, CLACKCLUNK,
CLACK...
They are so wrapped up in their game that they don't appear
to notice KABLE.
HUMANZ BROTHER smacks a random 3-bank WINNER.
HUMANZ BROTHER
You a fool.
HUMANZ DUDE
Stop playing that freaky shit off
the rail.
HUMANZ BROTHER
It's a game of deception.
HUMANZ DUDE
Whatever, that's cuz you got no
power...
HUMANZ DUDE measures a shot, rolling the paddle with one
finger - then LETS IT RIP - slamming the GAME WINNER in a
STRAIGHT LINE past HUMANZ BROTHER'S frozen paddle - SCORE: 7-
5.
HUMANZ DUDE (cont'd)
(getting in his face)
Huh? What?
HUMANZ BROTHER
Bullshit.
KABLE
You guys suck.
(CONTINUED)
70.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
117 CONTINUED: 117
They turn, suddenly aware of him. HUMANZ DUDE'S paddle hand
goes limp; the puck limps in and scores, meaninglessly.
HUMANZ DUDE
(impressed)
Kable. Holy shit.
HUMANZ BROTHER
His name's Tillman.
HUMANZ DUDE
Whatever.
(to KABLE)
You made it. You're really here.
KABLE looks them over - he's not sure what he expected, but
it wasn't this.
KABLE
You're the ones who broke me out?
TRACE
We only freed your mind.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Your ass followed.
HUMANZ DUDE
Hey, Kable...
DUDE seems to be the most affected by KABLE'S presence -
BROTHER is calm, in the moment; TRACE is focused, all
business... DUDE is pure FANBOY.
HUMANZ DUDE (cont'd)
You're... great.
HUMANZ BROTHER gives HUMANZ DUDE a look and shakes his head.
HUMANZ BROTHER
(to Kable)
You got questions.
KABLE
A few.
He glances over at TRACE.
KABLE (cont'd)
She took my blood. Why?
HUMANZ DUDE
The nanex modifies the actual cell
structure of your brain...
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
71.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
117 CONTINUED: (2) 117
HUMANZ DUDE (cont'd)
we can crack it, but it's not one
size fits all; we needed your DNA
to generate custom code.
KABLE
Alright. Why me?
HUMANZ DUDE
Because Castle's scared of you.
HUMANZ BROTHER
It ain't just a game, you know,
Tillman. Everyday there's more
people steppin forward, wanna be a
part of Castle's world. Throwing
away everything it means to be
human.
TRACE
Right now it's the desperate
ones... convicts, addicts... the
sick, the poor... the ones that
fell through the cracks... they
have no choice.
HUMANZ DUDE
But this is only the beginning.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Think about it: the federal prison
system is growing out of control,
set to bankrupt the whole damn
USA... Castle rides in on a white
horse, says he got a plan to bail
us out and everyone just fall in
line.
TRACE
So what's next? The health care
system is collapsing - Castle comes
to the rescue again...
HUMANZ BROTHER
This time he's pushin total control
of genetic disease... birth defects
a thing of the past... all we gotta
do is exchange our cells for the
ones he wanna give us.
TRACE
The promise of a longer life and a
fatter wallet - you think people
will refuse?
(CONTINUED)
72.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
117 CONTINUED: (3) 117
HUMANZ DUDE
Hell no.
HUMANZ BROTHER
They'll be standing in line to hand
their babies over to him. Next
thing you know, we all slaves.
TRACE
We can't let that happen.
HUMANZ DUDE
Gotta bring the man down.
TRACE
You can help us, Tillman.
(with urgency)
You have to help us.
KABLE takes this in, and starts to WALK AWAY.
KABLE
I can't help you.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Tillman.
KABLE ignores him - he's OUT. But HUMANZ BROTHER FREEZES him
in his tracks:
HUMANZ BROTHER (cont'd)
We know where she is.
118 INT. FBI INTERROGATION - TIME INDETERMINATE 118
SIMON is in a stark interrogation room, alone, drumming his
fingers on the table - thumb-to-pinky, pinky-to-thumb. Trying
not to show how scared he is.
The door clicks open and SEVERAL MEN enter. One SITS. We only
see them from behind, not their faces; SIMON nods waddup.
The SEATED MAN pushes several PHOTOS across the table to
SIMON. SIMON glances at the top photo as casually as he can
manage - it shows SIMON in an MTV TRL-type setting, being
interviewed in front of a live audience of teenage girls.
When AGENT KEITH speaks, he is calm, conversational.
AGENT KEITH
Guess you remember that day.
SIMON nods, noncommitally.
(CONTINUED)
73.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
118 CONTINUED: 118
AGENT KEITH (cont'd)
You'd just gotten Kable through his
tenth consecutive session alive...
no one ever thought an I-con could
last that long.
Another photo shows SIMON on a JUMBOTRON posing with his
fingers in the camera's face, throwing the motion control
hand signal for FIRE and KILL... in another, he's being
mobbed at an event, signing an amazing pair of breasts with a
black marker.
AGENT KEITH (cont'd)
Pretty hot shit, aren't you? King
Player.
SIMON
Good times.
AGENT KEITH
Sure. On the outside. Now look at
these.
A new series of graphic photos show bloody, mangled remains -
the aftermath of a slayers session.
AGENT KEITH (cont'd)
This is what it's like on the
inside.
(beat)
Wonder how long you'd last on the
other side of the screen.
This SITS IN THE ROOM for a BEAT - SIMON considers several
responses, chooses NONE OF THEM.
AGENT KEITH (cont'd)
Simon, you're being held today
suspected of aiding in the escape
of a convicted murderer from a
maximum security penitentiary. The
charge is... beyond serious. Your
hard drives have been seized -
forensics is decrypting the
contents as we speak. Your
internet activity over the last ten
years is being scrutinized and
catalogued in minute, vivid
detail...
SIMON FLINCHES at this one.
(CONTINUED)
74.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
118 CONTINUED: (2) 118
AGENT KEITH (cont'd)
In addition, your father's bank
accounts have been frozen pending
further investigation - naturally,
seeing it was his money that
essentially funded Mr. Tillman's
escape.
(beat)
I'm going to need you to tell me
everything that happened leading up
to yesterday afternoon. Everyone
you talked to, everything you
heard, everything you did. I need
you to do that... right now.
SIMON
Yeah, um... I need something too.
AGENT KEITH
(ice cold)
Do you now? And what might that be?
SIMON swallows hard.
SIMON
Could you dudes do a sandwich like:
peanut butter, almond butter,
walnut butter... pecan butter,
pistachio butter... pretty much any
kind of, you know, nut butter. And
Welch's grape.
Dead silence. SIMON chews a HANGING CHAD off of a FINGERNAIL.
AGENT KEITH
Pistachio. They make that?
SIMON
It's awesome.
FADE TO BLACK.
119 INT. GORGE'S LIVING ROOM - DAY 119
FAT FINGERS squeeze air.
ANGIE, in a white tank top and panties, is pulled to 3-D LIFE-
SIZE DIMENSIONS on GORGE'S video wall, standing impassively
in space.
A FAT TONGUE wets FAT LIPS.
(CONTINUED)
75.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
119 CONTINUED: 119
GORGE scrolls through options... hair, clothes, makeup...
from slutty to sci-fi to quirky to casual, and back to
slutty... as he SELECTS OPTIONS they appear on ANGIE,
ROTATING HER in three dimensions to model; she's a living,
breathing BARBIE DOLL.
ORANGE SHERBET HAIR, then a PLATINUM WHITE Judy JETSON
PONYTAIL... black CAT-SUIT, DAISY DUKE, Darryl Hannah's PUNK
REPLICANT from Blade Runner... he chooses a LOOK and LOCKS IT
IN...
GORGE lifts an OXYGEN MASK to his face and breathes deep...
he GOES LIMP in his chair - eyes rolled up in his head, head
clocked back to face the ceiling... bathed in sweat... the
MASK falls away... and we...
FADE TO BLACK.
120 EXT. SOCIETY - DAY 120
ANGIE is on the sidewalk, a little unsteady on high heels -
wearing the outfit GORGE CHOSE.
OTHER PEOPLE are wandering around everywhere. A DEBUTANTE-
type in a pink ensemble has a poofy SHITZU on a leash; the
SHITZU is PISSING ON IT'S OWNER'S LEG, but she doesn't seem
to notice. A TAXI speeds by with FOUR PEOPLE crushed in the
back seat having CRAZY ANIMAL SEX. ANGIE starts walking.
She passes a FAMILIAR FACE, who turns to watch her go,
without expression - is that GINA PARKER SMITH?
ANGIE walks around the corner to a BAR and goes in.
121 INT. THORAX BAR - CONTINUOUS 121
The THORAX BAR is small, intimate, but ULTRA-STYLED... the
theme is insect. All manner of exotic bug preserved in
glass, suspended in ice... one wall is a giant, black-lit ANT
FARM... green, glowing FIREFLIES dart through the air...
people lounge on plush seating, gobbling up creatively
prepared bug delicacies - FRIED PINK GRASSHOPPERS, fat yellow
GRUBS with red chili oil...
ANGIE takes a seat at the BAR.
BARTENDER
The usual?
She just WINKS, flirtatious.
The BARTENDER returns a smile and shakes up an AQUA BLUE
MARTINI... to finish, he plops in a LIVE, WHITE LARVA...
(CONTINUED)
76.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
121 CONTINUED: 121
it curls and twists in the liquid, soaking the alcohol into
it's pulp...
She takes a SIP, letting the LARVA curl around her tongue...
swallows it down... as a GUY takes a seat to her left - his
hair is shiny, slick black licorice.
RICK RAPE
Hi Nika.
ANGIE
Oh. Hi. Rick Rape, right?
In GORGE'S apartment his lips move, ANGIE'S echoing to match.
ANGIE (cont'd)
I thought you weren't allowed to
come here anymore.
RICK RAPE laughs, throwing his head back and slapping his
knee - EXAGGERATED.
RICK RAPE
That was just last month. I was a
bad boy.
ANGIE yawns.
ANGIE
Are you still a bad boy?
122 INT. ANGIE'S BUILDING, HALLWAY - DAY 122
ANGIE EXITS the ELEVATOR on the 3rd floor - a modern,
minimalist building... RICK RAPE is with her, close behind.
They come to an apartment door; RICK RAPE pushes her, from
behind, up against the door - VIOLENT... her right hand SLAPS
a PALM IDENTIFICATION SENSOR alongside the door and it
WHISPERS OPEN.
ANGIE snaps a heel; they stumble in.
123 INT. ANGIE'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 123
ANGIE'S place is some kind of overdecorated, SCHITZOPHRENIC
blend of GIRLIE/GEEKY/PORN. Shafts of NICOTINE SUNLIGHT
filter through patterned curtains.
She crawls along a plush WHITE FUR RUG... RICK RAPE
follows... he licks his lips - an automatic gesture - and
begins to UNBUTTON HIS PANTS. ANGIE, on her hands and knees,
back to him, doesn't even bother to look, until...
(CONTINUED)
77.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
123 CONTINUED: 123
RICK RAPE
Urkk.
She TURNS.
KABLE has RICK RAPE up in the air, holding him like a BARBELL
- with one hand CRUSHING HIS THROAT, the other his BALLS. He
brings him down over his knee, SNAPPING HIM like a BROKEN BAT
- KKRRUNCH.
ANGIE'S FACE is passive, neutral... but her EYES are NUCLEAR
with EMOTION.
KABLE tosses RICK RAPE'S broken body into the bedroom... then
falls to his knees in front of ANGIE and takes her face in
his palms, gently - EYES LOCKED INTO HERS.
GORGE is paralyzed.
GORGE/ANGIE
Please don't kill me.
ANGIE says the words, but they don't match her eyes. KABLE
just shakes his head, trying to grasp the situation.
GORGE/ANGIE (cont'd)
I'll do anything.
KABLE
Don't say that.
GORGE holds out his hands; ANGIE'S fingers caress KABLE'S
chest and move toward his crotch...
KABLE (cont'd)
Stop.
He pushes her hands away, gently.
KABLE (cont'd)
This isn't you.
ANGIE'S eyes WELL UP with TEARS.
KABLE (cont'd)
(trying to contain his
RAGE)
God damn it... YOU - in there...
controlling her... let her talk,
motherfucker.
GORGE swallows; KABLE is staring straight into his eyeballs.
(CONTINUED)
78.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
123 CONTINUED: (2) 123
GORGE/ANGIE
I can't.
KABLE buries his face in his hands; it's TEARING HIM UP.
GORGE/ANGIE (cont'd)
She has to say what I tell her.
KABLE looks deep into ANGIE'S eyes.
KABLE
(almost whispering)
You can hear me, baby. I know you
can.
He WIPES AWAY A TEAR from her cheek with his thumb. After
all he's been through he begins to BREAK DOWN.
KABLE (cont'd)
I love you... love you...
GORGE/ANGIE
I love you too.
KABLE
(snapping)
SHUT UP!!!
He's SCREAMING directly at GORGE, who cowers in his chair as
if KABLE were in the room with him.
KABLE (cont'd)
Say anything else and I'll find
you... I'll rip you TO FUCKING
PIECES, do you understand me?
GORGE/ANGIE nods.
KABLE (cont'd)
(to ANGIE)
I'm getting you out of here.
124 INT. ANGIE'S BUILDING, HALLWAY - DAY 124
KABLE pulls ANGIE out the door and down the hall, in tactical
mode, WEAPON ready... he heads to the ELEVATOR, punches up a
ride. No sign of trouble.
KABLE
(quiet)
I'm going to take you someplace
where they can turn it off... the
program...
(CONTINUED)
79.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
124 CONTINUED: 124
GORGE/ANGIE says NOTHING. The ELEVATOR DOOR whispers open -
HACKMAN is standing there with an ASSAULT SHOTGUN.
HACKMAN
(friendly)
Hi, Kable.
BOOM.
KABLE TAKES IT IN THE CHEST; he's BLOWN OFF HIS FEET, through
a wall and into an apartment opposite the ELEVATOR.
HACKMAN grabs ANGIE'S wrist, drags her onto the ELEVATOR and
waits a BEAT, smiling pleasantly. The ELEVATOR DOOR CLOSES.
125 INT. APARTMENT - DAY 125
KABLE is ON HIS BACK in rubble. His chest is a BLACK,
SMOKING HOLE... but as the smoke clears we see that his BODY
ARMOR has ABSORBED THE BLAST. He's groggy, in excruciating
pain, wind knocked out of him - but ALIVE.
TWO GUYS in GAS MASKS and RUBBER SUITS are watching him from
the next room as he attempts to STRUGGLE TO HIS KNEES; KABLE
has obviously interrupted something.
126 INT. ELEVATOR - SIMULTANEOUS 126
HACKMAN and ANGIE are having a pleasant ride down, HACKMAN'S
hands folded in front of him, patiently; the SHOTGUN - still
smoking - shoulder strapped.
HACKMAN
(to ANGIE)
Anybody in there?
The ELEVATOR stops and picks up TWO PASSENGERS: a GIGGLING,
NECKING COUPLE. The doors CLOSE.
HACKMAN gives GORGE/ANGIE a wink and flashes a NINE INCH
BOWIE KNIFE, carbon steel, nasty. ANGIE'S eyes go wide with
TERROR. The COUPLE is oblivious.
GORGE can't hold back, the SICK FUCK; he squirms in his
chair, sweating buckets, feeling himself up. And when he
speaks, ANGIE echoes:
GORGE/ANGIE
Come on... do it...
HACKMAN raises his eyebrows - he wasn't expecting that one...
but he OBLIGES. A flex of his shoulder; the NECKING GIRL'S
legs buckle under her and she goes down without a peep.
(CONTINUED)
80.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
126 CONTINUED: 126
The GUY is confused - where'd she go? He looks to ANGIE.
HACKMAN headlocks him from behind, and slowly - making eye
contact with GORGE/ANGIE the entire time - SNAPS HIS NECK.
ANGIE'S eyes stream tears; GORGE is in ECSTASY.
HACKMAN lets the second body DROP, chuckling, as the ELEVATOR
DOOR OPENS...
KABLE is waiting.
127 INT. ANGIE'S BUILDING, LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 127
KABLE grabs HACKMAN with both hands, RIPS HIM OUT OF THE
ELEVATOR and SLAMS HIM into a WALL. A BRUTAL HEAD-BUTT to
the FACE, smashing bone... ANOTHER. HACKMAN'S FACE erupts
with BLOOD.
HACKMAN SWINGS BLIND with the BOWIE KNIFE, once, twice - the
blade misses KABLE, backpedaling, by fractions of inches;
displacing some SERIOUS AIR... HACKMAN lets it FLY. The
BOWIE whistles past KABLE'S FACE and THUNKS into the wall
behind him, four inches deep.
HACKMAN smears the BLOOD from his eyes and brings up the
SHOTGUN, but KABLE is quick - instead of trying to move away,
HE STEPS IN, pushing the barrel STRAIGHT DOWN as HACKMAN
FIRES. The BIG HIT puts a CRATER in the floor and takes out
a set of HACKMAN'S toes.
KABLE kicks the SHOTGUN from HACKMAN'S hands and brings up
his own WEAPON to close the deal...
... as the GLASS WALLS of the LOBBY EXPLODE.
MORE SLAYERS are MOVING IN.
KABLE releases a barrage of cover fire, grabs ANGIE and
breaks for the BACK EXIT.
128 EXT. SOCIETY - DAY 128
KABLE and ANGIE hit WHITE HOT DAYLIGHT. A BLUE SLAYER breaks
the corner of the building and KABLE FRAGS HIM.
KABLE grabs ANGIE by the shoulders and yells directly at
GORGE:
KABLE
YOU! WHERE THE HELL DO WE GO?
CONTINUOUS SHOT: GORGE/ANGIE starts running across the
street, leading the way;
(CONTINUED)
81.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
128 CONTINUED: 128
KABLE takes out another BLUE at a distance, following close
behind her. They run into a GENERIC, UNMARKED BUILDING...
129 INT. SOCIETY BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 129
... the SHOT CONTINUES, across the LOBBY, through an
anonymous grey door...
130 INT. STAIRS/PINK CORRIDOR 130
...and down a FLIGHT OF STAIRS... MUFFLED MUSIC is THUMPING,
getting LOUDER... down a PINK CORRIDOR and into...
131 INT. UNDERGROUND RAVE - CONTINUOUS 131
... a 24 HOUR UNDERGROUND RAVE, in full effect.
This thing is FUCKING HUGE... in the DARK it's impossible to
tell just how big... hundreds of writhing SOCIETY DUDES,
CHICKS and OTHER... DAY-GLO, moving spotlights, strobes...
the BUBBLE GIRLS from CRANK make an appearance... along with
the DISCOVERY CHANNEL SKATERS from the PARK, now in GOTHED-UP
GEAR...
KABLE gathers it all... he takes ANGIE'S arm and begins to
wade through the CHAOS... the BLOOD SPATTERS on his face POP
in sharp, inverse DAY-GLO, like HARTIGAN'S SCAR in SIN
CITY...
A SKATER GIRL takes a hold of the glowing, smoking barrel of
KABLE'S WEAPON and starts to SKATE CIRCLES around him, ring-
around-the-rosie... he wrenches it hard, sending her flying
into a crowd that goes down like BOWLING PINS.
They continue MOVING... KABLE happens to notice RED LASERS
moving through the DARK... probing... RAVE LIGHTS? No...
THOOM. THOOM THOOM.
LIGHTNING FLASHES, EXPLOSIONS... a RAVER nearby
disintegrates, BLOOD and GUTS a DAY GLO VOLCANO. DANCERS
slip and FALL ON THEIR ASSES in the viscera.
The SLAYERS are moving thru the RAVE, hunting. Everyone but
KABLE and ANGIE are so out of it they don't even notice.
KABLE
(to GORGE)
You. Run.
ANGIE runs.
KABLE goes COMMANDO, evading the HUNTERS, ducking under
EXPLODING SHIT... he moves to FLANK them...
(CONTINUED)
82.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
131 CONTINUED: 131
the DJ is DECAPITATED by a stray 50 caliber round but the
GROOVE DON'T STOP...
LIGHTNING STRIKES FREEZE the ACTION as KABLE engages the
BLUES, one by one... he takes out THREE of them with CLOSE
RANGE BLASTS and another HAND-TO-HAND-TO-HEADSNAP - then
notices more BLUES moving in... too many...
He catches up to ANGIE and they make for an EXIT, any EXIT...
132 INT. RAVE - LOUNGE AREA 132
They find CURTAINS, run past freaky CHILL LOUNGES and SMOKE
OUT ROOMS... KABLE blows a hole in a locked maintenance door
and they duck out of RAVE WORLD into...
133 INT. RAVE - INDUSTRIAL CONCRETE CORRIDOR 133
...an industrial CONCRETE CORRIDOR... MUFFLED BLASTS,
SCREAMING in the REAR SURROUNDS tell KABLE the BLUES are
close behind... up more stairs, they SLAM through a SERVICE
DOOR and back into...
134 EXT. SOCIETY - DAY, CONTINUOUS 134
... blinding DAYLIGHT.
A SCOOBY DOO-looking VAN pulls up to the CURB in front of
them; the back doors SWING OPEN.
GINA PARKER SMITH
I can get you out.
Not much choice. KABLE and ANGIE climb in. The ELECTRIC VAN
drives quietly away, attracting no attention.
135 INT. VAN - CONTINUOUS 135
KABLE slumps against the wall of the VAN, cradling ANGIE in
his arms - exhausted. ANGIE'S eyes are POST-TRAUMATIC,
searching.
GINA is PUMPED.
GINA PARKER SMITH
I can't believe it's you. This
is...
(gathering herself)
Listen: you can trust me, Kable.
KABLE
(quietly)
If not...
(CONTINUED)
83.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
135 CONTINUED: 135
He looks her straight in the eye.
KABLE (cont'd)
You're dead.
GINA pales. He's not lying.
FADE TO BLACK.
136 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS, BACK ROOM - TIME INDETERMINATE 136
CLOSE-UP: a LANCET is prepared... it PUNCTURES SKIN and
SUCKS.
ANGIE is lying on a black leather couch, unconscious -
breathing deeply... TRACE pops the LANCET out of ANGIE'S
fingertip and plops a RED DROP into a glass tube of liquid.
KABLE kneels beside ANGIE, stroking her hair.
HUMANZ DUDE, HUMANZ BROTHER and GINA PARKER SMITH are all
there.
KABLE
Now what?
HUMANZ DUDE
(shrugs)
The crack works - you're the
proof... we put the DNA in the
soup, light it up, extract it -
then feed my girl's sequence into
the code and we're good to go.
GINA PARKER SMITH
(thinking out loud)
It's an anti-spyware program.
HUMANZ DUDE
Basically. We can't quarantine the
foreign cells per se but we can
disable their ability to transmit
and receive.
GINA'S not buying this I.T. GUY shit.
GINA PARKER SMITH
Fuck that. I'd make you cut it out
of me.
TRACE gives her a glance: dumb bitch.
TRACE
That would be like cutting out part
of your brain.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
84.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
136 CONTINUED: 136
TRACE (cont'd)
The nanocells replace the cells
they replicate... they become you.
GINA has no answer.
KABLE
How long will she sleep?
TRACE
We're going to have to keep her
sedated until we can kill the
link... otherwise she's
broadcasting everything she sees or
hears.
HUMANZ DUDE
Thirty minutes... you give us a
robot, we give you back a super hot
human.
TRACE rolls her eyes.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Tillman.
KABLE looks.
HUMANZ BROTHER (cont'd)
We need to talk, my man.
KABLE
So talk.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Come on.
CUT TO:
137 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER 137
Primitive, 8-BIT ARCADE DEMO SCREENS: missiles obliterate a
city in MISSILE COMMAND, line-vector TANKS track 3D targets
in BATTLEZONE, etc.
HUMANZ BROTHER (V.O.)
Ken Castle made his first billion
designing virtual reality
simulators for the US military.
Six years ago he brought them
something new - a breakthrough so
profound, he said, that history
would be divided up between
everything before and everything
that came after.
(CONTINUED)
85.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
137 CONTINUED: 137
HUMANZ BROTHER and KABLE walk through the DARK ARCADE, past
rows of machines... the lights and patterns of 8-BIT DEMO
SEQUENCES and HI SCORE SCREENS flash across their faces.
HUMANZ BROTHER (cont'd)
They tested it on soldiers... the
first volunteer was Corporal Travis
Scotch - a friend of yours, I
believe.
They stop.
KABLE
Yeah. He was.
HUMANZ BROTHER
The second was you.
KABLE fights difficult memories.
KABLE
The idea was to replace your brain,
bit by bit, cell by cell,
gradual... the new tissue would
never break down, never
deteriorate.
(bitter)
A new era in human longevity is
what they told us. We were doing
the world a favor.
HUMANZ BROTHER
(nods)
Nine weeks later Scotch was dead
and you were serving life in
maximum. Castle's project was shut
down... but the shit wasn't a total
loss: the same technology
resurfaced within a year... in a
game. Castle called it society.
KABLE
Thank you for the history lesson.
HUMANZ BROTHER
Dig me, Tillman. Whatever happened
in that project is something Castle
wanna be buried. We need that shit,
baby: what you saw, what you know.
KABLE
I don't know what to tell you.
(CONTINUED)
86.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
137 CONTINUED: (2) 137
HUMANZ BROTHER
You ain't gotta tell me shit,
Tillman.
(beat)
I want you to show me.
138 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS, BACK ROOM - TIME INDETERMINATE 138
Slow PUSH IN on unconscious ANGIE. We hear TRACE interacting
with HUMANZ TECHS off-CAMERA as a heart monitor BEEPS
steadily.
TRACE (O.C.)
Alright. We're ready to rock.
A sequence is punched in on a keyboard.
TRACE (O.C.),(cont'd)
Let's transmit in three... two...
one...
CLICK.
With a GASP, ANGIE'S EYES SNAP OPEN.
MATCH CUT TO:
139 INT. GORGE'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT, SIMULTANEOUS 139
GORGE'S EYES SNAP OPEN. He SPAZZES OUT like a turtle on it's
shell, a moment of panic - he's been PASSED OUT in his chair
and doesn't immediately know where he is. He looks around the
DARK ROOM nervously; takes a hit of OXYGEN.
On the SCREEN, society is gone - there is only a nebulous
TEST PATTERN.
Behind him, a SOUND.
GORGE
Hooz there?
He runs his hand along the CHAIR'S TRACKBALL CONTROL, it
SPINS around and rolls forward a bit.
CASTLE'S GEEK SQUAD is standing in the room, silhouettes in
the dark - scary.
GORGE (cont'd)
(freaked)
What are you doing here? Who are
you?
(CONTINUED)
87.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
139 CONTINUED: 139
GEEK LEADER
Tech support.
FADE TO BLACK.
140 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS, TECH ROOM - NIGHT 140
A screen glitches - pixellated, fucked up, highly compressed,
like an internet feed through a busted satellite. We begin
to make out a coherent image:
It is a POV, walking, of an industrial corridor. Cameras
mounted and doors with square glass windows.
We back away from the screen to reveal -
HUMANZ DUDE, HUMANZ BROTHER and GINA PARKER SMITH are
watching the image on a LO-FI computer monitor. HUMANZ DUDE
runs his fingers along a touchpad, MOVING FREQUENCIES around
on a WAVEFORM MONITOR, trying to dial the picture in better.
We see KABLE through an OBSERVATION WINDOW, slumped over in a
chair... DREAMING? Or just CONCENTRATING?
GINA PARKER SMITH
What are we looking at?
HUMANZ BROTHER
His memories... translated as raw
audiovisual data.
GINA PARKER SMITH
I read something about this. But
that tech is supposed to be a
decade away...
HUMANZ DUDE smirks, shakes his head.
HUMANZ DUDE
Current exponential rate of growth,
I can't imagine a piece of tech
that will take that long to come
around.
He bangs on a key, beating up the interface.
HUMANZ DUDE (cont'd)
They'll have better shit than this
in Best Buy within 18 months.
141 INT. MILITARY FACILITY - TIME INDETERMINATE 141
KABLE - younger, in UNIFORM - walks down a sterile corridor.
He is dead calm, emotionless.
(CONTINUED)
88.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
141 CONTINUED: 141
Tiny SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS track his movements. He comes to a
DOOR; it whispers open and he STEPS IN.
142 INT. MILITARY FACILITY, DEBRIEFING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 142
A WHITE, MINIMAL ROOM - TABLE, TWO CHAIRS. We may recognize
it from the VIDEO the humanz sent to SIMON. In one chair: a
MAN, 30s, beard and mustache grown out thick; in UNIFORM.
KABLE sits down in the other.
SCOTCH
Tillman. Never thought I'd be so
glad to see your ugly grille.
KABLE
Scotch.
SCOTCH
(mimicking him)
Scotch.
(back in character)
I'll tell you what man: this place
sucks.
CUT TO:
143 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS, TECH ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS 143
On the COMPUTER SCREEN: SCOTCH gestures to indicate the WHITE
ROOM, the FACILITY...
SCOTCH
(to KABLE, grinning)
They got me hooked up to computers
five hours a day... nurses feeding
me vitamins, giving me shots,
wiping my butt - male nurses, I
might add...
CUT BACK TO:
144 INT. MILITARY FACILITY, DEBRIEFING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 144
SCOTCH chuckles, conspiratorial.
SCOTCH
What about you? You're dressed like
a semi-human being... they let you
out already?
KABLE'S response doesn't match SCOTCH'S energy - he's bland,
generic.
(CONTINUED)
89.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
144 CONTINUED: 144
KABLE
I'm not getting out.
SCOTCH
(confused)
OK.
(beat)
Tillman... dude. Are you good?
KABLE
I'm fine.
SCOTCH
Uh huh. You don't look good.
KABLE
I'm sorry.
KABLE'S "sorry" seems to refer to something only KABLE knows.
SCOTCH
(hesitant, making light)
Well, it's not like you ever looked
that good...
A BEAT. SCOTCH is suddenly conscious of the SURVEILLANCE.
KABLE'S eyes flicker away from SCOTCH'S. He calmly removes
his military issue .45 from it's holster and lets it rest on
the table between them. He stares at it intensely, emotion
starting to seep through the icy lines of his face.
SCOTCH (cont'd)
(quietly)
Tillman, what did they do to you?
145 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS, TECH ROOM - CONTINUOUS 145
The IMAGE on the SCREEN begins to BREAK UP. Hard to make
out...
GINA PARKER SMITH
What's happening?
HUMANZ BROTHER holds up a finger: shhh.
Through the OBSERVATION WINDOW we see present-day KABLE jerk
and spasm in the chair.
146 INT. MILITARY FACILITY, DEBRIEFING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 146
KABLE starts to shake; the gun rattles on the table top. A
bead of sweat creeps down his forehead. It's apparent that
he is locked in a paralyzing internal struggle...
(CONTINUED)
90.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
146 CONTINUED: 146
A low hum in the room starts to swell and throb, numbing,
disorienting...
SCOTCH
(freaked)
Tillman...
It seems to take all of KABLE'S strength to answer. His
voice is halting, human - not robotic like before.
KABLE
I can't stop it... can't...
KABLE'S eyes meet SCOTCH'S; they are red, rimmed with tears.
SCOTCH
Who are you?
CUT TO:
147 INT. SURVEILLANCE ROOM - SAME TIME 147
We punch in on a wall of TWO WAY GLASS behind SCOTCH,
pixellated visual noise resolving to murky detail as we move
in - we punch through the glass to reveal a familiar
silhouette -
CASTLE brings up his hand, miming a gun. He smiles.
CUT TO:
148 INT. MILITARY FACILITY, DEBRIEFING ROOM - SAME TIME 148
KABLE BRINGS UP THE GUN, points it at SCOTCH'S forehead...
SCOTCH is too stunned to react.
KABLE
I'm sorry...
KABLE SCREAMS -
CUT TO the SILENT, fixed SURVEILLANCE CAM FOOTAGE that humanz
sent to SIMON: KABLE pulls the trigger, SOUNDLESS. SCOTCH
falls over. Black blood pools.
149 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS, TECH ROOM - CONTINUOUS 149
The humanz monitor GOES DEAD.
HUMANZ DUDE
Not the best commercial for K-soft
technology.
(CONTINUED)
91.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
149 CONTINUED: 149
GINA PARKER SMITH is practically moist, visions of monster
ratings dancing in her head.
GINA PARKER SMITH
You can say that again.
TRACE
(bitter)
He made him do it. Castle made him
do it.
HUMANZ BROTHER
A test.
Everyone's eyes had been glued to it - now they look up,
through the OBSERVATION WINDOW...
The room is empty. The CHAIR is knocked over on the floor;
KABLE is gone.
150 INT. HUMANZ HEADQUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER 150
KABLE is slumped against concrete, on his knees... RELIVING
THE MURDER has knocked the hell out of him, but he's DEALING
WITH IT.
A pair of SKINNY LEGS walk up and kneel next to him: ANGIE.
He touches her face, looks deep into her EYES - they are wet
with emotion.
KABLE
It's you.
She just NODS. They embrace... finally, for real.
ANGIE
I missed you... so much...
KABLE
(softly)
Delia.
ANGIE says nothing, just holds him tighter. KABLE pushes her *
hair back - he searches her eyes, desperate with emotion. *
KABLE (cont'd)
Baby... what did they do? *
ANGIE *
I couldn't stop them. *
ANGIE shakes her head, won't meet his eyes.
(CONTINUED)
92.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
150 CONTINUED: 150
TRACE (O.C.)
Nobody could. *
KABLE turns to FACE HER. *
TRACE (cont'd)
Your daughter was taken into foster
care by the state two years ago.
KABLE tries to understand... *
TRACE (cont'd)
The foster parent paid good money
to remain anonymous... to make sure
the girl would be untraceable. But
there's always a data trail, if you
know where to look.
(shrugs)
We do.
KABLE is gathering himself, focusing... a FURY building.
KABLE
Where is she?
TRACE
I'm sorry, Tillman. Guess he needed
an insurance policy.
(long BEAT)
She's with Castle.
CUT TO:
151 EXT. NYC STREET - NEAR HUMANZ ALLEY - NIGHT 151
KABLE slams through CROWDS - he's on a mission. The ALLEY
leading to the UNDERGROUND HEADQUARTERS is right around the
corner.
GINA PARKER SMITH
Tillman!
GINA fights to catch up to him. She gets a hand on his
shoulder... he SPINS.
GINA PARKER SMITH (cont'd)
(out of breath)
Wait. I want to come with you.
KABLE'S eyes leave no room for doubt: not a chance.
KABLE
That's all the story you're going
to get.
(CONTINUED)
93.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
151 CONTINUED: 151
He BAILS, leaving her there.
JUST THEN: matching BLACK SUVs pull up to the curb just TEN
FEET from where she stands.
CASTLE'S GEEK SQUAD piles out... GINA sees them, recognizes
them from the interview with CASTLE; she TURNS AWAY just in
time to avoid being recognized by a GEEK as he scans the
crowd.
But they're not after her... they head straight for the
ALLEY.
CUT TO:
152 INT. CELL - TIME INDETERMINATE 152
BLACK. A door opens, a switch is thrown... and SIMON is
blinded by harsh fluorescent light. He sits up on a cot,
wearing a white T-shirt and pajama pants; fucked up hair,
groggy. He BELCHES.
AGENT KEITH (O.C.)
Alright, Silverton. Get up and get
out.
SIMON
Cool.
AGENT KEITH
(sarcastic)
Yeah, ain't it? Looks like someone
up the chain decided you're no
longer a threat.
CUT TO:
153 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - TIME INDETERMINATE 153
SIMON slides open the door to his room, peaks inside
hesitantly.
It's TRASHED. The FLOOR is littered with busted up
electronics and garbage. The wall-sized screens are all
running the same thing - a SINGLE WORD, repeated in columns,
by the thousands - scrolling fast, a digital waterfall of
words, white on black:
CHEATER
It's over.
SIMON sits down in the middle of the detritus, in a state of
mild SHOCK - he's LOST EVERYTHING.
(CONTINUED)
94.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
153 CONTINUED: 153
He gestures at the screen and closes out the SCROLLING
LOOP... then once again, attempting to activate SLAYERS
control; the screen shows the same nebulous TEST PATTERN we
last saw on GORGE'S screen.
FEMALE VOICE
No link... no link.
SIMON slumps against the wall, DEFEATED.
FADE TO BLACK.
154 EXT. CASTLE ESTATE - NIGHT 154
CASTLE'S ESTATE is like a DESERTED CITY.
Balconies, underlit DOMES, lush landscaping, abstract
statues, waterfalls... tiny cameras everywhere... and not a
soul in sight.
KABLE drops over a wall and onto grass. Wind in the leaves,
cricket music - otherwise DEAD SILENCE.
He keeps to the trees, making his way toward the central
MANSION.
THEN: the sound of DOGS... they come in a PACK, loping across
the lawn - grey, more like WOLVES...
KABLE readies his gun to take them out - but the DOGS run
RIGHT PAST HIM. They round a corner and DISAPPEAR. Weird.
KABLE looks up, spots a CAMERA... and another, and another...
stands to reason he's been MARKED already.
He walks out INTO THE OPEN.
155 INT. CASTLE'S MANSION - NIGHT 155
The GIANT FRONT DOORS of the MANSION are OPEN. KABLE walks
right in.
The interior is HUGE... and EMPTY. NO FURNITURE, no art; no
people of course. Could anyone possibly live here?
He explores...
156 INT. CASTLE'S MANSION - EMPTY HALL - NIGHT 156
AND THEN - at the FAR END of a large, empty HALL:
A LITTLE GIRL, 5 - is sitting on the floor by herself,
playing with DOLLS, making them walk and talk.
(CONTINUED)
95.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
156 CONTINUED: 156
KABLE'S eyes go wide. He starts to walk toward her, slowly
at first...
KABLE
Delia...
... and finally breaking into a run - until:
He SLAMS into what seems to be an INVISIBLE WALL, crumpling
to the ground. The GIRL doesn't react. KABLE pounds on the
glass...
KABLE (cont'd)
DELIA!
... then looks closer, running his fingers across the SMOOTH
SURFACE.
KEN CASTLE (O.S.)
Not bad for video, eh?
The VOICE comes from UNSEEN SPEAKERS; it seems to be
everywhere at once, intimate.
KEN CASTLE (O.S.) (cont'd)
The latest and greatest... defy you
to tell it from real life. You
imagine porn on this thing?
KABLE wants to EXPLODE - but he contains himself. He's
playing CASTLE'S GAME, and the RULES are still UNDEFINED.
Then - MUSIC: The SOUND of a SWINGIN' HI-HAT from down a long
corridor -
t - t - tssss, t - t - tssss, t - t - tsss...
KABLE walks toward the source; a bass and piano pick up the
groove.
157 INT. CASTLE'S MANSION, BALLROOM - CONTINUOUS 157
He comes to a BALLROOM - empty, like everything else; shiny
hardwood floor for DANCING.
A SPOTLIGHT pops on from above, illuminating KEN CASTLE.
He's wearing a T-SHIRT and JEANS. Every instinct tells KABLE
to go after him - but he holds back. Who knows if it's even
real? And then CASTLE starts to SING...
... or more precisely, LIP SYNC - the VOICE is SINATRA, I've
Got You Under My Skin... CASTLE is doing a spot-on KARAOKE:
I've got you under my skin
(CONTINUED)
96.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
157 CONTINUED: 157
I've got you deep in the heart of me
So deep in my heart, that you're really a part of me
I've got you under my skin...
He's snapping his fingers, putting on the moves... THEN -
from behind curtains - a half dozen SLAYERS appear. We
RECOGNIZE THE SCARRED, BATTLE-TOUGH FACES from the prison,
the game, the pursuit... only instead of BLUE, they are
wearing TUXEDOES with BLUE BOW-TIES.
KABLE grips his weapon, but the men are UNARMED; instead,
they fall in on the beat and go into a CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE
behind CASTLE...
I'd sacrifice anything come what might
For the sake of having you near
In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night
And repeats, and repeats in my ear...
KABLE notices SHADOWY FIGURES around the perimeter of the
room... glasses, beards, pony tails - silently, the GEEK
SQUAD has moved in and taken position. They move their hands
in rhythm, synchronized... each one seems to control a
DANCER: they TWIRL A FINGER and the SLAYER SPINS... kick
with TWO FINGERS FOR LEGS and the SLAYER KICKS like a
ROCKETTE.
Suddenly, ON A MUSICAL HIT, everyone - CASTLE, the GEEKS, the
SLAYERS - points dramatically up at the wall, where a VIDEO
SCREEN BEGINS TO PLAY: it is footage of the GEEK SQUAD
busting into humanz headquarters and EFFICIENTLY KILLING
EVERYONE. ANGIE is tasered unconscious and dragged away.
Don't you know, little fool, you never can win?
Use your mentality, wake up to reality...
But each time I do just the thought of you makes me STOP -
before I give in
Cause I've got you, under my skin...
KABLE hits his breaking point. He brings up his WEAPON to
open up on the SLAYERS... CLICK. It's DEAD. The GEEKS have
taken care of that.
KABLE tosses it aside and sprints for CASTLE, but the SLAYERS
break off from the choreography to ENGAGE HIM; turns out
they're flesh and blood after all.
CASTLE backs away, whistling the melody, and continues his
SOFTSHOE to the music as KABLE wades into brutal hand-to-hand
combat... breaking necks, snapping arms, smashing faces...
it's a full-on BALLET OF DEATH... finally, THE MUSIC ENDS,
right on cue: KABLE is finishing off the last of the men,
blood on his hands.
(CONTINUED)
97.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
157 CONTINUED: (2) 157
CASTLE applauds; the GEEKS follow suit.
KEN CASTLE
(genuinely stoked)
You're awesome.
KABLE
Castle.
KEN CASTLE
Kable.
They speak simultaneously:
KABLE KEN CASTLE
I don't care about you. You don't care about me.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
... you just want your little sugar
pie, I know. So don't do anything
stupido. My house, my rules.
CASTLE walks away, leaving his back open to KABLE seemingly
without concern, toward a side door.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
Come on, I want to show you
something.
158 INT. CASTLE'S MANSION, HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 158
Tracking along the hallway, MEDIUM CLOSE, profile:
CASTLE walks along, confidently, KABLE following. The
background is a black, glittering STARSCAPE.
KEN CASTLE
I've got to thank you for leading
me to them, by the by - the human-
zuzz that is...
Snap out WIDE: the hallway seems to run along the SURFACE OF
THE MOON - another 3-D projection, no doubt. CRATERS and
LUNAR DEBRIS stretch to the horizon. The GEEK SQUAD walks
along behind CASTLE and KABLE at a distance... they are all
tiny MOON ANTS in the vast lunar panorama... the PLANET EARTH
rising majestically in the dark heavens.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
Of course, soon enough they'd be
whistling my tune like everybody
else... but meantime it was that
little cracker program they dreamed
up that got my attention...
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
98.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
158 CONTINUED: 158
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
that was a genuine nuisance, no
doubt about it... One thing even
they didn't know, though: I'm wired
too.
SNAP back to CASTLE, MEDIUM CLOSE. His eyes are FUCKING
CRAZY.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
I replaced 98% of my own noodle
with nano-tissue years ago...
159 INT. CASTLE'S COURT - CONTINUOUS 159
They leave the hallway and step on to an indoor, NBA
regulation BASKETBALL COURT; electronic scoreboard,
bleachers, the whole nine. It's dark, moody - only one bank
of OVERHEAD FLOODS is turned on.
At the FAR END of the COURT, HACKMAN is in WARM-UPS, shooting
baskets. ONE leg - the one with the ABBREVIATED TOES - is in
a FLEX BRACE.
The GEEK SQUAD grabs seats in the BLEACHERS.
KEN CASTLE
But mine's different.
(taps his FOREHEAD)
Built to send - to transmit .
Whereas every other K-soft cell out
there - including the ones in...
(taps KABLE'S forehead )
your head, Kable - is designed to
receive. I think it, you do it.
CASTLE looks across the court at HACKMAN; nods toward him...
HACKMAN drops the ball and begins to POP LOCK.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
We're talking every Slayer,
everyone in Society City... I
believe your better half would fall
under that category... provided
they're within range of my
transmitters...
CASTLE chuckles at HACKMAN; HACKMAN stops dancing, jogs over,
picks up the ball and resumes shooting.
KABLE
(sarcastic)
Very nice, Castle. So you've got an
army of psychotics and deviants to
dance around for you.
(CONTINUED)
99.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
159 CONTINUED: 159
CASTLE narrows his eyes, amusement edging out irritation; he
walks over to a bin of GRIP POWDER.
KEN CASTLE
You're thinking small, Kable. But
not as small as me.
He sinks his hands into the POWDER, brings them out and
CLAPS, making WHITE DUST CLOUDS. KABLE waves the dust AWAY
FROM HIS FACE.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
See, nano cells are real small, a
thousand times smaller than even
these dust particulates...
(KABLE coughs)
Inhale it and they go to work:
replicating, spreading... like a
virus, multiplying in
exponentials... six months time I
could have 100 million people
converted - ditch diggers, porn
stars, presidents - and not one
would be the wiser.
Behind KABLE, HACKMAN lets the ball roll away and silently
TURNS TOWARD US.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
A hundred million folks that will
buy what I want them to buy, vote
how I want them to vote, do pretty
much damn well anything I figure
they ought to do.
HACKMAN comes running at KABLE from behind, eyes burning, at
a full charge... running into FOCUS... holding the BOWIE
KNIFE...
KEN CASTLE(cont'd)
For instance.
KABLE hears HACKMAN at the last second, spins and ABSORBS THE
TACKLE. The men GO TO THE GROUND, grappling, UFC-style.
KABLE has HACKMAN'S KNIFE HAND by the wrist, stopping it -
but leaving his face UNPROTECTED...
HACKMAN brings his free ELBOW down on KABLE'S face,
connecting and opening a CUT under his eye; then AGAIN - this
time KABLE catches the elbow with his own free hand and
WRENCHES IT IN SIDEWAYS, dislocating HACKMAN'S shoulder with
a sickening POP.
(CONTINUED)
100.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
159 CONTINUED: (2) 159
KABLE works around HACKMAN, gets him in a HEADLOCK and
SQUEEZES... still gripping the knife hand, immobilizing it...
HACKMAN is choking, BEAT RED... for long, brutal seconds the
life drains out of him... finally, HACKMAN'S eyes roll back;
he GOES LIMP. KABLE takes the BOWIE KNIFE from HACKMAN'S
dead fingers.
He struggles to his feet, dripping sweat and blood.
KABLE
You should've let him fight for
himself, Castle - he might've had a
shot.
KEN CASTLE
(pleasant)
I think you're missing the point,
my man.
KABLE
No, I get it - you're pulling the
strings on all of this...
(starts to move toward
CASTLE with BAD INTENT)
... which makes my next move pretty
easy to figure.
KABLE comes at CASTLE FAST, bringing the KNIFE around to open
his throat like a PEZ DISPENSER...
His arm FREEZES IN MID AIR, the BLADE inches from contact.
KEN CASTLE
Neglected to mention: my smart boys
reversed that hack those fellas
worked for you - easy breezy, once
we had access to their drives...
This is gut-wrenching for KABLE -- after tasting freedom, he
feels his will ripped away from him... HE'S BEING PUPPETED BY
THE MAN HE HATES THE MOST.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
You're mine, boy.
With a twitch of CASTLE'S eyes KABLE brings the KNIFE down
and SLICES OPEN HIS OWN LEG.
CUT TO:
160 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS 160
SIMON is sitting on the floor, head hung low, in front of the
dead wall... a glitch, a flicker... the screen comes to life:
(CONTINUED)
101.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
160 CONTINUED: 160
It's KABLE'S POV of KEN CASTLE. CASTLE is stripping off his
shirt.
KEN CASTLE
(on SCREEN)
Come on, lets boogie woogie rock
and roll.
SIMON
Ummm.
CUT BACK TO:
161 INT. CASTLE'S COURT - CONTINUOUS 161
CASTLE throws a funky KARATE KICK and nails KABLE in the
jaw... then a haymaker to the GUT, doubling KABLE over.
He lets KABLE swing the KNIFE just short of his face as he
backs away.
KEN CASTLE
Biggest, baddest Slayer in the
game... don't seem like much, does
he?
CASTLE is enjoying the hell out of himself. He uppercuts
KABLE, snapping his head back... then shakes out his
knuckles.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
Oww!
KABLE swings his OPEN HAND around - CASTLE choreographs it
perfectly: KABLE'S nails rake across CASTLE'S STOMACH,
MARKING HIM UP like BRUCE LEE in Enter The Dragon. CASTLE
strikes a pose to match.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
Lucky shot.
(grins)
OK, not really.
He brings a passable REVERSE CRESCENT KICK that drops KABLE
to the floor.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
I need an audience, boys.
A DOOR OPENS at the far end of the court; KABLE looks up
slowly, afraid of what he knows he'll see:
ANGIE and DELIA are led into the room. ANGIE presses herself *
close to DELIA, holding her shoulders protectively. *
(CONTINUED)
102.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
161 CONTINUED: 161
She keeps her distance from the GEEK SQUAD escorts and tries *
to block DELIA from them - there is raw fear and anger in her *
eyes; the GEEK SQUAD are not overtly violent or menacing, but *
ANGIE seems acutely aware that they are lethal. DELIA seems *
oddly neutral and unaffected by the entire situation. *
CASTLE kicks KABLE across the floor, toward them.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
That's right, you crawl on your
belly like a toad...
(he looks to the GEEK
SQUAD, sheepish)
Is this bad? I'm really bad.
He gives KABLE a last kick; KABLE collapses in front of his
DAUGHTER... she looks down at him, curiously. *
He looks up at DELIA, eyes soaked with emotion... then to *
ANGIE. They share a moment of intense eye contact - we feel *
that ANGIE wants desperately to go to him but is unsure of *
what is the best action to take strategically; she is looking *
to KABLE for a clue. *
KABLE'S eyes go back to DELIA; he tries to reach up and *
gently touch her face...
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
That's sweet.
CASTLE steps on KABLE'S hand, pinning it to the floor.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
Alright boys, you ready? A true
test.
He steels his eyes on KABLE and concentrates.
KABLE slowly brings up the KNIFE toward DELIA'S THROAT.
ANGIE moves to pull DELIA away - CASTLE merely glances up at *
her and she FREEZES, paralyzed. We can see her body strain *
against invisible control, raw panic in her eyes... *
KABLE
(desperate)
No.
KEN CASTLE
Just like last time. Remember?
KABLE is FIGHTING IT with all his will, his whole body
shaking...
(CONTINUED)
103.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
161 CONTINUED: (2) 161
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
You're stronger now... a little
more fight in you... but I think
the end result will be about the
same... *
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
Shh.
The GEEKS look on, impassive. The BLADE is inches away... He *
looks into ANGIE'S eyes - she and KABLE are like one; he *
seems to draw strength from her... finally, KABLE WILLS *
EVERYTHING HE HAS and STABS THE KNIFE INTO THE FLOORBOARDS. *
Suddenly:
KABLE's head SNAPS around, his eyes confused... and in one
quick, smooth movement, KABLE YANKS THE KNIFE out of the
floor, RISES TO HIS FEET AND SPINS ON CASTLE. He claps a
hand around CASTLE'S neck and tries to jam the knife up into
his GUT - but CASTLE is able to FREEZE HIM just short...
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
(freaked)
What the hell was that?
The GEEKS break out tiny devices and start quickly scanning.
Not even KABLE understands this.
PONYTAIL GEEK
There are 2 networks accessing the
same IP address.
GEEK LEADER
Someone on the outside is sending
him commands...
CUT TO:
162 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS 162
SIMON is on his feet, in full BADASS GAMER MODE.
His body is positioned exactly like KABLE'S - right hand
gripping the virtual blade for an underhand thrust; left hand
clutching CASTLE'S THROAT... he FORCES HIS RIGHT HAND
FORWARD...
CUT BACK TO:
104.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
163 INT. CASTLE'S COURT - CONTINUOUS 163
... KABLE'S KNIFE HAND begins to inch forward. Now CASTLE is
the one struggling for control; he claws weakly at KABLE'S
hand, trying to loosen it off his neck...
KEN CASTLE
(panicking)
JAM THE SIGNAL YOU GOD DAMN
RETARDS!
GEEK
(irritated)
Working on it...
KABLE'S eyes are locked in on CASTLE'S... straining with
everything he has... his strength and will overpowering
CASTLE, but-
KEN CASTLE
(like he's explaining the
obvious to a child)
I think it.
KABLE, succumbing to CASTLE'S control, begins to move the
knife away from CASTLE'S belly.
KEN CASTLE (cont'd)
You... fucking... do it...
CASTLE delivers a CRUNCHING HEADBUTT to his NOSE, KABLE loses
his footing, sweat pouring down his face, bloody, drained...
CASTLE pushes the KNIFE back towards KABLE. He fights back -
every muscle in his arm fighting against another like Yin &
Yang, veins rising in his neck...
Then KABLE senses an opportunity:
KABLE
Look at this knife... imagine me
sticking it into your gut... think
about it... make it real.
CASTLE laughs... BUT HIS EYES FLICKER TO THE KNIFE - of
course he can't help but picture it...
... and in that instant KABLE JAMS IN THE BLADE...
GEEK LEADER
(blank)
Oops.
(CONTINUED)
105.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
163 CONTINUED: 163
... CASTLE focuses, trying to pull it back out, but KABLE
shoves it in deeper - CASTLE'S EYES BULGE. Finally KABLE
TWISTS the KNIFE and lifts CASTLE OFF THE GROUND.
The paralysis breaks from ANGIE - she lunges forward to throw *
her arms around her daughter. *
164 INT. SIMON'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 164
SIMON
(triumphant)
YES!!!
He drops down into the badass, ROCKSTAR pose...
165 INT. CASTLE'S COURT - SIMULTANEOUS 165
... and KABLE does the same. *
KABLE
Damn it, kid...
CASTLE collapses to his knees in front of KABLE, glass-eyed,
draining life... they are FACE to FACE.
KABLE (cont'd)
... is the fuckin pose really
necessary?
CASTLE face-plants on the COURT.
SIMON
Sorry.
KABLE'S body relaxes; he tosses the knife across the floor...
then turns to face his family.
When DELIA finally speaks there is a trace of CASTLE'S
Georgia peach accent.
DELIA
Are you my Daddy Tillman?
He gathers DELIA in his arms and lifts her off her feet,
squeezing her close; she SQUEEZES BACK. KABLE grabs ANGIE
with his other arm and pulls her in.
The GEEKS look at one another - realize that their employment
contract with CASTLE has just been terminated... shrug;
pocket their shit, zip up their backpacks and fanny packs,
get up and start to file out.
KABLE
Wait.
(CONTINUED)
106.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
165 CONTINUED: 165
GEEK LEADER stops.
KABLE (cont'd)
Shut it off.
GEEK
Pardon?
KABLE
The nanex. Set us free.
The GEEKS look at one another.
KABLE (cont'd)
It's nothing to you. A mouse-
click.
GEEK LEADER shrugs.
GEEK LEADER
True dat.
He nods to PONYTAIL GEEK: do it.
The GEEK LEADER betrays a ghost of a smile.
GEEK LEADER (cont'd)
Well played, Kable.
KABLE doesn't answer; but his eyes say: how was any of this a
fucking game?
DELIA
Mommy. Why did Daddy Tillman hurt
Daddy Ken?
FADE TO BLACK.
166 INT. BATHROOM - TIME INDETERMINATE 166
A VIDEO PLAYER WINDOW POPS UP:
It's TRACE, filming herself.
TRACE
This is for you, you dumb bitch. I
hope you do the right thing with
it.
The IMAGE switches to the CAPTURED FOOTAGE of KABLE in the
military facility... leading up to SCOTCH'S murder.
The light from the screen reflects on GINA PARKER SMITH'S
face - she's wide-eyed, stunned.
(CONTINUED)
107.
WHITE KABLE SCRIPT - 9/19/2007
166 CONTINUED: 166
GINA PARKER SMITH
Oh, baby...
FADE TO BLACK.
167 INT. KABLE'S CAR - DAY 167
SHOOTING STARS fly past us in the dark... the SAME IMAGE WE
STARTED WITH... only instead of an underground train carrying
SOLDIERS to battle...
The TUNNEL ENDS; we break from the side of a mountain into
BLUE SKY AND SUNLIGHT.
KABLE is driving on the open highway... ANGIE is in the
passenger seat, asleep, head pressed up against the window
glass.
KABLE checks the rear view window; makes eye contact with
DELIA, who is suspended in a lightweight car seat in the back
seat.
KABLE
You good, sweetheart?
DELIA nods.
KABLE allows himself a smile, puts his eyes back on the road.
ANGIE slowly reaches for KABLE'S hand, she rubs her thumb on
his tattoo - "I am right here with you" - and falls back
asleep.
The CAMERA tilts up, stares out the front window and moves
into the giant sun.
SMASH TO BLACK.
THE END |
GET CARTER
Screenplay by Mike Hodges
Based on the novel
Jack's Return Home by Ted Lewis
Revised Draft, 1971
Copyright (c) 1971
Turner Entertainment Co
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright (c) 1971
Mike Hodges
All Rights Reserved.
FADE IN:
EXT. PENTHOUSE APARTMENT - LONDON - NIGHT
Framed in the large picture window stands JACK CARTER,
alone, looking out at the night. He turns away as the heavy
satin curtains close, wiping him from view.
INT. FLETCHER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
A blinding beam of light cuts across the room. One
pornographic slide after another hits the screen at the
opposite end of the room. They show a dowdy group in some
anonymous bedroom, frozen in various stages of a sexual
orgy.
GERALD FLETCHER is slumped on a sofa. His young wife, ANNA,
is curled up beside him.
SID FLETCHER, operating the projector's remote-control,
has the same flaccid appearance as his twin brother.
Jack Carter, drink in hand, watches from an armchair.
Clunk. Another slide hits the screen. Gerald is getting
turned on. He runs his hand along his wife's stockinged
leg. Anna shudders momentarily. She obviously finds his
touch repulsive. Carter watches Gerald's hand.
GERALD
(removing the cigar
from his mouth)
Bollock naked with his socks still
on?
SID
(thoughtfully)
They do that up North.
GERALD
What for? Protective purposes?
He laughs.
SID
Ask me?
GERALD
Ask Jack. It's his old stamping
ground.
Carter turns sharply away to the cocktail cabinet. Lights
and sweet music happen when he opens it.
Clunk. The slide changes.
SID
Must be a bloody contortionist
Still looking at the screen, Gerald continues.
GERALD
We don't want you to go up the
North, Jack.
Jack and Anna look at each other momentarily. There is
definitely something between them.
JACK
No.
Clunk. The slide changes.
GERALD
(groans)
Not suede boots!
SID
Knock it off, Gerald.
GERALD
What? And get the clap?
Clunk. The slide changes.
GERALD
You work for us, Jack. We have
connections in those parts. I'd
hate you to screw 'em up.
Clunk. The slide changes.
GERALD
What's that? A python.
Sid laughs raucously. Clunk. The slide changes.
GERALD
What are you going for?
JACK
To find out what happened.
Clunk. The slide changes.
GERALD
Some hard nuts operate up there,
Jack. They won't take kindly to
someone from London poking his
bugle in.
JACK
Too bad.
GERALD
I smell trouble, boy.
Clunk. The slide changes.
SID
The law was satisfied.
JACK
Since when was that good enough?
Clunk. The slide changes.
GERALD
Think again, Jack.
JACK
I will.
EXT. RAIL TRACK - DAY
Express train plunges into a tunnel Blackness.
BEGIN TITLES:
INT. TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY
The compartment is full. Jack Carter sits in one corner,
reading a Raymond Chandler paperback, Farewell My Lovely.
EXT. RAIL TRACK - DAY
The train speeds northwards. In the distance the stacks of
a lonely power station belch a continuous stream of brown
smoke.
INT. TRAIN CORRIDOR - DAY
Carter steadies himself as he comes along the corridor.
EXT. RAIL TRACK - DAY
A massive iron bridge crossing a river whips past. Its
mesh sides create an almost hypnotic effect.
INT. TRAIN TOILET - DAY
Carter tips his head back and dispenses drops into his
nose.
EXT. RAIL TRACK - EVENING
The train breaks from another tunnel. Evening light cuts
across the track as the train hurtles on.
INT. TRAIN RESTAURANT CAR - EVENING
Carter pours himself a glass of water and takes out a small
phial of brown pills. He swallows one.
EXT. RAIL TRACK - NIGHT
A chemical factory, brightly lit, passes by and the
outskirts of the city appear.
INT. TRAIN COMPARTMENT - NIGHT
The train moves slowly along the platform and stops. Carter
collects his coat and briefcase from the rack.
EXT. NEWCASTLE STATION - NIGHT
The street is fairly deserted.
Carter exits with other passengers from the train. He pauses
and looks about before crossing to the pub opposite.
INT. THE LONG BAR - NIGHT
A couple of youths are playing records on the juke box. An
old man sits in the corner reading a newspaper.
Carter enters through the swing door and a weedy BARMAN
comes to serve him.
CARTER
Pint of bitter.
The barman picks up a glass mug and begins to draw the
beer. Carter snaps his fingers at him.
CARTER
In a thin glass.
The barman sighs petulantly, transfers the beer into a
thin glass and puts it on the counter.
A telephone rings. The second barman answers it.
BARMAN
Is there a Mr Carter in the room?
CARTER
Yes.
Carter walks to the far end of the bar and picks up the
receiver.
CARTER
Hello?
(pause)
Margaret?
(pause)
Why the hell aren't you here?
(he lights a
cigarette.)
What time?
(pause)
Is Doreen at the house?
(pause)
Who's with him then?
(pause)
When can I see you? Will you be
there tomorrow?
(pause)
Now listen, Margaret...
The line goes dead. Carter hangs up.
INT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - HALL - NIGHT
A key hanging inside the letter box starts to move upwards
and out through the flap. A moment later, the door opens.
Carter is standing at the bottom of a flight of stairs in
a worker's terraced house. He closes the door and climbs
the stairs.
INT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - LANDING - NIGHT
Carter moves cautiously. His eyes scan the peeling
wallpaper, the mildew on the banisters. A roof leak hits
an unseen bucket with depressing regularity.
INT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
An unmade bed with pyjamas on it, a beaten-up wardrobe, a
dressing table and chair are about it. Carter hears a
vehicle stopping on the street below. He eases back the
ancient net curtain. Two men in a Land Rover are looking
up. They see him and quickly drive off.
Carter looks around the room. On top of the wardrobe there's
an old shotgun. He reaches up and brings it down. Memories
flood back. He reaches up again and finds a box of
cartridges. More memories, jack and Frank grew up here. He
leaves the gun on the bed and returns to the landing.
INT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Pitch black.
An overhead light snaps on to the face of a dead man FRANK
CARTER. He is lying in a coffin. His eyes are closed, his
skin made-up, like porcelain.
Carter stands over the coffin. He gently touches his
brother's crossed hands and folds the shroud over his face.
He exits, turning out the light and closing the door.
Darkness returns.
INT. 'LAS VEGAS' BOARDING HOUSE - ENTRANCE HALL - NIGHT
The landlady, EDNA GARFOOT, is climbing the stairs. She's
well built, sexy, experienced. Carter follows with his
baggage. He watches her appreciatively from behind.
CARTER
I won't be using the room tonight.
EDNA
(stops and turns)
I see.
CARTER
I'm staying with a friend.
EDNA
(continuing up the
stairs)
Her husband docks tomorrow, does
he?
CARTER
(smiles)
It's not like that, luv.
EDNA
It never is.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
The door opens and the light goes on. It's a big room
overlooking the road, furnished cheaply but comfortably.
Edna and Carter enter, talking.
EDNA
Are you a traveller?
CARTER
(smiling)
Definitely.
EDNA
(surveying the room)
Will this do?
CARTER
(looking around)
Very nice. (He takes his wallet
out.) I'll pay you for tonight as
well.
EDNA
Don't be bloody silly. You're the
first since Monday.
CARTER
You sure?
Carter gives her the money.
EDNA
Ta.
CARTER
(feeling the mattress)
I'll bet this one's seen some
action.
Carter smiles and looks straight at her. Edna returns his
look, dead pan.
EDNA
I'll give you the key when you
come down.
She closes the door.
INT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Carter moves around the coffin as he shaves. His electric
razor is plugged into the lamp above his dead brother.
INT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
The coffin lid is being screwed down.
Carter stirs a cup of instant coffee while watching the
undertakers at work.
CARTER
Was he in bad shape?
UNDERTAKER
They come worse.
INT. HEARSE - DAY
The hearse is parked outside the row of terraced houses. A
youthful UNDERTAKER is minding it. He turns and looks
through the back window as a young girl walks up the street.
DOREEN CARTER is sixteen and, like most girls of her age,
tries to look older. She wears all the right gear but it's
cheap and doesn't fit properly. Her long hair is lank.
There's something sad and embarrassing about her appearance.
The young undertaker watches as she enters Frank's house.
INT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
The door opens slowly. Doreen stands there looking at the
coffin. Carter sees her.
CARTER
Doreen?
She seems mesmerized by what's going on.
CARTER
All right, are you?
Doreen doesn 't answer.
CARTER
Been staying with a friend?
Doreen nods. The undertaker coughs and thrusts another
screw into the coffin.
CARTER
Sorry about your father.
DOREEN
(pause)
Yeah.
CARTER
Tell me, Doreen, did the police
say anything?
DOREEN
(dazed)
They said he was drunk.
INT. HEARSE - DAY
The young undertaker is still in the hearse listening to
the radio. In the driving mirror he sees the Land Rover
moving slowly tip the road. It stops by the house. Two men
suss the scene and drive off.
INT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
CARTER
How's school?
DOREEN
I left last year.
CARTER
Oh, what you doing now?
DOREEN
Working at Woolworths.
CARTER
That must be interesting.
DOREEN
Yes.
Carter and Doreen look at each other awkwardly.
CARTER
What you going to do? Live with
Margaret?
Doreen looks at him nervously, shakes her head and fumbles
in her bag for a cigarette.
Carter continues, slightly indignant.
CARTER
Well, why won't you come with us
to South America? My fiancee won't
mind,
(pause)
Your dad would have wanted it.
The undertaker puts the final screw in.
UNDERTAKER
(to colleague)
Get Hughbert up, will you?
(to Carter)
We're ready now, sir.
EXT. FRANK CARTER'S HOUSE - DAY
The undertakers struggle with the coffin down the narrow
staircase into the street. Outside Carter and Doreen wait
with two men. EDDIE APPLEYARD, a middle-aged man, is wearing
a shabby tweed suit, cap and black tie. KEITH LACEY is a
young barman who worked with Frank.
EDDIE
We weren't sure where it was taking
place, like.
CARTER
Nice of you to come.
EDDIE
No. Frank was a good bloke.
KEITH
He was that.
EDDIE
One of the best.
INT. LIMOUSINE - DAY
Through the windscreen of the following limousine Carter
can see his brother's coffin in the hearse as it moves
slowly through the streets of the city. Sitting in front
on fold-out seats are Eddie and Keith.
KEITH
I couldn't believe it when I heard.
Carter is suddenly attentive.
CARTER
What?
KEITH
I mean, I was surprised when he
didn't turn up for work. He was
always on time.
CARTER
Did you work with him, Keith?
KEITH
At the Half Moon.
EDDIE
(not to be left out)
It's a bloody funny thing. You
know a bloke for six bloody years
and all the time he's as calm as
gentle Jesus...
(pause)
...then he goes and does a thing
like that.
(he shakes his head.)
It's a bloody funny thing.
CARTER
(quietly)
Yeah. A bloody funny thing!
EXT. CREMATORIUM GATES - DAY
As the cortege drives into the crematorium, it passes the
Land Rover parked outside. The same two men who passed
Frank's house are in it. A long and expensive-looking
funeral cortege passes out as they move up the driveway.
INT. CREMATORIUM - DAY
Carter, Doreen, Eddie and Keith are in the front pews facing
the catafalque on which Frank's coffin rests. The vicar is
already midway through the solemn words of the 'committal'
when a woman enters. The clunk of her high heels cuts
through the silence. Everybody looks round.
CARTER
(whispering to Doreen)
Is that Margaret?
Doreen nods. Frank's coffin sinks out of sight.
INT. CREMATORIUM COMMITTAL CHAMBER - DAY
Two men in long grey coats wait in silence. The coffin
appears. Expertly, they take it and swing it on to a
trolley. They push it up the wide corridor towards the
furnace. One of the men starts whistling cheerfully.
EXT. CREMATORIUM - DAY
MARGARET is thirtyish, blonde, attractive in a tarty kind
of way. Her heels are too high and she is wearing a cheap
pair of sunglasses. She walks quickly away, down the
cloisters, past the memorial tablets and urns.
Carter comes out of the chapel and sees her.
CARTER
Margaret.
Margaret stops and looks round. Carter joins her. I thought
you weren't coming.
MARGARET
Changed me mind.
They face each other in silence. Margaret looks past Carter
and sees Doreen watching them at the end of the cloisters.
She turns away and starts walking slowly. Carter moves
with her. Margaret continues nervously.
MARGARET
Everyhing go off all right?
CARTER
Fine...
(pause)
I want to talk to you.
MARGARET
What about?
CARTER
Doreen.
Margaret stops in her tracks and looks back at Doreen.
She's still watching them.
MARGARET
(adamantly)
She's nothing to do with me.
CARTER
(puzzled)
What do you mean? You've been
Frank's bird ever since her mother
cleared off. You're closer to her
than anyone.
MARGARET
(shaking her head)
No. No. It's not like that. I've
got a husband, you know.
Margaret starts walking again, fast.
Carter catches hold of her arm and stops her.
CARTER
Hold it! Hold it!
(looking her in the
eye)
Who killed Frank, Margaret?
MARGARET
(nervously)
Killed? I don't know anything
about it.
She moves off rapidly. Carter catches up with her.
CARTER
Really.
MARGARET
I must go. I'm in a hurry.
CARTER
I want to talk to you later.
MARGARET
I can't.
CARTER
Tomorrow morning, then?
Margaret dithers.
MARGARET
Well, all right then. Twelve o'clock
on the Iron Bridge.
Margaret walks off as calmly as she can, her high heels
clicking as she goes. Carter watches her disappear. Doreen
watches too.
INT. CREMATORIUM COMMITTAL CHAMBER - DAY
Frank's coffin is slid inside the furnace. Flames start to
lick it as the steel trap closes.
INT. THE HALF MOON PUB - DAY
It's a large room with a horseshoe bar in the centre, a
real boozer. A handful of hard drinkers are already in
position.
Carter, Doreen, Keith and Eddie are sitting alone. Their
table is already covered with glasses. Doreen appears to
be slightly drunk on Babycham, Eddie on whisky and Keith
on beer. Carter is stone-cold sober.
EDDIE
Absent friends.
(He raises his glass
and drinks, then
continues
thoughtfully.)
You don't think he might have done
it on purpose?
KEITH
What? You mean, like, kill himself?
Eddie and Keith look at each other.
Doreen watches them. She is getting very upset by the
conversation.
KEITH
Naw. Frank? Kill himself? You what?
Carter stares at Keith, who is getting uncomfortable.
KEITH
I mean, what for?
CARTER
That's what I was wondering.
KEITH
Come off it. Frank was... well...
straight. He had no worries I know.
Hell, we worked together every day
for a year. It would have showed.
CARTER
Why would it?
KEITH
It just would. He was always the
same.
CARTER
Since when did he drink whisky?
KEITH
Don't know.
CARTER
Nobody seems to know.
Doreen is now crying openly.
EDDIE
(finishing off his
drink)
Bloody good bloke. One of the best.
DOREEN
(blurts out)
How would you know?
(She suddenly jumps
up and empties her
glass in Eddie's
face.)
Or you? Or you? None of you knew.
I knew. He was me dad.
She runs off out of the door crying. Keith goes to follow.
Carter puts his hand out to restrain him.
CARTER
Let her go. She'll be OK.
(to Eddie)
Sorry about that.
EDDIE
(wiping his face
with a handkerchief)
Don't worry. She's bound to be
upset.
CARTER
(to Eddie)
Have another?
EDDIE
No. I'll be off now. I should be
at work.
Eddie stands up, cap in hand. Carter pulls out a wad of
money.
CARTER
Look, look.
(He peels off a
note.)
Get your suit cleaned.
EDDIE
No. It's all right.
CARTER
(standing, pushes
the note in his
top pocket)
Thanks for coming.
EDDIE
Frank was a good bloke. It's the
least I could have done.
Eddie leaves.
CARTER
You work here, Keith?
KEITH
Yes.
Carter thinks for a moment, then leans forward to Keith.
CARTER
Keith, if anybody comes in here
and asks for me, you let me know.
Right?
KEITH
Right.
CARTER
I'm at the Las Vegas. Behind the
dance hall.
(He casts an eye
around the bar.)
Do you know a man called Albert
Swift?
KEITH
Yeah. He comes in here a bit.
CARTER
Where would I find him?
KEITH
Today? At the races. He always
goes.
Carter takes out his phial of pills.
KEITH
How'd you know Albert?
CARTER
Went to school with him.
(smiles)
He was leader of our gang. He'll
know what's going on in this town.
EXT. RACE TRACK - DAY
The rain has just stopped. Bookies and punters lower their
umbrellas. Horses thunder towards the finishing post. Turf
flies in all directions as the jockeys whip their mounts
in a last desperate effort and the crowd roars.
EXT. TRACK ENCLOSURE - DAY
Albert Swift is standing by a bookmaker's marking bis race
card with a biro. A hot dog is sticking out of his mouth,
like a cigar. A man of about thirty-five, be appears much
older, probably from an excess of booze and women. He looks
up, and his mouth drops open, the hot dog falling to the
ground. He has seen Carter.
EXT. TRACK ENCLOSURE - DAY
Carter is pushing his way along the line of bookies, all
the time looking about him. The track loudspeaker announces
the winner of the last race.
EXT. TRACK ENCLOSURE - DAY
Albert pales. He holds his race card in front of his face
and disappears into the crowd. As he moves off, his foot
steps on the hot dog and tomato ketchup oozes out.
EXT. TRACK SADDLING ENCLOSURE - DAY
Carter stands alone, casting an eye over the punters. His
eyes rest on someone the other side of the saddling ring
ERIC PAICE. Dressed in a grey chauffeur's uniform, cap,
dark glasses and gloves, he is standing close to three
well-heeled-looking men with binoculars and shooting sticks.
Horses for the next race are being led around the enclosure.
Carter approaches from behind. He looks at Eric closely
before speaking.
CARTER
Grey suits you, Eric.
Eric swings round, startled.
ERIC
Good God!
Carter smiles.
CARTER
Is he?
ERIC
Jack Carter.
CARTER
(amused)
Eric. Eric Paice.
ERIC
What you doing around here then?
CARTER
Didn't you know this is my home
town?
ERIC
No, I didn't know that.
CARTER
Funny, that.
Carter takes out his cigarettes. Eric takes one.
ERIC
Thanks. So what're you doing? On
your holidays?
CARTER
No. I'm visiting relatives.
ERIC
Oh, that's nice.
CARTER
It would be. If they were still
living.
ERIC
Meaning what?
CARTER
A bereavement. A death in the
family.
ERIC
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
CARTER
That's all right, Eric.
Carter flicks bis lighter and gives Eric a, light.
ERIC
Well, well. Small world, isn't it?
CARTER
Very...
(pause)
So, who you working for these days
Eric?
ERIC
Oh, I'm straight.
(indicating uniform)
Respectable.
CARTER
(smiling)
What are you doing? Advertising
Martini?
ERIC
Oh, you've been watching television.
CARTER
Yeah,
(pause)
Come off it, Eric. Who is it?
Eric smiles back.
CARTER
Brumby?
Eric shakes his head.
CARTER
Kinnear?
Eric shakes his head
ERIC
What's it to you anyway?
CARTER
I've always ad your welfare at
heart, Eric. Besides which, I'm
nosy.
ERIC
That's not always a healthy way to
be...
CARTER
And you should know, if I remember
rightly.
A track announcement interrupts them.
CARTER
So you're doing all right then,
Eric. You're making good.
ERIC
Making a living.
CARTER
Good prospects for advancement, is
there? A pension?
(He can't resist it
any longer. He
lifts the sunglasses
off Eric's nose
and looks into his
eyes.)
Do you know, I'd almost forgotten
what your eyes looked like.
Eric stares back.
CARTER
They're still the same. Piss holes
in the snow.
ERIC
Still got a sense of humour?
CARTER
Yes, I retained that, Eric.
(He moves towards
the saddling ring
and turns to Eric.)
Do you know a man called Albert
Swift, Eric?
ERIC
Can't say I do.
Carter looks across at the track.
CARTER
Don't miss the start on my account.
EXT. RACE TRACK - DAY
Starting gates slam open and the horses leap out.
INT. HIRE CAR - AFTERNOON
Carter is driving along a country road. Ahead, two cars
are between him and a Cadillac with dark-tinted windows.
The Cadillac turns on to a minor road. Carter follows.
INT. CADILLAC - LATE AFTERNOON
Eric Paice is driving. In the back sit the three men seen
with him at the race track. The drinks compartment is open
and they are helping themselves to champagne. Racing results
come over the car radio.
INT. HIRE CAR - LATE AFTERNOON
Carter follows the Cadillac at a safe distance. It turns
into a driveway. Carter slows down and reads a sign by the
entrance: The Heights.
He drives on and parks.
EXT. THE HEIGHTS - LATE AFTERNOON
Carter comes through a wooded area. He pauses by a lake,
now overgrown with weeds. A big man stands tossing stones
into the water. Carter silently picks up a dead branch
then runs at the man. Carter whacks him on the head and he
collapses unconscious into the lake. Carter moves on towards
the house. MARTY and RAY the two men previously seen in
the Land Rover, are playing with an Alsatian on the spacious
lawn fronting the house. It's a Victorian building
surrounded by acres of woodland.
Carter breaks from the trees and darts for the side door.
One of the men notices and shouts after him.
INT. THE HEIGHTS - LATE AFTERNOON
Carter runs into the house and slips into a small service
room. Ray and then Marty charge inside but miss seeing
Carter.
INT. THE HEIGHTS - SITTING ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON
A game of poker is in progress. Seated around the table
are the three men with Eric at the race track. With them
is an elegant man, CYRIL KINNEAR. On the sofa are GLENDA,
a sexy-looking young woman, and Eric Paice.
Ray bursts in.
RAY
Carter's here.
Eric jumps up.
ERIC
Where?
RAY
I don't know.
ERIC
You stupid shit!
Carter walks past Ray, blowing him a kiss.
Kinnear watches with some amusement.
KINNEAR
You see what it's like these days,
Jack. You can't get the material.
Carter looks at Eric.
CARTER
Yes, I can see your problem, Mr
Kinnear.
KINNEAR
Sit down, Jack,
(pause)
I could weep. I really could.
Sometimes I think I'll retire.
Just piss off to the Bahamas and
let somebody else employ them,
(to girl)
Glenda, get Jack a drink. What is
it, Jack?
CARTER
(to Glenda)
Scotch, please.
KINNEAR
(to bouncer)
Piss off, Ray.
Ray closes the door behind him.
Glenda brings Carter his Scotch. He looks at her as she
sits beside him.
KINNEAR
Eric told me of your bereavement.
CARTER
Yep.
KINNEAR
Do you know, I never knew he worked
in one of my places!
CARTER
No? Funny that. Neither did I.
KINNEAR
If I'd known, I'd have fixed him
up with something better.
CARTER
Yeah.
KINNEAR
Nasty way to go.
CARTER
Yes.
One of the three men sitting around the table with Kinnear
gets impatient. PETER, LES AND HARRY are well-heeled, middle-
aged, northern businessmen.
HARRY
Are we here to play cards or talk
about the old days?
KINNEAR
Harry! Jack, I don't want to be
rude, but these men have brought a
lot of money with them. Glenda,
you don't offer a man like Jack a
drink in those piddling little
glasses. Give him the bloody
bottle.
(He picks up his
cards.)
Now, where are we?
Harry keeps a cold, wary eye on him.
KINNEAR
Oh... I think I'll stay as I am.
HARRY
(shaken)
You're bluffing, you bastard!
KINNEAR
That's what you pay to find out.
Right, Jack?
CARTER
Right. If you can afford it.
HARRY
(to Carter)
Thought you were going soon.
CARTER
Soon. When you've lost your money.
Won't take long.
HARRY
Clever sod, aren't you?
CARTER
Only comparatively.
KINNEAR
Harry, I don't like to push, but
could you let us know how much
your hand's worth?
Harry looks at his cards. Glenda tucks her legs up, making
sure that Carter gets an eyeful.
GLENDA
You know Sid Fletcher?
CARTER
What?
GLENDA
You know Sid Fletcher?
CARTER
I work for him.
GLENDA
Do you?
CARTER
(amused)
Yes, I do.
Carter looks back at the table. Kinnear pushes in some
money.
HARRY
What's that? A hundred?
KINNEAR
That's right, Harry.
HARRY
Your hundred, and another hundred.
Kinnear lays more cash on the table.
HARRY
What's that?
KINNEAR
That, Harry? That's another hundred -
twenty-five pounds notes of the
realm.
HARRY
Three hundred altogether?
KINNEAR
Three hundred altogether, Harry.
Glenda attracts Carter's attention again.
GLENDA
I know him too.
CARTER
Who?
GLENDA
Sid Fletcher.
CARTER
(sending her up)
Oh, do you?
GLENDA
(dumb)
Yes.
CARTER
No, do you really?
Carter turns to the table yet again.
Harry nervously puts another hundred on the table. Kinnear
purses his lips.
KINNEAR
I'll follow that and go two hundred.
Harry looks sick.
KINNEAR
You can always see me, Harry.
Harry sweats and then smiles nervously.
HARRY
All right. Two hundred.
KINNEAR
(raises an eyebrow)
Ha.
Kinnear takes a wad of notes out of his pocket. Glenda,
shifts herself on the sofa.
GLENDA
Yes. I met him last year.
CARTER
Go on.
GLENDA
Oh yes. When he came up on business.
CARTER
Really?
GLENDA
He came to see Mr Kinnear.
CARTER
No.
Carter, getting bored, looks back at the game.
HARRY
(panicking)
What's that?
KINNEAR
That's six hundred pounds, Harry.
Two hundred to follow you, and
I've raised it four hundred.
Harry sweats some more.
HARRY
Four hundred?
KINNEAR
That's right.
HARRY
You're not seeing me?
KINNEAR
No.
Harry smiles nervously. He counts some money out.
HARRY
I'll see you, then.
KINNEAR
Calling my bluff, are you, Harry?
Harry nods.
Glenda speaks, but this time Carter keeps his eyes on the
table. Kinnear lays out his hand a hearts flush, queen
high.
GLENDA
We went about together.
CARTER
Really?
GLENDA
Yes, while he was here.
CARTER
While he was here. You went about
together?
GLENDA
He was here for four days.
CARTER
Was he?
GLENDA
Could you do me a favour?
CARTER
Yeah, I'll do you a favour.
GLENDA
Could you please put my glass on
the table?
Carter smiles and does just that.
KINNEAR
Oh, come on, Harry. I haven't won,
have I? Go on, you're pulling my
leg.
Kinnear leans across to pick up Harry's cards. Harry grabs
them and puts them in the pack. Kinnear turns to Carter.
KINNEAR
How about that, Jack? Old Harry
thought I was having him on.
HARRY
Shut up.
Carter gets up from the sofa.
KINNEAR
Not going, Jack?
CARTER
I have to. Things to see to.
KINNEAR
Of course, of course. Well, any
time, just drop by.
CARTER
Yeah, I'll do that.
(He points at Harry.)
Told you it wouldn't take long,
didn't I?
Eric opens the door and follows him out.
INT. THE HEIGHTS - HALLWAY - EVENING
Carter moves towards the front door.
ERIC
Jack! I didn't like that.
CARTER
You should have told me who you
were working for.
ERIC
Cyril didn't like it, either.
CARTER
Oh, Cyril, eh? So it's all girls
together, is it?
ERIC
He's thinking Sid and Gerald won't
like it much when they hear you've
been sticking your nose in.
Carter carries on walking to the front door. He opens it.
CARTER
He's right. Tell him to save the
cost of the phone call.
Carter leaves. Eric signals Ray to follow him.
EXT. SCRAPYARD - DAY
Huge metal claw catches hold of an old car and lifts it
like it was a toy. The yard is beside the River Tyne. In
the distance a train crosses the Iron Bridge.
Carter is examining a beaten-up Hillman when the yard owner,
BILLY LAWS, approaches.
BILLY
(suspicious)
What do you want?
CARTER
What happened to this car?
BILLY
What's it got to do with you?
CARTER
This is my brother's car.
BILLY
Oh ay?
CARTER
Yeah.
BILLY
Well, he drove it into the river.
CARTER
Was the steering faulty?
Billy shakes his head.
CARTER
What about the brakes?
BILLY
Fine. Nowt wrong with them.
CARTER
How'd it happen, then?
BILLY
He was drunk. Drunk as a lord.
CARTER
Was he?
INT. THE HALF MOON - NIGHT
A big, busty pub singer is performing on the small stage.
A trio on her right plays a good, grinding, up-tempo number.
Carter comes through the door. He pushes his way through
the packed drunken crowd to the bar. Keith serves him.
KEITH
What you having, Jack?
CARTER
Large Scotch.
Carter watches the singer. The customers cheer and whistle.
Keith returns with the Scotch. He looks nervously around
and speaks to Carter quietly.
KEITH
Heard of a man called Thorpe?
CARTER
Old Thorpey? Haven't seen him in a
long time.
KEITH
(picking up Carter's
money)
That's what he was saying about
you.
Keith takes the money to the till. The music grinds away.
Keith returns.
KEITH
Said he'd heard you were up in
town. Wondered if I knew where you
was staying. Wanted to look you
up. Old time's sake.
CARTER
That's nice. What'd you tell him?
KEITH
Nowt.
CARTER
Good lad.
Carter watches the singer, then finishes his drink.
CARTER
See you later.
KEITH
Where you off to?
CARTER
(smiling)
Las Vegas.
Carter makes for the door. The singer is now moving through
the tables. She pauses to give some man a kiss. Everybody
cheers.
The woman sitting with the man snaps. She picks up his
glass of beer and throws it over the singer; then grabs
her hair and pulls her to the ground.
Carter stops to watch. The two women roll on the floor,
punching and scratching.
Carter smiles and leaves.
EXT. ALLEY IN TOWN CENTRE - NIGHT
On the corner is a neon-lit snack bar. Doreen and another
young girl are sitting inside sucking milk shakes. Somewhere
a drunk is singing. His voice echoes up the alley.
Carter draws alongside and notices Doreen. He stops and
watches her. She hasn't seen him so he goes to the window
and knocks on it. She looks up and he beckons her outside.
Reluctantly, she comes.
CARTER
(gently)
You all right now?
DOREEN
Yeah.
CARTER
You coming to South America?
DOREEN
No.
Carter's hurt and slightly irritated by this rejection.
CARTER
Where you going to live, then?
DOREEN
At me friend's house.
CARTER
Where's that?
DOREEN
Wilton Estate.
CARTER
Nice family, are they? Church-goers
and all that?
Doreen nods.
CARTER
Good. I'm off tomorrow, so I don't
suppose I'll see you again.
(He pulls out a wad
of money, and peels
off some notes.)
There. Go and get your hair done.
DOREEN
(Can't believe it)
Thanks.
He lifts her chin with his finger and looks at her.
CARTER
Be good. And don't trust boys.
Doreen blushes and turns away. She rushes back to the snack
bar with the money to show her friend.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - HALL/SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
The front door opens and Carter enters.
Standing on the hall table is a small wooden casket with
an envelope taped to it. Carter pockets the envelope and
picks up the casket.
EDNA (O.S.)
That was left for you this evening.
Carter walks past her into the sitting room.
EDNA
What is it?
CARTER
My brother, Frank.
EDNA
Is he staying the night?
CARTER
Funny.
(He puts the casket
on a side table.)
Can I phone London?
EDNA
It'll cost you.
INT. FLETCHER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Anna is undressing. She's alone. Pulling the short black-
silk underslip over her head, she stands in front of a
long mirror, clad only in black panties, bra and tights.
She looks at herself appreciatively. The phone rings. She
flops on the bed and picks up the receiver.
ANNA
Hello.
A voice speaks on the end of the line.
ANNA
How I miss you.
(She stretches
herself out sexily
and smiles.)
Stop it, darling.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
It's a cosy room. Carter is on the telephone. EDNA sits in
a rocking chair.
CARTER
(looking at Edna)
I fancy you. I wish I was touching
you right now...
Edna turns towards him. Carter fixes her with his eyes.
Edna rocks herself gently. Carter continues softly.
CARTER
...making love to you. I want to
stroke you and kiss you all over.
Where are you?
INT. FLETCHER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Anna is lying full-length on the bed.
ANNA
In the bedroom.
Carter speaks on the other end.
ANNA
My black underwear.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Edna rocks backwards and forwards.
CARTER
(quietly)
The sexy, silk ones?
Anna replies. He continues softly.
CARTER
Take your bra off.
(pause)
No, go on.
INT. FLETCHER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Anna unhooks her bra. There's a flash of breasts.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
The scene as before.
CARTER
Now hold them. Gently.
INT. FLETCHER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Anna's hands cover her breasts. Her head moves slowly from
side to side, eyes closed.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Scene as before.
CARTER
Slowly. Imagine it's me.
INT. FLETCHER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Anna's hand caresses the inside of her leg. Her head rolls
from side to side slowly. She's breathing heavily.
CROSS-CUT between Edna's head rocking backwards and forwards
and Anna's head moving from side to side.
CARTER (V.O.)
When we're in South America, we'll
make love in the sun. Roll over...
and make love again... and again...
For me... I fancy you...
THE SPEED OF THE CUTTING BUILDS.
INT. FLETCHER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Suddenly the door opens and Gerald comes in. He sees Anna
groaning on the bed.
GERALD
What's the matter? You got gut
trouble or something?
Anna sits up abruptly and puts her hand over the receiver.
ANNA
No, darling. Just doing some
exercises,
(into telephone)
Listen, Janet, Gerald's just got
in, so I must ring off.
(pause)
Yes. Yes. I'll come tomorrow.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Scene as before.
CARTER
Save it till Sunday. I'll be back
then.
Carter replaces the receiver. He still holds Edna's eyes.
She rocks to and fro. The rocker creaks.
The front door bell breaks the mood.
CARTER
That'll be for me.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - HALL - NIGHT
Carter opens the door. Keith is outside. He's sweating.
His tie is somewhere round the back of his neck and his
suit is covered with dirt.
KEITH
Thorpey. They were waiting for us
in the car park.
CARTER
How many?
KEITH
Four of them.
Carter pulls Keith inside and turns out the light.
A Ford Zodiac comes along the road. It stops. Four faces
peer into the darkness where they're standing. Nobody gets
out. The back window winds down. Thorpe's nervous voice
floats out.
THORPE
Jack?
CARTER
Good evening.
THORPE
I'd like a word with you, Jack.
CARTER
That's nice.
THORPE
Confidential, like.
CARTER
You stay in the car. I'll come and
listen. (
(He leaves the
darkness and walks
to the car.)
What you want to tell me, Thorpey?
Thorpe holds out his hand.
THORPE
I've been asked to give you this.
He hands Carter a railway ticket. Carter smiles.
THORPE
Train goes at four minutes past
twelve. You've just got time.
CARTER
That's very kind of somebody. Who
do I have to thank? (pause) What
happens if I miss the train?
THORPE
I've been asked to make sure you
don't.
CARTER
Oh, really. You're getting very
optimistic in your old age, aren't
you, Thorpey?
One of the men inside mutters.
MAN
Let's stop pissing about.
THORPE
Are you coming, Jack? It'd be best.
Carter tears the ticket in half and drops it in the gutter.
THORPE
Right lads.
The front passenger door starts to open. Carter grabs it
and pulls it wide open. With all his force, he slams it
against the man as he gets out. The window shatters over
his head. Blood spurts everywhere. The driver panics. He
accelerates away as the man in the back is getting out.
His foot is trapped in a safety belt. He's upended and
dragged along the tarmac, his head dangerously close to
the back wheel. His yells make the driver brake. In the
confusion Thorpe escapes from the car and makes off. Carter
spots him and begins to run.
CARTER
(roars)
Thorpe!
Thorpe turns into the main road. He makes for the dance
hall and disappears inside. Carter follows.
INT. DANCE HALL - NIGHT
The dance floor is full, mainly with miniskirted girls,
their handbags at their feet. A rock band play mechanical
music to match the dancing.
Thorpe vanishes into the crowd circling the floor. Carter
arrives. He scans the place, then sees Thorpe as he
disappears down into the gents' lavatory.
INT. DANCE HALL - GENTS' LAVATORY - NIGHT
Carter enters. There's no sign of Thorpe. He checks the
cubicles until he finds the one that's occupied, then goes
into the next one. He climbs on the seat and looks over
the partition. Thorpe is sitting down looking at the door.
Carter quietly leans across and pulls the chain. Thorpe
jumps up, terrified.
CARTER
Time's up, Thorpey.
Carter smiles.
EXT. BOARDING HOUSE - NIGHT
Keith kicks broken glass into the gutter while he waits.
Edna's next-door neighbour, an OLD WOMAN, watches. Carter
and Thorpe come down the street.
CARTER
Hello, Keith,
(pause)
Stay there, Thorpey.
He knocks on Edna's door. It flies open. Edna is furious.
EDNA
What the bloody hell do you think
you're at?
CARTER
(smiles)
I'm sorry.
EDNA
You don't look it.
CARTER
No. Really, I am.
EDNA
Don't come that bloody flannel
with me. If you're a traveller,
I'm bloody Twiggy.
(She points at
Thorpe.)
And who's he?
OLD WOMAN
What's going on? Have you no thought
for others?
CARTER
We're going inside.
EDNA
Inside? Why should I give house-
room to your sort?
CARTER
Up the stairs, Keith. The door on
the right.
OLD WOMAN
Everybody knows you, Edna Garfoot.
Everybody knew there'd be trouble
when you moved in.
Carter, Keith and Thorpe enter the house.
EDNA
You keep your trap shut, Ma.
OLD WOMAN
I'll send my old man to see you!
EDNA
And wouldn't he love it!
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - HALL - NIGHT
Carter, Thorpe and Keith are climbing the stairs. Carter
stops to pick up Frank's casket. Edna rushes in and slams
the door.
EDNA
Where do you think you're going?
Carter opens the door to his room.
CARTER
Why don't you go and make us all a
nice cup of tea?
Carter shoves Thorpe into the room. Keith follows.
EDNA
And what you going to do?
CARTER
Make us a nice cup of tea and I'll
tell you. I might even let you
watch.
EDNA
I'll call the police.
CARTER
(He knows she fancies
him)
No, you won't.
Carter closes the door.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Carter carefully places the casket on the chest of drawers.
CARTER
Well now, Thorpey. It seems I've
got a secret benefactor.
(He moves into the
room and opens his
briefcase, which
is lying on the
bed.)
It's nice to know that. Isn't it,
Keith?
(He takes out a
bottle of whisky.)
There's only one trouble, I don't
know who to thank.
Thorpe looks longingly at the bottle of Scotch. Suddenly
Carter punches him hard in the stomach. He grunts and
collapses into a chair.
CARTER
Now, I want to know who it is,
Thorpey.
Carter tosses the whisky bottle to Keith and continues
wearily.
CARTER
All right. If you like, Thorpey,
we'll stop mucking about. Somebody
doesn't want me poking my nose
into something and I happen to
know what that something is.
(pause)
Now stand up.
Thorpe looks at him, terrified. Slowly he stands. Carter
grabs him by the testicles and applies preasure. Thorpe
screams.
CARTER
Who paid you to see me off?
THORPE
I can't Jack. How can I?
CARTER
Yes you can.
Carter applies more pressure. Thorpe screams.
THORPE
No, don't Jack, don't.
CARTER
Who sent you, Thorpey?
THORPE
(desperate)
Brumby!
Carter gives him a final squeeze and lets go. Thorpe groans
and slips to the floor, doubled up in agony.
CARTER
There you are, you see. Now you
could, couldn't you?
(pause)
And quickly.
There's a knock on the door. Carter lets in Edna, who is
carrying the teatray.
CARTER
Ah, Edna, come in. Join the tea
set.
KEITH
Who's Brumby?
CARTER
Cliff Brumby. Ever been to Westsea?
Keith nods.
CARTER
Ever been into an arcade there and
put a penny in the slot machine?
KEITH
Yeah.
CARTER
Ten to one, it belonged to Cliff
Brumby, and like as not the bloody
arcade as well. Right along the
coast. Isn't that right, Thorpey?
Thorpe drags himself painfully to a chair.
CARTER
Where's he living these days?
THORPE
He's got a new place at Burnham.
CARTER
Address?
THORPE
On the Durham Road. The Pantiles.
EDNA
(furious)
Suppose you tell me what the bloody
hell's going on. It's my house,
you know.
CARTER
Yes, Edna, and I must say you've
been great about the ...
EDNA
Stick the soft soap. Let's be having
it.
Thorpe's plaintive voice interrupts.
THORPE
Can I go now?
CARTER
You must be joking,
(to Keith)
Keep him away from the telephone.
I'm going out for a bit.
EDNA
Now just a minute...
CARTER
Ta-ra.
THORPE
Don't let on I told you, for God's
sake.
Carter laughs and closes the door.
EXT. THE PANTILES - NIGHT
It's a large, new, ranch-style house, set back from the
road. The front garden is a landscape gardener's nightmare,
with its phoney brick and wrought-iron wishing well,
porcelain dwarfs, lily pond, the lot. Fairy lights hang
over everything.
There's a party going on. Lights are on in every room and
the rock music is loud. The drive is lined with sports
cars.
Carter parks and gets out.
Out of a side door a young man stumbles towards the lily
pond. There, he promptly throws up.
Carter watches from behind a tree.
His attention shifts to the white Bentley turning into the
drive. It brakes sharply and the driver jumps out.
CLIFF BRUMBY has been to a police ball. He is impeccably
dressed in tuxedo and white scarf. Now he's hopping mad.
BRUMBY
Jesus wept!
MRS BRUMBY cowers in the passenger seat.
MRS BRUMBY
Now, Cliff, don't get mad.
BRUMBY
I'll murder the little bitch!
MRS BRUMBY
Cliff ...
Brumby roars up to the front door, banging it furiously. A
young woman in a party dress, expecting to greet a
latecomer, is stunned to see who it is.
SANDRA
Daddy!
BRUMBY
That's right, bloody Daddy.
SANDRA
I wasn't expecting you until three
o'clock.
BRUMBY
And this is what you call having a
few friends back for coffee, is
it?
Brumby pushes past her into the house.
BRUMBY
Running bloody riot over my bloody
furniture, drinking my bloody
booze...
The rest is lost as he disappears inside. He then powers
out through the side door
BRUMBY
... spewing over my fucking
goldfish.
He aims a kick at the young man's backside, sending him
face-down into the lily pond.
Mrs Brumby gets out of the car and hovers for a moment. As
she approaches the house, people pour out. Brumby appears
at the door with a boy pulling up his trousers.
MRS BRUMBY
Cliff ...
Brumby throws the boy out.
BRUMBY
Shut up, Phyllis.
(He walks back into
the house.)
Sandra!
Mrs Brumby goes into the house and closes the door. Brumby
passes an upstairs window as Sandra locks herself in a
bedroom.
BRUMBY
Sandra! Unlock the door, you bitch.
Carter pauses outside the front door and listens to the
row going on upstairs. He opens the door and goes in.
INT. THE PANTILES - NIGHT
Carter passes silently through the hall into the large
sitting room. Mrs Brumby is sitting in an armchair.
Brumby is still yelling at his daughter upstairs.
CARTER
Good evening.
Mrs Brumby jumps. The front door is open.
MRS BRUMBY
(standing)
Who are you?
CARTER
I'm an old friend of Cliff's. I
want to see him.
Mrs Brumby looks at her watch irritably.
CARTER
It's urgent.
MRS BRUMBY
What's it about?
CARTER
Business.
MRS BRUMBY
I know all about Cliff's business.
Carter moves further into the room.
CARTER
Yeah, well, tell him the Fletchers
sent me.
Mrs Brumby is uncertain what to do. Carter sits in an
armchair to make his point. She leaves. A moment later
Brumby storms into the room.
BRUMBY
What the bloody hell's all this?
Carter doesn't move.
BRUMBY
You know what the bloody time is!
(pause)
It's two o'clock in the bloody
morning!
CARTER
I know.
BRUMBY
Well?
Carter still doesn 't move.
BRUMBY
The wife says the Fletchers sent
you.
Carter just looks at him. Weighing him up.
BRUMBY
What's so bloody important it
couldn't wait till the morning?
Carter starts to laugh. He realizes Thorpe has lied to
him. Brumby isn't his man.
BRUMBY
Listen, I'm not in the mood for
bloody silly buggers.
Carter stands.
CARTER
I made a mistake.
BRUMBY
What?
CARTER
I made a mistake.
BRUMBY
What about?
CARTER
Never mind.
Brumby looks confused.
BRUMBY
It's not business?
Carter moves to the door.
CARTER
See you.
Brumby moves between him and the door.
BRUMBY
Listen, I don't like it when some
hard nut comes pushing his way in
and out my house in the middle of
the night.
Carter again makes to leave. Brumby stops him.
BRUMBY
Bloody well tell me who sent you.
CARTER
You're a big man, but you're in
bad shape. With me, it's a full-
time job. Now behave yourself.
Brumby swings at him. Carter moves away from the punch,
then applies several sharp blows to Brumby's head and neck.
Brumby groans and collapses into the armchair, hurt.
Carter walks into the hall and out of the front door.
CARTER
Good night, Mrs Brumby.
EXT. 'LAS VEGAS' BOARDING HOUSE - NIGHT
Carter walks up the deserted street to Edna's place. He
finds the front door unlocked.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - HALL - NIGHT
Carter enters cautiously. There is no sound. He closes the
door quietly and pauses at the foot of the stairs. Still
there is no sound. He waits. A sudden rustle attracts his
attention. Quietly, he moves to the sitting-room door.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Carter switches on the light. Edna is pressed against the
far wall, holding a poker. Her dress is torn and her hair
dishevelled. When she sees Carter, she sighs with relief.
EDNA
You sod.
CARTER
They came back?
EDNA
(sarcastically)
No.
Carter helps himself to a glass of water from the tap.
Edna looks at her torn dress.
EDNA
Look at this. You bastard.
Carter puts the glass on the table.
EDNA
You don't care a stuff, do you?
Carter takes out his phial of pills.
CARTER
I'll buy you another.
Carter swallows a pill.
EDNA
What about the lad? They took him
away.
Carter shrugs his shoulders.
EDNA
What'll they do to him?
CARTER
Don't ask me.
Edna rubs her wrists.
EDNA
They bloody hurt me.
CARTER
You're lucky. They kill as well.
EDNA
(mocking him)
And what about you? Did you kill
Brumby?
Carter shakes his head.
EDNA
Thorpey nearly died laughing.
CARTER
That little shit!
EDNA
What about Keith?
CARTER
What about Keith?
EDNA
What you going to do?
CARTER
Pension him off.
EDNA
You're a bastard.
CARTER
(angry)
What am I supposed to do? I don't
know where they've taken him. Do
you?
Edna shakes her head.
CARTER
So shut up.
EDNA
What's that gun doing in your room?
Suppose I phoned the police and
told them there's a bloke staying
in my hotel who's planning to shoot
somebody?
CARTER
You wouldn't.
EDNA
How'd you know I wouldn't?
CARTER
(smiling)
'Cos I know you wear purple
underwear.
EDNA
What's that supposed to mean?
CARTER
Think about it.
Carter takes hold of her torn blouse and rips it open. She
is wearing purple underwear.
EXT. BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
It's Sunday morning. A girls' marching band rehearses on
the wasteground in front of the terraced houses. The Pelaw
Hussars march back and forth carrying their proud banner,
led by the drum majorette.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
Above the bed hangs a sign 'What would Jesus say?' In the
bed lie Carter and Edna. The distant sound of the marching
band helps them surface.
EDNA
Are you awake?
CARTER
No.
EDNA
Do you want breakfast?
CARTER
You must be joking. I never eat
breakfast,
(pause)
Did you sleep well?
EDNA
Uh-huh.
EXT. BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
The Pelaw Hussars keep on marching. The back of their banner
a stirring motto For Youth and Valour.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
Scene as before.
EDNA
Did you sleep well?
CARTER
Yes, thank you.
He puts his arm around her and moves on top.
EXT. BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
As the band executes another movement, a red Jaguar slides
to a halt outside Edna's house. Two men get out. PETER the
Dutchman and CON MCCARTY are definitely not local lads.
They look, and are, lethal. They try Edna's front door. It
opens.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
Scene as before.
CARTER
Are you tired?
EDNA
No. Are you tired?
CARTER
No. I'm not tired,
(pause)
Do you eat breakfast?
Edna laughs. They start to make love. Gently. Below the
undulating bedsprings rests a large chamberpot and, beside
it, Carter's shotgun. Beyond is the bedroom door. It opens
slowly and the two men enter. Only their legs are visible.
CON (O.S.)
Put us in it, Jack.
Carter is off the bed, and Edna, in a flash. Edna screams
and tries to stop the bedclothes following Carter on to
the floor. Peter and Con stand beside the bed smiling.
Peter is a queer and dressed fancy in a leather coat, wide-
bottomed trousers and a loud silk scarf. His hair is
bleached blond. Con is more traditional, more butch. He's
in a camelhair overcoat, suit and tie. Both are in their
thirties.
PETER
Don't let us interrupt you, Jack.
CARTER
I might have guessed.
CON
Sorry about this. But there you
are. Orders are orders.
CARTER
And what orders would they be,
Con?
Carter's hand runs over the carpet. It's going towards the
chamber pot instead of the gun.
CON
Gerald phoned us in the middle of
the night, said he'd heard you've
been making a nuisance of yourself.
PETER
We've got to take you back to
London.
CON
He said it'd be doing him a big
favour.
Carter's hand finds the chamber pot and quickly moves on
towards the gun.
CON
We know why you're all steamed up,
and so do Gerald and Sid.
PETER
But they have to be diplomatic.
Carter pulls out the gun and jumps up.
CARTER
Right. Now take me back to London.
CON
(smiling)
It'd be best if you got dressed
first.
Carter moves around the bed towards them. He's naked.
CON
Put it away, Jack. You know you
won't use it.
PETER
The gun he means.
Both men are laughing.
CARTER
Out.
Peter and Con back down the stairs. Peter looks up at
Carter's cock.
PETER
If Anna could see you now.
CARTER
Out.
CON
Now, Jack. Be reasonable. You know
we're going to take you back -
sooner or later.
CARTER
Out.
EXT. BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
Con is the first to emerge from the front door.
CON
Mind you don't catch cold.
Peter follows.
PETER
I hope she's got understanding
neighbours.
Then Carter comes out, shotgun held across his chest.
CON
See you when you've got your drawers
on.
The old woman next door chooses that moment to come out
for her milk. As she straightens up, she sees Carter. The
bottle flies from her hand and smashes on her doorstep.
Carter, never taking his eyes off Peter and Con, slowly
backs into the house.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY
Carter watches from the window as he pulls on his jacket.
The gun lies across the armchair. Outside, he can see Peter
and Con talking by the Jaguar. Con exits.
Edna, now in her dressing gown, enters.
CARTER
Do us a favour?
EDNA
What, and get myself beaten up
again?
CARTER
No chance of that.
EDNA
Not much.
CARTER
They're friends of mine.
EDNA
And that'll make me feel better?
CARTER
I don't want to get rough, do I?
Carter picks up the gun. He hands Edna, bis case and the
casket.
INT. REAR OF BOARDING HOUSE - DAY
Edna comes out of the back gate into an alley, carrying
the casket and case. Con emerges from his hiding place
holding a handgun.
CON
Hold it! Where do you think you're
going?
Carter appears from the gate next door, covering Con with
the shotgun.
CARTER
Strawberry Fair.
He takes Con's handgun and signals him to go into Edna's
yard.
CARTER
In. Turn right.
(He points the gun
at the coalshed.)
Open that door.
Con unbolts the door.
CARTER
And go inside.
Con goes in. Carter closes and bolts the door. He moves
quickly back to Edna and the car.
EDNA
What you going to do?
CARTER
I'm going to sit in the car and
whistle 'Rule, Britannia'.
Carter jumps into the car.
EDNA
You coming back?
CARTER
How could I stay away?
The car roars off.
EXT. BACK ALLEY - DAY
Washing hangs behind each house as far as the eye can see.
Carter drives full tilt through it, collecting towels and
sheets on the windscreen.
EXT. EDNA'S YARD - DAY
The coalhouse door is getting a terrible battering. It
finally gives and Con bursts out. He runs into the alley,
following after Carter.
EXT. BOARDING HOUSE FRONT - DAY
Carter's car screeches as it corners from the alley on to
the road. Peter is leaning against the open door of the
Jaguar. When he sees Carter coming straight at him, he
scarpers for the pavement. Carter hits the Jaguar's door
at speed, tearing it off. It flies up and crashes on to
the tarmac as Carter careers over the wasteground. Soon he
is out of sight.
Con comes running. Peter is looking at the damage.
PETER
Where were you, then?
Con sees what's happened to the car and is not pleased.
CON
Bollocks.
EXT. BACK STREET - DAY
Carter pulls up outside a house and gets out. He takes the
washing off the car's bonnet, and throws it into a neglected
garden.
EXT. FRONT DOOR - DAY
Carter presses the bell. The door's opened by a young man,
SHAMIR.
CARTER
Keith in?
SHAMIR
(shouts)
Keith.
No answer. Shamir watches Carter as he walks into the hall.
CARTER (O.S.)
Which is his room?
INT. KEITH'S ROOM - DAY
Carter enters and closes the door. Keith is in a had way,
his face like a piece of raw steak. He is lying on a bed,
still in the clothes of the night before.
CARTER
What happened to you, then?
KEITH
How'd you find me?
Keith lifts his head painfully from the pillow.
CARTER
Did they give you a rough time?
KEITH
No.
(He lowers his head
to the pillow.)
You bastard. You knew they'd come
back.
CARTER
No, I didn't,
(pause)
Does Albert Swift still live over
the ferry?
KEITH
Get knotted.
CARTER
All right. All right. I want to
square things with you first.
KEITH
Oh yes? How?
Carter takes out of his wad of money. Keith's bloodshot
eyes watch him through the surrounding puff of flesh.
KEITH
Stuff it! My girl friend's coming
from Liverpool tonight. Nice
surprise, isn't it?
CARTER
I'm sorry. Here. This'll pay for a
course in karate.
He throws some money on the bed. Keith tries to kick it
off, but it's too painful. He clutches his testicles.
KEITH
Frank said you were a shit and he
was bloody well right.
Carter turns to leave. Keith continues, crying and angry.
KEITH
You even screwed his wife, didn't
you?
Carter shuts the door, leaving Keith shouting after him.
KEITH
The poor bastard didn't even know
if the kid was his.
He falls back on to the bed, crying out in pain.
EXT. RIVERSIDE - DAY
A wide road runs alongside the Tyne. It passes below the
vast steel bridges that link the two parts of the city. A
carpark lies at the foot of the 'Iron Bridge'. Carter pulls
up and parks. He gets out and moves quickly.
EXT. THE IRON BRIDGE - DAY
The bridge is a, massive structure. The traffic lanes are
flanked each side by pedestrian walkways. It is here that
Carter and Margaret have arranged to meet.
CARTER
How were things between you and
Frank?
MARGARET
He was all right to me.
CARTER
Nothing more? Just another feller?
MARGARET
Nicer than most.
CARTER
But he was just another feller,
wasn't he?
MARGARET
Yes.
CARTER
Though nicer than most?
MARGARET
Yes. I can't help the way I am.
CARTER
(ignoring the
statement)
Why'd you see him so regular?
MARGARET
Once a week?
CARTER
I call that regular.
MARGARET
He was gentlemanly. I like that.
CARTER
Once a week you like a gentleman?
MARGARET
(angrily)
Look, I'm me, right. You're not.
We are what we are, like it or
not.
(She turns and walks
slowly along the
bridge.)
Why all the bloody needle?
CARTER
What was bugging Frank?
MARGARET
He wanted me to leave Dave and
marry him. Last Friday I told him
it wouldn't work. Dave would have
killed us both!
(pause)
He followed me home and kicked up
a stink in the street,
(pause)
I had to tell Frank I couldn't see
him any more. It was getting too
dodgy. That was on Sunday.
(She stops and looks
over the bridge.)
He said he'd kill himself. I was
frightened what you might do.
They look at each other for a moment. Carter shakes his
head. He gently takes the sunglasses from Margaret's face
and folds them up.
CARTER
I don't believe you, Margaret.
Frank wasn't like that.
(pause)
I'm the villain in the family,
remember?
MARGARET
It's the truth.
Carter snaps her glasses in two and throws them away.
MARGARET
It is. Honestly.
CARTER
(shouting)
You bloody whore. Frank was too
careful to die like that. Who killed
him?
MARGARET
I don't know nothing.
Carter holds her arm. She winces like she's been hit before.
CARTER
Listen, the only reason I came
back to this craphole was to find
out who did it. And I won't leave
until I do. You understand?
Behind Carter Peter's Jaguar comes slowly along the bridge.
It stops. The passenger side is a gaping hole.
CON
Hello, Jack.
Carter swings round to see them, then swings angrily back
to Margaret.
CARTER
You bitch! It was you who told
them I was here, wasn't it?
He smacks her hard across the face. Margaret cries out.
The car draws alongside. A steel mesh separates the
pedestrian way from the traffic, so the two men can't get
to Carter until he reaches the end of the bridge. Con leans
out, his usual cheery self.
CON
Peter's very upset about his car.
He's going to shit all over you.
CARTER
I'll catch up with you later,
Margaret.
And with that he vaults over the handrail on to a corrugated
roof. Con jumps out of the Jaguar.
PETER
(shouts above the
revs)
Come on, get in.
Con does and they race off.
EXT. WASTELAND - DAY
Carter arrives at the top of some narrow, steep, overgrown
steps leading down to the river road, where his car is
parked. He leaps down the steps as the Jaguar screeches to
a halt at the top. Con leaps out of the Jaguar and gives
chase. Peter backs the Jaguar and roars off.
EXT. RIVER ROAD - DAY
Carter comes running down the steps with Con not far behind.
He arrives at the river road. In the distance, he can see
his parked car.
As he nears the car park, Peter's Jaguar comes down the
hill. It's going to cut Carter off from his car.
A Sunbeam Alpine sports car waits there. Its engine roars
into life and it races out of the car park. It reaches him
just before the Jaguar and slows down.
GLENDA
Over here, Jack.
Carter sees that the driver is GLENDA. The hood is down,
so he vaults into the car as it accelerates off.
The Sunbeam swings round, narrowly missing the oncoming
Jaguar, and roars away. Peter hasn't a chance. He's facing
the wrong way and has little room to manoeuvre.
Glenda laughs as the car swings wildly around a corner at
the top of the hill.
INT. SUNBEAM - DAY
Every movement Glenda makes is sexually charged manual
gear changes, steering, even braking. Carter can't take
his eyes off her.
GLENDA
You didn't know you had a fairy
godmother, did you?
CARTER
No. I didn't know that.
GLENDA
A fairy godmother, all of your
own. Aren't you lucky?
CARTER
So where are we going, Princess?
GLENDA
To the demon king's castle, of
course.
CARTER
Of course. Where else?
The car screams off the road into a multi-storey carpark.
INT. MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK - DAY
Glenda really puts her foot down. The car hurtles around
each deserted floor.
CARTER
How'd you know where I'd be?
GLENDA
You were seen parking your car.
The demon king waves his wand and
I was dispatched to bring you to
him. Lucky for you I waited.
CARTER
Very lucky, I should think. You're
drunk!
GLENDA
Nasty.
CARTER
He must have been pretty sure I'd
come.
GLENDA
Oh, he was. He told me a magic
spell that would make you come.
CARTER
(smiling)
And what was that?
GLENDA
We're there now.
She brakes to a split-second stop.
INT. PENTHOUSE RESTAURANT - DAY
It's one large empty concrete box with big picture windows
all the way round. Wires are hanging from the ceiling and
walls where the lights will eventually be fixed.
A tall figure stands at the opposite end, facing the setting
sun. He is just a silhouette.
Carter and Glenda enter and walk towards the man. The
silhouette turns as he nears it. It's Brumby.
BRUMBY
A new venture of mine. It's going
to be a restaurant.
(pause)
Do you like it?
CARTER
Yes.
BRUMBY
Last night, after you'd gone, I
did a little bit of asking around.
Seeing as you weren't very
forthcoming,
(pause)
It seems that you are concerned
about the death of your brother?
(pause) I got to thinking it would
be nice if the bloke you were after
was the same bloke I wanted off my
back,
(pause)
You know my life. Machines. The
arcades. Nice business. Looks after
itself. People put money in. I
take it out. Not much rough stuff.
It's a business that makes me very
happy. But recently, I've had a
spot of bother,
(pause)
One of my lads gets a bit over-
anxious and flogs some machines in
a club that's already got some.
The upshot is I've had to eat shit
and stop flogging my machines to
other clubs.
(pause)
So far as I'm concerned, that's
it. Apparently not. These people
I've offended get the idea that it
would be good to take over my whole
outfit,
(pause)
So I'm worried. I can't fight them
I haven't that kind of set-up.
But I've got to fix them before
they fix me. Trouble is, if I try
and they find out, I'm dead.
Brumby picks up a black briefcase. He holds it up to Carter.
BRUMBY
Five grand. It belongs to you.
Along with a little name I'm going
to give you.
CARTER
What name?
BRUMBY
Kinnear. Cyril Kinnear.
(pause)
Kinnear did it.
CARTER
Why?
BRUMBY
I don't know. All I know is that
people were shitting bricks up at
his place last Saturday. Your
brother's name was mentioned. Next
day, he was dead.
CARTER
Why?
BRUMBY
I don't know. That's all I was
told.
Carter takes a last look at Glenda and walks slowly back
towards the entrance.
CARTER
That's not good enough.
BRUMBY
Christ, what...
CARTER
(shouting)
Do me a favour. You don't really
expect me to fix Kinnear on your
say-so?
(pause)
Just because they tried to get me
on you last night, don't think you
can pull the same trick. Stroll
on.
BRUMBY
Jack, you're wrong.
CARTER
Good afternoon, Mr Brumby. Carter
exits.
BRUMBY
Jack...
EXT. MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK - DAY
Carter steps out of the elevator as Glenda's Sunbeam comes
down the bottom ramp fast. The car brakes hard and stops.
Carter opens the door and gets in. Not a word is said.
INT. GLENDA'S APARTMENT - DAY
The apartment is one of many in a modern block and Glenda
has only recently moved in. There is a mattress on the
floor. A large mirror leans against the wall behind it and
a film projector stands close to the window, which has
makeshift curtains.
Carter and Glenda are on the mattress. The bedding is all
over the place. They have just finished fucking.
CARTER
(looking around)
Who's setting you up in this place?
GLENDA
Brumby.
CARTER
Is he coming here?
GLENDA
Don't worry. He's meeting the
architects at the restaurant.
Carter plays with her hair.
CARTER
Aren't you scared Kinnear will
find out?
GLENDA
He won't. He thinks I'm simple.
Carter kisses her neck.
CARTER
What does he want that bloody great
country place for?
GLENDA
(knowingly)
Entertaining.
CARTER
What kind of entertaining?
GLENDA
Now you're asking.
Carter looks at the film projector by the bed and points.
CARTER
Does Brumby get a kick out of that
crap?
GLENDA
(giggling)
Especially when I play the lead.
Carter wraps his arms about her.
CARTER
Did Kinnear say anything? After
I'd left the other night?
Glenda sits up sharply.
GLENDA
That's why you waited for me.
CARTER
(kissing her on the
neck)
Not entirely. No.
GLENDA
You sure about that?
CARTER
Sure I'm sure.
Glenda pushes him away and gets out of the bed.
GLENDA
You bastard.
Glenda leaves for the bathroom. Carter, curious, looks at
the film projector. It's loaded. He switches it on. A beam
of light hits the opposite wall. He settles down to watch
the film. The leader flashes by, then a title being chalked
on a school blackboard 'The Teacher's Pet'. A zoom back
reveals Glenda, bare-breasted, holding the chalk. This is
followed by a long shot of a young girl, dressed in school
uniform, waiting at a bus stop. A car approaches and stops.
A woman driver offers the girl a lift. The woman is
Margaret. The identity of the girl not revealed.
INT. GLENDA'S BATHROOM - DAY
Glenda is in the bath. Lots of foam. The hot water is still
running. She's smoking. She leans forward, turning off
the tap.
INT. GLENDA'S APARTMENT - DAY
Carter is sitting up on the mattress, amused by the soft
porn unfolding on the white wall in front of him.
The schoolgirl accepts the lift and the car drives off.
The door to an anonymous apartment opens and Margaret comes
in with the girl. Her school hat still hides her identity.
Glenda is there to greet them.
The girl is very awkward. Glenda tries to make her relax,
sitting her down and showing her a magazine.
Glenda brings her into a bedroom. She takes her own top
off and goes to do the same with the girl. She takes her
hat off. A close-up shows that it is Doreen.
Carter tenses but never flinches from what's happening in
the film. Margaret comes into the bedroom and feigns shock
at what she sees. She slaps Glenda and they start fighting,
eventually rolling off the bed.
The apartment door opens and a man smoking a big cigar
comes in.
Carter sits up. It's Albert Swift.
Albert opens another door, looking for someone. He leaves.
Another door opens and he's in the bedroom. He sees the
two women fighting on the floor, but on the bed is his
prize Doreen. Carter watches.
Doreen bites her nails and looks terrified. Reflected in
the mirror behind Carter is the image of Albert taking off
his trousers. The reel runs out and flaps like a fish.
Carter doesn't move. Tears form in his eyes. He looks old
and defeated. His is a wasted life. Then the anger that
drives him explodes again and he throws back the bedclothes.
INT. GLENDA'S BATHROOM - DAY
Carter, now dressed, moves slowly towards her in the bath.
CARTER
I want to give you an Oscar.
GLENDA
(laughs)
You've been watching the film.
CARTER
Tell me about the girl.
GLENDA
What girl?
CARTER
The young girl. Who pulled her?
GLENDA
I don't know.
CARTER
Was it Albert?
GLENDA
Shouldn't think so.
CARTER
Is it one of Kinnear's films?
GLENDA
Yeah.
CARTER
Who set it up? Eric?
GLENDA
Yeah.
CARTER
Then he must have pulled her.
GLENDA
Expect so.
CARTER
Did my brother Frank find out?
GLENDA
Your brother? What you talking
about?
Carter's fury bursts. He's out of control. He seizes Glenda
and plunges her under the bathwater, holding her there.
CARTER
You're a lying bitch.
Carter lifts her up, out of the water. She is spluttering,
nearly drowned.
CARTER
Now tell me the truth.
GLENDA
The girl's name was Doreen. That's
all I know.
CARTER
And you didn't know her last name?
GLENDA
No.
CARTER
Well, it's Carter. That's my name,
(pause)
And her father was my brother. And
he was murdered last Sunday. Now
get up and get dressed.
He pushes her ahead of him.
EXT. GLENDA'S APARTMENT BLOCK - DAY
Carter manhandles Glenda towards her Sunbeam. He opens the
boot.
CARTER
Get in.
Glenda climbs in and he slams the boot shut. The car
scorches away.
EXT. JETTY. TYNE FERRY - DAY
Carter parks the sports car as the ferry docks. He moves
down the gangway towards it.
INT. CAFE - DAY
A girl with a baby in a pram is having a cup of tea. The
door slams open. There's Carter.
CARTER
Where's Albert?
The girl is numb with fear, unable to answer. Carter grabs
her by the throat.
CARTER
Where's Albert?
The girl is frozen with terror. He lets go as suddenly as
he grabbed her.
CARTER
I know where I'll find him.
EXT. BACK STREET - DAY
Carter walks fast. There's the sound of a phone being
dialled. It's the GIRL in the cafe.
GIRL (V.O.)
Eric, he's come for Albert,
(pause)
I don't know, (pause) On the ferry,
I reckon.
Carter reaches the front of a betting shop. He walks in.
INT. BETTING SHOP - DAY
Carter closes the door. Race results and odds are coming
over the Tannoy. He moves into the shop until he reaches
ALBERT SWIFT. Albert is making out a betting slip and
doesn't see him.
CARTER
Hello, Albert.
Albert looks like he's going to be sick.
ALBERT
Hello, Jack,
(snivelling)
I don't know anything, Jack.
CARTER
Yes, you do, Albert. Talk or I'll
kill you.
ALBERT
I know. I know.
Carter sees a door at the back. There's a sign for the
toilets.
CARTER
Do you want to go to the toilet,
Albert?
At first Albert doesn't understand.
CARTER
Do you want to go to the toilet,
Albert?
This time it clicks. Albert moves to the door and Carter
follows.
EXT. BETTING SHOP BACKYARD - DAY
Carter turns to close the door. Albert runs for it. He
reaches the high double-gate at the end. It's locked and
he tries to climb it. No luck. Carter easily pulls him
down. Albert faces him.
CARTER
You can't get away from me, Albert.
ALBERT
I know.
He feels for his cigarettes but can't find them.
ALBERT
For Christ's sake, give us a fag.
Carter takes out his cigarettes. Albert takes one.
ALBERT
I didn't know who Doreen was.
Thought she was just another bird.
CARTER
Did Eric Pake pull her?
ALBERT
Yes.
CARTER
How?
ALBERT
I dunno. He's got his ways. He
knows Margaret.
CARTER
When did you find out?
ALBERT
A couple of weeks back.
CARTER
How?
ALBERT
No choice. I had a visit from
somebody.
CARTER
Who?
ALBERT
Cliff Brumby. He'd seen the film.
He wanted to meet Doreen.
CARTER
And you told Brumby?
Albert nods.
CARTER
Who killed Frank?
Albert doesn 't answer.
CARTER
Do you want to be dead, Albert?
ALBERT
Last Sunday afternoon, Eric and
two of his boys arrive with Frank
and tell me that he's rumbled.
Somehow, he's seen the film and
was about to shoot his mouth off.
They ask me for some whisky and
start forcing it down his throat.
(pause)
I thought they'd just duff him up
a bit. Honest.
CARTER
What did you do? Albert?
ALBERT
Nothing. What could I do?
CARTER
Did Eric know that Frank was my
brother?
ALBERT
Yes. I told him.
CARTER
What did he say?
ALBERT
'Good.'
Albert draws deeply on his cigarette.
They drove Frank away in a car.
CARTER
Is that all there is?
Albert nods.
CARTER
Then that's it, Albert.
Carter takes something from his pocket. There's a loud
click. It's a. knife.
ALBERT
Jack, for Christ's sake ...
He falls to his knees.
CARTER
You knew what I'd do.
ALBERT
(crying)
Yes, but listen. Christ, I didn't
kill him.
Carter drives the knife into him with all his might.
CARTER
I know you didn't kill him.
(and again.)
I know you didn't.
A ship's horn calls mournfully from the harbour. Albert
leans back. Blood seeps from his chest. He pitches forward,
twitches, and is dead.
INT. BETTING SHOP - DAY
Carter comes in from the back and walks calmly through to
the street. A blind man is at the counter placing a bet.
EXT. JETTY - TYNE FERRY - DAY
The Sunbeam waits in the car park. Eric, Con and Peter
arrive in the Land Rover and park behind it. They go down
the gangplank to the floating jetty. A ferry is chugging
across the water.
INT. FERRY - DAY
Carter sits, watching the other passengers. A mother and
two young children take his attention. His look is tinted
with regret even remorse.
EXT. JETTY - DAY
As the ferry comes alongside, Eric, Con and Peter move up
to the rail. The passengers disembark, leaving Carter
standing alone. He's holding Con's handgun.
Eric, Con and Peter hack slowly away to the steel shelters.
Peter, impatient as ever, pulls a sawn-off automatic shooter
from under his coat, cocks it and fires. Too late. Carter
is already safely behind the ferry's superstructure. Eric
shouts.
ERIC
No shooters. Cyril said no shooters,
you stupid bastard.
PETER
Get stuffed. He's reloading.
CON
Gerald wants to see him first.
PETER
Shut up.
Carter is listening to all this.
CARTER
(shouting)
Are you coming in? Or do we piss
about all day?
Eric laughs.
ERIC
You're finished, Jack. You know
that, don't you? I've bloody
finished you.
CARTER
Not till I'm dead, Eric.
Eric laughs.
ERIC
Oh, you've still got your sense of
humour? Tell him how I've fixed
him, Con.
CON
He's told Gerald about you and
Anna.
ERIC
Didn't believe us at first, did
he, Con? Then Peter talked to him.
PETER
Didn't even say goodbye. Just asked
us to take you back - alive.
ERIC
He's probably talking to her right
now. Are you still going to fancy
her when Gerald's finished with
her face?
Carter shows no emotion. Or are his eyes just that bit
sadder? Peter lets rip again. Another window is shattered.
Carter ducks back, allowing Peter time to board the ferry.
Carter catches a glimpse of Peter as he climbs up the
ferry's superstructure to the roof. By the time he heaves
himself into position, Carter is waiting.
CARTER
Stay where you are, Peter.
Peter is helpless, clinging to the roof, unable to even
raise his shooter.
PETER
(screaming)
Don't.
There's a long pause while Carter looks at him, then he
cold-bloodedly shoots. Peter is blown away. By the time he
hits the deck, he's dead.
Con and Eric panic. They run up the gangplank, safely out
of range.
ERIC
Carter, your car needs a wash.
Eric signals to the driver in the Land Rover to bump the
Sunbeam into the water. Two hits and the task is done.
Glenda's screams are lost as the river wraps itself around
the sinking car.
Carter watches impassively.
EXT. BRUMBY'S RESTAURANT COMPLEX - DAY
Carter's hire car corners at speed into the high-rise
carpark.
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Brumby and two architects in a site meeting. Plans are
laid out on a table.
BRUMBY
I don't want them cooking in here.
You can put a hatch in that wall.
INTERIOR DECORATOR
Yes, it's all a question of ...
The sound of a car screeching up the ramps interrupts him.
BRUMBY
Who in Christ's name is that? It's
a bloody madman.
He strides away to investigate.
EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Brumby comes out to the top tier. On the floor below,
Carter, unseen by Brumby, has parked and is now making for
the concrete spiral staircase.
EXT. STAIRCASE - DAY
Brumby pounds down to the first level. Carter comes around
the corner.
BRUMBY
Jack!
Carter slams his fist hard into his gut.
CARTER
You shouldn't have shown the film
to Frank.
BRUMBY
I had to. It was the only way I
could get at them.
INT. BACK STREET POST OFFICE - EVENING.
It's a combined shop and post office. Carter is on the
phone.
CARTER
The guy on the swing-bridge?
(pause)
OK.
Carter hangs up. He takes a can of film from his pocket
and slips it into a large envelope. At the counter two
women are talking.
FIRST WOMAN
They don't know how it happened.
SECOND WOMAN
How far did he fall?
FIRST WOMAN
What did Betty say... Ninety floors,
I think it was.
SECOND WOMAN
Really. Was he dead?
FIRST WOMAN
Oh, yes.
The envelope is passed across to the post office assistant.
It is addressed to Vice Squad, Scotland Yard, London Sw1.
SECOND WOMAN
Better to go quick like that.
EXT. SWING-BRIDGE - EVENING
The huge steel superstructure pivots on a large man-made
island in the middle of the river.
On top is a structure not unlike a small lighthouse, from
which a man operates the bridge. Carter climbs the outside
ladder. A man waits for him at the top.
The man hands him a small cloth package. Carter opens it.
Inside is heroin and a hypodermic. He wraps it up again
and hands over an envelope. The man checks the money as
Carter disappears down the outside ladder.
INT. BINGO HALL - NIGHT
The hall is crowded. The compere calls the numbers. The
atmosphere is tense as the audience look at their cards.
Someone calls, 'Bingo.' A buzz goes round the hall as
everybody starts talking again.
Carter enters, surveying the audience. Eventually, his
eyes alight on the person he's been looking for Margaret.
She's involved with a woman friend and doesn't see him.
The next game starts up.
EXT. BINGO HALL - NIGHT
Crowds of people come pouring out. It's the end of the
evening's entertainment. Margaret walks out with her friend.
Carter follows them and turns up a side street.
EXT. STEPS LEADING TO BACK STREET - NIGHT
The place is deserted. Margaret and her friend descend the
steps. The clop of their high heels is the only sound.
Carter follows discreetly. At the bottom, Margaret and her
friend chat for a moment and part.
Carter follows Margaret.
EXT. BACK ALLEY - NIGHT
The clop of Margaret's shoes is heard in the distance. She
appears. Carter is following behind. He slips into another
dark alley to get ahead of her. As she reaches her home
Carter's arm shoots out from behind a pillar. It's holding
Con's handgun.
CARTER
I've come for you, Margaret.
INT. THE HEIGHTS - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
There's a big party going on. The music is loud. It's mainly
rich-looking middle-aged men and young dolly birds.
Different things are obviously going on in different rooms
in the house. Dancing in one room, blue movies in another,
etc. Kinnear flits from one to another. Eric Paice is on
the phone. He puts the receiver down and crosses to Kinnear.
ERIC
Gerald Fletcher wants a word with
you Cyril.
Kinnear crosses to the telephone.
KINNEAR
Hello, Gerald.
EXT. VILLAGE TELEPHONE KIOSK - NIGHT
Carter stands in the dimly lit kiosk with Margaret. The
hire car is parked alongside.
CARTER
It's Carter. Listen carefully, you
hairy-faced git. I've got the film
and enough evidence to put you
away for a long time. All it takes
is one call to the police.
INT. THE HEIGHTS - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Kinnear listens.
KINNEAR
Really?
(pause)
So?
EXT. VILLAGE TELEPHONE KIOSK - NIGHT
Carter into phone.
CARTER
I'll do a simple deal with you.
All I want is ...
INT. THE HEIGHTS - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Kinnear is still listening to Carter. He looks over at
Eric, who's fixing a drink.
KINNEAR
I see. I think that can be arranged.
Kinnear continues listening.
INT. VILLAGE TELEPHONE KIOSK - NIGHT
Carter into phone.
CARTER
... but I don't want him there
until six in the morning. OK?
(pause)
Right.
Carter hangs up. He pushes Margaret towards the car.
INT. THE HEIGHTS - LIBRARY - NIGHT
The noise of the wild party is heard off. Eric comes into
the room.
ERIC
You want something, Cyril?
KINNEAR
Yes, Eric. A word with you.
EXT. DESERTED WOOD - NIGHT
Headlights, through the thick trees, as Carter's car comes
bouncing over rough ground.
INT. HIRE CAR - NIGHT
Carter stops in a clearing and leaves his headlights on.
He turns to Margaret.
CARTER
Get out.
Carter and Margaret get out. They appear in the beam of
the headlights and move further into the wood.
EXT. WOOD - NIGHT
Carter and Margaret stop.
CARTER
Take your clothes off.
Margaret is confused. Take your clothes off. Margaret
does just that: coat, blouse, skin. She goes to remove her
knickers.
CARTER
Keep your pants on.
(pause)
Lie down.
Again she obeys.
He kneels on her, pinning her arms with his knees, then
stuffs a gag in her mouth.
He takes out the hypodermic, places it against her arm,
and injects the heroin into her. She struggles, her eyes
moving frantically about. She screams, but its muffled by
the gag. Carter holds her down and she quickly goes under.
Carter removes the gag. He stands, picks her up and walks
into the darkness with Margaret in his arms.
INT. THE HEIGHTS - LIBRARY - NIGHT
Kinnear is alone, speaking on the telephone quietly. The
party is still going on.
KINNEAR
I want you to listen very carefully.
Jack Carter,
(pause)
You know what he looks like?
INT. HOTEL BEDROOM - NIGHT
A bedside light is on. A man in bed is listening on the
phone.
MAN
Yes.
He taps his cigarette against the ashtray. On his middle
finger is a large ring with the initial 'J' on it. He
listens until the line goes dead.
The woman beside him stirs. He stubs out the cigarette and
switches off the light. Darkness.
EXT. THE HEIGHTS - DAWN
Eric comes out of the front door. Inside the party is still
in progress. He gets into a Cadillac and drives off.
EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - DAWN
Carter is parked where he can see the drive up to Kinnear's
house.
The Cadillac appears and swings on to the road.
There's the sound of a phone being dialled.
CARTER (V.O.)
Police.
EXT. THE HEIGHTS - DAWN
A long line of police cars move slowly up the drive,
followed by a police bus. They park by the front door and
around fifty policemen pour out. They move silently around
the building. A chief constable opens the front door and
walks in.
INT. THE HEIGHTS - DAWN
The police move through the house and grounds. In the
bedrooms they find groups of people in bed together. The
men in particular protest and are obviously concerned about
being identified. The police find evidence of drugs,
pornography and so on.
Outside, police are combing the grounds. In the long grass
leading down to the lake they find women's clothes. They
follow the trail until they discover a woman floating naked,
face downwards, in the lake. A policeman with waders goes
in and pulls her to the side. As others heave her out, we
see that it's Margaret.
EXT. THE HEIGHTS - DAWN
The house is surrounded by police measuring and
photographing, and outside the house are police cars and
ambulances. The lawn is crowded with the party crowd. In
the early-morning light, they look like dolls.
Kinnear comes out of the front door with two plain-clothes
officers and gets in a police car. Sirens going, it comes
down the short drive to the gate.
INT. HIRE CAR - DAWN
Carter is driving along a coast road. The sea and a wide
beach lie on his right. Long rows of houses are to his
left.
The sun is still low. It's very quiet. He arrives at a
harbour and drives on until he reaches the end of a vast
wooden jetty running out into the estuary. It's a coal
loader for tankers.
This jetty is very high, a complex of wooden staves and
pillars, interwoven with steps and gangways. On its top
tier is a complex of railway lines, signals and black coal
chutes.
EXT. COAL JETTY - DAWN
Carter parks his car and picks up the shotgun and a bottle
of Scotch off the back seat. He get out and walks over to
the jetty and along a lower gangway. At the far end, a man
is standing. It's Eric Paice. Eric turns around abruptly.
He sees Carter and disappears up the nearest stairway.
Carter follows.
At the top he stops to listen, but can see and hear only
the harbour waters lapping below.
Carter looks back to the coal jetty, just in time to see
Eric scamper down to the level below. Eric sprints for the
roadway. Carter waits and then starts running directly
above him.
Eric keeps running. Carter stays always overhead. He's
playing cat and mouse with Eric.
CARTER
(calling out)
You couldn't win an egg and spoon
race, Eric.
ERIC
(wheezing)
Sod off.
Paice darts down another staircase to ground level and
makes for the roadway. Carter stops above the roadway.
Below, Paice makes for the parked car. Carter holds the
gun up. Eric stops and looks up.
CARTER
Stay away from the car or I'll
blow you apart.
Eric darts under the jetty. Carter runs on down the steps.
He can see Eric scampering along the row of cottages towards
the beach. Carter starts after him.
EXT. BEACH - EARLY DAY
Eric runs out on to the beach. The only sounds are his
feet pounding the pebbles and his hurtful panting.
In the distance, factory chimneys belch out smoke. Carter
appears. For a moment he watches Eric stumbling along at
the far end of the beach. He climbs down to the beach and
starts running.
EXT. BEACH - EARLY DAY
Carter is gaining on Eric rapidly. Eric looks round and
panics. He stumbles and falls over.
He gets to his feet quickly and disappears round the
headland. Carter follows.
EXT. BEACH - EARLY DAY
On the other side of the headland, the scene is
extraordinary. The deserted beach is like the edge of the
world. The sand is black as far as the eye can see. It's
littered with rubbish. Several old lorries are sunk deep
in the sand. High, grass-covered cliffs flank it on the
left. It's deserted.
In the distance, a continuous line of giant black buckets
move, like cable-cars, out to sea, before they deposit
their load of coal slag and move inland again. The coal
mine itself is inland, hidden away behind the cliffs. The
sea, like the sand, is black as it crashes on to the shore.
Eric is half-way along the beach, struggling in the mud.
Carter closes on him.
EXT. BEACH - EARLY DAY
Eric nears the line of buckets and cuts inland towards the
mine. Carter has nearly caught up. The buckets grind and
crash as they move along the cable.
Eric scrambles up the narrow valley down which the coal
slag travels. He is panting horribly. Carter is close on
his heels. Near the top, where the buckets are practically
at ground level, Eric stumbles and falls. He is too
exhausted to get up.
Carter stands over him.
CARTER
(panting slightly)
Stand up, Eric. Stand up.
Eric just manages it. Carter pulls the bottle of Scotch
out of his pocket.
CARTER
I bet you could use a drink, could
you, Eric?
He throws the bottle to Eric.
CARTER
Eh? Have a drink.
ERIC
Still got your sense of humour.
Eric takes the cap off and looks at Carter. He's in a
terrible state.
CARTER
Drink up, Eric. Drink up. I want
you to drink all of that. Do you
understand? Drink up. Just like it
was with my brother, Frank. Go on,
son. Drink up.
Eric pours the whisky into his month. It spills over and
runs down his face.
CARTER
Drink up, Eric.
Eric begins to stagger about.
CARTER
It was you who poured it down him.
Eh, Eric?
Eric takes a breather and looks pathetically at Carter. No
mercy there.
CARTER
Did you all have a good laugh, eh?
Did you have a good laugh when he
was spewing it up? The whisky is
pouring all over Eric's face and
suit.
It's disgusting to watch. Suddenly, he retches, but nothing
comes up.
CARTER
Drink it! Drink it! Did you all
pass the bottle round after the
car went over the top?
Eric is choking.
CARTER
Don't stop, Eric.
Carter leans forward and with his free hand lifts the bottle
up to Eric's mouth again. In the other, he holds the
shotgun. Eric chokes and retches. Carter has seen enough.
CARTER
Goodbye, Eric.
Carter raises the butt of the gun and brings it down on
Eric's head.
EXT. BEACH - EARLY DAY
Eric's body, loaded on to a a coal bucket, moves off on
it's final journey. Carter, laughing, walks beside it, gun
riding on his shoulder. The bucket shudders and grinds as
it moves along the cable. Eric's body moves of on its final
journey. It reaches the end of the line, where an automatic
catch tilts it. Eric's body drops into the sea. The coal
slag follows in a cloud of black dust. The waves pass over
and everything is gone.
Carter stands for a moment, turns and walks back along the
beach. He stops, looks at the shotgun, and decides to get
rid of it.
EXT. CLIFF TOP - EARLY MORNING
Below, Carter moves slowly by the edge of the sea. He raises
the shotgun to throw it away. High on the clifftop a rifle
and telescopic lens line up on Carter. A finger curls around
the trigger. On the middle finger of the same hand is a
large gold ring with the letter 'J' engraved upon it. It
is the man Kinnear contacted after sending Eric to his
death.
The finger tightens on the trigger and pulls it. There's a
quiet, whooshing sound. Carter drops to the ground.
EXT. BEACH - EARLY MORNING
Carter lies on the beach. The waves lap around his head. A
small trickle of blood pours out of a hole in his temple.
He's dead.
EXT. CLIFF TOP - EARLY MORNING
Kinnear's hit man coolly dismantles his rifle. He carefully
wraps it in a cloth fishing-rod carrier. He walks off and
is soon lost as he drops out of sight.
FADE OUT:
THE END |
THE GETAWAY
by Walter Hill
This screenplay is dedicated to Raoul Walsh
Based on the novel
by
Jim Thompson
FINAL REVISED SHOOTING SCRIPT
February 23 1972
NOTE: SCENE NUMBERS AND "OMITTED" SLUGS WERE REMOVED FROM
THIS COPY.
FADE IN:
CARD OVER: SANDERSON PRISON
EXT. PRISON YARD - TITLES OVER - DAY
DOC McCOY IS BEING WALKED ACROSS THE COMPOUND BY A UNIFORMED
GUARD, carrying a riot gun. Other Prisoners around the yard
turn and stare as the two men head for the main building.
INT. PRISON CORRIDOR
DOC WALKS DOWN THE BLEAK HALLWAY: A BLACK PRISONER PASSES Doc
in the corridor, they slap hands... the Guard remains at his
shoulder. Near the end of the passage another Guard clangs
open a barred door and allows Doc and the First Guard to
enter the room where he stands sentry.
INT. HEARING ROOM - DAY
A LONG TABLE HAS BEEN SET UP AT THE HEAD OF THE ROOM, several
Prison Officials and Parol Board Members are seated facing
the length of the room.
Seated at one end of the table is an Irish looking Man;
floridly handsome and a bit overweight, his red hair is
beginning to grey. The Nameplate in front of him reads J.
BEYNON.
Doc enters the room and seats himself near two other
PRISONERS, the GUARD stands back against the wall.
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
Another table has been set up; this one near the seated
Prisoners, for their LEGAL COUNSELS -- SEVERAL LAWYERS
examine papers before them, waiting for the hearing to begin.
A MAN at the center of the large table clears his throat,
then begins to speak.
CHAIRMAN
I think we can begin... First parole
request Carter "Doc" McCoy... is legal
counsel present?
A MAN rises from behind the lawyers' table.
LAWYER
Yes. Eugene Stewart representing Mr.
McCoy.
DOC
watching... taking it all in.
AT THE TABLE
The Man checks the papers before him.
CHAIRMAN
(his voice a bored drone)
Carter McCoy, one to five years sentence
for armed robbery, first offense in the
State of Texas, wanted by the State of
Ohio for assault with a deadly weapon and
armed robbery...
LAWYER
The State of Ohio has waved jurisdiction,
Mr. Chairman. They no longer seek Mr.
McCoy in connection with that case.
CHAIRMAN
(adjusting his papers)
That is correct. Very well. Mr. McCoy has
served four years of his sentence. Prison
record satisfactory. Applied for parole
on September 5th of this year...
The Chairman lowers the paper, looks across to the lawyer.
CHAIRMAN (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Remarks?
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED:
LAWYER
We would only again like to call the
committee's attention to Mr. McCoy's
satisfactory behavior as a prisoner.
CHAIRMAN
Notice is taken.
He looks down the table at the dark-suited men.
CHAIRMAN (CONT'D)
(continuing)
The Board met in closed chambers last
week... have you reached a decision
regarding Mr. McCoy's request for parole?
DOC
His face is taut.
AT THE TABLE
A Second MAN looks across to the Chairman.
SECOND MAN
(seated near Beynon)
Request for parole is denied. The
prisoner may re-apply in one calendar
year.
DOC
lowers his eyes, then looks up at his
lawyer. The lawyer avoids Doc's glance.,
he shuffles the papers in front of him,
begins stuffing them into his briefcase.
AT THE TABLE THE CHAIRMAN FLIPS HIS PAPERS TO A NEW PAGE
CHAIRMAN
(still totally without emotion)
Very well. The next request for parole is
from John Doty. Is legal counsel present?
VOICE (O.S.)
Yes.
CHAIRMAN
Mr. Doty is serving five to twelve years
for embezzlement of corporate funds.
DOC'S JAW TIGHTENS... HE AGAIN LOOKS AT THE FLOOR
DOC PLAYING CHESS WITH AN OLD CON IN A BLEAK WORK ROOM -
torn, magazines, beaten up radio, butt cans filled with sand.
4.
EXT. PRISON GATE - ANGLES
DOC AND OTHER PRISONERS RUN OUT OF THE GATE LEADING TO the
tractor driven carts that will take them to their work area.
EXT. EDGE OF FOREST
DOC AND WORK PARTY HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED AT THE FOREST and
begin to cut, file and burn brush. They are always guarded by
guards, some on horseback.
EXT. PRISON COMPOUND - DAY
DOC LEANS AGAINST A WIRE FENCE CHEWING ON AN OVEN match, he
watches the other prisoners aimlessly wander around the
exercise yard.
INT. PRISON COMMISSARY - DAY
DOC IS STANDING IN LINE WITH THE OTHER PRISONERS, starchy
puddles of food are being ladled out onto the metal trays...
INT. PRISON TOILETS - DAY
DOC WORKING WITH SEVERAL PRISONERS, ALL OF THEM ON THEIR
HANDS AND KNEES, cleaning a long line of open, filthy
toilets... a Guard stands nearby.
DOC SHOWERING IN AN OPEN STALL WITH TWENTY MEN
coarse soap and brownish yellow water... Doc has an American
Eagle tattooed on one shoulder.
A SENTRY TOWER - DUSK
A GUARD LOOKS OUT OVER THE EMPTY EXERCISE YARD... buildings
containing bleak cell blocks stand beyond the open compound.
INT. CELL BLOCK - NIGHT
A WARDER JANGLES HIS KEY RING AS HE PASSES BY THE IRON doored
cells.
INT. TEXTILE MILL - A SERIES OF ANGLES - DAY
DOC AND OTHERS WORKING. THE NOISE OF MACHINERY IS deafening.
The clatter of the constantly working parts is maddening.
INT. CELL - NIGHT
DOC LIES ACROSS A SMALL COT WITHIN HIS SHADOW-CROSSED cell.
He works carefully at a toothpick suspension bridge. Doc
glues the final pieces into place...
(CONTINUED)
5.
CONTINUED:
Around the cubicle his personal effects can be seen, a
picture of an attractive woman, several battered paperbacks.
Doc continues looking at the bridge... then suddenly begins
smashing it to pieces with his right fist.
INT. PRISON - VISITING BUNGALOW - DAY
DOC IS SEATED... WAITING. CAROL enters the darkened room and
seats herself opposite Doc. They are separated by a wide
table and net of wire meshing that springs upward from mid-
point between them.
CAROL
(big smile, she wants the
moment to be an upper)
Hello, Doc.
He simply stares back at her. Carol's finely honed features
compliment a face that at first glance is pretty,at a second
glance shows willful strength. Doc continues looking at
Carol.
CAROL (CONT'D)
I'm sorry.
Doc is silent.
CAROL (CONT'D)
It's been raining a lot the last few
days.
Doc is silent.
CAROL (CONT'D)
We'll try again.
DOC
No way. I've got to get out now.
Get to Beynon, tell him I'm for sale. His price.
She looks at him.
DOC (CONT'D)
Do it now.
She hesitates, tries to touch him through the mesh. Gets up
and leaves. Doc remains unmoving.
EXT. COUNTRY COURTHOUSE - SAN MARCOS, TEXAS - DAY
6.
CAROL MOVES TO THE BACK OF THE LARGE BTJILDING AND UP A REAR
STAIRWAY TOWARD THE OVERHEAD OFFICE.
INT. COURTHOUSE
CAROL ENTERS A LEGAL OFFICE, WEARING A SOFT BILLOWY dress.
She looks very good.
A middle aged SECRETARY looks up at Carol. A short balding
man (THE ACCOUNTANT) in his forties works at a large desk
across the room from the Secretary. He seems totally occupied
with his bookwork.
NEAR THE ACCOUNTANT THREE MEN ARE SEATED ON A DAVENPORT
They are dressed casually; by the look of them they might be
anything at all but all three have commonality; they are
professionals.
HAYHOE - Thirty years old, buck teeth and blue eyes, a bitter
ender.
CULLY - Well padded strength, large hands and wrists that pop
out of his buttoned shirtsleeves...
SWAIN - a little older and a little smarter than the other
two, his narrow features allow no warmth.
AFTER A MOMENT:
SECRETARY Yes?
CAROL
I want to see Jack Beynon.
The Accountant nods to the Secretary, she points Carol
towards a door leading to an inner office.
SECRETARY
Go right in, Mrs. McCoy.
DOC AND CAROL - PACES, PARTS OP BODIES, EMPHASIS ON HANDS, in
bed... his hand touching the soft white skin beneath her
stomach.
BACK WITHIN THE OFFICE THE THREE MEN LOOK AFTER CAROL
CULLY
Class - regular?
SWAIN
No. Doc McCoy's old lady.
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED:
Cully looks startled.
CULLY
Jesus. Carol Ainsley?
SWAIN
The very same.
CULLY
The Doctor took out McGovern for her.
SWAIN
She only rides winning - Class easy
class.
ACCOUNTANT
Shut up.
INT. BEYNON'S OFFICE
CAROL ENTERS.
A WOMAN'S LIPS - FLASH CUT
pressed against a man's neck. She kisses, then bites a tiny
portion of skin.
BACK TO BEYNON'S OFFICE. HE IS POURING A DRINK.
BEYNON
How are you, Mrs. McCoy?
CAROL APPROACHES BEYNON'S DESK WITH A NERVOUSLY
DETERMINED STRIDE
CAROL
Ready to talk about my husband, Mr.
Beynon.
BEYNON
So the good Doctor comes up again.
(then)
Please sit down.
CAROL
He's asked me to come and see you.
Beynon looks at her... then lets their eyes meet.
BEYNON
(handing her a drink)
Why? Can I help?
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED:
CAROL
Yes, I think you can.
A MAN'S FINGERS STARING AT THE ANKLET ON THE WOMAN'S LEG then
drawing an imaginary line upward... a woman's hand wearing a
wedding ring comes up to meet it.
INT. SANDERSON PRISON OFFICE CORRIDOR - DAY
A UNIFORMED GUARD LEADS DOC DOWN THE HALLWAY, they turn a
corner and go into a small private room, Doc is now dressed
in civilian clothes.
Doc catches sight of himself in a small mirror. He stops
looking uncertainly at the image... and then moves on with
the guard.
EXT. PRISON - DAY
DOC EXITS THE PRISON AND STANDS WAITING NEAR THE AUTO GATE.
He looks down the two-lane blacktop road that runs along the
edge of the penitentiary... Doc turns, looks again at the
prison... four years is a long time.
A dark Caddy is parked down the road.
INT. CADDY - DAY
THE ACCOUNTANT OR SWAIN SITS BEHIND THE WHEEL. He stares at
Doc. Doc crosses to him.
ACCOUNTANT
Mr. Beynon will see you the day after
tomorrow 12:30 at the River Walk.
He gestures and drives away.
DISSOLVE TO:
DOC IS STILL WAITING
He leans against a low stone wall that lines the entrance
way... The duffel bag rests beside him.
A late model Ford approaches, stops near Doc... the passenger
side door opens from the inside... Carol is driving... Doc
and Carol look at one another, their eyes holding several
moments.
INT. FORD - DAY
9.
BOTH CAROL AND DOC ARE VERY TENSE.
CAROL
Hello, Doc.
DOC
Hi.
CAROL
You okay?
DOC
(big smile)
I'm a lot better off than I was an hour
ago.
They look at each other for a moment. Carol leans forward...
Doc, inhibited by the closeness of the prison walls, kisses
her lightly, but with affection...
CAROL
You want to drive?
DOC
My license expired, let's get out of
here.
CAROL
Sure...
She starts the car, slips it into gear.
EXT. HIGHWAY
THE FORD MOVES ALONG THE DESERTED ROADSIDE, crossing the
border and passing into the State of Texas.
INT. THE FORD
DOC ALTERNATELY STARES AT THE PASSING SCENERY, THEN BACK to
Carol.
CAROL
I'm sorry I was late... I got my hair
done... the girl was slow.
DOC
It looks fine.
A pause.
CAROL
Feel good?
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED:
DOC
Yeah.
CAROL
Where do you want to go?
DOC
I want to take a walk.
He smiles, then reaches over and gently touches a strand of
Carol's hair.
EXT. RIVER - GRASSY BANK - SERIES OP ANGLES - DAY
THEY PARK THE CAR AND EXIT. DOC MOVES A LITTLE AHEAD OF
Carol. He sits on the bank watching the kids play.
YOUNG BOYS SWING ON A ROPE THAT HANGS OVER THE PALLS
COLLEGE KIDS, SOME ARE SWIMMING, SOME STUDYING, SOME just
grooving.
AN OLDER COUPLE SIT ON THE BANK, THEIR FEET IN THE WATER
CAROL SITS DOWN NOT TOO CLOSE. DOC IS SILENT FOR LONG
moments. Carol starts to speak but doesn't. He is
preoccupied, lost in his own thoughts.
Finally he stands, looking down at her. He slowly takes off
his coat, folds it, lays it on the grass, then turns and
starts walking towards a tree.
Suddenly he takes off his shoes, breaks into a run and dives
for the rope.
CAROL IS ALREADY ON HER FEET, HER SWEATER OFF, SHOES kicked
aside, she runs after him and hits the water with an awkward
splash. She is a brief second behind him.
THEY COME UP TOGETHER, AND HE LAUGHS WITH THE PURE JOY of
being free and alive. She joins him, in his laughter and with
their arms around each other, they turn as they are swept
down stream.
INT. EL OSO CONDOMINIUM - NIGHT
THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW A PORTION OF THE EXTERIOR BUILDING CAN
BE SEEN... The interior is cozy and Carol. Carol has lived
here almost two years. On the wall there is a poster (which
will be on the wall of every room that they stay in from now
on).
(CONTINUED)
11.
CONTINUED:
Around the room are drying clothes. Carol is ironing with a
steam iron.
Doc is sitting at a table with a Colt .45 in front of him and
a .32 automatic. He is field stripping. There is a bowl of
peaches on the table.
DOC
(pointing to the poster)
It doesn't look like that.
CAROL
What do you mean? You've never been
there.
DOC
I've been there every day for the last
four years.
She crosses to him and gives him a hug, then returns to her
ironing.
DOC (CONT'D)
What's Beynon got set up?
CAROL
Small town, small bank, big money.
She holds up some 11 by 14 photographs in front of him.
DOC
Where did you get those?
CAROL
I've been doing my homework.
DOC
Just like old times?
CAROL
Better than old times.
DOC
I hope so. I am not looking forward to
another stretch.
CAROL
I made a mistake. I'll never make another
one.
DOC
(after a moment)
Where did you get them developed?
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED: (2)
CAROL
Assumed name... Houston.
DOC
Good.
RAFTER A MOMENT)
How much is the score?
CAROL
Half a million.
DOC
That Beynon's got a long arm.
CAROL
(after a moment)
What do you want for dinner?
DOC
Whisky and a peach.
She laughs softly, and goes to a cupboard and takes out four
bottles of whisky, four glasses and a bowl of ice. Doc smiles
at her and begins sampling.
CAROL
(as Doc eats a peach with a
sharp knife)
How does it taste?
DOC
Just the way I remembered.
Doc reaches across the table and touches her hand gently.
DOC (CONT'D)
You been okay?
CAROL
Pretty good... Made a quick trip to
Oregon, saw my brother and the kids.
Figured it would be my last chance,
unless they wanted to travel.
DOC
How's Estelle?
CAROL
Fatter... some things never change.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED:
DOC
Boring.
CAROL
Nothing's been boring since you found me.
DOC
(carefully)
That's not all of it.
CAROL
No. It's been a long time.
A pause. He continues stroking her arm.
DOC
You go out much?
CAROL
After four years and now the question
comes up.
DOC
Couldn't handle it then. Now I can.
CAROL
(with warmth and a smile)
I'm still here, Doc.
He stands, kisses her gently. She stands and they move toward
the stairs.
INT. BEDROOM
THEY ENTER THE BEDROOM AND SIT SIDE BY SIDE ON THE DOUBLE
bed. They both sit rigidly. Doc's eyes are on Carol, she
stares vacantly expectant.
Doc begins to unbutton her blouse, it comes undone with
agonizing slowness... Carol pulls her shoulders back helping
Doc drop the garment down to her waist.
Doc hesitates, then carefully touches her shoulder... her
hair... he kisses her... Doc gently eases himself away from
Carol.
DOC
(he is very tight)
Oh Christ...
He again moves close... Doc reaches around to unsnap her bra
as Carol places both of her arms around him, holding him
tightly...
(CONTINUED)
14.
CONTINUED:
Doc unsnaps the top fastener, the second one catches, remains
unyielding... He closes his eyes for a second... The pressure
of the moment is again too intense for Doc. Once more he
pulls gently away from her. Carol looks at him, her eyes very
reassuring.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
I guess I'm kind of...
CAROL
It's all right.
DOC
(explaining the obvious)
It's just been a while.
CAROL
We've got time. We've got a lot of time.
I can help you.
She stands, begins to remove her skirt.
DOC
Wait... give me a minute.
CAROL
Sure.
She sits beside him again, takes his hand in hers...
DOC
I'll be okay.
CAROL
Listen, I'm just as nervous as you are.
DOC
Really?
CAROL
Really.
They look at one another. A pause. He kisses her; their
embrace pulls them back across the bed.
CAROL (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Let me make you feel good, Doctor.
But she has little chance as he begins to make love to her.
DISSOLVE TO:
15.
A DIFFERENT ANGLE
DOC AND CAROL ARE LYING IN BED.
CAROL
How was it?
DOC
Better than I remembered.
INT. KITCHEN - MORNING
DOC WEARING A ROBE IS COOKING EGGS AND DRINKING WHISKY. Carol
enters.
CAROL
I was going to fix you breakfast.
DOC
You were asleep.
CAROL
I bought you a lot of new things.
She exits and returns with some clothes. He looks at them.
DOC
Yeah, well, I think I'll stick with what
I've got.
CAROL
Suit yourself.
They start eating.
DOC
How much does Beynon get?
A pause. Carol looks directly at Doc.
CAROL
$250,000 right off the top.
DOC
Is he straight?
CAROL
You got the parole, didn't you?
He picks up a fork and looks through it, as if it is prison
bars. She takes his hand and gently takes the fork from him.
(CONTINUED)
16.
CONTINUED:
DOC
Thanks again.
(then)
I 'm glad you waited.
CAROL
(simply)
I couldn't have... much longer.
DOC
Yeah... I know.
CAROL
But I got you out. Didn't I, Doc. I did
it. I got you out.
Carol begins to laugh softly.
DOC
Why are you laughing?
CAROL
I laugh when I feel happy. Sometimes just
thinking of you made me laugh. I had a
lot of that. And other times that wasn't
enough. I had a lot of that too. I know
you find it hard to believe, I'm happy
just loving you.
DOC
That doesn't hurt.
CAROL
But sometimes I cried a lot too.
DOC
(trying to smile)
I didn't. I just waited.
CAROL
(deeply moved)
Want to cry now?
Doc smiling, still holding her hand, leads her from the
table.
THEY CAN'T KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF EACH OTHER AND LAUGHING with
complete release they half carry each other into the bedroom.
EXT. RIVER WALK CANAL - SAN ANTONIO - DAY
17.
BEYNON IS IN THE BOAT. LUNCH HAS BEEN SET. DOC COMES ABOARD.
DOC
You gotta be kidding.
BEYNON
Not at all, just a pleasant way to have
lunch.
Doc sits.
Pedal boats cut through the water in the background.
BEYNON (CONT'D)
Glad to see you in civilian clothes.
The Accountant and Swain are with Beynon in the boat. Apart
from them two pedal boats come up behind Beynon's boat. Cully
and Hayhoe are in one, and two other men are pedalling along
in a boat numbered 13.
DOC
All it takes is a long arm.
BEYNON
Hard to judge how these things happen.
The Parole Board almost never reverses
their decisions.
DOC
(sarcastic)
I guess it was because I was a model
prisoner.
BEYNON
This is the only time you and I meet in
public. Any business with me, handle it
with him...
Beynon nods toward the Accountant. He then turns and gestures
toward the other two men.
BEYNON (CONT'D)
(continuing)
You're back with your own people now. Got
you some professionals.
DOC
(flat, hard)
I get my own help.
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED:
BEYNON
(quiet strength)
You run the job, but I run the show. You
got two weeks to set it up.
It's not a big bank but it handles cash deposits for an oil
company... half a million... it's a family thing, the brother
of the bank director is on the board of directors at Con-Sol
Oil... Beacon City.
Beynon nods to the two men and they immediately begin to
approach in their paddle boat.
RUDY BUTLER -- hard eyes and an easy smile; obviously a heavy
gun...
PRANK JACKSON -- young, mid-twenties, ruddy face and blond
hair; a small man with blank, insensitive features.
DOC
(nods to Cully, Swain and
Hayhoe)
What about them?
BEYNON
They're mine. The one with the moustache
is my brother. They stay out of it. We
stay clean.
As the two men arrive...
BEYNON (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Rudy Butler, Frank Jackson...
DOC
(to Rudy)
I heard about you. You work with Miller.
RUDY
You're out of touch. Cops blew him up.
DOC
Where?
RUDY
Chicago.
DOC
You were with him?
RUDY
Yeah. I got out.
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED: (2)
DOC
(to Jackson)
What about you?
JACKSON
I was backup man on a payroll job.
(as Doc looks hard at him)
I hit some liquor stores... I drive good.
RUDY
I drive.
DOC
Sure,
(to Beynon)
You're working on the passports...
(as Beynon nods)
... and visas?
BEYNON
They will be ready. You guys do your job.
DOC
(irritated)
I'll take care of my end.
BEYNON
(big smile)
Stay clean.
INT. HOTEL ROOM BEACON CITY - DAY
THREE TRIPODS HAVE BEEN SET UP NEAR THE HEAVILY CURTAINED
window. On two of them huge sets of binoculars have been
racked into place, beside them on a tripod is a lectern with
notepad and pencil... Doc and Carol peer through the
binoculars then write several notations on the paper.
Both Doc and Carol drink coffee from paper cups... the
residue of dinners served on hotel trays lie about the room.
Doc and Carol share a sandwich as they work.
INT. BANK OP BEACON CITY - BINOCULARS' POV THROUGH BANK
WINDOWS
THE BANK CARRIES ON ITS NORMAL MID-DAY ACTIVITY. A Guard
enters the building quickly followed by the bank President.
BACK IN THE HOTEL ROOM CAROL AND DOC CONTINUE TO EAT WHILE
making further notations.
20.
INT. BEACON CITY BANK - ANOTHER DAY
CAROL WEARING INCONSPICUOUS WARDROBE STANDS QUIETLY IN LINE
before a teller's window.
As she reaches the window:
CAROL
I'd like an application for a checking
account.
She gets it, moves to:
A TABLE. CAROL MAKES OUT THE APPLICATION AS SHE COOLLY AND
unobtrusively eyes the bank.
INT. BEACON CITY BANK - DAY 5^
DOC, WEARING HIS SUIT AND GLASSES, STANDING AT A TELLER'S
window. He moves to the head of the line.
He notices a TV camera and a wanted poster showing the faces
of wanted bank robbers.
DOC
(with a smile)
Could I get change for this fifty please?
His eyes alert and probing.
EXT. MAIN STREET BEACON CITY - ANGLES - DAY
DOC DROPS A LETTER INTO A CORNER MAIL BOX, THEN BUYS A PAPER
from a coin dispenser. His eyes find a Beacon City Policeman
idly talking to a citizen... a police car is near the
Officer, the driver's side door open... mounted on the dash
is a shotgun. Doc tucks the paper under his arm and moves off
down the street.
INT. COUNTY ENGINEER'S OFFICE - DAY
DOC WITH BRIEFCASE IS TALKING TO A CIVIL ENGINEER. They both
study the detail map of a city sewage system...
INT. HARDWARE STORE - BEACON CITY - DAY
JACKSON PURCHASES A LARGE PAIR OF WIRE CUTTERS.
INT. BEACON CITY HOTEL - DAY
CAROL CUTTING PIECES OF MATERIAL OUT OF SEVERAL WATCH CAPS
with a pair of scissors.
21.
EXT. USED CAR LOT - BEACON CITY - DAY
RUDY, RANCH DRESSED., IS BUYING A LARGE FLAT BED.
INT. HIGH WALLED ROOM - DAY
A LARGE ROOM WITHOUT WINDOWS. NEAR THE CENTER SITS A BIG
table piled with equipment, watch caps, several different
colored raincoats, a huge pair of wirecutters, road maps,
chemical containers and four sticks of dynamite, four visas
and two passports and several padded U.S. Army, super bullet
proof vests which are not vests at all, more a shield.
Rudy and Jackson stand near the table. Carol is seated. She
nervously runs her hand along the edge of one of the road
maps. Doc is holding one of the vests.
The wall behind the table is dominated by diagrams and maps,
and photos which show the interior of the Beacon City Bank,
the Bank vault, and several diagrams of the main street of
Beacon City, a Beacon City Police car, and a detailed
reproduction of the Beacon City main sewage system, including
electrical wiring, a detailed road map of the town and
various photos of a farmhouse and barn.
DOC
... Bank President, three tellers and one
guard...
CAROL
(cutting in)
Usually on the right side as you go in.
DOC
Nail him first, be careful he doesn't
panic and want to shoot somebody. Local
police have one car, a rover, shouldn't
be in the vicinity at the time we hit
unless it's answering an emergency
call... if the cop car shows up remember
it doesn't have any automatic weapons.
Only a shotgun braced on the dashboard.
Get into a tight spot, you'll be out of
range at forty yards. Then they're down
to their side guns.
CAROL
For exits off Main Street.
DOC
Should be light traffic that time of
day... the Bank Guard carries a .38.
These will stop an M.2 at fifty yards.
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED:
He throws the vest on the table.
DOC (CONT'D)
Just in case someone gets a shot off.
RUDY
I worked ten years without one, I don't
need one now.
DOC
Suit yourself.
RUDY
Okay. How many bank exits?
DOC
Two.
RUDY
What about the vault?
DOC
Chambers - Reilly. Time lock opens 20
minutes before they start doing
business...
RUDY
Wire pull over?
DOC
One-inch stuff on a three-number
combination.
RUDY
I'm good at that.
DOC
I 'm handling the fine stuff. You're back
up all the way...
RUDY
(smile)
Whatever you need.
To Rudy and Jackson, Doc points to the map and farmhouse
picture:
DOC
Keep going over these. I don't want
anybody getting lost.
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED: (2)
CAROL
(holding two passports and four
visas held together by a
rubber band)
If we are clean Gollie will take us over
at Nogales. If we are hot we'll have to
try Laughlin at El Paso.
She hands Doc the visas, as she puts the two passports in her
bag.
DOC
I'll hang on to these. We don't need them
till we get to Gollie«s. Okay. Any
questions?
RUDY
Aren't we going a little hard?
DOC
What do you have in mind?
RUDY
It's just a walk-in bank. You don't have
to be Dillinger for this one.
DOC
(a long look at Rudy)
Dillinger got killed.
Jackson and Rudy begin to exit. The Accountant enters.
DOC (CONT'D)
(to Accountant)
Tell Beynon I want no mistakes.
I make four phone calls, his boys better pick up.
ACCOUNTANT
I understand.
DOC
Beynon has to be alone at the drop ...
one car at the ranch and that's it. I
won't have the money... she won't know
where it is until I'm sure it's clear.
ACCOUNTANT
He understands.
DOC
Make sure everybody does.
24.
INT. BEACON HOTEL - NIGHT
DOC AND CAROL ARE GETTING READY FOR BED. It is the night
before the robbery. Carol stands looking in the mirror.
CAROL
You know how I feel?
DOC
My mind's not on guessing games.
Carol turns away from the mirror.
CAROL
Promise you won't laugh.
DOC
(shakes his head; smiles)
If it's funny I'm going to laugh.
CAROL
I feel like the night before the first
day of school.
DOC
That bad?
Carol laughs.
DOC (CONT'D)
You promised not to laugh.
They both laugh. Long beat. Carol gets into bed. Doc is
already in bed.
CAROL
It will be such a relief not to have to
think about it any more.
DOC
Waiting's hard. You never learn how.
CAROL
You know I've actually gotten tired
waiting sometimes... worn out waiting.
DOC
At least you were outside.
CAROL
It doesn!t make much difference where you
are, if you're waiting, Doc.
(CONTINUED)
25.
CONTINUED:
DOC
Bullshit.
CAROL
I mean it.
DOC
I know you do. But it is different.
(before she can interrupt
suddenly up a notch)
It's different.
(quieting down)
We'll be all right tomorrow.
CAROL
We are always going to be all right
tomorrow. I'd like to be all right a few
todays.
DOC
We're going to have a lot of those,
(easy, embracing her tightly)
We're just going to get the money and
then go all the way.
CAROL
(smiling at him)
... and live happily ever after.
INT. VAN - A WATCH FACE - DAY
SWEEP SECOND HAND TURNING 8:35.
DOC'S HANDS - SETTING A BOMB-TIMING MECHANISM ATTACHED TO TWO
STICKS of dynamite, two tubes of Naptha, a lot of prima cord
and one small, dark percussion cap.
CAROL SITS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE GREY PANEL TRUCK as it
prowls smoothly down a brush-lined Central Texas road. Carol
drives calmly, professionally...
ANGLES
DOC IS BEHIND CAROL, AT THE BACK OF THE
VAN. He wears a jacket and watch cap. Doc
is squatted down, quickly activating
another timing mechanism, checking the
clock-face on the bomb against his
wristwatch... with a quick, dexterous
movement, he places a bomb into the two
large grocery bags at his feet. After
burying the explosives within each sack,
he covers the bombs with crumpled
wastepaper.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
26.
CONTINUED:
ANGLES (CONT'D)
The grocery bags are then gently shoved
forward, resting against the wheel well
of the truck.
As Doc looks at Carol...
INT. A '65 BUICK - RUDY
PARKED ALONG A SECLUDED PATHWAY, facing the highway which
lies a quarter of a mile away.
He has on a trench coat buttoned to the neck and his sailor's
watch cap... he stares at the highway.
THE PANEL TRUCK SLIDES BY...
EXT. HIGHWAY
A FULLY-LOADED HAY TRUCK RUMBLES DOWN THE ROAD .
INT. CAB - HAY TRUCK
JACKSON IS DRIVING, HE WEARS A DARK RAINCOAT AND WATCH CAP.
INT. BUICK
RUDY CHECKS HIS PISTOL. He shoves the pistol into the side
pocket of his raincoat. Rudy starts the engine... then slides
the car into gear...
EXT. MAIN STREET - BEACON CITY, TEXAS - DAY
A sleepy, traditional municipality...
A DAPPER GENTLEMAN IN HIS EARLY FIFTIES WALKS ALONG THE
SIDEWALK. He is the PRESIDENT of the First Bank of Beacon
City -- nodding to a few passersby, he stops at the front
door of the bank, knocks twice. A BANK GUARD opens the door
and the Bank President moves inside.
VISIBLE ON THE GLASS DOOR
sign that reads:
FIRST BANK OF BEACON CITY
Founded 1911 Hours: 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Weekdays Only
INT. THE BANK
THE PRESIDENT SNAPS ON A BANK OF IRRIDESCENT LIGHTS. Several
TELLERS have begun setting up for the day's commerce...
27.
INT. PANEL TRUCK
DOC SHIFTS HIS POSITION SLIGHTLY, THEN PULLS HIS .45 OUT from
beneath his jacket. Doc breaks out the clip, examines it,
snaps it back to position. He replaces the gun under his
jacket -- the gesture seemingly more a mannerism than a
precaution.
A huge pair of tongs and the massive wire cutters rest on the
floor of the truck near Doc, along with a black leather
suitcase.
CAROL IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT, Beacon City appears on the
horizon through the windshield...
INT. BANK
THE PRESIDENT BEGINS TURNING THE COMBINATION on the massive
door as the vault begins to open...
RUDY - IN THE BUICK - DRIVING DOWN THE ROADWAY near the
outskirts of town. A Texas Highway Patrol car passes, moving
in the opposite direction...
JACKSON - IN THE HAY TRUCK - PULLS ON A PAIR OF BLACK GLOVES,
then checks his watch.
A WATCH FACE SHOWS THE TIME AT 8:56.
THE WATCH BELONGS TO DOC. He looks expectantly towards Carol.
THE PANEL TRUCK is now within the commercial district of
Beacon City. Rudy's Buick is visible a hundred yards behind.
THE HAY TRUCK drives off Main Street and into an open field
near a corner of the town.
Jackson jumps down out of the cab of the truck and crosses to
the sidewalk.
Rudy's Buick pulls over and Jackson gets into the passenger
seat. The Buick then cruises back out onto Main Street...
CAROL - IN THE VAN - APPROACHES AN INTERSECTION. Through the
truck's window a traffic signal appears.
RUDY PULLS THE BUICK OFF THE MAIN DRAG and onto a side
street. Another turn and he again moves parallel to the Main
Street...
28.
INT. BANK
THE BANK PRESIDENT LEAVES THE VAULT, allowing the heavy door
to stand open.
A LATTICE-WORK BARRIER made of wrought-iron is pulled across
the vault opening... the Bank President snaps the latch-lock
closed.
CAROL - IN THE PANEL TRUCK. She pulls the van carefully to a
stop at the intersection as the stoplight blinks red... She
turns her eyes back to Doc...
DOC, CATCHES HER LOOK, then instantly springs into action. He
reaches down, pulls a hatch-like cover up from the floor of
the truck, revealing the road below... a portion of a manhole
cover is visible.
DOC
(barking the words)
Two feet forward...
CAROL ROLLS THE TRUCK SLIGHTLY FORWARD
ON THE STREET - SEVERAL CARS can be seen moving up behind the
panel truck.
DOC GRABS THE TONGS, inserts the ends into the manhole cover
notches. He lifts the tongs and slides the manhole cover
forward. Doc drops down through the truck hatchway and into
open manhole, carrying the huge cutters with him. As he
disappears from sight...
98 RUDY DRIVING ON THE SIDE AVENUE, still moving parallel 98
to Main Street. The Buick is now geographically well forward
of the panel truck. Jackson stares at his watch.
JACKSON
Now!
Rudy makes a sharp left. The car accelerates, its wheels
begin to quietly whine.
Main Street comes back into view...
CAROL WATCHING THE SIGNAL... still red...
A MAN IN A PONTIAC eases to a stop behind the panel truck. He
watches the signal.
DOC STANDING IN THE SEWER PIPE. He turns on a flashlight,
moves ahead. His feet slosh through the six-inch-high murky
water.
(CONTINUED)
29.
CONTINUED:
Doc shines the light on several ankle-thick conduit lines
that run along the sewer wall... He moves down the dark oval
corridor...
EXT. THE BANK
THE GUARD OPENS THE FRONT DOOR, allowing the morning PATRONS
to enter.
INT. THE BANK
THE PRESIDENT SMILES UPON SEEING THE CUSTOMERS. He looks over
to the wood-frame clock on the far wall.
THE CLOCK READS 9:00 EXACTLY
RUDY - IN THE BUICK - MAKES ANOTHER LEFT TURN, now back onto
Main Street.
THE BANK APPEARS A HALF-BLOCK AWAY through the car window.
Rudy and Jackson pull their watch caps down over their faces;
the holes cut into the caps are wide enough to recognize a
disparity between their features...
MAIN STREET - THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL has now blinked to green.
CAROL IS GRINDING AWAY AT THE DEAD ENGINE of the panel
truck...
THE MAN IN THE PONTIAC leans on his HORN... other cars behind
him begin to HONK.
CAROL LEANS OUT OF THE CAB OF THE PANEL TRUCK and gestures
for the cars to pass her. She again GRINDS away at the
engine.
DOC'S WATCH - SHOWING 9:01.
DOC STANDS AT A MASSIVE CONNECTING BOX where four 112 strands
of the conduit intersect. He puts the wire cutters to the
first conduit, grasps the insulated handles and with a
crunching POP, he cuts through the conduit with one bite. Doc
immediately starts on the next strand.
CAROL - ON MAIN STREET - trying to start the engine.
THE BUICK SLAMS TO A STOP IN FRONT OF THE BANK. Rudy Il4 and
Jackson pull open the car doors.
DOC CUTTING THE LAST AND LARGEST CONDUIT.
30.
INT. THE BANK
THE BANK GUARD is placing a local high school basketball
schedule and display into position.
SEVERAL PATRONS have formed small lines and are transacting
business with the Tellers.
The wall clock shows the time at 9:02.
RUDY AND JACKSON BURST THROUGH THE GLASS DOOR. They stand
shoulder to shoulder, guns extended the full length of their
arms. Beneath the mask Rudy's smile is visible.
THE BANK GUARD LOOKS UP PROM THE BASKETBALL DISPLAY. His eyes
widen... both guns are leveled directly at him...
simultaneously the lights go out...
THE BANK PRESIDENT DESPERATELY PUSHES THE ALARM BUTTON near
his desk. (INSERT: Button and bell.) Nothing happens.
CAROL - ON MAIN STREET - trying to start the engine.
INT. A DENTIST'S OFFICE
THE D.D.S. TORTURES A BALDING PATIENT with a drill. The
PATIENT groans, lifts one leg in the air from the pain.
When the power goes, the Dentist quizzically raises the drill
and examines it. The Patient pants in relief.
DENTIST
Superior technology, my ass.
AN ELECTRIC WEATHER/TIME INDICATOR - above the town square...
as the bulbs dim...
DOC RUNNING DOWN THE SEWER; stopping at the manhole he
scrambles up the permanent ladderway, tossing his wire
cutters up into the truck parked over him.
CAROL - IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT - again she tries to start the
engine.
DOC PULLING HIMSELF BACK UP INTO THE VAN with a gymnastic
thrust he quickly slides the manhole cover with the tongs.
CAROL - the engine still won't start.
DOC DROPS THE HATCH DOOR back down into place on the floor of
the truck...
(CONTINUED)
31.
CONTINUED:
DOC
(snapping his look to Carol)
Okay.
CAROL TURNS THE IGNITION SWITCH BACK ON...
CAROL - AS THE ENGINE ROARS TO LIFE she engages the
gearshift. The truck begins to move forward. Suddenly, the
motor does STALL.
DOC'S PACE TIGHTENS. The cars behind the van continue
HONKING.
CAROL - AGAIN GRINDING AWAY AT THE ENGINE. Her lips are
compressed into a thin line... After a moment... the motor
catches, the truck again moves forward.
DOC PICKS UP THE LARGE BLACK SUITCASE from the floor of the
panel truck, then begins to move toward the cab and Carol.
THE PANEL TRUCK WHIPS OFF MAIN STREET and onto a side avenue.
Carol pulls the van up to the curbway, jerking to a stop.
DOC IS NOW IN THE FRONT SEAT BESIDE CAROL. He pulls the truck
door open, then hesitates. He touches her arm, their eyes
meet briefly, both their faces warming for a moment. Doc
gives her a casual wink then quietly exits the truck.
ON THE SIDEWALK
DOC TURNS AND BEGINS WALKING toward an open alleyway. Behind
him the panel truck pulls smoothly away.
WALKING UP THE ALLEY - DOC PULLS ON A PAIR OF BLACK GLOVES.
He turns again, now moving down a totallydeserted side alley.
The alley opens at one end onto a back street; the opposite
end is bounded by a large brick building. Doc removes his
pistol from his coat pocket, then approaches a doorway along
the side of the brick building. At the last moment he pulls
down the watch cap mask.
INT. BANK
RUDY DISENGAGES THE LATCH on the side door.
EXT. ALLEY
DOC KICKS THE DOOR OPEN with a violent jerk of his leg.
32.
INT. THE BANK
RUDY'S GUN IS TRAINED PROM THE BACK OF THE BUILDING over the
Tellers and Patrons, spread-eagled across the floor. Their
heads are down; several of them are trembling.
DOC STANDS HOLDING THE .45 IN ONE HAND, suitcase in the
other. He moves into the building, shutting the door behind
him.
RUDY IS NOW STATIONED NEAR THE FRONT DOOR, ready to intercept
any incoming bank patrons -- he covers the room from the end
opposite Jackson.
Rudy stands near the Bank Guard's outstretched right hand --
The Guard's head is bloodied from Rudy's pistol whipping. His
gun has been kicked against the wall. A short distance away
Rudy is watching.
THE BANK PRESIDENT lies face down on the floor, directly
under the arc of Jackson's gun... who is continually turning
to watch the Guard.
DOC QUICKLY CROSSES THE DISTANCE between the side door and
the vault, passing the Bank President. He slips the .45 into
his jacket side pocket, sets down the suitcase, then either
cuts the lock or picks it.
RUDY
(looking at his watch)
19 seconds.
CAROL - IN THE VAN - She has stopped the panel truck near the
deserted lot where the hay truck is parked.
She drops the bomb-laden grocery bag inside the truckbed. She
moves back towards the van...
IN THE BANK
DOC FINISHES,, RIPS THE DOOR OPEN, lifts the suitcase and
moves into the vault.
RUDY LOOKS AT THE BLOODIED GUARD, notes the distance
separating the man from his gun. Though unconscious, the
Guard's head begins to move.
JACKSON HOLDS HIS GUN HAND FULLY EXTENDED. Again he takes a
brief moment to glance nervously over to the open vault and
at the Guard.
ANGLES AND INSERTS - THE VAULT is lined with safety deposit
boxes and large cabinet drawers.
(CONTINUED)
33.
CONTINUED:
A metal table stands off-center, the black suitcase resting
on its surface. Doc opens the satchel. He then pulls open one
of the cabinet drawers nearby and begins tossing banded money
pads into the open suitcase.
THE BANK PRESIDENT LIES NEAR THE OPEN VAULT. He listens to
the SOUNDS of Doc at work. He slightly cranes his neck,
trying to get a look at the thief inside the vault.
RUDY WATCHING THE FRONT DOOR. A PATRON enters; Rudy gestures
with the gun... she hits the deck.
JACKSON IS GETTING MORE NERVOUS by the minute...
DOC continues working within the vault.
THE WOMAN, now on the floor, quietly crying.
JACKSON watching the Guard.
RUDY watching Jackson. Calling out time.
THE BANK GUARD, glassy-eyed, but conscious; he has the look
of a prizefighter who has just suffered a knockout, but is
ready for one more round.
THE BANK PRESIDENT in his prone position. He looks at
Jackson, then to the vault.
THE PANEL TRUCK - now at the other end of Main Street.
CAROL EXITS THE VAN, carries the second sack to a large
rubbish bin in front of an empty store. She deposits the
grocery bag...
DOC WORKING. The suitcase is now filled. He snaps the
fasteners shut .
DOC EXITS THE VAULT after withdrawing his .45 from his coat
pocket .
JACKSON SEES DOC LEAVE THE VAULT. He edges around the side of
the tellers' cages toward the front of the bank.
DOC MOVES TOWARDS JACKSON'S OLD VANTAGE POINT NEAR THE SIDE
DOOR. He passes the bank president.
RUDY NOW WATCHES DOC
DOC CARRIES THE HEAVY SUITCASE IN HIS LEFT HAND. He gestures
to Rudy and Jackson with his pistol while moving towards the
side door.
(CONTINUED)
34.
CONTINUED:
JACKSON HALF RUNS PASSING RUDY ON HIS WAY TO THE FRONT
ENTRANCE still watching the Bank Guard.
THE BANK GUARD STILL PUNCH DRUNK PULLS HIMSELF UP TO HIS
HANDS and knees... the Guard looks at his pistol.
DOC STOPS AT THE KICKED IN SIDE DOOR. HE COVERS THE ENTIRE
bank with his gun.
THE BANK GUARD BEGINS TO CRAWL WITH AGONIZING SLOWNESS
towards his pistol.
RUDY EYES STILL ON DOC
JACKSON NOW AT THE FRONT DOOR IS PARALYZED WATCHING THE
GUARD.
DOC GESTURES TO RUDY AND JACKSON TO GET MOVING.
EXT. STREET - DAY
CAROL PARKS THE VAN, CROSSES TO A FORD, GETS IN, DRIVES AWAY.
INT. BANK
THE GUARD HAS MORE THAN HALF CLOSED THE DISTANCE TO THE .38.
JACKSON LEVELS HIS .44.
DOC AND RUDY. BOTH SEE WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
DOC
(shouts)
Just pick it up.
RUDY
Don't!
JACKSON PULLS THE TRIGGER THREE TIMES.
THE BANK GUARD'S BODY turns end-over-end from Jackson's
bullets. Some of the bank Patrons SCREAM, others SOB with
fright.
DOC - His eyes are furious.
RUDY AND JACKSON - Rudy shoves Jackson out the front door.
DOC COVERS THEIR EXIT, then slips out the side door and into
the alley.
35.
EXT. MAIN STREET
RUDY GUNS THE BUICK FORWARD, the wheels tearing at the
asphalt. Jackson's shoulders rock back as the big car
accelerates.
THE ALLEY
DOC, GUN AND SUITCASE IN HAND, nears the
end of the alleyway.
CAROL - IN A FORD - suddenly pulls up, filling the roadway
opening.
DOC TOSSES THE SUITCASE into the back of the car... then
slides the pistol under his coat and slips behind the wheel
as Carol slides over to the passenger seat.
INT. THE FORD
DOC PULLS OFF THE WATCH CAP MASK; his face taut.
THE FORD SMOKES OFF as Doc kicks it into gear...
MAIN STREET BEACON CITY A SERIES OF ANGLES
THE BUICK STREAKS DOWN THE CENTER OF THE ROADWAY... Two bombs
detonate into fireballs... The Hay truck blazes upward, bales
instantly igniting.
The grange at the opposite end of town becomes an orange-
flame inferno...
Traffic stalls on the boulevard; Drivers and Pedestrians gawk
at the twin blazes.
RUDY ZIG ZAGS THE BUICK ALONG. Maneuvering through the
stopped traffic.
DOC SLIDES THE FORD THROUGH A RIGHT AND LEFT TURN, emerging
onto smoke-covered Main Street.
The speeding Ford avoids a halting car, then suddenly spins
out of control, jumps across the sidewalk, splinters a wood
bench, and finally slides in a complete circle across the
grass of a small park.
INT. FORD '
DOC LOOKS MORE THAN A LITTLE EMBARRASSED AS CAROL STARES
AT him.
POLICE CARS ROAR BY THEM.
36.
EXT. SMALL PARK
DOC ZIPS THE CAR OFF THE GRASS AND BACK ONTO THE TRAFFIC
CLOGGED ROADWAY.
RUDY DRIVING THROUGH THE BEDLAM. Suddenly a gun appears in
his right hand, aimed at Jackson. The pistol roars bucks,
roars, bucks again. Jackson is shot through the head twice.
THE FORD IS SEVERAL BLOCKS BEHIND RUDY. DOC DOWNSHIFTS
avoiding stalled cars. Carol grasps at both the seat and the
dashboard handholds to maintain her balance.
THE BUICK EMERGES THROUGH DENSE PLUMES OF SMOKE. Fire licks
along the one edge of the sidewalk.
RUDY IN THE BUICK HAS NOW ALMOST CLEARED THE TOWN. He tears
along the highway... sweating a little but becoming cool. He
is a pro. His watch cap is now removed.
ON THE CURVE - Jackson's body is kicked out of the automobile
and bounces across the pavement.
DOC IN THE FORD POWERS ALONG. He approaches the flaming
building, then hits the brakes as ...
A BIG DIESEL TRUCK AND TRAILER is coming in the opposite
direct ion,, jack-knifes across the road, desperately trying
to avoid the cars stopped in the middle of the street .
DOC, AS THE TRUCK AND TRAILER SUDDENLY APPEAR THROUGH the
smoke in front of him, throws the car broadside into a four
wheel drift. Now sideways, then straight, he bumps across the
sidewalk, over a patio of a house, knocking down two pillars,
through a parking lot, taking with it a large cleaners sign,
then bores back onto the road.
RUDY IN THE BUICK STROKING ALONG THE OPEN HIGHWAY. Looks in
the rear view mirror.
RUDY'S POV - THROUGH THE BUICK'S REAR WINDOW, BLACK smoke is
visible billowing skyward.
DOC AND CAROL IN THE FORD NOW DRIVING CALMLY THROUGH the
countryside. A police car with light turning and siren
wailing passes them, heading for the conflagration in Beacon
City. Doc's eyes follow the Patrol Car until it disappears
from sight.
THE BUICK - SERIES OF ANGLES - IT pulls off the highway and
bumps down a dirt road. Rudy strains to hold the big car on
the rutted pathway.
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED:
The dirt road becomes a lane.
A farm house and barn appear at a clearing. Rudy powers the
car up a fairly steep hill, the crest of which is occupied by
a seemingly abandoned and dilapidated house barn.
RUDY JUMPS OUT OF THE BUICK, trots to the front of the barn
and pulls the double-doors open. A station wagon with wooden-
panel or the usual painted panel sides can be seen within...
THE FORD SWEEPS OFF THE HIGHWAY and onto the dirt road.
WITHIN THE FORD - DOC IS DRIVING. Carol peels off her
sweater. She has worn a faded blouse underneath... She pulls
a ribbon; her hair falls changing her appearance.
RUDY - IN THE BARN - The Buick is now parked near the Station
Wagon. Standing in the shadows, he intently reloads his gun,
then moves towards the large doors of the barn.
CAROL - IN THE PASSENGER SEAT OF THE FORD - she watches as
Doc drives up the lane...
RUDY stands outside the barn as the car approaches.
DOC STUDIES RUDY THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD, watching him wipe
his face with a soiled rag as the car pulls closer...
INT. BARN
DOC PULLS THE FORD TO A STOP just within the double doors. He
passes Rudy, leaving a clear exit pathway for the getaway
station wagon.
DOC JUMPS OUT OF THE FORD AS SOON AS the ignition switch is
cut; Carol a beat behind him on the opposite side.
Rudy moves into the archway created by the barn's open doors.
He stands almost in silhouette as the bright sunlight breaks
around him.
Doc snaps open the door of the car, his back turned to Rudy.
He reaches into the back seat and grasps the black suitcase,
not by the middle handle but by each end, as if it contained
a great weight.
DOC
(speaking over his shoulder,
not looking at Rudy)
Where's Jackson?
Rudy withdraws the pistol from under his raincoat.
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED:
RUDY
(pointing his gun lazily at
Doc, supremely confident)
He didn't make it, Doc... you didn't
either.
Doc straightens, still holding the suitcase. He starts to
turn to Rudy, eyes wide, helpless. Carol fumbles for the gun
in her purse.
Rudy extends his arm, ready to begin the execution. Doc
swings the suitcase around slowly, seemingly ready to face
Rudy's bullets... then he shoots Rudy in the middle of the
chest, Doc's .45 slug driving him backward.
Doc has concealed the pistol in his hand with the satchel. He
drops the suitcase with his first shot, FIRES again, blasting
Rudy in the middle. Two large holes now show at the chest of
Rudy's raincoat.
Rudy is knocked back over the hillock, tumbling down the
precipice and into a grassy meadow below. Doc stands at the
crest of the hill. He looks down as Rudy's body stops
turning. Doc shifts the .45 to his right hand.
Rudy's body lies still.
DOC TURNS QUICKLY AWAY PROM THE HILLTOP, not giving Rudy's
body a second glance. Carol, gun in hand, stands outside the
barn, transfixed.
CAROL
How did you know?
Doc doesn't answer, motioning her into the car... the getaway
car... as she starts to change clothes... he reloads. Doc
takes a long look at Carol.
THEY GET IN THE CAR AND LEAVE.
EXT. BOTTOM OP HILL - DAY
CAROL IS DRIVING., tooling comfortably along a country road.
Doc is beside her, the suitcase resting in the back seat.
After several moments of silence:
CAROL
What about the bank?
DOC
(after a moment)
Jackson panicked and nailed the guard.
(CONTINUED)
39.
CONTINUED:
Carol takes a deep breath,, then turns her look at the side
window.
CAROL
Oh, Christ.
Doc leans forward., snaps on the radio.
EXT. ABANDONED FARM - DAY
RUDY BUTLER STUMBLES BACK OVER THE CREST OP THE HILLOCK and
onto the pathway in front of the barn. His figure is slightly
grotesque; the raincoat shows two holes from Doc's .45 slugs,
along with considerable dirt and grass stains picked up on
his ass-over-tea kettle trip to the bottom of the hill. He is
obviously in some pain, his walk is a half-lurch.
EXT. SIDE OF THE BARN - DAY
RUDY TURNS ON A RUSTED TAP which sends all-pocketed water
gurgling down into a mold-covered trough. Rudy pulls off the
yellow raincoat, revealing the fact he has worn one of the
padded bullet-proof vests. Rudy undoes the vest, lets it fall
to his feet. A huge crimson stain shows at his collarbone.
RUDY TOUCHES THE BLOOD WITH HIS RIGHT HAND, then looks at his
hand. Breathing heavily he kneels down and begins to splash
the purling water across his face and then he laughs.
INT. STATION WAGON - DAY
DIALOGUE COMES ON THE RADIO DESCRIBING THE ROBBERY. $750,000
stolen.
DOC
We got between four and five.
Carol starts to open the bag and count.
Doc flicks off the radio then cracks open the windwing. Doc
reflectively studies the roadside ahead. They are heading
along a comfortable tree and meadowlined thoroughfare that
carries only a sparse amount of traffic.
Doc's eyes suddenly narrow on the road ahead.
CAROL
(now noticing the road)
Doc...
DOC
(flat)
I see it...
(CONTINUED)
40.
CONTINUED:
ON THE ROAD AHEAD HIGHWAY PATROLMEN HAVE FORMED a traffic
barricade. Several cars and trucks are being waved through
the check-point. Wearing sunglasses and Stetson hats, the
Uniformed officers make a cursory glance into each passing
vehicle.
DOC ANALYZES THE SITUATION WITHOUT CHANGING EXPRESSION He
slips the station wagon up behind a pickup truck in the line
of slowly-passing vehicles.
She turns, starts to reach into the back. Doc gently catches
her arm, preventing her from moving further.
DOC (CONT'D)
They're looking for three men...
remember?
A YOUNG OFFICER looks into the cab of the pickup, then
glances at the empty flatbed. Another PATROLMAN flanks the
other side of the truck, repeating the procedure. Several
Patrol Cars, fully loaded with additional OFFICERS, are
parked nearby. The pickup truck is waved through. The station
wagon rolls up to the check-point.
DOC ROLLS DOWN HIS WINDOW. He smiles and nods to the Young
Patrolman.
DOC (CONT'D)
(big smile)
What's the problem?
CAROL STUDIES THE OFFICER on her side of the car through the
closed window... the Officer peers back at her then into the
rear seat.
THE STATION WAGON is waved ahead without a second glance by
the Patrolman; Doc accelerates away from the roadblock...
After a moment, Doc leans forward, snapping on the radio.
EXT. THE FARM - RUDY - DAY
Inside the barn, behind the wheel of the panel truck, Rudy's
matted black hair is in contrast to his blanched face. He
starts the engine, painfully bringing it to a ROAR. The panel
truck leaps crazily forward, careening across the barn floor,
SMASHING through the edge of the wooden doors as it bursts
out into the sunlight.
EXT. SMALL TOWN - DAY
The station wagon rolls down the main street and stops near
an outdoor phone booth at a filling station.
41.
INT. STATION WAGON
DOC SHUTS OFF THE ENGINE, PULLS OPEN HIS DOOR.
DOC MOVES INSIDE THE PHONE BOOTH CARRYING A FIST-FULL
of loose change. He begins to dial...
INT. BEYNON'S OFFICE - DAY
THE PHONE RINGS. THE ACCOUNTANT LIFTS THE RECEIVER.
ACCOUNTANT
I 'm here.
He presses a button on the intercom.
ANOTHER PHONE IN THE OFFICE 234
CULLY
Yeah.
He presses a button on the intercom.
ANOTHER PHONE IN THE OFFICE.
HAYHOE PICKS UP THE PHONE.
HAYHOE
Yeah.
He presses a button on the intercom.
ANOTHER PHONE IN THE OFFICE
SWAIN TURNS AND REACHES FOR THE RECEIVER.
EXT. SMALL TOWN
DOC MOVES TOWARDS THE WAGON, CLIMBS INSIDE.
INT. STATION WAGON.
DOC SLAMS THE DOOR SHUT. CAROL LOOKS ACROSS AT HIM.
DOC
They checked in.
CAROL
Call the ranch, tell Beynotr we'll leave
his cut here --
(CONTINUED)
42.
CONTINUED:
DOC
Why?
CAROL
There are three men dead.
DOC
So what. I've got to give him his money.
That was our end of the deal.
CAROL
He might be ready to chop us up.
DOC
Do it my way.
He starts the engine. The station wagon pulls away.
INT. STATION WAGON
AS IT PULLS OUT OF THE SMALL TOWN.
DOC
Tell me about Beynon's ranch.
CAROL
I've never "been there... When we met it
was in his office.
Doc looks at her for a moment.
CAROL (CONT'D)
(continuing; hesitant)
Do you trust him?
DOC
I just figure the percentages. He
wouldn't try a cross until he's got the
money.
CAROL
Let's send his cut back -- Just keep
going.
DOC
If we make a mistake., he'll burn us. You
make a deal, you're always better keeping
your end up.
CAROL
I don't want to go there.
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED:
DOC
Do it my way.
The wagon continues moving down the road.
EXT. A NARROW DIRT ROAD - LATE AFTERNOON
TWO HOURS BEFORE SUNSET. A CHILL SOUTHWEST WIND is blowing.
The station wagon appears, moving slowly down the roadway,
bouncing along its rutted surface.
AT A SMALL INTERSECTION TWO MAIL BOXES STAND CLOSE to one
another. The name Beynon is printed in black paint on one of
the letter bins. Doc stops the wagon momentarily, looks at
the box, then turns down the indicated road.
EXT. THE STATION WAGON - LATE AFTERNOON
THE STATION WAGON clears the crest of a sage brush hill and
passes camera.
INT. STATION WAGON - LATE AFTERNOON
DOC PARKS THE WAGON UNDER A GNARLED COTTONWOOD TREE in front
of the house. As he shuts off the engine, he pulls the .45
out of his coat pocket and shoves it into his waistband.
Carol watches the gesture. Doc starts to open the car door,
then hesitates.
DOC
You can wait here... I'll wrap it up
fast.
DOC STEPS OUT OF THE WAGON, then pulls the leather suitcase
out of the back. He quietly shuts the car door and moves
around the side of the house, toward the barn/garage at the
rear.
HE LOOKS CAREFULLY around the area, his eyes searching for
signs of Beynon's men. Nothing seemingly amiss, he moves
toward the front door, tries it, moves away.
Doc crosses to the back screen door of the house. After
another moment, Doc quietly opens the screen door and enters
the house.
INT. HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON
DOC MOVES THROUGH THE SERVICE PORCH/PANTRY and into the
kitchen.
44.
INT. KITCHEN - BEYNON - LATE AFTERNOON/NIGHT
BEYNON SITS AT THE LONG KITCHEN TABLE] head on hand, eyes
slightly glared... on the checkered oilcloth in front of him
is a quart bottle of Jim Beam, now half full. He's drinking
the sour mash straight with a water chaser.
DOC LOOKS STEADILY AT BEYNON for a moment,, sets the suitcase
down on the floor, then crosses to the sink, picks up a glass
and sits down at the table. Doc pours himself a drink, takes
a sip.
BEYNON
Hello, McCoy.
DOC
Beynon.
BEYNON
(swishing the drink)
News said two persons killed.
Except for a faint thickness of speech, Beynon seems quite
sober. Beynon wears a .38 Detective Special C.T.G. in a worn
leather belly holster.
DOC
Three... Rudy got ambitious.
BEYNON
And you got him...
DOC
That's right.
Doc looks at Beynon, notes his gun, then continues stacking
the money.
BEYNON
What about your wife?
DOC
What about her?
(moving right to the business
at hand)
Let's c ut up the money, I want to get
North.
INT. STATION WAGON
PARKED UNDER THE COTTONWOOD AT THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE. CAROL
SITS CHEWING GUM... LINES OF STRAIN HAVE FORMED ACROSS HER
FACE.
45.
INT. KITCHEN
DOC LISTENS CAREFULLY TO BEYNON.
BEYNON
Your wife told me no one would be killed.
DOC
You hired Jackson and Rudy., not me.
BEYNON
They may nail me into this now, McCoy.
DOC
That's your problem.
BEYNON
(smiles)
You know, you and I may be two of a kind.
DOC
No way. I always do my own work.
Beynon smiles and slops three fingers of whiskey into Doc's
glass.
BEYNON
Here. I understand the way you feel. As a
matter of fact, you and I might share a
great many feelings...
Beynon drinks from his glass. Doc continues counting the
money.
DOC
(snaps the words)
I'm in a hurry.
BEYNON
You still don't get the picture do you?
I've always heard what a smart ass
operator you are.
DOC
No applause!
Beynon pauses a moment. Doc looks steadily across the table
into BeynonTs eyes. Prom beyond there might be the quiet
sound of a screen door opening. Beynon gets out of the chair,
stands beside the table.
(CONTINUED)
46.
CONTINUED:
BEYNON
Let's examine the situation. One, an
extremely attractive woman. Then, there's
the woman's husband, a skillful bank
robber serving a long sentence in prison.
Three, a man with political influence, a
man who can easily get a parole for a
convict... why should he?
Beynon sips his glass slowly. Doc's hand edges down toward
his waist band.
BEYNON (CONT'D)
(continuing)
A simple reason, McCoy. The obvious
reason. To rob a bank.
DOC
I knew that life didn't add up to the
obvious when I was 8.
BEYNON
(cautiously)
What do you add up to here?
DOC
One. The radio's rappin' about $750^000.
We only got a half a million.
BEYNON
A little more was taken out before.
(a beat)
My brother's a director of that Bank, Mr.
McCoy... I had a few pressing debts.
DOC
So we did that crackerbox... to cover for
you.
BEYNON
(smiles., nodding)
The obvious.
(as his smile fades)
But we are both not interested in that
right now.
DOC
No.
(a long beat)
My old lady must have made a lot of
promises.
(CONTINUED)
47.
CONTINUED: (2)
BEYNON
Close... but it takes a hell of a lot
more than promises to pull the kind of
strings I pulled.
DOC
I bet.
Doc senses a movement from the shadows behind Beynon. Turning
his head slightly, Doc can see Carol standing at the entrance
to the kitchen. She holds a .32 automatic... the pistol seems
to be pointed directly at Doc.
BEYNON
You wouldn't have come here when you were
eight3 Mr. McCoy.
As the gun continues to be pointed directly at Doc.
BEYNON (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Don't think too badly of her... After
all, you were in jail a long time and she
is a healthy young woman.
DOC
(riding over Beynon's words)
Get it over with...
CAROL FIRES the automatic. The big gun belches the full slip
in a stuttering EXPLOSION... the slide remains back and in an
ejected position.
BEYNON is driven back to the kitchen wall. He SHRIEKS aloud,
the noise strangely like laughter... his body flattens
against the surface, slips downward^ riddled by the big bore
slugs... Doc stands momentarily frozen against the overturned
table. He looks up from Beynon's crumpled body. Carol takes
two steps forward, then drops the automatic, sending it
clattering and spinning away across the floor.
DOC looks at Carol, their eyes find each other. He turns,
moves to the sink, splashes water across his face, then fills
a glass of water from the tap ... drinks it; he looks back at
her.
CAROL stands watching Doc, tears scream down her cheeks.
DOC crosses to Carol, takes her arm, picks up the gun, spent
shells and the suitcase, then leads her out of the kitchen
toward the back door. Beynon's body has slipped from sight,
only a few traces of blood show along the white wall.
48.
INT. PANEL TRUCK - DUSK
Rudy is driving along an open highway. Rudy mouths inane
lyrics to the radio, one arm on the wheel, the other
clutching his wound. A small sign near a mailbox catches
Rudy's eye. He swings the panel truck around in a U-turn,
then pulls into the long dirt driveway of an isolated farm
house.
THE SIGN READS
HAROLD CLINTON, D.V.M.
Practice of Veterinary Medicine.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. DESERTED HIGHWAY - DUSK
THE STATION WAGON IS PARKED ALONG THE CEMENT ROAD, standing
in isolation against the vast Texas b.g.
Doc stands away from the car, his back turned to it ...
gazing at the horizon.
Carol is in the wagon but the passenger side door is open,
her legs dangle outside the car as she looks steadily at the
ground. Doc suddenly turns, walks to her and gives her a
stinging slap across the face.
DOC
Stupid.
Tears begin to roll down Carol's face.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Why didn't you tell me?
CAROL
There wasn't any way to explain it.
DOC
Yeah.
CAROL
You sent me to him.
DOC
When I got out, why didn't you tell me
where it was?
(CONTINUED)
49.
CONTINUED:
CAROL
What the hell do you want? Mary Tyler
Moore?
DOC
Who's she?
CAROL
She's on TV.
DOC
If you don't start telling the truth...
(breaks off)
CAROL
What do we do?
DOC
(quietly)
We keep going.
INT. BEYNON'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Swain sleeps on the davenport. Cully and Hayhoe sit at two
sides of Beynon's large desk, playing a game of checkers...
Hayhoe seems to have Cully badly beaten ... The Accountant
enters the room. The block on the wall shows eight o'clock
straight up.
ACCOUNTANT
Let's go.
The two men abandon their game. Cully kicks the sofa,
awakening Swain. He groggily gets to his feet.
INT. MULTI-STORIED AUTO PARK - SAN ANTONIO - DAY
The station wagon enters the building. Doc takes a bright
orange ticket from an ATTENDANT behind a glass window, then
accelerates the wagon up a rampway leading to the upper
levels of the building.
DOC
checks his watch momentarily as he prowls
the wagon between long rows of
automobiles.
THE STATION WAGON'S TIRES
WHINE through a sweeping turn within the auto park's
uppermost level -- through the building's portals the bright
morning sun can be seen reflecting off the city's rooftops.
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED:
DOC PULLS THE WAGON to an abrupt halt within a parking stall -
- at an isolated area. He steps out onto the concrete
flooring, slams the door shut.
Doc turns away from the car. As he approaches the elevator,
Doc tears the orange auto park stub into fragments and drops
them into a trash bin without missing a stride.
INT. TRAIN STATION - MORNING
CAROL IS STANDING IN A TICKET LINE THAT MOVES slowly foward.
She struggles, clutching the heavy, money laden suitcase and
her oversize purse between both arms. The line of ticket
buyers moves forward .just fast enough to make it impractical
to set the suitcase down. The station is ancient, vaultlike.
Baggage lockers line the perimeter of the lobby and extend
off into clumped rows within the wings of the station.
CAROL APPROACHES THE TICKET WINDOW. She places the suitcase
flush against the base of the counter and holds it tightly in
place with one leg. Carol pops open her purse... a clumsy
item in itself... as she lifts her wallet and the elderly
ticket-seller looks across to her.
CAROL
Two day coach tickets -- on the Flyer.
TICKET-SELLER
Thirty-four fifty-six with tax leaves in
forty-five minutes, gate three.
Carol pays the tariff, places the tickets into her purse
along with the change. Wearily, she labors the satchel back
into her hand, then turns and begins to slowly walk down the
seemingly acres-wide station promenade.
NEAR A PORTICO WITHIN THE MAIN LOBBY, Carol sits
uncomfortably on a shiny wooden bench -- the suitcase rests
on the floor pressed tightly between her ankles. She glances
across the promenade walls, her eyes finding:
A CLOCK READING: 9:40
ON A LOBBY BENCH - LATER
CAROL STARES ACROSS THE ROOM at the scattering of passengers
waiting on the wooden seats opposite from her.
Carol's nervous boredom increases; she looks down at her lap,
pretends to find something wrong with her nails and begins
rubbing the cuticles. Carol finally rises impulsively from
the bench, immediately reaching for the brown leather
satchel.
(CONTINUED)
51.
CONTINUED:
CAROL WALKS BACK DOWN THE PROMENADE while carrying the
suitcase. As other baggage-laden passengers scurry around
her, she looks across the arcade, her eyes finding a glass-
walled Cocktail Lounge. She hesitates, then begins to trudge
in that direction.
A BANK OF LOCKERS STANDS NEAR THE COCKTAIL LOUNGE. As Carol
approaches, an elderly WOMAN deposits a coin in one of the
numbered lockers, opens the metal door and places a small
suitcase inside. Closing and re-locking the door, the Woman
quickly moves away. Having noted the woman and more than
tired of hauling her burden around the station, Carol steps
to the end locker, takes a quarter out of her purse, then
studies the time scarred operating instructions on the face
of the locker. She slips the quarter into the slot and opens
the locker door. As Carol bends to pick up the suitcase, the
locker door swings closed... She tries to open it but the
door has re-locked itself... Carol quite disgusted with her
predicament, again sets the suitcase down and pulls a quarter
out of her change purse. As she again reads the numbered
directions, a YOUNG MAN appears at her shoulder.
THE MAN IS A PROTOTYPE OF URBAN SLEAZINESS, Doberman Pinscher
features are broken by a weedybrown moustache, a cheap
corduroy suit is set off by an oddly matched bow tie. The
Man's appearance suggests a kind of drug store dapperness.
DAPPER MAN
Kind of tricky, isn't it?
She turns, startled by his sudden proximity. In one smooth
movement the Dapper Man plucks the quarter from Carol's hand,
deposits it in the slot and swings the locker door open.
Setting the heavy suitcase inside, he closes the door, tests
it to show that it
has been re-locked, then removes the key from the lock and
puts it into Carol's hand. She is intimidated momentarily by
the Man's sudden appearance and forcefulness, as well as his
intentions.
CAROL
Thank you.
DAPPER MAN
(toothy grin)
No trouble lady.
Stepping backward, his canine features disappear into a
welter of station activity. Carol watches his receding figure
for a moment, then simultaneously placing the key into her
purse, she turns and begins moving towards the Cocktail
Lounge.
52.
INT. BARN - DAY
EMPTY CAGES STACKED ALONG A WOODEN WALL
A YOUNG KITTEN IN A CARDBOARD BOX wrestling with the barrel
of a .44. A thick veined hand gently rubs the gun over the
fur along the cat's neck and backbone.
RUDY BUTLER IS PREOCCUPIED WITH THE CAT, giving little
attention to the thirtyish Man standing nearby.
HAROLD CLINTON puts away a large syringe then snaps shut the
medical bag. Rudy lies across a cot in one corner of the barn-
like Animal Hospital. The large room is lined with stalls,
cages and pens, many of them vacant.
The wonded criminal is bare-chested. A plaster cast has been
attached to his left arm and shoulder.
FRAN CLINTON SITS ON A HIGH WOODEN STOOL opposite Rudy. Five
years younger than her husband, tight sweater and skirt,
bright scarlet fingernail polish, well-built, her face
suggests sensuality. Fran's bare, milk-white legs are crossed
under her rumpled skirt.
RUDY
(to Harold)
What's the damage?
HAROLD
Collar bone is broken. No infection
yet... the bandages should be changed
twice a day.
RUDY
I got a nurse in mind.
HAROLD
(going along, oblivious to the
implication)
The glucose will begin working in half an
hour. You'll feel better then...
RUDY
(flashing a grin despite the
pain)
The three of us are going to do some
traveling. We're going to take your car
to El Paso.
HAROLD
That's not possible. We can't leave
here... we've got all this.
(CONTINUED)
53.
CONTINUED:
Rudy smiles at Mrs. Clinton. He's never met Fran before, but
he's known her for years.
RUDY
Is it possible, Mrs. Clinton?
FRAN
(scared, but trying to be
friendly)
Just... tell us what you want.
Rudy looks back down at the gun and cat. The following
silence is like a scream. Finally:
RUDY
What kind of car do you have, Harold?
FRAN
(cutting in)
A Ford... We have a Ford.
RUDY
That's good. That's very good. Now
Harold, you go out and gas up the Ford,
check the oil and tires, we don't want
any problems on the road. One more
thing... If anybody but you comes back...
He points the gun at Mrs. Clinton.
RUDY (CONT'D)
(continuing)
She gets her clock fixed right away...
You understand that, Harold?
A long pause.
FRAN
You do what he says, Harold.
RUDY
After you come back I'll listen while you
make some phone calls, tell a few friends
you've got to leave for a week or two...
You have to call another Vet about the
animals. You tell him to come over and
take good care of them starting
tomorrow... no slip-ups on that. They got
to be looked after...
HAROLD
We really don't have too many friends.
(CONTINUED)
54.
CONTINUED: (2)
FRAN
They don't think he married well.
RUDY
(smiling)
That makes things a little easier for us
then, doesn't it?
INT. TRAINS STATION BAR - DAY
Carol sits in the bar. A young SOLDIER approaches and sits
down at the counter next to her. She is finishing a vodka
gimlet.
SOLDIER
(to a bartender)
Beer.
Carol glances at her watch.
SOLDIER (CONT'D)
(continuing - begins with the
obvious)
Guess you have to catch a train?
THE SOLDIER
pink-cheeked and freckle-faced, he has to
shave maybe twice a week; twenty-one
years old, not good-looking (his best
feature is his gentle, easy grin) and not
a hustler. He just wats to meet a girl.
CAROL
(not too patronizing)
That's right.
SOLDIER
Me, too. Got twenty-four days of furlough
and I'm goin' home.
The soldier's beer arrives.
CAROL
Where's home?
SOLDIER
Utah, the Bee-Hive state. I'm from Orem,
right near Salt Lake ... Say, you
wouldn't happen to be a Mormon, would
you?
(CONTINUED)
55.
CONTINUED:
CAROL
(chuckles)
No, I'm not.
SOLDIER
Me, neither. There's about twelve people
in the state that aren't Mormons and I'm
one of them.
CAROL
That certainly makes you kind of
special...
SOLDIER
(awkward)
Yeah... I guess it does.
Carol pushes aside her glass.
SOLDIER (CONT'D)
(c ont inuing)
You wouldn't be taking the train to Salt
Lake, would you?
CAROL
(smiles across to him)
No, I'm afraid not.
SOLDIER
I never have any luck.
Carol smiles at the soldier. Her features suddenly freeze as
she glances toward the entrance to the bar.
AT THE DOORWAY
DOC STANDS LOOKING AT CAROL and the soldier.
CAROL
STANDS AND PAUSES FOR A MOMENT.
CAROL (CONT'D)
I really hope you have a nice trip.
SOLDIER
Thanks. I hope yours is okay, too.
Carol moves towards the exit.
The soldier quietly sips his beer, his face a bit grim.
AT THE DOORWAY
56.
CAROL STOPS NEAR DOC.
They look at each other...
DOC
Where's the suitcase?
Carol continues looking at Doc for a moment.
Then, suddenly moves past him, leading him out into the main
lobby.
BACK WITHIN THE PROMENADE
SERIES OF ANGLES
CAROL EMERGES FROM THE COCKTAIL LOUNGE followed by Doc.
They cross to the lockers.
She retrieves the key from her purse and thrusts it into the
proper slot. It doesn't turn. Puzzled she tries again, then
forcing the key, shakes the lock violently.
Her eyes widening into a quiet panic, she next looks at the
locker number and then the number on the key. Her features
are now totally ashen.
She walks up the bank of lockers... puts the key in another
locker, the door opens, the compartment is empty.
Carol turns away from the locker, eyes glazed with fear...
Doc at her shoulder.
CAROL
A man helped me open it...
DOC
(deceptive calm)
And switched keys.
CAROL
He must have.
DOC
(angrily)
It isn't another boyfriend, is it?
Carol winces, containing her anger.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing - icily)
How long ago.
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED:
CAROL
Fifteen minutes.
DOC
Sure?
Carol nods.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing - with quick
calculation)
He'd figure you for longer, enough time
to try another hit. He's probably still
in the station.
As Doc pushes Carol forward.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing - lashing out)
There better be a guy with the
CAROL
(lashing back)
You bastard...
Walking at a rapid pace, they start through the station, Doc
forcing their speed, clutching Carol under her elbow. They
reach the main concourse after moving down the length of the
promenade... eyes straining.
CAROL STOPS SUDDENLY. SHE STARES DOWN THE LONG CORRIDOR her
eyes finding the thief. He stands near another bank of
lockers, the black suitcase at his feet.
THE THIEF LOOKS UP AT CAROL - virtually within the same
moment that she spots him. His expression never changes. He
takes a step towards her, smiling... Then, with a movement
that is both abrupt and casual, he snatches up the money bag
and disappears behind the constant traffic of train patrons.
DOC HAS SEEN THE THIEF. Recognizing the suitcase he moves
immediately after him. Carol follows Doc but is unable to
keep up. She watches as Doc vanishes behind the row of
lockers.
CAROL ROUNDS THE LAST LOCKER IN THE ROW but both men have now
disappeared from view. She sags back against the edge of the
metal compartments, exhausted, fearful.
LOUDSPEAKER VOICE
(indistinct above the roar of
the station)
Attention please.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
58.
CONTINUED: (2)
LOUDSPEAKER VOICE (CONT'D)
The Flyer now boarding at gate three. The
Flyer now boarding at gate three.
Carol again raises her eyes. Still breathless, her face glows
with moisture.
INT. THE CLINTON'S BARN - (MORNING)
FRAN IS STILL SEATED ON THE STOOL. Rudy stares at her from
the cot. Harold is now absent.
FRAN
I don't think you have to worry much
about Harold. He won't do anything.
RUDY
(he speaks very politely)
That right?
FRAN
You can trust him...
RUDY
How long have you been married?
FRAN
Two years.
RUDY
Can he trust you?
FRAN
(smiles)
That's what matters, isn't it?
Rudy continues looking at her.
RUDY
Come over here a minute...
He gestures with his gun. Fran crosses the distance slowly,
moving with apprehension.
FRAN
Look, I'm not going to be any trouble to
you either, fact is, this may sound
funny, but maybe you and I could be close
friends...
Rudy gestures her closer...
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED:
FRAN (CONT'D)
(continuing)
You don't always have to have your gun
out. I'll get whatever you want. Really,
I will...
Fran smiles. She is now standing over the cot, looking
directly down at Rudy. He jerks her down.
RUDY
(still polite)
Get rid of that nail polish, I don't like
it, and when I tell you to come over here
you move fast. You and I are going to get
along because I've known a lot of people
like you, so don't tell me about it
because I got your ticket going in. Now
get up and get that paint of your
fingers... okay?
Rudy smiles.
INT. TRAIN STATION - A SERIES OF ANGLES - DAY
DOC MOVING LIKE A GUN DOG ON THE HUNT between the rows of
lockers; catching sight of the thief momentarily, he closes
in.
After a series of criss-crossed movements among the banked
locker corriders, Doc again loses sight of the thief as the
slender criminal dodges off onto a main passenger concourse.
Doc is faster and more agile than the thief, but the station
is unfamiliar territory to him. Both Doc and the Thief move
carefully, they must not arouse enough attention to make
themselves conspicuous, thus risking police interference.
THE THIEF HURRIES ALONG THE MAIN CONCOURSE weaving between
the incoming and departing passengers that dot the long
corridor.
DOC IN PURSUIT DOWN THE CONCOURSE, he passes several sealed
off departure/arrival gates.
THE THIEF STEPS OFF THE CONCOURSE INTO GATE THREE, an open
stairway winding downward.
DOC FOLLOWS HIS QUARRY DOWN THE STAIRWAY to the train area
where he immediately skips over the winding ramp and onto the
loading platform. Emerging from the short tunnel, Doc isn't
surprised that the Thief is again nowhere in sight. Doc steps
behind a pillar -- he waits watchfully... After a moment or
two, the Thief edges out from behind another column and
starts back up the platform towards the concourse.
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED:
Doc moves quickly to intercept his opponent but, as the Thief
spots his approach, he turns and Joins several passengers
scurrying toward the awaiting train...
THE FLYER STANDS GLEAMING AT TRACKSIDE, perpendicular to the
boarding gate. Two doors to the train stand open, one in the
pullman section, the other entrance admitting day coach
passengers.
CAROL - ON THE MAIN CONCOURSE - MOVING ALONG WITH THE FLOW of
about-to-depart passengers... the Flyer comes into sight,
visible on the next level below.
THE CONDUCTOR - AT TRACKSIDE - STANDS SMILING BROADLY by the
coach entrance. He grins at the boarding PASSENGERS as he
speaks to a nearby BRAKEMAN. The Thief skirts around a
baggage-laden elderly COUPLE and moves up the two-step and
into the rail car passageway.
DOC MOVING QUICKLY AGAIN. He sees the Thief slip past the
conductor and into the train.
THE THIEF IS NOW INSIDE THE DAY COACH. He heads toward the
forward compartments.
DOC EXPERTLY SQUIRMS THROUGH THE BOARDING THRONG and
disappears past the conductor up into the passenger car
vestibule.
ON THE CONCOURSE
CAROL WATCHES AS A BLONDISH MAN in a grey suit skips aboard
the Flyer standing below. She is unable to get a clear look
at the man, and is unsure as to whether or not it was Doc.
She hesitates, then moves forward to Gate Three which will
take her down to trackside...
Carol stands at the edge of the gate -- the last of the crowd
having already passed through. She hesitates again, staring
down at the shining train.
INT. FLYER - DAY COACH
THE AISLE IS CLOGGED WITH PASSENGERS. People hesitate over
their selection of seats, put baggage into overhead racks,
clumsily remove their overcoats... The Thief continues to
move forward, squirming around the passengers at a hurried
but controlled pace.
61.
AT THE END OF A PULLMAN
DOC ENTERS, THREADING HIS WAY FORWARD, scanning faces. He is
one car behind the Thief and losing ground, due to the fact
that Doc must carefully note the occupants of each seat as he
passes. Doc is further delayed by a WOMAN blocking the aisle.
She struggles painfully, trying to fit a suitcase into an
overhead carriage.
Doc, with the most forced of smiles, reaches up to help her.
30? THE THIEF MOVES THROUGH ANOTHER VESTIBULE and into an 30?
empty car -- now unobserved, he immediately breaks into a
run.
DOC LOOKING, MOVING NIMBLY INTO ANOTHER VESTIBULE AND CAR.
The passengers have become fewer and fewer as he nears the
front of the train.
THE THIEF RUNS THROUGH ANOTHER VESTIBULE AND INTO A SMOKER.
This car also deserted, he maintains his trotting pace,
swinging the heavy suitcase as he goes... reaching the end of
the smoker, he enters the next vestibule and attempts to move
into the following car, but the Thief is brought to a halt by
the sudden dead end of the passageway. The next car holds
only baggage. He has reached furthest forward passenger car.
The Thief desperately tries to open the vestibule door,
hoping to escape by jumping off the train, but the doors are
tightly locked. He begins to retrace his steps.
DOC MOVES CAREFULLY INTO THE NEXT CAR FORWARD, still
unknowingly two cars behind the Thief.
THE THIEF PASSES BACK TO THE VESTIBULE AT THE REAR OF THE
SMOKER, his eye suddenly catching the Men's Lounge. He tries
the door -- locked. The Thief snaps out a pen knife, picks
the lock with a deft movement. Passengers are visible behind
him as he works, filtering into the pullman car following the
smoker. None of them notes his activity. The restroom door
swings open.
INT. MEN'S LOUNGE
The Thief immediately snaps the bolt-lock shut behind him,
crosses the small, murky room and tries to lift the window.
He strains mightily but the glass remains hopelessly
jammed...
DOC ENTERS THE FINAL PASSENGER CAR, notes the half 313 dozen
travelers and continues moving forward, going next into the
smoker.
(CONTINUED)
62.
CONTINUED:
THE SMOKING CAR IS EMPTY, although several Passengers and a
PORTER enter it moments after Doc leads the way. Doc passes
through the length of the car, moves into the vestibule and,
like the Thief a few moments before, finds his passage
blocked by the baggage car. Doc hesitates, then turns and
begins going back in the opposite direction.
DOC STOPS AT THE MEN'S LOUNGE -- staring hard at the door for
a moment. He tries the handle. The door remains firmly shut.
PORTER
(appearing suddenly at Doc's
shoulder)
Be open five minutes out of the station.
Doc nods and moves away, continuing to retrace his steps
toward his point of entrance onto the train.
THE THIEF, HAVING ABANDONED THE JAMMED WINDOW, is now undoing
the snaps and straps holding the suitcase closed. The lid
pulls upward and stacks of money appear under his hands. The
Thief grabs a money pad, runs his thumb over it, then shoves
the stack of greenbacks into his coat's inside breast pocket.
DOC MOVES WITH DETERMINATION back through the passenger cars.
INT. MEN'S LOUNGE
THE THIEF HAS AGAIN CLOSED THE SUITCASE. He nervously looks
about his tight-walled sanctuary, then crosses back to the
window and stares out through a corner of the pane. He pulls
the shade lower.
EXT. TRACK
METAL WHEELS GRIND AGAINST THE RAILS, the train SHUDDERS,
then begins to move forward.
THE THIEF IS WATCHING THROUGH THE MEN'S ROOM WINDOW as the
train edges forward. His body suddenly tightens. He sees Doc
outside the train, walking slowly between a narrow passage of
moving passenger cars and several parked tinders.
THIEF'S POV
DOC GLANCING BETWEEN PARKED PASSENGER
CARS, walking cautiously ahead. As the
Flyer continues to move slowly forward,
Doc disappears from view.
THE THIEF ALLOWS HIMSELF A QUICK SMILE. Turning away from the
window he picks up the suitcase, unbolts the lock and steps
back out into the vestibule.
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED:
AT THE BACK OF THE SMOKER, the Thief seats himself next to a
window and places the suitcase on the cushioned chair
opposite from him. In the forward position of the car, well
behind the Thief's back, a dozen Passengers are scattered
about the lounge chairs. A Conductor appears at the end of
the smoker opposite the Thief and begins to collect and punch
tickets.
As the train begins to pick up speed, the Thief lifts an
abandoned copy of the newpaper off the cushion next to him.
He glances at the front page, then unfolds the width of the
paper. As a precaution against regaining poverty, the Thief
rests one foot against the suitcase. All seems secure. Then,
Doc sits down next to the Thief.
DOC COMPANIONABLY SLIDES AN ARM BEHIND THE BACK OP THE
THIEF'S NECK, pulling him close.
DOC
(softly almost gently)
When you pop a lock don't mark it.
The Thief's knife instantly flashes into his hand, but before
he can bring it into play, Doc catches his arms.
THE KNIFE IS TIGHTLY WEDGED INTO THE THIEF'S HAND. Doc's
fingers are vise-like at his wrist.
THE OTHER PASSENGERS REMAIN PRE-OCCUPIED AT THE OTHER end of
the car, taking no note of the quiet encounter.
THE CONDUCTOR IS STILL AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE CAR from
Doc and the Thief. He continues collecting and punching
fares.
INT. STATION GATE - DAY
CAROL IS EXITING. THERE IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT OVER THE
LOUDSPEAKER -- the train has left.
INT. TRAIN - DAY
THE CONDUCTOR AS SEEN BY THE THIEF'S WIDENING EYES. He
methodically punches the tickets, never looking more than two
seats ahead.
THE THIEF'S EYES BULGE AS DOC CHOPS HIM ON THE WINDPIPE. The
Thief goes out. Is he dead?
DOC CHOPS HIM AGAIN. IF HE ISN'T DEAD HE LOOKS IT.
Doc pulls the Thief's hat down over his head.
64.
INT. STATION - DAY
CAROL CROSSES INTO THE STATION, TAKES A DEEP BREATH.
Sits... waiting. The soldier comes by, stops. She doesn't
recognize anything.
INT. TRAIN - DAY
THE CONDUCTOR ARRIVES AT THE LOUNGE CHAIRS WHERE DOC AND THE
thief are seated. He stops in the aisleway, expectantly
leaning in Doc's direction.
CONDUCTOR
Tickets?
As Doc takes out his wallet, peels a fifty out and gives it
to him.
DOC
End of the line. Two.
CONDUCTOR
(grumpily)
All right.
The conductor cuts the fare receipt and begins to make
change.
THE THIEF SITS FACING THE WINDOW LOOKING VERY DEAD
INT. CLINTON'S FORD - DAY
RUDY SITS IN THE BACK SEAT AS HAROLD CAUTIOUSLY MOTORS
DOWN the highway. With his one good arm, Rudy cares for the
kitten resting in the cardboard box on the back seat.
RUDY
Talk a little, Harold, loosen up... good
for you.
Harold works his jaw, his grip tightens on the wheel.
FRAN
(chuckling at Harold)
Something ought to loosen him up ... how
comes we're going to El Paso, Rudy?
RUDY
I Just want to find a suitcase.
65.
INT. KITCHEN - BEYNON'S RANCH - DAY
BEYNON'S BODY REMAINS OUT OF SIGHT behind the overturned
kitchen table... a small trickle of blood oozes out from
under one of the table legs.
The Accountant stands with Cully, Hayhoe and Swain staring
down at Beynon's body.
ACCOUNTANT
They may still be going to Nogales.
SWAIN
What about Laughlin in El Paso?
ACCOUNTANT
Cover both, get someone down there...
either Rudy and McCoy's got half a
million.
SWAIN
They've got to switch cars.
ACCOUNTANT
Put out the word.
HAYHOE
(looking back at Beynon)
What about Jack?
ACCOUNTANT
Tonight... take him out in the country,
throw him down a dry well, if you can
find one.
INT. PULLMAN CAR - DAY
AS DOC THUMBS IDLY THROUGH THE NEWSPAPER. He is suddenly
showered with spurting water. He lowers the paper and looks
to the aisle, seeing:
A SEVEN YEAR OLD BLACK PANTHER, dressed appropriately and
holding a water pistol.
KID
Stick 'em up!
Doc looks at the brat.
KID (CONT'D)
(continuing)
I'm gonna shoot you...
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
He squeezes the pistol's trigger, two bursts of water land on
Doc's shirt front. Doc continues staring at the boy. The kid
looks hard at Doc, not giving an inch.
DOC
Come here a second...
Doc takes the boy's arm, gently pulls him closer.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Look, I'm sure you're a nice kid and that
your mother's nearby...
Now you better get back to her real quick or I'm going to
break your little arm... okay?
Doc releases the boy. The kid looks at Doc for a moment then
bursts into tears and retreats at a dead run back down the
passenger car aisleway. Doc again lifts the paper, turning to
the sports page.
INT. STATION - DAY
CAROL WAITS IN THE STATION. (A SERIES OP ANGLES AND
DISSOLVES)
INT. PULLMAN - DAY
DOC LIFTS THE SUITCASE AS THE CONDUCTOR APPEARS at the
vestibule at the opposite end of the car and announces the
next stop. Doc prepares to get off. The passenger car remains
sparsely populated. No one occupies the seats near the
corpse.
EXT. FIRST TRAIN CONCOURSE - SERIES OF ANGLES AND DISSOLVES -
EARLY MORNING
CAROL SITS WATCHING THE PEOPLE -- she gets up, doesn't know
where to go... sits down again... fear and anticipation on
her face... stands up... ready to go where? Ready to sit down
again, she looks up.
DOC CROSSES SLOWLY TO HER CARRYING THE SUITCASE. Carol
reacts... pleased to see him... pleased that he's back...
until.
DOC
(steely)
Your kind of mistakes are going to land
me back in Huntsville.
(CONTINUED)
67.
CONTINUED:
CAROL
(nailing him)
I wouldn't worry Doc. I can always get
you out... I'll screw every prison
official in Texas if I have to.
DOC
Texas is a big state.
CAROL
I can handle it.
DOC
I'll bet you can.
CAROL
You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you,
Doc?
(rising tone)
If I was caught, wouldn't you?
Doc is silent. After a long pause.
CAROL (CONT'D)
(continuing - quietly)
When we had trouble before it was
different.
DOC
(nodding)
You don't like the way things are, I
don't like the way things
CAROL
What do you want to do?
DOC
Maybe we should split up... I'll cut the
money with you.
CAROL
Do you mean that?
DOC
I mean it.
A long pause. Maybe she wonders; what if he is lying but what
if he isn't? Temptation? She makes up her mind.
CAROL
No... I don't want to leave.
68.
INT. PASSENGER TRAIN - EARLY EVENING
DOC AND CAROL WATCH THROUGH THE DOUBLE WINDOWS AS THE train
yard lights of a town go strobing by.
EXT. SECOND TRAIN CONCOURSE.
DOC AND CAROL COME DOWN OUT OF THE GANGWAY OF ANOTHER train
and turn up the pavement toward the main part of the depot.
Doc continues holding the suitcase as they walk.
DOC
We'll grab a room for tonight then you go
out tomorrow and buy yourself some new
clothes, pick some up for me... Grab some
food now, paper bag it, we eat in the
room.
CAROL
(cutting in)
You've got all the answers. What about
when they find the body on the train?
DOC
When they find it, they find it.
To the cops a description's only good if there's a channel
for it, and there's no connection between that stiff and the
robbery.
CAROL
You've got it all figured.
DOC
(looking at Carol and thinking
about Beynon)
No... there's a couple of things I'm
still working on.
CAROL
Like what?
But Doc doesn't answer.
INT. TRANSIT HOTEL - NIGHT
DOC LIES NEXT TO CAROL. Carol is eating a hamburger wrapped
in wax paper. She passes one over to Doc along with some
greasy french fries and a couple of napkins .
The Suitcase has been placed on the small writing desk across
the room. Doc silently munches his hamburger.
(CONTINUED)
69.
CONTINUED:
Doc glances at the poster rolled up. Carol hasn't put it up
on the wall yet.
CUT TO:
INT. FIRST TRAIN - NIGHT
THE TRAIN GOES CLICKETY CLICK THROUGH THE NIGHT, the young
panther is stalking and prowling among the sleeping
passengers. His Mother catches him, takes him back to his
seat.
INT. TRANSIT HOTEL - NIGHT
CAROL IS BUSY UNBANDING THE MONEY PADS. A LARGE STACK OF
discarded wrappers have been placed in a metal trash can near
her leg. Behind her, Doc, now in his undershirt, reads a
Texas newspaper.
CAROL CONTINUES TO LOOSEN THE GREENBACKS. She is surrounded
on the double bed by stacks of money. She lights a match,
drops it into the wastebasket. The money bands quickly burst
into flames, consume themselves, then die back into crinkly
ashes.
DOC
(not looking up)
There may be a hunting party.
CAROL
Why, there's nothing on the news?
DOC
I didn't mean police.
He continues thinking. Carol watches him for a moment.
CAROL
Tell me about it.
Doc looks across at her.
DOC
(calmly)
Loredo is out. I've been thinking about
Rudy. If he was on his own, we're okay.
If Beynon bought him out...
Doc looks at her.
CAROL
What?
(CONTINUED)
70.
CONTINUED:
DOC
If Beynon bought him out, and he talked
then maybe Beynon's boys will be waiting
for us in El Paso.
Rudy knew about Laughlins.
CAROL
You're full of ifs.
DOC
I think you liked it with him.
I think he got to you.
CAROL
Maybe. At least I got to him.
(pause)
Where do we go from here?
DOC
El Paso.
INT. FIRST TRAIN - NIGHT
A WATER PISTOL APPEARS AROUND THE CORNER OF AN EMPTY
PASSENGER CHAIR. The seven year old brat squeezes off several
plumes of water. The Thief is hit by the gun's spray, water
runs slowly down his ear and the back of his neck.
KID
Bang!
THE BOY WATCHES THE IMMOBILE MAN. He fires again, once again
there is no reaction. The brat steps forward... smiling, he
pushes the thief's arm, pushes harder.
THE THIEF'S BODY SUDDENLY FALLS BACK ACROSS THE CHAIR. His
eyes roll upward... staring at the panther. His neck is
bruised, he pushes his hat back slowly.
THIEF
(very hoarsely)
Get me a doctor.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
CAROL SLEEPS ON HER STOMACH, her head resting across one arm.
Doc lies beside her, eyes open. He looks over at Carol a
moment, noting the long strands of hair that move
rhythmically back and forth from her gentle breathing. After
a moment Doc quietly stands, moves to the writing table and
stares at the black suitcase.
(CONTINUED)
71.
CONTINUED:
He opens the valise and lifts the large stack of greenbacks
into a shaft of light coming through a crack in the drawn
shade. Still holding the money, Doc looks back at Carol.
ONE LAST TIGHTLY BOUND MONEY PAD - NIGHT
Printed clearly on the brown wrapper.
FIRST BANK OF BEACON CITY
BEACON CITY
COMMONWEALTH OF TEXAS
INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
A PLAINCLOTHES OFFICER HOLDS A SIMILAR MONEY PAD with his
handkerchief. The Panther is sitting with his mother on a
nearby seat. Still dressed in his panther suit, but no longer
a brat. His face reflects both fear and shock.
THE THIEF IS WITH THEM, BANDAGED AROUND THE THROAT
PLAINCLOTHES OFFICER
(to the Thief)
Where did you get it?
THIEF
(hoarsely)
It was a gift.
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
CAROL COMES IN. SHE IS WEARING A NEW SUIT, SANDALS It looks
great... She tosses a package on the bed.
Doc looks at her outfit and opens his. They are too flashy.
DOC
Thanks.
(as Carol starts to speak)
You look great, just great...
They could pick you up for soliciting in ten minutes.
CAROL
That would be the first time.
DOC
(angry)
When are you going to learn?
CAROL
I did I killed a man.
(CONTINUED)
72.
CONTINUED:
Doc throws his clothes away.
DOC
(laughing)
And that could be all for you., baby.
Carol suddenly angered slaps him.
Doc immediately delivers her a stinging blow.
Carol hits the wall then stands stunned as he quietly ties
his laces and pulls on his jacket. Doc stuffs the Colt .45
into the flapped outside pocket along with 2 clips. He turns
to the bed and picks up the suitcase.
Carol continues looking at Doc.
DOC (CONT'D)
Now you learn3 this time it could be the
chair for both of us.
Carol starts to speak.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
From now on you just shut up and do as
you're told.
CAROL
If I hadn't killed Beynon., you would
have.
Doc doesn't answer. He turns and exits. She follows.
INT. POLICE STATION - MORNING
THE CONDUCTOR, THE THIEF AND THE PANTHER STUDY THREE TELEX
PICTURES OF MEN LOOKING SOMETHING LIKE DOC.
Printed at one side of the photographs are their criminal
records.
THE SENIOR DETECTIVE AND THE TWO PLAINCLOTHES
OFFICERS are seated within the Communication room of the
department. The transcriber comes to life as the cylinder
receiver begins to turn.
THE CYLINDER RECEIVER - ANGLES
THE CYLINDER NOW REVEALS DOC MeCOY'S FACE.
73.
CONDUCTOR, MOTHER AND SON AND THIEF
Yes, that's him. No question about it. That's him.
DETECTIVE
(pointing to the thief)
How about him?
THIEF
(hoarsely)
Listen, I'm a friend of the Court.
DETECTIVE
You are here because you're under arrest.
A TRANSISTOR RADIO - MORNING
ON A BEDSTAND. THE FREQUENCY HAND INDICATOR GLOWS with a
yellow light.
RADIO
... The man has been positively
identified as Carter Doc" McCoy, only
recently paroled from a penitentiary
where he was serving time for armed
robbery. He is believed to be travelling
with his wife, Carol Ainsley McCoy...
(ad libs)
INT. AUTO COURT MOTEL - MORNING
RUDY REACHES OVER TO THE NIGHTSTAND AND SHUTS OFF the radio.
His eyes stare vacantly ahead for a moment.
HAROLD CLINTON IS TIED SECURELY INTO A CHAIR, his mouth
tightly gagged.
RUDY BEGINS TO SMILE. FRAN IS NEXT TO RUDY WITHIN THE bed,
wearing only a bra, sleeping, one arm wrapped around Rudy's
middle.
RUDY
How you doing over there, Harold? You
sleep okay last night? Good. I'm glad to
hear it. Did you listen to the news? That
means we don't have to drive so hard
today, Harold... we're gonna be
travelling a lot faster than they are...
We got a lot more time than I figured.
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED:
Rudy continues smiling. He pulls the sheet away from Frank,
then allows his hand to reach down, cupping her breast from
inside the bra. Fran half awakens, pulls herself closer to
Rudy.
INT. ACCOUNTANT'S OFFICE - DAY
HAYHOE, THE ACCOUNTANT and the rest of the boys are sitting
in the office waiting.
INT. CAR - DAY
RUDY IS DRIVING NOW, Fran and Harold are not speaking.
INT. CAR - DAY
DOC AND CAROL. DOC IS DRIVING. They are also silent.
INT. LAUGHLIN HOTEL - EL PASO - MORNING
CANNON (one of the Accountant's boys, whom we have not seen
before) ENTERS THE DARK NEARLY DESERTED LOBBY and approaches
the reception desk. The large room is populated by
overstuffed and threadbare furniture.
LAUGHLIN looks very much like Dub Taylor and speaks Spanish
just about as badly. He flashes a quick grin from behind the
counter as Cannon draws near. At the switchboard behind
Laughlin, CARMEN, maybe 35, sits next to the telephone jacks
(all of them idle) readinc a movie magazine.
CANNON
You Laughlin?
LAUGHLIN
(Mr. Friendly)
Yes, sir, and that's my wife and that's
Junior.
Laughlin indicates a seventeen year old BELLBOY sleeping in
one of the overstuffed chairs.
CANNON
Congratulations. I need a room.
LAUGHLIN
No trouble. You came to the right place,
one thing we got is a lot of rooms. What
else can I do for you?
75.
INT. DOC AND CAROL'S CAR - DAY
AS IT MOTORS DOWN THE TEXAS HIGHWAY. The black suitcase is
propped up between Doc and Carol in the front seat. Doc,
seated on the passenger side, bangs the car radio with his
hand. The radio is obviously not working as he turns the
dials and pushes the buttons.
DOC
(cajoling it)
C'mon workl I
(almost pleading)
C'mon.
We hear garbled words for a moment, pleasing Doc... and then
the radio conks out again. This time Doc hits the radio hard.
DOC (CONT'D)
(angrily to the radio)
Give me the news!!
When it is clear that the radio won't work:
DOC (CONT'D)
You can't trust anything these days.
CAROL
I'll tell you something, Doc. One day
you're going to have to trust somebody...
DOC SLAMS THE BRAKE, GRABS THE WHEEL as the car veers over to
the side of the road.
DOC
I trust...
(he opens the black suitcase)
Want to see what I trust... In God we
trust...
(he pulls out a bill and points
at it)
The word's on every bill!!!
CAROL
(slamming the suitcase closed)
You keep it up and it won't matter how
far we get away, because it's going to be
all over between you and me. Do you
understand that? There won't be anything
left.
She starts the car up again, and continues driving, her
knuckles tightening around the steering wheel.
76.
INT. CLINTON'S FORD - ANGLES - DAY
AS IT LEISURELY MOVES ALONG THE ROADWAY BORDERED BY MILES OF
SAGEBRUSH. Harold drives, Fran is again in the front seat
beside her husband... a scrunched up sack of food beside her.
She wipes her mouth with a napkin, shoves it inside the paper
bag, then turns to watch the passing scenery. Rudy sits in
the back, eating spareribs. He suddenly throws a just
finished bone at Fran, hitting her on the shoulder.
RUDY
Have a bone, baby.
He throws another sparerib at Fran.
FRAN
(shouts)
Oh, Christ, you wrecked my blouse.
God damn it, Rudy, what did you do that for? Jesus.
RUDY
(laughing)
I'll tell you why I did it... it makes me
feel good.
He laughs and again throws another bone at Fran. She suddenly
catches his mood and begins laughing herself ... tossing a
bone back at Rudy.
HAROLD CONTINUES DRIVING. His knuckles whiten around the
steering wheel as a sparerib bounces off the window in front
of him.
THE KITTEN IS SLEEPING WITHIN the cardboard box, oblivious to
Rudy and Fran's laughter. (That will be the day.)
EXT. SMALL TEXAS TOWN - DAY
THE CHEVY MOVES ALONG with the light mid-day traffic, passing
various roadside business establishments, then pulls up
before a radio/TV repair and sales shop.
INT. RADIO/TV STORE - DAY
ALL THE LATEST MODEL RADIOS are stacked on shelves around the
small room... a television display featuring several models
is in one corner of the shop. Another TV is playing near the
counter and the PROPRIETOR'S desk.
DOC
A portable.
(CONTINUED)
77.
CONTINUED:
PROPRIETOR
Transistor?
DOC
Yeah.
The Proprietor moves to a shelf.
THE SCREEN. As Doc's picture suddenly flashes onto the tube,
with appropriate dialogue.
DOC STARING AT THE TELEVISION, then he quickly reaches over
and snaps the set off.
THE PROPRIETOR BRINGS OUT SOME RADIOS, seemingly oblivious to
Doc's action.
PROPRIETOR
15 to 55 dollars -- take your pick.
DOC TURNS, then looks at the corner of the small shop.
ALL THE TELEVISION SETS have Doc's picture on them.
DOC TURNS BACK TO THE PROPRIETOR -- the man is looking at him
not at the sets.
DOC
(paying)
Fifty --
Taking a set, he exits.
PROPRIETOR
You have change.
But he doesn't answer.
INT. CAR - DAY
CAROL TURNS AS DOC STICKS HIS HEAD through the open door,
hands her the set.
DOC
We got trouble. Let's take a walk.
DOC AND CAROL WALKING UP THE SIDEWALK OP THE SMALL TOWN. They
turn into a Sporting Goods Store. The Chevy is behind them, a
block away.
78.
INT. RADIO/TV STORE
THE PROPRIETOR LOOKS CAREFULLY OUT THE WINDOW AT THE empty
car, then turns and grabs his telephone.
INT. SPORTING GOODS STORE
CAROL REMAINS BY THE FRONT WINDOW, PRETENDING TO
EXAMINE some fishing equipment as she keeps her eye on the
street.
Doc moves to the counter at the rear of the store. An
ATTENDANT moves up to help Doc.
SALESMAN
(with a smile)
Can I help you?
DOC
Sure can. I'd like an Invicta 12-gauge
pump with the twenty-inch barrel.
SALESMAN
All right. Shells?
DOC
Two boxes of double-ought buck.
SALESMAN
Gonna knock down a wall?
DOC
(big smile)
Might try that.
The Salesman puts a form in front of Doc then goes to the gun
rack behind him, lifts off a short-barreled shotgun and
begins to wrap it.
SALESMAN
Sign here.
CAROL, AT THE FRONT OP THE STORE, WATCHES THE STREET INTENTLY
EXT. THE STREET
THE RADIO-REPAIRMAN EXITS THE SHOP AS A POLICE CAR comes down
the street and makes a U-turn... stopping near the Chevy.
After a brief conversation the Radio-Repairman goes back
inside his store and the police car pulls forward, down the
street from the Chevy.
79.
INT. POLICE CAR
THE TWO COPS LOOK LIKE HOMER AND JETHRO. Both men stare hard
at the now staked-out Chevy.
CAROL -- WATCHING PROM THE WINDOW OP THE SPORTING GOODS STORE
AT THE COUNTER THE SALESMAN LAYS OUT THE GUN AND THE BOXES OF
SHELLS. As Doc empties the loose shells into his coat pocket:
CAROL TURNS, LOOKS AT DOC, THEIR EYES MEET. Doc reads her; he
knows that the police are in the street.
AT THE COUNTER THE SALESMAN PUTS A STRING AROUND THE BROWN
PAPER
SALESMAN
Be one hundred and eighty-five thirty-
two.
Doc quickly pays the man.
DOC
Much obliged.
Doc turns as the Salesman drifts over to another Customer --
he approaches Carol at the store window.
CAROL
Only one car.
DOC
Let's do it.
Carol moves ahead of Doc,, exits the Sporting Goods Store and
starts up the sidewalk.
DOC WATCHES HER FOR A MOMENT, THEN HEADS FOR THE DOOR HIMSELF
EXT. SIDEWALK
CAROL WALKS ALONE BACK TOWARDS THE CAR.
INT. POLICE CAR
HOMER AND JETHRO CONTINUE STARING AT THE CHEW. Their car is
pointed towards the Radio Store, its back to the Sporting
Goods house.
DOC LEAVES THE SPORTING GOODS STORE, CROSSES THE STREET and
begins walking up the opposite sidewalk, back towards the
Chevy.
80.
CAROL PASSES THE POLICE CAR AND NEARS THE CHEVY
INT. POLICE CAR
THE TWO RURAL COPS MOVE INTO ACTION; their car pulls forward
and parks diagonally across the street, partially blocking
the roadway as xvell as nearly obstructing the Chevy.
CAROL STANDS FROZEN AS HOMER AND JETHRO HOP OUT OF THE POLICE
car, guns drawn.
DOC CROSSES THE STREET BEHIND THE COP CAR
HE LEVELS HIS big gun...
Doc FIRES the shotgun through the "brown wrapping paper point
blank into the squad car, caving in one side of the machine
and blasting the radiator into a steaming wreck.
Homer and Jethro hit the ground, paralyzed with fright as
their car EXPLODES behind them.
With three more BLASTS Doc blows most of the top off the
police car then calmly reloads.
DOC
Slide those guns!
The two cops send their guns clattering across the pavement.
CAROL HAS INSTANTLY MOVED BACK INTO THE CHEVY, started the
engine and begun maneuvering it out onto the street. She
makes a U-turn, then pulls up near Doc.
DOC STEPS FORWARD, KICKS THE TWO PISTOLS BACK UNDER the
police car near the gas tank.
He walks to the back of the car.
Carol throws open the passenger door of the Chevy.
Doc SHOOTS the gas tank of the squad car, it instantly
ignites.
Walking calmly around the burning police car Doc then starts
to climb into the Chevy.
Carol REVS the engine.
Doc pauses a moment, looking back at the prone police
officers and the blazing automobile.
(CONTINUED)
81.
CONTINUED:
Carol guns the car forward -- Doc, unprepared for the Chevy's
sudden movement, falls flat on his face across the pavement.
CAROL THROWS THE CHEVY INTO REVERSE, AND ROARS back to pick
up Doc.
DOC, A LITTLE CHAGRINED, PICKS HIMSELF UP, GRABS his gun and
jumps into the Chevy. He slams the door closed, Carol again
tears forward -- tires peeling down the pavement.
HOMER AND JETHRO RAISE THEMSELVES. With very long faces they
study the burning remains of their once proud squad car.
EXT. HIGHWAY
THE CHEVY SPEEDS OUT OF TOWN,, onto an open stretch of road.
INT. CHEVY
DOC JAMS ONE MORE SHELL INTO HIS PAPER-WRAPPED gun -- Carol
grips the wheel tightly concentrating on the road... the
Chevy continues to accelerate.
EXT. HIGHWAY
THE CHEVY CROSSES THE ROAD'S BROKEN WHITE LINE and passes a
lumbering Greyhound bus.
DOC, STARING AT THE HIGHWAY BEHIND THEM; the bus fades off
into the horizon...
DOC
(finally)
Here.
THE CHEVY PULLS OFF THE HIGHWAY, MOVES UP A DIRT road for
twenty yards then pulls into a cornfield of a well laid out
farm, smashing through the six foot high stalks. Well out of
sight, the Chevy slams to an abrupt halt.
DOC AND CAROL, RUNNING THROUGH THE CORNFIELD AND BACK UP THE
DIRT road toward the highway. Doc still carries his gun in
the brown wrapping paper. Carol labors with the suitcase as
she runs.
ON THE HIGHWAY DOC STANDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, waving
both arms overhead. The Greyhound bus comes to a lurching
halt, Doc and Carol scramble aboard.
INT. BUS
DOC BUYS TWO FARES FROM THE SCOWLING GREYHOUND DRIVER. The
bus again moves forward.
(CONTINUED)
82.
CONTINUED:
DOC AND CAROL SITTING TOGETHER ON THE BUS, Doc hold- 4l4 ing
his camouflaged gun. They lean back on their padded seats as
the bus jostles along the road.
Suddenly... Two Police Cars pass the bus, SIRENS screaming,
lights turning...
Doc and Carol's eyes meet...
One more Black and White passes the bus and races on down the
road.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. TEXAS TOWN - AFTERNOON 4L
DOC WEARS A SUNBEATEN LEATHER JACKET, READING A NEWSPAPER,
while leaning against a hot dog stand. One foot rests on the
suitcase. The Invicta has been re-wrapped in a laundry bag.
The paper is filled with news of the robbery and a mug shot
of Doc.
A GREY MERCURY PULLS UP NEAR THE DOGGIE DINER. Carol is
driving. Doc walks up to the window of the car.
INT. MERCURY
DOC LEANS IN THROUGH THE WINDOW.
DOC
Where are you going?
CAROL
El Paso.
Doc opens the door and moves into the driver's seat.
DOC
How much?
CAROL
Twenty eight hundred.
As she looks at him, he smiles:
DOC
Are you hungry?
CAROL
Not now.
He drives off.
83.
INT. CLINTON'S STATION WAGON - LATE NIGHT
FRAN IS CUDDLING WITH RUDY IN THE BACK SEAT.
HAROLD
I've got to stop.
RUDY
(as Fran!s hands move over him)
I'll tell you when.
EXT. HIGHWAY - TEXAS - MIDNIGHT 4L
A FRONTAGE ROAD BORDERING THE EDGE OF A GOOD-SIZED TOWN.
Carol now driving,, pulls off the highway and into an "Oasis"
drive-in restaurant.
THE MERCURY COMES TO A STOP WITHIN A ROW OF CARS FACING the
indoor portion of the restaurant.
DOC AND CAROL - INSIDE THEIR AUTOMOBILE AS THE CAR HOP - a
skinny girl, wearing a brown jacket and slacks, approaches
the car carrying two menus. She arrives with a smile. Doc
leans forward, looking past Carol at the waitress, he lifts
his hand, not accepting the bill of fare.
DOC
That's okay, honey. Two cheeseburgers;
two coffees and a milkshake.
GIRL
How about fries?
DOC
(big smile)
Why not?
The Car Hop walks back across the raised cement sidewalk
towards the kitchen area...
INT. MOTEL - NIGHT
HAROLD IS TIED TO A CHAIR, RUDY IS LYING ON THE BED, half-
clothed, eating chicken, drinking a beer, while Fran slowly
strips down to bra and panties.
INT. MERCURY AT THE DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT
DOC AND CAROL WATCH AS THE CAR HOP PREPARES to bolt the
serving tray onto the car-door window.
GIRL
Could you roll it up part way?
(CONTINUED)
84.
CONTINUED:
CAROL
Sure thing.
The girl clamps the tray to the window. The Car Hop narrows
her features, looking at Doc and Carol then smiles and turns
and heads back toward the kitchen.
DOC REACHES UP AND CASUALLY ADJUSTS THE REAR VIEW MIRROR
THE MIRROR HAS BEEN TURNED TO REVEAL THE HIGHWAY AND THE
ENTRANCE TO THE DRIVE-IN'S PARKING LOT
CAROL BEGINS TO EAT, she looks casually at the mirror.
DOC SLOWLY EATS HIS CHEESEBURGER, TAKES A SIP OF MILKSHAKE
CAROL REACHES FOR HER COFFEE, spills it and then reaches for
the light switch knob on the dashboard.
THE MERCURY'S HEADLIGHTS BLINK ON
THE CAR HOP AT THE PICK-UP STAND, notes the lights 429 then
turns her head the opposite direction, pretending not to see.
DOC WATCHES THE WAITRESS TURN AWAY
THE CAR HOP STARES AT THE CEMENT PAVEMENT. Within the kitchen
behind her the cooks all look toward the parking lot... their
faces expectant.
DOC WATCHING THE WAITRESS
DOC
She made us.
Carol looks into the rear view mirror. Across the wide lot a
police car appears, cutting in off the highway.
Doc goes into the back seat, Carol kicks the engine over,
jams the stick into gear. All this is accomplished while
staring into the rear view mirror.
DOC LIFTS THE LAUNDRY BAG-COVERED SHOTGUN onto his lap.
THE POLICE CAR cruises slowly along the line of autos...
INT. POLICE CAR
TWO OFFICERS SCAN THE PARKING LOT. THE PASSENGER COP CRADLES
a riot gun.
PASSENGER COP
Mercury.
(CONTINUED)
85.
CONTINUED:
THE SQUAD CAR PULLS TO A STOP FIFTEEN FEET behind the
Mercury, seemingly blocking the way.
DOC
Now.
CAROL STANDS ON THE ACCELERATOR. THE MERCURY GOES screaming
forward, as Doc shoots out the back window. Then, as the
terrified cops duck to the side, he shoots out their front
windshield. The Mercury bounces up across the sidewalk as the
empty plates and glasses topple off the serving tray and roll
across the concrete. The car slams back down through a vacant
space on the opposite side, and moves around in a semicircle
across the asphalt, heading for the highway exit.
DOC SMASHES OUT THE REAR WINDOW with the butt of his shotgun.
THE BLACK AND WHITE NOW IN REVERSE, ZOOMING BACK, trying to
get between the Mercury and the highway.
CAROL BRINGING THE CAR AROUND, SHE CAN SEE THE SQUAD CAR
streaking backward. She pulls the wheel to the right and
brings her car across the front of the still stopping Police
Car.
THE OFFICERS TRY TO BRING THEIR GUNS INTO PLAY AS THE Mercury
streaks in front of them.
DOC FIRES THE SHOTGUN TWICE
THE POLICE CAR EXPLODES. THE HOOD IS LIFTED OFF THE CAR. Both
Officers jump out of the vehicle, pouring shots after the
retreating Mercury.
CAROL - SCREAMING AS THE FRONT AND BACK WINDSHIELDS SHATTER
around her.
THE MERCURY, BADLY RIDDLED, PULLS OUT ONTO THE HIGHWAY
ANOTHER SQUAD CAR COMES SPEEDING UP in the opposite
direction. The Driver hits the brakes, the tires smoke along
the street as the Black and White SCREAMS to a stop.
CAROL PULLS THE MERCURY BY THE SQUAD CAR
DOC FIRES ANOTHER TWO BURSTS...
THE POLICE CAR - THE FRONT AND BACK FENDERS ARE HIT; the
wheels disintegrate - the impact of the shells rocks the
Black and White upward.
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED:
THE SECOND PASSENGER COP, FIRING A .38 OUT HIS BACK WINDOW at
the Mercury as it streaks down the road. Three holes open up
on the trunk of the auto.
DOC CAN SEE BOTH OFFICERS JUMP OUT OF THE SECOND Black and
White through the rear window. Carol makes a quick turn off
the highway.
THE MERCURY ROARS DOWN THE DARK STREET INTO THE CITY'S
COMMERCIAL SECTION, suddenly slow, makes another sharp turn -
this time through a red light.
DOWN A SMALLER STREET FILLED WITH SHOPS - CAROL ROUNDS THE
CORNER, whips up to the curb - Doc and Carol jump out of the
car. She carries the suitcase, he hangs onto his big gun.
DOC AND CAROL, MOVING DOWN A DESERTED SIDEWALK; the SOUND of
sirens. They round a corner, then quickly move into an alley.
THE ALLEY IS NARROW, DESERTED. DOC AND CAROL pull back into
an alcove as a prowl car goes SCREAMING down the street and
off into the night. They continue down the alley.
THE OPPOSITE ENTRANCE TO THE ALLEY IS BLOCKED BY a large
metal garbage container, and the DRIVER empties two cans of
garbage into it. Then he starts across the narrow street
beyond in order to grab several others.
DOC LOOKS BEHIND HIM, THEN GRABS CAROL'S ARM. They run for
the container. Doc tosses the suitcase into the container,
jumps in, reaches back, pulls Carol in beside him. SIRENS
again sound close by.
AFTER A MOMENT, A LARGE GARBAGE TRUCK PULLS UP, lifts the
container with hooks and dumps the garbage and Doc and Carol
into the truck.
A SERIES OP ANGLES AS A CRUSHER BEGINS TO MOVE TOWARDS THEM
INSIDE THE TRUCK. Doc and Carol start to panic, but they have
room enough.
WITHIN THE TRUCK DOC WIGGLES HIS .45 out of his jacket and
into his hand. He, Carol and the suitcase are crushed tightly
amongst the garbage. A moment after Doc frees his gun, a load
of garbage descends on their shelter, partially obscuring
them.
THE TRUCK PULLS OUT
DOC AND CAROL SWEATING... BREATHING HARD. Again the SOUND of
sirens... the truck lurches forward.
(CONTINUED)
87.
CONTINUED:
THE TRUCK MOVES ALONG THE EMPTY STREETS, passing several
prowling squad cars.
EXT. STREETS - SERIES OF ANGLES - SUNRISE
THE GARBAGE MAN DRIVING THE TRUCK, MAKING STOPS, throwing in
more refuse. The truck continues along.
DOC AND CAROL - THEIR FACES COVERED WITH PERSPIRATION and
flies... buried within their enclosure under the moist
garbage.
A GARBAGE DUMP - MORNING
THE TRUCK GROWLS ALONG THE RUTTED PATHWAY surrounded by acres
of open trash. Areas within the dump reveal the slow,
smouldering fires...
THE TRUCK BACKS UP TO A HUGE CRATER HALF-FILLED WITH REFUSE
THE DRIVER REVS THE ENGINE, PULLS THE BED LIFT GEAR
THE TRUCK BED RISES AND TILTS FORWARD, as the load of trash
tumbles down the face of the crater.
DOC AND CAROL SLIDE DOWN THE MOUNTAIN OF FILTH, and stumbling
forward they climb into a large cardboard box.
THE DRIVER GETS OUT OF THE CAB, checks to see that the
garbage is gone from the truck bed. On his way back to the
cab he finds a magazine to his liking near a shredded auto
tire. With his newly-found prize, the Driver re-enters the
truck and drives away.
THE BOX LIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CRATER AMONGST the broken
bottles, melon rinds, flashlight batteries, tin cans, used
tires.
DOC SAWS AT A CORNER OF THE CARDBOARD BOX with his penknife.
The matted paper gives away, allowing them more room within
the box.
DOC
Okay?
CAROL
I think so... I don't know.
Doc puts his hand to her face, wiping away a thin trace of
blood from a scratch.
DOC
It's not deep.
(CONTINUED)
88.
CONTINUED:
Carol tries to smile for the first time in quite a while.
CAROL
No scars?
DOC
No scars.
Doc looks across the garbage through the open end of the
crate.
THE HEAT AND THE FLIES HAVE BECOME UNBEARABLE. Carol begins
to scratch her leg.
DOC (CONT'D)
Don't scratch it, just rub, you'll get an
infection.
Carol ignores him, she is in bad shape.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Do what I tell you, it's not a game.
CAROL
It's all a game, don't bother me.
Doc stares at the garbage around them.
DOC
We better stick here till tonight.
CAROL
(down)
Yeah.
Doc smiles, trying to get her to smile again.
DOC
We're going to make it.
CAROL
(further down)
Sure...
Carol rubs one hand along her now terribly soiled, tweed
suit.
She looks away from Doc. Doc stares at her mussed hair and
tear-stained cheeks.
DOC
I want to say something.
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED: (2)
CAROL
(quiet defeat)
I don't want to hear it.
DOC
(softly)
Listen to me. It's hard enough.
Carol turns back, faces Doc. Their eyes find one another.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Look, what you said yesterday... I guess
that was right. It isn't worth anything
if we don't make it together.
CAROL
I don't think we can any more... If we
ever get out of here, maybe I should take
off...
DOC
We got this far.
CAROL
We've come a lot of miles. But we're not
close to anything.
DOC
I guess you're right.
A pause.
CAROL
I always thought jails make people hard.
Not you. You're just not tough enough to
forget about Beynon. I chose you, not
him.
DOC
Either we pick it up or else we leave it
right here. We got to go one way or
another.
CAROL
(setting the condition)
No more about Beynon.
DOC
Whatever happens it's over.
A pause.
(CONTINUED)
90.
CONTINUED: (3)
CAROL
(not trusting his mouth)
Sounds good.
DOC
You want to try with me?
CAROL
(smiling)
Things can't get much worse can they?
DOC
I don't see how.
A long moment.
CAROL
(finally talcing Doc's arm)
Okay.
DOC
(slow smile)
You and me.
CAROL
Can we make it?
DOC
We get to Mexico, we can have a life.
CAROL
That's all I want... It's the only thing
I have ever wanted.
As she pulls herself against him:
DOC
I'm going to try and get it for you.
They pull each other closer, tightly holding one another.
RUDY IS LYING IN BED READING A NEWSPAPER PILLED WITH DOC AND
CAROL. The fact that they have been seen in the North. He
smiles.
Fran is in the bed beside him asleep naked under the sheets.
RUDY
(calling softly)
Harold, you've had ten minutes, get out
of there.
No answer. Rudy gets up and crosses to the bathroom.
91.
INT. BATHROOM - DAY
HAROLD IS HANGING FROM A BRACKET. Very dead and not very
pretty. Rudy looks at him, then sits on the John continuing
to read his paper.
EXT. GARBAGE DUMP - LATE DAY
CAROL AND DOC CLIMB OUT OF THE GARBAGE AND BEGIN WALKING HAND
IN HAND.
INT. CATTLE CAR - NIGHT 48L
DOC AND CAROL HUDDLED TOGETHER ON THE FLOOR OF THE EMPTY CAR.
They hold one another tightly fighting the cold and the
relentless roar of metal wheels.
INT. EL PASO SELF-CLEANING STORE - EARLY MORNING
CAROL AND DOC ARE THE ONLY CUSTOMERS. They sit in booths
while their clothes are being cleaned (doors open at bottom).
INT. MEN'S ROOM SERVICE STATION - DAY
DOC AND CAROL WASH THE GRIME FROM THEIR HANDS AND FACES.
EXT. NEW CONSTRUCTION - EL PASO - EARLY EVENING
DOC AND CAROL WALK THROUGH LIKE TOURISTS.
INT. LOBBY OF LAUGHLIN'S HOTEL - EL PASO - MORNING
RUDY AND FRAN ENTER THE HOTEL, EACH OF THEM CARRYING
OVERNIGHT BAGS.
Cannon watches them from across the room, carefully cleaning
his teeth with a cinnamon toothpick.
INT. FOURTH FLOOR CORRIDOR LAUGHLIN HOTEL - MORNING
LAUGHLIN LEADS RUDY AND FRAN down the dark-walled hallway,
stopping before room number 4l8. Laughlin turns the key in
the lock, opens the door.
LAUGHLIN
It's hard to figure. There's something
about the composition of the track at
Pimlico... You can't go by the clock, any
speed horse, take a second off any other
track in the country.
INT. ROOM 418
92.
AS THE GROUP ENTERS.
LAUGHLIN
(continuing)
... but a speed horse is the only thing
that consistently holds form. They got to
let 'em run, dumb God damn trainers try
to rate 'em, just breaks their heart.
Rudy kicks the door shut with a slam, grabs Laughlin's
shoulder, spins him around, hits him full in the stomach. As
Laughlin begins to fall Rudy catches him, wallops him again
in the mid-section, then throws him back into a ratty
armchair. Rudy instantly pulls out his .44 and shoves it hard
against Laughlin's mouth.
RUDY
Okay, sweetpea, you get two choices. Live
or die.
RUDY (CONT'D)
Do what I tell you, you not only get to
live, but maybe you'll pick up some
money.
LAUGHLIN
(still breathless)
Just tell me.
RUDY
First things first. Main thing, you work
for me, otherwise I get you. If I don't,
six months from now one of my friends
will.
EXT. EL PASO STREET - DAY
CANNON AT PHONE BOOTH. HE SLIPS A DIME INTO THE SLOT.
INT. ACCOUNTANT'S OFFICE - DAY
THE ACCOUNTANT HANGS UP THE PHONE.
ACCOUNTANT
El Paso. Laughlin's. Rudy's arrived.
DOC IN PHONE BOOTH PLACES CALL
INT. LAUGHLIN'S HOTEL
93.
LAUGHLIN PICKS UP THE PHONE.
LAUGHLIN
Sure, Doc. I can do it. Just like old
times... Yeah, it's a nervous way to
live.
EXT. EL PASO STREET - NEXT DAY - EARLY AFTERNOON
CAROL AND DOC SIT ON A WOODEN BENCH AT A PARK NEAR THE HOTEL.
THE BLACK SUITCASE is on the ground.
ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE BENCH IS LAUGHLIN'S. FOUR stories
of red brick.
A DOC GETS UP AND CROSSES TO THE HOTEL WITHOUT THE BAG
INT. LAUGHLIN'S HOTEL - DAY
DOC ENTERS AND CROSSES TO LAUGHLIN WHO IS BEHIND THE DESK.
The switchboard is now vacant.
DOC
Jimmy. How's it going?
LAUGHLIN
(shaking hands, laughing)
Good to see you, Doc.
(handing him a paper)
It's all there, departure, arrival -
everything except the $500.
Doc pays him, looks closely into his eyes. Jimmy hasn't
changed and it's set.
DOC
How's Mama and the kids?
LAUGHLIN
Growing -- all of them - every day.
(then)
318, you'll be the only ones on the
floor.
DOC
My lady'11 come in in about five minutes.
Have some food sent up in half an hour.
LAUGHLIN
Just sandwiches...
DOC
Right.
(CONTINUED)
94.
CONTINUED:
He picks up the room key. Doc starts for the elevator.
DOC (CONT'D)
When she gets here, have that kid of
yours help her with the suitcase.
LAUGHLIN
He took the day off.
DOC
Then you do it.
LAUGHLIN
Can't leave the desk.
Doc gives Laughlin a half-pissed look, then crosses to the
elevator and pulls the cage door open.
LAUGHLIN WATCHES THE RICKETY, self-service elevator move
upward. He reaches for the desk phone.
INT. ROOM 4L8 - DAY
FRAN, WEARING ONLY A BATHROBE, is doing her nails while
watching an old movie on the black and white tube, seated on
the bed. The phone begins to RING.
Fran looks over to Rudy from her overstuffed armchair.
RUDY
Okay, Grunt, pick it up.
ELEVATOR DOORS - THIRD FLOOR
CAROL EMERGES THROUGH THE SLIDING DOOR AND TURNS DOWN THE
CORRIDOR. She walks slowly, carrying the heavy suitcase.
Reaching the door to room 31oj Carol knocks rapidly three
times, waits, then raps out two sets of two knocks. The door
swings open and Doc stands within the archway. She enters.
Doc shuts the door and slips his arms around Carol, revealing
his .45 automatic in one hand.
INT. RUDY'S HOTEL ROOM
RUDY IS SPINNING THE CHAMBER on his .44 then shoves it into
his coat pocket. Fran is getting dressed in the middle of the
room, her breasts and thighs ripple outward from the confines
of the bra and girdle.
THE CALICO KITTEN SLEEPS PEACEFULLY IN ITS cardboard box.
95.
INT. BATHROOM 3L8
CAROL IS IN THE SHOWER, STEAM HANGS IN THE AIR as she
vigorously soaps her body, cleansing herself of the residue
left from their cross-country flight.
DOC IN THE MAIN ROOM IS STANDING AT THE LARGE windows facing
across to the building next to Laughlins. The fire escape is
one story beneath him. Doc crosses, throws the suitcase on
the bed, undoes the straps and snaps, lifts the lid open. He
stares at the huge amount of money for a moment, then digs
into the suitcase, reaching down to the bottom. He withdraws
his hand, holding four visas.. He puts two of them on the
bureau drawer top... the other two he begins to tear into
sections and places them into a large ashtray. He touches a
match to the scraps.
THE FLAMES CURL AROUND RUDY'S PHOTOGRAPH in the ashtray.
EXT. AIR TERMINAL - EL PASO ENTRANCE - DAY
THE ACCOUNTANT., SWAIN, CULLY AND HAYHOE APPROACH A PARKED
OLDSMOBILE... A HOOD IS DRIVING.
INT. ROOM
ON THE BED IN DOC AND CAROL'S ROOM, THE SUITCASE IS NOW
CLOSED; the .45 automatic sits beside it... Doc's overcoat
also lies across the bedpsread, near it the wrapped shotgun.
The poster is again on the wall.
CAROL still in the bathroom of room 318. She wears only a
slip. Carol is washing out her bra and panties in the
washbasin, using a coarse bar of soap. Doc enters; he begins
taking off his shirt.
DOC
We've got some food coming, should be
here any minute.
CAROL
Great. I'm going to sleep twelve hours.
DOC
Ten. Laughlin's going to take us across
at four A.M.
CAROL
(mild complaint)
Oh, Jesus... how?
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED:
DOC
Jeep. There's a dry river bed fifteen
miles east. He takes us to the Mexican
side, drops us off at the airfield by
breakfast... we've got a 9 o'clock
flight.
CAROL
(smiles)
I'll be ready.
DOC
(down)
Yeah.
CAROL
What's wrong?
DOC
(shrugs)
I don't know.
CAROL
Get in the shower. You'll feel okay.
DOC
(smile)
Whatever you say.
INT. FOURTH FLOOR HALLWAY
AS RUDY AND FRAN EMERGE FROM THEIR ROOM. The door shuts
behind them, Rudy guides Fran to the stairs.
INT. BATHROOM 318
DOC STANDS IN THE SHOWER, THE HARD SPRAY BREAKING OVER THE
BACK OF HIS SKULL. Tired, he closes his eyes, rests the side
of his head against the tile.
INT. BEDROOM 318
CAROL STILL WEARING THE SLIP, she lies back across the bed.
Her eyelids slowly fall shut. Carol has pushed the suitcase,
overcoat and .45 off to one side.
RUDY AND FRAN COME DOWN THE STAIRS. Rudy puts one hand inside
his overcoat.
INSIDE THE OLDSMOBILE - EL PASO CITY STREETS
AS THE HOOD DRIVES, SWAIN IS BESIDE HIM IN THE FRONT, CULLY,
THE ACCOUNTANT AND HAYHOE ride in the back seat.
97.
INT. ROOM 318
CAROL IS NAPPING LIGHTLY ON THE BED AS DOC BURSTS out of the
bathroom... again dressed in his shorts, holding his pants in
one hand.
DOC
Get upI Carol's eyes snap open.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
We're moving now!
He quickly pulls his pants on...
CAROL
What is it?
DOC
Laughlin. He's always got his family
around... that wife and kid of his have
to stand by his side to make sure he
stays off the juice and horses.
CAROL
So what?
DOC
If they are not here, he must have sent
them away.
INT. CORRIDOR THIRD FLOOR
RUDY AND FRAN STEP INTO THE HALLWAY TOWARD ROOM 3l8a passing
several rooms. Fran's face is taut. Rudy starts his nervous
grin.
INT. ROOM
DOC SNAPS HIS ZIPPER CLOSED, REACHES FOR HIS SHIRT.
CAROL
You're crazy.
DOC
(hard)
Get your clothes on, move your butt.
She looks at him, doesn't move.
CAROL
Sorry. Look, I'm clean. I want to get
some rest.
(CONTINUED)
98.
CONTINUED:
She is interrupted by a hard knock on the door. Doc drops his
shirt to the floor. He quickly reaches down, lifts his .45.
Doc gestures to Carol... she moves towards the door.
CAROL (CONT'D)
(continuing; now at doorway)
Who is it?
INT. HALLWAY
Fran stands at the door to 318. Rudy is at her shoulder; he
has taken out his revolver.
FRAN
It's your food, I brought up your
sandwiches...
INSIDE 318
Carol standing near the door., looks at
Doc. He mouths and half-whispers:
DOC
Stall.
Doc whips his pen knife out of his pocket, crosses the room
to the locked door of an adjoining hotel room. He begins
forcing the lock.
CAROL
Just leave it outside the door... I'm not
dressed right now.
After a moment:
FRAN
I can't do that, ma'am. You have to pay
now so I can pay back the boy that went
out and got the food...
DOC working on the door; his .45 shoved into the waistband of
his pants.
CAROL thinking hard...
CAROL
All right. You'll have to hold on a
minute, my husband's in the shower...
DOC breaks the lock and opens the door -- he quickly crosses
the dark apartment, moves to the front door, slips out his
automatic, then gingerly cracks the door. His eyes tighten in
amazement as he sees:
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED:
RUDY STANDING SLIGHTLY BEHIND FRAN, his .44 held tightly up
to the door jamb, ready for instantaneous use. Rudy and Fran
are 15 feet down the hallway from Doc's slightly opened door.
They both have their backs turned to him in three-quarter
fashion.
DOC BAREFOOTED., BARE-CHESTED; he decides on a course of
action. The door swings quietly open.
WITHIN THE HALLWAY, DOC CLOSES THE DISTANCE between himself
and Rudy in two swift strides, Rudy turns,, swinging his gun,
too late, as Doc's .45 crashes against his head. Rudy drops.
Fran screams. Rudy looks at Doc, still smiling, eyes glazed.
He falls abruptly. Doc stands over the fallen body. Fran
continues to scream. Doc finally turns away from Rudy,
looking now at the screaming woman. He flattens her with a
left hook to the jaw. Fran drops to the floor as if she had
been shot. Suddenly everything in the corridor is silent.
RUDY'S HEAD IS BLOODIED. He lies without movement.
DOC NOW SLAMS AT THE DOOR OF 318
DOC
Open it up, it's me.
Carol swings the door open. Doc bursts back into the room,
grabs his shirt, begins to button it.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Come on, come on.
CAROL
Who was it?
DOC
Just get your clothes on...
THE FOURTH FLOOR CORRIDOR
AS DOC AND CAROL COME BACK OUT OF 318 they step over the
fallen bodies and start toward the waiting elevator.
Carol stops as she recognizes Rudy. Doc pulls her along,
forcing her to keep moving. Carol again carries the brown
suitcase, Doc holds the shotgun. They go down the back (or
front) stairs.
100.
INT. LOBBY
THE ACCOUNTANT STANDS AT ONE CORNER OP THE RECEPTION COUNTER
IN THE LOBBY OF LAUGHLINS. Within an alcove behind and to one
side of the desk (the area serving as an office) Cully, Swain
and Hayhoe have stretched Laughlin across the pine desk. The
Accountant eyes both the empty lobby and the entrance to the
hotel3 acting as lookout.
CULLY INSIDE THE ALCOVE LIFTS A SNAPPED OFF LEG of the heavy
chair to use as a club. The thug turns back to the desk where
Swain and Hayhoe have Laughlin pinioned.
CULLY
Just tell us the room number.
LAUGHLIN LOOKS BACK AT CULLY. He is very frightened but says
nothing.
CULLY SLAMS THE WOODEN CLUB DOWN ON LAUGHLIN KNEECAP
CULLY
Now you want to tell me?
LAUGHLIN
McCoy's in 318., the other guy's in 420.
CULLY
Sure about that?
He again whacks Laughlin's knee.
INT. LOBBY STAIRS
DOC AND CAROL EMERGE,, MOVING QUICKLY FOR THE. main entrance.
They get five steps before simultaneously seeing the
Accountant.
CAROL
Doc !
Doc and Carol freeze for an instant.
The Accountant snaps his fingers twice.
Cully lowers his club, looks to the Accountant, as do Swain
and Hayhoe. The Accountant smiles, staring at Doc and Carol.
ACCOUNTANT
(calmly to his men)
Out here.
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED:
CULLY, SWAIN AND HAYHOE APPEAR FROM THE ALCOVE BEHIND the
Accountant. They look over his shoulder toward the rear of
the hotel, their eyes finding Doc and Carol.
INT. WITHIN THE MAIN LOBBY
DOC HAS ONE HAND IN HIS OUTSIDE COAT POCKET, WRAPPED
around the .45. Carol continues to hold the suitcase up in
front of herself, almost like a shield. The distance between
Doc and Carol and the hotel entrance has been effectively cut
off by the four opponents standing near the reception desk.
Carol edges backward a few steps, toward the massive wooden
staircase.
ACCOUNTANT
Just have her set it down.
Doc's hand comes out of his coat pocket, a slow gesture
revealing that his palm is empty.
DOC
You want it? Come and take it.
THE ACCOUNTANT NOW PLANKED BY THE THREE MEN
ACCOUNTANT
(quietly)
Get him.
As the three men reach for their guns.
DOC MOVES MUCH PASTER. HE DUCKS TO THE RIGHT, levels the
disguised shotgun and fires in the same movement. The
reception desk near the Accountant splinters from the blast
and he is hit painfully. The other three men duck away from
the sudden burst of fire power.
DOC AND CAROL JUMP FOR THE STAIRS
HAYHOE LEVELS HIS PISTOL AT THE RETREATING COUPLE Another
shot from Doc's riot gun... this one breaking open the floor
at Hayhoe's feet and cutting him down at the knees. Cannon,
Cully, Swain and Max open fire as they dive for cover. They
miss their shots, digging up walls, stairs and flooring.
ON THE WINDING STAIRWAY DOC AND CAROL FLEE UPWARD She
struggles with the heavy suitcase, Doc transfers the riot gun
to his left hand, pulls out the more accurate .45 to use with
his right.
102.
WITHIN THE LOBBY THE SIX MEN SPLIT FORCES
Cully and the Accountant run to the elevator, enter it, pull
the door shut. Swain and Hayhoe, limping, and Cannon and Max
start for the stairwell in direct pursuit of Doc and Carol.
All the men, save the Accountant, now have guns in their
hands.
SWAIN AND HAYHOE CAUTIOUSLY GOING UPWARD. Still below the
first level landing, their eyes search overhead. The SOUND of
Doc and Carol's pounding feet can be heard.
HAYHOE LEANS OUT OVER THE BANISTER, points his gun directly
up and fires.
DOC AND CAROL BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR landings as
Hayhoe's bullet tears by, ripping through the wooden banister
supports.
INSIDE THE ELEVATOR THE ACCOUNTANT AND CULLY WATCH the arrow
indicator pass "Two."
DOC AIMING HIS .45 RESTING IT ON THE BANISTER He fires two
shots back down the stairwell.
SWAIN AND HAYHOE MOVING UP THE STEPS TWO AT A TIME Suddenly
Hayhoe's leg buckles as a .45 slug tears through his hip, the
other bullet ripping the plaster wall near his shoulder.
SWAIN IS NOW BESIDE THE BANISTER, he points his 54l revolver
straight up... empties it.
DOC AND CAROL AS SWAIN'S BULLETS BREAK AROUND THEM. Doc pulls
Carol down, lifts the riot gun and fires down the stairwell
with a huge roar.
THE STAIRCASE TEN FEET IN FRONT OF SWAIN IS SMASHED by Doc's
blast. Swain has to climb over the uprooted planking to
continue moving upward. Cannon following.
THE ELEVATOR INDICATOR STOPPING AT "THREE"
CULLY PULLS OPEN THE DOOR, MOVES OUT INTO THE corridor. The
Accountant remains within the elevator.
SWAIN ON THE STAIRWAY FIRES HIS PISTOL UPWARD
CAROL, ON THE STAIRWAY ABOVE, AS THE SHOTS SMASH PAST, runs
ahead of Doc by three steps. They pass the second landing,
keep moving upwards towards the third.
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED:
Doc's focus of attention is downward. He knows that he and
Carol are being pursued up the stairwell, but he isn't aware
of the fact that the gunsels have split their forces.
RUDY ON THE THIRD FLOOR AGAIN RISES LIKE LAZARUS FROM THE
DEAD. His head bloodied from Doc's heavy pistol, he slowly
wobbles to his feet. Rudy looks down at Fran... she sobs
violently, her back leaning against the wall. Rudy picks up
his .44 then stumbles into the open door of Doc and Carol's
room. He unsteadily crosses to the bathroom, closes the door.
CAROL FRANTICALLY MOVING UPWARD, DOC HAS NOW FALLEN five
steps behind.
DOC FIRES THE .45 DOWN THE STAIRWELL AT
SWAIN ON THE THIRD FLOOR
Cully walks cautiously down the corridor, pistol raised. He
moves toward the landing, having covered one quarter of the
distance from the elevator. The Accountant is still within
the elevator.
Carol comes up the stairwell and looks back for Doc. The
SOUND of Swain's pistol and Doc's answering .45. Carol senses
a movement; she turns and sees Cully's gun leveled at her. As
Carol screams:
Doc dives onto the landing facing the corridor... his plane
of movement knee high.,, the riot gun in his left hand, .45
in his right.
CULLY IS HIT IN THE CHEST BY BUCKSHOT. The killing wounds
fling him upward as he fires his own gun... his aim destroyed
by the death blows,, the bullets stray above Carol, high of
their mark.
DOC FIRES THREE TIMES MORE AT THE ELEVATOR CABLE
THE CORRIDOR WALL NEAR THE ELEVATOR IS SMASHED BY ONE OF the
riot gun's jumbo shots, as is the top of the elevator. The
plaster flies away revealing further damage. The cables are
smashed, the elevator breaks loose and plummets downward.
THE EMERGENCY CABLE, INSIDE THE SHAFT
THE MECHANISM TRANSFERS OVER, line catching within the pulley
housing. The line snaps taut - halting the speeding car.
WITHIN THE LOBBY
104.
AS THE ELEVATOR SLAMS TO A WRENCHING STOP FIVE FEET
ABOVE the floor level. The Accountant bounces from the floor
of the car to the ceiling, then back to the floor.
Laughlin leans across the reception desk in great pain. He
sees the suspended car through the iron grill door.
The Accountant lies completely still on the floor of the
elevator. His head and neck twisted at an oblique angle.
DOC ON THE THIRD FLOOR LANDING
HE JAMS SEVERAL SHELLS INTO HIS RIOT GUN WHILE HOLDING his
.45 ready for an appearance by Swain. Reloading completed, he
stands, with Carol. He again begins to move upward.
SWAIN FIRES FROM THE STAIRWELL
DOC STOPS, SETS BOTH THE RIOT GUN AND THE .45 on 562 the
banister... He waits... on the winding staircase below him
there is a dark movement.
DOC FIRES BOTH GUNS
THE STAIRWELL AROUND SWAIN DISINTEGRATES. The thug is
obliterated by the firepower.
DOC CANNOT SEE THE EFFECT OF HIS SHOTS. He again resumes his
flight upward.
INT. DOC'S BATHROOM
RUDY HOLDS HIS BLOODY HEAD IN THE SINK BOWL, DUMBLY splashing
water over himself. Carol's underwear is still present.
Rudy's pistol lies on the soap tray.
THE LANDING AS DOC AND CAROL COME POUNDING INTO VIEW. No
further avenues open, they turn down the corridor. Doc grabs
Carol and pushes her into the room, past Fran; he kicks the
door shut.
INT. THE ROOM
DOC GRABS THE SUITCASE, RUNS TO THE WINDOW, TEARS off the
shade, lifts the frame, looks. The drop is too far. He grabs
Carol and runs into the hallway.
INT. CORRIDOR
THEY RUN DOWN TWO DOORS AND BREAK IN. Over the door is the
sign "Fire Escape."
105.
INT. FIRE ESCAPE ROOM
DOC HELPS CAROL OUT ONTO THE FIRE ESCAPE. He aids her with
his left hand, the riot gun now clutched tightly in his
right. He motions, she hands him the suitcase and follows.
EXT. FIRE ESCAPE
THEY DESCEND THE FIRE ESCAPE. They reach the end. The fire
escape stays rigid.
Doc cautiously steps on to the tilted steps. He turns and
with the suitcase crosses to the end. Throws the bag and the
shotgun across the 6 foot gap to the retaining wall,
preparing to jump.
RUDY COMES OUT OF THE ROOM ONTO THE FIRE ESCAPE holding his
.44. He looks down at Doc, then slowly raises his gun. Carol
screams.
DOC JUMPS. RUDY FIRES. DOC IS HIT IN THE SIDE (flesh wound).
In the air he spins and lands. Rudy fires again and again as
he runs down the fire escape. Doc rolls, picks up the shotgun
and fires.
RUDY'S TIME HAS COME. THE JUMBO CHARGES MASH HIM BACK against
the wall and off the fire escape.
CAROL RUNS ALMOST STAGGERING AND GETS READY TO JUMP the six
feet.
THE FIRE ESCAPE. BEGINS TO SINK. CAROL LOOKS AT DOC mutely,
as she sinks beneath the retaining wall.
DOC
(his hand out)
Jump!
And she does. He catches her and pulls her up.
They look at one another for a long moment, then he stands
and helps her to her feet, and leaving the shotgun behind
they walk into the alley.
RUDY LIES DEAD BEHIND THEM
IN A PARKING LOT AT THE END OF THE ALLEY, SLIM, a tough,
grizzly Western is about to pull out. Doc opens the back door
and Carol gets in. Doc opens the front door as Slim turns and
looks at him.
(CONTINUED)
106.
CONTINUED:
DOC
(.45 in hand, pointing)
Drive.
SLIM
Suit yourself.
He lets out a yell and guns across the lot over the four foot
drop to the sidewalk and into and off a car and into the
street.
SLIM (CONT'D)
(grinning)
How was that?
DOC
(smiling in spite of himself)
Just fine.
SLIM
Where we go in1?
DOC
Mexico. I'd like to find a quiet place to
cross.
SLIM
Why not?
The car pulls forward as the light blinks to green.
EXT. STREET
AS THE CAR PASSES AN INTERSECTION, SEVERAL POLICE cars can be
seen arriving at the front of Laughlins.
The car continues moving up the street, then makes a right
onto a larger boulevard.
Doc half turns to Carol.
DOC
You okay?
CAROL
(nodding)
Where do we go from here?
DOC
I don't know, airport I guess.
(CONTINUED)
107.
CONTINUED:
CAROL
They will have our description before we
can get a plane.
DOC
(way down)
Yeah.
SLIM
I guess you ain't gonna shoot me, are
you?
DOC
I kinda doubt it.
Slim is obviously pleased that some excitement has come into
his life.
SLIM
That's good... I'll cooperate, don't
worry about that... yes sir, I've had
some trouble with the law myself.
Doc and Carol look at the man.
SLIM (CONT'D)
Three years ago I dynamited some fish at
the reservoir.
CAROL
(beginning to laugh)
Oh my God.
SLIM
That little job cost me a hundred
dollars... didn't even get to keep the
fish.
DOC
(resigned to the insanity of
the moment)
Let's just get to the border.
SLIM
Sure thing, mister, it's coming right up.
'Bout an hour. Quiet crossing that is.
EXT. CASETA BRIDGE CROSSING - DAY
THE AMERICAN OFFICIALS SIMPLY WAVE THE CAR BY.
At the white line a Mexican CUSTOMS OFFICER emerges from the
station house. As he looks inside the car:
(CONTINUED)
108.
CONTINUED:
OFFICIAL
Buenas tardes... Your destination.
SLIM
(speaking right up)
Chihuahua... gonna do some sightseeing.
The Official smiles and motions them past.
INT. CAR
AS IT HEADS INTO CHIHUAHUA ON THE MEXICAN SIDE.
SLIM
Which way?
DOC
Juarez - Chihuahua City road.
SLIM
Don't you want to go to the airport?
DOC
Not now.
CAROL
How long before this car's hot?
DOC
(after a moment)
Pull over.
Slim stops the car near the soft shoulder of the dirt road.
Doc looks at Slim.
DOC (CONT'D)
(continuing)
Listen... how much money did you make
this year?
SLIM
(slightly offended)
What's it to you?
DOC
(patient)
Come on. How much?
SLIM
'Bout five thousand.
(CONTINUED)
109.
CONTINUED:
DOC
How about if I buy your car for ten
grand?
SLIM
You serious?
DOC
Sure am.
SLIM
And I keep my mouth shut?
DOC
That's what I want.
SLIM
I don't report the car and I don't know
either of you?
DOC
You got it.
SLIM
How about twenty thousand?
-DOC
How about thirty?
SLIM
(delighted)
Done, by God.
Doc turns to Carol.
DOC
Pay the man.
As she begins to open the suitcase...
A WAD OF MONEY DISAPPEARING INTO SLIM'S POCKET
DOC LOOKS AT SLIM
DOC
You're going to have to walk back to the
border.
SLIM
Don't worry about me, I'll grab a cab...
I can afford it, you know.
(CONTINUED)
110.
CONTINUED:
Slim steps out of the car, Carol moves into the front seat as
Doc slides behind the wheel.
SLIM (CONT'D)
(continuing, leaning through
the window)
Hope you get to where you're going.
CAROL
Thanks. Hope you do too.
SLIM
By the way, you're getting a hell of a
car there, mister.
DOC
(laughs)
Well, I paid a hell of a price. Now for
God's sake keep your mouth shut.
SLIM
(his pride hurt)
Wish you hadn't said that. When Slim
Canfield's lips are sealed, they're
sealed.
DOC
(smiles)
Go with God.
DOC SLIPS THE CAR into gear.
SLIM
One thing though... how do I explain this
to my wife?
CAROL
Tell her you robbed a bank...
The car pulls forward. Slim waves goodbye, then turns and
begins walking back down the highway.
BACK INSIDE THE CAR, DOC ACCELERATES AWAY
CAROL
Are we going to make it?
DOC
Hell, I don't know... but we sure gave it
a run.
(CONTINUED)
111.
CONTINUED:
CAROL
(positive with a small smile)
Whatever happens... we're going all the
way.
DOC
(smiles)
Yeah, why not? We're the good guys.
CAROL
I guess we are.
After a moment:
DOC
Why don't you try the news?
Carol snaps on the radioj the voice of a Mexican announcer is
heard.
CAROL
No more news, from now on we're just
going to listen to music.
She spins the dial. Mariachi music comes on.
EXT. MAIN HIGHWAY
AS THEY HIT THE MAIN HIGHWAY, DOC PULLS OFF AND STOPS.
CAROL
What now?
DOC
We walk.
THEY ARE WALKING ALONG THE HIGHWAY, THE EDSEL IS now a dot in
the background. Another dot appears, grows bigger, as it gets
closer it is a bus. Very Mexican but very Greyhound in
appearance.
Doc and Carol turn, Doc flags it down.
It pulls to a stop, they board. The bus pulls out.
INT. BUS
DOC PAYS AND THEN FOLLOWS CAROL TO A SEAT.
They sit. Mexico rolls by outside the window.
They look at each other and smile.
(CONTINUED)
112.
CONTINUED:
VOICE (O.S.)
Hey!
Doc and Carol look back.
THE BLACK PANTHER IS LEANING OVER THE SEAT, his empty fist
cocked up like a pistol. He grins.
BLACK PANTHER
(pulling the trigger)
Bang!
Doc and Carol look at him.
FREEZE FRAME.
FADE OUT.
THE END |
the Ghost and the Darkness - by William Goldman
"THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS"
by
William Goldman
FADE IN ON
A TINY FIGURE OF A MAN hurrying toward camera. The figure gets
larger as he approaches. But as yet we cannot tell who he is or
where we are.
MALE VOICE (over)
This is the most famous true story
of Africa. It happened a hundred
years ago, but even now, when
children ask about it, you do not
tell them at night.
(The FIGURE continues
to grow)
It began with the race to build a
railroad across Africa.
(beat)
But this is not about building a
railroad- it is about Patterson.
And now we can tell that the FIGURE is a YOUNG MAN, A LIEUTENANT
COLONEL. This is PATTERSON. He is gifted and bright and serious,
serious about his life, serious about his career. He has been
successful in everything he's attempted, in part because of his
talents, in part because he is willing to outwork anybody.
AND THIS IS WHERE WE ARE: ENGLAND.
More specifically, in a high-ceilinged corridor of an elegant
building - lovely woodwork all around. Everything is neat,
everything is clean and in order.
MALE VOICE (over)
Patterson was thirty. A brilliant
engineer. A fine man, but do not
become attached to him- there are
many fine men in this story but do
not become attached to any of them.
(beat)
So many of them die.
Patterson stops at a large ornate door, knocks. Waits.
MALE VOICE (over)
And remember this: only the
impossible parts of what follows
really happened...
(Now the door opens
and we-)
CUT TO
Just a wonderfully handsome man standing in the doorway. This is
ROBERT BEAUMONT - 40, with an irresistable smile. We're in his
office and the place reflects the man - clean, cold. There are
maps and charts on the walls. He ushers Patterson inside.
BEAUMONT
(The great smile flashes)
John Henry Patterson, come in. I'm
Robert Beaumont.
(They shake hands)
Firm- I like that, tells me a lot
about you-
(beat)
-now why don't you tell me about me?
To get you started, many people find
me handsome, with a wonderful smile.
I'm sure you agree.
(Surprised, uncomfortable,
Patterson nods)
Winning personality, heaps of charm?
PATTERSON
My wife is the game player in the
family, sir.
BEAUMONT
Games?
(staring dead at Patterson)
Look at me closely, Patterson: I am
a monster. My only pleasure is
tormenting people who work for me,
such as yourself.
(again the smile - only
now it's chilling)
One mistake and I promise you this:
I'll make you hate me.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he realizes Beaumont is serious. Beaumont turns
sharply and moves to a large map.
CUT TO
THE MAP. It covers a great deal of East Africa with a very clear
line that ends at Lake Victoria, a distance of some 600 miles.
BEAUMONT
(pointing along the line)
We are building this railroad
across Africa for the glorious
purpose of saving Africa from the
Africans. And, of course, to end
slavery. The Germans and French
are our competition. We are ahead,
and we will stay ahead providing
you do what I hired you to do-
CUT TO
A MORE DETAILED MAP. This one ends at "Tsavo," 130 miles in.
BEAUMONT
-build the bridge over the Tsavo
river. And be finished in four
months time. Can you do that?
PATTERSON
I'm sure you've examined my record.
So you know I've never yet been
late on a bridge.
BEAUMONT
You've never built in Africa.
PATTERSON
But I have in India- every country
presents problems.
BEAUMONT
You'll need your confidence, I
promise you.
PATTERSON
I've got a reason far beyond
confidence: my wife is having our
firstborn in five months and I
promised I'd be with her when the
baby comes.
BEAUMONT
Very moving, Patterson; I'm touched
you confided in me.
(beat)
But I don't really give a shit about
your upcoming litter. I've made you
with this assignment-
(the smile)
-don't make me break you.
PATTERSON
(smiling right back)
You won't have the chance.
(glancing at his watch)
Any further words of encouragement?
(silence)
Then I've a train to catch.
They look at each other a moment in silence - and it's very clear
they do not like each other. Patterson turns, leaves and we
CUT TO
A RAILWAY STATION, IMMEDIATELY AFTER
A train is loading up. A lot of activity, a lot of noise.
Patterson stands in the midst of it, anxiously looking around.
CUT TO
HELENA PATTERSON, hurrying through the crowd. Early 20s, with the
kind of serene beauty of Jean Simmons. She is still slim, has not
begun to show. She spots him, puts a smile on, goes straight into
his arms.
HELENA
I tried to be late, John- it would
have been easier if you'd gone.
PATTERSON
(They are nutty about
each other - he nods)
We're not much good at goodbyes,
Helena.
HELENA
(brightly)
Tell me about Beaumont- does he
understand how brilliant you are,
how lucky he is to have you?
PATTERSON
It was embarrassing- the man showered
me with compliments.
They start to walk hand in hand along the platform toward a
quieter place. Patterson is suddenly very serious-
HELENA
Oh dear-
(beat)
-you're geting that downtrodden look
again-
PATTERSON
-well, it's just...
(beat)
...other men don't abandon their wives
at such a time-
HELENA
(not unkindly)
-oh please- if I'd been against your
taking this, you would have abandoned
me. You've been desperate to see Africa
your whole life.
PATTERSON
What if there are complications?-
HELENA
-not "what if"- there will be, there
always are. Which only means that our
"son" and I- note my confidence- will
have an excuse to come visit.
THE TRAIN WHISTLE sounds.
HELENA
Go, now.
(He kisses her hand)
Such a gentleman.
(Now he holds her)
PATTERSON
I am desperate to see Africa- but I
hate the leaving.
CUT TO
HELENA. She hates it, too.
HELENA
You build bridges, John-
(beat)
-you've got to go where the rivers are.
They hold each other a moment more, then break, then back into
each other's arms a final time, then-
CUT TO
THE TRAIN, and thick clouds of steam-
-Patterson runs into the clouds and disappears.
HOLD FOR A MOMENT.
KEEP HOLDING.
Patterson runs out of the steam and we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
A DIFFERENT TRAIN, A DIFFERENT COUNTRY, A DIFFERENT WORLD.
This is the train to TSAVO and Patterson is alone on the engine
seat- a wooden bench in front of the engine used by railroad
inspectors and visiting VIPs. Behind it is a white circular piece
of wood used to keep the engine heat from the passengers.
CUT TO
NIGEL STARLING, running as best as he can alongside the train,
trying to pull himself up onto the engine seat.
STARLING is a terribly appealing young man. Clothes do not fit him
well, and he is constantly tugging at this sleeve or that
shirttail, trying to get things right. He wears glasses, tends
nonetheless to squint at the world. He is, above all, a good man,
morally impeccable and very much a product of these Victorian
times.
STARLING
(as Patterson helps
him aboard)
Many thanks.
(squints)
You're Patterson, yes?
(Patterson nods)
Nigel Starling- I'll be assisting you
at Tsavo- but surely Beaumont must
have told you that.
PATTERSON
He just gave me his "monster" speech.
STARLING
That. I know Robert seems dreadful,
but when you truly get to know the man,
well, he's much worse.
(beat)
And I'm one of his defenders.
(Patterson smiles)
Forget him for now- it's your first
ride to Tsavo- I think you'll find it
breathtaking.
(And on that word-)
CUT TO
STARLING coughing like crazy, hands over his face which is caked
with dust- he and Patterson stare out at an absolutely dreary
desert.
PATTERSON
(shouting toward Starling)
"Breathtaking" doesn't begin to do it
justice.
(As Starling starts to
laugh, his mouth opens
and sand flies in, and
his coughing fit returns
and)
CUT TO
THE DESERT. ENDLESS. LATER IN THE DAY.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM, bent over, arms covering their faces as the dust
gets worse- a wind has kicked up.
CUT TO
THE TRAIN, TRYING TO MAKE IT UP A STEEP GRADE. STILL LATER.
Patterson and Starling are walking beside the train now, helping
to push it, trudging through the dust. All the other passengers
spread out behind them, also pushing- the train obviously needs
all the assistance it can get.
CUT TO
INSIDE A RAILROAD CAR, EARLY EVENING.
Patterson and Starling, filthy, sit together. Starling has nodded
off. Patterson has a book open in his lap-
-we can tell there are drawings of African animals- not all that
accurate.
Now Patterson's eyes close and he sleeps.
CUT TO
THE TRAIN POUNDING THROUGH THE NIGHT.
Stokers shovel coal. They are exhausted but they keep at it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. WAKING IN THE CAR, RUBBING HIS EYES. IT'S DAWN.
He stares out-
-and from his face it's clear something special has happened. And
now, at last-
CUT TO
SOMETHING SPECIAL- and what it is, of course, is Patterson's first
view of the Africa of his imagination.
Because the desert has ended, and now there are grasses and trees
and one more thing-
-bursts of animals. On both sides of the train.
A flock of birds materializes here, a cluster of gazelles doing
there amazing leap there.
Patterson is like a kid in a candy store.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, back outside in the engine seat again.
Starling points-
STARLING
Aren't they amazing?
CUT TO
WHAT HE'S POINTING AT: Some giraffes running along, their absurd
shape suddenly graceful as they eat up the ground in incredibly
long strides.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, staring out.
PATTERSON
You know the most amazing thing
about them?- they only sleep five
minutes a day.
(Starling glances at him-
clearly, he didn't know that)
CUT TO
A FAMILY OF HYENAS. Close by, loping in their scary way.
STARLING
Don't much like them.
PATTERSON
(nods)
The females are bigger- only animal
here like that- have to be or they
wouldn't survive because the males
eat the young.
CUT TO
STARLING studying Patterson. Clearly, he didn't know that, either.
CUT TO
SOME HIPPOS moving along. Starling turns to Patterson.
STARLING
Anything special about them?
PATTERSON
Just that they fart through their
mouths.
(beat)
Must make kissing something of a
gamble.
STARLING
(laughs)
I've lived in Africa a year and I
don't know what you know. How long
have you been here?
PATTERSON
(looks at his watch)
Almost three hours.
(beat)
But I've been getting ready all my
life.
(Now, from them-)
CUT TO
A BUNCH OF IMPOVERISHED-LOOKING NATIVE WOMEN. They hold children
who wave at the passing train. The children are more impoverished
looking than their mothers.
STARLING
(suddenly touched)
Every time I see something like that,
I know we're right to be here- to
bring Christianity into their lives,
enrich their souls.
PATTERSON
Beaumont says it's to end slavery.
STARLING
(shrugs)
We all have our reasons. Mine is
simply to make them understand
happiness, accept salvation, know the
serenity that comes-
(interrupts himself)
-best I stop. One of the by-products
of my belief is that I can become
amazingly boring. But I know God smiles
on me.
PATTERSON
(They really like each other)
Have you got that in writing?
(Starling, amazingly good
natured, laughs. And now-)
CUT TO
A WHITE CLAW.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
Hundreds of white claws.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
They aren't claws at all, they're thorns as sharp as claws and
they're on a twenty-foot high thorn tree.
And there are dozens of those trees, packed together. All mixed in
with other trees, low and stunted, and thick underbrush and baked
red rocks-
-now the train begins to slow.
Smoke drifts across.
A bunch of wildebeest scatter off the tracks.
STARLING (over)
Welcome to Tsavo.
(on the word)
CUT TO
TSAVO.
We have arrived at the train station area and what we see is a
place that is still being built. There are tin shacks; a water
tower is under construction-
-men are working everywhere, for that's what Tsavo is: a place for
work.
THE TRAIN goes slower still.
No one stands idly around here.
But no one looks happy either.
ONE MAN is apart from the rest: this is SAMUEL.
An ageless Masai, tall and slender, he has a smile that can light
the world.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING as they step off the train.
STARLING
(indicating Samuel,
who is approaching)
Samuel is camp liaison- absolutely
indispensable- the only man here
everyone trusts.
PATTERSON
(softly)
Does he speak English?
SAMUEL
(not softly enough)
And very poor French.
STARLING
(introducing)
Samuel- John Patterson.
SAMUEL
(as they shake)
The bridgebuilder-
(gesturing to the
working men)
-we have been getting ready for
you.
PATTERSON
Excellent. Could I see the bridge
site?
(Samuel nods)
STARLING
I've got medical supplies to
deliver. Come along to the hospital
when you're done.
(starting off)
SAMUEL
I will bring him, Nigel.
We should realize by now that Samuel's was the voice we heard at
the very beginning of the picture.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, starting to walk. They pass the water tower.
Standing on top of it in a precarious position is an extremely
powerful INDIAN. He waves to Samuel who waves back. This is SINGH.
WORKERS study Patterson as he moves by. Not smiling. Up ahead,
some SIKHS are erecting tents. Not smiling.
PATTERSON
Why do the workers look unhappy?
SAMUEL
Because they are here.
(beat)
Because Tsavo is the worst place in
the world.
(He points ahead)
Come, John- to the bridge.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD TRACKS as the camera pans along.
CUT TO
THE RIVER in the distance as they walk toward it.
And here is as good a place as any to explain just what the spot
where the movie takes place was like.
There were five hundred men working for Patterson. And they lived
in a spread out area. A bunch of Indian coolies who might have
come from the same town back in their country might choose to live
in one cluster of tents. A group of natives might be in another
cluster.
What we have then, as far as living places are concerned, are
dozens of clusters of tents. (Eventually, as the terror began,
these areas all got surrounded, each with its own thorn fence.)
The places we'll come to know best are, among others, Patterson's
living area, the hospital tent area, the area by the river where
the bridge is to be built, etc., etc.
As they move, Samuel points out various camps.
A SECT OF INDIANS is getting ready for prayer.
ANOTHER SECT OF INDIANS is eating.
A GROUP OF AFRICANS are cleaning their tent area.
Anyway, you get the idea. Just remember that the place covered a
wide expanse, maybe a mile square, maybe more.
Okay, back to the story.
PATTERSON
(as they pass the INDIAN
tent area where prayer is
starting)
It's all wonderfully under control,
Samuel- you've done a splendid job.
SAMUEL
Thank you. The truth is this: you
have to work at it constantly.
PATTERSON
The workers don't get on?
SAMUEL
Get on? They detest each other.
Obviously the Africans hate the
Indians. But the Indians also hate
the other Indians. Some of them
worship cows, while others eat them.
(As they move on)
CUT TO
RAILROAD TRACK.
PAN ALONG TO
MORE RAILROAD TRACK.
KEEP PANNING
And suddenly the track just stops in mid-air as we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL standing high above the Tsavo River. The
track has come to the edge of the area above the riverbank- where
it just stops-
-and picks up on the far side. All that's missing, in other words,
is the hundred-yard-long bridge that will connect the pieces of
track.
SAMUEL
(to the far side)
Railhead is across there.
CUT TO
THE DISTANCE. Nothing can be made out clearly but there are great
clouds of dust.
SAMUEL
Three thousand men laying track- when
the bridge is done, it all joins up.
Patterson nods, says nothing, but goes to his haunches, staring at
the space where the bridge is to be.
SAMUEL
Did it look like this in your mind?
PATTERSON
(shakes his head)
This is more difficult-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. Excited.
PATTERSON
(eyes bright)
-but how wonderful that it's
difficult, it should be difficult-
what better job in all the world
than build a bridge?- make things
connect- bring worlds together- and
get it right!
(Now from Patterson-)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL TENT
as Patterson and Samuel walk in. Patterson glances around-
-it's not bad at all. Of course there are some patients, injured
or with fever. But like the rest of the camp we've just seen,
everything is working well, everything is under control. Starling
approaches.
STARLING
Finish your tour?
PATTERSON
(nods)
And anxious to get started.
(indicating the hospital)
What is this, mostly malaria?
STARLING
Yes- but their suffering is only
transitory- once they except God
into their hearts, He will vanquish
all pain.
MAN'S VOICE (over)
That's just vomitous talk, Nigel- the
poor bastards will relapse if you keep
on that way.
(As they turn-)
CUT TO
DOCTOR DAVID HAWTHORNE. A tough, middle-aged cockney. And a heavy
drinker. A man who hasn't been tactful in twenty years.
HAWTHORNE
(to Patterson)
I'm David Hawthorne, this is my
hospital. And my advice to you is,
"don't get sick in front of it."
(beat)
That was meant to be charming,
sorry. I seem to have lost the knack.
STARLING
You never had it.
HAWTHORNE
Nigel and I don't like each other much.
SAMUEL
(breaking the tension)
I am also liaison between these two.
PATTERSON
(to Hawthorne)
Clearly you don't agree about building
the railroad?
HAWTHORNE
This sham? Ridiculous. Who needs it?
It's only being built to control the
ivory trade, make men richer.
PATTERSON
Then why do you stay?
HAWTHORNE
Who else would hire me?
(to Starling)
Beat you to it, didn't I?
(beat)
Oh yes, almost forgot- brought you a
little welcoming gift.
(Now he gestures and we-)
CUT TO
A NERVOUS ORDERLY who approaches them. He has been freshly
bandaged across one shoulder.
HAWTHORNE
This is Karim, one of my orderlies-
attacked by a man-eater earlier
today- first incident of that kind
here.
Patterson says not a word, just studies the wounded man.
STARLING
(incredulous)
A man-eater attacks and you're such
a buffoon you almost forget to mention
it?
HAWTHORNE
Well, he got away, didn't he?
(to Patterson)
Riding a donkey not far from here
when the lion sprang on them- donkey
took the brunt of it- then suddenly
the lion ran off.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Listening. No emotion on his face.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. He's kind of enjoying this. Bearing down.
HAWTHORNE
I know it's your first day and of
course you must be tired from the
journey-
(beat)
-but what are you going to do about
it?
PATTERSON
(a long pause, then evenly-)
Karim will have to show me where it
happened. And of course, I'll need
the donkey.
(beat)
With any luck, I'll sort it out tonight.
(And he walks out, leaving
an astonished Starling
staring after him)
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA
Starling has a tent there, too, as do Samuel and Hawthorne. And
there are half a dozen ORDERLIES.
Right now, Patterson is unpacking, moving in and out of his tent.
Starling, sipping tea, sits and watches.
STARLING
I couldn't believe it when you said
"sort it out." As if it were the most
normal thing in the world. "Ho-hum,
what lovely tea, I think I'll bag a
killer beast this evening, nothing
much else going on anyway."
PATTERSON
Well, he put me in a spot, didn't he?
But that's all right- after all, I'm
responsible for everything that happens
here. And it certainly won't do much
for morale if a man-eater's on the prowl.
He goes into his tent with some books now and we go with him.
There is a photo of Helena on a small table. A photo of an ELDERLY
COUPLE, clearly his parents. His clothes are stacked with
precision. He arranges his books precisely too.
Clearly, John Patterson is a man who believes in order.
STARLING
(calling out)
You said "of course" you'd need the
donkey. Why "of course"?
PATTERSON
(taking a rifle,
moving outside)
We know three things about man-eaters.
First, they always return to where
they've attacked before. Second, they're
always old- they can't catch other
animals so they turn to us. And third,
they're always alone- they've been cast
out by their pride because they can't
keep up.
CUT TO
STARLING, sipping his tea and there's no hiding it, he's excited.
But also a bit reluctant.
STARLING
I don't suppose I could watch.
PATTERSON
(delighted)
Might be exciting for you.
STARLING
I've never been all that adventurous.
I wouldn't be in the way?
PATTERSON
I'd love the company. And I've hunted
all my life.
STARLING
(gathering courage)
Well, why not? You seem so calm and
experienced.
(standing, teacup in hand)
Why not, indeed!
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
A SLIGHTLY WOUNDED DONKEY
It's roped loosely to a tree, bells around its neck. When it
moves, they make a sound. Middle of the night. A night wind.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
We're in a clearing with thick trees all around.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND STARLING, seated uncomfortably in a tree on the edge
of the clearing, twelve feet up in the air. Patterson has his
rifle ready. This next is all whispered.
STARLING
(embarrassed)
I hate to be a bother, John, but the
cramp's getting worse.
(Pulls up his trousers-
his leg is knotted)
The pain is actually quite unbearable
now.
PATTERSON
Shhh.
STARLING
I'm sure you mean that to be comforting,
but-
PATTERSON
(interrupting)
-you'll have to deal with it, Nigel.
STARLING
That is precisely my plan- but back in
my tent.
(And he begins to climb down)
CUT TO
PATTERSON, grabbing him.
PATTERSON
They own the night- nobody moves when
there's a man-eater out there.
Starling glumly obeys. Then-
STARLING
John? I know this isn't the time to ask,
but-
PATTERSON
What?
STARLING
Since you'd only been here three hours
when we met, are you sure this is how
you hunt lions?
PATTERSON
Not to terrify you, Nigel, but it's worse
than you think- I've never even seen one.
CUT TO
STARLING, not pleased with this news. He massages his calf, tries
to get comfortable, which is impossible. Patterson just stares at
the night.
CUT TO
JUST BEFORE DAWN
The donkey dozes. So does Starling. Patterson has not so much as
moved.
Now the bushes behind the donkey shake just a little.
And the donkey is suddenly awake and scared-
-and then it all goes crazy- the donkey screams and a lion appears
from the bushes and Patterson fires one shot and the sound
EXPLODES-
-and Starling topples from the tree to the ground, landing shocked
but unhurt-
-he has landed close to the dead lion- he stares at it.
STARLING
(amazed)
...one shot...
PATTERSON
(even more amazed)
So that's what a lion looks like.
(Now from the tree-)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL TENT AREA - JUST AFTER DAWN
HOLD for a moment.
SAMUEL (over)
One shot- one-
KEEP HOLDING
Now Samuel comes walking into the shot, really excited-
-it's the first time we've seen his wonderful smile.
SAMUEL
Patterson has made the nights safe
again.
KEEP HOLDING FOR JUST A MOMENT MORE.
As he walks on, behind him come THREE COOLIES carrying the body of
the lion. As dozens of men come running in from all over to see
the dead man-eater-
SAMUEL
(mimes shooting)
BOOM!
(Now as the crowd
continues to grow-)
CUT TO
A ROUGH ENGINEER'S DRAWING OF WHAT WILL BE THE BRIDGE
It has two embankments on either side of the river.
These embankments are big- forty feet wide, fifty feet high.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING standing on the high ground where the
embankment will start. From here, there is a slope down to the
river itself.
Also present is UNGAN SIGNH, who we saw earlier standing
precariously atop the water tower. Singh, enormously powerful, is
another assistant. Bright, a great worker, another main character
in what is to follow.
Now Patterson starts to walk down the slope towards the river-
it's not that easy to do without falling, but that doesn't bother
him. He talks and gestures as he explains to the other two who
move down with him.
Singh, for all his massive size, moves like a cat. Starling does
not, slipping and sliding.
PATTERSON
(gesturing)
All right, I'd like to start the
embankments today-
(to Singh)
-sufficient supplies on hand?
SINGH
(nods)
More than.
STARLING
With much more on the way-
(loses balance, falls)
-John- we could have had this chat on
flatter ground-
PATTERSON
-true enough- but without the comedy
relief.
(Starling, amazingly good
natured, smiles, gets
back up)
CUT TO
THE RIVER as they scramble down to it.
CUT TO
THE SLOPE they've come down- it's a long way back to the top.
CUT TO
THE THREE MEN. It's a glorious morning.
PATTERSON
How lucky we are.
STARLING
Aren't we full of ourselves today?
(beat)
I think it's because of the lion.
PATTERSON
Possibly.
SINGH
(soft)
You know, I too have killed a lion.
STARLING
How many shots did you need?
CUT TO
SINGH. Almost embarrassed.
SINGH
I used my hands.
He holds his big hands up, palms out. Starling looks at Singh to
see if he means it-
-he means it all right. Now, from Starling's perpetually surprised
face-
CUT TO
SURVEYING EQUIPMENT
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON sighting through it- we are on the far side of the river
now. Singh is there, Starling, too.
Behind them: a field of tall grass.
PATTERSON
All right- thee second embankment
will go there.
(He gestures toward
the river)
STARLING
You do plan to mark it a bit more
precisely than just-
(imitating Patterson)
-"there."
PATTERSON
(smiling)
In your honor, Nigel. And you and
Singh will be in charge of building
them- and you'll also build the
roadbeds and the three foundation
pillars- and you'll be finished in
eight thrilling weeks.
STARLING
(very dubious)
John, it will not be easy.
PATTERSON
Nigel, you'll just have to use your
hands-
(And he smiles, repeating
Singh's gesture, both
palms out)
CUT TO
SINGH. He smiles back, starts to reply. But his words stop, his
smile dies. He just stares and we-
CUT TO
WHAT HE'S STARING AT- the surrounding field of tall grass. Nothing
unusual about it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He stares, too.
CUT TO
THE FIELD OF TALL GRASS- suddenly it begins to bend and sway in a
fresh wind.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Silent. As before. Starling follows his glance.
CUT TO
SINGH. Frozen.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. And now the field is making odd patterns- as if
something unseen were moving through.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Quiet. Just the wind.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. Nothing visible. But the odd pattern seems to be making
its way across the field.
CUT TO
SINGH AND STARLING. Quiet. Just the wind.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. The odd pattern seems to stop. Around it, the wind
makes different shapes of the grass.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as the wind continues to blow. He continues to stare at
the spot where the pattern stopped.
CUT TO
SINGH. As before. Except for one thing: suddenly, he begins to
shiver, as if from cold.
CUT TO
THE BUILDING SEQUENCE
And what we see are a lot of cuts of a lot of activity.
Huge wooden logs are carried in and hammered to each other and
driven deep into the ground- the framework for the embankments.
And Singh carries the heaviest loads and leads the workers- and as
the structure rises, he is the one darting along the top, high in
the air, pulling more logs up, helping here, helping there.
And alongside him is his assistant, ABDULLAH, a little man with
glasses and very bright eyes.
Meanwhile, Starling is leading construction on the embankment that
is on the far side of the river. And he does his best, tries to
help on the top part as it rises- but alas, he is a bit on the
clumsy side and balance is a problem for him. But he stays with
it, does well.
And Patterson, in tremendous spirits, helps when needed, but
mostly he is dealing with other aspects of the bridge- such as the
placements of the three stone foundation pillars-
-he wades into the water, climbs the structures, takes it all in-
and at the start he is still in the uniform he has worn since the
start of the story- but it's clumsy for labor-
-so he changes halfway through to civilian clothes-
-which is all he wears from now on.
And the workers tire in the heat- but Singh keeps them going,
working with the power of three-
-and there are accidents and explosions, injuries and falls- and
Hawthorne appears when needed to help with the wounded-
-it's hard, brutal work-
-but gradually, the wooden structure part is finished- two huge
skeletons facing each other across the Tsavo River- and now work
on the roadbed is going full blast and in the river, the three
foundation pillars are taking shape-
CUT TO
TONS OF RED ROCK- being shoved into the wooden skeleton to
complete the embankments. As this goes on-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL in the river- the foundation pillar work is
going very quickly.
Patterson stops working, looks across the river-
-movement in the grassy area on the far side.
CUT TO
SEVERAL NANDI TRIBESMEN as they rise out of the grass, gesture to
Samuel who gestures back. The Nandi are a tribe of powerful little
men, primitive, with teeth that have been sharpened to points.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL watching them.
PATTERSON
What are they looking at?
SAMUEL
You- they cannot believe you're
still here.
PATTERSON
Nonsense.
SAMUEL
You don't know what Tsavo means, do
you?
(Patterson doesn't)
It means "slaughter"...
CUT TO
THE NANDI TRIBESMEN, staring at Patterson, shaking their heads.
CUT TO
THE TWO EMBANKMENTS, as more and more red rock is shoved and
pushed into shape.
CUT TO
THE THREE FOUNDATION PILLARS- almost finished.
CUT TO
THE ROADBED. The same.
CUT TO
THE NEAR EMBANKMENT as still more rock is forced in and
CUT TO
THE FAR EMBANKMENT done at last-
CUT TO
-and Singh stands on the top of the near one while across the
river, Patterson pulls Starling to the top of the other.
And they all look at each other- the embankments are both
finished- THE THREE OF THEM are flying-
-and what they do is this: hold their hands out toward each other,
in Singh's gesture. It's kind of become their password.
HOLD. A big moment for them all!
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT AREA
He sits around a fire and the man is exhausted. His dinner plate
is beside him, untouched. He's too tired to eat.
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA
Starling is there, getting ready for bed. He's wiped out, too.
CUT TO
SINGH, going into his tent, lying down, breathing deep.
CUT TO
STARLING is in his tent, turning out his lamp, half asleep
already.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in his tent, closing his eyes.
CUT TO
SINGH, deep asleep in his tent-
-he shares it with a dozen others and they're all deep asleep.
They lie on the floor of the tent, heads together toward the
center pole, feet toward the edges of the tent.
HOLD ON SINGH. It's very dark. HE AND HIS MEN just lie motionless,
breathing deeply.
KEEP HOLDING.
Now the CAMERA moves up, high into the center of the tent, looking
down at the circle of men.
KEEP HOLDING.
They don't move, not even an inch. The steady breathing is the
only sound.
YES, KEEP HOLDING.
KEEP HOLDING.
Nothing is going on down there. Nothing at all.
KEEP HOLDING.
Not a goddamn thing.
KEEP ON HOLDING. KEEP ON HOLDING.
And now two things happen at the same time- Singh's eyes go wide-
-and he starts to slide out of the tent, as if being pulled by
some giant invisible wire-
CUT TO
SINGH. CLOSE UP. Screaming.
CUT TO
THE OTHER MEN IN THE TENT, waking, staring around and
CUT TO
SINGH as he slides out of the tent into the night and his screams
grow even louder as we
CUT TO
THE OTHER MEN IN THE TENT and it's like a bomb just went off, they
rise, spin, cry out, stare-
CUT TO
THE NIGHT OUTSIDE AND SINGH'S BODY sliding along the ground. It's
pitch black, and he's going head first now, face upwards and he's
going ast tremendous speed and whatever the hell it is that's
making this happen is something we can't make out- because it's so
dark and because it's on the far side of the man, and his body is
in our way and
CUT TO
UP AHEAD, some bushes and
CUT TO
SINGH, his body going faster than before and his cries are
weakening-
-CUT TO
THE NIGHT and his body and there is no sound at all coming from
him now and there is no sound from whatever it is that is making
this happen- all we see, barely, is the limp body of the big man
as it skims along and-
CUT TO
UP AHEAD NOW, a low clump of bushes.
CUT TO
SINGH'S BODY, coming closer and
CUT TO
THE BUSHES and as we get in on them we can tell they are thorn
bushes and now-
CUT TO
SINGH, suddenly rising magically in the night, his body flying
over the bushes and gone!
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, early morning, their rifles held in front
of them, racing along, suddenly stopping, staring down and
CUT TO
THE GROUND. At first we can't make out much. Then we can- a spot
of red.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, hurrying on again.
CUT TO
THORN TREES, and as they force their way through them-
CUT TO
A LARGE VULTURE, wings spread wide as it floats slowly to earth-
-HOLD-
-as it lands we can see A DOZEN OTHER VULTURES are already there,
surrounding something-
-but we can't make it out. We are in an area of grass and shadow-
-and specks of blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, cries out in shock and fury, fires his rifle, races
forward.
CUT TO
THE VULTURES screeching and screaming, taking off, and as we watch
them soar into the morning sky-
HAWTHORNE'S VOICE (over)
What the lion must have done, once
he'd killed Singh, was lick his skin
off so he could drink his blood-
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
Hawthorne is examining Singh's body, trying to be professional,
but he's clearly upset- it's awful.
HAWTHORNE
-then he feasted on him, starting
with his feet-
STARLING
(evenb more upset)
-please- you needn't be so graphic-
HAWTHORNE
You intend "sorting this out" tonight?
PATTERSON
I'll try- but this feels so different-
that old lion I killed could never
carry off a man Singh's size.
STARLING
(maybe a little alarmed)
But you said they were always old.
PATTERSON
That's what the books say...
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
FLAMES RISING IN THE DARKENING SKY. NOW-
CUT TO
ABDULLAH in tears. Where are we?
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
This is Singh's funeral pyre.
Singh's body is being burned.
A LOT OF INDIANS are there. We've caught sight of some of them
before- they worked with Singh on the embankment or lived with him
in his tent.
There is a terrible sense of shock.
Patterson stands at the rear. He is terribly moved. Now, unseen by
the others, he holds his hands out in Singh's gesture one final
time.
CUT TO
THE FLAMES; they continue to rise...
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT
Night. The flaps that were open when Singh was alive are now shut
and tied.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, the middle of the night. He is alone, fifteen feet up
in a tree near Singh's tent. He holds his rifle, ready for
anything. He cannot get comfortable.
CUT TO
THE AREA- nothing, no movement.
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT. As before.
CUT TO
THE AREA. No sign of movement of any kind. Dead.
CUT TO
THE MOON. Lower in the sky. The night is growing to a lose but
there is still darkness.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Battling fatigue- but now, for a moment, losing- his
eyes, against his will, start to close, and as they do-
CUT TO
TWO HUGE YELLOW EYES. That's all we see, just the eyes and they
are near Patterson's tree and they are staring up at him and-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, startled, grabbing his rifle more tightly, staring down
and-
CUT TO
THE HUGE YELLOW EYES- only they're gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, blowing on his hands, looking toward the sky.
CUT TO
THE SUN, RISING, THE NIGHT DONE.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, wrinkled and weary, frustrated and sore, walking back
toward his tent area. Now he stops.
CUT TO
ABDULLAH and a large group of workers- only they're not working.
They smoke, play cards, sit around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, steaming, going up to Abdullah.
PATTERSON
You were contracted to work-
ABDULLAH
(gesturing around)
-malaria epidemic; very sudden.
PATTERSON
Let me see the sick.
ABDULLAH
(not backing off)
Oh, you're a doctor now, too?
PATTERSON
There is no reason for fear.
ABDULLAH
On that I choose to remain dubious.
(beat)
Two are dead now in two nights.
(And on that news-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Rocked. He didn't know. Behind him now, Starling
hurries up, Samuel alongside.
PATTERSON
(to Starling)
Second death? Where?-
STARLING
(gesturing)
-far end of camp- man wandering alone
at night. Hawthorne's examining the
body now.
(beat)
There's even less of him than of Singh.
PATTERSON
(just shakes his head)
But it's crazy- the lion shouldn't be
that hungry this soon.
(getting control- he
looks to Samuel)
Samuel?
SAMUEL
We should construct thorn fences
around every tent area. Fires burning
at night.
PATTERSON
Fine. Get started. And a strict curfew-
no one allowed out at night.
(to Abdullah)
Send half your men to the bridge, the
rest with these two.
(Abdullah nods)
And I'm sorry for my tone earlier. But
I repeat- there is no reason for fear.
I will kill the lion and I will build
the bridge.
ABDULLAH
Of course you will, you are white, you
can do anything...
(They look at each
other. They are not
friends. Now-)
CUT TO
THE THORN BUSHES WE SAW ON OUR ARRIVAL TO TSAVO
ENDLESS NUMBERS OF THEM. There is a machete-like sound as we
CUT TO
A BUNCH OF WORKMEN, led by Samuel, chopping down branches. They do
it with care- these are claws-
CUT TO
-STARLING, in charge of another area, and he's not hanging back,
he's taking less care than the others, hacking away with his
machete, moving in between bushes and
CUT TO
ONE OF THE BUSHES, SNAPPING BACK into Starling, and Starling
taking the blow with his arms- the claws cut his clothing-
-his arms are starting to bleed-
-he is unmindful, continues to wade into the bushes, chopping at
them, cutting them down. He is a good man doing a good thing and
right now, he is possessed.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, leaving his tent area, lost in thought, going toward
the bridge. Up ahead is a grassy area.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY AREA
For a moment, nothing. Then there is the same kind of movement we
saw with Singh. Something is making the grass move-
-only now there is no wind... HOLD.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Did he see it? We'll never know.
CUT TO
STARLING, in charge of a thorn fence that is halfway finished. His
clothes are shredded. A WORKER has finished with a section and
satisfied, moves on-
-but Starling is far from finished. He grabs the thorns with his
bare hands and squeezes them together.
STARLING
Not good enough- look, it's got to
be tighter. Tighter.
CUT TO
THE AREA IN WHICH HE'S BEEN WORKING. FENCES ARE WELL ALONG TOWARD
COMPLETION. IT'S LATE AFTERNOON.
PULL UP
We see more fences around more camp areas.
KEEP PULLING UP
The entire place is filled with fences now, all the individual
areas protected.
The skies are starting to darken- dusk is coming fast.
Fires start up. Dozens of them.
Still darker.
Now workers come racing home to their camps, anxious for safety
before darkness takes over. They zig-zag this way, that way,
dodging past each other sometimes they slam into each other, fall,
get up, run on-
CUT TO
THE SUN. Falling out of the sky.
CUT TO
THE CAMP. The fires rise higher. No one moves... HOLD.
CUT TO
STARLING in the main tent area. He is bathing his bloody hands.
Samuel is with him. Both are exhausted.
Patterson brings them each drinks. They nod thanks, drain them.
They stand there together, lit by the flames of their fire. You
get the sense these three will be friends forever.
STARLING
What a good week.
PATTERSON
You mean nobody died?
STARLING
(shakes his head)
We all worked together. Worthy deeds
were accomplished. I liked the labor.
(beat)
My mother insisted on piano lessons-
broke the dear woman's heart when I
turned out to be tone deaf- but she
still was always at me about being
careful with my hands.
(looks at them)
I like the blood, is that strange?
SAMUEL
Oh yes, I think so.
(Starling smiles, starts
to speak)
PATTERSON
Look out, Samuel, here it comes.
STARLING
Even you two must admit that it is a
glorious thing, what Man can
accomplish. When there is a common
splendid goal, there are no limits.
Think what we will accomplish when we
all have God's warmth in our hearts.
(Samuel's eyes have
closed; he begins to snore.
Patterson can't help
laughing)
CUT TO
STARLING. As good natured as ever.
STARLING
I am immune to your disdain.
(He looks at them now)
When I came here, I had but one small
goal: to convert the entire continent
of Africa.
(shakes his head)
Now I've decided to move on to
something really difficult: I will not
rest until both of you are safely in
the fold.
SAMUEL
I've had four wives, good luck.
STARLING
The struggle is the glory...
(HOLD ON the three friends)
CUT TO
PATTERSON, the next morning, working with Abdullah and some others
at the bridge.
CUT TO
STARLING completing work on the fence from the day before. It's
high and taut and he's done a terrific job.
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION
A BUNCH OF OTHER MEN are working near a large grassy field. One of
the men starts a chant. The others pick it up. It's really pretty.
CUT TO
PATTERSON wading into the river- he stops as the sound of the
chant comes distantly to him on the wind.
CUT TO
THE WORKMEN CHANTING LOUDER. It's turning into a stunner of a day-
glorious blue sky broken up by pale clouds.
CUT TO
STARLING. Pauses briefly, listening to the sound of the men.
CUT TO
THE MEN WORKING AND SINGING. As before.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY FIELD. As before-
-except it isn't. Because if you looked carefully, something
flicked in a 180 degree arc. No telling what it was, it was gone
too quickly.
CUT TO
THE MEN WORKING, SINGING ON.
CUT TO
PATTERSON waist deep in the river, listening to the sound of the
men, of the birds. The sun is higher in the sky.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY FIELD-
-and here it comes again, only the other way this time, flicking
back in another 180 degree arc-
-still hard to tell for sure what it was but maybe it was this: a
tail. Now quickly-
CUT TO
PATTERSON wading out of the river as Samuel comes into view. He
holds an envelope.
SAMUEL
For you.
PATTERSON
(taking it)
Thank you, Samuel.
SAMUEL
(watching as Patterson
opens it)
Good news?
PATTERSON
(glancing at the letter)
I expect so- it's from my wife.
SAMUEL
Do you love her?
PATTERSON
I do, actually; very much.
SAMUEL
(his wonderful smile)
You give me hope, John.
(As he walks away-)
CUT TO
STARLING, probing at the thorn fence, searching out any last
weaknesses.
Behind him now, in the tall grass, something moves.
Starling, intent on his work, notices nothing.
CUT TO
THE SINGING MEN, getting more and more into it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, by the river, reading the letter.
There is a large tree up the riverbank. It casts a large shadow.
In the shadow now, something moves.
Patterson, intent on his reading, notices nothing.
HELENA (over)
Darling one- the big excitement
yesterday was when some school-
children spotted a whale-
(pause)
-they were looking at me, John-
CUT TO
HELENA, in their bedroom, moving across to the window, staring
out. She now has a considerable stomach.
HELENA
That was an attempt at humor but I
don't feel very funny these days. I
miss you terribly and after our son-
I still have total confidence- well,
after he's born I think travel might
be broadening. As he kicks me at
night I'm quite sure he's telling me
he definitely wants to come to Africa.
(pause)
Thought you might need reminding.
CUT TO
PATTERSON by the river. He smiles, folds the letter. Now-
CUT TO
THE SINGING WORKMEN at Tsavo station- and they sense how good they
sound, and they really concentrate on it, on making that sound
even better-
-there must be twenty of them, working and singing-
-and screaming!
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning his head sharply and
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same and
CUT TO
THE SCREAMING WORKMEN and they're running now, running and
shrieking and that's all we see, the workmen-
-some of them run left-
-some run right-
-and now a few of them are starting to cry.
CUT TO
A FAT COOLIE running and running, glancing back, screaming louder,
running on and on and
CUT TO
-a shadow in the grass- no telling what- but it's big and it's
moving and
CUT TO
THE FAT COOLIE and this next goes so fast it could be a dream- or,
more accurately, a nightmare-
SHOCK CUT TO
A GIGANTIC WHITE MANED LION as it leaps onto the Fat Coolie,
brings him to earth, bites his neck in two, kills him, just-like-
that.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, as they race away from the river and
CUT TO
STARLING, running from the fenced area- he holds a rifle in his
hands.
CUT TO
ANOTER PART OF THE CAMP AND A DIFFERENT BUNCH OF WORKMEN- they
freeze as the screams reach them and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, on the way to his tent area and
CUT TO
DIFFERENT WORKMEN listening in fear and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, racing to his tent, grabbing his rifle and cartridges
and
CUT TO
STARLING, running toward the screaming and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he charges ahead, loading his rifle on the fly and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, carrying more ammunition, running behind Patterson,
keeping up and
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION and nothing is visible now- the men are gone and
from this angle, it looks deserted and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, catching Starling, leading him into the TSAVO STATION
area, Samuel just behind them.
CUT TO
A RECTANGULAR SHED, ahead of them. They move to it, slow-
-then they stop-
-a sound is heard- from around the corner- the sound continues-
Patterson glances at Starling- the sound could be this: the
crunching of bones.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, checking his rifle.
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same. Samuel, holding the extra ammunition,
moves close to Patterson. Now-
CUT TO
PATTERSON as he suddenly steps away from the shed, rounding the
corner and as he does-
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, with the Fat Coolie- the lion is crunching at his
feet-
-then the lion stares toward the shed as we
CUT TO
PATTERSON, moving out into clearer view, Starling and Samuel right
with him. THE LION is a good distance away.
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, a low growl coming from him as he takes the
coolie's body by the shoulder, begins backing away with it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, dropping to his knees for the shot and
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same and
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, growling louder and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, taking aim and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, crying out and pointing and suddenly we're into super slow
motion-
-Samuel has pointed back toward the roof of the shed and-
-and this thing is suddenly there-
-this huge dark thing and it seems to suddenly appear from the
flat roof of the shed and
CUT TO
THE SUN, blocked out as this dark thing moves across it, fully
stretched, it seems to go on forever and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning around to see and
CUT TO
STARLING, turning too, and we're coming back into regular motion
now as we
CUT TO
This enormous BLACK-MANED LION diving into the three, sending them
all sprawling and
CUT TO
THE WHITE MANED LION roaring and
CUT TO
THE BLACK MANED LION roaring, running to the other and
CUT TO
THE TWO LIONS IN CLOSE UP.
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, for that is how they will be referred
to-
-and The Ghost has blood and bits of flesh on its mouth-
-The Darkness has eyes that are crazed-
-they are destruction bringers, these two, they can kill the old
and the young and the fat and the strong-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, lying in pain, dazed, shoulder bleeding, trying to
reach for his rifle and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, the white and the black, as they move
toward the field of tall grass, roaring and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, lying in pain, his leg is bleeding and
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S RIFLE and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he reaches it, manages to lift it and the roaring
sounds are deafening now and
CUT TO
THE TWO GIGANTIC MALES, backing into the tall grass-
-they roar one final time-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, gun ready to fire but it's futile and he knows it as we
CUT TO
THE TALL GRASS and they're gone, the grass is full of moving
patterns from the wind- that's all we see- just the grass blowing
this way, that way-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, staggering to his feet, staring at the grassy field.
PATTERSON
(dazed)
Jesus, two of them...
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Dazed too. He points. Patterson registers, turns and
CUT TO
STARLING, LYING DEAD, his throat ripped open. HOLD briefly on the
young man, then-
CUT TO
THE STATION AREA
A train from Mombassa is slowly pulling in. And things are fairly
chaotic- there is the usual activity of what is ordinarily one of
the busier parts in camp-
-but now, something new has been added: Abdullah is there with
several dozen coolies who work under his command. THey are waiting
for the train.
Patterson and Samuel are there too- and at the moment, Abdullah
and Patterson are in the middle of a screamer- first one of them
walking away, then coming back, then the other doing the same.
PATTERSON
(shouting over the noise
of the approaching train)
-oh, sing a different song, Abdullah-
(gesturing toward the men
who stand by the train
tracks)
-there's nothing wrong with your men
so stop telling me there is-
ABDULLAH
(advancing on Patterson now)
-you do not call me a liar- you know
nothing of their health- consider
yourself fortunate I persuaded so
many to stay- consider yourself
fortunate I have decided to stay-
PATTERSON
(losing it)
You think you matter?
(gesturing toward the
train which is close to
stopping now)
-Beaumont is on that train- he
matters-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, moving in on Abdullah now-
PATTERSON
He sees this chaos, he'll replace
you all.
ABDULLAH
He'll replace you, too- that's all
you really care about.
PATTERSON
You think so? Fine.
(finished arguing)
It's best you get out. Go. Tell all
your people to go, run home where
they'll be safe under the covers and
when the bridge is built and the
railroad is done, they can tell their
women that out of all the thousands
who worked here, they were the only
ones to flee-
(And he wheels around,
starts to walk away as we-)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH. Quiet, staring after Patterson.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Patterson has won. As the two of them exchange a quick
glance-
CUT TO
BEAUMONT standing in the door of a passenger car, handsome as
ever. Somehow his clothes are still pressed.
Patterson moves up. In a splendid mood. Samuel is happy too.
PATTERSON
Pleasant journey?
BEAUMONT
(stepping off the train)
How could it be? I hate Africa.
Now there is the sudden sound of men singing- Patterson looks
around and we
CUT TO
ABDULLAH and his workmen, moving away from the train- they are
singing the same song that the workmen sang just before The Ghost
and The Darkness attacked- it's pretty- but it's also a little
unnerving.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Listening a moment.
BEAUMONT
Lovely sound- they seem happy.
PATTERSON
Don't they, though?
BEAUMONT
So work must be going well?
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He and Samuel share another glance.
PATTERSON
(delicately)
Truthfully?
(beat)
There has been the occasional odd
hiccup- but then, as you so wisely
told me, I'd never built in Africa.
BEAUMONT
But overall, you're pleased?
SAMUEL
(moving in)
I have never experienced anything
like it.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT; almost longingly looks back at the train.
BEAUMONT
I almost feel like getting right
back on.
(glances at his watch)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. They do not breathe.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. He really wants to leave and for a moment it looks like
he just might.
BEAUMONT
(a sigh)
I suppose it would be a dereliction
of duty not to at least look around.
Now Abdullah wanders happily by.
PATTERSON
(waving)
Morning, friend, glorious day.
ABDULLAH
As are they all.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. He takes a step inside the passenger car.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. Hoping.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Reluctantly returning. He has a large box.
BEAUMONT
I do need to see Starling.
PATTERSON
(dully)
Starling?
BEAUMONT
Awhile back he ordered some bibles-
(indicating the box)
-I've brought them.
(looking around)
Is he here?
PATTERSON
(beat)
Yes he is.
BEAUMONT
Well, I need to speak to him.
SAMUEL
(helpfully)
Let me deliver the bibles.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. His eyes flick from one man to the other. It's over.
BEAUMONT
Excellent show.
(voice low)
Where is Starling?
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The jig is up. He gestures-
PATTERSON
Here he comes now.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
HALF A DOZEN NATIVES CARRYING STARLING'S COFFIN. They start to put
it on the train and as they do-
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Stunned. And furious! He storms off the train and we-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE
as Beaumont sees it. Patterson and Samuel are with him.
Little more work has been done than the last time we saw it. A few
men are working slowly.
And now there are guards with rifles patrolling it.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. A deadly look at them. He storms off.
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
as Beaumont sees it- Patterson, Samuel, and Hawthorne stand
quietly.
It's much more crowded than the last time. Still under control,
but barely.
Beaumont is icy now. He gestures sharply toward Hawthrone to join
them.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL
THE FOUR MEN speak low and fast-
BEAUMONT
What in hell is going on?
SAMUEL
The Ghost and The Darkness have come.
BEAUMONT
(snapping)
In English.
PATTERSON
It's what the natives are calling
the lions-
(beat)
-two lions have been causing trouble-
BEAUMONT
-what's the surprise in that, this is
Africa?
PATTERSON
It hasn't been that simple so far.
BEAUMONT
What have they done besides kill
Starling?
(beat)
How many have they killed?
(Patterson nods for
Hawthorne to answer)
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. Doing his best.
HAWTHORNE
Well, of course, I can't supply a
totally accurate answer because
there are those that are actually
authenticated and there are those
that we once thought were workers
killing each other or deserting
from camp so any number I give is
subject to error-
BEAUMONT
(cutting through)
How many?
HAWTHORNE
Thirty, I should think.
BEAUMONT
(stunned)
Christ!
(whirling on Patterson)
What are you doing about it?
(Now from there-)
CUT TO
SOMETHING VERY ODD:
We are looking at a small railroad car in a deserted area. This is
not near the track but off by itself, in an area surrounded by
thorn trees.
Several workers are erecting a cloth tent to cover it, trying to
disguise the fact that the small railroad car is, indeed, nothing
but a small railroad car.
It is difficult work and they are perspiring heavily.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND BEAUMONT looking at it.
BEAUMONT
This is supposed to be salvation?
(staring at Patterson)
What kind of idiocy are we dealing
with here?
PATTERSON
(keeping control)
I'm calling it my "contraption"-
we're going to surround it with a
boma- a fence, to you- and we're
going to leave a small opening
opposite that door.
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD CAR. There is, in fact, an open front door. Patterson
gestures for Beaumont to follow him inside.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE CAR AS THEY ENTER. It has been divided in half by thick
metal bars from floor to ceiling. The bars are close together,
only a few inches between them.
PATTERSON
In that half will be bait- human
bait- I'll start things off-
(points to the open
doorway)
-a sliding door will fit above that
and a trip wire will run across
the floor.
BEAUMONT
(The smile is back)
Genius- the beast will enter,
tripping the wire, the door will
slide down, trapping him, you, safe
behind the bars, will have him at
your mercy and will shoot him.
Patterson nods. Beaumont explodes.
BEAUMONT
Are you running a high fever, man?
How could you expect something as
lunatic as this to succeed? How
could you even conceive of it?
PATTERSON
I didn't conceive of it for the
lions- I built one in India when
there was trouble with a tiger.
BEAUMONT
(incredulous)
And it worked?
PATTERSON
(He hates to say this)
In point of fact, it didn't.
(hurrying on)
But I'm convinced the theory is
sound.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM. They move outside. The tension between them is
considerable. Beaumont looks at Patterson for too long a moment.
PATTERSON
What?
BEAUMONT
I made a mistake hiring you-
you're simply not up to the job.
(Silence. Then-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP.
PATTERSON
You genuinely enjoy trying to
terrify people, don't you? Well,
fine-
(lashing back)
-except there isn't a higher rated
engineer and we both know that. And
since time is so important to you,
how long do you think it would take
to find someone else qualified and
bring him here?
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Blazing.
BEAUMONT
Let me explain about time- you've
been here three months and already
two months behind. And the Germans
and the French are gearing up. And
I don't care about you and I don't
care about the thirty dead- I care
about my knighthood and if this
railroad finishes on schedule, I'll
get my knighthood and I want it.
(glancing around as
Samuel appears, goes to
the workers)
Professional hunters may be the answer.
PATTERSON
All they'll bring is more chaos and
we've plenty of that already- and if
they come in, word will get out- and
what happens to your knighthood then?
BEAUMONT
I'm going to try and locate Redbeard-
I assume you've heard of him.
PATTERSON
Every man who's ever fired a rifle has
heard of him- by the time you find him,
the lions will be dead.
BEAUMONT
(long pause)
Very well, the job's still yours, I'll
go. But if I have to return, you're
finished. And I will then do everything
I can to destroy your reputation. Am I
not fair?
(The great smile flashes)
Told you you'd hate me.
(And he turns, walks off)
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Moving up to Patterson. Samuel has a bag.
PATTERSON
(staring after Beaumont)
I do hate him.
(takes the bag from
Samuel, pulls out flares)
I want you to distribute one bag of
flares to every tent area-
(takes out a flare)
-tell the men to light them if
there's trouble-
(beat)
-make it two bags.
(HOLD briefly, then-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. ALONE. THAT NIGHT. IN HIS CONTRAPTION.
A lamp burns alongside him. Across the bars, the door of the
railroad car is open. Flickering shadows. Above the doorway is a
thick wooden slab the size of the door. n the ground, barely
visible, the trip wire.
CUT TO
THE DOORWAY. Outside, something is moving.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, rifle ready, holding his breath.
CUT TO
THE DOORWAY. SIlence. Nothing moves now.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He rubs his eyes with his hands...
CUT TO
FLICKERING SHADOWS on the wall. It's later that night.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The man is bleary with fatigue. He sits in a corner of
the car, writing a letter.
PATTERSON'S VOICE (over)
"Dearest...
...peace and tranquility continue to
abound here- the workers report each
day with a smile- except for your
absence, this whole adventunre is
providing me nothing but pleasure..."
CUT TO
THE FLICKERING WALLS OF THE RAILWAY CAR. It's later still.
Patterson, finished writing, stares out at the night.
CUT TO
A FLARE, rising brightly toward the sky.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, seeing the flare. The man is miserable.
CUT TO
A TREE BRANCH. MANY FLOWERS AS WELL AS THE CLAW THORNS.
PATTERSON'S VOICE (over)
Fire.
The branch is destroyed, the flowers blown away.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THREE INDIAN COOLIES. NOT FAR FROM HIS CONTRAPTION.
THE COOLIES hold rifles. They look like brothers, which they are.
They also look tough. And they are that, too. THREE
STREETFIGHTERS.
PATTERSON
(impressed)
Very good indeed.
MIDDLE COOLIE
(he wears glasses)
We have hunted since childhood.
PATTERSON
All right- you'll spend your nights
inside.
(He indicates the railroad
car. The Coolies nod)
You'll have plenty of ammunition.
You're totally protected, you have
really nothing to fear.
MIDDLE COOLIE
That is correct.
(beat)
Nothing.
Patterson looks at the three men. Obviously, he could not have
chosen better. From them-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. DAY.
A lot of men working under Patterson. Progress is slow.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. NIGHT.
Some men sit on the part that's been built. Spending the night
there for protection. Now, they all turn and we
CUT TO
ANOTHER FLARE going off in another part of camp.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, in a tree alone, in despair.
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES IN THE RAILROAD CAR.
Tough as ever. Ready for anything. But nothing is happening.
Silence.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE AGAIN AS NIGHT FALLS - MORE CROWDED THAN BEFORE.
STILL MORE MEN are moving into the river. They wade til the water
is up to their necks. Then they reach out, hold hands, start to
sing.
CUT TO
PATTERSON moving high into a tree. He listens to the sound.
Lovely.
CUT TO
MOONLIGHT ON THE WATER. The men stand as before, singing softly.
The river here is calm, no current to speak of. The men are safe-
-or rather they should be.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS swimming softly, his great jaws silently encircling
the neck of the last man in line, pulling him silently away and as
the others start to scream-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, watching another flare rise, helplessly listening.
CUT TO
A CATTLE PEN. THE CATTLE ARE NERVOUS-
-one of them kicks wildly at the wind.
They should be nervous-
-The Ghost walks among them, chooses which one to kill, leaps on
it, brings it to earth as the dust rises.
CUT TO
ANOTHER FLARE IN THE NIGHT.
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL. DAY. PACKED.
HAWTHORNE seems overwhelmed.
CUT TO
SOMETHING.
And for a moment we don't know what it is. There is a faint light
and now we see what it is we're looking at: a wire.
HOLD ON THE WIRE.
And now a paw walks across it-
-and the instant that happens-
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES, the brothers, in the contraption, two of them
asleep, a flickering lamp the only illumination in the railroad
car and
CUT TO
THE DOOR OF THE RAILROAD CAR slamming loudly down and
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
THE DARKNESS, standing alone in one half of the railroad car- it's
incredible, just incredible but Patterson's idea actually worked
and
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
The entire of the car- the thick bars separating the two halves.
In one half, the huge lion. In the other, the three armed, tough
coolies.
For a moment, it could be a frozen tableau- both sides are too
startled and surprised to do anything but stare-
-and then all hell just explodes as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and this incredible roar comes from his throat, the
kind of roar that can be heard five miles away in the night but
this one in the enclosed room sounds even louder and more
terrifying and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, throwing his huge body at the bars and
CUT TO
THE BARS and both his front claws are slashing through and
CUT TO
THE THREE TOUGH COOLIES and they retreat against the rear wall of
the car.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, rage building, throwing its body at the bars again
and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, pressed in fear against the far wall, unable to do
anything but stare and
CUT TO
THE CLAWS, ripping at the air and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping forward, smashing into the bars and
CUT TO
THE CEILING WHERE THE BARS are connected and the sheer power of
his leap has made them jiggle just the least bit and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, staring up at the ceiling and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, AND HERE HE COMES AGAIN, roaring and his body hits
the bars and
CUT TO
THE CEILING- and the bars shake-
-but they're not giving way.
CUT TO
THE TOUGH COOLIES, as they begin to realize this and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, clawing for them and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, raging and roaring on his side of the bars and
CUT TO
THE FIRST COOLIE, raising his gun and
CUT TO
THE SECOND COOLIE, his gun raised too and
CUT TO
THE THIRD COOLIE and he's ready and
CUT TO
ALL THREE AS THEY FIRE-
-and reload-
-and fire again, and reload, and-
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD CAR- and suddenly the lamp is knocked over-
-and a fire starts, flames grow and it's starting to look like
hell in there-
-only it gets worse as we-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS at the bars-
-and suddenly it stands up- it seems to fill the car, towering
over everything, it's like a nightmare come to kill you-
CUT TO
THE COOLIES staring up at this giant thing, and of course they're
more terrified now than they've ever been in their lives- but
these are tough men and they ignore the flames, ignore the
deafening roars of the beast and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, standing there, going crazy on his side of the bars,
trying to knock them down but they're holding and
CUT TO
THE TOUGH COOLIES, reloading and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, racing around the enclosed area now and he's trapped
and the flames make him seem like something unalive and his eyes
have never been so bright, his roars as deafening and
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES, firing again and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping at the bars again, and they shake, sure they
shake, but they keep on holding and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, firing, reloading, firing, reloading and as they do,
something's starting to come clear-
-amazing as it may seem, impossible as it may be to conceive,
they're missing.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, whirling on his side, roaring and leaping and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES and sure they fire, but they're still so goddam scared
and
CUT TO
THE DOOR THAT SLID DOWN- it's held in place by some thick wooden
bars-
-and now the Coolies start to hit something- the wooden bars
because they begin to splinter and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, whirling, leaping at the bars and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES firing and then-
CUT TO
THE DOOR as it flops open and just like that-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS. Out the door and gone. HOLD.
CUT TO
PATTERSON JUST AFTER DAWN IN THE DAMAGED RAILROAD CAR.
Patterson stands where The Darkness was. The three Coolies are
where they spent the night, on the other side of the bars.
This was the lowest point yet for Patterson. Not only had his
notion come so close to working, he could never fully comprehend
how the coolies missed. It never seemed possible- but of course,
it really happened.
PATTERSON
Not once?- you didn't hit it once?-
MIDDLE COOLIE
-I would never make excuses- but a
fire broke out- the light was bad- he
kept moving-
PATTERSON
-well, of course he kept moving- but
he couldn't have been more than ten
feet away from the three of you- surely
you must have wounded the thing-
MIDDLE COOLIE
I assure you we came close many times-
Abdullah is in the doorway near Patterson now- with several dozen
men. And from Abdullah's face, this is clearly going to be a
confrontation.
MIDDLE COOLIE
-the next time we will do better.
(Patterson makes no
reaction; moves outside)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH, simmering, moving straight to Patterson as soon as he's
out.
ABDULLAH
The next time will be as this time-
The Devil has come to Tsavo-
PATTERSON
(not in a mood for this)
-that's ridiculous talk and you can't
seriously believe it-
ABDULLAH
(moving in- tension rising
as others crowd behind him)
-now you're telling me my beliefs?- I
don't think so-
CUT TO
THE BUSH just beyond- something is moving- an animal?- Impossible
to say.
PATTERSON
I wasn't and you know it and don't
push it- just listen- we have a
problem in Tsavo-
ABDULLAH
(cutting in)
-at last you're right- we do- you are
the problem in Tsavo-
PATTERSON
-careful, Abdullah-
Patterson and Abdullah and suddenly it's dangerous.
ABDULLAH
You do not tell me "careful"- you do
not tell me anything- you listen
while I talk-
(Now suddenly a shadow
seems to cross-)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH. CLOSE UP. His eyes widen.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
AN ENORMOUS PISTOL. Pressed hard against Abdullah's temple.
MAN'S VOICE (over)
-change in plan- you listen while
I talk- because you have a question
that needs answering.
(beat)
Will I pull the trigger?
PULL BACK FURTHER TO REVEAL
REDBEARD.
We are looking at one of those legends- ageless and powerful, with
a tanned face and a thick grey beard. He has seen everything and
is capable of anything.
Just now he seems more than capable of killing Abdullah. Very
calmly, he cocks the pistol.
SAMUEL (over)
It's Redbeard, Abdullah- he'll kill
you.
REDBEARD
(not looking around)
No hints, Samuel.
ABDULLAH
(The name has registered)
You don't know all that has happened
here- the Devil has come to Tsavo.
REDBEARD
You're right. The Devil has come. Look
at me. I am the Devil.
CUT TO
ABDULLAH, staring at Redbeard. Right now Redbeard just could be.
ABDULLAH
(louder)
I am a man of peace.
REDBEARD
Am I to take it you want to live?
ABDULLAH
Most certainly. Absolutely. Yes.
REDBEARD
Excellent decision.
(Now he suddenly reaches
out, shakes Abdullah's hand)
Your name is Abdullah? I'm sure we'll
meet again. Go and enjoy the splendid
morning.
ABDULLAH
(dazed- leaving)
I think it's been a pleasure.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, and now he does another surprising thing: embraces
Samuel.
REDBEARD
(three words)
You got old.
(Now he releases Samuel,
turns to Patterson)
I'm sure you're John Patterson.
(before Patterson can reply)
Stay out of my way.
(And without another word,
he's gone)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
as Redbeard moves through, taking it all in. It's even worse than
when we last saw it- bodies crammed everywhere and always the
sound of pain and sickness.
Patterson stands in the doorway, watching, waiting.
PATTERSON
(as Redbeard approaches)
I didn't have a chance to thank you.
REDBEARD
(preoccupied)
What did I do?
PATTERSON
Got me out of trouble.
REDBEARD
(matter of fact)
Nonsense- Samuel would have done
something.
(starts to move on)
PATTERSON
We need to talk.
REDBEARD
Let me save time- (1) you are the
engineer; (2) you are in charge;
(3) you're sorry I'm here. Right
so far?
(Patterson nods)
Good- because (1) I am not an
engineer, (2) I don't want to be
in charge, and (3) I'm sorrier than
you are that I'm here- I hate Tsavo.
So I will help you by killing the
lions and leaving, and you will help
me by doing what I tell you so I
can leave. See any problems?
PATTERSON
Actually, no.
REDBEARD
All right- let's go into battle.
(suddenly taking
Patterson's hand)
I'm Redbeard.
(as they shake)
PATTERSON
Somehow I guessed.
(As they move outside-)
CUT TO
THE FRONT OF THE HOSPITAL
A BUNCH OF MEN WAIT. Hwathorne, Samuel, Abdullah, and perhaps a
dozen other worker leaders. Redbeard and Patterson move to them.
REDBEARD
Starting now, we attack them.
ABDULLAH
How; we don't know where they are?
REDBEARD
We'll have to make them come to us,
won't we? And since there are two of
them, we're going to set two plans
in motion.
(to Hawthorne)
First: we must move the entire
hospital by tomorrow night.
HAWTHORNE
(appalled)
That's a terrible idea-
REDBEARD
(backtracking)
-is it, I'm sorry, but then, of
course, you're the doctor, you
should know.
HAWTHORNE
Silliest thing I ever heard of- why
in the world should we go through
all that?
REDBEARD
(charming now)
I suppose I could answer you. I
suppose I could explain that the
place is so inviting, what with the
smell of blood and flesh, that they
have to strike. It's even possible
that I tell you I found some fresh
paw marks around back which means
they're already contemplating
feasting here.
(Turning on Hawthorne
now- his voice building)
But I don't want to answer you
because when you question me you are
really saying that I don't have the
least idea what I am doing, that I am
nothing but an incompetent, that I am
a fool.
(big)
Anyone who finds me a fool, please
say so now.
HAWTHORNE
(The words burst out)
I have been desperate for Patterson
to let me move the hospital since the
day he arrived.
REDBEARD
(nice smile)
Then we agree.
(And on that-)
BEGIN THE BUILDING SEQUENCE.
It was a huge effort and they got half of it done that day- but
there was always the sense of impending bloodshed.
What we see first are Patterson and a bunch of shots of a lot of
workers- laying out the dimensions of the new boma that would
surround the place. This was to be by far the biggest wall fence
they had in Tsavo.
And now here comes Abdullah leading a crowd of men, wading into a
huge patch of thorn trees, cutting the thick branches down,
starting to load them for carrying-
-and it's high noon now, and Patterson drenched with sweat, leads
the start of the actual building- taking the thorn branches,
bunching them together, forcing them so there is no room between
them-
-and we can just begin to get the sense of what the fence will be-
except at the moment it's barely a foot high-
-and now Redbeard appears, beckons to Patterson, and
CUT TO
A LONG SHOT OF A FLAT GRASSY PLAIN. AFTERNOON NOW.
Patterson, Redbeard, and Samuel walk quickly.
CUT TO
SAMUEL turning to Redbeard and Patterson.
SAMUEL
Soon.
(Redbeard nods)
PATTERSON
(to Redbeard)
I have to ask- why do you need me?
REDBEARD
I don't really. But understand
something- even though it may take
me two or three days to sort this
out-
(Patterson has to smile
at the phrase)
-when I'm gone, you'll still have
to build the bridge. And I don't
want the men to have lost respect
for you.
PATTERSON
(kind of surprised)
That's very considerate.
REDBEARD
I'm always considerate- my mother
taught me that.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, who just breaks out laughing.
REDBEARD
Why do you laugh?- you don't
believe she taught me?
SAMUEL
I don't believe you had a mother.
(And as Redbeard
laughs too-)
CUT TO
A MASAI VILLAGE as they approach. Redbeard walks ahead.
PATTERSON
You like him, don't you?
SAMUEL
Oh yes. But it takes time.
PATTERSON
You've known him long?
SAMUEL
(He has)
Since his beard was red.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE VILLAGE. AN AGED CHIEF RUNS THINGS.
Redbeard, Patterson and Samuel stand near him. WOMEN and CHILDREN
are there. Some of the children look at Redbeard, mime shooting,
fall down dead. Samuel translates as necessary.
SAMUEL
How many cattle?
REDBEARD
Four should do it.
SAMUEL
They will want a lot of money.
PATTERSON
(to Redbeard)
Have you got it?
REDBEARD
No, but you do-
(beat)
-see, you were needed after all.
(to Samuel)
And fifty warriors at the camp
before dawn.
SAMUEL
(Samuel explains. The
Masai Chief replies.
Translating)
Why so many?
REDBEARD
Because I have two plans to kill
the lions- one involving the cattle,
the other the men.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON watching as Samuel tells the Chief.
CUT TO
THE MASAI CHIEF. He moves toward Redbeard and Patterson. As he
speaks, Samuel translates quietly. There is a sadness in the
Chief's tone.
SAMUEL
(translating)
The Ghost and the Darkness have
come... and we can do nothing...
but if you anger them... they will
stay in Tsavo... and life will
become more unberable, that I know...
CUT TO
PATTERSON, watching as Redbeard replies.
REDBEARD
(beat)
Two lions are all that have come...
they're only lions, that I know.
(beat)
And I will kill them both tomorrow.
(HOLD BRIEFLY, then-)
CUT TO
SHADOWS AND FIRELIGHT. IT'S NIGHT NOW.
We're not sure for a moment where we are but we can hear metallic
sounds.
Now we hear voices.
REDBEARD VOICE (over)
I'll need you by me in the morning.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Whatever you wish.
CUT TO
WHERE WE ARE- IT'S PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. Patterson, Redbeard,
Hawthorne, and Samuel sit around a fire.
THey are cleaning their guns, getting ready.
A WORD ABOUT THEIR WEAPONS. Patterson's is a good rifle and he
cleans it expertly.
Redbeard's surprisingly, is the oldest. And the way his hands move
as he assembles it, he might be bathing a child.
Hawthorne is the least skilled of the three. But his rifle is
clearly the finest. Bigger than the others, with great killing
power.
There is a tremendous tension- Patterson, Hawthorne, and Samuel
show it. Redbeard is as before.
HAWTHORNE
(terribly tense)
You're certain about tomorrow?
(Redbeard is)
But you don't seem excited.
(Redbeard isn't)
PATTERSON
You don't enjoy killing, do you?
(Redbeard doesn't)
HAWTHORNE
Then why do it?
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. He stares at the fire. Then-
REDBEARD
I have a gift.
CUT TO
THE CAMPFIRE. Silence for a moment except for the sound of the
weapons being reassembled. Redbeard's hands fly. His rifle is back
together. He stands, nods, goes.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, watching him.
HAWTHORNE
Strange man.
(to Samuel)
Has he always been this way?
SAMUEL
Much gentler now.
HAWTHORNE
(shakes his head on that)
John?-
(He holds out his
beautiful rifle)
Change guns with me- mine's much
more powerful. I'll be finishing
the hospital tomorrow so I won't
be with you- but if you'll use
this...
(beat)
...then I will.
Patterson, touched, changes weapons.
PATTERSON
Thank you.
(He turns to Samuel)
Why does he need you by him?
SAMUEL
He doesn't. He needs nobody. But
we have hunted many times...
(beat)
...he knows I am afraid of lions...
HOLD ON THE FIRELIGHT UNTIL WE SHARPLY-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. BEFORE DAWN.
Misty- hard to see much.
Then GHOSTS appear-
KEEP HOLDING
-they're not ghosts, they're MASAI WARRIORS emerging from the
mists. They are powerful and painted and they carry noisemaking
equipment- tin cans and tom toms and as more and more of them
materialize-
CUT TO
A HUGE THICKET.
Redbeard, Patterson, and Samuel wait as the Warriors approach.
REDBEARD
(whispered)
I spotted one of them-
(gesturing toward
the thicket)
-in there.
CUT TO
THE THICKET again- alive with thorn trees. Dark, filled with long
dark shadows.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. A lot of tension.
REDBEARD
The best way to ensure the kill
when you're using trackers is for
one to shoot while the other uses
the trackers to force the lion
toward the shooter. Have you ever
led trackers?
PATTERSON
(He hasn't)
I can try.
REDBEARD
(no good)
Samuel says you killed a lion.
PATTERSON
It was probably luck- I'd rather
you did the shooting.
REDBEARD
You'd never force the lion to me-
and nobody ever got a lion with
one shot by luck.
(points- hand out
straight)
Around there's a clearing- you'll
know it from the anthills- get
there and hide and listen to the
sounds- I'll make the lion come
directly to you.
(He gestures for
Patterson to take
off and as he does-)
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS as Redbeard goes to them-
REDBEARD
(as Samuel translates)
-all of you- spread the width of
the clearing- no gaps- go-
(claps his hands once)
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, spreading apart.
CUT TO
THE SUN. Starting to appear more strongly on the horizon.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, running like hell.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, moving quickly, silently.
CUT TO
A THICK CLUSTER 0F THORN TREES.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, ducking his head, blasting through.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, starting to cover the entire width of the thicket.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, quickstepping over rocky terrain.
CUT TO
SAMUEL staying close to Redbeard. The fear is there.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, studying the position of the Warriors, who are almost
ready.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, circling now, racing toward a clearing, picking up
speed.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, spread out. They look to Redbeard.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Not yet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, racing into the clearing, glances around- lots of
anthills.
CUT TO
AN ANTHILL, eight feet high. It casts a long shadow.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Holding Hawthorne's marvelous rifle, he slips silently
into the shadow.
HOLD ON PATTERSON- it's almost as if he weren't there.
CUT SHARPLY TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. Suddenly screaming and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, screaming too and
CUT TO
THE WHOLE LINE OF WARRIORS, suddenly moving forward, all of them
shouting and screaming and pounding on their drums and it is loud.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in the shadow. The noise is faint- but he can hear it.
CUT TO
A DOZEN DRUMMERS, moving forward, banging away.
CUT TO
A DOZEN MORE DRUMMERS, even louder.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, moving forward, his eyes flicking ahead-
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Just the least bit louder now.
CUT TO
THE WHOLE LINE OF WARRIORS, screaming and pounding and
CUT TO
SAMUEL- the fear worse, dogging Redbeard's steps.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. His eyes flicking ahead.
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. It's a lot louder now. He's totally still. And he's
ready.
CUT TO
THE DENSEST PART OF THE THICKET we've seen yet.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, slashing their way through, drumming and shouting
and
CUT TO
REDBEARD, at their head, eyes, as always, flicking.
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
REDBEARD- starting to suddenly get louder and point-
-because something is there-
CUT BACK TO
THE THICKET AHEAD, and we didn't see it before, only Redbeard saw
it before-
-but now something begins to move and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WARRIORS and it's all going crazy now, and
they're starting to move faster and
CUT TO
PATTERSON IN THE SHADOW.
The noise has kicked up and all the time it's coming closer and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WARRIORS and the movement up ahead is more
distinct and the Warriors are almost in a frenzy as we
CUT TO
A FLASH OF THE GHOST IN THE THICKET- eyes bright- it starts to
move away from the sound-
-and toward where Patterson is waiting.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Faster, screaming louder and
CUT TO
SAMUEL and the fear starting to leave and he screams louder too
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON- he fingers the weapon.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, angrily retreating faster from the sound- and now
instead of going straight back it begins to veer left and
CUT TO
REDBEARD, immediately spotting the shift, gesturingto the Warriors
to get left and
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, shifting over as Redbeard directed, blocking The
Ghost's intended path and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, shifting, trying to go the other way this time and
CUT TO
REDBEARD; he spots that too, gestures for the Warriors to shift
the other way and
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, racing to thier new positions, blocking the animal's
path again and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, rattled, upset, and now it starts retreating back in
the original direction- toward Patterson and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WHOLE LONG LINE OF MEN, and it's as if mass
hysteria has gripped them, because their sound keeps building and
sure, their throats must ache and yes, their arms must tire, but
you couldn't tell that from what they're doing-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Waiting by the anthill. Waiting. Then, at last-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, backing into view, staring back at the sound, unaware
of Patterson's existence behind him.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Noiselessly he steps away from the anthill into the
sunlight. He raises Hawthorne's gun.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, backing toward Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, sighting along the glistening barrel.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, starting to turn.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, ready to fire.
CUT TO
THE GHOST IN CLOSE UP, CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF THE RIFLE. And
now its lips go back as it sees Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, CLOSE UP, and this is it, this is the moment and as he
squeezes the trigger-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE GHOST, and a totally unexpected sound- a dull
snap- Hawthorne's rifle has misfired.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, unharmed and
CUT TO
PATTERSON desperately workingthe rifle, trying to make it function
and
CUT TO
THE GHOST. It stares at Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and the goddamn gun won't work and he's a dead man and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE GHOST-
-and for a moment, they might be frozen in some horrible tableau-
-THEN THE GHOST ROARS-
CUT TO
REDBEARD as he hears it, breaking into a wild run-
REDBEARD
Shoot for chrissakes!-
CUT TO
PATTERSON standing his ground as now THE GHOST takes a step toward
him.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, firing, reloading on the move, and up ahead is the
clearing and as he reaches it-
CUT TO
THE GHOST. Its great head turns in the direction of Redbeard and
CUT TO
REDBEARD's position- anthills block him from getting a clear shot
at the animal- he curses, races for a better position and
CUT TO
THE GHOST. One final stare at Patterson-
-then it makes an effortless leap intothe thicket-
-and it's safe and free and gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. Rocked.
The low point of his life.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, catching up to Redbeard.
SAMUEL
Did you ever see a lion that size?
REDBEARD
Not even close.
(Now he moves to
Patterson)
What happened?
PATTERSON
(a whisper)
...misfire... it jammed...
REDBEARD
Has it ever done that before?
PATTERSON
...don't know...
SAMUEL
It's Hawthorne's.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Trying for control.
REDBEARD
You exchanged weapons?
(Patterson nods)
You went into battle with an
untried gun?
(Patterson nods)
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. For a moment it's impossible to tell what he's
going to do. It seems that a Homeric burst of fury is about to
happen.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Drained, he epects it. It's very quiet.
CUT TO
REEDBEARD, studying the younger man. And when he finally speaks,
his voice is surprisingly quiet.
REDBEARD
They have an expression in
prizefighting: "everyone has a plan
until they're hit."
(beat)
You've just been hit...
(beat)
...the getting up is up to you...
(And he turns, moves
off and)
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL.
Nearly finished. The fence is eight feet high and Hawthorne is
supervising men and material that are being transferred.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, checking security in the New Hospital which is close to
the center of camp. (The Old Hospital was situated on the
outskirts, because they wanted to keep the workers away from the
sick and the wounded.) Late afternoon, now.
Patterson, Samuel and Hawthorne are moving with him. As are TWO
EXPERIENCED ORDERLIES, both armed with powerful rifles. Patterson
is silent here, the effects of the misfire still evident on his
face.
REDBEARD
(to the Orderlies)
Gentlemen, there's no sickness smell
at all here, and little blood. When
we leave, close the gate securely,
don't open it til morning and keep
your fires high. Any questions, ask
them now.
(They understand- now
to Samuel and Hawthorne)
You two will sleep beautifully in
your tents.
(beat)
And stay there.
SAMUEL
And where will you sleep beautifully?
REDBEARD
(smile)
Patterson and I will be in the old
hospital- where the enticing smell
of sickness still lingers-
(beat)
-and by the time we're done, I
promise you, the odor of blood will
be irresistible.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL. STARTING TO GET DARK.
Redbeard and Patterson have buckets which they empty around the
inside perimeter-
-buckets of blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. Darker. They empty still more full buckets
of blood. Redbeard seems pleased.
CUT TO
SAMUEL AND HAWTHORNE, hurrying toward their camp.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, leading Masai cattle into the grounds of
the Old Hospital.
CUT TO
THE ORDERLIES IN THE NEW HOSPITAL, firmly closing and locking the
gate.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, just outside the fence of the Old
Hospital- they carry many large chunks of raw meat, drop them as
they move.
CUT TO
THE SUN. Dying... dying...
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They slip inside the deserted Old
Hospital, pull the gate securely shut.
CUT TO
THE CATTLE. They stand in the center of the Old Hospital, calling
to each other.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. Full. Clean. The men are exhausted. Most are
already asleep. The Orderlies sit by a fire, alert for anything.
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL. Patterson and Redbeard stand across from their
fire, waiting. The cows are quiet.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE by his fire near his tent with Samuel. Nervously, they
drink tea.
CUT TO
THE MOON. Higher. An hour has passed. Perhaps more.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Walking the fence perimeter.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The cows are edgy. He calms the cows.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE OLD HOSPITAL. The large chunks of meat are visible in
the moonlight.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. The orderlies are calm.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, still walking the perimeter.
CUT TO
PATTERSON sitting by the fire, staring at the night. Redbeard
moves to him, speaks in a whisper.
REDBEARD
Think about something else.
PATTERSON
Have you ever failed?
REDBEARD
(sad smile)
Only in life...
(He walks away.
Patterson watches.)
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. The Orderlies tend the sick. Quietly.
CUT TO
THE NIGHT AND THE MOON. Lovely.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Stalking the perimeter. No sound. The night is deadly
quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He stalks the perimeter now too, on the far side from
Redbeard- and suddenly a different and frightening sound- the
ripping of flesh-
CAMERA MOVES UP
Now we can see both Patterson inside and also outside where, in
shadow, The Ghost and The Darkness are devouring a hunk of meat.
Redbeard moves quickly across the perimeter, gestures for
Patterson to switch positions with him.
As he reaches where Patterson was, the eating sound stops.
Silence again.
Patterson reaches the far side of the fence.
Now the eating sound comes again, and again, BOTH LIONS are
outside, directly across from Patterson.
CUT TO
REDBEARD looks across the perimeter at Patterson. Whatever's going
on, it's sure as hell odd.
CUT TO
THE CATTLE- they are very upset suddenly- one of them kicks out
violently against the night- the same gesture the cattle did just
before The Ghost walked through their pen and killed one-
-now a different sound is heard: scratching-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD tracking the sound-
-the main gate is starting to be pushed in. Inside the gate the
ground is covered with blood stains from where they emptied their
buckets.
CUT TO
THE GATE. More pressure against it- it could give way any moment.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON and from the look on Redbeard's face, this
is it! Patterson seees this, readies his rifle and we-
CUT TO
THE CATTLE, going nuts and then-
CUT TO
THE GATE. All pressure gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. Patterson is furious.
PATTERSON
Goddammit!
REDBEARD
It's all right. Stay ready.
(indicates the blood)
They know it's there.
Patterson takes a few steps away, stares at the moon.
CUT TO
REDBEARD; he studies Patterson who so clearly craves redemption.
REDBEARD
(going to him)
Meant to ask you- the railroad car
trap. Your idea?
(Patterson nods)
Excellent notion- I used the same
device myself once.
PATTERSON
But of course yours worked.
REDBEARD
In point of fact it didn't- but I'm
convinced the idea is sound.
He goes back to walking the perimeter. Patterson watches him- and
for the first time since the misfire, Patterson's mood begins to
lift.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL
and an ORDERLY, blood pouring from his throat as he lies by the
fire and
CUT TO
THE SECOND ORDERLY rounding a corner, seeing the violence; before
he can scream-
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS suddenly beside him, and their giant
paws slap out so fast we can't follow and
CUT TO
THE SECOND ORDERLY, dropping to the ground, and now we're starting
to spin into madness and these next cuts go like lightning.
CUT TO
A TENT FULL OF SICK MEN with malaria and
CUT TO
A PAW flashing and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, lips pulling back and
CUT TO
A SICK MAN, falling from his bed, blood pouring from his slashed
face and
CUT TO
TWO MORE SICK MEN, trying to rise and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, leaping on them and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, eyes narrow and brilliant and
CUT TO
A SICK COOLIE, and he's terrified and he tries to scream-
-the sound barely escapes him, but even so, it's the first cry
we've heard and
CUT TO
THE ENTIRE CAMP, NIGHT, WITH ALL THE FIRES BURNING- AND
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA IS CLOSE BY-
-but the New Hospital is on the other end, a good distance away.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, rifles ready- but no sound reaches them.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, out of his tent, because he's close by and he heard it
and he lights a torch, starts for the gate of the camp as Samuel
does his best to stop him-
-but Hawthorne rips free and we
CUT TO
A SECOND TENT, as it starts to collapse and
CUT TO
THE MEDICINE TENT, as The Ghost and The Darkness enter and
CUT TO
MEDICINE, flying across the tent and
CUT TO
GLASS, shattering and more medicine is destroyed and
CUT TO
A BLIZZARD OF CUTS, of lions' claws and lions' teeth and those
terrible bright blazing eyes and
CUT TO
A TENT POLE, being pulled out of the ground and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS and what they are doing is this:
destroying the New Hospital and
CUT TO
MORE TENTS collapsing and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS. CLOSE UP. Eyes crazed.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE ALONE IN THE NIGHT, scared shitless as he runs.
CUT TO
SHADOWS, moving, as Hawthorne's torch lights the surroundings and
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, heart pounding, looking around and then he gasps as we
CUT TO
THE AREA NEARBY- TWO LARGE EYES are staring at him.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, panicked, stumbling, falling, getting up, staring
around-
CUT TO
THE AREA AROUND HIM- the eys are gone-
-and now there are loud shrieks in the night coming from the New
Hospital and the instant they are heard
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON, grabbing torches, throwing the gate open
and they're off as we
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, running toward the New Hospital just up ahead now.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, tearing through the night.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. (We see all this next through Hawthorne's eyes.)
The tents are all down. The place is devastated.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE FIRST TENT. Filled with the dead and the dying.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. Ashen. Moving on.
CUT TO
PAN ALONG THE TENT
Dead. Blood. Pain.
PAN TO THE SECOND TENT
More dead.
More dying.
It's a slaughterhouse.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. He's crushed. His body sags. He takes a breath, his
last.
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS are on him, roaring.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD as the roar reverberates- they glance at
each other-
-then they slow.
Because the New Hospital has come into view.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, CLOSE UP, staring at the disaster.
And this terrible crosses his face. For a moment, you think he's
going to fall. His body seems drained of all its power. He stands
there. Just stands there. Unable to move.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. And he does move. Slowly. Carefully. Into the chaos.
He stares around- the dead and the dying are everywhere.
Hawthorne, his face clawed almost unrecognizably, lies alone.
All that's left now is this: the sound of pain.
HOLD.
Dust rises. It covers everything. Only the sound remains.
Now different sounds take over-
-an incredible babble of human voices.
AND A RAILROAD TRAIN.
Patterson walks through the dust. Samuel, a worried look on his
face, is a few steps behind.
We are at the STATION AREA and it is jammed. A train has pulled
into the station-
-only you almost can't tell it's a train: all you can see are
workers climbing up, and the inside is full so the workers clamber
up onto the roofs of the cars-
-covering the cars-
-everyone is leaving-
-Patterson can only watch.
Abdullah stands on one of the cars-
-the train begins to pull out of the station.
More and more workers chase after it, get pulled on.
Now the station area is empty, the flat car roofs full.
Patterson still watches, eyes vacant.
Abdullah sees him, looks away.
The train gathers speed.
Rounds a corner...
...gone...
Patterson turns from the scene, begins to walk. Samuel stays close
behind him, the worried look still there.
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL.
A FEW AFRICAN ORDERLIES do the best they can. Patterson watches
only a moment, walks on. Samuel still behind him.
CUT TO
THE CAMP as Patterson walks through. A ghost town now. Only
Africans remain.
CUT TO
THE CONTRAPTION where the coolies missed The Darkness. Patterson
looks at it a moment, walks on.
CUT TO
THE ANTHILL IN THE CLEARING where Patterson misfired. Patterson
looks at it a moment, walks on. And now, at last-
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. One or two Africans. Samuel darts into his
tent, emerges with something, holds it out to Patterson.
IT'S A NECKLACE OF LION CLAWS.
Patterson makes an almost courtly bow of thanks, puts it on- he
never takes it off again. He walks on alone now until at last-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE.
It stops abruptly, halfway done; the foundations are in place, a
lot of the scaffolding, but it's useless. Late afternoon.
Desolate.
Redbeard sits alone, high on one of the foundations. He looks as
he did the night before.
Patterson walks to the top of the near embankment. He is unshaven,
wrinkled, he fingers the lion claw necklace.
For a moment, neither says a word. Then-
REDBEARD
(out of the blue)
It would have been a beautiful
bridge, John. I never noticed
before, occupied with other
business, I suppose...
(He's rambling)
...never really pay much attention
to that kind of thing but I've had
the time today, nothing else on,
and this... it's graceful and the
placement couldn't be prettier...
and...
(He goes silent now,
stares off)
PATTERSON
You just got hit.
(Redbeard nods)
The getting up is up to you- but
they're only lions-
(beat)
-and I'm going after them crack
of dawn...
(And on that-)
CUT TO
A LONG SHOT OF A HIGH ROCKY CLIFF-
-we haven't seen anything like it before- it's hundreds of feet
tall- gorgeous early morning light.
As we watch, we realize there are two dots on the side of the
cliff.
As we watch a moment more, we realize the dots are moving.
CAMERA MOVES CLOSER.
THE DOTS are Patterson and Redbeard, working their way along the
rock face. Patterson is much more nimble. It's dangerous, of
course, but neither of them seems to have that uppermost in mind.
They travel lightly- small knapsacks and their weapons.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM as they make it over the cliff face. They stand,
stare out.
CUT TO
WHAT THEY SEE: the world. They move on.
CUT TO
A RAVINE. They are moving along the edge. It's tricky going- if
you fell you wouldn't much like it. They are both concentrating on
their movements, paying no attention to each other as Redbeard
starts to speak. They don't stop moving.
REDBEARD
In my town, when I was little,
there was a brute, a bully who
terrorized the place.
(beat)
But he was not the problem. He
had a brother who was worse than
he. But the brother was not the
problem.
(beat)
One or the other of them was
usually in jail. The problem came
when they were both free togther.
The two became different from
either alone.
(beat)
Alone they were only brutes.
Together they became lethal,
together they killed.
PATTERSON
What happened to them?
REDBEARD
(pause)
I got big.
(They move on)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD working their way up a steep ravine. It's
hard going. They help each other.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving along the edge of the ravine now.
Slow. Silent. Redbeard stops, points-
CUT TO
A TANGLE IN THE BUSHES AND THORNS with one odd thing about it:
there is a clearly defined archway, as if a buffalo or rhino used
it as a regular passage.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM at the archway. They look at each other, without a
word move through it.
CUT TO
THE OTHER SIDE. A small clearing. And at the end of the clearing:
a cave.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. Dark.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. They each check their guns, move toward
it.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. Closer. Suddenly it's getting eerie.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, moving slowly, Patterson right with him.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. They're by it- Redbeard squints inside.
CUT TO
WHAT HE SEES: it's dark and dangerous and there is a long low
tunnel you have to half-crawl through.
Without a word, they start inside.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON, crouched low, moving through the tunnel.
Ahead there is light. They move on.
CUT TO
THE END OF THE TUNNEL- they can see the cave beyond.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. They glance down. Nothing much there- just
a copper bracelet, the kind a native might wear.
Now they move past it and as the tunnel ends, they stand up.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE CAVE - IT'S BIG.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving deeper into the cave. It's scary-
dark with shafts of light coming from cracks in the rock. It's
dank. It all feels as at any moment, the world could end.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. Thunderstruck-
REDBEARD
Dear God-
(And on those words-)
CUT TO
THE FLOOR OF THE CAVE. More copper bracelets. And still more-
-and now bones-
-the floor of the place is littered with human bones-
-eyeless skulls peer up at them from all around.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
The rest of the cave. We are looking at a carpet of bones.
PATTERSON
Their den?
(Redbeard nods)
Have you ever seen anything like
this?
REDBEARD
Nobody's seen anything like this.
Lions don't have caves like this-
(beat)
-they're doing it for pleasure.
CUT TO
SEVERAL TUNNELS, dark and ominous, leading from the cave-
-and now there is a sound from one of the tunnels-
-something is coming close and coming fast and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON as Redbeard fires into the tunnel and the
sound explodes-
CUT TO
THE TUNNEL-
-shrieks-
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. What the hell is it?
CUT TO
THE TUNNEL- and here they come, screeching and angry-
-bats-
-swarms of them- hundreds of them-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, diving to the ground, lying there amidst
the bangles and the bones and the skulls-
CUT TO
THE BATS. Circling above them. Screeching louder.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, lying very still, eyeless skulls all
around, staring.
CUT TO
THE BATS. For a moment, it seems as if they might attack.
CUT TO
PATTRSON AND REDBEARD. Waiting, waiting. Then-
CUT TO
THE BATS back into the tunnel and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, scrambling to their feet.
REDBEARD
One of my chief attributes is that
I'm always calm.
And then without warning, from behind them, a roar-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD spin around, start back toward the entrance
of the cave-
CUT TO
THE LOW ENTRANCE TUNNEL as they scramble half-crawling through it.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE as they make it, stand straight, look around-
CUT TO
THICK BUSH beyond- another roar and sudden movement and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, entering the thick bush- but carefully,
because they are vulnerable now and an attack could come from
anywhere- there is the sound of water-
-slashes of light hit their eyes, making it hard to see- and
they're totally vulnerable now but it doesn't stop them- the water
sound gets stronger- and as they burst clear-
CUT TO
AN AMAZING PLACE- AN AREA OF FLAT ROCK SPLIT UP AHEAD BY A WIDE
FAST-RUNNING WATERFALL.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They look around. Nothing is there. But
the spot is wide open, exposed.
PATTERSON
(The words pour out)
Where could it have gone? How
could it get across the water?
(looks at Redbeard)
They're only lions, yes?
REDBEARD
(shakes his head; he
doesn't know)
Don't they have to be?...
They look around a moment more. Nothing to see-
-they turn, leave, re-enter the thick bush. And now-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS- who knows where it is but it's there-
-watching Patterson.
HOLD BRIEFLY on The Darkness, then-
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. JUST BEFORE DAWN-
-outside the fence a dreadful sound- the crunching of bones.
Patterson, Redbeard, and Samuel emerge from tents, listen.
Patterson is on one side of the area, Redbeard and Samuel on the
other.
SAMUEL
(pointing)
Both of them over there.
He is pointing to Patterson's area. Patterson goes to Redbeard.
PATTERSON
Ever have to use a machan?
(Redbeard hasn't)
I did once. In India. We will
tonight.
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
A CLEARING. LATER IN THE DAY.
Patterson leads the few remaining men in constructing an odd
looking structure: four slender poles lashed together, slanting
inward with a plank tied on top, a dozen feet up in the air.
Redbeard and Samuel approach.
PATTERSON
They're used to people in trees,
not in a clearing.
(indicating the plank)
It may be tight.
REDBEARD
Not for me- I'm too bulky and it's
your idea, you go up there.
(to Samuel)
Take the others to the water tower
for the night.
PATTERSON
I'll be bait alone?
REDBEARD
Yes. And I'll be in some distant
tree where I can provide no
assistance whatsoever.
(beat)
Can you control your fear?
PATTERSON
I'll have to.
REDBEARD
I can't control mine- I'd be lost
without the shame factor driving me.
PATTERSON
Was that supposed to make me feel
better?
(Redbeard doesn't
reply. Now-)
CUT TO
A DONKEY BEING LED IN. LATER.
THE MEN start to tie it down, across the clearing from the machan.
Patterson takes a long look at the machan. He tests the support
poles- they're rickety.
CUT TO
DUSK. The sun quickly beginning its quick fall.
CUT TO
THE WATER TOWER IN THE STATION AREA. Samuel is with the remaining
men who clamber up to the platform on top.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY IN THE CLEARING. Quiet.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
Redbeard, holding a wooden ladder that is propped against the
plank. Patterson climbs his slow way up. It's dangerous.
CUT TO
THE PLANK as Patterson makes it, clambers off the ladder, manages
to sit.
CUT TO
THE VIEW. Nothing is around the machan. He is totally vulnerable.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, taking the ladder down. Patterson tries to get
comfortable. He can't.
REDBEARD
(glancing around)
It's certainly the best chance
they've had to kill you.
PATTERSON
You think they'll come then?
(Redbeard does)
Why?
REDBEARD
(not answering)
Good luck.
PATTERSON
Why?
REDBEARD
(beat)
Because I think they're after you.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. This registers. Finally, he nods. Redbeard starts to
leave.
PATTERSON
How many do you think they've
killed?
REDBEARD
(reluctantly)
The most of any lions... a
hundred...?
(beat)
Probably more.
(Now Redbeard looks
up at the younger man)
Johnny...?
They study each other in the gathering darkness. They've been
through a lot together, these two. They're not what they were when
they first met. An emotional moment clearly is at hand.
REDBEARD
Don't fuck up.
(And he turns, never
looks back, just goes)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He is alone now.
CUT TO
SHADOWS. Growing longer.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. On top of the water tower. The remaining men are with him.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. It peers around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. His fingers move slowly along his rifle barrel-
-there is no noise- but you have the sense that, at any second,
the world could explode.
CUT TO
THE EDGE OF THE CLEARING, a good distance away. A bunch of trees.
Nothing unusual.
MOVE IN CLOSER:
Redbeard, motionless, rifle in hand, is high in the branches.
CUT TO
THE SUN. About to die.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, trying to get comfortable. It's not possible.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY, tethered, but able to move.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, testing the machan- not a good idea- it trembles. He
stops, stares out at the setting sun, the light hitting his skin,
giving it color.
CUT TO
THE SUN and here's the thing about Africa- the sun doesn't just
set, it literally drops out of the sky. Suddenly it's bright and
in a blink it isn't. As it drops-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. It's madness that he's up here. And he knows
it. And that shows.
CUT TO
THE SKY. No moon. Just thick cloud.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. Quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. On his precarious perch. He scans constantly ahead of
him past the donkey.
CUT TO
THE THICK BUSH BEYOND THE DONKEY. Nothing moves-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He swallows, moistening his throat. He stares down at
the donkey.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. LATER. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. DARK.
And now, just the beginning of a mist.
CUT TO
THE SKY. THICKER AND THICKER CLOUDS. LATER STILL. GETTING TOWARD
MORNING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON sitting there twelve feet up as the silence extends,
listening for something, anything-
-but all there is is silence.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. It lies still and quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, looking around- you get the feeling he'd like to
scream.
CUT TO
THE BUSHES AROUND HIM. The mist is getting stronger.
CUT TO
REDBEARD in his tree, cursing, trying to see through the growing
mist.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, listening, listening-
-and then there is a sound and it's so quiet you can barely hear
it but to Patterson it might as well be thunder-
-from behind the donkey there has come this: the snapping of a
twig.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY, and it's eyes widen-
HOLD ON THE DONKEY.
Because now something happens that hasn't happened before:
suddenly there are no colors, only tones-
-because lions can't see colors, only tones, and that's what's
happening- we are looking at the donkey from the point of view of
the lion-
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
THE EYES OF THE GHOST. Watching the donkey.
And from now on, when we are using PATTERSON'S POINT OF VIEW,
everything is clouded and thick with mist, and sounds are muted.
When we are using THE GHOST'S POINT OF VIEW, everything is totally
clear- and sounds are thunderous.
CUT TO
WHAT PATTERSON SEES: just mist and vaguely, bushes.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: The donkey. And CAMERA begins to move closer
as The Ghost moves, just the barest few steps closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Still no sound- but beyond the donkey there seems to be
some movement in the bushes.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: The donkey, very, very close-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Squinting desperately at the area beyond the donkey but
the mist is so thick, he can't make certain of anything.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: THE DONKEY.
HOLD.
Now there is something else visible, something behind the donkey:
the four legs of the platform.
HOLD.
Now we travel up the platform- the four legs grow closer together.
HOLD AS THE GHOST AT LAST SEES PATTERSON.
CUT TO
THE EYES OF THE GHOST. NARROWING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Involuntarily, a shiver.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, but the angle shifts-
-what's happening of course is this: The Ghost is circling around
the platform in the safety of the bushes and the mist.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, following the whispered sound of the bushes moving. He
half turns the other way quickly, making sure that nothing is
behind him.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON shifting as the angle continues to
change.
CUT TO
PATTERSON as the realization hits: the beast doesn't care about
the donkey anymore, it's stalking him.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. In the tree. The mist obscures everything.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Still circling, still closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and it's scary now, this thing circling and circling,
always closer, never visible and his throat is dry and you know
he's just dying to blast it with his weapon or scream for it to do
anything but this constantly circling movement. (In truth, the
lion circled him for two hours, always coming closer, never quite
seen.)
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, always the circling around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, trying to turn on his shaky plank, trying to never to
let the animal's position out of his sight.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer...
CUT TO
PATTERSON, staring, staring at the goddamn mist, about to come
apart now with the tension as it builds and builds and builds and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, gripping his weapon tightly as his head keeps on
turning.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly yelling out loud as an owl lands on him-
that's right, a goddamn owl landed on him, thinking he was a tree,
almost knocking him off the plank and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, starting to slip off the platform
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, fighting the owl away, but his balance is going and
he's trying not to fall and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, beginning to topple off and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, helpless, balance going, going-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, starting to charge forward and Christ he can move and
as he starts his leap-
CUT TO
REDBEARD, racing from the tree to the edge of the clearing, firing
his rifle, firing again and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, as this incredible roar comes from him, and he spins,
lands, and sure, he's been hit but he's gone, back into the bushes
and the night has him and
CUT TO
SUDDEN DAWN AND PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, running, stopping, staring
at the ground-
CUT TO
THE GROUND. Blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving quickly forward again-
CUT TO
THE GROUND. More blood and...
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM, starting to slow-
CUT TO
STRANGE TERRAIN- huge anthills all over, the tallest we've seen,
some of them fifteen feet high, some even higher.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They separate, take different paths
through the anthills.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Alert. One step at a time.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The same. One step at at time.
CUT TO
THE GHOST. Crouched high up behind one of the biggest anthills,
staring down at them both.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. He gestures for them to stop. They do. For a moment they
might be statues.
CUT TO
THE ROCKY GROUND. Spots of blood. Redbeard kneels to examine them
and as he does-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, launched in mid-air and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, whirling, falling, firing and as the sound detonates-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, in mid-air, body twisted and-
-and FREEZE.
Freeze on The Ghost silhouetted against the morning sky.
HOLD. THen-
CUT TO
SAMUEL, WALKING INTO THE SHOT-
-we're by the river and this is a repeat of the earlier moment
when the three men brought the old man-eater into camp-
-only now eight men appear, carrying The Ghost- eight is the
actual number of men that it took, and as they lower the dead
animal to the ground-
CUT TO
THE GHOST- and now there's a flash of light as we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
BEAUMONT, kneeling by the dead animal. He is smiling beautifully,
and there is no questioning the look of triumph on his face.
CUT TO
A PHOTOGRAPHER; loads of bulky equipment. Patterson and Redbeard
stand behind him, watching him. We're in a lovely spot by the
river. Patterson and Redbeard have definitely been drinking.
BEAUMONT
I think another for posterity-
this is an important moment in
my life.
He strikes another pose- the Photographer goes to work.
BEAUMONT
Understand, I had help-
PATTERSON
-not a time for modesty, Bob-
REDBEARD
-undeniably your triumph.
BEAUMONT
Oh surely there's enough credit
for us all- let's not forget, you
did the actual shooting. Of course,
I hired you, I was the general who
put the team together. And generals
are the ones who tend to be
remembered.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Perhaps you might put your head in
its mouth, sir- could be a corker.
BEAUMONT
Clever idea, I like it.
CUT TO
THE MOUTH OF THE GHOST- it is huge-
-Beaumont manages to get it open- puts his head between the
enormous set of teeth- he's nervous, tries to hide it when we
CUT TO
REDBEARD suddenly giving a loud imitation of a lion roaring and
CUT TO
BEAUMONT, surprised and frightened-
-he jerks his head away-
-there is the sound of laughter, Patterson's and Redbeard's-
-Beaumont tries for his smile, can't bring it off, looks around,
humiliated, and as the laughter builds-
CUT TO
THE TENT AREA. NIGHT.
Patterson and Redbeard flank a fire. It's a sweet moment for them,
their first, no fear in the vicinity.
It should be noted that they both are drinking from bottles of
champagne.
It should also be noted that the Patterson we see is a world away
from the young man who went to meet Beaumont. He's unshaven, his
eyes have seen terrible things, he is weary, he has known failure-
he is more at ease with the world.
PATTERSON
(drunk)
I never thought I'd say this, but
I'm glad you came.
REDBEARD
(drunk)
Understood- you realize now you
could never have done it without
me.
PATTERSON
Actually, I could have done it
much more easily without you, but
for whatever reason, I'm glad you
came.
(They toast each other)
Samuel, with his own bottle of champagne has wandered over, joins
them.
SAMUEL
(drunk)
Where do you go next?
REDBEARD
Some Russian princes want to hunt
the Himalayas. You?
SAMUEL
Help finish the railroad.
PATTERSON
I want to meet my son- he must be
what, two months old?
They look at the fire a moment. Then-
SAMUEL
Three years I've worked for the
railroad. Now I don't know why. It
seemed a good idea once.
PATTERSON
I feel the same about the bridge.
This country certainly didn't ask
for it, doesn't need it.
REDBEARD
Too soon to tell.
They look at him.
REDBEARD
My life was shaped because someone
invented gunpowder. Our lives have
crossed because two lions went mad.
But what if in the future the three
of us do something grand for
humanity? Was that worth all the
lives? Too soon to tell.
SAMUEL
(drinks)
Some mysteries should not have
solutions.
REDBEARD
(finishes his bottle,
rises, looks at Patterson)
Hold your son high.
(And he turns, goes
to his tent)
PATTERSON
(beat- quietly)
He has children?
SAMUEL
(beat- quietly)
Once...
(HOLD on the two
in the firelight. Then-)
CUT TO
THE STATION MASTER AT TSAVO STATION, WORKING IN HIS OFFICE. THE
NEXT DAY.
FEMALE VOICE (over)
I'd like to see John Patterson,
please.
(As he looks up-)
CUT TO
HELENA standing there in Tsavo; she looks weary from travel, but
still lovely. She holds their son in her arms. The kid is
adorable.
HELENA
Could you tell him that his wife-
(catches herself, smiles)
-that his family has come to see him.
(On that-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AT THE BRIDGE- Samuel hurries to him with the news-
Patterson takes off running and
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION and Helena; she holds the sleeping child, walks back
and forth along the shaded front of the building, no sound at all
but her heels.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, running like crazy and up ahead now is the station
area.
CUT TO
HELENA- and now, in the distance, she sees him and she leaves the
building, walks out into the open, smiling and waving excitedly
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, excitedly waving back and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, moving out of the grassy area behind Helena and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly screaming "Get back- back-"
CUT TO
HELENA, and she's too far away- his words are lost on the wind-
she smiles again, waves again and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, screaming now, all he has, "GET BACK" and
CUT TO
HELENA, and she still can't make out what he's saying but just the
same, she stops and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, stalking silently, closing on the mother and child.
CUT TO
HELENA, and the baby wakes, smiles and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, starting to run and
CUT TO
PATTERSON and now it shows on his face- he's not going to get
there, he's never going to get there-
CUT TO
HELENA, and at last she knows something is terribly wrong and she
turns-
-but too late, too late as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, flying toward her now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, in agony.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping on them, taking them to the ground and as
Helena cries out helplessly-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, crying out helplessly and
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON IN HIS TENT,
continuing to cry out until he realized the nightmare he just had
is over-
-he staggers to his tent opening, goes outside.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE. It's dawn. Patterson, shaken, tries to rid himself of the
dream. He looks around.
Redbeard's tent is ripped- Patterson runs to it-
CUT TO
INSIDE THE TENT. It's empty. Patterson stares around-
-there is blood on the tent floor and quickly-
CUT TO
THE SUN. RISING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON running wildly, rifle in hand and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, carrying a weapon, hurrying to keep up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, flying across rough terrain and as he and Samuel splash
across a small river, he gestures for them to split and they do,
widening the area of search and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, veering off and
CUT TO
THORN TREES, as Patterson rips through them, unmindful of the
damage to his clothes or his skin and
CUT TO
MORE THORNS- he plunges wildly ahead and
CUT TO
A LARGE ANTHILL- it seems to be casting an unusual shadow-
Patterson slows, rifle ready, takes a breath, moves around it-
-nothing at all- just his imagination which has been working
overtime and is only getting worse-
Patterson stands there a moment, unsure where to go, what to do-
-and then SAMUEL'S VOICE on the wind- calling to him-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, tracking the sound- Samuel's voice cries out again,
louder-
-Patterson starts to run and run, and as he rounds a bend-
CUT TO
A FIELD OF WHITE GRASS. So lovely.
With one patch in the middle that is blood red.
Something is moving in the blood red area.
Patterson has his rifle ready-
-and then Samuel rises from the blood red patch.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. In shock, in despair, call it what you want- he has seen
something beyond imagination.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, rushing across the field of white grass, rushing to
where Samuel stands in the patch of blood red grass- he looks down
into the grass-
-clearly, Redbeard is there and clearly he is dead. Patterson and
Samuel stare mute at one another-
-and now, from frighteningly near them, comes the triumphant roar
of The Darkness. They don't even react.
CUT TO
FLAMES RISING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON.
We should already have a sense of where we are; we've done this
before.
START PULLING BACK.
Samuel stands there, trying to hold it together.
KEEP PULLING BACK.
Patterson stands there too, trying to hold it together.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
REDBEARD'S FUNERAL PYRE. Flames consume the body.
Just Patterson and Samuel. No one else is there.
The flames lick at the sky...
HOLD...
CUT TO
A LARGE BABOON. ONE LEG IS TIED TO THE END OF THE BRIDGE. GETTING
DARK NOW.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, both armed, climbing the crane tower in use
at the bridge, not far from the baboon.
PATTERSON
You're positive lions hate baboons?
(Samuel is)
Pebbles?
(Samuel holds up a bag)
Let's get it over with.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL as they reach the crane tower platform,
fifteen feet from the baboon.
They help each other into position. Almost night.
CUT TO
THE LARGE BABOON, baring its enormous teeth, shrieking out into
the darkness.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL on the platform. Samuel tosses a pebble
toward the baboon and the baboon cries out again, not in pain but
irritation-
CUT TO
THE PLATFORM. PATTERSON AND SAMUEL ARE FLOODED BY MOONLIGHT. IT'S
THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
They're both tired. Samuel throws another pebble. The baboon cries
out.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, TENSE, ON THE PLATFORM. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
He's tossing pebbles now as Samuel dozes. Paterson looks wild;
only nervous energy is keeping him going now.
CUT TO
THE SKY. The moon. Peaceful- then it turns bright yellow and
frightening black clouds gather and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, blinking, coming hard back to reality because the sky
is not yellow nor were there black clouds- he's starting to
hallucinate.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL ON THE PLATFORM.
Samuel is awake now. Patterson stares at the river which is calm.
CUT TO
THE RIVER, raging and black and lethal.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, hallucinating again.
CUT TO
JUST BEFORE DAWN
and The Darkness suddenly is there, creeping across the bridge
toward the shrieking baboon and the instant it appears-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Firing-
CUT TO
-THE DARKNESS, and it's hit and it roars and goes down and-
CUT TO
-PATTERSON, turning, reaching for Samuel's rifle, grabbing it,
turning back, ready to fire again-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS- gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, blinking, looking around.
PATTERSON
Where is it?
SAMUEL
(pointing down)
Underneath.
(beat)
Somewhere.
CUT TO
WHERE HE'S POINTING. The superstructure for the bridge- it goes
several levels beneath the level where the railroad will run.
They look at each other- not good news and we find out why when we
CUT TO
EARLY MORNING LIGHT.
Patterson and Samuel climb carefully down from their platform to
the railroad level. They reach the railroad level. PAtterson
releases the baboon which races away.
CUT TO
WHERE THEY ARE. At the end of the bridge where they began
construction. The bridge, two thirds finished, stretches away
before them.
CUT TO
They begin to walk the incomplete bridge... carefully...
..as they go the look down through the crevices of their level,
making sure they miss nothing.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Terrified. Holding his rifle extremely tightly.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Ready for anything.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE up ahead of them. There are some holes.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL slowing.
CUT TO
THE HOLES. The nearest one is the largest.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He goes on tiptoe, trying to see what's in the hole.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. It seems empty.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. One step forward. Another. They hold their
breaths.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. It seems empty.
CUT TO
A SHOT FROM BELOW BRIDGE LEVEL- The Darkness is there.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, firing.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, going down through another level of scaffolding.
CUT TO
PATTRSON AND SAMUEL, trying to track it.
CUT TO
THE SCAFFOLDING. Nothing is visible.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL- Frozen. They listen-
-nothing but their breathing.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, looking around everywhere.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. Nothing.
CUT TO
THE FIRST LEVEL of scaffolding. Nothing.
CUT TO
THE SECOND LEVEL of scaffolding. Nothing.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, looking this way, that way.
SHOCK CUT TO
THE HOLE AS THE DARKNESS JUST FUCKING FLIES OUT OF IT- Patterson
falls back and fires and The Darkness is hit and goes down but it
gets up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning for Samuel's rifle-
-only Samuel isn't there-
-he's taken off for the trees at the end of the bridge and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS ROARING AND
CUT TO
PATTERSON and he turns, starts running too, running across the
narrow half-completed bridge and it's a bitch to do it without
slipping or falling and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, wounded, sure, but the mother can still run and it
takes off after Patterson and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, making it to the end of the bridge and jumping for the
nearest tree and
CUT TO
PATTERSON running for his life across the bridge and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, closing the gap and ordinarily Patterson would be a
dead man but even though The Darkness hasn't got its ordinary
speed, it's still faster than Patterson and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and he's never gone this fast in his life and
CUT TO
THE TREE HE'S HEADED FOR, a different one from Samuel's and it's
just up ahead and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, closing and
CUT TO
THE TREE, and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, springing into the air now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, diving for the lowest branch, grabbing hold with both
hands, swinging his body up as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, barely missing as Patterson gets his body onto the
branch and now comes this insane roar and
CUT TO
SAMUEL with his rifle, as he climbs higher into his tree.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in the next tree, climbing higher, until he's fifteen
feet up.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, on the ground, circling the trunk of Patterson's
tree, raging with frustration.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, exhausted but it's okay now, he's safe, and as he looks
across at the next tree not far away where Samuel is-
SAMUEL
(embarrassed)
Afraid of lions.
CUT TO
PATTERSON.
PATTERSON
It's all right, Samuel- we all
get hit-
(Now he shuts up
fast and-)
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, as it does this incredible thing- it starts to climb
the tree after Patterson. Lions are cats and when they want to
climb, up they go and that's what The Darkness is doing now, going
up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and it's terrifying- he reaches for the branch above,
climbing higher and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, climbing higher too and the tree is sturdy but there
is a four hundred pound thing rocking it now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, going still higher but the branches are getting thinner
and the tree is shaking, and he could fall-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, climbing on, nothing can stop it-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE DARKNESS, together in the tree, and there's no
further Patterson can go and it's harder for The Darkness too, but
slowly it moves in and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, calling out-
PATTERSON
Samuel!
(And he gestures for
the rifle and the
instant he does-)
CUT TO
SAMUEL, and he takes the rifle between his two hands and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, steadily moving in and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, tossing the rifle with great care and Patterson's less
than fifteen feet away and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, hands out to catch it and
CUT TO
THE RIFLE in mid-air and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, both hands ready and
CUT TO
THE RIFLE as it strikes a tree branch, spins away to the ground.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, almost on Patterson now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly leaping out of the tree, and yes it's a long
way and sure it's going to damage him but sometimes there aren't a
lot of choices in this world and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, staring as Patterson falls and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, crashing hard to earth, stunned, hurt, ribs broken, leg
broken and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and it's so big it's hard for it to get room to turn
but it does and
CUT TO
PATTERSON crawling for the rifle, and he's in terrible pain but he
reaches the weapon, grabs for it and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, skittering down the tree and as it reaches the
ground
CUT TO
PATTERSON, forcing himself to his feet and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, a dozen feet away as with a roar it starts its
charge.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, aims, fires and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, hit again and down it goes again but up it comes
again and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, firing the final shot and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, hit again and it has to stop, it just has to-
-but it doesn't.
It roars and roars and moves slowly toward Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON; all bullets gone, no place to hide.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS. Still moving forward.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He takes a step backward, falls backwards over a
branch, lands hard and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, framed between Patterson's legs. Six feet away, now
four, now-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, helpless on the ground.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and the eyes glow-
-a branch is on the ground in front of it- it buries its huge
teeth into the branch-
-now a long dying sigh... and it goes to the ground.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Can't breathe.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, dead, its teeth still buried in the tree branch.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. And suddenly he just empties and tears pour
down his face and he begins to cry out loud, his body wracked with
sobs. He manages to get to his knees, moves next to the animal-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE DARKNESS. Just the sound of Patterson's tears...
HOLD.
KEEP HOLDING.
CAMERA BEGINS TO RISE-
-WE ARE LOOKING AT THE BRIDGE NOW- AND IT'S FINISHED!
-hundreds of people are watching as the first train goes oer it-
-Samuel is there- lighting up the world with his smile-
-and Patterson's there, too. He stands with Helena, his young son
in his arms.
Everybody smiles, everybody waves, the train goes triumphantly by.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He looks wonderful again, vibrant and young. Watching
him, you might think he hadn't been through the nightmare as he
stands there, holding the boy tightly.
But with his other hand, he fingers the lion claw necklace...
HOLD ON PATTERSON.
Now slowly dissolve to an African evening. Animals stretch from
one horizon to the other.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Here we still wonder about them.
How did they escape for nine months?
And kill 135 men? And stop the
railroad?
(beat)
And were they only lions?
(beat)
If you want to decide for yourself,
you must go to America. They are at
the Field Museum in Chicago, and
even now, after they have been dead
a century, if you dare to lock eyes
with them...
(beat)
...you will be afraid.
In the distance, the animals continue to move.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Sleep well.
HOLD ON THE ANIMALS. They seem to go on forever...
FINAL FADE OUT.
THE END"THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS"
by
William Goldman
FADE IN ON
A TINY FIGURE OF A MAN hurrying toward camera. The figure gets
larger as he approaches. But as yet we cannot tell who he is or
where we are.
MALE VOICE (over)
This is the most famous true story
of Africa. It happened a hundred
years ago, but even now, when
children ask about it, you do not
tell them at night.
(The FIGURE continues
to grow)
It began with the race to build a
railroad across Africa.
(beat)
But this is not about building a
railroad- it is about Patterson.
And now we can tell that the FIGURE is a YOUNG MAN, A LIEUTENANT
COLONEL. This is PATTERSON. He is gifted and bright and serious,
serious about his life, serious about his career. He has been
successful in everything he's attempted, in part because of his
talents, in part because he is willing to outwork anybody.
AND THIS IS WHERE WE ARE: ENGLAND.
More specifically, in a high-ceilinged corridor of an elegant
building - lovely woodwork all around. Everything is neat,
everything is clean and in order.
MALE VOICE (over)
Patterson was thirty. A brilliant
engineer. A fine man, but do not
become attached to him- there are
many fine men in this story but do
not become attached to any of them.
(beat)
So many of them die.
Patterson stops at a large ornate door, knocks. Waits.
MALE VOICE (over)
And remember this: only the
impossible parts of what follows
really happened...
(Now the door opens
and we-)
CUT TO
Just a wonderfully handsome man standing in the doorway. This is
ROBERT BEAUMONT - 40, with an irresistable smile. We're in his
office and the place reflects the man - clean, cold. There are
maps and charts on the walls. He ushers Patterson inside.
BEAUMONT
(The great smile flashes)
John Henry Patterson, come in. I'm
Robert Beaumont.
(They shake hands)
Firm- I like that, tells me a lot
about you-
(beat)
-now why don't you tell me about me?
To get you started, many people find
me handsome, with a wonderful smile.
I'm sure you agree.
(Surprised, uncomfortable,
Patterson nods)
Winning personality, heaps of charm?
PATTERSON
My wife is the game player in the
family, sir.
BEAUMONT
Games?
(staring dead at Patterson)
Look at me closely, Patterson: I am
a monster. My only pleasure is
tormenting people who work for me,
such as yourself.
(again the smile - only
now it's chilling)
One mistake and I promise you this:
I'll make you hate me.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he realizes Beaumont is serious. Beaumont turns
sharply and moves to a large map.
CUT TO
THE MAP. It covers a great deal of East Africa with a very clear
line that ends at Lake Victoria, a distance of some 600 miles.
BEAUMONT
(pointing along the line)
We are building this railroad
across Africa for the glorious
purpose of saving Africa from the
Africans. And, of course, to end
slavery. The Germans and French
are our competition. We are ahead,
and we will stay ahead providing
you do what I hired you to do-
CUT TO
A MORE DETAILED MAP. This one ends at "Tsavo," 130 miles in.
BEAUMONT
-build the bridge over the Tsavo
river. And be finished in four
months time. Can you do that?
PATTERSON
I'm sure you've examined my record.
So you know I've never yet been
late on a bridge.
BEAUMONT
You've never built in Africa.
PATTERSON
But I have in India- every country
presents problems.
BEAUMONT
You'll need your confidence, I
promise you.
PATTERSON
I've got a reason far beyond
confidence: my wife is having our
firstborn in five months and I
promised I'd be with her when the
baby comes.
BEAUMONT
Very moving, Patterson; I'm touched
you confided in me.
(beat)
But I don't really give a shit about
your upcoming litter. I've made you
with this assignment-
(the smile)
-don't make me break you.
PATTERSON
(smiling right back)
You won't have the chance.
(glancing at his watch)
Any further words of encouragement?
(silence)
Then I've a train to catch.
They look at each other a moment in silence - and it's very clear
they do not like each other. Patterson turns, leaves and we
CUT TO
A RAILWAY STATION, IMMEDIATELY AFTER
A train is loading up. A lot of activity, a lot of noise.
Patterson stands in the midst of it, anxiously looking around.
CUT TO
HELENA PATTERSON, hurrying through the crowd. Early 20s, with the
kind of serene beauty of Jean Simmons. She is still slim, has not
begun to show. She spots him, puts a smile on, goes straight into
his arms.
HELENA
I tried to be late, John- it would
have been easier if you'd gone.
PATTERSON
(They are nutty about
each other - he nods)
We're not much good at goodbyes,
Helena.
HELENA
(brightly)
Tell me about Beaumont- does he
understand how brilliant you are,
how lucky he is to have you?
PATTERSON
It was embarrassing- the man showered
me with compliments.
They start to walk hand in hand along the platform toward a
quieter place. Patterson is suddenly very serious-
HELENA
Oh dear-
(beat)
-you're geting that downtrodden look
again-
PATTERSON
-well, it's just...
(beat)
...other men don't abandon their wives
at such a time-
HELENA
(not unkindly)
-oh please- if I'd been against your
taking this, you would have abandoned
me. You've been desperate to see Africa
your whole life.
PATTERSON
What if there are complications?-
HELENA
-not "what if"- there will be, there
always are. Which only means that our
"son" and I- note my confidence- will
have an excuse to come visit.
THE TRAIN WHISTLE sounds.
HELENA
Go, now.
(He kisses her hand)
Such a gentleman.
(Now he holds her)
PATTERSON
I am desperate to see Africa- but I
hate the leaving.
CUT TO
HELENA. She hates it, too.
HELENA
You build bridges, John-
(beat)
-you've got to go where the rivers are.
They hold each other a moment more, then break, then back into
each other's arms a final time, then-
CUT TO
THE TRAIN, and thick clouds of steam-
-Patterson runs into the clouds and disappears.
HOLD FOR A MOMENT.
KEEP HOLDING.
Patterson runs out of the steam and we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
A DIFFERENT TRAIN, A DIFFERENT COUNTRY, A DIFFERENT WORLD.
This is the train to TSAVO and Patterson is alone on the engine
seat- a wooden bench in front of the engine used by railroad
inspectors and visiting VIPs. Behind it is a white circular piece
of wood used to keep the engine heat from the passengers.
CUT TO
NIGEL STARLING, running as best as he can alongside the train,
trying to pull himself up onto the engine seat.
STARLING is a terribly appealing young man. Clothes do not fit him
well, and he is constantly tugging at this sleeve or that
shirttail, trying to get things right. He wears glasses, tends
nonetheless to squint at the world. He is, above all, a good man,
morally impeccable and very much a product of these Victorian
times.
STARLING
(as Patterson helps
him aboard)
Many thanks.
(squints)
You're Patterson, yes?
(Patterson nods)
Nigel Starling- I'll be assisting you
at Tsavo- but surely Beaumont must
have told you that.
PATTERSON
He just gave me his "monster" speech.
STARLING
That. I know Robert seems dreadful,
but when you truly get to know the man,
well, he's much worse.
(beat)
And I'm one of his defenders.
(Patterson smiles)
Forget him for now- it's your first
ride to Tsavo- I think you'll find it
breathtaking.
(And on that word-)
CUT TO
STARLING coughing like crazy, hands over his face which is caked
with dust- he and Patterson stare out at an absolutely dreary
desert.
PATTERSON
(shouting toward Starling)
"Breathtaking" doesn't begin to do it
justice.
(As Starling starts to
laugh, his mouth opens
and sand flies in, and
his coughing fit returns
and)
CUT TO
THE DESERT. ENDLESS. LATER IN THE DAY.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM, bent over, arms covering their faces as the dust
gets worse- a wind has kicked up.
CUT TO
THE TRAIN, TRYING TO MAKE IT UP A STEEP GRADE. STILL LATER.
Patterson and Starling are walking beside the train now, helping
to push it, trudging through the dust. All the other passengers
spread out behind them, also pushing- the train obviously needs
all the assistance it can get.
CUT TO
INSIDE A RAILROAD CAR, EARLY EVENING.
Patterson and Starling, filthy, sit together. Starling has nodded
off. Patterson has a book open in his lap-
-we can tell there are drawings of African animals- not all that
accurate.
Now Patterson's eyes close and he sleeps.
CUT TO
THE TRAIN POUNDING THROUGH THE NIGHT.
Stokers shovel coal. They are exhausted but they keep at it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. WAKING IN THE CAR, RUBBING HIS EYES. IT'S DAWN.
He stares out-
-and from his face it's clear something special has happened. And
now, at last-
CUT TO
SOMETHING SPECIAL- and what it is, of course, is Patterson's first
view of the Africa of his imagination.
Because the desert has ended, and now there are grasses and trees
and one more thing-
-bursts of animals. On both sides of the train.
A flock of birds materializes here, a cluster of gazelles doing
there amazing leap there.
Patterson is like a kid in a candy store.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, back outside in the engine seat again.
Starling points-
STARLING
Aren't they amazing?
CUT TO
WHAT HE'S POINTING AT: Some giraffes running along, their absurd
shape suddenly graceful as they eat up the ground in incredibly
long strides.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, staring out.
PATTERSON
You know the most amazing thing
about them?- they only sleep five
minutes a day.
(Starling glances at him-
clearly, he didn't know that)
CUT TO
A FAMILY OF HYENAS. Close by, loping in their scary way.
STARLING
Don't much like them.
PATTERSON
(nods)
The females are bigger- only animal
here like that- have to be or they
wouldn't survive because the males
eat the young.
CUT TO
STARLING studying Patterson. Clearly, he didn't know that, either.
CUT TO
SOME HIPPOS moving along. Starling turns to Patterson.
STARLING
Anything special about them?
PATTERSON
Just that they fart through their
mouths.
(beat)
Must make kissing something of a
gamble.
STARLING
(laughs)
I've lived in Africa a year and I
don't know what you know. How long
have you been here?
PATTERSON
(looks at his watch)
Almost three hours.
(beat)
But I've been getting ready all my
life.
(Now, from them-)
CUT TO
A BUNCH OF IMPOVERISHED-LOOKING NATIVE WOMEN. They hold children
who wave at the passing train. The children are more impoverished
looking than their mothers.
STARLING
(suddenly touched)
Every time I see something like that,
I know we're right to be here- to
bring Christianity into their lives,
enrich their souls.
PATTERSON
Beaumont says it's to end slavery.
STARLING
(shrugs)
We all have our reasons. Mine is
simply to make them understand
happiness, accept salvation, know the
serenity that comes-
(interrupts himself)
-best I stop. One of the by-products
of my belief is that I can become
amazingly boring. But I know God smiles
on me.
PATTERSON
(They really like each other)
Have you got that in writing?
(Starling, amazingly good
natured, laughs. And now-)
CUT TO
A WHITE CLAW.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
Hundreds of white claws.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
They aren't claws at all, they're thorns as sharp as claws and
they're on a twenty-foot high thorn tree.
And there are dozens of those trees, packed together. All mixed in
with other trees, low and stunted, and thick underbrush and baked
red rocks-
-now the train begins to slow.
Smoke drifts across.
A bunch of wildebeest scatter off the tracks.
STARLING (over)
Welcome to Tsavo.
(on the word)
CUT TO
TSAVO.
We have arrived at the train station area and what we see is a
place that is still being built. There are tin shacks; a water
tower is under construction-
-men are working everywhere, for that's what Tsavo is: a place for
work.
THE TRAIN goes slower still.
No one stands idly around here.
But no one looks happy either.
ONE MAN is apart from the rest: this is SAMUEL.
An ageless Masai, tall and slender, he has a smile that can light
the world.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING as they step off the train.
STARLING
(indicating Samuel,
who is approaching)
Samuel is camp liaison- absolutely
indispensable- the only man here
everyone trusts.
PATTERSON
(softly)
Does he speak English?
SAMUEL
(not softly enough)
And very poor French.
STARLING
(introducing)
Samuel- John Patterson.
SAMUEL
(as they shake)
The bridgebuilder-
(gesturing to the
working men)
-we have been getting ready for
you.
PATTERSON
Excellent. Could I see the bridge
site?
(Samuel nods)
STARLING
I've got medical supplies to
deliver. Come along to the hospital
when you're done.
(starting off)
SAMUEL
I will bring him, Nigel.
We should realize by now that Samuel's was the voice we heard at
the very beginning of the picture.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, starting to walk. They pass the water tower.
Standing on top of it in a precarious position is an extremely
powerful INDIAN. He waves to Samuel who waves back. This is SINGH.
WORKERS study Patterson as he moves by. Not smiling. Up ahead,
some SIKHS are erecting tents. Not smiling.
PATTERSON
Why do the workers look unhappy?
SAMUEL
Because they are here.
(beat)
Because Tsavo is the worst place in
the world.
(He points ahead)
Come, John- to the bridge.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD TRACKS as the camera pans along.
CUT TO
THE RIVER in the distance as they walk toward it.
And here is as good a place as any to explain just what the spot
where the movie takes place was like.
There were five hundred men working for Patterson. And they lived
in a spread out area. A bunch of Indian coolies who might have
come from the same town back in their country might choose to live
in one cluster of tents. A group of natives might be in another
cluster.
What we have then, as far as living places are concerned, are
dozens of clusters of tents. (Eventually, as the terror began,
these areas all got surrounded, each with its own thorn fence.)
The places we'll come to know best are, among others, Patterson's
living area, the hospital tent area, the area by the river where
the bridge is to be built, etc., etc.
As they move, Samuel points out various camps.
A SECT OF INDIANS is getting ready for prayer.
ANOTHER SECT OF INDIANS is eating.
A GROUP OF AFRICANS are cleaning their tent area.
Anyway, you get the idea. Just remember that the place covered a
wide expanse, maybe a mile square, maybe more.
Okay, back to the story.
PATTERSON
(as they pass the INDIAN
tent area where prayer is
starting)
It's all wonderfully under control,
Samuel- you've done a splendid job.
SAMUEL
Thank you. The truth is this: you
have to work at it constantly.
PATTERSON
The workers don't get on?
SAMUEL
Get on? They detest each other.
Obviously the Africans hate the
Indians. But the Indians also hate
the other Indians. Some of them
worship cows, while others eat them.
(As they move on)
CUT TO
RAILROAD TRACK.
PAN ALONG TO
MORE RAILROAD TRACK.
KEEP PANNING
And suddenly the track just stops in mid-air as we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL standing high above the Tsavo River. The
track has come to the edge of the area above the riverbank- where
it just stops-
-and picks up on the far side. All that's missing, in other words,
is the hundred-yard-long bridge that will connect the pieces of
track.
SAMUEL
(to the far side)
Railhead is across there.
CUT TO
THE DISTANCE. Nothing can be made out clearly but there are great
clouds of dust.
SAMUEL
Three thousand men laying track- when
the bridge is done, it all joins up.
Patterson nods, says nothing, but goes to his haunches, staring at
the space where the bridge is to be.
SAMUEL
Did it look like this in your mind?
PATTERSON
(shakes his head)
This is more difficult-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. Excited.
PATTERSON
(eyes bright)
-but how wonderful that it's
difficult, it should be difficult-
what better job in all the world
than build a bridge?- make things
connect- bring worlds together- and
get it right!
(Now from Patterson-)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL TENT
as Patterson and Samuel walk in. Patterson glances around-
-it's not bad at all. Of course there are some patients, injured
or with fever. But like the rest of the camp we've just seen,
everything is working well, everything is under control. Starling
approaches.
STARLING
Finish your tour?
PATTERSON
(nods)
And anxious to get started.
(indicating the hospital)
What is this, mostly malaria?
STARLING
Yes- but their suffering is only
transitory- once they except God
into their hearts, He will vanquish
all pain.
MAN'S VOICE (over)
That's just vomitous talk, Nigel- the
poor bastards will relapse if you keep
on that way.
(As they turn-)
CUT TO
DOCTOR DAVID HAWTHORNE. A tough, middle-aged cockney. And a heavy
drinker. A man who hasn't been tactful in twenty years.
HAWTHORNE
(to Patterson)
I'm David Hawthorne, this is my
hospital. And my advice to you is,
"don't get sick in front of it."
(beat)
That was meant to be charming,
sorry. I seem to have lost the knack.
STARLING
You never had it.
HAWTHORNE
Nigel and I don't like each other much.
SAMUEL
(breaking the tension)
I am also liaison between these two.
PATTERSON
(to Hawthorne)
Clearly you don't agree about building
the railroad?
HAWTHORNE
This sham? Ridiculous. Who needs it?
It's only being built to control the
ivory trade, make men richer.
PATTERSON
Then why do you stay?
HAWTHORNE
Who else would hire me?
(to Starling)
Beat you to it, didn't I?
(beat)
Oh yes, almost forgot- brought you a
little welcoming gift.
(Now he gestures and we-)
CUT TO
A NERVOUS ORDERLY who approaches them. He has been freshly
bandaged across one shoulder.
HAWTHORNE
This is Karim, one of my orderlies-
attacked by a man-eater earlier
today- first incident of that kind
here.
Patterson says not a word, just studies the wounded man.
STARLING
(incredulous)
A man-eater attacks and you're such
a buffoon you almost forget to mention
it?
HAWTHORNE
Well, he got away, didn't he?
(to Patterson)
Riding a donkey not far from here
when the lion sprang on them- donkey
took the brunt of it- then suddenly
the lion ran off.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Listening. No emotion on his face.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. He's kind of enjoying this. Bearing down.
HAWTHORNE
I know it's your first day and of
course you must be tired from the
journey-
(beat)
-but what are you going to do about
it?
PATTERSON
(a long pause, then evenly-)
Karim will have to show me where it
happened. And of course, I'll need
the donkey.
(beat)
With any luck, I'll sort it out tonight.
(And he walks out, leaving
an astonished Starling
staring after him)
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA
Starling has a tent there, too, as do Samuel and Hawthorne. And
there are half a dozen ORDERLIES.
Right now, Patterson is unpacking, moving in and out of his tent.
Starling, sipping tea, sits and watches.
STARLING
I couldn't believe it when you said
"sort it out." As if it were the most
normal thing in the world. "Ho-hum,
what lovely tea, I think I'll bag a
killer beast this evening, nothing
much else going on anyway."
PATTERSON
Well, he put me in a spot, didn't he?
But that's all right- after all, I'm
responsible for everything that happens
here. And it certainly won't do much
for morale if a man-eater's on the prowl.
He goes into his tent with some books now and we go with him.
There is a photo of Helena on a small table. A photo of an ELDERLY
COUPLE, clearly his parents. His clothes are stacked with
precision. He arranges his books precisely too.
Clearly, John Patterson is a man who believes in order.
STARLING
(calling out)
You said "of course" you'd need the
donkey. Why "of course"?
PATTERSON
(taking a rifle,
moving outside)
We know three things about man-eaters.
First, they always return to where
they've attacked before. Second, they're
always old- they can't catch other
animals so they turn to us. And third,
they're always alone- they've been cast
out by their pride because they can't
keep up.
CUT TO
STARLING, sipping his tea and there's no hiding it, he's excited.
But also a bit reluctant.
STARLING
I don't suppose I could watch.
PATTERSON
(delighted)
Might be exciting for you.
STARLING
I've never been all that adventurous.
I wouldn't be in the way?
PATTERSON
I'd love the company. And I've hunted
all my life.
STARLING
(gathering courage)
Well, why not? You seem so calm and
experienced.
(standing, teacup in hand)
Why not, indeed!
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
A SLIGHTLY WOUNDED DONKEY
It's roped loosely to a tree, bells around its neck. When it
moves, they make a sound. Middle of the night. A night wind.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
We're in a clearing with thick trees all around.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND STARLING, seated uncomfortably in a tree on the edge
of the clearing, twelve feet up in the air. Patterson has his
rifle ready. This next is all whispered.
STARLING
(embarrassed)
I hate to be a bother, John, but the
cramp's getting worse.
(Pulls up his trousers-
his leg is knotted)
The pain is actually quite unbearable
now.
PATTERSON
Shhh.
STARLING
I'm sure you mean that to be comforting,
but-
PATTERSON
(interrupting)
-you'll have to deal with it, Nigel.
STARLING
That is precisely my plan- but back in
my tent.
(And he begins to climb down)
CUT TO
PATTERSON, grabbing him.
PATTERSON
They own the night- nobody moves when
there's a man-eater out there.
Starling glumly obeys. Then-
STARLING
John? I know this isn't the time to ask,
but-
PATTERSON
What?
STARLING
Since you'd only been here three hours
when we met, are you sure this is how
you hunt lions?
PATTERSON
Not to terrify you, Nigel, but it's worse
than you think- I've never even seen one.
CUT TO
STARLING, not pleased with this news. He massages his calf, tries
to get comfortable, which is impossible. Patterson just stares at
the night.
CUT TO
JUST BEFORE DAWN
The donkey dozes. So does Starling. Patterson has not so much as
moved.
Now the bushes behind the donkey shake just a little.
And the donkey is suddenly awake and scared-
-and then it all goes crazy- the donkey screams and a lion appears
from the bushes and Patterson fires one shot and the sound
EXPLODES-
-and Starling topples from the tree to the ground, landing shocked
but unhurt-
-he has landed close to the dead lion- he stares at it.
STARLING
(amazed)
...one shot...
PATTERSON
(even more amazed)
So that's what a lion looks like.
(Now from the tree-)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL TENT AREA - JUST AFTER DAWN
HOLD for a moment.
SAMUEL (over)
One shot- one-
KEEP HOLDING
Now Samuel comes walking into the shot, really excited-
-it's the first time we've seen his wonderful smile.
SAMUEL
Patterson has made the nights safe
again.
KEEP HOLDING FOR JUST A MOMENT MORE.
As he walks on, behind him come THREE COOLIES carrying the body of
the lion. As dozens of men come running in from all over to see
the dead man-eater-
SAMUEL
(mimes shooting)
BOOM!
(Now as the crowd
continues to grow-)
CUT TO
A ROUGH ENGINEER'S DRAWING OF WHAT WILL BE THE BRIDGE
It has two embankments on either side of the river.
These embankments are big- forty feet wide, fifty feet high.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING standing on the high ground where the
embankment will start. From here, there is a slope down to the
river itself.
Also present is UNGAN SIGNH, who we saw earlier standing
precariously atop the water tower. Singh, enormously powerful, is
another assistant. Bright, a great worker, another main character
in what is to follow.
Now Patterson starts to walk down the slope towards the river-
it's not that easy to do without falling, but that doesn't bother
him. He talks and gestures as he explains to the other two who
move down with him.
Singh, for all his massive size, moves like a cat. Starling does
not, slipping and sliding.
PATTERSON
(gesturing)
All right, I'd like to start the
embankments today-
(to Singh)
-sufficient supplies on hand?
SINGH
(nods)
More than.
STARLING
With much more on the way-
(loses balance, falls)
-John- we could have had this chat on
flatter ground-
PATTERSON
-true enough- but without the comedy
relief.
(Starling, amazingly good
natured, smiles, gets
back up)
CUT TO
THE RIVER as they scramble down to it.
CUT TO
THE SLOPE they've come down- it's a long way back to the top.
CUT TO
THE THREE MEN. It's a glorious morning.
PATTERSON
How lucky we are.
STARLING
Aren't we full of ourselves today?
(beat)
I think it's because of the lion.
PATTERSON
Possibly.
SINGH
(soft)
You know, I too have killed a lion.
STARLING
How many shots did you need?
CUT TO
SINGH. Almost embarrassed.
SINGH
I used my hands.
He holds his big hands up, palms out. Starling looks at Singh to
see if he means it-
-he means it all right. Now, from Starling's perpetually surprised
face-
CUT TO
SURVEYING EQUIPMENT
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON sighting through it- we are on the far side of the river
now. Singh is there, Starling, too.
Behind them: a field of tall grass.
PATTERSON
All right- thee second embankment
will go there.
(He gestures toward
the river)
STARLING
You do plan to mark it a bit more
precisely than just-
(imitating Patterson)
-"there."
PATTERSON
(smiling)
In your honor, Nigel. And you and
Singh will be in charge of building
them- and you'll also build the
roadbeds and the three foundation
pillars- and you'll be finished in
eight thrilling weeks.
STARLING
(very dubious)
John, it will not be easy.
PATTERSON
Nigel, you'll just have to use your
hands-
(And he smiles, repeating
Singh's gesture, both
palms out)
CUT TO
SINGH. He smiles back, starts to reply. But his words stop, his
smile dies. He just stares and we-
CUT TO
WHAT HE'S STARING AT- the surrounding field of tall grass. Nothing
unusual about it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He stares, too.
CUT TO
THE FIELD OF TALL GRASS- suddenly it begins to bend and sway in a
fresh wind.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Silent. As before. Starling follows his glance.
CUT TO
SINGH. Frozen.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. And now the field is making odd patterns- as if
something unseen were moving through.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Quiet. Just the wind.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. Nothing visible. But the odd pattern seems to be making
its way across the field.
CUT TO
SINGH AND STARLING. Quiet. Just the wind.
CUT TO
THE FIELD. The odd pattern seems to stop. Around it, the wind
makes different shapes of the grass.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as the wind continues to blow. He continues to stare at
the spot where the pattern stopped.
CUT TO
SINGH. As before. Except for one thing: suddenly, he begins to
shiver, as if from cold.
CUT TO
THE BUILDING SEQUENCE
And what we see are a lot of cuts of a lot of activity.
Huge wooden logs are carried in and hammered to each other and
driven deep into the ground- the framework for the embankments.
And Singh carries the heaviest loads and leads the workers- and as
the structure rises, he is the one darting along the top, high in
the air, pulling more logs up, helping here, helping there.
And alongside him is his assistant, ABDULLAH, a little man with
glasses and very bright eyes.
Meanwhile, Starling is leading construction on the embankment that
is on the far side of the river. And he does his best, tries to
help on the top part as it rises- but alas, he is a bit on the
clumsy side and balance is a problem for him. But he stays with
it, does well.
And Patterson, in tremendous spirits, helps when needed, but
mostly he is dealing with other aspects of the bridge- such as the
placements of the three stone foundation pillars-
-he wades into the water, climbs the structures, takes it all in-
and at the start he is still in the uniform he has worn since the
start of the story- but it's clumsy for labor-
-so he changes halfway through to civilian clothes-
-which is all he wears from now on.
And the workers tire in the heat- but Singh keeps them going,
working with the power of three-
-and there are accidents and explosions, injuries and falls- and
Hawthorne appears when needed to help with the wounded-
-it's hard, brutal work-
-but gradually, the wooden structure part is finished- two huge
skeletons facing each other across the Tsavo River- and now work
on the roadbed is going full blast and in the river, the three
foundation pillars are taking shape-
CUT TO
TONS OF RED ROCK- being shoved into the wooden skeleton to
complete the embankments. As this goes on-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL in the river- the foundation pillar work is
going very quickly.
Patterson stops working, looks across the river-
-movement in the grassy area on the far side.
CUT TO
SEVERAL NANDI TRIBESMEN as they rise out of the grass, gesture to
Samuel who gestures back. The Nandi are a tribe of powerful little
men, primitive, with teeth that have been sharpened to points.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL watching them.
PATTERSON
What are they looking at?
SAMUEL
You- they cannot believe you're
still here.
PATTERSON
Nonsense.
SAMUEL
You don't know what Tsavo means, do
you?
(Patterson doesn't)
It means "slaughter"...
CUT TO
THE NANDI TRIBESMEN, staring at Patterson, shaking their heads.
CUT TO
THE TWO EMBANKMENTS, as more and more red rock is shoved and
pushed into shape.
CUT TO
THE THREE FOUNDATION PILLARS- almost finished.
CUT TO
THE ROADBED. The same.
CUT TO
THE NEAR EMBANKMENT as still more rock is forced in and
CUT TO
THE FAR EMBANKMENT done at last-
CUT TO
-and Singh stands on the top of the near one while across the
river, Patterson pulls Starling to the top of the other.
And they all look at each other- the embankments are both
finished- THE THREE OF THEM are flying-
-and what they do is this: hold their hands out toward each other,
in Singh's gesture. It's kind of become their password.
HOLD. A big moment for them all!
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT AREA
He sits around a fire and the man is exhausted. His dinner plate
is beside him, untouched. He's too tired to eat.
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA
Starling is there, getting ready for bed. He's wiped out, too.
CUT TO
SINGH, going into his tent, lying down, breathing deep.
CUT TO
STARLING is in his tent, turning out his lamp, half asleep
already.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in his tent, closing his eyes.
CUT TO
SINGH, deep asleep in his tent-
-he shares it with a dozen others and they're all deep asleep.
They lie on the floor of the tent, heads together toward the
center pole, feet toward the edges of the tent.
HOLD ON SINGH. It's very dark. HE AND HIS MEN just lie motionless,
breathing deeply.
KEEP HOLDING.
Now the CAMERA moves up, high into the center of the tent, looking
down at the circle of men.
KEEP HOLDING.
They don't move, not even an inch. The steady breathing is the
only sound.
YES, KEEP HOLDING.
KEEP HOLDING.
Nothing is going on down there. Nothing at all.
KEEP HOLDING.
Not a goddamn thing.
KEEP ON HOLDING. KEEP ON HOLDING.
And now two things happen at the same time- Singh's eyes go wide-
-and he starts to slide out of the tent, as if being pulled by
some giant invisible wire-
CUT TO
SINGH. CLOSE UP. Screaming.
CUT TO
THE OTHER MEN IN THE TENT, waking, staring around and
CUT TO
SINGH as he slides out of the tent into the night and his screams
grow even louder as we
CUT TO
THE OTHER MEN IN THE TENT and it's like a bomb just went off, they
rise, spin, cry out, stare-
CUT TO
THE NIGHT OUTSIDE AND SINGH'S BODY sliding along the ground. It's
pitch black, and he's going head first now, face upwards and he's
going ast tremendous speed and whatever the hell it is that's
making this happen is something we can't make out- because it's so
dark and because it's on the far side of the man, and his body is
in our way and
CUT TO
UP AHEAD, some bushes and
CUT TO
SINGH, his body going faster than before and his cries are
weakening-
-CUT TO
THE NIGHT and his body and there is no sound at all coming from
him now and there is no sound from whatever it is that is making
this happen- all we see, barely, is the limp body of the big man
as it skims along and-
CUT TO
UP AHEAD NOW, a low clump of bushes.
CUT TO
SINGH'S BODY, coming closer and
CUT TO
THE BUSHES and as we get in on them we can tell they are thorn
bushes and now-
CUT TO
SINGH, suddenly rising magically in the night, his body flying
over the bushes and gone!
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, early morning, their rifles held in front
of them, racing along, suddenly stopping, staring down and
CUT TO
THE GROUND. At first we can't make out much. Then we can- a spot
of red.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND STARLING, hurrying on again.
CUT TO
THORN TREES, and as they force their way through them-
CUT TO
A LARGE VULTURE, wings spread wide as it floats slowly to earth-
-HOLD-
-as it lands we can see A DOZEN OTHER VULTURES are already there,
surrounding something-
-but we can't make it out. We are in an area of grass and shadow-
-and specks of blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, cries out in shock and fury, fires his rifle, races
forward.
CUT TO
THE VULTURES screeching and screaming, taking off, and as we watch
them soar into the morning sky-
HAWTHORNE'S VOICE (over)
What the lion must have done, once
he'd killed Singh, was lick his skin
off so he could drink his blood-
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
Hawthorne is examining Singh's body, trying to be professional,
but he's clearly upset- it's awful.
HAWTHORNE
-then he feasted on him, starting
with his feet-
STARLING
(evenb more upset)
-please- you needn't be so graphic-
HAWTHORNE
You intend "sorting this out" tonight?
PATTERSON
I'll try- but this feels so different-
that old lion I killed could never
carry off a man Singh's size.
STARLING
(maybe a little alarmed)
But you said they were always old.
PATTERSON
That's what the books say...
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
FLAMES RISING IN THE DARKENING SKY. NOW-
CUT TO
ABDULLAH in tears. Where are we?
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
This is Singh's funeral pyre.
Singh's body is being burned.
A LOT OF INDIANS are there. We've caught sight of some of them
before- they worked with Singh on the embankment or lived with him
in his tent.
There is a terrible sense of shock.
Patterson stands at the rear. He is terribly moved. Now, unseen by
the others, he holds his hands out in Singh's gesture one final
time.
CUT TO
THE FLAMES; they continue to rise...
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT
Night. The flaps that were open when Singh was alive are now shut
and tied.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, the middle of the night. He is alone, fifteen feet up
in a tree near Singh's tent. He holds his rifle, ready for
anything. He cannot get comfortable.
CUT TO
THE AREA- nothing, no movement.
CUT TO
SINGH'S TENT. As before.
CUT TO
THE AREA. No sign of movement of any kind. Dead.
CUT TO
THE MOON. Lower in the sky. The night is growing to a lose but
there is still darkness.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Battling fatigue- but now, for a moment, losing- his
eyes, against his will, start to close, and as they do-
CUT TO
TWO HUGE YELLOW EYES. That's all we see, just the eyes and they
are near Patterson's tree and they are staring up at him and-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, startled, grabbing his rifle more tightly, staring down
and-
CUT TO
THE HUGE YELLOW EYES- only they're gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, blowing on his hands, looking toward the sky.
CUT TO
THE SUN, RISING, THE NIGHT DONE.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, wrinkled and weary, frustrated and sore, walking back
toward his tent area. Now he stops.
CUT TO
ABDULLAH and a large group of workers- only they're not working.
They smoke, play cards, sit around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, steaming, going up to Abdullah.
PATTERSON
You were contracted to work-
ABDULLAH
(gesturing around)
-malaria epidemic; very sudden.
PATTERSON
Let me see the sick.
ABDULLAH
(not backing off)
Oh, you're a doctor now, too?
PATTERSON
There is no reason for fear.
ABDULLAH
On that I choose to remain dubious.
(beat)
Two are dead now in two nights.
(And on that news-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Rocked. He didn't know. Behind him now, Starling
hurries up, Samuel alongside.
PATTERSON
(to Starling)
Second death? Where?-
STARLING
(gesturing)
-far end of camp- man wandering alone
at night. Hawthorne's examining the
body now.
(beat)
There's even less of him than of Singh.
PATTERSON
(just shakes his head)
But it's crazy- the lion shouldn't be
that hungry this soon.
(getting control- he
looks to Samuel)
Samuel?
SAMUEL
We should construct thorn fences
around every tent area. Fires burning
at night.
PATTERSON
Fine. Get started. And a strict curfew-
no one allowed out at night.
(to Abdullah)
Send half your men to the bridge, the
rest with these two.
(Abdullah nods)
And I'm sorry for my tone earlier. But
I repeat- there is no reason for fear.
I will kill the lion and I will build
the bridge.
ABDULLAH
Of course you will, you are white, you
can do anything...
(They look at each
other. They are not
friends. Now-)
CUT TO
THE THORN BUSHES WE SAW ON OUR ARRIVAL TO TSAVO
ENDLESS NUMBERS OF THEM. There is a machete-like sound as we
CUT TO
A BUNCH OF WORKMEN, led by Samuel, chopping down branches. They do
it with care- these are claws-
CUT TO
-STARLING, in charge of another area, and he's not hanging back,
he's taking less care than the others, hacking away with his
machete, moving in between bushes and
CUT TO
ONE OF THE BUSHES, SNAPPING BACK into Starling, and Starling
taking the blow with his arms- the claws cut his clothing-
-his arms are starting to bleed-
-he is unmindful, continues to wade into the bushes, chopping at
them, cutting them down. He is a good man doing a good thing and
right now, he is possessed.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, leaving his tent area, lost in thought, going toward
the bridge. Up ahead is a grassy area.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY AREA
For a moment, nothing. Then there is the same kind of movement we
saw with Singh. Something is making the grass move-
-only now there is no wind... HOLD.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Did he see it? We'll never know.
CUT TO
STARLING, in charge of a thorn fence that is halfway finished. His
clothes are shredded. A WORKER has finished with a section and
satisfied, moves on-
-but Starling is far from finished. He grabs the thorns with his
bare hands and squeezes them together.
STARLING
Not good enough- look, it's got to
be tighter. Tighter.
CUT TO
THE AREA IN WHICH HE'S BEEN WORKING. FENCES ARE WELL ALONG TOWARD
COMPLETION. IT'S LATE AFTERNOON.
PULL UP
We see more fences around more camp areas.
KEEP PULLING UP
The entire place is filled with fences now, all the individual
areas protected.
The skies are starting to darken- dusk is coming fast.
Fires start up. Dozens of them.
Still darker.
Now workers come racing home to their camps, anxious for safety
before darkness takes over. They zig-zag this way, that way,
dodging past each other sometimes they slam into each other, fall,
get up, run on-
CUT TO
THE SUN. Falling out of the sky.
CUT TO
THE CAMP. The fires rise higher. No one moves... HOLD.
CUT TO
STARLING in the main tent area. He is bathing his bloody hands.
Samuel is with him. Both are exhausted.
Patterson brings them each drinks. They nod thanks, drain them.
They stand there together, lit by the flames of their fire. You
get the sense these three will be friends forever.
STARLING
What a good week.
PATTERSON
You mean nobody died?
STARLING
(shakes his head)
We all worked together. Worthy deeds
were accomplished. I liked the labor.
(beat)
My mother insisted on piano lessons-
broke the dear woman's heart when I
turned out to be tone deaf- but she
still was always at me about being
careful with my hands.
(looks at them)
I like the blood, is that strange?
SAMUEL
Oh yes, I think so.
(Starling smiles, starts
to speak)
PATTERSON
Look out, Samuel, here it comes.
STARLING
Even you two must admit that it is a
glorious thing, what Man can
accomplish. When there is a common
splendid goal, there are no limits.
Think what we will accomplish when we
all have God's warmth in our hearts.
(Samuel's eyes have
closed; he begins to snore.
Patterson can't help
laughing)
CUT TO
STARLING. As good natured as ever.
STARLING
I am immune to your disdain.
(He looks at them now)
When I came here, I had but one small
goal: to convert the entire continent
of Africa.
(shakes his head)
Now I've decided to move on to
something really difficult: I will not
rest until both of you are safely in
the fold.
SAMUEL
I've had four wives, good luck.
STARLING
The struggle is the glory...
(HOLD ON the three friends)
CUT TO
PATTERSON, the next morning, working with Abdullah and some others
at the bridge.
CUT TO
STARLING completing work on the fence from the day before. It's
high and taut and he's done a terrific job.
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION
A BUNCH OF OTHER MEN are working near a large grassy field. One of
the men starts a chant. The others pick it up. It's really pretty.
CUT TO
PATTERSON wading into the river- he stops as the sound of the
chant comes distantly to him on the wind.
CUT TO
THE WORKMEN CHANTING LOUDER. It's turning into a stunner of a day-
glorious blue sky broken up by pale clouds.
CUT TO
STARLING. Pauses briefly, listening to the sound of the men.
CUT TO
THE MEN WORKING AND SINGING. As before.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY FIELD. As before-
-except it isn't. Because if you looked carefully, something
flicked in a 180 degree arc. No telling what it was, it was gone
too quickly.
CUT TO
THE MEN WORKING, SINGING ON.
CUT TO
PATTERSON waist deep in the river, listening to the sound of the
men, of the birds. The sun is higher in the sky.
CUT TO
THE GRASSY FIELD-
-and here it comes again, only the other way this time, flicking
back in another 180 degree arc-
-still hard to tell for sure what it was but maybe it was this: a
tail. Now quickly-
CUT TO
PATTERSON wading out of the river as Samuel comes into view. He
holds an envelope.
SAMUEL
For you.
PATTERSON
(taking it)
Thank you, Samuel.
SAMUEL
(watching as Patterson
opens it)
Good news?
PATTERSON
(glancing at the letter)
I expect so- it's from my wife.
SAMUEL
Do you love her?
PATTERSON
I do, actually; very much.
SAMUEL
(his wonderful smile)
You give me hope, John.
(As he walks away-)
CUT TO
STARLING, probing at the thorn fence, searching out any last
weaknesses.
Behind him now, in the tall grass, something moves.
Starling, intent on his work, notices nothing.
CUT TO
THE SINGING MEN, getting more and more into it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, by the river, reading the letter.
There is a large tree up the riverbank. It casts a large shadow.
In the shadow now, something moves.
Patterson, intent on his reading, notices nothing.
HELENA (over)
Darling one- the big excitement
yesterday was when some school-
children spotted a whale-
(pause)
-they were looking at me, John-
CUT TO
HELENA, in their bedroom, moving across to the window, staring
out. She now has a considerable stomach.
HELENA
That was an attempt at humor but I
don't feel very funny these days. I
miss you terribly and after our son-
I still have total confidence- well,
after he's born I think travel might
be broadening. As he kicks me at
night I'm quite sure he's telling me
he definitely wants to come to Africa.
(pause)
Thought you might need reminding.
CUT TO
PATTERSON by the river. He smiles, folds the letter. Now-
CUT TO
THE SINGING WORKMEN at Tsavo station- and they sense how good they
sound, and they really concentrate on it, on making that sound
even better-
-there must be twenty of them, working and singing-
-and screaming!
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning his head sharply and
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same and
CUT TO
THE SCREAMING WORKMEN and they're running now, running and
shrieking and that's all we see, the workmen-
-some of them run left-
-some run right-
-and now a few of them are starting to cry.
CUT TO
A FAT COOLIE running and running, glancing back, screaming louder,
running on and on and
CUT TO
-a shadow in the grass- no telling what- but it's big and it's
moving and
CUT TO
THE FAT COOLIE and this next goes so fast it could be a dream- or,
more accurately, a nightmare-
SHOCK CUT TO
A GIGANTIC WHITE MANED LION as it leaps onto the Fat Coolie,
brings him to earth, bites his neck in two, kills him, just-like-
that.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, as they race away from the river and
CUT TO
STARLING, running from the fenced area- he holds a rifle in his
hands.
CUT TO
ANOTER PART OF THE CAMP AND A DIFFERENT BUNCH OF WORKMEN- they
freeze as the screams reach them and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, on the way to his tent area and
CUT TO
DIFFERENT WORKMEN listening in fear and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, racing to his tent, grabbing his rifle and cartridges
and
CUT TO
STARLING, running toward the screaming and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he charges ahead, loading his rifle on the fly and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, carrying more ammunition, running behind Patterson,
keeping up and
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION and nothing is visible now- the men are gone and
from this angle, it looks deserted and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, catching Starling, leading him into the TSAVO STATION
area, Samuel just behind them.
CUT TO
A RECTANGULAR SHED, ahead of them. They move to it, slow-
-then they stop-
-a sound is heard- from around the corner- the sound continues-
Patterson glances at Starling- the sound could be this: the
crunching of bones.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, checking his rifle.
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same. Samuel, holding the extra ammunition,
moves close to Patterson. Now-
CUT TO
PATTERSON as he suddenly steps away from the shed, rounding the
corner and as he does-
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, with the Fat Coolie- the lion is crunching at his
feet-
-then the lion stares toward the shed as we
CUT TO
PATTERSON, moving out into clearer view, Starling and Samuel right
with him. THE LION is a good distance away.
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, a low growl coming from him as he takes the
coolie's body by the shoulder, begins backing away with it.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, dropping to his knees for the shot and
CUT TO
STARLING, doing the same and
CUT TO
THE WHITE LION, growling louder and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, taking aim and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, crying out and pointing and suddenly we're into super slow
motion-
-Samuel has pointed back toward the roof of the shed and-
-and this thing is suddenly there-
-this huge dark thing and it seems to suddenly appear from the
flat roof of the shed and
CUT TO
THE SUN, blocked out as this dark thing moves across it, fully
stretched, it seems to go on forever and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning around to see and
CUT TO
STARLING, turning too, and we're coming back into regular motion
now as we
CUT TO
This enormous BLACK-MANED LION diving into the three, sending them
all sprawling and
CUT TO
THE WHITE MANED LION roaring and
CUT TO
THE BLACK MANED LION roaring, running to the other and
CUT TO
THE TWO LIONS IN CLOSE UP.
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, for that is how they will be referred
to-
-and The Ghost has blood and bits of flesh on its mouth-
-The Darkness has eyes that are crazed-
-they are destruction bringers, these two, they can kill the old
and the young and the fat and the strong-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, lying in pain, dazed, shoulder bleeding, trying to
reach for his rifle and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, the white and the black, as they move
toward the field of tall grass, roaring and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, lying in pain, his leg is bleeding and
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S RIFLE and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, as he reaches it, manages to lift it and the roaring
sounds are deafening now and
CUT TO
THE TWO GIGANTIC MALES, backing into the tall grass-
-they roar one final time-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, gun ready to fire but it's futile and he knows it as we
CUT TO
THE TALL GRASS and they're gone, the grass is full of moving
patterns from the wind- that's all we see- just the grass blowing
this way, that way-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, staggering to his feet, staring at the grassy field.
PATTERSON
(dazed)
Jesus, two of them...
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Dazed too. He points. Patterson registers, turns and
CUT TO
STARLING, LYING DEAD, his throat ripped open. HOLD briefly on the
young man, then-
CUT TO
THE STATION AREA
A train from Mombassa is slowly pulling in. And things are fairly
chaotic- there is the usual activity of what is ordinarily one of
the busier parts in camp-
-but now, something new has been added: Abdullah is there with
several dozen coolies who work under his command. THey are waiting
for the train.
Patterson and Samuel are there too- and at the moment, Abdullah
and Patterson are in the middle of a screamer- first one of them
walking away, then coming back, then the other doing the same.
PATTERSON
(shouting over the noise
of the approaching train)
-oh, sing a different song, Abdullah-
(gesturing toward the men
who stand by the train
tracks)
-there's nothing wrong with your men
so stop telling me there is-
ABDULLAH
(advancing on Patterson now)
-you do not call me a liar- you know
nothing of their health- consider
yourself fortunate I persuaded so
many to stay- consider yourself
fortunate I have decided to stay-
PATTERSON
(losing it)
You think you matter?
(gesturing toward the
train which is close to
stopping now)
-Beaumont is on that train- he
matters-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, moving in on Abdullah now-
PATTERSON
He sees this chaos, he'll replace
you all.
ABDULLAH
He'll replace you, too- that's all
you really care about.
PATTERSON
You think so? Fine.
(finished arguing)
It's best you get out. Go. Tell all
your people to go, run home where
they'll be safe under the covers and
when the bridge is built and the
railroad is done, they can tell their
women that out of all the thousands
who worked here, they were the only
ones to flee-
(And he wheels around,
starts to walk away as we-)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH. Quiet, staring after Patterson.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Patterson has won. As the two of them exchange a quick
glance-
CUT TO
BEAUMONT standing in the door of a passenger car, handsome as
ever. Somehow his clothes are still pressed.
Patterson moves up. In a splendid mood. Samuel is happy too.
PATTERSON
Pleasant journey?
BEAUMONT
(stepping off the train)
How could it be? I hate Africa.
Now there is the sudden sound of men singing- Patterson looks
around and we
CUT TO
ABDULLAH and his workmen, moving away from the train- they are
singing the same song that the workmen sang just before The Ghost
and The Darkness attacked- it's pretty- but it's also a little
unnerving.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Listening a moment.
BEAUMONT
Lovely sound- they seem happy.
PATTERSON
Don't they, though?
BEAUMONT
So work must be going well?
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He and Samuel share another glance.
PATTERSON
(delicately)
Truthfully?
(beat)
There has been the occasional odd
hiccup- but then, as you so wisely
told me, I'd never built in Africa.
BEAUMONT
But overall, you're pleased?
SAMUEL
(moving in)
I have never experienced anything
like it.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT; almost longingly looks back at the train.
BEAUMONT
I almost feel like getting right
back on.
(glances at his watch)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. They do not breathe.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. He really wants to leave and for a moment it looks like
he just might.
BEAUMONT
(a sigh)
I suppose it would be a dereliction
of duty not to at least look around.
Now Abdullah wanders happily by.
PATTERSON
(waving)
Morning, friend, glorious day.
ABDULLAH
As are they all.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. He takes a step inside the passenger car.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. Hoping.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Reluctantly returning. He has a large box.
BEAUMONT
I do need to see Starling.
PATTERSON
(dully)
Starling?
BEAUMONT
Awhile back he ordered some bibles-
(indicating the box)
-I've brought them.
(looking around)
Is he here?
PATTERSON
(beat)
Yes he is.
BEAUMONT
Well, I need to speak to him.
SAMUEL
(helpfully)
Let me deliver the bibles.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. His eyes flick from one man to the other. It's over.
BEAUMONT
Excellent show.
(voice low)
Where is Starling?
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The jig is up. He gestures-
PATTERSON
Here he comes now.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
HALF A DOZEN NATIVES CARRYING STARLING'S COFFIN. They start to put
it on the train and as they do-
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Stunned. And furious! He storms off the train and we-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE
as Beaumont sees it. Patterson and Samuel are with him.
Little more work has been done than the last time we saw it. A few
men are working slowly.
And now there are guards with rifles patrolling it.
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. A deadly look at them. He storms off.
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
as Beaumont sees it- Patterson, Samuel, and Hawthorne stand
quietly.
It's much more crowded than the last time. Still under control,
but barely.
Beaumont is icy now. He gestures sharply toward Hawthrone to join
them.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL
THE FOUR MEN speak low and fast-
BEAUMONT
What in hell is going on?
SAMUEL
The Ghost and The Darkness have come.
BEAUMONT
(snapping)
In English.
PATTERSON
It's what the natives are calling
the lions-
(beat)
-two lions have been causing trouble-
BEAUMONT
-what's the surprise in that, this is
Africa?
PATTERSON
It hasn't been that simple so far.
BEAUMONT
What have they done besides kill
Starling?
(beat)
How many have they killed?
(Patterson nods for
Hawthorne to answer)
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. Doing his best.
HAWTHORNE
Well, of course, I can't supply a
totally accurate answer because
there are those that are actually
authenticated and there are those
that we once thought were workers
killing each other or deserting
from camp so any number I give is
subject to error-
BEAUMONT
(cutting through)
How many?
HAWTHORNE
Thirty, I should think.
BEAUMONT
(stunned)
Christ!
(whirling on Patterson)
What are you doing about it?
(Now from there-)
CUT TO
SOMETHING VERY ODD:
We are looking at a small railroad car in a deserted area. This is
not near the track but off by itself, in an area surrounded by
thorn trees.
Several workers are erecting a cloth tent to cover it, trying to
disguise the fact that the small railroad car is, indeed, nothing
but a small railroad car.
It is difficult work and they are perspiring heavily.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND BEAUMONT looking at it.
BEAUMONT
This is supposed to be salvation?
(staring at Patterson)
What kind of idiocy are we dealing
with here?
PATTERSON
(keeping control)
I'm calling it my "contraption"-
we're going to surround it with a
boma- a fence, to you- and we're
going to leave a small opening
opposite that door.
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD CAR. There is, in fact, an open front door. Patterson
gestures for Beaumont to follow him inside.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE CAR AS THEY ENTER. It has been divided in half by thick
metal bars from floor to ceiling. The bars are close together,
only a few inches between them.
PATTERSON
In that half will be bait- human
bait- I'll start things off-
(points to the open
doorway)
-a sliding door will fit above that
and a trip wire will run across
the floor.
BEAUMONT
(The smile is back)
Genius- the beast will enter,
tripping the wire, the door will
slide down, trapping him, you, safe
behind the bars, will have him at
your mercy and will shoot him.
Patterson nods. Beaumont explodes.
BEAUMONT
Are you running a high fever, man?
How could you expect something as
lunatic as this to succeed? How
could you even conceive of it?
PATTERSON
I didn't conceive of it for the
lions- I built one in India when
there was trouble with a tiger.
BEAUMONT
(incredulous)
And it worked?
PATTERSON
(He hates to say this)
In point of fact, it didn't.
(hurrying on)
But I'm convinced the theory is
sound.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM. They move outside. The tension between them is
considerable. Beaumont looks at Patterson for too long a moment.
PATTERSON
What?
BEAUMONT
I made a mistake hiring you-
you're simply not up to the job.
(Silence. Then-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP.
PATTERSON
You genuinely enjoy trying to
terrify people, don't you? Well,
fine-
(lashing back)
-except there isn't a higher rated
engineer and we both know that. And
since time is so important to you,
how long do you think it would take
to find someone else qualified and
bring him here?
CUT TO
BEAUMONT. Blazing.
BEAUMONT
Let me explain about time- you've
been here three months and already
two months behind. And the Germans
and the French are gearing up. And
I don't care about you and I don't
care about the thirty dead- I care
about my knighthood and if this
railroad finishes on schedule, I'll
get my knighthood and I want it.
(glancing around as
Samuel appears, goes to
the workers)
Professional hunters may be the answer.
PATTERSON
All they'll bring is more chaos and
we've plenty of that already- and if
they come in, word will get out- and
what happens to your knighthood then?
BEAUMONT
I'm going to try and locate Redbeard-
I assume you've heard of him.
PATTERSON
Every man who's ever fired a rifle has
heard of him- by the time you find him,
the lions will be dead.
BEAUMONT
(long pause)
Very well, the job's still yours, I'll
go. But if I have to return, you're
finished. And I will then do everything
I can to destroy your reputation. Am I
not fair?
(The great smile flashes)
Told you you'd hate me.
(And he turns, walks off)
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Moving up to Patterson. Samuel has a bag.
PATTERSON
(staring after Beaumont)
I do hate him.
(takes the bag from
Samuel, pulls out flares)
I want you to distribute one bag of
flares to every tent area-
(takes out a flare)
-tell the men to light them if
there's trouble-
(beat)
-make it two bags.
(HOLD briefly, then-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. ALONE. THAT NIGHT. IN HIS CONTRAPTION.
A lamp burns alongside him. Across the bars, the door of the
railroad car is open. Flickering shadows. Above the doorway is a
thick wooden slab the size of the door. n the ground, barely
visible, the trip wire.
CUT TO
THE DOORWAY. Outside, something is moving.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, rifle ready, holding his breath.
CUT TO
THE DOORWAY. SIlence. Nothing moves now.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He rubs his eyes with his hands...
CUT TO
FLICKERING SHADOWS on the wall. It's later that night.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The man is bleary with fatigue. He sits in a corner of
the car, writing a letter.
PATTERSON'S VOICE (over)
"Dearest...
...peace and tranquility continue to
abound here- the workers report each
day with a smile- except for your
absence, this whole adventunre is
providing me nothing but pleasure..."
CUT TO
THE FLICKERING WALLS OF THE RAILWAY CAR. It's later still.
Patterson, finished writing, stares out at the night.
CUT TO
A FLARE, rising brightly toward the sky.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, seeing the flare. The man is miserable.
CUT TO
A TREE BRANCH. MANY FLOWERS AS WELL AS THE CLAW THORNS.
PATTERSON'S VOICE (over)
Fire.
The branch is destroyed, the flowers blown away.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THREE INDIAN COOLIES. NOT FAR FROM HIS CONTRAPTION.
THE COOLIES hold rifles. They look like brothers, which they are.
They also look tough. And they are that, too. THREE
STREETFIGHTERS.
PATTERSON
(impressed)
Very good indeed.
MIDDLE COOLIE
(he wears glasses)
We have hunted since childhood.
PATTERSON
All right- you'll spend your nights
inside.
(He indicates the railroad
car. The Coolies nod)
You'll have plenty of ammunition.
You're totally protected, you have
really nothing to fear.
MIDDLE COOLIE
That is correct.
(beat)
Nothing.
Patterson looks at the three men. Obviously, he could not have
chosen better. From them-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. DAY.
A lot of men working under Patterson. Progress is slow.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. NIGHT.
Some men sit on the part that's been built. Spending the night
there for protection. Now, they all turn and we
CUT TO
ANOTHER FLARE going off in another part of camp.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, in a tree alone, in despair.
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES IN THE RAILROAD CAR.
Tough as ever. Ready for anything. But nothing is happening.
Silence.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE AGAIN AS NIGHT FALLS - MORE CROWDED THAN BEFORE.
STILL MORE MEN are moving into the river. They wade til the water
is up to their necks. Then they reach out, hold hands, start to
sing.
CUT TO
PATTERSON moving high into a tree. He listens to the sound.
Lovely.
CUT TO
MOONLIGHT ON THE WATER. The men stand as before, singing softly.
The river here is calm, no current to speak of. The men are safe-
-or rather they should be.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS swimming softly, his great jaws silently encircling
the neck of the last man in line, pulling him silently away and as
the others start to scream-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, watching another flare rise, helplessly listening.
CUT TO
A CATTLE PEN. THE CATTLE ARE NERVOUS-
-one of them kicks wildly at the wind.
They should be nervous-
-The Ghost walks among them, chooses which one to kill, leaps on
it, brings it to earth as the dust rises.
CUT TO
ANOTHER FLARE IN THE NIGHT.
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL. DAY. PACKED.
HAWTHORNE seems overwhelmed.
CUT TO
SOMETHING.
And for a moment we don't know what it is. There is a faint light
and now we see what it is we're looking at: a wire.
HOLD ON THE WIRE.
And now a paw walks across it-
-and the instant that happens-
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES, the brothers, in the contraption, two of them
asleep, a flickering lamp the only illumination in the railroad
car and
CUT TO
THE DOOR OF THE RAILROAD CAR slamming loudly down and
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
THE DARKNESS, standing alone in one half of the railroad car- it's
incredible, just incredible but Patterson's idea actually worked
and
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
The entire of the car- the thick bars separating the two halves.
In one half, the huge lion. In the other, the three armed, tough
coolies.
For a moment, it could be a frozen tableau- both sides are too
startled and surprised to do anything but stare-
-and then all hell just explodes as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and this incredible roar comes from his throat, the
kind of roar that can be heard five miles away in the night but
this one in the enclosed room sounds even louder and more
terrifying and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, throwing his huge body at the bars and
CUT TO
THE BARS and both his front claws are slashing through and
CUT TO
THE THREE TOUGH COOLIES and they retreat against the rear wall of
the car.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, rage building, throwing its body at the bars again
and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, pressed in fear against the far wall, unable to do
anything but stare and
CUT TO
THE CLAWS, ripping at the air and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping forward, smashing into the bars and
CUT TO
THE CEILING WHERE THE BARS are connected and the sheer power of
his leap has made them jiggle just the least bit and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, staring up at the ceiling and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, AND HERE HE COMES AGAIN, roaring and his body hits
the bars and
CUT TO
THE CEILING- and the bars shake-
-but they're not giving way.
CUT TO
THE TOUGH COOLIES, as they begin to realize this and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, clawing for them and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, raging and roaring on his side of the bars and
CUT TO
THE FIRST COOLIE, raising his gun and
CUT TO
THE SECOND COOLIE, his gun raised too and
CUT TO
THE THIRD COOLIE and he's ready and
CUT TO
ALL THREE AS THEY FIRE-
-and reload-
-and fire again, and reload, and-
CUT TO
THE RAILROAD CAR- and suddenly the lamp is knocked over-
-and a fire starts, flames grow and it's starting to look like
hell in there-
-only it gets worse as we-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS at the bars-
-and suddenly it stands up- it seems to fill the car, towering
over everything, it's like a nightmare come to kill you-
CUT TO
THE COOLIES staring up at this giant thing, and of course they're
more terrified now than they've ever been in their lives- but
these are tough men and they ignore the flames, ignore the
deafening roars of the beast and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, standing there, going crazy on his side of the bars,
trying to knock them down but they're holding and
CUT TO
THE TOUGH COOLIES, reloading and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, racing around the enclosed area now and he's trapped
and the flames make him seem like something unalive and his eyes
have never been so bright, his roars as deafening and
CUT TO
THE THREE COOLIES, firing again and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping at the bars again, and they shake, sure they
shake, but they keep on holding and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES, firing, reloading, firing, reloading and as they do,
something's starting to come clear-
-amazing as it may seem, impossible as it may be to conceive,
they're missing.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, whirling on his side, roaring and leaping and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES and sure they fire, but they're still so goddam scared
and
CUT TO
THE DOOR THAT SLID DOWN- it's held in place by some thick wooden
bars-
-and now the Coolies start to hit something- the wooden bars
because they begin to splinter and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, whirling, leaping at the bars and
CUT TO
THE COOLIES firing and then-
CUT TO
THE DOOR as it flops open and just like that-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS. Out the door and gone. HOLD.
CUT TO
PATTERSON JUST AFTER DAWN IN THE DAMAGED RAILROAD CAR.
Patterson stands where The Darkness was. The three Coolies are
where they spent the night, on the other side of the bars.
This was the lowest point yet for Patterson. Not only had his
notion come so close to working, he could never fully comprehend
how the coolies missed. It never seemed possible- but of course,
it really happened.
PATTERSON
Not once?- you didn't hit it once?-
MIDDLE COOLIE
-I would never make excuses- but a
fire broke out- the light was bad- he
kept moving-
PATTERSON
-well, of course he kept moving- but
he couldn't have been more than ten
feet away from the three of you- surely
you must have wounded the thing-
MIDDLE COOLIE
I assure you we came close many times-
Abdullah is in the doorway near Patterson now- with several dozen
men. And from Abdullah's face, this is clearly going to be a
confrontation.
MIDDLE COOLIE
-the next time we will do better.
(Patterson makes no
reaction; moves outside)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH, simmering, moving straight to Patterson as soon as he's
out.
ABDULLAH
The next time will be as this time-
The Devil has come to Tsavo-
PATTERSON
(not in a mood for this)
-that's ridiculous talk and you can't
seriously believe it-
ABDULLAH
(moving in- tension rising
as others crowd behind him)
-now you're telling me my beliefs?- I
don't think so-
CUT TO
THE BUSH just beyond- something is moving- an animal?- Impossible
to say.
PATTERSON
I wasn't and you know it and don't
push it- just listen- we have a
problem in Tsavo-
ABDULLAH
(cutting in)
-at last you're right- we do- you are
the problem in Tsavo-
PATTERSON
-careful, Abdullah-
Patterson and Abdullah and suddenly it's dangerous.
ABDULLAH
You do not tell me "careful"- you do
not tell me anything- you listen
while I talk-
(Now suddenly a shadow
seems to cross-)
CUT TO
ABDULLAH. CLOSE UP. His eyes widen.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
AN ENORMOUS PISTOL. Pressed hard against Abdullah's temple.
MAN'S VOICE (over)
-change in plan- you listen while
I talk- because you have a question
that needs answering.
(beat)
Will I pull the trigger?
PULL BACK FURTHER TO REVEAL
REDBEARD.
We are looking at one of those legends- ageless and powerful, with
a tanned face and a thick grey beard. He has seen everything and
is capable of anything.
Just now he seems more than capable of killing Abdullah. Very
calmly, he cocks the pistol.
SAMUEL (over)
It's Redbeard, Abdullah- he'll kill
you.
REDBEARD
(not looking around)
No hints, Samuel.
ABDULLAH
(The name has registered)
You don't know all that has happened
here- the Devil has come to Tsavo.
REDBEARD
You're right. The Devil has come. Look
at me. I am the Devil.
CUT TO
ABDULLAH, staring at Redbeard. Right now Redbeard just could be.
ABDULLAH
(louder)
I am a man of peace.
REDBEARD
Am I to take it you want to live?
ABDULLAH
Most certainly. Absolutely. Yes.
REDBEARD
Excellent decision.
(Now he suddenly reaches
out, shakes Abdullah's hand)
Your name is Abdullah? I'm sure we'll
meet again. Go and enjoy the splendid
morning.
ABDULLAH
(dazed- leaving)
I think it's been a pleasure.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, and now he does another surprising thing: embraces
Samuel.
REDBEARD
(three words)
You got old.
(Now he releases Samuel,
turns to Patterson)
I'm sure you're John Patterson.
(before Patterson can reply)
Stay out of my way.
(And without another word,
he's gone)
CUT TO
THE HOSPITAL
as Redbeard moves through, taking it all in. It's even worse than
when we last saw it- bodies crammed everywhere and always the
sound of pain and sickness.
Patterson stands in the doorway, watching, waiting.
PATTERSON
(as Redbeard approaches)
I didn't have a chance to thank you.
REDBEARD
(preoccupied)
What did I do?
PATTERSON
Got me out of trouble.
REDBEARD
(matter of fact)
Nonsense- Samuel would have done
something.
(starts to move on)
PATTERSON
We need to talk.
REDBEARD
Let me save time- (1) you are the
engineer; (2) you are in charge;
(3) you're sorry I'm here. Right
so far?
(Patterson nods)
Good- because (1) I am not an
engineer, (2) I don't want to be
in charge, and (3) I'm sorrier than
you are that I'm here- I hate Tsavo.
So I will help you by killing the
lions and leaving, and you will help
me by doing what I tell you so I
can leave. See any problems?
PATTERSON
Actually, no.
REDBEARD
All right- let's go into battle.
(suddenly taking
Patterson's hand)
I'm Redbeard.
(as they shake)
PATTERSON
Somehow I guessed.
(As they move outside-)
CUT TO
THE FRONT OF THE HOSPITAL
A BUNCH OF MEN WAIT. Hwathorne, Samuel, Abdullah, and perhaps a
dozen other worker leaders. Redbeard and Patterson move to them.
REDBEARD
Starting now, we attack them.
ABDULLAH
How; we don't know where they are?
REDBEARD
We'll have to make them come to us,
won't we? And since there are two of
them, we're going to set two plans
in motion.
(to Hawthorne)
First: we must move the entire
hospital by tomorrow night.
HAWTHORNE
(appalled)
That's a terrible idea-
REDBEARD
(backtracking)
-is it, I'm sorry, but then, of
course, you're the doctor, you
should know.
HAWTHORNE
Silliest thing I ever heard of- why
in the world should we go through
all that?
REDBEARD
(charming now)
I suppose I could answer you. I
suppose I could explain that the
place is so inviting, what with the
smell of blood and flesh, that they
have to strike. It's even possible
that I tell you I found some fresh
paw marks around back which means
they're already contemplating
feasting here.
(Turning on Hawthorne
now- his voice building)
But I don't want to answer you
because when you question me you are
really saying that I don't have the
least idea what I am doing, that I am
nothing but an incompetent, that I am
a fool.
(big)
Anyone who finds me a fool, please
say so now.
HAWTHORNE
(The words burst out)
I have been desperate for Patterson
to let me move the hospital since the
day he arrived.
REDBEARD
(nice smile)
Then we agree.
(And on that-)
BEGIN THE BUILDING SEQUENCE.
It was a huge effort and they got half of it done that day- but
there was always the sense of impending bloodshed.
What we see first are Patterson and a bunch of shots of a lot of
workers- laying out the dimensions of the new boma that would
surround the place. This was to be by far the biggest wall fence
they had in Tsavo.
And now here comes Abdullah leading a crowd of men, wading into a
huge patch of thorn trees, cutting the thick branches down,
starting to load them for carrying-
-and it's high noon now, and Patterson drenched with sweat, leads
the start of the actual building- taking the thorn branches,
bunching them together, forcing them so there is no room between
them-
-and we can just begin to get the sense of what the fence will be-
except at the moment it's barely a foot high-
-and now Redbeard appears, beckons to Patterson, and
CUT TO
A LONG SHOT OF A FLAT GRASSY PLAIN. AFTERNOON NOW.
Patterson, Redbeard, and Samuel walk quickly.
CUT TO
SAMUEL turning to Redbeard and Patterson.
SAMUEL
Soon.
(Redbeard nods)
PATTERSON
(to Redbeard)
I have to ask- why do you need me?
REDBEARD
I don't really. But understand
something- even though it may take
me two or three days to sort this
out-
(Patterson has to smile
at the phrase)
-when I'm gone, you'll still have
to build the bridge. And I don't
want the men to have lost respect
for you.
PATTERSON
(kind of surprised)
That's very considerate.
REDBEARD
I'm always considerate- my mother
taught me that.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, who just breaks out laughing.
REDBEARD
Why do you laugh?- you don't
believe she taught me?
SAMUEL
I don't believe you had a mother.
(And as Redbeard
laughs too-)
CUT TO
A MASAI VILLAGE as they approach. Redbeard walks ahead.
PATTERSON
You like him, don't you?
SAMUEL
Oh yes. But it takes time.
PATTERSON
You've known him long?
SAMUEL
(He has)
Since his beard was red.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE VILLAGE. AN AGED CHIEF RUNS THINGS.
Redbeard, Patterson and Samuel stand near him. WOMEN and CHILDREN
are there. Some of the children look at Redbeard, mime shooting,
fall down dead. Samuel translates as necessary.
SAMUEL
How many cattle?
REDBEARD
Four should do it.
SAMUEL
They will want a lot of money.
PATTERSON
(to Redbeard)
Have you got it?
REDBEARD
No, but you do-
(beat)
-see, you were needed after all.
(to Samuel)
And fifty warriors at the camp
before dawn.
SAMUEL
(Samuel explains. The
Masai Chief replies.
Translating)
Why so many?
REDBEARD
Because I have two plans to kill
the lions- one involving the cattle,
the other the men.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON watching as Samuel tells the Chief.
CUT TO
THE MASAI CHIEF. He moves toward Redbeard and Patterson. As he
speaks, Samuel translates quietly. There is a sadness in the
Chief's tone.
SAMUEL
(translating)
The Ghost and the Darkness have
come... and we can do nothing...
but if you anger them... they will
stay in Tsavo... and life will
become more unberable, that I know...
CUT TO
PATTERSON, watching as Redbeard replies.
REDBEARD
(beat)
Two lions are all that have come...
they're only lions, that I know.
(beat)
And I will kill them both tomorrow.
(HOLD BRIEFLY, then-)
CUT TO
SHADOWS AND FIRELIGHT. IT'S NIGHT NOW.
We're not sure for a moment where we are but we can hear metallic
sounds.
Now we hear voices.
REDBEARD VOICE (over)
I'll need you by me in the morning.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Whatever you wish.
CUT TO
WHERE WE ARE- IT'S PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. Patterson, Redbeard,
Hawthorne, and Samuel sit around a fire.
THey are cleaning their guns, getting ready.
A WORD ABOUT THEIR WEAPONS. Patterson's is a good rifle and he
cleans it expertly.
Redbeard's surprisingly, is the oldest. And the way his hands move
as he assembles it, he might be bathing a child.
Hawthorne is the least skilled of the three. But his rifle is
clearly the finest. Bigger than the others, with great killing
power.
There is a tremendous tension- Patterson, Hawthorne, and Samuel
show it. Redbeard is as before.
HAWTHORNE
(terribly tense)
You're certain about tomorrow?
(Redbeard is)
But you don't seem excited.
(Redbeard isn't)
PATTERSON
You don't enjoy killing, do you?
(Redbeard doesn't)
HAWTHORNE
Then why do it?
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. He stares at the fire. Then-
REDBEARD
I have a gift.
CUT TO
THE CAMPFIRE. Silence for a moment except for the sound of the
weapons being reassembled. Redbeard's hands fly. His rifle is back
together. He stands, nods, goes.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, watching him.
HAWTHORNE
Strange man.
(to Samuel)
Has he always been this way?
SAMUEL
Much gentler now.
HAWTHORNE
(shakes his head on that)
John?-
(He holds out his
beautiful rifle)
Change guns with me- mine's much
more powerful. I'll be finishing
the hospital tomorrow so I won't
be with you- but if you'll use
this...
(beat)
...then I will.
Patterson, touched, changes weapons.
PATTERSON
Thank you.
(He turns to Samuel)
Why does he need you by him?
SAMUEL
He doesn't. He needs nobody. But
we have hunted many times...
(beat)
...he knows I am afraid of lions...
HOLD ON THE FIRELIGHT UNTIL WE SHARPLY-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE. BEFORE DAWN.
Misty- hard to see much.
Then GHOSTS appear-
KEEP HOLDING
-they're not ghosts, they're MASAI WARRIORS emerging from the
mists. They are powerful and painted and they carry noisemaking
equipment- tin cans and tom toms and as more and more of them
materialize-
CUT TO
A HUGE THICKET.
Redbeard, Patterson, and Samuel wait as the Warriors approach.
REDBEARD
(whispered)
I spotted one of them-
(gesturing toward
the thicket)
-in there.
CUT TO
THE THICKET again- alive with thorn trees. Dark, filled with long
dark shadows.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. A lot of tension.
REDBEARD
The best way to ensure the kill
when you're using trackers is for
one to shoot while the other uses
the trackers to force the lion
toward the shooter. Have you ever
led trackers?
PATTERSON
(He hasn't)
I can try.
REDBEARD
(no good)
Samuel says you killed a lion.
PATTERSON
It was probably luck- I'd rather
you did the shooting.
REDBEARD
You'd never force the lion to me-
and nobody ever got a lion with
one shot by luck.
(points- hand out
straight)
Around there's a clearing- you'll
know it from the anthills- get
there and hide and listen to the
sounds- I'll make the lion come
directly to you.
(He gestures for
Patterson to take
off and as he does-)
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS as Redbeard goes to them-
REDBEARD
(as Samuel translates)
-all of you- spread the width of
the clearing- no gaps- go-
(claps his hands once)
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, spreading apart.
CUT TO
THE SUN. Starting to appear more strongly on the horizon.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, running like hell.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, moving quickly, silently.
CUT TO
A THICK CLUSTER 0F THORN TREES.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, ducking his head, blasting through.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, starting to cover the entire width of the thicket.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, quickstepping over rocky terrain.
CUT TO
SAMUEL staying close to Redbeard. The fear is there.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, studying the position of the Warriors, who are almost
ready.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, circling now, racing toward a clearing, picking up
speed.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, spread out. They look to Redbeard.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Not yet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, racing into the clearing, glances around- lots of
anthills.
CUT TO
AN ANTHILL, eight feet high. It casts a long shadow.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Holding Hawthorne's marvelous rifle, he slips silently
into the shadow.
HOLD ON PATTERSON- it's almost as if he weren't there.
CUT SHARPLY TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. Suddenly screaming and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, screaming too and
CUT TO
THE WHOLE LINE OF WARRIORS, suddenly moving forward, all of them
shouting and screaming and pounding on their drums and it is loud.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in the shadow. The noise is faint- but he can hear it.
CUT TO
A DOZEN DRUMMERS, moving forward, banging away.
CUT TO
A DOZEN MORE DRUMMERS, even louder.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, moving forward, his eyes flicking ahead-
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Just the least bit louder now.
CUT TO
THE WHOLE LINE OF WARRIORS, screaming and pounding and
CUT TO
SAMUEL- the fear worse, dogging Redbeard's steps.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. His eyes flicking ahead.
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. It's a lot louder now. He's totally still. And he's
ready.
CUT TO
THE DENSEST PART OF THE THICKET we've seen yet.
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, slashing their way through, drumming and shouting
and
CUT TO
REDBEARD, at their head, eyes, as always, flicking.
CUT TO
THE THICKET AHEAD. Nothing. No movement. No lion.
CUT TO
REDBEARD- starting to suddenly get louder and point-
-because something is there-
CUT BACK TO
THE THICKET AHEAD, and we didn't see it before, only Redbeard saw
it before-
-but now something begins to move and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WARRIORS and it's all going crazy now, and
they're starting to move faster and
CUT TO
PATTERSON IN THE SHADOW.
The noise has kicked up and all the time it's coming closer and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WARRIORS and the movement up ahead is more
distinct and the Warriors are almost in a frenzy as we
CUT TO
A FLASH OF THE GHOST IN THE THICKET- eyes bright- it starts to
move away from the sound-
-and toward where Patterson is waiting.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Faster, screaming louder and
CUT TO
SAMUEL and the fear starting to leave and he screams louder too
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON- he fingers the weapon.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, angrily retreating faster from the sound- and now
instead of going straight back it begins to veer left and
CUT TO
REDBEARD, immediately spotting the shift, gesturingto the Warriors
to get left and
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, shifting over as Redbeard directed, blocking The
Ghost's intended path and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, shifting, trying to go the other way this time and
CUT TO
REDBEARD; he spots that too, gestures for the Warriors to shift
the other way and
CUT TO
THE WARRIORS, racing to thier new positions, blocking the animal's
path again and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, rattled, upset, and now it starts retreating back in
the original direction- toward Patterson and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND THE WHOLE LONG LINE OF MEN, and it's as if mass
hysteria has gripped them, because their sound keeps building and
sure, their throats must ache and yes, their arms must tire, but
you couldn't tell that from what they're doing-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Waiting by the anthill. Waiting. Then, at last-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, backing into view, staring back at the sound, unaware
of Patterson's existence behind him.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Noiselessly he steps away from the anthill into the
sunlight. He raises Hawthorne's gun.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, backing toward Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, sighting along the glistening barrel.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, starting to turn.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, ready to fire.
CUT TO
THE GHOST IN CLOSE UP, CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF THE RIFLE. And
now its lips go back as it sees Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, CLOSE UP, and this is it, this is the moment and as he
squeezes the trigger-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE GHOST, and a totally unexpected sound- a dull
snap- Hawthorne's rifle has misfired.
CUT TO
THE GHOST, unharmed and
CUT TO
PATTERSON desperately workingthe rifle, trying to make it function
and
CUT TO
THE GHOST. It stares at Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and the goddamn gun won't work and he's a dead man and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE GHOST-
-and for a moment, they might be frozen in some horrible tableau-
-THEN THE GHOST ROARS-
CUT TO
REDBEARD as he hears it, breaking into a wild run-
REDBEARD
Shoot for chrissakes!-
CUT TO
PATTERSON standing his ground as now THE GHOST takes a step toward
him.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, firing, reloading on the move, and up ahead is the
clearing and as he reaches it-
CUT TO
THE GHOST. Its great head turns in the direction of Redbeard and
CUT TO
REDBEARD's position- anthills block him from getting a clear shot
at the animal- he curses, races for a better position and
CUT TO
THE GHOST. One final stare at Patterson-
-then it makes an effortless leap intothe thicket-
-and it's safe and free and gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. Rocked.
The low point of his life.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, catching up to Redbeard.
SAMUEL
Did you ever see a lion that size?
REDBEARD
Not even close.
(Now he moves to
Patterson)
What happened?
PATTERSON
(a whisper)
...misfire... it jammed...
REDBEARD
Has it ever done that before?
PATTERSON
...don't know...
SAMUEL
It's Hawthorne's.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Trying for control.
REDBEARD
You exchanged weapons?
(Patterson nods)
You went into battle with an
untried gun?
(Patterson nods)
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. For a moment it's impossible to tell what he's
going to do. It seems that a Homeric burst of fury is about to
happen.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Drained, he epects it. It's very quiet.
CUT TO
REEDBEARD, studying the younger man. And when he finally speaks,
his voice is surprisingly quiet.
REDBEARD
They have an expression in
prizefighting: "everyone has a plan
until they're hit."
(beat)
You've just been hit...
(beat)
...the getting up is up to you...
(And he turns, moves
off and)
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL.
Nearly finished. The fence is eight feet high and Hawthorne is
supervising men and material that are being transferred.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, checking security in the New Hospital which is close to
the center of camp. (The Old Hospital was situated on the
outskirts, because they wanted to keep the workers away from the
sick and the wounded.) Late afternoon, now.
Patterson, Samuel and Hawthorne are moving with him. As are TWO
EXPERIENCED ORDERLIES, both armed with powerful rifles. Patterson
is silent here, the effects of the misfire still evident on his
face.
REDBEARD
(to the Orderlies)
Gentlemen, there's no sickness smell
at all here, and little blood. When
we leave, close the gate securely,
don't open it til morning and keep
your fires high. Any questions, ask
them now.
(They understand- now
to Samuel and Hawthorne)
You two will sleep beautifully in
your tents.
(beat)
And stay there.
SAMUEL
And where will you sleep beautifully?
REDBEARD
(smile)
Patterson and I will be in the old
hospital- where the enticing smell
of sickness still lingers-
(beat)
-and by the time we're done, I
promise you, the odor of blood will
be irresistible.
(And on that-)
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL. STARTING TO GET DARK.
Redbeard and Patterson have buckets which they empty around the
inside perimeter-
-buckets of blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. Darker. They empty still more full buckets
of blood. Redbeard seems pleased.
CUT TO
SAMUEL AND HAWTHORNE, hurrying toward their camp.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, leading Masai cattle into the grounds of
the Old Hospital.
CUT TO
THE ORDERLIES IN THE NEW HOSPITAL, firmly closing and locking the
gate.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, just outside the fence of the Old
Hospital- they carry many large chunks of raw meat, drop them as
they move.
CUT TO
THE SUN. Dying... dying...
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They slip inside the deserted Old
Hospital, pull the gate securely shut.
CUT TO
THE CATTLE. They stand in the center of the Old Hospital, calling
to each other.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. Full. Clean. The men are exhausted. Most are
already asleep. The Orderlies sit by a fire, alert for anything.
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL. Patterson and Redbeard stand across from their
fire, waiting. The cows are quiet.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE by his fire near his tent with Samuel. Nervously, they
drink tea.
CUT TO
THE MOON. Higher. An hour has passed. Perhaps more.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Walking the fence perimeter.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The cows are edgy. He calms the cows.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE OLD HOSPITAL. The large chunks of meat are visible in
the moonlight.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. The orderlies are calm.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, still walking the perimeter.
CUT TO
PATTERSON sitting by the fire, staring at the night. Redbeard
moves to him, speaks in a whisper.
REDBEARD
Think about something else.
PATTERSON
Have you ever failed?
REDBEARD
(sad smile)
Only in life...
(He walks away.
Patterson watches.)
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. The Orderlies tend the sick. Quietly.
CUT TO
THE NIGHT AND THE MOON. Lovely.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Stalking the perimeter. No sound. The night is deadly
quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He stalks the perimeter now too, on the far side from
Redbeard- and suddenly a different and frightening sound- the
ripping of flesh-
CAMERA MOVES UP
Now we can see both Patterson inside and also outside where, in
shadow, The Ghost and The Darkness are devouring a hunk of meat.
Redbeard moves quickly across the perimeter, gestures for
Patterson to switch positions with him.
As he reaches where Patterson was, the eating sound stops.
Silence again.
Patterson reaches the far side of the fence.
Now the eating sound comes again, and again, BOTH LIONS are
outside, directly across from Patterson.
CUT TO
REDBEARD looks across the perimeter at Patterson. Whatever's going
on, it's sure as hell odd.
CUT TO
THE CATTLE- they are very upset suddenly- one of them kicks out
violently against the night- the same gesture the cattle did just
before The Ghost walked through their pen and killed one-
-now a different sound is heard: scratching-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD tracking the sound-
-the main gate is starting to be pushed in. Inside the gate the
ground is covered with blood stains from where they emptied their
buckets.
CUT TO
THE GATE. More pressure against it- it could give way any moment.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON and from the look on Redbeard's face, this
is it! Patterson seees this, readies his rifle and we-
CUT TO
THE CATTLE, going nuts and then-
CUT TO
THE GATE. All pressure gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. Patterson is furious.
PATTERSON
Goddammit!
REDBEARD
It's all right. Stay ready.
(indicates the blood)
They know it's there.
Patterson takes a few steps away, stares at the moon.
CUT TO
REDBEARD; he studies Patterson who so clearly craves redemption.
REDBEARD
(going to him)
Meant to ask you- the railroad car
trap. Your idea?
(Patterson nods)
Excellent notion- I used the same
device myself once.
PATTERSON
But of course yours worked.
REDBEARD
In point of fact it didn't- but I'm
convinced the idea is sound.
He goes back to walking the perimeter. Patterson watches him- and
for the first time since the misfire, Patterson's mood begins to
lift.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL
and an ORDERLY, blood pouring from his throat as he lies by the
fire and
CUT TO
THE SECOND ORDERLY rounding a corner, seeing the violence; before
he can scream-
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS suddenly beside him, and their giant
paws slap out so fast we can't follow and
CUT TO
THE SECOND ORDERLY, dropping to the ground, and now we're starting
to spin into madness and these next cuts go like lightning.
CUT TO
A TENT FULL OF SICK MEN with malaria and
CUT TO
A PAW flashing and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, lips pulling back and
CUT TO
A SICK MAN, falling from his bed, blood pouring from his slashed
face and
CUT TO
TWO MORE SICK MEN, trying to rise and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, leaping on them and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, eyes narrow and brilliant and
CUT TO
A SICK COOLIE, and he's terrified and he tries to scream-
-the sound barely escapes him, but even so, it's the first cry
we've heard and
CUT TO
THE ENTIRE CAMP, NIGHT, WITH ALL THE FIRES BURNING- AND
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA IS CLOSE BY-
-but the New Hospital is on the other end, a good distance away.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, rifles ready- but no sound reaches them.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, out of his tent, because he's close by and he heard it
and he lights a torch, starts for the gate of the camp as Samuel
does his best to stop him-
-but Hawthorne rips free and we
CUT TO
A SECOND TENT, as it starts to collapse and
CUT TO
THE MEDICINE TENT, as The Ghost and The Darkness enter and
CUT TO
MEDICINE, flying across the tent and
CUT TO
GLASS, shattering and more medicine is destroyed and
CUT TO
A BLIZZARD OF CUTS, of lions' claws and lions' teeth and those
terrible bright blazing eyes and
CUT TO
A TENT POLE, being pulled out of the ground and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS and what they are doing is this:
destroying the New Hospital and
CUT TO
MORE TENTS collapsing and
CUT TO
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS. CLOSE UP. Eyes crazed.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE ALONE IN THE NIGHT, scared shitless as he runs.
CUT TO
SHADOWS, moving, as Hawthorne's torch lights the surroundings and
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, heart pounding, looking around and then he gasps as we
CUT TO
THE AREA NEARBY- TWO LARGE EYES are staring at him.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, panicked, stumbling, falling, getting up, staring
around-
CUT TO
THE AREA AROUND HIM- the eys are gone-
-and now there are loud shrieks in the night coming from the New
Hospital and the instant they are heard
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON, grabbing torches, throwing the gate open
and they're off as we
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE, running toward the New Hospital just up ahead now.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, tearing through the night.
CUT TO
THE NEW HOSPITAL. (We see all this next through Hawthorne's eyes.)
The tents are all down. The place is devastated.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE FIRST TENT. Filled with the dead and the dying.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. Ashen. Moving on.
CUT TO
PAN ALONG THE TENT
Dead. Blood. Pain.
PAN TO THE SECOND TENT
More dead.
More dying.
It's a slaughterhouse.
CUT TO
HAWTHORNE. He's crushed. His body sags. He takes a breath, his
last.
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS are on him, roaring.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD as the roar reverberates- they glance at
each other-
-then they slow.
Because the New Hospital has come into view.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, CLOSE UP, staring at the disaster.
And this terrible crosses his face. For a moment, you think he's
going to fall. His body seems drained of all its power. He stands
there. Just stands there. Unable to move.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. And he does move. Slowly. Carefully. Into the chaos.
He stares around- the dead and the dying are everywhere.
Hawthorne, his face clawed almost unrecognizably, lies alone.
All that's left now is this: the sound of pain.
HOLD.
Dust rises. It covers everything. Only the sound remains.
Now different sounds take over-
-an incredible babble of human voices.
AND A RAILROAD TRAIN.
Patterson walks through the dust. Samuel, a worried look on his
face, is a few steps behind.
We are at the STATION AREA and it is jammed. A train has pulled
into the station-
-only you almost can't tell it's a train: all you can see are
workers climbing up, and the inside is full so the workers clamber
up onto the roofs of the cars-
-covering the cars-
-everyone is leaving-
-Patterson can only watch.
Abdullah stands on one of the cars-
-the train begins to pull out of the station.
More and more workers chase after it, get pulled on.
Now the station area is empty, the flat car roofs full.
Patterson still watches, eyes vacant.
Abdullah sees him, looks away.
The train gathers speed.
Rounds a corner...
...gone...
Patterson turns from the scene, begins to walk. Samuel stays close
behind him, the worried look still there.
CUT TO
THE OLD HOSPITAL.
A FEW AFRICAN ORDERLIES do the best they can. Patterson watches
only a moment, walks on. Samuel still behind him.
CUT TO
THE CAMP as Patterson walks through. A ghost town now. Only
Africans remain.
CUT TO
THE CONTRAPTION where the coolies missed The Darkness. Patterson
looks at it a moment, walks on.
CUT TO
THE ANTHILL IN THE CLEARING where Patterson misfired. Patterson
looks at it a moment, walks on. And now, at last-
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. One or two Africans. Samuel darts into his
tent, emerges with something, holds it out to Patterson.
IT'S A NECKLACE OF LION CLAWS.
Patterson makes an almost courtly bow of thanks, puts it on- he
never takes it off again. He walks on alone now until at last-
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE.
It stops abruptly, halfway done; the foundations are in place, a
lot of the scaffolding, but it's useless. Late afternoon.
Desolate.
Redbeard sits alone, high on one of the foundations. He looks as
he did the night before.
Patterson walks to the top of the near embankment. He is unshaven,
wrinkled, he fingers the lion claw necklace.
For a moment, neither says a word. Then-
REDBEARD
(out of the blue)
It would have been a beautiful
bridge, John. I never noticed
before, occupied with other
business, I suppose...
(He's rambling)
...never really pay much attention
to that kind of thing but I've had
the time today, nothing else on,
and this... it's graceful and the
placement couldn't be prettier...
and...
(He goes silent now,
stares off)
PATTERSON
You just got hit.
(Redbeard nods)
The getting up is up to you- but
they're only lions-
(beat)
-and I'm going after them crack
of dawn...
(And on that-)
CUT TO
A LONG SHOT OF A HIGH ROCKY CLIFF-
-we haven't seen anything like it before- it's hundreds of feet
tall- gorgeous early morning light.
As we watch, we realize there are two dots on the side of the
cliff.
As we watch a moment more, we realize the dots are moving.
CAMERA MOVES CLOSER.
THE DOTS are Patterson and Redbeard, working their way along the
rock face. Patterson is much more nimble. It's dangerous, of
course, but neither of them seems to have that uppermost in mind.
They travel lightly- small knapsacks and their weapons.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM as they make it over the cliff face. They stand,
stare out.
CUT TO
WHAT THEY SEE: the world. They move on.
CUT TO
A RAVINE. They are moving along the edge. It's tricky going- if
you fell you wouldn't much like it. They are both concentrating on
their movements, paying no attention to each other as Redbeard
starts to speak. They don't stop moving.
REDBEARD
In my town, when I was little,
there was a brute, a bully who
terrorized the place.
(beat)
But he was not the problem. He
had a brother who was worse than
he. But the brother was not the
problem.
(beat)
One or the other of them was
usually in jail. The problem came
when they were both free togther.
The two became different from
either alone.
(beat)
Alone they were only brutes.
Together they became lethal,
together they killed.
PATTERSON
What happened to them?
REDBEARD
(pause)
I got big.
(They move on)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD working their way up a steep ravine. It's
hard going. They help each other.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving along the edge of the ravine now.
Slow. Silent. Redbeard stops, points-
CUT TO
A TANGLE IN THE BUSHES AND THORNS with one odd thing about it:
there is a clearly defined archway, as if a buffalo or rhino used
it as a regular passage.
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM at the archway. They look at each other, without a
word move through it.
CUT TO
THE OTHER SIDE. A small clearing. And at the end of the clearing:
a cave.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. Dark.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. They each check their guns, move toward
it.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. Closer. Suddenly it's getting eerie.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, moving slowly, Patterson right with him.
CUT TO
THE CAVE MOUTH. They're by it- Redbeard squints inside.
CUT TO
WHAT HE SEES: it's dark and dangerous and there is a long low
tunnel you have to half-crawl through.
Without a word, they start inside.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON, crouched low, moving through the tunnel.
Ahead there is light. They move on.
CUT TO
THE END OF THE TUNNEL- they can see the cave beyond.
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. They glance down. Nothing much there- just
a copper bracelet, the kind a native might wear.
Now they move past it and as the tunnel ends, they stand up.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE CAVE - IT'S BIG.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving deeper into the cave. It's scary-
dark with shafts of light coming from cracks in the rock. It's
dank. It all feels as at any moment, the world could end.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. CLOSE UP. Thunderstruck-
REDBEARD
Dear God-
(And on those words-)
CUT TO
THE FLOOR OF THE CAVE. More copper bracelets. And still more-
-and now bones-
-the floor of the place is littered with human bones-
-eyeless skulls peer up at them from all around.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
The rest of the cave. We are looking at a carpet of bones.
PATTERSON
Their den?
(Redbeard nods)
Have you ever seen anything like
this?
REDBEARD
Nobody's seen anything like this.
Lions don't have caves like this-
(beat)
-they're doing it for pleasure.
CUT TO
SEVERAL TUNNELS, dark and ominous, leading from the cave-
-and now there is a sound from one of the tunnels-
-something is coming close and coming fast and
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON as Redbeard fires into the tunnel and the
sound explodes-
CUT TO
THE TUNNEL-
-shrieks-
CUT TO
REDBEARD AND PATTERSON. What the hell is it?
CUT TO
THE TUNNEL- and here they come, screeching and angry-
-bats-
-swarms of them- hundreds of them-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, diving to the ground, lying there amidst
the bangles and the bones and the skulls-
CUT TO
THE BATS. Circling above them. Screeching louder.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, lying very still, eyeless skulls all
around, staring.
CUT TO
THE BATS. For a moment, it seems as if they might attack.
CUT TO
PATTRSON AND REDBEARD. Waiting, waiting. Then-
CUT TO
THE BATS back into the tunnel and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, scrambling to their feet.
REDBEARD
One of my chief attributes is that
I'm always calm.
And then without warning, from behind them, a roar-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD spin around, start back toward the entrance
of the cave-
CUT TO
THE LOW ENTRANCE TUNNEL as they scramble half-crawling through it.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE as they make it, stand straight, look around-
CUT TO
THICK BUSH beyond- another roar and sudden movement and
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, entering the thick bush- but carefully,
because they are vulnerable now and an attack could come from
anywhere- there is the sound of water-
-slashes of light hit their eyes, making it hard to see- and
they're totally vulnerable now but it doesn't stop them- the water
sound gets stronger- and as they burst clear-
CUT TO
AN AMAZING PLACE- AN AREA OF FLAT ROCK SPLIT UP AHEAD BY A WIDE
FAST-RUNNING WATERFALL.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They look around. Nothing is there. But
the spot is wide open, exposed.
PATTERSON
(The words pour out)
Where could it have gone? How
could it get across the water?
(looks at Redbeard)
They're only lions, yes?
REDBEARD
(shakes his head; he
doesn't know)
Don't they have to be?...
They look around a moment more. Nothing to see-
-they turn, leave, re-enter the thick bush. And now-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS- who knows where it is but it's there-
-watching Patterson.
HOLD BRIEFLY on The Darkness, then-
CUT TO
PATTERSON'S TENT AREA. JUST BEFORE DAWN-
-outside the fence a dreadful sound- the crunching of bones.
Patterson, Redbeard, and Samuel emerge from tents, listen.
Patterson is on one side of the area, Redbeard and Samuel on the
other.
SAMUEL
(pointing)
Both of them over there.
He is pointing to Patterson's area. Patterson goes to Redbeard.
PATTERSON
Ever have to use a machan?
(Redbeard hasn't)
I did once. In India. We will
tonight.
(Now from that-)
CUT TO
A CLEARING. LATER IN THE DAY.
Patterson leads the few remaining men in constructing an odd
looking structure: four slender poles lashed together, slanting
inward with a plank tied on top, a dozen feet up in the air.
Redbeard and Samuel approach.
PATTERSON
They're used to people in trees,
not in a clearing.
(indicating the plank)
It may be tight.
REDBEARD
Not for me- I'm too bulky and it's
your idea, you go up there.
(to Samuel)
Take the others to the water tower
for the night.
PATTERSON
I'll be bait alone?
REDBEARD
Yes. And I'll be in some distant
tree where I can provide no
assistance whatsoever.
(beat)
Can you control your fear?
PATTERSON
I'll have to.
REDBEARD
I can't control mine- I'd be lost
without the shame factor driving me.
PATTERSON
Was that supposed to make me feel
better?
(Redbeard doesn't
reply. Now-)
CUT TO
A DONKEY BEING LED IN. LATER.
THE MEN start to tie it down, across the clearing from the machan.
Patterson takes a long look at the machan. He tests the support
poles- they're rickety.
CUT TO
DUSK. The sun quickly beginning its quick fall.
CUT TO
THE WATER TOWER IN THE STATION AREA. Samuel is with the remaining
men who clamber up to the platform on top.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY IN THE CLEARING. Quiet.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
Redbeard, holding a wooden ladder that is propped against the
plank. Patterson climbs his slow way up. It's dangerous.
CUT TO
THE PLANK as Patterson makes it, clambers off the ladder, manages
to sit.
CUT TO
THE VIEW. Nothing is around the machan. He is totally vulnerable.
CUT TO
REDBEARD, taking the ladder down. Patterson tries to get
comfortable. He can't.
REDBEARD
(glancing around)
It's certainly the best chance
they've had to kill you.
PATTERSON
You think they'll come then?
(Redbeard does)
Why?
REDBEARD
(not answering)
Good luck.
PATTERSON
Why?
REDBEARD
(beat)
Because I think they're after you.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. This registers. Finally, he nods. Redbeard starts to
leave.
PATTERSON
How many do you think they've
killed?
REDBEARD
(reluctantly)
The most of any lions... a
hundred...?
(beat)
Probably more.
(Now Redbeard looks
up at the younger man)
Johnny...?
They study each other in the gathering darkness. They've been
through a lot together, these two. They're not what they were when
they first met. An emotional moment clearly is at hand.
REDBEARD
Don't fuck up.
(And he turns, never
looks back, just goes)
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He is alone now.
CUT TO
SHADOWS. Growing longer.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. On top of the water tower. The remaining men are with him.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. It peers around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. His fingers move slowly along his rifle barrel-
-there is no noise- but you have the sense that, at any second,
the world could explode.
CUT TO
THE EDGE OF THE CLEARING, a good distance away. A bunch of trees.
Nothing unusual.
MOVE IN CLOSER:
Redbeard, motionless, rifle in hand, is high in the branches.
CUT TO
THE SUN. About to die.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, trying to get comfortable. It's not possible.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY, tethered, but able to move.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, testing the machan- not a good idea- it trembles. He
stops, stares out at the setting sun, the light hitting his skin,
giving it color.
CUT TO
THE SUN and here's the thing about Africa- the sun doesn't just
set, it literally drops out of the sky. Suddenly it's bright and
in a blink it isn't. As it drops-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. It's madness that he's up here. And he knows
it. And that shows.
CUT TO
THE SKY. No moon. Just thick cloud.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. Quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. On his precarious perch. He scans constantly ahead of
him past the donkey.
CUT TO
THE THICK BUSH BEYOND THE DONKEY. Nothing moves-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He swallows, moistening his throat. He stares down at
the donkey.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. LATER. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. DARK.
And now, just the beginning of a mist.
CUT TO
THE SKY. THICKER AND THICKER CLOUDS. LATER STILL. GETTING TOWARD
MORNING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON sitting there twelve feet up as the silence extends,
listening for something, anything-
-but all there is is silence.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY. It lies still and quiet.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, looking around- you get the feeling he'd like to
scream.
CUT TO
THE BUSHES AROUND HIM. The mist is getting stronger.
CUT TO
REDBEARD in his tree, cursing, trying to see through the growing
mist.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, listening, listening-
-and then there is a sound and it's so quiet you can barely hear
it but to Patterson it might as well be thunder-
-from behind the donkey there has come this: the snapping of a
twig.
CUT TO
THE DONKEY, and it's eyes widen-
HOLD ON THE DONKEY.
Because now something happens that hasn't happened before:
suddenly there are no colors, only tones-
-because lions can't see colors, only tones, and that's what's
happening- we are looking at the donkey from the point of view of
the lion-
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
THE EYES OF THE GHOST. Watching the donkey.
And from now on, when we are using PATTERSON'S POINT OF VIEW,
everything is clouded and thick with mist, and sounds are muted.
When we are using THE GHOST'S POINT OF VIEW, everything is totally
clear- and sounds are thunderous.
CUT TO
WHAT PATTERSON SEES: just mist and vaguely, bushes.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: The donkey. And CAMERA begins to move closer
as The Ghost moves, just the barest few steps closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Still no sound- but beyond the donkey there seems to be
some movement in the bushes.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: The donkey, very, very close-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Squinting desperately at the area beyond the donkey but
the mist is so thick, he can't make certain of anything.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: THE DONKEY.
HOLD.
Now there is something else visible, something behind the donkey:
the four legs of the platform.
HOLD.
Now we travel up the platform- the four legs grow closer together.
HOLD AS THE GHOST AT LAST SEES PATTERSON.
CUT TO
THE EYES OF THE GHOST. NARROWING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Involuntarily, a shiver.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, but the angle shifts-
-what's happening of course is this: The Ghost is circling around
the platform in the safety of the bushes and the mist.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, following the whispered sound of the bushes moving. He
half turns the other way quickly, making sure that nothing is
behind him.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON shifting as the angle continues to
change.
CUT TO
PATTERSON as the realization hits: the beast doesn't care about
the donkey anymore, it's stalking him.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. In the tree. The mist obscures everything.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Still circling, still closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and it's scary now, this thing circling and circling,
always closer, never visible and his throat is dry and you know
he's just dying to blast it with his weapon or scream for it to do
anything but this constantly circling movement. (In truth, the
lion circled him for two hours, always coming closer, never quite
seen.)
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, always the circling around.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, trying to turn on his shaky plank, trying to never to
let the animal's position out of his sight.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer...
CUT TO
PATTERSON, staring, staring at the goddamn mist, about to come
apart now with the tension as it builds and builds and builds and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, gripping his weapon tightly as his head keeps on
turning.
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON. Closer.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly yelling out loud as an owl lands on him-
that's right, a goddamn owl landed on him, thinking he was a tree,
almost knocking him off the plank and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, starting to slip off the platform
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, fighting the owl away, but his balance is going and
he's trying not to fall and
CUT TO
WHAT THE GHOST SEES: PATTERSON, beginning to topple off and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, helpless, balance going, going-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, starting to charge forward and Christ he can move and
as he starts his leap-
CUT TO
REDBEARD, racing from the tree to the edge of the clearing, firing
his rifle, firing again and
CUT TO
THE GHOST, as this incredible roar comes from him, and he spins,
lands, and sure, he's been hit but he's gone, back into the bushes
and the night has him and
CUT TO
SUDDEN DAWN AND PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, running, stopping, staring
at the ground-
CUT TO
THE GROUND. Blood.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD, moving quickly forward again-
CUT TO
THE GROUND. More blood and...
CUT TO
THE TWO OF THEM, starting to slow-
CUT TO
STRANGE TERRAIN- huge anthills all over, the tallest we've seen,
some of them fifteen feet high, some even higher.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND REDBEARD. They separate, take different paths
through the anthills.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. Alert. One step at a time.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. The same. One step at at time.
CUT TO
THE GHOST. Crouched high up behind one of the biggest anthills,
staring down at them both.
CUT TO
REDBEARD. He gestures for them to stop. They do. For a moment they
might be statues.
CUT TO
THE ROCKY GROUND. Spots of blood. Redbeard kneels to examine them
and as he does-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, launched in mid-air and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, whirling, falling, firing and as the sound detonates-
CUT TO
THE GHOST, in mid-air, body twisted and-
-and FREEZE.
Freeze on The Ghost silhouetted against the morning sky.
HOLD. THen-
CUT TO
SAMUEL, WALKING INTO THE SHOT-
-we're by the river and this is a repeat of the earlier moment
when the three men brought the old man-eater into camp-
-only now eight men appear, carrying The Ghost- eight is the
actual number of men that it took, and as they lower the dead
animal to the ground-
CUT TO
THE GHOST- and now there's a flash of light as we
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
BEAUMONT, kneeling by the dead animal. He is smiling beautifully,
and there is no questioning the look of triumph on his face.
CUT TO
A PHOTOGRAPHER; loads of bulky equipment. Patterson and Redbeard
stand behind him, watching him. We're in a lovely spot by the
river. Patterson and Redbeard have definitely been drinking.
BEAUMONT
I think another for posterity-
this is an important moment in
my life.
He strikes another pose- the Photographer goes to work.
BEAUMONT
Understand, I had help-
PATTERSON
-not a time for modesty, Bob-
REDBEARD
-undeniably your triumph.
BEAUMONT
Oh surely there's enough credit
for us all- let's not forget, you
did the actual shooting. Of course,
I hired you, I was the general who
put the team together. And generals
are the ones who tend to be
remembered.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Perhaps you might put your head in
its mouth, sir- could be a corker.
BEAUMONT
Clever idea, I like it.
CUT TO
THE MOUTH OF THE GHOST- it is huge-
-Beaumont manages to get it open- puts his head between the
enormous set of teeth- he's nervous, tries to hide it when we
CUT TO
REDBEARD suddenly giving a loud imitation of a lion roaring and
CUT TO
BEAUMONT, surprised and frightened-
-he jerks his head away-
-there is the sound of laughter, Patterson's and Redbeard's-
-Beaumont tries for his smile, can't bring it off, looks around,
humiliated, and as the laughter builds-
CUT TO
THE TENT AREA. NIGHT.
Patterson and Redbeard flank a fire. It's a sweet moment for them,
their first, no fear in the vicinity.
It should be noted that they both are drinking from bottles of
champagne.
It should also be noted that the Patterson we see is a world away
from the young man who went to meet Beaumont. He's unshaven, his
eyes have seen terrible things, he is weary, he has known failure-
he is more at ease with the world.
PATTERSON
(drunk)
I never thought I'd say this, but
I'm glad you came.
REDBEARD
(drunk)
Understood- you realize now you
could never have done it without
me.
PATTERSON
Actually, I could have done it
much more easily without you, but
for whatever reason, I'm glad you
came.
(They toast each other)
Samuel, with his own bottle of champagne has wandered over, joins
them.
SAMUEL
(drunk)
Where do you go next?
REDBEARD
Some Russian princes want to hunt
the Himalayas. You?
SAMUEL
Help finish the railroad.
PATTERSON
I want to meet my son- he must be
what, two months old?
They look at the fire a moment. Then-
SAMUEL
Three years I've worked for the
railroad. Now I don't know why. It
seemed a good idea once.
PATTERSON
I feel the same about the bridge.
This country certainly didn't ask
for it, doesn't need it.
REDBEARD
Too soon to tell.
They look at him.
REDBEARD
My life was shaped because someone
invented gunpowder. Our lives have
crossed because two lions went mad.
But what if in the future the three
of us do something grand for
humanity? Was that worth all the
lives? Too soon to tell.
SAMUEL
(drinks)
Some mysteries should not have
solutions.
REDBEARD
(finishes his bottle,
rises, looks at Patterson)
Hold your son high.
(And he turns, goes
to his tent)
PATTERSON
(beat- quietly)
He has children?
SAMUEL
(beat- quietly)
Once...
(HOLD on the two
in the firelight. Then-)
CUT TO
THE STATION MASTER AT TSAVO STATION, WORKING IN HIS OFFICE. THE
NEXT DAY.
FEMALE VOICE (over)
I'd like to see John Patterson,
please.
(As he looks up-)
CUT TO
HELENA standing there in Tsavo; she looks weary from travel, but
still lovely. She holds their son in her arms. The kid is
adorable.
HELENA
Could you tell him that his wife-
(catches herself, smiles)
-that his family has come to see him.
(On that-)
CUT TO
PATTERSON AT THE BRIDGE- Samuel hurries to him with the news-
Patterson takes off running and
CUT TO
TSAVO STATION and Helena; she holds the sleeping child, walks back
and forth along the shaded front of the building, no sound at all
but her heels.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, running like crazy and up ahead now is the station
area.
CUT TO
HELENA- and now, in the distance, she sees him and she leaves the
building, walks out into the open, smiling and waving excitedly
and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, excitedly waving back and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, moving out of the grassy area behind Helena and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly screaming "Get back- back-"
CUT TO
HELENA, and she's too far away- his words are lost on the wind-
she smiles again, waves again and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, screaming now, all he has, "GET BACK" and
CUT TO
HELENA, and she still can't make out what he's saying but just the
same, she stops and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, stalking silently, closing on the mother and child.
CUT TO
HELENA, and the baby wakes, smiles and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, starting to run and
CUT TO
PATTERSON and now it shows on his face- he's not going to get
there, he's never going to get there-
CUT TO
HELENA, and at last she knows something is terribly wrong and she
turns-
-but too late, too late as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, flying toward her now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, in agony.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, leaping on them, taking them to the ground and as
Helena cries out helplessly-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, crying out helplessly and
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON IN HIS TENT,
continuing to cry out until he realized the nightmare he just had
is over-
-he staggers to his tent opening, goes outside.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE. It's dawn. Patterson, shaken, tries to rid himself of the
dream. He looks around.
Redbeard's tent is ripped- Patterson runs to it-
CUT TO
INSIDE THE TENT. It's empty. Patterson stares around-
-there is blood on the tent floor and quickly-
CUT TO
THE SUN. RISING.
CUT TO
PATTERSON running wildly, rifle in hand and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, carrying a weapon, hurrying to keep up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, flying across rough terrain and as he and Samuel splash
across a small river, he gestures for them to split and they do,
widening the area of search and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, veering off and
CUT TO
THORN TREES, as Patterson rips through them, unmindful of the
damage to his clothes or his skin and
CUT TO
MORE THORNS- he plunges wildly ahead and
CUT TO
A LARGE ANTHILL- it seems to be casting an unusual shadow-
Patterson slows, rifle ready, takes a breath, moves around it-
-nothing at all- just his imagination which has been working
overtime and is only getting worse-
Patterson stands there a moment, unsure where to go, what to do-
-and then SAMUEL'S VOICE on the wind- calling to him-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, tracking the sound- Samuel's voice cries out again,
louder-
-Patterson starts to run and run, and as he rounds a bend-
CUT TO
A FIELD OF WHITE GRASS. So lovely.
With one patch in the middle that is blood red.
Something is moving in the blood red area.
Patterson has his rifle ready-
-and then Samuel rises from the blood red patch.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. In shock, in despair, call it what you want- he has seen
something beyond imagination.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, rushing across the field of white grass, rushing to
where Samuel stands in the patch of blood red grass- he looks down
into the grass-
-clearly, Redbeard is there and clearly he is dead. Patterson and
Samuel stare mute at one another-
-and now, from frighteningly near them, comes the triumphant roar
of The Darkness. They don't even react.
CUT TO
FLAMES RISING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON.
We should already have a sense of where we are; we've done this
before.
START PULLING BACK.
Samuel stands there, trying to hold it together.
KEEP PULLING BACK.
Patterson stands there too, trying to hold it together.
KEEP PULLING BACK TO REVEAL
REDBEARD'S FUNERAL PYRE. Flames consume the body.
Just Patterson and Samuel. No one else is there.
The flames lick at the sky...
HOLD...
CUT TO
A LARGE BABOON. ONE LEG IS TIED TO THE END OF THE BRIDGE. GETTING
DARK NOW.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, both armed, climbing the crane tower in use
at the bridge, not far from the baboon.
PATTERSON
You're positive lions hate baboons?
(Samuel is)
Pebbles?
(Samuel holds up a bag)
Let's get it over with.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL as they reach the crane tower platform,
fifteen feet from the baboon.
They help each other into position. Almost night.
CUT TO
THE LARGE BABOON, baring its enormous teeth, shrieking out into
the darkness.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL on the platform. Samuel tosses a pebble
toward the baboon and the baboon cries out again, not in pain but
irritation-
CUT TO
THE PLATFORM. PATTERSON AND SAMUEL ARE FLOODED BY MOONLIGHT. IT'S
THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
They're both tired. Samuel throws another pebble. The baboon cries
out.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, TENSE, ON THE PLATFORM. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
He's tossing pebbles now as Samuel dozes. Paterson looks wild;
only nervous energy is keeping him going now.
CUT TO
THE SKY. The moon. Peaceful- then it turns bright yellow and
frightening black clouds gather and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, blinking, coming hard back to reality because the sky
is not yellow nor were there black clouds- he's starting to
hallucinate.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL ON THE PLATFORM.
Samuel is awake now. Patterson stares at the river which is calm.
CUT TO
THE RIVER, raging and black and lethal.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, hallucinating again.
CUT TO
JUST BEFORE DAWN
and The Darkness suddenly is there, creeping across the bridge
toward the shrieking baboon and the instant it appears-
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Firing-
CUT TO
-THE DARKNESS, and it's hit and it roars and goes down and-
CUT TO
-PATTERSON, turning, reaching for Samuel's rifle, grabbing it,
turning back, ready to fire again-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS- gone.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL, blinking, looking around.
PATTERSON
Where is it?
SAMUEL
(pointing down)
Underneath.
(beat)
Somewhere.
CUT TO
WHERE HE'S POINTING. The superstructure for the bridge- it goes
several levels beneath the level where the railroad will run.
They look at each other- not good news and we find out why when we
CUT TO
EARLY MORNING LIGHT.
Patterson and Samuel climb carefully down from their platform to
the railroad level. They reach the railroad level. PAtterson
releases the baboon which races away.
CUT TO
WHERE THEY ARE. At the end of the bridge where they began
construction. The bridge, two thirds finished, stretches away
before them.
CUT TO
They begin to walk the incomplete bridge... carefully...
..as they go the look down through the crevices of their level,
making sure they miss nothing.
CUT TO
SAMUEL. Terrified. Holding his rifle extremely tightly.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Ready for anything.
CUT TO
THE BRIDGE up ahead of them. There are some holes.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL slowing.
CUT TO
THE HOLES. The nearest one is the largest.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He goes on tiptoe, trying to see what's in the hole.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. It seems empty.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL. One step forward. Another. They hold their
breaths.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. It seems empty.
CUT TO
A SHOT FROM BELOW BRIDGE LEVEL- The Darkness is there.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, firing.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, going down through another level of scaffolding.
CUT TO
PATTRSON AND SAMUEL, trying to track it.
CUT TO
THE SCAFFOLDING. Nothing is visible.
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND SAMUEL- Frozen. They listen-
-nothing but their breathing.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, looking around everywhere.
CUT TO
THE HOLE. Nothing.
CUT TO
THE FIRST LEVEL of scaffolding. Nothing.
CUT TO
THE SECOND LEVEL of scaffolding. Nothing.
CUT TO
SAMUEL, looking this way, that way.
SHOCK CUT TO
THE HOLE AS THE DARKNESS JUST FUCKING FLIES OUT OF IT- Patterson
falls back and fires and The Darkness is hit and goes down but it
gets up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, turning for Samuel's rifle-
-only Samuel isn't there-
-he's taken off for the trees at the end of the bridge and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS ROARING AND
CUT TO
PATTERSON and he turns, starts running too, running across the
narrow half-completed bridge and it's a bitch to do it without
slipping or falling and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, wounded, sure, but the mother can still run and it
takes off after Patterson and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, making it to the end of the bridge and jumping for the
nearest tree and
CUT TO
PATTERSON running for his life across the bridge and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, closing the gap and ordinarily Patterson would be a
dead man but even though The Darkness hasn't got its ordinary
speed, it's still faster than Patterson and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and he's never gone this fast in his life and
CUT TO
THE TREE HE'S HEADED FOR, a different one from Samuel's and it's
just up ahead and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, closing and
CUT TO
THE TREE, and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, springing into the air now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, diving for the lowest branch, grabbing hold with both
hands, swinging his body up as we
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, barely missing as Patterson gets his body onto the
branch and now comes this insane roar and
CUT TO
SAMUEL with his rifle, as he climbs higher into his tree.
CUT TO
PATTERSON in the next tree, climbing higher, until he's fifteen
feet up.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, on the ground, circling the trunk of Patterson's
tree, raging with frustration.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, exhausted but it's okay now, he's safe, and as he looks
across at the next tree not far away where Samuel is-
SAMUEL
(embarrassed)
Afraid of lions.
CUT TO
PATTERSON.
PATTERSON
It's all right, Samuel- we all
get hit-
(Now he shuts up
fast and-)
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, as it does this incredible thing- it starts to climb
the tree after Patterson. Lions are cats and when they want to
climb, up they go and that's what The Darkness is doing now, going
up and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, and it's terrifying- he reaches for the branch above,
climbing higher and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, climbing higher too and the tree is sturdy but there
is a four hundred pound thing rocking it now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, going still higher but the branches are getting thinner
and the tree is shaking, and he could fall-
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, climbing on, nothing can stop it-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE DARKNESS, together in the tree, and there's no
further Patterson can go and it's harder for The Darkness too, but
slowly it moves in and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, calling out-
PATTERSON
Samuel!
(And he gestures for
the rifle and the
instant he does-)
CUT TO
SAMUEL, and he takes the rifle between his two hands and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, steadily moving in and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, tossing the rifle with great care and Patterson's less
than fifteen feet away and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, hands out to catch it and
CUT TO
THE RIFLE in mid-air and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, both hands ready and
CUT TO
THE RIFLE as it strikes a tree branch, spins away to the ground.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, almost on Patterson now and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, suddenly leaping out of the tree, and yes it's a long
way and sure it's going to damage him but sometimes there aren't a
lot of choices in this world and
CUT TO
SAMUEL, staring as Patterson falls and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, crashing hard to earth, stunned, hurt, ribs broken, leg
broken and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and it's so big it's hard for it to get room to turn
but it does and
CUT TO
PATTERSON crawling for the rifle, and he's in terrible pain but he
reaches the weapon, grabs for it and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, skittering down the tree and as it reaches the
ground
CUT TO
PATTERSON, forcing himself to his feet and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, a dozen feet away as with a roar it starts its
charge.
CUT TO
PATTERSON, aims, fires and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, hit again and down it goes again but up it comes
again and
CUT TO
PATTERSON, firing the final shot and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, hit again and it has to stop, it just has to-
-but it doesn't.
It roars and roars and moves slowly toward Patterson.
CUT TO
PATTERSON; all bullets gone, no place to hide.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS. Still moving forward.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He takes a step backward, falls backwards over a
branch, lands hard and
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, framed between Patterson's legs. Six feet away, now
four, now-
CUT TO
PATTERSON, helpless on the ground.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, and the eyes glow-
-a branch is on the ground in front of it- it buries its huge
teeth into the branch-
-now a long dying sigh... and it goes to the ground.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. Can't breathe.
CUT TO
THE DARKNESS, dead, its teeth still buried in the tree branch.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. CLOSE UP. And suddenly he just empties and tears pour
down his face and he begins to cry out loud, his body wracked with
sobs. He manages to get to his knees, moves next to the animal-
CUT TO
PATTERSON AND THE DARKNESS. Just the sound of Patterson's tears...
HOLD.
KEEP HOLDING.
CAMERA BEGINS TO RISE-
-WE ARE LOOKING AT THE BRIDGE NOW- AND IT'S FINISHED!
-hundreds of people are watching as the first train goes oer it-
-Samuel is there- lighting up the world with his smile-
-and Patterson's there, too. He stands with Helena, his young son
in his arms.
Everybody smiles, everybody waves, the train goes triumphantly by.
CUT TO
PATTERSON. He looks wonderful again, vibrant and young. Watching
him, you might think he hadn't been through the nightmare as he
stands there, holding the boy tightly.
But with his other hand, he fingers the lion claw necklace...
HOLD ON PATTERSON.
Now slowly dissolve to an African evening. Animals stretch from
one horizon to the other.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Here we still wonder about them.
How did they escape for nine months?
And kill 135 men? And stop the
railroad?
(beat)
And were they only lions?
(beat)
If you want to decide for yourself,
you must go to America. They are at
the Field Museum in Chicago, and
even now, after they have been dead
a century, if you dare to lock eyes
with them...
(beat)
...you will be afraid.
In the distance, the animals continue to move.
SAMUEL VOICE (over)
Sleep well.
HOLD ON THE ANIMALS. They seem to go on forever...
FINAL FADE OUT.
THE END |
GHOST RIDER
Written by
David S. Goyer
Based on the Marvel Comics character
First draft
April 11th, 2001
EXT. HIGH PLAINS - HILLSIDE - DAY
A COYOTE lopes through shimmering heat waves. The sky above
is a cloudless blue.
WOMAN (V.O.)
My Father used to say that the only way
Evil came into your life was if you
invited it. I'm not sure about that, at
least not anymore. What I cLQ know is
this: we are born alone, and we die
alone, and what happens in between is all
that matters. The choices we make, the
people whose paths we cross -- these are
the things that determine our fate.
The coyote ducks through a hole in a chain-link fence, weaves
through the rusted ruins of a --
DERELICT AMUSEMENT PARK
Broken-down rides, weed-clogged machinery, sideshow trailers
bleached bone-white.
WOMAN (V.0.) (CONT'D)
Most stories start with a beginning. His
began with an ending. I never knew where
he really came from. I guess it's not
important anymore. All I know is that
he'd been running his entire life.
Running for so long that he no longer
knew whether he was running away from
SOMETHING --
The coyote reaches a steep ridge, looks out over a patchy
Southwestern town.
WOMAN (V.0.) (CONT'D)
-- or towards it.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. BAD IRON BIKE REPAIR - DAY
Sparks, noise, metal and grime. JOHN BLAZE (30s, ruggedly
handsome) is running late. He sprints across the workshop
floor, shedding his welder's kit as he heads for the time clock.
CLUNK! He punches out -- but LITTLE MIKE (50s, trailer trash
fast) has caught him in the act.
LITTLE MIKE
where do you chink you're going, Blaze?
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
BLAZE
Sick, cutting out early.
LITTLE MIKE
The hell you are!
Blaze jumps on his bike - a muscular, battered BSA.
LITTLE MIKE (CONT'D)
Get back to work or your ass is fired!
BLAZE
Aaa n? You say that every time.
Blaze kicks-starts the bike. It ROARS thunderously.
LITTLE MIKE
(over the noise)
Well I mean it this time!
BLAZE
(gunning the throttle)
See you tomorrow, Little Mike!
The bike HOWLS, hauls up on its back wheel. Screams out the
shop leaving Little Mike holding his ears. The other workers
WHOOP and HOLLER, especially when Blaze snags a pair of BOLT-
CUTTERS from a passing tool rack on the fly.
EXT. BAD IRON SHOP YARD/DIRT ROAD - DAY
Blaze skids out of the yard, matching speed with a pickup
which is just passing by. COOP is driving. JED and MURPHY
are LAUGHING in back. Clearly, they're friends with Blaze.
JED
(SHOUTING)
Skin of your teeth, man!
MURPHY
(tapping his watch)
Yeah, we're on a tight schedule!
BLAZE
So what are you waiting for?
Blaze burns away, leaving the pickup for dust.
CUT TO:
3.
EXT. HIGH PLAINS - DAY
A FREIGHT TRAIN thunders across the landscape. To the East
Blaze and the pickup are coming on an intercept course.
Blaze reaches the train first, climbs the gravel incline to
the tracks. Matches its speed, pulls up alongside a bolted
container car. He reaches back, pulls the cutters from his
saddles bags --
-- and skillfully chops the lock with one hand. The heavy
iron door slides open, pulled back by it's own inertia.
Blaze throws the cutters inside, peels away --
-- and comes back with a vengeance, throttled to the max. He
jams the front brake on at the last possible moment --
The bike cartwheels. Tail over head. Pulls a complete three-
sixty up into the car --
INSIDE THE CAR
-- and lands perfectly, screeching to a halt. Blaze WHOOPS
his exhilaration. And if you don't believe this, watch
extreme motocross as we CUT TO:
THE OPPOSITE DOOR
being wrenched aside, revealing Coop's pickup holding steady
alongside the train. Jed and Murphy ride the cargo bed like
surfers.
Blaze starts tossing boxes out of the car and into the truck.
Jed and Murphy stack `em and rack `em. We get glimpses of
the loot: CD Players, VCRs, personal packages, luggage --
JED
Christ, Mickey was right on the money!
BLAZE
Car twenty-two!
MURPHY
(LAUGHING)
Candy from a baby!
The boxes keep coming, like baggage at the airport. Some
boxes miss the mark, fall short, get mangled. A box bursts
against Murphy's chest, engulfs him in an explosion of paper
and polystyrene beads. The others howl with LAUGHTER, riding
high on this Great Train Robbery as -
- ( C O N T I NUED)
4.
CONTINUED:
-- Blaze hears something, looks over his shoulder. He SEES a
POLICE CRUISER, far in the distance, burning towards them.
BLAZE
Thank you gentlemen, that's it for today!
Jed bangs on the cab roof. Coop waves. Jed and Murphy
salute. The pickup peels away. Blaze retrieves his bike.
Stands it back up, kicks it alive, guns the throttle and --
-- cold jumps straight out of the car. Seconds later he's
powering away, ripping up a storm, chasing the pickup towards
the horizon.
Far, far behind, the police are still coming.
CUT TO:
INT. SIMPSON HOME - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
CHUCK AND RITA SIMPSON (50s) are eating Chinese food with
their daughter, ROXANNE (20s) and Blaze. Roxanne is
beautiful, easygoing. She's also seven months pregnant.
The Simpsons are simple, working-class folk. Judging by the
strained atmosphere, it's evident that they don't care too
much for Blaze.
RITA
(TO CHUCK)
Hon, would you pass me the vegetables.
Chuck obliges, takes a drink of his beer, nods to Blaze.
CHUCK
So how're things going at the shop, John?
BLAZE
(scarfing down his food)
Good, good.
CHUCK
(not buying it)
Yeah? Cause Mike says you've been
slacking off, horsing around.
ROXANNE
(annoyed, protective)
DALD __
BLAZE
(ALL SMILES)
It's okay, Rox.
(CONTINUED)
S.
CONTINUED:
Blaze sets his fork down, wipes his mouth with his napkin.
Conjures up his best earnest look.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Truth is, Mr. Simpson, I've been thinking
about clearing out of there. Maybe
opening up a shop of my own --
Roxanne raises an eyebrow at this. News to her.
BLAZE (CONT' D)
See, I've been saving up. You know, for
the baby and all. And I--
DOORBELL. Roxanne rises to get it.
CHUCK
You were saying?
BLAZE
(distracted, looking to the
DOOR)
Right, so anyway --
ROXANNE (O. S . )
JOHN --
Blaze looks over. Two Sheriff's Deputies, LUCAS COLE and
RICK GEORGE, are standing in the doorway. Roxanne looks
pissed -- like this isn't the first time this has happened.
Blaze stands, approaches. Clearly, he knows them both.
BLAZE
(cocky, wary)
Lucas. Rick.
COLE
Johnny. We'd like you to come down the
station.
Their demeanor is hard. Won't take "no" for an answer.
BLAZE
(INSOLENT)
Can I finish eating?
Nope. Blaze squirms, feels Roxanne's eyes on him. He turns
to her, tries to explain.
(CONTINUED)
6.
CONTINUED: (2)
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Don't worry, hon. It's just routine --
ROXANNE
(TERSE)
It is by now. Just let me know if you're
staying overnight.
She goes back to her dinner.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Blaze enters. The apartment is dark- TV flickers. Roxanne
is sleeping on the couch. On the coffee table: Chinese
leftovers, fortune cookies.
BLAZE
Hey.
She's sound asleep. He crouches, touches her face.
BLAZE (CONT' D)
Hey.
Roxanne barely stirs, deeply groggy.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Everything's cool.
ROXANNE
(SLURRED)
You're going to jail.
BLAZE
No. No. Everything's okay. Jed and
Murph just got a little boisterous at The
Prairie Dog last night. Cops wanted to
read us the riot act, that's all --
She yawns, curls up, starts to drift away again.
ROXANNE
I was worried about you. And I don't
like your friends.
But Blaze won't let her go back to sleep. He jostles her.
BLAZE
Listen, I want to show you something --
(CONTINUED)
7
CONTINUED:
ROXANNE
I'm sure you do. But I'm half-asleep and
you're an ass-hole.
BLAZE
I'm serious, Rox. This is important.
He drags her up off the couch. Makes her stand up. She
MOANS, scowls, but he gets her on her feet.
ROXANNE
John, I have to go to work tomorrow
BLAZE
(offers her coat)
Put your coat on. You'll be glad you
did. Promise. It'll be an adventure. A
mystery tour.
ROXANNE
This better be good.
She stomps to the bathroom. Blaze chuckles inwardly. Steals
a fortune cookie from the left-overs, snaps it open --
The fortune is blank. Both sides. He tosses it away.
CUT TO:
COYOTE EYES
glittering black, watching.
ROXANNE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Alright, I'm here. Now what?
EXT. DERELICT AMUSEMENT PARK - NIGHT
Blaze and Roxanne creep through a hole in the outer fence,
making their way to --
BLAZE
Keep going. It's just up there.
A BROKEN-DOWN CAROUSEL
Must have been magnificent in its day.
ROXANNE
I'm not riding one of those stupid
horses.
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED:
BLAZE
You don't have to ride, just climb up.
She steps up onto the wooden platform, smiles back at him.
ROXANNE
You're going to have to grow up one day,
Johnny Blaze.
BLAZE
Not if I can help it.
He follows her up onto the ride. She weaves through the
wooden animals. Starting to enjoy this secret adventure.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Keep going, keep going --
She comes around the other side, catches her breath. The
whole valley is spread out before her -- a glorious scatter
of diamonds on velvet.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Uh-oh.
ROXANNE
(TURNING BACK)
What?
BLAZE
Ever hear of a carnival wedding?
Roxanne shakes her head. Blaze is fiddling with a crisp, new
dollar bill, folding it, making something.
BLAZE (CONT' D)
If a man and a woman walk around a
carousel going backwards, they're
considered hitched.
ROXANNE
You made that up.
BLAZE
Swear to God.
He finishes folding the bill. The "one" is now neatly set on
top of an ORIGAMI WEDDING BAND like a paper jewel.
BLAZE (CONT' D)
You want this?
(CONTINUED)
9
CONTINUED: (2)
She nods, offering her hand. He slips the ring onto her
finger and she examines it, lit up inside.
ROXANNE
It's beautiful.
He smiles at her joy, wrestles with what he's about to say.
BLAZE
How'd I ever find you?
ROXANNE
(SHRUGGING)
Fate?
BLAZE
I don't believe in fate.
ROXANNE
Maybe it believes in you.
They hug each other fiercely. A long, soulful embrace.
Blaze looks to the city lights beneath them once more.
ROXANNE (CONT ' D)
Here's the thing, John. We're having a
baby. You can't keep acting like
everything's a game. I need you with me.
I need to know I'll be able to wake up in
the morning and see your face next to
mine. Not have to worry that you spent
the night in jail.
(BEAT)
That's not a life. At least not one I'm
interested in living.
BLAZE
I know. I'm gonna get my shit together.
For Leal, this time,
(EARNEST)
I promise you, Rox. I'll always be there
for you.
She takes his hand and places it on her belly.
ROXANNE
Don't promise me, promise her.
THE COYOTE
blinks. THUNDER from the next scene prelaps as we
CUT TO:
10.
INT. BLAZE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
WHAM! Blaze enters, drenched from head to toe, frantic.
Roxanne's arms are filled with laundry.
BLAZE
We gotta go. Get your stuff together.
ROXANNE
What happened? What's wrong?
Roxanne follows Blaze into the bedroom.
ROXANNE (CONT'D)
What did you do?
BLAZE
I fucked up. The police are coming.
Grab your things. We have to go.
She sags, clearly been through this before. He tosses a
suitcase onto the bed, looks back at her.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Just do it, Rox!
FOLLOWING BLAZE
as he storms into the bathroom. Reaches behind the high
cistern, retrieves a hidden HANDGUN. He jumps down. Tears
the side panel off the old bath tub. There's a stack of FLAT
BLACK BOXES hidden within. Blaze drags them out, drops one -
It pops open, spilling UNCUT DIAMONDS all over the floor.
Blaze CURSES, struggles to gather up the loot.
ROXANNE (O.S.)
Jesus, Johnny --
ON ROXANNE
standing in the doorway. She sawit all.
EXT. BLAZE'S APARTMENT - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Rain hammers down. SIRENS whine. Blaze shoves Roxanne and
the suitcase into a beat-up El Camino.
INT. EL CAMINO - NIGHT
Blaze climbs behind the wheel, guns the engine even before
Roxanne has buckled in. He gnashes into reverse, grinds the
car into a backwards spin --
11.
EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT
-- nearly clipping another car pulling in. He jumps the curb
and races off into the rain --
INT. EL CAMINO - NIGHT
-- passing a POLICE CAR coming the other way. Roxanne
glances at Blaze, angry and disappointed.
Blaze struggles. The rain. The wipers. The fogging
windshield. It's a bad time to be Johnny Blaze.
BLAZE
Fuck.
BLAZE'S REAR-VIEW MIRROR POV:
The cop car is turning, heading back in their direction.
ROXANNE
JOHN --
Blaze floors the gas. The speedometer leaps.
EXT. RURAL ROAD - NIGHT
The EL Camino screams through the rain, with the cop car in
dogged pursuit. TWO MORE POLICE CARS fall in behind them.
INT. EL CAMINO - NIGHT
Blaze fights to keep it together. The road ahead is
dangerously winding. Tires SQUEAL as he hauls a sketchy turn.
Roxanne gasps, fearful, bracing herself. The police are
gaining. FLASHING LIGHTS flood the interior.
ROXANNE
Slow down, John --
Another sketchy turn. Blaze spins the wheel, brakes, hard.
Too hard. The car hydroplanes, finds purchase --
ROXANNE (CONT ' D )
SLOW DOWN!
LIGHTNING flashes, and suddenly, there's a
COYOTE
or, the road, right in their path.
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED:
Blaze jerks the wheel. Roxanne SCREAMS. The car skids,
slews off the road, CRASHES through a guard rail --
It plunges down a washout, flips end over end, shedding glass
and wreckage, finally SLAMMING to a dead stop at the bottom
of a rocky arroyo.
INSIDE THE EL CAMINO
Blaze stirs, blood streaming down his face. The windshield
is blown open. Rain pours in.
BLAZE
Roxanne --?
He struggles to free himself from his seat, SEES a torn seat
belt hanging beside him -- the passenger seat mr)ty.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Roxanne?!
EXT. ARROYO - NIGHT
Blaze scrambles out through the broken windshield. Falls off
the wreck onto the steep, muddy incline. He tries to stand,
can barely manage to crawl.
BLAZE
(terror seizing him)
ROXANNE!!!
ON ROXANNE
lying ten yards away, unconscious, maybe dead. Blaze
scrambles to her, rolls her over. He hauls her into his
arms, SOBBING, the two of them covered in mud and glass and
God knows what.
TROOPERS
are coming down the incline, guns drawn, FLASHLIGHTS beaming.
They descend on Blaze, crying to pull him free of Roxanne.
BLAZE (O.S. ) (CONT'D)
Let me see her! God-Dammit! I have a
right to see her --
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
ANGLE ON Blaze, grief-struck, handcuffed, thrashing about as
Troopers try cc restrain him.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED:
BLAZE
Get your fucking hands off me!
Lucas Cole, the deputy who questioned Blaze earlier,
approaches. Blaze SEES him and calms down a little.
BLAZE (CONY' D)
Please. Just let me see her.
Cole nods to his men, who ease up on Blaze. He guides Blaze
over to an observation window --
THEIR POV
Roxanne lays in a surgery bay, DOCTORS and NURSES milling
around her.
DOCTOR (O.S.)
Mr. Blaze --?
Blaze turns, SEES a nervous DOCTOR standing behind him.
BLAZE
Is she going to make it?
DOCTOR
(blinks, stutters)
Mr. Blaze, I --
BLAZE
)_a ch= going r4 make i r?
DOCTOR
We don't know. She's critical. Her
injuries are grave. There's a real
chance she won't --
BLAZE
What about the baby?
The doctor hesitates, glances at Cole.
DOCTOR
I'm so sorry. We did everything we
could.
Blaze's will shatters as the full realization of what he's
done slams into him. Tears sting his cheeks. Cole gives him
space. Whatever punishment awaits Blaze can't be any worse
than the hell he's living through now.
14.
INT. ICU WARD - NIGHT
CLOSE ON Roxanne, on life support, hooked up to an array of
monitors. Sleeping Beauty, still as death. Blaze sits
beside her bed. Handcuffed. Numb. Rain streams against a
nearby window. Tree limbs tap against the glass, like ghosts
scratching to get in.
TWO STATE TROOPERS stand guard at a respectable distance,
MURMURING to each other. Elsewhere --
BOOTS
walk purposefully on linoleum. Passing bay after bay.
Beyond the Troopers, SOMEONE is approaching, half seen
through layers of glass.
Blaze HEARS the footsteps, lifts his weary head. The shadow
keeps coming, half-glimpsed between partitions as it draws near.
THE ICU LIGHTS
flicker and weaken as if some unseen force were sapping their
intensity. Blaze glances at the machines. Still ticking --
AMBROSE STARKE ( 60S)
steps into view. Duster-coat. A wide-brimmed cowboy hat. A
smiling stone face. Blue eyes flecked with silver grey. He
steps between the Troopers. They keep talking, don't even
seem to notice him.
STARKE
You look like you could use some help.
Blaze glances at the troopers. They're still completely
unaware of Starke's presence. It's as if Starke and Blaze
have somehow stepped a split-second sideways in time.
The lights around them continue to dim. The second hand on
the wall clock stops. An eerie, dreamlike moment -- the wind,
the rain, the tree branches tapping against the window pane.
BLAZE
(LOST)
She's dying.
Starke nods, places a COIN in Blaze's palm.
STARKE
If I could help her, would you be willing
co make a deal?
(CONTINUED)
15,
CONTINUED:
Blaze looks at the coin -- gleaming, golden, embossed with a
soaring eagle on one side, a coyote on the obverse.
BLAZE
What kind of deal?
STARKE
She lives. You work for me.
Something about Starke's eyes. Commanding and haunting at
the same time.
BLAZE
What kind of work?
Starke just keeps smiling. Lays a comforting hand on Blaze's
shoulder as we drift towards Roxanne's beeping EEG.
WOMAN (V.O.)
When I was young, I was told that our
souls wander while we sleep. Sometimes
they get lost. Sometimes they never make
it back --
FADE TO BLACK:
SUPER TITLE: "FIVE YEARS LATER"
INT. MOTEL ROOM - BATHROOM - DUSK
FADE IN on John Blaze as he switches on the light, looks in
the mirror. Those five years of work have taken their toll.
A haggard reflection gazes back at him, He stares. And
stares. Right into his pain.
WOMAN (V.O.)
-- but if they dQ return, they bring
messages. And I guess thhat's how the
dead speak to us -- in memories that may
be dreams, and dreams that feel like
memories.
Blaze turns off the light.
CUT TO:
INT. SEVEN ELEVEN - DUSK
The store is empty. The CLERK prices cigarette packs, eyes a
suspicious Native American woman, NOMI (30s), as she loads a
basket with basics. Nomi sets the basket down on the
counter. The clerk starts scanning the bar codes.
[ C ONTINUED)
16.
CONTINUED:
CLERK
Just passing through?
Nomi nods, uneasy. She glances over her shoulder, searches
out her half-breed daughter --
RAIN (8) ,
who is sorting intently through a rack of cheap toys. The
kid is quiet, soulful, old beyond her years.
CLERK (CONT ` D )
Where you headed?
NOMI
(DISTRACTED)
What?
CLERK
Where are you headed? Late night, storm
like this --
NOMI
What do you care?
CLERK
(shrugging, defensive)
Just asking.
He keeps packing. But he knows she's trouble.
RAIN (O.S.)
I like this.
Nomi turns, SEES Rain clutching a toy -- a glow-in-the-dark
Halloween skeleton.
NOMI
It's too much, baby. Put it back. I
don't have enough money for that.
Rain stares right at Nomi -- and brazenly slips the doll into
her coat pocket. Nomi glances at the Clerk. He didn't notice.
EXT. SEVEN ELEVEN/DEADFALL GAS STATION - DUSK
It's pouring rain. Nomi and Rain hurry across the muddy lot
towards a ratty pickup.
CARRIGAN (O.S.)
Yeah, I found her. Came back to be with
her dying grandpappy.
(CONTINUED)
17
CONTINUED:
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LOT
BILLY-RAY CARRIGAN (30s) paces under an tire bay awning,
talking on a cell-phone. He's handsome, charming, but
there's evil lurking within that slick exterior. A pencil-
thin scar runs just under one eye.
CARRIGAN (CONT'D)
Don't worry. She's got the kid with her.
Carrigan watches Nomi and Rain climb into the pickup. The
pickup chokes to life, carves out of the lot. Carrigan nods
TO --
-- LANDSDALE ( 40s), a stone-faced criminal, who motions to
five other thugs lounging nearby -- FUSCO, ALBRIGHT,
CHUDACOFF, LLOYD and ODELL.
CARRIGAN (CONT'D)
(listening, impatient)
I remember the deal. Just make sure you
bring the money.
He hangs up, follows his men to a couple of trucks waiting
nearby -- a dusty Tundra for Albright, Chudacoff, Odell and
Lloyd; an old Bronco for Landsdale, Fusco and Carrigan.
Carrigan pulls a Glock from his waistband, chambers a round.
CARRIGAN (CONT'D)
Who wants to be a millionaire?
Landsdale smiles back, an awful smile.
WOMAN (V.O.)
Some people are born bad. That's just
the way they come into the world.
Something goes wrong. Something breaks
inside of them --
The trucks pull away, tires ploughing muddy tracks, passing
two STRAY DOGS fighting over a bloody road-kill carcass.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - BEDROOM - DUSK
Blaze sweeps aside a curtain, studies the slowly darkening
landscape outside with tired resignation.
WOMAN (V.0.)
-- and they spend the rest of their lives
trying to make up for it.
CLICK' Blaze Curns on the TV, watches a weather snippet.
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED:
PAN OVER Blaze's belongings on the bureau -- a duffle bag,
old photographs of his previous life with Roxanne, a
collection of blank postcards. Tucked amidst the photos is a
sonogram featuring a ghostly image of an unborn child.
WEATHERMAN
-- scattered thunderstorms firing along a
stalled frontal boundary. Damaging
winds, hail, and isolated tornadoes will
be possible across the Dakotas and Upper
MIDWEST --
Blaze unfolds a tattered map and studies it. The map is
crisscrossed with red lines tracing storms from city to city,
along with all sorts of arcane, personal notations. Blaze
traces his finger down to his present location: DEADFALL.
EXT. ROAD - DUSK
A lonesome service road threads through bleak wild-grass
prairie. Nomi's pickup appears on the horizon.
INT. NOMI'S PICKUP - DUSK
Nomi glances at Rain, who clutches her new skeleton toy.
NOMI
Seatbelt.
Rain dutifully fastens herself in.
NOMI (CONT'D)
Hey, bug. You hungry?
Rain shakes her head-
NOMI (CONT'D)
Want to listen to music?
(off Rain's sullen shrug)
Look, we won't have to keep moving around
forever, okay? I'll figure something
out. I promise.
Rain looks at her mother. She's heard it all before-
WHAM! Somebody rams the truck from behind. Rain SCREAMS.
INT. LAKOTA MOTEL - DUSK
Blaze reaches for a pack of cigarettes, lights a match. He
stares at the match flame for a moment -- for the flame is
behaving strangely, bending towards Blaze as if it were drawn
-o T>; m. Blaze shakes out the match, then retrieves --
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED:
THE COYOTE/EAGLE COIN
He stares at it ruefully, then places it on the map and sets
it spinning. We get the sense that this is a ritual he has
performed many times before. As we MOVE IN on the coin --
EXT. ROAD - DUSK
CRASH! The Tundra rams Nomi's pickup again. Nomi fights to
keep control. Aims for a turn-off up ahead. She hauls the
truck into the turn, fights the roll-over, barely makes it --
-- but it's not fast enough. The Tundra and the Bronco make
the turn too. Their HEADLIGHTS blaze into the cab. Nomi
floors the gas. The pickup judders. The road here is
bumpier, cracked and pocked.
The Bronco swings out, pulls up alongside Nomi. She glimpses
Landsdale, LAUGHING, urging Carrigan on. Carrigan cuts
right, SLAMS the Bronco into Nomi's side.
INT. LAKOTA MOTEL - DUSK
On Blaze, watching the coin with a growing sense of fatalism.
Spinning. Spinning. But starting to slow now --
EXT_ ROAD - DUSK
WHAM! The Bronco collides with Nomi's door again. Glass
shatters- Rain WAILS, terrified. Wind and rain rush in --
BLOWOUT! Front offside tire. Nomi loses it, careens right,
carves off the shoulder into a muddy culvert, SMASHING over
rocks, sagebrush, fence posts and barbed wire --
After a few dozen tortured yards, the pickup shudders to a
stop. The Bronco and the Tundra haul up nearby, engines
CHUGGING like hungry beasts.
IN THE PICKUP
Nomi angrily drags her seatbelt off, snatches a revolver from
the glove box. She looks to Rain:
NOMI
Stay here. And lock the doors.
Nomi climbs out into the rain, SLAMS the door. Rain works
the locks, but the driver's side is all bent up and twisted --
20.
EXT. ROAD - DUSK
Nomi approaches the trucks, blinded by halogen high-beams.
SILHOUETTES are coming towards her. She raises the revolver --
NOMI
Back the fuck off!
LANDSDALE comes from left of nowhere, twists the gun from her
hands in one unexpected move. She spins, SEES Carrigan
approaching -- and recognizes him instantly.
NOMI (CONY' D)
Billy-Ray --?
INT. LAKOTA MOTEL -- DUSK
On Blaze, watching the spinning coin. He shuts his eyes, as
if he could stave off what he knows is coming next. As if he
could contain the thing that is, even now, clawing its way
into his body from some dark circle of hell.
EXT. ROAD - DUSK
CRACK! Nomi falls to her knees, dimly aware of her daughter
SCREAMING. Carrigan stands over her, massaging his fist.
CARRIGAN
Well, if it isn't Little Miss Running
Bear.
He grabs her by her hair, shoves the Glock beneath her chin.
CARRIGAN (CONT'D)
Gentlemen, you are looking at one of the
finest pieces of ass I have ever had the
good fortune of defiling.
NOMI
Fuck you, Billy --
CARRIGAN
Now I might just take you up on that,
Nome. Old Billy-Ray's been getting a
little tired shaking hands with the
governor, know what I'm saying?
IN THE PICKUP CAB
Landsdale and his men are trying to get the doors open. Rain
scoots to the driver's side, tries to start the engine. But
the driver's door is wrenched open and the men are on her -
- ( C O N T I N U ED)
21
CONTINUED:
LANDSDALE
Careful with her!
Rain is dragged kicking and screaming from the cab.
ON NOMI,
struggling to free herself, desperate to help her child.
NOMI
Leave her alone!
Rain fights like a hellion, rakes her fingernails across
Odell's face.
ODELL
Fuck!
SLAP! Landsdale back-hands the little girl. As she reels,
he binds her hands with duct tape, then picks her up and
throws into the Bronco.
NOMI
YOU COCKSUCKERS!
INT. LAKOTA MOTEL - DUSK
The coin slows. Blaze opens his eyes, a look of dread
washing over his face. He stares at his hands -- they're
shaking, emitting a HEAT HAZE.
EXT. ROAD - DUSK
THUNDER explodes. LIGHTNING flashes. The men gather round
to watch Carrigan beat Nomi unmercifully. He knocks her back
into the mud. She tries to crawl away, blinded by the rain.
INT. LAKOTA MOTEL - NIGHT
The coin comes to a stop, coyote-side up.
Blaze SCREAMS, his body wracked with pain. He begins to
violently shake, his muscles twisting in unnatural
contortions. With a combustive WHOOSH his face abruptly
CATCHES FIRE and --
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
CRACK! SMACK! Carrigan delivers the coup-de-grace. Pistol
whips Nomi with the Glock. Her head snaps back. Blood sprays
in deep slow-motion, spatters the bronco's headlights --
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED:
Nomi struggles backwards through rivulets of mud. Carrigan
looms over her. All she can do is stare up at him, glassy
and unfocused as rain spatters her face.
CARRI GAN
Tell you what, Hon. You want your
goddamned divorce so much?
He aims the Glock at her face, about to pull the trigger as --
CARRIGAN (CONT'D)
You can fucking have it!
-- a GUT-WRENCHING HOWL cuts through the night, echoing off
the canyon walls. Carrigan and his cronies take a beat,
staring through sheets of rain.
Silence. Just the relentless downpour.
ODELL
The hell was that?
The men glance at each other, nervous. A THUNDER-QUAKE
rumbles, so low and gritty it'll rattle your fillings.
The men look around, frightened. Rocks fall from the
surrounding butte. Odell looks down. The SOUND is deafening,
vibra tine: the very earth. And that's when it happens:
A FLAMING RED-HOT MONSTER-CYCLE
leaps from atop a wedged outcrop, ridden by SOMETHING that
SCREAMS and BURNS. Silent SLOW MOTION. Heat haze, glowing
manifolds. The bike catches twenty feet of air, trailing
fire like a comet's tail as it passes right over their
disbelieving heads.
What.
The.
Fuck.
Touchdown. A BLAST-WAVE of heat and flame billow outward.
The men shield themselves, stumbling backwards. The bike
hauls a deep carving turn, peeling mud, slides to a dead
stop, hissing in the driving rain.
Time stands still. Carrigan and his men gape. The monster
cycle throbs.
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED: (2)
ON THE RIDER
Alive. Evil. Aflame. A man but not a man -- an impossible
spectre, engulfed in fire, its skullish head deeply bowed.
Clinking coils of red-hot chain slip link by link through its
skeletal, flickering fingers. Then it lifts his terrible
HEAD --
THE FACE OF JOHN BLAZE
Skeletal, aflame, but somehow still Johnny, his tortured
visage recognizable even as the furnace blazes blue-white.
His jaw bone pivots open to unleash an INHUMAN HOWL, at once
predatory and tormented, a shriek of eternal damnation.
Time speeds up again. The men run. The Ghost Rider
accelerates from zero to sixty in a heartbeat.
Lloyd runs fast as he can. Talk about pointless. The Ghost
Rider seizes his head, drags him seventy yards, burning him
black, discarding him --
The other men let rip. Guns blaze. BULLETS punch through the
Ghost Rider, coming out his back as red hot slag. The demon
hauls a deep curve, powers up onto his rear wheel --
ALBRIGHT
What the fuck?! WHAT THE FUCK?!
Albright FIRES his shotgun. THUNDERING past like an Amtrak
train, the Ghost Rider PUNCHES a flaming fist right through
Albright'-, face.
That's it for the others. They scramble for the trucks.
WHOOSH! The Ghost Rider lashes out with his chains, lassos
Chudacoff. He SCREAMS as the metal sears his body, falls
heavily, burning --
The Ghost Rider skids to a halt, summons something internal
and lets it loose -- a blast of PURE HELLFIRE that courses
down the chains and engulfs Chudacoff, immolating him.
The men make the trucks, pile in. Landsdale slams the Tundra
into drive. The big truck hauls away.
Carrigan fights to get the Bronco into gear. Rain peeks out
from the back, eyes bugging --
(CONTINUED)
24.
CONTINUED: (3)
RAIN'S POV
as the Ghost Rider dismounts, stalks through the rain towards
them. He raising his skeletal hand, clenches it, and
suddenly we are --
INSIDE THE BRONCO'S ENGINE
A series of MACRO SHOTS as we move amongst the pistons,
cylinders, and intake manifolds. The mixture of vaporized
fuel and air within the engine begins to ignite, but then the
miniature explosions seem to contract and implode in upon
themselves and we are --
BACK OUTSIDE
with Carrigan. His truck won't start. Somehow, the ?host
Rider has actin uished the flames within his engine.
The Ghost Rider keeps coming, his skeletal claws/fingers
white-hot now, throbbing with heat. He slices through the
Bronco's door like a human oxy-acetylene torch, chopping the
vehicle apart.
Carrigan panics, drags Rain out the passenger door. But
Fusco is still trapped inside. Can't get his seatbelt off.
The Ghost Rider tears open the roof, bisects the vehicle and
HURLS the front away, leaving Fusco cowering in the melted
back seat. The Ghost Rider looms over Fusco, extending a
skeletal claw --
FUSCO
Oh God, please, I ain't nothing to do
with nothin'. I ain't nothin'. Please,
PLEASE!
ON CARRIGAN
tugging Rain away from the horror, trying to ignore Fusco's
terrible SCREAMS. He looks back, wishes he hadn't --
The Ghost Rider has Fusco snatched up nose-to-nose, forcing
the man to look right into --
THE GHOST RIDER'S EYES
Hungry black sockets that suck the fire from the air.
(CONTINUED)
25,
CONTINUED: (4)
FUSCO
shudders, eyes bulging. All he can do is stare into those
awful pits, fall into them, as grisly IMAGES from his evil
past spark and shred into his melting mind.
Every act of violence, every crime he ever committed --
beatings, murders, acts of torture and revenge -- are now
revisited upon Fusco tenfold. This is the PENANCE STARE, and
Fusco is feeling it's full, hellish force. The Ghost Rider
and Fusco SCREAM in sync.
Carrigan and Rain can't look away. They stand transfixed --
Then it's over. The Ghost Rider drops Fusco into the mud.
He lies there, shuddering, glassy-eyed, burned black but
still alive, his brain irrevocably overloaded.
And The Ghost Rider is somehow different too. Immobile.
Internal. Then he looks up, past Carrigan. R;rht at. Rain.
Rain stares back. But it's --
BLAZE'S FACE
she SEES. An abject abyss of pain and shame and torment.
And Rain's terror is forgotten for just that moment, replaced
with something best described as empathy.
LIGHT AND NOISE
to the Ghost Rider's left. He turns -- the Tundra screams
out of nowhere, slamming into him at sixty plus.
INSIDE THE CAB
LANDSDALE ducks the shattering windshield, leaps from the
truck as it fills with fire --
The Tundra keeps moving, pile-drives the howling spectre
square into a massive boulder. The truck compresses like an
accordion, EXPLODES, engulfs the rock with fire --
Landsdale picks himself up, ready for anything. Carrigan
tugs Rain over. The wreckage burns out of control.
CARRIGAN
Did you kill it --?
LANDS DALE
Fuck if I know!!!
Just then, Nomi's pickup backs into view. Odell is driving.
Ca___gan snatches Rain up like baggage, starts forward.
(CC 1T=N1U D)
26.
CONTINUED: (5)
ON NOMI
dazed, in a muddy gully. She scrambles up to the lip, SEES
the burning Tundra nearby, SEES her pickup hauling away into
the night. She WAILS, tries to drags herself to her feet --
CREAK. The burning wreckage moves. Moves again. Nomi ducks
down, watches, uncomprehending. The crumpled truck is hurled
aside. Two tons. Tipped over like a packing crate.
Nomi slips down into the gully, gasping with fear. HEAVY
FOOTSTEPS and CRACKLING FIRE draw near --
Nomi dares to look up. The Ghost Rider stares down at her.
Like Death itself. Imagine yourself face to face with a
Great White, an unfathomable, impenetrable force of nature --
Then imagine that force turning away, sparing you. The world
exhales. After a moment Nomi dares to look again:
NOMI'S POV (THROUGH THE POURING RAIN)
All she sees is a MAN, in tattered clothes, rolling a busted
up motorcycle away into the darkness.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - TRAUMA WARD - NIGHT
Graveyard shift but the floor is busy. Too many accidents,
too few staff. And the POLICE and PARAMEDICS hovering here
and there are just getting in the way.
ON BLAZE,
stumbling through the crowded ward, head down, in obvious
pain. OR. QUINLAN ( 30s, harried), struggles to keep up,
filling out paperwork on the fly.
QUINLAN
Sir, you have to tell me your name.
BLAZE
I just need to sit down for a moment.
And I need some forceps, gauze, tape --
QUINLAN
I'll decide what you need, alright?
Name?
Blaze hauls a curtain aside, finds an empty surgery bay,
prepped and ready to go.
27.
CONTINUED:
SHOUTING MEDICS tear past, pushing a SCREAMING BURN VICTIM on
a gurney. Blaze ducks into the curtained bay. Quinlan
follows.
QUINLAN (CONT'D)
Sir, I can't help you if you don't
cooperate.
(beat, pointedly)
Are you on something? Drugs?
Blaze pulls at his jacket, easing it over his battered body.
BLAZE
No, no. Do I look like troub-unghhh --
He grimaces as the jacket comes off. Bullet wounds, shotgun
damage, torn flesh, and a lot of BLOOD.
QUINLAN
(TAKEN ABACK)
Oh -- my. What happened to you?
Blaze sits back on the bed, sets about cleaning his wounds
with tools laid out on a tray nearby.
BLAZE
Motorcycle accident. Couple abrasions,
maybe some rib fractures --
(Quinlan tries to help)
Just step back, I'll handle it --
QUINLAN
Those are bullet holes.
Blaze cleans the wounds she's referring to, grits his teeth
as he swabs gauze deep into his flesh.
BLAZE
Nah. They're just -- gouges. Surface
damage. They'll heal up fine. Ungh -
do you have any -- painkillers?
QUINLAN
(assertive now, plainly
SUSPICIOUS)
This was no motorcycle accident.
Somebody has cauterized your wounds
Blaze inserts the forceps into a particularly nasty wound.
BLAZE
Percocet? Vicodin, maybe?
28,
CONTINUED: (2)
Blaze pulls a vicious shard of metal out of his side, stifles
a SCREAM, fights to keep it together.
BLAZE (CONT' D)
Just. Give. Me. Something. For. The.
Pain.
He staunches the blood, fixing her with such a stone stare
that she involuntarily backs away.
QUINLAN
I'm sorry -- but I need to report this.
Stay right there.
Quinlan backs out through the curtain. Blaze sighs, tapes a
thick gauze patch over the wound, eyes hunting. He SEES a
drug cabinet, breaks into it. Fills his pockets.
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Moments later, Blaze is stumbling away. He pops the cap of a
pill bottle, dry-swallows a half-dozen painkillers --
To his right, a PARAMEDIC TEAM works on the shrieking burn
victim we saw earlier. Blaze stops, horrified --
It's FUSCO, eyes rolling wildly, charred nearly beyond
recognition. Flailing and convulsing, fingers nothing but
exposed, blackened bone --
ON BLAZE,
backing into a quiet corner. He suppresses a sob, fumbling a
hypodermic as he fills it with stolen morphine. He jabs the
spike into his leg, sags as the drug takes effect.
After a moment, Blaze calms, gets his bearings, notices that
he's leaning against a bulletin board on which is pinned --
A WANTED POSTER,
helpfully illustrated with a mug-shot of Blaze's own face.
Blaze tears the poster down, stuffs it in his pocket, then
realizes that SOMEONE is watching him. He turns, SEES --
NOMI
sitting on a nearby bed. Beaten, bruised, desolate. A PAIR
OF STATE TROOPERS are questioning her. She stares past them,
straight at Blaze. She recognizes him.
(ICN-=NU_^)
29.
CONTINUED:
Ice water floods Blaze's veins. He hurries away.
CUT TO:
EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY
Blaze approaches a mailbox, fishes a postcard from his
backpack. He writes the date, checks the time on his watch
and jots that down too. He addresses it, drops it in the
slot. Then he turns around and SEES --
-- Nomi standing behin him, J�Iorkina his way.
NOMI
You were there last night.
BLAZE
Excuse me?
NOMI
when they took my daughter.
BLAZE
I don't know what you're talking about
NOMI
Yes you do.
Blaze tries to pass off his unease with an ill-conjured
smile. He pushes past her, moving to his battered
motorcycle. Nomi follows.
NOMI (CONT' D )
The Ghost Rider. It walked right past
me. It let me live.
(a whisper, intense)
I know what you are.
Blaze stares at Nomi, shaken.
BLAZE
Lady, you don't know shit.
(his tone turning lethal)
Now bark the fuck o t of my Ii
Blaze mounts his bike, kicks it alive, leaves Nomi in the
dust.
EXT. HIGH PLAINS - DAY
Blaze heads north under a big sky castled with towering white
clouds.
(CAN'::VL=D1
30.
CONTINUED:
Prairie grasslands roll away on either side of the two lane
blacktop. But Blaze's landscape is deep within and dark,
dominated by the thunderheads of last night's horror.
He notches the throttle up a little, cruises at ninety.
Rolls his head back, lets the wind stream over his face.
Then he hears ANOTHER MOTORCYCLE. Blaze looks back --
NOMI
pulls alongside Blaze, riding a monster bike of her own.
Blaze burns away. But Nomi's no slouch. She matches his
speed and is back beside him moments later. She SHOUTS:
NOMI
PULL OVER! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!
Blaze guns the bike again, jinks around an oncoming station
wagon that blares it's HORN_ But Nomi's still on him --
NOM I (CONT' D )
DAMNIT, I NEED YOUR HELP!!!
BLAZE
(IRRITATED)
LADY, I'VE HELPED YOU ENOUGH!
Nomi smiles. Blaze just slipped up and they both know it.
NOMI
I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE GHOST RIDER!!!
Angry with himself, Blaze throttles his bike to the max,
howling over the next rise on his back wheel, probably
hitting one-fifteen as he vanishes from view.
Nomi skids to a stop on the shoulder and waits, her engine
RUMBLING. Wind blows. Lizards click.
After a long beat, Blaze reappears. Stops far away on the
crest of the rise. Stares at her.
CUT TO:
EXT. FOOTHILLS - DUSK
Blaze and Nomi weave their way through an obstacle course of
rusted car hulks and assorted junk, heading for a battered
Airstream trailer perched on the edge of a bluff.
( -_ :N :N"' 7- D)
31.
CONTINUED:
NOMI
I knew what you were the moment I saw
you. I can help you -- jf you're willing
to help mp-. I know things.
BLAZE
Like what?
NOMI
This thing that's riding you, the Ghost
Rider. I guess it has a lot of names.
But the one I grew up hearing was nagi
ocanl sice. It means the Spirit of
Vengeance.
BLAZE
You actually believe what you're telling
me?
NOMI
You kidding? I'm pure-bred Dakota. I
can hear the mountains talking to each
other. And I saw you light up those
pricks like Chinese New Year last night.
They reach the trailer. Nomi fixes glaze with a stare.
NOMI (CONT ' D )
what do you see when you sleep at night?
The dead? The faces of the people you've
taken?
BLAZE
(ANGRY)
J,t takes them. Not me.
Nomi nods, not sure she believes him. Enters the trailer.
INT. AIRSTREAM - DUSK
Dark, shadowy. Curtains drawn tightly shut. Every corner
crammed with bric-a-brac. On the TV: the football game.
Blaze sits on a collapsing couch. Nomi hovers nearby. Her
grandfather HENRI LAFORTE (80s, emphysemic), rambles on in
Dakotan, pausing only to suck on his oxygen mask. He keeps his
eyes on the game the whole time, never once looking at Blaze.
BLAZE
(aside, to Nomi)
Does your grandfather understand English?
(:�,NT=NLE_-)
32,
CONTINUED:
NOMI
He understands. He just refuses to speak
it.
Laforte continues to ramble intermittently. Blaze shifts,
impatient, finally sits forward.
BLAZE
Listen, I don't want to be an ass-hole,
but can we just fast-forward the whole
Yoda routine?
The home team scores! Laforte WHOOPS wildly, loses his mask,
COUGHS uncontrollably. Blaze stands. He's out of there.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Feel better, old man.
LAFORTE
(rasping, in English)
Give me the coin.
Blaze stops, cocks an eyebrow at Nomi. She shrugs. Blaze
hands over the coin. Laforte studies it, starts speaking in
Dakota again. Nomi translates:
NOMI
The man you're looking for goes by lots
of names. Coyote, Black Dog. In Dakota,
he's Waka Sica. The Trickster. Look at
him straight on, you might see a human.
Look at him out of the corner of your eye
at one of the in-between times -- dusk or
dawn, you might see something else.
BLAZE
What does he want?
LAFORTE
Wacokico. Vengeance.
BLAZE
Why?
NOMI
Because it's his nature.
Laforte elaborates. Nomi continues to translate.
NOM I (CONT' D )
Long ago, Coyote could change his shape,
chop his body into little pieces, causing
all sorts of mischief.
(MORE)
(coNT=NLE�)
33.
CONTINUED: (2)
NOMI (CONT'D)
But Eagle, he had a clear eye. And he
saw Coyote for what he really was. So he
swooped down, scattered those pieces to
the winds.
(beat, drawing a breath)
The first men, they found the pieces, and
not knowing what they were, they ate
them. And that's, how all men came to
have a little piece of Coyote in their
hearts. Now Coyote, he'll promise
anything to get those pieces back.
There it is. Blaze exhales. He studies Laforte, those
ancient, wise eyes.
BLAZE
I've been looking for this man for five
years now, storm-chasing --
(pulls out his map)
Tracked him halfway across the country.
How do I make him lift the curse?
LAFORTE
Ta ocanzeke kin akta a'ikoyake. T'e
sniya kel rrrani. Takuni a'ikoyake sni
ya'un kte hantana, wocanzeke kin ekignaka
yo!
NOMI
My grandfather says you've been looking
in the wrong place. You need to look
inward. The Ghost Rider is Starke's
weapon. An extension of his rage. But
it can't ride people unless it has
something to latch onto in the first
place. You understand?
Blaze nods. He thinks he does. Laforte hands the coin back,
returns his attention to the game. But as Blaze starts to
rise, Laforte says one final thing:
LAFORTE
Wee-cha-sha nee-shee-cha hay?
Nomi pauses, deciding how to phrase what the old man said.
BLAZE
What? What'd he say?
NOMI
He wants to know if you're a bad man.
If the Ghost Rider turned its penance
stare on you, would you burn?
34.
EXT. AIRSTREAM - NIGHT
Darkness has fallen. The sky glitters infinite black. Blaze
joins Nomi at the edge of the bluff.
BLAZE
Why don't you just go to the police?
NOMI
I did. But I'm red. They said they'll
"look into it". Truth is, I've had a few
run-ins with them myself.
BLAZE
Your daughter -- why does Starke want her?
Nomi takes a beat, looks away. Haunted, ashamed.
NOMI
Because he's her father. And he wants
her back. Billy-Ray and the others,
they're being paid to take her to him.
Blaze nods. Things are falling into place now.
NOMI (CONT' D )
Look, I believe things happen for a
reason. Call it fate, karma, whatever
you want -- but there's no way our paths
crossing was just blind luck. I need
your help, Blaze.
BLAZE
Just so you understand what you're
asking, this thing inside me -- I can't
control it. It just comes out. And when
it does, it's like I'm a prisoner in my
own body. There's no reasoning with it.
It doesn't have a conscience. It doesn't
even have a personality. It's just a --
(SEARCHING)
-- hunger.
NOMI
You're looking for Starke. I'm looking
for my kid. We find one, we'll find the
other.
BLAZE
And then --?
35.
CONTINUED:
NOMI
(POINTEDLY)
And then I don't care about the rest.
CUT TO:
A POWERFUL DUST STORM
Raging full force. Blinding dust and debris batter closing
store fronts. Roof sheeting tears away, street lamps rattle,
hapless LOCALS struggle to get indoors.
A lone coyote lopes through the havoc, trotting purposefully
against the wind, dodging cars, ducking flying boards and
planks. The animal passes under a sign: "HOWARDSVILLE CAR
RENTS".
CLOSE ON A MAN'S MOUTH
Lupine. Carnivorous. Speaking into a payphone handset.
MAN
Is she comfortable? Are you feeding her
properly?
VOICE
(FILTERED)
She's alright, I guess. Quiet.
BACK TO THE COYOTE
running between rows of rental cars.
MAN
Does she know where you're taking her?
VOICE
I think she's figured it out.
MAN
And how does she feel about that?
VOICE
How the hell should I know?
EXT. WHEATFIELD - DAWN
Carrigan paces the edge of a billowing wheatfield, wired to
his cell phone. Dawn peeks over the horizon. In the
distance, we SEE Landsdale and Odell waiting with Rain.
(CC �I::LACED )
36.
CONTINUED:
CARRIGAN
I'm not a psychologist. She's a fucking
freak, alright? Always has been. Sooner
I get her out of my sight, the better.
THE COYOTE
approaches the phone booth situated beside the rental office.
Inside the booth, the man is half-seen.
MAN
She's the most important thing in your
life, Carrigan. Make sure she arrives
safely.
(BEAT)
And be careful. She'll kill if she gets
the chance.
The man hangs up, turns to look at the coyote staring up at
him. Once again, we meet --
AMBROSE STARKE
Same sky-blue eyes flecked with metal. Starke and Coyote
stare at each other, indifferent to the storm raging around
them- He starts towards the rental office.
INT. LONE STAR RENT-A-CAR - DAY
Windows RATTLE. The storm HOWLS. A portly rental agent, JIM
PETROWSKY, is closing up shop. He gathers his papers, turns
out the lights. A TV on the counter is on:
WEATHERMAN
-- experiencing extraordinary conditions.
Tornadoes blanketing much of East Texas,
with reports of extensive damage and
gusts of up to seventy miles per hour --
As Pecrowsky turns off the TV, we hear the door CHIME.
Starke enters, bringing a strong gust of wind with him.
PETROWSKY
Sorry, guy, I'm just closing up.
Starke looks to a clock on the wall -- it's 4:55.
STARKE
According to the hours posted outside,
you're still open.
{_.:D, NT7NI,=D)
37.
CONTINUED:
PETROWSKY
(EXASPERATED)
Look, Mister, in case you hadn't noticed,
there's a storm coming -- tornadoes,
whatever. I'm trying to get out of here.
Starke fixes Petrowsky with a stern gaze.
STARKE
I would like to rent a car --
(reading Petrowsky's name tag)
-- "Jim" .
Something in Starke's tone gives Petrowsky pause. He glances
to the window and the growing storm beyond. We SEE the
coyote out there, watching from across the way.
PETROWSKY
(RELENTING)
Okay, alright, have a seat.
Starke sits. Petrowsky moves behind his desk.
PETROWSKY (CONT'D)
Now, Mr. --?
STARKE
Starke. First name, Ambrose.
PETROWSKY
(typing in the name)
Starke, okay. What kind of car were you
looking for?
Starke picks up a laminated placard featuring various cars.
STARKE
What about the Cadillac Deville? I
noticed you had one in your lot outside.
PETROWSKY
Sorry, already spoken for. How `bout a
full-size car? I can give you a Chevy
Malibu, Ford Taurus --
Starke deliberates. Outside, the storm seems to grow
stronger. Petrowsky shifts in his seat, trying to mask his
impatience. Were he observant enough, he might also notice
that the wall clock has stopped.
(C:� VT=`7:,'-')
38.
CONTINUED: (2)
PETROWSKY (CONT' D)
You want the Taurus? Give you a good
deal, mid-size price. $37.99 a day,
can't beat that.
STARKE
I had my heart set on the Cadillac, Jim.
PETROWSKY
(ANNOYED NOW)
Caddy's taken. Now look, I'm trying to
be accommodating here, but I really am in
a hurry. So what's it going to be?
Another beat as Starke stares Petrowsky down. Gradually, the
lights in the office begin to dim.
STARKE
The Taurus, then.
PETROWSKY
Great. Can I see a driver's license?
Starke reaches into his jacket, handing over a license.
Petrowsky types in the required information, trying to ignore
the vague feeling of uneasiness settling over him.
PETROWSKY (CONT' D )
How many days do you need it for?
STARKE
Two, three --
PETROWSKY
Any other drivers?
STARKE
No.
PETROWSKY
And you'll be paying by --?
STARKE
Cash.
PETROWSKY
I'll need a three hundred dollar deposit.
Starke nods, removing a money clip from his jacket, deftly
sliding out three crisp, brand-new hundred dollar bills.
( CO N TI N U E D /)
39.
CONTINUED: (3)
PETROWSKY (CONT' D )
What about refueling?
(off Starke' s look)
We've got three options. You can
purchase a full tank in advance, you can
fill it up yourself before you return it,
or you can have us do it, but then we
have to charge you four dollars a gallon.
Most people go for the tank in advance.
Less hassle.
STARKE
I'll do it myself.
PETROWSKY
Okey-dokey.
Petrowsky enters the final data, hits "PRINT". As the rental
agreement begins feeding out, we hear a HORN FiONK.
Starke turns. A mini-van has pulled up outside. A MOUSY
WOMAN sits behind the wheel. A BOY sits in the back seat.
The coyote is still there, but it pays no attention to them.
STARKE
Mrs. Petrowsky?
PETROWSKY
Yeah.
Petrowsky slides the agreement to Starke, takes out a pen:
PETROWSKY (CONT' D)
Here you go. Just your standard rental
agreement. You get up to 150 miles a day
for free, twenty cents a mile after that.
If you want additional personal accident
insurance it's five dollars a day,
another nine-ninety-nine if you want the
loss/damage waiver. Your basic rental
rate, plus applicable state and local
tax. You just need to initial here,
here, and here --
(indicating various items)
-- and give me your John Hancock on the
line right here.
Petrowsky offers Starke a pen. He doesn't take it. Instead,
he pulls out a pair of bifocals. With agonizing slowness,
Starke begins to peruse the rental agreement.
PETROWSKY (CONT' D)
Is there a o oblem --?
40.
CONTINUED : (4)
STARKE
The price you quoted was $37,99, the mid-
size rate. But you've listed the daily
rate here as $62.99.
PETROWSKY
I did?
Starke turns the agreement around for Petrowsky to see.
PETROWSKY (CONT'D)
Geez, I'm sorry, you're absolutely right.
That's the Caddy rate. Guess I entered
it in by mistake --
Starke looks up at Petrowsky over the rim of his bifocals,
the timbre of his voice taking on a decidedly frigid turn.
STARKE
Were you trying to cheat me, Jim?
PETROWSKY
No, no, not at all --
STARKE
Then I'd like a new contract specifying
the appropriate rate.
Petrowsky squirms, uncomfortable. For in that pregnant
moment, without either participant uttering at word, the
entire nature of the transaction seems to have changed.
PETROWSKY
Look, can't we just go with the contract
we've got here? I'll make a note of it
and knock a day's rental off the total
when you return it. What do you say?
STARKE
I say the Devil's in the details.
EXT. LONE STAR RENT-A-CAR - DAY
CRASH! Petrowsky flies through the plate glass window. He
lands on the concrete, stunned, bleeding from multiple
lacerations. He tries to sit up, but his right arm is
broken, horribly mangled.
PETROWSKY
(gasping, in shock)
Jesus -- Jesus --
41.
CONTINUED:
WOMAN (V.0.)
There've been times in my life when the
world seemed so hateful and vindictive
that I just wanted to die --
Helen Petrowsky bolts from the mini-van. The boy watches as
his mother rushes to her husband's side.
HELEN
Jim?! Jim, what happened?!
Petrowsky clutches at his wife's arm, trying to speak. A
shard of glass has penetrated his larynx.
PETROWSKY
-- H-helen -- get -- a--away --
Petrowsky's eyes widen in horror. Helen follows his gaze
WOMAN (V.0.)
Certain twists of that fate felt like
nothing more than God's spite.
STARKE
strides towards them, his face a veil of unmerciful contempt.
The dust storm has taken on Biblical proportions, whipping
and roiling around him, becoming an extension of his fury.
He snatches Helen up by the throat, snapping her neck with
inhuman strength, flings her lifeless body to the ground --
then he brings his boot heel down on Petrowsky'shead.
crushing it like an _aashell.
WOMAN (V.0.) (CONT'D)
It was obvious to me that I'd done
something wrong. Broken some secret rule
known only to Him. And as such, would be
punished for my sins --
Starke turns now, regarding the mini-van. The boy is nowhere
in sight. He approaches, looks inside. The boy has fled.
EXT. RENTAL CAR LOT - DAY
We are low on the ground, tracking with the terrified Boy as
he squirms his way beneath the cars. He pauses, nervous.
BOY'S POV (BENEATH CAR)
Looking right, then left. No sign of Starke. The Boy
shudders, truing to stifle his sniveling. Then --
(C^r�-_NCE2)
42.
CONTINUED:
WOMAN (V.0.)
But I had it all wrong. And I see that
now, with such clarity I sometimes feel
my heart will break --
THE COYOTE
appears, creeping along a parallel aisle. It pauses,
lowering its snout, peering at the boy from afar.
The Boy freezes. FOOTSTEPS approaching. He squirms around
for a better view --
BOY'S POV (BENEATH CAR)
We SEE Starke's boot heels a few dozen yards away, gradually
closing in on the car beneath which the Boy hides.
The Boy shuts his eyes. The FOOTSTEPS draw closer, then
stop. The Boy opens his eyes. Starke's hoots are just an
arm's length away.
WOMAN (V.O.) (CONT'D)
There's a world out there that's neither
right nor wrong. Neither kind nor cruel.
Fair or unfair. It simply is.. Existing
in all it's bliss and pain.
A HAND
slips under the body of the car.Butit's not a human hand.
It's the hand of a beast -- blackandtwisted, taloned. With
a sudden movement, the hand flipsthecar up, sending the
enter vehicle spiraling into theair.The Boy lies there,
exposed like a bug beneath an upturned rock. He looks up --
WOMAN (V.0.) (CONT'D)
And what seems like cruel fate is really
only Nature, red in tooth and claw.
THE BOY'S POV
We see a BRIEF FLASH of Starke. No longer a human
silhouette, but a SNARLING, lupine beast. The Trickster.
The Black Dog. Rushing towards us with open jaws as we --
CUT TO:
EXT. BADLANDS - DAWN
A HUMMER races along a desolate stretch of highway, passing
through an inhospitable landscape of buttes, mesas, and cacti.
43-
INT. HUMMER - DAWN
Carrigan drives. Landsdale rides shotgun, dozing. Odell is
in back with Rain, her hands tightly bound. She keeps to
herself, clutching her skeleton doll, stares out at the
passing landscape. Odell offers her a bag of chips.
ODELL
Want some food, kid?
Rain doesn't respond. Odell rustles the bag.
ODELL (CONT'D)
C'mon. Eat a chip or something.
CARRIGAN
She's not gonna eat, Odell. Just shut up
and get some sleep.
ODELL
I can't sleep. Every time I close my
eyes, I see the face of that thing, Lloyd
BURNING --
(shaking his head)
-- Christ.
CARRIGAN
Just put it out of your head.
ODELL
If I could put it out of my head, I
wouldn't be awake now, would I?
Landsdale stirs. Carrigan gestures at the barren landscape.
CARRIGAN
Look out there, what do you see?
LANDSDALE
Dick.
CARRIGAN
That's right. Miles and miles of
nothing. And there's a lot of weird shit
running around in that nothing. How many
people you know seen a UFO, huh? Ten?
Twenty? Hell, it's on every goddamn
paper at the supermarket. You believe
that shit, the whole country's being
overrun by those bug-eyed motherfuckers.
(CAN":NC,'.-)
44.
CONTINUED:
LANDSDALE
(nodding, eyes closed)
Probe you in the ass, they get the
chance.
ODELL
What's your point, Mr. Serling?
CARRIGAN
My point is; everybody's seen somethina.
Ghosts, aliens, Bigfoot, whatever --
ODELL
This wasn't no freaking Bigfoot! You see
what it did to Albright? Punched his
head clean off!
CARRIGAN
Look, I don't know what that thing was.
All I know is, Starke's paying us a butt-
load of money to deliver the kid to him.
We were told we'd see things and we were
told to look the other way. You want to
cut out? I'll pull over right here.
LANDSDALE
Keep your shirt on, B. We didn't come
this far just to limp home with nothing.
Right, Odell?
Odell settles back into his seat, uneasy.
ODELL
I guess. But I'd still like to know what
that thing was.
RAIN
He's the Ghost Rider.
Everybody looks at her. It's the first thing she's said.
CARRIGAN
(CHUCKLING)
"The Ghost Rider"? Get that off the back
of an Oakridge Boys album or something?
You think that shit scares me?
RAIN
It should. He's going to kill you all.
ODELL
(FREAKING OUT)
See? SiE? !
(MORE)
(CO.JT N =i)
45.
CONTINUED: (2)
ODELL (CONT' D)
That's what I'm talking about! Fucking
Chatty Cathy sitting back here with me!
Carrigan glances in the rear-view mirror, makes eye-contact
with Rain, does his level-best not to be spooked.
CUT TO:
EXT. BLACK HILLS - HIGHWAY - DAY
One hundred miles-per-hour plus. Whip around to SEE --
BLAZE AND NOMI,
riding their cycles. Up ahead is a postal truck. Blaze
HONKS, waves to the DRIVER. He's got a postcard in his hand.
He hands it to the driver through the open door, then
decreases his speed, falling back alongside Nomi.
As they scream over a hill, we SEE the White Buffalo Indian
Casino and Lodge in the distance.
NOMI
I don't like this. I spent the last six
years trying to forget this place.
BLAZE
You got any idea where Billy-Ray might be
headed?
NOMI
NO --
BLAZE
Then we should start with where he's been.
INT. INDIAN CASINO - DAY
A chiming CACOPHONY. Acres of penny slots and video poker.
Roulette wheels CLATTERING. Blackjack tables spinning.
Blaze and Nomi weave their way through the maze.
BLAZE
Your husband used to work here?
NOMI
Billy-Ray dealt blackjack, poker. Worked
the casino circuit. We met in Vegas.
Things kind of went downhill after that.
RODENBURG (O.S.)
Got a lot of nerve showing your face here
again.
46.
CONTINUED:
They turn. Chief of Security, VINCE RODENBURG (30s, full--or-
himself), storms towards them, flanked by TWO SECURITY GOONS.
NOMI
Believe me, Vince, this is the last place
I want to be. But we need to find Billy-
Ray. He took Rain.
RODENBURG
Sorry' The Deal Man hasn't been back in
weeks.
(gesturing for them to leave)
You have a nice day now.
NOMI
But you must've talked to him. Do you
know where he's headed? Just tell me
that.
RODENBURG
What am I? His babysitter? I don't know
where he is, Nome, and if I did, I sure
as hell wouldn't be telling you.
(looking to the other guards)
Show these two ass-holes to the door.
BLAZE
Look, this is important. We're talking
about a kidnapping.
RODENBURG
(sizing Blaze up)
We are? And who is ?
BLAZE
I'm just a friend.
RODENBURG
Ri h t. Nomi tell you what a blue ribbon
slut she was? Do anything to support
that needle habit of hers. Truth, 'bout
the only person that hasn't had her
around here is me.
Blaze steps forward now, angry, threatening.
BLAZE
That's enough.
RO DENBURG
What, you gonna get all Steven Segal on
me, tough guy? Pull a fucking Glimmer
Man?
47.
CONTINUED: (2)
Blaze moves, twists Rodenburg's arm like rope, wrenches his
thumb backwards, SLAMS Rodenburg face-first into one of those
Plexiglas booths where people dive for dollars.
The goons pull their pieces. Blaze just ups the pain.
RODENBURG (CONT'D)
-w-w--wait!! !
(in agony, grimacing)
--oh, fuck, just wait a second --
The goons hesitate. CUSTOMERS stare. Blaze seethes.
BLAZE
I need you to understand something,
Vince. I am, by nature, an inherently
violent man and there's not much in the
way of bad that I haven't already
inflicted on this miserable world --
(applying even more pressure)
So unless the idea of learning to drive a
wheelchair with your mouth sounds
appealing, I suggest you apologize to my
friend and tell us WHERE THE FUCK BILLY-
RAY IS HEADED!
RODENBURG
I don't know! I don't know --
Blaze gives Rodenburg's thumb a savage twist.
RODENBURG (CONT'D)
Arrrghh! H-he was -- ngh -- up at their
old house, last night!
BLAZE
And?
RODENBURG
And I'm sorry -- I'm fucking sorry!
Blaze releases him. As the goons close in, Blaze deftly
relieving Goon #1 of his handgun and turns it back on him.
BLAZE
Think about it.
The goons relent. Blaze and Nomi exit, leaving Rodenburg
slumped on the floor, cradling his mangled hand.
CUT TO:
48.
EXT. TRACT HOMES - DUSK
A swath of cheap housing, part-finished, mostly abandoned,
back-boning a steep bluff that overlooks the casino.
Blaze and Nomi dismount their bikes. She stares at a
particularly ramshackle house. Wind whips. Dead leaves
blow. A rusting swing-set twists and creaks.
NOMI
Never thought I'd be back here.
They pass cautiously through the front yard. Nomi's pickup
is parked nearby. The front door bangs back and forth. Nomi
pulls a revolver from her waist-band.
BLAZE
I think they're gone.
Off Nomi's look, Blaze points at tire tracks in the dirt.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Dual tracks. Looks like your old man
switched to a Hummer.
INT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - DUSK
Window panes RATTLE. The lights don't work. Blaze and Nomi
pick their way through food containers and discarded detritus.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Guess the boys camped out for a while.
THE LIVING ROOM
Dead leaves twirling. One whole side of the room is burned
open, blackened and charred, the remaining timbers sealed
with plastic sheeting. Nomi opens a drawer, rifles through
singed papers -- finds an old PHOTO of her and Carrigan.
NOMI
Listen, those things Vince said --
BLAZE
You don't have to explain yourself to me.
NOMI
Some of them are true.
BLAZE
Doesn't make you a bad person.
49.
CONTINUED:
Nomi nods, but she's clearly agitated. Blaze crouches,
traces his fingers over a stain on the wall. He can FEEL
something. He shuts his eyes, opens them --
BLAZE'S POV (THE PAST)
The room, many years earlier. Carrigan backhands Nomi across
the face. The silent moment is caught in motion so slow it's
virtually a tableau.
BACK TO THE PRESENT
BLAZE (CONT'D)
He used to hit you.
A statement, not a question. She nods.
INT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Nomi is reluctant to enter. Blaze is inside, SEES her
hesitation -- she's staring at the bed.
NOMI
You can see the past?
BLAZE
Just echoes, sometimes.
(BEAT)
Tell me about Starke.
Nomi hesitates, not wanting to relive this.
NOMI
I was dying. I'd shot myself full of
Billy's best gear. Figured I'd teach him
a lesson and go out in style.
Blaze nods, but he doesn't see Nomi now. He SEES --
BLAZE'S POV (THE PAST)
-- Nomi as she waS. An inch away from eternity. She is
lying on the bed, staring upwards, shallow breaths- Above
her, a MOTH flutters by a light, casting distorted shadows.
BLAZE (V.O.)
But it felt like a mistake.
NOMI ON THE BED
(WHISPERS)
I don't want to die.
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED:
The lights begin to dim. We hear FOOTSTEPS approaching,
muted and distorted, A SHADOW falls across Nomi --
STARKE
stands above her. There are OTHER SHADOWS drifting in behind
him. Things better left half-glimpsed. Coyotes. Beasts.
NOMI (V.O.)
He smiled and said --
As Starke starts to speak, we hear:
BLAZE'S VOICE
"You look like --
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Blaze finishing the phrase, knowing the punch-line too well.
BLAZE
-- you could use some help."
Nomi nods, hugs herself.
NOMI
And I took it. What else was I going to
do? I don't know what happened after
that. I'm not sure I ever want to --
(beat, struggling)
All I know is, nine months later, Rain
was born.
FLASHBACK IMAGES
Silent, disjointed. The moth. Nomi's face, terror-stricken.
Starke, eyes alight with malice and mischief.
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Nomi turns away, trying to banish the memory.
NOMI (CONT'D)
Billy-Ray hated her from the moment she
was born. He knew she wasn't his, knew
she was different --
(re: the charred timbers)
If I didn't leave he would've killed us
both.
(CCNTINUED)
51.
CONTINUED: (2)
FLASHBACK IMAGES
Nomi striking back at Billy-Ray with a broken bottle.
Setting the house ablaze.
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Nomi pulls out a cigarette, nervously lights it.
NOMI (CONT'D)
Been running ever since. In my heart, I
guess I knew Starke would be coming for
her one day.
BLAZE
Why send Billy-Ray after you?
NOMI
Sick irony, I guess. Billy certainly
knew all my haunts --
(shaking her head)
This was a mistake, Blaze. We're not
going to find anything here.
Blaze glances down -- a HEAT HAZE has engulfed his hand. He
clenches his fist, looks up --
BLAZE
Guess again.
-- as HEADLIGHTS shine through one of the windows.
Somebody's driving up to the house.
INT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Blaze and Nomi creep towards the front door. A handful of
vehicles are pulling up out front. The men disembark. It's
Rodenburg, finger splinted, packing heat. He's returned with
reinforcements: OSWALT, DOYLE, WEINGROD and PENNEBAKER.
Blaze and Nomi make their way to the laundry room and the
rear entrance -- but Doyle and Oswalt have already circled
around back.
NOMI
(WHISPERING)
Shit, they've got us trapped here.
BLAZE
(FATALISTIC)
No. they're the one who are rang d.
Blaze reaches for the door handle, opens it --
(CONTINUED)
52.
CONTINUED:
NOMI
What're you --?
EXT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - BACK PORCH - NIGHT
-- and steps out to meet their tormentors. Rodenburg and the
others are there now too. Rodenburg is grinning.
RODENBURG
Talked-to Billy-Ray, chief. Don't know
who you a r - e, but you picked the wrong --
Blaze struggles to contain the Ghost Rider, but his whole
body is drenched in sweat now -- like he's going to
spontaneously combust at any moment.
BLAZE
Please. Just tell us where they went and
leave. There's no reason why you have to
die.
Rodenburg LAUGHS, looks at his friends in disbelief.
RODENBURG
I'm gonna die? Me? Buddy, you got your
head screwed on bass-ackwards!
Rodenburg FIRES into Blaze's chest -- once, twice. Blaze
stumbles back against the porch. As he falls, Rodenburg
mounts the steps, charging in after Nomi.
INT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - VARIOUS - NIGHT
Nomi runs -- but Weingrod DIVES through the plastic sheeting
in the hall, cutting her off. He SLAMS her against the wall,
twisting her arm behind her back.
Rodenburg appears behind them. Together, he and Pennebaker
drag Nomi towards the bedroom. They shove Nomi onto the bed.
RODENBURG
Had to come back here, didn't you, Nomi?
Just couldn't leave well enough alone.
Nomi struggles to sit up. Rodenburg LAUGHS viciously, forces
her back, drags at her jeans.
EXT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - BACK PORCH - NIGHT
Doyle waits on guard duty, bored, when suddenly --
(CONTINUED)
53.
CONTINUED:
BLAZE
sits up. He looks to Doyle, TEARS OF FIRE streaming from his
eyes. As he stands, his chest wounds ignites, the flames
instantly cauterizing the flesh. He's suddenly engulfed in a
heat haze. Wood smolders all around him.
Doyle backs away, terrified. He FIRES his gun again and
again, but the bullets just punch through Blaze, creating
more flaming holes-
INT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Rodenburg stops mid-assault. Nomi breathes fearfully, held
down at gunpoint by Pennebaker. We hear SCREAMS, the
WHISTLING WIND, the CRACKLE OF FIRE.
INT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - BACK PORCH - NIGHT
Doyle rushes in from the porch, looks back --
Blaze keeps on coming, unstoppable. He steps/burns his way
through the screen door, leaves a trail of BURNING FOOTPRINTS
in his wake. As he walks down the hall, the heat streaming
off of him blisters and curls the wallpaper.
Doyle backs away, stumbles -- and Blaze is upon him, lifting
Doyle up, gripping him by the throat.
DOYLE
P-PLEASE --
BLAZE
I'm sorry.
soul, the fire expanding, engulfing Doyle.
INT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Rodenburg buckles his pants, goes to the doorway, peers
cautiously into the passage beyond.
RODENBURG'S POV:
Flaming leaves burn and twirl at the far end. Firelight
flickers. The SCREAMS still come, sporadic and terrible.
Rodenburg's mind is racing. He motions to Pennebaker, who
drags Nomi off the bed and strong-arms her to the door.
54.
INT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Rodenburg leads, gun ready.
RODENBURG
Doyle?
Smoke and CRACKLING NOISES are building rapidly. The SHRIEKS
persist, and those burning leaves are everywhere. Then --
--- movement in the living room! Rodenburg draws a bead
but it's Weingrod, pushing through the plastic sheeting,
fearful, eyes darting. He speaks in a strained whisper.
WEINGROD
What's going on, man? Where's Oswalt?
GUNFIRE! Outside! CRASH! Something hits the house. Then
more SCREAMS, more GUNFIRE, and a RUMBLE so deep it's deadly.
Pennebaker panics, pushing past Rodenburg.
PENNEBAKER
I want out of here, I'm getting out!
RODENBURG
Keep your fucking voices down!
WEINGROD
He's burning the house, man! He's
BURNING THE--
RED-HOT CHAINS whip viciously around Weingrod's head and
torso. Then he's wrenched backwards, hauled straight through
the plastic sheeting --
THE GHOST RIDER
bursts through the melting plastic, hauls his red-hot monster
bike up on its back wheel --
Rodenburg and Pennebaker run for their lives, falling into
the fire-lit passage. The Ghost Rider screeches across the
living room, setting the place aflame as he passes through.
Nomi leaps aside as a sheet of fire burns where she was, SEES
the fiery monster crash straight through the wall --
Rodenburg and Pennebaker run through the flames, stumbling
over Doyle's charred body --
55.
EXT. CARRIGAN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
They burst out the front door, clothes alight, racing across
the yard towards their vehicles. Rodenburg looks back --
The Ghost Rider EXPLODES through the front of the house,
skids to a halt, flicks out a chain -- and snags Rode burgs
ankle. He falls, SCREAMING. The chain retracts --
Pennebaker reaches his vehicle, struggles with the door -
TheGhost Rider thrusts a clawed hand outwards,clenchesthe
air and hauls it back in. Like an explosion in reverse, 4,11
fire is sucked violently back into his hellish being.
A frozen moment. All terrified eyes on the Ghost Rider
Then he lets rip. Hurls the energy back out as a torus of
white hot fire that expands across the yard, BLASTS
Rodenburg's shirt from his back, SMASHES Pennebaker against
his vehicle --
The vehicles EXPLODE, gas tanks rupturing. Pennebaker is
blown to pieces. Rodenburg SCREAMS, shields his face. Fire
and debris rain down in every direction. The Ghost Rider
looms over him. More accurately, it's --
GHOST BLAZE
Half man, half monster, his pitiless skull-face hazing and
flickering between human and inhuman states.
GHOST BLAZE
Where are they taking the girl?
Rodenburg whimpers. Ghost Blaze grabs Rodenburg's hair,
wrenches his head back.
GHOST BLAZE (CONT'D)
Where. Are_ They. Taking. Her?
RODENBURG
(BEYOND TERRIFIED)
North! They're headed North, into
Oregon, oh, god, fuck --
GHOST BLAZE
Where?
RODENBURG
I don't know exactly, Jesus, I don't know!
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED:
Blue-white fire floods down Blaze's arm and engulfs
Rodenburg. The poor man screams, struggles to break free --
aze simply crrows Otte ana ac
and the Ghost
Rider's evil countenance submerges every trace of Blaze's
humanity.
Then it's over. The flames evaporate. Rodenburg's corpse
crumbles to dust. Wind HOWLS. The Ghost Rider is gone.
ON BLAZE
He SEES the corpses, the burning vehicles, tries to deny the
horror. But it's always the same -- another swath of
destruction left in his wake, another righteous atrocity.
NOMI
He told you everything he knew.
She's ten yards away, shaking. Not going to come any closer.
NOMI (CONT'D)
Told you everything --
(BEAT)
-- you didn't have to do that.
BLAZE
You asked for my help. I warned you what
you were getting into.
More a statement than an excuse. There are POLICE SIRENS on
the wind. Blaze starts walking towards the pickup.
CUT TO:
EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT
A sub-par motel 6. Nomi's battered pickup is parked outside.
We HEAR Blaze's tortured MOANS coming from within.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Blaze sits in a chair, shirt off, Nomi at his side. She's
trying to help him patch up his wounds, but the enormity of
the damage and the sheer amount of blood is daunting.
NOMI
I don't -- I don't know what else to do
for you --
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED:
BLAZE
S'okay -- just need to rest now --
(GASPING)
-- wounds'11 be healed by morning.
Nomi stands, still shaken. She retrieves a cigarette from
her purse, lights it.
NOMI
I thought you were dead.
BLAZE
(considering his wounds)
I don't even know if it's that's an
option anymore. Every time I get close,
I feel myself being dragged back --
(breathing through the pain)
--it's like being born all over again.
Like every law in the universe is being
broken.
Blaze sits forward, gritting his teeth against the pain.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
See, the Ghost Rider -- it's drawn to
darkness like a bloodhound. If it thinks
you've sinned, it'll find you.
NOMI
What if you're innocent?
BLAZE
Nobody's innocent.
(beat, staring at her)
Think about it. Everyone's done
somethincr. You. Me --
Blaze lifts up the coyote coin, flipping it over his fingers.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
Every night I spin this fucking coin --
and it always lands the same side up. I
keep thinking -- ona time, one time I'm
going to spin it and I'll see the other
face. Sleep through the night without
getting blood on my hands. But it never
happens.
(SHAKING)
There's always some sad motherfucker out
there that needs retribution, vengeance --
(CONTINUED)
58.
CONTINUED: (2)
Blaze flings the coin away in disgust. It spins, wobbles,
lands coyote side up. He laughs tiredly, then looks away,
lost, suddenly overcome with emotion.
BLAZE (CONT' D)
I'm just so fucking tired --
Nomi moves to his side, struggles to help him up.
NOMI
Here, why don't you lie down for a little
while?
Blaze nods, too tired to argue. Nomi half carries him to the
bed, lowers him down. Blaze settles back, exhausted. Nomi
watches him, holding vigil. His eyes grow heavy. He shuts
them a moment, opens them again --
THE PAST
-- and it's Roxanne who is laying beside him now. She rolls
over to face him, smiles sleepily. Blaze reaches for her,
touches her face -- and the moment shatters into violence.
A COLLISION OF IMAGES
-- the El Camino sliding, spinning over. Metal rending.
-- rain pattering on broken, bloody wreckage. Roxanne's torn
seat belt hanging loosely.
-- climbing out through the blown-out windshield. Crawling
in mud, Blaze's face reflected in broken glass.
-- cradling Roxanne's body in his arms, rocking her and --
THE PRESENT
WHAM! Blaze bolts up in bed, disoriented, shaken. Clearly,
some time has passed.
Nomi sits across the room now, holding Blaze's tattered
photographs in her hands, looking a little guilty. She's got
the paper wedding band which Blaze made for Roxanne too.'
BLAZE
What are you doing?
NOMI
I'm sorry, I just --
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED: ( 3)
As Blaze stands, we SEE that his wounds have healed.-He
shrugs on a shirt, approaches. Nomi nods to the paper
wedding band.
NOMI (CONT'D)
You must've loved her a lot.
Blaze doesn't answer. Just takes the photos and wedding band
from her, shoves them back in his pack. He pulls out one of
the postcards, scribbles an address on it.
BLAZE
What time is it?
NOMI
A little after three.
BLAZE
What time, exactly?
NOMI
3:27. Why?
Blaze ignores her, jots down the time. Licks a stamp and
puts it on the postcard. Leaves it on the dresser.
NOMI (CONT'D)
What is it with you and those postcards,
anyway?
BLAZE
They're just a kind of record.
(hauling up his pack)
Let's go.
INT. PICKUP - DRIVING - NIGHT
Blaze and Nomi drive. Outside, the landscape passes, bugs
twirling and spattering against the windshield like
snowflakes.
MEMORY FLASHES
Roxanne in the hospital, serene and beautiful. Starke
handing Blaze the coin.
NOMI
You made a deal.
Blaze nods.
NOMI (CONT'D)
So what happened? Did she live?
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED:
BLAZE
Roxanne? Yeah, she's alive. She just
doesn't know it.
(off Nomi' s look)
Coma. Probably never wake up.
NOMI
So he tricked you.
BLAZE
(a tired laugh)
That's what he does, doesn't he?
She nods. That's what he does.
NOMI
(almost afraid to ask)
What about the baby?
Blaze just shakes his head.
BLAZE
It's funny. That kid was supposed to be
my second chance. Rox and I used to talk
about it -- how things'd be different
after she was born.
Nomi didn't expect his honest vulnerability.
NOMI
Maybe that's why we have them
BLAZE
What, kids?
NOMI
(NODDING)
So we can make amends for all the royal
fuck-ups we've perpetrated on the world.
God knows I've had my share.
(beat, pained)
I just don't want her to have to pay for
the things I've done. You know?
Blaze nods. He knows all too well. He and Nomi drive on in
silence for a beat, their thoughts turning inwards.
NOMI (CONT'D)
Can I ask you something? Honestly?
(off Blaze's nod)
What're you going to do when you find
Starke?
(CONTINUED)
61.
CONTINUED: (2)
BLAZE
Make him pay, somehow --
(UNCERTAIN)
I don't know. How do you beat the Devil?
Walk up and bitch-slap him? Pretend
you're Schwarzenegger and fire a bazooka
up his hind ass? I'm basically making
this up as I go along.
Nomi smiles.
NOMI
I'm sure you'll figure something out.
CUT TO:
INT. CARRIGAN'S HUMMER - TRAVELLING - NIGHT
-- Rain looking out through the truck's moon roof, watching
stars passing overhead. As the sky above slowly brightens in
time-lapse, Rain's eyes grow lidded. She sleeps, clutching
her skeleton toy and --
INT. CARRIGAN'S HUMMER - TRAVELLING - DAY
-- waking sunlight floods the cabin. New shift. Odell
drives. Rain rides shotgun. Carrigan and Landsdale are
sacked out in back. The radio drones, laced with STATIC.
Tedium. No one slept well. Carrigan stares out at the
passing plains, expertly cutting a deck of cards one-handed.
He SEES a scarecrow go by, standing ragged in the middle of
nowhere. Then his cell phone RINGS. Carrigan flips it open --
CARRIGAN
Yeah?
Based on his facial expressions, the news isn't good. He
sighs, disconnects the call. Landsdale cocks an eyebrow.
CARRIGAN (CONT'D)
Rodenburg's dead. Oswalt, Weingrod, all
those other inbred losers too.
(off Landsdale's look)
Looks like my ex-bitch has hooked up with
the fire guy --
In the rear-view mirror, Odell's eyes grow wide.
ODELL
No fucking way --
Carrigan ponders, nods to Landsdale.
(CONTINUED)
62.
CONTINUED:
CARRIGAN
We're going to need reinforcements, some
kind of escort to the meet.
LANDSDALE
I know a guy. Got some boys given over
to wickedness and such.
CARRIGAN
(tosses him the phone)
Make the call.
RAIN (0.5.)
He'll find me, you know.
Her voice makes Odell jump. He thought she was asleep
ODELL
(fretful, pleading)
BILLY-RAY --
CARRIGAN
(to Rain, leans forwards)
Hey, kiddo, you're worrying my boy here.
So shut your goddamn mouth --
RAIN
You can't tell me what to do. You're not
my father.
Wow. The truck collectively holds its breath. Carrigan
settles back, but he's pissed.
CARRIGAN
You better believe that, sweetheart. I'm
just the dumb-ass that financed your
whole fucking life. You and your mother
both. And what did I get for that
selfless act of stupidity? She burned
down the house and gave me something to
remember her by.
He's referring to the scar under his eye. Rain turns away.
Huddles against the door.
LANDSDALE
Believe me, I could care less what Starke
wants with you. Make you into a fucking
hood ornament if he wants to. It's not
like you came springing out of my loins.
Only thing I care about now is getting
what's mine, and that's --
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED: (2)
LANDSDALE (CONT'D)
(counting on his fingers)
-- payment and retribution, got it?
She's not listening. Her bound hands are secretly pushed
down into the tight gap between the seat and the door.
ON RAIN'S FINGERS
extending towards A PEN, one inch out of reach, caught
between the seat mechanism and the door sill.
RAIN'S EYES
are fluttering. Extreme concentration.
THE PEN
levitates, tilts into her outstretched hands.
The RADIO squeals painfully, pure strident STATIC. Odell
punches a new station, but the STATIC continues, grows --
Rain ATTACKS, stabbing the pen into Odell's thigh. He
SCREAMS, slams the brakes, loses control of the truck --
EXT. HIGHWAY/CORNFIELD - DAY
The Hummer barrels off the road, SLAMS down hard into a
concrete culvert. Without missing a beat, Rain is out and
away, plunging into the cornfield. Carrigan and Landsdale
bolt after her, guns drawn --
ON RAIN,
weaving between the stalks. She reaches an old farm
implement, uses one of the rusting blades to saw through her
taped bindings. Then she's up again, running --
ON CARRIGAN AND LANDSDALE
searching high and low. Carrigan SEES movement to his right,
surges forward --
-- but Rain jigs left and Carrigan misses her, tripping over
the farm implement instead. He cuts himself, curses --
Rain continues, straight ahead now. Carrigan motions to
Landsdale. The two split up, drifting in different
directions. They're gaining on her --
BACK TO RAIN,
losing ground. She spies a rock, scoops it up -- and SMASHES
across C rr_gan's Face!
(CONTINUED)
64
CONTINUED:
Carrigan falls, dropping the gun. He searches for it,
desperate. Then he SEES it. But as he reaches for it --
-- Rain extends her hand, concentrating, eyes fluttering --
WHOOSH! The gun spins away from Carrigan, into Rain's hands.
She doesn't hesitate for a second -BLAM!-
First shot wings Carrigan, knocks Rain on her ass. Carrigan
DIVES for cover.. She FIRES wildly --CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-- but
then the gun is spent and --
-- Landsdale emerges through the corn, bagging Rain with his
coat. As a shaken Carrigan gets to his feet, Landsdale slips
his belt out of his pants and binds Rain tightly.
EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY
Carrigan and Landsdale return to the Hummer, which is still
nose down in the culvert. Landsdale carries Rain under his
arm, tightly wrapped, no longer struggling.
Odell sits on the hood, daubing the bloody wound in his leg
with a handkerchief. He SEES Carrigan's wound.
ODELL
Man, she shot you?
(off Carrigan's nod, disbelief)
Jesus. Lucky she didn't perforate my
ballsack with that fucking pen.
CARRIGAN
(RE: HUMMER)
What's the damage?
ODELL
Mounts are cracked, trans-axle's shot to
HELL --
(shaking his head)
-- this baby ain't goin' nowhere.
CARRIGAN
Fuck. Ma.
Carrigan fumes, glances at Rain -- then he just snaps, starts
angrily kicking at the door. After a few futile moments, he
stops, paces, looks to Landsdale.
CARRIGAN (CONT'D)
We're going to need a place where we can
hole up `til tomorrow. Wait for those
boys of yours.
(CONTINUED)
65.
CONTINUED:
LANDSDALE
How `bout up there?
Landsdale points past Carrigan at a squat group of buildings
and machinery -- a shut-down ROCK QUARRY in the distance.
EXT. QUARRY - FRONT GATE - DAY
From a distance, we watch as Landsdale approaches a
guardhouse with an empty gas can. A GUARD opens the electric
gate, steps out to help. Landsdale pistol-whips him, drags
his limp body in through the gate.
INT_ QUARRY OFFICE - DUSK
The Guard slouches in a corner, bound and gagged. Landsdale
and Odell lounge nearby, keeping a watchful eye on Rain.
Carrigan paces by a window, nervously cutting his deck of
cards one-handed. He's watching the shadows lengthen
outside, the setting sun. He looks to Rain, who matches his
gaze -- creepy eyes penetrating his brain.
CARRIGAN
(to Landsdale, anxious)
Where the fuck are those men of yours?
LANDSDALE
Don't worry. They're on their way.
Carrigan nods, cuts his cards. He j worried.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY - DUSK/NIGHT
The abandoned Hummer in the culvert. A gang of CROWS tear a
lizard apart. Dusk TIME-LAPSES into night. Stars.
After a time, Nomi's pickup comes racing past. Blaze is
driving, cranes to see the passing wreck. He pulls over onto
the shoulder. Blaze and Nomi climb out, approach the
vehicle.
Nomi shines a flashlight, SEES blood on the front seat. She
GASPS. Blaze reaches past her, touches the blood stain --
FLASH OF THE PAST
Chaotic and violent. Rain attacking Odell. The Hummer
crashing. The desperate race through the cornfield.
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
BACK TO THE PRESENT
as Blaze steps away from the Hummer, into the field.
BLAZE
She's alive.
NOMI
How do you know ---?
But Blaze isn't listening. His gaze is now fixated on the
distant lights of the rock quarry.
EXT. FIELD - NIGHT
Blaze and Nomi crest a rise in the field, hunker down:
THEIR POV:
We can see the main compound of the quarry from here.
Landsdale is in view, having a smoke by the guardhouse.
NOMI
You think she's in there?
Blaze nods.
NOMI (CONT'D)
Then let's go --
Nomi starts forward, but Blaze pulls her back.
BLAZE
No. We'll wait.
(POINTEDLY)
Dawn's less than an hour away.
NOMI
(taking out her gun)
You wait. I'm heading in.
BLAZE
Look, they're not going anywhere.
NOMI
You don't know that. This is probably
the best chance we'll get. They're
sitting ducks. We can do this if you --
BLAZE
If I what? Burn them alive? Eat their
spirits?
(DRAWING CLOSER)
(CONTINUED)
67
CONTINUED:
BLAZE (CONT'D)
You still get it, do you? The Ghost
Rider whales on whoever's got it coming,
but it's Johnny Blaze that gets to
remember their faces. And I Lb remember
them. Every last one.
Just then, we hear the RUMBLE of approaching MOTORCYCLES.
Lots of them. Blaze turns, SEES a line of BIKERS chugging up
the service road on ratted-out Harleys.
NOMI
They know we're coming, don't they?
Blaze nods. Once again, Fate is royally fucking him.
NOMI (CONT'D)
I'm going in. You with me or not?
EXT. QUARRY COMPOUND - NIGHT
Landsdale opens the main gate. The bikers THUNDER into the
compound -- low-rent Hell's Angel types culled form the
shallow end of the gene pool known as the Gray Gargoyles.
ARLO SKINNER, the Gargoyle's CEO, climbs off his hog, adjusts
his nut-sack. As he approaches Landsdale. GUNT and CHESTER
PULSIFER, his identical twin lieutenants, fall in behind.
ARLO
Brotherman.
LANDSDALE
Arlo.
ARLO
(GRINNING)
I believe you know the Pulsifer Brothers,
Chester and Gunt?
EXT. QUARRY COMPOUND - ELSEWHERE - NIGHT
Blaze and Nomi scramble over a fence, then drop down, crouch-
running to avoid a security camera. They hug the shadows.
At least a dozen of the Gargoyles are in view, lounging
around, shooting the shit.
BLAZE
I'll find her. You stay here.
Nomi moves to protest, but Blaze silences her.
(CONTINUED)
68.
CONTINUED:
BLAZE (CONT'D)
If things go South and the Ghost Rider
takes over, I can't guarantee he won't --
NOMI
I know. I'm on my own.
(beat, more plaintive now)
, Just bring her back to me. That's all I
care about.
BLAZE
(NODDING)
Start disabling the bikes. Last thing we
need is a gang of pissed-off speed freaks
on our tail. Rip out all the coil wires ---
Blaze points to the motorcycle nearest him. Nomi rolls her
eyes and pulls out a switchblade, deftly slicing through a
fuel line. Gasoline leaks onto the ground.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
(CHAGRINED)
-- or you could do that.
As Blaze creeps away:
NOMI
BLAZE --
(as he turns back)
Whatever happens --
BLAZE
You're welcome.
Blaze leaves. Nomi starts in on the other bikes.
INT. QUARRY OFFICE - NIGHT
Arlo enters, accompanied by the Pulsifer Brothers. Carrigan
and Landsdale are waiting to meet them.
ARLO
So you need some contract work?
CARRIGAN
An escort. We're making a delivery first
thing tomorrow morning.
ARLO
And will there be mayhem involved?
(CONTINUED)
69.
CONTINUED:
CARRIGAN
Yeah, I'd say a certain amount of hijinx
are likely to ensue.
EXT. QUARRY COMPOUND - OFFICE - NIGHT
Blaze moves around the back of the compound. Up ahead, TWO
GARGOYLES are lingering by a side entrance.
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - OFFICE - NIGHT
Arlo takes out a nail clipper, starts trimming his fingernails.
ARLO
Well, I'll tell you, I got nineteen
brothers out there willing to go the
distance and enough firepower to give a
small Balkan nation a fucking titty-
twister. But we don't come cheap. So
how many men we going up against?
CARRIGAN
One.
EXT. QUARRY COMPOUND - SIDE ENTRANCE - NIGHT
WHACK! Blaze elbows Gargoyle #2 in the face. As the biker
drops, we SEE that Blaze has already disabled Gargoyle #1.
Blaze quietly slips in through the door.
EXT. QUARRY COMPOUND - NIGHT
Nomi has worked her way through a half-dozen bikes now and a
fair amount of gasoline has pooled on the ground around her.
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - OFFICE - NIGHT
Arlo looks at Carrigan, incredulous.
ARLO
One man?
CARRIGAN
One man.
ARLO
You trying to diddle my nutpurse, Mister?
CARRIGAN
Absolutely not. Lemme clarify things --
70.
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Blaze sidles down the hallway, moving as quietly as he can.
We can HEAR the men talking in the office just next door.
CARRIGAN (O.S.)
See, this guy's not really a "guy". He's
more like a demon or something.
ARLO (0. S.)
A demon?
CARRIGAN (O.S.)
That's right.
ARLO (O.S.)
What, exactly, do you mean by demon?
Blaze winces, lifting a hand before his face -- BLUE FLAMES
dance over his fingertips. He leans against the wall for
support. When he removes his hand, he leaves a singed palm-
print on the drywall.
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - OFFICE - NIGHT
Arlo puts the clipper away, starts arranging the fingernails
on the desk before him into a neat little pile.
CARRIGAN
Like his head's on fire and shit.
Arlo LAUGHS, the Pulsifers follow suit. Then Arlo turns to
Landsdale, icy now.
ARLO
Brotherman, what in fuck's name is this
smooth faggot talking about?
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Blaze exhales a wisp of BLUE FLAME, totally enveloped in a
bubble of heat. More than anything, he wants to step inside,
fully aflame. But he forces himself to simply take a peek --
BLAZE'S POV;
The room, the men -- but no Rain.
LANDS DALE
He's telling the truth, Arlo. The guy
ain't human. Saw him torch Albright and
Chudacoff with my own eyes.
(CONTINUED)
71.
- CONTINUED:
BACK IN CORRIDOR
Blaze presses against the wall, desperately trying to rein
the Ghost Rider in -- but FOOTSTEPS are coming. A Gargoyle
is round; c the corner!
INT. QUARRY OFFICE - NIGHT
Gunt rips open his shirt, shows a chest covered in tattoos.
GUNT
Well, I say bring him on. You see this
ink? That's a hundred hours under the
needle. A motherfucking canvas of pain.
He and Chester here, we're not afraid of
fuck-diddly!
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - CORRIDOR - NIGHT
The Gargoyle passes the doorway, lights up a smoke. Or tries
to. The flame from his Zippo is bending sideways. He tries
a couple more times. Same thing. Weird.
ON BLAZE
hidden in a dark alcove, struggling to contain himself. If
the Gargoyle turns he will surely see him.
The Gargoyle studies the flame, then notices an OPEN WINDOW
nearby. He shuts it, lights his cigarette, turns back -- b=
Blaze has moved on.
INT. QUARRY OFFICE - NIGHT
Arlo settles back in his chair.
ARLO
If this guy's as lethal as you say he is,
I want fifty for me, another fifty for the
club. Only you can't let the boys know
we're takin' a 50K rake off the top, see?
CARRIGAN
How `bout sixty and I'll throw in a kilo
of coke?
ARLO
(INCREDULOUS)
Coke? That's like selling snow to
Eskimos. You think I'm some kind of
crack-smoking foolio or something?
(CONTINUED)
72.
CONTINUED:
CARRIGAN
(SIGHING)
Seventy, then.
Arlo reaches into his shoulder-holster, whipping out a mean
looking nickel-plated Colt 44 Anaconda.
ARLO
Ninety, and not a nickel less, you
fucking pillow-biter.
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - ANOTHER CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Blaze continues, agitated. Where the fuck is the kid? He
looks through a doorway, SEES --
TEN OR MORE
brutish gargoyles drinking beer and cleaning their weapons.
Blaze drops back. His snarling face contorts, starts to
assume that awful skullish quality. The Ghost Rider wants
out. mow. But Blaze fights, shoves it back down and deep.
SOMETHING moves to Blaze's right -- a TINY WHITE FIGURE,
lolling and flopping at the far end of the passage.
EXT. QUARRY - COMPOUND - NIGHT
Nomi slices through another fuel line, inadvertently drawing
the attention of a Gargoyle who was taking a leak. He zips
up his jeans, starts towards her --
INT. QUARRY OFFICE - NIGHT
Carrigan grins, trying to calm the situation.
CARRIGAN
E a sy, gentlemen. No need to get all
truculent on me.
ARLO
Truculent? You get that out of a
Scrabble dictionary or something? What
the fuck does "truculent" mean?
(grabbing Carrigan by his shirt)
I'll tell you what it means. It means
FUCK YOU!
73.
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - ANOTHER CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Blaze stares, hypnotised, his face flickering from skull to
flesh and back again. The tiny figure is Rain's SKELETON
DOLL, held upright, unsteady, by some unseen force.
THAT MOMENT, ELSEWHERE - RAIN'S FACE
Extreme mental concentration. Temples pounding. Her eyes
are fluttering, rolled to white.
BACK TO BLAZE
as he starts towards the toy skeleton. He's in agony now,
each breath a cough of fire, each footstep igniting the
floorboards. He SEES a storage room up ahead --
INT. QUARRY OFFICE - NIGHT
Carrigan smiles, seemingly unruffled by the gun.
CARRIGAN
Okay, alright -- how about seventy-five
and we'll smoke the old peace pipe?
ARLO
(cocking the Anaconda)
How `bout eighty or you're gonna be
smoking my dick?
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
Blaze enters, SEES Rain. He extends a hand to her -- and
Odell steps out from behind the door where he'd been hiding,
shotgun in hand.
BLAZE
Shit.
EXT. QUARRY - COMPOUND - NIGHT
Nomi tries to fall back into the shadows, but it's too late.
The Gargoyle has spotted her. He draws a Taurus pistol --
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - OFFICE - NIGHT
-- and we hear a high-pitched BEEPING. Arlo turns.
ARLO
What is that?
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED:
CHESTER
(LISTENING)
Sounds like a smoke alarm.
GLINT
(wrinkling his noise)
Smells like somethin's burning.
CARRIGAN
What-is this, fucking charades?! It's
h,jM, you- ass-holes !
EXT. QUARRY, COMPOUND - NIGHT
A FIREBALL erupts from the back of the building. The milling
Gargoyles spring into action.
Nomi takes advantage of the distraction, STABS the Gargoyle
nearest her in the thigh, bolts --
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Carrigan and the others race out into the corridor even as
Odell rushes from the storage room, a WAVE OF FIRE on his
heels.
THE GHOST RIDER
emerges seconds later, Rain cradled in the crook of his arm,
safe in a cool bubble of air. She looks to Carrigan. The
meaning in her gaze is implicit: "I told you so".
GARGOYLES
appear from every direction. Guns BLAZE. Bullets turn-to
slag, vaporizing as they enter the Ghost Rider's aura of
hellfire.
Rain drops from the Ghost Rider's arm, runs. The Ghost Rider
advances. The Gargoyle nearest him empties a machine pistol
into the Ghost Rider. The Ghost Rider reaches for the
weapon. At his touch, the pistol becomes RED HOT --
The Gargoyle CRIES OUT. The Ghost Rider takes the pistol, and
FIRES BACK. The Gargoyles stumble, clawing at their smoking
wounds. In seconds, the entire weapon turns WHITE HOT, melting
apart in the demon's hand, SIZZLING away into nothing --
The Ghost Rider keeps coming. Men are SMASHED aside,
incinerated. Bravado turns to terror, to chaotic scramble --
75.
EXT. QUARRY COMPOUND - NIGHT
FLAMES belch from every window. Panic-stricken Gargoyles try
to start their bikes -- and the bikes detonate. one after the
other!
CRASH! Nomi's pickup barrels through the fence. She slaloms
through a gauntlet of flames, skidding to a halt. She SEES
Rain running towards her, throws open the passenger door --
NOMI
RAIN! "
Rain makes for the pickup, scrambles inside even as --
THE GHOST RIDER
strides from the burning ruins of the compound. With a wave
of his hand, the wall of flame parts like the Red Sea. He
locks his gaze with Nomi, points a skeletal finger at her.
His meaning is clear: "You are on the list."
Nomi floors the gas. The pickup slews and grinds, finds
purchase, leaps away from the monster as --
THE PULSIFER BROTHERS
emerge from the building, burned but howling for blood,
fueled by a lethal combination of stupidity and crystal mech.
Carrigan, Landsdale, and Arlo fall in behind.
The Ghost Rider moves, whipping his red hot chains. Left, he
lassos a passing gargoyle, BURNS him. Right, another
Gargoyle, dragged from his bike and reduced to ash.
Then two more lashes to either side of the brothers. Two
more victims reeled in -- charred corpses falling at the
Ghost Rider's feet. The whole thing took three seconds.
CHESTER
(to Gunt, nerves failing)
Forget it, bro, live to fight another day.
The Ghost Rider slams his skeletal hand on the tank of a
nearby bike. The bike glows RED HOT and CHANGES SHAPE,
getting bigger, nastier, demonically slouched --
GUNT
No fucking way! That's my hog!
As the Ghost Rider mounts the newly transformed hellcycle,
Gunt charges forward, infuriated. He OPENS FIRE with his
mini-â¢un, .er. rounds a second.
(CD N, - _ 1 ID)
76
CONTINUED:
Moving with uncanny speed, the Ghost Rider grips Gunt by the
throat and hauls him off his feet, unleashing the full fury
of his Penance Stare.
A BLAST-WAVE OF LIGHT
erupts from the Ghost Rider's eye sockets, engulfing Gunt.
Gunt SHRIEKS, his cries becoming infant-like ULULATIONS.
Arlo, Carrigan, Chester, and the others instinctively shield
their faces, falling back from the infernal glow --
CHESTER
Gunt!
ON GUNT,
images from his own subjective hell assault him. Tears
stream down his cheeks as his body ignites. His corneas are
burning, melting.
The Ghost Rider starts to accelerate now, from zero to sixty
in an eye-blink, hauling Gunt's writhing body along with him
- straight into the burning building.
INT. QUARRY COMPOUND - NIGHT
A juggernaut trajectory crashing through wall after blazing
wall. The Ghost Rider skids to a halt, HURLS Gunt to the
floor. Senses SOMEONE behind him --
A FIRE EXTINGUISHER,
blasting the Ghost Rider's head. The Ghost Rider SQUEALS
and for a split-second, the demon's flames are actually
snuffed out. The cloud clears. The Ghost Rider glimpses
ODELL
rushing into another room, SLAMMING a steel door behind.
INT. QUARRY - STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
Odell pauses in the darkness, hyperventilating. Outside, we
hear the heavy FOOTFALLS of the Ghost Rider approaching.
INT. QUARRY - HALLWAY - NIGHT
The Ghost Rider places a skeletal hand against the steel
door. His hand GLOWS WHITE HOT, like an acetylene torch.
The steel door begins to bubble and melt.
77.
INT. QUARRY - STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
The door to the storage room liquefies, flowing apart like
molten lava. The Ghost Rider steps through and --
-- in the light cast by .he demon's owing hand. Odell
realizes that the room is stacked with high explosives.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT
Nomi's pickup races into the night. A distant FIREBALL
ERUPTS hugely, engulfing the quarry, setting off a chain
reaction of smaller explosions -- BA-BOOM-BOOM-B-B-BOOOOM!
EXT/INT. NOMI'S PICKUP - NIGHT
Rain clutches at Nomi, frantic, looking back.
RAIN
What about the Ghost Rider? We have to
go back for him!
NOMI
Are you crazy?! Sit down!
Then Nomi glances in the rearview mirror. Oh. My. God.
THE GHOST RIDER
is coming after them. HOWLING, plowing through the inferno
on his hellcycle.
Nomi floors the gas. But the pickup is already maxed out.
The Ghost Rider easily gains on the truck, leaving a wake of
burning asphalt. He lashes out with his chains, snags the
back bumper. The chain-links slice deep into the steel
bodywork. The Ghost Rider hauls up onto his back wheel --
Nomi slams on the brakes. The truck fishtails. The Ghost
Rider rear-ends the pickup. Bike and demon cartwheel crazily
into the cargo bed, SLAMMING explosively against the back
window of the cab. Hot glass showers Nomi and Rain --
The Ghost Rider is pinned, SQUEALING, entangled with his bike.
Nomi floors it again. The truck leaps ahead --
-- but the Ghost Rider hangs on as his bike slides backwards.
He reaches into the cab, clutching at Nomi. The pickup
thunders up a rise --
(CONTINUED)
78.
CONTINUED:
The Ghost Rider's skeletal fingers clamp Nomi's shoulder.
She HOWLS in pain, her clothing beginning to smoke. Rain
tries to help, imploring --
RAIN
No, no, no --
EXT/INT. NOMI'S PICKUP - DAY
The truck makes the rise -- and there's THE SUN, dawning huge
and white. flaring mightily over the distant horizon.
THE GHOST RIDER
recoils, blinded by the dawn. He releases Nomi, collapses
backwards. His fire extinguishes, his skull-face fades --
-- and Blaze lies in the pickup bed, shaking. Nomi glances
back through the shattered cab window, her face a mask of
fear and sympathy. Blaze looks to Gunt's bike, which has
also reverted to its original state, then SEES --
BLAZE'S POV:
The bad guys coming on battered bikes -- Arlo, Chester, plus
FOUR OTHER GARGOYLES. And bringing up the rear, a seven ton
Mack dumper driven by Carrigan. Landsdale rides shotgun.
Blaze looks to Nomi, SHOUTS over the wind:
BLAZE
Give me your gun!
Nomi passes it back. The Gargoyles OPEN FIRE. Bullets zing
and whine. Blaze shoves Gunt's cycle off the pickup bed
The heavy wreck CRASHES and bounces, wasting the first
Gargoyle. The others swerve around the sliding debris
EXT. INTERSECTION/HIGHWAY - DAY
Nomi runs a stops sign, slews across a rural intersection,
pounds the HORN, swerving to avoid the crossing cars --
AN ONCOMING TANKER TRUCK
brakes, jack-knifes. Four gargoyles make it past, the fifth
is flattened. The Mack comes last, SMASHING a passing
minivan into a spin --
(CONTINUED)
79.
CONTINUED:
ANGLE ON A GAS STATION
A STATE TROOPER, hidden from view, hits his SIREN, gives
CHASE --
BACK TO ARLO AND THE OTHER GARGOYLES
Gaining, riddling the pickup with BULLETS. Blaze is pinned
in the bed, can't get off a shot --
ON CHESTER PULSIFER,
hanging back and riding one-handed. He hefts a 66mm LAWs
rocket on his shoulder, LAUNCHES it --
Near miss. But the impact lifts the pickup's rear axle into
the air. Nomi SCREAMS. Blaze hangs on for dear life.
ON CARRIGAN,
hauling the Mack alongside Chester --
CARRIGAN
(yelling from the cab)
The hell you doing? I need the kid
alive!!!
CHESTER
Fuck the kid and FUCK YOU!!!
Chester aims the launcher again. Carrigan swerves, CRUSHES
Chester under the Mack's mighty wheels.
THE TROOPER CAR
pulls alongside the Mack, SIREN wailing. Carrigan veers
hard, forcing it into the opposing lane. Up ahead:
ROADWORKS. The highway narrows to a single lane --
BACK TO ARLO AND THE GARGOYLES
Gaining on the pickup, trading shots with Blaze at ninety
miles and hour.
Blaze wings one Gargoyle, then plugs another who loses
control, cartwheels catastrophically, EXPLODES --
Arlo zigzags the debris, guns his hog, screams closer. Blaze
fires but -- CLICK, CLICK, CLICK -- he's out!
(CONTINUED)
80.
CONTINUED: (2)
ROADWORKS
The pickup mows down barricades like dominoes, clips a hot
tar cooker, spins spumes of molten tar in all directions.
HIGHWAY WORKERS run for their lives.
Nomi SMASHES through barricades, leaps a pile of rough
gravel. Blaze is nearly hurled out the bed, but hangs on,
shoulder screaming --
A FOREGROUND WORKER
operating a jackhammer fails to notice the careening pickup
racing by, which-is, in turn, followed by Arlo and --
THE MACK TRUCK AND THE STATE TROOPER,
ana necx at OOFJ2 Ann r i t s
over, end.
BACK TO SCENE
Arlo rides against Nomi's door, lets rip with his Uzi. Glass
SHATTERS. Rain and Nomi duck --
Arlo tries again, sticks his Uzi right into the cab. But
Nomi forces the gun upwards. Bullets puncture the roof,
shell casings ricochet-
In desperation, Nomi reaches for the door latch, kicks her
foot against the door. The door swings outward, taking Arlo
along with it.
UP AHEAD
is a concrete divider. Nomi abruptly veers right, clipping
Arlo against the divider, killing him instantly.
ON BLAZE
hauling himself back into the pickup bed even as --
THE MACK
bears down on them. Landsdale jumps from the cab, landing
alongside Blaze. The two men struggle in the cargo bed, hand
to hand, exchanging a volley of vicious blows.
Nomi is desperate, doesn't know what to do. Landsdalp is
getting the upper hand. He grips Blaze by the throat,
forcing him over the side of the pickup bed, shoving Blaze's
head towards the churning wheels of the Mack --
(CONTINUED)
81.
CONTINUED: (3)
NOMI
(to Rain, pleading)
Do something!!!
ON RAIN,
concentrating, focusing all her energy on Landsdale. She
CRIES OUT, makes a forceful hand gesture --
-- and Landsdale's glasses SHATTER. He SCREAMS, blood
pouring from his eyes. Blaze rolls, throws Landsdale over
his shoulder -- into the wheels of the Mack.
UP AHEAD, A MASSIVE ROADBLOCK
Barricades, bulldozers, dozens of state police cars.
The pickup and the Mack pass over a line of TIRE SPIKES. The
tires BLOW. The trucks drop. Metal rims SPARK and GRIND --
NOMI (CONT' D)
Hold on to something!
She brakes. The pickup fishtails. Carrigan also brakes,
struggling to keep the Mack under control. Then the Mack
catches a rim, flips, rolls --
SLOW MOTION
The rolling Mack plows into the roadblock, seven tons of iron
crushing cruisers and barricades alike.
The pickup careens off the road, plunges into a cornfield,
hits a rut, grinds to a halt --
A SERIES OF DISSOLVES
The aftermath. Trooper cars sliding to a halt.
Carrigan being dragged from the Mack at gun point, handcuffed.
Armed TROOPERS plunging into the cornfield, YELLING.
Nomi falling out of the cab, finding Rain, unhurt, alive.
She drags Rain into the sea of corn. Rain looks back, SEES --
BLAZE
being surrounded by Troopers, wrestled to the ground.
CUT TO:
82.
INT. COUNTY JAIL - DAY
A cacophony of noise for the new meat. Hardened CRIMINALS
BANGING their bars, SHOUTING as loud as they can.
ON BLAZE
chained, cuffed, struggling with TWO DEPUTIES trying to drag
him to a cell. Further up, Carrigan is being similarly
escorted. Blaze looks to the faces of his fellow prisoners,
dread seizing his body.
BLAZE
I have to talk to the warden. You have
to put me someplace else --
DEPUTY #1
Should've thought of that before you
pulled that "Dukes of Hazzard" stunt.
BLAZE
Please, just listen to me. Put me in
solitary, anywhere but here.
DEPUTY #2
This isn't a fucking hotel, chief.
BLAZE
You don't understand, people will die --
WHACK! A baton blow to the knee. Blaze CRIES OUT, staggers --
DEPUTY
Easy on the threats, big guy --
(shouts to door control)
NUMBER TEN!
The cell door opens. Blaze struggles even more violently now.
BLAZE
Do not put me in here! Do not leave me
with these men! They'll die if you do
this!! !
The deputies force Blaze inside, using batons, boots. A stun
gun SPARKS. Blaze falls. The cell door SLAMS. The inmates
opposite are LAUGHING, waving, bashing their bars with every
metal implement they've got as we --
CUT TO:
83.
EXT. MOTEL - DAY
A grimy, little stop, held together with paint. Nomi and
Rain step off a bus, each carrying a bag of supplies.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Simple and clean. Rain locks the door, goes to the window
and opens it wide -- a beautiful day outside, hills rolling
down to a busy town a mile distant.
Nomi drops her bag, sits wearily on the bed, peels her jacket
open -- revealing a nasty shoulder wound. Burned to the
bone, the impression of fingers clearly evident.
Rain hurries to help, rummages antiseptics and bandages from
Nomi's bag. Together, they clean the wound. Nomi's pain is
clear, but she keeps it quiet.
RAIN
Are we safe now?
Nomi regards her sadly. She's never been one to tell lies.
NOMI
Honey, I don't know if we'll ever be
safe.
Rain nods, knew the answer instinctively. Something about
her look -- far too fatalistic for a child her age.
RAIN
He talks to me sometimes.
NOMI
Who?
RAIN
My father --
(beat, hesitant)
-- when I'm dreaming.
NOMI
(FEARFUL)
What does he say?
Rain starts to cry now, suddenly overwhelmed. Despite her
eerily calm demeanor, she's still a child. And a frightened
one at that.
RAIN
I don't want to be like him, mom.
(CONTINUED)
84.
CONTINUED:
NOMI
You won't.
RAIN
(SOBBING)
You don't know that.
NOMI
Yes, I do, baby --
Nomi hugs her, desperate, as if the world were ending.
Outside, across the land, the sun shines gloriously bright.
NOMI (CONT'D)
-- yes I do.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. COUNTY JAIL - BLAZE'S CELL - DAY
On Blaze, immobile. Waiting for nightfall. Shadows lengthen
around him in TIME-LAPSE as the day begins to die. He starts
to shake. Tears streak from his eyes, burn his cheeks.
INT. COUNTY JAIL - CARRIGAN'S CELL - DAY
On Carrigan, in his cell at the end of the corridor. He's
nervous, cutting a deck of cards.
EXT. LANDSCAPES - VARIOUS - DAY/DUSK
Ants feed on a praying mantis. An owl pulls at a recently
killed mouse. Day TIME-LAPSES to dusk. Thunder RUMBLES.
CUT TO:
INT. MOTEL ROOM - DUSK
Rain sleeps. Storm fingers scratch at the window.
Nomi steps out of the shower. Towels off. Checks on Rain.
She contemplates her sleeping child a moment, then taps a
pack of Camels, realizes she's out.
EXT. MOTEL - WALKWAY - DUSK
Nomi quietly closes the door. Walks to the far end where the
vending machines are HUMMING. CLUNK. A fresh pack of
smokes. She tears it open, then notices --
(CONTINUED)
85.
CONTINUED:
A MOTH
fluttering by an outdoor light, casting distorted shadows on
the stucco wall. Nomi stares, uneasy, something tugging at-
her memory as we SEE --
A BRIEF FLASH OF THE PAST
Nomi back on the bed, ODing. The SHADOW of Starke falling
over her. The moth fluttering above.
BACK TO THE PRESENT
as Nomi turns to the parking lot, SEES a coyote slouching out
of the gathering darkness. And she knows. 5-ba fucking knows.
WOMAN (V . 0 . )
My father used to say that the only way
evil came into your life --
INT. COUNTY JAIL - BLAZE AND CARRIGAN'S CELLS - DUSK
Blaze waiting, internal. Carrigan manically cutting his deck
of cards. Over and over.
Blaze suddenly CRIES OUT, throwing himself onto the floor.
He begins to writhe as the other prisoners jeer at him.
WOMAN (V.O.)
was if you invited it.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - DUSK
Nomi bolts into the room, frantic. She shakes Rain awake.
The child looks up, SEES the terror in her mother's face.
RAIN
Mom --?!
NOMI
Sweety, you have to get out of here now.
FOLLOWING NOMI
as she drags Rain into the bathroom. She tears the shower
curtain back. There's a window just above the shower stall
barely big enough for someone like Rain to squeeze through.
WOMAN (V.0.)
I'm not sure about that. At least not
anymore. What I CQ know is this:
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED:
We hear FOOTSTEPS in the walkway outside. SOMEONE is coming-___"
Nomi tugs open the window, lifts Rain towards it --
NOMI
Honey, go, GO! ?
INT. COUNTY JAIL - NIGHT
The other prisoners are SHOUTING, fed up with Blaze's
"antics". He-rolls about, clutching at sides. Fire streams
from his mouth, his-eyes --
WOMAN (V.O.)
We are born alone and we die alone.
ON CARRIGAN,
terrified, backing into the far corner of his cell.
THE OTHER PRISONERS
pause, watching the beginning of Blaze's transformation,
their CRIES taking on an entirely new kind of urgency.
WOMAN (V.0.) (CONT ` D )
It's what happens in-between that matters.
INT_ MOTEL ROOM - BATHROOM - NIGHT
Rain squirms through the window, drops to the ground outside.
WOMAN (V.0.)
-- the choices we make, the people whose
paths we cross --
She stands, casts a fearful look to at Nomi, then runs off
into the stormy night.
ON NOMI
backing out of the bathroom as the front door EXPLODES OPEN.
She turns around --
WOMAN (V.0.) (CONT'D)
-- these are the things that determine
our fate.
STARKE
stands in the doorway, coyotes slouching in around his heels.
The beasts attack, growing and changing, their gnashing
mouths of razored teeth opening wide to consume Nomi as --
87.
INT. COUNTY JAIL - NIGHT
-- FWOOOSHH!!! A mushrooming blast-wave of HELLFIRE erupts
from Blaze's body, expanding beyond his cell and across the-
CORRIDOR --
EXT. WOODED RISE - NIGHT
Rain runs for her life, weeping, distraught, stumbling down a
rain-slick hillside. She SEES --
THE TOWN
spread out below, FIREBALLS engulfing a distant building --
INT. COUNTY JAIL - BLAZE'S CELL - NIGHT
The Ghost Rider stands in the center of Blaze's cell, a
cyclone of hellfire swirling around him -- for there is a
direct, casual relationship between the amplitude of his rage
and the number of transgressors in its vicinity.
He moves forward, melting the cell bars, stepping into --
THE CORRIDOR BEYOND
The prisoners are frantic, leaping about like frightened lab
animals.
THOOM! THOOM! The Ghost Rider's heavy FOOTFALLS ring out as
it strides down the corridor, turning his awful gaze on the
first cell. The Ghost Rider extends a hand, sending a STREAM
OF HELLFIRE coursing over the prisoner within.
The Ghost Rider moves on, to the second and third cells,
swiveling his gaze back and forth, BURNING the occupants
within. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
THOOM! THOOM! The Ghost Rider continues its rampage.
Murderers, rapists, malefactors. Some curse, others plead,
others simply drop to their knees and pray. For they know,
instinctively, that the universe is not an arbitrary place,
that their Day of Judgement has come.
The entire jail is ablaze now, a roiling extension of the
Ghost Rider's fury, drowning out the VOICES OF THE DAMNED.
ON THE FINAL CELL
where Carrigan cowers within. The deck of cards in his hands
drops, scatters. Some of them catch fire, shrivel up --
(CONTINUED)
88.
CONTINUED:
The Ghost Rider waves his hand. The bars separating them
melt, flowing to the floor like liquid. He stares down at
Carrigan, his hollow eve sockets sparking to life.
AS THE PENANCE STARE
erupts from the Ghost Rider's eyes, Carrigan reaches for
something beneath the bed --
cell wall. He holds it up.
The effect is catastrophic, like the Medusa having her own
deadly gaze turned back upon her. The Ghost Rider stumbles
backwards, SHRIEKING, assaulted by an onslaught of subjective
images. Visions horrifying enough to drive even a demon mad.
EXT. COUNTY JAIL -- NIGHT
The windows of the jail pulse with HELLFIRE, panes of safety
glass EXPLODING OUTWARDS as a blast-wave expands and expands,
making the world go white.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. COUNTY JAIL - NIGHT
FADE IN from white. Another aftermath. A circus of
PARAMEDICS, POLICE, FIREMEN and REPORTERS. Every corner is
blackened, every bar twisted and melted. Charred CORPSES are
scattered like matchsticks.
BOOTS
are coming. We've seen them before. These boots belong to --
STARKE
navigating his way through the bedlam. He passes between
rushing emergency personnel, steps over a writhing VICTIM --
-- but no one seems to notice his presence. And as he
progresses to the far end of the cell block, the cacophony
fades, leaving only his FOOTSTEPS as he turns into --
CARRIGAN'S CELL
Carrigan is terribly burned, but still clinging to life.
Frantic paramedics are running an IV, struggling to stabilize
him. His fear-filled eyes grow dim, then abruptly snap into
focus as he SEES --
STARKE (O.S.)
You look like you could use some help.
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED:
-- Starke standing over him, his gaze stoic and pitiless.
STARKE (CONT' D)
You lost her, Carrigan. What happened?
CARRI GAN
(a choking sob)
-- you didn't tell us -- what he was
Carrigan starts to slip away. The SOUNDS of the outside
world begin to intrude once more.
Starke kneels, touching a hand to Carrigan's chest. The
world ebbs away again. The paramedics continue their work,
oblivious. Carrigan MOANS.
CARRIGAN (CONT'D)
-- please, I don't want to die --
Starke's arctic eyes gleam bright with mischief.
STARKE
If I could save you, would you be willing
to make a deal?
CUT TO:
EXT. DESERT CEMETERY - DAWN
Blaze sits against an old grave marker, gun in hand.
Thousand-yard stare in his eyes. He contemplates the gun
SILENT MEMORIES
assault him -- good times with Roxanne, happy times, making
the onrush that much more unbearable. We INTERCUT --
ROXANNE,
radiant at the beach. Flickering sunshine makes her squint.
BACK TO BLAZE,
here and now, cocking the gun, turning it back on himself.
ROXANNE
folding clothes, seen through a sunny doorway.
BACK TO BLAZE,
fingering the trigger of the gun, edging closer to the
unknown, the terrors that the afterlife holds for him.
(CONTINUED)
90.
CONTINUED:
ROXANNE
Her laughing face, loving Blaze from across a dinner table.
BACK TO BLAZE
suppressing a sob. The pain is too much. It's overwhelming --
ROXANNE
and Blaze at the obstetrician's. On the sonogram monitor, w e
SEE unborn child shifting positions within Roxanne's womb,
PUSH IN on the eerily beautiful image and --
BACK TO BLAZE
Fuck it. He presses the barrel against his forehead.
Squeezes his eyes tightly shut, compresses the trigger --
-- but he can't do it. He lowers the gun, weeping with
frustration and -- freezes, head cocked like he heard a
voice. He scans the cemetery: graves, trees, nothing. Then
he spins around ---
RAIN
stands behind him, waif-like. Big, melancholy eyes. They
stare at each other for a long time, not knowing what to say.
RAIN
My mother is dead.
The statement hangs. Another death. Another failure of
Blaze's part.
BLAZE
How--?
RAIN
My father found us, just like she knew he
would.
Rain looks down at Blaze's hand -- the gun resting there.
Blaze meets her gaze and tucks the gun away, embarrassed.
The wind picks up. Rain looks to the graves.
RAIN (CONT' D)
What do you think happens when you die?
Do you think there's a heaven?
BLAZE
I don't know.
(CONTINUED)
91.
CONTINUED: (2)
RAIN
(INSISTENT)
But what do you think?
Blaze studies Rain. This kid is hurting. What she needs
now, is reassurance. And try as he might, Blaze just can' t
seem to harden his heart against her.
BLAZE
Yeah, I think there's something. Maybe
not angels playing harps and stuff, but
(SEARCHING)
-- something.
Rain wipes her nose with her sleeve, wanting to believe it.
RAIN
He'll keep coming, you know. Unless you
stop him.
BLAZE
(TIRED)
I don't know that I can anymore.
RAIN
But you'll try, right?
Blaze regards her curiously. Even in grief, she's a
consummate negotiator.
BLAZE
I don't have anything left to give, kid.
Blaze stands, starts walking. Rain follows.
RAIN
My mother said you were a good man.
BLAZE
I'm not.
RAIN
She said I could trust you.
BLAZE
You can't.
RAIN
(PERSISTENT)
But don't you think there's a reason why
all of this is happening? Like fate?
(CONTINUED)
92.
CONTINUED: (3)
BLAZE
I don't believe in fate.
RAIN
Maybe it believes in you.
Blaze stops. Cold. Deja-vu all over again. He looks back
at Rain. Sighs.
CUT TO:
EXT. MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY - DAY
A battered truck full of MIGRANT FARM-WORKERS grinds to a
halt. Blaze and rain jump out in a cloud of dust.
DRIVER
(POINTING)
Alla! Mision de Sante Lupia!
High up the mountain: an old adobe building perched on
stilts, precariously overhung. On top of its bell tower, a
crucifix stands clear and proud.
RAIN
We're going to a church?
BLAZE
It's not a church. It's a mission. They
take people in.
Blaze pays the driver. The truck roars away. Rain looks
back to the mission, doubtful.
RAIN
Are you going to dump me there?
CUT TO:
EXT. THE MISSION - DAY
18th Century Spanish adobe. Chapel and dormitory, currently
under renovation. VARIOUS TOUGH-LOOKING MEN are at work.
Picks and hoes clink in the dirt.
Blaze and Rain make their way towards the main building.
TOLBEIN (40s, hard, mistrustful) intercepts them.
TOLBEIN
Can I help you?
(CONTINUED)
93.
CONTINUED:
BLAZE
Our car broke down a few miles back and
my daughter and I were wondering if we
could crash here for the night.
Tolbein sizes them up -- doesn't like what he sees.
TOLBEIN
Don't think so.
BLAZE
What about a ride, then? Is there a town
somewhere you could take us to?
Other men have gathered behind Tolbein -- VISCOTT, WILSON.
One of them, NUNEZ, nods to the South.
NUNEZ
Why don't you head back to Dawson? They
got motels there.
BLAZE
That's not really an option.
TOLBEIN
Then I'd say you're out of luck.
BLAZE
Look, you must have a cot, something. The
kid's hungry --
RHYMER (O.S. )
I'm sure we can figure something out.
JOE RHYMER, 50s, approaches, silences Tolbein with a look.
He's down to earth, capable, wearing a black shirt, cleric's
collar, oily jeans, and muddy work boots.
RHYMER (CONT'D)
(offering his hand)
Joe Rhymer. I'm the Padre.
BLAZE
This is Rain.
RHYMER
Rain? That's a pretty name.
(TO RAIN)
You hungry, Rain? Would you like
something to eat?
Rain nods. Rhymer ushers them inside. As he moves to
follow, Tolbein stops him.
(CONTINUED)
94
CONTINUED: (2)
TOLBEIN
Bottom line, Father. There's something
wrong with those two. Especially the
kid.
RHYMER
Duly noted, Richard.
(POINTEDLY)
And overruled.
ANGLE ON A RAGGEDY FIGURE
jutting into frame in the foreground. Blaze pauses at the
threshold of the chapel, looks back, uneasy -- but it's just
a SCARECROW being buffeted about by the wind.
INT. MISSION - CHAPEL - DAY
Rhymer leads Blaze down the central aisle. The chapel is
dark, lit by candle-light, crowded with scaffolding and drop-
sheets. As Blaze walks, the flames of the candles bend in
his direction -- as if drawn by some unseen magnetic force.
BLAZE
Those men outside --
RHYMER
Most of them are on a work-release
program. We're a halfway house for ex-
offenders. We try to get people on their
feet, reintegrate them into society.
Blaze glances at Rain, apprehensive.
RHYMER (CONT'D)
(misreading Blaze's look)
Don't worry, you're perfectly safe here.
But of course, that's not what Blaze is thinking.
CUT TO:
INT. MISSION - KITCHEN - LATE AFTERNOON
Rain sits at the table, spooning her soup. Tolbein, Nunez
and a few others watch them. Blaze watches them back,
nonchalant in the face of their obvious hostility.
EXT. COURTYARD - LATE AFTERNOON
BUILDERS working. Men carrying provisions. There's a small
vegetable garden in the center of the courtyard. Rain helps
the GARDENER pull carrots.
(CONTINUED)
95.
CONTINUED:
Blaze watches from a distance, cleaned up, clothes laundered--
Rhymer approaches, gestures to the garden.
RHYMER
It's turned out beautiful, hasn't it? We
try to be as self sufficient as we can,
back to the earth and all that.
He notices that Blaze is staring at the lowering sun.
RHYMER (CONT'D)
You any good with diesel engines?
BLAZE
I know my way around a flywheel housing.
RHYMER
Well I've got a generator out back that's
been on life support the last few weeks.
Mind helping me try to resuscitate it?
Blaze looks at him curiously.
BLAZE
Sure.
INT. BASEMENT - LATE AFTERNOON
Blaze and Rhymer work by flashlight, tinkering with the old
generator. There are a number of vehicles stored around
them, including a pair of dusty motorcycles.
RHYMER
So how long have you been running?
BLAZE
What do you mean?
RHYMER
You know what I mean. You spend as much
time around lost souls as I have, you
learn how to read a man's face.
(NODDING)
You want to hand me that crescent wrench?
Blaze hands Rhymer the wrench, who then makes an adjustment.
RHYMER (CONT'D)
Take the girl, for instance. She's not
your daughter, is she?
BLAZE
No.
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED:
RHYMER
So what happened to her mother?
BLAZE
She's dead.
RHYMER
Did you kill her?
BLAZE
No.
Rhymer studies Blaze, decides he believes him.
BLAZE (CONT' D)
(ELABORATING)
She doesn't have anyone else. I'm just
trying to protect her.
RHYMER
And who's protecting you?
MOMENTS LATER,
Blaze and Rhymer are cleaning up.
BLAZE
Listen, I appreciate what you're trying
to do, but I've never really been a come
to Jesus kind of guy.
RHYMER
I wasn't talking about Jesus, I was
talking about a little healthy
introspection. Working here, staying in
one place for a while, seeing what
surfaces. I've found that people tend to
arrive on our doorstep for a reason.
Blaze considers this formidable man, a yearning moment
then he shakes his head.
BLAZE
I can't stay. I'm sorry.
RHYMER
What about the girl, then? Whatever
you're involved in, I can't imagine it's
good for her well-being.
(beat, gentle)
We can find a home for her.
(CONTINUED)
97.
CONTINUED: (2)
BLAZE
(UNSURE)
I'd have to leave tonight --
Rhymer nods, understanding, he motions towards a beautiful
motorcycle parked back in the shadows -- a `71 Norton
Commando 850. Black, with gold pin-striping.
RHYMER
You can take the Norton.
BLAZE
I don't have any money.
RHYMER
So send us some when you do.
Blaze is moved by this man's simple humanity -- but he's also
wrestling with the idea of abandoning Rain.
CUT TO:
EXT. MISSION - DUSK/NIGHT
TIME-LAPSING SHADOWS cross the mission buildings and the
surrounding wilderness landscape. The lonely scarecrow
stares button-eyed and blank.
INT. MISSION - BATHROOM - NIGHT
Blaze gazes into a bathroom mirror. Been here so many times
before. SOUNDS intrude upon his solitude.
He bows his head, studies the coin, turning it over in his
shaking fingers. The malicious coyote, the soaring eagle.
Still the SOUNDS come, stronger, more insistent --
Cars CRASHING. Police SIRENS wailing. SCREAMS. GUNFIRE.
FLAMES.
Blaze looks up once more. His eyes are shadowed sockets.
This is the real PENANCE STARE, and Blaze is feeling its
awful, mournful ache.
NOMI'S VOICE
He wants to know if you're a bad man.
He wants to know -- if the Ghost Rider
turned its penance stare on you, would
you burn?
Blaze clenches his fist around the coin, spins on his heels.
98.
INT. MISSION - DORM ROOM - NIGHT
Blaze pauses in the doorway, looking in on Rain, who sleeps,
dead to the world. Blaze sets the coyote coin on the bed
table next to her, turns and leaves.
We HOLD ON Rain's sleeping face for a beat, then she stirs,
opening her eyes. She SEES the coin nearby, sits up.
INT. MISSION - STORM CELLAR - NIGHT
The Norton Commando ROARS into life, blasting webs from the
exhaust. Blaze guides the bike up the coal ramp and out
through the open cellar doors.
EXT. MISSION - NIGHT
A STORM FRONT is moving in, huge thunderheads gathering and
roiling. Blaze pulls a dusty skid, pauses with the engine
RUMBLING. Looks back forlornly at the mission. Then he
wrings the throttle and hauls away into the night as we --
ANGLE ON A DORM ROOM WINDOW
Rain stands at the glass, watching Blaze leave.
CUT TO:
INT. MISSION - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Rhymer and leads his wards in prayer. We can hear the WIND
rising outside, gathering in strength.
RHYMER
That which was from the beginning, which
we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon, and
our hands have handled, of the Word of
life."
INT. MISSION - HALLWAY - NIGHT
MOVING WITH Rain down a moonlit corridor- She clutches the
coyote coin like a talisman, then ---
SEES SOMETHING
through a window which startles her -- only to realize that
it's just the scarecrow out in the field, flapping wildly.
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED:
THE MEN (V.O.)
"For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto
you that eternal life, which was with the
Father, and was manifested unto us."
INT. MISSION - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
RHYMER CONTINUES:
RHYMER
"That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may
have fellowship with us: and truly our
fellowship is with the Father, and with
his Son Jesus Christ. And these things
write we unto you, that your joy may be
full. This then is the message which we
have heard of him, and declare unto you,
that God is light -- "
CUT TO:
EXT. COASTAL HIGHWAY - NIGHT
Blaze rides like the wind along a snaking road, away from the
storm clouds churning behind him.
RHYMER (V.0.)
-- and in him is no darkness at all."
UP AHEAD,
the land falls sharply away, spilling down into a wide
expanse of moonlit ocean pregnant with the promise of
release.
CUT TO:
INT. MISSION - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Rhymer and his men eat. Rain is there too. Nunez peers out
into the darkness. Wind and debris are scratching at the
window panes. We hear THUNDER now, too.
NUNEZ
Padre. You'd better take a look at this.
Rhymer joins him. SEES what he SEES: COYOTES gathering. Six
or more. They creep malevolently towards the mission.
NUNEZ (CONT'D)
You ever see anything like that before?
(CONTINUED)
100.
CONTINUED:
Rhymer shakes his head, looks to --
RAIN
She's acutely conscious of the men staring at her now, still
clutching the coin like a rabbit's foot.
TOLBEIN
It's her -- she's the one doing this.
RHYMER
That's enough, Richard.
TOLBEIN
I'm telling you, Father, there's
something wrong with --
CRASH! One of the windows SLAMS open, startling everyone.
Rhymer moves to it, latches it shut again.
INT. MISSION - ENTRANCE HALL - NIGHT
LIGHTNING flashes. An eerie HOWLING arises. Tolbein and
Nunez lead some men to the front door. Tolbein unbars the
door, pulls it open, can't believe his eyes: THREE DOZEN
HOWLING COYOTES, approaching the entrance.
TOLBEIN
What is this?!
SCARE! A snarling coyote comes out of left field, just
misses his throat --
Tolbein leaps backward, SLAMS the door. The men start
SHOUTING. Rain backs away. She knows what's happening.
WHAM! An animal rams the door. Then another. And another --
INT. MISSION - RHYMER'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Rhymer breaks out a shotgun, shells, hears the men SHOUTING.
INT. MISSION - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Rhymer rushes in. The men are confused, afraid. WHAM!
WHAM! GROWLING coyotes are hurling themselves repeatedly
against the windows, cracking the panes.
RHYMER
Get away from the windows!
(TO WILSON)
Wilson, take Rain to the chapel.
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED:
Wilson hesitates, eyeing Rain with distrust-
WILSON
I ain't going nowhere with her.
All the men are giving Rain a wide berth now. WHAM! Another
snarling coyote hits the glass.
RHYMER
One of you, please, just take the kid to
the chapel.
TOLBEIN
Father, that's the last place she should
be.
CRUNCH! Something strikes the room a massive blow.
Something MUCH BIGGER than a coyote. Viscott starts praying.
NUNEZ
Quiet, Viscott!
THUMP! CRUMP! More heavy blows. Like the Fist of God.
Making the floorboards beneath their feet vibrate. SOMETHING
shambles past the window. What in God's name was that?
TOLBEIN
(looking at Rain, accusing)
I knEw we should've sent them away!
THOOM! Another impact. THOOM!THOOM! Plaster cracks. Dust
falls. Viscott wails, praying even more stridently. Nunez
is losing it_
NUNEZ
SHUT THE FUCK UP, MAN!
TOLBEIN
She's the one they want, I'm telling you!
-- and the lights abruptly go ou The storm bellows and
blusters. The men huddle together, fear thick and sour.
CARRIGAN (O.S.)
Raainn -- Raaaaiinnn --
A gastly VOICE, monstrously corrupt, but still recognizable
as Billy-Ray Carrigan.
CARRIGAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
-- where are you, Rainnnnnnn?
Rain shrinks away from the insidious mewling.
(CONTINUED)
102.
CONTINUED: (2)
TOLBEIN
(to Rhymer, hissing)
I told you --
Even Rhymer is shaken now. He moves to investigate, presses
up against a cracked window --
RHYMER'S POV (THROUGH WINDOW)
Carrigan stands outside, lurching between patterns of
moonlight and shadow. But the movement is all wrong. And in
our momentary glimpses of him, we get the sense that he's
been horribly changed -- as if his body had been torn apart,
then haphazardly reassembled into something else.
CRUNCH! The wall fractures. Rhymer staggers back. WHUMP!
CRUNCH! A row of impacts moves along the wall --
Tolbein and Nunez scramble to reach the dining room door.
They close it, turning the locks.
WHANG! Carrigan slams against the other side of the heavy,
steel door. WHANG!WHANG! Again and again and again. The
men are terrified, SHOUTING at each other. The door is
buckling inward, the hinges bending and GROANING --
Then the pummelling stops. Just the sound of BREATHING,
halting and phlegmatic. No one moves, not a whisper.
CORROSION starts to spread across the metal door.
NUNEZ
What the fuck --?!
Rhymer edges close to the decaying door, peering through a gap
in the frame --
Carrigan peers back, moonlight illuminating his face. There
are buttons where his eyes should 12P. He BELLOWS:
CARRIGAN
PRIEST! GIVE ME THE GIRL!
The POUNDING begins anew, harder now. The weakened door is
surely about to give way. Rain is terrified.
TOLBEIN
Do what he says! Put her out!
RHYMER
Get back with the others!
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED: (3)
TOLBEIN
We don't do what it says, that thing
outside there's gonna kill us all.
Rhymer steps in front of Rain, levels his shotgun at
Tolbein's chest.
RHYMER
God as my witness, Richard, lay a hand on
that girl and I will pull this trigger.
Tolbein hesitates -- then grabs at the shotgun. He twists it
from Rhymer's hands, SMASHES the butt across Rhymer's jaw.
Rhymer sinks to the floor.
Tolbein grabs Rain, drags her SCREAMING to the door. He
waves the shotgun at the others --
TOLBEIN
Open the fucking door! DO IT!
Nunez fumbles with the lock. Rhymer recovers, throws himself
at Nunez, tries stop him from opening it. The pounding
ceases. All eyes sweep to the door --
TWO BUTTONS
roll through the gap between the bottom of the door and the
floor, coming to rest at Rhymer's feet -- immediately oottina
the floorboards beneath them.
CARRIGAN (O.S.)
(a skin-crawling whisper)
I can see you, Priest. I can see every
last one of you.
THE DOOR BURSTS OPEN,
knocking Tolbein, Rain, Rhymer and Nunez on their asses. All
eyes bug as Carrigan shoulders his way inside. Only he's n..t
Carrigan anymore. Now he's --
THE SCARECROW
A golem of dessicated flesh knitted together with straw and
sodden burlap, pieces of insects, twine, and razor wire.
Button-socket eyes. Jagged bone teeth. Beetle-black chitin
for fingers and nails.
His very existence is an affront to nature. Everything the
Scarecrow touches instantly corrodes and decays. Floorboards
rot, metal rusts. Every movement, every spastic shudder and
twitch is a source of incalculable pain.
(CONTINUED)
104
CONTINUED: (4)
The Scarecrow thrusts his hand out and a STORM OF DEMONIC
CROWS explodes from his chest, whirling about like a cyclone
of knives.
Now the coyotes enter too. Dozens of them, SNARLING, DIVING
at the men, sinking their jaws into flesh.
The men are trapped. Some try to flee. Others fight back,
swinging chairs and planks --
THE SCARECROW
stalks into their midst, snaring victims left and right,
HURLING bodies or pulling them apart --
He snatches Viscott up by his throat. Bugs swarm over the
SCREAMING parolee's face as it rots and decays. In seconds,
Viscott's entire body decomposes, putrefies, falls apart --
RHYMER AND RAIN
back up towards the kitchen. SCREECH! A crow-thing comes
flapping. Rhymer FIRES. The creature SHRIEKS and flops --
Nunez claws another from his face, SEES it's not a crow at
all, but some kind of wriggling eyeless monstrosity with a
deformed razor beak, matted feathers, bony talons --
Wilson, trapped under a bench, BEATS desperately at a
gnashing coyote. Lands a real blow. The beast falls back
then stands up like a man?
VARIOUS ANGLES
as the OTHER COYOTES do likewise. The coyotes are changing
shape, enlarging, canine skeletons CRACKING and re-arranging
themselves into --
JAW-BEASTS
The same half-glimpsed horrors we glimpsed accompanying
Starke. All muscle and gnashing fangs and bloody, ripping
claws.
CUT TO:
EXT. COASTAL HIGHWAY - NIGHT
Blaze rolls the Norton to a stop. Kills the engine. Sits
back in the saddle and drinks in the night.
The moonlit landscape is profoundly silent, the starry sky
clear and awesome. Nothing stirs.
(CONTINUED)
105.
CONTINUED:
Not a cricket, not a lizard. Just the moonlit expanse of
ocean below. Then we hear THUNDER, like distant artillery.
Blaze looks back over his shoulder --
BLAZE'S POV
Distant thunderheads. LIGHTNING flickering.
CLOSE ON Blaze, trying to drive Rain from his mind. We can
SEE on his face that it's a losing battle -- for poor, cursed
Johnny Blaze has finally understood his purpose on this earth.
CUT TO:
INT. MISSION - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Claws and jaws and razor-beaks tearing frenziedly through
wood and plaster and lathe. Rhymer, Rain, Nunez and Tolbein
struggle to repel the monsters, beating them back with
whatever is at hand --
-- but the jaw-beasts and razor birds are winning, forcing
their way into the kitchen --
Nunz is snagged. Slashing claws swarm all over him. The
others try to pull him free --
Rhymer wastes two more precious SHOTS, but Nunez is lost.
Dragged SCREAMING into the storm of mouths and claws. The
survivors fall back as the door gives and --
THE SCARECROW
pitches through the opening, lurching forward. Jaw-beasts
fall in behind him. Razor birds whirl around his head.
The survivors scramble for the far exit. Rain opens every
gas burner on the grill as she passes by -- but the far exit
is locked. And Rhymer doesn't have the key!
BOOM! Rhymer shotguns the lock! The lock fractures, but the
exit still won't open. Tolbein starts kicking. Rhymer aims
AGAIN --
RAIN
(tugging at Rhymer)
Shoot the gas!
RHYMER
What?
(CONTINUED)
106.
CONTINUED:
THE SCARECROW
advances. Bugs swarm from beneath his tattered feet. Every
metal implement and surface rusts as he passes.
RAIN
(pointing at the grills)
SHOOT THE GAS!
Rhymer hears the ranges HISSING and FIRES. CHOOM! The gas
fireballs, catches Scarecrow full-on sideways. He squeals,
reels. Burning jaw-beasts writhe and howl.
Rain falls to the floor, dropping the coyote coin. It spins
furiously as we --
CUT TO:
EXT. COASTAL HIGHWAY - NIGHT
Blaze. Coming back. Ninety_ One hundred. Wind tears
wildly at his hair, jacket. The bike shudders. The
tachometer edges upwards --
One twenty. One twenty-five. Nitrous booster. The Norton
SCREAMS. One thirty. One forty. One fifty --
HEAT streams off Blaze. FLAMES wisp from his nostrils. One
sixty. One seventy.
The tachometer SHATTERS. The engine smokes. The bike
SHRIEKS, pushing the edge of mechanical reason.
FLAMES explode from Blaze's mouth and eyes. His hands
ignite. He CRIES OUT in agony. His body alters violently.
His face warps. Bones crack and shift. Flesh shrinks and
tightens as the skull-visage emerges.
The bike changes too, red heat spreading throughout.
Tortured metal SCREECHES. Straining machinery pops and
bulges. Shafts lengthen into skeletal "bones". The saddle
slouches. The tank distends --
WHOOMPF! The wheels ignite, then the whole bike. HELLFIRE
streams, an extension of Blaze's rage.
Blaze SCREAMS from the pit of his soul as the Ghost Rider
claws itself into being, more manifest that ever before --
And that's when the bike really accelerates -
-- so fast that its air wake churns the dust on each side.
(CONTINUED)
107.
CONTINUED:
so fast that molten asphalt spumes from behind like lava.
-- so fast that the goddamn camera can barely catch it and --
B-BOOM!!! The hellcycle breaks MACH 1, SONIC BOOMS rocking
the landscape as we --
CUT TO:
INT. MISSION - NIGHT
-- the Scarecrow, savagely burnt by the blast, but
unstoppable. He rises, cocks his head, hears something --
VARIOUS ANGLES - DINING ROOM, KITCHEN, STAIRCASE
The jaw-beasts_ The razor birds. All pause. All listen.
They know something's coming. Something fast. Something bad.
We hear it now too -- the WHINE of an APPROACHING ENGINE.
ON THE COYOTE COIN
wobbling to a stop, coyote side up.
Realizing what's about to happen, the Scarecrow lets loose a
GHASTLY WAIL and --
THE GHOST RIDER
erupts through the wall in DEEP SLOW MOTION, sending forth a
majestic tsunami of fire and debris. The monster bike skids,
carves floorboards like matchwood --
JAW-BEASTS AND RAZOR BIRDS
hurl themselves out of its scorching path --
The Ghost Rider vaults from the saddle, sends the bike
spinning at the scurrying monsters. It ninepins a few, takes
out the rest as it impacts the wall like a nuke --
THE CROW-THINGS
are vanquished, squealing and flopping like living cinders.
BUT THE JAW-BEASTS RECOVER,
still aflame but very much alive. If anything, they seem
emboldened by the fire. They circle the Ghost Rider, more
and more of them joining the pack.
(CONTINUED)
108.
CONTINUED:
THE GHOST RIDER
readies his chains. The jaw-beasts attack. Three dozen
horrors pouncing and GNASHING. The Ghost Rider takes them.-
Chains, flames, sheer power and force --
Spines snap. Lupine skulls burn. The Ghost Rider tears the
monsters limb from limb. The room becomes the Seventh Circle
of Hell, and at the heart of the Inferno, the Ghost Rider
exults in the slaughter --
The whole mission is ablaze now, fire and churning smoke
consuming everything in its path. Rhymer, Rain, and Tolbein
run for their lives.
INT. MISSION - DORMITORY - NIGHT
Rain, Rhymer and Tolbein are trapped. Fire has cut them off.
They back their way towards the rear of the building, peer
out the windows --
THEIR POV:
a hundred foot drop straight down to the highway.
TOLBEIN
There's no way down from here!
CRACK! The door behind them splinters. The Scarecrow's
found them once again.
INT. MISSION - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
The Ghost Rider is having difficulty with the jaw-beasts.
His fire burns them but they just keep coming -- blackened
skeletal demons, possessed of an unstoppable ferocity --
For every one he throws aside, two more seem to take its
place. He can wound them, sear the flesh from their bones,
but still they pile on, sinking their teeth into his skeletal
flesh, CRUNCHING through his hollow rib-cage --
The Ghost Rider SHRIEKS in pain, TEARS one from his back,
SNAPS another's spine, PUNCHES a fist through a third's
gnashing muzzle. He falls back through a doorway, onto --
A STAIRCASE
And still, they attack. And now the Ghost Rider is
weakening. He stumbles on the steps, falls to his knees.
The fiends pile atop his back --
(CONTINUED)
109.
CONTINUED:
Summoning all his power, the Ghost Rider emits a SHOCKWAVE OF
FLAME, a HEAT-BOMB that blasts the creatures clean off him.
INT. MISSION - DORMITORY - NIGHT
The SHOCKWAVE shakes the room. FIRE belches through the
splintered doorway --
-- but the Scarecrow scarcely notices. He's flinging dorm
beds left and right, HOWLING and GROANING as he hunts for --
RAIN
huddled beneath a flimsy bed-frame.
SCARECROW
RAAAAINNN! RAAINN!
The Scarecrow hurls aside a bed and finds Tolbein. He
reaches for the man, sinking his spindly finger's into
Tolbein's chest. Tolbein SCREAMS, instantly shrivelling,
corroding into dust --
The Scarecrow hurls aside yet another bed and finds --
RHYMER
aiming his shotgun, point-blank range! BLAM! The BLAST
Takes a chunk out of the Scarecrow's face.
INT. MISSION - THE STAIRS - THAT MOMENT
All Hell breaks loose. The Ghost Rider unleashes wave after
wave of HELLFIRE, incinerating the hounds as they leap
towards him, fighting his way up and up the steps --
INT. MISSION - DORMITORY - NIGHT
BLAM! Another BLAST chews apart the Scarecrow's neck. The
monstrosity staggers, then lurches forward, grabbing the
barrel of the shotgun, instantly corroding it --
The wave of corrosion swarms up the stock while towards
Rhymer's hands and he drops the gun, rolling away, scooping
up Rain as he runs towards the bathroom --
BACK TO THE SCARECROW,
recovering, his makeshift flesh knitting itself back together.
Flames kiss his body, causing sodden particles on his frame to
SIZZLE and POP -- but because his decayed flesh is so wet, he
never ignites.
(CONTINUED)
110.
CONTINUED:
Enkindled BUZZING bug-ember things swirl around the
Scarecrow's head in a halo, impossibly alive- He stumbles
after Rhymer and Rain into
THE BATHROOM
A claustrophobic box of stalls and urinals. Rhymer and Rain
are nowhere to be seen. Enraged, the Scarecrow tears into
the stalls, ripping them aside one by one --
INT. MISSION - THE STAIRS - THAT MOMENT
The Ghost Rider advances, hurling jaw-beasts left and right --
INT. MISSION - BATHROOM - NIGHT
The Scarecrow rends the last stall asunder, finds Rain and
Rhymer cowering like bugs. He looms above Rain, beetle-
fingers clutching, flashing a rotted rictus-grin --
SCARECROW
-- GOT YOU'.
RED-HOT CHAINS
whip viciously around the Scarecrow's sodden head and torso.
He's wrenched backwards, hauled out of the bathroom and
SLAMMED across the dormitory into the opposite wall --
EXT. MISSION - NIGHT
The wall fractures. Debris falls, tumbling hundreds of feet
down to the highway below.
INT. MISSION - DORMITORY - NIGHT
The Scarecrow recovers, SEES the room ablaze. SEES a swathe
of blackened, twitching jaw-beast skeletons leading from the
doorway to --
THE GHOST RIDER
At the other end of the chains. More accurately,
GHOST BLAZE,
battered and weakened, staggering. His flames are barely
flickering, his bony flesh has become chalky and brittle.
He's holding a jaw-beast skeleton, drops it to the floor --
The Scarecrow attacks. Hand-to-hand combat. Massive blows
and blocks. The burning room SHUDDERS with each impact --
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED:
Ghost Blaze uses his chains, but he's weak, and Scarecrow
turns them back on him, SMASHES him against the walls. More
structural fractures, more dust --
EXT. MISSION - NIGHT
The whole mission quakes. A huge hole in the wall falls
open, the Scarecrow barely manages to stop himself falling
The stilt-like support columns bearing the weight of the
overhanging mission begin to CREAK and bend. Some snap --
INT. MISSION - DORMITORY - NIGHT
The dormitory drops alarmingly, ten feet or more, the
flooring canting precariously. Ghost Blaze stumbles, falls --
WHAM! Scarecrow grabs Ghost Blaze's neck. Squeezes tight.
A WAVE OF DECAY AND CORROSION spreads over Ghost Blaze. He
SCREAMS, his flesh putrefying, but Scarecrow will not let go --
ON RAIN AND RHYMER
Desperate for escape, the flames closing in on them. There's
nowhere to go. Except a small HATCH, high up in the ceiling --
BACK TO SCENE
Ghost Blaze HOWLS, in agony as the Scarecrow's superior evil
dominates. He feebly extends a hand towards the flames
nearby, trying to compel the fire to him. The flames twist,
briefly bend in his direction. The Ghost Rider HOWLS with
frustration. He needs the flames. He will die without them.
He tries again, reaching, reaching --
THE FLAMES
surrounding the two foes are starting to bend in earnest now,
streaming towards Ghost Blaze's bony, begging fingertips
The Scarecrow is oblivious. Just keeps pouring more misery
into Ghost Blaze's body as --
EXT. MISSION - NIGHT
-- the entire mission, which was only moments ago completely
aflame, is now extinguishing itself. An inferno in
retrograde, roiling inward --
INT. MISSION - VARIOUS - NIGHT
-- raging flames bend and draw long --
(CONTINUED)
112.
CONTINUED:
-- clouds of embers are pulled into coursing streams-.--
-- roiling fireballs are dragged wildly from walls, floors
and ceilings --
-- flame and fury funneling thunderously into SCORCHING FIRE-
SPOUTS that cyclone up and up and up into --
INT. MISSION - DORMITORY - NIGHT
-- Ghost Blaze from every direction.
Suddenly Scarecrow finds himself at the heart of a back-
drafting firestorm, a sustained implosion feeding straight
into Ghost Blaze. Then --
Nuclear silence.
An instant in which Rhymer shoves Rain through the hatch --
An instant in which Scarecrow senses his own doom --
Because the Ghost Rider is back- But now he's more than the
Ghost Rider. He's a white-hot nuclear bomb fairly vibrating
with volcanic heat.
And he DETONATES. An apocalyptic release that --
obliterates Scarecrow --
sends Rhymer ducking for cover --
bulges the dormitory's fractured walls and ceiling,
lifting the ATTIC FLOOR mightily. HURLING Rain into the air!
A FLAME TSUNAMI
steamrollers through every room and passage, destroying
everything in its path, consuming itself.
INT. MISSION - DORMITORY - NIGHT
Ghost Blaze lies GROANING at blackened ground zero. He's
almost human now, spent. Charred timbers CREAK and GROAN
around him. The entire structure is on the verge of
collapse.
ON RAIN
emerging from the smouldering bathroom, ghostly white. She
picks her way cautiously across the teetering floor. Kneels
alongside Ghost Blaze --
(CONTINUED)
113.
CONTINUED:
Blaze's eyes are black pits, gaunt and skullish_ Rain casts --- -
about, finds a BURNING EMBER, cups it in her hands, holds the
flame close to his mouth --
Ghost Blaze senses the fire, breathes it in like a drowning
man. Draws the flame deep into his lungs, keeps drawing
until the ember is gone, internalized. Their eyes meet.
RAIN
Are you going to die?
GHOST BLAZE
(WEAKLY)
Not today.
He pushes up on his elbows, tiredly rises to his feet and --
THE MISSION
Topples. Ghost Blaze and Rain run -- but they're not going
to make it. The whole room is dropging away at their heels!
Ghost Blaze snatches up Rain, DIVES through a widening split
in the wall even as --
EXT. MISSION - NIGHT
-- the dormitory folds up and slides away from them, pitching
over the hillside. Breaking into TONS OF PLUNGING DEBRIS
that CRASH SPECTACULARLY onto the highway far below.
ON GHOST BLAZE AND RAIN,
clutching precariously to a muddy hillside. Ghost Blaze
looks up, SEES --
DAWN APPROACHING,
first light bleeding in over the distant mountains.
EXT. HIGHWAY - MISSION RUINS - JUST BEFORE DAWN
Ghost Blaze strides over the smoking ruins. Finds what he
was looking for --
CARRIGAN,
back to human, hopelessly trapped deep in the wreckage. He's
barely alive, just a face in the rubble. Carrigan blinks.
CARRIGAN
(a ragged whisper)
who -- the fuck -- are you, anyway?
(CONTINUED)
114.
CONTINUED:
GHOST BLAZE
Vengeance.
And Ghost Blaze raises his hand, HELLFIRE trickling down the
length of his arm, swirling around his hand like a building
static charge even as --
CARRIGAN
(terrified, yet defiant)
Do it, fucker -- dQ it.
RAIN
appears on a ridge just before them, eyes locking onto him.
It's now or never.
Ghost Blaze hesitates, hesitates -- then abruptly reins the
flame back in. Metabolizes the fury. Pushes it down deep
through sheer, agony-inducing willpower. Ghost Blaze
SCREAMS, struggles --
-- and forces the Demon away,
Now he's just Blaze, weak with exertion, but triumphant for
the first time in years. He turns away and we --
CUT TO:
EXT_ MISSION GROUNDS - DAWN
-- Blaze and Rain walking, working their way across the
scorched grounds. Rain kicks at a carbonized jaw-beast
skull. It rolls, SMASHES against a tree, crumbles to dust.
Blaze looks up just then, HEARS the sound of ---
STARKE'S CADILLAC
It slows to a stop at the end of the drive, ENGINE RUMBLING.
Dusty and bug-begrimed from its cross-country journey.
Blaze braces himself. A silent inhalation of breath. Rain
stares, paralyzed by fear --
The driver's door opens. A hulking silhouette steps out.
The Beast, backlit by the fiery dawn which is just breaking
over the horizon. Sunlight FLARES outward, briefly blinding
us. And when it subsides --
STARKE
is standing there. Human. Windblown. He raises a hand,
shielding his gaze from the light. Steps cowards them --
(CONTINUED)
115.
CONTINUED:
Blaze moves in front of Rain, blocking Starke's path.
They stand there in silence. And Starke smiles, eyes alight
with mischief.
STARKE
Looks like we've come to the end of the
road, haven't we?
BLAZE
Guess so.
After a long beat:
STARKE
Give me the girl and I'll lift the curse.
Blaze looks down at Rain. This was all he ever wanted. The
only thing that has kept him going all these years. He
reaches into his jacket, retrieving a crumpled pack of
cigarettes. Plucks one out --
BLAZE
She's all yours, Starke --
-- and lights it without a match, somehow conjuring the flame
from within himself. He takes a long drag. In the pits of
his eyes, something glows there -- a kind of lambent
darkness.
BLAZE (CONT'D)
-- but you'll have to go through me if
you want her.
Starke stares into Blaze's eyes. Doesn't like what he SEES.
STARKE
Don't be a fool, Blaze. I'm offering you
your life back.
BLAZE
That's not a life. And least now one I'm
interested in living.
STARKE
You think you can control it. You can't.
BLAZE
Guess I'm willing to take my chances.
Starke nods, accepting defeat. For now. He looks down at
Rain, a bitter smile creeping across his face --
(CONTINUED)
116.
CONTINUED: (2)
STARKE
You have your mother's eyes.
-- and walks away.
Blaze and Rain watch him retreat. Presently, a coyote slips
from shadows, joining him on the road. It--lopes along beside
him. We watch them disappear over a rise. Then they're
gone.
Beat. Rain studies Blaze, reaches for his hand.
RAIN
He'll be back.
BLAZE
Yeah.
BACK AMONGST THE SMOKING RUINS
We pass broken concrete, smouldering timber, a rock snake
constricting a mouse, an industry of beetles dissecting a
bird's carcass. Finally, we come to a small, deep cavity --
and there, tucked away in the darkness, we find --
WOMAN (V.0.)
And that's how it ended. With another
beginning. A kind of balance struck
between the flame and the fury.
BLAZE'S COIN
balanced perfectly on it's edge. How it fell like that, at
the heart of the wreckage, is a mystery that will probably
never be solved.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY
A NURSE brings a postcard to a sleeping patient's bedside.
The patient is ROXANNE, sleeping peacefully, bathed in
sunlight. The nurse tacks the card to a wall filled with
many -- dozens and dozens of postcards charting Blaze's
journey back and forth across the country.
And we realize now, that Roxanne is the woman who has been
narrating our tale.
(CONTINUED)
117.
CONTINUED:
ROXANNE (V.O.)
And me? I still sleep. Wandering.
Waiting. Listening to the whispers of
the dead.
CUT TO:
EXT. RURAL HIGHWAY - DAY/NIGHT
On Blaze, riding hard, as a scorching desert noon TIME-LAPSES
into night.
ROXANNE (V.O.)
The world turns around without me. There
are sharks. And there are doves. And
nighttime holds far darker terrors than
death. But I am never afraid because I
know that he is out there, somewhere.
And that someday, somehow --
Blaze ignites, SCREAMS, hurls back his head --
ROXANNE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
-- he will return to me.
-- and the Ghost Rider rockets headlong into black.
THE END |
Ghost Ship - by Mark Hanlon - First Draft
"GHOST SHIP"
(formerly "CHIMERA")
by
Mark Hanlon
First draft
FADE IN
INT. BARGE - DAY
Crewman EPPS (29), wearing a life vest and tool belt, jumps
down into the darkness. She stands in a great hollow cavern,
oily, wet, resonant with the sound of creaking, rusty steel
and WATER MOVING OVER ITS HULL on the other side.
INT. BARGE - LATER - DAY
Epps comes to a low point in the darkness, shining her light
on a lake of salt water sloshing against the bulkhead. She
kneels. As the water sloshes back she sees that it is leaking
in through the seams in the steel plate of the hull.
EXT. BARGE - LATER - DAY
Epps pulls herself onto the deck from below. She stands on a
rusting 5000 ton tank barge being pulled in the open ocean
by a brawny marine tug at the end of a 150 foot tow cable.
It is a typical summer day in the southern Bering Sea, which
means a healthy chop and a stiff cold breeze out of the north-
west. She closes the hatch behind her and makes her way
forward.
EXT. BARGE - BOW - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Up ahead, the tug pulls steadily, grey-black clouds of diesel
smoke rising from its massive turbine vents.
Epps cinches and checks her body harness, focused and
professional. The product of a rocky childhood in the Pacific
Northwest and a few years of hard living, she's found her
true calling now. And under some grime, several polypro shirts
and a pair of orange men's Insulite pants she might even be
considered pretty.
She clips her harness into the tow cable where it attaches
to a heavy pair of eye cleats at the bow. She climbs onto
the cable, hanging out over the water as it breaks on the
bow beneath her. She pulls herself forward on a roller bearing
that fits over the width of the cable and starts off toward
the tug at the other end.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - LATER - DAY
DODGE and GREER look on from the stern, where the boat's
name "Arctic Warrior" is emblazoned on the transom. Dodge
(37), scruffy chief engineer, wearing de rigueur greasy
coveralls and nicotine stained fingers, is an expatriate
Texan and former merchant marine. GREER (42), is the boat's
first mate, African American, originally from some sweltering
red-neck hellhole, now a tug pilot intentionally well to the
north.
They watch as Epps pulls herself toward them, the cable
occasionally dipping a few feet with a spray of water as a
passing swell slackens it. Epps pulls herself to the stern
where the cable winds into a tow anchor.
EPPS
It's a slow leak.
She unclips and drops to the deck.
GREER
What's slow?
EPPS
Maybe twenty gallons an hour.
DODGE
Where from?
EPPS
Amidships starboard at the beam.
Just under the waterline. I don't
think it's a problem.
GREER
Hear that, Dodge? Epps don't think
it's a problem.
DODGE
I'll sleep good tonight knowing that.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The view from the pilothouse commands 360 degrees as radar
and GPS navigation displays glow. MURPHY, the ship's master,
pilots the boat. He is 48, at sea all his adult life, and
most of the rest, a fact written on his face and one that
every crewman who's ever worked for him has been willing to
bet his life on. A walkie-talkie CRACKLES AWAKE.
GREER (V.O. RADIO)
Greer to Murphy.
MURPHY
(lifting the radio)
Go.
Murphy turns back to see Greer, Epps, and Dodge looking up
at him from the stern.
GREER
The number nine on the starboard
side's half flooded. Epps says it's
a slow leak just under the waterline,
about twenty gallons an hour. They
must've pumped it before we left
Sitka.
MURPHY
Of course they did.
GREER
Let the buyer beware.
MURPHY
What do you say, Dodge?
DODGE (V.O. RADIO)
(taking the radio)
If it started out at twenty an hour
the piece of shit'd be at the bottom
of the Gulf by now. Whether it'll
make St. Lawrence is anybody's guess.
EXT. OPEN OCEAN - DAY
HIGH AND WIDE as the Arctic Warrior pulls the barge against
the swell of a grey ocean and a darkening sky.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. PORT GERMAINE - ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND - DAY
The shores of St. Lawrence Island open into a small port
town of mainly pre-fab buildings as the Arctic Warrior
approaches with the barge, now pathetically listing to one
side as it moves into the harbor.
EXT. PORT GERMAINE - DOCKS - LATER - DAY
A smaller harbor tug helps the Arctic Warrior jockey the
listing barge to the dock as Epps and Dodge jump off to tie
her up.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer feathers the tug into position and shuts down the
turbines.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy jumps down from the pilothouse to the deck as a fat
Russian man, Vasili (60) and a MECHANIC in grease-covered
orange coveralls approach from the dock.
VASILI
I thought you say Tuesday.
MURPHY
Better late than never.
VASILI
(seeing the listing
barge)
What's this?
MURPHY
You got a leak in the number nine
compartment.
VASILI
No, no. You got leak.
MURPHY
You pump it out and re-seam the hull,
she'll be good as new.
VASILI
That cost me twenty grand at least.
MURPHY
Fifteen, at the most.
VASILI
Twenty. You knock off twenty and
then we see. After my guy looks at
it.
INT. VASILI'S OFFICE - DAY
In a prefab office with a view of the shipyard, Vasili cuts
a check as Murphy and Greer look on. He tears it out of the
book, handing it across the desk to Murphy, who inspects it.
MURPHY
You're kidding, right?
VASILI
You want fair pay, make hamburger
for Mickey D. Otherwise, please to
sign.
Vasili pushes a transfer register toward him. Murphy signs.
EXT. SHIPYARD - DAY
Greer and Murphy walk back toward the dock.
GREER
Not bad for dragging a leaky tub
half way to Russia.
MURPHY
He'll sell the scrap for three times
what he paid.
GREER
I must be in the wrong business.
MURPHY
You got that right.
GREER
(imitating Vasili)
Better than "making hamburger for
Mickey D."
INT. BAR - NIGHT
A typical port town bar. Except this one is on an island in
the middle of the Bering Sea. Epps lines up a shot at the
pool table as a couple of SEAMEN check out her ass and a
tattoo of Wiley Coyote poking out of her pants. Greer reads
a paper near-by.
Murphy enters, crossing to the bar where Dodge nurses a beer
and a cigarette. Murphy throws down an envelope with Dodge's
name on it. Dodge picks it up, thumbs through a thick stack
of hundreds.
DODGE
Much obliged, skipper.
INT. BAR - LATER - NIGHT
The place is a little more crowded now as Epps pushes her
way through to the bar, a cigarette dangling from her mouth.
She buys two beers and pays the BARTENDER from her envelope
of cash. She takes the beers back to the far wall where a
young off-duty COASTGUARDSMAN stands. He takes one, they
laugh.
AT A TABLE
Beers, cigarettes and pay envelopes on the table before them,
Dodge, Greer and Murphy look on at Epps across the room, who
is showing the coastguardsman a birthmark on her neck.
GREER
Looks like Epps' gonna get some
tonight.
DODGE
With that coxswain dickhead.
MURPHY
You aren't jealous, are you Dodge?
DODGE
Are you kidding me? Jealous? Epps?
Gimme a break.
Greer and Murphy trade looks as Dodge raises his beer.
DODGE
What a laugh.
A MINOR COMMOTION can be heard as they sit there.
WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
I'll show you, bitch!
They look over to see the coastguardsman's GIRLFRIEND, late
20s, hefty in a red miniskirt and big hair.
GIRLFRIEND
You want to mess with me, I'll kick
your bitch ass, girl.
WITH EPPS
Epps coolly puts out her cigarette as a circle has gathered
around her and the girlfriend, anxious to see a girl fight.
EPPS
I don't know what you're talking
about. I just bought this guy a beer.
GIRLFRIEND
This "guy" is my man, honey.
COASTGUARDSMAN
Darlene --
GIRLFRIEND
You, shut up.
EPPS
(starting off)
Listen, I don't want any trouble,
okay -- ?
GIRLFRIEND
(stopping Epps)
Uh-uh. No. We're gonna fix this right
now.
MURPHY
(stepping up)
What seems to be the trouble, ladies?
RIVETER
Whyn't you mind your own business,
chief.
Murphy turns to see a shipyard RIVETER, a big man holding a
beer, still wearing his welding leathers. Murphy turns back
to Epps and the Girlfriend.
MURPHY
As I said, what seems to be the
trouble?
RIVETER
Didn't you hear me, grandpa? Or you
got your hearing aid turned down?
MURPHY
I heard you. But I'm choosing to
ignore you. Epps, let's go.
Epps starts forward but the Riveter stands in her way, taking
Murphy by the collar.
RIVETER
These ladies was having themselves a
discussion and you're interrupting
it.
MURPHY
You got about two seconds to get
your paws off me, Tarzan.
RIVETER
Or what?
Or WHACK! Murphy can't help but wince as a pool cue breaks
in two over the Riveter's head.
Dodge, cigarette in his mouth, takes a look at the cue half
he still holds, shaking his head.
The Riveter's hands fall from Murphy's collar and his legs
buckle. Some of his BUDDIES hold him up as Greer reminds
some of the others he's holding a pool cue of his own.
MURPHY
Epps?
He looks to Epps like let's get the hell out of here. She
grabs her coat.
COASTGUARDSMAN
Wait.
Epps holds there as the Coastguardsman steps up to his
girlfriend.
COASTGUARDSMAN
Darlene. It's over.
He gives her the ring from his finger. Murphy rolls his eyes
as the others look on.
COASTGUARDSMAN
I don't love you anymore.
Darlene breaks into tears as they all look on, some pat her
on the back.
COASTGUARDSMAN
(to Epps)
Come on, Candy. Let's get out of
here.
The Coastguardsman takes her by the hand. Epps looks to Murphy
and the others as he leads her out.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Murphy, Greer, and Dodge ready the tug to leave as Epps
approaches on the dock. She jumps down onto the deck, a spring
in her step and a song in her heart.
EPPS
Morning everybody.
GREER
Show your tatoos to that coxswain
last night, did you Epps?
EPPS
Showed him a hell of a lot more than
that.
GREER
I bet you did.
MURPHY
Candy?
EPPS
It's my pen name.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - DAY
Murphy throttles up the turbines and backs the tug away from
the dock as Greer studies the dawn sky.
GREER
Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
MURPHY
Red sky in morning, sailor take
warning.
EXT. PORT GERMAINE - DOCKS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As the tug turns into the harbor channel, the sun rising
under a cloud bank of brilliant red and orange.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Dodge and Epps play cards at the galley table.
DODGE
Fuck it.
He puts down his hand. Epps takes another drag from her
cigarette, collecting her winnings.
EPPS
One more?
DODGE
Why not.
She gathers the cards, shuffles.
DODGE
What is your first name?
EPPS
What?
DODGE
It just occurred to me I don't know
your first name. All this time and I
don't know it.
She deals the cards in silence.
EPPS
(finally)
Maureen.
DODGE
What?
EPPS
Maureen.
DODGE
Maureen?
She looks on at him as he holds there, takes his cards.
EPPS
What's yours?
Dodge takes a drag from his cigarette, thinking about it.
DODGE
Roger.
EPPS
Roger?
DODGE
Yeah.
She wants to laugh, but only studies her cards.
DODGE
You think that's funny
EPPS
(lying)
No.
She takes a hit from her cigarette as she plays her hand.
EXT. OPEN OCEAN - BERING SEA - NIGHT
THE SONG "SOS" BY ABBA BLASTS as the tug plows westward
through a steady chop and a mild swell.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - NIGHT
The MUSIC COMES FROM HERE. Greer has the CD player cranked
as he mans the helm in the glow of the pilothouse. He checks
the radar, holds there a beat. He turns the MUSIC DOWN and
picks up a walkie-talkie.
GREER
(into walkie)
Greer to Murphy.
Greer studies the radar display as he waits.
MURPHY (V.O. RADIO)
Yeah.
GREER
There's a large vessel out about ten
miles to the north-west.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MASTER'S QUARTERS - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy sits at his desk over the ship's log, holding his
radio.
GREER
I been watching it for close to an
hour and it hasn't moved. I can't
raise it on the radio either. Makes
me think it might be in trouble.
MURPHY
Alright. I'll be right up.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - LATER - NIGHT
CLOSE ON RADAR DISPLAY as the sweep-refresh reveals a bright
point of light in the middle of nowhere.
MURPHY (O.S.)
Merchant vessel at position one seven
four one five west, five seven seven
five north.
Murphy holds the radio mic as Greer looks on, Epps and Dodge
standing back.
MURPHY
This is tugboat Arctic Warrior whiskey
alpha sierra bravo four zero niner
two. Over.
Only the quiet hiss of white noise comes back from the radio
speaker as the bright point flashes on the radar screen.
MURPHY
(to radio)
Merchant vessel at one seven four
one five west, five seven seven five
north, this is tugboat Arctic Warrior
whiskey alpha sierra bravo four zero
niner two. Over.
Again, only white noise comes back as the point flashes on
the screen.
MURPHY
Too deep to anchor out there.
GREER
Looks like it's adrift.
EPPS
Could be a fishing boat.
GREER
Too big. More like a freighter.
MURPHY
What the hell would a freighter be
doing up here? It's way out of the
lanes. There's not a port for 800
miles.
DODGE
Smugglers maybe.
GREER
Smuggling what? Tundra grass?
A beat as Murphy holds there. He raises the radio mic.
MURPHY
Merchant vessel at position one seven
four one five west, five seven seven
five north, this is tugboat Arctic
Warrior. Do you copy? Over.
Again, only the quiet hiss of static comes back.
GREER
Call the Coastguard?
MURPHY
Steer to one eight five. Let's check
her out.
EXT. OPEN OCEAN - NIGHT
The Arctic Warrior cuts a foamy break in the ink black water.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - NIGHT
CLOSE ON RADAR DISPLAY as the phantom point flashes closer.
Murphy looks on as Greer pilots, Dodge and Epps watching.
MURPHY
Alright. Back it off.
Greer throttles back and the boat slows.
MURPHY
Hit the lights.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
The halogen flood lights flare to life, brilliantly
illuminating the water in front of the boat.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
The four of them look intently into the darkness beyond the
light. Murphy reaches for the spot control, sweeping a broad
beam of light with a joy stick.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
As the tug moves along, servo motors sweep the searchlight
over the bow of the boat and into the darkness.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
They peer into the night beyond the boat as it slowly moves,
when a shadow looms into view.
MURPHY
Whoa, whoa.
Greer throttles down all the way and they drift, as the shadow
looms bigger before them in the light from the boat.
As they approach, the shadow appears to be a giant rusting
bow, rising up from the water, disappearing in the darkness
above them. Murphy sweeps the searchlight to reveal more of
what appears to be a large, darkened ship. As they come
around, the name "CHIMERA" can be seen above the anchor
alleys.
MURPHY
"Chimera."
Murphy reaches for the mic, hits the LOUD HAILER.
MURPHY
Chimera.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
The tug is dwarfed by the massive rusting hulk of the Chimera
rising above it.
MURPHY (O.S. LOUD HAILER)
This is civilian tugboat Arctic
Warrior. Is there anyone aboard?
The quiet rumble of the tug's turbines is the only sound.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy raises the mic again.
MURPHY
Chimera, I am hove to at your port
bow. Is there anyone aboard?
They wait, looking on at the silent, darkened ship under the
glare of their lights.
MURPHY
Epps, come with me. You guys sit
tight.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - LATER - NIGHT
Epps and Murphy, in heavy parkas, climb a hydraulic deck
crane up to the Chimera as Dodge man's the controls against
the movement of the water.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Greer holds the tug steady as Epps and Murphy can be seen
making their way up under the floodlights.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Murphy pulls himself up and jumps down onto the deck. Epps
jumps down behind him. Murphy throws his light up on the
superstructure. All remnants of paint have been rusted over,
lending a still darker ominousness to it.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps move cautiously along, shining their lights
as they go. Despite the omnipresent corrosion, everything
seems to be in order. The decks are clear and there is no
apparent damage. They come to a hatchway. Epps shines her
light down the darkened passage. Murphy moves in.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps move down the passageway. Even the walls in
here are rusted. They come to a flight of stairs.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Greer and Dodge wait. Greer reaches for his radio.
GREER
(into radio)
Talk to me, skipper.
After a moment, Murphy comes back on the radio.
MURPHY
We're in a stairwell just under the
main superstructure.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps climb the darkened stairway.
MURPHY
This is definitely an old boat, maybe
sixty years old. She hasn't been in
service for at least twenty years.
Probably a lot longer.
They top the stairs and walk into a wider passageway which
takes them into an open area. Their lights shine around them,
revealing sinks and counters and racks of old kitchen
equipment, a few pots still hanging.
They move through the galley and into another, narrower,
passageway.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Greer and Dodge look on.
MURPHY
It's funny.
GREER
How's that?
MURPHY
Besides a little rust, everything's
pretty well-preserved.
Greer and Dodge look at each other.
MURPHY
How she got out here is one hell of
a good question.
(a long beat, then)
Jesus.
Dodge and Greer hold there, waiting. Only silence from the
other end.
GREER
What is it?
No answer.
GREER
Murphy.
No answer.
GREER
Murphy, goddamit.
MURPHY
(finally)
Sorry.
Another beat in silence.
GREER
What is it?
INT. CHIMERA - BALLROOM - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps stand at the top of a stairway, looking over
an immense ballroom. Murphy raises his radio.
MURPHY
It's a passenger ship. It's a damn
passenger ship.
Though it is dark, there is enough light to see its ornate
opulence, tables and chairs in place near a large dance floor
and orchestra well, and a magnificent crystal chandelier
hanging over it all.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - FOREDECK - NIGHT
Epps and Murphy climb down the deck crane as Greer and Dodge
meet them at the bottom.
MURPHY
(jumping down)
There's nobody on that boat.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Dodge, Epps, Greer and Murphy sit around the galley table.
DODGE
Probably slipped her moorings, got
tangled up in a current.
EPPS
Out here? What, so a seven hundred
foot passenger liner drifted out of
Spokane harbor and nobody managed to
bump into her until now?
DODGE
Somebody's probably looking for her
as we speak.
MURPHY
Whatever the reason, she's adrift
and abandoned. We've got every right
to salvage her.
GREER
You mean tow her back? That's a thirty
thousand ton ship you're talking
about.
MURPHY
We've done it before.
DODGE
Yeah, from one side of the harbor to
the other. But we got half the Bering
Sea and the whole Alaskan gulf to
drag her over.
MURPHY
You have any idea how much a ship
like that could be worth in salvage?
The fittings alone could go for a
few million.
DODGE
If you get it back in one piece.
MURPHY
It's a risk I'm willing to take.
GREER
All we got to do is hit some rough
weather and you can forget about it.
MURPHY
So we cut her loose and wait it out.
A little weather couldn't be anything
she hasn't seen before.
DODGE
It's a bloody navigation hazard.
One boat can't control a ship that
size.
MURPHY
The damn thing's been floating around
for God knows how long and it hasn't
hit anything yet. So we take it easy.
A little of the old push pull.
A long beat as they hold there.
MURPHY
Listen. Forget this job's just a pay
check for a minute. You know I've
been good to you. But I'm prepared
to offer you something better now.
(a beat)
If we do this right, it's worth a
lot of money. A lot of money.
They hold there looking on at him, waiting.
EPPS
Go on.
MURPHY
Salvage fees on a vessel like this
could come in around four million
bucks. At least. Who knows, could be
more. Could be a lot more.
(a beat)
What I'm proposing is... we split it
four ways.
A beat. Dodge looks to Epps and Greer.
MURPHY
Think about it. A million bucks a
piece.
(a beat)
You want to spend the rest of your
days drag-assing tank barges on the
gulf coast, fine. Otherwise, let's
get to work.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
The tug is tied up alongside the Chimera, whose dark hull
stretches off for seven hundred more feet in the light of
day.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - DAY
Murphy brings up the radio mic as Greer and the others look
on.
MURPHY
(to radio)
United States Coastguard, United
States Coastguard, United States
Coastguard. This is tugboat Arctic
Warrior whiskey alpha sierra bravo
four zero niner two. Over.
After a moment, a distance-warped, coolly professional, female
voice comes back.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic
Warrior. This is United States
Coastguard Station North Island.
Over.
MURPHY
North Island, I wish to declare myself
salvor-in-posession under section
four two charlie of the International
Maritime Convention.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. What
type of vessel?
MURPHY
A passenger liner. Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Say again. Over.
Murphy looks to the others, almost smiling.
MURPHY
A passenger liner, north island.
Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
What is the vessel name, registry,
and present position? Over.
MURPHY
Passenger vessel "Chimera." I will
spell: charlie hotel india mary echo
romeo alpha. No registry information
is available at this time. I have
determined to the best of my ability
that the vessel has been abandoned
on the high seas at position one
seven four west, five seven north
at...
(checking his watch)
Two zero one four hours zulu time.
Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. Please
advise your salvage authority pending
registry check. Over.
MURPHY
Roger, North Island. Arctic Warrior
over and out.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - STERN WINCH - DAY
Dodge, Epps, Murphy and Greer are standing on the stern of
the boat under the power winch.
DODGE
Okay. We're gonna use a heavier than
usual twin cable rig this time,
consisting of a pair of number three
gauge braided wire tows.
(a beat)
We'll tie off through the anchor
alleys. And come down to the aft
port and starboard pins. Here. Thus,
we need to get two of these...
(indicating the cable)
Up there.
He indicates the bow of the Chimera.
DODGE
Seeing as though a foot of one of
these fuckers weighs about a hundred
pounds, it ain't gonna be what you'd
call easy.
(a beat)
Any questions?
EPPS
Supposing one of those cables breaks
under tow.
DODGE
Then we'll all be doomed. Any other
questions?
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Murphy has backed the tug up to the bow of the Chimera. Greer
operates the deck crane, one of Dodge's mammoth cables
dangling from it down to the winch on the stern.
WITH EPPS
Epps hangs on to the top of the crane as it comes to the
starboard anchor alley in the bow of the Chimera. Dodge pokes
his face out from the other side.
DODGE
Ready?
EPPS
Bring it on, dude.
Dodge disappears from the hole and his hand comes back with
a smaller pilot cable, which Epps takes and threads through
the loop at the end of the tow cable. She places the end of
the pilot cable in a vice collar and uses a wrench to tighten
it down, with the effect of joining the two cables.
EPPS
OK.
Dodge disappears, pulling up the slack from the pilot cable
through the anchor alleys.
DODGE (O.S.)
(finally)
Hit it!
Epps reaches over and unhinges the crane hook and the tow
cable explosively drops, banging loudly against the Chimera's
hull with a shower of black rust.
EXT. CHIMERA - WITH DODGE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge cranks a portable pulley winch on the deck, the pilot
cable slowly pulling the tow cable up through the anchor
alley.
It is heavy and the winch shows the strain as Dodge cranks
it. He continues, when something gives in the winch mechanism
and the whole thing slides forward on the pilot cable,
entangling Dodge's leg and dragging him on his ass along the
deck.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The tow cable creates a spray of rust and smoke as it spills
out of the anchor alley before Epps.
EXT. CHIMERA - WITH DODGE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge slides toward the anchor alley like a piece of meat
toward a sausage grinder, when the winch slams into it and
stops dead, the cable continuing on with a loud shriek
dangerously close to his face, until...
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The last of the cable explosively whips out of the anchor
alley in front of Epps and splashes in the water below. A
beat as she holds there.
EPPS
Dodge? You alright?
EXT. CHIMERA - WITH DODGE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge lies tangled in the winch.
DODGE
Yes!
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Two tow cables extend from the Chimera's anchor alleys down
into the water and come up again from the water to the tow
anchor on the tug's stern.
Dodge looks on as Greer and Epps stand by. He raises his
walkie.
DODGE
Alright, skipper, real easy.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy slowly throttles up, moving the boat forward. He turns
to see as the Chimera drops back behind them.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The tug moves slowly away from the Chimera as Epps, Greer
and Dodge look on.
WIDE ON TUG AND CHIMERA
As the tug widens the distance, leaving the Chimera in place.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy holds the helm steady as the Chimera recedes.
DODGE
Steady as she goes.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge, Epps and Greer look on as the tow cables begin to
rise in their wake.
DODGE
(into radio)
Throttle back.
The tug slows as the cables rise slowly from the water.
DODGE
More.
The tug slows still more.
DODGE
More.
It slows still more, until the tug just creeps along, and
the massive tow cables rise entirely out of the water,
straightening as the slack is pulled out.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Some fifty yards behind the tug, the tow cables come taught
in the anchor alleys of the Chimera.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy holds the throttle.
DODGE
Right there, skipper. Right there.
Murphy eases forward on the throttle and the turbines rise
in pitch.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As the tow cables stretch and the bow of the Chimera inches
forward.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The turbines grow louder as Greer, Epps, and Dodge look on
at the Chimera behind them, the massive tow cables bowing
under their own weight.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy eases forward on the throttle, picking up speed.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The giant ship CREAKS AND MOANS as it starts forward, a small
bow break forming on its hull.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The tug is kicking up a foaming wake as it pulls the Chimera
along behind it. Dodge lets out a hoot, exchanging high fives
with Epps and Greer.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy smiles as he looks back at the Chimera following
behind.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - DAY
CLOSE ON A CHART. The south Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska.
A pencil traces a route.
MURPHY (O.S.)
I figure we go through at the Unimak
Pass here. Refuel at Sanak Island.
Greer looks on from the helm as Murphy, Dodge and Epps stand
over the map table.
MURPHY
With a little extra fuel, weather
permitting, we should make Sitka in
five days without another stop.
DODGE
Sounds reasonable.
GREER
Hypothetically speaking, what if we
get this boat to Sitka and find out
somebody wants it back?
DODGE
They shoulda thought of that when
they let her float away.
GREER
I don't care what, ain't nobody just
gonna let us walk away with a ship
that size.
MURPHY
The law's on our side. If they want
to challenge it, let them try.
EPPS
They must've scuttled it. Nobody
just lets a ship float away.
DODGE
Nobody just scuttles a passenger
liner either.
EPPS
Ever heard of insurance, big boy?
MURPHY
Either way, we found it. It's ours
now -- .
An EXPLOSIVE THUD shudders the boat. They look to each other.
DODGE
(moving for the door)
What the...
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Dodge jumps down from the pilothouse as another LOUD THUMP
BLOWS OUT OF THE TURBINE VENTS, SHOWERING OIL OVER THE DECK.
DODGE
(shouting up to the
pilothouse)
ALL STOP! ALL STOP!
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Greer shoves the throttle back.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The boat goes dead in the water, thick black smoke billowing
from the turbine vents.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
as the bow slows in the water, the tow cables coming slack.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge pulls open the door. The place is thick with smoke as
he makes his way to the turbine gauges, Epps and Murphy
behind. Dodge opens the number one turbine cover, looks
inside.
DODGE
Mother fucker!
MURPHY
What is it?
DODGE
Threw a turbine blade.
Dodge looks over the smoking turbine, pulls back an aluminum
intake blade, hot to the touch.
DODGE
Son of a bitch!
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - DAY
Greer, Dodge, Epps, and Murphy confer on the deck.
DODGE
The number one turbine's pretty well
trashed. Number two runs, but it's
way underpowered.
MURPHY
How long to fix?
DODGE
Hard to say. I gotta get in there
and have a look. At least a couple
days. Depending.
GREER
You think the extra strain caused
it?
DODGE
Nah. Everything was cool. It's just
one of those things.
EXT. CHIMERA - DAY
The Arctic Warrior floats tied to the side of the Chimera.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - DAY
Dodge has both turbines opened up as he works.
INT. CHIMERA - MEZZANINE DECK - DAY
Lights shine on what was once an elegant interior promenade.
Murphy and Greer stand looking on at it.
MURPHY
Some classy tub in it's day, huh?
GREER
Yeah.
EPPS (O.S.)
Check this out.
AT THE PURSERS DESK
Epps looks through a file cabinet behind a heavy wood counter
as Greer and Murphy approach.
EPPS
Everything's still here. Ticket
records, receipts, books of account.
Greer picks one up.
GREER
One first class passage. Elizabeth
James. Dubayy to Halifax. January
29th 1953.
Murphy takes it, looking it over.
MURPHY
Chimera. Flag ship of the Dobbins
Kirk Line. Nova Scotia.
INT. CHIMERA - "B" DECK - DAY
Murphy, Epps, and Greer top a staircase out onto a long,
darkened corridor. They move down. Some of the doors are
open, faint light from port holes showing small cabins with
beds, desks, a few chairs.
INT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - FORWARD PASSAGE - DAY
Murphy, Epps, and Greer come to a hatchway marked "BRIDGE."
INT. CHIMERA - BRIDGE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
The forward windows show the expanse of the ocean before
them and the rusting foredeck about 150 feet below. Light
from the windows illuminates the bridge as Murphy, Greer and
Epps look around. Despite a little corrosion and a layer of
dirt, everything seems in its place.
MURPHY
(looking through
scattered charts and
papers)
I'd sure like to get my hands on the
general log.
Epps steps up to the wall, where several framed photos hang.
GREER
That must be the old man right there.
The uniformed man in the photo is a gaunt, stern-looking man
from another century, with dark, hollow eyes.
EPPS
Looks like one hell of a stick up
his ass.
GREER
He'd let you off at the nearest port,
that's for sure.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - NIGHT
A dimming purple horizon is giving way to night as the tug
floats under the bow of the Chimera.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT
Dodge works up to his elbows in turbine 1 as Greer monitors
a pressure gauge.
DODGE
How about now?
GREER
Sixty pounds.
DODGE
What? You sure?
GREER
That's what it says.
DODGE
(geting up to have a
look)
Lemme see.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - NIGHT
Through the pilothouse windows, the hull of the Chimera
disappears into the darkness beyond the tug's work lights.
Murphy sits at the chart table as Epps steps in.
EPPS
Coffee?
MURPHY
(sitting up)
Yeah. Thanks.
She brings him his cup, seeing the documents he brought back
from the Chimera.
EPPS
(taking a seat)
What'd you find up there?
MURPHY
Some charts. A crew manifest.
(looking them over)
Looks like her last voyage was January
1953. The question is where the hell's
she been since.
EPPS
She was sailing up north, right?
MURPHY
Her destination was Halifax, yeah.
EPPS
Well, suppose she got a little further
north than she should have. Got
stuck in the ice. The passengers and
crew evacuated. She froze into the
ice pack, which moved further north,
where it froze in solid. They write
it off. Fifty years later, the whole
global warming thing happens. The
ice melts, she gets loose and floats
around til somebody runs into her.
Murphy nods, considering it.
MURPHY
As reasonable an explanation as any,
I guess.
Epps takes a sip of her coffee as she thinks about it.
MURPHY
Ever heard of the Mary Celeste?
EPPS
Nope.
MURPHY
She was a two-masted brig boat sailing
out of New York in 1872. One day
she was sighted off the coast of
Portugal by a merchant vessel, the
Dei Gratia. As the crew of the Dei
Gratia got closer, they discovered
that no one was at the helm of the
Mary Celeste. On boarding, they found
her completely deserted. The captain,
his wife, their daughter, and the
entire crew, all gone. The last entry
in their log made no mention of any
trouble. The table was even set for
dinner. And in the nine days after
the last entry, she sailed 700 miles
without anyone aboard.
EPPS
So what did happen?
MURPHY
Nobody knows. There've been a lot of
theories, of course. But we'll never
really know for sure.
EPPS
You think she's sailing without a
crew?
Murphy looks out at the Chimera off the bow.
MURPHY
I think we'd be surprised where a
drifting ship might wind up with a
little wind and the right current.
EPPS
You're more practical than
superstitious.
MURPHY
Only way to be.
Epps nods, takes another sip of coffee, looking on at the
rusting hull of the Chimera stretching off in the light.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - DAY
Greer operates the crane arm as Dodge directs him. The crane
hoists out one of the massive turbine fans onto the deck.
Dodge gives him the thumbs up as it comes down easily.
MURPHY
What's this?
DODGE
Turbine rotor's shot.
MURPHY
I thought you said it was just a
blade.
DODGE
Metal's crystallized. Gotta replace
the whole deal.
MURPHY
How much longer's that gonna take?
DODGE
Like I always say --
MURPHY
I know I know, two ways to do anything --
DODGE
The right way and the wrong way.
MURPHY
But how long?
DODGE
Hard to say.
MURPHY
We gotta get outa here, Dodge. A
storm blows up and we're history.
DODGE
I'm telling you, you don't want to
be running that fan like it is.
MURPHY
What about running number two by
itself?
DODGE
It's a full 2500 horses down. We
couldn't drag that boat down hill on
ice with it.
MURPHY
How long, then?
DODGE
I gotta pull the blades and re-seat
everything in a new rotor -- .
MURPHY
How long?
DODGE
Three, four days.
MURPHY
Goddamit, Dodge.
DODGE
What do you want me to tell you,
that we can throw this sucker back
in and start pulling her like nothing
happened? Can't do it, skipper.
A beat as Murphy stands there, knowing he's right.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (O.S RADIO)
(from the pilothouse)
Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic
Warrior. This is United States
Coastguard. Over.
A beat.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy enters the pilothouse as the distance-warped VOICE
comes back on the radio.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic
Warrior. This is United States
Coastguard Station North Island.
Over.
Murphy raises the radio mic as Epps, Dodge, and Greer step
in.
MURPHY
(to radio)
North Island, North Island, North
Island. This is tugboat Arctic
Warrior. Over.
After a moment, the same professional, distance-warped voice
comes back.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, we have submitted
your section four two charlie salvage
notification. However, the
International Maritime Authority
record for a passenger vessel Chimera
indicates it was lost at sea in the
Gulf of Oman day two month two year
one nine five three. Over.
A beat as Murphy holds there.
MURPHY
North Island, please repeat? Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, passenger vessel
Chimera was lost at sea day two month
two year one nine five three. Over.
Another beat as Murphy holds there, as the others look on.
MURPHY
North Island, have you got any
additional information? Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. The
vessel Chimera was registered to The
Dobbins Kirk Line, Halifax. Nova
Scotia. Date of commission day nine
month seven year one nine three two.
Over.
A long beat as the static of the open channel comes back.
MURPHY
Roger, North Island. I am tied to
the passenger vessel Chimera. And
she is afloat. Repeat, she is afloat.
Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Roger, Arctic Warrior. I say again,
our records indicate the passenger
vessel Chimera was lost at sea.
Over.
MURPHY
Roger, North Island. Please advise
pending further information. Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. This is
United States Coast Guard North Island
Station. Over and out.
A beat as they hold there, thinking about it.
MURPHY
Obviously it's some kind of screw
up. The shipping records aren't a
hundred percent accurate.
DODGE
Man, it gives me the creeps. We got
no business towing a ship that size
anyway. I say we fix the turbines
and hit the highway.
GREER
Are you crazy? Do you realize we got
ourselves a ship? We own a ship,
Dodge.
DODGE
Yeah, a ship that's supposed to have
been lost at sea fifty years ago.
You don't think that's just a little
freaky?
EPPS
If this thing turns out to be a ship
everybody thought sank a long time
ago, we just hit the jackpot.
DODGE
Yeah, well how the hell you get
something like that wrong? That's a
damn big boat. It's either sunk or
it ain't.
MURPHY
We all want to get outa here, Dodge.
Especially me. With that boat in
tow. You got three days. Make the
most of it.
A beat as Dodge looks back, then out at the Chimera.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MASTER'S QUARTERS - NIGHT
A pencil point on a map follows across Saudi Arabia, coming
to the Persian Gulf and tracing the coast of the Arab Emirates
to Dubayy.
Murphy sits at his desk over the map. His pencil point follows
the Persian Gulf from Dubayy, through the straight of Hormuz
into the Gulf of Oman. Murphy marks an "X" there. A beat as
he looks on at it.
He opens a large envelope he found aboard the Chimera. He
empties it on the desk. He looks through it, docking receipts
from various ports of call, bills of lading, etc. He looks
over the passenger manifest.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MASTERS QUARTERS - DAY
Murphy wakes. He lies on his bunk, having fallen asleep last
night in his clothes, still holding the envelope and some of
the papers inside.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Dodge disassembles the turbine fans on deck as Greer reads
in the shade of the deck house. Dodge's hand slips and he
skins his knuckles.
DODGE
Fucker!
GREER
Take it easy, Dodge. It's only a
piece of metal.
DODGE
(inspecting his skinned
knuckles)
Damn mind of it's own.
GREER
(seeing Murphy)
Morning, skipper.
Murphy has stepped out into the sunlight.
MURPHY
Morning.
GREER
You're up late.
MURPHY
Guess I must've fallen back to sleep.
Where's Epps?
DODGE
Went aboard.
MURPHY
She take a radio?
GREER
Yeah.
Murphy nods. A beat.
INT. CHIMERA - PUBLIC ROOM - DAY
Epps steps from a passageway into a large public room. Tables
and chairs are scattered haphazardly, light falling in from
windows along the wall where tattered curtains hang. She
walks on.
A pair of empty glasses sit on a table, an empty sherry
decanter beside them. An ashtray sits beside that. Epps stops,
reaching down. She pulls back a half-smoked cigarette,
lipstick smudging the end, yellowing and fragile from time.
And, as she stands there, we see a FIGURE, IN MURKY
SILHOUETTE, MOVE PAST THE DOORWAY IN THE BACKGROUND. In an
instant it is there and gone.
She puts down the cigarette, having sensed a presence. She
turns to the doorway across the room, but there is nothing
to be seen now.
INT. CHIMERA - PUBLIC ROOM - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
A doll's white face, eyes haunting and coldly blue, stares
into the middle distance. It lies on a love seat as Epps
steps up. She lifts it. Several other toys lie scattered
about as she studies it, when the sound of a TICKING CLOCK
CAN BE HEARD.
A beat as Epps holds there. She turns, trying to locate the
sound. From across the room, Epps stands, listening. As the
TICKING CLOCK sounds from here. She turns, putting down the
doll, holding a beat. She approaches, crossing the room,
coming finally to a stop before us and what we come to see
is an ancient grandfather clock.
All but it's minute hand has fallen off its corroded face,
but from inside it emits a weak though steady TICKING.
Epps stands there as the clock ticks, looking on, when the
TICKING CEASES. A beat as she holds there, as the clock faces
her, now silent.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - LATER - DAY
Epps shines her light in the darkness as she comes to a door
where daylight falls from a small port. She looks through
it.
INT. CHIMERA - SWIMMING POOL - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps stands in a white tiled room. Light falls from port
holes high in the wall. Running its length is a small swimming
pool, it's rusted fixtures and stained surface creating
bizarre patterns.
INT. CHIMERA - SWIMMING POOL - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps comes to a row of changing stalls. Old clothing hangs
there, unused for fifty years. A pair of woman's shoes lie
on the floor.
INT. CHIMERA - SWIMMING POOL - LATER - DAY
Epps moves along, passing through a doorway into
INT. CHIMERA - GYMNASIUM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps enters another room scattered with old exercise equipment
circa 1950, a wooden rowing machine, barbells and a medicine
ball.
She steps up to the wall, where pictures hang. The Chimera
can be seen in better days, sailing full speed on a calm
sea.
INT. CHIMERA - SUB-DECK - LATER - DAY
Epps jumps down to a lower deck. She shines her light up to
see that she is in an engine compartment, showing a massive
diesel burner. She passes through into another compartment
where the giant pistons of the ship's power plant rise up to
the ceiling.
INT. CHIMERA - SUB-DECK - PASSAGE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps moves, passing still more diesel burners, towering over
her in the cavernous space. She moves into a narrowing
passage, piping and machinery ducts winding their way into
the depths of the ship.
Finally the passage opens into yet another compartment,
apparently a cargo hold. Crates and boxes are stacked on
loading palettes.
In the corner, a rotting canvas drape covers something. Epps
comes to it. She lifts the canvas, which crumbles away to
reveal a 1951 Ferrari sportster. For the exception of a coat
of dust and a small amount of corrosion, it is perfectly
preserved.
Mail bags lie in piles along the wall, stacked between more
wooden crates and palettes, when something catches Epps'
eye.
A heavy, metal door in the wall is twisted on it's hinges,
as though blown back from some terrific explosive force.
Epps approaches, coming to the twisted door. She shines her
light inside.
A clutter of debris, shelving and wood, are visible in the
shadows, when her light catches a glint of something. She
swings her light back, revealing a yellowish bright object
between broken wood slats.
Epps steps in. She kneels, shining the light closer. The
yellow glint is metal. Epps pulls back a slat, sliding away
some of the debris to reveal that it is cast from a kilogram
ingot of gold.
She reaches out. She raises it, completely untouched by the
years. She pulls back still more debris, revealing a stack
of gold ingots, some having tumbled to the side. She slides
away a large trunk that has fallen, pushing off more junk to
see that the stack is much larger, perhaps four feet high
and five feet across.
A beat as Epps stands there, looking on at $50,000,000 in
gold.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO COMPARTMENT - DAY
The debris has been cleared away to reveal a clean 5'x 5' x
4' stack of gold ingots.
DODGE (O.S.)
What the fuck we gonna do with it?
Greer, Murphy, Epps, and Dodge all look on.
GREER
What the fuck you think we gonna do
with it? It's ours, baby. It's all
ours.
Murphy has stepped forward, taking an ingot, inspecting it.
GREER
How much you figure that's worth,
skipper?
MURPHY
(still looking it
over)
Hard to say. Maybe forty, fifty
million.
GREER
Ho, baby!
EPPS
That's a lot of money for somebody
to just let float away.
Murphy looks up at her from the gold.
MURPHY
Yes, it is.
A beat as they all hold there.
MURPHY
It's a hell of a lot of money.
DODGE
What, you think there's something
funny about it?
MURPHY
A ship with fifty million dollars in
gold aboard, adrift? And nobody seems
to care enough to come looking for
it?
GREER
If they thought it was lost at sea,
they probably just wrote it off.
MURPHY
Not for fifty million. An ocean liner
maybe. But fifty million in gold,
they come looking for.
EPPS
Maybe they didn't want it back.
Maybe the whole fat deal was insured.
MURPHY
Maybe. But there's always somebody
whose interest's at stake.
GREER
All I gotta say is it looks like
that somebody's us right now.
Greer cackles as he high fives Dodge.
EPPS
And it looks like somebody got here
before us too.
The steel hatch is twisted, as from a great hand ripping it
back from the wall.
DODGE
(inspecting it)
Didn't happen yesterday, I'll tell
you that. Torn parts rusted bad as
the rest of the boat.
MURPHY
Then it happened before they scuttled
her.
EPPS
You mean, before she sank.
GREER
Cargo like this could make a crew
think twice.
MURPHY
That it could.
A beat, as they all look on at the gold.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
After dinner, Murphy, Greer, Dodge and Epps sit around the
galley table.
GREER
Then why didn't they take it.
EPPS
Probably didn't have time.
DODGE
Or somebody stopped them.
MURPHY
Either way, they must've had a pretty
good reason.
GREER
Must be a damn good reason to jump
ship and leave fifty million dollars
aboard.
A beat as they consider it.
DODGE
So what're we gonna do. That's the
big question, right?
MURPHY
A salvage claim to a vessel's cargo's
as valid as a claim to the vessel
itself. It's ours.
DODGE
Then we're rich. We're damn, filthy
stinking rich.
MURPHY
It looks like it.
A beat as they let this sink in.
GREER
So what? We gonna unload the gold
and get a move on?
MURPHY
We leave it where it is. Stick to
the plan.
DODGE
You gotta be kidding? What the hell
we need that tub for, we got fifty
million bucks?
MURPHY
So we get a little more for the boat.
Besides, the gold'll be safer where
it is.
GREER
Yeah, but we still gotta haul that
big piece of shit all the way back
to Sitka.
MURPHY
It's worth the effort. Believe me.
Besides we're gonna need her to prove
the salvage.
EPPS
Why not call for help?
MURPHY
For now the best thing we can do is
to keep quiet about this.
DODGE
Last thing we want is extra partners.
EPPS
Or uninvited guests.
GREER
I heard that.
MURPHY
Dodge, you gotta get on those repairs.
DODGE
Yeah, yeah. I'm on it.
MURPHY
The sooner we get under way, the
sooner we are to spending what's
ours.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - DAY
Dodge, wearing a welding mask and gloves, braises an aluminum
fitting over one of the open turbines.
INT. CHIMERA - SUB-DECK CARGO COMPARTMENT - DAY
Epps finishes stacking the gold ingots in a cleared space
beyond the twisted hatch.
GREER
Two hundred twenty. Two twenty one.
(as Epps stacks the
last one)
Two twenty two.
Greer makes a note.
GREER
Two hundred twenty two kilograms of
solid gold.
EPPS
That's what I call a payday.
GREER
Hell yeah.
They slap hands.
INT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - PASSAGEWAY - DAY
Murphy moves down the darkened passage, coming to a door
marked "CAPTAIN." The door is ajar. He pushes it open.
INT. CHIMERA - CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy stands in the doorway of a spacious cabin panelled in
dark wood. A large desk occupies a corner of the room by the
windows. Though dirty and worn with time, everything is
ordered and in its place.
Murphy comes to the desk. He sits down in the chair behind
it. The surface is clear and uncluttered. He pulls out the
drawer to reveal pens, writing paper, a ruler, compass and
protractor amidst other sundry items.
INT. CHIMERA - CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER -
DAY
Murphy steps in. The room is undisturbed, light falling in
on the taught green bedspread through dirty, tattered
curtains. A robe hangs on the back of a chair. A pair of
slippers lie beneath it.
INT. CHIMERA - CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER -
DAY
Murphy stands in the bathroom. The tile has yellowed with
time, but everything is exactly as it was left. Even the
shaving kit is neatly arrayed on the sink as Murphy looks on
at it. He looks up, seeing himself in the mirror, when an
EXPLOSION SOUNDS.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy comes to the railing, looking out over the bow of the
ship to see black smoke rising from where the Arctic Warrior
is tied.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer and Epps run to the side to see billowing smoke rising
from the Arctic Warrior as Murphy climbs down the crane to
the deck.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy jumps down to the deck. Flames belch from an open
hatch as Murphy grabs a fire extinguisher from a deck locker,
coming to the engine room door.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy enters to find the engine room engulfed in flames and
black smoke. He finds Dodge spraying at it with an
extinguisher of his own.
The flames belch up from an oil fire in the turbine well,
the heat searing paint on the metal covers. Murphy sprays a
cloud of halon and the fire dims, but only for a moment.
Dodge grabs another extinguisher, his leg burned, face and
hands singed.
An EXPLOSION ROCKS THE BOAT and molten flames hurl through
the air, catching Murphy's pant leg. He's so engrossed in
fighting the flames, he doesn't realize he's on fire.
DODGE
(over the roar)
Murphy!
Murphy looks down to see his pant leg is on fire, as Dodge
turns a cloud of halon on him, putting it out.
DODGE
Propane tanks're gonna go!
Murphy crosses in the smoke, coming as close as he dares to
the most intense part of the flames. He turns the extinguisher
into them, holding it there.
The flames dim, as Dodge joins him on the other side, turning
his extinguisher on it too. The fire seems to dim yet again
as clouds of halon rise up.
Fire belches from a duct, crawling across the ceiling. Dodge
fires his extinguisher at it, pushing it back across to the
wall again.
Murphy extinguishes the last of the flames in the turbine
well as Dodge brings a snaking tendril of fire down to the
deck, and finally out.
They stand there in the sudden silence, the air heavy with
smoke. A fine layer of halon powder lies over everything,
but the fire is out.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - DAY
Dodge smokes a cigarette, now starting to feel his burned
leg, which is oozing as Murphy and Greer look on.
DODGE
One minute I'm minding my own
business, the next thing I know the
whole place is burning up.
(taking a drag)
An oxygen tank must've blown on the
welder. Started an oil fire.
GREER
Looks like it took out the backup
genny too.
MURPHY
Terrific.
Epps arrives with a first aid kit.
MURPHY
How's that leg?
Epps cuts back the burned pant leg to see the burn.
DODGE
Seen better -- Ow!
Epps cleans the burn with hydrogen peroxide.
EPPS
This's gonna hurt a little.
DODGE
Thanks for the warning -- Ow! Damn!
Epps keeps cleaning as Dodge bears it.
GREER
What now?
MURPHY
We could call for help.
GREER
And get a bunch of fools sniffin'
around here?
EPPS
What other choices have we got?
DODGE
I tell you one thing, we're not gonna
be towing no ship now.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOT HOUSE - NIGHT
A gas lantern sits on the map table illuminating Murphy as
he holds the radio mic.
MURPHY
(to radio)
United States Coastguard, this is
tugboat Arctic Warrior whiskey alpha
sierra bravo four zero niner two.
Radio check. Over.
A moment, then:
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic
Warrior. This is United States
Coastguard Station North Island.
Your radio check is affirmative.
Over.
MURPHY
Roger that, North Island. Arctic
Warrior whiskey alpha sierra bravo
four zero niner two. Over and out.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Dodge pours out a few cans of cold chili into a bowl and
takes it to the table where Epps, Greer, and Murphy sit under
the stark light of a gas lantern.
GREER
Fifty million four ways. That's twelve
million and change a piece. What
you gonna do with your share, skipper?
MURPHY
Not much at all, I guess. Retire.
Live out my golden years and all
that.
DODGE
I'm buyin' me a nice outrigger.
Spend my time hauling rich Seattle
business men through the Puget.
MURPHY
How about you Epps?
EPPS
Guess I'll just keep working.
DODGE
What're you crazy?
EPPS
I like my job.
MURPHY
Greer?
GREER
Moving to Sweden.
DODGE
What's so great about Sweden?
GREER
It's a beautiful country. Very clean.
Very civilized. And cold.
EPPS
That's a good thing?
GREER
Hell, yeah. I like it cold. Colder
the better.
DODGE
Yeah, but not as cold as those Swedish
girls you only gonna dream about.
GREER
We'll see who's dreamin', m'man.
MURPHY
Dreamin's all any of you're gonna be
doing if we don't get this boat
running.
DODGE
Yeah, yeah.
A STRANGE SOUND BEGINS. IT IS LIKE A DISTANT SHRIEKING, AS
OF METAL AGAINST METAL, BUT ALMOST HUMAN, DISTANTLY ECHOING.
GREER
What the hell is that?
The SHRIEKING CONTINUES, ECHOING EERILY AS IF FROM THE SEA.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Dodge, Epps, Murphy and Greer emerge on deck.
The DISTANT SHRIEKING IS LOUDER HERE, BUT SEEMS TO BE
EMANATING FROM DEEP IN THE SHIP as they stand facing it on
the bow.
EPPS
It's coming from inside.
They hold there listening as the SHRIEKING CONTINUES.
DODGE
Sounds like the hull.
MURPHY
Warm water current maybe, making the
metal expand.
GREER
That shit is seriously bizarre.
The DISTANT SHRIEKING ECHO continues as they hold there.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - DAY
The engine room is black with soot, the turbines covered in
halon powder. Dodge stands there looking at it. He sighs.
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY - DAY
Greer goes through shelves of supplies, finding a stack of
sterno cans and warming candles. He throws them into a wooden
crate of other supplies he's gathered.
INT. CHIMERA - FIRST CLASS STATEROOM - DAY
Epps slowly pushes open the door. She holds a sack with a
few items she's managed to scavenge. Light falls from
curtained windows onto the room. A divan sits against the
wall. A table stands in the middle of the room, a moth-eaten
velvet table cloth sitting under a brass lamp on top. Two
twin beds stand on either side. They are covered in dust and
are moth-eaten, unmade, as if the occupants had just gotten
up, fifty years ago.
In one corner is an armoire. Epps steps up to it, pulling
back the door to reveal a rack of woman's clothing hanging
there undisturbed.
INT. CHIMERA - STATEROOM - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
A pair of slippers lie on the floor beside a chair, over
which is draped a woman's robe. Epps lifts it, the material
crumbling in her hands.
INT. CHIMERA - STATEROOM - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
A drawer comes back to reveal a number of personal affects,
a man's billfold, cuff links, tarnished silver cigarette
holder and case, coins, black horn-rimmed glasses, pocket
watch and fob, and a room key.
Epps pulls back the billfold. She opens it. Inside she finds
a Canadian passport a picture of a dark-haired man with a
mustache and black horn-rimmed glasses, circa 1950. In the
folds she finds three hundred Canadian dollars. An insert
holds pictures, of a suburban home, children, and a woman,
presumably his wife.
INT. CHIMERA - "A" DECK PASSAGE - LATER - DAY
Epps steps from the room. She turns to close the door, but
stops, holding there, strongly sensing something.
THE CAMERA SLOWLY COMES AROUND TO HER OTHER SIDE, revealing
the long passageway behind her, each bulkhead hatchway
creating the impression of a tunnel of mirrors that frame
one another and, standing at the very end of this tunnel in
the foggy light from a porthole, a MAN in dark clothing.
Epps slowly turns her head to see what she already senses,
the man standing at the end of the passageway facing her. A
beat as they hold there. The man only stares back at her,
then turns to walk away.
EPPS
Hey!
Epps moves off as the man walks around the corner.
EPPS
Hey, wait a minute! Hey!
MOVING WITH Epps as she breaks into a run, going down the
passageway. She comes to the corner, rounding it out onto
another passageway. The man is nowhere to be seen.
Epps moves quickly down the passageway, coming to the next
corner, rounding it out to see only another long passageway.
She turns back, running right into Murphy.
MURPHY
Take it easy, you'll live longer.
EPPS
Did you see him?
MURPHY
Who?
EPPS
The guy. He just came this way.
MURPHY
What guy?
EPPS
There's somebody else on this boat.
MURPHY
What? What the hell're you talking
about.
EPPS
I saw him. Just a minute ago. Some
guy.
MURPHY
Are you sure?
EPPS
Of course I'm sure. I saw him.
MURPHY
You sure it wasn't me?
EPPS
It wasn't you. It was somebody else.
There's somebody else aboard.
A beat as Murphy looks back at her.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOT HOUSE - NIGHT
Greer, Dodge, Murphy, and Epps stand around by lantern light.
DODGE
Light in those passages ain't so
good.
EPPS
I'm telling you, I saw somebody. I
don't know who it was. But I saw
somebody.
GREER
What'd he look like?
EPPS
Maybe six feet. Lanky. I didn't get
a good look. He was far away. But I
saw him. I saw him as sure as you're
standing there.
DODGE
Where's his boat, then? Where's his
crew? He ain't gonna be out here by
himself, that's for damn sure.
GREER
She's so big somebody could come
alongside her on the other side and
we'd never know it.
EPPS
Maybe that is his boat.
DODGE
Gimme a break.
A beat as they sit in silence.
MURPHY
If somebody's aboard her already,
she ain't ours. She's theirs.
DODGE
Bullshit. That boat hasn't made steam
for fifty years. We found her. She's
ours.
MURPHY
Not in the eyes of the law.
EPPS
So, we find this guy and make a deal
with him.
MURPHY
We don't exactly have the best
bargaining position.
DODGE
I say fuck the motherfucker. We're a
professional salvage crew going about
our business. What's some yahoo doing
way out here by himself anyway?
MURPHY
And what do you propose? That we
knock this guy off?
DODGE
Why not? Why the fuck not?
A beat as Murphy, Greer and Epps exchange looks.
DODGE
Fifty million dollars. Fifty million.
We gonna let this guy just take it
from us? One guy?
EPPS
So we kill him?
DODGE
I'm saying we gotta do whatever we
gotta do to preserve our interest.
GREER
I don't know.
MURPHY
Let's just take it easy here, alright?
Nobody's gonna kill anybody.
GREER
Supposing he wants to get bad with
us?
DODGE
One guy isn't gonna be so stupid.
EPPS
Maybe he isn't alone.
They consider this a moment.
GREER
I say we off-load some of that gold
now.
MURPHY
Would you hold on just a minute here,
please? Look, there's no reason to
panic now. Epps saw somebody. Fine.
It's a big boat. Chances're real
good he doesn't even know about the
gold. If we stay cool, nobody'll be
the wiser.
(a beat)
The gold stays where it is til we're
ready to go. Like I said, it'll be a
hell of a lot safer there than here.
DODGE
What if that fucker finds it before
we're ready to go?
MURPHY
We'll stand a watch. Four on, eight
off. Low man first.
EPPS
Guess that'd be me. Again.
MURPHY
Dodge, get on that turbine. I don't
care if you don't sleep for a week.
The sooner you're done, the sooner
we can get out of here. How's the
food situation?
GREER
Pretty low all around.
MURPHY
We'll have to take it easy then. I
don't think we'll find much aboard
the ship, but it's probably worth
looking around.
EPPS
Say we run into this guy again.
A beat as they consider this.
MURPHY
If he's reasonable, maybe we can
make some kind of deal. If not.
We'll have to re-consider our options.
DODGE
Yeah, reconsider fucking his shit
up.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - WARD LOCKER - NIGHT
Epps is dressed in her cold weather gear as she opens a
locker, revealing a flare gun and a shotgun. Epps pulls back
the shotgun and a box of shells.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - NIGHT
Murphy and Dodge look on as Epps loads the last of several
shotgun shells into the pump action short barrel 12-gauge.
She expertly shuttles a round into the chamber with one hand.
Dodge takes a hit from his cigarette as Greer crosses from
the deck house.
DODGE
Pretty handy with that scatter gun,
Epps. You raised on a farm?
EPPS
(setting the safety)
Seen a lota movies.
MURPHY
No cowboy shit up there, understand?
EPPS
No cowboy shit. Right.
Greer extends a thermos to Epps.
GREER
Coffee.
EPPS
(pocketing it in her
coat)
You're a pal.
She checks the squelch on her radio, pockets it too.
MURPHY
Got your light?
EPPS
Yup.
DODGE
Smokes?
EPPS
Oh yeah.
Her bravado does little to hide her apprehension as she slings
the shotgun on her back.
EPPS
See you boys later.
(to Greer)
Don't be late, I need my beauty rest.
She looks up, climbs onto the crane and up toward the darkened
ship above them.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - NIGHT
A flashlight beam cuts through the darkness as Epps
approaches. If this place is creepy in the daylight, it is
terrifying now. She comes to a ladder and climbs down.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO COMPARTMENT - LATER - NIGHT
Epps shines her light as she passes through, coming to the
cargo hold. She crosses in the darkness, her light catching
the tarnished glint of the gold. She comes up to it, stopping
there, looking on at it, a perfectly symmetrical fortune.
She looks around for a place to sit. She drags a palette to
the bulkhead, settling in to face the rest of the compartment.
She puts her shotgun down beside her and takes out her thermos
to pour herself a cup of coffee.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO COMPARTMENT - LATER - NIGHT
Epps has dozed off when a CLATTERING ECHOES DISTANTLY
somewhere in the ship. Epps wakes. It is silent, as she holds
there, not sure she heard anything, when a DISTANT BOOMING
SOUNDS. She reaches out for the shotgun, intently listening.
As Epps holds there, another deep BOOMING sounds distantly
somewhere. Epps turns, her blood running cold.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO COMPARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps moves along in the darkness when the DISTANT BOOMING
CAN BE HEARD BRIEFLY AGAIN. She stops, holding there, in the
silence.
INT. CHIMERA - SHAFT ALLEY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps jumps down into the shaft alley where the ship's massive
propeller shaft hangs suspended above her. Epps moves along.
Finally she comes out into...
INT. CHIMERA - ENGINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Where the propeller shaft extends into a large turbine. She
continues on, past huge rusting diesel burners, disappearing
into the darkness above her, when ANOTHER BOOM SOUNDS.
She turns, shinning her light back from where she came.
Nothing moves. Not a sound, but for her breathing and maybe
her heart pounding in her chest. ANOTHER BOOM SOUNDS, again
echoing distantly in the silence. She shines her light through
the line of burners. Nothing moves.
Epps moves quietly between the burners. She comes to a massive
watertight door at the bulkhead. She steps through, finding
herself standing between a row of huge oil storage tanks.
THE BOOMING SOUNDS AGAIN, closer, as suddenly stopping.
She moves on, cautiously walking between the tanks, holding
her light out before her. She comes to the end of the
compartment and another bulkhead. The BOOMING SOUNDS, still
closer. She turns the light into the recesses, showing rusting
machinery and a stack of oil drums.
She approaches, holding the shotgun up. As she nears, the
BOOMING SOUNDS AGAIN. She stops. It is coming from here.
She tenses, raising the shotgun, holding the light as steady
as she can manage. The BOOMING SOUNDS YET AGAIN. It is
metallic and staccato.
She stops in the corner beside an oil drum. Several drums
have toppled and lie scattered in a pile when a draft stirs
her hair. She shines her light up to see that she stands at
the bottom of a giant hatchway shaft rising all the way
through the ship to the top deck and an echoey breeze that
betrays a throughway to the outside.
The BOOMING SOUNDS AGAIN, this time coming from the pile of
oil drums. She steps closer, raising the shotgun, ready to
fire. A beat as she summons her courage, then reaches out to
push a drum with her foot, when A BLUR EXPLODES OUT AT HER.
She fires the shotgun and a spray of buckshot glances off
the steel bulkhead in a shower of sparks, a flurry of frenetic
flapping whizzing by her head as she looks up to see a large
albatross flying back up the hatchway shaft toward the top
of the ship and freedom.
MURPHY
Murphy to Epps.
She settles back, exhausted.
MURPHY
Murphy to Epps.
EPPS
(taking her radio)
Epps.
MURPHY
You just shoot at something?
EPPS
Yeah. Just a bird. Just a stupid
bird.
She wipes her brow on her sleeve, holding there a moment,
when she smells something really awful.
She steps forward, following the smell, pushing aside the
toppled oil drums to see an unidentifiable form in the beam
of her flashlight. She steps still closer, training her light
on the form to see that it is a human torso. A large gash
runs up its middle and the clothing has been torn by
scavenging birds.
She hesitates, then steps still closer when she steps on
something. She starts, then shines the light on the deck in
front of her where the body's decaying head looks back with
wide, unseeing eyes.
It takes everything she has just to hold there. She shines
her light back to the headless torso.
She shines her light beyond that, and up, to reveal a bent
steam pipe hanging out over the deck, stained with dried
blood, a pair of legs dangling from the pipe when, just behind
her, a booted foot comes into frame, lightly touching her.
She spins around to see another body above her. Except this
one hangs in one piece, suspended from another bent steam
pipe. It has been impaled length-wise on the pipe from rectum
to mouth.
One of its arms has rotted off and lies on the deck below
it. A few feet away, a third body hangs impaled from another
bent pipe.
INT. CHIMERA - ENGINE ROOM - LATER - NIGHT
A lantern illuminates the impaled bodies and their various
rotting parts.
GREER (O.S.)
Ho-ly shit.
MURPHY (O.S.)
Couldn't have happened much more
than a month ago.
Greer, Dodge, and Epps look on as Murphy kneels over the
remains of the headless torso.
MURPHY
Bodies're too fresh.
DODGE
Fresh ain't the first word that comes
to mind.
Murphy checks the pockets, finding a wallet. He looks through
it.
MURPHY
Greek citizen. Merchant navy.
(standing)
Obviously we aren't the first to
come across this ship. They probably
stumbled across it just like we did.
GREER
And look what happened.
DODGE
Damn barbaric is what it is.
MURPHY
Could be meant as a warning.
GREER
Stay away. Or else.
EPPS
Because of the gold.
MURPHY
That'd be my guess.
DODGE
So whoever did this might still be
around.
GREER
Maybe Epps's mystery man had something
to do with it.
MURPHY
Maybe.
A beat as they consider the implications of this.
EPPS
So, what? We report this? Call the
Coastguard?
Another beat as they hold there.
DODGE
Let's not be too hasty.
GREER
Yeah. Hell, what difference does it
make if we report it now or later?
We call this in now, gonna be
Coastguard, FBI, who knows who, all
over the place.
A beat as nobody's too sure about this.
MURPHY
Dodge, if this isn't incentive enough
to fix that boat, I don't know what
is.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - DAY
Dodge fires up a compressor, which feebly comes to life,
turning over the turbine, then sputtering out in a cloud of
smoke.
DODGE
All the seals and gaskets're shot.
Anything that was rubber burned up.
Murphy stands at the doorway, looking on.
MURPHY
Can't you use something else?
DODGE
I might be able to find something on
the ship. But it's gonna take time.
MURPHY
Do what you need to do. Just do it
fast.
DODGE
Right.
INT. CHIMERA - CREW QUARTERS - DAY
Epps sleeps in her bunk.
INT. CHIMERA - BETWEEN DECKS - DAY
Dodge and Greer climb down in the darkness.
DODGE
I need lag bolts, especially one
inch standard. And sheet metal.
Preferably steel, about a sixteenth
of an inch. Aluminium, even tin'll
do.
GREER
I ain't no mechanic, just so you
know.
DODGE
You find anything that even looks
like a compressor. I don't care what,
grab it.
INT. CHIMERA - RADIO ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy stands in the cramped room, full of radios and
communications equipment. He looks through the shelves and
cabinets, when he opens a drawer to find a dusty bound book.
He pulls it back, opening it to see that it is a radio call
log. He takes a seat, paging through it.
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY - WITH GREER - LATER - DAY
Greer works to disassemble a compressor mechanism. He has
difficulty getting the right purchase with his wrench, when
he slips.
GREER
Dammit!
A beat as he inspects his hand. In the silence A DISTANT
SHRIEK SOUNDS, maybe metal against metal or maybe human,
somewhere in the ship. He holds there, listening.
GREER
Dodge?
He moves on, shinning his light as he goes.
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer moves along in the darkness when he hears THE SHRIEKING
AGAIN coming from somewhere in the ship.
GREER
Dodge!
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer walks up a stairway, stepping into a darkened
passageway. The SHRIEKING SOUNDS, THIS TIME CLOSER, as it
echoes through the ship. He stops, holding there to listen.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer comes out onto another deck, stopping there. He looks
down the passageway a beat, then moves on. He passes through
a hatchway in a bulkhead when A MUSIC BOX CAN BE DISTANTLY
HEARD. He stops. The song is "DAISY" ("Daisy, Daisy, give me
your answer do. I'm half crazy, oh for the love of you.").
He holds there, listening intently. A door stands open at
the other end of the passage. The MUSIC COMES FROM HERE. He
moves forward, walking toward the end of the passage, and
the light falling from the open door.
INT. CHIMERA - RADIO ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy pages forward to the last page of the radio call log
book.
On the page his finger runs down the columns of entries,
coming to "TRANSMISSION 1 Feb 53 21:34 hrs GMT. Engine trouble
notification made to passing vessel 'St. Charles.'"
His finger moves down to the next entry, coming to:
"TRANSMISSION 2 Feb 53 09:52 hrs GMT. Dead in Water.
Notification made to passing vessel 'Normandy.'"
His finger continues: "TRANSMISSION 2 Feb 53 14:07 hrs GMT.
Captain relieved of command. Notification made to passing
vessel 'China Sea.'"
MURPHY
Captain relieved of command.
He holds there a moment, moving his finger down to the final
entry, reading: "TRANSMISSION 2 Feb 53 21:24 hrs GMT. General
SOS."
He turns the page to see only the words "GOD SAVE US" scrawled
in faded red ink. A beat as he holds there, when a CHANNEL
OPENS WITH A SHORT BURST ON MURPHY'S RADIO. He looks to it,
but there is no response from the other end. Another SHORT
BURST AND THE CHANNEL OPENS AGAIN. This time it remains open,
but no one says anything on the other end, UNTIL THE CHANNEL
CLOSES AGAIN.
Murphy takes the radio.
MURPHY
This is Murphy. Anybody trying to
call me? Over.
He waits as no response comes, then THE CHANNEL OPENS AGAIN.
Only silence from the other end as someone seems to be there,
but is not saying anything. Murphy presses the talk button.
MURPHY
Greer? Dodge?
Again, there is no response, until the CHANNEL OPENS. Murphy
holds there as he is answered by silence, WHEN A GRAVELLY,
STRANGELY DISTORTED MALE VOICE COMES BACK ON THE RADIO:
VOICE (V.O. RADIO)
"Cock-a-doodle-doo," said the rooster
to the crow. "Where are you now? I
know, but won't say so."
Murphy is momentarily stunned. He hits the talk button.
MURPHY
Who is this?
The RADIO CHANNEL OPENS. Only silence comes back, as if
someone were there but not speaking.
MURPHY
Who is this!!
The CAMERA PUSHES IN AS MURPHY LISTENS.
VOICE
Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy. Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy.
The CHANNEL CLOSES as the CAMERA STOPS CLOSE ON MURPHY.
Murphy squeezes the talk button.
MURPHY
Greer! Dodge!
Only silence comes back from the radio when A MAN'S BLOOD
CURDLING SCREAM sounds from somewhere in the ship.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy moves quickly down the passageway when his radio
sounds.
DODGE
Dodge to Murphy.
MURPHY
(taking radio)
Murphy.
DODGE
You better get down here quick,
skipper. I'm on "C" deck. Cabin 400.
MURPHY
What is it?
DODGE
I think you better see this for
yourself.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY/PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy comes down the stairs and into the passageway we saw
Greer in earlier. At the end, the light from the cabin falls
from the open door as he approaches.
AT CABIN 400
As Murphy comes to the door to see Dodge standing in the
middle of the cabin.
DODGE
I found him like this.
Greer is lying supine on the floor. His legs are rigid and
his trunk is extended. His arms are flexed and twisted so
that the palms are facing away, fingers splayed, wrists
quaking over his chest as they fight to touch each other.
Murphy kneels beside him. Greer's eyelids are half closed,
his eyes rolled up into his head. His jaw is clenched, face
contorted in a bizarre grimace. And he speaks, uttering
nonsense words in harsh expulsions, as though speaking in
tongues.
GREER
Oragishlaoomnudrasadrafantoshviska
getofedobrodijotosiantosg.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - DAY
AN EYE - EXTREMELY CLOSE
As a light shines in it, the pupil is fixed and dilated.
EPPS (O.S.)
Hard to say.
BACK TO SCENE
Greer lies unconscious on a bunk, now quiet, no longer seizing
as Epps shines a flashlight into his eye, Dodge and Murphy
looking on. She turns it off, standing upright.
EPPS
I'm no doctor. But I'd say he's in a
coma.
DODGE
A what?
EPPS
I don't know what else you'd call
it. He's breathing on his own, but
his pupils are completely blown out.
He's totally unresponsive to pain.
(a beat)
What happened up there?
DODGE
I heard a scream. When I got there I
found him on the floor. He was having
some kind of seizure. I didn't see
anybody else.
MURPHY
He must've seen something.
A beat as they consider this.
EPPS
Other than the obvious, there's
nothing wrong with him that I can
see, not on the outside.
DODGE
Then what the hell happened to him?
Another beat as they hold there.
MURPHY
Just before I heard him yell there
was somebody on the radio.
EPPS
Greer?
MURPHY
I don't know. No. Not Greer.
Somebody.
Another long beat as they think about this.
MURPHY
It was a man's voice. Repeating some
sort of children's rhyme. I don't
know, it didn't make any sense. You
didn't hear it?
DODGE
Not me.
Another beat as this sinks in.
EPPS
(looking to Greer)
He needs a doctor.
MURPHY
I'll call us in. Dodge, see how many
signal flares you can scrounge up.
(to Epps, meaning
Dodge)
Keep an eye on him.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOT HOUSE - NIGHT
A gas lantern sits on the map table illuminating Murphy as
he holds the radio mic.
MURPHY
(to radio)
United States Coastguard, United
States Coastguard, United States
Coastguard. This is tugboat Arctic
Warrior whiskey alpha sierra bravo
four zero niner two. Over.
No response.
MURPHY
(to radio)
United States Coastguard, United
States Coastguard, United States
Coastguard. This is tugboat Arctic
Warrior whiskey alpha sierra bravo
four zero niner two. Over.
Again, no response. He holds there, then finally:
MURPHY
(to radio)
Mayday. Mayday. Mayday. To any vessel.
This is Arctic Warrior. Arctic
Warrior. Arctic Warrior. Whiskey
alpha sierra bravo four zero niner
two. Last known position one seven
four west, five seven north. I am
afloat and drifting. Require
immediate medical assistance for one
person, possibly comatose. I am a
one hundred twenty foot civilian
tug, hove to at port bow of disabled
passenger liner Chimera. I repeat,
Chimera. Over.
Only the desolate WHITE NOISE OF EMPTY AIR COMES BACK.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Greer lies unconscious as Epps looks on at him. The door
comes open and Murphy steps in.
MURPHY
How's he doing?
EPPS
Same. Any luck?
MURPHY
No. I'll try again later.
A beat as they look on at Greer.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps sit at the galley table. Epps reads the log
book Murphy found in the radio room.
EPPS
(reading it)
They're dead in the water that
morning. Four hours later the
captain's relieved of his command.
And that evening they issue a general
SOS.
MURPHY
Possibly false. Hence the IMA record
of being lost at sea. I don't think
mutiny's out of the question here.
DODGE
(taking a seat)
On a passenger ship in 1953?
MURPHY
If they knew what they were carrying.
EPPS
You're saying they mutinied for the
gold?
MURPHY
If they were close enough to shore,
they probably figured they could get
away in the lifeboats.
EPPS
Only something must've gone wrong.
DODGE
Yeah, way wrong.
A beat as they consider it.
DODGE
So. I got a question. Just from a,
you know, purely technical standpoint.
We call the Coastguard. Coastguard
shows up. What exactly is the plan?
MURPHY
How do you mean?
DODGE
Well, they're gonna be asking a lot
of questions. About us. About those
bodies. About the gold. Seems like
we oughta be prepared is all.
MURPHY
I guess the best strategy's just to
tell them the truth.
DODGE
Yeah, well. The truth is one thing.
When there's more than a few hundred
million dollars involved, that's a
whole new deal.
MURPHY
What do you propose?
DODGE
For starters, getting that gold off
the ship. What they don't know about
isn't gonna bother them.
A beat as Murphy holds there.
MURPHY
There's no way we're gonna hide a
few thousand pounds of gold from the
Coastguard here. Besides, it'll be
safer where it is.
DODGE
With all due respect, skipper.
(a beat)
Part of that up there's mine. I'd
kinda like to have a little say in
what happens to it.
A beat as Murphy looks on.
MURPHY
Tell you what, Dodge. Once we get
back to shore, you can do whatever
you want with your share. But until
then, the gold stays right where it
is.
Dodge holds there. He looks to Epps a beat, takes a drink of
coffee.
EXT. CHIMERA - DAY
The sun comes up over a spectacular cloud bank as the Arctic
Warrior drifts alongside the Chimera.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Murphy crosses to the deck house, climbs the stairs.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy opens the door, stopping dead in his tracks. A beat.
He steps forward, crossing to the corner.
The radio set lies before him, dented in and completely
demolished, as if someone had taken a bat to it.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Dodge works on one of the turbines when he is grabbed from
behind and shoved into the wall. Murphy holds him fast.
MURPHY
Just what the hell do you think you're
doing?!
DODGE
I don't know what you're talking
about?
MURPHY
I think you know.
DODGE
Maybe you can tell me then.
Murphy shoves him hard into the wall.
MURPHY
The radio!
DODGE
(not having a clue)
The radio. Oh, yeah, the radio.
Murphy tightens his grip.
DODGE
Take it easy, willya? What about the
radio?!
MURPHY
You smashed it!
DODGE
What?!
MURPHY
Don't lie to me!
DODGE
What the fuck -- ?
MURPHY
You didn't want us calling anybody.
Too liable to ruin your big payday.
DODGE
I didn't touch the fucking radio.
Murphy tightens his grip still more.
DODGE
I didn't touch the fucking radio!
(a beat)
Ever occur to you there's somebody
else on that boat, skipper?
MURPHY
Conveniently enough for you.
DODGE
Look, I didn't touch it. Alright?
Murphy holds there a beat longer. He shoves Dodge back letting
him go.
DODGE
Jesus.
Dodge checks his throat as Murphy looks on.
EPPS (O.S.)
Murphy.
They turn to see Epps in the hatchway.
EPPS
It's Greer.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer stands at the galley sink finishing off the last of a
jug of water as Murphy and the others step in. He turns to
see them.
GREER
Never been more thirsty in my life.
MURPHY
Drink up then.
Greer smiles, raising the jug to drink as the others take a
seat, looking on at him.
MURPHY
How're you feeling?
GREER
Lost my sea legs.
EPPS
Any dizziness?
GREER
No.
EPPS
Headache, nausea, lights?
GREER
Lights?
EPPS
Sudden flashes of light.
GREER
I feel fine.
DODGE
What day is it?
GREER
I don't know. Tuesday?
DODGE
Wrong. It's Friday.
EPPS
Try Wednesday.
DODGE
Right. Wednesday.
A beat as they all hold there. Greer takes a seat.
GREER
What happened?
MURPHY
You don't remember?
GREER
Last thing I remember I was aboard
the Chimera. Down somewhere in there
scavenging around.
MURPHY
You've been out for about a day.
GREER
Say what?
MURPHY
Dodge found you out cold in one of
the cabins.
Greer only holds there.
GREER
Oh, man.
MURPHY
We heard you scream. Any idea what
you might've seen?
GREER
I wish I could tell you. I'd be real
interested to know myself.
Another beat as they hold there, as Greer takes another drink
of water.
MURPHY
The ah... the radio's out.
EPPS
What?
MURPHY
Somebody took it out of commission
last night.
A beat as they all hold there.
MURPHY
Smashed it up pretty bad.
EPPS
But, who -- ?
DODGE
The skipper seems to think I did it.
That I'm more interested in that
gold than my own safety or the safety
of my fellow shipmates.
A beat as they hold there, as Murphy looks back.
EPPS
Did you?
DODGE
Hell no. You think I'm crazy?
Another beat as they hold there.
MURPHY
Regardless of how it happened, there
isn't much of a chance to fix it.
The odds of another vessel in range
of the walkie-talkies are almost
astronomical. So, as of today, we're
pretty much on our own out here.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - DAY
Epps and Murphy, carrying the shotgun, make their way in the
ship.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - FIRST MATE'S QUARTERS - DAY
Greer stops before a mirror to see himself. He finds an
aspirin bottle, goes to open it. And as he does so, he sees
that his hand is shaking uncontrollably.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - DAY
Dodge works over the turbine. He stops, holding there. He
looks on at the plugs and wires and hoses. A beat.
He begins pulling out the hoses and wires, grabbing at them,
yanking them loose, breaking them off.
INT. CHIMERA - RADIO ROOM - DAY
The chassis comes off an old radio to reveal a dusty
assortment of tubes and condensers. Murphy looks on at it.
WITH EPPS
A tattered, bound book lies in the refuse of a forgotten
corner. Epps picks it up. The cover has been ripped off and
the pages are torn. But, as she looks through it, she sees
that it is the ship's log.
EPPS
Murphy.
Murphy steps over as she pages through the log book to the
very end. The last pages have been ripped out.
EPPS
Looks like part of the general log.
Epps points to a page that has been incompletely ripped out.
EPPS
"The crew have gone mad with greed
and fight among themselves like wild
dogs over fresh kill."
MURPHY
February first.
EPPS
The same day she supposedly went
down.
MURPHY
Must not've been the captain's entry.
He was probably out of the picture
by then.
Epps continues to read.
EPPS
"Their lacking diligence has
undoubtedly caused the collision.
Distress calls have been made."
MURPHY
Collision? With what?
EPPS
The page's missing. Then their SOS
was real.
MURPHY
But where's the damage?
EPPS
Maybe the other ship took the worst
of it.
MURPHY
If it was a ship she hit.
A beat as they hold there, when his radio CRACKLES TO LIFE.
DODGE
Dodge to Murphy!
Murphy reaches down for his radio.
MURPHY
(to radio)
Yeah.
DODGE
You better get down here right now!
We're taking water! Big time!
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Murphy and Epps jump from the deck crane as the tug is
starting to list to one side. He crosses to the deck house
and the open engine room hatch to see that it is rapidly
filling with seawater as Greer and Dodge scramble to set a
pump hose over the DIN OF THE PUMPS.
MURPHY
What the hell happened!
DODGE
Turbine chamber on number two must've
blown! Took out part of the hull!
GREER
We're not gonna be able to pump it!
MURPHY
Alright. Everybody grab your gear!
This' is where we get off!
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
The tug is listing radically to the side, its deck awash
with seawater, as Epps, Greer, and Murphy scramble with their
gear to the crane.
Water is starting to pour out of the deckhouse hatch as the
towering framework rising over the pilothouse stabs
precariously at the bow of the Chimera.
Murphy stops to shout back at the deckhouse.
MURPHY
Dodge!
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Water is starting to pour in as the entire cabin lurches to
one side. Dodge wades through toward the door.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps pulls herself up onto the deck, Greer following behind,
then Murphy.
Dodge can be seen stepping from the deckhouse on the tug,
which now lists at a near 45 degree angle.
WITH DODGE
Dodge stumbles toward the bow, slipping on the wet deck. He
goes down, sliding into the water that washes over the
starboard rail.
He pulls himself up, using a cleat to push off. A deck locker
opens and the contents tumble around him. He struggles to
pull himself up to the base of the pilothouse. He climbs up
and edges his way toward the bow.
WITH THE OTHERS
Epps, Greer and Murphy look on as Dodge climbs up on the
skewed deck crane.
WITH DODGE
The tug is slowly lurching over as Dodge climbs the crane,
the top of which is sweeping away from the Chimera.
Below, the decks of the tug are swept with seawater as it
sinks lower and lower.
WITH THE OTHERS
They look on as Dodge climbs toward them, the sinking tug
pulling Dodge and the crane away from the ship.
Greer pulls back a line, tying it into the deck railing.
WITH DODGE
As Dodge makes his way up, he's forced to climb onto the
other side of the crane to keep from dangling over the water.
Above, Greer casts a line. It falls near, but out of reach
as the swell of the water starts to swing the crane to and
fro. Dodge reaches out for the line again, his hand coming
close but not close enough.
The swell brings the crane toward the boat one last time and
Dodge reaches out, his fingers just coming to the line,
coaxing it into his grasp. He pulls it back and hangs on, as
the crane sways back with the foundering boat.
The crane falls away from Dodge, leaving him hanging in space
by the line from the bow of the Chimera.
WITH THE OTHERS
Murphy, Greer and Epps look on as Dodge hangs over the water
and the tug as its stern slowly sinks beneath the waves.
Dodge climbs the line toward the bow railing as the tug rolls
still further to port, the pilothouse dipping into the sea,
slipping lower and lower.
WITH DODGE
As he pulls himself upward, coming to the bottom of the rail
well on the Chimera where Murphy reaches out, just short of
Dodge's hand.
A SCREECHING SOUNDS and they turn to see the twin tow cables
coming taught against the hull in the anchor alley's of the
Chimera as the sinking tug pulls them tight.
With a CONCUSSIVE STRIKE, one cable is freed, snapping against
the Chimera's hull like a giant steel guitar string. It
starts sliding along the hull as the tug drifts, pulling the
cable with it, toward Dodge as he dangles in mid air.
Dodge pulls himself up, reaching for Murphy, but still short.
A LOUD HISSING SOUNDS and Dodge turns to see misty air
escaping from ports and deck vents as the encroaching water
forces it out of the tug below decks.
The tow cable LOUDLY SCRAPES THE HULL in a shower of rust,
as Dodge struggles to pull himself up.
Murphy reaches out as Dodge extends as far as he can, their
hands barely reaching.
The tow cable is a mere few feet away and closing, ready to
scrape Dodge into the water or smear him across the hull
like a bug on a windshield, when Dodge pulls himself up with
everything he's got and Murphy grabs his hand.
Murphy pulls, lifting Dodge, as Greer grabs Dodge's other
hand and they pull him up, the tow cable sweeping by with a
SICKENING GRINDING SOUND OF HEAVY STEEL AGAINST STEEL.
Dodge turns to see the bow of the tug dip below the surface,
slowly going under until disappearing with a last exhalation
of misty air. The pilothouse is next to go, the last of it
slipping into the frothing water, then the crane, finally
disappearing altogether into the depths.
A long beat as they hold there in the sudden silence, phantom
bubbles rising to the surface where the tug once stood.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - DAY
A boot punches through a rotten wood hull.
MURPHY (O.S.)
That just about says it all.
Greer stands at the bow of a lifeboat suspended from halyards
above the deck.
GREER
Rotten stem to stern. Guess you
couldn't expect much else.
Greer jumps down as Murphy, Dodge, and Epps look on.
GREER
We ain't exactly in what you'd call
your high traffic neighborhood either.
MURPHY
The coast guard has our last position.
They'll send somebody out soon enough.
A ship this size you can't exactly
miss.
EPPS
It's a good bet they'll be asking a
lot of questions when they get here
too.
MURPHY
Let 'em ask. This ship's legally
ours now.
DODGE
When they find out what it's carrying,
they may not be so interested in
what's legal.
GREER
Maybe you shoulda thought a that
before you scuttled our boat.
Dodge turns to see Greer. A beat.
DODGE
The turbine blew.
GREER
Lemme see, was that before or after
the oil fire?
A beat. Dodge takes a swing at Greer.
MURPHY
(grabbing Dodge)
Easy, easy.
Murphy holds on to Dodge as he will have none of it.
GREER
Gettin' a little hot under the collar,
I'd say.
MURPHY
Shut up.
GREER
Must be a little too the truth, eh
Dodge?
Dodge jumps forward again, but Murphy hangs on.
MURPHY
I said, shut the hell up.
Murphy shoves Dodge back.
MURPHY
Both of you. I don't want to hear it
again.
A beat as Greer and Murphy hold there.
MURPHY
So just stow it. You understand?
(a beat)
We don't need this right now.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - NIGHT
A fire burns in an oil drum as Epps, Murphy, Dodge and Greer
sit around it in silence.
INT. CHIMERA - 4TH OFFICER'S STATEROOM - NIGHT
Epps steps in. She shines her light on the room. It is exactly
as it was left. She crosses to the bed, shining her light
under it. She sits down, trying it.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO HOLD - NIGHT
Dodge moves in the darkness, coming to the corner where the
stacked gold ingots rest. He looks on at them.
MURPHY (O.S.)
You shouldn't be down here alone.
Dodge turns to see Murphy standing there.
DODGE
Just wanted to check on our little
baby.
A beat as they look on at the gold.
DODGE
That oughta buy a man pretty much
anything he wants.
MURPHY
If money can buy what he wants.
DODGE
I don't figure there's much I want
money can't buy.
MURPHY
Then you're a lucky man.
Murphy tosses the shotgun to Dodge, who catches it.
MURPHY
We'll stand the watch on deck tonight.
You're up first.
DODGE
Right.
Murphy holds there a beat longer, then turns to go, as Dodge
looks after him.
EXT. CHIMERA - DAY
A grey chop gently rocks the Chimera, smoke rising from the
top deck.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - DAY
Greer and Dodge tend the flames of three fire barrels, adding
broken up furniture to create heavy signal smoke.
INT. CHIMERA - PANTRY - DAY
Murphy moves through the pantry area with a pillow case,
scavenging for food.
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY - DAY
Epps scavenges for food in the semi-darkness of the large,
open galley, when a MOVEMENT CAN BE HEARD SOMEWHERE BEYOND
THE ENTRY separating the galley from the outer passageway.
EPPS
Murphy?
No one answers. She looks off across the stillness of the
galley. Nothing.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps steps into the passageway. Directly across is the entry
to the swimming pool. She walks on.
INT. CHIMERA - SWIMMING POOL - DAY
Epps steps in. Light falls in from the dirty port holes at
the ceiling, every movement echoing off the hard tile walls.
She holds there a beat, then turns to go when she sees a
GIRL of about 16 facing her on the other side of the pool.
Epps holds there, as the girl only looks back. She is
porcelain white, flaxen hair drawn behind her head, her
clothing hanging loosely from a frail body.
GIRL
You must leave.
A beat as Epps stands there.
EPPS
(finally)
Who are you?
From this distance and in the light it is hard to fully
discern the girl's features.
GIRL
There's great evil here, more than
you can know. Leave now or you may
never leave.
EPPS
But --
A HATCH CLOSES SOMEWHERE IN THE SHIP. Epps turns to look.
When she turns back the girl is gone. A quiet "TICK" SOUND
ECHOES in the pool. She looks down to see that the pool is
now very, very deep, like a mine shaft falling away into the
depths. And, as she stands there, dark water is quickly rising
up from the bottom.
She steps back as the water gradually fills the pool to the
top. It is very dark and the bottom is indiscernible, when
the water begins to churn, as from bubbles of air reaching
the surface. Epps steps closer, looking on as a faint red
glow can be seen deep in the water below the churning bubbles.
As she watches, the red glow grows in intensity. The glow
spreads, illuminating a broad area until it becomes clear
that the water is not water at all but blood.
And, as the light grows still brighter, a figure is
illuminated, well below the surface as it seems to rise up.
Epps looks on as the figure rises higher into the light. It
is a MAN, fighting desperately to reach the surface. The
bubbles that rise up are produced from his silent screams.
Epps starts forward, but another figure rises to the same
point, a WOMAN, also struggling. Another MAN floats up, then
another, and another, people floating up, fighting desperately
to reach the surface, unable to do so, drowning in blood.
EPPS
My God....
Epps reaches out over the edge, plunging her hand into the
blood, reaching for the man's hand, but they are too far
apart.
She struggles desperately as the man fights to get to the
surface.
The others are fighting for the surface too, as Epps reaches
out, near tears, helpless to do anything.
EPPS
No!!
Everything suddenly stops. A beat as Epps only holds there.
The blood is gone, as are the people. The pool is back to
its normal state as though nothing had happened, Epps looking
on in disbelief.
MURPHY (O.S.)
You okay?
Epps looks up to see Murphy standing at the door.
EPPS
Yeah.
(looking back to the
pool)
Yeah, fine.
A beat as she holds there, looking on at the pool.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREWARD DECK - NIGHT
Greer, Murphy, Dodge, and Epps sit on deck around the fire.
DODGE
You'd think on a ship this size
there'd be something left to eat.
GREER
After fifty years there ain't nothin'
left but shoe leather.
MURPHY
Tomorrow we'll see if we can't find
some line and tackle. Use some of
those bodies below decks for bait.
DODGE
There's a charming thought.
GREER
We can always start shooting birds.
Epps coaxes a hit out of her last cigarette.
DODGE
What say, Epps? You up for some
roasted albatross?
EPPS
(snuffing it out)
Why not?
INT. CHIMERA - 1ST OFFICER'S STATEROOM - NIGHT
The SOUND OF SOMEONE BREATHING HARD CAN BE HEARD in the dark
room. As the CAMERA SLOWLY MOVES INTO THE ROOM, we see that
it is Greer, lying on the bed. His body is tense and his
arms arch rigidly toward his chest. His jaw is clenched and
he expels harsh, guttural utterances, experiencing something
between a night terror and a seizure.
INT. CHIMERA - WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Sheets of rain come down on the deck in the grey light of
morning. Murphy stands on the bridge, looking off at it coming
down when Greer steps in.
GREER
Looks like we're in a strong current.
(closing the door)
Must be making almost five knots
full on ass backwards.
Greer crosses to the window, stepping up.
GREER
Nasty little swell outa the north
west too.
Murphy nods as he looks out.
MURPHY
Let's just hope somebody sees us
first out here.
INT. CHIMERA - PURSERS OFFICE - DAY
A file drawer comes open, revealing ticket receipts.
Epps looks on at it. The receipts are labeled "FULL FARE
PASSAGES" and are divided by first, second, and third class.
She goes through them, coming to a section that says
"ACCOMPANIED CHILDREN."
She pulls out the folder, laying it on the counter, opening
it. The first page is a receipt for a single passage to
Halifax for a Tatterly, Stephen age: 14. She pulls it back
to reveal another, Wilson, Harold age: 4. Another, Vitti,
Angela age: 17.
She pages through the stack, looking at the ages: 3, 15, 6,
11, 1, until coming across a 9. She looks to the name, Klein,
David, a boy. She continues paging through the receipts coming
to another 9. She stops, looking to the name, Nichols,
Katherine age: 16. A girl. She looks to the cabin assignment:
"400." She notes that it is the same cabin where Greer was
found, when a REVERBERANT CONCUSSION SOUNDS THROUGH THE SHIP.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge runs to the side to see a 15 feet wide by 40 feet tall
steel and concrete mid-ocean buoy bounce off the transom as
the ship drifts into it.
WITH GREER AND MURPHY
They come to the side at the wheelhouse, seeing the bright
orange letters "NOAA" emblazoned on the buoy's float pod as
the ship drifts by.
MURPHY
It's a Noaa buoy.
GREER
A what?
MURPHY
Government weather. It's got a
transmitter aboard.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Dodge quickly ties a loop in a coil of docking line as Greer,
Epps, and Murphy look on at the approaching buoy.
MURPHY
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Dodge finishes as Epps ties the other end off to a cleat.
ON THE BUOY
As it drifts along the side of the Chimera. Murphy drops the
line down, the buoy bouncing on the swell.
BACK TO SCENE
Murphy pulls the loop up as the buoy nears, aiming to hook
it on its wind gauge.
ON THE BUOY
The buoy approaches, rising and falling with the swell.
BACK TO SCENE
Murphy corrects.
EPPS
Higher. You're gonna miss it.
Murphy holds the loop steady.
ON THE BUOY
The loop is too low. It's going to miss the mark as the buoy
drifts toward it, when the swell drops and the buoy goes
down.
BACK TO SCENE
Murphy yanks on the line.
ON THE BUOY
And the loop catches on the wind gauge.
BACK TO SCENE
As the line goes taught he pulls his hands away just in time,
the line snapping hard against the rail. Below, the buoy
heels over as it's pulled.
ON THE BUOY
It drops with the swell, the line stretching, then swinging
the giant concrete buoy float into the side of the hull with
a huge BOOMING CLANG.
BACK TO SCENE
The line is smoking with the friction, the steel railing
bowing a little with the weight as they look on.
GREER
We're still drifting.
MURPHY
The mooring hasn't come taught.
EPPS
It's not gonna hold us.
MURPHY
Doesn't matter.
ON THE BUOY
As the buoy falls again with a swell and slams into the side
of the ship. The water returns, lifting it high.
The ship is dragging it back and it begins to rise up as its
mooring comes taught. The line rises with it and soon the
buoy is at a steep angle as it comes out of the water.
BACK TO SCENE
The buoy is held fast between the docking line and its own
mooring.
ON THE BUOY
The buoy rises fully from the water, all three tons of it,
and as it does, the wind gauge's steel mount begins to bend.
BACK TO SCENE
As they watch the buoy suspended over the water between the
creaking docking line and its own underwater mooring cable.
DODGE
No fucking way.
ON THE BUOY
The gauge mount snaps and the docking line flails free,
sending the buoy hurtling back into the water in a curtain
of spray, whipping wildly from side to side.
BACK TO SCENE
The buoy swings back and forth as it rights itself, rising
on a swell, passing beyond the bow of the Chimera.
MURPHY
Damn it.
They look on in silence, the buoy slowly receding as the
ship drifts away.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - NIGHT
Murphy stands watch by the fire as Epps joins him.
EPPS
Hey.
MURPHY
Hey.
EPPS
Couldn't sleep.
MURPHY
Wish I could say the same.
They watch the fire in silence for a moment.
EPPS
What do you think happened on this
boat?
MURPHY
I guess that's the sixty four thousand
dollar question, isn't it?
EPPS
The what?
MURPHY
Never mind. Before your time.
(a beat)
I think at least some of the crew
went a little nuts. The usual stuff
that happens when people stumble on
a fortune. Equal parts greed and
paranoia, usually resulting in
homicide. What happened after that
is anybody's guess. But, judging by
our Greek friends down below, it
doesn't look like the last time.
EPPS
Are we smart enough to avoid that?
MURPHY
I don't know, are we?
A beat as she looks back at him. She looks back to the fire,
watching it.
EPPS
When you found me yesterday, at the
pool. I'd seen... something. Someone.
MURPHY
Not our mystery guest again.
EPPS
No. Someone else. A girl.
(hesitating, a beat)
I'm not sure she was... real.
She looks up to Murphy.
MURPHY
Not real?
A beat as she only looks back.
MURPHY
What, like some kind of ghost?
EPPS
I don't know what else you'd call
her. One second she was there, the
next she was gone.
Another beat as he looks on at her.
EPPS
And I had a kind of hallucination.
(a beat)
There were others. I saw them in the
pool. Drowning.
A beat as Murphy looks back, as she sees him.
EPPS
Maybe hallucination is the wrong
word. It was more than that. As though
they were showing me.
MURPHY
Showing you what?
EPPS
What happened.
MURPHY
Maybe it was one of them did the
handy work on those Greeks.
EPPS
No. I think they are, were, just
passengers. Innocent victims.
MURPHY
Victims of what?
EPPS
Something bad happened here, Murphy.
MURPHY
That much I think we've already
established.
EPPS
More than just a mutiny. More than
just the gold.
A beat as he holds there.
EPPS
She said the ship was evil. That we
had to leave right away. That if we
didn't, we might never leave.
MURPHY
What's that supposed to mean?
EPPS
I don't know.
A beat as she looks back.
MURPHY
Why you? How come the rest of us
haven't seen these people?
EPPS
Just lucky I guess.
Another beat as he holds on her.
MURPHY
Well. Getting off this ship's exactly
what we're trying to do. Short of
that, I don't know what else to tell
you.
She only looks back at him, then into the fire.
MURPHY
Do me a favor and wake up Dodge.
He's next on.
She starts to get up.
MURPHY
And Epps?
She stands, looking back at him.
MURPHY
You can tell the others about this.
But, for my money, I think it's best
you keep it to yourself.
She holds there a beat longer, then turns, walking off.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - LATER - DAY
Epps comes to the 2nd officer's door, knocks.
EPPS
Dodge.
(no answer, knocking
again)
Dodge.
DODGE (O.S.)
(finally, from inside)
What?
EPPS
Get up.
DODGE (O.S.)
Yeah, yeah.
INT. CHIMERA - 4TH OFFICERS ROOM - NIGHT
Epps sits down on the bed. She lies back, not sleepy. A beat
as she holds there in the darkness.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - NIGHT
Murphy still sits by the fire as Dodge groggily approaches
from the officers quarters, carrying a blanket and a jug of
water.
MURPHY
You're late.
DODGE
Sorry.
MURPHY
(handing him the
shotgun)
Don't fall asleep.
DODGE
(laying out his blanket)
Right.
INT. CHIMERA - 1ST OFFICER'S STATEROOM - NIGHT
Greer lies asleep on the bed. But his sleep is fitful,
increasingly agitated, tormented. It is as if he tries to
speak, but cannot. As THE CAMERA PUSHES SLOWLY IN, his words
are forced and garbled, speaking in the same nonsensical
language he spoke earlier, when he wakes with a start.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - NIGHT
Dodge dozes, cradling the shotgun in his arms, when MUSIC
CAN BE HEARD VERY DISTANTLY. Dodge wakes. It is "Daisy"
playing on a music box somewhere in the ship.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Dodge moves along as the MUSIC BOX DISTANTLY CONTINUES.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY/PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Dodge moves cautiously down the stairway into another
passageway.
He approaches from the other end. He passes the open doors
of stateroom after stateroom. The MUSIC BOX IS CLOSER HERE.
It stops.
He holds there in the darkness. He turns, shining his light
back down the passageway. A beat. It is silent, when the
CHANNEL OF HIS RADIO OPENS WITH A SHORT BURST.
He raises his radio. But no one says anything, the CHANNEL
REMAINING OPEN, a discernible presence on the other end.
DODGE
Dodge.
SOMEONE'S POV - FROM THE FAR END
SLOWLY MOVING TOWARD DODGE as he can be seen from the other
end of the passageway.
BACK TO SCENE
He gets no response, then presses the talk button.
DODGE
This is Dodge. Over.
He is answered by silence, the CHANNEL REMAINING OPEN, WHEN
THE GRAVELLY DISTORTED VOICE THAT MURPHY HEARD COMES BACK ON
THE RADIO:
VOICE
"Cock-a-doodle-doo," said the rooster
to the crow. "Where are you now? I
know but won't say so."
Dodge hits the talk button.
DODGE
Who is this?
The RADIO CHANNEL OPENS, but only silence comes back.
DODGE
Identify yourself, motherfucker!
SOMEONE'S POV - FROM THE FAR END
SLOWLY MOVING TOWARD DODGE as he can be seen from the far
end of the passageway.
BACK TO SCENE
Only silence returns on the radio as Dodge holds there, then:
VOICE
Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy.
THE CAMERA PUSHES SLOWLY IN ON DODGE as he listens.
VOICE
Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle toy --
.
Dodge senses something behind him. He turns, and before he
can draw a breath to shout, SOMETHING HEAVY SLAMS INTO HIM
IN THE DARKNESS, his flashlight tumbling away in a squiggle
of light.
ON SHOTGUN
As the shotgun clatters to the deck, the muzzle resting in
frame as the radio falls a few feet away. A beat. The shotgun
muzzle slides out of frame as some unseen person or thing
pulls it away.
EXT. CHIMERA - DAY
A grey overcast stretches to the horizon.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - DAY
Murphy comes out onto the deck. Dodge is nowhere to be seen.
MURPHY
Dodge?
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY STORAGE COMPARTMENT - DAY
Epps shines her light on something.
EPPS
Check it out.
Greer raises his light to reveal rows of canned goods. They
are industrial sized cans, from the 1950s. Greer takes one.
GREER
I don't even want to know what that's
gonna taste like now.
EPPS
Better than starving to death.
Epps' radio CRACKLES AWAKE.
MURPHY
Murphy to Epps.
EPPS
(raising the radio)
Epps, over.
MURPHY
Either of you seen Dodge?
She looks to Greer who shakes his head.
EPPS
Nope.
MURPHY
He's not on deck and I can't raise
him on the radio.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - LATER - DAY
Dodge's stuff is laid out under the shelter of a vent duct
as Greer, Epps, and Murphy stand over it. A blanket, a pillow
and a plastic jug of water are all that remain.
MURPHY
He took the shotgun and a light.
GREER
Must've heard something below deck
and went down to check it out.
A beat as they hold there.
MURPHY
Alright. We stay together. Nobody
goes any further than earshot.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - DAY
Greer and Epps move along as Murphy raises his radio.
MURPHY
(into radio)
Murphy to Dodge. Murphy to Dodge.
Over.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge's radio lies in the detritus of the ship as Murphy's
voice can be heard on it.
MURPHY
Murphy to Dodge. Do you copy? Over.
INT. CHIMERA - ENGINEERING - LATER - DAY
Epps moves cautiously along in the darkness.
MURPHY (O.S.)
Epps? You there?
EPPS
Right here.
WITH MURPHY
As he moves along as well, eyes open.
MURPHY
Greer?
WITH GREER
As Greer moves along too.
GREER
Yeah, yeah.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - LATER - DAY
Epps jumps down, shining her light over machinery and across
bulkheads when a WHISPERING CAN BE HEARD somewhere. She holds
there, listening. It is echoey, distant.
EPPS
Murphy?
No response as Epps holds there. The WHISPERING SOUNDS AGAIN,
far off, unintelligible. It stops.
She moves on, shinning her light.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps moves along in the darkness, holding the flashlight
before her, when the WHISPERING SOUNDS AGAIN.
Epps stops, holding there in the silence. She reaches for
her radio. The WHISPERING SOUNDS AGAIN. Epps turns to pinpoint
it, coming from somewhere in the cavernous space.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps passes under a catwalk. She moves on, passing a row of
standpipes. Epps stops, listening. Somewhere, the WHISPERING
CAN BE HEARD, then stops.
It is absolutely silent. In the darkness behind her, the
GIRL (KATIE) PULLS BACK INTO THE SHADOWS.
Epps holds there a beat, then turns, running into Greer with
a start.
GREER
Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.
She holds there a beat, looking around.
GREER
You okay?
EPPS
Yeah. Fine. I just thought I heard
something is all.
GREER
What?
EPPS
Nothing. Let's get outa here.
They start to leave, when Epps notices something. She stops.
Beyond the standpipes, a faint glow can be seen in the
darkness. Epps steps forward, crossing to it. Greer follows.
MOVING WITH EPPS
As Epps approaches, Greer behind her. The light is dim and
low to the deck. She stops.
WITH THE LIGHT
As Epps starts toward it again. She and Greer come up to it,
stopping there. She kneels, the dim glow shining on her. She
reaches out toward it, pulling back Dodge's flashlight, still
on.
She turns it off, standing. She shines her light into the
darkness and starts off, Greer following.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps and Greer move along, shining their lights as they go,
when something catches in the beam of Epps' flashlight.
It is Dodge's radio. They stop over it. Epps picks it up,
inspecting it. She looks to Greer, when a single dark spot
appears on Epps' cheek. It begins to run, a crimson tear.
She raises her hand to touch it, inspecting her finger to
see that it is blood.
She looks to Greer. They both look up to see, hanging
suspended above them, Dodge's face staring back down at them
from the darkness.
He has been imperfectly impaled, the sharp point of a high
pressure steam pipe protruding from his neck, head hanging
limp beside it.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - LATER - DAY
Greer and Murphy lower Dodge's body on a rope as Epps guides
it to the deck. They stand looking on at it a moment.
GREER
Can't find the shotgun.
MURPHY
So whoever did this now has our
shotgun.
GREER
Doesn't look like it much matters.
EPPS
What do we do with him?
MURPHY
Leave him till we can get some help.
(a beat)
From now on, nobody comes down here.
GREER
What about the gold?
MURPHY
Leave it.
GREER
Now hold up just a minute. Let's be
reasonable here.
MURPHY
You think whoever did this is
reasonable?
GREER
All I'm saying is that gold's worth
a lot more to us now than it ever
was.
EPPS
I can't believe you. Dodge's dead
and all you can think about is cashing
in your share.
GREER
I didn't sign up to go home empty
handed. And I sure ain't gonna roll
over for the freaky motherfucker did
this.
MURPHY
Nobody's going anywhere with that
gold now. Anybody tries to board,
we'll know about it.
(a beat)
You can do what you want, Greer.
But neither of us is gonna risk saving
your ass down here if it comes to
that.
GREER
Fine with me.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - DAY
Epps enters the dim passageway from the bright daylight. She
moves down the passage, coming finally to the stateroom where
Greer was found, room 400.
She holds there a beat, then reaches for the door, hesitating.
She opens it.
INT. CHIMERA - STATEROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The door comes open and Epps steps in. It is dark, though
spacious. It is divided into two rooms. Beyond the sitting
room in the front, is a bedroom.
Epps steps in. A dressing table sits against the far wall.
A large bed is unmade. Suitcases lie open on stands at the
foot of the bed, still half full as if they were in the
process of being unpacked.
From one, she pulls back a woman's gown, a blouse. The other
contains shirts, trousers, socks, and underwear.
Across the room a smaller suitcase can be seen lying open on
an Ottoman in the corner. Epps crosses to it. She finds a
few shirts, and a red print dress, some books. She takes one
of the books, opening it.
Inscribed on the inside of the cover is: "This book belongs
to:" and then written in by hand: "Katie Nichols."
A page is marked with a purple ribbon. She opens it to see a
children's poem "The Rooster and the Crow" and a drawing of
a rooster and a crow and a stanza of a poem: "'Cock-a-doodle
doo,' said the rooster to the crow. 'Where are you now? I
know, but won't say so.'" She puts it down. A tin penny
whistle sits on the table. She picks it up, examining it.
She opens a small picture book, thumbing through to see photos
of a family, a young mother and father at the beach, the
mother and a girl of about 9 years, the girl and an older
girl of about 16, the girl she saw at the swimming pool,
KATIE. Epps holds on this picture, when A MUSIC BOX SOUNDS.
She looks up to the dressing table. On it a music box slowly
plays "Daisy."
AT THE TABLE
Epps crosses to it, looking on at the music box as it slowly
winds down, then finally stops. A beat. She picks it up,
looking at it, when she looks up to see Greer standing there.
A beat.
The dirty white light falling into the room through the
windows falls on him as he looks off at something we cannot
see. His expression is empty, hollow.
EPPS
Greer?
He does not hear her as he stands there. She approaches,
stepping up.
EPPS
You okay?
Another beat, as he looks off, into the light, when he slowly
turns to see her.
A long beat as she looks back. He holds there, the same empty
look about him, when he grabs her by the throat and squeezes
hard.
She is stunned, breathless, but raises her hands to grip his
wrists, fighting him.
EPPS
Greer!
His grip tightens. He is much stronger and her efforts make
little difference.
EPPS
Let go!
She hangs on, starting to choke. She drops one hand, searching
with it.
GREER
Oragishlaoomnudrasadrafantoshviska
getofedobrodijotosiantosg.
He speaks nonsense, his face distorted in an ugly grimace,
eyes bulging as Epps fumbles over the table, a tray of glass
and silver crashing to the floor as he pushes her back, still
choking her.
He backs her to the wall, pushing in, closing her windpipe
the rest of the way.
Her hand searches behind her, knocking over a small vase, a
basket, some books. It comes to a brass desk lamp. It falls,
a little out of reach.
She is going to black out any second, as Greer strangles
her.
Her hand comes to the desk lamp, grabbing it.
She raises the lamp, swinging with all her might, connecting
with Greer's head.
He stumbles back, a gash laid into his face, as Epps sucks
in air, gagging and coughing, her neck purple with finger
marks. She fumbles her radio up.
EPPS
(into radio)
Murphy! I'm on C deck, cabin 400!
Get down here now!!
Blood is running down his face as Greer comes for her again.
She throws down the radio.
A bed stands between them. She feints right, then left. He's
dazed and has blood in his eyes. She manages to slip by, but
he dives, taking her down.
He drags her back along the floor, spinning her around. He
raises a fist to ram into her face when WHAM!
Epps has shoved the butt of her flashlight into his crotch
and he comes up SCREAMING. He grabs her face, striking her
with his other hand.
She swings the flashlight again and cracks him across the
head. He swings yet again and connects, knocking her across
the floor.
She lies in a heap as Greer climbs to his feet, enraged and
bleeding.
He unbuckles his belt as he approaches, pulling it from his
waist to do God knows what.
Epps looks around to see him approaching. And we see that
she has unhinged her gill knife.
As his foot steps near, she lets go and drives the knife
with all her might into his boot, plunging the blade through
his foot and into the floor. He SCREAMS.
After a moment he stops, looks to her. He is a bloody,
wretched, enraged mess. He starts toward her as Murphy appears
in the doorway.
Just as Greer is upon her, Murphy blind sides Greer from
behind at full speed, knocking him down.
Greer and Murphy struggle as Epps climbs unsteadily to her
feet. She staggers to them and raises the flashlight over
Greer, bringing it down on his head.
CUT TO BLACK
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - LATER - DAY
Epps and Murphy carry Greer's unconscious body.
INT. CHIMERA - AQUARIUM TANK - LATER - DAY
Greer tumbles down a sand bank in an empty aquarium. He stops
at the bottom, now starting to come to.
OUTSIDE
Murphy slams the door shut as Epps looks on. She puts a steel
pipe across the hatch lever so that it cannot be opened.
INT. CHIMERA - AQUARIUM TANK - LATER - DAY
Greer sits in the tank, visible through a large piece of
armored aquarium glass, amidst the fake coral. He sits in
the sand hugging his legs to his chest, bobbing slightly as
he speaks in his nonsensical language.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Must've been him all along.
Murphy and Epps look on from the outside in the promenade.
MURPHY
Smashed the radio. Scuttled the boat.
Killed Dodge. Would've killed you.
He's off his nut, no doubt there.
They watch him in silence a moment as Greer mutters and bobs.
MURPHY
What do you think?
EPPS
Could be a stroke. Who knows?
(a beat)
The general log said the crew were
fighting among themselves. "Like
wild dogs."
MURPHY
Over the gold.
EPPS
Maybe it was more than that.
Greer gets up, comes to the window, looking out at them. He
presses his face to the glass.
EPPS
They went crazy.
MURPHY
Crazy with greed. Not crazy. Not
like him.
A beat as Epps looks off. In the window Greer drags his
hideously distorted face over the glass, the blood from his
wounds smearing in broad red streaks.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - DAY
A partial hull of a rotting life boat falls into frame. Epps
and Murphy stand over it.
MURPHY
We lash a few of these together it
might get us far enough into the
shipping lanes to be rescued.
A beat as they look on at the rotting hull.
MURPHY
Hard to say which is worse, staying
here or taking our chances in open
water.
EPPS
If the weather holds it might not be
so bad.
MURPHY
It's not the weather I'm worried
about. The wrong current could drag
us as far as the Aleutians before we
come across another boat.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - DAY
Epps and Murphy work to lash parts of the rotting boats into
a single usable raft.
INT. CHIMERA - AQUARIUM TANK - DAY
Greer lies asleep on the sand bottom of the tank, the white
light from the skylight falling on him from above.
INT. CHIMERA - STORAGE AREA - DAY
Epps has found a reel of wire and some metal braces, making
her way into the darkness, when her radio CRACKLES TO LIFE.
The channel remains silent a moment, then closes. She stops,
raises the radio.
EPPS
(holding down talk
button)
Murphy?
She waits, holding there as only silence comes back.
EPPS
Murphy, this is Epps. Do you copy?
Again, only silence comes back until, after a moment, the
channel opens again. No one speaks, though there is a palpable
presence on the other end.
EPPS
(raising the radio)
Who is this?
The channel opens again, only silence returning. The sound
of the MUSIC BOX CAN BE HEARD, "DAISY" COMING BACK OVER THE
RADIO.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps walks along in the darkness AS THE MUSIC BOX CONTINUES
TO PLAY OVER THE RADIO. She comes to the end of the corridor,
stopping there.
At the other end the light falls from the door at room 400.
The MUSIC FROM THE RADIO STOPS, leaving in its absence the
MUSIC AS IT CAN BE HEARD COMING FROM THE ROOM AT THE END OF
THE CORRIDOR.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps approaches the other end, from where the MUSIC EMANATES,
coming to a stop at room 400. A beat as she holds there.
INT. CHIMERA - ROOM 400 - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps steps in as THE MUSIC BOX PLAYS IN THE OTHER ROOM.
The sitting room is dark as she holds there. After a moment,
she continues on, coming to the bedroom.
Epps steps in. Across the room the MUSIC BOX IS PLAYING.
She crosses, coming to it as it continues, when her radio
CRACKLES TO LIFE. The channel remains silent a moment, then:
VOICE
"Cock-a-doodle-doo, said the rooster
to the crow. Where are you now? I
know but won't say so."
She holds there a beat, then crosses to the table to find
the book of nursery rhymes. She opens it to the nursery rhyme
"The Rooster and the Crow," seeing the same words on the
page, when the radio CRACKLES AGAIN.
VOICE
Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy. Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy.
On the table is the penny whistle she saw earlier. She takes
it, holding on it a moment. She raises it and THE CAMERA
SLOWLY PUSHES IN as she puts it to her lips and lightly blows
a C-SHARP WHICH BECOMES A C-SHARP FROM A PENNY WHISTLE across
the room.
MOTHER
"Cock-a-doodle-doo, said the rooster
to the crow. Where are you now? I
know but won't say so."
On the other side of the room, the younger girl from the
photo plays the penny whistle. She is sitting on the floor
with the MOTHER who reads from the book we saw earlier.
MOTHER
"Cock-a-doodle-doo, said the rooster
to the crow. Where are you now? I
know but won't say so." Cassandra,
if you insist on playing that while
I read I'll just stop right now.
THE GIRL
Sorry.
The room is warm with light, restored to its original
condition some fifty years ago as Epps stands there, unseen,
no longer holding the whistle.
A man, the FATHER from the photos, steps from the bathroom
wearing a new coat.
FATHER
What do you think?
MOTHER
He certainly did shorten it, didn't
he?
FATHER
I thought this was all the rage.
KATIE
Maybe last year.
Katie joins them from the outer room.
FATHER
What about this year?
KATIE
It's not your color anyway.
GIRL
I like it, daddy.
FATHER
Well thank you!
GIRL
Daddy, how much longer before we
start moving again?
FATHER
They're working on the engines, honey.
As soon as they fix them we'll be on
our way.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps steps from room 400 into the passageway. It is lit with
sconces running its length and the elegant furnishings and
objets d'art stretching to the far end are all in their
original condition. DISTANT MUSIC FROM THE BALLROOM CAN BE
HEARD as Epps stands there. She moves along.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps walks in the passageway. Doors are open and she looks
in to see people doing various things, some packing and
putting their things in order.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps walks down the passage, rounding the corner to see three
STEWARDS fighting with a fourth MAN in a tuxedo. They lift
him up and carry him off down the stairs as he shouts and
protests. She moves on, through a pair of double doors, into
INT. CHIMERA - STORAGE COMPARTMENT - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps moves through the now lighted storage area off the
galley. A group of CREWMEN stand around at the other end
and, as Epps nears, she sees that four figures can be seen
among them. They are four men, OFFICERS, swaying gently from
the ship's movement as they hang from ropes around their
neck, dead. Epps keeps moving, through doors at the other
end.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
A commotion can be heard at the other end of the passageway
as Epps keeps moving. A WOMAN SCREAMS, and is cut off when a
door slams shut.
The DISTANT MUSIC HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH INDISCERNIBLE
SHOUTING, as of someone commandeering the microphone somewhere
As she walks, she passes an open door where several CREWMEN
fight over a steamer trunk, which breaks open, scattering
the contents.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps walks along, coming to another door where a dead man
and woman are laying in the middle of the room as a STEWARD
takes money from a wallet. The steward looks up, reaches
over and slams the door shut. She continues on.
Another door stands open as she comes to it, back at room
400. She stops. A REPETITIVE SOUND CAN BE HEARD, coming from
inside.
INT. CHIMERA - ROOM 400 - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps steps in as the SOUND CONTINUES. She crosses the sitting
room, coming to the doorway of the bedroom to find several
MUTINEERS, some in stewards attire, others wearing ships
officers caps, obviously taken from their rightful owners.
The repetitive sound comes from here, bed springs. And, from
between the men, a woman's bare legs hang over the end of
the bed as a pair of man's legs in boots lie between them,
the bed rocking, the others looking on.
Epps turns to see the father. He is on his knees, hands tied
behind his back as he is forced to watch from the foot of
the bed.
EPPS LOOKS DOWN TO SEE
EPPS' POV
a geometric pattern of a lotus on the Persian carpet at her
feet. When she looks up again she sees what the father sees.
The mutineer finishes, climbing off the woman. Another of
the men pulls her up to reveal that she is no woman at all,
but Katie.
The mother and sister lie in a bloody heap near-by as one of
the other mutineers steps up to Epps.
MUTINEER
You like that, daddy? I'll show you
something else now.
The mutineer steps back to the bed. He sits Katie down so
that she faces us on the end of the bed. He raises an axe
over her, bringing it down as the world becomes a whirling
blur --
EPPS (V.O.)
NO!!!!
BACK TO SCENE
The CAMERA STOPS ON KATIE standing on the other side of the
room, now empty of people, returned to its shabby, abandoned
state.
KATIE
It isn't real.
Epps looks back at her from the other side of the room where
she stands.
KATIE
Many bad things have happened here.
But you mustn't allow the evil inside.
I tell you this because you can see
me. The others can't. But you must
leave. You must leave.
A LOUD GUNSHOT SOUNDS SOMEWHERE IN THE SHIP. When Epps turns
back Katie is gone.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps moves quickly along, raising her radio.
MURPHY
Epps to Murphy.
Only WHITE NOISE COMES BACK.
EPPS
Epps to Murphy.
Only WHITE NOISE COMES BACK as she rounds the corner out
onto the promenade. At the other end, the aquarium can be
seen.
As she approaches she sees that the tank is empty. Greer is
nowhere to be seen and the skylight at the top is broken
out.
A GREAT BOOMING SHUDDER rocks the ship. A LOUD SCREECHING OF
METAL follows it.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The ship's hull being scraped at the waterline by a jagged
mid-ocean island no bigger than fifty or sixty feet across.
The ship has entered a small archipelago of such islands, a
mine field for a drifting ship.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps moves quickly along, coming to the stairway, moving up,
almost running into Murphy on his way down, carrying a canvas
duffle.
EPPS
What happened?
MURPHY
We hit land.
EPPS
What?
MURPHY
We're in an island chain. It's only
a matter of time before we hit another
one.
EPPS
Greer's gone. He broke out of the
tank.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps and Murphy move quickly along, when another HUGE BOOMING
shudders the ship and the SHRIEKING OF METAL follows.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The ship bounces off another of the small, jagged islands as
it drifts past, buckling the steel plate of the hull
precariously.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy and Epps run toward the other end of the ship. As
they do, something can be seen lying in the middle of the
passage some distance down.
AT THE OTHER END
Epps and Murphy slow to see that it is a body, lying face
down in the passage.
They step up. Epps kneels as Murphy looks on. She rolls the
body over. It is Greer, dead.
EPPS
He's been shot.
Murphy kneels too, looking on at Greer's lifeless eyes.
MURPHY
Let's get the hell out of here.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY/PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy and Epps come up the stairway, crossing to the doors.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As Epps and Murphy come out, moving toward the make-do raft.
MURPHY
It should be enough to get us to one
of those islands. Gimme a hand,
wouldya?
She joins him and they lift it off its stand, taking it to
the rail.
MURPHY
Prop it here. We need to pull these
braces off. There's a hammer on the
stand. There.
Epps crosses back to the stands.
AT THE STANDS
Epps kneels. No hammer. She pulls back Murphy's canvas duffle,
folding back the flap to reveal a shotgun, the shotgun Dodge
had when he died.
A beat as she holds there, when Murphy's hand grabs it.
MURPHY
I'll take that.
A beat as she looks to Murphy.
EPPS
It was you.
He only looks back at her as she stands there.
EPPS
You killed them.
MURPHY
It was only a matter of time before
somebody killed somebody.
(a beat)
You saw it coming as well as I did.
Dodge had his plans, starting with
scuttling the boat. And Greer too,
except he went nuts. Couldn't take
it, I guess. Could've happened in
the middle of downtown Anchorage.
But did it make him any less
dangerous? I don't think so.
EPPS
So you killed them?
MURPHY
The way I figure it, it was them or
me. I thought putting Dodge up on
that pipe was a nice touch? Bought a
little time. Made it look like whoever
killed those Greeks was still around.
But it's just us on this ship. Us
and your... spirit friends.
EPPS
And now you're gonna kill me, is
that it?
MURPHY
I didn't want it to turn out this
way.
EPPS
Murphy, don't you see what's
happening?
MURPHY
I think I see it pretty well.
EPPS
It's the ship. The ship's making you
think this way.
MURPHY
I know a little bit about human nature
and what I've seen only confirms
that.
EPPS
It's a trap. There was no way we
were gonna get away with that gold.
Nobody ever does. It's just the bait.
This ship sucks people in and it
never lets them out.
MURPHY
I think maybe you been on this boat
a little too long, with all that
supernatural mumbo jumbo. There's
nothing supernatural about greed.
And that's what it comes down to,
pure and simple.
EPPS
I don't give a damn about the gold.
MURPHY
I wish I could believe that. Either
way, you know what I've done. I've
got no choice.
He raises the shotgun.
MURPHY
I'm sorry.
He prepares to fire, when a CONCUSSION ROCKS THE SHIP. Epps
ducks and Murphy fires, a spatter of buckshot shredding the
vent behind her. A SCREECHING OF METAL DEEP IN THE SHIP SOUNDS
as she gets up, diving for cover as Murphy shuttles the gun
again.
WITH EPPS
Epps scrambles behind a deck vent.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The ship has bounced off yet another small island, the jagged
rocks loudly scrapping the hull with a deafening shriek.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy crosses toward the deck vent.
MURPHY
There's no reason to make this any
more difficult than it has to be.
WITH EPPS
As Epps holds there she sees the vent opening. She pulls
herself up and climbs inside.
INT. CHIMERA - AIR SHAFT - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps climbs down the air shaft where a giant fan spans its
width. She squeezes through the fan blades and drops down
where several vent ducts lead in different directions below
it.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy comes to the vent duct where Epps went down.
INT. CHIMERA - AIR DUCT - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps crawls through. She comes to a vent that leads out to a
passageway.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy runs quickly down the stairway, shotgun at the ready.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The vent is shoved out and falls to the metal catwalk.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The CLANG FROM THE VENT SOUNDS HERE and Murphy stops.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps extends her feet and climbs down into the passage.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy rounds the corner, moving on the same deck.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps moves along on a metal catwalk in the darkness when
something can be heard ahead of her. She stops.
FOOTSTEPS SOUND at the end of the passage. Epps pulls back
into the shadows, holding there.
The footsteps sound as if they are coming down stairs at the
other end, when the FOOTSTEPS STOP.
Epps holds there, listening intently in the silence when, at
the other end, THE SOUND OF CREAKING METAL, as from a hatch
slowly opening, can be heard. It stops. All is silent, WHEN
THE HATCH CREAKS AGAIN at the other end. She begins moving
toward it.
As she approaches, she can see that the hatch is half open,
swaying slightly with the movement of the ship.
A CREAKING SOUNDS behind her. She turns, just as Murphy steps
into view. She ducks as he fires and a spray of buckshot
ricochets off the metal around her.
She scrambles on her belly as Murphy fires again. She swings
down from the catwalk, letting herself fall to the next deck.
AT THE BOTTOM
Epps gets up, runs.
WITH MURPHY
Murphy climbs down a ladder to the lower decks.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps moves quickly along.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy follows, when A RUMBLING SOUND CAN BE HEARD.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps stops where she is in the cavernous engine room, looking
on at the massive hull rising above her as the RUMBLING GROWS
IN INTENSITY. Though it seems to resonate throughout the
ship, it seems to originate from here, from directly below,
as though the hull were being dragged over a rocky bottom.
She steps back as the sound grows still louder, until it
becomes absolutely deafening.
The ship begins to shudder. The steel bulkheads visibly move
and the steel plates in the hull can be seen to bend back
and forth.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy slows and finally stops.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
A few rivets pop in the hull. Then a few more, as the RUMBLING
GROWS STILL LOUDER.
Epps puts her hands to her ears and begins to back away,
when the RUMBLING REACHES A PINNACLE. The rivets are springing
out of the hull like machine gun fire when the steel plate
of the hull gives way, A MASSIVE CRAG OF ROCK SMASHING THROUGH
WITH A TREMENDOUS BOOM AND A TORRENT OF SEAWATER.
Epps ducks for cover as the crag tears a diagonal line through
the Chimera's hull like a jagged claw through paper in a
HORRENDOUS TUMULT OF NOISE AND STEAM AND SPARKS.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The Chimera is impaled broadside by a particularly devious
rock promontory of a small island.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The giant claw begins to pull back, as the ship drifts off,
water pouring in behind it.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The ship is drifting free of the island with the current, a
huge gash rising on its port side.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
A massive torrent sweeps over Epps as seawater pours in
through the breach.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy stops where he is to see water rushing in at the end
of the passage. He begins backing away.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps is forced under as the water in the hull is already
half way up the side, the ship listing WITH A GREAT GROANING
EXERTION.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy moves down the passageway, coming to the cargo
compartment.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps comes up for air. A clatter of all manner of debris,
tools and general detritus hammers against the far bulkhead
as the ship eases over. A boiler breaks loose of its stays.
Epps looks up to see it coming right for her. She ducks under
the water as the boiler slams into the bulkhead where she
was.
WITH EPPS
Epps is forced down by the boiler, trapped between it and
the bulkhead.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO HOLD - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The gold slides off the palette, crashing into the far wall.
Murphy hurries to it, collecting ingots and putting them in
his pockets.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps struggles under the water to free herself, but she is
trapped, the heavy boiler and its broken stays caging her.
ABOVE THE WATER
The level of the water has now almost completely reached the
deck above, filling the ship almost entirely below decks.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO HOLD - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The water is threateningly high as Murphy pockets one last
ingot and makes his way for the exit.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps is trying to pull back the boiler stays, without luck.
She swims down lower, finding a pipe fitting she pries at
the stays, without luck, when a form drifts into view in the
murky water.
Several more forms appear. They are human, suspended in the
water. As Epps looks, the several forms have become many.
They are the bodies of the dead she saw in the pool before.
As they look on at her from where they are, one form emerges.
It is Katie.
She reaches toward Epps, as if beckoning her to take her
hand from the other side. Epps raises her hand, taking it.
The girl leads Epps down into the murky darkness where she
finds a way out. She takes her back further, coming to the
breech, leading her out and into a cool green void of water.
Katie stops at the breach. Epps turns to her. She only looks
back at Epps. Epps turns away, swimming upward toward the
light of the surface.
EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps breaks through, gasping for air. She looks to see the
Chimera, listing heavily to one side, its bow decks fully
awash.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy staggers through the flooded passage.
EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The Chimera is getting lower in the water, the bow submerged
and the stern beginning to rise.
Epps sees another small island some distance off. She begins
swimming toward it.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Water runs down the stairway as Murphy struggles toward the
top.
EXT. ISLAND - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps swims as the ship sinks in the distance.
INT. CHIMERA - PROMENADE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
A river of water rushes through as Murphy crosses with
difficulty.
EXT. ISLAND - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps reaches the jagged rock of the island. She pulls herself
up.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Water rushes in as Murphy wades out onto the Chimera's top
deck. He is heavily weighted down and periodically goes under
as he half wades half swims, the length of the ship's aft
portion rising above him as the bow sinks.
EXT. ISLAND - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps collapses on the rocks.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As the ship moves lower, Murphy pushes off. He bobs under
momentarily, then comes back up with difficulty. The forward
smoke stack has dipped under and is now taking on water, the
current from the rushing water pulling him toward it.
EXT. ISLAND - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps looks on as the giant ship angles higher and higher.
EXT. CHIMERA - WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As the ship dips lower, the rushing water forms an eddy that
pulls at Murphy. Murphy struggles, too heavy to resist as he
is pulled closer and closer to the sucking maw that is the
smokestack's opening.
The ship sinks further and Murphy is pulled to the edge of
the stack. He frantically grabs for something to hold on to,
without success, until he is finally pulled into the smoke
stack and sucked into the bowels of the ship by the rushing
water.
EXT. ISLAND - LATER - DAY
Epps sits perched under a rock out of the wind, looking on
at the Chimera, her stern rising high above water as she
goes down, when the RUMBLE OF ENGINES CAN BE HEARD.
She turns to see a Coastguard plane sweeping low over the
Chimera, then banking back and flying right over as she shouts
and waves her arms.
EXT. ISLAND - LATER - DAY
The Coastguard plane flies by one more time, this time
dropping a survival pack.
The Chimera's stern rises up out of the water, almost vertical
now, slipping further and further under.
Epps looks on one last time, as the ship goes down.
EXT. OCEAN - WITH CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The afterdeck of the Chimera sinks slowly, slowly down, the
CAMERA PUSHING IN TO "CHIMERA" as the name comes to the water,
then slips slowly beneath the surface. And THE CAMERA FOLLOWS,
MOVING INTO THE WATER to reveal that, beneath the surface,
there is no ship at all, only the vast empty depths of the
ocean.
FADE TO BLACK
THE END
Additional Info"GHOST SHIP"
(formerly "CHIMERA")
by
Mark Hanlon
First draft
FADE IN
INT. BARGE - DAY
Crewman EPPS (29), wearing a life vest and tool belt, jumps
down into the darkness. She stands in a great hollow cavern,
oily, wet, resonant with the sound of creaking, rusty steel
and WATER MOVING OVER ITS HULL on the other side.
INT. BARGE - LATER - DAY
Epps comes to a low point in the darkness, shining her light
on a lake of salt water sloshing against the bulkhead. She
kneels. As the water sloshes back she sees that it is leaking
in through the seams in the steel plate of the hull.
EXT. BARGE - LATER - DAY
Epps pulls herself onto the deck from below. She stands on a
rusting 5000 ton tank barge being pulled in the open ocean
by a brawny marine tug at the end of a 150 foot tow cable.
It is a typical summer day in the southern Bering Sea, which
means a healthy chop and a stiff cold breeze out of the north-
west. She closes the hatch behind her and makes her way
forward.
EXT. BARGE - BOW - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Up ahead, the tug pulls steadily, grey-black clouds of diesel
smoke rising from its massive turbine vents.
Epps cinches and checks her body harness, focused and
professional. The product of a rocky childhood in the Pacific
Northwest and a few years of hard living, she's found her
true calling now. And under some grime, several polypro shirts
and a pair of orange men's Insulite pants she might even be
considered pretty.
She clips her harness into the tow cable where it attaches
to a heavy pair of eye cleats at the bow. She climbs onto
the cable, hanging out over the water as it breaks on the
bow beneath her. She pulls herself forward on a roller bearing
that fits over the width of the cable and starts off toward
the tug at the other end.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - LATER - DAY
DODGE and GREER look on from the stern, where the boat's
name "Arctic Warrior" is emblazoned on the transom. Dodge
(37), scruffy chief engineer, wearing de rigueur greasy
coveralls and nicotine stained fingers, is an expatriate
Texan and former merchant marine. GREER (42), is the boat's
first mate, African American, originally from some sweltering
red-neck hellhole, now a tug pilot intentionally well to the
north.
They watch as Epps pulls herself toward them, the cable
occasionally dipping a few feet with a spray of water as a
passing swell slackens it. Epps pulls herself to the stern
where the cable winds into a tow anchor.
EPPS
It's a slow leak.
She unclips and drops to the deck.
GREER
What's slow?
EPPS
Maybe twenty gallons an hour.
DODGE
Where from?
EPPS
Amidships starboard at the beam.
Just under the waterline. I don't
think it's a problem.
GREER
Hear that, Dodge? Epps don't think
it's a problem.
DODGE
I'll sleep good tonight knowing that.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The view from the pilothouse commands 360 degrees as radar
and GPS navigation displays glow. MURPHY, the ship's master,
pilots the boat. He is 48, at sea all his adult life, and
most of the rest, a fact written on his face and one that
every crewman who's ever worked for him has been willing to
bet his life on. A walkie-talkie CRACKLES AWAKE.
GREER (V.O. RADIO)
Greer to Murphy.
MURPHY
(lifting the radio)
Go.
Murphy turns back to see Greer, Epps, and Dodge looking up
at him from the stern.
GREER
The number nine on the starboard
side's half flooded. Epps says it's
a slow leak just under the waterline,
about twenty gallons an hour. They
must've pumped it before we left
Sitka.
MURPHY
Of course they did.
GREER
Let the buyer beware.
MURPHY
What do you say, Dodge?
DODGE (V.O. RADIO)
(taking the radio)
If it started out at twenty an hour
the piece of shit'd be at the bottom
of the Gulf by now. Whether it'll
make St. Lawrence is anybody's guess.
EXT. OPEN OCEAN - DAY
HIGH AND WIDE as the Arctic Warrior pulls the barge against
the swell of a grey ocean and a darkening sky.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. PORT GERMAINE - ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND - DAY
The shores of St. Lawrence Island open into a small port
town of mainly pre-fab buildings as the Arctic Warrior
approaches with the barge, now pathetically listing to one
side as it moves into the harbor.
EXT. PORT GERMAINE - DOCKS - LATER - DAY
A smaller harbor tug helps the Arctic Warrior jockey the
listing barge to the dock as Epps and Dodge jump off to tie
her up.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer feathers the tug into position and shuts down the
turbines.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy jumps down from the pilothouse to the deck as a fat
Russian man, Vasili (60) and a MECHANIC in grease-covered
orange coveralls approach from the dock.
VASILI
I thought you say Tuesday.
MURPHY
Better late than never.
VASILI
(seeing the listing
barge)
What's this?
MURPHY
You got a leak in the number nine
compartment.
VASILI
No, no. You got leak.
MURPHY
You pump it out and re-seam the hull,
she'll be good as new.
VASILI
That cost me twenty grand at least.
MURPHY
Fifteen, at the most.
VASILI
Twenty. You knock off twenty and
then we see. After my guy looks at
it.
INT. VASILI'S OFFICE - DAY
In a prefab office with a view of the shipyard, Vasili cuts
a check as Murphy and Greer look on. He tears it out of the
book, handing it across the desk to Murphy, who inspects it.
MURPHY
You're kidding, right?
VASILI
You want fair pay, make hamburger
for Mickey D. Otherwise, please to
sign.
Vasili pushes a transfer register toward him. Murphy signs.
EXT. SHIPYARD - DAY
Greer and Murphy walk back toward the dock.
GREER
Not bad for dragging a leaky tub
half way to Russia.
MURPHY
He'll sell the scrap for three times
what he paid.
GREER
I must be in the wrong business.
MURPHY
You got that right.
GREER
(imitating Vasili)
Better than "making hamburger for
Mickey D."
INT. BAR - NIGHT
A typical port town bar. Except this one is on an island in
the middle of the Bering Sea. Epps lines up a shot at the
pool table as a couple of SEAMEN check out her ass and a
tattoo of Wiley Coyote poking out of her pants. Greer reads
a paper near-by.
Murphy enters, crossing to the bar where Dodge nurses a beer
and a cigarette. Murphy throws down an envelope with Dodge's
name on it. Dodge picks it up, thumbs through a thick stack
of hundreds.
DODGE
Much obliged, skipper.
INT. BAR - LATER - NIGHT
The place is a little more crowded now as Epps pushes her
way through to the bar, a cigarette dangling from her mouth.
She buys two beers and pays the BARTENDER from her envelope
of cash. She takes the beers back to the far wall where a
young off-duty COASTGUARDSMAN stands. He takes one, they
laugh.
AT A TABLE
Beers, cigarettes and pay envelopes on the table before them,
Dodge, Greer and Murphy look on at Epps across the room, who
is showing the coastguardsman a birthmark on her neck.
GREER
Looks like Epps' gonna get some
tonight.
DODGE
With that coxswain dickhead.
MURPHY
You aren't jealous, are you Dodge?
DODGE
Are you kidding me? Jealous? Epps?
Gimme a break.
Greer and Murphy trade looks as Dodge raises his beer.
DODGE
What a laugh.
A MINOR COMMOTION can be heard as they sit there.
WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
I'll show you, bitch!
They look over to see the coastguardsman's GIRLFRIEND, late
20s, hefty in a red miniskirt and big hair.
GIRLFRIEND
You want to mess with me, I'll kick
your bitch ass, girl.
WITH EPPS
Epps coolly puts out her cigarette as a circle has gathered
around her and the girlfriend, anxious to see a girl fight.
EPPS
I don't know what you're talking
about. I just bought this guy a beer.
GIRLFRIEND
This "guy" is my man, honey.
COASTGUARDSMAN
Darlene --
GIRLFRIEND
You, shut up.
EPPS
(starting off)
Listen, I don't want any trouble,
okay -- ?
GIRLFRIEND
(stopping Epps)
Uh-uh. No. We're gonna fix this right
now.
MURPHY
(stepping up)
What seems to be the trouble, ladies?
RIVETER
Whyn't you mind your own business,
chief.
Murphy turns to see a shipyard RIVETER, a big man holding a
beer, still wearing his welding leathers. Murphy turns back
to Epps and the Girlfriend.
MURPHY
As I said, what seems to be the
trouble?
RIVETER
Didn't you hear me, grandpa? Or you
got your hearing aid turned down?
MURPHY
I heard you. But I'm choosing to
ignore you. Epps, let's go.
Epps starts forward but the Riveter stands in her way, taking
Murphy by the collar.
RIVETER
These ladies was having themselves a
discussion and you're interrupting
it.
MURPHY
You got about two seconds to get
your paws off me, Tarzan.
RIVETER
Or what?
Or WHACK! Murphy can't help but wince as a pool cue breaks
in two over the Riveter's head.
Dodge, cigarette in his mouth, takes a look at the cue half
he still holds, shaking his head.
The Riveter's hands fall from Murphy's collar and his legs
buckle. Some of his BUDDIES hold him up as Greer reminds
some of the others he's holding a pool cue of his own.
MURPHY
Epps?
He looks to Epps like let's get the hell out of here. She
grabs her coat.
COASTGUARDSMAN
Wait.
Epps holds there as the Coastguardsman steps up to his
girlfriend.
COASTGUARDSMAN
Darlene. It's over.
He gives her the ring from his finger. Murphy rolls his eyes
as the others look on.
COASTGUARDSMAN
I don't love you anymore.
Darlene breaks into tears as they all look on, some pat her
on the back.
COASTGUARDSMAN
(to Epps)
Come on, Candy. Let's get out of
here.
The Coastguardsman takes her by the hand. Epps looks to Murphy
and the others as he leads her out.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Murphy, Greer, and Dodge ready the tug to leave as Epps
approaches on the dock. She jumps down onto the deck, a spring
in her step and a song in her heart.
EPPS
Morning everybody.
GREER
Show your tatoos to that coxswain
last night, did you Epps?
EPPS
Showed him a hell of a lot more than
that.
GREER
I bet you did.
MURPHY
Candy?
EPPS
It's my pen name.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - DAY
Murphy throttles up the turbines and backs the tug away from
the dock as Greer studies the dawn sky.
GREER
Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
MURPHY
Red sky in morning, sailor take
warning.
EXT. PORT GERMAINE - DOCKS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As the tug turns into the harbor channel, the sun rising
under a cloud bank of brilliant red and orange.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Dodge and Epps play cards at the galley table.
DODGE
Fuck it.
He puts down his hand. Epps takes another drag from her
cigarette, collecting her winnings.
EPPS
One more?
DODGE
Why not.
She gathers the cards, shuffles.
DODGE
What is your first name?
EPPS
What?
DODGE
It just occurred to me I don't know
your first name. All this time and I
don't know it.
She deals the cards in silence.
EPPS
(finally)
Maureen.
DODGE
What?
EPPS
Maureen.
DODGE
Maureen?
She looks on at him as he holds there, takes his cards.
EPPS
What's yours?
Dodge takes a drag from his cigarette, thinking about it.
DODGE
Roger.
EPPS
Roger?
DODGE
Yeah.
She wants to laugh, but only studies her cards.
DODGE
You think that's funny
EPPS
(lying)
No.
She takes a hit from her cigarette as she plays her hand.
EXT. OPEN OCEAN - BERING SEA - NIGHT
THE SONG "SOS" BY ABBA BLASTS as the tug plows westward
through a steady chop and a mild swell.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - NIGHT
The MUSIC COMES FROM HERE. Greer has the CD player cranked
as he mans the helm in the glow of the pilothouse. He checks
the radar, holds there a beat. He turns the MUSIC DOWN and
picks up a walkie-talkie.
GREER
(into walkie)
Greer to Murphy.
Greer studies the radar display as he waits.
MURPHY (V.O. RADIO)
Yeah.
GREER
There's a large vessel out about ten
miles to the north-west.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MASTER'S QUARTERS - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy sits at his desk over the ship's log, holding his
radio.
GREER
I been watching it for close to an
hour and it hasn't moved. I can't
raise it on the radio either. Makes
me think it might be in trouble.
MURPHY
Alright. I'll be right up.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - LATER - NIGHT
CLOSE ON RADAR DISPLAY as the sweep-refresh reveals a bright
point of light in the middle of nowhere.
MURPHY (O.S.)
Merchant vessel at position one seven
four one five west, five seven seven
five north.
Murphy holds the radio mic as Greer looks on, Epps and Dodge
standing back.
MURPHY
This is tugboat Arctic Warrior whiskey
alpha sierra bravo four zero niner
two. Over.
Only the quiet hiss of white noise comes back from the radio
speaker as the bright point flashes on the radar screen.
MURPHY
(to radio)
Merchant vessel at one seven four
one five west, five seven seven five
north, this is tugboat Arctic Warrior
whiskey alpha sierra bravo four zero
niner two. Over.
Again, only white noise comes back as the point flashes on
the screen.
MURPHY
Too deep to anchor out there.
GREER
Looks like it's adrift.
EPPS
Could be a fishing boat.
GREER
Too big. More like a freighter.
MURPHY
What the hell would a freighter be
doing up here? It's way out of the
lanes. There's not a port for 800
miles.
DODGE
Smugglers maybe.
GREER
Smuggling what? Tundra grass?
A beat as Murphy holds there. He raises the radio mic.
MURPHY
Merchant vessel at position one seven
four one five west, five seven seven
five north, this is tugboat Arctic
Warrior. Do you copy? Over.
Again, only the quiet hiss of static comes back.
GREER
Call the Coastguard?
MURPHY
Steer to one eight five. Let's check
her out.
EXT. OPEN OCEAN - NIGHT
The Arctic Warrior cuts a foamy break in the ink black water.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - NIGHT
CLOSE ON RADAR DISPLAY as the phantom point flashes closer.
Murphy looks on as Greer pilots, Dodge and Epps watching.
MURPHY
Alright. Back it off.
Greer throttles back and the boat slows.
MURPHY
Hit the lights.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
The halogen flood lights flare to life, brilliantly
illuminating the water in front of the boat.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
The four of them look intently into the darkness beyond the
light. Murphy reaches for the spot control, sweeping a broad
beam of light with a joy stick.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
As the tug moves along, servo motors sweep the searchlight
over the bow of the boat and into the darkness.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
They peer into the night beyond the boat as it slowly moves,
when a shadow looms into view.
MURPHY
Whoa, whoa.
Greer throttles down all the way and they drift, as the shadow
looms bigger before them in the light from the boat.
As they approach, the shadow appears to be a giant rusting
bow, rising up from the water, disappearing in the darkness
above them. Murphy sweeps the searchlight to reveal more of
what appears to be a large, darkened ship. As they come
around, the name "CHIMERA" can be seen above the anchor
alleys.
MURPHY
"Chimera."
Murphy reaches for the mic, hits the LOUD HAILER.
MURPHY
Chimera.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
The tug is dwarfed by the massive rusting hulk of the Chimera
rising above it.
MURPHY (O.S. LOUD HAILER)
This is civilian tugboat Arctic
Warrior. Is there anyone aboard?
The quiet rumble of the tug's turbines is the only sound.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy raises the mic again.
MURPHY
Chimera, I am hove to at your port
bow. Is there anyone aboard?
They wait, looking on at the silent, darkened ship under the
glare of their lights.
MURPHY
Epps, come with me. You guys sit
tight.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - LATER - NIGHT
Epps and Murphy, in heavy parkas, climb a hydraulic deck
crane up to the Chimera as Dodge man's the controls against
the movement of the water.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Greer holds the tug steady as Epps and Murphy can be seen
making their way up under the floodlights.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Murphy pulls himself up and jumps down onto the deck. Epps
jumps down behind him. Murphy throws his light up on the
superstructure. All remnants of paint have been rusted over,
lending a still darker ominousness to it.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps move cautiously along, shining their lights
as they go. Despite the omnipresent corrosion, everything
seems to be in order. The decks are clear and there is no
apparent damage. They come to a hatchway. Epps shines her
light down the darkened passage. Murphy moves in.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps move down the passageway. Even the walls in
here are rusted. They come to a flight of stairs.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Greer and Dodge wait. Greer reaches for his radio.
GREER
(into radio)
Talk to me, skipper.
After a moment, Murphy comes back on the radio.
MURPHY
We're in a stairwell just under the
main superstructure.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps climb the darkened stairway.
MURPHY
This is definitely an old boat, maybe
sixty years old. She hasn't been in
service for at least twenty years.
Probably a lot longer.
They top the stairs and walk into a wider passageway which
takes them into an open area. Their lights shine around them,
revealing sinks and counters and racks of old kitchen
equipment, a few pots still hanging.
They move through the galley and into another, narrower,
passageway.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Greer and Dodge look on.
MURPHY
It's funny.
GREER
How's that?
MURPHY
Besides a little rust, everything's
pretty well-preserved.
Greer and Dodge look at each other.
MURPHY
How she got out here is one hell of
a good question.
(a long beat, then)
Jesus.
Dodge and Greer hold there, waiting. Only silence from the
other end.
GREER
What is it?
No answer.
GREER
Murphy.
No answer.
GREER
Murphy, goddamit.
MURPHY
(finally)
Sorry.
Another beat in silence.
GREER
What is it?
INT. CHIMERA - BALLROOM - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps stand at the top of a stairway, looking over
an immense ballroom. Murphy raises his radio.
MURPHY
It's a passenger ship. It's a damn
passenger ship.
Though it is dark, there is enough light to see its ornate
opulence, tables and chairs in place near a large dance floor
and orchestra well, and a magnificent crystal chandelier
hanging over it all.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - FOREDECK - NIGHT
Epps and Murphy climb down the deck crane as Greer and Dodge
meet them at the bottom.
MURPHY
(jumping down)
There's nobody on that boat.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Dodge, Epps, Greer and Murphy sit around the galley table.
DODGE
Probably slipped her moorings, got
tangled up in a current.
EPPS
Out here? What, so a seven hundred
foot passenger liner drifted out of
Spokane harbor and nobody managed to
bump into her until now?
DODGE
Somebody's probably looking for her
as we speak.
MURPHY
Whatever the reason, she's adrift
and abandoned. We've got every right
to salvage her.
GREER
You mean tow her back? That's a thirty
thousand ton ship you're talking
about.
MURPHY
We've done it before.
DODGE
Yeah, from one side of the harbor to
the other. But we got half the Bering
Sea and the whole Alaskan gulf to
drag her over.
MURPHY
You have any idea how much a ship
like that could be worth in salvage?
The fittings alone could go for a
few million.
DODGE
If you get it back in one piece.
MURPHY
It's a risk I'm willing to take.
GREER
All we got to do is hit some rough
weather and you can forget about it.
MURPHY
So we cut her loose and wait it out.
A little weather couldn't be anything
she hasn't seen before.
DODGE
It's a bloody navigation hazard.
One boat can't control a ship that
size.
MURPHY
The damn thing's been floating around
for God knows how long and it hasn't
hit anything yet. So we take it easy.
A little of the old push pull.
A long beat as they hold there.
MURPHY
Listen. Forget this job's just a pay
check for a minute. You know I've
been good to you. But I'm prepared
to offer you something better now.
(a beat)
If we do this right, it's worth a
lot of money. A lot of money.
They hold there looking on at him, waiting.
EPPS
Go on.
MURPHY
Salvage fees on a vessel like this
could come in around four million
bucks. At least. Who knows, could be
more. Could be a lot more.
(a beat)
What I'm proposing is... we split it
four ways.
A beat. Dodge looks to Epps and Greer.
MURPHY
Think about it. A million bucks a
piece.
(a beat)
You want to spend the rest of your
days drag-assing tank barges on the
gulf coast, fine. Otherwise, let's
get to work.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
The tug is tied up alongside the Chimera, whose dark hull
stretches off for seven hundred more feet in the light of
day.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - DAY
Murphy brings up the radio mic as Greer and the others look
on.
MURPHY
(to radio)
United States Coastguard, United
States Coastguard, United States
Coastguard. This is tugboat Arctic
Warrior whiskey alpha sierra bravo
four zero niner two. Over.
After a moment, a distance-warped, coolly professional, female
voice comes back.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic
Warrior. This is United States
Coastguard Station North Island.
Over.
MURPHY
North Island, I wish to declare myself
salvor-in-posession under section
four two charlie of the International
Maritime Convention.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. What
type of vessel?
MURPHY
A passenger liner. Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Say again. Over.
Murphy looks to the others, almost smiling.
MURPHY
A passenger liner, north island.
Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
What is the vessel name, registry,
and present position? Over.
MURPHY
Passenger vessel "Chimera." I will
spell: charlie hotel india mary echo
romeo alpha. No registry information
is available at this time. I have
determined to the best of my ability
that the vessel has been abandoned
on the high seas at position one
seven four west, five seven north
at...
(checking his watch)
Two zero one four hours zulu time.
Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. Please
advise your salvage authority pending
registry check. Over.
MURPHY
Roger, North Island. Arctic Warrior
over and out.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - STERN WINCH - DAY
Dodge, Epps, Murphy and Greer are standing on the stern of
the boat under the power winch.
DODGE
Okay. We're gonna use a heavier than
usual twin cable rig this time,
consisting of a pair of number three
gauge braided wire tows.
(a beat)
We'll tie off through the anchor
alleys. And come down to the aft
port and starboard pins. Here. Thus,
we need to get two of these...
(indicating the cable)
Up there.
He indicates the bow of the Chimera.
DODGE
Seeing as though a foot of one of
these fuckers weighs about a hundred
pounds, it ain't gonna be what you'd
call easy.
(a beat)
Any questions?
EPPS
Supposing one of those cables breaks
under tow.
DODGE
Then we'll all be doomed. Any other
questions?
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Murphy has backed the tug up to the bow of the Chimera. Greer
operates the deck crane, one of Dodge's mammoth cables
dangling from it down to the winch on the stern.
WITH EPPS
Epps hangs on to the top of the crane as it comes to the
starboard anchor alley in the bow of the Chimera. Dodge pokes
his face out from the other side.
DODGE
Ready?
EPPS
Bring it on, dude.
Dodge disappears from the hole and his hand comes back with
a smaller pilot cable, which Epps takes and threads through
the loop at the end of the tow cable. She places the end of
the pilot cable in a vice collar and uses a wrench to tighten
it down, with the effect of joining the two cables.
EPPS
OK.
Dodge disappears, pulling up the slack from the pilot cable
through the anchor alleys.
DODGE (O.S.)
(finally)
Hit it!
Epps reaches over and unhinges the crane hook and the tow
cable explosively drops, banging loudly against the Chimera's
hull with a shower of black rust.
EXT. CHIMERA - WITH DODGE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge cranks a portable pulley winch on the deck, the pilot
cable slowly pulling the tow cable up through the anchor
alley.
It is heavy and the winch shows the strain as Dodge cranks
it. He continues, when something gives in the winch mechanism
and the whole thing slides forward on the pilot cable,
entangling Dodge's leg and dragging him on his ass along the
deck.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The tow cable creates a spray of rust and smoke as it spills
out of the anchor alley before Epps.
EXT. CHIMERA - WITH DODGE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge slides toward the anchor alley like a piece of meat
toward a sausage grinder, when the winch slams into it and
stops dead, the cable continuing on with a loud shriek
dangerously close to his face, until...
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The last of the cable explosively whips out of the anchor
alley in front of Epps and splashes in the water below. A
beat as she holds there.
EPPS
Dodge? You alright?
EXT. CHIMERA - WITH DODGE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge lies tangled in the winch.
DODGE
Yes!
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Two tow cables extend from the Chimera's anchor alleys down
into the water and come up again from the water to the tow
anchor on the tug's stern.
Dodge looks on as Greer and Epps stand by. He raises his
walkie.
DODGE
Alright, skipper, real easy.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy slowly throttles up, moving the boat forward. He turns
to see as the Chimera drops back behind them.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The tug moves slowly away from the Chimera as Epps, Greer
and Dodge look on.
WIDE ON TUG AND CHIMERA
As the tug widens the distance, leaving the Chimera in place.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy holds the helm steady as the Chimera recedes.
DODGE
Steady as she goes.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge, Epps and Greer look on as the tow cables begin to
rise in their wake.
DODGE
(into radio)
Throttle back.
The tug slows as the cables rise slowly from the water.
DODGE
More.
The tug slows still more.
DODGE
More.
It slows still more, until the tug just creeps along, and
the massive tow cables rise entirely out of the water,
straightening as the slack is pulled out.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Some fifty yards behind the tug, the tow cables come taught
in the anchor alleys of the Chimera.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy holds the throttle.
DODGE
Right there, skipper. Right there.
Murphy eases forward on the throttle and the turbines rise
in pitch.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As the tow cables stretch and the bow of the Chimera inches
forward.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The turbines grow louder as Greer, Epps, and Dodge look on
at the Chimera behind them, the massive tow cables bowing
under their own weight.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy eases forward on the throttle, picking up speed.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The giant ship CREAKS AND MOANS as it starts forward, a small
bow break forming on its hull.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The tug is kicking up a foaming wake as it pulls the Chimera
along behind it. Dodge lets out a hoot, exchanging high fives
with Epps and Greer.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy smiles as he looks back at the Chimera following
behind.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - DAY
CLOSE ON A CHART. The south Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska.
A pencil traces a route.
MURPHY (O.S.)
I figure we go through at the Unimak
Pass here. Refuel at Sanak Island.
Greer looks on from the helm as Murphy, Dodge and Epps stand
over the map table.
MURPHY
With a little extra fuel, weather
permitting, we should make Sitka in
five days without another stop.
DODGE
Sounds reasonable.
GREER
Hypothetically speaking, what if we
get this boat to Sitka and find out
somebody wants it back?
DODGE
They shoulda thought of that when
they let her float away.
GREER
I don't care what, ain't nobody just
gonna let us walk away with a ship
that size.
MURPHY
The law's on our side. If they want
to challenge it, let them try.
EPPS
They must've scuttled it. Nobody
just lets a ship float away.
DODGE
Nobody just scuttles a passenger
liner either.
EPPS
Ever heard of insurance, big boy?
MURPHY
Either way, we found it. It's ours
now -- .
An EXPLOSIVE THUD shudders the boat. They look to each other.
DODGE
(moving for the door)
What the...
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Dodge jumps down from the pilothouse as another LOUD THUMP
BLOWS OUT OF THE TURBINE VENTS, SHOWERING OIL OVER THE DECK.
DODGE
(shouting up to the
pilothouse)
ALL STOP! ALL STOP!
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Greer shoves the throttle back.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The boat goes dead in the water, thick black smoke billowing
from the turbine vents.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
as the bow slows in the water, the tow cables coming slack.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge pulls open the door. The place is thick with smoke as
he makes his way to the turbine gauges, Epps and Murphy
behind. Dodge opens the number one turbine cover, looks
inside.
DODGE
Mother fucker!
MURPHY
What is it?
DODGE
Threw a turbine blade.
Dodge looks over the smoking turbine, pulls back an aluminum
intake blade, hot to the touch.
DODGE
Son of a bitch!
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - DAY
Greer, Dodge, Epps, and Murphy confer on the deck.
DODGE
The number one turbine's pretty well
trashed. Number two runs, but it's
way underpowered.
MURPHY
How long to fix?
DODGE
Hard to say. I gotta get in there
and have a look. At least a couple
days. Depending.
GREER
You think the extra strain caused
it?
DODGE
Nah. Everything was cool. It's just
one of those things.
EXT. CHIMERA - DAY
The Arctic Warrior floats tied to the side of the Chimera.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - DAY
Dodge has both turbines opened up as he works.
INT. CHIMERA - MEZZANINE DECK - DAY
Lights shine on what was once an elegant interior promenade.
Murphy and Greer stand looking on at it.
MURPHY
Some classy tub in it's day, huh?
GREER
Yeah.
EPPS (O.S.)
Check this out.
AT THE PURSERS DESK
Epps looks through a file cabinet behind a heavy wood counter
as Greer and Murphy approach.
EPPS
Everything's still here. Ticket
records, receipts, books of account.
Greer picks one up.
GREER
One first class passage. Elizabeth
James. Dubayy to Halifax. January
29th 1953.
Murphy takes it, looking it over.
MURPHY
Chimera. Flag ship of the Dobbins
Kirk Line. Nova Scotia.
INT. CHIMERA - "B" DECK - DAY
Murphy, Epps, and Greer top a staircase out onto a long,
darkened corridor. They move down. Some of the doors are
open, faint light from port holes showing small cabins with
beds, desks, a few chairs.
INT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - FORWARD PASSAGE - DAY
Murphy, Epps, and Greer come to a hatchway marked "BRIDGE."
INT. CHIMERA - BRIDGE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
The forward windows show the expanse of the ocean before
them and the rusting foredeck about 150 feet below. Light
from the windows illuminates the bridge as Murphy, Greer and
Epps look around. Despite a little corrosion and a layer of
dirt, everything seems in its place.
MURPHY
(looking through
scattered charts and
papers)
I'd sure like to get my hands on the
general log.
Epps steps up to the wall, where several framed photos hang.
GREER
That must be the old man right there.
The uniformed man in the photo is a gaunt, stern-looking man
from another century, with dark, hollow eyes.
EPPS
Looks like one hell of a stick up
his ass.
GREER
He'd let you off at the nearest port,
that's for sure.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - NIGHT
A dimming purple horizon is giving way to night as the tug
floats under the bow of the Chimera.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT
Dodge works up to his elbows in turbine 1 as Greer monitors
a pressure gauge.
DODGE
How about now?
GREER
Sixty pounds.
DODGE
What? You sure?
GREER
That's what it says.
DODGE
(geting up to have a
look)
Lemme see.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - NIGHT
Through the pilothouse windows, the hull of the Chimera
disappears into the darkness beyond the tug's work lights.
Murphy sits at the chart table as Epps steps in.
EPPS
Coffee?
MURPHY
(sitting up)
Yeah. Thanks.
She brings him his cup, seeing the documents he brought back
from the Chimera.
EPPS
(taking a seat)
What'd you find up there?
MURPHY
Some charts. A crew manifest.
(looking them over)
Looks like her last voyage was January
1953. The question is where the hell's
she been since.
EPPS
She was sailing up north, right?
MURPHY
Her destination was Halifax, yeah.
EPPS
Well, suppose she got a little further
north than she should have. Got
stuck in the ice. The passengers and
crew evacuated. She froze into the
ice pack, which moved further north,
where it froze in solid. They write
it off. Fifty years later, the whole
global warming thing happens. The
ice melts, she gets loose and floats
around til somebody runs into her.
Murphy nods, considering it.
MURPHY
As reasonable an explanation as any,
I guess.
Epps takes a sip of her coffee as she thinks about it.
MURPHY
Ever heard of the Mary Celeste?
EPPS
Nope.
MURPHY
She was a two-masted brig boat sailing
out of New York in 1872. One day
she was sighted off the coast of
Portugal by a merchant vessel, the
Dei Gratia. As the crew of the Dei
Gratia got closer, they discovered
that no one was at the helm of the
Mary Celeste. On boarding, they found
her completely deserted. The captain,
his wife, their daughter, and the
entire crew, all gone. The last entry
in their log made no mention of any
trouble. The table was even set for
dinner. And in the nine days after
the last entry, she sailed 700 miles
without anyone aboard.
EPPS
So what did happen?
MURPHY
Nobody knows. There've been a lot of
theories, of course. But we'll never
really know for sure.
EPPS
You think she's sailing without a
crew?
Murphy looks out at the Chimera off the bow.
MURPHY
I think we'd be surprised where a
drifting ship might wind up with a
little wind and the right current.
EPPS
You're more practical than
superstitious.
MURPHY
Only way to be.
Epps nods, takes another sip of coffee, looking on at the
rusting hull of the Chimera stretching off in the light.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - DAY
Greer operates the crane arm as Dodge directs him. The crane
hoists out one of the massive turbine fans onto the deck.
Dodge gives him the thumbs up as it comes down easily.
MURPHY
What's this?
DODGE
Turbine rotor's shot.
MURPHY
I thought you said it was just a
blade.
DODGE
Metal's crystallized. Gotta replace
the whole deal.
MURPHY
How much longer's that gonna take?
DODGE
Like I always say --
MURPHY
I know I know, two ways to do anything --
DODGE
The right way and the wrong way.
MURPHY
But how long?
DODGE
Hard to say.
MURPHY
We gotta get outa here, Dodge. A
storm blows up and we're history.
DODGE
I'm telling you, you don't want to
be running that fan like it is.
MURPHY
What about running number two by
itself?
DODGE
It's a full 2500 horses down. We
couldn't drag that boat down hill on
ice with it.
MURPHY
How long, then?
DODGE
I gotta pull the blades and re-seat
everything in a new rotor -- .
MURPHY
How long?
DODGE
Three, four days.
MURPHY
Goddamit, Dodge.
DODGE
What do you want me to tell you,
that we can throw this sucker back
in and start pulling her like nothing
happened? Can't do it, skipper.
A beat as Murphy stands there, knowing he's right.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (O.S RADIO)
(from the pilothouse)
Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic
Warrior. This is United States
Coastguard. Over.
A beat.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy enters the pilothouse as the distance-warped VOICE
comes back on the radio.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic
Warrior. This is United States
Coastguard Station North Island.
Over.
Murphy raises the radio mic as Epps, Dodge, and Greer step
in.
MURPHY
(to radio)
North Island, North Island, North
Island. This is tugboat Arctic
Warrior. Over.
After a moment, the same professional, distance-warped voice
comes back.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, we have submitted
your section four two charlie salvage
notification. However, the
International Maritime Authority
record for a passenger vessel Chimera
indicates it was lost at sea in the
Gulf of Oman day two month two year
one nine five three. Over.
A beat as Murphy holds there.
MURPHY
North Island, please repeat? Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, passenger vessel
Chimera was lost at sea day two month
two year one nine five three. Over.
Another beat as Murphy holds there, as the others look on.
MURPHY
North Island, have you got any
additional information? Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. The
vessel Chimera was registered to The
Dobbins Kirk Line, Halifax. Nova
Scotia. Date of commission day nine
month seven year one nine three two.
Over.
A long beat as the static of the open channel comes back.
MURPHY
Roger, North Island. I am tied to
the passenger vessel Chimera. And
she is afloat. Repeat, she is afloat.
Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Roger, Arctic Warrior. I say again,
our records indicate the passenger
vessel Chimera was lost at sea.
Over.
MURPHY
Roger, North Island. Please advise
pending further information. Over.
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. This is
United States Coast Guard North Island
Station. Over and out.
A beat as they hold there, thinking about it.
MURPHY
Obviously it's some kind of screw
up. The shipping records aren't a
hundred percent accurate.
DODGE
Man, it gives me the creeps. We got
no business towing a ship that size
anyway. I say we fix the turbines
and hit the highway.
GREER
Are you crazy? Do you realize we got
ourselves a ship? We own a ship,
Dodge.
DODGE
Yeah, a ship that's supposed to have
been lost at sea fifty years ago.
You don't think that's just a little
freaky?
EPPS
If this thing turns out to be a ship
everybody thought sank a long time
ago, we just hit the jackpot.
DODGE
Yeah, well how the hell you get
something like that wrong? That's a
damn big boat. It's either sunk or
it ain't.
MURPHY
We all want to get outa here, Dodge.
Especially me. With that boat in
tow. You got three days. Make the
most of it.
A beat as Dodge looks back, then out at the Chimera.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MASTER'S QUARTERS - NIGHT
A pencil point on a map follows across Saudi Arabia, coming
to the Persian Gulf and tracing the coast of the Arab Emirates
to Dubayy.
Murphy sits at his desk over the map. His pencil point follows
the Persian Gulf from Dubayy, through the straight of Hormuz
into the Gulf of Oman. Murphy marks an "X" there. A beat as
he looks on at it.
He opens a large envelope he found aboard the Chimera. He
empties it on the desk. He looks through it, docking receipts
from various ports of call, bills of lading, etc. He looks
over the passenger manifest.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MASTERS QUARTERS - DAY
Murphy wakes. He lies on his bunk, having fallen asleep last
night in his clothes, still holding the envelope and some of
the papers inside.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Dodge disassembles the turbine fans on deck as Greer reads
in the shade of the deck house. Dodge's hand slips and he
skins his knuckles.
DODGE
Fucker!
GREER
Take it easy, Dodge. It's only a
piece of metal.
DODGE
(inspecting his skinned
knuckles)
Damn mind of it's own.
GREER
(seeing Murphy)
Morning, skipper.
Murphy has stepped out into the sunlight.
MURPHY
Morning.
GREER
You're up late.
MURPHY
Guess I must've fallen back to sleep.
Where's Epps?
DODGE
Went aboard.
MURPHY
She take a radio?
GREER
Yeah.
Murphy nods. A beat.
INT. CHIMERA - PUBLIC ROOM - DAY
Epps steps from a passageway into a large public room. Tables
and chairs are scattered haphazardly, light falling in from
windows along the wall where tattered curtains hang. She
walks on.
A pair of empty glasses sit on a table, an empty sherry
decanter beside them. An ashtray sits beside that. Epps stops,
reaching down. She pulls back a half-smoked cigarette,
lipstick smudging the end, yellowing and fragile from time.
And, as she stands there, we see a FIGURE, IN MURKY
SILHOUETTE, MOVE PAST THE DOORWAY IN THE BACKGROUND. In an
instant it is there and gone.
She puts down the cigarette, having sensed a presence. She
turns to the doorway across the room, but there is nothing
to be seen now.
INT. CHIMERA - PUBLIC ROOM - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
A doll's white face, eyes haunting and coldly blue, stares
into the middle distance. It lies on a love seat as Epps
steps up. She lifts it. Several other toys lie scattered
about as she studies it, when the sound of a TICKING CLOCK
CAN BE HEARD.
A beat as Epps holds there. She turns, trying to locate the
sound. From across the room, Epps stands, listening. As the
TICKING CLOCK sounds from here. She turns, putting down the
doll, holding a beat. She approaches, crossing the room,
coming finally to a stop before us and what we come to see
is an ancient grandfather clock.
All but it's minute hand has fallen off its corroded face,
but from inside it emits a weak though steady TICKING.
Epps stands there as the clock ticks, looking on, when the
TICKING CEASES. A beat as she holds there, as the clock faces
her, now silent.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - LATER - DAY
Epps shines her light in the darkness as she comes to a door
where daylight falls from a small port. She looks through
it.
INT. CHIMERA - SWIMMING POOL - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps stands in a white tiled room. Light falls from port
holes high in the wall. Running its length is a small swimming
pool, it's rusted fixtures and stained surface creating
bizarre patterns.
INT. CHIMERA - SWIMMING POOL - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps comes to a row of changing stalls. Old clothing hangs
there, unused for fifty years. A pair of woman's shoes lie
on the floor.
INT. CHIMERA - SWIMMING POOL - LATER - DAY
Epps moves along, passing through a doorway into
INT. CHIMERA - GYMNASIUM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps enters another room scattered with old exercise equipment
circa 1950, a wooden rowing machine, barbells and a medicine
ball.
She steps up to the wall, where pictures hang. The Chimera
can be seen in better days, sailing full speed on a calm
sea.
INT. CHIMERA - SUB-DECK - LATER - DAY
Epps jumps down to a lower deck. She shines her light up to
see that she is in an engine compartment, showing a massive
diesel burner. She passes through into another compartment
where the giant pistons of the ship's power plant rise up to
the ceiling.
INT. CHIMERA - SUB-DECK - PASSAGE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps moves, passing still more diesel burners, towering over
her in the cavernous space. She moves into a narrowing
passage, piping and machinery ducts winding their way into
the depths of the ship.
Finally the passage opens into yet another compartment,
apparently a cargo hold. Crates and boxes are stacked on
loading palettes.
In the corner, a rotting canvas drape covers something. Epps
comes to it. She lifts the canvas, which crumbles away to
reveal a 1951 Ferrari sportster. For the exception of a coat
of dust and a small amount of corrosion, it is perfectly
preserved.
Mail bags lie in piles along the wall, stacked between more
wooden crates and palettes, when something catches Epps'
eye.
A heavy, metal door in the wall is twisted on it's hinges,
as though blown back from some terrific explosive force.
Epps approaches, coming to the twisted door. She shines her
light inside.
A clutter of debris, shelving and wood, are visible in the
shadows, when her light catches a glint of something. She
swings her light back, revealing a yellowish bright object
between broken wood slats.
Epps steps in. She kneels, shining the light closer. The
yellow glint is metal. Epps pulls back a slat, sliding away
some of the debris to reveal that it is cast from a kilogram
ingot of gold.
She reaches out. She raises it, completely untouched by the
years. She pulls back still more debris, revealing a stack
of gold ingots, some having tumbled to the side. She slides
away a large trunk that has fallen, pushing off more junk to
see that the stack is much larger, perhaps four feet high
and five feet across.
A beat as Epps stands there, looking on at $50,000,000 in
gold.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO COMPARTMENT - DAY
The debris has been cleared away to reveal a clean 5'x 5' x
4' stack of gold ingots.
DODGE (O.S.)
What the fuck we gonna do with it?
Greer, Murphy, Epps, and Dodge all look on.
GREER
What the fuck you think we gonna do
with it? It's ours, baby. It's all
ours.
Murphy has stepped forward, taking an ingot, inspecting it.
GREER
How much you figure that's worth,
skipper?
MURPHY
(still looking it
over)
Hard to say. Maybe forty, fifty
million.
GREER
Ho, baby!
EPPS
That's a lot of money for somebody
to just let float away.
Murphy looks up at her from the gold.
MURPHY
Yes, it is.
A beat as they all hold there.
MURPHY
It's a hell of a lot of money.
DODGE
What, you think there's something
funny about it?
MURPHY
A ship with fifty million dollars in
gold aboard, adrift? And nobody seems
to care enough to come looking for
it?
GREER
If they thought it was lost at sea,
they probably just wrote it off.
MURPHY
Not for fifty million. An ocean liner
maybe. But fifty million in gold,
they come looking for.
EPPS
Maybe they didn't want it back.
Maybe the whole fat deal was insured.
MURPHY
Maybe. But there's always somebody
whose interest's at stake.
GREER
All I gotta say is it looks like
that somebody's us right now.
Greer cackles as he high fives Dodge.
EPPS
And it looks like somebody got here
before us too.
The steel hatch is twisted, as from a great hand ripping it
back from the wall.
DODGE
(inspecting it)
Didn't happen yesterday, I'll tell
you that. Torn parts rusted bad as
the rest of the boat.
MURPHY
Then it happened before they scuttled
her.
EPPS
You mean, before she sank.
GREER
Cargo like this could make a crew
think twice.
MURPHY
That it could.
A beat, as they all look on at the gold.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
After dinner, Murphy, Greer, Dodge and Epps sit around the
galley table.
GREER
Then why didn't they take it.
EPPS
Probably didn't have time.
DODGE
Or somebody stopped them.
MURPHY
Either way, they must've had a pretty
good reason.
GREER
Must be a damn good reason to jump
ship and leave fifty million dollars
aboard.
A beat as they consider it.
DODGE
So what're we gonna do. That's the
big question, right?
MURPHY
A salvage claim to a vessel's cargo's
as valid as a claim to the vessel
itself. It's ours.
DODGE
Then we're rich. We're damn, filthy
stinking rich.
MURPHY
It looks like it.
A beat as they let this sink in.
GREER
So what? We gonna unload the gold
and get a move on?
MURPHY
We leave it where it is. Stick to
the plan.
DODGE
You gotta be kidding? What the hell
we need that tub for, we got fifty
million bucks?
MURPHY
So we get a little more for the boat.
Besides, the gold'll be safer where
it is.
GREER
Yeah, but we still gotta haul that
big piece of shit all the way back
to Sitka.
MURPHY
It's worth the effort. Believe me.
Besides we're gonna need her to prove
the salvage.
EPPS
Why not call for help?
MURPHY
For now the best thing we can do is
to keep quiet about this.
DODGE
Last thing we want is extra partners.
EPPS
Or uninvited guests.
GREER
I heard that.
MURPHY
Dodge, you gotta get on those repairs.
DODGE
Yeah, yeah. I'm on it.
MURPHY
The sooner we get under way, the
sooner we are to spending what's
ours.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - DAY
Dodge, wearing a welding mask and gloves, braises an aluminum
fitting over one of the open turbines.
INT. CHIMERA - SUB-DECK CARGO COMPARTMENT - DAY
Epps finishes stacking the gold ingots in a cleared space
beyond the twisted hatch.
GREER
Two hundred twenty. Two twenty one.
(as Epps stacks the
last one)
Two twenty two.
Greer makes a note.
GREER
Two hundred twenty two kilograms of
solid gold.
EPPS
That's what I call a payday.
GREER
Hell yeah.
They slap hands.
INT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - PASSAGEWAY - DAY
Murphy moves down the darkened passage, coming to a door
marked "CAPTAIN." The door is ajar. He pushes it open.
INT. CHIMERA - CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy stands in the doorway of a spacious cabin panelled in
dark wood. A large desk occupies a corner of the room by the
windows. Though dirty and worn with time, everything is
ordered and in its place.
Murphy comes to the desk. He sits down in the chair behind
it. The surface is clear and uncluttered. He pulls out the
drawer to reveal pens, writing paper, a ruler, compass and
protractor amidst other sundry items.
INT. CHIMERA - CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER -
DAY
Murphy steps in. The room is undisturbed, light falling in
on the taught green bedspread through dirty, tattered
curtains. A robe hangs on the back of a chair. A pair of
slippers lie beneath it.
INT. CHIMERA - CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER -
DAY
Murphy stands in the bathroom. The tile has yellowed with
time, but everything is exactly as it was left. Even the
shaving kit is neatly arrayed on the sink as Murphy looks on
at it. He looks up, seeing himself in the mirror, when an
EXPLOSION SOUNDS.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy comes to the railing, looking out over the bow of the
ship to see black smoke rising from where the Arctic Warrior
is tied.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer and Epps run to the side to see billowing smoke rising
from the Arctic Warrior as Murphy climbs down the crane to
the deck.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy jumps down to the deck. Flames belch from an open
hatch as Murphy grabs a fire extinguisher from a deck locker,
coming to the engine room door.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy enters to find the engine room engulfed in flames and
black smoke. He finds Dodge spraying at it with an
extinguisher of his own.
The flames belch up from an oil fire in the turbine well,
the heat searing paint on the metal covers. Murphy sprays a
cloud of halon and the fire dims, but only for a moment.
Dodge grabs another extinguisher, his leg burned, face and
hands singed.
An EXPLOSION ROCKS THE BOAT and molten flames hurl through
the air, catching Murphy's pant leg. He's so engrossed in
fighting the flames, he doesn't realize he's on fire.
DODGE
(over the roar)
Murphy!
Murphy looks down to see his pant leg is on fire, as Dodge
turns a cloud of halon on him, putting it out.
DODGE
Propane tanks're gonna go!
Murphy crosses in the smoke, coming as close as he dares to
the most intense part of the flames. He turns the extinguisher
into them, holding it there.
The flames dim, as Dodge joins him on the other side, turning
his extinguisher on it too. The fire seems to dim yet again
as clouds of halon rise up.
Fire belches from a duct, crawling across the ceiling. Dodge
fires his extinguisher at it, pushing it back across to the
wall again.
Murphy extinguishes the last of the flames in the turbine
well as Dodge brings a snaking tendril of fire down to the
deck, and finally out.
They stand there in the sudden silence, the air heavy with
smoke. A fine layer of halon powder lies over everything,
but the fire is out.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - DAY
Dodge smokes a cigarette, now starting to feel his burned
leg, which is oozing as Murphy and Greer look on.
DODGE
One minute I'm minding my own
business, the next thing I know the
whole place is burning up.
(taking a drag)
An oxygen tank must've blown on the
welder. Started an oil fire.
GREER
Looks like it took out the backup
genny too.
MURPHY
Terrific.
Epps arrives with a first aid kit.
MURPHY
How's that leg?
Epps cuts back the burned pant leg to see the burn.
DODGE
Seen better -- Ow!
Epps cleans the burn with hydrogen peroxide.
EPPS
This's gonna hurt a little.
DODGE
Thanks for the warning -- Ow! Damn!
Epps keeps cleaning as Dodge bears it.
GREER
What now?
MURPHY
We could call for help.
GREER
And get a bunch of fools sniffin'
around here?
EPPS
What other choices have we got?
DODGE
I tell you one thing, we're not gonna
be towing no ship now.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOT HOUSE - NIGHT
A gas lantern sits on the map table illuminating Murphy as
he holds the radio mic.
MURPHY
(to radio)
United States Coastguard, this is
tugboat Arctic Warrior whiskey alpha
sierra bravo four zero niner two.
Radio check. Over.
A moment, then:
COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)
Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic
Warrior. This is United States
Coastguard Station North Island.
Your radio check is affirmative.
Over.
MURPHY
Roger that, North Island. Arctic
Warrior whiskey alpha sierra bravo
four zero niner two. Over and out.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Dodge pours out a few cans of cold chili into a bowl and
takes it to the table where Epps, Greer, and Murphy sit under
the stark light of a gas lantern.
GREER
Fifty million four ways. That's twelve
million and change a piece. What
you gonna do with your share, skipper?
MURPHY
Not much at all, I guess. Retire.
Live out my golden years and all
that.
DODGE
I'm buyin' me a nice outrigger.
Spend my time hauling rich Seattle
business men through the Puget.
MURPHY
How about you Epps?
EPPS
Guess I'll just keep working.
DODGE
What're you crazy?
EPPS
I like my job.
MURPHY
Greer?
GREER
Moving to Sweden.
DODGE
What's so great about Sweden?
GREER
It's a beautiful country. Very clean.
Very civilized. And cold.
EPPS
That's a good thing?
GREER
Hell, yeah. I like it cold. Colder
the better.
DODGE
Yeah, but not as cold as those Swedish
girls you only gonna dream about.
GREER
We'll see who's dreamin', m'man.
MURPHY
Dreamin's all any of you're gonna be
doing if we don't get this boat
running.
DODGE
Yeah, yeah.
A STRANGE SOUND BEGINS. IT IS LIKE A DISTANT SHRIEKING, AS
OF METAL AGAINST METAL, BUT ALMOST HUMAN, DISTANTLY ECHOING.
GREER
What the hell is that?
The SHRIEKING CONTINUES, ECHOING EERILY AS IF FROM THE SEA.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Dodge, Epps, Murphy and Greer emerge on deck.
The DISTANT SHRIEKING IS LOUDER HERE, BUT SEEMS TO BE
EMANATING FROM DEEP IN THE SHIP as they stand facing it on
the bow.
EPPS
It's coming from inside.
They hold there listening as the SHRIEKING CONTINUES.
DODGE
Sounds like the hull.
MURPHY
Warm water current maybe, making the
metal expand.
GREER
That shit is seriously bizarre.
The DISTANT SHRIEKING ECHO continues as they hold there.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - DAY
The engine room is black with soot, the turbines covered in
halon powder. Dodge stands there looking at it. He sighs.
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY - DAY
Greer goes through shelves of supplies, finding a stack of
sterno cans and warming candles. He throws them into a wooden
crate of other supplies he's gathered.
INT. CHIMERA - FIRST CLASS STATEROOM - DAY
Epps slowly pushes open the door. She holds a sack with a
few items she's managed to scavenge. Light falls from
curtained windows onto the room. A divan sits against the
wall. A table stands in the middle of the room, a moth-eaten
velvet table cloth sitting under a brass lamp on top. Two
twin beds stand on either side. They are covered in dust and
are moth-eaten, unmade, as if the occupants had just gotten
up, fifty years ago.
In one corner is an armoire. Epps steps up to it, pulling
back the door to reveal a rack of woman's clothing hanging
there undisturbed.
INT. CHIMERA - STATEROOM - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
A pair of slippers lie on the floor beside a chair, over
which is draped a woman's robe. Epps lifts it, the material
crumbling in her hands.
INT. CHIMERA - STATEROOM - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
A drawer comes back to reveal a number of personal affects,
a man's billfold, cuff links, tarnished silver cigarette
holder and case, coins, black horn-rimmed glasses, pocket
watch and fob, and a room key.
Epps pulls back the billfold. She opens it. Inside she finds
a Canadian passport a picture of a dark-haired man with a
mustache and black horn-rimmed glasses, circa 1950. In the
folds she finds three hundred Canadian dollars. An insert
holds pictures, of a suburban home, children, and a woman,
presumably his wife.
INT. CHIMERA - "A" DECK PASSAGE - LATER - DAY
Epps steps from the room. She turns to close the door, but
stops, holding there, strongly sensing something.
THE CAMERA SLOWLY COMES AROUND TO HER OTHER SIDE, revealing
the long passageway behind her, each bulkhead hatchway
creating the impression of a tunnel of mirrors that frame
one another and, standing at the very end of this tunnel in
the foggy light from a porthole, a MAN in dark clothing.
Epps slowly turns her head to see what she already senses,
the man standing at the end of the passageway facing her. A
beat as they hold there. The man only stares back at her,
then turns to walk away.
EPPS
Hey!
Epps moves off as the man walks around the corner.
EPPS
Hey, wait a minute! Hey!
MOVING WITH Epps as she breaks into a run, going down the
passageway. She comes to the corner, rounding it out onto
another passageway. The man is nowhere to be seen.
Epps moves quickly down the passageway, coming to the next
corner, rounding it out to see only another long passageway.
She turns back, running right into Murphy.
MURPHY
Take it easy, you'll live longer.
EPPS
Did you see him?
MURPHY
Who?
EPPS
The guy. He just came this way.
MURPHY
What guy?
EPPS
There's somebody else on this boat.
MURPHY
What? What the hell're you talking
about.
EPPS
I saw him. Just a minute ago. Some
guy.
MURPHY
Are you sure?
EPPS
Of course I'm sure. I saw him.
MURPHY
You sure it wasn't me?
EPPS
It wasn't you. It was somebody else.
There's somebody else aboard.
A beat as Murphy looks back at her.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOT HOUSE - NIGHT
Greer, Dodge, Murphy, and Epps stand around by lantern light.
DODGE
Light in those passages ain't so
good.
EPPS
I'm telling you, I saw somebody. I
don't know who it was. But I saw
somebody.
GREER
What'd he look like?
EPPS
Maybe six feet. Lanky. I didn't get
a good look. He was far away. But I
saw him. I saw him as sure as you're
standing there.
DODGE
Where's his boat, then? Where's his
crew? He ain't gonna be out here by
himself, that's for damn sure.
GREER
She's so big somebody could come
alongside her on the other side and
we'd never know it.
EPPS
Maybe that is his boat.
DODGE
Gimme a break.
A beat as they sit in silence.
MURPHY
If somebody's aboard her already,
she ain't ours. She's theirs.
DODGE
Bullshit. That boat hasn't made steam
for fifty years. We found her. She's
ours.
MURPHY
Not in the eyes of the law.
EPPS
So, we find this guy and make a deal
with him.
MURPHY
We don't exactly have the best
bargaining position.
DODGE
I say fuck the motherfucker. We're a
professional salvage crew going about
our business. What's some yahoo doing
way out here by himself anyway?
MURPHY
And what do you propose? That we
knock this guy off?
DODGE
Why not? Why the fuck not?
A beat as Murphy, Greer and Epps exchange looks.
DODGE
Fifty million dollars. Fifty million.
We gonna let this guy just take it
from us? One guy?
EPPS
So we kill him?
DODGE
I'm saying we gotta do whatever we
gotta do to preserve our interest.
GREER
I don't know.
MURPHY
Let's just take it easy here, alright?
Nobody's gonna kill anybody.
GREER
Supposing he wants to get bad with
us?
DODGE
One guy isn't gonna be so stupid.
EPPS
Maybe he isn't alone.
They consider this a moment.
GREER
I say we off-load some of that gold
now.
MURPHY
Would you hold on just a minute here,
please? Look, there's no reason to
panic now. Epps saw somebody. Fine.
It's a big boat. Chances're real
good he doesn't even know about the
gold. If we stay cool, nobody'll be
the wiser.
(a beat)
The gold stays where it is til we're
ready to go. Like I said, it'll be a
hell of a lot safer there than here.
DODGE
What if that fucker finds it before
we're ready to go?
MURPHY
We'll stand a watch. Four on, eight
off. Low man first.
EPPS
Guess that'd be me. Again.
MURPHY
Dodge, get on that turbine. I don't
care if you don't sleep for a week.
The sooner you're done, the sooner
we can get out of here. How's the
food situation?
GREER
Pretty low all around.
MURPHY
We'll have to take it easy then. I
don't think we'll find much aboard
the ship, but it's probably worth
looking around.
EPPS
Say we run into this guy again.
A beat as they consider this.
MURPHY
If he's reasonable, maybe we can
make some kind of deal. If not.
We'll have to re-consider our options.
DODGE
Yeah, reconsider fucking his shit
up.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - WARD LOCKER - NIGHT
Epps is dressed in her cold weather gear as she opens a
locker, revealing a flare gun and a shotgun. Epps pulls back
the shotgun and a box of shells.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DECK - NIGHT
Murphy and Dodge look on as Epps loads the last of several
shotgun shells into the pump action short barrel 12-gauge.
She expertly shuttles a round into the chamber with one hand.
Dodge takes a hit from his cigarette as Greer crosses from
the deck house.
DODGE
Pretty handy with that scatter gun,
Epps. You raised on a farm?
EPPS
(setting the safety)
Seen a lota movies.
MURPHY
No cowboy shit up there, understand?
EPPS
No cowboy shit. Right.
Greer extends a thermos to Epps.
GREER
Coffee.
EPPS
(pocketing it in her
coat)
You're a pal.
She checks the squelch on her radio, pockets it too.
MURPHY
Got your light?
EPPS
Yup.
DODGE
Smokes?
EPPS
Oh yeah.
Her bravado does little to hide her apprehension as she slings
the shotgun on her back.
EPPS
See you boys later.
(to Greer)
Don't be late, I need my beauty rest.
She looks up, climbs onto the crane and up toward the darkened
ship above them.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - NIGHT
A flashlight beam cuts through the darkness as Epps
approaches. If this place is creepy in the daylight, it is
terrifying now. She comes to a ladder and climbs down.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO COMPARTMENT - LATER - NIGHT
Epps shines her light as she passes through, coming to the
cargo hold. She crosses in the darkness, her light catching
the tarnished glint of the gold. She comes up to it, stopping
there, looking on at it, a perfectly symmetrical fortune.
She looks around for a place to sit. She drags a palette to
the bulkhead, settling in to face the rest of the compartment.
She puts her shotgun down beside her and takes out her thermos
to pour herself a cup of coffee.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO COMPARTMENT - LATER - NIGHT
Epps has dozed off when a CLATTERING ECHOES DISTANTLY
somewhere in the ship. Epps wakes. It is silent, as she holds
there, not sure she heard anything, when a DISTANT BOOMING
SOUNDS. She reaches out for the shotgun, intently listening.
As Epps holds there, another deep BOOMING sounds distantly
somewhere. Epps turns, her blood running cold.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO COMPARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps moves along in the darkness when the DISTANT BOOMING
CAN BE HEARD BRIEFLY AGAIN. She stops, holding there, in the
silence.
INT. CHIMERA - SHAFT ALLEY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps jumps down into the shaft alley where the ship's massive
propeller shaft hangs suspended above her. Epps moves along.
Finally she comes out into...
INT. CHIMERA - ENGINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Where the propeller shaft extends into a large turbine. She
continues on, past huge rusting diesel burners, disappearing
into the darkness above her, when ANOTHER BOOM SOUNDS.
She turns, shinning her light back from where she came.
Nothing moves. Not a sound, but for her breathing and maybe
her heart pounding in her chest. ANOTHER BOOM SOUNDS, again
echoing distantly in the silence. She shines her light through
the line of burners. Nothing moves.
Epps moves quietly between the burners. She comes to a massive
watertight door at the bulkhead. She steps through, finding
herself standing between a row of huge oil storage tanks.
THE BOOMING SOUNDS AGAIN, closer, as suddenly stopping.
She moves on, cautiously walking between the tanks, holding
her light out before her. She comes to the end of the
compartment and another bulkhead. The BOOMING SOUNDS, still
closer. She turns the light into the recesses, showing rusting
machinery and a stack of oil drums.
She approaches, holding the shotgun up. As she nears, the
BOOMING SOUNDS AGAIN. She stops. It is coming from here.
She tenses, raising the shotgun, holding the light as steady
as she can manage. The BOOMING SOUNDS YET AGAIN. It is
metallic and staccato.
She stops in the corner beside an oil drum. Several drums
have toppled and lie scattered in a pile when a draft stirs
her hair. She shines her light up to see that she stands at
the bottom of a giant hatchway shaft rising all the way
through the ship to the top deck and an echoey breeze that
betrays a throughway to the outside.
The BOOMING SOUNDS AGAIN, this time coming from the pile of
oil drums. She steps closer, raising the shotgun, ready to
fire. A beat as she summons her courage, then reaches out to
push a drum with her foot, when A BLUR EXPLODES OUT AT HER.
She fires the shotgun and a spray of buckshot glances off
the steel bulkhead in a shower of sparks, a flurry of frenetic
flapping whizzing by her head as she looks up to see a large
albatross flying back up the hatchway shaft toward the top
of the ship and freedom.
MURPHY
Murphy to Epps.
She settles back, exhausted.
MURPHY
Murphy to Epps.
EPPS
(taking her radio)
Epps.
MURPHY
You just shoot at something?
EPPS
Yeah. Just a bird. Just a stupid
bird.
She wipes her brow on her sleeve, holding there a moment,
when she smells something really awful.
She steps forward, following the smell, pushing aside the
toppled oil drums to see an unidentifiable form in the beam
of her flashlight. She steps still closer, training her light
on the form to see that it is a human torso. A large gash
runs up its middle and the clothing has been torn by
scavenging birds.
She hesitates, then steps still closer when she steps on
something. She starts, then shines the light on the deck in
front of her where the body's decaying head looks back with
wide, unseeing eyes.
It takes everything she has just to hold there. She shines
her light back to the headless torso.
She shines her light beyond that, and up, to reveal a bent
steam pipe hanging out over the deck, stained with dried
blood, a pair of legs dangling from the pipe when, just behind
her, a booted foot comes into frame, lightly touching her.
She spins around to see another body above her. Except this
one hangs in one piece, suspended from another bent steam
pipe. It has been impaled length-wise on the pipe from rectum
to mouth.
One of its arms has rotted off and lies on the deck below
it. A few feet away, a third body hangs impaled from another
bent pipe.
INT. CHIMERA - ENGINE ROOM - LATER - NIGHT
A lantern illuminates the impaled bodies and their various
rotting parts.
GREER (O.S.)
Ho-ly shit.
MURPHY (O.S.)
Couldn't have happened much more
than a month ago.
Greer, Dodge, and Epps look on as Murphy kneels over the
remains of the headless torso.
MURPHY
Bodies're too fresh.
DODGE
Fresh ain't the first word that comes
to mind.
Murphy checks the pockets, finding a wallet. He looks through
it.
MURPHY
Greek citizen. Merchant navy.
(standing)
Obviously we aren't the first to
come across this ship. They probably
stumbled across it just like we did.
GREER
And look what happened.
DODGE
Damn barbaric is what it is.
MURPHY
Could be meant as a warning.
GREER
Stay away. Or else.
EPPS
Because of the gold.
MURPHY
That'd be my guess.
DODGE
So whoever did this might still be
around.
GREER
Maybe Epps's mystery man had something
to do with it.
MURPHY
Maybe.
A beat as they consider the implications of this.
EPPS
So, what? We report this? Call the
Coastguard?
Another beat as they hold there.
DODGE
Let's not be too hasty.
GREER
Yeah. Hell, what difference does it
make if we report it now or later?
We call this in now, gonna be
Coastguard, FBI, who knows who, all
over the place.
A beat as nobody's too sure about this.
MURPHY
Dodge, if this isn't incentive enough
to fix that boat, I don't know what
is.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - DAY
Dodge fires up a compressor, which feebly comes to life,
turning over the turbine, then sputtering out in a cloud of
smoke.
DODGE
All the seals and gaskets're shot.
Anything that was rubber burned up.
Murphy stands at the doorway, looking on.
MURPHY
Can't you use something else?
DODGE
I might be able to find something on
the ship. But it's gonna take time.
MURPHY
Do what you need to do. Just do it
fast.
DODGE
Right.
INT. CHIMERA - CREW QUARTERS - DAY
Epps sleeps in her bunk.
INT. CHIMERA - BETWEEN DECKS - DAY
Dodge and Greer climb down in the darkness.
DODGE
I need lag bolts, especially one
inch standard. And sheet metal.
Preferably steel, about a sixteenth
of an inch. Aluminium, even tin'll
do.
GREER
I ain't no mechanic, just so you
know.
DODGE
You find anything that even looks
like a compressor. I don't care what,
grab it.
INT. CHIMERA - RADIO ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy stands in the cramped room, full of radios and
communications equipment. He looks through the shelves and
cabinets, when he opens a drawer to find a dusty bound book.
He pulls it back, opening it to see that it is a radio call
log. He takes a seat, paging through it.
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY - WITH GREER - LATER - DAY
Greer works to disassemble a compressor mechanism. He has
difficulty getting the right purchase with his wrench, when
he slips.
GREER
Dammit!
A beat as he inspects his hand. In the silence A DISTANT
SHRIEK SOUNDS, maybe metal against metal or maybe human,
somewhere in the ship. He holds there, listening.
GREER
Dodge?
He moves on, shinning his light as he goes.
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer moves along in the darkness when he hears THE SHRIEKING
AGAIN coming from somewhere in the ship.
GREER
Dodge!
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer walks up a stairway, stepping into a darkened
passageway. The SHRIEKING SOUNDS, THIS TIME CLOSER, as it
echoes through the ship. He stops, holding there to listen.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer comes out onto another deck, stopping there. He looks
down the passageway a beat, then moves on. He passes through
a hatchway in a bulkhead when A MUSIC BOX CAN BE DISTANTLY
HEARD. He stops. The song is "DAISY" ("Daisy, Daisy, give me
your answer do. I'm half crazy, oh for the love of you.").
He holds there, listening intently. A door stands open at
the other end of the passage. The MUSIC COMES FROM HERE. He
moves forward, walking toward the end of the passage, and
the light falling from the open door.
INT. CHIMERA - RADIO ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy pages forward to the last page of the radio call log
book.
On the page his finger runs down the columns of entries,
coming to "TRANSMISSION 1 Feb 53 21:34 hrs GMT. Engine trouble
notification made to passing vessel 'St. Charles.'"
His finger moves down to the next entry, coming to:
"TRANSMISSION 2 Feb 53 09:52 hrs GMT. Dead in Water.
Notification made to passing vessel 'Normandy.'"
His finger continues: "TRANSMISSION 2 Feb 53 14:07 hrs GMT.
Captain relieved of command. Notification made to passing
vessel 'China Sea.'"
MURPHY
Captain relieved of command.
He holds there a moment, moving his finger down to the final
entry, reading: "TRANSMISSION 2 Feb 53 21:24 hrs GMT. General
SOS."
He turns the page to see only the words "GOD SAVE US" scrawled
in faded red ink. A beat as he holds there, when a CHANNEL
OPENS WITH A SHORT BURST ON MURPHY'S RADIO. He looks to it,
but there is no response from the other end. Another SHORT
BURST AND THE CHANNEL OPENS AGAIN. This time it remains open,
but no one says anything on the other end, UNTIL THE CHANNEL
CLOSES AGAIN.
Murphy takes the radio.
MURPHY
This is Murphy. Anybody trying to
call me? Over.
He waits as no response comes, then THE CHANNEL OPENS AGAIN.
Only silence from the other end as someone seems to be there,
but is not saying anything. Murphy presses the talk button.
MURPHY
Greer? Dodge?
Again, there is no response, until the CHANNEL OPENS. Murphy
holds there as he is answered by silence, WHEN A GRAVELLY,
STRANGELY DISTORTED MALE VOICE COMES BACK ON THE RADIO:
VOICE (V.O. RADIO)
"Cock-a-doodle-doo," said the rooster
to the crow. "Where are you now? I
know, but won't say so."
Murphy is momentarily stunned. He hits the talk button.
MURPHY
Who is this?
The RADIO CHANNEL OPENS. Only silence comes back, as if
someone were there but not speaking.
MURPHY
Who is this!!
The CAMERA PUSHES IN AS MURPHY LISTENS.
VOICE
Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy. Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy.
The CHANNEL CLOSES as the CAMERA STOPS CLOSE ON MURPHY.
Murphy squeezes the talk button.
MURPHY
Greer! Dodge!
Only silence comes back from the radio when A MAN'S BLOOD
CURDLING SCREAM sounds from somewhere in the ship.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy moves quickly down the passageway when his radio
sounds.
DODGE
Dodge to Murphy.
MURPHY
(taking radio)
Murphy.
DODGE
You better get down here quick,
skipper. I'm on "C" deck. Cabin 400.
MURPHY
What is it?
DODGE
I think you better see this for
yourself.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY/PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy comes down the stairs and into the passageway we saw
Greer in earlier. At the end, the light from the cabin falls
from the open door as he approaches.
AT CABIN 400
As Murphy comes to the door to see Dodge standing in the
middle of the cabin.
DODGE
I found him like this.
Greer is lying supine on the floor. His legs are rigid and
his trunk is extended. His arms are flexed and twisted so
that the palms are facing away, fingers splayed, wrists
quaking over his chest as they fight to touch each other.
Murphy kneels beside him. Greer's eyelids are half closed,
his eyes rolled up into his head. His jaw is clenched, face
contorted in a bizarre grimace. And he speaks, uttering
nonsense words in harsh expulsions, as though speaking in
tongues.
GREER
Oragishlaoomnudrasadrafantoshviska
getofedobrodijotosiantosg.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - DAY
AN EYE - EXTREMELY CLOSE
As a light shines in it, the pupil is fixed and dilated.
EPPS (O.S.)
Hard to say.
BACK TO SCENE
Greer lies unconscious on a bunk, now quiet, no longer seizing
as Epps shines a flashlight into his eye, Dodge and Murphy
looking on. She turns it off, standing upright.
EPPS
I'm no doctor. But I'd say he's in a
coma.
DODGE
A what?
EPPS
I don't know what else you'd call
it. He's breathing on his own, but
his pupils are completely blown out.
He's totally unresponsive to pain.
(a beat)
What happened up there?
DODGE
I heard a scream. When I got there I
found him on the floor. He was having
some kind of seizure. I didn't see
anybody else.
MURPHY
He must've seen something.
A beat as they consider this.
EPPS
Other than the obvious, there's
nothing wrong with him that I can
see, not on the outside.
DODGE
Then what the hell happened to him?
Another beat as they hold there.
MURPHY
Just before I heard him yell there
was somebody on the radio.
EPPS
Greer?
MURPHY
I don't know. No. Not Greer.
Somebody.
Another long beat as they think about this.
MURPHY
It was a man's voice. Repeating some
sort of children's rhyme. I don't
know, it didn't make any sense. You
didn't hear it?
DODGE
Not me.
Another beat as this sinks in.
EPPS
(looking to Greer)
He needs a doctor.
MURPHY
I'll call us in. Dodge, see how many
signal flares you can scrounge up.
(to Epps, meaning
Dodge)
Keep an eye on him.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOT HOUSE - NIGHT
A gas lantern sits on the map table illuminating Murphy as
he holds the radio mic.
MURPHY
(to radio)
United States Coastguard, United
States Coastguard, United States
Coastguard. This is tugboat Arctic
Warrior whiskey alpha sierra bravo
four zero niner two. Over.
No response.
MURPHY
(to radio)
United States Coastguard, United
States Coastguard, United States
Coastguard. This is tugboat Arctic
Warrior whiskey alpha sierra bravo
four zero niner two. Over.
Again, no response. He holds there, then finally:
MURPHY
(to radio)
Mayday. Mayday. Mayday. To any vessel.
This is Arctic Warrior. Arctic
Warrior. Arctic Warrior. Whiskey
alpha sierra bravo four zero niner
two. Last known position one seven
four west, five seven north. I am
afloat and drifting. Require
immediate medical assistance for one
person, possibly comatose. I am a
one hundred twenty foot civilian
tug, hove to at port bow of disabled
passenger liner Chimera. I repeat,
Chimera. Over.
Only the desolate WHITE NOISE OF EMPTY AIR COMES BACK.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Greer lies unconscious as Epps looks on at him. The door
comes open and Murphy steps in.
MURPHY
How's he doing?
EPPS
Same. Any luck?
MURPHY
No. I'll try again later.
A beat as they look on at Greer.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Murphy and Epps sit at the galley table. Epps reads the log
book Murphy found in the radio room.
EPPS
(reading it)
They're dead in the water that
morning. Four hours later the
captain's relieved of his command.
And that evening they issue a general
SOS.
MURPHY
Possibly false. Hence the IMA record
of being lost at sea. I don't think
mutiny's out of the question here.
DODGE
(taking a seat)
On a passenger ship in 1953?
MURPHY
If they knew what they were carrying.
EPPS
You're saying they mutinied for the
gold?
MURPHY
If they were close enough to shore,
they probably figured they could get
away in the lifeboats.
EPPS
Only something must've gone wrong.
DODGE
Yeah, way wrong.
A beat as they consider it.
DODGE
So. I got a question. Just from a,
you know, purely technical standpoint.
We call the Coastguard. Coastguard
shows up. What exactly is the plan?
MURPHY
How do you mean?
DODGE
Well, they're gonna be asking a lot
of questions. About us. About those
bodies. About the gold. Seems like
we oughta be prepared is all.
MURPHY
I guess the best strategy's just to
tell them the truth.
DODGE
Yeah, well. The truth is one thing.
When there's more than a few hundred
million dollars involved, that's a
whole new deal.
MURPHY
What do you propose?
DODGE
For starters, getting that gold off
the ship. What they don't know about
isn't gonna bother them.
A beat as Murphy holds there.
MURPHY
There's no way we're gonna hide a
few thousand pounds of gold from the
Coastguard here. Besides, it'll be
safer where it is.
DODGE
With all due respect, skipper.
(a beat)
Part of that up there's mine. I'd
kinda like to have a little say in
what happens to it.
A beat as Murphy looks on.
MURPHY
Tell you what, Dodge. Once we get
back to shore, you can do whatever
you want with your share. But until
then, the gold stays right where it
is.
Dodge holds there. He looks to Epps a beat, takes a drink of
coffee.
EXT. CHIMERA - DAY
The sun comes up over a spectacular cloud bank as the Arctic
Warrior drifts alongside the Chimera.
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Murphy crosses to the deck house, climbs the stairs.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy opens the door, stopping dead in his tracks. A beat.
He steps forward, crossing to the corner.
The radio set lies before him, dented in and completely
demolished, as if someone had taken a bat to it.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Dodge works on one of the turbines when he is grabbed from
behind and shoved into the wall. Murphy holds him fast.
MURPHY
Just what the hell do you think you're
doing?!
DODGE
I don't know what you're talking
about?
MURPHY
I think you know.
DODGE
Maybe you can tell me then.
Murphy shoves him hard into the wall.
MURPHY
The radio!
DODGE
(not having a clue)
The radio. Oh, yeah, the radio.
Murphy tightens his grip.
DODGE
Take it easy, willya? What about the
radio?!
MURPHY
You smashed it!
DODGE
What?!
MURPHY
Don't lie to me!
DODGE
What the fuck -- ?
MURPHY
You didn't want us calling anybody.
Too liable to ruin your big payday.
DODGE
I didn't touch the fucking radio.
Murphy tightens his grip still more.
DODGE
I didn't touch the fucking radio!
(a beat)
Ever occur to you there's somebody
else on that boat, skipper?
MURPHY
Conveniently enough for you.
DODGE
Look, I didn't touch it. Alright?
Murphy holds there a beat longer. He shoves Dodge back letting
him go.
DODGE
Jesus.
Dodge checks his throat as Murphy looks on.
EPPS (O.S.)
Murphy.
They turn to see Epps in the hatchway.
EPPS
It's Greer.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Greer stands at the galley sink finishing off the last of a
jug of water as Murphy and the others step in. He turns to
see them.
GREER
Never been more thirsty in my life.
MURPHY
Drink up then.
Greer smiles, raising the jug to drink as the others take a
seat, looking on at him.
MURPHY
How're you feeling?
GREER
Lost my sea legs.
EPPS
Any dizziness?
GREER
No.
EPPS
Headache, nausea, lights?
GREER
Lights?
EPPS
Sudden flashes of light.
GREER
I feel fine.
DODGE
What day is it?
GREER
I don't know. Tuesday?
DODGE
Wrong. It's Friday.
EPPS
Try Wednesday.
DODGE
Right. Wednesday.
A beat as they all hold there. Greer takes a seat.
GREER
What happened?
MURPHY
You don't remember?
GREER
Last thing I remember I was aboard
the Chimera. Down somewhere in there
scavenging around.
MURPHY
You've been out for about a day.
GREER
Say what?
MURPHY
Dodge found you out cold in one of
the cabins.
Greer only holds there.
GREER
Oh, man.
MURPHY
We heard you scream. Any idea what
you might've seen?
GREER
I wish I could tell you. I'd be real
interested to know myself.
Another beat as they hold there, as Greer takes another drink
of water.
MURPHY
The ah... the radio's out.
EPPS
What?
MURPHY
Somebody took it out of commission
last night.
A beat as they all hold there.
MURPHY
Smashed it up pretty bad.
EPPS
But, who -- ?
DODGE
The skipper seems to think I did it.
That I'm more interested in that
gold than my own safety or the safety
of my fellow shipmates.
A beat as they hold there, as Murphy looks back.
EPPS
Did you?
DODGE
Hell no. You think I'm crazy?
Another beat as they hold there.
MURPHY
Regardless of how it happened, there
isn't much of a chance to fix it.
The odds of another vessel in range
of the walkie-talkies are almost
astronomical. So, as of today, we're
pretty much on our own out here.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - DAY
Epps and Murphy, carrying the shotgun, make their way in the
ship.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - FIRST MATE'S QUARTERS - DAY
Greer stops before a mirror to see himself. He finds an
aspirin bottle, goes to open it. And as he does so, he sees
that his hand is shaking uncontrollably.
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - ENGINE ROOM - DAY
Dodge works over the turbine. He stops, holding there. He
looks on at the plugs and wires and hoses. A beat.
He begins pulling out the hoses and wires, grabbing at them,
yanking them loose, breaking them off.
INT. CHIMERA - RADIO ROOM - DAY
The chassis comes off an old radio to reveal a dusty
assortment of tubes and condensers. Murphy looks on at it.
WITH EPPS
A tattered, bound book lies in the refuse of a forgotten
corner. Epps picks it up. The cover has been ripped off and
the pages are torn. But, as she looks through it, she sees
that it is the ship's log.
EPPS
Murphy.
Murphy steps over as she pages through the log book to the
very end. The last pages have been ripped out.
EPPS
Looks like part of the general log.
Epps points to a page that has been incompletely ripped out.
EPPS
"The crew have gone mad with greed
and fight among themselves like wild
dogs over fresh kill."
MURPHY
February first.
EPPS
The same day she supposedly went
down.
MURPHY
Must not've been the captain's entry.
He was probably out of the picture
by then.
Epps continues to read.
EPPS
"Their lacking diligence has
undoubtedly caused the collision.
Distress calls have been made."
MURPHY
Collision? With what?
EPPS
The page's missing. Then their SOS
was real.
MURPHY
But where's the damage?
EPPS
Maybe the other ship took the worst
of it.
MURPHY
If it was a ship she hit.
A beat as they hold there, when his radio CRACKLES TO LIFE.
DODGE
Dodge to Murphy!
Murphy reaches down for his radio.
MURPHY
(to radio)
Yeah.
DODGE
You better get down here right now!
We're taking water! Big time!
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - DAY
Murphy and Epps jump from the deck crane as the tug is
starting to list to one side. He crosses to the deck house
and the open engine room hatch to see that it is rapidly
filling with seawater as Greer and Dodge scramble to set a
pump hose over the DIN OF THE PUMPS.
MURPHY
What the hell happened!
DODGE
Turbine chamber on number two must've
blown! Took out part of the hull!
GREER
We're not gonna be able to pump it!
MURPHY
Alright. Everybody grab your gear!
This' is where we get off!
EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
The tug is listing radically to the side, its deck awash
with seawater, as Epps, Greer, and Murphy scramble with their
gear to the crane.
Water is starting to pour out of the deckhouse hatch as the
towering framework rising over the pilothouse stabs
precariously at the bow of the Chimera.
Murphy stops to shout back at the deckhouse.
MURPHY
Dodge!
INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CREW QUARTERS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Water is starting to pour in as the entire cabin lurches to
one side. Dodge wades through toward the door.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps pulls herself up onto the deck, Greer following behind,
then Murphy.
Dodge can be seen stepping from the deckhouse on the tug,
which now lists at a near 45 degree angle.
WITH DODGE
Dodge stumbles toward the bow, slipping on the wet deck. He
goes down, sliding into the water that washes over the
starboard rail.
He pulls himself up, using a cleat to push off. A deck locker
opens and the contents tumble around him. He struggles to
pull himself up to the base of the pilothouse. He climbs up
and edges his way toward the bow.
WITH THE OTHERS
Epps, Greer and Murphy look on as Dodge climbs up on the
skewed deck crane.
WITH DODGE
The tug is slowly lurching over as Dodge climbs the crane,
the top of which is sweeping away from the Chimera.
Below, the decks of the tug are swept with seawater as it
sinks lower and lower.
WITH THE OTHERS
They look on as Dodge climbs toward them, the sinking tug
pulling Dodge and the crane away from the ship.
Greer pulls back a line, tying it into the deck railing.
WITH DODGE
As Dodge makes his way up, he's forced to climb onto the
other side of the crane to keep from dangling over the water.
Above, Greer casts a line. It falls near, but out of reach
as the swell of the water starts to swing the crane to and
fro. Dodge reaches out for the line again, his hand coming
close but not close enough.
The swell brings the crane toward the boat one last time and
Dodge reaches out, his fingers just coming to the line,
coaxing it into his grasp. He pulls it back and hangs on, as
the crane sways back with the foundering boat.
The crane falls away from Dodge, leaving him hanging in space
by the line from the bow of the Chimera.
WITH THE OTHERS
Murphy, Greer and Epps look on as Dodge hangs over the water
and the tug as its stern slowly sinks beneath the waves.
Dodge climbs the line toward the bow railing as the tug rolls
still further to port, the pilothouse dipping into the sea,
slipping lower and lower.
WITH DODGE
As he pulls himself upward, coming to the bottom of the rail
well on the Chimera where Murphy reaches out, just short of
Dodge's hand.
A SCREECHING SOUNDS and they turn to see the twin tow cables
coming taught against the hull in the anchor alley's of the
Chimera as the sinking tug pulls them tight.
With a CONCUSSIVE STRIKE, one cable is freed, snapping against
the Chimera's hull like a giant steel guitar string. It
starts sliding along the hull as the tug drifts, pulling the
cable with it, toward Dodge as he dangles in mid air.
Dodge pulls himself up, reaching for Murphy, but still short.
A LOUD HISSING SOUNDS and Dodge turns to see misty air
escaping from ports and deck vents as the encroaching water
forces it out of the tug below decks.
The tow cable LOUDLY SCRAPES THE HULL in a shower of rust,
as Dodge struggles to pull himself up.
Murphy reaches out as Dodge extends as far as he can, their
hands barely reaching.
The tow cable is a mere few feet away and closing, ready to
scrape Dodge into the water or smear him across the hull
like a bug on a windshield, when Dodge pulls himself up with
everything he's got and Murphy grabs his hand.
Murphy pulls, lifting Dodge, as Greer grabs Dodge's other
hand and they pull him up, the tow cable sweeping by with a
SICKENING GRINDING SOUND OF HEAVY STEEL AGAINST STEEL.
Dodge turns to see the bow of the tug dip below the surface,
slowly going under until disappearing with a last exhalation
of misty air. The pilothouse is next to go, the last of it
slipping into the frothing water, then the crane, finally
disappearing altogether into the depths.
A long beat as they hold there in the sudden silence, phantom
bubbles rising to the surface where the tug once stood.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - DAY
A boot punches through a rotten wood hull.
MURPHY (O.S.)
That just about says it all.
Greer stands at the bow of a lifeboat suspended from halyards
above the deck.
GREER
Rotten stem to stern. Guess you
couldn't expect much else.
Greer jumps down as Murphy, Dodge, and Epps look on.
GREER
We ain't exactly in what you'd call
your high traffic neighborhood either.
MURPHY
The coast guard has our last position.
They'll send somebody out soon enough.
A ship this size you can't exactly
miss.
EPPS
It's a good bet they'll be asking a
lot of questions when they get here
too.
MURPHY
Let 'em ask. This ship's legally
ours now.
DODGE
When they find out what it's carrying,
they may not be so interested in
what's legal.
GREER
Maybe you shoulda thought a that
before you scuttled our boat.
Dodge turns to see Greer. A beat.
DODGE
The turbine blew.
GREER
Lemme see, was that before or after
the oil fire?
A beat. Dodge takes a swing at Greer.
MURPHY
(grabbing Dodge)
Easy, easy.
Murphy holds on to Dodge as he will have none of it.
GREER
Gettin' a little hot under the collar,
I'd say.
MURPHY
Shut up.
GREER
Must be a little too the truth, eh
Dodge?
Dodge jumps forward again, but Murphy hangs on.
MURPHY
I said, shut the hell up.
Murphy shoves Dodge back.
MURPHY
Both of you. I don't want to hear it
again.
A beat as Greer and Murphy hold there.
MURPHY
So just stow it. You understand?
(a beat)
We don't need this right now.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - NIGHT
A fire burns in an oil drum as Epps, Murphy, Dodge and Greer
sit around it in silence.
INT. CHIMERA - 4TH OFFICER'S STATEROOM - NIGHT
Epps steps in. She shines her light on the room. It is exactly
as it was left. She crosses to the bed, shining her light
under it. She sits down, trying it.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO HOLD - NIGHT
Dodge moves in the darkness, coming to the corner where the
stacked gold ingots rest. He looks on at them.
MURPHY (O.S.)
You shouldn't be down here alone.
Dodge turns to see Murphy standing there.
DODGE
Just wanted to check on our little
baby.
A beat as they look on at the gold.
DODGE
That oughta buy a man pretty much
anything he wants.
MURPHY
If money can buy what he wants.
DODGE
I don't figure there's much I want
money can't buy.
MURPHY
Then you're a lucky man.
Murphy tosses the shotgun to Dodge, who catches it.
MURPHY
We'll stand the watch on deck tonight.
You're up first.
DODGE
Right.
Murphy holds there a beat longer, then turns to go, as Dodge
looks after him.
EXT. CHIMERA - DAY
A grey chop gently rocks the Chimera, smoke rising from the
top deck.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - DAY
Greer and Dodge tend the flames of three fire barrels, adding
broken up furniture to create heavy signal smoke.
INT. CHIMERA - PANTRY - DAY
Murphy moves through the pantry area with a pillow case,
scavenging for food.
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY - DAY
Epps scavenges for food in the semi-darkness of the large,
open galley, when a MOVEMENT CAN BE HEARD SOMEWHERE BEYOND
THE ENTRY separating the galley from the outer passageway.
EPPS
Murphy?
No one answers. She looks off across the stillness of the
galley. Nothing.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps steps into the passageway. Directly across is the entry
to the swimming pool. She walks on.
INT. CHIMERA - SWIMMING POOL - DAY
Epps steps in. Light falls in from the dirty port holes at
the ceiling, every movement echoing off the hard tile walls.
She holds there a beat, then turns to go when she sees a
GIRL of about 16 facing her on the other side of the pool.
Epps holds there, as the girl only looks back. She is
porcelain white, flaxen hair drawn behind her head, her
clothing hanging loosely from a frail body.
GIRL
You must leave.
A beat as Epps stands there.
EPPS
(finally)
Who are you?
From this distance and in the light it is hard to fully
discern the girl's features.
GIRL
There's great evil here, more than
you can know. Leave now or you may
never leave.
EPPS
But --
A HATCH CLOSES SOMEWHERE IN THE SHIP. Epps turns to look.
When she turns back the girl is gone. A quiet "TICK" SOUND
ECHOES in the pool. She looks down to see that the pool is
now very, very deep, like a mine shaft falling away into the
depths. And, as she stands there, dark water is quickly rising
up from the bottom.
She steps back as the water gradually fills the pool to the
top. It is very dark and the bottom is indiscernible, when
the water begins to churn, as from bubbles of air reaching
the surface. Epps steps closer, looking on as a faint red
glow can be seen deep in the water below the churning bubbles.
As she watches, the red glow grows in intensity. The glow
spreads, illuminating a broad area until it becomes clear
that the water is not water at all but blood.
And, as the light grows still brighter, a figure is
illuminated, well below the surface as it seems to rise up.
Epps looks on as the figure rises higher into the light. It
is a MAN, fighting desperately to reach the surface. The
bubbles that rise up are produced from his silent screams.
Epps starts forward, but another figure rises to the same
point, a WOMAN, also struggling. Another MAN floats up, then
another, and another, people floating up, fighting desperately
to reach the surface, unable to do so, drowning in blood.
EPPS
My God....
Epps reaches out over the edge, plunging her hand into the
blood, reaching for the man's hand, but they are too far
apart.
She struggles desperately as the man fights to get to the
surface.
The others are fighting for the surface too, as Epps reaches
out, near tears, helpless to do anything.
EPPS
No!!
Everything suddenly stops. A beat as Epps only holds there.
The blood is gone, as are the people. The pool is back to
its normal state as though nothing had happened, Epps looking
on in disbelief.
MURPHY (O.S.)
You okay?
Epps looks up to see Murphy standing at the door.
EPPS
Yeah.
(looking back to the
pool)
Yeah, fine.
A beat as she holds there, looking on at the pool.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREWARD DECK - NIGHT
Greer, Murphy, Dodge, and Epps sit on deck around the fire.
DODGE
You'd think on a ship this size
there'd be something left to eat.
GREER
After fifty years there ain't nothin'
left but shoe leather.
MURPHY
Tomorrow we'll see if we can't find
some line and tackle. Use some of
those bodies below decks for bait.
DODGE
There's a charming thought.
GREER
We can always start shooting birds.
Epps coaxes a hit out of her last cigarette.
DODGE
What say, Epps? You up for some
roasted albatross?
EPPS
(snuffing it out)
Why not?
INT. CHIMERA - 1ST OFFICER'S STATEROOM - NIGHT
The SOUND OF SOMEONE BREATHING HARD CAN BE HEARD in the dark
room. As the CAMERA SLOWLY MOVES INTO THE ROOM, we see that
it is Greer, lying on the bed. His body is tense and his
arms arch rigidly toward his chest. His jaw is clenched and
he expels harsh, guttural utterances, experiencing something
between a night terror and a seizure.
INT. CHIMERA - WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Sheets of rain come down on the deck in the grey light of
morning. Murphy stands on the bridge, looking off at it coming
down when Greer steps in.
GREER
Looks like we're in a strong current.
(closing the door)
Must be making almost five knots
full on ass backwards.
Greer crosses to the window, stepping up.
GREER
Nasty little swell outa the north
west too.
Murphy nods as he looks out.
MURPHY
Let's just hope somebody sees us
first out here.
INT. CHIMERA - PURSERS OFFICE - DAY
A file drawer comes open, revealing ticket receipts.
Epps looks on at it. The receipts are labeled "FULL FARE
PASSAGES" and are divided by first, second, and third class.
She goes through them, coming to a section that says
"ACCOMPANIED CHILDREN."
She pulls out the folder, laying it on the counter, opening
it. The first page is a receipt for a single passage to
Halifax for a Tatterly, Stephen age: 14. She pulls it back
to reveal another, Wilson, Harold age: 4. Another, Vitti,
Angela age: 17.
She pages through the stack, looking at the ages: 3, 15, 6,
11, 1, until coming across a 9. She looks to the name, Klein,
David, a boy. She continues paging through the receipts coming
to another 9. She stops, looking to the name, Nichols,
Katherine age: 16. A girl. She looks to the cabin assignment:
"400." She notes that it is the same cabin where Greer was
found, when a REVERBERANT CONCUSSION SOUNDS THROUGH THE SHIP.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge runs to the side to see a 15 feet wide by 40 feet tall
steel and concrete mid-ocean buoy bounce off the transom as
the ship drifts into it.
WITH GREER AND MURPHY
They come to the side at the wheelhouse, seeing the bright
orange letters "NOAA" emblazoned on the buoy's float pod as
the ship drifts by.
MURPHY
It's a Noaa buoy.
GREER
A what?
MURPHY
Government weather. It's got a
transmitter aboard.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Dodge quickly ties a loop in a coil of docking line as Greer,
Epps, and Murphy look on at the approaching buoy.
MURPHY
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Dodge finishes as Epps ties the other end off to a cleat.
ON THE BUOY
As it drifts along the side of the Chimera. Murphy drops the
line down, the buoy bouncing on the swell.
BACK TO SCENE
Murphy pulls the loop up as the buoy nears, aiming to hook
it on its wind gauge.
ON THE BUOY
The buoy approaches, rising and falling with the swell.
BACK TO SCENE
Murphy corrects.
EPPS
Higher. You're gonna miss it.
Murphy holds the loop steady.
ON THE BUOY
The loop is too low. It's going to miss the mark as the buoy
drifts toward it, when the swell drops and the buoy goes
down.
BACK TO SCENE
Murphy yanks on the line.
ON THE BUOY
And the loop catches on the wind gauge.
BACK TO SCENE
As the line goes taught he pulls his hands away just in time,
the line snapping hard against the rail. Below, the buoy
heels over as it's pulled.
ON THE BUOY
It drops with the swell, the line stretching, then swinging
the giant concrete buoy float into the side of the hull with
a huge BOOMING CLANG.
BACK TO SCENE
The line is smoking with the friction, the steel railing
bowing a little with the weight as they look on.
GREER
We're still drifting.
MURPHY
The mooring hasn't come taught.
EPPS
It's not gonna hold us.
MURPHY
Doesn't matter.
ON THE BUOY
As the buoy falls again with a swell and slams into the side
of the ship. The water returns, lifting it high.
The ship is dragging it back and it begins to rise up as its
mooring comes taught. The line rises with it and soon the
buoy is at a steep angle as it comes out of the water.
BACK TO SCENE
The buoy is held fast between the docking line and its own
mooring.
ON THE BUOY
The buoy rises fully from the water, all three tons of it,
and as it does, the wind gauge's steel mount begins to bend.
BACK TO SCENE
As they watch the buoy suspended over the water between the
creaking docking line and its own underwater mooring cable.
DODGE
No fucking way.
ON THE BUOY
The gauge mount snaps and the docking line flails free,
sending the buoy hurtling back into the water in a curtain
of spray, whipping wildly from side to side.
BACK TO SCENE
The buoy swings back and forth as it rights itself, rising
on a swell, passing beyond the bow of the Chimera.
MURPHY
Damn it.
They look on in silence, the buoy slowly receding as the
ship drifts away.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - NIGHT
Murphy stands watch by the fire as Epps joins him.
EPPS
Hey.
MURPHY
Hey.
EPPS
Couldn't sleep.
MURPHY
Wish I could say the same.
They watch the fire in silence for a moment.
EPPS
What do you think happened on this
boat?
MURPHY
I guess that's the sixty four thousand
dollar question, isn't it?
EPPS
The what?
MURPHY
Never mind. Before your time.
(a beat)
I think at least some of the crew
went a little nuts. The usual stuff
that happens when people stumble on
a fortune. Equal parts greed and
paranoia, usually resulting in
homicide. What happened after that
is anybody's guess. But, judging by
our Greek friends down below, it
doesn't look like the last time.
EPPS
Are we smart enough to avoid that?
MURPHY
I don't know, are we?
A beat as she looks back at him. She looks back to the fire,
watching it.
EPPS
When you found me yesterday, at the
pool. I'd seen... something. Someone.
MURPHY
Not our mystery guest again.
EPPS
No. Someone else. A girl.
(hesitating, a beat)
I'm not sure she was... real.
She looks up to Murphy.
MURPHY
Not real?
A beat as she only looks back.
MURPHY
What, like some kind of ghost?
EPPS
I don't know what else you'd call
her. One second she was there, the
next she was gone.
Another beat as he looks on at her.
EPPS
And I had a kind of hallucination.
(a beat)
There were others. I saw them in the
pool. Drowning.
A beat as Murphy looks back, as she sees him.
EPPS
Maybe hallucination is the wrong
word. It was more than that. As though
they were showing me.
MURPHY
Showing you what?
EPPS
What happened.
MURPHY
Maybe it was one of them did the
handy work on those Greeks.
EPPS
No. I think they are, were, just
passengers. Innocent victims.
MURPHY
Victims of what?
EPPS
Something bad happened here, Murphy.
MURPHY
That much I think we've already
established.
EPPS
More than just a mutiny. More than
just the gold.
A beat as he holds there.
EPPS
She said the ship was evil. That we
had to leave right away. That if we
didn't, we might never leave.
MURPHY
What's that supposed to mean?
EPPS
I don't know.
A beat as she looks back.
MURPHY
Why you? How come the rest of us
haven't seen these people?
EPPS
Just lucky I guess.
Another beat as he holds on her.
MURPHY
Well. Getting off this ship's exactly
what we're trying to do. Short of
that, I don't know what else to tell
you.
She only looks back at him, then into the fire.
MURPHY
Do me a favor and wake up Dodge.
He's next on.
She starts to get up.
MURPHY
And Epps?
She stands, looking back at him.
MURPHY
You can tell the others about this.
But, for my money, I think it's best
you keep it to yourself.
She holds there a beat longer, then turns, walking off.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - LATER - DAY
Epps comes to the 2nd officer's door, knocks.
EPPS
Dodge.
(no answer, knocking
again)
Dodge.
DODGE (O.S.)
(finally, from inside)
What?
EPPS
Get up.
DODGE (O.S.)
Yeah, yeah.
INT. CHIMERA - 4TH OFFICERS ROOM - NIGHT
Epps sits down on the bed. She lies back, not sleepy. A beat
as she holds there in the darkness.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - NIGHT
Murphy still sits by the fire as Dodge groggily approaches
from the officers quarters, carrying a blanket and a jug of
water.
MURPHY
You're late.
DODGE
Sorry.
MURPHY
(handing him the
shotgun)
Don't fall asleep.
DODGE
(laying out his blanket)
Right.
INT. CHIMERA - 1ST OFFICER'S STATEROOM - NIGHT
Greer lies asleep on the bed. But his sleep is fitful,
increasingly agitated, tormented. It is as if he tries to
speak, but cannot. As THE CAMERA PUSHES SLOWLY IN, his words
are forced and garbled, speaking in the same nonsensical
language he spoke earlier, when he wakes with a start.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - NIGHT
Dodge dozes, cradling the shotgun in his arms, when MUSIC
CAN BE HEARD VERY DISTANTLY. Dodge wakes. It is "Daisy"
playing on a music box somewhere in the ship.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Dodge moves along as the MUSIC BOX DISTANTLY CONTINUES.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY/PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Dodge moves cautiously down the stairway into another
passageway.
He approaches from the other end. He passes the open doors
of stateroom after stateroom. The MUSIC BOX IS CLOSER HERE.
It stops.
He holds there in the darkness. He turns, shining his light
back down the passageway. A beat. It is silent, when the
CHANNEL OF HIS RADIO OPENS WITH A SHORT BURST.
He raises his radio. But no one says anything, the CHANNEL
REMAINING OPEN, a discernible presence on the other end.
DODGE
Dodge.
SOMEONE'S POV - FROM THE FAR END
SLOWLY MOVING TOWARD DODGE as he can be seen from the other
end of the passageway.
BACK TO SCENE
He gets no response, then presses the talk button.
DODGE
This is Dodge. Over.
He is answered by silence, the CHANNEL REMAINING OPEN, WHEN
THE GRAVELLY DISTORTED VOICE THAT MURPHY HEARD COMES BACK ON
THE RADIO:
VOICE
"Cock-a-doodle-doo," said the rooster
to the crow. "Where are you now? I
know but won't say so."
Dodge hits the talk button.
DODGE
Who is this?
The RADIO CHANNEL OPENS, but only silence comes back.
DODGE
Identify yourself, motherfucker!
SOMEONE'S POV - FROM THE FAR END
SLOWLY MOVING TOWARD DODGE as he can be seen from the far
end of the passageway.
BACK TO SCENE
Only silence returns on the radio as Dodge holds there, then:
VOICE
Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy.
THE CAMERA PUSHES SLOWLY IN ON DODGE as he listens.
VOICE
Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle toy --
.
Dodge senses something behind him. He turns, and before he
can draw a breath to shout, SOMETHING HEAVY SLAMS INTO HIM
IN THE DARKNESS, his flashlight tumbling away in a squiggle
of light.
ON SHOTGUN
As the shotgun clatters to the deck, the muzzle resting in
frame as the radio falls a few feet away. A beat. The shotgun
muzzle slides out of frame as some unseen person or thing
pulls it away.
EXT. CHIMERA - DAY
A grey overcast stretches to the horizon.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - DAY
Murphy comes out onto the deck. Dodge is nowhere to be seen.
MURPHY
Dodge?
INT. CHIMERA - GALLEY STORAGE COMPARTMENT - DAY
Epps shines her light on something.
EPPS
Check it out.
Greer raises his light to reveal rows of canned goods. They
are industrial sized cans, from the 1950s. Greer takes one.
GREER
I don't even want to know what that's
gonna taste like now.
EPPS
Better than starving to death.
Epps' radio CRACKLES AWAKE.
MURPHY
Murphy to Epps.
EPPS
(raising the radio)
Epps, over.
MURPHY
Either of you seen Dodge?
She looks to Greer who shakes his head.
EPPS
Nope.
MURPHY
He's not on deck and I can't raise
him on the radio.
EXT. CHIMERA - FOREDECK - LATER - DAY
Dodge's stuff is laid out under the shelter of a vent duct
as Greer, Epps, and Murphy stand over it. A blanket, a pillow
and a plastic jug of water are all that remain.
MURPHY
He took the shotgun and a light.
GREER
Must've heard something below deck
and went down to check it out.
A beat as they hold there.
MURPHY
Alright. We stay together. Nobody
goes any further than earshot.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - DAY
Greer and Epps move along as Murphy raises his radio.
MURPHY
(into radio)
Murphy to Dodge. Murphy to Dodge.
Over.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dodge's radio lies in the detritus of the ship as Murphy's
voice can be heard on it.
MURPHY
Murphy to Dodge. Do you copy? Over.
INT. CHIMERA - ENGINEERING - LATER - DAY
Epps moves cautiously along in the darkness.
MURPHY (O.S.)
Epps? You there?
EPPS
Right here.
WITH MURPHY
As he moves along as well, eyes open.
MURPHY
Greer?
WITH GREER
As Greer moves along too.
GREER
Yeah, yeah.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - LATER - DAY
Epps jumps down, shining her light over machinery and across
bulkheads when a WHISPERING CAN BE HEARD somewhere. She holds
there, listening. It is echoey, distant.
EPPS
Murphy?
No response as Epps holds there. The WHISPERING SOUNDS AGAIN,
far off, unintelligible. It stops.
She moves on, shinning her light.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps moves along in the darkness, holding the flashlight
before her, when the WHISPERING SOUNDS AGAIN.
Epps stops, holding there in the silence. She reaches for
her radio. The WHISPERING SOUNDS AGAIN. Epps turns to pinpoint
it, coming from somewhere in the cavernous space.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps passes under a catwalk. She moves on, passing a row of
standpipes. Epps stops, listening. Somewhere, the WHISPERING
CAN BE HEARD, then stops.
It is absolutely silent. In the darkness behind her, the
GIRL (KATIE) PULLS BACK INTO THE SHADOWS.
Epps holds there a beat, then turns, running into Greer with
a start.
GREER
Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.
She holds there a beat, looking around.
GREER
You okay?
EPPS
Yeah. Fine. I just thought I heard
something is all.
GREER
What?
EPPS
Nothing. Let's get outa here.
They start to leave, when Epps notices something. She stops.
Beyond the standpipes, a faint glow can be seen in the
darkness. Epps steps forward, crossing to it. Greer follows.
MOVING WITH EPPS
As Epps approaches, Greer behind her. The light is dim and
low to the deck. She stops.
WITH THE LIGHT
As Epps starts toward it again. She and Greer come up to it,
stopping there. She kneels, the dim glow shining on her. She
reaches out toward it, pulling back Dodge's flashlight, still
on.
She turns it off, standing. She shines her light into the
darkness and starts off, Greer following.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps and Greer move along, shining their lights as they go,
when something catches in the beam of Epps' flashlight.
It is Dodge's radio. They stop over it. Epps picks it up,
inspecting it. She looks to Greer, when a single dark spot
appears on Epps' cheek. It begins to run, a crimson tear.
She raises her hand to touch it, inspecting her finger to
see that it is blood.
She looks to Greer. They both look up to see, hanging
suspended above them, Dodge's face staring back down at them
from the darkness.
He has been imperfectly impaled, the sharp point of a high
pressure steam pipe protruding from his neck, head hanging
limp beside it.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - LATER - DAY
Greer and Murphy lower Dodge's body on a rope as Epps guides
it to the deck. They stand looking on at it a moment.
GREER
Can't find the shotgun.
MURPHY
So whoever did this now has our
shotgun.
GREER
Doesn't look like it much matters.
EPPS
What do we do with him?
MURPHY
Leave him till we can get some help.
(a beat)
From now on, nobody comes down here.
GREER
What about the gold?
MURPHY
Leave it.
GREER
Now hold up just a minute. Let's be
reasonable here.
MURPHY
You think whoever did this is
reasonable?
GREER
All I'm saying is that gold's worth
a lot more to us now than it ever
was.
EPPS
I can't believe you. Dodge's dead
and all you can think about is cashing
in your share.
GREER
I didn't sign up to go home empty
handed. And I sure ain't gonna roll
over for the freaky motherfucker did
this.
MURPHY
Nobody's going anywhere with that
gold now. Anybody tries to board,
we'll know about it.
(a beat)
You can do what you want, Greer.
But neither of us is gonna risk saving
your ass down here if it comes to
that.
GREER
Fine with me.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - DAY
Epps enters the dim passageway from the bright daylight. She
moves down the passage, coming finally to the stateroom where
Greer was found, room 400.
She holds there a beat, then reaches for the door, hesitating.
She opens it.
INT. CHIMERA - STATEROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The door comes open and Epps steps in. It is dark, though
spacious. It is divided into two rooms. Beyond the sitting
room in the front, is a bedroom.
Epps steps in. A dressing table sits against the far wall.
A large bed is unmade. Suitcases lie open on stands at the
foot of the bed, still half full as if they were in the
process of being unpacked.
From one, she pulls back a woman's gown, a blouse. The other
contains shirts, trousers, socks, and underwear.
Across the room a smaller suitcase can be seen lying open on
an Ottoman in the corner. Epps crosses to it. She finds a
few shirts, and a red print dress, some books. She takes one
of the books, opening it.
Inscribed on the inside of the cover is: "This book belongs
to:" and then written in by hand: "Katie Nichols."
A page is marked with a purple ribbon. She opens it to see a
children's poem "The Rooster and the Crow" and a drawing of
a rooster and a crow and a stanza of a poem: "'Cock-a-doodle
doo,' said the rooster to the crow. 'Where are you now? I
know, but won't say so.'" She puts it down. A tin penny
whistle sits on the table. She picks it up, examining it.
She opens a small picture book, thumbing through to see photos
of a family, a young mother and father at the beach, the
mother and a girl of about 9 years, the girl and an older
girl of about 16, the girl she saw at the swimming pool,
KATIE. Epps holds on this picture, when A MUSIC BOX SOUNDS.
She looks up to the dressing table. On it a music box slowly
plays "Daisy."
AT THE TABLE
Epps crosses to it, looking on at the music box as it slowly
winds down, then finally stops. A beat. She picks it up,
looking at it, when she looks up to see Greer standing there.
A beat.
The dirty white light falling into the room through the
windows falls on him as he looks off at something we cannot
see. His expression is empty, hollow.
EPPS
Greer?
He does not hear her as he stands there. She approaches,
stepping up.
EPPS
You okay?
Another beat, as he looks off, into the light, when he slowly
turns to see her.
A long beat as she looks back. He holds there, the same empty
look about him, when he grabs her by the throat and squeezes
hard.
She is stunned, breathless, but raises her hands to grip his
wrists, fighting him.
EPPS
Greer!
His grip tightens. He is much stronger and her efforts make
little difference.
EPPS
Let go!
She hangs on, starting to choke. She drops one hand, searching
with it.
GREER
Oragishlaoomnudrasadrafantoshviska
getofedobrodijotosiantosg.
He speaks nonsense, his face distorted in an ugly grimace,
eyes bulging as Epps fumbles over the table, a tray of glass
and silver crashing to the floor as he pushes her back, still
choking her.
He backs her to the wall, pushing in, closing her windpipe
the rest of the way.
Her hand searches behind her, knocking over a small vase, a
basket, some books. It comes to a brass desk lamp. It falls,
a little out of reach.
She is going to black out any second, as Greer strangles
her.
Her hand comes to the desk lamp, grabbing it.
She raises the lamp, swinging with all her might, connecting
with Greer's head.
He stumbles back, a gash laid into his face, as Epps sucks
in air, gagging and coughing, her neck purple with finger
marks. She fumbles her radio up.
EPPS
(into radio)
Murphy! I'm on C deck, cabin 400!
Get down here now!!
Blood is running down his face as Greer comes for her again.
She throws down the radio.
A bed stands between them. She feints right, then left. He's
dazed and has blood in his eyes. She manages to slip by, but
he dives, taking her down.
He drags her back along the floor, spinning her around. He
raises a fist to ram into her face when WHAM!
Epps has shoved the butt of her flashlight into his crotch
and he comes up SCREAMING. He grabs her face, striking her
with his other hand.
She swings the flashlight again and cracks him across the
head. He swings yet again and connects, knocking her across
the floor.
She lies in a heap as Greer climbs to his feet, enraged and
bleeding.
He unbuckles his belt as he approaches, pulling it from his
waist to do God knows what.
Epps looks around to see him approaching. And we see that
she has unhinged her gill knife.
As his foot steps near, she lets go and drives the knife
with all her might into his boot, plunging the blade through
his foot and into the floor. He SCREAMS.
After a moment he stops, looks to her. He is a bloody,
wretched, enraged mess. He starts toward her as Murphy appears
in the doorway.
Just as Greer is upon her, Murphy blind sides Greer from
behind at full speed, knocking him down.
Greer and Murphy struggle as Epps climbs unsteadily to her
feet. She staggers to them and raises the flashlight over
Greer, bringing it down on his head.
CUT TO BLACK
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - LATER - DAY
Epps and Murphy carry Greer's unconscious body.
INT. CHIMERA - AQUARIUM TANK - LATER - DAY
Greer tumbles down a sand bank in an empty aquarium. He stops
at the bottom, now starting to come to.
OUTSIDE
Murphy slams the door shut as Epps looks on. She puts a steel
pipe across the hatch lever so that it cannot be opened.
INT. CHIMERA - AQUARIUM TANK - LATER - DAY
Greer sits in the tank, visible through a large piece of
armored aquarium glass, amidst the fake coral. He sits in
the sand hugging his legs to his chest, bobbing slightly as
he speaks in his nonsensical language.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Must've been him all along.
Murphy and Epps look on from the outside in the promenade.
MURPHY
Smashed the radio. Scuttled the boat.
Killed Dodge. Would've killed you.
He's off his nut, no doubt there.
They watch him in silence a moment as Greer mutters and bobs.
MURPHY
What do you think?
EPPS
Could be a stroke. Who knows?
(a beat)
The general log said the crew were
fighting among themselves. "Like
wild dogs."
MURPHY
Over the gold.
EPPS
Maybe it was more than that.
Greer gets up, comes to the window, looking out at them. He
presses his face to the glass.
EPPS
They went crazy.
MURPHY
Crazy with greed. Not crazy. Not
like him.
A beat as Epps looks off. In the window Greer drags his
hideously distorted face over the glass, the blood from his
wounds smearing in broad red streaks.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - DAY
A partial hull of a rotting life boat falls into frame. Epps
and Murphy stand over it.
MURPHY
We lash a few of these together it
might get us far enough into the
shipping lanes to be rescued.
A beat as they look on at the rotting hull.
MURPHY
Hard to say which is worse, staying
here or taking our chances in open
water.
EPPS
If the weather holds it might not be
so bad.
MURPHY
It's not the weather I'm worried
about. The wrong current could drag
us as far as the Aleutians before we
come across another boat.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - DAY
Epps and Murphy work to lash parts of the rotting boats into
a single usable raft.
INT. CHIMERA - AQUARIUM TANK - DAY
Greer lies asleep on the sand bottom of the tank, the white
light from the skylight falling on him from above.
INT. CHIMERA - STORAGE AREA - DAY
Epps has found a reel of wire and some metal braces, making
her way into the darkness, when her radio CRACKLES TO LIFE.
The channel remains silent a moment, then closes. She stops,
raises the radio.
EPPS
(holding down talk
button)
Murphy?
She waits, holding there as only silence comes back.
EPPS
Murphy, this is Epps. Do you copy?
Again, only silence comes back until, after a moment, the
channel opens again. No one speaks, though there is a palpable
presence on the other end.
EPPS
(raising the radio)
Who is this?
The channel opens again, only silence returning. The sound
of the MUSIC BOX CAN BE HEARD, "DAISY" COMING BACK OVER THE
RADIO.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps walks along in the darkness AS THE MUSIC BOX CONTINUES
TO PLAY OVER THE RADIO. She comes to the end of the corridor,
stopping there.
At the other end the light falls from the door at room 400.
The MUSIC FROM THE RADIO STOPS, leaving in its absence the
MUSIC AS IT CAN BE HEARD COMING FROM THE ROOM AT THE END OF
THE CORRIDOR.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps approaches the other end, from where the MUSIC EMANATES,
coming to a stop at room 400. A beat as she holds there.
INT. CHIMERA - ROOM 400 - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps steps in as THE MUSIC BOX PLAYS IN THE OTHER ROOM.
The sitting room is dark as she holds there. After a moment,
she continues on, coming to the bedroom.
Epps steps in. Across the room the MUSIC BOX IS PLAYING.
She crosses, coming to it as it continues, when her radio
CRACKLES TO LIFE. The channel remains silent a moment, then:
VOICE
"Cock-a-doodle-doo, said the rooster
to the crow. Where are you now? I
know but won't say so."
She holds there a beat, then crosses to the table to find
the book of nursery rhymes. She opens it to the nursery rhyme
"The Rooster and the Crow," seeing the same words on the
page, when the radio CRACKLES AGAIN.
VOICE
Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy. Penny whistle toy. Penny whistle
toy.
On the table is the penny whistle she saw earlier. She takes
it, holding on it a moment. She raises it and THE CAMERA
SLOWLY PUSHES IN as she puts it to her lips and lightly blows
a C-SHARP WHICH BECOMES A C-SHARP FROM A PENNY WHISTLE across
the room.
MOTHER
"Cock-a-doodle-doo, said the rooster
to the crow. Where are you now? I
know but won't say so."
On the other side of the room, the younger girl from the
photo plays the penny whistle. She is sitting on the floor
with the MOTHER who reads from the book we saw earlier.
MOTHER
"Cock-a-doodle-doo, said the rooster
to the crow. Where are you now? I
know but won't say so." Cassandra,
if you insist on playing that while
I read I'll just stop right now.
THE GIRL
Sorry.
The room is warm with light, restored to its original
condition some fifty years ago as Epps stands there, unseen,
no longer holding the whistle.
A man, the FATHER from the photos, steps from the bathroom
wearing a new coat.
FATHER
What do you think?
MOTHER
He certainly did shorten it, didn't
he?
FATHER
I thought this was all the rage.
KATIE
Maybe last year.
Katie joins them from the outer room.
FATHER
What about this year?
KATIE
It's not your color anyway.
GIRL
I like it, daddy.
FATHER
Well thank you!
GIRL
Daddy, how much longer before we
start moving again?
FATHER
They're working on the engines, honey.
As soon as they fix them we'll be on
our way.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps steps from room 400 into the passageway. It is lit with
sconces running its length and the elegant furnishings and
objets d'art stretching to the far end are all in their
original condition. DISTANT MUSIC FROM THE BALLROOM CAN BE
HEARD as Epps stands there. She moves along.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps walks in the passageway. Doors are open and she looks
in to see people doing various things, some packing and
putting their things in order.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps walks down the passage, rounding the corner to see three
STEWARDS fighting with a fourth MAN in a tuxedo. They lift
him up and carry him off down the stairs as he shouts and
protests. She moves on, through a pair of double doors, into
INT. CHIMERA - STORAGE COMPARTMENT - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps moves through the now lighted storage area off the
galley. A group of CREWMEN stand around at the other end
and, as Epps nears, she sees that four figures can be seen
among them. They are four men, OFFICERS, swaying gently from
the ship's movement as they hang from ropes around their
neck, dead. Epps keeps moving, through doors at the other
end.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
A commotion can be heard at the other end of the passageway
as Epps keeps moving. A WOMAN SCREAMS, and is cut off when a
door slams shut.
The DISTANT MUSIC HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH INDISCERNIBLE
SHOUTING, as of someone commandeering the microphone somewhere
As she walks, she passes an open door where several CREWMEN
fight over a steamer trunk, which breaks open, scattering
the contents.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT
Epps walks along, coming to another door where a dead man
and woman are laying in the middle of the room as a STEWARD
takes money from a wallet. The steward looks up, reaches
over and slams the door shut. She continues on.
Another door stands open as she comes to it, back at room
400. She stops. A REPETITIVE SOUND CAN BE HEARD, coming from
inside.
INT. CHIMERA - ROOM 400 - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps steps in as the SOUND CONTINUES. She crosses the sitting
room, coming to the doorway of the bedroom to find several
MUTINEERS, some in stewards attire, others wearing ships
officers caps, obviously taken from their rightful owners.
The repetitive sound comes from here, bed springs. And, from
between the men, a woman's bare legs hang over the end of
the bed as a pair of man's legs in boots lie between them,
the bed rocking, the others looking on.
Epps turns to see the father. He is on his knees, hands tied
behind his back as he is forced to watch from the foot of
the bed.
EPPS LOOKS DOWN TO SEE
EPPS' POV
a geometric pattern of a lotus on the Persian carpet at her
feet. When she looks up again she sees what the father sees.
The mutineer finishes, climbing off the woman. Another of
the men pulls her up to reveal that she is no woman at all,
but Katie.
The mother and sister lie in a bloody heap near-by as one of
the other mutineers steps up to Epps.
MUTINEER
You like that, daddy? I'll show you
something else now.
The mutineer steps back to the bed. He sits Katie down so
that she faces us on the end of the bed. He raises an axe
over her, bringing it down as the world becomes a whirling
blur --
EPPS (V.O.)
NO!!!!
BACK TO SCENE
The CAMERA STOPS ON KATIE standing on the other side of the
room, now empty of people, returned to its shabby, abandoned
state.
KATIE
It isn't real.
Epps looks back at her from the other side of the room where
she stands.
KATIE
Many bad things have happened here.
But you mustn't allow the evil inside.
I tell you this because you can see
me. The others can't. But you must
leave. You must leave.
A LOUD GUNSHOT SOUNDS SOMEWHERE IN THE SHIP. When Epps turns
back Katie is gone.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps moves quickly along, raising her radio.
MURPHY
Epps to Murphy.
Only WHITE NOISE COMES BACK.
EPPS
Epps to Murphy.
Only WHITE NOISE COMES BACK as she rounds the corner out
onto the promenade. At the other end, the aquarium can be
seen.
As she approaches she sees that the tank is empty. Greer is
nowhere to be seen and the skylight at the top is broken
out.
A GREAT BOOMING SHUDDER rocks the ship. A LOUD SCREECHING OF
METAL follows it.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The ship's hull being scraped at the waterline by a jagged
mid-ocean island no bigger than fifty or sixty feet across.
The ship has entered a small archipelago of such islands, a
mine field for a drifting ship.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps moves quickly along, coming to the stairway, moving up,
almost running into Murphy on his way down, carrying a canvas
duffle.
EPPS
What happened?
MURPHY
We hit land.
EPPS
What?
MURPHY
We're in an island chain. It's only
a matter of time before we hit another
one.
EPPS
Greer's gone. He broke out of the
tank.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps and Murphy move quickly along, when another HUGE BOOMING
shudders the ship and the SHRIEKING OF METAL follows.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The ship bounces off another of the small, jagged islands as
it drifts past, buckling the steel plate of the hull
precariously.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy and Epps run toward the other end of the ship. As
they do, something can be seen lying in the middle of the
passage some distance down.
AT THE OTHER END
Epps and Murphy slow to see that it is a body, lying face
down in the passage.
They step up. Epps kneels as Murphy looks on. She rolls the
body over. It is Greer, dead.
EPPS
He's been shot.
Murphy kneels too, looking on at Greer's lifeless eyes.
MURPHY
Let's get the hell out of here.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY/PASSAGEWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Murphy and Epps come up the stairway, crossing to the doors.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As Epps and Murphy come out, moving toward the make-do raft.
MURPHY
It should be enough to get us to one
of those islands. Gimme a hand,
wouldya?
She joins him and they lift it off its stand, taking it to
the rail.
MURPHY
Prop it here. We need to pull these
braces off. There's a hammer on the
stand. There.
Epps crosses back to the stands.
AT THE STANDS
Epps kneels. No hammer. She pulls back Murphy's canvas duffle,
folding back the flap to reveal a shotgun, the shotgun Dodge
had when he died.
A beat as she holds there, when Murphy's hand grabs it.
MURPHY
I'll take that.
A beat as she looks to Murphy.
EPPS
It was you.
He only looks back at her as she stands there.
EPPS
You killed them.
MURPHY
It was only a matter of time before
somebody killed somebody.
(a beat)
You saw it coming as well as I did.
Dodge had his plans, starting with
scuttling the boat. And Greer too,
except he went nuts. Couldn't take
it, I guess. Could've happened in
the middle of downtown Anchorage.
But did it make him any less
dangerous? I don't think so.
EPPS
So you killed them?
MURPHY
The way I figure it, it was them or
me. I thought putting Dodge up on
that pipe was a nice touch? Bought a
little time. Made it look like whoever
killed those Greeks was still around.
But it's just us on this ship. Us
and your... spirit friends.
EPPS
And now you're gonna kill me, is
that it?
MURPHY
I didn't want it to turn out this
way.
EPPS
Murphy, don't you see what's
happening?
MURPHY
I think I see it pretty well.
EPPS
It's the ship. The ship's making you
think this way.
MURPHY
I know a little bit about human nature
and what I've seen only confirms
that.
EPPS
It's a trap. There was no way we
were gonna get away with that gold.
Nobody ever does. It's just the bait.
This ship sucks people in and it
never lets them out.
MURPHY
I think maybe you been on this boat
a little too long, with all that
supernatural mumbo jumbo. There's
nothing supernatural about greed.
And that's what it comes down to,
pure and simple.
EPPS
I don't give a damn about the gold.
MURPHY
I wish I could believe that. Either
way, you know what I've done. I've
got no choice.
He raises the shotgun.
MURPHY
I'm sorry.
He prepares to fire, when a CONCUSSION ROCKS THE SHIP. Epps
ducks and Murphy fires, a spatter of buckshot shredding the
vent behind her. A SCREECHING OF METAL DEEP IN THE SHIP SOUNDS
as she gets up, diving for cover as Murphy shuttles the gun
again.
WITH EPPS
Epps scrambles behind a deck vent.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The ship has bounced off yet another small island, the jagged
rocks loudly scrapping the hull with a deafening shriek.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy crosses toward the deck vent.
MURPHY
There's no reason to make this any
more difficult than it has to be.
WITH EPPS
As Epps holds there she sees the vent opening. She pulls
herself up and climbs inside.
INT. CHIMERA - AIR SHAFT - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps climbs down the air shaft where a giant fan spans its
width. She squeezes through the fan blades and drops down
where several vent ducts lead in different directions below
it.
EXT. CHIMERA - FORWARD DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy comes to the vent duct where Epps went down.
INT. CHIMERA - AIR DUCT - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps crawls through. She comes to a vent that leads out to a
passageway.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy runs quickly down the stairway, shotgun at the ready.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The vent is shoved out and falls to the metal catwalk.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The CLANG FROM THE VENT SOUNDS HERE and Murphy stops.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps extends her feet and climbs down into the passage.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy rounds the corner, moving on the same deck.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps moves along on a metal catwalk in the darkness when
something can be heard ahead of her. She stops.
FOOTSTEPS SOUND at the end of the passage. Epps pulls back
into the shadows, holding there.
The footsteps sound as if they are coming down stairs at the
other end, when the FOOTSTEPS STOP.
Epps holds there, listening intently in the silence when, at
the other end, THE SOUND OF CREAKING METAL, as from a hatch
slowly opening, can be heard. It stops. All is silent, WHEN
THE HATCH CREAKS AGAIN at the other end. She begins moving
toward it.
As she approaches, she can see that the hatch is half open,
swaying slightly with the movement of the ship.
A CREAKING SOUNDS behind her. She turns, just as Murphy steps
into view. She ducks as he fires and a spray of buckshot
ricochets off the metal around her.
She scrambles on her belly as Murphy fires again. She swings
down from the catwalk, letting herself fall to the next deck.
AT THE BOTTOM
Epps gets up, runs.
WITH MURPHY
Murphy climbs down a ladder to the lower decks.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps moves quickly along.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy follows, when A RUMBLING SOUND CAN BE HEARD.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps stops where she is in the cavernous engine room, looking
on at the massive hull rising above her as the RUMBLING GROWS
IN INTENSITY. Though it seems to resonate throughout the
ship, it seems to originate from here, from directly below,
as though the hull were being dragged over a rocky bottom.
She steps back as the sound grows still louder, until it
becomes absolutely deafening.
The ship begins to shudder. The steel bulkheads visibly move
and the steel plates in the hull can be seen to bend back
and forth.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy slows and finally stops.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
A few rivets pop in the hull. Then a few more, as the RUMBLING
GROWS STILL LOUDER.
Epps puts her hands to her ears and begins to back away,
when the RUMBLING REACHES A PINNACLE. The rivets are springing
out of the hull like machine gun fire when the steel plate
of the hull gives way, A MASSIVE CRAG OF ROCK SMASHING THROUGH
WITH A TREMENDOUS BOOM AND A TORRENT OF SEAWATER.
Epps ducks for cover as the crag tears a diagonal line through
the Chimera's hull like a jagged claw through paper in a
HORRENDOUS TUMULT OF NOISE AND STEAM AND SPARKS.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The Chimera is impaled broadside by a particularly devious
rock promontory of a small island.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The giant claw begins to pull back, as the ship drifts off,
water pouring in behind it.
EXT. CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The ship is drifting free of the island with the current, a
huge gash rising on its port side.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
A massive torrent sweeps over Epps as seawater pours in
through the breach.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy stops where he is to see water rushing in at the end
of the passage. He begins backing away.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps is forced under as the water in the hull is already
half way up the side, the ship listing WITH A GREAT GROANING
EXERTION.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy moves down the passageway, coming to the cargo
compartment.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS WITH EPPS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps comes up for air. A clatter of all manner of debris,
tools and general detritus hammers against the far bulkhead
as the ship eases over. A boiler breaks loose of its stays.
Epps looks up to see it coming right for her. She ducks under
the water as the boiler slams into the bulkhead where she
was.
WITH EPPS
Epps is forced down by the boiler, trapped between it and
the bulkhead.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO HOLD - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The gold slides off the palette, crashing into the far wall.
Murphy hurries to it, collecting ingots and putting them in
his pockets.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps struggles under the water to free herself, but she is
trapped, the heavy boiler and its broken stays caging her.
ABOVE THE WATER
The level of the water has now almost completely reached the
deck above, filling the ship almost entirely below decks.
INT. CHIMERA - CARGO HOLD - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The water is threateningly high as Murphy pockets one last
ingot and makes his way for the exit.
INT. CHIMERA - BELOW DECKS - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps is trying to pull back the boiler stays, without luck.
She swims down lower, finding a pipe fitting she pries at
the stays, without luck, when a form drifts into view in the
murky water.
Several more forms appear. They are human, suspended in the
water. As Epps looks, the several forms have become many.
They are the bodies of the dead she saw in the pool before.
As they look on at her from where they are, one form emerges.
It is Katie.
She reaches toward Epps, as if beckoning her to take her
hand from the other side. Epps raises her hand, taking it.
The girl leads Epps down into the murky darkness where she
finds a way out. She takes her back further, coming to the
breech, leading her out and into a cool green void of water.
Katie stops at the breach. Epps turns to her. She only looks
back at Epps. Epps turns away, swimming upward toward the
light of the surface.
EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY
Epps breaks through, gasping for air. She looks to see the
Chimera, listing heavily to one side, its bow decks fully
awash.
INT. CHIMERA - PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Murphy staggers through the flooded passage.
EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The Chimera is getting lower in the water, the bow submerged
and the stern beginning to rise.
Epps sees another small island some distance off. She begins
swimming toward it.
INT. CHIMERA - STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Water runs down the stairway as Murphy struggles toward the
top.
EXT. ISLAND - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps swims as the ship sinks in the distance.
INT. CHIMERA - PROMENADE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
A river of water rushes through as Murphy crosses with
difficulty.
EXT. ISLAND - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps reaches the jagged rock of the island. She pulls herself
up.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Water rushes in as Murphy wades out onto the Chimera's top
deck. He is heavily weighted down and periodically goes under
as he half wades half swims, the length of the ship's aft
portion rising above him as the bow sinks.
EXT. ISLAND - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps collapses on the rocks.
EXT. CHIMERA - TOP DECK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As the ship moves lower, Murphy pushes off. He bobs under
momentarily, then comes back up with difficulty. The forward
smoke stack has dipped under and is now taking on water, the
current from the rushing water pulling him toward it.
EXT. ISLAND - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Epps looks on as the giant ship angles higher and higher.
EXT. CHIMERA - WITH MURPHY - CONTINUOUS - DAY
As the ship dips lower, the rushing water forms an eddy that
pulls at Murphy. Murphy struggles, too heavy to resist as he
is pulled closer and closer to the sucking maw that is the
smokestack's opening.
The ship sinks further and Murphy is pulled to the edge of
the stack. He frantically grabs for something to hold on to,
without success, until he is finally pulled into the smoke
stack and sucked into the bowels of the ship by the rushing
water.
EXT. ISLAND - LATER - DAY
Epps sits perched under a rock out of the wind, looking on
at the Chimera, her stern rising high above water as she
goes down, when the RUMBLE OF ENGINES CAN BE HEARD.
She turns to see a Coastguard plane sweeping low over the
Chimera, then banking back and flying right over as she shouts
and waves her arms.
EXT. ISLAND - LATER - DAY
The Coastguard plane flies by one more time, this time
dropping a survival pack.
The Chimera's stern rises up out of the water, almost vertical
now, slipping further and further under.
Epps looks on one last time, as the ship goes down.
EXT. OCEAN - WITH CHIMERA - CONTINUOUS - DAY
The afterdeck of the Chimera sinks slowly, slowly down, the
CAMERA PUSHING IN TO "CHIMERA" as the name comes to the water,
then slips slowly beneath the surface. And THE CAMERA FOLLOWS,
MOVING INTO THE WATER to reveal that, beneath the surface,
there is no ship at all, only the vast empty depths of the
ocean.
FADE TO BLACK
THE END
Additional Info |
Ghostbusters II
by
Harold Ramis
and
Dan Aykroyd
September 29, 1988
Last revised Feburary 27, 1989
EXT. MANHATTAN ISLAND - DAY
A high AERIAL SHOT of the island features the Statue of Liberty
prominently in the foreground then TRAVELS ACROSS the harbor, OVER the
Battery and Lower Manhattan to Greenwich Village.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - DAY
A car is being hoisted up by a municipal tow truck while its owner is
having a terrible screaming arguement with a parking enforcement officer.
DANA BARRETT comes home pushing a baby buggy, struggling with two full
bags of groceries, and trying to dig her keys out of her purse. The
building superintendent FRANK, sees her struggling but pretends not to
notice.
DANA
(exasperated)
Frank, do you think you could give me a hand
with these bags?
FRANK
I'm not a doorman, Miss Barrett. I'm a
building superintendent.
DANA
You're also a human being, Frank.
FRANK
(reluctantly going to help)
Okay, okay. It's not my job, but what the
hell. I'll do you a favor. He takes the
grocery bags from her.
DANA
(setting the wheel brakes on
the buggy)
Thank you, Frank. I'll get the hang of this
eventually.
She continues digging in her purse while Frank leans over the buggy and
makes funny faces at the baby, OSCAR, a very cute nine-month old boy.
FRANK
(to the baby)
Hiya, Oscar. What do you say, slugger?
FRANK
(to Dana)
That's a good-looking kid you got there, Ms.
Barrett.
DANA
(finding her keys)
Thank you, Frank. Oh, are you ever going to
fix the radiator in my bedroom? I asked you
last week.
FRANK
Didn't I do it?
BABY BUGGY
It starts to vibrate as if shaken by an unseen hand.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - BABY - DAY
He GURGLES with delight at the movement.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - DANA AND FRANK - DAY
Neither of them notice the movement of the carriage.
DANA
No, you didn't, Frank.
FRANK
Okay, that's no problem.
DANA
That's exactly what you said last week.
BUGGY WHEELS
The brakes unlock themselves.
DANA
She reaches for the handlebar of the buggy, but the buggy rolls forward
just out of her reach and stops. Surprised by the movement, she reaches
for the handlebar again, but this time the buggy rolls away even
further. Alarmed now, Dana hurries after it, but the buggy keeps
rolling down the street at ever increasing speed.
SIDEWALK
Dana chases the buggy down the street, shouting to passing pedestrians
for help, but every time someone reaches out to stop it, the buggy
swerves and continues unchecked.
INTERSECTION
Cars, trucks, and buses speed by in both directions as the buggy races
toward the corner.
DANA
She puts her head down and sprints after the buggy like an Olympian.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - INTERSECTION - DAY
A city bus is on a collision course with the speeding baby buggy.
BUGGY
It careens toward the corner.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - BABY - DAY
Its eyes are wide open with excitement.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - INTERSECTION - DAY
Bus and buggy are closing fast as the buggy bounces over the curb and
into the crosswalk.
BUS
The bus driver reacts in helpless horror as he sees the buggy enter the
intersection at high speed.
BUGGY
It comes to a dead stop right in the middle of the street. The bus
continues missing the buggy by inches.
INTERSECTION
Cars and trucks swerve and hit their brakes as Dana runs into the
intersection and snatches up the baby. She hugs it close, deeply
relieved, then looks at the buggy with the dawning awareness that the
supernatural has re-entered her life.
CUT TO:
EXT. UPPER WEST SIDE - NEW YORK CITY STREET - GHOSTBUSTERS LOGO - DAY
THEME MUSIC kicks in strongly as we see the familiar "No Ghosts" symbol
and PULL BACK to reveal that it's painted on the side of Ecto-1, the
Ghostbusters' emergency vehicle, which is speeding up Broadway on the
Upper West Side. RAY STANTZ is driving and WINSTON ZEDDEMORE is riding
shotgun.
EXT. WEST 77TH STREET - DAY (MOMENTS LATER)
The Ectomobile pulls up in front of a carefully-restored brownstone.
Stantz and Winston, wearing their official Ghostbuster uniforms, jump
out of the old ambulance, shoulder their proton packs and enter the
house.
INT. BROWNSTONE - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
A WOMAN greets them and leads them through the expensively-furnished
house.
STANTZ
(all business)
How many of them are there, ma'am?
WOMAN
Fourteen. They're in the back. I hope you can
handle them. It's been like a nightmare.
WINSTON
How big are they?
She holds her hand out indicating about four feet.
WINSTON
(resolute)
We'll do our best, ma'am.
WOMAN
They're right out here.
She leads them to a set of French doors that open into another room.
Stantz and Winston pause to make final adjustments to their equipment.
STANTZ
Ready?
WINSTON
I'm ready.
STANTZ
Then let's do it.
He pushes through the French doors and they step into the room.
INT. BROWNSTONE - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
They are immediately attacked by fourteen or fifteen screaming KIDS
between the ages of seven and ten.
KIDS
(disappointed)
Ghostbusters!! Boooo!!
Tables are set with party favors, ice cream and birthday cake and the
room is strewn with discarded toys and games. A couple of weary parents
sink onto lawn chairs as Stantz and Winston take over the party.
WINSTON
(trying his best)
How you doin', kids?
LITTLE BOY
(nasty)
I though we were having He-Man.
STANTZ
He-Man couldn't make it today. That's why
we're here.
BOY
My dad says you're full of crap.
STANTZ
(stopped cold)
Well, a lot of people have trouble believing
in the paranormal.
BOY
No, he just says you're full of crap and that's
why you went out of business.
He kicks Stantz in the leg. Stantz grabs him by the shirtfront.
STANTZ
(low and menacing)
I'm watching you.
(to Winston)
Song.
Winston switches on a tiny TAPE RECORDER which starts PLAYING the
Ghostbusters THEME SONG. Stantz and WInston start singing
STANTZ AND WINSTON
'There's something wrong in the neighborhood.
Who you gonna call?'
KIDS
(all together)
He-Man!!
CUT TO:
EXT. WEST 77TH STREET - DAY (LATER)
Stantz and Winston wearily load their equipment into the Ectomobile.
WINSTON
That's it, Ray. I've had it. No more parties.
I'm tired of taking abuse from over-privileged
nine-year-olds.
STANTZ
Come on, Winston. We can't quit now. The
holidays are coming up. It's our best season.
They get in the car
INT. ECTO-1 - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Stantz tries to start the car, but the engine won't turn over.
WINSTON
Give it up, Ray. You're living in the past.
Ghostbusters doesn't exist anymore. In a year
these kids won't even remember who we are.
STANTZ
(tries to start the car again)
Ungrateful little Yuppie larvae. After all we
did for this city.
WINSTON
Yeah, what did we do, Ray? The last real job
we had we bubbled up a hundred foot marshmallow
man and blew the top three floors off an uptown
highrise.
STANTZ
Yeah, but what a ride. You can't make a
hamburger without chopping up a cow.
He turns the key again, the ENGING TURNS OVER, then starts GRINDING and
CLUNKING disastrously, chewing up vital parts and dropping twisted bits
of metal onto the pavement. Finally, with a BLAST of black sooty
exhaust from the tailpipe, Ecto-1 shudders and dies. Frustrated, Stantz
bangs his head lightly on the steering wheel
CUT TO:
INT. WKRR-TV STUDIO RECEPTION AREA - DAY (LATER)
A bank of monitors in the lobby show the program now running on WKRR,
Channel 10 in New York. We PUSH IN ON one of the monitors as a title
card and logo come up accompanied by some EERIE SYNTHESIZER MUSIC, and
we return to the show in progress: "World of the Psychic with Dr. Peter
Venkman." There is a video dissolve to a standard talk show set and
sitting there is our host PETER VENKMAN, the renowned and somewhat
infamous ex-Ghostbuster.
VENKMAN
He turns TO CAMERA and talks to his viewers in a suavely engaging tone,
understated and intimate.
VENKMAN
Hi, welcome back to the 'World of the Psychic,'
I'm Peter Venkman and I'm chatting with my guest,
author, lecturer and of course, psychic, Milton
Anglund.
(to his guest)
Milt, your new book is called The End of the
World. Isn't that kind of like writing about
gum disease. Yes, it could happen, but do you
think anybody wants to read a book about it?
MILTON
Well, I think it's important for people to know
that the world is in danger.
VENKMAN
Okay, so can you tell us when it's going to
happen or do we have to buy the book?
MILTON
I predict that the world will end at the
stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.
VENKMAN
This year? That's cutting it a little close,
isn't it? I mean, just from a sales point of
view, the book just came out, right? So you're
not even looking at the paperback release for
maybe a year. And it's going to be at least
another year after that if the thing has
movie-of-the-week or mini-series potential.
You would have been better off predicting 1992
or even '94 just to be safe.
MILTON
(irritated)
This is not just some money-making scheme! I
didn't just make up the date. I have a strong
psychic belief that the world will end on New
Year's Eve.
VENKMAN
(placating)
Well, for your sake, I hope you're right. But
I think my other guest may disagree with you.
Elaine, you had another date in mind?
The CAMERA REVEALS ELAINE, an attractive, aggressive New Jersey
housewife, sitting on the other side of Venkman.
ELAINE
According to my sources, the world will end
on February 14, in the year 2016.
VENKMAN
Valentine's Day. That's got to be a bummer.
Where did you get that date, Elaine?
ELAINE
I received this information from an alien. I
was at the Paramus Holiday Inn, I was having
a drink in the bar when he approached me and
started talking. Then he must have used some
sort of ray or a mind control device because
he made me follow him to his room and that's
where he told me about the end of the world.
VENKMAN
Your alien had a room in the Holiday Inn?
ELAINE
It may have been a room on the spacecraft made
up to look like a room in the Holiday Inn. I
can't be sure, Peter.
VENKMAN
(humoring her)
No, you can't, and I think that's the whole
problem with aliens; you just can't trust them.
You may get some nice ones occasionally like
Starman or E.T., but most of them turn out to
be some kind of lizard. Anyway, we're just
about out of time.
(does his wrap-up right TO
the CAMERA)
Next week on 'World of the Psychic,' hairless
pets.
(holds up a hairless cat)
Until then, this is Peter Venkman saying ...
(puts a finger to his temple
and sends out a though to his
viewers)
... Good night.
CUT TO:
INT. TV STUDIO - CORRIDOR - DAY (LATER)
Venkman comes out of the studio squabbling with his producer, NORMAN, a
well-meaning young incompetent.
VENKMAN
Where do you find these people? I thought
we were having the telekinetic guy who bends
the spoons?
NORMAN
A lot of the better psychics won't come on the
show. They think you're too skeptical.
VENKMAN
Skeptical! Norman, I'm a pushover. I think
professional wrestling is real.
There is a small commotion down the hall as two plainclothes cops come
out of the next studio followed by a group of mayoral assistants.
VENKMAN
(to Norman)
What's all this?
NORMAN
They just interviewed the mayor on 'Cityline.'
VENKMAN
The Mayor! He's a friend of mine.
Venkman starts down the hall as the MAYOR and his principal aide, JACK
HARDEMEYER, come walking out of the studio.
VENKMAN
(calling to the Mayor)
Lenny!
The Mayor sees Venkman, blanches and hurries off, pretending not to know
him.
VENKMAN
(starts to follow him)
Lenny! It's Pete Venkman!
The plainclothesmen cut Venkman off and Hardemeyer puts a heavy hand
against Venkman's chest.
HARDEMEYER
(snide)
Can I help you?
VENKMAN
(dangerous)
Yeah, you can get your hand off my chest.
Hardemeyer smiles and drops his hand.
HARDEMEYER
I'm Jack Hardemeyer. I'm the mayor's assistant.
What can I do for you?
VENKMAN
I'm an old friend of the mayor's. I just
want to say hello to him.
HARDEMEYER
(scornful)
I know who you are, Doctor Venkman. Busting
any ghosts lately?
VENKMAN
No, that's what I want to talk to the mayor
about. We did a little job for the city a
while back and we ended up getting sued,
screwed and tattooed by deskworms like you.
HARDEMEYER
(bristling)
Look, you stay away from the mayor. Next fall,
barring a disaster, he's going to be elected
governor of this state and the last thing we
need is for him to be associated with two-bit
frauds and publicity hounds like you and your
friends. You read me?
Hardemeyer walks off with the two cops.
VENKMAN
Okay, I get it. But I want you to tell Lenny
that, because of you, I'm not voting for him.
CUT TO:
EXT. MANHATTAN MUSEUM OF ART - DAY
The broad front steps of the museum are crowded with tourists and
visitors. Dana arrives carrying a portfolio and artist's tackle box and
enters the museum.
INT. MUSEUM - RESTORATION STUDIO - DAY (LATER)
We are FULL-FRAME ON a larger-than-life, full-figure portrait of VIGO
THE CARPATHIAN, a demented and sadistic 16th century despot with an
incredibly powerful evil presence. Then we PULL BACK to reveal the
studio, which is a large open space on the top floor of the museum, lit
by large skylights in the ceiling. Working on the Vigo painting is
JANOSZ POHA, a youngish art historian and painter, the head of the
department, quirky, intense and somewhat creepy. Janosz is staring
longingly across the room at Dana.
DANA
She is carefully cleaning a 19th Century landscape painting, still
preoccupied by the extraordinary near-accident with the buggy. Janosz
watches her for a moment, then comes up behind her and looks over her
shoulder.
JANOSZ
(with an East European accent)
Still working on the Turner?
Dana jumps, startled by the intrusion.
DANA
Oh, yes, I got in a little late this morning,
Janosz.
JANOSZ
You know, you are really doing very good work
here. I think soon you may be ready to assist
me in some of the more important restorations.
DANA
Thank you, Janosz. I've learned a lot here,
but now that my baby's a little older, I was
hoping to rejoin the orchestra.
VIGO PAINTING
At the mention of Dana's baby, the figure of Vigo miraculously turns his
head and looks at Dana.
JANOSZ AND DANA
Neither of them notice the movement in the painting.
JANOSZ
(disappointed)
We'll be very sorry to lose you. Perhaps I
could take you to lunch today?
DANA
Actually, I'm not eating lunch today. I have
an appointment.
(looks at her watch)
In fact, I'd better go.
She starts gathering up her things.
JANOSZ
Every day I ask you, and every day you've got
something else to do. Do I have bad breath
or something?
DANA
(trying to brush him off)
I'm sorry. Perhaps some other time.
JANOSZ
Okay, I'll take a raincheck on that.
Janosz smiles at her as she exits, then goes back to his easel.
JANOSZ
(to himself)
I think she likes me.
He switches on an English language TAPE and starts practicing the
phrases as he resumes working.
CUT TO:
EXT. UNIVERSITY - DAY
Dana Barrett crosses the quad and enters a modern building. A sign
identifies it as "The Institute for Advanced Theoretical Research."
INT. UNIVERSITY - DAY (A LITTLE LATER)
Dana is explaining the buggy incident to EGON SPENGLER, the soberly
intellectual techno-wizard and former Ghostbuster, as he conducts an
experiment assisted by a research team of graduate students, all of whom
are Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. The device he is testing is a black
box about the size of a Sony Watchman with both digital and graphic
displays.
DANA
... and then the buggy just suddenly stopped
dead in the middle of the street
SPENGLER
Did anyone else see this happen?
DANA
Hundreds of people. Believe me, I didn't
imagine this.
SPENGLER
I'm not saying you did. In science we always
look for the simplest explanation.
An ASSISTANT interrupts.
ASSISTANT
We're ready, Dr. Spengler
SPENGLER
(to the Assistant)
We'll start with the negative calibration.
He picks up the device and prepares to test it.
DANA
(curious)
What are you working on, Egon?
SPENGLER
I'm trying to determine whether human
emotional states have a measurable effect on
the psychomagnetheric energy field. It's a
theory Ray and I were working on when we had
to dissolve Ghostbusters.
An assistant draws a curtain revealing a large picture window, actually
a two-way mirror, that looks into a small waiting room. Inside the
waiting room they can see but not hear a youngish couple having a heated
arguement.
SPENGLER
(to Dana)
They think they're here for marriage
counseling. We've kept them waiting for two
hours and we've been gradually increasing the
temperature in the room.
(checking a heat sensor)
It's up to 95 degrees at the moment. Now my
assistant is going to enter and ask them if
they'd mind waiting another half-hour.
As Spengler, Dana, and the research team watch, the assistant enters the
waiting room and tells the couple about the new delay. They explode
with anger both at him and each other while Spengler monitors them
through the glass. After recording his readings, he returns to his
Assistant.
SPENGLER
We'll do the happiness index next.
(to Dana)
I'd like to bring Ray in on your case, if
it's all right with you.
DANA
Okay, whatever you think -- but not Venkman.
SPENGLER
Oh no.
DANA
(affectedly casual)
Do you ever see him?
SPENGLER
Occasionally
DANA
How is he these days?
SPENGLER
Venkman? I think he was borderline for a
while there. Then he crossed the border.
DANA
Does he ever mention me?
SPENGLER
No. Not that I can recall.
They move to another two-way mirror through which they can see a lovely
little girl playing with a wonderful array of toys.
DANA
(slightly disappointed)
Well, we didn't part on very good terms and
we sort of lost track of each other when I
got married.
The Assistant interrupts again.
ASSISTANT
We're ready for the affection test.
SPENGLER
(to the assistant)
Good. Send in the puppy.
DANA
(continuing)
I thought of calling him after my marriage
ended, but --. Anyway, I appreciate you're
doing this, Egon
They watch as another assistant enters the playroom with an adorable
Cocker Spaniel puppy and gives it to the little girl. Spengler monitors
her as she jumps for joy and hugs the little dog.
DANA
(handing him a card)
This is my address and telephone number.
Will you call me?
SPENGLER
Certainly.
DANA
Egon, I'd rather you didn't mention any of
this to Peter if you don't mind.
SPENGLER
I won't.
DANA
Thank you.
She shakes his hand and exits.
SPENGLER
(to his assistant)
Now let's see how she reacts when we take
away the puppy
CUT TO:
EXT. RAY'S OCCULT BOOK STORE - DAY (LATER)
It's a small basement shop located on a quaint commercial block in
Greenwich Village. The window is crowded with occult artifacts and old
books full of arcane metaphysical lore. The TELEPHONE RINGS.
STANTZ
(v.o., answering the phone)
Ray's Occult.
INT. RAY'S OCCULT BOOKS - CONTINUOUS
The shelves are jammed floor to ceiling with books on the paranormal.
Ray sits on a barstool behind the counter wearing an old cardigan
sweater over a T-shirt. He has on a pair of reading glasses and chews
on a battered, reeking pipe. As he talks on the phone he prepares a cup
of herb tea for Spengler who is thumbing through an arcane text.
STANTZ
(on the phone)
Yeah ... mmhmm ... What do you need? ... What
have I got? I've got alchemy, astrology,
apparitions, Bundu Magic Men, demon
intercession, U.F.O. abductions, psychic
surgery, stigmata, modern miracles, pixie
sightings, golden geese, geists, ghosts, I've
got it all -- what are you looking for? ...
Don't have any. Try the stockyards.
He hangs up.
SPENGLER
Who was that?
STANTZ
Some crank. Looking for goat hooves. Come
up with anything?
SPENGLER
(referring to the book)
This one's interesting. Berlin, 1939, a
flower cart took off by itself and rolled
approximately half a kilometer over level
ground. Three hundred eyewitnesses.
STANTZ
You might want to check those Duke University
mean averaging studies on controlled
psychokinesis.
SPENGLER
(going to the stacks)
Good idea.
The bones hanging over the door rattle as Venkman enters the shop.
VENKMAN
Oh, hello, perhaps you could help me. I'm
looking for an aerosol love potion I could
spray on a certain Penthouse Pet that would
make her unconditionally submit to an unusual
personal request.
STANTZ
Oh, hiya, Pete.
VENKMAN
So, no goat hooves, huh?
STANTZ
(strung)
I knew that voice sounded familiar. What's
up? How's it going?
VENKMAN
Nowhere -- fast. Why don't you lock up and
buy me a sub?
STANTZ
(slightly evasive)
Uh, I can't. I'm kind of working on something.
Spengler steps out of the stacks.
VENKMAN
Egon!
SPENGLER
Hello, Venkman.
VENKMAN
How've you been? How's teaching? I bet
those science chicks really dig that big
cranium of yours, huh?
SPENGLER
I think they're more interested in my
epididymis.
VENKMAN
I don't even want to know where that is.
Venkman steps behind the counter and takes a beer from Ray's mini-fridge.
STANTZ
Oh, your book came in, Venkman. Magical
Paths to Fortune and Power.
He hands Venkman the book.
VENKMAN
Great.
(reading the contents)
So what are you guys working on?
STANTZ
Oh, just checking something for an old friend.
VENKMAN
Who?
STANTZ
(at a loss)
Who? Just -- someone we know.
VENKMAN
Oh, Ray --
He grabs Stantz by both ears and pulls up.
VENKMAN
Who? Who? Who?
STANTZ
Aaah! Nobody! I can't tell you!
VENKMAN
Who, Ray?
STANTZ
(giving in)
Dana! Dana Barrett!
Venkman lets go of his ears and smiles. Spengler looks at Stantz and
shakes his head.
CUT TO:
INT. DANA'S APARTMENT - DAY (LATER)
The apartment is old and creatively furnished with a comfortable mix of
modern and traditional pieces. Maria, a young Hispanic woman who does
day care for Dana, is feeding the baby in the kitchen when the DOORBELL
RINGS.
CUT TO:
Dana enters from the bedroom and crosses to the front door. She opens
it and admits Ray and Egon.
DANA
(hugging Ray)
Hi, Ray. It's good to see you. Thanks for
coming.
STANTZ
No problem. Always glad to help -- and hug.
DANA
(to Spengler)
Hi, Egon.
She shakes his hand and is about to close the door when Venkman appears
in the doorway.
VENKMAN
Hi, Dana.
Dana is caught completely off guard by Venkman's surprise appearance.
VENKMAN
I knew you'd come crawling back to me.
She regards him coolly, as always amused and amazed at his
presumptuousness.
DANA
Hello, Peter.
VENKMAN
(to Dana)
You know, Dana, I'm very very hurt that you
didn't call me first. I'm still into all
this stuff, you know. Haven't you ever seen
my show?
DANA
I have. That's why I didn't call you first.
VENKMAN
I can see that you're still very bitter about
us, but in the interest of science, I'm going
to give it my best shot. Let's go to work,
boys.
Stantz and Spengler begin a comprehensive parapsychological work-up on
the baby and the immediate physical environment.
VENKMAN AND DANA
Venkman starts nosing around the apartment. Dana follows him.
VENKMAN
So what happened to Mr. Right? I hear he
ditched you and the kid and moved to Europe.
DANA
He didn't "ditch" me. We had some problems,
he got a good offer from an orchestra in
England and he took it.
VENKMAN
He ditched you. You should've married me,
you know.
DANA
You never asked me, and every time I brought
it up you'd get drowsy and fall asleep.
VENKMAN
Men are very sensitive, you know. We need to
feel loved and desired, too.
DANA
Well, when you started introducing me as "the
old ball and chain," that's when I left.
VENKMAN
I may have a few personal problems but one thing
I am is a total professional.
He leaves her and crosses to Spengler.
SPENGLER
He's taking a complete set of body and head measurements of the baby
with a tape measure and calipers.
VENKMAN
What are you going to do, Egon? Knit him a
snowsuit?
Spengler ignores the remark and hands Venkman a specimen jar.
SPENGLER
I'd like to have a stool specimen
VENKMAN
Yeah, you would. Is that for personal or
professional reasons?
VENKMAN
(picking up the baby)
Okay, kid. Up you go.
He starts clowning with the baby, holding him over his head and pressing
his nose into the baby's belly, pretending that the baby is attacking
him.
VENKMAN
Help! Please somebody help me! Get him off!
Quickly! He's gone completely berserk!
Dana is amused and somewhat disarmed by Venkman's rapport with the baby.
DANA
What do you think?
VENKMAN
There's no doubt about it. He's got his
father's looks. The kid is ugly -- extremely
ugly. And smelly.
(resumes playing with the baby)
You stink! It's just horrible. You are the
stinkiest baby I ever smelled.
(to Dana)
What's his name?
DANA
His name is Oscar.
VENKMAN
Oscar! You poor kid!
DANA
(losing patience)
Peter, this is serious. I need to know if you
think there's anything unusual about him.
VENKMAN
Unusual?
(holds up the baby and
scrutinizes him)
I don't know. I haven't had a lot of
experience with babies.
He looks at the baby, pulling his feet up, trying to get the sleeper
off.
DANA
(taking the specimen jar)
I'll do it.
VENKMAN
I'll supervise.
INT. DANA'S APARTMENT - NURSERY - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Venkman enters and finds Stantz monitoring the room.
VENKMAN
(to Stantz)
Well, Holmes, what do you think?
STANTZ
It's an interesting one, Pete. If anything
was going on it's totally subdued now.
Spengler enters.
VENKMAN
(to Spengler)
What now, Brainiac?
SPENGLER
I think we should see if we can find
anything abnormal on the street.
VENKMAN
Finding something abnormal on the street
shouldn't be too hard.
CUT TO:
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - DAY (LATER)
Dana walks down the street with Venkman, retracing the path of the
runaway buggy. Spengler and Stantz follow, monitoring PKE valences from
the pavement and the buildings.
VENKMAN
(to Dana, nostalgic)
Brings back a lot of sweet memories, doesn't
it?
(pointing out familiar
neighborhood sights)
There's our old cash machine. And the dry
cleaners we used to go to. And the old
video store.
(he wipes away an imaginary
tear)
We really had some good times, didn't we?
DANA
We definitely had a moment or two.
Dana stops at the intersection and points to the middle of the street.
DANA
That's where the buggy stopped.
VENKMAN
Okay, let's take a look.
Venkman walks right out into the middle of the street, completely
oblivious to the CARS HONKING and whizzing past him and starts motioning
like a traffic cop, bringing traffic to a standstill. Then he signals
for Dana, Stantz and Spengler to join him in the middle of the street.
STANTZ
(reading the PKE meter)
Is this the spot?
DANA
A little to the left. Right there! That's
where it stopped.
Stantz reads the PKE meter.
STANTZ
Nothing. Not a trace.
SPENGLER
Why don't we try the Giga-meter?
VENKMAN
What's that?
STANTZ
Egon and I have been working on a gauge to
measure psychomagnetheric energy in GEVs -
giga electron volts.
SPENGLER
That's a thousand million electron volts.
VENKMAN
I knew that.
Spengler switches on the Giga-meter, the device he was testing in the
lab, and passes it over the spot on the street where the buggy stopped.
The indicator goes right into the red zone and the DEVICE starts CLICKING
WILDLY.
STANTZ
I think we hit the honeypot, boys. There's
something brewing under the street.
DANA
(worried, to Venkman)
Peter, do you think maybe I have some genetic
problem or something that makes me vulnerable
to these supernatural things.
VENKMAN
You mean like the time you got possessed and
turned into a monster terror dog? No, not
a chance. Total coincidence.
(to Stantz and Spengler)
Am I right?
Stantz and Spengler look at him skeptically, not convinced by the
coincidence theory.
CUT TO:
INT. MANHATTAN MUSEUM OF ART - LATE AFTERNOON
The museum has just closed for the day and the last of the visitors and
employees are leaving.
INT. RESTORATION STUDIO - SAME TIME
Janosz is working late on the painting of Vigo.
VIGO PAINTING
Unnoticed by Janosz, the eyes of Vigo start to glow.
JANOSZ
He touches his brush to the canvas and a powerful current of red,
crackling energy surges through the brush and courses through his body,
driving him to his knees.
PAINTING
The figure of Vigo comes to life, turns toward Janosz and gestures
dramatically at him. Then he speaks to Janosz in a commanding voice.
VIGO
I, Vigo, the scourge of Carpathia, the
sorrow of Moldavia, command you.
JANOSZ
(in agony)
Command me, lord.
VIGO
On a mountain of skulls in a castle of pain,
I sat on a throne of blood. What was will
be, what is will be no more. Now is the
season of evil. Find me a child that I might
live again.
Bolts of red-hot energy shoot from the eyes of Vigo into Janosz's eyes.
He screams and falls to his knees.
CUT TO:
EXT. COFFEE SHOP - EAST 77TH STREET - NIGHT
Venkman and Stantz come out with small boxes containing coffee,
sandwiches and Danish and start walking up the street.
VENKMAN
I love this. We're onto something really
big. I can smell it, Ray. We're going to
make some headlines with this one.
STANTZ
Hey, hey, hey, stresshound! Are you nuts?
If anybody found out about this we'd be in
serious trouble. The judge couldn't have
been clearer - no ghostbusting.
VENKMAN
Relax. We're going to keep this whole thing
nice and quiet, low key, no profile.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Spengler, wearing a hardhat, is JACKHAMMERING a hole in the middle of the
street. Safety cones and reflectors have been set up and a small area is
lit by strong work lights.
POLICE CAR
It turns onto East 77th Street, cruises slowly up to the makeshift
worksite and stops. The noise of the JACKHAMMER is so loud, Spengler
doesn't notice the police car and the two COPS inside looking at them.
Finally, he looks up, sees the police car and freezes.
FIRST COP
How ya doing?
SPENGLER
(reeking with guilt)
Fine! It's cutting fine now.
FIRST COP
(curious)
Why are you cutting?
SPENGLER
(looking for one of the
others)
Why are we cutting? Uh - boss!
Venkman and Stantz arrive just in time wearing Con Ed hardhats, doing a
good imitation of a Consolidated Edison repairman.
FIRST COP
What are you doing here?
VENKMAN
(belligerent)
What the hell's it look like we're doing?
We're bustin out asses over here 'cause
some douchebag downtown ain't got nothin'
better to do than make idiots like us work
late on a Friday night, right?
(looks to Spengler for
agreement)
SPENGLER
(with a "right on" fist)
Yo.
The cops seem satisfied by the explanation.
FIRST COP
Okay, boys, take it easy.
They drive off. Spengler breathes a great sigh of relief and starts
rubbing his sore shoulders.
SPENGLER
You were supposed to help me with this.
VENKMAN
You need the exercise.
Stantz resumes JACKHAMMERING, while Venkman and Spengler clear the
rubble from the hole. Suddenly he hits metal. They clear away
generations of paving material revealing an ornate iron manhole cover.
The manhole cover bears a strange logo and the letters NYPRR.
STANTZ
(examing it)
NYPRR. What the hell -- ? Help me lift
this.
They prey off the iron cover with crowbars, uncovering a very dark and
very deep abyss.
STANTZ
(shining a flashlight into
the hole)
Wow! It's an old airshaft. It just goes
forever.
Spengler leans in with the giga-meter which is reading even higher now.
SPENGLER
Very intense. We need a deeper reading.
Somebody has to go down there.
Venkman and Spengler both look at Ray.
STANTZ
Thanks, boys.
They snap Stantz into a harness and lower him into the hole on a strong
cable attached to a winch. Ray calls out orders to them as he descends
deeper and deeper.
STANTZ (O.S.)
(his voice echoing in the
airshaft)
Keep going -- more -- more --
INT. HOLE - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Stantz rappels off the sides of the airshaft as he continues his descent
in total darkness.
STANTZ
(using a radio now)
Lower -- lower --
(to himself)
Gee, this really is deep.
Suddenly, his feet kick thin air as he gets to the bottom of the airshaft
and swings free in some kind of tunnel.
STANTZ
(shouts)
Hold it! Steady!
He pulls a powerful flashlight from his utility belt and shines it into
the tunnel below.
INT. VAN HORNE STATION - STANTZ'S POV - NIGHT
He is suspended near the top of a beautifully preserved chamber with
rounded, polished tile walls ardorned with intricate, colorfully enameled
Art Nouveau mosaics. A finely inlaid sign identifies it as VAN HORNE
STATION.
STANTZ
He pans the walls with his flashlight, admiring the excellent tilework,
and speaks quietly to Venkman and Spengler over his walkie-talkie.
STANTZ
(reverently)
This is it, boys, the end of the line. Van
Horne Station. The old New York Pneumatic.
It's still here.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - HOLE - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Venkman has no idea what he's talking about.
SPENGLER
(explaining)
The New York Pneumatic Railway. It was an
experimental subway system. Fan-forced
air-trains, built around 1870.
STANTZ
(over the walkie-talkie)
This is about as deep as you can go under
Manhattan without digging your own hole.
SPENGLER
(to Stantz)
What's the reading?
INT. VAN HORNE STATION - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Stantz shines his flashlight on the meter and whistles at the extremely
high reading.
STANTZ
(on the radio)
Off the top of the scale. This place is
really hot. Lower me to the floor.
As Venkman and Spengler feed him some more cable, he pans his flashlight
down the wall of the station, then onto the floor.
STANTZ
(shouts)
Hold it!! Stop!! Whoa!!
INT. VAN HORNE STATION - STANTZ'S POV - FLOOR - NIGHT
Below him is a river of bubbling seething, glowing slime, a veritable
torrent of disgusting ooze.
As he stares into the foul effluent, we become aware of the strangely
amplified and magnified sounds of great ENGINES THROBBING and pulsing in
the bowels of the city, of WATER RUSHING through pipes, STEAM HISSING
through ducts, the muffled RUMBLE of the SUBWAY and the ROAR of TRAFFIC,
and mixed with it all, the unmistakable sounds of human conflict and pain
-- VOICES SHOUTING in anger, SCREAMING in fear, GROANING in pain, a sad
and eerie symphony.
INT. VAN HORNE STATION - STANTZ - NIGHT
STANTZ
(ranting on the radio)
Oh, my God! It's a seething, bubbling,
psychic cess! Interlocked tubes of plasm,
crackling with negative GEVs! It's glowing
and moving! It's -- it's a river of slime!!
STANTZ
He dangles from the end of the cable, holding his feet up as high as he
can. He unhooks a device from his utility belt and pulls the trigger on
it, shooting out a long telescoping fishing-pole with a scoop on the end.
Reaching down, he scoops up a sample of the slime and starts retracting
the pole.
SLIME
Suddenly, a grotesque arm with a long skeletal fingers reaches up out of
the slime and snatches at Stantz's dangling feet. He jerks his legs up
as several more arms poke up out of the slime and reach for him.
STANTZ
(on the radio)
Haul me up, Venkman! Now!
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - HOLE - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Venkman and Spengler start hauling in the cable as a Con Ed Supervisor's
car drives up, and behind it, the same police car they saw earlier. A
burly SUPERVISOR gets out and crosses toward them, followed by the two
cops.
SUPERVISOR
(no nonsense)
Okay, what's the story here?
Venkman and Spengler stop pulling up the cable and Venkman tries the
belligerent worker ploy again, only this time he's wearing a Nynex
hardhat.
VENKMAN
What, I got time for this? We got three
thousand phones out in the Village and about
eight million miles of cable to check.
SUPERVISOR
(not buying it)
The phone lines are over there.
(points to the curb)
Venkman pops Spengler on the head.
VENKMAN
I told ya!
Stantz can be heard ranting over Venkman's walkie-talkie.
STANTZ (O.S.)
(filtered)
Help! Help! Pull me up! It's alive! It's
eating my boots.
Venkman switches off the walkie-talkie.
FIRST COP
You ain't with Con Ed or the phone company.
We checked. Tell me another one.
Venkman stares at the Cop for a long moment.
VENKMAN
Gas leak?
INT. VAN HORNE STATION - SAME TIME
Stantz is hanging there, looking down into the shaft at the slime which
is now bubbling up the shaft after him.
STANTZ
(shouting)
Get me out of here!!
Desperate now, he kicks wildly and knocks loose a section of an old,
rusting conduit.
INT. VAN HORNE STATION - BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT
The conduit falls on a heavy electrical transmission line, ripping
through the cable with a SHOWER OF SPARKS.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - HOLE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Venkman, Spengler, the cops and the supervisor all react to a bright
FLASH deep down in the hole and a SHOUT from Stantz.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - STREET - NIGHT
One by one, all the streetlights go out; then the lights on all the
buildings along East 77th street; then the whole neighborhood blacks
out, and finally the entire city is plunged into darkness.
STANTZ (O.S.)
Sorry.
INT. DANA BARRETT'S APARTMENT - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
She walks around in the dark lighting candles and placing them all over
the living room. Then she finds a transistor radio and turns it on for
information about the blackout. She listens to a special news report
for a moment, then has a compelling impulse to go check on the baby.
She crosses to the nursery carrying a candle and quietly opens the door
and looks in. Suddenly the DOORBELL RINGS, scaring her half to death.
Leaving the chain on the door, she opens it a crack and sees Janosz
standing in the hall, eerily lit by a red emergency spot at the end of
the hallway. He looks slightly dazed and even creepier.
DANA
(surprised)
Janosz?
JANOSZ
Hello, Dana. I happened to be in the
neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by to
see if everything's all right with you --
you know, with the blackout and everything?
Are you okay? Is the baby all right?
His affected concern is chilling. She is frightened but conceals it
from him.
DANA
(mechanically and cautiously)
We're fine, Janosz.
He tires to look around her into the apartment.
JANOSZ
Do you need anything? You want me to come
in?
DANA
No, everything's fine. Honestly. Thanks
anyway.
JANOSZ
Okay, just thought I'd check. Good night,
Dana. Sleep well. Don't let the bedbugs
bite you.
DANA
Good night, Janosz.
She closes the door behind him and double locks it, then stands there
staring into the candlelight, alone and afraid.
INT. HALLWAY OF DANA'S BUILDING - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Janosz stands there in semi-darkness, then his eyes light up like
headlights and he walks off down the hall.
CUT TO:
INT. COURTROOM - WITNESS STAND - NEXT DAY
The JUDGE, a rather sour-looking jurist of the old school, calls the
court to order.
JUDGE
I want to make one thing very clear before
we go any further. The law does not recognize
the existence of ghosts, and I don't believe
in them either, so I don't want to hear a
lot of malarkey about goblins and spooks and
demons. We're going to stick to the facts
in this case and save the ghost stories for
the kiddies. Understood?
DEFENSE TABLE
Stantz leans over and whispers to Spengler.
STANTZ
Seems like a pretty open-minded guy, huh?
SPENGLER
His nickname is "The Hammer."
Stantz and Spengler are seated with their attorney LOUIS TULLY, lawyer,
CPA and former demonic possession victim. Louis is desperately paging
through a mountain of legal textbooks.
LOUIS
(nervous)
I think you're making a big mistake here,
fellas. I do mostly tax law and some probate
stuff occasionally. I got my law degree at
night school.
STANTZ
That's all right. We got arrested at night.
SPECTATORS' GALLERY
Venkman is talking to Dana at the wooden rail in front of the gallery.
DANA
I wish I could stay. I feel personally
responsible for you being here.
VENKMAN
You are personally responsible. If I can
get conjugal rights, will you visit me at
Sing Sing?
DANA
Please don't say that. You won't go to prison.
VENKMAN
Don't worry about me. I'm like a cat.
DANA
You mean you cough up hairballs all over
the rug?
VENKMAN
I'm El Gato. I always land on my feet.
DANA
(sincerely)
Good luck.
VENKMAN
Thanks.
She gives him a quick, unexpected kiss and exits. Venkman savors it for
a moment then goes back to the defense table.
PROSECUTION TABLE
Jack Hardemeyer, the mayor's principal aide, is goading the PROSECUTOR,
a very sober, humorless woman in her late thirties.
HARDEMEYER
How are you doing, hon? Just put these guys
away fast and make sure they go away for a
long, long time.
PROSECUTOR
It shouldn't be hard with this list of charges.
HARDEMEYER
Good. Very good. The mayor and future
governor won't forget this.
He smiles conspiratorially and makes a point of passing the defense table
on his way out of the courtroom.
DEFENSE TABLE
The Ghostbusters look up as Hardemeyer approaches.
HARDEMEYER
(gloating)
Nice going, Venkman. Violating a judicial
restraining order, willful destruction of
public property, fraud, malicious mischief
-- smooth move. See you in a couple years
-- at your first parole hearing.
Herdemeyer exits. Louis looks devastated.
LOUIS
Gee, the whole city's against us. I think
I'm going to be sick.
Spengler hands him a waste basket as the Prosecutor calls her first
witness.
INT. COURTROOM - WITNESS STAND - DAY (LATER)
The Con Ed Supervisor is testifying.
PROSECUTOR
Mr. Fianella, please look at Exhibits A
through F on the table over there. Do you
recognize that equipment?
EXHIBIT TABLE
Lying on the table are the basic tools of the Ghostbusting trade: three
proton packs and particle throwers, a couple of ghost traps, and various
meters and detection devices.
CON ED
(o.c.)
That's the stuff the cops found in their
truck.
WITNESS STAND
She continues.
PROSECUTOR
Do you know what this equipment is used for?
CON ED
(shrugs)
I don't know. Catching ghosts, I guess.
PROSECUTOR
(to the Judge)
May I remind the court that the defendants
are under a judicial restraining order that
specifically forbids them from performing
services as paranormal investigators and
eliminators.
JUDGE
So noted.
PROSECUTOR
Now, Mr. Fianella, can you identify the
substance in the jar on the table marked
Exhibit F?
PROSECUTOR
She goes to the exhibit table and picks up a specimen jar containing the
slime sample Stantz removed from the tunnel.
CON ED
I been working underground for Con Ed for
27 years and I never saw anything like that
in my life. We checked out that tunnel the
next day and we didn't find nothing. If it
was down there, they must have put it there.
DEFENSE TABLE
Venkman and Spengler look at Stantz.
STANTZ
(defensively)
Hey, I didn't imagine it. There must have
been ten thousand gallons of it down there.
SPENGLER
It may be ebbing and flowing from some tidal
source.
LOUIS
(nervously)
Should I say that?
SPENGLER
I doubt that they'd believe us.
Louis moans and goes back to his notes.
WIPE TO:
INT. COURTROOM - WITNESS STAND - LATER
Venkman himself is on the stand and Louis is questioning him.
LOUIS
So like you were just trying to help out
your old friend because she was scared and
you didn't really mean to do anything bad
and you really love the city and won't ever
do anything like this again, right?
PROSECUTOR
Objection, your Honor. He's leading the
witness.
JUDGE
The witness is leading him. Sustained.
LOUIS
Okay, let me rephrase that question.
(to venkman)
Didn't you once coach a basketball team for
underprivileged children?
VENKMAN
Yes, I did. We were city champs.
PROSECUTOR
Objection. Irrelevant and immaterial.
JUDGE
Sustained. Mr. Tully, do you have anything
to ask this witness that may have some
bearing on this case?
LOUIS
(to Venkman)
Do I?
VENKMAN
No, I think you've helped them enough already.
LOUIS
(to the Judge)
No, I guess not.
(to the Prosecutor)
Your witness.
The Prosecutor rises and approaches the witness stand with relish.
PROSECUTOR
So, Dr. Venkman, please explain to the court
why it is you and your co-defendants took it
upon yourselves to dig a big hole in the
middle of the street.
VENKMAN
Seventy-seventh and First Avenue has so many
holes already we didn't think anyone would
notice.
The gallery laughs and the Judge gavels for order.
JUDGE
Keep that up, mister, and I'll find you in
contempt.
VENKMAN
Sorry, your Honor, but when somebody sets
me up like that I can't resist.
PROSECUTOR
I'll ask you again, Dr. Venkman. Why were
you digging the hole? And please remember
that you're under oath.
VENKMAN
I had my fingers crossed when they swore me
in, but I'm going to tell you the truth.
There are things in this world that go way
beyond human understanding, things that
can't be explained and that most people don't
want to know about anyway. That's where we
come in.
PROSECUTOR
So what are you saying? That the world of
the supernatural is your special province?
VENKMAN
No, I guess I'm just saying that shit happens
and somebody has to deal with it.
The spectators in the gallery cheer and the judge gavels for order.
WIPE TO:
INT. COURTROOM - LATER
The trial is nearing its end. The Judge calls on Louis to make his
summation.
JUDGE
Does the counsel for the defense wish to
make any final arguements?
Louis rises.
LOUIS
Your honor, may I approach the bench?
JUDGE
(impatient)
Yes.
Louis crosses to the judge's bench.
LOUIS
(to the judge)
Can I have some of your water?
JUDGE
Get on with it, counselor!
LOUIS
(scared)
Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the --
(he remembers there's no
jury)
audience. I don't think it's fair to call
my clients frauds. Okay, the blackout was
a big problem for everybody. I was stuck in
an elevator for about three hours and I had
to go to the bathroom the whole time, but I
don't blame them because once I turned into
a dog and they helped me. Thank you.
He goes back to the defense table and sits down. Stantz and Spengler
hang their heads. Venkman pats Louis on the back.
SPENGLER
(to Louis)
Way to go. Concise and to the point.
JUDGE
He stares at Louis, astonished at his summation.
JUDGE
That's it? That's all you have to say?
LOUIS
Did I forget something?
He searches through a disorderly pile of notes.
JUDGE
That was unquestionably the worst
presentation of a case I've ever heard in a
court of law! I ought to cite you for
contempt and have you disbarred. As for
your clients, Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz
and Egon Spengler, on the charges of
conspiracy, fraud and the willful destruction
of public property, I find you guilty on all
counts. I order you to pay fines in the
amount of $25,000 each and I sentence you to
eighteen months in the city correctional
facility at Ryker's Island.
STANTZ
He sees the activity in the jar
STANTZ
Uh-oh, she's twitchin'.
THE BENCH
The Judge continues
JUDGE
And on a more personal note, let me go on
record as saying that there is no place in
decent society for fakes, charlatans and
tricksters like you who prey on the
gullibility of innocent people. You're
beneath the contempt of this court. And
believe me, if my hands were not tied by the
unalterable fetters of the law, a law which
has become in my view far too permissive and
inadequate in it's standards of punishment,
I would invoke the tradition of our
illustrious forebearers, reach back to a
sterner, purer justice and have you burned
at the stake!
He hammers the bench with his gravel as the gallery erupts noisily. Then
he feels a LOW RUMBLING TREMOR in the courtroom.
SPECIMEN JAR
The slime starts to pulse and swell, pushing up the lid on the jar.
DEFENSE TABLE
Stantz anticipates big trouble.
STANTZ
Under the table, boys!
The Ghostbusters duck under the defense table.
LOUIS
He stands up and looks around fearfully.
INT. COURTROOM - GHOST BATTLE - DAY
Everybody is silent now as the rumbling increases. All eyes turn to the
exhibit table. Then suddenly all Hell breaks loose as TWO FULL-TORSO
APPARITIONS explode out of the specimen jar.
JUDGE
He looks up in terror at the two huge apparitions looming above him and
recognizes them immediately.
JUDGE
(in horror)
Oh, my God! The Scoleri Brothers!
SCOLERI BROTHERS
Big in life, even bigger in death, the ghostly Scoleri brothers seem ten
feet tall. They are strapped into electric chairs and on their heads are
metal electrocution caps with live, sparking electrical wires still
attached. Twenty-five hundred volts of electricity shoot through their
bodies as they start to break free of the leather restraints, trying to
get at the Judge.
JUDGE
Holding his gavel like a pitiful weapon, he crawls over to the defense
table where Venkman, Stantz and Spengler are now crouched, assessing the
spectral intruders.
JUDGE
(terrified)
You've got to do something!
VENKMAN
Who are they?
JUDGE
They're the Scoleri Brothers. I tried them
for murder. They were electrocuted up at
Ossining in '48. Now they want to kill me.
VENKMAN
Maybe they just want to appeal.
SCOLERI BROTHERS
They break loose from the electric chairs, then turn toward the defense
table and BLAST it with HIGH-VOLTAGE FINGER-LIGHTNING.
PROSECUTOR
She sprints for the door, pursued by one of the Scoleri brothers.
GHOSTBUSTERS
They jump to safety behind the rail of the jury box, pulling the Judge
with them.
VENKMAN
These boys aren't playing around.
JUDGE
(desperately)
You've got to stop them. Please!
LOUIS
(thinking like a lawyer)
Violating a judicial restraining order could
expose my clients to serious criminal
penalties. As their attorney I'd have to
advise them against it.
SCOLERI BROTHERS
They start punching through the jury box.
JUDGE
He is just about hysterical with fear.
JUDGE
All right! All right! I'm recinding the
order. Case dismissed!!
(he pounds his gavel on
the floor)
Now do something!
STANTZ
Let's go to work, boys.
With that, the Ghostbusters leap over the rail of the jury box and dash
across the courtroom to the exhibit table where their proton packs were
being displayed as evidence. They strap them on hastily as the Brothers
continue tearing up the seats looing for the Judge.
VENKMAN
(slinging the pack onto
his back)
Geez, I forgot how heavy these things are.
STANTZ
(grabbing other gear)
Okay, let's heat 'em up!
They flip the power switches on their packs and draw their particle
throwers.
STANTZ
All right, throwers. Set for full neutronas
on stream.
They switch on their throwers and turn to face the raging phantasms.
SCOLERI BROTHERS
They are just about to wipe out the Judge when a loud shout distracts
them.
VENKMAN
Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own
size?
The towering ghosts turn in a fury and raise their arms, ready to shoot
lightning at their new adversaries.
STANTZ
(to the others)
On my signal, boys. Open 'em up -- Now!
They all pull their triggers and the wands EXPLODE with incredible
powerful STREAMS OF ENERGY, doing even more damage to the courtroom.
VENKMAN
Spengs, take the door. Ray, let's try and
work them down and into the corner.
Working as a team, they gradually confine the Scoleri Brothers with the
streams, forcing them closer and closer to the traps Ray has set out on
the floor.
STANTZ
Watch it! I'm coming under you, Pete.
They circle around the two ghosts, prodding them with the streams while
ducking the lightning bolts shooting from their fingers. Finally, Ray
sees his chance and pops open the traps which emit inverted pyramids of
light energy.
STANTZ
Steady -- watch your streams -- easy now --
Venky, bring him left -- Spengy, pull him
down -- trapping -- trapping -- now!
He stomps on a control pedal and the Scoleri Brothers are drawn into the
traps which snap shut.
INT. COURTROOM - TRAPS - DAY
LEDs on the outer casing start flashing, indicating the presence of a
ghost inside each trap.
VENKMAN
(checking the trap)
Occupado.
INT. COURTROOM - JUDGE - DAY (AFTER GHOST BATTLE)
He sticks his head up slowly from behind the debris of his bench and
looks around in total amazement.
LOUIS
He crawls out from under a chair. Reporters and spectators get back on
their feet and start buzzing about the incredible manifestation.
PROSECUTOR
She's lying on the floor, attended to by the Bailiff and the Court Clerk.
SPENGLER
(to the Prosecutor)
Brilliant summation.
GHOSTBUSTERS
They break into big smiles as photographers start snapping pictures of
them standing in the wrecked courtroom.
VENKMAN
Case closed, boys. We're back in business.
The spectators cheer and applaud.
CUT TO:
EXT. FIREHOUSE - DAY
The old, dilapidated Ghostbusters logo comes crashing to the ground,
dropped by a pair of workmen on a ladder, and the new logo is hoisted
into place over the main entrance. It's just like the original "No
Ghosts" logo, but in the new one the ghost in the red circle is holding
up two fingers. Venkman enters the firehouse.
INT. BEDROOM SET (TV COMMERCIAL - FULL SCREEN VIDEO) - NIGHT
A man and his wife are lying in bed reading. The man is played by Louis
Tully and JANINE MELNITZ, the Ghostbusters' once and future receptionist,
is playing his wife. They are both terrible actors. Suddenly, a ghost,
actually a very bad puppet on a wire, floats through the bedroom. Janine
sees it and screams.
LOUIS
What is it, honey?
JANINE
It's that darn ghost again! I don't know
what to do anymore. He just won't leave us
alone. I guess we'll just have to move.
LOUIS
Don't worry. We're not moving. He is.
He picks up the phone.
JANINE
Who are you going to call?
LOUIS
(with a wink)
Ghostbusters.
As he starts to dial, the CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal the Ghostbusters
standing in the bedroom. Their acting isn't much better than Louis and
Janine's.
GHOSTBUSTERS
Stantz speaks directly TO the CAMERA.
STANTZ
I'm Ray --
VENKMAN
I'm Peter --
SPENGLER
I'm Egon --
STANTZ
And we're the ...
ALL
(together)
Ghostbusters.
STANTZ
That's right -- Ghostbusters. We're back
and we're better than ever with twice the
know-how and twice the particle-power to
deal with all your supernatural elimination
needs.
During his speech, Winston can be seen in the b.g. pretending to trap the
fake ghost.
STANTZ
Careful, Winston. He's a mean one.
(TO CAMERA)
And to celebrate our grand reopening, we're
giving you twice the value with our special
half-price 'Welcome Back' service plan.
VENKMAN
Hold on, Ray! Half-price! Have you gone
crazy?
STANTZ
I guess so, Pete, because that's not all.
Tell them what else we've got, Egon.
Spengler actually mouths everyone else's dialogue along with them,
waiting for his cue.
SPENGLER
You mean the Ghostbusters hot beverage
thermal mugs and free balloons for the kids?
He holds up a mug and a limp, uninflated balloon.
STANTZ
You bet.
As Stantz wraps it up, SUPERS APPEAR at the bottom of the SCREEN: FULLY
BONDED - FULLY LICENSED - SE HABLA ESPANOL.
STANTZ
(TO CAMERA)
So don't wait another minute. Make your
supernatural problem our supernatural problem.
Call now, because we're still --
ALL
(in unison, mechanically)
-- Ready to believe you.
CUT TO:
INT. JACK HARDEMEYER'S OFFICE - DAY
Hardemeyer is watching the Ghostbusters commercial on a TV in his office.
He bangs his fist on his desk and angrily switches OFF the TV.
CUT TO:
EXT. FIREHOUSE - DAY (LATER)
The garage door opens and the new improved ECTOMOBILE comes ROARING out
onto the street, its ghostly SIREN MOANING and WAILING. Louis comes
running out after it.
CUT TO:
INT. FIREHOUSE - DAY
Louis comes back into the garage bay and stops as he smells a foul odor.
He sniffs around, following the smell.
LOUIS
Oh, geez, smells like somebody took a really
big --
He freezes.
INT. OFFICE AREA - LOUIS'S POV
Slimer, a spud-like green ghost, is hovering over Louis's desk, scarfing
down Louis's bag lunch. Slimer looks up and sees Louis.
SLIMER AND LOUIS
They both scream and run off in opposite directions.
SLIMER
He passes right through a wall and disappears.
LOUIS
He runs right into a wall, recovers and exits in a hurry.
LOUIS
(screaming)
Help! There's a thing!
CUT TO:
EXT. CENTRAL PARK RESERVOIR - DAY (LATER)
Runners of both sexes and all ages are huffing and puffing as they jog
along the track that circles the reservoir. One of the runners looks
behind him at the sound of APPROACHING FOOTFALLS and screams.
GHOSTLY JOGGER
A ghost jogger is loping along at a pretty fair pace. Other runners
stumble and run screaming into the park as he passes them. Seemingly
oblivious to the effect he's having, the ghost jogger puts two fingers to
his skeletal neck and checks his watch as if taking his pulse.
EXT. CLEARING IN PARK - DAY (SAME TIME)
Venkman is sitting on a park bench near the jogging track reading the
newspaper, eating a donut and drinking coffee from a Styrofoam cup.
STANTZ
He's sitting on a bench opposite Venkman's, casually watching the jogging
track.
GHOST JOGGER
He approaches the benches where the Ghostbusters are waiting. As the
ghost jogger passes the benches, Stantz and Venkman simultaneously hit
concealed control buttons. A ghost trap buried in the track throws up a
glowing inverted pyramid and catches the ghost jogger in mid-stride.
Stantz and Venkman close the trap and capture the ghost jogger.
VENKMAN
(checking his watch)
You know he ran that last lap in under six
minutes?
STANTZ
If he wasn't dead he'd be an Olympic
prospect.
CUT TO:
EXT. JEWELRY STORE - DAY
The Ghostbusters come out carrying smoking traps, wearing cheap
dime-store Santa Claus hats.
STANTZ
(to the client)
Merry Christmas!
CUT TO:
EXT. FIFTH AVENUE - ORREFORS GLASS STORE - DAY
The Ectomobile is parked at the curb and a curious crowd looks on as the
Ghostbusters enter the store.
INT. ORREFORS GLASS STORE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
All the precious crystal is floating in the air, several feet above the
glass shelves and display tables. Stantz and Venkman are talking to the
manager while Winston and Spengler set up an array of electronic devices
positioned in each corner of the store.
On a signal from Stantz, Spengler and Winston switch on the devices which
throw laser-type beams around the perimeter of the store. The manager
watches in horror as all the GLASSWARE suddenly drops out of the air,
SMASHES through the GLASS SHELVES and SHATTERS on the display tables.
There is a long pregnant pause.
STANTZ
(to the manager)
So will that be cash or a check?
CUT TO:
INT. MUSEUM - RESTORATION STUDIO - DAY (LATE AFTERNOON)
Everyone else has gone home. Dana is cleaning her brushes and putting
her supplies away.
VIGO PAINTING - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Vigo turns his head and watches Dana as she walks past the painting.
DANA
She stops, vaguely aware of the movement, and looks up curiously at the
painting. As she starts to walk on, Vigo looks at her again, but Dana
turns suddenly and catches the movement. Frightened now, she hastily
leaves the studio.
INT. FIREHOUSE - DAY
Louis is lurking behind a pillar, peeking out at the office area. We PAN
DOWN TO the floor and see a foot pedal, then PAN ALONG the cord TO a
ghost trap sitting on Louis's desk. Hanging from strings over the desk
are several pieces of Kentucky fried chicken.
WALL
Slimer partially emerges and furtively sniffs the air, then spots the
chicken bait. He licks his lips, materializes completely and flies to
the chicken.
LOUIS
His eyes light up and he stomps the foot pedal.
LOUIS
(shouts)
Gotcha!
DESK
The trap pops open and shoots out a powerful cone of energy. Slimer
dodges it and escapes as a big section of the ceiling comes crashing down
on Louis's desk.
LOUIS
(seeing the damage)
Uh-oh.
He slinks off, defeated.
CUT TO:
INT. MANHATTAN MUSEUM OF ART - SECURITY DESK - DAY
The Ghostbusters commercial is playing on a portable TV on the security
desk. Rudy, the Security Guard, is reading a National Enquirer with a
giant front-page headline: GHOSTBUSTERS SAVE JUDGE. Venkman enters.
VENKMAN
I'm looking for Dana Barrett.
SECURITY GUARD
Room 304 -- Restorations.
(recognizing him)
Hey! Dr. Venkman -- 'World of the Psychic.'
I'm a big, big fan. That used to be one of
my two favorite shows.
VENKMAN
(flattered)
Thanks. What's the other one?
SECURITY GUARD
'Bass Masters.' It's a fishing show. Ever
see it?
VENKMAN
Yeah, really great. Take it easy.
He exits.
INT. MUSEUM - RESTORATION STUDIO - DAY (MOMENTS LATER)
Dana is working on a valuable Flemish still-life by Ver Meer. Janosz is
at the other end of the room, still working on the painting of Vigo.
Venkman enters and sneaks up behind Dana.
VENKMAN
(looking at the Ver Meer)
So this is what you do, huh?
DANA
(glad to see him)
Oh, hello, Peter.
VENKMAN
You're really good, you know.
DANA
I didn't paint it. I'm just cleaning it.
It's an original Ver Meer. It's worth about
ten million dollars.
VIGO
He turns his head and watches Venkman and Dana.
VENKMAN
Unaware that he's being watched, Venkman squints at the still life,
holding up his thumb like he's seen artists do.
VENKMAN
You know you can go to Art World and get
these huge sofa-size paintings for about
forty-five bucks.
He starts looking around at the other artwork in the studio.
DANA
I'm sure you didn't come here just to talk
about art.
VENKMAN
As a matter of fact, I stopped by to tell
you that I haven't forgotten your problem
and that we're still on the case.
They are interrupted by the sudden appearance of Janosz.
JANOSZ
(smiling at Venkman)
Dana, aren't you going to introduce me to
your friend?
DANA
Oh, I'm sorry. This is Peter Venkman.
Peter, Janosz Poha.
Venkman warily shakes his hand, trying to size him up.
JANOSZ
(avoiding his gaze)
Pleasure to meet you. I've seen you on
television.
VENKMAN
How are you?
(looking over at the Vigo
painting)
What's that you're working on, Johnny?
Janosz winces at the nickname but lets it go. Venkman and Dana cross to
the Vigo painting. Janosz steps protectively in front of it.
JANOSZ
It's a painting I'm restoring for the new
Byzantine exhibition. It's a self-portrait
of Prince Vigo, the Carpathian. He ruled
most of Carpathia and Moldavia in the 17th
Century.
VENKMAN
(staring at the painting)
Too bad for the Moldavians.
JANOSZ
(defensive)
He was a very powerful magician. A genius
in many ways and quite a skilled painter.
DANA
He was also a lunatic and a genocidal madman.
I hate this painting. I've felt very
uncomfortable since they brought it up from
storage.
VENKMAN
Yeah, it's not the kind of thing you'd want
to hang in the rec room. You know what it
needs?
(picking up a brush)
A fluffy little white kitten in the corner.
Venkman reaches toward the painting, but Janosz grabs his hand.
JANOSZ
(with forced good will)
We don't go around altering valuable
paintings, Dr. Venkman.
VENKMAN
Well, I'd make an exception in this case if
I were you.
Dana looks disapprovingly at Venkman.
VENKMAN
(to Janosz)
I'll let you get back to it. Nice meeting
you.
JANOSZ
My pleasure.
Venkman and Dana cross back to her workspace.
VENKMAN
(confidentially)
I may be wrong, but I think you've got a
little crush on this guy.
DANA
Good-bye, Peter.
VENKMAN
(dragging his feet)
I'd like to stay, but I really don't have
time to hang around here. I'll call you.
(calls out to Janosz)
Later, Johnny!
He exits.
VIGO
Vigo turns his head and follows Dana as she returns to her workbench.
DANA
She stops, vaguely aware of the movement, and looks up curiously at the
painting. As she starts to walk on, Vigo looks at her again, but Dana
turns suddenly and catches the movement. Frightened now, she hastily
leaves the studio.
CUT TO:
INT. FIREHOUSE - LIVING QUARTERS - CONTINUOUS ACTION - DAY
Venkman and Winston enter and find Stantz and Spengler at work in the lab
area.
STANTZ
Oh good, you're here. Spengler and I have
something really amazing to show you.
VENKMAN
(to Spengler)
It's not that thing you do with your
nostrils, is it?
Stantz goes to the refrigerator, opens the freezer, rummages around among
the TV dinners and frozen pizza and pulls out a slime specimen in a
Tupperware container.
STANTZ
(to Venkman)
We've been studying the stuff that we took
from the subway tunnel.
He pops the specimen jar in the microwave and lets it thaw for a minute.
VENKMAN
And now you're going to eat it?
STANTZ
No, I'm just restoring it to its normal state.
He takes the specimen out of the microwave and pours some of it into a
large Petri dish.
STANTZ
Now watch this.
He leans over the specimen and starts shouting at it.
STANTZ
(simulating anger)
You worthless piece of slime!!
(as the slime starts to
twitch and glow)
You ignorant disgusting blob!!
SPECIMEN
It bubbles and swells, changing color with each insult.
STANTZ
You foul, obnoxious muck!!
STANTZ
He continues venting his rage on the slime.
STANTZ
I've seen some real crud in my time, but
you're a chemical disgrace!!
The specimen doubles its size and starts spilling over the rim of the
Petri dish.
STANTZ AND SPENGLER
They turn to Venkman for his reaction. He's dumbfounded.
VENKMAN
This is what you do with your spare time?
STANTZ
(very excited)
This is an incredible breakthrough, Venkman.
A psychoreactive substance! Whatever this
is, it clearly responds to human emotional
states.
VENKMAN
'Mood slime.' We ought to bottle this stuff
and sell it.
SPENGLER
We've found it at every event site we've
been to lately.
WINSTON
(poking at the slime)
You mean this stuff actually feeds on 'bad
vibes'?
STANTZ
Like a goat on garbage.
STANTZ
We're running tests to see if we can get an
equally strong positive reaction.
VENKMAN
What kind of tests?
STANTZ
(a little embarrassed)
Well, we sing to it, we talk to it, we say
supportive, nurturing things --
VENKMAN
You're not sleeping with this stuff, are you?
Spengler reacts as if he might be.
STANTZ
It really responds to music.
(to Spengler)
Let's calm it down.
Spengler picks up a guitar and he and Stantz start singing "Cumbaya" to
the slime specimen.
SPECIMEN
It stops bubbling and starts to shrink.
WINSTON
Does it have any favorites?
STANTZ
It likes all the sappy stuff: 'Cumbaya,'
'Everything is Beautiful,' 'It's a Small
World' -- but it loves Jackie Wilson.
Venkman and Winston watch intently as Spengler spoons some of the
psych-reactive slime onto an old toaster.
STANTZ
Watch this.
Stantz turns on a CASSETTE PLAYER and Jackie Wilson's "HIGHER AND HIGHER"
BLASTS from the speakers.
TOASTER
It shakes, spins and actually starts moving in time with the MUSIC.
VENKMAN
He stares in disbelief at the dancing toaster as it shoots two pieces of
toast into the air and catches them without missing a beat.
VENKMAN
I don't care what you say. This could be a
major Christmas gift item.
WINSTON
Right, and the first time someone gets mad,
their toaster will eat their hand.
VENKMAN
So we'll put a warning on the label.
Stantz turns OFF the MUSIC and the toaster stops moving. Venkman looks
at the toaster and sticks his fingers in the slot.
VENKMAN
(to the toaster)
Go ahead. I dare you.
Suddenly, he yelps as if the toaster has actually bitten into his hand
and won't let go. The others jump in to help him, but Venkman laughs and
easily withdraws his hand.
VENKMAN
Just kidding.
CUT TO:
INT. DANA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Dana brings Oscar into the bathroom and lays him on the bassinet. She's
wearing a robe over her nightgown, preparing to bathe the baby. She
turns the taps on the old claw-footed bathtub, checks the water
temperature, then turns away and starts to undress the baby.
DANA
(talking sweetly to the
baby)
Look at you. I think we got more food on
your shirt than we got in your mouth.
BATHTUB
The water pouring from the faucet changes to slime and settles at the
bottom of the tub. Dana reaches over and turns off the water without
looking into the tub. When she turns away, both taps start to spin by
themselves and the tub flexes and bulges.
DANA
Still unaware, she routinely reaches over and squirts some bubble bath
into the tub.
BATHTUB
The rim of the tub puckers up and the sides convulse as if swallowing the
bubble bath.
DANA
She picks the baby up off the bassinet and turns to place him in the tub.
She is just about to lower him into the water when the tub starts to
close up around the baby like a hugh mouth. Dana screams, snatches the
baby away and runs from the room clutching Oscar to her bosom as the
bathtub convulses and vomits up buckets of slime.
CUT TO:
INT. VENKMAN'S LOFT - SAME NIGHT (LATER)
The big open loft space is a chaotic clutter of mismatched furniture, old
magazines, books, tapes, and sports equipment. Venkman is asleep on the
floor, still wearing his coat, scarf, hat and gloves, having collapsed
just short of the bedroom. The DOORBELL RINGS, he wakes up, lumbers to
his feet and answers it. He opens the door and sees Dana standing there.
She is wearing only a nightgown under her coat and Oscar is naked,
wrapped in a baby blanket.
DANA
(somewhat embarrassed to
be there)
I'm sorry. Were you on your way out?
VENKMAN
(surprised to see her)
No, I just got in -- a couple hours ago.
Come on in.
(noting her apparel)
Are we having a pajama party?
DANA
(upset)
Peter, the bathtub tried to eat Oscar.
Venkman looks at her for a long moment.
VENKMAN
You know, if anyone else told me that, I'd
have serious doubts. But coming from you,
I can't honestly say I'm surprised.
DANA
I must be losing my mind. At the museum
today I could have sworn that terrible
painting of Vigo looked right at me.
VENKMAN
Who could blame him? Were you wearing this
nightgown?
DANA
(distraught)
I don't know what to do anymore.
VENKMAN
I'll get Ray and Egon to check out the
bathtub. You better stay here.
He exits to the bathroom. She looks around the loft, amazed at the
disorder. Venkman comes back immediately with an old sweatshirt and
takes Oscar from her.
VENKMAN
Now this kid has a serious nudity problem.
He spreads the sweatshirt out on the sofa, lays the baby on it and starts
tying it around him like a diaper.
VENKMAN
(to the baby)
This is Joe Namath's old number, you know.
You could get a lot of chicks with this.
Just don't pee in it.
DANA
Peter, what about the bathtub?
VENKMAN
(grabs the phone and dials)
We'll take care of that.
(on the phone)
Ray, Pete. Listen, get over to Dana's right
away ... Her bathtub pulled a fast one --
tried to eat the kid.
DANA
It was full of this awful pink ooze.
VENKMAN
(to Ray)
Sounds like another slime job ... No,
they're all right. They're here now ...
Right ... Let me know.
He hangs up.
VENKMAN
They're going over there right now. You
might as well make yourself at home. Let
me show you around.
(he crosses to the kitchen area)
This is the cuisine de maison --
It's an incredible mess. The sink is piled high with dirty dishes and the
counters are littered with all sorts of food trash. He grabs a big open
Hefty bag on the floor and starts throwing garbage into it.
VENKMAN
(looking at the sink)
We may have to wash some of these if you get
hungry --
(he looks in the fridge)
-- but there's no food anyway so forget
about it. I have all kinds of carry-out
menus if you feel like ordering.
He opens a drawer full of pizza, barbecue and Chinese food menus, then
crosses to the bathroom.
VENKMAN
Bathroom's right here -- let me just tidy
up a few things.
DANA
Peter, this is very nice, but you don't have
to do any of this, you know.
He goes into the bathroom and we hear WATER RUNNING, the TOILET FLUSHING
and more items going into the Hefty bag.
VENKMAN (O.S.)
The shower works but it's a little tricky.
They're both marked "Hot." It takes a little
practice, but at least this one won't try
and eat you.
He comes out of the bathroom with the now-loaded Hefty bag over his
shoulder.
VENKMAN
Be careful on that sofa -- it's a butt-biter.
But the bed's good and I just changed the
sheets so if you get tired, feel free. In
fact, I think you should definitely plan on
spending the night here.
DANA
Really? And how would we handle the sleeping
arrangements?
VENKMAN
For me it's best if I sleep on my side and
you spoon up right behind me with your arms
around me. If we go the other way I'm
afraid your hair will be getting in my face
all night.
DANA
How about you on the sofa and me in bed with
the baby.
VENKMAN
Or we could do that.
DANA
Thank you.
(she picks up Oscar)
Poor baby. I think I should put him down
now.
VENKMAN
I'll put him down for you.
(taking the baby)
You are way too short! And your belly-button
sticks out! You're nothing but a burden to
your poor mother!
Venkman carries the baby into the bedroom leaving Dana in the living
room, feeling more relaxed and a lot safer.
CUT TO:
EXT. MUSEUM - DAY (NEXT MORNING)
Venkman is waiting in front of the building as ECTO-2 pulls up and
Stantz, Spengler and Winston get out and report on Dana's apartment.
VENKMAN
Did you find anything at Dana's?
STANTZ
Nothing. Just some mood-slime residue in
and around the bathtub. But we did turn up
some interesting stuff on this Vigo character
you mentioned. I found the name Vigo the
Carpathian in Leon Zundinger's Magicians,
Martyrs and Madmen. Listen to this:
SPENGLER
(reads from xerox of entry)
"Vigo the Carpathian, born 1505, died 1610 --"
VENKMAN
A hundred and five years? He really hung
on, didn't he.
STANTZ
And he didn't die of old age either. He was
poisoned, stabbed, shot, hung, stretched,
disemboweled, drawn and quartered.
WINSTON
I guess he wasn't too popular at the end
there.
SPENGLER
No, not exactly a man of the people.
(reads)
"Also known as Vigo the Cruel, Vigo the
Torturer, Vigo the Despised, and Vigo the
Unholy."
STANTZ
This guy was a bad monkey. He dabbled in
all the Black Arts, and listen to this
prophecy. Just before his head died, his
last words were, "Death is but a door, time
is but a window. I'll be back."
VENKMAN
That's it? "I'll be back?"
SPENGLER
It's a rough translation from the Moldavian.
They enter the museum carrying their monitoring equipment.
INT. MUSEUM - SECURITY DESK - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Rudy the guard looks up in surprise as the Ghostbusters enter.
RUDY
Hey, Dr. Venkman. What's going on?
VENKMAN
We're just going up to Restorations for a
minute.
RUDY
Oh, I can't let you do that. Mr. Poha told
me not to let you up there anymore.
VENKMAN
(with mock seriousness)
Okay, we were trying to keep this quiet but
I think you can be trusted. Tell him, Ray.
STANTZ
(very official)
Mister, you have an Ecto-paritic,
subfusionary flux in this building.
RUDY
We got a flux?
WINSTON
You got a flux and a half.
STANTZ
Now if you don't want to be the --
(he counts)
-- fifth person ever to die in meta-shock
from a planar rift, I suggest you get down
behind that desk and don't move until we
give you the signal "Stabilize -- All Clear."
Rudy gulps and starts to hunker down behind the desk as the Ghostbusters
head upstairs.
INT. MUSEUM - RESTORATION STUDIO - DAY (MOMENTS LATER)
Janosz is working on the Vigo painting when the Ghostbusters enter. He
rushes over and stops them at the door.
JANOSZ
Dr. Venkman? Dana is not here.
VENKMAN
I know.
JANOSZ
Then why have you come?
VENKMAN
We got a major creep alert and we're just
going down the list. Your name was first.
STANTZ
(to Spengler and Winston)
Let's sweep it, boys.
They deploy and start scanning the studio with their monitoring devices.
VENKMAN
(to Janosz)
You know, I never got to ask you. Where you
from, Johnny?
JANOSZ
(nervous)
The Upper West Side.
SPENGLER
(consulting his PKE meter)
This entire room is extremely hot, Peter.
JANOSZ
What exactly are you looking for, Dr. Venkman?
VENKMAN
We'll know when we find it. You just sit
tight. This won't take long.
STANTZ
Using the Giga-meter, he traces a strong psychomagnetheric reading to
the painting of Vigo in the alcove at the end of the studio. Venkman
comes up behind him with Janosz right on his heels.
VENKMAN
This is the one that looked at Dana.
JANOSZ
It must be the chemical fumes in the studio.
People start imagining things --
VENKMAN
(interrupts)
I'm going to rule out the glue-sniffing
theory. If she says it looked at her, it
looked at her.
(to Vigo)
Hey, you! Vigie! Look at me. I'm talking
to you. Hey! Look at me when I'm talking
to you.
They watch the painting for any sign of movement.
VIGO
His eyes stare lifelessly into the distance.
STANTZ AND VENKMAN
Venkman starts shooting Polaroids of Vigo.
VENKMAN
(to Vigo)
Beautiful, beautiful. Work with me, baby.
Just have fun with it.
(to Stantz)
Okay, he's playing it cool. Let's finish
up and get out of here.
STANTZ
I'll get one more reading.
Venkman walks off leaving Stantz alone with the painting. Stantz scans
the painting with the Giga-meter until his eyes meet Vigo's.
VIGO
His eyes seems to burn right through to the depths of Stantz's soul.
STANTZ
He stands there transfixed, unable to look away, as a strange and subtle
transformation occurs within him. Winston comes up behind him and breaks
the spell.
WINSTON
(looking at the painting)
Now that's one ugly dude.
STANTZ
(coming back to his senses)
Huh? What?
WINSTON
You finished here?
STANTZ
(distracted)
What? Yeah.
WINSTON
Are you all right? You coming down with
something?
STANTZ
No, I'm fine. I just got light-headed for
a second there. Let's go.
They head for the door.
JANOSZ
He escorts the Ghostbusters to the door.
JANOSZ
So you see, everything is in order, is it
not?
VENKMAN
Not. Don't leave town and report any change
in your address to the proper authorities.
We'll be back.
They exit.
CUT TO:
EXT. MUSEUM - DAY (LATER)
The Ghostbusters cross to ECTO-2.
SPENGLER
There's definitely something going on in
that studio. The PKE levels were max-plus
and the Giga-meter was showing all red.
WINSTON
I'd put my money on that Vigo character.
VENKMAN
Yeah, that's a safe bet.
(to Stantz)
You and Spengman see what else you can dig
up on Vigo and this little weasel Poha.
Those two were made for each other.
INT. ECTO-2 - DAY (LATER)
The Ghostbusters are driving back to the firehouse. Stantz is at the
wheel. His eyes are vacant, he seems distracted and very tense. Stantz
swerves suddenly and HONKS the horn angrily.
STANTZ
(to another driver)
Idiot!
(honking)
Move it, you jerk!
Venkman and Winston exchange surprised looks.
EXT. STREET - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Stantz drives extremely fast, HONKING vindictively, weaving dangerously
through traffic.
INT. ECTO-2 - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Winston looks at Ray, concerned.
WINSTON
Going a little fast, aren't we, Ray?
Stantz turns on him.
STANTZ
(viciously)
Are you telling me how to drive?
WINSTON
No, I just thought --
STANTZ
Well don't think!
He HONKS again and tromps hard on the accelerator.
EXT. STREET - DAY (CONTINUOUS)
Ecto-2 is now barreling down the avenue. Pedestrians leap to safety as
Stantz runs a red light.
INT. ECTO-2 - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
They hang on to the safety straps as Stantz continues his maniacal ride.
WINSTON
(to Stantz, really worried
now)
Are you crazy, man? You're going to kill
somebody!
Stantz looks at him and smile demonically.
STANTZ
No, I'm going to kill everybody!
He swerves off the road.
EXT. ECTO-2 - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The car heads right for a big tree.
INT. ECTO-2 - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
At the last possible moment, Winston cold-cocks Stantz, grabs the wheel
and steps across to stomp on the brakes.
EXT. ECTO-2 - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The car skids into the tree and stops. The Ghostbusters stumble out
dazed and shaken, but unhurt. Stantz rubs his eyes and looks at the
others, completely at a loss.
STANTZ
(himself again)
What happened?
VENKMAN
You just picked up three penalty points on
your driver's license.
WINSTON
Are you all right?
STANTZ
Yeah, I guess so. It was the strangest
thing. I knew what I was doing but I
couldn't stop. This really terrible feeling
came over me and -- I don't know -- I just
felt like driving into that tree and ending
it all. Whew! Sorry, boys.
They inspect the damage to the car.
VENKMAN
(confidentially, to
Spengler)
Watch him, Egon. Don't even let him shave.
CUT TO:
INT. VENKMAN'S LOFT - DAY (LATER)
There's a KNOCK at the front door, a key turns in the lock, and Venkman
enters somewhat tentatively holding a bouquet of flowers and a small
suitcase of Dana's.
VENKMAN
(calls out)
I'm home!
He looks around the large open loft.
VENKMAN
(to himself)
I knew it. She cleaned.
He hears the SHOWER RUNNING and crosses to the bathroom. The door is
half-open and he can see Dana in the shower (tastefully blurred) through
the transparent vinyl curtain. He closes the bathroom door and looks at
the baby asleep on the bed, surrounded by pillows to prevent him rolling
off. Then he turns and bumps into Dana who's just coming out of the
bathroom wrapped in a towel. She jumps back into the bathroom.
She comes out again, this time wearing a robe.
VENKMAN
Are you all squeaky clean now?
DANA
(humoring him)
Yes, I'm very clean. Did they find anything
at my apartment?
She squeezes past him into the bedroom and closes the door.
VENKMAN
(through the door)
Nothing. They stayed there all night, went
through your personal stuff, made a bunch of
long-distance phone calls and cleaned out
your refrigerator. And didn't find anything.
Dana opens the bedroom door.
DANA
They didn't find anything? In the bathtub
... the pink ooze ... nothing? So, what do
I do now?
VENKMAN
Now you get dressed and we go out. I got a
babysitter and everything. Trust me, you
need it.
DANA
I'm not here to date. I can't leave Oscar
in a strange place with someone I don't know.
VENKMAN
It's Janine Melnitz, from my staff. She's
one of my most valuable employees.
DANA
Does she know anything about babies?
VENKMAN
Janine Melnitz, are you kidding?
(handing her the flowers)
Do I have a vase? I brought some of your
clothes. Wear something intriguing. I
brought along some interesting possibilities.
DANA
Okay, but it's not a date. It's a dinner.
She smiles and closes the door again. He opens the closet and starts
looking for his good suit.
VENKMAN
Did you happen to see some shirts on the
floor in here?
DANA (O.S.)
I put them in your hamper. I thought they
were dirty.
VENKMAN
(shaking his head)
I have a hamper? Next time ask me first,
okay. I have more than two grades of
laundry. There're lots of subtle levels
between clean and dirty.
He pulls some clothes out of the hamper and inspects them.
VENKMAN
These aren't so bad yet. You just hang them
up for a while and they're fine.
CUT TO:
INT. FIREHOUSE - RECEPTION AREA - EARLY EVENING
Janine covers her computer terminal and starts turning out the lights.
Then she notices that the lights are still on upstairs. She starts
primping and freshening up her makeup.
INT. FIREHOUSE - LAB AREA - SAME TIME
Louis is strapping on a proton pack, preparing to deal with Slimer once
and for all. He's wearing a bicyclist's rearview mirror on a headband.
LOUIS
(to himself)
Okay, Stinky, this is it. Showdown time.
You and me, pal. You think you're smarter
than I am? We'll see about that.
(loud)
Oh, hello, Pizza Man! Oh, two larges! I
only ordered one. Oh, pepperoni and
pineapple. My absolute favorite. I guess
I'll have to eat these both by myself.
THE CEILING
Slimer pokes his head through the ceiling and scans the room hanging
upside down.
LOUIS
He spots Slimer through the rearview mirror.
LOUIS
(quietly)
Okay, let's boogie!
He whirls around and fires a proton stream at Slimer, slicing a burning a
gash across the ceiling.
THE STAIRS
Janine comes up and ducks as a bolt of energy streaks across the room and
strikes the wall behind her. Slimer disappears.
LOUIS
(embarrassed and apologetic)
Oh migod! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do
that. It was an accident.
JANINE
What are you doing up here?
LOUIS
I was trying to get that smelly green thing.
The guys asked me to help out. I'm like the
fifth Ghostbuster.
JANINE
Why would you want to be a Ghostbuster if
you're already an accountant?
LOUIS
Oh, no, it's just if one of the guys calls
in sick or gets hurt.
Louis quickly slips off the proton pack and sets it down.
JANINE
Have you made any plans yet? You know
tomorrow is New Year's Eve.
LOUIS
No, I celebrate at the beginning of my
corporate tax year which is March first.
That way I beat the crowds.
JANINE
That's very practical. I hate going out on
New Year's Eve, too.
There is an awkward silence between them and Janine starts to leave.
JANINE
Well, good night, Louis.
LOUIS
(on an impulse)
Janine, do you feel like maybe getting
something to eat on the way home?
JANINE
I'd like to, but I told Dr. Venkman I'd
babysit.
(seductively)
Do you want to babysit with me?
LOUIS
Oh, sure, that sounds great.
They exit.
CUT TO:
INT. VENKMAN'S LOFT - NIGHT (LATER)
There is a KNOCK at the door and Venkman goes to answer it. He's dressed
for the evening and looking very dapper.
INT. VENKMAN'S LOFT - ENTRANCE HALL - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Venkman opens the door and finds Stantz, Spengler and Winston standing
there wearing over-the-hip rubberized waders, firemen's slickers, and
miners' helmets, carrying tons of sensing devices, meters, collection
jars and photographic equipment. They look like they're rigged out for a
major spelunking expedition.
VENKMAN
(ushering them in)
Don't tell me, let me guess. All-you-can-eat
barbecue rib night at the Sizzler?
STANTZ
We're going down into the sewer system to
see if we can trace the source of the
psycho-reactive slime flow. We thought you
might want to come along.
VENKMAN
Darn it! I wish I'd known you were going.
I'm stuck with these damn dinner reservations.
SPENGLER
You know, animals and lower life forms often
anticipate major disasters. Given the new
magnetheric readings we could see a tremendous
breeding surge in the cockroach population.
VENKMAN
Roach breeding? Sounds better and better.
(calls out)
Dana? The boys are going down under the
sewers tonight to look for slime. Egon
thinks there might even be some kind of big
roach-breeding surge. Should we forget about
dinner and go with them instead?
Dana steps into the living room looking very beautiful.
STANTZ
Wow.
Dana looks curiously at their outfits.
DANA
Hi.
They nod and wave back.
VENKMAN
(to Ray and Egon)
I think we're going to have to pass on the
sewer trip, boys. Let me know what you find
out.
STANTZ
(on his exit)
Okay, but you're missing all the fun.
INT. VAN HORNE STATION - NIGHT (LATER)
Stantz, Spengler and Winston come down the stairs into the station,
guided by a very old map of the underground city.
STANTZ
This is it. Van Horne Station. Right where
the old transit map said it would be.
They cross to the edge of the platform and look into the river of slime.
STANTZ
Let's get a sounding on the depth of that
flow.
Stantz has a long, coiled, graduated cord with a plumb bob on the end of
it attached to his utility belt.
STANTZ
Stand back.
He takes the cord in his hand, swings the plumb bob over his head and
casts it out into the middle of the flow. The plumb bob sinks and
Spengler reads the depth.
SPENGLER
Six feet -- seven -- eight --
STANTZ
That's it. It's on the bottom.
SPENGLER
Nine feet -- ten --
WINSTON
Is the line sinking?
SPENGLER
No, the slime is rising.
Stantz looks down and notices the slime rising over the edge of the
platform and around his boots.
STANTZ
(alarmed)
Let's get out of here, boys.
He starts to pull out the plumb line but it seems to be stuck.
Spengler tries to help, but whatever is pulling on the cord is stronger
than all three of them. As their unseen adversary pulls them closer and
closer to the edge, Stantz works desperately to unhook the cord from his
belt but finally just unhooks the whole belt. Spengler lets go in time
but Winston doesn't. He is jerked off his feet and into the slime flow.
Stantz and Spengler look at each other, summon their courage and jump in
after him.
CUT TO:
INT. ARMAND RESTAURANT - NIGHT (LATER)
Dana and Venkman are sitting at a table in an elegant restaurant nibbling
caviar and toasting with very expensive champagne.
VENKMAN
(very intimate)
Here's to -- us.
She sighs and drinks.
VENKMAN
So -- are you making any New Year's
resolutions?
DANA
I want to stop getting involved with men who
aren't good for me.
VENKMAN
Does that start exactly at midnight tomorrow,
or could you hold off for a few days maybe?
DANA
For one night in your life, do you think
it's possible for us to be completely real?
VENKMAN
All right, you want to be real? So tell me
why did you dump me?
DANA
Oh, Peter, I didn't dump you. I just had
to protect myself. You really weren't very
good for me, you know.
VENKMAN
I'm not even good for me.
DANA
Why do you say things like that? You're so
much better than you know.
VENKMAN
Thank you. If I had that kind of support
on a daily basis, I could definitely shape
up by the turn of the century.
DANA
(already feeling the
effects of the champagne)
So why don't you give me a jingle in the
year 2000?
VENKMAN
Let me jingle you right now.
He leans over to kiss her.
DANA
Maybe I should call Janine.
VENKMAN
Don't worry. Janine has a very special way
with children.
They kiss.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Janine is on the sofa doing her nails while Louis paces with the baby.
JANINE
(looking around)
I can't believe a person could actually live
like this.
LOUIS
(to the baby)
So these dwarfs had a limited partnership in
a small mining operation and then one day a
beautiful princess came to live with them.
JANINE
It's really not a bad place. It just needs
a woman's touch.
LOUIS
(continuing)
So they bartered room and board in exchange
for housekeeping services, which was a good
deal for all of them because then they didn't
have to withhold tax and social security,
which I'm not saying is right but it's just
a story, so I guess it's all right. I can
finish this later if you're tired.
Louis goes into the bedroom and puts the baby down.
JANINE
You're really good with children, Louis. I
can tell.
(as he returns)
Why don't you come here and sit with me?
LOUIS
Okay.
He sits stiffly beside her on the sofa.
JANINE
(getting close)
Motherhood is a very natural instinct for
me. I'd like to have a baby myself.
Wouldn't you?
LOUIS
(gulps)
Tonight?
EXT. STREET - MANHOLE COVER - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
A manhole cover is dislodged and pushed up from below. It slides away,
and Winston crawls out of the manhole followed by Stantz and Spengler.
They are exhausted and covered with slime.
WINSTON
(uncharacteristically
angry)
Nice going, Ray! What were you trying to
do -- drown me?
STANTZ
(unusually mean)
Look, Zeddemore, it wasn't my fault you were
too stupid to drop that line.
WINSTON
(shoves him)
You better watch your mouth, man, or I'll
punch your lights out.
STANTZ
Oh yeah? Anytime, anytime. Just go ahead
and try it.
Spengler steps between them with unprecedented aggression.
SPENGLER
If you two are looking for a fight, you got
one.
(putting up his fists)
Who wants it first? Come on, Ray. Try me,
sucker.
STANTZ
(squaring off)
Butt out, you pencil-necked geek. I've had
it with you.
They grab each other and start to tussle. Suddenly Spengler comes to his
senses and pulls them apart.
SPENGLER
(forcefully)
Strip! Right now! Get out of those clothes!
He starts yanking off his slicker and waders. Bewildered, Stantz and
Winston start doing the same. Spengler helps pull off their clothes and
throws them into the open manhole. Now wearing only long underwear, they
seem to return to normal.
WINSTON
What are we doing? Ray, I was ready to kill
you.
STANTZ
Don't you see? It's the slime. That stuff
is like pure, concentrated evil.
Stantz looks around and sees that they are standing right in front of the
museum.
SPENGLER
And it's all flowing right to this spot.
CUT TO:
INT. ARMAND RESTAURANT ENTRANCE - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The MAITRE D' looks up in surprise as Stantz, Spengler and Winston enter
the restaurant wearing only long underwear.
MAITRE D'
(intercepting them)
Can I help you?
Stantz looks around and spots Venkman.
STANTZ
That's all right, I see him.
They blow right by the Maitre d' who jumps back in horror as they pass.
VENKMAN
He's just about to pour more champagne when he sees Ray, Egon and Winston
coming toward him through the restaurant.
STANTZ
(very excited)
You should've been there, Venkman.
Absolutely incredible!
VENKMAN
Yeah, sorry I missed it.
(noting their attire)
I guess you guys didn't know about the dress
code here. It's really kind of a coat and
tie place.
STANTZ
It's all over the city, Pete -- well, under
it actually.
WINSTON
Rivers of the stuff!
SPENGLER
And it's all flowing toward the museum.
He gestures excitedly and a big gob of slime flies across the room and
lands on a well-dressed diner.
STANTZ
(calls out)
Sorry!
DANA
Maybe we should discuss this somewhere else.
Venkman notes the look of alarm on Dana's face and pulls his colleagues
aside.
VENKMAN
(confidentially)
Boys, listen. You're scaring the straights.
Let's save this until tomorrow, okay?
SPENGLER
(to Venkman)
This won't wait until tomorrow, Venkman.
It's hot and it's ready to pop.
MAITRE D'
He hurries through the restaurant with two city COPS right behind him and
makes straight for Venkman's table.
MAITRE D'
Arrest these men.
COP
(recognizing them)
Hey! It's the Ghostbusters. You're out of
uniform, gentlemen
Stantz suddenly realizes how ridiculous they look.
STANTZ
(self-conscious)
Uh -- well -- we had a little accident, but
forget that. We have to see the mayor as
soon as possible.
COP
Look, Doc, why don't you just go home.
You'll get a good night's sleep and then you
can give the mayor a call in the morning.
Come on.
He takes Stantz by the arm but Stantz resists.
STANTZ
We're not going anywhere with you. I told
you we have to see the mayor now.
COP
(grabbing Stantz)
I'm warning you. You can come along
peaceably or --
VENKMAN
(grabs the Cop)
Hey, don't be an idiot. This is serious.
COP
(angry)
Look, pal, keep this up and you're going
with them.
VENKMAN
Oh, yeah?
COP
(has had enough)
Yeah, let's go. You're all under arrest.
The Cop catches Venkman in an armlock and starts walking him out of the
restaurant.
VENKMAN
(to Dana)
Finish your dessert -- it's already paid
for. I'll call you.
They all exit, causing a major commotion among the other diners.
EXT. ARMAND'S RESTAURANT - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The police car is parked right behind Ecto-2. Spengler stops at the
police car and confronts the cops.
SPENGLER
Look, we're not drunk and we're not crazy.
This is a matter of vital importance.
Venkman steps in and looks at the policemen's nametags.
COP
What are you doing?
VENKMAN
I just want to get your names right for when
the mayor asks us why we didn't let him know
about this sooner.
The Cops look at each other, uncertain about what to do.
COP
(relenting)
Okay, Doc. You want to see the mayor, you
got it. Follow us.
They head for their respective vehicles.
CUT TO:
INT. VENKMAN'S LOFT - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Louis and Janine are on the sofa making out when Dana enters. They jump
up and start smoothing their clothes.
LOUIS
(embarrassed)
Oh, hello, Dana. we were just -- we were --
DANA
I know what you were doing, Louis. It's
all right.
JANINE
How was your date?
DANA
Typical. Peter was arrested. Has he called?
LOUIS
No, nobody called.
Dana frowns.
DANA
Is everything all right with Oscar?
JANINE
Oh, he's fine. He's such a good baby. He
was a little fussy at first, but we gave
him a Freach bread pizza and he went right
to sleep.
DANA
(relieved)
Oh, good. I'll just check on him.
She crosses to the bedroom.
INT. VENKMAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Dana looks at Oscar sleeping peacefully on the bed. She starts to change
clothes.
INT. VENKMAN'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Louis and Janine aren't sure what to do.
LOUIS
Should we go?
JANINE
I don't think we should leave her alone.
LOUIS
You're right. We should stay.
He grabs Janine and they start making out again.
CUT TO:
INT. MUSEUM RESTORATION STUDIO - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Janosz stands before the painting of Vigo. Vigo comes to life and
repeats the litany of his power.
VIGO
I, Vigo, the scourge of Carpathia --
JANOSZ
(heard all this before)
Yes, the scourge --
VIGO
-- the sorrow of Moldavia --
JANOSZ
-- the sorrow --
VIGO
I command you.
JANOSZ
(checking his watch)
I await the word of Vigo.
VIGO
The season of evil begins with the birth of
the new year. Bring me the child that I
might live again.
JANOSZ
(abjectly humble)
Lord Vigo, the mother, Dana, is fine and
strong. I was wondering -- well, would it
be possible -- if I bring the baby, could I
have the woman?
VIGO
So be it. On this the day of darkness, she
will be ours, wife to you and mother to me.
CUT TO:
EXT. CARL SCHURZ PARK - NIGHT (LATER)
Preceded by a police car, Ecto-2 enters the small park on the East River
at 88th Street and disappears into an underground entrance. The CAMERA
PANS UP to reveal Gracie Mansion, the residence of the Mayor of New York
City.
INT. GRACIE MANSION - MOMENTS LATER
The Ghostbusters, now wearing police raincoats over their longjohns are
ushered through the house by a butler to a set of double oak doors. The
butler knocks lightly, then opens the door to reveal the MAYOR sitting in
front of the fireplace in his well-appointed private study, flanked by
Jack Hardemeyer, both in tuxedoes. The Ghostbusters enter.
INT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS ACTION
The Mayor is impatient and a little angry at having been pulled out of
his formal reception. He frowns at their bizarre attire.
MAYOR
All right -- the Ghostbusters. I'll tell
you right now; I've got two hundred of the
heaviest campaign contributors in the city
out there eating bad roast chicken waiting
for me to give the speech of my life.
You've got two minutes. Make it good.
STANTZ
You get enough negative energy flowing in a
dense environment like Manhattan, it starts
to build up, and if we don't do something
fast this whole place will blow like a frog
on a hotplate.
WINSTON
Tell him about the toaster.
VENKMAN
I don't think he's ready for the toaster.
MAYOR
(shaking his head)
Being miserable and treating other people
like dirt is every New Yorker's God-given
right. What am I supposed to do -- go on
television and tell eight million people
they have to be nice to each other? I'm
sorry, none of this makes any sense to me,
and if anything does happen we've got plenty
of paid professionals to deal with it. Your
two minutes are up. Good night, gentlemen.
The mayor exits, leaving the Ghostbusters to Hardemeyer.
HARDEMEYER
(smirking)
That's quite a story.
VENKMAN
Yeah, I think the Times might be interested,
don't you? The Post might have a lot of fun
with it, too.
Hardemeyer's eyes go cold and calculating.
HARDEMEYER
Before you go running to the newspapers with
this, would you consider telling this slime
thing to some people downtown?
VENKMAN
Now you're talking.
CUT TO:
INT. PARKVIEW HOSPITAL - PSYCHIATRIC WARD - NIGHT (LATER)
An attendant opens a locked door with a wire mesh window and the
Ghostbusters, in straitjackets, are led into the psych ward as Hardemeyer
confers with the chief PSYCHIATRIST.
WINSTON
(protesting)
I'm telling you, we're not crazy. He is!
HARDEMEYER
He laughs off the remark.
HARDEMEYER
(to the Psychiatrist)
The mayor wants them kept under strict
observation for a few days. We think
they're seriously disturbed and potentially
dangerous.
PSYCHIATRIST
We'll do whatever's necessary.
Hardemeyer shakes his hand and exits as the door slams shut on the
Ghostbusters.
INT. VENKMAN'S LOFT - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Louis and Janine are watching an old rerun on TV, eating popcorn, while
Dana is stretched out on the other sofa.
DANA
(wishing they'd leave)
You know you really don't have to stay.
Peter should be back soon.
LOUIS
Oh no, we don't mind.
She hears a little CRY from the nursery and sits up.
DANA
Excuse me. I think Oscar is up.
She crosses to the bedroom.
INT. VENKMAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Dana enters and immediately notices that the crib is empty and the window
is open.
DANA
(screams)
Louis!
Frantic now, Dana rushes to the window and looks out, as Louis and Janine
come running in.
EXT. WINDOW LEDGE - DANA'S POV - NIGHT (ECLIPSE)
The baby is standing out on the ledge at the corner of the building,
fifty feet above the street, staring off into the distance as if he's
waiting for something.
EXT. WINDOW LEDGE - NIGHT (ECLIPSE) (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Dana climbs out onto the ledge and starts inching slowly toward the baby.
Then she stops as a miraculous apparition materializes.
LOUIS AND JANINE
They lean out the window, gaping at the apparition.
EXT. VENKMAN'S LEDGE - APPARITION
A sweet, kindly-looking English nanny appears, pushing a pram, strolling
on thin air parallel to the ledge high above the ground. Her face looks
remarkably like Janosz Poha's. The nanny extends her hand to the BABY
who GURGLES sweetly as he reaches out to take it.
DANA
She watches in helpless horror.
DANA
(screams)
No!!
GHOST NANNY
She picks up the baby and lays it gently in the pram, then turns and
smiles at Dana. The smile turns to a hideous grin, then the nanny
shrieks at Dana and takes off like a shot with the baby.
DANA
She watches the creature fly off with Oscar, then climbs back through
the window assisted by Louis and Janine.
DANA
(resolutely)
Louis, you have to find Peter and tell him
what happened.
LOUIS
(confused and worried)
Where're you going?
DANA
To get my baby back.
CUT TO:
EXT. MUSEUM - NIGHT (A LITTLE LATER)
A taxi pulls up, Dana jumps out and rushes into the museum. The moment
the door closes behind her, there is a loud THUNDERCLAP, the ground
trembles and a massive amount of slime erupts from around the base of
the museum and starts covering the walls, sealing her inside the
building.
CUT TO:
INT. PARKVIEW PSYCHIATRIC - PADDED ROOM - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Venkman, Stantz, Spengler and Winston are in a padded cell. They are
handcuffed and the cuffs are chained to thick leather belts around their
waists. Venkman stands there banging his head into the padded wall
while the others try to explain the situation to a skeptical
Psychiatrist.
STANTZ
We think the spirit of Vigo the Carpathian
is alive in a painting at the Manhattan
Museum.
PSYCHIATRIST
I see. And are there any other paintings in
the museum with bad spirits in them?
SPENGLER
(impatient)
You're wasting valuable time! We have reason
to believe that Vigo is drawing strength from
a psychomagnetheric slime flow that's been
collecting under the city.
PSYCHIATRIST
Yes, tell me about the slime.
WINSTON
It's potent stuff. We made a toaster dance
with it, then a bathtub tried to eat his
friend's baby.
The psychiatrist looks at Venkman.
VENKMAN
Don't look at me. I think they're nuts.
CUT TO:
INT. MUSEUM RESTORATION STUDIO - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Moonlight streams through the skylight above, bathing the studio in
eerie white light. Oscar is lying safely on a table in front of the
painting of Vigo. Dana enters cautiously and sees the baby. Seeing no
one else about, she quickly sneaks down to the table and picks up the
baby, hugging hin tight, greatly relieved to find him unharmed and
intact.
JANOSZ (O.S.)
I knew you would come.
Startled, Dana turns at the sound of his voice as Janosz steps out from
behind the Vigo painting.
DANA
(defiantly)
What do you want with my baby?
JANOSZ
No harm will come to the child. You might
even say it's a privilege. He will be the
vessel for the spirit of Vigo. And you --
well, you will be the mother of the ruler
of the world. Doesn't that sound nice?
DANA
If this is what the world will be like, I
don't want to live in it.
JANOSZ
(confidentially, indicating
Vigo)
I don't believe we have the luxury of choice.
DANA
Everybody has a choice.
JANOSZ
Not in this case, my dear. Take a look.
That's not Gainsborough's Blue Boy up there.
He's Vigo!
DANA
I don't care who he is. He's not taking my
baby.
Dana walks quickly to the door but suddenly Oscar flies out of her arms,
floats across the room and lands lightly back in the cradle.
DANA
She turns and looks at Vigo, for the first time feeling his power.
JANOSZ
You will see. It's all for the best.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARKVIEW HOSPITAL - DAY (NEXT MORNING)
It's the last day of the year and the sun is shining brightly.
CUT TO:
INT. PARKVIEW PSYCHIATRIC WARD - DAY (SAME TIME)
The Ghostbusters are sitting in the dayroom, a dingy lounge for patients
in the locked ward. There is a television set, a Ping-Pong table and a
few tables and chairs. Stantz is looking at the sky through the heavy
wire mesh covering the windows.
STANTZ
This is it. boys. It's starting. Shit-storm
2000.
Venkman is doing occupational therapy, weaving on a little hand-loom.
VENKMAN
It better not start yet. I'm trying to
finish my potholder before lunch.
WINSTON
You think all those predictions about the
world coming to an end in the 1990s are true?
A PATIENT at the next table joins the discussion.
PATIENT
(with certainty)
1997. My dog told me.
VENKMAN
What kind of dog?
PATIENT
Labrador.
VENKMAN
(shakes his head)
Habitual liars. They can't help it. It's
in the breed.
CUT TO:
INT. PARKVIEW HOSPITAL - EXAMINING ROOM - DAY (SAME TIME)
Louis is pleading with his cousin, SHERMAN TULLY, a doctor on the staff
at Parkview. He looks and sounds just like Louis.
LOUIS
Come on, Sherm. You're my cousin. Do this
for me. I'm begging you.
SHERMAN
I can't do it, Louis. It isn't ethical. I
could lose my license.
LOUIS
Why can't you just have them released?
You're a doctor.
SHERMAN
I'm a dermatologist. I can't write orders
on the psych ward.
LOUIS
Sherman, I've done lots of favors for you.
SHERMAN
Like what?
LOUIS
I got you out of those bad tax shelters.
SHERMAN
You were the one who got me in.
LOUIS
I fixed you up with Diane Troxler and she
put out, didn't she?
SHERMAN
Yeah, I had to give her free dermabrasion
for a year. Forget it, Louis. I could get
in a lot of trouble.
LOUIS
I'm telling you, we're all going to be in
big trouble if we don't do something fast.
That ghost guy came and took my friend's
baby and we got to get it back. It's just
a scared little baby, Sherm.
SHERMAN
Then you should go to the police. I don't
believe in any of that stuff.
Sherman looks out the window.
EXT. SKY - SHERMAN'S POV
The sky begins to go dark as the sun is magically eclipsed.
INT. EXAMINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION - DAY
The room goes dark. Louis switches on a lamp which casts an eerie light
on his face.
LOUIS
(spooky)
Do you believe it now, Sherm?
CUT TO:
EXT. HUDSON RIVER PIER - NIGHT (ECLIPSE)
A drainpipe starts dripping slime into the river near the Cunard Line
docks.
CUT TO:
EXT. PUBLIC FOUNTAIN (59TH AND FIFTH) - NIGHT (ECLIPSE)
With the Plaza Hotel in the background, the fountain starts to spout
psycho-reactive slime.
HOTEL ENTRANCE
A well-heeled MAN and WOMAN step out of a limousine and walk up the steps
toward the revolving door. She looks up at the sky and frowns.
WOMAN
(shrewish)
I told you we should have stayed in Palm
Beach. The weather here gets stranger every
year.
MAN
Yes, dear.
She doesn't notice it, but a small amount of slime falls on the back of
her luxurious, full-length, white mink coat. The doorman nods
courteously and extends a hand to help her up the stairs.
WOMAN
She yelps in pain.
WOMAN
(to the doorman)
Something just bit me!
The doorman looks curiously at her, then recoils in shock as her coat
comes alive. MINK HEADS pop out of the thick fur, SNARLING, BARKING and
YAPPING, their sharp, little teeth biting the air. Reacting quickly, the
doorman yanks the coat off the woman's back, throws it to the ground and
starts stomping on it as the Woman and her husband look on in horror.
The coat scuttles down the steps and runs off down the street.
CUT TO:
INT. MIDTOWN CENTRAL POLICE PRECINCT - NIGHT (ECLIPSE)
The squad room is busy as DETECTIVES try to answer the flood of calls
regarding the wave of supernatural events sweeping the city.
DETECTIVE ONE
(on the phone)
Look, lady, of course there are dead people
there. It's a cemetery ...
(his face falls)
They were asking you for directions?
DETECTIVE TWO
(on another phone)
Was this a big dinosaur or a little dinosaur?
... Oh, just the skeleton, huh? Well, where
is it now?
DETECTIVE THREE
(on the phone)
Wait a second -- the park bench was chasing
you? You mean, someone was chasing you in
the park ... No, the bench itself was chasing
you. I see --
A weary SERGEANT answers a RINGING PHONE.
SERGEANT
Manhattan Central, Flaherty speaking ...
Yeah ... yeah? ... What? Who is this? ...
Wait a second.
He puts the caller on "Hold" and turns the LIEUTENANT.
SERGEANT
Lieutenant, I think you better talk to this
guy.
LIEUTENANT
(on another call)
What is it? I'm talkin' here!
SERGEANT
It's some dock supervisor down at Pier 34
on the Hudson. The guy's going nuts.
LIEUTENANT
What's the problem?
SERGEANT
(takes a deep breath)
He says the Titanic just arrived.
INT. PORT AUTHORITY OFFICE - NIGHT (ECLIPSE)
The dock supervisor stands there with the phone in his hand, an assistant
beside him, both staring out the window at the ocean liner tied up at the
pier.
EXT. PIER 34 - THEIR POV - NIGHT (ECLIPSE)
The name "R.M.S. Titanic" is clearly visible on the side of the huge
ship. The gangplank is down and dozens of drowned passengers, sopping
wet and festooned with seaweed, are disembarking while drowned porters
off-load their waterlogged baggage.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARKVIEW HOSPITAL - NIGHT (MOMENTS LATER)(ECLIPSE)
Ecto-2 is parked outside as Louis and Sherman come out of the hospital
with the Ghostbusters, now wearing their standard uniforms.
STANTZ
Good work, Louis. How did you get us out?
LOUIS
Oh, I pulled a few strings. I wouldn't want
to say any more than that.
Louis winks conspiratorially at Sherman.
LOUIS
This is my cousin Sherman. Sherm, say hello
to the Ghostbusters.
(sotto voce to Stantz)
I promised him a ride in the car if he got
you out.
SHERMAN
(to the Ghostbusters)
Hi, it's really great to meet you guys. I
know this sounds weird but once I had a
dream that my grandfather was standing at
the foot of my bed, but I knew it was
impossible because he died and he started
to tell me that --
While he's talking, the Ghostbusters jump in the Ectomobile and drive
off, leaving him and Louis standing at the curb.
LOUIS
Hey! Wait! Okay, I'll meet you there.
SHERMAN
I thought you were like the fifth Ghostbuster.
LOUIS
I let them handle all the little stuff. I
just come in on the big ones.
CUT TO:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(original version of the above scene - 11/27/88)
(TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: These two versions of this scene were put in my
copy of the script, so I have included both of them here)
LOUIS
Actually, they still think you're crazy, but
I convinced them you're not dangerous.
VENKMAN
(determined)
Yeah, well guess again.
EXT. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL - NIGHT (ECLIPSE)(MOMENTS LATER)
Ecto-2 is parked outside and the Ghostbusters are hastily donning their
standard uniforms.
LOUIS
I brought everything you asked for and I
gassed up the car with Super Unleaded. It
cost twenty cents more than Regular Unleaded
but you get much better performance and in
an old car like this that'll end up saving
you money in the long run. I put it on my
credit card, so you can either reimburse me
or I can take it out of petty cash --
While he's talking, the Ghostbusters jump in the Ecto-2 and drive
off without him.
LOUIS
Hey! Wait! Okay, I'll meet you there.
CUT TO:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EXT. MUSEUM - NIGHT (ECLIPSE)(LATER)
ECTO-2 pulls to the curb across the street from the museum. Hundreds of
spectators are already there gawking at the building as the Ghostbusters
jump out and gape at the sight that greets them.
EXT. MUSEUM THEIR POV - BUILDING
The building is now totally covered in a shell of psycho-reactive slime.
CITY WORKMEN and FIREMEN are trying to cut their way in with blowtorches,
jackhammers, power tools and the "jaws of life," but they can't even make
a dent.
GHOSTBUSTERS
They size up the situation as they don their proton packs.
STANTZ
It looks like a giant Jello mold.
VENKMAN
I hate Jello.
They stride manfully across the street and approach the main entrance to
the museum.
STANTZ
(to the Fire Captain)
Okay, give it a rest, Captain. We'll take
it from here.
FIRE CAPTAIN
(skeptical)
Be my guest. We been cutting here for three
hours. What the hell's going on? You know
the Titanic arrived this morning?
VENKMAN
Well, better late than never.
The workmen and firemen put down their tools and fall back as the
Ghostbusters draw their particle throwers.
SPENGLER
(monitoring valences)
Full neutronas, maser assist.
They adjust their settings and prepare to fire.
STANTZ
Throw 'em!
They trigger their throwers and spray the front doors of the building
with bolts of proton energy, but it has no effect on the hardened slime.
VENKMAN
(to the firemen)
Okay, who knows "Cumbaya?"
A few of the firemen and workmen tentatively raise their hands. Venkman
grabs them and lines them up at the entrance of the museum.
VENKMAN
All right. Nice and sweet --
(starts singing)
Cumbaya, milord, cumbaya --
Stantz, Spengler, Winston and the firemen sing along, reluctantly holding
hands and swaying to the music.
ALL
(singing)
Cumbaya, milord, cumbaya, Cumbaya, milord,
cumbaya, Oh, Lord, cumbaya.
Stantz inspects the wall of slime with his infra-goggles and finds that
they have only managed to open a hole the size of a dime.
STANTZ
Forget it. The Vienna Boys Choir couldn't
get through this stuff.
VENKMAN
Good effort. Now what? Should we say
supportive, nurturing things to it, Ray?
SPENGLER
It won't work. There's no way we could
generate enough positive energy to crack
that shell.
STANTZ
I can't believe things have gotten so bad
in this city that there's no way back.
Sure, it's crowded, it's dirty, it's noisy.
And there are too many people who'd just as
soon step on your face as look at you. But
there've got to be a few sparks of sweet
humanity left in this burned-out burg. We
just have to mobilize it.
SPENGLER
We need something that everyone can get
behind, a symbol --
His eyes fall on ECTO-2's New York State license plate which features a
line drawing of the Statue of Liberty.
STANTZ
(he sees it, too)
Something that appeals to the best in each
and every one of us --
SPENGLER
Something good --
VENKMAN
And pure --
WINSTON
And decent.
EXT. THE STREET - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
There is a commotion among the crowd as the Mayor's limousine arrives
with a police escort. Jack Hardemeyer steps out followed by the Mayor
himself and they cross to the museum entrance.
Hardemeyer, his ASSISTANT and several police BODYGUARDS confront the
Ghostbusters.
HARDEMEYER
Look, I've had it with you. Get your stuff
together, get back in that clown car and get
out of here. This is a city matter and
everything's under control.
VENKMAN
Oh, you think so? Well, I've got news for
you. You've got Dracula's brother-in-law
in there and he's got my girlfriend and her
kid. Around about midnight tonight, when
you're partying uptown, this guy's going to
come to life and start doing amateur head
transplants. And that's just round one.
MAYOR
Are you telling me there're people trapped
in there?
HARDEMEYER
(to his assistant)
This is dynamite. Call A.P., U.P.I., and
C.N.N. and get them down here right away.
When the police bring this kid out I want
them to hand it right to the mayor and I
want it all on camera.
STANTZ
Mr. Mayor, if we don't do something by
midnight, you're going to go down in history
as the man who let New York get sucked down
into the tenth level of hell.
The Mayor stops to consider the situation.
MAYOR
(to the Fire Captain)
Can you get into that museum?
FIRE CAPTAIN
If I had a nuclear warhead, maybe.
The Mayor turns to Venkman.
MAYOR
You know why all these things are happening?
VENKMAN
We tried to tell you last night, but Mr.
Hard-On over here packed us off to the loony
bin.
Hardemeyer flips out.
HARDEMEYER
This is preposterous! You can't seriously
believe all this mumbo-jumbo! It's the
Twentieth Century, for crying out loud!
(viciously, to Venkman)
Look, mister, I don't know what this stuff
is or how you got it all over the museum,
but you better get it off and I mean right
now!
He pounds the wall of slime with his fist, and they all watch in
amazement as his fist goes through the wall and he is sucked bodily
through the slime curtain. Only his shoes can be seen, embedded in the
slime.
MAYOR
(to Venkman)
Okay, just tell me what you need.
CUT TO:
EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND (NEW YORK HARBOR) - NIGHT
With the city skyline in the b.g., the Ghostbusters prepare their
equipment. Each of them dons a makeshift backpack consisting of tanks,
hoses, nozzles and an abundance of gauges, valves and regulators.
Venkman looks up at the Statue of Liberty looming above them.
VENKMAN
Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?
WINSTON
Wonder what?
VENKMAN
If she's naked under that toga. She's
French, you know.
SPENGLER
There's nothing under that toga but 300 tons
of iron and steel.
Stantz is looking worried.
STANTZ
I hope we have enough stuff to do the job.
VENKMAN
Only one way to find out.
(to Stantz)
Ready, Teddy?
They enter the statue.
CUT TO:
INT. STATUE OF LIBERTY - MOMENTS LATER
The Ghostbusters are working from the iron staircase that spirals
straight up 100 feet inside the hollow super-structure of the statue.
Spengler and Winston are busy assembling hundreds of wires connected to
various relays on the interior surface of the statue. Venkman and Stantz
are mounting large auditorium loudspeakers near the top of the staircase.
They finish the installation, then Stantz dons one of the new backpacks
and gives the order.
STANTZ
Okay, boys. Let's frost it.
They begin hosing the inside of the statue with the psycho-reactive
slime.
CUT TO:
INT. FIREHOUSE - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Janine watches as Louis, wearing a Ghostbuster uniform, slings a heavy
proton pack onto his back.
JANINE
I'm not sure this is such a good idea? Do
they know you're doing this?
LOUIS
Oh, yeah, sure -- no. But there's really
not much to do here and they might need
some back-up at the museum.
JANINE
You're very brave, Louis. Good luck.
She kisses Louis and he gets extremely self-conscious.
LOUIS
Uh -- oh -- well, I better hurry.
He rushes out.
EXT STREET OUTSIDE FIREHOUSE - NIGHT (LITTLE LATER)
Louis stands on the street corner waiting for a bus. Finally, a bus
pulls up, Louis climbs aboard and finds Slimer behind the wheel.
CUT TO:
INT. STATUE OF LIBERTY - OBSERVATION DECK - MOMENTS LATER
Venkman, Stantz, Spengler and Winston are standing in the observation
windows in the crown of the statue. It looks like they're on the bridge
of an ocean liner, then the CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal the head of the
statue.
STANTZ
He plugs the main cable lead into a transformer.
STANTZ
It's all yours, Pete.
(checks his watch)
There's not much time left.
Venkman plugs the speaker cable into a Walkman and gives a downbeat.
VENKMAN
(giving the downbeat)
Okay, one, two, three, four --
He hits "Play" on the Walkman and "HIGHER AND HIGHER" BOOMS from the huge
SPEAKERS, amplified by the statue's vast hollow interior.
INT. OBSERVATION DECK - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The head of the statue lurches suddenly, but the Ghostbusters cling to
the rail and manage to keep their feet.
STANTZ
She's moving!
WINSTON
I've lived in New York all my life and I
never visited the Statue of Liberty. Now I
finally get here and we're taking her out
for a walk.
SPENGLER
(reading the Giga-meter)
We've got full power.
Stantz picks up a Nintendo control paddle from a home video game and
starts pushing the buttons.
VENKMAN
(into a microphone)
Okay, Libby. Let's get it in gear.
They feel a strong vibration and the statue starts to move.
CUT TO:
EXT. SOUTH STREET SEAPORT - NIGHT
New Years Eve celebrants line the riverfront, pointing and gawking at an
incredible sight.
EXT. EAST RIVER - THEIR POV - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The statue is moving up the river almost completely submerged, only her
head from the nose up is visible above the surface.
INT. OBSERVATION DECK - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Winston looks out apprehensively.
WINSTON
How deep does it get? That water's cold and
I can't swim.
VENKMAN
It's okay. I have my Senior Lifesaving card.
SPENGLER
With a water temperature of forty degrees
we'd survive approximately fifteen minutes.
Stantz studies a maritime navigational chart.
STANTZ
I'll keep to the middle of the channel.
We're okay to 59th Street, then we'll go
ashore and take First Avenue to 79th.
VENKMAN
Are you kidding? We'll hit all that bridge
traffic at 59th. I'm going to take 72nd
straight up to Fifth. Trust me, I used to
drive a cab.
CUT TO:
EXT. RIVERFRONT - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Spectators cheer wildly, inspired by the sight of the Statue.
CUT TO:
INT. MUSEUM RESTORATION STUDIO - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Janosz is sitting next to Dana, still wheedling her with promises and
self-serving logic.
JANOSZ
Time is running out, Dana. Soon it will be
midnight and the city will be mine -- and
Vigo's. Well, mainly Vigo's. But we have
a spectacular opportunity to make the best
of our relationship.
DANA
We don't have a relationship.
JANOSZ
I know. Marry me, Dana, and together we
will raise Vigo as our son. There are many
perks that come with being the mother of a
living god. I'm sure he will supply for us
a magnificent apartment. And perhaps a car
and free parking.
DANA
I hate and despise you and everything you
stand for with all my heart and soul. I
could never forgive what you've done to me
and my child.
JANOSZ
Many marriages begin with a certain amount
of distance, but after a while I believe we
could learn to love each other. Think about
it.
DANA
I'd rather not.
CUT TO:
EXT. TIMES SQUARE - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
People are jammed together shoulder to shoulder filling Times Square,
watching the big Seiko clock count down the last ten minutes to midnight.
Suddenly, they look down Broadway and see a magnificent sight.
EXT. BROADWAY - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The Statue of Liberty is walking up Broadway approaching 42nd Street,
with "Higher and Higher" BOOMING from the SPEAKERS inside. A great cheer
goes up, and the crowd goes wild with joy, dancing and singing along with
the MUSIC.
INT. STATUE OF LIBERTY OBSERVATION DECK - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS)
Spengler reads the Giga-meter.
SPENGLER
It's working. The positive GeV's are
climbing.
VENKMAN
(patting the Statue)
They love you, Lib. Keep it up.
CUT TO:
EXT. FIFTH AVENUE - NIGHT (LATER)
The avenue has been closed to traffic and barricades placed, blocking all
the side streets. A squadron of police motorcycles comes speeding around
the corner at 72nd Street and proceeds up Fifth Avenue in the direction
of the museum. Then MUSIC is heard BOOMING in the distance, the ground
shakes and the Statue of Liberty comes walking around the corner onto
Fifth Avenue followed by a wildly cheering throng.
CUT TO:
INT. OBSERVATION DECK - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The Ghostbusters can see the museum ahead.
VENKMAN
So far so good.
SPENGLER
(worried)
I'm worried. The vibrations could shake her
to pieces. We should have padded her feet.
STANTZ
I don't think they make Nikes in her size.
VENKMAN
We're almost there, Lib.
(to Stantz)
Step on it.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The Statue's huge foot comes down and squashes a car.
INT. OBSERVATION DECK - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
The Ghostbusters look down at the flattened car.
STANTZ
(shouts out the window)
My Fault!
VENKMAN
(shouts)
She's new in town.
CUT TO:
INT. MUSEUM - RESTORATION STUDIO - SAME TIME
Janosz is painting the last of the mystical symbols on the baby's chest.
CUT TO:
EXT. TIMES SQUARE - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
The people still in the square start counting off the last ten seconds to
midnight and the New Year.
CROWD
(chanting)
Ten .. nine ... eight ... seven ...
CUT TO:
INT. MUSEUM - PAINTING - NIGHT
A strange light spreads over the painting. As the light moves onto his
face, Vigo spreads his arms wide and his upper body starts to emerge from
the canvas.
VIGO
Soon my life begins. Then woe to the weak,
all power to me, the world is mine.
INT. MUSEUM - JANOSZ - NIGHT
The baby's body begins to glow as Vigo reaches out for it. Then suddenly
a dark shadow falls across the skylight. Janosz looks up.
INT. MUSEUM - JANOSZ'S POV - SKYLIGHT - NIGHT
The Statue of Liberty is looming over the skylight looking down on Janosz
with an expression of righteous anger on it's face.
EXT. MUSEUM - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Kneeling beside the museum, the statue draws back it's mighty right arm
and smashes the skylight with its torch.
INT. RESTORATION STUDIO - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Janosz retreats from the shower of broken glass as the Ghostbusters come
sliding down ropes into the studio and confront Janosz with their new
weapons. Quick as a flash, Dana seizes the moment, dashes across the
studio and snatches the baby from Vigo's outstretched arms.
VENKMAN
(to Janosz)
Happy New Year.
INT. MUSEUM - VIGO PAINTING - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Vigo bellows in rage.
INT. MUSEUM - STUDIO - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Janosz steps in front of the painting.
SPENGLER
Hi there. Feel free to try something stupid.
Janosz sneers, trusting the invincibility of Vigo.
JANOSZ
You pitiful, miserable creatures! You dare
to challenge the power of darkness? Don't
you realize what you are dealing with? He's
Vigo! You are like the buzzing of flies to
him.
VENKMAN
(sighs)
Oh, Johnny. Did you back the wrong horse.
With that, the Ghostbusters fire their slime-blowers and hose Janosz from
head to toe, blowing him into the corner. Then they turn to Vigo.
VIGO
He is now almost completely out of the painting, but still held from the
knees down. He spits and rages at the Ghostbusters, trying to unleash
his magic powers.
THE GHOSTBUSTERS
They stand fast, secure in the knowledge that Vigo's power has been
neutralized by the good will of the people.
STANTZ
Vigi, Vigi, Vigi -- you have been a bad
little monkey.
VENKMAN
The whole city's together on this one. We
took a vote. Everybody's down on you, you
know.
WINSTON
(arming his slime-blower)
Say goodnight now.
Suddenly Vigo grabs Stantz by the neck and holds him up as a shield.
SPENGLER
Don't shoot! You'll hit Ray!
STANTZ
(strangling)
Do it! Just do it!
Winston fires and hoses both Vigo and Ray.
VIGO
He bellows and drops Ray, then falls back into the painting.
INT. MUSEUM - PAINTING - NIGHT
The paint turns liquid, melts off the canvas and runs onto the floor
revealing another painting underneath it.
INT. MUSEUM - GHOSTBUSTERS - NIGHT (AFTER BATTLE)
Venkman, Spengler and Winston rush over to Ray and kneel beside him. He
is completely covered with slime and motionless.
SPENGLER
(examining him)
He's breathing.
Winston wipes the slime off Ray's face and Ray opens his eyes.
WINSTON
Ray -- Ray -- How do you feel, man?
STANTZ
(smiles lovingly)
Groovy. I've never felt better in my life.
VENKMAN
Oh, no. We've got to live with this?
They pull him to his feet.
STANTZ
I love you guys. You're the best friends
I've ever had.
He hugs them each in turn, leaving them slimed as well. Venkman recoils
in disgust.
VENKMAN
Hey, I just had this suit cleaned.
(indicating Janosz)
Take care of the wiggler, will you.
Venkman crosses to Dana who is snuggling the baby. She hugs Venkman.
VENKMAN
What is this -- a love in?
(notes the symbols painted
on the baby's body)
Hey, sailor. I think the tattoos are a
little much, don't you?
He picks up the baby.
DANA
(to Venkman)
I think he likes you. I think I do too.
VENKMAN
Finally came to your senses, huh?
They hug and kiss.
SPENGLER, WINSTON AND STANTZ
They help Janosz to his feet. He's dazed but unhurt.
JANOSZ
(restored to normalcy)
What happened?
STANTZ
(calmly)
Sir, you had a violent, prolonged,
transformative psychic episode. But it's
over now. Want a coffee?
JANOSZ
(extremely nice)
That's very kind of you.
SPENGLER
(to Stantz)
He's fine, Ray. Physically intact,
psychomagnetherically neutral.
JANOSZ
Is that good?
WINSTON
It's where you want to be.
As they exit they stop to examine the painting that was concealed by
Vigo's self-portrait.
SPENGLER
Late Renaissance, I think. Caravaggio or
Brunelleschi.
WINSTON
(staring at it)
There's something very familiar about this
painting.
INT. MUSEUM - NEW PAINTING - NIGHT
It's a beautiful painting in the high-Renaissance style depicting four
archangels hovering protectively over a cherubic baby. One holds a harp,
one, an olive branch, the third, a book, and the last, a sword. Most
remarkably, their faces bear an uncanny resemblance to Venkman, Stantz,
Spengler and Winston.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
A city bus pulls up near the museum and Louis steps off. He waves his
thanks to Slimer who is behind the wheel.
LOUIS
(to Slimer)
Okay, so Monday night we'll get something
to eat and maybe go bowling? Can you bowl
with those little arms?
SLIMER GRUNTS and SLOBBERS a reply, flexing his scrawny biceps.
LOUIS
Okay, I have to go save Dana. I'll see you
later.
CUT TO:
EXT. MUSEUM - NIGHT (LITTLE LATER)
The Ghostbusters are greeted by wild cheering and applause as they come
out the main entrance with Dana and the baby. Everybody starts singing
"Auld Lang Syne." Louis picks his way through the celebrating crowd and
finds the Ghostbusters.
LOUIS
Am I too late?
STANTZ
No, you're right on time.
Stantz pops the cork on a bottle of champagne and hands it to him.
EXT. MUSEUM ENTRANCE - NIGHT (SAME TIME)
Hardemeyer staggers out of the museum covered in slime. He looks at the
celebrating crowd and his eyes fill with tears.
HARDEMEYER
(weepy)
Happy New Year, everybody!
He joins in on "Auld Lang Syne."
CUT TO:
EXT. CENTRAL PARK - NIGHT (LATER)
The Statue of Liberty is sprawled inert on her back in the park behind
the museum, her toga up over her knees. The Mayor looks nearly suicidal.
The Ghostbusters stand beside him commiserating.
VENKMAN
She's all right. She's just sleeping it off.
MAYOR
(stricken)
We just had it restored.
VENKMAN
This probably isn't a good time to bring
this up, but the last time we did a job for
the city you stiffed us.
STANTZ
(handing the Mayor an
invoice)
This is a bill for tonight's job.
The Mayor looks at it and gasps at the amount.
MAYOR
What! This is way too much.
(hands the bill back to
Venkman)
We won't pay.
Venkman looks at the Statue.
VENKMAN
(to Stantz)
I think she looks pretty good here, don't
you?
STANTZ
Yeah, and a lot easier to get to than that island.
Realizing he has no alternative, the Mayor sighs and takes the bill back.
MAYOR
All right, all right. If you can wait until
Monday I'll issue you a check.
SPENGLER
Sorry. No checks. Company policy.
CUT TO:
EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - DAY (WEEKS LATER)
The sun is shining brightly and Liberty is back on her pedestal where she
belongs. The Mayor and a host of officials are commemorating her return.
The Ghostbusters, Dana, Janine and Louis are there as honored guests.
VENKMAN
(looking up at the statue)
Pretty impressive, huh?
SPENGLER
(musing)
It's probably the first thing my
grandparents saw when they came to this
country.
VENKMAN
From where -- Neptune?
SPENGLER
They came from Ostrov in Eastern Poland.
VENKMAN
Ostrov? I've been there. Good party town.
STANTZ
(in a similarly reflective
mood)
My great-grandparents were Swiss. I still
have the pictures they took of the statue
from the boat when they arrived.
VENKMAN
Oh, right, you told me that. They came to
America seeking other kinds of cheese, as I
recall. How about you, Winston?
WINSTON
My people weren't taking any pictures from
those slave ships, man. And there wasn't
any Statue in Charleston Harbor to welcome
them, either. What are you, Dana?
VENKMAN
Miss Blue Blood? Her family's been here
since the year 12.
DANA
That's not true. It was 1620.
VENKMAN
Same difference.
STANTZ
What's your story, Pete?
VENKMAN
Me? I'm a little of everything. Some Irish,
some German, some French, Dutch -- the women
in my family slept around. And that's what
made this country great.
DANA
That's a terrible thing to say.
VENKMAN
So what? It's a free country.
(looking up at the Statue)
Thanks, Lib.
They all look up at the Statue.
EXT. STATUE OF LIBERTY - HEAD OF STATUE - DAY
Slimer flies out one of the observation windows, THEME MUSIC KICKS IN and
the CAMERA PULLS UP and AWAY FROM the island TO a HIGH SHOT of the
Statue, lower Manhattan and the shining sea beyond.
FADE OUT.
THE END |
GLADIATOR
by
David Franzoni
Revised by John Logan
SECOND DRAFT
October 22, 1998
"While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand.
When falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall.
And when Rome falls -- the World."
Byron
FADE IN:
EXT. FOREST - DAY
Germania. The far reaches of the Roman Empire.
Winter 180 A.D.
Incongruously enough, the first sound we hear is a
beautiful tenor voice. Singing. A boy's voice.
CREDITS as we hear the haunting song float through dense
forests. We finally come to a rough, muddy road slashing
through the forest. On the road a GERMAN PEASANT FATHER
is herding along three sickly looking cows. His two SONS
are with him. His youngest son sits on one of the cows
and sings a soft, plaintive song.
They become aware of another sound behind them on the road
-- the creak of wood, the slap of metal on leather. The
Father immediately leads his cattle and his sons off the
road. They stand-still, eyes down: the familiar posture
of subjugated peoples throughout history.
A wagon train rumbles past them. Three ornate wagons
followed by a mounted cohort of fifty heavily-armed
PRAETORIAN GUARDS.
The young boy dares to glance up at the passing Romans.
His eyes burn with hatred.
INT. WAGON - DAY
Mist momentarily obscures a man's face. Frozen breath.
The man is in his 20's, imperious and handsome. He is
swathed in fur, only his face exposed. He is COMMODUS.
He glances up.
COMMODUS
Do you think he's really dying?
The woman across from him returns his gaze evenly. She is
slightly older, beautiful and patrician. A formidable
woman.
She is LUCILLA.
LUCILLA
He's been dying for ten years.
COMMODUS
I think he's really dying this time.
A beat. Their breath turns instantly to mist.
COMMODUS
He has to be bled every night now.
LUCILLA
How do you know that?
COMMODUS
I've been so informed.
She arches an eyebrow.
COMMODUS
If he weren't really dying he
wouldn't have sent for us.
LUCILLA
(a smile)
Maybe he just misses us.
COMMODUS
And the Senators. He wouldn't have
summoned them if --
LUCILLA
Peace, Commodus. After two weeks on
the road your incessant scheming is
hurting my head.
A beat.
COMMODUS
The first thing I shall do is honor
him with games worthy of his
majesty.
LUCILLA
The first thing I shall do is have a
hot bath.
The wagon rumbles to a halt. Voices are heard outside.
Commodus leaps out...
EXT. WAGON - OUTPOST - DAY
Three Roman SOLDIERS guard an outpost, a watchtower, on
the roadside.
COMMODUS
Why have we stopped?
PRAETORIAN GUARD MEMBER
We're here, sir.
COMMODUS
(to Soldier #1)
Where is my father?
SOLDIER #1
He's at the front, sir.
COMMODUS
Is the battle won?
SOLDIER #1
Don't know, sir. They've been gone
for eight days.
Commodus tosses off his furs -- beneath them he wears a
beautiful set of Lorica Segmentata -- the traditional
formed armor of Rome. He moves to a horse as:
COMMODUS
(to Soldier #1)
My sister wants a bath, take her to
the camp.
(to Soldier #2)
Take me to my father.
He leaps onto the horse and canters back to the Praetorian
Guard unit.
Soldier #2 climbs on his horse and leads them. Commodus
rides off with most of the Praetorian Guard unit.
Lucilla peeks her head from the wagon. She glances at the
remaining soldiers. Distinctly unpromising.
LUCILLA
(dry)
Civilization at last. Gods preserve
us.
EXT. HILL - TWILIGHT
The mighty catapults dwarf the humans. Soldiers from the
elite Felix Regiment -- a legion of the Roman Army -- haul
the monstrous machines up a hill.
The commanding General of the Felix Regiment, MAXIMUS,
walks between two of the catapults. He is a striking and
intense man in his 30's. Like all the soldiers who
surround him, he is caked with mud and exhausted.
He trudges up the hill with his two lieutenants, TITUS and
QUINTUS.
TITUS
You would do as well to read the
mind of a rhinoceros.
QUINTUS
These barbarians would rather drown
in blood than yield an inch. If I
didn't hate them so much I would
admire them.
They have reached the top of the hill. Stunning martial
preparations are underway. The catapults join ten others.
Archers are taking up position. Brutal "Scorpions" --
devices for firing multiple crossbow bolts -- are being
loaded. Soldiers are also loading the catapults with
enormous "Greek fire pots" -- large, round terra cotta
pots.
Maximus and his lieutenants gaze down from the hilltop.
Below them they can see a German encampment.
TITUS
They simply will not surrender.
A beat as Maximus gazes down at the German position.
MAXIMUS
(quietly)
A people should know when they are
conquered.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
At the first signal release the
catapults. We'll use the cavalry to
cut off the retreat.
QUINTUS
General, I don't recommend that.
Our cavalry might be caught in the
flames.
MAXIMUS
I hope not, because I'm going to be
leading them.
A beat as he gazes down at the enemy.
MAXIMUS
Why don't they know they're already
dead?
EXT. TREES - TWILIGHT
Maximus and Titus are on their horses, the cavalry of two
hundred Felix Regiment warriors surrounds them. Steam
flares from their horses' nostrils. They wait in a thick
stand of trees -- the German position can be seen across a
muddy plain.
A large wolf -- "The Wolf of Rome" -- waits at Maximus'
side.
Maximus nods to an archer. The archer lights the tip of
an arrow and sends it flaming into the night sky.
EXT. HILLTOP - TWILIGHT
Quintus waits. The catapults are loaded and waiting. So
too the Scorpions. So too the 200 archers of the Felix
Regiment.
He sees the flaming arrow flying up from below.
QUINTUS
Now!
The mighty catapults are released. The Greek fire pots
arc dramatically through the air. A moment later soldiers
release the Scorpions and hundreds of bolts streak through
the sky. The archers fire a murderous barrage of flaming
arrows.
EXT. TREES - TWILIGHT
The screaming is almost immediate.
Maximus and his cavalry watch as the fire pots crash down
into the German encampment.
EXT. GERMAN CAMP - TWILIGHT
The fire pots shatter -- pitch splashes everywhere --
seconds later the bolts and flaming arrows slice down and
ignite the pitch -- FLAME EXPLODES -- it is a hellish,
napalm-like vision -- the conflagration illuminating the
twilight.
The deadly rain of flaming arrows spreads terror through
the German camp --
EXT. TREES - TWILIGHT
Maximus watches the German camp.
MAXIMUS
(to his men)
Hold steady... steady...
He can see the nightmare destruction of the encampment
continuing -- fire pots and Scorpion bolts and flaming
arrows -- panic in the German encampment.
MAXIMUS
Steady...
He sees the Germans begin fleeing across the plain. He
quickly raises his sword and whispers a prayer, then turns
to his men:
MAXIMUS
Brothers -- I salute you! For Rome!
He spurs his horse and races out of the trees to the
plain...
EXT. PLAIN - BATTLEGROUND - TWILIGHT
Maximus leads the terrifying and relentless cavalry charge
-- Titus at his side -- the Felix Regiment screams out
fearsome war cries as they gallop across the muddy plain
toward the Germans --
Fire pots and flaming arrows are crashing down everywhere
around them --
The cavalry SLAMS into the Germans at full gallop --
It is carnage.
The Felix Regiment warriors slash ruthlessly with short
swords -- slicing a path of sheer destruction through the
Germans -- but the Germans fight with equal brutality --
and the Germans also fight with the desperation of a
hopeless last chance -- they pull and spear Roman soldiers
off horses whenever they can --
Maximus spins his horse and swings his sword with expert
efficiency -- a spear stabs through the neck of his horse
and it immediately collapses forward --
Maximus sails over the horse's head and crashes to the
muddy ground -- he jumps up and is in the midst of the
battle --
The flaming arrows and exploding fire pots create a
ferocious inferno everywhere around the battle -- the
flames silhouetting the fighting --
On the ground, Maximus proves his absolute worth as a
warrior -- he hacks and dodges -- ghastly images of true
ancient warfare -- Maximus' eyes burn with a zealous fire
as he fights for his life --
He finds he is momentarily at a terrible disadvantage --
Germans are surrounding him from all sides -- as he fights
he looks for an advantage -- for his soldiers -- for
anything -- he is doomed --
Then -- an almost mystical image -- Maximus' wolf leaps
through a wall of flame --
"The Wolf of Rome" savages several Germans around Maximus
-- giving him the help he needed.
The wolf and his master fight, side-by-side.
EXT. HILLTOP - TWILIGHT
We see an old man's face, staring down at the battle. The
face is weather-beaten, ailing. The roaring flames from
the battlefield below flicker in his sad eyes.
MARCUS AURELIUS, the Emperor of Rome, is on a horse. A
metal brace extends from the back of his saddle. He is
strapped to the brace with thick, leather straps.
He watches as the Felix Regiment below concludes the
battle. The cheering of the Regiment can be heard as the
final, isolated pockets of Germans are cut down.
Behind Marcus the sun is setting, painting the world blood
red.
EXT. BATTLEFIELD - SUNSET
Maximus, bloody and spent, walks through the aftermath of
the carnage. The Wolf of Rome is at his side. Dead and
dying by the hundreds are scattered everywhere. Roman
surgeons are attending to the wounded.
Marcus walks to him, embraces him warmly.
MAXIMUS
Caesar.
MARCUS
Maximus, you prove your valor again.
Let us hope for the final time here.
MAXIMUS
I don't think there's anyone left to
fight.
MARCUS
There are always people left to
fight...
Marcus takes Maximus' arm and they walk through the masses
of bodies. Maximus holds Marcus' arm firmly, quietly
supporting him as they walk.
MARCUS
But this night, at least, Germania
is at last defeated... What will you
do now, my friend?
MAXIMUS
Should Caesar permit, I'll go home.
I've been away too long. I've
forgotten my wife's face and I
barely know my son.
Suddenly, a tethered GERMAN PRISONER they are passing
calls out to them:
GERMAN PRISONER
THIS BLOOD MEANS NOTHING, CONQUEROR!
Maximus and Marcus stop. A soldier moves quickly to
silence the German Prisoner.
MARCUS
(to Soldier)
Stop...
(to Prisoner)
... You speak our language?
GERMAN PRISONER
You have been in my homeland for
twelve years. Of course I speak
your language. So did my son, who
you murdered. So did my daughter,
who you raped.
MAXIMUS
(to Marcus)
Come, Caesar...
MARCUS
No. Let him speak...
(to Prisoner)
... I am Rome, what would you say to
me?
GERMAN PRISONER
(points to sunset)
You are that sun, Rome, and your
time is over... You can slit a
thousand throats here, and you can
put a thousand babies to the sword,
but it will always be our home.
MARCUS
Now it is Rome.
GERMAN PRISONER
It will never be Rome. Not as long
as one German breathes.
The soldier moves to kill the insolent Prisoner.
MARCUS
No... Release him. Give him safe
passage. Let him go to his family.
The soldier leads the German Prisoner away.
Maximus and Marcus continue walking in silence for a beat.
Then:
MARCUS
Tell me again, Maximus, why are we
here?
MAXIMUS
For the glory of the empire, sire.
MARCUS
(quietly)
Yes. I remember.
They continue walking through the mountains of bodies...
EXT. ROAD - SUNSET
Maximus and Marcus are now walking along a road through
the dense forest. Slaves follow behind them, leading
their horses.
Both sides of the road are filled with the men of the
Felix Regiment. As Maximus and Marcus pass, the battered
and bloody soldiers drag themselves to their feet, raising
their swords, paying silent homage.
MAXIMUS
They honor you, Caesar.
MARCUS
I don't think they're standing for
me, Maximus. They honor you.
Just then Commodus canters into view with his Praetorian
Guard escort. He watches the army honor Maximus with rank
envy as he nears.
He rides up to Maximus and Marcus.
COMMODUS
Have I missed it?
He leaps from his horse.
COMMODUS
Have I missed the battle?
MARCUS
You've missed the war. We're done
here.
Commodus embraces him, awkward.
COMMODUS
Father. Congratulations. I shall
sacrifice a thousand doves to honor
your triumph.
MARCUS
Spare the doves and honor Maximus,
he won the battle.
Commodus embraces Maximus, even more awkward.
COMMODUS
General, Rome salutes you and I
embrace you as a brother.
MAXIMUS
Highness.
They walk, Maximus still supporting Marcus, as:
COMMODUS
Your Spaniards seem invincible. May
the Gods favor the Felix Regiment
now and always...
(to his father)
Here, Father, take my arm.
MARCUS
(ignores this)
Where's your sister?
COMMODUS
She's at the camp. She had no
desire to see the gore of the
battlefield.
MARCUS
(smiles)
Lucilla would eat every corpse here
if it brought her one step closer to
the throne.
Maximus laughs.
MAXIMUS
(smiles)
Caesar, you do the lady injustice.
MARCUS
It's a foolish old cobra who doesn't
recognize his own off-spring...
(he suddenly stops,
not feeling well)
I think... I should ride now.
Maximus waves for Marcus' horse. It is brought up.
Several soldiers carefully help the old man into the
saddle. He is then tethered to the brace on his saddle.
It is a slow, graceful and embarrassing ordeal for the
Emperor of Rome.
When at last he is strapped in, he looks to Maximus.
MARCUS
So much for the glory of Rome.
Without a word to his son, Marcus nods and the horse is
slowly lead away.
Commodus and Maximus watch him go.
COMMODUS
(neutral)
He's dying.
A beat.
COMMODUS
Poor old man.
MAXIMUS
(terse)
If you'll excuse me, Highness.
He turns and stalks away.
EXT. TENT CITY - NIGHT
We see the Roman encampment, a sea of tents. Hundreds of
campfires burn before the tents.
INT. HOSPITAL TENT - NIGHT
Maximus enters a large tent and is met by a spectacle of
the dead and dying. Roman surgeons are working feverishly
to save lives. Limbs are amputated, the bloody stumps
quickly cauterized with hot irons. Leeches and bronze
cups are employed for blood-letting to balance "humours."
Anesthesia as we know it is nonexistent. Wine amphoras
are passed around and orderlies fan narcotic smoke toward
the patients. Mostly, though, they just hold down the
writhing patients.
Maximus moves through the tent, offering a word of comfort
here and there. All the wounded are delighted to see him.
He goes to an older soldier, GALLUS, who has one wooden
hand. His other hand is bandaged.
MAXIMUS
What, Gallus, losing your other
hand?
GALLUS
Aye, General, they're going to make
a bronze one for it. Long fingers
this time.
MAXIMUS
And the women of your village will
crave your touch even more.
GALLUS
Ah, then you know the women of my
village.
Maximus smiles and moves on.
He stops at a young soldier, VALERIUS, whose head has been
shaved. A hole has been bored into his skull to relieve
the pressure on his brain. The young soldier is dying.
MAXIMUS
What's your name, son?
VALERIUS
Valerius, General.
MAXIMUS
The name suits you.
VALERIUS
Why am I dying?
A beat. Maximus sits by his cot. He takes Valerius'
hand.
MAXIMUS
You're dying because you love Rome,
as I do.
VALERIUS
I've never been to Rome.
MAXIMUS
Neither have I. Rome for us lives
here...
(he touches his
heart)
... it's a thing inside us that came
from our ancestors and that we give
to our children.
VALERIUS
It must be glorious, Rome. I've
only seen pictures. Is it a
glorious place?
A beat.
MAXIMUS
Yes, it's a glorious place.
VALERIUS
It must be.
He smiles. And he is dead.
Maximus sits for a moment. He gently closes Valerius'
eyes. And Maximus finds that he is weeping.
He is not ashamed of the tears.
INT. MESS TENT - NIGHT
An immediate swirl of noise. The grand mess tent is
crowded with soldiers. They are still filthy with caked-
on mud and blood. Wounds are bandaged and tankards are
raised in celebration of the victory.
Marcus sits in a central position and receives visitors.
Currently two Senators, FALCO and GAIUS, are bowing before
him.
FALCO
Hail, Marcus Aurelius.
MARCUS
Stand up, Senators. That unfamiliar
posture doesn't suit you.
GAIUS
We live in supplication to your
glory.
MARCUS
All the while conspiring with that
fat man in Rome. How is the old
monster?
GAIUS
Senator Gracchus is hale, sire.
MARCUS
Still damning me to the four winds?
GAIUS
Still eager for your triumphant
return to Rome, Caesar.
MARCUS
I would have silenced him decades
ago -- but I just like him too much.
Meanwhile, Maximus stands with his lieutenants, Titus and
Quintus. A wound on Maximus' arm has been bound.
MAXIMUS
(to Titus)
If you want to stay on, I support
you. So do the men. I'll ask the
Emperor to appoint you in my place.
TITUS
It won't be the Felix Regiment
without you.
MAXIMUS
I'll return after a season at home.
Maybe two.
QUINTUS
That means after three or four more
babies.
TITUS
And you'll be too fat from Vibia's
cooking to get on your horse by
then.
MAXIMUS
Should the Gods so bless me. I
would be thankful.
Commodus perambulates up to them.
COMMODUS
Hail, warriors. My congratulations.
TITUS AND QUINTUS
(bowing)
Highness.
COMMODUS
(to Maximus)
My old friend, my father tells me
you're returning to Spain?
MAXIMUS
Yes.
COMMODUS
A pity. I'll need men like you in
my army...
An awkward glance between the soldiers. This sort of talk
is offensively premature.
COMMODUS
There are larger division that might
appeal to you. Even the Praetorian
Guard. You've never been to Rome.
Imagine arriving as head of the
Praetorians! They have really
splendid uniforms.
MAXIMUS
(cold)
I'm going home.
Senators Gaius and Falco join them.
GAIUS
(to Maximus)
... And why not apply for entry to
the Senate?
FALCO
A war hero with a handsome face and
a strong heart could go far.
COMMODUS
General Maximus, may I present
Senators Gaius and Falco. Beware of
this Gaius, he'll pour a honeyed
potion in your ear and you'll wake
up one day and all you'll say is
"Republic, Republic, Republic..."
Laughter.
FALCO
Have you never considered Rome?
MAXIMUS
No.
COMMODUS
You've had my ear since we were
children. You could be a valuable
ally in the Senate.
GAIUS
Are you a believer in Republicanism?
COMMODUS
(laughs)
There -- I warned you.
MAXIMUS
I'm a soldier, not a politician.
Meanwhile, a dark eye is studying the men through a hidden
slit in the tent wall. The eye is particularly drawn to
Maximus.
GAIUS
If your heart lies with the people,
I would back you for the Senate.
I'm sure Gracchus would as well.
COMMODUS
Not a word about that sodomite
bastard.
GAIUS
(smiles to Maximus)
The august Senator Gracchus has been
rather a gadfly on the flesh of the
imperial family.
FALCO
He's a damned provocateur.
GAIUS
He lives under the antiquated
assumption that the Senate should
represent the people with vigor.
COMMODUS
I won't tolerate it. His incessant
criticism exhausts me. The man can
speak for five hours without taking
a breath.
GAIUS
He serves Rome best when he serves
it with honesty.
COMMODUS
(sharply)
Enough... Maximus, I would like to
inspect the Felix Regiment at dawn.
Please arrange it.
MAXIMUS
I can't do that.
COMMODUS
Excuse me?
MAXIMUS
My men have been fighting for five
solid days. They're too busy dying
to go on dress parade.
A beat. Commodus' eyes flash fire at this public rebuke.
He very quickly gets control.
COMMODUS
(smiles)
Of course, how foolish of me. Some
other time...
He notes his father being helped out of the tent by
several body slaves.
COMMODUS
Caesar retires early tonight.
INT. TENT CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Marcus is helped out of the mess tent into a tent corridor
attached.
He sees his daughter Lucilla in the corridor, spying in
through the slit in the tent wall. He watches her,
smiles.
MARCUS
If only you had been born a man...
She turns to him. He leaves his body slaves and goes to
her.
LUCILLA
Father.
MARCUS
What a Caesar you would have made.
LUCILLA
You're right.
MARCUS
I think you would have been strong.
I wonder if you would have been
just?
LUCILLA
I would have been what you taught me
to be.
A beat. They stare at each other. He finally smiles.
MARCUS
Well, pretend to be my loving
daughter tonight and walk with me to
my chamber.
She smiles and takes his arm. They slowly walk down the
tent corridor as:
MARCUS
This is a pleasant fiction, isn't
it?
They disappear into darkness.
EXT. TENT CITY - DAWN
Maximus is slogging through the mud and snow that blankets
the Rome camp. He stops to observe an unusual sight.
Commodus is stripped almost naked, his chiseled body
covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He and his six
CENTURION BODY GUARDS are going through their daily
ritual. They defy the sub-zero temperatures and hack at
small trees with swords.
It is an eerie, zen-like workout. Commodus' intense
concentration is unnerving.
Maximus watches for a moment then moves on. He approaches
a large network of tents. He enters.
INT. MARCUS' TENT - DAY
Maximus enters Marcus' darkened tent. Flickering braziers
provide the only light in the enormous Imperial tent.
Heavy beams support the canopy and they creak like the
timbers of a ship as the tent sways slightly in the wind.
Marcus stands before a map of the Roman Empire.
MAXIMUS
(bows)
Caesar.
Marcus holds out a scroll.
MARCUS
Read this.
MAXIMUS
I never acquired the art, sir.
MARCUS
Of course. No matter. In this
letter I denote my intention to
nominate you to stand for the
Emperorship after my death.
A stunned pause. Maximus stares at him.
MARCUS
My son is not a moral man. You have
known this since you were young. He
cannot rule.
MAXIMUS
Caesar, I am honored but --
MARCUS
For twenty years I have been
spilling blood. For twenty years I
have written philosophy and
ruminated and conquered. Since I
became Caesar I have only had four
years without war. Four years of
peace in twenty. So perhaps I can
be... forgiven.
A long beat.
MARCUS
While I have been fighting, Rome has
grown mad and corpulent and
diseased. I did this. And now I
shall make it right.
MAXIMUS
Sire, you brought the light of the
Gods to barbarian darkness. You
brought civilization and justice to
the farthest --
MARCUS
(fierce)
I have brought the sword -- nothing
more! Rome is far away and we
shouldn't be here. What matter is
it to the Gods if we subdue one more
tribe of Parthians or Gauls? What
matter is it to Rome if a thousand
more barbarians bend to our lash?
A beat.
Marcus sits. He doesn't look at Maximus.
A pause.
MARCUS
Winter, Maximus. It's winter now...
A beat.
MARCUS
There was a dream that was Rome. I
can only whisper of it now.
Anything more than a whisper and the
dream vanishes. It's so... fragile.
The true glory of Rome is in a very
fragile idea. Imagine a place
devoted to the rights of the
citizen. Where every free man has a
voice. That was the dream... And I
fear it will not survive the winter.
He holds out a hand to Maximus. Maximus takes his hand,
deeply moved, kneeling.
MARCUS
Let's just whisper here, you and I.
MAXIMUS
Yes, Caesar.
MARCUS
If the dream is ever to live again
the people must have a true voice.
The voice I took from them. That
all the Caesars took from them, bit
by bit, conquest by conquest. And
now that I am dying I am going to
give them that voice again.
MAXIMUS
You're not dying.
MARCUS
I am, Maximus. It's strange... I
find as I near the end I think
little of the waning moments around
me... instead I think much of the
past... and of the future. How will
the world speak my name in years to
come? Will I be known as the
philosopher? The warrior? The
tyrant? Or will there be a more
golden sounding to my name? Will I
be the Emperor who gave Rome back
her freedom?
A beat.
MARCUS
Before I die I will give the people
this final gift. I will give them
the Senate reborn. The voice of the
people empowered again, as it was
always meant to be. It is my design
that they will elect the next
Emperor. And I would put forward
your name with my backing.
MAXIMUS
Caesar, you do me honor -- but your
son has pride of place for
succession.
MARCUS
You are the son I should have had...
Although I fear in my deepest heart
that if you had truly been my son my
blood would have polluted you as it
did Commodus. We're a cursed
bloodline. We have lived so long in
power and depravity that we no
longer remember a life without it.
We can no longer even imagine a life
without it.
A beat.
MARCUS
Look at me, son.
Maximus looks at him.
MARCUS
Son... I know that one grove of your
vineyard is worth more to you than
all the treasures of Rome. I know
one loving word from your wife is
worth more than the accolades of an
Empire. But... a fond old man, who
loves you more than he can say, begs
you to at least think about what he
has said tonight.
MAXIMUS
I shall, Caesar.
A beat.
MARCUS
I'll keep this letter to myself. I
hope that with the sunrise you will
agree. And embrace me as a father.
Maximus nods and rises. He begins to go. Stops.
MAXIMUS
You have always been my father.
He goes.
INT. TENT CORRIDOR - DAY
Maximus emerges from Marcus' tent into a long tent
corridor, deep in thought.
LUCILLA'S VOICE
He always favored you...
He turns. Lucilla is waiting. She glides to him.
LUCILLA
Even over his son.
MAXIMUS
(turning away)
That's not true.
LUCILLA
Maximus, stop...
(he stops)
Let me see your face.
He turns to her.
LUCILLA
You've been crying.
MAXIMUS
I lost too many men.
LUCILLA
What does my father intend?
He turns and walks. She walks with him.
MAXIMUS
I don't know.
LUCILLA
You're lying. I could tell when you
were lying even when we were
children. You hate it.
MAXIMUS
I never acquired your comfort with
it.
LUCILLA
True. But then you never had to.
Maximus, stop...
(he stops again)
... Is it really so terrible seeing
me again?
MAXIMUS
No. I'm sorry. I'm tired from the
battle.
LUCILLA
And you are hurt to see my father
dying.
A beat.
LUCILLA
He will announce Commodus'
succession. That's why he summoned
us. Will you serve my brother as
you served his father?
MAXIMUS
I will always serve the ideals of
Rome.
A beat.
LUCILLA
Do you know I still remember you in
my prayers...? Oh yes, I pray...
Ever since that day you saved me
from drowning off Capri. Do you
remember?
MAXIMUS
Yes.
LUCILLA
Commodus was so angry that a mere
peasant -- a Spaniard no less --
touched the royal person, do you
remember his anger?
MAXIMUS
Yes.
LUCILLA
Mark this, Maximus: that is the man
who will be Emperor.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
May I be permitted to go, Highness?
She smiles sadly.
LUCILLA
There was a time when you didn't
call me "Highness."
MAXIMUS
And there was a time when you were
just a little girl drowning in the
sea. All that was a different life.
LUCILLA
(quietly)
Very different... I wonder if it was
better?
MAXIMUS
It was more honest.
A moment between them. We sense there is much to be said,
much that could be said.
Finally:
MAXIMUS
I thank you for your prayers.
He goes. She watches him walk away.
INT. MAXIMUS' TENT - NIGHT
Maximus kneels before a small altar in his tent. He faces
six small figures that represent his dead ancestors.
MAXIMUS
Ancestors, true bloodline, I ask you
for your guidance. Bring me your
solace and your wisdom. Blessed
Mother, come to me in my dreams with
the Gods' desire for my future.
Blessed Father, watch over my wife
and my son with a ready sword. Keep
them safe until my return. Whisper
to them in their sleep that I live
only to hold them again and all else
is dust and air. Ancestors, true
bloodline, I honor you and will try
to live with the dignity you have
taught me.
He looks at his "ancestors" for a moment and then blows
out the candles around them.
INT. MARCUS' TENT - NIGHT
Commodus' eyes are red with weeping. He sits, head down,
at the foot of Marcus' bed and speaks to his father.
COMMODUS
(quietly)
I search the faces of the Gods for
ways to please you... to make you
proud... and I can never do it. One
kind word -- one full hug where you
pressed me to your chest and held me
tight -- would have been like the
sun on my heart for a thousand
years... What is it in me you hate
so much? My eyes are your eyes. My
hands are your hands. All I have
ever wanted was to live up to you.
Caesar. Father.
He stands. We see that he is holding the scroll denoting
Marcus' intention to nominate Maximus as Emperor to the
Senate. Commodus cannot control his tears.
COMMODUS
Why does Maximus deserve what I
could never have? -- Why do you love
his eyes over mine? -- I would
butcher the whole world -- if you
would only love me...
Commodus weeps.
INT. MAXIMUS' TENT - NIGHT
Quintus is waking Maximus --
QUINTUS
General -- Maximus --
MAXIMUS
Quintus -- ?
QUINTUS
The Emperor needs you. It's urgent.
Maximus leaps up and throws on a cloak, strides out with
Quintus...
EXT. TENT CITY - NIGHT
Dead of night. Maximus and Quintus stride quickly through
the sleeping camp toward Marcus' tent.
MAXIMUS
What is it? Is he ill?
QUINTUS
I don't know...
They continue on toward Marcus' tent.
INT. MARCUS' TENT - NIGHT
Maximus and Quintus stride into the tent -- Maximus slams
to a halt. Stunned.
Commodus stands before him. Lucilla stands in a corner of
the tent, head down.
And Marcus Aurelius dead, lying on his bed.
Maximus stares at Marcus.
COMMODUS
Lament with me, brother, our great
father is dead. I want --
Maximus, not even hearing, steps past him to Marcus.
He stands for a moment and then slowly kneels before
Marcus and gently kisses the old man's forehead. A ritual
farewell.
A moment of silent mourning and then Maximus stands. He
turns very, very slowly to Commodus.
COMMODUS
General, the Gods' have taken the
great man and left me alone. My
first desire as Emperor is that you
take my hand in friendship. I need
you at my side, Maximus, at this
moment above all others. Stand with
me.
Maximus glares at him:
MAXIMUS
How did he die?
Commodus does not respond.
MAXIMUS
How did he die?
COMMODUS
The surgeons say it was his breath
that gave out.
Maximus glances to Lucilla, she avoids his eyes.
COMMODUS
Take my hand, Maximus. I only offer
it once.
A beat.
Maximus turns back to Marcus.
MAXIMUS
How will the world speak your name
now, old man?
Without a glance to Commodus, he stalks out.
A silent beat. Then Commodus nods to Quintus. Quintus
goes.
Lucilla looks at Commodus for a long moment, her face an
enigmatic tornado of complex emotions.
Then:
LUCILLA
Hail, Caesar.
INT. MAXIMUS' TENT - NIGHT
Maximus is kneeling before his ancestors, head down, his
fists clenched, praying.
Quintus and four Praetorian ASSASSINS suddenly burst in --
the assassins move immediately to bind Maximus -- swords
at his throat --
MAXIMUS
What -- ?!
QUINTUS
(ashamed)
Please don't fight, Maximus --
MAXIMUS
Quintus --
Quintus goes to Maximus' armor, which hangs nearby, and
slowly removes his seal of office.
QUINTUS
I'm sorry, General, Caesar has
spoken.
They pull Maximus out --
EXT. MAXIMUS' TENT - TENT CITY - NIGHT
Five horses are waiting.
MAXIMUS
Quintus, what -- ?
QUINTUS
(anguish)
I have no choice --
They are almost run over by a stern cohort of twenty
Praetorians who gallop past. Maximus knows immediately
what this means.
MAXIMUS
(suddenly)
My family?!
A beat.
MAXIMUS
What about my family, Quintus?
QUINTUS
(quietly)
They will greet you in the
afterlife.
Maximus lunges at him -- the Praetorians subdue him --
slamming him with a sword hilt -- knocking him
unconscious.
QUINTUS
(quietly, to
assassins)
Take him as far as the sunrise and
then kill him.
EXT. FOREST ROAD - DAWN
The four Praetorian assassins lead Maximus along a road.
He sits slumped in his saddle, drained.
ASSASSIN #1
All right, this is far enough.
The three other assassins climb from their horses.
Assassin #2 pushes Maximus from his horse. He falls to
the ground hard.
ASSASSIN #1
You two take him down there where no
one will find him.
ASSASSIN #3
Come on, General...
Assassin #3 and Assassin #4 drag Maximus down a densely
forested hill along the road. Maximus' hands are still
bound in front of him. He seems totally lacking in any
resistance.
EXT. FOREST - BELOW THE ROAD - DAWN
Maximus eyes the two assassins as they troop down the
hill away from the road, he notes their sparkling armor.
The armor of men who have never seen real battle.
MAXIMUS
Have you ever done this before?
ASSASSIN #3
What?
MAXIMUS
Killed a man with a sword?
ASSASSIN #3
Not like this, exactly... this is
good, you can stop.
They stop. They are far down the hill, out of sight of
the road.
MAXIMUS
It can be very messy -- you could
get blood all over your armor. You
don't want to hack me up now. You
want one clean stroke.
ASSASSIN #3
Would you kneel, General?
Maximus kneels, his whole body secretly coiling. Assassin
#3 stands over him as:
MAXIMUS
One good stroke -- you do know
where, don't you?
ASSASSIN #4
Be quiet.
MAXIMUS
If you miss the spot there'll be
blood everywhere. Quite a spray.
ASSASSINS #3
All right, where?
MAXIMUS
Here -- you don't want to hit the
vein on the neck --
Maximus points his bound hands at a spot on the back of
his neck.
MAXIMUS
Put the point of your sword here...
you want one, good blow right at
this spot --
Assassin #3 dutifully puts the point of his sword on the
spot on Maximus' neck.
A grave mistake.
Maximus instantly grabs the blade of the sword with his
hands and yanks it from Assassin #3 -- EXPLODING up -- his
hands are bleeding but he tosses the sword into the air
and catches it -- swings the sword with brutal efficiency
-- decapitating both assassins --
EXT. FOREST ROAD - DAWN
On the road above, the other two Assassins are on their
horses, waiting.
They hear a quick yelp from below. And then nothing.
Assassin #1 nods for Assassin #2 to check on the
execution. Assassin #2 canters off the road and down the
hill...
EXT. FOREST - BELOW THE ROAD - DAWN
Assassin #2 canters down the hillside.
He senses movement behind him -- spins around, drawing his
sword -- too late --
Maximus throws a sword -- it flashes through the air --
and into Assassin #2.
EXT. FOREST ROAD - DAWN
Assassin #1 waits on his horse. He hears the commotion
below -- spins his horse around just as Maximus bursts to
the road. He stands with a sword.
Assassin #1 spurs his horse and gallops toward Maximus at
full speed -- Maximus crouches and prepares --
Assassin #1 and Maximus swirl together for an instant --
both slashing brutally --
Assassin #1 continues to gallop past Maximus. He stops.
He looks down. A wound in his stomach. He falls off his
horse. Dead.
Maximus has also been wounded -- a deep gash on his side.
He fights the pain as he moves toward the horses...
EXT. FOREST ROAD - DAY
Maximus is galloping through the forest at lightning
speed, leading four horses behind him. The gash in his
side bleeding.
EXT. TENT CITY - DAY
A gloomy day. Emperor Commodus stands before the
assembled Felix Regiment.
The soldiers are already uneasy. They note Quintus
standing by Commodus, wearing Maximus' seal of office.
Where is Maximus?
COMMODUS
Even as the Gods curse this dark day
with clouds, so too does the sun
begin to shine forth on a promised
tomorrow. Even as we mourn the
passing of our father, so too do we
celebrate the coming of a bright,
new age for Rome. At my side,
brothers, you shall pull fresh
glories from the heavens. At my
side, brothers, you shall know the
adoration of the Gods. Doubly-dark
is this day because my friend, your
noble commander Maximus Meridas, has
been called to Rome to deal with
urgent matters of state...
Titus glances quickly to Gallus, whose hand is bandaged
from surgery. They know this cannot be true.
COMMODUS
Until his promised return I
appointed Quintus Domitian to serve
in his stead. I salute you,
Legionnaires!
QUINTUS
(raising his sword)
Hail, Caesar!
The Felix Regiment responds, many unsure.
FELIX REGIMENT
Hail, Caesar!
Commodus strides off and the Felix Regiment slowly
disbands, muttering to one another in confusion.
Titus and Gallus go to Quintus.
TITUS
Quintus, what is -- ?
QUINTUS
(firmly)
Don't speak of it. Never speak of
it.
He stalks off. Titus and Gallus, concerned, watch him
follow after Commodus.
INT. MAXIMUS' TENT - DAY
Lucilla stands in Maximus' tent. She looks around. She
gently touches his Lorica Segmentata. Her fingertips move
along the contours of his armor. She tries to retain her
neutral demeanor.
She notes his "ancestors" on the small alter.
EXT. HILLSIDE - NIGHT
Maximus continues to gallop, he is on a different horse.
He leads only two horses now.
EXT. VINEYARD - DAY
Maximus' home in Spain is beautiful beyond measure.
We see verdant farmlands and vineyards and a spacious
house nestled amid gently rolling hills.
Maximus' eight-year-old SON is in a paddock playing with
his pony. He stops, sees something. Over a hill, he can
just glimpse a battle flag, approaching.
He screams with joy and runs toward the flag as he calls:
MAXIMUS' SON
MOTHER! MOTHER! FATHER'S HOME!
Maximus' WIFE emerges from the house, drying her hands on
a cloth and smiles.
Maximus' Son races toward the flag. He can just see the
soldiers beginning to appear over the hill. Not a Roman
Legion at all. Twenty Praetorians canter over the hill.
Maximus' Son stops, confused.
EXT. OLIVE GROVE - DAY
Maximus is galloping up a hill, leading only one horse
now. The horse he is on is exhausted, spent, foam coats
its neck. It can't make it.
The horse collapses and Maximus falls. He immediately
leaps onto the remaining horse and continues riding up the
hill.
EXT. HILLS AROUND VINEYARD - SUNSET
Maximus is racing over the countryside, galloping in a
frenzy. His wound is bleeding profusely, coating the side
of his horse.
He rears the horse to a stop for a moment. Over a hill he
can see thick black smoke rising. He spurs the horse and
gallops over the hill...
EXT. VINEYARD - SUNSET
And his worst nightmares are realized.
His home and his vineyards have been destroyed. The earth
has been scorched and his house is still smoldering. He
rides up to the house and practically falls off the horse.
He pulls himself up and walks past the smoldering debris
of his house, fearing what he knows he will find.
He sees the bodies of servants scattered about in the
ruins. He sees a Praetorian battle flag.
He continues on, his wound bleeding more with every
tortured step. He finally stops. He stares up.
His wife and his son have been crucified and burnt. They
are nothing more than grotesquely twisted, charred shapes.
Maximus instantly collapses to his knees -- he howls out
his torment in a heartrending keen of despair as he coats
his face in the ashes of his dead world. He sinks into
unconsciousness, praying for death.
EXT. VINEYARD - DAY
An unusual jingling sound is heard. Maximus appears to be
dead, his gaping wound beginning to fester.
The source of the jingling becomes clear when we see the
feet of Bedouin brigands, with delicate anklets, shuffling
around him. A hand touches his sandals. Rich sandals.
Another touches his tunic. Good cloth.
Suddenly Maximus groans. The hands stop. He's alive. A
bit of quick language in an unknown tongue.
Then the hands grab Maximus and drag him away.
EXT. SLAVE WAGON TRAIN - DAY
Maximus' eyes slowly open --
Inches away from his face -- a lion roars --
Maximus lurches back.
He looks around to realize he is in a filthy slave wagon.
Three other wagons slowly move over the desert landscape.
Exotic animals are caged in pens or led alongside the
wagons: lions, panthers, zebras, a giraffe. A dozen
slaves are chained together alongside sacks of spices and
other cargo. Bedouin slave traders jabber in a surreal
babel of foreign tongues.
And someone is looking at him. JUBA, a striking African,
is gazing at him impassively as he chews something. Juba
is also chained.
MAXIMUS
(weakly)
Am I in Hades?
JUBA
Yes.
Juba spits what he has been chewing into his hands and
moves to Maximus.
JUBA
For your wound...
Maximus stares at him.
JUBA
(nods)
For your wound.
Maximus looks down -- the bloody wound at his side.
Juba carefully places his poultice over the wound --
Maximus hisses in pain -- Juba massages the poultice into
the wound gently as:
JUBA
If you die in the wagons they feed
you to the lions... The lions are
worth more than we are. I think we
are worth more than the zebras
though. So they don't feed us to
them.
Maximus stares at him. Juba looks down at him with the
barest hint of a smile.
JUBA
I'm not sure about the giraffe.
EXT. SLAVE MARKET - DAY
The heat of Morocco is unlike anything Maximus has ever
known. Shimmering heat waves undulate over the sand.
The provincial market is bustling like the proverbial
anthill. Slave traders and dealers and merchants move
around, all talking very quickly and very emphatically.
Maximus, Juba and a number of other slaves are on display,
poked and prodded and fondled. Their BEDOUIN SLAVE TRADER
sings out their praises to any passers.
The crowd parts almost magically for the dramatic arrival
of PROXIMO. Proximo is a large man of immense appetites.
He has the ferocious appearance of a true pirate. Two
slaves follow behind him and impotently swat at flies with
switches.
SLAVE TRADER
Proximo, my old friend, see what I
have for you today -- !
Proximo SLAMS a fist into the Slave Trader's face. The
Slave Trader sails back.
PROXIMO
Those giraffes you sold me won't
mate! All they do is run around not
mating! YOU SOLD ME EUNUCH
GIRAFFES!!
The Slave Trader pulls himself up, hugely obsequious.
SLAVE TRADER
I will make it up to you, Master.
It's bargain day for you! Look,
look, look -- I have two lions and a
panther -- hear how they roar for
you! "Bring me home, Proximo!"
Proximo examines the animals.
PROXIMO
How much for the lot?
SLAVE TRADER
For you -- 8,000 sesterces.
PROXIMO
For me -- 6,000 sesterces and I want
to see their balls first. And you
throw in those two slaves.
SLAVE TRADER
(moves to Maximus)
What about this one? Look at the
arms!
Proximo moves to Maximus. The Slave Trader forces open
Maximus' mouth.
PROXIMO
Good teeth --
Proximo notes the many old battle scars on Maximus' body.
PROXIMO
Where did you get those scars?
Maximus doesn't respond.
PROXIMO
Are you a soldier?
Maximus doesn't respond.
PROXIMO
Do you speak? --
(he roars back to a
slave)
KEEP THOSE DAMN FLIES OFF ME!
(back to Maximus)
He's dying.
SLAVE TRADER
1,000 sesterces.
PROXIMO
My ass...
(moves to Juba)
You throw in this one and we'll make
it 7,000 sesterces for the whole
lot.
SLAVE TRADER
I have to eat, Master! He's my
finest, I couldn't let him go as
part of the lot for less than 9,000
total...
(back to Maximus)
I tell you this one is prime. He's
a Spaniard and killed fourteen of my
men before he could be subdued!
Proximo looks at Maximus, notes the many battle scars
again. The scars, and something he senses in Maximus'
eyes, is enough for Proximo to consider it.
PROXIMO
(to trader)
All right, let's see.
The Slave Trader and his colleagues grab Maximus and
bustle him across the market, unlocking his chains.
Maximus has no idea what's going on.
In the center of the market place, a veritable GIANT of a
man sits on a small stool, a wooden sword in his hand. He
is hunched over and chained to the ground by a ten foot
chain shackled to his ankle. A think metal helmet is
riveted around his entire head, only long turfs of hair
emerging. His dim eyes stare listlessly through a slot in
the helmet.
The Slave Trader puts a wooden sword in Maximus' hand and
shoves him toward the Giant. The Giant stands. He towers
over Maximus.
The Giant suddenly swings his sword -- he moves with
remarkable quickness -- Maximus makes no attempt to block
the blow -- it sends him flying to the ground.
Maximus pulls himself up.
The Giant moves in and hits him again -- Maximus recoils
-- the Giant hits him again -- Maximus falls.
Maximus pulls himself up.
The Giant moves in again -- he slams him a few more times
-- Maximus makes no attempt to protect himself -- he
falls.
Maximus pulls himself up.
The Giant is about to attack again --
PROXIMO
(to Slave Trader)
That's enough.
SLAVE TRADER
STOP! STOP!
His colleagues race into the ring and haul the Giant away
from Maximus. The Giant quietly sits back on his stool.
Proximo studies Maximus for a moment and then glances to
the Slave Trader.
PROXIMO
I'll give you 500 sesterces.
SLAVE TRADER
No -- no -- 1,000!
PROXIMO
(laughs)
Come, don't quibble with your old
friend. I'll take the lions, the
panther, the Numidian and this one
for 7,000. And I'll buy you the
best whore in the town for two
nights. She's an enormous mountain
of flesh who craves a stern hand.
SLAVE TRADER
How could I say no to my old friend
Proximo?
EXT. PROXIMO'S SCHOOL - DAY
Maximus and Juba are crammed into a wagon with about ten
other slaves, including a very scared and reedy SCRIBE.
Other wagons are filled with exotic animals, including
several lions.
The wagons move through a crowded casbah and are taken
through an imposing set of gates to...
EXT. PROXIMO'S SCHOOL - COMPOUND - DAY
An open compound in Proximo's school. On one side of the
compound is a series of cages filled with wild animals of
every description -- including Proximo's two hapless
giraffes.
Proximo's house slaves begin unloading the newly purchased
exotic animals into cages as Maximus and the new slaves
are unloaded. Heavily armed guards supervise everything.
But Proximo's slaves are having a bit of a problem with
one of the new lions -- it growls and resists them.
Without the slightest hesitation, Proximo thunders to the
lion and grabs it by the mane -- manhandling it into a
cage.
PROXIMO
COME ON, YOU FILTHY BEAST!
He kicks the lion in the rear as he shoves it into the
cage.
Proximo's provincial school resembles nothing so much as a
seedy prison. The fading grandeur of the decaying
battlements and the sweeping North African architecture
only slightly mitigate the brutal feel of the place.
And if Maximus had any doubts as to Proximo's profession
-- all doubts are washed away when he sees the compound.
Twenty GLADIATORS are working out in the compound --
hacking at practice dummies and sparring. The many
heavily armed guards oversee everything. The gladiators
stop working out as they see the new slaves enter. They
eye their potential new opponents warily.
One huge, glowering gladiator -- VIBIUS -- watches with
particular interest. His eye is quickly drawn to the most
obvious athlete: Juba.
The new slaves are herded to the middle of the compound
and house slaves immediately begin throwing buckets of
water on them, cleaning them.
Meanwhile, Proximo shrugs off his cloak. A slave brings
him wine as he give his "welcoming speech" to the new
slaves:
PROXIMO
Slaves. I am Proximo, trainer of
gladiators. You live and die at my
pleasure. Fight well and you will
live. Fight poorly and you will
die. It is better to live.
Slaves now toss thick handfuls of powdered lime on the new
slaves -- they cough and clench their eyes shut, the lime
coats and stings their wet bodies.
PROXIMO
Here you will be trained in the art
of combat. Here you will be given
the tools to survive. Please my
patrons in the arena and all the
gifts of the world will be showered
upon you. Imagine riches beyond
your paltry dreams of riches!
Imagine fame beyond your rude
understanding of the word! All this
can belong to the select few who
prove their worth in the arena.
Slaves throw more water on the new slaves -- washing off
the lime.
PROXIMO
If... on the other hand... you
disappoint me... you will be
dismembered and fed to my jackals
limb by limb.
He gazes evenly at his new acquisitions.
PROXIMO
And my jackals are always hungry.
He strides off and the guards shove the new gladiators
toward their cells.
INT. PROXIMO'S SCHOOL - MAXIMUS' CELL - NIGHT
Maximus and Juba share a small, filthy cell. The cell
door faces the open compound. Across the compound they
can see the much more comfortable cells of the "star"
gladiators such as Vibius.
They both sit on the floor, leaning against the wall.
Juba is eating a bowl of food with a wooden spoon.
Maximus' bowl and spoon are at his side, he has not
touched them.
JUBA
Have you killed a man before?
Maximus does not respond.
JUBA
You should eat. You'll need your
strength tomorrow.
Maximus does not respond.
JUBA
I've never killed a man. But I
think you have.
Maximus does not respond.
JUBA
I almost killed once. The Romans
destroyed my village. I was with a
hunting party and when we
returned... I would have killed
every Roman in the world.
A long beat.
JUBA
If you don't eat you will die.
Maximus does not respond.
A beat.
JUBA
In the village I come from there was
a man once. He went fishing one day
and his boat was attacked by
crocodiles. One of them ate his
leg. He pulled himself to the shore
and a lion attacked him. It ate one
of his arms. He dragged himself
through the desert on the way home
and a scorpion stung his eye. So he
only had one eye. When he reached
the village I sat with him. I said,
"You have lost a leg, an arm and one
eye. You must have a mighty will to
live." He said, "No, Lord, it's
just better than the alternative."
Maximus finally looks at him.
JUBA
Life is a gift from our fathers to
us. Who are you to give it up for
lack of lifting a spoon?
Maximus does not respond.
EXT. PROXIMO'S SCHOOL - COMPOUND - NIGHT
Maximus and Juba are being observed. Proximo stands in
the shadows of the compound and watches intently.
EXT. SLAVE WAGON - PROVINCIAL STREETS - DAY
Blood appears to be flowing across an oxen's back. But
the blood is too rich, too red.
The oxen are pulling an open slave wagon through the
crowded streets of the town. Hanging above the street is
dyed wool drying in the sun. Vermilion and crimson dyes
drip down and splash across the oxen -- and splash across
the gladiators.
Maximus, Juba, the formidable Vibius are chained in the
back of the wagon. Also the frightened Scribe.
Proximo and a few of his guards drive the wagon. Proximo
has an umbrella over him, colored with years of dripping
dyes.
They pass a banner honoring Vibius, the star of Proximo's
stable.
Meanwhile, the terrified Scribe is almost weeping,
chattering nervously to Vibius, chained next to him:
SCRIBE
I know nothing of armaments and
warfare! I'm a scribe -- I write
down words! I can write down seven
languages --
VIBIUS
Be still.
SCRIBE
I don't -- how do you hold the
sword?! I've never held a sword!
VIBIUS
You point the sharp end at your
opponent and you shove it in his
guts.
SCRIBE
I can't -- I --
He suddenly vomits.
VIBIUS
(calling to Proximo)
Proximo! You insult me with this
carrion! Chain him to someone else!
PROXIMO
(calling back)
Don't worry, noble Vibius, he won't
be bothering you for long.
The Scribe begins to weep.
The crowds in the street jeer at the passing gladiators.
Occasionally throwing trash at them. A pack of children
run alongside the wagon, chanting:
CHILDREN
Dead guts! Dead guts! Dead guts!
Maximus watches the children for a moment and then another
sight draws his attention. Over some buildings he can see
vultures circling in the distance.
EXT. PROVINCIAL ARENA - DUGOUT - DAY
In the cramped holding area of the arena, a dugout beneath
the stands, Maximus and the other gladiators are waiting.
Proximo walks before them, giving a final "pep talk." He
gazes at them evenly, his eyes going from face to face.
PROXIMO
Some of you say you can't fight, you
won't fight... They all say that...
But one day you will pick up a sword
and thrust it into another man. And
the crowd will cheer you and love
you. And you will love them for it.
On that day... you will be a
gladiator.
He stops at Maximus.
PROXIMO
In this life, we all die. All we
can choose is how we die. And how
we are remembered. Be remembered
proudly.
Drums are heard from the arena. Proximo nods to a waiting
blacksmith.
The blacksmith begins slamming shackles on the gladiator's
wrists -- chaining them together in teams of two by a
chain about four feet long.
The blacksmith is about to chain Maximus to the Scribe.
PROXIMO
No...
(he points to Juba)
... give the Spaniard to him. Give
the Scribe to Vibius.
Proximo nods to Vibius, who, for reasons we shall soon
see, makes no protest to being chained to the whimpering
Scribe.
Proximo watches the blacksmith shackle Maximus and Juba
together and then strides off.
JUBA
(to Maximus)
Are we going to fight each other?
EXT. PROVINCIAL ARENA - DAY
Proximo sits in a box with several other GLADIATOR
TRAINERS. They drink wine and eat constantly. A
perpetual chatter of wagers and odds and side bets.
The arena is only sparsely attended this day.
PROXIMO
Make it 600 sesterces for each
decapitation.
TRAINER #1
How many strokes?
PROXIMO
Two.
TRAINER #1
For the great Vibius, one stroke.
PROXIMO
Done. 400 sesterces for two
strokes.
In the arena:
Proximo's chained teams enter the arena, five teams.
Maximus and Juba are chained together. Some of the small
crowd cheers for Vibius. He acknowledges the cheers. He
is chained to the weeping Scribe.
In the box:
Trainer #1 laughs.
TRAINER #1
(re: Vibius)
Who's he with?
PROXIMO
A Greek Scribe.
TRAINER #1
I'll raise the wager.
PROXIMO
(smiles)
Give me odds, friend.
In the arena:
From the opposite end of the arena a dozen armored, very
scary Andabatae thunder into the arena. Some of the crowd
cheers.
The Andabatae immediately race for the chained teams and
the battle is on.
Vibius spins into action -- dragging the weeping Scribe
after him as he circles opponents and fights -- the Scribe
is almost instantly killed -- Vibius immediately hacks
through the Scribe's wrist and frees himself, as Proximo
surely intended. Vibius is now free to fight alone,
swinging the chain as an additional weapon.
Juba's eyes dart everywhere as he tries to move with
Maximus -- Maximus neither helps nor hinders -- allowing
Juba to pull him along --
Proximo, now that his star Vibius is safe, watched Maximus
and Juba closely.
Juba fights well, with a strange elegance, his body
flowing like liquid -- but he is inexperienced. He
strikes a few blows and then tries to move away -- finally
he is in trouble -- cornered -- a huge Andabata is slicing
at him -- it is a desperate battle -- Juba is losing --
his sword is slammed away -- the Andabata raises his sword
for the kill --
And Maximus strikes.
With a sudden roar he EXPLODES into action -- he swings
past Juba and blocks the blow meant for Juba -- then he
slashes the Andabata -- killing him -- he pulls Juba after
him as he fights --
It is a dazzling display of Maximus' skill -- he moves
through the Andabatae at amazing speed -- spinning around
Juba and protecting him -- slashing ruthlessly -- pulling
Juba after him and commanding the battle -- Juba recovers
a sword and they fight together.
In the box:
Proximo watches, smiles. A gladiator is born.
EXT. ROME - WAGON - DAY
SENATOR GRACCHUS, an imposing, moral and corpulent man in
his 60's, is riding in a luxurious wagon with Senator
Gaius.
And CAPTAIN MARCELLUS, the handsome Head of the Roman City
Guard.
Their wagon slowly maneuvers through the crowded streets
of Rome. The cosmopolitan bustle of the great urban
center is everywhere around them.
GRACCHUS
We have plague in the Hebrew Quarter
and it is spreading... we have
looting at the granaries... we have
so much filth in the Tiber that the
water is undrinkable... we have
Praetorian Guard units that are
demanding protection payments from
the merchants at the exchange --
MARCELLUS
My City Guard units have tried to
curtail these excesses but no
constabulary can police the entire
city. And the Praetorians outnumber
us two to one.
GRACCHUS
Rome dies as the Emperor plays at
beneficence. At least Nero gave us
music!
GAIUS
Do you think he'll listen to us?
GRACCHUS
It is his duty to hear the will of
the Senate.
Their wagon stops -- hopelessly stuck in a massive traffic
jam of chariots, wagons and sedan chairs.
GRACCHUS
Not to mention the damn traffic!
INT. PALACE - THRONE ROOM - DAY
Emperor Commodus is standing before a group of male
children and their tutors in his throne room.
The throne room is still very much the province of his
father. Manuscripts and astronomical charts and papyrus
scrolls and wax tablets litter the heavy desk. A large
bust of Marcus Aurelius is in one corner.
Lucilla and Senator Falco are present. So too Senators
Gracchus and Gaius and Captain Marcellus.
A well-rehearsed child presents Commodus with a laurel
wreath.
CHILD
We honor Caesar with the laurel to
show our love and appreciation for
his benevolence.
COMMODUS
Caesar is honored to accept your
tribute, Citizen Scholar.
The child smiles and moves back to his fellows.
COMMODUS
(to all)
It is the most sacred duty of the
Emperor to oversee the education of
the young. If I could leave no
other legacy than the scholarship of
all children my life would be
blessed. Tutors, you hold the
future of Rome in your hands. Teach
them well so that they will bring
honor to the Empire. I salute you.
Commodus actually bows before them, an unimaginable honor.
The tutors bow in response and herd the children out.
COMMODUS
Look at them, Senators... my truest
gift to Rome.
GRACCHUS
Darling children, to be sure, now if
I may proceed?
COMMODUS
(sighs)
Very well...
Commodus moves to the desk, standing over it and gazing at
Marcus' scrolls as:
GRACCHUS
Caesar, your presence in Rome is an
invaluable opportunity to begin
correcting some of the ills that
have beset the city since your
father went to the wars. We would
like to --
COMMODUS
Peace, good Gracchus, peace...
Commodus slowly begins pushing Marcus' papyrus scrolls off
the desk to the floor, one by one, as:
COMMODUS
My beloved father was a careless
shepherd to his flock. I shall be a
good father to my children. I shall
remain in Rome and show them how
they are loved.
GRACCHUS
With respect, sire, the people don't
need love -- they need law. The
Senate has prepared a series of
protocols to begin addressing the
corruption in the city --
(Gaius hands him a
scroll)
-- starting with basic sanitation in
the Hebrew Quarter. If Caesar could
study this and --
COMMODUS
You see that's the very problem,
isn't it, my old, old friend? My
father spent all his time at study.
At books and learning and
philosophy...
As Commodus speaks he moves to the chair behind the desk,
tries it, doesn't like it, nods to a slave. The chair is
whisked away.
COMMODUS
He spent his twilight hours reading
scrolls from the Senate. All the
while, the people were forgotten.
GRACCHUS
The Senate is the people.
COMMODUS
I doubt many of the people eat so
well as you do, Senator Gracchus...
As Commodus speaks he moves to the bust of Marcus, studies
it, doesn't like it, nods to a slave and the bust is
whisked away. Lucilla watches this closely.
COMMODUS
I doubt many of the people have such
splendid armor, Captain Marcellus.
Or such fine mistresses, Senator
Gaius. No... only their true father
knows what the people need. I shall
show them they are loved. I shall
hold them to my bosom and embrace
them tightly --
GRACCHUS
Have you ever embraced someone dying
of plague, sire?
Commodus stops. Looks at him. A lethal moment.
COMMODUS
No. But if you interrupt me one
more time I assure you that you
shall. I will emulate the immortal
Caesars of the past. I will give
the people what they truly want.
Starting this day I will draw all of
Rome to the Colosseum. I will give
them bread. And they will want
nothing more.
Startled looks between Gracchus, Gaius and Marcellus.
GRACCHUS
You want to hold games?
COMMODUS
Not just any games, Senator! A
series of games that will make the
Gods envious and leave my children
happy! I will subsidize the arena
from this day forth -- and I will
culminate this celebration in a
great spectacle the likes of which
the world has never seen! A great
spectacle to honor my father!
Magnificent, unending weeks of
festivity all in the name of Marcus
Aurelius!
A beat.
GRACCHUS
If I may, Caesar... how are you
going to pay for this?
COMMODUS
That is not your concern.
Gracchus ignores a warning look from Gaius.
GRACCHUS
Respectfully, sire, taxation and
import duties are the exclusive
province of the Senate --
Commodus spins on him so quickly and with such feral
violence that everyone is shocked --
COMMODUS
MY FATHER DESERVES TO BE HONORED AND
I WILL HONOR HIM! -- AND THE PEOPLE
WILL LOVE ME! -- AND THE SENATE WILL
OBEY ME OR EVERY ONE OF YOU WILL
BURN! BURN! BURN! -- I WILL HAVE
ORDER!
He snarls like a great jungle cat and he stalks away.
Senator Falco quickly follows.
A dreadful silence.
Then:
LUCILLA
Gentlemen, in the future do not
concern my brother with these
matters. Come to me.
She sweeps out.
A beat.
MARCELLUS
Games? He wants to hold games?
GAIUS
It's madness.
GRACCHUS
No... it's not...
A beat.
GRACCHUS
He knows who Rome is. Rome is the
mob. He will conjure magic for them
and they will be distracted. And he
will takes their lives. And he will
take their freedom. And still they
will roar. The beating heart of
Rome isn't the marble of the Senate.
It's the sand of the Colosseum. He
will give them death. And they will
love him for it.
INT. PROVINCIAL ARENA - DUGOUT - TUNNELS - DAY
Maximus is marching relentlessly through the dugout and
cramped, serpentine trench-like tunnels that lead to the
arena.
We don't really see Maximus well in the dark tunnels.
Proximo scurries to keep up with him -- they brush past
gladiators who line the walls. Some are wounded, some are
being attended to by surgeons, some are shell-shocked,
some are nervously waiting to go on, whispering prayers.
We twist and turn in the tunnels with Proximo and Maximus
as:
PROXIMO
(quickly)
I've wagered on you against the
Celts -- ignore the others and go
for them -- there are two axe-and-
net and two long spear. Now the
Celts aren't used to the sun so you
have the advantage there...
The roar of the crowd is growing, they are nearing the
arena...
PROXIMO
And keep them moving, their lungs
aren't strong, ground the spears as
soon as you can and then go for the
ax-men. If you get all four there's
an extra bonus so don't be
distracted by the Spartans...
Without a word to Proximo, or a moment's hesitation,
Maximus strides into the arena.
EXT. PROVINCIAL ARENA - DAY
We continue with Maximus as he strides into the roaring
arena.
We finally see him in the blazing sunlight -- he wears
traditional gladiator armor and now has longer hair and a
beard --
A battle is already in progress, fighting and dead and
dying gladiators crowd the arena --
We stay with Maximus as he wades through his opponents,
fighting them heroically, slashing through them without
stopping --
The large crowd cheers mightily -- chants of "Spaniard!
Spaniard! Spaniard!"
We stay with Maximus as he cuts through the four Celts
like a scythe through wheat and then we dramatically pull
up and away --
Taking in the roaring arena and the hero.
EXT. PROXIMO'S SCHOOL - COMPOUND - NIGHT
A large mess area has been set up. The tables around the
compound are crowded with gladiators. Guards everywhere.
Maximus and Juba enter. Move to get food. All
conversation gradually drains away as the other gladiators
watch them. Silence.
Maximus and Juba note the strange silence as they move to
a large table.
Vibius is at the table with a number of other gladiators.
There are no places for Maximus and Juba.
Vibius stands and kicks two other gladiators off their
bench.
VIBIUS
MOVE ASIDE! THIS IS A TABLE FOR
MEN!
Maximus and Juba sit.
Vibius remains standing. He begins to pound on the table
with his fist. Soon all the gladiators are pounding on
their tables. It is a cacophonous din honoring Maximus.
INT. PROXIMO'S SCHOOL - PROXIMO'S CHAMBER - NIGHT
Proximo sits on a terrace overlooking his compound,
sipping wine. Various gladiators can be seen working out
below.
A guard brings Maximus. Proximo nods for the guard to
leave.
PROXIMO
(holding up a plate)
Butterfly?
The plate is filled with honeyed butterflies, their wings
still moving slightly.
Maximus shakes his head. Proximo pops one into his mouth.
He chews as he looks at Maximus.
PROXIMO
Perhaps you'd like a woman?
Maximus shakes his head.
PROXIMO
Boy?
Maximus shakes his head.
A beat.
PROXIMO
Gold?
Maximus shakes his head.
PROXIMO
Well, I have nothing left to offer
you! A man who turns down a
butterfly, a woman, a boy and gold
confuses me. Personally, I'd grab
them all and then grab some more
because the Gods are fanciful and
take us at their whim. Does the
Spaniard have any needs?
Maximus shakes his head.
A beat. Proximo studies him.
PROXIMO
You fight like a soldier. You have
wounds like a soldier who has been
on long campaigns. You eye the
world around you like an enemy.
What is your name, Roman soldier?
MAXIMUS
Gladiator.
A beat.
PROXIMO
And nothing more?
MAXIMUS
Nothing more.
A beat.
Proximo watches Maximus very closely for the following:
PROXIMO
In two days we leave for Rome.
Maximus' eyes suddenly flash to Proximo. He is
transfixed, his eyes burning.
PROXIMO
Ah... so it's Rome you want. Well
you shall have her, Gladiator. The
new Emperor has ordered a series of
matches to culminate in a grand
spectacle. If you do well I shall
become very, very rich. If you do
well enough I shall set you free.
Is it freedom you want?
A beat.
Maximus shakes his head.
PROXIMO
(quietly)
Not even that.
MAXIMUS
(barely controlled)
The Emperor -- will he be there?
PROXIMO
Oh yes. He's apparently quite mad
about the games. Spending a
fortune, which is, needless to say,
good for me again. But what is good
for you, Gladiator?
MAXIMUS
Have you -- how does one meet the
Emperor?
PROXIMO
As a gladiator?
MAXIMUS
Yes.
PROXIMO
One doesn't.
A beat. Proximo sees that Maximus' mind is racing.
PROXIMO
Except... If one has proven oneself
in battle. If at the end of the
games you are the final man standing
-- the Emperor will present you with
a small wooden sword. The sword is
your freedom.
MAXIMUS
He give it personally?
PROXIMO
He did to me...
(Maximus is surprised
at this)
Our great father Marcus Aurelius
looked into my eyes and touched me
on the shoulder.
MAXIMUS
You knew Marcus?
PROXIMO
I didn't know him. He touched me on
the shoulder. Just once. But that
was enough.
A beat.
PROXIMO
All right, Gladiator. We shall go
to Rome together and have bloody
adventures. The Great Whore will
suckle us until we are fat and happy
and can't suck another drop. That
is Rome.
INT./ EXT. SLAVE WAGON - OUTSIDE ROME - EVENING
Maximus is crouched in the back of an enclosed slave wagon
with Vibius, Juba and a few other gladiators.
In the distance, Rome.
INT. PALACE - COMMODUS' BEDROOM - NIGHT
Commodus sits on his bed, rubbing his aching head.
Lucilla is preparing a drink for him, a medicinal tonic.
COMMODUS
All my desires are splitting my head
to pieces -- there's so much I want
to do -- but all my efforts to show
my children they are loved go
unappreciated by those dragons in
the Senate --
LUCILLA
(mixing tonic)
Quiet, brother...
Unseen by him, she adds a little special powder to the
drink from a vial secreted in her robe.
LUCILLA
Leave the Senate to me. Don't
trouble yourself.
COMMODUS
All I want is to be a good father to
my people. Why don't they
understand that?
She goes to him.
LUCILLA
Shhh. The tonic will help...
She takes a sip and then hands it to him.
LUCILLA
Yes, just drink this down.
She sits on the edge of the bed. He drinks as:
COMMODUS
I must take a firmer hand with them.
They must know their father can be
firm. As our father was firm with
us.
LUCILLA
Our father lost his way. His
mistake was believing the old songs
of the "Republic." We know better.
So let the Senate talk. They have
no real power.
COMMODUS
Yes... yes... you always know the
way. You were always so wise in
these matters...
(he takes her hand)
You know if I didn't have my duty to
Rome I think I should be an artist.
I should go away and paint pictures
of the sea and leave all the
politics to you...
A beat. He is sleepy, he lies back on his bed.
COMMODUS
Will you stay with me?
LUCILLA
(smiles gently)
Still afraid of the dark, brother?
COMMODUS
Still. Always.
A beat.
COMMODUS
My dreams would terrify the world.
A beat.
LUCILLA
I'll stay with you until you are
asleep.
COMMODUS
(falling asleep)
And after... just sit with me. Keep
me safe...
He is asleep.
She watches him for a moment and then rises.
She goes.
INT. PALACE - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Lucilla moves down a long corridor in the palace and blows
out candles as she goes.
She finally arrives at her own chamber and enters...
INT. PALACE - LUCILLA'S CHAMBERS - NIGHT
Senators Gracchus and Gaius and Captain Marcellus are
waiting.
LUCILLA
He's asleep. Be quick.
GRACCHUS
We've taking a sounding, the Senate
is with us.
LUCILLA
Good.
GRACCHUS
But we are only words. We are air.
We need steel.
MARCELLUS
The City Guard is faithful to the
Republic. But we don't stand a
chance against the Praetorians.
LUCILLA
Can they be bought?
MARCELLUS
They are zealots -- totally
committed to your brother.
GRACCHUS
Well, can they at least be rented
for a day?
MARCELLUS
I doubt it. He pays them exorbitant
salaries and lets them loot and
extort as they see fit. The city
belongs to them.
LUCILLA
And they've started arresting
scholars now. Anyone who dares
speak out -- even satirists and
chroniclers.
MARCELLUS
And mathematicians and Christians.
All to fill the arena.
GAIUS
And what pays for it? These games
are costing a fortune and yet we
have no new taxes.
LUCILLA
The future. The future pays for
it...
A beat. She looks at them.
LUCILLA
He's started selling the grain
reserves.
GAIUS
No.
MARCELLUS
That can't be true...
LUCILLA
He's selling Rome's reserves of
grain. The people will be starving
in two years. I hope they are
enjoying the spectacles because soon
enough they will be dead because of
them.
MARCELLUS
Rome must know this.
LUCILLA
And who will tell them?! You,
Marcellus? You, Senator Gaius?
Will you make a speech on the Senate
floor denouncing my brother? And
then see your family in the
Colosseum? What town-crier would
dare?
A long beat.
LUCILLA
He must die.
A beat as her words sink in.
GAIUS
The Praetorians would only seize
control themselves.
LUCILLA
No -- cut off the head and the snake
cannot strike.
GRACCHUS
Lucilla, Gaius is right. Until the
City Guard can neutralize the
Praetorians we can accomplish
nothing.
MARCELLUS
And I haven't enough men.
LUCILLA
What about the army?
GAIUS
No Roman army has entered the
capital in a hundred years.
LUCILLA
So we do nothing?!
A door opens, a voice...
LUCIUS' VOICE
Mother...
An eight-year-old boy stands in a doorway, sleepy. He is
LUCIUS, Lucilla's son.
LUCIUS
I heard voices...
LUCILLA
(going to him)
It's all right, darling, you --
Lucius suddenly notices Senator Gracchus:
LUCIUS
(running to Gracchus)
Senator! What did you bring me?!
He leaps onto Gracchus -- Gracchus laughs and pulls
something from his robe.
GRACCHUS
For you prince Lucius... a sea
monster!
Gracchus gives Lucius a beautifully painted toy of a sea
serpent.
GRACCHUS
Off the coast of Achaea they grow
twenty times this size, with
snapping teeth to devour any nasty
Praetorians they come across... now,
where is Achaea?
LUCIUS
Below Macedonia!
GRACCHUS
Show me on the map.
Lucius runs to a map and stabs his finger at Achaea. We
sense this is an old game between them.
LUCILLA
Lucius, you go in now, I'll be in
shortly.
LUCIUS
(to Gracchus)
Thank you, Senator Mountain!
GRACCHUS
You're welcome, Prince Anthill!
Lucius goes. Lucilla shuts the door after him. A moment.
She turns to the others, a deep anguish in her eyes.
LUCILLA
What are you going to do?
Gracchus goes to her, holds her.
GRACCHUS
Peace child... One dark night the
Gods will light our path. They will
give us the voice we need. Have
faith in that. Have faith.
INT./ EXT. ROMAN STREETS - SLAVE WAGON - NIGHT
Maximus cranes for a sight of the Eternal City through a
hole in the wooden slats that cover the slave cart.
He can see only glimpses of Rome as they pass. But the
images are not what he expected. Alongside the undeniable
glory of the city, the madness and disease Marcus Aurelius
spoke of are readily apparent.
Maximus sees flashes of plague victims being tossed on
carts heaped with bodies -- he sees getting and spending
and commerce everywhere -- he sees fascist Praetorian
Guard units trooping past -- he sees the magnificent
architecture of the city -- he sees starving children
begging from filthy gutters -- he sees rich citizens out
for a stroll -- he sees a swirling combination of
sophistication and depravity, of civilization and
corruption.
He sits back in the cart, deep in thought. Vibius looks
at him.
VIBIUS
Not what you expected?
MAXIMUS
No.
VIBIUS
Rome is nothing but a slaughter
house. And we are the meat.
EXT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - NIGHT
The slave wagon pulls up to Proximo's rather grand Roman
compound. Guards unlock imposing gates and the wagon
drives in...
EXT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - COURTYARD - NIGHT
Inside the gates is a large courtyard, much like Proximo's
Moroccan school but much more impressive. A fountain with
an enormous statue of the war god Mars is central in the
courtyard.
The gladiators climb from the wagon, stretching after the
long journey. Vibius leads Maximus and Juba to the
statue. He wades through the fountain and kisses the toe
of Mars.
VIBIUS
Tradition. He watches over us.
Juba steps up and kisses the toe.
VIBIUS
(to Maximus)
Oh go on, it won't kill you.
Maximus kisses the toe as well.
PROXIMO
(calling to them)
Stop that! You'll get some
monstrous disease and then you'll be
worth nothing to me!
Guards come and lead them to their cells, which line one
side of the courtyard.
INT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - CELL - NIGHT
Later. Maximus and Juba again share a cell. It is more
comfortable than their cell in Morocco, befitting Maximus'
new status as one of the "stars." A high, barred window
on one wall opens to the city. Another barred window is
directly over them, twenty feet above.
Maximus pulls himself up to the side window, he looks out.
And sees at last... The Colosseum.
It is a breathtaking sight. Monolithic Albert Speer-like
columns of light shine up from the Colosseum. It seems to
illuminate the whole city and the heavens above.
Maximus drops back to the floor.
JUBA
Do you think it will be much
different? Here in Rome?
MAXIMUS
Bigger arena. Same killing.
A beat.
JUBA
Are you scared for tomorrow?
MAXIMUS
No.
A beat.
JUBA
Me too.
A beat.
JUBA
I never though it would be so easy
to kill.
A beat.
JUBA
So you're finally home.
MAXIMUS
This isn't my home.
JUBA
For all Romans... this is home.
A beat.
JUBA
(quietly)
Among my people we honor the soil of
our home. Our ancestors are in that
soil. All their dreams live there.
I will never see my home again. The
soil is dead and no one honors them,
so the dreams die.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
Perhaps one day you'll return.
Juba looks at him.
JUBA
How can I go back? I am not what I
was. When a man kills for no
reason, he has lost himself.
A long beat.
Juba leans his head back and quietly begins to sing. A
haunting lament in his native tongue.
EXT. COLOSSEUM - DAY
A flurry of images from around the Colosseum, the energy
mounting. At this point we see practically nothing of the
inside of the Colosseum:
Slaves are balancing high above the empty arena. They are
on ropes unrolling huge rolls of muslin; sun tarps that
provide shade below...
Merchants open stalls in the curved arcade around outside
of the Colosseum. They sell everything from food to magic
elixirs, from toys to aphrodisiacs. They immediately
start declaiming and demonstrating the virtues of their
products...
Gangs of whores of both sexes trawl the streets. They
have bizarrely-colored hair and elaborate makeup...
Citizens begin arriving, pushing past the vendors and the
pickpockets. We see whole families with picnic lunches...
Ferocious animals are brought into the Colosseum in barred
cages...
In the busy arcade, barbers and blood-letters practice
their craft alongside exotic alchemists, fire eaters and
contortionists...
Richer citizens arrive in sedan chairs and chariots, they
feign indifference to the hooting mob...
Mounted City Guard police units try to retain some
order...
Gamblers crowd betting booths and haggle mercilessly...
Finally, we see Maximus and the other gladiators in a
slave cart. Maximus watches everything as the slave cart
disappears into the Colosseum...
INT. COLOSSEUM - ROUTE TO HOLDING CELLS - DAY
The interior of the Colosseum is a busy world unto itself.
Maximus and the others are lead by Proximo's guards down a
long ramp and past countless animal cages. Gamblers
circulate everywhere and observe the warriors, angling for
the best odds and the best matches.
Maximus and the others are led even deeper into the bowels
of the Colosseum to a new whole subterranean realm.
Numerous cells line the walls. Racks and racks of
weaponry and armor.
And, most striking, everywhere around them is the heavy
machinery of the spectacles above. Huge "elevator"
platforms and ramps and pulleys and counterweights are
manned by teams of sweating slaves.
INT. COLOSSEUM - HOLDING CELLS - DAY
Finally, Proximo's guards lead the gladiators to their
holding cells. These cells are right at the edge of the
arena. Barred windows offer a sand-level view of the
action.
Maximus immediately goes to a window and looks out.
He cannot see much of the entire arena, but what he does
see transfixes him.
A band of Christians are huddled together. An eerie
silence from the Colosseum but for the prayers of the
Christians.
Maximus watches them. One little girl peels past her
mother's arm. She sees Maximus. She smiles.
Suddenly a dozen ferocious lions race up a ramp by Maximus
-- they roar into the arena --
We do not see the carnage. We watch Maximus' face as we
hear the sounds of the slaughter.
And the sound of the roaring crowd.
Maximus finally cannot watch. He drops his head.
INT. COLOSSEUM - TRAINER'S LAIR - DAY
Proximo is with a dozen other gladiator trainers and the
Colosseum's orator and majordomo, CASSIUS. They are
haggling in an secluded area not far from the arena
itself. Huge chalkboards chart the day's matches and
wagers and odds.
Colosseum touts continually erase and mark new figures on
the chalkboards to keep up with the swiftly changing
bouts.
The roar of the lions and the unnerving screams of the
Christians can clearly be heard.
CASSIUS
... and the Emperor will have no
more animal battles today --
Upset roars from some of the trainers.
TRAINER #1
You promised me a bear match,
Cassius!
TRAINER #2
I have ten damned gorillas! You
said gorillas yesterday!
CASSIUS
Talk to the man in the imperial box.
Who has the next slot...?
(he checks the
boards)
-- Lentulus, Gideon, Trebonius and
Proximo --
(to Proximo)
-- Nice to have you back, you
piratical bastard -- now listen, the
Emperor wants the Carthage
spectacle.
The four trainers explode in a flurry of resistance --
PROXIMO
No -- have pity, Cassius -- !
TRAINER #3
My men are too good for -- !
CASSIUS
You give us the Carthage match or
lose your spot on the rotation --
but don't worry -- gold is flowing
from the Emperor's fingers.
TRAINER #3
It'll cost you --
PROXIMO
I won't do it for less than 100,000
sesterces -- !
TRAINER #4
120,000! All I have is my best
Thracians!
CASSIUS
(to Proximo)
And I want to see this famous
Spaniard of yours -- his reputation
soars from the provinces. The
people are eager for him --
PROXIMO
I won't throw my Spaniard into a
spectacle! Damn you and damn the
rotation!
CASSIUS
You will and the price will be
90,000 sesterces each --
(to all)
-- which you all know is exorbitant
-- AND IF YOU EXTORTING BLOOD-WHORES
TRY TO PAWN OFF LESSER FIGHTERS ON
ME I WILL SEE YOU DEAD IN THE ARENA
TOMORROW!
TRAINER #4
My Thracians are worth -- !
CASSIUS
Give me your best, brothers. They
die before Caesar.
He strides back to the arena. The touts instantly begin
making new marks on the boards to represent the mysterious
"Carthage Spectacle" as some of the trainers hurry out.
Proximo walks with Trainer #4:
PROXIMO
I give you 30,000 my Spaniard will
kill at least one of your Thracians.
TRAINER #4
30,000?! On a Spaniard?! That
provincial sun has curdled your
brain!
PROXIMO
Then make the wager, you smug
bastard!
They disappear down a dark corridor, negotiating all the
while.
INT. COLOSSEUM - HOLDING CELLS - DAY
Maximus, Juba, Vibius and another of Proximo's gladiators
are being armed. They all wear mask-like helmets.
Proximo hurries to them.
PROXIMO
All right -- there are three other
teams, four men each --
(to Maximus)
You know what a Thracian looks like?
MAXIMUS
Yes, but --
PROXIMO
Ignore the others -- go for the
Thracians. The sun is to the east
-- over the gate -- keep your back
to the gate and you won't have the
sun.
MAXIMUS
What -- ?
Trumpets begin sounding from the arena.
PROXIMO
Hurry -- !
The guards quickly bustle the four toward a gate leading
to a dark tunnel to the arena.
PROXIMO
Die well and we'll sing songs about
you for a generation.
Short swords are shoved into their hands and the gate
rises. They are pushed into the dark tunnel leading to
the arena. The gate closes behind them.
The four gladiators stand for a moment and then slowly
walk down the tunnel to...
EXT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
At last we see it.
The mighty Colosseum Arena.
Nothing we could have possibly imagined could have
prepared us for the sight of the thousands and thousands
of screaming spectators, the row after row of cheering
faces.
It is staggering.
But for Maximus none of this exists. His full attention
is focused on one spot alone. The Imperial Box.
He can see Commodus and Lucilla sitting in the box. The
box is elevated fifteen feet above the arena floor at the
top of a sheer black marble wall. A cohort of fifty
imposing Praetorian Guard Archers surround the box.
Commodus' personal Body Guard of six Centurions actually
stand in the box itself, eyes constantly watching like
modern Secret Service agents.
Commodus is untouchable.
Meanwhile, three teams move from different entrances to
the arena.
As Cassius orates to the crowd:
CASSIUS
This day we reach back to hallowed
antiquity to bring you... THE FALL
OF MIGHTY CARTHAGE...!
(the crowd cheers)
... On the barren armies of the
barbarian Hannibal! Ferocious
mercenaries and warriors of all
brute nations bent on merciless
conquest! Your Emperor is pleased
to give you... THE BARBARIAN HORDE!
He gestures to the gladiators in the arena. The crowd
laughs, jeering the "barbarians."
The drummers begin pounding out a more insistent, heroic
beat.
CASSIUS
But on that illustrious day the Gods
sent against them Rome's greatest
warriors...! The very life-image of
nobility and glorious valor... who
would on this day, and on these same
arid Numidian deserts, decide THE
FATE OF THE EMPIRE... Your Emperor
is pleased to give you... THE
LEGIONNAIRES OF SCIPIO AFRICANUS!!
The crowd EXPLODES in cheers as the huge doors at one end
of the arena suddenly burst open and ten chariots thunder
in --
Each chariot has a driver and an archer, both dressed in
theatrical versions of the familiar Roman Lorica
Segmentata.
A chaos of dust -- and the battle is on --
The chariots zoom around the arena -- the archers keeping
up a deadly hail of arrows.
Maximus immediately dives onto a passing chariot and kills
the charioteer and archer -- he dramatically leaps from
the front of the chariot to a lead horse and cuts it free.
And Maximus takes control, we see the General of the Felix
Regiment gloriously alive again as he barks out orders and
leads his gladiators in battle. They follow him
faithfully, his stern commands unquestioned.
His strategies are quick and smart, he makes the
gladiators work together.
This kind of slaughter could last for hours...
We see flashes of the endless battle... Maximus races on
his horse past another chariot, kills the driver, the
chariot smashes into a wall... the sun sinks lower, the
shadows on the sand lengthen... areas of the sand are
swamps of blood, Juba slips, pulls himself up fighting...
Maximus uses Vibius to create a diversion, two chariots
collide... the crowd roars... a gladiator is dragged
between a chariot and the side wall of the arena... the
drummers pound out their relentless tattoo...
Finally...
Maximus is on his horse across from the final chariot.
We can see that Juba and Vibius and a few other gladiators
are still alive. The rest of the arena is polluted with
the dead and injured.
Maximus spurs his horse and gallops toward the final
chariot -- the charioteer whips his horses and zooms
toward Maximus --
The crowd is breathless -- watching the final battle --
Maximus and the chariot speed toward each other -- like
Medieval jousters --
And collide in a flashing explosion of steel --
Maximus sails from his horse -- as the charioteer sails
from his chariot --
Maximus lands hard but quickly pulls himself up, he races
to the final charioteer. The charioteer is defeated but
not dead.
Maximus glances around, all his opponents are defeated.
He stands over the final charioteer. Then he simply
tosses down his sword.
The crowd is stunned by this strange act of mercy. But
then an enormous roar grows from the crowd -- wave after
wave of adulation for the hero of the day.
Maximus looks around, taking it all in.
Then he turns to the Imperial Box.
Maximus slowly walks to before the the Imperial Box. The
Praetorian Archers immediately raise their bows, pointing
down at him.
Maximus glares up at Commodus through his helmet mask.
Commodus returns his gaze, curious.
The crowd is intrigued, growing quiet. What is going on?
Then Maximus simply turns and begins walking away.
COMMODUS
Slave! Who are you?
The Colosseum is suddenly silent. The Emperor is speaking
to a gladiator.
Maximus keeps walking.
COMMODUS
SLAVE! WHO ARE YOU?
Maximus keeps walking, his fists clenched now.
Commodus suddenly grabs a spear from a nearby Praetorian
and hurls it with perfect aim -- the crowd gasps -- the
spear sails past Maximus -- actually nicking his shoulder
-- it slices into the sand ahead of Maximus.
Maximus stops.
COMMODUS
SLAVE! WHO ARE YOU?!
Maximus can hold it no longer. He spins to Commodus --
ripping off his helmet mask -- and THUNDERING:
MAXIMUS
I AM MAXIMUS MERIDAS, GENERAL OF THE
FELIX REGIMENT OF THE ROMAN ARMY AND
SERVANT TO THE EMPEROR MARCUS
AURELIUS!
Commodus eyes shoot wide -- Lucilla bolts up -- Gracchus
leans forward -- Proximo is stunned -- the crowd is
mystified --
MAXIMUS
I AM FATHER TO A MURDERED SON AND
HUSBAND TO A MURDERED WIFE AND
LANDLORD TO A MURDERED WORLD -- AND
I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE!
The Praetorian Archers tense their bows -- ready to kill
the defiant slave --
But something extraordinary stops them. Almost as one
being the crowd roars -- they leaps to their feet and
thrust their thumbs up! They cheer and stomp their
approval of Maximus.
Commodus looks around at the people of Rome, amazed.
He finally plasters on a benevolent smile and thrusts his
thumb up! The Praetorians lower their bows.
And the crowd cheers. Never in the long, long history of
the Colosseum have they ever seen such a thing.
Maximus leads his gladiators out of the arena.
INT. PALACE - THRONE ROOM - NIGHT
To our great surprise, Commodus is not raging. He sits
quietly on the polished marble floor in front of a model
of the Colosseum. He moves model pieces around in the
Colosseum, planning his festival.
Lucilla stands, tense.
COMMODUS
Why is he still alive?
LUCILLA
I don't know.
COMMODUS
He shouldn't be alive. That vexes
me. I am terribly vexed...
Lucilla watches her brother cautiously, expecting the
explosion. He carefully moves some model pieces in the
arena.
COMMODUS
There, that's better. Do you like
the platform here?
LUCILLA
Mmm.
COMMODUS
I do too. Simple, elegant...
Lucilla is growing more and more unnerved at Commodus'
unusual serenity.
COMMODUS
Father would have wanted something
more ornate but he's dead now.
A beat. Commodus laughs. A beat.
COMMODUS
Maximus Meridas haunts me. I see
Father turning away from me and
gazing at him. How many times did I
suffer that indignity, I wonder?
LUCILLA
What are you going to do?
COMMODUS
I'm going to kill him.
LUCILLA
Good.
COMMODUS
(glances at her)
Oh, you're too clever, Sister.
Don't tell me part of you won't weep
for him.
LUCILLA
When he defies my brother the
Emperor, he defies me. But you
shouldn't send assassins.
COMMODUS
No?
LUCILLA
The people embraced him today. They
will be expecting his next match...
(she kneels next to
him)
... let him die in the arena like
the slave he is. Let the people see
what comes of defying Caesar.
A beat as he looks at her.
COMMODUS
He wounded you deeply, didn't he?
Long ago.
She does not answer.
COMMODUS
Nonetheless, your political acumen
is, as always, unerring.
He picks up a model tiger and puts it in the arena. He
looks at the model tiger and smiles.
INT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - CELL - NIGHT
Maximus silently awaits Commodus' assassins with Juba.
They hear footsteps outside the cell. Maximus stands,
preparing for death.
JUBA
(also standing)
I will fight with you.
MAXIMUS
This isn't your battle.
JUBA
Better to die for a friend than to
die for gold.
The door swings open and they are surprised to see Proximo
sweeping in with a cloaked woman. The woman gives Proximo
a bag of money.
PROXIMO
Enjoy yourself, Madame...
(he glances to
Maximus)
General, perform well and there will
be riches for you.
He beckons to Juba, they go, shutting the door behind
them. The woman pulls off her cloak, it is Lucilla.
Maximus glares at her, his muscles tensing.
LUCILLA
Rich matrons pay well to be
pleasured by the bravest champions.
Maximus backs up, fighting the urge to strangle her on the
spot. He finally bumps into a wall of the cell.
MAXIMUS
I knew your brother would send
assassins. I didn't think he would
send his best.
LUCILLA
Maximus, listen to me --
MAXIMUS
My family were crucified and burnt
while they were still alive.
LUCILLA
I knew nothing of that.
MAXIMUS
(low)
Don't lie to me.
LUCILLA
I wept for them.
MAXIMUS
Don't.
A long, tense moment.
She does not look at him.
LUCILLA
Do you know what it is to be the
daughter of the Emperor? I learned
on the night my father had my
husband killed. I loved my husband
very much. Very... simply. He was
a man who believed in the Republic.
He was a man who thought Marcus
should be tending to Rome and not
conquering the world. One night my
father had him strangled for
conspiring with the Senate. My
father never spoke of it. I never
spoke of it. That is what it is to
be the daughter of Rome.
She finally looks up at Maximus.
LUCILLA
My son will live. He will survive
this cursed bloodline. Rome will
die and the jackals will pick her
clean -- but my son will survive.
Empires come and go. Cities crumble
to dust. Only family matters.
A beat. Despite himself, Maximus is moved.
MAXIMUS
My son was innocent.
LUCILLA
So is mine.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
I want your brother dead.
LUCILLA
So do I.
A beat. Maximus is surprised at her direct answer.
LUCILLA
My son will never be safe while he
lives.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
How do you plan it?
LUCILLA
The Senate is with us, and the City
Guard. We have growing power in the
streets. But we need a leader.
Someone the people can --
MAXIMUS
So the crown passes to your son.
LUCILLA
No. So that my son will be safe.
So that we may leave this charnel
house forever and never look back.
Look into my eyes, Maximus, and
believe what I say to you...
She rivets him intensely with her eyes.
LUCILLA
By all the Gods, and in the name of
my father who loved you, and in the
name of the husband I loved... I
swear to stand by your side in this
now and always.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
What is your son's name?
LUCILLA
Lucius Verus. Like his father.
MAXIMUS
I weep for him.
A long beat. Maximus' cold eyes give away nothing.
Lucilla turns and starts to go. She stops, not looking
back.
LUCILLA
Commodus plans to kill you in your
next match in the arena. He's
planning something. I will pray for
you. As I have always done.
She then pulls something from her robes and sets it down,
a little bundle wrapped in cloth. She sweeps out. The
sound of the door being bolted shut on the other side.
Maximus stands for a moment and then goes to what she has
left. He opens the cloth. Inside are his six "ancestor"
figures.
He picks up one of the figures. He looks at it deeply,
gently feeling along the contours with a finger.
EXT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
The Colosseum is again packed. Commodus, Lucilla and her
son Lucius are in the Imperial Box.
It is late in the day and teams of slaves are cleaning the
arena after a bout. They haul off carcasses and toss down
fresh sand.
Meanwhile, Cassius is orating to the crowd:
CASSIUS
... in his majestic charity the
Emperor has deigned to this day
favor the people of Rome with an
historical final match. Returning
to the Colosseum today... after five
years in retirement... Caesar is
pleased to bring you... THE ONLY
UNDEFEATED CHAMPION IN ROMAN
HISTORY...
(the crowd is going
mad)
... THE LEGENDARY... TIGER OF GAUL!!
The crowd erupts in paroxysms of joy as TIGER explodes
into the arena in an ornate chariot. Tiger is a fierce
man in his 40's, his brutal, scarred face and hugely
muscled body a testament to his many years in the arena.
Tiger speeds around the rim of the arena in his chariot,
raising an arm in triumph. The crowd roars.
INT. COLOSSEUM - HOLDING CELLS - DAY
Proximo stands with Maximus, who is busy strapping on
armor.
PROXIMO
Gods! That old Homicide! The
Emperor must truly hate you.
MAXIMUS
What can you tell me?
PROXIMO
He cheats.
INT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
Tiger waits. He stands in the center of the arena. He
has only a traditional short sword. The crowd is
breathless with anticipation. As:
CASSIUS
(orating)
And from the rocky promontories and
martial bloodlines of Spain...
representing the training lyceum of
Proximo Antoninus... I give you...
THE WARRIOR MAXIMUS!
The crowd cheers. Maximus appears from his gate. His
fans have increased in number considerably. They eagerly
crane forward and celebrate him.
Meanwhile, Maximus looks at Tiger. Only one man with a
sword? Maximus approaches, cautious but confident.
He stops a few feet from Tiger. They lock eyes, salute
each other and then turn to the Imperial Box, raising
their swords.
The crowd waits eagerly for the immortal words...
MAXIMUS AND TIGER
We who are about to die salute you.
The crowd cheers and Maximus immediately turns and starts
slashing -- Tiger easily blocks and strikes back --
The sword play is very fast -- they block and parry and
hack like lightning -- constantly attacking -- they are
perfectly matched --
As he fights Maximus becomes aware of a strange sound over
the roar of the crowd -- a low rumbling -- then he feels
something -- a vibration in the ground --
Suddenly traps doors swing open and four enormous
platforms rise into view. On each platform is a snarling
Bengal tiger restrained by a chain. Tiger's teams of
"cornermen" hold the chains through a pulley system. The
cornermen are safely inside cages. The platforms stop at
ground level.
The four ferocious tigers now mark the four corners of the
battleground.
Tiger takes advantage of Maximus' momentary confusion and
assaults brutally -- forcing him back toward one of the
tigers -- the tiger claws for Maximus -- Maximus just
evades it claws -- rolls for a new position -- another
tiger snaps at him --
Tiger attacks -- Maximus is on the defensive -- fighting
off Tiger and evading the four snarling beasts --
And then all four tigers are suddenly closer. The teams
of cornermen are letting the chains play out, bit by bit,
gradually reducing the size of the battle ground. The
crowd roars.
But the fight is hardly fair.
Whenever Tiger is near one of the tigers the cornermen
pull back the tiger slightly -- when Maximus is near a
tiger they let it out a bit.
Maximus and Tiger fight -- swirling action -- finally,
Maximus has the edge -- he circles so that the sun stabs
into Tiger's eyes -- then Maximus lunges forward under
Tiger's swinging sword and SLAMS into him -- they fall --
a tiger swats at Maximus' face -- he jerks his head back
-- he shoots out a leg and kicks Tiger's sword toward one
of the tigers -- it is out of reach -- Maximus leaps up
and stands over the winded Tiger, sword to his throat.
Tiger is gasping for breath, crushed.
Then one of Tiger's corners suddenly cheats -- they
completely release a tiger -- it leaps for Maximus --
Maximus barely has time to turn -- the tiger crashes into
him -- its claws slashing into his back, cutting through
his leather armor -- Maximus shoves an armored forearm
into the tiger's jaws and stabs with his sword --
Tiger takes this chance to pull himself up -- one of his
corners throws him another sword -- the crowd boos --
Maximus wrestles with the tiger -- spinning it around with
superhuman effort so it is always between himself and
Tiger -- so that Tiger can't get at him --
Maximus finally kills the tiger and leaps for Tiger -- he
quickly disarms him and tosses him to the ground --
Maximus stands over him -- ready to administer the coup de
grace.
All eyes turn to the Emperor.
Commodus slowly stands and steps to the edge of the
Imperial Box. He raises his arm and gives the fatal
thumbs down.
Maximus looks up at him.
And then defiantly tosses the sword to the ground,
refusing to kill Tiger.
Commodus is stunned.
The crowd gasps -- a collective intake of breath -- and
then an enormous roar building. It cascades around the
Colosseum. It is a roaring celebration of the unexpected
act of mercy. And the delicious act of defiance of the
Emperor.
Commodus slowly sits.
Maximus walks across the arena -- the people stand and
cheer for him. Cries of "Maximus the Merciful" can be
heard.
It is the birth of a hero.
INT. COLOSSEUM - HOLDING CELLS - DAY
Maximus is resting in his cell after the battle, head
down, deep in thought.
LUCIUS' VOICE
Is it true you're a General...?
Maximus looks up, Lucius is standing at his cell. Maximus
has no idea who the boy is -- just another young fan --
but Maximus is immediately struck by Lucius' resemblance
to his own son.
MAXIMUS
I was a General.
LUCIUS
I saw you fight. The Carthage
battle too. I've never seen so much
courage.
MAXIMUS
It doesn't take courage to kill.
LUCIUS
My father was killed.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
I'm sorry.
LUCIUS
He still comes to me in my dreams.
Do you have a father?
MAXIMUS
I had a father. He wasn't really my
father but I cared for him very much.
LUCIUS
I hope he comes to you in your
dreams. My father and I ride horses
in mine.
These simple words strike something deep in Maximus.
Lucilla appears from the shadows and puts her hands on
Lucius' shoulders.
LUCILLA
Lucius, run along now. I need to
talk to the General.
Lucius runs off to his Male ATTENDANT, who leads him away.
A long beat as Maximus and Lucilla look at each other.
Finally:
MAXIMUS
Where is my army?
A drum beat is heard. It increases throughout the
following scenes, building momentum like a Roman gallery
accelerating to ramming speed.
The conspiracy scenes are enclosed in a montage of scenes
in and around the arena showing Maximus' growing
popularity with the People of Rome...
EXT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
Maximus is fighting an opponent.
The drums continue...
INT. THE SENATE - DAY
Lucilla conspires with Senators Gracchus and Gaius and
Captain Marcellus in a dark corner of the Senate.
Whispers.
LUCILLA
... Maximus will summon his army
from Ostia and he will strike from
the inside as his army strikes from
the outside. But he insists that
the Senate be present.
GAIUS
We've been ordered to attend.
LUCILLA
How many are with us?
GRACCHUS
About half. But once the tyrant is
dead. All.
A beat.
GRACCHUS
I want to meet him.
LUCILLA
I'll arrange it.
GAIUS
And what of the Emperor?
A beat.
LUCILLA
He has withdrawn. He's not eating.
He doesn't go out. He won't even
see me... I don't know what tempests
rage within him but...
GRACCHUS
We should fear for the blackest
storm.
LUCILLA
Yes.
A beat.
GAIUS
One question... who is to be the
actual Regicide?
A beat. She glances at him.
The drums continue...
EXT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
Maximus defeats his opponent. He stands over him. He
does not kill him.
He tosses his sword down and walks away. The crowd goes
crazy, roaring their approval of Maximus.
Senator Falco, sits in the stands and watches with some
alarm. He glances around as the crowd exalts Maximus. He
is becoming a hero to the people.
The drums continue...
INT. COLOSSEUM - HOLDING CELLS - DAY
Maximus returns to the holding cells. Vibius and Juba are
waiting.
VIBIUS
You didn't kill him.
MAXIMUS
I will not kill another warrior.
There is no honor to it.
Maximus goes. Vibius thinks about it, listening to the
adulation of the crowd.
The drums continue...
INT./ EXT. SLAVE WAGON - ROMAN STREETS - DAY
Maximus and the other gladiators are in a slave cart on
the way from the arena. A gang of children run alongside
the cart, cheering and chanting:
KIDS
Maximus the Merciful! Maximus the
Merciful!
The drums continue...
INT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - CELL - NIGHT
Maximus and Juba are with Lucilla and Gracchus. Lucilla
is writing on a piece of parchment.
MAXIMUS
Tell him we will enter Rome on the
first day of Commodus' festival.
LUCILLA
And they will march on Rome for you?
MAXIMUS
Yes. But this letter must go to the
lieutenant named Titus, no one else.
LUCILLA
Captain Marcellus will take it. And
his City Guard will by with you when
you get to Rome. Is that enough to
face the Praetorian Guard?
MAXIMUS
(looks to her)
The Felix Regiment will never be
defeated.
A beat.
GRACCHUS
I only have one question for you,
General... Why?
A beat.
GRACCHUS
You will lead an army of your
brothers on Rome. Many will die.
Why?
MAXIMUS
I want Commodus dead.
GRACCHUS
That's not the reason. Tell me the
truth.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
Because one night an old man
whispered to me about a dream. I
will die for that dream.
A long beat.
GRACCHUS
I knew the old man well. And I
loved him very much. In our youth
we would spend hours building that
dream together. After he went to
the wars and lost his way... I was
very cruel. I tormented him to
remember that dream we spoke of.
MAXIMUS
He did.
GRACCHUS
You can have no idea how much that
means to me.
A beat.
GRACCHUS
Any man who will die for a whispered
dream deserves my respect. I honor
you, General.
The drums continue...
EXT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
Vibius defeats an opponent -- he stands over him. He
looks around at the crowd. Then he tosses down his sword
and walks off.
The crowd goes mad with pleasure. Vibius eats it up,
raising his arms and soaking up the applause.
Maximus watches from the holding cells. He smiles.
The drums continue...
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Proximo supervises as a huge banner is unfurled. It
covers the side of a tall building.
It shows a dramatic painting of Maximus.
Proximo supervises happily as torches and braziers are lit
to illuminate the mammoth banner.
The drums continue...
EXT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
The ending of a group fight -- Proximo's gladiators
triumphant.
The crowd waits for the delicious act of defiance. We
note many placard and banners honoring "MAXIMUS THE
MERCIFUL."
Maximus, Vibius, Juba and a few other gladiators toss down
their weapons and walk off, leaving their opponents alive.
The crowd roars. They have completely embraced Maximus
and his fellow gladiators.
Gracchus, in the stands, laughs.
The drums finally conclude.
INT. PALACE - LUCILLA'S CHAMBER - DAY
Lucilla is with her HANDMAIDEN. They sit before a large
mirror, the Handmaiden perfecting Lucilla's makeup for the
day.
One of Commodus' Centurion Body Guards enters, bows.
CENTURION
Madame, the Emperor would like to
see you.
Lucilla quickly glances to her Handmaiden in the mirror
and then braces herself, stands, and quickly leaves with
the Centurion.
INT. PALACE - HALLWAY - DAY
Lucilla strides quickly, nervously, down the long corridor
to Commodus' chambers. She enters...
INT. PALACE - COMMODUS' BEDROOM - DAY
Commodus is wrapped in a sheet, gazing out a window.
LUCILLA
Caesar...
He turns. She stops.
He looks as if he has not slept for days. If a word could
now sum up his clouded face it is this: tormented.
She goes to him, embraces him. He holds her tightly.
COMMODUS
I am sorry to have kept you away...
I needed this time to think...
LUCILLA
Of course...
He moves away from her, slowly moving around the room.
COMMODUS
I limited my world to these four
walls so as to let my mind free...
again and again my mind settles on
but one question... What kind of
world are we making when the people
of Rome prefer a slave in the arena
to their father?
A beat. Commodus' strange philosophical bent is unnerving
Lucilla.
COMMODUS
It is my responsibility to make the
world as it should be. How is it I
have made this world?
LUCILLA
Brother, do not be influenced by the
mob. They are a great, faceless
beast --
COMMODUS
They are not "the mob," Lucilla,
they are the people. They are my
children and all I want to do is
love them.
A beat. He stands before a bust of Marcus Aurelius. He
touches it.
COMMODUS
Our father loved Maximus... and I
love him still... yet he defies me,
he tasks me in front of my children.
And they love him for it. Just as
Marcus loved him for it. Tell me
why, Lucilla.
LUCILLA
They see themselves in him. They
throw in their own sad dreams
alongside his. They think he fights
for them.
COMMODUS
And what do I do but fight for
them?! I give them games to please
them. I strangle dissent to give
them peace. I empower the
Praetorians to give them order.
What more can I do?!
A beat.
COMMODUS
Say I should fight him, in the
arena. Let my children see who the
Gods truly favor.
LUCILLA
And what if he should win?
A beat.
Commodus continues to slowly move around the room.
COMMODUS
A God is more powerful than a man...
This odd statement hangs in the air for a moment. Then:
LUCILLA
Caesar, you let this unduly worry
you. At best he is a passing fancy
-- he is a name, an image on a
banner, ephemeral -- he will be
forgotten as the next fancy
appears --
COMMODUS
But I need to know -- why do they
love him?
LUCILLA
Mercy.
He stops. Looks at her.
LUCILLA
He will not kill in the arena. He
is merciful. As they all wish they
were in their own hearts.
Something in her words has struck a chord in him.
COMMODUS
And for that moment in the arena
they are merciful too. For a
moment... they are Gods. Offering
life.
He looks at her.
COMMODUS
But who can be more merciful than
the Emperor of Rome?
EXT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
Maximus is fighting a thick GIANT of a man. A few quick
blows and the Giant falls -- like a mighty tree he crashes
to the sand.
The arena cheers their hero.
Maximus stands over the beaten Giant. The crowd waits for
the famous act.
Maximus salutes the Giant and tosses down his sword,
refusing to kill. He walks away.
The arena explodes in cheers -- a chant of "Maximus the
Merciful" grows to deafening proportions.
Suddenly the arena is filled with Praetorians -- they
block Maximus' exit from the arena -- the crowd boos --
horrified --
The Praetorians surround Maximus. He is unarmed, but
coils for the inevitable battle.
Then the Praetorians part...
And Commodus walks through them. He carries something
wrapped in a rich cloth. Maximus glares at him.
The Praetorians move back and the crowd watches eagerly.
The Emperor and the Gladiator, at last.
Maximus and Commodus stare at each other. The crowd
cannot hear what is said, but strain to observe this
incredible confrontation.
COMMODUS
Brother... we've taken a sad path
since we were children at Capri,
have we not?
Maximus doesn't answer.
COMMODUS
For my own part... I am sorry it
came to this. And to you alone of
all men, I acknowledge my errors.
And my regret. I shall live with my
sin for all my days.
MAXIMUS
As will I, Commodus. As will I.
Commodus unwraps the cloth bundle. Inside is a small
wooden sword. He holds it up so the crowd can see.
A collective gasp. The wooden sword, prized by all
gladiators above all else. Freedom.
COMMODUS
As the first act of my contrition I
offer you the wooden sword of
freedom.
He holds out the wooden sword. A beat.
COMMODUS
Take it, brother. Stand at my side
as a free man worthy of your
ancestors.
MAXIMUS
I only have ancestors because of
you, brother. You killed everything
that ever lived alongside me.
A beat.
COMMODUS
Take it, Maximus. Let us heal that
fatal wound together.
MAXIMUS
This is the new home you cursed me
to. And I am safer here from your
treachery than I could ever be
outside.
COMMODUS
Will you always mistrust me?
MAXIMUS
Why don't you ask your father that?
Commodus visibly flinches at that, but still holds the
wooden sword out. The crowd is breathless.
MAXIMUS
I have more power as a slave in the
arena than I could ever have as a
free man. As the Colosseum goes,
the people go. As the people go,
the Empire goes.
COMMODUS
(tense)
You think this is power? I could
show you power, slave --
MAXIMUS
No, Caesar... I will show you.
With that, Maximus does the unimaginable. He simply turns
his back on the Emperor and walks away.
And the crowd goes mad. They cheer the defiant gladiator,
their champion.
And, equally, they deride the Emperor. They mock him by
holding out food and trash like Commodus is holding out
the wooden sword. They laugh and jeer.
Commodus glances around at his children, lost.
Then he turns to the Imperial Box. He sees Lucilla
slipping out the back of the box. He watches her go.
And the crowd continues to jeer.
EXT. STREET THEATER - NIGHT
The crowd laughs riotously as Roman Actors perform a
typically ribald comedy in a secluded street:
An outrageously dressed version of Maximus is parading
around on an outrageously dressed version of Commodus,
riding him like a donkey and slapping his rear with a
wooden sword. The "Commodus" actor mews and brays and
wails like an infant.
Captain Marcellus of the City Guard gallops past them, on
his way out of Rome.
EXT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - COURTYARD - DAY
Maximus stands with Juba and Vibius. He draws a circle in
the sand with a stick. He draws a line to the circle.
MAXIMUS
The Felix Regiment will come from
here. We'll face the body of the
Praetorians outside -- here. Once
inside, my archers will take up
position to counter opposition
inside the Colosseum. I'll enter
and join you -- we'll attack here --
Maximus draws a line to the Imperial Box.
MAXIMUS
-- a covert assault from within.
VIBIUS
We'll be killed.
MAXIMUS
Probably.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
But if we aren't... think of the
glory. Do you remember glory,
Gladiator?
JUBA
And if we die that day -- we die
free men worthy of our ancestors.
VIBIUS
You didn't know my ancestors. A
rotten bunch.
Maximus points to the huge statue of Mars.
MAXIMUS
Then be worthy of him. The old
Titan who would rather die bravely
in a just battle than slink off to
grow old and fat.
JUBA
And impotent.
A beat. Vibius thinks about it.
VIBIUS
If I die, I want a hundred whores at
my funeral.
INT. PALACE - LUCILLA'S CHAMBERS - EVENING
Commodus sweeps in. Thinks Lucilla is standing there.
The woman turns, it is Lucilla's Handmaiden.
COMMODUS
Where is my sister?
HANDMAIDEN
She's out, sir...
COMMODUS
Where?
HANDMAIDEN
I... don't know, Caesar.
Commodus looks at her for a moment.
And then he slowly walks right to her. His face an inch
away from hers.
COMMODUS
Where is my sister?
INT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - PROXIMO'S CHAMBER - NIGHT
Proximo sits, considering Maximus.
MAXIMUS
Was it Centurion...? General...?
PROXIMO
Captain.
A beat.
PROXIMO
How did you know?
MAXIMUS
A soldier knows a soldier.
A beat.
PROXIMO
All that was a long time ago. Too
much wine and too many women. And
too much money.
MAXIMUS
No --
PROXIMO
This is who I am...
(he pats his ample
belly)
You see? There was a time I would
stand against ten men and never give
an inch, spitting into the jaws of
Hades all the while. There was a
time my heart swelled to strap on
the armor of Rome. But now...
Something flashes across Proximo's eyes, something like
tragedy.
PROXIMO
Now I am just an entertainer.
A pause.
MAXIMUS
You said something to me once. You
said in this life, we all die. All
we can choose is how we die. And
how we are remembered. Do you
recall those words?
PROXIMO
Yes.
MAXIMUS
Then be remembered proudly. This is
your time, Proximo. Stand at my
side and be what you were. What you
truly are. One last time.
A beat.
Proximo suddenly begins to weep rather histrionically --
Maximus is a bit taken aback -- Proximo dramatically
flicks tears from his eyes -- and then can't keep the show
up -- he bursts into laughter.
Maximus stares at him.
PROXIMO
(laughing)
You might have spared yourself the
speech, General. The lady Lucilla
bought all my gladiators two hours
ago!
MAXIMUS
You pox-ridden bastard -- !
PROXIMO
I am the richest trainer in the
Empire! And I will let my
gladiators do anything you like!
Conspire away, General!
Maximus can only laugh as well.
PROXIMO
But I tell you -- if you survive
this madness I want you to go into
business with me. I'll give you a
quarter of my holdings.
MAXIMUS
(standing)
A quarter?!
PROXIMO
A third. And not a hair more. And
you'll have to start in the
provinces! Cleaning up the lion
shit!
MAXIMUS
You know, if you were half so awful
as you pretend, you'd be a
terrifying man.
Maximus shakes his head, smiling, and goes.
Proximo sits for a moment.
Then he rises and goes to a heavy chest. He looks at the
chest for a moment and then opens it.
Inside is his old Lorica Segmentata. He gazes at his
armor, considering what he once was. And what he now is.
INT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - CELL - NIGHT
Maximus enters. Lucilla is waiting, extremely tense.
MAXIMUS
Lucilla --
LUCILLA
Don't even say it. I know it's
dangerous -- but I had to see you.
Captain Marcellus has gone to the
army with your message as you
instructed.
MAXIMUS
Good.
LUCILLA
He says the City Guard will be ready
at the south road at noon. They can
only wait for an hour so --
MAXIMUS
You've told me this already.
LUCILLA
Did I? All right then. So
everything is prepared. The Senate
will be in attendance and you have
your gladiators -- the usual cohort
of Praetorians will be inside the
arena --
MAXIMUS
Lucilla... why are you here?
A pause.
LUCILLA
Tell me honestly... please... do you
think it will work?
A beat.
MAXIMUS
No.
LUCILLA
Do you think we'll all die?
MAXIMUS
Yes.
She leans against a wall.
A pause.
LUCILLA
Will you swear something to me?
MAXIMUS
Yes.
LUCILLA
Will you swear it on the memory of
your son?
A long beat.
MAXIMUS
Yes.
LUCILLA
By all that you have ever loved...
swear that if you survive you will
take my son out of Rome. Swear that
you will go far away and never
return.
He steps to her.
MAXIMUS
(deeply)
I will.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
And if I should not survive... swear
to me that you will honor my family
in your prayers always.
LUCILLA
I will.
A long, difficult beat. She fights back tears.
LUCILLA
Had I not been the daughter of
Rome...
He puts a gentle finger to her lips.
MAXIMUS
Shhh... my heart breaks enough.
He holds her closely, tenderly.
INT. PALACE - LUCILLA'S CHAMBERS - NIGHT
Lucilla enters, deep in thought, still drained from her
meeting with Maximus.
She suddenly stops. Frozen.
Commodus is sitting across the chamber, Lucius at his
knee. An open scroll on Commodus' lap.
COMMODUS
Sister... join us. I've been
reading to dear Lucius.
LUCIUS
I've been reading too.
COMMODUS
Yes, he's a very smart little boy.
He'll make a grand Emperor one day.
Lucilla has not moved.
COMMODUS
Join us, sister.
Lucilla goes to them, sits.
COMMODUS
We've been reading about the great
Julius and his adventures in Egypt.
LUCIUS
She killed herself with a snake!
COMMODUS
(to Lucius)
And just wait until you hear what
happened to some of our other
ancestors! If you're very good,
tomorrow night I'll tell you the
story of Emperor Claudius. He was
betrayed! By those closest to
him...
(he glances up to
Lucilla)
... by his own blood... they
whispered in dark corners and went
out late at night and conspired and
conspired...
Lucilla looks as if she is going to be ill.
Lucius is busy scanning the scroll. Commodus gently
strokes his hair, his cold eyes never leaving Lucilla's.
COMMODUS
But the Emperor Claudius knew that
they were up to something dire. He
knew they were busy little bees.
And one night he sat down with one
of them and he looked at her and he
said: "Tell me what you have been
doing, busy little bee, or I shall
strike down those dearest to you.
You shall watch as I bathe in their
blood." And the bee knew he spoke
the truth, for the Emperor always
speaks the truth. And what do you
think happened then, Lucius?
LUCIUS
(still pouring over
the scrolls)
I don't know, Uncle.
COMMODUS
(glaring at Lucilla)
The bee told him everything.
Lucilla's face is tortured.
INT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - PROXIMO'S CHAMBER - NIGHT
Proximo is asleep -- a sound outside wakes him -- the
steady clip-clop of horses on stone. A lot of horses.
He rises and goes to a window overlooking the street
outside.
A stern Praetorian Guard cavalry unit is cantering into
position at his gates. Proximo grabs his clothes --
EXT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - NIGHT
With cool military precision the Praetorians take up
position at the gates before Proximo's compound, an
unassailable line. They quickly prepare their bows.
Meanwhile, another Praetorian unit has taken up position
at the other end of Proximo's compound -- sealing that
entrance as well.
EXT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - COURTYARD - NIGHT
Proximo is hurrying across his open courtyard when the
first flaming arrow arches into the compound -- it is
followed by hundreds more --
The Praetorians on either end of his compound keep up a
ceaseless hail of flaming arrows -- everything begins to
burn -- the caged gladiators are stirring now --
shouting --
Proximo races to his panicked guards --
PROXIMO
Release them! Release them all!
ARM THEM!
The guards sprint to the cells -- unlocking the gladiators
as quickly as they can --
Not quick enough for many -- Praetorians are now pouring
pitch through the gutter that runs along the bottom of the
cells -- igniting it and incinerating all those trapped
inside --
The compound is soon a raging inferno --
Proximo releases Maximus and Juba --
PROXIMO
Come --
MAXIMUS
But --
PROXIMO
If you want to live -- follow me --
VIBIUS
(calling to them)
Go, Spaniard! We'll show these
Roman dogs how gladiators fight!
Proximo hauls Maximus and Juba off as Vibius and the other
gladiators arm themselves --
INT. TUNNELS - NIGHT
Proximo is leading Maximus and Juba quickly through a
decaying cramped tunnel.
PROXIMO
All the old gladiator schools have
tunnels to the Colosseum -- most
have long since collapsed --
JUBA
How did they know?
MAXIMUS
We were betrayed.
JUBA
(stops)
I'll stay here. In case they
follow.
Maximus stops as well.
JUBA
Go! Bring us the army!
Maximus nods.
PROXIMO
Quickly --
He leads Maximus down the disintegrating catacomb of
tunnels --
EXT. PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - NIGHT
Vibius hoped to die fighting -- he never got the chance.
It is not a battle, it is a slaughter.
The Praetorians ruthlessly shoot anyone even approaching
the gates -- all the walls are covered -- most of the
gladiators die in the hellish inferno -- the relentless
rain of flaming arrows continues --
Vibius coughs in the thick smoke and rages for someone to
fight -- Praetorian snipers cut him down -- he dies
reaching for the statue of Mars.
INT. COLOSSEUM - SUBTERRANEAN - NIGHT
Proximo and Maximus emerge deep in the bowels of the
Colosseum.
PROXIMO
(points)
Down that corridor is the butchery
-- the blood sloughs lead to the
Tiber. Gods watch over you.
MAXIMUS
You're not coming?
PROXIMO
They are killing my men!
He races back into the tunnel.
Maximus moves quickly down the corridor. He can finally
see...
INT. COLOSSEUM - BUTCHERY - NIGHT
Grisly carcasses of every description hang from hooks.
Two bored butchers hack them up. The good bits are tossed
into a wagon to fed to the Colosseum animals. The waste
and offal are shoveled into a large sewer opening. A
butcher occasionally lifts a sluice-gate and a gush of
water flows into the sewer from above, washing down the
blood and carcasses.
Maximus crouches and creeps through the nightmare of
hanging carcasses and flies.
When the butchers are looking elsewhere, Maximus creeps to
the sewer opening and climbs in -- he immediately slides
down for a few yards in the slanting, slippery blood
sluice -- out of sight --
Then he thuds to a stop. He can go no further because the
remains of an animal carcass blocks his way. He tries to
slither past the carcass --
Finally, one of the butchers above lifts the sluice-gate
and a torrent of water flows down.
Maximus is washed down the hideous sewer.
INT. TUNNELS - NIGHT
Proximo and Juba are quickly marching back down the tunnel
toward the compound -- they are very close now -- the roar
of flame is heard -- the creak of falling timber -- and
the screams of burning men. They run.
They round a corner and see there is no way past the world
of flame ahead of them. The tunnel to the compound has
collapsed.
PROXIMO
Gods... they're killing them all.
Proximo leads them up a cramped stairway to...
EXT. STREET OUTSIDE PROXIMO'S COMPOUND - NIGHT
They emerge through a sewer entrance -- right into the
arms of the Praetorian Guard. Proximo and Juba are bound.
Proximo sees his compound burning. Sees the Praetorian
archers taking out any last survivors. Hears the screams.
INT./ EXT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS - ARREST MONTAGE - NIGHT
A quick sequence of brutal arrests as Praetorian Guard
units round up many associated with the plot. And many
that are not.
GAIUS' BEDROOM: Gaius and his wife are yanked awake and
hauled out.
CHRISTIAN HOME: A congregation of Christians is chained
together, their secret altar smashed.
CAFE: Greek Scholars are hauled away from their scrolls.
STREET THEATER: Actors are dragged off in the midst of a
performance.
GRACCHUS' STEAM ROOM: Gracchus is enjoying grapes with
his handsome catamite. A unit of Praetorian bursts in.
Gracchus looks at them. Sighs.
INT. PALACE - THRONE ROOM - NIGHT
Commodus stands with Lucius on a balcony overlooking the
city.
The roaring flames of the fire at Proximo's compound can
easily be seen.
LUCIUS
What is that fire?
COMMODUS
Why that's a bonfire, Lucius. I
arranged it just for you.
He puts his hand on the boy's shoulder.
Behind them, Lucilla sits slumped in a chair. Her face is
a mask of anguish at what she has been forced to do.
Two Praetorians enter with a bucket.
PRAETORIAN
Caesar...
Commodus goes to them. He talks quietly with them for a
moment and glances at what they are carrying.
COMMODUS
Oh... that's for my sister.
They bring the bucket to Lucilla and set it before her.
Commodus ignores her and goes back to Lucius on the
balcony.
Lucilla glances inside the bucket...
Captain Marcellus' head is floating in brine. Lucilla
moans. All is lost.
EXT. TIBER RIVER - NIGHT
Maximus splashes to the surface of the filthy Tiber,
gasping for air.
Animal carcasses float up next to him. He grabs onto one
and floats down the gently flowing river.
EXT. ITALIAN FRONT - CAMP - DAWN
The Wolf of Rome sleeps. Then its ears rise. Then its
head. It sniffs the air. The wolf slowly rises and
begins loping through the camp.
It passes slumbering soldiers and tents, smoke lazily
drifting up from campfires.
The wolf finally stops and looks up.
Maximus is on a horse. He climbs down. The wolf goes to
him and licks his hand.
Maximus begins marching through the camp, the wolf at his
side. Soldiers stir, amazed to see their General is
alive.
Gallus leaps up, stunned, and goes to Maximus. They
continue to march through the camp, more and more
astonished soldiers joining them.
They march toward the large tents at the center of the
encampment.
Titus emerges from his tent. Slams to a stop --
TITUS
By all the Gods...
He goes to Maximus and embraces him.
MAXIMUS
Old friend...
TITUS
You're returned from Hades! By all
the Gods!
MAXIMUS
Where is he?
Just then Quintus emerges from the largest tent. He
stares at Maximus, unbelieving.
A long beat as they look at each other.
Quintus knows his destiny. With quiet dignity he begins
whispering a prayer. Maximus moves to him, embracing him:
MAXIMUS
I forgive you.
He stabs Quintus with a dagger as he embraces him.
Quintus falls.
A beat.
Titus goes to the dead Quintus and pulls the seal of
office from his uniform. He hands it to Maximus.
An enormous roar of celebration from the Felix Regiment.
INT. PALACE - COMMODUS' BEDROOM - MORNING
A castrati choir sings a gentle hymn of celebration.
Their eerie voices and otherworldly harmonies undulate
around Commodus' bedroom.
The Emperor himself is in a chair, wrapped in a robe. His
body slaves work over him closely.
He is staring into a mirror, lost in another world as the
slaves carefully apply golden eye makeup to him.
The castrati hymn continues...
EXT. OUTSIDE THE COLOSSEUM - DAY
The hymn is all we hear as we see crowds moving into the
Colosseum...
It seems that all of Rome is here for this great day.
Huge throngs of citizens move like a massive wave toward
the Colosseum entrances. Vendors are doing brisk
business. Praetorian units in full dress uniform canter
past.
We elegantly float up along the outer tiers of the
Colosseum and then glide over the edge to see the arena
stands...
EXT. COLOSSEUM - DAY
The hymn is all we hear as we see...
The stands are filling. We see the rich and poor alike.
We see the orator Cassius. We see Senator Falco and most
of the Senate. We see the cohort of fifty Praetorian
taking up position around the Imperial Box.
A golden platform, with stairs down to the arena sand, now
extends about twenty feet from the Imperial Box to a spot
over the arena.
We float down the stairs and then we see the arena
itself...
It is stunning in its simplicity.
The days victims are tied to posts in the center of the
arena. Suspended above them is an enormous cloud. A
thick, tumescent bladder painted to look like a
threatening rain cloud.
We see Proximo and Juba. We see Senators Gracchus and
Gaius. We see Gaius' wife and Gracchus catamite and
Christian families and scholars and actors.
Seven stylized hills surround them.
The hymn comes to its soaring conclusion as we see the
damned.
TIME CUT:
Later. By now, the Colosseum is packed. All fifty-five
thousand seats are taken. Another ten thousand stand
wherever they can. A feral anticipation buzzes through
the crowd.
Outside the Colosseum, the streets are crowded with
thousands more who couldn't get in.
Trumpets blare.
Commodus' six Centurion Body Guards stride into the
Imperial Box.
Then Commodus enters. He is shrouded in a full lion's
skin, the head of the lion concealing his own. His head
is down, he does not look up.
Lucilla and Lucius enter after him and sit. Lucilla's
face is drained, her eyes defeated. Lucius is wearing a
miniature set of Lorica Segmentata, complete with
ceremonial dagger.
EXT. ROMAN STREET - DAY
A mangy dog is slowly crossing a dusty street on the
outskirts of Rome. The street is deserted. It seems that
almost everyone is at the Colosseum.
The dog stops. Looks up.
Then a sound is heard. The steady cadence of horses'
hooves.
The Felix Regiment rounds a corner. Maximus leads the
cavalry. He wears Lorica Segmentata. His corps of
archers and soldiers follow. They troop down the dusty
street.
Maximus and the cavalry canter past the mystified dog.
QUICK CUTS:
The Felix Regiment moves through the streets. The few
pedestrians quickly disappear into shops and around
corners. The roar of the Colosseum can be heard far in
the distance...
Arrows slice into isolated Praetorian sentries. The Felix
Regiment continues its stealth invasion...
Finally, Maximus reins his horse and his troops stop.
The mounted City Guard are waiting.
Without a word, the City Guard joins Maximus and the two
combined forces continue their inexorable march to the
Colosseum.
EXT. COLOSSEUM - DAY
Commodus, still swathed in the lion skin, his head down,
slowly walks out on the platform that now extends from the
Imperial Box.
The crowd grows hushed.
Commodus reaches the end of the platform and waits for a
moment. Then he dramatically flings off the lion skin.
The crowd gasps.
He is almost naked, his entire chiseled body is painted in
gold. His eyes are lost in an eerie reverie as he looks
around at his people.
He finally speaks:
COMMODUS
(serene)
Rome... This is the day that was
foretold. This is the day when your
father takes away all fear...
(he holds up his
hands)
With these hands I shall destroy
your enemies so that you may sleep
always and forever in peace. From
this day forth let it be known that
I, Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus,
have surmounted mortality. That I,
Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus,
assume my destined place... at the
side of the Gods.
The crowd is stunned. A few scattered laughs.
Lucilla stares at him, disbelieving.
COMMODUS
And as a righteous God, I shall ever
protect you. I shall cradle the
world on my benevolent hands and
clasp it to my heart. So I have
spoken! And let the heavens tremble
at my might!
EXT. ROMAN STREETS - DAY
Maximus continues to lead the combined Felix Regiment and
City Guard cavalry through the streets. The roaring is
closer now. They are nearing the Colosseum, they can just
glimpse the edge of the top tier over some building.
EXT. COLOSSEUM - DAY
Commodus continues:
COMMODUS
This day I reclaim Rome for her
people. I shall give you the
rebirth of your Empire! Reborn and
cleansed of her enemies!
He raises his arms. At his cue the Praetorian archers
raise their bows, ready, aiming at the victims.
COMMODUS
I will make a new Rome! Founded as
it was at the beginning! Archers --
GIVE US BLOOD!
The Praetorians suddenly point their bows higher and
fire --
They shoot the cloud -- the bladder EXPLODES and thick
blood rains down on the victims -- the blood splashes over
them, coating them.
EXT. OUTSIDE COLOSSEUM - DAY
The roar from the Colosseum is now deafening as Maximus
and the City Guard round the final corner -- the Colosseum
is before them -- the massive Praetorian Guard force is
caught of guard -- with crisp military efficiency the
Felix Regiment and the City Guard quickly canter into
place, an unbroken line of seasoned warriors facing the
Praetorians.
The huge mob outside the Colosseum is confused, intrigued,
watching the face-off. The mounted archers of the Felix
Regiment have drawn their bows.
Maximus looks down from his horse at a Praetorian Officer.
MAXIMUS
Throw down your weapons or we will
kill you.
A beat.
The Praetorian Officer glances at the formidable force
against him. He drops his sword. His men follow suit.
MAXIMUS
(he turns to his men)
FELIX REGIMENT! DO HONOR TO YOUR
ANCESTORS! I SALUTE YOU!
He spurs his horse and the Felix Regiment roars, springing
into action -- they gallop through the crowd and to the
Colosseum -- meanwhile the City Guard disarm and guard the
Praetorian --
EXT. COLOSSEUM - DAY
Commodus continues:
COMMODUS
As it was at the beginning so is it
now. The great She-Wolf of Rome
will again suckle us, again ravage
our enemies -- AND BRING US A WORLD
REBORN!
At his cue, two elevator platforms rumble into view,
rising from the bowels of the Colosseum to the arena sand.
On each platform is a cage full of ferocious wolves, they
snap and growl, straining to be released.
COMMODUS
So it was for Romulus and Remus,
sons of Mars, so shall it be for us!
The great She-Wolf will --
Suddenly -- the huge wooden doors of the arena burst open
and Maximus leads the Felix Regiment cavalry thundering
into the arena.
The crowd is stunned -- Commodus is stunned -- Lucilla
bolts up --
Commodus immediately spins to Lucilla, his eyes burning --
His Praetorian are momentarily confused --
At Gallus' command the Felix Regiment archers let fly --
multiple arrows and bolts cut through most of the
Praetorians -- some confusing skirmishes as the remaining
Praetorians fire back --
Maximus leaps from his horse and begins cutting the
prisoners free --
Meanwhile, Commodus strides back down the platform toward
Lucilla in the Imperial Box, murder in his eyes --
She suddenly hugs Lucius quickly and kisses him --
LUCILLA
Remember your mother.
She pulls the ceremonial dagger from his little uniform
and pushes him to his attendant -- his attendant pulls him
away as --
Lucilla spins to Commodus -- he grabs her into an embrace
-- he turns the knife on her -- thrusting deeply as he
kisses her --
A long kiss as he holds her tightly to him. Then he
gently sits her down on her throne. Her eyes wide, dying.
One of Commodus' Body Guards grabs him:
CENTURION BODY GUARD
Caesar -- we must go -- !
Commodus' six Centurion Body Guards begin hustling him out
of the Imperial Box --
COMMODUS
GET THE BOY!
He grabs Lucius from his attendant and drags him off --
They try to escape out the back of the Imperial Box -- but
Felix Regiment troops are blocking their way -- racing up
toward them --
CENTURION BODY GUARD
THIS WAY, CAESAR!
Below, through the confusion, Maximus sees Commodus
escaping with Lucius down through a side tunnel.
Maximus cuts Juba and Proximo free. Juba immediately
snatches up a sword. Maximus quickly offers a sword to
Proximo.
MAXIMUS
Captain?
Proximo takes the sword.
MAXIMUS
(re: Commodus and
the others)
Where are they going?!
PROXIMO
This way!
They race across the arena and into a tunnel...
INT. COLOSSEUM - BOWELS - DAY
Proximo leads them through a series of catacombs -- damp
tunnels shoot off in every direction -- everywhere around
them the heavy machinery of the games rise like mammoth
creatures to the arena above -- a baroque network of ropes
and pulleys and counterweights and elevator platforms and
air shafts and blood sewers -- And they suddenly run
directly into Commodus, dragging Lucius, and his six
Centurions coming the other direction.
The final battle begins with no preamble --
Maximus launches himself forward -- instantly separating
Commodus and Lucius -- he slams at Commodus with his sword
-- Commodus slams back --
Proximo and Juba race into the six Centurions -- a wild
free-for-all as they prove their worth as warriors -- Juba
fights with his usual elegant precision -- Proximo fights
as a man reborn, alive again --
Proximo takes cagey advantage of his knowledge of this
subterranean world -- spinning around machinery and
leaping over blood sewers and swinging heavy
counterweights --
Maximus and Commodus hack at each other with all the fiery
passion in them -- Commodus is a perfect match for Maximus
and equally ruthless -- their swords thrust and parry and
slice at amazing speed -- one false move, one mistake,
means death --
Meanwhile, the battle is turning into a victory for Juba
and Proximo -- they are defeating the Centurions --
Commodus sees this -- and sees Lucius crying in a
corner --
He screams to one of his remaining Centurions:
COMMODUS
KILL THE BOY!
Maximus whirls to Lucius -- Commodus attacks -- slashing
Maximus' shoulders -- Maximus sees Proximo racing to try
and save Lucius as he spins back to battle Commodus --
A Centurion raises his sword to kill Lucius -- Juba kills
his final opponent, turns -- Proximo just manages to push
Lucius out of the way -- the Centurion's sword slices into
him --
Juba flings his sword across the room -- the final
Centurion falls --
Maximus sees Proximo collapse to a wall -- dying --
Proximo locks eyes with Maximus as he slides down the
wall. The old pirate shrugs. And is dead.
Juba races to Lucius and holds the boy, turning his face
away from the slaughter --
Maximus, his furious passion redoubled at Proximo's death,
attacks Commodus with every ounce of strength in him --
Commodus' eyes begin to flash with something we have never
seen before, fear.
Maximus strikes mercilessly -- forcing Commodus steadily
back until they are fighting atop one of the elevator
platforms to the arena above.
MAXIMUS
For my wife!
Maximus strike hard -- Commodus barely blocks the blow --
MAXIMUS
For my son!
He strikes harder -- Commodus is losing --
MAXIMUS
For my father!
He strikes with everything he's got -- slashing Commodus
-- Commodus sails back -- his sword falling --
Maximus stands over him. Glaring. Commodus is panting,
defeated, glaring up at him.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
We who are about to die salute you.
Maximus raises his sword high -- Commodus raises an arm --
Maximus SMASHES the sword down -- and Commodus is dead.
A moment as Maximus stands over Commodus. Then he looks
at the series of counterweight ropes around the elevator
platform.
He slices through one of the ropes and the platform begins
to rise...
EXT. COLOSSEUM - ARENA - DAY
A trap door springs open and the elevator platform rises
to the sand of the arena. Maximus stands above the dead
Emperor.
The crowd stares in amazement -- and then begins to cheer
in joy at the return of their hero. A chant begins...
"Maximus the Merciful... Maximus the Merciful... Maximus
the Merciful..." which then grows to a refrain of
"Caesar... Caesar... Caesar..."
Maximus ignores them, his eyes drawn to one sight:
Lucilla.
He goes to the steps of the platform leading to the
Imperial Box. He slowly climbs the steps.
In the Imperial Box, Senator Gracchus is standing. So too
Juba and others.
Lucius is kneeling by his mother, holding her hand, his
head down. Lucilla is dead. Lucius mourns with quiet
dignity.
Maximus looks at Lucilla and kneels. He takes her other
hand. A long moment. He looks at Lucius.
Then he slowly bends forward and kisses Lucilla deeply,
the ritual farewell.
He stands.
Senator Gracchus steps to him:
GRACCHUS
General, the purple is yours if you
so desire. The Senate will support
you.
Maximus looks at him. And then at the people. The chant
of "Caesar... Caesar... Caesar..." is like a powerful
beating heart.
Maximus moves to the edge of the Imperial Box to address
the people. The crowd grows silent.
Maximus looks around at the blood of the arena.
MAXIMUS
Rome... you are better than this.
Look inside yourselves. I challenge
you to find your true voice. Help
the Senate speak for you. Make them
your champion... And dare to think
what could be.
A beat.
MAXIMUS
I give you back the dream.
With that he slowly turns and walks down the steps to the
arena sand. The crowd is absolutely silent.
He goes to Titus:
MAXIMUS
When everything has calmed down,
lead an orderly withdrawal. Take
them home.
Titus salutes.
Maximus return the salute and then leaps onto his horse.
As he canters toward the exit he turns for one final look
at Lucilla.
He sees that Lucius is now at the foot of the stairs, on
the arena sand, gazing at him.
Maximus stops his horse.
He canters back to Lucius. The boy looks up at him. A
moment between them.
Lucius thrusts up his hand. Maximus grabs his hand and
swings him onto the horse behind him.
A look to Juba. Juba bows his head with respect.
Farewell.
Maximus spins the horse around and begins cantering out of
the Colosseum.
Juba disappears into the crowd.
Maximus and Lucius canter across the arena and through the
huge doors...
EXT. COLOSSEUM - DAY
From high above we see Maximus and Lucius riding out of
the Colosseum and disappearing into the streets of Rome.
FADE TO:
EXT. VINEYARD - DAWN
Maximus stands with Lucius at his old vineyard.
It is still scorched and dead, weeds overgrowing the
vineyards, the house ruined.
Maximus puts a hand on the boy's shoulder, this boy so
like his own son.
MAXIMUS
It doesn't look it now... but soon
we'll have it growing again... Next
year there will be vines, and then
there will be grapes... It will be
alive.
We leave them, dreaming of the future.
FADE OUT.
THE END |
GODZILLA first draft by Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich
GODZILLA
by
Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich
First Draft 2/19/96
FADE IN:
An iguana...
Crawling off its nest, leaving its eggs exposed.
1 EXT. MORUROA ATOLL ISLANDS, FRENCH POLYNESIA - PACIFIC 1
Grainy, Kodak color, nineteen sixties documentary
footage of a beautiful Polynesian island. We SEE quick
shots of Kimono Dragons, Gila Monsters and Chameleons
all in their natural tropical environment.
Super: Moruro Atoll Islands, French Polynesia - June
1968
Incongruously over this jungle environment we HEAR a
static ridden radio filtered VOICE, slowly counting down
in French. It is almost as through the reptiles of the
island are reacting to the countdown as they anxiously
move about.
Suddenly with a brilliant FLASH OF WHITE LIGHT, a
nuclear EXPLOSION mushrooms into the sky.
We SEE a SERIES of REAL shots of footage of some of the
over one hundred and sixty official nuclear tests the
French government held in this tropical region.
Explosion after explosion devastates the locale. One
building after the next, accelerating in momentum,
culminating in one final EXPLOSION.
The clould-filled sky begins to drizzle. The ash-like
fallout drifts downward onto what's left of the islands
below.
We FOLLOW this ash as it settles next to a dead reptile,
unrecognizable now, and down onto what's left of the
lizard's eggs.
Suddenly the image clears from the grainy footage to
clean, modern high resolution. We ZOOM IN on one of the
eggs as it slowly gets buried in the falling ash. WE
continue to push in, getting closer...closer...
SMASH CUT TO:
2 EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - OIL TANKER - RAINSTORM - NIGHT 2
Smashing through the choppy waters, barely by the storm
we SEE the CORI AKIDO, a Japanese oil supertanker.
Super: Pacific Ocean, present day
3 INT. CORI AKIDO - BRIDGE - NIGHT 3
We TRACK across the complicated computerized
navigational console that is actually steering the
immense ship. In the b.g. we HEAR a Japanese t.v.
program playing.
At the end of the console is the ship's SKIPPER, an
overweight Japanese seaman sleepily watches a snowy
satellite broadcast of a Sumo wrestling match.
Suddenly the SONAR blares out a warning ALARM. Startled,
the Skipper awakes and stumbles out of his chair over to
the console.
The SONAR displays an enormous MASS heading quickly
toward the ship. The Skipper's eyes go wide. He hits a
KLAXON alarm, awaking the entire ship. He presses the
radio/intercom.
SKIPPER
(in Japanese)
Captain. This is the bridge. We have
an emergency.
4 INT. SUPERTANKER'S HALLWAYS - SAME - NIGHT 4
Alarms BLARING. The crew rushes out of their quarters
and into the hall. Quickly they race for the upper
decks.
5 INT. OTHER HALLWAY - BY KITCHEN 5
The ship's elderly COOK pokes his head out of the
kitchen and yells at some of the crew as they pass by.
COOK
(in Japanese)
What's going on? What's happening?
Before anyone can answer, the ship is ROCKED by an
enormous THUD as something hits the side of the immense
ship. The crew TUMBLES as the ship SWAYS VIOLENTLY.
The old Cook is thrown to the floor. He looks up
nervously.
6 INT. BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 6
The CAPTAIN enters quickly, joining the Skipper at the
console.
CAPTAIN
(in Japanese)
What was that!?
SKIPPER
(in Japanese)
I can't tell...
Again, the ship is HIT. An enormous CRASHING SOUND is
HEARD as the ship ROCKS to one side, tossing the Captain
and Skipper to the floor.
Suddenly we HEAR the tell-tale, famous SCREAMING WAIL of
our creature from somewhere outside. Terror shines in
the Captain's eyes at the sound.
7 INT. HALLWAYS - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 7
The crew, getting back on their feet, reacts to the
horrible WAILING SOUND.
Suddenly the ship is HIT AGAIN. This time something
enormous RIPS THROUGH THE HULL, crushing one of the crew
members as it TEARS THROUGH THE WALLS.
Water RUSHES THROUGH the large gaping hole, quickly
filling the hallway. The Cook and what's left of the
crew scurry for the stairs, as the water level chases
them.
8 INT. BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 8
The ship's computers are WHIRLING with warning lights
and alarms. As the Skipper tries to adjust the controls
in vain, the Captain grabs the ship's p.a. system.
CAPTAIN
(in Japanese)
Abandon ship! Abandon ship! Man the
lifeboats...
But before he can say anything more, something WHIPS
across the bridge's enormous windshield, SHATTERING THE
GLASS. Was it a tail? No way, far too big.
9 EXT. SHIP'S DECK - SAME - NIGHT 9
The doors BURST open as the crew and the Cook rush out
onto the deck. Again, the ship is HIT, ROCKING it
violently.
A TARP
is ripped away, revealing a life boat. Two more life
boats are revealed behind it as the crew desperately
tries to hoist them up and over the side.
ANGLE - WATER BESIDE THE TANKER
Something ENORMOUS jolts out of the water towards the
ship. Through the rainstorm it is hard to make out what
it is, but it SLAMS into the side of the ship, RIPPING
INTO IT, pulling down the starboard side as it does.
Could that have been a CLAW?
THE CREW
Are thrown backwards. The lifeboats swing WILDLY,
several of them SMASHING INTO BITS as they slam against
the ship.
THE CLAW
Or whatever it is, RIPS INTO THE SIDE AGAIN. This time
the entire ship begins to FLIP OVER.
A LIFEBOAT
Bounces off the deck and slides off the side. Following
it is the Cook.
Desperately, the Cook grabs onto the ship's side railing
to keep from falling off. He looks back and SEES
something so horrible that he SCREAMS IN TERROR and lets
go of the railing.
The old Cook slides over the side as the enormous tanker
FLIPS OVER.
CUT TO:
WINDSHIELD WIPERS
Clearing at their highest speed, we see through the rain
doused windshield, DR. NIKO "NICK" TATOPOULOS. Music
blares from the tiny headphones of his Walkman.
NICK
(singing)
...I'm singing in the rain, just
singing in the rain...
CUT TO:
10 INT. RUSSIAN TOWN - RAIN - DAY 10
The utility van races through this small Russian town
right past a roadblock marked with the international
signs for "no trespass" and "nuclear radiation."
NICK
..."What a glorious feeling. I'm happy
again..."
As the van disappears down the road, we CRANE UP
revealing a city sign reading: CHERNOBYL, RUSSIA.
11 EXT. CHERNOBYL DIRT PARK - RAIN - DAY 11
With the infamously crippled nuclear power plant in the
distance, the utility van slides to a muddy stop by this
field of dirt.
Nick hops out quickly and rushes to the back of the van.
He opens the back of the van and grabs several metallic
cases.
Walking a few yards away from the van, he dumps the
cases on the ground, opening them to REVEAL an
assortment of sophisticated scientific equipment.
Taped to the inside are several photos of a girl we'll
meet later. Some of the photos are of her looking young
and beautiful. Others are of the two of them happily
together.
With a switch he turns on the equipment which comes to
life. Inside one of the cases are several cables
attached to long SPIKES. He grabs them and dashes away.
NICK
..."I'm laughing at clouds, so dark up
above..."
Nick rushes over to a small patch of land and begins to
SHOVE the spikes into the muddy earth.
NICK
..."The sun's in my heart and I'm
ready for love..."
Once firmly in the ground, he rushes back over to the
van and pops the hood.
CLOSE - VAN'S ENGINE
We SEE the steaming engine and a large electric car
BATTERY.
NICK
..."Let the cloudy skies chase..."
He attaches the cables to the battery and they SPARK!
Nick YELPS and jumps back. Shaking off the shock, he
rushes back over to the mud pit, dropping down to his
knees.
Suddenly, raising from the mud we see DOZENS OF
EARTHWORMS. Excitedly Tatopoulos grabs a big empty glass
jar and begins filling the jar with worms, happily in
his element.
NICK
..."I'm singin' in the mud, just
scooping up my worms..."
Unable to hear over his Walkman, he is oblivious as an
enormous RUSSIAN MILITARY HELICOPTER lands right behind
him.
From the intense wind kicked up by the helicopter,
Tatopoulos finally turns in time to see several RUSSIAN
OFFICERS coming toward him. Nick scrambles to his feet.
NICK
(broken Russian)
Good day. I am here with
permission...I have a, a...
(in English)
Permit. How do you say permit?
He goes through his pockets looking for his permits.
MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Dr. Nick Topopolosis?
Tatopoulos looks up as the Russian soldiers move past
him and over towards his cases of equipment. A man in a
long raincoat comes forward.
NICK
It's Tatopoulos.
TERRINGTON
The worm guy, right?
(extending his hand as he
approaches)
Kyle Terrington, U.S. State
Department.
The Russian soldiers close up his equipment and take it
off to the Helicopter.
NICK
What are they doing?
TERRINGTON
You've been reassigned.
NICK
You can't shut me down now! My
research here's not finished!
TERRINGTON
It is now.
CUT TO:
12 EXT. PAPEETE - TAHITI - STREET - DAY 12
Coastal town of Papeete, Tahiti. With the ocean in the
distance, through the heat waves we SEE a row of
official looking black sedans coming toward us.
13 EXT. PAPEETE HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS - DAY 13
The doors to the sedans open as a group of very official
looking Government types. Stopping to light his
cigarette is PHILLIP RAYMOND, 40's, intense, dangerous
and worst of all...French.
14 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY 14
Raymond leads the official looking group down the hall.
A BRIEFING OFFICER rushes over. (The following dialog is
entirely in French with subtitles)
BRIEFING OFFICER
The Japanese consulate has been
calling and we've been getting
pressure from the Americans.
RAYMOND
What did you tell them?
BRIEFING OFFICER
Nothing yet.
RAYMOND
Are there any other survivors?
BRIEFING OFFICER
Only one, Sir. He was very lucky.
The group arrives at a door at the end of the hall. The
Briefing Officer opens the door.
RAYMOND'S P.O.V. - THROUGH OPEN DOOR
In the corner of the large room we see the old Cook from
the tanker curled up in the fetal position. The doctors
and a few nurses are attending to him.
RAYMOND
Get them out of there.
Two of the Officials move in and escort the Doctors and
Nurses out of the room. Raymond nods to two other
Officials who begin to unpack some recording equipment,
including a video camera.
15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - SAME 15
Raymond enters and moves close to the old Cook, kneeling
down in front of him, inspecting his distant glare. The
old Cook seems to be in a world of his own, rocking back
and forth. Raymond nods to another Official who comes
forward.
RAYMOND
(in French)
Ask him what happened.
The Second Official ask him in Japanese, but the old
Cook does not respond. He asks again but the old Cook
seems to be in a world of his own.
BRIEFING OFFICER
(in English)
It's no use. He's been like this since
we fished him out of the ocean.
Whatever happened to that tanker put
him in a complete state of shock.
Raymond takes out his lighter and ignites it on high.
The old Cook's eyes slowly come back to life, transfixed
by the fire. Slowly he brings the flame close to the old
Cook's face.
RAYMOND
(in English)
What did you see, old man?
Drawn out of himself by the flame...
OLD COOK
(weakly)
Gojira...Gojira...
Raymond shoots a look at the Second Official for an
explanation.
SECOND OFFICIAL
(in English)
I have no idea what he is saying.
OLD COOK
(stronger)
...Gojira!...Gojira!...GOJIRA!!
CUT TO:
16 EXT. GULF OF DEN SAN MIGUEL, PANAMA - DAY 16
A small sea plane flies over this jungle region of
Panama, darting up the Gulf into the lush greenery of
the countryside.
Super: Guilfo de San Miguel, Panama - 45 km outside
of La Paz
Slowly the plane begins to descend, landing by a small
village.
17 EXT. VILLAGE FISHING DOCK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY 17
Several soldiers unload Nick's cargo as he steps out of
the plane onto the dock. As he walks towards shore he
SEES...
NICK'S P.O.V. - POLICE BARRICADE
Dozens of citizens as well as the press are gathered at
a police barricade; their access to the village denied.
Panamanian Police and U.S. military working together to
keep people out.
Marching up the shore to greet Nick is MAJOR TONY HICKS,
30's, efficient, who is spearheading this operation.
MAJOR HICKS
Dr. Niko Topopolosis?
NICK
(correcting)
It's Tatopoulos.
MAJOR HICKS
Right. The worm guy.
(to guards at blockade)
Can someone get those people off the
beach?
NICK
Excuse me, would you mind telling me
what the hell I'm doing here?
MAJOR HICKS
Follow me.
The Major leads Nick up the beach away from the crowds.
NICK
You didn't answer my question. In
fact, for the last 18 hours no one has
answered any of my questions.
MAJOR HICKS
We have a situation on our hands that
requires your particular expertise.
ANGLE - DESTROYED VILLAGE HUT
Several soldiers and researchers are investigating the
site when Nick and the Major walk past.
NICK
Look, I may work for the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission but accidents
and spills are not my field.
MAJOR HICKS
We know.
Major Hicks motions to some guards who clear a blockade
away from a jungle pathway. Major Hicks takes the
pathway.
NICK
Do you know that you just interrupted
a three year study of the Chernobyl
earthworm?
MAJOR HICKS
Yeah, you're the worm guy.
NICK
The radioactive contamination in that
area altered the earthworm's DNA! You
have any idea what that means?
MAJOR HICKS
No, but I have the feeling I'm about
to find out.
NICK
It means that due to a man made
accident the Chernobyl earthworms are
now over seventeen percent larger than
they were before. Mutated by seventeen
percent?
Major Hicks stops, turns to Nick.
MAJOR HICKS
(bemused)
Seventeen percent, huh? Sounds big.
NICK
They're enormous! A new species
created by man's recklessness. That's
what I've been trying to tell you, I'm
only a biologist. I take radioactive
samples and study them.
MAJOR HICKS
Then you're perfect.
(pointing to the ground)
Here's your radioactive sample. Study
it.
With that Major Hicks walks away.
NICK
What sample?
MAJOR HICKS
You're standing on it.
Nick looks down, sees nothing.
NICK
I don't see it.
(no response)
Where is it?
We CRANE UP above him, pulling back farther and farther,
until we SEE he's standing inside of a 15 YARD LONG
GIGANTIC FOOTPRINT in the sand.
NICK (CONT'D)
I don't see it!
Two scientists have spread out a tape measure to
document its length as two others inspect it with Geiger
counters. Nick sees them and realizes he's standing in a
remarkable discovery. He looks up ahead and SEES...
OVERHEAD TITLT SHOT - Foot steps...-
Five gigantic footsteps in front of him. Other
researchers examining the prints with all kinds of
equipment. Geiger counters, CLICK, CLICKING away. Nick
is stunned.
18 EXT. TATTERED VILLAGE REMAINS - MOMENTS LATER 18
Nick rushes to catch up with Major Hicks who walks
towards a command tent in the distance.
NICK
(flabbergasted)
That was a footprint. I was standing
inside a footprint.
MAJOR HICKS
That's right.
NICK
But there's no animal in the world
that can make prints like that? Is
there?
MAJOR HICKS
We're hoping you're going to help us
figure that out.
The Major gestures to the many villagers who are being
attended to. Some are injured, others are being examined
for radiation. The village has been decimated.
NICK
Somebody must have seen it.
MAJOR HICKS
It happened so fast no one knew what
hit them 'til is was over.
A jeep pulls up and PETERS, a young researcher, comes
rushing over with a video tape in his hands. As he passes
Major Hicks...
PETERS
(on the run)
Tape's in. The French finally released
it.
Peters takes off for the command' tent. Nick and the
Major follow.
COMMAND TENT - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Part military, part scientific command post. Lots of
activity. Peters waves the tape as he rushes over to a
television. Major Hicks and Nick follow.
MAJOR HICKS
A tanker was attacked and sunk
yesterday near the French Polynesians.
We think there's a connection.
WOMAN SCIENTIST (ELSIE)
Is that the tape of the witness?
Excitedly, ELSIE CHAPMAN, heavy set, early 30's,
paleontologist and head of the research team, leads
several of her colleagues over to the t.v.
NICK
Hi. Nick Tatopoulos...
ELSIE
Ah, Elsie Chapman, paleontologist.
She's clearly attracted to him. This doesn't escape
Nick, who's not too comfortable with her flirtatious
glare. She turns to a scientist standing next to her,
DR. CLIVE CRAVEN.
ELSIE (CONT'D)
Dr. Craven, have you met the worm
guy?
DR. CRAVEN
Nice to meet you.
The t.v. turns on and we SEE the old Cook, rocking on
his bed, repeating over and over the same word...
OLD COOK
(filtered through t.v.)
...Gojira...Gojira...Gojira...
This is all too overwhelming for him. He turns from the
t.v. and looks out into the jungle.
Slowly he walks away, staring at something in the
distance with total awe. Elsie walks up next to him.
ELSIE
What could have possibly done all
that?
We REVERSE ANGLE and SEE what they are staring at.
A gigantic path cut through the jungle.
Something of immense size has trampled and cut a deep
and wide path right through the jungle forest that goes
on for miles on end. Over the stunned face of Nick we
HEAR...
OLD COOK (O.S.)
(filtered)
...Gojira...Gojira...Gojira...
CUT TO:
T.V. MONITOR - JUNGLE FOOTAGE
The same beach scene we saw when Nick arrived. Over
it...
REPORTER
(filtered)
...American and Panamanian troops
quarantined off a section of the
Panamanian jungle today amid
unconfirmed reports of a crashed Air
Force jet...
WIDEN TO REVEAL:
19 INT. WNEW T.V. STATION - DAY 19
As we WIDEN we see this is one of several wall mounted
monitors all showing channel WNEW. Through the glass
doorway nearby we see CHARLES CAIMAN, 40's, handsome,
entering the office.
AUDREY (O.S.)
Murray wants these copied to each
field producer...
ANGLE - SECRETARY DESK
Standing in front of the desk is AUDREY TIMMONDS, early
thirties, attractive, small town girl who still hasn't
toughened in the big city and talking with her
co-worker, LUCY, sitting.
AUDREY
And I'm supposed to remind you to call
him on all of Caiman's expense
p.o.'s.
LUCY
Speak of the devil.
Just then Caiman passes behind them.
AUDREY
(nervous)
Think I should ask him? I'm going to
ask him. You think I should? I will.
Audrey makes the decision and bolts after Caiman. Lucy
rolls her eyes.
LUCY
Oh girl...
ANGLE - CAIMAN
As he walks towards his office Audrey races up to him.
Seeing her, he walks faster hoping to avoid her. He
can't.
AUDREY
Did you talk with Humphries?
CAIMAN
This is not the place...
AUDREY
Just tell me, did you talk with him?
CAIMAN
He said he'd consider it. It's between
you and Rodriguez.
AUDREY
Are you serious? He's going to
consider me for he job? What else did
he say?
They arrive at his office. An enormous standee of
himself with the ACTION NEWS CREW is there.
CAIMAN
Why don't I tell you over dinner
tonight? Your place.
He stops at his door. Audrey is startled.
AUDREY
Mr. Caiman, you're married.
CAIMAN
And you're beautiful...
AUDREY
Mr. Caiman...
CAIMAN
Call me Charlie.
AUDREY
(stubbornly)
Mr. Caiman, I've been doing extra
research for you after hours and
weekends for nearly a year. And I've
never asked for anything but this job
is really important to me. I'm too old
to be an assistant anymore. I need to
know this job is going someplace.
CAIMAN
So have dinner with me tonight.
AUDREY
I can't.
CAIMAN
It's your choice.
Caiman shuts the door on her. She turns and is face to
face with the standee of Caiman. She takes out her
chewing gum and plasters it on his nose.
CUT TO:
20 EXT. JAMAICAN HIGHWAY - AERIAL SHOT - DAY 20
Over the bumpy Jamaican highway we FOLLOW from above
several military jeeps racing in convoy.
Super: Great Pedro Bluff, Jamaica
21 INT. JEEP - SAME 21
Elsie, Nick and Clive are cramped together along with
Nick's equipment in the back of the jeep. Nick looks
very uncomfortable. Elsie looks at Nick...lasciviously.
ELSIE
Three years digging up worms in
Chernobyl? How did Mrs. Tatopoulos
handle it?
NICK
Oh, I'm not married.
ELSIE
Really? A girlfriend then?
NICK
No. Perhaps I work too much.
ELSIE
(filtered)
You mean to tell me that there is no
one who holds a special place in your
heart?
Nick seems to get lost in thought.
NICK
Not for a long time, now.
ELSIE
Well, I think you're cute.
NICK
(awkward)
Oh, thank you.
(whispered to Clive)
Is she always like this?
CLIVE
(conspiratorially)
I had to beat her off with a stick.
The sound of a HELICOPTER ZOOMS overhead.
AERIAL SHOT - HELICOPTER - SAME - DAY
A helicopter ZOOMS past our convoy. As we FOLLOW the
helicopter we REVEAL...
JAMAICAN BEACH WITH A BEACHED CARGO SHIP - DAY
Taking up nearly the entire beach, an enormous cargo
ship lays on its side in the sand. Two gigantic holes,
ripped into its hull.
MILITARY JEEPS
Nick hops out and joins Major Hicks et al as they push
past the gathered crowd of onlookers. The group gives a
collective gasp as they see the ship for the first
time.
Three men (who we'll recognize from the Tahiti hospital)
take measurements of the holes in the ship.
MAJOR HICKS
Who are they? Lieutenant, get those
people away from there.
RAYMOND
(French accent)
They are with me!
Everyone in the group turns to find Mr. Phillip
Raymond.
MAJOR HICKS
And who are you?
Raymond hands him, as well as anyone who wants one, his
business card.
RAYMOND
CHARGEURES, property and casualty
insurance. We are preparing a report.
MAJOR HICKS
You're fast.
RAYMOND
That is our job.
MAJOR HICKS
Well your people are getting in the
way of my job.
RAYMOND
Major, what do you think could have
done this?
MAJOR HICKS
Get your people out of there or I
will.
The Major walks away. Raymond studies him as he does.
ANGLE - SHIP
Nick can't take his eyes off the enormous holes in the
hull. He steps closer and turns to Peters, who's taking
radiation counts of the ship.
NICK
Mind if I borrow this?
Peter hands him his Geiger counter and walks into the
cracked hull of the ship.
22 INT. CARGO HULL - CONTINUOUS - DAY 22
Inside is eerily dark and creepy. The guts of the ship
are tangled inside. Holding a Geiger counter, he gets
readings from all over the area. One particular spot,
above him, seems slightly stronger.
Nick SEES something there. He opens his knapsack and
puts on some rubber gloves, removing a glass jar (like
the ones from Chernobyl)
Carefully he climbs the debris until he reaches a sharp
shard of metal. Clinging to it he finds a MEATY CHUNK OF
REPTILE FLESH.
He tries remove it but he only gets half. He places it
into his jar. Just as he reaches for the other half,
SOMETHING GIVES WAY.
With a JOLT, the section above him collapses. A rush of
water falls and a HUMAN BODY swings down, just in front
of him.
Nick tumbles backwards, his heart pounding. The body
swings lifelessly as it hangs from above.
The others rush to his side, checking to see if he's all
right.
PETERS
You okay, Nick?
NICK
Yeah, I'm...wait...I lost...
Nick looks around frantically when the glass sample jar
is suddenly handed to him.
RAYMOND
Are you looking for this?
NICK
Thanks.
Raymond studies Nick as he joins the rest outside.
DISSOLVE TO:
UNDERWATER - NETS - MOVING P.O.V.
We are moving very quickly underwater. Ahead of us are
some large FISHING NETS with a catch of fish carried in
the bunt. Quickly we are heading for a collision.
23 EXT. ATLANTIC OCEAN - OFF NEW ENGLAND COAST - DAY 23
A great day for fishing. Slicing through the water we
SEE three New England Fishing TRAWLERS, the HARPO, the
CHICO, and the GROUCHO.
24 EXT. THE HARPO - SAME - DAY 24
ARTHUR is at the wheel. Suddenly the engines WHINE as
the ship begins to slow down. Surprised, Arthur checks
his throttle.
25 EXT. THE CHICO - SAME - DAY 25
LEONARD and his 1st MATE are puzzled by the engine WHINE
of their own ship.
LEONARD
Jerry, why are we slowing down?
JERRY (O.S.)
She's heavy in the bunt.
LEONARD
That was fast.
26 EXT. THE GROUCHO - SAME - DAY 26
The captain, JULES, hasn't noticed a thing as he lays on
his deck tanning himself, a boom-abox blaring next to
him. Suddenly THUD. The ship JOLTS for a second. Jules
slides and BANGS his head into the boom-box. He yelps.
DECK HAND
The nets are full!
JULES
Then bring 'em in!
DECK HAND
We can't. She won't budge!
Jules gets up to move aft when THUD, again the ship
ROCKS.
ALL THREE BOATS SLOW TO A CRAWL
Arthur tries to GUN his engine but it only WHINES. Soon
all three boats STOP DEAD. Nothing but quiet for a long
beat.
ARTHUR
What is going on?
Then with another JOLT all three boats begin to move
BACKWARDS, DRAGGED BY THEIR OWN NETS!
LEONARD
She's going sternway!
FIRST MATE
What the hell did we catch?
The three boats begin to PICK UP SPEED, moving BACKWARDS
in the water. Water SPLASHES up into the boats, winches
begin to CRACK under the building pressure.
The boats begin to move incredibly FAST backwards.
Things on the boat begin to BREAK and CRASH DOWN onto
the decks of the ships.
JULES
Cut us free! Cut the nets!
The same cry is heard on all three boats. Leonard grabs
an AXE and starts HACKING AWAY at the tow lines.
Jules and his deck hands do the same. WIRE SHEERS are
brought out for the larger CABLES connected to the nets.
Desperately they try and free themselves as their boats
are dragged helplessly backwards.
ARTHUR
(screaming at his men)
Cut the damned cables!
A CABLE SNAPS!
Jules falls backward as the cables and ropes are either
cut or snapped from the pressure. Their boat stops.
ANOTHER CABLE SNAPS!
Leonard and his crew TUMBLE to the deck as their boat is
freed.
THE HARPO
Is not so fortunate. The lone boat dragged backwards,
faster now without the weight of the other boats. Then
suddenly the aft of the boat begins to get PULLED DOWN,
dipping into the water.
With an unstoppable force the Harpo gets PULLED UNDER
WATER. Deck hands LEAP off the boat as the top cabin is
CRUSHED as the entire ship slowly DISAPPEARS BENEATH THE
SEA.
For a moment all is quiet. No one can believe what just
happened. Hearts pounding, catching their breath.
Then with a WHOOSH of air pressure, the Harpo BURSTS out
of the water. With a gigantic SPLASH, the boat FLOPS on
its side and capsizes. The waters calm, but the nerves
of Jules and Leonard don't.
DISSOLVE TO:
27 EXT. CLOUDY SKIES - MILITARY TRANSPORT PLANE - DAY 27
A storm is brewing ahead as this large Military
Transport plane glides into view then BANKS away.
PETRI DISH
A small piece of Nick's SAMPLE is cut away and placed on
a glass microscope slide.
WIDE TO REVEAL:
28 INT. MILITARY TRANSPORT PLANE - SAME - DAY 28
Nick sits on the floor surrounded by his sloppily
unpacked equipment as he places the slide under his
microscope, examining his specimen.
Quickly stepping over him a young SOLDIER rushes over to
Major Hicks, seated with the rest of the team on the
plane's opposing benches. The Solider interrupts their
discussion.
SOLDIER
Major, we just got a report of a
fishing trawler going down. Exact
position, forty seven degrees
latitude, 67 longitude.
MAJOR HICKS
What makes you think it's related?
SOLDIER
The trawler was pulled under.
The team exchanges worried glances. Hicks moves over to
a map where the other incidents have been marked. He
traces his finger up the 67th longitude until he hits
the 47th parallel. Just off the East Coast.
MAJOR HICKS
Jesus Christ! It's only two hundred
miles off the American Eastern
seaboard and we don't even know what
it is.
ELSIE
Theropoda Allosaurus. Some type of
enormous reptile the likes of which we
haven't seen since the age of
prehistoric dinosaurs.
CLIVE
(sarcastic)
So where's been hiding the last sixty
million years?
ELSIE
The depth and breath of the ocean
floor has barely been explored. His
kind could have survived there
completely undetected.
NICK (O.S.)
What about the traces of radiation?
Everyone turns to discover Nick has walked over holding
his loosely scribbled notes in his hand.
NICK
The radiation is not an anomaly, it's
the clue. This creature is far too
unique on every level to be some lost
dinosaur.
MAJOR HICKS
Don't tell me why it's not, tell me
what the hell it is.
NICK
What do we know? It was first sighted
off the French Polynesian Pacific. An
area that has been exposed to dozens
of nuclear tests over the last thirty
years.
ELSIE
Hence the radiation.
NICK
More than that. I believe this is a
mutated aberration, a hybrid from the
fall out in that region.
CLIVE
(sarcastic)
Like your earthworms?
NICK
Yes! We're looking at a completely
incipient creature. The dawn of a new
species. The first of its kind.
CUT TO:
OCEAN WATER
Racing close to the ocean waters below, something DARK
and ENORMOUS moves swiftly below the surface. We TILT UP
from the raging tides up to REVEAL...
29 EXT. MANHATTAN ISLAND - SKYLINE - RAIN - DAY 29
A storm has arrived as rain moistens the city ahead.
30 INT. DINER - SAME - DAY 30
Dripping wet, Audrey enters from the rain, removing her
raincoat. She walks to a booth where Lucy and ANIMAL, a
slovenly, Italian video cameraman is his mid-thirties,
are taking their lunch break. Animal has two plates of
food he cobbles down.
AUDREY
(sitting)
My life sucks.
LUCY
Oh, please, your life doesn't suck.
His life sucks.
ANIMAL
(between chews)
That's cuz I'm married to you.
LUCY
Shut up. How can you eat like that?
ANIMAL
Big bites.
AUDREY
I can't believe he put the moves on
me. After everything I've done for
him.
LUCY
He's scum! As far as he's concerned
you're just a pair of breasts that
talk.
ANIMAL
I like that image.
AUDREY
You know how I spent last weekend?
Walking his damned dog.
LUCY
I'm telling you he's dirt. He's a
douche bag, gutter slime, dog crap,
puke chunks...
ANIMAL
Hey, hey! I'm eating here!
LUCY
Audrey, you're too damned nice, that's
your problem. Nice gets you nothin' in
this town. You gotta be a killer to
get ahead, you know what I'm sayin'?
I'm sorry, baby, but you just don't
got what it takes.
AUDREY
Animal, you don't think that's true,
do you?
ANIMAL
Nice guys finish last. First rule of
the jungle.
AUDREY
Well, I can be tough if I want.
ANIMAL & LUCY
Yeah, sure.
AUDREY
(seeing something)
Oh my God!
Everything turns to see what Audrey is looking at.
Audrey gets up and rushes over to a television above the
counter.
AUDREY
(excitedly)
Turn that up, turn it up.
The waitress does. On the t.v. plays the same news story
we saw from before from Panama. This time we SEE Nick
and Major Hicks walking on the beach.
AUDREY
It's Nick! I know that guy. I know
him!
LUCY
(unimpressed)
Who is he?
AUDREY
He was my college sweetie! Look at
him. He looks so handsome on t.v. What
the hell is he doing in Panama.
31 EXT. NEW YORK FISH MARKET - BELOW JFK HIGHWAY - DAY 31
Even in the rain doesn't keep people away. Buyers haggle
with sellers. A large MARKET, truck loads of fish. No
one seems to notice the river across from them...
MOUTH OF THE EAST RIVER
Enormous turbulence in the water. Slowly something
begins to LIFT, sheets of water fall. Bursting out, the
backside TALONS of the enormous reptile pierce through.
The TAIL slices through the turbulence.
Two ships anchored at dock begin to LIFT UPWARDS as the
beast below them begins to rise.
ANGLE FISH MARKET
A groaning WAIL ROARS, echoing. The people of the fish
market turn just in time to see...
THE ANCHORED SHIPS
Lifting impossibly into the air above the pier. Suddenly
a TIDAL WAVE of water comes CRASHING down, flooding the
fish market.
32 INT. TRANSIT BUS - P.O.V. THROUGH WINDSHIELD - RAIN - 32
DAY
Through the swinging windshield wipers of the bus we see
the JFK highway in front of us. Suddenly we see...
AN ENORMOUS FOOT
Comes crashing down atop JFK highway, crushing it. The
TRANSIT BUS tumbles off the demolished highway.
The man in the MARKET TRUCK is TOSSED and ENORMOUS TEETH
puncture the top and bottom of his truck as it's LIFTED
IN THE AIR. The man LEAPS from the open back of the
truck.
He lands, HARD, down in front of one of the fish market
stores as hundreds of fish RAIN DOWN from above. With a
loud CRASH, the demolished truck SLAMS to the ground
nearby.
33 EXT. POLITICAL RALLY - BUILDING STEPS - RAIN - DAY 33
With a large RE-ELECT MAYOR FAUSTINO poster behind him,
the MAYOR is at the podium. Before him is a sea of
umbrellas.
MAYOR
I'd like to thank you all for coming
out on this beautiful New York City
day.
Some in the crowd laugh as others applaud. Lost in the
sounds of the crowd we HEAR a soft THUMPING in the
distance.
MAYOR
When I came into office four years
ago, people didn't think we could
reduce crime and I did.
ANGLE - COP IN BACK OF CROWD
leaning to the cop next to him.
COP
(sarcastic)
Yeah, he did.
MAYOR
People didn't think I could restore
order...
This time the THUMPING is HEARD, growing much louder.
MAYOR
...and I did. The city is a safer
place today...
Before he can continue the crowd begins to murmur with
fear as the THUMPING grows LOUDER and CLOSER. Suddenly
with a large CRASHING SOUND a building nearby begins to
CRUMBLE.
MAYOR
(to his aides)
What the hell....
People SCRAMBLE to get out of the way as DEBRIS from the
falling BUILDING litters the area. The Mayor is pulled
inside by his security men.
Bursting out of the crumbling corner of the building we
SEE the enormous LEG of the reptile as it KICKS debris
out of its way.
SIDE ANGLE - WALL STREET - FAST TRAVELING SHOT
Several cars are SQUASHED quickly as the enormous FEET
of the beast STOMPS through the street. Cars FLATTEN and
SCATTER, flipping toward us, from the weight of the
beast. We try to keep up with it, but it's too fast.
After it passes, the Mayor sticks his head out of the
doorway to see the demolished street scene.
MAYOR
What was that?
34 INT. WNEW - CAIMAN'S OFFICE - SAME - DAY 34
Caiman's on the phone as his SECRETARY enters with some
files. Rain and thunder continue outside.
CAIMAN
(into phone)
I don't give a crap about some war in
a country I can't pronounce. That's
not a lead story. Find me a damned
story, will ya!
Just then his Secretary notices a desk lamp, the shade
SHAKING and the light FLICKERING. She hears the THUMPING
approaching. She turns and SEES...
GIGANTIC TEETH
The enormous head of GODZILLA growls as it passes by
Caiman's office window.
SECRETARY
Mr. Caiman. I think your story just
walked by the window.
Caiman turns but there's nothing there. He's confused,
she's dazed.
CAIMAN
What?
Just then the TAIL WHIRLS past with a THUNDERS whip.
35 INT. DINER - SAME - DAY 35
Animal, Lucy and Audrey are at the cashier paying.
LUCY
Did Romeo have a name?
AUDREY
Nick Tatopoulos.
ANIMAL
That why you dumped him?
AUDREY
No! I just couldn't see myself with
some boring egg head who spends his
summer picking apart cockroaches. I
wanted to have some adventure, some
fun...
LUCY
And now you live the glamorous life of
Caiman's assistant. Life's a bitch,
ain't it?
In the distance we can HEAR the THUMPING approaching.
ANIMAL
How long where you and dis guy goin'
steady?
AUDREY
Nearly four years...
LUCY
Four years. Girl, I'm surprised he
didn't ask you to marry him.
AUDREY
That's the problem. He did.
Suddenly the THUMPING gets LOUDER very quickly. Everyone
in the diner reacts.
LUCY
Tell me that's not another goddamned
parade.
The next THUMP RATTLES the entire diner. Things begin to
fall. Through the window we see people RUNNING in
PANIC.
ANIMAL
That's ain't no parade...
Before anyone can speak the entire building is SHAKING.
Through the front window we SEE...
GODZILLA'S FOOT
Smashing down directly outside the window. Cars are
SMASHED. One car SAILS directly INTO THE WINDOW,
shattering it.
Animal uses his size to COVER the girls from the falling
debris. As the danger passes, Animal charges for the
door.
LUCY
Victor, wait!
36 EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS - RAIN - DAY 36
Animal comes rushing out. Water sprays from displaced
fire hydrants, debris still falls, cars burn. Animal
goes over to his NEWS VAN that has been partially
crushed.
He pries open the rear door and takes out his video
camera and takes off running. Audrey and Lucy arrive too
late to stop him.
LUCY
Victor, don't!
ANIMAL RUNNING
Turning the corner Animal runs full speed through the
debris, trying to jam a video cassette into his camera.
It won't fit. He SEES up ahead...
P.O.V. THE TAIL
Just as it disappears around the corner a few blocks
ahead. Thinking quickly, Animal bolts down a small
alleyway.
37 EXT. OTHER STREET - CONTINUOUS 37
His camera damaged, Animal struggles to get the tape
inside as he exits the other side of the alley. He darts
out into the street to get his shot.
The THUMPING is OVERPOWERINGLY LOUD. He looks up to see,
CARS FLIPPING, PEOPLE SCATTERING.
Then, for the first time, we can clearly see the entire
massive creature that is...
GODZILLA
as he comes barreling towards us. The titanic lizard is
ferocious and agile. Swiftly he moves closer.
Animal's hands fumble with the tape. He JAMS it in,
sweating. He fingers the POWER BUTTON, the red light
goes on. Quickly he shoulders the camera.
P.O.V. THROUGH CAMERA - GODZILLA
Nearly on top of him, Godzilla's own image is suddenly
covered by his own immense foot as it's lifted and about
to come down directly on us.
ANIMAL
Oh shit!
Before he can do anything about it...
GODZILLA'S FOOT
Towering above him. He has no time to flinch as the
gargantuan foot SMASHES DOWN.
In terrifying amazement, Animal remains standing IN
BETWEEN THE BEAST'S TOES. Abruptly the foot LIFTS
again. Animal is unscathed and frozen with fear.
ANGLE - ANIMAL
Close on Animal as the endless TAIL of the creature
DRAGS just past him. It seems to go on forever. Finally
it disappears.
WIDE ANGLE - TABLEAU OF A DEMOLISHED STREET
Deserted and demolished. Cars burn, debris falls.
Animal, the lone figure, just stands there, his chest
heaving, hyper ventilating.
CUT TO:
38 EXT. NEW JERSEY STREETS - LOW ANGLE - AFTERNOON 38
A military CONVOY with Police escort RACES past us.
ABOVE - HELICOPTER SHOT - CONVOY
Sirens BLARING, the convoy and escort speed onward.
39 INT. MILITARY SEDAN - THROUGH WINDSHIELD - SAME 39
Just as they arrive at a military roadblock. Crowds have
gathered as the military try to keep them at bay.
40 EXT. NEW JERSEY SHORE - CLIFF SIDE - DAY 40
The guards let the convoy pass. The military is putting
up a number of large tents. A SERGEANT moves over
quickly to greet the team as they exit their vehicles.
SERGEANT
(quick salute)
Sergeant O'Neal, Sir.
MAJOR HICKS
Any word from the Mayor's office?
Just then dozens of NEWS VANS pull up. Reporters and
camera crews come rushing toward them. The guards rush
to intercept. Stepping out of the next car in the
convoy, Nick and Elise join Major Hicks.
SERGEANT
They've agreed to evacuate the city.
They've called out the National Guard
and riot police are on alert.
As they walk towards the tents the crowd crushes close.
Nick and Elsie are overwhelmed.
ELSIE
(aside to Nick)
Evacuate Manhattan? That's over three
million people. Has that ever been
done before?
NICK
I don't think so.
Several military guards have to clear a path for them as
they enter the tents.
41 INT. COMMAND TENT - CONTINUOUS - DAY 41
Still in construction. The team enters.
MAJOR HICKS
Status report?
SERGEANT
We've lost sight of it, Sir.
MAJOR HICKS
You want to run that by me again?
SERGEANT
(nervous)
After the initial attack he
just...disappeared.
OFFICER
(interrupting)
Major, Secretary of Defense Burk on
the line.
This takes Major Hicks off guard. The last person he
wants to talk to. Nick walks over to the Sergeant.
NICK
I don't understand. How can something
that large just disappear?
SERGEANT
We're not sure. We're scanning the
area now.
ELSIE
He probably returned to the river.
Just like everywhere else we've been,
we're always one step behind.
Nick turns and notices the back of the tent is open
revealing a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline.
Several soldiers enter, setting up telescopes.
NICK
I don't think so.
Over Manhattan we see several dark plumes of smoke from
the destruction. Military helicopters scan the city.
Staring out at the skyline, Nick is mesmerized.
NICK
I mean, look at it. It's perfect. An
island, water on all sides. But like
no other island in the world, this is
a place where he can easily hide.
(beat)
He's in there someplace.
A SOLDIER comes rushing in.
SOLDIER
Channel eight caught it on film!
He rushes over to a bank of monitors, turns one on. On
the screen we SEE the shaky video Animal took of the
creature just as it was about to step on him.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...WNEW's exclusive images of the
creature were taken less than a half
hour ago.
Nick and Elsie's jaws nearly hit the floor at the sight
of the immense creature.
CAIMAN
Cameraman Victor "Animal" Palotti
barely survived this vicious attack to
provide us with this footage.
The sounds of applause lead us to...
42 INT. WNEW BUILDING - SAME - DAY 42
Everyone is applauding as Animal, carrying crates of
equipment, passes the t.v. playing the same news story.
Embarrassed, Animal smiles awkwardly.
CO-WORKERS
Way to go Animal! That's my man!
Animal passes Audrey and Lucy who are packing up some
files.
AUDREY
Great stuff, Animal. Weren't you
scared?
ANIMAL
Sure I was. I thought Lucy was gonna
kill me.
LUCY
Damned right, you crazy Wop!
We SEE the room is in disarray from packing up cartons
of boxes and equipment. The workers have taken a break
from the packing as they watch the t.v. broadcast. The
station manager, MURRAY enters anxiously.
MURRAY
People! We have to be completely
relocated to the New Jersey station
before our 5:30 broadcast.
(reading from list)
Okay, Caiman, Devoe and Animal, you're
on the helicopter. Everyone else we'll
see you in Jersey.
ANIMAL
Gotta go, honey. You guys gonna be all
right?
LUCY
Audrey's going to stay with us
tonight.
ANIMAL
Great. See ya then.
Animal hurries out after him. Audrey and Lucy go back to
packing. Audrey looks up at the t.v. just as they replay
the footage of Nick and Elsie being led into the command
tent.
FIELD REPORTER
(filtered)
...military and government health
officials set up a command post on the
New Jersey coast this afternoon...
Surprised at first, Audrey suddenly becomes very
excited. She SEES Caiman exiting the studio at the end
of the hall. She rushes over to him.
AUDREY
Caiman, wait. Take me with you.
CAIMAN
What?
AUDREY
I've got something on this. I know a
guy on the inside with the
military...
CAIMAN
Not now. You got my bag?
Audrey holds up his bag as they walk towards the
elevator.
AUDREY
You don't understand, I can get us
information...
CAIMAN
Listen, this is the time when the big
boys have to go to work, okay Honey?
With that, Caiman walks into the elevator. Pissed,
Audrey just stares at him.
CAIMAN
The bag?
Audrey THROWS the bag at him, knocking him backwards as
the elevator doors close. Lucy walks over.
LUCY
Come on, Girl, we've gotta go!
43 EXT. WNEW OFFICE BUILDING - MINUTES LATER - DAY 43
Lucy and Audrey carry their bags outside into the chaos
that has taken over the city. Hundreds of people trying
to leave at once. Gridlock.
As they move into an overcrowded subway entrance,
Audrey looks up just in time to SEE the WNEW NEWS
HELICOPTER lifting off from the building behind them.
CUT TO:
44 EXT. MANHATTAN - HELICOPTER SHOT - LATE AFTERNOON 44
We SEE the destroyed parts of downtown Manhattan. Police
barricade the streets as firemen work to contain the
fires.
CAIMAN (O.S.)
...in what city officials are calling
the worst act of destruction since the
World Trade Tower bombing...
45 INT. WNEW NEW HELICOPTER - SAME - LATER AFTERNOON 45
Caiman stares earnestly at his video camera.
CAIMAN
...Police and the National Guard have
quarantined off over twenty square
city blocks...
46 EXT. OVERHEAD HELICOPTER SHOT OF MANHATTAN - SAME 46
Below we see the largest traffic jam in the history of
the city. Police and National Guardsmen guide the
traffic.
CAIMAN
...hundreds of thousands have jammed
the streets in the largest evacuation
in the history of the city. And many
people are not happy about it.
47 EXT. MAN ON THE STREET INTERVIEW - VIDEO FOOTAGE 47
Quick cuts of people who where interviewed earlier.
WOMAN
I don't understand why we have to
leave our homes. It's over already,
isn't it?
MAN
What are we running from? A big
lizard? I've got cockroaches in my
building that could kick the crap out
of it.
48 EXT. TIMES SQUARE - GRIDLOCK - LATE AFTERNOON 48
Near chaos as police and National guardsmen attempt to
bring order to the hundreds of honking, screaming
motorists.
RIOT POLICE VAN
Dozens of armed officers pile out of the van.
NATIONAL GUARDSMEN
Maintaining blockades in front of their military
vehicles.
49 EXT. SEVENTH AVE E - ROADBLOCK - LATER AFTERNOON 49
The evacuation effort is made more difficult as traffic
must be diverted away from the quarantined destruction
area ahead. Police block the street, smoldering
buildings behind them. The detour only makes things
worse.
50 EXT. CITY BANK BUILDING - WALL STREET - SAME 50
Several National Guardsmen walk up to the City Bank
building where they find an ENORMOUS HOLE smashed into
the side of the building. The Guardsmen peek inside.
GUARDSMEN'S P.O.V. - INTO BUILDING
We SEE THROUGH the building to a hold on the other side.
Godzilla apparently walked RIGHT THROUGH. The Guardsmen
are visibly shaken.
51 INT. SUBWAY STATION - SAME 51
Way beyond capacity, the flooded subway platform bursts
with people pushing and shoving to get into the trains.
Caught in the craziness we find Audrey and Lucy trying
desperately to get on board.
P.A.
Please don't push. People are getting
shoved down onto the tracks and the
trains can't leave...
The last to fit inside, Lucy and Audrey cram in just as
the doors shut behind them. People left behind BANG on
the closed doors as the subway pulls out.
52 EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE - HELICOPTER SHOT - SAME 52
A gigantic traffic back up all the way down the Westside
Highway. The bridge is a veritable parking lot.
MAYOR (O.S.)
Well this is great!
53 INT. MAYOR'S HELICOPTER - LATER AFTERNOON 53
With his close aides in tow, the Mayor stares at the
melee below.
MAYOR
If we're wrong on this evacuation
they'll string me up from the Liberty
torch.
54 EXT. COMMAND CENTER - JERSEY CLIFF SIDE - LATE 54
AFTERNOON
The Mayor's helicopter sails over the George Washington
Bridge and over to a small landing pad near the Command
Center. A large group of people dressed in business
suits await the helicopter.
55 INT. MAYOR'S HELICOPTER - LATE AFTERNOON 55
Just as the helicopter is landing, the crowd moves
toward the chopper.
MAYOR
Who the hell are they?
AIDE
It's a contingent of building owners
and community business
representatives.
MAYOR
I don't have time for this nonsense.
AIDE
Most of them are campaign
contributors.
Well that's a different story.
56 EXT. LANDING PAD - CONTINUOUS - LATE AFTERNOON 56
As the Mayor steps out he's greeted by a nervous crowd
of people shouting, "How long do we have to shut our
business down? Will the city cover the damages? Etc."
Among them, DONALD TRUMP tries to get the Mayor's
attention.
MAYOR
I share your concerns. I want to get
the city back in business as soon as
possible.
As he pushes through the dense crowd he runs directly
into...
RAYMOND
Who waits for the Mayor. The Mayor is momentarily
stopped.
RAYMOND
(handing his card)
CHARGURES Insurance. We represent
nearly thirteen percent of the
buildings in your city.
MAYOR
If you'll excuse me...
RAYMOND
We are very happy that you are in
control of this situation.
With that he gently pats the Mayor on the back, leaving
a small, nearly undetectable DEVICE on the Mayor's
collar.
RAYMOND
You can count on our emotional and
financial support.
MAYOR
Oh, well, thank you very much.
Briskly he shakes his hand as he pushes his way through
the crowd. Raymond watches him pass, seeing the device
stuck to the Mayor's collar.
ANGLE - WNEW NEWS CHOPPER
Rushing over from the parked news chopper, Animal and
Caiman race for the Mayor who walks through a mob of
reporters.
CAIMAN
Hurry, we're going to miss the Mayor.
But before he can get close, two POLICE OFFICERS stop
them.
POLICE OFFICER
Sorry, you gotta have a press ID past
this point.
CAIMAN
Don't you watch t.v.?
POLICE OFFICER
Can we see your press pass, sir?
Flustered, Caiman searches his pockets for his press
pass.
CAIMAN
I had one here on my bag. Where the
hell did I put it?
CAIMAN'S PRESS PASS - ECU
We SEE Caiman's plastic smile on his press ID. Suddenly
AUDREY'S picture is placed on top of Caiman's.
WIDEN TO
REVEAL:
57 INT. SUBWAY STATION - SAME - LATER AFTERNOON 57
Smashed together like sardines, Audrey plays with
Caiman's press pass, trying to put her photo over his.
LUCY
What the hell are you doing?
AUDREY
Remember my friend we saw on t.v.?
LUCY
Your old sweetheart?
AUDREY
Yeah, well he just turned up in New
Jersey at the military command post.
Somehow all this is related to what
happened down in Panama. There's a
story here. I know it. You got any
tape or glue?
LUCY
I left my forgery kit back at the
office.
Audrey looks over at a young ten year old boy holding
his backpack, a RULER sticking out of the back.
AUDREY
Hey, do you have any glue in your
bag?
KID
What's it to you?
AUDREY
Can I use some?
KID
What do I get?
AUDREY
The warm feeling of helping your
fellow man.
KID
Five bucks.
AUDREY
You're kidding, right?
The Kid simply puts his hand out.
58 EXT. NEW JERSEY TRAIN STATION - LATER 58
People FLOOD off the train out into the station.
P.A. ANNOUNCER
Please exit the station. For those of
you without accommodations, the city
has opened up shelters on Monroe and
60th and at Bergenline and 72nd.
Please exit the...
Audrey and Lucy walk through the crowd. Audrey turns and
gives Lucy a kiss.
AUDREY
Wish me luck!
LUCY
Audrey, I don't think this is a very
good idea. Caiman finds out and he'll
have your job.
AUDREY
I'm tired of waiting for someone else
to give me an opportunity, Luce. If
there's a story here I'm going to find
it.
Lucy nods in acceptance as Audrey disappears into the
dense crowd. Lucy worries for her friend.
CUT TO:
"YUM YUM DOUGHNUTS" BAG - PRE-SUNSET
Carried along with a Styrofoam cup of coffee. We WIDEN
TO REVEAL a MAN carrying the junk food to a GREY VAN
parked not too far from the Command Center Tent across
the way.
The man knocks on the back of the van. The van opens to
reveal...
59 INT. RAYMOND'S VAN - PRE-SUNSET 59
Filled with high tech monitoring equipment, Raymond and
his men are listening in to a conversation. The man with
junk food hands it to Raymond.
RAYMOND
Merci.
He opens the bag and takes out a croissant. He bites
into it and grimaces. To wash away the taste, he drinks
from the coffee. It's worse than the croissant.
RAYMOND
You call this coffee?
MAN
(French accent)
I call this America.
The man takes a seat near Raymond as Raymond turns up
the volume on his headset.
MAYOR (O.S.)
(mid argument)
You're telling me that in an election
month I've evacuated the entire city
for nothing?
60 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM (TENT) - PRE-SUNSET 60
From behind the Mayor's head we SEE the monitoring
device attracted to his collar. As he speaks we WIDEN TO
REVEAL...
MAYOR
Do you realize what this evacuation
will cost the people of this city!?
Representatives of all branches of the military,
National Guard and the Mayor's office are here. The room
overflows with people. Nick, Elsie and the scientist
stand near the back of the tent.
ADMIRAL PHELPS
We're been monitoring the waters
around the island. As far as we can
tell it hasn't left the area.
MAYOR
But you don't know for sure.
MAJOR HICKS
We think there's a strong reason to
believe it may be hiding inside one of
the buildings within the sequestered
area.
MAYOR
But you don't know for sure!
Just then Sergeant O'Neal enters hurriedly. He wants to
speak but waits for the opportunity.
MAJOR
(controlling his temper)
Mr. Mayor, if he's not in one of those
buildings then we give the all clear.
But not until we've checked each
building!
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Sir, that may be more difficult than
we originally projected.
MAJOR
More good news?!
SERGEANT O'NEAL
We've run into a problem.
CUT TO:
A SIGN READING: SUBWAY STATION: 23RD STREET - SUNSET
We CRANE DOWN to reveal several military sedans pulling
up into FLAT IRON SQUARE (where Broadway meets 5th).
Sergeant O'Neal leads the team out of the cars and down
a subway entrance.
61 INT. SUBWAY STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS - SUNSET 61
Marching down the stairs, the team enters into the very
large subway station. For all we see it seems like a
normal subway station except for the fact that every one
of the team members look ASTONISHED.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Lt. Anderson and his men found this
late this afternoon.
The camera makes a hundred and eighty degree turn as we
suddenly SEE what the team is staring at...
AN ENORMOUS HOLE
The four normal subway tunnels have been CARVED OUT
making one GIGANTIC TUNNEL. Debris and crumbled brick
are everywhere. Several SOLDIERS with flashlights
approach the hole.
Lt. Anderson moves over to the astonished group. Some of
the scientists fan out, examining the area.
LT. ANDERSON
We were checking the office building
above when we discovered the floor was
gone.
LOW ANGLE - REVEALING THE HOLE IN THE CEILING
We SEE that not only is the ceiling gone but the
building above is hollowed and torn to shreds. Another
hole in the building leads to the street.
LT. ANDERSON
When we learned he could burrow his
way through the tunnels we realized he
could be out of the quarantined zone.
MAJOR HICKS
Christ. How many tunnels lead off the
island?
LT. ANDERSON
Only five, Sir. We've checked them
all. He hasn't used any of them.
MAJOR HICKS
Have them sealed off.
LT. ANDERSON
And how should we do that, Sir?
MAJOR HICKS
Fill them with cement, brick them up,
put land mines in them, bombs, I don't
know, just make sure that goddamned
thing doesn't leave the island!
ANGLE - INSIDE DARKENED TUNNEL
As the SOLDIERS slowly move down deeper into the
tunnels, their flashlight beams scan the area. Could
they stumble onto something dangerous?
ANGLE - NICK
as he approaches Major Hicks and Sergeant O'Neal.
NICK
You know, he's not an enemy trying to
evade you. He's just an animal.
MAJOR HICKS
What are you suggesting?
NICK
When I needed to catch earthworms, I
knew the best way to catch them was
not to chase them. I had to draw them
out.
ANGLE - SOLDIERS - DARKNESS
Still moving deeper into the tunnel we get the feeling
these soldiers may just waken a sleeping giant.
BACK TO TEAM
Nick moves to the edge of the platform, looking off into
the dark tunnel.
NICK
All we need to do is find out what it
wants, what it needs, and he'll come
to us.
ANGLE - SOLDIERS - DARKNESS
The lead Soldier SEES something. Cautiously he moves
forward thinking he's onto something. We HEAR something
MOVING in the darkness.
We FOLLOW his beam as the noise grows clearer. The beam
falls onto something on the floor...
A FISH
Flopping on the ground is a large FISH. As the beam
moves farther along we see two, no, three fish ahead.
CUT TO:
62 EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - POST-SUNSET (MAGIC HOUR) 62
A battalion of armored TANKS roll down this deserted
city street. A large number of GROUND TROOPS march
behind.
COBRA HELICOPTERS - SAME - MAGIC HOUR
Banking in formation, the helicopters swerve, heading
towards mid-town Manhattan.
SAND BAG FORTIFICATION
Soldiers pile up sand bags, creating a make shift
fortification. SHARP SHOOTERS and a BAZOOKA BRIGADE
settle into place.
63 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 63
Major Hicks moves over to a jeep and grabs the radio.
64 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 64
Major Hicks sits by a bank of communications
technicians.
MAJOR HICKS
Where are they now?
RADIO TECHNICIAN
Delta niner, what is convoy position?
65 EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 65
Led by armored military vehicles we SEE a convoy of
TWENTY YELLOW DUMP TRUCKS passing over the bridge.
DRIVER (O.S.)
Command, we're just entering the
city.
66 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME 66
Sergeant O'Neal listens to the response on the radio.
RADIO TECHNICIAN
Convoy ETA, five minutes.
The Sergeant signals several military technicians, who
are mounting several video cameras to hurry.
67 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 67
A buzz of activity. Military Officials and personnel.
The Mayor enters and joins his aides in the back of the
room.
MAYOR
(whispering to Aide)
They find anything yet?
The Aide shakes his head. Monitors come to life with a
live video feed-from several cameras we saw mounted.
A CABLE REPAIRMAN - MAGIC HOUR
In blue overalls, the REPAIRMAN walks up to a large
satellite dish. We WIDEN to REVEAL the dish is parked
next to the Command Tent. He kneels down next to some
cables leading away from the dish toward the Command
Tent.
68 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAGIC HOUR 68
Suddenly all the screens FUZZ OUT. Just as quickly the
monitors return to normal. No one seems to notice.
69 EXT. SATELLITE DISH - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 69
The Repairman finishes affixing a small DEVICE to the
cable. He taps his earpiece and speaks into his own
lapel.
REPAIRMAN
(French accent)
It is good.
70 INT. MOTEL ROOM - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 70
We SEE Raymond and his men have turned this dingy Motel
room into a command central of their own. Raymond is
putting sugar into his coffee when a bank of monitors
turn on. They are seeing THE SAME VIDEO FEED as the
Mayor. Pleased, he takes a sip. It's awful.
RAYMOND
You said this was French Roast!
His aid turns, holding a package labeled FRENCH ROAST.
RAYMOND
(defeated)
More cream.
His associate hands him some milk. He adds it to the
coffee. No use, it still sucks. On the monitors we SEE
the DUMP TRUCKS entering Flat Iron Square.
71 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 71
The DUMP TRUCKS arrive and the soldiers guide the
trucks, forming a circle, their tails facing each other.
As the last one passes it REVEALS Nick and Sergeant
O'Neal.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
I sure hope your plan works.
NICK
I'm kind of hoping the same thing.
The twenty of them, in concert, begin to dump their
cargo.
LOW ANGLE - CENTER OF THE DUMP TRUCK CIRCLE
Tons and tons of FISH are DUMPED directly on top of us.
72 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 72
On the monitors they watch in astonishment as the fish
get dumped into a large pile in the center of Flat Iron
Square.
AIDE
Tres bizarre.
RAYMOND
No.
(leaning forward)
Very clever.
73 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - FISH PILE - SAME - NIGHT 73
A MOUNTAIN OF FISH have been piled into the center of
Flat Iron Square.
NICK
That's a lot of fish.
A master of the obvious. Sergeant O'Neal shoots him a
glare and moves over to the men. Together they march
into a building at the edge of the square.
SOLDIERS
Loading up rifles, taking positions. GAS MASKS being
handed out down a long line for all the soldiers.
The TANKS move into their final positions. The National
Guardsmen and Soldiers supporting the Tanks take
positions.
74 EXT. TOP OF THE SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 74
Entering from the stairs out onto the roof, Sergeant
O'Neal and his men take positions, observing from
above.
Everyone is waiting. The silence is deafening.
ANGLE - NICK
As everyone waits, Nick scans the area, thinking.
Suddenly something catches his eye...
STEAM VENT
Through a steam vent in the streets. Nick sees STEAM
lifting into the air. He notices several other vents
doing the same thing around the square. Quickly Nick
rushes over to a YOUNG OFFICER.
NICK
I need your radio.
The Young Officer leads Nick over to his jeep. Nick
grabs the receiver.
NICK
Sergeant O'Neal, the subway vents. We
have to shut them down...
75 EXT. ROOFTOP - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME - NIGHT 75
O'Neal listens to Nick on his radio.
NICK (O.S.)
(filtered)
...With the air pressure pushing up,
he'll never smell the bait!
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(turning to soldier)
Get some men down into those air
vents. Shut 'em down!
76 INT. SUBTERRANEAN AIR VENT - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT 76
With a loud WHINE we HEAR the vents shutting down. The
large whirling FAN BLADES slow to a stop.
77 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME 77
One by one the steam pillars begin to disappear as the
vents are turned off. There is a long tense moment of
waiting. When will it come? Will it come?
Before the Young Officer can stop him, Nick rushes over
to a manhole cover in the center of the street. The
cover is to heavy. He yells back.
NICK
We need to open all the manhole covers
in the area. Let the scent waft down.
The Young Officer signals other soldiers. Nick steps
back and lets the soldiers go to work. As he walks back,
he spots another manhole cover at the next intersection
down a side street. He runs over to it.
ANGLE - SIDE STREET - MANHOLE COVER
A particularly heavy one in the center of this
intersection (a block away from Flat Iron Square), Nick,
alone, wrestles to remove it. With all his might, he
drags it clear.
Suddenly, through the hole he HEARS some STRANGE NOISES
from below. Rattled, he slowly backs away from the hole.
The NOISES grow increasingly louder.
Then with a DEAFENING ROAR, the ground behind Nick
ERUPTS and GODZILLA RISES, ripping up the boulevard as
he does.
Nick SPINS only to find himself face to face with the
gigantic creature. Godzilla's head slopes down,
apparently looking Nick in the eye.
All around foot soldiers appear, guns trained, shoulder
hoisted rocket launchers prepared.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nick sees all this. He
gently signals with his hands that they should NOT fire.
Sensing no danger from Nick, Godzilla simply STEPS OVER
Nick.
NICK'S POV - UNDER GODZILLA
As the gargantuan creature walks over us, making a
beeline for the fish.
Nick turns and RUNS, following him.
78 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 78
Godzilla moves into the square. The military hunkers
down, ready to strike. Cautiously the beast moves over
to the mountain of fish.
79 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 79
Major Hicks watches the monitors as Godzilla approaches
the fish.
MAJOR HICKS
Commence phase one. Let's gas it!
80 EXT. ROOFTOP - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME - NIGHT 80
Everyone on the rooftop puts on their GAS MASKS.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Let 'em fly!
ANGLE - STREET LEVEL - SAME
All the soldiers PUT ON their GAS MASKS. A team of
EIGHT, pull out a GAS CANISTERS and yank the releases.
They DROP them down the long barrels of air cannons,
preparing to fire.
SAND BAG FORTIFICATION - SAME
Nick runs past the fortification, trying to get a closer
look. The Young Officer yells after him.
YOUNG OFFICER
Where're you going? Nick!
Nick stops briefly as the Young Officer TOSSES a gas
mask to Nick who quickly puts it on and dashes for a
closer spot. Suddenly SAILING OVER HIS HEAD we SEE...
GAS CANISTERS
Firing from the air cannons, the GAS CANISTERS streak
across the sky landing behind Godzilla. The Yellow gas
forms a wall of smoke that drifts upwards.
ANOTHER ANGLE - OPPOSITE CORNER
Across the way eight MORE CANISTERS are FIRED at the
beast. Quickly Godzilla is surrounded by the gas fumes.
ANGLE - NICK
Frustrated at his inability to see through the smoke, he
DASHES forward over to a large BRONZE STATUE.
GODZILLA
The smoke annoying and distracting him, Godzilla spins,
his tail waving the smoke away. But the smoke returns.
Godzilla YELLS OUT. Frustrated he rears back and
BLASTS!
For the first time we SEE the infamous POWER BREATH of
Godzilla. With amazing FORCE the smoke, canisters, cars
and anything that isn't nailed down SAILS BACKWARDS from
the intense pressure.
Nick is HIT by the WAVE of air pressure and is sent
FLYING BACKWARDS, impossibly high in the air.
An enormous fabric BANNER advertising this season at the
MET, catches Nick who SLIDES down the banner, hitting
the ground, HARD. Just as he looks up he SEES...
A LARGE TRUCK
Tumbling toward him from the power breath. Nick
SCRAMBLES to his feet just in time as the rolling Truck
SMASHES into the building behind where he just sat.
ANGLE - TROOPS - FORTIFICATION
The troops have to SCATTER as the tumbling trucks and
cars are FLUNG AT THEM, disabling their attack forces.
Trucks and rocket launches are CRUSHED by the tumbling
debris.
Godzilla CONTINUES to BLOW at everything around him.
Cars and trucks ROLLING. Soldiers DIVING for cover. It's
chaos.
The glass in all the surrounding buildings SHATTER,
shards of glass raining down. Windows, street lamps, all
blown out by the tremendous gale force winds.
81 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAJOR HICKS - SAME - NIGHT 81
On the monitors we SEE the melee.
MAJOR HICKS
Fire at will!
82 EXT. ROOFTOP - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME - NIGHT 82
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Fire at will. Fire at will.
83 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 83
From all angles, soldiers rush back to their equipment
and attempt to FIRE. Very few are able to get off
rounds.
84 EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME - NIGHT 84
O'Neal tries to steady himself as the soldiers FIRE down
at the creature below. One HOISTS a MISSILE launcher.
ANGLE - GODZILLA - NIGHT
As the FIREPOWER begins around Godzilla, he takes a hit
in the shoulder and SCREAMS OUT. Suddenly he LEAPS away
just as several MISSLES HIT the Flat Iron Building
behind where Godzilla was standing only moments
earlier.
Dashing down a side street, Godzilla LEAPS over the
waiting tanks who cannot adjust their cannons in time.
WE'VE NEVER SEEM HIM MOVE THIS QUICKLY. Several tanks
are SQUASHED as the beast bull dozes right through the
regiment.
85 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 85
We SEE the Flat Iron Building crumbling on one of the
monitors near Major Hicks. In the rear of the room the
Mayor looks sick.
86 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 86
Soldiers come out from behind the crashed vehicles and
debris. Only the smoldering devastation is left behind.
87 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAJOR HICKS - SAME - NIGHT 87
The monitors only show static or devastation.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
O'Neal, what the hell is going on
there!?
88 EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME 88
Quickly his men are packing up.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(into radio)
He's gone, Sir. Echo division's in
pursuit.
89 EXT. AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS (6TH AVE.) - SAME - NIGHT 89
Four ARMORED MILITARY VEHICLES come SKIDDING around the
corner in hot pursuit. Each with a team manning enormous
mounted weaponry.
REVERSE ANGLE - 6TH AVE. - GODZILLA
Galloping like a Gisele uptown, Godzilla is SPEEDING up
the boulevard. The armored vehicles OPEN FIRE. Some
shots CLIP into Godzilla's back. Ahead he is running
directly into...
MOBILE MISSILE LAUNCHERS
Blocking off the street in front of him. They FIRE.
Pinned down, the creature SCREAMS and DUCKS away down
another side street. The missiles can't turn fast enough
and SLAM into a building, DEMOLISHING it.
90 EXT. ELECTRONICS STORE - SAME - NIGHT 90
The window is SMASHED in. A small group of LOOTERS are
loading up their mini-van. Finishing up the group is
about to leave.
LOOTER #1
Jimmy, let's go.
LOOTER #2
Wait. I want this. Help me!
The group rejoins Jimmy as they try to pull an enormous
Pin Ball machine from the window. As they carry the
machine back towards the mini-van...
SQUASH! - GIGANTIC FOOT
Godzilla's enormous foot flattens the mini-van like a
pancake. The Looters go pale. As the Military Armored
Vehicles RACE by in hot pursuit.
91 EXT. BROADWAY - SAME - NIGHT 91
Godzilla BOUNDS onto Broadway and FREEZES, looking
around. As he looks downtown he SEES...
GODZILLA'S P.O.V. - MILITARY ARMORED VEHICLES
Skidding around the corner a few blocks back, the
armored vehicles reappear.
Godzilla turns uptown and BOLTS. As he gets up to full
speed...
COBRA HELICOPTERS
A team of FOUR COBRA HELICOPTERS swoops down heading
directly for Godzilla.
92 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAJOR HICKS - NIGHT 92
The Mayor stands over a Radio technician.
HELICOPTER PILOT (O.S.)
(filtered)
We have him, locked on.
MAJOR HICKS
Then FIRE damn it!
93 EXT. TIMES SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 93
Godzilla runs into the famous lighted square (looking
remarkably like Tokyo) just as the COBRA'S come SWEEPING
DOWN out of the sky.
Godzilla SPOTS them and leaps away just as they FIRE
missiles, which RIP INTO the famous JUMBO TRON VIDEO
BILLBOARD, demolishing the building.
The Cobra's SWERVE quickly, pursuing Godzilla down a
side street.
94 EXT. LEXINGTON AVENUE - SAME - NIGHT 94
Godzilla appears, turning the corner and racing down the
street. From behind, the Cobra helicopters come
SCREAMING down on him, they FIRE ROCKETS at Godzilla
who, again, deftly turns a corner.
The errant rockets BLAST into the CHRYSLER BUILDING, as
they attempt to follow him but fail. Shards of glass come
RAINING DOWN as the building crumbles.
ANGLE - ARMORED VEHICLES
As they race around the corner they SLAM ON THE BREAKS
just as the familier CONE of the Chrysler building comes
CRASHING DOWN just inches in front of the vehicles,
tumbling into the street.
95 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 95
The static increases over the radio.
HELICOPTER PILOT
(filtered)
That is a negative impact.
The Mayor, in the back of the room stands, furious.
MAYOR
Negative impact!?! It's the goddamned
Chrysler building, that's what it is!
His aides try to calm him.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
You said he was locked on!
96 EXT. SIDE STREET - COBRA HELICOPTER P.O.V. - NIGHT 96
Moving through the narrow side street.
HELICOPTER PILOT (O.S.)
The heat seekers can't lock. He's
colder than the buildings around him.
97 EXT. 5TH AVENUE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 97
The four Cobra helicopters ZOOM around the corner and
into 5th avenue.
COBRA HELICOPTER P.O.V. - GODZILLA
Godzilla is ahead of us. The choppers FIRE again, this
time using their gun turrets, ACCELERATING toward the
beast.
Under heavy bullet firepower and the choppers nearly on
top of him, Godzilla DIVES into an office building.
The helicopters surround the crumbling building, and
OPEN FIRE, decimating it. They STOP firing and stare
into the smoldering mess they've made.
PILOT
I think we got him.
Just then ERUPTING out of a building behind them...
GODZILLA
POUNCES OUT of the building, snapping up two of the
helicopters in one bite!
He WHIRLS around and SWIPES another out of the air with
his ENORMOUS CLAW. The CLAWED helicopter SLAMS into the
ground just as...
ARMORED VEHICLES
come sliding around the corner, directly into the
CRASHING HELICOPTER which explodes on impact. The entire
team is taken out with the concussion.
98 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAJOR HICKS - SAME - NIGHT 98
Major Hicks is on his feet, steaming mad.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
Echo four, where is he!?
99 EXT. AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS - SAME - NIGHT 99
As the remaining Cobra helicopter SWERVES around,
Godzilla is gone.
HELICOPTER PILOT #4
I don't know sir. He just vanished.
As the helicopter PASSES a dark building we SEE a SHAPE
MOVE! We realize that like a chameleon, Godzilla had
TAKEN THE COLOR of the building and hid. With the
helicopter past him, he CHASES FROM THE REAR.
HELICOPTER PILOT #4
(realizing)
Oh Jesus!
The chopper GUNS IT, full throttle. Godzilla GIVES
CHASE. Even at its top speed it can't out run the big
creature.
The chopper tries to LIFT AWAY but before he can get the
height, Godzilla SNAPS his gigantic jaws and SWALLOWS
THE HELICOPTER WHOLE.
STREET - WIDE ANGLE
The fires burn and the rubble crumbles. Godzilla gives
one final SCREAM and DIVES into a building,
disappearing.
100 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 100
The Major's aide try to hold him back as the Mayor is
charging at Major Hicks.
MAYOR
What the hell is the matter with you
people?! You caused more damage than
that thing did!
101 EXT. 5TH AVENUE - SAME - NIGHT 101
Empty and devastated. Fires continue to burn.
102 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 102
Nick, Sergeant O'Neal and several of his men walk
through the devastated area. Nick kneels down and
SEES...
NICK'S P.O.V. - PUDDLE OF BLOOD
There is a large reddish brown puddle of blood. Nick
takes out a small glass container and scoops some up.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
I can't believe it. He did all this
and we did nothing to him.
Nick walks over to him, consoling.
NICK
That's not true. We fed him.
REVERSE ANGLE
Only a few scattered fish remain where the mountain of
fish once was. Our team stands there amidst the rubble.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
103 INT. NETWORK NEWS DESK - VIDEO FOOTAGE 103
A network news ANCHOR speaks directly at us as a video
of the Chrysler building getting destroyed plays behind
him.
ANCHOR
While it may have looked like Beirut,
it was in fact, Manhattan where man
and nature have collided with brute
force.
The video switches to the White House where we SEE the
President signing a bill.
ANCHOR
The President today declared a state
of emergency and has issued disaster
relief funds to New York City.
WIDEN TO
REVEAL:
104 INT. WNEW NEWS TRUCK - VIDEO FEEDS - SAME - NIGHT 104
We SEE that we've been watching the video on one of MANY
video monitors showing all the news broadcasts. As an
assistant moves away from the monitors we FOLLOW him out
of the truck.
105 EXT. WNEW NEWS TRUCK - CONTINUOUS - SAME - NIGHT 105
We continue to FOLLOW the assistant outside, revealing
the enormous MOB of reporters that have gathered just
outside the military command tents. As we FOLLOW the
assistant he passes several reporters doing "stand-up"
reports.
REPORTER #1
...rumors continue to mount as to the
origin of this, perhaps, lost
dinosaur...
REPORTER #2
...having shut down the United Nations
in the evacuation, foreign diplomats
are demanding an international
coalition be assembled to track the
creature...
The assistant finally arrives at Caiman who is doing a
live remote. Animal works the camera.
CAIMAN
...Maintaining a total media blackout,
officials remain silent this evening
as to their progress in containing
this creature...
Behind him, in the crowd we SEE Audrey pushing her way
through the reporters, her fake ID pinned on her shirt.
She turns and sees Caiman. Quickly she ducks down and
moves deeper into the crowds.
Suddenly there is movement as the crowd turns their
collective attention over to a group of cars pulling up
nearby. Audrey pushes her way to see what's happening.
The cars are BLOCKED from returning to the command tents
as the reporters MOB the first car in line.
106 INT. SEDAN - NICK - NIGHT 106
Nick observes the chaos. Through the crowd he SEES a
Pharmacy, a neon sign reading: Never Closes. He looks
back down at the blood sample he holds in his lap and
gets an idea.
NICK
(to the driver)
It's okay, I'll get out here.
He opens the car door and pushes his way through the
crowds who are less interested in him as they are the
military officials.
NICK'S P.O.V. - MEDIA CIRCUS - CROWDS - NIGHT
Pushing his way through, Nick SEES what a circus this
has become; t.v. news camera crews, journalists,
concerned citizens, worried mothers, and of course,
merchandising...
STREET STANDS
Nick passes several vendors selling dinosaur toys,
copies of Animal's now famous news video clip and, of
course, tee shirts with still images from that same
clip.
ANGLE - AUDREY
Through the dense crowd, Audrey SEES Nick in the
distance. Excited she starts to push her way through.
107 INT. PHARMACY - SECONDS LATER - NIGHT 107
Ringing the night bell, Nick calls for the PHARMACIST
who enters, weary eyed.
PHARMACIST
Can I help you, young man?
NICK
Do you have any home pregnancy tests?
Especially ones that test for
catastrophic hormones or clomiphene
citrate.
PHARMACIST
This is all we've got.
The Pharmacist puts onto the counter six different off
the shelf home pregnancy tests.
NICK
I'll take them all.
AUDREY (O.S.)
You must have quite some harem.
Nick spins to find Audrey standing right behind him.
Embarrassed, Nick awkwardly pays for the tests.
NICK
Audrey?! Is that you? Hi, hello. You
look, wow, uh, how've you been?
AUDREY
It's good to see you, Nick.
The Pharmacist puts out Nick's change. He scoops it out
and we FOLLOW them as they exit together.
NICK
So you made it.
AUDREY
What?
He points to her fake press ID she's still wearing.
NICK
You're a reporter. That's what you
always wanted to be, right? I'm happy
for you. Really, I am.
AUDREY
Yeah, well...
108 EXT. PHARMACY - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 108
Nick opens the door for Audrey and follows her out.
AUDREY
So, you still picking apart
cockroaches?
NICK
No, I'm into earthworms now. You
wouldn't be interested. They're real
"boring" creatures. Very reliable,
dependable, no surprises...
AUDREY
You're still mad at me, aren't you?
NICK
You just left me without a phone call,
a letter, nothing. All this time.
Yeah, I guess I'm still a little mad.
AUDREY
That was eight years ago. Some people
change, you know.
NICK
Most people don't.
AUDREY
I'm sorry you feel that way.
Audrey turns and walks away. Nick regrets his behavior
and calls after her.
NICK
Wait. I'm sorry. You're right. Eight
years is a long time. Can I offer you
a cup of tea?
AUDREY
Sure. I'd like that.
There's an awkward moment as neither knows what to say.
AUDREY
One, thing, though. Who'd you get
pregnant?
Off Nick's awkward reaction...
CUT TO:
109 INT. NICK'S TENT - LATER - NIGHT 109
Nick has set up a mini-lab in his private, small, tent.
The home pregnancy tests have been ripped apart. Nick
mixes some of the contents together.
AUDREY
I still can't believe it. How does a
guy go from an anti-nuke activists to
working for the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission?
NICK
When you and I use to attend rallies
in college, we helped to create
awareness. But from the inside now I
can actually effect change.
(pointedly)
I never lost my idealism.
AUDREY
And exactly what changes are you
trying to effect?
NICK
I have this theory that we're
inadvertently creating new species as
a direct result of what we've done to
nature.
AUDREY
And you think this creature is one of
them?
NICK
Yes. The first of its kind. I found
this blood sample earlier this
evening...
AUDREY
Blood sample? How close did you get to
that thing?
NICK
I got pretty close.
AUDREY
What else do you know about it?
Nick finishes his concoction, adding the blood sample
into it He takes the piece of litmus paper from one of
the home test boxes and dips it in.
NICK
Well, we know he eats fish, he's of
reptile genus, he's a burrower, he's
amphibious and...
Nick points out the litmus paper. It turns RED.
NICK
...he's pregnant.
AUDREY
Are you sure?
Nick gets up and starts to gather his materials.
NICK
(thrilled)
Well, obviously these tests weren't
designed for this but fundamentally
they're looking for the same hormonal
patterns that would indicate
pregnancy.
AUDREY
I don't get it. If it's the first of
its kind, how can it be pregnant?
Excitedly Nick begins to pace.
NICK
The ultimate expression of evolution,
it reproduces asexually. Think about
it, all kinds of creatures have been
known to travel great distances for
reproduction. That's why he came to
New York. Like every species of
insufficient progenitors, he's
nesting!
AUDREY
Nesting?
NICK
Yes. Do you realize that a creature
like this could lay as many as a dozen
eggs at a time!
Nick moves to the front exit of the tent.
NICK
Forgive me but I've got to get this
into the lab, to confirm all this.
I'll be right back.
Nick rushes from the tent. Alone, Audrey can't help but
poke around a bit. She opens one of his CASES. Taped to
the roof of the case she SEES...
INSERT PHOTOS - NICK AND AUDREY
Happy times long ago. They're both young and in love.
Audrey is surprised Nick still keeps them. She's
touched.
Feeling guilty she quickly closes the case and sits back
down. As she does she notices a video tape labeled
FIRST SIGHTING. Unable to resist, she puts it in and
turns on the t.v. The shot of the Japanese Cook
appears.
COOK
(filtered through t.v.)
...Gojira...Gojira...
She hits the fast forward tape and SEES, the enormous
footprints in Panama. She fast forwards again and sees
the beached cargo ship in Jamaica.
Audrey is torn. She makes a decision, pops the tape back
out, puts in her purse and takes off out the back of the
tent. Moments later, Nick returns from the front.
NICK
Audrey? Audrey?
A flash of lighting and thunder accents Nick's
confusion.
CUT TO:
110 INT. EDITING BAY - LATER - DAWN 110
On two monitors we SEE Audrey doing a "stand up."
AUDREY
(filtered)
...which is why in this case "all the
kings horses and all the kings men"
may not be able to put the big apple
together again. Audrey Timmons, WNEW.
We pull back to reveal Audrey, Animal and an editor,
ED, watching the piece.
ED
That's it. You owe me a breakfast.
AUDREY
(turning to Animal)
So, what do you think?
ANIMAL
It's good. It's a real good piece. But
how'd you get a hold of this
material?
Audrey covers her own mixed emotions.
AUDREY
Like you said, "Good guys finish
last."
She snatches the tape and she takes off running.
Concerned and worried, Animal watches her leave.
CUT TO:
111 EXT. WNEW TRUCK - COMMAND TENT AREA - RAIN - DAWN 111
Rushing out of the WNEW truck and into the rain, Audrey
spots her Station Manager, Murray. In the b.g. we SEE
Caiman getting make up, about to do a live spot with
another cameraman.
AUDREY
Murray, I need you to look at this
tape.
MURRAY
Not now, Audrey, we've about to go
live with the morning report.
AUDREY
You're going to want to include this.
I've got exclusive footage of other
places this thing has attacked.
MURRAY
(suddenly interested)
You do? Who's story is this?
AUDREY
Mine!
ANGLE - CAIMAN
About to go on, Caiman waves off his make up artist as
he watches Audrey hand Murray the tape. His field
producer counts down to going live.
P.O.V. THROUGH BINOCULARS - NICK - RAIN - MORNING
Through the lenses we SEE exiting his tent and moving on
towards the large center command tent. We REVERSE to
reveal...
112 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL ROOM - SAME - RAIN - MORNING 112
One of Raymond's men observes with binoculars from the
window. Tucking his napkin into his lapel, Raymond eats
breakfast with his men. Another man, JEAN-CLAUDE,
listens at the monitoring equipment. He turns to
Raymond.
JEAN-CLAUDE
Taisez-Vous.
He turns on the room speaker.
MALE VOICE
(filtered)
...Major Hicks, what makes you believe
another attempt to gun that creature
down will work?
113 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - RAIN - SAME - MORNING 113
Nick is moving to take his seat next to Elise at this
very crowded conference. The big wigs are here and the
room is packed. Major Hicks walks to a large map of
Manhattan.
MAJOR HICKS
General Anderson, the problem was the
terrain. If we lure him out into a
more open area such as this portion of
Central Park...
(points to the map)
We should be able to take him down.
MAYOR
Last time you didn't even scratch it!
MAJOR HICKS
That's not true. Our worm guy, er, I
mean, Dr. Tatopoulos found blood.
All eyes turn towards Nick who's still arranging his
papers. Nervously Nick addresses the crowd.
NICK
Well, yes. I did. Clearly he was
injured and bled.
MAJOR HICKS
You see, all we need to do is get a
better shot at it with weapons that
don't rely on heat seeking...
NICK
Um, excuse me, sir, but the
situation's more complicated than
that. The blood I recovered revealed
that the creature is either about to
lay eggs or already has.
GOVERNOR
Are you trying to tell us there's
another one of those things out
there?
NICK
I don't believe so.
MAYOR
Then how can it be pregnant? What is
this, the "virgin lizard?"
There's a smattering of laughter in the room.
NICK
No, it reproduces asexually. That's
why we must find the nest. If we
don't, dozens will be born, each one
capable of laying eggs of its own.
Very quickly we could be looking at an
enormous population.
MAJOR HICKS
So after we kill the creature we'll
begin a search for the nest.
NICK
It may be too late by then. These eggs
will hatch very quickly.
CLIVE
How could you possible know that?
NICK
The fish. The fish we found down in
the subway. He's not gathering all
that food for himself. He's preparing
to feed his young.
114 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL - RAIN - SAME - MORNING 114
Raymond listens intently. He grabs a folder off the desk
and opens it. We SEE photos and documents of every
member of the team. He finds the photo of Nick and
examines it.
115 INT. DINER - RAIN - SAME - MORNING 115
Audrey shakes off the rain and moves over to join Ed and
Animal at a booth.
ANIMAL
They just promo-ed your spot. It's
coming on right after this.
116 INT. COMMAND TENT - RAIN - SAME - MORNING 116
An AIDE comes in and whispers something into the
Governor's ear, who nods approval.
MAJOR HICKS
If Dr. Tatopoulos is right, we must
act quickly before this problem
escalates.
GENERAL ANDERSON
You want to divide our efforts based
solely on a wild theory?
MAJOR HICKS
He's come through for us before and if
he feels strongly...
GENERAL ANDERSON
Come through for you!? Major, your
campaign's a disaster. You weren't
even able to to prevent this thing
from coming to Manhattan.
GOVERNOR
Excuse me Gentlemen, but I think we
should see this.
The Aide moves over to a television and turns it on.
Just as the t.v. comes to life we SEE the old Japanese
Cook.
GENERAL ANDERSON
How the hell did this get out?
The image of the Cook saying, "Gojira" FREEZES and cuts
back to reveal Caiman doing his "stand-up."
CAIMAN
(filtered)
From an old Japanese sailor's song
called GODZILLA, a mythological sea
dragon who attacked sailors, to our
own modern day terror. Today in my
special report, who is this Godzilla,
where did he come from and why is he
here?
117 EXT. DINER - SAME - MORNING 117
Audrey is furious, on her feet.
AUDREY
You're special report! I'm the one
that found that stupid song! That's my
special report, you bastard!
Animal tries to calm her down as the story continues.
AUDREY
And it's "Gojira" not Godzilla you
moron!
118 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL - SAME - MORNING 118
Fiddling with the motel t.v., Raymond's men attempt to
clear the fuzzy picture.
JEAN-CLAUDE
Merde!
RAYMOND
Allez, allez!
Finally the picture clears.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...a path can be traced back from
Manhattan, to Jamaica, back to Panama
and all the way back to the French
Polynesians where nuclear testing has
been going on for over twenty
years...
119 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 119
Everyone stares at the television. Major Hicks burns
with embarrassment.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...But why? Research team member Dr.
Niko Padopolus believes the creature
is nesting, using Manhattan as ground
zero to cultivate his species...
GENERAL ANDERSON
You went to the press with this?
NICK
No, I didn't...I didn't talk with
anyone.
The military men are furious at the breach of security.
All eyes turn toward Nick.
GENERAL ANDERSON
They mentioned you by name!
NICK
Yes...but I...
MAJOR HICKS
You gave them the tape?
NICK
No, it's still in my tent. It's...oh
my God, she took it.
Pissed, GENERAL ANDERSON walks up to Nick.
GENERAL ANDERSON
Pack your stuff. You're officially off
this project as of now.
120 INT. DINER - SAME - MORNING 120
Caiman is still on television, wrapping up.
AUDREY
He stole my report! That's my report!
ANIMAL
We know, Audrey.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...and in this reporter's opinion,
"all the kings horses and all the
kings men"...
Audrey wads up her napkin and heaves it at the t.v.
AUDREY
Caiman you suck!
121 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL ROOM - SAME - MORNING 121
The television is snapped OFF and Raymond walks over to
the window looking out, thinking. Finally...
RAYMOND
We're leaving.
CUT TO:
A LARGE TRUNK
Slams shut. More suitcases and trunks. Widen to
reveal...
122 INT. NICK'S TENT - LATER - DAY 122
Nick is finishing packing as some soldiers carry his
things away. Elsie enters.
ELSIE
I'm sorry about all this.
NICK
Me too.
Nick hoists his bag and moves to leave.
NICK
Make sure they find that nest before
it's too late.
ELSIE
I'll try.
Reluctantly Nick nods acceptance and exits out into the
rain. We SEE the torn photographs of Nick and Audrey
laying on the floor.
ELSIE
Bye worm guy.
CUT TO:
123 INT. PHONE BOOTH - MOMENTS LATER - RAIN - DAY 123
Audrey in a street phone booth.
AUDREY
What do you mean Murray's not there? A
second ago you told me he was on the
other line...
Something catches Audrey's eye.
AUDREY'S P.O.V. - THROUGH GLASS - NICK
Lugging his bags out into the rain, Nick moves over to a
waiting cab.
124 EXT. COMMAND TENT AREA - NICK & CAB - RAIN - DAY 124
Lifting a heavy case, Nick places it into the cab's
trunk.
CABBY
Where to?
NICK
Newark airport.
Audrey moves up behind Nick.
AUDREY
You're leaving? Why?
Nick ignores her and continues to load the cab.
AUDREY
Is this cause of me? Because of the
story?
NICK
Well what the hell did you think was
going to happen?
AUDREY
You never said it was off the record.
NICK
I shouldn't have to, Audrey. You're
supposed to be my friend. I trusted
you.
AUDREY
I didn't mean for it to turn out like
this.
(confessing)
Look, I lied to you. I'm not a
reporter. When we broke up and I came
out to New York I was so sure I'd make
it. But I haven't. That's why I needed
this story so bad. I just couldn't
tell you I'm a failure.
NICK
So you thought that made it okay to
steal my tapes?
The last bag stowed, Nick moves to get into the cab. He
stops and turns back to her.
NICK
Good luck in your new career. I think
you really have what it takes.
He gets in and slams the door. The cab takes off leaving
a very alone Audrey standing in the rain.
AUDREY
(sad; to herself)
I'm sorry.
CUT TO:
125 INT. NEWARK AIRPORT - DAY 125
Long waiting lines for people trying to leave town.
People sleeping on the floors. Chaos. One group gathered
around a television set.
T.V. NEWS BROADCAST - VIDEO
We see images from crowed refugee shelters.
REPORTER
(filtered)
...every shelter in the tri-state area
has been overflowing with displaced
people. Tent cities have begun to
spring up all over the county...
As we TRACK away from the t.v. we FIND Nick taking a
seat at a small bar next to the gate. A WAITER comes
over.
WAITER
Can I get you something?
Before Nick can answer...
RAYMOND
Pernot, no ice.
Taking a seat directly across from Nick, Raymond sits
down, sizing him up. Nick is confused.
NICK
Do I know you?
RAYMOND
We've met before.
NICK
(remembering)
Oh yeah, the insurance guy.
Raymond pulls out his badge and lays it on the table in
front of Nick.
RAYMOND
SDECE, Service de Documentation
Exterieure et de Contre-Espionnage.
Agent Phillip Raymond.
NICK
Sounds like a big company.
RAYMOND
It's the French Secret Service.
NICK
Oh.
RAYMOND
We have learned that your American
friends have decided not to look for
the creature's nest.
NICK
(alarmed)
Are you sure? How do you know?
RAYMOND
We know.
NICK
Why are you telling this to me?
RAYMOND
I need you to trust me.
NICK
Why do you need that?
RAYMOND
I need your trust if you're to help me
find the nest.
NICK
Oh, my bags. I've checked them in.
RAYMOND
We, have already taken care of them.
Nick realizes Raymond is serious. The waiter hands
Raymond his drink. Raymond toasts Nick.
RAYMOND
Bon Chance!
CUT TO:
126 EXT. TENT CITY - AFTERNOON 126
A makeshift tent city has been set up in the park.
Animal video tapes an interview with a displaced
person.
DISPLACED PERSON
No one tells us a Goddamned thing. My
family is getting soaked out here. We
have no place else to go. We just want
to go back to our home.
Animal begins to PAN his camera around the tent city
when he SEES a SEDAN in the distance. He focus in on it
and SEES...
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. - SEDAN - NICK AND RAYMOND
Coming to stop at a light. Animal quickly lowers his
camera and hands it off to the Reporter he's working
with.
ANIMAL
I'll be right back.
Animal rushes over to the news van and takes off after
them, following.
127 EXT. WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER - AFTERNOON 127
Pulling up in front of a warehouse, Nick and Raymond
step out of the sedan. Staying hidden from view, Animal
pulls over. Intrigued, he watches them enter the
building.
128 INT. WAREHOUSE - RAYMOND'S MEN - AFTERNOON 128
Raymond enters with Nick. The room is filled with
equipment; radios, guns, explosives and armored
vehicles. We notice that more of Raymond's support team
are here.
NICK
How did you get all of this stuff into
the country?
RAYMOND
This is America. There is nothing you
can not buy.
Raymond gives Nick a tour.
NICK
So why all the secrecy? Why aren't you
guys working with the US military?
RAYMOND
I am not permitted to speak of such
things.
Nick stops and confronts Raymond.
NICK
You said you wanted my trust, then I
need yours.
Raymond considers this. Finally...
RAYMOND
I am a patriot. I love my country. Can
you understand that?
NICK
Sure.
RAYMOND
It is my job to protect my country.
Sometimes I must even protect it from
itself. From mistakes we have made.
Mistakes that we do not want the world
to know about.
NICK
Your talking about the nuclear testing
in the Pacific.
RAYMOND
Yes. This testing done by my country
left a terrible mess. We are here to
clean it up.
129 EXT. WAREHOUSE - ANIMAL - SAME - RAIN - AFTERNOON 129
Moving down alongside the building, Animal walks down
the side alley. He climbs up onto a garbage hamper and
peers into a cracked opened window.
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. - WAREHOUSE
Animal sees Nick and Raymond with all the hardware.
Several of the men are repainting the vehicles to
resemble those of the US Army.
130 INT. WAREHOUSE - SAME 130
Nick walks past the myriad of warfare tools. Jean-Claude
turns from the radios.
JEAN-CLAUDE
They will set the trap at thirty
minutes to ten.
RAYMOND
That is when we will go in.
Raymond leads Nick over to a large map.
RAYMOND
We know how to get into the city. We
just do not know where to start
looking.
Nick moves closer to the map, putting his finger on the
Flat Iron square subway station.
NICK
Here. 23rd street subway station.
Where we first found the fish. With a
little luck, this will lead us right
to it.
RAYMOND
So you're in?
NICK
Are you kidding? I always wanted to
join the French Foreign Legion.
CUT TO:
131 INT. LUCY'S APARTMENT BUILDING - LATER - LATE AFTERNOON 131
Animal quickly climbs the stairs. People are everywhere.
He has to step over them to get to his apartment. AS he
opens the door to his apartment he SEES...
132 INT. APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS - LATE AFTERNOON 132
Filled with people, Lucy is serving coffee. She smiles
at Animal as he enters.
ANIMAL
Who the hell are all these people?
LUCY
What? I just couldn't just let them
sleep in the street.
ANIMAL
Where's Audrey?
LUCY
In the bedroom. Crying her eyes out
because of you.
ANIMAL
What?
LUCY
All that "you gotta be vicious" stuff
you filled her head with.
ANIMAL
Me!? You where the one...
LUCY
Go in there. Talk to her.
Lucy pushes Animal towards the back bedroom.
133 INT. BEDROOM - SAME - LATE AFTERNOON 133
Audrey has been crying. Crumpled Kleenex wads piled up
all around her. A television plays a news broadcast,
boasting the headline: THEY CALL HIM GODZILLA! On the
t.v. we SEE a news conference with General Anderson
addressing some reporters.
REPORTERS
(simultaneously)
Can you comment on the nest? How many
more of these things will there be?
GENERAL ANDERSON
(filtered)
That's why I'm holding this
conference. To try and avoid a
needless panic.
Animal enters and watches from the back of the room.
GENERAL ANDERSON
Contrary to some frivolous reports, we
have no information to lead us to
believe that there are any eggs of the
creature in the city.
AUDREY
Stupid idiots!
ANIMAL
You okay?
AUDREY
It's all my fault. What have I done,
Animal? What have I become? Look at
me. This isn't me. I don't do things
like this.
ANIMAL
You made a mistake.
Suddenly someone exits the bathroom and crosses out of
the room. Animal looks at the stranger as he leaves.
AUDREY
Yeah, I just screwed up with the only
man who ever really cared about me.
ANIMAL
Didn't you tell me he left for the
airport?
AUDREY
Yeah. Why are you asking?
ANIMAL
I just saw him. He's with a bunch of
guys who want to sneak into the city
tonight.
Audrey tries to make sense of this. Suddenly she
realizes.
AUDREY
My God. He's going after the nest.
ANIMAL
Perfect! You wanted a story, well,
baby, you got one.
Excitedly Animal goes to the closet and retrieves a big
overcoat.
AUDREY
Animal, I can't.
ANIMAL
Look, you want to make it up to your
friend? Well if he's right, this is
your chance.
He starts going through his drawers, taking out battery
packs, tapes, etc, and putting it in his pockets.
AUDREY
(misgivings)
I don't know. I've already made such a
mess of things...
Animal walks up to the door, ready to exit.
ANIMAL
(smiling)
Audrey, I'm going after them. You can
come with me or not.
Conflicted, Audrey is not sure what to do. Animal opens
the bedroom window and begins to climb out.
AUDREY
What are you doing?
ANIMAL
Lucy'd kill me if she knew.
CUT TO:
134 INT. WAREHOUSE - LATER - SUNSET 134
Nick marches out of a changing room dressed in a
military uniform. As he moves into the room we SEE all
of Raymond's men dressed similarly.
As they climb into their vehicles, Raymond hands each a
stick of chewing gum. Nick gets in the passenger seat of
one of the vehicles, Raymond climbs in behind the
wheel.
NICK
What's with the chewing gum?
RAYMOND
Makes us look more American.
Nick looks over at the faux Americans. It's a tough
sell, gum or not.
NICK
Just let me do all the talking.
With that the vehicles pull out of the warehouse and out
into the rainy night.
135 EXT. LINCOLN TUNNEL - ENTRANCE - RAIN - SUNSET 135
An armed blockage seals the Jersey entrance to the
Lincoln tunnel. We widen to reveal Audrey and Animal by
a small side entrance. Animal works the lock.
AUDREY
What are you doing?
ANIMAL
It's the maintenance entrance. Runs
along the side of the tunnel. When
they repaired it last year I worked on
a piece about it.
Just then the lock TURNS and the door opens. They
enter.
136 EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE - JERSEY SIDE - SUNSET 136
A line of military vehicles approaches and slowly passes
through a guarded entrance, each vehicle checked. Nick
and Raymond's Humvee nears.
ANGLE - GUARDED BLOCKADE - CONTINUOUS
Raymond's Humvee rolls up and a GUARD walks up to the
window.
GUARD
(checking clipboard)
Who you boys with?
NICK
Oh, we're with the three two.
GUARD
I didn't ask you, soldier.
NICK
Sergeant O'Neal just called down for
us to join in.
Now he's suspicious. The guard approaches Raymond, checks
him out.
GUARD
You got a problem talkin'?
RAYMOND
(perfect southern accent)
Why no sir, I'm fine.
The Guard is suspicious but on a tight schedule. Finally
he waves him through.
GUARD
All right, keep it moving.
RAYMOND
(ala Presley)
Thank you very much.
They drive off. Nick is stunned by the act.
RAYMOND
Elvis Presley movies.
(by way of explanation)
He was the King!
137 INT. LINCOLN TUNNEL - MAINTENANCE DOOR - SAME - NIGHT 137
The door creeps open. Animal leans out to find the
tunnel deserted. He and Audrey step out and into the
tunnel. We FOLLOW them as they are headed for the exit
of the tunnel into Manhattan.
138 INT. RAYMOND'S HUMVEE - NIGHT 138
Raymond and Nick drive through Central Park. We can SEE
dozens of military people and vehicles in a large
meadow.
139 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - LARGE MEADOW - NIGHT 139
The enormous pile of fish is getting dumped in the
center of the field as many others are planting land
mines. Tanks, rockets and soldiers align the area.
The convoy of vehicles turn onto the meadow but Raymond
and his men keep going straight. They drive slowly right
past the trap sight and out of the park.
TIRES SQUEALING TO A STOP
Doors slam and immediately boots march past. We WIDEN to
reveal Raymond's team quickly gathering their gear and
heading down the subway entrance.
Raymond grabs a heavy bag and tosses it to Nick who
nearly topples from the weight.
RAYMOND
Be careful with that.
Nick looks into the bag and sees a bag marked
EXPLOSIVES. Shocked he looks back at Raymond, but he's
gone. Nick regains his breath and follows.
THE FISH
Older and nastier, but the same fish we saw in the
tunnel before. We FOLLOW the beam to its owner and find
Nick. We WIDEN to reveal that we're....
140 INT. SUBWAY TUNNEL - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT 140
The crisscrossing beams from the assault team's
flashlights nearly blind us as Nick leads the team
cautiously into the depth of this tunnel. Periodic fish
are found along the way. Suddenly the faint HUMMING
sound in the tunnel STOPS.
Everyone freezes as the wind shifts direction. A
familiar SMELL passes over them as they sniff the air.
NICK
They've turned off the ventilation
system. They're calling him to
dinner.
RAYMOND
Let's hope we are not the hors
d'oeuvres.
Nervously they continue onward.
141 EXT. 23RD STREET SUBWAY STATION - SAME - NIGHT 141
Animal and Audrey arrive, spotting the assault team's
vehicles. They head carefully down the stairs.
142 INT. 23RD STREET SUBWAY STATION - SAME - NIGHT 142
Audrey and Animal, camera in hand shooting everything,
climb down into the station. Animal rushes to the end of
the platform and searches down into the tunnels.
VIDEO P.O.V. - DARK TUNNEL - DISTANT LIGHTS
Through the camera we SEE the lights in the distance of
the tunnel.
ANIMAL
(whispering)
They're down there. Let's go.
Animal jumps off the platform, down onto what's left of
the tracks. Audrey squeamishly follows.
143 INT. TUNNELS - NICK & TEAM - SAME - NIGHT 143
Nick kneels down to inspect some debris. An old
SCREECHING SOUND is heard in the distance. Suddenly the
ground begins to quake. Dust falling. The SCREECHING
gets louder and louder.
Raymond moves up to Nick and points ahead. Nick nods in
nervous agreement. Just as they move towards the sounds
the ENTIRE WALL OF THE TUNNEL COLLAPSES next to them.
Bursting through the tunnel wall GODZILLA appears. His
enormous claws burrowing, he makes his way through and
into the tunnel. Quickly he moves past the team.
The team DIVES into a cross tunnel just as the colossal
beast BLASTS past them, barely missing them.
144 INT. 23RD STREET SUBWAY STATION - TUNNEL ENTRANCE 144
Audrey and Animal have just gotten into the tunnel
entrance. The entire place is shaking. Audrey is in a
panic.
AUDREY
Animal, let's get out of here.
But Animal hoists his camera and starts filming as
SOMETHING is moving TOWARDS them. Audrey is tugging at
him as the shaking gets more violent. With all her
strength, she finally gets Animal to start moving
backwards.
Just as they're out of the tunnel, the CREATURE BLASTS
outward. Audrey and Animal DIVE into the maintenance
ducks along side the tracks to avoid collision.
ANGLE - AUDREY AND ANIMAL
Animal is shielding Audrey with his body. She looks up
just in time to SEE Godzilla CRAWLING UP and out through
the ceiling. An amazing site.
AUDREY
Shoot! Shoot it!
Animal grabs his camera and gets the last moment of it
disappearing from view. Once gone, they both break into
enormous sighs of relief and nervous laughter.
145 INT. TUNNEL - SAME 145
Recovering, Raymond and the team walk back into the main
tunnel. They near the hole Godzilla just created,
examining it. Nick climbs into the hole.
NICK
I guess we go this way.
Raymond and his men follow.
146 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 146
Major Hicks is at the radio as the Generals sit behind
him.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
Sergeant, status?
147 INT. CENTRAL PARK - SAME - NIGHT 147
The park is bathed in light. Armed troops surround the
area. Tanks and missile launchers are in place. Sergeant
O'Neal kneels down by a sandbag fortification.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(into radio)
Any sign of it?
148 EXT. ROOFTOP - SPOTTERS - SAME - NIGHT 148
From the rooftop of one of the central park south high
rises, a team of SPOTTERS scan the area.
SPOTTER P.O.V. - THROUGH BINOCULARS - GODZILLA
Moving steadily towards central park, Godzilla makes his
way up seventh avenue.
SPOTTER
Got him. Section 5, heading north to
target.
149 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME 149
The Sergeant gives the nod and several teams of shooters
take off running, taking positions. The tanks turn their
gun turrets towards downtown, expectantly. Missile
launchers turn, arming devices locked.
150 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 150
Major Hicks stands near a computerized schematic of
Manhattan. A large RED FLASHING BLIP nears Central
Park.
151 EXT. SEVENTH AVENUE - GODZILLA - SAME 151
Godzilla moves up 7th Ave. He reaches Central Park South
and STOPS. He glances over to the park where bright
lights are glaring.
Something is making Godzilla more cautious this time.
Unsure he vacillates between moving forward and staying
within the shelter of the tall buildings.
ANGLE - O'NEAL - CENTRAL PARK
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(into radio)
Don't fire until he's cleared the
buildings and has moved into the
park.
ANGLE - GODZILLA
Still unsure, he ROARS out, frustrated with his own
indecision.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Come on, come on!
152 INT. TUNNELS - SAME - NIGHT 152
Nick leads the team through the cross town tunnel
created by Godzilla. Climbing over the debris, they make
their way to another opening. We FOLLOW them as they
clamber through the hole and into...
153 INT. PENN STATION - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 153
The largest subway/rail station in New York. Godzilla
has torn it to shreds. We get the feeling this is where
Godzilla has spent most of his time. Scattered fish
abound.
High above, there is a immense black hole in the tall
ceiling. Wherever it leads to is very dark. Nick and
Raymond stare at the hole together.
RAYMOND
What is up there?
154 EXT. 34TH STREET - MOMENTS LATER - SUBWAY ENTRANCE - 154
NIGHT
Climbing the stairs out from the subway, Nick et all
walk up onto the street to SEE...
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
The team cautiously approaches the building.
155 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - SAME - NIGHT 155
Carefully moving out from between the buildings Godzilla
takes a step into Central Park.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(into radio)
Prepare to fire!
Guns are cocked, locked on and hoisted. Suddenly
Godzilla gets cold feet and starts to turn around.
156 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 156
The RED BLIP suddenly begins to move away from the
park.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
Damn it! Fire! Shoot it before it gets
away!
157 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - SAME - NIGHT 157
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Fire at will! Fire at will!
All the weapons surround the area FIRE AT ONCE. Several
more Cobra Helicopters ZOOM DOWN out of nowhere.
Plunging downward, they FIRE at Godzilla.
The firepower ripping up everything around him, Godzilla
ROARS and deftly DIVES out of the park and back between
the buildings.
But as he bounds over to 57th street, there is a
contingency of MOBILE ROCKET LAUNCHERS waiting. They
FIRE. Godzilla DODGES and the rockets DESTROY PLANET
HOLLYWOOD as Godzilla races by.
With the helicopters right on his tail, Godzilla makes a
westward run across 57th street. Smashing parked
vehicles and his tail SWIPING buildings as it DASHES.
WEST SIDE HIGHWAY
Godzilla is heading straight for it, the helicopters
SHOOTING from the air. Suddenly Godzilla LEAPS higher
than we've seen before. He hurls himself OVER the West
Side Highway and SPLASHES DOWN into the Hudson River,
vanishing beneath the water's surface.
158 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 158
Furious, Major Hicks throws his headset against the
console violently. ADMIRAL JOHNSTON leans down into
frame.
ADMIRAL JOHNSTON
Don't worry. The Navy has a little
something there waiting for him.
THREE NUCLEAR SUBMARINES
In the murky waters of the Hudson river.
159 INT. NUCLEAR SUBMARINE - THE ARIZONA - SAME - NIGHT 159
The alarm KLAXONS are RINGING OUT as everyone rushes to
battle stations. The CAPTAIN moves over to a sonar
screen; a large MASS nearby blips on the screen.
CAPTAIN
(into radio)
We've got him on sonar. Arizona
closing in.
160 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 160
Different monitors have put up a three dimensional
schematic of the Hudson river. We SEE outlines of the
three nuclear subs approaching their target.
RADIO VOICES
(filtered)
...Indiana, closing in...Calvin
Coolidge, closing in...
161 INT. LOBBY - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - SAME - NIGHT 161
The doors are pried open. It's very dark in here, only
the assault team's flashlights illuminate. As they enter
the lobby, the team splits up into different search
groups.
Nick, Raymond and Jean-Claude move down the large front
lobby and turn down one of the many hallways surrounding
the main auditorium.
ANGLE - HALLWAY - ENTRY LEVEL - CONTINUOUS
Cautiously they move towards us. In the distance we see
the rest of the team moving the other direction. Raymond
and Nick arrive at a door leading to the main
auditorium. Nick is about to push the door open when
Raymond stops him.
RAYMOND
Jean-Claude.
On command, Jean-Claude snaps together his automatic
rifle as Raymond pulls out his semi-automatic pistol. He
nods "okay" to Nick who slowly opens the door.
As the door opens a small pile of FISH tumbles down over
their feet. They step over the fish and enter.
162 INT. AUDITORIUM - ENTRY LEVEL - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 162
Total darkness. Nick, Raymond and Jean-Claude cautiously
step over the fish inside. Only their flashlight beams
can be seen.
NICK'S P.O.V. - TRASHED AUDITORIUM
His beam cruises over the area nearby. It's been gutted.
Fish lay strewed on the floor everywhere. Suddenly Nick
spots a strange cluster of OBJECTS. He moves closer.
Raymond follows. With their combined light we can
SEE...
THREE ENORMOUS EGGS
A pile of reptile eggs nearly twice as tall as they are.
Raymond walks behind the egg, illuminating it from the
other side, making it partially translucent. We can SEE
THE EMBRYO inside the egg and IT'S MOVING!
NICK
Three eggs. I thought there would be
more.
RAYMOND
You were right.
Slowly Nick turns and SEES what Jean-Claude is staring
at open jawed...
DOZENS OF EGGS
Together their beams of light scan across the main
auditorium floor surrounding the gaping hole to discover
DOZENS OF EGGS piled in clumps everywhere.
NICK
That can't be. That's got to be over
twenty eggs.
163 INT. OTHER HALLWAY - SAME - NIGHT 163
Another of Raymond's men (R-MAN #2) has found a
switchboard, he examines the switches.
164 INT. PENN STATION - SAME - NIGHT 164
Animal and Audrey are wandering through the debris.
AUDREY
Okay, where'd they go from here?
165 INT. OTHER HALLWAY - SAME - NIGHT 165
R-MAN #2 locates the switch he's looking for and hits
it.
166 INT. AUDITORIUM - SAME - NIGHT 166
Nick, Raymond and Jean-Claude are stunned as the work
lights suddenly TURN ON illuminating the room,
revealing...
HUNDREDS OF EGGS
All over the main auditorium floor. A stunning tableau.
Nick is speechless. Raymond turns to him.
RAYMOND
Start counting.
167 INT. PENN STATION - SAME 167
The light filters down from the gaping hole in the
ceiling.
ANIMAL
They must have climbed all the way up
into there.
Together they notice some large metal piping that has
fallen from the auditorium. They move over to it and
begin to climb.
168 EXT. UNDERWATER - HUDSON RIVER - NUCLEAR SUB - NIGHT 168
The Arizona races past us.
169 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 169
We follow a runner who hands a report to the Admiral who
is conferring with the General and Major Hicks by the
schematic. The Admiral reads the report.
ADMIRAL JOHNSTON
They've surrounded the target just at
the mouth of the Hudson river.
170 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME - NIGHT 170
He swims at enormous speed heading directly at the
Arizona.
171 INT. SUBMARINE - ARIZONA - SAME - NIGHT 171
The lights dim as they prepare for battle.
CAPTAIN
Are we locked on?
ENSIGN
Locked on, Captain.
CAPTAIN
Fire.
172 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME - NIGHT 172
The torpedo is FIRED and comes darting directly at
Godzilla who abruptly SWERVES. The torpedo, however,
FOLLOWS him.
ANGLE - SUBMARINE - CALVIN COOLIDGE
From the other direction, closing in. Godzilla DIVES,
skidding close to the bottom. The TORPEDO begins to
close the gap.
Suddenly Godzilla SHOOTS UPWARDS heading directly for
the underside of the Calvin Coolidge.
173 INT. CALVIN COOLIDGE SUB - BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 173
The Calvin's CAPTAIN rushes over to the sonar screens.
ENSIGN #2
He's shifted course. He's heading
right at us!
CALVIN'S CAPTAIN
Full stern!
174 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME 174
Godzilla RAMS the underside of the Calvin Coolidge
before she can turn. The entire sub SPINS, TWISTING OVER
its side and colliding directly with...
THE TORPEDO
slams into the side of the rolling and dented nuclear
submarine. With a CONCUSSION the sub EXPLODES.
175 EXT. HUDSON RIVER - SAME 175
An enormous SPRAY OF WATER erupts from the river,
bubbles and debris float to the surface.
176 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 176
The computerized representation of the Calvin Coolidge
VANISHES off the monitor.
RADIO OPERATOR
We've lost the Coolidge, Sir.
The Admiral burns.
177 INT. ARIZONA SUBMARINE - SONAR CONSOLE - SAME - NIGHT 177
The BLIP representing Godzilla turns.
ENSIGN
He's shifted course, Sir. He's heading
back towards Manhattan.
CAPTAIN
Full ahead. Close in and lock on.
178 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME - NIGHT 178
Godzilla attempts to make his way back to the shore. The
Indiana and Arizona close in on either side.
179 INT. ARIZONA - SAME 179
ENSIGN
Locked on, Sir.
CAPTAIN
Fire!
180 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME - NIGHT 180
Boxed in from either side, Godzilla RACES through the
water. At the same moment both submarines FIRE their
torpedoes.
Godzilla reaches the underwater shoreline of Manhattan
and begins BURROWING FURIOUSLY. As his gigantic claws
start DIGGING up earth, an enormous TURBULENCE of clouds
and dirt cloud the waters around him, cloaking him.
181 INT. ARIZONA - SAME - NIGHT 181
The Captain and his Ensign are at the Sonar. We TRACK
two torpedoes approaching target (Godzilla).
ENSIGN
Impact in eight seconds, seven,
six...
182 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 182
Huddled around the schematic and radio, they hear...
ENSIGN (O.S.)
(filtered)
...five, four, three...
183 EXT. UNDERWATER - SAME 183
The torpedoes ENTER into frame and disappear into this
undersea dust cloud. An enormous EXPLOSION BLASTS from
its center, waves of concussion reverberate.
184 EXT. BATTERY PARK - MANHATTAN - SAME - NIGHT 184
With the EXPLOSION and enormous TIDAL WAVE rises and
CRASHES DOWN over battery park with tremendous impact.
Parked cars and phone booths are washed away.
185 INT. ARIZONA SUBMARINE - SAME - NIGHT 185
The ENSIGN checks the SONAR.
ENSIGN
Direct hit!
The crew erupts in cheers.
186 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 186
They hear the cheering from the sub over the radio.
SOLDIER
They got 'em!
The Generals congratulate each other and Major Hicks.
187 EXT. UNDERWATER - SAME - NIGHT 187
Toppling down out of the murky turbulence, we SEE
Godzilla falling away from the shoreline, backwards the
ocean floor, drifting down to the bottom of the Hudson
river like so many cement shoed gangsters.
188 INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - SAME - NIGHT 188
Raymond and his men are laying out the plastic
explosives around the room by the clumps of eggs.
Jean-Claude walks up to Raymond.
JEAN-CLAUDE
We do not have enough explosives.
Raymond turns and sees Nick, across the room studying a
group of eggs. Raymond goes towards him.
ANGLE - AUDITORIUM FLOOR - HOLE - SAME
Crawling out from the hole in the center of the floor,
Animal and Audrey appear. They're stunned at what they
see. Quickly Animal hoists his camera and begins to film
as an amazed Audrey walks through.
ANGLE - NICK AND EGGS - MID-LEVEL DECK
Kneeling down along side the eggs, Nick examines them.
Raymond approaches.
RAYMOND
Nick, we have a problem.
Nick silences him with a gesture as he moves in to
listen to the egg. He leans his ear against the shell.
Suddenly we HEAR a loud CRACK. Nick jumps backwards.
The shell RUPTURES and an large FISSURE opens up across
the egg. As we hear other CRACKS O.S., Nick turns and
SEES more eggs beginning to open all around them.
ANGLE - AUDREY AND ANIMAL - FLOOR LEVEL
Hidden in this forest of tall eggs, Animal leans in
close to one getting video footage of it cracking.
Audrey nervously watches. What she doesn't see, however,
is a BABYZILLA, fish hanging from its jaw, as it
approaches from behind.
ANGLE - NICK AND RAYMOND
Stunned, they can only stare as the BABYZILLA BREAKS
FREE of his shell and gives a mini version of the famous
WAIL.
RAYMOND
I think we should leave now.
NICK
Good idea.
The BABYZILLA kneels down and immediately starts
GOBBLING UP the dead fish laying nearby. Cautiously Nick
and Raymond slowly back away until they are a far enough
distance, they they break into a run and head for the
exit.
ANGLE - AUDREY AND ANIMAL - FLOOR LEVEL
The Babyzilla continues to chomp on its fish as it nears
Audrey. Animal continues to shoot the cracking egg.
ANIMAL
(whispered)
One more second. This is fantastic.
Just then Animal turns to SEE the Babyzilla right behind
Audrey.
AUDREY
Don't you think we have enough?
ANIMAL
Yes. Definitely. Definitely enough.
Audrey turns to see what Animal is staring at. Her eyes
go WIDE as she backs up into Animal. Another BABYZILLA
appear on the other side of them.
ANIMAL
Just be calm. Don't startle them.
Animal leads Audrey backwards as they make their way
towards the large "team" entrance at the end of the
floor. The two Babyzillas swallow their fish and begin
to SNIFF the air.
Audrey moves up the isle. An egg CRACKS and an ARM
breaks out through a shell, GRABBING HER LEG. Audrey
FREAKS and frantically she KICKS herself free. They both
suddenly take off running.
189 INT. MID-LEVEL HALLWAYS - SAME 189
Nick and Raymond race to the stairwell. Raymond pulls
out his radio.
RAYMOND
(into radio)
Everyone, outside! Now!
ANGLE - JEAN-CLAUDE - MID-LEVEL DECKS - ACROSS THE ROOM
Laying down the plastic explosives. Hearing the radio,
he drops what they're doing just as several eggs near
them begin to CRACK. Quickly he and his partner take off
running.
190 INT. FAR BACK WALL - LOWER LEVEL - SAME 190
Two other men are still laying cables for the
explosives. One of them is kneeling in a pile of FISH
near the eggs.
R-MAN #2
Come on, let's go.
R-MAN #3
One moment. I've almost got this.
Just then a BABYZILLA pops up behind the eggs, a fish in
his mouth. He SWALLOWS the fish and begins SNIFFING THE
AIR. He turns and stares directly at the slowly
retreating R-MAN #3.
He smells his own hands and realizes he smells like
fish, quickly he turns and RUNS.
But Babyzilla is faster. He runs up from behind and
LEAPS onto R-MAN #3's back. R-MAN #2 begins to FIRE at
Babyzilla just as another one TACKLES HIM from the
side.
In moments, they are both devoured.
191 INT. TEAM ENTRANCE - FLOOR-LEVEL - SAME 191
Audrey and Animal reach the entrance and race inside.
The main exit doors are locked from the outside. They
turn back just as...
THREE BABYZILLAS
appear in the team entrance doorway SNIFFING THE AIR.
Audrey SEES something, grabs Animal's wrist and pulls
him to one of the Locker room doors. It's open.
192 INT. LOCKER ROOM - CONTINUOUS 192
Through the door we SEE the Babyzilla approaching as
Audrey and Animal leap inside, slamming the door behind
them. There is a sudden THUD against the door.
Animal rushes over to a large LOCKER CABINET and, with
all his strength, PUSHES it over, blocking the door.
AUDREY
Great. Now what do we do?
193 INT. HALLWAYS - MID-LEVEL - SAME 193
Nick and Raymond run up to another open doorway and look
inside.
NICK'S P.O.V. - AUDITORIUM
Dozens and dozens of eggs HATCHING. BABYZILLAS
everywhere begin to awaken and immediately begin to
devour all the fish. A Babyzilla appears only feet away
and turns and stares directly at us.
Quickly Raymond slams the doors shut as they both
retreat back into the hallway. Raymond SMASHES the glass
covering of a nearby FIRE HOSE and raps it around the
door handles, locking it closed.
Suddenly a loud THUD as something begins to BANG against
the locked doorway.
RAYMOND
We've got to lock them inside while we
can.
Raymond tosses his cellular phone to Nick.
RAYMOND
Contact the military and get them to
send a bomber to blow up this building
before these things escape.
NICK
How do I do that?
RAYMOND
555-7600. Tell them it's a code
dragonfly. They should get you
through.
Amazed by Raymond, Nick just stares at him.
RAYMOND
What are you waiting for?
Nick snaps out of it and dials.
OPERATOR
(filtered)
...all circuits are busy right now.
Please hang up and try again...
194 EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 194
A large and ANGRY mob has gathered at the roadblock to
the bridge. People, their cars packed with belongings,
are screaming to be let back into Manhattan. Horns honk
and the blockade guards are getting nervous.
195 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 195
The Mayor marches over to Major Hicks who is consulting
with the Generals.
MAYOR
Do you have any idea what's going on
out there? The phones are ringing off
the hook with people screaming to be
let back into the city.
MAJOR HICKS
We're sending divers into the river
now to retrieve the body.
MAYOR
That thing's dead. What the hell are
we waiting for?
Just then Elise rushes over to the Major.
ELSIE
Major, if Nick is right, this could be
our last chance to do something about
it. We have to search for the nest,
now.
Major Hicks is torn. Finally he nods in agreement,
turning to another officer.
MAJOR HICKS
Organize a search party. I want a
complete sweep of the entire city and
subway system.
MAYOR
You don't have the authority to do
that.
The Major turns and cooly approaches the Mayor.
MAJOR HICKS
Try and stop me.
Major Hicks smiles at the Mayor who exits, petulantly.
196 INT. AUDITORIUM - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - DOORWAY - 196
NIGHT
We SEE dozens and dozens of Babyzillas fighting with
each other over the last of the fish. Suddenly this
image is SLAMMED SHUT as doors are closed and a FIRE
HOSE is rapped around door handles. We widen to
reveal...
Raymond fastening the hose around the door. Secured,
Raymond takes off running.
197 INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - HALLWAY - SAME 197
Nick is on the pay phone frantically dialing as Raymond
comes up. We hear a BUSY signal from the phone. Nick
dials again.
RAYMOND
What'd they say?
NICK
I can't get through. I don't know
what's wrong.
OPERATOR
(filtered)
...all circuits are busy right now...
Jean-Clude and his partner arrive.
JEAN-CLAUDE
We've secured the doors on both
levels.
RAYMOND
Where's Luc and Pierre?
JEAN-CLAUDE
They didn't make it.
RAYMOND
(quickly recovering)
Nick, my men and I will hold them
here. You will have to go and get
help!
Nick nods in agreement and takes off down stairs. The
rest of the team SNAP TOGETHER their automatic rifles
and prepare for a fight.
198 INT. LOCKER ROOM - SAME 198
Animal and Audrey are checking out every corner of the
room.
ANIMAL
There's got to be another way out of
here.
Audrey climbs up onto a table and yanks out a grate
covering the air vent.
AUDREY
Think we can fit up in there?
ANIMAL
Only one way to find out.
He rushes over to her and helps her climb up inside.
199 INT. FLOOR-LEVEL HALLWAYS - SAME 199
Jean-Claude sends Luc up ahead as they guard the
doorways. A loud THUMP is heard on the door they are
guarding. Each turns their weapon towards the doors.
Suddenly a portion of WALL BETWEEN THEM COLLAPSES.
A DOZEN BABYZILLAS leaping through the plaster. As they
spill out into the hall, Jean-Claude attempts to open
FIRE. One of the Babyzilla's is HIT.
His brothers ATTACK. Luc from the other side tries to
lay down cover fire but he's overrun by the herd.
200 INT. HALLWAY - MAIN LOBBY LEVEL - SAME 200
Nick comes racing down the stairs and into the hallway.
Just then, he passes a locked door, BANGING on the other
side.
Just up ahead he can SEE the main lobby. But before he
can get there, a LOUD CRASH is heard as the locked door
in front of him SMASHES TO BITS as...
DOZENS OF BABYZILLAS
Flood into the main lobby only a few yards ahead. Nick
slams on the breaks and quietly tries to back away. He
turns to run the other directions when...
MORE BABYZILLA
Come BURSTING THROUGH the locked door behind him. Pinned
down with no way out. Nick SEES the elevator nearby and
races over, slamming his hand against the button.
NICK
Come on, come on.
The Babyzillas by the front door spot Nick. A couple of
them start to SNIFF THE AIR and start to move towards
him. Behind, the Babyzilla also catch the scent and
turn.
NICK
This is not good.
Just then the elevator doors open, Nick LEAPS inside.
201 INT. ELEVATOR - SAME 201
Nick frantically pushes the CLOSE DOOR button but it's
painfully slow to react.
NICK
I hate these things!
Just then the Babyzillas appear. They're just about to
move in when the doors finally CLOSE. Nick breaths a
sigh of relief just as a loud THUD is heard as one of
them SLAMS against the door. It's too late, the elevator
begins to rise.
202 INT. AIR VENT - SAME - NIGHT 202
Climbing upward, Animal reaches a plateau and crawls
into cross vent. He reaches back and grabs his camera.
Putting it down he turns back and helps Audrey up and
in.
ANIMAL
You okay?
Out of breath, she nods. Animal takes the lead again,
pushing his camera in front of him. He reaches another
vent that looks down. He's about to pull it free when
something catches his eye.
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. - THROUGH VENT - RAYMOND
Standing guard, automatic rife in hand, Raymond appears
with his back toward us. Animal lifts his camera to
shoot.
AUDREY
(whispered)
What? What is it?
Animal doesn't answer, he just shoots.
203 INT. HALLWAY - SAME 203
The elevator doors open and Raymond SWERVES his gun
around ready to shoot. Frightened, Nick throws his hands
in the air.
NICK
Hey, it's me!
204 INT. VENT - SAME 204
Audrey has pushed her way up alongside of Animal to peer
down through the grating.
RAYMOND
What happened?
205 INT. HALLWAY - SAME 205
Nick keeps dialing the cell phone, still busy.
NICK
They're loose. They're allover the
main lobby. I couldn't get out.
Just then the vents above COLLAPSES and Animal and
Audrey come tumbling down. In a flash, Raymond has his
weapon trained on their heads.
RAYMOND
Who the hell are you?
NICK
It's okay. I know her.
Raymond turns his gun towards the fallen video camera
and FIRES, ripping the camera apart.
ANIMAL
Hey! What gives?
RAYMOND
No cameras.
Nick moves to Audrey's side, helping her up.
NICK
What are you doing here?
AUDREY
I thought you said there'd only be a
dozen eggs.
NICK
I was wrong.
Just then a LOUD THUMP is heard against the near locked
door. The THUMPING gets louder and heavier.
RAYMOND
Do you have a radio, a walkie-talkie?
Anything we can use to contact the
outside.
AUDREY
What about the phones?
NICK
Circuits are overloaded.
AUDREY
(gets an idea)
I know a way. I know how you can get
a message out of here.
The door BURSTS OPEN and TWENTY BABYZILLAS stampede into
the hallway. Audrey is fast on her feet.
AUDREY
This way.
She takes off running and they follow. The Babyzillas
give chase. Animal, hangs back and runs over to the
destroyed video camera and PULLS OUT THE TAPE. Just as
he does, the Babyzillas are nearly on top of him. He
dashes off.
ANGLE - END OF HALL - BACK DOOR
Audrey gets there first and opens the small doorway that
leads to a back stairwell, she ushers the rest inside.
She slams the door behind her as the Babyzillas appear
and begin to SNIFF the doorway.
206 INT. HALLWAY - LUXURY BOXES - SAME - NIGHT 206
They spill out into the hall and rush past all the
luxury boxes overlooking the auditorium.
AUDREY
Come on, the broadcast booth is right
over here.
NICK
How do you know?
AUDREY
Our network covers the Ranger games.
207 INT. MID-LEVEL - END OF HALL - BACK DOOR 207
The Babyzillas are gathered by the doorway SNIFFING. One
of the more aggressive ones starts to CLAW at the door,
RIPPING into it. Another charges it, THUD.
208 INT. LUXURY BOX HALLWAY - SAME 208
They rush up to a door marked BROADCAST BOOTH. Audrey
tries the door, it's locked. Animal charges his shoulder
into it, but it doesn't give.
Raymond gently moves Animal out of the way and SHOOTS
the lock to pieces. He opens the door for everyone to
enter.
209 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME - NIGHT 209
They rush into the empty broadcast booth. Animal turns
on the lights as Audrey goes over and boots the computer
terminal. Raymond moves some equipment against the door,
securing it closed.
AUDREY
The network is on an intranet. It's a
direct feed into our computer system.
NICK
Your station won't have any easier
time contacting the military than I
did.
That stumps her. Animal gets an idea.
ANIMAL
When you worked with them, did they
monitor the news broadcasts?
NICK
(getting the idea)
Yes, they did.
ANIMAL
We'll go live! We'll broadcast from
here. Hopefully they'll see it.
210 INT. MID-LEVEL - END OF HALL - BACK DOOR 210
More of the creatures have gathered by the door. Two
more CHARGE and the door collapses. The Babyzillas rush
up the stairs.
211 INT. WNEW NEWS TRUCK - EDITING BAY - SAME 211
Ed is watching the news feed. Caiman is on.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...Yes, the threat is over but the
pain continues...
Suddenly Ed's computer begins to BEEP. Ed slides his
chair over and looks at his monitor. It reads NEW MAIL:
URGENT! He double clicks it and a letter pops up that
reads. Ed pick up transponder CFX 1 and watch the feed.
ED
(to himself)
There's no Ranger game on tonight.
Ed makes a couple of adjustments on his controls and
turns on a blank monitor. He SEES...
C.U. MONITOR - AUDREY
Racing in front of the camera we SEE Audrey in the
control booth.
AUDREY
...If you're seeing this, Ed, please
put us on Live! This is urgent! I know
this sounds crazy Ed but you have to
do it. Please, trust me.
ED
(incredulous)
I'm not putting you on live!
212 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME 212
Nick turns on a small television and we still SEE Caiman
doing the news. Audrey turns to Animal.
AUDREY
He's not going to do it.
ANIMAL
Oh yes he will.
Animal turns the camera and points out the window at the
BABYZILLA'S below.
213 INT. WNEW NEWS TRUCK - SAME 213
Ed's eyes nearly pop out of his head.
AUDREY
(filtered)
Ed, you see that? They'll be all over
the city if we don't stop them!
Ed rushes over to the console and goes to work.
214 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 214
The mode is festive. The Generals are preparing to leave
as is Major Hicks. Sergeant O'Neal and some of his men
are watching the t.v. news.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...as our fears have been allayed
thanks to the dedicated work of our
boys in uniform...
Everyone in the room begins to cheer. Suddenly Caiman's
image goes fuzzy. In a moment it's replaced by Audrey.
AUDREY
(filtered)
Are we on? Are we live?
215 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME 215
Nick SEES Audrey on the t.v. and gives her the thumbs
up.
AUDREY
We're live from inside Madison Square
Garden where Dr. Niko Tatopoulos has
discovered the beasts lair. Doctor,
tell us what is happening here.
Animal swerves the camera over to Nick. Raymond stays
back behind the camera, watching.
NICK
We've discovered over two hundred eggs
which began hatching only moments ago.
216 INT. LUXURY BOXES HALLWAY - SAME 216
The creatures come bursting out of the stairwell and
flood into the hall. Sniffing around they pick up the
scent and take off.
217 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 217
A Soldier tugs on Major Hicks shoulder, try to get his
attention.
MAJOR HICKS
What is it?
SOLDIER
You better see this.
The Major turns around just in time to SEE Nick on the
t.v.
NICK
If the military are listening, they
must immediately destroy this building
before they can escape.
AUDREY (O.S.)
Oh my God! They're coming!
The camera SWERVES to SEE through the luxury booths
across from them, the dozens of Babyzillas approaching.
218 INT. LUCY'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - SAME 218
The bedroom is packed with Lucy's "guests" as they watch
the t.v., SEEING the Babyzillas.
LUCY
Oh my God!
On the screen the image turns to Nick.
NICK
(filtered)
If those creatures escape and
multiply, in a very short time a new
species will emerge. One that could
replace us as the dominant species of
this planet.
219 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 219
Major Hicks is on the phone.
MAJOR HICKS
(into phone)
That's correct, I want you to blow up
Madison Square Garden. No I'm not
drunk.
(to O'Neal)
Contact the news station. Tell them
we're on the way.
220 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME - NIGHT 220
Raymond spots a large spool of co-axle cable. Quickly he
ties it to the support beam.
AUDREY
Reporting live from Madison Square
Garden, this is Audrey Timmonds,
WNEW.
221 INT. AUDREY'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - SAME 221
Everyone is breathless watching the news. Lucy beams.
LUCY
That's my girl.
222 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME 222
Animal lowers the camera and everyone is silent.
NICK
Thanks, Audrey.
The computer beeps, Animal reads the message.
ANIMAL
The good news is they got the message.
The bad news is we've got five and a
half minutes to get out of the
building.
Suddenly the room ROCKS as the Babyzillas begin crashing
against the blocked door. Raymond jumps to his feet.
RAYMOND
Okay, party's over. Time to leave.
With that he SPRAYS bullets into the front glass window
SHATTERING IT. Glass rains down below. Raymond tosses
the spool of cable out the broken window.
RAYMOND
Anyone care to join me?
Animal dislodges one of the video cameras, hoists it on
his shoulder and moves over to join Raymond.
223 EXT. AIR BASE - F-18 SQUADRON - SAME - NIGHT 223
Several F-18's prepare to take flight. We focus on one,
an enormous bomb attached under its wing. The F-18 taxis
away from us.
224 INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - AUDITORIUM - SAME 224
Repelling down from the broken window of the broadcast
booth, Animal and Raymond land on the upper-level
balcony. Raymond signals to the others to follow.
225 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME 225
Audrey and Nick are nervous as they stare at the long
drop down. The door is begging to give way from the
repeated THUMPING. Suddenly Audrey leans over and kisses
Nick.
AUDREY
In case I can't later.
With that she JUMPS out, repelling downward. Nick is
stunned by the unexpected kiss. Suddenly the door GIVES
and the Babyzilla FLOOD into the room. Nick jumps.
226 INT. AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS 226
Audrey hits the ground followed by Nick. Raymond leads
as they make their way out.
On the other end of the room some Babyzilla appear in a
doorway and watch our friends scurry away. The
Babyzillas take off in hot pursuit.
227 INT. DARK SKIES - F-18 SQUADRON - NIGHT 227
The F-18's fly in formation. Their leader carrying the
same bomb we saw loaded earlier.
228 INT. FLOOR-LEVEL HALLWAY - SAME - NIGHT 228
Raymond, guns in each hand, comes rushing into the
hallway. He SEES a small group of Babyzillas down the
hall and gestures for the group to go the other way.
Raymond backs away, guns trained on the Babyzillas who
SNIFF the air and decide to pursue. Raymond turns and
runs.
ANGLE - FARTHER DOWN HALLWAY - AROUND THE CORNER - SAME
As they tear forward they nearly run smack into a heard
of several dozen Babyzillas who are tearing the
concession stands to ribbons looking for food.
Spotted, the Babyzillas LEAP forward after the team.
Raymond spots the escalators across the hall.
RAYMOND
The escalators, hurry!
229 EXT. SKIES - F-18'S - NIGHT 229
We FOLLOW the squadron as they pass us to reveal the
beautiful MANHATTAN SKYLINE approaching.
230 INT. ESCALATOR CORRIDOR - MADISON SQUARE - SAME 230
The team races into the corridor. Animal reaches down
and hits the POWER button near the moving stairs. The
escalator comes to life.
The team runs down the "down" escalators as the
Babyzillas flood into the corridor. Some try to go down
the "up" escalator and fall all over themselves. Others
are spooked by the moving down escalator. Finally, the
brave ones begin to LEAP down the "down" escalator.
231 INT. MAIN LOBBY HALLWAY - SAME 231
Racing out of the escalator corridor the team moves into
the main lobby and FREEZES. They are surrounded on all
sides by Babyzillas!
Like the scene in Hitcock's "The Birds" it is eerily
still as everyone freezes.
232 EXT. MANHATTAN SKYLINE - F-18'S - NIGHT 232
Closing over the city, the lead bomber breaks formation,
flying lower, closer to the rooftops.
233 INT. COCKPIT - HUD DISPLAY - NIGHT 233
Through the windshield's Heads-Up-Display (HUD) we SEE a
target LOCKING ON, flashing.
PILOT
I'm locking on now.
234 INT. MAIN LOBBY - MADISON SQUARE - SAME 234
As several SNIFF THE AIR, they begin to CLOSE IN. The
Babyzillas from the escalator corridor finally get to
the ground level and rush over from behind.
Raymond spots the large hanging CHANDELIERS in the front
lobby. He FIRES a short BURST, SLICING the cable
supporting the chandelier.
The chandelier DROPS and SHATTERS in the center of the
main lobby. The Babyzillas scatter, opening a pathway to
the front door.
RAYMOND
Go! Now!
Raymond PUSHES the team forward as he takes the rear
through the pathway which begins to close up as they
pass through.
The Babyzillas recover and begin to charge. As Raymond
passes some CANDY MACHINES, he grabs one and SMASHES IT
to the ground.
THOUSANDS OF GUM BALLS
Scatter all over the floor. As the Babyzillas run, they
begin to stumble allover each other, tripping on the
gum balls.
Animal is the first to reach the main door, he opens it
and Audrey and Nick are the first to exit. Raymond,
FIRING MADLY behind as he rushes for the door.
235 INT. COCKPIT - F-18 - NIGHT 235
The locked FLASHES RED.
PILOT
Stallion 15, Fox 6.
236 EXT. SKIES - F-18 - BOMB - NIGHT 236
The immense BOMB drops and takes flight on its own. We
can see it's heading directly for MADISON SQUARE
GARDEN.
237 EXT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - NIGHT 237
Raymond exits and Animal shuts the door behind him. The
Babyzillas SLAM against the doors. It takes all of
Animal's and Raymond's strength to hold the doors
closed.
Raymond slides his rifle barrel between the handles as a
temporary lock. He pulls Animal away and they take off
running.
BOMB'S P.O.V. - MADISON SQUARE - NIGHT
Rapidly approaching the famous forum.
ANGLE - RAYMOND, ANIMAL
Not far behind Nick and Audrey as they race from the
building. Behind them we SEE...
BOMB AND BUILDING
Collide and an ENORMOUS EXPLOSION ERUPTS, engulfing the
entire building in a mountain of flame.
Raymond, Animal, Audrey and Nick are THROWN several feet
forwards, toppling to the ground from the incredible
impact.
As the building CRUMBLES in FLAMES we HEAR several of
the Babyzillas SCREAMING. Soon they are silenced.
Slowly Nick sits up and turns to Audrey. They're both
shaken up. Nick touches her cheek gently.
NICK
Are you okay?
AUDREY
Somehow I never thought your life was
this exciting.
NICK
You'd be surprised.
AUDREY
Really? I'd like to find out.
She hugs him tightly. Nick smiles. Animal turns to
Raymond who has cut above his eye.
ANIMAL
Hey Man, you all right?
RAYMOND
I could use a coffee.
We begins to pull away from this tableau, slowly lifting
upwards when suddenly...
THAT FAMOUS WAIL
Is heard! Then, violently BURSTING up through the ashes,
a very angry GODZILLA emerges!
Bleeding from his injuries, Godzilla leans down and
nuzzles the burned out remains of his young. For the
first time in the film we can SEE a partial expression
of Godzilla's face; pain.
But quickly that pain turns to burning anger as he
focuses his hatred downwards, staring directly, and
accusingly, at our heroes.
NICK
Ohhhhhhhh.....shit.
ANIMAL
What do we do?
RAYMOND
Running would be a good idea.
And they do just as Godzilla POUNCES. Fortunately our
team DARTS around a corner just in time.
238 EXT. SIDE STREET - SAME 238
As our heroes come rushing around a corner, Godzilla
BURSTS THROUGH the building in front of them, sealing
off their exit. Raymond notices a very narrow alley.
ANGLE - ALLEY WAY
Raymond leads them through this slim alley between to
large brick buildings. They run for their lives as
Godzilla appears behind them.
His claws are too big to reach into the alley so he
BULLDOZES his way into it, the building ripping apart as
he marches forward.
Bricks go FLYING as debris showers down on our team just
they make their way to the other side.
Slowed down by the the position of the alley, Godzilla
SWINGS his arms violently to clear a path.
239 EXT. 29TH STREET - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 239
Racing from the alley Raymond races over to a parked
YELLOW CAB.
240 INT. CAB - CONTINUOUS - SAME 240
In one deft move, Raymond draws a screwdriver out of his
belt, pops the ignition device off the steering column
and hot wires the car in under 15 seconds. It's
amazing.
As he does this the others pile into the car. Not even
completely all in, Raymond takes off as soon as the
engine turns over. Animal nearly falls out.
241 EXT. 29TH STREET - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 241
Just as GODZILLA bursts out from between the buildings
the CAB DARTS away, squealing around the next corner.
242 EXT. 8TH AVENUE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 242
Power sliding around the wet street corner, the Yellow
Cab FISHTAILS onto 8th Ave. Whipping around the corner
behind them Godzilla appears.
As he's MUCH faster, he nearly overtakes the car in a
single LEAP but the cab SWERVES AGAIN moving down
another street.
243 EXT. 27TH STREET - SAME 243
The cab darts onto 27th street. DEBRIS tumbles down in
their path as GODZILLA SMASHES through another
building.
244 INT. CAB - SAME 244
The rear window SHATTERS as falling bricks and debris
HIT THE CAR. Again, the Cab darts down a small side
street.
245 EXT. LEWELLEN DRIVE - SAME 245
Using this small cut-across, the cab quickly exits out
onto the next main street (28th). Godzilla rushes down
the side street, his TAIL shattering buildings as he
does.
246 INT. CAB - SAME 246
Animal fumbles with his camera trying to get it to power
up. The light goes ON and Animal quickly holsters it and
begins filming out the shattered back window.
AUDREY
Cut uptown, take 8th to 57th then cut
up Broadway.
ANIMAL
You're crazy, go to the east side and
take the park avenue to the JFK.
AUDREY
The JFK? In the rain!?
247 EXT. STREET - CAB & GODZILLA - NIGHT 247
LEAPING forward, Godzilla BITES down, SNAPPING at the cab
as it SWERVES just out of danger, gunning it.
248 INT. CAB - SAME - NIGHT 248
ANIMAL
What are you talking about? The east
side is always faster.
AUDREY
But we can get to the west side
faster.
Through the rear window we SEE Godzilla SNAPPING down
trying to take a bite. The cab, again, SWERVES wildly,
darting down a side street.
RAYMOND
Somebody make up your mind!
AUDREY & ANIMAL
Take central park!
249 EXT. 8TH AVENUE - SAME 249
Taking her advice, Raymond swerves up 8th Ave. uptown.
He GUNS IT and RACES up ahead.
250 EXT. 28TH STREET - SAME 250
The last two turns of the cab have temporarily
disoriented Godzilla who looks around to find the cab.
He moves up a block and begins to look around.
GODZILLA'S P.O.V. - CAB - SAME - NIGHT
Several blocks ahead, Godzilla spots the cab. He narrows
his eyes and WAILS ANGRILY. Suddenly he BOLTS after the
cab.
251 INT. CAB - SAME 251
Animal clears away the broken glass and leans out the
back window.
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. THROUGH WINDOW - GODZILLA
Gaining on them GODZILLA is in hot pursuit.
ANIMAL
Better step on it Frenchie!
252 EXT. MEADOW - SAME 252
The military is cleaning up the trap from before.
Sergeant O'Neal SPINS as the cab LEAPS out from behind
the trees.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
What the hell....?
The cab POWER SLIDES right past and out of the Meadow
again just as GODZILLA STOMPS directly into the clean up
crew. Soldiers DIVE for cover as others scramble out of
the way.
Godzilla MARCHES after the cab, his tail SWIPING several
vehicles which tumble, crashing into the troops.
In a flash, Godzilla disappears back into the forest on
the other side. O'Neal grabs his radio.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Command, Command, this Sergeant
O'Neal. He's back!
253 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 253
Major Hicks moves over towards the radios.
MAJOR HICKS
Captain Rogers, do we still have those
F-18's in the air?
RODGERS
They're heading back to base now,
sir.
MAJOR HICKS
Turn 'em around.
254 EXT. BROADWAY - UPTOWN - SAME 254
The cab heads up the deserted streets, racing full
tilt.
255 INT. CAB - SAME 255
Animal pulls himself back into his seat.
ANIMAL
I think we lost him.
256 EXT. BROADWAY - SAME 256
Wrong again! Leaping out several blocks ahead, GODZILLA
emerges. He KNEELS DOWN and gives a gigantic POWER BLAST
of his BREATH.
Cars, street signs, vending machines SAIL BACKWARDS from
the force.
A Newspaper vending machine SLAMS into the hood of the
cab as the cab SQUEALS around a corner, avoiding the
rest of the onslaught of debris.
257 EXT. SKIES - SAME 257
The F-18's BANK and head back towards Manhattan.
258 EXT. HARLEM - SAME - NIGHT 258
Racing up through the streets of Harlem we SEE the cab.
259 INT. CAB - SAME 259
Everyone is looking around for the creature.
RAYMOND
Anyone see him.
Suddenly from behind, Animal spots the creature several
blocks behind. Again, he lifts the camera.
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. - GODZILLA
Running full boar directly at them.
260 EXT. HARLEM STREETS - CONTINUOUS 260
Godzilla quickly makes up ground. Running at the cab
it's only a matter of seconds before he'll reach them.
261 INT. CAB - RAYMOND - SAME 261
Raymond looks up, spots something.
RAYMOND'S P.O.V. - SIGN
Up ahead is a sign for the exit for the George
Washington Bridge. Raymond decides to take it.
262 EXT. HARLEM STREETS - SAME 262
The cab SWERVES heading towards the bridge entrance just
as Godzilla BITES DOWN, barely missing the cab as it
turns the corner.
Godzilla LEAPS OVER THE ENTIRE BLOCK, landing directly
IN FRONT OF THE CAB.
The cab SPINS, pulling a full 180 degree turn, and PEELS
OUT just before Godzilla can SNAP DOWN again, just
missing the cab.
The cab PEELS around the creature and UP THE ONRAMP.
Just then Godzilla LEAPS AFTER THEM. His jaw open, he
BITES DOWN ON THE CAB.
263 INT. CAB - CONTINUOUS 263
Everyone ducks as the enormous JAWS OF THE CREATURE
CLAMP DOWN OVER THE CAB.
264 EXT. EXIT RAMP - SAME 264
Taking a gigantic BITE out of the highway, some high
tension wires and the support structure over the bridge,
Godzilla CHOMPS DOWN on the cab.
The large cement SIGN SLAMS into the roof of the
creature's mouth, preventing him from crushing the cab
with his teeth.
265 INT. GODZILLA'S MOUTH 265
The sign supports will not hold much longer as it
crumbles just above the cab. The torn electric cables
DANGLING dangerous close to the cab.
Godzilla PUSHES his TONGUE towards the back of the car,
trying to draw it into his throat!
266 INT. CAB 266
They're freaking out as the jaws are closing in on
them.
AUDREY
Gun it! Gun it!
RAYMOND
I'm trying!
C.U. CAB'S WHEELS
Spinning in vain against the gigantic tongue that pushes
against it, LIFTING the REAR of the vehicle.
267 EXT. HIGHWAY - GODZILLA - SAME 267
Like a dog with a bone, Godzilla SHAKES his head trying
to rip the rest of the highway free. The portion of
highway in front of the cab TEARS FREE, lifting.
268 INT. GODZILLA'S MOUTH 268
From the cab we SEE the horizon LIFT as the road begins
to give way. The sign above CRUMBLING FURTHER.
Nick turns and SEES...
ELECTRIC CABLES - SPARKS
Sparking as they hit against the supports of the sign,
Nicks sees the cables dangling close to the cab. He
takes off his jacket, wraps it around his hand and opens
the cab door.
Grabbing the cable with his wrapped hand, he JAMS THE
CABLE DOWN into Godzilla's TONGUE. SPARKS FLY! Nick
leans back inside, slamming the door shut.
269 EXT. HIGHWAY - GODZILLA 265
He temporarily opens his mouth wider with a scream just
before he is about to SLAM his jaws shut again...
C.U. TIRES - SUDDENLY CATCHING
As the tongue momentarily retreats from the SHOCK, the
wheels CATCH and the CAB LURCHES FORWARD.
270 EXT. GODZILLA - CONTINUOUS 270
As the sign CRUMBLES and the JAWS CRUSH DOWN, the cab
SAILS OUT OF HIS MOUTH as the beast SWALLOWS the piece
of highway.
Landing, hard, onto the pavement, the cab PEELS OUT,
burning rubber as it enters the George Washington
Bridge.
Godzilla SWALLOWS only to realize he didn't get them.
Seeing the cab on the bridge Godzilla gives chase.
271 EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE 271
The cab races towards us when Godzilla STEPS ONTO THE
BRIDGE. His enormous weight makes the entire bridge
WOBBLE.
The Cab goes airborne then bottoms out as it returns to
the asphalt as the bridge undulates beneath them. It's
as though they were driving during an earthquake.
With each stride Godzilla takes, the bridge becomes more
unstable.
272 EXT. SKIES ABOVE THE HUDSON - F-18'S - SAME 272
Swooping down the F-18's head directly towards the
bridge. We see Godzilla about to overtake the Cab.
273 INT. COCKPIT 273
The HUD begins to FLASH, LOCKED ON!
PILOT #2
We are red and free. Stallion 10, Fox
2.
274 EXT. BRIDGE - CAB AND GODZILLA 274
Only a stride away from being overtaken.
275 INT. OTHER COCKPIT - SAME 275
PILOT #3
Stallion 12, Fox 2.
ANGLE - F-18 SQUADRON
All at once they FIRE. Missiles heading right at
camera.
GODZILLA
opens his mighty jaw about to CLAMP DOWN on them.
The missiles CONNECT, SLAMMING INTO HIS CHEST,
EXPLODING. His torso, rips apart. He SCREAMS OUT. His
WAIL a painful death cry.
His foot STOMPS DOWN as he tries to retain balance. The
impact of the stomp acts like a shockwave that KNOCKS
the Cab into a SPIN.
SLAMMING into the guard rail, the cab bounces back into
the road and keeps going.
The injured Godzilla bites the bullet and continues
pursuing, his gait slowing. The cab is able to make some
distance.
ANGLE - F-18 SQUADRON
Again they FIRE. A group of missiles darting out.
GODZILLA
The missiles HIT, ripping into him. Again GODZILLA
SCREAMS out, his forward motion stopped.
276 EXT. OTHER SIDE OF BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS 276
Where the blockade and angry mob still wait and watch in
horror. The Cab SLIDES INTO A SPIN as it comes to a stop
just in front of the crowd.
Nick jumps out first, staring back at Godzilla. Audrey
comes up from behind.
NICK'S P.O.V. - GODZILLA
His eyes rolling back into his head as he SCREAMS OUT.
Slowly he TUMBLES.
ANGLE - BRIDGE
Godzilla's enormous head comes CRASHING DOWN in front of
us. The tremendous impact sends TREMORS across the
bridge.
277 EXT. OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS 277
The gathered crowd is ROCKED from the impact of the
toppled Godzilla.
GODZILLA
His last breath escaping. Defeated and weary, his eyes
blink slowly as we watch his life slip away.
NICK AND AUDREY
Oddly, Nick stares sympathetically at Godzilla's sad and
lifeless face.
The stunned silence melts away as the mob behind them
begins to applaud nervously, then vigorously. The mob
breaks through the blockade and rushes over to our
heroes, surrounding them. Cheering enthusiastically.
278 INT. LUCY'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - SAME 278
The room is going berserk, everyone slapping hands. Lucy
turns and gives a "high-five" to everyone around her.
279 EXT. JERSEY SIDE OF THE BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 279
Cameras flash like mad. Several news crews fight their
way through the crowd.
REPORTERS
(overlapping)
How did you discover the nest? Dr.
Tatopoulis, can you tell us what
happened back there?
NICK
Sorry, guys, I've promised my story as
an exclusive to another reporter.
Nick winks at Audrey. Caiman pushes his way through the
crowd of reporters over to her.
CAIMAN
We did it! We've got the exclusive!
Way to go, Audrey!
AUDREY
We? I don't think so.
CAIMAN
I want that story, Audrey. Remember
you work for me.
AUDREY
Not anymore. Mr. Caiman, I quit.
Audrey waves goodbye as Animal walks over, checking his
camera and his coat pocket.
ANIMAL
Audrey, did you take the tape out of
the camera?
AUDREY
No.
NICK
Where's Raymond?
They look around, but he's gone. Nowhere to be seen.
ANIMAL
I couldn't have just lost it?
A phone begins to RING. Nick checks his pockets and finds
Raymond's cellular phone. Nick answers.
NICK
Hello?
RAYMOND (O.S.)
It's Raymond.
NICK
Where are you?
280 EXT. PAY PHONE - DOWN THE BLOCK - SAME - NIGHT 280
Raymond watches the mob scene from a distance.
RAYMOND
Tell your friends I will send the tape
after I remove a few items from it.
NICK AND AUDREY
Nick nods to Audrey that it's Raymond.
NICK
I understand.
RAYMOND
I just wanted to say, au revoir and
thank you for your help, my friend.
NICK
Wait.
(line goes dead; to
himself)
Au revoir.
AUDREY
Who was that French guy, anyway.
NICK
Oh, just some insurance guy.
Off Audrey's confused expressions we PULL BACK, farther
and farther. We see the mob, the military, the command
tents and finally we pull back far enough to reveal
Godzilla's mighty head laying on the end of the bridge.
CUT TO:
281 INT. PENN STATION - SAME - NIGHT 281
We FLOAT through the demolished station almost as though
we were a moving point of view. We travel thorough the
debris of the station into one of the tunnels.
We travel deeper and deeper into the distance. A shaft
of light up ahead. We move closer to it.
As we get nearer we realize it's one of Godzilla's
gigantic EGGS. WE move closer and closer to the solitary
egg. Just as we are about to collide with it. CRACK. IT
OPENS.
FADE OUT:
THE ENDGODZILLA
by
Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich
First Draft 2/19/96
FADE IN:
An iguana...
Crawling off its nest, leaving its eggs exposed.
1 EXT. MORUROA ATOLL ISLANDS, FRENCH POLYNESIA - PACIFIC 1
Grainy, Kodak color, nineteen sixties documentary
footage of a beautiful Polynesian island. We SEE quick
shots of Kimono Dragons, Gila Monsters and Chameleons
all in their natural tropical environment.
Super: Moruro Atoll Islands, French Polynesia - June
1968
Incongruously over this jungle environment we HEAR a
static ridden radio filtered VOICE, slowly counting down
in French. It is almost as through the reptiles of the
island are reacting to the countdown as they anxiously
move about.
Suddenly with a brilliant FLASH OF WHITE LIGHT, a
nuclear EXPLOSION mushrooms into the sky.
We SEE a SERIES of REAL shots of footage of some of the
over one hundred and sixty official nuclear tests the
French government held in this tropical region.
Explosion after explosion devastates the locale. One
building after the next, accelerating in momentum,
culminating in one final EXPLOSION.
The clould-filled sky begins to drizzle. The ash-like
fallout drifts downward onto what's left of the islands
below.
We FOLLOW this ash as it settles next to a dead reptile,
unrecognizable now, and down onto what's left of the
lizard's eggs.
Suddenly the image clears from the grainy footage to
clean, modern high resolution. We ZOOM IN on one of the
eggs as it slowly gets buried in the falling ash. WE
continue to push in, getting closer...closer...
SMASH CUT TO:
2 EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - OIL TANKER - RAINSTORM - NIGHT 2
Smashing through the choppy waters, barely by the storm
we SEE the CORI AKIDO, a Japanese oil supertanker.
Super: Pacific Ocean, present day
3 INT. CORI AKIDO - BRIDGE - NIGHT 3
We TRACK across the complicated computerized
navigational console that is actually steering the
immense ship. In the b.g. we HEAR a Japanese t.v.
program playing.
At the end of the console is the ship's SKIPPER, an
overweight Japanese seaman sleepily watches a snowy
satellite broadcast of a Sumo wrestling match.
Suddenly the SONAR blares out a warning ALARM. Startled,
the Skipper awakes and stumbles out of his chair over to
the console.
The SONAR displays an enormous MASS heading quickly
toward the ship. The Skipper's eyes go wide. He hits a
KLAXON alarm, awaking the entire ship. He presses the
radio/intercom.
SKIPPER
(in Japanese)
Captain. This is the bridge. We have
an emergency.
4 INT. SUPERTANKER'S HALLWAYS - SAME - NIGHT 4
Alarms BLARING. The crew rushes out of their quarters
and into the hall. Quickly they race for the upper
decks.
5 INT. OTHER HALLWAY - BY KITCHEN 5
The ship's elderly COOK pokes his head out of the
kitchen and yells at some of the crew as they pass by.
COOK
(in Japanese)
What's going on? What's happening?
Before anyone can answer, the ship is ROCKED by an
enormous THUD as something hits the side of the immense
ship. The crew TUMBLES as the ship SWAYS VIOLENTLY.
The old Cook is thrown to the floor. He looks up
nervously.
6 INT. BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 6
The CAPTAIN enters quickly, joining the Skipper at the
console.
CAPTAIN
(in Japanese)
What was that!?
SKIPPER
(in Japanese)
I can't tell...
Again, the ship is HIT. An enormous CRASHING SOUND is
HEARD as the ship ROCKS to one side, tossing the Captain
and Skipper to the floor.
Suddenly we HEAR the tell-tale, famous SCREAMING WAIL of
our creature from somewhere outside. Terror shines in
the Captain's eyes at the sound.
7 INT. HALLWAYS - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 7
The crew, getting back on their feet, reacts to the
horrible WAILING SOUND.
Suddenly the ship is HIT AGAIN. This time something
enormous RIPS THROUGH THE HULL, crushing one of the crew
members as it TEARS THROUGH THE WALLS.
Water RUSHES THROUGH the large gaping hole, quickly
filling the hallway. The Cook and what's left of the
crew scurry for the stairs, as the water level chases
them.
8 INT. BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 8
The ship's computers are WHIRLING with warning lights
and alarms. As the Skipper tries to adjust the controls
in vain, the Captain grabs the ship's p.a. system.
CAPTAIN
(in Japanese)
Abandon ship! Abandon ship! Man the
lifeboats...
But before he can say anything more, something WHIPS
across the bridge's enormous windshield, SHATTERING THE
GLASS. Was it a tail? No way, far too big.
9 EXT. SHIP'S DECK - SAME - NIGHT 9
The doors BURST open as the crew and the Cook rush out
onto the deck. Again, the ship is HIT, ROCKING it
violently.
A TARP
is ripped away, revealing a life boat. Two more life
boats are revealed behind it as the crew desperately
tries to hoist them up and over the side.
ANGLE - WATER BESIDE THE TANKER
Something ENORMOUS jolts out of the water towards the
ship. Through the rainstorm it is hard to make out what
it is, but it SLAMS into the side of the ship, RIPPING
INTO IT, pulling down the starboard side as it does.
Could that have been a CLAW?
THE CREW
Are thrown backwards. The lifeboats swing WILDLY,
several of them SMASHING INTO BITS as they slam against
the ship.
THE CLAW
Or whatever it is, RIPS INTO THE SIDE AGAIN. This time
the entire ship begins to FLIP OVER.
A LIFEBOAT
Bounces off the deck and slides off the side. Following
it is the Cook.
Desperately, the Cook grabs onto the ship's side railing
to keep from falling off. He looks back and SEES
something so horrible that he SCREAMS IN TERROR and lets
go of the railing.
The old Cook slides over the side as the enormous tanker
FLIPS OVER.
CUT TO:
WINDSHIELD WIPERS
Clearing at their highest speed, we see through the rain
doused windshield, DR. NIKO "NICK" TATOPOULOS. Music
blares from the tiny headphones of his Walkman.
NICK
(singing)
...I'm singing in the rain, just
singing in the rain...
CUT TO:
10 INT. RUSSIAN TOWN - RAIN - DAY 10
The utility van races through this small Russian town
right past a roadblock marked with the international
signs for "no trespass" and "nuclear radiation."
NICK
..."What a glorious feeling. I'm happy
again..."
As the van disappears down the road, we CRANE UP
revealing a city sign reading: CHERNOBYL, RUSSIA.
11 EXT. CHERNOBYL DIRT PARK - RAIN - DAY 11
With the infamously crippled nuclear power plant in the
distance, the utility van slides to a muddy stop by this
field of dirt.
Nick hops out quickly and rushes to the back of the van.
He opens the back of the van and grabs several metallic
cases.
Walking a few yards away from the van, he dumps the
cases on the ground, opening them to REVEAL an
assortment of sophisticated scientific equipment.
Taped to the inside are several photos of a girl we'll
meet later. Some of the photos are of her looking young
and beautiful. Others are of the two of them happily
together.
With a switch he turns on the equipment which comes to
life. Inside one of the cases are several cables
attached to long SPIKES. He grabs them and dashes away.
NICK
..."I'm laughing at clouds, so dark up
above..."
Nick rushes over to a small patch of land and begins to
SHOVE the spikes into the muddy earth.
NICK
..."The sun's in my heart and I'm
ready for love..."
Once firmly in the ground, he rushes back over to the
van and pops the hood.
CLOSE - VAN'S ENGINE
We SEE the steaming engine and a large electric car
BATTERY.
NICK
..."Let the cloudy skies chase..."
He attaches the cables to the battery and they SPARK!
Nick YELPS and jumps back. Shaking off the shock, he
rushes back over to the mud pit, dropping down to his
knees.
Suddenly, raising from the mud we see DOZENS OF
EARTHWORMS. Excitedly Tatopoulos grabs a big empty glass
jar and begins filling the jar with worms, happily in
his element.
NICK
..."I'm singin' in the mud, just
scooping up my worms..."
Unable to hear over his Walkman, he is oblivious as an
enormous RUSSIAN MILITARY HELICOPTER lands right behind
him.
From the intense wind kicked up by the helicopter,
Tatopoulos finally turns in time to see several RUSSIAN
OFFICERS coming toward him. Nick scrambles to his feet.
NICK
(broken Russian)
Good day. I am here with
permission...I have a, a...
(in English)
Permit. How do you say permit?
He goes through his pockets looking for his permits.
MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Dr. Nick Topopolosis?
Tatopoulos looks up as the Russian soldiers move past
him and over towards his cases of equipment. A man in a
long raincoat comes forward.
NICK
It's Tatopoulos.
TERRINGTON
The worm guy, right?
(extending his hand as he
approaches)
Kyle Terrington, U.S. State
Department.
The Russian soldiers close up his equipment and take it
off to the Helicopter.
NICK
What are they doing?
TERRINGTON
You've been reassigned.
NICK
You can't shut me down now! My
research here's not finished!
TERRINGTON
It is now.
CUT TO:
12 EXT. PAPEETE - TAHITI - STREET - DAY 12
Coastal town of Papeete, Tahiti. With the ocean in the
distance, through the heat waves we SEE a row of
official looking black sedans coming toward us.
13 EXT. PAPEETE HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS - DAY 13
The doors to the sedans open as a group of very official
looking Government types. Stopping to light his
cigarette is PHILLIP RAYMOND, 40's, intense, dangerous
and worst of all...French.
14 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER - DAY 14
Raymond leads the official looking group down the hall.
A BRIEFING OFFICER rushes over. (The following dialog is
entirely in French with subtitles)
BRIEFING OFFICER
The Japanese consulate has been
calling and we've been getting
pressure from the Americans.
RAYMOND
What did you tell them?
BRIEFING OFFICER
Nothing yet.
RAYMOND
Are there any other survivors?
BRIEFING OFFICER
Only one, Sir. He was very lucky.
The group arrives at a door at the end of the hall. The
Briefing Officer opens the door.
RAYMOND'S P.O.V. - THROUGH OPEN DOOR
In the corner of the large room we see the old Cook from
the tanker curled up in the fetal position. The doctors
and a few nurses are attending to him.
RAYMOND
Get them out of there.
Two of the Officials move in and escort the Doctors and
Nurses out of the room. Raymond nods to two other
Officials who begin to unpack some recording equipment,
including a video camera.
15 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - SAME 15
Raymond enters and moves close to the old Cook, kneeling
down in front of him, inspecting his distant glare. The
old Cook seems to be in a world of his own, rocking back
and forth. Raymond nods to another Official who comes
forward.
RAYMOND
(in French)
Ask him what happened.
The Second Official ask him in Japanese, but the old
Cook does not respond. He asks again but the old Cook
seems to be in a world of his own.
BRIEFING OFFICER
(in English)
It's no use. He's been like this since
we fished him out of the ocean.
Whatever happened to that tanker put
him in a complete state of shock.
Raymond takes out his lighter and ignites it on high.
The old Cook's eyes slowly come back to life, transfixed
by the fire. Slowly he brings the flame close to the old
Cook's face.
RAYMOND
(in English)
What did you see, old man?
Drawn out of himself by the flame...
OLD COOK
(weakly)
Gojira...Gojira...
Raymond shoots a look at the Second Official for an
explanation.
SECOND OFFICIAL
(in English)
I have no idea what he is saying.
OLD COOK
(stronger)
...Gojira!...Gojira!...GOJIRA!!
CUT TO:
16 EXT. GULF OF DEN SAN MIGUEL, PANAMA - DAY 16
A small sea plane flies over this jungle region of
Panama, darting up the Gulf into the lush greenery of
the countryside.
Super: Guilfo de San Miguel, Panama - 45 km outside
of La Paz
Slowly the plane begins to descend, landing by a small
village.
17 EXT. VILLAGE FISHING DOCK - MOMENTS LATER - DAY 17
Several soldiers unload Nick's cargo as he steps out of
the plane onto the dock. As he walks towards shore he
SEES...
NICK'S P.O.V. - POLICE BARRICADE
Dozens of citizens as well as the press are gathered at
a police barricade; their access to the village denied.
Panamanian Police and U.S. military working together to
keep people out.
Marching up the shore to greet Nick is MAJOR TONY HICKS,
30's, efficient, who is spearheading this operation.
MAJOR HICKS
Dr. Niko Topopolosis?
NICK
(correcting)
It's Tatopoulos.
MAJOR HICKS
Right. The worm guy.
(to guards at blockade)
Can someone get those people off the
beach?
NICK
Excuse me, would you mind telling me
what the hell I'm doing here?
MAJOR HICKS
Follow me.
The Major leads Nick up the beach away from the crowds.
NICK
You didn't answer my question. In
fact, for the last 18 hours no one has
answered any of my questions.
MAJOR HICKS
We have a situation on our hands that
requires your particular expertise.
ANGLE - DESTROYED VILLAGE HUT
Several soldiers and researchers are investigating the
site when Nick and the Major walk past.
NICK
Look, I may work for the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission but accidents
and spills are not my field.
MAJOR HICKS
We know.
Major Hicks motions to some guards who clear a blockade
away from a jungle pathway. Major Hicks takes the
pathway.
NICK
Do you know that you just interrupted
a three year study of the Chernobyl
earthworm?
MAJOR HICKS
Yeah, you're the worm guy.
NICK
The radioactive contamination in that
area altered the earthworm's DNA! You
have any idea what that means?
MAJOR HICKS
No, but I have the feeling I'm about
to find out.
NICK
It means that due to a man made
accident the Chernobyl earthworms are
now over seventeen percent larger than
they were before. Mutated by seventeen
percent?
Major Hicks stops, turns to Nick.
MAJOR HICKS
(bemused)
Seventeen percent, huh? Sounds big.
NICK
They're enormous! A new species
created by man's recklessness. That's
what I've been trying to tell you, I'm
only a biologist. I take radioactive
samples and study them.
MAJOR HICKS
Then you're perfect.
(pointing to the ground)
Here's your radioactive sample. Study
it.
With that Major Hicks walks away.
NICK
What sample?
MAJOR HICKS
You're standing on it.
Nick looks down, sees nothing.
NICK
I don't see it.
(no response)
Where is it?
We CRANE UP above him, pulling back farther and farther,
until we SEE he's standing inside of a 15 YARD LONG
GIGANTIC FOOTPRINT in the sand.
NICK (CONT'D)
I don't see it!
Two scientists have spread out a tape measure to
document its length as two others inspect it with Geiger
counters. Nick sees them and realizes he's standing in a
remarkable discovery. He looks up ahead and SEES...
OVERHEAD TITLT SHOT - Foot steps...-
Five gigantic footsteps in front of him. Other
researchers examining the prints with all kinds of
equipment. Geiger counters, CLICK, CLICKING away. Nick
is stunned.
18 EXT. TATTERED VILLAGE REMAINS - MOMENTS LATER 18
Nick rushes to catch up with Major Hicks who walks
towards a command tent in the distance.
NICK
(flabbergasted)
That was a footprint. I was standing
inside a footprint.
MAJOR HICKS
That's right.
NICK
But there's no animal in the world
that can make prints like that? Is
there?
MAJOR HICKS
We're hoping you're going to help us
figure that out.
The Major gestures to the many villagers who are being
attended to. Some are injured, others are being examined
for radiation. The village has been decimated.
NICK
Somebody must have seen it.
MAJOR HICKS
It happened so fast no one knew what
hit them 'til is was over.
A jeep pulls up and PETERS, a young researcher, comes
rushing over with a video tape in his hands. As he passes
Major Hicks...
PETERS
(on the run)
Tape's in. The French finally released
it.
Peters takes off for the command' tent. Nick and the
Major follow.
COMMAND TENT - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Part military, part scientific command post. Lots of
activity. Peters waves the tape as he rushes over to a
television. Major Hicks and Nick follow.
MAJOR HICKS
A tanker was attacked and sunk
yesterday near the French Polynesians.
We think there's a connection.
WOMAN SCIENTIST (ELSIE)
Is that the tape of the witness?
Excitedly, ELSIE CHAPMAN, heavy set, early 30's,
paleontologist and head of the research team, leads
several of her colleagues over to the t.v.
NICK
Hi. Nick Tatopoulos...
ELSIE
Ah, Elsie Chapman, paleontologist.
She's clearly attracted to him. This doesn't escape
Nick, who's not too comfortable with her flirtatious
glare. She turns to a scientist standing next to her,
DR. CLIVE CRAVEN.
ELSIE (CONT'D)
Dr. Craven, have you met the worm
guy?
DR. CRAVEN
Nice to meet you.
The t.v. turns on and we SEE the old Cook, rocking on
his bed, repeating over and over the same word...
OLD COOK
(filtered through t.v.)
...Gojira...Gojira...Gojira...
This is all too overwhelming for him. He turns from the
t.v. and looks out into the jungle.
Slowly he walks away, staring at something in the
distance with total awe. Elsie walks up next to him.
ELSIE
What could have possibly done all
that?
We REVERSE ANGLE and SEE what they are staring at.
A gigantic path cut through the jungle.
Something of immense size has trampled and cut a deep
and wide path right through the jungle forest that goes
on for miles on end. Over the stunned face of Nick we
HEAR...
OLD COOK (O.S.)
(filtered)
...Gojira...Gojira...Gojira...
CUT TO:
T.V. MONITOR - JUNGLE FOOTAGE
The same beach scene we saw when Nick arrived. Over
it...
REPORTER
(filtered)
...American and Panamanian troops
quarantined off a section of the
Panamanian jungle today amid
unconfirmed reports of a crashed Air
Force jet...
WIDEN TO REVEAL:
19 INT. WNEW T.V. STATION - DAY 19
As we WIDEN we see this is one of several wall mounted
monitors all showing channel WNEW. Through the glass
doorway nearby we see CHARLES CAIMAN, 40's, handsome,
entering the office.
AUDREY (O.S.)
Murray wants these copied to each
field producer...
ANGLE - SECRETARY DESK
Standing in front of the desk is AUDREY TIMMONDS, early
thirties, attractive, small town girl who still hasn't
toughened in the big city and talking with her
co-worker, LUCY, sitting.
AUDREY
And I'm supposed to remind you to call
him on all of Caiman's expense
p.o.'s.
LUCY
Speak of the devil.
Just then Caiman passes behind them.
AUDREY
(nervous)
Think I should ask him? I'm going to
ask him. You think I should? I will.
Audrey makes the decision and bolts after Caiman. Lucy
rolls her eyes.
LUCY
Oh girl...
ANGLE - CAIMAN
As he walks towards his office Audrey races up to him.
Seeing her, he walks faster hoping to avoid her. He
can't.
AUDREY
Did you talk with Humphries?
CAIMAN
This is not the place...
AUDREY
Just tell me, did you talk with him?
CAIMAN
He said he'd consider it. It's between
you and Rodriguez.
AUDREY
Are you serious? He's going to
consider me for he job? What else did
he say?
They arrive at his office. An enormous standee of
himself with the ACTION NEWS CREW is there.
CAIMAN
Why don't I tell you over dinner
tonight? Your place.
He stops at his door. Audrey is startled.
AUDREY
Mr. Caiman, you're married.
CAIMAN
And you're beautiful...
AUDREY
Mr. Caiman...
CAIMAN
Call me Charlie.
AUDREY
(stubbornly)
Mr. Caiman, I've been doing extra
research for you after hours and
weekends for nearly a year. And I've
never asked for anything but this job
is really important to me. I'm too old
to be an assistant anymore. I need to
know this job is going someplace.
CAIMAN
So have dinner with me tonight.
AUDREY
I can't.
CAIMAN
It's your choice.
Caiman shuts the door on her. She turns and is face to
face with the standee of Caiman. She takes out her
chewing gum and plasters it on his nose.
CUT TO:
20 EXT. JAMAICAN HIGHWAY - AERIAL SHOT - DAY 20
Over the bumpy Jamaican highway we FOLLOW from above
several military jeeps racing in convoy.
Super: Great Pedro Bluff, Jamaica
21 INT. JEEP - SAME 21
Elsie, Nick and Clive are cramped together along with
Nick's equipment in the back of the jeep. Nick looks
very uncomfortable. Elsie looks at Nick...lasciviously.
ELSIE
Three years digging up worms in
Chernobyl? How did Mrs. Tatopoulos
handle it?
NICK
Oh, I'm not married.
ELSIE
Really? A girlfriend then?
NICK
No. Perhaps I work too much.
ELSIE
(filtered)
You mean to tell me that there is no
one who holds a special place in your
heart?
Nick seems to get lost in thought.
NICK
Not for a long time, now.
ELSIE
Well, I think you're cute.
NICK
(awkward)
Oh, thank you.
(whispered to Clive)
Is she always like this?
CLIVE
(conspiratorially)
I had to beat her off with a stick.
The sound of a HELICOPTER ZOOMS overhead.
AERIAL SHOT - HELICOPTER - SAME - DAY
A helicopter ZOOMS past our convoy. As we FOLLOW the
helicopter we REVEAL...
JAMAICAN BEACH WITH A BEACHED CARGO SHIP - DAY
Taking up nearly the entire beach, an enormous cargo
ship lays on its side in the sand. Two gigantic holes,
ripped into its hull.
MILITARY JEEPS
Nick hops out and joins Major Hicks et al as they push
past the gathered crowd of onlookers. The group gives a
collective gasp as they see the ship for the first
time.
Three men (who we'll recognize from the Tahiti hospital)
take measurements of the holes in the ship.
MAJOR HICKS
Who are they? Lieutenant, get those
people away from there.
RAYMOND
(French accent)
They are with me!
Everyone in the group turns to find Mr. Phillip
Raymond.
MAJOR HICKS
And who are you?
Raymond hands him, as well as anyone who wants one, his
business card.
RAYMOND
CHARGEURES, property and casualty
insurance. We are preparing a report.
MAJOR HICKS
You're fast.
RAYMOND
That is our job.
MAJOR HICKS
Well your people are getting in the
way of my job.
RAYMOND
Major, what do you think could have
done this?
MAJOR HICKS
Get your people out of there or I
will.
The Major walks away. Raymond studies him as he does.
ANGLE - SHIP
Nick can't take his eyes off the enormous holes in the
hull. He steps closer and turns to Peters, who's taking
radiation counts of the ship.
NICK
Mind if I borrow this?
Peter hands him his Geiger counter and walks into the
cracked hull of the ship.
22 INT. CARGO HULL - CONTINUOUS - DAY 22
Inside is eerily dark and creepy. The guts of the ship
are tangled inside. Holding a Geiger counter, he gets
readings from all over the area. One particular spot,
above him, seems slightly stronger.
Nick SEES something there. He opens his knapsack and
puts on some rubber gloves, removing a glass jar (like
the ones from Chernobyl)
Carefully he climbs the debris until he reaches a sharp
shard of metal. Clinging to it he finds a MEATY CHUNK OF
REPTILE FLESH.
He tries remove it but he only gets half. He places it
into his jar. Just as he reaches for the other half,
SOMETHING GIVES WAY.
With a JOLT, the section above him collapses. A rush of
water falls and a HUMAN BODY swings down, just in front
of him.
Nick tumbles backwards, his heart pounding. The body
swings lifelessly as it hangs from above.
The others rush to his side, checking to see if he's all
right.
PETERS
You okay, Nick?
NICK
Yeah, I'm...wait...I lost...
Nick looks around frantically when the glass sample jar
is suddenly handed to him.
RAYMOND
Are you looking for this?
NICK
Thanks.
Raymond studies Nick as he joins the rest outside.
DISSOLVE TO:
UNDERWATER - NETS - MOVING P.O.V.
We are moving very quickly underwater. Ahead of us are
some large FISHING NETS with a catch of fish carried in
the bunt. Quickly we are heading for a collision.
23 EXT. ATLANTIC OCEAN - OFF NEW ENGLAND COAST - DAY 23
A great day for fishing. Slicing through the water we
SEE three New England Fishing TRAWLERS, the HARPO, the
CHICO, and the GROUCHO.
24 EXT. THE HARPO - SAME - DAY 24
ARTHUR is at the wheel. Suddenly the engines WHINE as
the ship begins to slow down. Surprised, Arthur checks
his throttle.
25 EXT. THE CHICO - SAME - DAY 25
LEONARD and his 1st MATE are puzzled by the engine WHINE
of their own ship.
LEONARD
Jerry, why are we slowing down?
JERRY (O.S.)
She's heavy in the bunt.
LEONARD
That was fast.
26 EXT. THE GROUCHO - SAME - DAY 26
The captain, JULES, hasn't noticed a thing as he lays on
his deck tanning himself, a boom-abox blaring next to
him. Suddenly THUD. The ship JOLTS for a second. Jules
slides and BANGS his head into the boom-box. He yelps.
DECK HAND
The nets are full!
JULES
Then bring 'em in!
DECK HAND
We can't. She won't budge!
Jules gets up to move aft when THUD, again the ship
ROCKS.
ALL THREE BOATS SLOW TO A CRAWL
Arthur tries to GUN his engine but it only WHINES. Soon
all three boats STOP DEAD. Nothing but quiet for a long
beat.
ARTHUR
What is going on?
Then with another JOLT all three boats begin to move
BACKWARDS, DRAGGED BY THEIR OWN NETS!
LEONARD
She's going sternway!
FIRST MATE
What the hell did we catch?
The three boats begin to PICK UP SPEED, moving BACKWARDS
in the water. Water SPLASHES up into the boats, winches
begin to CRACK under the building pressure.
The boats begin to move incredibly FAST backwards.
Things on the boat begin to BREAK and CRASH DOWN onto
the decks of the ships.
JULES
Cut us free! Cut the nets!
The same cry is heard on all three boats. Leonard grabs
an AXE and starts HACKING AWAY at the tow lines.
Jules and his deck hands do the same. WIRE SHEERS are
brought out for the larger CABLES connected to the nets.
Desperately they try and free themselves as their boats
are dragged helplessly backwards.
ARTHUR
(screaming at his men)
Cut the damned cables!
A CABLE SNAPS!
Jules falls backward as the cables and ropes are either
cut or snapped from the pressure. Their boat stops.
ANOTHER CABLE SNAPS!
Leonard and his crew TUMBLE to the deck as their boat is
freed.
THE HARPO
Is not so fortunate. The lone boat dragged backwards,
faster now without the weight of the other boats. Then
suddenly the aft of the boat begins to get PULLED DOWN,
dipping into the water.
With an unstoppable force the Harpo gets PULLED UNDER
WATER. Deck hands LEAP off the boat as the top cabin is
CRUSHED as the entire ship slowly DISAPPEARS BENEATH THE
SEA.
For a moment all is quiet. No one can believe what just
happened. Hearts pounding, catching their breath.
Then with a WHOOSH of air pressure, the Harpo BURSTS out
of the water. With a gigantic SPLASH, the boat FLOPS on
its side and capsizes. The waters calm, but the nerves
of Jules and Leonard don't.
DISSOLVE TO:
27 EXT. CLOUDY SKIES - MILITARY TRANSPORT PLANE - DAY 27
A storm is brewing ahead as this large Military
Transport plane glides into view then BANKS away.
PETRI DISH
A small piece of Nick's SAMPLE is cut away and placed on
a glass microscope slide.
WIDE TO REVEAL:
28 INT. MILITARY TRANSPORT PLANE - SAME - DAY 28
Nick sits on the floor surrounded by his sloppily
unpacked equipment as he places the slide under his
microscope, examining his specimen.
Quickly stepping over him a young SOLDIER rushes over to
Major Hicks, seated with the rest of the team on the
plane's opposing benches. The Solider interrupts their
discussion.
SOLDIER
Major, we just got a report of a
fishing trawler going down. Exact
position, forty seven degrees
latitude, 67 longitude.
MAJOR HICKS
What makes you think it's related?
SOLDIER
The trawler was pulled under.
The team exchanges worried glances. Hicks moves over to
a map where the other incidents have been marked. He
traces his finger up the 67th longitude until he hits
the 47th parallel. Just off the East Coast.
MAJOR HICKS
Jesus Christ! It's only two hundred
miles off the American Eastern
seaboard and we don't even know what
it is.
ELSIE
Theropoda Allosaurus. Some type of
enormous reptile the likes of which we
haven't seen since the age of
prehistoric dinosaurs.
CLIVE
(sarcastic)
So where's been hiding the last sixty
million years?
ELSIE
The depth and breath of the ocean
floor has barely been explored. His
kind could have survived there
completely undetected.
NICK (O.S.)
What about the traces of radiation?
Everyone turns to discover Nick has walked over holding
his loosely scribbled notes in his hand.
NICK
The radiation is not an anomaly, it's
the clue. This creature is far too
unique on every level to be some lost
dinosaur.
MAJOR HICKS
Don't tell me why it's not, tell me
what the hell it is.
NICK
What do we know? It was first sighted
off the French Polynesian Pacific. An
area that has been exposed to dozens
of nuclear tests over the last thirty
years.
ELSIE
Hence the radiation.
NICK
More than that. I believe this is a
mutated aberration, a hybrid from the
fall out in that region.
CLIVE
(sarcastic)
Like your earthworms?
NICK
Yes! We're looking at a completely
incipient creature. The dawn of a new
species. The first of its kind.
CUT TO:
OCEAN WATER
Racing close to the ocean waters below, something DARK
and ENORMOUS moves swiftly below the surface. We TILT UP
from the raging tides up to REVEAL...
29 EXT. MANHATTAN ISLAND - SKYLINE - RAIN - DAY 29
A storm has arrived as rain moistens the city ahead.
30 INT. DINER - SAME - DAY 30
Dripping wet, Audrey enters from the rain, removing her
raincoat. She walks to a booth where Lucy and ANIMAL, a
slovenly, Italian video cameraman is his mid-thirties,
are taking their lunch break. Animal has two plates of
food he cobbles down.
AUDREY
(sitting)
My life sucks.
LUCY
Oh, please, your life doesn't suck.
His life sucks.
ANIMAL
(between chews)
That's cuz I'm married to you.
LUCY
Shut up. How can you eat like that?
ANIMAL
Big bites.
AUDREY
I can't believe he put the moves on
me. After everything I've done for
him.
LUCY
He's scum! As far as he's concerned
you're just a pair of breasts that
talk.
ANIMAL
I like that image.
AUDREY
You know how I spent last weekend?
Walking his damned dog.
LUCY
I'm telling you he's dirt. He's a
douche bag, gutter slime, dog crap,
puke chunks...
ANIMAL
Hey, hey! I'm eating here!
LUCY
Audrey, you're too damned nice, that's
your problem. Nice gets you nothin' in
this town. You gotta be a killer to
get ahead, you know what I'm sayin'?
I'm sorry, baby, but you just don't
got what it takes.
AUDREY
Animal, you don't think that's true,
do you?
ANIMAL
Nice guys finish last. First rule of
the jungle.
AUDREY
Well, I can be tough if I want.
ANIMAL & LUCY
Yeah, sure.
AUDREY
(seeing something)
Oh my God!
Everything turns to see what Audrey is looking at.
Audrey gets up and rushes over to a television above the
counter.
AUDREY
(excitedly)
Turn that up, turn it up.
The waitress does. On the t.v. plays the same news story
we saw from before from Panama. This time we SEE Nick
and Major Hicks walking on the beach.
AUDREY
It's Nick! I know that guy. I know
him!
LUCY
(unimpressed)
Who is he?
AUDREY
He was my college sweetie! Look at
him. He looks so handsome on t.v. What
the hell is he doing in Panama.
31 EXT. NEW YORK FISH MARKET - BELOW JFK HIGHWAY - DAY 31
Even in the rain doesn't keep people away. Buyers haggle
with sellers. A large MARKET, truck loads of fish. No
one seems to notice the river across from them...
MOUTH OF THE EAST RIVER
Enormous turbulence in the water. Slowly something
begins to LIFT, sheets of water fall. Bursting out, the
backside TALONS of the enormous reptile pierce through.
The TAIL slices through the turbulence.
Two ships anchored at dock begin to LIFT UPWARDS as the
beast below them begins to rise.
ANGLE FISH MARKET
A groaning WAIL ROARS, echoing. The people of the fish
market turn just in time to see...
THE ANCHORED SHIPS
Lifting impossibly into the air above the pier. Suddenly
a TIDAL WAVE of water comes CRASHING down, flooding the
fish market.
32 INT. TRANSIT BUS - P.O.V. THROUGH WINDSHIELD - RAIN - 32
DAY
Through the swinging windshield wipers of the bus we see
the JFK highway in front of us. Suddenly we see...
AN ENORMOUS FOOT
Comes crashing down atop JFK highway, crushing it. The
TRANSIT BUS tumbles off the demolished highway.
The man in the MARKET TRUCK is TOSSED and ENORMOUS TEETH
puncture the top and bottom of his truck as it's LIFTED
IN THE AIR. The man LEAPS from the open back of the
truck.
He lands, HARD, down in front of one of the fish market
stores as hundreds of fish RAIN DOWN from above. With a
loud CRASH, the demolished truck SLAMS to the ground
nearby.
33 EXT. POLITICAL RALLY - BUILDING STEPS - RAIN - DAY 33
With a large RE-ELECT MAYOR FAUSTINO poster behind him,
the MAYOR is at the podium. Before him is a sea of
umbrellas.
MAYOR
I'd like to thank you all for coming
out on this beautiful New York City
day.
Some in the crowd laugh as others applaud. Lost in the
sounds of the crowd we HEAR a soft THUMPING in the
distance.
MAYOR
When I came into office four years
ago, people didn't think we could
reduce crime and I did.
ANGLE - COP IN BACK OF CROWD
leaning to the cop next to him.
COP
(sarcastic)
Yeah, he did.
MAYOR
People didn't think I could restore
order...
This time the THUMPING is HEARD, growing much louder.
MAYOR
...and I did. The city is a safer
place today...
Before he can continue the crowd begins to murmur with
fear as the THUMPING grows LOUDER and CLOSER. Suddenly
with a large CRASHING SOUND a building nearby begins to
CRUMBLE.
MAYOR
(to his aides)
What the hell....
People SCRAMBLE to get out of the way as DEBRIS from the
falling BUILDING litters the area. The Mayor is pulled
inside by his security men.
Bursting out of the crumbling corner of the building we
SEE the enormous LEG of the reptile as it KICKS debris
out of its way.
SIDE ANGLE - WALL STREET - FAST TRAVELING SHOT
Several cars are SQUASHED quickly as the enormous FEET
of the beast STOMPS through the street. Cars FLATTEN and
SCATTER, flipping toward us, from the weight of the
beast. We try to keep up with it, but it's too fast.
After it passes, the Mayor sticks his head out of the
doorway to see the demolished street scene.
MAYOR
What was that?
34 INT. WNEW - CAIMAN'S OFFICE - SAME - DAY 34
Caiman's on the phone as his SECRETARY enters with some
files. Rain and thunder continue outside.
CAIMAN
(into phone)
I don't give a crap about some war in
a country I can't pronounce. That's
not a lead story. Find me a damned
story, will ya!
Just then his Secretary notices a desk lamp, the shade
SHAKING and the light FLICKERING. She hears the THUMPING
approaching. She turns and SEES...
GIGANTIC TEETH
The enormous head of GODZILLA growls as it passes by
Caiman's office window.
SECRETARY
Mr. Caiman. I think your story just
walked by the window.
Caiman turns but there's nothing there. He's confused,
she's dazed.
CAIMAN
What?
Just then the TAIL WHIRLS past with a THUNDERS whip.
35 INT. DINER - SAME - DAY 35
Animal, Lucy and Audrey are at the cashier paying.
LUCY
Did Romeo have a name?
AUDREY
Nick Tatopoulos.
ANIMAL
That why you dumped him?
AUDREY
No! I just couldn't see myself with
some boring egg head who spends his
summer picking apart cockroaches. I
wanted to have some adventure, some
fun...
LUCY
And now you live the glamorous life of
Caiman's assistant. Life's a bitch,
ain't it?
In the distance we can HEAR the THUMPING approaching.
ANIMAL
How long where you and dis guy goin'
steady?
AUDREY
Nearly four years...
LUCY
Four years. Girl, I'm surprised he
didn't ask you to marry him.
AUDREY
That's the problem. He did.
Suddenly the THUMPING gets LOUDER very quickly. Everyone
in the diner reacts.
LUCY
Tell me that's not another goddamned
parade.
The next THUMP RATTLES the entire diner. Things begin to
fall. Through the window we see people RUNNING in
PANIC.
ANIMAL
That's ain't no parade...
Before anyone can speak the entire building is SHAKING.
Through the front window we SEE...
GODZILLA'S FOOT
Smashing down directly outside the window. Cars are
SMASHED. One car SAILS directly INTO THE WINDOW,
shattering it.
Animal uses his size to COVER the girls from the falling
debris. As the danger passes, Animal charges for the
door.
LUCY
Victor, wait!
36 EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS - RAIN - DAY 36
Animal comes rushing out. Water sprays from displaced
fire hydrants, debris still falls, cars burn. Animal
goes over to his NEWS VAN that has been partially
crushed.
He pries open the rear door and takes out his video
camera and takes off running. Audrey and Lucy arrive too
late to stop him.
LUCY
Victor, don't!
ANIMAL RUNNING
Turning the corner Animal runs full speed through the
debris, trying to jam a video cassette into his camera.
It won't fit. He SEES up ahead...
P.O.V. THE TAIL
Just as it disappears around the corner a few blocks
ahead. Thinking quickly, Animal bolts down a small
alleyway.
37 EXT. OTHER STREET - CONTINUOUS 37
His camera damaged, Animal struggles to get the tape
inside as he exits the other side of the alley. He darts
out into the street to get his shot.
The THUMPING is OVERPOWERINGLY LOUD. He looks up to see,
CARS FLIPPING, PEOPLE SCATTERING.
Then, for the first time, we can clearly see the entire
massive creature that is...
GODZILLA
as he comes barreling towards us. The titanic lizard is
ferocious and agile. Swiftly he moves closer.
Animal's hands fumble with the tape. He JAMS it in,
sweating. He fingers the POWER BUTTON, the red light
goes on. Quickly he shoulders the camera.
P.O.V. THROUGH CAMERA - GODZILLA
Nearly on top of him, Godzilla's own image is suddenly
covered by his own immense foot as it's lifted and about
to come down directly on us.
ANIMAL
Oh shit!
Before he can do anything about it...
GODZILLA'S FOOT
Towering above him. He has no time to flinch as the
gargantuan foot SMASHES DOWN.
In terrifying amazement, Animal remains standing IN
BETWEEN THE BEAST'S TOES. Abruptly the foot LIFTS
again. Animal is unscathed and frozen with fear.
ANGLE - ANIMAL
Close on Animal as the endless TAIL of the creature
DRAGS just past him. It seems to go on forever. Finally
it disappears.
WIDE ANGLE - TABLEAU OF A DEMOLISHED STREET
Deserted and demolished. Cars burn, debris falls.
Animal, the lone figure, just stands there, his chest
heaving, hyper ventilating.
CUT TO:
38 EXT. NEW JERSEY STREETS - LOW ANGLE - AFTERNOON 38
A military CONVOY with Police escort RACES past us.
ABOVE - HELICOPTER SHOT - CONVOY
Sirens BLARING, the convoy and escort speed onward.
39 INT. MILITARY SEDAN - THROUGH WINDSHIELD - SAME 39
Just as they arrive at a military roadblock. Crowds have
gathered as the military try to keep them at bay.
40 EXT. NEW JERSEY SHORE - CLIFF SIDE - DAY 40
The guards let the convoy pass. The military is putting
up a number of large tents. A SERGEANT moves over
quickly to greet the team as they exit their vehicles.
SERGEANT
(quick salute)
Sergeant O'Neal, Sir.
MAJOR HICKS
Any word from the Mayor's office?
Just then dozens of NEWS VANS pull up. Reporters and
camera crews come rushing toward them. The guards rush
to intercept. Stepping out of the next car in the
convoy, Nick and Elise join Major Hicks.
SERGEANT
They've agreed to evacuate the city.
They've called out the National Guard
and riot police are on alert.
As they walk towards the tents the crowd crushes close.
Nick and Elsie are overwhelmed.
ELSIE
(aside to Nick)
Evacuate Manhattan? That's over three
million people. Has that ever been
done before?
NICK
I don't think so.
Several military guards have to clear a path for them as
they enter the tents.
41 INT. COMMAND TENT - CONTINUOUS - DAY 41
Still in construction. The team enters.
MAJOR HICKS
Status report?
SERGEANT
We've lost sight of it, Sir.
MAJOR HICKS
You want to run that by me again?
SERGEANT
(nervous)
After the initial attack he
just...disappeared.
OFFICER
(interrupting)
Major, Secretary of Defense Burk on
the line.
This takes Major Hicks off guard. The last person he
wants to talk to. Nick walks over to the Sergeant.
NICK
I don't understand. How can something
that large just disappear?
SERGEANT
We're not sure. We're scanning the
area now.
ELSIE
He probably returned to the river.
Just like everywhere else we've been,
we're always one step behind.
Nick turns and notices the back of the tent is open
revealing a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline.
Several soldiers enter, setting up telescopes.
NICK
I don't think so.
Over Manhattan we see several dark plumes of smoke from
the destruction. Military helicopters scan the city.
Staring out at the skyline, Nick is mesmerized.
NICK
I mean, look at it. It's perfect. An
island, water on all sides. But like
no other island in the world, this is
a place where he can easily hide.
(beat)
He's in there someplace.
A SOLDIER comes rushing in.
SOLDIER
Channel eight caught it on film!
He rushes over to a bank of monitors, turns one on. On
the screen we SEE the shaky video Animal took of the
creature just as it was about to step on him.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...WNEW's exclusive images of the
creature were taken less than a half
hour ago.
Nick and Elsie's jaws nearly hit the floor at the sight
of the immense creature.
CAIMAN
Cameraman Victor "Animal" Palotti
barely survived this vicious attack to
provide us with this footage.
The sounds of applause lead us to...
42 INT. WNEW BUILDING - SAME - DAY 42
Everyone is applauding as Animal, carrying crates of
equipment, passes the t.v. playing the same news story.
Embarrassed, Animal smiles awkwardly.
CO-WORKERS
Way to go Animal! That's my man!
Animal passes Audrey and Lucy who are packing up some
files.
AUDREY
Great stuff, Animal. Weren't you
scared?
ANIMAL
Sure I was. I thought Lucy was gonna
kill me.
LUCY
Damned right, you crazy Wop!
We SEE the room is in disarray from packing up cartons
of boxes and equipment. The workers have taken a break
from the packing as they watch the t.v. broadcast. The
station manager, MURRAY enters anxiously.
MURRAY
People! We have to be completely
relocated to the New Jersey station
before our 5:30 broadcast.
(reading from list)
Okay, Caiman, Devoe and Animal, you're
on the helicopter. Everyone else we'll
see you in Jersey.
ANIMAL
Gotta go, honey. You guys gonna be all
right?
LUCY
Audrey's going to stay with us
tonight.
ANIMAL
Great. See ya then.
Animal hurries out after him. Audrey and Lucy go back to
packing. Audrey looks up at the t.v. just as they replay
the footage of Nick and Elsie being led into the command
tent.
FIELD REPORTER
(filtered)
...military and government health
officials set up a command post on the
New Jersey coast this afternoon...
Surprised at first, Audrey suddenly becomes very
excited. She SEES Caiman exiting the studio at the end
of the hall. She rushes over to him.
AUDREY
Caiman, wait. Take me with you.
CAIMAN
What?
AUDREY
I've got something on this. I know a
guy on the inside with the
military...
CAIMAN
Not now. You got my bag?
Audrey holds up his bag as they walk towards the
elevator.
AUDREY
You don't understand, I can get us
information...
CAIMAN
Listen, this is the time when the big
boys have to go to work, okay Honey?
With that, Caiman walks into the elevator. Pissed,
Audrey just stares at him.
CAIMAN
The bag?
Audrey THROWS the bag at him, knocking him backwards as
the elevator doors close. Lucy walks over.
LUCY
Come on, Girl, we've gotta go!
43 EXT. WNEW OFFICE BUILDING - MINUTES LATER - DAY 43
Lucy and Audrey carry their bags outside into the chaos
that has taken over the city. Hundreds of people trying
to leave at once. Gridlock.
As they move into an overcrowded subway entrance,
Audrey looks up just in time to SEE the WNEW NEWS
HELICOPTER lifting off from the building behind them.
CUT TO:
44 EXT. MANHATTAN - HELICOPTER SHOT - LATE AFTERNOON 44
We SEE the destroyed parts of downtown Manhattan. Police
barricade the streets as firemen work to contain the
fires.
CAIMAN (O.S.)
...in what city officials are calling
the worst act of destruction since the
World Trade Tower bombing...
45 INT. WNEW NEW HELICOPTER - SAME - LATER AFTERNOON 45
Caiman stares earnestly at his video camera.
CAIMAN
...Police and the National Guard have
quarantined off over twenty square
city blocks...
46 EXT. OVERHEAD HELICOPTER SHOT OF MANHATTAN - SAME 46
Below we see the largest traffic jam in the history of
the city. Police and National Guardsmen guide the
traffic.
CAIMAN
...hundreds of thousands have jammed
the streets in the largest evacuation
in the history of the city. And many
people are not happy about it.
47 EXT. MAN ON THE STREET INTERVIEW - VIDEO FOOTAGE 47
Quick cuts of people who where interviewed earlier.
WOMAN
I don't understand why we have to
leave our homes. It's over already,
isn't it?
MAN
What are we running from? A big
lizard? I've got cockroaches in my
building that could kick the crap out
of it.
48 EXT. TIMES SQUARE - GRIDLOCK - LATE AFTERNOON 48
Near chaos as police and National guardsmen attempt to
bring order to the hundreds of honking, screaming
motorists.
RIOT POLICE VAN
Dozens of armed officers pile out of the van.
NATIONAL GUARDSMEN
Maintaining blockades in front of their military
vehicles.
49 EXT. SEVENTH AVE E - ROADBLOCK - LATER AFTERNOON 49
The evacuation effort is made more difficult as traffic
must be diverted away from the quarantined destruction
area ahead. Police block the street, smoldering
buildings behind them. The detour only makes things
worse.
50 EXT. CITY BANK BUILDING - WALL STREET - SAME 50
Several National Guardsmen walk up to the City Bank
building where they find an ENORMOUS HOLE smashed into
the side of the building. The Guardsmen peek inside.
GUARDSMEN'S P.O.V. - INTO BUILDING
We SEE THROUGH the building to a hold on the other side.
Godzilla apparently walked RIGHT THROUGH. The Guardsmen
are visibly shaken.
51 INT. SUBWAY STATION - SAME 51
Way beyond capacity, the flooded subway platform bursts
with people pushing and shoving to get into the trains.
Caught in the craziness we find Audrey and Lucy trying
desperately to get on board.
P.A.
Please don't push. People are getting
shoved down onto the tracks and the
trains can't leave...
The last to fit inside, Lucy and Audrey cram in just as
the doors shut behind them. People left behind BANG on
the closed doors as the subway pulls out.
52 EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE - HELICOPTER SHOT - SAME 52
A gigantic traffic back up all the way down the Westside
Highway. The bridge is a veritable parking lot.
MAYOR (O.S.)
Well this is great!
53 INT. MAYOR'S HELICOPTER - LATER AFTERNOON 53
With his close aides in tow, the Mayor stares at the
melee below.
MAYOR
If we're wrong on this evacuation
they'll string me up from the Liberty
torch.
54 EXT. COMMAND CENTER - JERSEY CLIFF SIDE - LATE 54
AFTERNOON
The Mayor's helicopter sails over the George Washington
Bridge and over to a small landing pad near the Command
Center. A large group of people dressed in business
suits await the helicopter.
55 INT. MAYOR'S HELICOPTER - LATE AFTERNOON 55
Just as the helicopter is landing, the crowd moves
toward the chopper.
MAYOR
Who the hell are they?
AIDE
It's a contingent of building owners
and community business
representatives.
MAYOR
I don't have time for this nonsense.
AIDE
Most of them are campaign
contributors.
Well that's a different story.
56 EXT. LANDING PAD - CONTINUOUS - LATE AFTERNOON 56
As the Mayor steps out he's greeted by a nervous crowd
of people shouting, "How long do we have to shut our
business down? Will the city cover the damages? Etc."
Among them, DONALD TRUMP tries to get the Mayor's
attention.
MAYOR
I share your concerns. I want to get
the city back in business as soon as
possible.
As he pushes through the dense crowd he runs directly
into...
RAYMOND
Who waits for the Mayor. The Mayor is momentarily
stopped.
RAYMOND
(handing his card)
CHARGURES Insurance. We represent
nearly thirteen percent of the
buildings in your city.
MAYOR
If you'll excuse me...
RAYMOND
We are very happy that you are in
control of this situation.
With that he gently pats the Mayor on the back, leaving
a small, nearly undetectable DEVICE on the Mayor's
collar.
RAYMOND
You can count on our emotional and
financial support.
MAYOR
Oh, well, thank you very much.
Briskly he shakes his hand as he pushes his way through
the crowd. Raymond watches him pass, seeing the device
stuck to the Mayor's collar.
ANGLE - WNEW NEWS CHOPPER
Rushing over from the parked news chopper, Animal and
Caiman race for the Mayor who walks through a mob of
reporters.
CAIMAN
Hurry, we're going to miss the Mayor.
But before he can get close, two POLICE OFFICERS stop
them.
POLICE OFFICER
Sorry, you gotta have a press ID past
this point.
CAIMAN
Don't you watch t.v.?
POLICE OFFICER
Can we see your press pass, sir?
Flustered, Caiman searches his pockets for his press
pass.
CAIMAN
I had one here on my bag. Where the
hell did I put it?
CAIMAN'S PRESS PASS - ECU
We SEE Caiman's plastic smile on his press ID. Suddenly
AUDREY'S picture is placed on top of Caiman's.
WIDEN TO
REVEAL:
57 INT. SUBWAY STATION - SAME - LATER AFTERNOON 57
Smashed together like sardines, Audrey plays with
Caiman's press pass, trying to put her photo over his.
LUCY
What the hell are you doing?
AUDREY
Remember my friend we saw on t.v.?
LUCY
Your old sweetheart?
AUDREY
Yeah, well he just turned up in New
Jersey at the military command post.
Somehow all this is related to what
happened down in Panama. There's a
story here. I know it. You got any
tape or glue?
LUCY
I left my forgery kit back at the
office.
Audrey looks over at a young ten year old boy holding
his backpack, a RULER sticking out of the back.
AUDREY
Hey, do you have any glue in your
bag?
KID
What's it to you?
AUDREY
Can I use some?
KID
What do I get?
AUDREY
The warm feeling of helping your
fellow man.
KID
Five bucks.
AUDREY
You're kidding, right?
The Kid simply puts his hand out.
58 EXT. NEW JERSEY TRAIN STATION - LATER 58
People FLOOD off the train out into the station.
P.A. ANNOUNCER
Please exit the station. For those of
you without accommodations, the city
has opened up shelters on Monroe and
60th and at Bergenline and 72nd.
Please exit the...
Audrey and Lucy walk through the crowd. Audrey turns and
gives Lucy a kiss.
AUDREY
Wish me luck!
LUCY
Audrey, I don't think this is a very
good idea. Caiman finds out and he'll
have your job.
AUDREY
I'm tired of waiting for someone else
to give me an opportunity, Luce. If
there's a story here I'm going to find
it.
Lucy nods in acceptance as Audrey disappears into the
dense crowd. Lucy worries for her friend.
CUT TO:
"YUM YUM DOUGHNUTS" BAG - PRE-SUNSET
Carried along with a Styrofoam cup of coffee. We WIDEN
TO REVEAL a MAN carrying the junk food to a GREY VAN
parked not too far from the Command Center Tent across
the way.
The man knocks on the back of the van. The van opens to
reveal...
59 INT. RAYMOND'S VAN - PRE-SUNSET 59
Filled with high tech monitoring equipment, Raymond and
his men are listening in to a conversation. The man with
junk food hands it to Raymond.
RAYMOND
Merci.
He opens the bag and takes out a croissant. He bites
into it and grimaces. To wash away the taste, he drinks
from the coffee. It's worse than the croissant.
RAYMOND
You call this coffee?
MAN
(French accent)
I call this America.
The man takes a seat near Raymond as Raymond turns up
the volume on his headset.
MAYOR (O.S.)
(mid argument)
You're telling me that in an election
month I've evacuated the entire city
for nothing?
60 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM (TENT) - PRE-SUNSET 60
From behind the Mayor's head we SEE the monitoring
device attracted to his collar. As he speaks we WIDEN TO
REVEAL...
MAYOR
Do you realize what this evacuation
will cost the people of this city!?
Representatives of all branches of the military,
National Guard and the Mayor's office are here. The room
overflows with people. Nick, Elsie and the scientist
stand near the back of the tent.
ADMIRAL PHELPS
We're been monitoring the waters
around the island. As far as we can
tell it hasn't left the area.
MAYOR
But you don't know for sure.
MAJOR HICKS
We think there's a strong reason to
believe it may be hiding inside one of
the buildings within the sequestered
area.
MAYOR
But you don't know for sure!
Just then Sergeant O'Neal enters hurriedly. He wants to
speak but waits for the opportunity.
MAJOR
(controlling his temper)
Mr. Mayor, if he's not in one of those
buildings then we give the all clear.
But not until we've checked each
building!
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Sir, that may be more difficult than
we originally projected.
MAJOR
More good news?!
SERGEANT O'NEAL
We've run into a problem.
CUT TO:
A SIGN READING: SUBWAY STATION: 23RD STREET - SUNSET
We CRANE DOWN to reveal several military sedans pulling
up into FLAT IRON SQUARE (where Broadway meets 5th).
Sergeant O'Neal leads the team out of the cars and down
a subway entrance.
61 INT. SUBWAY STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS - SUNSET 61
Marching down the stairs, the team enters into the very
large subway station. For all we see it seems like a
normal subway station except for the fact that every one
of the team members look ASTONISHED.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Lt. Anderson and his men found this
late this afternoon.
The camera makes a hundred and eighty degree turn as we
suddenly SEE what the team is staring at...
AN ENORMOUS HOLE
The four normal subway tunnels have been CARVED OUT
making one GIGANTIC TUNNEL. Debris and crumbled brick
are everywhere. Several SOLDIERS with flashlights
approach the hole.
Lt. Anderson moves over to the astonished group. Some of
the scientists fan out, examining the area.
LT. ANDERSON
We were checking the office building
above when we discovered the floor was
gone.
LOW ANGLE - REVEALING THE HOLE IN THE CEILING
We SEE that not only is the ceiling gone but the
building above is hollowed and torn to shreds. Another
hole in the building leads to the street.
LT. ANDERSON
When we learned he could burrow his
way through the tunnels we realized he
could be out of the quarantined zone.
MAJOR HICKS
Christ. How many tunnels lead off the
island?
LT. ANDERSON
Only five, Sir. We've checked them
all. He hasn't used any of them.
MAJOR HICKS
Have them sealed off.
LT. ANDERSON
And how should we do that, Sir?
MAJOR HICKS
Fill them with cement, brick them up,
put land mines in them, bombs, I don't
know, just make sure that goddamned
thing doesn't leave the island!
ANGLE - INSIDE DARKENED TUNNEL
As the SOLDIERS slowly move down deeper into the
tunnels, their flashlight beams scan the area. Could
they stumble onto something dangerous?
ANGLE - NICK
as he approaches Major Hicks and Sergeant O'Neal.
NICK
You know, he's not an enemy trying to
evade you. He's just an animal.
MAJOR HICKS
What are you suggesting?
NICK
When I needed to catch earthworms, I
knew the best way to catch them was
not to chase them. I had to draw them
out.
ANGLE - SOLDIERS - DARKNESS
Still moving deeper into the tunnel we get the feeling
these soldiers may just waken a sleeping giant.
BACK TO TEAM
Nick moves to the edge of the platform, looking off into
the dark tunnel.
NICK
All we need to do is find out what it
wants, what it needs, and he'll come
to us.
ANGLE - SOLDIERS - DARKNESS
The lead Soldier SEES something. Cautiously he moves
forward thinking he's onto something. We HEAR something
MOVING in the darkness.
We FOLLOW his beam as the noise grows clearer. The beam
falls onto something on the floor...
A FISH
Flopping on the ground is a large FISH. As the beam
moves farther along we see two, no, three fish ahead.
CUT TO:
62 EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - POST-SUNSET (MAGIC HOUR) 62
A battalion of armored TANKS roll down this deserted
city street. A large number of GROUND TROOPS march
behind.
COBRA HELICOPTERS - SAME - MAGIC HOUR
Banking in formation, the helicopters swerve, heading
towards mid-town Manhattan.
SAND BAG FORTIFICATION
Soldiers pile up sand bags, creating a make shift
fortification. SHARP SHOOTERS and a BAZOOKA BRIGADE
settle into place.
63 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 63
Major Hicks moves over to a jeep and grabs the radio.
64 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 64
Major Hicks sits by a bank of communications
technicians.
MAJOR HICKS
Where are they now?
RADIO TECHNICIAN
Delta niner, what is convoy position?
65 EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 65
Led by armored military vehicles we SEE a convoy of
TWENTY YELLOW DUMP TRUCKS passing over the bridge.
DRIVER (O.S.)
Command, we're just entering the
city.
66 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME 66
Sergeant O'Neal listens to the response on the radio.
RADIO TECHNICIAN
Convoy ETA, five minutes.
The Sergeant signals several military technicians, who
are mounting several video cameras to hurry.
67 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 67
A buzz of activity. Military Officials and personnel.
The Mayor enters and joins his aides in the back of the
room.
MAYOR
(whispering to Aide)
They find anything yet?
The Aide shakes his head. Monitors come to life with a
live video feed-from several cameras we saw mounted.
A CABLE REPAIRMAN - MAGIC HOUR
In blue overalls, the REPAIRMAN walks up to a large
satellite dish. We WIDEN to REVEAL the dish is parked
next to the Command Tent. He kneels down next to some
cables leading away from the dish toward the Command
Tent.
68 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAGIC HOUR 68
Suddenly all the screens FUZZ OUT. Just as quickly the
monitors return to normal. No one seems to notice.
69 EXT. SATELLITE DISH - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 69
The Repairman finishes affixing a small DEVICE to the
cable. He taps his earpiece and speaks into his own
lapel.
REPAIRMAN
(French accent)
It is good.
70 INT. MOTEL ROOM - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 70
We SEE Raymond and his men have turned this dingy Motel
room into a command central of their own. Raymond is
putting sugar into his coffee when a bank of monitors
turn on. They are seeing THE SAME VIDEO FEED as the
Mayor. Pleased, he takes a sip. It's awful.
RAYMOND
You said this was French Roast!
His aid turns, holding a package labeled FRENCH ROAST.
RAYMOND
(defeated)
More cream.
His associate hands him some milk. He adds it to the
coffee. No use, it still sucks. On the monitors we SEE
the DUMP TRUCKS entering Flat Iron Square.
71 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 71
The DUMP TRUCKS arrive and the soldiers guide the
trucks, forming a circle, their tails facing each other.
As the last one passes it REVEALS Nick and Sergeant
O'Neal.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
I sure hope your plan works.
NICK
I'm kind of hoping the same thing.
The twenty of them, in concert, begin to dump their
cargo.
LOW ANGLE - CENTER OF THE DUMP TRUCK CIRCLE
Tons and tons of FISH are DUMPED directly on top of us.
72 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL - SAME - MAGIC HOUR 72
On the monitors they watch in astonishment as the fish
get dumped into a large pile in the center of Flat Iron
Square.
AIDE
Tres bizarre.
RAYMOND
No.
(leaning forward)
Very clever.
73 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - FISH PILE - SAME - NIGHT 73
A MOUNTAIN OF FISH have been piled into the center of
Flat Iron Square.
NICK
That's a lot of fish.
A master of the obvious. Sergeant O'Neal shoots him a
glare and moves over to the men. Together they march
into a building at the edge of the square.
SOLDIERS
Loading up rifles, taking positions. GAS MASKS being
handed out down a long line for all the soldiers.
The TANKS move into their final positions. The National
Guardsmen and Soldiers supporting the Tanks take
positions.
74 EXT. TOP OF THE SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 74
Entering from the stairs out onto the roof, Sergeant
O'Neal and his men take positions, observing from
above.
Everyone is waiting. The silence is deafening.
ANGLE - NICK
As everyone waits, Nick scans the area, thinking.
Suddenly something catches his eye...
STEAM VENT
Through a steam vent in the streets. Nick sees STEAM
lifting into the air. He notices several other vents
doing the same thing around the square. Quickly Nick
rushes over to a YOUNG OFFICER.
NICK
I need your radio.
The Young Officer leads Nick over to his jeep. Nick
grabs the receiver.
NICK
Sergeant O'Neal, the subway vents. We
have to shut them down...
75 EXT. ROOFTOP - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME - NIGHT 75
O'Neal listens to Nick on his radio.
NICK (O.S.)
(filtered)
...With the air pressure pushing up,
he'll never smell the bait!
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(turning to soldier)
Get some men down into those air
vents. Shut 'em down!
76 INT. SUBTERRANEAN AIR VENT - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT 76
With a loud WHINE we HEAR the vents shutting down. The
large whirling FAN BLADES slow to a stop.
77 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME 77
One by one the steam pillars begin to disappear as the
vents are turned off. There is a long tense moment of
waiting. When will it come? Will it come?
Before the Young Officer can stop him, Nick rushes over
to a manhole cover in the center of the street. The
cover is to heavy. He yells back.
NICK
We need to open all the manhole covers
in the area. Let the scent waft down.
The Young Officer signals other soldiers. Nick steps
back and lets the soldiers go to work. As he walks back,
he spots another manhole cover at the next intersection
down a side street. He runs over to it.
ANGLE - SIDE STREET - MANHOLE COVER
A particularly heavy one in the center of this
intersection (a block away from Flat Iron Square), Nick,
alone, wrestles to remove it. With all his might, he
drags it clear.
Suddenly, through the hole he HEARS some STRANGE NOISES
from below. Rattled, he slowly backs away from the hole.
The NOISES grow increasingly louder.
Then with a DEAFENING ROAR, the ground behind Nick
ERUPTS and GODZILLA RISES, ripping up the boulevard as
he does.
Nick SPINS only to find himself face to face with the
gigantic creature. Godzilla's head slopes down,
apparently looking Nick in the eye.
All around foot soldiers appear, guns trained, shoulder
hoisted rocket launchers prepared.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nick sees all this. He
gently signals with his hands that they should NOT fire.
Sensing no danger from Nick, Godzilla simply STEPS OVER
Nick.
NICK'S POV - UNDER GODZILLA
As the gargantuan creature walks over us, making a
beeline for the fish.
Nick turns and RUNS, following him.
78 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 78
Godzilla moves into the square. The military hunkers
down, ready to strike. Cautiously the beast moves over
to the mountain of fish.
79 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 79
Major Hicks watches the monitors as Godzilla approaches
the fish.
MAJOR HICKS
Commence phase one. Let's gas it!
80 EXT. ROOFTOP - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME - NIGHT 80
Everyone on the rooftop puts on their GAS MASKS.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Let 'em fly!
ANGLE - STREET LEVEL - SAME
All the soldiers PUT ON their GAS MASKS. A team of
EIGHT, pull out a GAS CANISTERS and yank the releases.
They DROP them down the long barrels of air cannons,
preparing to fire.
SAND BAG FORTIFICATION - SAME
Nick runs past the fortification, trying to get a closer
look. The Young Officer yells after him.
YOUNG OFFICER
Where're you going? Nick!
Nick stops briefly as the Young Officer TOSSES a gas
mask to Nick who quickly puts it on and dashes for a
closer spot. Suddenly SAILING OVER HIS HEAD we SEE...
GAS CANISTERS
Firing from the air cannons, the GAS CANISTERS streak
across the sky landing behind Godzilla. The Yellow gas
forms a wall of smoke that drifts upwards.
ANOTHER ANGLE - OPPOSITE CORNER
Across the way eight MORE CANISTERS are FIRED at the
beast. Quickly Godzilla is surrounded by the gas fumes.
ANGLE - NICK
Frustrated at his inability to see through the smoke, he
DASHES forward over to a large BRONZE STATUE.
GODZILLA
The smoke annoying and distracting him, Godzilla spins,
his tail waving the smoke away. But the smoke returns.
Godzilla YELLS OUT. Frustrated he rears back and
BLASTS!
For the first time we SEE the infamous POWER BREATH of
Godzilla. With amazing FORCE the smoke, canisters, cars
and anything that isn't nailed down SAILS BACKWARDS from
the intense pressure.
Nick is HIT by the WAVE of air pressure and is sent
FLYING BACKWARDS, impossibly high in the air.
An enormous fabric BANNER advertising this season at the
MET, catches Nick who SLIDES down the banner, hitting
the ground, HARD. Just as he looks up he SEES...
A LARGE TRUCK
Tumbling toward him from the power breath. Nick
SCRAMBLES to his feet just in time as the rolling Truck
SMASHES into the building behind where he just sat.
ANGLE - TROOPS - FORTIFICATION
The troops have to SCATTER as the tumbling trucks and
cars are FLUNG AT THEM, disabling their attack forces.
Trucks and rocket launches are CRUSHED by the tumbling
debris.
Godzilla CONTINUES to BLOW at everything around him.
Cars and trucks ROLLING. Soldiers DIVING for cover. It's
chaos.
The glass in all the surrounding buildings SHATTER,
shards of glass raining down. Windows, street lamps, all
blown out by the tremendous gale force winds.
81 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAJOR HICKS - SAME - NIGHT 81
On the monitors we SEE the melee.
MAJOR HICKS
Fire at will!
82 EXT. ROOFTOP - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME - NIGHT 82
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Fire at will. Fire at will.
83 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 83
From all angles, soldiers rush back to their equipment
and attempt to FIRE. Very few are able to get off
rounds.
84 EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME - NIGHT 84
O'Neal tries to steady himself as the soldiers FIRE down
at the creature below. One HOISTS a MISSILE launcher.
ANGLE - GODZILLA - NIGHT
As the FIREPOWER begins around Godzilla, he takes a hit
in the shoulder and SCREAMS OUT. Suddenly he LEAPS away
just as several MISSLES HIT the Flat Iron Building
behind where Godzilla was standing only moments
earlier.
Dashing down a side street, Godzilla LEAPS over the
waiting tanks who cannot adjust their cannons in time.
WE'VE NEVER SEEM HIM MOVE THIS QUICKLY. Several tanks
are SQUASHED as the beast bull dozes right through the
regiment.
85 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 85
We SEE the Flat Iron Building crumbling on one of the
monitors near Major Hicks. In the rear of the room the
Mayor looks sick.
86 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 86
Soldiers come out from behind the crashed vehicles and
debris. Only the smoldering devastation is left behind.
87 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAJOR HICKS - SAME - NIGHT 87
The monitors only show static or devastation.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
O'Neal, what the hell is going on
there!?
88 EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME 88
Quickly his men are packing up.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(into radio)
He's gone, Sir. Echo division's in
pursuit.
89 EXT. AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS (6TH AVE.) - SAME - NIGHT 89
Four ARMORED MILITARY VEHICLES come SKIDDING around the
corner in hot pursuit. Each with a team manning enormous
mounted weaponry.
REVERSE ANGLE - 6TH AVE. - GODZILLA
Galloping like a Gisele uptown, Godzilla is SPEEDING up
the boulevard. The armored vehicles OPEN FIRE. Some
shots CLIP into Godzilla's back. Ahead he is running
directly into...
MOBILE MISSILE LAUNCHERS
Blocking off the street in front of him. They FIRE.
Pinned down, the creature SCREAMS and DUCKS away down
another side street. The missiles can't turn fast enough
and SLAM into a building, DEMOLISHING it.
90 EXT. ELECTRONICS STORE - SAME - NIGHT 90
The window is SMASHED in. A small group of LOOTERS are
loading up their mini-van. Finishing up the group is
about to leave.
LOOTER #1
Jimmy, let's go.
LOOTER #2
Wait. I want this. Help me!
The group rejoins Jimmy as they try to pull an enormous
Pin Ball machine from the window. As they carry the
machine back towards the mini-van...
SQUASH! - GIGANTIC FOOT
Godzilla's enormous foot flattens the mini-van like a
pancake. The Looters go pale. As the Military Armored
Vehicles RACE by in hot pursuit.
91 EXT. BROADWAY - SAME - NIGHT 91
Godzilla BOUNDS onto Broadway and FREEZES, looking
around. As he looks downtown he SEES...
GODZILLA'S P.O.V. - MILITARY ARMORED VEHICLES
Skidding around the corner a few blocks back, the
armored vehicles reappear.
Godzilla turns uptown and BOLTS. As he gets up to full
speed...
COBRA HELICOPTERS
A team of FOUR COBRA HELICOPTERS swoops down heading
directly for Godzilla.
92 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAJOR HICKS - NIGHT 92
The Mayor stands over a Radio technician.
HELICOPTER PILOT (O.S.)
(filtered)
We have him, locked on.
MAJOR HICKS
Then FIRE damn it!
93 EXT. TIMES SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 93
Godzilla runs into the famous lighted square (looking
remarkably like Tokyo) just as the COBRA'S come SWEEPING
DOWN out of the sky.
Godzilla SPOTS them and leaps away just as they FIRE
missiles, which RIP INTO the famous JUMBO TRON VIDEO
BILLBOARD, demolishing the building.
The Cobra's SWERVE quickly, pursuing Godzilla down a
side street.
94 EXT. LEXINGTON AVENUE - SAME - NIGHT 94
Godzilla appears, turning the corner and racing down the
street. From behind, the Cobra helicopters come
SCREAMING down on him, they FIRE ROCKETS at Godzilla
who, again, deftly turns a corner.
The errant rockets BLAST into the CHRYSLER BUILDING, as
they attempt to follow him but fail. Shards of glass come
RAINING DOWN as the building crumbles.
ANGLE - ARMORED VEHICLES
As they race around the corner they SLAM ON THE BREAKS
just as the familier CONE of the Chrysler building comes
CRASHING DOWN just inches in front of the vehicles,
tumbling into the street.
95 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 95
The static increases over the radio.
HELICOPTER PILOT
(filtered)
That is a negative impact.
The Mayor, in the back of the room stands, furious.
MAYOR
Negative impact!?! It's the goddamned
Chrysler building, that's what it is!
His aides try to calm him.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
You said he was locked on!
96 EXT. SIDE STREET - COBRA HELICOPTER P.O.V. - NIGHT 96
Moving through the narrow side street.
HELICOPTER PILOT (O.S.)
The heat seekers can't lock. He's
colder than the buildings around him.
97 EXT. 5TH AVENUE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 97
The four Cobra helicopters ZOOM around the corner and
into 5th avenue.
COBRA HELICOPTER P.O.V. - GODZILLA
Godzilla is ahead of us. The choppers FIRE again, this
time using their gun turrets, ACCELERATING toward the
beast.
Under heavy bullet firepower and the choppers nearly on
top of him, Godzilla DIVES into an office building.
The helicopters surround the crumbling building, and
OPEN FIRE, decimating it. They STOP firing and stare
into the smoldering mess they've made.
PILOT
I think we got him.
Just then ERUPTING out of a building behind them...
GODZILLA
POUNCES OUT of the building, snapping up two of the
helicopters in one bite!
He WHIRLS around and SWIPES another out of the air with
his ENORMOUS CLAW. The CLAWED helicopter SLAMS into the
ground just as...
ARMORED VEHICLES
come sliding around the corner, directly into the
CRASHING HELICOPTER which explodes on impact. The entire
team is taken out with the concussion.
98 INT. COMMAND TENT - MAJOR HICKS - SAME - NIGHT 98
Major Hicks is on his feet, steaming mad.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
Echo four, where is he!?
99 EXT. AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS - SAME - NIGHT 99
As the remaining Cobra helicopter SWERVES around,
Godzilla is gone.
HELICOPTER PILOT #4
I don't know sir. He just vanished.
As the helicopter PASSES a dark building we SEE a SHAPE
MOVE! We realize that like a chameleon, Godzilla had
TAKEN THE COLOR of the building and hid. With the
helicopter past him, he CHASES FROM THE REAR.
HELICOPTER PILOT #4
(realizing)
Oh Jesus!
The chopper GUNS IT, full throttle. Godzilla GIVES
CHASE. Even at its top speed it can't out run the big
creature.
The chopper tries to LIFT AWAY but before he can get the
height, Godzilla SNAPS his gigantic jaws and SWALLOWS
THE HELICOPTER WHOLE.
STREET - WIDE ANGLE
The fires burn and the rubble crumbles. Godzilla gives
one final SCREAM and DIVES into a building,
disappearing.
100 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 100
The Major's aide try to hold him back as the Mayor is
charging at Major Hicks.
MAYOR
What the hell is the matter with you
people?! You caused more damage than
that thing did!
101 EXT. 5TH AVENUE - SAME - NIGHT 101
Empty and devastated. Fires continue to burn.
102 EXT. FLAT IRON SQUARE - SAME - NIGHT 102
Nick, Sergeant O'Neal and several of his men walk
through the devastated area. Nick kneels down and
SEES...
NICK'S P.O.V. - PUDDLE OF BLOOD
There is a large reddish brown puddle of blood. Nick
takes out a small glass container and scoops some up.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
I can't believe it. He did all this
and we did nothing to him.
Nick walks over to him, consoling.
NICK
That's not true. We fed him.
REVERSE ANGLE
Only a few scattered fish remain where the mountain of
fish once was. Our team stands there amidst the rubble.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
103 INT. NETWORK NEWS DESK - VIDEO FOOTAGE 103
A network news ANCHOR speaks directly at us as a video
of the Chrysler building getting destroyed plays behind
him.
ANCHOR
While it may have looked like Beirut,
it was in fact, Manhattan where man
and nature have collided with brute
force.
The video switches to the White House where we SEE the
President signing a bill.
ANCHOR
The President today declared a state
of emergency and has issued disaster
relief funds to New York City.
WIDEN TO
REVEAL:
104 INT. WNEW NEWS TRUCK - VIDEO FEEDS - SAME - NIGHT 104
We SEE that we've been watching the video on one of MANY
video monitors showing all the news broadcasts. As an
assistant moves away from the monitors we FOLLOW him out
of the truck.
105 EXT. WNEW NEWS TRUCK - CONTINUOUS - SAME - NIGHT 105
We continue to FOLLOW the assistant outside, revealing
the enormous MOB of reporters that have gathered just
outside the military command tents. As we FOLLOW the
assistant he passes several reporters doing "stand-up"
reports.
REPORTER #1
...rumors continue to mount as to the
origin of this, perhaps, lost
dinosaur...
REPORTER #2
...having shut down the United Nations
in the evacuation, foreign diplomats
are demanding an international
coalition be assembled to track the
creature...
The assistant finally arrives at Caiman who is doing a
live remote. Animal works the camera.
CAIMAN
...Maintaining a total media blackout,
officials remain silent this evening
as to their progress in containing
this creature...
Behind him, in the crowd we SEE Audrey pushing her way
through the reporters, her fake ID pinned on her shirt.
She turns and sees Caiman. Quickly she ducks down and
moves deeper into the crowds.
Suddenly there is movement as the crowd turns their
collective attention over to a group of cars pulling up
nearby. Audrey pushes her way to see what's happening.
The cars are BLOCKED from returning to the command tents
as the reporters MOB the first car in line.
106 INT. SEDAN - NICK - NIGHT 106
Nick observes the chaos. Through the crowd he SEES a
Pharmacy, a neon sign reading: Never Closes. He looks
back down at the blood sample he holds in his lap and
gets an idea.
NICK
(to the driver)
It's okay, I'll get out here.
He opens the car door and pushes his way through the
crowds who are less interested in him as they are the
military officials.
NICK'S P.O.V. - MEDIA CIRCUS - CROWDS - NIGHT
Pushing his way through, Nick SEES what a circus this
has become; t.v. news camera crews, journalists,
concerned citizens, worried mothers, and of course,
merchandising...
STREET STANDS
Nick passes several vendors selling dinosaur toys,
copies of Animal's now famous news video clip and, of
course, tee shirts with still images from that same
clip.
ANGLE - AUDREY
Through the dense crowd, Audrey SEES Nick in the
distance. Excited she starts to push her way through.
107 INT. PHARMACY - SECONDS LATER - NIGHT 107
Ringing the night bell, Nick calls for the PHARMACIST
who enters, weary eyed.
PHARMACIST
Can I help you, young man?
NICK
Do you have any home pregnancy tests?
Especially ones that test for
catastrophic hormones or clomiphene
citrate.
PHARMACIST
This is all we've got.
The Pharmacist puts onto the counter six different off
the shelf home pregnancy tests.
NICK
I'll take them all.
AUDREY (O.S.)
You must have quite some harem.
Nick spins to find Audrey standing right behind him.
Embarrassed, Nick awkwardly pays for the tests.
NICK
Audrey?! Is that you? Hi, hello. You
look, wow, uh, how've you been?
AUDREY
It's good to see you, Nick.
The Pharmacist puts out Nick's change. He scoops it out
and we FOLLOW them as they exit together.
NICK
So you made it.
AUDREY
What?
He points to her fake press ID she's still wearing.
NICK
You're a reporter. That's what you
always wanted to be, right? I'm happy
for you. Really, I am.
AUDREY
Yeah, well...
108 EXT. PHARMACY - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 108
Nick opens the door for Audrey and follows her out.
AUDREY
So, you still picking apart
cockroaches?
NICK
No, I'm into earthworms now. You
wouldn't be interested. They're real
"boring" creatures. Very reliable,
dependable, no surprises...
AUDREY
You're still mad at me, aren't you?
NICK
You just left me without a phone call,
a letter, nothing. All this time.
Yeah, I guess I'm still a little mad.
AUDREY
That was eight years ago. Some people
change, you know.
NICK
Most people don't.
AUDREY
I'm sorry you feel that way.
Audrey turns and walks away. Nick regrets his behavior
and calls after her.
NICK
Wait. I'm sorry. You're right. Eight
years is a long time. Can I offer you
a cup of tea?
AUDREY
Sure. I'd like that.
There's an awkward moment as neither knows what to say.
AUDREY
One, thing, though. Who'd you get
pregnant?
Off Nick's awkward reaction...
CUT TO:
109 INT. NICK'S TENT - LATER - NIGHT 109
Nick has set up a mini-lab in his private, small, tent.
The home pregnancy tests have been ripped apart. Nick
mixes some of the contents together.
AUDREY
I still can't believe it. How does a
guy go from an anti-nuke activists to
working for the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission?
NICK
When you and I use to attend rallies
in college, we helped to create
awareness. But from the inside now I
can actually effect change.
(pointedly)
I never lost my idealism.
AUDREY
And exactly what changes are you
trying to effect?
NICK
I have this theory that we're
inadvertently creating new species as
a direct result of what we've done to
nature.
AUDREY
And you think this creature is one of
them?
NICK
Yes. The first of its kind. I found
this blood sample earlier this
evening...
AUDREY
Blood sample? How close did you get to
that thing?
NICK
I got pretty close.
AUDREY
What else do you know about it?
Nick finishes his concoction, adding the blood sample
into it He takes the piece of litmus paper from one of
the home test boxes and dips it in.
NICK
Well, we know he eats fish, he's of
reptile genus, he's a burrower, he's
amphibious and...
Nick points out the litmus paper. It turns RED.
NICK
...he's pregnant.
AUDREY
Are you sure?
Nick gets up and starts to gather his materials.
NICK
(thrilled)
Well, obviously these tests weren't
designed for this but fundamentally
they're looking for the same hormonal
patterns that would indicate
pregnancy.
AUDREY
I don't get it. If it's the first of
its kind, how can it be pregnant?
Excitedly Nick begins to pace.
NICK
The ultimate expression of evolution,
it reproduces asexually. Think about
it, all kinds of creatures have been
known to travel great distances for
reproduction. That's why he came to
New York. Like every species of
insufficient progenitors, he's
nesting!
AUDREY
Nesting?
NICK
Yes. Do you realize that a creature
like this could lay as many as a dozen
eggs at a time!
Nick moves to the front exit of the tent.
NICK
Forgive me but I've got to get this
into the lab, to confirm all this.
I'll be right back.
Nick rushes from the tent. Alone, Audrey can't help but
poke around a bit. She opens one of his CASES. Taped to
the roof of the case she SEES...
INSERT PHOTOS - NICK AND AUDREY
Happy times long ago. They're both young and in love.
Audrey is surprised Nick still keeps them. She's
touched.
Feeling guilty she quickly closes the case and sits back
down. As she does she notices a video tape labeled
FIRST SIGHTING. Unable to resist, she puts it in and
turns on the t.v. The shot of the Japanese Cook
appears.
COOK
(filtered through t.v.)
...Gojira...Gojira...
She hits the fast forward tape and SEES, the enormous
footprints in Panama. She fast forwards again and sees
the beached cargo ship in Jamaica.
Audrey is torn. She makes a decision, pops the tape back
out, puts in her purse and takes off out the back of the
tent. Moments later, Nick returns from the front.
NICK
Audrey? Audrey?
A flash of lighting and thunder accents Nick's
confusion.
CUT TO:
110 INT. EDITING BAY - LATER - DAWN 110
On two monitors we SEE Audrey doing a "stand up."
AUDREY
(filtered)
...which is why in this case "all the
kings horses and all the kings men"
may not be able to put the big apple
together again. Audrey Timmons, WNEW.
We pull back to reveal Audrey, Animal and an editor,
ED, watching the piece.
ED
That's it. You owe me a breakfast.
AUDREY
(turning to Animal)
So, what do you think?
ANIMAL
It's good. It's a real good piece. But
how'd you get a hold of this
material?
Audrey covers her own mixed emotions.
AUDREY
Like you said, "Good guys finish
last."
She snatches the tape and she takes off running.
Concerned and worried, Animal watches her leave.
CUT TO:
111 EXT. WNEW TRUCK - COMMAND TENT AREA - RAIN - DAWN 111
Rushing out of the WNEW truck and into the rain, Audrey
spots her Station Manager, Murray. In the b.g. we SEE
Caiman getting make up, about to do a live spot with
another cameraman.
AUDREY
Murray, I need you to look at this
tape.
MURRAY
Not now, Audrey, we've about to go
live with the morning report.
AUDREY
You're going to want to include this.
I've got exclusive footage of other
places this thing has attacked.
MURRAY
(suddenly interested)
You do? Who's story is this?
AUDREY
Mine!
ANGLE - CAIMAN
About to go on, Caiman waves off his make up artist as
he watches Audrey hand Murray the tape. His field
producer counts down to going live.
P.O.V. THROUGH BINOCULARS - NICK - RAIN - MORNING
Through the lenses we SEE exiting his tent and moving on
towards the large center command tent. We REVERSE to
reveal...
112 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL ROOM - SAME - RAIN - MORNING 112
One of Raymond's men observes with binoculars from the
window. Tucking his napkin into his lapel, Raymond eats
breakfast with his men. Another man, JEAN-CLAUDE,
listens at the monitoring equipment. He turns to
Raymond.
JEAN-CLAUDE
Taisez-Vous.
He turns on the room speaker.
MALE VOICE
(filtered)
...Major Hicks, what makes you believe
another attempt to gun that creature
down will work?
113 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - RAIN - SAME - MORNING 113
Nick is moving to take his seat next to Elise at this
very crowded conference. The big wigs are here and the
room is packed. Major Hicks walks to a large map of
Manhattan.
MAJOR HICKS
General Anderson, the problem was the
terrain. If we lure him out into a
more open area such as this portion of
Central Park...
(points to the map)
We should be able to take him down.
MAYOR
Last time you didn't even scratch it!
MAJOR HICKS
That's not true. Our worm guy, er, I
mean, Dr. Tatopoulos found blood.
All eyes turn towards Nick who's still arranging his
papers. Nervously Nick addresses the crowd.
NICK
Well, yes. I did. Clearly he was
injured and bled.
MAJOR HICKS
You see, all we need to do is get a
better shot at it with weapons that
don't rely on heat seeking...
NICK
Um, excuse me, sir, but the
situation's more complicated than
that. The blood I recovered revealed
that the creature is either about to
lay eggs or already has.
GOVERNOR
Are you trying to tell us there's
another one of those things out
there?
NICK
I don't believe so.
MAYOR
Then how can it be pregnant? What is
this, the "virgin lizard?"
There's a smattering of laughter in the room.
NICK
No, it reproduces asexually. That's
why we must find the nest. If we
don't, dozens will be born, each one
capable of laying eggs of its own.
Very quickly we could be looking at an
enormous population.
MAJOR HICKS
So after we kill the creature we'll
begin a search for the nest.
NICK
It may be too late by then. These eggs
will hatch very quickly.
CLIVE
How could you possible know that?
NICK
The fish. The fish we found down in
the subway. He's not gathering all
that food for himself. He's preparing
to feed his young.
114 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL - RAIN - SAME - MORNING 114
Raymond listens intently. He grabs a folder off the desk
and opens it. We SEE photos and documents of every
member of the team. He finds the photo of Nick and
examines it.
115 INT. DINER - RAIN - SAME - MORNING 115
Audrey shakes off the rain and moves over to join Ed and
Animal at a booth.
ANIMAL
They just promo-ed your spot. It's
coming on right after this.
116 INT. COMMAND TENT - RAIN - SAME - MORNING 116
An AIDE comes in and whispers something into the
Governor's ear, who nods approval.
MAJOR HICKS
If Dr. Tatopoulos is right, we must
act quickly before this problem
escalates.
GENERAL ANDERSON
You want to divide our efforts based
solely on a wild theory?
MAJOR HICKS
He's come through for us before and if
he feels strongly...
GENERAL ANDERSON
Come through for you!? Major, your
campaign's a disaster. You weren't
even able to to prevent this thing
from coming to Manhattan.
GOVERNOR
Excuse me Gentlemen, but I think we
should see this.
The Aide moves over to a television and turns it on.
Just as the t.v. comes to life we SEE the old Japanese
Cook.
GENERAL ANDERSON
How the hell did this get out?
The image of the Cook saying, "Gojira" FREEZES and cuts
back to reveal Caiman doing his "stand-up."
CAIMAN
(filtered)
From an old Japanese sailor's song
called GODZILLA, a mythological sea
dragon who attacked sailors, to our
own modern day terror. Today in my
special report, who is this Godzilla,
where did he come from and why is he
here?
117 EXT. DINER - SAME - MORNING 117
Audrey is furious, on her feet.
AUDREY
You're special report! I'm the one
that found that stupid song! That's my
special report, you bastard!
Animal tries to calm her down as the story continues.
AUDREY
And it's "Gojira" not Godzilla you
moron!
118 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL - SAME - MORNING 118
Fiddling with the motel t.v., Raymond's men attempt to
clear the fuzzy picture.
JEAN-CLAUDE
Merde!
RAYMOND
Allez, allez!
Finally the picture clears.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...a path can be traced back from
Manhattan, to Jamaica, back to Panama
and all the way back to the French
Polynesians where nuclear testing has
been going on for over twenty
years...
119 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 119
Everyone stares at the television. Major Hicks burns
with embarrassment.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...But why? Research team member Dr.
Niko Padopolus believes the creature
is nesting, using Manhattan as ground
zero to cultivate his species...
GENERAL ANDERSON
You went to the press with this?
NICK
No, I didn't...I didn't talk with
anyone.
The military men are furious at the breach of security.
All eyes turn toward Nick.
GENERAL ANDERSON
They mentioned you by name!
NICK
Yes...but I...
MAJOR HICKS
You gave them the tape?
NICK
No, it's still in my tent. It's...oh
my God, she took it.
Pissed, GENERAL ANDERSON walks up to Nick.
GENERAL ANDERSON
Pack your stuff. You're officially off
this project as of now.
120 INT. DINER - SAME - MORNING 120
Caiman is still on television, wrapping up.
AUDREY
He stole my report! That's my report!
ANIMAL
We know, Audrey.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...and in this reporter's opinion,
"all the kings horses and all the
kings men"...
Audrey wads up her napkin and heaves it at the t.v.
AUDREY
Caiman you suck!
121 INT. RAYMOND'S MOTEL ROOM - SAME - MORNING 121
The television is snapped OFF and Raymond walks over to
the window looking out, thinking. Finally...
RAYMOND
We're leaving.
CUT TO:
A LARGE TRUNK
Slams shut. More suitcases and trunks. Widen to
reveal...
122 INT. NICK'S TENT - LATER - DAY 122
Nick is finishing packing as some soldiers carry his
things away. Elsie enters.
ELSIE
I'm sorry about all this.
NICK
Me too.
Nick hoists his bag and moves to leave.
NICK
Make sure they find that nest before
it's too late.
ELSIE
I'll try.
Reluctantly Nick nods acceptance and exits out into the
rain. We SEE the torn photographs of Nick and Audrey
laying on the floor.
ELSIE
Bye worm guy.
CUT TO:
123 INT. PHONE BOOTH - MOMENTS LATER - RAIN - DAY 123
Audrey in a street phone booth.
AUDREY
What do you mean Murray's not there? A
second ago you told me he was on the
other line...
Something catches Audrey's eye.
AUDREY'S P.O.V. - THROUGH GLASS - NICK
Lugging his bags out into the rain, Nick moves over to a
waiting cab.
124 EXT. COMMAND TENT AREA - NICK & CAB - RAIN - DAY 124
Lifting a heavy case, Nick places it into the cab's
trunk.
CABBY
Where to?
NICK
Newark airport.
Audrey moves up behind Nick.
AUDREY
You're leaving? Why?
Nick ignores her and continues to load the cab.
AUDREY
Is this cause of me? Because of the
story?
NICK
Well what the hell did you think was
going to happen?
AUDREY
You never said it was off the record.
NICK
I shouldn't have to, Audrey. You're
supposed to be my friend. I trusted
you.
AUDREY
I didn't mean for it to turn out like
this.
(confessing)
Look, I lied to you. I'm not a
reporter. When we broke up and I came
out to New York I was so sure I'd make
it. But I haven't. That's why I needed
this story so bad. I just couldn't
tell you I'm a failure.
NICK
So you thought that made it okay to
steal my tapes?
The last bag stowed, Nick moves to get into the cab. He
stops and turns back to her.
NICK
Good luck in your new career. I think
you really have what it takes.
He gets in and slams the door. The cab takes off leaving
a very alone Audrey standing in the rain.
AUDREY
(sad; to herself)
I'm sorry.
CUT TO:
125 INT. NEWARK AIRPORT - DAY 125
Long waiting lines for people trying to leave town.
People sleeping on the floors. Chaos. One group gathered
around a television set.
T.V. NEWS BROADCAST - VIDEO
We see images from crowed refugee shelters.
REPORTER
(filtered)
...every shelter in the tri-state area
has been overflowing with displaced
people. Tent cities have begun to
spring up all over the county...
As we TRACK away from the t.v. we FIND Nick taking a
seat at a small bar next to the gate. A WAITER comes
over.
WAITER
Can I get you something?
Before Nick can answer...
RAYMOND
Pernot, no ice.
Taking a seat directly across from Nick, Raymond sits
down, sizing him up. Nick is confused.
NICK
Do I know you?
RAYMOND
We've met before.
NICK
(remembering)
Oh yeah, the insurance guy.
Raymond pulls out his badge and lays it on the table in
front of Nick.
RAYMOND
SDECE, Service de Documentation
Exterieure et de Contre-Espionnage.
Agent Phillip Raymond.
NICK
Sounds like a big company.
RAYMOND
It's the French Secret Service.
NICK
Oh.
RAYMOND
We have learned that your American
friends have decided not to look for
the creature's nest.
NICK
(alarmed)
Are you sure? How do you know?
RAYMOND
We know.
NICK
Why are you telling this to me?
RAYMOND
I need you to trust me.
NICK
Why do you need that?
RAYMOND
I need your trust if you're to help me
find the nest.
NICK
Oh, my bags. I've checked them in.
RAYMOND
We, have already taken care of them.
Nick realizes Raymond is serious. The waiter hands
Raymond his drink. Raymond toasts Nick.
RAYMOND
Bon Chance!
CUT TO:
126 EXT. TENT CITY - AFTERNOON 126
A makeshift tent city has been set up in the park.
Animal video tapes an interview with a displaced
person.
DISPLACED PERSON
No one tells us a Goddamned thing. My
family is getting soaked out here. We
have no place else to go. We just want
to go back to our home.
Animal begins to PAN his camera around the tent city
when he SEES a SEDAN in the distance. He focus in on it
and SEES...
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. - SEDAN - NICK AND RAYMOND
Coming to stop at a light. Animal quickly lowers his
camera and hands it off to the Reporter he's working
with.
ANIMAL
I'll be right back.
Animal rushes over to the news van and takes off after
them, following.
127 EXT. WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER - AFTERNOON 127
Pulling up in front of a warehouse, Nick and Raymond
step out of the sedan. Staying hidden from view, Animal
pulls over. Intrigued, he watches them enter the
building.
128 INT. WAREHOUSE - RAYMOND'S MEN - AFTERNOON 128
Raymond enters with Nick. The room is filled with
equipment; radios, guns, explosives and armored
vehicles. We notice that more of Raymond's support team
are here.
NICK
How did you get all of this stuff into
the country?
RAYMOND
This is America. There is nothing you
can not buy.
Raymond gives Nick a tour.
NICK
So why all the secrecy? Why aren't you
guys working with the US military?
RAYMOND
I am not permitted to speak of such
things.
Nick stops and confronts Raymond.
NICK
You said you wanted my trust, then I
need yours.
Raymond considers this. Finally...
RAYMOND
I am a patriot. I love my country. Can
you understand that?
NICK
Sure.
RAYMOND
It is my job to protect my country.
Sometimes I must even protect it from
itself. From mistakes we have made.
Mistakes that we do not want the world
to know about.
NICK
Your talking about the nuclear testing
in the Pacific.
RAYMOND
Yes. This testing done by my country
left a terrible mess. We are here to
clean it up.
129 EXT. WAREHOUSE - ANIMAL - SAME - RAIN - AFTERNOON 129
Moving down alongside the building, Animal walks down
the side alley. He climbs up onto a garbage hamper and
peers into a cracked opened window.
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. - WAREHOUSE
Animal sees Nick and Raymond with all the hardware.
Several of the men are repainting the vehicles to
resemble those of the US Army.
130 INT. WAREHOUSE - SAME 130
Nick walks past the myriad of warfare tools. Jean-Claude
turns from the radios.
JEAN-CLAUDE
They will set the trap at thirty
minutes to ten.
RAYMOND
That is when we will go in.
Raymond leads Nick over to a large map.
RAYMOND
We know how to get into the city. We
just do not know where to start
looking.
Nick moves closer to the map, putting his finger on the
Flat Iron square subway station.
NICK
Here. 23rd street subway station.
Where we first found the fish. With a
little luck, this will lead us right
to it.
RAYMOND
So you're in?
NICK
Are you kidding? I always wanted to
join the French Foreign Legion.
CUT TO:
131 INT. LUCY'S APARTMENT BUILDING - LATER - LATE AFTERNOON 131
Animal quickly climbs the stairs. People are everywhere.
He has to step over them to get to his apartment. AS he
opens the door to his apartment he SEES...
132 INT. APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS - LATE AFTERNOON 132
Filled with people, Lucy is serving coffee. She smiles
at Animal as he enters.
ANIMAL
Who the hell are all these people?
LUCY
What? I just couldn't just let them
sleep in the street.
ANIMAL
Where's Audrey?
LUCY
In the bedroom. Crying her eyes out
because of you.
ANIMAL
What?
LUCY
All that "you gotta be vicious" stuff
you filled her head with.
ANIMAL
Me!? You where the one...
LUCY
Go in there. Talk to her.
Lucy pushes Animal towards the back bedroom.
133 INT. BEDROOM - SAME - LATE AFTERNOON 133
Audrey has been crying. Crumpled Kleenex wads piled up
all around her. A television plays a news broadcast,
boasting the headline: THEY CALL HIM GODZILLA! On the
t.v. we SEE a news conference with General Anderson
addressing some reporters.
REPORTERS
(simultaneously)
Can you comment on the nest? How many
more of these things will there be?
GENERAL ANDERSON
(filtered)
That's why I'm holding this
conference. To try and avoid a
needless panic.
Animal enters and watches from the back of the room.
GENERAL ANDERSON
Contrary to some frivolous reports, we
have no information to lead us to
believe that there are any eggs of the
creature in the city.
AUDREY
Stupid idiots!
ANIMAL
You okay?
AUDREY
It's all my fault. What have I done,
Animal? What have I become? Look at
me. This isn't me. I don't do things
like this.
ANIMAL
You made a mistake.
Suddenly someone exits the bathroom and crosses out of
the room. Animal looks at the stranger as he leaves.
AUDREY
Yeah, I just screwed up with the only
man who ever really cared about me.
ANIMAL
Didn't you tell me he left for the
airport?
AUDREY
Yeah. Why are you asking?
ANIMAL
I just saw him. He's with a bunch of
guys who want to sneak into the city
tonight.
Audrey tries to make sense of this. Suddenly she
realizes.
AUDREY
My God. He's going after the nest.
ANIMAL
Perfect! You wanted a story, well,
baby, you got one.
Excitedly Animal goes to the closet and retrieves a big
overcoat.
AUDREY
Animal, I can't.
ANIMAL
Look, you want to make it up to your
friend? Well if he's right, this is
your chance.
He starts going through his drawers, taking out battery
packs, tapes, etc, and putting it in his pockets.
AUDREY
(misgivings)
I don't know. I've already made such a
mess of things...
Animal walks up to the door, ready to exit.
ANIMAL
(smiling)
Audrey, I'm going after them. You can
come with me or not.
Conflicted, Audrey is not sure what to do. Animal opens
the bedroom window and begins to climb out.
AUDREY
What are you doing?
ANIMAL
Lucy'd kill me if she knew.
CUT TO:
134 INT. WAREHOUSE - LATER - SUNSET 134
Nick marches out of a changing room dressed in a
military uniform. As he moves into the room we SEE all
of Raymond's men dressed similarly.
As they climb into their vehicles, Raymond hands each a
stick of chewing gum. Nick gets in the passenger seat of
one of the vehicles, Raymond climbs in behind the
wheel.
NICK
What's with the chewing gum?
RAYMOND
Makes us look more American.
Nick looks over at the faux Americans. It's a tough
sell, gum or not.
NICK
Just let me do all the talking.
With that the vehicles pull out of the warehouse and out
into the rainy night.
135 EXT. LINCOLN TUNNEL - ENTRANCE - RAIN - SUNSET 135
An armed blockage seals the Jersey entrance to the
Lincoln tunnel. We widen to reveal Audrey and Animal by
a small side entrance. Animal works the lock.
AUDREY
What are you doing?
ANIMAL
It's the maintenance entrance. Runs
along the side of the tunnel. When
they repaired it last year I worked on
a piece about it.
Just then the lock TURNS and the door opens. They
enter.
136 EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE - JERSEY SIDE - SUNSET 136
A line of military vehicles approaches and slowly passes
through a guarded entrance, each vehicle checked. Nick
and Raymond's Humvee nears.
ANGLE - GUARDED BLOCKADE - CONTINUOUS
Raymond's Humvee rolls up and a GUARD walks up to the
window.
GUARD
(checking clipboard)
Who you boys with?
NICK
Oh, we're with the three two.
GUARD
I didn't ask you, soldier.
NICK
Sergeant O'Neal just called down for
us to join in.
Now he's suspicious. The guard approaches Raymond, checks
him out.
GUARD
You got a problem talkin'?
RAYMOND
(perfect southern accent)
Why no sir, I'm fine.
The Guard is suspicious but on a tight schedule. Finally
he waves him through.
GUARD
All right, keep it moving.
RAYMOND
(ala Presley)
Thank you very much.
They drive off. Nick is stunned by the act.
RAYMOND
Elvis Presley movies.
(by way of explanation)
He was the King!
137 INT. LINCOLN TUNNEL - MAINTENANCE DOOR - SAME - NIGHT 137
The door creeps open. Animal leans out to find the
tunnel deserted. He and Audrey step out and into the
tunnel. We FOLLOW them as they are headed for the exit
of the tunnel into Manhattan.
138 INT. RAYMOND'S HUMVEE - NIGHT 138
Raymond and Nick drive through Central Park. We can SEE
dozens of military people and vehicles in a large
meadow.
139 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - LARGE MEADOW - NIGHT 139
The enormous pile of fish is getting dumped in the
center of the field as many others are planting land
mines. Tanks, rockets and soldiers align the area.
The convoy of vehicles turn onto the meadow but Raymond
and his men keep going straight. They drive slowly right
past the trap sight and out of the park.
TIRES SQUEALING TO A STOP
Doors slam and immediately boots march past. We WIDEN to
reveal Raymond's team quickly gathering their gear and
heading down the subway entrance.
Raymond grabs a heavy bag and tosses it to Nick who
nearly topples from the weight.
RAYMOND
Be careful with that.
Nick looks into the bag and sees a bag marked
EXPLOSIVES. Shocked he looks back at Raymond, but he's
gone. Nick regains his breath and follows.
THE FISH
Older and nastier, but the same fish we saw in the
tunnel before. We FOLLOW the beam to its owner and find
Nick. We WIDEN to reveal that we're....
140 INT. SUBWAY TUNNEL - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT 140
The crisscrossing beams from the assault team's
flashlights nearly blind us as Nick leads the team
cautiously into the depth of this tunnel. Periodic fish
are found along the way. Suddenly the faint HUMMING
sound in the tunnel STOPS.
Everyone freezes as the wind shifts direction. A
familiar SMELL passes over them as they sniff the air.
NICK
They've turned off the ventilation
system. They're calling him to
dinner.
RAYMOND
Let's hope we are not the hors
d'oeuvres.
Nervously they continue onward.
141 EXT. 23RD STREET SUBWAY STATION - SAME - NIGHT 141
Animal and Audrey arrive, spotting the assault team's
vehicles. They head carefully down the stairs.
142 INT. 23RD STREET SUBWAY STATION - SAME - NIGHT 142
Audrey and Animal, camera in hand shooting everything,
climb down into the station. Animal rushes to the end of
the platform and searches down into the tunnels.
VIDEO P.O.V. - DARK TUNNEL - DISTANT LIGHTS
Through the camera we SEE the lights in the distance of
the tunnel.
ANIMAL
(whispering)
They're down there. Let's go.
Animal jumps off the platform, down onto what's left of
the tracks. Audrey squeamishly follows.
143 INT. TUNNELS - NICK & TEAM - SAME - NIGHT 143
Nick kneels down to inspect some debris. An old
SCREECHING SOUND is heard in the distance. Suddenly the
ground begins to quake. Dust falling. The SCREECHING
gets louder and louder.
Raymond moves up to Nick and points ahead. Nick nods in
nervous agreement. Just as they move towards the sounds
the ENTIRE WALL OF THE TUNNEL COLLAPSES next to them.
Bursting through the tunnel wall GODZILLA appears. His
enormous claws burrowing, he makes his way through and
into the tunnel. Quickly he moves past the team.
The team DIVES into a cross tunnel just as the colossal
beast BLASTS past them, barely missing them.
144 INT. 23RD STREET SUBWAY STATION - TUNNEL ENTRANCE 144
Audrey and Animal have just gotten into the tunnel
entrance. The entire place is shaking. Audrey is in a
panic.
AUDREY
Animal, let's get out of here.
But Animal hoists his camera and starts filming as
SOMETHING is moving TOWARDS them. Audrey is tugging at
him as the shaking gets more violent. With all her
strength, she finally gets Animal to start moving
backwards.
Just as they're out of the tunnel, the CREATURE BLASTS
outward. Audrey and Animal DIVE into the maintenance
ducks along side the tracks to avoid collision.
ANGLE - AUDREY AND ANIMAL
Animal is shielding Audrey with his body. She looks up
just in time to SEE Godzilla CRAWLING UP and out through
the ceiling. An amazing site.
AUDREY
Shoot! Shoot it!
Animal grabs his camera and gets the last moment of it
disappearing from view. Once gone, they both break into
enormous sighs of relief and nervous laughter.
145 INT. TUNNEL - SAME 145
Recovering, Raymond and the team walk back into the main
tunnel. They near the hole Godzilla just created,
examining it. Nick climbs into the hole.
NICK
I guess we go this way.
Raymond and his men follow.
146 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 146
Major Hicks is at the radio as the Generals sit behind
him.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
Sergeant, status?
147 INT. CENTRAL PARK - SAME - NIGHT 147
The park is bathed in light. Armed troops surround the
area. Tanks and missile launchers are in place. Sergeant
O'Neal kneels down by a sandbag fortification.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(into radio)
Any sign of it?
148 EXT. ROOFTOP - SPOTTERS - SAME - NIGHT 148
From the rooftop of one of the central park south high
rises, a team of SPOTTERS scan the area.
SPOTTER P.O.V. - THROUGH BINOCULARS - GODZILLA
Moving steadily towards central park, Godzilla makes his
way up seventh avenue.
SPOTTER
Got him. Section 5, heading north to
target.
149 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - SERGEANT O'NEAL - SAME 149
The Sergeant gives the nod and several teams of shooters
take off running, taking positions. The tanks turn their
gun turrets towards downtown, expectantly. Missile
launchers turn, arming devices locked.
150 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 150
Major Hicks stands near a computerized schematic of
Manhattan. A large RED FLASHING BLIP nears Central
Park.
151 EXT. SEVENTH AVENUE - GODZILLA - SAME 151
Godzilla moves up 7th Ave. He reaches Central Park South
and STOPS. He glances over to the park where bright
lights are glaring.
Something is making Godzilla more cautious this time.
Unsure he vacillates between moving forward and staying
within the shelter of the tall buildings.
ANGLE - O'NEAL - CENTRAL PARK
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(into radio)
Don't fire until he's cleared the
buildings and has moved into the
park.
ANGLE - GODZILLA
Still unsure, he ROARS out, frustrated with his own
indecision.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Come on, come on!
152 INT. TUNNELS - SAME - NIGHT 152
Nick leads the team through the cross town tunnel
created by Godzilla. Climbing over the debris, they make
their way to another opening. We FOLLOW them as they
clamber through the hole and into...
153 INT. PENN STATION - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 153
The largest subway/rail station in New York. Godzilla
has torn it to shreds. We get the feeling this is where
Godzilla has spent most of his time. Scattered fish
abound.
High above, there is a immense black hole in the tall
ceiling. Wherever it leads to is very dark. Nick and
Raymond stare at the hole together.
RAYMOND
What is up there?
154 EXT. 34TH STREET - MOMENTS LATER - SUBWAY ENTRANCE - 154
NIGHT
Climbing the stairs out from the subway, Nick et all
walk up onto the street to SEE...
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
The team cautiously approaches the building.
155 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - SAME - NIGHT 155
Carefully moving out from between the buildings Godzilla
takes a step into Central Park.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
(into radio)
Prepare to fire!
Guns are cocked, locked on and hoisted. Suddenly
Godzilla gets cold feet and starts to turn around.
156 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 156
The RED BLIP suddenly begins to move away from the
park.
MAJOR HICKS
(into radio)
Damn it! Fire! Shoot it before it gets
away!
157 EXT. CENTRAL PARK - SAME - NIGHT 157
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Fire at will! Fire at will!
All the weapons surround the area FIRE AT ONCE. Several
more Cobra Helicopters ZOOM DOWN out of nowhere.
Plunging downward, they FIRE at Godzilla.
The firepower ripping up everything around him, Godzilla
ROARS and deftly DIVES out of the park and back between
the buildings.
But as he bounds over to 57th street, there is a
contingency of MOBILE ROCKET LAUNCHERS waiting. They
FIRE. Godzilla DODGES and the rockets DESTROY PLANET
HOLLYWOOD as Godzilla races by.
With the helicopters right on his tail, Godzilla makes a
westward run across 57th street. Smashing parked
vehicles and his tail SWIPING buildings as it DASHES.
WEST SIDE HIGHWAY
Godzilla is heading straight for it, the helicopters
SHOOTING from the air. Suddenly Godzilla LEAPS higher
than we've seen before. He hurls himself OVER the West
Side Highway and SPLASHES DOWN into the Hudson River,
vanishing beneath the water's surface.
158 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 158
Furious, Major Hicks throws his headset against the
console violently. ADMIRAL JOHNSTON leans down into
frame.
ADMIRAL JOHNSTON
Don't worry. The Navy has a little
something there waiting for him.
THREE NUCLEAR SUBMARINES
In the murky waters of the Hudson river.
159 INT. NUCLEAR SUBMARINE - THE ARIZONA - SAME - NIGHT 159
The alarm KLAXONS are RINGING OUT as everyone rushes to
battle stations. The CAPTAIN moves over to a sonar
screen; a large MASS nearby blips on the screen.
CAPTAIN
(into radio)
We've got him on sonar. Arizona
closing in.
160 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 160
Different monitors have put up a three dimensional
schematic of the Hudson river. We SEE outlines of the
three nuclear subs approaching their target.
RADIO VOICES
(filtered)
...Indiana, closing in...Calvin
Coolidge, closing in...
161 INT. LOBBY - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - SAME - NIGHT 161
The doors are pried open. It's very dark in here, only
the assault team's flashlights illuminate. As they enter
the lobby, the team splits up into different search
groups.
Nick, Raymond and Jean-Claude move down the large front
lobby and turn down one of the many hallways surrounding
the main auditorium.
ANGLE - HALLWAY - ENTRY LEVEL - CONTINUOUS
Cautiously they move towards us. In the distance we see
the rest of the team moving the other direction. Raymond
and Nick arrive at a door leading to the main
auditorium. Nick is about to push the door open when
Raymond stops him.
RAYMOND
Jean-Claude.
On command, Jean-Claude snaps together his automatic
rifle as Raymond pulls out his semi-automatic pistol. He
nods "okay" to Nick who slowly opens the door.
As the door opens a small pile of FISH tumbles down over
their feet. They step over the fish and enter.
162 INT. AUDITORIUM - ENTRY LEVEL - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 162
Total darkness. Nick, Raymond and Jean-Claude cautiously
step over the fish inside. Only their flashlight beams
can be seen.
NICK'S P.O.V. - TRASHED AUDITORIUM
His beam cruises over the area nearby. It's been gutted.
Fish lay strewed on the floor everywhere. Suddenly Nick
spots a strange cluster of OBJECTS. He moves closer.
Raymond follows. With their combined light we can
SEE...
THREE ENORMOUS EGGS
A pile of reptile eggs nearly twice as tall as they are.
Raymond walks behind the egg, illuminating it from the
other side, making it partially translucent. We can SEE
THE EMBRYO inside the egg and IT'S MOVING!
NICK
Three eggs. I thought there would be
more.
RAYMOND
You were right.
Slowly Nick turns and SEES what Jean-Claude is staring
at open jawed...
DOZENS OF EGGS
Together their beams of light scan across the main
auditorium floor surrounding the gaping hole to discover
DOZENS OF EGGS piled in clumps everywhere.
NICK
That can't be. That's got to be over
twenty eggs.
163 INT. OTHER HALLWAY - SAME - NIGHT 163
Another of Raymond's men (R-MAN #2) has found a
switchboard, he examines the switches.
164 INT. PENN STATION - SAME - NIGHT 164
Animal and Audrey are wandering through the debris.
AUDREY
Okay, where'd they go from here?
165 INT. OTHER HALLWAY - SAME - NIGHT 165
R-MAN #2 locates the switch he's looking for and hits
it.
166 INT. AUDITORIUM - SAME - NIGHT 166
Nick, Raymond and Jean-Claude are stunned as the work
lights suddenly TURN ON illuminating the room,
revealing...
HUNDREDS OF EGGS
All over the main auditorium floor. A stunning tableau.
Nick is speechless. Raymond turns to him.
RAYMOND
Start counting.
167 INT. PENN STATION - SAME 167
The light filters down from the gaping hole in the
ceiling.
ANIMAL
They must have climbed all the way up
into there.
Together they notice some large metal piping that has
fallen from the auditorium. They move over to it and
begin to climb.
168 EXT. UNDERWATER - HUDSON RIVER - NUCLEAR SUB - NIGHT 168
The Arizona races past us.
169 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 169
We follow a runner who hands a report to the Admiral who
is conferring with the General and Major Hicks by the
schematic. The Admiral reads the report.
ADMIRAL JOHNSTON
They've surrounded the target just at
the mouth of the Hudson river.
170 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME - NIGHT 170
He swims at enormous speed heading directly at the
Arizona.
171 INT. SUBMARINE - ARIZONA - SAME - NIGHT 171
The lights dim as they prepare for battle.
CAPTAIN
Are we locked on?
ENSIGN
Locked on, Captain.
CAPTAIN
Fire.
172 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME - NIGHT 172
The torpedo is FIRED and comes darting directly at
Godzilla who abruptly SWERVES. The torpedo, however,
FOLLOWS him.
ANGLE - SUBMARINE - CALVIN COOLIDGE
From the other direction, closing in. Godzilla DIVES,
skidding close to the bottom. The TORPEDO begins to
close the gap.
Suddenly Godzilla SHOOTS UPWARDS heading directly for
the underside of the Calvin Coolidge.
173 INT. CALVIN COOLIDGE SUB - BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 173
The Calvin's CAPTAIN rushes over to the sonar screens.
ENSIGN #2
He's shifted course. He's heading
right at us!
CALVIN'S CAPTAIN
Full stern!
174 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME 174
Godzilla RAMS the underside of the Calvin Coolidge
before she can turn. The entire sub SPINS, TWISTING OVER
its side and colliding directly with...
THE TORPEDO
slams into the side of the rolling and dented nuclear
submarine. With a CONCUSSION the sub EXPLODES.
175 EXT. HUDSON RIVER - SAME 175
An enormous SPRAY OF WATER erupts from the river,
bubbles and debris float to the surface.
176 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 176
The computerized representation of the Calvin Coolidge
VANISHES off the monitor.
RADIO OPERATOR
We've lost the Coolidge, Sir.
The Admiral burns.
177 INT. ARIZONA SUBMARINE - SONAR CONSOLE - SAME - NIGHT 177
The BLIP representing Godzilla turns.
ENSIGN
He's shifted course, Sir. He's heading
back towards Manhattan.
CAPTAIN
Full ahead. Close in and lock on.
178 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME - NIGHT 178
Godzilla attempts to make his way back to the shore. The
Indiana and Arizona close in on either side.
179 INT. ARIZONA - SAME 179
ENSIGN
Locked on, Sir.
CAPTAIN
Fire!
180 EXT. UNDERWATER - GODZILLA - SAME - NIGHT 180
Boxed in from either side, Godzilla RACES through the
water. At the same moment both submarines FIRE their
torpedoes.
Godzilla reaches the underwater shoreline of Manhattan
and begins BURROWING FURIOUSLY. As his gigantic claws
start DIGGING up earth, an enormous TURBULENCE of clouds
and dirt cloud the waters around him, cloaking him.
181 INT. ARIZONA - SAME - NIGHT 181
The Captain and his Ensign are at the Sonar. We TRACK
two torpedoes approaching target (Godzilla).
ENSIGN
Impact in eight seconds, seven,
six...
182 INT. COMMAND TENT - WAR ROOM - SAME - NIGHT 182
Huddled around the schematic and radio, they hear...
ENSIGN (O.S.)
(filtered)
...five, four, three...
183 EXT. UNDERWATER - SAME 183
The torpedoes ENTER into frame and disappear into this
undersea dust cloud. An enormous EXPLOSION BLASTS from
its center, waves of concussion reverberate.
184 EXT. BATTERY PARK - MANHATTAN - SAME - NIGHT 184
With the EXPLOSION and enormous TIDAL WAVE rises and
CRASHES DOWN over battery park with tremendous impact.
Parked cars and phone booths are washed away.
185 INT. ARIZONA SUBMARINE - SAME - NIGHT 185
The ENSIGN checks the SONAR.
ENSIGN
Direct hit!
The crew erupts in cheers.
186 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 186
They hear the cheering from the sub over the radio.
SOLDIER
They got 'em!
The Generals congratulate each other and Major Hicks.
187 EXT. UNDERWATER - SAME - NIGHT 187
Toppling down out of the murky turbulence, we SEE
Godzilla falling away from the shoreline, backwards the
ocean floor, drifting down to the bottom of the Hudson
river like so many cement shoed gangsters.
188 INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - SAME - NIGHT 188
Raymond and his men are laying out the plastic
explosives around the room by the clumps of eggs.
Jean-Claude walks up to Raymond.
JEAN-CLAUDE
We do not have enough explosives.
Raymond turns and sees Nick, across the room studying a
group of eggs. Raymond goes towards him.
ANGLE - AUDITORIUM FLOOR - HOLE - SAME
Crawling out from the hole in the center of the floor,
Animal and Audrey appear. They're stunned at what they
see. Quickly Animal hoists his camera and begins to film
as an amazed Audrey walks through.
ANGLE - NICK AND EGGS - MID-LEVEL DECK
Kneeling down along side the eggs, Nick examines them.
Raymond approaches.
RAYMOND
Nick, we have a problem.
Nick silences him with a gesture as he moves in to
listen to the egg. He leans his ear against the shell.
Suddenly we HEAR a loud CRACK. Nick jumps backwards.
The shell RUPTURES and an large FISSURE opens up across
the egg. As we hear other CRACKS O.S., Nick turns and
SEES more eggs beginning to open all around them.
ANGLE - AUDREY AND ANIMAL - FLOOR LEVEL
Hidden in this forest of tall eggs, Animal leans in
close to one getting video footage of it cracking.
Audrey nervously watches. What she doesn't see, however,
is a BABYZILLA, fish hanging from its jaw, as it
approaches from behind.
ANGLE - NICK AND RAYMOND
Stunned, they can only stare as the BABYZILLA BREAKS
FREE of his shell and gives a mini version of the famous
WAIL.
RAYMOND
I think we should leave now.
NICK
Good idea.
The BABYZILLA kneels down and immediately starts
GOBBLING UP the dead fish laying nearby. Cautiously Nick
and Raymond slowly back away until they are a far enough
distance, they they break into a run and head for the
exit.
ANGLE - AUDREY AND ANIMAL - FLOOR LEVEL
The Babyzilla continues to chomp on its fish as it nears
Audrey. Animal continues to shoot the cracking egg.
ANIMAL
(whispered)
One more second. This is fantastic.
Just then Animal turns to SEE the Babyzilla right behind
Audrey.
AUDREY
Don't you think we have enough?
ANIMAL
Yes. Definitely. Definitely enough.
Audrey turns to see what Animal is staring at. Her eyes
go WIDE as she backs up into Animal. Another BABYZILLA
appear on the other side of them.
ANIMAL
Just be calm. Don't startle them.
Animal leads Audrey backwards as they make their way
towards the large "team" entrance at the end of the
floor. The two Babyzillas swallow their fish and begin
to SNIFF the air.
Audrey moves up the isle. An egg CRACKS and an ARM
breaks out through a shell, GRABBING HER LEG. Audrey
FREAKS and frantically she KICKS herself free. They both
suddenly take off running.
189 INT. MID-LEVEL HALLWAYS - SAME 189
Nick and Raymond race to the stairwell. Raymond pulls
out his radio.
RAYMOND
(into radio)
Everyone, outside! Now!
ANGLE - JEAN-CLAUDE - MID-LEVEL DECKS - ACROSS THE ROOM
Laying down the plastic explosives. Hearing the radio,
he drops what they're doing just as several eggs near
them begin to CRACK. Quickly he and his partner take off
running.
190 INT. FAR BACK WALL - LOWER LEVEL - SAME 190
Two other men are still laying cables for the
explosives. One of them is kneeling in a pile of FISH
near the eggs.
R-MAN #2
Come on, let's go.
R-MAN #3
One moment. I've almost got this.
Just then a BABYZILLA pops up behind the eggs, a fish in
his mouth. He SWALLOWS the fish and begins SNIFFING THE
AIR. He turns and stares directly at the slowly
retreating R-MAN #3.
He smells his own hands and realizes he smells like
fish, quickly he turns and RUNS.
But Babyzilla is faster. He runs up from behind and
LEAPS onto R-MAN #3's back. R-MAN #2 begins to FIRE at
Babyzilla just as another one TACKLES HIM from the
side.
In moments, they are both devoured.
191 INT. TEAM ENTRANCE - FLOOR-LEVEL - SAME 191
Audrey and Animal reach the entrance and race inside.
The main exit doors are locked from the outside. They
turn back just as...
THREE BABYZILLAS
appear in the team entrance doorway SNIFFING THE AIR.
Audrey SEES something, grabs Animal's wrist and pulls
him to one of the Locker room doors. It's open.
192 INT. LOCKER ROOM - CONTINUOUS 192
Through the door we SEE the Babyzilla approaching as
Audrey and Animal leap inside, slamming the door behind
them. There is a sudden THUD against the door.
Animal rushes over to a large LOCKER CABINET and, with
all his strength, PUSHES it over, blocking the door.
AUDREY
Great. Now what do we do?
193 INT. HALLWAYS - MID-LEVEL - SAME 193
Nick and Raymond run up to another open doorway and look
inside.
NICK'S P.O.V. - AUDITORIUM
Dozens and dozens of eggs HATCHING. BABYZILLAS
everywhere begin to awaken and immediately begin to
devour all the fish. A Babyzilla appears only feet away
and turns and stares directly at us.
Quickly Raymond slams the doors shut as they both
retreat back into the hallway. Raymond SMASHES the glass
covering of a nearby FIRE HOSE and raps it around the
door handles, locking it closed.
Suddenly a loud THUD as something begins to BANG against
the locked doorway.
RAYMOND
We've got to lock them inside while we
can.
Raymond tosses his cellular phone to Nick.
RAYMOND
Contact the military and get them to
send a bomber to blow up this building
before these things escape.
NICK
How do I do that?
RAYMOND
555-7600. Tell them it's a code
dragonfly. They should get you
through.
Amazed by Raymond, Nick just stares at him.
RAYMOND
What are you waiting for?
Nick snaps out of it and dials.
OPERATOR
(filtered)
...all circuits are busy right now.
Please hang up and try again...
194 EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 194
A large and ANGRY mob has gathered at the roadblock to
the bridge. People, their cars packed with belongings,
are screaming to be let back into Manhattan. Horns honk
and the blockade guards are getting nervous.
195 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 195
The Mayor marches over to Major Hicks who is consulting
with the Generals.
MAYOR
Do you have any idea what's going on
out there? The phones are ringing off
the hook with people screaming to be
let back into the city.
MAJOR HICKS
We're sending divers into the river
now to retrieve the body.
MAYOR
That thing's dead. What the hell are
we waiting for?
Just then Elise rushes over to the Major.
ELSIE
Major, if Nick is right, this could be
our last chance to do something about
it. We have to search for the nest,
now.
Major Hicks is torn. Finally he nods in agreement,
turning to another officer.
MAJOR HICKS
Organize a search party. I want a
complete sweep of the entire city and
subway system.
MAYOR
You don't have the authority to do
that.
The Major turns and cooly approaches the Mayor.
MAJOR HICKS
Try and stop me.
Major Hicks smiles at the Mayor who exits, petulantly.
196 INT. AUDITORIUM - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - DOORWAY - 196
NIGHT
We SEE dozens and dozens of Babyzillas fighting with
each other over the last of the fish. Suddenly this
image is SLAMMED SHUT as doors are closed and a FIRE
HOSE is rapped around door handles. We widen to
reveal...
Raymond fastening the hose around the door. Secured,
Raymond takes off running.
197 INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - HALLWAY - SAME 197
Nick is on the pay phone frantically dialing as Raymond
comes up. We hear a BUSY signal from the phone. Nick
dials again.
RAYMOND
What'd they say?
NICK
I can't get through. I don't know
what's wrong.
OPERATOR
(filtered)
...all circuits are busy right now...
Jean-Clude and his partner arrive.
JEAN-CLAUDE
We've secured the doors on both
levels.
RAYMOND
Where's Luc and Pierre?
JEAN-CLAUDE
They didn't make it.
RAYMOND
(quickly recovering)
Nick, my men and I will hold them
here. You will have to go and get
help!
Nick nods in agreement and takes off down stairs. The
rest of the team SNAP TOGETHER their automatic rifles
and prepare for a fight.
198 INT. LOCKER ROOM - SAME 198
Animal and Audrey are checking out every corner of the
room.
ANIMAL
There's got to be another way out of
here.
Audrey climbs up onto a table and yanks out a grate
covering the air vent.
AUDREY
Think we can fit up in there?
ANIMAL
Only one way to find out.
He rushes over to her and helps her climb up inside.
199 INT. FLOOR-LEVEL HALLWAYS - SAME 199
Jean-Claude sends Luc up ahead as they guard the
doorways. A loud THUMP is heard on the door they are
guarding. Each turns their weapon towards the doors.
Suddenly a portion of WALL BETWEEN THEM COLLAPSES.
A DOZEN BABYZILLAS leaping through the plaster. As they
spill out into the hall, Jean-Claude attempts to open
FIRE. One of the Babyzilla's is HIT.
His brothers ATTACK. Luc from the other side tries to
lay down cover fire but he's overrun by the herd.
200 INT. HALLWAY - MAIN LOBBY LEVEL - SAME 200
Nick comes racing down the stairs and into the hallway.
Just then, he passes a locked door, BANGING on the other
side.
Just up ahead he can SEE the main lobby. But before he
can get there, a LOUD CRASH is heard as the locked door
in front of him SMASHES TO BITS as...
DOZENS OF BABYZILLAS
Flood into the main lobby only a few yards ahead. Nick
slams on the breaks and quietly tries to back away. He
turns to run the other directions when...
MORE BABYZILLA
Come BURSTING THROUGH the locked door behind him. Pinned
down with no way out. Nick SEES the elevator nearby and
races over, slamming his hand against the button.
NICK
Come on, come on.
The Babyzillas by the front door spot Nick. A couple of
them start to SNIFF THE AIR and start to move towards
him. Behind, the Babyzilla also catch the scent and
turn.
NICK
This is not good.
Just then the elevator doors open, Nick LEAPS inside.
201 INT. ELEVATOR - SAME 201
Nick frantically pushes the CLOSE DOOR button but it's
painfully slow to react.
NICK
I hate these things!
Just then the Babyzillas appear. They're just about to
move in when the doors finally CLOSE. Nick breaths a
sigh of relief just as a loud THUD is heard as one of
them SLAMS against the door. It's too late, the elevator
begins to rise.
202 INT. AIR VENT - SAME - NIGHT 202
Climbing upward, Animal reaches a plateau and crawls
into cross vent. He reaches back and grabs his camera.
Putting it down he turns back and helps Audrey up and
in.
ANIMAL
You okay?
Out of breath, she nods. Animal takes the lead again,
pushing his camera in front of him. He reaches another
vent that looks down. He's about to pull it free when
something catches his eye.
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. - THROUGH VENT - RAYMOND
Standing guard, automatic rife in hand, Raymond appears
with his back toward us. Animal lifts his camera to
shoot.
AUDREY
(whispered)
What? What is it?
Animal doesn't answer, he just shoots.
203 INT. HALLWAY - SAME 203
The elevator doors open and Raymond SWERVES his gun
around ready to shoot. Frightened, Nick throws his hands
in the air.
NICK
Hey, it's me!
204 INT. VENT - SAME 204
Audrey has pushed her way up alongside of Animal to peer
down through the grating.
RAYMOND
What happened?
205 INT. HALLWAY - SAME 205
Nick keeps dialing the cell phone, still busy.
NICK
They're loose. They're allover the
main lobby. I couldn't get out.
Just then the vents above COLLAPSES and Animal and
Audrey come tumbling down. In a flash, Raymond has his
weapon trained on their heads.
RAYMOND
Who the hell are you?
NICK
It's okay. I know her.
Raymond turns his gun towards the fallen video camera
and FIRES, ripping the camera apart.
ANIMAL
Hey! What gives?
RAYMOND
No cameras.
Nick moves to Audrey's side, helping her up.
NICK
What are you doing here?
AUDREY
I thought you said there'd only be a
dozen eggs.
NICK
I was wrong.
Just then a LOUD THUMP is heard against the near locked
door. The THUMPING gets louder and heavier.
RAYMOND
Do you have a radio, a walkie-talkie?
Anything we can use to contact the
outside.
AUDREY
What about the phones?
NICK
Circuits are overloaded.
AUDREY
(gets an idea)
I know a way. I know how you can get
a message out of here.
The door BURSTS OPEN and TWENTY BABYZILLAS stampede into
the hallway. Audrey is fast on her feet.
AUDREY
This way.
She takes off running and they follow. The Babyzillas
give chase. Animal, hangs back and runs over to the
destroyed video camera and PULLS OUT THE TAPE. Just as
he does, the Babyzillas are nearly on top of him. He
dashes off.
ANGLE - END OF HALL - BACK DOOR
Audrey gets there first and opens the small doorway that
leads to a back stairwell, she ushers the rest inside.
She slams the door behind her as the Babyzillas appear
and begin to SNIFF the doorway.
206 INT. HALLWAY - LUXURY BOXES - SAME - NIGHT 206
They spill out into the hall and rush past all the
luxury boxes overlooking the auditorium.
AUDREY
Come on, the broadcast booth is right
over here.
NICK
How do you know?
AUDREY
Our network covers the Ranger games.
207 INT. MID-LEVEL - END OF HALL - BACK DOOR 207
The Babyzillas are gathered by the doorway SNIFFING. One
of the more aggressive ones starts to CLAW at the door,
RIPPING into it. Another charges it, THUD.
208 INT. LUXURY BOX HALLWAY - SAME 208
They rush up to a door marked BROADCAST BOOTH. Audrey
tries the door, it's locked. Animal charges his shoulder
into it, but it doesn't give.
Raymond gently moves Animal out of the way and SHOOTS
the lock to pieces. He opens the door for everyone to
enter.
209 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME - NIGHT 209
They rush into the empty broadcast booth. Animal turns
on the lights as Audrey goes over and boots the computer
terminal. Raymond moves some equipment against the door,
securing it closed.
AUDREY
The network is on an intranet. It's a
direct feed into our computer system.
NICK
Your station won't have any easier
time contacting the military than I
did.
That stumps her. Animal gets an idea.
ANIMAL
When you worked with them, did they
monitor the news broadcasts?
NICK
(getting the idea)
Yes, they did.
ANIMAL
We'll go live! We'll broadcast from
here. Hopefully they'll see it.
210 INT. MID-LEVEL - END OF HALL - BACK DOOR 210
More of the creatures have gathered by the door. Two
more CHARGE and the door collapses. The Babyzillas rush
up the stairs.
211 INT. WNEW NEWS TRUCK - EDITING BAY - SAME 211
Ed is watching the news feed. Caiman is on.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...Yes, the threat is over but the
pain continues...
Suddenly Ed's computer begins to BEEP. Ed slides his
chair over and looks at his monitor. It reads NEW MAIL:
URGENT! He double clicks it and a letter pops up that
reads. Ed pick up transponder CFX 1 and watch the feed.
ED
(to himself)
There's no Ranger game on tonight.
Ed makes a couple of adjustments on his controls and
turns on a blank monitor. He SEES...
C.U. MONITOR - AUDREY
Racing in front of the camera we SEE Audrey in the
control booth.
AUDREY
...If you're seeing this, Ed, please
put us on Live! This is urgent! I know
this sounds crazy Ed but you have to
do it. Please, trust me.
ED
(incredulous)
I'm not putting you on live!
212 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME 212
Nick turns on a small television and we still SEE Caiman
doing the news. Audrey turns to Animal.
AUDREY
He's not going to do it.
ANIMAL
Oh yes he will.
Animal turns the camera and points out the window at the
BABYZILLA'S below.
213 INT. WNEW NEWS TRUCK - SAME 213
Ed's eyes nearly pop out of his head.
AUDREY
(filtered)
Ed, you see that? They'll be all over
the city if we don't stop them!
Ed rushes over to the console and goes to work.
214 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 214
The mode is festive. The Generals are preparing to leave
as is Major Hicks. Sergeant O'Neal and some of his men
are watching the t.v. news.
CAIMAN
(filtered)
...as our fears have been allayed
thanks to the dedicated work of our
boys in uniform...
Everyone in the room begins to cheer. Suddenly Caiman's
image goes fuzzy. In a moment it's replaced by Audrey.
AUDREY
(filtered)
Are we on? Are we live?
215 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME 215
Nick SEES Audrey on the t.v. and gives her the thumbs
up.
AUDREY
We're live from inside Madison Square
Garden where Dr. Niko Tatopoulos has
discovered the beasts lair. Doctor,
tell us what is happening here.
Animal swerves the camera over to Nick. Raymond stays
back behind the camera, watching.
NICK
We've discovered over two hundred eggs
which began hatching only moments ago.
216 INT. LUXURY BOXES HALLWAY - SAME 216
The creatures come bursting out of the stairwell and
flood into the hall. Sniffing around they pick up the
scent and take off.
217 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 217
A Soldier tugs on Major Hicks shoulder, try to get his
attention.
MAJOR HICKS
What is it?
SOLDIER
You better see this.
The Major turns around just in time to SEE Nick on the
t.v.
NICK
If the military are listening, they
must immediately destroy this building
before they can escape.
AUDREY (O.S.)
Oh my God! They're coming!
The camera SWERVES to SEE through the luxury booths
across from them, the dozens of Babyzillas approaching.
218 INT. LUCY'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - SAME 218
The bedroom is packed with Lucy's "guests" as they watch
the t.v., SEEING the Babyzillas.
LUCY
Oh my God!
On the screen the image turns to Nick.
NICK
(filtered)
If those creatures escape and
multiply, in a very short time a new
species will emerge. One that could
replace us as the dominant species of
this planet.
219 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME 219
Major Hicks is on the phone.
MAJOR HICKS
(into phone)
That's correct, I want you to blow up
Madison Square Garden. No I'm not
drunk.
(to O'Neal)
Contact the news station. Tell them
we're on the way.
220 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME - NIGHT 220
Raymond spots a large spool of co-axle cable. Quickly he
ties it to the support beam.
AUDREY
Reporting live from Madison Square
Garden, this is Audrey Timmonds,
WNEW.
221 INT. AUDREY'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - SAME 221
Everyone is breathless watching the news. Lucy beams.
LUCY
That's my girl.
222 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME 222
Animal lowers the camera and everyone is silent.
NICK
Thanks, Audrey.
The computer beeps, Animal reads the message.
ANIMAL
The good news is they got the message.
The bad news is we've got five and a
half minutes to get out of the
building.
Suddenly the room ROCKS as the Babyzillas begin crashing
against the blocked door. Raymond jumps to his feet.
RAYMOND
Okay, party's over. Time to leave.
With that he SPRAYS bullets into the front glass window
SHATTERING IT. Glass rains down below. Raymond tosses
the spool of cable out the broken window.
RAYMOND
Anyone care to join me?
Animal dislodges one of the video cameras, hoists it on
his shoulder and moves over to join Raymond.
223 EXT. AIR BASE - F-18 SQUADRON - SAME - NIGHT 223
Several F-18's prepare to take flight. We focus on one,
an enormous bomb attached under its wing. The F-18 taxis
away from us.
224 INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - AUDITORIUM - SAME 224
Repelling down from the broken window of the broadcast
booth, Animal and Raymond land on the upper-level
balcony. Raymond signals to the others to follow.
225 INT. BROADCAST BOOTH - SAME 225
Audrey and Nick are nervous as they stare at the long
drop down. The door is begging to give way from the
repeated THUMPING. Suddenly Audrey leans over and kisses
Nick.
AUDREY
In case I can't later.
With that she JUMPS out, repelling downward. Nick is
stunned by the unexpected kiss. Suddenly the door GIVES
and the Babyzilla FLOOD into the room. Nick jumps.
226 INT. AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS 226
Audrey hits the ground followed by Nick. Raymond leads
as they make their way out.
On the other end of the room some Babyzilla appear in a
doorway and watch our friends scurry away. The
Babyzillas take off in hot pursuit.
227 INT. DARK SKIES - F-18 SQUADRON - NIGHT 227
The F-18's fly in formation. Their leader carrying the
same bomb we saw loaded earlier.
228 INT. FLOOR-LEVEL HALLWAY - SAME - NIGHT 228
Raymond, guns in each hand, comes rushing into the
hallway. He SEES a small group of Babyzillas down the
hall and gestures for the group to go the other way.
Raymond backs away, guns trained on the Babyzillas who
SNIFF the air and decide to pursue. Raymond turns and
runs.
ANGLE - FARTHER DOWN HALLWAY - AROUND THE CORNER - SAME
As they tear forward they nearly run smack into a heard
of several dozen Babyzillas who are tearing the
concession stands to ribbons looking for food.
Spotted, the Babyzillas LEAP forward after the team.
Raymond spots the escalators across the hall.
RAYMOND
The escalators, hurry!
229 EXT. SKIES - F-18'S - NIGHT 229
We FOLLOW the squadron as they pass us to reveal the
beautiful MANHATTAN SKYLINE approaching.
230 INT. ESCALATOR CORRIDOR - MADISON SQUARE - SAME 230
The team races into the corridor. Animal reaches down
and hits the POWER button near the moving stairs. The
escalator comes to life.
The team runs down the "down" escalators as the
Babyzillas flood into the corridor. Some try to go down
the "up" escalator and fall all over themselves. Others
are spooked by the moving down escalator. Finally, the
brave ones begin to LEAP down the "down" escalator.
231 INT. MAIN LOBBY HALLWAY - SAME 231
Racing out of the escalator corridor the team moves into
the main lobby and FREEZES. They are surrounded on all
sides by Babyzillas!
Like the scene in Hitcock's "The Birds" it is eerily
still as everyone freezes.
232 EXT. MANHATTAN SKYLINE - F-18'S - NIGHT 232
Closing over the city, the lead bomber breaks formation,
flying lower, closer to the rooftops.
233 INT. COCKPIT - HUD DISPLAY - NIGHT 233
Through the windshield's Heads-Up-Display (HUD) we SEE a
target LOCKING ON, flashing.
PILOT
I'm locking on now.
234 INT. MAIN LOBBY - MADISON SQUARE - SAME 234
As several SNIFF THE AIR, they begin to CLOSE IN. The
Babyzillas from the escalator corridor finally get to
the ground level and rush over from behind.
Raymond spots the large hanging CHANDELIERS in the front
lobby. He FIRES a short BURST, SLICING the cable
supporting the chandelier.
The chandelier DROPS and SHATTERS in the center of the
main lobby. The Babyzillas scatter, opening a pathway to
the front door.
RAYMOND
Go! Now!
Raymond PUSHES the team forward as he takes the rear
through the pathway which begins to close up as they
pass through.
The Babyzillas recover and begin to charge. As Raymond
passes some CANDY MACHINES, he grabs one and SMASHES IT
to the ground.
THOUSANDS OF GUM BALLS
Scatter all over the floor. As the Babyzillas run, they
begin to stumble allover each other, tripping on the
gum balls.
Animal is the first to reach the main door, he opens it
and Audrey and Nick are the first to exit. Raymond,
FIRING MADLY behind as he rushes for the door.
235 INT. COCKPIT - F-18 - NIGHT 235
The locked FLASHES RED.
PILOT
Stallion 15, Fox 6.
236 EXT. SKIES - F-18 - BOMB - NIGHT 236
The immense BOMB drops and takes flight on its own. We
can see it's heading directly for MADISON SQUARE
GARDEN.
237 EXT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - NIGHT 237
Raymond exits and Animal shuts the door behind him. The
Babyzillas SLAM against the doors. It takes all of
Animal's and Raymond's strength to hold the doors
closed.
Raymond slides his rifle barrel between the handles as a
temporary lock. He pulls Animal away and they take off
running.
BOMB'S P.O.V. - MADISON SQUARE - NIGHT
Rapidly approaching the famous forum.
ANGLE - RAYMOND, ANIMAL
Not far behind Nick and Audrey as they race from the
building. Behind them we SEE...
BOMB AND BUILDING
Collide and an ENORMOUS EXPLOSION ERUPTS, engulfing the
entire building in a mountain of flame.
Raymond, Animal, Audrey and Nick are THROWN several feet
forwards, toppling to the ground from the incredible
impact.
As the building CRUMBLES in FLAMES we HEAR several of
the Babyzillas SCREAMING. Soon they are silenced.
Slowly Nick sits up and turns to Audrey. They're both
shaken up. Nick touches her cheek gently.
NICK
Are you okay?
AUDREY
Somehow I never thought your life was
this exciting.
NICK
You'd be surprised.
AUDREY
Really? I'd like to find out.
She hugs him tightly. Nick smiles. Animal turns to
Raymond who has cut above his eye.
ANIMAL
Hey Man, you all right?
RAYMOND
I could use a coffee.
We begins to pull away from this tableau, slowly lifting
upwards when suddenly...
THAT FAMOUS WAIL
Is heard! Then, violently BURSTING up through the ashes,
a very angry GODZILLA emerges!
Bleeding from his injuries, Godzilla leans down and
nuzzles the burned out remains of his young. For the
first time in the film we can SEE a partial expression
of Godzilla's face; pain.
But quickly that pain turns to burning anger as he
focuses his hatred downwards, staring directly, and
accusingly, at our heroes.
NICK
Ohhhhhhhh.....shit.
ANIMAL
What do we do?
RAYMOND
Running would be a good idea.
And they do just as Godzilla POUNCES. Fortunately our
team DARTS around a corner just in time.
238 EXT. SIDE STREET - SAME 238
As our heroes come rushing around a corner, Godzilla
BURSTS THROUGH the building in front of them, sealing
off their exit. Raymond notices a very narrow alley.
ANGLE - ALLEY WAY
Raymond leads them through this slim alley between to
large brick buildings. They run for their lives as
Godzilla appears behind them.
His claws are too big to reach into the alley so he
BULLDOZES his way into it, the building ripping apart as
he marches forward.
Bricks go FLYING as debris showers down on our team just
they make their way to the other side.
Slowed down by the the position of the alley, Godzilla
SWINGS his arms violently to clear a path.
239 EXT. 29TH STREET - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 239
Racing from the alley Raymond races over to a parked
YELLOW CAB.
240 INT. CAB - CONTINUOUS - SAME 240
In one deft move, Raymond draws a screwdriver out of his
belt, pops the ignition device off the steering column
and hot wires the car in under 15 seconds. It's
amazing.
As he does this the others pile into the car. Not even
completely all in, Raymond takes off as soon as the
engine turns over. Animal nearly falls out.
241 EXT. 29TH STREET - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 241
Just as GODZILLA bursts out from between the buildings
the CAB DARTS away, squealing around the next corner.
242 EXT. 8TH AVENUE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT 242
Power sliding around the wet street corner, the Yellow
Cab FISHTAILS onto 8th Ave. Whipping around the corner
behind them Godzilla appears.
As he's MUCH faster, he nearly overtakes the car in a
single LEAP but the cab SWERVES AGAIN moving down
another street.
243 EXT. 27TH STREET - SAME 243
The cab darts onto 27th street. DEBRIS tumbles down in
their path as GODZILLA SMASHES through another
building.
244 INT. CAB - SAME 244
The rear window SHATTERS as falling bricks and debris
HIT THE CAR. Again, the Cab darts down a small side
street.
245 EXT. LEWELLEN DRIVE - SAME 245
Using this small cut-across, the cab quickly exits out
onto the next main street (28th). Godzilla rushes down
the side street, his TAIL shattering buildings as he
does.
246 INT. CAB - SAME 246
Animal fumbles with his camera trying to get it to power
up. The light goes ON and Animal quickly holsters it and
begins filming out the shattered back window.
AUDREY
Cut uptown, take 8th to 57th then cut
up Broadway.
ANIMAL
You're crazy, go to the east side and
take the park avenue to the JFK.
AUDREY
The JFK? In the rain!?
247 EXT. STREET - CAB & GODZILLA - NIGHT 247
LEAPING forward, Godzilla BITES down, SNAPPING at the cab
as it SWERVES just out of danger, gunning it.
248 INT. CAB - SAME - NIGHT 248
ANIMAL
What are you talking about? The east
side is always faster.
AUDREY
But we can get to the west side
faster.
Through the rear window we SEE Godzilla SNAPPING down
trying to take a bite. The cab, again, SWERVES wildly,
darting down a side street.
RAYMOND
Somebody make up your mind!
AUDREY & ANIMAL
Take central park!
249 EXT. 8TH AVENUE - SAME 249
Taking her advice, Raymond swerves up 8th Ave. uptown.
He GUNS IT and RACES up ahead.
250 EXT. 28TH STREET - SAME 250
The last two turns of the cab have temporarily
disoriented Godzilla who looks around to find the cab.
He moves up a block and begins to look around.
GODZILLA'S P.O.V. - CAB - SAME - NIGHT
Several blocks ahead, Godzilla spots the cab. He narrows
his eyes and WAILS ANGRILY. Suddenly he BOLTS after the
cab.
251 INT. CAB - SAME 251
Animal clears away the broken glass and leans out the
back window.
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. THROUGH WINDOW - GODZILLA
Gaining on them GODZILLA is in hot pursuit.
ANIMAL
Better step on it Frenchie!
252 EXT. MEADOW - SAME 252
The military is cleaning up the trap from before.
Sergeant O'Neal SPINS as the cab LEAPS out from behind
the trees.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
What the hell....?
The cab POWER SLIDES right past and out of the Meadow
again just as GODZILLA STOMPS directly into the clean up
crew. Soldiers DIVE for cover as others scramble out of
the way.
Godzilla MARCHES after the cab, his tail SWIPING several
vehicles which tumble, crashing into the troops.
In a flash, Godzilla disappears back into the forest on
the other side. O'Neal grabs his radio.
SERGEANT O'NEAL
Command, Command, this Sergeant
O'Neal. He's back!
253 INT. COMMAND TENT - SAME - NIGHT 253
Major Hicks moves over towards the radios.
MAJOR HICKS
Captain Rogers, do we still have those
F-18's in the air?
RODGERS
They're heading back to base now,
sir.
MAJOR HICKS
Turn 'em around.
254 EXT. BROADWAY - UPTOWN - SAME 254
The cab heads up the deserted streets, racing full
tilt.
255 INT. CAB - SAME 255
Animal pulls himself back into his seat.
ANIMAL
I think we lost him.
256 EXT. BROADWAY - SAME 256
Wrong again! Leaping out several blocks ahead, GODZILLA
emerges. He KNEELS DOWN and gives a gigantic POWER BLAST
of his BREATH.
Cars, street signs, vending machines SAIL BACKWARDS from
the force.
A Newspaper vending machine SLAMS into the hood of the
cab as the cab SQUEALS around a corner, avoiding the
rest of the onslaught of debris.
257 EXT. SKIES - SAME 257
The F-18's BANK and head back towards Manhattan.
258 EXT. HARLEM - SAME - NIGHT 258
Racing up through the streets of Harlem we SEE the cab.
259 INT. CAB - SAME 259
Everyone is looking around for the creature.
RAYMOND
Anyone see him.
Suddenly from behind, Animal spots the creature several
blocks behind. Again, he lifts the camera.
ANIMAL'S P.O.V. - GODZILLA
Running full boar directly at them.
260 EXT. HARLEM STREETS - CONTINUOUS 260
Godzilla quickly makes up ground. Running at the cab
it's only a matter of seconds before he'll reach them.
261 INT. CAB - RAYMOND - SAME 261
Raymond looks up, spots something.
RAYMOND'S P.O.V. - SIGN
Up ahead is a sign for the exit for the George
Washington Bridge. Raymond decides to take it.
262 EXT. HARLEM STREETS - SAME 262
The cab SWERVES heading towards the bridge entrance just
as Godzilla BITES DOWN, barely missing the cab as it
turns the corner.
Godzilla LEAPS OVER THE ENTIRE BLOCK, landing directly
IN FRONT OF THE CAB.
The cab SPINS, pulling a full 180 degree turn, and PEELS
OUT just before Godzilla can SNAP DOWN again, just
missing the cab.
The cab PEELS around the creature and UP THE ONRAMP.
Just then Godzilla LEAPS AFTER THEM. His jaw open, he
BITES DOWN ON THE CAB.
263 INT. CAB - CONTINUOUS 263
Everyone ducks as the enormous JAWS OF THE CREATURE
CLAMP DOWN OVER THE CAB.
264 EXT. EXIT RAMP - SAME 264
Taking a gigantic BITE out of the highway, some high
tension wires and the support structure over the bridge,
Godzilla CHOMPS DOWN on the cab.
The large cement SIGN SLAMS into the roof of the
creature's mouth, preventing him from crushing the cab
with his teeth.
265 INT. GODZILLA'S MOUTH 265
The sign supports will not hold much longer as it
crumbles just above the cab. The torn electric cables
DANGLING dangerous close to the cab.
Godzilla PUSHES his TONGUE towards the back of the car,
trying to draw it into his throat!
266 INT. CAB 266
They're freaking out as the jaws are closing in on
them.
AUDREY
Gun it! Gun it!
RAYMOND
I'm trying!
C.U. CAB'S WHEELS
Spinning in vain against the gigantic tongue that pushes
against it, LIFTING the REAR of the vehicle.
267 EXT. HIGHWAY - GODZILLA - SAME 267
Like a dog with a bone, Godzilla SHAKES his head trying
to rip the rest of the highway free. The portion of
highway in front of the cab TEARS FREE, lifting.
268 INT. GODZILLA'S MOUTH 268
From the cab we SEE the horizon LIFT as the road begins
to give way. The sign above CRUMBLING FURTHER.
Nick turns and SEES...
ELECTRIC CABLES - SPARKS
Sparking as they hit against the supports of the sign,
Nicks sees the cables dangling close to the cab. He
takes off his jacket, wraps it around his hand and opens
the cab door.
Grabbing the cable with his wrapped hand, he JAMS THE
CABLE DOWN into Godzilla's TONGUE. SPARKS FLY! Nick
leans back inside, slamming the door shut.
269 EXT. HIGHWAY - GODZILLA 265
He temporarily opens his mouth wider with a scream just
before he is about to SLAM his jaws shut again...
C.U. TIRES - SUDDENLY CATCHING
As the tongue momentarily retreats from the SHOCK, the
wheels CATCH and the CAB LURCHES FORWARD.
270 EXT. GODZILLA - CONTINUOUS 270
As the sign CRUMBLES and the JAWS CRUSH DOWN, the cab
SAILS OUT OF HIS MOUTH as the beast SWALLOWS the piece
of highway.
Landing, hard, onto the pavement, the cab PEELS OUT,
burning rubber as it enters the George Washington
Bridge.
Godzilla SWALLOWS only to realize he didn't get them.
Seeing the cab on the bridge Godzilla gives chase.
271 EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE 271
The cab races towards us when Godzilla STEPS ONTO THE
BRIDGE. His enormous weight makes the entire bridge
WOBBLE.
The Cab goes airborne then bottoms out as it returns to
the asphalt as the bridge undulates beneath them. It's
as though they were driving during an earthquake.
With each stride Godzilla takes, the bridge becomes more
unstable.
272 EXT. SKIES ABOVE THE HUDSON - F-18'S - SAME 272
Swooping down the F-18's head directly towards the
bridge. We see Godzilla about to overtake the Cab.
273 INT. COCKPIT 273
The HUD begins to FLASH, LOCKED ON!
PILOT #2
We are red and free. Stallion 10, Fox
2.
274 EXT. BRIDGE - CAB AND GODZILLA 274
Only a stride away from being overtaken.
275 INT. OTHER COCKPIT - SAME 275
PILOT #3
Stallion 12, Fox 2.
ANGLE - F-18 SQUADRON
All at once they FIRE. Missiles heading right at
camera.
GODZILLA
opens his mighty jaw about to CLAMP DOWN on them.
The missiles CONNECT, SLAMMING INTO HIS CHEST,
EXPLODING. His torso, rips apart. He SCREAMS OUT. His
WAIL a painful death cry.
His foot STOMPS DOWN as he tries to retain balance. The
impact of the stomp acts like a shockwave that KNOCKS
the Cab into a SPIN.
SLAMMING into the guard rail, the cab bounces back into
the road and keeps going.
The injured Godzilla bites the bullet and continues
pursuing, his gait slowing. The cab is able to make some
distance.
ANGLE - F-18 SQUADRON
Again they FIRE. A group of missiles darting out.
GODZILLA
The missiles HIT, ripping into him. Again GODZILLA
SCREAMS out, his forward motion stopped.
276 EXT. OTHER SIDE OF BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS 276
Where the blockade and angry mob still wait and watch in
horror. The Cab SLIDES INTO A SPIN as it comes to a stop
just in front of the crowd.
Nick jumps out first, staring back at Godzilla. Audrey
comes up from behind.
NICK'S P.O.V. - GODZILLA
His eyes rolling back into his head as he SCREAMS OUT.
Slowly he TUMBLES.
ANGLE - BRIDGE
Godzilla's enormous head comes CRASHING DOWN in front of
us. The tremendous impact sends TREMORS across the
bridge.
277 EXT. OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS 277
The gathered crowd is ROCKED from the impact of the
toppled Godzilla.
GODZILLA
His last breath escaping. Defeated and weary, his eyes
blink slowly as we watch his life slip away.
NICK AND AUDREY
Oddly, Nick stares sympathetically at Godzilla's sad and
lifeless face.
The stunned silence melts away as the mob behind them
begins to applaud nervously, then vigorously. The mob
breaks through the blockade and rushes over to our
heroes, surrounding them. Cheering enthusiastically.
278 INT. LUCY'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - SAME 278
The room is going berserk, everyone slapping hands. Lucy
turns and gives a "high-five" to everyone around her.
279 EXT. JERSEY SIDE OF THE BRIDGE - SAME - NIGHT 279
Cameras flash like mad. Several news crews fight their
way through the crowd.
REPORTERS
(overlapping)
How did you discover the nest? Dr.
Tatopoulis, can you tell us what
happened back there?
NICK
Sorry, guys, I've promised my story as
an exclusive to another reporter.
Nick winks at Audrey. Caiman pushes his way through the
crowd of reporters over to her.
CAIMAN
We did it! We've got the exclusive!
Way to go, Audrey!
AUDREY
We? I don't think so.
CAIMAN
I want that story, Audrey. Remember
you work for me.
AUDREY
Not anymore. Mr. Caiman, I quit.
Audrey waves goodbye as Animal walks over, checking his
camera and his coat pocket.
ANIMAL
Audrey, did you take the tape out of
the camera?
AUDREY
No.
NICK
Where's Raymond?
They look around, but he's gone. Nowhere to be seen.
ANIMAL
I couldn't have just lost it?
A phone begins to RING. Nick checks his pockets and finds
Raymond's cellular phone. Nick answers.
NICK
Hello?
RAYMOND (O.S.)
It's Raymond.
NICK
Where are you?
280 EXT. PAY PHONE - DOWN THE BLOCK - SAME - NIGHT 280
Raymond watches the mob scene from a distance.
RAYMOND
Tell your friends I will send the tape
after I remove a few items from it.
NICK AND AUDREY
Nick nods to Audrey that it's Raymond.
NICK
I understand.
RAYMOND
I just wanted to say, au revoir and
thank you for your help, my friend.
NICK
Wait.
(line goes dead; to
himself)
Au revoir.
AUDREY
Who was that French guy, anyway.
NICK
Oh, just some insurance guy.
Off Audrey's confused expressions we PULL BACK, farther
and farther. We see the mob, the military, the command
tents and finally we pull back far enough to reveal
Godzilla's mighty head laying on the end of the bridge.
CUT TO:
281 INT. PENN STATION - SAME - NIGHT 281
We FLOAT through the demolished station almost as though
we were a moving point of view. We travel thorough the
debris of the station into one of the tunnels.
We travel deeper and deeper into the distance. A shaft
of light up ahead. We move closer to it.
As we get nearer we realize it's one of Godzilla's
gigantic EGGS. WE move closer and closer to the solitary
egg. Just as we are about to collide with it. CRACK. IT
OPENS.
FADE OUT:
THE END |
Gone In 60 Seconds - Scott Rosenberg
GONE IN 60 SECONDS
by Scott Rosenberg
4/6/99
"I wonder," Toad said to himself presently, "I wonder
if this sort of car starts easily?"
Next moment, hardly knowing how it came about, he
found that he had hold of the handle and was turning
it. As the familiar sound broke forth, the old
passion seized on Toad and completely mastered him,
body and soul ... He increased his pace, and as the
car devoured the street, he was only conscious
that he was Toad once more, Toad at his best and
highest. And he sped he knew not whither, fulfilling
his instincts, living his hour, reckless of what
might come to him... "
-- Kenneth Grahame, "THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS"
"All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty
hood... "
-- Bruce Springsteen, "THUNDER ROAD"
FADE IN:
EXT. LONG BEACH STREET - LOWER GRAND - NIGHT
The streets are empty. Low fog skims the sidewalks below a gray stew
of a sky. It's slightly fuzzy, slightly surreal. The vast Port of Los
Angeles is visible in the b.g... No cars parked here ... No cars
except -
A '67 SHELBY MUSTANG GT-500
Silver with deep grill, its sculptured side panels ending in air
scoops ... All cock and balls, it stands alone in the lonely cool
before dawn ... An old-school totem to speed and style... And then
SOMEONE approaches...
Through the mists of morning ... In leather coat and jack boots ...
He's early 30s, with the vaguely whimsical confidence of a shimmer
that refuses to fade ...
This is RANDALL RAINES, whom they call MEMPHIS - though know one's
quite sure why ... But they do know he's the auto-boost in Southern
California ...
Memphis approaches the Mustang with a gathering awe ... Like a desert
crash survivor coming upon an oasis ... He walks around it ...
Admiring it ... Adoring it ...
But then a FIREBIRD pulls up alongside him. Its driver -
ATLEY JACKSON, early 30s, handsome, jocular leans out for:
ATLEY JACKSON
You gonna steal her or kneel down to
her and pray -- ?
Memphis looks at him, still enthralled...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
I know, I know ... It's Eleanor ...
Just take her, slick. - -
And Atley drives off slowly, Memphis looks this way and that ...
No one about ... He removes a SLIM JIM from a deep pocket in his
coat... He slims the door panel ... Pops the button ... opens the
door ...
Watch him work. Quick as shit. A SCREWDRIVER appears another
pocket ... He pops the BUTTERFLY to the IGNITION
A RATCHET appears... He strips the mechanism... Now a GIZMO - a,small
socket-like device - is pressed into the
ignition ... A twist of the wrist ... And the 320-bhp 289 V8 rumbles
like a jackhammer. The whole thing took 20 seconds.
He takes a cassette TAPE from another pocket ... Slaps it into the
deck. Bruce Springsteen's "Ramrod" wails from the coaxials.
And Memphis floors it... And off they tear...
The look on his face suggests a supreme satisfaction ... A grand
re-awakening of long-dormant pleasure centers ... A speed Jones,
fixed and fumy ...
He slots in behind Atley Jackson's Firebird ... And slotting in
behind Memphis, in a Z-28, is DONNY ASTRICKY, mid-30s ...
On they go ... The fore and aft car providing escort...
Except that, from seemingly out of nowhere --
A POLICE CAR
appears behind them...
And Donny instantly goes into diversionary tactic ... He races
through a STOP SIGN ... And the cruiser's bubbles flash on ... And
Donny is pulled-over ... Atley and Memphis drive on in their
respective vehicles...
The UNIFORM COP gets out of his car, goes to Donny.
DONNY
Problem, Officer?
POLICEMAN
Yes. You're under arrest -- ?
DONNY
For running a stop sign?
POLICEMAN
For Grand Theft Auto -
And off of Donny's look --
We go to Memphis in the Shelby... As FOUR CRUISERS comes speeding
toward him, sirens wailing...
QUICK SHOTS of Memphis racing the Shelby through the early morning
harbor town streets ... Sirens peel ... Memphis turns up the music
... Pins the gas ... The chase is on ...
Memphis maneuvers the Mustang with a dazzling aplomb... Memphis
gutterballing the car, skating the shoulder, the cops in heavy
pursuit ...
And now he's picked up another CRUISER... He passes Atley Jackson,
heading in the opposite direction... Atley has picked-up a pair of
cruisers himself ...
Memphis on a straightaway now, speeds up, feels the boost. But up
ahead, a ROADBLOCK has formed... How'd they get that deployed so
fast? And behind him, the unmarks blaze ...
Guns his bitch... Straight at the roadblock .. Three CRUISERS and
a PORTABLE WOODEN BARRICADE... Memphis pins her ... ZOOOOOM! Dead-on
to the roadblock ...
And, at the last moment, as the COPS dive out of the way, Memphis
bangs the gear shift into neutral -- yanks the parking brake --
And the Mustang spins on the straight -- Screeching spin ... And
Memphis takes the HARD LEFT ...
And he's managed to outrun them... Finding himself above Lower
Grand... Looking down ...
He can see the secondary pursuit down below ... Atley being
chased... IN THE DISTANCE - Atley is LAUNCHED FROM THE SHOULDER,
the Firebird rolling down a drainage culvert ...
Landing with a sickening thud on its back. Memphis is horrified.
EXT. LOWER GRAND - LATER
Rescue team presence. Atley being hauled out of the wreck... His
leg is a torn mess ... He's barely conscious... A cuffed Donny
Astricky is dragged to a waiting cruiser ...
A POLICE CAR pulls up ... And out steps
DETECTIVE ROLAND CASTLEBECK
of G.R.A.B. The Governor's Regional Auto-theft Bureau. Castlebeck
is mid-50s, black, saturnine. - But don't let the tacit nobility
fool you - the man's a street viper ...
Castlebeck goes to another cop - HAWKINGS..
HAWKINGS
Astricky. And Jackson. No sign of
Raines...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Well, then it's all for naught,
ain't it, Hawkings?
Castlebeck looks out over the mess ... And then looks up...
Because, further down Lower Grand, a car is parked. It is the
Shelby. With Memphis leaning against its hood...
Castlebeck looks around him, but no one's noticed. So he walks
toward it, hand on hip...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I know you --
MEMPHIS
You know my back -
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
You want to come along quiet?
MEMPHIS
How's Atley -- ?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Leg's all banged-up. He made a
stupid play ... He'll limp around
the yard up at Folsom. But
Astricky will be there to take
care of him. With their priors,
they're looking at a serious bounce --
MEMPHIS
Let them go --
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
How's that?
MEMPHIS
Let them go. And I'll leave ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
You'll leave -- ?
MEMPHIS
You don't have anything on me. A
misdee auto-theft. I got no record.
I'll be out in three days, and back at
it. Or you let them go, and I give
you my word. I'm gone. And without the
ringleader ... Your tee-times have
just grown exponentially...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I don't golf...
And they stare at each other, as Castlebeck considers.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (cont'd)
I do this. And I see you again. I'll
come after you with everything I got.
you won't be able to steal a glance
at a blind man without me by your side ...
MEMPHIS
You have my word...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Get out of here, then. Now.
And Memphis makes to get into the Shelby...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Leave the car, Randall ...
Memphis nods ... Takes one last look at the Shelby... Sorry to
leave it behind ... And he runs off into the mists of Lower
Grand ...
Castlebeck walks back toward the crime-scene tumult ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Arright, let lim go. Cite him for
rolling the stop ... And cite old
Atley for driving to endanger ...
HAWKINGS
What are you talking about, Rollie? We're
springing 'em? Just like that?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Just like that. Quit your bellyaching,
Hawkings ... And let's wrap this up ...
And off of Donny's surprised look, as Springsteen wails to
crescendo and we
CUT TO:
EXT. INDEPENDENCE, CALIFORNIA - DAY - 6 YEARS LATER
Some 400 miles North of Los Angeles, Independence is a one
horse town, and the horse has died... Single stop light,
single-engine firehouse, single everything. Norman Rockwell
would find this burg a snooze.. - We settle on a small,
GARAGE ... The peeling sign reads:
"L.N. ORR AUTOMOTIVE"
owned and operated by Memphis Raines ... In blue coveralls,
Memphis has a Plymouth Duster up on the lift ... With him is a kid
- TOM, 19... Lightnin' Hopkins' "Automobile Blues" plays through --
MEMPHIS
You know what you got here?
TOM
Not really -
MEMPHIS
There's excessive resistance in the cranking
circuit ... You know what you gotta do -- ?
TOM
Not really --
MEMPHIS
You have any other answers besides
"not really"?
TOM
Not --
MEMPHIS
Right. You want to test the voltage drop ...
Use the voltmeter ... Remove the primary
lead from the ignitioncoil and crank her ...
See what you got ... You understand -- ?
Tom starts to say "not really". Instead, he nods. Memphis takes a
root beer from an old-style machine. He goes out ... front ... To
where an old Denver Pyle-coot - BUDGY - sits on a bench, smoking
an unfiltered Lucky ... Memphis sits beside him, pets the
200-year-old DOG that lounges nearby...
BUDGY
Just can't find good help these days --
MEMPHIS
(re: cigarette)
Those things'll kill ya, Budgy --
BUDGY
They won't have a chance. The bourbon and
bacon'll get me first...
Budgy cackles ... Memphis looks out at the dusty little hamlet ...
Budgy points at a passing car ...
BUDGY (cont'd)
That one -
MEMPHIS
1980 Mercury Cougar. 255 cubic inch V8 ...
Based on the Ford Thunderbird bodyshell;
they modified the chassis, but didn't
improve its performance...
Budgy points at another car ... And we get the sense they play
this game every day...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
The 1970 Plymouth Road Runner. Proof
positive of a single all-powerful Deity.
The first bargain-priced muscle car
ever. They even tuned the horn to
resemble the "beep beep" sound of the
cartoon Road Runner ...
And Budgy looks impressed... As always ...
BUDGY
Damn, you're good
Memphis nods ... Sips his root beer ...
BUDGY (cont'd)
You got to bingo last night?
Memphis looks at him ... Can't believe it himself ...
MEMPHIS
That I did, Budgy. That I did --
And, from inside the garage, there's the most horrific GRIND of
metal on metal, as Tom has started the Plymouth -
TOM (O.S.)
Uh ... Randall -- ?
MEMPHIS
Excuse me --
Memphis goes back into the garage, Budgy cackles.
CUT TO:
EXT. RANCHO PALOS VERDES - BUSINESS DISTRICT
A FORD ESCORT - driving through the upscale streets of Palos
Verdes. Three KIDS, 20, inside ... The driver is FREB, a little
dim; in the back is MIRROR MAN, black, always wears those mirrored
shades ... In the passenger seat is
KIP - Memphis' younger brother ... The car pulls to a stop.
Fancy stores - all of them closed - line this affluent business
district ... Freb consults a piece of paper ...
FREB
The corner of Hawthorne and Granvia.
Tumbler messed up. He said the Lotus
would be at the corner of Hawthorne
and Granvia --
KIP
He didn't mess up. There it is ...
And he points ... To a CORNER BUILDING - EXOTIC MOTORS LTD. Twenty
foot high glass - windows surround a SHOWROOM of EXOTIC DREAM
CARS: Porsches and Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bertones ... And-
there it is, a 1996 LOTUS ESPRIT V8, gleaming in the all-night
showroom lights...
Freb and Mirror Man are startled
FREB
That -- ?
MIRROR MAN
You're shittin', right? Kip?
He grins at them... He ain't shittin'...
FREB
How are we supposed to--
KIP
Pop the trunk. I need my tool ...
Freb scowls ... Pops the trunk ... Kip gets out ... Goes to the
back ... Freb and Mirror Man share a spook --
MIRROR MAN
What tool -- ?
Kip reaches into the trunk.... Comes around to them... He's
carrying A BRICK --
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Oh, no --
And Kip walks toward "Exotic Motors"... Calm and cool ...
Ten feet from it ... He winds up ... And HURLS THE BRICK AT
THE WINDOW Which EXPLODES ON IMPACT, a SHOWER OF GLASS
raining down ...
ALARMS SQUEAL
As Kip walks into the showroom, glass crunching underfoot. Freb
and Mirror Man can't believe it --
INT. EXOTIC MOTORS
Kip goes to the Lotus... With nary a glance around, he's got her
open ... The Lotus' ALARM adds its song to the choir ... Kip,
unmindful, gets behind the wheel ... Screwdriver to the
mechanism... The alarm raging in here...
In moments, the V8's massive 349bhp is bellowing... And Mirror Man
climbs in beside him... And off they go ... Laying several inches
of English rubber. Over the broken glass and out of the
showroom...
EXT. CITY STREETS - PALOS VERDES - NIGHT
The Lotus races through these streets ... At high speeds ...
MIRROR MAN
Newsflash, Kip: you're driving a
stolen car
Kip smiles over the ascending speedometer --
KIP
Yeah. Ain't it great -- ?
And he pins her ... VROOOOOM -- !
CUT TO:
A TENNIS BALL
being bounced against the wall ... Caught ... Bounced again ...
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
INT. WAREHOUSE - LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
A dozen purloined AUTOS are parked here ... And a number of
SHIPPING CONTAINERS ... A thuggish MAN reads the paper ... The
tennis ball bouncer is TUMBLER, 20 ... And he's sitting on a
tilted back chair, and wall-bouncing the ball and annoying the
piss out of
ATLEY JACKSON
whom we remember from the drop-car at our opening ... Atley walks
with a LIMP now... Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
ATLEY JACKSON
Can you stop that, for Chrissake?
TUMBLER
What's your problem, bro ?
Thunk! Thunk!
ATLEY JACKSON
Where are they -- ?
TUMBLER
They'll be here. You nervous, bro? You? Back
in the day, they say you had anti-freeze in
them veins ... What happened -- ?
And Atley intercepts the tennis ball ... And hurls it over to the
far side of the warehouse ... Tumbler merely grins ...
TUMBLER (cont'd)
Relax and enjoy --
EXT. SAN PEDRO STREETS - THE LOTUS
Heading for Long Beach... Stopped at a light ... A CAMARO pulls up
next to them... A KID behind the wheel, a BLONDE beside him...
Kip eyeballs them... Engines are revved... Challenges are
implied... Mirror Man panics ...
MIRROR MAN
Stolen car, Kip. Stolen car, stolen car,
stolen car ...
KIP
Stolen fast car...
And the light turns green ... And he pops the clutch ... And
they are off ... It's a good old fashioned drag race ... Kip
smiles at the blonde ... Mirror Man is freaking out ... Kip's
eyes are on fire ... He clocks the speedometer ...
KIP (cont'd)
It's calibrated for 140 ... Let's see
if these British boys are full of shit
or not --
MIRROR MAN
No way, man --
Yes, way. Kip floors it. They bury the Camaro in its wake... The
gauge rising ... 90, 100, 110 ... Mirror Man is having an
embolism...
They warp-speed by a POLICE CRUISER... Both kids totally unaware
of the POLICE CHOPPER up on high... With them in its sights ...
And they drive ... At last, ending up at --
THE WATERFRONT - A dark latticework of docks and wharves,
warehouses and shipping crates... The freighters are somehow
graceful against the moonlit water ...
INT. WAREHOUSE
Tumbler studies his watch... Now he's a little concerned ... He
looks up ... Atley is glaring at him...
ATLEY JACKSON
Something wrong, Tumbler -- ?
TUMBLER
Yeah. I'm missing Springer --
And then the Lotus pulls into the warehouse... Tumbler flashes
Atley a "told-you-so" smile... Kip and Mirror Man get out of the
car...
Kip walks over to a CLIPBOARD with a magic marker tethered to it
... It is a list of cars ... He draws a black line through "13)
1996 Lotus Esprit V8"... The others are clocking the car...
ATLEY JACKSON
She'll go 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds --
MIRROR MAN
I can vouch for that.
Tumbler passes out 40 oz.s ... The vibe is celebratory...
TUMBLER
Thirteen down ... Thirty-seven to go ...
KIP
No problem -
Bottles are clinked... Beer is sipped ... Only, a HOT WHITE
SPOTLIGHT bores through the skylight ... And the whup-whup of the
chopper's ROTORS... And now the sounds of SIRENS ... And the
thuggish man gets to his feet ...
THUGGISH MAN
Let's get outta here -- !
And they do... Heading out the back ... It's tough for Atley with
his limp ... On the way out:
ATLEY JACKSON
Now you gone and done it, Raines
And they flee ...
INT. WAREHOUSE - LATER - NIGHT
A HALF-DOZEN POLICE CARS. The CHOPPER does the usual
spotlight-trailing... It's turned into a total pig
circus ... A car pulls to a stop ... And out steps Detective
Roland Castlebeck, whom we remember from our opening...
INT. WAREHOUSE
Castlebeck surmises the take ... The cars ... His partner
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF - a sneering Irish boy with zero patience -
comes out from the back ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
They're gone...
Castlebeck nods ... Looks at the cars ...
INT. "L.N. ORR AUTOMOTIVE" - INDEPENDENCE - DUSK
Memphis goes through invoices in the cluttered back office. When a
brand new purple MERCEDES SLK, windows tinted, pulls in out front.
It looks oddly anachronistic here in Independence. Memphis senses
danger. He goes out. Budgy and his dog are here... Budgy looks
spooked... Tom, too ...
MEMPHIS
What's going on -- ?
And standing there, by the Mercedes, like a wraith, is ATLEY
JACKSON, in long leather coat, smoking a cigarette ... As out of
place here as a maggot on a muffin...
ATLEY JACKSON
Well, well, well ...
And he begins to sing...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
(ANDY GRIFFITH theme)
Da-doo-doo-doo-da-doo-doo-doo, etc.
(laughs)
Are you kidding me, man -- ?
MEMPHIS
Hello, Atley ...
ATLEY JACKSON (re: sign)
L.N. ORR. I get it. Clever ...
Memphis studies him...
MEMPHIS
How's the leg?
ATLEY JACKSON
Only hurts when I breathe. Lookit
you. Where are Barney Fife and Aunt
Bea hanging out? And Opie ... Where's
Opie at?
He laughs some more ... Chain-lights his cig ...
MEMPHIS
What are you doing here?
ATLEY JACKSON
Is there someplace we can talk?
Memphis looks at him...
MEMPHIS
What about?
ATLEY JACKSON
About your brother. And the deeeep
shit he's in --
INT. TEDDY'S TAVERN - NIGHT
A BARMAID sets down a pitcher of beer and two mugs...
WAITRESS
There you go --
MEMPHIS
Thanks, Donna --
She leaves... Atley is staring at him... Memphis shrugs...
ATLEY JACKSON
It's been a long time, Memphis --
MEMPHIS
Six years ...
ATLEY JACKSON
Six years. Shit. Time flies, don't it?
Six years ago we were fartin' through
Armani and pissin' Cristal.
Now look at us ...
MEMPHIS
Tell me about Kip -
Atley takes a sip of his beer,...
ATLEY JACKSON
He took a job. And he fumbled it.
Now he's jammed-up. Jammed-up bad...
MEMPHIS
What kind of job... ?
ATLEY JACKSON
A boost. A big boost ...
MEMPHIS
A boost? What's Kip doing on a boost?
Atley frowns ... Looks at him...
ATLEY JACKSON
You're shittin', right?
Clearly Memphis is not ...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
Kip's become quite the little
crewrunner since you left. He's been
working a low-rent ring for
two years now. You don't talk to
your Ma?
MEMPHIS
It seems she neglected to mention it
ATLEY JACKSON
Maybe she don't know. Although I don't
see how that could be. Maybe she didn't
want to upset you -
MEMPHIS
Don't feel the need to explore my family
dynamics, Atley...
ATLEY JACKSON
The point is: Kip's been living the
life. Only he's a wild child. Crazy.
Makes our old behavior seem like
altar boy time. But he fungold this
one so bad, folks around L.B.
are already speakin' about him in
the past tense.
Memphis takes a beat ... Sips at his brew ... Then:
MEMPHIS
Who was the job for?
ATLEY JACKSON
Who do you think?
Memphis waits ... In no mood for guessing games ...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
Calitri, man. Raymond "The Carpenter"
Calitri ... Your favorite and mine ...
Which means nothing to us ... Though the look on Memphis, face
speaks volumes ...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
I just thought you should know,
man. I kind of had a feeling you
didn't. But I should tell you:
I'm working for him now - The
Carpenter - so if you see him, you
won't mention me coming to get
you... Like I said: I just thought
... I owed you ... And that it was
the right thing to do ...
Memphis nods ... His face clenched in despair. We FADE TO BLACK,
As a SUPER on-screen reads: PART 1: STOLEN MOMENTS
We PRE-LAP J. Geils Band's "Hard-Drivin' Man" and CUT TO:
THREE PLATES OF BACON, EGGS AND HASH BROWNS
placed on the service deck by a short-order COOK...
INT. RUBY'S ALL-NITE - LONG BEACH - NIGHT
A 24-hour diner in the heart of Long Beach... The three plates are
picked-up with an impressive dexterity by
HELEN RAINES
early 60s, clear-eyed... In pink Ruby's uniform and chunky
shoes... Black currant hair striated with wisps of gray... Helen
delivers the plates to a booth of college kids ...
KID
Can I get some more coffee -- ?
HELEN RAINES
Sure, hon ...
And she goes to the coffee station... When
MEMPHIS (O.S.)
Who's a guy gotta know to get a tuna
melt in this joint -- ?
And she turns around to see Memphis standing there. Her expression
displays many things ... Most of them joy ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Hello, Ma --
And she goes to Memphis ... Wraps her arms around him ... Squeezes
tight ...
HELEN RAINES (cont'd)
Oh, Randall ...
She takes his head in her hands ... Kisses his cheek ... Then the
other... Hugs on ... Unmindful of the customers ... The cook
smiles from behind the order wheel ...
COOK
What's the word, Memphis -- ?
MEMPHIS
How ya doing, Ruby -- ?
HELEN RAINES
Come, come, come ...
And she leads him over to a booth ... Barking to the cook - RUBY -
on the way...
HELEN RAINES (cont'd)
Tuna melt on pumpernickel. Provolone,
extra tomato, Dijon... And a chocolate
milk... Lots of syrup...
(to Memphis)
Right?
MEMPHIS
Right ...
And they settle in ... Across the booth from each other ... She
takes his hands...
HELEN RAINES
You look good...
MEMPHIS
You, too, Ma...
HELEN RAINES
What are you doing back?
MEMPHIS
How's Kip?
And Helen flushes, a bit ashamed maybe ...
HELEN RAINES
Have you seen him?
MEMPHIS
No.
HELEN RAINES
oh.
MEMPHIS
Atley Jackson came to see me ...
HELEN RAINES
Atley Jackson. How is that one?
How's the leg... ?
He looks at her ... Beat ...
MEMPHIS
Why didn't you tell me?
HELEN RAINES
I couldn't. I didn't want you to
worry. I thought held sort himself
out. I hardly see him. He comes and
goes. He's in trouble, isn't he?
MEMPHIS
He's in some trouble ...
HELEN RAINES
I knew it. He's changed, Randall. He's a
different boy. He's lost that... That
sweetness ... It's gone ... And I don't
know what to do ...
MEMPHIS
You getting my checks ... ?
HELEN RAINES
Of course ...
ANGLE - RUBY. He's on the PHONE in the kitchen...One eye
on Memphis and Helen --
RUBY
Detective Castlebeck... It's me ...
Yeah... You ain't never gonna guess
who just come in to visit his Ma --
BACK TO - MEMPHIS AND HELEN RAINES ...
HELEN RAINES (cont'd)
You haven't spoken to him in a
while, I guess...
MEMPHIS
He doesn't return my calls. or my
letters ...
HELEN RAINES
Kipling was sixteen when you left, baby.
I don't know what you remember of him.
But you should brace yourself
And, on her sad smile, we PRE-LAP Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55"
and SLAM CUT TO:
INT. "THE SIDE POCKET" - POOL HALL - NIGHT
A dozen tables... Smells of blue chalk and whiskey... The juke box
cranked... We take it to the back of the joint ... Where Kip, and
Tumbler and Mirror Man are knocking a rack... Freb sits nearby,
with a few badly made-up GIRLS...
TUMBLER
... so ... It's my new move ... It's called
"The Stranger." What I do is, I sit on
my hand for 10 minutes. Till it falls
asleep. Till it's good and numb. No feeling.
And then I jerk off.
GIRL
That's disgusting -
FREB
What's the point, man -- ?
TUMBLER
Cos it's like you're bein' done by a stranger
... It rocks ... It's the power move of the
New Millennium...
He sinks another ball. A kid, 15, TOBY - comes up to them.
TOBY
Hey, Kip, what's up?
KIP
What do you say, Toby?,
TOBY
I'm cool -
TUMBLER
What do you want, shithead?
TOBY
Why you gotta front me like that? I'm
talking to Kip --
TUMBLER
Why don't you leave him alone?
TOBY
I known Kip longing than you, man ...
TUMBLER
Oooh, ain't you the lucky duck --
FREB
Any word, Kip -- ?
KIP
No ... And they won't take my calls ...
FREB
What does that mean -- ?
KIP
It ain't what you'd call a "good sign"
He groks their fear...
KIP (cont'd)
Look - we managed to get 13 in a week.
We just gotta step it up ...
FREB
But we only got till Friday. That's
four days. And we lost the 13. So's
we gotta start over ...
Kip looks at him...
KIP
That, too ...
(off of Freb's look of fright)
Don't sweat it, Freb. We're cool.
ANGLE THE FRONT DOOR. For Memphis has entered. He
clocks the room. Sees them at the rear ... Walks back
KIP
It can be done, man. We just gotta
step it up... It's a challenge ...
MIRROR MAN
The challenge is not to get our nuts
cut-off and shoved down our throats ...
TUMBLER
Can I help you, pal -- ?
And Kip looks up ... To see Memphis there ...
MEMPHIS
Hey, Kip ...
KIP
Hello, Memphis --
TUMBLER
"Memphis?" You're Memphis?
MEMPHIS
That's right...
TUMBLER
Damn. Damn, damn, damn ...
FREB
Memphis. Holy shit. It's an honor,
man --
And he pumps his hand... Memphis continues to stare at Kip
KIP
It's good to see ya, man. You changed
your look -
MEMPHIS
You, too
Hold the stare... The others are excited...
FREB
What are you doing back, Memphis?
MEMPHIS
Little visit. Check on the family.
KIP
It's nice to see ya, man -
He smiles ... Memphis eyeballs him... Toby is there ...
TOBY
Hey, Memphis. Remember me? Toby
Walker. I live next door ...
MEMPHIS
Sure. Hey, Toby. You grew up
TOBY
Yeah, I'm cool ...
And Memphis turns back to Kip, who's picked up a pool cue.
KIP
Who's got next game -- ?
And he makes to rack 'em up ... Then:
MIRROR MAN
I get it. You ain't gotta be a genius:
Memphis come back to save our bacon!
TUMBLER
Shut-up, Mirror Man --
FREB
Izzat true? You come back to save our
bacon?
MIRROR MAN
Of course it's true. He come to save
his brother's dangling ass --
KIP
That can't be it. Cos we don't need
saving
FREB
We don't -- ?
MEMPHIS
He give you an advance -- ?
MIRROR MAN
Hell, yeah. Ten larger man
Kip shoots him a look... As if he's spoken out of turn ...
MEMPHIS
You just give 'im back the money.
All's well...
The others look glum... Kip laughs ... Long and hard...
KIP
"Give lim back the money." "Give 'im
back the money..." Be nice. If only
we didn't drink the money. And smoke
the money. And buy Nikes with the
money. And Sony Play Stations with the
money. And dirty girls with the
money...
And Kip sinks a ball ... Memphis looks at the others ... They
nod... It's true ... The money's gone ...
KIP
But don't worry, man. Things are all
sweetness and light here...
TUMBLER
Things are all leafy and suburban ...
MIRROR MAN
The hell they are --
KIP
Sure they are. Although we do appreciate the
gesture, Memphis. But we do got it handled...
And it was nice to see you -- -
Memphis nods ... Looks at all of them... Smiles ... And then
REACHES OUT, GRABBING Kip by the collar, yanking him to his feet
and in close, nose to nose ...
MEMPHIS
You listen to me, baby brother. You fancy
yourself some reat neat tough guy scumbum,
well, woop-tee-doo, little puppy with a
poundcake. But I remember the days when you
used to steal my Colorforms and eat 'em...
So you can't stop me from saving your
"dangling ass' if that's what I feel like
doing...
And with that, he shoves Kip back down into his seat, toppling the
table, bottles and glasses crashing... And barrels away from them,
the crowd parting like a wound...
Kip's crew left stunned, flustered, and maybe a bit impressed...
TUMBLER
Damn... Homeboy's on the dazzle ...
And, off of Kip's furious look, we CUT TO:
EXT. LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
A chill in the air. Memphis walks toward a range of lowslung
buildings ...
EXT. WOODBURN SCRAP AND METAL - NIGHT
A virtual cityscape of dismantled automobile carcasses, piled up
high for as far as the eye can see ... A huge FORK LIFT scoops up
a wreck and hauls it over to the CRUSHER... Watch as the car is
FLATTENED, for easy shelving ...
Midnight auto nonpareil ... To one side of the yard is a GARAGE:
Watch as a HONDA ACCORD, with a BLOODY WINDSHIELD, enters the
garage. A young Mexican KID driving.
A SIGN: "LOCK YOUR CAR OR IT MAY BE GONE IN 60 SECONDS!"
INT. GARAGE - CHOP SHOP
A CAR is CHOPPED ... Pulled apart ... Fenders, doors, panels,
interiors, air bags ...
EXT. WOODBURN SCRAP AND METAL - FRONT ENTRANCE
Memphis knocks on the door ... A dog-faced MAN opens it ...
DOG-FACE
Yeah -- ?
MEMPHIS
Randall Raines to see Mr. Calitri ...
INT. WOODBURN SCRAP AND METAL
Memphis follows Dog-face to the back of this building. Follows him
into another room. Which is
A WORKSHOP
An enormous WOODWORKING SHOP, fully tricked-out with state-of-the-
art table saws and drill presses, jointers and power planes.
An antique treadle lathe stands in one corner. A stock layout of
expensive woods - oak, birch, maple, cherry, mahogany - is stacked
against the rear wall ...
Jars and bottles and cakes of glues, resins, stains and bleaches
cram a shelf unit ... There's a MAN here, at a band saw. This is
RAYMOND CALITRI, 59 ...
He wears an apron, protective glasses and a lopsided sneer. A
Richard Widmark motherfucker - with the diamond hard look of a
cobra. The liegelord of downtown...
And now he works the a hand saw, making critical cross-cuts on a
wide panel of maple ... Atley Jackson is here as well ... As noisy
as it is out in the yard, in here, once the door is closed, it's
as SILENT-as a tomb...
A BANK OF MONITORS on one wall show the cars being crushed and
disassembled in the yard. Memphis is led into the room.
Calitri nods and Dog-face leaves the room... Calitri smiles ...
Examines his fresh cut...
CALITRI
Randall Raines ... It's been a long time ...
(looks at his clothes;)
frowns)
'though I do I recall you as a man
with style. You remember your old
friend, Atley -- ?
MEMPHIS
How ya doing?
ATLEY JACKSON
Good to see you, Memphis --
CALITRI
So. What do we owe the honor -- ?
MEMPHIS
It's about my brother ... Kip...
CALITRI
Yes ... Kip ...
He says the name like other men say "cancer." The phone on
his desk BLINKS. Calitri picks it up. Listens. Looks at
one of the monitors. Where the Mexican man is talking to
several Calitri EMPLOYEES. Calitri hangs up...
CALITRI
Excuse me one moment, Randall ...
And he picks up a MORTISE CHISEL on his way out. Palming it ...
INT. GARAGE - THE MEXICAN MAN
is sobbing. As Raymond Calitri marches toward him, glancing at the
bloodied windshield.
CALITRI
You bring this to me in this
condition? Blood and guts all
over it? You make me complicit?
On my property? Who taught you
how to think? And worst of all:
weren't there supposed to be two
Hondas?
THIEF
Please ...
And Calitri, rapid-fire, PUNCTURES the man's belly and chest and
legs with the chisel, old-school prison-shiv style ... Until the
man is on the floor, howling ...
CALITRI
Stupid sonuvabitch...
INT. CALITRI'S WORKSHOP
Memphis can-see this from one of the monitors. He looks at
Atley...
ATLEY JACKSON
Car-jacker. Neglected to clean up after
himself ...
MEMPHIS
Jesus ...
ATLEY JACKSON
The business has changed...
Calitri is back, wiping the sweat from his brow with a rag.
CALITRI
Now. Where were we? Oh, yes. Kip.
MEMPHIS
I don't want him hurt...
Calitri looks at him, then waves a hand around the shop...
CALITRI
I'm proud of this work. The bird
feeder. The wagon wheel planter.
The dollhouse. The drop-leaf movable
server...
He gestures to each item - exquisitely-rendered woodwork. Then
gestures to the yard...
CALITRI (cont'd)
Metal. Steel. It's cold. Ugly. Wood
is warm. Clean. Provided by nature.
To see a piece of furniture take shape.
It's like watching a child grow ...
Memphis glances to Atley... Atley shrugs ...
MEMPHIS
I'm sure you're working your way to
the point. I'll wait right here ...
Calitri blinks. Smiles. Nods...
CALITRI
My point. Yes. Simple, really. I require
the best. I insist on the best. I only
engage the best. Your brother. His
friends. They came to me. They wanted my
paper. He was your brother. You were the
best. Now. They've brought so much
goddamn heat down, I may not be able to
fill this order. Which would be very bad
for me. Which in turn, is very bad for
them...
MEMPHIS
I could kill you. That occurred to me.
When I first heard about this. That I
would kill you ...
CALITRI
Grow up. You don't kill people like me.
People like me die in their sleep at
87 ... Do you know why? Because if
you did kill me, and everyone knew it
was you - for the next ten years they'd
be finding pieces of those you love
scattered all over California ...
Memphis nods, notes a PISTOL, resting on a shelf nearby.
CALITRI (cont'd)
No, no. You don't kill me, because
you can't. You don't take your brother
and run, because we'd find him. You
don't go to the-police, because we have
friends there, too. You do nothing:
except deal with me.
Memphis eyes him...
MEMPHIS
I can come up with the front money.
Pay you back...
CALITRI
Were it only that easy. I have
obligations. The order needs to be
filled...
Calitri takes a manila ENVELOPE from his desk... Hands it to
Memphis, who takes out the SINGLE SHEET OF PAPER inside.
CALITRI (cont'd)
On that list, you'll find fifty cars.
Fifty. Five-zero. They range in
age from the 1956 Ford Thunderbird
to the 1999 Toyota Camry; and in
expense from the 1993 Volkswagen
Jetta to the 1988 Lamborghini
Countach. Fifty cars. Five-zero.
Memphis scans the list ... Looks up at Calitri ...
CALITRI (cont'd)
There is a container ship in Long
Beach Harbor. Pier 14. Ready to be
loaded with 4-car-per shipping
containers, false-walled and
customsprofiled as motor oil
designated. The ship leaves in four
days for South America and the
men who've tendered me this contract ...
MEMPHIS
They gave you only four days?
CALITRI
They gave me two weeks. I wasted most of it
with your brother and his crew, who not
only lost what pitiful few they managed
to boost, but also alerted the heat as to our
endeavor, making this even more difficult
to achieve ...
Memphis scans the list ...
CALITRI (cont'd)
Four days. 50 cars. I'm paying 200
thousand dollars ...
Now Memphis looks up...
MEMPHIS
I'm not interested --
CALITRI
I knew you'd say that.
MEMPHIS
I'm just here about my brother.
CALITRI
I knew you'd say that, too --
Calitri smiles ... Memphis 'looks at him... At Atley Realizing
the trap ...
MEMPHIS
Sound it out for me.
CALITRI
Your brother has four days. Fifty
cars. Five-zero. For that he gets
200 large ...
MEMPHIS
And if he doesn't make it -- ?
Calitri goes to one corner of the shop... Takes a tarp off
of a full couch MAHOGANY CASKET...
CALITRI
I made this, too. My first one.
Brass extension handles, not plated.
The coverings are silk, not rayon.
Expensive hardwood. And lined with
spray green Lorraine crepe ...
Memphis waits, knowing where this is going --
CALITRI (cont'd)
Yes, yes. I made it for young Kip. In
case he fails. At 8:00 Friday morning,
if that ship sets off without my
fifty ... Kip will take up permanent
residence in this box ...
Calitri WALL SWITCH and the a corrugated steel SLIDING DOOR is
RAISED, revealing a LOADING DOCK facing the back of the yard... Two
MEN are working out there... DIGGER AND BUTZ scuzzy dudes, mid-30s
and dressed in dirty coveralls ...
CALITRI (cont'd)
Come here for a second, boys --
And they come over --
DIGGER
Evenin', Mr. C. --
CALITRI
Digger, Butz: let me introduce
you to Randall Raines. Used to
head up the dandiest ring in
Southern Cal. Left us
for parts unknown. Randall, this
is Digger. And that's Butz -
DIGGER
Hi, Randall --
Memphis says nothing. Calitri grins ... Nods to Digger an Butz,
who go back to work...
CALITRI
Digger and Butz will be in charge of burial.
They're good boys ...
Memphis' look is cold and furious ... Plaintive:
MEMPHIS
I don't want them hurt. Any of 'em...
CALITRI
"don't want" the Dodgers to lose or
the summer to end. But we
don't get to choose these things...
Atley hits the wall-switch and the steel door slides shut. Calitri
turns to Memphis...
CALITRI (cont'd)
"Nothing that's forced can ever be
right." Old woodworking expression.
I really don't care how the 50
get onto my ship ... I just care
that they do. You decide.
With that, he puts his protective glasses back on - and fires up
an abrasive-disc-finishing machine, adjusting the miter gage and
beginning to sand the Outside curve of an angled chamfer.
EXT. HELEN RAINES' HOUSE - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
A small New England-style shingle and clapboard, up on a hill
overlooking the port. A small GUEST-HOUSE behind it ...
INT. HELEN RAINES' HOUSE
Helen clears away the dinner dishes ... The TV is on. The news. We
see a CRIME SCENE ...
REPORTER
... the car-jacking, which left Ramona
Sullivan, the 44-year-old mother of
three, dead, occurred last night at ...
Memphis glances to the TV... Grimaces ... He looks out the window
... At the SEDAN parked below...
EXT. RAINES' HOUSE - NIGHT
Memphis comes out ... Moves to the sedan parked across the street
... it is Detectives Castlebeck and Drycoff...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I know you.
MEMPHIS
You know my back.
They get out of the car... The view of San Pedro from up here is a
spectacular bedspread of lights ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
When'd you get to town, Raines?
MEMPHIS
The other day....
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
What for?
MEMPHIS
No particular reason. Catch a Laker game. I
heard we got Shaquille ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Where you been, anyway?
MEMPHIS
Just out there. Roaming around. Building up my
collection of refrigerator magnets ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
You seem a little hinked-up ...
MEMPHIS
Not at all ...
He and Castlebeck lock eyes ... Castlebeck takes a pear from his
coat pocket ... Sets to polishing it ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I remember us having made some
kind of deal, Randall. I don't
remember this deal having some kind
of time-limit. I look at you -
here - in my town - and I'm
confused...
MEMPHIS
A little family emergency --
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I hope it's not your dear sweet
mother...
MEMPHIS
No...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Or your baby brother. What was his
name?
MEMPHIS
Kip.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Yes, Kip. Short for Kipling.
Named for the English writer
of stories about India ...
He bites into his pear ...
Memphis says nothing, waits ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (cont'd)
I got a rash of thefts. A new crew is
making noise. We recovered a big take -
last week...
MEMPHIS
And this has what to do with me?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I don't know. But you shouldn't
be here. Take care of your business.
I'll give you 24 hours. And
then I don't want to see your face.
Ever again. Make a fool of me
once, that's my bad. Make a fool of
me twice. That's really my
bad, and I'll kick your ass from
here to India ...
Castlebeck gives him a long look... As they walk back to the car...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Good. Cos you know how it plays.
Six years ago, I let you go free. But
the next time ... The next time sends
you away for'a long, long while ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
By the time you get out, asshole, there
won't even be cars. We'll all be cruisin'
around in space ships ...
He laughs... And they drive off ... Memphis watching them go ...
once they're gone... He walks ...
EXT. "THE SIDE POCKET" - BACK ALLEY EXIT - NIGHT
Kip comes out of the club... Toby follows ...
TOBY
You goin' home?
KIP
Yeah... You want a ride...
TOBY
Sure -
KIP
How'd you get here? Your Moms give you
ride -- ?
TOBY
Hell, no. I boosted a 'Vette.
KIP
You boosted a 'Vette? Then where is it?
TOBY
I dunno. It was right here. Someone
musta' boosted it back...
KIP
Damn crooks is everywhere --
They smile...And go to Kip's TRANS AM...
TOBY (cont'd)
Memphis seemed weird, huh? What's with
them clothes? He a farmer now or
something?
And this seems funny to Kip... He smiles..
KIP
Yeah. Except the only thing he's growing
is old...
And they are fronted by TWO GOONS ... Who toss them up against the
wall...
KIP (cont'd)
What do you want -- ?
One of the goons SOCKS Toby in the gut. Toby doubles over. Kip
strains to intervene, but his goon holds him back --
KIP
Don't you do that! You leave him alone!
GOON
Shaddup, Raines
KIP
He's got nothing to do with this --
And the goon punches him in the face. And Kip goes down. And out.
GOON
Get him in the car
EXT. WOODBURN SCRAP AND METAL - NIGHT
Kip comes to. In his car. Hot white lights blind him. The Trans
Am is in the crusher. FIGURES above him. Calitri. The goons ...
CALITRI
Hello, Kip --
Kip tries to get out. The doors are pinned by the forklift.
KIP
Lemme out of this --
CALITRI
Were it only that easy --
KIP
We can still do it --
Calitri nods ... And the crusher presses ... The roof caves a bit
... Kip is close to scrunch ...
CALITRI
No you can't. Flies on sherbert is what you
remind me of. Because just being attracted
to something, doesn't mean you belong...
INT. CALITRI'S WOODSHOP
Atley is here, watching Calitri and Kip. one of the monitors. He's
miserable. But there is nothing he can do.
EXT. SCRAPYARD - NIGHT
Kip continues to struggle free...
KIP
Listen, Calitri --
CALITRI
Call me "Ray." Better yet: call me
"asshole." Cos that's how you've
treated me --
KIP
I get out of this I'm gonna fuck
you up --
Calitri does have to admire the stones on the kid. But. Another
nod. Another crusher-press. Another scrunch...
KIP (cont'd)
Calitri -- !
Nothing. Silence. Kip peers through the slit that the
side window has become ... Only they are gone ... And there
is another awful NOISE ... Kip strains to discern its
origin ... Only he can't get the angle ...
We can. It's a huge CRANE, tipped with a GRIPPING CLAW... It is
maneuvered over the Trans Am... Grasps it. . . And LIFTS IT
INTO THE AIR ... Kip, terrified, inside ...
And, as the crane dangles the Trans Am toward the black waters of
the harbor, we CUT TO:
INT. HELEN RAINES' HOUSE - KITCHEN
Memphis is at the kitchen table. The list of cars before him. He's
making notations. He gets to his feet ... He goes to check on his
mother ... She's asleep in her room... He closes the door ...
And goes back to the kitchen. He goes to a framed PHOTOGRAPH - of
he and Kip. Earlier times. Happier times.
When there is an enormous THUD! From outside. Memphis goes to a
window. Sees a RAMP TRUCK unloading a gnarled blob of metal.
Memphis runs outside. Just as the ramp truck drives off ...
Memphis goes to the mangled Trans Am... Leans down ... And there's
Kip ... Seriously smooshed in the flattened car.
MEMPHIS
Kip -- ?
KIP
Yeah ...
MEMPHIS
You all right -- ?
KIP
I think so. There's things I can't
feel right now. Like my feet. But ...
You think you can get me outta this,
Memphis? I'd appreciate it -
MEMPHIS
Just hold-on there --
Memphis goes to the garage ... Finds a crowbar, an acetylene
TORCH, tin-snips ... He goes back to the wrecked car... And sets
to work... He looks at Kip ... Shakes his head...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
So you want to run that part by me
again about things being "all
sweetness and light..."
KIP
This has nothing to do with any
of that --
MEMPHIS
Oh. You maybe have more than one
enemy who owns a car-crusher -- ?
KIP
All my enemies own car crushers.
It's like a pre-requisite ... Owwww...
MEMPHIS
Easy ... Take it easy ... We're almost
there...
Indeed... Memphis has freed him ... Kip crawls from the wreckage
... His clothes in tatters... Blood seeps from a variety of
contusions ... He limps ... Memphis helps him to the guest house
...
INT. KIP'S GUEST HOUSE - LATER - NIGHT
Small, cluttered... Posters of Kurt Cobain, a skying Kobe Bryant,
Pamela Anderson, two nude girls draped over a glittering
Lamborghini Espada, etc. There's a fish tank... And a big-screen
TV, on which the Lakers are currently defending a high-speed
Boston Celtic fast-break...
Memphis sits on a ratty couch before the TV... Kip comes out of
the bedroom... He's changed clothes ... He wears clunky fur-lined
MOON BOOTS, leopard-skin Speedos and a tshirt ... He looks
slightly ridiculous...
Throughout the scene, Memphis should be studying Kip, as if he's
seeing him for the very first time ... And waiting for the
inevitable crack...
MEMPHIS
You okay -- ?
KIP
Totally. I'm fine. You want a beer,
man -- ?
MEMPHIS
Sure --
And Kip limps toward the refrigerator ... He comes back with two
beers ... Hands one to Memphis ... Glances at the TV --
KIP
you like Kobe's game? I do. You
think he's heir apparent to MJ? I do.
He speaks fluent Italian, you know? So he's
got that going for him --
And a cut on Kip's forehead starts to bleed ... Kip grabs a towel
... Presses it to his head --
MEMPHIS
You sure you're okay -- ?
KIP
Yeah, man. Where is your beer?
Memphis holds it up ... Kip nods ... There are a pile of IGNITIONS
on the table ... Kip picks one up, absently begins trying to strip
it...
KIP
Cool. So you're living up North?
MEMPHIS
Yeah -
KIP
I heard you were pumping gas -
MEMPHIS
Something like that -
KIP
You're kind of cultivating a new look.
MEMPHIS
Yeah --
Beat ... They watch the game ... Kip replaces the soaked towel
with another ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Maybe you need a stitch --
KIP
Nah. It's a scratch.
MEMPHIS
Okay --
Beat ...
KIP
Hey, you want something to eat ?
MEMPHIS
What do you got ... ?
And Kip hoists himself painfully to his feet ... Limps over to the
'fridge ... Memphis watches him, a slight grin at Kip's attempt at
cool ... Kip peers into the 'fridge ...
KIP
Not much. I got olives. You like
olives?
Kalamata olives rule, I think. Ma likes
the Calabrese. It's more mellow
And he brings over a bowl of olives.
MEMPHIS
There's certainly a time and a place
for a mellow olive -
KIP
Yeah, yeah. That's what I'm thinking --
And they nibble on them. Kip bites into one ... And the juice
stings his cracked lip ... But he disguises his grimace as an
appreciative nod...
And for a moment, they nibble olives and drop pits into an
ashtray... Then:
MEMPHIS
So what are you gonna do?
KIP
About what?
MEMPHIS
"About what?"
KIP
About Calitri? No worries, man.
I'll call him. He's a reasonable
dude ...
MEMPHIS
I can see that -
And Memphis glances out the window. To the crushed car. Kip
catches the glance, glances himself, chooses to ignore it.
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
You have everything ... under
control?
KIP
Yeah. He just wants to know I'm
still on it. He needs reassurance.
All these big swinging dicks do.
No worries. I won't let him get
into our Kool-Aid...
Kip shrugs ... Picks up another olive... Remembers the pain' of
the last one... Drops it back in the bowl ... Memphis is staring
at him, disgusted... Kip feels it ...
KIP (cont'd)
What -- ?
MEMPHIS
What happened to you?
KIP
What?
And now Memphis gets to his feet ... Paces the place...
MEMPHIS
You just got crushed in a car. You're
bleeding all over your self. And you
sit there - eating olives and talking
basketball, as if, at this very
moment, people weren't plotting
your demise ...
KIP
C'mon, man... My "demise..."
(chuckles)
Overreaction
MEMPHIS
"Over--" You know - I can maybe
understand, since I been gone, you
taking up this dumb-ass life of
crime, and for that I can partly
blame myself. But what is baffling
to me, is how, since I been gone,
you've become a complete and total
moron--
KIP
Hey, now -
MEMPHIS
He's gonna kill you -- !
KIP
I can handle it --
MEMPHIS
You can handle it?
KIP
I can handle it --
MEMPHIS
You can handle it?
KIP
I can handle it --
MEMPHIS
You?
KIP
Me.
MEMPHIS
You?
KIP
Me...
Beat ... Hold the look ... Kip shifts in his chair ... Even this
hurts... He tries to hide the wince ... Memphis goes to the
window, looks out at the harbor below... Beat ... Then:
KIP (cont'd)
Why? You think you can help me?
And he turns back to Kip ...
KIP (cont'd)
What can you do? You haven't done
anything in six years but pump gas
and go overall shopping. And
the cars, they've changed ...
There's new shit. Computer chip
keys and sophisticated alarms and
I don't think, an old guy, could much
bypass 'em...
MEMPHIS
You don't think so, huh?
KIP
Not really ... But you know... Maybe
I'm wrong ...
And the brothers look at each other ... In the pale glow of the
TV... For a long beat ... And then we'll CUT TO:
EXT. LONG BEACH HARBOR - CANNERY / FISH AUCTION - DAY
A rack of eel and OCTOPUS hung out to dry in the salty sun ...
Memphis walks with Atley Jackson past the bustling commercial
fishing hubbub: Portuguese FISHERMEN unloading albacore and
bluefin from their ship's hold; Greek FISHERMEN emptying mackerel
and halibut from their nylon trawl nets; their WOMEN gut, clean
and fillet ...
As they walk, Atley is selecting FISH from the various MARINERS
... Who wrap it up for him... He places it in a leather satchel
... Everyone seems to know him...
ATLEY JACKSON
Nicolo, how's the yellowtail today?
An old FISHERMAN, who speaks broken English, wraps up several
steaks...
FISHERMAN
Very nice, Atley. Very nice ...
ATLEY JACKSON
You can't get it any fresher than this,
Memphis ... From the sea to my
skillet ... Nothing in between...
MEMPHIS
What's with the fish thing -- ?
ATLEY JACKSON
We can learn something from our Asian
friends. They smoke a thousand
cigarettes a day; they're completely
stressed and overworked; they drink
like, well ...
MEMPHIS
Fish.
ATLEY JACKSON
And they still have the lowest rate of
cancer of anywhere in the world. You
know why? All they eat is seafood.
MEMPHIS
Also, never underestimate the restorative
powers of "Karaoke."
ATLEY JACKSON
I do a poaching number. Six-ounce
fillets in a saucepan of brine. In
8 minutes, I could cater a goddamn
wedding. Plain but flavorful. And
it's a good way to show off my
Hollandaise sauce ...
MEMPHIS
You have a Hollandaise sauce ?
ATLEY JACKSON
I do ...
(laughs)
Christ, what happened to us ?
MEMPHIS
Speak for yourself, boss I don't
have a Hollandaise sauce
ATLEY JACKSON
No, but you dress like an asshole ...
They walk...
MEMPHIS
I think about that night a lot...
ATLEY JACKSON
Me, too. Every time I walk...
MEMPHIS
How they were just there ... Waiting on
us ... The fix was definitely in ...
Nothing from Atley... They walk ... Memphis looks at him.
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Yeah, you know: I just. I just
never really thanked-you. I meant
to. I just want you to
know...
Memphis nods. Atley shrugs, and selects some halibut
filets.
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Tell him it's on ...
Atley looks at him...
ATLEY JACKSON
Yeah -- ?
MEMPHIS
Yeah Tell him to lay off Kip and
them Tell him it's on
Atley nods...
ATLEY JACKSON
Any idea how you're gonna go at it?
Memphis looks at him... Shakes his head... FADE TO BLACK.
As a SUPER on-screen reads: PART II - BACK TO WRONG
EXT. OTTO'S AUTO - NIGHT
The hustle and bustle of a full-service auto restoration
operation ...
Dig the 157 Chevy, as an orange diamond tuck and roll with
orange fur interior is installed... Dig the 153 Corvette
as its front and rear suspension is replaced with coils
and airshocks ... Dig the 150 Merc, as its chrome is
stripped off and the old paint sandblasted and holes
brazed...
All under the watchful eye of...
OTTO HALLIWELL
Late 60s. A feisty grease-soaked curmudgeon who begs the
question: how the hell did they manage to rock together
Yoda and the ghost of Walter Huston... ?
But he remains the Zen master of cars and all that cars are, were
and can be ...
His mixed-breed MUTT - Hemi - licks his balls in one corner
Otto is currently AIRBRUSHING a candy-colored, variegated DESIGN
on the deck lid of a Camaro ... It is painstaking work ... But he
is an artist ...
His woman - JUNIE - a tall blonde, early 40s, body of a thousand
dances, wipes his brow, like a scrub nurse ...
Memphis wanders in...
Otto sees Memphis ... Drops his brush... He walks over to Memphis
... Takes him in his arms ... Hugs him close... Actually waltzes
him a few steps ...
Memphis is stunned at the transformation this place has gone
through ...
OTTO
Am I dying? Are all the angels of my life
returning to bid a final farewell?
(holds him at arm's length)
And have my angels completely lost
their fashion sense -- ?
MEMPHIS
Hello, Otto ...
OTTO
You remember Junie?
MEMPHIS
Of course. Hi, Junie --
JUNIE
Hello, Memphis -
MEMPHIS
What happened here -- ?
OTTO
Whatever do you mean?
MEMPHIS
The chop-shop... Where are the stripped
cars? The rolled-back odometers? The
part bins?
OTTO
What happened? Old-age happened. I tired of
killing them. I woke up one morning and thought
I am no longer a destroyer. I am a means of
resurrection. Now. We restore. We revive.
There are so few things in this life, we can
prevent from decay. Most must die. These don't
have to...
He calls over to the MEXICAN MAN working on the pick-up ...
OTTO (cont'd)
It's 3 coats of primer, 12 coats of black
acrylic lacquer before laying out the
flames ... And fill the cab top with mylar
flakes ... They'll sparkle like stars ...
(turns to Memphis)
Randall, Randall, Randall ... You look
splendid ...
MEMPHIS
You, too, Otto
And Otto goes back to the Camaro ... To finish his work...
OTTO
I heard rumors you were back. About
Kip ...
MEMPHIS
He's gotten involved --
Otto looks up frustrated... To Junie
OTTO (O.S.)
I can't concentrate. Play something, my
sweetness; my reason to rise ...
And Junie hits PLAY on a cassette deck ... And, instantly, ENGINE
SOUNDS rip from the shop's stereo speakers ... Otto listens, as
if it were a Mahler symphony...
OTTO (cont'd)
The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. At Le
Mans. 1971. The quad-cam V12. Hear
how they got the engine up?
Hear those exhaust notes? That's a
very wide rev range... Here, it
peaks at 5500 RPM...
Memphis smiles ... These eccentricities are old hat...
OTTO (cont'd)
Raymond Calitri. He's amplified much
sorrow on these streets ...
MEMPHIS
You think it can be done?
OTTO
Are you considering a comeback tour?
MEMPHIS
Tell me...
OTTO
It can be done. Take two days to shop;
one to prep. I'll offer up my bible
for a small fee. You also have to
hope Kip's jerk-circus didn't undo
Castlebeck's linkage so much so
that he's setting up surveillance
teams on every city block. And
then get yourself a crew...
MEMPHIS
The hard part ...
OTTO
"A people is a detour of nature to
get 6 or 7 great men - Yes, and then
to get around them..." Nietzsche said
that.
MEMPHIS
Is he still working here ?
OTTO
The old crew. Go find them. I can't
help you with that. Since I've cleaned
up the act a bit, they no longer come
around... A pity how legitimacy makes
you unpopular -
MEMPHIS
I Just don't know how happy they'll be
to see me
Otto has finished the Camaro ... He looks at Memphis --
OTTO
I remember I had a 1964 Buick Opal.
worst car ever built. Value job.
Everything broke and I-fixed it.
A coma car - built to German specs.
Plastic gas line. 3 speedometer head.
On a quiet night, you could hear it
rusting in the garage. But when that
car was gone, I missed it. If it came
driving back in here right now,
there'd be tears and laughter ...
MEMPHIS
And the moral of that story is -- ?
OTTO
Go to them. They'll be happy to see
you ... Ahhh...
And he closes his eyes ... To listen to the Ferrari tape ...
OTTO (cont'd)
... 8.8:1 compression...
We PRE-LAP Simon And Garfunkel's "Baby Driver" and CUT TO:
CLOSE ON: A SIGN READING: "PLEASURE CRUISE DRIVING SCHOOL"
atop a moving DODGE ARIES K. Which is nearly SIDE-SWIPED by an
oncoming PICK-UP. A MAN HOWLS IN TERROR...
INT. DODGE - MOVING - CITY STREETS - DAY
A timid CHINESE GIRL - JENNY, 23 - negotiates the vehicle at
10 & 2. Riding shotgun, her howling instructor is DONNY ASTRICKY - 41,
whom we remember from six years ago. Now he's paunchy, with Ernie
Borgnine tough-guy-warmth. At one time, he kicked out the
jams. Now he teaches driver's ed...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Pull over! Pull her the hell over!
Jenny pulls the car over in a lopsided lurch...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Put it in PARK. Remember how
to do that? It's the big "Pff.
She parks it. He stabs at the side-view mirror ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
"Objects May Appear Closer
Than They Seem." Can you say
that for me?
JENNY
I'm sorry.
DONNY ASTRICKY
You ain't sorry. You're a horrible
driver... You can't strap into
your seat belt, without almost
getting creamed by a bus ...
She starts to cry... Donny softens ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Aw, c'mon. It's no big deal.
You can't drive. You can't.
Time to acknowledge it and move on. I
can't swim. I know I can't. So you
know what I do? I stay the fuck outta
the pool ...
EXT. PLEASURE CRUISE DRIVING SCHOOL - DAY
Memphis waits outside ... The Aries K comes crawling toward him.
Donny gets out of the car ... Sees Memphis ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Damn. Memphis Raines. Long time ...
MEMPHIS
How you doing, man?
DONNY ASTRICKY
All I get are the Orientals. They can
build 'em, but they can't drive
'em So? What are you doing here?
What's with the outfit -- ?
MEMPHIS
You know where the others are?
Donny frowns... Looks close at Memphis ... Then:
DONNY ASTRICKY
Most of 'em are gone. The Dyar Boys are
doing a nickel at Chino; Henry Santoro
and Frankie Fish are moving
weight in Florida; Bill Doolin was
killed in Denver... Atley
Jackson's on the gimp and runnin'
errands for Calitri; The Sphinx
is still around, I guess ... Then
of course, there's ...
His pause is meaningful ...
MEMPHIS
Forget that ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Okay. Figure it forgotten. What's this
about anyways -- ?
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - NIGHT
In a wood-panelled back room, around a conference table: Memphis
and Donny sit... With the list before them...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Most of 'em are late-model...
MEMPHIS
That's right. Only 10 exotics ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
We'll have to start beating the
bushes, find out where they live...
Otto enters. Giggles...
OTTO
Some crew you got ...
MEMPHIS
If we put out the word. That we're
crewing-up, for a one-time-only job...
What do you think that'll yield?
DONNY ASTRICKY
A bunch of strung-out hypes and stick-
up men. This ain't like the old days,
Memphis. The profession has lost its..
OTTO
Dignity...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Yeah...
MEMPHIS
Well, the three of us don't'exactly
inspire confidence...
Beat ... Donny examines the list ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Wow! They got Eleanor here -- ?
MEMPHIS
I know. Weird, huh -- ?
The door opens ... One of Otto's WORKERS is there...
WORKER
Otto, there's someone here to --
But they walk past: Kip, Tumbler, Mirror Man, Toby, Freb
DONNY ASTRICKY
Lookit Kip. All grown up...
KIP
Hey, Donny --
MEMPHIS
What are you doing here?
KIP
Otto called -
Memphis looks to Otto ... Otto shrugs ...
OTTO
You need him...
MEMPHIS
No we don't -
OTTO
I appreciate your dilemma, Memphis.
But how are two washed-up thieves
and an old man supposed to boost
50 cars in three days...
MEMPHIS
His criminal career has officially come
to a close ...
OTTO
The conundrum still applies, of course. The
purpose of the endeavor is to rescue
baby brother from imminent
death and/or a life of crime. However.
This cannot be successfully
carried out without baby brother's
considerable resources, shabby
though they may be.
Memphis considers ... He has little choice ...
MEMPHIS
We do this. Then. You're finished.
Then. You're clean
KIP
I like how you wallop back in here -
after four years - and can still get all
Clifford Huxtable on my shit ...
MEMPHIS
You hear me?
KIP
I hear ya. Get me outta this. I'll
move to the country. Open a fruit
stand...
Memphis looks at him... Shakes his head...
DONNY ASTRICKY
You guys have any skills at all?
KIP
Hell, yeah. Mirror Man here is
our electronics expert. He's got
some gadgets you old farts maybe
never -heard of; Tumbler can drive
anything with wheels, and some
things without; Toby's a hacker,
can do things with a computer, that
are pretty amazing ...
MEMPHIS
How old are you now, Toby?
TOBY
Sixteen. But my birthday's in seven
months ...
Memphis shakes his head... Sighs ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
(re: Freb)
What about him?
KIP
Freb can order pizzas like nobody's
business
Freb starts to Protest ... Shrugs ...
FREB
People gotta eat ...
Memphis looks at all of them ... Sighs...
MEMPHIS
Okay, then... Otto?
OTTO
In order to succeed, you're going
to have to go old-school. one night
boost. Put all your nuts in one basket.
And...
TUMBLER
One night? Are you nuts?
MEMPHIS
You got maybe a better plan?
Tumbler looks to Kip...
KIP
You spread it out ... you move around...
So's they can't touch you... so's they
don't know... Shadow games and shit
...
MEMPHIS
"Shadow games?"
KIP
Shadow games ...
MEMPHIS
You spread it out, by the 2nd night,
the heat are onto you. Know
something's up. With a one-night boost,
by the time all the cars are reported
stolen, your ship's set sail.
Kip and the others nod... Makes sense ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Go on, Otto -
OTTO
We're on a truncated time-table. Take a day to
shop it; a day to prep it ... And we're still
going to need to expand the crew...
DONNY ASTRICKY
There's no one left ...
OTTO
We've got several Italian cars on the list.
Always tricky, always timeconsuming. So
we're gonna need a specialist ...
Memphis looks at him. Because that's what he was afraid of.
MIRROR MAN
(to Otto)
You know of one -- ?
MEMPHIS
Yeah. He's knows of one all right.
So we'll PRE-LAP The Beach Boys' "409" and CUT TO:
INT. "THE NAUTICAL MILE" SALOON - NIGHT
A SHOT GLASS, slammed down on a bar by a surly DRUNK... In a
mariner saloon. Drunken SAILORS and FISHERMAN and NAVY TYPES.
Sawdust on the floor. Broken beer mirrors. A rough joint...
DRUNK
One more, girl -
The BARTENDER comes over.. . She is a dark-haired, heavily
tattooed GIRL, 26, with the faded blue world-weariness of Roy Orbison
song... Her name is Sara Wayland... And she goes by SWAY. She
collects the Drunk's empty glass...
SWAY
I think you've had enough, Billy...
DRUNK
Enough? I haven't even started, girl.
Gimme another --
SWAY
If you leave now, Billy, you can get
a head-start on waking up in a pool
of your own vomit...
DRUNK
Listen, you little cooze--
And the Drunk reaches out across the bar, to grab a bottle And
Sway grabs his hand, twists it ... The Drunk groans in agony ...
And Sway, still clutching his hand, hops over the bar ... And
drags the drunk by his twisted hand to the front ... Cries of
"Attagirl, Sway!" pepper the air ...
EXT. "THE NAUTICAL MILE" - NIGHT
Sway tosses him... The Drunk hitting the pavement ...
SWAY
Come back when you've learned how to
drink, Billy --
And she freezes ... Because standing there, is Memphis ... She
looks at him ... Shocked is a good place to start ...
MEMPHIS
See you're still stealing the sailors from
the sea --
SWAY
What are you doing here?
And she heads back inside ... And he follows her...
INT. "THE NAUTICAL MILE"
They head toward the bar...
SWAY
(re: his clothes)
What's with the look?
MEMPHIS
The hip, cool, sexy thing was getting
old...
SWAY
You look like you lost your sheep ...
And she hops back behind the bar ...
MEMPHIS
You still wrenching at Bacchiochi's?
SWAY
Hell, yeah. I'm not getting rich in
here ...
MEMPHIS
Buy you a drink?
SWAY
Nope. I got a coffee. And a
boyfriend.
She waves to a 30-year-old CAT drinking with his buddies. He waves
back. Memphis frowns.
SWAY (cont'd)
Mitch.
MEMPHIS
"Mitch?"
SWAY
Mitch.
MEMPHIS
So I was replaced by Mitch?
SWAY
No. You were replaced by Alex.
Who was replaced by Kevin. Who
was replaced by Vince. Who was
replaced by Mitch...
She smiles sourly at him...
MEMPHIS
Wow. And to think all I
accomplished these past six
years was the "LORD OF THE
RINGS" trilogy...
She stares at him... Shakes her head... Busies herself with her
glassware ... Beat ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
You look great --
SWAY
Yeah, well, you always were a sucker
for flawed existences ...
ANGLE - MITCH. Watching them talk ...
SWAY (cont'd)
You should leave --
MEMPHIS
On account of Mitch?
SWAY
On account of me.
He studies her... Then:
MEMPHIS
I've taken the spear for a lot of
people, Sway. Including you. Can't
we improvise a little here ... ?
SWAY
No can do. Life goes on, pointfive ...
You left me, remember?
MEMPHIS
I left town. I didn't leave you.
SWAY
A distinction worth noting ...
MEMPHIS
And here I am...
SWAY
Yes. But I got a feeling it's not on
account of any longing-for-my-touch
on your part -
MEMPHIS
Kip's in trouble
And now she looks concerned
SWAY
What kind of trouble -- ?
MEMPHIS
Kip took a job. Fifty ladies in two weeks.
Only the two weeks have turned into four
days. And not a single lady has been
snared.
SWAY
And you got some Italians -- ?
MEMPHIS
Six or seven...
SWAY
I'm not doing it anymore. Haven't
for a while. I've carved out something
for myself. It's pathetic, but it's mine ...
MEMPHIS
I understand -
And the cat - MITCH - comes over with two empty pitchers
MITCH
Another round, Sara -
SWAY
Sure, Mitch -
And she goes to the tap ... Leaving Memphis and Mitch ...
MITCH
How you doing, pal?
Memphis nods ... Beat. They sit there. Regard Sway...
MITCH (cont'd)
She's hot, right?
MEMPHIS
I'd go so far as to say "lovely."
And Mitch leans over to him, conspiratorially ...
MITCH
You should her face when she's having
sex --
And Memphis turns to him...
MEMPHIS
Really?
MITCH
Really...
MEMPHIS
What's it look like?
And Memphis reaches out, and GRABS Mitch's nipple, PINCHING.
Mitch's face curls ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Is it a squinty, grimacing, contorted
face? Agonized and writhing and ugly?
Oh, now I see it, yes, yes!
And Memphis releases him... And Mitch goes down hard ... And Sway
comes over ...
SWAY
What the hell are you doing -- ?
MEMPHIS
If you change your mind. We're at
Otto's. It's 50 ladies in 24 hours.
For The Carpenter. 200 K and Kip's
life on the felt. So long now ...
And he's out of there, before Mitch's PALS can get to him.
MITCH
Who was that guy, Sara?
She looks at the door ... Shrugs ...
SWAY
Good question ...
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - LATER - NIGHT
Memphis, Kip, Donny, Mirror Man and Otto sit around the garage ...
Going through the list ... Tumbler calls from the next room:
TUMBLER
Freb's here. Open the gate.
DONNY ASTRICKY
(to Otto)
We sent him out on a solo boost. See
what he could do ...
Freb pulls in an '89 Cadillac Coupe De Ville ...
FREB
How do I look in this one?
MIRROR MAN
Like a goofy white boy in a Cadillac.
DONNY ASTRICKY
How'd it go?
FREB
Keys were in it ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Well, that defies the point, don't it?
MIRROR MAN
You should ask him how he got the name
"Freb."
FREB
Shaddup, man ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Get the damn thing in there and get it
cleaned up -
Freb pulls in. Pops the trunk. The gate is closed.
KIP
This is loaded with crap - get a duffel.
He pulls out a set of golf clubs ... Freb brings over a duffel ...
Mirror Man plucks something from the trunk ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Holy shit ...
It's a plasticine BAG - full of a WHITE POWDER...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Lemme see that -
He pierces the skin.. Tastes ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Heroin.
KIP
No shit?
And they pull back the trunk tarp ... And there are perhaps TWO
DOZEN similar smack-filled BAGS ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
There's gotta be a million bucks worth
here -
TUMBLER
We're rich. Goddamn, we're rich!
MEMPHIS
Where'd you pick her up?
FREB
In front of one of them poker parlors in
Chinatown ...
MEMPHIS
Well, take it back --
KIP
Take it back? What do you mean take
it back? Are you crazy, man?
MEMPHIS
Take it back, Freb --
MIRROR MAN
Hey, now, Memphis... C'mon, man -
Donny makes to grab the bag from Mirror Man ... But Mirror Man
holds on ... They tug back and forth ... The bag DROPS ...
Splitting on the ground, behind the car. Spilling heroin.
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Now, see what you--
But a BANG! BANG! on the front gate, gives them all pause.
OTTO
Who is it -- ?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (O.S.)
Castlebeck.
DONNY ASTRICKY
Jesus. The whole damn thing's loaded.
OTTO
one minute -- !
And the others scatter into the back office, with their tools and
devices and lists. Leaving only Memphis and Otto.
Memphis picks up the broken bag ... Sticks it in the trunk ...
Puts the golf clubs in on top of it ... Slams the trunk. Only
there's still a neat MOUNTAIN OF SMACK ON THE FLOOR by the rear of
the Caddy ... But there's no time...
For the gate is opened. Detective Castlebeck ambles in.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I know you.
MEMPHIS
You know my back.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
What are you still doing here,
Randall?
MEMPHIS
Stopped by to see Otto. Say hello.
Castlebeck looks at Otto... Otto grins... Castlebeck walks around
the garage... Taking it all in...
Castlebeck notes the Caddy ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
What's this -- ?
OTTO
Cadillac.
ANGLE - the mound of heroin on the floor ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
What's wrong with it -- ?
OTTO
Needs brightening ...
Castlebeck takes out a WALKIE ... Barks into it ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Run me down a tag - 329 HRO. Cadillac.
He clicks off ... Otto and Memphis share one ... A glance to the
smack ... Castlebeck is a mere inches from it ...
OTTO
No faith in our new-found goodness,
Detective ...?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Sure. But sometimes we got to
create some numbers. The task force
is run by statistics, you know ...
Before they can respond, the radio crackles ...
RADIO (O.S.)
329 HRO. There's no want on the license at
this time...
Castlebeck looks disappointed... Otto grins ... Castlebeck stares
at the Caddy, still unconvinced...
MEMPHIS
You're thinking: okay, there's no want ...
But they probably stripped its guts and
crated 'em up, right ... ?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Something like that -
Memphis opens the driver's side door ... Gestures Castlebeck in
... Castlebeck gets behind the wheel ...
MEMPHIS
Let her rip ...
And Castlebeck starts the car...
ANGLE - TAILPIPE ... WHOOSH! All of the heroin on the flo is blown
away by the exhaust ... Memphis winks to Otto ... Castlebeck seems
satisfied ... Gets out.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Okay, then. I'll catch you later,
Randall ...
OTTO
Double-meaning intended, right?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Right ...
Castlebeck stops at the gate... Turns back to them...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
It's funny. There's probably been
five more cars stolen in the time
I've been here ...
MEMPHIS
I don't think so, Detective ...
And Castlebeck is gone. Memphis and Otto exhale big time.. The
others come out from the back... To find Memphis and Otto dumping
the heroin into the sink, running the tap ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Take her back to where you found her,
Freb --
INT. RAINES APARTMENT - NIGHT
Kip is in front of the TV, playing a video game. Helen Raines is
at the kitchen table, going through a PHOTO ALBUM... Memphis comes
home ... Hangs up his coat ...
MEMPHIS
Hey -
He kisses her head ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Kip -
Kip nods ... Plays on ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
What do you got there?
HELEN RAINES
The photo album. I get nostalgic around
this time of year ...
MEMPHIS
What time of year?
HELEN RAINES
Tuesdays ...
He smiles ... Sits down next to her ... They go through the
PHOTOS: - childhood shots of Memphis and Kip, a younger Helen;
Memphis at 17, in his "Ike's Garage" coveralls; 14year-old
Memphis, an infant Kip, and their father (ROBERT RAINES) a MAN
with bright eyes and a quiet smile, standing before an old Cutlass
442; Robert Raines ... Outside a car dealership. We can almost
feel his strong, sure presence ...
Memphis looks at his mother ... As she looks at the picture.
MEMPHIS
You ever wonder what things'd be like
if he hadn't died?
HELEN RAINES
Every day. I wonder about that every day...
MEMPHIS
Kip and I'd probably be working at the
dealership...
(to Kip)
Imagine us selling cars?
Nothing from Kip ... Eyes glued to the TV... Memphis glances to
his Mother ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Imagine that -- ?
HELEN RAINES
(salesman voice)
And just in case you lose your keys, good
sir, I can toss in a complimentary slim-jim,
free of charge ...
MEMPHIS
Mother -- !
They laugh ... Look at the album ... At Robert Raines ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
I remember, every day, he'd come home
in a different car.
That was the greatest thing ... And
we'd climb all over it ... Examine
every inch of every different
car ...
HELEN RAINES
I remember. Supper getting cold, cos you
two are out there heads under hoods ...
MEMPHIS
You remember that, Kip?
KIP
I was six ...
Memphis and Helen look at him... Then:
MEMPHIS
After he died ... I think that's
what I missed most of all ... That
there was no different cars every night ...
When I started hanging around Otto's ...
And he started showing me the things ...
It was a way to kill two birds ...
Put food on the table for you and Kip ...
And ... Ride in different cars every
night ... Just like when Dad was here.
Tears stand in Helen's eyes ... Kip gets to his feet ...
KIP
Ancient history's two things.
"Ancient." And "history!"
And he walks out of the house, door slamming behind him. Memphis
turns to his mother ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
We're gonna have to do this thing, Ma.
HELEN RAINES
I know...
MEMPHIS
We do it. He'll get clear Once and
for all
And she nods ...
ANGLE - A PHOTO. Robert Raines. Smiling beside an Olds 98.
EXT. INTERNATIONAL TOWERS HIGH RISE CONDOS - DAY
The garage door opens as a resident drives out ... And Memphis and
Donny and Kip and Toby enter the garage ... They walk along the
rows of parked cars ... Searching ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Car-jacking is the lazy man's boost.
No skill. No finesse. Can only take
the car if the key is in it. That's
not thieving. That's parking ...
Thugs ... With the decency of dirt ...
TOBY
They're just cars, man ...
To prevent Donny from biting the kid's head off, Memphis chimes in
with:
MEMPHIS
This Eleanor's been living at the
International Towers for 3 years now.
TOBY
Who's "Eleanor?"
MEMPHIS
The 167 Mustang Shelby Mustang GT-500.
TOBY
Why do you call it "Eleanor?"
MEMPHIS
All the vehicles get code names.
Female names. You say "Eleanor lives
at such and such... " and no one
listening on the waves is the wiser ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Eleanor is Memphis' "unicorn."
MEMPHIS
And there she is --
Indeed, slotted nearby is a '67 SHELBY MUSTANG GT-500 Silver with
black top ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Hello, Eleanor --
And he looks at her. An old friend he hasn't seen in years.
TOBY
It looks just like a regular Mustang --
KIP
Don't go there, Toby --
MEMPHIS
She's not. Carroll Shelby tweaked the
Mustang's High-Performance 289 engine
and got it legally rated for the street
at 450 horsepower ... But its actual
output is closer to 600 ...
TOBY
So she flies -
MEMPHIS
She soars -
DONNY ASTRICKY
Grade-A unicorn ...
TOBY
What's a "unicorn?"
DONNY ASTRICKY
Fabled creature. You know - the horse
with the horn? Impossible to capture?
Toby looks blank ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
We all got one. The single car
that, no matter how many times
you try to boost, something happens...
Cops show up, car doesn't start, owner
comes back. It's voodoo...
TOBY
You guys and the car thing, man --
They head off ... Memphis turns back to the Shelby
MEMPHIS
See you in a few days, Eleanor --
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - BACK ROOM - DAY
To Queen's "I'm In Love With My Car." The crew is at work, a MAZDA
and a CADDY are parked here for practice: Tumbler is modifying a
series of slim jims, based on the type of cars they'll be after
Donny and Freb are in the Caddy, Freb behind the wheel Tumbler
puts together BRIEFCASES, containing the requisite TOOLS: slim-
jim, gizmo, screwdriver, ratchet, dent-puller, a mini-battery with
pointy leads ...
- Mirror Man is showing off one of his GADGETS - beepersized
DEVICE - to Otto... They stand before a locked MAZDA.
MIRROR MAN
And you just stick it in the lock.
Hit this little button ... And ...
He does ... The door UNLOCKS ... The car's ALARM gives a weak
chirp and dies... Otto looks at Donny ...
OTTO
We're dinosaurs, Donny. Pull-up a tar pit ...
(to Mirror Man)
Can I try -- ?
MIRROR MAN
Knock yourself out --
Kip and Memphis are with Toby, who has his laptop out ...
TOBY
I logged outside the G.R.A.B. site,
right? Then I monitored their
incoming outside data requests,
right? Then I got these ISDN numbers,
right? Then I tracked them back,
right? Then I took the one I could
jack-up the easiest, right? Then I
called back see, they think I'm an
insurance company - that's where it
looks like I'm coming from -- and
they're sharing stats with this
insurance company, right? So now
they're sharing it with me, right?
They think I'm looking for stats for
an actuarial conference on auto-theft.
So they let me in, right? Give me all
these numbers. But then I don't leave,
right? I'm in. I've got the key. Now I
just go anywhere I want.
MEMPHIS
So what's in there -- ?
TOBY
I can tell you who's gonna be on duty
tonight. I can tell you how much gas
they're using monthly. I can tell you
how they used to spend that annoying
half-hour between "FRIENDS" and "SEINFELD"...
Memphis nods ... Fairly impressed...
KIP
Good work, Toby --
Donny and Freb are inside the Caddy ... Freb's attempts to start
it fail...
FREB
It just ain't happening --
DONNY ASTRICKY
You'll get the hang of it, kid. You
just need to remember one thing -
FREB
What's that?
Donny smiles ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
On boost night? Always take along a
good mix tape ...
Donny smiles ... Freb frowns ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
You bring a woman back to your
crib for some lovemaking, the
song you put on, depends on the
woman, the type of lovemaking you
intend to do, right?
FREB
I guess ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
You got a school teacher or Nancy from
accounting, you don't put on Sly Stone
or James Brown. You put on
Ravel. Rachmaninoff. But if you got
some wild one you just picked
up at the track, you wouldn't put on
Cat Stevens or James Taylor.
You'd put on Prince. Or Isaac Hayes.
Or, if you really wanted to
get after it: Miles.
FREB
okay ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
It's the same way with cars. Different
cars. Different tunes. You can't steal
a Maserati listening to Sinatra. You
gotta get urgent. You gotta get Sonny
Rollins or Led Zeppelin IV, on that
shit. But never, never-ever take no Allman
Brothers into a Lincoln Town Car. Could
lead to disaster. Got it... ?
FREB
(absolutely hasn't got it)
Got it ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Good.
And then Sway enters ... Donny gets out of the Caddy ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Memphis went out
and got some big game ... Hello, Sway.
I was just telling the lads about mix
tapes --
SWAY
(to Freb)
Janis Joplin. Billie Holliday. Ella
Fitzgerald...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Gender bias ...
Otto is before her ... Bowing from the waist ...
OTTO
I've missed you, Sara Wayland --
SWAY
Good to see ya, Otto --
They embrace. Memphis and Kip enter from the other room...
KIP
How ya doing, Sway -- ?
SWAY
Kip...
She looks at Memphis ... Small nod... Small smile ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
What do you think about all this?
SWAY
Stick it in the drawer marked "Fool's
Errand", right -- ?
DONNY ASTRICKY
That's my girl --
MEMPHIS
That's Mirror Man ... And that's
Freb ... And Tumbler ... And Toby ...
Fellas, this is Sara Wayland... They
call her "Sway."
SWAY
Hey -
But the kids look high near thunderstruck ... The others laugh ...
Go back to their work ... Memphis and Sway
SWAY (cont'd)
No questions. I'm here. I need the
dough.
MEMPHIS
Of course ...
She studies him... Nods ...
SWAY
Good. Just so we understand...
And then she sees something at the entrance ...
SWAY (cont'd)
Oh, shit. You didn't --
He follows her gaze ... To where -- A MAN, early 40s, has walked
in. Tall, gaunt, ice-eyed. This man never speaks. And his nose is
a gnarled blob of scar tissue ... Which is why they call him
THE SPHINX
And the others really don't dig his scene ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Well, well, well. The original crash
test dummy...
The Sphinx nods to all. Smiles warmly, but it comes out creepy.
Freb whispers to Otto ...
FREB
Who's that -- ?
OTTO
That's The Sphinx.
FREB
The Sphinx?
OTTO
He never says a word. And he's got
a messed-up nose. Hence. The Sphinx.
He's boo-koo koo-koo. But he steals like
time ...
(to The Sphinx)
Hello, Sphinxy, old rum -- !
And Otto embraces the taller man ... And the others stand
around, offering uneasy glances to The Sphinx ...
MEMPHIS
Okay. We're all here. Today's Wednesday.
D-Day is Friday night ... That gives us
two days to prep ... We're going to find
the ladies on our list, find out where
they live, when they're home; that
they're properly insured ... Let's get
into the vans --
MIRROR MAN
Where we going -- ?
MEMPHIS
We're going shopping -- !
We PRE-LAP Gary Numan's new-wave rave classic "Cars".
EXT. LONG BEACH STREETS - DAY
A MONTAGE of the hard-core old-school preparations...
THREE MINI-VANS drive off from Otto's Auto - Mirror Man at the
wheel of one of them - The Sphinx and Donny with him... - Freb
drives the 2nd van: Memphis, Sway, and Kip with him... Tumbler
drives the 3rd van: Otto and Toby with him.
They carry pens and NOTEBOOKS ... And, as they drive around,
they're searching out cars ... When they see an auto that
corresponds to the list, they take down its license plate.
Memphis dials the cell ... Mirror Man answers on the speaker in
his van ... Tumbler in his ... We'll CROSS-CUT the scene as
necessary from van to van ...
MEMPHIS
How's it going -- ?
DONNY ASTRICKY
It's arright ...
They drive on ... Till --
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Check it out: 173 Firebird. Know
who drove one of those ... ?
OTTO
Yes, I do, in fact. John Wayne in
McO...
DONNY ASTRICKY
That's being obscurest ... Who else?
Better known. Memphis?
MEMPHIS
Jim Rockford. ROCKFORD FILES.
MIRROR MAN
For real?
As the scenes in the vans play out - we should be INTERCUTTING
with SHOTS of CARS ON THE STREET. LICENSE PLATES. Their NOTEBOOKS.
As license #s are written down.
DONNY ASTRICKY
For real. Okay. Gimme COLUMBO...
KIP
Peugot convertible ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
What color?
KIP
Gray.
FREB
How you know that?
KIP
Remember who my brother is?
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - BACK ROOM
Sway has drawn an intricate CHART on a vinyl DRAWING BOARD: 1-50,
each car is annotated, ie: 1) '56 Ford T-Bird; 2) 188 Lamborghini
Countach, etc. She begins ascribing names to them, Female names.
With Magic Marker. Easy to erase.
INT. REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES - DAY
Donny enters with a sheaf of PAPERS ... He waits in line ...
EXT. JIMMY'S HARBORSIDE RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Mirror Man has hired on as a VALET ... DINERS pull up in their
cars ... Mirror Man offers the DRIVER of a Porsche Boxster a
ticket ... And climbs in, to park the car ...
INT. OTTO'S BACK ROOM
Sway writes #2-4) Porsche Boxster and next to it PATRICIA 1
INT. THE VANS
As they drive around... Still searching and quizzing...
OTTO
DUKES OF HAZARD?
MIRROR MAN
Fuck that cracker shit --
TUMBLER
I know that one. General Lee, I
believe, was a ... Dodge Charger ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
You ever notice how it had a different
interior every week? That bugged me.
MIRROR MAN
Three words: Get A Life.
INT. OTTO'S BACK ROOM - DAY
Memphis and Otto go through Otto's BIBLE - an overstuffed LEDGER
with the addresses Otto has collected, over the years, of some
2000 cars. They look for any that correspond to Calitri's 50 ...
INT. REGISTRY - DAY
Donny offers the REGISTRY WOMAN a LIST of several cars from the
shopping spree ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
I'd like the names and addresses of
the owners of these 20 cars please...
WOMAN
It'll take me about 15 minutes.
DONNY ASTRICKY
I can wait.
He smiles kindly at her. And takes a seat. It's that easy.
INT. OTTO'S BACK ROOM - DAY
Sway at the board... A grouping of three Mercedes Benz S320 are
designated as JENNIFER 1, JENNIFER 2, JENNIFER 3...
INT. OTTO'S GARAGE - DAY
Otto shows Freb how to disarm an alarm system by groundingout a
tail-light with a wire to a mini-battery...
This dead-shorts the lights, shorts-out the alarm system, which
chirps for a sustained second and then kills itself. The door
locks pop open ... Otto grins...
EXT. JIMMY'S HARBORSIDE - NIGHT
Mirror Man in the Boxster... Parked, . He takes the KEY from
the ignition ... And then takes, from under his jacket - a KEY
CUTTER... And he sets to cutting a COPY of the key.
INT. THE VANS - MOVING
Shop and talk, part III ...
FREB
Okay, okay. What about MAGNUM P.I.?
KIP
Thanks for playing, Freb. That's a
gimme ...
OTTO
Yes, but what was on the license
plate?
MIRROR MAN
The license plate?
TUMBLER
I know. "ROBIN 1."
OTTO
Very good. But what was the
significance of "ROBIN 1"?
FREB
Was that his first name?
OTTO
His first name was Thomas. Thomas
Magnum...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Thomas Sullivan Magnum, to be exact.
They look at Donny, impressed...
TUMBLER
Robin 1 ...
MIRROR MAN
I know! Robin was the name of that
faggy guy who hung with him...
KIP
No. That was Higgins ....
DONNY ASTRICKY
Jonathan Quayle Higgins ...
MIRROR MAN
(to Donny)
You're like a serial killer, ainchoo?
INT. OTTO'S_-AUT0 - DAY
Sway calls #29 - A '98 Corvette - CAROL...
INT. MIDNIGHT AUTO - NIGHT
A random chop-shop. The Sphinx is buying chopped
IGNITIONS, that go with the cars on the list ...
EXT. JIMMY'S HARBORSIDE - MIRROR MAN
has cut a key, jocks the cutter, and, before he gets out
of the Boxster, opens the glove box and grabs the
registration.
He takes a mini-tape-recorder from his pocket ... Reads
the owner address into the dock... Returns the
registration" to the glove box... Leaves the car ... For
today.
EXT. OTTO'S SALVAGE - NIGHT
Tumbler and Kip park the car carrier behind a Matterhorn
of decimated automobiles ... Out of view...
INT. MIDNIGHT LOCKSMITH - NIGHT
The Sphinx brings the ignitions to the locksmith ... Who
makes keys for them...
EXT. JIMMY'S HARBORSIDE - NIGHT
Mirror Man taking names and kicking ass. A BMW M ROADSTER.
INT. OTTO'S
Sway writes NANCY 1 next to #27) BMW M ROADSTER...
INT. REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES - DAY
The Registry Woman gives Donny the list he needed...
WOMAN
It's two dollars per car. That'll be
40 dollars please...
He pays her ... Big smile ...
INT. THE VANS - MOVING
One more time ...
OTTO
Anyone? The significance of "Robin 1" on
Magnum's license plate? Memphis?
MEMPHIS
Robin was Robin Masters. He owned the
estate they lived on ...
OTTO
Ten points for our fearless leader ...
Sway, how 'bout giving us the honor of
the Bill Bixby trifecta -- ?
SWAY
I don't know that
KIP
Stumped -- !
FREB
Thank-God, Sway, you ain't all freaky-
deaky, too
But Sway grins
SWAY
How about: a Corvette in
MAGICIAN; a Ford pick-up truck in
INCREDIZLE HULK, and...
OTTO
Here's where it gets tricky ...
SWAY
... he walked in THE COURTSHIP OF
EDDIE'S FATHER.
Kip high-fives her... Freb looks disappointed...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Walked like a bastard... Skippin'
stones and shit..
OTTO
That's a good one, Donny...
DONNY ASTRICKY
I think so too --
And they drive... All smiles ... All pleased with
themselves ... And, after a beat ...
MIRROR MAN
Ya'll really need to get the fuck out
of the house more...
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - BACK ROOM
Sway has finished the chart ... 50 cars ... Their
corresponding distaff names...
INT. FREB'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Freb is at his stereo. CDs scattered around him. Tupac.
Biggy. Puff Daddy ... Making a mix tape... END MONTAGE.
INT. BACCHIOCHI'S FOREIGN MOTORS - DAY
A garage dealing exclusively in imports. Memphis enters...
MEMPHIS
Hello -- ?
Sway slides out from beneath a Testarosa ... In her greasy
coveralls, hair tied back, a motorhead's dream girl ...
SWAY
Hey.
MEMPHIS
What's wrong with her -- ?
SWAY
The right side of the engine is
running richer than the left. And the
scope isn't showing shit... I dunno...
And she goes to the sink...
SWAY (cont'd)
You know Annie's trouble
MEMPHIS
Annie -- ?
SWAY
You haven't been studying --
She gestures to where the LIST of 50 is on the counter.
SWAY (cont'd)
137 Roadster. Custom. Lives at 1443
Locklin in Rancho Palos Verdes ...
MEMPHIS
Right. Great car. One of a kind. I
was looking forward to that boost
myself
SWAY
She was the only "Annie" you could find?
MEMPHIS
They only made a handful. We're lucky
there's even one living in the area...
SWAY
Yeah, well ... She lives with District
Court Judge Seymour Croft ...
As she speaks we CUT TO:
EXT. 1443 LOCKLIN - RANCHO PALOS VERDES - DAY
A massive house of glass and steel in a fancy
neighborhood. We MOVE FOR THE HOUSE. Over the fine-trimmed
lawn.
SWAY (O.S.)
... and he keeps "Annie' in his
living room... Like a work of art ...
INTO THE SPARTAN LIVING ROOM...
Massive framed Lichtenstein and Haring pieces on the wall
... Surround the yellow ROADSTER, which sits up on a
platform ... Check out JUDGE CROFT, a nasty fat man in his
late 50s ... He sits in the nearly empty room... A complex
system of directional lighting illuminates the Roadster
...
SWAY (O.S.)
She's got 27 miles on her o-dom.
Which is exactly how far away the
custom shop was in 1979 when he
bought her... He drove her home,
never drove her again ...
The judge gazes at the car, admiring its jet-pod
taillamps... A MAID comes in with a tray of tea service
... The maid crosses the Judge's line of sight... Watch
as he curses her out, his face going beet red with fury...
SWAY (O.S.)
The man's a freak...
INT. BACCHIOCHI'S FOREIGN MOTORS
Sway looks at Memphis ...
SWAY
She's trouble --
MEMPHIS
I put the boys on it. They're clever
that way...
She nods ... Long look ...
SWAY
I go with you --
MEMPHIS
That what you want?
SWAY
That's what I want ...
MEMPHIS
Okay.
She hits the Lava soap and starts washing the grease from her
hands ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
I missed you, you know -
SWAY
You mentioned that in your letters
MEMPHIS
I always thought you'd follow me up.
She shuts off the taps ... Towels her hands...
SWAY
We were good when you bailed, weren't we?
MEMPHIS
Very good...
SWAY
Cos there were those dark days, when
I figured - my God, how easy it was
for him to just give it up; to make the
deal; take the rot for the whole crew ...
And give me up in the process.
MEMPHIS
No way ...
SWAY
No ... ?
MEMPHIS
No ...
And he holds out a hand to her ... And she puts her greasesmeared
towel into it ...
SWAY
Don't go getting all warm and fuzzy on me,
Randall. I'm the jane that was left, and
you're the jim that did the leaving. So
save the sanctimonious shit for someone
who believes. The only reason I ride with
you, is cause I don't want to spend the
whole night with any of them other creeps!
MEMPHIS
Oh. Okay. Right.
EXT. BACCHIOCHI'S FOREIGN MOTORS - DAY
Memphis walks out... Going over to the PARKED CAR across the
street ... Castlebeck...
MEMPHIS
I'm on the move -
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Your girl works in there ...
MEMPHIS
Not my girl anymore
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Yet your still here ... I gave
you 24 hours, 24 hours ago ...
MEMPHIS
What do you want from me?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Honestly? I want to - once every
few months - get into my car. Pack
a lunch. And drive on up to Chino.
On visiting day. Bring you some
magazines. Maybe some almond clusters.
And see you all bright and shiny in
your orange jumpsuit. That's what I want ...
And with that, he starts his car ... Drives off... Memphis gazing
after him...
INT. VAN - MOVING - NIGHT
Memphis drives. Kip beside him. They drive in silence. At last
coming to:
EXT. TEN-TON TRANSFER COMPANY - FRONT GATES
A huge trucking company warehouse. Kip gets out. Bolt-cuts the
chain-fence out front.
And Memphis drives on in, passing the long rows of gargantuan
CAR CARRIERS here. He picks one ...
MEMPHIS
This one ...
He slim-jims the door ... But the ALARM goes off ... A wild
whooping alarm ... Deafening... Try as he might, he can't get it
off. He pops the trunk. Looks for wires ... Nothing.
Then, at once, it goes off. Memphis turns. Kip is there. He holds
a little DEVICE.
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
What's that thing -- ?
KIP
Reads the infrared. Then kills it. Little
something the R & D department came up with ...
MEMPHIS
How long were you gonna let me try and
stop it...?
KIP
After a while, it became a little pathetic ...
Figured I'd put you out of your misery ...
MEMPHIS
Thank-you ...
KIP
De nada ...
He gets behind the wheel. Pops the ignition. The truck's flipping
stack belches. Memphis climbs in next to him.
MEMPHIS
Ain't we good-timing here ... ?
KIP
The family that steals together, deals
together...
MEMPHIS
Dad'd be proud --
KIP
Maybe not. But Dad was from another era...
MEMPHIS
What era was that -- ?
KIP
The era when crime didn't pay --
MEMPHIS
As opposed to now, Kid Car Crusher?
KIP
Price of doing business...
MEMPHIS
What about just getting a job, 9 to 5,
five days a week, that whole mystery
achievement -- ?
KIP
It's for assholes. The Legal Buck blows,
Memphis. You know that. Doing this, we
make mad bank, my boys are down, the
girlies come around and the boosts are
a breeze. Yeah, sure, you're gonna get
jacked-up every now and then - but ain't
that a small price to pay for never,
never-ever, having to say "paper or
plastic?"
And he grins and puts the truck into gear. And off they go
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - GARAGE - NIGHT
The Replacements chime in with "Someone Take The Wheel." Memphis
and the crew ... All but Sway are present.
Tumbler and Mirror Man follow Memphis to one side of the shop ...
To a window ... He gestures outside to where we see and UNMARKED
CAR and the orange glow of two cigarettes ... Staking them out ...
MEMPHIS
We've got to shake them tomorrow
night. I'm making that your problem.
That's called delegation of duties.
You like it -- ?
Mirror Man and Tumbler regard the cops ...
MIRROR MAN
Sure, man --
And they follow him back into the garage ...
MEMPHIS
Okay. Tomorrow night it's on. Each
team has been assigned their ladies.
The teams are: me and Sway. Donny
and Freb. Kip and Tumbler. Mirror
Man, you and The Sphinx ...
Mirror Man looks horrified ...
MIRROR MAN
Aw, c'mon, man ...
The Sphinx grins at him...
TOBY
What about me?
MEMPHIS
You'll be at the docks ... Keeping Otto
abreast of our progress ...
TOBY
How come ... ?
MEMPHIS
Because you should be home with
Nintendo, listening to The Spice
Girls, little man ...
TOBY
Come on. Kip, talk to the guy
KIP
There's no talkin' to him --
And Otto and Junie come out with two bottles of champagne and some
paper cups ...
OTTO
(cup raised)
To a safe and successful session of bumping
fenders and trading paint.
Everyone toasts ... Drinks ... Donny goes to the tape deck... Hits
PLAY ... And "Little Deuce Coupe" by The Beach Boys BLASTS.
("Little Deuce Coupe/You don't know what I got...")
And all of our guys dance to it ... Singing along ... Otto dances
with Junie; Tumbler with Toby; even The Sphinx lipsyncs the falsetto
parts ...
BEACH BOYS
"Well, I'm not braggin,' babe So don't put
me down But I got the fastest set of wheels
in town, etc."
Yes, it's the requisite rock-to-an-oldie bit ... But God, it's
fun. As they exorcise some pre-boost jitters. Only Kip stands
aside from the frolic ... We watch them dance and laugh and sing
for a bit ...
And then Atley Jackson is there. And behind him, another Calitri
GOON... And, finally, Calitri himself stands there.
Someone kills the music. They all look at him... Donny and The
Sphinx nod to Atley ...
CALITRI
This is how you're spending my time?
Having a sock hop?
MEMPHIS
Everyone know Ray Calitri? Pillar of the
community ...
CALITRI
Look at this. A multi-generational gathering
of scumbags ...
OTTO
So saith the God of Scumbags --
CALITRI
Hello, Otto. My boys at the dock report no
cars have yet to be delivered. And there's
only one more night ...
OTTO
Getting nervous, Ray? What happens to you, I
wonder, if delivery isn't made?
Calitri ignores him... Looks at Kip ...
CALITRI
With all the free time I've had not
counting cars as they're loaded onto
my ship, I've managed to sand the
cedar inside your box, Kip. This
will protect you from the anaerobic
bacteria, that normally thrives in
an airless; environment. Thus
prolonging decay ...
He smiles ... And Kip actually makes a run for him... Only to be
held back by Tumbler and Donny ...
MEMPHIS
Get out of here, Ray --
CALITRI
One more night --
MEMPHIS
Get out --
CALITRI
I hope you know what you're doing. God help
you if you don't ...
And with that, he leaves, his goons following. Leaving our
crew to stare after him ... And then we FADE TO BLACK...
As a SUPER on-screen reads PART III: SWITCHIN'-TO-GLIDE
INT. HELEN RAINES' HOUSE - GARAGE - DAY
As Memphis goes through some old boxes. At last, he finds what
he's looking for ... Opens it ... He takes out its contents ...
His tools, which we remember from the opening ... And then...
CLOTHING ...
EXT. OTTO'S - DAY
Drycoff and Hawkings wait in their unmarked ...
DRYCOFF
Oh, this is a good time --
He lights another cigarette ... The ashtray is overflowing.
HAWKINGS
How much can one man smoke?
DRYCOFF
It's a crime, ain't it? Cos
Castlebeck's got a bug up his ass over
this guy, I gotta get lung cancer ...
INT. OTTO'S
Mirror Man and Tumbler are at the window Memphis brought them to
last night ... Mirror Man has a RADIO TRANSMITTER in his hand...
Donny comes by ...
DONNY
What are you doing?
TUMBLER
Watch and learn, old-timer --
As Mirror Man points the antennae out the window ... A TOY CAR - a
1970 HEMI 'CUDA replica ... Radio-operated, the car speeds along
the curb outside, using parked cars as cover... She really cooks...
DONNY
The hell are you doing?
MIRROR MAN
Delivering ordnance. Y2K-style.
ANGLE - THE 'CUDA. As it cruises along. Is stopped by a discarded
40 oz. empty... But Mirror Man maneuvers and its back on track ...
At last, parking jammed up to the front, right tire of DRYCOFF AND
HAWKINGS' UNMARKED.
TUMBLER
The Hemi Has Landed --
DONNY
Big deal. Now what?
MIRROR MAN
What we call: fun and shit.
And he hits a button on his radio control ... ANGLE - the model
'Cuda. Wedged in front of the tire. As a quartet of thin steel,
razor-tipped SPIKES thrust out from the Shaker hood ... A fraction
away from the tire's skin ... Mirror Man and Tumbler appear
satisfied ...
TUMBLER
We can go now --
INT. JUDGE CROFT'S GLASS HOUSE - DAY
The one with the Roadster in the living room... The phone RINGS.
The answering machine picks up ... Beeep!
VOICE (O.S.)
Yes, this is a message for Mr. Seymour
Croft, of 1443 Locklin ... This is the
Department of Water and Power and we're
going to be doing some work in your
area tonight ... If you'd please call
us at 555-1877, so we could discuss
the...
INT. OTTO'S - DAY
Freb on this end... He hangs up ...
INT. DISTRICT COURT - DAY
Judge Croft picking up his messages ... Writes down the number ...
Dials ...
INT. CROFT GLASS HOUSE - DAY
In the van. Kip and Toby... Toby's got his lap-top out ... And
they've re-routed the lines into it ... The phone rings ... Kip
answers ...
TOBY
Department of Water and Power. Could you hold
please ...
And before the Judge can respond, they've clicked him on hold...
And they make him wait ... And wait ... Just like the real D.W.P.
does ... They high-five...
TOBY (cont'd)
Where should we put him?
KIP
He's a Judge. He'll only bite for
something pimpy -
At last, Toby answers ...
TOBY
D.W.P. Thanks for holding. How can I
help you?
JUDGE CROFT
I got a message. I live at 1443
Locklin.
TOBY
Yes. can you hold, sir -- ?
JUDGE CROFT
NO! No, I can't! I'm a busy man.
Kip can hear his anger ... Whispers:
KIP
Oooh, she's chafed --
TOBY
okay, sir. Let me just get the-order.
Yes. We'll be doing some work out your
way. We've got a power leak. And it's
unsafe. We're moving residences to
the... Marriott Long Beach ...
Just for the night ...
JUDGE CROFT
Oh, for God's sake
TOBY
I know, sir ...
And Kip pantomimes eating. Toby, at first puzzled, gets it.
TOBY (cont'd)
For the inconvenience we're also
offering a free breakfast brunch --
JUDGE CROFT
Breakfast brunch -- ?
TOBY
Yes, sir -
Pause ... They've got him... Thumbs-up ...
JUDGE CROFT
Okay, then ... I just go to the
Marriott and I'm set ...
TOBY
You've been pre-booked...
And the Judge hangs up ...
TOBY (cont'd)
Goodbye to you, too, assface ...
EXT. OTTO'S - LATER - DAY
They all wait, anxious ... Dressed for their night ... And then
Memphis enters ... Hoots and hollers ...
He's dressed in the old duds. Black turtleneck. Black boots. Black
pants. Long, black, leather duster. Way too cool for school.
Memphis Raines returns...
DONNY ASTRICKY
I miss Orville Redenbacher already --
MEMPHIS
Okay, okay. The important thing to
remember, is to Think Slow. Take
your time. It may not seem like it,
but the night is long. Long enough.
Just think slow and think smart...
EXT. OTTO'S - DUSK
As the crew get into the van... And drive-off ...
INT. DRYCOFF'S UNMARKED
Drycoff starts her up...
DRYCOFF
Let's see what these bastards are up to --
And' he puts her in gear ... And KA-POW! The front tire EXPLODES
... Shredded to rim...
DRYCOFF (cont'd)
What the fu--
He gets out of the car, goes to the front ... In time to see the
little 'Cuda race off down the street after the crew...
DRYCOFF (cont'd)
Those little pricks -- !
ANGLE -- MIRROR MAN. In the back of the van, With his transmitter.
Giggling wildly as the 'Cuda zooms after him.
EXT. LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
The massive seaport, a series of wharves. Commercial SCOWS and
TUGS beast the black water. We should note the enormous 23,000-
ton, 627-foot CONTAINER SHIP, swaying in the harbor. And the giant
shoreside GANTRY CRANE alongside it ...
INT. WAREHOUSE
An expansive warehouse surrounded by chain-link fence ... Enormous
SHIPPING CONTAINERS are here, in which the stolen cars will be
stored. And cartons and cartons of motor oil.
A massive FRONT-END-LOADER will transport each container to the
gantry crane, which will lower it onto the cells in the container
ships' hold...
Each team is ready ... Each has a briefcase containing the tools
of the trade ... Memphis talks into a two-way RADIO ...
MEMPHIS
How we doing, O -- ?
INT. OTTO'S
Otto stands before The Big Board - with all the ladies' names on
it ... On the two-way ...
OTTO
Ready to start erasing. Good luck,
kiddies --
INT. WAREHOUSE
Memphis clicks off ... They climb into 4 Ford Escorts ...
MEMPHIS
Okay. All our ladies should be home
now, tucked in bed. Let's keep chilly.
Think Slow. Any questions?
TOBY
You sure I can't go with ya?
Memphis' ice-water glance is answer enough ...
MEMPHIS
Only use the phones when absolutely
necessary... Otto's default HQ ...
Let's go get 'em...
QUICK SHOTS -
Of the four cars, as each team slaps a tape in their deck:
1) Kip and Tumbler. The tape is Tupac. They bang fists.
2) Donny Astricky and Freb ... Donny's playing Miles Davis.
3) Memphis and Sway ... And Bruce ...
MEMPHIS
Ready -- ?
SWAY
Oh, yeah.
4) Mirror Man and The Sphinx... The Sphinx puts on GLASSES with
attached FAKE NOSE, to cover his gnarled one ...
MIRROR MAN
You should consider always wearing that,
boy...
And he slides his tape into the deck... And, as The Gap Band's
"Burn Rubber On Me" cranks on the track -
Our team goes out... Into the night ... Toby watching after
them... Because they're off ...
EXT. DESERTED PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Tumbler and Kip park the massive CAR CARRIER here ... Kip is
behind him in the Escort... Tumbler gets into the Escort and Kip
drives off ...
EXT. LONG BEACH STREET - NIGHT
Memphis and Sway in the van ... Searching ... He pulls to a stop
... For a Mazda Rx-7 is parked on this quiet, residential ...
Sway gets out ... Eyeballs it ... Comes back...
SWAY
No whistles, but a Club You bring a
hack -- ?
MEMPHIS
No. Open her ...
He parks ... Opens the back of the van ... Sway pulls the Mazda
window ... Gets in ... Ignition-Gizmos her ... The motor now
running ... Waits ... Memphis gets in next to her... He has a
STEERING WHEEL with him.
SWAY
What the hell's that -- ?
MEMPHIS
A little trick I picked up at the Car
Thief Retirement Home ...
He uses his screwdriver to REMOVE four rivets on the Mazda's
Clubbed steering column ... In seconds, the CLUBBED STEERING WHEEL
IS REMOVED, Club still on it. Memphis pops in the steering wheel
he brought, jerry-bangs the rivets ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Let's cruise --
And they do ... Sway rolls down her window ... Tosses something as
they drive off -
ANGLE - THE OLD STEERING WHEEL. "Club" firmly affixed to it. On
the ground, in the Mazda's old parking place...
EXT. LONG BEACH STREETS - TUMBLER AND KIP
as they systematize the cars they're responsible for... Tumbler
drops Kip off by a Porsche ... We recognize it as one of the cars
Mirror Man cut a key for in the valet scam. Kip selects the key
from a series of them hooked into his briefcase. He gets out. Keys
the car. He's in. He's off ...
TUMBLER - meanwhile, has driven to a Volvo C70... He, too, has the
key ... He's in ... He's off ...
EXT. THE CAR CARRIER - PARKING LOT
Kip drives the Porsche onto it, Tumbler enters the lot in the
Volvo. QUICK DISSOLVES as they fill it up... Two Honda Accords,
another Volvo, a Toyota 4-runner, etc.
EXT. COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSE - SAN PEDRO - NIGHT
All is silent. Chainlink fence topped with swirls of lethal-looking
barbed wire. Mirror Man and The Sphinx are here.
Mirror Man goes to the main entry fence doors ... He boltcuts the
chain ... The doors slide open ... They're in ...
EXT. LONG BEACH STREET - NIGHT
A Porsche 911 Cabriolet is parked...
Donny and Freb look at it ...
FREB
Diane 1.
DONNY ASTRICKY
Very good. Think you can get in without
waking her up -- ?
FREB
Yeah.
DONNY ASTRICKY
That's an after-market alarm. Can't
just cut her wires ...
He pops his briefcase ... Takes out some gear ... Gets out ...
Moves for Diane 1 ...
INT. RAINES APARTMENT - NIGHT
Helen Raines is rooting through a crowded closet. At last she
finds what she's looking for ... A small black boxy DEVICE. She
goes to the living room. Plugs in the box ...
It is a POLICE SCANNER... And it immediately starts to pop and caw
... Helen sits down ... And listens... Her face clenched with
worry ...
EXT. SAN PEDRO WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Mirror Man works the thick steel door ... He's got a sledge and
center punch... He knocks the knob off with the sledge and then
goes to work with an ELECTRIC DRILL ...
MIRROR MAN
This is some state-of-the-art shit,
kid. The drill breaks the sockets,
which force back the spindle and release
the lock ...only it doesn't seem to be
working... And The Sphinx is getting
impatient ...
EXT. HARBOR WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Tumbler and Kip pull in with their car carrier ... Full... They
start to unload it ...
INT. OTTO'S
As Otto SWIPES NAMES FROM THE BOARD...
INT. MEMPHIS' VAN - MOVING
Memphis and Sway... They ride in silence ... She busies herself by
looking through the consul. Comes up with a tube of LIPSTICK. Uses
the visor mirror to apply it.
MEMPHIS
Gosh, no. Lipstick? What next? Mascara, blush,
floral-print dresses?
SWAY
Deodorant.
And she looks at him... She's really laid the lipstick on
thick ... But it's oddly effective ...
MEMPHIS
Wow. Bozo, the very sexy clown --
Beat. She looks out the window, throws the following away.
SWAY
So, you seeing anybody?
MEMPHIS
No. I had a girl. She was great. The
problem is: great girls come along once
every ten years. So I gotta wait
another three years before I can even
bother to look...
SWAY
She was so great, why'd you leave her?
MEMPHIS
Her parole officer strongly recommended
it ...
She looks at him... But he's stopped the car... For Kip and
Tumbler are waiting at the side of the street. They get in.
EXT. LONG BEACH STREET - NIGHT
Freb dead-shorts the alarm system, grounding it out on the car's
own metal surface, just like they taught him... He's in the
Porsche ... It's just that he can't figure out how to get her
started ... The passenger door opens ... Donny...
DONNY ASTRICKY
What's the matter?
FREB
It's all microchips and shit ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Yeah?
He holds up a screwdriver. Jams it in the steering column.
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
I don't care what kind of car
it is. How fancy; how expensive;
how new. You pop the collar -
it's 1966 all over again ... !
He pops the collar - exposing an ordinary ignition system.
FREB
Cool ...
INT. MEMPHIS' VAN - MOVING - NIGHT
Memphis drives ... Sway, Kip, Tumbler with him...
KIP
So we loaded all of the keyed cars up and
dropped 'em ... It was cake ... 8 cars,
ba-da-bing ...
Memphis looks at him in the rear-view ...
MEMPHIS
Having fun, Kip?
KIP
Hell, yeah... It's a beautiful business ...
(realizes his gaffe)
I mean, no, man, it's hard, it's scary,
it sucks ...
Memphis looks at Sway, shakes his head... Kills the lights ... And
they pull in to
EXT. SAN PEDRO WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Where Mirror Man is still struggling with the lock, his drills
and punches, scattered about ...
MIRROR MAN
Just give me another --
only The Sphinx shoves him aside ... Pulls the GUN from his
holster and BLANG! blasts open the lock...
Mirror Man stares at the opened door ...
MIRROR MAN
Oh, I get it: old school.
And Memphis and the others drive up ...
MEMPHIS
How's it going?
MIRROR MAN
It's going fine. The Quiet Riot and me are
swapping trade secrets ...
And in they go --
INT. WAREHOUSE
Dark as pitch. Flashlights come on. To reveal
ROW UPON ROW OF GLEAMING FERRARIS
Old and new models. Daytonas and Boxers and Dinos and
Testarossas. There must be at least fifty of them here.
Flashlight beams dance over car after car. It's a treasure chest
of automotive jewels ... All of our heroes are in awe. And then a
soft whimpering. They turn. To see Sway, overcome with emotion.
SWAY
It's just... so... beautiful ...
And it is Kip that puts an arm around her ... She sobs into his
chest ... Never taking her eyes from the array of Italian grace
... Indeed, they are all in something of trance. Memphis is the
first one out --
MEMPHIS
C'mon, gang. Let's focus. Sway, can
you prep 'em -- ?
SWAY
I think so... They're just... So ...
MEMPHIS
I know. But let's prep 'em. We could
stay here all night... That wouldn't
be good --
The others are still gazing ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Let's go, people --
And they set to work...
EXT. NIGHT CLUB PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Donny Astricky and Freb have accessed a '61 Jag... Watch as Donny
takes out 3 screws in the Jag's ignition and removes the whole
thing ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
So? Tell me: how come they call you
"Freb" anyways -- ?
FREB
C'mon, man ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
We're partners here --
Freb considers ... Then, reluctantly --
FREB
My names "Fred." You know: Frederick?
One drunk night, I decided to give
myself a tattoo. Hot needle it. I
used a mirror to guide me ...
And he pulls up his sleeve - to show the blue "FREB" tattooed
there ...
FREB (cont'd)
The mirror messed me up with the "b" and
the "d"... Everything's reversed, you
know? Now, I'm "Freb."
Donny chooses from a selection of IGNITIONS he's brought along.
Finds the right one ... Installs it ... Tightens the 3 screws ...
Starts the car with his own key ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Glad to know you, "Freberick." Let's
roll -
And off they go ...
INT. SAN PEDRO WAREHOUSE
Sway sets to prepping the cars ... The others wait nearby. Memphis
walks over to where Kip sits ...
MEMPHIS
You okay -- ?
KIP
I'm cool.
Memphis looks at his watch...
KIP (cont'd)
We gonna make it?
MEMPHIS
Too early to tell. Nervous?
KIP
Nah.
MEMPHIS
That's strange. I'm nervous. Donny's nervous.
Everyone's nervous. But not you...
KIP
I dunno. Whatever will be will be...
MEMPHIS
That's a good attitude, Kip. For
everything but stealing cars ...
Before Kip can respond, the signature throaty ROAR of Ferrari
fills the room, as Sway's got one started --
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Showtime --
INT. SAN PEDRO WAREHOUSE - QUICK CUTS
as Sway gets the Ferraris started, her skill readily apparent ...
And each man - Kip, Tumbler, Mirror Man, The Sphinx - climb behind
the wheel and ROAR OFF...
INT. HARBOR WAREHOUSE
Toby watches as the Ferraris are driven in. He radios Otto.
INT. OTTO'S - THE BIG BOARD
as the four corresponding names are ERASED...
EXT. TOWNHOUSE - NEWPORT BEACH - A MASERATI BOOMERANG
glowing silver; cool wedge shape, 15-degree angled windscreen; the
definition of sleek. Memphis and Sway, in the van, roll up to the
Maserati.
MEMPHIS
Hello, Tracy...
Except that a MAN comes out of the house ... Mid-20s, silk shirt,
long, leather Prada coat ... Persian'dude ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Shit.
The man climbs into the Maserati. Memphis follows...
EXT. HARBOR TOWERS - CONDO COMPLEX - ROOFTOP LOT
Lots of high-end cars. Mirror Man and The Sphinx search the rows
... At last coming to -
MIRROR MAN
Gina -- !
The 188 Lamborghini Countach... They move for it... Stop ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Check it --
He gettures to the LICENSE PLATE. It reads "SNAKE"...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Oooh. "Snake." Tough guy. "Snake."
Homeboy wants you to call him: Snaake-!
They crack up ... Size her ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
No whistles ... That's weird...
He shrugs ... They slim-jim her "beetle-wing" articulated door ...
Climb in ... The Sphinx starts her up ... Mirror Ma gets in beside
him... The seats are sooo low ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
This shit's on point. Check it: 200.
He gestures to the speedometer ... Calibrated to 200 MPH..
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Halfway there, we switch. I drive.
The Sphinx shrugs ... And they head out ...
MIRROR MAN (O.S.)
Say goodbye to your ride, Snake...
EXT. BACK BAY STREET - NIGHT
Memphis and Sway have followed the Maserati to another building...
Idles ... Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" croons.
MEMPHIS
What's this guy up to -- ?
After a beat, a WOMAN comes out ... She gets into the car.
SWAY
It's 1:30 on a Tuesday. Is that any
time to pick a girl up for a date?
The Maserati's lights go off... He's parked...
SWAY (cont'd)
What, are they gonna mack -- ?
Yeah. The couple start kissing. Memphis checks his watch
SWAY (cont'd)
Maybe she's got a roommate...
Beat ... They watch the couple in the Maserati for a beat.
INT. OTTO'S
Junie, Otto's gal, on the telephone...
JUNIE
... that's right. They'll be in the
lobby of the Riviera Building. 2206
Beacon Street. Palos Verdes ...
And we go to --
EXT. RIVIERA BUILDING - PALOS VERDES
And see a LINCOLN LIMOUSINE pull up outside this posh apartment
building... The DRIVER gets out ... Heads to the lobby ... We see
Kip and Tumbler step out from the shadows across the street ...
climb into the limo... Drive off ...
INT. LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH - MOVING - NIGHT
The Sphinx drives ... Mirror Man pops in his tape ... Albert
King's "Drivin' Wheel."
MIRROR MAN
That's what I'm talkin' about -- !
He boogies down. The Sphinx is bewitched, awed by the car's
magnificent power. But then Mirror Man SCREAMS -- ! With pure
terror. For, at his feet, wrapped around his legs, is
A BOA CONSTRICTOR - some 8-feet long... A mass of heavilykeeled
scales shimmering on coiled muscle ... Mirror Man screams on and
on...
The Sphinx swerves wildly... Racing through a red light. Barely
missing an on-coming BUS ... Passing a pair of COPS coming out of
a 7-11. They hop into their unit. Give chase.
EXT. NEWPORT BEACH - THE MASERATI
The Persian man and his date ... Mackin' hard... Behind them
Memphis and Sway wait in the Mazda. Memphis is on the cell
MEMPHIS
... okay, check with you soon ...
He hangs up ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Otto says 22 ladies have reported for
work...
Sway nods ... The Maserati's windows are fully-steamed...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Man, they're going at it
SWAY
They're in love ...
Long beat ... He looks at her ...
MEMPHIS
What about you?
She looks at him... Shrugs...
SWAY
You remember my Gramma? Yeah. I was
thinking. If she were alive. And she
asked me. If she came down, right now.
Asked me. "What do you do, Sara?
What's your life?" Innocently.
Nonjudgemental. I think it would break
her heart if I said I was a thief. I
steal cars, Gramma. And even though,
hey, I learned it all from her son.
My Uncle Eddie. Who taught me the basics.
Which you refined. (You remember Randall,
Gramma? You thought he was neat. Well,
he refined the basics ... ). I don't
think that's what she hoped for me...
She looks at him ...
SWAY (cont'd)
But ... That said... Car thieves are my
weakness ... It's all so terribly Loretta
Lynn or something, I know... But ... I
don't wanna be a thief anymore ... I don't
wanna love a thief anymore ... I want to
wear a dress maybe once in a while... Maybe
have a kid... Watch a lot of Audrey Hepburn
movies.. And think about my Gramma without
also thinking "shame on me. Shame on
me. Shame on me... "
She looks at him... He leans into her ... Kisses her... Tentative
at first ... Then... With urgency...
INT. G.R.A.B. FORCE OFFICE - NIGHT
Phones ringing like mad... Drycoff walks into Castlebeck's
office...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
It's an epidemic, Rollie ... I'm
getting reports every five minutes ...
INT. THE MAZDA - BACK BAY - NIGHT
As "Little Red Corvette" by Prince warbles on the track... Memphis
and Sway still kissing... She breaks it for:
SWAY
Arright ... Enough ... I can't have you
bellying up to my heart again, man, f
you can't help falling off the stool.
But he puts his mouth to her ears ...
MEMPHIS
Shhh... Car thieves are your weakness.
Whispers ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
I approach you. It's quiet. I look
this way. That. No one around ...
SWAY
Stop. What about Maserati Boy?
MEMPHIS
I take out my slim-jim...
SWAY
Oh, God...
And yes, this is patently absurd. But it's also oddly sexy.
MEMPHIS
Slip it in ...
SWAY
You're going high-cheese, dude --
MEMPHIS
Unlock your button ...
SWAY
"Unlock my button" ... ?
MEMPHIS
The alarms go off ...
SWAY
Woo-woo-wooooo!
MEMPHIS
I pop your hood; find your siren wires
SWAY
They're factory alarms ... Easy to get
around... For a man with... Skills...
MEMPHIS
I do ... I cut "em...
SWAY
Cut 'em...
MEMPHIS
Now... I'm in ...
SWAY
Of course you are. You're a
professional...
MEMPHIS
I ratchet your ignition mechanism ...
SWAY
I bet you say that to all the girls...
MEMPHIS
With a twist of my wrist ... You're turned
over ...
SWAY
Wrong preposition...
MEMPHIS
Hear you roar ...
SWAY
What about The Club ... ?
MEMPHIS
Let me worry about The Club ...
SWAY
No worries ...
MEMPHIS
I've got you floored... We're off ...
Take the curb... Man, can you corner...
Know not to get on it ... Momentum
shift ... Don't get on those brakes
too hard ... Get her up on her
tires. Up on her toes. Up ... Up...
Up.
Back arched... A small moan escapes her ... Prince wails ... And
Sway has achieved whatever kind of silly climax they aspired to
here... She flops back down... Looks at him...
SWAY
You're still quite the boost, Randall
Raines ...
(he shrugs)
Except now I've been chopped, and my
parts are in a Honda Prelude being driven
to church in South America by some
Bolivian consulate's wife ...
MEMPHIS
And Tracy's on the move ...
Indeed, the girl has gotten out of the Maserati... And the car has
rocketed off... Memphis punches the gas,'sending Sway to the floor...
SWAY
Wham, bam, thank-you, Ma'am, point-
five ...
PRE-LAP Alice Cooper's "Under My Wheels" and SLAM CUT TO:
EXT. LONG BEACH STREETS - NIGHT
CLOSE UP OF THE "SNAKE" LICENSE PLATE as its ass-end fishtails
like a bastard... The Sphinx is outrunning what is now a
half-dozen CRUISERS ...
INT. COUNTACH - MIRROR MAN
is freaking out ... The snake wrapped all around him...
MIRROR MAN
What do I do? What do I do? Aw, man.
He's gonna swallow my shit whole
Let's go to a hospital or something!
But The Sphinx shakes his head. No.
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
C'mon, you creepy no-nosed motherfucker.
Take me to a hospital!
Nope. The Sphinx drives on... Into yet another
DIRECTOR'S CHASE SCENE
This one even cooler than the last ... And once they've eluded all
of the police, The Sphinx pulls over to the side of a DARKENED
STREET...
MIRROR MAN
What are you doing? I'm gonna die!
The Sphinx leans over... And PINCHES THE SNAKE BEHIND THE BACK OF
THE HEAD...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
You tryin' to make him more mad?
But, miraculously, the snake RELAXES ITS GRIP on Mirror Man... And
slithers off... To the back of the car ... Where it immediately
goes back to sleep ... Mirror Man stares at Sphinx, who smiles
genially. Then:
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
I never thought it'd be possible:
but your ass just got spookier ...
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
Freb and Donny Astricky have gotten "Laura", a '99 Bentley
started...
FREB
You ever feel bad about any of this?
DONNY ASTRICKY
Of course not. I'm Robin Hood. I take
from the rich, and give to the needy...
FREB
You mean the poor --
DONNY ASTRICKY
No. The needy. Us. Cos we need this
car!
And Donny puts her in gear, When a GUN is jammed agains't Donny's
temple ...
JACKER
Out of the car, bitch, or I blow your
fucking head off -- !
Donny looks at the jacker... Surprised... It is a KID ... No more
than 16 ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Are you kidding me -- ?
JACKER
NOW -- !
DONNY ASTRICKY
I'm stealing this car. So BACK OFF!
JACKER
I'll shoot you fool... I'LL BLOW YOUR
BRAINS OUT -- !
FREB
Donny --
DONNY ASTRICKY
Donny-nothin'!
And he SLAMS OPEN THE DOOR... catching the kid in the balls ...
And the kid doubles over... Dropping the gun ... Donny gets out of
the car...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Lazy, disrespectinIf half-assed
bully. Any asshole can pull a gun ...
And he starts to kick at the kid ... Beat at him...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
You don't know how to steal a
car, do ya? So you gotta take
them when there's already a key
in them ... And a person in them...
Scare people ... Intimidate ...
Little freakin' bully ...
FREB
C'mon, Donny... Let's go, man --
DONNY ASTRICKY
Lazy ... Lazy ... I ask you, Freb:
what's the matter with kids today?
But then - BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Bullets rip into Donny Astricky in
terrifying SLOW-MOTION. He turns ... To see another KID ...
Scared... At the edge of the road... Gat held high ... And Donny
drops to the pavement ... And the first Jacker gets to his feet...
Freb goes to Donny... To his splayed-out body ... SIRENS split the
night. The jackers run off down the street.
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Get outta here. Get out. Now!
FREB
I can't leave you here, man --
Freb doesn't know what to do... Donny croaks ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
I'm all right. Been shot before. You
take me to the hospital, they bust the
both of us. The cops'll take me. Go!
And Freb-makes to run off down the street... But --
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Freb -- !
Freb turns back
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Take Laura with you, you stupid shit!
Freb blinks. Nods. Oh, yeah. He climbs into the Bentley Drives off...
As the CRUISERS pull up around him... And the UNIFORMS getout, guns
drawn, approaching warily -
To find Donny Astricky ... Splayed-out on the pavement ...
Laughing at the moon ... And, as Jimi Hendrix' "Crosstown Traffic"
BLASTS ON TRACK, we CUT TO:
of the final series of boosts ...
1) The Maserati parked and empty. Sway breaches it.
Expert. They drive off ...
2) Kip and Tumbler. Clocking a VIPER. They circle it..
It's loaded with bells and whistles and Clubs and a
metallic voice that warns: "WARNING: YOU ARE TOO CLOSE THE
VEHICLE!" over and over ... Kip shakes his head ...
Ushers Tumbler back ...
3) Mirror Man and The Sphinx deliver an Aston Martin to the docks
... Watch as it is driven into a container. The container loaded
by gantry crane, onto the ship, lashed to the deck by overworked
LONGSHOREMEN...
4) Helen Raines. Looking out the window. Listening to
the scanner for word of her boys...
5) The Big Board. Female names disappearing like dust..
6) Castlebeck and Drycoff. Cruising the streets.
Searching ...
7) Kip and Tumbler return to The Viper. This time, in a RAMP
TRUCK. They raise the ramp. Tie down the Viper. A drive off with
it, to be disarmed at a later, safer venue as it continues its
robotic exhortation of "WARNING. YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE
VEHICLE." Over and over again ...
8) All our teams... Speeding toward us ... In different
cars ... As the MUSIC FADES and we END MONTAGE
EXT. 1443 LOCKLIN - JUDGE CROFT'S GLASS HOUSE - NIGHT
Where "Annie" the 137 Roadster lives as an objet d'art.
FIGURES in the thicket surrounding the property. Memphis,
Sway, Kip, Tumbler, Mirror Man, The Sphinx...
Mirror Man has the mansion's ELECTRICAL BOX opened... He' going
through the wires ... Cutting alarm, phone, etc.
Memphis is on the cell phone... Face grim... He hangs up.
MEMPHIS
Donny got shot ... A jacker ...
SWAY
How is he -- ?
MEMPHIS
They got him to the hospital. He's stable ...
Beat ... As they all reflect on this...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
On a brighter note: 47 ladies have
checked in for their South American
sea cruise -
This cheers them slightly. Until, from the electrical box:
MIRROR MAN
Got it -- !
And the few remaining lights of 1443 flicker and fade ... They
regard the house for a beat ...
SWAY
Now what -- ?
No one's quite sure ... They look at the house ... At all that
glass ... Then Kip walks to their car ...
KIP
Pop the trunk, Tumbler.
TUMBLER
What for -- ?
KIP
I gotta get my tool --
And Tumbler and Mirror Man look at each other ...
MIRROR MAN
No way, homes ...
Too late. The trunk is popped. Kip reaches in. Comes up with, yes,
another BRICK ... And Kip walks toward the house. Toward the vast
windows ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
(to Memphis)
Ya' gotta stop him, man --
But Kip forges on, indomitable ... Only he passes the huge glass
windows ... Walking, instead, up to the front door ... And he
SMASHES the brick down onto the DOORKNOB. Knocking it clean off...
Looks back at the others with a wink. And enters the house...
Tumbler runs after him...
INT. 1443 LOCKLIN
Kip walks through the dark house ... At last, coming to the living
room... To "Annie'. He gets behind the wheel ... Her ignition is
quick work. He's got her started, loud, in the quiet house. She
coughs a bit; it's been a long time. Tumbler is there...
TUMBLER
Now what -- ?
KIP
Now, we go -
And he drives her off the platform. Tumbler directs him...
TUMBLER
This way... This way... This...
Her nose bumps a zillion-dollar VASE, which topples and shatters...
TUMBLER (cont'd)
That way...
And Tumbler climbs in beside him... Kip drives her around the huge
living room... And Kip punches the gas ...
And they drive the Roadster down the hall ... And right through
the OPEN DOOR... Driving down onto the lawn ... Up to their
cohorts ...
KIP
See ya back at the ranch, kids -- !
And off they go ... Vanishing down the street ... The others watch
after him ... Mirror Man to Memphis:
MIRROR MAN
Gotta tell ya, man: since you been back?
You've had a real calming influence on
ol' Kip...
INT. G.R.A.B. TASK FORCE OFFICE - NIGHT
Drycoff comes into Castlebeck's office ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
They just brought in Donny Astricky.
Shot by a jacker ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
How is he?
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
He'll live. But it means your boy's
behind it. Astricky was holding a list.
They just faxed it to us...
He hands Castlebeck the list. Calitri's 50. Castlebeck notes the
last entry...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Let's get out there. And have them
run down every 167 Shelby Mustang in
the area ... Find out where they're at.
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
What for?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
You spend enough time down a man's
throat, you get to know his tonsils.
Do it ...
INT. WAREHOUSE - LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
Kip and Tumbler deliver the Roadster. Toby checks it in.
KIP
Any more ...
TOBY
I dunno ...
And Kip gets on the two-way...
KIP
Any more, O -- ?
OTTO (O.S.)
You guys are through...
KIP
Whatcha got left ... ?
OTTO (O.S.)
"Carol." A 198 Mercedes ... She lives
in the suburbs ...
KIP
We'll take it...
OTTO (O.S.)
It's ear-marked for Mirror Man and The
Sphinx...
KIP
We'll take it.
And they climb in behind a waiting Jeep Cherokee ...
KIP (cont'd)
Later, Toby --
But Toby's not around...
KIP (cont'd)
Toby?
No answer... Kip shrugs... And off they go ...
EXT. RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD - CHESTNUT HILL - NIGHT
A nice neighborhood... Upper middle class ... So damn suburban you
can practically smell the gas grills ... A NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY
PATROL CAR glides by them...
TUMBLER
Gettin' fancy... Got their own palace
guard -
When, from the back of the Jeep:
TOBY
I never been to the suburbs ...
Toby is there ... Having stowed-away...
TUMBLER
What are you doing here, assface?
TOBY
Checkin' it out
He smiles at Kip ... Kip looks at Tumbler ... Drives ... At last,
pulling up to one HOUSE where the '98 Benz - "'Carol" lives. Kip
parks, a half block down ... They get out ... Head for the
house...
And there she is. "Carol." Obsidian black. In the
garage. The garage is open. And THREE KIDS, two boys and a
girl. Late teens. They are standing around "Carol"...
Drinking beer... Listening to the new Beck album on the
car's CD player ... The folks clearly out of town ...
Well-scrubbed, white suburban children of plenty ... The only crew
they've ever run in is J. Crew... From the hedge, Kip, Tumbler and
Toby watch the kids ... With equal parts fascination, loathing,
envy... And then, the kids go inside... Leaving "Carol" exposed...
TOBY
I got this one...
And before the others can respond, he moves for her. And she's
open... Toby's in ... Butterfly popped - Gizmo in. The others start
to get in when ONE OF THE KIDS comes out from the house. He stares
at Toby, who freezes mid-boost ...
KIP (cont'd)
(whispered hiss)
Get her started, man -- !
And Toby does... And slams her in reverse. And they're off
INT. WAREHOUSE -LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
The group - - Memphis, Sway, Freb, Mirror Man, and The Sphinx
- has returned... The final cars loaded onto the ship ...
Memphis looks out into the night --
MEMPHIS
C'mon, Kip -
EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREETS - "CAROL" - MOVING - NIGHT
Toby drives them out, Kip shotgun, Tumbler in the back. But the
suburbs are confusing. They can't find their way out.
TOBY
Which way's out, man -- ?
TUMBLER
Shit all looks the same here --
They drive. Only up ahead, blocking the street, LIGHTS blinding...
Are TWO SECURITY PATROL CARS - SECURITY COPS on the strong ...
Guns drawn...
KIP
Shit ...
TUMBLER
Run it...
Toby looks to Kip...
KIP
No...
TOBY
What am I supposed to do?
Toby pins the gas. Straight at the block... The security cops dive
out of the way. Except for one standing tall and FIRING into the
windshield... Into Toby... The car swerves. Going off the road.
Into a bank of mailboxes.
The security guards run for her... Kip, forehead bloodied,
switches places with Toby, getting behind the wheel ... Punches
the gas ... Getting them out of there ...
INT. "CAROL" - MOVING - NIGHT
Kip drives like a wild man ... Toby is bleeding something fierce...
Shot in the chest...
TOBY
Jesus, Kip ... I'm shot, man ...
KIP
Just hold on... Hold on ...
TUMBLER
What are we gonna do -- ?
KIP
Hospital.
TUMBLER
We can't do that, dude --
Kip looks at Tumbler ... They both look at Toby...
EXT. WAREHOUSE -LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
As the 'Vette comes screaming into the warehouse ... Kip exploding
out of it ... Getting into the back. Memphis goes to the car, sees
Toby ... Front of his shirt covered in blood ... The others gather
around...
MIRROR MAN
Jesus ...
Memphis climbs into the car ... Kip is holding Toby...
KIP
I didn't know... Should we take him to
a hospital? I didn't know. I didn't.
Toby is clearly dying in Kip's arms...
TOBY
Kip. Kip. Kip. Tell me: what's
gonna happen? What's gonna happen?
But Kip is lost ... Doesn't know what to say --
MEMPHIS
You're gonna be okay, Toby... You are ...
We'll getcha fixed up...
TOBY
No ... No... No ... Tell me what's
gonna happen? Kip? Tell me. What's
gonna happen?
The brothers stare at the boy... Kip wipes his sweatstreaked face...
TOBY (cont'd)
What's gonna happen? I don't feel ...
like ... this ... should.... happen ...
right ... now. I...haven't... done ...
shit... Tears running down his eyes...
KIP
Shhhhhh, shhhhh ...
Kip looks to his brother for help ...
MEMPHIS
Call 911 -
MIRROR MAN
Call 'em here -- ?
MEMPHIS
DO IT! NOW -- !
And Mirror Man scurries for the phone... Toby's breathing comes
out in short staccato bursts ...
TOBY
Kip... Kip... Kip... It doesn't
feel... It doesn't feel... It doesn't
feel... good
He looks up at Kip. All of the light goes out of his eyes. And
Toby is dead... Kip holds him for a beat ... Then passes him to a
surprisingly emotional Tumbler ... Kip gets out of the car, runs
for the opposite end of the warehouse ...
The others are stunned... Mirror Man hangs up the phone ...
Memphis gets out of the car ... He goes after Kip ... Finds him in
one of the containers ... Grabs him by the collars ...
MEMPHIS
What did I tell you? What? What did
I tell you?
KIP
I don't know. What -- ?
And Kip looks at him... Tears fall from the younger boy's eyes ...
And Kip looks so lost ... So like a little kid...
MEMPHIS
Come here --
KIP
What?
MEMPHIS
Come here -
KIP
What?
MEMPHIS
Come here -
And Kip does ... He walks to Memphis ... And Memphis puts his arms
around him... And that's it. The floodgates open. Kip begins to
sob. Deep, painful, racking sobs. And then:
KIP
I've missed you, man ...
MEMPHIS
I know. I've missed you, too
And they hold each other ...
KIP
Toby...
MEMPHIS
I know ...
KIP
Toby...
And they stay in the embrace... And then Memphis unwraps Kip's
arms from around him...
MEMPHIS
Stay here. Stay here a while. I'll
be back ...
Kip nods, sniffles ... Memphis walks out of the container ... He
strides up to the others ... Glances at Toby's clipboard, with all
the cars crossed-out ... He goes to Sway...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Give me a ride -- ?
SWAY
Where to -- ?
MEMPHIS
Kip's not clear yet. We got one more
to go --
And she nods ... And climbs into one of the Escorts... And off
they go ... The others standing around the 'Vette and Toby's
body...
ANGLE - THE CLIPBOARD. One car left. Eleanor.
As a SUPER on-screen reads: PART IV: DREAMS OF YOU
EXT. INTERNATIONAL TOWERS - DAWN
The sun just starting to take all the purple from the night ...
Detectives Castlebeck and Drycoff are parked across from the
towers in their unmarked...
Sway pulls up a few blocks away ... Memphis has put on a fake
moustache, wig, necktie ...
SWAY
You okay -- ?
MEMPHIS
Yeah ... You -- ?
She nods ... He looks at her ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
You should know: walking away from my
mother, my brother, this town. Was
hard. Walking away from you. Nearly
killed me...
And she smiles sadly ...
SWAY
I know ...
She takes his hand ... Squeezes it ...
SWAY (cont'd)
Good luck...
Memphis, now in gray flannel suit, wig and moustache, steps out.
As he heads for the Tower garage...
IN THE UNMARKED
Drycoff is on the radio ... Binoculars up, on the Escort's license
plate - 635 CKG ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
(into radio)
One-Baker-11 ... 10-28-29...California
6-3-5 Charles King George.
They wait ... Sway drives off ...
RADIO (O.S.)
One-Baker-11. 6-3-5 Charles King
George. No want. Not on file...
INT. INTERNATIONAL TOWERS GARAGE
Memphis walks along the cars ... At last, he finds her --
Eleanor.
EXT. INTERNATIONAL TOWERS - DAY
Castlebeck and Drycoff ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Check it out --
He points ... The '67 Mustang appears at the top of the garage
ramp ... Brakes ... Waiting for the light ... Castlebeck squints...
Raises the binocs ... Tough to tell.. Memphis drifts into the stream
of traffic ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF (cont'd)
What do you think -- ?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Let's see what he's about --
Drycoff hits the lights and sirens ... Memphis sees the car behind
him...
MEMPHIS
Shit ...
And kicks it into gear...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Hey, now -- !
He pins it ... And THE RACE IS ON... In the biggest way possible.
This is the grand-daddy of chase scenes here, so we won't take the
easy way out. We'll actually script it ... Memphis races out onto
the busy street, Drycoff on his ass.
Drycoff pulls up alongside him... So they can see him. But the wig
and moustache prevent them from recognizing Memphis ... Other cars
suffer from the pursuit ... They go careening into parked cars,
storefronts, Harvard Square ...
Memphis side-swipes Drycoff's car ... Memphis drives down the
Memorial Drive OFF-RAMP, against traffic
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
1 Baker 11, in pursuit following
collision with suspect. Suspect
is male, white, 40-45, six feet,
175 pounds, gray hair, gray
moustache, dark suit ... T.A.'s have
occurred...
Memphis races her down an alleyway... And we HEAR, as we will
throughout, the VOICE of the
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Switch to open channel 3. All units
stand-by.
POLICE DISPATCH (cont'd)
1 Baker 11 in pursuit of a '67 Ford
Mustang, license in the 6th column -
614 HSO. Repeat: 6-1-4 Harry Sam
Ocean. Westbound on Memorial Drive,
against traffic ...
Eleanor races past The Queen Mary ... crossing the bridge into
Long Beach ... She flies down the street ... Memphis, removing his
wig and moustache as he goes... Another POLICE CAR has joined
Drycoff and Castlebeck...
INT. KISS-108 RADIO STATION - DAY
The jocular drive-time jock MATTY IN THE MORNING - is broadcasting
in his studio ...
MATTY IN THE MORNING
We're getting reports that a big
police chase has started right near
our humble studios ... We'll keep
you posted...
EXT. ELEANOR - MOVING - MEMPHIS
Has the radio on ... Hears Matty ... He serpentines his way
through the tangle of alleys...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. Stand-by to copy. 167 Mustang
is silver in color. One occupant. California
license 6-1-4 Henry Sam Ocean. Reason for
pursuit is unknown.
Drycoff does his best to follow. Another CRUISER has joined up.
Memphis is driving like Richard Petty...
INT. LONG BEACH POLICE STATION - DAY
Two dozen COPS sit in the muster room listening to the dispatch.
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
... Suspect is headed southbound
on Mount Vernon, at Cambridge Street --
The cops look at each other. Holy shit! And race for the exit.
Because Mt. Vernon and Cambridge is the address of
THE LONG BEACH POLICE STATION
where there are literally 15 POLICE CARS parked out front... And
Memphis has just arrived...
MEMPHIS
Shit ...
Watch the mad scramble as COPS dive into their units... And try to
get out of each other's way... Fenders crunch ... Cops curse.
Memphis bootlegs - going reverse down the wrong way. Left on
Cambridge ... Left onto City Hall Plaza --
CITY HALL PLAZA
is 10 ACRES OF BRICK in the heart of downtown ... And now it's
like a demolition derby... As Drycoff/Castlebeck and some 4 SQUAD CARS
are chasing Memphis around the Plaza ...
A POLICE CHOPPER has arrived on the scene... Camera out. Memphis
takes one more spin around the plaza, then sees a
SHALLOW FLIGHT OF STAIRS by the back entrance to City.Hall. And he
takes them... CLUMP-KUMP-KA-DUMP-DUMP-DUMP
And now he's on some of the narrowest streets in Long Beach. He
flies through them... A mad mouse in a maze ... INT. KISS-108 -
MATTY IN THE MORNING
watches the chase on TV, via Copter-cam. Still broadcasting.
MATTY IN THE MORNING
Man, is this boy driving! You go,
Boss Barracuda
EXT. FREEWAY
Memphis races along He's got 4 SQUAD CARS ON HIM
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Attention all units. Pursuit is now
southbound on the 33 from the
construction area on Kneeland
Street; all units in the area assist.
Code 3.
He takes the Kneeland Street exit... And he's run out of road at
A SHOPPING DISTRICT
where vehicle traffic ends. Foot traffic only ... Here com the
cops... Memphis spins the wheel ... And he drives onto PUBLIC PARK...
Across the grounds ... Past the dew-drenched flora and the paddle
boats lolling on the lagoon ...
Only there are SQUAD CARS coming from this side too... And he's
pinned. Police on the perimeters, He slows to a stop.
Cops jump out of their cars, guns drawn. Memphis in the center.
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. Pursuit has terminated at
The Garden Park. Repeat --
And Castlebeck is on the BULLHORN:
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
(amplified)
You in the car. The area is
surrounded. I want you out to step
from the vehicle. Hands on your head.
Memphis considers his options ... He sees the FOOT BRIDGE over the
lagoon ... Hears the radio ...
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
Is our boy done? Has The
Boss Barracuda been grounded -- ?
Memphis takes out his cell phone ... Dials...
INT. KISS-108
The COORDINATING PRODUCER comes into the booth ...
PRODUCER
Some guy's on the phone for you,
Matty. Claims to be The Boss
Barracuda ...
Matty scrambles for the phone --
MATTY IN THE MORNING
Hello -- ?
INT. ELEANOR - PARK
Memphis in the middle of the gauntlet ... On the phone ...
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
Is this The Boss Barracuda -- ?
MEMPHIS
Yes, sir.
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
How you doing, man -- ?
MEMPHIS
The truth is - my car here doesn't
have a tape deck. You mind hooking me
with up with some driving tunes ?
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
You got it, brother.
Memphis hangs up ... Hears:
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
This one is going out to
The Boss Barracuda. Catch him
if you can --
And he plays Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place To Go" And
Memphis smiles ...
MEMPHIS
Attaboy --
And punches the gas ... Going right at Castlebeck and the others
... Smashing through the squad cars ... And ACROSS THE FOOT
BRIDGE, over the swan boats ...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. The pursuit is going
again
Is it ever. Memphis drives out of the park.. And gets onto
ANOTHER FREEWAY
Ten lanes of gnarly superhighway ... He opens her up... Full
throttle ... The chopper above him ...
INT. OTTO'S SALVAGE - DAY
The gang is watching on the TV... Freaking out ... ANGLE - KIP. He
slips out of the place. No one's noticed him go...
EXT. FREEWAY - TOLL BOOTH
ahead. Eleanor crashes the gate going 98, to borrow a
phrase. But he' s driving too close to the shoulder, and he
SMASHES INTO A LIGHT POLE -- ! The car does a 180 ...
Landing with a horrible THUD ... And here come the cops ...
Memphis is wobbly... Looks like he's almost through. Thirty cop
cars idle behind him...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Attention: suspect has T.A.'d with light
pole at the Carson Street offramp ...
Pursuit has terminated... And Chuck Berry
has come to an And Matty obliges with
Golden Earring's "Radar Love" ... And
this seems to rouse our boy... Because he
gets her started again ...
MEMPHIS
Thanks, brother
Spins her around... And goes
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
That is negative. Pursuit has not
terminated. Repeat: not terminated.
CASTLEBECK AND DRYCOFF
climb back into their car ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Who is this friggin' guy -- ?
CLOSE ON - CASTLEBECK. Because he's got a sick feeling who.
ELEANOR
takes an exit ... And speeds on through the with everyone in
pursuit ...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Attention all units. Road block being
set up at the eastern terminus of the
Long Beach Harbor Tunnel. Use caution.
EXT. HARBOR TUNNEL EASTERN TERMINUS
It's quite a road block. A DOZEN SQUAD CARS. A WOODEN BARRICADE
... The whole shebang...
EXT. TUNNEL - ELEANOR
eating asphalt ... Coming to the tunnel's mouth ... To the road
block ... Memphis pins her ... ZOOOOOM! Dead-on to the roadblock
... And, at the last moment, as the COPS dive out of the way --
Memphis bangs the gear shift into neutral -- And yanks the parking
brake -- And the mustang spins on the straight --(and yes, this is
exactly like our opening) Screeching spin ... It stops inches from
the road block ...
Beat ... Thirty squad cars stop behind him ...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. Pursuit has been
terminated. Repeat: pursuit has
been terminated at Harbor Tunnel
Eastern Terminus --
Sure it has. Memphis' foot SLAMS ON Eleanor's pedal ... SMASHING
THROUGH THE ROADBLOCK... Cars and cops flying ... And the Dispatch
guy is getting pissed.
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Check that, all units. You guessed it.
Pursuit has not been terminated. Jesus
Christ, will you catch this guy?
EXT. LONG BEACH BRIDGE
A huge suspension bridge spanning the harbor ... Except that on
the Long Beach side, therehas been a terrible ACCIDENT ... An
eleven-car PILE UP ...
PARAMEDIC
This is Rescue 2... We're at a scene of an
11-car collision with multiple injuries,
responded to Ladder truck Code 3 ...
We'll need back-up and The Jaws of Life...
Paramedics ... RAMP TRUCKS hauling away wrecked cars ... Fire
engines ... Bloodied VICTIMS ...
EXT. CITY STREETS - ELEANOR
takes it on through the vast construction underway here ... And
here's our money shot: Eleanor. On Route 33. COMING AT US ...
Followed by, literally, 20 POLICE-CARS ... Could be just about the
coolest fucking thing we've ever seen... But before we have time
to gloat:
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. Suspect vehicle has
left The Harbor Tunnel roadblock...
State Police advises they have
a multiple T.A. on the Long Beach
Bridge... Accident is unrelated
to Long Beach P.D. pursuit... Repeat
unrelated to Long Beach P.D. pursuit.
The area is closed except to
emergency vehicles. Suspect is headed
in that direction. Use caution in that
area. Repeat: use caution in that
area ...
THE LONG BEACH BRIDGE
Southbound traffic on the bridge (into Long Beach) is at a
stand-still because of the accident... The Northbound side of the bridge
is EMPTY... Northbound traffic stopped at the accident ...
Memphis comes to a stop 100 feet before the accident ... There is
no way past it, onto the bridge ... All the cops behind him come
to a screeching halt. He is truly trapped.
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
is thrilled ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Gotcha now, dickhead --
But Castlebeck's not so sure ... He sees a possible play... So
does
MEMPHIS
Heavy sigh... He shuts off the radio ... And there's a strange
SILENCE... As everyone waits ... Watches ...
QUICK CUTS TO --
-- Matty In The Morning -- The gang at Otto's -- The Carpenter in
his wood shop -- Helen Raines, in front of her TV -- The chopper
cops -- Paramedics, cops, injured motorists, fire men --
Castlebeck and Drycoff... BACK TO
MEMPHIS RAINES AND ELEANOR...
Another few beats of silence ... Everyone watching ... He punches
the gas... Ripping down to the accident site... Heading straight
for it ... And we fear he aims to smash the site, maybe further
injure the accident victims -
Not our Memphis ... He's heading straight for
THE RAMP TRUCK
parked ass-end toward Long Beach ... Ramp down ... Memphis rockets
Eleanor at the ramp truck's ramp... Straight on ... And the ramp
LAUNCHES ELEANOR in glorious super-sexy-bloodpumping SLO-MO OVER
THE ACCIDENT SITE some thirty feet in the air ... Evel-style ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
You gotta be fucking kidding me --
Where she lands in a crippling thud... Onto the EMPTY side of the
Long Beach Bridge... Cheers from the gang at Otto's ... The gang
at KISS-108 ... Memphis pulls her to a stop... Looks back at the
scene ...
Castlebeck squints ... Trying to see if it's his boy... Memphis
switches the radio back on ... Matty has obliged... Wilson
Pickett's "Mustang Sallyo ... And Memphis drives over the bridge,
the only car going northbound... Memphis rides, daddy, rides ...
INT. WOODBURN CONSTRUCTION - FRONT OFFICES - DAY
A half-dozen Calitri SOLDIERS are here, answering phones, playing
cards.
INT. WOODBURN CONSTRUCTION - WORKSHOP
The sliding door is open. The CASKET for Kip rests to the side ...
Calitri uses a router to make a rabbet along the bottom frame of a
plywood gossip bench. He senses something and turns to
THE LOADING DOCK - MEMPHIS
has driven up in the smashed-to-shit Eleanor ... He climbs up,
entering the workshop... Calitri glances to the wallclock: 7:55
AM...
CALITRI
Well, well. You've caused quite a ruckus ...
MEMPHIS
This is number 50. We did it. It's
over Where's the money ?
CALITRI
Right there -
He gestures to a Haliburton case ... Memphis opens it ... There's
a lot of cash inside...
CALITRI (cont'd)
200 K. Just like we said ...
MEMPHIS
You should never have gotten my brother and
his friends involved ...
CALITRI
But I had to. It was the only way to
get to you --
Memphis looks at him... Calitri smiles ...
MEMPHIS
Well, now, he's clear. And you'll stay away
from him...
CALITRI
I don't know about that, Randall.
He did such a good job on this paper.
And another one just came in ...
Calitri goes to the FAX machine... Tears off the sheet..
CALITRI (cont'd)
It's an easier take. 30 cars. Two
weeks. Most of them SUVs. Going to
Russia. Think Kip'll be interested?
MEMPHIS
You don't want to even sniff at that --
Calitri grins. But then his smile goes south, as he sees, for the
first time -- ELEANOR -- parked out on the loading dock. And she
is smashed-to-shit.
CALITRI
Well, that certainly won't do.
MEMPHIS
What do you mean -- ?
CALITRI
Look at it. I can't very well make
delivery of that thing ...
MEMPHIS
You got no choice. It's over.
CALITRI
Fifty cars. Fifty cars by 8 AM
Friday. Or Kip goes in that box.
That was the deal ... Goddamn, it ...
That was the deal ...
Memphis is by a TABLE SAW... He flicks it on. The electric MOTOR
rumbles, so as to obfuscate, any noise in here ...
CALITRI (cont'd)
What are you doing -- ?
MEMPHIS
Tell you what I'm not doing: I'm not
gonna let you get into my Kool Aid...
And Memphis is on him... They go rolling about in grunts and
groans - eddies of sawdust swirling - the NOISE of the table saw
drowning out the sounds of combat ...
Calitri is on top, grabbing an AWL from the floor, bringing the
lethal point down to Memphis' face... Memphis holds Calitri's
wrist, straining, the point inches from his eye
ANGLE - FLOOR SOCKET - right above Memphis' head. With a last
gasp, Memphis misdirects the awl so it STABS THE FLOOR SOCKET - a
small CLAP OF VOLTAGE shaking through their bodies, as they sprawl
akimbo ...
Both men are momentarily paralyzed as the electricity sorts itself
out inside of them... Calitri is up; and he's found the gun ...
He crawls over to Memphis, climbing on him, sitting down hard on
the younger man's chest ... But then Memphis grabs him by the hair
and tosses Calitri off him ... Memphis POUNDS Calitri's head into
the floor ...
Once, twice. Three times. Calitri is out ... Memphis gets to his
feet, nose bloody. He catches his breath. Only the door opens ...
And Atley is there ...
ATLEY JACKSON
Jesus, man ... What'd you do?
MEMPHIS
My version of "take this job and shove
it..."
ATLEY JACKSON
Are you crazy? You throw down with The
Carpenter? You got a grudge against
your life?
But before Memphis can respond, there are APPROACHING ENGINE
SOUNDS from up the alleyway -- as A PANEL VAN arrives. Memphis and
Atley look at the wall-clock. 8:05. A glance to the unconscious
Calitri ...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
Now you done it. And with you
gone - who'll save Kip the next
time ... ?
MEMPHIS
This is all about there not being
a next time, Atley --
And the two men hold the look... And the van doors slam, as Digger
and Butz, Calitri's grave-diggers, get out ... Atley goes to the
unconscious Calitri ... And he picks him up, straining under the
dead weight ... Dragging the don over to
THE OPEN CASKET - One final burst of strength and Atley drops
Calitri into the casket... Slamming the swell top lid of the
coffin. He turns to look at the shocked Memphis -- As Digger and
Butz are there -
ATLEY JACKSON
Hello, boys -- !
DIGGER
Hey! What happened? Did they make it
ATLEY JACKSON
They did not. A tragedy.
DIGGER
Mr. C. around?
ATLEY JACKSON
He's napping. He said to take it away...
Atley gestures to the coffin. And they pick it up, move it to the
van...
DIGGER
That'll do ya. Tell Mr. C. we was by.
MEMPHIS
Absolutely.
And they are gone ... And Atley turns to Memphis
ATLEY JACKSON
Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead, right?
MEMPHIS
Point-five ...
And he holds out his hand ... And they shake ...
ATLEY JACKSON
Get outta here, Memphis --
And Memphis does ... Nods to Atley...
MEMPHIS
Thank you...
Atley nods ... Memphis walks out to the loading dock... Atley
watches him go ...
ATLEY JACKSON
Hoo-boy.
EXT. CALITRI'S WORKSHOP - LOADING DOCK
Memphis walks to the battered Eleanor ... As Pearl Jam's
"Rearviewmirror' crunches and a CAR comes motoring up to him. It's
ANOTHER 167 SHELBY. ANOTHER ELEANOR, a "For Sale" sign pasted on
the back window. It's being driven by Kip...
MEMPHIS
What are you doing here?
KIP
I saw her get smashed-up on the TV.
Knew there was no way he was gonna
accept her ...
MEMPHIS
Where'd you find this one?
KIP
Ya gotta keep tabs on your "Eleanors",
Memphis. Cos you never know when
you're gonna need one --
MEMPHIS
You boost her -- ?
KIP
Hell, yeah. She's not my unicorn.
MEMPHIS
Move over ...
Kip does. Memphis gets behind the wheel. Drives...
EXT. LONG BEACH BOULEVARD - DAY
Memphis drives... Kip beside him...
MEMPHIS
You okay -- ?
KIP
I dunno ... I keep thinking about
him.
Memphis nods. But then FLASHING LIGHTS behind them ... An UNMARKED
with Code 3 capabilities - lights & sirens ... Memphis considers
... He could make another run ... But the looks at Kip... Enough
is enough ... He pulls over ...
KIP (cont'd)
What are you doing? You can outrun
him...
MEMPHIS
It's over. The dumb shit is over ...
The unmarked pulls up behind him... The cop comes over ... It is,
of course, Detective Castlebeck.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I know you.
MEMPHIS
You know my back.
Castlebeck opens his coat... Showing stuffed holster ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
It's finished, Randall. Get out of
the car... You, too, kid...
Memphis starts to get out. When Castleback's RADIO crackles.
RADIO (O.S.)
We have suspect vehicle matching description
at the Woodburn Scrap and Metal ... Repeat:
the suspect vehicle has just been
apprehended at the Woodburn Scrap and Metal,
190 Street and Campanza ...
Castlebeck frowns, goes to his radio. Memphis looks at Kip.
KIP
I reported it ...
Memphis is impressed...
MEMPHIS
Not bad
ANGLE - CASTLEBECK at his car, on the radio ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Dispatch, what's the license on
the suspect vehicle... ?
RADIO (O.S.)
License is California 6-1-4 HSO. Repeat:
California. 6-1-4 Henry Sam Ocean.
And Castlebeck looks at the license on this Eleanor... A vanity
plate that says - MY 67 ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
10-4.
And he goes back over to Memphis ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (cont'd)
Looks like we live to fight another
round. You're free to go ...
Memphis can barely believe it. Castlebeck leans down, to Kip:
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (cont'd)
Your brother's a clever man and a
talented thief, Kipling. But as role
models go, you should observe the man,
not the thief ...
KIP
Yes, sir ...
Castlebeck sighs...
MEMPHIS
Don't look so glum, Detective. It's a
beautiful day, the birds are singing,
and there's a container ship on
Pier 14, that's guaranteed to bring you glee ...
Castlebeck nods ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I want you gone, Randall. Settle your
affairs. Make it right with those you
love. Hell, take 'em with you. But I
want you out of here. Out of here for
good this time ...
MEMPHIS
Consider me gone, Detective --
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I'll catch you later, Randall --
MEMPHIS
Double-meaning intended --
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
You betcha --
And Memphis races off ...
EXT. OTTO'S SALVAGE - DAY
Otto, The Sphinx, Tumbler, Freb and Mirror Man are sipping coffee
and eating donuts ... They are exhausted... Memphis and Kip pull
up in Eleanor... He hands Otto the briefcase. Otto opens it... All
that cash...
MEMPHIS
Split it up. Any word on Donny?
OTTO
He's gonna be okay. Could do a bit.
MEMPHIS
What happened to Sway?
OTTO
She left...
He nods ... The boys are huddled together...
MIRROR MAN
Poor Toby, man...
A few beats of silence as they remember; then shockingly:
THE SPHINX
If his premature demise has, in some way,
enlightened the rest of you as to the
grim finish below the glossy veneer of
criminal life, and inspired you to change
your ways, then his death carries with it
an inherent nobility. And a supreme
glory. We should all be so fortunate.
You can say 'Poor Toby." I say: "Poor us.."
They all stare at him, stunned...
FREB
You spoke
The Sphinx shrugs...
TUMBLER
Say something else, man
But The Sphinx lapses back into his silence ... Nibbles a donut
... Sips coffee ... Memphis smiles ... He takes a stack of bills
from the briefcase... To Kip:
MEMPHIS
You remember where you got this
Eleanor -- ?
KIP
Sure, man --
MEMPHIS
She's for sale. They're asking forty thousand.
Give 'em sixty ...
And he hands Kip the cash ...
KIP
You want me to buy her?
MEMPHIS
Shocking, huh? We're clear now. It's done.
I've never actually paid for a car. I want
to see what it feels like
Kip nods ... Memphis looks at a grinning Otto ...
OTTO
Dinosaurs. All of us. The Ice Age is
now...
MEMPHIS
I'll see you soon --
KIP
Where you off to -- ?
MEMPHIS
Thought I'd go for a ride -
He smiles. The others do, too. Memphis heads for Eleanor.
KIP
Hey, Memphis -- ?
Memphis turns back...
KIP (cont'd)
I'll see you, right?
Memphis nods ...
MEMPHIS
You'll see me ...
And we PRE-LAP Sammy John's "Chevy Van" and CUT TO:
INT. BACCHIOCHI'S FOREIGN MOTORS - DAY
Sway, underneath a Daytona... We only see her from the waist down
... Hands on her waist ... Pulls her gently out. Memphis. He
brings her to her feet ...
SWAY
What are you doing... ?
MEMPHIS
Seeing if you wanted to go for a ride?
And he uses a rag to tenderly wipe a small black smear of oil from
her cheek...
SWAY
I can't. I got a back load of repairs
and one of the mechanics called in
sick and I haven't slept and--
(stops short; sees the new Eleanor
outside)
Where to -- ?
MEMPHIS
I dunno. I know a place.
She looks at him... Long and hard...
SWAY
This time it's for real?
MEMPHIS
Oh, yeah. For real, point-five.
EXT. BACCHIOCHI'S - DAY
And Memphis opens the passenger door for her ... And she gets
in... And she smiles ... And Memphis climbs behind the wheel. He
neutral-drops Eleanor, chirping off ...
EXT. CONTAINER SHIP - LONG BEACH HARBOR - DAY
As two TUGS guide the giant freighter away from the docks ... All
those containers ... Filled with cars ... But here comes a COAST
GUARD CUTTER ... Churning for the ship ...
Detectives Castlebeck and Drycoff on the deck ... Stopping this
one cold...
EXT. LANDFILL - RHODE ISLAND - DAY
A vast expanse of trash and garbage and layers of earth. Deserted,
except for THE PANEL VAN parked dead center. Digger and Butz slide
the casket from the van, parked before an ALREADY DUG GRAVE.
As they move the casket, a KNOCKING from inside. A POUNDING. And
muffled CRIES. Digger and Butz exchange a horrified glance... They
stare at the casket, spooked.
BUTZ
Do you believe this?
DIGGER
What should we do?
BUTZ
We gotta do what we gotta do --
DIGGER
Shit. I hate the screamers, man. Why
can't he finish the freakin' job?
BUTZ
Forget about it. Occupational hazard,
Digger. C'mon...
And just as we think they're sure to open it -- they DROP THE
CASKET INTO THE HOLE -- !
And begin to dump shovelfuls of earth upon it; its unseen occupant
thumping and pounding and yelling -- And soon the casket is
covered in dirt. Gone.
And we PRE-LAP The Turtles' pop gem "Eleanor" ("You got a thing
about you/I just can't live without you/I really want
you/ Eleanor near me...") CUT TO:
EXT. THE 405 FREEWAY NORTH - ELEANOR - MOVING - DAY
Memphis driving. Sway riding shotgun. Long Beach at their backs
... Memphis looks quite enthralled behind the wheel... He loves
driving this car. Sway watches him. He feels it --
MEMPHIS
What -- ?
SWAY
Nothing. Just that if I was less
secure, I might think you were more
into Eleanor than you are me...
MEMPHIS
She does have one thing you don't.
SWAY
What's that?
MEMPHIS
Bench seats.
And he grins ... Pats the seat beside him... And Sway slides
close... He throws his arm around her ...
And off they go ... As The Turtles' ("Eleanor/Gee, I think you're
swell/And you really do me well/You're my pride and joy, etc.")
SING ON... And we hear:
MEMPHIS (O.S.)
You like bingo -- ?
And Eleanor drives away from us ... Into the searing horizon line
... Becoming just another single, yellow dot in the pointillist
pattern that is the American road.
THE ENDGONE IN 60 SECONDS
by Scott Rosenberg
4/6/99
"I wonder," Toad said to himself presently, "I wonder
if this sort of car starts easily?"
Next moment, hardly knowing how it came about, he
found that he had hold of the handle and was turning
it. As the familiar sound broke forth, the old
passion seized on Toad and completely mastered him,
body and soul ... He increased his pace, and as the
car devoured the street, he was only conscious
that he was Toad once more, Toad at his best and
highest. And he sped he knew not whither, fulfilling
his instincts, living his hour, reckless of what
might come to him... "
-- Kenneth Grahame, "THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS"
"All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty
hood... "
-- Bruce Springsteen, "THUNDER ROAD"
FADE IN:
EXT. LONG BEACH STREET - LOWER GRAND - NIGHT
The streets are empty. Low fog skims the sidewalks below a gray stew
of a sky. It's slightly fuzzy, slightly surreal. The vast Port of Los
Angeles is visible in the b.g... No cars parked here ... No cars
except -
A '67 SHELBY MUSTANG GT-500
Silver with deep grill, its sculptured side panels ending in air
scoops ... All cock and balls, it stands alone in the lonely cool
before dawn ... An old-school totem to speed and style... And then
SOMEONE approaches...
Through the mists of morning ... In leather coat and jack boots ...
He's early 30s, with the vaguely whimsical confidence of a shimmer
that refuses to fade ...
This is RANDALL RAINES, whom they call MEMPHIS - though know one's
quite sure why ... But they do know he's the auto-boost in Southern
California ...
Memphis approaches the Mustang with a gathering awe ... Like a desert
crash survivor coming upon an oasis ... He walks around it ...
Admiring it ... Adoring it ...
But then a FIREBIRD pulls up alongside him. Its driver -
ATLEY JACKSON, early 30s, handsome, jocular leans out for:
ATLEY JACKSON
You gonna steal her or kneel down to
her and pray -- ?
Memphis looks at him, still enthralled...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
I know, I know ... It's Eleanor ...
Just take her, slick. - -
And Atley drives off slowly, Memphis looks this way and that ...
No one about ... He removes a SLIM JIM from a deep pocket in his
coat... He slims the door panel ... Pops the button ... opens the
door ...
Watch him work. Quick as shit. A SCREWDRIVER appears another
pocket ... He pops the BUTTERFLY to the IGNITION
A RATCHET appears... He strips the mechanism... Now a GIZMO - a,small
socket-like device - is pressed into the
ignition ... A twist of the wrist ... And the 320-bhp 289 V8 rumbles
like a jackhammer. The whole thing took 20 seconds.
He takes a cassette TAPE from another pocket ... Slaps it into the
deck. Bruce Springsteen's "Ramrod" wails from the coaxials.
And Memphis floors it... And off they tear...
The look on his face suggests a supreme satisfaction ... A grand
re-awakening of long-dormant pleasure centers ... A speed Jones,
fixed and fumy ...
He slots in behind Atley Jackson's Firebird ... And slotting in
behind Memphis, in a Z-28, is DONNY ASTRICKY, mid-30s ...
On they go ... The fore and aft car providing escort...
Except that, from seemingly out of nowhere --
A POLICE CAR
appears behind them...
And Donny instantly goes into diversionary tactic ... He races
through a STOP SIGN ... And the cruiser's bubbles flash on ... And
Donny is pulled-over ... Atley and Memphis drive on in their
respective vehicles...
The UNIFORM COP gets out of his car, goes to Donny.
DONNY
Problem, Officer?
POLICEMAN
Yes. You're under arrest -- ?
DONNY
For running a stop sign?
POLICEMAN
For Grand Theft Auto -
And off of Donny's look --
We go to Memphis in the Shelby... As FOUR CRUISERS comes speeding
toward him, sirens wailing...
QUICK SHOTS of Memphis racing the Shelby through the early morning
harbor town streets ... Sirens peel ... Memphis turns up the music
... Pins the gas ... The chase is on ...
Memphis maneuvers the Mustang with a dazzling aplomb... Memphis
gutterballing the car, skating the shoulder, the cops in heavy
pursuit ...
And now he's picked up another CRUISER... He passes Atley Jackson,
heading in the opposite direction... Atley has picked-up a pair of
cruisers himself ...
Memphis on a straightaway now, speeds up, feels the boost. But up
ahead, a ROADBLOCK has formed... How'd they get that deployed so
fast? And behind him, the unmarks blaze ...
Guns his bitch... Straight at the roadblock .. Three CRUISERS and
a PORTABLE WOODEN BARRICADE... Memphis pins her ... ZOOOOOM! Dead-on
to the roadblock ...
And, at the last moment, as the COPS dive out of the way, Memphis
bangs the gear shift into neutral -- yanks the parking brake --
And the Mustang spins on the straight -- Screeching spin ... And
Memphis takes the HARD LEFT ...
And he's managed to outrun them... Finding himself above Lower
Grand... Looking down ...
He can see the secondary pursuit down below ... Atley being
chased... IN THE DISTANCE - Atley is LAUNCHED FROM THE SHOULDER,
the Firebird rolling down a drainage culvert ...
Landing with a sickening thud on its back. Memphis is horrified.
EXT. LOWER GRAND - LATER
Rescue team presence. Atley being hauled out of the wreck... His
leg is a torn mess ... He's barely conscious... A cuffed Donny
Astricky is dragged to a waiting cruiser ...
A POLICE CAR pulls up ... And out steps
DETECTIVE ROLAND CASTLEBECK
of G.R.A.B. The Governor's Regional Auto-theft Bureau. Castlebeck
is mid-50s, black, saturnine. - But don't let the tacit nobility
fool you - the man's a street viper ...
Castlebeck goes to another cop - HAWKINGS..
HAWKINGS
Astricky. And Jackson. No sign of
Raines...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Well, then it's all for naught,
ain't it, Hawkings?
Castlebeck looks out over the mess ... And then looks up...
Because, further down Lower Grand, a car is parked. It is the
Shelby. With Memphis leaning against its hood...
Castlebeck looks around him, but no one's noticed. So he walks
toward it, hand on hip...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I know you --
MEMPHIS
You know my back -
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
You want to come along quiet?
MEMPHIS
How's Atley -- ?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Leg's all banged-up. He made a
stupid play ... He'll limp around
the yard up at Folsom. But
Astricky will be there to take
care of him. With their priors,
they're looking at a serious bounce --
MEMPHIS
Let them go --
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
How's that?
MEMPHIS
Let them go. And I'll leave ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
You'll leave -- ?
MEMPHIS
You don't have anything on me. A
misdee auto-theft. I got no record.
I'll be out in three days, and back at
it. Or you let them go, and I give
you my word. I'm gone. And without the
ringleader ... Your tee-times have
just grown exponentially...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I don't golf...
And they stare at each other, as Castlebeck considers.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (cont'd)
I do this. And I see you again. I'll
come after you with everything I got.
you won't be able to steal a glance
at a blind man without me by your side ...
MEMPHIS
You have my word...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Get out of here, then. Now.
And Memphis makes to get into the Shelby...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Leave the car, Randall ...
Memphis nods ... Takes one last look at the Shelby... Sorry to
leave it behind ... And he runs off into the mists of Lower
Grand ...
Castlebeck walks back toward the crime-scene tumult ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Arright, let lim go. Cite him for
rolling the stop ... And cite old
Atley for driving to endanger ...
HAWKINGS
What are you talking about, Rollie? We're
springing 'em? Just like that?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Just like that. Quit your bellyaching,
Hawkings ... And let's wrap this up ...
And off of Donny's surprised look, as Springsteen wails to
crescendo and we
CUT TO:
EXT. INDEPENDENCE, CALIFORNIA - DAY - 6 YEARS LATER
Some 400 miles North of Los Angeles, Independence is a one
horse town, and the horse has died... Single stop light,
single-engine firehouse, single everything. Norman Rockwell
would find this burg a snooze.. - We settle on a small,
GARAGE ... The peeling sign reads:
"L.N. ORR AUTOMOTIVE"
owned and operated by Memphis Raines ... In blue coveralls,
Memphis has a Plymouth Duster up on the lift ... With him is a kid
- TOM, 19... Lightnin' Hopkins' "Automobile Blues" plays through --
MEMPHIS
You know what you got here?
TOM
Not really -
MEMPHIS
There's excessive resistance in the cranking
circuit ... You know what you gotta do -- ?
TOM
Not really --
MEMPHIS
You have any other answers besides
"not really"?
TOM
Not --
MEMPHIS
Right. You want to test the voltage drop ...
Use the voltmeter ... Remove the primary
lead from the ignitioncoil and crank her ...
See what you got ... You understand -- ?
Tom starts to say "not really". Instead, he nods. Memphis takes a
root beer from an old-style machine. He goes out ... front ... To
where an old Denver Pyle-coot - BUDGY - sits on a bench, smoking
an unfiltered Lucky ... Memphis sits beside him, pets the
200-year-old DOG that lounges nearby...
BUDGY
Just can't find good help these days --
MEMPHIS
(re: cigarette)
Those things'll kill ya, Budgy --
BUDGY
They won't have a chance. The bourbon and
bacon'll get me first...
Budgy cackles ... Memphis looks out at the dusty little hamlet ...
Budgy points at a passing car ...
BUDGY (cont'd)
That one -
MEMPHIS
1980 Mercury Cougar. 255 cubic inch V8 ...
Based on the Ford Thunderbird bodyshell;
they modified the chassis, but didn't
improve its performance...
Budgy points at another car ... And we get the sense they play
this game every day...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
The 1970 Plymouth Road Runner. Proof
positive of a single all-powerful Deity.
The first bargain-priced muscle car
ever. They even tuned the horn to
resemble the "beep beep" sound of the
cartoon Road Runner ...
And Budgy looks impressed... As always ...
BUDGY
Damn, you're good
Memphis nods ... Sips his root beer ...
BUDGY (cont'd)
You got to bingo last night?
Memphis looks at him ... Can't believe it himself ...
MEMPHIS
That I did, Budgy. That I did --
And, from inside the garage, there's the most horrific GRIND of
metal on metal, as Tom has started the Plymouth -
TOM (O.S.)
Uh ... Randall -- ?
MEMPHIS
Excuse me --
Memphis goes back into the garage, Budgy cackles.
CUT TO:
EXT. RANCHO PALOS VERDES - BUSINESS DISTRICT
A FORD ESCORT - driving through the upscale streets of Palos
Verdes. Three KIDS, 20, inside ... The driver is FREB, a little
dim; in the back is MIRROR MAN, black, always wears those mirrored
shades ... In the passenger seat is
KIP - Memphis' younger brother ... The car pulls to a stop.
Fancy stores - all of them closed - line this affluent business
district ... Freb consults a piece of paper ...
FREB
The corner of Hawthorne and Granvia.
Tumbler messed up. He said the Lotus
would be at the corner of Hawthorne
and Granvia --
KIP
He didn't mess up. There it is ...
And he points ... To a CORNER BUILDING - EXOTIC MOTORS LTD. Twenty
foot high glass - windows surround a SHOWROOM of EXOTIC DREAM
CARS: Porsches and Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bertones ... And-
there it is, a 1996 LOTUS ESPRIT V8, gleaming in the all-night
showroom lights...
Freb and Mirror Man are startled
FREB
That -- ?
MIRROR MAN
You're shittin', right? Kip?
He grins at them... He ain't shittin'...
FREB
How are we supposed to--
KIP
Pop the trunk. I need my tool ...
Freb scowls ... Pops the trunk ... Kip gets out ... Goes to the
back ... Freb and Mirror Man share a spook --
MIRROR MAN
What tool -- ?
Kip reaches into the trunk.... Comes around to them... He's
carrying A BRICK --
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Oh, no --
And Kip walks toward "Exotic Motors"... Calm and cool ...
Ten feet from it ... He winds up ... And HURLS THE BRICK AT
THE WINDOW Which EXPLODES ON IMPACT, a SHOWER OF GLASS
raining down ...
ALARMS SQUEAL
As Kip walks into the showroom, glass crunching underfoot. Freb
and Mirror Man can't believe it --
INT. EXOTIC MOTORS
Kip goes to the Lotus... With nary a glance around, he's got her
open ... The Lotus' ALARM adds its song to the choir ... Kip,
unmindful, gets behind the wheel ... Screwdriver to the
mechanism... The alarm raging in here...
In moments, the V8's massive 349bhp is bellowing... And Mirror Man
climbs in beside him... And off they go ... Laying several inches
of English rubber. Over the broken glass and out of the
showroom...
EXT. CITY STREETS - PALOS VERDES - NIGHT
The Lotus races through these streets ... At high speeds ...
MIRROR MAN
Newsflash, Kip: you're driving a
stolen car
Kip smiles over the ascending speedometer --
KIP
Yeah. Ain't it great -- ?
And he pins her ... VROOOOOM -- !
CUT TO:
A TENNIS BALL
being bounced against the wall ... Caught ... Bounced again ...
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
INT. WAREHOUSE - LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
A dozen purloined AUTOS are parked here ... And a number of
SHIPPING CONTAINERS ... A thuggish MAN reads the paper ... The
tennis ball bouncer is TUMBLER, 20 ... And he's sitting on a
tilted back chair, and wall-bouncing the ball and annoying the
piss out of
ATLEY JACKSON
whom we remember from the drop-car at our opening ... Atley walks
with a LIMP now... Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
ATLEY JACKSON
Can you stop that, for Chrissake?
TUMBLER
What's your problem, bro ?
Thunk! Thunk!
ATLEY JACKSON
Where are they -- ?
TUMBLER
They'll be here. You nervous, bro? You? Back
in the day, they say you had anti-freeze in
them veins ... What happened -- ?
And Atley intercepts the tennis ball ... And hurls it over to the
far side of the warehouse ... Tumbler merely grins ...
TUMBLER (cont'd)
Relax and enjoy --
EXT. SAN PEDRO STREETS - THE LOTUS
Heading for Long Beach... Stopped at a light ... A CAMARO pulls up
next to them... A KID behind the wheel, a BLONDE beside him...
Kip eyeballs them... Engines are revved... Challenges are
implied... Mirror Man panics ...
MIRROR MAN
Stolen car, Kip. Stolen car, stolen car,
stolen car ...
KIP
Stolen fast car...
And the light turns green ... And he pops the clutch ... And
they are off ... It's a good old fashioned drag race ... Kip
smiles at the blonde ... Mirror Man is freaking out ... Kip's
eyes are on fire ... He clocks the speedometer ...
KIP (cont'd)
It's calibrated for 140 ... Let's see
if these British boys are full of shit
or not --
MIRROR MAN
No way, man --
Yes, way. Kip floors it. They bury the Camaro in its wake... The
gauge rising ... 90, 100, 110 ... Mirror Man is having an
embolism...
They warp-speed by a POLICE CRUISER... Both kids totally unaware
of the POLICE CHOPPER up on high... With them in its sights ...
And they drive ... At last, ending up at --
THE WATERFRONT - A dark latticework of docks and wharves,
warehouses and shipping crates... The freighters are somehow
graceful against the moonlit water ...
INT. WAREHOUSE
Tumbler studies his watch... Now he's a little concerned ... He
looks up ... Atley is glaring at him...
ATLEY JACKSON
Something wrong, Tumbler -- ?
TUMBLER
Yeah. I'm missing Springer --
And then the Lotus pulls into the warehouse... Tumbler flashes
Atley a "told-you-so" smile... Kip and Mirror Man get out of the
car...
Kip walks over to a CLIPBOARD with a magic marker tethered to it
... It is a list of cars ... He draws a black line through "13)
1996 Lotus Esprit V8"... The others are clocking the car...
ATLEY JACKSON
She'll go 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds --
MIRROR MAN
I can vouch for that.
Tumbler passes out 40 oz.s ... The vibe is celebratory...
TUMBLER
Thirteen down ... Thirty-seven to go ...
KIP
No problem -
Bottles are clinked... Beer is sipped ... Only, a HOT WHITE
SPOTLIGHT bores through the skylight ... And the whup-whup of the
chopper's ROTORS... And now the sounds of SIRENS ... And the
thuggish man gets to his feet ...
THUGGISH MAN
Let's get outta here -- !
And they do... Heading out the back ... It's tough for Atley with
his limp ... On the way out:
ATLEY JACKSON
Now you gone and done it, Raines
And they flee ...
INT. WAREHOUSE - LATER - NIGHT
A HALF-DOZEN POLICE CARS. The CHOPPER does the usual
spotlight-trailing... It's turned into a total pig
circus ... A car pulls to a stop ... And out steps Detective
Roland Castlebeck, whom we remember from our opening...
INT. WAREHOUSE
Castlebeck surmises the take ... The cars ... His partner
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF - a sneering Irish boy with zero patience -
comes out from the back ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
They're gone...
Castlebeck nods ... Looks at the cars ...
INT. "L.N. ORR AUTOMOTIVE" - INDEPENDENCE - DUSK
Memphis goes through invoices in the cluttered back office. When a
brand new purple MERCEDES SLK, windows tinted, pulls in out front.
It looks oddly anachronistic here in Independence. Memphis senses
danger. He goes out. Budgy and his dog are here... Budgy looks
spooked... Tom, too ...
MEMPHIS
What's going on -- ?
And standing there, by the Mercedes, like a wraith, is ATLEY
JACKSON, in long leather coat, smoking a cigarette ... As out of
place here as a maggot on a muffin...
ATLEY JACKSON
Well, well, well ...
And he begins to sing...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
(ANDY GRIFFITH theme)
Da-doo-doo-doo-da-doo-doo-doo, etc.
(laughs)
Are you kidding me, man -- ?
MEMPHIS
Hello, Atley ...
ATLEY JACKSON (re: sign)
L.N. ORR. I get it. Clever ...
Memphis studies him...
MEMPHIS
How's the leg?
ATLEY JACKSON
Only hurts when I breathe. Lookit
you. Where are Barney Fife and Aunt
Bea hanging out? And Opie ... Where's
Opie at?
He laughs some more ... Chain-lights his cig ...
MEMPHIS
What are you doing here?
ATLEY JACKSON
Is there someplace we can talk?
Memphis looks at him...
MEMPHIS
What about?
ATLEY JACKSON
About your brother. And the deeeep
shit he's in --
INT. TEDDY'S TAVERN - NIGHT
A BARMAID sets down a pitcher of beer and two mugs...
WAITRESS
There you go --
MEMPHIS
Thanks, Donna --
She leaves... Atley is staring at him... Memphis shrugs...
ATLEY JACKSON
It's been a long time, Memphis --
MEMPHIS
Six years ...
ATLEY JACKSON
Six years. Shit. Time flies, don't it?
Six years ago we were fartin' through
Armani and pissin' Cristal.
Now look at us ...
MEMPHIS
Tell me about Kip -
Atley takes a sip of his beer,...
ATLEY JACKSON
He took a job. And he fumbled it.
Now he's jammed-up. Jammed-up bad...
MEMPHIS
What kind of job... ?
ATLEY JACKSON
A boost. A big boost ...
MEMPHIS
A boost? What's Kip doing on a boost?
Atley frowns ... Looks at him...
ATLEY JACKSON
You're shittin', right?
Clearly Memphis is not ...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
Kip's become quite the little
crewrunner since you left. He's been
working a low-rent ring for
two years now. You don't talk to
your Ma?
MEMPHIS
It seems she neglected to mention it
ATLEY JACKSON
Maybe she don't know. Although I don't
see how that could be. Maybe she didn't
want to upset you -
MEMPHIS
Don't feel the need to explore my family
dynamics, Atley...
ATLEY JACKSON
The point is: Kip's been living the
life. Only he's a wild child. Crazy.
Makes our old behavior seem like
altar boy time. But he fungold this
one so bad, folks around L.B.
are already speakin' about him in
the past tense.
Memphis takes a beat ... Sips at his brew ... Then:
MEMPHIS
Who was the job for?
ATLEY JACKSON
Who do you think?
Memphis waits ... In no mood for guessing games ...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
Calitri, man. Raymond "The Carpenter"
Calitri ... Your favorite and mine ...
Which means nothing to us ... Though the look on Memphis, face
speaks volumes ...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
I just thought you should know,
man. I kind of had a feeling you
didn't. But I should tell you:
I'm working for him now - The
Carpenter - so if you see him, you
won't mention me coming to get
you... Like I said: I just thought
... I owed you ... And that it was
the right thing to do ...
Memphis nods ... His face clenched in despair. We FADE TO BLACK,
As a SUPER on-screen reads: PART 1: STOLEN MOMENTS
We PRE-LAP J. Geils Band's "Hard-Drivin' Man" and CUT TO:
THREE PLATES OF BACON, EGGS AND HASH BROWNS
placed on the service deck by a short-order COOK...
INT. RUBY'S ALL-NITE - LONG BEACH - NIGHT
A 24-hour diner in the heart of Long Beach... The three plates are
picked-up with an impressive dexterity by
HELEN RAINES
early 60s, clear-eyed... In pink Ruby's uniform and chunky
shoes... Black currant hair striated with wisps of gray... Helen
delivers the plates to a booth of college kids ...
KID
Can I get some more coffee -- ?
HELEN RAINES
Sure, hon ...
And she goes to the coffee station... When
MEMPHIS (O.S.)
Who's a guy gotta know to get a tuna
melt in this joint -- ?
And she turns around to see Memphis standing there. Her expression
displays many things ... Most of them joy ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Hello, Ma --
And she goes to Memphis ... Wraps her arms around him ... Squeezes
tight ...
HELEN RAINES (cont'd)
Oh, Randall ...
She takes his head in her hands ... Kisses his cheek ... Then the
other... Hugs on ... Unmindful of the customers ... The cook
smiles from behind the order wheel ...
COOK
What's the word, Memphis -- ?
MEMPHIS
How ya doing, Ruby -- ?
HELEN RAINES
Come, come, come ...
And she leads him over to a booth ... Barking to the cook - RUBY -
on the way...
HELEN RAINES (cont'd)
Tuna melt on pumpernickel. Provolone,
extra tomato, Dijon... And a chocolate
milk... Lots of syrup...
(to Memphis)
Right?
MEMPHIS
Right ...
And they settle in ... Across the booth from each other ... She
takes his hands...
HELEN RAINES
You look good...
MEMPHIS
You, too, Ma...
HELEN RAINES
What are you doing back?
MEMPHIS
How's Kip?
And Helen flushes, a bit ashamed maybe ...
HELEN RAINES
Have you seen him?
MEMPHIS
No.
HELEN RAINES
oh.
MEMPHIS
Atley Jackson came to see me ...
HELEN RAINES
Atley Jackson. How is that one?
How's the leg... ?
He looks at her ... Beat ...
MEMPHIS
Why didn't you tell me?
HELEN RAINES
I couldn't. I didn't want you to
worry. I thought held sort himself
out. I hardly see him. He comes and
goes. He's in trouble, isn't he?
MEMPHIS
He's in some trouble ...
HELEN RAINES
I knew it. He's changed, Randall. He's a
different boy. He's lost that... That
sweetness ... It's gone ... And I don't
know what to do ...
MEMPHIS
You getting my checks ... ?
HELEN RAINES
Of course ...
ANGLE - RUBY. He's on the PHONE in the kitchen...One eye
on Memphis and Helen --
RUBY
Detective Castlebeck... It's me ...
Yeah... You ain't never gonna guess
who just come in to visit his Ma --
BACK TO - MEMPHIS AND HELEN RAINES ...
HELEN RAINES (cont'd)
You haven't spoken to him in a
while, I guess...
MEMPHIS
He doesn't return my calls. or my
letters ...
HELEN RAINES
Kipling was sixteen when you left, baby.
I don't know what you remember of him.
But you should brace yourself
And, on her sad smile, we PRE-LAP Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55"
and SLAM CUT TO:
INT. "THE SIDE POCKET" - POOL HALL - NIGHT
A dozen tables... Smells of blue chalk and whiskey... The juke box
cranked... We take it to the back of the joint ... Where Kip, and
Tumbler and Mirror Man are knocking a rack... Freb sits nearby,
with a few badly made-up GIRLS...
TUMBLER
... so ... It's my new move ... It's called
"The Stranger." What I do is, I sit on
my hand for 10 minutes. Till it falls
asleep. Till it's good and numb. No feeling.
And then I jerk off.
GIRL
That's disgusting -
FREB
What's the point, man -- ?
TUMBLER
Cos it's like you're bein' done by a stranger
... It rocks ... It's the power move of the
New Millennium...
He sinks another ball. A kid, 15, TOBY - comes up to them.
TOBY
Hey, Kip, what's up?
KIP
What do you say, Toby?,
TOBY
I'm cool -
TUMBLER
What do you want, shithead?
TOBY
Why you gotta front me like that? I'm
talking to Kip --
TUMBLER
Why don't you leave him alone?
TOBY
I known Kip longing than you, man ...
TUMBLER
Oooh, ain't you the lucky duck --
FREB
Any word, Kip -- ?
KIP
No ... And they won't take my calls ...
FREB
What does that mean -- ?
KIP
It ain't what you'd call a "good sign"
He groks their fear...
KIP (cont'd)
Look - we managed to get 13 in a week.
We just gotta step it up ...
FREB
But we only got till Friday. That's
four days. And we lost the 13. So's
we gotta start over ...
Kip looks at him...
KIP
That, too ...
(off of Freb's look of fright)
Don't sweat it, Freb. We're cool.
ANGLE THE FRONT DOOR. For Memphis has entered. He
clocks the room. Sees them at the rear ... Walks back
KIP
It can be done, man. We just gotta
step it up... It's a challenge ...
MIRROR MAN
The challenge is not to get our nuts
cut-off and shoved down our throats ...
TUMBLER
Can I help you, pal -- ?
And Kip looks up ... To see Memphis there ...
MEMPHIS
Hey, Kip ...
KIP
Hello, Memphis --
TUMBLER
"Memphis?" You're Memphis?
MEMPHIS
That's right...
TUMBLER
Damn. Damn, damn, damn ...
FREB
Memphis. Holy shit. It's an honor,
man --
And he pumps his hand... Memphis continues to stare at Kip
KIP
It's good to see ya, man. You changed
your look -
MEMPHIS
You, too
Hold the stare... The others are excited...
FREB
What are you doing back, Memphis?
MEMPHIS
Little visit. Check on the family.
KIP
It's nice to see ya, man -
He smiles ... Memphis eyeballs him... Toby is there ...
TOBY
Hey, Memphis. Remember me? Toby
Walker. I live next door ...
MEMPHIS
Sure. Hey, Toby. You grew up
TOBY
Yeah, I'm cool ...
And Memphis turns back to Kip, who's picked up a pool cue.
KIP
Who's got next game -- ?
And he makes to rack 'em up ... Then:
MIRROR MAN
I get it. You ain't gotta be a genius:
Memphis come back to save our bacon!
TUMBLER
Shut-up, Mirror Man --
FREB
Izzat true? You come back to save our
bacon?
MIRROR MAN
Of course it's true. He come to save
his brother's dangling ass --
KIP
That can't be it. Cos we don't need
saving
FREB
We don't -- ?
MEMPHIS
He give you an advance -- ?
MIRROR MAN
Hell, yeah. Ten larger man
Kip shoots him a look... As if he's spoken out of turn ...
MEMPHIS
You just give 'im back the money.
All's well...
The others look glum... Kip laughs ... Long and hard...
KIP
"Give lim back the money." "Give 'im
back the money..." Be nice. If only
we didn't drink the money. And smoke
the money. And buy Nikes with the
money. And Sony Play Stations with the
money. And dirty girls with the
money...
And Kip sinks a ball ... Memphis looks at the others ... They
nod... It's true ... The money's gone ...
KIP
But don't worry, man. Things are all
sweetness and light here...
TUMBLER
Things are all leafy and suburban ...
MIRROR MAN
The hell they are --
KIP
Sure they are. Although we do appreciate the
gesture, Memphis. But we do got it handled...
And it was nice to see you -- -
Memphis nods ... Looks at all of them... Smiles ... And then
REACHES OUT, GRABBING Kip by the collar, yanking him to his feet
and in close, nose to nose ...
MEMPHIS
You listen to me, baby brother. You fancy
yourself some reat neat tough guy scumbum,
well, woop-tee-doo, little puppy with a
poundcake. But I remember the days when you
used to steal my Colorforms and eat 'em...
So you can't stop me from saving your
"dangling ass' if that's what I feel like
doing...
And with that, he shoves Kip back down into his seat, toppling the
table, bottles and glasses crashing... And barrels away from them,
the crowd parting like a wound...
Kip's crew left stunned, flustered, and maybe a bit impressed...
TUMBLER
Damn... Homeboy's on the dazzle ...
And, off of Kip's furious look, we CUT TO:
EXT. LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
A chill in the air. Memphis walks toward a range of lowslung
buildings ...
EXT. WOODBURN SCRAP AND METAL - NIGHT
A virtual cityscape of dismantled automobile carcasses, piled up
high for as far as the eye can see ... A huge FORK LIFT scoops up
a wreck and hauls it over to the CRUSHER... Watch as the car is
FLATTENED, for easy shelving ...
Midnight auto nonpareil ... To one side of the yard is a GARAGE:
Watch as a HONDA ACCORD, with a BLOODY WINDSHIELD, enters the
garage. A young Mexican KID driving.
A SIGN: "LOCK YOUR CAR OR IT MAY BE GONE IN 60 SECONDS!"
INT. GARAGE - CHOP SHOP
A CAR is CHOPPED ... Pulled apart ... Fenders, doors, panels,
interiors, air bags ...
EXT. WOODBURN SCRAP AND METAL - FRONT ENTRANCE
Memphis knocks on the door ... A dog-faced MAN opens it ...
DOG-FACE
Yeah -- ?
MEMPHIS
Randall Raines to see Mr. Calitri ...
INT. WOODBURN SCRAP AND METAL
Memphis follows Dog-face to the back of this building. Follows him
into another room. Which is
A WORKSHOP
An enormous WOODWORKING SHOP, fully tricked-out with state-of-the-
art table saws and drill presses, jointers and power planes.
An antique treadle lathe stands in one corner. A stock layout of
expensive woods - oak, birch, maple, cherry, mahogany - is stacked
against the rear wall ...
Jars and bottles and cakes of glues, resins, stains and bleaches
cram a shelf unit ... There's a MAN here, at a band saw. This is
RAYMOND CALITRI, 59 ...
He wears an apron, protective glasses and a lopsided sneer. A
Richard Widmark motherfucker - with the diamond hard look of a
cobra. The liegelord of downtown...
And now he works the a hand saw, making critical cross-cuts on a
wide panel of maple ... Atley Jackson is here as well ... As noisy
as it is out in the yard, in here, once the door is closed, it's
as SILENT-as a tomb...
A BANK OF MONITORS on one wall show the cars being crushed and
disassembled in the yard. Memphis is led into the room.
Calitri nods and Dog-face leaves the room... Calitri smiles ...
Examines his fresh cut...
CALITRI
Randall Raines ... It's been a long time ...
(looks at his clothes;)
frowns)
'though I do I recall you as a man
with style. You remember your old
friend, Atley -- ?
MEMPHIS
How ya doing?
ATLEY JACKSON
Good to see you, Memphis --
CALITRI
So. What do we owe the honor -- ?
MEMPHIS
It's about my brother ... Kip...
CALITRI
Yes ... Kip ...
He says the name like other men say "cancer." The phone on
his desk BLINKS. Calitri picks it up. Listens. Looks at
one of the monitors. Where the Mexican man is talking to
several Calitri EMPLOYEES. Calitri hangs up...
CALITRI
Excuse me one moment, Randall ...
And he picks up a MORTISE CHISEL on his way out. Palming it ...
INT. GARAGE - THE MEXICAN MAN
is sobbing. As Raymond Calitri marches toward him, glancing at the
bloodied windshield.
CALITRI
You bring this to me in this
condition? Blood and guts all
over it? You make me complicit?
On my property? Who taught you
how to think? And worst of all:
weren't there supposed to be two
Hondas?
THIEF
Please ...
And Calitri, rapid-fire, PUNCTURES the man's belly and chest and
legs with the chisel, old-school prison-shiv style ... Until the
man is on the floor, howling ...
CALITRI
Stupid sonuvabitch...
INT. CALITRI'S WORKSHOP
Memphis can-see this from one of the monitors. He looks at
Atley...
ATLEY JACKSON
Car-jacker. Neglected to clean up after
himself ...
MEMPHIS
Jesus ...
ATLEY JACKSON
The business has changed...
Calitri is back, wiping the sweat from his brow with a rag.
CALITRI
Now. Where were we? Oh, yes. Kip.
MEMPHIS
I don't want him hurt...
Calitri looks at him, then waves a hand around the shop...
CALITRI
I'm proud of this work. The bird
feeder. The wagon wheel planter.
The dollhouse. The drop-leaf movable
server...
He gestures to each item - exquisitely-rendered woodwork. Then
gestures to the yard...
CALITRI (cont'd)
Metal. Steel. It's cold. Ugly. Wood
is warm. Clean. Provided by nature.
To see a piece of furniture take shape.
It's like watching a child grow ...
Memphis glances to Atley... Atley shrugs ...
MEMPHIS
I'm sure you're working your way to
the point. I'll wait right here ...
Calitri blinks. Smiles. Nods...
CALITRI
My point. Yes. Simple, really. I require
the best. I insist on the best. I only
engage the best. Your brother. His
friends. They came to me. They wanted my
paper. He was your brother. You were the
best. Now. They've brought so much
goddamn heat down, I may not be able to
fill this order. Which would be very bad
for me. Which in turn, is very bad for
them...
MEMPHIS
I could kill you. That occurred to me.
When I first heard about this. That I
would kill you ...
CALITRI
Grow up. You don't kill people like me.
People like me die in their sleep at
87 ... Do you know why? Because if
you did kill me, and everyone knew it
was you - for the next ten years they'd
be finding pieces of those you love
scattered all over California ...
Memphis nods, notes a PISTOL, resting on a shelf nearby.
CALITRI (cont'd)
No, no. You don't kill me, because
you can't. You don't take your brother
and run, because we'd find him. You
don't go to the-police, because we have
friends there, too. You do nothing:
except deal with me.
Memphis eyes him...
MEMPHIS
I can come up with the front money.
Pay you back...
CALITRI
Were it only that easy. I have
obligations. The order needs to be
filled...
Calitri takes a manila ENVELOPE from his desk... Hands it to
Memphis, who takes out the SINGLE SHEET OF PAPER inside.
CALITRI (cont'd)
On that list, you'll find fifty cars.
Fifty. Five-zero. They range in
age from the 1956 Ford Thunderbird
to the 1999 Toyota Camry; and in
expense from the 1993 Volkswagen
Jetta to the 1988 Lamborghini
Countach. Fifty cars. Five-zero.
Memphis scans the list ... Looks up at Calitri ...
CALITRI (cont'd)
There is a container ship in Long
Beach Harbor. Pier 14. Ready to be
loaded with 4-car-per shipping
containers, false-walled and
customsprofiled as motor oil
designated. The ship leaves in four
days for South America and the
men who've tendered me this contract ...
MEMPHIS
They gave you only four days?
CALITRI
They gave me two weeks. I wasted most of it
with your brother and his crew, who not
only lost what pitiful few they managed
to boost, but also alerted the heat as to our
endeavor, making this even more difficult
to achieve ...
Memphis scans the list ...
CALITRI (cont'd)
Four days. 50 cars. I'm paying 200
thousand dollars ...
Now Memphis looks up...
MEMPHIS
I'm not interested --
CALITRI
I knew you'd say that.
MEMPHIS
I'm just here about my brother.
CALITRI
I knew you'd say that, too --
Calitri smiles ... Memphis 'looks at him... At Atley Realizing
the trap ...
MEMPHIS
Sound it out for me.
CALITRI
Your brother has four days. Fifty
cars. Five-zero. For that he gets
200 large ...
MEMPHIS
And if he doesn't make it -- ?
Calitri goes to one corner of the shop... Takes a tarp off
of a full couch MAHOGANY CASKET...
CALITRI
I made this, too. My first one.
Brass extension handles, not plated.
The coverings are silk, not rayon.
Expensive hardwood. And lined with
spray green Lorraine crepe ...
Memphis waits, knowing where this is going --
CALITRI (cont'd)
Yes, yes. I made it for young Kip. In
case he fails. At 8:00 Friday morning,
if that ship sets off without my
fifty ... Kip will take up permanent
residence in this box ...
Calitri WALL SWITCH and the a corrugated steel SLIDING DOOR is
RAISED, revealing a LOADING DOCK facing the back of the yard... Two
MEN are working out there... DIGGER AND BUTZ scuzzy dudes, mid-30s
and dressed in dirty coveralls ...
CALITRI (cont'd)
Come here for a second, boys --
And they come over --
DIGGER
Evenin', Mr. C. --
CALITRI
Digger, Butz: let me introduce
you to Randall Raines. Used to
head up the dandiest ring in
Southern Cal. Left us
for parts unknown. Randall, this
is Digger. And that's Butz -
DIGGER
Hi, Randall --
Memphis says nothing. Calitri grins ... Nods to Digger an Butz,
who go back to work...
CALITRI
Digger and Butz will be in charge of burial.
They're good boys ...
Memphis' look is cold and furious ... Plaintive:
MEMPHIS
I don't want them hurt. Any of 'em...
CALITRI
"don't want" the Dodgers to lose or
the summer to end. But we
don't get to choose these things...
Atley hits the wall-switch and the steel door slides shut. Calitri
turns to Memphis...
CALITRI (cont'd)
"Nothing that's forced can ever be
right." Old woodworking expression.
I really don't care how the 50
get onto my ship ... I just care
that they do. You decide.
With that, he puts his protective glasses back on - and fires up
an abrasive-disc-finishing machine, adjusting the miter gage and
beginning to sand the Outside curve of an angled chamfer.
EXT. HELEN RAINES' HOUSE - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
A small New England-style shingle and clapboard, up on a hill
overlooking the port. A small GUEST-HOUSE behind it ...
INT. HELEN RAINES' HOUSE
Helen clears away the dinner dishes ... The TV is on. The news. We
see a CRIME SCENE ...
REPORTER
... the car-jacking, which left Ramona
Sullivan, the 44-year-old mother of
three, dead, occurred last night at ...
Memphis glances to the TV... Grimaces ... He looks out the window
... At the SEDAN parked below...
EXT. RAINES' HOUSE - NIGHT
Memphis comes out ... Moves to the sedan parked across the street
... it is Detectives Castlebeck and Drycoff...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I know you.
MEMPHIS
You know my back.
They get out of the car... The view of San Pedro from up here is a
spectacular bedspread of lights ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
When'd you get to town, Raines?
MEMPHIS
The other day....
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
What for?
MEMPHIS
No particular reason. Catch a Laker game. I
heard we got Shaquille ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Where you been, anyway?
MEMPHIS
Just out there. Roaming around. Building up my
collection of refrigerator magnets ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
You seem a little hinked-up ...
MEMPHIS
Not at all ...
He and Castlebeck lock eyes ... Castlebeck takes a pear from his
coat pocket ... Sets to polishing it ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I remember us having made some
kind of deal, Randall. I don't
remember this deal having some kind
of time-limit. I look at you -
here - in my town - and I'm
confused...
MEMPHIS
A little family emergency --
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I hope it's not your dear sweet
mother...
MEMPHIS
No...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Or your baby brother. What was his
name?
MEMPHIS
Kip.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Yes, Kip. Short for Kipling.
Named for the English writer
of stories about India ...
He bites into his pear ...
Memphis says nothing, waits ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (cont'd)
I got a rash of thefts. A new crew is
making noise. We recovered a big take -
last week...
MEMPHIS
And this has what to do with me?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I don't know. But you shouldn't
be here. Take care of your business.
I'll give you 24 hours. And
then I don't want to see your face.
Ever again. Make a fool of me
once, that's my bad. Make a fool of
me twice. That's really my
bad, and I'll kick your ass from
here to India ...
Castlebeck gives him a long look... As they walk back to the car...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Good. Cos you know how it plays.
Six years ago, I let you go free. But
the next time ... The next time sends
you away for'a long, long while ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
By the time you get out, asshole, there
won't even be cars. We'll all be cruisin'
around in space ships ...
He laughs... And they drive off ... Memphis watching them go ...
once they're gone... He walks ...
EXT. "THE SIDE POCKET" - BACK ALLEY EXIT - NIGHT
Kip comes out of the club... Toby follows ...
TOBY
You goin' home?
KIP
Yeah... You want a ride...
TOBY
Sure -
KIP
How'd you get here? Your Moms give you
ride -- ?
TOBY
Hell, no. I boosted a 'Vette.
KIP
You boosted a 'Vette? Then where is it?
TOBY
I dunno. It was right here. Someone
musta' boosted it back...
KIP
Damn crooks is everywhere --
They smile...And go to Kip's TRANS AM...
TOBY (cont'd)
Memphis seemed weird, huh? What's with
them clothes? He a farmer now or
something?
And this seems funny to Kip... He smiles..
KIP
Yeah. Except the only thing he's growing
is old...
And they are fronted by TWO GOONS ... Who toss them up against the
wall...
KIP (cont'd)
What do you want -- ?
One of the goons SOCKS Toby in the gut. Toby doubles over. Kip
strains to intervene, but his goon holds him back --
KIP
Don't you do that! You leave him alone!
GOON
Shaddup, Raines
KIP
He's got nothing to do with this --
And the goon punches him in the face. And Kip goes down. And out.
GOON
Get him in the car
EXT. WOODBURN SCRAP AND METAL - NIGHT
Kip comes to. In his car. Hot white lights blind him. The Trans
Am is in the crusher. FIGURES above him. Calitri. The goons ...
CALITRI
Hello, Kip --
Kip tries to get out. The doors are pinned by the forklift.
KIP
Lemme out of this --
CALITRI
Were it only that easy --
KIP
We can still do it --
Calitri nods ... And the crusher presses ... The roof caves a bit
... Kip is close to scrunch ...
CALITRI
No you can't. Flies on sherbert is what you
remind me of. Because just being attracted
to something, doesn't mean you belong...
INT. CALITRI'S WOODSHOP
Atley is here, watching Calitri and Kip. one of the monitors. He's
miserable. But there is nothing he can do.
EXT. SCRAPYARD - NIGHT
Kip continues to struggle free...
KIP
Listen, Calitri --
CALITRI
Call me "Ray." Better yet: call me
"asshole." Cos that's how you've
treated me --
KIP
I get out of this I'm gonna fuck
you up --
Calitri does have to admire the stones on the kid. But. Another
nod. Another crusher-press. Another scrunch...
KIP (cont'd)
Calitri -- !
Nothing. Silence. Kip peers through the slit that the
side window has become ... Only they are gone ... And there
is another awful NOISE ... Kip strains to discern its
origin ... Only he can't get the angle ...
We can. It's a huge CRANE, tipped with a GRIPPING CLAW... It is
maneuvered over the Trans Am... Grasps it. . . And LIFTS IT
INTO THE AIR ... Kip, terrified, inside ...
And, as the crane dangles the Trans Am toward the black waters of
the harbor, we CUT TO:
INT. HELEN RAINES' HOUSE - KITCHEN
Memphis is at the kitchen table. The list of cars before him. He's
making notations. He gets to his feet ... He goes to check on his
mother ... She's asleep in her room... He closes the door ...
And goes back to the kitchen. He goes to a framed PHOTOGRAPH - of
he and Kip. Earlier times. Happier times.
When there is an enormous THUD! From outside. Memphis goes to a
window. Sees a RAMP TRUCK unloading a gnarled blob of metal.
Memphis runs outside. Just as the ramp truck drives off ...
Memphis goes to the mangled Trans Am... Leans down ... And there's
Kip ... Seriously smooshed in the flattened car.
MEMPHIS
Kip -- ?
KIP
Yeah ...
MEMPHIS
You all right -- ?
KIP
I think so. There's things I can't
feel right now. Like my feet. But ...
You think you can get me outta this,
Memphis? I'd appreciate it -
MEMPHIS
Just hold-on there --
Memphis goes to the garage ... Finds a crowbar, an acetylene
TORCH, tin-snips ... He goes back to the wrecked car... And sets
to work... He looks at Kip ... Shakes his head...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
So you want to run that part by me
again about things being "all
sweetness and light..."
KIP
This has nothing to do with any
of that --
MEMPHIS
Oh. You maybe have more than one
enemy who owns a car-crusher -- ?
KIP
All my enemies own car crushers.
It's like a pre-requisite ... Owwww...
MEMPHIS
Easy ... Take it easy ... We're almost
there...
Indeed... Memphis has freed him ... Kip crawls from the wreckage
... His clothes in tatters... Blood seeps from a variety of
contusions ... He limps ... Memphis helps him to the guest house
...
INT. KIP'S GUEST HOUSE - LATER - NIGHT
Small, cluttered... Posters of Kurt Cobain, a skying Kobe Bryant,
Pamela Anderson, two nude girls draped over a glittering
Lamborghini Espada, etc. There's a fish tank... And a big-screen
TV, on which the Lakers are currently defending a high-speed
Boston Celtic fast-break...
Memphis sits on a ratty couch before the TV... Kip comes out of
the bedroom... He's changed clothes ... He wears clunky fur-lined
MOON BOOTS, leopard-skin Speedos and a tshirt ... He looks
slightly ridiculous...
Throughout the scene, Memphis should be studying Kip, as if he's
seeing him for the very first time ... And waiting for the
inevitable crack...
MEMPHIS
You okay -- ?
KIP
Totally. I'm fine. You want a beer,
man -- ?
MEMPHIS
Sure --
And Kip limps toward the refrigerator ... He comes back with two
beers ... Hands one to Memphis ... Glances at the TV --
KIP
you like Kobe's game? I do. You
think he's heir apparent to MJ? I do.
He speaks fluent Italian, you know? So he's
got that going for him --
And a cut on Kip's forehead starts to bleed ... Kip grabs a towel
... Presses it to his head --
MEMPHIS
You sure you're okay -- ?
KIP
Yeah, man. Where is your beer?
Memphis holds it up ... Kip nods ... There are a pile of IGNITIONS
on the table ... Kip picks one up, absently begins trying to strip
it...
KIP
Cool. So you're living up North?
MEMPHIS
Yeah -
KIP
I heard you were pumping gas -
MEMPHIS
Something like that -
KIP
You're kind of cultivating a new look.
MEMPHIS
Yeah --
Beat ... They watch the game ... Kip replaces the soaked towel
with another ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Maybe you need a stitch --
KIP
Nah. It's a scratch.
MEMPHIS
Okay --
Beat ...
KIP
Hey, you want something to eat ?
MEMPHIS
What do you got ... ?
And Kip hoists himself painfully to his feet ... Limps over to the
'fridge ... Memphis watches him, a slight grin at Kip's attempt at
cool ... Kip peers into the 'fridge ...
KIP
Not much. I got olives. You like
olives?
Kalamata olives rule, I think. Ma likes
the Calabrese. It's more mellow
And he brings over a bowl of olives.
MEMPHIS
There's certainly a time and a place
for a mellow olive -
KIP
Yeah, yeah. That's what I'm thinking --
And they nibble on them. Kip bites into one ... And the juice
stings his cracked lip ... But he disguises his grimace as an
appreciative nod...
And for a moment, they nibble olives and drop pits into an
ashtray... Then:
MEMPHIS
So what are you gonna do?
KIP
About what?
MEMPHIS
"About what?"
KIP
About Calitri? No worries, man.
I'll call him. He's a reasonable
dude ...
MEMPHIS
I can see that -
And Memphis glances out the window. To the crushed car. Kip
catches the glance, glances himself, chooses to ignore it.
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
You have everything ... under
control?
KIP
Yeah. He just wants to know I'm
still on it. He needs reassurance.
All these big swinging dicks do.
No worries. I won't let him get
into our Kool-Aid...
Kip shrugs ... Picks up another olive... Remembers the pain' of
the last one... Drops it back in the bowl ... Memphis is staring
at him, disgusted... Kip feels it ...
KIP (cont'd)
What -- ?
MEMPHIS
What happened to you?
KIP
What?
And now Memphis gets to his feet ... Paces the place...
MEMPHIS
You just got crushed in a car. You're
bleeding all over your self. And you
sit there - eating olives and talking
basketball, as if, at this very
moment, people weren't plotting
your demise ...
KIP
C'mon, man... My "demise..."
(chuckles)
Overreaction
MEMPHIS
"Over--" You know - I can maybe
understand, since I been gone, you
taking up this dumb-ass life of
crime, and for that I can partly
blame myself. But what is baffling
to me, is how, since I been gone,
you've become a complete and total
moron--
KIP
Hey, now -
MEMPHIS
He's gonna kill you -- !
KIP
I can handle it --
MEMPHIS
You can handle it?
KIP
I can handle it --
MEMPHIS
You can handle it?
KIP
I can handle it --
MEMPHIS
You?
KIP
Me.
MEMPHIS
You?
KIP
Me...
Beat ... Hold the look ... Kip shifts in his chair ... Even this
hurts... He tries to hide the wince ... Memphis goes to the
window, looks out at the harbor below... Beat ... Then:
KIP (cont'd)
Why? You think you can help me?
And he turns back to Kip ...
KIP (cont'd)
What can you do? You haven't done
anything in six years but pump gas
and go overall shopping. And
the cars, they've changed ...
There's new shit. Computer chip
keys and sophisticated alarms and
I don't think, an old guy, could much
bypass 'em...
MEMPHIS
You don't think so, huh?
KIP
Not really ... But you know... Maybe
I'm wrong ...
And the brothers look at each other ... In the pale glow of the
TV... For a long beat ... And then we'll CUT TO:
EXT. LONG BEACH HARBOR - CANNERY / FISH AUCTION - DAY
A rack of eel and OCTOPUS hung out to dry in the salty sun ...
Memphis walks with Atley Jackson past the bustling commercial
fishing hubbub: Portuguese FISHERMEN unloading albacore and
bluefin from their ship's hold; Greek FISHERMEN emptying mackerel
and halibut from their nylon trawl nets; their WOMEN gut, clean
and fillet ...
As they walk, Atley is selecting FISH from the various MARINERS
... Who wrap it up for him... He places it in a leather satchel
... Everyone seems to know him...
ATLEY JACKSON
Nicolo, how's the yellowtail today?
An old FISHERMAN, who speaks broken English, wraps up several
steaks...
FISHERMAN
Very nice, Atley. Very nice ...
ATLEY JACKSON
You can't get it any fresher than this,
Memphis ... From the sea to my
skillet ... Nothing in between...
MEMPHIS
What's with the fish thing -- ?
ATLEY JACKSON
We can learn something from our Asian
friends. They smoke a thousand
cigarettes a day; they're completely
stressed and overworked; they drink
like, well ...
MEMPHIS
Fish.
ATLEY JACKSON
And they still have the lowest rate of
cancer of anywhere in the world. You
know why? All they eat is seafood.
MEMPHIS
Also, never underestimate the restorative
powers of "Karaoke."
ATLEY JACKSON
I do a poaching number. Six-ounce
fillets in a saucepan of brine. In
8 minutes, I could cater a goddamn
wedding. Plain but flavorful. And
it's a good way to show off my
Hollandaise sauce ...
MEMPHIS
You have a Hollandaise sauce ?
ATLEY JACKSON
I do ...
(laughs)
Christ, what happened to us ?
MEMPHIS
Speak for yourself, boss I don't
have a Hollandaise sauce
ATLEY JACKSON
No, but you dress like an asshole ...
They walk...
MEMPHIS
I think about that night a lot...
ATLEY JACKSON
Me, too. Every time I walk...
MEMPHIS
How they were just there ... Waiting on
us ... The fix was definitely in ...
Nothing from Atley... They walk ... Memphis looks at him.
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Yeah, you know: I just. I just
never really thanked-you. I meant
to. I just want you to
know...
Memphis nods. Atley shrugs, and selects some halibut
filets.
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Tell him it's on ...
Atley looks at him...
ATLEY JACKSON
Yeah -- ?
MEMPHIS
Yeah Tell him to lay off Kip and
them Tell him it's on
Atley nods...
ATLEY JACKSON
Any idea how you're gonna go at it?
Memphis looks at him... Shakes his head... FADE TO BLACK.
As a SUPER on-screen reads: PART II - BACK TO WRONG
EXT. OTTO'S AUTO - NIGHT
The hustle and bustle of a full-service auto restoration
operation ...
Dig the 157 Chevy, as an orange diamond tuck and roll with
orange fur interior is installed... Dig the 153 Corvette
as its front and rear suspension is replaced with coils
and airshocks ... Dig the 150 Merc, as its chrome is
stripped off and the old paint sandblasted and holes
brazed...
All under the watchful eye of...
OTTO HALLIWELL
Late 60s. A feisty grease-soaked curmudgeon who begs the
question: how the hell did they manage to rock together
Yoda and the ghost of Walter Huston... ?
But he remains the Zen master of cars and all that cars are, were
and can be ...
His mixed-breed MUTT - Hemi - licks his balls in one corner
Otto is currently AIRBRUSHING a candy-colored, variegated DESIGN
on the deck lid of a Camaro ... It is painstaking work ... But he
is an artist ...
His woman - JUNIE - a tall blonde, early 40s, body of a thousand
dances, wipes his brow, like a scrub nurse ...
Memphis wanders in...
Otto sees Memphis ... Drops his brush... He walks over to Memphis
... Takes him in his arms ... Hugs him close... Actually waltzes
him a few steps ...
Memphis is stunned at the transformation this place has gone
through ...
OTTO
Am I dying? Are all the angels of my life
returning to bid a final farewell?
(holds him at arm's length)
And have my angels completely lost
their fashion sense -- ?
MEMPHIS
Hello, Otto ...
OTTO
You remember Junie?
MEMPHIS
Of course. Hi, Junie --
JUNIE
Hello, Memphis -
MEMPHIS
What happened here -- ?
OTTO
Whatever do you mean?
MEMPHIS
The chop-shop... Where are the stripped
cars? The rolled-back odometers? The
part bins?
OTTO
What happened? Old-age happened. I tired of
killing them. I woke up one morning and thought
I am no longer a destroyer. I am a means of
resurrection. Now. We restore. We revive.
There are so few things in this life, we can
prevent from decay. Most must die. These don't
have to...
He calls over to the MEXICAN MAN working on the pick-up ...
OTTO (cont'd)
It's 3 coats of primer, 12 coats of black
acrylic lacquer before laying out the
flames ... And fill the cab top with mylar
flakes ... They'll sparkle like stars ...
(turns to Memphis)
Randall, Randall, Randall ... You look
splendid ...
MEMPHIS
You, too, Otto
And Otto goes back to the Camaro ... To finish his work...
OTTO
I heard rumors you were back. About
Kip ...
MEMPHIS
He's gotten involved --
Otto looks up frustrated... To Junie
OTTO (O.S.)
I can't concentrate. Play something, my
sweetness; my reason to rise ...
And Junie hits PLAY on a cassette deck ... And, instantly, ENGINE
SOUNDS rip from the shop's stereo speakers ... Otto listens, as
if it were a Mahler symphony...
OTTO (cont'd)
The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. At Le
Mans. 1971. The quad-cam V12. Hear
how they got the engine up?
Hear those exhaust notes? That's a
very wide rev range... Here, it
peaks at 5500 RPM...
Memphis smiles ... These eccentricities are old hat...
OTTO (cont'd)
Raymond Calitri. He's amplified much
sorrow on these streets ...
MEMPHIS
You think it can be done?
OTTO
Are you considering a comeback tour?
MEMPHIS
Tell me...
OTTO
It can be done. Take two days to shop;
one to prep. I'll offer up my bible
for a small fee. You also have to
hope Kip's jerk-circus didn't undo
Castlebeck's linkage so much so
that he's setting up surveillance
teams on every city block. And
then get yourself a crew...
MEMPHIS
The hard part ...
OTTO
"A people is a detour of nature to
get 6 or 7 great men - Yes, and then
to get around them..." Nietzsche said
that.
MEMPHIS
Is he still working here ?
OTTO
The old crew. Go find them. I can't
help you with that. Since I've cleaned
up the act a bit, they no longer come
around... A pity how legitimacy makes
you unpopular -
MEMPHIS
I Just don't know how happy they'll be
to see me
Otto has finished the Camaro ... He looks at Memphis --
OTTO
I remember I had a 1964 Buick Opal.
worst car ever built. Value job.
Everything broke and I-fixed it.
A coma car - built to German specs.
Plastic gas line. 3 speedometer head.
On a quiet night, you could hear it
rusting in the garage. But when that
car was gone, I missed it. If it came
driving back in here right now,
there'd be tears and laughter ...
MEMPHIS
And the moral of that story is -- ?
OTTO
Go to them. They'll be happy to see
you ... Ahhh...
And he closes his eyes ... To listen to the Ferrari tape ...
OTTO (cont'd)
... 8.8:1 compression...
We PRE-LAP Simon And Garfunkel's "Baby Driver" and CUT TO:
CLOSE ON: A SIGN READING: "PLEASURE CRUISE DRIVING SCHOOL"
atop a moving DODGE ARIES K. Which is nearly SIDE-SWIPED by an
oncoming PICK-UP. A MAN HOWLS IN TERROR...
INT. DODGE - MOVING - CITY STREETS - DAY
A timid CHINESE GIRL - JENNY, 23 - negotiates the vehicle at
10 & 2. Riding shotgun, her howling instructor is DONNY ASTRICKY - 41,
whom we remember from six years ago. Now he's paunchy, with Ernie
Borgnine tough-guy-warmth. At one time, he kicked out the
jams. Now he teaches driver's ed...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Pull over! Pull her the hell over!
Jenny pulls the car over in a lopsided lurch...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Put it in PARK. Remember how
to do that? It's the big "Pff.
She parks it. He stabs at the side-view mirror ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
"Objects May Appear Closer
Than They Seem." Can you say
that for me?
JENNY
I'm sorry.
DONNY ASTRICKY
You ain't sorry. You're a horrible
driver... You can't strap into
your seat belt, without almost
getting creamed by a bus ...
She starts to cry... Donny softens ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Aw, c'mon. It's no big deal.
You can't drive. You can't.
Time to acknowledge it and move on. I
can't swim. I know I can't. So you
know what I do? I stay the fuck outta
the pool ...
EXT. PLEASURE CRUISE DRIVING SCHOOL - DAY
Memphis waits outside ... The Aries K comes crawling toward him.
Donny gets out of the car ... Sees Memphis ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Damn. Memphis Raines. Long time ...
MEMPHIS
How you doing, man?
DONNY ASTRICKY
All I get are the Orientals. They can
build 'em, but they can't drive
'em So? What are you doing here?
What's with the outfit -- ?
MEMPHIS
You know where the others are?
Donny frowns... Looks close at Memphis ... Then:
DONNY ASTRICKY
Most of 'em are gone. The Dyar Boys are
doing a nickel at Chino; Henry Santoro
and Frankie Fish are moving
weight in Florida; Bill Doolin was
killed in Denver... Atley
Jackson's on the gimp and runnin'
errands for Calitri; The Sphinx
is still around, I guess ... Then
of course, there's ...
His pause is meaningful ...
MEMPHIS
Forget that ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Okay. Figure it forgotten. What's this
about anyways -- ?
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - NIGHT
In a wood-panelled back room, around a conference table: Memphis
and Donny sit... With the list before them...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Most of 'em are late-model...
MEMPHIS
That's right. Only 10 exotics ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
We'll have to start beating the
bushes, find out where they live...
Otto enters. Giggles...
OTTO
Some crew you got ...
MEMPHIS
If we put out the word. That we're
crewing-up, for a one-time-only job...
What do you think that'll yield?
DONNY ASTRICKY
A bunch of strung-out hypes and stick-
up men. This ain't like the old days,
Memphis. The profession has lost its..
OTTO
Dignity...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Yeah...
MEMPHIS
Well, the three of us don't'exactly
inspire confidence...
Beat ... Donny examines the list ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Wow! They got Eleanor here -- ?
MEMPHIS
I know. Weird, huh -- ?
The door opens ... One of Otto's WORKERS is there...
WORKER
Otto, there's someone here to --
But they walk past: Kip, Tumbler, Mirror Man, Toby, Freb
DONNY ASTRICKY
Lookit Kip. All grown up...
KIP
Hey, Donny --
MEMPHIS
What are you doing here?
KIP
Otto called -
Memphis looks to Otto ... Otto shrugs ...
OTTO
You need him...
MEMPHIS
No we don't -
OTTO
I appreciate your dilemma, Memphis.
But how are two washed-up thieves
and an old man supposed to boost
50 cars in three days...
MEMPHIS
His criminal career has officially come
to a close ...
OTTO
The conundrum still applies, of course. The
purpose of the endeavor is to rescue
baby brother from imminent
death and/or a life of crime. However.
This cannot be successfully
carried out without baby brother's
considerable resources, shabby
though they may be.
Memphis considers ... He has little choice ...
MEMPHIS
We do this. Then. You're finished.
Then. You're clean
KIP
I like how you wallop back in here -
after four years - and can still get all
Clifford Huxtable on my shit ...
MEMPHIS
You hear me?
KIP
I hear ya. Get me outta this. I'll
move to the country. Open a fruit
stand...
Memphis looks at him... Shakes his head...
DONNY ASTRICKY
You guys have any skills at all?
KIP
Hell, yeah. Mirror Man here is
our electronics expert. He's got
some gadgets you old farts maybe
never -heard of; Tumbler can drive
anything with wheels, and some
things without; Toby's a hacker,
can do things with a computer, that
are pretty amazing ...
MEMPHIS
How old are you now, Toby?
TOBY
Sixteen. But my birthday's in seven
months ...
Memphis shakes his head... Sighs ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
(re: Freb)
What about him?
KIP
Freb can order pizzas like nobody's
business
Freb starts to Protest ... Shrugs ...
FREB
People gotta eat ...
Memphis looks at all of them ... Sighs...
MEMPHIS
Okay, then... Otto?
OTTO
In order to succeed, you're going
to have to go old-school. one night
boost. Put all your nuts in one basket.
And...
TUMBLER
One night? Are you nuts?
MEMPHIS
You got maybe a better plan?
Tumbler looks to Kip...
KIP
You spread it out ... you move around...
So's they can't touch you... so's they
don't know... Shadow games and shit
...
MEMPHIS
"Shadow games?"
KIP
Shadow games ...
MEMPHIS
You spread it out, by the 2nd night,
the heat are onto you. Know
something's up. With a one-night boost,
by the time all the cars are reported
stolen, your ship's set sail.
Kip and the others nod... Makes sense ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Go on, Otto -
OTTO
We're on a truncated time-table. Take a day to
shop it; a day to prep it ... And we're still
going to need to expand the crew...
DONNY ASTRICKY
There's no one left ...
OTTO
We've got several Italian cars on the list.
Always tricky, always timeconsuming. So
we're gonna need a specialist ...
Memphis looks at him. Because that's what he was afraid of.
MIRROR MAN
(to Otto)
You know of one -- ?
MEMPHIS
Yeah. He's knows of one all right.
So we'll PRE-LAP The Beach Boys' "409" and CUT TO:
INT. "THE NAUTICAL MILE" SALOON - NIGHT
A SHOT GLASS, slammed down on a bar by a surly DRUNK... In a
mariner saloon. Drunken SAILORS and FISHERMAN and NAVY TYPES.
Sawdust on the floor. Broken beer mirrors. A rough joint...
DRUNK
One more, girl -
The BARTENDER comes over.. . She is a dark-haired, heavily
tattooed GIRL, 26, with the faded blue world-weariness of Roy Orbison
song... Her name is Sara Wayland... And she goes by SWAY. She
collects the Drunk's empty glass...
SWAY
I think you've had enough, Billy...
DRUNK
Enough? I haven't even started, girl.
Gimme another --
SWAY
If you leave now, Billy, you can get
a head-start on waking up in a pool
of your own vomit...
DRUNK
Listen, you little cooze--
And the Drunk reaches out across the bar, to grab a bottle And
Sway grabs his hand, twists it ... The Drunk groans in agony ...
And Sway, still clutching his hand, hops over the bar ... And
drags the drunk by his twisted hand to the front ... Cries of
"Attagirl, Sway!" pepper the air ...
EXT. "THE NAUTICAL MILE" - NIGHT
Sway tosses him... The Drunk hitting the pavement ...
SWAY
Come back when you've learned how to
drink, Billy --
And she freezes ... Because standing there, is Memphis ... She
looks at him ... Shocked is a good place to start ...
MEMPHIS
See you're still stealing the sailors from
the sea --
SWAY
What are you doing here?
And she heads back inside ... And he follows her...
INT. "THE NAUTICAL MILE"
They head toward the bar...
SWAY
(re: his clothes)
What's with the look?
MEMPHIS
The hip, cool, sexy thing was getting
old...
SWAY
You look like you lost your sheep ...
And she hops back behind the bar ...
MEMPHIS
You still wrenching at Bacchiochi's?
SWAY
Hell, yeah. I'm not getting rich in
here ...
MEMPHIS
Buy you a drink?
SWAY
Nope. I got a coffee. And a
boyfriend.
She waves to a 30-year-old CAT drinking with his buddies. He waves
back. Memphis frowns.
SWAY (cont'd)
Mitch.
MEMPHIS
"Mitch?"
SWAY
Mitch.
MEMPHIS
So I was replaced by Mitch?
SWAY
No. You were replaced by Alex.
Who was replaced by Kevin. Who
was replaced by Vince. Who was
replaced by Mitch...
She smiles sourly at him...
MEMPHIS
Wow. And to think all I
accomplished these past six
years was the "LORD OF THE
RINGS" trilogy...
She stares at him... Shakes her head... Busies herself with her
glassware ... Beat ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
You look great --
SWAY
Yeah, well, you always were a sucker
for flawed existences ...
ANGLE - MITCH. Watching them talk ...
SWAY (cont'd)
You should leave --
MEMPHIS
On account of Mitch?
SWAY
On account of me.
He studies her... Then:
MEMPHIS
I've taken the spear for a lot of
people, Sway. Including you. Can't
we improvise a little here ... ?
SWAY
No can do. Life goes on, pointfive ...
You left me, remember?
MEMPHIS
I left town. I didn't leave you.
SWAY
A distinction worth noting ...
MEMPHIS
And here I am...
SWAY
Yes. But I got a feeling it's not on
account of any longing-for-my-touch
on your part -
MEMPHIS
Kip's in trouble
And now she looks concerned
SWAY
What kind of trouble -- ?
MEMPHIS
Kip took a job. Fifty ladies in two weeks.
Only the two weeks have turned into four
days. And not a single lady has been
snared.
SWAY
And you got some Italians -- ?
MEMPHIS
Six or seven...
SWAY
I'm not doing it anymore. Haven't
for a while. I've carved out something
for myself. It's pathetic, but it's mine ...
MEMPHIS
I understand -
And the cat - MITCH - comes over with two empty pitchers
MITCH
Another round, Sara -
SWAY
Sure, Mitch -
And she goes to the tap ... Leaving Memphis and Mitch ...
MITCH
How you doing, pal?
Memphis nods ... Beat. They sit there. Regard Sway...
MITCH (cont'd)
She's hot, right?
MEMPHIS
I'd go so far as to say "lovely."
And Mitch leans over to him, conspiratorially ...
MITCH
You should her face when she's having
sex --
And Memphis turns to him...
MEMPHIS
Really?
MITCH
Really...
MEMPHIS
What's it look like?
And Memphis reaches out, and GRABS Mitch's nipple, PINCHING.
Mitch's face curls ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Is it a squinty, grimacing, contorted
face? Agonized and writhing and ugly?
Oh, now I see it, yes, yes!
And Memphis releases him... And Mitch goes down hard ... And Sway
comes over ...
SWAY
What the hell are you doing -- ?
MEMPHIS
If you change your mind. We're at
Otto's. It's 50 ladies in 24 hours.
For The Carpenter. 200 K and Kip's
life on the felt. So long now ...
And he's out of there, before Mitch's PALS can get to him.
MITCH
Who was that guy, Sara?
She looks at the door ... Shrugs ...
SWAY
Good question ...
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - LATER - NIGHT
Memphis, Kip, Donny, Mirror Man and Otto sit around the garage ...
Going through the list ... Tumbler calls from the next room:
TUMBLER
Freb's here. Open the gate.
DONNY ASTRICKY
(to Otto)
We sent him out on a solo boost. See
what he could do ...
Freb pulls in an '89 Cadillac Coupe De Ville ...
FREB
How do I look in this one?
MIRROR MAN
Like a goofy white boy in a Cadillac.
DONNY ASTRICKY
How'd it go?
FREB
Keys were in it ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Well, that defies the point, don't it?
MIRROR MAN
You should ask him how he got the name
"Freb."
FREB
Shaddup, man ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Get the damn thing in there and get it
cleaned up -
Freb pulls in. Pops the trunk. The gate is closed.
KIP
This is loaded with crap - get a duffel.
He pulls out a set of golf clubs ... Freb brings over a duffel ...
Mirror Man plucks something from the trunk ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Holy shit ...
It's a plasticine BAG - full of a WHITE POWDER...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Lemme see that -
He pierces the skin.. Tastes ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Heroin.
KIP
No shit?
And they pull back the trunk tarp ... And there are perhaps TWO
DOZEN similar smack-filled BAGS ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
There's gotta be a million bucks worth
here -
TUMBLER
We're rich. Goddamn, we're rich!
MEMPHIS
Where'd you pick her up?
FREB
In front of one of them poker parlors in
Chinatown ...
MEMPHIS
Well, take it back --
KIP
Take it back? What do you mean take
it back? Are you crazy, man?
MEMPHIS
Take it back, Freb --
MIRROR MAN
Hey, now, Memphis... C'mon, man -
Donny makes to grab the bag from Mirror Man ... But Mirror Man
holds on ... They tug back and forth ... The bag DROPS ...
Splitting on the ground, behind the car. Spilling heroin.
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Now, see what you--
But a BANG! BANG! on the front gate, gives them all pause.
OTTO
Who is it -- ?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (O.S.)
Castlebeck.
DONNY ASTRICKY
Jesus. The whole damn thing's loaded.
OTTO
one minute -- !
And the others scatter into the back office, with their tools and
devices and lists. Leaving only Memphis and Otto.
Memphis picks up the broken bag ... Sticks it in the trunk ...
Puts the golf clubs in on top of it ... Slams the trunk. Only
there's still a neat MOUNTAIN OF SMACK ON THE FLOOR by the rear of
the Caddy ... But there's no time...
For the gate is opened. Detective Castlebeck ambles in.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I know you.
MEMPHIS
You know my back.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
What are you still doing here,
Randall?
MEMPHIS
Stopped by to see Otto. Say hello.
Castlebeck looks at Otto... Otto grins... Castlebeck walks around
the garage... Taking it all in...
Castlebeck notes the Caddy ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
What's this -- ?
OTTO
Cadillac.
ANGLE - the mound of heroin on the floor ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
What's wrong with it -- ?
OTTO
Needs brightening ...
Castlebeck takes out a WALKIE ... Barks into it ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Run me down a tag - 329 HRO. Cadillac.
He clicks off ... Otto and Memphis share one ... A glance to the
smack ... Castlebeck is a mere inches from it ...
OTTO
No faith in our new-found goodness,
Detective ...?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Sure. But sometimes we got to
create some numbers. The task force
is run by statistics, you know ...
Before they can respond, the radio crackles ...
RADIO (O.S.)
329 HRO. There's no want on the license at
this time...
Castlebeck looks disappointed... Otto grins ... Castlebeck stares
at the Caddy, still unconvinced...
MEMPHIS
You're thinking: okay, there's no want ...
But they probably stripped its guts and
crated 'em up, right ... ?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Something like that -
Memphis opens the driver's side door ... Gestures Castlebeck in
... Castlebeck gets behind the wheel ...
MEMPHIS
Let her rip ...
And Castlebeck starts the car...
ANGLE - TAILPIPE ... WHOOSH! All of the heroin on the flo is blown
away by the exhaust ... Memphis winks to Otto ... Castlebeck seems
satisfied ... Gets out.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Okay, then. I'll catch you later,
Randall ...
OTTO
Double-meaning intended, right?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Right ...
Castlebeck stops at the gate... Turns back to them...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
It's funny. There's probably been
five more cars stolen in the time
I've been here ...
MEMPHIS
I don't think so, Detective ...
And Castlebeck is gone. Memphis and Otto exhale big time.. The
others come out from the back... To find Memphis and Otto dumping
the heroin into the sink, running the tap ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Take her back to where you found her,
Freb --
INT. RAINES APARTMENT - NIGHT
Kip is in front of the TV, playing a video game. Helen Raines is
at the kitchen table, going through a PHOTO ALBUM... Memphis comes
home ... Hangs up his coat ...
MEMPHIS
Hey -
He kisses her head ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Kip -
Kip nods ... Plays on ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
What do you got there?
HELEN RAINES
The photo album. I get nostalgic around
this time of year ...
MEMPHIS
What time of year?
HELEN RAINES
Tuesdays ...
He smiles ... Sits down next to her ... They go through the
PHOTOS: - childhood shots of Memphis and Kip, a younger Helen;
Memphis at 17, in his "Ike's Garage" coveralls; 14year-old
Memphis, an infant Kip, and their father (ROBERT RAINES) a MAN
with bright eyes and a quiet smile, standing before an old Cutlass
442; Robert Raines ... Outside a car dealership. We can almost
feel his strong, sure presence ...
Memphis looks at his mother ... As she looks at the picture.
MEMPHIS
You ever wonder what things'd be like
if he hadn't died?
HELEN RAINES
Every day. I wonder about that every day...
MEMPHIS
Kip and I'd probably be working at the
dealership...
(to Kip)
Imagine us selling cars?
Nothing from Kip ... Eyes glued to the TV... Memphis glances to
his Mother ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Imagine that -- ?
HELEN RAINES
(salesman voice)
And just in case you lose your keys, good
sir, I can toss in a complimentary slim-jim,
free of charge ...
MEMPHIS
Mother -- !
They laugh ... Look at the album ... At Robert Raines ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
I remember, every day, he'd come home
in a different car.
That was the greatest thing ... And
we'd climb all over it ... Examine
every inch of every different
car ...
HELEN RAINES
I remember. Supper getting cold, cos you
two are out there heads under hoods ...
MEMPHIS
You remember that, Kip?
KIP
I was six ...
Memphis and Helen look at him... Then:
MEMPHIS
After he died ... I think that's
what I missed most of all ... That
there was no different cars every night ...
When I started hanging around Otto's ...
And he started showing me the things ...
It was a way to kill two birds ...
Put food on the table for you and Kip ...
And ... Ride in different cars every
night ... Just like when Dad was here.
Tears stand in Helen's eyes ... Kip gets to his feet ...
KIP
Ancient history's two things.
"Ancient." And "history!"
And he walks out of the house, door slamming behind him. Memphis
turns to his mother ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
We're gonna have to do this thing, Ma.
HELEN RAINES
I know...
MEMPHIS
We do it. He'll get clear Once and
for all
And she nods ...
ANGLE - A PHOTO. Robert Raines. Smiling beside an Olds 98.
EXT. INTERNATIONAL TOWERS HIGH RISE CONDOS - DAY
The garage door opens as a resident drives out ... And Memphis and
Donny and Kip and Toby enter the garage ... They walk along the
rows of parked cars ... Searching ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Car-jacking is the lazy man's boost.
No skill. No finesse. Can only take
the car if the key is in it. That's
not thieving. That's parking ...
Thugs ... With the decency of dirt ...
TOBY
They're just cars, man ...
To prevent Donny from biting the kid's head off, Memphis chimes in
with:
MEMPHIS
This Eleanor's been living at the
International Towers for 3 years now.
TOBY
Who's "Eleanor?"
MEMPHIS
The 167 Mustang Shelby Mustang GT-500.
TOBY
Why do you call it "Eleanor?"
MEMPHIS
All the vehicles get code names.
Female names. You say "Eleanor lives
at such and such... " and no one
listening on the waves is the wiser ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Eleanor is Memphis' "unicorn."
MEMPHIS
And there she is --
Indeed, slotted nearby is a '67 SHELBY MUSTANG GT-500 Silver with
black top ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Hello, Eleanor --
And he looks at her. An old friend he hasn't seen in years.
TOBY
It looks just like a regular Mustang --
KIP
Don't go there, Toby --
MEMPHIS
She's not. Carroll Shelby tweaked the
Mustang's High-Performance 289 engine
and got it legally rated for the street
at 450 horsepower ... But its actual
output is closer to 600 ...
TOBY
So she flies -
MEMPHIS
She soars -
DONNY ASTRICKY
Grade-A unicorn ...
TOBY
What's a "unicorn?"
DONNY ASTRICKY
Fabled creature. You know - the horse
with the horn? Impossible to capture?
Toby looks blank ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
We all got one. The single car
that, no matter how many times
you try to boost, something happens...
Cops show up, car doesn't start, owner
comes back. It's voodoo...
TOBY
You guys and the car thing, man --
They head off ... Memphis turns back to the Shelby
MEMPHIS
See you in a few days, Eleanor --
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - BACK ROOM - DAY
To Queen's "I'm In Love With My Car." The crew is at work, a MAZDA
and a CADDY are parked here for practice: Tumbler is modifying a
series of slim jims, based on the type of cars they'll be after
Donny and Freb are in the Caddy, Freb behind the wheel Tumbler
puts together BRIEFCASES, containing the requisite TOOLS: slim-
jim, gizmo, screwdriver, ratchet, dent-puller, a mini-battery with
pointy leads ...
- Mirror Man is showing off one of his GADGETS - beepersized
DEVICE - to Otto... They stand before a locked MAZDA.
MIRROR MAN
And you just stick it in the lock.
Hit this little button ... And ...
He does ... The door UNLOCKS ... The car's ALARM gives a weak
chirp and dies... Otto looks at Donny ...
OTTO
We're dinosaurs, Donny. Pull-up a tar pit ...
(to Mirror Man)
Can I try -- ?
MIRROR MAN
Knock yourself out --
Kip and Memphis are with Toby, who has his laptop out ...
TOBY
I logged outside the G.R.A.B. site,
right? Then I monitored their
incoming outside data requests,
right? Then I got these ISDN numbers,
right? Then I tracked them back,
right? Then I took the one I could
jack-up the easiest, right? Then I
called back see, they think I'm an
insurance company - that's where it
looks like I'm coming from -- and
they're sharing stats with this
insurance company, right? So now
they're sharing it with me, right?
They think I'm looking for stats for
an actuarial conference on auto-theft.
So they let me in, right? Give me all
these numbers. But then I don't leave,
right? I'm in. I've got the key. Now I
just go anywhere I want.
MEMPHIS
So what's in there -- ?
TOBY
I can tell you who's gonna be on duty
tonight. I can tell you how much gas
they're using monthly. I can tell you
how they used to spend that annoying
half-hour between "FRIENDS" and "SEINFELD"...
Memphis nods ... Fairly impressed...
KIP
Good work, Toby --
Donny and Freb are inside the Caddy ... Freb's attempts to start
it fail...
FREB
It just ain't happening --
DONNY ASTRICKY
You'll get the hang of it, kid. You
just need to remember one thing -
FREB
What's that?
Donny smiles ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
On boost night? Always take along a
good mix tape ...
Donny smiles ... Freb frowns ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
You bring a woman back to your
crib for some lovemaking, the
song you put on, depends on the
woman, the type of lovemaking you
intend to do, right?
FREB
I guess ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
You got a school teacher or Nancy from
accounting, you don't put on Sly Stone
or James Brown. You put on
Ravel. Rachmaninoff. But if you got
some wild one you just picked
up at the track, you wouldn't put on
Cat Stevens or James Taylor.
You'd put on Prince. Or Isaac Hayes.
Or, if you really wanted to
get after it: Miles.
FREB
okay ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
It's the same way with cars. Different
cars. Different tunes. You can't steal
a Maserati listening to Sinatra. You
gotta get urgent. You gotta get Sonny
Rollins or Led Zeppelin IV, on that
shit. But never, never-ever take no Allman
Brothers into a Lincoln Town Car. Could
lead to disaster. Got it... ?
FREB
(absolutely hasn't got it)
Got it ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Good.
And then Sway enters ... Donny gets out of the Caddy ...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Memphis went out
and got some big game ... Hello, Sway.
I was just telling the lads about mix
tapes --
SWAY
(to Freb)
Janis Joplin. Billie Holliday. Ella
Fitzgerald...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Gender bias ...
Otto is before her ... Bowing from the waist ...
OTTO
I've missed you, Sara Wayland --
SWAY
Good to see ya, Otto --
They embrace. Memphis and Kip enter from the other room...
KIP
How ya doing, Sway -- ?
SWAY
Kip...
She looks at Memphis ... Small nod... Small smile ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
What do you think about all this?
SWAY
Stick it in the drawer marked "Fool's
Errand", right -- ?
DONNY ASTRICKY
That's my girl --
MEMPHIS
That's Mirror Man ... And that's
Freb ... And Tumbler ... And Toby ...
Fellas, this is Sara Wayland... They
call her "Sway."
SWAY
Hey -
But the kids look high near thunderstruck ... The others laugh ...
Go back to their work ... Memphis and Sway
SWAY (cont'd)
No questions. I'm here. I need the
dough.
MEMPHIS
Of course ...
She studies him... Nods ...
SWAY
Good. Just so we understand...
And then she sees something at the entrance ...
SWAY (cont'd)
Oh, shit. You didn't --
He follows her gaze ... To where -- A MAN, early 40s, has walked
in. Tall, gaunt, ice-eyed. This man never speaks. And his nose is
a gnarled blob of scar tissue ... Which is why they call him
THE SPHINX
And the others really don't dig his scene ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Well, well, well. The original crash
test dummy...
The Sphinx nods to all. Smiles warmly, but it comes out creepy.
Freb whispers to Otto ...
FREB
Who's that -- ?
OTTO
That's The Sphinx.
FREB
The Sphinx?
OTTO
He never says a word. And he's got
a messed-up nose. Hence. The Sphinx.
He's boo-koo koo-koo. But he steals like
time ...
(to The Sphinx)
Hello, Sphinxy, old rum -- !
And Otto embraces the taller man ... And the others stand
around, offering uneasy glances to The Sphinx ...
MEMPHIS
Okay. We're all here. Today's Wednesday.
D-Day is Friday night ... That gives us
two days to prep ... We're going to find
the ladies on our list, find out where
they live, when they're home; that
they're properly insured ... Let's get
into the vans --
MIRROR MAN
Where we going -- ?
MEMPHIS
We're going shopping -- !
We PRE-LAP Gary Numan's new-wave rave classic "Cars".
EXT. LONG BEACH STREETS - DAY
A MONTAGE of the hard-core old-school preparations...
THREE MINI-VANS drive off from Otto's Auto - Mirror Man at the
wheel of one of them - The Sphinx and Donny with him... - Freb
drives the 2nd van: Memphis, Sway, and Kip with him... Tumbler
drives the 3rd van: Otto and Toby with him.
They carry pens and NOTEBOOKS ... And, as they drive around,
they're searching out cars ... When they see an auto that
corresponds to the list, they take down its license plate.
Memphis dials the cell ... Mirror Man answers on the speaker in
his van ... Tumbler in his ... We'll CROSS-CUT the scene as
necessary from van to van ...
MEMPHIS
How's it going -- ?
DONNY ASTRICKY
It's arright ...
They drive on ... Till --
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Check it out: 173 Firebird. Know
who drove one of those ... ?
OTTO
Yes, I do, in fact. John Wayne in
McO...
DONNY ASTRICKY
That's being obscurest ... Who else?
Better known. Memphis?
MEMPHIS
Jim Rockford. ROCKFORD FILES.
MIRROR MAN
For real?
As the scenes in the vans play out - we should be INTERCUTTING
with SHOTS of CARS ON THE STREET. LICENSE PLATES. Their NOTEBOOKS.
As license #s are written down.
DONNY ASTRICKY
For real. Okay. Gimme COLUMBO...
KIP
Peugot convertible ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
What color?
KIP
Gray.
FREB
How you know that?
KIP
Remember who my brother is?
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - BACK ROOM
Sway has drawn an intricate CHART on a vinyl DRAWING BOARD: 1-50,
each car is annotated, ie: 1) '56 Ford T-Bird; 2) 188 Lamborghini
Countach, etc. She begins ascribing names to them, Female names.
With Magic Marker. Easy to erase.
INT. REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES - DAY
Donny enters with a sheaf of PAPERS ... He waits in line ...
EXT. JIMMY'S HARBORSIDE RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Mirror Man has hired on as a VALET ... DINERS pull up in their
cars ... Mirror Man offers the DRIVER of a Porsche Boxster a
ticket ... And climbs in, to park the car ...
INT. OTTO'S BACK ROOM
Sway writes #2-4) Porsche Boxster and next to it PATRICIA 1
INT. THE VANS
As they drive around... Still searching and quizzing...
OTTO
DUKES OF HAZARD?
MIRROR MAN
Fuck that cracker shit --
TUMBLER
I know that one. General Lee, I
believe, was a ... Dodge Charger ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
You ever notice how it had a different
interior every week? That bugged me.
MIRROR MAN
Three words: Get A Life.
INT. OTTO'S BACK ROOM - DAY
Memphis and Otto go through Otto's BIBLE - an overstuffed LEDGER
with the addresses Otto has collected, over the years, of some
2000 cars. They look for any that correspond to Calitri's 50 ...
INT. REGISTRY - DAY
Donny offers the REGISTRY WOMAN a LIST of several cars from the
shopping spree ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
I'd like the names and addresses of
the owners of these 20 cars please...
WOMAN
It'll take me about 15 minutes.
DONNY ASTRICKY
I can wait.
He smiles kindly at her. And takes a seat. It's that easy.
INT. OTTO'S BACK ROOM - DAY
Sway at the board... A grouping of three Mercedes Benz S320 are
designated as JENNIFER 1, JENNIFER 2, JENNIFER 3...
INT. OTTO'S GARAGE - DAY
Otto shows Freb how to disarm an alarm system by groundingout a
tail-light with a wire to a mini-battery...
This dead-shorts the lights, shorts-out the alarm system, which
chirps for a sustained second and then kills itself. The door
locks pop open ... Otto grins...
EXT. JIMMY'S HARBORSIDE - NIGHT
Mirror Man in the Boxster... Parked, . He takes the KEY from
the ignition ... And then takes, from under his jacket - a KEY
CUTTER... And he sets to cutting a COPY of the key.
INT. THE VANS - MOVING
Shop and talk, part III ...
FREB
Okay, okay. What about MAGNUM P.I.?
KIP
Thanks for playing, Freb. That's a
gimme ...
OTTO
Yes, but what was on the license
plate?
MIRROR MAN
The license plate?
TUMBLER
I know. "ROBIN 1."
OTTO
Very good. But what was the
significance of "ROBIN 1"?
FREB
Was that his first name?
OTTO
His first name was Thomas. Thomas
Magnum...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Thomas Sullivan Magnum, to be exact.
They look at Donny, impressed...
TUMBLER
Robin 1 ...
MIRROR MAN
I know! Robin was the name of that
faggy guy who hung with him...
KIP
No. That was Higgins ....
DONNY ASTRICKY
Jonathan Quayle Higgins ...
MIRROR MAN
(to Donny)
You're like a serial killer, ainchoo?
INT. OTTO'S_-AUT0 - DAY
Sway calls #29 - A '98 Corvette - CAROL...
INT. MIDNIGHT AUTO - NIGHT
A random chop-shop. The Sphinx is buying chopped
IGNITIONS, that go with the cars on the list ...
EXT. JIMMY'S HARBORSIDE - MIRROR MAN
has cut a key, jocks the cutter, and, before he gets out
of the Boxster, opens the glove box and grabs the
registration.
He takes a mini-tape-recorder from his pocket ... Reads
the owner address into the dock... Returns the
registration" to the glove box... Leaves the car ... For
today.
EXT. OTTO'S SALVAGE - NIGHT
Tumbler and Kip park the car carrier behind a Matterhorn
of decimated automobiles ... Out of view...
INT. MIDNIGHT LOCKSMITH - NIGHT
The Sphinx brings the ignitions to the locksmith ... Who
makes keys for them...
EXT. JIMMY'S HARBORSIDE - NIGHT
Mirror Man taking names and kicking ass. A BMW M ROADSTER.
INT. OTTO'S
Sway writes NANCY 1 next to #27) BMW M ROADSTER...
INT. REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES - DAY
The Registry Woman gives Donny the list he needed...
WOMAN
It's two dollars per car. That'll be
40 dollars please...
He pays her ... Big smile ...
INT. THE VANS - MOVING
One more time ...
OTTO
Anyone? The significance of "Robin 1" on
Magnum's license plate? Memphis?
MEMPHIS
Robin was Robin Masters. He owned the
estate they lived on ...
OTTO
Ten points for our fearless leader ...
Sway, how 'bout giving us the honor of
the Bill Bixby trifecta -- ?
SWAY
I don't know that
KIP
Stumped -- !
FREB
Thank-God, Sway, you ain't all freaky-
deaky, too
But Sway grins
SWAY
How about: a Corvette in
MAGICIAN; a Ford pick-up truck in
INCREDIZLE HULK, and...
OTTO
Here's where it gets tricky ...
SWAY
... he walked in THE COURTSHIP OF
EDDIE'S FATHER.
Kip high-fives her... Freb looks disappointed...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Walked like a bastard... Skippin'
stones and shit..
OTTO
That's a good one, Donny...
DONNY ASTRICKY
I think so too --
And they drive... All smiles ... All pleased with
themselves ... And, after a beat ...
MIRROR MAN
Ya'll really need to get the fuck out
of the house more...
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - BACK ROOM
Sway has finished the chart ... 50 cars ... Their
corresponding distaff names...
INT. FREB'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Freb is at his stereo. CDs scattered around him. Tupac.
Biggy. Puff Daddy ... Making a mix tape... END MONTAGE.
INT. BACCHIOCHI'S FOREIGN MOTORS - DAY
A garage dealing exclusively in imports. Memphis enters...
MEMPHIS
Hello -- ?
Sway slides out from beneath a Testarosa ... In her greasy
coveralls, hair tied back, a motorhead's dream girl ...
SWAY
Hey.
MEMPHIS
What's wrong with her -- ?
SWAY
The right side of the engine is
running richer than the left. And the
scope isn't showing shit... I dunno...
And she goes to the sink...
SWAY (cont'd)
You know Annie's trouble
MEMPHIS
Annie -- ?
SWAY
You haven't been studying --
She gestures to where the LIST of 50 is on the counter.
SWAY (cont'd)
137 Roadster. Custom. Lives at 1443
Locklin in Rancho Palos Verdes ...
MEMPHIS
Right. Great car. One of a kind. I
was looking forward to that boost
myself
SWAY
She was the only "Annie" you could find?
MEMPHIS
They only made a handful. We're lucky
there's even one living in the area...
SWAY
Yeah, well ... She lives with District
Court Judge Seymour Croft ...
As she speaks we CUT TO:
EXT. 1443 LOCKLIN - RANCHO PALOS VERDES - DAY
A massive house of glass and steel in a fancy
neighborhood. We MOVE FOR THE HOUSE. Over the fine-trimmed
lawn.
SWAY (O.S.)
... and he keeps "Annie' in his
living room... Like a work of art ...
INTO THE SPARTAN LIVING ROOM...
Massive framed Lichtenstein and Haring pieces on the wall
... Surround the yellow ROADSTER, which sits up on a
platform ... Check out JUDGE CROFT, a nasty fat man in his
late 50s ... He sits in the nearly empty room... A complex
system of directional lighting illuminates the Roadster
...
SWAY (O.S.)
She's got 27 miles on her o-dom.
Which is exactly how far away the
custom shop was in 1979 when he
bought her... He drove her home,
never drove her again ...
The judge gazes at the car, admiring its jet-pod
taillamps... A MAID comes in with a tray of tea service
... The maid crosses the Judge's line of sight... Watch
as he curses her out, his face going beet red with fury...
SWAY (O.S.)
The man's a freak...
INT. BACCHIOCHI'S FOREIGN MOTORS
Sway looks at Memphis ...
SWAY
She's trouble --
MEMPHIS
I put the boys on it. They're clever
that way...
She nods ... Long look ...
SWAY
I go with you --
MEMPHIS
That what you want?
SWAY
That's what I want ...
MEMPHIS
Okay.
She hits the Lava soap and starts washing the grease from her
hands ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
I missed you, you know -
SWAY
You mentioned that in your letters
MEMPHIS
I always thought you'd follow me up.
She shuts off the taps ... Towels her hands...
SWAY
We were good when you bailed, weren't we?
MEMPHIS
Very good...
SWAY
Cos there were those dark days, when
I figured - my God, how easy it was
for him to just give it up; to make the
deal; take the rot for the whole crew ...
And give me up in the process.
MEMPHIS
No way ...
SWAY
No ... ?
MEMPHIS
No ...
And he holds out a hand to her ... And she puts her greasesmeared
towel into it ...
SWAY
Don't go getting all warm and fuzzy on me,
Randall. I'm the jane that was left, and
you're the jim that did the leaving. So
save the sanctimonious shit for someone
who believes. The only reason I ride with
you, is cause I don't want to spend the
whole night with any of them other creeps!
MEMPHIS
Oh. Okay. Right.
EXT. BACCHIOCHI'S FOREIGN MOTORS - DAY
Memphis walks out... Going over to the PARKED CAR across the
street ... Castlebeck...
MEMPHIS
I'm on the move -
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Your girl works in there ...
MEMPHIS
Not my girl anymore
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Yet your still here ... I gave
you 24 hours, 24 hours ago ...
MEMPHIS
What do you want from me?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Honestly? I want to - once every
few months - get into my car. Pack
a lunch. And drive on up to Chino.
On visiting day. Bring you some
magazines. Maybe some almond clusters.
And see you all bright and shiny in
your orange jumpsuit. That's what I want ...
And with that, he starts his car ... Drives off... Memphis gazing
after him...
INT. VAN - MOVING - NIGHT
Memphis drives. Kip beside him. They drive in silence. At last
coming to:
EXT. TEN-TON TRANSFER COMPANY - FRONT GATES
A huge trucking company warehouse. Kip gets out. Bolt-cuts the
chain-fence out front.
And Memphis drives on in, passing the long rows of gargantuan
CAR CARRIERS here. He picks one ...
MEMPHIS
This one ...
He slim-jims the door ... But the ALARM goes off ... A wild
whooping alarm ... Deafening... Try as he might, he can't get it
off. He pops the trunk. Looks for wires ... Nothing.
Then, at once, it goes off. Memphis turns. Kip is there. He holds
a little DEVICE.
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
What's that thing -- ?
KIP
Reads the infrared. Then kills it. Little
something the R & D department came up with ...
MEMPHIS
How long were you gonna let me try and
stop it...?
KIP
After a while, it became a little pathetic ...
Figured I'd put you out of your misery ...
MEMPHIS
Thank-you ...
KIP
De nada ...
He gets behind the wheel. Pops the ignition. The truck's flipping
stack belches. Memphis climbs in next to him.
MEMPHIS
Ain't we good-timing here ... ?
KIP
The family that steals together, deals
together...
MEMPHIS
Dad'd be proud --
KIP
Maybe not. But Dad was from another era...
MEMPHIS
What era was that -- ?
KIP
The era when crime didn't pay --
MEMPHIS
As opposed to now, Kid Car Crusher?
KIP
Price of doing business...
MEMPHIS
What about just getting a job, 9 to 5,
five days a week, that whole mystery
achievement -- ?
KIP
It's for assholes. The Legal Buck blows,
Memphis. You know that. Doing this, we
make mad bank, my boys are down, the
girlies come around and the boosts are
a breeze. Yeah, sure, you're gonna get
jacked-up every now and then - but ain't
that a small price to pay for never,
never-ever, having to say "paper or
plastic?"
And he grins and puts the truck into gear. And off they go
INT. OTTO'S AUTO - GARAGE - NIGHT
The Replacements chime in with "Someone Take The Wheel." Memphis
and the crew ... All but Sway are present.
Tumbler and Mirror Man follow Memphis to one side of the shop ...
To a window ... He gestures outside to where we see and UNMARKED
CAR and the orange glow of two cigarettes ... Staking them out ...
MEMPHIS
We've got to shake them tomorrow
night. I'm making that your problem.
That's called delegation of duties.
You like it -- ?
Mirror Man and Tumbler regard the cops ...
MIRROR MAN
Sure, man --
And they follow him back into the garage ...
MEMPHIS
Okay. Tomorrow night it's on. Each
team has been assigned their ladies.
The teams are: me and Sway. Donny
and Freb. Kip and Tumbler. Mirror
Man, you and The Sphinx ...
Mirror Man looks horrified ...
MIRROR MAN
Aw, c'mon, man ...
The Sphinx grins at him...
TOBY
What about me?
MEMPHIS
You'll be at the docks ... Keeping Otto
abreast of our progress ...
TOBY
How come ... ?
MEMPHIS
Because you should be home with
Nintendo, listening to The Spice
Girls, little man ...
TOBY
Come on. Kip, talk to the guy
KIP
There's no talkin' to him --
And Otto and Junie come out with two bottles of champagne and some
paper cups ...
OTTO
(cup raised)
To a safe and successful session of bumping
fenders and trading paint.
Everyone toasts ... Drinks ... Donny goes to the tape deck... Hits
PLAY ... And "Little Deuce Coupe" by The Beach Boys BLASTS.
("Little Deuce Coupe/You don't know what I got...")
And all of our guys dance to it ... Singing along ... Otto dances
with Junie; Tumbler with Toby; even The Sphinx lipsyncs the falsetto
parts ...
BEACH BOYS
"Well, I'm not braggin,' babe So don't put
me down But I got the fastest set of wheels
in town, etc."
Yes, it's the requisite rock-to-an-oldie bit ... But God, it's
fun. As they exorcise some pre-boost jitters. Only Kip stands
aside from the frolic ... We watch them dance and laugh and sing
for a bit ...
And then Atley Jackson is there. And behind him, another Calitri
GOON... And, finally, Calitri himself stands there.
Someone kills the music. They all look at him... Donny and The
Sphinx nod to Atley ...
CALITRI
This is how you're spending my time?
Having a sock hop?
MEMPHIS
Everyone know Ray Calitri? Pillar of the
community ...
CALITRI
Look at this. A multi-generational gathering
of scumbags ...
OTTO
So saith the God of Scumbags --
CALITRI
Hello, Otto. My boys at the dock report no
cars have yet to be delivered. And there's
only one more night ...
OTTO
Getting nervous, Ray? What happens to you, I
wonder, if delivery isn't made?
Calitri ignores him... Looks at Kip ...
CALITRI
With all the free time I've had not
counting cars as they're loaded onto
my ship, I've managed to sand the
cedar inside your box, Kip. This
will protect you from the anaerobic
bacteria, that normally thrives in
an airless; environment. Thus
prolonging decay ...
He smiles ... And Kip actually makes a run for him... Only to be
held back by Tumbler and Donny ...
MEMPHIS
Get out of here, Ray --
CALITRI
One more night --
MEMPHIS
Get out --
CALITRI
I hope you know what you're doing. God help
you if you don't ...
And with that, he leaves, his goons following. Leaving our
crew to stare after him ... And then we FADE TO BLACK...
As a SUPER on-screen reads PART III: SWITCHIN'-TO-GLIDE
INT. HELEN RAINES' HOUSE - GARAGE - DAY
As Memphis goes through some old boxes. At last, he finds what
he's looking for ... Opens it ... He takes out its contents ...
His tools, which we remember from the opening ... And then...
CLOTHING ...
EXT. OTTO'S - DAY
Drycoff and Hawkings wait in their unmarked ...
DRYCOFF
Oh, this is a good time --
He lights another cigarette ... The ashtray is overflowing.
HAWKINGS
How much can one man smoke?
DRYCOFF
It's a crime, ain't it? Cos
Castlebeck's got a bug up his ass over
this guy, I gotta get lung cancer ...
INT. OTTO'S
Mirror Man and Tumbler are at the window Memphis brought them to
last night ... Mirror Man has a RADIO TRANSMITTER in his hand...
Donny comes by ...
DONNY
What are you doing?
TUMBLER
Watch and learn, old-timer --
As Mirror Man points the antennae out the window ... A TOY CAR - a
1970 HEMI 'CUDA replica ... Radio-operated, the car speeds along
the curb outside, using parked cars as cover... She really cooks...
DONNY
The hell are you doing?
MIRROR MAN
Delivering ordnance. Y2K-style.
ANGLE - THE 'CUDA. As it cruises along. Is stopped by a discarded
40 oz. empty... But Mirror Man maneuvers and its back on track ...
At last, parking jammed up to the front, right tire of DRYCOFF AND
HAWKINGS' UNMARKED.
TUMBLER
The Hemi Has Landed --
DONNY
Big deal. Now what?
MIRROR MAN
What we call: fun and shit.
And he hits a button on his radio control ... ANGLE - the model
'Cuda. Wedged in front of the tire. As a quartet of thin steel,
razor-tipped SPIKES thrust out from the Shaker hood ... A fraction
away from the tire's skin ... Mirror Man and Tumbler appear
satisfied ...
TUMBLER
We can go now --
INT. JUDGE CROFT'S GLASS HOUSE - DAY
The one with the Roadster in the living room... The phone RINGS.
The answering machine picks up ... Beeep!
VOICE (O.S.)
Yes, this is a message for Mr. Seymour
Croft, of 1443 Locklin ... This is the
Department of Water and Power and we're
going to be doing some work in your
area tonight ... If you'd please call
us at 555-1877, so we could discuss
the...
INT. OTTO'S - DAY
Freb on this end... He hangs up ...
INT. DISTRICT COURT - DAY
Judge Croft picking up his messages ... Writes down the number ...
Dials ...
INT. CROFT GLASS HOUSE - DAY
In the van. Kip and Toby... Toby's got his lap-top out ... And
they've re-routed the lines into it ... The phone rings ... Kip
answers ...
TOBY
Department of Water and Power. Could you hold
please ...
And before the Judge can respond, they've clicked him on hold...
And they make him wait ... And wait ... Just like the real D.W.P.
does ... They high-five...
TOBY (cont'd)
Where should we put him?
KIP
He's a Judge. He'll only bite for
something pimpy -
At last, Toby answers ...
TOBY
D.W.P. Thanks for holding. How can I
help you?
JUDGE CROFT
I got a message. I live at 1443
Locklin.
TOBY
Yes. can you hold, sir -- ?
JUDGE CROFT
NO! No, I can't! I'm a busy man.
Kip can hear his anger ... Whispers:
KIP
Oooh, she's chafed --
TOBY
okay, sir. Let me just get the-order.
Yes. We'll be doing some work out your
way. We've got a power leak. And it's
unsafe. We're moving residences to
the... Marriott Long Beach ...
Just for the night ...
JUDGE CROFT
Oh, for God's sake
TOBY
I know, sir ...
And Kip pantomimes eating. Toby, at first puzzled, gets it.
TOBY (cont'd)
For the inconvenience we're also
offering a free breakfast brunch --
JUDGE CROFT
Breakfast brunch -- ?
TOBY
Yes, sir -
Pause ... They've got him... Thumbs-up ...
JUDGE CROFT
Okay, then ... I just go to the
Marriott and I'm set ...
TOBY
You've been pre-booked...
And the Judge hangs up ...
TOBY (cont'd)
Goodbye to you, too, assface ...
EXT. OTTO'S - LATER - DAY
They all wait, anxious ... Dressed for their night ... And then
Memphis enters ... Hoots and hollers ...
He's dressed in the old duds. Black turtleneck. Black boots. Black
pants. Long, black, leather duster. Way too cool for school.
Memphis Raines returns...
DONNY ASTRICKY
I miss Orville Redenbacher already --
MEMPHIS
Okay, okay. The important thing to
remember, is to Think Slow. Take
your time. It may not seem like it,
but the night is long. Long enough.
Just think slow and think smart...
EXT. OTTO'S - DUSK
As the crew get into the van... And drive-off ...
INT. DRYCOFF'S UNMARKED
Drycoff starts her up...
DRYCOFF
Let's see what these bastards are up to --
And' he puts her in gear ... And KA-POW! The front tire EXPLODES
... Shredded to rim...
DRYCOFF (cont'd)
What the fu--
He gets out of the car, goes to the front ... In time to see the
little 'Cuda race off down the street after the crew...
DRYCOFF (cont'd)
Those little pricks -- !
ANGLE -- MIRROR MAN. In the back of the van, With his transmitter.
Giggling wildly as the 'Cuda zooms after him.
EXT. LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
The massive seaport, a series of wharves. Commercial SCOWS and
TUGS beast the black water. We should note the enormous 23,000-
ton, 627-foot CONTAINER SHIP, swaying in the harbor. And the giant
shoreside GANTRY CRANE alongside it ...
INT. WAREHOUSE
An expansive warehouse surrounded by chain-link fence ... Enormous
SHIPPING CONTAINERS are here, in which the stolen cars will be
stored. And cartons and cartons of motor oil.
A massive FRONT-END-LOADER will transport each container to the
gantry crane, which will lower it onto the cells in the container
ships' hold...
Each team is ready ... Each has a briefcase containing the tools
of the trade ... Memphis talks into a two-way RADIO ...
MEMPHIS
How we doing, O -- ?
INT. OTTO'S
Otto stands before The Big Board - with all the ladies' names on
it ... On the two-way ...
OTTO
Ready to start erasing. Good luck,
kiddies --
INT. WAREHOUSE
Memphis clicks off ... They climb into 4 Ford Escorts ...
MEMPHIS
Okay. All our ladies should be home
now, tucked in bed. Let's keep chilly.
Think Slow. Any questions?
TOBY
You sure I can't go with ya?
Memphis' ice-water glance is answer enough ...
MEMPHIS
Only use the phones when absolutely
necessary... Otto's default HQ ...
Let's go get 'em...
QUICK SHOTS -
Of the four cars, as each team slaps a tape in their deck:
1) Kip and Tumbler. The tape is Tupac. They bang fists.
2) Donny Astricky and Freb ... Donny's playing Miles Davis.
3) Memphis and Sway ... And Bruce ...
MEMPHIS
Ready -- ?
SWAY
Oh, yeah.
4) Mirror Man and The Sphinx... The Sphinx puts on GLASSES with
attached FAKE NOSE, to cover his gnarled one ...
MIRROR MAN
You should consider always wearing that,
boy...
And he slides his tape into the deck... And, as The Gap Band's
"Burn Rubber On Me" cranks on the track -
Our team goes out... Into the night ... Toby watching after
them... Because they're off ...
EXT. DESERTED PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Tumbler and Kip park the massive CAR CARRIER here ... Kip is
behind him in the Escort... Tumbler gets into the Escort and Kip
drives off ...
EXT. LONG BEACH STREET - NIGHT
Memphis and Sway in the van ... Searching ... He pulls to a stop
... For a Mazda Rx-7 is parked on this quiet, residential ...
Sway gets out ... Eyeballs it ... Comes back...
SWAY
No whistles, but a Club You bring a
hack -- ?
MEMPHIS
No. Open her ...
He parks ... Opens the back of the van ... Sway pulls the Mazda
window ... Gets in ... Ignition-Gizmos her ... The motor now
running ... Waits ... Memphis gets in next to her... He has a
STEERING WHEEL with him.
SWAY
What the hell's that -- ?
MEMPHIS
A little trick I picked up at the Car
Thief Retirement Home ...
He uses his screwdriver to REMOVE four rivets on the Mazda's
Clubbed steering column ... In seconds, the CLUBBED STEERING WHEEL
IS REMOVED, Club still on it. Memphis pops in the steering wheel
he brought, jerry-bangs the rivets ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Let's cruise --
And they do ... Sway rolls down her window ... Tosses something as
they drive off -
ANGLE - THE OLD STEERING WHEEL. "Club" firmly affixed to it. On
the ground, in the Mazda's old parking place...
EXT. LONG BEACH STREETS - TUMBLER AND KIP
as they systematize the cars they're responsible for... Tumbler
drops Kip off by a Porsche ... We recognize it as one of the cars
Mirror Man cut a key for in the valet scam. Kip selects the key
from a series of them hooked into his briefcase. He gets out. Keys
the car. He's in. He's off ...
TUMBLER - meanwhile, has driven to a Volvo C70... He, too, has the
key ... He's in ... He's off ...
EXT. THE CAR CARRIER - PARKING LOT
Kip drives the Porsche onto it, Tumbler enters the lot in the
Volvo. QUICK DISSOLVES as they fill it up... Two Honda Accords,
another Volvo, a Toyota 4-runner, etc.
EXT. COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSE - SAN PEDRO - NIGHT
All is silent. Chainlink fence topped with swirls of lethal-looking
barbed wire. Mirror Man and The Sphinx are here.
Mirror Man goes to the main entry fence doors ... He boltcuts the
chain ... The doors slide open ... They're in ...
EXT. LONG BEACH STREET - NIGHT
A Porsche 911 Cabriolet is parked...
Donny and Freb look at it ...
FREB
Diane 1.
DONNY ASTRICKY
Very good. Think you can get in without
waking her up -- ?
FREB
Yeah.
DONNY ASTRICKY
That's an after-market alarm. Can't
just cut her wires ...
He pops his briefcase ... Takes out some gear ... Gets out ...
Moves for Diane 1 ...
INT. RAINES APARTMENT - NIGHT
Helen Raines is rooting through a crowded closet. At last she
finds what she's looking for ... A small black boxy DEVICE. She
goes to the living room. Plugs in the box ...
It is a POLICE SCANNER... And it immediately starts to pop and caw
... Helen sits down ... And listens... Her face clenched with
worry ...
EXT. SAN PEDRO WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Mirror Man works the thick steel door ... He's got a sledge and
center punch... He knocks the knob off with the sledge and then
goes to work with an ELECTRIC DRILL ...
MIRROR MAN
This is some state-of-the-art shit,
kid. The drill breaks the sockets,
which force back the spindle and release
the lock ...only it doesn't seem to be
working... And The Sphinx is getting
impatient ...
EXT. HARBOR WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Tumbler and Kip pull in with their car carrier ... Full... They
start to unload it ...
INT. OTTO'S
As Otto SWIPES NAMES FROM THE BOARD...
INT. MEMPHIS' VAN - MOVING
Memphis and Sway... They ride in silence ... She busies herself by
looking through the consul. Comes up with a tube of LIPSTICK. Uses
the visor mirror to apply it.
MEMPHIS
Gosh, no. Lipstick? What next? Mascara, blush,
floral-print dresses?
SWAY
Deodorant.
And she looks at him... She's really laid the lipstick on
thick ... But it's oddly effective ...
MEMPHIS
Wow. Bozo, the very sexy clown --
Beat. She looks out the window, throws the following away.
SWAY
So, you seeing anybody?
MEMPHIS
No. I had a girl. She was great. The
problem is: great girls come along once
every ten years. So I gotta wait
another three years before I can even
bother to look...
SWAY
She was so great, why'd you leave her?
MEMPHIS
Her parole officer strongly recommended
it ...
She looks at him... But he's stopped the car... For Kip and
Tumbler are waiting at the side of the street. They get in.
EXT. LONG BEACH STREET - NIGHT
Freb dead-shorts the alarm system, grounding it out on the car's
own metal surface, just like they taught him... He's in the
Porsche ... It's just that he can't figure out how to get her
started ... The passenger door opens ... Donny...
DONNY ASTRICKY
What's the matter?
FREB
It's all microchips and shit ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Yeah?
He holds up a screwdriver. Jams it in the steering column.
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
I don't care what kind of car
it is. How fancy; how expensive;
how new. You pop the collar -
it's 1966 all over again ... !
He pops the collar - exposing an ordinary ignition system.
FREB
Cool ...
INT. MEMPHIS' VAN - MOVING - NIGHT
Memphis drives ... Sway, Kip, Tumbler with him...
KIP
So we loaded all of the keyed cars up and
dropped 'em ... It was cake ... 8 cars,
ba-da-bing ...
Memphis looks at him in the rear-view ...
MEMPHIS
Having fun, Kip?
KIP
Hell, yeah... It's a beautiful business ...
(realizes his gaffe)
I mean, no, man, it's hard, it's scary,
it sucks ...
Memphis looks at Sway, shakes his head... Kills the lights ... And
they pull in to
EXT. SAN PEDRO WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Where Mirror Man is still struggling with the lock, his drills
and punches, scattered about ...
MIRROR MAN
Just give me another --
only The Sphinx shoves him aside ... Pulls the GUN from his
holster and BLANG! blasts open the lock...
Mirror Man stares at the opened door ...
MIRROR MAN
Oh, I get it: old school.
And Memphis and the others drive up ...
MEMPHIS
How's it going?
MIRROR MAN
It's going fine. The Quiet Riot and me are
swapping trade secrets ...
And in they go --
INT. WAREHOUSE
Dark as pitch. Flashlights come on. To reveal
ROW UPON ROW OF GLEAMING FERRARIS
Old and new models. Daytonas and Boxers and Dinos and
Testarossas. There must be at least fifty of them here.
Flashlight beams dance over car after car. It's a treasure chest
of automotive jewels ... All of our heroes are in awe. And then a
soft whimpering. They turn. To see Sway, overcome with emotion.
SWAY
It's just... so... beautiful ...
And it is Kip that puts an arm around her ... She sobs into his
chest ... Never taking her eyes from the array of Italian grace
... Indeed, they are all in something of trance. Memphis is the
first one out --
MEMPHIS
C'mon, gang. Let's focus. Sway, can
you prep 'em -- ?
SWAY
I think so... They're just... So ...
MEMPHIS
I know. But let's prep 'em. We could
stay here all night... That wouldn't
be good --
The others are still gazing ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Let's go, people --
And they set to work...
EXT. NIGHT CLUB PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Donny Astricky and Freb have accessed a '61 Jag... Watch as Donny
takes out 3 screws in the Jag's ignition and removes the whole
thing ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
So? Tell me: how come they call you
"Freb" anyways -- ?
FREB
C'mon, man ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
We're partners here --
Freb considers ... Then, reluctantly --
FREB
My names "Fred." You know: Frederick?
One drunk night, I decided to give
myself a tattoo. Hot needle it. I
used a mirror to guide me ...
And he pulls up his sleeve - to show the blue "FREB" tattooed
there ...
FREB (cont'd)
The mirror messed me up with the "b" and
the "d"... Everything's reversed, you
know? Now, I'm "Freb."
Donny chooses from a selection of IGNITIONS he's brought along.
Finds the right one ... Installs it ... Tightens the 3 screws ...
Starts the car with his own key ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Glad to know you, "Freberick." Let's
roll -
And off they go ...
INT. SAN PEDRO WAREHOUSE
Sway sets to prepping the cars ... The others wait nearby. Memphis
walks over to where Kip sits ...
MEMPHIS
You okay -- ?
KIP
I'm cool.
Memphis looks at his watch...
KIP (cont'd)
We gonna make it?
MEMPHIS
Too early to tell. Nervous?
KIP
Nah.
MEMPHIS
That's strange. I'm nervous. Donny's nervous.
Everyone's nervous. But not you...
KIP
I dunno. Whatever will be will be...
MEMPHIS
That's a good attitude, Kip. For
everything but stealing cars ...
Before Kip can respond, the signature throaty ROAR of Ferrari
fills the room, as Sway's got one started --
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Showtime --
INT. SAN PEDRO WAREHOUSE - QUICK CUTS
as Sway gets the Ferraris started, her skill readily apparent ...
And each man - Kip, Tumbler, Mirror Man, The Sphinx - climb behind
the wheel and ROAR OFF...
INT. HARBOR WAREHOUSE
Toby watches as the Ferraris are driven in. He radios Otto.
INT. OTTO'S - THE BIG BOARD
as the four corresponding names are ERASED...
EXT. TOWNHOUSE - NEWPORT BEACH - A MASERATI BOOMERANG
glowing silver; cool wedge shape, 15-degree angled windscreen; the
definition of sleek. Memphis and Sway, in the van, roll up to the
Maserati.
MEMPHIS
Hello, Tracy...
Except that a MAN comes out of the house ... Mid-20s, silk shirt,
long, leather Prada coat ... Persian'dude ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Shit.
The man climbs into the Maserati. Memphis follows...
EXT. HARBOR TOWERS - CONDO COMPLEX - ROOFTOP LOT
Lots of high-end cars. Mirror Man and The Sphinx search the rows
... At last coming to -
MIRROR MAN
Gina -- !
The 188 Lamborghini Countach... They move for it... Stop ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Check it --
He gettures to the LICENSE PLATE. It reads "SNAKE"...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Oooh. "Snake." Tough guy. "Snake."
Homeboy wants you to call him: Snaake-!
They crack up ... Size her ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
No whistles ... That's weird...
He shrugs ... They slim-jim her "beetle-wing" articulated door ...
Climb in ... The Sphinx starts her up ... Mirror Ma gets in beside
him... The seats are sooo low ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
This shit's on point. Check it: 200.
He gestures to the speedometer ... Calibrated to 200 MPH..
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
Halfway there, we switch. I drive.
The Sphinx shrugs ... And they head out ...
MIRROR MAN (O.S.)
Say goodbye to your ride, Snake...
EXT. BACK BAY STREET - NIGHT
Memphis and Sway have followed the Maserati to another building...
Idles ... Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" croons.
MEMPHIS
What's this guy up to -- ?
After a beat, a WOMAN comes out ... She gets into the car.
SWAY
It's 1:30 on a Tuesday. Is that any
time to pick a girl up for a date?
The Maserati's lights go off... He's parked...
SWAY (cont'd)
What, are they gonna mack -- ?
Yeah. The couple start kissing. Memphis checks his watch
SWAY (cont'd)
Maybe she's got a roommate...
Beat ... They watch the couple in the Maserati for a beat.
INT. OTTO'S
Junie, Otto's gal, on the telephone...
JUNIE
... that's right. They'll be in the
lobby of the Riviera Building. 2206
Beacon Street. Palos Verdes ...
And we go to --
EXT. RIVIERA BUILDING - PALOS VERDES
And see a LINCOLN LIMOUSINE pull up outside this posh apartment
building... The DRIVER gets out ... Heads to the lobby ... We see
Kip and Tumbler step out from the shadows across the street ...
climb into the limo... Drive off ...
INT. LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH - MOVING - NIGHT
The Sphinx drives ... Mirror Man pops in his tape ... Albert
King's "Drivin' Wheel."
MIRROR MAN
That's what I'm talkin' about -- !
He boogies down. The Sphinx is bewitched, awed by the car's
magnificent power. But then Mirror Man SCREAMS -- ! With pure
terror. For, at his feet, wrapped around his legs, is
A BOA CONSTRICTOR - some 8-feet long... A mass of heavilykeeled
scales shimmering on coiled muscle ... Mirror Man screams on and
on...
The Sphinx swerves wildly... Racing through a red light. Barely
missing an on-coming BUS ... Passing a pair of COPS coming out of
a 7-11. They hop into their unit. Give chase.
EXT. NEWPORT BEACH - THE MASERATI
The Persian man and his date ... Mackin' hard... Behind them
Memphis and Sway wait in the Mazda. Memphis is on the cell
MEMPHIS
... okay, check with you soon ...
He hangs up ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Otto says 22 ladies have reported for
work...
Sway nods ... The Maserati's windows are fully-steamed...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Man, they're going at it
SWAY
They're in love ...
Long beat ... He looks at her ...
MEMPHIS
What about you?
She looks at him... Shrugs...
SWAY
You remember my Gramma? Yeah. I was
thinking. If she were alive. And she
asked me. If she came down, right now.
Asked me. "What do you do, Sara?
What's your life?" Innocently.
Nonjudgemental. I think it would break
her heart if I said I was a thief. I
steal cars, Gramma. And even though,
hey, I learned it all from her son.
My Uncle Eddie. Who taught me the basics.
Which you refined. (You remember Randall,
Gramma? You thought he was neat. Well,
he refined the basics ... ). I don't
think that's what she hoped for me...
She looks at him ...
SWAY (cont'd)
But ... That said... Car thieves are my
weakness ... It's all so terribly Loretta
Lynn or something, I know... But ... I
don't wanna be a thief anymore ... I don't
wanna love a thief anymore ... I want to
wear a dress maybe once in a while... Maybe
have a kid... Watch a lot of Audrey Hepburn
movies.. And think about my Gramma without
also thinking "shame on me. Shame on
me. Shame on me... "
She looks at him... He leans into her ... Kisses her... Tentative
at first ... Then... With urgency...
INT. G.R.A.B. FORCE OFFICE - NIGHT
Phones ringing like mad... Drycoff walks into Castlebeck's
office...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
It's an epidemic, Rollie ... I'm
getting reports every five minutes ...
INT. THE MAZDA - BACK BAY - NIGHT
As "Little Red Corvette" by Prince warbles on the track... Memphis
and Sway still kissing... She breaks it for:
SWAY
Arright ... Enough ... I can't have you
bellying up to my heart again, man, f
you can't help falling off the stool.
But he puts his mouth to her ears ...
MEMPHIS
Shhh... Car thieves are your weakness.
Whispers ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
I approach you. It's quiet. I look
this way. That. No one around ...
SWAY
Stop. What about Maserati Boy?
MEMPHIS
I take out my slim-jim...
SWAY
Oh, God...
And yes, this is patently absurd. But it's also oddly sexy.
MEMPHIS
Slip it in ...
SWAY
You're going high-cheese, dude --
MEMPHIS
Unlock your button ...
SWAY
"Unlock my button" ... ?
MEMPHIS
The alarms go off ...
SWAY
Woo-woo-wooooo!
MEMPHIS
I pop your hood; find your siren wires
SWAY
They're factory alarms ... Easy to get
around... For a man with... Skills...
MEMPHIS
I do ... I cut "em...
SWAY
Cut 'em...
MEMPHIS
Now... I'm in ...
SWAY
Of course you are. You're a
professional...
MEMPHIS
I ratchet your ignition mechanism ...
SWAY
I bet you say that to all the girls...
MEMPHIS
With a twist of my wrist ... You're turned
over ...
SWAY
Wrong preposition...
MEMPHIS
Hear you roar ...
SWAY
What about The Club ... ?
MEMPHIS
Let me worry about The Club ...
SWAY
No worries ...
MEMPHIS
I've got you floored... We're off ...
Take the curb... Man, can you corner...
Know not to get on it ... Momentum
shift ... Don't get on those brakes
too hard ... Get her up on her
tires. Up on her toes. Up ... Up...
Up.
Back arched... A small moan escapes her ... Prince wails ... And
Sway has achieved whatever kind of silly climax they aspired to
here... She flops back down... Looks at him...
SWAY
You're still quite the boost, Randall
Raines ...
(he shrugs)
Except now I've been chopped, and my
parts are in a Honda Prelude being driven
to church in South America by some
Bolivian consulate's wife ...
MEMPHIS
And Tracy's on the move ...
Indeed, the girl has gotten out of the Maserati... And the car has
rocketed off... Memphis punches the gas,'sending Sway to the floor...
SWAY
Wham, bam, thank-you, Ma'am, point-
five ...
PRE-LAP Alice Cooper's "Under My Wheels" and SLAM CUT TO:
EXT. LONG BEACH STREETS - NIGHT
CLOSE UP OF THE "SNAKE" LICENSE PLATE as its ass-end fishtails
like a bastard... The Sphinx is outrunning what is now a
half-dozen CRUISERS ...
INT. COUNTACH - MIRROR MAN
is freaking out ... The snake wrapped all around him...
MIRROR MAN
What do I do? What do I do? Aw, man.
He's gonna swallow my shit whole
Let's go to a hospital or something!
But The Sphinx shakes his head. No.
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
C'mon, you creepy no-nosed motherfucker.
Take me to a hospital!
Nope. The Sphinx drives on... Into yet another
DIRECTOR'S CHASE SCENE
This one even cooler than the last ... And once they've eluded all
of the police, The Sphinx pulls over to the side of a DARKENED
STREET...
MIRROR MAN
What are you doing? I'm gonna die!
The Sphinx leans over... And PINCHES THE SNAKE BEHIND THE BACK OF
THE HEAD...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
You tryin' to make him more mad?
But, miraculously, the snake RELAXES ITS GRIP on Mirror Man... And
slithers off... To the back of the car ... Where it immediately
goes back to sleep ... Mirror Man stares at Sphinx, who smiles
genially. Then:
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
I never thought it'd be possible:
but your ass just got spookier ...
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
Freb and Donny Astricky have gotten "Laura", a '99 Bentley
started...
FREB
You ever feel bad about any of this?
DONNY ASTRICKY
Of course not. I'm Robin Hood. I take
from the rich, and give to the needy...
FREB
You mean the poor --
DONNY ASTRICKY
No. The needy. Us. Cos we need this
car!
And Donny puts her in gear, When a GUN is jammed agains't Donny's
temple ...
JACKER
Out of the car, bitch, or I blow your
fucking head off -- !
Donny looks at the jacker... Surprised... It is a KID ... No more
than 16 ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
Are you kidding me -- ?
JACKER
NOW -- !
DONNY ASTRICKY
I'm stealing this car. So BACK OFF!
JACKER
I'll shoot you fool... I'LL BLOW YOUR
BRAINS OUT -- !
FREB
Donny --
DONNY ASTRICKY
Donny-nothin'!
And he SLAMS OPEN THE DOOR... catching the kid in the balls ...
And the kid doubles over... Dropping the gun ... Donny gets out of
the car...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Lazy, disrespectinIf half-assed
bully. Any asshole can pull a gun ...
And he starts to kick at the kid ... Beat at him...
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
You don't know how to steal a
car, do ya? So you gotta take
them when there's already a key
in them ... And a person in them...
Scare people ... Intimidate ...
Little freakin' bully ...
FREB
C'mon, Donny... Let's go, man --
DONNY ASTRICKY
Lazy ... Lazy ... I ask you, Freb:
what's the matter with kids today?
But then - BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Bullets rip into Donny Astricky in
terrifying SLOW-MOTION. He turns ... To see another KID ...
Scared... At the edge of the road... Gat held high ... And Donny
drops to the pavement ... And the first Jacker gets to his feet...
Freb goes to Donny... To his splayed-out body ... SIRENS split the
night. The jackers run off down the street.
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Get outta here. Get out. Now!
FREB
I can't leave you here, man --
Freb doesn't know what to do... Donny croaks ...
DONNY ASTRICKY
I'm all right. Been shot before. You
take me to the hospital, they bust the
both of us. The cops'll take me. Go!
And Freb-makes to run off down the street... But --
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Freb -- !
Freb turns back
DONNY ASTRICKY (cont'd)
Take Laura with you, you stupid shit!
Freb blinks. Nods. Oh, yeah. He climbs into the Bentley Drives off...
As the CRUISERS pull up around him... And the UNIFORMS getout, guns
drawn, approaching warily -
To find Donny Astricky ... Splayed-out on the pavement ...
Laughing at the moon ... And, as Jimi Hendrix' "Crosstown Traffic"
BLASTS ON TRACK, we CUT TO:
of the final series of boosts ...
1) The Maserati parked and empty. Sway breaches it.
Expert. They drive off ...
2) Kip and Tumbler. Clocking a VIPER. They circle it..
It's loaded with bells and whistles and Clubs and a
metallic voice that warns: "WARNING: YOU ARE TOO CLOSE THE
VEHICLE!" over and over ... Kip shakes his head ...
Ushers Tumbler back ...
3) Mirror Man and The Sphinx deliver an Aston Martin to the docks
... Watch as it is driven into a container. The container loaded
by gantry crane, onto the ship, lashed to the deck by overworked
LONGSHOREMEN...
4) Helen Raines. Looking out the window. Listening to
the scanner for word of her boys...
5) The Big Board. Female names disappearing like dust..
6) Castlebeck and Drycoff. Cruising the streets.
Searching ...
7) Kip and Tumbler return to The Viper. This time, in a RAMP
TRUCK. They raise the ramp. Tie down the Viper. A drive off with
it, to be disarmed at a later, safer venue as it continues its
robotic exhortation of "WARNING. YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE
VEHICLE." Over and over again ...
8) All our teams... Speeding toward us ... In different
cars ... As the MUSIC FADES and we END MONTAGE
EXT. 1443 LOCKLIN - JUDGE CROFT'S GLASS HOUSE - NIGHT
Where "Annie" the 137 Roadster lives as an objet d'art.
FIGURES in the thicket surrounding the property. Memphis,
Sway, Kip, Tumbler, Mirror Man, The Sphinx...
Mirror Man has the mansion's ELECTRICAL BOX opened... He' going
through the wires ... Cutting alarm, phone, etc.
Memphis is on the cell phone... Face grim... He hangs up.
MEMPHIS
Donny got shot ... A jacker ...
SWAY
How is he -- ?
MEMPHIS
They got him to the hospital. He's stable ...
Beat ... As they all reflect on this...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
On a brighter note: 47 ladies have
checked in for their South American
sea cruise -
This cheers them slightly. Until, from the electrical box:
MIRROR MAN
Got it -- !
And the few remaining lights of 1443 flicker and fade ... They
regard the house for a beat ...
SWAY
Now what -- ?
No one's quite sure ... They look at the house ... At all that
glass ... Then Kip walks to their car ...
KIP
Pop the trunk, Tumbler.
TUMBLER
What for -- ?
KIP
I gotta get my tool --
And Tumbler and Mirror Man look at each other ...
MIRROR MAN
No way, homes ...
Too late. The trunk is popped. Kip reaches in. Comes up with, yes,
another BRICK ... And Kip walks toward the house. Toward the vast
windows ...
MIRROR MAN (cont'd)
(to Memphis)
Ya' gotta stop him, man --
But Kip forges on, indomitable ... Only he passes the huge glass
windows ... Walking, instead, up to the front door ... And he
SMASHES the brick down onto the DOORKNOB. Knocking it clean off...
Looks back at the others with a wink. And enters the house...
Tumbler runs after him...
INT. 1443 LOCKLIN
Kip walks through the dark house ... At last, coming to the living
room... To "Annie'. He gets behind the wheel ... Her ignition is
quick work. He's got her started, loud, in the quiet house. She
coughs a bit; it's been a long time. Tumbler is there...
TUMBLER
Now what -- ?
KIP
Now, we go -
And he drives her off the platform. Tumbler directs him...
TUMBLER
This way... This way... This...
Her nose bumps a zillion-dollar VASE, which topples and shatters...
TUMBLER (cont'd)
That way...
And Tumbler climbs in beside him... Kip drives her around the huge
living room... And Kip punches the gas ...
And they drive the Roadster down the hall ... And right through
the OPEN DOOR... Driving down onto the lawn ... Up to their
cohorts ...
KIP
See ya back at the ranch, kids -- !
And off they go ... Vanishing down the street ... The others watch
after him ... Mirror Man to Memphis:
MIRROR MAN
Gotta tell ya, man: since you been back?
You've had a real calming influence on
ol' Kip...
INT. G.R.A.B. TASK FORCE OFFICE - NIGHT
Drycoff comes into Castlebeck's office ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
They just brought in Donny Astricky.
Shot by a jacker ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
How is he?
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
He'll live. But it means your boy's
behind it. Astricky was holding a list.
They just faxed it to us...
He hands Castlebeck the list. Calitri's 50. Castlebeck notes the
last entry...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Let's get out there. And have them
run down every 167 Shelby Mustang in
the area ... Find out where they're at.
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
What for?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
You spend enough time down a man's
throat, you get to know his tonsils.
Do it ...
INT. WAREHOUSE - LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
Kip and Tumbler deliver the Roadster. Toby checks it in.
KIP
Any more ...
TOBY
I dunno ...
And Kip gets on the two-way...
KIP
Any more, O -- ?
OTTO (O.S.)
You guys are through...
KIP
Whatcha got left ... ?
OTTO (O.S.)
"Carol." A 198 Mercedes ... She lives
in the suburbs ...
KIP
We'll take it...
OTTO (O.S.)
It's ear-marked for Mirror Man and The
Sphinx...
KIP
We'll take it.
And they climb in behind a waiting Jeep Cherokee ...
KIP (cont'd)
Later, Toby --
But Toby's not around...
KIP (cont'd)
Toby?
No answer... Kip shrugs... And off they go ...
EXT. RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD - CHESTNUT HILL - NIGHT
A nice neighborhood... Upper middle class ... So damn suburban you
can practically smell the gas grills ... A NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY
PATROL CAR glides by them...
TUMBLER
Gettin' fancy... Got their own palace
guard -
When, from the back of the Jeep:
TOBY
I never been to the suburbs ...
Toby is there ... Having stowed-away...
TUMBLER
What are you doing here, assface?
TOBY
Checkin' it out
He smiles at Kip ... Kip looks at Tumbler ... Drives ... At last,
pulling up to one HOUSE where the '98 Benz - "'Carol" lives. Kip
parks, a half block down ... They get out ... Head for the
house...
And there she is. "Carol." Obsidian black. In the
garage. The garage is open. And THREE KIDS, two boys and a
girl. Late teens. They are standing around "Carol"...
Drinking beer... Listening to the new Beck album on the
car's CD player ... The folks clearly out of town ...
Well-scrubbed, white suburban children of plenty ... The only crew
they've ever run in is J. Crew... From the hedge, Kip, Tumbler and
Toby watch the kids ... With equal parts fascination, loathing,
envy... And then, the kids go inside... Leaving "Carol" exposed...
TOBY
I got this one...
And before the others can respond, he moves for her. And she's
open... Toby's in ... Butterfly popped - Gizmo in. The others start
to get in when ONE OF THE KIDS comes out from the house. He stares
at Toby, who freezes mid-boost ...
KIP (cont'd)
(whispered hiss)
Get her started, man -- !
And Toby does... And slams her in reverse. And they're off
INT. WAREHOUSE -LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
The group - - Memphis, Sway, Freb, Mirror Man, and The Sphinx
- has returned... The final cars loaded onto the ship ...
Memphis looks out into the night --
MEMPHIS
C'mon, Kip -
EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREETS - "CAROL" - MOVING - NIGHT
Toby drives them out, Kip shotgun, Tumbler in the back. But the
suburbs are confusing. They can't find their way out.
TOBY
Which way's out, man -- ?
TUMBLER
Shit all looks the same here --
They drive. Only up ahead, blocking the street, LIGHTS blinding...
Are TWO SECURITY PATROL CARS - SECURITY COPS on the strong ...
Guns drawn...
KIP
Shit ...
TUMBLER
Run it...
Toby looks to Kip...
KIP
No...
TOBY
What am I supposed to do?
Toby pins the gas. Straight at the block... The security cops dive
out of the way. Except for one standing tall and FIRING into the
windshield... Into Toby... The car swerves. Going off the road.
Into a bank of mailboxes.
The security guards run for her... Kip, forehead bloodied,
switches places with Toby, getting behind the wheel ... Punches
the gas ... Getting them out of there ...
INT. "CAROL" - MOVING - NIGHT
Kip drives like a wild man ... Toby is bleeding something fierce...
Shot in the chest...
TOBY
Jesus, Kip ... I'm shot, man ...
KIP
Just hold on... Hold on ...
TUMBLER
What are we gonna do -- ?
KIP
Hospital.
TUMBLER
We can't do that, dude --
Kip looks at Tumbler ... They both look at Toby...
EXT. WAREHOUSE -LONG BEACH HARBOR - NIGHT
As the 'Vette comes screaming into the warehouse ... Kip exploding
out of it ... Getting into the back. Memphis goes to the car, sees
Toby ... Front of his shirt covered in blood ... The others gather
around...
MIRROR MAN
Jesus ...
Memphis climbs into the car ... Kip is holding Toby...
KIP
I didn't know... Should we take him to
a hospital? I didn't know. I didn't.
Toby is clearly dying in Kip's arms...
TOBY
Kip. Kip. Kip. Tell me: what's
gonna happen? What's gonna happen?
But Kip is lost ... Doesn't know what to say --
MEMPHIS
You're gonna be okay, Toby... You are ...
We'll getcha fixed up...
TOBY
No ... No... No ... Tell me what's
gonna happen? Kip? Tell me. What's
gonna happen?
The brothers stare at the boy... Kip wipes his sweatstreaked face...
TOBY (cont'd)
What's gonna happen? I don't feel ...
like ... this ... should.... happen ...
right ... now. I...haven't... done ...
shit... Tears running down his eyes...
KIP
Shhhhhh, shhhhh ...
Kip looks to his brother for help ...
MEMPHIS
Call 911 -
MIRROR MAN
Call 'em here -- ?
MEMPHIS
DO IT! NOW -- !
And Mirror Man scurries for the phone... Toby's breathing comes
out in short staccato bursts ...
TOBY
Kip... Kip... Kip... It doesn't
feel... It doesn't feel... It doesn't
feel... good
He looks up at Kip. All of the light goes out of his eyes. And
Toby is dead... Kip holds him for a beat ... Then passes him to a
surprisingly emotional Tumbler ... Kip gets out of the car, runs
for the opposite end of the warehouse ...
The others are stunned... Mirror Man hangs up the phone ...
Memphis gets out of the car ... He goes after Kip ... Finds him in
one of the containers ... Grabs him by the collars ...
MEMPHIS
What did I tell you? What? What did
I tell you?
KIP
I don't know. What -- ?
And Kip looks at him... Tears fall from the younger boy's eyes ...
And Kip looks so lost ... So like a little kid...
MEMPHIS
Come here --
KIP
What?
MEMPHIS
Come here -
KIP
What?
MEMPHIS
Come here -
And Kip does ... He walks to Memphis ... And Memphis puts his arms
around him... And that's it. The floodgates open. Kip begins to
sob. Deep, painful, racking sobs. And then:
KIP
I've missed you, man ...
MEMPHIS
I know. I've missed you, too
And they hold each other ...
KIP
Toby...
MEMPHIS
I know ...
KIP
Toby...
And they stay in the embrace... And then Memphis unwraps Kip's
arms from around him...
MEMPHIS
Stay here. Stay here a while. I'll
be back ...
Kip nods, sniffles ... Memphis walks out of the container ... He
strides up to the others ... Glances at Toby's clipboard, with all
the cars crossed-out ... He goes to Sway...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
Give me a ride -- ?
SWAY
Where to -- ?
MEMPHIS
Kip's not clear yet. We got one more
to go --
And she nods ... And climbs into one of the Escorts... And off
they go ... The others standing around the 'Vette and Toby's
body...
ANGLE - THE CLIPBOARD. One car left. Eleanor.
As a SUPER on-screen reads: PART IV: DREAMS OF YOU
EXT. INTERNATIONAL TOWERS - DAWN
The sun just starting to take all the purple from the night ...
Detectives Castlebeck and Drycoff are parked across from the
towers in their unmarked...
Sway pulls up a few blocks away ... Memphis has put on a fake
moustache, wig, necktie ...
SWAY
You okay -- ?
MEMPHIS
Yeah ... You -- ?
She nods ... He looks at her ...
MEMPHIS (cont'd)
You should know: walking away from my
mother, my brother, this town. Was
hard. Walking away from you. Nearly
killed me...
And she smiles sadly ...
SWAY
I know ...
She takes his hand ... Squeezes it ...
SWAY (cont'd)
Good luck...
Memphis, now in gray flannel suit, wig and moustache, steps out.
As he heads for the Tower garage...
IN THE UNMARKED
Drycoff is on the radio ... Binoculars up, on the Escort's license
plate - 635 CKG ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
(into radio)
One-Baker-11 ... 10-28-29...California
6-3-5 Charles King George.
They wait ... Sway drives off ...
RADIO (O.S.)
One-Baker-11. 6-3-5 Charles King
George. No want. Not on file...
INT. INTERNATIONAL TOWERS GARAGE
Memphis walks along the cars ... At last, he finds her --
Eleanor.
EXT. INTERNATIONAL TOWERS - DAY
Castlebeck and Drycoff ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Check it out --
He points ... The '67 Mustang appears at the top of the garage
ramp ... Brakes ... Waiting for the light ... Castlebeck squints...
Raises the binocs ... Tough to tell.. Memphis drifts into the stream
of traffic ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF (cont'd)
What do you think -- ?
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Let's see what he's about --
Drycoff hits the lights and sirens ... Memphis sees the car behind
him...
MEMPHIS
Shit ...
And kicks it into gear...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Hey, now -- !
He pins it ... And THE RACE IS ON... In the biggest way possible.
This is the grand-daddy of chase scenes here, so we won't take the
easy way out. We'll actually script it ... Memphis races out onto
the busy street, Drycoff on his ass.
Drycoff pulls up alongside him... So they can see him. But the wig
and moustache prevent them from recognizing Memphis ... Other cars
suffer from the pursuit ... They go careening into parked cars,
storefronts, Harvard Square ...
Memphis side-swipes Drycoff's car ... Memphis drives down the
Memorial Drive OFF-RAMP, against traffic
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
1 Baker 11, in pursuit following
collision with suspect. Suspect
is male, white, 40-45, six feet,
175 pounds, gray hair, gray
moustache, dark suit ... T.A.'s have
occurred...
Memphis races her down an alleyway... And we HEAR, as we will
throughout, the VOICE of the
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Switch to open channel 3. All units
stand-by.
POLICE DISPATCH (cont'd)
1 Baker 11 in pursuit of a '67 Ford
Mustang, license in the 6th column -
614 HSO. Repeat: 6-1-4 Harry Sam
Ocean. Westbound on Memorial Drive,
against traffic ...
Eleanor races past The Queen Mary ... crossing the bridge into
Long Beach ... She flies down the street ... Memphis, removing his
wig and moustache as he goes... Another POLICE CAR has joined
Drycoff and Castlebeck...
INT. KISS-108 RADIO STATION - DAY
The jocular drive-time jock MATTY IN THE MORNING - is broadcasting
in his studio ...
MATTY IN THE MORNING
We're getting reports that a big
police chase has started right near
our humble studios ... We'll keep
you posted...
EXT. ELEANOR - MOVING - MEMPHIS
Has the radio on ... Hears Matty ... He serpentines his way
through the tangle of alleys...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. Stand-by to copy. 167 Mustang
is silver in color. One occupant. California
license 6-1-4 Henry Sam Ocean. Reason for
pursuit is unknown.
Drycoff does his best to follow. Another CRUISER has joined up.
Memphis is driving like Richard Petty...
INT. LONG BEACH POLICE STATION - DAY
Two dozen COPS sit in the muster room listening to the dispatch.
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
... Suspect is headed southbound
on Mount Vernon, at Cambridge Street --
The cops look at each other. Holy shit! And race for the exit.
Because Mt. Vernon and Cambridge is the address of
THE LONG BEACH POLICE STATION
where there are literally 15 POLICE CARS parked out front... And
Memphis has just arrived...
MEMPHIS
Shit ...
Watch the mad scramble as COPS dive into their units... And try to
get out of each other's way... Fenders crunch ... Cops curse.
Memphis bootlegs - going reverse down the wrong way. Left on
Cambridge ... Left onto City Hall Plaza --
CITY HALL PLAZA
is 10 ACRES OF BRICK in the heart of downtown ... And now it's
like a demolition derby... As Drycoff/Castlebeck and some 4 SQUAD CARS
are chasing Memphis around the Plaza ...
A POLICE CHOPPER has arrived on the scene... Camera out. Memphis
takes one more spin around the plaza, then sees a
SHALLOW FLIGHT OF STAIRS by the back entrance to City.Hall. And he
takes them... CLUMP-KUMP-KA-DUMP-DUMP-DUMP
And now he's on some of the narrowest streets in Long Beach. He
flies through them... A mad mouse in a maze ... INT. KISS-108 -
MATTY IN THE MORNING
watches the chase on TV, via Copter-cam. Still broadcasting.
MATTY IN THE MORNING
Man, is this boy driving! You go,
Boss Barracuda
EXT. FREEWAY
Memphis races along He's got 4 SQUAD CARS ON HIM
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Attention all units. Pursuit is now
southbound on the 33 from the
construction area on Kneeland
Street; all units in the area assist.
Code 3.
He takes the Kneeland Street exit... And he's run out of road at
A SHOPPING DISTRICT
where vehicle traffic ends. Foot traffic only ... Here com the
cops... Memphis spins the wheel ... And he drives onto PUBLIC PARK...
Across the grounds ... Past the dew-drenched flora and the paddle
boats lolling on the lagoon ...
Only there are SQUAD CARS coming from this side too... And he's
pinned. Police on the perimeters, He slows to a stop.
Cops jump out of their cars, guns drawn. Memphis in the center.
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. Pursuit has terminated at
The Garden Park. Repeat --
And Castlebeck is on the BULLHORN:
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
(amplified)
You in the car. The area is
surrounded. I want you out to step
from the vehicle. Hands on your head.
Memphis considers his options ... He sees the FOOT BRIDGE over the
lagoon ... Hears the radio ...
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
Is our boy done? Has The
Boss Barracuda been grounded -- ?
Memphis takes out his cell phone ... Dials...
INT. KISS-108
The COORDINATING PRODUCER comes into the booth ...
PRODUCER
Some guy's on the phone for you,
Matty. Claims to be The Boss
Barracuda ...
Matty scrambles for the phone --
MATTY IN THE MORNING
Hello -- ?
INT. ELEANOR - PARK
Memphis in the middle of the gauntlet ... On the phone ...
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
Is this The Boss Barracuda -- ?
MEMPHIS
Yes, sir.
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
How you doing, man -- ?
MEMPHIS
The truth is - my car here doesn't
have a tape deck. You mind hooking me
with up with some driving tunes ?
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
You got it, brother.
Memphis hangs up ... Hears:
MATTY IN THE MORNING (O.S.)
This one is going out to
The Boss Barracuda. Catch him
if you can --
And he plays Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place To Go" And
Memphis smiles ...
MEMPHIS
Attaboy --
And punches the gas ... Going right at Castlebeck and the others
... Smashing through the squad cars ... And ACROSS THE FOOT
BRIDGE, over the swan boats ...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. The pursuit is going
again
Is it ever. Memphis drives out of the park.. And gets onto
ANOTHER FREEWAY
Ten lanes of gnarly superhighway ... He opens her up... Full
throttle ... The chopper above him ...
INT. OTTO'S SALVAGE - DAY
The gang is watching on the TV... Freaking out ... ANGLE - KIP. He
slips out of the place. No one's noticed him go...
EXT. FREEWAY - TOLL BOOTH
ahead. Eleanor crashes the gate going 98, to borrow a
phrase. But he' s driving too close to the shoulder, and he
SMASHES INTO A LIGHT POLE -- ! The car does a 180 ...
Landing with a horrible THUD ... And here come the cops ...
Memphis is wobbly... Looks like he's almost through. Thirty cop
cars idle behind him...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Attention: suspect has T.A.'d with light
pole at the Carson Street offramp ...
Pursuit has terminated... And Chuck Berry
has come to an And Matty obliges with
Golden Earring's "Radar Love" ... And
this seems to rouse our boy... Because he
gets her started again ...
MEMPHIS
Thanks, brother
Spins her around... And goes
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
That is negative. Pursuit has not
terminated. Repeat: not terminated.
CASTLEBECK AND DRYCOFF
climb back into their car ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Who is this friggin' guy -- ?
CLOSE ON - CASTLEBECK. Because he's got a sick feeling who.
ELEANOR
takes an exit ... And speeds on through the with everyone in
pursuit ...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Attention all units. Road block being
set up at the eastern terminus of the
Long Beach Harbor Tunnel. Use caution.
EXT. HARBOR TUNNEL EASTERN TERMINUS
It's quite a road block. A DOZEN SQUAD CARS. A WOODEN BARRICADE
... The whole shebang...
EXT. TUNNEL - ELEANOR
eating asphalt ... Coming to the tunnel's mouth ... To the road
block ... Memphis pins her ... ZOOOOOM! Dead-on to the roadblock
... And, at the last moment, as the COPS dive out of the way --
Memphis bangs the gear shift into neutral -- And yanks the parking
brake -- And the mustang spins on the straight --(and yes, this is
exactly like our opening) Screeching spin ... It stops inches from
the road block ...
Beat ... Thirty squad cars stop behind him ...
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. Pursuit has been
terminated. Repeat: pursuit has
been terminated at Harbor Tunnel
Eastern Terminus --
Sure it has. Memphis' foot SLAMS ON Eleanor's pedal ... SMASHING
THROUGH THE ROADBLOCK... Cars and cops flying ... And the Dispatch
guy is getting pissed.
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
Check that, all units. You guessed it.
Pursuit has not been terminated. Jesus
Christ, will you catch this guy?
EXT. LONG BEACH BRIDGE
A huge suspension bridge spanning the harbor ... Except that on
the Long Beach side, therehas been a terrible ACCIDENT ... An
eleven-car PILE UP ...
PARAMEDIC
This is Rescue 2... We're at a scene of an
11-car collision with multiple injuries,
responded to Ladder truck Code 3 ...
We'll need back-up and The Jaws of Life...
Paramedics ... RAMP TRUCKS hauling away wrecked cars ... Fire
engines ... Bloodied VICTIMS ...
EXT. CITY STREETS - ELEANOR
takes it on through the vast construction underway here ... And
here's our money shot: Eleanor. On Route 33. COMING AT US ...
Followed by, literally, 20 POLICE-CARS ... Could be just about the
coolest fucking thing we've ever seen... But before we have time
to gloat:
POLICE DISPATCH (O.S.)
All units. Suspect vehicle has
left The Harbor Tunnel roadblock...
State Police advises they have
a multiple T.A. on the Long Beach
Bridge... Accident is unrelated
to Long Beach P.D. pursuit... Repeat
unrelated to Long Beach P.D. pursuit.
The area is closed except to
emergency vehicles. Suspect is headed
in that direction. Use caution in that
area. Repeat: use caution in that
area ...
THE LONG BEACH BRIDGE
Southbound traffic on the bridge (into Long Beach) is at a
stand-still because of the accident... The Northbound side of the bridge
is EMPTY... Northbound traffic stopped at the accident ...
Memphis comes to a stop 100 feet before the accident ... There is
no way past it, onto the bridge ... All the cops behind him come
to a screeching halt. He is truly trapped.
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
is thrilled ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
Gotcha now, dickhead --
But Castlebeck's not so sure ... He sees a possible play... So
does
MEMPHIS
Heavy sigh... He shuts off the radio ... And there's a strange
SILENCE... As everyone waits ... Watches ...
QUICK CUTS TO --
-- Matty In The Morning -- The gang at Otto's -- The Carpenter in
his wood shop -- Helen Raines, in front of her TV -- The chopper
cops -- Paramedics, cops, injured motorists, fire men --
Castlebeck and Drycoff... BACK TO
MEMPHIS RAINES AND ELEANOR...
Another few beats of silence ... Everyone watching ... He punches
the gas... Ripping down to the accident site... Heading straight
for it ... And we fear he aims to smash the site, maybe further
injure the accident victims -
Not our Memphis ... He's heading straight for
THE RAMP TRUCK
parked ass-end toward Long Beach ... Ramp down ... Memphis rockets
Eleanor at the ramp truck's ramp... Straight on ... And the ramp
LAUNCHES ELEANOR in glorious super-sexy-bloodpumping SLO-MO OVER
THE ACCIDENT SITE some thirty feet in the air ... Evel-style ...
DETECTIVE DRYCOFF
You gotta be fucking kidding me --
Where she lands in a crippling thud... Onto the EMPTY side of the
Long Beach Bridge... Cheers from the gang at Otto's ... The gang
at KISS-108 ... Memphis pulls her to a stop... Looks back at the
scene ...
Castlebeck squints ... Trying to see if it's his boy... Memphis
switches the radio back on ... Matty has obliged... Wilson
Pickett's "Mustang Sallyo ... And Memphis drives over the bridge,
the only car going northbound... Memphis rides, daddy, rides ...
INT. WOODBURN CONSTRUCTION - FRONT OFFICES - DAY
A half-dozen Calitri SOLDIERS are here, answering phones, playing
cards.
INT. WOODBURN CONSTRUCTION - WORKSHOP
The sliding door is open. The CASKET for Kip rests to the side ...
Calitri uses a router to make a rabbet along the bottom frame of a
plywood gossip bench. He senses something and turns to
THE LOADING DOCK - MEMPHIS
has driven up in the smashed-to-shit Eleanor ... He climbs up,
entering the workshop... Calitri glances to the wallclock: 7:55
AM...
CALITRI
Well, well. You've caused quite a ruckus ...
MEMPHIS
This is number 50. We did it. It's
over Where's the money ?
CALITRI
Right there -
He gestures to a Haliburton case ... Memphis opens it ... There's
a lot of cash inside...
CALITRI (cont'd)
200 K. Just like we said ...
MEMPHIS
You should never have gotten my brother and
his friends involved ...
CALITRI
But I had to. It was the only way to
get to you --
Memphis looks at him... Calitri smiles ...
MEMPHIS
Well, now, he's clear. And you'll stay away
from him...
CALITRI
I don't know about that, Randall.
He did such a good job on this paper.
And another one just came in ...
Calitri goes to the FAX machine... Tears off the sheet..
CALITRI (cont'd)
It's an easier take. 30 cars. Two
weeks. Most of them SUVs. Going to
Russia. Think Kip'll be interested?
MEMPHIS
You don't want to even sniff at that --
Calitri grins. But then his smile goes south, as he sees, for the
first time -- ELEANOR -- parked out on the loading dock. And she
is smashed-to-shit.
CALITRI
Well, that certainly won't do.
MEMPHIS
What do you mean -- ?
CALITRI
Look at it. I can't very well make
delivery of that thing ...
MEMPHIS
You got no choice. It's over.
CALITRI
Fifty cars. Fifty cars by 8 AM
Friday. Or Kip goes in that box.
That was the deal ... Goddamn, it ...
That was the deal ...
Memphis is by a TABLE SAW... He flicks it on. The electric MOTOR
rumbles, so as to obfuscate, any noise in here ...
CALITRI (cont'd)
What are you doing -- ?
MEMPHIS
Tell you what I'm not doing: I'm not
gonna let you get into my Kool Aid...
And Memphis is on him... They go rolling about in grunts and
groans - eddies of sawdust swirling - the NOISE of the table saw
drowning out the sounds of combat ...
Calitri is on top, grabbing an AWL from the floor, bringing the
lethal point down to Memphis' face... Memphis holds Calitri's
wrist, straining, the point inches from his eye
ANGLE - FLOOR SOCKET - right above Memphis' head. With a last
gasp, Memphis misdirects the awl so it STABS THE FLOOR SOCKET - a
small CLAP OF VOLTAGE shaking through their bodies, as they sprawl
akimbo ...
Both men are momentarily paralyzed as the electricity sorts itself
out inside of them... Calitri is up; and he's found the gun ...
He crawls over to Memphis, climbing on him, sitting down hard on
the younger man's chest ... But then Memphis grabs him by the hair
and tosses Calitri off him ... Memphis POUNDS Calitri's head into
the floor ...
Once, twice. Three times. Calitri is out ... Memphis gets to his
feet, nose bloody. He catches his breath. Only the door opens ...
And Atley is there ...
ATLEY JACKSON
Jesus, man ... What'd you do?
MEMPHIS
My version of "take this job and shove
it..."
ATLEY JACKSON
Are you crazy? You throw down with The
Carpenter? You got a grudge against
your life?
But before Memphis can respond, there are APPROACHING ENGINE
SOUNDS from up the alleyway -- as A PANEL VAN arrives. Memphis and
Atley look at the wall-clock. 8:05. A glance to the unconscious
Calitri ...
ATLEY JACKSON (cont'd)
Now you done it. And with you
gone - who'll save Kip the next
time ... ?
MEMPHIS
This is all about there not being
a next time, Atley --
And the two men hold the look... And the van doors slam, as Digger
and Butz, Calitri's grave-diggers, get out ... Atley goes to the
unconscious Calitri ... And he picks him up, straining under the
dead weight ... Dragging the don over to
THE OPEN CASKET - One final burst of strength and Atley drops
Calitri into the casket... Slamming the swell top lid of the
coffin. He turns to look at the shocked Memphis -- As Digger and
Butz are there -
ATLEY JACKSON
Hello, boys -- !
DIGGER
Hey! What happened? Did they make it
ATLEY JACKSON
They did not. A tragedy.
DIGGER
Mr. C. around?
ATLEY JACKSON
He's napping. He said to take it away...
Atley gestures to the coffin. And they pick it up, move it to the
van...
DIGGER
That'll do ya. Tell Mr. C. we was by.
MEMPHIS
Absolutely.
And they are gone ... And Atley turns to Memphis
ATLEY JACKSON
Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead, right?
MEMPHIS
Point-five ...
And he holds out his hand ... And they shake ...
ATLEY JACKSON
Get outta here, Memphis --
And Memphis does ... Nods to Atley...
MEMPHIS
Thank you...
Atley nods ... Memphis walks out to the loading dock... Atley
watches him go ...
ATLEY JACKSON
Hoo-boy.
EXT. CALITRI'S WORKSHOP - LOADING DOCK
Memphis walks to the battered Eleanor ... As Pearl Jam's
"Rearviewmirror' crunches and a CAR comes motoring up to him. It's
ANOTHER 167 SHELBY. ANOTHER ELEANOR, a "For Sale" sign pasted on
the back window. It's being driven by Kip...
MEMPHIS
What are you doing here?
KIP
I saw her get smashed-up on the TV.
Knew there was no way he was gonna
accept her ...
MEMPHIS
Where'd you find this one?
KIP
Ya gotta keep tabs on your "Eleanors",
Memphis. Cos you never know when
you're gonna need one --
MEMPHIS
You boost her -- ?
KIP
Hell, yeah. She's not my unicorn.
MEMPHIS
Move over ...
Kip does. Memphis gets behind the wheel. Drives...
EXT. LONG BEACH BOULEVARD - DAY
Memphis drives... Kip beside him...
MEMPHIS
You okay -- ?
KIP
I dunno ... I keep thinking about
him.
Memphis nods. But then FLASHING LIGHTS behind them ... An UNMARKED
with Code 3 capabilities - lights & sirens ... Memphis considers
... He could make another run ... But the looks at Kip... Enough
is enough ... He pulls over ...
KIP (cont'd)
What are you doing? You can outrun
him...
MEMPHIS
It's over. The dumb shit is over ...
The unmarked pulls up behind him... The cop comes over ... It is,
of course, Detective Castlebeck.
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I know you.
MEMPHIS
You know my back.
Castlebeck opens his coat... Showing stuffed holster ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
It's finished, Randall. Get out of
the car... You, too, kid...
Memphis starts to get out. When Castleback's RADIO crackles.
RADIO (O.S.)
We have suspect vehicle matching description
at the Woodburn Scrap and Metal ... Repeat:
the suspect vehicle has just been
apprehended at the Woodburn Scrap and Metal,
190 Street and Campanza ...
Castlebeck frowns, goes to his radio. Memphis looks at Kip.
KIP
I reported it ...
Memphis is impressed...
MEMPHIS
Not bad
ANGLE - CASTLEBECK at his car, on the radio ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
Dispatch, what's the license on
the suspect vehicle... ?
RADIO (O.S.)
License is California 6-1-4 HSO. Repeat:
California. 6-1-4 Henry Sam Ocean.
And Castlebeck looks at the license on this Eleanor... A vanity
plate that says - MY 67 ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
10-4.
And he goes back over to Memphis ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (cont'd)
Looks like we live to fight another
round. You're free to go ...
Memphis can barely believe it. Castlebeck leans down, to Kip:
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK (cont'd)
Your brother's a clever man and a
talented thief, Kipling. But as role
models go, you should observe the man,
not the thief ...
KIP
Yes, sir ...
Castlebeck sighs...
MEMPHIS
Don't look so glum, Detective. It's a
beautiful day, the birds are singing,
and there's a container ship on
Pier 14, that's guaranteed to bring you glee ...
Castlebeck nods ...
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I want you gone, Randall. Settle your
affairs. Make it right with those you
love. Hell, take 'em with you. But I
want you out of here. Out of here for
good this time ...
MEMPHIS
Consider me gone, Detective --
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
I'll catch you later, Randall --
MEMPHIS
Double-meaning intended --
DETECTIVE CASTLEBECK
You betcha --
And Memphis races off ...
EXT. OTTO'S SALVAGE - DAY
Otto, The Sphinx, Tumbler, Freb and Mirror Man are sipping coffee
and eating donuts ... They are exhausted... Memphis and Kip pull
up in Eleanor... He hands Otto the briefcase. Otto opens it... All
that cash...
MEMPHIS
Split it up. Any word on Donny?
OTTO
He's gonna be okay. Could do a bit.
MEMPHIS
What happened to Sway?
OTTO
She left...
He nods ... The boys are huddled together...
MIRROR MAN
Poor Toby, man...
A few beats of silence as they remember; then shockingly:
THE SPHINX
If his premature demise has, in some way,
enlightened the rest of you as to the
grim finish below the glossy veneer of
criminal life, and inspired you to change
your ways, then his death carries with it
an inherent nobility. And a supreme
glory. We should all be so fortunate.
You can say 'Poor Toby." I say: "Poor us.."
They all stare at him, stunned...
FREB
You spoke
The Sphinx shrugs...
TUMBLER
Say something else, man
But The Sphinx lapses back into his silence ... Nibbles a donut
... Sips coffee ... Memphis smiles ... He takes a stack of bills
from the briefcase... To Kip:
MEMPHIS
You remember where you got this
Eleanor -- ?
KIP
Sure, man --
MEMPHIS
She's for sale. They're asking forty thousand.
Give 'em sixty ...
And he hands Kip the cash ...
KIP
You want me to buy her?
MEMPHIS
Shocking, huh? We're clear now. It's done.
I've never actually paid for a car. I want
to see what it feels like
Kip nods ... Memphis looks at a grinning Otto ...
OTTO
Dinosaurs. All of us. The Ice Age is
now...
MEMPHIS
I'll see you soon --
KIP
Where you off to -- ?
MEMPHIS
Thought I'd go for a ride -
He smiles. The others do, too. Memphis heads for Eleanor.
KIP
Hey, Memphis -- ?
Memphis turns back...
KIP (cont'd)
I'll see you, right?
Memphis nods ...
MEMPHIS
You'll see me ...
And we PRE-LAP Sammy John's "Chevy Van" and CUT TO:
INT. BACCHIOCHI'S FOREIGN MOTORS - DAY
Sway, underneath a Daytona... We only see her from the waist down
... Hands on her waist ... Pulls her gently out. Memphis. He
brings her to her feet ...
SWAY
What are you doing... ?
MEMPHIS
Seeing if you wanted to go for a ride?
And he uses a rag to tenderly wipe a small black smear of oil from
her cheek...
SWAY
I can't. I got a back load of repairs
and one of the mechanics called in
sick and I haven't slept and--
(stops short; sees the new Eleanor
outside)
Where to -- ?
MEMPHIS
I dunno. I know a place.
She looks at him... Long and hard...
SWAY
This time it's for real?
MEMPHIS
Oh, yeah. For real, point-five.
EXT. BACCHIOCHI'S - DAY
And Memphis opens the passenger door for her ... And she gets
in... And she smiles ... And Memphis climbs behind the wheel. He
neutral-drops Eleanor, chirping off ...
EXT. CONTAINER SHIP - LONG BEACH HARBOR - DAY
As two TUGS guide the giant freighter away from the docks ... All
those containers ... Filled with cars ... But here comes a COAST
GUARD CUTTER ... Churning for the ship ...
Detectives Castlebeck and Drycoff on the deck ... Stopping this
one cold...
EXT. LANDFILL - RHODE ISLAND - DAY
A vast expanse of trash and garbage and layers of earth. Deserted,
except for THE PANEL VAN parked dead center. Digger and Butz slide
the casket from the van, parked before an ALREADY DUG GRAVE.
As they move the casket, a KNOCKING from inside. A POUNDING. And
muffled CRIES. Digger and Butz exchange a horrified glance... They
stare at the casket, spooked.
BUTZ
Do you believe this?
DIGGER
What should we do?
BUTZ
We gotta do what we gotta do --
DIGGER
Shit. I hate the screamers, man. Why
can't he finish the freakin' job?
BUTZ
Forget about it. Occupational hazard,
Digger. C'mon...
And just as we think they're sure to open it -- they DROP THE
CASKET INTO THE HOLE -- !
And begin to dump shovelfuls of earth upon it; its unseen occupant
thumping and pounding and yelling -- And soon the casket is
covered in dirt. Gone.
And we PRE-LAP The Turtles' pop gem "Eleanor" ("You got a thing
about you/I just can't live without you/I really want
you/ Eleanor near me...") CUT TO:
EXT. THE 405 FREEWAY NORTH - ELEANOR - MOVING - DAY
Memphis driving. Sway riding shotgun. Long Beach at their backs
... Memphis looks quite enthralled behind the wheel... He loves
driving this car. Sway watches him. He feels it --
MEMPHIS
What -- ?
SWAY
Nothing. Just that if I was less
secure, I might think you were more
into Eleanor than you are me...
MEMPHIS
She does have one thing you don't.
SWAY
What's that?
MEMPHIS
Bench seats.
And he grins ... Pats the seat beside him... And Sway slides
close... He throws his arm around her ...
And off they go ... As The Turtles' ("Eleanor/Gee, I think you're
swell/And you really do me well/You're my pride and joy, etc.")
SING ON... And we hear:
MEMPHIS (O.S.)
You like bingo -- ?
And Eleanor drives away from us ... Into the searing horizon line
... Becoming just another single, yellow dot in the pointillist
pattern that is the American road.
THE END |
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
Written by
James Gunn
BLACK:
O.S. "BRANDY" by LOOKING GLASS PLAYS.
EXT. FORD COBRA MUSTANG - DAY
SUPER: MISSOURI
EARTH
1980
OVERHEAD SHOT: A `79 Cobra winds alongside the Missouri
River, past swaying loosestrife, vibrant sugar maples, and
oily self-pump gas stations. A hazy sun glints off the hood
of the Cobra which, like its descendant the Milano, is orange
and teal.
We MOVE DOWN AND IN on a fresh-faced girl of 18 in the
passenger seat: MEREDITH QUILL. As "Brandy" blasts from the
car stereo, she pushes her fine, feathered hair from her
mouth, and sings along, out-of-tune -
MEREDITH
Do do do do do do do do do do do!
The driver, a MYSTERIOUS MAN in his 30's, dressed in sleek,
mod attire, LAUGHS.
Meredith LAUGHS too. She SINGS and dances with abandon in
her seat. She's a lively goofball, and it's apparent where
Peter Quill received much of his personality.
EXT. DAIRY QUEEN/WOODS - MOMENTS LATER
The Cobra pulls beside this Dairy Queen in a desolate area.
EXT. WOODS BEHIND DAIRY QUEEN - MOMENTS LATER
The Mysterious Man helps Meredith down the steep hillside
into the woods. "Brandy" continues to play on the car stereo
in the lot behind them. Meredith GIGGLES.
MYSTERIOUS MAN
This way, my river lily.
MEREDITH
Where are you taking me?
The Mysterious Man shows her a STRANGE SPROUT nestled amongst
the trees.
A few inches tall and decidedly alien in nature, its delicate
limbs twist and turn in a complex pattern.
2
MEREDITH (CONT'D)
Oh. It's beautiful.
The Mysterious Man looks proudly at Meredith. With a
perpetually excited glint in his eye, and the air of a self-
empowerment guru, he is an intoxicating presence.
MYSTERIOUS MAN
I was afraid it wouldn't take to
the soil, but it rooted quickly.
He nods toward the sky between the branches above.
MYSTERIOUS MAN (CONT'D)
Soon it will be everywhere - all
across the universe, fulfilling
life's one true purpose.
MEREDITH
Which is what?
MYSTERIOUS MAN
Expansion.
The Mysterious Man takes her in his arms. He gazes into her
eyes. She grows almost teary.
MEREDITH
I'm not sure what you're talking
about. But I like the way you say
it.
MYSTERIOUS MAN
My heart is yours, Meredith Quill.
MEREDITH
I can't believe I fell in love with
a spaceman.
And they KISS, with passion, and love. "DO DO DO DO DO DO DO
DO DO DO DO!" sings Looking Glass as SOURCE BECOMES SCORE and
we TILT DOWN to the plant. It TWITCHES AND GROWS AND TWISTS.
We PUSH IN ON IT, where we see the plant is made, not only of
cellulose and leaves, but of a BRIGHT COSMIC LIGHT. And we
KEEPING PUSHING IN, INTO THE PLANT ITSELF, more FLESH-LIKE
than you'd imagine, where COLORFUL BACTERIA OVERCOMES US as
"BRANDY" DISTORTS AND TRANSFORMS into something epic.
O.S. A CRACK OF INTERDIMENSIONAL THUNDER
SUPER: 34 Years Later
3
EXT. THE SOVEREIGN - OUTER SPACE
An artificial, golden planet, made of interlocking orbs,
revolves around a blue sun.
We PUSH IN on THUNDEROUS INTERDIMENSIONAL CRACKS on one small
patch of planet.
SUPER: THE SOVEREIGN
M49 5IOL339P21+H9LNI31
I/E. POWER STATION - DAY
A DIMENSIONAL CRACK SNAPS in the sky overhead. PETER QUILL
looks from it to an old MATTEL ELECTRONICS FOOTBALL GAME
converted into a tracker. A RED DOT APPROACHES.
QUILL
Showtime, a-holes! It'll be here
any minute!
GAMORA (O.S.)
Which will be its loss.
Quill turns toward GAMORA, loading a rifle. DRAX, ROCKET,
and BABY GROOT also ready themselves for battle in this
grand, open-air power station. Dozens of BATTERIES are
couched in conductor towers encircling them. Quill, Gamora,
and Rocket wear flying rigs.
QUILL
Is that a rifle?
GAMORA
You don't know what a rifle is?
QUILL
I thought your thing was a sword.
GAMORA
We've been hired to stop an
interdimensional beast from feeding
on those batteries' energy, and I'm
going to stop it with a sword?
QUILL
(mumbling to himself)
Don't look at me like I'm stupid.
You're the one being all
inconsistent.
A LOUDER, LARGER CRACK: something seems to be fighting its
way through the sky.
4
GAMORA
Drax, why aren't you wearing one of
Rocket's aero-rigs?
DRAX
It hurts.
GAMORA
Hurts?
DRAX
(MUTTERING)
I have sensitive nipples.
Rocket, who is working on a pair of speakers wired to Quill's
Walkman, LAUGHS HARD at this. Drax points at him.
DRAX (CONT'D)
What about him?! What's he doing?!
ROCKET
If I finish this, we can listen to
tunes while we work.
DRAX
How is that a priority?
ROCKET
Blame Quill! He's the one who loves
music so much!
QUILL
I agree with Drax. It's hardly
important right now.
ROCKET
Oh, sure, okayyyy, Quill.
Rocket WINKS at him.
QUILL
No, I really agree with him.
ROCKET
Sure, I know.
Rocket WINKS some more.
DRAX
I can clearly see you winking.
ROCKET
Damn. I'm using my left eye?
5
Rocket hears a small GROWL.
He looks down and sees Baby Groot - newly unpotted, only nine
inches tall or so - angrily THROWING ASIDE some foraging
Orloni. Then he looks up at Rocket, explaining:
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
They were not looking at you funny.
AN EVEN LARGER CRACK!
Rocket swirls as a GIGANTIC BEAST - a hundred-foot-long
Lovecraftian monstrosity - BREAKS THROUGH THE
INTERDIMENSIONAL RIFT. THE ABILISK is the color of a pinkie
mouse with kaleidoscopic and deadly SPLATTER MATTER pulsing
from its maw.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
Well. That's intense.
Rocket, Quill, and Gamora JET-PACK OUT OF THE WAY, while they
BLAST at the creature. Drax HOLLERS, CHARGING it with his
twin blades. Quill TURNS ON his mask.
But we FOCUS on baby Groot, who trots up to the stereo
speakers and Walkman.
He fiddles with two wires. They SPARK, the stereo POWERS UP,
and "MR. BLUE SKY" by ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA PLAYS as -
THE CREDITS START
Baby Groot DANCES IN-FOCUS in the foreground as the Guardians
get PUMMELED by the beast OUT-OF-FOCUS in the background.
Baby Groot's dancing is arrhythmic and many of his "dance
moves" are nonsensical mixtures of trembling, swaying, and
making weird faces.
But it is joyous.
As Groot struts, Quill comes ROLLING behind him. As he
stands, he sees Groot dancing and looks at him, worried.
QUILL
Groot, look - !
A TENTACLE FLIES IN FROM OFF-SCREEN, KNOCKING Quill OUT-OF-
FRAME as Groot dances on, blissfully unaware.
6
Groot, smiling, dances onward, as DRAX, in the clutches of a
giant tentacle, is SLAMMED NUMEROUS TIMES BESIDE HIM.
Groot arrives at GAMORA, who is blasting at the OFF-SCREEN
BEAST.
GAMORA
Get out of the way, Groot! You're
going to get hurt!
Groot stops dancing. He WAVES at her.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
Hi.
She AERO-JETS back into the fray.
As Groot DANCES, Drax FALLS directly behind him.
Groot FREEZES.
Drax stares at him a moment, suspicious. Groot stays frozen.
Drax LEAVES, and Groot COMMENCES THE DANCE where he left off.
Groot sees an INSECT FLYING BY.
Suddenly dancing is forgotten and GETTING THIS BUG is all-
important. He CHASES it.
He HOPS up and grabs it from the air...
And starts EATING it.
Rocket spots this and FLIES DOWN beside him, worried. He
PRIES OPEN GROOT'S MOUTH with his fingers, frantically trying
to get it out.
ROCKET
Spit it out! Spit it out!
Groot COUGHS IT OUT. The bug FLIES crookedly away, one wing
mulched.
Rocket JETS OFF back toward the battle, muttering:
ROCKET (CONT'D)
Disgusting.
Groot sees something else and becomes furious. We follow his
line of sight to a GRAZING ORLONI.
7
Groot SCREAMS A WAR CRY and ATTACKS IT. He GROWS HIS
BRANCHES AROUND IT, and the terrified Orloni DARTS AWAY,
DRAGGING GROOT WITH IT.
Groot's anger becomes panic as he is DRAGGED AROUND BY THE
ORLONI and can't let go.
The Orloni DARTS around the power station and underneath the
RAGING BATTLE, a CRYING Groot bouncing along behind it.
Finally, he LETS GO and goes TUMBLING, ROLLING directly INTO
THE CAMERA.
And then stands up and, as if none of it happened at all,
starts DANCING AGAIN.
We PAN and see the speakers and Walkman beside him, and we
realize Baby Groot has traveled around the entire Power
Station and has arrived back where he started -
When Drax is FLUNG by the beast into the stereo system,
SMASHING it.
Groot stops dancing. Angry that Drax has ruined his fun, he
picks up a piece of the stereo and beats him with it.
CREDITS END.
Drax stands and glares at the ferocious beast as Rocket,
Quill, and Gamora BLAST at it without effect.
DRAX
The beast's hide is too thick to be
pierced from the outside. I must
cut through it from the inside.
GAMORA
Huh?
Drax HOLLERS, CHARGING the creature.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
Drax, no! That doesn't make -
The creature OPENS ITS ENORMOUS MOUTH, SCREECHING, and Drax
LEAPS INSIDE IT, instantly swallowed up.
QUILL
What is he doing?!
GAMORA
He said the skin is too thick to be
pierced from the outside, so he --
8
QUILL
That doesn't make sense!
GAMORA
I tried to tell -- !
QUILL
Its skin is the same thickness from
the inside as from the out!
GAMORA
I REALIZE THAT.
INT. BEAST'S STOMACH - DOESN'T MATTER
Drax HOLLERS as he SLASHES AWAY inside the goo of the beast's
stomach. To no avail.
I/E. POWER STATION - DAY
Quill reloads his pistol, thinking.
QUILL
Gamora, there's a cut on its neck -
Rocket, get it to look up.
Quill and Rocket JET UP HIGH up over the creature as they
BLAST REPEATEDLY at it.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Hey, you giant Sea Monkey, up here!
Gamora's rifle is jammed. She tosses it down. PULLS HER
SWORD. SNAPS IT OPEN.
The beast SCREECHES at Quill and Rocket FLYING overhead. The
colorful SPLATTER MATTER FLIES FROM ITS MOUTH, BATTERING
ROCKET, BURNING his clothes.
But its neck is exposed, where the skin is thinner, and there
is a small wound.
Gamora DASHES, LEAPING HIGH into the air, and she PLUNGES her
sword directly into the wound.
She holds tight to the hilt as she FALLS, SLICING AN INCISION
down the length of the creature's neck.
The beast WOBBLES, TOPPLES, and DIES. As it COLLAPSES, Drax
SPILLS OUT of the wound. He raises his arms in victory.
DRAX
Ha ha! I have single-handedly
vanquished the beast!
9
Quill SCOFFS. Rocket SNORTS. Gamora stares at him, dead-eyed.
Baby Groot throws a rock at him.
DRAX (CONT'D)
What?
I/E. POWER STATION - MOMENTS LATER
The Guardians de-rig by the Anulax batteries.
DRAX
What are they called again?
QUILL
Anulax batteries.
DRAX
Harbulary batteries.
QUILL
That's nothing like what I just
said. But they're worth thousands
of units a piece. Which is why the
Sovereign hired us to protect them.
Rocket pulls out one of the ANULAX BATTERIES, checking it
out.
Gamora, Drax, and Quill walk on. Rocket stays back a moment.
Quill nods down the walkway, where GOLDEN SOVEREIGN CITIZENS
stand at the edge of the station, gawking.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Just be careful what you say around
these folks. They're easily
offended and the cost of
transgression is death.
DRAX
Sounds judgmental for a bunch of
golden morons.
QUILL
That's the kind of thing you might
want to keep to yourself.
GAMORA
I'll hold my tongue, as long as
they deliver what was promised.
EXT. LAIR OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS - MORNING
An enormous golden palace in the shape of a globe, dappled by
morning sunlight.
10
AYESHA (O.S.)
We thank you, Guardians, for
putting your life on the line. We
could not risk the lives of our own
Sovereign citizens.
INT. LAIR OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS - DAY
HIGH PRIESTESS AYESHA is stunningly beautiful with golden
skin. Her CHAMBERMAIDS and other DENIZENS flutter throughout
her luxurious lair, all of whom are equally perfect.
AYESHA
Every citizen is born exactly as
designed by the community,
impeccable, both physically and
mentally. We control the DNA of our
progeny, germinating them in
birthing pods.
QUILL
I guess I prefer making people the
old-fashioned way.
AYESHA
Well... perhaps someday you could
give me a history lesson in the
archaic ways of our ancestors...
for academic purposes.
QUILL
Yeah, I mean, if it's for research
that could be pretty --
Quill sees Gamora staring at him.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Pretty repulsive. I'm not into that
kind of casual -
GAMORA
Oh, please.
(TO AYESHA)
Your people promised something in
trade for our services. Bring it
and we shall gladly be on our way.
Ayesha nods.
Two SOLDIERS emerge with A WOMAN in a hood and cloak, her
wrists bound by SHACKLES. They SHOVE HER TO HER KNEES and
yank back her hood, REVEALING --
11
NEBULA. Her clothes are tattered. Her hand is now just a low-
tech metal claw.
She glares at Gamora. Gamora glares at her. Quill looks from
one to the other, feeling the tension.
QUILL
(QUIETLY)
Family reunion. Yaaaay.
AYESHA
I understand she is your sister?
Gamora roughly picks Nebula up, starts to go.
GAMORA
She's worth no more to me than the
bounty due for her on Xandar.
AYESHA
Our soldiers apprehended her
attempting to steal the batteries.
Do with her as you please.
QUILL
Thank you, High Priestess Ayesha.
Quill starts to go.
AYESHA
What is your heritage, Mr. Quill?
Quill turns back towards her, uncomfortable with the
question.
QUILL
My mother is from earth.
AYESHA
And your father?
QUILL
He's... not from Missouri, that's
all I know.
Ayesha stares at him as if she's eaten something foul.
AYESHA
I see it within you, an unorthodox
genealogy. A hybrid that seems
particularly... reckless.
Quill tries not to let this affect him, but it does. Rocket
grins a huge, fake grin at Ayesha.
12
ROCKET
You know, they told me you people
were conceited douchebags. But that
isn't true at all.
Rocket turns to Quill and WINKS. The Guardians shift
uncomfortably.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
Oh, shit, I'm using my wrong eye
again, aren't I?
(TO AYESHA)
I'm sorry. That was meant to be
behind your back.
Drax YANKS Rocket away.
Gamora and Quill head out of the lair. Drax and Rocket are a
few paces behind.
DRAX
Count yourself blessed they didn't
kill you.
ROCKET
You're telling me. You wanna buy
some batteries?
Rocket grins and shows Drax something hidden in his bag - TWO
ANULAX BATTERIES.
"LAKE SHORE DRIVE" by ALIOTTA, HAYNES, AND JEREMIAH PLAYS.
Drax LAUGHS. Rocket SHUSHES him so Quill and Gamora don't
hear.
EXT. SOVEREIGN SPACE DOCK/THE MILANO - MOMENTS LATER
The Milano RISES into the blue sunset over the Sovereign
Space Dock filled with golden, capsule-shaped ships.
Rocket works the controls as they rise up. He speaks into the
COMM:
ROCKET
Let's get baldy back to Xandar and
retrieve that bounty!
INT. MILANO LOWER FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Groot lies on the rear window peering out the back as they
pass overhead.
13
On the CASSETTE PLAYER AWESOME MIX VOL. 2 is playing; we PAN
away from it, MOVING IN on Quill, looking perturbed as he
takes off his jacket.
Gamora is nearby, putting shackles on Nebula.
GAMORA
You all right?
QUILL
That stuff about my father. Who
does she think she is?
GAMORA
I know you're sensitive about that.
QUILL
I'm not sensitive about it. I just
don't know who he is.
Gamora nods.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Sorry if it looked like I was
flirting with her. I wasn't.
GAMORA
I don't care if you were.
Gamora pushes Nebula to the rear of the craft.
QUILL
I think you do care. That's why I'm
apologizing.
Quill watches her go, somewhat longingly.
DRAX
Gamora is not the one for you,
Quill.
Quill is startled to see Drax directly beside him.
DRAX (CONT'D)
There are two types of beings in
the universe. Those who dance, and
those who do not.
QUILL
Uh huh.
DRAX
I first met my beloved at a war
rally.
(MORE)
14
DRAX (CONT'D)
Everyone in the village flailed
about, dancing. Except one woman.
My Ovette. I knew immediately she
was the one.
Quill nods, trying to be polite.
DRAX (CONT'D)
The most melodic song in the world
could be playing, and she wouldn't
even tap her foot. She wouldn't
move a muscle. One might assume she
was dead.
QUILL
Well, that is pretty hot, but--
DRAX
It would make my nether regions
ENGORGE -
QUILL
All right, okay, fascinating, don't
need to hear it. I get your point,
I'm a dancer and Gamora is not.
Drax smiles kindly, clutches Quill's shoulder.
DRAX
You just need to find a woman who
is pathetic, like you.
At the rear of the ship, Gamora roughly restrains Nebula.
Nebula notices a bowl of fruit.
NEBULA
I am hungry. Hand me some of that
yaro root.
GAMORA
No. It's not ripe yet. And I hate
you.
NEBULA
You hate me?! You left me there
while you stole that stone for
yourself. Yet here you stand, a
hero, a Garden of the Galaxy!
GAMORA
A what?
Nebula stares at her, confused.
15
GAMORA (CONT'D)
`Guardians of the Galaxy.'
NEBULA
Oh.
GAMORA
Why would we be `the Gardens of the
Galaxy'?
NEBULA
I don't know. I thought it was
stupid.
GAMORA
Yeah, it would be.
NEBULA
It's still wordy.
GAMORA
I wasn't the one who thought of it.
NEBULA
Your name doesn't matter. I'll be
free of these shackles soon enough,
and I'll kill you, I swear.
GAMORA
No. You'll live out your days in a
prison on Xandar, wishing you
could.
WARNING LIGHTS FLASH.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - MOMENTS LATER
Gamora MOVES UP from the stairs. Rocket and Quill are in the
pilot seats. Drax is moving up from the back.
QUILL
We got an armed Sovereign fleet,
approaching from the rear.
Gamora takes the center seat, sees a REARVIEW SCAN:
Golden, capsule-shaped, Sovereign OMNICRAFT, with a video
screen on front and a blaster on each side - getting closer.
GAMORA
Why would they do that?!
16
DRAX
Probably because Rocket stole some
of their batteries.
Quill and Gamora look at Rocket, astounded. Rocket gawks at
Drax, betrayed.
ROCKET
Dude.
DRAX
Oh, right. He didn't steal one of
those. I don't know why they're
after us. What a mystery this is.
THE SOVEREIGN FIRE UPON THE MILANO.
Quill does his best to evade their blasts.
QUILL
What were you thinking?!
ROCKET
Dude, it was really easy to steal.
GAMORA
That's your defense?
ROCKET
Come on. You saw how that high-
priestess talked down to us! I'm
teaching her a lesson!
QUILL
Oh! I didn't realize your
motivation was altruism. A shame
the Sovereign have mistaken your
intentions and are trying to kill
us.
ROCKET
Exactly.
QUILL
I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!
ROCKET
Oh no! You tricked me! You're
supposed to use a sarcastic voice!
Now I look foolish!
Drax points at Rocket and LAUGHS at him.
17
QUILL
SHUT UP, DRAX! You knew! You should
have told us!
Drax is aghast. He looks at Rocket.
DRAX
Did you tell him it was easy to
steal?
ROCKET
Are you kidding me?
DRAX
What?
ROCKET
You never listen to anything!
GAMORA
None of you listens! Can we please
just put the bickering on hold
until after we survive the massive
space battle?!
Rocket glances at Quill, nodding back at Gamora.
ROCKET
Whoa. Somebody woke up on the wrong
side of the bed this morning.
QUILL
Do not try to bro down with me
right now, dude. I will fricking
punch you in your fricking face.
ROCKET
Real nice! Resorting to violence.
QUILL
More incoming!
MORE SHIP FLY AT THEM from the front.
ROCKET
GOOD! I WANT TO KILL SOME GUYS!
They twist and turn between the oncoming ships as ROCKET
FIRES AT THEM, SCREAMING. They EXPLODE.
On the front of the Sovereign ships is the VIDEO IMAGE OF A
PILOT.
18
SOVEREIGN PILOT (ON SHIP)
Bloody hell!
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
The same SOVEREIGN PILOT sits in a REMOTE POD. On a SCREEN in
front of her we see ROCKET FIRING.
The SHIP IS HIT and the SCREEN GOES STATIC.
The Pilot SHOUTS in anger, like a kid who lost at a video
game.
High Priestess Ayesha surveys from a walkway above; ROWS OF
PODS containing PILOTS, all flying their Omnicraft remotely.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK
GAMORA
You're not killing anyone. Those
ships are all remotely piloted.
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
A SOVEREIGN ADMIRAL is beside Ayesha.
AYESHA
What is the delay, Admiral?
ADMIRAL
High Priestess, if we destroy their
craft, we risk destroying the
batteries. They're extraordinarily
combustible and could, in turn,
destroy the entire fleet.
AYESHA
We have thousands of batteries and
thousands of ships. Our concern is
their slight against our people. We
hired them and they steal from us?
It is heresy of the highest order.
The Admiral speaks into his comm.
ADMIRAL
All command modules -
A FRIGHTENED SOVEREIGN PILOT, on the outskirts of the battle,
hears the Admiral in his headset.
ADMIRAL (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Fire with the intent to kill.
19
A MEAN SOVEREIGN PILOT, FIRING at the Milano, smirks.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
THE MILANO'S WING IS STRUCK. The EMERGENCY SYSTEMS FLASH ON.
QUILL
What's the closest habitable
planet?
Gamora dances her fingers over the UNIVERSAL NEURAL
TELEPORTATION NETWORK, clicking through "jump points" until
she finds one.
GAMORA
It's called Berhert.
QUILL
How many jumps?
GAMORA
Only one. But the access point is
47 clicks away. And it's through
that Quantum Asteroid Field over
there.
Quill spots, to his side, a HUGE FIELD OF SMALL, GLOWING
ASTEROIDS, SWIRLING IN RANDOM PATTERNS, DISAPPEARING OUT OF
SPACE and EMERGING AGAIN a few feet or a few yards away.
Quill ZOOMS SIDEWAYS toward the field.
DRAX
Quill, to make it through that,
you'd have to be the greatest pilot
in the universe.
Quill smirks.
QUILL
Lucky for us -
ROCKET
I am.
Rocket FLIPS the pilot controls between them so that he's the
one piloting the ship. Quill gapes at him.
The Milano DIVES into the QUANTUM ASTEROID FIELD, SWOOPING in
and around the SWIRLING ATOMIZED STONES, barely missing them.
The Sovereign ships FOLLOW. They are not pilots on par with
Rocket, so most of the ships are immediately PELTED WITH
STONES AND DESTROYED.
20
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
One after another the SOVEREIGN PILOTS screens go blank, and
they FALL BACK, angry and upset.
PUSH IN on Ayesha, barely containing her fury.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Quill FLIPS the controls back, so he's piloting again.
ROCKET
What are you doing?!
QUILL
I've been flying this rig since I
was ten years old.
ROCKET
I was cybernetically engineered to
pilot a spacecraft!
Rocket FLIPS the controls back to him.
QUILL
You were cybernetically engineered
to be a douchebag.
Quill FLIPS the controls back to him.
GAMORA
Stop it!
ROCKET
Quill, later on tonight you're
gonna lay down in your bed and
there's gonna be something squishy
in your pillowcase and you're gonna
be, like, `what's this?' and it's
gonna be because I put a turd in
there.
Rocket FLIPS the switch back.
QUILL
You put your turd in my bed, I
shave you.
ROCKET
Oh it won't be my turd, it will be
Drax's.
Drax LAUGHS cheerfully. Gamora glances at him. He explains:
21
DRAX
I have famously huge turds.
GAMORA
We're about to die, and this is
what we're discussing?
DRAX
They raise havoc with the pipes.
That's why I do all the plumbing. I
take responsibility for my actions.
Unlike some people...
Drax eyes baby Groot.
QUILL
Groot, he's right, you have to
start aiming inside the box.
Groot looks ashamed. Quill FLIPS the controls back.
GAMORA
Stop it.
Rocket SWITCHES it back. Quill SWITCHES it back.
They're nearing the end of the Asteroid Field when both go to
switch it at the same time and --
WHAM! A LARGE ASTEROID SMASHES THROUGH the stern of the
Milano.
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA - OUTER SPACE
A CHUNK OF THE REAR OF THE CRAFT DISAPPEARS.
Nebula IS SUCKED toward the hole - but, fortunately, her arms
are shackled to a post, so she doesn't fly out.
Her face and body cover with frost.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Everything FLIES AROUND THE SPACECRAFT, RUSHING THROUGH THE
HOLE.
Groot GOES FLYING, but Quill CATCHES HIM, and casually TOSSES
him back to Drax --
So that he can punch in a code, causing -
22
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA - OUTER SPACE
A PROTECTIVE ENERGY SHIELD SLIDES UP in front of the hole.
Nebula COLLAPSES to the floor. She yells upstairs --
NEBULA
Idiots!
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Everyone catches their breath, relieved.
ROCKET
Well, that's what you get when
Quill flies.
Gamora THROWS SOMETHING HARD at the back of Rocket's head.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
Ow!
GAMORA
There's still a Sovereign craft
behind us!
The electronics FLICKER.
QUILL
Our weapons are down!
GAMORA
Twenty clicks to the jump.
The Mean Pilot BLASTS at them from the sole Sovereign Craft,
TAKING OUT another part of a wing. The Milano is TREMBLING.
Drax starts climbing down into the living area.
QUILL
Where's he going?
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
A group of pilots have gathered around the Mean Pilot,
rooting him on, like kids at a video arcade.
FRIGHTENED PILOT
Come on, Zylak, you can do this.
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA - OUTER SPACE
Nebula sees the bowl of yaro root has spilled in front of
her.
23
She reaches for a piece, but it's KICKED OUT OF HER WAY.
She looks up to see Drax, grabbing a cable on a spool
attached to the wall.
DRAX
It's not ripe.
Drax HOOKS the cable to his belt. A folder on the wall reads
SPACESUITS FOR EMERGENCY and, below that, in Rocket's scrawl:
OR FOR FUN.
Drax pulls a small disk from the folder. He slaps it between
his shoulder blades and a SHIMMERY SHEATH COVERS HIS ENTIRE
BODY - a thin force-field spacesuit.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Gamora watches THE MAP leading to the jump point.
GAMORA
Fifteen clicks.
Another BLAST from the Sovereign craft HITS them.
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
The pilots rooting on the Mean Pilot erupt into CHEERS.
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA - OUTER SPACE
Drax grabs a huge rifle.
He punches buttons on the wall. A SECOND PROTECTIVE SHIELD
OPENS UP between him and Nebula, and THE FIRST PROTECTIVE
SHEATH OPENS, exposing him to space --
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
The Mean Pilot watches in awe as Drax JUMPS OUT the back of
the Milano.
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA - OUTER SPACE
Drax smiles. The cable UNSPOOLS and SNAPS TAUT when it
reaches its end.
Drax is DRAGGED HAPHAZARDLY by the Milano like a water sled
on a boat.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
ON THE MAP, the jump point gets closer.
24
GAMORA
Ten clicks.
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA - OUTER SPACE
The Mean Pilot BLASTS WILDLY at Drax, missing him by mere
inches.
Drax brings the sight to his eye. Aims at the ship.
DRAX
Die, spaceship.
And he SHOOTS, BLASTING the Sovereign ship.
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
The Mean Pilot SCREAMS as his lights go out. The Frightened
Pilot shakes his head in disgust.
FRIGHTENED PILOT
You suck, Zylak.
Zylak is really sad.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
As Quill and Rocket leave the asteroid field, it seems for a
moment they're scot-free...
GAMORA
Five clicks!
Then DOZENS OF OMNICRAFT pull around them on both sides.
QUILL
Son-of-a-! They went around the
field!
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
Ayesha smiles.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
It looks like the end of the road for the Guardians when -
THERE IS A BLINDING BURST OF LIGHT AND ALL OF THE OMNICRAFT
EXPLODE.
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
Ayesha watches in shock as the screens in the pods go dead.
25
ADMIRAL
Someone destroyed all the ships.
AYESHA
What?! WHO?!
But the Admiral doesn't know.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Rocket sees the BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT is emanating from an OVAL-
SHAPED SPACECRAFT.
ROCKET
What is that?!
Quill sees the FLICKERING framework of a JUMP POINT.
QUILL
Doesn't matter! That's the jump
point! GO! GO!
As they're about to reach the jump point, Rocket sees a MAN
standing casually atop the oval ship, LIGHT BURSTING THROUGH
HIS BODY and into the craft - the source of the explosion.
ROCKET
It's a guy.
Quill doesn't see as the Milano DISAPPEARS INTO THE JUMP
POINT.
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA/DIRECTLY ABOVE BERHERT - DAY
The ship POPS IN HERE, TELEPORTING directly above the earth-
like planet. Because the ship is in such bad shape, parts of
it TEAR OFF AND SPIRAL AWAY as it enters this new atmosphere.
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Gamora sees Drax being dragged in the REARVIEW MONITOR.
GAMORA
Oh my God.
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA/DIRECTLY ABOVE BERHERT - DAY
Drax WHIPS WILDLY OUT of the back of the ship. The CABLE
SPOOL on the wall is coming off -
I/E. MILANO FLIGHT DECK/BERHERT FOREST - DAY
Quill sees a green forest APPROACHING UNBELIEVABLY FAST.
26
He turns toward Gamora, but she's gone. Instead Baby Groot
is sitting alone, happily munching on candies as if he's
watching a movie.
QUILL
Groot, put on your seat belt!
I/E. MILANO LIVING AREA/DIRECTLY ABOVE BERHERT - DAY
The SPOOL DETACHES and FLIES toward the back, which would
leave Drax in the upper reaches of the planet's atmosphere -
But Gamora has made it downstairs - she GRABS ONTO THE SPOOL
with one hand while CLUTCHING onto a secure part of the ship
with her other. As it SNAPS TIGHT, it nearly wrenches her
apart. She GROANS.
QUILL
Prepare for a really bad -
The Milano HITS THE TREES, BARRELING OVER THEM. They PART
and FLATTEN and SWAT at the windshield.
Out back, Gamora HOLDS TIGHT despite searing pain, as Drax
BOUNCES VIOLENTLY off the trees.
DRAX
Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!
And, eventually, the Milano comes to an ABRUPT STOP.
SUPER: BERHERT
M20 22A4834126+306CA12
Drax pushes himself up in the dirt. He CHUCKLES. He glances
back at Gamora like the madman he is.
DRAX (CONT'D)
That was awesome.
Gamora nods, sure, yeah, okay, whatever, dude.
I/E. CRASHED MILANO - CLEARING - MOMENTS LATER
CRANE DOWN OVER THE SMOKING, BATTERED MILANO TO our heroes,
and a still-shackled Nebula.
GAMORA
Either one of you could have gotten
us through that field, if you had
flown with what's between your ears
instead of what's between your
legs!
27
QUILL
If what's between my legs had a
hand on it, I guarantee I could
have landed this ship.
GAMORA
It's not funny, Peter. We almost
died. Because of your arrogance.
QUILL
(RE: ROCKET)
More like because he stoled Anulax
batteries!
DRAX
They're called Harbulary batteries.
QUILL
No, they're not!
ROCKET
You know why I did it, Star-Munch?
Quill fumes.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
Do you?
QUILL
I'm not going to answer to `Star-
Munch.'
ROCKET
I DID IT BECAUSE I WANTED TO.
QUILL
Dick.
ROCKET
What are we even talking about this
for? We just had a little man save
us by blowing up fifty ships!
DRAX
How little?
Rocket shows him with his finger and thumb.
ROCKET
Like this.
GAMORA
A little one-inch man saved us?
28
ROCKET
Well, if he got closer I'm sure
he'd be much larger.
QUILL
That's how eyes work, you stupid
raccoon.
ROCKET
Don't call me a raccoon!
QUILL
Oh, I'm sorry, I meant to say
`trash panda.'
Rocket pauses, unsure, looks at Drax.
ROCKET
Is that better?
DRAX
I don't know.
QUILL
It's worse.
ROCKET
YOU SON-OF-A-!!
Rocket LEAPS, SNAPPING at Quill, when Nebula looks up into
the sky.
NEBULA
Someone followed you through the
jump point.
A HUGE SPACESHIP HOVERS overhead.
The Guardians COCK THEIR WEAPONS as they FALL BACK-TO-BACK in
tight formation.
NEBULA (CONT'D)
Set me free. You'll need my help.
GAMORA
I'm not a fool, Nebula.
NEBULA
You're a fool if you deprive
yourself a hand in combat.
GAMORA
You'll attack me the moment I let
you go.
29
NEBULA
(mumbly, unconvincing)
No, I won't.
QUILL
You'd think an evil supervillain
would learn how to properly lie.
DRAX
I bet it's the one-inch man!!
The SHIP LANDS, CRUSHING ALL OF THE TREES AROUND IT.
A HATCH OPENS, and an adventurous, outer space frontiersman
steps forward. He has grown hardened and haggard over the
years, but he is definitely the MYSTERIOUS MAN from the
beginning of the film. MANTIS, a creepy woman with antennae,
emerges behind him.
The Man smiles.
MYSTERIOUS MAN
After all these years, I've found
you.
QUILL
Who the hell are you?
MYSTERIOUS MAN
I figured my rugged good looks
would make that obvious. My name's
Ego. And I'm your Dad, Peter.
EXT. CONTRAXIA - OUTER SPACE
QUIET. A planet of mostly water and white icy patches of
land, revolving around two overlapping suns.
SUPER: CONTRAXIA
M15 5127512731+X1955KX
EXT. THE IRON LOTUS - DAY
SNOW FALLS GENTLY over this sleepy, pastel-colored town of
wood and stone buildings.
PUSH IN on the Iron Lotus, a robot brothel and saloon.
ASSORTED RAVAGERS, including KRAGLIN, as well as some ROBOTIC
COURTESANS, are drunk and GIGGLING, trying to catch
snowflakes on their tongues.
30
INT. IRON LOTUS SUITE - DAY
YONDU UDONTA is staring out the window as he puts on his
pants. He looks utterly disconnected and alone.
Behind him are three ROBOT COURTESANS. One pushes a button
on her neck and she POWERS DOWN.
TULLK (O.S.)
Yondu! Come on down!
Yondu looks down at the street where an older Ravager, TULLK,
drunkenly dances, waving for him to join.
INT. IRON LOTUS - MOMENTS LATER
Yondu exits his suite. Two bodyguards, BRAHL and HALF-NUT,
salute and follow him as he descends the stairwell.
At the bottom of the stairs a group of RAVAGERS in BLUE
UNIFORMS LAUGH. A gruff, older warrior, STAKAR, and a man
seemingly made of diamonds, MARTINEX are among them.
Yondu stops when he sees them. He's struck. Stakar LAUGHS as
he tells a story -
STAKAR
And I was like, Aleta, I love you,
but you're crazy now, you always
BEEN -
Yondu approaches Stakar with trepidation.
YONDU
Stakar.
Stakar is surprised to see him.
YONDU (CONT'D)
Been some time. I'd -
STAKAR
Seems like this establishment is
the wrong kind of disreputable.
The blue-coats turn and walk away.
YONDU
Stakar...
Stakar glances at the PROPRIETOR as he passes her.
31
STAKAR
There are a hundred Ravager
factions, Sneeper. You just lost
the business of ninety-nine by
serving one.
PROPRIETOR
Please, sir! Sir!
Yondu stands there for a moment, hurt, as they head out the
door.
But, little by little, his hurt turns to rage and he FOLLOWS.
EXT. IRON LOTUS - DAY
Yondu trots quickly toward Stakar and the others.
YONDU
You all can go to hell! I don't
care what you think of me!
Stakar swirls toward him, furious.
STAKAR
Then why you following us for?!
YONDU
`Cause you'll listen to what I got
to say!
STAKAR
I don't got to listen to nothing!
You betrayed the code! Ravagers
don't deal in kids!
YONDU
I didn't know what was going on -
STAKAR
You didn't know `cause you didn't
want to know, `cause it made you
rich!
YONDU
I demand a seat at the table! I
wear the flames same as you!
STAKAR
You may dress like a Ravager but
you won't hear no Horns of Freedom
when you die, boy, and the Colors
of Ogord will not flash over your
grave!
(MORE)
32
STAKAR (CONT'D)
You think I take some pleasure in
exiling you, you're wrong. You
broke all our hearts.
Stakar and the others storm away. Martinex stays a moment,
staring at Yondu, and then moves on too.
Yondu is left alone, shaken as the WHITE SNOW FALLS GENTLY on
his blue face.
NEARBY, a MONSTROUS RAVAGER leans in toward Kraglin, Tullk,
GEF THE RAVAGER, OBLO, and RETCH. As he eyes Yondu, he
WHISPERS:
MONSTROUS RAVAGER
First Quill betrays us and Yondu
just lets him go, scot-free. Now
he's getting all riled over
nothing. We followed him `cause he
was the one wasn't afraid to do
what needed to be done. Seems like
he's going soft.
KRAGLIN
If he's so soft why you whispering
for?
MONSTROUS RAVAGER
You know I'm right, Kraglin.
TULLK
You best watch what you say about
the Cap'n, Tay -
RETCH
Who the hell is that?!
Tullk stops when he sees High Priestess Ayesha approaching
beside them. The Chambermaids ROLL OUT a LONG BLUE CLOTH so
she doesn't touch unconsecrated ground.
She STOPS at the carpet's end. Does her best to force a
smile.
AYESHA
Yondu Udonta, I have a proposition
for you.
Yondu looks at her.
EGO (PRE-LAP)
When your mother passed away, I
hired Yondu to pick you up.
33
EXT. CAMPFIRE/CRASHED MILANO - NIGHT
Quill sits around a campfire with Ego, Mantis and the others,
eating. Ego indulges heartily.
EGO (CONT'D)
I would have done so myself, but I
was in the midst of an outlandish
adventure at the time, battling
demonic forces to save this
dimension or some such nonsense - I
can't quite recall, it all bleeds
together after awhile. But instead
of returning you, Yondu kept you. I
have no clue as to why.
QUILL
Because I was a skinny kid who
could squeeze into places adults
couldn't, making thieving easier.
EGO
I've been trying to track you down
ever since.
DRAX
I thought Yondu was your father.
QUILL
What?
Drax stares at him.
QUILL (CONT'D)
We've been together all this time
and you thought Yondu was my
actual, blood relative?
DRAX
You look exactly alike.
ROCKET
One's blue.
QUILL
He wasn't my father. Yondu was the
guy who abducted me. He'd beat the
crap out of me so I'd learn how to
fight and he kept me in terror
threatening to eat me.
EGO
Eat you?!
34
QUILL
Yes.
EGO
That son-of-a-bitch.
GAMORA
How'd you locate us now?
EGO
Even where I reside, out past the
edge of what's known, we've heard
tell of the man they call Star-
Lord.
He stands, handing his dish to Gamora.
EGO (CONT'D)
Say we head out that way now? Your
associates are welcome, even that
triangle-faced monkey there.
Rocket, self-conscious, feels his nose.
EGO (CONT'D)
I promise you, it's like no place
you've ever seen. And there I can
explain your very special heritage,
and finally be the father I've
always wanted to be.
(ALMOST TEARY)
`Scuse me. I gotta take a whizz.
Ego leaves. Quill looks at Gamora.
QUILL
Not buying it.
GAMORA
Peter, we need to take a walk.
EXT. CAMPFIRE/CRASHED MILANO - NIGHT
Ego is WHISTLING "BRANDY" and PEEING into the bushes.
Mantis looks at Drax. She GRINS, or at least her best attempt
at grinning. It's kind of creepy.
MANTIS
I am Mantis.
DRAX
What are you doing?
35
MANTIS
Smiling. I hear it is the thing to
do to make people like you.
DRAX
Not if you do it like that.
MANTIS
Oh. I was raised alone on Ego's
planet. I do not understand the
intricacies of social interaction.
She points at Rocket.
MANTIS (CONT'D)
Can I pet your puppy? It is
adorable.
DRAX
(MISCHIEVOUS)
Yes...
She goes to pet Rocket: startled, he SWIRLS and SNAPS at her.
MANTIS
AHH!
She pulls back her hand. Drax LAUGHS, heartily.
DRAX
That's called a practical joke!
She GIGGLES.
MANTIS
I liked it very much!
They both LAUGH together. Nebula shakes her head with
disbelief.
EXT. BESIDE CRASHED MILANO - MOMENTS LATER
Quill and Gamora enter this private spot; the campfire
flickers through the trees beyond them.
QUILL
Give me a break! After all this
time, and he just expects to be my
Dad all of the sudden!
GAMORA
I hear you.
36
QUILL
I mean, this could be a trap - the
Kree purists, the Ravagers, now the
Sovereign - they all want us dead.
GAMORA
I know, but -
QUILL
But what?
GAMORA
What was that story you told me
about Zardu Hasselfrau?
QUILL
Who?
GAMORA
The wonderful television-singer
man. He had a magic boat.
QUILL
David Hasselhoff?
GAMORA
Right.
QUILL
He had a talking car, not a magic -
GAMORA
Why did it talk again?
QUILL
Just to be a good friend, I guess.
GAMORA
And as a child you carried his
picture in your pocket, and you
told the other children he was your
father, but he was out of town --
QUILL
(EMBARRASSED)
Shooting Knight Rider or touring
with his band in Germany. Why are
you bringing this up now? I was
drunk when I told you that.
GAMORA
I love that story.
37
QUILL
I don't. It's just sad! I was so
sad because I'd see the other kids
off playing catch with their dads,
and I wanted that, more than
anything in the world.
Gamora takes Quill's hands in her own.
GAMORA
My point is, maybe this man is your
Hasselhoff. I know it's a long
shot. But I lost my father as a
child. I'd give anything...
Quill nods, grudgingly.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
If he ends up being evil, we'll
just kill him.
Quill CHUCKLES.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
What's funny?
I/E. CRASHED MILANO - SUNRISE
Inside the ship, "THE CHAIN" BY FLEETWOOD MAC PLAYS on the
cassette player. Nebula is angry.
NEBULA
You're leaving me with that fox?!
Rocket is SOLDERING the ship.
GAMORA
He's not a fox.
Gamora glances at Rocket as she grabs her outer-space-
adventurer version of luggage.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
Shoot her if she does anything
suspicious. Or if you feel like it.
Rocket GRUNTS. Gamora looks at a sad Baby Groot.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
It will just be a couple days.
We'll be back before Rocket's
finished fixing the ship.
38
Gamora steps out. Rocket sees Groot, who is ABOUT TO CRY as
he watches them go.
Drax and Quill come from the back of the ship.
DRAX
What about your spool of songs?
QUILL
I have clones.
DRAX
What if the Sovereign come?
QUILL
There's no way for them to know
they're here.
DRAX
I am uncertain about parting ways.
QUILL
You're like an old woman.
DRAX
Because I am wise?
Quill turns to Rocket as Drax and Gamora head toward the
ship. He starts to say something nice - perhaps something
conciliatory but --
ROCKET
Hope daddy isn't as big of a dick
as you, orphan boy.
Quill just shakes his head and SNICKERS.
QUILL
So what's your goal here? To get
everyone to hate you? `Cause it's
working.
Quill turns back around with Gamora and Drax and walks away.
Rocket looks at the others leaving as THE SONG BECOMES SCORE:
I can still hear you saying you will never break the chain.
Rocket watches them move away.
IN SLOW-MOTION, Quill, Drax, and Gamora approach the oval
ship. The slit opens. Ego, with Mantis, is waiting inside.
Ego smiles and CLASPS his hand on Quill as he enters.
39
INT. EGOS SHIP. SUNRISE
Quill sits back against the wall, alone, nervous. He looks
across the way at a SLEEP CHAMBER, where Mantis helps Ego lie
down on a slab.
She places her hand on his forehead with her hand: her
antennae ALIGHT. And he drifts off to sleep.
Quill takes a small, folded piece of paper out of his pocket.
It's the PHOTO OF DAVID HASSELHOFF.
He looks at it, then looks at Ego. Quill's eyes fill with
cautious hope. And the SONG ENDS.
EXT. BERHERT - MOMENTS LATER
Ego's ship rises, blocking out the sun.
EXT. EGO'S SHIP - OUTER SPACE
The Orb moves through a rainbowish funnel of space and time;
technology beyond what even the Guardians know.
INT. EGO'S SHIP - OUTER SPACE
Quill and Drax are drinking tea and LAUGHING with Mantis.
QUILL
Can I ask you a personal question?
MANTIS
Oh, no one has ever asked me a
personal question!
QUILL
The antennae, what are they for?
MANTIS
Their purpose?
Gamora ENTERS, pouring herself some tea.
DRAX
Yes, Quill and I have a bet.
QUILL
You're not supposed to say that.
40
DRAX
I say that if you are about to go
through a doorway that is too low,
your antennae will feel this, and
stop you from being decapitated.
QUILL
Just making clear - if it's
anything else - any other answer -
I win?
Gamora smiles, warmed by the good-natured, by-now-familiar
bickering between Quill and Drax.
MANTIS
They are not for feeling doorways.
DRAX
(BUMMED)
Damn. I just lost my entire life's
savings.
QUILL
Three pairs of pants.
MANTIS
I think they have something to do
with my empathic abilities.
GAMORA
What are - ?
MANTIS
If I touch someone I can feel their
FEELINGS -
QUILL
You read minds?
MANTIS
No. Telepaths know thoughts.
Empaths feel feelings. Emotions.
She looks at Quill.
MANTIS (CONT'D)
May I?
Quill doesn't stop her. Mantis, cautiously, touches him. Her
hand quivers as his emotions shoot through her and her
antennae ALIGHT. She is moved.
MANTIS (CONT'D)
You feel love.
41
QUILL
Yeah, I guess, yeah, I have sort of
a general, unselfish love for
everyone.
MANTIS
No, romantic, sexual love.
QUILL
No. No, I don't.
Mantis nods at Gamora.
MANTIS
For her.
QUILL
No.
Gamora is embarrassed. Drax starts LAUGHING UPROARIOUSLY.
DRAX
She just told everyone your
deepest, darkest secret, Quill!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
QUILL
What the hell, dude? That's a total
overreaction.
Drax SLAPS HIS CHEST.
DRAX
DO ME! DO ME!
Mantis touches Drax. She grins brightly.
MANTIS
I have never felt such humor!
She starts GIGGLING and before long both she and Drax are
LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY.
QUILL
You got to be kidding me.
Drax and Mantis both point at Quill, clutching onto each
other and FALLING OVER WITH LAUGHTER. Quill's humiliated.
QUILL (CONT'D)
That's so incredibly uncool.
Mantis wipes the tears from her eyes, composing herself. She
goes to touch Gamora, who grabs her wrist though her clothes.
42
GAMORA
Touch me. And the only thing you're
going to feel is a broken jaw.
Mantis smiles, nods, backs away.
MANTIS
I can also alter emotions, to some
extent.
QUILL
Like what?
MANTIS
If I touch someone who is sad I can
ease them into contentment, for a
short while. I can make a stubborn
person compliant. But I mostly use
it to help my Master sleep. He lies
awake at night, thinking about his
progeny.
Quill looks at her, struck by this.
DRAX
Do one of those on me!
Mantis touches him. He grins expectantly.
MANTIS
Sleep.
Drax COLLAPSES, INSTANTLY ASLEEP. Mantis smiles at the
others, hoping she has pleased. Quill and Gamora look at
Drax, SNORING. They're surprised.
GAMORA
Is that real?
QUILL
It's kind of like someone put a
baby's head on a big, muscular
body, isn't it?
FADE TO BLACK.
O.S. ALIEN INSECTS CHIRP
EXT. CRASHED MILANO - NIGHT
Four moons shine over the forest. The campfire CRACKLES
beside the Milano, and "SOUTHERN NIGHTS" BY GLENN CAMPBELL
emerges from the cassette player within.
43
The Monstrous Ravager and Kraglin lead a group of Ravagers up
over a ravine. Dozens of M-Ships quietly lower behind them.
Kraglin nods toward the sounds of Glenn Campbell in the
distance. They raise their weapons.
OVERHEAD SHOT: dozens and dozens of Ravagers come from
different directions, surrounding the Milano.
One Ravager cluster, lead by Half-Nut, CREEPS close enough to
the Milano that they see the lights within the vehicle and
can hear Rocket inside HUMMING along to the song.
Half-Nut licks his lips in anticipation, closing in for the
kill, when he steps on a small pedal. It CLICKS.
A HUNDRED DARTS FLY AT THE GROUP from traps set in trees.
They STICK INTO THE RAVAGERS' BODIES, knocking them instantly
unconscious. As one Ravager FALLS, a GUNSHOT is discharged.
INT. CRASHED MILANO - NIGHT
Nebula is awakened by the SHOT. She sees a frightened Groot,
peering through a hole at the bodies falling.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL, beside him, a futuristic walkie-talkie
with ROCKET'S HUMS emerging.
EXT. CRASHED MILANO - PERCUSSIVE BOMB TRAP - NIGHT
Rocket is crouched on a limb in shadows above the Milano,
smiling and HUMMING to "Southern Nights" into his comm.
He spots A LARGER GROUP OF RAVAGERS APPROACHING THE MILANO
from the other side, led by Retch.
Rocket LEAPS TOWARD THEM, from one tree limb to another like
a squirrel.
The GROUP enters a clearing close to the ship. A TALL RAVAGER
looks up and spots Rocket LEAPING OVER THEIR HEADS.
TALL RAVAGER
There!
The Ravagers BLAST at Rocket, following him. He HOPS from
tree to tree as BULLETS WHIZZ PAST HIM, leading them right
where he wants them.
He stops in a tree at the end of the run. He holds a device
with two buttons. He presses one of them.
A PERCUSSIVE BOMB at the feet of the Ravagers BURSTS, sending
half of them FLYING UP into the air.
44
As the confused group on the ground watches, Rocket presses
the second button and a second BOMB BURSTS. They FLY UP INTO
THE AIR as well.
Rocket SNICKERS, as he continues pushes the buttons and the
two groups of Ravagers FLY UP and DOWN until the bombs are
depleted of energy.
Retch looks up from the ground, to see the little animal
hopping away in the tree limbs overhead.
EXT. CRASHED MILANO - STICKY DISK TRAP - NIGHT
An EVEN LARGER GROUP OF RAVAGERS walk beneath the branches,
MOONLIGHT FLICKERING ON THEIR FACES.
TILT UP TO REVEAL ROCKET'S SILHOUETTE on a gnarled limb. He's
clutching an armful of small discs. He breathes shallowly,
waits. As soon as the last Ravager is passing beneath him,
he LEAPS onto his back.
Rocket JUMPS FORWARD FROM ONE MAN TO THE NEXT, SLAPPING A
STICKY-DISC to each of their heads - SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
And then he LEAPS from the Ravager at the front of the line
BACK UP INTO THE TREES.
The men are confused. They bring their fingers to the sticky
discs on their bodies.
Rocket smiles in the tree as he flicks a trigger. The STICKY-
DISCS SEND ELECTRICITY COURSING THROUGH ALL OF THE MEN'S
BODIES.
They CONVULSE for a moment, then COLLAPSE.
EXT. CRASHED MILANO - CLEARING - NIGHT
Rocket LEAPS to the ground in a crouch. He sees Brahl
approaching in front of him, and then another RAVAGER
approaching from behind. They train their weapons on him.
BRAHL
Ain't so tough now without all your
toys, are you?
Rocket LEAPS up onto Brahl's face.
He PUNCHES HIM IN THE THORAX so hard he can't breathe.
The other Ravager SHOOTS at him, but Rocket BACKFLIPS over
the SHOT so Brahl is STRUCK instead.
45
Rocket LANDS on the back of the shooter's neck and RAPID-FIRE
PUNCHES HIM in the head, until the man CRUMPLES to the
ground, unconscious.
As Rocket lands, he HEARS WHISTLING and he looks up to see --
YONDU'S ARROW FLYING THROUGH THE TREES, DIRECTLY TOWARD HIM.
ROCKET
Crap.
Another high-pitched WHISTLE and the arrow STOPS ABRUPTLY,
FLOATING with the tip almost grazing Rocket's forehead.
Yondu waltzes out of the trees with Tullk, Kraglin, the
Monstrous Ravager, and many more.
Rocket reluctantly raises his hands in surrender.
YONDU
Hey there, rat.
ROCKET
How's it going, you blue idiot?
YONDU
Eh, not so bad. We got a pretty
good gig. A golden gal with quite a
high opinion of herself offered us
a large sum to deliver you and your
pals to her, so she can kill y'all.
INT. CRASHED MILANO - NIGHT
Nebula looks out the window to see even more Ravagers
surrounding Rocket. She looks at baby Groot.
NEBULA
Your friend. There's too many of
them. They're going to kill him.
Groot looks as if he's about to cry.
NEBULA (CONT'D)
He needs my help. If you care about
him, you need to get me out of
these bonds.
Groot is unsure.
46
EXT. CRASHED MILANO - CLEARING - NIGHT
The Ravagers have entirely encircled Rocket. There's no
chance of escape. Though upset, he mostly holds it in.
YONDU
Pretty easy to find you, since we
put a tracer on your ship back
during the War over Xandar.
ROCKET
You give me your word you won't
hurt Groot, and I'll tell you where
the batteries are.
YONDU
Lucky for you my word don't mean
squat. Otherwise I'd actually hand
you over.
MONSTROUS RAVAGER
Otherwise you'd what?!
Yondu scowls at the Monstrous Ravager.
YONDU
We'll take the batteries. They're
worth a a quarter mil on the open
MARKET -
MONSTROUS RAVAGER
That priestess offered us a
million! A quarter is only one
third of that!
YONDU
A quarter ain't one-th -
OBLO
A quarter is four times a million!
We're in the money!
GEF THE RAVAGER
No, idiot. A quarter is twenty-
five.
YONDU
NO -
GEF THE RAVAGER
We can't even buy a pair of boots
with twenty-five units!
47
YONDU
The point is, we aren't stupid
enough to help kill the Guardians
of the Galaxy. We'd have the whole
Nova Corps on us.
KRAGLIN
(REALIZING)
That ain't right. I just gotta say
it this one time, Cap'n.
Everyone looks at Kraglin.
KRAGLIN (CONT'D)
No matter how many times Quill
betrays you, you protect him, like
none of the rest of us much matter.
I'm the one what sticks up for you,
me and Tullk.
MONSTROUS RAVAGER
Damn straight, lad. You're right:
he's going soft. S'pose it's time
for a change in leadership!
KRAGLIN
UH -
The Monstrous Ravager points his weapon at Yondu.
Others follow his lead.
A handful of others, including Tullk and the Innocent
Ravager, raise their weapons in their Captain's defense, so
that the whole circle are aiming at one another. Kraglin is
confused.
TULLK
Put you damn guns down!
Rocket is in the center of the potential crossfire.
ROCKET
Hold on! There's got to be some
sort of peaceful resolution here!
Or even a violent resolution, where
I'm standing over there.
Yondu glares at the Monstrous Ravager. His FIN LIGHTS UP and
he starts to WHISTLE when -
A GUNSHOT RINGS OUT; THE FIN IS BLOWN OFF THE TOP OF YONDU'S
HEAD. The arrow CLATTERS to the ground.
48
Rocket watches as Yondu, confused, TOTTERS there for a
moment, and then COLLAPSES --
REVEALING NEBULA behind him, clutching a smoking pistol.
Rocket looks at her, dead-eyed: really?
She SHOOTS HIM WITH A BLAST OF ELECTRICITY, knocking him
unconscious.
The Ravagers gape at Nebula.
NEBULA
Well, hello, boys.
She takes a bite from a piece of yaro root she stole from the
Milano. As she chews, she becomes disgusted.
She spits it out.
NEBULA (CONT'D)
It's not ripe.
EXT. RED PLANET - MOMENTS LATER
Ego's ship ARRIVES at a bold red planet, twisting in front of
an enormous yellow sun, so close it seems like the sun is
about to devour it. "MY SWEET LORD" BY GEORGE HARRISON PLAYS.
SUPER: EGO'S PLANET
G52 22C848T12F+E16UC22
INT. EGO'S SHIP - SLEEP CHAMBER - OUTER SPACE
Mantis sets her hand on Ego's forehead, waking him.
EXT. EGO'S PLANET/SPACEPORT - MOMENTS LATER
Ego's ship lands in a spaceport. It organically JOINS the
spot where it lands - strands of material actually linking up
with the landing pad itself.
From the front of the craft, a FLOATING TRAM emerges, with
Ego, Mantis, Quill, Gamora, and Drax.
As the TRAM GLIDES toward its destination, the Guardians are
overwhelmed by transcendentally splendid surroundings. The
plant life is colorful and alien. Tall, twisting obelisks
seem to have no function other than beauty itself.
EGO
Welcome, friends, to my world.
QUILL
Wow. You have your own planet?
49
EGO
But a trifle, no larger than your
earth's moon.
DRAX
Humility. I like it. I too, am
extraordinarily humble.
Even Gamora smiles at the wonder of it all.
Multicolored mercurial clumps FLOAT BY.
Drax pokes one, and it BURSTS INTO A DOZEN VIBRANT HUES.
EXT. TRAM/PALACE - MOMENTS LATER
Ahead of them looms an astounding palace atop a mountain.
QUILL
It's beautiful.
The tram STOPS.
They step off it and toward the palace, Ego stops beside a
large FOUNTAIN.
EGO
Peter, consider this a token of a
father's pride.
Ego motions; the WATERS OF THE FOUNTAIN FALL AWAY, REVEALING
a GIANT STATUE OF STAR-LORD: Quill stands heroically, with
foolish-looking Guardians kneeling around him worshipfully.
EGO (CONT'D)
A memorial to the War Over Xandar,
when you single-handedly saved the
galaxy.
GAMORA
Single-handedly?
QUILL
Whoa. It's perfect.
GAMORA
You've got to be kidding.
DRAX
Why am I dead? Why did you all kill
me?!
GAMORA
That's Ronan. That's you.
50
Drax is sitting on Quill's shoulder, with a raccoon tail.
DRAX
When was I that tiny?
Gamora shakes her head in disbelief. They step past the
statue and onto the steps approaching the palace.
GAMORA
You own a planet and can destroy
two dozen spaceships without a
suit. What are you, exactly?
EGO
I'm what they call a Celestial,
sweetheart.
The Guardians STOP behind him, astounded.
QUILL
A Celestial. Like a... god?
EGO
Small `g', son. At least on the
days I'm feeling humble as Drax.
He LAUGHS and walks up the stairs.
INT. PALACE - MOMENTS LATER
Ego SAUNTERS with Quill, Gamora, Drax, and Mantis, through
the enormous open doors, toward huge DIORAMAS lining either
side of the palace, like cosmic Stations of the Cross.
EGO
This form you see before you is
only an extension of who I truly
am. I don't know where I came from,
exactly.
The DIORAMAS around them begin to ANIMATE: In the first, a
FLICKERING BRAIN COMPOSED OF POLYCHROMATIC LIGHT FLOATS in
space.
EGO (CONT'D)
The first thing I remember is
flickering, adrift in the cosmos -
utterly and entirely alone.
The flickering brain pulls cosmic dust and rocks into itself,
ingesting them, GROWING.
51
EGO (CONT'D)
I fed on the matter around me like
plankton. I grew smarter and
stronger.
A hard metal shell forms around the brain, with channels
running through for his energy to flow like rivers.
EGO (CONT'D)
I formed a sheathe to protect
myself from the elements.
Ego continues developing outward from the shell, growing the
planet, then its beautiful landscapes and structures.
EGO (CONT'D)
And continued building from there,
layer by layer, the very planet you
walk on now. I built the spires
reaching up to the sky and the
tunnels burrowing into its depths.
QUILL
Wow.
EGO
But I was no ant to be fulfilled
solely by labor. I wanted more. I
desired... meaning.
In the core shell - the Self Chamber - the flickering brain
floats, alone, perhaps sad.
EGO (CONT'D)
There must be some life out there
in the universe besides just me, I
thought, and I set myself to task
with finding it.
The brain grows a SKELETAL FRAMEWORK OF LIGHT up from the
self chamber and to the surface of the planet. He pulls
molecules around this shape to create his "human" self.
EGO (CONT'D)
I created what I imagined
biological life might be like, down
to the most minute detail.
DRAX
Did you make a penis?
QUILL
Dude.
52
DRAX
If he's a planet, how did he make a
baby with your mother? He would
smush her.
QUILL
I don't need to hear about how my
parents, you know -
DRAX
Why? My father would tell me the
story of impregnating my mother
every winter solstice.
QUILL
That's disgusting.
DRAX
It was beautiful. You earthers have
hang-ups.
EGO
Yes, Drax, I've got a penis.
QUILL
Oh my God.
EGO
It's not half bad. I've also got
pain receptors, a digestive system,
and all the accompanying junk. I
wanted to experience what it truly
meant to be human as I set out
amongst the stars.
In another DIORAMA, Ego explores various uninhabited and
barren planets.
EGO (CONT'D)
I visited thousands of planets over
thousands of years, one barren husk
after the next until I found what I
sought...
Ego stares down at a CUTE ALIEN CHILD.
EGO (CONT'D)
Life. I was not alone in this
universe after all.
Ego reminisces: wistful? Sad? It's hard to tell.
QUILL
When did you meet my mother?
53
EGO
Not long after.
Ego turns toward the last set of DIORAMAS. They show Meredith
and Ego kissing and Ego with his hand on Meredith's pregnant
belly.
EGO (CONT'D)
It was with Meredith that I
experienced love for the first
time. I called her my river lily.
And from that love, Peter, you.
In the final DIORAMA we PUSH IN on the belly and see, inside
the womb, VERY young Peter Quill, a fetus, himself encased in
light.
Quill looks up in amazement - this story is the story of
himself. And Ego gazes at Quill with adoration.
EGO (CONT'D)
I searched for you for so long.
When I heard a man from earth held
an Infinity Stone in his hand
without dying, I knew you must be
the son of the woman I loved.
Ego puts his hand on Quill. Quill wants to believe, but he
can't quite let it go.
QUILL
If you loved her why did you leave
her?
EXT. THE ECLECTOR - OUTER SPACE
The Ravagers' massive ship FLOATS in space.
SUPER: RAVAGER TERRITORY
HE2 6SM6R16617+6241023
TULLK (O.S.)
You can't do this!
INT. ECLECTOR CENTRAL AREA - OUTER SPACE
Ravagers LAUGH as they DRAG Tullk across the floor while he
STRUGGLES to get free.
TULLK
This is mutiny! Mutiny!
They shove Tullk into a cylindrical room as a glass door
CLOSES on him.
54
He continues SCREAMING and SLAMMING ON THE GLASS, but we can
barely hear him.
Half-Nut smiles and presses a button. The outside of the
compartment OPENS so that Tullk is SUCKED INTO SPACE.
EXT. THE ECLECTOR - OUTER SPACE
Tullk FLOATS AWAY, opening his mouth to scream, but he can't.
His FACE AND BODY SWELL QUICKLY and he EXPIRES there.
As we CURL AROUND his lifeless body, we REVEAL the countless
other CORPSES of Ravagers loyal to Yondu, leading like bread
crumbs toward nothing at all.
INT. ECLECTOR CENTRAL AREA - OUTER SPACE
Yondu watches this, helplessly. He's in a chair, his hands
tied behind him. He's a wreck, his headpiece destroyed, wires
hanging from a gap in his head where the fin used to be. He
sees the mutineers grab the innocent Oblo, DRAGGING HIM to
the same fate as Tullk.
OBLO
Cap'n, help me! Cap'n?!
Yondu drops his head in shame.
MONSTROUS RAVAGER
You're the one what kilt those men
by leading `em down the wrong path.
He PUNCHES Yondu.
MONSTROUS RAVAGER (CONT'D)
Because you're weak.
He PUNCHES him again.
MONSTROUS RAVAGER (CONT'D)
And stupid.
The Monstrous Ravager turns towards the Ravagers, who listen,
rapt and vengeful. Nebula leans calmly against a wall,
watching. Kraglin watches too, seemingly concerned.
MONSTROUS RAVAGER (CONT'D)
It's time for the Ravagers to once
again rise to glory with a new
Cap'n... TASERFACE.
The Ravagers SHOUT IN APPROVAL. Taserface throws his arms up
in glory - when he hears SNICKERING. He stops.
55
He and the other Ravagers turn and see Rocket, also in a
chair with his arms secured behind him, GIGGLING.
ROCKET
I'm sorry. Your name is... it's
`Taserface'?
TASERFACE
That's right.
ROCKET
Do you... shoot tasers out of your
face?
TASERFACE
It's metaphorical!
ROCKET
For what?
Taserface thinks. Time for a new answer:
TASERFACE
It's a name what strikes fear in
anyone what hears it!
ROCKET
(DOUBTFUL)
Really?... Okay, sure.
Taserface screams at him, SPIT FLYING EVERYWHERE.
TASERFACE
You shut up! You're next!
Taserface goes back to Yondu, bringing out his blade.
TASERFACE (CONT'D)
Udonta, I been waiting to do this
for a long ti -
Again they hear SNICKERING. Rocket is burying his mouth in
his chest, TRYING TO STOP FROM CRACKING UP.
TASERFACE (CONT'D)
What?! What?!
ROCKET
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I just
keep imagining you waking up one
morning, looking in the mirror,
and, in all seriousness, saying
`You know what would be a really
kickass name? Taserface!'
56
Nebula smirks. The Ravagers are TRYING NOT TO LAUGH. Rocket
can't stop LAUGHING.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
What was your second choice?!
Scrotum Hat?!
The Ravagers all BUST OUT LAUGHING.
TASERFACE
New plan. We're killing you first.
Taserface SHOVES HIM BACK, ready to plunge the knife in him.
Rocket's smile disappears. He stares at Taserface with dead
eyes.
ROCKET
Well, dying is certainly better
than having to live an entire life
as a moronic shitbag who thinks
`Taserface' is a cool name.
Taserface goes to stab him, when -
NEBULA
That's enough killing for today.
Taserface turns toward her, irritated.
TASERFACE
Thought you were the biggest sadist
in the galaxy.
NEBULA
That was when Daddy was paying my
bills. The Priestess wants to kill
the fox herself. And he -
(RE: YONDU)
- has bounties on his head in at
least twelve Kree provinces.
Taserface glares at her. It's obvious he's considering
attacking her.
NEBULA (CONT'D)
I assure you, I am not as easy a
mark as an old man without his
magic stick or a talking woodland
beast.
Taserface decides not to risk it.
57
NEBULA (CONT'D)
I want ten percent of the take, and
a couple more things.
INT. ECLECTOR DOCKING BAY HALL - LATER
Nebula is TRYING OUT A BRAND NEW HAND as Kraglin leads her
through this hall.
KRAGLIN
We got a whole box of hands if that
one don't work out.
NEBULA
It's fine.
KRAGLIN
You think them Kree is gonna
execute the Cap'n?
NEBULA
The Kree consider themselves
merciful. It will be painless.
Kraglin comes to an open doorway beside a huge DOCKING BAY,
and an M-SHIP decked out with lots of weapons.
KRAGLIN
Well, there it is, best ship we
got. The location of Ego's planet's
in the nav. We'll wire you the ten
percent when we's paid. What you
gonna do with your share?
Nebula stops at the doorway.
NEBULA
As a child my father would have
Gamora and me battle one another in
`training.' Every time my sister
prevailed my father would replace a
piece of me with machinery,
claiming he wanted me to be her
equal. But she won, again and again
and again. Never once refraining.
Because of them, I am this. So
after I murder my sister, I will
buy a warship with every
conceivable instrument of death.
(MORE)
58
NEBULA (CONT'D)
I will hunt my father like a dog
and I will tear him apart slowly,
piece by piece, until he knows some
semblance of the profound and
unceasing pain I know every single
day.
Kraglin stares at her, weirded-out.
KRAGLIN
Yeah... I was talking about, like,
a pretty necklace. Or a nice hat.
Something that'll make the other
girls go `oooooo, that's nice.'
Nebula gives him a look of pure death.
KRAGLIN (CONT'D)
Anyway, uh, happy trails.
INT. PALACE COURTYARD - DAY
Quill looks up at a GIANT SCULPTURE of his mother. He is
upset. Ego is behind him, watching him, sadly.
QUILL
My mother told everyone my father
was from the stars.
Quill turns to look at his father, somewhat accusatory.
QUILL (CONT'D)
She had brain cancer - so everyone
thought she was delusional.
Ego looks sad, ashamed.
EGO
PETER -
QUILL
Listen. I'd love to believe all of
this, I really would - but you left
the most wonderful woman ever, to
die alone!
Ego has tears in his eyes.
EGO
I didn't want to leave your mother,
Peter. But if I don't return
regularly to this planet, and the
light within, this form will wither
and perish --
59
QUILL
So why didn't you come back?! Why'd
you send Yondu, a criminal, of all
people, to fetch me?!
EGO
I loved your mother, Peter! I
couldn't stand to set foot on an
earth where she wasn't living! You
can't imagine what that's like!
QUILL
I know exactly what that's like! I
had to watch her die!
Ego stops, seeming to hear his son. He touches him.
EGO
Over the millions and millions of
years of my existence I have made
many mistakes, Peter. But you're
not one of them. Please give me
the chance to be the father she
would want me to be.
Quill looks at him, vulnerable.
EGO (CONT'D)
There are so many things I need to
teach you. This planet, and the
light within... they are a part of
you.
QUILL
What do you mean?
Ego takes Quill's hands in his own, gently, putting them in
the correct position.
EGO
Give me your hands, son. Here.
Hold them like that.
Quill holds his hands apart. Ego steps back, holding his
hands in the same way.
EGO (CONT'D)
Now close your eyes and
concentrate. Take your brain to the
center of the planet.
Quill concentrates. He holds his hand out. A white light
emanates from it.
60
EGO (CONT'D)
Yes! Yes!
QUILL
Whoa.
The light disappears as quickly as it came.
EGO
Yes, yes - it's okay. Just relax.
Concentrate. You can do it. Bring
it back.
Quill concentrates and the LIGHT, once again, bursts up from
the palms of his hands.
EGO (CONT'D)
Yes, yes, now - shape it -
Ego shows him, pulling in the molecules around him, so that
the light itself forms into the shape of a ball.
EGO (CONT'D)
Feel the energy.
Quill tries to pull molecules into the ball. And, little by
little, they come, and the ball glows brighter.
EGO (CONT'D)
Yes.
Quill laughs. Ego is JOYOUS. He almost looks as if he's going
to break down in tears.
EGO (CONT'D)
You're home, Peter.
Ego cups his hands.
EGO (CONT'D)
Here.
Quill, smiling, THROWS him the ball. Ego LAUGHS. He inspects
the cosmic ball of light, and he throws it back to Quill.
Quill LAUGHS, catching it, and throws it back. Ego moves
back further.
And Ego and Quill continue tossing the ball back and forth
there, LAUGHING, a friendly father and son game of catch in
the middle of a palace courtyard.
61
EXT. PALACE - DAY
Drax and Mantis sit here, soaking in the sun and gazing at
the lush, flowing hills, like something an alien Maxfield
Parrish would paint.
DRAX
How did you get here?
MANTIS
Ego found me in my larva state,
orphaned on my homeworld. He raised
me by hand, and kept me as his own.
DRAX
So you're a pet?
MANTIS
I suppose.
DRAX
People usually want cute pets. Why
would Ego want a hideous one?
MANTIS
I am hideous?
DRAX
You're horrifying to look at, yes.
Mantis seems sad about this. Drax notice this, feels bad.
DRAX (CONT'D)
But it is a good thing.
MANTIS
Oh?
DRAX
When you are ugly and someone loves
you, you know they love you for who
you are. Beautiful people never
know who to trust.
MANTIS
Well, then I am certainly grateful
to be ugly!
(THINKING)
Poor Gamora. She can never trust
anyone.
Drax nods and stares out at spattered patches of water.
62
DRAX
Those pools remind me of a time I
took my daughter to visit the
Forgotten Lakes on my homeworld.
She was like you.
MANTIS
Disgusting?
DRAX
Innocent.
Drax stares out at them without expression.
Slowly, Mantis TOUCHES his shoulder.
And, as she does, TEARS INSTANTLY FLOW DOWN HER CHEEKS. She
stares with Drax at the hills. They feel the sadness
together: she cries while he's stoic.
MANTIS
I have never met anyone like you,
or your friends. You are filled
with such... love. It is a thing I
did not know existed, not like
this, and I think... I think it may
be the very finest of all things.
It both hurts and soothes the
heart.
She looks at Drax. There is something she wants to say, but
she is torn.
MANTIS (CONT'D)
Drax, there is something I must
TELL -
GAMORA (O.S.)
What's going on?
Drax and Mantis turn to see her behind them. She smiles.
MANTIS
I am learning many things. Like I
am a pet and ugly.
GAMORA
You're not ugly.
(ADMONISHING)
Drax.
Drax, confused, points at Mantis, as if her ugliness proves
itself.
63
GAMORA (CONT'D)
Mantis, can you show us where we'll
be staying? I'm getting eye-strain
in this place.
Mantis nods, yes.
EXT. PATH TO SLEEPING QUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER
Gamora, Drax, and Mantis walk across the sunset.
GAMORA
Why are there no other beings on
this planet?
MANTIS
The planet IS Ego. A dog would not
invite a flea to live on his back.
GAMORA
And you're not a flea?
MANTIS
I'm a flea with a purpose. I help
him sleep.
Gamora curls around Mantis, cutting her off.
GAMORA
What were you about to say to Drax
before I walked out?
Mantis looks around, worried.
MANTIS
Nothing.
Gamora and Drax share a look: why is she so scared? Mantis
moves on.
MANTIS (CONT'D)
Your quarters are this way.
INT. ECLECTOR CELL - OUTER SPACE
Rocket HITS THE GROUND, hard. Yondu LANDS equally hard on
the ground beside him.
They look up to see Taserface, Gef the Ravager and an OBTUSE
RAVAGER locking the cell door.
64
TASERFACE
We'll deliver you to the Kree in
the morning. Neither one of you
gonna last much longer after that.
Rocket crawls toward them as they walk away.
ROCKET
Okay, Taserface. See you later,
Taserface. Hey, Taserface, tell the
other guys we said hi, Taserface!
Taserface glances back, perturbed, as he disappears around
the corner.
INT. ECLECTOR HALLWAY - OUTER SPACE
Taserface, Gef, and Obtuse come around the hall.
GEF THE RAVAGER
What about the little plant? Can I
smash it with a rock?
TASERFACE
No, Gef! It's too adorable to kill.
Bring it to the tailor.
INT. ECLECTOR CELL - OUTER SPACE
Yondu and Rocket settle. Yondu looks like a beaten man.
ROCKET
No offense, but your employees are
a bunch of jerks.
YONDU
I was a Kree battle-slave for
twenty years when Stakar freed me.
He offered me a place in the
Ravagers. Said all I needed to do
was adhere to the code. But I was
young and greedy and stupid - like
you stealing those batteries.
ROCKET
That was mostly Drax.
YONDU
Me and Stakar, and the other
captains - we weren't so different
from you and your friends. The only
family I ever had. But I broke the
code. They exiled me.
65
YONDU (CONT'D)
These ones here are the ones who
followed - of course they're jerks.
Which is what I deserve.
ROCKET
Slow down, drama queen. You might
deserve this, but I don't. We gotta
get out of here.
YONDU
Where's Quill?
ROCKET
Went off with his old man.
YONDU
Ego?
Yondu looks concerned. Rocket stares at him, picking this up.
ROCKET
Yeah. It's a day for dumbass names.
Yondu SNICKERS.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
You smiled and for a second I got a
warm feeling, but then it was
ruined by those disgusting-ass
teeth. Ever heard of floss?
Yondu's smile disappears.
YONDU
You're like a professional asshole
or - ?
ROCKET
Pretty much a pro. Why didn't you
deliver Quill to Ego like you
promised?
YONDU
He was skinny, could fit into
places we couldn't. Good for
thieving.
Rocket nods, GRUMBLES.
YONDU (CONT'D)
I got an idea on how to get outta
here. But we're gonna need your
little friend.
66
INT. BAR/QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Baby Groot is wearing a tiny Ravager uniform. He reacts to
clothes like a cat, struggling to take them off but unable.
Ravagers are gathered around him, drunk and LAUGHING. They
are CHANTING "MASCOT."
RETCH
Lil' feller's all worked up! Needs
a drank!
Retch POURS ALCOHOL on him. The Ravagers LAUGH MORE as others
POUR DRINKS on him as well. Groot SCREAMS at them, furious
but helpless.
RETCH (CONT'D)
Lookit how cute it is when it's all
riled up!
HALF-NUT
It's Goddang precious!
INT. ECLECTOR CELL - LATER
Groot, in shadows, MOPES down the hallway, looking
traumatized. His clothes are torn and he's soaked in alcohol.
As he passes the cell, he hears -
YONDU (O.S.)
Hey, twig. C'mere.
Groot sees Yondu and Rocket looking at him in the cell. He
steps toward them.
ROCKET
Oh, man. What'd they do to you?
YONDU
Hey, you wanna help us get outta
here?
Groot NODS. Rocket looks unsure. Yondu speaks slowly.
YONDU (CONT'D)
There's something I need you to
get, and bring back to me.
Groot NODS.
YONDU (CONT'D)
In the Cap'n's quarters, there's a
prototype fin, like the thing I
wore on my head.
67
Groot NODS.
YONDU (CONT'D)
There's a drawer next to the bunk.
It's inside that. It's red. You
got it?
Groot NODS EMPHATICALLY and DARTS OFF to get it. Yondu looks
at Rocket, pleased.
Rocket looks more than a bit uncertain.
INT. CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER
Baby Groot CREEPS into this dark room. DRUNKEN RAVAGERS are
sprawled everywhere.
He spots a bureau. A drawer is half open.
His face lights up.
MOMENTS LATER
Baby Groot stands outside of the cell, beaming, holding A
PAIR OF SHORTS.
YONDU
That's my underwears.
ROCKET
Yeah, I was pretty sure he didn't
know what you were talking about.
You have to explain it more
careful.
YONDU
All right. It's a prototype fin -
MOMENTS LATER
Groot is back in front of the cell, holding a wriggling
ORLONI in his hands.
ROCKET
That's an orloni. It's a fin,
Groot.
YONDU
You explain it this time.
Rocket starts to speak -
68
MOMENTS LATER
Groot looks hopeful, holding out a CYBERNETIC EYE.
YONDU
That's Vorker's eye. He takes it
out when he sleeps. Go look again.
Groot starts to SLINK OFF -
ROCKET
But leave the eye here.
YONDU
Why?
Rocket CAN HARDLY SPEAK he finds it so funny.
ROCKET
He's gonna wake up tomorrow and
he's not gonna know where his eye
is!
MOMENTS LATER
Groot is DRAGGING a LARGE PIECE OF FURNITURE to the cell.
ROCKET
That's a desk. We told you it was
this big.
Rocket shows him how small it is with his hands.
Groot makes a face like "Oh!" as if NOW he gets it. It's all
coming together.
MOMENTS LATER
Groot is holding a SEVERED TOE.
ROCKET
Tell me you guys have a
refrigerator somewhere with a bunch
of severed human toes.
Yondu SUBTLY SHAKES HIS HEAD.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
Okay, then let's just agree to
never discuss this.
Yondu RIPS the Ravager patch off his jacket.
69
YONDU
The drawer you want to open. Has
this symbol on it, okay?
Groot takes it. He looks at Yondu and NODS.
And then, slowly, HE PLACES IT ON TOP OF HIS HEAD.
YONDU (CONT'D)
What? No.
ROCKET
He thinks you want him to wear it
as a hat.
YONDU
That's not what I said.
Groot takes it off his head.
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
(TRANSLATING)
He's relieved that you don't want
him to.
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
He hates hats.
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
On anyone, not just himself.
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
One minute you think someone has a
weird-shaped head. The next minute,
it's just because you realize part
of that head is a hat.
(TO GROOT)
That's why you don't like hats?
Groot nods.
70
YONDU
This is an important conversation
right now?
ROCKET
No. Let's try again.
INT. CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER
Taserface is SNORING and SLOBBERING in his bed. We see the
Ravager Patch tossed up onto the bed beside him. Then
Groot's vines GROW up the bed, and he pulls himself up beside
the sleeping giant.
Groot clasps the Ravager patch in his hand and looks
fearfully around.
He spots the Ravager symbol on a night stand drawer.
He stares at the symbol in his hand, then at the drawer, then
at the symbol, and then at the drawer again, and then one
more time for good measure -- he wants to be very, very sure
they're the same.
He creeps carefully towards the drawer, GROWING his vines out
to grab the handle and PULL IT slowly open...
He peers inside.
Beside some writing instruments and a tin of candies, there
lies a RED FIN, taller and more shark-like than Yondu's
current model. Groot smiles hugely, picking up -
THE TIN OF CANDIES! He's found it!
KRAGLIN (O.S.)
That ain't it.
Groot SWIRLS to see KRAGLIN, BACKLIT IN THE DOORWAY, LOOMING
OVER HIM, intimidating as hell. And CUT TO --
INT. ECLECTOR CELL - MOMENTS LATER
The RED FIN PLOPS DOWN at Yondu's feet.
Yondu and Rocket look up to see Kraglin, holding Groot. He
stares at the ground -
KRAGLIN
I didn't mean to do a mutiny.
(pause, then, sadly)
They killed all my friends.
71
YONDU
Go get the third quadrant ready for
release.
Kraglin SALUTES.
ROCKET
One more thing.
Kraglin stares at him.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
You got any clones of Quill's old
music on the ship?
INT. ECLECTOR BATHROOM - OUTER SPACE
Brahl is shaving, when, suddenly, JAY AND THE AMERICAN'S
"COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER" STARTS PLAYING over the intercom.
He looks up, confused.
INT. ECLECTOR HALLWAY/CELL - OUTER SPACE
TWO RAVAGERS outside the cell hear the MUSIC. They turn,
unlocking the cell door.
As they enter, THE CAMERA OVERTAKES them, arriving before
they do at --
Yondu, sitting calmly; Rocket is finishing ATTACHING THE BIG-
ASS FIN TO HIS HEAD. Its electrical systems POP on.
PUSH IN ON the two surprised Ravagers trying to UNHOLSTER
THEIR PISTOLS in time.
Too late.
Yondu WHISTLES.
INT. ECLECTOR CLOSET - OUTER SPACE
The ARROW FLIES OFF a shelf of supplies and SHOOTS TOWARD A
WALL.
INT. ECLECTOR CELL - OUTER SPACE
The ARROW PUNCHES THROUGH THE WALL behind the Ravagers. They
swirl to see it --
IT SHOOTS THROUGH ONE RAVAGER
And THEN THE OTHER --
72
And then to Yondu; he CATCHES it, and STANDS.
He SAUNTERS past the two Ravagers as they WOBBLE and FALL.
Rocket and Groot follow.
On the way out the door, Rocket looks down and sees TWO
PISTOLS beside the dead Ravagers.
He smiles.
INT. CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - OUTER SPACE
Taserface is awoken by JAY AND THE AMERICANS on the PA. He
glances over to see the open drawer beside him, sans
gargantuan fin.
He SCRAMBLES for the comm, yelling into it --
TASERFACE
He's got it!
INT. BAR/QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
The hoard of Ravagers hear Taserface's voice.
TASERFACE (O.S.)
HE'S GOT IT! YONDU'S GOT THE DAMN
FIN!
RETCH
GO!
SERIES OF SHOTS - INT. ALL OVER THE SHIP - OUTER SPACE
ALL OF THE RAVAGERS all over the ship, in a panic, LOAD THEIR
WEAPONS and HEAD TOWARD THE CELL.
INT. ECLECTOR HALLWAY - OUTER SPACE
Yondu and Rocket and Groot COME AROUND THIS CORNER IN SLOW-
MOTION, the three biggest badasses in the history of cinema.
A HOARD OF RAVAGERS, led by Brahl, FILE IN at the end of the
hallway.
But Yondu WHISTLES and the ARROW TWISTS QUICKLY BACK AND
FORTH, SLICING THROUGH EACH OF THEM.
Yondu SLAMS through a door into -
73
INT. ECLECTOR DOCKING BAY - OUTER SPACE
Our heroes step onto a catwalk in this, the biggest space in
the Eclector. There are catwalks throughout and dozens of
docked M-ships. The SCURRILOUS RAVAGER sees them from above --
SCURRILOUS RAVAGER
Down there!
IN AN EXTREME WIDE ANGLE, we see the ARROW FLYING UP AND
DOWN, BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS, CUTTING THROUGH ALL SORTS OF
RAVAGERS, closer and further from CAMERA.
We TRAVEL BEHIND YONDU AND ROCKET as BODIES FALL AROUND THEM
IN SLOW-MOTION LIKE FIREWORKS.
Groot looks up and sees RETCH looking down at him.
RETCH FLEES in terror as Groot GROWS branches to pull himself
up behind him.
Groot HOWLS FURIOUSLY, TAKING CHASE.
Retch YOWLS like a child as he frantically runs.
But Groot GROWS HIS BRANCHES around RETCH's legs, TRIPPING
HIM.
BAM! He FALLS, face first to the floor.
And, with a WAR CRY, Baby Groot FLINGS the sadistic Ravager
off the edge towards the abyss below.
As RETCH FALLS past Yondu and Rocket, Baby Groot DROPS back
down onto Rocket's shoulder, and they push their way through
the doorway -
INT. ECLECTOR SECURITY DOCK - OUTER SPACE
Yondu, Rocket, and Groot move into this area, where they look
up at DOZENS OF SECURITY MONITORS encircling them showing
Ravagers filing toward them from every part of the ship.
Yondu WHISTLES as he watches the MONITORS -
ON A MONITOR, the arrow FLIES out the wall. He whistles so
that it strikes TWO RAVAGERS running towards them.
It ZIPS out of that room and
74
INT. DARK HALL - OUTER SPACE
A HOARD of Ravagers come running down a hall. The ARROW ZIPS
overhead, smashing out all the lights so that the hall is
completely dark, except for the DIM RED LIGHT OF THE ARROW.
And we can just make out the RED LIGHT smashing through the
body of every Ravager there and then on into --
INT. SPACEPORT - OUTER SPACE
A YELLING CROWD OF RAVAGERS come, hungry for war, when the
arrow SHOOTS THROUGH THE CHAINS holding a giant spaceship in
place over their heads.
It FALLS, instantly CRUSHING them all, and then zips on --
INT. BAR - OUTER SPACE
Gef the Ravager is drunkenly drinking a mug of beer, when the
arrow zips past him and through the mug, SHATTERING it.
As Gef looks at the shattered mug, confused, the arrow comes
flying back, ripping through Gef himself, FLINGING him off
the bar stool.
INT. ECLECTOR SECURITY DOCK - OUTER SPACE
Rocket also uses the MONITORS to pinpoint where their
attackers are. He methodically SHOOTS THROUGH the walls,
striking the Ravagers as they get closer.
WIDE OVERHEAD SHOT, the CAMERA REVOLVES as hoards of Ravagers
GET CLOSE to Yondu and Rocket but the arrow and gunshots ZIP
THROUGH THE WALLS taking them all down, one by one, like
Busby Berkely gone mad.
Then Yondu stops, seeing something on one of the MONITORS.
Taserface, clutching a big ass gun, is marching down the hall
towards them.
Yondu WHISTLES, loudly and angrily.
INTERCUT - INT. ENGINE ROOM/SECURITY DOCK - OUTER SPACE
Taserface sees THE ARROW COMING AROUND A CORNER TOWARDS HIM.
Yondu WHISTLES again.
The ARROW BURSTS INTO FLAMES.
Taserface DODGES it.
75
He turns to watch it go, CACKLING pridefully over his
agility.
But his smile quickly dissipates.
The arrow PLUNGES into a giant tank - which EXPLODES,
ENGULFING HIM.
EXT. ECLECTOR - OUTER SPACE
A huge portion of the giant spacecraft EXPLODES, leading to a
domino effect of one part of the ship BURSTING after another.
INT. ECLECTOR SECURITY DOCK - OUTER SPACE
ROCKET is dumbfounded as he sees on the MONITORS the numerous
EXPLOSIONS throughout the ship.
ROCKET
You maniac. The whole ship is gonna
blow.
INT. ECLECTOR SECURITY DOCK - OUTER SPACE
A DOOR SWINGS OPEN and TASERFACE FALLS ONTO THE FLOOR,
ENGULFED IN FLAMES, but furious.
He angrily SLAPS off the flames as he reaches for a
COMMUNICATIONS MODULE.
INT. ECLECTOR SECURITY DOCK - OUTER SPACE
YONDU
Not the whole ship.
Yondu catches the arrow and walks out.
INT. BAR/QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Kraglin ENTERS, pulling latches and flipping switches and
twisting dials on elementary flight controls.
INT. ECLECTOR SECURITY DOCK - OUTER SPACE
With pained effort, Taserface PULLS UP A VIDEO SCREEN with a
SOVEREIGN CHAMBERMAID.
CHAMBERMAID (ON SCREEN)
Who is this? You're not supposed to
be on this line.
TASERFACE
I'm sending you the coordinates for
Yondu's ship.
76
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Yondu enters with Rocket and Groot.
YONDU
Release the quadrant.
KRAGLIN
AYE CAPN'
INT. ECLECTOR SECURITY DOCK - OUTER SPACE
TASERFACE
I only ask one thing. That your
High Priestess tells him the name
of the man what sealed his fate:
Taserface.
The CHAMBERMAID laughs uncontrollably at his name.
Taserface looks really sad as he EXPLODES.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
As Rocket and Groot, frightened, feel the SHIP EXPLODING
around them, Kraglin pulls up one final latch -
EXT. ECLECTOR - OUTER SPACE
THE ENTIRE REAR UPPER QUADRANT OF THE ECLECTOR DETACHES FROM
THE REST OF THE SHIP, while the remains CONTINUE EXPLODING.
I/E. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Rocket and Groot are amazed as the SHIP thrusts forward, away
from the explosions.
Kraglin keys into a JUMP POINT ahead. Nearby, Rocket pulls up
the Navigation panel.
KRAGLIN
Where to, Cap'n?
Rocket SETS THE DESTINATION:
ROCKET
Ego.
YONDU
NO, BOY!
The Quadrant TREMBLES as they hit THE JUMP POINT. It BLOOPS
out of present space, making the JUMP to -
77
EXT. DESERT - DAY
The Quadrant POPS into a blue sky above a DESERT with two
fighting KRONANS.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - VARIOUS OUTER SPACE LOCATIONS
Inside the ship, Rocket, Yondu, Kraglin, and baby Groot hold
on for dear life as the ship VIOLENTLY SHAKES and THE
LOCATIONS OUTSIDE OF THE WINDOW RAPIDLY SHIFT.
Their bodies DISTEND SLIGHTLY. Yondu is furious.
YONDU
It ain't healthy for a mammalian
body to hop over fifty jumps at a
time.
ROCKET
I know that.
YONDU
We're about to do seven-hundred.
Rocket looks bummed.
EXT. PINK SKY - AMOEBA BLOBS - OUTER SPACE
The Quadrant pops out of a jump point into this Pepto Bismol
pink land, SMASHING THROUGH an AMOEBA-LIKE BLOB, and then
through the next jump point.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - VARIOUS OUTER SPACE LOCATIONS
Kraglin, Yondu, Rocket, and Baby Groot all SCREAM, their
entire faces and bodies distorting as if in some evil
funhouse mirror.
EXT. RED PLANET LANDSCAPE - VARIOUS
The yellow sun CURVES SLOWLY WEST TO EAST over this
magnificent landscape.
"BRING IT ON HOME TO ME" BY SAM COOKE PLAYS.
EXT. SLEEPING QUARTERS - VERANDA - DAY
TILT DOWN to Quill, on this veranda, gazing out at the
beauty. The Walkman is connected to small, jerry-rigged
speakers nearby, PLAYING SAM COOKE.
QUILL
So I guess this could all be mine
someday.
78
Gamora isn't paying attention. She's fooling with a
communications device, which has no reception.
GAMORA
Rocket? Rocket, you there? Dammit.
Quill comes up behind her, messing with her.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
What are you doing, Peter?
QUILL
Dance with me.
GAMORA
No. I'm not --
QUILL
Come on. This is Sam Cooke, one of
the greatest Earth singers of all
time.
Gamora lets out an exasperated SIGH, but, reluctantly, starts
DANCING with him. She is incredibly light on her feet.
Quill smiles and Gamora, despite herself, does as well. He
TWIRLS HER AND BRINGS HER BACK IN. This is definitely not the
first time they've done this.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Drax thinks you're not a dancer.
GAMORA
If you ever tell anyone about this,
I'll kill you.
They look at each other.
QUILL
When are we going to do something
about this... unspoken thing
between us?
GAMORA
What unspoken thing?
QUILL
THIS CHEERS-SAM-AND-DIANE-GUY-AND-
GIRL-ON-A-TV-SHOW-WHO-DIG-EACH-
OTHER-BUT-NEVER-SAY-IT-'CAUSE-WHEN-
THEY-DO-THE-RATINGS-WOULD-GO-DOWN
sort of thing?
79
GAMORA
There is no unspoken thing between
us.
QUILL
Well, that's a Catch-22. Because if
you said there was, it would be
spoken, and then you'd be a liar.
So by saying there isn't, you're
telling the truth, and admitting
there is.
GAMORA
That's not --
Gamora PULLS AWAY.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
What we should be discussing right
now is that something about this
place doesn't feel right.
QUILL
What are you talking about? You
were the one who wanted me to come
here!
Gamora moves into --
INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS - DAY
GAMORA
That girl, Mantis. She's afraid of
something.
Quill follows her. He stops, staring at her, hurt and
frustrated.
QUILL
Why are you trying to take this
from me?
GAMORA
I'm not --
QUILL
He's my father. He's blood -
GAMORA
You have blood on earth. You never
wanted to return there.
80
QUILL
Again - you made me come here!
And Earth?! Earth is the place my
mother died in front of me.
GAMORA
No, it's because that's real, and
this is a fantasy.
QUILL
This is real. I'm only half human,
remember?
GAMORA
That's the half I'm worried about.
QUILL
Oh, I get it. You're jealous
because I'm part god! You like me
being the weak one!
Gamora adds some pieces to her transmitter.
GAMORA
Uh. You were insufferable to begin
with. I haven't been able to reach
Rocket. I'm going to see if I can
get a signal outside.
QUILL
You know, this isn't Cheers after
all. It's whatever the show is
where one person is willing to, you
know, open themselves up to new
possibilities, and the other person
is just kind of a jerk who doesn't
trust anyone! It's a show that
doesn't exist - it would never be
made, it would be so horrible! It
would get zero ratings!
GAMORA
You're having a conversation with
yourself! I don't know what Cheers
is!
QUILL
I finally found my family, don't
you understand that!?
GAMORA
I thought you already had.
81
QUILL
So this is how it ends, then? Our
whole story. Like this? You and me?
GAMORA
Get it through your head, Peter.
There is no you and me. There never
was.
Quill watches her leave.
EXT. EGO'S FIELDS - SUNSET
Gamora sits, alone in the fields, pouting, fuming. She
stops, staring angrily inward.
Two plants, nearby, flitter against one another in the wind,
making a CLICKING sound. She side-eyes them. They don't stop.
She slices them off with her sword.
GAMORA
Dammit.
Gamora hears something. She turns to see, in the distance, an
M-ship flying toward the planet.
She watches as it gets closer and closer, and realizes it is
FLYING DIRECTLY AT HER.
Gamora RUNS.
INT. NEBULA'S SHIP - SUNSET
Nebula HOLLERS as she BLASTS HER GUNS, DIVING towards Gamora.
EXT. HILLSIDE - SUNSET
Gamora FLEES from Nebula's ship like Cary Grant from the crop
duster in North by Northwest as HUGE CHUNKS OF LAND EXPLODE
on either side of her.
Gamora leaps into a DITCH, LANDING HARD, as the M-Ship SWOOPS
just a couple feet above her.
GAMORA
You psychopath.
Gamora sees the M-Ship banking and FLYING BACK at her again.
She stands and runs along the hillside as GUN BLASTS burst
behind her. But Gamora sees a CAVERN, leading down into the
earth.
82
She DARTS into it.
INT. EGO'S CAVERN - FIRST/SECOND LEVELS - SUNSET
As Gamora RUNS down the cavern, she glances back over her
shoulder where Nebula, insane with rage, continues FLYING
towards her --
The M-SHIP ENTERS THE CAVERN, which is too small for it,
CLIPPING ITS WINGS - but it keeps flying. It again BLASTS at
Gamora as she FLEES -
The BLASTS cause the ground to COLLAPSE around Gamora, and
she FALLS, SMASHING DOWN THROUGH ONE LEVEL, to another level
below, SLAMMING HARD on the ground.
The underside of the M-ship gets SCRAPED APART as it flies
above her, and pieces of it come RAINING DOWN around her.
Nebula ZOOMS towards a huge cavern wall. She tries to turn
her ship in time, to no avail.
She SIDESWIPES it, falling down, CRASHING on the ground,
where she is now on the same level as Gamora.
Gamora sees something beside her: it's one of the ENORMOUS
BLASTERS from the M-ship, attached to an AMMO RIG.
INT. NEBULA'S M-SHIP - SUNSET
Nebula sees Gamora, through the canopy, picking up the
blaster, and clutching it. It is comically enormous.
Nebula struggles to get free and out of the way, but her legs
have been pinned in the crash -
INT. EGO'S CAVERN - SECOND/THIRD LEVELS - SUNSET
Gamora CLAMPS two metal switches together, MACHINE-FIRING THE
GUN, as she walks forward.
The front of the M-ship is peppered with blasts and then
EXPLODES.
The explosion causes the thin ground around it to COLLAPSE,
and the entire ship FALLS BACKWARDS to an even LOWER LEVEL -
BURSTING some more as it hits the ground.
Gamora gazes down at the ship.
I/E. NEBULA'S SQUASHED M-SHIP - SUNSET
Nebula is a mess. Her legs are broken, trapped in the ship.
There is a FIRE at her feet.
83
She struggles, trying to get out, but her machine parts are
SPARKING and she can hardly breathe. It seems as she's going
to die, when --
Part of the ship is TORN AWAY. She sees Gamora.
Gamora GRABS HER, unceremoniously PULLING HER FREE, just as
the M-ship EXPLODES, PITCHING THEM BOTH to the ground.
They lie next to each other. Nebula COUGHS as her legs are
healing, CRACKING back into place.
She looks over and eyes Gamora.
And then she HOLLERS and attacks her.
GAMORA
Are you kidding me?!
They FIGHT.
Nebula snatches Gamora's blade from her, and TUMBLES on top
of her as she gains the upper hand. She holds the blade
above Gamora, ready to plummet it into her.
She wants to - she really does - but now that the moment is
here...
She SCREAMS in frustration, and falls back.
NEBULA
I win.
Gamora eyes her, a little surprised.
NEBULA (CONT'D)
I win. I bested you in combat.
GAMORA
Uh, no, I just spared your life -
NEBULA
You were stupid enough to let me
live so -
GAMORA
You just let me live!
NEBULA
I WIN!
84
GAMORA NEBULA (CONT'D)
Nebula, I really don't need I don't need you always
this. My day has been bad trying to beat me!
ENOUGH -
GAMORA
I'm not the one who just flew
across the universe because I
wanted to win!
NEBULA
Don't tell me what I want!
GAMORA
I don't have to because you make it
OBVI -
NEBULA
YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO WIN,
I JUST WANTED A SISTER!
Gamora stops suddenly, struck. Nebula is cracking.
NEBULA (CONT'D)
You were all I had, but you were
the one who needed to win! Thanos
pulled my eye from my head and my
brain from my skull and my arm from
my body because of you!
Gamora doesn't know what to say. Nebula is almost instantly
embarrassed.
They sit there for a moment, saying nothing.
EXT. SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
The Quarters are entombed in stars. The dim sound of "BRANDY"
comes from within.
INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
Quill lies in bed, unable to sleep, listening to the song.
EGO (O.S.)
You all right, son?
Quill turns to see Ego in the doorway.
EGO (CONT'D)
I saw your girl stomp off earlier
in quite a huff.
Quill sits up, nods.
85
QUILL
Yeah.
Ego sits beside him.
EGO
It's fortuitous you're listening to
this song.
QUILL
You know - ?
EGO
`Brandy' by Looking Glass. A
favorite of your mom's.
QUILL
Yes.
EGO
One of earth's greatest musical
compositions. Perhaps its very
greatest.
QUILL
Yeah, it is.
EGO
You and I, Peter, we're the sailor
in the song.
Ego speaks along with the lyrics as they play.
EGO (CONT'D)
He came on a summer's day, bringing
gifts from far away - like the
child I put in your mother, or the
freedom you brought Gamora.
Quill listens.
EGO (CONT'D)
Brandy, you're a fine girl, what a
good wife you would be. But my
life, my love, my lady is the sea.
The sea calls the sailor back. He
loves the girl, but that's not his
place. The sea calls upon him as
history calls upon great men, and
sometimes we are deprived the
pleasures of mortals.
86
QUILL
Well, you might not be mortal, but
ME -
EGO
Death will remain a stranger to
both of us as long as the light
burns within the planet.
Ego smiles.
QUILL
I'm immortal? That's... really?
EGO
Yes, as long as the light exists.
QUILL
And I can use the light to make
cool things? Like how you made all
this?
EGO
It'll take thousands of years of
practice before you get really good
at it . But, yes.
QUILL
Well, get ready for an eight
hundred foot statue of Pac Man,
then. With Skeletor. And Heather
Locklear. I'm gonna make some weird
shit.
Ego puts his arm around him, smiles kindly.
EGO
I can't wait to see your weird
shit.
QUILL
Wow, that...
EGO
Came out a little disgusting.
They CHUCKLE.
EGO (CONT'D)
It is a tremendous responsibility,
Peter. Only we can remake the
universe. Only we can take the
bridle of the cosmos and lead it
where it needs to go.
87
QUILL
How?
Ego holds up his fingers, letting forth a flame of white
cosmic light. Quill holds up his fingers, letting forth a
smaller, less intense flame of white cosmic light.
REVEAL MANTIS, IN THE HALL, around the corner, looking at Ego
and Quill and the light emanating from their fingers.
EGO
Come with me.
Mantis looks like she's having a panic attack.
INT. DRAX'S SLEEPING QUARTERS - MOMENTS LATER
CLOSE-UP OF DRAX, sound asleep.
MANTIS (O.S.)
Drax! Drax!
He WAKES to see a panicked Mantis sitting on the bed beside
him.
MANTIS (CONT'D)
Drax, we need to talk -
DRAX
Ugh. I am sorry, but I like a woman
with some meat on her bones.
MANTIS
What?
DRAX
I tried to let you down easily by
telling you I found you disgusting.
MANTIS
No! That's not what I -
Drax starts to GAG.
MANTIS (CONT'D)
What are you doing?!
DRAX
I'm imagining being with you
physically!
88
MANTIS
Drax, that's not - I don't like you
like that. I don't even like the
type of thing you are.
DRAX
(OFFENDED)
Hey! There's no need to get
personal!
MANTIS
Listen! Ego's gotten exactly what
he wanted. I should have told you
earlier, I am stupid. You are in
danger.
EXT. NEBULA'S SQUASHED M-SHIP - NIGHT
Gamora and Nebula still sit here, quietly and awkwardly.
Gamora glances down a twisting tunnel, where phosphorescent
lights shine brightly.
GAMORA
What's that?
She moves towards it. Nebula, hesitantly, follows.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
Ego and Quill enter the palace.
EGO
You need to readjust the way you
process life. Everything around us -
including the girl - is temporary.
We are forever.
QUILL
Doesn't eternity get boring?
EGO
Not if you have a purpose, Peter.
Which is why you're here. I told
you how all those years ago I had
an unceasing impulse to find life.
Ego is standing underneath the diorama of him facing the
little alien girl.
EGO (CONT'D)
I didn't tell you how when I did
find it, it was all so...
disappointing.
89
INT. TWISTING CAVERNS - NIGHT
Gamora and Nebula move further down the cavern, stepping into
light, getting closer.
EGO
And that is when I came to a
profound realization.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
EGO
My innate desire to seek out other
life was not so that I could walk
among that life.
Ego looks at his son, moved by the memories.
EGO (CONT'D)
Peter, I had found meaning.
Quill is taken aback. But Ego sets his finger lightly on his
forehead, and the white light bursts through his son's body.
We see THE COSMOS IN QUILL'S EYES. He looks ecstatic, far
beyond where he stands, and seems to finally understand.
QUILL
I see it. Eternity.
INT. TWISTING CAVERNS - NIGHT
Gamora and Nebula stop, in horror.
GAMORA
Oh my God.
They are staring at piles and piles of skeletons of various
species, thousands of them, seeming to go on forever.
NEBULA
We need to get off this planet.
EXT. GALAXY/UNIVERSE - OUTER SPACE
We see traces of the UNIVERSAL NEURAL TELEPORTATION NETWORK,
the Quadrant a blinking light POPPING IN and OUT on a trail
across the cosmos -
And then ZOOM BACK FURTHER TO THE UNIVERSE, the same blinking
light making its way while ROCKET, YONDU, and KRAGLIN SCREAM.
90
EXT. ASTEROIDS - OUTER SPACE
WATCHERS swirl to the Quadrant SWISH past them and JUMPS OUT.
They turn back to STAN LEE, in a spacesuit with a fishbowl
helmet.
STAN LEE
Anyway, before I was so rudely
interrupted, that time I was a
World War II vet -
EXT. RED PLANET - OUTER SPACE
THE QUADRANT POPS INTO SPACE, EGO'S PLANET nearby.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Yondu, Kraglin, Rocket and Groot FALL OUT OF THEIR SEATS,
RETCHING, clutching their stomachs.
YONDU
What the hell you doing, boy?!
ROCKET
I could tell by how you talked
about him - this Ego is bad news.
We're here to save Quill.
YONDU
For what?
(DERISIVELY)
For `honor'? For `love'?
ROCKET
No! I don't care about those
things! I want to save Quill so I
can prove I'm better than him! I
can lord this over him forever!
Yondu LAUGHS bitterly as he pulls himself up to the controls.
Rocket yanks himself up beside him.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
What are you laughing at me for?!
YONDU
You can fool yourself and everyone
else but you can't fool me. I know
who you are.
ROCKET
You don't know anything about me,
loser.
91
YONDU
I know everything about you. I know
you play like the meanest and the
hardest `cause you actually the
most scared of all.
ROCKET
Shut up.
YONDU
I know you steal batteries you
don't need and you push away anyone
who's willing to put up with you,
`cause just a little bit of love
reminds you how big and empty that
hole inside you actually is!
ROCKET
I said, shut up.
YONDU
I know the scientists what made you
never gave a rat's ass about you -
ROCKET
I'm serious, dude - !
YONDU
Just like my own damn parents, who
sold me, their own little baby,
into slavery! I know who you are,
boy, because you're me.
They stare at each other there, a mirror.
ROCKET
What kind of pair are we?
YONDU
The kind that's about to go fight a
planet I reckon.
ROCKET
All right, okay, that's - Wait.
Fight a what?
INT. DRAX'S SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
Gamora, furious, BURSTS into the room. She sees Mantis
standing with Drax.
She RUNS to her, GRABBING HER by the neck --
92
DRAX
Hey!
And she SLAMS her against the wall.
GAMORA
Who are you people?! What is this
place?!
DRAX
(RE: NEBULA)
What is she doing here?
NEBULA
Just watching the fireworks.
DRAX
Gamora, let her go!
GAMORA
The bodies in the caverns, who are
they?!
MANTIS
You are scared.
Gamora, whose skin is touching Mantis, lets go of her neck,
terrified.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
The DIORAMAS all around Quill and Ego TRANSFORM into a map of
the universe. Quill stares in his cosmic reverie at the
PLANETS around him - thousands of them with pieces of EGO'S
LIFEFORM - GLOWING COSMIC PLANTS - buried within them.
EGO
I call it the Expansion. It is my
purpose. And now it's yours as
well.
QUILL
It's beautiful.
Quill stares up at a DIORAMA: Ego grabs handfuls of his own
body, engulfed in light, and plants the wriggling pieces on
various planets.
EGO
Over thousands of years I implanted
thousands of extensions of myself
on thousands of worlds.
93
In the DIORAMAS, the COSMIC PLANTS OVERGROW and COVER each of
the planets, like chocolate on a malt ball.
EGO (CONT'D)
I needed to fulfill life's one true
purpose: to grow and to spread,
covering all that exists, until
everything... is me.
INT. DRAX'S SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
Gamora backs away, recovering.
GAMORA
What did she do to me?!
DRAX
She already told me everything.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
EGO
I only had one problem. A single
Celestial doesn't have enough power
for such an enterprise. But two
Celestials - well now, that just
might do.
INT. DRAX'S SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
MANTIS
The bodies are his children.
Gamora is horrified.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
On the DIORAMAS we see Ego with hundreds of species of female
aliens.
EGO
Out of all my labors the most
beguiling was attempting to graft
my DNA with that of another
species. I hoped the result of such
a coupling would be enough to power
the expansion.
INT. ECLECTOR HALLWAY - NIGHT
Yondu and Rocket walk here.
94
EGO (O.S.)
I had Yondu deliver some of them to
me. It broke the Ravager code - but
I compensated him generously. And,
to ease his conscience, I told him
I would never hurt them.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
EGO
That was true. They never felt a
thing. But, one after the other,
they failed me. None of them had
the Celestial genes. Until you,
Peter. Out of all my spawn, only
you have carried the connection to
the light.
Peter smiles, an enchanted idiot, the cosmos in his eyes.
INT. DRAX'S SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
GAMORA
We need to find Peter now and get
off this damn planet.
MANTIS
Ego will have won him to his side
by now. He has a way of -
NEBULA
Then we just go.
GAMORA
No. He's our friend.
NEBULA
All any of you do is yell at each
other. You're not friends.
DRAX
You're right. We're family.
We leave no one behind.
(TO NEBULA)
Except maybe you.
NEBULA
Oh my god.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
EGO
For the first time in my life, I am
truly not alone.
95
Quill suddenly looks sad.
EGO (CONT'D)
What is it, son?
QUILL
My friends.
EGO
That's the mortal in you, Peter.
QUILL
Yes. I don't need that.
EGO
What are we?
QUILL
Forever.
EGO
What are they?
QUILL
Temporary.
EGO
You think you love them. But love
is merely an evolutionary trick in
the service of reproduction. We are
beyond such things.
QUILL
Yes.
EGO
NOW -
QUILL
But my mother.
Ego looks at him, questioningly.
QUILL (CONT'D)
You said you loved my mother.
EGO
That I did. My river lily, who knew
the words to every song that came
on the radio. I returned to earth
to see her three times. I knew if I
came back a fourth, I'd never
leave.
(MORE)
96
EGO (CONT'D)
The expansion, the reason for my
very existence would be over. So I
did what I had to do. But it broke
my heart to put that tumor in her
head.
QUILL
Wh- what?
ZOLLY IN ON QUILL as the cosmos disappear from his eyes.
Tears stream down his face.
EGO
I know that sounds bad -
QUILL PULLS OUT HIS PISTOLS AND FIRES; THE BLAST TEARS
THROUGH EGO, DISPERSING the MOLECULES forming his body.
Quill SHOOTS at him AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN. The flesh
disappears from Ego like bites from a cookie, exposing the
angry alien skeletal form beneath.
But, as the charge on Peter's blasters wears out, Ego just
looks at him, and, although he's filled with holes, he's
merely disappointed.
EGO (CONT'D)
Who in the hell do you think you
are?
QUILL
You killed my mother!
EGO TRANSFORMS into DAVID HASSELHOFF.
EGO
I tried so hard to find the form
that best suited you, and this is
the thanks I get?
And then, once again, BECOMES HIS USUAL FORM.
EGO (CONT'D)
You really need to grow up.
A SPIKY COSMIC LIGHT-PROPELLED TENDRIL SHOOTS UP from the
floor behind Quill, and JUTS into Quill's body.
Quill is THRUST INTO THE AIR. He opens his mouth to SCREAM
and WHITE LIGHT EMITS.
97
EGO (CONT'D)
I wanted to do this together! But I
suppose you'll have to learn by
spending the next thousand years as
a battery, `Star-Lord'.
INT. DRAX'S SLEEPING QUARTERS - NIGHT
THROUGH THE WINDOW to the PALACE - PAN TO Gamora watching as
her TRANSMITTER - the one she was trying to contact Rocket on
- BEEPS. She answers.
GAMORA
Rocket?!
Gamora follows Drax, Nebula, and a confused Mantis as they
move out.
INT. LASER DRILL - OUTER SPACE
Rocket, Yondu, and Groot are CRAWLING into a huge LASER
DRILL.
ROCKET
Keep that transmitter nearby so I
can find you. We're in an old piece
of construction equipment Yondu
once used to slice open the Bank of
A'askavaria.
GAMORA (O.S.)
Ego's unhinged -
ROCKET
I know. Get ready.
YONDU
Drop it, Kraglin!
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Kraglin YANKS a lever.
I/E. LASER DRILL - OUTER SPACE
An ugly, bulbous and uneven craft PLOPS from the Quadrant,
and heads toward Ego's surface.
ROCKET
I got a plan.
YONDU
What is it?
98
ROCKET
It's pretty simple.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
Ego walks calmly up beside the trapped Quill. He snatches the
Walkman off of him. He stares at it. Quill can barely speak.
QUILL
NO.
EGO PRESSES PLAY. A distorted version of "Brandy" plays. He
stares at it - perhaps he's feeling wistful sadness, or
perhaps nothing at all.
`Brandy, you're a fine girl. What a good wife you would be.'
EGO
`My life, my love, my lady is the
sea'? Peter, THIS IS THE SEA.
EGO CRUSHES THE WALKMAN IN HIS GRIP as Quill watches
helplessly.
The POWER SURGES from Quill through the TENTACLE and
throughout the entire PALACE --
EXT. PALACE - NIGHT
As Gamora, Mantis, Drax, and Nebula run toward the Palace it
BURSTS WITH COSMIC LIGHT, so brightly they have to protect
their eyes.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
EGO basks in the power and we TRAVEL down his legs --
INT. RED PLANET/SELF CHAMBER - NIGHT
We FOLLOW THE ENERGY THROUGH THE SURFACE OF THE PLANET --
THROUGH THE TWISTING VEINS OF LIGHT BENEATH --
And INTO an ENORMOUS, METAL ORB, the SELF CHAMBER, which
EXPLODES WITH LIGHT.
Boom.
EARTH - EXT. WOODS BEHIND DAIRY QUEEN - MOMENTS LATER
We PUSH INTO the small plant - now a bit larger - that Ego
planted at the very beginning of the film.
It LIGHTS UP and GROWS, INSTANTLY BURSTING UPWARDS -
99
EARTH - EXT. DQ - MOMENTS LATER
The PLANT BURSTS UP BEHIND the Dairy Queen (now a modern DQ),
a huge ORGANIC, BLOB-LIKE MASS OF LIGHT that comes down
instantly on the building, CRUSHING it and everyone inside --
AND CONTINUING TO SPILL FORWARD, SPREADING.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
EGO SUMMONS all his energy, when, SUDDENLY, a DOOR beside him
SMASHES APART.
Drax has kicked through it and Gamora, Nebula and Mantis are
with him. Ego turns to see them, then hears a RUMBLING above
him.
He turns to look at a window on the palace wall behind him.
AND THE GIANT LASER DRILL COMES SMASHING THROUGH THE PALACE
WALL.
YONDU
Hey there, Jackass.
Ego looks surprised.
The LASER DRILL lands on Ego, SQUASHING HIM.
The tendril retracts from Quill as he falls and heaves for
breath.
EARTH - EXT. STREET - DAY
The cosmic plant, barreling down the street, suddenly STOPS.
INT. PALACE/LASER DRILL - SUNRISE
Drax, Gamora, Nebula, and Mantis rush into the crumbling
palace.
The door on the side of the Laser Drill SLIDES OPEN. Baby
Groot is standing there, smiling, and waving.
DRAX
Out of the way, dumber, smaller
Groot.
As Drax crawls in, Groot starts PUNCHING Drax as hard as he
can. Probably because he called him dumb, but who's to say.
Gamora helps up Quill.
100
GAMORA
I told you something didn't feel
right.
QUILL
`I told you so.' That's really what
I need right now.
GAMORA
I came back, didn't I?
QUILL
Because there's an unspoken thing.
GAMORA
There is no unspoken thing.
INT. LASER DRILL - NIGHT
Drax, Mantis, Gamora, and Quill step inside the door.
DRAX
What are you doing? You could have
killed us all crashing in here like
that!
ROCKET
Uh, `Thank you, Rocket'?
DRAX
We had it under control.
MANTIS
We did not. That is only an
extension of his true self. He will
be back soon.
QUILL
(RE: NEBULA)
What's Smurfette doing here!?
NEBULA
Back rubs, dishes, killing gods,
whatever I need to do to get a damn
ride home.
ROCKET
She tried to murder me!
NEBULA
I saved you, you stupid fox.
GAMORA
He's not a fox.
101
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
I'm not a raboon either!
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
`Raccoon,' whatever!
Drax looks out the window.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
TENTACLE-LIKE STRANDS BURST UP through the palace flooring
all around the drill.
INT. PALACE - NIGHT
Drax turns to the others.
DRAX
How do we kill a Celestial?
QUILL
There's the center to him - his
brain, his soul, whatever it is, in
some sort of shell --
MANTIS
It's in the caverns below the
surface.
Quill climbs up the ladder to see -
QUILL
YONDU?
Nebula looks at Gamora.
NEBULA
If he's got that fin back, I am so
screwed.
I/E. PALACE - SUNRISE
Yondu THRUSTS the ship upward for takeoff. But TENTACLES
wrap around the ship --
And YANK IT BACK DOWN into the floor, destroying the
foundation of the palce.
102
THE ENTIRE PALACE SLOPES.
INT. LASER DRILL - SUNRISE
Everyone FALLS forward.
YONDU
Thrusters are out!
Quill starts rewiring the mechanics.
QUILL
I guess I should be glad I was a
skinny kid. Otherwise you would
have delivered me to this maniac!
YONDU
You still reckon that's the reason
I kept you around, you idiot?!
QUILL
That's what you told me, you old
doofus!
YONDU
Once I figured out what happened to
them other kids, I wasn't gonna
just hand you over.
QUILL
You said you were gonna eat me!
YONDU
That was being funny!
QUILL
Not to me!!
ROCKET
You people have issues.
Quill sees THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD where EGO'S CREEPY SKELETAL
is GROWING IN FRONT OF THEM.
QUILL
Of course I have issues that's my
fricking father!!... Thrusters are
back up.
Quill thrusts the ship FORWARD instead of up.
It CRASHES through Ego and DOWN THE SLOPING FLOOR --
And OUT THROUGH the giant pane of glass at the end.
103
I/E. LASER DRILL/CRACK IN THE PLANET - SUNRISE
Everyone holds on in what's essentially the worst roller
coaster drop ever.
YONDU
We should be going up!
QUILL
We can't. Ego wants to eradicate
the universe as we know it. We have
to kill him.
They PLUMMET toward a fissure in the earth below. It's too
small for the ship.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Rocket!
ROCKET
Got it.
Rocket BLASTS the lasers perfectly, CHIPPING AWAY PIECES of
rock, forming an opening in the crack.
They SMASH into the opening, barely fitting, leading down
into the planet.
Quill flies perfectly, TWISTING through tunnels and around
corners.
Rocket mans the lasers, BLASTING PIECES OUT OF PLACE just in
time so they can SCRAPE through.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
So, we're saving the galaxy again?
QUILL
I guess.
ROCKET
Awesome. We'll really be able to
jack up our prices if we're two-
time-galaxy savers.
QUILL
I seriously can't believe that is
where your mind goes.
ROCKET
It was just a random thought, man!
I thought we were friends!
(MORE)
104
ROCKET (CONT'D)
Of course I care about the planets,
and the buildings, and all of the
animals on the planets.
QUILL
And the people.
ROCKET
Meh.
Mantis GIGGLES.
MANTIS
The crabby puppy is so cute he
makes me want to die!
DRAX
Your suicidal thoughts sadden me,
but your wish will likely come
true.
I/E. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
MEANWHILE, Kraglin is mellowly hanging out, eating some soup
and listening to "WHAM BAM" BY SILVER as he sees something
out in the distance of space. He looks a bit closer.
SOVEREIGN OMNICRAFT ARE POPPING THROUGH JUMP POINTS ABOVE
EGO'S PLANET.
EXT. AYESHA'S SPACECRAFT - OUTER SPACE
AYESHA is remotely piloting one of the ships. She looks
determined and angry on the vid-screen.
And, one by one, Sovereign OMNICRAFT POP IN all around her,
until there is a large fleet.
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
Ayesha, in full pilot gear, yells into her comm.
AYESHA
Pilots, release envoy units!
EXT. AYESHA'S SPACECRAFT - OUTER SPACE
Smaller, more nimble robotic ENVOYS, like big pods with
blasters for arms - detach from the front of every Omnicraft.
AYESHA
Our sensors detect the batteries
are below the surface of the
planet.
105
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
AYESHA
Dive!
OVERHEAD SHOT: On the screens in all the pods, the envoys
DIVE toward the planet from slightly different directions.
I/E. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Kraglin, in shock, watches the massive fleet of envoys diving
downward. He grabs the comm.
KRAGLIN
Uhh... Cap'n?
No answer.
KRAGLIN (CONT'D)
Cap'n?
INT. LASER DRILL/CRACK IN THE PLANET - SUNRISE
Yondu doesn't hear the CRACKLING SPEAKER beside him as they
maneuver down through the fissure. Quill eyes him.
YONDU
So why'd Ego want you here?
QUILL
He needs my genetic connection to
the light to help destroy the
universe. He tried to teach me how
to control the power.
YONDU
So could you?
QUILL
A little. I made a ball.
YONDU
A ball?
QUILL
I thought as hard as a could,
that's all I could come up with.
YONDU
You `thought'?
Quill nods.
106
YONDU (CONT'D)
You think when I make this arrow
fly I use my head?
QUILL
What do you use?
They look at each other instead of where they're going, and
the CRASH into an overhanging piece of rock.
The entire side door is RIPPED OFF.
As the SCREECH through a smaller space and into --
INT. PLANET'S HOLLOW/LASER DRILL - DAY
The Laser Drill DROPS into this enormous open space within
the planet.
The Guardians gather on the side of the ship open to the
hollow, gazing out at its stunning beauty, lit by Ego's white
glow running throughout it.
GAMORA
Whoa.
Mantis turns, looking through the portholes on the other
side.
MANTIS
There! Thats Ego's core.
Mantis points at the Self Chamber, down below them. They
twist down towards it.
GAMORA
That ore's thick. Rocket, we're
gonna need to use the big laser.
Rocket nods, FLICKS switches.
All the small lasers on the sides move through grooves to
combine into one huge laser in the center of the ship: the
MEGA-LASER.
MANTIS
We must hurry. It will not take Ego
long to find us.
ROCKET
Keep it still!
107
Quill steadies the craft as best he can beside the Self
Chamber. But it's an unwieldy beast, built for power, not
precision.
Rocket powers up the mega-laser and holds tight to the
SHUDDERING CONTROLS as it DRILLS, BURNING a HOLE into the
protective sheathe. It melts and drips down.
QUILL
We drill into the center, we kill
him.
Quill holds tight to the steering wheel. Yondu notices the
BLINKING LIGHT on the comm. He taps it.
YONDU
What is it, Kraglin?
KRAGLIN (O.S.)
Um, remember that Ayesha chick?
YONDU
Yeah, why?
Yondu looks out the window where AYESHA'S SQUADRON is
SWOOPING OUT OF the cracks in the ceiling all around them.
YONDU (CONT'D)
Aw, hell.
Quill PULLS AWAY from the envoys.
But the Sovereign envoys start BLASTING AT THE CRAFT all at
once; the LASER LOSES POWER and the VEHICLE TURNS SIDEWAYS -
Drax, Mantis, and Gamora GO TUMBLING from the hole in the
side. Nebula and Groot grab onto the floor.
INT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Gamora, Drax, and Mantis FALL from an incredible height. They
LAND - ONE, TWO, THREE - WITH APLOMB.
Gamora looks up and sees the Laser Drill CURL behind the Self
Chamber as it tries to avoid the envoys' BLASTERS.
INT. SELF CHAMBER/LASER DRILL - DAY
Nebula and Groot settle as the ship rights itself and BLASTS
PIERCE the ship around them.
Quill peers down at Rocket, who has jumped out of his seat
and is pouring out the contents of his satchel.
108
QUILL
Why aren't you firing the laser?!
ROCKET
They blew out the generator!
I think I packed a small detonator.
NEBULA
A detonator is worthless without
explosives!
ROCKET
We got these!
Rocket shows Nebula the Anulax batteries.
Quill leaves the controls to Yondu as he CLIMBS down beside
Rocket, now messing with wiring on his BOMB.
QUILL
Is it strong enough to kill Ego?
ROCKET
If it is, it will cause a chain
reaction throughout his entire
nervous system.
QUILL
Meaning what?
ROCKET
The entire planet will explode.
We'll have to get out of here fast.
I rigged a timer.
Rocket stuffs the bomb back in his satchel. Groot climbs on
his back.
Rocket and Quill slap on their AERO RIGS.
QUILL
Go!
The run and jump out of the laser drill, FLYING ON THEIR AERO
RIGS, avoiding the GUNFIRE.
The ZOOM towards the blast hole on the side of the self
chamber.
INT. OPENING OF BLAST HOLE - DAY
Rocket and Quill land here, messily, TUMBLING.
109
INT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Mantis is worried about something else entirely; the entire
chasm begins TREMBLING and the walls start to MUTATE.
MANTIS
He's coming.
DRAX
Didn't you say you could make him
sleep?
MANTIS
When he wants! He's too powerful! I
can't!
DRAX
You don't have to believe in
yourself because I believe in you.
They look ahead. They see, on the enormous wall in front of
them, the LIGHT-FORM of a giant EGO SCREAMING ANGRILY.
His SCREAM becomes a TUNNEL OF ROCKS RUSHING TOWARDS THEM
like a train.
Mantis sees a nerve bundle on the ground coming from Ego's
Core. Although afraid, she grabs it.
MANTIS
SLEEP!
She SCREAMS with effort and some pain as energy travels
through the bundle and into the core, where it darkens.
The LIGHT LEAVES THE ROCK FORMATION and it SLAMS into the
ground in front of them, SPLASHING DIRT OVER THEM.
But they are safe, shivering. Drax and Gamora look at each
other.
DRAX
I never thought she'd be able to do
it. With as skinny and weak as she
appears to be.
Mantis's arm is TREMBLING.
MANTIS
I don't know how long I can hold
him!
110
GAMORA
You need to, girl. If you don't
keep Ego at bay, we all die.
INT. OPENING OF BLAST HOLE - DAY
Rocket shines a powerful PEN-LIGHT inside the cavity,
exposing the interior, spattered with Swiss-cheese-like holes
glowing with light.
ROCKET
The metal is too thick! For the
bomb to work we'd actually need to
place it on Ego's core. And our
fat butts ain't gonna fit through
those tiny holes.
QUILL
Well...
Quill slowly eyes Groot, who is playing with a leaf on his
arm and thinking about something else entirely.
ROCKET
That's a terrible idea.
QUILL
Which is the only kind of idea we
got left.
Rocket SIGHS. He puts Groot on his back and MOVES with Groot
deeper into the blast hole, mumbling to himself:
ROCKET
Unbelievable. `Rocket, do this.
Rocket, do that.'
Quill turns toward the opening. PUSH UP AND IN ON QUILL.
QUILL
Uh, what a day.
He jumps out into the fray.
INT. PLANET'S HOLLOW - DAY
Quill FLIES UP as a ship FLIES in toward him BLASTING, and
he's about to fire back. MAN VS. SPACESHIP. This is most
likely the beginning of the biggest, baddest fight scene
ever, but instead we CUT TO -
111
INT. INSIDE BLAST HOLE - DAY
Quiet. Blasts in the deep background. Rocket places a tiny
bomb in front of Groot. It is a small, simple device with
two switches and two buttons. He explains, very carefully:
ROCKET
All right. First you flick this
switch, then this switch. That
activates it. And then you push
this button, which will give you
five minutes to get out of there.
Whatever you do don't push this
button, because that will set off
the bomb immediately, and we'll all
be dead. Now repeat back what I
just said.
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
Uh huh.
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
That's right.
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
No! That's the button that will
kill everyone! Try again.
Groot thinks.
GROOT
I am Groot.
Rocket nods.
GROOT (CONT'D)
I am Groot.
Rocket nods.
GROOT (CONT'D)
I am Groot.
112
ROCKET
No! That's exactly what you just
said! How is that even possible?!
Which button is the button you're
supposed to push?! Point to it.
Groot thinks. And he points to the one that will kill
everyone.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
NO!!!
QUILL (O.S.)
Hey, you're making him nervous!
Rocket runs to see, at the end of the hole, a sliver of the
outside as Quill peeks in while SHOOTING at envoys.
ROCKET
Shut up! And give me some tape!
Does anyone have any tape out
there!? I want to put some tape
over the death button!
QUILL
I don't have any tape. Let me
check.
Quill disappears from the hole. As Rocket waits, he hears,
amongst the chaos, faintly -
QUILL (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Yo, Yondu, do you have any - ow! -
do you have any tape?!
O.S. GUN BLASTS.
We hear VOICES GRUMBLING.
Rocket and Groot look around, waiting. Rocket is impatient.
He coughs. Groot is like a bored kid in a waiting room. He
shifts around and plays with the wires on the bomb.
Quill reappears outside the hole, SHOOTING an envoy.
QUILL (CONT'D)
No one has any tape.
ROCKET
Not a single person has tape?
113
QUILL
You have priceless batteries and an
atomic bomb in your bag! If anyone
had tape it would be you!
ROCKET
That's exactly my point! I have to
do everything!
QUILL
Dude, you're wasting time!
Rocket turns back to Groot, who has already taken the bomb
and is heading towards the hole.
He makes a "WHEEEEEE" sound and smiles brightly as he HOPS
into the hole and SLIDES down as if on a water slide.
Rocket, heavy-lidded, watches him go.
ROCKET
We're all gonna die.
INT. PLANET'S HOLLOW/LASER DRILL - DAY
Yondu and Nebula, in the cockpit, are being overcome as
blasts come through the walls.
YONDU
We're done for without the
generator.
Nebula MOANS, frustrated. She flips open a section of the
dashboard, then a part of her arm.
INT. PLANET'S HOLLOW/LASER DRILL - DAY
The remaining Sovereign envoys have ENCIRCLED the battered
Laser Drill, BLASTING IT TO BITS.
Quill FLIES into the Laser Drill, SLAMMING into the wall.
AYESHA (ON SHIP)
Guardians! Perhaps it will provide
you solace that your deaths are not
without purpose.
Nebula is feeding the wires from the craft into her
mechanical arm.
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
The actual Ayesha, fitted with the pilot gear, looks at the
Laser Drill on the screen.
114
AYESHA
They will serve as a warning to all
of those tempted with betraying us;
don't screw with the Sovereign.
INT. PLANET'S HOLLOW/LASER DRILL - DAY
Yondu works some switches: The LASERS slide back into the
slots all over the ship.
YONDU
This is gonna hurt.
NEBULA
Promises, promises.
Yondu flips ALL the switches; ALL THE POWER RUNS PAINFULLY
OUT OF NEBULA'S BODY INTO THE VEHICLE --
AND THE LASERS BEAM OUT OF THE SHIP IN ALL DIRECTIONS AT
ONCE, like a dangerous disco ball, slicing through almost
nearly every single ENVOY.
INT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
A BEAM ALMOST HITS Drax, but he LEAPS out of the way. Smoke
rises from a hole in the ground between him and Mantis.
DRAX
Hey!
INT. PLANET'S HOLLOW/LASER DRILL - DAY
With flair, Yondu spins the pilot's wheel, so that the whole
rig REVOLVES.
Ayesha looks on, in horror as the BEAMS SLICE THROUGH the
remaining CRAFT - and one is COMING HER WAY.
AYESHA (ON SHIP)
NO!!
AYESHA'S ENVOY IS RIPPED APART.
INT. SOVEREIGN PILOT BAY - DAY
Ayesha SITS BACK. She looks around her at the other pods: all
of them are down.
AYESHA
NO! NOOOOO!!
115
INT. PLANET'S HOLLOW/LASER DRILL - DAY
Quill sees FLAMING CHUNKS FLY into the rig...
And FIRE SPILLING toward the ship's engine, dripping fuel.
QUILL
We're gonna blow!
Yondu WHISTLES as the FLAMES HIT THE FUEL -
INT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Gamora watches as the ENTIRE LASER DRILL EXPLODES. She is
stricken.
GAMORA
Peter?
She sees a tiny body flying from the ship - it's Nebula, who
LANDS across from her on her feet.
Gamora looks at her, worried. Nebula gives her what might be
a little smile, and looks upward. Gamora follows her line of
sight.
Quill is FLYING FROM THE EXPLOSION on his aero-rig. Yondu is
holding onto a flying arrow: his one arm up straight, his
heels touching. Quill looks at him and SNICKERS.
YONDU
What?
QUILL
You look like Mary Poppins.
YONDU
Is he cool?
Quill looks at the man who raised him. He smiles.
QUILL
Yeah. He's cool.
Yondu looks out at the Guardians as he comes in for a
landing.
YONDU
I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!
Quill and Yondu LAND beside Nebula. Gamora sees Quill and
MARCHES TOWARD HIM.
116
The CAMERA CIRCLES GAMORA AND QUILL, FIERY SHIP FRAGMENTS
RAINING DOWN AROUND THEM IN SLOW-MOTION, as if this is the
greatest heavy metal video of all time.
The other Guardians enter, one by one - Nebula, Drax, Yondu,
Rocket FLYING DOWN on his aero-rig, and finally, Mantis,
staring forward with concentration until --
A HUGE CHUNK OF SPACESHIP FLIES IN FROM THE SIDE, FLATTENING
MANTIS. The others all look down at her in shock.
QUILL
Oh. Wow.
Mantis, UNCONSCIOUS BENEATH a ship fragment, has lost hold of
Ego.
THE ENTIRE HOLLOW AROUND THEM BEGINS TO RUMBLE. THE GROUND
AND WALLS THEMSELVES SHIFT and WAVER.
The whole cavity is alive. Drax checks on Mantis.
DRAX
She's just unconscious.
INT. SELF CHAMBER TUNNELS - DAY
Groot RUNS and HOPS through the tunnels. He comes to a
crossroads.
He sees a COSMIC LIGHT emanating from one tunnel. He dashes
off toward it.
INT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
QUILL
How long before the bomb goes off?
ROCKET
In the unlikely event Groot doesn't
kill us all, about six minutes.
Yondu speaks into the comm on his lapel.
YONDU
Kraglin.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - DAY
Kraglin, NODDING OUT, abruptly wakes.
YONDU (O.S.)
We need the Quadrant for extraction
in T-minus five minutes.
117
KRAGLIN
Aye, Cap'n!
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Our heroes peer up to see the SURFACE OF THE PLANET UNFOLDING
ABOVE THEM, so that THE BRIGHT SKY SHINES THROUGH.
QUILL
Someone needs to be up top when
Kraglin arrives. Drax, take Mantis.
Drax nods. He picks up Mantis. Quill grabs the aero-rig off
himself and SLAPS it on Drax's back, which AUTOMATICALLY
WRAPS around his upper body.
DRAX
Ahhh! My nipples!
He FLIES UPWARD.
The ground around them SPLITS INTO ENORMOUS CRACKS. Gamora
sees a CRACK IN THE EARTH RUSHING TOWARD her and Quill, and
she turns toward him.
And Gamora's side CRUMBLES AWAY, GAMORA FALLING DOWN with it.
QUILL
Gamora!!
HUGE BURSTS OF EARTH SHOOT UP all around Drax, Yondu, Rocket,
and Quill.
The planet has formed GIANT TENTACLES THAT HURTLE towards our
heroes.
EXT. LOWER RIFT - DAY
Gamora is PLUMMETING, seemingly to her death, when she looks
over and sees Nebula FALLING just behind her.
Nebula grabs Gamora's arm and then grabs onto a passing
cliff.
They SNAP TO A STOP- OW! - hanging down off the side.
Nebula tosses Gamora up onto a flat surface.
As Nebula climbs up after her, Gamora looks at her, wary but
surprised by this beneficence.
NEBULA
Oh, get over it.
118
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Quill BLASTS a tentacle.
Yondu WHISTLES, the ARROW WEAVING THROUGH TENTACLES around
them.
Rocket TOSSES a bunch of tiny bombs at some, which they stick
to and EXPLODE.
But they are by no means winning this fight.
EXT. PLANET SURFACE - DAY
The giant Quadrant LOWERS toward the surface.
EXT. LOWER RIFT - DAY
Gamora looks at Nebula.
GAMORA
We have to get up to the extraction
point!
They look over the edge and see a huge RIFT OF LAND RISING
QUICKLY. They look at each other and JUMP -
They GRAB ONTO THE EDGE of the rising rift, CLUTCHING TO IT
as it FLIES upward toward the open space above them.
EXT. PLANET SURFACE - DAY
Drax FLIES UP onto the surface; he sees the Quadrant waiting
for him there. He DARTS for the ship.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - DAY
Kraglin opens the LOADING DOOR
EXT. PLANET SURFACE - DAY
But huge swatches of the planet reach up and GRAB onto the
Quadrant, YANKING IT DOWN.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - DAY
Kraglin, freaking out, throws the thrusters into high gear.
I/E. PLANET SURFACE/QUADRANT LOADING BAY - DAY
The thrusters FLARE as the massive ship STRUGGLES to free
itself from Ego's tendrils.
119
And it does PULL ITSELF UP for a moment, but the tendrils
tighten, SLAMMING it back down.
The whole Quadrant starts to TIP OVER. Kraglin falls down
against the side of the ship.
Drax sees the ship FALLING TOWARDS HIM and he RUNS away from
it in fear.
But he arrives a the edge of a cliff. He crouches as the
ship CONTINUES DOWN toward him, about to SQUASH both he and
MANTIS --
But Kraglin heroically CRAWLS his way back up to the controls
as he dangles from them. He pushes on the thrusters, so that
the ship goes back upright.
Drax turns and again RUNS toward the Quadrant.
EXT. PLANET'S HOLLOW - DAY
Gamora and Nebula are still rising on the rift when they SLAM
into a wall near the opening in the surface of the planet.
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Quill turns and sees Ego, in his terrifying SKELETAL LIGHT
FORM, STROLLING DOWN TOWARDS HIM as the land around him PARTS
LIKE THE RED SEA.
As Ego walks, THE DIRT AND MOLECULES AROUND EGO FORM ORGANS
IN HIS BODY, piecing himself back together.
Quill sees a tentacle SLAM Yondu to the ground and COVER HIS
ENTIRE BODY.
He turns to see Rocket HOLLERING as he FIRES at tentacles,
but they OVERWHELM him.
EXT. PLANET SURFACE - DAY
The earth WRAPS AROUND Drax's legs like quicksand, pulling
him and Mantis down into it.
EXT. PLANET'S HOLLOW - DAY
Gamora and Nebula scramble, trying to CLIMB BACK UP, when
TENDRILS WRAP AROUND THEM, stopping them from going further.
INT. SELF CHAMBER TUNNELS - DAY
The walls are tightening around Groot. He grows his branches
to try to stop them, but they aren't working.
120
He begins to CRY, like an actual baby, terrified, on the
brink of suffocating.
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Ego approaches his son. He is fully formed, and he is more
truly "himself." Alien. Dark eyes and pale skin.
EGO
I told you I don't want to do this
alone.
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
EGO
You cannot deny the purpose the
universe has bestowed upon you!
And once again, the LIGHT TENDRILS STAB THROUGH QUILL'S BACK,
thrusting him to his knees.
Smaller light tendrils stab into his face and body.
And we see the LIGHT being sucked out of Quill and up into
the Self Chamber once more as it BURSTS WITH LIGHT.
EARTH - EXT. STREET - DAY
POLICE OFFICERS and bystanders are in the streets, snapping
phone photos, etc, beside the HUGE, STILL SWATCH OF EGO'S
LIFEFORM.
OFFICER FITZGIBBON
Please, everyone. Step back. I need
you all to clear the -
WEIRD OLD MAN
What is that?
The LIFEFORM ALIGHTS WITH ENERGY and MOVES again, SPILLING
INCREDIBLY QUICKLY towards them.
People abandon their cars in traffic as it RUNS OVER THEM.
A WOMAN FALLS. People TRAMPLE around her.
But an old man's hands reach in, helping her up.
REVEAL GRANDPA QUILL, in his 70's or 80's now.
GRANDPA QUILL
Come on, ma'am.
He HELPS the woman into an SUV.
121
He SLAMS on the gas, SCREECHING AWAY from the enormous tidal
wave of organic light.
XANDAR - I/E. STARBLASTER/CITY - DAY
EGO'S LIFEFORM smashes down the PARK WALLS and into the
street.
EGO
(O.S)
It doesn't need to be like this
PETER
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Ego approaches his son.
EGO
Why are you destroying our chance?!
AAKON - EXT. AAKON CITY - NIGHT
AAKONS run from a giant wave behind them.
EGO
(O.S)
Stop pretending you aren't, what
you are!
KREE HOMEWORLD - EXT. STEEP HILLSIDE - DAY
KREE MONKS run from the cosmic flesh as it pours down the
hillside behind them.
But it's too fast, RUSHING OVER THEM.
PRIMITIVE PLANET - EXT. WETLANDS - DAY
THOUSANDS OF ORLONI are darting in fear across this dusty
desert, as it WASHES OVER them.
EGO
(O.S)
One in billions..
ARAGO-7 - EXT. STONY LANDSCAPE - DAY
THREE HURCTARIANS run, SCREAMING.
EGO
(O.S)
Trillions, even more!
122
EASIK - EXT. FOREST - NIGHT
AN EASIK MOTHER clutches her BABY, covering it with her own
body, as the spreading lifeform LOOMS UP behind her.
She closes her eyes and waits for the worst.
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Quill looks up at Ego, barely able to focus, as the molecules
form skin over the muscle and skeleton and innards beneath.
EGO
What greater meaning could life
possibly have to offer?!
Yondu struggles beneath the tentacle beside Quill.
YONDU
I don't use my head to fly the
arrow, boy! I use my h -
Quill hears this as the earth COVERS Yondu's face.
Quill LOOKS INWARD. And suddenly, everything becomes...
QUIET.
Tears come to Peter Quill's eyes as he remember those around
him and what they mean to him. And we see his MEMORIES.
- YOUNG PETER QUILL AND HIS MOTHER CUDDLED AND LISTENING TO
MUSIC ON THE WALKMAN TOGETHER, EACH WITH ONE EAR PIECE.
- QUILL AND DRAX LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY ON THE MILANO.
- GAMORA AND PETER LOOKING INTO EACH OTHER'S EYES AND DANCING
ON KNOWHERE.
- QUILL AND ROCKET FLYING THROUGH THE SKY ON AERO-RIGS FOR
THE FIRST TIME, SMILING AS THE AIR RUSHES THROUGH THEIR HAIR.
BABY GROOT CLUTCHES HAPPILY ONTO QUILL'S BACK.
- YONDU AND YOUNG QUILL IN THE FOREST. YONDU'S ARM IS ON
PETER'S ARM AS HE TEACHES HIM HOW TO SHOOT.
Quill looks back up at Ego as we HEAR the gentle chords of
FLEETWOOD MAC'S "THE CHAIN" starts echoing throughout the
hollow.
He clutches his fist and we see the light growing within it.
123
Bits of earth begin to ROLL UP AND SCRAMBLE AND SWIRL around
Quill's body, his arms, his legs, as if he's pulling them
towards himself with magnets.
And Ego looks confused, as the GROUND QUAKES AROUND HIM.
Quill glares at his father, his voice distorting with
Celestial thunder.
QUILL
You shouldn't have killed my mom
and squished my walkman.
Ahd a SOLID TORNADO OF EARTH PROPELS QUILL FORWARD. Ego
tries to protect himself as Quill SLAMS into him, FLYING
UPWARDS WITH HIM --
Quill raises his fist, NOW A GIANT CLUB. And he SMASHES Ego.
As Ego loses his concentration --
EXT. PLANET'S SURFACE - DAY
A pair of arms are protruding from the surface of the planet,
still holding Mantis aloft.
The earth falls away, and Drax, who was entirely covered,
heaves for breath.
EXT. CRACK IN PLANET - DAY
The TENDRILS FALL, freeing Gamora and Nebula as they GASP.
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Yondu BREAKS THROUGH THE ROCKS around him, drawing in breath.
The TENTACLES HOLDING ROCKET ALOFT CRUMBLE, and he looks
around, confused.
EARTH - EXT. ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI - DAY
The WAVE PUSHES UP against the back of Grandpa Quill's CAMARO
and suddenly STOPS:
the mountainous plant, a hundred stories high, is up against
the back of the car.
EASIK - EXT. FOREST - NIGHT
The Easik Mother clutching her baby looks behind her; the
wave has stopped.
She clutches her baby to her chest, relieved.
124
INT. SELF CHAMBER TUNNELS - DAY
The tunnel around Groot SNAPS BACK to what it was. Once more
he can see the light at the tunnel's end, and one looks like
a GIANT BRAIN composed of prismatic light.
He RUNS forward.
INT. INSIDE BLAST HOLE - DAY
Rocket flies up and yells at Groot.
ROCKET
Groot! Groot, if you can can hear
me, hurry up - I'm not sure how
long Quill can keep him distracted!
INT. SELF CHAMBER CORE - DAY
Groot ARRIVES at the end of the tunnel, and stops there.
The center of the core holds a huge cosmic placenta, and,
within that, EGO'S TRUE SELF, the COSMIC BRAIN. It ROILS
FURIOUSLY, the reflection of its fight with Quill, thrashing
around within this womb.
Although afraid, Groot places the bomb on the placenta.
Groot stares at both buttons, scared - he doesn't know which
one to pick.
Groot makes a decision on which button to press. He goes to
push the death button.
Then his finger STOPS just millimeters from the button,
TREMBLING. He thinks...
And then changes the course of his finger, PUSHING THE
CORRECT BUTTON.
THE COUNTDOWN CLOCK COMMENCES.
Baby Groot turns, terrified, and RUNS.
I/E. PLANET SURFACE/QUADRANT LOADING BAY - DAY
Drax moves with Mantis into the loading bay. He throws her
down and climbs up a ladder.
THE CAMERA SWINGS TO GAMORA AND NEBULA, climbing up to the
surface in the dirt storm.
125
INT. PLANETS HOLLOW - DAY
Ego RISES on his own MOLECULAR TORNADO and STRIKES BACK at
Quill. He YELLS as he SLAMS Quill against the wall, DRAGGING
his face along the wall.
He TOSSES Quill into a another wall.
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER/PLANET'S HOLLOW - DAY
QUILL brings his ARM FILLED WITH LIGHT away from the wall, so
that he causes a WAVE OF LIGHT AND ROCK around the interior
of the hollow, FLYING TO EGO and knocking him aside.
Yondu protects his face as DIRT SWIRLS in the wake of the
Quill/Ego battle.
Rocket, carrying Groot, FLIES BACK DOWN beside him.
ROCKET
Yondu! We're about to blow!
YONDU
Get to the ship.
ROCKET
Not without Quill.
YONDU
You gotta take care of the twig.
ROCKET
Not without you.
YONDU
I ain't done nothing right my whole
damn life, rat. You need to give me
this.
Rocket, hesitantly, nods. He grabs some things from his bag.
He hands them to Yondu.
ROCKET
A space suit and an aero rig. I
only have one of each.
Yondu nods. Rocket nods too.
Rocket starts to go, but STOPS and looks at Yondu.
He wants to say something, but he doesn't know what. Baby
Groot does.
126
GROOT
I am Groot.
YONDU
What's that?
ROCKET
He says welcome to the frickin'
Guardians of the Galaxy... only he
didn't use `frickin'.
YONDU
Bye, twig.
Groot waves.
And Rocket FLIES UP toward the surface. Rocket mutters to
Groot.
ROCKET
We're gonna need to have a
discussion about your language.
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER/PLANET'S HOLLOW - DAY
Ego SLAMS Quill back against a wall. Ego pulls the huge rocks
away from the wall, FLYING THEM TOWARDS HIM and BATTERING HIM
THERE.
Ego and Quill FLY TOWARDS each other.
Ego uses the LIGHT TO BRING ROCKS TO HIS BODY, forming a
giant AVATAR OF HIMSELF.
Quill brings YELLOW ROCKS to his body, forming a GIANT PAC-
MAN.
Ego's form flies into Pac-Man's mouth, so hard there's a
SONIC BOOM.
They fall, TUMBLING, still striking one another on the way
down.
They LAND HARD.
INT. SELF CHAMBER CORE - DAY
The timer counts down. A minute left.
I/E. PLANET SURFACE/QUADRANT LOADING BAY - DAY
Gamora and Nebula are caring for Mantis as Rocket and Groot
ARRIVE.
127
GAMORA
Where's Peter?
Rocket doesn't answer. Or he can't answer.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
Rocket, where is he?!
Rocket looks down at a timer in his hand. The time is almost
there.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
Rocket?! Rocket, look at me! Where
is he?!
Rocket just shakes his head a little.
But Groot points sadly outside.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
I'm not leaving without him.
Gamora hardens. She stands and SNATCHES A RIFLE off the wall.
She COCKS IT.
She STARTS OUT the bay door --
When AN ELECTRICAL BLAST HITS HER from behind.
She FALLS OVER, unconscious, REVEALING Rocket with his gun.
ROCKET
I'm sorry. I can only afford to
lose one friend today.
(INTO COMM)
Kraglin, GO!
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - DAY
Drax looks uncertain as Kraglin presses thrust.
DRAX
Wait. Is Quill back?
(INTO COMM)
Rocket, where's Quill?!
I/E. PLANET SURFACE/QUADRANT LOADING BAY - DAY
Rocket looks sadly out the bay door as it CLOSES; Drax's
voice echoes on his comm.
DRAX (O.S.)
251 Where's Quill?! WHERE'S QUILL?! 251
128
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Quill and Ego are exhausted, on their knees and leaning
against one another like boxers after too many rounds.
INT. SELF CHAMBER CORE - DAY
The timer reads 00:26 seconds
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Ego reaches for the core..
EGO
No, we need to stop it!
Quill throws him to the ground. But Ego comes back up,
grasping his son's jacket, pleading with him now.
EGO (CONT'D)
Listen to me! You are a god! If you
kill me, you'll just be like
everyone else!
QUILL
What's so wrong with that?
Ego looks at his son, scared.
EGO
NO -
INT. SELF CHAMBER CORE - DAY
The countdown reaches zero. The brain EXPLODES.
I/E. EGO'S NERVOUS SYSTEM - DAY
The explosion causes the life forces to BURST THROUGH THE
ENTIRE PLANET.
EXT. BELOW SELF CHAMBER - DAY
Everything around Quill is EXPLODING.
He looks down at his hands, where the glow FADES and
DISAPPEARS.
He gazes up at the mammoth walls around him as they BLOW UP
and COLLAPSE.
He lowers at head, at peace with the death that's coming,
when, from the side, through the debris --
129
YONDU IS FLYING TOWARDS HIM ON AN AERO-RIG.
Yondu GRABS him, almost a tackle, really, LIFTING HIM up and
FLYING AWAY.
EXT. PLANET'S HOLLOW - DAY
As Yondu and Quill FLY UPWARD, the planet EXPLODES behind
them, flames licking their heels, huge stretches of the
planet caving in.
EXT. SKY - DAY
Yondu holds a surprised Quill as they SOAR up into the sky,
YONDU
He may have been your father, boy.
But he wasn't your daddy.
QUILL
What?
YONDU
I'm sorry I didn't do it right. I'm
damn lucky you're my boy.
Quill is touched.
Yondu SLAPS the SPACESUIT disk onto Quill; THE SHIMMERY
SHEATHE COVERS HIM.
QUILL
What?
Yondu breathes out as completely as he can, emptying his
lungs. And they EXIT THE PLANET'S ATMOSPHERE, bursting into -
EXT. SPACE - OUTER SPACE
Quill struggles to get free, but Yondu holds him there,
trapping him, but it is also an embrace. The ENTIRE PLANET is
COLLAPSING BEHIND THEM.
QUILL
Yondu, you can't! What are you
doing? What are you doing?!
Yondu's jet pack expires its supply of fuel, and they STOP
THERE, in space, FLOATING.
Yondu's grip weakens. Quill turns to face him.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Yondu. Yondu, no!
130
Yondu grabs his son's face with both hands, looking and
touching him with love.
QUILL (CONT'D)
No.
And Yondu's FACE EXPANDS and his BODY GOES LIMP as he DIES
there. And he starts to DRIFT AWAY. Quill grabs onto his
shirt. He is CRYING.
QUILL (CONT'D)
No!
And, suddenly, behind Quill, Rocket and Drax PROPEL
themselves toward him in aero-rigs, GRABBING him.
FADE TO BLACK
INT. ECLECTOR CREMATORY - LATER
Yondu's body lies on a plank here: Various colored cloths are
laid in strips over his body and face, yaro lilies beneath
him, red-fired pyres and Yondu's toys all around.
Rocket, Groot, Drax, Gamora, Mantis, and Kraglin surround the
table. Quill is at the head. He has to say a few words. But
it is not easy.
QUILL
The other day I told Gamora how I
used to pretend my dad was David
Hasselhoff.
Rocket and Drax exchange a look.
QUILL (CONT'D)
He's a singer and actor from
earth... a really famous guy.
Drax nods.
QUILL (CONT'D)
And, you know, today it struck me.
Yondu didn't have a talking car,
but he did have a flying arrow.
And he didn't have the voice of an
angel, but he did have the whistle
of one. And both David Hasselhoff
and Yondu went on kickass
adventures, and hooked up with hot
women, and fought robots.
(MORE)
131
QUILL (CONT'D)
So, the thing is, David Hasselhoff
kinda did end up being my Dad after
all, only he was Yondu. I had a
pretty cool Dad.
Quill starts to break down.
QUILL (CONT'D)
And what I'm trying to say here is,
that thing you're searching for
your whole life, sometimes it's
right there by your side all along
and you don't even know it.
Gamora sees Nebula, watching from a darkened doorway, before
she turns and walks away. She moves after her.
Groot looks up at an upset Rocket.
GROOT
I am Groot?
ROCKET
Yeah. That's the friend I was
talking about.
GROOT
I am Groot.
ROCKET
He did call you `twig.'
INT. QUADRANT SMALL HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Gamora catches up to Nebula in the hall.
GAMORA
Nebula.
Nebula turns toward her, but she doesn't look her in the eye.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
I was just a child. Like you. I was
concerned with staying alive until
the next day - every day. And I
never considered what Thanos was
doing to you. I am sorry.
Nebula nods.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
I'm trying to make it right,
everything I did.
(MORE)
132
GAMORA (CONT'D)
There are little girls like you
were - little boys - all over the
universe - who are in danger. You
can stay with us, and help them.
NEBULA
I'll help them by killing Thanos.
GAMORA
I don't know if that's possible.
Nebula shrugs: maybe. She turns to leave. But Gamora grabs
her, perhaps too roughly. Nebula turns, ready to snap.
And Gamora EMBRACES her. Nebula does not know how to react.
GAMORA (CONT'D)
You'll always be my sister.
Tears well in Nebula's eyes and, for just a moment, she
embraces her sister back with one hand...
Before pushing her away and leaving.
INT. ECLECTOR CREMATORY - MOMENTS LATER
The Guardians lift Yondu on the plank. A bulbous and rusty
crematory is at the center of the room. It doesn't burn with
fire, but a SWIRLING, VIBRANT COSMIC ENERGY.
They SLIDE YONDU IN as they watch with sadness and respect as
his body is enveloped by the sparkling colors. Quill closes
the door on the crematory.
As Quill moves away, Kraglin approaches.
KRAGLIN
Pete.
Quill turns toward him. He's holding something.
KRAGLIN (CONT'D)
Cap'n found this for you in a
junker shop. Said someday you'd
come back to the fold.
Kraglin puts an MP3 player in his hand.
KRAGLIN (CONT'D)
It's called a Zune - what everyone
listens to on earth nowadays. It's
got three hundred songs.
Quill nods, touched.
133
QUILL
Wait.
Quill holds out Yondu's arrow. Kraglin's lip trembles.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Rocket grabbed the pieces and
reassembled them. I think Yondu
would want you to have it.
KRAGLIN
Thank you... Cap'n.
EXT. QUADRANT - OUTER SPACE
Yondu's SPARKLING ASHES ARE BLOWN OUT IN SPURTS FROM THE
CREMATORY INTO SPACE.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Rocket, Drax, and Mantis are here, watching Yondu's ashes in
the vacuum of space, SWIRLING almost magically.
INT. CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - OUTER SPACE
Quill sits down on the bed in Yondu's quarters. He scrolls
through selections on the Zune.
He comes to "FATHER AND SON" by CAT STEVENS.
He PRESSES PLAY.
He listens. As he does, Groot crawls up onto the bed, and
then onto his lap.
Quill offers him one of the ear buds.
Groot holds it against his ear, amazed by the clarity of
sound. Quill watches him, hearing the beauty of the song more
through Groot's face than the music itself.
And they sit there together, listening to the music, a new
father and son.
INT. M-SHIP - OUTER SPACE
Nebula FLIES AWAY, sad, perhaps regretful, but forcing her
chin up to brace against what's to come.
INT. QUADRANT SMALL HALLWAY - OUTER SPACE
Gamora watches, THROUGH A WINDOW, as Nebula leaves.
134
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Rocket sees something by the ashes. His eyes alight.
ROCKET
They came.
INT. CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - OUTER SPACE
Groot sees COLORFUL FLASHING LIGHTS out of the window. He
pulls on Quill's shirt to show him.
They go to get a better view.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
Drax and Rocket see Yondu's COSMIC ASHES PULSING AND SWIRLING
out in space as, one by one, enormous RAVAGER SHIPS arrive
around them.
They each FLASH SPECIFIC LIGHT SEQUENCES - and, with all the
ships together - it looks like fireworks.
DRAX
What is it?
ROCKET
I sent word to Yondu's old Ravager
buddies and told them what he did.
Quill comes up behind them with Groot, just as Gamora enters.
Quill smiles.
QUILL
It's a Ravager funeral.
INT. HALLWAY - OUTER SPACE
Kraglin sees it from here. He SCREAMS with joy, and he slams
his fist twice against his chest, a Ravager salute.
I/E. RAVAGER FLIGHT DECK 1 - OUTER SPACE
STAKAR and Martinex watch him there, moved.
MARTINEX
He didn't let us down after all,
Cap'n.
STAKAR
No, he did not, son. He did not.
135
I/E. RAVAGER FLIGHT DECK 2 - OUTER SPACE
CHARLIE-27, an enormous man, is wistful as he salutes.
CHARLIE-27
Fare thee well, old friend.
I/E. RAVAGER FLIGHT DECK 3 - OUTER SPACE
ALETA is here, tears in her eyes, alcohol in her hand, an ALL-
FEMALE RAVAGER CREW around her.
ALETA
See you in the stars, Yondu Udonta.
INT. QUADRANT FLIGHT DECK - OUTER SPACE
And the Guardians all watch, enchanted by the majesty.
ROCKET
He didn't chase `em away.
QUILL
No.
ROCKET
Even though he yelled at `em.
Quill shakes his head.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
And was always mean.
Quill shakes his head.
ROCKET (CONT'D)
And he stole batteries he didn't
need.
Quill is surprised - what? And then he looks at Rocket, a
little animal who doesn't know the rules of how to be any
more than a young boy whose tribe sold him into slavery.
QUILL
Of course not.
Baby Groot is on Gamora's shoulder. He reaches for Drax, who
takes him. Baby Groot YAWNS and nuzzles into Drax's
shoulder, falling asleep. Drax lovingly pats his back.
Gamora looks at Drax and Groot, and Rocket, and Mantis,
taking it all in, this strange family of hers. She turns to
Quill, staring at him with love.
136
QUILL (CONT'D)
What?
GAMORA
It's just some unspoken thing.
Quill wraps his arm around her and she sinks into him.
Mantis smiles and becomes teary and GASPS, overwhelmed, as
she looks out the window.
MANTIS
It's beautiful.
DRAX
It is. And so are you.
(BEAT)
On the inside.
They turn back to the window and they stand there together,
our Guardians of the Galaxy, watching the Ravager funeral and
the colorful dust of an old friend dance.
And the shape of the dust seems to form something very close
to an ARROW.
Rocket sees this and he cries.
THE END (NOT REALLY)
RUN CREDITS.
"SURRENDER" BY CHEAP TRICK PLAYS.
CREDIT BREAK 1 - INT. ECLECTOR HALLWAY - OUTER SPACE
SURRENDER is PLAYING HERE. Kraglin has had a version of
Yondu's fin implanted in his head. He looks nervously down
at the arrow on the floor.
He tries to WHISTLE. It just flips around like a dead fish.
He WHISTLES again, and it FLIES UP, hitting a wall, and falls
back down again.
He WHISTLES again, and it ZIPS AWAY. We HEAR A SCREAM.
Kraglin looks around the corner where Drax is sitting, the
ARROW IMPALED in his chest, yelling in agony.
Kraglin looks around, hoping no one saw him there, and he
tries to slink away.
137
MORE CREDITS as SURRENDER CHORUS KICKS IN: Mommy's all right,
Daddy's all right, they just seem a little weird.
END CREDITS - INT. STAKAR'S SHIP - OUTER SPACE
Stakar looks sad, serious.
STAKAR
It's a shame it takes a tragedy
like losing Yondu to bring us all
back together. But I think he'd be
proud if he knew we were working as
a team again.
Over Stakar we see this incredibly motley crew - MARTINEX,
CHARLIE-27, ALETA, who is holding MAINFRAME (a robotic head
in a cage), and the mouthless, wormlike KRUGARR,
STAKAR (CONT'D)
What say we steal some shit?
CHARLIE-27
In.
MARTINEX
Dope.
MAINFRAME
I MISSED you guys!
Krugarr makes a hex symbol and TWO COLORFUL THUMBS-UP BURST
in front of him.
ALETA
Hell. Yes.
END CREDITS - INT. BIRTHING PODS CHAMBER - DAY
Ayesha sits on a bench, brooding, disheveled and still
furious. The Chambermaid cautiously approaches.
CHAMBERMAID
High Priestess, the Council is
waiting.
AYESHA
They are perturbed I have wasted
our resources.
The Chambermaid smiles politely, nods slightly, agreeing in a
circumspect manner. Ayesha stares across the way.
138
AYESHA (CONT'D)
When they see what I have created
here, their wrath will dissipate,
though it will be some time.
The Chambermaid looks where Ayesha is looking.
CHAMBERMAID
That is not just another birthing
pod, ma'am?
AYESHA
That, my child, is the next step in
our evolution: more powerful, more
beautiful, and more capable of
destroying the Guardians of the
Galaxy.
A large, human-sized cocoon stands where Ayesha stares.
AYESHA (CONT'D)
I think I shall call him... `Adam'.
BOX OVER CREDITS - INT. GROOT'S BEDROOM - OUTER SPACE
Quill is standing in the bedroom doorway, looking down.
QUILL
Dude, seriously, you got to clean
up your room. It's a complete mess.
We REVEAL a gawky ADOLESCENT GROOT, hunched over, playing a
video game, in this very messy room.
ADOLESCENT GROOT
I am Groot.
QUILL
I'm not boring, man. You're boring.
Once I got stuck on a planet where
everyone was just lines and dots. I
had to use geometry to get out of
prison. Is that boring?
Adolescent Groot shakes his head in disdain.
QUILL (CONT'D)
You know what's boring? Not doing
the dishes. What's boring is me
tripping over your vines
everywhere.
Adolescent Groot SIGHS.
139
QUILL (CONT'D)
Drax and I switched pants in the
middle of that party last weekend.
For no reason other than we're
awesome and very much not boring.
Quill starts to walk away then comes back.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Once I got a venereal disease that
made me float for three days...
Don't tell Gamora... it's dormant,
but... If that's boring then, I
guess I'm boring.
He looks at him.
QUILL (CONT'D)
I'm not boring.
Groot ROLLS HIS EYES and makes an exasperated sound.
QUILL (CONT'D)
What's boring is when you roll your
eyes like that at me and make an
exasperated sound like I'm an old,
boring, stupid idiot.
Quill thinks.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Now I know how Yondu felt.
Quill begins to CRY.
QUILL (CONT'D)
Yondu.
CUT TO BLACK.
THE END |
HACKERS
Written by
Rafael Moreu
SEATTLE 1988
EXT. FRONT YARD. DAY.
Slow motion. Armed troops in black uniforms pour out of
unmarked vans and swarm across a lawn in a middle class
residential neighborhood. Yuppie neighbours look on in
shock, confused. Two of the troops carry a battering ram
to the front door of a white two-storey house. A leashed
Rottweiler snarls and barks. In position, their comrades
point M-16s into first-floor windows, ready to be
ambushed. Pan into a window in the kitchen. An
attractive woman in her thirties is making breakfast.
Now, in regular motion, the battering ram breaks open the
front door. The woman, startled, drops her spatula.
INT. MURPHY RESIDENCE. DAY.
WOMAN
(screams)
Oough! Ahhh!
SECRET SERVICE AGENT
(to others)
Upstairs.
Troops pour into the house.
WOMAN
What's going on? What's the matter?
Who are you?
The troops, and one or two trenchcoated agents, continue
entering the house and heading upstairs, still with rifles
ready.
WOMAN
Hey!
Upstairs, crowded in the narrow hallway, the troops
descend on a bedroom.
WOMAN
(off camera)
Dade! Dade!
AGENT
Knock it down.
The battering ram knocks down a bedroom door.
INT. COURTROOM.
The prosecutor, a woman of about forty, gives her closing
argument blandly. She'd rather be somewhere else.
PROSECUTOR
The defendant, Dade Murphy, who calls
himself "Zero Cool", has repeatedly
committed criminal acts of a malicious
nature. This defendant possesses a
superior intelligence, which he uses to a
destructive and antisocial end. His
computer virus crashed one thousand five
hundred and seven computer systems,
including Wall Street trading systems,
single handedly causing a seven point drop
in the New York Stock Market.
As she speaks, the camera pans across the court, panning
down and stopping on the defendant: eleven year old Dade
Murphy.
Fast forward to the sentencing.
JUDGE
Dade Murphy, I hereby fine your family
forty-five thousand dollars...
The court gasps, Dade's father winces
JUDGE
...and sentence you to probation, under
which you are forbidden to own or operate
a computer or touch tone telephone, until
the day of your eighteenth birthday.
Now Dade winces, in fact we almost expect him to cry.
Opening credits roll to a backdrop of Dade and his family
and lawyer fighting through a gaggle of journalists and
photographers, in slow motion, and driving away.
SEVEN YEARS LATER.
Aboard a jetliner, Dade Murphy is staring blankly out the
window, wearing headphones. Exterior view from the
aircraft of approaching New York City. The view becomes a
direct overhead of the buildings and streets of the city,
which then metamorphoses (through animation) into chips
and digital signals on a stylised computer board. The
title logo.
INT. DADE'S ROOM.
Segue to Dade Murphy, now 18, wearing mirrorshades indoors
and at night, working on his new computer. His mother
calls him.
MRS. MURPHY
(off camera)
Dade?
DADE
Yeah, mom?
MRS. MURPHY
What are you doing?
DADE
(after a semi-pregnant pause)
I'm taking over a TV network.
MRS. MURPHY
Finish up, honey, and get to sleep. And happy
birthday.
INT. OTV STUDIOS.
In the OTV Studios security department, a phone rings, a
man answers nervously.
NORM
Security, uh Norm, Norm speaking.
DADE
Norman? This is Mr. Eddie Vedder, from
Accounting. I just had a power surge here at
home that wiped out a file I was working on.
Listen, I'm in big trouble, do you know
anything about computers?
NORM
Uhhmmm... uh gee, uh...
DADE
Right, well my BLT drive on my computer just
went AWOL, and I've got this big project due
tomorrow for Mr. Kawasaki, and if I don't get
it in, he's gonna ask me to commit Hari
Kari...
NORM
Uhhh.. ahahaha...
DADE
Yeah, well, you know these Japanese management
techniques.
(pause)
Could you, uh, read me the number on the
modem?
NORM
Uhhhmm...
DADE
It's a little boxy thing, Norm, with switches
on it... lets my computer talk to the one
there...
NORM
212-555-4240.
Dade goes to work on OTV. He closes his eyes and a flurry
of half-second video clips from old TV shows flashes by.
He opens his eyes. His screen says ENTERING ARPS 331 and
then wipes to another screen. Automated Record Playback
System. There is a graphic representation of the
station's automatic videotape changer. Dade turns on his
TV set and turns to OTV. It is running a Rush-Limbaugh
type TV show.
COMMENTATOR
(on TV)
...so-called American Indians, Latinos and
Blacks come from a genetically mediocre
stock...
DADE
Yak yak yak. Get a job!
Dade presses a key on his keyboard. The Video Changer
diagram lights up in red. At the station, a robotic arm
selects a videotape from a huge rack of thousands of
tapes. The "America First" tape slides out of the VTR and
is replaced by an episode of "The Outer Limits" as Dade
watches, drinks Coke and smiles, full of himself.
TV
You are about to experience the awe and
mystery, which reaches from the inner mind,
to... The Outer Limits.
DADE
Yesssss!
Suddenly, the ARPS screen is replaced by an ominous
message:
U HAVE TREAD
UPON MY DOMAIN &
MUST NOW SUFFER
WHO R U?
DADE
Hey! What?
He starts to type ZERO...
DADE
No, wait.
Dade types:
CRASH OVERRIDE.
WHO WANTS TO KNOW?
Dade's screen dissolves into:
ACID BURN
DADE
Unbelievable. A hacker!
Then the screen changes again:
ACID BURN
SEZ LEAVE B 4
U R EXPUNGED
"The Outer Limits" suddenly flashes off.
DADE
Yeah, okay "Acid Burn", that's enough.
Dade starts hacking. Apparently so does Acid Burn. The
tape changer machines at OTV are swamped, sometimes
fighting over the same tape. The program on TV keeps
changing.
The message comes up on Dade's computer screen:
I WILL
SWAT U LIKE
THE FLY U R
More dueling tape changers, more half second video clips.
Another message.
I WILL
SNAP YOUR BACK
LIKE A TOOTHPICK
As the duel continues, Dade types back a taunt of his own:
MESS WITH THE BEST
DIE LIKE THE REST
One last from Acid Burn:
YOU ARE
TERMINATED
Then his own computer confirms for him that the connection
is terminated.
DADE
Shit on me!
Next morning. Mrs. Murphy is unpacking. Dade emerges
from his room in a housecoat. He makes a beeline (dodging
moving boxes) for the fridge.
MRS. MURPHY
Good morning. You unpack your stuff yet?
DADE
Mm-hmm.
MRS. MURPHY
Up all night again, huh?
DADE
Can this wait until both my eyes are open,
please?
Dade's mom picks up the phone, mocking a call to the
building superintendent.
MRS. MURPHY
Can I cut the electricity to his room so he'll
sleep normal hours? He's been playing with
his computer all night for a solid week.
(pause)
Well yes, he could be playing with himself.
Mmm hmm. Yes I'll ask. Dade, you like girls,
don't you?
DADE
Well, yeah, I just haven't found one as
charming as you yet.
MRS. MURPHY
You haven't been doing anything stupid, right,
Dade?
(louder)
Right, Dade?!
DADE
Right, mom. And I'm still a virgin!
Dade slams the bathroom door. Mrs. Murphy quickly checks
his room. Dade is showering.
MRS. MURPHY
(angry, through the bathroom door)
You hooked it up to the phone, didn't you?
Dade! Turn the shower off! You screw up
again and you won't get into college!
She pauses and regains some of her cool.
MRS. MURPHY
I'm sorry we had to move in your senior year.
I didn't want to sell the house but I had to
take this new job, you know that. You're
going to love New York, it's the city that
never sleeps!
EXT. NEW YORK CITY.
We enjoy several views of New York, the morning sun
shining between skyscrapers, neon signs that stay lit day
and night. Dade emerges from the ground-floor apartment
on rollerblades and skates down the street to school.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL.
At school, hundreds of teenagers converse, move around,
head to class. Dade looks lost among them. He walks up
to a skinny latino kid in a faux leopard-skin muscle
shirt. The kid is on a pay-phone, speaking in Spanish.
DADE
Excuse me.
KID
Yo, chill man, I'm talking to Venezuela.
DADE
Yeah, I'm sorry, I was just looking for the
principal's office.
KID
Sorry, I can't help you, okay?
Now Dade really looks lost. He heads off in search of the
office.
INT. OFFICE.
Dade is filling out a form.
GIRL
Do you have your transfer forms?
Dade stares at her, stunned. The girl has a decidedly
unconventional appearance, yet is a first-rate beauty.
GIRL
It's a relatively straightforward question.
Dade notices her lips, and in his imagination launches
into a flurry of half-second video clips and art bites,
all involving lips and kissing.
GIRL
Do you speak English?
DADE
Sorry, you wanted...?
GIRL
I wanted transfer forms.
He gives them to her.
GIRL
Thank you.
She starts leaving. He doesn't.
GIRL
Are you coming?
Dade clues in, gets up and follows her. She takes him on
a brief tour.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL CORRIDOR.
GIRL
The gym is through there, and the cafeteria is
through there.
DADE
Great. Cool.
(pause)
What's your name?
GIRL
Kate. Kate Libby.
They arrive at a classroom.
KATE
Here's your class.
DADE
My... class. You mean I'm not in your class?
KATE
No, you're not in my class.
Kate starts away.
DADE
Give me time!
A guy in the halls notices Dade.
GUY
Hey, you new?
DADE
Yeah.
GUY
Tell him about the pool, Kate.
DADE
Pool?
KATE
Yeah, there's an Olympic size swimming pool up
on the roof. Take the stairs over there.
DADE
Yeah! Sure.
Kate starts away again.
DADE
Thanks!
EXT. SCHOOL ROOFTOP.
Dade enters, and lets the door slam behind him. Across the
roof, a dozen or so geeky looking kids are looking over
the edge, apparently trying to get someone's attention.
One of them notices Dade.
GEEK
Hey! Hold the door!
He's too late. The geeks look pretty angry. There is no pool.
Dade
(realizing he's been had)
No pool.
Dade tries the door but it's locked. He hammers it with
his palm, furious. Above, thunder roars and it begins
raining.
INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR.
Dade is soaking wet, and trudges among his classmates
leaving a muddy trail. A three-second video clip rolls
through his mind: it is a screaming woman being strangled
in an old movie. He walks past Kate, who giggles.
KATE
Oh my God! He found the pool.
INT. SCHOOL COMPUTER LAB.
The kids are all seated at computer workstations. Dade
is hacking, the latino kid who was on the phone to
Venezuela is running a demo involving dirty-dancing
skeletons.
TEACHER
I'm Mr. Simpson. And I'm subbing for Ms.
Bayliss who was arrested at the anti-fur
rally. I know some of you kids got computers
at home. But these are school property,
people, and I don't want to see any gum stuck
to 'em. Chapter 1. Designing graphical
interface...
Meanwhile, the latino kid notices that Dade has been
looking up Kate Libby's school records. And hacking
himself into her advanced English class.
EXT. SCHOOL QUAD.
It's after school, kids are heading home, Dade too. The
latino kid notices Dade and catches up with him.
KID
So, um, what's your interest in Kate Libby,
eh? Academic? Purely sexual?
DADE
Homicidal?
KID
What's up, man? I'm the Phreak!
The name rings no bells with Dade.
PHREAK
The Phantom Phreak? The king of Nynex? I
know you play the game.
Another kid, younger and a little geeky looking, runs up
to Dade and The Phantom Phreak.
JOEY
Phreakphreakphreakphreakphreak,
dudedudedudedudedudedude... I gotta...
PHREAK
(slaps Joey)
Joey, Joey...
JOEY
What? whatwhatwhat?
PHREAK
One more "dude" out of you and I'm gonna slap
the shit outa you, okay? Now I'm trying to
save you from yourself but you gotta stop
letting your mama dress you, man!
(To Dade):
Check it...
Phreak starts to hand Dade a flyer.
JOEY
(interrupting)
I need a handle, man. I don't have an
identity until I have a handle.
PHREAK
You know, you're right about that.
(to Dade)
Check it, Friday.
Phreak hands Dade a flyer for Cyberdelia.
JOEY
Alright. How about the Master of Disaster,
huh?
PHREAK
You're hopeless, man, utterly hopeless.
Phreak walks away.
JOEY
Ultra Laser.
(desperate)
Doctor Doom!
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET VILLAGE. NIGHT.
Dade rolls in on rollerblades. Street vendors hawk
computer parts and bootleg software. A bootleg music
vendor catches Dade's attention.
CEREAL
Check this out, each and every one of you.
Compilation tape, of my own making. I call
this the "Greatest Zooks Album". Featuring
artists like, well I got some Hendrix on
there, some Joplin, Mama Cass, Belushi... all
great artists that asphyxiated on their own
vomit!
The small crowd around him finally gets the joke.
CEREAL
Can't get this in stores, man, I made it!
Dade wheels into Cyberdelia, which just happens to be
equipped with a ramp down to its main floor for the
benefit of skaters. The place pounds with loud, bassy
techno music and coloured light. Video monitors with
psychedelic patterns complete the atmopshere. There is a
video game with a huge screen. Phreak is at a pay phone.
OPERATOR
(on phone)
Please deposit five dollars for the first
minute.
Phreak holds a small box up to the receiver, presses a
button, and the box emits a series of tones.
OPERATOR
Thank you.
PHREAK
Nonono, thank YOU!
Dade checks out the scene. Kate is playing the big video
game. Dade skates up to her. She loses her last man.
She's got the high score, in fact her name dominates the
top-10 list.
DADE
That's a nice score for a girl.
KATE
(irritated by Dade's presence)
Think you can do better?
DADE
I'll give it a shot.
Kate yields the controls to Dade, who begins playing.
Kate's boyfriend looks on from a mezzanine several feet
above.
CURTIS
Is this kid bothering you, Kate?
DADE
Sorry, can I get some room here?
CURTIS
Yeah.
(to Kate)
Why don't you come up here?
Kate obliges and joins Curtis. Dade continues playing.
He plays brilliantly. The game is a flashy 3-D high-speed
chase game with lots of surprises. Dade loses, but his
high score is about to come up.
CURTIS
He's good!
Dade's score comes up. He's in the #1 position. Phreak
is amazed.
DADE
(to Kate)
Well, it looks like I'm on top.
Kate, defeated, leaves. Curtis follows.
PHREAK
Congratulations. No one's ever beat her
before. You just made an enemy for life.
(to someone else)
Boy meets world. Let's go?
EXT. OUTSIDE CYBERDELIA. NIGHT.
Kate and Curtis are sucking face, oblivious to the busy
world around them. Dade and Phreak watch, more than a
little disgusted.
DADE
Who's that?
PHREAK
Curtis.
DADE
And what's he do?
PHREAK
That's it, you're looking at it, he just looks
slick all day.
Kate and Curtis start to take off on Curtis' motorcycle.
Kate and Dade make eye contact briefly. The motorcycle
speeds off into the night.
INT. DADE'S ROOM.
The clock says it's 4:16. As the camera pans up to Dade,
it changes to 4:17. Dade is hacking again. It's the
school's administration system. Dade schedules a test of
the school sprinkler system for 9:30am.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL CORRIDIR.
Dade stands alone in the hall, watching the time closely.
Phreak rounds a corner and meets Dade.
PHREAK
What's up?
Dade doesn't answer. He watches the time a couple of more
seconds, then opens an umbrella. Immediately the fire
sprinklers turn on. Phreak starts getting drenched. He
realizes what is happening.
PHREAK
(amused and highly impressed)
Oh my God. You...
A bell rings and students pour out into the halls by the
hundreds. They're all being showered on. A tall
cheerleader bounces by Phreak, pushing her pom-pom in his
face.
PHREAK
Way cool!
(to Dade)
You saw that?
Dade nods in the affirmative.
Kate walks up to Dade, also understanding what has
happened.
KATE
What the hell is going on?
DADE
Pool on the roof must have a leak.
Kate gives Dade a look that could kill and skulks away.
Dade walks away under his umbrella, smug and dry.
PHREAK
Man, oh man, this is gonna be good.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM.
Dade, Kate, and a couple of other students are writing on
the chalkboard. Kate finishes first.
KATE
If God gave men brains bigger than dogs',
they wouldn't hump womens' legs at cocktail
parties.
The class giggles.
KATE
Ruth Libby.
TEACHER
I'm not so sure your mother qualifies as a
significant author of the twentieth century.
KATE
Her last book sold two million copies.
CLASS
(almost in unison)
Woooooo!
The teacher reads Dade's quotation.
TEACHER
"Angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient
heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in
the machinery of the night."
DADE
That's Ginsburg.
TEACHER
Nice. Very nice.
KATE
He's not in this class.
DADE
I said give me time.
KATE
He's not enrolled in this class.
TEACHER
Well, he's on my list.
Kate leaps across a desk and snatches the list from the
teacher. Dade is on it. She gives Dade another filthy
look, both Dade and the teacher just shrug. The teacher
moves on to Cereal.
TEACHER
"Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind
the most?"
CEREAL
Ozzy Osbourne!
TEACHER
You. What is your name?
The teacher grabs the list back from Kate.
CEREAL
Uh, Emmanuel Goldstein, sir?
TEACHER
You, however, are not on my list.
CEREAL
(in mock shock)
Whoa, this isn't wood shop class?
The class cracks up. Kate and Dade exchange looks as the
teacher escorts Cereal to the door.
INT. DADE'S PLACE.
MRS. MURPHY
How was school?
DADE
(eating)
Hmmm.
MRS. MURPHY
What did we learn in school today?
DADE
Revenge.
MRS. MURPHY
Aaaah. Did we meet someone special?
DADE
No. No one special.
MRS. MURPHY
Okay, I gotta get back to work. I'm gonna be
home late. And would you try and please fill
these out?
She indicates a pile of college applications.
MRS. MURPHY
Oh don't worry, it's only the rest of your
life.
She starts to the door.
DADE
Right. Anything else, you want me to mow the
lawn? Oops, forgot. New York. No grass.
MRS. MURPHY
And unpack.
She leaves. Dade looks over the college applications for
a second, and pushes them away. He'd rather not do this
now.
INT. CYBERDELIA.
Dade, Phreak and Joey are sitting at a table. Joey is
giving a dull account of his hacking adventures. Enter
Cereal.
CEREAL
FYI, alright man, you can sit at home, and do
like absolutely nothing and...
Cereal pauses, notices Dade, whom he has never met
formally but seen around, and then continues.
CEREAL
...and your name goes through like seventeen
computers a day. 1984, yeah right man, that's
a typo. Orwell's here and now, he's living
large. We have no names, man, no names. We
are nameless. Can I score a fry? Thanks.
PHREAK
Meet Cereal Killer. As in Froot Loops? But
he does know things.
Dade and Cereal acknowledge each other.
JOEY
Anyways, guys, guys, listen, listen to me.
I'm in this computer right? So I'm looking
around...
PHREAK
(to Cereal)
D'you bring those Crayola books?
CEREAL
Oh yeah, technicolor rainbow.
Cereal brings a book out of his bag.
CEREAL
Green one.
JOEY
What is that, what is that? Lemmie see. What
are these?
DADE
International Unix Environments.
Cereal pulls out another book.
CEREAL
Luscious orange?
Cereal hands the orange book to Phreak.
DADE
Computer security criteria, DOD standards.
Another book comes out.
DADE
The Pink Shirt Book, Guide to IBM PCs. So
called due to the nasty pink shirt the guy
wears on the cover.
Another one.
CEREAL
What's that?
DADE
Devil book. The Unix Bible.
Another one.
CEREAL
What's that?
DADE
Dragon book. Compiler design.
Cereal brings out a large red book.
CEREAL
Oh yeah? What's that?
DADE
The Red Book. NSA Trusted Networks.
Otherwise known as the Ugly Red Book that
won't fit on a shelf.
By now Phreak has made a pile of the books, and the Red
Book looks wholly out of place on the top of the pile.
JOEY
Anyway, anyway, guys guys guys, come on. I'm
in this computer, right. So I'm looking
around, looking around, you know, throwing
commands at it, I don't know where it is or
what it does or anything. It's like, it's
like choice, it's just beautiful, okay. Like
four hours I'm just messing around in there.
Finally I figure out, that it's a bank.
Right, okay wait, okay, so it's a bank. So, this
morning, I look in the paper, some cash
machine in like Bumsville Idaho, spits out
seven hundred dollars into the middle of the
street.
CEREAL
That's kinda cool.
JOEY
That was me. That was me. I did that.
DADE
You did this from your house.
Joey takes a drag from his cigarette and just nods, with a
big grin on his face.
PHREAK
What are you, stoned or stupid? You don't
hack a bank across state lines from your
house, you'll get nailed by the FBI. Where
are your brains, in your ass? Don't you know
anything?
CEREAL
Stupid, man. It's universally stupid.
JOEY
You guys always think I should know
everything, and you never tell me anything.
Am I right?
PHREAK
Alright, what are the three most commonly used
passwords?
JOEY
Love, secret, and uh, sex. But not in that
order, necessarily, right?
CEREAL
Yeah but don't forget God. System operators
love to use God. It's that whole male ego
thing.
PHREAK
Look, you wanna be elite? You gotta do a
righteous hack. None of this accidental shit.
CEREAL
Oh yeah, you want a seriously righteous hack,
you score one of those Gibsons man. You know,
supercomputers they use to like, do physics,
and look for oil and stuff?
PHREAK
Ain't no way, man, security's too tight. The
big iron?
DADE
Maybe. But, if I were gonna hack some heavy
metal, I'd, uh, work my way back through some
low security, and try the back door.
CEREAL
Yeah but oh man,
(starts rubbing one of his
own nipples in mock sexual
excitement)
wouldn't you just love to get one of those
Gibsons, baby? Ooooh!
PHREAK
Yo, who ate all of my fries?
Cereal pauses a second.
CEREAL
(pretending to be enraged)
Joey?!
JOEY
What, no, nonononono, I didn't touch your
fries. I did not touch your fries.
PHREAK
Cereal, man, you owe me a pack.
CEREAL
It was him, man!
PHREAK
You're psyched. You need to lay off of that
shit.
CEREAL
(to Joey)
I'm gonna hit you!
INT. JOEY'S ROOM. NIGHT.
Joey is hacking. A Gibson. He gets in. Using GOD as a
password. Nice graphics represent the machine's vast
systems.
JOEY
YES! Home run, home run. You and me Lucy.
We're gonna show em baby.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
A system operator at Ellingson Mineral Corporation, a
large oil company, notices the intrusion. He gets on the
phone.
INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.
The place is a mess, typical of the hacker bachelor pad.
Empty chinese food boxes and Jolt Cola cans litter the
place.
Plague's phone is ringing, waking him.
HAL
(on phone)
Mr. Belford?
PLAGUE
(sleepily)
My name is the Plague.
HAL
Uh, Mr. The Plague, uh, something weird's
happening on the net.
PLAGUE
As in what, you hapless techno-weenie?
HAL
Uh, the accounting subdirectory in the Gibson
is working really hard. We got one person
online, the workload is enough for like ten
users. I think we've got a hacker.
INT. JOEY'S ROOM.
JOEY
Okay, okay, we need proof that we were here.
Right, uh...
Joey starts looking for something to download as proof he
was there.
JOEY
Yeah, Garbage, okay, give me Garbage.
He selects a Garbage file and starts the download. His
screen becomes a psychedelic mind trip.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
The Plague glides in on a skateboard. Short and thin,
bearded, about 35 but still trying to be a teenage
anarchist, yet not consciously realizing he sold out that
ideal years ago.
PLAGUE
Never fear. I is here.
HAL
I've narrowed the activity to terminal 23.
PLAGUE
Let's echo 23, see what's up.
The huge monitor lights up with the display of the
Gibson's resources. Hal and the Plague watch. Plague
starts "surfing" around.
PLAGUE
"God" wouldn't be up this late.
He sees what Joey is downloading. A file called
"Garbage".
PLAGUE
Shit! Get me the switching control center.
He puts on a telephone headset. Hal dials for him.
PLAGUE
(into the headset)
I need to trace a call that's in progress.
INT. JOEY'S ROOM.
Joey is sneaking a cigarette while his computer downloads.
There is a knock at the door. It's his mother.
JOEY
(whispering)
Shit!
(loudly, panicked)
Uh yeah... hold on, mom. Hold on one second.
He puts out the cigarette and sprays the room with air
freshener.
JOEY'S MOM
I mean it! Open the door, Joseph.
JOEY
Yeah, uh, yeah, okay.
He unlocks the door. Joey's mom bursts in. He's still
clambering into bed.
JOEY
There you go.
JOEY'S MOM
Bed. Sleep. Now!
She turns off the computer. It wasn't finished
downloading.
JOEY'S MOM
Sweet dreams, Joey.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
HAL
He's gone!
PLAGUE
Did you get a trace?
OPERATOR
(on phone)
Yeah, we got him.
PLAGUE
(smiling)
Good.
INT. JOEY'S ROOM. DARK.
Joey takes a disk out of his computer and stashes it in an
air vent in the cieling.
INT. TENEMENT HALLWAY.
Phreak, Dade and Cereal are rollerblading through the
halls of an apartment building that is filled with
graffiti. It appears that most of the spray-bomb art was
created by the residents.
CEREAL
Nice place, huh.
Cereal knocks on a door spray-painted "Hackstock"
DADE
You heard of a hacker called Acid Burn? You
know who he is?
PHREAK
(surprised)
No, don't know who he is.
(to Cereal)
Do you?
Cereal shrugs.
A hooded black man in his early twenties answers the door.
PHREAK
Nikon! Lord Nikon this is...
Phreak motions to Dade.
DADE
(finishing)
Crash Override.
NIKON
Never heard of you. Done anything?
DADE
No.
Nikon slams the door.
PHREAK
Come on!
Phreak knocks the door again. Nikon opens again.
NIKON
What, your mom buy you a 'Puter for Christmas?
(to Phreak)
Does he know anything?
PHREAK
Sure man, he's elite.
NIKON
(pausing, checking Dade out)
Come in.
CEREAL
Uh... Nikon, can I... can I crash at your
place tonight?
NIKON
(removing his hood)
Again?
(pauses, then grins broadly)
Yeah sure.
Nikon and Cereal do a fake Kung-fu move together.
BOTH
Ooka-pow!
INT. NIKON'S PLACE.
Later, the four are watching TV. On TV is a secret
service agent giving a news interview.
GILL
(on TV)
Hackers penetrate and ravage delicate public
and privately owned computer systems,
infecting them with viruses, and stealing
materials for their own ends. These people,
they are terrorists.
CEREAL
Agent Richard Gill, You're hacker enemy number
one, man. You're a boner!
NIKON
Yo, showtime, showtime!
DADE
What's going on?
ALL BUT DADE
(in unison)
4...3...2...1...
Cheesy music plays. Razor and Blade, androgynous asian
brothers, have a community access TV show. "Wayne's World"
in eye liner.
RAZOR
Welcome to our show!
BLADE
Hack the Planet!
ALL BUT DADE
Hack the Planet!
RAZOR
For those late night hacks...
BLADE
Jolt Cola! The soft drink of the elite
hacker.
DADE
Who are these guys?
NIKON
That's Razor and Blade.
DADE
Razor and Blade.
Now Razor and Blade have a disconnected payphone in their
studio.
RAZOR
That's right, this IS a payphone.
RAZOR AND BLADE
(in unison)
Don't ask.
BLADE
As you can see, this is just a simple
microcassette recorder. (shows the
microcassette recorder) Hook it up to the
phone and drop in five bucks in quarters.
RAZOR
Record the tones that the coins make. And
hang up and get your money back!
BLADE
And never again have to pay for a service that
would be dirt cheap...
RAZOR
...IF it weren't run by a bunch of
profiteering gluttons!
BLADE
Remember, hacking is more than just a crime.
It's a survival trait!
INT. JOEY'S PLACE.
Joey is taking a shower, wearing walkman headphones,
singing along with the music. Joey finishes, turns off
the shower, still singing. He draws open the shower
curtain to find two secret service agents with shotguns
pointed at him.
SS AGENT
FREEZE!
JOEY
What? What? What did I do? What?
The agents drag Joey, still naked and wet, out of the
shower and into the living room. His mother is
hysterical..
JOEY'S MOM
Joey!
AGENT
Get in there! Sit down!
ANOTHER AGENT
Stay down there. Don't move.
Joey is pushed into a sofa. He sees his computer, "Lucy",
being carried away.
JOEY
Lucy!
Joey dives onto the agent carrying Lucy away, losing his
towel. His mother, seeing his exposed buttocks, is
shocked.
JOEY'S MOM
JOEY!!!
EXT. OUTSIDE JOEY'S PLACE.
A police-type vehicle pulls up. It's Agent Richard Gill
of the Secret Service. He stops a young agent for an
update.
GILL
How's it going, Ray?
AGENT RAY
It looks good, sir. We've got an uncorrupted
hard drive.
GILL
In English, please. I didn't spend ten years
protecting the president so I could finish my
career feeling like an idiot.
AGENT RAY
I'm sorry, sir. We caught him by surprise, so
we don't think he had time to erase his
computer files.
GILL
Good. Good man. Alright, let's finish up
here, and take him in for interrogation.
AGENT RAY
Alright sir.
They split up. A reporter and her sound man run up to
Gill.
REPORTER
Agent Gill, can you spare a moment of your
time?
GILL
Why of course, Jennifer.
While Jennifer conducts the interview, agents lead Joey
into an unmarked car. His mother is behind him, still
hysterical.
JOEY'S MOM
Joey!
JOEY
Mom...
JENNIFER
Just how dangerous are hackers?
GILL
Well, hackers penetrate and ravage delicate
public and privately owned computer systems,
infecting them with viruses...
JOEY'S MOM
Joey!
GILL
...and stealing sensitive materials for their
own ends. These people, they're terrorists...
JOEY'S MOM
Joey!
INT. ELLINGSON MINERAL CORPORATION.
A tall, impressive building. A cavernous atrium filled
with busy people.
INT. ELLINGSON BOARDROOM.
A handsome looking woman in her late thirties walks in.
MARGO
Good morning, Gentlemen. Please be seated. I
see we're still dressing in the dark, Eugene.
PLAGUE
(to Margo)
Once again, don't call me Eugene.
(to the board)
A recent unknown intruder penetrated, using a
superuser acount, giving him access to our
whole system.
MARGO
Precisely what you're paid to prevent.
PLAGUE
Someone didn't bother reading my carefully
prepared memo on commonly used passwords.
Now, as I so meticulously pointed out, the for
most used passwords are love,
(gesturing lewdly)
sex, secret and...
(eyeing Margo)
...God. So would your holiness care to change
her password?
Margo just blinks prettily.
PLAGUE
A hacker planted the virus.
MARGO
Virus?
PLAGUE
Yesterday, the ballast program for a
supertanker training model mistakenly thought
the vessel was empty, and flooded its tanks.
MARGO
Excuse me?
PLAGUE
(as if to a child)
The little boat flipped over. A virus planted
in the Gibson computer system claimed
responsibility.
MARGO
What, it left a note?
Plague hits a button on a remote control, and the virus -
a long haired male model - appears on a large screen, in
psychedelic colors. The virus speaks in a hammy Italian
accent.
VIRUS
Unless five million dollars are transferred to
the following numbered account in seven days,
I will capsize five tankers in the Ellingson
fleet.
BOARD MEMBER
Is that...
PLAGUE
(interrupting)
That is the virus. Leonardo da Vinci. The
problem is we have twenty six ships at sea and
we don't know which ones are infected.
DUKE ELLINGSON
Well then, put the ships' ballasts under
manual control.
PLAGUE
There's no such thing anymore, Duke. These
ships are totally computerized. They rely on
satellite navigation, which links them to our
network, and the virus, wherever they are in
the world.
MARGO
So what are we supposed to do?
PLAGUE
Well luckily, you have a gifted and talented
security officer. I traced the hacker's call.
The secret service picked him up this morning.
I'll just search his files for the original
virus code, and then I can eliminate it.
INT. ELLINGSON MINERAL ATRIUM.
Plague, Margo and two suits from the boardroom are riding
down an escalator.
SUIT #1
Now look, now we expect you to get onto this
right away, yeah?
PLAGUE
Yeah!
SUIT #1
Well, how soon?
PLAGUE
Well, we're working on it as fast as we can.
This is a very common occurrence in
corporations as large as ours. You have
nothing to worry about.
SUIT #2
Yeah, right.
SUIT #1
Now, you're sure about that, Mr. The Plague?
PLAGUE
Yeah, the Secret Service is helping us out 100
percent. Okay?
SUIT #2
Yeah.
SUIT #1
Okay.
PLAGUE
We'll be in touch. Talk to you later.
The suits get off the escalator, Plague and Margo take the
next one down.
MARGO
What the hell was that all about?
PLAGUE
I had to move fast. The hacker copied my
garbage file.
MARGO
What?
PLAGUE
I created Mister da Vinci so we could call in
the Secret Service. So they'd arrest the
hacker, sieze his equipment, things that we
can't do on our own.
MARGO
I don't want to go to jail for this.
PLAGUE
Relax. Think about the 25 million dollars.
MARGO
But you've created a virus that's going to
cause a worldwide ecological disaster, just to
arrest some hacker kid?
PLAGUE
Basically, uhmm, yeah. Mmm hmmm.
MARGO
Jesus. You know, you're sick, Eugene. You...
PLAGUE
Sh, sh sh sh sh.
Plague stops a passing secretary and snatches a piece of
paper from her hand.
PLAGUE
I'll take care of this.
SECRETARY
Alright, sir.
PLAGUE
I can cancel it any time. I don't need any
program code. But it's the perfect cover, to
confiscate the disc and find out how much of
that garbage file has been copied.
MARGO
Get it!
(walking away)
Why did I ever trust you?
(going back up the escalator)
Get the file. Otherwise you'll lose all your
toys.
INT. SECRET SERVICE INTERROGATION ROOM.
Joey is distraught over the dismantling of Lucy. Agent
Ray examines the Mac's innards.
GILL
Did you find the program for the virus on any
of the discs we confiscated?
PLAGUE
No. He's either very smart or very stupid.
GILL
Then he stashed it somewhere, or he has an
accomplice. We'll release him until his
indictment, keep tight surveillance, and see
if he leads us to your disc.
EXT. OUTSIDE JOEY'S PLACE.
Joey's apartment building is an L-shaped skyscraper about
30 storeys high, unimpressive by New York City standards.
Two Secret Service agents are staking Joey out in a car
outside.
SECRET SERVICE AGENT BOB
Unit 3 outside suspect Joey Pardella's
apartment. Nothing to report. Suspect still
grounded... by his mother.
His radio crackles.
AGENT BOB
Listen to this bullshit.
(he reads)
"This is our world now. The world of the
electron and the switch, the beauty of the
baud. We exist without nationality, skin
color, or religious bias. You wage wars,
murder, cheat, lie to us and try to make us
believe it's for our own good, yet we're the
criminals. Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is
that of curiosity. I am a hacker and this is
my manifesto." Huh, right, manifesto? "You
may stop me, but you can't stop us all."
AGENT RAY
Now that's cool.
AGENT BOB
Cool?
AGENT RAY
Yeah, cool.
AGENT BOB
You think it's cool?
AGENT RAY
(not caring for where Bob is going
with this)
It's cool!
AGENT BOB
It's not cool. It's commie bullshit!
INT. HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' ROOM.
Dade, Cereal and Phreak check their faces. Cereal brushes
his teeth.
CEREAL
(to Phreak)
So what do you think, can I crash at your
place tonight?
DADE
What is it with this guy?
PHREAK
His parents missed Woodstock and he's been
making up for it since. Hey, you hear about
Joey's bust?
CEREAL
Yeah. Probably had something to do with that
bank in Idaho.
PHREAK
Do you think he could hack a Gibson?
DADE
Did you talk to him?
PHREAK
Nope. His mom said he's grounded for his next
three lifetimes.
(imitating her)
He isn't to consort with his computer friends.
(himself again)
The secret service is really out to get him.
(changes the subject)
Hey there's a big party tonight, you wanna go?
Dade shakes his head.
PHREAK
It's at Kate's...
Dade just smiles.
PHREAK
Thought so!
Cereal and Phreak leave, Cereal dancing.
INT. PLAGUE'S OFFICE.
Plague is wearing a VR helmet and gloves, playing some
sort of action game. He is unaware that Gill has just
entered the room.
GILL
What the hell are you doing? Plague!
He thumps the VR pedestal.
GILL
PLAGUE!
Plague finally notices, and takes off the helmet.
PLAGUE
Gill.
GILL
I think we've got something.
Gill hands Plague a folder. It has the logo of Stanton High.
PLAGUE
Uuugh, hard copy.
Plague looks it over and recognizes a name.
PLAGUE
Dade Murphy.
INT. DADE'S PLACE.
It's after school. Dade's just unlocking the front door,
only to find a Secret Service agent behind it. And one
behind him in the hallway. Both point pistols at him.
AGENT RAY
Secret Service!
AGENT BOB
Don't move!
They slam Dade against a wall and start frisking him.
DADE
Christ! What is the...
AGENT BOB
Shut up!
DADE
What are you doing, man? Get off me!
They lead him into his room and throw him down on the bed.
Plague is there.
AGENT BOB
Just sit in the bed and keep your hands where we can see
them.
PLAGUE
The year was 1988. And this nasty virus
crashed fifteen hundred systems in one day.
Dade has a flashback.
DADE
Fifteen hundred and seven.
AGENT RAY
(astounded)
Wow, huh!
GILL
It got you seven years probation. No
computer, couldn't even use a touch tone
phone.
PLAGUE
Must have been hell, huh? Zero Cool?
(getting to the point)
A virus has been planted in the Ellingson
Mineral computer system. You were our prime
suspect, till we trashed your stuff and found
no trace of it.
GILL
However, we have come to believe that one Joey
Pardella is involved in this Ellingson virus.
He or perhaps his accomplice has a disk that
Mr. Belford needs to disable that virus. We
want you to help us find it.
PLAGUE
Gill.
The three secret service agents leave Plague and Dade
alone. Plague shuts the door behind them.
PLAGUE
(of Gill)
Loser.
(continues)
I can't believe you were only eleven when you
wrote this. It's quite an impressive virus.
Dade, I know how you might feel about narking
on your friends, but, we're hackers. For us,
there's no such thing as family and friends.
We're each our own country, with temporary
allies and enemies. I'd like to make a treaty
with you.
DADE
I'm sorry. Who are you?
PLAGUE
I'm the one who understands you. Now, can we
be allies?
DADE
Nah. I don't play well with others.
Plague is holding Dade's baseball bat. He shrugs, turns
around, and smashes Dade's stereo to smithereens.
DADE
Shit! Come on!
PLAGUE
Watch which friends you do play with. A
record like yours could land you in jail, get
you kicked out of school, no colleges would
take you. No future. Exiled from everyone and
everything you love.
Plague replaces the baseball bat.
PLAGUE
I'll be in touch.
Plague leaves.
PLAGUE
(to agents)
I'm fine.
(to Dade)
Oh, and Dade, try to stay out of trouble, okay?
DADE
Blow me.
PLAGUE
(smiles)
Thank you!
INT. DADE'S ROOM. LATER.
Dade is lying in bed. A door opens. It's Kate. She opens
her motorcycle jacket, revealing her bare breasts. Dade
starts to get up, she pushes him back own on the bed and
starts kissing him passionately. He responds in kind.
Then, Gill, Agent Ray and Agent Bob burst into the room,
handcuff him, break the two up and haul them away as
Plague looks on smugly.
Then Dade wakes up in a sweat. It was only a dream. He
regains his composure. The sound of New York City at
night surrounds him. He goes back to sleep.
INT. KATE'S PLACE.
The party. A large, well-furnished apartment in an
elegant old skyscraper in the fashionable part of town.
Teenagers dance and writhe to loud, bassy music. Dade and
Phreak arrive.
PHREAK
Her mom makes big bucks writing self-help
books for women. Stuff like "Women Who Love
Men Who Are Emotional Amoebae"
Phreak shows Dade the book.
DADE
That explains a lot.
Kate, the lovely and gracious hostess, mingles and greets
her many guests, not noticing Dade or Phreak. Cereal
offers Dade a drink from a plastic bottle. Dade, not
knowing what he's in for, drinks. Nikon is the Deejay.
PHREAK
(loudly)
Yo, what's up Nikon!
NIKON
Yo Phreak! Dade, man, you made it.
(to Cereal)
Houston, we have liftoff, 3 o'clock,
check it... don't look right away, what's
wrong with you! Look at her man...
Nikon and Cereal are checking out a truly fine babe.
NIKON
(concentrating)
Look out, man. Lisa Blair, 26 East 7th St.,
apartment 16, 555-4817, BOOM!
DADE
How did you know that?
NIKON
I got photographic memory.
(Smiling)
It's a curse!
(Into the crowd)
Lisa!
LISA
Hey, how do you know my name?
Cereal and Phreak move through the crowd. Cereal notices
something.
CEREAL
Oooo, look at that pooper man. Spandex, it's
a privilege, not a right!
INT. MEETING HALL.
A 12-step recovery group. Addicts, including Joey
Pardella, sit in a semi-circle.
VICKIE
Hi, my name is Vickie, and I'm an addict.
HANK
Hi, my name is Hank, and uh, I'm an addict.
JOEY
(smoking)
Uh, my name's Joey but, uh, I'm not an addict.
Joey takes a drag. The group reacts indignantly.
JOEY
Nono, really, really, listen, listen to this.
I got in trouble with my computer, right,
okay, and my lawyer told the judge that I'm an
addict, but I'm not addicted to my computer!
No really, really,
Joey takes another drag.
JOEY
I'm not an addict. I'm not, I'm not.
Joey downs his coffee.
JOEY
Can I get some more coffee?
INT. KATE'S BEDROOM.
Phreak is checking out Kate's computer.
PHREAK
Yo. Check this out guys, this is insanely
great, it's got a 28.8 BPS modem!
DADE
Yeah? Display?
CEREAL
Active matrix, man. A million psychedelic
colors. Man, baby, sweet, ooo!
NIKON
I want it.
PHREAK
I want it to have my children!
CEREAL
Yeah, I bet it looks crispy in the dark.
PHREAK
Yo, hit the lights.
Dade hits the lights. The four ooo and ahh at
its graphics. Kate and Curtis walk into the
room and hit the bed, unaware of the hackers
in the corner by her laptop.
DADE
(whispering)
Shit!
CEREAL
Shh!
DADE
Was that her top?
PHREAK
One-handed!
CEREAL
Difficulty rating?
NIKON
Seven. Wow! Burn's wetware matches her
software!
DADE
(loudly)
Burn!
Their cover is blown.
NIKON
What the f...
Cereal hides under the desk.
KATE
Hey! What are you guys doing in here?
PHREAK
I'm sorry, we're sorry, just checking out your
fly laptop!
NIKON
Yeah, it's hyped, you know... you're in the
butter zone now, baby.
PHREAK
(smiling)
Uh-huh!
KATE
(her tone changing)
Yeah, it is...
(she comes over to it)
I wanna triple the RAM...
CURTIS
Oooh, Leopard Boy... AND the Decepticons. Uh,
Kate, Kate, you're not going into that
computer shit now, right?
Kate barely acknowledges him.
CURTIS
(cynically)
Humm, yeah.
Curtis leaves.
CEREAL
(mockingly)
Right.
DADE
The sensitive type.
Kate finally notices that Dade, whom she didn't invite, is at her
party and in her bedroom.
KATE
What is he doing in here?
PHREAK
Relax, Burn, he's my guest.
DADE
Burn. You're Acid Burn. You booted me out of
OTV!
KATE
What?
DADE
I'm Crash Override.
KATE
You're the moron that's been invading my turf?
CEREAL
Whoa, whowhowhowhoa.
(motioning to Dade)
Crash...
(motioning to Kate)
and Burn!
Cereal breaks into hysterics.
INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.
Plague is hacking.
MARGO
Murphy kid turn you down?
PLAGUE
(in a hammy southern accent)
I disguised myself as an Alabama State Trooper
and penetrated the FBI NCIC.
MARGO
Pervert! What are you talking about?
She turns her back to him. He does up the zipper on her
dress. Their relationship becomes apparent.
PLAGUE
The FBI computer holds files on twenty million
Americans. I just hacked into it.
MARGO
Congratulations.
PLAGUE
From here I got access to every piece of data
ever stored on Dade Murphy's parents. His
parents separated five years ago, reconciled
two years later, filed for divorce last year,
custody battle, boy chose to go with his
mother. Hmm.
MARGO
So?
PLAGUE
So, we get the mother, we get the boy.
INT. KATE'S ROOM.
Kate's room is empty, and Dade can't resist going back in
to play with her laptop, which far outclasses his own,
some more. On the balcony, Kate notices and comes back
in.
KATE
What the hell are you doing?
DADE
It's cool, I'm just looking.
KATE
It's too much machine for you.
DADE
Yeah?
Dade starts working furiously on it.
KATE
I hope you don't screw like you type.
Dade slows to a two-finger keypoke, not missing a beat.
DADE
It has a killer refresh rate.
KATE
P6 chip. Triple the speed of the Pentium.
DADE
Yeah. It's not just the chip, it has a PCI
bus. But you knew that.
KATE
Indeed. RISC architecture is gonna change
everything.
DADE
Yeah. RISC is good.
They uncomfortably exchange glances.
DADE
You sure this sweet machine's not going to
waste?
KATE
Crash Override. What was it. "Mess with the
Best, Die Like the Rest?"
DADE
Yeah.
KATE
Are you challenging me?
DADE
Name your stakes.
KATE
If I win, you become my slave.
DADE
(intrigued)
Your slave?
KATE
(realizing his mind is in the
gutter)
You wish. You'll do shit work, scan, crack
copyrights, whatever I want.
DADE
And if I win?
KATE
(giggles)
Make it my first born.
DADE
Make it our first date.
KATE
You're not gonna win.
DADE
And you have to smile.
KATE
I don't do dates. But I don't lose either, so
you're on.
MONTAGE: Scenes of Dade and Kate preparing for the challenge.
PHREAK
(voice over)
So here's the deal. The chosen contest: To
hassle Secret Service Agent Richard Gill, and
get one back for Joey.
Dade spray paints camouflage onto his keyboard.
NIKON
Our decisions are final, by a vote of 2 to 1.
No appeals.
Kate rifles through her address book.
CEREAL
The duel will last until we declare a winner.
Dade plays quick-draw with disks.
PHREAK
Use only the dialups, access codes and
passwords in your collection. Can't ask for
any help from us.
Dade, having mastered the quick-disk-draw in the mirror,
looks satisfied.
DADE
(into mirror)
Talking to me?
All five are together at the beginning of the challenge.
PHREAK
Any questions?
KATE
Yeah. Whose gonna notify his next of kin?
Dade and Kate shake hands and the challenge begins.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC PHONE.
At a public phone, Kate hacks into Concourse Bank, looks
up Richard Gill, and has his credit card maxed out.
"Destroy Card" is the final instruction. The other
hackers look on.
INT. RESTAURANT.
A waiter runs a credit card through a validation machine,
sees the message and returns to the patron's table. It is
Richard Gill. Right there, the waiter chops the
MasterCard in two with a pair of scissors, to Gill's
horror.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC PHONE.
Dade hacks into an electronic personal ads system and
changes an ad.
KATE
Alright, he's in the personal ads.
(reading Dade's ad)
"Disappointed white male, crossdresser, looking
for discreet friend to bring dreams to
reality. Leather, lace, and water sports.
Transvestites welcome."
INT. GILL'S OFFICE.
At his office, Gill is on the speaker phone with someone
responding to the ad.
GILL
I... I... I know where you can stick it... I
know where you can stick it...
Gill punches a button on the phone, another caller comes
on.
CALLER
...wanna lick your earlobes... I wanna lick
your lips... I wanna lick your toes... I
wanna lick your ankles...
GILL
Awww, yeah, you wanna lick something? Lick this.
Gill punches another button, another caller comes on.
CALLER
That's why they call me Stallion...
GILL
Aw, that's disgusting!
Gill punches another button.
CALLER
My heart is steaming for you...
Gill punches another button. He is becoming quite flustered.
CALLER
...spank you with my...
GILL
Aww, Spank your ass...
He punches another button.
Another caller comes on, and Gill hangs up the phone,
disgusted, offended, and distraught. The Plague is there,
witnessing the whole thing.
PLAGUE
Animal!
EXT. EMPIRE STATE BULDING OBSERVATION DECK.
It's Kate's turn. Kate is hacking into the Department of
Motor Vehicles. She adds 113 traffic violations and DUI
offender status to Gill's record.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY, BUSY STREET.
Gill is being arrested quite forcefully by a NYC police
grunt. He is thrown onto the hood of his car and
handcuffed.
GILL
Hey! Hey, ow! Do you know who I am? Do you
know who I am?
EXT. CHINATOWN, PUBLIC PHONE.
Dade's turn. He hacks into the Secret Service's personnel
file, and changes Gill's status to "Deceased."
INT. GILL'S OFFICE.
EMPLOYEE
(on phone)
This is accounting, sir. You enquired about
an employee of ours, an Agent Richard Gill?
GILL
Yes.
EMPLOYEE
Our records indicate he's deceased.
GILL
I'm what?
INT. CYBERDELIA.
The five are playing pool.
DADE
Dead.
PHREAK
Dead?
DADE
Yeah. Like Rigor Mortis, Habeas Corpus.
NIKON
Very impressive.
CEREAL
Super hero like even.
KATE
Yeah, whatever. What's the score?
Phreak clicks the pool scoreboard so it says 60 - 60.
PHREAK
Tie.
The other four protest.
PHREAK
Due to Mr. Gill's untimely demise and
everything, I guess you two will have to
improvise the next round.
DADE
Right. If I win, you wear a dress on our
date.
KATE
And if I win, so do you.
Dade thinks about it a second.
DADE
Deal.
Kate gives Dade a look that says "I'm going to hold you to
that."
INT. KATE'S BED. NIGHT.
A shapely figure wearing a red leather legless suit with a
zipper that goes all the way around the crotch. Hands
caress the sultry figure as the camera pans up. The body
belongs to Dade Murphy.
Kate wakes up gasping. It was only a dream. She pants
and regains her breath. Then she smiles. She enjoyed
that dream.
KATE
Oooohhhh...
INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY.
Kate, at her locker, stops Dade.
KATE
Dade. I didn't know your size, so I guessed.
She opens her locker to reveal a red leather bustier and
bikini bottom.
KATE
You are man enough to stick with the deal,
aren't you?
Dade walks off.
INT. DADE'S PLACE.
Dade signs an electronic pad for a package from UPS. He
takes the package.
DADE
Thanks.
He closes the door and opens the package. It is a laptop
computer, clear plastic shell, full colour screen. Very
high-end, perhaps the equal to Kate's machine. He turns
it on. The Plague's face, distorted, appears. It speaks.
PLAGUE
You wanted to know who I am, Zero Cool? Well
let me explain the New World Order.
Governments and corporations need people like
you and me. We are samurai. The keyboard
cowboys. And all those other people out there
who have no idea what's going on are the
cattle. Mooo! I need your help, you need my
help. Let me help you earn your spurs. Ahh,
think about it. Enjoy the laptop, "Cool"!
Tell me where the disk is.
Plague's face vanishes.
INT. JOEY'S ROOM.
Joey lies on his bed with a comic book, looking
despondent. His mother enters.
JOEY'S MOM
You look pitiful. Okay, okay, you're not
grounded anymore.
She kisses his forehead and leaves. He springs back to
life, gets up and gets the disc from where he stashed it
in the air vent.
EXT. PARK.
Joey is nervously waiting on a park bench. Phreak arrives.
Agents Ray and Bob still have Joey staked out.
PHREAK
Yo, what's up?
JOEY
Dude dude dude, I gotta talk to you a minute,
listen listen listen. I copied a garbage file
from...
PHREAK
Big deal. A garbage file's got shit in it,
Joey, come on.
JOEY
Nono, it's like hot or something. I don't know.
PHREAK
Joey, a garbage file holds miscellaneous data.
Junk. Bits of stuff that's been erased, man.
JOEY
I copied it from Ellingson, okay? They're
asking me about it, alright? Will you take a
look for me?
Joey hands Phreak the disc. Agent Bob is taking pictures,
and Phreak notices.
PHREAK
Oh shit, Joey, you've got a tail.
Joey sees, and runs for it.
JOEY
Shit!
The agents split up, one runs after Joey, the other after
Phreak.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' ROOM.
Phreak has lost his tail. He puts Joey's disc behind a
condom machine in the boys' room at school, and sticks it
there with gum.
INT. PHREAK'S ROOM.
Phreak frantically destroys all records of his hacking
career. He knows he's about to be busted.
DREAM SEQUENCE.
The Secret Service is about to burst in on Phreak. He
still hasn't destroyed any records, and starts manically
going through everything. Gill is on his laptop screen.
GILL
I'm watching you...
INT. PHREAK'S ROOM. MORNING.
A knock on the door. Phreak awakes. It's his mother.
PHREAK'S MOM
Ramon? Wake up. Ramon! Wake up! Vamano.
Time for school, come on.
The secret service bursts in through the window just as
Phreak's mom opens the blind. She screams, Phreak leaps
to his feet.
AGENT
Secret Service, don't move!
PHREAK
Deja vu!
AGENT BOB
Ray Sanchez, you are under arrest, under the
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.
Phreak's mom becomes very angry and starts slapping
Phreak, cursing in Spanish.
PHREAK
What are you waiting for, arrest me already!
INT. POLICE STATION LOCKUP.
The undersized Phreak is just a morsel to the hardened
thugs behind these bars and they taunt him viciously as he
is led to his one phone call.
COP
You get one call. Uno. Understand?
The cop locks the dial on the phone.
Phreak waits for the cop to leave, and hangs up. He
starts rapidly pushing the hangup hook, and he hears a
ringing tone.
OPERATOR
Hello, operator services.
PHREAK
Hello, operator? I'm having trouble dialing a
number.
OPERATOR
What number please?
PHREAK
555-4202.
OPERATOR
Just one moment.
PHREAK
Thank you.
Kate answers.
KATE
Hello?
PHREAK
Hey, it's me.
KATE
Phreak?
PHREAK
I'm freaking! Joey wasn't making it up! He
really hacked into Ellingson! He gave me the
disc with a file he copied and now I'm in
jail! They're charging me with some serious
shit! And there's stuff I didn't even do,
like inserting some virus called Da Vinci, and
they keep asking about you guys.
KATE
You think they're going to bust us?
PHREAK
Yeah! You better figure out what's on that
disc, cause we're being framed. It's in that
place where I put that thing that time?
He hangs up just as the cop returns.
INT. SCHOOL BOYS' ROOM.
Kate is entirely out of place in the boys' room, as the
boys look on amusedly. She finds the disc behind the
condom machine and pockets it. Then she buys a condom from
the machine and struts out, smiling sweetly, hot as fire.
INT. DADE'S PLACE.
Kate knocks. Mrs. Murphy lets Kate and Cereal in.
MRS. MURPHY
Hi!
(looking Kate over)
Well, now I see what all the fuss is about.
(she shows them to Dade's room)
Dade... you have company.
CEREAL
It's a nice room.
KATE
We need your help.
DADE
Do my ears deceive me?
Kate starts to leave.
CEREAL
Nonononono. Truce, you guys. Listen, we got
a higher purpose here, alright? A wake up
call for the Nintendo Generation. We demand
free access to data, well, it comes with some
responsibility. When I was a child, I spake
as a child, I understood as a child, I thought
as a child, but when I became a man I put away
childish things.
(pause)
What... It's Corinthians I, Chapter 13, verse
11, no duh. Come on.
KATE
Phreak and Joey are being framed. We need
your help to figure out what's on this disc.
DADE
I can't. Everybody who touches that thing
gets busted, I can't afford to get arrested,
I'm sorry.
CEREAL
Maybe I should just go to the bathroom or
something.
Cereal leaves the room.
KATE
What is it with you? I know we've been
playing games, but, we're supposed to be on
the same side and we really need your help. I
really need your help.
DADE
I'm sorry, I can't.
KATE
Well, could you just make a copy of the disc?
And just hide it in case we get busted, so we
have something to give our lawyers, something
that hasn't been tampered with? Can you do
that?
A knock on the door. Dade's mom peeks in.
MRS. MURPHY
Listen you guys, help yourself to anything in
the fridge. Cereal has.
She leaves.
KATE
(to Mrs. Murphy)
Thank you.
DADE
Okay. I'll copy it.
KATE
Okay, thank you.
Later. Plague phones Dade. Plague has Lauren Murphy's
records on his screen.
PLAGUE
The girl. The girl has the disc I need.
DADE
I told you, I don't play well with others.
PLAGUE
Turn on your laptop. Set it to receive a
file.
Dade does.
An extensive criminal record with a strange woman's
picture comes up. The strange woman transforms into
Dade's mother.
PLAGUE
Lauren Murphy is now a wanted felon in the
state of Washington. Forgery, Embezzlement,
two drug convictions, plus she jumped parole.
When she's arrested, she will not have a
trial, she will not pass go, she will go
directly to jail. Then I change this file
back to the original, and your mom disappears.
DADE
That's bullshit.
PLAGUE
What can I tell you. Computers never lie,
kid. Your mom will be arrested at work,
she'll be handcuffed, and later, strip
searched.
DADE
You lay a finger on her and I'll kill you.
PLAGUE
Kid, don't threaten me. There are worse
things than death and, uh, I can do all of
them!
Dade emerges from his room. His exhausted, overworked
mother is asleep on the couch. He pulls a blanket over
her.
EXT. PUBLIC PHONE, WET STREET, NIGHT.
Shortly after, Dade is outside on a payphone.
PLAGUE
Talk to me.
DADE
I got it. But listen, Kate didn't know what's
on it. I mean, she came to me to figure it
out. She's not the one who planted the virus.
You leave her alone.
PLAGUE
Hey, don't worry, kid. If she's innocent,
she'll be fine. Your mommy's safe now, okay?
Dade hangs up and waits for some time. A limousine drives
by, with a skateboarder tailing. Plague grabs the disc,
jumps in the limo and speeds away. Dade tries to chase
but gives up quickly.
INT. KATE'S ROOM.
Dade shows up. Kate, Nikon, and Cereal are working on the
disc.
DADE
Kate, listen.
KATE
Uh, hold on...
DADE
I have to tell you something.
CEREAL
Hold on a second!
NIKON
Look at this, it's so lean and clean.
CEREAL
Looks like a hacker wrote it.
KATE
Come here, look at this. This thing is dense.
Nikon points out part of the code.
NIKON
But that's ill, man. It's incomplete. This
is taking forever and a day to figure out.
I'm gonna make some coffee.
Dade takes Nikon's place.
CEREAL
Tag, you're in.
Hours pass. Dade studies and reverse engineers the
garbage file. The other hackers watch, and do just about
anything but be hackers. Finally, over boxes of
half-finished pizza, Dade makes an announcement.
DADE
This isn't a virus. It's a worm!
NIKON
What's this one eat?
DADE
It nibbles. You see this?
Dade indicates a rapidly scrolling data display.
DADE
This is every financial transaction Ellingson
conducts, yeah? From million dollar deals to
the ten bucks some guy pays for gas.
KATE
The worm eats a few cents from each transaction.
DADE
And no one's caught it because the money isn't
really gone. It's just data being shifted
around.
KATE
Right. And when the worm's ready, it zips out
with the money and erases its tracks.
DADE
Joey got cut off before he got to that part.
Check it out. By this point, it's already
running at, what, twice the speed as when it
started.
KATE
Right, and at this rate it ends its run in...
NIKON
Two days.
DADE
And judging by this segment alone, it's
already eaten about...
CEREAL
21.8 million bucks, man.
Nikon whistles.
KATE
Whoever wrote this needs somebody to take the
fall. And that's Phreak, and that's Joey, and
that's us. We've got to get the rest of the
file, so we can find out where the money is
going before the worm disappears, so we can
find out WHO created it.
DADE
I know, I know who wrote it.
KATE
What?
DADE
This Ellingson security creep. I gave him a
copy of the disc you gave me.
KATE
You what?
DADE
I didn't know what was on it.
CEREAL
(agitated)
Oh man. That's universally stupid, man!
NIKON
Yo, man, you an amateur, man.
KATE
Why did he come to you?
DADE
I got a record. I was Zero Cool.
NIKON
Zero Cool? Crashed fifteen hundred and seven
systems in one day?
Nikon closes his eyes and access his photographic memory.
NIKON
Biggest crash in history, front page, New
York Times, August 10th, 1988. I thought
you was black, man! Yo, man, this is Zero
Cool! Oh, shit!
CEREAL
That's far out!
NIKON
This is Zero Cool, man! Whooo, haha!
KATE
(coldly)
Well that's great. There goes MIT.
DADE
I'll make it up to you!
KATE
How?
DADE
I'll hack the Gibson.
NIKON
They'll trace you like that
(snaps his fingers)
man, cops are gonna find you, they're
gonna find you with a smoking gun.
DADE
Fucked if I care, man.
NIKON
Look, even if you had the passwords, it'll
take you ten minutes to get in, and you've
still gotta find the files, man, I mean, the
cops will have you in... five minutes.
CEREAL
Oh wow, we are fried.
KATE
(suddenly lighter-hearted)
Never send a boy to do a woman's job. With
me, we can do it in seven.
CEREAL
You're both screwed. I help, we can do it in six.
NIKON
Jesus, I gotta save all your asses. I help,
we can do it in five minutes, man.
DADE
Okay. Let's go shopping.
CEREAL
Woo hoo! Boom!
EXT. OUTSIDE ELLINGSON BUILDING.
Dade and Kate cut through a chain link fence and jump into
a dumpster at Ellingson. Kate lands on Dade.
DADE
You know, if I didn't live by a strict code of
honor, I might take advantage of this
situation. Erotically, as it were.
Kate fishes around in her pants, never breaking eye
contact with Dade. She pulls out a flashlight. They
start trashing. They get up to leave and are spotted by a
security guard.
GUARD
Alright, hold it right there!
Kate pulls out a flare gun and fires it at the security
guard. He ducks.
DADE
Shit!!
KATE
It's my subway defense system.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET.
Nikon is staring down a manhole, Cereal is fishing through
an adjacent phone company truck.
NIKON
He's way down there.
Cereal emerges with a beltload of equipment and a hard hat.
But he forgot the most important thing.
CEREAL
Ta-da!
NIKON
Yo, brain dead, the manual!
Cereal goes back to the truck and gets a thick manual. The
phone company technician comes up from the manhole.
PHONE COMPANY TECH
Hey!
CEREAL AND NIKON
(in unison, pointing down the street)
TRUCK!!!
The phone company tech jumps back in the hole, Cereal and
Nikon take off.
INT. SECRET SERVICE BULDING.
A woman is seated at the desk. Agent Gill walks by.
WOMAN
Find it?
Cereal emerges from the desk, between her legs. His tool
belt dangles obscenely from his crotch.
CEREAL
Phone's alright. The problem must be
somewhere else.
Cereal walks away with his buttcrack seriously showing.
INT. ELLINGSON MINERAL OFFICES.
Nikon poses as a flower delivery boy. He winds his way
through the offices of Ellingson Mineral, "shoulder
surfing", watching the workers entering passwords. His
photographic memory captures everything. The Plague walks
past him, noticing briefly but not making the connection.
INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.
The Da Vinci virus' launch/cancel prompt is up.
MARGO
(pacing)
They had a large chunk of the garbage file?
How much do they know?
PLAGUE
Not everything. But enough to implicate us.
MARGO
You said the worm was untreaceable!
PLAGUE
Yeah. To civilians. But they're hackers.
But don't worry. All we have to do is launch
the Da Vinci virus, and then they'll all be
put away.
MARGO
Launch the Da Vinci virus? You can't do that!
PLAGUE
No one believes the guilty. Besides, by the
time they realize the truth, we'll be long
gone with all of our money.
Margo starts to protest.
PLAGUE
Look, there is no right and wrong. There is
only fun and boring. A thirty year prison
sentence sounds pretty dull to me. Who do you
prefer serves it, us? Or them?
Plague clicks on "Launch". The virus repeats its demand.
VIRUS
Unless five million dollars are transferred to
the following numbered account in seven days,
I will capsize five tankers in the Ellingson
fleet.
EXT. OPEN SEA.
As the virus speaks, a supertanker sails on a choppy sea.
INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.
Plague leaves a message on Gill's answering machine.
PLAGUE
(sternly)
The virus goes off tomorrow morning at 10:30,
and those hackers tried to get into our system
again. At this point I insist you take more
strenuous action, or Ellingson Mineral will
hold the Secret Service responsible.
Gill gets on the phone.
GILL
(grimly)
Get me arrest warrants on Kate Libby, alias
Acid Burn, Emmanuel Goldstein, alias Cereal
Killer, Dade Murphy, alias Crash Override,
also known as Zero Cool, and Paul Cook, alias
Lord Nikon. We pick them up tomorrow morning
at nine o'clock.
As Gill gives the order, a mysterious device under his
desk blinks. Cereal put it there.
INT. NIKON'S PLACE.
Nikon and Cereal taped Gill's orders.
CEREAL
Snoop onto them...
NIKON
...as they snoop onto us.
Nikon calls Kate.
KATE
Yeah, it's Kate.
NIKON
Hey, Burn. We got a little problem here.
INT. SUBWAY.
Cereal, Nikon, Dade and Kate skate through a run down
subway platform and get on the "A" Train. They go over
the results of their password gathering spree.
KATE
Alright, so what have we got?
DADE
Well, we have fifty passwords, plus whatever
Polaroid head here got inside Ellingson.
NIKON
Well, I got a lot, alright? I don't know how
many but... my head hurts.
CEREAL
Yo, everyone check this out. Hey, what's the
Da Vinci virus?
DADE
What?
CEREAL
Check this out. It's a memo about how they're
gonna deal with those oil spills that happened
on the fourteenth.
KATE
What oil spills?
NIKON
Whoa, whoa. Yo, brain-dead, today is the
thirteenth.
CEREAL
Well this hasn't happened yet.
KATE
Wait a minute, the fourteenth, that's the same
day the worm ends its run. I mean... Da Vinci
virus, didn't Phreak say that's what he was
being charged with? Look...
(quotes the memo)
"Infecting ballast programs of Ellingson
tankers" - they blame hackers!
NIKON
(angry)
Damn!
CEREAL
A worm AND a virus? The plot thickens.
Kate gets ready to get off the subway.
NIKON
Whoa, whoa whoa whoa, where are you going,
huh?
KATE
I got an idea. We've got a few hours, right,
till we get arrested. So just stay low. I'm
gonna go get some help. I'll beep you, okay?
(to Dade)
Are you coming?
Dade gets up.
CEREAL
May the Force be with you, man.
INT. INDUSTRIAL DANCE CLUB.
Weird music plays, lots of weird people dance. Razor and
Blade are on stage, dancing in front of a huge speaker.
KATE
There they are!
DADE
Razor and Blade! They're flakes!
KATE
They're elite! Let's get 'em.
Dade and Kate push through the crowd. The song changes to
a fast industrial rap number, Razor and Blade leave the
stage, and Dade starts getting moshed. He climbs on the
stage to follow Razor and Blade. For his trouble, he is
thrown back onto the crowd, who pass him around overhead.
Finally the crowd lets him go. He catches up with Kate.
KATE
I lost 'em. Where were you?
Dade tries to explain, but is at a loss for words.
They make their way to the entrance to Razor and Blade's
lair. Video monitors are everywhere.
DADE
I don't like this.
A robotic arm with a revolver swings around to point at
Dade.
DADE
AAAAAUGH! I definitely don't like this!
BLADE
(through video intercom)
What do you want?
DADE
Ummm... we come in peace?
Dade winces at his own corniness.
KATE
We need your help. If you're up to it.
RAZOR
She's buff. Ballsy.
BLADE
Let's keep her.
RAZOR
Waste the dude.
The gun goes off. It's only a cigarette lighter! No one
can accuse Razor and Blade of not having a sense of humor.
INT. RAZOR AND BLADE'S PLACE.
KATE
A virus called Da Vinci will cause oil spills
at 10:30 AM Eastern Time tomorrow.
DADE
It's somehow connected with the worm that's
stealing the money.
KATE
We need your help to overload the Gibson so we
can kill the Da Vinci virus and download the
worm program.
RAZOR
She's rabid, but cute.
BLADE
See, we're very busy. A TV network that
wishes to remain nameless has expressed an
interest in our show.
DADE
(noticing the stench of sellout)
Let's go, Kate.
RAZOR
Wait. Nobody said no. But you are going to
need more than just two media icons like us.
You need an army.
BLADE
That's it! An electronic army! If I were us,
I'd get on the internet, send out a major
distress signal.
RAZOR
Hackers of the World, Unite!
BLADE
How are you going to take care of the cops?
Dade just smiles.
INT. DADE'S ROOM.
Dade hacks into the city traffic light control system.
Suddenly there is gridlock on the streets of New York
City.
EXT. CENTRAL PARK.
Nikon is playing chess against two Hassidic Jews.
Cereal's beeper goes off. It displays the message:
GRAND CENTRAL
HACK THE PLANET
CEREAL
Yo. I'm blowing up. It's Kate, Grand
Central. Let's hit it!
Nikon checkmates his opponent and the two leave.
Dade, Cereal, Nikon, and Kate skate through the streets.
Dade's program to freeze all the traffic lights on green,
runs on schedule at 9:00:00 precisely. Picture New York City in
morning rush hour, and every traffic light is green. Instant
gridlock ensues. The four skate through the traffic easily, while
the Secret Service, now pursuing them, is stuck. Gill punches a
parked car in frustration. Its alarm goes off.
INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION.
The four hackers skate into Grand Central Station and head
to the lowest level. They meet up with Joey.
CEREAL
Hey Joey, you made it!
INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.
The hackers are now setting up laptops at a bank of pay
phones. Dade is wearing a "Pirate Eye" eyepiece.
KATE
Now listen up, use your best viruses to buy us
time, we have to get into Plague's file and
copy the worm.
Cereal screams.
CEREAL
Ai! Boom boom aiaiaiaiaee! Alright, that was
a little tension breaker, that had to be done,
alright?
KATE
Cereal.
CEREAL
Yeah?
KATE
Go fix the phones.
CEREAL
Roger.
Cereal takes off to fix the phones.
KATE
Joey, take his place.
JOEY
What, me?
KATE
Take his place, man, do it. You can do it.
Joey takes Cereal's place.
KATE
Ready?
DADE
Yeah.
KATE
Alright, let's boot up.
The four boot up their machines. Various vanity screens
come up on the laptops. They begin to hack. We see the
inside of the Gibson. Viruses of all kinds begin to pour
in. In the offices and data processing rooms, the
Ellingson staff are in pandemonium. Happy faces with eye
patches appear on their screens. "Sit on my interface."
"Shit for Brains." "Arf Arf Arf!" Cookie monsters.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
The big monitor shows the attack in progress.
MARGO
What is it? What's wrong?
PLAGUE
Nothing, it's just a minor glitch.
MARGO
"Minor glitch" with you seems to turn into a
major catastrophe.
The main screen is filled with:
I WANT A COOKIE. GIVE ME A COOKIE NOW!
HAL
There's a new virus in the database.
MARGO
What's happening?
HAL
It's replicating, eating up memory. What do I
do?
PLAGUE
Type "Cookie", you idiot. I'll head 'em off at
the pass.
Another virus appears.
HAL
We have a Zero Bug attacking all the login and
overlay files.
PLAGUE
Run anti-virus. Give me a systems display!
The systems display comes up. Red flashes everywhere,
signifying new attacks. Plague presses a key.
PLAGUE
Die, dickweeds!
HAL
The rabbit is in the administration system.
Rabbit icons start to fill the systems display.
PLAGUE
Send a Flu-shot.
MARGO
Rabbit, Flu-shot, someone talk to me.
HAL
A rabbit replicates till it overloads a file,
then it spreads like cancer.
MARGO
Cancer?
The Da Vinci Virus sings "Row Row Row Your Boat".
Tanker ballasts start filling - for real.
INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.
KATE
It's the Gibson, it's finding us too fast.
DADE
Man, there's too many garbage files, I need
more time.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
PLAGUE
They're at Grand Central Station, lower level.
Don't screw up.
EXT. GRIDLOCKED STREETS.
The Secret Service and NYPD are stuck. They turn around
and head for Grand Central Station.
INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.
The public phone next to Dade's rings. Dade answers.
It's The Plague.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
PLAGUE
Game's over. Last chance to get out of this
without a prison sentence. You're not good
enough to beat me, you little shit.
INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.
DADE
Yeah, maybe I'm not. But we are, you asshole.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
PLAGUE
Give it up! Just give it up.
INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.
Kate's phone rings. It's Razor.
RAZOR
Are we fashionably late?
Hackers in England, Italy, Japan, Russia, everywhere
mobilize and start attacking the Ellingson Gibson. The
English hacker looks and talks suspiciously like Annie
Lennox's husband. Our heroes relentlessly search for
the right garbage file.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
SYSOP
We have massive infection. Multiple GPI and
FSI viruses.
HAL
They're coming in from remote nodes. They're
going after the Kernal!
MARGO
Colonel who?
HAL
The System Command Processor, it's the brain.
MARGO
Cancer, brain... Brain Cancer?
Duke Ellingson arrives.
DUKE ELLINGSON
Belford, what's going on?
PLAGUE
In short, Duke, a shit storm.
INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION.
Dozens of armed Secret Service and SWAT troops push
through the crowded station looking for the hackers.
INSIDE THE COMPUTER.
The garbage file lights up. The familiar psychedelic
swirl of equations and fractal graphics returns.
INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.
DADE
I found it! I found it!
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
PLAGUE
This is the end, my friend.
(smiling sickly)
Thank you for calling!
INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.
Dade is disconnected.
DADE
Oh, shit! He got me.
NIKON
Joey's getting stupid busy.
The SS and SWAT are still closing in on the hackers.
DADE
Joey. I need you to drop your viruses, go
after the worm. You're the closest.
The SS and SWAT push through crowds.
DADE
It's root slash period workspace slash
period garbage period.
The SS are nearly there.
Joey has found the file.
The SS arrive. Gill himself has his .357 drawn.
GILL
Freeze!
It's an empty bank of payphones, the receivers are linked
together and taped up. No hackers. They keep going.
GILL
(pissed off but determined)
Ahhh Come on!
Joey completes the download.
KATE
(to Razor and Blade)
Kill the Gibson.
RAZOR
Roger that.
INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.
PLAGUE
Come on you son of a bitch, is that all you
got, huh? Come on, let's see what else you
can do! You talking to me? Huh? Hahahaha.
Are you nuts? Come at me!
Margo and Duke are awed by Plague's imminent failure and
total unprofessionalism.
HAL
They're in the kernal.
DA VINCI VIRUS
Help... me...
The Da Vinci virus dies. The tankers stop capsizing and
right themselves.
WOMAN
(off screen)
The tankers have stopped capsizing.
SOMEONE ELSE
(off screen)
Ballast tanks are emptying. It'll be okay.
The main screen lights up:
ARF ARF!
WE GOTCHA!
MESS WITH THE BEST
DIE LIKE THE REST
PLAGUE
Little pissant!
The Gibson dies in a flash of light.
INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.
The hackers cheer and congratulate each other.
NIKON
Yes!
DADE
We did it!
KATE
Let's get out of here!
GILL
FREEZE!
The SS have caught up with the hackers. Agent Bob seems to
be choosing which pore on which hacker's face to blow away
first. Only Joey thinks to put his hands up.
As they are led away, a handcuffed Dade surrreptitiously tosses the
disc with the worm into a trashcan.
EXT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION.
Outside, he notices Cereal, who wasn't present to be
arrested. He yells to the crowd, but really is
addressing Cereal.
DADE
They're TRASHING our rights, man! They're
TRASHING the flow of data! They're TRASHING!
TRASHING! TRASHING! HACK THE PLANET! HACK
THE PLANET!
GILL
Shut up and get in the car!
CEREAL
(understanding the hidden message)
HACK THE PLANET! HACK THE PLANET!
INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION.
Later, Cereal is trashing through the garbage cans in
Grand Central Station. Eventually he finds the disc.
To Cereal's disgust, it has gum stuck to it.
INT. GILL'S OFFICE.
Gill phones The Plague to report the successful takedown.
PLAGUE
Hello?
GILL
We caught 'em.
PLAGUE
Good.
GILL
Red handed! You won't be having any more
trouble from them.
INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.
At Plague's place, Plague and Margo toast with champagne,
giggle, and then scurry off to bed...
INT. GILL'S OFFICE.
Dade and Kate are there.
DADE
Me, alright? I did it. She knows shit about
computers. She... she's just my girlfriend.
GILL
(laughing)
I suggest you modify your attitude. Because
you are floating. And I'm about to flush your
ass.
The intercom beeps.
AGENT
You've got a Mrs. Murphy to see you, sir.
Gill leaves.
KATE
Are you crazy? What are you doing?
DADE
I'm trying to help you.
She pauses, realizing his gesture.
KATE
Dade.
DADE
What?
KATE
Thanks for your help.
Dade turns on the intercom. Gill can be heard through it.
GILL
(grimly)
Your son is in big trouble. He has violated
his probation and he has engaged in criminal
activity.
MRS. MURPHY
My son happens to be a genius. He understands
something happening today that you won't
comprehend if you live to be a hundred, and he
would never use what he knows to harm a living
soul.
Agent Bob enters.
AGENT BOB
The news crew you requested is here.
MRS. MURPHY
Oh good. Cause I have a few things to tell
them.
GILL
Your son is facing thirty felony counts in an
ongoing investigation. You face possible
arrest if you do that.
MRS. MURPHY
Mister, I don't care if I face certain death.
GILL
Mrs. Murphy stays right here.
KATE
Oh, wow, she's great.
DADE
Yeah.
INT. SECRET SERVICE OFFICES.
The news crew interviews Gill.
REPORTER
...and attacked the Ellingson's computer
network. Is the last we've seen of this type
of high-tech espionage?
GILL
Well, I'm afraid not. Hackers are a grave
threat to the national security. This
incident just proves without a doubt that we
need increased funding to stop...
Nikon and Joey are led in.
The monitors cut into static, then Cereal appears.
SOMEONE
That kid cut him off!
CEREAL
Hold on, boys and girls. It is I, the Cereal
Killer, making my first coast to coast, world
wide, global television appearance. Yes,
that's right, I'm here to tell you about this
heinous scheme hatched from within Ellingson
Mineral.
Razor and Blade busily work on keeping him on the air.
CEREAL
But for what, you ask? World domination?
Nay. Something far more tacky. A virus called
Da Vinci, that when launched, would cause
Ellingson Mineral tankers to capsize was to be
blamed on innocent hackers. But this virus was
really the smokescreen, right. What could be
so vitally important to protect that someone
would create such a nasty, antisocial, very
uncool virus program?
Cereal is now seen and heard on the big screen in Times
Square.
CEREAL
But why? Could it be to cover the tracks for
this worm program? A worm that was to steal 25
million bucks. The password for this hungry
little sucker belongs to Margo Wallace, head
of public relations at Ellingson Mineral...
INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.
Margo watches this and sits bolt upright in bed.
MARGO
Oh my God!
CEREAL
(continuing)
...and Eugene Belford, Computer Security
Officer.
INT. SECRET SERVICE OFFICE
GILL
(finally understanding what's been
going on all along)
Son of a BITCH!
CEREAL
(continuing)
What's this? Is this the unnamed account in the
Bahamas where the money was to be stashed? I
think so!
An account number scrolls below Cereal's chin.
CEREAL
Yo. I kinda feel like God!
His voice echoes across the earth and among the
satellites.
MARGO
Plague?
Eugene?
Almost supernaturally, Plague is already gone. He was
right next to her, stark naked in bed a second ago.
INT. SECRET SERVICE OFFICES.
The hackers embrace and congratulate each other again,
Lauren Murphy hugs her son.
INT. POLICE STATION, WOMEN'S LOCKUP.
Margo Wallace has been arrested, and is being led into the
women's lockup. Some of the other women grab at her
expensive Italian leather jacket as she is led to her cell.
MARGO
I don't even know how to work a VCR, let alone
a computer! Get off! Look, listen, I'll make
a deal. Eugene Belford! I know where his
mother is, I promise you. Get offa me! I need
a lawyer!
INT. AIRLINER CABIN. IN FLIGHT.
STEWARDESS
Here you are, Mr. Babbage. Flight time to
Tokyo should be about 14 hours today. Can I
get you anything else?
"Babbage" is The Plague in disguise; he now appears about
60 years old.
PLAGUE
Just a pillow please.
The pillow slides in behind his head, he reaches up to
adjust it.
PLAGUE
Thank you.
A handcuff snaps onto his wrist. It's Gill.
GILL
You're welcome.
PLAGUE
What's going on? Let go of me! Stewardess!
I'll never fly this airline again!
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SIDEWALK. NIGHT.
Dade and Kate are on their date. Dade is smartly,
somewhat androgynously dressed. Kate is heavily made up,
and yes, she is wearing a dress.
DADE
You look good in a dress.
KATE
You would have looked better.
DADE
Wanna go for a swim?
EXT. ROOFTOP SWIMMING POOL.
Dade and Kate swimming, fully clothed, in a pool on a
roof.
KATE
I can't believe they decided you won.
DADE
They didn't. The guys felt it was the only
way I'd get a date. Anyway, you're pretty
good. You're elite.
KATE
Yeah? You know if you would have said so in
the beginning, you would have saved yourself
a whole lot of trouble.
They look out at the skyline. Suddenly, the lights in
three buildings change. They spell out:
C B
R A U
A N R
S D N
H
Kate laughs, honestly impressed.
DADE
Beat that!
Kate continues laughing.
DADE
You know, I've been having these really
weird..
KATE
(finishing his sentence)
Dreams?
They kiss passionately.
THE END |
HANCOCK
Written by
Vincent Ngo & Vince Gilligan
FADE IN:
BLACK. It's everywhere. It swallows the screen. And so we stare
into a sea of BLACK.
NARRATOR (V.0.)
I saw a severed head once. Except for the,
paleness, it looked healthy, well-fed.
The end came abruptly you could tell
'cause the mouth froze in mid-sentence.
"Shh. ," the curled lips attempted. Like
it started saying "shucks" or "Shirley"
or... "shit happens." Your eyes don't
forget things like that. Like you don't
forget the sound animals make when
they're humping. Primal.
Raw. They endure
in you forever because the senses have a
brain all their own and they recall long
after you've succumbed to the la-la of
forgetfulness.
(a pregnant beat)
Sometimes when it's dark out,-so dark
it's black, I'll see HIM.
(BEAT)
And it starts all over again.
From this blackness, a streak of LIGHTNING splits the night sky.
EXT. SKY - NIGHT
We are in the eye of a STORM, an angry mass of clo uds raging
o f a howling WIND. across the black sky..It brings RAIN and THUNDER an d the swirl
An ENTITY emerges from this moist darkness.
weather and advances into our scope of visibilityies through the
A FLASH, of lightning erupts and it illuminates the sky. We SEE
the approaching entity as it hovers before us.
It's a man.
It's a man, plus.
It's a SUPERHERO,
garbed in an elastic dark-grey outfit - a faded RED CAPE extends b
ehind him, thrashing against the wind and rain.
This Superhero (30). Unshaven.
Disheveled. Worn. A face
chiselled with mileage.
2.
In the eyes, we can see his soul. Intense. Fierce. An exposed
nerve, snagged in a fish hook.
He hangs in the air, tired, rain-soaked, pissed-off.
He stares down at the earth below and he beholds the saturated
visage of SHEEPSHEAD BAY, a seaside Brooklyn neighborhood.
And from the bowels of his very soul, this Superhero belches a
thunderous ROAR. He pivots in the air and dives toward land.
He slices through the downpour, arms extended, body erect,
engulfed in the dimensions of his cape.
The ground approaches, fast. He accelerates as if to embrace it.
Velocity sucks up all remaining space and there is IMPACT.
An EXPLOSION as he rips through the street surface, penetrating
the asphalt - head first. Debris and concrete spew from the
ruptured orifice as he disappears inside.
There is an expulsion of subterranean pressure and it launches
nearby manhole LIDS from their spots - they bounce and CLANG
down the street like loose change.
The rain continues its onslaught.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Rain sloshes against a kitchen window. Where the sink is. Not
far from the kitchen table. Where the LONGFELLOW Family sits,
dinner before them.
HORUS (35) leans over his plate, eating his meal. Here idles a
man of diminutive frame, bespectacled, placid - as harmless as
low fat milk.
He sits opposite MARY (30), frenetically appropriating food. A
gentle beauty. entwined in maternal angst she is estrogen with an
attitude.
A meek little AARON (8), slouches between the folks - a BLACK
EYE tattoos the left of his face. Aaron stares at the damn
plate, finding no humor in eggplant.
MARY
The principal did'nothing. Like
schoolyard terrorism is no worse than
being tardy. What's the matter with
education? Back when, you could go to
school and learn about Betsy Ross and...
mollusks and... not get stabbed on the
way home.
4.
INT. SUBWAY TUNNEL - NIGHT
A subway TRAM idles by a passenger ramp. STEAM hisses from its
side and plumes into a wall of white mist.
And from this cloud of angry vapors, a figure appears. He
surfaces from the dark subway tunnel, a cool nonchalance in his
gait.
It is the Superhero, his identity safely concealed under the
collar of a tattered TRENCHCOAT. He traverses the loading deck,
PASSENGERS boarding and disembarking around him.
He wades through them - to a deserted section of the subway. He
strolls over to a CIGARETTE MACHINE, up against the grafetti-
raped subway wall.
On the wall, a line of profanity declares that...
"YOUR MOTHER TAKES IT UP THE ASS."
He surveys the machine. His right arm appears from the coat
pocket. Fingers merge into a tight fist. And casually, he rips
into the metal vendor like it was Jello.
His fist withdraws a handful of bills, coins. He pockets the
loot. He reaches back in and withdraws a carton of LUCKY STRIKE.
Deposits it under his coat.
And with that, he heads for the stairs - to the flooded streets
above.
At the ramp, and on cue, the subway tram closes its doors.
Trembles. Moves. Steams into the deep dark tunnel. White SMOKE
mushrooms from its tail. It lingers in the air as we...
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
see STEAM, rising from a faucet of running HOT water.
It rises from a sink of soiled dishes - where Mary deposits
another set of pots. She's clearing the table.
Down a dark hallway, a streak of light escapes from an open
door. Inside and on the bed, the frail posture of Horus changes
out of his clothes.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Horus disrobes down to his t-shirt and briefs. He stands before
the closet mirror, scrutinizing the emaciated, sand-kicked-in-
the-face body.
5.
Horns strikes
a He-man pose, his
biceps in the
wind.
He removes the Police apparel,
plastic. Proceeds to put it on.
INT. RED
EYE MOTEL - NIGHT
FISH
How the fuck can I help you sir?
SUPERHERO
A room.
6.
His blood-shot eyes mean it.
Fish turns to the back wall. Grabs a random KEY from a nail.
FISH
Top floor, 7F. Fifteen a pop, up front.
(re: the check-in sheet)
And your John Hancock makes it sweet.
The Superhero scrutinizes the CHECK-IN sheet. Scribbles
HANCOCK
on the dotted line.
Fish hands over the key. Then, pulls it back from Hancock's
grab.
FISH (CONT'D)
I don't take messages, I don't do favors,
and I don't know you from Jack. You want
sheets, they're extra. Towel's extra.
Plunger's extra.
HANCOCK
I need quiet. Is it quiet?
FISH
Quiet? Hey pal, we look like a public
library to you? The girls work. Some of
them scream, some of them moan...
(SMILES)
and some of them just kinda lay there
cold. You want quiet, I got cotton balls
you can stick in your ear. They're extra.
Hancock eyes Fish, mentally dissecting the vermin with his bare
hands. He withdraws from his coat the WAD of loot. Pushes it
under the window.
And while Fish collects, he leans into the window and emits a
deep GROWL. Fish recoils. The bills fly.
Hancock takes the key. Exchanges it with a metal ORB - the
strangulated remains of the bell. It rolls out of his palm and
CLINKS off the counter.
Hancock sidles off. Fish - the cat's got his tongue.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Horus, in full uniform - dark blue pants, shirt.
7.
He dips into a dresser, pulls out a thick black leather belt -
complete with holster.
Horus returns to the dresser for one final item - It's obscured
by his arm but we feel it to be some heavy chunk of metal.
He confronts the mirror, twirls this piece, holsters it. And we
SEE it to be a FLASHLIGHT.
A shoulder patch reads...
U-RENT SECURITY CO.
Their motto: "TO OBSERVE AND RECORD"
Horus tucks a hat under his arms, ready to move.
INT. AARON'S ROOM - NIGHT
A jar of MARBLES rests upon a window ledge. Outside, the story
is rain.
On a bed, sprawled on his back, Aaron gazes up at the empty
ceiling - the black eye squats prominently on his face.
Aaron brings his hand before his eyes. Looks at it. Studies it.
Slowly, his fingers converge into a tight FIST - a boy's
interpretation of a man's weapon.
A gentle KNOCK disperses the knuckles. Horus peers in.
HORUS
How's the eye?
AARON
Black.
Horus enters.
Stands awkwardly before his son.
HORUS
It'll be gone in a week. Mom'11 touch it
up with some make-up and you won't even
know it's there.
AARON
Yeah I will. And I don't want any girly
make-up on my face.
Horus deposits himself on the bed. Hunches over-h13 knees.
B.
HORUS
(almost apologetically)
There'll always be people around
who'll... exert force over those of us
who just want to live in peace.
Aaron listens, observing his father's efforts.
HORUS (CONT' D)
(pain in every word)
The thing to do is... to avoid them.
They're no-wins. Can't-wins. You hold the
anger... and move on. You hold the anger.
(turns to Aaron)
I tell you because I can't take it,
seeing you hurt. You're part of me.
(BEAT)
I've felt what you're feeling now. And if
you've got any of me in you, you're gonna
feel what I felt-when you go up against
one of 'em. Turn away... that's what you
do... the other cheek. You do that for
me. No, you're not the coward. Not you.
No. I'll be the coward, all right? 'Cause
I don't want to see you hurt. I love you.
I ask you to do that for me... your old
man.
And while he utters these words, Mary watches from the dark
hallway - moved b y his affection.
She oversees a father-son embrace.
HORUS (CONT'D)
I'm late for work. Get some sleep.
Tomorrow always feels better...
AARON
.after a good night sleep.
The light FLICKS off and the man's silhouette form exits the
room.
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT
Horus backs his way out. Shuts the door. Mary's hand greets him
from behind.
It startles the man. He.tries to regroup.
HORUS
Mary.
9.
Mary inches closer - passion oozes from every pore. She nestles
up against her husband.
Horus stands uncoordinated, pressing his hands against her back.
He is gentle, but as effective as an armless masturbator.
Mary caresses his neck. Moves her lips to his ear, enraptured
BY
the moment.
And out of nowhere...
HORUS (CONT'D)
(AWKWARD)
I'm late.
Mary snaps from her trance. Unshackles her hold, like she almost
expected it.
MARY
(DISAPPOINTED)
Right.
(BEAT)
Coffee's by the door.
She marches back into the kitchen. Horus stares at his feet.
S hakes his fists, mentally kicking himself in the face.
He settles for the door, grabs hisjac ke , coffee thermos. A
look at Mary and he's out thedoo rt
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Mary - against
the kitchen sink.
Her thin cotton
dress clings to a body still'robust with enrgy,
to breasts so ful l they could yread Uncl
pop a boner inoud e
And while the storm rages outside, Mary burns in a feverish
sweat. The swelling steam and running ho t water combine to
saturate her chest and face - she drips.
Mary gazes out at the wet abyss, possessed by some inner
longing.
INT. MOTEL ROOM (7F) - NIGHT
A T.V. SET. It MOANS from the corner of a room. Scant
blinking red neon from the street cannot disguise thecant lighting
torture this r oom has seen.
10.
Torn, mildewed' curtains. Damp carpeting,. et _ d by every form
of bodily discharge. No self-rem n� g maggot would want to be
caught dead here.
On a shredded s, blotched with urine and cum, we SEE a
trenehc -l�n open carton of cigarettes accompanies the
picture.
An open door faces the MOANING TV set. It's the bathroom and
it's occupied by the intensely frazzled image of Hancock.
He squats on the TOILET, pants around the ankles, cape shrouded
around him.
Those unforgiving eyes plant on the TV screen, a cigarette
dangling from the corner of his lip.
We discern the MOANS to be human and we SEE that he is watching
a PORNO flick - flashes of flesh upon flesh in a fucking frenzy.
T.V. SET (O.S.)
(FEMALE)
Ooh yeah, big fella. That's it. Shoot
your load, baby. Let it fly... FLY...!
(male; in ecstasy)
fly. YES! G0000D!
Hancock absorbs the action from the can, a glint of pain on his
face.
He takes a long hard drag on the cigarette - a full stick
deteriorates into ashes before our eyes.
And outside, it rains like there's no tomorrow.
CUT TO:
EXT. SHEEPSHEAD BAY - DAY
Morning brings a cease-fire on precipitation. The streets
glimmer from puddles left behind from the night.
The overcast sky - its precarious rain formation indicates that
the storm is far from over.
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
A SUPERMAN lunchbox perches on the kitchen table. Mother and son
prepare for school.
Aaron adjusts his raincoat, looking disturbed.
11.
Mary parts his hair, Straightens
his shirt.
_the complete morning routine. Her maternal h'ahdf
Stay inside.
AARON
(IRRITATED)
I don't need you walking
me to school.
Mary clasps her ears - deaf.
MARY
not listening
.Lalalala...
AARON
(in disbelief)
I got the only mother
does this. in the world that
I'm not lisMARY g. Lalalala..,
INT. WATANABE'
S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - THI
RD FLOOR - DAY
A light beam.
It dances over the consoles of H
H orns holsters i-fi's televisions
, his flashli ht , stereo
floor. He take and mores ' across the s
s the stairs g - down. howrooms
Horus passes the
second floor.
INT. FIRST FLOOR - DAY
Horus crosses the floor
to the back,. to where
ROHEIM (50)
stoops, on a stool and
in a deep
from his mou th over his saturated ssleeve. A line of SALIVA dangles
The badge and uniform reveal
employee. Roheim another U-Rent Secu Co.
is your uncle lostjck sexuallytdeviant
as threatening as a burnt-outmat and
CHSTICK
Horns stands over Roheim's slumpne ss. Removes a
from his own pocket. handkerchief
HORUS
(GENTLY)
Roheim.
12.
He's done this before.
ROHEIM
(dream state)
Olga...
HORUS
Roheim. Let's go home.
Roheim stirs...
ROHEIM
. bitch.
From the dark recesses of sleep - he wakes. Straightens up.
Slurps back his dignity.
ROHEIM (CONT' D)
(BARELY)
What, already?
Takes the handkerchief. Wipes his mouth.
HORUS
I just made the last run.
He helps the old man to his feet.
ROHEIM
You're a good man.
INT. RED EYE MOTEL (7F) - DAY
An ASHTRAY buried under a mountain of butts.
A bed unslept. The TV is on, commercialing some spring-fresh
vaginal wash. The room sits empty.
But the bathroom door is open. Inside, the supersuit peeled down
to his waist, Hancock shaves.
HANCOCK
(mumbling; rehearsing)
it's about responsibility... with
what is empowered in you... to correct
the ills of man.
No foam. No gel. Just skin and the razor edge of his belt BUCKLE
- it slices through stubble, clearing up a face that has yet to
sleep.
13.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(AGAIN)
it's about responsibility...
Hancock reaches into the cabinet below the sink - pulls out a
BOTTLE of 409 all-purpose cleaner...
On the tube, the commercial segues way into...
T.V. (O.S.)
(FAINTLY)
And on the world front, heavy fighting
continues in Angola as rebel forces
storm... regime... under the military
stronghold...
The SOUND of machine guns CRACKLE amidst mortar explosions and
civil destruction.
Hancock listens - it disturbs him. He whirls around, accosts the
TV Rips it from the wall, throws it out the window. And a CRASH
eradicates images of war and chaos.
He returns to the bathroom. To the mirror. Proceeds to spray his
teeth with 409...
EXT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - DAY
Behold this imposing, block-long behemoth of commerce and
decadence. A shopper's wet dream, this is WATANABE'S SHOPPING
EMPORIUM.
From the street, notice the display windows - all mannequins
come complete with outfit and ultra-erect nipples.
As EMPLOYEES file into the service entrance, out comes Horus and
Roheim. They head streetward, to the sidewalk.
Roheim unscrews the battery cap from his flashlight. Takes a
swig from its hollow interior.
ROHEIM
I'll just play out the rest of this Eight
Ball...
He laps up the last drop. Reloads it with a couple of batteries
from his jacket.
ROHEIM (CONT' D)
(caps it)
like that.
Horus looks on - silent.
14.
A POLICE VEHICLE enters this urban landscape. It slows in front
of them. The cops: RUTGER and ADAMS, two hairy-knuckled
testosterone cases with nothing to do.
RUTGER.
(passenger seat)
Boys...
The cops smile at one another. A large SHOTGUN rests fully erect
between them. And they drive off.
Horus, watching them go, focuses in on the
"TO SERVE AND PROTECT"
of their vehicle.
Roheim watches him - turning red with drama.
ROHEIM
Bastards... couldn't protect a pitcher of
warm spit... couldn't find their
asshole with common sense and a thumb.
(BEAT)
Like I been saying, it's their.loss. The
jerk-offs, they don't got the heart...
the sensitivity of a man like you.
Horus tries to shrug off these words. No good - they stick like
a thorn in the eye of his soul.
ROHEIM (CONT'.D)
(CONTINUING)
Come on, let's go home.
EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY
On the rooftop; the Red Eye Motel.
A trenchcoated figure - we see him from the back, only. We
recognize the broad of his shoulders and the red of his cape,
peering out from a hole in his coat.
A cloud of smoke lingers above his head, from an unseen
cigarette. He stands before the Sheepshead neighborhood, ever so
still.
Something brews within this superman.
15.
EXT. SHEEPSHEAD BAY - DAY
The streets of Sheepshead: apartments, brownstones speckled with
e DELIS and NEWSSTANDS and BARBER SHOPS and OUTDOOR MARKETS - they
are the "esque" in Bro ly qu
Through this hustle-bustle, we spot Mary and Aaron on their way
TO
BRADLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
Schoolyard activities abound. Buses, bouncing balls, and hoards
of screaming little anti-christs.
I
Mary leads Aaron along the playground fence, the latter trying
to pull ahead and away.
MARY
Will you slow down.
AARON
I know it. I know it.
MARY
I think I'm... slow down... I'm gaining
weight. Honey, take a look at my waist.
AARON
What?
MARY
Is my dress too tight?
AARON
What? Nothing. It's fine.
MARY
Really, my waist isn't too big?
AARON
What? Not here, mom.
MARY
All right, already. Two-thirty. You do n't
leave the building till then. I'll be
there.
AARON
I know it, mom. Can I go now?
MARY
Give me a kiss, you snot.
16.
AARON
(there is no god)
Geez!
He turns back. Plants a kiss on Mary's smiling cheeks.
MARY
Two-thirty.
AARON
All right, mom.
He leaves, merging into the undulating sea of children.
MARY
(after him; in vain)
You want anything from the store?
He's gone.
EXT. STREET - DAY
This is the Longfellow's street - lower-middle class but
comfortable, quaint, safe. Mr. Longfellow, hustling through the
street, takes us home.
Greeting him at the entrance, at the mailboxes, is CLYDE BANNER
(35). Quite large this tenant is, quite simply a Cro-Magnon Man.
Clyde stands with the morning paper in hand, searching
carelessly through. He finds the SPORTS PAGE. Hides it under his
robe.
CLYDE
(LOUD)
Longfella. Good to see you.
HORUS
Clyde...
Clyde shoves the remains of the paper at Horus - in his face.
CLYDE
Picked this up for you.
(pulls the paper back)
Say thanks.
HORUS
Thanks.
CLYDE
(hands it over)
You're a good man.
17.
He heads inside.
Horus swallowing it. He unshuffles the paper, finding the front
page. The headline reads...
RAINSTORM HITS SHEEPSHEAD. NO END IN SIGHT.
Horus checks the sky - a sinewy mesh of angry clouds. He lumbers
inside.
INT. NICK'S MARKET - DAY
Your average market, mom and pop.
Artichokes! Mary handles an artichoke, contemplating. NICK (30),
the grocer, moves behind her. handsome in a greasy,
grimy, rebuilt carb in uretor He's
That's a lovely dress, Mary.
If he could mount her now, he would.
MARY
You're sweet, Nick.
He cracks a wet smile. Mary, aware, unhands the artichoke. Moves
on.
L
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY
Mary moves through the street, embracing a grocery bag.
She continues her way, purpose in every step. No window shopping
bullshit for this woman - Mary's strong, beautiful.
She crosses the street, her destination: CENTRAL FIDELITY BANK.
A dark CHEVY eases pass Mary on this street, pulls to a stop.
Mary continues forth, entering the bank.
INT. BANK - DAY
Sheepshead DENIZENS crisscross amok. People queue behind teller
lines, taking care of business.
Mary takes her place. She glances at the bank CLOCK - it's 10
o'clock.
18.
EXT. BANK - DAY
A BEE spirals the air and lands on the sleeve of a nervous ARM.
This arm protrudes from the dark Chevy, parked before the bank.
The engine is running.
The arm fidgets. SHOOS the insect away. With white knuckles, it
grips the wheel.
INT. BANK - DAY
Same bank, same people. Mary awaits service in the same line.
A MAN ambles pass Mary's line, up towards the front. He cuts off
the person in front, an elderly WOMAN.
WOMAN
Hey, what's the idea?
The man turns. Smiles. His smile fades, turning into a maniacal.
grin. This man is TOM (35), as plainly evil as the eye can see.
TOM
You know what, you remind me of my
grandma.
Tom whips out a sawed-off SHOTGUN from his pants...
TOM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
She gave me this when I made parole.
He aims the barrel in her face.
TOM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
Thanks, Granny!
Of course, by now, people have realized the implications of the
situation at hand. They begin to panic.
On cue, two new GUNMEN, JERRY and JERRY (30's), emerge from the
crowded bank, both revealing automatic RIFLES.
Jerry #1 drops the SECURITY GUARD with the butt of his gun.
As planned, they take aim at the surveillance CAMERAS on each
end of the bank. BANG. BANG. They miss, much to Tom's chagrin.
The crowd ducks, Mary among them. Terror grips,the queues.
The Jerrys try again. BANG. BANG. No more cameras. And with
,Ir⺠that, Tom takes center stage. He leaps on the teller counter.
19.
TOM (CONT'D)
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your
captain speaking. My name is Tom. These
are my assistants, Jerry and Jerry.
Why're we doing what we're doing, you
ask? We got one word to say to you
folks...
(shrugging; smiles)
Recession.
CUT TO:
TNT. BANK - DAY
Order in the bank - employees and patrons are now corralled at
the center of the bank. Their faces all register pain. And we
find out why...
They all squat in the LOTUS position - legs crossed like
pretzels.
TOM
(to Jerry #2)
Thank you, Jerry.
Tom is referring to Jerry's demonstration of the lotus Jerry
does not respond.
TOM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
Thank you, Jerry.
JERRY #2
I'm stuck.
Mary, amongst the crowd, watcheson withinterest.
INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
Bradley Elementary School.
Class.is in session, captained by ravishing MS. MILLIS (28).
Lips, legs, lungs - stuff prepubescent wet dreams are made of.
Aaron, nestled mid-room, tries to keep his eyes straight.
He steals a quick look to the back of the room: there, in the
back, a BLONDE boy (8) sits chewing gum.
This kid, from the slicked-back hair and rolled-up t-shirt
sleeves, is a sub-species of vermin.
20.
He taunts Aaron a smile, opens his mouth, and we realize that
he's gnawing on a plastic DOLL HEAD.
INT. BANK - DAY
Behind the teller window is Tom, assisted by a quite voluptuous
employee - VERONICA, (23), with an IQ to match.
TOM
(to the crowd)
And while I take care of business, my
associates will be making their rounds.
The Jerrys leap into action - guns pointing. They rummage the
helpless patrons for jewelry, cash and collectables.
TOM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
Please be cooperative and more
importantly, charitable. We'd like you to
think of it as donations... for Jerry's
kids.
Jerry #2 weaves through crowd waving his automatic wand. People
dish out valuables into his canvas BAG. He arrives at Mary,
motioning at the bag with the rifle.
MARY
(UNINTIMIDATED)
I have no money.
JERRY #2
(I wasn't born yesterday)
Come on, is. What the hell you doing in
a bank if you.got no money?
MARY
I'm here to withdraw money.
This stumps the brainless beast.
And over by the teller, while he's stuffing her bag...
TOM
Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful.
She's too scared for speech.
But back on the bank floor...
JERRY #2
(at her ring)
Give me that.
22.
Jerry #2, testicles in his throat.
INT. BANK - DAY
Tom is out on the floor, gun wielding. Jerry #1 is with him,
loot bags in hand.
TOM
(to the crowd)
No heroes! No heroes!
Jerry #2 returns, bad news on his tongue.
JERRY #2
He flew! Fucking Fred flew!
TOM
Fuck! Fuck!
A wave of SIRENS punctuate their state of "fuck." It crescendoes
around the building.
EXT. BANK - DAY
SQUADS of police cars form a noose around the building. A
S.W.A.T. teem spews from a transport unit, armed for the big
tightening. Guns and ammo abound.
INT. BANK - DAY
Jerry #1 is at the entrance - peering out at doom.
JERRY #1
(IMPRESSED)
Wow, S.W.A.T.
TOM
(muttering; spelling the end)
I'm not going back.
Mary, amongst the crowd, takes a glance at the CLOCK --one
thirty.
CUT TO:
INT. BANK DAY
Time LAPSES. It's 2:30.
Mary turns from the clock, concerned. She studies the situation,
the robbers - an overall glumness tells the story. At the
entrance - Tom. He looks desperate. Irrational. Ready to snap.
23.
The hostages huddle on the floor, tired. They wait.
EXT. BRADLEY ELEMENTARY - DAY
The CLOCK on the building reads 2:30 school is out. Children
file out of classrooms. Scatter. Only Aaron remains, alone to
the elements - waiting.
A ball bounces, rolls to his feet. Aaron looks...
It's not a ball. It's a doll's head.
Aaron's face - dread.
EXT. BANK - DAY
A portly man, oily, thick, bellows out negotiations via his
HORN; Introducing TED, the police captain, BROCK (45) - aspires
to be Warren Beatty, more like Ned Beatty.
TED
(YAWNING)
Time's running out, fellas.
He turns to his sidekick, CHAD (25), a fellow cop. Chad's on the
phone deliberating an important call.
TED (CONT'D)
(tapping his attention)
The pizza here, yet?
CHAD
Negative.
(hands over the phone)
Tami.
TED
Ooh, one sec.
(to the bank)
Time's... all Hell's gonna break loose,
fellas.
(to phone)
My koochie, woochie, oochie ooo...
A BLAST rings out from Central Fidelity.
Glass shatters from the entrance. A body, the security guard,
tumbles out and onto the sidewalk.
Blood and brain exits in OOZES where the bullet had entered -
he's probably dead.
24.
The cops, Ted., Chad. Rutger and Adams - they all REACT, guns
raised.
INT. BANK - DAY
Tom huddles by the entrance, gun smoking. Cool and suave has
succumbed to psychotic. The Jerrys are nearby, nervous. As are
the hostages, clumped together in fright.
TOM
(SNAPPED)
I'm not gonna say it again, Ted!
(re: hostages)
swiss cheese. All of them!
TED (O.S.)
Time's running out, fellas!
The hostages grimace, hell not so far away.
TOM
I want that car, Ted!
EXT. BANK - DAY
Ted punches Chad on the shoulders.
TED
Where's that car, Jesus!
CHAD
It's out getting your pizza.
TOM (O.S.)
. a car and I want it NOW!
And on this cue, the sky answers with a thunderous surprise - a
CAR comes CRASHING down before the bank entrance.
It came from the clouds and it looks familiar - it's the getaway
Chevy, bruised and punctured beyond recognition, its hubcaps
still reeling from the impact.
The sky answers again, this time with the tattered body of FRED,
the getaway driver (alias, the arm.) Fred lands on the hood of
the Chevy, sinking into its metal frame.
SHOCK waves across faces of stone. The cops all look up.
TED
(at the sky)
What the...
25.
There :;n the sky, a taped figure works his magic of flight. He
examines the ground below. And he dives.
Hancock approaches earth and swings lateral. He circumvents the
bank structure, flying around and around.
Everybody ducks. Trash and paper batter about behind his draft.
INT. BANK - DAY
Tom and the Jerrys stand shackled in their spots.
Their eyes wander about, lost in confusion. The WHIR outside
subsides. Stops.
A loaded beat.
Tom, in mid-swallow, watches as a spectacular EXPLOSION of
bricks sprays the air inside. A caped figure bursts into the
scene amidst SCREAMS from clueless hostages.
in the blink of an eye, Hancock has Jerry #2 by the collar. With
a flick of the wrists, Jerry #2 is a human projectile en route
to the windshield of a police vehicle outside.
Jerry #1 opens FIRE on Hancock. Bullets careen off flesh of
steel.
EXT. BANK - DAY
Jerry #1 rides air and glass out and across the street into
another awaiting police windshield.
INT. BANK - DAY
Smoke and debris smother the air. And as they subside, all eyes
fall on the caped figure that is Hancock, erect in the rubble.
Mary can't believe her eyes. She surveys every inch of his
frame, now clean-shaven, combed, comic book perfect.
Hancock scans the crowd of stunned hostages - his eyes pick out
the WOMEN - Veronica's wet smile takes him.
A heartbeat.
HANCOCK
(GOD)
Everybody out, please.
Bodies bang about, all moving for the door.
26.
Mary follows the herd out but her eyes remain on the caped
figure, until real estate ushers her into the street.
EXT. BANK - DAY
PARAMEDICS converge on the hostages .
The cops are at a loss - deers staring down a pair headlights.
They train their guns on the bank, waiting for answers.
INT. BANK - DAY
The bank floor in shambles. No one in sight. But movement jars
us to the back, where the bank SAFE is.
We SEE Hancock wade through rubble towards the open safe, a
thick steel chamber of commerce. Hancock arrives at the safe.
Confronts the object inside - Tom.
INT. BANK SAFE - DAY
There he is, in the corner, a sweaty piece of misery. Tom bears
his revolver, aimed at Hancock. Hancock enters the safe.
TOM
Stay away.
Hancock does not respond.
TOM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
I'm not going back.
Hancock turns, grabs the safe door. Slams it shut with a
resounding THUD. They're locked in.
TOM (CONT'D)
(HYSTERICAL)
What're you doing?
Hancock does not respond.
TOM (CONT'D)
What's going on, here?
Hancock no response. Tom raises his gun, and meaning it.
TOM (CONT'D)
Answer me! Say something!
(FIRES)
Fuck me!
27.
BANG! Tom fires a. shot off Hancock's forehead. The BULLET
ricochets about the steel interior, under great velocity.
It rips Tom's right EAR from his head.
HANCOCK
(catching the renegade slug)
Why'd you go and do that for?
Tom retrieves his ear from the ground. Tries to put it back,
clutching his head. He bleeds.
TOM
Fuck... My shirt.
HANCOCK
(steps forward)
Why don't we call it the day.
TOM
(gun raised)
Don't. I told you... I'm not going back.
HANCOCK
(IRRITATED)
If you're going to tease, cock the damn
gun. Otherwise, spare me the wounded
animal act of desperation. I don't got c,
time for rhetoric and sympathy so. don't
expect... dialogue and "come with me and
you won't be hurt" bullshit. You walk out
of here with me and your life is a
violent storm. You will be hurt, you will
be abused... whatever turns them on.
Either way, your days are shit! Those are
the realities, spelled out.
TOM
What's eating you, man?
HANCOCK
(UPSET)
You got half the precinct out there,
armed, trained to blow the tail off a
sperm from a hundred yards... you're
standing in here, cornered, three bullets
left in that squirter of yours, if you're
lucky, and you got one ear. I don't need
the aggravation. I don't need this.
TOM
Man, you're jaded. I'm not asking for a
rainbow...
(MORE)
28.
TOM (CONT' D)
you don't got to shower me with respect.
Just a little.. tenderness, is all. Have
you no mercy, mister?
HANCOCK
(he's had enough)
I'm all out. Let's go...
And as he utters this, he approaches Tom.
TOM
(HURT)
Fuck you.
Close on his trigger finger. It tightens...
HANCOCK
NO!
INT. BANK - DAY
On the bank floor, where a group of cops now huddle, we hear
THREE SHOTS - from the safe.
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
The schoolyard - it looms in the background, as a reference to
where we are.
Aaron occupies this alley and we see what he sees - trash and
fire-escapes and ominous gray skies. DARK FIGURES move into this
sight - they eclipse the heavens.
And there Aaron is, twisted in a contorted heap of arms and legs
- his body eternally locked within the stranglehold of SPENGLER
and ERLICK (both his age.)
Aaron's face, another BLACK EYE makes it a set. Rage distorts
his mouth out of symmetry. He stares at PERCEVAL, before him -
the blonde kid from class.
We HEAR water, a stream of liquid-something SPLASHING about,
SPRAYING. Perceval - he's taking a leak on Aaron's exposed leg.
EXT. BANK - DAY
The aftermath.
Hancock is swarmed under MEDIA LIGHTS, reporters squeezing
through a wall of people, police, trying to get a piece of this
superman.
29.
We follow Hancock's scope amidst the melee it spots luscious
Veronica again, it spots WOMEN, all who'd die for a chance to
suck on his cape.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY
Mary hastens after Aaron, urine-soaked and on the verge of
tears. He rages down the street while his mother pursues.
MARY
Tell me... what happened?
AARON
(about to break)
You were late.
MARY
I was held up...
AARON
The asshole peed on me. I'm dog shit.
MARY
.at the bank. Honey, were they the same
ones? Don't cry.
AARON
Get a grip, mom.
They arrive home, both storming through the entrance and up the
stairs.
EXT. APARTMENT - DAY
The door SLAMS to signify arrival. School books go flying.
Mother and son march down the hallway. They are greeted by
Horus, sleep still on his face.
HORUS
How was your day?
Mother and son - if eyes could disembowel.
CUT TO:
EXT. BUILDING - DAY
Just your average professional building, several stories of
brick and cement.
30.
But all is not well with this typically normal picture. On the
top floor, outside and on the ledge - a JUMPER stands poised
before blood and concrete. His TIE flaps in the wind.
From an adjacent window, a SECRETARY, a FIREMAN attempt to get
him down.
JUMPER'
(SELF-PITY)
People ignore me.
From his vantage - a congregation of PEOPLE swarm below in his
honor. A woman cradling a BABY watches from a building window
across the street.
FIREMAN
Mr. Fisher.
SECRETARY
(through her teeth)
You're not unattractive.
FIREMAN
Baldness is not fatal.
JUMPER
My wife ignores me.
FIREMAN
Your wife's a cunt, Mr. Fisher.
SECRETARY
We like you, Mr. Fisher. The girls
acknowledge you, we all do.
JUMPER
No.
SECRETARY
Yes.
JUMPER
Really?
The secretary SCREAMS. All attention shifts to the BUILDING
across the street. The secretary points...
EXT. OPPOSITE BUILDING - DAY
There...
31.
on the top floor, outside and on the ledge - the baby seen
earlier, diaper-clad, crawls precariously on the rim of doom.
His mother's FREAKING from the window.
Below, the crowd makes its way across the street. They point and
gasp at the infant's every movement - leaving the jumper by his
lonesome.
The baby teeters along the edge. It heads for a FLAG pole,
dazzled by the red-white-and-blue. It reaches out at fabric.
Almost. Not quite. The baby DROPS from the precipice.
On the street, people CHOKE on their tongues as gravity pulls
the infant down.
But wait... Hancock swoops out of the thin blue, swift and
silent. He cradles the baby from utter concrete.
He deposits the youngster with.the ecstatic crowd - they, of
mostly the FEMALE persuasion, all form around the savior.
We SEE in the background and across the street, the Jumper nose-
diving into the sidewalk - without much fanfare.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY
An apartment building engulfed in FLAMES. FIRE TRUCKS don't even
bother with the hoses - it's too late. Around them, TENANTS
bemoan the loss of...
Like a wrecking ball, Hancock BURSTS through the burning rubble
and surfaces clean on the other side of the building.
Blanketed under his cape are two little TODDLERS, and a young
WOMAN in bra and panties. He lowers them to safety.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
We're in the hallway. Where Horus kneels. He's bent listening
into Aaron's bedroom, in his security clothes. By the TV and in
her apron, Mary watches the news...
NEWS
. paramedics have taken the rescued
tenants to County General for smoke
inhalation but no serious injuries
reported thanks to the superheroics of
this mystery man...
32.
We see FOOTAGE of the dramatic fire rescue: Hancock recovering
tenants from the pyre - plebs and dwellers cheer in exaggerated
astonishment.
HORUS
(to Mary)
Mary?
Mary blinks back her attention.
HORUS (CONY' D)
(CONTINUING)
Why is he mad at me?
MARY
He's looking for answers. He's Upset.
HORUS
(tapping the door)
Let me see your eye...
(to Mary)
I told him about the other cheek. Avoid
confrontations... to turn the other
cheek.
MARY
.He did. He turned the other cheek and
they punched it.
HORUS
(PLEADING)
Aaron.
MARY
You're late. I'll try again later.
Horus finds his hat on the table. His eyes fall on Mary, her
back to him. She's glued to the set.
HORUS '
How... what about you?
MARY
(ALOOF)
What?
Horus turns his focus to the TV - more Hancock FOOTAGE. He
watches Mary.
HORUS
Mary?
33.
MARY
Yes.
.HORUS
I... had no idea.
MARY
(on the TV)
What could you do?
Horns - hat in hand, goes to the door. He wants to stay.
HORUS
(opens door)
Good thing he was there. I don't know
what I'd do... if you...
Mary does not hear him... until the door SHUTS behind her. She
turns to face an empty room.
MARY
Coffee's by the... door.
(GUILTY)
Horus?
INT. BROWNSTONE - NIGHT
A room, a place we don't know. It's dark save the street light
outside. A rhythmic POUNDING reverberates through this darkness.
More intense it becomes.
And then a high-pitch GASP. Two individuals, man and woman,
stumble into view - their silhouettes obscure the window.
They're locked at the hips, pumping away like high-revving
pistons.
For a second, light dances off the woman's aroused face: it's
Veronica.
VERONICA
(a her voice trembles)
Oh god.
The man surfaces from her cleavage for air, his face wet with
sweat and saliva. He brushes his cape away from his arm.
Veronica uncoils yet another orgasm, her back arched, her
breasts beckoning at ceiling.
Quite abruptly, he lets her go. Rights his pants. Unlatches the
window. She paws after him.
34.
VERONICA (CONT'D)
What'd I do?
HANCOCK
(DEJECTED)
'Nothing. I'm sorry.
And with that, he floats out into the night.
VERONICA
(dazed; after him)
Hancock.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Horus. His walk. Unaware of everything but the storm inside his
head.
He crosses an alley. A band of THUGS, neighborhood kids of
malcontent, surprises him. And. versa. They recoil at his
uniform, his gun.
They quickly realize that he's rent-a-security.
The leader speaks first - he's SCARPO (25), as tough as a steel-
belted radial. The others regroup their DRUGS.
SCARPO
Nutri-cop.
Horus keeps walking.
SCARPO (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
Look like the Man. Walk like the Man.
Shit, ain't half the Man.
OTHERS
Ain't half the Man.
Horus simply walks away.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
A streetlight HUMS. Blinks - revealing a deserted alley in'
sporadic intervals. Garbage, etc.
A slight drizzle shimmers pass the streetlight. Pelts a soulful
Hancock below - he moves through the gray dreariness in
solitude.
35.
He reaches behind his e. withdraws a box of cigarettes.
Taps himself a stick.
VOICE (O.S.)
How about spreading some of that joy?
Hancock turns and faces a young HOODLUM, scraggly in his own
slimy kind of way.
In a huff, he shoves Hancock up against the building. Presses a
gun to Hancock's temple.
HOODLUM
(PSYCHOTIC)
Better yet, why don't I just take it...
Hancock - enraged. In a caffeinated blink, he has the Hoodlum by
the throat via one arm, the gun with the other.
HANCOCK
(SUPER-PSYCHOTIC)
What are you thinking?
The Hoodlum notices that he's dangling a foot off the ground -
one of his SNEAKERS remains in its spot from the swift jolt.
The other sneaker teeters on his one foot... and falls to the
pavement.
HOODLUM
(fuck me)
Shit...
HANCOCK
What are you thinking?!
Hancock wrests the gun from his hand. Places it into his own
mouth. FIRES two slugs inside. The Hoodlum FREAKS.
HANCOCK (CONT' D )
Huh?!
Takes the smoking gun out of his mouth. Shoves it up the-
Hoodlum's nose.
HANCOCK (CONY' D)
Want to see brain? Huh?!
Sticks the gun back into his mouth. FIRES another shot inside.
Takes it out and this time - jams it into the Hoodlums mouth.
The Hoodlum proceeds to urinate in his pants.
36.
HOODLUM
(with his mouth full)
Please, mister. I got a baby coming.., a
wife. I got student loans...
Hancock - intense.
Is this getting through?
HOODLUM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
please. Have a heart, mister.
Hancock - the fire inside subsides. Cools to a rational state.
He lowers the. Hoodlum.
He spits the three SLUGS into his hand. Deposits them in the
Hoodlum's breast pocket. Walks away.
INT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
In the closing hours of business, employees pell-mell about in
preparation for departure.
A group of LADIES form around a display T.V., taking in with
frothy wetness every inch of Hancock's footage. They gasp
amongst themselves.
Horus enters the picture, jacket and thermos. He notices the TV -
it's like he can't escape the good news.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
The TV set.
More news on the day's activities. Mary sits mesmerized on the
sofa, holding a dish she had planned to dry.
Aaron surfaces from the hallway, lured out by the TV He comes up
behind Mary - his black eyes on the news.
MARY
(SURPRISED)
You're still up.
AARON
Can't sleep.
He rolls over the sofa, next to his mother.
They watch VIDEO clips of the foiled bank heist: the crashing
Chevy, the aerial maneuvers, the sheer invincibility of this
man.
37.
AARON (CONT' D)
(IMPRESSED)
That's him?
MARY
There's something about him... I don't
know.
A female REPORTER concludes the footage...
REPORTER
(FAINTLY)
And so we ask... who is this man?
Speculation abounds - government super-
experiment, an aberration of nature, or
extraterrestrial renegade? Who are you?
Where are you now, superguy? Call me.
(SMILES)
We'll get together. Have a drink.
INT. BAR - NIGHT
HADES - a smoky bar in the armpit of town.
NEON beer signs. POOL tables. CIGARETTE machines. This is home
to mean people, tough guys - children of a fucked-up god.
We cut through the nicotine air to find the bar. A figure
hunches on the far end, smoking. Popping vodka like mountain
water in Dixie cups.
It's Hancock and his trenchcoat. The long day wears heavy on his
face - those perpetually red eyes, the horror they've seen.
HANCOCK
(MUTTERING)
What he's got to do... a man's got to do
it.
EXT. BAR - NIGHT
Hancock stumbles out, incognito, frazzled under his guise. Up
above, the sky - so dark under the storm clouds.
We HEAR commotion in the side alley. And so does Hancock. He
peers into the alley.
There, by a lighted PHONE BOOTH, a WHORE is fending off a horny
JOHN. Hancock simply watches she drives her knee between his
legs. He drops. SQUEALS like a little girl.
The John finds a two-by-four in the dirt. He reaches for it...
38.
A COUGH stops him - it's Hancock and he discourages further
violence.
Up and out of the alley, the John flees - tail, between his
legs.
A long stare ensues - Hancock and the Whore, looking into each
other's eyes for answers.
The Whore approaches him. Touches his face - studies it. Moves
it into the light.
WHORE
(the sage)
You've been to Hell, it looks. And you're
tired...
(BEAT)
and in need.
Hancock - his eyes agree.
The Whore lifts her skirt, reaching into her panties. She takes
out a MATCHBOOK.
Hands it to him.
WHORE (CONY' D)
My business card.
(to the phone booth)
My office.
Hancock inspects the matchbook - 555-GINA, etched inside.
HANCOCK
(GEENA)
Gina.
WHORE
(correcting; vaGINA)
Gina.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Aaron's room, his nightlight the only source of light. Mary sits
on the bed, by her son.
AARON
Don't.
MARY
Just a quick one.
39.
'AARON
Don't 3±119.
MARY
I want to.
AARON
Mom.
EXT. SKY - NIGHT
From the black night - a dark figure plummets, caroms off the
side of a building, strikes the metal fire-escapes, crashing
into the trash cans below.
Hancock stumbles from the wreckage, the garbage. Falls. He leans
against the building, glazed over with drunkenness.
He turns to the only source of light that of a building across
the street: KILLYBEGS TEXTILES, looming above the rest. Boarded-
up windows indicate abandonment - an urban relic.
He stares at the building - perhaps sparing more attention than
we think it deserves.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Mary swallows. Starts in on the tune.
MARY
"Once there was a way, to get back
homeward. Once there was a way, to get
back home."
AARON
Oh, mom.
MARY
Shut up.
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
There, on his ass, his head a raging inferno - Hancock listens,
as if he can hear.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Aaron, succumbing to his mother's song - his lids flutter.
MARY
"Sleep pretty darling, do not cry. And I
will sing a lullaby..."
40.
Mary as her voice carries...
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
Something overcomes this fevered superman. He begins to unravel.
A calm consumes him. Tames him. It could be Mary's voice - maybe
he can hear it, and then maybe not.
MARY (V.O.)
"Golden slumber fills your eyes. Smiles
awake you when you rise."
Hancock wavers on consciousness - quite unlike him.
MARY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
"Sleep pretty darling, do not cry. And I
will sing a lullaby..."
And like that, a seamless fade into peace - he sleeps.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY
Erratic traces of an urban landscape JAG about.
Aaron's distorted view of his neighborhood comes sharp and in
flashes as he is pursued by his tormentors.
Spengler. Erlick. Perceval. They chase him from behind, HOOTING,
taunting poor Aaron - they're out for blood.
Aaron cuts into an alley, lungs pumping...
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
.. but a brick wall stares him down, providing no exit. He
swallows hard.
FOOTSTEPS approach, just seconds away. Close on Aaron, as blood
drains from his face. His eyes dash for a garbage CAN - but is
there time?
Spengler. Erlick. Perceval. They can smell their prey.
ERLICK
He's not going anywhere.
SPENGLER
'Less he can walk through wall.
41.
ERLICK
Fuck... squeeze through brick.
PERCEVAL
(just arriving)
Let's rock it up.
They turn the corner, attack mode. Aaron, nowhere in sight. Just
the brick wall and a trash can.
They converge, baffled. Erlick inspects the solid wall. Spengler
scratches his head. But'Perceval's no fool. He spots the trash
can.
He motions the fellas over. They circle the can. A beat. They
ATTACK... an empty can. No one inside. Nothing.
That's because above them, no strings and no cables, Aaron
hovers - under Hancock's capable arm.
In mid-air, they hang for a second. Then, Hancock takes them
away.
EXT. SCHOOLYARD - DAY
Mary stands at the designated pick-up spot, pacing like her
bladder's going to break.
MARY
(checking watch)
No... no... no!
EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY
A secluded view of the city, high above. Hancock, Aaron under
his arms, rides a light breeze - and then lands.
Aaron scampers away. Turns and faces the man.
Hancock examines the boy's face, the black eyes. He shakes his
head. Disappointed.
He reaches for his belt. Pulls out a cigarette. Lights it.
HANCOCK
You smoke?
AARON
What?
42.
HANCOCK
Of course you don't. Nothing but a kid.
(beat; takes a puff)
Smoke no evil.
Hancock moves over to Aaron, now backed in a corner.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(re: cigarette)
Ever curious... .what it's like?
Aaron shakes his head.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(hands it to.him)
Go on... give it a try. One time. Won't
kill you. Once.
Aaron under pressure, acquiesces. He takes the stick. Sucks on
it. Doubles over, coughing.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
Good, huh? Tastes like compost... your
first stick. Then, after a few more... it
starts getting this. flavor. A little
nicotine buzz. A while passes and all of
a sudden, it's as sweet as candy. Only
now, it takes a whole pack to get
there.., and you won't settle till your,
mouth's as sweet.
Hancock takes another cool drag - Mr. Wisdom waxing
philosophical.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
From manure to pure cane sugar. That's
change. Today... you're a boy. Tomorrow,
Mr. Penis comes knocking. Shakes your
hand. Takes you for a walk... and tells
you about life's simple pleasures. You're
a man. And you don't look back..
(BEAT)
You see... things evolve. Nothing is
wholly inert. A step in any direction...
you're walking into pockets of evolution.
That is living... taking those steps. And
change. Can start by changing some
principles.
Blank best describes Aaron's face.
43.
AARON
Principles?
HANCOCK
Principles. Here's one; very simple. Just
about all you need to know: a man's got
to do what a man's got to do.
(beat; smokes)
I look at your face, the shiners. You
took a shove and you let it go clean. Not
good. That's a formula for future
abuse... an invitation to the loser's
dance. Letting it go. Walking away.
,(shakes head)
Bad policy. Won't be long 'fore you're
running, looking for a place to hide.
AARON
What am I suppose to do?
HANCOCK
You do what is necessary.
AARON
I wanted... there were three of them.
HANCOCK
What is necessary.
(HEAT)
Let me tell you something, kid. There was
this infantry unit, you see... badly
outnumbered.
(thinks about it)
Wait, let me put it in kid terms. So you
relate, OK? There's a fox, you relate? A
fox and he's walking through what, the
woods, the forests, right? Next thing the
fox knows, he's staring down a pack of...
hounds. Bloodhounds. And there's this
chase, the fox's running his ass off,
over boulders and through streams and,
but the damn hounds are still on his
tail. Finally the fox comes to this
cliff, a precipice... and it's what, a
seven hundred foot drop onto jagged
rocks. He's in trouble 'cause the hounds
are closing in and they're going to tear
him to pieces. So what does he think...
"I jump and I die for sure. I stay,
confront them and I'll get my ass
butchered." Decision time. He thinks,
"stay and least I'd have something, a
chance.
(MORE)
44.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
To slip away, maybe." The fox decides to
go down fighting, make a stand. Right?
(BEAT)
The hounds come. What do you think
happens?
AARON
(thinking about it)
He gets away.
Hancock inhales what's left of his cigarette. Blows smoke.
HANCOCK
No. The fox gets his ass kicked and
some... I mean ripped apart by the dogs,
like cheap fabric.
AARON
What're you saying?
HANCOCK
But you know, when the last hound was
through with him,-and he's walking away,
he hears this noise. It's the fox and
he's muttering something under his
breath... words. The dog goes over. Gets
up close. To hear what he's saying. You
know what the fox's saying... just before
he keels off?
Aaron - negative.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
Now he's gurgling, choking on his own
blood, right? A massacre. The fox's lying
next to his entrails, you know... and you
know what he says?
(raises his fist in the air)
"No regrets."
AARON
What?
HANCOCK
No regrets. You make a decision and you
stick to it. Like a man's got to do. And
"no regrets."
Aaron - submitting it to memory.
AARON
Why're you telling me all this?
45.
HANCOCK
(a beat to think)
Look at it this way... I got to do what I
got to do.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY
Through the street darts Mary, eyes berserk in search for herher
son. She looks at her watch. And up... up ahead, by steps
apartment - Aaron, levitating in air.
Hancock explains this defiance of gravity. He gently lowers
Aaron on the sidewalk, before his mother.
She beckons him. Like a shield, she envelops him with her arms.
She stares up at Hancock - her eyes, stricken with fear. Or
possibly, they were awestruck.
.CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Horus, in his bed - smothered in slumber.
He begins to stir, wrestling some unseen dream. He wakes, in
defeat.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
Close on a TV set, featuring a COMMERCIAL - in mid-hype. A
portly man states his purpose.
His name tag reads - DR. HOLE.
DR. HOLE
at the Hole Institute, our
experienced staff and cutting-edge
technology means you need not spend
another day in discomfort from
hemorrhoidal flare-ups. Also, for anal
fissures, warts, and secondary yeast
infections, the institute is your
complete rectal service clinic.
(BEAT)
And remember, I'm not just the Hole
Institute spokesperson. I'm also a
client.
As Dr. Hole proceeds to exhibit an enlarged PHOTOGRAPH of his
hemorrhoidal tissues, the TV channel changes. A NEWS program, in
progress.
46.
On the living room sofa squats. Hancock, remote in hand.
REPORTER (O.S.)
. more.on the neighborhood robberies in
our next hour.
(BEAT)
World news, today. Hundreds are believed
dead when an explosion ripped through a
crowded market place in...
Hancock staring into footages of bedlam, bloodshed. From the TV
set, maternal CRIES spew forth grief and anguish.
Hancock grabs the remote. Fumbles around for the power button.
He pumps the volume instead - the WAILS intensify his state of
panic, pain.
CLICK. Mary - by the tube, switches off the mayhem. She studies
his reaction, now marked with relief.
MARY
(SAVIOR)
Are you OK?
HANCOCK
I'm sorry.
MARY
(NERVOUS)
I came in to... hope you like chicken.
Hancock nods, watching Mary as she retreats into the kitchen. He
continues to stare - at Mrs. Longfellow, in frenetics, prepping
for dinner.
She catches him looking... looking surreal, this superman, there
on her sofa.
A calm, while they stare. And then...
AARON (O:S.)
Table's done.
Mary turns to Aaron, offscreen.
MARY
Glasses.
AARON (O.S.)
Geez.
Horus enters from the hallway, disheveled from sleep. He does
not see the superman on his sofa. He continues into the kitchen.
47.
Mary stares at him. Aaron appears, also staring at him. Horus
does a "what?" with his shoulders. Mother and son gesture behind
him.
He turns and beholds: Hancock,' rising in full garb, arm
extended. All eyes on Horus - befuddled.
MARY
You know Hancock?
AARON
He comes for dinner.
Close on Hancock. Close on Horus.
HANCOCK
Man of the house?
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Dinner is served. All the key players, present. Horus sits
facing his son - dethroned by the distinguished visitor. Mary
serves.
MARY
(to Hancock)
Which piece would you like?
HANCOCK
Breasts, please.
Horus, watching everything - Mary and her every blush.
AARON
You want milk?
HANCOCK
No. It gives me gas. Thank you.
A beat - as everyone visualizes a superFART.
AARON
It makes mom fart, too.
Mary CHOKES on her food.
Drops her fork. She maneuvers, in the allotted space, for the
utensil - and finding difficulty.
Hancock grabs the table, one arm. Lifts it off the carpet and
above everyone's head. Mary, startled, impressed, all of the
above. She picks up the fork.
48.
Horus - a chicken leg dangling from his lips, in mid-chew,.
looking impotent.
AARON (CONT'D)
Good arm.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Later.
HANCOCK
not about the labor... or the love of
it.
(beat; we've heard this before)
.It's about responsibility... with what is
empowered in you. The gift of might.
Might to.do what? Exploitation, because
you can? Or a different path. To purvey
justice. To correct the ills of man...
because I can.
Faces of profound confusion - Mary and Aaron. But they are
charmed, his words secondary to his charisma.
Horus, the quiet observer, observes.
HANCOCK (CONY' D)
(CONTINUING)
so, a job? Yes. And no. It's about...
essence. The essence of the man... not
his clothes. It's the job. Take away the
arm,. the leg..., his bodily possessions
but not his trade, his profession. That
case, you strip him of what he is... a
man.
Horus a firm grasp of the concept.
HANCOCK (CONY' D)
What line of work are you in, Mr.
Longfellow?
HORUS
(clearing throat)
Oh, it's not like you... what you do or
anything. A department store over on
Third.
MARY
Horus is in the securities business.
HORUS
I'm a security guard. I'm just...
49.
Aaron rises from the table. Goes over to the fridge.
MARY
It's a large department store, over a
couple million in merchandise... stereos,
jewelry. On three floors.
HORUS
It's a night job. I sit around.
HANCOCK
You're a security guard. You keep the
state of things. It's a job. You do it.
(PAUSE)
We're in the same business.
Aaron returns with the ketchup bottle.
A frozen moment while Horus ponders the implications. He stares
at the BOTTLE.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
Aaron, could you show me the restroom?
Aaron points first door in the hall.
AARON
On the right.
He leaves to find bladder relief - leaving Horus to his family.
AARON (CONT' D)
What do you think, mom?
MARY
(in a whisper)
Horus, what do I do?
HORUS
(at his watch)
I need to get ready.
AARON
mom?
MARY
(to Horus)
What do I do with him... when you're
gone? I have to entertain this super...
She doesn't finish her... A NOISE interrupts her - seizes the
participants.
50.
It comes from the bathroom - the sound of PISS, urine versus the
surface tension.of water.
LOUD. WET. A turgid firehose at full blast. The force of
urination grips the room - as powerful as the penile mechanism
from which it is generated.
The toilet FLUSHES. Hancock returns to a'room of astonished
faces - mouths agape.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Later,. by a few minutes.
HANCOCK
(lost; sombre)
and you could see the flames, through
the storm... I get there, the vessel's
all over, spread across three miles of
South Pacific. Bodies floating in the
water, shoes, kids who'd thought it some
routine reconnaissance joyride. Turns
out, the only one alive was the captain,
up against a buoy... crying 'cause he
didn't go down with his men... and he's
got to live with it.
(BEAT)
Sprayed his brain all over the dashboard
in a parking lot a couple months after. A
good man...
(at Aaron)
. did what he had to do.
A brief moment while the graphics sink in. No one talks. Aaron's
smitten. Mary, a mixture of repulsion and fascination.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
In the kitchen, in the sink, stacks of plates indicate that
dinner is through.
Company has moved into the living room, with the exception of
Horus. Aaron kneels besides Hancock. Mary, across from him.
AARON
(making a fist)
I wanted to kill him.
MARY
Aaron.
51.
AARON
I want to deck him, just once. So bad I
tense up... like I can't even move.
MARY
(to Hancock)
He comes home crying.
AARON
Did not. Not crying. It was pissed-off.
HANCOCK
(REACTS)
No... there's no shame in it. The crying.
It's relief...
(to Mary)
we're older and we don't remember
when... we go, "God, when was the last
time?" Maybe it's me. It's more an
effort, now. Takes more pain... more
blood. Like it's, do you have the time
anymore? Even to look back and recall a
moving experience. To be moved.
(AARON)
By rage. Hurt.
(MARY)
By love.
(BEAT)
But if you have to remember the last time
something touched you... you've missed it
- you've forgotten how to cry.
Horus enters the room, Mr. Security Guard. He observes this
magic Hancock works over his wife and kid - a talent whose
nature he has yet to comprehend.
Horus opts to not disturb their trance. He makes for the door.
Hancock - holds him accountable.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(AWARE)
Mr. Longfellow. I'll be leaving, too.
HORUS
Oh, I... you don't have to leave. I don't
want to interfere. I have work.
MARY
(the original sin)
Oh, I forgot to make coffee.
She rushes into the kitchen. Horus stops her.
52.
HORUS
It's all right, Mary. I'm late.
MARY
No, I'll make it right now.
HORUS
I don't have time. I'll grab some on the
way. Thanks.
Mary accepts it - not entirely guilt-free.
HORUS (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING)
I don't want to interrupt. Please don't
let me stop you.
HANCOCK
No, I need to go.
(at' Mary and only Mary)
The last time I had a meal... an evening
like this, I was... it was too long ago.
I appreciate your kindness.
MARY
(AWKWARD)
Please... you're welcome, here. Anytime.
Horus watches everything - watching her chest heave under
Hancock's every word, watching his wife slip away.
HANCOCK
Aaron. Tomorrow. After the bell. I'll
drop by after school. See how you're
doing.
AARON
(SMILES)
Yeah.
Horus watches this - his son slipping away.
The two men leave, Hancock ushering Horus out first.
Mary closes the door behind them. Leans against the door and
EXHALES - a sign of relief, of despair, or, of a heart raging
wild.
We just .don't know.
53.
EXT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
The two men appear from the entrance, shoulder to shoulder -
sort of. They enter the street.
HORUS
(POINTING)
I'm this way.
Hancock points the opposite way.
HANCOCK
Need a lift?
HORUS
It's a short walk.
Acknowledged.
An awkward beat while they stare at each other...
. until finally, they go their separate ways - Horus via walk
and Hancock, with effortless grace,, via flight.
From the sidewalk and awe-stricken - Horus watches Hancock merge
into the blackness. A look of dread squats on his face.
CUT TO:
INT. DONUT SHOP - NIGHT
The white fluorescent of the neighborhood donut shop. Donuts.
Coffee. Yellow formica. Etc..
A frazzled Korean woman, SOON-YI (60) watches over HOLLY (19),
the trainee behind the cash register.
Officer Rutger and Adams sip Joe in the corner booth.
ADAMS
(MID-CONFESSION)
bleeding heart dyke, I know not what.
Fuck martyrdom. Bottom line, Sheila won't
put out...
RUTGER
No.
ADAMS
. won't blow me...
RUTGER
Shit stinks.
54.
ADAMS
says I'm keeping poontang on the
side.
RUTGER
D'fuck she know? Shit smears, man.
ADAMS
Games. I don't need it.
RUTGER
Fuck games, fuck dames.
ADAMS
I got a'wife, I don't need the
aggravation...
RUTGER
Take a donut hole.
The entrance. Horus wanders in, lost in this environment. He
finds the front counter. The cops watch him.
HORUS
A cup of coffee, please.
Holly takes the order. Leaves to fetch it.
ADAMS (O.S.)
Longfellow.
HORUS
(turns; with dread)
How are you, John?
(RUTGER)
Frank?
ADAMS
(god, I'm funny)
Observe anything worth recording, lately?
HORUS
You know... things are slow.
RUTGER
Not for Samsone Electronics on fifth. Got
hit on Thursday.
ADAMS
The guard, he was cut-up like a piece of
meat.
55.
RUTGER
Anything go wrong, you make sure you
notify us, the authorities. No heroics
without a license. You know the
procedure.
Horus - he knows the procedure.
ADAMS
Of course he does.
RUTGER
Of course.
Holly returns with the coffee. Hands it to Horus - free of
charge. From the back, Soon-yi intervenes...
SOON-YI
He no have gun. Not copper.
HOLLY
Oh, I thought...
SOON-YI
He regular guy. Sixty-five cents for
regular.guy.
Horus - somebody shoot him.
INT. AARON'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Mary's folding clothes by the dresser, busy with thought. Aaron
squats on the bed, his brain going a mile a minute. He plops
back against the bed. Brings his hand up to his face. Makes a
fist. Thinking. Wondering.
MARY
What're you doing?
She's taken by this scene.
AARON
(releases fist)
Thinking.
Mary goes over to the bed. Sits.
MARY
About him?
AARON
No. Not really. Are you?
56.
MARY
No.
They're lying through their collective teeth.
AARON
Me neither. I was thinking.., about
tomorrow.
MARY
Go to sleep. You know what dad says.
Tomorrow always feels better...
AARON
I know, mom... after a good night sleep.
He says that but he's the one working
every night. Does that mean he never
feels better? He's always feeling
terrible?
MARY
(AMUSED)
Go to bed, anyway.
She tucks him-in.. Turns off the lamp. And as she's out the
door...
AARON
Mom?
She turns.
AARON (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
Who is Mr. Penis?
CUT TO:
EXT. SHEEPSHEAD - NIGHT
Time lapses into the late hours. This town experiences a serene
moment - a peacefulness which says that this as night as a night
will be.
INT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
Looking down aisles of merchandise - not a trace of life and not
unlike a cemetery.
All is dead, with the exception of FOOTSTEPS - shoes pacing
linoleum. It's Horus, on duty. His flashlight leads the way...
57.
Outside, the SIRENS of police vehicles charge by - real men en
route to real work.
Horus watches them from the window - like a kid who can't come
out to play.
He turns to look across the floor - Roheim, against a chair,
watching the NEWS on a big-screen TV
NEWS
(re: Hancock)
.the trains seemed imminently bound for
a catastrophic collision when this...
this superguy...
ROHEIM
(IMPRESSED)
Man. I bet he gets laid.
Horus - he looks terrible.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
It's dark out here in the night. On the roof. Overlooking the
community, the Longfellow's apartment building... and Mary's
bedroom.
From here, we can SEE her - entering from the hallway. She
disrobes down to bare back...
And from this darkness, the RED tip of a burning cigarette GLOWS
into view. Hancock watches from here, the cigarette BLAZES back
towards his face intense.
CUT TO:
EXT. SOMEWHERE - NIGHT - DREAM SEQUENCE
A foreign TERRAIN of trees, of lakes so clear and blue.
They pass below us as we soar through air and mist...
the mist clears, thrusting us into the dense foliage of a
JUNGLE. We penetrate the silence
the silence, it fades into SONG - the silk, mellifluous
voice of a woman (not unlike Mary's). Her siren call beckons
us... takes us deeper into unknown greenery...
but the sound of crackling GUNSHOTS punctuate the end to
song. SCREAMS and CRIES rise from the smoke, women and children
in hysterics...
58.
we quicken to a frantic pace, slicing through the growth.
Rocket and mortar shells EXPLODE in our path, splitting trees
and earth...
. we remain undaunted... but the WAILS of suffering
continues...
until we get there, there in a clearing as smoke and debris
settle... and we see the remains of a lake, a,lake full of
BLOOD... of mangled BODIES floating like flotsam... WOMEN and
CHILDREN... DEAD...
. we SCREAM!
INT. RED EYE MOTEL - NIGHT
Hancock bolts from his bed - horrified, eyes cracked with red
veins. He is soaked.
The orgasmic SCREAMS of a prostitute seeps through from the
adjacent motel room -.the wall behind Hancock's bed trembles to
the rhythm of each pelvic thrust...
He clasps.-his ears - tormented.
CUT TO:
INT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM -DAY
Roheim in his usual state of sleep. His lips mutter dialogue
from an unseen dream.
ROHEIM
Olga...
He snaps out of it...
ROHEIM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
.bitch.
Consciousness slowly sinks in. He checks his watch, then the
area around him. He spots Horus - slumped in a chair, in a
thinking posture.
Horns seems lost in his own blank stare.
HORUS
(without looking)
Another dream?'
ROHEIM
I was talking again, huh?
59.
No response.
EXT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - DAY
A deserted street at this early hour. On the curb and by
themselves - Horus and Roheim, ruminating.
ROHEIM
. that look on her face, you know the
look, when she's almost there... makes
you feel like a man.
(BEAT)
Then everything gets blurry and all of a
sudden, it's not my arm that's around her
and it's not my hand that's touching her
and it's not even me, my body. Some guy,
this good-looking guy... he looks like
the Marlboro Man, only shirtless. And
so... the Marlboro Man's running his
fingers through her hair. And he's...
banging her... and her knees... by her
ears, you know?
(beat; cringing)
And that look on her face. That look.
HORUS
Roheim.
ROHEIM
(CONTINUING)
Bitch.
HORUS
Come on.
ROHEIM
(gets up)
Walk with me.
CUT TO:
EXT. APARTMENT - DAY
The Longfellow's apartment.- seem from above.
Clyde exits the building in his morning robe., Takes hold of the
newspaper. Digs through it...
Mary and Aaron - they exit, surprising Clyde.
Mary gestures at Clyde, pointing an accusing finger. She seizes
the paper from him, sending him cowering inside.
61.
EXT. SCHOOLYARD DAY
Mary and Aaron - by the perimeter fence.
MARY
Have a good one.
AARON
I got to do what I got to do.
She watches him go -curious.
EXT. SKY - DAY
The sky's POV - the schoolyard. Aaron - sauntering to class.
Mary - turning, walking away.
We soar through air and mist. Circle a street below. Hover over
an alley. Descend from the clouds - into the depths of buildings
and fire escapes.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Mary, among other pedestrians, head homeward. Her pace say
she's in no hurry to get there.
Out of an alley and into the street - Hancock, trenchcoated,
inconspicuous, and in pursuit. J
EXT. LIQUOR STORE - DAY
Horus waits outside - hands in his pockets. He paces
uncomfortably.
Roheim exits the liquor store, already imbibing from a brown
paper BAG.
Not a word from Horus.
ROHEIM
(POST-GULP)
This stuff's going to kill me.
He gives Horus a glance. Takes another swig.
ROHEIM (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING)
You disapprove, I know.
HORUS
No.
J
62.
ROHEIM
Sure you do. You disapprove and yet you
allow me to drink... to poison myself.
Your friend. Without a word of caution.
Not a word. Just take it... you take
everything.
HORUS
No.
ROHEIM
You're afraid to offend. You don't want
to be abrasive. Provocative.
(beat; as'Horus squirms)
So you suppress. Do nothing. Take it.
Roheim takes another gulp.
HORUS
(pulling teeth)
You shouldn't drink.
ROHEIM
My wife. She left a bad taste in my
mouth. I drink to kill-the taste.
Horus has no response to this.
ROHEIM (CONT'D)
(SMILES)
You're a good man, Horus...
(BEAT)
And you're right. This stuff's no good.
It's a coward's way out and I know it.
He gives the bottle a guilty stare. Tosses the bottle into a
nearby garbage can.
ROHEIM (CONY' D)
(sick of himself)
What the hell. I can learn to love
beverage.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Mary. Walking.
Hancock. Following. From across the street. Mesmerized and in a
world to himself.
He crosses. the street, failing to look both ways... BAH! A UPS
truck STRIKES the clueless superhero, sending him across air -
towards Mary.
63.
200 lbs. of superflesh EXPLODES into a JEWELRY display window -
just ahead of Mary's path. Glass showers the scene. People
SCREAM.
Hancock warbles out from the debris - his trenchcoat reduced to
mere tatters. He pulls a severed SLEEVE from the rubble. Looks
at Mary, reposed before him.
HANCOCK
(nothing happened)
How are you?
In unison, they turn to the UPS vehicle - a .mangled heap of
steel, STEAM billowing from its ruptured radiator.
Hancock shrugs a smiles.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Mr. Longfellow rounds the corner and ambles home. He is tired
and his face shows it.
There to make it worse - Clyde. He's back, getting at the sports
page on the front steps.
A sudden burst of outrage consumes Horus. He approaches the
steps with fire and...
HORUS
(burning...)
Clyde. Can I talk to you for just a brief
moment?
CLYDE
(YAWNING)
Not now, Longfella. I'm all blocked up.
Clyde heads inside - with the sports page.. He FARTS as he goes
in.
HORUS
(EXTINGUISHED)
Sure.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Along a street somewhere who cares - Hancock and Mary - in a
cool stroll. Mary holds his trenchcoat, surveying the damage.
MARY
What were you doing in the street?
(the trenchcoat)
You ripped it pretty good.
64.
Hancock - he's lost.
MARY (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
What're you:.. how old's this thing?
HANCOCK
didn't see it coming... left myself
open.
MARY
It'll be all right.
HANCOCK
All right?
MARY
It's just the seams. I can sew it back.
HANCOCK
What?
MARY
(the trenchcoat)
This. It's just the seams.'I'll take good
care of it.
HANCOCK
You'll sew -it?
MARY
Yes. Me. I can. And I'll re-button it for
you, all right?
Hancock acknowledges with a smile - a slight one.
MARY (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING}
Are you okay?
No reply. He stares at her - simply.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DAY.
Mary stands alone on the sidewalk, looking up at heaven. Her
eyes search the gray sky for signs of life.-
There, overhead - a DOT. It grows in size, getting closer and
arriving fast... and gradually, it shapes into Hancock.
65.
He swoops into view, straight downward. Pulls on the air brakes
and eases into a soft landing - by Mary's side.
He is wet from his flight and his hands, 'we notice, are cupped
together tightly.
MARY
(like a little girl)
Let's see.
HANCOCK
You have to be quick.
MARY
Come on, I want to see.
HANCOCK
If you blink, you'll miss it.
Hancock uncups his hands, releasing a billowy MASS of white
something - it hangs in the air, and then dissipates into
moisture. It showers into his open hands.
Mary reaches for it. Too late.
MARY
I saw it, right? A little cloud.
She peers into his hands - where only a pool of wetness remains.
And with her fingers, Mary reaches inside to feel the rain.
Hancock watches this - the innocence in her face, as her hand
touches his.
He stares down at her hand... at the wedding ring. Mary-pulls
her hand away.
MARY (CONY' D)
The water is dirty.
HANCOCK
MARY
HANCOCK
I'm sorry.
MARY
(into his eyes)
It's not your fault.
66.
Hancock looks away.
MARY (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
You're tense.
HANCOCK
I've been tired, lately.
MARY
You should slow down. Rest.
HANCOCK
-So people tell me.
MARY
(heat; upon some thought)
It must be hard.
HANCOCK
Hard?
MARY
To always do right... do good when all
you want to do is rest.
HANCOCK
It's harder to not do anything. What am
I? It's not for me. It's for... it is
about people. Rest? When there is
despair? I cannot. I bring relief. I am
relief. You know that instant, that split
instant of time when you realize that the
nightmare... the totality of fear
itself... that it's all been a bad dream?
That it's safe? That is relief. The
infant in my arms... to the hysterical
mother. When you can see her face, what's
rest? It is self-indulgence.
Mary - in some advance stage of "wow."
MARY
Where... who are you?
HANCOCK
It's not important who I am, Mary. Or
what... where I'm from. It doesn't
matter. I'm a man. I am every man.
67.
MARY
(sizing up his words)
You probably get a lot of practice
explaining yourself, on account of who
you are and what you do.
HANCOCK
Why... do you say that?
MARY
It's like, everything you say sounds...
so perfect. Like you rehearse them so
they'll be that way. I mean, not to say
that it's insincere...
(BEAT)
I mean, maybe it's something about you
but... it must be hard on you sometimes.
Hancock stares at his feet, perhaps reluctant to answer.
MARY (CONT' D)
(APOLOGETIC)
But probably not... probably..
HANCOCK
Yes...
(pulling teeth)
sometimes.
Mary allows the moment to sink in.
MARY
So, you never answered. Back there...
what were you doing in the middle of the
street?
HANCOCK
(THINKS)
I was lost...
(EXHALES)
. but I think I'm ok, now.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
Trash cans fly. Paper, swept up and sent aflutter. We've seen
this before - Aaron, running for his life and the bullies in
pell-mell pursuit.
He cuts into an alley. Looses them momentarily. Finds a DUMPSTER
to his liking.
68.
Erlick. Spengler. They zoom by and with great eagerness.
Perceval strolls after them, too cool to sweat.
From the dumpster, little Aaron watches them... looks
relieved... until conscience kicks in. A moment to reflect, he
takes.
AARON
(HANCOCK)
" before long, you're running, looking
for a place to hide."
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
Erlick and Spengler - at a dead end. Their trail leads them to a
metal FENCE, the alley continuing beyond it. No time wasted
they scale it.
Perceval arrives - in time to see Erlick, landing on the other
side. Spengler pulls himself over. Joins Erlick on the ground.
PERCEVAL
Shit, I'm not climbing this. Just combed
my hair.
Erlick and Spengler turn to him, through the metal bars. Their
eyes are of disbelief.
PERCEVAL (CONT'D)
What's up?
(checks his hair)
What?
Perceval follows their gaze behind him to Aaron, shivering
with clenched fists.
PERCEVAL (CONT'D)
(rolls up sleeves)
I just combed my hair.
Erlick and Spengler make for the fence, to join the fray.
PERCEVAL (CONT'D)
Don't bother. He's mine.
(to Aaron)
No biting. I hate biting.
SPENGLER
Kick his ass, Percy.
ERLICK
(OVERLAPPING)
Do him, Percy. He's your woman.
69.
PERCEVAL
Let's go. Let's have it. While we're
still kids.
Nothing from Aaron - just a lot of balls.
PERCEVAL (CONT'D)
Dick wad, let's go. Come on, you impotent
little gonad.
(BEAT)
Your mother chokes on big, hard, veiny,
purple-headed shlongs the size of...
All Aaron needs to hear. He charges - comatose.
And the pummeling begins. Perceval dictates the assault, landing
BLOWS to the face and body.
Aaron - doing an impression of a punching bag. He wafts at air,
left and right...
ERLICK
He's yours.
SPENGLER
Save some for us.
Someone blinks - and Aaron finds himself on the dirt, supine.
Perceval looms over him, silhouetted against the sky.
He reaches for his zipper, doing that Perceval-thing. A look of
recognition in Aaron's eyes - it's going to rain soon.
He reacts with knee-jerk reflects, administering a swift kick
into Perceval's peeing apparatus. A faint SQUEAL eructs from the
fellow's mouth. He drops like a wet tea bag.
Erlick. Spengler. Shock. Disbelief. Aaron gets to his feet,
ready to book... but he doesn't. He stays.
ERLICK
What's he doing?
SPENGLER
Kick his ass, Percy.
Aaron stares at them, behind the fence. Then down at Perceval
fetal position, mouth agape. Aaron reaches for his zipper ZIP,
revenge presents itself.
ERLICK
That's cold.
?0.
SPENGLER
Kill him, Percy.
Aaron cranes himself over Perceval's face, over his open oral
orifice. Contemplates his target.
Aaron - to pee or not to pee...
ZIP. He closes his fly. Steps away.
AARON
(to the boys)
Don't mess with me.
He struts out of the alley. Shifts into a mad sprint, adrenaline
taking him away.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Horus sleeps. Mary enters from the hallway, hush-hush. She moves
to the closet. Changes out of her clothes.
Not a stir from Horus - exercising stealth in his efforts to
watch her, watching her sweater fall to the carpet.
Mary stands before the closet mirror. Does a profile check. She
reaches for her bra... and from the mirror, catches Horus
staring,.
MARY
You're still up?
She moves behind the bathroom door. Self-conscious.
HORUS
Just get in?
Mary steps out of the bathroom, buttoning up her domestic
attire. She nods affirmatively.
MARY
Nick's market. Are you sick?
HORUS
I can't sleep.
She goes to the bed. Palms his forehead with her right. Palms
her own with the left, as reference.
Horus tilts his head away from her hand.
71.
HORUS (CONT'D)
Please, Mary.
MARY
You want some milk? I'll heat it up for
you, how about that?
HORUS
No thank you.
(BEAT)
Aaron, today? This Hancock 's picking up
MARY
Yes, he is.
He sits there in bed, struggling with the words. Mary continues
dressing - oblivious.
HORUS
He'll take him home?
MARY
Yes.
HORUS
What do we know about this man? The
papers... they don't have all the facts
about him.
MARY
What facts? He's not a hero.
HORUS
Yes. A hero. I know that...
MARY
Aaron likes him.
HORUS
(TIMID)
I know that maybe, I've been
neglectful... that I haven't been
there...
Mary does not hear him. She's at the mirror, fixing her hair.
HORUS (CONT' D)
(SERIOUSLY)
I'm trying... you have to know... I'd
like to be more... involved. Like it used
to be. Before we moved here.
(MORE)
72.
HORUS (CONT' D)
(notices Mary, applying
LIPSTICK)
Are you going somewhere?
MARY
No. I have to start on dinner. So how
about that glass of milk?
Horus - shakes his head, annoyed.
MARY (CONT' D)
All right. Try to get some sleep.
With that, she's out the door.
Horns alone in bed, staring into the vanity mirror at his
wretched face.
He spots a brown paper BAG on the chair. Goes to inspect. Inside
- Hancock's tattered trenchcoat. Oy, what does it mean?
Horus returns to bed, distraught. He buries himself under the
cover.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Aaron races down the. last leg of his street. On the steps of his
apartment building - Hancock, making himself at home. Yes, a
cigarette smolders from his lips..
Hancock looks at the boy. They share a second of silence.
And finally, Hancock-puts out his hand - he approves. Aaron,
triumphant, SMACKS it for five.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
The dinner table. Post meal. Mid-digestion. Aaron is running off
at the mouth.
AARON
.o his mouth was. open and he just stared
up at me, it hurt that bad.
And while he narrates, Mary runs her fingers through his hair -
a mother grooming her child. Meanwhile, Horus listens concerned.
AARON (CONTD.)
(CONTINUING)
I said, "don't mess with me." Just like
that.
(MORE)
73.
AARON (CONT'D)
"Don't mess with me." Mom, remember that
guy in the cop movie... he said that?
MARY
All right, already. How's your mouth?
AARON
It doesn't hurt, I told you.
(CONTINUING)
He saw everything from the roof. Said I
did what I had to do.
HORUS
(FINALLY)
Aaron, tomorrow...
AARON
(to Mary; oblivious)
He said tomorrow, he'd pi ck me up
again...
HORUS
I thought maybe you'd like it -- if I
pick you.
AARON
God, my friends will freak.
Horus freezes - fades back to his meal, unheard.
0
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Through the dim of light - Horus, alone, prepares for work.
A framed PHOTOGRAPH of a distinguished MAN (50's) sits on the
shelf inside the closet - he poses in full police regalia, stern
and proud.
Horus pauses to acknowledge the photograph. He closes the closet
door.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
On the kitchen floor and under the light - Mary and Aaron,
mother giving son a HAIRCUT.
MARY
Hold still.
AARON
I like it long.
MARY
Shut up.
74.
Horus walks into the living room,. in the dark. He looks at his
wife, then at his son - doing their own thing. They don't
realize he's there.
Horus leaves, the door'CLICKS shut behind him.
MARY (CONT'D)
Horus?
AARON
it's almost eight. Dad's late.
MARY
Horus?
She brushes hair off her apron. Moves into the living room, the
bedroom - no husband. She goes to the front door. Opens it into
the stairway outside.
There on the stairs and down below, Hancock stands - on his way
up. Mary sees him... and they look at each other.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
In the kitchen and under the light, Mary. Hancock. Aaron. Mary
is finishing up on Aaron, applying the last SNIP.
AARON
like this?
(holds up hand)
How do you make a fist?
MARY
(grabs his head)
Aaron, hold it.
Hancock shoves his fist up close, almost between the boy's eyes.
So there it is, the fist - this petrified mass of knuckles and
bones. It SNARLS at Aaron.
Hancock holds it there, fingers locked together - like he can't
let go of them.
Aaron swallows - in awe. Mary watches her guest, the change in
him.
MARY (CONT'D)
Hancock?
The sound of her voice takes him. He snaps out of it.
15.
MARY (CONY' D)
(CONTINUING
) turn. Hancock, it's yo ur
HANCOCK
What?
MARY
Your hair. Come on, have a seat.
AARON
Mom's going butcher your hair.
MARY
Shut up, kid. Hit the showers. And the n
homework.
AARON
Oh, mom. I want to talk to him. Tell her,
Hancock.
Hancock shrugs a "what can I do."
AARON (CONT' D)
Yeah, right. I know. I got to do what I
got to do.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
The Big Haircut. Mary and Hancock - up close. Mary runs her
fingers through his hair, testing his length. She leans into
him. SNIP, goes her scissor.
Hancock - in his seat, as hard as marble. He seems a bit lost in
her presence. Baffled.
From his position, the view consists of Mary - blossoming in her
sweater.
And that's it. Not a word during this process - just the SOUND
of their breaths.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Hancock.
Erected before us, the immediate product of a mediocre haircut -
he looks plain and un-super. He looks... goofy.
MARY
There... my hero.
He inspects himself via a hand MIRROR. Smiles. Politely.
76.
MARY (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
How do you like it?
HANCOCK
Nice. Thank you.
Mary - peripatetic, putting away things...
MARY
I started out just trimming for Horus.
Here and there. He had to look just right
for the academy, says his father, a
police captain there... in Philly. When
we moved here, I pretty much took over as
the resident barber. You know, to save
some money.
HANCOCK
He was in the-police academy?
A pause.
MARY
His father's idea. Not his. He went
through it anyway, like he had something
to prove... the validation of his
manhood.
(BEAT)
It tpok everything out of him. He didn't
talk for days after he was cut. He took
it real hard. I mean, still, he's not...
I mean,, he's still...
(edits herself)
.it was a difficult time for hi.. Me. I
understand that I'm not intolerant of it,
the working-through process. It's just
that, sometimes...
(at Hancock)
sometimes, I need his strength. I
miss. the strength.
HANCOCK
Is that what you want?
MARY
Want?
HANCOCK
What you need?
MARY
The hair... I need to...
77.
She kneels to sweep up hair. Hancock follows her down.
HANCOCK
Mary?
MARY
Yes?
HANCOCK
(BEAT)
You ever been down the boardwalk, at
night?
MARY
Why... what for?
They're eye to eye. Close.
AARON (O.S.)
Mom?
Mary bursts from her perch - regroups, awkwardly. Aaron stands
in the hallway, his hair still wet from the shower.
MARY
Yes.
Inside Aaron's head: My mother + Hancock? Nah!
AARON
my mouth. It's starting to swell. I
think he loosened a tooth.
Mary - maternal duty calls.
MARY
All right. Go to your room. I'll get the
ice pack.
Aaron exits. Mary exits.
Hancock - alone and on his knees. He finally rises. Heads for
the front door.
Mary returns with the ice pack. Catches him...
MARY (CONT' D)
You're leaving?
HANCOCK
It's getting late.
78.
MARY
I'm sorry.
HANCOCK
I'm going to take a walk.
MARY
Really? On the boardwalk?
HANCOCK
Maybe.
Pause.
AARON (O.S.)
Mom.'
MARY
I'm sorry.
She goes to him, without words to say. In this silence, he
stares at her his eyes, glazed with thought.
HANCOCK
(FINALLY)
Good night, Mary.
MARY
Good night.
INT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
The clock - 9:45 pm.
The store rests in afterhour stillness. Horus paces by the side
door, his ears pressed to the phone receiver - no answer.
He hangs up. Checks his watch. Goes to the front entrance and
peers out at the street - no Roheim.
INT. BAR - NIGHT
The bar. The smoke. The scums of humanity. Gina - over there,
marketing her cleavage to anything with a pulse and a penis.
She mingles with a BAR FLY.
Her eyes locate Hancock - entering, finding a seat.
From an adjacent stool, A MAN places his hand on Hancock's lap.
Whispers to him.
79.
MAN
I wear dresses. How about you?
HANCOCK
(considers; nah)
Get lost.
The warning comes across quite well - the man exits.
Gina saunters over - takes the vacancy. At the other end, the
bar fly rises. Pays. Heads pass them, for the door.
GINA
(to bar fly)
Meet you outside. The El Camino, right?
The bar fly nods. Exits. Gina turns to Hancock. Takes his face
in her hands, studies him.
GINA (CONT'D)
Your eyes are calm. It's good.
She withdraws her hands.
HANCOCK
What?
GINA
But you're still here.
She rises. And as she makes for the exit...
GINA (CONT'D)
Nice haircut.
Hancock watches as the night swallows her whole. He inhales the
rest of his cigarette - pensive.
CUT TO:
INT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
The clock, it reads 1:05 am.
Horns, his flashlight, they're making their rounds. His routine
takes him outside - via an EXIT door.
EXT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
A dark alley. Dumpsters. Boxes.
Horus peruses the premises. Heads around the building and to the
street.:.
80.
. as a ragged FIGURE collapses onto.him. It's Roheim and he's
been drinking, right?
HORUS
Dear God.
Horus catches him.
INT. WATANABE'S - NIGHT
They find a chair in the back, Horus Positioning Roheim in the
light. The old man isn't drunk - his mouth agape, his face
bruised with wounds from a serious pummeling.
A chunk of lip dangles, bleeds.
HORUS
Jesus.
Goes to the bathroom sink for some paper towels. Comes back to
nurse' the wounds.
ROHEIM
Figured I can get you by the front... but
you weren't there.
HORUS
(dabbing the torn lip)
Who... what happened?
ROHEIM
They-jumped me. That bastard Scarpo and
his boys. They were waiting on me.
Returns to get more clean towels. And comes back.
HORUS
Why didn't you come through the back...
standing out there in the dark?
ROHEIM
-Couldn't find my keys. Must've dropped
them'in the fight.
(feels his lip)
Shit...
He works himself off the chair. Heads inside the bathroom.
HORUS
What're you doing?
81.
ROHEIM
(into the mirror)
the old man
Look at what they did.. gave
a fat lip to match his big mouth. I'm for
shit.
HORUS
(FRUSTRATION)
Sit down
Could you knock it off, please.
so I can clean the cuts.
He leads the old wretch back to the chair.
ROHEIM
I'm a waste of time...
HORUS
Stop.
ROHEIM
I'm too old for this.
HORUS
You're not old.
ROHEIM
What am I... I'm biologically challenged.
Any way you look, I'm a waste of effort.
(BEAT)
I
Use to be, I blame the job. The job.
think, bullshit job. Not right for a man.
"To observe and record..." I say, what a t's for
the hell is DIo nly
dogs. They got a d o o gs in t g g hisn
reason we're he d re, we don't shit on the
carpet.
Horus looks away. Doesn't want to hear it.
ROHEIM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
But you know what, Horus. That's all
wrong. It ain't the job. The job don't
make the man. It's me. Not the uniform.
It starts right here... 'cause I can't do
anything right. Fuck up my ABC's.
(a beat; at Horus)
But you. Why do you put up with this
crap? A wife. A kid. There... waiting for
you at home.
Horus - he just doesn't know anymore.
82.
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILES - NIGHT
On the rooftop of this building - Hancock, on another end of a
Marlboro. Eyes red. Hair in wet dishevelment. He's a mess.
HANCOCK
got to do what you got to do.
He paces with nervous energy, pounding his fist into the other
hand. We sense a decision brewing...
INT. THE LONGFELLOW BEDROOM - NIGHT
A desk clock points to 2:30 am.
Mary - awake undercover. She twists, turns...
A shadow engulfs the side of her wall, smothering the light in
the room. Mary catches it. Rises above her blanket.
What she sees - outside the window, Hancock hanging there in non-
gravity. He stares directly at her.
HANCOCK
I know you're up, Mary. I know you can
hear me. Please meet me on the boardwalk
tomorrow morning. Nine o'clock. It's
important that I talk to y ou, then.
(GRAVELY)
Please, Mary.
And with that, he's off and away. Mary.- stunned.
CUT TO:
INT. ROHEIM'S APARTMENT - DAY
We're in the staircase - where Horus is, supporting Roheim up
the stairs.
ROHEIM
They're going to can me.
HORUS
No one's canning anyone. No one saw us...
watch your step... leave.
ROHEIM
Should be an extra key over the door.
83.
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
In the kitchen, Mary and Aaron - the morning routine. Something
is off this morning, like someone threw a wrench into the
machinery.
Mary appears a bit frazzled, handing her son toasts. She rushes
back to the stove - her eggs beckoning.
AARON
The toast's burnt.
MARY
What?
Aaron inspects his Superman lunchbox.
AARON
We're late... you forgot the corn chips.
Mary serves up-the eggs - sunny side up. 1. and down... and all
over the place.
MARY
Eat... and we'll go.
(checks her watch)
Where's your father?
She grabs a comb and proceeds to part Aaron's hair.
AARON
You forgot the corn...
(the comb snags)
. ouch!
MARY
I'm'sorry, honey. I was hoping daddy'll
be home before we leave. I'm sorry.
AARON
You having your period, mom?
She responds with a brisk slap to the head... SMACK.
INT. ROHEIM'S APARTMENT - DAY
We enter an anal-retentively neat and manicured living room.
Horus ushers Roheim in...
ROHEIM
Shoes.
The two pause. Remove their shoes. Proceed into bedroom.
84.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Horus sets Roheim down on the bed. Tucks him under.
HORUS
You're going to be okay?
ROHEIM
I don't know. You might have solo act
tomorrow night.
HORUS
Get some sleep.
ROHEIM
You're a good man, Horus.
HORUS
(washing over it)
I have to get home, now. I'll call.
Roheim grabs on to his sleeve.
ROHEIM
You know what Olga said before she walked
out on me? Her last words to me. She
turned at the front door. Looked around
the room and she says, "keep it clean."
That's it, can you believe it? Then out
the door.
(BEAT)
But like a.shmuck,.I keep the place
spotless... in case she walks through
that door one day.
(at Horus; with pain)
I don't think she's coming back.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Horus struggles homeward - his mind in a headlock with anger,
despair, a combination thereof.
He moves down his street. Looks ahead - where Clyde stands,
pillaging his morning paper. Clyde Spots Horus on the approach.
Smiles at him, with impunity. Goes back in.
On Horus - you can boil an egg in his seething mouth.
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
Fist clenched, the morning paper under his arm - Horus. steadies
down the hallway. His eyes target the door at the end of the hall, seeing red.
85.
He gets there, the door. He swallows. Wipes sweat off his hand.
KNOCK. And again, KNOCK.
�ow
He fidgets in his spot - courage evaporating with every elapsed
second. Until finally, Horus is a pile of dung.
The door opens.
And Clyde emerges, tall and ugly. He's holding up his pants with
one and the SPORTS PAGE with the other.
Caughtin mid-defecation, he is none too happy.
CLYDE
The box scores are waiting and I got an
inch of meat sticking out of my ass. Make
it snappy.
HORUS
(loosing his voice)
I'd like my sports page, please.
CLYDE
You what?
HORUS
I want you to stop taking my sports page.
CLYDE
All right.
Clyde closes the door. Horus - thunderstruck.
He stutter-steps... KNOCKS...
CLYDE (CONT' D)
(AGITATED)
What's the matter, you deaf? I'll stop
taking your sports page. Now get out of
here and let me...
HORUS
(INTERRUPTS)
I want today's sports page.
CLYDE
You what?
HORUS
That there... my sports page.
86.
CLYDE
What's gotten in to you? All of a sudden?
You don't even like football.
Horus does.not budge.
CLYDE (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
You'll get it back... after I take my
dump.
Clyde proceeds to close the door... but Horus interjects, his
foot in the door.
HORUS
No.
CLYDE
What?
HORUS
No. I would like my sports page now.
Please.
CLYDE
After I finish.
HORUS
I'd prefer it now.
CLYDE
What's eating you, Longfella? You crazy?
Without warning, Horus wrests the sports page from Clyde's arm
a kamikaze move, indeed.
CLYDE (CONT'D)
(SHOCKED)
Give that back.
Horns lunges at his hulking opponent, lands a punch into Clyde's
midsection. Harmless - it tickles him, maybe.
CLYDE (CONT'D)
Why'd you go and do that for?
Clyde belts up has pants. Roles up his sleeves.., and the
massacre commences.
He simply tears into Horus... SLOWS to the stomach... RIGHTS
across the face. It ends quickly and without resistance - as if
Horns accepted it as fate.
87.
Clyde 'kneels over. Picks up the sports page. And as if yawning,
returns to his room.
KAW/
CUT TO:
EXT. SCHOOLYARD - DAY
By the fence - Mary and Aaron.
Mary, with a brown paper BAG, seems.distant, preoccupied in a
far away place.
AARON
Are you all right, mom?
MARY
(DISTRACTED)
Yeah... why?
AARON
You're acting weird.
MARY
(didn't hear)
What?
AARON
I'm late for class. Go home, mom. I think
it's time for your nap.
Aaron leaves.
Pensive, Mary begins her walk... to the boardwalk.
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
The door swings open to admit Horus - battered, enraged,
disoriented. He confronts an empty apartment.
HORUS
Mary!
A deaf ear. No one's there to console him. He storms out of the
apartment.
EXT. BOARDWALK - DAY
The ocean RAGES against the shore, in the distance and at some
muffled volume.
Up against the railing leans Hancock, and the remains of a
cigarette. His hair drips of salt water - he's been here a
while, one would suspect.
88.
COP (O.S.)
Come back here! Stop him!
In the background, a COP commences pursuit on a THIEF.
The thief dashes by - pass an indifferent Hancock. The cop
follows suit, passing by.
COP (CONT'D)
Stop him!
Hancock - his gaze wavers not from the distant waters.
EXT..STREET - DAY
Horus stumbles. Keeps his balance. Trudges down the street to a
corner BAR.
INT. BAR - DAY
The bar is empty at this hour. The chairs are up, the floor
swept. A husky BARTENDER unloads liquor in the back.
Horus enters. Finds a stool.
HORUS
Drink.
The bartender comes out, considers this man's appearance.
HORUS (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING)
Is this a bar... or what? Drink.
(uncomfortable with his own
RUDENESS)
Please.
EXT. BOARDWALK - DAY
Mary stands there on the boardwalk, the bag in her arms.
It's cold this morning. A little wind has picked up. And the
clouds - they're alive, restless.
She finds Hancock, staring at her, waiting for. her.
HANCOCK
Hi.
(EMBARRASSED)
Thank you for being here.
MARY
Is everything all right?
89.
Hancock has no response.
U
MARY (CONT' D)
(CONCERNED)
What's wrong?
HANCOCK
(constipated; following some
THOUGHT)
It's cold.
Mary and Hancock - we notice, they look good together.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(at the clouds)
They're moving. The turbulence has
started.
MARY
Tell me what's wrong.
He points to the distant ocean - where the horizon curves into
darkness.
HANCOCK
Look out there and what do you see, Mary?
MARY
(PERPLEXED)
Nothing. I don't know... I don't see
anything.
HANCOCK
see it,can
It's out there. But you can't
Y nu?
(beat; holding on to a thread)
And that's good, not seeing. But for me,
I've seen it. It's where I'm from... out
there.
MARY
Please, Hancock. What are you talking
about? What's out there?
HANCOCK
Duty.
(beat; at Mary)
You ask a man, Mary, and he'll tell you.
He'll say: "you do what you have to do."
Or what? You let the next guy do it for
you, if you don't... if you can't.
(losing it)
And... but. If I can't, then who?
(MORE)
90.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
The next guy? No. There is no "I can't."
Just "I must."
Mary - watching a grown superman unravel.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
But I don't ask, "why me?" I don't
question it. This is me. I'm it. I do
what I have to do. I get in there.., all
the killing... the blood... and I deal
with it. I clean up. I make things right.
(BEAT)
And. But when.., where does it end?
(re: his cape)
Can't stop the hemorrhage... it's
everywhere. And it stays. All that I can
do, Mary. The things I am capable of
doing, I can't blink away the hell I've
seen. It's in me...
(points to his head)
in here and I can't not think about
it. It's in me. It's me.
MARY
Hancock... what...
HANCOCK
I just want to let go, Mary. Or I'll
break. I need to get away. Get away to
where? I don't know.
(at Mary)
I need your help.
MARY
Me? What can I do?
(she's helpless)
What do you want me to do?
HANCOCK
I want you to save me.
MARY
How?
Hancock leans forward. Towards Mary. And kisses her.
Their lips lock, twisted and entwined... until Mary, composing
her senses, pulls away.
MARY (CONT'D)
Don ' t.
91.
HANCOCK
(DESPERATE)
Save me.
MARY
I can't.
HANCOCK
You can.
(the hard sell)
AND
Mary,-I'll take you away. And Aaron.
what... I'll quit. Get a real job. An
apartment. I'll flip burgers. I don't
know what I'm doing... what I'm saying
anymore.
MARY
(OVERLAPPING)
I'm married.
A pause.
HANCOCK
To whom?
MARY
I love him.
The death blow.
HANCOCK
No.
(turns from her)
Unacceptable.
MARY
I love him. I'm sorry.
One can almost hear life's precious air seeping out of this
superman - he'd slump over if not for the muscles of steel.
Mary wants to console... but what can she do?
HANCOCK
I'm cold.
Mary hands him the contents of the bag - the trenchcoat.
MARY
I'm sorry.
92.
She leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. BRADLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - DAY
Aaron. The school hallway. He holds a wooden hall PASS,
indicating that class is in session.
He swings into the BOYS ROOM.
INT. BOYS ROOM - DAY
A large restroom - empty. Little Aaron passes up on the urinals.
Selects a private STALL. ZIP - urination begins.
Splash segues into drip. DRIP. Aaron shakes off the last drop...
PLOP.
And that's the cue for the adjacent stalls - arms like tentacles
surface from below, shackling Aaron in his spot. He can't see
but, from behind, the stall door opens...
Guess who?
Perceval - possessed. He grabs the back of Aaron's head.
Introduces it to the yellowed waters below.
SPLASH - the head goes in, submerged. What Aaron sees for the
next several seconds: yellow, the thrashing of.bubbles, the
shine.-of white porcelain at.intimate range.
What he hears: the GASPING of his own breath, GURGLE, and wicked
laughter.
The ambush ends. Perceval. Erlick. Spengler. One of them says...
THEM
(MOCKINGLY)
"Don't mess with me."
They leave - laughing.
THEM (CONT'D)
(in the distant)
Little shit.
Left there and in the stall - Aaron, slumped against the bowl.
On the tile floor. A wet rag of piss.
93.
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
Mary hurries into the room - flustered, adrenaline coursing
wild.
She runs down the hallway to her bedroom, seeking solace in
Horns. The cold, empty bed says he hasn't been home.
MARY
Horus...
CUT TO:
EXT. SCHOOLYARD - DAY
The school front. KIDS swarm into the streets, freshly released
from captivity. And there amidst bedlam - Aaron, roughed-up and
soiled in disgrace.
He moves to the curb, waiting for someone to take him away. No
Hancock, anywhere.
Aaron waits, hopeful.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Hancock walks an aimless walk - in oblivion, a WHISKEY BOTTLE in
his hand. He's been drinking. L"i
in his path and up ahead, a little girl SUE (8) beckons at the
upper branches of a tree.
SUE
(so innocent, her voice)
Hymie. Come down, Hymie.
She catches Hancock, Mr..Superhero who can fly, stumbling by.
SUE (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING)
Mister? My Hymie won't come down from the
tree.
Hancock's reaction - "what?"
SUE (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
My pussycat. She won't come down.
She stares up at him with big, blue, sad, helpless, innocent
eyes.
94.
So cool, Hancock reaches down for a PEBBLE - takes it in his
palm. Finds the little pussy named Hymie. And with a simple
flick of the wrist... shoots it down.
A sharp MEOW. punctuates the task. Hymie drops from the branch,
limp and lifeless. A THUD we hear on impact.
SUE (CONT'D)
(so innocent, her voice)
Holy fuck.
Hancock resumes his course, taking off and into the wet sky.
EXT. SKY - DAY
Hancock's drunken flight - erratic and dangerously close to...
BAM... buildings. He strikes the corner of a brick tower,
plummeting downward with the dislocated debris.
He bounces off the concrete -.in an alley.
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
Mary is on the sofa - wondering where Horus might be. She checks
h er watch.
EXT. SCHOOLYARD - DAY
The place is empty. Deserted.
Aaron. On the curb. Some trash flutters by his feet. On his face
- the abandonment of all hope. Nobody's coming, this is clear.
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
Hancock - on his back and amidst the rubble.
He braces the building to get up. Drops. Gets to his feet, only
to be confronted by the police officer from the boardwalk.
We'll call this one officer REED - a beat cop with something
stiff up his ass.
REED
What do we have here? A piece of shit.
A slow look of recognition seizes his face - this is that
superguy.
Hancock stares at him.
95.
HANCOCK
(HUMORLESS)
Fuck off.
He pushes past Reed, who acquieces willingly.
EXT. STREET - DAY
A
Aaron. Walking home. Dejected. His eyes catch a glimpse of
particular pedestrian down the street - Hancock. He gives
chase... and confronts him, out of breath.
AARON
(a slight smile)
Hi.
HANCOCK
(turning; drunk)
What're you doing here?
AARON
(the smile fades)
I saw you walking. Where were you today?
You said you'd... be there.
Hancock - looking over Aaron's abused frame.
HANCOCK
I don't know what you're talking about.
AARON
Where are you going? Can I go?
HANCOCK
You don't want to go where I'm going.
AARON
Those assholes got me in the bathroom,
today...
(trying to hold on)
and you said you'd pick me up at
school.
Hancock turns. He's upset now.
HANCOCK
Listen.
Aaron recoils.
HANCOCK (CONY' D)
(CONTINUING)
Listen. I'm not here to save you.
(MORE)
1
96.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
No, not my job. Don't put that on me.
(pounds his chest)
Not my problem. Not on my shoulders. Deal
with it, kid. You are what you are and...
what I say, it won't do you any change.
You'll grow up to be just like-your old
man. A coward. Not a damn thing you can
do about it... 'cept grab both ankles,
hope by the grace of God the reaming's
gentle.
Aaron backs away from his angry wrath.
HANCOCK (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING)
That's right. Walk away. Me... I'm not
here to save you.
He watches Aaron break 1into a run - another youngster dashed
against the rocks.
In Hancock's eyes - a .glint of regret. But only a glint.
INT. BAR - DAY
This empty bar.
With the exception of Horus and the bartender - while he's
drying some mugs, let's call him JOEY (30).
HORUS
(BOOZED)
One.more.
Joey studies him. He takes a mug and begins to fill it...
HORUS (CONT'D)
No... nevermind.
(going to blow)
Where's your bathroom?
JOEY
(not in my place)
Bathroom's closed.
Horus politely stands'- teeters a bit.
HORUS
How much.
JOEY
(SARCASM)
Let's see... that's one beer. Tell you
what. I'll take care of this one.
97.
HORUS
Thank you.
JOEY
The register ain't open yet, anyhow.
Horus doesn't hear him. He's already on the move, making a dash
for the door. But too late - he VOMITS at the front entrance.
JOEY (CONT'D)
Shit.
EXT. HADES - DAY
In the armpit of town - Hancock. He lights a cigarette with the
matchbook Gina had given him earlier.
At attention before him - Gina, gnawing on gum, heaving in all
her glory.
GINA
I've been waiting.
They stare for one horny beat.
Hancock moves into her. Buries his head into her bosoms, looking
for solace. She takes him in, very maternal this Gina.
\./
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
The front door opens, but slowly. Aaron steps inside.
From the kitchen, Mary spots him in his violated condition. He
sees her reaction, that of shock - and like that, he runs
s obbing into her arms.
CUT TO:
EXT. HADES - DAY
A phone booth - Gina's office.
There in the back alley and in this glass booth - Hancock and
Gina, their organs ensnared. They're pumping away. Up. Down.
A surreal sight, indeed - the red of his cape and the black of
her leather.
GINA
Come on, baby. Relax.
HANCOCK
I can't.
98.
GINA
You can.
The phone begins to RING - but they're busy.
HANCOCK
I can't.
GINA
Let it go, baby. Just let it...
RING...
HANCOCK
(in tears)
I can't.
His arm rips through the glass...
GINA
. go.
(ORGASMS)
Oh god.
HANCOCK
I can't!
RING...
He DRILLS a hole into the phone - killing it.'
GINA
Don't give up, now.
He lets her down. Tears out of the booth. Finds the sky.
EXT. SHEEPSHEAD BAY - NIGHT
There is movement in the sky above - aggressive formations and
grooves in clouds once coy and demure. The wind HUMS its
presence, toys with fallen leaves.
'INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
It's dinner - but all is not well. Mary and Aaron and an empty
chair. '
They sit without talking.. They eat without making a sound.
Between them - a ketchup bottle.
The door bursts wide, coughing up Horus. He locates his chair
and plops on it... misses... kisses the carpet.
99.
HORUS
(on the ground; prone)
Son. Go to your room.
Struggles to his knees.
MARY
What happened toyou?
AARON
Dad, are you wasted?
MARY
Where... Aaron, he's not wasted. Go to
your room.
AARON
He is wasted.
Horus rises, under great difficulty. Feels his way to the sofa.
When Mary tries to assist, he waves her away.
HORUS
Aaron. Go to your room.
AARON
But dad...
MARY
(AUTHORITY)
Go!
Aaron obliges, at reluctant pace.
MARY (CONT' D)
What do you think you're doing, Horus
Longfellow?
Horus gauges her.
HORUS
Don't "Horus Longfellow" me, Mary. I'm
not your child. I'm your husband.
MARY
Horus, what're you talking about?
(re: bruises)
Who did this to your face?
Horus rises from his seat with mustered strength.
100.
HORUS
(OBLIVIOUS)
But you didn't know-about me...
Mary knows where this is headed.
HORUS (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING)
You didn't know I was going to do this to
you.
(a half-chuckle)
I guess I should've known. We were
married and I knew... at the reception. I
couldn't dance. so I sat in the back and
watched. You were with Stuart Olmsted and
I watched you dance. In your white dress.
And I remember zoning out... for a
second, just watching you. God, Mary...
the little girl next door who used to get
into fist fights with her brothers in
those patched-up Toughskins. We met only
'cause the tallest tree in the
neighborhood was in my backyard and you
needed to climb it.
(BEAT)
But that night. God, you looked so
beautiful I.had to realize it... how much
I loved you... one more time.
(BEAT)
You and Stuart danced. Laughed. And I
remember I'm watching you there, with
him... together like that. You looked
good with him, I thought all of a sudden.
Like you belong... better. And as I
stared across the floor, it was the same
story with all the guys there, that they
were more right for you.
(SWALLOWS)
More right because that night, you walked
in with the wrong man.
MARY
Why do you say that?
HORUS
Because I let you down.
(BEAT)
I'm a coward. I can't do anything about
it. Look at me, I'm breaking up in front
of you. And God, I fear the day when I'd
have to defend you and Aaron. What do I
do, then? What am I if I can't do that...
my own wife, family? Not a man.
101.
MARY
(ballistic) L
are. Did
You're a fool, that's what you
you think I was completely blind when I
married you? Something cuts at your
masculine ego and it's the pressure...
the standard's unreasonable. The woman,
she wants me to part oceans. That's the
kind of bull shit's made of. I went w
through it...,I was there when the hurt
came, when the academy said no. I
there. And when you felt like hiding...
from me and your ownforward. taking
Rent job, I stepped
It was you, Horus Longfellow. otile. I
didn't take the love away.
here.
the closet,
Horus stands there - tears, almost. He takes to his security
retrieving his U-Rent Security Jacket. He grabs
hat. Straightens his hair. Puts it on.
MARY (CONT' D)
Horns, what are you doing?
Inserts the flashlight into his holster.
HORUS
All that I can do.
the frontdoor.
And with that, stumbles out of
MARY
Horus!
INT. BROWNSTONE - NIGHT
A dark room somewhere. Close on the top of aBdr dresser - a framed The e
picture of a happy Ted "the police captain"
begins to RATTLE.
AND
It comes from a BED g twrithingNintherrposit onI over
obscured from view, iearidin
s 1 he can.
a Hancock. She's doing the best
GIRL
Come on, baby. What's... wrong?
The picture of Ted "the police captain" Brock succumbs to the
rattle. It DROPS off
102.
DREAM SEQUENCE - SOMEWHERE
EXPLODES into the rage and fury of an apartment fire.
Casualties come in the form of CRIES, women and children on the v erge of incineration.
Hancock's POV: a burning hallway, flames spewing from every
crevice - we're walking through Hell.
We see a BOY, huddled under a table. Hancock wraps his cape
around him. Bolts through the inferno... as glass SHATTERS...
and gas pipes ERUPT.
He takes the boy to safety. Unwraps the cape... only to see the
CHARRED remains of a human BODY...
the-CRIES, they continue...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
The room is dark, of course. A BED - as the SQUEAKING of springs
suddenly stops.
A woman's VOICE says...
VOICE
What's the matter?
HAN000K
I need a cigarette.
VOICE
You what? But you haven't...
HANCOCK
(losing it)
I need a cigarette, goddamn it!
He storms from the bed. Heads for the bathroom.
VOICE
I don't smoke. What's wrong with you?
She rises after him and into view - it's no other than the TV
reporter, in the flesh. She bounces over to the bathroom, as the
door SLAMS shut.
REPORTER
What're you doing?
103.
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Hancock stares into the mirror - a face in the latter stages of
deterioration.
And in disgust, he swipes EVERYTHING off the sink.
REPORTER (O.S.)
What're you doing, in there! I'm calli ng
the police.
Hancock drops his pants.
Straight-arms the wall with his left. And with his right,
latches on to his magnanimous member.
Outside and beyond the door, the reporter has her ear pressed
against wood - listening.
So there our superhero stands, bent over a bit, yanking up a
storm. His body convulses under said stimulation. He GROWLS...
Cue for the reporter to back away.
REPORTER (CONT'D)
Jesus...
Hancock stiffens, in full throttle. Full. Throttle...
up and into a fevered pitch... and BOOM, we hear a He GROWLS... P
baby explosion. The reporter leaps back.
Beat.
The bathroom door flies open. Hancock emerges, buttoning his
pants. He brushes pass her. Finds the window... and he's off
with a gush of wind.
The reporter turns back to Looks ins
everywhere, in shambles.. nwke . b nd in the ceiling,�da.9apings
HOLE - seething still fro S m the l A aunch.
REPORTER (CONT'D)
Shit.
EXT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
The store bathroom.
Horus - his reflection in the mirror. He stares at himself.
Disgust.
R
He washes his face.
104.
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
Hancock's P.O.V. - a blurred, wobbly image of an alley. He-takes
a swig from a fresh bottle of whiskey.
He turns a corner... a dark FIGURE jumps him.,, knocks him
against the wall... GUN pointed.
it is the Hoodlum - from before..,
HOODLUM
Scream and I blow...
(not you again!)
oh shit.
Hancock in a foul mood. He brushes the Hoodlum away, sending
flesh and bone against the opposite wall. SNAP goes the landing.
The Hoodlum. Dead.
Hancock - realization. He hastens to the body... limp... broken.
HANCOCK
No... don't. No.
(LOUDER)
No!
He moves away. Angry. Tired. Drunk. Hancock drops against the
wall, beaten...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Aaron's bedroom. Mary -.on the bed, rocking Aaron to sleep as
she finishes off a familiar melody...
MARY
(stroking his hair)
"Once there was a way, to get back
homeward..."
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
Hancock listens.
MARY (V.O.)
once there was a way, to get back
home..."
Her voice grips him. Torments him...
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Mary. Aaron.
105.
MARY
"Sleep pretty darling, do no t cry. And I
will sing a lullaby..."
(WHISPERING)
Good night, darling.
Kisses him.
AARON
Thanks, mom.
MARY
Sleep tight.
She leaves.
Aaron stops her by the door.
AARON
Mom. Tomorrow always feel bette r.
MARY
(SMILES)
Really?
AARON
Probably.
�/
INT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
Horus - on a chair, his face buried in his two hands. He sits
alone, concealed in the darkness.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
In the kitchen - Mary, trying to sift through pieces of the
evening. She finds no comfort.
She moves to the sinks L1oks night. The wind is
alive. And dark cloud ut at the
HANCOCK (O.S.)
(deep; demonic)
Mary.
Mary launches back, cold. Outside the window and in frontrof her
- Hancock, suspended in air. The blood-red of his eyes p
nothing but bad news.
And being so, he EXPLODES through the glass. Glass rains through
trance. n the kitchen, amplifying his e
106.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
(maniacal; drunk)
Amway, anyone?
The pursuit commences - Hancock steadies after Mary, in retreat
around the living room.
MARY
(she's white)
What're you doing?
Hancock closes in. Corners her.
HANCOCK
It's the haircut, Mary.
(strikes his head)
I'm pissed!
Out of nowhere - Aaron charges the caped psychotic. He
trampolines on Hancock's back, trying to saddle him.
AARON
Don't you fucking touch her!
Mary SCREAMS. Hancock cringes, says...
HANCOCK
Shut your mouth.
He swats the kid off his back.
AARON
Don't touch her you bastard!
HANCOCK
You're getting on my nerves.
MARY
Hancock, please.
He reaches down and untangles Mary from her son - she concedes
out of fear for Aaron.
AARON
No! Mom!
MARY
Stay back, Aaron!
Hancock takes her away - like booty. Aaron dangles from his
cape, trying to save his mother.. In vain.
The superhero springs into the night - with his woman.
101.
AARON
(through heavy sobs)
DAD!
INT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
From the depths of defeat - rises, his
attention focused on the bac k Horus responds. Hee
Roheim? Roehim lost his keys...
The back door creeps open. Several under
stealth. They move through enitrs Scarpogand his
thugs.
Horus takes refuge behind the locker, allows them to pass.
THUG #1
(WHISPERING)
Stop grabbing my ass, man.
Horus slides out the back, into the alley. He crosses the street
to a phone. Jabs in 911.
HORUS
Police?
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILE (ROOF) - NIGHT
This dilapidated structure serves as landing pad for Hancock,
easing Mary down with him.
A swift kick and the oor is no more. He drags her down
into the bowels of da roof d rkness.
MARY
What're you doing?
HANCOCK
What I got to do.
CUT TO:
EXT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
The SOUND of distant SIRENS are heard. They arrive binlthe form
of three POLICE CARS - pulling up
From one of the cars - Officer Rutger and Officer Adams, in
control of the situation.
108.
INT. WATANABE'S SHOPPING EMPORIUM - NIGHT
Scarpo and the thugs are at the front door - looking out at
about... five to ten for armed robbery. They're in hysterics.
They observe as Horus emerges from the building across, trying
to assist the authorities.
Scarpo recognizes this one security guard.
SCARPO
Nutri-cop.
THUG #1
He got out.
SCARPO
He's dead, man.
THUG #2
Fuck, we're dead! What, now?
EXT. WATANABE'S DEPARTMENT STORE - NIGHT
Rutgers and Adams - cops with Dirty Harry delusions. They greet
Horus as one would Rodney Dangerfield.
RUTGERS
You did the right thing, Longfellow.
HORUS
(COP)
I saw four. Presumably armed. Only other
way out is through the back.
The cops trade laughs.
RUTGERS
Take a hike, Longfella. Get back in your
hole and watch the law kick some ass.
Horus, reluctant, returns inside his building.
Rutgers moves to work the speakers - his action preempted by the
other COPS.
COP #1
We got something big going down.
(LISTENS)
Shit, all units. What the bell's going
on?
109.
ADAMS
(at the computer)
Killybegs Textiles. The Cap sounds like
he's chewing the rag.
RUTGERS
Fuck, what do we do with this?
COP #1
This is a wrap. Come on, lets roll! All
units.
ADAMS
I don't like the smell of this shit.
INT. WATANABE'S DEPARTMENT STORE - NIGHT
Scarpo. Thugs. They watcherheasqua d cars move out and away.
Disbelief would be an adt
THUG #1
What the...
SCARPO
They're taking off...
THUG #1
Fucking no way.
EXT. ACROSS THE STREET - NIGHT
Horus, watching the red and blue light fade into the night. His
complexion is the color of liquid paper.
INT. WATANABE'S DEPARTMENT STORE - NIGHT
The display TV - tuned to the showdown at Killybegs.
THUG #2
(re: TV)
Check this-out, fellas.
Scarpo. Thug #1, #3. They gather around - watching the woman
reporter do her thing, at the scene.
REPORTER
blocked off the streets. Already,
orders for more substantial fire power
have been requested by the commissioner's
office as police surround the condemned
textile building in an all-out
confrontation with Hancock, superhero-
turned-renegade...
110.
SCARPO
Fuck, you guys know what this means?
THUG #2
We're off the hook, man.
SCARPO
The store's ours.
THUG #3
What about that security guy?
SCARPO
He ain't coming back?
In unison - their FLASHLIGHTS flick on.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
On Horus - as he swallows, backing away and down the street. See
coward run. See coward hide. He disappears around the corner...
. but something pulls him back. He reappears, thinking,
staring at his feet. Destiny awaits him.
CUT TO:
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILE - NIGHT
POLICE UNITS flood this once quiet and forgotten block. S.W.A.T.
teams ooze from vans. COPS kneel behind their cars, guns cocked.
We SEE Ted Brock - he's on the radio, hammering out orders. He
looks pissed.
Rutgers and Adams arrive. They take position next to fellow
COPS.
ADAMS
What's with the Cap? Looks like someone
just fucked his wife, or something.
Nervous smiles from the fellas.
INT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILE - NIGHT
In the wide expanse of this top floor - Hancock and Mary. He
squats before her, calm - unperturbed by the activities outside.
Mary huddles in her spot, occasionally stealing glances outside.
Hancock simply stares at her. At the curves of her gentle frame.
The alcohol's wearing off.
INT. WATANABE'S DEPARTMENT STORE - NIGHT
Scarpo. The Thugs. They sack the emporium, unimpeded.
INT. BACK DOOR - NIGHT
The silhouette figure of Horus - it enters the back room,
bracing the wall for silence. He moves into the store.
From his vantage, several beams of light slice the darkness they
indicate the positions of the thugs.
Horus sneaks in, heads for the second floor.
INT. SPORTING GOODS SECTION - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT
Thug #3 peruses this department.
Moving across the floor on bent knee - Horus, concocting some
desperate strategy. He moves to the GUN counter. Slips his hand
underneath and withdraws a hidden KEY.
LST FLOOR - NIGHT INT. FIP
Scarpo - stuffing his bag with merchandise. He waves Thug #2
over.
SCARPO
Take the show upstairs.
INT. SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT
The gun counter. Horus loads a .45 - it's foreign to his hand.
He rolls out in search for Thug #3, who is by the BASEBALL
aisle. Horus cocks the .45 in pursuit. Sidles up behind him.
THUG #2 (O. S . )
(from behind)
Behind you!
Thug #3 swings around with a Louisville Slugger - it swipes the
45 from Horus's hand. Horus "I'm screwed."
Thug #3 promptly knocks Horus against the BAT rack. Bats roll,
spray the floor. Thug #3 slips hard on his approach, landing
heavy on his head.
Thug #2 comes running, gun raised.fa rusCdives for r a goes oose bat,
his swing greeting Thug #2 in the
the count.
Horus stands over the two bodies - as surprised as we are.
112.
INT. FIRST FLOOR - NIGHT
Scarpo - in full alert. He's heard the commotion upstairs.
SCARPO
Guys?
(no answer)
Fuck me.
He drops his loot. Heads for the second floor, cocking his gun.
INT. ELECTRONICS SECTION - THIRD FLOOR - NIGHT,
Thug #1, he's writhing to music under the privacy of headphones -
unaware of Horus behind him... Thug #1 whirls around with a gun,
catching Horus off guard.
Horus responds with a FLASH he had acquired from the camera
section - the burst of light momentarily blinds the thug.
And a quick SNAP of the bat takes out Thug #1. Horus dispenses
of the camera, his adrenaline raging. He commandeers the free
gun, heads downstairs.
But the TV stops him... it displays the siege at Killybegs
Textiles.
REPORTER
again, we believe that this is a
hostage situation. Officials refuse to
comment but we believe Hancock has
abducted a woman, the identity of whom we
do not yet know...
Horus - a look of horror on his face.
HORUS
Mary.
He's off, slowing to a ginger descent at the stairs. Makes his
way down to the second floor... where he is greeted by a gun
NOZZLE, pressed against his temple.
SCARPO
You're starting to piss me off.
He pushes Horus down the remaining steps.
INT. SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT
Horus rolls to a halt. Scarpo greets him there...
pulling him-up by the hair...
,knees him in the gut. r
osition. Scarpo stands over
him s drops to the floor in a fetal p
Cocks his gun...
him menacingly.
SCARPO
Your move...
Horus uncoils an accurate kick to Scarpo's groin.
Scarpo - a dumbfounded look entwined in pain. He drops.
Horus goes for the gun. A struggle ensues, Scarpo finding Horus to the side.
strength from god knows where. g
Takes dead aim with a tremblin
BANG... Horus grimaces...
Scarpo drops.
.45 (knocked from
Roheim steps forward from the darkness, the
Horus, earlier) smoking in his hand.
Did I get him?
Horus. Roheim. They look at Scarpo.
ROHEIM (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
of him.
Holy shit. I think I g
Roheim notices the unconscious thugs on the floor. Turns to
Horus, measuring him.
HORUS
What're you doing here.
ROHEIM ed
Mary called earlier. She was worri
about you.
HORUS
Mary...
EXT. SHEEPSHEAD BAY - NIGHT
with gloom.
Those clouds that shroud the sky
a CRACKLE of lightning echoes through the
They begin to surge
neighborhood. And the rain begins to pour.
114.
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILES - NIGHT
All right, so this block is squared off - surrounded. The local
police force and your cousins are here, ready to pounce on cue.
Ted "the pissed-off police captain" Brock stands by his vehicle,
screaming out orders - a BULL HORN in his hand.
TED
Let the lady go, Hancock. Or all hell's
going to break loose.
RUTGERS
(to Adams)
Does he know anything else?
INT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILE - NIGHT
Hancock. Mary. She's slumped against the wall, exhausted.
TED (O.S.)
(bull horn)
Come on out!
Hancock seizes his ears the bull horn testing his nerves.
He bolts upright, turns to Mary. He seeks a special kind of
healing.
Hancock closes in - corners her.
MARY
Please.
But there's no denying this superman - he grabs her, running his
hand down her back and between her buttocks.
MARY (CONT' D)
(in tears)
No...
HANCOCK
Please...
A sudden burst of anger seizes Mary. She SCREAMS... STRIKES
Hancock across the face.
MARY
NO!
He tears himself away. Disgusted. Tortured.
115.
HANCOCK
(a desperate child)
Help me.
TED (O.S.)
(bull horn)
All HELL'S going to break loose!
Hancock recoils from this noise - in veritable pain. Clutches
his ear.
HANCOCK
Make it go away, Mary.
Mary huddles against the wall..She watches on, watching him
struggle.
TED (0. S)
You are surrounded. There's no way out of
this one... NO WAY OUT!
Hancock on his knees, tears bubbling inside. He shakes it off.
HANCOCK
No... do what I got to do.
He unloads a PUNCH. PUNCTURES brick. Clear through...
C
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILE - NIGHT
the other side. The authorities react. They right their
guns.
Ted Brock - a picture of grim impatience, breathing hard.
TED
I want his balls in a jar...
Chad. The others. They take a good look at him.
TED (CONT' D)
in a fucking vice...
(into horn)
this is the END of the line.
INT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILE - NIGHT
Hancock - pacing the floor, trying to marshal some emotional
order.
He drops to a squat, searching for calm.
116.
MARY
I'm cold..
Hancock does not respond.
MARY (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
You're fighting a lot, right now. I know
that.
(BEAT)
They're out there waiting for you. It's
like... sometimes.., you feel like the
world's waiting for you. Expecting.
What's your next move, they want to
know...
TED (O.S.)
there's NO ESCAPE!
MARY
(CONTINUING)
and the responsibility. The duty. You
can't shrug it off.
(BEAT)
I know that. And I'm sorry.
Hancock - a committed stare into space. Can he hear her?
MARY (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING)
Maybe... if you knew that, that I know.
And. That I won't expect anything from
you. And... there doesn't have to be a
next move.
Hancock turns on this. Stares at her. He rises from the crouch.
Mary - back to wall, on the defensive.
He approaches. Stands before her.
He reaches back... and removes his CAPE. He covers Mary, gently
shielding her. from the cold.
There is no eye contact.
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILE - NIGHT
Ted. Out of patience. He signals to a RIFLEMAN atop an adjacent
building.
Signal acknowledged. The Rifleman loads his piece...
in.
TED
Where the fuck is Chopper Three?
CHAD
(CONCERNED)
This is a hostage situation, Cap. We've
got a woman in there.
TED
Fuck the woman, this is Armageddon. I
want that bastard in a body bag.
Ted waves a "go-when-ready" sign. The Rifleman steadies his high-
powered weapon... FIRES...
INT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILE - NIGHT
Bullets EXPLODE against walls... bricks... Mary SCREAMS, ducking
to the floor.
Hancock REACTS, the chaos throbbing inside his head. And like
that something snaps.
He BURSTS out of the building - eyes lit with the Hell inside.
He lands on the wet surface below. ROARS before the police force
- possessed.
HANCOCK
Go away! Go. Away.
The authorities - they pause, startled. They open FIRE. Cops.
S.W.A.T. teams. Their cousins.
Bullets ZIP through the air and with dead accuracy. Hundreds of
shells strike Hancock - the target. They PING off his armor of
superFLESH.
He stares at them all, invincible.
EXT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Through this downpour hobbles Horus - pass police CARS
SCREECHING by, en route to Killybegs. A police car sits in front
of his apartment, lights blaring.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Horus storms into the room... in time to greet a police OFFICER,
trying to pry Aaron from the bathroom sink.
AARON
Let me go you bastard.
118.
OFFICER
Let go, you little asabite.
Aaron spots Horus in the hallway...
AARON
Dad!
He breaks loose - running into his father's arms, crying.
AARON (CONT' D)
I'm sorry dad. I didn't know what to
do...
OFFICER
Mr. Longfellow...
AARON.
He's got mom, dad. He came and took her
away. What do we do, now?
Horus - he hasn't a clue.
On the TV - a graphic depiction of war at Killybegs.
OFFICER
There's not much you can do. We've got
every man out there, already. I suggest
you take your son some place safe. Let us
do our jobs.
HORUS
(on the TV)
Mary...
AARON
I'm sorry, dad. I'm sorry.
OFFICER
(dreading it)
I have to go... they need me.
He exits.
Roheim enters, out of breath. He notices the nasty, gaping hole
in the kitchen.
HORUS
He's got Mary, Roheim.
(blank; uncertain)
I got to get her.
11
119.
ROHEIM
What do you mean, you got to get her?
HORUS
I got to do what I got to do.
Aaron stares up at his father - "did he just say that?"
AARON
Damn right, dad. We got to get her.
Horus at the screen - oblivious. "What can I do?"
ROHEIM
Brain damage runs in this family or
something?
Aaron senses his father's state of overwhelmness.
AARON
Dad. You ever hear about the fox and the
bloodhounds?
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILES - NIGHT
A HELICOPTER (Chopper Three) has since joined the picture of
CHAOS. A strobe light cuts through the darkness and rain, zeroed
in on Hancock.
A machine GUN mounted inside opens FIRE - a wave of bullets
ricochet off the superhero with no effect.
Cops and S.W.A.T. teams continue their assault - it's the only
thing they can do, and it's worthless.
And on that note, Hancock retaliates - with a vengeance.
First to go is the helicopter. He slices through the air and
RIPS the vehicle in half.
An EXPLOSION punctuates its demise - sending the spinning
PROPELLER into wild trajectory. It crashes into a cluster of
Cops - heads are severed, sent flying.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Horus sprints through the downpour, following the SOUNDS of
destruction. At the scene, he arrives in time to witness the
dismantling of future law enforcement.
120.
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILES - NIGHT
Hancock swoops down toward a patrol car. Scares the Cops away.
Hoists the vehicle over. his head. Throws it at a band of Cops.
He ROARS...
HANCOCK
Go away!
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Aaron and Roheim arrive, finding their places behind Horus. They
startle him.
HORUS
Jesus, Aaron. I don't want you to be
here.
ROHEIM
(at the mayhem)
I need a drink.
Aaron, staring at the massacre - a HEAD rolls pass him.
It looks pale but well-fed, healthy. It Ted's.
Aaron ducks into his father's chest.
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILES - NIGHT
In the blink of an eye, the police department is no more. The
entire block - a panorama of bedlam, overturned vehicles, and
mangled bodies.
Satisfied - Hancock returns inside the building.
From the street, we can SEE Horus - fumbling through the rubble,
heading towards the confrontation. He'passes a mutilated body -
belonging to Adams.
A revolver dangles from his fingers. Horus reaches for the gun
and stops. He looks around at the vast destruction and realizes
that no revolver will do. He continues forth.
INT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILES - NIGHT
Mary is on the floor, wrapped in cape.
Hancock returns. He's pumped, deranged, and he's lost that
loving feeling.
121.
MARY
What have you dome?
HANCOCK
I made them go away.
HORUS (O.S.)
Mary!
Mary responds to her name like a body to sugar.
MARY
(HORROR)
Horus!
HANCOCK
(holding his head)
The noise...
HORUS (O.S.)
Mary!
MARY
Horus!
HANCOCK
Why?!
MARY
Please, Hancock. Don't hurt him.
(grabs him)
It'll never go away.
Hancock responds to "it."
MARY (CONT' D)
(CONTINUING)
If you've got anything left... inside...
(hand over heart)
and you do, I know you do... whatever
it was that you felt for me... inside...
then you won't go out there.
He just looks at her.
MARY (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
Just let go... and it'll go away. Please,
just let go.
HANCOCK
(DESPAIR)
I can't.
122.
EXT. KILLYBEGS TEXTILES - NIGHT
Horns stands there in the rain - a feeble frame of a man. He
wants a fight.
And he gets it... as Hancock, once again, emerges from the
building - fire in his eyes.
HANCOCK
You ready to rock it up?
Horus runs - he runs for an overturned S.W.A.T. VAN. Hancock
follows, toying with the man.
Horus disappears inside.
HANCOCK (CONT' D)
Come out, you little shit.
A pause in action - no reply from Horus.
HANCOCK (CONT'D)
Are you a man?!
Horus answers...
He storms out with a ROCKET LAUNCHER.
He FIRES it at the unsuspecting Hancock. It's a hit and it BLOWS
Hancock against Killybegs Textile. It lodges him inside the
brick structure.
HORUS
Fuck you.
Hancock pries himself loose - enraged beyond imaginable. He
GROWLS - looking to retaliate. But there's no Horus.
Hancock explores the rubble - by the building. A sudden
EXPLOSION rips the base of a nearby wall - it jars the wall
loose, sending it crashing down.., on Hancock.
CRUNCH, the concrete rips right pass Hancock - stuns but does
not subdue him. He shakes off the dirt. Finds Horus down the
street.
Like a rocket, Hancock heads that way. He gets there, over Horus
- grabbing him by the collar.
With a swift flick, he sends the family man flying.
THUD as his body careens off the Killybegs wall. He drops to the
asphalt below. Horus - in pain, something broken possibly.
123.
He gets up. Tries to walk. Can't.
Hancock - on the app roach, maintaining a cruel but steady pace
towards his wounded game.
Horns tries to crawl. Can't. Too much pain. He peddles back
against the curb, nowhere left to go.
Hancock arrives, looking afully steamed. He stands over Horus -
not unlike Scarpo much
The situation presents itself - he reacts.
A kick into Hancock's groin muscle - CHINK, sliikeyt a soundWofshrugs.
bone off metal. Absolutely harmless. Horus
else can he do?
Hancock tears a YIELD street SIGN it backs Ready to strike� es
this piece of jagged metal.
(CONT' D)
(DEFIANT)
No regrets.
HANCOCK
(COOL)
No mercy.
He takes aim...
AARON (O.S.)
NO!
Mary SCREAMS in the background...
Horns. Hancock. They turn to witness the de-physicalization of
Killybegs Textile.
they begin to crumble, weakened by the wear Bricks... beams...
and tear of recent artillery.
Mary braces herself as the floor beneath begins to give. It
slips... she SCREAMS... and collapses, taking the rest of the
building with it.
A CRASH, followed by a cloud of billowing smoke.
Mary is no more.
HORUS
MARY!
Aaron. Roheim. In disbelief.
124.
AARON
(BLANKLY)
Mom...
Horus, he struggles to his feet. Pushes past Hancock, limping
over to the building that once was.
HORUS
MARY!
Hancock - not a word. He stands in comatose silence, looking
pale.
Horus charges the building in possessed hysterics, trying to
excavate his wife - one brick at a time.
Roheim meets him there, in an effort to console.
ROHEIM (O.S.)
(you're wasting your time)
Come on, Horus.
Horus - lost in the pain. He won't listen.
Slowly and with a sense of duty, Roheim joins the excavation. He
r olls up his sleeve and gets to work.
Hancock drops the yield,sign. Turns to the battlefield in his
midst... surveys the carnage...
A loaded beat.
Hancock ROARS - a cry of desperation. He grimaces with defeat.
Staggers off. SCREAMS, because what else can he do. Falls to his
knees... by a fallen police GUN.
He picks it up...
points it at his head...
FIRES the remaining rounds against his temple. Bullets carom
off skull.
Hancock discards the gun. Breaks into TEARS. Long SOBBING wet
tears. He CRIES. He WEEPS. Into his cupped hands. Indeed, a
surreal sight.
Horus. Roheim. Engaged to the task, brick by brick. Horus works
his way down... to a lifeless ARM, protruding from its tomb.
He stops.
126.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Aaron - in his pajamas, creeping down a dark hallway. He
approaches a DOOR.
NARRATOR (V.0.)
sometimes when it's dark out, so dark
it's black, I'll see HIM.
Aaron peers through the open door. His eyes wander inside ever
so gently.
On the bed there - HIM... Horns.
NARRATOR (V.0.) (CONT'D)
(CONTINUING)
and it starts allover again.
And Mary. They are in some latter state of coital bliss.
Horus THRUSTS.
Mary GASPS...
NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Some things... you just never forget.
FADE OUT:
THE END |
HANNA
Written by
Seth Lochead
1 EXT. FOREST FLOOR - DAY. 1
Winter. Silence on the forest floor. Snow falling. Then the
sound of breathing. The soft footfall of a person running.
HANNA, fourteen years old, long hair, eyes like blue ice,
glides through the trees, a bow strapped to her shoulder. She
is dressed in animal skins and fur shoes. She blends almost
completely into the landscape of trees and snow.
She stops dead. Her breath visible in the freezing air.
Suddenly alert, she has spotted her prey. A REINDEER nuzzling
the snow, trying to unearth a patch of grass to eat. Its head
pops up - danger. Too late. The sudden swoosh and the snap of
an arrow piercing its skin.
The deer flops to the ground with a thud. It whines, its feet
dig at the earth. Its mouth gnaws at the icy air. Steam
pouring from its nostrils.
HANNA approaches, removes a fur glove. She bends to her
knees.
She reaches out and gently pets the animals frightened face.
She runs her hand down along its neck, in towards the wound.
HANNA
I just missed your heart.
She stands and pulls out an old pistol from her waist
holster.
She fires two shots directly at CAMERA.
CUT TO TITLE: HANNA
2 EXT. FOREST FLOOR - LATER. 2
A knife enters the deer near its anus.
HANNA
(WHISPER)
Remove the penis and scrotum, make
a deep, circular cut around the
rectum.
HANNA pulls the knife up towards the brisket.
HANNA (CONT'D)
(WHISPER)
Cut from the rear to the brisket.
She works calmly without expression.
2.
3 EXT. FOREST FLOOR - LATER 3
The deer lies on it's side.
HANNA breaths hard. She reaches deep into the body cavity
and pulls out intestine, stomach, liver.
She freezes, sensing danger.
Her hand deep inside the animal. She listens. She looks out
into the still forest. No sound.
ERIK, mid forties, a mammoth with leathery face, stands
behind her like a ghost.
ERIK
You're dead. Right now. I've
killed you.
HANNA spins spraying deer-blood on to the snow and brings
her fist right to ERIK's face. He blocks and thumps an open
palm on to HANNA's shoulder sending her sprawling into the
snow.
She leaps to her feet, as ERIK aims a kick at her head. She
dodges, punches below his knee cap, and goes for her
pistol. ERIK slaps the hand away.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Use your hands!
She goes for the gun again and again he stops her.
He moves in tight, pulling the gun from its holster and
tossing it deep into the forest.
HANNA clips ERIK'S temple sending him to the ground.
She wraps her arms around his neck preparing to snap...
... but she can't.
He throws her over his shoulder into a pile of snow.
ERIK stands and wipes the snow from his pants. His face shows
a touch of frustration.
He plods into the forest.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Drag it back yourself.
HANNA drags herself to the deer's side. She stares at its
dead face.
3.
4 EXT. FOREST FLOOR - LATER 4
HANNA clears the kill site. Wipes the last dots of blood on
to a stick. No sign she was ever there.
5 EXT. FOREST FLOOR - EVENING 5
HANNA drags the 200 lb deer on a makeshift sled. She lifts
her knees high and moves at a steady pace.
Hidden among the trees, a little way off, ERIK is watching
her.
6 EXT. LOG CABIN. NORTH SWEDISH FOREST - EVENING 6
A log cabin built around an ancient tree surrounded by the
thick forest. HANNA is standing in the snow, stripping the
deer with a knife. It's a tough job but she does it no fuss.
7 INT. LOG CABIN - EVENING 7
Almost everything ERIK and HANNA own they've made themselves
using what can be found in the forest. What few possessions
that have been brought in from the outside world are old and
worn.
HANNA is making a fire using a bow drill. The friction of the
drill produces an ember which HANNA carefully transfers to
some dried leaves.
8 INT. LOG CABIN - LATER 8
HANNA and ERIK sit either side of a small fire, still dressed
in furs.
HANNA swirls a spoon around in a dish of stew. ERIK takes a
mouthful, watches HANNA not eating.
ERIK
What's wrong? Are you hurt?
She keeps swirling her spoon.
ERIK (CONT'D)
You were half asleep.
HANNA
I'll do better next time.
ERIK
German.
4.
HANNA
(In German w/ English
SUBTITLES)
I'll do better next time.
ERIK
Italian.
HANNA
(In Italian w/ English
SUBTITLES)
I'll do better next time.
ERIK
Spanish.
HANNA studies her food and slowly takes a spoonful.
ERIK (CONT'D)
(INSISTENT)
Spanish.
HANNA
(In Spanish w/ English
SUBTITLES)
Did you really want me to snap your
neck?
He looks at her - drops the quiz.
ERIK
How much did you pull off the deer?
HANNA
A hundred and twenty with scraps.
ERIK
About 200 pounds in total?
HANNA nods.
ERIK (CONT'D)
That explains it.
HANNA
What?
ERIK
How you beat me. You're getting
strong.
HANNA almost blushes.
ERIK stands to put his bowl away.
ERIK (CONT'D)
(In Spanish w/ English
SUBTITLES)
(MORE)
5.
ERIK (CONT'D)
I'm glad you didn't snap my neck.
9 INT. HANNA'S ROOM. LOG CABIN - NIGHT 9
HANNA is in bed under fur covers listening while ERIK reads
to her from an old encyclopedia.
ERIK
The Great Blue Whale is the largest
animal to have ever existed. A blue
whale's tongue weighs over two and
a half tons and its mouth is large
enough to hold 90 tons of food and
water.
HANNA
How much is that?
ERIK
It's bigger than the cabin. Its
heart weighs thirteen
hundred pounds and a male has seven
gallons of testicles.
HANNA smirks.
ERIK (CONT'D)
The Blue Whale's "music" can be
heard for over 500 miles.
He shuts the book.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Time for sleep.
HANNA
Good night.
He stands by her bed looking down at her.
ERIK
Did you forget something?
HANNA
No.
ERIK takes HANNA'S gun out of his pocket and puts it on the
table next to her bed.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Sorry.
ERIK
Good night.
He walks to the door. HANNA stops him with a question.
6.
HANNA
What's music like?
ERIK
It's difficult to explain.
HANNA
Try.
He opens the encyclopedia again, leafs through the pages and
reads.
ERIK
(READING)
âMusic. A combination of sounds
with a view to beauty of form and
expression of emotion'.
HANNA
But how does it feel?
Erik is not equipped to answer such esoteric questions.
ERIK
Good. It feels good. It's, uh,
nice.
HANNA
Tell me properly. Can you play
music?
ERIK
Your mother could. She used to sing
very well.
HANNA
I'd like to hear it for myself.
ERIK
You will soon enough.
HANNA
How soon?
Erik looks away from her questioning eyes.
ERIK
When you're ready.
HANNA
I'm ready. I'm ready already.
They look at each other- he weighs it up.
ERIK
Just go to sleep now. I'll see you
in the morning.
7.
Hanna covers herself in an animal skin as ERIK pulls a wattle
screen across her bed, strokes her hair gently for a moment
and leaves the room.
HANNA reaches under her bed and takes out an old battered
photograph, taken 15 years ago, of a YOUNG WOMAN with eyes
like hers - her MOTHER, JOANNA ZADEK.
10 EXT. LOG CABIN - MORNING 10
The morning sunlight slants through the forest.
ERIK is walking through the trees. He stops, raises his
pistol at a tree trunk some distance away and fires.
The tree breaks apart.
11 INT. HANNA'S ROOM. LOG CABIN - MORNING 11
HANNA wakes with the sound of the GUNSHOT. She is still
holding her mothers photgraph.
HANNA pushes the photograph under her mattress and climbs out
of bed.
12 EXT. LOG CABIN. SHOOTING RANGE - MORNING 12
Another GUNSHOT breaks a tree apart.
Hanna fires. Another tree breaks apart. She rolls and
fires.
She rolls and fires. She reloads. And fires.
ERIK watching.
13 EXT. LOG CABIN - DAY 13
HANNA attacks ERIK. Hand. Knee. Elbow. Fist. He defends
easily.
ERIK
Again.
They reset. She repeats the motion. Hand. Knee. Elbow. Fist.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Again.
Hand. Knee. Elbow. Fist. She's getting faster. Her strikes
are solid.
8.
14 EXT. LOG CABIN - DAY 14
A medium size log nailed along two pillars of the cabin
acts as a chin-up bar.
Erik and Hanna do chin-ups. Both are fit. Neither will give
up. ERIK observing HANNA's power. Both have the sense that
he is judging her. HANNA's face fiercely determined.
15 EXT. LOG CABIN - DAY 15
ERIK and HANNA sit with their backs to a tree in the huge
forest as they breathlessly recover from the exhaustion of
the exercise. HANNA speaks fast, reciting.
HANNA
I live in Leipzig. German city.
Population 0.7 Million people. We
live at Number 7 Weissingerplatz. I
go to school at the Klaus Kohle
Gymnasium and my best friends are
Rudi Gunter and Clara Schliess. I
like literature and sport, in
particular tennis and athletics. I
have a dog called Trudi.
16 EXT. NORTH SWEDISH FOREST - DAY 16
HANNA is running, racing ERIK. Fierce determination, almost
anger in her eyes. They reach the river and dive in.
17 EXT. RIVER - DAY. 17
HANNA and ERIK are swimming hard against the current of the
fast-flowing river, working at full pelt just to stay still.
They swim and swim, their muscles busting, their lungs
bursting.
ERIK
Don't give up! Don't give up!
HANNA's arms flails as she fights against the stream and she
screams in pain. She is grabbed under by the undertow and is
pulled downwards. For a second she is underwater and in
darkness but ERIK's hand pulls her back up and she breaks the
surface with a gasp of relief.
18 EXT. NORTH SWEDISH FOREST. RIVER BANK. 18
On the bank, HANNA climbs out. ERIK approaches her but
moodily, even angrily, she pushes him away.
HANNA
I didn't need your help.
9.
Her face sullen, she walks away into the forest. He stares
after her.
19 EXT. CABIN - NIGHT 19
Outside, ERIK stands alone, thinking. An OWL swoops down to
catch a mouse then flies back up into the tree tops.
20 INT. CABIN. HANNA'S ROOM - NIGHT. 20
HANNA is asleep.
ERIK enters the room.
ERIK approaches the bed, and solemnly takes out a pistol and
aims it at HANNA. He is tense with expectation.
Suddenly HANNA bursts from her covers, smashes the pistol
from ERIK's hand and smashes him down on to the bed. She
grabs the pistol and points it at his face. She is alert,
eyes intense, face proud. She speaks quietly.
HANNA
I'm ready now.
ERIK
Maybe.
ERIK relaxes. It's a false beat.
He lunges again at her, really violently. He seems to be
really trying to hurt her.
But HANNA has reached under her mattress and there is a flint
knife - in an instant it is at ERIK's neck. She pricks his
neck slightly. It bleeds just slightly. Stillness and
silence. HANNA breathless, angry.
ERIK (CONT'D)
You didn't tell me you had a knife.
HANNA
You told me to think for myself.
Isn't that what you want?
She is angry for the first time. ERIK does not answer. Just
stares at her.
HANNA (CONT'D)
I want to see things. I can't stay
here forever.
10.
21 EXT. LOG CABIN - NIGHT 21
ERIK takes long lunging strides straight out from the cabin.
He counts his paces.
ERIK
One, two, three, four...
22 EXT. FOREST FLOOR - DAY 22
ERIK and HANNA are racing through the forest.
Over this we continue to hear ERIK counting his paces from
the previous scene.
ERIK (V.O.)
...five, six, seven, eight...
23 EXT. LOG CABIN - NIGHT 23
ERIK
...nine, ten.
After 10 paces, ERIK makes a 90 degree turn and enters the
tree line. The snow and mud crunch under his boots.
We continue to inter-cut the following with more close-ups of
HANNA training: climbing, fighting, chin-ups, shooting. All
the while we continue to hear ERIK counting out his paces.
After 40 paces, with the cabin light distant, ERIK falls to
his knees. He unsheathes a large knife and jams it into the
frozen earth.
24 EXT. NORTH SWEDISH FOREST - MORNING 24
HANNA comes out of the cabin, rubbing her eyes and yawning,
eating a hunk of cold meat.
She looks up to see a snow fox staring at her from the tree
line. She crouches and holds out what's left of her
breakfast.
The fox approaches gingerly, delicately.
HANNA
Hello little foxy... foxy loxy...
come on... come and share my
breakfast.
The fox comes to her and nervously accepts the scrap,
withdrawing a few feet to eat it. HANNA shuffles forward
carefully and gently pats the snow fox - it is only a cub.
11.
As the fox eats it makes low grunting noises which HANNA
expertly mimics - causing the fox to look up, puzzled - they
seem to have a genuine connection - as if they've done this
before.
Suddenly the snow fox freezes, pricks up its ears, looks up,
HANNA looks up too.
An aeroplane is approaching overhead. The fox darts back into
the undergrowth as the roar of the plane reverberates through
the forest.
HANNA jumps to her feet and with incredible speed and
dexterity climbs to the very top of a near by tree. The plane
roars over her head and disappears over the snowy wilderness,
oblivious to HANNA'S tiny presence.
It's only now that we see the full extent of HANNA'S
isolation.
25 INT. CABIN - MORNING. 25
HANNA enters breathless with excitement. ERIK sits pensively
with his back to the door.
HANNA
Did you see it? Wasn't it
beautiful, like thunder. I had to
stick my fingers in my ears it was
so loud. Did you hear it?
She stops, sensing ERIK'S mood.
HANNA (CONT'D)
What's wrong?
Sitting in front of ERIK is a metal case, caked with frozen
dirt. ERIK pops open the case. Inside a tangle of technology.
HANNA looks at the case, mesmerized.
HANNA (CONT'D)
What does it do?
ERIK
It tells Marissa Wiegler where we
are.
He looks at her, a hint of a challenge.
ERIK (CONT'D)
When you want to leave here all you
have to do is flip that switch.
She approaches the box and places a single finger on the
small red switch.
12.
ERIK (CONT'D)
But once it's done, there'll be no
going back. She'll never give up
until you're dead, or she is. You
understand? I wont be there to hold
your hand. So be sure. Be sure it's
what you really want.
HANNA
You're not scaring me.
He looks at her disbelievingly.
She shakes her head in protest, but simultaneously moves away
from the switch.
He softens towards her.
ERIK
It's here. There's no rush. Take
your time.
HANNA turns her back on the box, but can't help taking
another look at it over her shoulder.
26 INT. CABIN. HANNA'S ROOM - NIGHT 26
HANNA is under the covers again while ERIK reads more from
the encyclopedia.
ERIK
Laika, a mongrel dog from the
streets of Moscow, was the first
animal to orbit the Earth. She was
launched into outer space on the
third of November, 1957.
Scientists believed humans would be
unable to survive conditions of
outer space, so flights by animals
were viewed as an experimental
precursor to human missions. Her
rocket was not designed to be
retrievable, and Laika had always
been intended to die.
HANNA
That's sad.
ERIK awkwardly turns the page to change subject.
ERIK
When a star collapses the supernova
explosion is 10 billion times
brighter than other stars.
HANNA shuts her eyes and tries to imagine how bright that
might be.
13.
27 INT. LOG CABIN - MORNING 27
ERIK straps the bow to his chest and grabs a quiver of bolts.
ERIK
Will you hunt with me?
Hanna is sweeping the ground.
HANNA
If you want.
ERIK
It's up to you.
HANNA
Me?
ERIK
Yes.
HANNA eyes the box sitting open, it's waiting for her.
HANNA
I'll stay.
ERIK
Fine.
ERIK leaves abruptly.
HANNA continues to sweep the ground, her movements bring her
closer to the metal box. She stops sweeping and looks at the
box. She turns and walks out of the cabin.
28 EXT. LOG CABIN - CONTINUOUS 28
HANNA comes out of the cabin and sits down on a tree trunk.
She sees the snow fox cub but says nothing. It comes over and
noses around the cabin, but HANNA'S mind is elsewhere.
HANNA
(whispering to herself)
Marissa Wiegler.
29 INT. LOG CABIN - CONTINUOUS 29
CLOSE ON - the metal box, the switch catches the light from
the door as HANNA enters to confront it. The room is still
and quiet.
HANNA approaches the metal box and slowly reaches out her
hand.
14.
HANNA
(WHISPER)
Come and find me.
CLOSE ON - She flips the switch, a little red light begins to
flash.
An ALARM CLOCK begins to ring as we cut to -
30 INT. MARISSA'S APARTMENT. VIRGINIA. USA - EARLY MORNING 30
CLOSE ON - a bedside alarm clock ringing loudly.
MARISSA WIEGLER, a handsome woman in her mid-40's with red
hair, reaches over and slams the alarm clock off.
She's alone in her bed. She always is. She has no children.
She's made choices in her life and lives without looking
back.
She walks into her ensuite bathroom and looks at herself in
the mirror. She collects her toothbrush and bares her teeth
in a snarl as she brushes them. Her gums bleed a little.
31 INT. LOG CABIN - EVENING 31
HANNA tends to boiling pots. She's cooking a feast. ERIK
enters. He stamps his feet shedding ice at the door.
He walks by the box and sees the little red light flickering
on. HANNA sees this and sees him smile, but she knows he's
sad.
ERIK
You were lucky to grab that deer.
There was nothing out there today.
ERIK looks over at the meal HANNA is preparing.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Smells good.
He wraps an arm around her shoulder. They don't hug much and
it shows. HANNA is almost defensive and tense. And then the
hug is over.
32 EXT. CIA HQ LANGLEY VIRGINIA - DAY 32
MARISSA, wearing a sharp business suit, drives a black Acura
into her designated spot in the CIA HQ's car park.
As she gets out, we see the parking space is designated for
MARISSA WIEGLER.
Her young male PA and TECH ONE are already waiting for her.
15.
TECH ONE
Ma'am. We've had a signal reported
by Interpol. We think it's Eric
Heller.
An unusual expression of shock on MARISSA'S face.
MARISSA
Well I'll be.
TECH ONE
It seems he's in Sweden. Jokkmokk.
40 miles out.
MARISSA
What the fuck is he doing there?
TECH ONE
Living in the middle of nowhere,
like the frigging Una Bomber.
MARISSA
The son of a bitch. Sweden?
Sweden?!
The PA hands her a coffee and she hands him some files.
TECH ONE
Apparently he turned on his
locator.
MARISSA
He's not an idiot.
TECH ONE
I know... I mean I believe so. But
that's what happened.
MARISSA
After 14 years in Jokkmokk, maybe
he'd rather go to prison.
33 INT. LOG CABIN - NIGHT 33
ERIK is leaning over a pail of water, cutting his beard off
with a knife.
MARISSA (V.O.)
Eric Heller. From the Czech
Republic. I recruited him in 1991
when they were all joining the
Velvet Revolution and sticking it
to the commies
ERIK, now clean shaven, opens a wooden case in the corner of
the room and takes out an old folded three piece suit and
rolled shirt.
16.
MARISSA (V.O.)
He couldn't wait to kiss some
yankee butt and make some bucks
doing our dirty work.
ERIK awkwardly begins to change into the suit.
34 INT. VIDEO CONFERENCE ROOM, LANGLEY. 34
MARISSA sits in a video conference room surrounded by worried
looking faces, with her are her close advisors WALT and BOB.
She's also speaking into a microphone on the table in front
of her.
MARISSA
Trouble was he had his own way of
doing things. Kinda paranoid.
WALT fires up a computer screen and logs on. He uses an
access code. This takes him to a new file. He enters the
tracking device number. A name comes up. ERIK HELLER.
He clicks on a link. HELLER's face pops on to the screen.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Not a team player. Not a âjoiner.â
He became increasingly isolated and
disturbed. Kept mouthing off about
classified programmes.
WALT clicks on a link to a newspaper article which comes on
to the screen: The headline: POLICE HUNT FOR MURDER SUSPECT.
A picture of Heller in the article and a smashed car on a
rural road. The two men stare at his face.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
I kept warning and he kept getting
worse. In the summer of 1995 he
took his girlfriend, Johanna Zadek,
on a trip to the Baltic coast and
blew her head off.
WALT hits a new link: A still of the same young woman as the
photo HANNA was previously looking at in her bedroom. Her
name printed below it: JOHANNA ZADEK.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Never heard from him again.
BOB
Anybody know why?
MARISSA
(DRYLY)
Maybe the pressure got to him, Bob.
You know what that's like.
17.
A MALE VOICE comes from the speaker, this is LEWIS but we
don't see him yet.
LEWIS (O.S.)
What do you want us to do?
MARISSA
Bring him in.
WALT
What do you mean? Call the police,
MARISSA -
MARISSA
- Walt. This is exactly the kind of
shit we can't have out there
anymore. He was one of ours, we
trained him. He kills some other
poor woman and it's a cluster fuck.
WALT
Tell it to Interpol. Let them pick
him up. Try him for murder.
BOB
He's right. This has nothing to do
with us. I don't understand.
MARISSA
You don't have to. I'm making the
call.
BOB and WALT exchange a look.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Thank you, Gentlemen. That'll be
all.
The video screen flickers off, people take their files and
start to leave. MARISSA WIEGLER stands in the darkness.
35 INT. HANNA'S ROOM. LOG CABIN - CONTINUOUS 35
HANNA sits in her bed reading her encyclopaedia.
ERIK, dressed incongruously in the suit and tie, enters and
sits on the edge of her bed. She doesn't look up from her
book. His face shows more emotion than we've seen before.
ERIK
Hanna...
HANNA looks up, still trying to hide her fear.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Tell me again?
18.
HANNA
Marissa Weigler.
ERIK
Then?
HANNA
Postcard.
ERIK
Then?
HANNA
What?
ERIK
The address where we meet.
HANNA
Wilhelm Grimm's house.
Stephanstrasse 260. 10559, Berlin.
Germany.
ERIK moves a strand of hair from HANNA'S forehead and looks
at her with paternal care.
ERIK
Good night my sweet girl.
He stands and quietly goes to the door when her voice stops
him.
HANNA
Father...
He turns to look at her, both their eyes full of trepidation.
ERIK
You can do this. You're ready. Just
remember what I've taught you.
She smiles reassuringly at him.
HANNA
I'll see you there.
36 EXT. LOG CABIN. NORTH SWEDISH FOREST - NIGHT. 36
ERIK comes out of the cabin carrying a small rucksack. He
closes the door behind him and takes a deep breath.
37 INT/EXT. HANNA'S ROOM. LOG CABIN - CONTINUOUS 37
HANNA gets out of bed and goes to the small window.
19.
She watches as ERIK walks away from the cabin for the last
time.
38 EXT. EDGE OF NORTH SWEDISH FOREST. NIGHT. 38
Dusk in the forest as the flickering sun goes down. As
peaceful a place as you could imagine. A calm blueness of
impending night on the snow.
Then a series of ropes break the top frame and FIFTY US
SPECIAL FORCES dressed in white snow gear silently abseil
down to the ground.
39 INT. HANNA'S ROOM. LOG CABIN - NIGHT 39
HANNA is doing push-ups on her bedroom floor.
40 EXT. FOREST/CABIN - NIGHT 40
Infra-red POV as the SPECIAL OPS TEAM head through the forest
wearing night vision-goggles. The Leader of the Operation
follows the tracker signal.
SPECIAL OPS
Is this guy one of ours?
HEAD OF OPS
Used to be. Tread carefully, he's
been in there a long time, he's
damaged goods, and he knows we're
coming.
We see through the infra-red vision the endless trees in the
pitch blackness.
The SPECIAL OPS FORCES get closer. They see the cabin in the
night. They approach. Silence in the darkness. Just the
breathing of men in the icy cold.
41 INT. HANNA'S ROOM. LOG CABIN - NIGHT 41
HANNA stops her push-ups, sensing the SPECIAL FORCES
approach.
She silently springs to her feet and moves to the front of
the cabin.
She looks out and sees shadows moving among the trees.
She turns and presses herself against the wall.
20.
42 EXT. LOG CABIN. NORTH SWEDISH FOREST - NIGHT 42
The HEAD OF OPS waves TWO SPECIAL OPERATIVES forward. The
rest of the forces surround the cabin, but at a distance.
The two men approach the cabin. One opens the door and the
other steps in. Then the first follows close behind. Both are
engulfed by darkness.
The rest of the forces wait in silence for a radio signal.
The HEAD of SPECIAL OPS looses patience and picks up the
radio.
HEAD OF OPS
McCullum? Do you read me?
No response.
HEAD OF OPS (CONT'D)
I repeat, do you read me?
The HEAD of OPS waves all thirty of his men closer to the
cabin. Guns at the ready.
The HEAD of OPS and five other men storm the cabin.
43 INT. CABIN DINING AREA. 43
Through night vision we see the cabin interior. Then the two
SPECIAL FORCES, dead on the floor. Necks broken.
Then find HANNA sitting quietly, looking timid and unsure.
Just a little girl, her eyes shining in the dark.
44 INT. LANGLEY. VIRGINIA. 44
MARISSA is walking through long concrete corridor as her
phone rings. She answers quickly.
MARISSA
What is it?
LEWIS (O.S.)
Ma'am, this is Lewis.
MARISSA affects a âbusiness as usualâ tone.
MARISSA
Go ahead.
LEWIS (V.O.)
The target escaped.
MARISSA
How did that happen?
21.
LEWIS (V.O.)
We're thinking maybe he got away in
the snow, in the thick snow, or...
But he's in the wind and I have two
men down.
MARISSA
(URGENT)
Find him, Lewis. Find him and take
him out.
LEWIS
Ma'am. There's more. They found a
child, his daughter.
MARISSA turns pale.
45 INT. CAMP G. HOLDING CELL. 45
ON CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION:
A cement box. HANNA lies on a small bed. Not moving. Two
American voices.
VOICE 1
She hasn't moved since we brought
her in.
VOICE 2 (BURTON)
Has anyone talked to her?
VOICE 1
They want a psych evaluation before
they interrogate.
46 INT. HANNA'S HOLDING CELL. 46
HANNA lies on the cot. She's been cleaned up and is wearing
an army regulation jump suit. The metal door drags open. A
Doctor, BURTON, closes the door behind him. He walks up to
HANNA.
BURTON
Hello Hanna.
Hanna lies motionless.
BURTON (CONT'D)
My name is Dr. Burton. Would you
like to talk to me?
BURTON'S voice has been trained to engender a state of peace
and security. HANNA sits up and hangs her legs off the side
of the cot.
22.
HANNA
I was told by my father to gain the
upper hand.
BURTON
Really. Interesting. What else did
your father tell you?
HANNA
Where am I?
BURTON
You're in holding.
HANNA
I see.
BURTON
This must all be very strange for
you. You've been in the forest a
long time. But I want you to know
no one's going to hurt you. We just
want to talk to you about your
father.
HANNA seems to be staring up at the ceiling.
BURTON (CONT'D)
Hanna?
He follows her eye-line to the CCTV camera above them.
HANNA
Is that a camera?
BURTON
Ah, yes, that's a camera. To keep a
record.
HANNA
Camera obscura, it's Latin for
"dark chamber".
47 INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM. 47
LEWIS sits with the MONITOR, watching HANNA watching him.
LEWIS
Plug the CCTV through to Langley.
Extension 247.
MONITOR presses some buttons as LEWIS calls on his phone and
speaks into it.
LEWIS (CONT'D)
You should have visual on the psych
evaluation now.
23.
48 INT. OBS ROOM. LANGLEY HQ. NIGHT. CONT. 48
MARISSA, alone in a Langley OBS ROOM. No one else there. Late
at night in America. Something secret about Marissa here.
On the screen she sees HANNA in the Interrogation Room. Her
screen tells she is watching CAMP G - Interrogation Room 3.
MARISSA watches HANNA intently.
HANNA
It was first described by the
Arabic scientist Ibn Alhazen in the
year 1021.
MARISSA
What's she saying?
LEWIS (O.S.)
Gobbledygook.
49 INT. OBS ROOM. LANGLEY HQ. NIGHT. CONT. 49
MARISSA stares at her screen, at the blank face of the
fourteen year old HANNA. Focus in on MARISSA's face as she
studies this strange young woman. The sense that MARISSA
knows more about this girl than she is letting on.
On the screen BURTON continues to probe.
BURTON
Can I get you something? What do
you like? Music? Magazines? Just
say. Anything at all.
50 INT. HANNA'S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 50
HANNA leans forward. Looks at BURTON, who encourages her with
his eyes. She whispers.
HANNA
I want to speak to Marissa Wiegler.
51 INT. OBS ROOM. LANGLEY - CONTINUOUS 51
MARISSA sits in stunned silence.
LEWIS (O.S.)
Did you hear that?
MARISSA pauses before she answers.
MARISSA
Tell her I'll be there tonight.
24.
LEWIS
But...
MARISSA
Just do it.
52 INT. CAMP G. MILITARY LABORATORY. 52
A white space with specialist lighting and the hum of
specialised air pressurizes. A protected environment - this
is the DNA lab. A MILITARY DOCTOR is looking at the result of
something on a computer. It has shocked and intrigued him. He
calls across to another doctor.
MILITARY DOCTOR 1
John come and take a look at this
kid's blood sample.
MILITARY DOCTOR 2 walks across. He sees the sample on the
screen.
MILITARY DOCTOR 2.
Is that right? That can't be right.
MILITARY DOCTOR 1
And I got a sample of her hair.
MILITARY DOCTOR 2 looks at the results, baffled.
MILITARY DOCTOR 2
That must be contamination.
MILITARY DOCTOR 1
What contamination? What would it
be?
MILITARY DOCTOR 2
Run it again.
53 INT. HANNA'S HOLDING CELL. 53
HANNA is sitting on her cot with her back against the wall.
A metal door drags open.
A pair of smart female shoes enter the room, accompanied by
the military boots of two guards.
FALSE MARISSA (O.C.)
My name is Marissa Wiegler. You
wanted to speak to me?
HANNA turns to look.
It is a completely different woman, dressed in similar
clothes to MARISSA but not her.
25.
HANNA stares at her, then looks at the two guards.
FALSE MARISSA (CONT'D)
(to the guards)
You can wait outside.
The guards exit and the door slams shut behind them.
54 INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM. DAY. CONT. 54
In the Observation Room LEWIS is looking at a small Monitor.
He speaks into a consoles microphone.
LEWIS
You should have visual.
55 INT. CIA LANGLEY OPERATIONAL HQ. EARLY DAWN. CONT. 55
MARISSA WIEGLER sits alone in the empty CIA Langley
headquarters, watching the CCTV relay.
HANNA (V.O.)
Where am I?
56 INT. HANNA'S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 56
HANNA stares at FALSE MARISSA awaiting an answer.
FALSE MARISSA
You're in a safe place. Let's talk
about your father. You must love
him very much.
HANNA
Where did you meet him?
The false MARISSA pauses.
57 INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY - CONTINUOUS 57
MARISSA hears the question. Thinks fast, her mind totally
focussed.
MARISSA
Tell her it was by a news kiosk in
Alexanderplatz, East Berlin. Say it
was raining.
58 INT. HANNA'S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 58
FALSE MARISSA pauses looking at HANNA. We see that she has a
tiny microphone in her ear.
26.
FALSE MARISSA
At a news kiosk. Alexanderplatz. In
the rain.
She smiles reassuringly. HANNA nods, looking at FALSE
MARISSA.
59 INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 59
LEWIS watches on the screen. But then gets a call from the
Military Laboratory.
LEWIS
Lewis.
MILITARY DOCTOR
Sir we need to talk to you. We've
run tests on the girl.
His voice sounds urgent, concerned. But Marissa has
interrupted.
MARISSA (V.O.)
What tests?
As the argument continues, we see and hear on the screen the
FALSE MARISSA continuing to talk to HANNA.
FALSE MARISSA
Do you know where your father is?
In the OBS room LEWIS, half watching the screen, explains to
MARISSA on intercom.
LEWIS
Standard DNA and meds.
60 INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY - CONTINUOUS 60
MARISSA, alone in Langley, suddenly alert.
MARISSA
Send the results straight to me.
On the screen FALSE MARISSA is talking to HANNA.
FALSE MARISSA
Did he tell you where he was going?
We're all worried about him.
On the CCTV Hanna looks at the FALSE MARISSA. She begins to
cry, holds out her arms to be held.
27.
61 INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 61
The MONITOR sees her cry and turns to LEWIS who is still half-
embroiled in the tests discussion.
MONITOR
Sir look.
LEWIS looks at HANNA.
62 INT. HANNA'S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 62
The FALSE MARISSA tentatively takes HANNA in her arms.
FALSE MARISSA
It's OK. It's OK.
HANNA coils her thin arms around the FALSE MARISSA'S neck,
clinging to her like a monkey.
The FALSE MARISSA looks up to the security camera, slightly
concerned. Hanna wriggles in her arms, to get a better
grip...
63 INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY - CONTINUOUS 63
MARISSA watches this strange image of her false self hugging
this young girl. HANNA begins to weep more and more,
burrowing her face into the FALSE MARISSA.
On the CCTV we hear.
BURTON (V.O.)
You want me to give her something?
64 INT. HANNA'S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 64
HANNA clutching on to FALSE MARISSA, nestles close, weeping.
FALSE MARISSA
I think it might be necessary.
65 INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY. CONT. 65
MARISSA watches, now concerned. Something is wrong.
MARISSA
Get her out of there.
66 INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE HANNA'S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 66
Burton comes rushing down the corridor filling a syringe as
he goes. He arrives at HANNA'S door.
28.
BURTON
Open up.
The first guard opens HANNA'S door.
LEWIS (V.O.)
Abort. I repeat. Abort.
67 INT. HANNA'S HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 67
Hanna hugs, weeping, on to the FALSE MARISSA. BURTON hears
the instruction to abort but too late...
...as suddenly and with total efficiency HANNA SNAPS the
FALSE MARISSA's neck.
68 INT. OPERATIONAL HQ. LANGLEY. DAY. CONT. 68
MARISSA stares in shock as her false self slumps dead to the
floor. Then she watches as HANNA grabs the first GUARDS
handgun from his holster and fires two rounds into Burton's
skull. And two more into the first GUARD's chest.
69 INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM. CONT. 69
LEWIS immediately presses the Alarm Bell.
LEWIS
Jee-sus wept!
On another screen LEWIS watches as the other Guard tries to
drag the metal door shut. He hits a fleshy door jam - Burton.
Hanna is upon him. Two shots.
70 INT. LANGLEY. OPERATIONAL HQ. CONT. 70
MARISSA watches HANNA aim straight at camera. HANNA'S fierce
eyes looking at her, MARISSA cant help but pull away from the
screen. HANNA fires and the screen goes blank.
71 INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM. CONT. 71
LEWIS watches as, one after another, his camera's go down.
But still there's no sign of HANNA.
LEWIS
She's a child for Christsake!
72 INT. CAMP G. CORRIDOR IN SECURE BRIEFING AREA. 72
Alarms are sounding and red lights flashing in the corridor.
29.
HANNA walks fast along the corridor. She ducks into a door to
avoid two Centre Guards running past, dives down another
corridor and walks through a pair of double doors with
warning signs on them. PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT - CLASSIFIED
PROGRAMME.
73 INT. CAMP G. MILITARY LABORATORY. CONT. 73
She finds herself in the specialist Military DNA Laboratory.
The MILITARY DOCTORS stare at her. One of them reaches for an
alarm but HANNA is too fast. She flies across the desk and
smashing a glass test tube, she cuts the doctor's neck, then
turns and does the same to the other one.
HANNA looks round, trying to find a way out. Then she sees
something on the desk. It is a file with a photo of herself
clipped to it and a collection of papers - she scans it and
reads in several places the letters âDNA.â
But before she has time to read properly, she hears a female
voice from outside the lab.
FEMALE GUARD
This is Sanders. I'm checking Zone
eleven.
The FEMALE GUARD radios off, then enters. She senses
something.
POV SANDERS - The DNA laboratory suddenly seems empty. The
buzz of the lab's lighting and the whir of the air-
pressurizes are the only sounds as the GUARD looks around.
Then the GUARD hears a rustling from behind her and tenses
up.
She turns around but HANNA has vanished into thin air, there
is silence.
74 INT. CAMP G. CORRIDOR IN SECURE BRIEFING CENTRE. 74
HANNA, runs along the corridor. She has in her hands the DNA
results which she scrunches up and jams into a pocket.
75 INT. CAMP G. AIR-CONDITIONING DUCT ABOVE CORRIDOR. CONT. 75
HANNA eyes the vent above her. She peers around a corner -
her only other route of escape and sees:
76 INT. CAMP G. CORRIDOR. CONT. 76
MILITARY PERSONNEL reach the intersection close to HANNA and
spread out, all going in different directions but none coming
towards her.
30.
The last pair of personnel start heading towards her. She
looks up at the duct again and a length of ducting along the
wall, about waist height.
She puts a foot on a rail, halls herself up towards the vent.
She fiddles with the vent, eventually opening it as the
personnel are almost upon her.
77 INT. CAMP G. AIR-CONDITIONING VENT. CONT. 77
She crawls through the narrow air-conditioning duct. She
stops, alert to the sounds beneath her. Through small
perforations in a vent she sees more MILITARY PERSONNEL
running down the corridor.
78 INT. CAMP G. AIR-CONDITIONING DUCT ABOVE CORRIDOR. CONT. 78
The duct bends to a vertical angle. She begins to crawl up a
steep gradient towards a crack of light.
79 INT. CAMP G. OBSERVATION ROOM. 79
LEWIS sits in silence. MONITOR looks at him nervously.
MONITOR
You think she's out?
LEWIS
She can't get out.
LEWIS picks up an internal telephone.
LEWIS (CONT'D)
(INTO TELEPHONE)
Who's on the perimeter? Detail
every unit available.
80 INT. CAMP G. AIR-CONDITIONING VENT. CONT. 80
HANNA is sweating, exhausted, blinking in the darkness,
trying to make out what the light source is.
The gradient has got steeper and she starts to slide
backwards on the smooth metal surface. She digs her fingers
into the rivets joining the plates of stainless steel, trying
to get a purchase.
She summons the last of her strength and reaches a crest. She
rests a moment, then hauls herself over the crest and
immediately starts sliding... she tumbles, gathering pace,
falling down a long chute into the blackness. She has no idea
where she is or what's happening, but she's covering a lot of
ground.
31.
She hits the bottom with a crunch and cries out.
When she opens her eyes she sees more tunnel - and at the end
light. She crawls quickly towards it and stops at a kind of
manhole cover with a sprung lever - she wrenches the lever
and pushes against it. After a little effort the cover gives
way and light floods in, blinding her.
HANNA recovers and tentatively pokes her head out into:
81 EXT. MOROCCO/DESERT. CONT. 81
BLAZING SUN - HANNA's pale face appears, eyes crinkled shut.
Wider - HANNA emerges from a hole in the ground in the middle
of a sandblasted desert and slams the cover closed. Total
silence now, except for the whistle of the wind on sand. It
takes her eyes a moment to adjust to the blinding light.
Blearily she looks out across this alien environment.
After a moment her ears prick up. She turns just in time to
see a column of Military Jeeps rise over a sand dune in the
distance behind her. The jeeps are crawling straight towards
her, ominously shimmering in the desert heat. She quickly
ducks back down into her rabbit hole and waits.
82 EXT. MOROCCAN DESERT 82
In the middle of the desert the soldiers convene, looking for
HANNA. A military truck is stationery. Nothing around for
miles. We hear a military voice on a radio.
MILITARY VOICE (V.O.)
473 are you receiving me? Can you
confirm your position. Subject has
escaped.
83 EXT. MOROCCAN DESERT. DAY. 83
The truck moves off a short distance and stops again.
Meanwhile a large convoy of Military Vehicles passes right
over HANNA. When it has past she sees the first vehicle
crawling to a halt right near the hole - just yards away.
One of the MILITARY PERSONNEL in the jeep gets out and goes
over to the hole, lifts the lid, inspects the darkness.
The Truck radio is on and we hear the voice.
MILITARY VOICE
Can you confirm your position 473?
Banks? Banks can you hear me?
32.
Once BANKS is satisfied he walks away a few paces, gets out a
pair of high powered binoculars, looks this way and that.
He walks up a dune and scans the dunes with his binoculars.
Finally he walks back and climbs into the Jeep, gets on the
radio.
BANKS.
I'm at a perimeter opening at the
far east wing. Something's not
quite right...
He doesn't notice but the lid is open now and the air-
conditioning duct is empty.
CUT TO:
As the Jeep moves off we see HANNA is clinging to the axle,
hanging upside down underneath. Her face is pressed to the
oily metal, her back just an inch from the desert floor
flashing beneath her.
The jeeps now take a track along the edge of a steep dune.
HANNA takes her chance and lets go of her grip. She clenches
her eyes shut as the jeep passes over her. As soon as the
jeeps clears she rolls herself over the edge of the dune.
HANNA rolls down the sand dune at speed until finally she
slows and stops. She lies still and shocked by the quiet as
the Jeep disappears into the distance. Then she sits up and
looks around herself. She has no conception of this
landscape, no idea where she might be.
84 INT. MARISSA'S APARTMENT. VIRGINIA. USA - NIGHT 84
MARISSA moves between her wardrobe and a suitcase packing
clothes, underwear, another power suit.
Fully packed she goes to the back of the wardrobe and pulls
aside some dresses to reveal a hidden safe. She keys in the
security code, the safe door opens and from the back of the
safe Marissa retrieves a blue file.
MARISSA looks at the files title in large blunt letters:
GALINKA.
85 EXT. FOREST ROAD - FLASHBACK 85
FLASHBACK to 1995.
A much younger MARISSA watching a very fast-moving car on a
deserted forest road. She takes from her pocket a small
detonating device and as the car approaches a bend, presses
it.
33.
There is a small explosion and the car swerves off the road
and smashes headlong into a post. The horn starts to blare.
MARISSA approaches the car. The road is empty. MARISSA looks
through binoculars at the car.
She sees a woman, on the passenger side, head thrust forward.
JOHANNA ZADEK. Blood everywhere. MARISSA shoots her in the
head just to be sure. But the driver's seat is empty. MARISSA
stops dead.
Then the back door opens on the other side. A man, a younger
ERIK HELLER crawls out. He is holding a two year old child in
his hands. The child's coat is covered in blood.
MARISSA stares at the shocked child and takes the rifle to
her eye to shoot again. As she does, ERIK senses her movement
and throws himself to the ground.
Through the rifle viewfinder we see just a glimpse of ERIK
and the red glare of the coat covered in blood, ERIK HELLER
grabbing the child and sprinting for the forest,
MARISSA taking aim at HELLER, and then firing as HELLER dives
into the forest.
86 INT. MARISSA'S APARTMENT. VIRGINIA. USA - NIGHT 86
PRESENT DAY.
MARISSA puts on a pair of rubber kitchen gloves and sets fire
to the file in the sink.
When it's all burnt up she switches on the garbage disposal
and pushes the ashen remains down the gurgler with a dish
mop.
87 EXT. MOROCCAN DESERT - LATER 87
The sun has dipped a little now, the shadows of the dunes are
longer, but the heat is still intense.
HANNA's throat is parched by the dry heat, her pale eyes
scorched by the angry sun. She walks purposefully but with a
growing awareness of her tiny scale in this seemingly endless
sea of sand. She has no conception of this landscape, no idea
where she might be.
HANNA
(MUTTERING)
I live in Leipzig. German city...
0.7 Million people... I go to
school at the Klaus Kohle
Gymnasium... literature and
sport... I have a dog called Trudi.
34.
HANNA climbs a steep dune, eyes down, feet pounding. A shadow
falls across her path and she looks up to see the shape of a
GIRL standing at the top of the dune silhouetted by the sun.
HANNA's hand goes to the concealed gun.
The GIRL stares at HANNA. They must be about the same age
but there the resemblance ends. HANNA, dusty, bloodied and
bruised in military top, trousers and boots stares at this
perfect image of western adolescence. Dressed head to toe
in pink and drinking a can of coke, no concession to where
she is whatsoever. This is SOPHIE LYALL.
SOPHIE
Hello.
HANNA stares at her, then abruptly turns to walk in opposite
direction until she sees another convoy of US military trucks
in the distance.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
All right?
HANNA turns back. Looks at SOPHIE. Like a wary animal.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
Don't you speak English?
HANNA is unsure how to speak to this strange person.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
That can't be helped. You look
terrible.
At that moment SOPHIE'S brother, MILES, eight years old,
rises over the dune and stands by SOPHIE'S side. In his hand
is a stills camera, not digital, film. MILES stares at HANNA
while talking to SOPHIE.
MILES
Who's she?
SOPHIE
I don't know. I just found her.
MILES
What's her name?
SOPHIE
She can't talk.
HANNA
Hanna.
MILES
She talked.
35.
HANNA
I live in Leipzig. German city.
Population 0.7 Million people. We
live at Number 7 Weissingerplatz. I
go to school at the Klaus Kohle
Gymnasium and my best friends are
Rudi Gunter and Clara Schliess. I
like literature and sport, in
particular tennis and athletics.
MILES
(RE' HANNA)
She's weird.
HANNA
I also have a dog called Trudi.
MILES
We had a dog called Vincent, but he
went mad and died.
SOPHIE
I'm Sophie and this is my brother,
Shit for Brains.
From over the dune comes the voice of SOPHIE and MILES'S
mother, RACHEL LYALL.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Come on, Sophie! We'll miss the
light.
MILES raises his camera to his eye and snaps a picture of
HANNA.
MILES
Bye.
SOPHIE
See you.
SOPHIE takes one more puzzled look at HANNA, then turns and
disappears over the sand dune.
HANNA rises to the top of the dune. SOPHIE turns back to
HANNA.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
Do you need a lift somewhere?
HANNA
No. I prefer to walk.
SOPHIE
Suit yourself.
36.
SOPHIE and MILES head back towards their nouveau hippy
parents, RACHEL and SEBASTIAN LYALL who are waiting for them
beside an old VAN parked by a tarmac road that cuts straight
through the desert.
88 INT. AEROPLANE - NIGHT. 88
MARISSA sitting in first class, trying to hide the fact that
she's on her cell phone mid-flight. There's turbulence.
LEWIS(O.O.V)
She's in the desert east of
Essouiara.
MARISSA
Have you got the DNA results?
LEWIS
We can't find them. It's possible
she has them on her.
Marissa takes that in.
MARISSA
Okay. I want you to focus on Erik
Heller.
LEWIS (O.O.V)
Why?
A sweet-faced male AIR STEWARD hovers over MARISSA.
AIR STEWARD
Excuse Madame, airline regulations
state that -
MARISSA
I'm in conference.
AIR STEWARD
All the same -
MARISSA
Back off, honey. I'm busy.
MARISSA'S response is so fierce that the AIR STEWARD
instinctively does as he's told.
LEWIS (O.O.V)
You know this isn't going to go
away.
MARISSA
I'm dealing with it Lewis.
37.
LEWIS (O.O.V)
Okay but I just want you to admit -
my Lord - how did she know to ask
for you?
She hangs up.
89 EXT. DESERT/OASIS TOWN - DUSK 89
HANNA walking along the side of a tarmac desert road,
approaching a dusty oasis town.
HANNA enters the outskirts, teaming with scooters, trucks,
taxis, mules and goats. The impact knocks HANNA backwards,
assailed by the smells of dried fruit, meat tagines, couscous
cooking at market stalls, fresh fish and meat, still bloody
and twitching, hanging in the sun for the flies. She listens
to the babble of Arabic, her ears, nose and eyes sensitive to
every conversation and twitch of life. It all overpoweringly
exotic and visceral to her.
An old broken-backed woman inches her way to market. HANNA
stares at her in astonishment. Her wrinkled skin.
She eyes the abundance of animals - animals she's never seen
before in her life: Chickens. Goats. A camel, which Hanna
finds bizarre and hilarious.
90 INT. CENTRE OF TOWN/NIGHT MARKET - EVENING 90
HANNA finds a stall with simple cotton clothing. She chooses
some cheap clothes and unseen goes around the back of the
stall. She changes out of her ragged old clothes into her new
clothes.
HANNA sees MILES running through the crowds carrying a bag of
cherries.
She follows him a little way, onto a busy street with hotels
and cheap jewellery stores.
He runs up the steps and enters a small mid-range hotel.
HANNA looks up at the hotel, then enters.
91 INT. MOROCCAN HOTEL RECEPTION - EVENING 91
HANNA stands at the reception desk. A kindly looking HOTEL
OWNER is eating a jammy biscuit. He's a little confused by
HANNA.
HOTEL OWNER
Where's your family?
38.
HANNA
Are you Arab?
HOTEL OWNER
I'm Moroccan.
HANNA
Morocco. Capital city Rabat. Places
of interest. Marrakesh. Essouaira.
Religion Islam. Language Arabic
(in Arabic w/ English
SUBTITLES)
I like Arabic very much. It's like
Japanese. It's big.
The HOTEL OWNER nearly spits out his biscuit in shock.
HOTEL OWNER
(in Arabic w/ English
SUBTITLES)
You speak Arabic?
HANNA
(in Arabic w/ English
SUBTITLES)
Yes, of course.
HOTEL OWNER
(in Arabic w/ English
SUBTITLES)
Where's your family?
HANNA
(in Arabic w/ English
SUBTITLES)
I need a room for one night. Can
you help? I don't have any money.
92 INT. MOROCCAN HOTEL BEDROOM - EVENING 92
The HOTEL OWNER leads HANNA into a simple whitewashed hotel
room with twin beds.
They speak in Arabic with English subtitles.
HOTEL OWNER
It's the best we've got.
HANNA
Thank you.
HANNA stares at the light switch.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Do you have one of these in every
room?
39.
HOTEL OWNER
Of course. All mod cons.
HANNA
It's electricity?
The HOTEL OWNER looks at HANNA askance.
HOTEL OWNER
Yes.
HANNA
I know a little bit about
electricity. They say Edison
discovered it, or was it Franklin?
HOTEL OWNER
Some American, I'm sure.
He picks up an electric kettle.
HOTEL OWNER (CONT'D)
Electric kettle for the English -
they like to make their own tea.
He switches it on, Hanna stares as it heats up noisily.
He goes to a small wall mounted TV, switches it on for her, a
fuzzy, terrible picture of an Arabic TV show. HANNA is
fascinated, doesn't take her eyes off the TV as she sits on
the edge of the bed.
HANNA
What is it?
HOTEL OWNER
It's the best we can do.
She stares at the picture, bemused.
HOTEL OWNER (CONT'D)
Where do you come from?
Distracted, HANNA is caught off guard.
HANNA
The forest.
The HOTEL OWNER smiles, himself a little puzzled by this
strange encounter, and leaves.
She just sits there staring at the TV as it's volume seems to
increase.
Meanwhile the electric kettle begins to boil. Steam pours
from its spout and the whole contraption starts to rattle
violently.
40.
HANNA gets up and approaches the kettle very warily. She
tries the light switch in an attempt to stop the kettle, but
it keeps boiling and making its strange rattle. HANNA tries
another switch, the ceiling fan begins to turn, confusing
HANNA even more.
On the TV the news shows footage of war in the Middle East,
the sound of gunfire.
The ceiling fan is at its top speed, it's blades cut the air
like a helicopter.
A telephone beside the bed starts to ring.
Combined the noises rise to a terrifying crescendo.
HANNA backs away towards the bathroom. She stumbles and falls
through the bathroom door straight into the shower,
inadvertently turning the taps on. Water pours down on her.
HANNA springs up and turns to face the stream of water as if
it were an attacker. She runs back into the bedroom.
In the bedroom the kettle is still having a violent tantrum,
the TV is still screaming, the fan still cutting, the phone
still shouting.
HANNA pulls at the exit door, but doesn't know to turn the
handle. She panics. Smashes at the door. Eventually she falls
through the door and into the corridor.
93 INT. MOROCCAN HOTEL CORRIDOR - EVENING 93
Silence as HANNA sits on the corridor floor catching her
breath.
A little way down the corridor MILES and SOPHIE emerge from
their bedroom.
MILES
Look. It's that girl.
He nudges SOPHIE.
HANNA eyes them suspiciously.
SOPHIE
Hey you made it.
MILES
Hey, again.
SOPHIE
Did you walk here?
MILES
She looks different.
41.
SOPHIE
Do you want to hang with us?
MILES
Are you hungry?
SOPHIE
Miles is always hungry.
HANNA
I'm thirsty.
94 EXT/INT. STRIP CLUB. HAMBURG. 94
The Reeperbaln, the main street of Hamburg's red light
district. Tough and unglamorous. MARISSA WIEGLER gets out of
a taxi, checks the sign of the strip club and crosses the
road. She is on the phone and we hear.
LEWIS (O.S.)
The Swedish borders are sealed. I
have Swedish, Norwegian and Danish
border patrols on high alert and
Interpol have briefed the police.
MARISSA
I don't want any bad news Lewis.
Neither of us can afford a fuck up.
MARISSA hangs up. She enters a converted car park which is
now a lap dancing bar. It's early in the day and the patrons
are as scarce as the clothes on the dancers.
At the far end of the room is the reason Marissa is there,
MICHAEL ISAACS. Mid fifties. Rumpled suit, bleary, unshaven
and drinking a scotch.
ISAACS smiles coldly at MARISSA.
ISAACS
I didn't think they let women in
here.
MARISSA
They let them in, they just don't
let them get dressed.
He smiles, drinks, she eyes the scotch.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Still drinking on the job. You
haven't changed.
ISAACS
You have.
42.
MARISSA
Adapt or die.
ISAACS
You want a drink?
MARISSA
I'll wait until I really need one.
He grins and drinks. She sits, with a sigh, looks him in the
eye.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Erik Heller's still alive.
ISAACS glances up from his drink.
ISAACS
You don't say.
MARISSA
There's more.
MARISSA passes him a newspaper. He opens it. Hidden inside is
a picture of Hanna. He looks it over, surprised.
ISAACS (IRONIC)
Wow. All grown up.
MARISSA
He did a good job.
ISAACS
Did she turn out like you hoped?
MARISSA
She just tried to kill me.
ISAACS
Isn't it always the way?
MARISSA
The fuck does that mean?
ISAACS
You bring them into this world,
teach them how to kill and maim...
and then they turn against you.
MARISSA
I didn't teach her.
ISAACS
No, it's better than that. You bred
her from a test tube.
MARISSA turns to the BARMAN and signals for a round of the
scotches, âTwo of these...â
43.
MARISSA
Here's the problem: She thinks we
killed her mother.
He smiles wryly.
ISAACS
Just get her sectioned or
something.
MARISSA
Sure, just as soon as she's done
breaking peoples necks. You get her
sectioned, if you can catch her.
The drinks arrive, MARISSA drinks.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Right now she's in Morocco but
she'll be trying to get out of the
country. Find her and bring her to
me. Quietly.
ISAACS
I'll need funds.
MARISSA slides an envelope of bills across the table.
MARISSA
Don't spend it all on candy.
She glances meaningfully at the STRIPPERS, who have been
eyeing up ISAACS as a potential mark.
ISAACS looks at the money. When he looks back up MARISSA is
already walking out the door.
95 EXT. NIGHT MARKET RESTAURANT. OASIS TOWN - NIGHT 95
HANNA is sitting at a table with the FAMILY who are all
eating falafel while HANNA eats meat.
SOPHIE and MILES parents, RACHEL and SEB, have some
difficulty relating to their daughters attitudes. They belong
to a generation of counter cultural radicals whose priorities
have, over the past decade, shifted and they're now trying to
assimilate into mainstream society whilst still holding on to
their ideals of autonomy and social liberation.
SOPHIE is describing a recent cultural phenomenon while she
picks at her food.
SOPHIE
She's beautiful. I wish I had a
body like hers. She's really cool
too. She's married to a footballer
and really loves him -
44.
Meanwhile HANNA eyes the crowd, constantly on the look out.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
- only the papers found out he was
shagging like loads of other girls
so she went and got all successful
in her own right and now does a
make-over show where she turns
right dogs into real babes. I could
do you a make-over if you'd like?
RACHEL
Perhaps Hanna doesn't want a make-
over, sweetie.
SOPHIE ignores RACHEL and addresses all her responses to
HANNA.
SOPHIE
Rachel doesn't believe in making
the best of yourself.
RACHEL
No Sophie, I just don't believe
fourteen year-old girls should be
dressing to look like porn stars.
It objectifies them.
SOPHIE
(TO HANNA)
Do you shave your armpits yet?
HANNA
I don't think so.
RACHEL
Good. Keep it that way.
SOPHIE
That's SOOO gross.
RACHEL
Do you often travel on your own,
Hanna?
HANNA
My father encourages me to be
independent.
SEB
And your mother?
HANNA
She's dead.
SEB
Oh, I'm sorry.
45.
SOPHIE
Nice one, Dad.
HANNA
People die.
MILES
What did she die of?
HANNA
Three bullets.
RACHEL
Oh. God. How terrible.
SOPHIE is weirdly impressed.
96 EXT/INT. BUTCHERS SHOP. SOUTH SWEDEN - NIGHT 96
ERIK HELLER, still wearing his three piece suit, enters a
tiny provincial Swedish butchers shop and walks up to the
counter. He checks around to make sure no one is following
him before approaching the BUTCHER and slapping some cash on
the counter.
HELLER
Three pounds of goose fat if you
please.
97 INT. MOROCCAN HOTEL CORRIDOR - LATER 97
HANNA arrives back at the hotel with RACHEL, SEB, MILES and
SOPHIE. MILES is sleepy and SOPHIE a little grumpy.
SOPHIE
Why do we always have to get up so
early?
SEB
If you were a Berber shepherd -
SOPHIE
- I'm not a shepherd. Jesus.
RACHEL
We have to be at the port by eight
tomorrow so I want you to pack
now...
MILES
I'm too sleepy.
HANNA listens anxiously, knowing she needs to go with them to
be safe.
She arrives at her door.
46.
HANNA
Good night.
But the family are too wrapped up in their discussion to
notice her.
SEB
No, you're not. Come on we'll do it
together.
HANNA enters her room. SOPHIE turns at the sound of HANNA'S
door closing.
SOPHIE
She's weird. Is it me, or is that
girl weird?
98 INT. MOROCCAN HOTEL BEDROOM - NIGHT 98
The TV flickers illuminating HANNA as she sits on her bed
looking at the DNA report folded up into a tight wad. She
smooths it out and reads.
The test reads: HANNA HELLER - âSGM + test results.
Interfering sequence present. Abnormal. B sample confirms
RESULTÂ
HANNA stares at the words. âInterfering sequence present.
Abnormal.â HANNA looks at the photo of herself and those
words.
HANNA
ÂABNORMALÂ
What does it mean?
She looks up at the TV and sees footage of millions of Muslim
worshipers circling the Kaaba at Mecca. The sheer mass of
humanity stuns her. HANNA turns up the volume and hears the
call to prayer.
She listens in wonder to her first experience of music.
HANNA (CONT'D)
(WHISPERS)
Music. A combination of sounds with
a view to beauty of form and
expression of emotion.
She breathes in the beautiful sounds.
99 EXT. SOUTH SWEDISH COAST - PRE-DAWN 99
The music continues over -
47.
A barren rocky outcrop on the South Swedish coast. HELLER
arrives. He has a rucksack on his back.
HELLER undresses and puts his suit in a plastic bag that he
knots tight. He puts the bag into the rucksack and puts it on
his back.
Then HELLER starts to cover his body in the goose fat he
bought in the butcher's. He stares across the water towards
DENMARK in the distance.
100 EXT. HOTEL CAR PARK. - PRE-DAWN 100
HANNA appears in the blue morning light and stalks around the
car park looking for the family van.
When she finds it, she tries the doors but they're locked.
She tries the back door but that's also locked.
She gets her foot onto a wheel and another foot onto a
doorhandle and climbs up onto the roof.
101 EXT. VAN/ROOF - PRE-DAWN 101
She studies the sun roof of the recreational vehicle. It has
been left open a few inches for air.
She gets her hands in there and tries to prise it open
further but it's mechanised and won't budge.
She looks around the car park for an implement.
She spies a fire escape with a caretaker's nook next to it.
She climbs back down off the van and goes to the caretaker's
room.
102 INT. CARETAKER'S ROOM - PRE-DAWN 102
HANNA searches the tiny office until she finds a crowbar.
103 EXT. FERRYPORT. MOROCCO. DAY 103
A busy bustling ferry-port, cars in both directions.
ISAACS looks round, makes silent contact with other men. His
men. Four of them dotted around the ferryport.
ISAACS approaches a BORDER GUARD. The GUARD is looking at a
photocopied photo of HANNA from her holding cell. The GUARD
pockets the photocopy as ISAACS passes him a wad of cash.
48.
104 INT. VAN - DAY. 104
THE FAMILY travels towards the ferry-port, sleepy and grumpy,
yawning, looking around.
The sun roof to the rear, above the breakfast table and bench
seats, is wide open.
SEB
... Somebody broke the sun roof. I
said somebody broke the sun roof.
It won't close...
RACHEL
Call the rental.
SEB
I hope its insured.
105 EXT. FERRYPORT. MOROCCO - CONTINUOUS 105
ISAACS watches closely every car that approaches the ferry
from behind his dark glasses.
He sees the FAMILY have joined a cue of vehicles and are
having their papers checked. Then they're waved on board. He
scrutinises them but has no reason to suspect anything.
106 INT. FERRY CAR DECK. - DAY 106
Cars are parking, their headlights on in the dark hull, horns
blowing, FERRY GUARDS directing people to parking spaces -
it's chaos.
SEB parks the van with some difficulty, complaining all the
while.
SEB
Typical. Get me back to the
European Union.
RACHEL
Don't be rude.
They get out, taking with them anything they might need -
knapsacks, computer games, suit cases.
They head off towards the stairs up to the decks, passing
ISAACS on their way.
ISAACS searches between the cars and trucks.
He passes the back of the FAMILY'S van as the camera pushes
in on its back door. The handle is being JIGGLED FROM INSIDE.
49.
107 INT. VAN/FERRY CAR DECK - DAY 107
Inside, the van is as the family left it, but the bench seats
around the breakfast table are disturbed. One has been opened
out, the lid taken off, the mattress strewn on the floor -
inside is a big storage space where HANNA has evidently
hidden... The crowbar has been discarded there.
HANNA is trying to get out. She tries the back door but its
locked.
She climbs over the seats and climbs into the front cabin,
the driver's seat. She finds a lock on the door and unlocks.
She climbs out.
108 EXT. LOWER FERRY DECK - DAY 108
HANNA walks out on deck and sees the sea, the sight of it
takes her breath away. She walks to the railings and looks
over the edge. Then up at the seagulls following the boat.
A little way off the FAMILY are sitting eating ice-creams.
SOPHIE lies out on a bench sunning herself.
RACHEL
What has got into you? Oh my God,
look over there.
They all look where she is pointing - at HANNA.
SOPHIE
It's her.
SEB
You think she... you don't think
she... Rachel, the sunroof?
RACHEL
You think we should say something?
SEB
What's there to say?
RACHEL
Maybe she's in trouble.
SEB
Maybe she's a hooker. Or a
terrorist. There's a lot of them in
Germany.
SOPHIE
Hookers or terrorists?
RACHEL
I'll go over.
50.
SEB
Rachel, walk away. I'm insisting
here. I'm putting my foot down...
RACHEL heads off towards HANNA, SOPHIE follows.
CUT TO:
SOPHIE and RACHEL approach HANNA and move to positions either
side of her.
SOPHIE
All right?
HANNA
Did you know that 71 percent of the
earths surface is covered in water?
SOPHIE
My father thinks you're a stowaway.
He thinks you broke our sunroof
too, which puts you in deep shit.
RACHEL
Sophie just - I'll handle this.
(TO HANNA)
Where's your father?
No reply.
RACHEL (CONT'D)
I really think it might help if you
told us the, you know, the truth
and all that. Have you run away
from somewhere?
SOPHIE
Are you okay?
HANNA
I'm fine.
RACHEL
I'm worried about you.
SOPHIE
She said she's fine.
RACHEL
You have to understand this really
is a problem for us.
51.
SOPHIE
You know what? Why don't I stay
here with her and you go off and be
with dad? He's looking kind of
tense.
CUT TO:
RACHEL rejoins SEB and MILES.
SEB
Has she even got a passport?!
RACHEL
I don't think I handled that very
well.
SEB
How do you know she's not some kind
of illegal immigrant?
109 EXT. UPPER FERRY DECK - CONTINUOUS 109
ISAACS searches the upper deck. Through the bar on the other
side of the ferry he sees one of his men searching the
opposite deck.
A CHILD knocks into ISAACS and the few photocopied
photographs he has of HANNA fall from his pocket and are
blown along the deck.
ISAACS scrambles to pick-up the photocopies.
110 EXT. LOWER FERRY DECK - CONTINUOUS 110
HANNA and SOPHIE are still standing at the railings. SOPHIE
offers HANNA some of her ice-cream.
SOPHIE
Would you like some?
HANNA looks curiously at the ice-cream.
HANNA
Please.
She tries it.
HANNA (CONT'D)
It tastes like music.
SOPHIE
You're so weird, aren't you? Did
you have a fight with your dad or
something?
52.
HANNA
Yes.
SOPHIE
Was it bad?
HANNA
No. I won.
HANNA studies the sea.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Can you help me get home?
At that moment one of ISAACS photocopied pictures of HANNA
rolls across the deck and catches on the railings.
HANNA looks down at it, recognizes herself and quickly
pockets it. She looks across the deck, too many people, she
shouldn't have let herself be so exposed.
HANNA (CONT'D)
You could do me a make-over if you
like?
111 INT. VAN. FERRY CAR DECK - DAY 111
MILES is sitting in the driver's seat, pretending to drive
the stationary van.
Through the windscreen, RACHEL and SEB can be seen having a
heated discussion.
In the back, HANNA is changing into some of SOPHIE'S clothes.
SOPHIE
You're pretty. You know that?
HANNA
Am I?
SOPHIE
Of course you are. You've got
pretty eyes and you're tall. I
always wanted to be tall. If I were
a man I might fancy you.
She laughs. HANNA responds seriously.
HANNA
I'm not a man.
SOPHIE laughs even more.
The door swings open and SEB is standing there with RACHEL,
nervous but determined.
53.
SEB
Okay, here's the deal. We're going
to find a way to get you home just
as soon as we get off this crate.
But since you don't have a passport
with you right now, we're just
going to have to be a bit gorilla.
Okay?
RACHEL
We passionately believe it's the
right thing to do.
They don't look sure at all, but SOPHIE puts her arm round
HANNA and HANNA returns the gesture, everybody slightly
embarrassed.
112 EXT. FERRY PORT ALGECIRAS - DAY 112
The FERRY is docked, the huge doors are open and cars are
starting to drive out, halting on the dock to have passports
checked.
113 INT. VAN. FERRY CAR DECK. - DAY 113
Cars are revving up, manoeuvring and getting ready to
disembark.
RACHEL is at the drivers wheel while SEB is in the back
stripping the cushions from the bench seats to prepare a
place for HANNA to hide.
HANNA waits, breath bated, her arm round SOPHIE's shoulders.
On the far side she sees ISAACS enter the deck. She watches
him carefully and decides he must be looking for her. She
ducks down a little further.
RACHEL, looking nervous, turns to HANNA.
RACHEL
You okay honey?
HANNA
Yes yes I'm ready!
ISAACS is getting closer, walking between the cars. The ferry
gates are open and the noise subsides.
SEB discovers the crowbar, examines it.
SEB
Oh Jesus.
HANNA grabs it and sticks it back in the box, helps SEB fling
cushions aside and gets into the compartment.
54.
SEB grits his teeth.
SEB (CONT'D)
Here goes nothing.
He shuts the bench seat over HANNA and replaces the cushions
just as ISAACS passes the van, sniffing around.
SEB gets out of the back and walks around to the front. He
passes ISAACS on his way round.
SEB (CONT'D)
Excuse me. Sir?
ISAACS gets out of the way and SEB gets into the front
passenger's seat. RACHEL starts the engine, checks her
mirrors.
SEB eyes ISAACS with some paranoia - although he has no idea
who he is.
INSIDE HANNA'S HIDE OUT -
HANNA lies quietly, her eyes glistening in the dark. She
listens, hearing the van disembarking the ferry.
114 EXT. DANISH COASTLINE - DAY 114
Dark rain pours down on to a beach on the Danish coast.
A figure struggles to land. Then, like a monster from the
deep, ERIK emerges out of the surf. His lungs bursting with
the exertion. Water dripping from his body.
He collapses for a while then stumbles up the beach. He
approaches the beach car park.
A POLICE CAR swings into the car park.
ERIK tries to run, but it's too late. The POLICE CAR is on
him.
He stops and turns towards the police car.
TWO POLICEMEN get out of the car and approach ERIK. He
watches them very carefully.
115 EXT. MOTORWAY/SOUTHERN SPAIN - DAY 115
The FAMILY'S van speeds along the E-15 up from the Bay of
Gibraltar, heading north east towards the mountains.
55.
116 INT. VAN - DAY 116
HANNA stares out at the changing light in the rugged
landscape.
Hills are emerging and the land is turning green in the gold
evening light.
HANNA watches RACHEL unscrew the cap of a water bottle and
brings it to SEB'S mouth while he drives. SEB laughs as a
little water spills down his front.
SOPHIE is listening to an iPOD. HANNA looks at her. SOPHIE
takes one earphone out of her own ear and puts it in HANNA's.
117 INT. MARITIME SECURITY/OFFICE - DAY 117
ISAACS shows fake ID to the ferry's frowning SECURITY
OFFICER, who doesn't appreciate the unsolicited approach.
ISAACS
Sir, I'll be as brief as I can, we
have a situation here...
118 INT. MARITIME SECURITY/OFFICE - LATER 118
ISAACS is studying CC TV footage of the ferry. He views a
number of scenes with no luck until he notices:
The car deck - HANNA and SOPHIE weaving through the cars and
boarding the van.
119 INT. VAN - DAY 119
HANNA rests her head on SOPHIE'S shoulder and relaxes for the
first time. MILES relaxes his head on HANNA's shoulder and
they stare at the huge, granite mountain range...
She starts to nod off... she falls asleep on SOPHIE's
shoulder.
120 EXT. DANISH COASTLINE - DAY 120
MARISSA walks along the desolate patch of coastline. She
approaches a Crime Scene. Dogs, markings on the ground. Two
DANISH POLICEMEN lie inert on the pebbles, their throats
freshly sliced.
LEWIS
The Danish authorities are taking
this very seriously. They've
doubled the number of officers on
the ground. We've sent up spotter
planes over the channel.
(MORE)
56.
LEWIS (CONT'D)
They're appealing for witnesses
through the local media...
MARISSA nods and looks out at the roiling grey sea. The
reality of ERIK'S determination unnerving her.
LEWIS (CONT'D)
You think he really swam it?
MARISSA knows he did. She calls over her shoulder as she
walks away.
MARISSA
Keep me posted.
121 EXT. SPANISH CAMPSITE - DAY 121
The campsite is heaving with humanity, thousands of EUROPEAN
CAMPERS who have turned the site into what amounts to a
shanty town - a small city with its own shops, drainage,
borders and rules. Families come here from cities across
Europe and bring their whole lives with them.
The LYALL FAMILY van is squeezed in between a GERMAN family
walking around in skimpy swimming costumes - and a serious
looking FRENCH family with quad bikes.
SOPHIE, MILES and HANNA stare at the other families a moment.
GERMAN CAMPER.
Guten tag.
HANNA
Guten Morgen.
GERMAN CAMPER.
Wie geht es Ihnen?
HANNA
Gutm und Ihnen?
GERMAN CAMPER.
Jah, gut, gut...
A FRENCH CAMPER nods at them.
FRENCH CAMPER.
Bonjour. Ca va?
HANNA
Ca va. Oui. Bien...
HANNA starts efficiently helping SEB erect the children's
tent. He's watches impressed as HANNA expertly ties
complicated knots.
RACHEL and MILES start blowing up two inflatable mattresses.
57.
RACHEL
Maybe we could all go for a walk
when we've put the tent up.
SOPHIE
No thanks.
HANNA looks off to the tree line. In the distance she spots a
couple of RABBITS in a pool of sunlight.
122 INT. SPANISH CAMPSITE. OFFICE/SHOP. 122
HANNA turns a display unit of postcards.
Through the window she can see SOPHIE talking to TWO TEENAGE
BOYS.
One of the boys enters the shop. He looks at HANNA as he
passes and smiles. This is FELICIANO. He is handsome. HANNA'S
not used to this feeling of being looked at.
While the SHOP ASSISTANT serves FELICIANO HANNA pockets a
postcard and a book of stamps.
123 EXT. SPANISH CAMPSITE. OFFICE/SHOP. 123
HANNA sits on a low wall writing her postcard:
âMission accomplished'
HANNA gets up and posts the card.
124 EXT. WOODS NEAR CAMPSITE - DAY 124
RACHEL and HANNA are walking in the woods together. Above
them the evening chorus is in full song.
RACHEL
I just feel connected when I'm in
the countryside. The city stifles
me... emotionally, creatively.
HANNA'S attention is elsewhere, she's spotted something in
the undergrowth.
RACHEL (CONT'D)
Anyway, I was very young when I...
Seb and I.... He was so impressive.
HANNA suddenly runs into the woods.
RACHEL (CONT'D)
Hanna?!
58.
125 EXT. SPANISH CAMPSITE - EVENING 125
The FAMILY are sitting in fold-out chairs eating charred
veggie sausages.
SOPHIE
It's probably just a bunch of
Spanish farmers, mum. We're hardly
going to be out all night.
RACHEL
You're not going, Sophie. No way,
Jose.
HANNA appears from the woods carrying TWO SKINNED RABBITS.
She lays them in front of the family.
HANNA
Food.
SOPHIE lets out a shriek of nervous laughter, while SEB and
RACHEL are confused as to what the appropriate reaction might
be.
MILES
That's gross.
126 INT. CAMPSITE PUBLIC BATHROOM - NIGHT 126
The girls are hiding out in the Ladies Room as SOPHIE does
HANNA'S make-up.
SOPHIE
I don't know why I'm doing this,
you're going to steal all the best
men off of me.
HANNA
What do you mean?
SOPHIE
Though quite frankly I don't need
more digits than I've got right
now. Loads. Loads and loads.
HANNA watches herself in the mirror. Mascara, eye liner. She
licks the lipstick, puzzled. Almost a woman, but it doesn't
look right on her.
HANNA
It's like paint.
SOPHIE
Don't lick it off.
SOPHIE finishes HANNA's face, looks at her in the mirror.
59.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
You're gorgeous.
127 EXT. CAMPSITE. NIGHT. 127
SOPHIE and HANNA sneak through the campsite together and move
secretly between the parked cars. HANNA is dressed in some of
SOPHIE's clothes and has the make-up on. They are excited,
SOPHIE alive with the thrill of disobedience.
HANNA
I can't walk in this.
SOPHIE
You look hot.
HANNA
Where are we going?
SOPHIE
Shhhhh!
HANNA uncomfortable with the situation.
HANNA
I shouldn't take unnecessary risks.
SOPHIE
Says who?
SOPHIE heads off down the road.
HANNA weighs the situation and then quickens her pace to
catch up with SOPHIE.
128 EXT. RAVE AT ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE. NIGHT. 128
A loud out door rave in a Roman amphitheatre.
SOPHIE and HANNA stand at the top of the amphitheatre looking
down on the thrilling spectacle, soaking up the bass, the
abstract sounds, the sheer volume, the pulsing lights and
electric atmosphere - HANNA is thrilled and startled.
Many of the crowd seem to be wearing fancy dress. HANNA
stares at a girl dressed as a red ladybird.
CUT TO:
The girls approach a bar and SOPHIE goes to order. She's
forced to mime and shout her order over the music.
SOPHIE
Vodka. Two.
60.
The bartender shakes his head and holds up two bottles of
water.
BARTENDER
Water only. No booze.
Meanwhile HANNA spots FELICIANO, the handsome SPANISH BOY
from the camp site shop, across the dance floor. He is
staring at her again.
SOPHIE comes back with two bottles of water and hands one to
HANNA.
HANNA
What do they call this music?
SOPHIE
Banging.
HANNA stares at the dancers, people losing themselves in it -
SOPHIE just grins, starts to move to the music.
HANNA smiles awkwardly, tries to copy SOPHIE.
CUT TO:
ISAACS enters the rave followed by two of his HENCHMEN. They
split up and start to survey the crowd.
Over in a secluded corner ISAACS sees a drug deal taking
place.
ISAACS sidles over to the DEALER and his PUNTER. The PUNTER,
thinking ISAACS is probably a cop, makes a hasty getaway.
ISAACS
What you got?
DEALER
(in Spanish w/ English
SUBTITLES)
Nothing man. That guys just a
friend.
ISAACS frisks the DEALER, nothing. He turns the DEALER
against the wall and checks his socks where he finds a stash
of tiny baggies each containing a gram or two of white
powder.
ISAACS samples the powder and pockets the lot.
DEALER (CONT'D)
(in Spanish w/ English
SUBTITLES)
Hey, you're not police. What the
fuck?
ISAACS turns as he walks away and puts a finger to his lips.
61.
ISAACS
Ssh.
CUT TO:
Back near the bar HANNA and SOPHIE are approached by a couple
of scrawny SPANISH BOYS in day-glow tops.
SPANISH BOY
(in Spanish w/ English
SUBTITLES)
Where are you from?
The girls just look at each other.
SPANISH BOY (CONT'D)
English? American? You like to
party?
They watch, puzzled, as SOPHIE smiles disinterestedly and
leads HANNA away.
HANNA
Will you teach me to do dancing?
SOPHIE
It's easy.
HANNA and SOPHIE walk onto the dance floor and begin to
dance.
HANNA starts by dancing like a five year-old, swinging her
arms jerkily and lifting her feet as if walking through a
field. But soon her movements become more sophisticated and
expressive.
CUT TO:
ISAACS is searching through the crowd. He eyes the bodies
around him greedily.
He takes another dab of the white powder and rubs it into his
gums.
CUT TO:
Back on the dance floor, HANNA and SOPHIE are dancing.
FELICIANO approaches through the crowd followed by a FRIEND.
THEY start to circle HANNA and SOPHIE, dancing, insinuating
their way in.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
He's after you.
HANNA
How can you tell?
62.
SOPHIE
Duh, look at the way he's looking
at you. He's gorgeous.
FELICIANO'S FRIEND approaches SOPHIE, he's not bad looking
either.
FELICIANO'S FRIEND
What's your name?
SOPHIE
Sophie.
FELICIANO'S FRIEND
Have you come here before?
SOPHIE
All the time.
FELICIANO'S FRIEND
Really? You dance well.
SOPHIE
So do you.
HANNA and FELICIANO hold eye contact.
The music rises and now they're lit only by the intermittent
flashes of a strobe light.
HANNA and FELICIANO begin to dance around each other, their
movements caught in still flashes.
CUT TO:
From some distance away ISAACS spots HANNA. He smiles and
starts to move through the crowds towards her.
CUT TO:
SOPHIE and the FRIEND are kissing. HANNA sees this and
laughs.
The crowd is jumping.
HANNA feels FELICIANO'S hand take hers, she flinches a
moment, then lets him draw her towards him. Their eyes still
locked.
ISAACS is getting closer, his eyes flashing eerily in the
strobe lighting.
HANNA and FELICIANO are in a world of their own.
His fingers trace the lines of her arms, shoulders and neck.
He draws her face towards his.
63.
HANNA
Are we going to kiss now?
FELICIANO
Would you like to?
HANNA
Kissing requires a total of thirty-
four facial muscles.
Their lips are almost touching.
HANNA (CONT'D)
The most important muscle involved
is the orbicularis oris muscle,
which is used to pucker the lips -
He kisses her.
HANNA closes her eyes.
ISAACS moves in.
FELICIANO becomes more ardent, puts his arms around her
waist, she doesn't like it. He tries to open her mouth with
his.
HANNA snaps.
In a few swift moves, HANNA pulls FELICIANO round and throws
him to the ground. She falls to his side and, with one knee
on his back, she holds his head, about to snap his neck.
SOPHIE turns and sees them on the ground. A few of the
closest DANCERS also stop dancing and stare.
ISAACS backs off, watching from a safe distance.
SOPHIE
Hanna! Holy crap...
FELICIANO
Please, don't hurt me.
(TO SOPHIE)
Please, tell your friend...
HANNA looks up at SOPHIE. Now that she has FELICIANO on the
ground she doesn't know what to do with him.
HANNA
Should I let him go?
SOPHIE
As opposed to what? Yes, you should
let him go.
HANNA leans in to whisper into FELICIANO'S ear.
64.
HANNA
I'm going to go now.
FELICIANO
Sure.
HANNA
It was nice.
And she's gone, pulling SOPHIE away through the crowd.
ISAACS jumps into action. But he's lost sight of the girls
among the mass of dancing bodies.
HANNA and SOPHIE move quickly through the crowds towards the
exit.
SOPHIE
Oh, my God, Hanna. I thought you
were going to kill him. Where d'you
learn to do that?
HANNA
My father taught me.
They escape through a hole in the perimeter fence.
129 129
NIGHT
An immaculately tidy lounge in a small apartment on the
ground floor of a run down East Berlin housing project.
A well-dressed woman in her 60's, KATRIN, is sitting alone
listening to music on an old casette machine.
The door buzzer rings. KATRIN gets up slowly and approaches
the door.
KATRIN
Who is it?
No reply. KATRIN puts the safety chain across the door and
opens it a small amount.
MARISSA
Hello Katrin.
KATRIN slams the door shut in fright and double locks it.
Fear racing through her veins, she rushes her way through the
lounge, knocking furniture as she goes.
130 INT. KITCHEN. KATRIN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 130
KATRIN races to the kitchen door and bolts it.
65.
Thinking the apartment is secure, she tries to catch her
breath. But slowly she becomes aware of someone else's
presence in the room.
She turns to face the intruder... MARISSA standing, waiting
patiently.
KATRIN
You look different in pictures.
MARISSA
Well here I am in the flesh.
KATRIN'S mouth twitches with all the imagined conversations
she's had with MARISSA.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Has Erik Heller contacted you?
KATRIN
Erik's dead.
MARISSA sits calmly in an old arm chair.
MARISSA
Huh, if only.
KATRIN
If he's alive why would he contact
me?
MARISSA
That depends on whether you believe
he's innocent, or not.
KATRIN
I'm an old woman with a broken
HEART -
MARISSA
- What's in the past, stays in the
past, right?
KATRIN
Something like that.
MARISSA
So why all the years of snooping
around and sticking your nose in?
KATRIN
You'd understand if you had kids.
She turns her back on MARISSA.
MARISSA
Kid's, they fuck you up, don't
they?
66.
MARISSA stands up, puts a 9mm to the back KATRIN'S head and
pulls the trigger.
KATRIN drops to the floor revealing a framed, blood
splattered, photograph of KATRIN ZADEK'S daughter - JOANNA.
131 INT. TENT. SPANISH CAMPSITE. EARLY DAWN. 131
HANNA and SOPHIE lie next to each other in sleeping bags with
a torch between them.
SOPHIE
Can't you sleep?
HANNA
No.
SOPHIE
Me neither.
SOPHIE pauses. Looks at her.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
Hanna?
HANNA
Yes?
SOPHIE
Where do you really come from?
HANNA
Leipzig, I live in Leipzig -
SOPHIE looses her patience.
SOPHIE
If we're going to be friends you
have to be honest with me. Them's
the rules.
HANNA is taken aback.
HANNA
Are we friends?
SOPHIE
Yes. I like you.
HANNA
I'd like to have a friend.
SOPHIE
I mean you're a freak and
everything, but I like you.
67.
HANNA
I like you too. I really do. But
there are things I can't tell you.
Do you understand?
SOPHIE
Yes... Actually, no, I don't.
HANNA
There are people that want to harm
me. Bad people.
SOPHIE
I see.
HANNA
And they wont stop.
SOPHIE
Right.
HANNA
So for your own safety...
HANNA looks into SOPHIE'S eyes.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Can we still be friends?
SOPHIE
I don't know. I mean, I don't
really know who you are. Do I?
HANNA
That's just it. Neither do I.
She reaches into her bag. Brings out the DNA report. Shows it
to Sophie. They read. Interfering Sequence. Abnormal.
SOPHIE
What is it?
HANNA
I think it's about me. DNA is kind
of how we're made I think. I mean
who we are.
They look at it.
SOPHIE
What will you do?
HANNA
I'm going to Berlin. I have to meet
my father at the house of Wilhelm
Grimm.
68.
SOPHIE
As in âGrimm's Fairytalesâ?
HANNA
That's right.
SOPHIE sighs at HANNA.
SOPHIE
If you say so.
HANNA
Did I say the wrong thing again?
SOPHIE looks at HANNA, sees she's vulnerable. She takes a
bracelet off her own wrist. Gives it to her.
SOPHIE
Keep this. To remember me.
HANNA takes it, puts it on. Moved. Looks at SOPHIE.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
It's a friendship bracelet.
HANNA
Thank you.
HANNA stares at the ceiling, looks over at SOPHIE who's
starting to sleep. HANNA reaches out and touches her hair.
Beside them, separated by a thin piece of fabric, we see that
MILES has woken and has been listening in the darkness.
132 INT. KATRIN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 132
MARISSA is searching the apartment. She's thorough and fast.
She rips cushions and throws books from their shelves. Her
actions become progressively more frantic, relishing the
destruction. She finds more and more photograph's of JOANNA.
The photographs seem to have a driving effect on her.
She walks down the hall and opens a door onto a small spare
bedroom that had been turned into home office. Every
available wall space is covered in newspaper clippings and
photographs relating JOANNA'S murder.
On the floor MARISSA finds a box of old casette tapes. She
stops to inspect one of the tapes. A label reads: âJoanna no.
24'.
133 INT. DANISH HOSTEL - MORNING. 133
ERIK HELLER walks into a small, long-established family hotel
on a Danish road near the coast.
69.
He is in the slightly dated suit he wore when he left the
forest and looks a little dishevelled and odd. A sixtyish
Danish woman stands behind the counter, scrutinising him.
They speak in Danish with English subtitles.
ERIK (SIGHS, EXHAUSTED)
I need a room.
RECEPTIONIST
Yes of course.
ERIK
I stayed here fifteen years ago. It
hasn't changed.
RECEPTIONIST
We don't much like change here.
ERIK
Neither do I.
RECEPTIONIST
Name?
ERIK
Olsson. Peter Olsson.
RECEPTIONIST
You have some post.
She turns and retrieves HANNA'S POSTCARD from the mail rack
and hands it to him.
ERIK
Thank you.
ERIK reads: âMission accomplishedâ
RECEPTIONIST
Have you heard about the manhunt?
A man has killed two coastguards.
Everybody is being asked to keep an
eye out.
ERIK
For what exactly?
RECEPTIONIST
I don't know.
He smiles. She takes a closer look and notices goose fat
smeared behind his ear.. and blood on a shirt cuff...
134 INT. VAN/SPANISH CAMPSITE - MORNING 134
The FAMILY have checked out and are leaving the campsite.
70.
HANNA
How long until you drop me off?
RACHEL
We should have you there by dinner
time. From Lille you can get a
train to Berlin. Leipzig's just a
few hours further.
HANNA and SOPHIE exchange a look.
135 EXT. RECEPTION. SPANISH CAMPSITE - CONTINUOUS 135
The FAMILY van passes through the campsite gates to reveal
ISAACS coming out of the reception hut.
He sees the van, recognises it. He sees the kids in the back.
Bingo. He runs to a black BMW where two of his HENCHMEN are
waiting for him.
ISAACS
Wake up. It's them.
He jumps in the passenger seat whilst the driver revs the
engine.
The BMW pulls out in front of an oncoming truck narrowly
avoiding a collision.
136 INT. ISAACS' BMW - CONTINUOUS 136
ISAACS holds onto the dash.
ISAACS
Keep your distance.
137 INT. DANISH HOSTEL - DAY 137
The RECEPTIONIST picks up the phone and dials.
RECEPTIONIST
Is that the police? Yes, I don't
want to trouble you but I have a
new guest you may wish to know
about.
138 EXT. VESTERBROGADE STATION/COPENHAGEN. DAY. 138
A commuter train pulls into the vast station. Amongst the
morning commuters alighting the train is ERIK HELLER. He
looks furtively around, and tries to blend in with the crowd.
71.
POV - from a walkway above the station - someone is watching
HELLER as he tries to conceal himself within the throng. A
DANISH AGENT, hidden on a metal walkway above the platform.
On the platform HELLER walks amongst the commuters, past the
ticket collectors, past another DANISH AGENT posing as a
commuter - he stops and lingers by him, noting something not
right.
He moves off and enters a small bar.
The second AGENT immediately follows and from the walkway,
the other rushes downstairs to give chase too.
HELLER walks through the bar into the toilets, finds a FIRE
EXIT and walks out through it.
139 EXT. GOODS YARD/VESTERBROGADE STATION - DAY 139
HELLER finds himself in a goods yard adjoining the train
station. He walks through the goods yard, then suddenly, and
apparently for no reason, stops dead, then throws himself
behind a skip of empty bottles.
As he does two new men, AMERICAN SPECIAL OPS, run round the
corner into the goods yard.
From the fire exit, the DANISH AGENTS EMERGE and after
signalling to each other, head off to the perimeter.
The various agents scour the yard. The SPECIAL OPS get closer
to HELLER's hiding place. HELLER suddenly emerges from his
hiding place and sticks an elbow in the face of one, a knee
in the groin of another.
There's a brief exchange of blows.
One of the SPECIAL OPS draws his hand gun.
HELLER produces a knife out of nowhere and launches at the
man, cutting him on the hand, making him drop his gun.
He stabs the other in the eye and the man falls to the ground
squealing.
HELLER leans in and takes from the man's pocket his
CELLPHONE.
HELLER makes a run for it. One of the SPECIAL OPS lets off a
shot, the bullet clipping HELLER in the leg.
He falters but limps off behind the towering containers.
140 EXT. FRENCH ROAD - DAY 140
The FAMILY van is making its way up through France.
72.
Following in the black BMW, a few cars behind, ISAACS and his
HENCHMEN are biding their time.
141 INT. VAN/FRENCH ROAD - EVENING 141
RACHEL is driving, while HANNA rides in the front seat
keeping her entertained.
HANNA
...they can live at freezing
temperatures for up to nine months
without food. Imagine that, nine
months.
RACHEL
Why do you know so much about
fleas?
HANNA
I read it in my Encyclopaedia.
HANNA is looking in the side view mirror. She sees ISAACS BMW
and frowns, she's seen it before.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Also, they can jump around 200
times their own body length, which
makes them the best jumpers of all
known animals except for the
froghopper. Now they can really
jump.
RACHEL makes a turn and HANNA checks the side view mirror
again. Yes, the BMW is still there. HANNA becomes anxious.
RACHEL
Everything all right?
HANNA
I think so.
But HANNA'S face betrays her concern.
JOANNA (V.O.)
Mama, I know you're disappointed in
me, I know it. I'm so sorry, Mama.
But I have found maybe a way to
make it better...
142 INT. HOTEL SUITE. COPENHAGEN - NIGHT 142
CLOSE ON - a portable casette machine playing one of the
tapes MARISSA discovered at KATRIN ZADEK'S.
73.
JOANNA (V.O.)
I'm in a program now... a program
to make babies stronger.
In an adjoining bathroom MARISSA, in a pair of cotton
pyjamas, is brushing her teeth. Her lips pulled back in a
snarl.
JOANNA (V.O.)
An American program. It's very
scientific. Important scientific
work.
Still brushing MARISSA walks through to the tape machine and
presses fast forward. Then play -
JOANNA (V.O.)
Erik says he can get these tapes to
YOU -
MARISSA
(MUTTERS)
Bastard.
JOANNA (V.O.)
- He says I look beautiful. I don't
feel beautiful...
MARISSA doesn't care, fast forwards. Play -
JOHANNA (V.O.)
...I'm not sure if it's true that
the baby can hear, but at night I
sing. I hope it hears me.
MARISSA listens, for some unknown reason to MARISSA this
catches her imagination.
The phone rings.
MARISSA
What?
RECEPTIONIST
Frau Wiegler, this is reception. I
have one Erik Heller for you.
MARISSA stops dead.
MARISSA
Put him on.
ERIK (O.S.)
You were supposed to be dead.
MARISSA
So were you.
74.
143 EXT. PARK. COPENHAGEN - NIGHT 143
A phone booth in a city park. ERIK shivering in the cold as
icy rain falls around him, he's holding the CELLPHONE he
stole from the dead SPECIAL OPS. HELLER'S leg is bleeding
profusely.
ERIK
Well, here we are.
MARISSA
How did you know I was here?
ERIK
I killed one of your men. Got his
cellphone. You've gotten soft.
MARISSA (O.S.)
No, I just grew up. The world's
changed since you died.
ERIK
You got kids?
144 INT. HOTEL SUITE. COPENHAGEN - CONTINUOUS 144
MARISSA stops, taken aback by the question.
MARISSA
No, I made choices.
ERIK
Hanna's practically yours, you
know?
This goes straight to an ache that's been building in
MARISSA.
MARISSA
Not interested.
But she is.
ERIK
She's true and good and funny.
Yeah, she's funny. She's special.
You should see her.
MARISSA
I'm looking forward to it.
ERIK
You'll have to catch her first.
The line goes dead. MARISSA puts the phone down and sits
quietly for a moment. Then presses play again on the tape
machine.
75.
JOANNA (V.O.)
Was it like this for you, Mama? I
think I know what the baby looks
like. I think it's a girl -- I hope
so.
145 EXT. INDUSTRIAL ROAD - NIGHT 145
The FAMILY'S van drives - behind ISAACS BMW tails it, lights
on high beam.
JOANNA (V.O.)
I wonder who she'll be? I hope
she's smart. I hope she's a
stronger person than I am.
146 INT. VAN - NIGHT 146
HANNA sits beside her in the passenger seat, her anxiety
growing.
RACHEL is still at the wheel, watching the bright headlights
behind.
RACHEL
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. I think
we're lost, Hanna.
HANNA checks the side view mirror again and sees ISAACS BMW.
She's knows that whoever is driving that car is after her.
She looks back and sees SEB, SOPHIE and MILES all comfortably
asleep. MILES' fingers wrapped around a Transformers toy.
RACHEL (CONT'D)
I'm going to pull over.
HANNA
No, don't.
RACHEL
I need to check the map.
147 EXT/INT. CAR/CONTAINER PARK - NIGHT 147
The van slowly pulls in at the side of the road.
RACHEL waits for the BMW behind to pass but instead it pulls
in behind the van.
On either side of the road is an enormous container park. The
containers are piled on top of each other like a giant baby's
building blocks.
76.
RACHEL
Why won't that car pass? He has his
lights on high beam, I was doing
everything I could to get out of
the way...
SOPHIE wakes up in the back.
SOPHIE
Are we stopped? I need to pee.
RACHEL
Well, I don't want you going too
far right now.
HANNA
I think you should stay where you
are, Sophie.
HANNA doesn't take her eyes off the mirror. She can see the
silhouettes of ISAACS and his MEN. They don't move and
neither does HANNA. Both are waiting for the other to make
the first move.
RACHEL
Hanna, what's going on. Seb wake
up.
HANNA
Please.
SOPHIE
This is creepy. You're creeping me
out.
SEB
(GROGGY)
Are we in Lille?
HANNA
I'm sorry. But you really mustn't
get out of the van.
HANNA climbs into the back of the van and comes very close to
SOPHIE.
HANNA (CONT'D)
What ever you do, don't follow me.
Promise not to follow me.
SOPHIE
I promise.
RACHEL
Hanna, tell me what's going on or
Seb will go over to that car and
find out.
77.
SEB
Like fuck I will. Everyone stay
put. Where's my phone?
HANNA
(TO SOPHIE)
Thank you for being my friend.
HANNA looks back at the BMW. All at once all four of the car
doors open.
In a flash, HANNA pulls open the van's side door and bolts
from the van.
RACHEL
Hanna!
RACHEL sees ISAACS and one of the HENCHMEN chase after HANNA.
The SECOND HENCHMAN appears at her drivers window aiming his
gun at her head. RACHEL screams.
148 EXT. CONTAINER PARK - NIGHT 148
HANNA sprints across hard tarmac heading for the relative
safety of the container park.
ISAACS and his HENCHMAN follow at speed.
HANNA enters a dark gully between two enormous containers.
ISAACS slips around the other side to block her off. He
signals to the HENCHMAN to loop around and flank HANNA.
HANNA moves quietly between the containers, turning this way
and that.
ISAACS voice comes echoing through the maze.
ISAACS (O.S.)
Don't be a silly girl, Hanna. You
need to come with me now. I know
where your papa is.
She listens.
CUT TO:
ISAACS, his gun in hand, calls out again.
ISAACS (CONT'D)
He wants to talk to you, Hanna. He
misses you.
CUT TO:
The HENCHMAN appears directly behind HANNA. HANNA double-
kicks him in the chest.
78.
HANNA pulls herself up the side of the containers and
scrambles on top of them and runs, jumping between the
containers when she reaches a gap.
The HENCHMAN appears having climbed up too.
A chase ensues. HANNA, followed by the HENCHMAN climbing up
higher, now four containers high.
ISAACS follow below.
HANNA jumps an enormous gap between two containers and right
over the head of ISAACS.
HANNA slips and tumbles but catches the edge of one of the
containers on her way down. She hangs there a moment, then
pushes herself off the side of the container and manages to
land on a lower container on the other side.
HANNA running across the tops of the containers sees the
HENCHMAN appear at the far edge. She grabs a discarded wrench
and throws it at the man, catching him in the side of the
head - a perfect aim - and he tumbles to the ground.
She descends the containers with nimble leaps and comes to
the ground.
She's running now through a maze of tight alleys between the
containers. She stops at a âT' junction, unsure which way to
go. Suddenly ISAACS appears at the end of one alley, HENCHMAN
ONE at the end of another, and HENCHMAN TWO at the end of the
third.
She's trapped.
ISAACS (CONT'D)
Just take it easy.
HANNA makes her decision and runs straight at ISAACS.
He stretches out his arms in an attempt to catch her.
She hits him like a bowling ball hitting the last pin and he
crashes to the ground.
She rolls and springs to her feet.
The HENCHMEN follow but HANNA is too quick.
149 EXT. SCRAP METAL YARD/CANAL - NIGHT 149
HANNA sprints full tilt out of the container park and through
a scrap metal yard. Either side of her rise mountains of
waste.
HANNA reaches the edge of an industrial canal from where the
scrap metal is unloaded.
79.
A large industrial barge is passing beneath. HANNA jumps and
lands on the moving barge. Then quickly takes cover under a
tarpaulin.
150 INT. HOLDING CELLS. DAWN 150
Four holding cells in a row, each one holding a member of the
family.
SEB paces around his cell. RACHEL sits stoically in hers.
SOPHIE is crying in her cell while MILES is playing with his
Nintendo in his cell.
MARISSA walks into SOPHIE'S cell.
MARISSA
Would you please stop crying?
SOPHIE
I'm not telling you anything.
MARISSA
Honey, your friend is in a lot of
danger. You need to help us find
her.
SOPHIE
I don't know where to find her!
MARISSA grits her teeth, shows SOPHIE a photo of FELICIANO.
MARISSA
Do you know him?
SOPHIE
No.
MARISSA
He knows you.
CUT TO:
MARISSA now in RACHEL'S cell.
RACHEL
We gave her a ride because we
thought she was in trouble.
MARISSA
But you knew she didn't have a
passport. You smuggled her into
port and helped her illegally gain
ENTRY -
RACHEL
She said she lived in Leipzig. She
went to the Klaus Kohle Gymnasium.
80.
MARISSA
There is no Klaus Kohle Gymnasium.
It closed five years ago.
Shock on Rachel's face.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Did she give any idea of where she
was going?
Rachel wracks her brains.
RACHEL
She said she was going home, to
Leipzig. She seemed lost. Like she
needed taking care of.
(woman to woman)
You understand.
MARISSA shows her the photograph of JOANNA ZADEK.
MARISSA
This was Hanna's mother, Joanna
Zadek. Fifteen years ago Hanna's
father shot her to death on a
camping holiday by the Baltic.
RACHEL swallows, goes pale.
CUT TO:
MARISSA now in SEB'S cell.
SEB
She was odd. I'll give you that.
Disconnected. I mean I get on with
most kids, you know, have a
rapport. But, this one -
MARISSA
You know, Mr Lyall, it's days like
these that I really hate my job.
SEB
I'm sure you do.
MARISSA
It's a very, very difficult thing
to do.
SEB
Absolutely.
MARISSA
But sometimes children are bad
people too.
CUT TO:
81.
MARISSA in MILES'S cell. MILES is terrified of MARISSA. She
puts her hand out and strokes his hair.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
I'm not going to hurt you.
MILES shrinks from her touch.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Miles is a nice name. Are you a
nice boy?
She strokes MILES' hair and immediately he starts crying
loudly.
SEB pounds on the wall from his cell.
SEB
Hey what's going on in there? We
don't have to put up with this!
We're in the EU, Goddammit!
151 EXT. BARGE. RURAL FRANCE INTO GERMANY. DAWN 151
HANNA watches as the sun rises over the misty fields either
side be the canal. It's a beautiful sight. HANNA is strangely
peaceful.
152 INT. HOLDING CELLS. DAWN 152
Now the whole family are reunited in MILES' cell. He sniffs
and plays with his Nintendo. The others look wan as MARISSA
passes around a photo of the two dead DANISH POLICEMEN. The
family go silent.
MARISSA
Three days ago Hanna's father
killed two Danish policemen on a
beach with a hunting knife.
SEB
Where is he now?
MARISSA
He's still at large and he's still
very dangerous. We need to find
Hanna before he does.
Pause. SOPHIE thinks about it but clams up. Marissa notices.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
If you know anything at all, it's
vital you tell us for her own
safety. We are now very worried
about her.
82.
But SOPHIE doesn't say a word.
RACHEL
Sophie?
Still nothing. They all look at her. MILES suddenly speaks.
MILES
She's going to Berlin. To Wilhelm
Grimm's house.
SOPHIE (TO MILES)
You little bastard!
RACHEL
How did you know that?
SOPHIE
You fuckwad!
SOPHIE slaps MILES over the back of the head but SEB pushes
her back.
SEB
Hey hey hey! Sophie for God's sake.
153 EXT. BERLIN CANALS - DAY 153
HANNA'S sits on the prow of the barge as it makes it's slow
progress into Berlin.
154 INT/EXT. CAR/STREET - DAY 154
MARISSA looks out at a school playground as she waits in the
back of her car.
The passenger door next to her opens and ISAACS gets in.
ISAACS
I've looked through Heller's
contacts from the 1980's. There's
no one called Wilhelm.
MARISSA
Wilhelm Grimm wrote fairy-tales. He
died two hundred years ago.
MARISSA hands ISAACS a brown envelope containing one of the
photographs she took from KATRIN'S apartment.
The photograph shows a happy looking JOANNA and ERIK at a
busy family amusement park. Between ERIK and JOANNA is a
clown, his arms around both of them. This we will come to
understand is KLAUS KNEPFLER. Behind them is a GRIMM'S
BROTHERS HOUSE OF FUN.
83.
ISAACS
What the hell is this?
MARISSA smiles slightly.
MARISSA
Wilhelm's house.
(to the DRIVER)
Drive on.
155 EXT. BERLIN STREETS - DAY 155
HANNA wanders through the skyscrapers and glass constructions
of Berlin.
People swarm around her but pay her no mind.
156 INT. TRAM - DAY 156
HANNA is riding a tram to the outskirts of town.
157 EXT. ABANDONNED AMUSEMENT PARK - DAY 157
HANNA walks beside a wire mesh fence that separates her from
an abandoned amusement park. Behind her is an enormous steel
works from which great industrial plumes of steam rise.
HANNA climbs under the fence and walks through this surreal
playground long since reclaimed by nature. There are huge
fibreglass dinosaurs toppled over with heads missing and
abandoned dinosaur legs. Rising above the park, surrounded by
a muddy moat, is the big wheel now standing at a vertiginous
angle. In front of the big wheel is the WILHELM GRIMM HOUSE.
The house is a Grimm Brothers fairytale theme âFun House'.
It's windows long since shuttered, vines growing through its
roof.
HANNA stands in front of the house in deep anticipation. She
walks up the small steps that lead to the front door and
knocks. She waits, heart sinking at the thought of there
being no-one home. Then, ever so slightly the door opens and
peering out at her is a man with the sad face of an out of
work clown.
KNEPFLER
Excuse me young lady?
It is the man from the photo, but twenty years older. Small,
with a wiry intensity.
HANNA
Are you Wilhelm Grimm?
84.
KNEPFLER
Not exactly, but it'll do for now.
Come this way.
He leads her inside.
158 INT. WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE - DAY 158
They come inside - it's old and full of hoarded junk,
antiques, boxes, books, dusty china, lamps, figurines, but
still functional - an old man's home. He stops to look at
her.
KNEPFLER
So you are Hanna.
He puts out his hand to shake.
KNEPFLER (CONT'D)
It's very nice to meet you, Hanna.
HANNA smiles and shakes his hand, she likes him already.
KNEPFLER studies her, quietly moved by his memories.
KNEPFLER (CONT'D)
My real name is Knepfler. Herr
Knepfler. I'm an old friend of your
father's. I am a sort of
âcaretakerâ here.
HANNA
What happened to it?
KNEPFLER
No car park. You need a car park
these days, otherwise people wont
come. But somebody has to watch
over it...
HANNA
It's beautiful.
KNEPFLER
I like it too. Erik used to come
here a great deal.
HANNA
Have you heard from him?
He nods.
KNEPFLER
You must wait. He will be here
soon.
HANNA stares, not quite believing.
85.
HANNA stares out the window, thinking all this through.
KNEPFLER leads HANNA through a reception area and under a
spider with a human face that straddles a door to a run down
kitchen.
159 INT. KITCHEN. WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 159
HANNA follows KNEPFLER into the kitchen.
KNEPFLER
Please, sit down.
HANNA sits at the old kitchen table on a wooden bench, while
KNEPFLER goes to the stove.
KNEPFLER (CONT'D)
Would you like an egg? They're
fresh.
HANNA
Please.
HANNA takes an egg, breaks it and swallows it raw.
KNEPFLER smiles. He gives her a buff envelope. She looks
inside - some money, a passport, ID cards.
KNEPFLER
You'll need a fresh photograph.
Don't get it wet.
HANNA looks at the passport with a new name - ANNA-MARIE
ELKAN. She takes a deep breath, not really comprehending.
HANNA
I don't really understand.
KNEPFLER
ID. Identity. It tells people who
you are.
She stares at the passport with the blank space for her
photo.
KNEPFLER (CONT'D)
There is an apartment ready for you
in the south. Erik will come and
the car will take you there today.
You will live there now.
HANNA
Do I have to?
KNEPFLER
Don't you want to?
86.
HANNA
I don't know. I miss the forest. I
miss my home.
KNEPFLER
That's to be expected. But the city
is so exciting, don't you think?
HANNA
I suppose.
She drinks her water, thinking.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Did you know my mother?
KNEPFLER
I did.
HANNA
What was she like?
KNEPFLER
She was very gentle, she was very
funny, very talented - a singer -
did you know that?
HANNA
Yes...
KNEPFLER
She had your eyes.
He smiles at her.
She here's a noise outside and runs to look out the window.
She sees ISAACS BMW pull up outside the house followed by a
second car.
HANNA
It's him.
KNEPFLER
Quick.
KNEPFLER leads HANNA out of the kitchen.
160 EXT. WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 160
The driver of the second car gets out and opens the back door
for MARISSA. She gets out and looks up at the house.
87.
161 INT. RECEPTION. WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 161
KNEPFLER points HANNA towards a set of stairs that lead up
from the reception.
KNEPFLER
Upstairs.
There's a knock at the door.
HANNA begins to climb the stairs while KNEPFLER approaches
the front door.
There's another knock at the door.
162 INT. GRANDMA'S ROOM. WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 162
HANNA enters a room that's been designed to look like
Grandma's bedroom from Little Red Riding Hood.
HANNA hurriedly slides under the bed. Breathing as quietly as
she can.
She can hear the sound of ISAAC'S MEN starting to spread
through the house.
KNEPFLER (O.O.V)
Listen to me, listen. There is no
one here. There is nobody up
there...
MARISSA (O.C.)
Check the attic.
Footsteps to the attic.
163 INT. WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE/STARS - DAY 163
MARISSA has KNEPFLER cornered on the stairs.
MARISSA
Erik Heller? Do you know him?
KNEPFLER
I have never heard of him.
MARISSA
Really?
MARISSA shows him the photograph of JOANNA, ERIK and KNEPFLER
outside the house.
KNEPFLER
I don't know these people.
88.
MARISSA
Think very carefully
He shrugs and MARISSA grabs KNEPFLER by the throat. He speaks
in gasps.
KNEPFLER
He called me. She's coming soon. To
meet him.
MARISSA
When?
KNEPFLER
Tomorrow! Tomorrow morning.
MARISSA lets him go. She turns to ISAACS.
MARISSA
Take him in there. Find out what he
knows.
164 INT. GRANDMA'S ROOM. WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE - DAY 164
The sound of KNEPFLER being escorted into a next-door room,
the door shutting. The sound of footsteps coming into the
room. HANNA silent under the bed. MARISSA'S GREEN SHOES are
in sight, nothing else.
The green shoes come close and HANNA feels the mattress
compress as MARISSA sits on the bed. She looks at the shoes
as she hears her call.
MARISSA
Lewis. It's Marissa.
HANNA hears the name. The name of the woman she thought she
had killed. Her face pale in shock and fear.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
You got anything? He's coming here.
I can smell it. Double the men.
But, Lewis, I want to talk to him.
HANNA hears MARISSA hang. Another pair of shoes enter the
room. Male. ISAACS.
ISAACS
His name's Klaus Knepfler. He used
to send Heller's things from Berlin
before the Communists were kicked
out of Prague.
MARISSA
How much does he know about the
programme?
89.
ISAACS
Everything. He knew Johanna.
MARISSA
What does he know about the child?
ISAACS
He also thinks Erik's the father.
MARISSA
Well that's good.
ISAACS
Everybody thinks Erik's her father.
Erik probably thinks he's her
father.
They snigger. HANNA's eyes widen in shock. She can barely
control her breath.
MARISSA
Crazy bastard. You got a fix on him
yet?
ISAACS
Let's see what else Knepfler has to
offer.
He leaves her. MARISSA suddenly senses something. Did she
hear an intake of breath? She turns and quickly looks under
the bed. No one there. Her imagination maybe.
MARISSA stands and we see the shoes walk away to the door.
They reach the door. HANNA, clinging to the bedsprings in mid-
air, not breathing. The green shoes leave. HANNA breathes.
Hurriedly she climbs out from under the bed and goes to a
window.
165 EXT. WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE - DAY 165
HANNA lands having jumped from the window.
She looks around quickly. Then, out of sight from the cars at
the front of the house, she runs for dear life.
166 EXT. BERLIN STREET - DAY 166
HANNA walking fast, in total shock and confusion. Who is she?
She walks head down, determined not to be seen. Not knowing
where she is going. Her world turned upside down. She sees an
internet cafe. Ducks into it.
90.
167 INT. INTERNET CAFE. BERLIN - DAY 167
HANNA sits down at a computer. The young OWNER comes up to
her.
OWNER
Excuse me. You have to pay first.
HANNA
How much?
OWNER
3 Euros for half an hour.
She looks at the money that Knepfler gave her. It contains
Euros. She hands some over to the OWNER.
HANNA
How does it work?
OWNER
You've never used the internet?
HANNA
No.
He smiles in amazement and logs on for her. The owner brings
up a search engine.
OWNER
Just type whatever it is you're
looking for here.
He walks away and HANNA slowly starts to type. She types in
DNA INTERFERING SEQUENCE.
168 EXT. AMUSEMENT PARK/WILHELM GRIMM'S HOUSE - DAY 168
ERIK HELLER limps, head bowed, through the Amusement Park.
He suddenly stops dead and ducks behind a fallen fibreglass
dinosaur as he sees two CIA AGENTS sitting in a car outside
the house.
HELLER watches for a moment or two.
Then, keeping low, he makes a painful run towards the house.
HELLER throws himself against the back wall of the kitchen.
He breathes heavily for a moment, clutching his wounded leg.
He turns and rises to look through the kitchen window.
Inside he sees KNEPFLER, stripped to the waist his body
bloodied, hanging upside down from a meat hook. He's
obviously dead.
91.
HELLER crouches back down against the wall, thinking
furiously. Then, decision made, he checks sight lines and
runs back across the Amusement Park away from the house.
169 INT. INTERNET CAFE. BERLIN - DAY 169
HANNA sits at the computer, looking at the screen breathless
with tension.
Phrases from the text leap out at her. âAn interfering
sequence within the DNAâ , âintervention to the mother's
uterus during pregnancy.â
HANNA stands in shock. She reads again. âIntervention to the
mother's uterusâ
HANNA deletes the page. Sits in shock. Then writes in her
mother's name. JOHANNA ZADEK.
Immediately the article about JOHANNA's death comes up. HANNA
stares at it. She reads it. No mention of a child. There is
an address for Johanna Zadek. She came from the Heizinger
Buildings area in the suburbs of East Berlin. HANNA writes it
down. Gets up and leaves.
170 INT. TAXI. EAST BERLIN SUBURB - DAY 170
HANNA sits in the back of a taxi as it takes her into a grim
concrete jungle of old East German housing projects.
HANNA looks at the thousands of tiny windows, so many lives
being lived in unawareness. Is this normality? Is this the
world she longed to be a part of?
171 INT. GRANDMA'S ROOM. WILHELM'S HOUSE. BERLIN - DAY 171
MARISSA and ISAACS wait in Grandma's Room. ISAAC's phone
rings.
ISAACS
Isaacs.
He listens. Puts the phone down.
ISAACS (CONT'D)
A public computer at a Berlin
internet cafe just did a web search
for âDNA Interfering Sequenceâ.
MARISSA
Hanna?
ISAACS
Next they searched the name Johanna
Zadek.
92.
MARISSA stops dead. Looks at ISAACS.
MARISSA
She's not coming here.
172 EXT. KATRIN ZADEK'S APARTMENT BLOCK. EAST BERLIN HOUSING 172
PROJECTS - DAY
HANNA gets out of the taxi and looks up at an enormous grey
housing block - the Heizinger building.
She approaches the entrance and looks on all the buzzers.
Sees a name scrawled on one - Number 14. Zadek.
She presses the buzzer. Waits. No answer.
A GANG OF KURDISH YOUTHS come out the block and HANNA catches
the door and enters.
173 INT. HALL. KATRIN ZADEK'S APARTMENT BLOCK - DAY 173
HANNA knocks at the door of number 14, waits, knocks again,
louder. No reply.
A door further along opens. Kurdish music pours out. A
KURDISH WOMAN wrapped in shawls emerges pushing a pram. She's
followed by her two other CHILDREN.
HANNA
(In German w/ English
SUBTITLES)
Excuse me. I'm looking for Joanna
Zadek's house. Can you help?
The KURDISH WOMAN wont look HANNA in the eye as she passes.
She mutters her response.
KURDISH WOMAN
(In Kurdish w/ English
SUBTITLES)
I don't speak German.
HANNA kicks at the door but knows it won't be answered so
doesn't wait.
174 EXT/INT. KATRIN ZADEK'S APARTMENT. EAST BERLIN HOUSING 174
PROJECT - DAY
HANNA walks round to the back door of the apartment and
approaches the kitchen window. She peers through.
On first inspection the kitchen seems undisturbed. Then HANNA
sees the framed photograph of JOANNA on the wall. Blood
splattered across the glass.
93.
HANNA quickly moves to the door, tries to force it. She looks
around, no-one's coming. With a sharp kick she smashes the
glass.
175 INT. KATRIN ZADEK'S APARTMENT - DAY 175
HANNA climbs through the broken glass into the kitchen. The
air is thick with the buzz of Bluebottle flies.
HANNA sees the photograph of JOANNA. With some trepidation
she moves round the kitchen table and sees the body of KATRIN
ZADEK. The back of KATRIN'S head is blown clean away. The
flies have laid their eggs in the bloody mess of her brain
that spreads across the cheap lino floor.
HANNA steps back and gags.
She backs out of the kitchen and into the hall. Turns and
goes through into the lounge.
The lounge has been over thrown. Cushions ripped, shelving
pulled down. HANNA stares at the destruction wrought by
MARISSA'S hunt for information.
HANNA turns, walks back down the hall and passes a door to a
tiny second bedroom. She stops and enters.
The room had been turned into a home office, there are
newspaper clippings relating to JOANNA'S MURDER and
photographs of JOANNA herself covering every available wall
space. A testament to KATRIN'S unremitting search for the
truth behind her daughters murder.
HANNA begins to search the room for clues. Anything that will
help her understand who she is and where she came from.
Then suddenly she hears a quiet familiar voice.
ERIK (V.O.)
You won't find anything.
HANNA turns in shock.
ERIK
Marissa would have been much too
careful for that.
HANNA stares at him. ERIK HELLER.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Sit down Hanna.
HANNA
Are you my father?
ERIK
Sit down.
94.
HANNA
Are you my father?
ERIK
Please.
HANNA
Are you?
Moment of electric silence between them. ERIK does nothing
but she knows the answer is no.
ERIK
I was going to tell you.
HANNA sinks to the floor. Breathing fast.
HANNA
What's wrong with me?
ERIK flinches slightly.
ERIK
Nothing.
HANNA
Where was I born?
ERIK knows he has to tell the truth.
ERIK
At Galinka.
HANNA
What's that?
ERIK
It was a secret CIA research
programme in rural Poland.
HANNA
What kind of research?
ERIK
Children.
HANNA stares at ERIK.
ERIK (CONT'D)
It was run by Marissa Wiegler. The
science came from the old East
Germany. The money from the CIA.
The intention was to explore
whether small genetic changes could
be made to embryos... to improve
THEM
95.
HANNA CONT'D)
Improve?
ERIK looks at her. She looks so young, so numb, so lost.
ERIK
Reduce capacity for fear. For pity.
Increase muscle strength. Heighten
senses. Anything that might make a
better soldier.
HANNA looks up, stares at him. It's her he's talking about.
HANNA
How did you know about it?
ERIK's stares right at her.
ERIK
I worked for it.
She stares at him. He hands her a piece of paper from his
pocket.
ERIK (CONT'D)
This is what you were looking for.
HANNA reads. It is an invitation to Johanna Zadek to
participate in the Galinka project. A projected date of
arrival at the Galinka Centre. A date - 23rd February 1995.
An agreed fee to be paid to Johanna. Five hundred American
dollars. An agreement to give up the child and have no legal
claim over it. The letter is signed by Erik Heller.
ERIK (CONT'D)
I recruited your mother at an
abortion clinic in May 1994. She
was about to terminate an unwanted
pregnancy. Some boy at a disco.
HANNA looks at the paper in shock.
ERIK (CONT'D)
I had recruited twenty women. She
was the last. She was different.
Two years later I heard the
programme was to be terminated. The
research âdisposed ofâ.
HANNA
Disposed of?
ERIK
I tried to save all of you. But you
were the only one I was able to
rescue.
96.
HANNA stands in shock. She reaches to the window of the room
to get some air. She is reeling - faint.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Hanna listen to me.
HANNA
Keep away from me.
ERIK approaches her. With real conviction.
ERIK
It worked. You worked.
HANNA
You mean I'm a killer?
ERIK
No... no..
He makes to touch her. HANNA springs back in violent
repulsion.
HANNA
Don't touch me.
ERIK
We have a new identity for you. A
new life. A new beginning.
She stares at him, then pushes past him. ERIK stops, pushes
her back but then HANNA grabs a sharp letter opener.
ERIK (CONT'D)
Don't.
She attacks, ERIK pushes her to one side, grabs her. A fight
in the apartment. Chaos, photos of Johanna crashing, lamps
and bookshelves falling. HANNA murderous, ERIK just defending
himself, not willing to hurt her. But then she overpowers
him, has a knife to his throat.
HANNA
Let me go.
He releases her. She goes to the door.
ERIK
I tried to prepare you for what
your life would be.
HANNA
You didn't prepare me for this.
And her look is so full of pain that in that moment ERIK
knows he has done a terrible wrong. She starts to leave down
the fire escape. ERIK calls after her.
97.
ERIK
Hanna wait.
He looks out to watch her go. It's then ERIK sees the cars
coming across the estate scrubland.
ERIK turns in panic. And dashes back into the apartment, runs
through the destroyed living room, and out through the front
door.
176 176
DAY
ERIK comes out of the main entrance and runs into full view
of the cars, deliberately distracting them from HANNA.
177 INT. MARISSA'S CAR. CONT. 177
MARISSA's car is a about to turn the corner and bump straight
into HANNA when suddenly...
MARISSA sees ERIK leaving the front of the apartment block.
She speaks to ISAACS.
MARISSA
That's him.
And the car swerves to follow him. Thus moving unknowingly
away from the slight figure of HANNA. HANNA can see the cars
in full chase of Erik Heller. He has distracted them.
178 EXT. STREET. EAST BERLIN. 178
HELLER sprints fast across the wasteland. Incredible
athleticism. He dives down a side alley, losing his pursuers
for a second. Takes out a gun, looking for Marissa. Looking
to finish it off.
Just as he has done this ISAACS' HENCHMAN approach from the
end of the street. HELLER fires in their direction, starts to
run down an alley. He vaults a dividing wall, scratching
himself on barbed wire. He sprints round a corner and sees a
doorway ahead of him. He walks towards the doorway.
MARISSA (O.C.)
Drop it.
MARISSA steps out of the doorway, her gun trained on him.
There are men at the end of the alleyway. No escape. HELLER
drops his gun.
Silence between them. He turns to look her in the eye.
98.
ERIK
So go ahead.
She stares at him. Wants to make this as painful as she can
for him.
MARISSA
You know I'll find her.
ERIK
Don't under estimate what you
created.
MARISSA
What we created, together.
179 EXT. ESTATE BUILDINGS - CONTINUOUS 179
HANNA is walking fast across the grim grey estate to a main
road.
180 EXT. STREET. EAST BERLIN - CONTINUOUS 180
MARISSA with her gun still at ERIK.
MARISSA
Truth is I was always very fond of
you.
181 EXT. ESTATE BUILDINGS - CONTINUOUS 181
CLOSE ON - HANNA continuing to walk away.
She hears a single gun shot. Stops dead. Knows what it means.
An intense conflict of emotions inside her. Her breathing
stops for a moment, her world seems to go silent.
Then a car flies by on the main road, almost running her
over, and she is woken. She sees a bus stop ahead. On auto-
pilot she runs to it, a bus coming, she beckons. It stops and
she is on board.
182 EXT. WASTELAND. EAST BERLIN. 182
MARISSA stands over the dead body of ERIK HELLER.
MARISSA
Leave him here.
And they all walk away leaving him alone in the East Berlin
dirt.
99.
183 INT. BUS, EAST BERLIN. 183
HANNA on the bus. Shaking from the shock of his death,
bloodied slightly from the fight. The other passengers stare
at her as she forces back the tears. HANNA reaches in her
pocket for a handkerchief, but only pulls out the letter Erik
showed her. The Galinka letter. She sees the address.
Galinka, Ostrovska district, Poland.
HANNA makes a decision. She is going back to where she was
born. She must find out who she is.
184 INT. ESTATE BUILDING. KATRIN ZADEK'S FLAT. 184
MARISSA enters the apartment. And looks at the chaos. ISAACS
comes up behind her. HENCHMEN at the door.
ISAACS
They had a fight.
MARISSA
She must know the truth.
ISAACS
Where do you think she's gone?
MARISSA
Where would you go?
MARISSA turns to ISAACS.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
I'm closing the CIA operation down.
Heller is dead, that's all that
matters to them. This we do alone.
185 INT. POLISH TRAIN. 185
HANNA's head rests on the backrest of a train-seat as the
train crawls through the Polish/German border. Exhausted,
many nights without sleep. Hungry but unable to eat. Needing
resolution.
In the same carriage a Polish woman sleeps alongside her
child of two, also sleeping. HANNA looks at the child. The
peace of the innocent.
186 EXT. POLISH TRAIN STATION. NIGHT. 186
The train entering a Polish train station. The town is called
Ostrovska. Freezing cold. The town is in the North of Poland
and it's very poor. Industrial. Bleak. HANNA exits,
approaches a station guard.
100.
HANNA
I am looking for a train to
Galinka.
GUARD
Galinka is a small village. No
trains. You must wait for bus in
the morning.
HANNA
Where can I stay?
He points. HANNA sees the hotel.
187 INT. POLISH HOTEL. BEDROOM. NIGHT. 187
HANNA enters the tiny, dank hotel room. She looks at the
filthy carpet, the grey ceiling. She turns on the tiny TV.
Cartoons. Tom and Jerry type stuff. But she doesn't laugh.
She flicks channel. Then stands dead still. She is looking at
ERIK HELLER's dead body on the ground. The report depicts him
as a dangerous criminal. HANNA stares at the image. The death
of the man she spent her life with. Lost forever. HANNA's
face oddly still in the TV flicker. Then she flicks it off.
Leaves the room.
188 INT. POLISH HOTEL. FOYER/BAR - NIGHT. 188
HANNA, exhausted, sleepless and starving, comes down the
shabby hotel stairs and enters the hotel bar. Grim. Empty
room, old carpet, bad smell, dated pop music. Three hard-
drinking men stare at her, making her uncomfortable as she
goes to the bar. A forty-five year old BUSINESSMAN stands
there, drinking.
HANNA
Do you have a sandwich?
BARMAN
Kitchen is closed.
The BUSINESSMAN speaks in German.
BUSINESSMAN
Get her something. Poor girl's
hungry.
The barman disappears. HANNA looks round, waits.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
I'm from Leipzig.
HANNA flinches at the name. Leipzig.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
You?
101.
HANNA
The same.
BUSINESSMAN
Business?
He looks at her body. HANNA senses it. Her sandwich arrives.
It's grim. She leaves it, walks out.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
Where are you going?
HANNA
I am tired. I need to sleep.
She leaves the bar. HANNA walks back up the stairs.
BUSINESSMAN follows.
BUSINESSMAN
Hello?
She walks along the corridor, gets to her room. BUSINESSMAN
follows.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
I was just making nice
conversation. Yes?
As she enters her room, he puts his foot in the door.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
Let's talk. Maybe we can do
business.
HANNA kicks his foot out of the door. Hard.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
You don't like talk, huh?
He barges into the room and grabs her. Tries to push her on
to the bed. He is strong. His words and tone contrasting
violently with his actions.
BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D)
Be nice. Be a nice little dolly.
HANNA is thrust on to the bed, but suddenly turns him over
her head and smashes him against a cupboard. BUSINESSMAN
grabs her hair and throws her on the bed.
But now HANNA snaps. She starts to roar. It's like an animal,
like nothing we have seen before. She rips at his face, grabs
a glass, smashes it and cuts his face with it. Pure animal
rage. BUSINESSMAN starts to scream, blood pouring from his
eyes. He collapses on the floor. She kicks him, punches him,
repeatedly in a grief-fuelled rage until she is spent of her
primal fury and falls, panting, to the floor.
102.
When she looks up she sees his mangled bloody body lying next
to her. Not quite dead.
HANNA suddenly recoils in horror. Shocked by the viciousness
of her actions.
Tears begins to run down her cheeks as HANNA grabs the man's
wallet, and leaves the room.
189 EXT. POLISH STREET - NIGHT 189
Shaking in shock, HANNAH walks out of the hotel and down the
street, in a daze, no idea where she is going. She starts to
run, faster and faster, just running to run out of herself.
Finally she stops and is sick. She looks up. A taxi's yellow
light blinks in the darkness. She looks at the businessman's
wallet to see how much money is in there. She approaches the
taxi.
HANNA
I have this much. Can you take me
to Galinka?
190 EXT. POLISH HILL ROAD - NIGHT 190
HANNA is in the taxi as it travels a lonely Polish forest
road through undulating snow-covered hills. Cold dawn is
arriving. Grey skies lightening through the windscreen. Tall
snowy pines tower above the car. No one else on the road,
just a horse drawn cart guiding cows to pasture. It is as if
from a different age. Quiet, solitary. HANNA checks the
paper in her pocket. Still there. Blood on her hands from the
businessman. A cut in her arm. Carefully, secretly, she wipes
it clean.
Suddenly the taxi stops.
DRIVER
This is as far as the money gets
you.
HANNA looks out. Middle of nowhere.
HANNA
How much further?
DRIVER
Twelve miles.
HANNA
Please.
But no smile from him, nothing. HANNA gets out. Starts to
walk as the taxi turns and drives back the way it came.
103.
She is alone in the forest, freezing, shattered, hungry. Just
about dawn. Cold as hell.
She hears a car approach. Tries to hail it but it flies past
fast. Blows icy air in her face.
She continues in the freezing cold - sees the road ahead.
It's hilly, winding, she isn't going to make it. Too tired.
Too shattered.
Time passes. Still she walks. Dead on her feet. Gathering
every ounce of energy.
Then the sounds of another car. But it too just flies by,
ignoring her waves and cries.
HANNA almost collapses in frustration. But carries on.
Carries on walking.
Time passes. Freezing cold. HANNA alone on the road. Can she
make it?
Then another car. HANNA turns, waves, cries out. And, almost
magically, the car slows and stops. The window winds down.
HANNA (CONT'D)
I'm going to Galinka. Can you help
me?
A woman's voice, German, in German.
WOMAN (V.O.)
Yes I can take you there.
And as HANNA gets in, she looks at the comforting, smiling
face of MARISSA WIEGLER.
191 INT. CAR. POLAND. ROAD TO GALINKA - NIGHT 191
MARISSA starts to drive, HANNA sits in the front with her.
HANNA has no idea who she is.
MARISSA speaks in perfect German. Calm, soft, comforting.
MARISSA
It's a very dull place Galinka. Why
would you want to go there?
HANNA
I was born there. But I've never
really seen it. Why are you going?
MARISSA
I have some business to sort out.
She looks at her and smiles a sunny, uncomplicated smile.
104.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
It's very lucky we ran into each
other, don't you think?
HANNA
Yes...
MARISSA
You've hurt your arm.
HANNA
It's okay.
MARISSA hands her some tissue. HANNA bandages the arm.
MARISSA
I'm Astrid.
HANNA
You're not German. Are you
American?
MARISSA
That's right. I lived there for
many years. I travel a lot.
MARISSA smiles at her kindly. HANNA feels safe for the first
time in ages. She feels the tears come.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Oh dear, what's wrong with you?
HANNA
Sorry.
MARISSA
It's okay. Are you in trouble?
HANNA nods. She fights the tears.
MARISSA gently holds her hand as she drives. HANNA weeping.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
What sort of trouble?
HANNA
(though her tears)
I don't know what to do. Nothing is
what I thought it would be. It's...
ugly and cruel and I don't know
where to go, or... I'm stupid. I
don't know what I expected...
MARISSA secretly, genuinely affected by this. Fights the
emotion that has surprised her. Human warmth.
MARISSA
Sometimes I feel the same way.
105.
HANNA eyes her, surprised to hear this from a grown up woman.
MARISSA puts on some music. Gentle. Bach maybe.
HANNA
I like music.
MARISSA
Sleep why don't you? You look very
tired. It will take half an hour on
this road.
HANNA nods. She begins to drift off, so long since she has
slept. Her eyes fall shut and her head rests against the
window. She is asleep. Vulnerable.
192 EXT. RURAL ROAD - DAWN 192
Soft dawn light as MARISSA drives on a narrow rural road.
193 INT. CAR - DAWN 193
MARISSA looks at the sleeping HANNA. MARISSA represses her
gathering emotion. HANNA suddenly looking so young as she
sleeps the sleep of the innocent. The rush of emotion shocks
her - she is watching HANNA, not the road - and she veers
off, nearly crashing the car, narrowly avoiding a tree. She
puts her foot sharply on the brake. She's wearing the same
GREEN SHOES as she wore at Wilhelm's House.
HANNA is jolted awake.
HANNA
Where are we?
MARISSA calms herself instantly.
MARISSA
Nearly there.
HANNA doesn't see MARISSA'S SHOES.
194 EXT. GALINKA 194
MARISSA's car slows as it enters a tiny deserted hamlet.
MARISSA (V.O.)
This is it.
195 INT. MARISSA'S CAR. 195
HANNA looks around. There is not much to Galinka. She is
confused.
106.
HANNA
It's so small.
MARISSA
Yes. Just a few cottages. And the
old bunker.
HANNA chooses not to ask any more questions.
HANNA
Thank you for the ride. You're very
kind.
MARISSA
I wish there was more I could do
for you.
MARISSA looks kindly at HANNA who is confused by the
intimacy. MARISSA reaches into the glove compartment and
retrieves a torch which she hands to HANNA.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Here, take this.
HANNA switches the torch on and off, thinking.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
I hope you find what you're looking
for.
HANNA
Thank you.
She gets out and shuts the door behind her.
196 EXT. GALINKA. CONT. 196
HANNA looks around at the grey desolation, rural poverty, the
ends of the earth. In the car MARISSA stares at her, then
drives off.
HANNA walks through the trees along a track. Overgrown, not
used for many years.
She reaches a hidden entrance off the track. By the entrance
there is an old battered sign. GALINKA. HANNA looks at the
old iron gate. Rusted, locked. It has not been opened in a
long time.
She stares at the sign, tries the gate - yes, locked. Then
she climbs the gate. She nearly tears her clothes on the
spikes at the top of the gate, then leaps over and,
exhausted, four days without real sleep, begins to walk up
the narrow tree-lined driveway.
107.
197 EXT. GALINKA BUNKER - CONTINUOUS 197
HANNA approaches the gaping mouth of an underground bunker.
She stops, looks down at the torch in her hand, switches it
on and walks into the darkness.
198 INT. TUNNELS. GALINKA - CONTINUOUS 198
With only the torch light to see by HANNA treads warily
deeper into the tunnels as, behind her, the small aperture of
daylight recedes slowly to nothing.
The tunnels seem to stretch on for miles ahead of her.
HANNA reaches a junction where four tunnels meet. She shines
her torch down each tunnel, trying to decide which way to go.
She stops when she sees, a little way down one of the
tunnels, a child's forgotten shoe.
HANNA steps forward and shines her torch down at the tiny red
shoe, its buckle rusted.
She walks on into the dark.
HANNA finds a door which she pushes at. The door is stiff,
but HANNA uses her full weight and soon she's made enough of
a gap to squeeze through.
199 INT. NURSERY. GALINKA - CONTINUOUS 199
At first HANNA has difficulty making out where she is, but
dotted here and there are parts of an old nursery. The walls
are painted with a blue sky, clouds and the figures of
children holding hands.
She begins to remember as, from a distant place, she hears
the sound of children laughing. She shines her torch in the
direction of the laughter and catches a glimpse of a child,
dressed in a party frock and hat, playing hide and seek. She
shines her torch the other way, and there's another, then a
third and a fourth. For a moment the room seems to be filled
with laughing children.
Then, in an instant, they're gone again and silence returns.
HANNA, lit only be the reflected light of her torch, knows
she has been here before.
She walks on through the tunnels.
200 INT. DORMITORY. GALINKA - CONTINUOUS 200
HANNA enters a long hall which was once the children's
dormitory.
108.
At one end is a steep pile of metal bed frames.
From a distant place in her memory HANNA begins to hear the
sound of children singing.
CHILDREN
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you...
From the far end of the dormitory come a procession of
CHILDREN, the first of whom is carrying a large birthday cake
lit with birthday candles. The children's faces glow eerily
in the candle light. They're looking at HANNA and walking
straight towards her as they sing.
CHILDREN (CONT'D)
Happy Biirrrrthday, dear...
The CHILDREN arrive at HANNA lifting the cake towards her.
CHILDREN (CONT'D)
... Hanna.
Happy Birthday to you!
HANNA leans forward, takes a deep breath and blows. The
children disappear with the flames of the candles.
The sound of a woman's approaching footsteps echo through the
tunnel.
HANNA swings her torch beam in the direction of the
footsteps. She freezes as she sees a pair of GREEN SHOES
walking towards her. The same shoes as in Wilhelm's house.
MARISSA WIEGLER.
HANNA raises her torch beam to see the face of the woman from
the car.
HANNA
You're Marissa Wiegler.
HANNA starts to shake.
MARISSA has her gun pointing at HANNA but her expression is
the same sunny, uncomplicated smile as earlier. Dead silence.
HANNA breathing fast. MARISSA speaks in English.
MARISSA
Don't worry sweetie. I don't want
to hurt you.
MARISSA'S tone has turned into a twisted interpretation of
maternal care.
HANNA does not move. Like a wild animal cornered.
109.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
I could have killed you already
when you were asleep in the car.
HANNA'S still shaking.
HANNA now sees ISAACS and his HENCHMEN, three of them, all
with hunting rifles. All ready to shoot her should she attack
or run. They are some distance away, not coming any closer.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
Did Erik tell you about this place?
HANNA
Where are the other children?
She looks at MARISSA, who waits, then answers quietly.
MARISSA
Sleeping. They're all sleeping.
HANNA
I don't believe you.
MARISSA
I can protect you, Hanna. Make sure
you walk out of here and keep
walking. Grow up and grow old in
safety and security. No one need
know a thing. But you have to trust
me. You can't talk about this with
anyone. It's what we call
âclassified.â If you tell anyone,
it'll be dangerous for both of us.
HANNA looks at her, remembering what ERIK told her, trying
hard not to succumb.
HANNA
You killed my mother.
MARISSA
You're mother didn't want you,
sweetie. I saved you.
HANNA just stares, not believing her.
MARISSA (CONT'D)
I'm the only person left who
understands who you are. The only
one who cares.
MARISSA holds out a hand to HANNA, for HANNA to take, a
motherly gesture...
MARISSA (CONT'D)
I practically am your mother.
110.
HANNA'S stomach turns in horror. She switches off her torch
and runs into the shadows.
ISAACS raises his gun fires.
201 INT. TUNNELS. GALINKA - CONTINUOUS 201
HANNA running through the darkness. Behind her ISAACS and the
HENCHMEN come after her. ISAACS carries a large heavy torch,
as does one of the HENCHMEN. The other HENCHMEN all have
night vision on their rifles.
HANNA crouches down, she sniffs the air, can smell them
coming.
A HENCHMAN treads carefully down the tunnel. We see his point
of view through his night vision sight, just the dark tunnel
stretching on.
Like a ghost HANNA'S face appears up close, her eyes a pearly
white.
She slams the gun back in the HENCHMAN'S face.
Still in night vision we see the fight, quick and hard. The
flash of a single bullet illuminates his death.
Silence once more.
HANNA now has the first HENCHMAN'S rifle.
From around the corner into the next tunnel she hears the
sound of feet on dirt. She presses herself against the
tunnel, waits listening, hears the feet again and in one
movement raises the rifle and spins round the corner.
Through her night vision sight she sees a deer, scared eyes
staring back at her.
She releases her grip on the trigger and the deer scampers
into the darkness.
202 INT. LABORATORY. GALINKA - CONTINUOUS 202
HANNA comes into the old laboratory. Through her night vision
sights we see the white tiles and smashed equipment.
She senses someone coming after her and ducks behind a lab
bench.
A HENCHMAN enters the lab carrying a hand gun and a small
torch. His footsteps make a crunching sound as he steps
through the broken glass that litters the floor.
HANNA rises from her hiding place and stands straight into
the torch light.
111.
She fires but is off target and only catches the HENCHMAN'S
left arm.
He drops his torch which slides across the floor.
HANNA comes round the lab bench to where the HENCHMAN should
be lying but he's gone. There's a trail of blood which she
follows to a metal cabinet.
She stops at the cabinet and fires three shots into its
flimsy doors.
The dead HENCHMAN slides out from the cabinet.
HANNA takes the dead man's hand gun and goes to retrieve the
torch.
She switches the torch off.
203 INT. TUNNELS. GALINKA. 203
ISAACS, unnerved, presses himself against the wall of the
tunnel. He feels something at his legs. Points his torch to
find the deer pulling at his trouser leg. He shoots it. Then
runs further down into the tunnel.
Alerted by the sound of ISAACS' shot HANNA starts to pursue
her prey.
204 INT. DORMITORY. GALINKA. 204
ISAACS is back in the dormitory. With torch in hand he
searches under the beds. Behind him he hears HANNA enter. He
switches off his torch and crawls under a bed.
HANNA walks slowly between the beds. Under the bed ISAACS is
preparing to fire, now watching her feet.
Suddenly the bed he's under is lifted straight up in the air
and off him - HANNA has summoned enormous strength and is
clutching the end of the bed. He fires, hits nothing and she
lets go - the bed comes crashing down on him again.
His torch rolls away. His arms are trapped under the bed,
he's unable to move.
With all his might ISAACS pushes at the bed and lifts it off
himself.
They fight.
HANNA picks up the torch and slams the torch across his
temple. She grabs him by the hair and smashes his head
repeatedly into the floor - BAM - BAM - BAM - BAM - BAM.
Silence - he's dead.
112.
HANNA sits back on the bed and looks at her bloodied hands -
looks down at what she's done. Shocked by her own violence
she begins to cry hot tears of bewilderment.
She gets up and runs from the dormitory.
205 INT/EXT. TUNNELS/TUNNEL MOUTH. GALINKA - CONTINUOUS 205
HANNA runs back through the tunnels.
HANNA
No more. No more.
Tears are streaming down her face as she reaches sight of the
tunnel mouth and the daylight beyond. Standing in silhouette
is MARISSA. HANNA slows her pace and stops when she can see
the white of MARISSA'S eyes and the finger on MARISSA'S
trigger.
MARISSA raises the gun and aims at HANNA - but HANNA comes
forward again, walking calmly towards her.
She stops and drops her gun to the ground.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Everything I see is nothing I want.
MARISSA looks at HANNA, her gentle, childlike countenance.
She smiles.
MARISSA
Let me take care of you?
HANNA
No. I don't want that.
HANNA turns her back on MARISSA and starts to walks in the
opposite direction.
MARISSA watches her walk away.
HANNA walks waiting for the shot to come.
MARISSA
Hanna.
HANNA spins, fires directly at CAMERA.
CUT TO BLACK.
206 EXT. FOREST. NORTH SWEDEN. 206
FADE UP:
The sun spreads its golden fingers through the trees catching
the early morning dew.
113.
A wide shot of the HANNA'S cabin, wisps of smoke rise from
it's chimney.
HANNA steps out of the cabin. She's back wearing her furs
again. In her hands she carries a cup of hot milk and a small
wooden bowl.
In VOICE-OVER we hear HANNA reading from her beloved
Encyclopaedia.
HANNA (V.O.)
The Earth is the third planet from
the Sun, and the fifth-largest of
the eight planets in the Solar
System.
HANNA sits down on a tree trunk outside the cabin and pours
some milk into the bowl, then drinks a little for herself.
HANNA (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Home to millions of species,
including humans, Earth is the only
place in the universe where life is
known to exist.
She raises her head and makes a small clicking sound. Her
friend, the snow fox, appears from the trees. The fox now has
a small family of cubs.
HANNA watches as the cubs approach the milk and begin to
drink.
HANNA (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The planet formed over four and a
half billion years ago, and life
appeared on its surface within a
billion years.
HANNA sits back and feels the sunlight on her face. Above her
the trees are beginning to leaf.
HANNA (V.O.) (CONT'D)
It is expected to continue
supporting life for another one and
a half billion years, after which
the rising luminosity of the Sun
will eliminate it all.
HANNA surveys her beautiful world.
THE END |
"HARD RAIN"
Screenplay by
Graham Yost
1998
SHOOTING DRAFT
FADE IN
RAIN
Falls from low grey clouds. Down below we see...
THE RIVER
Muddy, slow and powerful, overflowing its banks. In the near
distance is...
THE RESERVOIR
Filled to the maximum, water thundering out of two open gates.
We close in on...
THE DAM
There's a Dam Control Office in the middle of the dam. We
MOVE OFF the reservoir and head out over...
THE TOWN OF HUNTINGBURG
We see "NO FEAR" spelled out in stones on one man's roof. We
go down and into...
EXT. STREETS OF HUNTINGBURG - DUSK
Storefronts are sandbagged and closed. A sign on one store
reads: GONE FISHING. A sign on another: HEY LOOTER. NOTHING
OF VALUE HERE. TRY NEXT DOOR. And on the next store: HE'S
LYING.
A CHURCH
Beautiful, old, ringed with a five-foot-high wall of sandbags.
The floodwater is up to the first level of sandbags.
CARS AND PICKUP TRUCKS
Loaded down, are heading out of town on streets covered in
the first water of the flood.
A STATUE
On an island in the middle of the street. It's Civil War-
era, of a general on a horse, sword held high. The floodwater
is over the curb, lapping at the base of statue's pedestal.
Near the statue stands...
THE SHERIFF
50s, with soft edges and friendly eyes. He's talking into
his radio mike.
SHERIFF
So, are we all going to die?
EXT. RESERVOIR DAM
HANK, the dam control officer, is on the radio with the
Sheriff.
HANK
Not right now. But I'm gonna have to
let out a little more.
EXT. MAIN STREET
WAYNE and PHIL, two deputies, 30s, are near the Sheriff,
shoring up a sandbag wall that has partially collapsed.
PHIL
I think my best was when I turned
twelve. My Dad set up a treasure
hunt. It was really cool.
(off Wayne's disdainful
look)
Well, it was.
Wayne shrugs a "whatever" and pulls a sandbag up out of the
water. There's unpleasant-looking muck all over his arms. He
drops the sandbag back into the water and shakes off the
crud with disgust.
WAYNE
This blows.
PHIL
My most awful birthday was sweet
sixteen. I had mono. How about you?
What was your worst?
WAYNE
You kidding? You think I could've
possibly had a birthday worse than
this? What kind of loser do you think
I am?
SHERIFF (O.S.)
Don't answer that, Phil.
The Sheriff walks over.
SHERIFF
Hank says he's gonna open another
gate. We're gonna get another rise.
They turn at the sound of honking. The MAYOR drives up.
MAYOR
Gentlemen. Hey -- happy birthday,
Wayne.
Wayne nods. Phil stiffens. They do not like this guy.
MAYOR
(to the Sheriff)
Mike, I gotta say, what you're
doing... I don't know if I'd be here,
considering.
SHERIFF
(good-natured)
Well, you would be if you wanted to
get the last couple of paychecks
some bastard owed you.
MAYOR
(grins, then:)
I just want you to know I think the
people 'round here made a big mistake.
Phil grumbles to himself.
PHIL
"The people"? You're the one who
screwed him.
MAYOR
Sorry, Phil?
PHIL
(blushes)
I, uh --
SHERIFF
(to Mayor, saving
Phil)
You know, Bob, as much as I'd love
to stand here all day talking about
how great I am, if you don't get
moving I'm gonna have to haul your
sorry ass off to jail.
MAYOR
(laughs)
Okay, okay, I'm going. Keep up the
good work, boys. It's appreciated.
The Mayor rolls up his window and heads off.
WAYNE
Whaddya say we go torch the fucker's
house and blame it on looters. Or
how about we put a dead cow in his
living room. He comes back after
it's been in the water a couple of
days. Hello!
SHERIFF
(shakes head)
You wanna know how to get the best
revenge on the Mayor and his boys?
You do exactly what we're doing. You
protect the town. You protect it
better than they would. Better than
they ever could.
WAYNE
(thinks, shrugs)
I think the dead cow's better.
SHERIFF
(ignores Wayne)
Any looter that comes in here is in
for a big surprise, cause as long as
I'm still wearing this pointy thing...
(indicates badge)
...nobody's taking anything from
this town.
INT. BANK VAULT
Nervous assistant bank manager WELLMAN is hurriedly tossing
stacks of money into two canvas bags.
A MAN'S SHADOW
Washes up on Wellman.
CHARLIE (O.S.)
Do you think you could go a little
faster, pal?
WELLMAN
I -- I'm going as fast as I can.
SECOND SHADOW COMES UP
TOM (O.S.)
Well, it's not fast enough.
Wellman is about to speak, then sees something, gulps.
A SHOTGUN
Is held by one of the men, pointed at the floor.
WELLMAN
Sweeps the money off the shelves and into the bags.
SECOND MAN (O.S.)
That it?
WELLMAN
Yes. We don't keep any of our --
THE TWO MEN
Ignore Wellman, grab the canvas bags and stride off.
EXT. BANK - DAY
CLOSE ON the lower half of the front doors as they fly open.
Out come TWO MEN in long dark raincoats.
WELLMAN
Runs up, stopping in the open door.
WELLMAN
Hey, wait!
VERY CLOSE ON THE TWO MEN
As they slowly turn to face Wellman. We just see their faces,
shielded from the rain by hat brims. Meet...
TOM AND CHARLIE
Tom, 30, handsome, with an easy smile. Charlie, 50, with a
tough, red face.
CHARLIE
Excuse me?
WELLMAN
Looks nervous for a second, then holds up a clipboard.
WELLMAN
You forgot to sign.
TOM AND CHARLIE
We see, for the first time, by their hats and uniforms, that
they are armored car drivers. There's an armored car parked
at the curb, on the other side of a low wall of sandbags.
Charlie sighs, goes back to Wellman and perfunctorily signs
the form. Then he and Tom go to the sandbag wall. Tom holds
both bags in one hand and the shotgun in the other. Charlie
doesn't want to get wet.
He steps from the sandbag wall onto the rear bumper of the
truck, then keys open the doors.
CHARLIE
Okay.
Charlie reaches out for the money bags. Tom jumps off the
sandbag wall and lands in the water, splashing Charlie.
CHARLIE
For Christsakes!
TOM
It's a flood, Charlie. You're gonna
get wet.
Charlie takes the bags, tosses them in then shuts the back.
He moves toward the front, still trying to keep out of the
water. Tom splashes him some more.
CHARLIE
Hey! Do you know what kind of crap
is in that water?
TOM
(of course he knows)
Well, yeah.
Tom kicks some more water at Charlie. Charlie gives Tom a
withering look and climbs in the truck.
INT. ARMORED TRUCK
Charlie gets into the driver's seat; Tom climbs into the
shotgun seat. They shut and bolt the doors. Charlie gets on
the radio.
CHARLIE
Dispatch, this is 31.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Go ahead, 31.
CHARLIE
We're leaving Huntingburg. We'll be
back in an hour.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Ten-four. Get out of there.
CHARLIE
We're gone. Over and out.
Charlie hangs up the radio. He starts writing on a clipboard.
Silence for a few moments, and then Charlie notices Tom
staring at him.
CHARLIE
What?
TOM
Your ear.
CHARLIE
What about my ear?
TOM
You've got a major hair growth going
on.
CHARLIE
Shut up.
TOM
I'm serious. You're gonna need
somebody to go in there with a weed
whacker.
Charlie grabs a donut bag off the seat and tosses it to Tom.
CHARLIE
Here.
TOM
You're offering me one of your donuts?
I don't know what to say. I'm getting
all misty.
CHARLIE
If it'll shut your mouth you can
have the whole bag.
Charlie starts the truck. Tom thinks about it, then tosses
the bag back.
TOM
Nah. I start eating donuts and I'll
never get out of this truck.
CHARLIE
(disgusted)
I love how you think you're better
than this.
TOM
Don't get me wrong, Charlie. There's
a lot to like about this job -- and
I don't just mean the dashing
polyester ensemble and the solid
three-figure income.
CHARLIE
(angry)
You ungrateful shit! I don't believe
you!
TOM
(surprised)
Charlie, relax! I was kidding!
CHARLIE
You don't wanna do this? Fine. Go
back to selling hot construction
machinery. That's a helluva career.
TOM
It had better hours.
Charlie slams the clipboard down on the seat.
CHARLIE
You think this is a joke? This is
funny? Jesus Christ! You know how
lucky you are you could get in here?
Thirty years old and all the crap
you pulled and you never got caught?
TOM
(angry)
That wasn't luck, old man. That was
skill. I was good at it.
CHARLIE
Oh, yeah, it takes a lot of skill to
fence bulldozers. That's goddamn
genius time.
TOM
About as much skill as it takes to
sit in a truck and get fat eating
donuts.
CHARLIE
Oh, so that's all I've been doing,
huh? Just wasting my life away.
TOM
I didn't say that.
CHARLIE
Yeah, building a home, raising a
family -- that's just stupid.
TOM
I didn't say that!
CHARLIE
You know what, Tom? I really don't
give a shit what you said.
Tom doesn't reply. Charlie puts the truck in gear; starts
off. Tom looks at Charlie, shakes his head -- what was that
about?
EXT. ROADSIDE BAR - ESTABLISHING - DUSK
INT. ROADSIDE BAR - DUSK ECU PEN ON PAPER
Writing letters in a crossword puzzle. Holding the pen is...
JIM
Late 50s, with a creased face and piercing eyes. He's sitting
at the bar, drinking coffee. Rain sheets down outside. The
BARTENDER watches TV, sound off. Next to Jim at the bar are...
RAY, KENNY AND MR. MEHLOR
Ray, 40s, has lank hair, rheumy eyes and a glass of Irish
whisky in front of him. Kenny, 20s, long hair, has the energy
of a puppy -- unfortunately he has about as much smarts as a
puppy. Mr. Mehlor. 40s, looks like -- and was -- a high school
teacher.
ON TV
Sound off, a MAN is crying about what he has lost in the
flood.
RAY
"Thus saith the Lord; Behold, waters
shall rise up out of the north and
be an overflowing flood and all the
inhabitants of the land shall howl."
Jeremiah 47:2.
Ray takes a drink. Kenny leans over to Ray, sotto.
KENNY
You're gonna be able to buy a helluva
lot of bibles, huh, Ray? Me? First
thing I'm gonna do is get my brother
a lawyer. Best that money can buy.
A thought comes to Jim -- an answer to a clue in the crossword --
and he starts filling in words as Ray and Kenny talk.
RAY
What's he facing?
KENNY
Thirty in.
RAY
He cap a cop or something...?
KENNY
Security guard. "In the commission..."
All he's got is a piece of shit P.D.
Now I'm gonna be able to afford him
a good lawyer -- a guy with a haircut.
Jim leans over to Kenny.
JIM
'Scuse me a second. Take a look at
thirty-one across.
Jim slides the newspaper in front of Kenny.
KENNY
Shit, Jim. I don't do crossword
puzzles.
MR. MEHLOR
I'll take a look, Jim.
JIM
Kenny can read.
(to Kenny)
Just look at it. You know when you
write down a word and suddenly it
looks all wrong? Maybe it's right,
but it doesn't look right?
Jim points at the newspaper.
JIM
Thirty-one across.
Kenny shrugs and looks down at the newspaper.
KENNY
(mumbles as he reads)
Mention money again and...
His eyes go wide.
ECU CROSSWORD PUZZLE
In an uncompleted part of the puzzle, Jim has written a
message in the boxes. It reads: MENTION MONEY AND I'LL KILL
YOU.
JIM AND KENNY
Kenny looks up at Jim. Jim glances over at the bartender
then back at Kenny. Understand?
JIM
Did I get it right?
KENNY
Yeah, Jim. You got it right.
INT. ARMORED TRUCK - DUSK
Charlie and Tom continue to drive in silence. They both sneak
looks at each other. Their eyes meet for a second, then they
look away. A moment's pause then...
TOM
Jerk.
CHARLIE
Jack-ass.
A hint of a smile on both of them. Tom reaches for Charlie.
TOM
Give us a kiss. Come on.
Charlie goes red in the face, pushes Tom away.
CHARLIE
Get out of here.
TOM
(laughs, beat)
You really are a cranky old fart,
you know that?
CHARLIE
I'm sorry.
TOM
What was that about? I mean, I'm
just sitting here and all of a sudden
you go postal on me.
CHARLIE
I don't know, I... It's just this
weather. I... I want to get back.
TOM
You know, I really do appreciate
what you've done for me. This is a
good job.
CHARLIE
No, it's not. It stinks. It's putting
your life on the line for someone
else's money.
EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN - DUSK
Looking away from town, the HIGH SCHOOL is on the left. On
the right is the CEMETERY. Farther on, on the left, is a CAR
AND BOAT DEALERSHIP. The road is covered in water.
THE ARMORED TRUCK
Goes by the entrance to the high school, water shooting up
from the wheels, pushing out in a wide wake.
INT. TRUCK
Tom glances ahead and sees that the road is covered in water.
TOM
Jesus. Where's the road?
THEIR POV
Stretching out ahead of them are reflector bars on the
telephone poles, a few feet above the rippling surface of
the floodwater.
CHARLIE
It's there.
(beat)
Somewhere. I hope.
(beat)
Look, Tom, I don't care what it is
you end up doing.
TOM
Oh, God, here we go again.
CHARLIE
This is the last time, I swear.
Tom sees something ahead. He doesn't understand at first.
HIS POV
The reflector bar on the pole two poles ahead is lower than
the others. No reflector bars for a hundred yards, then they
resume.
CHARLIE
(looks at Tom)
I just think, whatever it is you do,
it's time you did some heavy lifting.
Tom figures out what's going on with the reflector bars.
TOM
Stop!
CHARLIE
No, you gotta hear this. You're better
than --
TOM
Stop the truck! We're going down!
OUTSIDE THE TRUCK
The water rises fast up the grille as the truck angles down.
INSIDE THE TRUCK
CHARLIE
Jesus!
Charlie stands on the brakes.
THEIR POV
A wave of water rushes forward from the truck, then comes
back and washes over the hood, splashing up on the windshield.
TOM
Back up!
Charlie throws the truck into reverse but gives it too much
power. They hear the rear wheels spinning underwater. Charlie
eases off, the tires start to catch, they start moving
backwards.
Charlie and Tom exchange a quick look of relief... and then
the engine dies. Charlie tries to restart it, but there's
nothing.
OUTSIDE THE TRUCK
It's stopped on a downgrade -- it's a dip in the road.
The water is up to the top of the front tires: up to the
hubcaps on the rear wheels. The headlights are underwater,
spots of yellow glowing. They've stopped next to a lighted
sign.
CLOSE ON SIGN
WELCOME TO HUNTINGBURG.
HOME OF THE 1987 STATE CHAMPION WARRIORS.
IN THE TRUCK
CHARLIE
Goddammit!
TOM
It's a little dip in the road or
something. You can see the reflectors
come up the other side.
CHARLIE
(curses to himself)
I knew this would happen.
(grabs radio mike)
TOM
I'll see if there's anyone coming.
Maybe we can get pulled out.
Tom opens the door. Charlie adjusts the radio frequency
selection button; clicks on.
CHARLIE
Dispatch, this is 31. 31 calling
dispatch.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
(over radio)
31, this is dispatch.
CHARLIE
(into radio)
Dispatch, we're stuck outside of
Huntingburg. Truck's dead.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
Where are you?
CHARLIE
We're on 231, headed for the
Interstate. Right by a sign saying
"Welcome to Huntingburg."
Tom climbs out and up on top of the truck.
OUTSIDE THE TRUCK
Tom stands on top of the truck. In one direction, nothing
but blackness. The other way he can see the lights of the
town. But there are no cars coming.
IN THE TRUCK
Charlie looks over as Tom appears, upside-down, in the
doorway.
TOM
The town's been evacuated. We won't
get any help from there.
CHARLIE
Dispatch can't get anyone out.
TOM
They are aware we're carrying a
shitload of money...?
CHARLIE
They called the National Guard.
They're gonna be here in about ninety
minutes.
TOM
Ninety minutes? Jesus.
CHARLIE
(nods; into radio)
Dispatch, we're gonna need help a
little sooner than --
There's a sudden sparking sound and the radio cuts out and
interior lights and the headlights go out.
TOM
Oh, shit.
INT. HOUSE - DUSK POV THROUGH WINDOW
Looking out as the Sheriff's car rolls past on the water-
covered street. A HAND lets go of a curtain and it swings
across the window.
EXT. STREET - DUSK IN THE SHERIFF'S CAR
The Sheriff motions Wayne to stop the car, then he grabs the
radio mike and clicks it on as a megaphone.
SHERIFF
(into mike)
Henry, I saw you. Come on out.
No one comes out of the house.
SHERIFF
Henry, I'm not leaving until you
come out.
A few moments pass and then...
HENRY AND DOREEN SWERZKY
Late 70s, step out onto their porch.
DOREEN
Jesus H. Christ, Henry, I told you
to stay away from the damn window.
THE SHERIFF
Gets out of the car.
SHERIFF
What are you still doing here?
HENRY
We're just --
DOREEN
We're setting traps.
SHERIFF
That's illegal, Doreen.
DOREEN
You gonna arrest us, Sheriff? Hell,
are you even sheriff anymore, Sheriff?
Didn't you lose an election? I sure
as hell know I didn't vote for you,
and neither did Henry.
HENRY
Doreen...
SHERIFF
You don't need to set traps.
DOREEN
That's what they said in '73. When
we got back, anything the bastards
didn't steal they broke, just for
the hell of it.
SHERIFF
That's not happening this time.
DOREEN
Damn right it's not.
SHERIFF
You can't stay, you know that.
HENRY
We're going to my sister's.
SHERIFF
Good.
DOREEN
Soon as we finish setting the traps.
The Sheriff wants to say something more, but he's not about
to argue with Doreen. He just nods and gets back into the
car.
IN THE CAR
The Sheriff climbs back in. He and Wayne watch Henry and
Doreen go back into the house, Doreen still nagging at Henry.
SHERIFF
God'll understand if you have to
drown her in the basement, Henry.
The Sheriff sighs, nods to Wayne. Wayne puts the car in gear.
EXT. ARMORED TRUCK - NIGHT
The water is creeping up the sloping hood of the truck.
CHARLIE
We gotta get out of here.
TOM
What about the money?
CHARLIE
The money's safe; we're not. Water
rose about a foot in the last twenty
minutes. The National Guard isn't
going to be here for another hour.
You do the math.
Tom shrugs -- Charlie's right. They're about to get out when
light washes up on them. They look out to see...
THE HEADLIGHTS OF A GMC SUBURBAN
Approaching on the other side of the dip, a quarter-mile
away.
CHARLIE AND TOM
Look at each other then get out of the truck.
THE SUBURBAN
Stops on the far side of the dip -- a hundred yards away.
The headlights shine across the water. Doors open and MEN
get out.
TOM AND CHARLIE
Come around the front of the truck. They can't see through
the glare of the Suburban's bright headlights.
CHARLIE
Hello!
MAN'S VOICE
You okay? You stuck?
CHARLIE
Yes!
MAN'S VOICE
We'll see if we can get you out!
We'll be right over!
Charlie looks at Tom, relieved.
CHARLIE
Looks like we might just --
THE SUBURBAN
Headlights go on high beam.
CHARLIE AND TOM
Squint, blinded by the high beams.
TOM
Why'd they do that?
CHARLIE
Probably so they can see better.
TOM
Or so we can't see at all.
Charlie looks at him -- what does he mean? Tom puts his hand
on his pistol.
IN THE WATER
Assembled by the Suburban are...
JIM AND HIS MEN
All holding guns. He speaks to them quietly.
JIM
This is my retirement fund, boys,
and if any one of you screws up, I
swear to God I'll kill you. Let's
go.
They start wading down into the dip in the road. Kenny carries
a rifle.
TOM AND CHARLIE
Tom squints through the bright light.
CHARLIE
Company dispatch and the National
Guard are the only ones who know
we're here.
TOM
Anyone with a scanner from Radio
Shack could've intercepted your call,
Charlie.
CHARLIE
(realizes)
Jesus.
TOM
(to Jim and men)
Could you turn down your lights?!
JIM
We're bringing a rope!
TOM
Turn down your lights!
JIM
We'll be right there!
Tom starts to pull his gun.
KENNY
is fired up on adrenalin. He has his rifle up and is aiming
it.
HIS POV
Tom with his hand on his pistol, starting to pull it out.
TOM AND CHARLIE
Charlie sees Tom going for his gun. He moves close to Tom,
half in front of him, putting his hand on Tom's.
CHARLIE
Take it easy, Tom.
KENNY
Stiffens.
KENNY'S FINGER
Squeezes the trigger of his rifle.
TOM
Jumps at the sound of the rifle crack.
CHARLIE
Is knocked back.
TOM
Yanks out his gun and starts shooting back.
JIM AND HIS MEN
Duck down in the water.
TOM
Shooting blindly, looks over and sees...
CHARLIE
A horrible look on his face, blood coming out of his neck.
He sinks into the water.
KENNY
Shoots off another few quick rounds.
TOM
Drops into the water, bullets plugging in around him. Just
his hand and pistol are visible, shooting blindly back toward
Jim and his men. THE SUBURBAN
Is hit by Tom's fire.
TOM
Runs out of bullets. A beat later we see Charlie start moving
through the water -- Tom is pulling him.
JIM
STOP SHOOTING!
KENNY
Doesn't hear Jim and keeps firing.
JIM
Aims his pistol at Kenny's head.
JIM
Stop.
Kenny stops.
BEHIND THE ARMORED TRUCK
Tom comes up in the water behind the truck, gasping, holding
Charlie. Tom rests his gun on the truck bumper.
CHARLIE
I'm sorry, Tom.
Charlie's gone.
JIM AND HIS MEN
Jim glares at Kenny, his eyes on fire.
KENNY
He was going for his gun!
JIM
He wasn't gonna shoot, Kenny.
Goddamnit!
(shakes head, calls
to Tom)
We just want the money! Get away and
we won't have to kill you!
TOM
Shuts his eyes, thinking, scared.
JIM (O.S.)
Now!
Tom opens his eyes. He looks down at...
CHARLIE
Floating in the water.
TOM
What the hell is he going to do?
JIM AND HIS MEN
Jim's men look at him. Jim motions them to wait some more.
JIM
You got thirty seconds to get the
hell away!
Jim and the others wait, but there's no answer from Tom.
JIM
The clock's running! Go!
Still no response from Tom.
THEIR POV
All they can see is the front of the truck, in the light of
the "Welcome" sign. They can't see the back.
JIM AND HIS MEN
Jim nods to his men. They head for the truck, down into the
deeper water at the bottom of the dip in the road. All have
guns up and ready.
Jim sends Mr. Mehlor and Ray out to circle around. They all
move quietly. The only sound is the rain.
JIM
Gets to the truck and moves along its side, Kenny right behind
him. Jim gets to the back of the truck, nods for Kenny to
cover him, then steps out behind the truck, gun up.
JIM'S POV
Tom is gone.
CHARLIE
Is floating in the water, eyes of glass.
KENNY, MR. MEHLOR AND RAY
Step into the circle of light thrown by the "Welcome" sign.
JIM
(eyes Charlie)
Ah, Jesus.
(to Kenny)
Your dad'd be real proud of you,
Kenny.
KENNY
He was going for his gun!
JIM
Mr. Mehlor, I believe we're gonna
need your science project.
Mr. Mehlor nods and digs into his pack. Ray looks down at
Charlie in the water.
RAY
"I shall bring floodwaters upon the
earth to destroy all that lives under
the heavens and every creature that
has the breath of life in it shall
perish." Genesis 6:17.
KENNY
Were you a preacher or something?
Ray laughs.
MR. MEHLOR
Ray did five years in the hole at
Joliet. The only thing you get to
read in the hole is the Bible.
KENNY
(to Ray)
You got religion?
RAY
Obviously.
Mr. Mehlor laughs as he pulls something out of his pack.
It's...
SMALL EXPLOSIVE DEVICE
A half-stick of dynamite with a timer, mounted on a magnet.
MR. MEHLOR
When you hit the switch you've got
thirty seconds.
RAY
You teach your students how to make
things like that?
Mr. Mehlor puts the device on the back door.
MR. MEHLOR
You been to a high school recently,
Ray? My students taught me how to
make things like that. Ready?
JIM
Hold on.
Something's wrong. Jim touches the handle on the door. It
moves. Uh-oh. He raises his pistol, grabs the door handle
and pulls. The door swings open. We don't need to see what
he sees -- we can tell from the expression on his face.
EXT. ON THE ROAD
Tom is running hard through the knee-deep water, pulling a
string of canvas money bags buckled together. The truck and
"Welcome" sign are two hundred yards behind him. Tom hears
an angry yell.
EXT. BY THE ARMORED TRUCK
Kenny is the one yelling.
JIM
Shut up. Everyone.
They quiet. The patter of the rain is too loud -- they can't
hear anything. Jim scans the horizon, but sees nothing.
RAY
Now why'd he have to go and do a
thing like that?
JIM
To stay alive.
(off their looks)
He thinks we'll kill him -- unless
he knows where the money is and we
don't.
MR. MEHLOR
There is another possibility.
(off their looks)
He's thinking of keeping it for
himself.
JIM
There's always that. Either way, we
got ourselves a sharp one.
KENNY
What do we do?
Jim is looking at something in the distance.
JIM
Pretty soon the water'll be too deep
for him to run. But for us it'll be
just deep enough.
KENNY
(unclear)
Deep enough for what?
INT. CAR AND BOAT DEALERSHIP - SHOWROOM
A glass window is smashed and water floods into the boat
showroom. Jim and his men stride in. Kenny ogles a
particularly nice cruiser. Jim stops at a smallish ski-boat.
JIM
Here we go.
KENNY
(re: cruiser)
What about this monster?
JIM
(re: ski-boat)
This is all we need.
RAY
Shit, Jim, we're stealing. Can't we
take anything we want?
JIM
The water isn't very deep yet. We
need something with a low draft. Mr.
Mehlor -- find us some gasoline.
Mr. Mehlor heads off.
KENNY
Sees something else he likes. We don't see what it is.
KENNY
Oh, Jim...?
EXT. CEMETERY
The name WILLIAM PORTMAN is chiseled into a crypt. Tom appears
from underwater, gasping for breath. He gets to his feet and
trudges off through the water.
EXT. ROAD OUTSIDE CEMETERY
Tom comes out through the gates of the cemetery, splashing
through the knee-deep water. He's running when he hears,
from behind him, boat engines firing up. He turns to see...
LIGHTS
Racing toward him over the water, a hundred and fifty yards
back.
TOM
Sprints off.
THE SKI-BOAT
Jim is steering the ski-boat. Mr. Mellor hunkers down beside
him. We PULL BACK to see...
TWO JET-SKIS
Flanking the ski-boat, piloted by Kenny and Ray.
ON THE ROAD
Tom is running as fast as he can. He looks back, sees the
ski-boat and jet-skis closing. They'll get him before he
gets to town. He suddenly veers off the road toward...
THE HIGH SCHOOL
The sign out front reads: GO WARRIORS!
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL
Tom runs around the side of the high school.
JIM AND HIS MEN
Ride up on the ski-boat and jet-skis and round the corner.
THEIR POV
No sign of Tom.
JIM
Cut your engines!
The engines are shut down. They all drift. Jim shines a
flashlight over onto...
WINDOWS
There's a hole in a window large enough to climb through.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - CLASSROOM
Tom wades through the classroom, pushing floating desks aside.
Flashlight beams stab into the room. Tom hurries to the hall.
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL
Jim turns to his men.
JIM
Let's get him out. But for Godsake,
whatever you do...
(with a hard look at
Kenny)
...don't kill him. Not until we find
out where he hid that money.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY
Tom makes his way past banks of lockers, trying to get as
far as he can from the probing flashlight beams.
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL - FRONT DOORS
Kenny drifts up to the front doors. He pulls on them. Locked.
JIM
Mr. Mehlor?
MR. MEHLOR
Reaches into his pack.
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY
Tom tries lockers, looking for a place to hide.
EXT. FRONT DOORS
Kenny rides his jet-ski fast away from the front doors and
the doors explode.
INT. SCHOOL FRONT LOBBY
Tom ducks down as...
A FIREBALL
Shoots over him.
KENNY AND RAY
Ride the jet-skis into the flooded school.
UNDERWATER
Tom is swimming as hard as he can, out of breath. KENNY AND
RAY
Ray goes off down a hall while Kenny idles in the lobby.
TOM
Surfaces, gasping.
KENNY
Hears the gasp, turns, grinning.
KENNY
Enemy sub off the port bow!
TOM
Gets to his feet runs as fast as he can down the hall. He
rounds a corner and keeps going.
KENNY
Guns his engine and takes off after Tom.
TOM
Runs another thirty feet, then trips on something and goes
down.
KENNY
Comes around the corner, grinning when he sees...
TOM
Halfway down the hall, standing frozen, caught in Kenny's
light.
KENNY
Guns it, racing forward down the hall toward Tom.
KENNY
Full steam ahead!
THE JET-SKI
Hits something underwater and stops.
KENNY
Keeps going. He flies through the air, slams headfirst into
a trophy case and drops into the water.
TOM
Stands up -- he was kneeling.
TOM
Low tide, sailor.
A HANDRAIL
On the wall, angles down into the water. Underwater there
are a couple of steps leading up to a change in level in the
hall -- that's what the jet-ski grounded on.
HALLWAY
Ray motors down the hallway toward the corner.
RAY
Kenny?
HIS POV
Around the corner comes a jet-ski. Ray assumes it's Kenny.
RAY
See him?
Then the jet-ski speeds up and shoots by him. Ray sees it's...
TOM
Wearing Kenny's hat and jacket.
RAY
Gives chase.
SCHOOL HALLWAYS
Ray races after Tom along the flooded hallways, taking the
turns fast. Ray pulls a gun, starts shooting.
TOM'S POV
Tearing through the halls, flashlight lighting the way.
Bullets hit the walls, ceiling, water around him.
TOM
Comes around a corner, sees the open front doors ahead of
him.
JIM AND MR. MEHLOR
Come into view in the ski-boat, blocking the exit.
TOM
Turns hard and speeds down a side hall.
TOM'S POV
A wall of windows at the end. No way out. Trapped. Then...
KENNY
Rises out of the water, blood running down his face, pistol
up.
TOM
Looks back.
RAY
Is on his tail.
TOM
Makes his choice and guns the jet-ski straight at Kenny.
TOM
Yee-hah!
KENNY
Fires, misses and is knocked to the side as...
TOM
Hunches down on the jet-ski and crashes through the windows.
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL
Jim and Mr. Mehlor are moving right outside the windows just
as Tom blasts out of the school and races off into the dark.
EXT. OPEN WATER
Tom moves fast over the water. He yanks off his clip-on tie.
JIM AND THE OTHERS
Chase Tom's light, behind by fifty yards, heading out into
farm fields. They get closer and closer and then watch as...
TOM'S JET-SKI
Runs straight into a tree and explodes.
JIM AND THE OTHERS
Race up to find the burning, flaming wreckage of the jet-
ski. Ray circles on the other jet-ski. Kenny, still bleeding
from the head, is in the boat with Jim and Mr. Mehlor.
KENNY
(laughing)
Nice driving, buttwipe!
RAY
I'm glad you're enjoying this, Kenny,
but if he's dead, how do we find the
money?
Kenny reacts -- oh, right.
JIM
Oh, he's still alive.
We see what Jim sees.
ECU THROTTLE OF JET-SKI
Tom used his tie to wrap the throttle open.
HUNDRED YARDS AWAY
Tom is hiding in the branches of a floating tree, watching
the distant lights of Jim and his men. The current carries
Tom away.
WITH JIM AND HIS MEN
Jim scans the horizon; sees nothing.
JIM
Ray, I'm in need of a little
inspiration.
RAY
"With a raging flood he makes an end
of those who oppose him, and pursues
his enemies into darkness." From one
of the more obscure --
KENNY
Sorry to interrupt Bible study and
all, but has no one but me noticed
how completely screwed we are? We
should be back in the motel room,
counting out the money. Instead --
Jim lashes out with a fist, hard and fast, hitting Kenny in
the chest, knocking him out of the ski-boat, into the water.
Kenny comes up in the thigh-deep water, sputtering.
JIM
No one likes this particular turn of
events, Kenny, but we have a choice --
we can can either deal with it or we
can walk away. There's a lot of money
out there, so I choose to deal with
it. If you want to go, that's fine --
start swimming. You want to stay,
that's fine, too -- just stop your
damn whining.
Jim pushes the throttle forward and the ski-boat takes off,
leaving Ray on the jet-ski, with Kenny in the water.
KENNY
What the hell's his problem? All the
money in the world ain't worth a
goddamn nickel if you get caught.
It's not like there won't be other
jobs.
RAY
You may have more of these in you,
Kenny, but Jim doesn't.
Ray pulls Kenny up onto the jet-ski and takes off after Jim.
EXT. BACK OF CHURCH - SANDBAG WALL
The water level is creeping up a five-foot-high wall of
sandbags.
REVERSE ANGLE
Looking out over the top of the sandbag wall. A tree floats
by on the water.
HANDS
Suddenly appear on the top of the wall and...
TOM
Pulls himself into view. He climbs over the wall, exhausted.
BEHIND THE SANDBAG WALL
Gasoline-powered pumps are sucking up any rainwater. The
sandbags have kept the floodwater at bay.
TOM
He hurries up the back steps and goes into the church.
INT. CHURCH - BACK ROOM
Tom walks through a small room lined with closed cupboards.
He goes through a door.
INT. CHURCH - MAIN HALL
Tom comes out into the altar. He looks around, impressed.
It's a beautiful church. Scaffolding goes up one wall -- the
church is being restored. Tom is startled by a sound from
above. He grabs a heavy silver candlestick as a weapon and
looks up to see...
BIRDS
Fluttering up in the rafters.
TOM
Takes a breath. Just as he relaxes, he hears a whooshing
sound from behind him and turns to see...
A LARGE CRUCIFIX
Being swung at his head. Thunk and...
THE SCREEN GOES BLACK
FADE IN:
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Tom slowly regains consciousness, blinking his eyes. He
hears...
SHERIFF (O.S.)
What are you doing here?
But the Sheriff isn't asking Tom, he's asking...
KAREN
30, pretty, even in head-to-toe rain gear.
KAREN
I was setting up pumps.
WAYNE
I sure as hell don't get what you
see in that church.
KAREN
I wouldn't expect you to, Wayne.
WAYNE
What's that supposed to mean?
SHERIFF
Karen, did you think the order was
for everyone but you to evacuate?
KAREN
I was gonna go as soon as I filled
the pumps, but the next thing I know,
I've got a looter on my hands. Now,
maybe I'm crazy, but I was expecting
a little gratitude?
PHIL
I think it's great what you did.
WAYNE
That's it, Phil. That'll finally get
you into her pants.
PHIL
Shut up.
SHERIFF
What if he'd had a gun, Karen? A lot
of these looters carry guns.
TOM (O.S.)
I'm not a looter.
TOM
Sits up on a cot, behind bars in the holding cell, woozy.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL
Jim and his men are searching the school for the money.
RAY
Jim, it could be anywhere. It might
not even be in the school.
JIM
Keep looking.
EXT. MAIN STREET
The rain sheets down hard. A lightning flash reveals...
THE STATUE
The water is up to the horse's knees. The lightning passes
and a second later thunder rolls.
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
The Sheriff, Phil, Wayne and Karen stand outside the cell.
Tom is inside, on the cot. He touches the cut on his forehead.
WAYNE
What were you doing at the church?
KAREN
I told you -- he was looting it.
TOM
I just said I'm not a looter!
(to Karen)
You're the one who nailed me?
(Karen nods)
You got a better arm than my ex-wife.
What the hell did you hit me with --
a statue? I saw a flash of some guy
coming at me.
KAREN
(mumbles, embarrassed)
It was a crucifix.
(to others)
It was the only thing there!
TOM
Oh, great. Now I'm gonna have people
coming from around the world to see
the face of Jesus on my forehead.
SHERIFF
Look, son, what were you doing in
the church?
TOM
Looking for a place to hide out.
WAYNE
From who -- Swamp Thing?
TOM
The bastards who killed my partner.
That stops the room.
TOM
We were driving an armored truck.
The truck got stuck out past the
high school. They must've picked up
our call to dispatch, 'cause they
knew where we were. Charlie and I
were just standing there and all
hell broke loose.
SHERIFF
How much money did you have?
TOM
A little over three million.
They all exchange a look -- that's a lot of money.
TOM
The bank was afraid of looters. They
had us cleaning out their branches
up and down the river.
WAYNE
They stole three million dollars?
SHERIFF
No, I don't think so.
They all look at the Sheriff. He looks at Tom.
SHERIFF
You took the money, didn't you.
TOM
I hid it in the cemetery. Tied it to
a crypt for a guy named Portman.
WAYNE
What the hell'd you do that for?
TOM
I don't like to carry around that
much cash.
SHERIFF
Jesus, Wayne, use your head. If he
hadn't hidden it, they woulda killed
him, too.
The Sheriff looks at Tom -- is that it? Tom nods.
SHERIFF
You got any ID?
TOM
No, it was in my jacket and I --
WAYNE
Color me surprised.
The Sheriff thinks for a beat, then tosses some keys to Phil.
SHERIFF
Get out two rifles and a shotgun.
Phil nods and goes to it. The Sheriff opens a desk drawer,
pulls out an ankle holster.
WAYNE
You believe him?
SHERIFF
Well, yes, Wayne, I do. And even if
I didn't, I'd say we sure as hell
had an obligation to check it out,
don't you think?
The Sheriff starts strapping on the ankle holster.
TOM
I'll go with you. I can show you
where --
SHERIFF
No, I think you better stay put. But
that was --
WAYNE
Yeah, all we need is an armored car
guy helping us out.
The Sheriff thwacks Wayne in the ear.
WAYNE
Ow!
SHERIFF
Wayne, what's the worst that's ever
happened to you? When old Mrs. Dugan
went after you with a knife? This
guy just got shot at!
(dismisses Wayne; to
Tom)
Smart move with the money.
Phil comes over with the guns.
SHERIFF
(to Phil)
Wayne and I'll check out the cemetery.
You escort Slugger...
(nods at Karen)
...out of town. Get her to some high
ground, then come on back.
The Sheriff jams a small pistol into his ankle holster.
KAREN
I have to fill the pumps --
SHERIFF
(pulling her out)
Not any more you don't.
The Sheriff straightens up, grabs a rifle from Phil and pulls
Karen to the door. Wayne goes to Tom's cell door and pulls
it shut with a click.
SHERIFF
Wayne...
WAYNE
He could still be lying!
The Sheriff rolls his eyes and gestures for Wayne to come
along. He opens the door for Karen, Wayne and Phil to go
through.
TOM
Sheriff -- they killed my partner
without any warning.
SHERIFF
And they're gonna regret that, I
guarantee you. They're gonna regret
coming anywhere near this town
tonight. And out he goes.
EXT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Water is halfway up the four-foot high wall of sandbags around
the station. There are three outboard motorboats moored to
the sandbags.
SHERIFF
Phil, take Karen's boat.
The Sheriff and Wayne climb toward their boats.
WAYNE
You can do it, Phil. The men of
Huntingburg are counting on you.
PHIL
Just bite me.
Wayne laughs as he and the Sheriff fire up their boat engines.
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Tom hears boat engines start up and move away. He lays back
down on the cot, listening to the rain.
INT. DAM CONTROL OFFICE
Empty. Light comes out from under the door to the bathroom.
INT. BATHROOM
Hank is on the can reading a copy of "American Survivalist"
magazine. An odd reaction comes over his face. He feels
something weird. He looks down.
ON THE FLOOR
Water is seeping in under the door.
HANK
Holy shit!
INT. DAM CONTROL OFFICE
The bathroom door flies open and Hank waddles out, pants
around his feet. He shuffles fast to the control wheels and
starts spinning them.
EXT. RESERVOIR DAM
Two gates open fast, all the way, and water thunders out.
INT. DAM CONTROL OFFICE
Hank pulls up his pants as he gets on the radio.
HANK
Sheriff! Sheriff!
EXT. PARK AREA
The Sheriff and Wayne are motoring in their boats, zooming
through the trees, engine noise obliterating anything coming
in over the radio.
INT. DAM CONTROL OFFICE
HANK
(on the radio)
Sheriff, come in!
EXT. MAIN STREET - MOVING BOAT
Phil steers Karen's small boat down Main Street, past the
statue. The water is up to the rider's stirrups.
KAREN
(pleading)
Did you see the stained glass windows,
Phil? Did you see what a good job
they did? I can't let anything happen
to the church, not after all I've
put into it.
PHIL
Karen, you know I'd do anything for
you, but the Sheriff told me to get
you out of town. I'm sorry. It's for
your own good.
Karen stands up.
PHIL
What're you doing?
KAREN
If you're not going to take me back
to the church, then I'll swim.
Karen moves to get out of the boat.
PHIL
No. Hey, hold on.
Phil lets go of the throttle and stands, moving toward Karen.
KAREN
What am I saying?
Karen suddenly turns on Phil and pushes him out of the boat.
KAREN
This is my boat. You swim.
Karen guns the engine and shoots off down a side street.
Phil stands in the waist-deep water and watches her go,
flabbergasted.
EXT. CHURCH
Karen comes around a corner and drives her boat up to the
church. The water is swirling quietly, still a good three
feet below the top of the wall.
EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN - WELCOME SIGN
Close on the lighted "Welcome to Huntingburg" sign. There's
a rushing sound and a two-foot-high wall of water hits the
sign. The lights explode in geysers of sparks and the water
rushes on.
EXT. PARK AREA
The Sheriff and Wayne are racing through a grove of half-
submerged trees. There's a rushing sound above the sound of
the engines. WHAM! and they're hit by the wall of water.
Wayne falls out of his boat and is lost in the swirling water.
EXT. ALLEYWAY
Jim and his men are motoring down an alleyway when...
THE WALL OF WATER
Rushes down the alley.
RAY
The water hits him hard, knocking him off the jet-ski. He's
swept away by the water.
CLOSE ON A FENCE LACED WITH CONCERTINA WIRE
The surge water shoots through it. And suddenly there's...
RAY
Slammed up against the fence, pinned to it, water rushing
over and around and by him. He yells as the wire cuts into
him.
EXT. CHURCH
Karen is pouring gasoline into the pumps.
She hears the rushing and looks up as the surge hits. Water
shoots over the top.
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Tom hears the sound and opens his eyes -- what the hell is
that?
EXT. SHERIFF'S STATION
The wall of water slams in hard, cascading over the sandbag
wall.
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
TOM SITS UP, SWINGING HIS LEGS OVER THE SIDE OF THE COT. HE
REACTS, LOOKS DOWN. HIS POV
There's two feet of water in the station.
EXT. SHERIFF'S STATION
The building is like a rock in a stream, with the water
rushing up high against one wall, roiling and swirling around
the sides.
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Tom looks over, stunned, to see... THE DOOR
As a fine stream spits in through the keyhole.
THE WINDOWS
Are heaving as the water rises up against them.
TOM
Gets to his feet, woozy and goes to get out of the cell. He
remembers -- uh-oh: the cell door is locked.
EXT. ALLEYWAY
Jim pulls Ray, coughing, choking, bleeding, into the ski-
boat.
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
The water level inside is rising fast. It hits the wall
sockets and there's a spit of sparks, then all the desk lamps
go dark. Light still comes from overhead fluorescent panels.
Tom sees...
TWO KEYS ON A KEY RING
Laying on the Sheriff's wooden desk. They're four feet away --
too far to reach.
EXT. CHURCH
Karen suddenly has a horrible thought and stops. She shakes
it off -- doesn't want to think about it -- and mutters to
herself.
KAREN
They'll get him out.
EXT. MAIN STREET
Phil is clinging to the statue as the water surges by below
him.
EXT. PARK AREA
Wayne gets back into his boat. The Sheriff realizes something.
SHERIFF
Wayne... You locked him in.
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Tom looks through the cell bars at wooden chairs bobbing in
the water. The Sheriff's desk lifts up, starts floating. Tom
gets an idea. He takes his belt off.
EXT. NEAR SHERIFF'S STATION
A telephone pole is half-submerged, being pulled along fast
by the current.
INT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Tom holds one end of the belt and tosses the rest of it at...
THE DESK
Bobbing in the rising water. He misses the keys.
TOM AND THE DESK
Tom tries again. The belt lands on the desk top.
Tom very gently starts pulling. Too hard; the belt starts
slipping off the desk. He gets it just right and the desk
starts moving toward Tom. He reaches out with his hand,
stretching.
HIS FINGERS
Touch the top of the desk, start pulling it toward him, and
he just gets a firm grip on the desk when...
THE TELEPHONE POLE
Smashes into a window, bending in the bars on the window,
shattering the glass, letting a torrent of water into the
room.
THE DESK
Is moved by the rush of water, but not before Tom grabs...
THE KEYS
And grips them tight.
TOM
Tries the keys in the lock. They don't fit. He looks at them.
CU KEYS
The tag is emblazoned with the Ford logo.
TOM
Great! I can drive out of here!
Tom tosses the keys into the water and looks around at...
THE WATER LEVEL
Rising very fast. A foot in ten seconds.
TOM
Climbs up the cell bars, the water rising with him. He's
running out of room between himself and the ceiling. Three
feet. Two feet. He's being pushed up by the water toward...
FLUORESCENT LIGHT FIXTURE
On the ceiling, caged in a wire cover.
TOM
Is terrified, about to die. The water rises up past his face.
TOM'S HANDS
Pull his Maglite flashlight from his belt. He takes off the
lens and the battery cap, then shakes the batteries out.
TOM
Sticks the flashlight tube up through the wire grate over
the light fixture.
He blows out the water -- like clearing a snorkel -- then
breathes. Reprieve for a few moments and then...
THE WATER
Reaches the top of the flashlight tube and starts to trickle
in when...
THE FLUORESCENT LIGHT FIXTURE
Goes dark. In the darkness, there's the sound of tubes
breaking and metal being wrenched.
TOM
Looks up, astonished, to see...
THE FLUORESCENT FIXTURE
Being lifted up and away from above. Streetlight comes in,
silhouetting...
A FIGURE
Standing on the roof. The figure leans down and starts tugging
at the wire cage over the inside of the fixture. In the light,
Tom sees that it's...
KAREN
And she's pulling as hard as she can, but the wire cage isn't
budging. She pulls out a Swiss Army knife, unfolds a small
knife and starts taking out the screws holding the cage in
place. She gets two screws out.
TOM
Pulls on the cage and it swings down. He climbs up it.
EXT. SHERIFF'S STATION ROOF
Tom surfaces in a hole in the roof. There's a vent duct laying
on the roof -- Karen must've kicked that over to get to the
light fixture. Karen helps Tom up. She sits and he lays down
on the roof, catching his breath.
TOM
Thank you.
KAREN
I owed you -- for hitting you and
all. But we're even now, okay?
TOM
Even.
(beat, looks around)
What happened?
KAREN
I don't know.
They get up.
KAREN
Maybe another levee broke upriver.
They've been --
Just then...
A PROPANE TANK
Explodes. The fireball rips across the dark sky, illuminating
everything, showing...
JIM AND HIS MEN
Fifty feet away -- Jim, Mr. Mehlor and Ray in the ski-boat
and Kenny on the jet-ski -- guns aimed at Tom and Karen.
TOM
Oh, God.
DARKNESS
As the lightning passes, and in the darkness, the thunder
rolls.
JIM AND HIS MEN
Switch on their lights and move forward. They pass...
CARS
Floating down the street with other debris. The cars have
been damaged by the flood -- one is missing a door.
JIM AND HIS MEN
When they get closer to the Sheriff's station, what they see --
or don't see -- makes them stop.
THEIR POV
Tom and Karen have disappeared. Karen's boat is still moored
to the Sheriff's station roof, empty.
JIM
They're in the water! Kenny, cut
your engine!
Kenny shuts off the engine of the one remaining jet-ski. Jim
shuts down the boat engine. They float in silence, scanning
the water with their flashlights. There's no sign of Tom and
Karen.
UNDERWATER
Tom motions Karen to follow him. She's freaked and hesitates.
Tom grabs her hand and pulls her.
THEIR POV
The ski-boat and jet-ski are right above them, flashlights
playing over the water.
JIM AND HIS MEN
Reach the roof of the Sheriff's station. Jim looks around.
JIM
Kenny, go that way. We'll go down
here.
LONG SHOT POV THROUGH CAR WINDSHIELD
Of Kenny and Jim heading off in different directions.
TOM AND KAREN
Rise into view in a car. They gasp for air and keep low.
KAREN
Tell them where the money is.
TOM
I can't.
KAREN
Well, I can.
She's about to call out. Tom grabs her hard.
TOM
If they know where the money is,
they will kill us.
Before Karen can say anything, a flashlight beam comes
swinging toward them and they have to duck underwater.
JIM
Watches as his flashlight beam washes over the car. Nothing
there. He guns his engine and heads off down the street.
THE CAR
Floats off around a corner.
IN THE CAR
Tom and Karen surface, catch their breath. Quiet for a few
moments as they both look around to see that Jim and his men
are gone.
KAREN
So what do we do?
TOM
I guess just drive around until we
run out of gas.
KAREN
(pissed)
Look, I've spent the last eight months
of my life restoring that church,
and I just left it to come save your
ass, so spare me, okay?
TOM
(beat)
When we get down here a little further
we'll find a place for you to hide.
(off her look)
I'm gonna get back to the truck and
wait for the National Guard.
(checks watch)
They should be there pretty soon.
Karen nods. Tom looks at her. She's shivering.
TOM
Cold?
KAREN
No, I'm fine. The heater just kicked
in.
Tom looks at her, gives a little grin. Their eyes meet for a
second, then they look away.
EXT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Phil climbs up onto the roof, exhausted. He sees the hole in
the roof and goes to look at it. As he's looking down...
SHERIFF (O.S.)
Is he dead?
Phil turns to see...
THE SHERIFF AND WAYNE
Coasting up in their boats.
PHIL
No. Someone got him out.
SHERIFF
Who?
PHIL
(hesitates)
Maybe Karen.
WAYNE
Karen? How could she get him out?
You took her out of town.
PHIL
I -- It --
SHERIFF
Let's hear it, Phil.
PHIL
It happened real fast, okay?
EXT. ALLEYWAY
Tom and Karen float down the alley in the car.
KAREN
You ever been robbed before?
TOM
No. The scariest thing that ever
happened before was Charlie running
out of donuts.
(off her look)
I've only been doing this for a couple
months.
KAREN
(not what she wanted
to hear)
Oh.
Silence for a few moments.
KAREN
What'd you do before this?
TOM
I, uh... I sold construction
machinery.
(off her look)
I was making good money, it just...
I don't know. It just didn't seem
right for me anymore.
KAREN
How'd you end up in this?
TOM
My uncle did me a favor; got me in.
KAREN
Nice favor. How's he gonna feel after
tonight?
TOM
My uncle was Charlie -- my partner
in the truck.
KAREN
Oh, God. I'm sorry.
Tom nods -- so is he.
EXT. SHERIFF'S STATION
Phil climbs into the Sheriff's boat.
WAYNE
She know karate or something, Phil?
Maybe kung fu? I mean, I can't see
how else she could overpower the
likes of you.
PHIL
Shut up, Wayne.
SHERIFF
Shut up, both of you. Let's go find
Karen; see if she's got him.
The Sheriff fires up his engine and heads off, Wayne
following.
EXT. ALLEYWAY
Karen and Tom are still in the car. They freeze at the sound
of engines in the distance. The sounds fade. Tom looks around.
TOM
God, I wonder whose car this is.
Karen plucks some cassette tapes out of the water.
KAREN
Well, whoever it is, he listens to
Pat Benatar, Eddie Money and the
soundtrack to "Footloose."
TOM
Really?
(looks at tapes)
Hold on...
(looks around car)
...I think this is my car from high
school.
Karen laughs. Just then...
THE CAR
Gets caught on something and stops.
TOM
Looks like we get out here.
(Karen hesitates)
Come on -- I told your father I'd
have you home by ten.
Karen grins. Just then...
A TRANSFORMER
down the street explodes.
TOM AND KAREN
Hear a sparking sound and look over to see...
A TRANSFORMER
On a telephone/power pole close to them. Rain hits it, causing
the sparking sound. The floodwater is inching up the pole
toward it.
The water will reach the transformer in a matter of seconds.
And while they're staring at that...
ANOTHER TRANSFORMER
At the end of the street explodes as water hits it.
TOM AND KAREN
Look around -- what to do? Tom points.
TOM
There!
They climb out of the car and start swimming toward a house.
THE TRANSFORMER
Water is three inches from the transformer; two inches...
TOM AND KAREN
Swimming as hard as they can.
THE TRANSFORMER
One inch from the water...
TOM AND KAREN
Reach the house. They pull themselves up onto a television
antenna/ladder running up the side of the house. Karen's
feet are still in the water.
TOM
Get your feet up!
THE TRANSFORMER
The water is about to touch. There's a sizzling sound.
TOM AND KAREN
They heave a huge sigh of relief -- but then Tom realizes...
TOM
Oh, shit!
KAREN
What?
TOM
(re: antenna/ladder)
It's metal!
Tom pushes Karen over onto a window ledge. Then, just as
Tom's about to step over...
KENNY
Comes screaming in on the jet-ski. He dives off the jetski,
gets a hold of Tom and pulls him under.
KENNY AND TOM
Surface. Kenny is stronger and he has Tom in a tight grip.
One problem -- Kenny doesn't know the danger they're in.
TOM
We've gotta --!
Kenny shoves Tom underwater.
KENNY
HEY! I GOT HIM!
Tom comes up, looks over at...
THE TRANSFORMER
The sizzling is getting louder.
TOM
We have to --!
Kenny dunks Tom again.
KENNY
I GOT HIM!
UNDERWATER
Tom grabs Kenny's arms and pulls himself up fast.
KENNY AND TOM
Tom's head comes out of the water and slams into Kenny's
chin. Kenny is stunned. Tom gets free of his grasp.
KAREN
Hurry!
Tom does the backstroke, pulling hard toward Karen.
KENNY
Still stunned, finally hears the sizzling and looks over
at...
THE TRANSFORMER
The water touches the outer casing of the transformer.
KENNY
Starts swimming fast toward...
TOM AND KAREN
Karen grabs Tom's arm and Tom gets a hold of the windowsill
and pulls himself up.
KENNY
Grabs onto...
THE TV ANTENNA
And starts pulling himself out of the water.
THE TRANSFORMER
Explodes.
KENNY
Feels pretty pleased with himself until...
THE TV ANTENNA
Starts dancing with electricity and...
KENNY
Is hit by the voltage and his teeth clamp shut and his body
goes rigid and his clothes explode in flames.
TOM AND KAREN
Look away.
THE WATER
Dead fish start floating to the surface.
KENNY
Is fried, smoking. He falls off the TV antenna and hits the
water with a loud and ugly hiss. He floats away, his body
shaking spasmodically.
TOM AND KAREN
Tom hears an engine approaching. He looks around, then smashes
the window with his elbow.
INT. HOUSE
The window glass tumbles in. Tom reaches in, undoes the latch
and slides up the window. He climbs in, straddling the window
sill. The camera moves down Tom's leg to show...
A WOLF TRAP
Laying on the floor, just below the window.
TOM
Is oblivious. He starts to put his foot down into the trap.
Just then he knocks...
A POTTED CACTUS
Off the windowsill. It falls straight down into...
THE WOLF TRAP
Hitting the trigger. The jaws snap, obliterating the cactus.
TOM
Jesus Christ!
A SHOTGUN BARREL
Snaps into view, pointing right at Tom's head.
WOMAN (O.S.)
You so much as breathe funny and
your head is going back out that
window without you.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET
Jim drives the boat down the street. Mr. Mehlor is scanning
the water with a flashlight.
MR. MEHLOR
Jim! Over there!
Jim looks over to see...
THE JET-SKI
Floating in the water. And not far from it is...
KENNY
Still twitching.
OMITTED
Sequence omitted from original script.
INT. HOUSE - BEDROOM
Doreen holds the shotgun on Tom and Karen as they move away
from the window, hands raised.
DOREEN
Real slow now. Like you were in a
big jar of molasses. That's it.
They hear footsteps coming down old wood stairs.
MAN (O.S.)
Doreen? You haven't killed anybody,
have you?
DOREEN
I've got everything under control,
Henry. You go back up.
Henry enters.
HENRY
Jesus, Doreen, you caught a whole
gang.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET
Jim and Mr. Mehlor pull Kenny into the ski-boat. Kenny is
shivering. Part of his hair has been burned away.
KENNY
Jesus, God, it hurts!
JIM
You're gonna be okay, Ken. Mr. Mehlor
knows these things and he thinks
you're gonna be okay.
Mr. Mehlor looks at Jim. Mr. Mehlor knows these things and
he thinks Kenny is going to die.
KENNY
It hurts!
JIM
Don't you, Mr. Mehlor? Don't you
think Kenny's gonna be okay?
MR. MEHLOR
Yeah, Kenny. You're gonna be fine.
KENNY
Jesus, I can't stop shivering.
Mr. Mehlor moves aside. Jim puts his arms around Kenny.
KENNY
I know you didn't want me to come.
JIM
You kidding? We couldn't've done
anything without you.
KENNY
My dad'd sure be pissed off, huh?
JIM
Your dad'd just want you to lay still
while we got you some help.
KENNY
Hey -- hey the pain's goin'.
(relief)
Oh, man.
He looks up at Jim and grins.
KENNY
When you said I was gonna be okay, I
thought you were just shittin' me.
JIM
See? You gotta trust me.
Kenny's shivering stops. It stops because he's dead. Jim
slowly lets go.
INT. HENRY AND DOREEN'S ATTIC
Henry and Doreen have brought everything into their attic --
a TV, some silver and china, bowling trophies. A Coleman
lantern lights the room.
DOREEN
(sarcastic)
Well, isn't that just wonderful! Now
these bastards are gonna want to
kill us, too! Why the hell did you
have to come to this house?
KAREN
We thought it was empty.
DOREEN
You know what? The house next door
is empty. So whaddya say we go back
downstairs and you two keep moving?
HENRY
We are not going to send these people
out to the wolves.
DOREEN
Oh, we're not, are we? Then what's
your plan, General Schwartzkopf?
HENRY
I -- I just don't think --
TOM
It's okay. I have to go anyway.
They look at him, surprised.
TOM
The National Guard'll be at the truck
in about fifteen minutes. I'm gonna
go wait for them.
DOREEN
You can't swim that far in fifteen
minutes.
HENRY
He could take our boat.
DOREEN
Henry!
HENRY
(to Tom)
I'll go get it ready for you.
DOREEN
Henry, he is not taking our boat.
Henry ignores Doreen. He pushes the attic stairs down, heads
down them.
DOREEN
(grabs TV; to Tom)
Here. You want a TV too? How about
some china? Maybe our silver?
(sets TV down)
Henry! Henry, you leave the boat
where it is!
Doreen heads off down the stairs. Tom starts down the stairs,
stops.
TOM
Karen?
(she looks at him)
I'm Tom.
They shake hands.
KAREN
Watch yourself, Tom. I really don't
wanna have to save your life again.
Tom nods and goes down the stairs.
EXT. HENRY'S HOUSE
Henry stands on the roof of the back porch, steadying a small
rowboat as Tom gets in. Doreen nags from the window.
DOREEN
You give away our only boat in the
middle of a flood. You are a genius,
Henry. A goddamn genius.
TOM
(whispers to Henry,
re: Doreen)
You wanna come with me?
Henry looks at Tom, entertaining the notion...
DOREEN
Jesus, Henry, what are you waiting
for -- a kiss goodbye? Get back in
here.
Henry sighs and lets go of the boat. Tom rows off.
LONG SHOT OF TOM
We see him in silhouette, crossing the gap between two houses.
JIM AND HIS MEN
Are watching, from the shadows on the dark side of the street.
RAY
Why don't we just get him?
JIM
If our resourceful young friend hears
us coming, he'll electrocute us or
sink us or one of you'll shoot him.
Besides...
(glances at watch)
...I know where he's going. What I'd
like to know is where he came from.
EXT. CHURCH
The Sheriff sits in his boat, moored to the wall of sandbags
around the church. Wayne's boat is tied up next to it. The
floodwater is trickling over the top of the wall. The gas-
powered pumps inside the wall are keeping the waters at bay.
WAYNE AND PHIL
Come out of the front doors of the church.
WAYNE
They're not here.
EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN - WELCOME SIGN
Tom rows up to the truck and "Welcome" sign. His flashlight
shows just the top of the truck and sign. Tom looks at his
watch, ties the rowboat to the sign, jumps into the water.
A few moments pass, then Tom surfaces, holding a shotgun.
Then he senses something behind him and turns to see...
A COW
Floating in the water, tongue out, eyes glassy.
TOM
Kicks away, horrified. And then he hears an engine. He looks.
TOM'S POV
Jim's ski-boat is coming over the water. The engine cuts out
and the ski-boat drifts, a hundred feet from Tom.
JIM
(yelling)
Son, before you go underwater and do
something tricky, there's something
I'd like you to see!
A flashlight comes on, the beam swivels, illuminating...
HENRY AND DOREEN
Standing in the ski-boat, blinking in the light.
TOM
Slumps.
JIM
Now, I know it's your job to protect
that money, and maybe you'd even be
foolish enough to give your life for
it. The question is, are you willing
to give their lives for it?
Jim puts a pistol to Doreen's head.
JIM
Drop the gun and get into the boat.
TOM
Thinks for a second, then throws the shotgun away and pulls
himself into the rowboat.
JIM
Excellent choice.
TOM, JIM, HENRY AND DOREEN
As Tom and Jim call to each other across the water, Doreen
goes at Henry.
TOM
I'll take you to the money, but you
gotta let them go.
DOREEN
I hope you're proud of yourself,
Henry Sears.
HENRY
Shh.
JIM
I think it'd be best if --
DOREEN
I told you not to give him the goddamn
boat.
HENRY
Doreen, please.
JIM
I think it'd be best if we all stayed
together.
TOM
You say all you want is the money?
Prove it. Let them go.
JIM
I don't know if that's --
DOREEN
We could be safe in our home instead
of out here in a boat with these low-
life scumbags!
JIM
(after a look at
Doreen, nods to Mr.
Mehlor)
Let 'em go.
EXT. MAIN STREET
The Sheriff, Wayne and Phil motor past the statue. Wayne is
driving his boat; Phil is with the Sheriff. The water is up
to the General's neck.
EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN
Tom helps Henry and Doreen over into the rowboat. As he does,
his face comes close to Henry's for a second.
TOM
(whisper)
Karen?
HENRY
(shakes head, whispers)
In the attic. They never saw her.
EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET
Karen swims down the center of the street.
EXT. ROAD OUT OF TOWN
Tom is in the ski-boat with Jim. He looks out at...
HENRY AND DOREEN
As Henry rows them off into the darkness.
DOREEN
(disappearing in dark)
Faster, Henry! The bastards might
change their minds! Stop lily- dipping
and move it!
Henry starts to turn the boat around.
DOREEN
What're you doing?
HENRY
I'm gonna row back there and see if
he'll shoot you. Or me. Fine either
way.
DOREEN
Henry...?
HENRY
Do you want me to get us out of here?
DOREEN
Yes, of course, I --
HENRY
Then shut the fuck up.
Henry turns the boat around and rows off. Doreen is silent.
JIM'S SKI-BOAT
Jim shakes his head. Tom looks at Ray, coughing and at Kenny,
dead. Tom doesn't know what to say.
TOM
I...
JIM
The only thing I want to hear from
you is where the money is.
EXT. STREET
The Sheriff and Wayne are motoring fast down a street, the
Sheriff leading. The Sheriff sees something in the water in
front of him. He curses and throttles down fast.
KAREN
Is in the water, exhausted and cold.
EXT. CEMETERY
Jim pilots the ski-boat into the cemetery. All are aghast.
A DOZEN CASKETS
Are floating in the water. Half of them have drifted up
against the fence; the others are headed that way.
JIM
I wonder where they think they're
going.
RAY
What the hell's going on?
MR. MEHLOR
This happened in a flood in Georgia.
The ground gets soggy, and the caskets
are air-tight -- anyone who hasn't
been planted too long just pops up.
RAY
You teach your students stuff like
that? No wonder they kicked you out.
MR. MEHLOR
I didn't teach my students anything
at all.
JIM
(to Tom)
Where is it?
TOM
It's hard to tell now with the water
so deep.
Jim cocks the hammer on his pistol. Tom gets the hint.
TOM
It's down there a little further.
Jim nods, gives the engine some juice and they move on.
TOM
Takes a quick look at his watch.
JIM
Sees Tom looking at his watch.
EXT. STREET
Karen is in the Sheriff's boat, wearing Phil's jacket, trying
to warm up.
KAREN
Tom went off in their rowboat.
WAYNE
(to Phil)
It's Tom now. Looks like you lost
out, pal.
SHERIFF
Where was he going?
KAREN
Back to the armored truck.
EXT. CEMETERY
Jim throttles down the ski-boat engine.
JIM
Here?
TOM
Uh... no. A little farther --
JIM
They're not coming, son.
Tom looks over at Jim, pretending to be confused.
TOM
What?
JIM
The National Guard. They're not
coming.
TOM
I don't --
JIM
I know you've been trying to stall
until they show up, but they're not
coming.
TOM
(pause as he realizes)
Oh, God. You intercepted Charlie's
call, then you called them off.
JIM
No, son, I didn't call them off.
They never were coming. We didn't
"intercept" Charlie's call. He called
us direct.
And on Tom's look of disbelief...
INT. DAM CONTROL OFFICE
Hank is on the radio.
HANK
I'd love to help you, Sheriff, but I
can't leave! If the water goes over
the top again it's bye-bye, dam! Bye-
bye, town! In fact, I could use a
little help up here myself.
EXT. PARK AREA
The Sheriff is in his boat; Wayne is back in his own. The
Sheriff is on the radio.
SHERIFF
Hank, remember when Mike Crane holed
up in Jack Finch's barn and said he
was gonna burn it down?
CROSSCUT WITH HANK
HANK
Hey, I was the one who got the dumb
son-of-a-bitch to come out.
SHERIFF
Right. And before you went in, I
deputized you, you dumb son-of-a-
bitch! So when I say get down here,
it's not a request, it's an order.
So get down here! Now! I won't need
you for long. And bring your gun.
EXT. CEMETERY
JIM
We were gonna hit you just before
you got on the Interstate, but then
you got stuck so we had to change
our plans and take you --
TOM
Bullshit. This is all bullshit.
JIM
I knew Charlie when we were both
working construction for the Johnstown
company. His middle name was McCarthy
because his parents loved Charlie
McCarthy on the radio. His wife's
name was Mary. She died of a heart-
attack last year. He has a daughter
and a son, both grown with children
of their own. I'm afraid I don't
know the names of the grandchildren.
Tom looks down, not wanting to believe.
JIM
What else do I know...? Oh, yes. I
know Uncle Charlie was trying to
steer his favorite nephew away from
a life of crime.
Tom suddenly lunges for Jim. Ray yanks Tom back.
TOM
Why'd you shoot him? Kill Charlie
and you get to keep another share?
JIM
No, That was an accident. Ken shot
him.
(eyes Kenny sadly)
I never told him Charlie was on my
side. Ken liked to talk.
(shakes head)
He shouldn't've been here. But his
dad asked me to watch over him. I
guess I didn't do the best job.
RAY
Excuse me, Jim. I hate to interrupt
and all, but could we just get the
money and get the hell out of here?
JIM
(nods; to Tom)
I'm gonna ask you one more time. And
before you think of bullshitting me
again, keep in mind I have had a
very frustrating night. And while I
know I'll never get the money if I
kill you, it's getting to the point
where I just don't care.
Jim casually aims his gun at Tom.
TOM
I'll tell you where it is. But it's
not going to do you any good.
Jim arches an eyebrow.
TOM
The Guard may not be coming, but
someone else sure as hell is.
EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN THE SHERIFF
At the controls of his boat, moving fast, sprayed by rain.
Karen and Phil are in the back of the boat. Wayne is close
behind in his boat.
EXT. CEMETERY
JIM
I'll take my chances.
Tom pauses, looks over to...
THE CRYPT
Just the top of it is visible. Two more COFFINS float nearby.
TOM
There.
Jim steers the ski-boat over, hands Tom a flashlight.
JIM
Well, go get it.
Tom climbs over the edge of the ski-boat and into the water.
He turns on the flashlight and drops below the surface.
RAY
(eyeing Tom in water)
"At night we'd go down to the river
and into the river we'd dive."
(off Jim and Mehlor's
looks)
Springsteen, "The River." I'm all
out of bible quotes.
UNDERWATER
Tom shines his light on...
THE CRYPT
One end of a rope is tied to the crypt. The other end, cut
and frayed, is suspended in the water, waving in the current.
ON THE WATER
Jim watches Tom's light rise. Tom comes up fast, takes a
breath.
TOM
It's gone.
JIM
What?
TOM
(smug)
Looks like somebody beat you to it.
RAY
Oh for Christs -- I'm gonna shoot
him, Jim.
Ray grabs pistol in his belt. Before he can pull it out,
holes puff out of his chest, followed by blood and then the
sound of the rifle-shots. Ray tumbles into the water. A half-
second later there's...
HAIL OF BULLETS
Ripping into the ski-boat, water, trees, crypt.
THE SHERIFF'S BOAT, WAYNE'S BOAT
Are outside the fence, a hundred feet from the crypt. PUSH
IN FAST on...
THE SHERIFF
To the rescue. He and Wayne and Phil fire their guns.
TOM
Ducks underwater.
JIM
Pulls his pistol, returns fire.
MR. MEHLOR
Opens fire with a shotgun, shooting wild, yelling. Then he's
hit and knocked out of the boat, dead.
IN THE SHERIFF'S BOAT
KAREN
Stop! You'll hit Tom!
The Sheriff stops shooting, yells at the others.
SHERIFF
Hold your fire!
Wayne and Phil stop shooting.
BY THE CRYPT
Tom is holding onto a coffin, out of view of the Sheriff. He
hears a rush of bubbles and turns as...
JIM
Comes to the surface, breathing deep.
JIM'S GUN
Comes out of the water fast and the barrel goes to Tom's
forehead.
THE SHERIFF'S BOAT
There's an adrenal fire in the Sheriff's eyes. He starts his
boat forward, Wayne following. Their lights find...
JIM'S BOAT
No sign of life. Then there's a sound and the lights sweep
over to find...
JIM AND TOM
Climbing up on top of the mostly-submerged crypt. Jim is
behind Tom with his gun to Tom's head.
THE SHERIFF
Stops his boat. Wayne stops, too. They are thirty yards from
Jim and Tom.
KAREN AND TOM
A look passes between them.
JIM
(to Sheriff)
Now, sir, I can imagine you'd love
nothing more than to shoot me, but I
caution you -- in order to do that,
you're gonna have to shoot through
young Tom here.
THE SHERIFF
Thinks for a second, then shrugs.
SHERIFF
Okay.
He raises his rifle.
KAREN
Realizes what is about to happen.
TOM AND JIM
Also clue in, but before they can move...
THE SHERIFF
Squeezes the trigger as...
KAREN
Hits the gun with her arm.
THE RIFLE
Fires.
TOM
is grazed in the arm by the bullet.
THE SHERIFF
Smacks Karen hard with his rifle and she tumbles out of the
boat, unconscious.
TOM AND JIM
Throw themselves back off the crypt as...
THE SHERIFF AND WAYNE
Empty their guns in their direction.
JIM
Returns fire, shooting blindly over the top of the crypt.
PHIL
Reaches for Karen, floating limp in the water, but...
WAYNE
Is closer. He grabs Karen and pulls her into his boat, then
grins at Phil.
TOM AND JIM
Are behind the crypt. Tom holds his bleeding arm. Jim reloads.
TOM
Well, that was unexpected.
JIM
Is he the one you thought was coming
to your rescue?
No answer from Tom, but the answer is clear.
WITH THE SHERIFF AND HIS MEN
The Sheriff and Wayne reload.
HANK (O.S.)
Anyone mind telling me what the hell
is going on?
The Sheriff, Wayne and Phil turn to see...
HANK
In his boat, right behind them, all dressed up in hunting
gear, rifle at the ready.
SHERIFF
Hey, Hank. That money I told you
about? From the armored car? We're
gonna keep it. Three million dollars.
Four ways.
(shoots at crypt)
Seven fifty apiece. You okay with
that?
Hank is stunned. He doesn't answer.
SHERIFF
Hank? You okay with that?
HANK
Seven hundred and fifty thousand
dollars?
(beat, grins)
Damn straight I'm okay with that.
WAYNE
(grumbling, re: Hank)
Don't see what we needed him for.
SHERIFF
Then I guess you've never been hunting
with Hank.
(to Hank)
We got two behind that crypt. Get
'em.
Hank nods. He motions for Wayne to go one way; he'll go the
other. They start off. A blind shot comes from Jim behind
the crypt. The Sheriff shoots back. Phil finally musters up
the courage to say something.
PHIL
Maybe I'm not okay with it.
SHERIFF
Come on now, Phil.
PHIL
You're gonna kill people?
SHERIFF
They're looters, Phil! They come and
steal from an armored truck in our
town -- they're looters.
(fires two shots)
PHIL
What about Tom? What about Karen?
They're not looters.
SHERIFF
No, they're witnesses.
The Sheriff fires off a flurry of bullets.
TOM AND JIM
Behind the crypt, bullets winging by. Jim looks over, sees...
HANK
Motor into view.
JIM
Opens fire.
HANK
Shoots back.
TOM
Flattens against the crypt, then turns to see...
WAYNE
Coming into view on the other side.
TOM
Looks at Jim, sees he's occupied in the fight with Hank.
Then he sees...
RAY
Floating in the water, dead, pistol still jammed in his pants.
TOM
Thinks, decides, and reaches out for Ray.
CLOSE ON JIM
Shooting at Hank. He hears gunfire from Wayne and is about
to swivel to shoot in that direction when he hears a gun
firing from right next to him. He turns to see...
TOM
Shooting back at Wayne with Ray's gun.
WAYNE
Pulls back out of the line of fire.
HANK
Curses and pulls back, too.
TOM AND JIM
Exchange a look.
THE SHERIFF'S BOAT
PHIL
How can you do this?
SHERIFF
Jeez, Phil, I always thought Wayne
was the stupid one. Read my lips.
(slowly)
Three million dollars. Look at it!
The Sheriff reaches down into a forward storage area of the
boat and pulls back a tarp revealing the bags of money.
SHERIFF
A couple of those bags are gonna be
yours, Phil.
PHIL
But -- but -- you're the Sheriff!
The Sheriff rips his badge off and throws it away.
SHERIFF
I'm the what?
TOM AND JIM
Jim looks at Tom, then hands Tom his pistol. Tom doesn't
know what Jim's doing. Jim slips beneath the water.
HANK
Whistles and gets Wayne's attention. He motions Wayne to try
it again.
THE SHERIFF'S BOAT
PHIL
For twenty years you've been --
SHERIFF
For twenty years I've been eating
shit, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Well, tonight I'm changing the menu!
From now on everything I eat is gonna
be shit-free!
BEHIND THE CRYPT
Tom is looking for Jim, to see what he's doing. And then...
WAYNE AND HANK
Come around on both sides.
TOM
Starts shooting at them with the two pistols.
WAYNE AND HANK
Pull back. As they go...
TOM
Sees...
KAREN'S ARM
Draped over the side of Wayne's boat.
TOM
Takes another shot at Hank but stops firing at Wayne.
CLOSE ON JIM'S SKI-BOAT
Jim's hand appears over the gunwale. He reaches in and
grabs...
MR. MEHLOR'S PACK
And pulls it out of the boat.
THE SHERIFF'S BOAT
SHERIFF
Can I make it any clearer, Phil? Do
you want me to draw pictures?
Phil pulls out his revolver and points it at the Sheriff.
PHIL
I can't let you do it.
SHERIFF
Oh for --
(beat)
Okay, Phil. But here's how it's gonna
go. I'm gonna hear one of two things
out of you. Either I'm gonna hear
you say you're in with us, or...
(moves close to Phil's
gun)
...I'm gonna hear a bullet come out
of that gun and go into me.
Phil is incredulous. The Sheriff weighs his hands like scales.
SHERIFF
(one hand)
Seven hundred and fifty thousand
dollars or...
(other hand)
...you kill me. Your choice.
The Sheriff weighs the hands a couple more times. Phil slumps,
lowers the gun.
SHERIFF
There we go.
SOMETHING
Flies through the air; lands in the water by the Sheriff.
It's...
MR. MEHLOR'S PACK
And it starts sinking in the water.
BEHIND THE CRYPT
Tom sees...
JIM
Haul himself into the ski-boat.
WAYNE (O.S.)
In the boat!
THE SHERIFF, WAYNE AND HANK
Start shooting at Jim in the ski-boat.
JIM
Sticks the shotgun over the gunwale and returns fire.
TOM
Starts swimming for the boat.
THE SHERIFF, WAYNE AND HANK
See Tom and start shooting at both he and Jim when...
MR. MEHLOR'S PACK
Explodes and...
THE WATER
Erupts in a huge geyser.
THE SHERIFF, WAYNE, PHIL AND HANK
Are knocked off their feet. The Sheriff, Phil and Hank are
thrown into the water. Their boats are rocked up and back
and swamped with falling water.
JIM
Fires up his engine.
TOM
Is almost to the boat.
WAYNE
Gets to his knees in his boat and starts shooting.
TOM
Gets to Jim's boat and grabs onto it.
JIM
Cranks the throttle, and, dragging Tom, tears off under the
hail of Wayne's bullets.
TOM'S POV
As Jim races through the tombstones, barely missing
halfsubmerged stone crosses and crypt roofs.
TOM
Rams into one cross.
HIS HANDS
Start to slip from the boat.
JIM
Grabs Tom's hand and holds on as they shoot off across the
water.
THE SHERIFF, PHIL AND HANK
Get back in the boats.
EXT. ON THE WATER - MOVING
Jim hauls Tom into the boat. Tom lays on the bottom, catching
his breath. Blood is dripping down from his arm.
TOM
(beat, looks up at
Jim)
You really want that money?
Jim gives Tom a look -- of course he wants that money.
TOM
'Cause the only way you're ever gonna
see it is if you help me get Karen.
Before Jim can answer, gunshots ring out behind them. They
look back to see...
THE SHERIFF AND HIS MEN
Coming after them in the three boats, shooting, closing.
TOM
We're too slow.
JIM
(thinks, then:)
Here.
Jim moves away from the wheel, giving it to Tom. Tom gets up
and takes over. Jim bends and picks up...
KENNY
Lifeless and limp.
JIM
Looks at Kenny for a moment, then pushes his body overboard.
WITH THE SHERIFF AND HIS MEN
Flying over the water.
THEIR POV
They see a body tumble out of the ski-boat.
WITH JIM AND TOM
Jim looks back, following Kenny with his eyes.
EXT. MAIN STREET
Jim and Tom make the turn onto Main Street. They look back
as...
THE SHERIFF AND HIS MEN
Come around the corner, two hundred yards back.
TOM
They're not going to catch us now.
LOW ANGLE
Of the ski-boat, racing toward camera. As it gets closer,
the camera BOOMS DOWN underwater to reveal...
THE STATUE
The sword tip just below the surface. THE SKI-BOAT
There's a jarring metal on metal clank as the sword tip slams
into the propeller.
JIM AND TOM
Are thrown forward.
JIM
Slams head-first into the dash.
UNDERWATER
The propeller has stopped.
TOM
Looks back to see that...
THE OUTBOARD MOTOR
Has almost been ripped from its moorings.
TOM
Okay, so maybe they are gonna catch
us now.
No answer from Jim. Tom looks down.
JIM
Is laying on the deck, unconscious. Just then... BAM! BAM!
BAM!
HANK
Has his rifle resting on his boat's windshield and is firing
off a clip on automatic as he, Wayne and the Sheriff close
in.
TOM
Ducks down and tries to start the engine. No go. Again. It
catches on the third try. Tom guns it and the boat tears
off.
THE OUTBOARD ENGINE
Is wobbling, vibrating.
HANK
Keeps up his stream of gunfire.
TOM
Stays down, driving blind, as the bullets fly in, blowing
holes in the windshield. He looks at Jim, at the engine and
curses. He steers the boat toward...
THE CHURCH
All lit-up, brilliant white in the darkness, a quarter-mile
away.
EXT. THE CHURCH
The water is now over the sandbag wall. The first several
feet of the church are flooded.
THE SKI-BOAT
Comes up fast. Tom grounds it on top of the sandbag wall.
Tom hesitates for a half second before grabbing Jim and
pushing him out of the boat and into the water.
JIM
Hits the cold water and comes to, sputtering.
TOM
Grabs guns and ammo and jumps out of the boat and into the
water. He lays a rifle on the top of the sandbag wall and
fires off a clip.
THE SHERIFF, HANK AND WAYNE
Jim's bullets plug into their boats. They circle back.
AT THE CHURCH
Tom pushes Jim, still groggy, into the flooded church.
INT. CHURCH
Tom shuts the door. He piles the weapons on a shelf. He sees
Jim touch his head.
TOM
That hurt?
JIM
Yeah.
TOM
Good.
EXT. MAIN STREET
Wayne and Hank are alongside the Sheriff, engines idling as
they look at the church.
SHERIFF
(nods, to Hank)
Then go get some bottles.
Hank nods, guns his engine.
PHIL
(to Hank)
Wait -- what about the dam?
SHERIFF
It'll be fine.
PHIL
You said if it goes it'll wipe out
the town.
SHERIFF
Fuck the town.
Hank nods in agreement and takes off.
INT. CHURCH
Jim and Tom are by one of the stained glass windows, looking
out through a pale-colored pane at the Sheriff and his men
across the street. They watch Hank race off.
JIM
Does he have the girl?
TOM
(shakes head)
She's in the small boat.
Tom touches the wound on his head.
TOM
Jesus, I'm gonna get hepatitis.
JIM
Hepatitis, hell. You probably already
got cholera.
Tom gives Jim a look then starts for the back of the church.
JIM
What're you doing?
TOM
There's a back room.
(touches wound)
Maybe they've got something I can
use on this.
JIM
You been in here before?
TOM
(bad memory)
Oh, yeah.
JIM
What happened?
TOM
I saw Jesus.
EXT. DAM
Water is starting to go over the top again. It pours down in
sheets over the face of the dam.
INT. CHURCH
Jim is by the window, looking out at the Sheriff and Wayne
across the street in the shadows. He turns as...
TOM
Enters from the back. He's got a bottle of rubbing alcohol
and a towel. He splashes some of the alcohol on the towel,
then touches it to his wound. It hurts like a sonofabitch.
After a beat...
TOM
So, has this all gone pretty much
how you thought it would?
Jim turns on Tom.
JIM
Everything would have gone fine if
you'd've just walked away from the
truck.
TOM
Oh, yeah? Well, everything would've
gone even better if you hadn't decided
to rob the damn truck in the first
place!
Jim looks away. After another silence...
TOM
Did Charlie have cancer or something?
JIM
You mean why was he doing this?
(thinks, shrugs)
No cancer.
(beat)
Didn't you ever think about taking
the money?
TOM
No.
JIM
Come now. A man who used to make his
living fencing hot jackhammers never
thought about what he'd do with three
million dollars?
TOM
Sorry to disappoint you.
(beat)
What are you gonna do with it?
JIM
As little as possible.
Silence for a few moments, then...
TOM
Belize.
Jim looks at him.
TOM
It's this small country in Central
America, on the Atlantic side.
JIM
I know where Belize is. What about
it?
TOM
They speak English and the dollar
goes a long way. Beautiful beaches;
friendly people. And they've got
liberal banking laws. Very liberal.
JIM
No, you didn't think about taking
that money at all.
TOM
(busted)
You can't ride in the truck and not
think about it.
JIM
I'm sure. And I guess that's pretty
much how it started with Charlie.
Tom thinks, nods and presses the towel to his wound again.
EXT. MAIN STREET
Wayne is thinking about something. He makes a decision and
flicks on his engine.
SHERIFF
What're you doing?
WAYNE
We got too many bodies with bullets
in 'em.
(nods at Karen)
I'm gonna put her in her house, make
it look like she fell down the stairs
and drowned.
PHIL
Don't you touch her!
WAYNE
Saving her life... Hmm... You know,
that might have actually gotten you
laid.
SHERIFF
Oh, for Christsakes, just dump her
here.
WAYNE
We got a few minutes before Hank
gets back.
SHERIFF
Just dump her here!
Wayne ignores the Sheriff and motors off.
SHERIFF
Wayne! Goddamnit, we've gotta get
them outta there! Wayne!
But Wayne keeps going.
INT. CHURCH
Tom watches Wayne drive off with Karen.
TOM
Shit. Where's he going?
Tom grabs a rifle, frustrated and angry.
EXT. MAIN STREET
Hank motors up to the Sheriff and Phil.
HANK
Where's Wayne going?
SHERIFF
On a date. You all set?
HANK
Yeah, but --
SHERIFF
Then let's go.
HANK
Aren't we gonna wait for Wayne?
SHERIFF
We can get started without him, the
dumb shit. He won't be long. Besides,
we got Phil. Phil's gonna earn his
money on this, aren't you Phil?
Phil looks scared shitless.
EXT. RESERVOIR DAM
Water continues to pour over the top. CLOSE ON CONCRETE
Chunks of cement are starting to wash away.
INT. CHURCH
Tom finishes reloading a gun.
JIM
What -- you're gonna swim after her?
Tom doesn't answer. He moves toward the front door. Jim cuts
him off.
JIM
You ain't gonna help her by getting
shot. He's gone and you don't know
where.
TOM
The Sheriff knows. I think maybe
I'll go ask him.
JIM
You'll be dead before you get over
the sandbags.
(beat)
Look, he'll be coming for us. You
can ask him then.
Jim sees something out the window.
TOM
What if he doesn't come?
JIM
I wouldn't worry about that.
Tom sees what Jim sees.
THEIR POV
The Sheriff, Phil and Hank are heading toward the church,
flaming Molotov cocktails in their hands.
EXT. SIDE OF CHURCH
The Sheriff, Phil and Hank heave the flaming Molotov
cocktails.
THE ROOF
The bottles hit, explode. Sheets of fire rain down the roof.
ONE BOTTLE
Smashes through a window.
INT. CHURCH
Tom and Jim duck down as...
THE BOTTLE
Flies across the inside of the church and smashes against a
wall, sending sheets of fire down the wall.
EXT. CHURCH
The roof is on fire.
EXT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Modest, two-story, on a side street. The front door is open;
the boat tied up outside. There's a light on in the front
hall.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Karen is unconscious. Wayne has her laying on the stairs
leading up from the entry area to the second floor. There's
three feet of water in the house. Karen's legs are in the
water. Her hands are handcuffed to a railing attached to the
wall, running up the stairs. Wayne stands over Karen, pats
her face.
WAYNE
Wakey-wakey.
Karen stirs, then starts slipping back into unconsciousness,
so Wayne splashes her face with water. Karen comes to,
sputtering. Her eyes focus. She looks up at Wayne. Wayne
grins.
WAYNE
Dear Penthouse: I always thought
your letters were fake, until the
wildest thing happened to me. I'm a
policeman in a small town. In the
middle of the big flood last year, I
was patrolling the streets in a boat,
feeling kind of sorry for myself --
'cause it was my birthday and all --
when I saw the front door to a house
was open. I pulled my gun -- afraid
it might be looters. Imagine my
surprise when, instead of a looter,
I find a young woman handcuffed to
the railing of her stairs. Her name
was Karen, and ever since she came
back from college she'd made it clear
she was too good for any of us local
folk. Now here she was, in handcuffs!
I said, "What the heck is going on
here, ma'am?" And she said...
Karen says nothing. Wayne leans in close.
WAYNE
And she said...
KAREN
Sorry, Wayne, but I'm not playing a
part in your sick little play.
Wayne pulls his gun, puts it to Karen's head.
WAYNE
You're perfect for the role. I suggest
you reconsider.
KAREN
Or what? You'll kill me? You're gonna
do that anyway.
WAYNE
I might get clumsy. It might take a
while.
KAREN
I'm sure you can hurt me. But it's
all going to be the same when I'm
dead.
Wayne straightens up, looks at her, then launches back into
it.
WAYNE
And she said, "Happy Birthday, Wayne.
I've got something for you." Well,
I'm not stupid. I knew what she wanted
to give me and I knew she wanted to
give it bad, so I --
THE OVERHEAD LIGHT
Sparks and goes out.
WAYNE
(looks up at light)
That won't do. Man's gotta see what
he's doing. 'Scuse me.
Wayne heads off for the kitchen. The second he's gone...
KAREN
Raises her hips and digs a hand into her pocket and pulls
out her Swiss Army knife. She pries open the big blade. She
hears Wayne sloshing back toward her. She gets back into the
position Wayne left her in as...
WAYNE
Re-enters carrying two burning candles in candle-holders.
WAYNE
I got the candles. All's we need is
a cake.
He sets the candles down on a dry step above Karen's head.
He leans in close.
WAYNE
Mood lighting. You in the mood yet?
(no answer from Karen;
back into Penthouse
letter)
And then she said, "My present's
ready and waiting. All's you gotta
do is unwrap it."
Wayne reaches into the water, undoes Karen's rain pants,
yanks off her shoes, then pulls off her pants. He throws
them over the banister. Karen remains passive, blank. Wayne
takes off his holster; hangs it on the banister. Then he
pushes his pants down to his ankles. His shirttail is long
enough so that we don't have to see his wretched little
pecker. He climbs on top of Karen in the water, brings his
face close to hers.
WAYNE
It was cold and rainy that birthday
night, and all I wanted was to get
someplace warm and dry. As it turned
out, what I really wanted was
something warm and wet. Wayne grins
and closes for a kiss and...
KAREN'S HAND
Moves fast with the knife and...
WAYNE'S EYES
Pop open wide.
WAYNE
His head jerks back. He tries to shout, but all that comes
out is an awful gurgle. He tries to push off Karen, but...
KAREN
Wraps her legs around him, holds him close, pinning him.
WAYNE
Finally breaks free. He tries to stop the bleeding with a
hand, but the blood spurts through his fingers. He reaches
for his gun in his holster on the banister, but just as he
grabs it...
KAREN
Lashes out of the water with her legs, kicking Wayne in the
groin, pushing him back.
WAYNE
Tries to get his balance, but his feet can't move -- his
pants are around his ankles. He falls back into the water,
firing his pistol.
BULLETS
Blow chunks out of the wall next to Karen, hit the ceiling
and...
WAYNE
Is floating on his back, trying to lift the pistol, but his
strength is fading fast. He gets off one last shot and...
THE CANDLE
Nearest Karen is blown to pieces.
WAYNE
The gun drops into the water. No more shots. No more life.
He floats, pants around his ankles, covered in blood, dead.
KAREN
Happy Birthday, Wayne.
EXT. STREET AND CHURCH
The church roof is on fire.
THE SHERIFF, PHIL AND HANK
Are across the street.
INT. CHURCH
Jim and Tom hear a creaking and look up.
THE CEILING
The fire has eaten holes in the roof. Embers come down.
EXT. CHURCH AND STREET
The Sheriff is getting very agitated.
SHERIFF
They're not coming out, Hank!
HANK
The fire's not catching. The rain's
too --
SHERIFF
We have to get them! We have to kill
them! Do you understand? If they're
not dead, we got jack shit!
INT. CHURCH
A small chunk of burning ceiling drops down. Jim and Tom
look up. Just then...
BRIGHT LIGHT
Floods into the church through...
THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS
Filling the church with a kaleidoscope of colors.
TOM AND JIM
Look out the windows.
TOM
My God they're beautiful.
THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS
Remain beautiful for a few more seconds until they shatter
and blow inwards as...
THE SHERIFF'S BOAT AND HANK'S BOAT
Come crashing through.
THE BOATS
Land, stop fast. The Sheriff's boat lands closer to the
pulpit; Hank's boat closer to the balcony.
THE SHERIFF, HANK AND PHIL
Look around. It's quiet for a moment. There's no sign of Tom
and Jim.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Karen has her pants back on. She reaches out with one foot
and hooks Wayne's holster off the banister. She flips it
through the air and catches it with her hands. She opens
little leather pockets -- mace, more bullets. No keys. Karen
starts to panic.
KAREN
There have to be keys. There --
She sees...
WAYNE
Still floating on his back, still dead. She looks closer
at...
WAYNE'S PANTS
Bunched around his ankles. And there, hanging from a belt-
loop is a ring of keys.
KAREN
Reaches out with her foot for Wayne's pants. She can't reach.
WAYNE
Is slowly drifting out the open door. Beyond the door, in
the light of the streetlamp, the water is riffling, moving,
and Wayne is heading toward it.
KAREN
Slides down further on the stairs, into the water, then stops.
CLOSE ON HANDCUFFS AND RAILING
There are metal supports going from the railing to the wall,
every three feet. Karen is prevented from going any further
down the stairs by one of these supports.
KAREN
Reaches out with a foot, straining, stretching her body,
almost dislocating her shoulder and...
HER FOOT
Just barely touches one of Wayne's feet, but then Wayne's
foot slips away and...
KAREN
Can only watch as...
WAYNE
Drifts out the door and is pulled away by the current.
EXT. RESERVOIR DAM
Water is cascading over the top of the dam. Chunks of concrete
are washing away.
INT. CHURCH
The Sheriff, Phil and Wayne scan the water, looking for
movement.
SHERIFF
Where are they?! Jesus!
UNDERWATER POV
Looking up through a tangle of floating pews at the wavering
silhouettes of the boats and the men in them against the
burning timbers above.
TWO PISTOLS
Come into view, pointed up through the water.
ON THE WATER
The Sheriff, Phil and Hank have let down their guard for a
second when there's a series of dull, muted clacks from
underwater as...
BULLETS
Come streaking out of the water, winging by them, plugging
into the boats.
UNDERWATER
Jim fires the pistols, the bullets' bubble streaks knifing
up through the water.
THE SHERIFF, PHIL AND HANK
hit the deck in their boats, returning fire over the gunwales.
TOM
Surfaces over by the stairs up to the balcony, gasping for
air. He runs for the stairs.
BLAZING TIMBERS
Start to fall from the burning roof frame, hitting the water
with loud sizzling hisses.
THE SHERIFF, PHIL AND HANK
Turn to shoot at tom through the dropping flaming debris.
TOM
Disappears up the stairs, the bullets just missing him.
UNDERWATER
Jim runs out of bullets. He's long since run out of air. He
drops his guns and swims under the pews.
HANK
Looks up, realizing that Tom will be able to shoot down on
him. He reverses his boat fast under the balcony as...
TOM
Shoots down from the balcony, blowing a chunk out of the
prow of Hank's boat.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
The water is up to Karen's chin. Her hands are working
frantically beneath the water.
UNDERWATER
She's using the tip of the knife blade to unscrew the screws
holding the support to the railing. She's on the last one.
The blade slips, misses, gets a quarter turn, another quarter
turn...
KAREN
Spits out the water that spills into her mouth.
UNDERWATER
Another quarter-turn and the screw is loose enough to turn
by hand.
KAREN
Holds her breath with the water touching her nose. She gets
the screw loose, pulls up on the railing and pulls the
handcuff through the gap between the support and the railing.
INT. CHURCH
The Sheriff turns to Phil and nods re: Jim.
SHERIFF
You take care of him!
The Sheriff aims at the balcony as Phil scans the water,
looking for Jim.
UNDERWATER
Jim pulls an electrical cord out of a wall socket.
ON THE BALCONY
Tom ducks down as the Sheriff's bullets start plugging through
the wood front of the balcony. Tom moves away from the bullet
strikes, splashing through the water in the balcony.
CLOSE ON BALCONY FLOOR
As BANG BANG BANG -- bullets start shooting up from below.
HANK
Is firing up at Tom through the floor of the balcony.
TOM
Jumps back, startled, looking down at...
THE BALCONY FLOOR
Holes explode in the floor, sending up small geysers of water.
The water then starts whirlpooling down through the holes.
TOM
Moves back from hank's advancing bullet holes.
THE SHERIFF
Keeps firing.
TOM
Is caught between Hank's bullets and the Sheriff's bullets.
So he racks a load in the shotgun and dives backwards off
the balcony.
HANK
Is still shooting up as...
TOM
Arcs off the balcony, firing the shotgun under the balcony
at Hank.
HANK
Dives to the floor of his boat as Tom's shotgun blasts blow
plate-sized holes in the church doors.
TOM
Lands in the water and goes under.
THE SHERIFF AND PHIL
Look for Tom in the water.
HANK
Starts to get up from the bottom of his boat, searching for
a clip for his gun.
THE SHERIFF
Sees Tom's shape in the water and is about to shoot when...
JIM
Jumps up out of the water with the electrical cord. He tosses
a loop of the cord around the Sheriff's neck and pulls,
yanking the Sheriff out of the boat.
TOM
Comes out of the water, aiming his shotgun at...
PHIL
Who is aiming his pistol at Tom. Phil freezes.
THE SHERIFF AND JIM
Struggle in the water. Jim pulls the cord tightly around the
Sheriff's neck as the Sheriff tries to get a shot off at Jim --
he can't get the barrel pointed at Jim.
HANK
Fumbles with the bullet clip.
HANK
(to Phil)
Kill him!
TOM
Turns his shotgun on Hank and pulls the trigger -- click. Uh-
oh.
HANK
Kill him!
TOM AND PHIL
Exchange a look.
HANK
Slams the clip into his gun and levels it at Tom.
PHIL
Points his gun at Hank.
PHIL
No! We can't --
BANG! and hank shoots Phil. Phil pitches back out of the
Sheriff's boat.
PHIL
Lands between Jim and the Sheriff, knocking them apart.
THE SHERIFF
Is free of Jim's grasp. He shakes off the electrical cord
and turns to shoot...
JIM
Who moves a little faster. He grabs Phil's pistol and puts
it to the Sheriff's head before the Sheriff can bring his
gun around.
HANK
Draws a bead on Jim and is about to shoot when...
TOM
Comes out of the water on the other side of Hank's boat. Tom
pushes down hard on the side of the boat.
HANK
Is rocked back, thrown off balance. He starts to spin and
bring his gun around when...
TOM
Swings with the shotgun, catching...
HANK
In the side of the head. Hank crumples and falls into the
water, taking his rifle with him.
JIM AND THE SHERIFF
Jim nods at the Sheriff's rifle.
JIM
In the boat.
THE SHERIFF
Hesitates, then tosses his rifle into the boat.
TOM
Grabs Hank's rifle and aims it at the Sheriff.
TOM
Where's Karen?
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Karen undoes a last screw in a metal support.
She pulls the handcuff through the gap between the support
and railing. She's at the top of the stairs.
THE END OF THE RAILING
Curves and goes into the wall.
KAREN
Tugs at the railing, tries rocking it up and down. It doesn't
budge. She starts chipping at the plaster with the knife.
KAREN
God, I am really beginning to hate
fine craftsmanship.
THE WATER
It's up to her chest.
INT. CHURCH
The Sheriff hesitates.
TOM
Where is she?
SHERIFF
They went back to her house.
TOM
Where's her house?
SHERIFF
It's --
And just then they all hear something truly ominous -- a
siren pierces the night.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
She reacts to the siren -- uh-oh.
INT. CHURCH
The siren wails.
JIM
What in God's name is that?
SHERIFF
Hank?
HANK
(woozy but okay)
It's topped out.
SHERIFF
How much time we got?
HANK
How should I know?
SHERIFF
Guess!
HANK
It's an old dam! Not long.
SHERIFF
(to Tom)
Then I'd say you boys better drop
your guns.
TOM
What?
SHERIFF
That's the deal! You let me and Hank
go -- with a few of these bags --
and I'll tell you where to find Karen.
JIM
(to the Sheriff)
Get out of the boat.
TOM
Hold on.
Jim turns to look at Tom.
JIM
Hold on?
SHERIFF
It's the only way you're gonna find
her!
TOM
It's only a couple of bags.
JIM
No.
TOM
But I thought --
JIM
Look, I don't know what you thought
but I told you, I'm here for the
money; that's all.
Tom doesn't know what to do. The Sheriff looks pretty pleased
with himself. He might just get out of this. And then...
PHIL (O.S.)
She lives on Boyd Street.
They all look over at...
PHIL
Alive, but barely.
PHIL
Three over. Two-story, blue shutters.
TOM
Looks at Jim, disappointed, angry, then hurries to Hank's
boat.
JIM
Climbs into the Sheriff's boat.
TOM
Climbs into Hank's boat. He starts the engine, looks down
at...
PHIL
Floating in the water, dying. A brief look between them,
then...
TOM
Drives the boat out through a shattered window.
JIM
Pushes the Sheriff out of the boat.
EXT. RESERVOIR DAM
A large V is being cut in the top of the dam by the raging
water.
A QUARTER-MILE AWAY
Looking back at the dam. The line of lights on top of the
dam start to fall over, then go dark, snuffed out by an unseen
force.
INT. CHURCH
Jim keeps his gun leveled at the Sheriff and Hank, standing
in the water, as he pulls the money bags up from the forward
hold.
SHERIFF
So, you just gonna kill me?
JIM
Lord knows I should.
Jim opens a money bag and smiles at what he sees.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Karen tilts her head back to keep her lips and nose above
water. And then she hears a window smash. She turns as...
TOM
Wades in along the upper hall.
TOM
I'm guessing you can't get up.
KAREN
I'm handcuffed.
Tom reaches into the water for the railing.
KAREN
The railing's bolted to the wall.
He looks at her.
KAREN
I've got a saw.
TOM
Where?
KAREN
In the kitchen. In the tall cupboard
beside the --
And then they hear a sound more ominous than the siren --
they hear the siren stop.
TOM
Is that good or bad?
INT. CHURCH
Jim, the Sheriff and Hank react to the silence. Jim looks
off.
THE SHERIFF
Drops underwater.
JIM
Turns back at the sound of the Sheriff going under.
UNDERWATER
The Sheriff pulls up his pant leg.
JIM
Is aiming his gun at the water and is about to fire as...
THE SHERIFF'S HAND
Comes out of the water shooting a pistol.
JIM
Is shot in the gut and the thigh and high on the chest and
he stumbles back, bellowing, and falls out of the Sheriff's
boat and into the water.
SHERIFF
You should've just killed me.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
KAREN
You gotta go!
Tom starts hyperventilating.
KAREN
The dam's gone! You gotta go!
TOM
(shakes head)
I owe you one.
Tom breathes deep then ducks underwater.
UNDERWATER
Tom flicks on his flashlight and starts swimming down the
stairs.
KAREN
Watches Tom and his light get swallowed up in the murky water.
INT. CHURCH
Phil is grabbing for the Sheriff's boat as the Sheriff and
Hank zoom out of the church, leaving him behind.
PHIL
NOOOO!
EXT. MAIN STREET
The Sheriff's boat comes onto Main Street, moving fast.
IN THE BOAT
Hank is looking back, in the direction the flood will come.
HANK
We gotta go faster!
SHERIFF
Yeah, you're right.
The Sheriff pushes Hank out of the boat.
HANK
Goes skipping over the water and slams into a streetlight
post.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Tom swims down into the living room. His light shows a couch,
chairs, TV set. Books and newspapers are suspended in the
water.
EXT. THE CHURCH
The damaged ski-boat that Jim and Tom took to the church has
slipped off the sandbag wall and is drifting. A peaceful
scene. But then, from the distance, comes a rushing roar.
INT. CHURCH
Phil hears the roar. He looks around, lost.
EXT. STREET
Hank, groggy in the water, also hears the distant roar.
INT. CHURCH
The roar is building, getting louder. Phil sees something in
the water and reaches for it, frantically. He gets it. It's...
A BIBLE
And he clutches it to his chest as...
THE FLOOD
Hits the church.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE - KITCHEN
Tom swims into the kitchen. He looks for the tall cupboard
by the fridge. He opens it.
INSIDE THE CUPBOARD
Hanging on a hook on the back wall is a saw. Tom grabs it.
EXT. MAIN STREET
Hank unwraps himself from around the lamp post. He looks
back.
HIS POV
Streetlights in the distance, winking out one by one, marking
the advance of the wall of water.
HANK
Oh my God.
Hank looks around for safety. He sees it.
HIS POV
There's an alleyway.
HANK
Swims for the alley.
EXT. THE ADVANCING FLOOD
Roars through the town, pushing a rolling wave of debris,
obliterating anything in its path.
EXT. ALLEY
Hank swims into the alley. Hank looks for something to climb
up on, to hold onto. There's...
FIRE ESCAPE LADDER
At the end of the alley.
HANK
Swims for it. He hears the rushing roar of the advancing
flood. He expects the flood to blow by the end of the alley.
Wrong.
WALL OF WATER
Comes into the alley, banking high on the far wall before
coming down and barreling toward Hank. And what makes it
worse for Hank is that there's...
A CAR
At the front of the wave, being pushed by the water.
HANK
Dives clear just as...
THE CAR
Smashes into the wall, right where Hank had just been.
HANK
Relief in his eyes. He gets to the fire escape and is climbing
to safety when...
PROPANE TANK
Comes into the alley, rolling in the flood, spraying propane
from a torn hose. It explodes.
HANK
Barely has time to scream.
INT. KAREN'S KITCHEN - BREAK OF DAWN
Tom is threading his belt through the handle of the saw to
secure it. He gets it done and starts to swim out of the
kitchen.
BACK TO KAREN
Just Karen's lips and nose are above water.
IN THE KITCHEN
Tom is about to leave when everything starts to move --
rocking, from side to side, as if in a slow motion earthquake.
Cupboards and the fridge open and bottles and food and plates
tumble out.
EXT. KAREN'S HOUSE
The house has been hit by the flood. It's being pulled by
the massive current, stretching overhead phone and power
lines.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Karen hears the groaning, ripping as the house tears free
from water and sewer lines. She's looking down for Tom when
there's a snap and the light above her goes out.
EXT. KAREN'S HOUSE
The house is carried on the current, turning in the water.
IN THE KITCHEN
Tom watches, astounded, as the room starts to turn around
him. He kicks fast for the door to...
THE LIVING ROOM
Tom swims in, fast, toward the stairs when...
A WINDOW
Caves in and...
HUGE TREE BRANCH
Smashes in, filling the room, blocking Tom's route to the
stairs.
TOM
Tries to get through the tangle of branches and leaves, but
can't. He swims over to another window and slides it up.
KAREN
Keeps looking down for Tom.
EXT. KAREN'S HOUSE
The house is impaled on a tree, the current sluicing around
it.
TOM
Surfaces near the side of the house, gasping. The current
starts ripping him past the house. He swims as hard as he
can back to the house, reaches out and grabs onto a gutter.
INT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Karen doesn't have much time left. The water is washing over
her mouth and nose. And just as she's about to go under...
TOM
Swims in with the saw. He starts sawing on the handrail.
Everything's going fine. And then...
THE SAWBLADE
Snaps.
TOM AND KAREN
Look at each other. Oh no. Karen's going under.
TOM
Sees something. He dives into the water.
KAREN
Can only watch and wait. What's he doing? Oh, Jesus. And
then...
TOM
Surfaces, holding Wayne's pistol. He puts the mouth of the
barrel to the handcuff chain, shields Karen's face, looks
away and pulls the trigger.
EXT. A TREE IN WATER
The water swirls through the branches of a half-submerged
tree.
HENRY AND DOREEN
Are in the tree. Henry is either unconscious or dead. Doreen
cradles him.
DOREEN
Come on, Henry. Forget that "Go to
the light" crap. Come back to me.
You're all I've got.
And Henry starts to come to.
DOREEN
Oh, Henry. Thank God.
Henry opens his eyes.
HENRY
Next time, when I say "Let's
evacuate," we're gonna evacuate.
DOREEN
Whatever you say, honey.
She hugs him tight and after a beat he hugs her back.
EXT. KAREN'S HOUSE
Tom and Karen swim out of a second floor window, grab the
rain gutter. Tom pulls himself onto the roof then grabs Karen
and helps her up. They crawl until they're clear of the edge.
Only the sloped roof of the house is visible in the swirling
water. They are just catching their breath when they are hit
by...
BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT
And they look to see...
THE SHERIFF
In his boat, shining a searchlight on them with one hand, a
gun in the other. He starts shooting.
TOM AND KAREN
Tom pushes Karen toward the peak of the roof as the bullets
plug in around them. Tom pushes Karen over the top then turns
and dives off the roof and into the water.
KAREN
Hears an engine behind her and turns.
A BOAT
Racing toward the house. It's...
THE SKI-BOAT
And at the controls is...
JIM
Barely alive.
THE OUTBOARD MOTOR
Is wobbling, vibrating at the back of the boat, almost loose
from its moorings.
JIM'S POV
He sees Karen, crouched below the peak of the house, a bright
light coming from the other side along with gunshots.
JIM
Pushes the throttle all the way forward.
THE SKI-BOAT
Shoots forward.
UNDERWATER
Tom swims hard toward the Sheriff's boat.
THE SHERIFF
Is shooting down into the water at Tom's moving shape.
THE SKI-BOAT
With Jim at the wheel, comes racing straight toward the house.
KAREN
Thinks he's going to turn.
KAREN
No! No!
THE SKI-BOAT
Doesn't turn.
KAREN
Rolls to the side, just getting clear as...
THE SKI-BOAT
Hits the sloping roof of Karen's house and ramps up it.
THE OUTBOARD MOTOR
Digs into the shingles of the roof and tears free from the
back of the boat.
THE SHERIFF
Hears the sound and looks up as...
THE SKI-BOAT
Comes over the peak of the roof.
TOM
Surfaces to see...
THE SKI-BOAT
Fly right over him, heading straight for...
THE SHERIFF
Who ducks down, just in time as...
THE SKI-BOAT
Misses him, landing just past him in the water.
THE SHERIFF
Straightens up, grinning with glee that the boat missed him.
And then he hears a piercing whine coming from behind him.
He turns, just in time to see...
THE OUTBOARD MOTOR
Flipping end over end, propeller whirring, heading straight
for him.
THE SHERIFF
Starts to scream.
CLOSE ON KAREN
Looking over the peak of the roof in horror. She hears the
Sheriff's scream and the scream of the propeller and then a
horrible ugly ripping and both screams stop.
THE SHERIFF'S BOAT
The Sheriff is gone. The side has been smashed out of the
boat and the boat is flooding with water.
THE SHERIFF
Is just some misshapen thing trailing red, floating in the
water.
JIM
Tries to restart the ski-boat but it's dead. He slumps
forward.
TOM
Sees Jim slump against the side of the boat.
TOM
You okay?
JIM
Fine.
Tom can tell Jim's anything but. Tom swims for the boat.
THE BOAT
Tom swims up, pulls himself in. He pulls Jim back off the
controls, sees the blood.
TOM
Oh, God. We gotta get you to --
Jim looks at Tom. Tom understands -- Jim's not going anywhere.
TOM
Thanks.
JIM
For what?
TOM
You just saved our lives.
JIM
I did? I just came for the money.
Tom looks at Jim -- he knows Jim's lying.
KAREN (O.S.)
Do you need any help?
JIM
(grabs Tom's arm)
No. Tell her to stay back.
TOM
(to Karen)
It's okay!
Jim lets go of Tom.
JIM
You're going to turn it in?
TOM
Sorry to disappoint you.
JIM
Well, hell, then I guess I better
take it after all. I figure the
river'll carry me down to the Gulf
of Mexico. If I catch the right
currents, maybe I'll end up in...
Belize?
(Tom nods)
You come look me up. I'll buy you a
drink.
TOM
I'll do that.
Jim grimaces as he's hit by a wave of pain. He looks away.
JIM
Go.
Tom hesitates for a second.
JIM
Please.
Tom turns and slides into the water and swims away.
JIM
Son, don't think too badly of your
Uncle Charlie. He always said you
were capable of remarkable things.
(beat)
He was right.
There's a last look between Jim and Tom, then Tom swims away.
JIM
(smiles)
The rain's stopped.
(breathes deep)
The air after a rain...
Jim slowly topples forward and is still.
TOM
Swims through the swirling current toward Karen's roof.
JIM'S BOAT
Sinks below the surface and is gone.
TOM AND KAREN
Karen is down at the water's edge with her arm extended to
Tom. Tom grabs it, and as Karen pulls...
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. CHURCH - SUNSET
Karen pulls Tom up onto scaffolding running along the edge
of the new roof under construction. Tom holds a paper bag.
He's wearing work gear -- tool belt, work boots, etc. Tom
looks at the work being done on the roof.
TOM
They got a lot done today.
KAREN
It's coming along.
(re: bag)
What'd you get?
TOM
Barbecue chicken from Lilly's.
KAREN
Yum.
TOM
You want some? I wish you'd told me.
I woulda got more.
KAREN
Ha ha.
And as they sit down and start to eat, the camera begins to
PULL BACK.
TOM
I talked to Mikey. He says the
flooring should be in by Friday.
KAREN
That's what he said last week.
TOM
I said if it wasn't here by Friday
at six that you were going to go
over and beat the crap out of him.
KAREN
And I will.
FADE OUT:
THE END |
HARD TO KILL
Revised Screenplay by
Steven Pressfield & Ronald Shusett & Steven Seagal
Story by
Steven Seagal & Ronald Shusett
& Steven Pressfield & Bruce Malmuth
Based on an Original Screenplay by
Steven McKay
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
FINAL DRAFT
February 17, 1989
Converted to PDF by SCREENTALK
www.screentalk.org
FADE IN:
EXT. HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOUSE - EARLY EVENING
A modest but handsome home in the foothills above Gower.
SUPERIMPOSE: "1983"
A young boy, SONNY STORM, rushes out -- excited but pouty
and a little peeved. He glowers at a 1981 Mercury, parked
at the curb -- then turns back toward the house.
SONNY
(calls back to
house)
Daddy! I don't want you to go!
MASON STORM
emerges from the house -- wearing a dark Gianni Versace
sport coat with a black vest underneath, carrying some
kind of case in his hand. He looks great -- a man of
action, not dandified at all by the snappy attire. He
squints down toward Sonny, proudly -- very much the family
man.
Mason's pretty wife, FELICIA, appears in the doorway.
FELICIA
(calls to Sonny)
Your father has work to do, Sonny
... but he'll be home soon. And
we'll all watch it together.
SONNY
You promise, Dad?
STORM
I promise.
Storm and Felicia come down to car, his arm around her.
Sonny grabs his father's shirtsleeve.
SONNY
Daddy ...
(very serious)
Daddy, is E.T. gonna win?
STORM
He's got my vote.
Storm laughs and ruffles his son's hair.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 2.
FELICIA
(tight to Storm)
I want you back early. Tonight's
the night those little starlets are
crawling all over town.
STORM
Don't worry. I'll beat 'em off
with a stick.
He kisses Felicia, ready to leave.
SONNY
Daddy
(wants him to
stay)
What about my joke?
Storm lifts Sonny up into his arms. He gives the boy
100% of his attention, speaks just for him.
STORM
Knock knock.
SONNY
Who's there?
STORM
Old lady.
SONNY
Old lady who?
STORM
I didn't know you could yodel.
Sonny may not get the joke, but he laughs delightedly --
just because it's his dad telling it. Storm kisses him
and sets him down.
FELICIA
(to Storm)
Take my advice: Don't give up your
day job.
TITLES BEGIN.
INT. STORM'S CAR - MOVING - POV THROUGH WINDSHIELD NIGHT
Freeway traffic. Smoke in the sky ... flames ... the oil
refineries south of Torrance. A police RADIO is on, LOW,
and we can hear the SQUAWKING COMMUNIQUES in the b.g.
We become aware of a black limousine, ahead in the traffic.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 3.
REVERSE ANGLE - STORM
as he drives. Intense now -- mind focused. Radio handset
in his hand.
STORM
(into handset)
Karl ... wake up.
INTERCUT POLICE STATION - DETECTIVES ROOM - NIGHT
KARL BECKER, Storm's partner, a nice guy in shirtsleeves
with a huge nautical-type wristwatch. He's wide awake
all right -- eager for this call.
KARL
(into radio)
I'm here, Mase. Where are you
EXT. HARBOR FREEWAY - NIGHT
Storm's Mercury moves discreetly, tailing the limo.
STORM
On the Harbor ... south of Torrance.
I got Calabrese right in my
gunsights.
WITH STORM
STORM
If I had a Sidewinder missile, I
could save the taxpayers a lot of
money.
Suddenly he is more alert, slowing the car.
LIMO
veers toward an upcoming exit ramp.
STORM (V.O.)
Here he goes. I'm shutting down
the radio, partner.
ANGLE ON SIGN
PORT OF LOS ANGELES
SAN PEDRO TERMINAL
PIER 65
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 4.
As the limo passes and, moments later, Storm's car.
KARL (V.O.)
Keep off the skyline, amigo.
(by the way)
Lou Gossett just won Best Supporting.
TITLES END.
EXT. COMMERCIAL PIER - NIGHT
The limousine slowly moves up beside a stand-alone shack
near the edge of the wharf. The shack is an open shelter
with a broad overhang, and various kinds of equipment
stored inside it. A single bulb illuminates it. The
limo comes to rest, engine off, no apparent activity in
or out of the vehicle.
STORM'S CAR
pulls up at a distance, deep in shadow.
INT. STORM'S CAR - NIGHT
He switches OFF the RADIO, twists a telephoto night lens
onto a specially silenced 8mm surveillance film camera;
he primes a portable sound deck in the case he's been
carrying. A quick check of the .45 in his shoulder
holster, then he exits the car.
ON STORM
Moving carefully onto the wharf, keeping to shadow, using
cover.
EXT. WHARF - NIGHT
Stacks of huge shipping crates and Sea-Land containers
from a long wall along the cluttered dock. The towering
hulks of several ships loom close by. Storm finds a slot
between bulk containers: a good surveillance point.
STORM
Let's go, boys. I'm missing the
Oscars.
He is less than forty yards away, looking lengthwise down
the car from its rear. A beat, as Storm picks up the
sound before we do.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 5.
STORM'S POV - STATION WAGON
A paneled, expensive model approaches. The wagon pulls
up, a short distance from the limo. A man gets out from
the wagon. A beat later, the driver exits the limo.
Both are armed. They check out the area, in all
directions.
SHACK
One man crosses under the eave of the shack -- reaches
up, SMASHES the single LIGHT BULB. The spot goes dark.
WITH STORM
Seeing the doors open on both cars. A mature man,
CALABRESE, and his stocky confederate, VITALE, step from
the limo. TWO other MEN -- one wearing a stylish hat,
the other bareheaded -- step from the wagon. They cross
to the shadowed, shack area.
STORM (O.S.)
(to himself,
softly)
I know you, Calabrese. But who are
these mystery guests?
The two Shadow Men are obscured by the shack and the
position of Calabrese and Vitale.
STORM
Starts his camera soundlessly whirring. He positions his
high-tech directional mike, slipping on earphones.
WHARF - CONSPIRATORS
There is NOISE from various wharf MACHINERY on adjacent
piers, but the high-tech listening equipment still brings
in the sound with acceptable clarity.
CALABRESE
-- Murder is a serious business, my
friend. And an expensive one.
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
You'll be well compensated,
Calabrese. Money now -- and a lot
more when I get into that office.
You can take that to the bank.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 6.
THROUGH TELEPHOTO LENS
Despite the shadows, it's plain the Man With The Hat is
in his prime, full of vigor and impatience. Calabrese,
by contrast, is clearly older, more circumspect.
CALABRESE
Slowly ... slowly. Always with
caution.
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
I'm up to here with caution! That
fuck lives on bean curd and alfalfa
sprouts -- he ain't gonna die of
natural causes.
CALABRESE
All I'm counseling is a little
patience. The man is public. He's
in the paper every day.
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
Yeah? Well, the next time I read
about him, it better be in the
obituaries.
ON STORM
He squints over the camera, straining to see with the
naked eve Frustration
ANGLE - CALABRESE AND VITALE
Glancing to each other. They're tough guys, but in some
hard-to-define way, the two Shadow Men are tougher.
BAREHEADED SHADOW MAN
Enough bullshit. Can you do the
job or not? If you can't -
VITALE
We'll do it.
STORM
Knowing he's on to something super hot.
STORM
(to himself,
soft but intense)
Who are you? Get out of those
shadows --
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It's driving him crazy that he can't make out the Shadow
Men's faces. He peers around the wharf, looking for some
better vantage point.
SHACK - CONSPIRATORS
keep talking.
ANGLE - STORM
Darting closer, using the row of bulk containers for cover.
He takes up a new position, nearer the shack re-aims the
camera.
LOOKOUT #1 (MIKEY)
hears something -- peers directly at the spot where Storm
is hiding.
STORM
ducks quickly back out of sight. As he does this, his
earphone cord catches on something. yanking the phone
off Storm's head. He cannot hear what the conspirators
say next -- but the audience can.
CONSPIRATORS
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
The job is a light plane ... a Lear
P61. We want it to take off -- we
don't want it to land.
Calabrese becomes aware of Mikey checking out the noise;
he motions the conspirators to shut up, then signals Mikey
to proceed. Mikey cocks his pistol, moves swiftly toward
the line of containers.
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
steps forward into the light. His face comes clearly
into view. Well dressed, magnetic, Bobby Kennedy-ish --
he is L.A. Assemblyman VERNON TRENT.
TRENT (SHADOW MAN WITH HAT)
(to Calabrese,
with menace)
You told us this dock was clean --
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 8.
STORM'S HIDING PLACE - MIKEY
steps around one container (out of view of the other men)
to the exact spot where Storm was. But Storm isn't there.
Mikey is about to check farther, when out of nowhere:
Storm lashes out with a savage punch to the face. The
blow is so devastating it knocks Mikey's feet out from
under him so that he topples face-forward into Storm's
arms, out cold. Storm soundlessly lowers the lookout to
the ground.
Storm shakes a sore hand and notices it's cut. Kneeling
down to the outstretched heap, he finds the cause of his
injury -- one of Mikey's teeth wiggles freely in his
fingers. Storm plucks the tooth and folds it inside the
big guy's hand.
STORM
(re: the fairy)
A quarter's a quarter.
WHARF - SHACK
Calabrese and Vitale are getting uneasy.
CALABRESE
Mikey! Quit playing with yourself
back there.
(no response)
Mikey --
Guns come out. Calabrese and Vitale start this way --
STORM
bolts back up the wharf, toward his car.
CALABRESE AND VITALE
hurry up to their fallen comrade. They see Storm 50 yards
back up the pier, fleeing. Vitale takes off after him at
a dead run. At that instant:
TRENT
moves INTO FRAME beside Calabrese. The Bareheaded Shadow
Man with him is Police Captain DAN HOLLAND (in civilian
business suit) -- 21 years on the force, hard as nails.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 9.
CONSPIRATORS' POV
They see Vitale pull up, on foot, as Storm's CAR ROARS
OFF into the darkness. Vitale seems close enough to pick
out the license number.
BACK TO TRENT
As his face moves into the light. Merciless, implacable.
TRENT
(to Calabrese)
Whoever that sonofabitch is, I don't
want him to get an hour older.
CALABRESE
He won't, Mr. Assemblyman.
CALABRESE'S LIMO
speeds up beside the conspirators. Calabrese gets in,
the limo whips off down the wharf to pick up Vitale and
take off after Storm.
TRENT AND HOLLAND
stand watching -- grim, furious.
INT. POLICE STATION - DETECTIVES ROOM - NIGHT
A burly plainclothesman, MAX DUNNE, waves his phone
receiver at Karl, Storm's partner, who's still at the
desk where we last saw him. A TV across the room tuned
to the ACADEMY AWARDS.
DUNNE
Karl -- Storm on three.
INTERCUT:
MINI-MALL PHONE BOOTH
Storm in a phone booth, crummy neighborhood near Torrance.
Karl punches line three, picks up his phone.
KARL
You throwing away dimes now?
STORM
This doesn't go out over the air,
pal. For your ears only.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 10.
KARL
(getting out
note pad)
What's going down?
STORM
Calabrese. I just got his ass --
on candid camera.
KARL
You're full of shit!
STORM
Him and his gorilla Vitale. I got
film and audio on both of them,
laying out a hit. Two other guys I
couldn't make out, but I'm sure
they'll come up on the film. This
is a big one, Carlito. Our own
academy award. You ready?
KARL
(taking notes)
Shoot.
STORM
I want you to track down Morgensteen
right now. If he's with that meter
maid from Pico, crank her legs apart
and pry him out of there.
KARL
He ain't gonna be happy.
STORM
Screw his happiness. Tell him I
want the lab open at six-thirty
tomorrow morning. I want this film
pushed to the max, and nobody but
us to know about it. I know we got
something here.
KARL
You bringing it in tonight?
STORM
I promised my kid I'd be home.
I'll be at the lab before dawn.
Storm hangs up.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 11.
EXT. MINI-MALL - NIGHT
A crummy mini-mall around Torrance. Storm exits the phone
booth -- crosses toward a liquor store, which is still
open this late at night.
INT. LIQUOR STORE - NIGHT
Storm enters. A grimy, high-crime booze store. Not
exactly the place to find Mumm's '36.
STORM
How ya doing?
(looking around)
Got any champagne?
The grizzled MAN behind the counter checks out Storm's
Versace threads.
COUNTER MAN
Right next to the caviar.
(winks; points)
There's some in the big cooler.
Storm likes the guy. He notes the man's MINI-TV tuned to
WRESTLING.
STORM
You're not watching the Oscars?
COUNTER MAN
The Oscars? I hate the Oscars.
Storm crosses to the cooler.
COUNTER MAN
Who needs the goddam movies? I get
it all in here every night.
(indicates his
view from behind
counter)
Horror. Sex. Freaks. Violence.
And I ain't gotta pay no four bucks.
Storm pulls a bottle from the cooler. He notices, on a
high shelf, a big stuffed toy. Something for Sonny.
Storm stretches up, grabs it. Suddenly:
He notices something in the big convex shoplifting mirror.
Something approaching from outside.
STORM
(to Counter Man)
You got a phone back there?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 12.
COUNTER MAN
Why ?
STORM
(orders him)
Punch nine-one-one.
The Man hesitates, letting a few precious seconds pass.
Three Latino PUNKS enter the store. One of them carries
a long-barreled shotgun.
COUNTER MAN
Sonsofbitches! You creeps ripped
me off two weeks ago!
SHOTGUN PUNK
Shut up.
He gestures to the register.
COUNTER MAN
Take it, man. Take my life's
savings.
He scoops bills from the cash drawer (about twenty bucks)
shoves them to the Shotgun Punk. The Punk scowls --
COUNTER MAN
Where is a cop when you goddam need
one?
(to Punks,
threatening)
I got half a mind to come out there
and teach you sonofabitch --
Shotgun Punk FIRES without warning -- point blank into
the counter display and the Man! The Counter Man is BLOWN
backwards -- cabinets crash; he crumples, groaning and
bloody onto the floor!
SHOTGUN PUNK
Now you got half a mind, old man.
Punk #2 scoops up the money. The three Punks saunter up
and surround Storm.
Storm looks down at their feet, then to their faces and
smiles. Shotgun Punk points the gun at Storm's face.
SHOTGUN PUNK
What are you grinning at, pindejo?
STORM
We ... ell ... there's only three
of you and you only got one shot
left.
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The Punks don't know whether to laugh or just shoot him,
but it is too late for either option, as Storm suddenly
spins between the Punks and behind the gun.
The SHOTGUN GOES OFF and BLOWS away part of the back WALL --
BOTTLES EXPLODE -- Storm locks the Punk's fingers into
the gun, rotates the gun as a bar, breaking the Punk's
arm.
The others make their move -- but now Storm has the shotgun
and is using it as a sword or staff. He looks like a
true master conductor in an almost magical manipulation.
These pour stupid Punks have become the instruments in
his spontaneous orchestra.
Punk #2 takes a vicious swipe at Storm with his long knife.
Storm ducks, goes to his knees, and uses the gun to foot-
sweep the Punk. The Punk's legs fly skyward and his head
slams against the floor. As soon as he hits, the shotgun
is slammed through his teeth.
The last Punk has produced an icepick and is staring at
his compadres in disbelief. He and Storm square off.
STORM
(to Punk, calmly)
I know what you're thinking. I
have this big shotgun and all you
have is that little icepick. Mine's
bigger than yours. It's not fair.
Storm sets the gun down. Punk #3 is still frozen.
STORM
Still not fair?
Storm gets down on his knees.
STORM
Don't wait for the blindfold,
maricon.
PUNK #3
(clutching the
ice pick tightly)
Chinga tu madre!
The Punk lungs, thrusting the ice pick with lightning
speed at Storm's face.
Storm makes a slight movement, parries the thrust and
slides his body behind the Punk, simultaneously slamming
his forearm into the rear knee joint.
The Punk buckles and Storm now has one of his legs in
both arms and pins the other leg with his left knee.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 14.
We see the leg held in Storm's arms begin to twist ...
and with a blood-curdling scream we hear a LOUD SNAP.
SIRENS are heard approaching outside.
EXT. LIQUOR STORE - NIGHT
Black and whites pack the parking lot. Police ambulances
make ready to haul off the three Punks. T he Counter
Man, bandaged on a gurney, is wheeled out by paramedics.
One medic catches Storm's eye -- flashes a gesture
indicating the Counter Man will be okay.
Storm finishes with two other DETECTIVES, obviously
buddies, as they complete their on-site notes. The
champagne bottle rests on the hood of their car.
DETECTIVE #1
You were armed, Storm -- why didn't
you just use your gun?
STORM
I just got these new glazer bullets.
You know they're almost a buck a
pop now?
He grabs the champagne, takes off for his car.
INT. STORM'S CAR - TRAVELING - NIGHT
Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good" PLAYS in the TAPE DECK.
Storm listens for a few beats, as if letting the horn
cool him out after the liquor store action. Then he ejects
the tape decisively -- reaches into his camera case, pulls
out the surveillance tape from tonight. He punches this
tape into the deck.
Storm listens. The part where the Shadow Man with the
hat (Trent) says, "You'll be well compensated. Money now --
and more when I get into that office. You can take that
to the bank." Storm CRANKS UP the VOLUME.
STORM
I know that voice.
Who the hell is it? He rewinds the tape --
EXT. STREET - STORM'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Storm's car turns into the block, slows approaching his
house.
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INT. STORM'S CAR - TRAVELING - NIGHT
Still listening. Can't place the voice. Punches " eject,"
the tape pops half-out. Into the driveway, Storm activates
the garage door remote.
INT. GARAGE - NIGHT
Storm's car stops, headlights go out. The garage door
closes. Storm gets out, carrying his camera case,
champagne and the big stuffed toy. He takes a couple of
steps toward the door to the house, then stops, remembering -
He leans back into the car, yanks the surveillance tape
from the deck. Hands full, he tucks the tape into a inside
pocket of his Versace vest.
INT. STORM'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT
It's late; just a courtesy lamp left on for Storm. He
pulls the tapes and recorder from his case, stashes the
case out of sight. He grabs a couple of champagne glasses --
INT. STORM'S HOUSE - STAIRWAY - STORM
tiptoes toward the bedroom. Felicia appears at the top
of the stairs, wearing panties and a teddy top. She smiles
seeing the big toy, shooshes Storm --
ANGLE FROM SONNY'S ROOM
Storm stops outside his boy's room, looking in. Felicia
tiptoes up beside him. Sonny sprawls loose-limbed on the
bed in his Woody Woodpecker pajamas.
STORM
Wish I could sleep like that.
FELICIA
Maybe I can help you.
She tugs Storm sexily toward the bedroom --
SONNY
Is that for me, Dad?
Storm stops, toy in hand --
STORM
You faker.
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He comes into the room, sits on the edge of Sonny's bed --
tousling his son's hair with great affection. Sonny takes
the stuffed toy sleepily, pulls it into bed beside him.
SONNY
E.T. lost.
Storm knows E.T. is not just a movie character to Sonny;
he's a real person.
STORM
Who won?
SONNY
I dunno. Candy.
STORM
Candy?
FELICIA
(from doorway)
Mahatma Candy. He was a great man.
Storm moves closer to his son. He sees how much E.T.'s
loss has hurt his son, and wants to make it better.
STORM
(very gently)
You know why E.T. lost?
SONNY
Why?
STORM
Cause they only let grownups vote.
If kids had voted --
SONNY
(cheered by
this)
-- We would have gave E.T.
everything!
STORM
We would have given him everything.
SONNY
Yeah.
Storm starts to rise.
SONNY
(wants him to
stay)
Daddy -- tell me a knock-knock.
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STORM
You know the rules.
(pulls covers
up)
One joke a day. I have to make 'em
last.
Already Sonny is most of the way back to sleep. Storm
kisses his forehead --
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
INSERT - JOHNNY CARSON - 1982 "TONIGHT SHOW"
In mid-joke behind his famous desk.
Storm and Felicia forms obscure part of the screen --
standing close to each other, beside the bed. Felicia
helps him off with his jacket.
FELICIA
There's blood on your jacket.
STORM
It's okay. It's not mine.
Storm's hands dump his stuff onto the bedside table --
camera, tapes from case, gun. He gathers the glasses,
pours champagne.
Felicia watches her husband. She plainly loves him deeply --
and is held and excited by his contradictions. They come
closer together, clinking their glasses, sipping.
FELICIA
If people knew how sweet you are,
they'd never be scared of you.
She kisses him seductively, unbuttoning his shirt at the
collar. Storm still wears the vest.
FELICIA
I'm not scared of you.
STORM
Maybe you should be.
FELICIA
(closer,
increasing
passion)
Why? Are you planning on doing
something to me?
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STORM
A couple of things crossed my mind,
in the car coming home.
Another kiss. They get their glasses out of the way,
Storm lowers his wife languidly onto the bed. They begin
kissing more deeply. Storm helps Felicia slide out of
her teddy top; her beautiful breasts rise into the light.
Storm begins to kiss them, she moans with pleasure. The
lovemaking increases in intensity, Felicia's hand groping
to open Storm's pants. He begins to help her, guiding
her legs apart --
FELICIA
(in mid-kiss)
Door's open.
Not missing a beat, Storm grabs a heavy pillow, heaves it --
without looking -- at the door.
ANGLE FROM HALLWAY - BEDROOM DOOR
The pillow strikes it, starting it swinging closed. Storm
and Felicia's forms, on the bed, are eclipsed. Sound
from the "CARSON SHOW" DROPS DOWN -
INT. STORM'S HOUSE - ANOTHER HALLWAY - NIGHT
TWO MEN -- carrying shotguns, faces hidden by masks --
move soundlessly down a hall. A terrible alien presence
within this normal American household. The men turn a
corner into a different hallway --
MEN'S POV - MOVING - HAND-HELD
At the end of this new hall: the bedroom door.
ANGLE - TWO MEN
creeping closer.
BEDROOM - STORM AND FELICIA
Their passion highly aroused now. Felicia's legs wrapped
tight around Storm... their breathing, combined with the
TV sound, seems like it would obscure the men's silent
movement out in the hall. But:
Storm suddenly freezes. Listening.
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FELICIA
(frightened)
What?
Storm lunges for his .45 on the nightstand. Suddenly
LOUD and VIOLENT CRASH and the bedroom door is kicked in.
Two dark figures with shotguns leveled fill the door.
There is an eruption of GUNFIRE and blinding muzzle blast
and smoke. In the dim light for a moment we do not know
what has happened, then:
STORM'S POV
We see one of the assassins thrown backward, jacket blown
open at the shoulder.
SWITCH TO:
ASSASSIN'S PARTNER'S POV
We see Storm hit badly at close range. He takes it in
the right center mass. It looks like his right arm is
torn off as his .45 is literally blown across the room.
Felicia is now hysterically screaming -- but not for long --
as she is mortally wounded. We are sure Storm will
collapse and this horror will be over, but Storm rushes
the remaining assailant, and tilting his body sideways as
he enters, he avoids one more ferocious BLAST.
The momentum of Storm's quick spin catches the assailant
perfectly, and like a fast spinning top slammed against
another, Storm has the puppet by the strings. He clamps
down with his left and only good hand on the assailant's
right hand, and uses it against the gun as a tool for
more torque. Spinning him around until he is at the peak
of his circle, Storm with all his might spins his whole
body in the opposite direction quickly, using the whipping
effect of his shoulder and hip to snap the assailant's
wrist and flip him violently.
There is a LOUD CRACK and scream as he lands on his head
and neck, and then -- from the side, point-blank --another
ferocious SHOTGUN BLAST -- Storm is blown into the air
and back onto the bed from which he came.
QUICK CUTAWAY TO:
INT. KARL BECKER'S BEDROOM - ANGLE ON DIFFERENT SHOTGUNS
BOOMING! Karl (Storm's partner) being BLASTED. No chance
at all as he takes the full brunt of MULTIPLE BLASTS.
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We recognize the large nautical wristwatch he wears as he
falls to the floor --
BACK TO:
INT. STORM'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The scene of slaughter we just left. Now in perfect
stillness and quiet we HIGH ANGLE PAN DOWN the room in
...
SLOW MOTION:
Down feathers slowly float down toward the terribly sad
and lifeless bodies of Storm and Felicia. Holes pepper
walls; lamps obliterated; beds and pillows not even a
semblance of their original form; crimson red and white
smoke.
BEDROOM - NORMAL SPEED
The two assassins recover themselves. Bigger Man's
shoulder: limp and bloody.
LITTLE MAN
(re: Big Man's
wound)
Man.
BIG MAN
(he's tough)
Get to work.
They do. Big Man collects tapes and camera from the
bedside table, replacing them with large lumps of cocaine
and cash. Then lie coolly places something on the night
stand directly in front of the lifeless cop's face -- it
is a tooth.
Little Man rifles Storm's pockets, including the Versace
jacket beside the bed.
LITTLE MAN
(patting Storm's
pants pockets)
You got the tapes?
BIG MAN
(re: what he
grabbed from
the table)
I got a shitload of 'em.
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Little Man is just about to search Storm's vest when he
looks up and sees:
BEDROOM DOORWAY - SONNY
Storm's little boy stands there, in his Woody Woodpecker
pajamas, holding the stuffed toy. He stares in numb
horror.
LITTLE MAN (FORD)
without hesitation pumps his SHOTGUN, aims at the boy.
Sonny dashes from the bedroom as the BLAST rips the door
behind him!
SONNY'S ROOM - SONNY
streaks to the window, heaves against the sash --
HALLWAY - TWO MEN
Big Man (Dunne) boots Sonny's door open, crashes in --
SONNY'S ROOM - WINDOW
Sonny plunges out just as both men OPEN FIRE. They pound
ROUND after ROUND into and through the window, blowing
GLASS everywhere and ripping the windowframe and half the
wall to shreds. An ALARM begins BLARING. The men glance
to each other, flee.
EXT. STORM'S HOUSE - FRONT WALK - NIGHT
ALARM CONTINUING. The men emerge walking swiftly but not
running, shotguns tight to their sides. They cross the
street to a sedan parked in shadows. Up goes the trunk:
in go shotguns, plastic bag with tapes -- and their masks,
which they have just torn off.
INT. SEDAN - NIGHT
Little Man whips behind the wheel. He is Jack Ford, an
extremely bad hombre we've never seen before. He STARTS
the CAR. Big Man in the passenger seat. We recognize
him! He is Max Dunne -- the burly man who took Storm's
phone call in the police station and passed the receiver
to Karl.
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DUNNE (BIG MAN)
Punch it.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
The sedan speeds away.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - TRACKING SHOT - LIEUTENANT
O'MALLEY - NIGHT
A tall and heavy Irishman, built like a tank, with
beautiful baby-blue eyes.
He hurries down the corridor, radiating intensity. Several
cops with him. They turn a corner into a second corridor.
O'MALLEY
Jesus Christ.
O'MALLEYS POV - CORRIDOR OUTSIDE EMERGENCY ROOM
Jammed with cops, officials, newspeople. A circus.
O'MALLEY
strides forward into the crush.
ASSEMBLYMAN TRENT AND CAPTAIN HOLLAND
side by side in the mob scene. We recognize the two Shadow
Men from the wharf -- the ones who ordered Storm's murder.
Under the glare of a mini-cam lamp, a female TV reporter
tries to get Trent to talk.
TRENT
(emotional)
knew Storm from when I was City
Attorney ... and he was a young
homicide detective -
(choking back
tears)
We worked on... cases ... together
...
(can't go on)
I'm sorry ... sorry --
Trent's grief is so sincere, he himself almost believes
it; his aides shield him from the camera, steer him away,
in the direction of where O'Malley is. Holland goes the
opposite way. The reporter picks up her V.O.:
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TV REPORTER (V.O.)
That was Assemblyman Vernon Trent,
deeply moved by the loss of an
officer he knew, (etc.).
Medics wheel Felicia's body past, one bloody forearm
visible beneath the sheet.
TRENT
What makes people do this?
(in tears, agony)
Will you tell me? Will someone please
tell me?!!
O'Malley watches Trent pass, weeping, escorted out by
police and aides.
Across the crowd O'Malley spots Captain Holland, who
apparently is the man he's searching for.
O'MALLEY
(calls)
Holland! Captain Holland!
In the general hubbub, Holland doesn't hear -- conferring
with some other officers.
ANGLE PAST HOLLAND - EMERGENCY ROOM
THROUGH the glass partition, we see doctors and nurses
going about their examination of Storm's body.
O'MALLEY
pushes his way toward Holland. Two uniformed cops in the
crush along the way. O'Malley comes up beside Holland.
HOLLAND (BAREHEADED SHADOW)
They always said Storm was
superhuman. Now we know why he was
always jacked up on coke!
O'Malley grabs Holland, slams him against the glass wall.
O'MALLEY
(whisper, full
of menace)
Let me tell you something, you piss-
ant. That man in there was the
cleanest I ever knew -- with more
honor and guts than this whole
department put together. If I ever
hear you say fuck all like that
again, I'll lose my shield to put
you where you belong.
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O'Malley releases Holland, backs off, calming himself.
The men stare at each other.
HOLLAND
(hostile)
What the hell's I.A. doing up at
this hour?
O'MALLEY
Taking over the show.
HOLLAND
This is Homicide, not Internal
Affairs.
O'Malley tugs out a letter on official stationery.
O'MALLEY
We got two cops down, with money
and drugs all over the place. This
is straight from the commissioner.
Holland is clearly upset by this, but knows he can't argue
with a letter from the commissioner. Reluctantly he yields.
He turns his gaze back to the stretcher in the ER.
Now he and O'Malley are just two officers, sharing a loss.
HOLLAND
You and Storm were tight, O'Malley.
I'm sorry.
O'MALLEY
He was the most unstoppable
sonofabitch I ever knew.
HOLLAND
Well.
He got stopped tonight.
Holland breaks his stare at Storm's body and drags away,
signaling his own cops to vacate. They exit. No farewells
between Holland and O'Malley. O'Malley waits silently,
watching Holland and his men clear the corridor and
disappear.
DOCTOR
emerges from the emergency room.
E.R. DOCTOR
Excuse me, are you with the police?
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O'MALLEY
(dully, showing
ID)
Lieutenant O'Malley. What've you
got, Doc?
E.R. DOCTOR
I've got a live cop, is what I've
got.
INT. E.R. TRAUMA ROOM
O'Malley stares at Storm's body, stunned. The Doctor
stands beside him -- at the side of the room, away from
the medics.
E.R. DOCTOR
The paramedics called it wrong, so
did my people at first. Look... it
happens. The man had no vital signs.
With all the blood and excitement,
I almost missed it myself. But we
have a pulse now. Your man is alive,
Lieutenant.
O'Malley's eyes flash from Storm (over whom the medics
are now working) to the corridor outside, at the end of
which he can see several straggling cops and news people.
His mind is racing --
He spots something on a stainless steel medical table:
Storm's blood-soaked vest, apparently tossed there when
the medics stripped Storm to work on him. O'Malley picks
the vest up. He studies it -
INSERT - VEST
The surveillance tape Storm stashed is still there!
O'MALLEY
slips the cassette into his pocket. O'Malley makes a
decision. Turns intensely toward the Doctor.
O'MALLEY
Who else knows he isn't dead?
E.R. DOCTOR
No one ... just the people in her.
But --
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O'MALLEY
I want to see each one of them before
they leave the room. No one else
comes in as of right now.
E.R. DOCTOR
Hold on. I don't think you --
O'Malley steers the Doctor into a corner.
O'MALLEY
(eyeball to
eyeball)
Mason Storm is going to vanish,
Doctor -- and you're gonna help
make it happen. Until he can give
us some answers, the deader he is,
the safer he is.
CLOSE - STORM
The man could be dead, but the reality is he has survived
and still lives.
QUICK FADE TO:
MONTAGE - WITH SCORE
A) L.A. TIMES FRONT PAGE
"SENATOR CALDWELL KILLED IN SIERRA PLANE CRASH. Photo of
Senator Caldwell, photo of light plane crash in mountains.
B) CLOSE - TV - LOCAL NEWS
Photo of Trent, with capitol in b.g.
NEWS ANCHOR (V.O.)
-- The governor today appointed
dashing L.A. Assemblyman Vernon
Trent to the Senate seat vacated by
the tragic death of --
C) INT. COMA WARD - NIGHT
Scene of still sadness, motionless bodies in beds. An
elderly nurse tends to patients ... one of them is Storm.
D) SAN FRANCISC0 CHRONICLE FRONT PAGE
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"TRENT WINS SECOND TERM." Subhead: "POPULAR SENATOR TOUTED
FOR VP SLOT IN '92." Photo of Trent with wife and kids.
E) INT. COMA WARD - NIGHT
Storm in a different bed, different side of the ward.
Different nurse. Monitors depict EEG, etc. MUSIC DOWN,
sequence ends --
EXT. NIGHT SKY - THUNDERSTORM (STOCK)
A THUNDERBOLT CRACKS -- lightning, rain sheeting down.
SUPER: "SEVEN YEARS LATER"
INT. (UCI) MEDICAL FACILITY - COMA WARD - NIGHT
We hear RAIN O.S. as two hallway swinging doors open and --
ANDREA SIMPSON ("ANDY")
strides through. Raincoat, wet hair ... carrying a small
clothing bag, armload of books and notes. Andy is serious
and businesslike but underneath it all, she is the most
sensuous and beautiful woman you have ever seen.
ANGLE - NURSES' STATION
MARTHA COE, an attractive black nurse about Andy's age,
finishes her shift report. She barely pays attention as
Andy comes up, starts unloading her stuff.
MARTHA
You're early again.
ANDY
(deadpan)
You won't report me, will you?
Andy gulps from Martha's coffee cup. We see they're good
friends, who've split shifts on this ward for many moons.
ANDY
(re: shift report)
Inquiring minds want to know --
INT. COMA WARD - NIGHT
Martha and Andy, with the shift report.
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MARTHA
-- Dr. Cannon ordered a glucose
drip on Jimmy See. Mack's E.E.G.
monitor's developing a nice
electronic hiccup -- and your
boyfriend...
(indicating
Storm)
... turned his head.
ANDY
(electrified)
He did?
In a coma ward, this is headline news.
MARTHA
(excited too)
I thought he was going to sit up.
I almost shit!
The nurses laugh. But Andy's glance toward Storm's bed
is full of deep care and hope.
INT. COMA WARD - CLOSE ON STORM - LATER
Changed in seven years, softer. His shaggy hair is
manicured in a sleeker, longer length and he wears a
smartly short, perfectly trimmed beard. We glimpse, on
Storm's chart, the identifying label: "JOHN DOE 461Z."
ANGLE - BEDS OF OTHER PATIENTS
trapped between sleep and death. A spectral, haunting
scene, full of pathos.
BESIDE STORM'S BED - ANDY
works, full of beauty and youth -- like a beacon of life
and hope in this silent still world. She runs a physical
therapy regimen on Storm and seems quite expert at this
delicate work. The "workouts" are electronically induced
by sophisticated impulse equipment.
ANDY
(gently, with
compassion and
hope)
-- Can you hear me, John Doe? I
don't care what the doctors say, I
know my words are reaching you
somehow.
(MORE)
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ANDY (CONT'D)
I'm going to talk to you tonight...
and tomorrow night ... and the night
after that. I'm going to keep talking
to you till you come back --
On the shelf behind his head is a framed photo of Yogi
Berra, with the quote: "IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER.
Andy lifts it and sets it an the pillow beside Storm's
head.
ANDY
Yogi said it ain't over till it's
over. Till the fat lady sings.
There's life in you, J.D., I feel
it. I'll never give up on you, and
you'll never give up on yourself --
She finishes working out Storm's muscles, beginning
disconnecting the contact points. She stops, lifts the
robe off Storm so that she can see his lower body, naked,
underneath.
ANDY
Besides ... you've got so much to
live for.
As Andy replaces the sheet, her WRISTWATCH ALARM BEEPS a
reminder. Checking the watch, she leans over and smooths
Storm's sheet, touching him tenderly.
ANDY
Sorry. I won't be long.
She exits.
INT. EMPLOYEE SNACK KITCHEN - NIGHT
Martha pouring herself a cup of coffee. Andy comes in.
MARTHA
How's the sleeping prince?
Andy crosses to the counter, starts pouring herself a cup
too.
ANDY
Still sleeping.
(serious)
It's bad enough when it's old people.
But a young handsome guy --
Her voice trails off.
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MARTHA
Don't let this job get you, honey.
It's eight hours, not twenty-four.
Get out, meet somebody ... get laid --
ANDY
(with a grin)
You can have my orgasms, Martha.
I'll make up for 'em later.
INT. COMA WARD - CLOSE ON STORM - NIGHT
His hand moves! A beat ... then another. Something's
happening. Another beat, and then we see him draw several
sharp intake breaths, then a very deep breath. Suddenly
he shudders intensely --
MONTAGE - SUBLIMINAL SEQUENCE
Storm's return to consciousness. Like a disjointed dream
sequence, we meld OPTICALLY DISTORTED FOOTAGE of scenes
into a quick sequence depicting Storm's journey up the
"tunnel" from unconsciousness and back to life:
A) Storm emerging from the door of his house, the night
of the Oscars. Felicia smiling, taking his arm --
B) Sonny's bedroom, the night of the Oscars. Sonny with,
the stuffed toy, embracing Storm --
C) The masked assassins. SHOTGUN BLASTS detonating point
blank into Storm and Felicia --
INT. COMA WARD - STORM
His eyes open. He grimaces with pain, as if even the dim
illumination of the ward blinds him. His eyes keep
blinking and squeezing, his tongue working for saliva --
INT. NURSES' STATION - ANDY
Alone, doing paperwork, concentrating totally on her work.
INT. COMA WARD - STORM
His hand slowly rises, finds his face. He discovers the
electrodes, pausing to determine what they are, everything
a slow painful effort.
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INT. NURSES' STATION - ANDY
A BUZZER sounds on a bank of monitoring equipment. Andy
glances up; a light flashes on one screen. She studies
the screen a moment, gives a perplexed look toward the
ward --
INT. COMA WARD
Andy enters, scanning the area, listening. She moves
down the row of patients, visually checking each. She
stops at Storm and checks him, too.
Storm's eyes are closed; he's motionless.
Andy turns, starts to exit.
STORM
(in b.g., weakly,
directly behind)
-- Nurse ...
Andy whips around, sucking air and falling back, knocking
over an IV UNIT -- which SHATTERS on the floor!
She turns and sprints from the room.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - TRACKING STORM'S GURNEY - NIGHT
As we crash through doors WITH it. MOVING FAST. Knotted
around Storm is an emergency team of doctors and nurses.
A controlled chaos of AD LIB status reports and queries
from them overlaps as the doors swing shut behind them.
Andy is left alone on the coma ward.
INT. NURSES' STATION - NIGHT
Andy unlocks a drawer, pulls out a laminated card from
the record notice section. She picks up a phone, punches
in a long series of numbers.
INTERCUT:
INT. PRECINCT HOUSE - DETECTIVES' ROOM - NIGHT
The PHONE on someone's desk begins RINGING. JONES, a
plainclothesman, picks it up.
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JONES
Internal affairs. Detective Sergeant
Jones.
ANDY
My name is Andrea Simpson. I'm
calling from U.C.I. Medical Center.
I'd like to speak with
(reads from
card)
Captain O'Malley.
Wheels start to turn in Jones' head.
JONES
What is this in regard to, please?
ANDY
I have a John Doe coma patient,
code access 461 zebra, with
instructions to notify upon any
change in condition.
JONES
What is the change?
ANDY
(with enthusiasm)
The patient has regained
consciousness.
Jones reacts -- puts his hand over the receiver, turns to
a leather-faced plainclothesman (NOLAN) at the next desk.
JONES
(urgent)
Nolan. Get Holland at home ...
right now.
(back to Andy
on phone)
I'm sorry, Ms. Simpson. Captain
O'Malley is no longer with this
division. Let me take your
information. Please ... contact no
one else on this matter.
INT. COMA WARD - NIGHT
Storm back in bed. A knot of doctors finishes returning
him from their emergency resuscitation work. "We'll leave
him here for tonight, where they've got the full support
setup." The team wraps up and begins to move off.
The TEAM LEADER instructs Andy in Storm's immediate
condition and care.
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DOCTOR (TEAM LEADER)
-- Clip him with 50 cc of Thorazine
if he gives you any trouble. I'm
afraid he's very disoriented and
quite paranoid. He thinks people
are trying to kill him.
The team exits. Andy is alone in the ward with the
immobile patients -- and Storm. Storm groans and tries
to lift himself onto an elbow.
STORM
Miss ... please ... they won't tell
me ... think I'm too disorient --
ANDY
This is U.C.I. Medical Center.
You've been in a coma. Your charts
go back for seven years.
STORM
(staggered)
Seven... years?
He can't absorb this. It's too much. His mind reels.
STORM
Who ... who knows I'm awake?
ANDY
(innocent
enthusiasm)
It's all over the hospital. You're
the first one that's come out of a
coma of this duration. You'll
probably be on the news!
(beat)
You'll be famous!
STORM
(struggles to
sit up; fails)
Listen to me carefully --
(reads her name
tag)
-- Andy. I don't have the strength
to talk much. I'm a cop. My wife
... family ... murdered. That's
how I got here. If you don't get
me out ... you and I ... good chance
... both be dead.
ANDY
Please -- you're in no danger here.
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She touches him kindly -- but Storm sees that she doesn't
believe him, thinks he's paranoid.
STORM
Goddamit --
(urgent but
weak)
can't stay here. Listen to me -
ANDY
I'll have one of the aides take you
down the hall for hydrotherapy.
It'll help you relax.
STORM
No --
ANDY
Listen... I've got work to do.
You're my cutest patient, but you're
not my only one.
She leaves. Storm blows a sigh of frustration. His body
won't do what his brain tells it! In half-paralyzed rage
he struggles to move his limbs, open and close his hands --
INT. EMERGENCY ROOM - FIRST FLOOR - NIGHT
An accident case being hurried in from an ambulance.
Paramedics, E.R. personnel and patients fill the scene.
A bespectacled doctor in a white coat casually emerges
from the crush and continues on into a hallway.
ANGLE - DOCTOR
This is no doctor; it's Jack Ford, one of the killers who
shotgunned Storm seven years ago!
INT. HYDROTHERAPY ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
DANNY, an aide, has Storm harnessed in a frothing
whirlpool.
INT. FIRST FLOOR/MAIN DIRECTORY - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Several nurses chat and drink coffee at a clerical station.
Ford comes up - nameplate, stethoscope, looking the part
perfectly. We see him exchange a greeting, ask a question.
One of the nurses hands him a clipboard with some papers
on it. As the killer scans the clipboard -RUSS, the
security man, approaches.
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Ford averts his face subtly, continuing to study the list.
Russ passes, with a greeting for the nurses -- and a
(slightly unsure) nod for the killer. The killer nods
back.
SECOND FLOOR SUPPLY ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Andy arrives and goes about business.
INT. THIRD FLOOR ELEVATORS - CONTINUOUS ACTION
A set of DOORS DINGS open. Ford steps out.
INT. COMA WARD - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Eerie ultraviolet; motionless forms; steady HUM of
monitoring EQUIPMENT -- and the shuffle of the killer's
shoes ... moving purposefully from bed to bed checking
each chart for the right name.
INT. THIRD-FLOOR NORTH CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Danny helps Storm out of the tub.
INT. COMA WARD - CLOSE ON FORD - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Checking the chart in the dim blue when -- a flashlight
ray suddenly hits his face ...
RUSS
Excuse me, Doctor. I have to check
everyone on the upper floors.
(comes forward,
no suspicion)
Can I just get your I.D. --
PHHT! Russ takes the SILENCED SHOT right between the
eyes. His body collapses in a heap there in the entry.
INT. THIRD-FLOOR CORRIDOR
Danny wheels Storm through the big swinging doors.
Suddenly -- he freezes.
DANNY'S POV
He sees Russ's partial body in the doorway up the hall
recognizable because of its security uniform trousers.
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DANNY
reacts as if fearing Russ has had a heart attack. He
leaves Storm, rushes forward to investigate. Storm strains
to see.
INT. DOORWAY TO COMA WARD
DANNY
(dashes up)
Russ! Russ, are you --
PHHT! PHHT! Danny sprawls onto the floor, dead.
INT. CLOSE ON STORM
Doesn't need to see to recognize that sound. He gropes
at once for the wall corner, trying to propel his litter
back through the swinging doors and out of sight.
Storm strains for it, his limbs maddeningly uncooperative
... stretching, pawing ... until -- he claws far enough
to reach where the janitor's mop rests against the wall.
COMA WARD - HALLWAY - FORD
steps into the hallway, peering up and down -- just as
Storm slides out of view. The killer grabs Danny's body
by the ankles, to drag it back out of sight. Just then:
ANDY
backs through the double doors at the other end of the
hall, trying to balance an overloaded tray of supplies
she's carrying. She and Ford are momentarily in full
view of each other ... but backs turned. Suddenly --
Ford hears Andy! He spins ... gun ready.
Andy carefully heads that way -- the two corpses visible
ahead and the killer poised to waste her. But she's
concentrating on the overloaded tray, traveling closer
... closer ... until -- she turns off into the medicine
room.
Ford swiftly hauls both corpses out of sight.
AT ELEVATORS
Storm weakly, awkwardly "rows" himself toward the elevators
with the mop handle. Then using his hands, trying to
grasp the wall and push himself along.
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He makes it within reach of the call button and stabs at
it with the mop handle. Misses. Again. Then: bull's-
eye! The light comes on!
INT. COMA WARD
Ford has found the last (Storm's) medical chart -- and
the empty bed. He's heading back -- frustrated, angry
out toward the hall when... the elevator BELL DINGS.
AT ELEVATORS
Storm struggles to push himself inside. Everything an
excruciating effort. The doors slap into his litter,
trying to close. Reopen. Close. Reopen. Hindering him
as he throws a look toward --
INT. CORRIDOR - FORD
stalks this way, ears tuned to the SLAPPING DOORS ahead
around the corner. He breaks into a trot --
ELEVATORS - STORM
makes it all the way in with a final heave. FOOTSTEPS
nearing. The doors not yet closed and --
INT. CORRIDOR - FORD
rounds the corner just as they shut. Races forward --
INT. ELEVATOR
Storm jabs at the panel for the lobby button -- but the
shaky mop handle hits 7TH FLOOR instead.
STORM
Sonofabitch!
THIRD-FLOOR CORRIDOR - AT ELEVATORS
The killer hears this -- hears the ELEVATOR START UP. He
punches the call button. The other elevator opens. He
plunges in just as:
SOUTH CORRIDOR - ANDY
comes out of the medicine room and spots blood on the
floor, hurries forward -- sees Russ and Danny's bodies!
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She backs off in horror.
Andy rushes to the ward station, lunges for the phone --
finds it's been cut. Her view into the coma room suddenly
brings the realization that Storm's bed is still gone.
STORM'S ELEVATOR
The doors open -- revealing a dark, deserted seventh floor
still under construction. He registers the opposing
elevator rising his way -- jabbing again at the control
panel ... exposed there ... doors wide open. Wild stabs.
Any button will do -- just close the goddam door!
DING! Ford's ELEVATOR arrives. Doors open. We make out
the killer's form -- just as Storm's doors close.
Storm blows huge relief. Looks to see what he finally
pushed ... Shit! -- the 3RD FLOOR button. He puts the
mop to the side wall and shoves himself with all he's
got. The gurney wheels around and places him right next
to the control panel. Storm twists onto his side and
slams a hand over the EMERGENCY STOP button. But the
button jams! And Storm's thrusting hand has pushed his
gurney even farther away! He can't reach it!
He feels the elevator about to stop at a floor ... claws
at the mop, as a weapon ... raises it with all his feeble
strength. The doors open and --
Andy crashes into him!
ANDY
My God!
STORM
(hoarse, weak)
-- Help me ...
INT. STAIRWELL - FORD
Pounding down the steps three at a time. Gun in hand.
INT. LOBBY
Andy hauls Storm's litter full tilt out of the elevator.
A night janitor is waxing the floor, his long power cord
snaking down the corridor. He stares in astonishment at
this nurse racing down the corridor with a gurney --
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ANGLE - GURNEY
As its wheels hit the buffing machine cord. The gurney
bucks, almost capsizes.
ANDY
I'm sorry! Sorry --
She heaves the gurney, despite all its weight, past the
power cord, just as:
FORD
hurtles from the stairwell. In one beat, he takes in the
janitor; in the next, Andy and Storm -- down the hall.
Ford takes off after them. He's going to catch them!
JANITOR
jerks up on the power cord! It whipsnakes down the hall,
flaring up, tripping Ford! He sprawls face-first as:
EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Andy blasts through the exit doors with Storm on the
gurney. She hauls ass with him into the parking lot --
BACK TO FORD
He spins, on the floor, drills TWO SILENCED SHOTS into
the janitor's chest. The janitor drops.
EXT. HOSPITAL EXIT - FORD
highballs from the doors, in time to see:
FORD'S POV - ACROSS PARKING LOT
A dark-colored CAR, its make indistinguishable in the
dark lot, SCREECHES into an exit lane and races out of
the lot.
PARKING LOT - FORD
hurries after it on foot. Too late. He pulls up.
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EMPTY GURNEY
rolls randomly INTO VIEW across the lot.
HIGH ANGLE - WIDE SHOT - PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY - DAWN
Andy's car speeds up the PCH. Majestic Malibu Mountains
visible -- dawn sun shimmering the ocean with early light.
INT. ANDY'S CAR - MOVING - DAWN
Storm sprawled, asleep, exhausted, in the passenger seat.
Andy windblown at the wheel. A pair of fugitives, on the
run. The car pulls off the highway, past a sign for
"OJAI."
INT. L.A. COUNTY COURTHOUSE - MEETING ROOM - DAY
OPENING ON a big table, covered with weapons confiscated
from gangs -- pistols, knives, assault rifles. Reporters
crowd around Senator Trent at the table. A large sign
reads: "GANG WEAPONS SEIZED IN ONE WEEK!"
TRENT
(to group,
finishing up)
Six gang-related murders in one
week. We're going to put a stop to
it -- and we're going to start right
here!
Trent picks an AK-47 off the table and stuffs it
theatrically into a huge TRASH CAN. News cameras record
this juicy nugget for the nightly news.
TRENT
I'll be talking with the mayor.
We'll have a statement shortly --
He raises a fist in a "power salute," moves off --
SIDE OF ROOM - TRENT
Waving and beaming, edges away to the "wings," where Ford
and Dunne wait, along with Holland -- proper and official
in their plainclothes suits.
TRENT
(to Holland,
furious)
How much dirt do I have to shovel
into this goddam Storm's grave?
(MORE)
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TRENT (CONT'D)
Jesus Christ!
(turns to Ford)
The man is flat out on a stretcher
and you still can't kill him!
Reporters and bystanders continue to approach and
congratulate Trent. He handles them easily, shaking hands --
then ducking back, aside, to his thugs.
TRENT
Holland -- plaster his ass with
slime in the press. Put a tail on
every person he knows --
HOLLAND
We know how to do our job, Senator.
TRENT
Then start showing it.
(to Ford, Dunne)
I'm starring in that sonofabitch's
home movie -- and the Oscar is thirty
years in the slammer. He's toast,
understand?
The assassins nod grimly. Trent turns, hands raised
triumphantly, to the crowd.
TRENT
(to crowd)
We're going to end violence in this
state -- and you can take that to
the bank!
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - DAY
A horse in sunshine. Pretty oaks on a hillside beyond.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - BEDR00M DAY
Storm blinks his eyes -- groggy, disoriented. He is in
bed, just waking up. Outside his window: this postcard-
perfect ranch scene. Has he died and gone to heaven? He
can barely absorb it: nature, sunshine, life.
Storm peers around. He is alone in a pretty room, with
Western and Oriental furnishings. He's safe; someone has
apparently put him to bed, seen that he's comfortable.
He remembers: the nurse ... Andy.
A TV is on at the foot of the bed. Storm squints at the
digital clock beside him: 4:17 PM. Storm closes his eyes.
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STORM
Seven years.
He struggles to sit. It takes all his strength simply to
get half-propped on pillows. Something jabs him. It's a
TV remote, on the sheet beside him. Storm picks it up.
After a beat, he manages to focus on the TV --
TV SCREEN - "GERALDO SHOW" (FILE TAPE)
Heated argument in progress. Suddenly Roy Innis leaps
from his chair, starts strangling a white supremacist
across from him. Melee. The stage flooded with shooting,
fist-fighting men. Geraldo's nose is broken!
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(from TV)
-- Stay tuned for more of: Best of
Geraldo!
BACK TO STORM
Dumbstruck.
STORM
Geraldo?
Outside the HORSE WHINNIES loudly and rears up on its
hind legs. Storm turns toward the horse --
When Storm is turned away from the TV, a 10-second ad
comes on. Senator Trent waving and smiling to a crowd.
AD (V.O.)
(from TV)
Senator Vernon Trent promises: No
new taxes!
TRENT (V.O.)
(from TV)
And you can take that to the bank!
Storm misses this. He turns back to:
TV SCREEN
An attractive female spokesperson speaks directly and
sincerely into camera.
FEMALE SPOKESPERSON (V.O.)
(from TV)
-- If you want to sleep with me ...
you better wear a Pharoah.
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A "product shot" of condom packages appears.
MALE ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(from TV)
Pharoah condoms. The only safer
sex is no sex at all!
STORM
Certain the world has gone insane.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Andy at the wall phone.
ANDY
(into phone)
can't come in to work, are you
crazy?! I can't even go to my
apartment! People are dead, Martha
... no, I can't tell you where I am
... you're better off not knowing --
Mini-TV on countertop. On TV: a photo of Storm. Jack
Esposito reporting --
ANDY
(into phone)
I am freaking A.W.O.L. I mean, what
am I gonna do with this guy --
(pacing, anxious)
I want to help him... my God, he
needs it ... but it's all over the
T.V., he's some kind of crooked cop
with drugs and murder and --
CLICK. Andy turns to see Storm standing there, glowering --
his hand on the PHONE hang-up bar.
For half a beat, Andy is frightened: unsure what this man
will do. Then Storm starts to collapse.
Andy rushes to him, supports him.
ANDY
It's okay -- I'm here, I'm with
you.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Storm on the couch, phone in hand -- Andy across from
him. The day's newspapers before them... TV ON in b.g.
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STORM
(into phone)
Yeah, that Esposito. The ignorant
fuck who's broadcasting the news
right now.
(listens)
Tell him it's Storm. Mason Storm.
Storm cups the receiver -- steaming -- waiting to be put
through. His eyes flash to the room, the house...
STORM
(to Andy)
I can't stay here. They'll trace
you from the hospital in two --
ANDY
(cuts him off)
I told you -- no one knows I'm here!
I'm house-sitting...
(out of patience,
frustrated and
frightened)
This place belongs to a doctor friend
of my parents. He's in China now,
on research... won't be back for
six months. The medical center
only has my apartment address.
Even my friends don't have this
number.
(beat)
Will you believe me?! We're safe
here.
Storm studies her for a long beat. Then: a voice comes
onto the phone line.
STORM
(into phone)
Esposito?
(furious)
Listen, you sonofabitch --
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE (OJAI) - EVENING
We see a little more of where we are: a pretty little
retreat, nestled amid rolling hills. With the evening
light, the mood seems softer.
INT. ARMSTEEAD HOUSE - LIVING ROCM - EVENING
Storm on a different couch -- very tired. Looking
terrible. Andy sits on the floor at the coffee table --a
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phone beside her, the table covered with notepads,
scribbled pages.
ANDY
We'll find your friend O'Malley.
We'll just keep phoning ...
STORM
Listen. I'm getting out of here.
He grabs for a cane resting against the sofa.
ANDY
(knows he has
no chance)
I'll buy tickets to that.
STORM
I just need some food -- and a few
days to get my strength.
ANDY
Days? Try a few weeks.
Storm braces against the cane, ready to try to stand.
Andy gets up, to catch him. This infuriates Storm's pride.
STORM
You helped me, okay? I'm grateful.
But every day you keep helping puts
you in more danger.
ANDY
(deadpan)
Danger is my middle name.
This is no joke to Storm.
STORM
I've been dead, Andy. You wouldn't
like it.
He tries to get up. Andy stops him.
ANDY
Hey, hey -- I don't think you get
the picture here. Your muscles
have been getting electronic
stimulation at the hospital, but
it's not like actually being up and
bearing weight.
STORM
You're the one who doesn't get the
picture.
(MORE)
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STORM (CONT'D)
First of all, I ain't no fucking
invalid! And second, I don't have
time --
He makes it upright, shaking, with a "See, I told you"
look.
He starts toward the kitchen. Andy looks very worried
but doesn't try to stop him. First step -- okay. Second --
okay. Third -- blam! The cane slips and he falls flat on
his face. Too weak to break the fall.
LOW ANGLE - STORM
We see his face on the carpet and a mean desperate
conviction in these eyes not to fail and not to give up.
He struggles to rise -- it is pitiful. He's on his knees
growling with effort. Cane propped up, he manages to
somehow stand again. One step ... two steps ... three,
four ... he's absolutely exhausted. Boom! Falls flat
again.
ANOTHER LOW ANGLE
Storm's face on the floor.
EXTREME CLOSEUP
Fury, frustration, despair --
ANDY
grabs his arm and helps him back onto the couch. She
exits the room and comes back momentarily with a bowl of
rice and begins to try to feed him. Of course he takes
the fork away and tries it himself, but by now his arms
are so fatigued from the previous strain that they shake,
his hand trembles and he misses his mouth -- getting the
rice all down his beard. Spilling a little too much to
ignore and at first it looks like he's going to explode.
He looks up at Andy, who looks so sad.
Storm breaks out laughing and so does Andy. They howl
together for a while and then settle down. Now Andy begins
to "help" feed Storm.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - STORM'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Storm is in bed -- writing something on a note pad.
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ANDY
(next to bed)
Mata Hari -- at your service.
She looks at what Storm is writing: Chinese characters.
Storm writes from top to bottom, straight up and down.
STORM
Just some herbs I need for my
recovery.
She takes the list, studies it.
ANDY
No problem. This is on my list for
Safeway every day.
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - DAY
Andy's car drives up to the house, pulls into the garage.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Andy enters, carrying a folder, and stares in surprise.
Storm has shaved and cut his hair. She obviously approves.
She watches for several moments as Storm, weak but on his
feet, holds on to the kitchen counter. He steps out, in
wobbly balance. Not too good at first, he tries again.
This time he does better, but not by much. He turns to
look at Andy, conscious of her look of sympathy.
STORM
(re: himself)
That bad ... huh?
She silently hands him a set of newspaper photocopies.
He glances at them... at her ... and understands.
ANDY
I'll be in the other room.
Storm slowly seats himself and begins to read.
INSERT - NEWSPAPER PHOTOCOPIES
One headline:
OFFICER SLAIN IN ALLEGED SCANDAL
DRUG DEAL FALLOUT SUSPECTED
Second headline with photos of Storm, Felicia, Sonny:
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POLICEMAN, FAMILY SLAUGHTERED
CLOSE - STORM
Battling his sorry and grief.
LIVING ROOM AND KITCHEN - ANGLE - ANDY
She can see Storm in this moment of agony.
INT. TRENT'S OFFICE - DAY
CLOSE ON TV SCREEN - JACK ESPOSITO
A well-known L.A. anchorman, Jack Esposito "whom we
glimpsed earlier in the mini-TV in the Armstead kitchen
scene), delivers the news.
A graphic behind him has a photo of Storm, captioned:
"COMA COP. "
ESPOSITO (V.O.)
(on TV)
-- This reporter was contacted
personally by the now-infamous 'Coma
Cop'... fugitive officer Mason Storm --
who until days ago had languished
in a seven-year coma.
WIDEN SHOT
TO REVEAL Trent's office. Trent, Holland and several of
Trent's security aides glued to the tube.
ESPOSITO (V.O.)
(from TV)
Storm gave me his word that he is
innocent of all charges preferred
against him in the press -- and
that he has access to indisputable
proof of this. Battling the atrophy
caused by seven years of
hospitalization, Storm is struggling
even now to regain the strength
that will enable him to come forward
with this evidence. He has promised
me and the K.A.B.C. audience a first
look at his alleged proof.
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TRENT
turns to his men and to Holland.
TRENT
(indicates
Esposito on TV)
I want 24-hour surveillance on this
sonofabitch.
EXT. WESTWOOD APARTMENT BUILDING - EVENING
A WOMAN in a nurse's uniform comes INTO VIEW on the
sidewalk, trots up the steps toward the second floor of
the apartment building.
ANGLE - DUNNE AND FORD
REVEALING that they are watching this from a parked car
from across the street. They get out, glance around
furtively --
INT. APARTMENT - EVENING
The nurse is Martha -- Andy's friend from the hospital.
She holds a cat in her arms.
MARTHA (WOMAN)
(responds to
interrogation)
I told you -- Andy's out of town.
I just came by to pick up her cat.
DUNNE
Where out of town is Andy?
MARTHA
I don't know.
(losing patience)
Look, I've been questioned by you
cops half a dozen times since
Tuesday. I'm getting a little tired
of it.
(beat)
You need a warrant to walk in on
someone like this. Get the hell
out.
The cops don't budge. It's getting a little scary.
MARTHA
Then I'll get out.
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Clutching the cat, she strides for the door. Ford's foot
slides the door shut. He and Dunne block Martha.
FORD
We'll ask you again, Martha: Where
is Miss Simpson?
Martha backs away -- toward a telephone.
MARTHA
I'm calling your superior officers
to report this. I want both your
names and shield numbers.
She picks up the phone. Dunne's enormous hand engulfs
her wrist, forces her to put the phone back in the cradle.
The two cops stare at her penetratingly.
Martha knows this is it -- life or death.
She hurls the cat into Ford's face; the CAT claws him,
SHRIEKING. Martha knees Dunne in the balls, bolts --
EXT. APARTMENT - WALKWAY - EVENING
Martha sprints from the door, toward the stairs, screaming.
MARTHA
Help? Help me!
Ford appears in the apartment doorway, his face scratched
and bleeding. He aims his silencer-mounted .45 --
ANGLE - TOP OF STAIRS - MARTHA
The front of her white uniform erupts in a bloody gush;
she plunges face-first down the flight of stairs.
ANGLE - BOTTOM OF STAIRS
Martha's crumpled form. Ford and Dunne hurry swiftly
down -- pick up her body, drag it a few feet to a
smackadjacent steep hillside covered with thick brush.
They peer around swiftly to be sure no one has seen them,
then slide the body under the brush, down the hill. In
three seconds it has slithered ten feet down, out of sight.
The killers take off.
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INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - NIGHT
Storm has found a zabutone meditation pillow and is sitting
on his knees in formal Japanese posture with black Dugi
pants and no shirt. He unravels a package with Oriental
characters handwritten on the outside.
In one section: what looks like an old wax Baggie full
of Chinese herbs. In the other, Storm unfolds a pouch
containing an assortment of needles: long, short, skinny,
fat.
Storm fingers the needles and finds a spot in his shoulder
with very bad scar tissue and quickly and coldly sticks
it in deep. He then twirls and adjusts it.
It is apparent that he knows what he's doing. We STAY
CLOSE ON the needles, noting the amount in the package
has greatly diminished.
PULL UP to reveal Storm, with at least 50 needles sticking
out of him.
He is now frozen deep in meditation. CAMERA CIRCLES AROUND
him 360 DEGREES -- he is like a Japanese statue.
MONTAGE
WITH SCORE.
A) INT. ARMSTEAD GYM - NIGHT
An impressive home facility with floor-to-ceiling mirrors,
Nautilus equipment, etc. Storm ignores the machines and
tentatively selects from an old set of weights, hefting
them to test his own strength, then begins a slow workout.
B) EXT. ARMSTEAD YARD - DAY
Storm performs a series of Eastern exercises: stick,
Aikido, and meditation. He's obviously pushing himself
beyond exhaustion; Andy watches, growing more and more
concerned.
ANDY
That's enough! I don't care how
many needles you stick in yourself
or how much ginseng root you eat
... you have to sleep if you're
going to recover.
STORM
I slept for seven years?
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ANDY
That's an order!
Storm, dripping sweat, glowers at her for a long beat,
then... relents. She snatches the stick from his hand,
hauls him toward the house.
ANDY
Jesus -- what a patient!
C) EXT. FIRE ROAD - DAY
Storm tries to run up a dirt hill. He's still too weak --
struggles, sweating, straining with fierce determination.
D) INT. ARMSTEAD - GYM - NIGHT
Storm at the "sticking point" in a Scott-bench curl. His
biceps bulge, veins pop as he strains with all his
strength. He ... can't ... quite -- then: he Makes it!
Exhausted. Lets the bar crash metal-to-metal"' into its
cradle.
E) EXT. ARMSTEAD POOL - DAY
Storm swims, slowly gaining power.
F) EXT. WOODED CLEARING (ARMSTEAD'S) - DAY
Storm with two long pieces of cut oak. As Andy watches,
he lays them side-by-side on the ground and begins to dig
a deep narrow hole. He tests the hole for depth. When
it's deep enough, he places the boards down into the hole
and begins to fill it in, packing the earth tightly. He
goes to the top of the boards and around them wraps a
length of old hemp rope. Around and around. The boards
stand up about six feet high. Storm steps back, observes
the height, taps it lightly testing the recoil tension.
Now he begins to punch it, harder and harder. Over and
over again. Andy, preparing his lunch, can't keep her
eyes off him. She is awed by his fire and perseverance.
G) EXT. ARMSTEAD POOL - DAY
Andy and Storm churn up the water in a splashy race. She
wins but not by much. She smiles. He doesn't. She
splashes water on him, but he's not in a playful mood.
END MONTAGE. MUSIC DOWN --
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INT. ARMSTEAD KITCHEN - NIGHT
Storm in frustration at the table.
Medical charts... a scribbled mess of medication dosages,
reading, etc
ANDY
-- You can't compare blood pressure
readings now with when you were in
a coma. It's not going to give a
true measure --
STORM
What's this reading? 555 over four
digits --
ANDY
That's crazy --
She snatches the chart, stares at it.
ANDY
It's Martha's chicken scratches.
Even she can't read 'em.
STORM
I'll tell you what it is. It's a
phone number.
NEW ANGLE - KITCHEN - LATER
Andy on the wall phone, Storm listening on an extension.
We hear the PHONE RINGING on the other end, then someone
picking it up.
OLD LADY (V.O.)
(on phone)
Redondo Beach Retirement Villa
INTERCUT:
INT. NURSING HOME - OLD LADY AT DESK
ANDY
(into phone) I'm. sorry ... maybe I
have the wrong number. I'm looking
for Kevin O'Malley.
OLD LADY
O'Malley? There's no O'Malley here.
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ANDY
My name is Phyllis O'Connor. I'm
with the pension board of the Los
Angeles Police Department. We have
a misplaced check here for Captain
O'Malley ...
OLD LADY
A check?
(pause)
Well, listen... there's a big
turnover here, people are dying all
the time, I never know who's in
what bed. Can you leave me your
number?
Andy glances to Storm, he shakes his head: hang up. He
hangs up his receiver in disgust.
ANDY
(into phone)
I'm sorry, we're not allowed to do
that.
Andy hangs up. Thinking.
EXT. RETIREMENT HOME (REDONDO BEACH) - DAY
Andy gets out of her car in a sunny parking lot. She's
wearing dark glasses and a big floppy hat, so we can barely
see her face. She passes a sign: "REDONDO BEACH RETIREMENT
VILLA."
INT. RETIREMENT HOME - OFFICE - DAY
Andy sits across from the Old Lady from the phone call.
A plaque on the desk reads: "HENRIETTA WADE." Both she
and Andy look frustrated, irritated.
ANDY
Mrs. Wade, I'll be honest with you --
I'm not from the police pension
board. My name is Andrea Simpson,
I'm a nurse from U.C.I. Medical
Center.
The Lady listens skeptically, revealing nothing. We see
that she is in a wheelchair.
ANDY
You probably have no connection to
this, and what I'm about to say
(MORE)
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ANDY (CONT'D)
will sound completely absurd to
you.
(beat)
My patient is a police officer named
Mason Storm. He's in trouble and
needs desperately to contact his
friend, Captain O'Malley. If you
have any idea how to contact Captain
O'Malley, please help me.
MRS. WADE (OLD LADY)
As I've said, Miss Simpson, I've
already asked everybody in the home.
There is no O'Malley here. But
it's possible O'Malley could be a
relative of somebody living here.
Sunday is family day. Why don't
you leave your phone number and
I'll contact you if I learn anything.
ANDY
I can't do that.
Crestfallen. Andy gets up.
ANDY
Can I phone you?
MRS. WADE
(pleasant;
innocuous)
Of course, my dear.
CLOSET
Andy opens the door, reaches in for her jacket. Suddenly
she pauses.
She sees on the closet shelf, amid other clothing:
policeman's cap with a gold shield.
Andy makes a decision -- finds a pad on a table, scrawls
a phone number. She holds out the paper.
ANDY
(pointedly)
This is my number, Mrs. O'Malley.
The Old Lady never bats an eye.
MRS. WADE
(correcting her)
You mean Mrs. Wade. O'Malley is
the person you're looking for.
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Andy meets her gaze.
ANDY
Yes ... you're right. I'm sorry.
EXT. WOODED CLEARING - DAY
Storm again approaches the Makiwara.
This time it is almost as if no walls can contain him
nothing in his mind can represent a barrier. He has a
sense of total domination before he has begun.
He begins much harder and faster, continues driving his
fist deeper and faster and harder, until even those twelve
inches of solid oak are not enough for him.
With one lightning blow the OAK SPLINTERS and flies in
half. Storm walks away with a frightening calm -- stalks
straight inside toward the gym...
INT. ARMSTEAD GYM - NIGHT
Storm has just finished a major aerobic workout and is
now doing some strange martial aerobic-type movements.
He is sweating profusely and is dressed in a tiny black
tank top and black sweat pants.
CAMERA PANS OVER TO a corner mirror and we see Andy peeking
through a crack in the door. She is enjoying this
immensely. She seems to be fighting her feelings, and
finally she puffs up her courage. Having made some
decision, she enters.
ANDY
Oh, I'm sorry ... I didn't mean to
interrupt. I, ah, well, I was just
passing by and ...
They stare at each other in quite a different way. This
time it's obvious what Andy wants, and Storm probably
wants the same thing. But he tries very hard to maintain
his "one objective" in life -- to get very strong and win
the upcoming battle.
He looks at this woman who now 'Looks more beautiful than
anyone he has ever seen. Storm throws down the light
weights in his hands and walks up to her.
He gently grabs the back of her head and pulls her hair
back and kisses her on the mouth. She seems to explode
with passion as she falls to the floor, pulling him on
top of her.
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They roll in passion growing stronger and stronger. The
CAMERA PANS TO the mirror and we see Andy's feet moving
in delight.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GYM. - STORM - LATER
Alone, sitting up -- bare-chested, glistening with sweat
from the lovemaking. He glances across at his reflection
in the floor-to-ceiling mirror.
MIRROR - STORM
Seeing himself, just after making love. His wedding ring.
ANDY
appears in the doorway, returning from the kitchen with a
tray and glasses. She wears a robe and has that mussed,
after-lovemaking glow.
She takes one look at Storm and her heart sinks.
She crosses to him -- lowers herself gracefully to kneel
beside him, setting down the tray and glasses.
STORM
(dead)
Thanks.
She looks at him. She has a good idea what's tormenting
his mind. She reaches her hand, gently touches his
shoulder ...
Storm pulls back.
STORM
Please.
He gets up, backing slowly away from her -- seeing the
pain in her eyes, feeling his own pain. In frustration,
he slams an elbow punch into a piece of gym equipment --
furiously venting rage! Andy flinches at the sound, the
violence.
STORM
I'm sorry --
(wracked with
emotion)
Sorry. I --
(MORE)
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STORM (CONT'D)
(another furious
punch)
Why am I still in this fucking cage?!
What's wrong with my body? Why
won't it heal faster?!!
He slams another furious punch. Andy gets up, tries to
approach Storm.
ANDY
Mason, please
(wants to ease
his pain)
I love you.
STORM
Don't say that!
ANDY
Why not?!
STORM
Because I can't love you! Don't
you see? It's seven years to anyone
else. But it's only days for me.
Andy draws a sharp, pained breath.
STORM
How can I be with you ... how can
I want you and take you, when --
He can't finish, torn by guilt. He stares at Andy.
Suddenly his tone becomes harsh, accusatory.
STORM
You seduced me. You came in here,
looking that way, knowing just what
the hell you were doing --
ANDY
(defiant)
Yeah, I knew. What of it? I wanted
you --
STORM
You have no right to want me!
ANDY
Then who does?! I've risked my
life for you --
STORM
Who asked you to? Not me!
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ANDY
You haven't stopped me!
STORM
Then don't risk it! Don't do shit
for me! I don't need you!
For a second it look's like he's going to strike her.
Instead he kicks the tray and GLASSES -- which smashes
into the floor-to-ceiling MIRROR, SHATTERING like a bomb?
Andy glares at him, stalks for the door --
EXT. APUMSTEAD DRIVE - IRON GATE - NIGHT
Andy's CAR ROARS out the dirt drive past the iron gate.
INT. ARMSTEAD BEDRROM - NIGHT
Storm stalks in, slamming the door behind him -- crosses
in fury and despair to the desk. On the desktop: the
news photo of Felicia, Sonny and himself.
Storm stares at the photo in agony for a moment, then
rips the desk drawer open, rummages fiercely. He finds:
keys!
INT. ARMSTEAD GARAGE - NIGHT
Storm strides in, punches the garage door button; the
door starts to open. He grabs the corner of a dusty canvas
cover -- jerks it off an Army-style Jeep.
EXT. GARAGE - NIGHT
The Jeep speeds out into the night.
EXT. CEMETERY - NIGHT
The Jeep parked at the edge of a cemetery road.
STORM
stands in the midst of the graveyard, staring at --
THREE TOMBSTONES
In the light from the road lamp, we read the names: FELICIA
STORM... MASON STORM ... JEREMY "SONNY" STORM.
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EXT. ALL-NIGHT COFFEE SHOP - PHONE BOOTH - DAWN
Ethnic neighborhood, Dodger Stadium visible in b.g.
Andy looks exhausted, from a night of black coffee and
anxiety. Now: frustrated by a BUSY SIGNAL.
ANDY
(into phone)
Pick up, Martha ... Pick up.
No luck. Andy hangs up.
EXT. CHAVEZ RAVINE STREET AND ALLEY - DAWN
Andy's car pulls past tiered hillside apartment units,
enters an alley behind a row of multi-family dwellings.
Andy at the wheel: cautious, peering around.
She parks in an out-of-sight spot, TURNS OFF the ENGINE.
INT. CAR - ANDY
The emotion of the parting with Mason catches up with
her.
ANDY
Get a hold of yourself, Andy.
She wipes her eyes, cranks the mirror around, tries to
fix her face. She looks like hell.
ANDY
(into mirror,
sarcastic)
You're really beautiful.
She puts on shades, pulls up the hood of her sweatshirt.
EXT. ALLEY - ANDY
gets out... wary. She's barefoot, just in the jeans she
threw on before bolting from Armstead's.
EXT. TWO-FAMILY DWELLING - DAWN
Andy pads quickly up to a weathered wooden door, knocks.
No answer. She rings the BELL.
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ANDY
(calling out)
Martha! Martha, it's me --
A NEIGHBOR sticks his head out next-door. A rough-looking
youth in a T-shirt, with his hair mussed up from bed.
NEIGHBOR
(tentatively)
You looking for Martha Coe?
ANDY
Yes... yes --
do you know if she's home?
The boy gets a funny look on his face.
NEIGHBOR
You haven't seen the news?
(beat)
She's dead. They shot her in the
back... over in Westwood.
Andy reacts in shock and horror.
NEIGHBOR
(staring at her)
You look like the woman's picture
on T.V... the one whose house they
shot her at --
Andy turns, flees into the alley.
ANGLE - ALLEY - ANDY'S CAR
pulls out swiftly into the street. It passes:
AT CURB - UNMARKED CAR - FORD
The killer lets Andy's car pass.
FORD
(into two-way
mike)
You called it right, Max. The bitch
showed. I'm on her ass right now --
(pulls out to
follow her)
Mount up, boys. Two to one she
leads us right to our boy Storm.
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EXT. AMRSTEAD HOUSE - MORNING
Storm's Jeep enters the drive, pulls into the garage.
Storm SHUTS OFF the MOTOR. As he steps to the floor, a
man's silhouette MOVES INTO FRAME behind him.
MAN
That's grand theft, auto.
Storm spins. For a second he is ready for anything.
Then his face softens --
STORM
(with emotion)
O'Malley.
In the garage doorway stands the friend Storm feared was
dead.
STORM AND O'MALLEY
bear hug each other affectionately.
INT. ARMSTEAD KITCHEN - OPENING CLOSE ON SNAPSHOTS - DAY
of Sonny -- now aged 12 -- in a school environment,
athletic fields, etc. O'Malley is with Sonny in some of
the shots, beaming, arm around the boy.
O'MALLEY (O.S.)
-- It's Sonny, all right. Believe
how big he got? He can throw a
football forty yards --
PULL BACK to reveal -- Storm looks up at his friend, too
moved to speak.
O'MALLEY
He made it to my house, the night
you got shot. I hid him, played it
out like he was dead -- even staged
a funeral, along with Felicia's and
yours. They bought it. Everyone
believed he was dead.
STORM
Where is he now? Is he safe?
O'MALLEY
Trinity School in Ventura. Under
my mother's maiden name, Wade. No
one has any idea he's your son.
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STORM
(trying to absorb
it all)
Then that was your mother. The one
Andy found.
O'MALLEY
Your nurse friend? Yeah. She left
your number, I traced you to here.
Storm gazes with great tenderness at the snapshots of
Sonny.
STORM
O'Mal ... I can never thank you.
O'MALLEY
Just seeing your ugly ass alive,
that's enough for me.
(beat)
You wouldn't happen to have a beer
around this joint --
Storm indicates the fridge. O'Malley helps himself brings
one for Storm.
STORM
I'd give my left arm to see Sonny,
just for two minutes. But we can't
risk it -- not yet. Not till I get
Calabrese.
O'MALLEY
Calabrese? Calabrese's dead.
Storm reacts.
O'MALLEY
Someone blew the shit out of his
Cadillac -- six months after you
'died.'
STORM
(understands)
He did his thing -- then they waxed
him.
Storm's wheels are turning.
STORM
The two guys at the pier. They
ordered the hit on me too.
(beat)
And I've got 'em on film. Still in
the camera, right where I left it.
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EXT. PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY - DAY
Andy's car drives north, back to the Armstead house.
Ford in his car keeps a discreet distance back.
ANGLE - FORD'S CAR
as another car carrying three men (including Jones, the
cop we remember who answered Andy's phone call from the
coma ward) pulls up alongside. Ford points ahead, toward
Andy's car. The new car slips in behind Ford's, tailing
Andy.
INT. ARMSTEAD LIVING ROOM - DAY
Coffee table piled with the news clippings Storm has been
studying these past days.
O'MALLEY
-- That night in the hospital, I
found the audiotape ... in your
vest. I must've listened to it a
thousand times -- looking for little
quirks in the voices, phrases they
repeat ...
His look shows he came up with nothing.
STORM
Where is the tape?
O'MALLEY
I turned it in for evidence.
Storm scowls.
0'MALLEY
Don't worry, I made a duve. I'll
get it for you. Meanwhile maybe
this'll cheer you up.
From O'Malley's briefcase comes .45 automatic, three empty
clips and a box of Glazer ammo.
Storm takes the weapon with pleasure. Checks the action,
hefts it for weight. He glances at O'Malley -- two old
comrades, ready to get back in action. Suddenly a bit of
sadness crosses Storm's face.
STORM
What happened, O'Mal? To you?
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O'Malley begins loading the clips: grim, almost
heartbroken.
0'MALLEY
I was on the case, trying to find
who pulled the trigger on you. But
it was like swimming through shit.
People kept telling me to back off.
Then one morning, the phone rings.
Immaculate Heart Emergency: someone
ran my mother off the road, her
back's broken, she's paralyzed.
STORM
(painful, emotion)
I'm sorry, O'Mal.
O'MALLEY
That night there's a note in my
locker -- letting me know it's not
an accident.
He looks at Storm, tormented.
O'MALLEY
You know me, Storm. I never would've
backed off. But there was Sonny to
worry about too. What if they found
him? What if they found you?
STORM
You did the right thing, O'Mal.
Storm takes a loaded clip from his friend, slams it into
the butt of the .45. He jacks the slide back and lets it
slam home -- chambering a round.
STORM
We'll get 'em, buddy. Every fucking
one of them.
EXT. ARMSTEAD DRIVEWAY - DAY
O'Malley in his car, in gear. Storm by the driver's door.
STORM
Get Sonny out of that school, O'Mal.
Right now. With me alive and making
a stink, whoever's on that film is
going to be looking harder than
ever for Sonny -- just to get to
me. Get him someplace safe ...
three thousand miles away if you
have to.
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O'MALLEY
Consider it done.
STORM
I'm going straight to get that film.
When you've got Sonny safe, bring
me the audiotape. We'll put 'em
together and get 'em to Esposito
for the T.V. news. That should be
quite a show.
O'MALLEY
You got it, partner.
(starts to back
out)
You can always reach me through my
mother.
(pauses, shifting
to forward)
What about that nurse? She still in
this?
STORM
Gone.
(with pain)
For the best. For her best.
O'MALLEY
Thanks for the brew!
He speeds off. Storm stands, thinking --
INT. ARMSTEAD BEDROOM - DAY
Storm enters, still deep in thought. Racking his brain --
SUBLIMINAL FLASH - EXT. DOCK - NIGHT (FOOTAGE FROM
PREVIOUSLY SHOT SCENE)
The two Shadow Men. Obscure... in darkness --
BACK TO ARMSTEAD BEDROOM - STORM
moving to the bed. The TV set edges INTO FRAME --
SUBLIMINAL FLASH - EXT. DOCK - NIGHT (FOOTAGE FROM
PREVIOUSLY SHOT SCENE)
The tall Shadow Man, starting to edge into the light.
Almost, but not ... quite --
BACK TO ARIMSTEAD BEDROOM - STORM
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sits on bed -- identical angle including TV to when he
half heard the TV ad for Trent's campaign.
STORM
(it all comes
together)
I'm gonna take you to the bank,
Senator Trent. The blood bank.
Storm's vengeance look. Suddenly O.S. -- a CAR!
INT. VESTIBULE - DAY
Storm poised inside the front door -- .45 in hand. In
walks ... Andy!
She nearly faints at the sight of the pistol leveled
between her eyes. Storm instantly jerks the weapon back.
They stand there staring at each other.
ANDY
Martha's dead.
Storm takes Andy in his arms. She weeps, sobbing. Feeling
all the tension and terror of the past days -- yet somehow
knowing she's safe in the arms of this man she loves.
ANDY
I won't leave you. Not ever again.
STORM
I won't let you.
Storm holds her, knowing he loves her.
STORM
O'Malley was here.
ANDY
Here? How did you find him?
STORM
You found him. The old lady was his
mother.
(beat)
And Andy ... my son's alive.
Andy raises her face to Storm's, her eyes welling with
emotion. He kisses her. They are standing there, just
inside the front door, which has a wood bottom-half and a
frosted-glass top-half. Suddenly:
Storm jerks Andy sideways into the room with all his
strength! He dives with her as -
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The TOP of the FRONT DOOR EXPLODES inward in a SHOWER of
flying GLASS! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three more point-blank
SHOTOGUN BLASTS BLOW the rest of the DOOR to hell.
ANGLE - HALLWAY
Storm hurls Andy so hard and fast it looks like she will
land in pieces. He somehow ends up in front of her on
the floor as a masked man plunges through the front door
into the hallway, shotgun spinning to cover his advance.
Too late.
We hear TWO LOUD ROUNDS and the masked man's head snaps
violently back and he falls into a pile.
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - DAY
Jones and Ford pull masks over their faces and sprint for
the other doors. Both carry assault rifles. An enormous
powerful third man (Joe Bear), his mask already in place,
vaults to low balcony, hauls himself up to a second story
window -- his huge Bowie knife glinting in the sun.
INT. HALLWAY - STORM AND ANDY
hurry toward a staircase, their attention focused behind
them -- on the first floor.
INT. HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - INTERIOR BALCONY
Joe Bear waits concealed at the top of the stairs, on an
interior balcony overlooking the living room, atrium-style.
Through the mouth opening of his ski mask, we see he is
smiling a sick smile -- and sensually stroking his Bowie
knife.
ANGLE - TRACKING - STORM
Storm and Andy scramble up the staircase onto the atrium
balcony and out steps Joe Bear with his knife and his
smile.
Joe Bear, for the first time in his life, is surprised
when Storm smiles too. Joe Bear screams like an animal
and lunges with his knife.
Storm stabs out his left arm like a spear and tilts his
body ever so slightly, then clamps Joe Bear's wrist with
his right hand.
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Allowing his tremendous momentum to culminate like a
hurricane, Storm manipulates him in a full circle,
catapulting Joe Bear unbelievably into a tall T'ang Dynasty
cabinet filled with priceless Oriental artifacts!
LIVING ROOM
Ford and Jones, masked, hurtle into the living room, just
below the atrium balcony. They raise their automatic
weapons, but before they can fire --
STORM
hurls Joe Bear's massive body down upon the attackers!
Jones takes the tonnage head-on and is crushed beneath
it! Ford dodges, unleashes a burst of AUTOMATIC FIRE
straight up at the balcony. Storm shoves Andy to safety
onto the exterior balcony and dives there himself, just
as the whole interior balcony is RIDDLED by Ford's BULLETS!
Ford bolts for the staircase, coming after Storm. Storm,
crouched around the corner on the exterior balcony, waits
till Ford hurtles INTO VIEW at the top of the staircase.
Storm FIRES his .45 furiously ... Ford springs back,
Storm's BULLETS BLAST the staircase WALL to ribbons. His
.45 CLICKS empty!
EXT. BALCONY - STORM
rips a magazine from his pocket, slams it into the butt
of his .45, reloading. He has it half-raised when:
Ford appears -- right in his face, assault rifle leveled
at Storm's guts. Storm strikes an instantaneous blow,
sending the rifle flying. In one motion, he pinwheels
Ford over his head, sending him flying off the exterior
balcony and crashing down into the Oriental fountain below!
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - BALCONY AND FOUNTAIN
Storm swings down to the ground. Andy leaps into his
arms, he breaks her fall and helps her alight safely.
He reaches to Ford in the fountain, rips the mask off his
face.
He recognizes the man.
STORM
I know this fuck. He's a cop!
FRONT SIDE OF HOUSE - STORM AND ANDY
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race INTO VIEW, leap aboard the JEEP, FIRE it UP and fly.
TWO MORE MASKED MEN
appear running down the drive -- SHOTGUN and assault RIFLE
trained on Storm and Andy. They begin to FIRE.
Andy can't shoot and Storm can't drive and shoot at the
same time, so he does what is logical for him -- he keeps
the pedal to the metal and chases them.
BULLETS from the two men OBLITERATE the Jeep's WINDSHIELD.
BUCKSHOT RIDDLES the VEHICLE everywhere. Andy is on the
floor of the Jeep. Storm is periodically ducking. He is
bleeding we don't know from what or how bad -- and then
blam! -- masked man #1's body is airborne. This makes #2
think... and run very fast.
EXT. TEAHOUSE - DAY
He is sprinting the 100 in 5 flat -- racing for the tea
house. He makes it inside and dives for a good position
to resume firing, but there isn't enough time. Storm
just drives right through the front of the tea house and
over the assassin's body! The JEEP ROARS out of the
flattened tea house and keeps on hauling!
EXT. ARMSTEAD GROUNDS - JEEP
ROARS across the terrain... past the horses, ostriches,
etc.
JEEP'S POV
The heavy iron gate straight ahead.
STORM
SLAMS THROUGH the metal GATE with JEEP BLASTING it.
ONCOMING VEHICLE
Captain Holland! -- in the car as a passenger, with another
plainclothes cop. The flying gate sends glass in all
directions, as Storm swerves in his Jeep to avoid the
car.
Storm freaks, seeing Holland as Holland's car is forced
off the road. Storm SKIDS into a wild 180 --
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STORM
(gun in hand,
heading back)
Holland! The other man on the dock --
ANDY
Are you crazy?! Get us outa here --
Holland and the driver are out of their car, guns drawn.
Ford races up, reinforcing them. He has an assault rifle --
STORM'S JEEP
swerves as BULLETS SMACK into it! Protecting Andy with
his body, he races off down the mountain road at high
speed.
INT. O'MALLEY'S CAR - MOVING - DAY
The unmistakable sound of a TIRE BLOWING OUT.
O'MALLEY
Shit!
EXT. HIGHWAY ONE - DAY
O'Malley's car limps to the roadside, in view of a sign:
"VENTURA 21." O'Malley gets out in frustration --
EXT. TRINITY BOYS' PREP (VENTURA) - SOCCER FIELD - LONG
LENS - SONNY STORM - (SLOW MOTION) - DAY
Our first live look at Storm's son as a twelve-year-old.
Wearing colorful soccer duds and TRINITY PREP athletic
shirt. He looks terrific, like a young colt -- free and
fearless -- his shiny hair flying as lie runs down a soccer
ball in the pell-mell action of an eighth-grade game.
The feel of this SLOW MOTION portrait is diametrically
opposite to the corruption and duplicity in the world of
the movie so far. In contrast, Sonny's world seems pure
and unsullied -- youthful and untouched by the harsh
realities of the world. We watch Sonny and his teammates
long enough to absorb his vigorous,full-of-life energy.
Then:
BACK FOCUS TO:
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MAX DUNNE AND NOLAN
Striding swiftly. Toward Sonny. Their dark plainclothes
suits in grim contrast to the colorful soccer uniforms --
SONNY (SLOW MOTION)
He falls! The rush of soccer action sweeps past him,
down the field. Sonny -- all attention focused on the
game -- scrambles to his feet, legs churning to take off
in pursuit of his friends. Just as he gets his traction:
MAX DUNNE (NORMAL SPEED)
Out of nowhere scoops Sonny up in his brawny, brutal arms!
Sonny cries out and tries to resist, but --
DOWNFIELD - SOCCER PLAYERS
They don't hear, lost in their own action and cheering.
BACK TO SONNY
Dunne and Nolan hustle him swiftly toward their car.
Already they're well away from the field, moving fast
DOWNFIELD SIDELINES
The soccer coach turns back. We see him shout, his arm
raised in a gesture of urgency --
DOWNFIELD - SOCCER PLAYERS
They turn back, too.
LONG ANGLE - SONNY, DUNNE AND NOLAN
Into Dunne's car. The car speeds off.
EXT. STORM'S OLD HOUSE - POV THROUGH JEEP WINDSHIELD -
MOVING - DAY
As the house whips INT0 VIEW and the JEEP BRAKES HARD to
stop. This is the house from the film's opening -- the
one Storm, Felicia and Sonny lived in seven years ago.
It is undergoing a remodeling now. Carpenter's and
plasterers' trucks in the driveway --
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INT. JEEP - ACROSS STREET - STORM AND ANDY
Storm yanks up the brake, full of urgency -- pulls out
his gun.
ANDY
What the hell are you doing?!
STORM
We just made the top of the chart,
Andy. Every cop in the city thinks
we shot our way out of a legitimate
bust --
ANDY
There are no cops here!
STORM
Only 'cause they're too stupid.
(cocks the slide,
ready to go)
We need that film and we don't need
any bullshit --
EXT. HOUSE - FRONT WALK - DAY
Andy making Storm put the gun away.
ANDY
Goddamit ... for once, do something
the non-violent way!
Storm is reacting to the sight of his old home -- the
first time he's seen it since the slaughter seven years
ago. He struggles with his pain and rage.
Andy, aware of his turmoil, takes his hand. Her hair is
done up in a businesslike style; she wears a jacket and
carries a briefcase. They cross to the front door --
INT. STORM'S HOUSE - ENTRYWAY - DAY
A pleasant, chatty (and very pregnant) HOUSEWIFE speaks
through the open door to Storm and Andy. Sounds of
HAMMERING, ETC. in other rooms O.S.
HOUSEWIFE
-- Gee, my husband and I aren't
really thinking about selling. In
fact, we're adding a nursery --
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ANDY
Oh, that's the best time for us to
see it! Then when you do come to
sell, our office will know the
upgrades you've made and we can
market your home more effectively.
Two plasterers troop past, a carpenter with them.
HOUSEWIFE
Hell, come on in. Everyone else
does.
Storm and Andy enter. Andy immediately begins to steer
the Housewife away from the kitchen, into the living room.
"Oh what a cute place!
I'd love to see what you're doing with the nursery..."
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
Storm casually lingers behind, drifting into the kitchen.
He crosses immediately to the alcove where, seven years
earlier, he stashed the camera case.
But the spot has been remodeled! There's a new wall there!
STORM
New wall ... fucking yuppies!
Without hesitation, he slams his fist through --
WALL
Bang! Gypsum wallboard splinters, revealing a fake panel
of brick adjacent to a real brick wall, six inches behind
the new wallboard. Storm reaches into the hole, yanks
out the camera case. He shakes his sore knuckles from
the blow as:
HOUSEWIFE AND ANDY
arrive from the living room. The Housewife stares in
shock at this strange man -- with his hand halfway through
her new wall.
HOUSEWIFE
(very cool)
Just checking for termites He tucks
the camera case under his arm --
takes Andy by the elbow.
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STORM
(to Housewife)
Better have this place fumigated --
quick.
He leads Andy out -- crisply, businesslike. Housewife
stands there dumbfounded.
ACROSS FROM CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL - PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Storm pauses in mid-conversation, drops the phone receiver
from his ear. Thinking fast, troubled. Andy beside him...
both of them keeping their faces obscured as moviegoers
and business people pass.
STORM
(to Andy)
O'Malley left his mother's place
three hours ago -- with the tape.
He should be at the school by now,
but she hasn't heard back from him.
Several people pass, glancing curiously at Storm. He
averts his face, getting even more antsy. The camera case
under his arm.
ANDY
(re: people
staring)
Fuck the tape. We gotta get this
film to Esposito or I'm gonna have
a nervous breakdown.
Storm knows this, too -- puts the receiver back to his
ear.
STORM
(into phone)
Mrs. O'Malley. Sorry ... listen.
We're outside the Century Plaza now
... the hotel. Right, right. The
one in Century City. Okay, listen
closely ...
(makes this
very clear)
Tell O'Mal to leave a message for
us at the hotel desk. Leave it for
Andy ... Andrea Smith. We're not
gonna check in, it's too dangerous --
but the desk will hold the message
if you tell them we're coming in
this afternoon. Got it? Great.
You're a champ, Mrs. '0.'
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Storm hangs up, peering around uneasily -- takes Andy by
the elbow...
STORM
You're gonna call Esposito. But
not from this phone.
ANGLE - PLAZA
Storm and Andy hurry off.
MONTAGE
WITH SCORE. Tension, urgency increasing --
A) INT. REDONDO BEACH RETIREMENT - VILLA - OFFICE -DAY
Mrs. O'Malley hangs up her phone, finishes scribbling the
notes she took from Storm. CAMERA MOVES IN ON the office
window. THROUGH the window, outside DOWN the block, we
see ... a nondescript sedan --
B) EXT. STREET OUTSIDE RETIREMENT VILLA - SEDAN - DAY
Two men inside. One wears earphones. He takes them off --
shoots a look of satisfaction to the other man.
C) EXT. TRINITY PREP (VENTURA) - MAIN BUILDING - DAY
O'Malley hurrying from his car in the lot toward the
school's main administration building.
D) ANGLE - ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
A priest and the soccer coach hurry from the building,
toward O'Malley.
We see the three men confer urgently. O'Malley reacts
with extreme alarm. He hurries, with the two others,
into the building --
E) INT. JEEP - MOVING - ANGLE ON STORM - DAY
Scowling, as a car passes and its occupants seem to stare
at the Jeep.
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F) EXT. SILVER LAKE STREET - DAY
Storm's JEEP BRAKES HARD at a stoplight, next to four bad-
looking LATINO YOUTHS in a ragged Camaro. The dudes check
Andy out lasciviously.
STORM
Hey, hermano! You want this Jeep?
He pulls the keys from the ignition, holds them up.
YOUTH #1
How hot is it?
STORM
Fuckin' smoking.
The youths look to each other. Then to the piece of shit
they're driving. In their heads, they've already got the
Jeep stripped, repainted, etc.
YOUTH #1
We got it, my man.
In ten seconds, everyone has switched cars -- BOTH VEHICLES
ROAR OFF in different directions.
MONTAGE ENDS, MUSIC DOWN --
EXT. L.A. ZOO - PARKING LOT - DAY
Storm's Camaro parked discreetly. Storm gets out -- wary,
camera case on a strap from his shoulder. Kids and moms,
other zoo-goers coming and going.
ANGLE - CAMARO - STORM AND ANDY
Andy moves uneasily behind the wheel.
ANDY
(checking watch,
nervous)
Esposito won't be here yet. He said
three-thirty.
STORM
He'll be there.
Storm adjusts his jacket to conceal his .45. Peering
around. He passes the camera case back in to Andy.
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STORM
Try O'Malley one more time.
(ready to go)
If you hear any lions roaring, haul
ass.
Andy looks at him with fearful concern.
STORM
Don't worry. I'm a big boy.
A grin. A touch --
EXT. ZOO - ATMOSPHERE SHOTS - DAY
A lion. Elephants. Kids chomping candy apples. Etc.
EXT. ZOO PATH - STORM
moving through the scene. Tense, but casual ... blending
in.
EXT. ANOTHER ZOO WALKWAY - STO'RIM
So far so good. Zoo goers more interested in chimps and
boa constrictors.
EXT. PLAZA OUTSIDE GORILLA COMPOUND - ESPOSITO
The TV reporter we remember from earlier in the film, the
one Storm is now going to meet. He stands nervously
outside, smoking. We hear one of the great APES BELLOW -
ANGLE - GORILLA COMPOUND - STORM
enters the plaza. He spots Esposito. Starts forward.
Suddenly Storm slows --
ANGLE ON ESPOSITO
as Max Dunne moves INTO FRAME seizing Esposito -- subtly,
not drawing any attention. Another man in a suit
reinforces Dunne from the other side. Esposito shows
terror, but no surprise. Clearly the men have had the
drop on him for several minutes -- but there was nothing
he could do about it. Dunne's posture indicates he has a
concealed gun pressed to Esposito's ribs.
Dunne and Storm make eye contact. The message is clear:
Try anything and Esposito dies.
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As Dunne and the other man hustle Esposito from the plaza --
ANOTHER SECURITY-TYPE IN SUIT
moves into Storm's peripheral vision. Coat over his arm,
concealing a short-barreled automatic weapon.
SECURITY-TYPE
Someone wants to talk to you, Storm.
The man gestures with his coat arm. Storm's eyes follow
to:
STORM'S POV - PARK BENCH - TRENT
The Senator himself. Big, as life and cool as a cucumber.
Alone and unrecognized on a bench, shelling and munching
from a bag of peanuts. Behind him: a caged vulture.
ANGLE - PARK BENCH
as Storm MOVES INTO FRAME. He stops, standing above Trent.
TRENT
What a day, huh? Beautiful!
(squints up at
Storm, offers
bag of nuts)
Want some nuts?
Storm makes no move.
STORM
I haven't got the film on me.
TRENT
(breezily)
I didn't think you would.
(clears space
beside him)
Sit down. Take a load off.
Storm glances to the coat-over-the-arm-man, who has taken
up a subtle position about twenty feet away.
After a beat ... Storm sits.
TRENT
You do have the film somewhere, I
assume?
Storm's hard look says yes.
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TRENT
Developed yet?
STORM
Still in the camera.
TRENT
Good. Very good. That way I know
you haven't duplicated it.
Storm inches slightly closer.
STORM
You know, Trent ... I could rip
your fucking throat out before that
sonofabitch over there could find
the spit to sneeze.
TRENT
Oh, I'm sure you could, Storm.
(keeps munching
peanuts)
But not before one of those other
gentlemen, across the way, could
put a fifty-caliber slug through
your brainpan.
ANGLE - NEARBY ROOFTOP - TWO SNIPERS
Nicely concealed atop one of the zoo buildings -- their
guns zeroed on Storm's skull.
BACK TO BENCH - STORM AND TRENT
STORM
Very well placed, Trent. But did
you know that human reaction time --
even the fastest -- is between half
and three-quarters of second? And
in that time, I could easily --
Like lightning, Storm lunges for Trent... whips behind
him, seizing his throat and hauling Trent's body into the
line of fire -- as a shield protecting Storm!
TRENT
You could kill me now, Storm -- but
you'll die two seconds later.
STORM
You think I care, motherfucker?
Just so I get you -- one way or the
other.
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Then, a voice from O.S.
DUNNE (O.S.)
Maybe you care about this, asshole.
MAX DUNNE
Twenty feet away -- both hands up -- holding a bay's
athletic shirt... "TRINITY VENTURA."
STORM AND TRENT
Storm: stunned.
TRENT
Reach into my jacket pocket.
(when Storm
hesitates)
Reach in!
Storm pulls out a Polaroid snapshot. Stares at it.
INSERT - POLAROID SNAPSHOT
It's Sonny, looking terrified, in some murky environment --
Dunne and another man (Nolan) smiling with their arms
around the boy.
BACK TO SCENE
Storm releases Trent. The Senator straightens his tie
and jacket.
TRENT
I want that film and the tape.
I'll give you three hours.
Storm stands. Dunne facing him. The snipers behind him.
STORM
(to Trent)
Just tell me one thing. Who pulled
the trigger on me and my wife?
TRENT
(sadistic irony)
Hate poisons people. Let go of it.
Storm glares at Trent. Dunne takes a step forward.
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DUNNE
(to Storm)
I missed your kid seven years ago.
But I won't miss tonight.
Storm glowers with fury. Trent hands Storm a business
card.
TRENT
Bring that film, Mr. Storm. Three
hours.
EXT. PLAYA VISTA POWER PLANT - NIGHT
Towering smokestacks silhouetted against black sky. Deep
RUMBLE of DYNAMOS, TURBINES --
INT. POWER PLANT - EQUIPMENT ROOM - NIGHT
A mesh-enclosed space above the main dynamo room.
Deafening DIN of TURBINE GENERATORS below. A bulb
illuminates Sonny sitting rigidly on a metal chair. Nolan,
a cop we saw earlier in the film, and TURNER (whom we
haven't seen before) play cards, making sure Sonny goes
nowhere.
NOLAN
(re: power plant)
It's fun, huh, kid? Kinda like a
field trip.
Sonny glowers. There's a lot of his father in him.
SONNY
I'm remembering both of you. And
when my dad gets here --
TURNER
He's gonna have a long trip, kid --
starting from Forest Lawn.
They both laugh derisively.
NOLAN
By the time this night's over, your
old man'll have a use for that phony
grave of his.
A wall-mounted PHONE RINGS. Nolan picks it up. He listens
seriously for a long beat.
NOLAN
Yeah... yeah -- we'll be right down.
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He hangs up, stands. So does Turner. They exit the wire-
mesh space, re-close the door on Sonny.
NOLAN
(to Sonny)
We'll come back with your French
fries.
(padlocks the
door)
Don't leave home without us.
ANGLE - STAIRWAY DOWN FROM EQUIPMENT ROOM
Nolan and Turner clump down and away, laughing and making
wisecracks.
INT. EQUIPMENT ROOM - SONNY
He waits till they're out of sight, then swiftly mounts a
tall equipment box that reaches almost to the ceiling.
He shoves a few boxes out of his way, revealing --
WIRE MESH HATCH
in the mesh ceiling of the room. Sonny flops onto his
back atop the tall equipment box, kicks up hard -- the
hatch pops open!
ANGLE - ROOF OF EQUIPMENT ROOM - SONNY
climbs out onto the "roof" of the room. He sees a short
catwalk leading to the huge, high wall of the dynamo room.
Against the wall are big windows.
Sonny scoots to the windows, which are cracked open awning
style. He peers out and down.
SONNY'S POV
A 30-foot drop to the pavement below.
EXT. POWER PLANT - NIGHT
Sonny shins down a pipe as niftily as a spider monkey!
EXT. POWER PLANT - LOT - NIGHT
Sonny scampers across the darkened lot, heading for the
traffic and headlights on the PCH.
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EXT. REDONDO BEACH RETIREMENT VILLA - NIGHT
A cab pulls into the curb outside Mrs. O'Malley's place,
Sonny springs out. We see the cabbie shouting after him --
and Sonny arguing, gesturing toward the nursing home.
Mrs. O'Malley emerges from the nursing home wheelchair.
Sonny rushes to her ... they embrace joyfully.
O'Malley comes out too, more cautiously than his mother.
He is armed. He also hurries to Sonny, hugs him tight.
SONNY
Malley!
O'MALLEY
It's okay, sport. It's okay...
it's okay --
Still hugging Sonny, O'Malley shoves a bill at the cabbie.
Whatever it is, the cabbie is thrilled. He boogies off
ecstatically.
INT. CAMARO - MOVING - NIGHT
Storm wheels the car at high speed -- super-intense,
clutching a tiny chain-link "low-rider" steering wheel.
ANDY
Is that a steering wheel -- or a
Winchell's donut?
Storm has no time for humor -- he twists the wheel,
flooring the accelerator.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
The Camaro ROARS through a hairy turn.
EXT. REDONDO RETIREMENT VILLA - OFFICE WINDOW - NIGHT
Through the window we see O'Malley on the phone, speaking
urgently. He finishes, hangs up -
ANGLE - FRONT DOOR OF NURSING HOME
O'Malley emerges with Sonny, carrying a travel bag. The
boy and O'Malley quickly hug Mrs. O'Malley, then stride
swiftly out toward O'Malley's car.
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UP BLOCK FROM NURSING HOME - SEDAN
The car with the two surveillance men we saw before, waits,
hidden in shadow. The men watch --
O'MALLEY'S CAR
with Sonny aboard, pulls out.
SEDAN
pulls out after it.
EXT. CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL - ENTRYWAY - NIGHT
Two unmarked sedans whip in and stop ... doors open...
out come Ford, Jones and two plainclothesmen. They give
curt instructions to the valets and hurry inside --
INT. CENTURY PLAZA - LOBBY - NIGHT
The men fan out nonchalantly. Jones approaches the --
MESSAGE DESK
JONES
(displays badge
and warrant)
I need to check any messages for a
Miss Andrea Smith.
The DESK CLERK quickly scans the message slots.
DESK CLERK
I'm sorry. I see no slot for that
name --
JONES
She hasn't checked in yet. But
she's due here. Someone might have
left a message for her.
The Clerk finds the slot.
DESK CLERK
Here it is. There's just one message.
Jones takes the message slip. Ford and one of the
plainclothesmen join him -- the three move aside, confer
briefly. Ford and the cop move off. Jones crosses back
to the Desk Clerk, hands the message slip back to him.
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JONES
You can put this back now.
(significantly)
You never saw me.
(indicates other
cops)
You never saw these guys.
The Clerk nervously replaces the message slip.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT
OPENING ON: FORD
in a subtle position near the lobby entrance.
JONES
half-hidden at a corner of the cocktail pit..
TWO PLAINCLOTHESMEN
dispersed at angles across from the message desk.
EXT. CENTURY PLAZA - ENTRY DRIVE - NIGHT
Storm's Camaro pulls and parks. Storm and Andy, very
wary, step out.
INT. CENTURY PLAZA - LOBBY - NIGHT
Andy enters first, Storm half a step behind her like a
bodyguard. His eyes move everywhere --
FORD
slips back out of sight.
JONES
does the same.
MESSAGE DESK AND ALCOVE
Storm drops away from Andy, about ten feet from the desk,
slips subtly toward an alcove.
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Andy crosses to the desk -- we see her speak to the Clerk
and the Clerk hands her the message slip. She scans it
hastily, excited by what she reads -- moves quickly back
to Storm.
ANDY
Sonny got away! He's with O'Malley!
O'Malley's gat the tape -- they're
heading for Union Station.
Storm:. ecstatic. He grabs Andy, ready to exit. Suddenly,
he freezes --
STORM'S POV
He spots Ford!
STORM
his eyes flash across the lobby. He spots:
JONES
STORM
shields Andy. Plainclothesman #1 steps out, whipping out
his badge. Suddenly Storm grabs the cop with the badge
in front of his face and uses him as a human battering
ram for him and Andy to escape, plunging the man through
two layers of glass windows of the adjoining Hertz rental
office and out into the street in front of the hotel!
Andy follows through the newly formed exit. People scream.
Chaos. The other cops react in pursuit of Storm and Andy.
EXT. CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL - NIGHT
Storm dumps his "battering ram body" and he and Andy sprint
toward the valet booth at the main entrance of the hotel,
where numerous cars are coining and going.
VALET AREA
The valet is a big fat man in a red Beefeater costume.
He is presently handing keys to a large "good old boy" --
boots, ten-gallon hat and all. Tex is just laying a bill
in the Beefeater's hand, and starting to stuff his too-
large frame into a sleek Gullwing speedster with its doors
popped up. Before he can, we see him take a flying seat
on the road as Storm and Andy shove in and --
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AVENUE OF THE STARS
Instantly the Gullwing is in flight -- SCREECHING away
from the hotel entrance, across the median and the
decorative fountain that separates the Avenue of the Stars.
But almost equally as fast, two cop cars start to close
in on him. It looks like Storm is trapped! But he slams
the pedal to the metal and blasts between them, escaping.
As the two cop cars crash into each other --
FORD AND JONES
on foot, catch up to the scene. Too late.
FORD
Get the goddam cars!
They run off. A crowd of theatergoers stare in
bewilderment at the scene of chaos.
EXT. AVENUE OF THE STARS - NIGHT
The Gullwing thunders off into the night.
INT. UNION STATION - NIGHT
0'Malley scans the monitor above the ticket seller's
window. The 11:10 to Albuquerque leaves on track 12.
The waiting area is quiet at this time of night except
for a few travelers and stragglers.
Sonny Storm, quiet and apprehensive, focuses on tearing
open the packet of mustard for his hot dog. He sits on
top of a battered suitcase.
O'Malley returns with the tickets and sits next to Sonny
on a bench.
O'MALLEY
Be careful you don't get any of
that guck on your sweater ... let
me comb your hair before your old
man gets here, it's stinking up in
the back.
O'Malley takes a comb out of his jacket pocket.
SONNY
Quit it, will you ... you're making
me more nervous than I am already.
My father's going to be more
interested in seeing the real me.
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Nevertheless O'Malley tries to comb Sonny's hair. Sonny
pushes the comb aside.
O'MALLEY
I think I'm more nervous than you
are, kid. We got out of my mother'
place about two shakes ahead of the
landlord ... know what I mean?
SONNY
My dad'll get 'em. You guys'll
nail them all.
(beat,
thoughtful;
then)
You think he's gonna like me?
O'MALLEY
Does a bear dump in the woods? Are
you kidding -- he's gonna love you.
SONNY
Let me see the tickets. Did you
get us one of those sleeping cars?
What time is he getting here anyway?
O'MALLEY
Soon...
Just then, O'Malley becomes aware of a bad vibe in the
air. A foreign presence. Nolan, and Turner have followed
him and Sonny from Mrs. O'Malley's house. Now they
approach --
NOLAN
(calling out)
Hey, O'Malley! Long time no see.
(approaching)
Taking a trip somewhere?
O'Malley slip the tape from his pocket, placing it under
Sonny's Jacket on the bench without missing a beat, as he
calmly starts to rise.
O'MALLEY
(to Sonny, under
his breath)
Make sure your father gets this ...
(to Nolan)
Yeah. Me and my son are visiting
my mother in New Mexico.
O'Malley gets up, starts to move toward the men.
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NOLAN
Your son, huh? That's funny. He
doesn't look much like you --
(to his partner)
Does he, Turner?
They both laugh.
TURNER
Looks a lot like Mason Storm.
O'Malley and the men come to face-off point, staring at
each other.
NOLAN
Enough of this fucking around. We
want the tape.
CLUNK! O.S. we hear a CLATTERING ECHO.
Sonny has picked up his jacket. The tape has fallen onto
the marble floor!
O'MALLEY
Sonny -- run!
Sonny snatches up the tape and leaps over the bench, racing
toward the rear doorway heading for the street.
Nolan and Turner start to run after him. O'Malley throws
a fierce body block on both men, sending all three crashing
into a big, loaded luggage cart. O'Malley finds his feet
first as all three struggle to get up. Nolan starts to
pull his gun. O'Malley grabs a heavy metallic suitcase
and smashes Nolan in the face with all his strength.
Nolan crashes backward against Turner, toppling them both
into a huge 25-foot lighting installer's ladder -- which
now starts -- to cave over, pulling a string of dozens of
big industrial GLOBES plummeting to the floor and EXPLODING
into thousands of tiny shards! People scream. O'Malley
shoves the luggage cart at the men and races for the door --
EXT. UNION STATION - NIGHT
Sonny has made his way into the parking area, amidst dozens
of cars, but he has stopped -- looking back fearfully,
worried about O'Malley. O'Malley bursts from the exit.
O'MALLEY
(shouts)
Go! Sonny -- get outta here!
In front of the station, a cab is jacked up; the driver
replacing a flat. O'Malley starts to run toward Sonny
past the cab, when suddenly:
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He is SHOT in the back by Nolan! His lurching bulk crashes
into cab, knocking it off its jack to the ground. The
tire iron (that's used as a jack handle) springs loose,
onto the ground near O'Malley.
Seeing the gunmen, Sonny in horror crawls under a car.
The cab driver flees for his life. O'Malley spins back,
draws and tries to fire at the oncoming Nolan and Turner --
but he is SHOT TWICE in the stomach. Turner kicks O'Malley
in the hand, sending the gun flying off under the cab!
NOLAN
Get the kid! He's under the cars!
Nolan and Turner sprint off after Sonny. Sonny rolls
from under one to another.
Nolan and Turner try to trap him, peering under the cars --
but Sonny is too agile and cat-like. Turner crouches down,
spots Sonny.
TURNER
Give us the tape, kid -- and we'll
take you home.
SONNY
Fuck you, Jack!
Turner aims his gun. Suddenly:
His head turns to squash as: a bloody O'Malley stands
over him, bashing him with a tire iron!
A crowd of bystanders scream in horror at this horrendous
sight.
EXT. ALAMEDA STREET - NIGHT
A block from Union Station, the GULLWING SCREECHES into
view.
EXT. UNION STATION - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Nolan comes around the end of the car, sees O'Malley --
standing over the dead Turner with a tire iron in his
hand. It is clear O'Malley is about to die. But still
he staggers toward Nolan, raising the tire iron.
Nolan, gun in hand, watches incredulously. O'Malley
staggers another step. Sonny has crawled out from under
the car; he sees this. O'Malley staggers another step.
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O'MALLEY
(to Nolan, dying)
You don't deserve to wear your badge.
with his last failing strength,
O'Malley raises the tire iron.
Nolan PUMPS him once, square in the
chest, killing him.
Sonny screams and flees in fear for his life. Nolan races
after him. Between the maze of parked cars. Sonny,
dodging, in between the endless rows.
Meanwhile a small crowd has gathered around the mortally
wounded O'Malley.
Suddenly, O.S. we hear the SCREECHING of TIRES. The crowd
reacts as the Gullwing blasts into the lot, ROARING
straight toward Nolan and the terrorized Sonny. Finally,
unable to get any closer, Storm leaps out of the Gullwing,
onto the hood of a car and races across the rooftops of
one vehicle after another, closing in on Nolan and Sonny.
Andy stops in horror beside the deathly stricken O'Malley.
ON SONNY
unaware of Storm -- trying to escape from his pursuer.
NOLAN
cursing and unable to gain ground on the fleet-footed --
now actually raising his gun. Suddenly:
STORM
from the roof of the next-to-last car roof in a line of
parked vehicles soars through the air like a night eagle-
setting what looks like a new world record in the long
jump -- surprising Nolan from the rear! Slamming the cop
to the ground in instant death. Cracking his neck.
SONNY
stops. Gasping, breathless -- seeing the father he hasn't
seen in seven years.
STORM
relieved and overwhelmed, grabs his son and lifts him off
the ground in a moment of salvation and triumph. They
hold each other with all their strength.
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However their moment is incomplete, as Sonny is visibly
distraught about the stricken O'Malley, beginning to sob
at the loss of his surrogate father. Storm turns and
starts to move toward --
O'MALLEY - ON GROUND
Andy ... the crowd around O'Malley. Sonny breaks through,
with Storm half a pace behind. Sonny kneels, embracing
his fallen friend. Storm joins his son, kneels alongside
him, both mourning the loss of their dearest comrade.
ANDY
watching them. Touched deeply. Then: O.S. SIRENS!
EXT. ALAMEDA STREET - NIGHT
Two police CARS ROAR into view, racing for the station.
BACK TO PARKING LOT
Storm jumps up -- turns Sonny over to Andy, hurrying them
into a nearby cab. The cab takes off.
INT. CAB - MOVING
Andy and Sonny topple into the back seat. The DRIVER
picks up on all the frenzy.
DRIVER
Where to?
ANDY
That's a good question. Out of
here for sure.
ANDY
turns with Sonny to see Storm, through the back window of
the cab, looking after them protective -- full of emotion.
SONNY
(to Andy)
Where are we going? Who are you?
ANDY
thinks for a moment.
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ANDY
It's a long story. You got a few
minutes?
EXT. PARKING LOT - STORM
leaps aboard the Gullwing, ROARS out of the lot --
THUNDERSTORM - NIGHT (STOCK)
Forked lightning blazes above Los Angeles, THUNDER BOOMS --
STAND OF PALMS
illuminated by lightning
... RAIN sheeting past... WIND RIPPING the fronds in a
RATTLING MAELSTROM --
EXT. TRENT MANSION - RAIN - NIGHT
No sentries, no dogs. Only a high gate and fence
surrounding the fort-like mansion.
STORM
swiftly sliding through the shadows, he moves around the
perimeter, pausing to examine things, searching for
something. He finds an old storm gate to what would
probably be a cellar or basement.
INT. TRENT MANSION - SPORTING ROOM - NIGHT
RAIN LOUD outside. Holland, Dunne, Ford and Jones. Half-
tanked, shooting pool to pass the time and cool their raw
nerves. No one armed.
DUNNE
(angry, defending
himself)
What do we have to do, Holland drive
a fucking stake through his heart?
HOLLAND
I'll settle for a bullet.
Holland and Dunne exchange furious glares.
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HOLLAND
You had him point-blank seven years
ago, and he's still walking!
FORD
He won't be for long. Not with his
picture on every T.V. in --
HOLLAND
Fuck his picture! Get off your
asses --
(waves them to
get out of
here)
Start earning your money!
Holland grabs his shoulder holster off the back of a chair,
stalks angrily toward a rear door.
The others glower as Holland pounds off into the rear of
the house. Dunne slings a cue ball the length of the
table, breaking the rack with a crack like a pistol shot.
The balls ricochet into each other and the cushions in a
futile expression of rage and frustration. Suddenly:
STORM
Out of nowhere appears at the door opposite the one Holland
just left by. He is dripping from the rain and has a .45
pointed at them with one hand, while with the other he
holds a finger to his lips as if to say, "Shhh, don't
wake the baby."
DUNNE, FORD AND JONES
don't know whether to shit or go blind.
STORM
How's the action, boys? Mind if I
play?
Glances from the men toward the couch at the rear of the
room, on which rest their jackets and shoulder holsters.
Storm: totally aware of every aspect of the situation.
STORM
I know what you guys are thinking.
You're thinking I couldn't play
with this gun in my hand. Right?
Pause as the men stand in extreme anticipation. Then:
Storm holsters his gun.
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STORM
Well? Somebody hand me a cue.
There is a brief moment of hesitation and a look of
disbelief between the boys and then, BOOM! Ford tries to
hand Storm a pool cue as if Storm's head is a baseball
and the cue is a bat. This doesn't work very well, as
Storm enters and simultaneously grabs Ford's cue, using
his momentum to slam his head down onto the edge of the
pool table. We hear Ford's SKULL CRACK and he goes down.
Almost instantly another pool cue in Jones's hands slashes
toward Storm's head. This time Storm has his own tool --
and takes his cue to intercept the one about to connect
with his head.
He again uses the power of the attacker's momentum and as
soon as his cue goes down, so does Storm's, onto the back
of Jones's skull with so much force we hear the NECK SNAP
at the same time the cue splinters in half! Storm is
left with the jagged tip of the skinny end.
Dunne, knowing he'll never make it in time to the couch
at the rear of the room, lunges at Storm with a butcher
knife he seizes from a tray of cold cuts on a side table.
Storm traps the knife, and quickly guides it into Dunne's
midsection. With the other hand he raises the sharpened
end of the pool stick and slams it down Dunne's throat
via the windpipe!
STORM
That's for my wife. Fuck you and
die.
Dunne falls to his knees and just stares. Storm does a
flying kick to his chin, breaking his neck. The room now
finished, he turns and exits.
INDOOR POOL
Holland pours himself a nervous drink. He paces, tracking
Trent who's doing a gentle breaststroke.
TRENT
I want Dunne and the others here.
That goddamn Storm is nuts enough
to come after me --
HOLLAND
He's nuts -- but not that nuts.
Holland watches Trent swim a few more strokes, then turns
and heads away down a short hallway.
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INT. BATHROOM - HOLLAND
as he lifts the toilet seat to pee, he finds a handwritten
note on the seat. Shocked, he nervously looks around.
Seeing nothing, he picks up the note and reads it.
INSERT - NOTE
Anticipation of death is worse than death itself.
HOLLAND
A faint smile comes to his face with great confidence.
As he backs out of the toilet, he pulls his pistol from
his shoulder holster, cocking it. He cautiously exits.
TRACKING
Holland as he moves toward the sporting room and his
support team. He enters the area of carnage and the smug
confidence on his face starts to change to a slight worry.
He then starts carefully making his way back to the indoor
pool to inform Trent.
INDOOR POOL
Holland enters the area and finds no one. Now the look
on his face is one of fear and confusion.
HOLLAND
Sonofabitch.
But he has a plan. His plan is to try to make it out of
the house in one piece. What was once careful stalking
has turned into panicked blundering.
CONTINUE TRACKING Holland as he bumps into things, knocking
them over, retreating wildly. He passes a raging fireplace
and suddenly out of the shadows comes a voice:
STORM (O.S.)
How does it feel to know you're
about to die?
Holland FIRES in the direction of the voice, and Storm
comes out of the shadows standing in plain view -- his
.45 pointed at Holland.
STORM
I'll give you more time than you
and Trent gave my wife.
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Holland changes the point of his aim and FIRES again. As
he fires, Storm EMPTIES his GUN straight at Holland.
WALL BEHIND HOLLAND
A Louis XIII portrait -- where a silver dollar-sized group
of holes has just appeared, two inches above Holland's
head. They are both out of ammo.
STORM'S POV
Holland picks up a fireplace poker. He's swinging like
maniac and we hear the sound of the poker SLASHING the
AIR.
But he gets too close to Storm, who snatches the poker
away from him.
They are like two vicious cats whirling. We see Holland
gasping in agony and hear the sound of BONES BREAKING.
Storm then begins the search for Trent. He casually
strolls through the house calling as if he's playing hide
and seek with a childhood friend.
STORM
Vernon, oh, Verrrrrnon, where are
you?
Storm opens closets, looks in drawers, under the toilet
seat, and then proceeds into --
INT. MASTER BEDROOM
STORM
(loud enough
for Trent to
hear)
Let's see ... where could that bad
boy be?
From the tragic violent rage to what almost seems like a
kiddie game, we are not sure if: Storm has gone mad or
what. He approaches the master closet as he continues
the taunting melody.
MASTER CLOSET
Storm enters and begins pushing the clothes of the racks
aside -- looking for something that's probably not there.
Trent is too smart for this shit ... he's probably on a
jet to the Bahamas by now.
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One more rack of clothes in the farthest-back section.
Storm reaches to shove it aside when, with shocking and
deafening suddenness: a SHOTGUN BLAST erupts point-blank
... shredding $10,000 worth of suit jackets and barely
missing Storm's head. Instantly a figure leaps out. Storm
gently disarms him, and the two men are for a moment frozen
eye to eye.
STORM AND TRENT
Storm seems to drift off somewhere far away, and then
violently slams Trent up against the wall, pinning his
chest with the left hand. Storm takes the sawed-off
shotgun by the handle and punches the barrel straight
into Trent's mouth. The barrel simply goes through the
teeth and in his mouth. It appears Storm has made up his
mind about what to do. Trent's eyes bug out of his head.
Storm now takes Trent by the hair and leads him through
the house, shotgun still in his mouth.
STORM
You know, Trent, I want to kill you
so bad I can barely contain myself.
But I keep thinking that death is
far too merciful a fate for you,
and that a nice petite white-bread
boy like you in a federal
penitentiary ...
(pause)
-- let me put it this way -- I doubt
whether you could remain anal
retentive for very long. Yeah... I
think that's best for you --
Trent is now so fucking scared he looks like he is about
to go out of his mind. About this time in their journey
through the house, Storm has stopped before Holland's
mangled and lifeless body. If you think Trent was scared
before, you should see him now.
Storm curiously turns his back on Trent for a moment, to
pick up handcuffs off the floor. Trent sees his last
chance.
Trent seizes the poker and does his most mighty Babe Ruth
impression. Just as Storm stands up, the poker comes
flying. It looks like Storm is dead but somehow he steps
inside the arc and does shihonage, which disarms Trent
and flips him backwards head-first into the fire.
Trent's neck is impaled by one of the decorative iron
arrows of the fireplace. He is stuck -- struggling to
free himself from the arrow as his head catches fire ...
a fate somewhat worse than prison.
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Storm turns away --
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. CEMETERY - LONG SHOT - DAY
We are not sure where we are yet. In the distance, we
see a procession of marching men, all wearing kilts, and
all the accoutrements of traditional Scottish garb. In
the front, several paces ahead of the neatly marching
lines of men, is a single BAGPIPER. Behind all of them
is a hearse, being nobly escorted by mounted police.
FULL SHOT
Now we see them fully: the colors, the feeling, the emotion
of caring men marching in the funeral parade of a fallen
comrade.
CAMERA PAN'S OVER to reveal a section of mourners -- mostly
police but with some civilians. The CAMERA MOVES CLOSER
and PANS TO the front row, where we see Storm in full
police regalia, a medal of valor around his neck. Andy
and Sonny are standing near at sober attention.
The procession stops and the lone bagpiper continues to
play the dirge as he walks up and takes his position on a
section of lawn. The pallbearers remove the flag from
the casket and present it to the Chief of Police, who now
slowly approaches the group of mourners and stops directly
in front of Sonny Storm. He presents the flag and salutes
Sonny. The lone bagpiper stops and an officer on TRUMPET
begins playing "Taps." The coffin is slowly lowered.
FULL SCREEN - TV MONITOR
Finally: the film that Storm shot that night seven years
ago on the wharf. Spliced with the audiotape -- with
subtitles including each speaker's name to make every
word and identity clear. We see:
The two Shadow Men step from the station wagon. The
"pushed" film clearly reveals them to be Trent and Holland.
We see them conspire with Calabrese and Vitale.
CALABRESE (V.O.)
Murder is a serious business, my
friend. And an expensive one.
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TRENT (V.O.)
I'm up to here with caution! This
(bleep) lives on alfalfa sprouts
and bean curd, he ain't gonna die
of natural cause.
Our SHOT starts to WIDEN, revealing that the TV monitor
is in a news studio. The nightly news is being broadcast:
what we see on this monitor is simultaneously going out
over the air.
As the SHOT WIDENS and TRAVERSES, we begin to see the
actual news set -- including Esposito who got his well-
deserved scoop -- and other anchorpeople, crewmen, etc.
CALABRESE (V.O.)
All I'm counseling is a little
patience. The man is public. He's
in the paper every day.
TRENT (V.O.)
Yeah? Well, the next time I read
about him, it better be in the
obituaries.
CONTINUE MOVE as the wharf scene keeps playing. The TV
monitor passes OUT OF FRAME, SOUND goes DOWN, we're MOVING
PAST the news set and its occupants (who are readying to
go back on-camera as soon as the wharf tape ends) and on
UP TOWARD --
LIGHTS ABOVE NEWS SET
which now FILL the FRAME -- bright and blinding. The
screen starts to bleach out ... it goes white and
MATCH CUT - SUN (MARINA DEL REY)
above a perfect peaceful sea. A small powerboat (the
kind that you rent from the dock) moves INTO FRAME. Storm
steers it, standing up. Andy and Sonny in the back cockpit
seat.
IN ANDY'S LAP - PORTABLE TV
She switches a channel: up comes the same footage we just
saw on the news set.
ANDY
It takes a beat before she realizes what it is. Then:
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ANDY
Hey ... Seven year Storm!
(indicates TV)
I told you you'd be famous.
Storm takes a step so he can see the screen. Views it
for a short beat, then --
STORM
picks the TV up from Andy's lap and, while it's still
playing, heaves it over the side and into the drink!
OCEAN SURFACE - TV
splashes ... bobs for a few moments... then sinks beneath
the surface.
ANDY
(laughing)
Hey! Why'd you do that?
STORM
watching the last ripples from the sinking set. A moment
between him and himself -- when the past is allowed to
slip away, sink out of sight, making way for the future.
Storm turns back from the water surface, to his son and
to the woman he loves. He sits (letting the boat drift
wherever it wants to) and tugs Andy down beside him.
Then he reaches across to his son, pulls the boy to him
with a playful headlock.
For a moment both Andy and Sonny are held in suspension,
wondering what Storm will do or say.
Finally:
STORM
(to Sonny)
Knock, knock.
For a beat, the boy is taken aback. Then he break's into
a broad smile.
SONNY
Who's there?
Storm glances to Andy, pulling her tighter to him.
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STORM
Boo.
SONNY
Boo who?
STORM
You don't have to cry about it.
(a beat, then)
I love you both.
Storm hugs his son with great affection, pulling Andy to
him with his other arm. This is their beginning.
BOAT
drifts its happy way across the sun-shimmering sea.
FADE OUT.
THE END |
HARD TO KILL
Revised Screenplay by
Steven Pressfield & Ronald Shusett & Steven Seagal
Story by
Steven Seagal & Ronald Shusett
& Steven Pressfield & Bruce Malmuth
Based on an Original Screenplay by
Steven McKay
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
FINAL DRAFT
February 17, 1989
Converted to PDF by SCREENTALK
www.screentalk.org
FADE IN:
EXT. HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOUSE - EARLY EVENING
A modest but handsome home in the foothills above Gower.
SUPERIMPOSE: "1983"
A young boy, SONNY STORM, rushes out -- excited but pouty
and a little peeved. He glowers at a 1981 Mercury, parked
at the curb -- then turns back toward the house.
SONNY
(calls back to
house)
Daddy! I don't want you to go!
MASON STORM
emerges from the house -- wearing a dark Gianni Versace
sport coat with a black vest underneath, carrying some
kind of case in his hand. He looks great -- a man of
action, not dandified at all by the snappy attire. He
squints down toward Sonny, proudly -- very much the family
man.
Mason's pretty wife, FELICIA, appears in the doorway.
FELICIA
(calls to Sonny)
Your father has work to do, Sonny
... but he'll be home soon. And
we'll all watch it together.
SONNY
You promise, Dad?
STORM
I promise.
Storm and Felicia come down to car, his arm around her.
Sonny grabs his father's shirtsleeve.
SONNY
Daddy ...
(very serious)
Daddy, is E.T. gonna win?
STORM
He's got my vote.
Storm laughs and ruffles his son's hair.
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FELICIA
(tight to Storm)
I want you back early. Tonight's
the night those little starlets are
crawling all over town.
STORM
Don't worry. I'll beat 'em off
with a stick.
He kisses Felicia, ready to leave.
SONNY
Daddy
(wants him to
stay)
What about my joke?
Storm lifts Sonny up into his arms. He gives the boy
100% of his attention, speaks just for him.
STORM
Knock knock.
SONNY
Who's there?
STORM
Old lady.
SONNY
Old lady who?
STORM
I didn't know you could yodel.
Sonny may not get the joke, but he laughs delightedly --
just because it's his dad telling it. Storm kisses him
and sets him down.
FELICIA
(to Storm)
Take my advice: Don't give up your
day job.
TITLES BEGIN.
INT. STORM'S CAR - MOVING - POV THROUGH WINDSHIELD NIGHT
Freeway traffic. Smoke in the sky ... flames ... the oil
refineries south of Torrance. A police RADIO is on, LOW,
and we can hear the SQUAWKING COMMUNIQUES in the b.g.
We become aware of a black limousine, ahead in the traffic.
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REVERSE ANGLE - STORM
as he drives. Intense now -- mind focused. Radio handset
in his hand.
STORM
(into handset)
Karl ... wake up.
INTERCUT POLICE STATION - DETECTIVES ROOM - NIGHT
KARL BECKER, Storm's partner, a nice guy in shirtsleeves
with a huge nautical-type wristwatch. He's wide awake
all right -- eager for this call.
KARL
(into radio)
I'm here, Mase. Where are you
EXT. HARBOR FREEWAY - NIGHT
Storm's Mercury moves discreetly, tailing the limo.
STORM
On the Harbor ... south of Torrance.
I got Calabrese right in my
gunsights.
WITH STORM
STORM
If I had a Sidewinder missile, I
could save the taxpayers a lot of
money.
Suddenly he is more alert, slowing the car.
LIMO
veers toward an upcoming exit ramp.
STORM (V.O.)
Here he goes. I'm shutting down
the radio, partner.
ANGLE ON SIGN
PORT OF LOS ANGELES
SAN PEDRO TERMINAL
PIER 65
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As the limo passes and, moments later, Storm's car.
KARL (V.O.)
Keep off the skyline, amigo.
(by the way)
Lou Gossett just won Best Supporting.
TITLES END.
EXT. COMMERCIAL PIER - NIGHT
The limousine slowly moves up beside a stand-alone shack
near the edge of the wharf. The shack is an open shelter
with a broad overhang, and various kinds of equipment
stored inside it. A single bulb illuminates it. The
limo comes to rest, engine off, no apparent activity in
or out of the vehicle.
STORM'S CAR
pulls up at a distance, deep in shadow.
INT. STORM'S CAR - NIGHT
He switches OFF the RADIO, twists a telephoto night lens
onto a specially silenced 8mm surveillance film camera;
he primes a portable sound deck in the case he's been
carrying. A quick check of the .45 in his shoulder
holster, then he exits the car.
ON STORM
Moving carefully onto the wharf, keeping to shadow, using
cover.
EXT. WHARF - NIGHT
Stacks of huge shipping crates and Sea-Land containers
from a long wall along the cluttered dock. The towering
hulks of several ships loom close by. Storm finds a slot
between bulk containers: a good surveillance point.
STORM
Let's go, boys. I'm missing the
Oscars.
He is less than forty yards away, looking lengthwise down
the car from its rear. A beat, as Storm picks up the
sound before we do.
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STORM'S POV - STATION WAGON
A paneled, expensive model approaches. The wagon pulls
up, a short distance from the limo. A man gets out from
the wagon. A beat later, the driver exits the limo.
Both are armed. They check out the area, in all
directions.
SHACK
One man crosses under the eave of the shack -- reaches
up, SMASHES the single LIGHT BULB. The spot goes dark.
WITH STORM
Seeing the doors open on both cars. A mature man,
CALABRESE, and his stocky confederate, VITALE, step from
the limo. TWO other MEN -- one wearing a stylish hat,
the other bareheaded -- step from the wagon. They cross
to the shadowed, shack area.
STORM (O.S.)
(to himself,
softly)
I know you, Calabrese. But who are
these mystery guests?
The two Shadow Men are obscured by the shack and the
position of Calabrese and Vitale.
STORM
Starts his camera soundlessly whirring. He positions his
high-tech directional mike, slipping on earphones.
WHARF - CONSPIRATORS
There is NOISE from various wharf MACHINERY on adjacent
piers, but the high-tech listening equipment still brings
in the sound with acceptable clarity.
CALABRESE
-- Murder is a serious business, my
friend. And an expensive one.
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
You'll be well compensated,
Calabrese. Money now -- and a lot
more when I get into that office.
You can take that to the bank.
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THROUGH TELEPHOTO LENS
Despite the shadows, it's plain the Man With The Hat is
in his prime, full of vigor and impatience. Calabrese,
by contrast, is clearly older, more circumspect.
CALABRESE
Slowly ... slowly. Always with
caution.
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
I'm up to here with caution! That
fuck lives on bean curd and alfalfa
sprouts -- he ain't gonna die of
natural causes.
CALABRESE
All I'm counseling is a little
patience. The man is public. He's
in the paper every day.
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
Yeah? Well, the next time I read
about him, it better be in the
obituaries.
ON STORM
He squints over the camera, straining to see with the
naked eve Frustration
ANGLE - CALABRESE AND VITALE
Glancing to each other. They're tough guys, but in some
hard-to-define way, the two Shadow Men are tougher.
BAREHEADED SHADOW MAN
Enough bullshit. Can you do the
job or not? If you can't -
VITALE
We'll do it.
STORM
Knowing he's on to something super hot.
STORM
(to himself,
soft but intense)
Who are you? Get out of those
shadows --
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It's driving him crazy that he can't make out the Shadow
Men's faces. He peers around the wharf, looking for some
better vantage point.
SHACK - CONSPIRATORS
keep talking.
ANGLE - STORM
Darting closer, using the row of bulk containers for cover.
He takes up a new position, nearer the shack re-aims the
camera.
LOOKOUT #1 (MIKEY)
hears something -- peers directly at the spot where Storm
is hiding.
STORM
ducks quickly back out of sight. As he does this, his
earphone cord catches on something. yanking the phone
off Storm's head. He cannot hear what the conspirators
say next -- but the audience can.
CONSPIRATORS
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
The job is a light plane ... a Lear
P61. We want it to take off -- we
don't want it to land.
Calabrese becomes aware of Mikey checking out the noise;
he motions the conspirators to shut up, then signals Mikey
to proceed. Mikey cocks his pistol, moves swiftly toward
the line of containers.
SHADOW MAN WITH HAT
steps forward into the light. His face comes clearly
into view. Well dressed, magnetic, Bobby Kennedy-ish --
he is L.A. Assemblyman VERNON TRENT.
TRENT (SHADOW MAN WITH HAT)
(to Calabrese,
with menace)
You told us this dock was clean --
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STORM'S HIDING PLACE - MIKEY
steps around one container (out of view of the other men)
to the exact spot where Storm was. But Storm isn't there.
Mikey is about to check farther, when out of nowhere:
Storm lashes out with a savage punch to the face. The
blow is so devastating it knocks Mikey's feet out from
under him so that he topples face-forward into Storm's
arms, out cold. Storm soundlessly lowers the lookout to
the ground.
Storm shakes a sore hand and notices it's cut. Kneeling
down to the outstretched heap, he finds the cause of his
injury -- one of Mikey's teeth wiggles freely in his
fingers. Storm plucks the tooth and folds it inside the
big guy's hand.
STORM
(re: the fairy)
A quarter's a quarter.
WHARF - SHACK
Calabrese and Vitale are getting uneasy.
CALABRESE
Mikey! Quit playing with yourself
back there.
(no response)
Mikey --
Guns come out. Calabrese and Vitale start this way --
STORM
bolts back up the wharf, toward his car.
CALABRESE AND VITALE
hurry up to their fallen comrade. They see Storm 50 yards
back up the pier, fleeing. Vitale takes off after him at
a dead run. At that instant:
TRENT
moves INTO FRAME beside Calabrese. The Bareheaded Shadow
Man with him is Police Captain DAN HOLLAND (in civilian
business suit) -- 21 years on the force, hard as nails.
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CONSPIRATORS' POV
They see Vitale pull up, on foot, as Storm's CAR ROARS
OFF into the darkness. Vitale seems close enough to pick
out the license number.
BACK TO TRENT
As his face moves into the light. Merciless, implacable.
TRENT
(to Calabrese)
Whoever that sonofabitch is, I don't
want him to get an hour older.
CALABRESE
He won't, Mr. Assemblyman.
CALABRESE'S LIMO
speeds up beside the conspirators. Calabrese gets in,
the limo whips off down the wharf to pick up Vitale and
take off after Storm.
TRENT AND HOLLAND
stand watching -- grim, furious.
INT. POLICE STATION - DETECTIVES ROOM - NIGHT
A burly plainclothesman, MAX DUNNE, waves his phone
receiver at Karl, Storm's partner, who's still at the
desk where we last saw him. A TV across the room tuned
to the ACADEMY AWARDS.
DUNNE
Karl -- Storm on three.
INTERCUT:
MINI-MALL PHONE BOOTH
Storm in a phone booth, crummy neighborhood near Torrance.
Karl punches line three, picks up his phone.
KARL
You throwing away dimes now?
STORM
This doesn't go out over the air,
pal. For your ears only.
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KARL
(getting out
note pad)
What's going down?
STORM
Calabrese. I just got his ass --
on candid camera.
KARL
You're full of shit!
STORM
Him and his gorilla Vitale. I got
film and audio on both of them,
laying out a hit. Two other guys I
couldn't make out, but I'm sure
they'll come up on the film. This
is a big one, Carlito. Our own
academy award. You ready?
KARL
(taking notes)
Shoot.
STORM
I want you to track down Morgensteen
right now. If he's with that meter
maid from Pico, crank her legs apart
and pry him out of there.
KARL
He ain't gonna be happy.
STORM
Screw his happiness. Tell him I
want the lab open at six-thirty
tomorrow morning. I want this film
pushed to the max, and nobody but
us to know about it. I know we got
something here.
KARL
You bringing it in tonight?
STORM
I promised my kid I'd be home.
I'll be at the lab before dawn.
Storm hangs up.
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EXT. MINI-MALL - NIGHT
A crummy mini-mall around Torrance. Storm exits the phone
booth -- crosses toward a liquor store, which is still
open this late at night.
INT. LIQUOR STORE - NIGHT
Storm enters. A grimy, high-crime booze store. Not
exactly the place to find Mumm's '36.
STORM
How ya doing?
(looking around)
Got any champagne?
The grizzled MAN behind the counter checks out Storm's
Versace threads.
COUNTER MAN
Right next to the caviar.
(winks; points)
There's some in the big cooler.
Storm likes the guy. He notes the man's MINI-TV tuned to
WRESTLING.
STORM
You're not watching the Oscars?
COUNTER MAN
The Oscars? I hate the Oscars.
Storm crosses to the cooler.
COUNTER MAN
Who needs the goddam movies? I get
it all in here every night.
(indicates his
view from behind
counter)
Horror. Sex. Freaks. Violence.
And I ain't gotta pay no four bucks.
Storm pulls a bottle from the cooler. He notices, on a
high shelf, a big stuffed toy. Something for Sonny.
Storm stretches up, grabs it. Suddenly:
He notices something in the big convex shoplifting mirror.
Something approaching from outside.
STORM
(to Counter Man)
You got a phone back there?
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COUNTER MAN
Why ?
STORM
(orders him)
Punch nine-one-one.
The Man hesitates, letting a few precious seconds pass.
Three Latino PUNKS enter the store. One of them carries
a long-barreled shotgun.
COUNTER MAN
Sonsofbitches! You creeps ripped
me off two weeks ago!
SHOTGUN PUNK
Shut up.
He gestures to the register.
COUNTER MAN
Take it, man. Take my life's
savings.
He scoops bills from the cash drawer (about twenty bucks)
shoves them to the Shotgun Punk. The Punk scowls --
COUNTER MAN
Where is a cop when you goddam need
one?
(to Punks,
threatening)
I got half a mind to come out there
and teach you sonofabitch --
Shotgun Punk FIRES without warning -- point blank into
the counter display and the Man! The Counter Man is BLOWN
backwards -- cabinets crash; he crumples, groaning and
bloody onto the floor!
SHOTGUN PUNK
Now you got half a mind, old man.
Punk #2 scoops up the money. The three Punks saunter up
and surround Storm.
Storm looks down at their feet, then to their faces and
smiles. Shotgun Punk points the gun at Storm's face.
SHOTGUN PUNK
What are you grinning at, pindejo?
STORM
We ... ell ... there's only three
of you and you only got one shot
left.
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The Punks don't know whether to laugh or just shoot him,
but it is too late for either option, as Storm suddenly
spins between the Punks and behind the gun.
The SHOTGUN GOES OFF and BLOWS away part of the back WALL --
BOTTLES EXPLODE -- Storm locks the Punk's fingers into
the gun, rotates the gun as a bar, breaking the Punk's
arm.
The others make their move -- but now Storm has the shotgun
and is using it as a sword or staff. He looks like a
true master conductor in an almost magical manipulation.
These pour stupid Punks have become the instruments in
his spontaneous orchestra.
Punk #2 takes a vicious swipe at Storm with his long knife.
Storm ducks, goes to his knees, and uses the gun to foot-
sweep the Punk. The Punk's legs fly skyward and his head
slams against the floor. As soon as he hits, the shotgun
is slammed through his teeth.
The last Punk has produced an icepick and is staring at
his compadres in disbelief. He and Storm square off.
STORM
(to Punk, calmly)
I know what you're thinking. I
have this big shotgun and all you
have is that little icepick. Mine's
bigger than yours. It's not fair.
Storm sets the gun down. Punk #3 is still frozen.
STORM
Still not fair?
Storm gets down on his knees.
STORM
Don't wait for the blindfold,
maricon.
PUNK #3
(clutching the
ice pick tightly)
Chinga tu madre!
The Punk lungs, thrusting the ice pick with lightning
speed at Storm's face.
Storm makes a slight movement, parries the thrust and
slides his body behind the Punk, simultaneously slamming
his forearm into the rear knee joint.
The Punk buckles and Storm now has one of his legs in
both arms and pins the other leg with his left knee.
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We see the leg held in Storm's arms begin to twist ...
and with a blood-curdling scream we hear a LOUD SNAP.
SIRENS are heard approaching outside.
EXT. LIQUOR STORE - NIGHT
Black and whites pack the parking lot. Police ambulances
make ready to haul off the three Punks. T he Counter
Man, bandaged on a gurney, is wheeled out by paramedics.
One medic catches Storm's eye -- flashes a gesture
indicating the Counter Man will be okay.
Storm finishes with two other DETECTIVES, obviously
buddies, as they complete their on-site notes. The
champagne bottle rests on the hood of their car.
DETECTIVE #1
You were armed, Storm -- why didn't
you just use your gun?
STORM
I just got these new glazer bullets.
You know they're almost a buck a
pop now?
He grabs the champagne, takes off for his car.
INT. STORM'S CAR - TRAVELING - NIGHT
Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good" PLAYS in the TAPE DECK.
Storm listens for a few beats, as if letting the horn
cool him out after the liquor store action. Then he ejects
the tape decisively -- reaches into his camera case, pulls
out the surveillance tape from tonight. He punches this
tape into the deck.
Storm listens. The part where the Shadow Man with the
hat (Trent) says, "You'll be well compensated. Money now --
and more when I get into that office. You can take that
to the bank." Storm CRANKS UP the VOLUME.
STORM
I know that voice.
Who the hell is it? He rewinds the tape --
EXT. STREET - STORM'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Storm's car turns into the block, slows approaching his
house.
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INT. STORM'S CAR - TRAVELING - NIGHT
Still listening. Can't place the voice. Punches " eject,"
the tape pops half-out. Into the driveway, Storm activates
the garage door remote.
INT. GARAGE - NIGHT
Storm's car stops, headlights go out. The garage door
closes. Storm gets out, carrying his camera case,
champagne and the big stuffed toy. He takes a couple of
steps toward the door to the house, then stops, remembering -
He leans back into the car, yanks the surveillance tape
from the deck. Hands full, he tucks the tape into a inside
pocket of his Versace vest.
INT. STORM'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT
It's late; just a courtesy lamp left on for Storm. He
pulls the tapes and recorder from his case, stashes the
case out of sight. He grabs a couple of champagne glasses --
INT. STORM'S HOUSE - STAIRWAY - STORM
tiptoes toward the bedroom. Felicia appears at the top
of the stairs, wearing panties and a teddy top. She smiles
seeing the big toy, shooshes Storm --
ANGLE FROM SONNY'S ROOM
Storm stops outside his boy's room, looking in. Felicia
tiptoes up beside him. Sonny sprawls loose-limbed on the
bed in his Woody Woodpecker pajamas.
STORM
Wish I could sleep like that.
FELICIA
Maybe I can help you.
She tugs Storm sexily toward the bedroom --
SONNY
Is that for me, Dad?
Storm stops, toy in hand --
STORM
You faker.
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He comes into the room, sits on the edge of Sonny's bed --
tousling his son's hair with great affection. Sonny takes
the stuffed toy sleepily, pulls it into bed beside him.
SONNY
E.T. lost.
Storm knows E.T. is not just a movie character to Sonny;
he's a real person.
STORM
Who won?
SONNY
I dunno. Candy.
STORM
Candy?
FELICIA
(from doorway)
Mahatma Candy. He was a great man.
Storm moves closer to his son. He sees how much E.T.'s
loss has hurt his son, and wants to make it better.
STORM
(very gently)
You know why E.T. lost?
SONNY
Why?
STORM
Cause they only let grownups vote.
If kids had voted --
SONNY
(cheered by
this)
-- We would have gave E.T.
everything!
STORM
We would have given him everything.
SONNY
Yeah.
Storm starts to rise.
SONNY
(wants him to
stay)
Daddy -- tell me a knock-knock.
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STORM
You know the rules.
(pulls covers
up)
One joke a day. I have to make 'em
last.
Already Sonny is most of the way back to sleep. Storm
kisses his forehead --
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
INSERT - JOHNNY CARSON - 1982 "TONIGHT SHOW"
In mid-joke behind his famous desk.
Storm and Felicia forms obscure part of the screen --
standing close to each other, beside the bed. Felicia
helps him off with his jacket.
FELICIA
There's blood on your jacket.
STORM
It's okay. It's not mine.
Storm's hands dump his stuff onto the bedside table --
camera, tapes from case, gun. He gathers the glasses,
pours champagne.
Felicia watches her husband. She plainly loves him deeply --
and is held and excited by his contradictions. They come
closer together, clinking their glasses, sipping.
FELICIA
If people knew how sweet you are,
they'd never be scared of you.
She kisses him seductively, unbuttoning his shirt at the
collar. Storm still wears the vest.
FELICIA
I'm not scared of you.
STORM
Maybe you should be.
FELICIA
(closer,
increasing
passion)
Why? Are you planning on doing
something to me?
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STORM
A couple of things crossed my mind,
in the car coming home.
Another kiss. They get their glasses out of the way,
Storm lowers his wife languidly onto the bed. They begin
kissing more deeply. Storm helps Felicia slide out of
her teddy top; her beautiful breasts rise into the light.
Storm begins to kiss them, she moans with pleasure. The
lovemaking increases in intensity, Felicia's hand groping
to open Storm's pants. He begins to help her, guiding
her legs apart --
FELICIA
(in mid-kiss)
Door's open.
Not missing a beat, Storm grabs a heavy pillow, heaves it --
without looking -- at the door.
ANGLE FROM HALLWAY - BEDROOM DOOR
The pillow strikes it, starting it swinging closed. Storm
and Felicia's forms, on the bed, are eclipsed. Sound
from the "CARSON SHOW" DROPS DOWN -
INT. STORM'S HOUSE - ANOTHER HALLWAY - NIGHT
TWO MEN -- carrying shotguns, faces hidden by masks --
move soundlessly down a hall. A terrible alien presence
within this normal American household. The men turn a
corner into a different hallway --
MEN'S POV - MOVING - HAND-HELD
At the end of this new hall: the bedroom door.
ANGLE - TWO MEN
creeping closer.
BEDROOM - STORM AND FELICIA
Their passion highly aroused now. Felicia's legs wrapped
tight around Storm... their breathing, combined with the
TV sound, seems like it would obscure the men's silent
movement out in the hall. But:
Storm suddenly freezes. Listening.
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FELICIA
(frightened)
What?
Storm lunges for his .45 on the nightstand. Suddenly
LOUD and VIOLENT CRASH and the bedroom door is kicked in.
Two dark figures with shotguns leveled fill the door.
There is an eruption of GUNFIRE and blinding muzzle blast
and smoke. In the dim light for a moment we do not know
what has happened, then:
STORM'S POV
We see one of the assassins thrown backward, jacket blown
open at the shoulder.
SWITCH TO:
ASSASSIN'S PARTNER'S POV
We see Storm hit badly at close range. He takes it in
the right center mass. It looks like his right arm is
torn off as his .45 is literally blown across the room.
Felicia is now hysterically screaming -- but not for long --
as she is mortally wounded. We are sure Storm will
collapse and this horror will be over, but Storm rushes
the remaining assailant, and tilting his body sideways as
he enters, he avoids one more ferocious BLAST.
The momentum of Storm's quick spin catches the assailant
perfectly, and like a fast spinning top slammed against
another, Storm has the puppet by the strings. He clamps
down with his left and only good hand on the assailant's
right hand, and uses it against the gun as a tool for
more torque. Spinning him around until he is at the peak
of his circle, Storm with all his might spins his whole
body in the opposite direction quickly, using the whipping
effect of his shoulder and hip to snap the assailant's
wrist and flip him violently.
There is a LOUD CRACK and scream as he lands on his head
and neck, and then -- from the side, point-blank --another
ferocious SHOTGUN BLAST -- Storm is blown into the air
and back onto the bed from which he came.
QUICK CUTAWAY TO:
INT. KARL BECKER'S BEDROOM - ANGLE ON DIFFERENT SHOTGUNS
BOOMING! Karl (Storm's partner) being BLASTED. No chance
at all as he takes the full brunt of MULTIPLE BLASTS.
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We recognize the large nautical wristwatch he wears as he
falls to the floor --
BACK TO:
INT. STORM'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The scene of slaughter we just left. Now in perfect
stillness and quiet we HIGH ANGLE PAN DOWN the room in
...
SLOW MOTION:
Down feathers slowly float down toward the terribly sad
and lifeless bodies of Storm and Felicia. Holes pepper
walls; lamps obliterated; beds and pillows not even a
semblance of their original form; crimson red and white
smoke.
BEDROOM - NORMAL SPEED
The two assassins recover themselves. Bigger Man's
shoulder: limp and bloody.
LITTLE MAN
(re: Big Man's
wound)
Man.
BIG MAN
(he's tough)
Get to work.
They do. Big Man collects tapes and camera from the
bedside table, replacing them with large lumps of cocaine
and cash. Then lie coolly places something on the night
stand directly in front of the lifeless cop's face -- it
is a tooth.
Little Man rifles Storm's pockets, including the Versace
jacket beside the bed.
LITTLE MAN
(patting Storm's
pants pockets)
You got the tapes?
BIG MAN
(re: what he
grabbed from
the table)
I got a shitload of 'em.
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Little Man is just about to search Storm's vest when he
looks up and sees:
BEDROOM DOORWAY - SONNY
Storm's little boy stands there, in his Woody Woodpecker
pajamas, holding the stuffed toy. He stares in numb
horror.
LITTLE MAN (FORD)
without hesitation pumps his SHOTGUN, aims at the boy.
Sonny dashes from the bedroom as the BLAST rips the door
behind him!
SONNY'S ROOM - SONNY
streaks to the window, heaves against the sash --
HALLWAY - TWO MEN
Big Man (Dunne) boots Sonny's door open, crashes in --
SONNY'S ROOM - WINDOW
Sonny plunges out just as both men OPEN FIRE. They pound
ROUND after ROUND into and through the window, blowing
GLASS everywhere and ripping the windowframe and half the
wall to shreds. An ALARM begins BLARING. The men glance
to each other, flee.
EXT. STORM'S HOUSE - FRONT WALK - NIGHT
ALARM CONTINUING. The men emerge walking swiftly but not
running, shotguns tight to their sides. They cross the
street to a sedan parked in shadows. Up goes the trunk:
in go shotguns, plastic bag with tapes -- and their masks,
which they have just torn off.
INT. SEDAN - NIGHT
Little Man whips behind the wheel. He is Jack Ford, an
extremely bad hombre we've never seen before. He STARTS
the CAR. Big Man in the passenger seat. We recognize
him! He is Max Dunne -- the burly man who took Storm's
phone call in the police station and passed the receiver
to Karl.
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DUNNE (BIG MAN)
Punch it.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
The sedan speeds away.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - TRACKING SHOT - LIEUTENANT
O'MALLEY - NIGHT
A tall and heavy Irishman, built like a tank, with
beautiful baby-blue eyes.
He hurries down the corridor, radiating intensity. Several
cops with him. They turn a corner into a second corridor.
O'MALLEY
Jesus Christ.
O'MALLEYS POV - CORRIDOR OUTSIDE EMERGENCY ROOM
Jammed with cops, officials, newspeople. A circus.
O'MALLEY
strides forward into the crush.
ASSEMBLYMAN TRENT AND CAPTAIN HOLLAND
side by side in the mob scene. We recognize the two Shadow
Men from the wharf -- the ones who ordered Storm's murder.
Under the glare of a mini-cam lamp, a female TV reporter
tries to get Trent to talk.
TRENT
(emotional)
knew Storm from when I was City
Attorney ... and he was a young
homicide detective -
(choking back
tears)
We worked on... cases ... together
...
(can't go on)
I'm sorry ... sorry --
Trent's grief is so sincere, he himself almost believes
it; his aides shield him from the camera, steer him away,
in the direction of where O'Malley is. Holland goes the
opposite way. The reporter picks up her V.O.:
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TV REPORTER (V.O.)
That was Assemblyman Vernon Trent,
deeply moved by the loss of an
officer he knew, (etc.).
Medics wheel Felicia's body past, one bloody forearm
visible beneath the sheet.
TRENT
What makes people do this?
(in tears, agony)
Will you tell me? Will someone please
tell me?!!
O'Malley watches Trent pass, weeping, escorted out by
police and aides.
Across the crowd O'Malley spots Captain Holland, who
apparently is the man he's searching for.
O'MALLEY
(calls)
Holland! Captain Holland!
In the general hubbub, Holland doesn't hear -- conferring
with some other officers.
ANGLE PAST HOLLAND - EMERGENCY ROOM
THROUGH the glass partition, we see doctors and nurses
going about their examination of Storm's body.
O'MALLEY
pushes his way toward Holland. Two uniformed cops in the
crush along the way. O'Malley comes up beside Holland.
HOLLAND (BAREHEADED SHADOW)
They always said Storm was
superhuman. Now we know why he was
always jacked up on coke!
O'Malley grabs Holland, slams him against the glass wall.
O'MALLEY
(whisper, full
of menace)
Let me tell you something, you piss-
ant. That man in there was the
cleanest I ever knew -- with more
honor and guts than this whole
department put together. If I ever
hear you say fuck all like that
again, I'll lose my shield to put
you where you belong.
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O'Malley releases Holland, backs off, calming himself.
The men stare at each other.
HOLLAND
(hostile)
What the hell's I.A. doing up at
this hour?
O'MALLEY
Taking over the show.
HOLLAND
This is Homicide, not Internal
Affairs.
O'Malley tugs out a letter on official stationery.
O'MALLEY
We got two cops down, with money
and drugs all over the place. This
is straight from the commissioner.
Holland is clearly upset by this, but knows he can't argue
with a letter from the commissioner. Reluctantly he yields.
He turns his gaze back to the stretcher in the ER.
Now he and O'Malley are just two officers, sharing a loss.
HOLLAND
You and Storm were tight, O'Malley.
I'm sorry.
O'MALLEY
He was the most unstoppable
sonofabitch I ever knew.
HOLLAND
Well.
He got stopped tonight.
Holland breaks his stare at Storm's body and drags away,
signaling his own cops to vacate. They exit. No farewells
between Holland and O'Malley. O'Malley waits silently,
watching Holland and his men clear the corridor and
disappear.
DOCTOR
emerges from the emergency room.
E.R. DOCTOR
Excuse me, are you with the police?
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O'MALLEY
(dully, showing
ID)
Lieutenant O'Malley. What've you
got, Doc?
E.R. DOCTOR
I've got a live cop, is what I've
got.
INT. E.R. TRAUMA ROOM
O'Malley stares at Storm's body, stunned. The Doctor
stands beside him -- at the side of the room, away from
the medics.
E.R. DOCTOR
The paramedics called it wrong, so
did my people at first. Look... it
happens. The man had no vital signs.
With all the blood and excitement,
I almost missed it myself. But we
have a pulse now. Your man is alive,
Lieutenant.
O'Malley's eyes flash from Storm (over whom the medics
are now working) to the corridor outside, at the end of
which he can see several straggling cops and news people.
His mind is racing --
He spots something on a stainless steel medical table:
Storm's blood-soaked vest, apparently tossed there when
the medics stripped Storm to work on him. O'Malley picks
the vest up. He studies it -
INSERT - VEST
The surveillance tape Storm stashed is still there!
O'MALLEY
slips the cassette into his pocket. O'Malley makes a
decision. Turns intensely toward the Doctor.
O'MALLEY
Who else knows he isn't dead?
E.R. DOCTOR
No one ... just the people in her.
But --
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O'MALLEY
I want to see each one of them before
they leave the room. No one else
comes in as of right now.
E.R. DOCTOR
Hold on. I don't think you --
O'Malley steers the Doctor into a corner.
O'MALLEY
(eyeball to
eyeball)
Mason Storm is going to vanish,
Doctor -- and you're gonna help
make it happen. Until he can give
us some answers, the deader he is,
the safer he is.
CLOSE - STORM
The man could be dead, but the reality is he has survived
and still lives.
QUICK FADE TO:
MONTAGE - WITH SCORE
A) L.A. TIMES FRONT PAGE
"SENATOR CALDWELL KILLED IN SIERRA PLANE CRASH. Photo of
Senator Caldwell, photo of light plane crash in mountains.
B) CLOSE - TV - LOCAL NEWS
Photo of Trent, with capitol in b.g.
NEWS ANCHOR (V.O.)
-- The governor today appointed
dashing L.A. Assemblyman Vernon
Trent to the Senate seat vacated by
the tragic death of --
C) INT. COMA WARD - NIGHT
Scene of still sadness, motionless bodies in beds. An
elderly nurse tends to patients ... one of them is Storm.
D) SAN FRANCISC0 CHRONICLE FRONT PAGE
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"TRENT WINS SECOND TERM." Subhead: "POPULAR SENATOR TOUTED
FOR VP SLOT IN '92." Photo of Trent with wife and kids.
E) INT. COMA WARD - NIGHT
Storm in a different bed, different side of the ward.
Different nurse. Monitors depict EEG, etc. MUSIC DOWN,
sequence ends --
EXT. NIGHT SKY - THUNDERSTORM (STOCK)
A THUNDERBOLT CRACKS -- lightning, rain sheeting down.
SUPER: "SEVEN YEARS LATER"
INT. (UCI) MEDICAL FACILITY - COMA WARD - NIGHT
We hear RAIN O.S. as two hallway swinging doors open and --
ANDREA SIMPSON ("ANDY")
strides through. Raincoat, wet hair ... carrying a small
clothing bag, armload of books and notes. Andy is serious
and businesslike but underneath it all, she is the most
sensuous and beautiful woman you have ever seen.
ANGLE - NURSES' STATION
MARTHA COE, an attractive black nurse about Andy's age,
finishes her shift report. She barely pays attention as
Andy comes up, starts unloading her stuff.
MARTHA
You're early again.
ANDY
(deadpan)
You won't report me, will you?
Andy gulps from Martha's coffee cup. We see they're good
friends, who've split shifts on this ward for many moons.
ANDY
(re: shift report)
Inquiring minds want to know --
INT. COMA WARD - NIGHT
Martha and Andy, with the shift report.
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MARTHA
-- Dr. Cannon ordered a glucose
drip on Jimmy See. Mack's E.E.G.
monitor's developing a nice
electronic hiccup -- and your
boyfriend...
(indicating
Storm)
... turned his head.
ANDY
(electrified)
He did?
In a coma ward, this is headline news.
MARTHA
(excited too)
I thought he was going to sit up.
I almost shit!
The nurses laugh. But Andy's glance toward Storm's bed
is full of deep care and hope.
INT. COMA WARD - CLOSE ON STORM - LATER
Changed in seven years, softer. His shaggy hair is
manicured in a sleeker, longer length and he wears a
smartly short, perfectly trimmed beard. We glimpse, on
Storm's chart, the identifying label: "JOHN DOE 461Z."
ANGLE - BEDS OF OTHER PATIENTS
trapped between sleep and death. A spectral, haunting
scene, full of pathos.
BESIDE STORM'S BED - ANDY
works, full of beauty and youth -- like a beacon of life
and hope in this silent still world. She runs a physical
therapy regimen on Storm and seems quite expert at this
delicate work. The "workouts" are electronically induced
by sophisticated impulse equipment.
ANDY
(gently, with
compassion and
hope)
-- Can you hear me, John Doe? I
don't care what the doctors say, I
know my words are reaching you
somehow.
(MORE)
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ANDY (CONT'D)
I'm going to talk to you tonight...
and tomorrow night ... and the night
after that. I'm going to keep talking
to you till you come back --
On the shelf behind his head is a framed photo of Yogi
Berra, with the quote: "IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER.
Andy lifts it and sets it an the pillow beside Storm's
head.
ANDY
Yogi said it ain't over till it's
over. Till the fat lady sings.
There's life in you, J.D., I feel
it. I'll never give up on you, and
you'll never give up on yourself --
She finishes working out Storm's muscles, beginning
disconnecting the contact points. She stops, lifts the
robe off Storm so that she can see his lower body, naked,
underneath.
ANDY
Besides ... you've got so much to
live for.
As Andy replaces the sheet, her WRISTWATCH ALARM BEEPS a
reminder. Checking the watch, she leans over and smooths
Storm's sheet, touching him tenderly.
ANDY
Sorry. I won't be long.
She exits.
INT. EMPLOYEE SNACK KITCHEN - NIGHT
Martha pouring herself a cup of coffee. Andy comes in.
MARTHA
How's the sleeping prince?
Andy crosses to the counter, starts pouring herself a cup
too.
ANDY
Still sleeping.
(serious)
It's bad enough when it's old people.
But a young handsome guy --
Her voice trails off.
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MARTHA
Don't let this job get you, honey.
It's eight hours, not twenty-four.
Get out, meet somebody ... get laid --
ANDY
(with a grin)
You can have my orgasms, Martha.
I'll make up for 'em later.
INT. COMA WARD - CLOSE ON STORM - NIGHT
His hand moves! A beat ... then another. Something's
happening. Another beat, and then we see him draw several
sharp intake breaths, then a very deep breath. Suddenly
he shudders intensely --
MONTAGE - SUBLIMINAL SEQUENCE
Storm's return to consciousness. Like a disjointed dream
sequence, we meld OPTICALLY DISTORTED FOOTAGE of scenes
into a quick sequence depicting Storm's journey up the
"tunnel" from unconsciousness and back to life:
A) Storm emerging from the door of his house, the night
of the Oscars. Felicia smiling, taking his arm --
B) Sonny's bedroom, the night of the Oscars. Sonny with,
the stuffed toy, embracing Storm --
C) The masked assassins. SHOTGUN BLASTS detonating point
blank into Storm and Felicia --
INT. COMA WARD - STORM
His eyes open. He grimaces with pain, as if even the dim
illumination of the ward blinds him. His eyes keep
blinking and squeezing, his tongue working for saliva --
INT. NURSES' STATION - ANDY
Alone, doing paperwork, concentrating totally on her work.
INT. COMA WARD - STORM
His hand slowly rises, finds his face. He discovers the
electrodes, pausing to determine what they are, everything
a slow painful effort.
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INT. NURSES' STATION - ANDY
A BUZZER sounds on a bank of monitoring equipment. Andy
glances up; a light flashes on one screen. She studies
the screen a moment, gives a perplexed look toward the
ward --
INT. COMA WARD
Andy enters, scanning the area, listening. She moves
down the row of patients, visually checking each. She
stops at Storm and checks him, too.
Storm's eyes are closed; he's motionless.
Andy turns, starts to exit.
STORM
(in b.g., weakly,
directly behind)
-- Nurse ...
Andy whips around, sucking air and falling back, knocking
over an IV UNIT -- which SHATTERS on the floor!
She turns and sprints from the room.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - TRACKING STORM'S GURNEY - NIGHT
As we crash through doors WITH it. MOVING FAST. Knotted
around Storm is an emergency team of doctors and nurses.
A controlled chaos of AD LIB status reports and queries
from them overlaps as the doors swing shut behind them.
Andy is left alone on the coma ward.
INT. NURSES' STATION - NIGHT
Andy unlocks a drawer, pulls out a laminated card from
the record notice section. She picks up a phone, punches
in a long series of numbers.
INTERCUT:
INT. PRECINCT HOUSE - DETECTIVES' ROOM - NIGHT
The PHONE on someone's desk begins RINGING. JONES, a
plainclothesman, picks it up.
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JONES
Internal affairs. Detective Sergeant
Jones.
ANDY
My name is Andrea Simpson. I'm
calling from U.C.I. Medical Center.
I'd like to speak with
(reads from
card)
Captain O'Malley.
Wheels start to turn in Jones' head.
JONES
What is this in regard to, please?
ANDY
I have a John Doe coma patient,
code access 461 zebra, with
instructions to notify upon any
change in condition.
JONES
What is the change?
ANDY
(with enthusiasm)
The patient has regained
consciousness.
Jones reacts -- puts his hand over the receiver, turns to
a leather-faced plainclothesman (NOLAN) at the next desk.
JONES
(urgent)
Nolan. Get Holland at home ...
right now.
(back to Andy
on phone)
I'm sorry, Ms. Simpson. Captain
O'Malley is no longer with this
division. Let me take your
information. Please ... contact no
one else on this matter.
INT. COMA WARD - NIGHT
Storm back in bed. A knot of doctors finishes returning
him from their emergency resuscitation work. "We'll leave
him here for tonight, where they've got the full support
setup." The team wraps up and begins to move off.
The TEAM LEADER instructs Andy in Storm's immediate
condition and care.
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DOCTOR (TEAM LEADER)
-- Clip him with 50 cc of Thorazine
if he gives you any trouble. I'm
afraid he's very disoriented and
quite paranoid. He thinks people
are trying to kill him.
The team exits. Andy is alone in the ward with the
immobile patients -- and Storm. Storm groans and tries
to lift himself onto an elbow.
STORM
Miss ... please ... they won't tell
me ... think I'm too disorient --
ANDY
This is U.C.I. Medical Center.
You've been in a coma. Your charts
go back for seven years.
STORM
(staggered)
Seven... years?
He can't absorb this. It's too much. His mind reels.
STORM
Who ... who knows I'm awake?
ANDY
(innocent
enthusiasm)
It's all over the hospital. You're
the first one that's come out of a
coma of this duration. You'll
probably be on the news!
(beat)
You'll be famous!
STORM
(struggles to
sit up; fails)
Listen to me carefully --
(reads her name
tag)
-- Andy. I don't have the strength
to talk much. I'm a cop. My wife
... family ... murdered. That's
how I got here. If you don't get
me out ... you and I ... good chance
... both be dead.
ANDY
Please -- you're in no danger here.
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She touches him kindly -- but Storm sees that she doesn't
believe him, thinks he's paranoid.
STORM
Goddamit --
(urgent but
weak)
can't stay here. Listen to me -
ANDY
I'll have one of the aides take you
down the hall for hydrotherapy.
It'll help you relax.
STORM
No --
ANDY
Listen... I've got work to do.
You're my cutest patient, but you're
not my only one.
She leaves. Storm blows a sigh of frustration. His body
won't do what his brain tells it! In half-paralyzed rage
he struggles to move his limbs, open and close his hands --
INT. EMERGENCY ROOM - FIRST FLOOR - NIGHT
An accident case being hurried in from an ambulance.
Paramedics, E.R. personnel and patients fill the scene.
A bespectacled doctor in a white coat casually emerges
from the crush and continues on into a hallway.
ANGLE - DOCTOR
This is no doctor; it's Jack Ford, one of the killers who
shotgunned Storm seven years ago!
INT. HYDROTHERAPY ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
DANNY, an aide, has Storm harnessed in a frothing
whirlpool.
INT. FIRST FLOOR/MAIN DIRECTORY - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Several nurses chat and drink coffee at a clerical station.
Ford comes up - nameplate, stethoscope, looking the part
perfectly. We see him exchange a greeting, ask a question.
One of the nurses hands him a clipboard with some papers
on it. As the killer scans the clipboard -RUSS, the
security man, approaches.
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Ford averts his face subtly, continuing to study the list.
Russ passes, with a greeting for the nurses -- and a
(slightly unsure) nod for the killer. The killer nods
back.
SECOND FLOOR SUPPLY ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Andy arrives and goes about business.
INT. THIRD FLOOR ELEVATORS - CONTINUOUS ACTION
A set of DOORS DINGS open. Ford steps out.
INT. COMA WARD - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Eerie ultraviolet; motionless forms; steady HUM of
monitoring EQUIPMENT -- and the shuffle of the killer's
shoes ... moving purposefully from bed to bed checking
each chart for the right name.
INT. THIRD-FLOOR NORTH CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Danny helps Storm out of the tub.
INT. COMA WARD - CLOSE ON FORD - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Checking the chart in the dim blue when -- a flashlight
ray suddenly hits his face ...
RUSS
Excuse me, Doctor. I have to check
everyone on the upper floors.
(comes forward,
no suspicion)
Can I just get your I.D. --
PHHT! Russ takes the SILENCED SHOT right between the
eyes. His body collapses in a heap there in the entry.
INT. THIRD-FLOOR CORRIDOR
Danny wheels Storm through the big swinging doors.
Suddenly -- he freezes.
DANNY'S POV
He sees Russ's partial body in the doorway up the hall
recognizable because of its security uniform trousers.
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DANNY
reacts as if fearing Russ has had a heart attack. He
leaves Storm, rushes forward to investigate. Storm strains
to see.
INT. DOORWAY TO COMA WARD
DANNY
(dashes up)
Russ! Russ, are you --
PHHT! PHHT! Danny sprawls onto the floor, dead.
INT. CLOSE ON STORM
Doesn't need to see to recognize that sound. He gropes
at once for the wall corner, trying to propel his litter
back through the swinging doors and out of sight.
Storm strains for it, his limbs maddeningly uncooperative
... stretching, pawing ... until -- he claws far enough
to reach where the janitor's mop rests against the wall.
COMA WARD - HALLWAY - FORD
steps into the hallway, peering up and down -- just as
Storm slides out of view. The killer grabs Danny's body
by the ankles, to drag it back out of sight. Just then:
ANDY
backs through the double doors at the other end of the
hall, trying to balance an overloaded tray of supplies
she's carrying. She and Ford are momentarily in full
view of each other ... but backs turned. Suddenly --
Ford hears Andy! He spins ... gun ready.
Andy carefully heads that way -- the two corpses visible
ahead and the killer poised to waste her. But she's
concentrating on the overloaded tray, traveling closer
... closer ... until -- she turns off into the medicine
room.
Ford swiftly hauls both corpses out of sight.
AT ELEVATORS
Storm weakly, awkwardly "rows" himself toward the elevators
with the mop handle. Then using his hands, trying to
grasp the wall and push himself along.
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He makes it within reach of the call button and stabs at
it with the mop handle. Misses. Again. Then: bull's-
eye! The light comes on!
INT. COMA WARD
Ford has found the last (Storm's) medical chart -- and
the empty bed. He's heading back -- frustrated, angry
out toward the hall when... the elevator BELL DINGS.
AT ELEVATORS
Storm struggles to push himself inside. Everything an
excruciating effort. The doors slap into his litter,
trying to close. Reopen. Close. Reopen. Hindering him
as he throws a look toward --
INT. CORRIDOR - FORD
stalks this way, ears tuned to the SLAPPING DOORS ahead
around the corner. He breaks into a trot --
ELEVATORS - STORM
makes it all the way in with a final heave. FOOTSTEPS
nearing. The doors not yet closed and --
INT. CORRIDOR - FORD
rounds the corner just as they shut. Races forward --
INT. ELEVATOR
Storm jabs at the panel for the lobby button -- but the
shaky mop handle hits 7TH FLOOR instead.
STORM
Sonofabitch!
THIRD-FLOOR CORRIDOR - AT ELEVATORS
The killer hears this -- hears the ELEVATOR START UP. He
punches the call button. The other elevator opens. He
plunges in just as:
SOUTH CORRIDOR - ANDY
comes out of the medicine room and spots blood on the
floor, hurries forward -- sees Russ and Danny's bodies!
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She backs off in horror.
Andy rushes to the ward station, lunges for the phone --
finds it's been cut. Her view into the coma room suddenly
brings the realization that Storm's bed is still gone.
STORM'S ELEVATOR
The doors open -- revealing a dark, deserted seventh floor
still under construction. He registers the opposing
elevator rising his way -- jabbing again at the control
panel ... exposed there ... doors wide open. Wild stabs.
Any button will do -- just close the goddam door!
DING! Ford's ELEVATOR arrives. Doors open. We make out
the killer's form -- just as Storm's doors close.
Storm blows huge relief. Looks to see what he finally
pushed ... Shit! -- the 3RD FLOOR button. He puts the
mop to the side wall and shoves himself with all he's
got. The gurney wheels around and places him right next
to the control panel. Storm twists onto his side and
slams a hand over the EMERGENCY STOP button. But the
button jams! And Storm's thrusting hand has pushed his
gurney even farther away! He can't reach it!
He feels the elevator about to stop at a floor ... claws
at the mop, as a weapon ... raises it with all his feeble
strength. The doors open and --
Andy crashes into him!
ANDY
My God!
STORM
(hoarse, weak)
-- Help me ...
INT. STAIRWELL - FORD
Pounding down the steps three at a time. Gun in hand.
INT. LOBBY
Andy hauls Storm's litter full tilt out of the elevator.
A night janitor is waxing the floor, his long power cord
snaking down the corridor. He stares in astonishment at
this nurse racing down the corridor with a gurney --
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ANGLE - GURNEY
As its wheels hit the buffing machine cord. The gurney
bucks, almost capsizes.
ANDY
I'm sorry! Sorry --
She heaves the gurney, despite all its weight, past the
power cord, just as:
FORD
hurtles from the stairwell. In one beat, he takes in the
janitor; in the next, Andy and Storm -- down the hall.
Ford takes off after them. He's going to catch them!
JANITOR
jerks up on the power cord! It whipsnakes down the hall,
flaring up, tripping Ford! He sprawls face-first as:
EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Andy blasts through the exit doors with Storm on the
gurney. She hauls ass with him into the parking lot --
BACK TO FORD
He spins, on the floor, drills TWO SILENCED SHOTS into
the janitor's chest. The janitor drops.
EXT. HOSPITAL EXIT - FORD
highballs from the doors, in time to see:
FORD'S POV - ACROSS PARKING LOT
A dark-colored CAR, its make indistinguishable in the
dark lot, SCREECHES into an exit lane and races out of
the lot.
PARKING LOT - FORD
hurries after it on foot. Too late. He pulls up.
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EMPTY GURNEY
rolls randomly INTO VIEW across the lot.
HIGH ANGLE - WIDE SHOT - PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY - DAWN
Andy's car speeds up the PCH. Majestic Malibu Mountains
visible -- dawn sun shimmering the ocean with early light.
INT. ANDY'S CAR - MOVING - DAWN
Storm sprawled, asleep, exhausted, in the passenger seat.
Andy windblown at the wheel. A pair of fugitives, on the
run. The car pulls off the highway, past a sign for
"OJAI."
INT. L.A. COUNTY COURTHOUSE - MEETING ROOM - DAY
OPENING ON a big table, covered with weapons confiscated
from gangs -- pistols, knives, assault rifles. Reporters
crowd around Senator Trent at the table. A large sign
reads: "GANG WEAPONS SEIZED IN ONE WEEK!"
TRENT
(to group,
finishing up)
Six gang-related murders in one
week. We're going to put a stop to
it -- and we're going to start right
here!
Trent picks an AK-47 off the table and stuffs it
theatrically into a huge TRASH CAN. News cameras record
this juicy nugget for the nightly news.
TRENT
I'll be talking with the mayor.
We'll have a statement shortly --
He raises a fist in a "power salute," moves off --
SIDE OF ROOM - TRENT
Waving and beaming, edges away to the "wings," where Ford
and Dunne wait, along with Holland -- proper and official
in their plainclothes suits.
TRENT
(to Holland,
furious)
How much dirt do I have to shovel
into this goddam Storm's grave?
(MORE)
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TRENT (CONT'D)
Jesus Christ!
(turns to Ford)
The man is flat out on a stretcher
and you still can't kill him!
Reporters and bystanders continue to approach and
congratulate Trent. He handles them easily, shaking hands --
then ducking back, aside, to his thugs.
TRENT
Holland -- plaster his ass with
slime in the press. Put a tail on
every person he knows --
HOLLAND
We know how to do our job, Senator.
TRENT
Then start showing it.
(to Ford, Dunne)
I'm starring in that sonofabitch's
home movie -- and the Oscar is thirty
years in the slammer. He's toast,
understand?
The assassins nod grimly. Trent turns, hands raised
triumphantly, to the crowd.
TRENT
(to crowd)
We're going to end violence in this
state -- and you can take that to
the bank!
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - DAY
A horse in sunshine. Pretty oaks on a hillside beyond.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - BEDR00M DAY
Storm blinks his eyes -- groggy, disoriented. He is in
bed, just waking up. Outside his window: this postcard-
perfect ranch scene. Has he died and gone to heaven? He
can barely absorb it: nature, sunshine, life.
Storm peers around. He is alone in a pretty room, with
Western and Oriental furnishings. He's safe; someone has
apparently put him to bed, seen that he's comfortable.
He remembers: the nurse ... Andy.
A TV is on at the foot of the bed. Storm squints at the
digital clock beside him: 4:17 PM. Storm closes his eyes.
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STORM
Seven years.
He struggles to sit. It takes all his strength simply to
get half-propped on pillows. Something jabs him. It's a
TV remote, on the sheet beside him. Storm picks it up.
After a beat, he manages to focus on the TV --
TV SCREEN - "GERALDO SHOW" (FILE TAPE)
Heated argument in progress. Suddenly Roy Innis leaps
from his chair, starts strangling a white supremacist
across from him. Melee. The stage flooded with shooting,
fist-fighting men. Geraldo's nose is broken!
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(from TV)
-- Stay tuned for more of: Best of
Geraldo!
BACK TO STORM
Dumbstruck.
STORM
Geraldo?
Outside the HORSE WHINNIES loudly and rears up on its
hind legs. Storm turns toward the horse --
When Storm is turned away from the TV, a 10-second ad
comes on. Senator Trent waving and smiling to a crowd.
AD (V.O.)
(from TV)
Senator Vernon Trent promises: No
new taxes!
TRENT (V.O.)
(from TV)
And you can take that to the bank!
Storm misses this. He turns back to:
TV SCREEN
An attractive female spokesperson speaks directly and
sincerely into camera.
FEMALE SPOKESPERSON (V.O.)
(from TV)
-- If you want to sleep with me ...
you better wear a Pharoah.
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A "product shot" of condom packages appears.
MALE ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(from TV)
Pharoah condoms. The only safer
sex is no sex at all!
STORM
Certain the world has gone insane.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Andy at the wall phone.
ANDY
(into phone)
can't come in to work, are you
crazy?! I can't even go to my
apartment! People are dead, Martha
... no, I can't tell you where I am
... you're better off not knowing --
Mini-TV on countertop. On TV: a photo of Storm. Jack
Esposito reporting --
ANDY
(into phone)
I am freaking A.W.O.L. I mean, what
am I gonna do with this guy --
(pacing, anxious)
I want to help him... my God, he
needs it ... but it's all over the
T.V., he's some kind of crooked cop
with drugs and murder and --
CLICK. Andy turns to see Storm standing there, glowering --
his hand on the PHONE hang-up bar.
For half a beat, Andy is frightened: unsure what this man
will do. Then Storm starts to collapse.
Andy rushes to him, supports him.
ANDY
It's okay -- I'm here, I'm with
you.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Storm on the couch, phone in hand -- Andy across from
him. The day's newspapers before them... TV ON in b.g.
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STORM
(into phone)
Yeah, that Esposito. The ignorant
fuck who's broadcasting the news
right now.
(listens)
Tell him it's Storm. Mason Storm.
Storm cups the receiver -- steaming -- waiting to be put
through. His eyes flash to the room, the house...
STORM
(to Andy)
I can't stay here. They'll trace
you from the hospital in two --
ANDY
(cuts him off)
I told you -- no one knows I'm here!
I'm house-sitting...
(out of patience,
frustrated and
frightened)
This place belongs to a doctor friend
of my parents. He's in China now,
on research... won't be back for
six months. The medical center
only has my apartment address.
Even my friends don't have this
number.
(beat)
Will you believe me?! We're safe
here.
Storm studies her for a long beat. Then: a voice comes
onto the phone line.
STORM
(into phone)
Esposito?
(furious)
Listen, you sonofabitch --
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE (OJAI) - EVENING
We see a little more of where we are: a pretty little
retreat, nestled amid rolling hills. With the evening
light, the mood seems softer.
INT. ARMSTEEAD HOUSE - LIVING ROCM - EVENING
Storm on a different couch -- very tired. Looking
terrible. Andy sits on the floor at the coffee table --a
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phone beside her, the table covered with notepads,
scribbled pages.
ANDY
We'll find your friend O'Malley.
We'll just keep phoning ...
STORM
Listen. I'm getting out of here.
He grabs for a cane resting against the sofa.
ANDY
(knows he has
no chance)
I'll buy tickets to that.
STORM
I just need some food -- and a few
days to get my strength.
ANDY
Days? Try a few weeks.
Storm braces against the cane, ready to try to stand.
Andy gets up, to catch him. This infuriates Storm's pride.
STORM
You helped me, okay? I'm grateful.
But every day you keep helping puts
you in more danger.
ANDY
(deadpan)
Danger is my middle name.
This is no joke to Storm.
STORM
I've been dead, Andy. You wouldn't
like it.
He tries to get up. Andy stops him.
ANDY
Hey, hey -- I don't think you get
the picture here. Your muscles
have been getting electronic
stimulation at the hospital, but
it's not like actually being up and
bearing weight.
STORM
You're the one who doesn't get the
picture.
(MORE)
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STORM (CONT'D)
First of all, I ain't no fucking
invalid! And second, I don't have
time --
He makes it upright, shaking, with a "See, I told you"
look.
He starts toward the kitchen. Andy looks very worried
but doesn't try to stop him. First step -- okay. Second --
okay. Third -- blam! The cane slips and he falls flat on
his face. Too weak to break the fall.
LOW ANGLE - STORM
We see his face on the carpet and a mean desperate
conviction in these eyes not to fail and not to give up.
He struggles to rise -- it is pitiful. He's on his knees
growling with effort. Cane propped up, he manages to
somehow stand again. One step ... two steps ... three,
four ... he's absolutely exhausted. Boom! Falls flat
again.
ANOTHER LOW ANGLE
Storm's face on the floor.
EXTREME CLOSEUP
Fury, frustration, despair --
ANDY
grabs his arm and helps him back onto the couch. She
exits the room and comes back momentarily with a bowl of
rice and begins to try to feed him. Of course he takes
the fork away and tries it himself, but by now his arms
are so fatigued from the previous strain that they shake,
his hand trembles and he misses his mouth -- getting the
rice all down his beard. Spilling a little too much to
ignore and at first it looks like he's going to explode.
He looks up at Andy, who looks so sad.
Storm breaks out laughing and so does Andy. They howl
together for a while and then settle down. Now Andy begins
to "help" feed Storm.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - STORM'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Storm is in bed -- writing something on a note pad.
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ANDY
(next to bed)
Mata Hari -- at your service.
She looks at what Storm is writing: Chinese characters.
Storm writes from top to bottom, straight up and down.
STORM
Just some herbs I need for my
recovery.
She takes the list, studies it.
ANDY
No problem. This is on my list for
Safeway every day.
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - DAY
Andy's car drives up to the house, pulls into the garage.
INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Andy enters, carrying a folder, and stares in surprise.
Storm has shaved and cut his hair. She obviously approves.
She watches for several moments as Storm, weak but on his
feet, holds on to the kitchen counter. He steps out, in
wobbly balance. Not too good at first, he tries again.
This time he does better, but not by much. He turns to
look at Andy, conscious of her look of sympathy.
STORM
(re: himself)
That bad ... huh?
She silently hands him a set of newspaper photocopies.
He glances at them... at her ... and understands.
ANDY
I'll be in the other room.
Storm slowly seats himself and begins to read.
INSERT - NEWSPAPER PHOTOCOPIES
One headline:
OFFICER SLAIN IN ALLEGED SCANDAL
DRUG DEAL FALLOUT SUSPECTED
Second headline with photos of Storm, Felicia, Sonny:
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POLICEMAN, FAMILY SLAUGHTERED
CLOSE - STORM
Battling his sorry and grief.
LIVING ROOM AND KITCHEN - ANGLE - ANDY
She can see Storm in this moment of agony.
INT. TRENT'S OFFICE - DAY
CLOSE ON TV SCREEN - JACK ESPOSITO
A well-known L.A. anchorman, Jack Esposito "whom we
glimpsed earlier in the mini-TV in the Armstead kitchen
scene), delivers the news.
A graphic behind him has a photo of Storm, captioned:
"COMA COP. "
ESPOSITO (V.O.)
(on TV)
-- This reporter was contacted
personally by the now-infamous 'Coma
Cop'... fugitive officer Mason Storm --
who until days ago had languished
in a seven-year coma.
WIDEN SHOT
TO REVEAL Trent's office. Trent, Holland and several of
Trent's security aides glued to the tube.
ESPOSITO (V.O.)
(from TV)
Storm gave me his word that he is
innocent of all charges preferred
against him in the press -- and
that he has access to indisputable
proof of this. Battling the atrophy
caused by seven years of
hospitalization, Storm is struggling
even now to regain the strength
that will enable him to come forward
with this evidence. He has promised
me and the K.A.B.C. audience a first
look at his alleged proof.
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TRENT
turns to his men and to Holland.
TRENT
(indicates
Esposito on TV)
I want 24-hour surveillance on this
sonofabitch.
EXT. WESTWOOD APARTMENT BUILDING - EVENING
A WOMAN in a nurse's uniform comes INTO VIEW on the
sidewalk, trots up the steps toward the second floor of
the apartment building.
ANGLE - DUNNE AND FORD
REVEALING that they are watching this from a parked car
from across the street. They get out, glance around
furtively --
INT. APARTMENT - EVENING
The nurse is Martha -- Andy's friend from the hospital.
She holds a cat in her arms.
MARTHA (WOMAN)
(responds to
interrogation)
I told you -- Andy's out of town.
I just came by to pick up her cat.
DUNNE
Where out of town is Andy?
MARTHA
I don't know.
(losing patience)
Look, I've been questioned by you
cops half a dozen times since
Tuesday. I'm getting a little tired
of it.
(beat)
You need a warrant to walk in on
someone like this. Get the hell
out.
The cops don't budge. It's getting a little scary.
MARTHA
Then I'll get out.
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Clutching the cat, she strides for the door. Ford's foot
slides the door shut. He and Dunne block Martha.
FORD
We'll ask you again, Martha: Where
is Miss Simpson?
Martha backs away -- toward a telephone.
MARTHA
I'm calling your superior officers
to report this. I want both your
names and shield numbers.
She picks up the phone. Dunne's enormous hand engulfs
her wrist, forces her to put the phone back in the cradle.
The two cops stare at her penetratingly.
Martha knows this is it -- life or death.
She hurls the cat into Ford's face; the CAT claws him,
SHRIEKING. Martha knees Dunne in the balls, bolts --
EXT. APARTMENT - WALKWAY - EVENING
Martha sprints from the door, toward the stairs, screaming.
MARTHA
Help? Help me!
Ford appears in the apartment doorway, his face scratched
and bleeding. He aims his silencer-mounted .45 --
ANGLE - TOP OF STAIRS - MARTHA
The front of her white uniform erupts in a bloody gush;
she plunges face-first down the flight of stairs.
ANGLE - BOTTOM OF STAIRS
Martha's crumpled form. Ford and Dunne hurry swiftly
down -- pick up her body, drag it a few feet to a
smackadjacent steep hillside covered with thick brush.
They peer around swiftly to be sure no one has seen them,
then slide the body under the brush, down the hill. In
three seconds it has slithered ten feet down, out of sight.
The killers take off.
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INT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - NIGHT
Storm has found a zabutone meditation pillow and is sitting
on his knees in formal Japanese posture with black Dugi
pants and no shirt. He unravels a package with Oriental
characters handwritten on the outside.
In one section: what looks like an old wax Baggie full
of Chinese herbs. In the other, Storm unfolds a pouch
containing an assortment of needles: long, short, skinny,
fat.
Storm fingers the needles and finds a spot in his shoulder
with very bad scar tissue and quickly and coldly sticks
it in deep. He then twirls and adjusts it.
It is apparent that he knows what he's doing. We STAY
CLOSE ON the needles, noting the amount in the package
has greatly diminished.
PULL UP to reveal Storm, with at least 50 needles sticking
out of him.
He is now frozen deep in meditation. CAMERA CIRCLES AROUND
him 360 DEGREES -- he is like a Japanese statue.
MONTAGE
WITH SCORE.
A) INT. ARMSTEAD GYM - NIGHT
An impressive home facility with floor-to-ceiling mirrors,
Nautilus equipment, etc. Storm ignores the machines and
tentatively selects from an old set of weights, hefting
them to test his own strength, then begins a slow workout.
B) EXT. ARMSTEAD YARD - DAY
Storm performs a series of Eastern exercises: stick,
Aikido, and meditation. He's obviously pushing himself
beyond exhaustion; Andy watches, growing more and more
concerned.
ANDY
That's enough! I don't care how
many needles you stick in yourself
or how much ginseng root you eat
... you have to sleep if you're
going to recover.
STORM
I slept for seven years?
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ANDY
That's an order!
Storm, dripping sweat, glowers at her for a long beat,
then... relents. She snatches the stick from his hand,
hauls him toward the house.
ANDY
Jesus -- what a patient!
C) EXT. FIRE ROAD - DAY
Storm tries to run up a dirt hill. He's still too weak --
struggles, sweating, straining with fierce determination.
D) INT. ARMSTEAD - GYM - NIGHT
Storm at the "sticking point" in a Scott-bench curl. His
biceps bulge, veins pop as he strains with all his
strength. He ... can't ... quite -- then: he Makes it!
Exhausted. Lets the bar crash metal-to-metal"' into its
cradle.
E) EXT. ARMSTEAD POOL - DAY
Storm swims, slowly gaining power.
F) EXT. WOODED CLEARING (ARMSTEAD'S) - DAY
Storm with two long pieces of cut oak. As Andy watches,
he lays them side-by-side on the ground and begins to dig
a deep narrow hole. He tests the hole for depth. When
it's deep enough, he places the boards down into the hole
and begins to fill it in, packing the earth tightly. He
goes to the top of the boards and around them wraps a
length of old hemp rope. Around and around. The boards
stand up about six feet high. Storm steps back, observes
the height, taps it lightly testing the recoil tension.
Now he begins to punch it, harder and harder. Over and
over again. Andy, preparing his lunch, can't keep her
eyes off him. She is awed by his fire and perseverance.
G) EXT. ARMSTEAD POOL - DAY
Andy and Storm churn up the water in a splashy race. She
wins but not by much. She smiles. He doesn't. She
splashes water on him, but he's not in a playful mood.
END MONTAGE. MUSIC DOWN --
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INT. ARMSTEAD KITCHEN - NIGHT
Storm in frustration at the table.
Medical charts... a scribbled mess of medication dosages,
reading, etc
ANDY
-- You can't compare blood pressure
readings now with when you were in
a coma. It's not going to give a
true measure --
STORM
What's this reading? 555 over four
digits --
ANDY
That's crazy --
She snatches the chart, stares at it.
ANDY
It's Martha's chicken scratches.
Even she can't read 'em.
STORM
I'll tell you what it is. It's a
phone number.
NEW ANGLE - KITCHEN - LATER
Andy on the wall phone, Storm listening on an extension.
We hear the PHONE RINGING on the other end, then someone
picking it up.
OLD LADY (V.O.)
(on phone)
Redondo Beach Retirement Villa
INTERCUT:
INT. NURSING HOME - OLD LADY AT DESK
ANDY
(into phone) I'm. sorry ... maybe I
have the wrong number. I'm looking
for Kevin O'Malley.
OLD LADY
O'Malley? There's no O'Malley here.
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ANDY
My name is Phyllis O'Connor. I'm
with the pension board of the Los
Angeles Police Department. We have
a misplaced check here for Captain
O'Malley ...
OLD LADY
A check?
(pause)
Well, listen... there's a big
turnover here, people are dying all
the time, I never know who's in
what bed. Can you leave me your
number?
Andy glances to Storm, he shakes his head: hang up. He
hangs up his receiver in disgust.
ANDY
(into phone)
I'm sorry, we're not allowed to do
that.
Andy hangs up. Thinking.
EXT. RETIREMENT HOME (REDONDO BEACH) - DAY
Andy gets out of her car in a sunny parking lot. She's
wearing dark glasses and a big floppy hat, so we can barely
see her face. She passes a sign: "REDONDO BEACH RETIREMENT
VILLA."
INT. RETIREMENT HOME - OFFICE - DAY
Andy sits across from the Old Lady from the phone call.
A plaque on the desk reads: "HENRIETTA WADE." Both she
and Andy look frustrated, irritated.
ANDY
Mrs. Wade, I'll be honest with you --
I'm not from the police pension
board. My name is Andrea Simpson,
I'm a nurse from U.C.I. Medical
Center.
The Lady listens skeptically, revealing nothing. We see
that she is in a wheelchair.
ANDY
You probably have no connection to
this, and what I'm about to say
(MORE)
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ANDY (CONT'D)
will sound completely absurd to
you.
(beat)
My patient is a police officer named
Mason Storm. He's in trouble and
needs desperately to contact his
friend, Captain O'Malley. If you
have any idea how to contact Captain
O'Malley, please help me.
MRS. WADE (OLD LADY)
As I've said, Miss Simpson, I've
already asked everybody in the home.
There is no O'Malley here. But
it's possible O'Malley could be a
relative of somebody living here.
Sunday is family day. Why don't
you leave your phone number and
I'll contact you if I learn anything.
ANDY
I can't do that.
Crestfallen. Andy gets up.
ANDY
Can I phone you?
MRS. WADE
(pleasant;
innocuous)
Of course, my dear.
CLOSET
Andy opens the door, reaches in for her jacket. Suddenly
she pauses.
She sees on the closet shelf, amid other clothing:
policeman's cap with a gold shield.
Andy makes a decision -- finds a pad on a table, scrawls
a phone number. She holds out the paper.
ANDY
(pointedly)
This is my number, Mrs. O'Malley.
The Old Lady never bats an eye.
MRS. WADE
(correcting her)
You mean Mrs. Wade. O'Malley is
the person you're looking for.
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Andy meets her gaze.
ANDY
Yes ... you're right. I'm sorry.
EXT. WOODED CLEARING - DAY
Storm again approaches the Makiwara.
This time it is almost as if no walls can contain him
nothing in his mind can represent a barrier. He has a
sense of total domination before he has begun.
He begins much harder and faster, continues driving his
fist deeper and faster and harder, until even those twelve
inches of solid oak are not enough for him.
With one lightning blow the OAK SPLINTERS and flies in
half. Storm walks away with a frightening calm -- stalks
straight inside toward the gym...
INT. ARMSTEAD GYM - NIGHT
Storm has just finished a major aerobic workout and is
now doing some strange martial aerobic-type movements.
He is sweating profusely and is dressed in a tiny black
tank top and black sweat pants.
CAMERA PANS OVER TO a corner mirror and we see Andy peeking
through a crack in the door. She is enjoying this
immensely. She seems to be fighting her feelings, and
finally she puffs up her courage. Having made some
decision, she enters.
ANDY
Oh, I'm sorry ... I didn't mean to
interrupt. I, ah, well, I was just
passing by and ...
They stare at each other in quite a different way. This
time it's obvious what Andy wants, and Storm probably
wants the same thing. But he tries very hard to maintain
his "one objective" in life -- to get very strong and win
the upcoming battle.
He looks at this woman who now 'Looks more beautiful than
anyone he has ever seen. Storm throws down the light
weights in his hands and walks up to her.
He gently grabs the back of her head and pulls her hair
back and kisses her on the mouth. She seems to explode
with passion as she falls to the floor, pulling him on
top of her.
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They roll in passion growing stronger and stronger. The
CAMERA PANS TO the mirror and we see Andy's feet moving
in delight.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GYM. - STORM - LATER
Alone, sitting up -- bare-chested, glistening with sweat
from the lovemaking. He glances across at his reflection
in the floor-to-ceiling mirror.
MIRROR - STORM
Seeing himself, just after making love. His wedding ring.
ANDY
appears in the doorway, returning from the kitchen with a
tray and glasses. She wears a robe and has that mussed,
after-lovemaking glow.
She takes one look at Storm and her heart sinks.
She crosses to him -- lowers herself gracefully to kneel
beside him, setting down the tray and glasses.
STORM
(dead)
Thanks.
She looks at him. She has a good idea what's tormenting
his mind. She reaches her hand, gently touches his
shoulder ...
Storm pulls back.
STORM
Please.
He gets up, backing slowly away from her -- seeing the
pain in her eyes, feeling his own pain. In frustration,
he slams an elbow punch into a piece of gym equipment --
furiously venting rage! Andy flinches at the sound, the
violence.
STORM
I'm sorry --
(wracked with
emotion)
Sorry. I --
(MORE)
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STORM (CONT'D)
(another furious
punch)
Why am I still in this fucking cage?!
What's wrong with my body? Why
won't it heal faster?!!
He slams another furious punch. Andy gets up, tries to
approach Storm.
ANDY
Mason, please
(wants to ease
his pain)
I love you.
STORM
Don't say that!
ANDY
Why not?!
STORM
Because I can't love you! Don't
you see? It's seven years to anyone
else. But it's only days for me.
Andy draws a sharp, pained breath.
STORM
How can I be with you ... how can
I want you and take you, when --
He can't finish, torn by guilt. He stares at Andy.
Suddenly his tone becomes harsh, accusatory.
STORM
You seduced me. You came in here,
looking that way, knowing just what
the hell you were doing --
ANDY
(defiant)
Yeah, I knew. What of it? I wanted
you --
STORM
You have no right to want me!
ANDY
Then who does?! I've risked my
life for you --
STORM
Who asked you to? Not me!
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ANDY
You haven't stopped me!
STORM
Then don't risk it! Don't do shit
for me! I don't need you!
For a second it look's like he's going to strike her.
Instead he kicks the tray and GLASSES -- which smashes
into the floor-to-ceiling MIRROR, SHATTERING like a bomb?
Andy glares at him, stalks for the door --
EXT. APUMSTEAD DRIVE - IRON GATE - NIGHT
Andy's CAR ROARS out the dirt drive past the iron gate.
INT. ARMSTEAD BEDRROM - NIGHT
Storm stalks in, slamming the door behind him -- crosses
in fury and despair to the desk. On the desktop: the
news photo of Felicia, Sonny and himself.
Storm stares at the photo in agony for a moment, then
rips the desk drawer open, rummages fiercely. He finds:
keys!
INT. ARMSTEAD GARAGE - NIGHT
Storm strides in, punches the garage door button; the
door starts to open. He grabs the corner of a dusty canvas
cover -- jerks it off an Army-style Jeep.
EXT. GARAGE - NIGHT
The Jeep speeds out into the night.
EXT. CEMETERY - NIGHT
The Jeep parked at the edge of a cemetery road.
STORM
stands in the midst of the graveyard, staring at --
THREE TOMBSTONES
In the light from the road lamp, we read the names: FELICIA
STORM... MASON STORM ... JEREMY "SONNY" STORM.
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EXT. ALL-NIGHT COFFEE SHOP - PHONE BOOTH - DAWN
Ethnic neighborhood, Dodger Stadium visible in b.g.
Andy looks exhausted, from a night of black coffee and
anxiety. Now: frustrated by a BUSY SIGNAL.
ANDY
(into phone)
Pick up, Martha ... Pick up.
No luck. Andy hangs up.
EXT. CHAVEZ RAVINE STREET AND ALLEY - DAWN
Andy's car pulls past tiered hillside apartment units,
enters an alley behind a row of multi-family dwellings.
Andy at the wheel: cautious, peering around.
She parks in an out-of-sight spot, TURNS OFF the ENGINE.
INT. CAR - ANDY
The emotion of the parting with Mason catches up with
her.
ANDY
Get a hold of yourself, Andy.
She wipes her eyes, cranks the mirror around, tries to
fix her face. She looks like hell.
ANDY
(into mirror,
sarcastic)
You're really beautiful.
She puts on shades, pulls up the hood of her sweatshirt.
EXT. ALLEY - ANDY
gets out... wary. She's barefoot, just in the jeans she
threw on before bolting from Armstead's.
EXT. TWO-FAMILY DWELLING - DAWN
Andy pads quickly up to a weathered wooden door, knocks.
No answer. She rings the BELL.
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ANDY
(calling out)
Martha! Martha, it's me --
A NEIGHBOR sticks his head out next-door. A rough-looking
youth in a T-shirt, with his hair mussed up from bed.
NEIGHBOR
(tentatively)
You looking for Martha Coe?
ANDY
Yes... yes --
do you know if she's home?
The boy gets a funny look on his face.
NEIGHBOR
You haven't seen the news?
(beat)
She's dead. They shot her in the
back... over in Westwood.
Andy reacts in shock and horror.
NEIGHBOR
(staring at her)
You look like the woman's picture
on T.V... the one whose house they
shot her at --
Andy turns, flees into the alley.
ANGLE - ALLEY - ANDY'S CAR
pulls out swiftly into the street. It passes:
AT CURB - UNMARKED CAR - FORD
The killer lets Andy's car pass.
FORD
(into two-way
mike)
You called it right, Max. The bitch
showed. I'm on her ass right now --
(pulls out to
follow her)
Mount up, boys. Two to one she
leads us right to our boy Storm.
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EXT. AMRSTEAD HOUSE - MORNING
Storm's Jeep enters the drive, pulls into the garage.
Storm SHUTS OFF the MOTOR. As he steps to the floor, a
man's silhouette MOVES INTO FRAME behind him.
MAN
That's grand theft, auto.
Storm spins. For a second he is ready for anything.
Then his face softens --
STORM
(with emotion)
O'Malley.
In the garage doorway stands the friend Storm feared was
dead.
STORM AND O'MALLEY
bear hug each other affectionately.
INT. ARMSTEAD KITCHEN - OPENING CLOSE ON SNAPSHOTS - DAY
of Sonny -- now aged 12 -- in a school environment,
athletic fields, etc. O'Malley is with Sonny in some of
the shots, beaming, arm around the boy.
O'MALLEY (O.S.)
-- It's Sonny, all right. Believe
how big he got? He can throw a
football forty yards --
PULL BACK to reveal -- Storm looks up at his friend, too
moved to speak.
O'MALLEY
He made it to my house, the night
you got shot. I hid him, played it
out like he was dead -- even staged
a funeral, along with Felicia's and
yours. They bought it. Everyone
believed he was dead.
STORM
Where is he now? Is he safe?
O'MALLEY
Trinity School in Ventura. Under
my mother's maiden name, Wade. No
one has any idea he's your son.
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STORM
(trying to absorb
it all)
Then that was your mother. The one
Andy found.
O'MALLEY
Your nurse friend? Yeah. She left
your number, I traced you to here.
Storm gazes with great tenderness at the snapshots of
Sonny.
STORM
O'Mal ... I can never thank you.
O'MALLEY
Just seeing your ugly ass alive,
that's enough for me.
(beat)
You wouldn't happen to have a beer
around this joint --
Storm indicates the fridge. O'Malley helps himself brings
one for Storm.
STORM
I'd give my left arm to see Sonny,
just for two minutes. But we can't
risk it -- not yet. Not till I get
Calabrese.
O'MALLEY
Calabrese? Calabrese's dead.
Storm reacts.
O'MALLEY
Someone blew the shit out of his
Cadillac -- six months after you
'died.'
STORM
(understands)
He did his thing -- then they waxed
him.
Storm's wheels are turning.
STORM
The two guys at the pier. They
ordered the hit on me too.
(beat)
And I've got 'em on film. Still in
the camera, right where I left it.
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EXT. PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY - DAY
Andy's car drives north, back to the Armstead house.
Ford in his car keeps a discreet distance back.
ANGLE - FORD'S CAR
as another car carrying three men (including Jones, the
cop we remember who answered Andy's phone call from the
coma ward) pulls up alongside. Ford points ahead, toward
Andy's car. The new car slips in behind Ford's, tailing
Andy.
INT. ARMSTEAD LIVING ROOM - DAY
Coffee table piled with the news clippings Storm has been
studying these past days.
O'MALLEY
-- That night in the hospital, I
found the audiotape ... in your
vest. I must've listened to it a
thousand times -- looking for little
quirks in the voices, phrases they
repeat ...
His look shows he came up with nothing.
STORM
Where is the tape?
O'MALLEY
I turned it in for evidence.
Storm scowls.
0'MALLEY
Don't worry, I made a duve. I'll
get it for you. Meanwhile maybe
this'll cheer you up.
From O'Malley's briefcase comes .45 automatic, three empty
clips and a box of Glazer ammo.
Storm takes the weapon with pleasure. Checks the action,
hefts it for weight. He glances at O'Malley -- two old
comrades, ready to get back in action. Suddenly a bit of
sadness crosses Storm's face.
STORM
What happened, O'Mal? To you?
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O'Malley begins loading the clips: grim, almost
heartbroken.
0'MALLEY
I was on the case, trying to find
who pulled the trigger on you. But
it was like swimming through shit.
People kept telling me to back off.
Then one morning, the phone rings.
Immaculate Heart Emergency: someone
ran my mother off the road, her
back's broken, she's paralyzed.
STORM
(painful, emotion)
I'm sorry, O'Mal.
O'MALLEY
That night there's a note in my
locker -- letting me know it's not
an accident.
He looks at Storm, tormented.
O'MALLEY
You know me, Storm. I never would've
backed off. But there was Sonny to
worry about too. What if they found
him? What if they found you?
STORM
You did the right thing, O'Mal.
Storm takes a loaded clip from his friend, slams it into
the butt of the .45. He jacks the slide back and lets it
slam home -- chambering a round.
STORM
We'll get 'em, buddy. Every fucking
one of them.
EXT. ARMSTEAD DRIVEWAY - DAY
O'Malley in his car, in gear. Storm by the driver's door.
STORM
Get Sonny out of that school, O'Mal.
Right now. With me alive and making
a stink, whoever's on that film is
going to be looking harder than
ever for Sonny -- just to get to
me. Get him someplace safe ...
three thousand miles away if you
have to.
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O'MALLEY
Consider it done.
STORM
I'm going straight to get that film.
When you've got Sonny safe, bring
me the audiotape. We'll put 'em
together and get 'em to Esposito
for the T.V. news. That should be
quite a show.
O'MALLEY
You got it, partner.
(starts to back
out)
You can always reach me through my
mother.
(pauses, shifting
to forward)
What about that nurse? She still in
this?
STORM
Gone.
(with pain)
For the best. For her best.
O'MALLEY
Thanks for the brew!
He speeds off. Storm stands, thinking --
INT. ARMSTEAD BEDROOM - DAY
Storm enters, still deep in thought. Racking his brain --
SUBLIMINAL FLASH - EXT. DOCK - NIGHT (FOOTAGE FROM
PREVIOUSLY SHOT SCENE)
The two Shadow Men. Obscure... in darkness --
BACK TO ARMSTEAD BEDROOM - STORM
moving to the bed. The TV set edges INTO FRAME --
SUBLIMINAL FLASH - EXT. DOCK - NIGHT (FOOTAGE FROM
PREVIOUSLY SHOT SCENE)
The tall Shadow Man, starting to edge into the light.
Almost, but not ... quite --
BACK TO ARIMSTEAD BEDROOM - STORM
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sits on bed -- identical angle including TV to when he
half heard the TV ad for Trent's campaign.
STORM
(it all comes
together)
I'm gonna take you to the bank,
Senator Trent. The blood bank.
Storm's vengeance look. Suddenly O.S. -- a CAR!
INT. VESTIBULE - DAY
Storm poised inside the front door -- .45 in hand. In
walks ... Andy!
She nearly faints at the sight of the pistol leveled
between her eyes. Storm instantly jerks the weapon back.
They stand there staring at each other.
ANDY
Martha's dead.
Storm takes Andy in his arms. She weeps, sobbing. Feeling
all the tension and terror of the past days -- yet somehow
knowing she's safe in the arms of this man she loves.
ANDY
I won't leave you. Not ever again.
STORM
I won't let you.
Storm holds her, knowing he loves her.
STORM
O'Malley was here.
ANDY
Here? How did you find him?
STORM
You found him. The old lady was his
mother.
(beat)
And Andy ... my son's alive.
Andy raises her face to Storm's, her eyes welling with
emotion. He kisses her. They are standing there, just
inside the front door, which has a wood bottom-half and a
frosted-glass top-half. Suddenly:
Storm jerks Andy sideways into the room with all his
strength! He dives with her as -
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The TOP of the FRONT DOOR EXPLODES inward in a SHOWER of
flying GLASS! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three more point-blank
SHOTOGUN BLASTS BLOW the rest of the DOOR to hell.
ANGLE - HALLWAY
Storm hurls Andy so hard and fast it looks like she will
land in pieces. He somehow ends up in front of her on
the floor as a masked man plunges through the front door
into the hallway, shotgun spinning to cover his advance.
Too late.
We hear TWO LOUD ROUNDS and the masked man's head snaps
violently back and he falls into a pile.
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - DAY
Jones and Ford pull masks over their faces and sprint for
the other doors. Both carry assault rifles. An enormous
powerful third man (Joe Bear), his mask already in place,
vaults to low balcony, hauls himself up to a second story
window -- his huge Bowie knife glinting in the sun.
INT. HALLWAY - STORM AND ANDY
hurry toward a staircase, their attention focused behind
them -- on the first floor.
INT. HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - INTERIOR BALCONY
Joe Bear waits concealed at the top of the stairs, on an
interior balcony overlooking the living room, atrium-style.
Through the mouth opening of his ski mask, we see he is
smiling a sick smile -- and sensually stroking his Bowie
knife.
ANGLE - TRACKING - STORM
Storm and Andy scramble up the staircase onto the atrium
balcony and out steps Joe Bear with his knife and his
smile.
Joe Bear, for the first time in his life, is surprised
when Storm smiles too. Joe Bear screams like an animal
and lunges with his knife.
Storm stabs out his left arm like a spear and tilts his
body ever so slightly, then clamps Joe Bear's wrist with
his right hand.
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Allowing his tremendous momentum to culminate like a
hurricane, Storm manipulates him in a full circle,
catapulting Joe Bear unbelievably into a tall T'ang Dynasty
cabinet filled with priceless Oriental artifacts!
LIVING ROOM
Ford and Jones, masked, hurtle into the living room, just
below the atrium balcony. They raise their automatic
weapons, but before they can fire --
STORM
hurls Joe Bear's massive body down upon the attackers!
Jones takes the tonnage head-on and is crushed beneath
it! Ford dodges, unleashes a burst of AUTOMATIC FIRE
straight up at the balcony. Storm shoves Andy to safety
onto the exterior balcony and dives there himself, just
as the whole interior balcony is RIDDLED by Ford's BULLETS!
Ford bolts for the staircase, coming after Storm. Storm,
crouched around the corner on the exterior balcony, waits
till Ford hurtles INTO VIEW at the top of the staircase.
Storm FIRES his .45 furiously ... Ford springs back,
Storm's BULLETS BLAST the staircase WALL to ribbons. His
.45 CLICKS empty!
EXT. BALCONY - STORM
rips a magazine from his pocket, slams it into the butt
of his .45, reloading. He has it half-raised when:
Ford appears -- right in his face, assault rifle leveled
at Storm's guts. Storm strikes an instantaneous blow,
sending the rifle flying. In one motion, he pinwheels
Ford over his head, sending him flying off the exterior
balcony and crashing down into the Oriental fountain below!
EXT. ARMSTEAD HOUSE - BALCONY AND FOUNTAIN
Storm swings down to the ground. Andy leaps into his
arms, he breaks her fall and helps her alight safely.
He reaches to Ford in the fountain, rips the mask off his
face.
He recognizes the man.
STORM
I know this fuck. He's a cop!
FRONT SIDE OF HOUSE - STORM AND ANDY
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race INTO VIEW, leap aboard the JEEP, FIRE it UP and fly.
TWO MORE MASKED MEN
appear running down the drive -- SHOTGUN and assault RIFLE
trained on Storm and Andy. They begin to FIRE.
Andy can't shoot and Storm can't drive and shoot at the
same time, so he does what is logical for him -- he keeps
the pedal to the metal and chases them.
BULLETS from the two men OBLITERATE the Jeep's WINDSHIELD.
BUCKSHOT RIDDLES the VEHICLE everywhere. Andy is on the
floor of the Jeep. Storm is periodically ducking. He is
bleeding we don't know from what or how bad -- and then
blam! -- masked man #1's body is airborne. This makes #2
think... and run very fast.
EXT. TEAHOUSE - DAY
He is sprinting the 100 in 5 flat -- racing for the tea
house. He makes it inside and dives for a good position
to resume firing, but there isn't enough time. Storm
just drives right through the front of the tea house and
over the assassin's body! The JEEP ROARS out of the
flattened tea house and keeps on hauling!
EXT. ARMSTEAD GROUNDS - JEEP
ROARS across the terrain... past the horses, ostriches,
etc.
JEEP'S POV
The heavy iron gate straight ahead.
STORM
SLAMS THROUGH the metal GATE with JEEP BLASTING it.
ONCOMING VEHICLE
Captain Holland! -- in the car as a passenger, with another
plainclothes cop. The flying gate sends glass in all
directions, as Storm swerves in his Jeep to avoid the
car.
Storm freaks, seeing Holland as Holland's car is forced
off the road. Storm SKIDS into a wild 180 --
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STORM
(gun in hand,
heading back)
Holland! The other man on the dock --
ANDY
Are you crazy?! Get us outa here --
Holland and the driver are out of their car, guns drawn.
Ford races up, reinforcing them. He has an assault rifle --
STORM'S JEEP
swerves as BULLETS SMACK into it! Protecting Andy with
his body, he races off down the mountain road at high
speed.
INT. O'MALLEY'S CAR - MOVING - DAY
The unmistakable sound of a TIRE BLOWING OUT.
O'MALLEY
Shit!
EXT. HIGHWAY ONE - DAY
O'Malley's car limps to the roadside, in view of a sign:
"VENTURA 21." O'Malley gets out in frustration --
EXT. TRINITY BOYS' PREP (VENTURA) - SOCCER FIELD - LONG
LENS - SONNY STORM - (SLOW MOTION) - DAY
Our first live look at Storm's son as a twelve-year-old.
Wearing colorful soccer duds and TRINITY PREP athletic
shirt. He looks terrific, like a young colt -- free and
fearless -- his shiny hair flying as lie runs down a soccer
ball in the pell-mell action of an eighth-grade game.
The feel of this SLOW MOTION portrait is diametrically
opposite to the corruption and duplicity in the world of
the movie so far. In contrast, Sonny's world seems pure
and unsullied -- youthful and untouched by the harsh
realities of the world. We watch Sonny and his teammates
long enough to absorb his vigorous,full-of-life energy.
Then:
BACK FOCUS TO:
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MAX DUNNE AND NOLAN
Striding swiftly. Toward Sonny. Their dark plainclothes
suits in grim contrast to the colorful soccer uniforms --
SONNY (SLOW MOTION)
He falls! The rush of soccer action sweeps past him,
down the field. Sonny -- all attention focused on the
game -- scrambles to his feet, legs churning to take off
in pursuit of his friends. Just as he gets his traction:
MAX DUNNE (NORMAL SPEED)
Out of nowhere scoops Sonny up in his brawny, brutal arms!
Sonny cries out and tries to resist, but --
DOWNFIELD - SOCCER PLAYERS
They don't hear, lost in their own action and cheering.
BACK TO SONNY
Dunne and Nolan hustle him swiftly toward their car.
Already they're well away from the field, moving fast
DOWNFIELD SIDELINES
The soccer coach turns back. We see him shout, his arm
raised in a gesture of urgency --
DOWNFIELD - SOCCER PLAYERS
They turn back, too.
LONG ANGLE - SONNY, DUNNE AND NOLAN
Into Dunne's car. The car speeds off.
EXT. STORM'S OLD HOUSE - POV THROUGH JEEP WINDSHIELD -
MOVING - DAY
As the house whips INT0 VIEW and the JEEP BRAKES HARD to
stop. This is the house from the film's opening -- the
one Storm, Felicia and Sonny lived in seven years ago.
It is undergoing a remodeling now. Carpenter's and
plasterers' trucks in the driveway --
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INT. JEEP - ACROSS STREET - STORM AND ANDY
Storm yanks up the brake, full of urgency -- pulls out
his gun.
ANDY
What the hell are you doing?!
STORM
We just made the top of the chart,
Andy. Every cop in the city thinks
we shot our way out of a legitimate
bust --
ANDY
There are no cops here!
STORM
Only 'cause they're too stupid.
(cocks the slide,
ready to go)
We need that film and we don't need
any bullshit --
EXT. HOUSE - FRONT WALK - DAY
Andy making Storm put the gun away.
ANDY
Goddamit ... for once, do something
the non-violent way!
Storm is reacting to the sight of his old home -- the
first time he's seen it since the slaughter seven years
ago. He struggles with his pain and rage.
Andy, aware of his turmoil, takes his hand. Her hair is
done up in a businesslike style; she wears a jacket and
carries a briefcase. They cross to the front door --
INT. STORM'S HOUSE - ENTRYWAY - DAY
A pleasant, chatty (and very pregnant) HOUSEWIFE speaks
through the open door to Storm and Andy. Sounds of
HAMMERING, ETC. in other rooms O.S.
HOUSEWIFE
-- Gee, my husband and I aren't
really thinking about selling. In
fact, we're adding a nursery --
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ANDY
Oh, that's the best time for us to
see it! Then when you do come to
sell, our office will know the
upgrades you've made and we can
market your home more effectively.
Two plasterers troop past, a carpenter with them.
HOUSEWIFE
Hell, come on in. Everyone else
does.
Storm and Andy enter. Andy immediately begins to steer
the Housewife away from the kitchen, into the living room.
"Oh what a cute place!
I'd love to see what you're doing with the nursery..."
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
Storm casually lingers behind, drifting into the kitchen.
He crosses immediately to the alcove where, seven years
earlier, he stashed the camera case.
But the spot has been remodeled! There's a new wall there!
STORM
New wall ... fucking yuppies!
Without hesitation, he slams his fist through --
WALL
Bang! Gypsum wallboard splinters, revealing a fake panel
of brick adjacent to a real brick wall, six inches behind
the new wallboard. Storm reaches into the hole, yanks
out the camera case. He shakes his sore knuckles from
the blow as:
HOUSEWIFE AND ANDY
arrive from the living room. The Housewife stares in
shock at this strange man -- with his hand halfway through
her new wall.
HOUSEWIFE
(very cool)
Just checking for termites He tucks
the camera case under his arm --
takes Andy by the elbow.
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STORM
(to Housewife)
Better have this place fumigated --
quick.
He leads Andy out -- crisply, businesslike. Housewife
stands there dumbfounded.
ACROSS FROM CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL - PHONE BOOTH - DAY
Storm pauses in mid-conversation, drops the phone receiver
from his ear. Thinking fast, troubled. Andy beside him...
both of them keeping their faces obscured as moviegoers
and business people pass.
STORM
(to Andy)
O'Malley left his mother's place
three hours ago -- with the tape.
He should be at the school by now,
but she hasn't heard back from him.
Several people pass, glancing curiously at Storm. He
averts his face, getting even more antsy. The camera case
under his arm.
ANDY
(re: people
staring)
Fuck the tape. We gotta get this
film to Esposito or I'm gonna have
a nervous breakdown.
Storm knows this, too -- puts the receiver back to his
ear.
STORM
(into phone)
Mrs. O'Malley. Sorry ... listen.
We're outside the Century Plaza now
... the hotel. Right, right. The
one in Century City. Okay, listen
closely ...
(makes this
very clear)
Tell O'Mal to leave a message for
us at the hotel desk. Leave it for
Andy ... Andrea Smith. We're not
gonna check in, it's too dangerous --
but the desk will hold the message
if you tell them we're coming in
this afternoon. Got it? Great.
You're a champ, Mrs. '0.'
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Storm hangs up, peering around uneasily -- takes Andy by
the elbow...
STORM
You're gonna call Esposito. But
not from this phone.
ANGLE - PLAZA
Storm and Andy hurry off.
MONTAGE
WITH SCORE. Tension, urgency increasing --
A) INT. REDONDO BEACH RETIREMENT - VILLA - OFFICE -DAY
Mrs. O'Malley hangs up her phone, finishes scribbling the
notes she took from Storm. CAMERA MOVES IN ON the office
window. THROUGH the window, outside DOWN the block, we
see ... a nondescript sedan --
B) EXT. STREET OUTSIDE RETIREMENT VILLA - SEDAN - DAY
Two men inside. One wears earphones. He takes them off --
shoots a look of satisfaction to the other man.
C) EXT. TRINITY PREP (VENTURA) - MAIN BUILDING - DAY
O'Malley hurrying from his car in the lot toward the
school's main administration building.
D) ANGLE - ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
A priest and the soccer coach hurry from the building,
toward O'Malley.
We see the three men confer urgently. O'Malley reacts
with extreme alarm. He hurries, with the two others,
into the building --
E) INT. JEEP - MOVING - ANGLE ON STORM - DAY
Scowling, as a car passes and its occupants seem to stare
at the Jeep.
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F) EXT. SILVER LAKE STREET - DAY
Storm's JEEP BRAKES HARD at a stoplight, next to four bad-
looking LATINO YOUTHS in a ragged Camaro. The dudes check
Andy out lasciviously.
STORM
Hey, hermano! You want this Jeep?
He pulls the keys from the ignition, holds them up.
YOUTH #1
How hot is it?
STORM
Fuckin' smoking.
The youths look to each other. Then to the piece of shit
they're driving. In their heads, they've already got the
Jeep stripped, repainted, etc.
YOUTH #1
We got it, my man.
In ten seconds, everyone has switched cars -- BOTH VEHICLES
ROAR OFF in different directions.
MONTAGE ENDS, MUSIC DOWN --
EXT. L.A. ZOO - PARKING LOT - DAY
Storm's Camaro parked discreetly. Storm gets out -- wary,
camera case on a strap from his shoulder. Kids and moms,
other zoo-goers coming and going.
ANGLE - CAMARO - STORM AND ANDY
Andy moves uneasily behind the wheel.
ANDY
(checking watch,
nervous)
Esposito won't be here yet. He said
three-thirty.
STORM
He'll be there.
Storm adjusts his jacket to conceal his .45. Peering
around. He passes the camera case back in to Andy.
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STORM
Try O'Malley one more time.
(ready to go)
If you hear any lions roaring, haul
ass.
Andy looks at him with fearful concern.
STORM
Don't worry. I'm a big boy.
A grin. A touch --
EXT. ZOO - ATMOSPHERE SHOTS - DAY
A lion. Elephants. Kids chomping candy apples. Etc.
EXT. ZOO PATH - STORM
moving through the scene. Tense, but casual ... blending
in.
EXT. ANOTHER ZOO WALKWAY - STO'RIM
So far so good. Zoo goers more interested in chimps and
boa constrictors.
EXT. PLAZA OUTSIDE GORILLA COMPOUND - ESPOSITO
The TV reporter we remember from earlier in the film, the
one Storm is now going to meet. He stands nervously
outside, smoking. We hear one of the great APES BELLOW -
ANGLE - GORILLA COMPOUND - STORM
enters the plaza. He spots Esposito. Starts forward.
Suddenly Storm slows --
ANGLE ON ESPOSITO
as Max Dunne moves INTO FRAME seizing Esposito -- subtly,
not drawing any attention. Another man in a suit
reinforces Dunne from the other side. Esposito shows
terror, but no surprise. Clearly the men have had the
drop on him for several minutes -- but there was nothing
he could do about it. Dunne's posture indicates he has a
concealed gun pressed to Esposito's ribs.
Dunne and Storm make eye contact. The message is clear:
Try anything and Esposito dies.
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As Dunne and the other man hustle Esposito from the plaza --
ANOTHER SECURITY-TYPE IN SUIT
moves into Storm's peripheral vision. Coat over his arm,
concealing a short-barreled automatic weapon.
SECURITY-TYPE
Someone wants to talk to you, Storm.
The man gestures with his coat arm. Storm's eyes follow
to:
STORM'S POV - PARK BENCH - TRENT
The Senator himself. Big, as life and cool as a cucumber.
Alone and unrecognized on a bench, shelling and munching
from a bag of peanuts. Behind him: a caged vulture.
ANGLE - PARK BENCH
as Storm MOVES INTO FRAME. He stops, standing above Trent.
TRENT
What a day, huh? Beautiful!
(squints up at
Storm, offers
bag of nuts)
Want some nuts?
Storm makes no move.
STORM
I haven't got the film on me.
TRENT
(breezily)
I didn't think you would.
(clears space
beside him)
Sit down. Take a load off.
Storm glances to the coat-over-the-arm-man, who has taken
up a subtle position about twenty feet away.
After a beat ... Storm sits.
TRENT
You do have the film somewhere, I
assume?
Storm's hard look says yes.
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TRENT
Developed yet?
STORM
Still in the camera.
TRENT
Good. Very good. That way I know
you haven't duplicated it.
Storm inches slightly closer.
STORM
You know, Trent ... I could rip
your fucking throat out before that
sonofabitch over there could find
the spit to sneeze.
TRENT
Oh, I'm sure you could, Storm.
(keeps munching
peanuts)
But not before one of those other
gentlemen, across the way, could
put a fifty-caliber slug through
your brainpan.
ANGLE - NEARBY ROOFTOP - TWO SNIPERS
Nicely concealed atop one of the zoo buildings -- their
guns zeroed on Storm's skull.
BACK TO BENCH - STORM AND TRENT
STORM
Very well placed, Trent. But did
you know that human reaction time --
even the fastest -- is between half
and three-quarters of second? And
in that time, I could easily --
Like lightning, Storm lunges for Trent... whips behind
him, seizing his throat and hauling Trent's body into the
line of fire -- as a shield protecting Storm!
TRENT
You could kill me now, Storm -- but
you'll die two seconds later.
STORM
You think I care, motherfucker?
Just so I get you -- one way or the
other.
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Then, a voice from O.S.
DUNNE (O.S.)
Maybe you care about this, asshole.
MAX DUNNE
Twenty feet away -- both hands up -- holding a bay's
athletic shirt... "TRINITY VENTURA."
STORM AND TRENT
Storm: stunned.
TRENT
Reach into my jacket pocket.
(when Storm
hesitates)
Reach in!
Storm pulls out a Polaroid snapshot. Stares at it.
INSERT - POLAROID SNAPSHOT
It's Sonny, looking terrified, in some murky environment --
Dunne and another man (Nolan) smiling with their arms
around the boy.
BACK TO SCENE
Storm releases Trent. The Senator straightens his tie
and jacket.
TRENT
I want that film and the tape.
I'll give you three hours.
Storm stands. Dunne facing him. The snipers behind him.
STORM
(to Trent)
Just tell me one thing. Who pulled
the trigger on me and my wife?
TRENT
(sadistic irony)
Hate poisons people. Let go of it.
Storm glares at Trent. Dunne takes a step forward.
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DUNNE
(to Storm)
I missed your kid seven years ago.
But I won't miss tonight.
Storm glowers with fury. Trent hands Storm a business
card.
TRENT
Bring that film, Mr. Storm. Three
hours.
EXT. PLAYA VISTA POWER PLANT - NIGHT
Towering smokestacks silhouetted against black sky. Deep
RUMBLE of DYNAMOS, TURBINES --
INT. POWER PLANT - EQUIPMENT ROOM - NIGHT
A mesh-enclosed space above the main dynamo room.
Deafening DIN of TURBINE GENERATORS below. A bulb
illuminates Sonny sitting rigidly on a metal chair. Nolan,
a cop we saw earlier in the film, and TURNER (whom we
haven't seen before) play cards, making sure Sonny goes
nowhere.
NOLAN
(re: power plant)
It's fun, huh, kid? Kinda like a
field trip.
Sonny glowers. There's a lot of his father in him.
SONNY
I'm remembering both of you. And
when my dad gets here --
TURNER
He's gonna have a long trip, kid --
starting from Forest Lawn.
They both laugh derisively.
NOLAN
By the time this night's over, your
old man'll have a use for that phony
grave of his.
A wall-mounted PHONE RINGS. Nolan picks it up. He listens
seriously for a long beat.
NOLAN
Yeah... yeah -- we'll be right down.
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He hangs up, stands. So does Turner. They exit the wire-
mesh space, re-close the door on Sonny.
NOLAN
(to Sonny)
We'll come back with your French
fries.
(padlocks the
door)
Don't leave home without us.
ANGLE - STAIRWAY DOWN FROM EQUIPMENT ROOM
Nolan and Turner clump down and away, laughing and making
wisecracks.
INT. EQUIPMENT ROOM - SONNY
He waits till they're out of sight, then swiftly mounts a
tall equipment box that reaches almost to the ceiling.
He shoves a few boxes out of his way, revealing --
WIRE MESH HATCH
in the mesh ceiling of the room. Sonny flops onto his
back atop the tall equipment box, kicks up hard -- the
hatch pops open!
ANGLE - ROOF OF EQUIPMENT ROOM - SONNY
climbs out onto the "roof" of the room. He sees a short
catwalk leading to the huge, high wall of the dynamo room.
Against the wall are big windows.
Sonny scoots to the windows, which are cracked open awning
style. He peers out and down.
SONNY'S POV
A 30-foot drop to the pavement below.
EXT. POWER PLANT - NIGHT
Sonny shins down a pipe as niftily as a spider monkey!
EXT. POWER PLANT - LOT - NIGHT
Sonny scampers across the darkened lot, heading for the
traffic and headlights on the PCH.
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EXT. REDONDO BEACH RETIREMENT VILLA - NIGHT
A cab pulls into the curb outside Mrs. O'Malley's place,
Sonny springs out. We see the cabbie shouting after him --
and Sonny arguing, gesturing toward the nursing home.
Mrs. O'Malley emerges from the nursing home wheelchair.
Sonny rushes to her ... they embrace joyfully.
O'Malley comes out too, more cautiously than his mother.
He is armed. He also hurries to Sonny, hugs him tight.
SONNY
Malley!
O'MALLEY
It's okay, sport. It's okay...
it's okay --
Still hugging Sonny, O'Malley shoves a bill at the cabbie.
Whatever it is, the cabbie is thrilled. He boogies off
ecstatically.
INT. CAMARO - MOVING - NIGHT
Storm wheels the car at high speed -- super-intense,
clutching a tiny chain-link "low-rider" steering wheel.
ANDY
Is that a steering wheel -- or a
Winchell's donut?
Storm has no time for humor -- he twists the wheel,
flooring the accelerator.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
The Camaro ROARS through a hairy turn.
EXT. REDONDO RETIREMENT VILLA - OFFICE WINDOW - NIGHT
Through the window we see O'Malley on the phone, speaking
urgently. He finishes, hangs up -
ANGLE - FRONT DOOR OF NURSING HOME
O'Malley emerges with Sonny, carrying a travel bag. The
boy and O'Malley quickly hug Mrs. O'Malley, then stride
swiftly out toward O'Malley's car.
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UP BLOCK FROM NURSING HOME - SEDAN
The car with the two surveillance men we saw before, waits,
hidden in shadow. The men watch --
O'MALLEY'S CAR
with Sonny aboard, pulls out.
SEDAN
pulls out after it.
EXT. CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL - ENTRYWAY - NIGHT
Two unmarked sedans whip in and stop ... doors open...
out come Ford, Jones and two plainclothesmen. They give
curt instructions to the valets and hurry inside --
INT. CENTURY PLAZA - LOBBY - NIGHT
The men fan out nonchalantly. Jones approaches the --
MESSAGE DESK
JONES
(displays badge
and warrant)
I need to check any messages for a
Miss Andrea Smith.
The DESK CLERK quickly scans the message slots.
DESK CLERK
I'm sorry. I see no slot for that
name --
JONES
She hasn't checked in yet. But
she's due here. Someone might have
left a message for her.
The Clerk finds the slot.
DESK CLERK
Here it is. There's just one message.
Jones takes the message slip. Ford and one of the
plainclothesmen join him -- the three move aside, confer
briefly. Ford and the cop move off. Jones crosses back
to the Desk Clerk, hands the message slip back to him.
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JONES
You can put this back now.
(significantly)
You never saw me.
(indicates other
cops)
You never saw these guys.
The Clerk nervously replaces the message slip.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT
OPENING ON: FORD
in a subtle position near the lobby entrance.
JONES
half-hidden at a corner of the cocktail pit..
TWO PLAINCLOTHESMEN
dispersed at angles across from the message desk.
EXT. CENTURY PLAZA - ENTRY DRIVE - NIGHT
Storm's Camaro pulls and parks. Storm and Andy, very
wary, step out.
INT. CENTURY PLAZA - LOBBY - NIGHT
Andy enters first, Storm half a step behind her like a
bodyguard. His eyes move everywhere --
FORD
slips back out of sight.
JONES
does the same.
MESSAGE DESK AND ALCOVE
Storm drops away from Andy, about ten feet from the desk,
slips subtly toward an alcove.
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Andy crosses to the desk -- we see her speak to the Clerk
and the Clerk hands her the message slip. She scans it
hastily, excited by what she reads -- moves quickly back
to Storm.
ANDY
Sonny got away! He's with O'Malley!
O'Malley's gat the tape -- they're
heading for Union Station.
Storm:. ecstatic. He grabs Andy, ready to exit. Suddenly,
he freezes --
STORM'S POV
He spots Ford!
STORM
his eyes flash across the lobby. He spots:
JONES
STORM
shields Andy. Plainclothesman #1 steps out, whipping out
his badge. Suddenly Storm grabs the cop with the badge
in front of his face and uses him as a human battering
ram for him and Andy to escape, plunging the man through
two layers of glass windows of the adjoining Hertz rental
office and out into the street in front of the hotel!
Andy follows through the newly formed exit. People scream.
Chaos. The other cops react in pursuit of Storm and Andy.
EXT. CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL - NIGHT
Storm dumps his "battering ram body" and he and Andy sprint
toward the valet booth at the main entrance of the hotel,
where numerous cars are coining and going.
VALET AREA
The valet is a big fat man in a red Beefeater costume.
He is presently handing keys to a large "good old boy" --
boots, ten-gallon hat and all. Tex is just laying a bill
in the Beefeater's hand, and starting to stuff his too-
large frame into a sleek Gullwing speedster with its doors
popped up. Before he can, we see him take a flying seat
on the road as Storm and Andy shove in and --
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AVENUE OF THE STARS
Instantly the Gullwing is in flight -- SCREECHING away
from the hotel entrance, across the median and the
decorative fountain that separates the Avenue of the Stars.
But almost equally as fast, two cop cars start to close
in on him. It looks like Storm is trapped! But he slams
the pedal to the metal and blasts between them, escaping.
As the two cop cars crash into each other --
FORD AND JONES
on foot, catch up to the scene. Too late.
FORD
Get the goddam cars!
They run off. A crowd of theatergoers stare in
bewilderment at the scene of chaos.
EXT. AVENUE OF THE STARS - NIGHT
The Gullwing thunders off into the night.
INT. UNION STATION - NIGHT
0'Malley scans the monitor above the ticket seller's
window. The 11:10 to Albuquerque leaves on track 12.
The waiting area is quiet at this time of night except
for a few travelers and stragglers.
Sonny Storm, quiet and apprehensive, focuses on tearing
open the packet of mustard for his hot dog. He sits on
top of a battered suitcase.
O'Malley returns with the tickets and sits next to Sonny
on a bench.
O'MALLEY
Be careful you don't get any of
that guck on your sweater ... let
me comb your hair before your old
man gets here, it's stinking up in
the back.
O'Malley takes a comb out of his jacket pocket.
SONNY
Quit it, will you ... you're making
me more nervous than I am already.
My father's going to be more
interested in seeing the real me.
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Nevertheless O'Malley tries to comb Sonny's hair. Sonny
pushes the comb aside.
O'MALLEY
I think I'm more nervous than you
are, kid. We got out of my mother'
place about two shakes ahead of the
landlord ... know what I mean?
SONNY
My dad'll get 'em. You guys'll
nail them all.
(beat,
thoughtful;
then)
You think he's gonna like me?
O'MALLEY
Does a bear dump in the woods? Are
you kidding -- he's gonna love you.
SONNY
Let me see the tickets. Did you
get us one of those sleeping cars?
What time is he getting here anyway?
O'MALLEY
Soon...
Just then, O'Malley becomes aware of a bad vibe in the
air. A foreign presence. Nolan, and Turner have followed
him and Sonny from Mrs. O'Malley's house. Now they
approach --
NOLAN
(calling out)
Hey, O'Malley! Long time no see.
(approaching)
Taking a trip somewhere?
O'Malley slip the tape from his pocket, placing it under
Sonny's Jacket on the bench without missing a beat, as he
calmly starts to rise.
O'MALLEY
(to Sonny, under
his breath)
Make sure your father gets this ...
(to Nolan)
Yeah. Me and my son are visiting
my mother in New Mexico.
O'Malley gets up, starts to move toward the men.
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NOLAN
Your son, huh? That's funny. He
doesn't look much like you --
(to his partner)
Does he, Turner?
They both laugh.
TURNER
Looks a lot like Mason Storm.
O'Malley and the men come to face-off point, staring at
each other.
NOLAN
Enough of this fucking around. We
want the tape.
CLUNK! O.S. we hear a CLATTERING ECHO.
Sonny has picked up his jacket. The tape has fallen onto
the marble floor!
O'MALLEY
Sonny -- run!
Sonny snatches up the tape and leaps over the bench, racing
toward the rear doorway heading for the street.
Nolan and Turner start to run after him. O'Malley throws
a fierce body block on both men, sending all three crashing
into a big, loaded luggage cart. O'Malley finds his feet
first as all three struggle to get up. Nolan starts to
pull his gun. O'Malley grabs a heavy metallic suitcase
and smashes Nolan in the face with all his strength.
Nolan crashes backward against Turner, toppling them both
into a huge 25-foot lighting installer's ladder -- which
now starts -- to cave over, pulling a string of dozens of
big industrial GLOBES plummeting to the floor and EXPLODING
into thousands of tiny shards! People scream. O'Malley
shoves the luggage cart at the men and races for the door --
EXT. UNION STATION - NIGHT
Sonny has made his way into the parking area, amidst dozens
of cars, but he has stopped -- looking back fearfully,
worried about O'Malley. O'Malley bursts from the exit.
O'MALLEY
(shouts)
Go! Sonny -- get outta here!
In front of the station, a cab is jacked up; the driver
replacing a flat. O'Malley starts to run toward Sonny
past the cab, when suddenly:
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He is SHOT in the back by Nolan! His lurching bulk crashes
into cab, knocking it off its jack to the ground. The
tire iron (that's used as a jack handle) springs loose,
onto the ground near O'Malley.
Seeing the gunmen, Sonny in horror crawls under a car.
The cab driver flees for his life. O'Malley spins back,
draws and tries to fire at the oncoming Nolan and Turner --
but he is SHOT TWICE in the stomach. Turner kicks O'Malley
in the hand, sending the gun flying off under the cab!
NOLAN
Get the kid! He's under the cars!
Nolan and Turner sprint off after Sonny. Sonny rolls
from under one to another.
Nolan and Turner try to trap him, peering under the cars --
but Sonny is too agile and cat-like. Turner crouches down,
spots Sonny.
TURNER
Give us the tape, kid -- and we'll
take you home.
SONNY
Fuck you, Jack!
Turner aims his gun. Suddenly:
His head turns to squash as: a bloody O'Malley stands
over him, bashing him with a tire iron!
A crowd of bystanders scream in horror at this horrendous
sight.
EXT. ALAMEDA STREET - NIGHT
A block from Union Station, the GULLWING SCREECHES into
view.
EXT. UNION STATION - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Nolan comes around the end of the car, sees O'Malley --
standing over the dead Turner with a tire iron in his
hand. It is clear O'Malley is about to die. But still
he staggers toward Nolan, raising the tire iron.
Nolan, gun in hand, watches incredulously. O'Malley
staggers another step. Sonny has crawled out from under
the car; he sees this. O'Malley staggers another step.
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O'MALLEY
(to Nolan, dying)
You don't deserve to wear your badge.
with his last failing strength,
O'Malley raises the tire iron.
Nolan PUMPS him once, square in the
chest, killing him.
Sonny screams and flees in fear for his life. Nolan races
after him. Between the maze of parked cars. Sonny,
dodging, in between the endless rows.
Meanwhile a small crowd has gathered around the mortally
wounded O'Malley.
Suddenly, O.S. we hear the SCREECHING of TIRES. The crowd
reacts as the Gullwing blasts into the lot, ROARING
straight toward Nolan and the terrorized Sonny. Finally,
unable to get any closer, Storm leaps out of the Gullwing,
onto the hood of a car and races across the rooftops of
one vehicle after another, closing in on Nolan and Sonny.
Andy stops in horror beside the deathly stricken O'Malley.
ON SONNY
unaware of Storm -- trying to escape from his pursuer.
NOLAN
cursing and unable to gain ground on the fleet-footed --
now actually raising his gun. Suddenly:
STORM
from the roof of the next-to-last car roof in a line of
parked vehicles soars through the air like a night eagle-
setting what looks like a new world record in the long
jump -- surprising Nolan from the rear! Slamming the cop
to the ground in instant death. Cracking his neck.
SONNY
stops. Gasping, breathless -- seeing the father he hasn't
seen in seven years.
STORM
relieved and overwhelmed, grabs his son and lifts him off
the ground in a moment of salvation and triumph. They
hold each other with all their strength.
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However their moment is incomplete, as Sonny is visibly
distraught about the stricken O'Malley, beginning to sob
at the loss of his surrogate father. Storm turns and
starts to move toward --
O'MALLEY - ON GROUND
Andy ... the crowd around O'Malley. Sonny breaks through,
with Storm half a pace behind. Sonny kneels, embracing
his fallen friend. Storm joins his son, kneels alongside
him, both mourning the loss of their dearest comrade.
ANDY
watching them. Touched deeply. Then: O.S. SIRENS!
EXT. ALAMEDA STREET - NIGHT
Two police CARS ROAR into view, racing for the station.
BACK TO PARKING LOT
Storm jumps up -- turns Sonny over to Andy, hurrying them
into a nearby cab. The cab takes off.
INT. CAB - MOVING
Andy and Sonny topple into the back seat. The DRIVER
picks up on all the frenzy.
DRIVER
Where to?
ANDY
That's a good question. Out of
here for sure.
ANDY
turns with Sonny to see Storm, through the back window of
the cab, looking after them protective -- full of emotion.
SONNY
(to Andy)
Where are we going? Who are you?
ANDY
thinks for a moment.
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ANDY
It's a long story. You got a few
minutes?
EXT. PARKING LOT - STORM
leaps aboard the Gullwing, ROARS out of the lot --
THUNDERSTORM - NIGHT (STOCK)
Forked lightning blazes above Los Angeles, THUNDER BOOMS --
STAND OF PALMS
illuminated by lightning
... RAIN sheeting past... WIND RIPPING the fronds in a
RATTLING MAELSTROM --
EXT. TRENT MANSION - RAIN - NIGHT
No sentries, no dogs. Only a high gate and fence
surrounding the fort-like mansion.
STORM
swiftly sliding through the shadows, he moves around the
perimeter, pausing to examine things, searching for
something. He finds an old storm gate to what would
probably be a cellar or basement.
INT. TRENT MANSION - SPORTING ROOM - NIGHT
RAIN LOUD outside. Holland, Dunne, Ford and Jones. Half-
tanked, shooting pool to pass the time and cool their raw
nerves. No one armed.
DUNNE
(angry, defending
himself)
What do we have to do, Holland drive
a fucking stake through his heart?
HOLLAND
I'll settle for a bullet.
Holland and Dunne exchange furious glares.
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HOLLAND
You had him point-blank seven years
ago, and he's still walking!
FORD
He won't be for long. Not with his
picture on every T.V. in --
HOLLAND
Fuck his picture! Get off your
asses --
(waves them to
get out of
here)
Start earning your money!
Holland grabs his shoulder holster off the back of a chair,
stalks angrily toward a rear door.
The others glower as Holland pounds off into the rear of
the house. Dunne slings a cue ball the length of the
table, breaking the rack with a crack like a pistol shot.
The balls ricochet into each other and the cushions in a
futile expression of rage and frustration. Suddenly:
STORM
Out of nowhere appears at the door opposite the one Holland
just left by. He is dripping from the rain and has a .45
pointed at them with one hand, while with the other he
holds a finger to his lips as if to say, "Shhh, don't
wake the baby."
DUNNE, FORD AND JONES
don't know whether to shit or go blind.
STORM
How's the action, boys? Mind if I
play?
Glances from the men toward the couch at the rear of the
room, on which rest their jackets and shoulder holsters.
Storm: totally aware of every aspect of the situation.
STORM
I know what you guys are thinking.
You're thinking I couldn't play
with this gun in my hand. Right?
Pause as the men stand in extreme anticipation. Then:
Storm holsters his gun.
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STORM
Well? Somebody hand me a cue.
There is a brief moment of hesitation and a look of
disbelief between the boys and then, BOOM! Ford tries to
hand Storm a pool cue as if Storm's head is a baseball
and the cue is a bat. This doesn't work very well, as
Storm enters and simultaneously grabs Ford's cue, using
his momentum to slam his head down onto the edge of the
pool table. We hear Ford's SKULL CRACK and he goes down.
Almost instantly another pool cue in Jones's hands slashes
toward Storm's head. This time Storm has his own tool --
and takes his cue to intercept the one about to connect
with his head.
He again uses the power of the attacker's momentum and as
soon as his cue goes down, so does Storm's, onto the back
of Jones's skull with so much force we hear the NECK SNAP
at the same time the cue splinters in half! Storm is
left with the jagged tip of the skinny end.
Dunne, knowing he'll never make it in time to the couch
at the rear of the room, lunges at Storm with a butcher
knife he seizes from a tray of cold cuts on a side table.
Storm traps the knife, and quickly guides it into Dunne's
midsection. With the other hand he raises the sharpened
end of the pool stick and slams it down Dunne's throat
via the windpipe!
STORM
That's for my wife. Fuck you and
die.
Dunne falls to his knees and just stares. Storm does a
flying kick to his chin, breaking his neck. The room now
finished, he turns and exits.
INDOOR POOL
Holland pours himself a nervous drink. He paces, tracking
Trent who's doing a gentle breaststroke.
TRENT
I want Dunne and the others here.
That goddamn Storm is nuts enough
to come after me --
HOLLAND
He's nuts -- but not that nuts.
Holland watches Trent swim a few more strokes, then turns
and heads away down a short hallway.
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INT. BATHROOM - HOLLAND
as he lifts the toilet seat to pee, he finds a handwritten
note on the seat. Shocked, he nervously looks around.
Seeing nothing, he picks up the note and reads it.
INSERT - NOTE
Anticipation of death is worse than death itself.
HOLLAND
A faint smile comes to his face with great confidence.
As he backs out of the toilet, he pulls his pistol from
his shoulder holster, cocking it. He cautiously exits.
TRACKING
Holland as he moves toward the sporting room and his
support team. He enters the area of carnage and the smug
confidence on his face starts to change to a slight worry.
He then starts carefully making his way back to the indoor
pool to inform Trent.
INDOOR POOL
Holland enters the area and finds no one. Now the look
on his face is one of fear and confusion.
HOLLAND
Sonofabitch.
But he has a plan. His plan is to try to make it out of
the house in one piece. What was once careful stalking
has turned into panicked blundering.
CONTINUE TRACKING Holland as he bumps into things, knocking
them over, retreating wildly. He passes a raging fireplace
and suddenly out of the shadows comes a voice:
STORM (O.S.)
How does it feel to know you're
about to die?
Holland FIRES in the direction of the voice, and Storm
comes out of the shadows standing in plain view -- his
.45 pointed at Holland.
STORM
I'll give you more time than you
and Trent gave my wife.
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Holland changes the point of his aim and FIRES again. As
he fires, Storm EMPTIES his GUN straight at Holland.
WALL BEHIND HOLLAND
A Louis XIII portrait -- where a silver dollar-sized group
of holes has just appeared, two inches above Holland's
head. They are both out of ammo.
STORM'S POV
Holland picks up a fireplace poker. He's swinging like
maniac and we hear the sound of the poker SLASHING the
AIR.
But he gets too close to Storm, who snatches the poker
away from him.
They are like two vicious cats whirling. We see Holland
gasping in agony and hear the sound of BONES BREAKING.
Storm then begins the search for Trent. He casually
strolls through the house calling as if he's playing hide
and seek with a childhood friend.
STORM
Vernon, oh, Verrrrrnon, where are
you?
Storm opens closets, looks in drawers, under the toilet
seat, and then proceeds into --
INT. MASTER BEDROOM
STORM
(loud enough
for Trent to
hear)
Let's see ... where could that bad
boy be?
From the tragic violent rage to what almost seems like a
kiddie game, we are not sure if: Storm has gone mad or
what. He approaches the master closet as he continues
the taunting melody.
MASTER CLOSET
Storm enters and begins pushing the clothes of the racks
aside -- looking for something that's probably not there.
Trent is too smart for this shit ... he's probably on a
jet to the Bahamas by now.
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One more rack of clothes in the farthest-back section.
Storm reaches to shove it aside when, with shocking and
deafening suddenness: a SHOTGUN BLAST erupts point-blank
... shredding $10,000 worth of suit jackets and barely
missing Storm's head. Instantly a figure leaps out. Storm
gently disarms him, and the two men are for a moment frozen
eye to eye.
STORM AND TRENT
Storm seems to drift off somewhere far away, and then
violently slams Trent up against the wall, pinning his
chest with the left hand. Storm takes the sawed-off
shotgun by the handle and punches the barrel straight
into Trent's mouth. The barrel simply goes through the
teeth and in his mouth. It appears Storm has made up his
mind about what to do. Trent's eyes bug out of his head.
Storm now takes Trent by the hair and leads him through
the house, shotgun still in his mouth.
STORM
You know, Trent, I want to kill you
so bad I can barely contain myself.
But I keep thinking that death is
far too merciful a fate for you,
and that a nice petite white-bread
boy like you in a federal
penitentiary ...
(pause)
-- let me put it this way -- I doubt
whether you could remain anal
retentive for very long. Yeah... I
think that's best for you --
Trent is now so fucking scared he looks like he is about
to go out of his mind. About this time in their journey
through the house, Storm has stopped before Holland's
mangled and lifeless body. If you think Trent was scared
before, you should see him now.
Storm curiously turns his back on Trent for a moment, to
pick up handcuffs off the floor. Trent sees his last
chance.
Trent seizes the poker and does his most mighty Babe Ruth
impression. Just as Storm stands up, the poker comes
flying. It looks like Storm is dead but somehow he steps
inside the arc and does shihonage, which disarms Trent
and flips him backwards head-first into the fire.
Trent's neck is impaled by one of the decorative iron
arrows of the fireplace. He is stuck -- struggling to
free himself from the arrow as his head catches fire ...
a fate somewhat worse than prison.
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Storm turns away --
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. CEMETERY - LONG SHOT - DAY
We are not sure where we are yet. In the distance, we
see a procession of marching men, all wearing kilts, and
all the accoutrements of traditional Scottish garb. In
the front, several paces ahead of the neatly marching
lines of men, is a single BAGPIPER. Behind all of them
is a hearse, being nobly escorted by mounted police.
FULL SHOT
Now we see them fully: the colors, the feeling, the emotion
of caring men marching in the funeral parade of a fallen
comrade.
CAMERA PAN'S OVER to reveal a section of mourners -- mostly
police but with some civilians. The CAMERA MOVES CLOSER
and PANS TO the front row, where we see Storm in full
police regalia, a medal of valor around his neck. Andy
and Sonny are standing near at sober attention.
The procession stops and the lone bagpiper continues to
play the dirge as he walks up and takes his position on a
section of lawn. The pallbearers remove the flag from
the casket and present it to the Chief of Police, who now
slowly approaches the group of mourners and stops directly
in front of Sonny Storm. He presents the flag and salutes
Sonny. The lone bagpiper stops and an officer on TRUMPET
begins playing "Taps." The coffin is slowly lowered.
FULL SCREEN - TV MONITOR
Finally: the film that Storm shot that night seven years
ago on the wharf. Spliced with the audiotape -- with
subtitles including each speaker's name to make every
word and identity clear. We see:
The two Shadow Men step from the station wagon. The
"pushed" film clearly reveals them to be Trent and Holland.
We see them conspire with Calabrese and Vitale.
CALABRESE (V.O.)
Murder is a serious business, my
friend. And an expensive one.
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TRENT (V.O.)
I'm up to here with caution! This
(bleep) lives on alfalfa sprouts
and bean curd, he ain't gonna die
of natural cause.
Our SHOT starts to WIDEN, revealing that the TV monitor
is in a news studio. The nightly news is being broadcast:
what we see on this monitor is simultaneously going out
over the air.
As the SHOT WIDENS and TRAVERSES, we begin to see the
actual news set -- including Esposito who got his well-
deserved scoop -- and other anchorpeople, crewmen, etc.
CALABRESE (V.O.)
All I'm counseling is a little
patience. The man is public. He's
in the paper every day.
TRENT (V.O.)
Yeah? Well, the next time I read
about him, it better be in the
obituaries.
CONTINUE MOVE as the wharf scene keeps playing. The TV
monitor passes OUT OF FRAME, SOUND goes DOWN, we're MOVING
PAST the news set and its occupants (who are readying to
go back on-camera as soon as the wharf tape ends) and on
UP TOWARD --
LIGHTS ABOVE NEWS SET
which now FILL the FRAME -- bright and blinding. The
screen starts to bleach out ... it goes white and
MATCH CUT - SUN (MARINA DEL REY)
above a perfect peaceful sea. A small powerboat (the
kind that you rent from the dock) moves INTO FRAME. Storm
steers it, standing up. Andy and Sonny in the back cockpit
seat.
IN ANDY'S LAP - PORTABLE TV
She switches a channel: up comes the same footage we just
saw on the news set.
ANDY
It takes a beat before she realizes what it is. Then:
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ANDY
Hey ... Seven year Storm!
(indicates TV)
I told you you'd be famous.
Storm takes a step so he can see the screen. Views it
for a short beat, then --
STORM
picks the TV up from Andy's lap and, while it's still
playing, heaves it over the side and into the drink!
OCEAN SURFACE - TV
splashes ... bobs for a few moments... then sinks beneath
the surface.
ANDY
(laughing)
Hey! Why'd you do that?
STORM
watching the last ripples from the sinking set. A moment
between him and himself -- when the past is allowed to
slip away, sink out of sight, making way for the future.
Storm turns back from the water surface, to his son and
to the woman he loves. He sits (letting the boat drift
wherever it wants to) and tugs Andy down beside him.
Then he reaches across to his son, pulls the boy to him
with a playful headlock.
For a moment both Andy and Sonny are held in suspension,
wondering what Storm will do or say.
Finally:
STORM
(to Sonny)
Knock, knock.
For a beat, the boy is taken aback. Then he break's into
a broad smile.
SONNY
Who's there?
Storm glances to Andy, pulling her tighter to him.
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STORM
Boo.
SONNY
Boo who?
STORM
You don't have to cry about it.
(a beat, then)
I love you both.
Storm hugs his son with great affection, pulling Andy to
him with his other arm. This is their beginning.
BOAT
drifts its happy way across the sun-shimmering sea.
FADE OUT.
THE END |
HEAT
by
Michael Mann
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
REVISED DRAFT
March 3, 1994
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www.screentalk.org
EXT. CEDARS-SINAI - WIDE - DAY
A monolith with alienating foregrounds. A bus pulls in on
Beverly. NEIL McCAULEY and a nurse get off. Neil carries
a paper bag and wears white pants like a hospital attendant.
Neil is an ice-cold professional: very big, very tough.
At 42 his short black hair is graying. He spent eight
years in McNeil and three in San Quentin. He got out and
hit the street in 1987. Four of the McNeil years were
spent in the hole. Neil's voice is street, but his language
is precise like an engineer's. He's very careful and very
good. Neil runs a professional crew that pulls down high
line, high number scores and does it anyway the score has
to be taken down: if on the prowl (a burglary), that's
fine; if they have to go in strong (armed), that's fine
too. And if you get in their way, that's got to be your
problem. His lifestyle is obsessively functional. There's
no steady woman or any encumbrance. Neil McCauley keeps
it so there's nothing he couldn't walk from in 30 seconds
flat.
ANGLE
Right now, he enters the big double doors and pulls a white
intern's coat from his paper bag.
CUT TO:
INT. CEDARS-SINAI CORRIDOR - TRAVELING TWO SHOT - DAY
We DOLLY on Neil as he crosses through the long crowded
corridor. Patients, nurses, interns and doctors pass by.
A P.A. broadcasts occasional messages.
PROFILE
Nail crosses under an "EMERGENCY" sign and keeps going
towards the exit doors.
TRAVELING - FRONTAL
Neil APPROACHES THE CAMERA. From the other direction two
ambulance attendants wheel an old man under oxygen and
pass by Neil.
CUT TO:
WIDE REAR SHOT
Without breaking his stride from the moment he got off the
bus, Neil exits through the doors, examines four ambulances
parked in the slots, climbs into one and drives off. Maybe
he's stolen it. We don't know.
CUT TO:
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EXT. R & C CONSTRUCTION SUPPLIES - ON CHRIS - DAY
CHRIS SHIHERLIS crosses past stacks of gravel and cement
with a white-coated BLACK CLERK. Chris wears a hard hat
over a mongol cut, Levi's, black boots and a sleeveless
sweat shirt and carries on one shoulder a 150 lb., red,
Milwaukee Tool Company case. He looks like a construction
worker by day who by night hits L.A's slams, jams and raves.
He's 29, from Austin, Texas. Chris is also a highline
pro: a boxman who knows five ways to open any safe made.
Right now he's buying a hollow core drill. He and McCauley
were cellmates in San Quentin Penitentiary from 1984 to
1987. Chris hit the streets in 1988. He's a hot dog and
spends money as fast as he makes it. Right now, he and
the Clerk exit to the sales counter.
CUT TO:
EXT. SALES COUNTER - TWO SHOT
As they approach, the Clerk goes behind it.
CLERK
What you working on?
CHRIS
Drillin' some post holes into
concrete ...
CLERK
(re: toolcase)
With that you can ream solid
steel. Check, charge, or cash?
CHRIS
Cash. Put "Jack's Fencing" on
the receipt.
CLERK
$788. 30
Chris pays; Clerk writes receipt.
CLERK
(continuing)
...that a good racket? I ought
to get out from behind this
counter...
CHRIS
(takes receipt)
Yeah.
(beat)
Take it easy.
He leaves with the heavy red case.
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INT. "TOYS 'R' US STORE" - ON CERRITO - DAY
MICHAEL CERRITO - at 40 - is looking at a doll house.
He's a wide, thick, coarse-featured big man. Sicilian
from Sunnyside, he's spent 15 years in Attica, Joliet and
Marion penitentiaries. He's strictly a "cowboy": his
natural inclination towards a score is "...get the guns
and let's go." He's been off smack and everything else
for five years. He's clean and sober. He's the nicest
guy on the block and a loving father. If you get in his
way, he'll kill you as soon as look at you. If you asked
him about the contradictions, he wouldn't know what you
were talking about.
CLOSE OR DOLL HOUSE DETAILS
It's 3 x 6 and two feet high. Miniature room sets are
inside. Cerrito's thick fingers close the door. He picks
it up. WIDEN. He crosses to a counter and MIDDLE-AGED
CLERK.
CERRITO
Wrap this here up.
CLERK
Yessir. You're going to have a
happy little girl.
CERRITO
Two. I got two girls.
CLERK
That's nice.
CERRITO
Yeah. And gimme those three
masks there.
Clerk takes down Clark Gable, Three-eyed Monster, and
Beautiful Lady, full-head rubber masks.
CERRITO
(continuing)
Gimme Donald Duck, too
CLERK
(does and laughs)
A little early for Halloween?
CERRITO
Yeah. Halloween's coming early
this year. What do I owe you?
CUT TO:
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INT. CONDOMINIUM - A HAND - MORNING
Slides across the back of JUSTINE'S thigh.
JUSTINE'S AND HANNA'S FACES
She is 29, auburn, languorous, her eyes are closed and she
makes love with her husband, VINCENT HANNA. Pressing her
face to his, their hair intertwined... It's morning. We
are in an expensive condominium.
WIDE
The two bodies locked into the rhythms of their love-making,
twisted in white sheets. OFF SCREEN a shower runs.
CUT TO:
INT. SHOWER - HANNA
Is in it. The water streams off his body. The glass is
misted. He turns off only the hot and breathes fast in
the cold spray. OFF SCREEN a cigarette lighter CLICKS.
CUT TO:
BEDROOM - JUSTINE
smoking, still under the white sheets, watches Hanna dress.
JUSTINE
... taking me out to breakfast?
HANNA
(looks at watch)
Can't. Bosko's waiting..
LAUREN
(passing door)
Hi Vincent. Mom, where's my
barrettes?
LAUREN, Justine's daughter, is 15 and tall and anxious.
HANNA
Hi, sweetie.
JUSTINE
I saw them on the kitchen
(to Hanna)
Want me to make coffee?
HANNA
(to Lauren in other
room)
No school today?
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LAUREN (O.S.)
Daddy's picking me up! We're
going to see the new site and
then shopping and lunch.
(beat)
They're not on the table.
JUSTINE
Then I don't know...
(to Hanna)
He's already half an hour late.
HANNA
He gonna show? Or the son of a
bitch gonna stand her up like
last time?
Hanna clips a 2" .38 in his waistband. Justine shrugs and
shakes her head.
JUSTINE
(starting out of
bed)
Want the coffee?
HANNA
I'm out of time...
He leaves.
JUSTINE
Falls back on the pillow,
disappointed. It's as if she'd
been stood-up. The bed sheet
falls half off of her. She's
exposed, vulnerable. She looks
out the window, occluded by light
muslin, away from us and exhales.
CUT TO:
INT. MACARTHUR PARK, MEN'S ROOM - ON WAINGRO - DAY
Bare-chested washing at a sink. WAINGRO'S 27. He sports
prison tattoos including an Aryan Brotherhood swastika
covering his abdomen. He's a graduate of the "gladiator
academies," Chino and Tracy.
He's dressed in Army and Navy Store gray workman's clothes.
He combs his long hair straight back off his round forehead.
Now he tucks his shirt in and puts on wrap around shades.
CUT TO:
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 6.
EXT. MACARTHUR PARK - WAINGRO
Waits. His shell jacket is in a tight roll under his arm.
Then a garbage truck - a Dempsey Dumpster (the kind with a
power forklift on the front) - pulls up.
CUT TO:
INT. TRUCK - WIDE - DAY
Michael Cerrito is the driver.
CERRITO
You Waingro?
WAINGRO
Yeah.
He climbs in. Cerrito pulls out. Waingro - delayed -
offers his hand. Cerrito has to wait until he finishes
his gear change to shake it. The timing's a little weird.
WAINGRO
(continuing loud)
You're Cerrito huh?
(pause)
What kinda guy is this Neil?
CERRITO
(loud)
Okay.
Just do like he says. Exactly... like ... he ... says.
They have to talk loudly over the clapped-out ENGINE'S
NOISE.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY - ON GARBAGE TRUCK - DAY
It's ABRUPTLY QUIET. The truck's parked. The two men sit
idly. Waingro finishes take-out coffee and tosses the
empty.
INT. TRUCK - CERRITO
Lights a cigarette. Belatedly, he offers one to Waingro.
Waingro lights up. The two men relax under the swirls of
blue smoke.
WAINGRO
You guys always work together?
CERRITO
All the time.
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WAINGRO
Real tight crew, huh?
CERRITO
That's right.
Awkward pause.
WAINGRO
This works good, maybe I could
go again?
Cerrito looks at Waingro. He wants to protect his
concentration.
CERRITO
Yeah. Stop talking, slick...
It ends the conversation. Waingro drums his fingernails
on the dash. He's anxious.
CUT TO:
CHEVY TOWTRUCK - ON TOWNER - DAY
TOWNER'S a sloppy, nondescript man in his 40's. He slouches
behind the wheel. A Bearcat 210 Scanner is under the dash
and a walkie-talkie on the seat. As in the garbage truck,
it's quiet and he waits. Then:
NEIL (V.O.)
(radio filter)
You ready if I need you?
TOWNER
(into radio; low)
Yeah.
NEIL (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Got their air?
TOWNER
Yeah.
At a low level we HEAR POLICE CALLS.
CUT TO:
INT. AMBULANCE - TWO SHOT - DAY
Chris and Neil are sitting in the front seat of the
ambulance Neil drove away from the hospital.
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RADIO ANNOUNCER
(radio filter)
...Daddio's jazz patio on KDCA.
Brought to you this fine day,
which is A-okay, by Twister.
Hey, mister, go out and buy a
bottle of that
Twister...Wiiiiiine...
NEIL
Turn it off.
Chris turns it OFF. A little anxiety develops.
CUT TO:
INT. GARBAGE TRUCK - TWO SHOT - DAY
CERRITO
(checks watch)
Time.
Waingro stubs out his cigarette in nervous jabs. Cerrito
pulls from a paper bag two of the rubber masks he bought
and surgical gloves. He and Waingro put them on quickly.
Cerrito has the monster mask three eyes and a twisted mouth.
Waingro is a beautiful woman. Their movements now are
very fast. Cerrito pulls the truck out of the alley.
CERRITO'S POV:
As we approach the street an armored truck passes by. We
fall in behind. At this point we realize these men are
going to pull down an armed robbery of this armored truck.
But, we turn LEFT. The armored truck went straight. Then
we turn RIGHT. However we SEE the armored truck again.
It turned left. Our paths will intersect at 90 degrees.
Meanwhile:
CUT TO:
INT. AMBULANCE - ON NEIL - DAY
He checks the chamber and then inserts into the grip of
his 9mm. Browning a 14-shot clip. Chris works the slide
of a Remington 810, 12-gauge shotgun and puts on a welder's
helmet. Neil pulls on the rubber mask of Donald Duck and
slings a stopwatch on a string around his neck.
CHRIS
Their response time?
NEIL
Two minutes, fifty seconds.
CUT TO:
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EXT. STREET - WIDE ON AMBULANCE + STREET BEHIND IT
The lumbering armored truck approaches...
NEIL (V.O.)
(calm)
We ought to be down the chute
into the escape route in 2:20.
(beat; breath)
Here we go...
CUT TO:
INT. ARMORED TRUCK - DRIVER'S POV: APPROACHING AMBULANCE -
DAY
With FLASHERS going. Suddenly it pulls diagonally across
the narrow street, as if trying a three point turn: Driver
of the armored truck slams on his brakes.
CUT TO:
INT. GARBAGE TRUCK - CERRITO'S POV: ARMORED TRUCK IN
PROFILE - DAY
We're accelerating at it.
CERRITO'S FOOT
punches the accelerator.
FRONTAL: GARBAGE TRUCK
a prehistoric beast charging at us.
CERRITO'S POV: JAMMING
at the armored truck.
COLLISION
We SLAM into it,
WIDE: ARMORED TRUCK
knocked onto its side, crushes against a wall.
CUT TO:
INT. ARMORED CAR - DRIVER - DAY
Stunned, pinned inside. Their world is sideways. It rains
desposit slips. GUARD ONE grabs the radio mike:
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 10.
GUARD #1
(into mike)
211! We're being taken down!
EXT. ALLEY - ON REAR OF ARMORED TRUCK
Neil, Chris, Cerrito and Waingro are on the move...
INT. CHEVY APACHE PICKUP - TOWNER - DAY
Listens to his BEARCAT POLICE SCANNER,
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Car 74, what's your ETA to the
211 in progress Hoover and 14th?
Over.
CAR 74 (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Car 74. Three minutes. Over.
DISPATCHER (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Car 74. Take it. Car 37, you're
back-up. Car...
TOWNER
(into radio to Neil)
There's the call. Three minutes.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - VEIL
With his radio earpiece starts a CHRONOMETER with a LOUD
CLICK.
ARMORED TRUCK - CHRIS
in a welder's mask with the hollow core drill drives the
10" diameter bit into the truck's armored plating. Neil
looks at his stopwatch.
WATCH:
28, 29, 30, 31, 32...
CLOSE - DRILL BIT
SCREAMING of metal as the hollow-core bit tears through
steel.
SHOTS
Neil with his Browning. Cerrito has an AR15 with its stock
collapsed. Waingro has a 9mm. Beretta.
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CHRIS
The bit has cut a 10" circle into the side through the
armored plating. Now Chris heaves the drill aside, steps
away, swings up his shotgun as...
CERRITO
swings a sledgehammer at the 10" disc. It falls inside
as.
NEIL
pulls the pin and tosses a grenade into the hole. It
EXPLODES and pours smoke.
NEIL
(yelling after it)
Next one blows you up! Out!
Now...
(beat;'shouts)
Now!
INT. ARMORED CAR - GUARD ONE
Coughing. His mask doesn't work. He lurches for the
door...
EXT. STREET - ARMORED CAR
Door crashes down, opens, Guard One falls out. Then GUARD
TWO. The DRIVER comes out his door. Cerrito grabs him.
Neil handles the two Guards.
NEIL
Up against the wall!
He yanks their guns away - his 9mm. At the back of each
man's head in turn.
THE DRIVER
tries to twist away as a reflex. Cerrito cracks him in
the face with the AR15, driving him to the wall.
WIDE: CERRITO + WAINGRO
cover the three. Neil moves into the Armored Truck to
join Chris who's already inside, ripping it apart,
searching. We see him disregard cash.
NEIL'S STOPWATCH
1:12.
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NEIL
(to Chris)
8o seconds left. Move it.
WAINGRO
behind the Beautiful Lady mask: trying hard to do good.
His gun jumps from Guard to Guard to Guard.
NEIL
looks at Waingro. WIDEN. Waingro's aware of Neil's
scrutiny.
WAINGRO
(to Guard Two)
Flatten - up against it! Higher!
He slaps the back of Guard Two's head with the gun barrel.
GUARD TWO
(a big, boastful
man, quietly)
...you didn't have that gun..
WAINGRO
What?!
CERRITO
(cuts in; cool)
That's true, slick, cause you're
a real tough guy. But he has
the gun. And me, too. So shut
the fuck up.
WIDE
Neil and Chris emerge from the van with one manila envelope.
NEIL
Move out!
(checks watch)
38 seconds left!
WIDE: WAINGRO
It's like Waingro can't hear. He's fixated with Guard
Two. Guard Two turns and looks at him arrogantly - more
concerned with his masculine pride than his safety. He's
a stupid man.
WAINGRO'S POV: VERY WIDE
Things happen slowly.
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WAINGRO (O.S.)
(quietly)
...hadda mouth off? In front of
them?
Waingro's arm points out at the man - with the gun at the
end - and FIRES.
ANGLE
Guard Two is blown up against the wall. Driver moves...
NEIL
leaving, spins.
DRIVER
reaching for a two-inch hammerless .38 back-up tucked in
his boot. As he brings it up...
NEIL'S 9MM. BROWNING
FIRES TWO HAMMERED-ON SHOTS.
CERRITO'S AR15
covers Guard One. Guard One stares at the men in the masks.
Once killing begins, he knows what will happen. Cerrito
looks at Neil...
NEIL
angry; nods.
CERRITO
kills Guard One with THREE SHOTS.
ON AMBULANCE
Neil literally throws Waingro into the back.
INT. AMBULANCE - ON CERRITO - DAY driving, lays rubber
down the alley. ON NEIL at watch.
NEIL
(disgusted)
Ten. Nine.
(tosses the watch;
into walkie-talkie
to Towner)
Blew the margin. Here we come.
CUT TO:
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INT. WHITE CHEVY APACHE TOWTRUCK - ON TOWNER - DAY
We HEAR police dispatcher on the Bearcat scanner.
TOWNER
(into radio)
One on your tail.
NEIL
(V.O.)
Here we come.
Towner drops the walkie-talkie out the window. He's
fastened a professional racing harness.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - REAR SHOT ON AMBULANCE - DAY
Skidding right into another side street.
REVERSE: BLACK + WHITE
in Code 3 scraping between the garbage truck and wall -
roars TO CAMERA. One cop already has his shotgun up.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDE STREET - WIDE: AMBULANCE - DAY
Left down the street with FLASHERS going.
WIDE PROFILE: AMBULANCE
Streaks THROUGH THE FRAME. HOLD and SEE the Chevy towtruck
with Towner.
TOWNER
guns the engine.
BLACK + WHITE
bounces around the corner, the rear end comes out, skidding
left. Towner floors the towtruck. We SEE it's heavy front
bumper RAM the police car sideways.
EXT. GAS STATION - BLACK + WHITE
Is SMASHED SIDEWAYS into the station, careens off two cars
filling up...
ANGLE
... plows through a rack of pumps, takes out the air and
water reservoirs and wraps itself around a lamppost.
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Towner's towtruck's gone.
CUT TO:
EXT. RESIDENTIAL SIDE STREET - AMBULANCE - DAY
Pulls in and parks. Everyone abandons it, leaving masks,
rubber gloves, equipment, outer clothing inside. They
cross to a Chevrolet Caprice. They climb in. They pull
out.
CUT TO:
EXT. GAS STATION - WIDE - DAY
One cop has a cut forehead, tries to stand. Two more black
and whites pull in - flashers going. The driver staggers
out from behind the wheel and tries to shake clarity into
his head. He sits on the pavement.
CUT TO:
EXT. LAX PARKING LOT - WIDE BETWEEN THE CARS - DAY
Planes ROAR overhead in landings or takeoffs. Yellow vapor
lamps glare. It's gaudy with lights. Neil and a man named
NATE are parked next to each other facing opposite
directions. Nate's 50 - an ex-prize fighter with his nose
all over his face in a silver Mercedes. His big muscles
have gone to flab. He wears a yellow rayon shirt. He's
deeply tanned and pock-narked.
Nate functions as a middleman and fence for Neil. All
calls from people who want to contact Neil come to Nate.
Right now he examines the manila envelope from the armored
truck. Neil's in a Lincoln Town car, gray suit, white
shirt, no tie.
CLOSE: ENVELOPE
contains 80 x $20,000 negotiable Treasury Certificates.
Nate's counting.
NATE
A million, six at 40 cents onna
dollar's 640. Here's a hundred
forty thou front money. Get you
the rest, 2-3 days.
WIDE - FROM THE FRONT
Nate gives a large envelope to Neil.
NATE
What happened out there?
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NEIL
I don't want to talk about it.
NATE
(re-examining
securities)
Wait a minute.
NEIL
What's the matter?
NATE
(laughs)
You know who these belong to?
NEIL
(takes manila
envelope)
"Malibu Securities ...
NATE
You know John Van Zant?
NEIL
No.
NATE
Malibu Securities is a brokerage
he controls. Planned
bankruptcies, made out during
the S&L's, money laundering...
Nate pulls T.C.'s.
NATE
(continuing; laughs)
You ripped off his Treasury
Certificates.
NEIL
So what?
He's got insurance.
NATE
That's the point. On top of
collecting his insurance, maybe
he wants to buy back his bonds.
From him I can get you 60 cents
on the dollar instead of 40.
Means an extra 320 to you.
NEIL
Try it on.
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NATE
You know Cezar Kelso?
NEIL
By reputation.
NATE
He's got this score he's putting
out and wants you to look at.
NEIL
What do I need look at his score
for? I got my own.
NATE
He said you'll get near eight
figures. Very clean.
NEIL
(beat; then:)
9:00a.M. tomorrow.
NATE
Take it easy.
Neil starts the car. Nate pulls away in his Mercedes.
WIDE
an L1011 ROARS overhead. Neil pulls out.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY - WIDE ON PAVEMENT - DAY
We're looking at chalk outlines of the bodies of Guard one
and Driver from the armored truck. The pavement is
bloodstained. Bright lights illuminate the crime scene.
HANNA (O.S.)
Where's the ambulance?
HEINZ (O.S.)
They dumped it four blocks from
here...
WIDEN TO REVEAL Hanna who we now identify as a police
lieutenant of detectives. He's just arrived. The alley's
been roped off with sawhorses labeled "crime area." The
armored truck with the holed side is still there. One of
Hanna's crew, DRUCKER, a black intelligence analyst and
technician at 45, was already there. A uniformed SGT.
HEINZ was there first and by procedure took command. It's
his crime scene.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 18.
HEINZ
Masks, guns, radios - all left
behind. No prints.
HANNA
What about the crash, the white
towtruck.
Two more of Hanna's crew arrive in an unmarked car and
join him: CASALS - bald at 30 and wiry; BOSKO - a huge,
oversized man.
HEINZ
Hasn't turned up. Got a witness:
janitor next door.
HANNA
I.D. anybody? Plate?
Description?
HEINZ
Shhaaapes ...
(beat)
One big. One thin. He heard
it...
Guy's nearly blind.
HANNA
(re: body outlines)
What about them?
DRUCKER
According to the janitor, he...
(Guard Two outline)
Started mouthing off to one of
the gunmen.
HANNA
Oh, that was smart.
DRUCKER
I figure the other went for...
(points)
... that gun when the shooting
started. One guy called a guard
"slick."
HANNA
"Slick?"
DRUCKER
Yeah. And they ignored the loose
cash.
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HANNA
'Cause they had no time, cause
they knew our response time,
cause they were on our air.
HEINZ
You recognize their m.o.?
HANNA
Yeah. Their m.o. is that they
are good. Once it escalated
into a Murder One beef for all
of them after they killed the
first two, they popped guard
number three 'cause it didn't
rake any difference anymore, so
why leave a living witness?
Drop of a hat? They'll rock and
roll. Also: the way they went
into the side indicates they are
equipped to go in on the prowl.
So also start looking for recent
highline burgularies that have
'mystified' us.
(to Drucker)
Run the "slick" bit to the FBI
and see what it kicks out.
DRUCKER
I called it in already.
HANNA
(to Casals)
Split the fences. I'll take
Cuzomano and Torena. You take
the East side. Go through the
tapes of who we been listening
to.
(to Drucker)
Hang in with Forensics on all
physical evidence.
(to Bosko)
How'd they know the route of the
van and what it was carrying?
Does Gage print the day's routes?
What do they do with the
printouts? Who collects their
trash? Run makes on all their
middlemanagement. Did someone
give this score up?
(beat)
Check the three guards. See if
one of them was a tipster.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 20.
BOSKO
What's the vibe: home-grown or
out-of-town?
HANNA
Out-of-town. Frankly, I hope
they are scoring once and passing
through. And I doubt it.
HEINZ
This going to stay in Area?
HANNA
This look like boosters working
the local Seven Eleven to you?
It goes to Major Crime.
(to his crew)
Go to work.
They move toward the Forensic Unit, scraping tire rubber
and measuring distances as we
CUT TO:
INT. EARLY 60'S COFFEE SHOP - WIDE - NIGHT
It's 1963 futuristic: flagstone and rubber plants. Most
of the patrons are night people: pimps, hookers, customers,
disintegrating couples, etc. We PAN AROUND the interior
and settle on a booth by a window. In the booth are Chris
and Cerrito on one side and Waingro alone.
WAINGRO
Anybody want some pie?
CERRITO
looks at Waingro, sips his coffee, and looks away again
Waingro is nervous.
CHRIS
sees something in the parking lot.
DOOR - NEIL
enters, crosses to the booth, slides in across from Waingro.
CLOSE
The four men huddle together and talk in a whisper. Neil
pulls out three yellow envelopes, presumably full of money.
Neil will talk about Waingro in the third person as if he
inanimate.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 21.
NEIL
(whispered)
This is a partial split, but I
took out of ours - every - to
make up...
(Waingro's)
...his full end. Because I want
to settle him up and get rid of
this jagoff right now.
Cerrito and Chris looks at Waingro.
CERRITO
Okay.
Chris nods. Waingro's speechless. Neil flips him an
envelope.
NEIL
(whispering)
Fuck off.
Waingro doesn't move.
WAINGRO
(whispered; tense)
I had to dust him!
Neil grabs the back of Waingro's neck, slams the side of
his face onto the table top and flicks the middle finger
of his left against waingro's temple. Neil could kill
him.
NEIL
(whispered)
Electricity and chemicals a little
fucked up?
(flick)
You a shooter? Speed? What?
Flick. Cerrito looks around the coffee shop: it's quiet.
NEIL
(continuing;
whispered)
You didn't have to. Now we got
extra heat off a clean score.
Waingro does nothing. Neil shoves him into the corner of
the booth. Plates fall. All three get up and walk out.
CUT TO:
EXT. COFFEE SHOP, REAR PARKING LOT - WIDE - NIGHT
Neil, Cerrito and Chris cross past cars.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 22.
ANGLE - WAINGRO
whines, cries and charges into Neil's shoulder from behind
and spins him around, wanting to explain to him. This
time:
NEIL
knees Waingro in the stomach. Waingro folds over. Neil
slams both open palms on Waingro's ears and knees him in
the face. Waingro sprawls over a car hood and falls off.
CLOSER - NEIL
kicks Waingro in the side driving him between cars where
it is more secluded while Cerrito and Chris casually look
a-round and back away to cover him because they know Neil
is going to kill him now. As Neil draws his .45 ...
CERRITO
(low)
Hold it.
Neil looks. Across the street cruises a black and white.
He watches it pass. His attention goes back to Waingro.
As his .45 comes up.
CLOSER: NEIL
turning, mildly surprised.
NEIL'S POV: NOTHING
Waingro's disappeared.
WIDER: NEIL
searches under cars, carefully. Nothing.
HIGH + WIDE
Waingro's gone. Neil with Cerrito and Chris following
scan the spaces and shadows as they back out of the large
parking lot.
CUT TO:
INT. SHIHERLIS APARTMENT - ON CHARLENE - NIGHT
CHARLENE - twenty-six, in skin-tight black pants and black
hair. They're on their way out. The apartment is heavy
on computer games, video gear, appliances and children's
furniture. Re: envelope:
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 23.
CHARLENE
(counts the money)
Where's the rest?
CHRIS
That's it.
CHARLENE
Eight thousand dollars? You
gotta be kidding me!
Chris enters from the bedroom. While buttoning a shirt,
he's mostly oblivious. It frustrates the hell out of
Charlene.
CHRIS
(off-handed)
I squared the bookies and we had
to pay off some guy and were
short to start 'cause the rest
is comin', in a coupla days. So
don't sweat it.
(checks watch)
We're late.
Slips on a boot.
CHARLENE
Listen to me. "As The World
Turns" can get interrupted with
a news flash of you splattered
all over the street ...
Pulls on boot two.
CHARLENE
(continuing; running
on)
I can get sent up on an accessory
beef. Your son, Dominick, winds
up in a home. For $8,000?
(voice breaks)
Honey, for $8,000, it ain't worth
the risk. Risk versus reward?
Baby?
CHRIS
Don't worry about money. Neil's
got...
(checks watch)
Hey, if we're goin', let's go.
CHARLENE
Where's the club you were going
to open?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 24.
CHRIS
Here comes the "showgirl with a
future" bit.
CHARLEJ
Shut up! I left for a good thing.
(beat)
Why am I even talking to you? I
can't talk to you. All you are
is a child growin' older...
CHRIS
The hell's that mean?
CHARLENE
It means we're not making forward
progress like real adults and
you won't listen.
CHRIS
I told you: me and Neil got
planned ...
CHARLENE
"Me and Neil." I'm married to
you, now. This isn't the fucking
joint.
CHRIS
Don't mouth off to me!
CHARLENE
(screams)
I want out of here!
CHRIS
(shouts)
Well there's the fucking door!
(opens it)
Only leave Dominick, the bank
book and the car keys on the
kitchen table!
CHARLENE
You can keep that other crap!
But Dominick goes with me.
Chris shoves her up against the wall.
CHRIS
(suddenly low)
I'll find ya and kill you, you
bitch, wherever you are - you
ever try to take Dominick away
from me.
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He means it. She knows it. He takes the car keys and
goes. She's frozen to the spot.
CUT TO:
EXT. CERRITO'S BUNGALOW - WIDE - NIGHT
A modest West L.A. bungalow that's been remodeled beyond
neighborhood values. A 1990 Coupe de Ville's in the drive.
Cerrito pulls his black '93 Eldorado up behind it. A
NEIGHBOR shuts off his sprinkler. Cerrito gets out and
pulls the wrapped up doll house out of the trunk.
ANITA (O.S.)
(to Michael)
Daddy, daddy!
WIDEN TO INCLUDE ANITA CERRITO (7) running up with LINDA
CERRITO (9) not far behind. She jumps into her dad's arms.
CUT TO:
INT. CERRITO HOUSE - ON CERRITO - DAY
Entering: home theater system, Hawaiian art prints in
lacquer frames.
ELAINE CERRITO - a dark, heavy-set woman who was dynamite
at 25 and still sensual at 40 - enters from kitchen and
kisses cerrito.
ELAINE
Hungry?
CERRITO
Starving.
ELAINE
(searching)
You okay?
CERRITO
(nods; gives her
envelope)
Put this away.
ANITA
(whispers)
Daddy, what's in the box?
She exits to kitchen. Cerrito sits down and pulls Anita
onto his lap.
CERRITO
What do you care?
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They start shouting: c'mon c'mon. Elaine enters with her
class of red wine.
CERRITO
(continuing)
Open it up.
They run out. He whispers to Elaine who sits on the side
of his chair and drapes an arm across his shoulder. Michael
Cerrito is a family man and the nicest guy on the block.
CUT TO:
INT. UNDERGROUND GARAGE, ENTRANCE - A RECTANGLE OF NIGHT
SKY - NIGHT
Then Neil's Town Car enters down the ramp and passes
through. It's deserted and quiet.
CUT TO:
EXT. GARAGE - ON NEIL - NIGHT
Driving away in his personal car, an Eldorado in black.
CUT TO:
EXT. SANTA MONICA 3RD STREET - ON NEIL - NIGHT
It's almost deserted. Neil enters from Arizona Avenue.
He's alone. It's windy. The collar of his gray suit is
up, the lapels are closed over his white shirt.
CUT TO:
INT. HENESSEY AND INGALLS BOOKSTORE - NEIL - NIGHT
Looks at a large book in the Engineering section. He
specifically flips back and forth between full-color plates
of electronic micrographs of different kinds of steel.
EADY (0. C.)
Help you with something?
NEIL
(looks)
No thanks.
WIDEN TO INCLUDE EADY TSE - 28, 5'8". Chinese, long black
hair to her waist. Her face is high cheek-boned and
intelligent. She wears a gray corduroy smock over a
turtleneck shirt and jeans. She speaks English in American
vernacular with only the slightest trace of an accent.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 27.
NEIL
(continuing)
You closing in a few minutes?
Eady leans back against the book case.
EADY
Yeah.
(yawns)
Excuse me.
(beat)
You interested in metals?
NEIL
(alert)
No.
(lies)
It's the color reproduction of
these plates...
EADY
We have a first edition of
Kandinsky's Theory of Color with
hand pulled lithographic prints
bound in. Would you like see
it?
NEIL
Sure.
Crossing store.
EADY
I see you in here before.
NEIL
You're open late. Not many open
this late.
(beat)
What's your name?
Holds out hand.
EADY
Eady. Eady Tse. What's yours?
NEIL
(lies)
Bukowski. Neil Bukowski.
He holds onto her hand and stares down into her face.
They both smile. She laughs and looks away first. They
continue to a rear locked case.
CUT TO:
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 28.
INT. HANNA'S CAR TRAVELLING - HANNA - NIGHT
Floating through the green xenon nightgown, hits a stored
number in his cellular phone's memory.
CASALS (V.O.)
M. C. U.
HANNA
(cuts in)
Bobby, it's me.
CASALS (V.O.)
Boss, whoever's fencing the Bearer
Bonds is either highline or out-
of-town. Everyone's talking
about it. No one knows about
it.
(beat)
Schwartz went through the indexes
on recent surveillance tapes?
No armored cars. No witnesses
on who stole the ambulance.
HANNA
Albert Torena call me back?
CASALS (V.O.)
No.
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA CONDOMINIUM - HANNA - NIGHT
Lets himself in the door. He's beat. He throws his coat
at the chair.
INT. KITCHEN - STOVE
The dried-out remains of dinner. Hanna roots around, grabs
a lamb chop, forgets the rest and goes into the living
room. INT. HANNA LIVING ROOM - JUSTINE sees Hanna, goes
back to book.
HANNA
Hi.
JUSTINE
Where have you been?
HANNA
Work. Harvey show or'd Lauren
get stood up again?
JUSTINE
He didn't even call her.
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HANNA
What an asshole. She okay?
JUSTINE
She's been in her room all day
and won't talk. So "no," she's
not okay. And neither am I.
(even tempered)
If I try to create something
like a mood between us you back
away. I made a great dinner for
us. That was four hours ago.
(beat)
At least get yourself a plate...
HANNA
There's three dead bodies in an
alley off Adams.
(beat)
I'm really sorry the lamb got
overcooked.
Justine looks at him, elegantly rises, exits into the
bedroom and closes the door.
HANNA
Looking after her is tired.
Very tired. He doesn't know why
he said what he did. He regrets
it. So he turns on his TV to
watch the news and his eyes glaze
over.
CUT TO:
INT. DINER - GRILLMAN - NIGHT
Flips eggs, bastes, and covers them. The grill is all
quilted steel and immaculate. At the other end of the
counter a waiter reads a paper.
NEIL AND EADY
on stools.
EADY
What do you do?
NEIL
(looks at her, then
away)
Swimming pools. Institutional.
Schools, State, counties. I'm
on the sales end.
(MORE)
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 30.
NEIL (CONT'D)
(to Grillman)
Let me have another coffee.
(beat)
You like selling books?
EADY
(simply)
Yeah. Especially fine art books.
I study them.
NEIL
Yeah? Like what?
A little hesitant, Eady drinks her coffee.
NEIL
(continuing)
Tell me.
EADY
There's a Skira edition of
Delacroix charcoal sketches, I
like...
NEIL
What else?
EADY
Asian art work.
CUT TO:
EXT. EADY'S HOUSE, BALCONY - NEIL + EADY - NIGHT
The house is high in the hill's over sunset. They stare
down at the City - like an ocean of small lights. From
the previous scene we HEAR:
EADY (V.O.)
The plates are mezzotints. They
evoke a feeling Japanese painters
called "sabi". They believed
there were eight scenes of
transcendental loneliness. They
painted them over and over again.
One is a flock of geese hovering
over a field. There's always
mist. It's painted just as the
leader touches down.
Pause. They drink scotch in highball glasses.
NEIL
City of lights.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 31.
EADY
Yeah.
NEIL
I flew over the arctic once at
40,000 feet. The moonlight was
blue on all the snow. It felt
like that.
There's a long pause. Then:
EADY
Do you travel a lot?
NEIL
Yeah.
EADY
Are you lonely?
NEIL
I'm alone. Not lonely.
He pulls her closer. A pre-dawn red band cracks the
horizon.
NEIL
(continuing)
You?
EADY
I get lonely.
His hands hold her face as he looks into her eyes and she
moves to him.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BEDROOM - WHITE - NIGHT
Fills the screen as we PAN ALONG the drapery of sheets to
Neil's wide-awake eyes. Next to him Eady's asleep.
DISSOLVE TO:
SAME - HIGH ANGLE OVER NEIL ONTO EADY - LATER
Neil is dressed now. He stands at the foot of the bed
looking at Eady.
DISSOLVE TO:
NEIL'S HAND
enters with a glass of water wrapped in a paper napkin and
sets it on the bedside table.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 32.
It's odd: a convict's meticulousness. He moves the covers
up to her chin. There is to his touch, tenderness, as if
they were longtime lovers.
We realize what we are seeing is the emotionality Neil
McCauley keeps in the closet.
DISSOLVE TO:
HIGH + WIDE
Neil is gone. He paused for that moment before he left,
as if to engrave her image in his memory.
CUT TO:
INT. ALBERT TORENA'S APARTMENT - ALBERT TORENA - DAY
Answers the door. Daylight floods in past the silhouette
of Hanna who shoves Torena in the chest, knocking him into
the apartment. Hanna, following him in...
HANNA
You were supposed to get back to
me last night. So where the
fuck were you, Albert?
ALBERT
I couldn't break free, man!
HANNA
I oughta violate your ass right
now.
ALBERT
I was all night hitting up Los
vatos like one of those flamenco
matador guys. Cuttin' in real
smooth. Generating leads and
shit. I'm a dancer, man!
ALBERT TORENA'S an anorexic Latino fence. Hanna scans the
apartment. Religious objects crowd the mantle. Fourteen
stolen tv's in packing cases in the dining room.
HANNA
You're a bust-out speed freak
jackin' metamphetamine again.
(beat)
I'm in a hurry.
ALBERT
You talk to my brother, Raoul.
He meet you tonight at...
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 33.
HANNA
No. Right now.
ALBERT
I implore him, man. But he say
"no."
(beat)
He in Phoenix. Tonight's the
best I can do for you. The Zebra
on Crenshaw. Eleven o'clock.
HANNA
You be there, too.
ALBERT
Mon, I go
HANNA
Be there!
Hanna leaves.
INT - TRAILER - CEZAR KELSO - DAY
CEZAR
I picked you out to pitch it to
first, but don't think you're
the only action in town and I'm
giving it away. 'Cause I'm not.
CUT TO:
WIDEN TO INCLUDE NEIL - who doesn't say anything. CEZAR
KELSO'S a large crippled man in a wheelchair.
NEIL
What is it?
CEZAR
A bank. On Thursdays it gets
cash deposits for distribution
to other branches. The branches
have to buttress their cash
accounts to handle Friday payroll
checks from a Toyota and Nissan
plant, a steel mill and two
refineries. One day a week,
Thursday, the main branch carries
the full whack.
NEIL
You want a $100,000 advance,
against a full 101. Why?
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CEZAR
'Cause I can get it. 'Cause
this is the best thing I seen in
three years. 'Cause a screw-up
makes 10 percent of nothin' equal
nothin'. And 'cause those are
the terms and they ain't
negotiable.
NEIL
On the prowl or strong?
CEZAR
Strong. Through the front door.
During the day.
NEIL
How many guys?
CEZAR
Four. Three plus a driver.
NEIL
That's not a $100,000 worth
anything. You're giving me an
address to what's strictly a
cowboy score: "Get the guns and
let's go!" We smash, grab and
boogie while they hit the alarm.
CEZAR
Three alarms. And that's why
the price. 'Cause you chop-in
through the roof the night before
on the prowl and bypass 'em. I
got circuit diagrams, blue prints,
the works. So yeah, they hit
the alarms, but nothing gonna
happen.
NEIL
Do I have to kill people?
CEZAR
I doubt it. Two men have the
two keys to open the box.
NEIL
Full architectural, plumbing and
electric, camera placements?
CEZAR
All of it.
NEIL
What do you estimate?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 35.
CEZAR
Eight point, one. Eight point,
two million dollars.
That gives Neil pause. Kelso gets satisfaction from Neil's
reaction to the amount. Then:
CEZAR
(continuing)
Where's Nate?
NEIL
He hadda make a call.
(beat)
You're on.
(rising)
Here's five grand earnest money.
You get the rest after lunch.
They shake hands.
CUT TO:
EXT. TRAILER COURT, PAY PHONE - NATE - DAY
NATE
Look, Van Zant. Nobody knew the
merch was yours or they would
have respected it. Be that as
it may: now you get 100% from
the insurance company and you're
even, plus you can get the bonds
back for 60 cents onna dollar.
You make an additional 40%.
Your operation doesn't skip a
beat, and everybody's making
out.
CUT TO:
INT. MALIBU SECURITIES, VAN ZANT OFFICE - VAN ZANT - DAY
On the phone to Nate. There's green forest and blue water
dioramas inset into wood-panelled walls.
VAN ZANT
(into phone)
Sure. You got a deal.
NATE (0. S.)
(phone filter)
Good. Cause there's no percentage
in everybody getting their
underwear in a twist over this.
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VAN ZANT
(into phone)
Absolutely. You have your man
call me to set the meet.
NATE (O.S.)
(phone filter)
Usually I'm the mailman.
VAN ZANT
(into phone)
I don't want to involve extra
people. What the fuck do I want
all kinds of people meeting each
other for?
NATE (O.S.)
(phone filter)
Okay.
VAN ZANT
(into phone)
Nice talking to you...
(click)
Van Zant hangs up. He's a tall
avuncular man with a flabby belly
and Arrow shirts: an accountant.
HUGH BENNY, a very large juice
collector, is in the office.
HUGH
(incredulous)
You gonna deal with these people?
VAN ZANT
So word hits the streets it's
okay to steal my stuff? I'm
gonna kill the sonsa-bitches.
CUT TO:
EXT. KELSO TRAILER COURT - NEIL - DAY
Entering from Kelso's trailer, meets Nate halfway to the
car. Walking and talking:
NEIL
I bought it.
NATE
What I tell you?
NEIL
The bonds?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 37.
NATE
We're on. You call him
tomorrow...
(gives slip paper)
... and set a meet.
NEIL
How is he?
NATE
Very cool. He's a businessman.
They walk to their cars and leave.
CUT TO:
INT. LILLIAN'S CAR - LILLIAN AND BREEDAN - DAY
Pull into Robert's Coffee Shop in Culver City. BREEDAN at
29 he's an ex-Eight Trey Hoover Street Crip with lots of
scars who just did five years in San Quentin and is
straightening up. He's gangster clean and pressed and
it's there in his body movements and eyes.
LILLIAN
Here it is.
(kisses him)
You okay?
BREEDAN
Don 't worry, baby. Gonna do
good.
She laughs and drives away.
CUT TO:
INT. ROBERT'S COFFEE SHOP, KITCHEN - BREEDAN - DAY
Enters the kitchen. The manager is SOLENKO - large with
gray features, smallpox scars and thinning hair. He's
forty-five. NOISE OF DISHWASHER, P.A., POTS CLATTERING.
Solenko throws orders together and plates onto the metal
counter for waitress to pick up. They shout over the
RACKET.
BREEDAN
(has to shout)
I'm Breedan. You Solenko?
SOLENKO
(shouts)
Yeah. Fucking hillbilly grill
ran didn't show. Been here since
4:30. You know this kinda
operation?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 38.
BREEDAN
(shouts)
The grill. Yeah.
SOLENKO
(shouts)
Grill? Empty the garbage, mopout
the toilets. You gimme a hard
time, I'll find something to
violate you back and blow your
parole.
(beat)
You kick back 25% of your salary
to me under the table. Grierson
your parole officer? Right?
BREEDAN
(shouts OVER NOISE)
Yeah.
SOLENKO
(shouts back)
Check it out. Change in the
back. Hurry up.
At this point we don't know what David Breedan's doing in
this picture.
CUT TO:
INT. XYZ DISCOUNT APPLIANCES BACK OFFICE - JOE CUZOMANO -
DAY
Hears a buzzer and looks up. His eyes go to a video
monitor.
VIDEO MONITOR: HANNA
among the racks and tv sets playing the sane soap.
HANNA (0 .S.)
(filtered)
Cuzomano. Open up.
Joe pushes a button. The electric lock is released.
CUZOMANO is a 300-pound fat man.
HANNA
Whaddaya hear, whaddaya say?.
CUZOMANO
Hiya, Vincent. About what?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 39.
HANNA
About this crew that knocked
down three guards yesterday and
took a Gates Armored truck.
Bearer Bonds. Start making calls.
Cuzomano starts punching numbers into his phone.
CUZOMANO
(into phone)
It's Cuzomano. Get me Francis.
(while we're waiting)
How'd I hear about this?
HANNA
Ridin' the airwaves. On every
news channel. Turn on a fucking
radio!
(pause)
Try to broker the Bonds. Make
some money. Then you'll shift
into Flip-o-matic and tell me
who they are. And what they are
doing next.
CUZOMANO
(Francis is on the
line)
Hey, Francis!
(Francis answers)
That score went down yesterday?
(beat)
Yeah, I'm lookin' to handle all
or a piece of the merch. All I
got are yo-yo's. One brings me
a container of Armani suits? He
didn't know they were knockoffs.
Schmuck stole knockoffs. They
should make stupidity a felony.
(beat)
You hear who they been downed
to?
Cuzomano gets an answer. He shakes his head "no" to Hanna.
Hanna's out the door. Cuzomano breathes easier.
CUT TO:
EXT. NEIL'S APARTMENT BUILDING - WIDE - DAY
The Camaro slides soundlessly down Wilshire and into the
underground garage of a high-rise, green glass steel.
CUT TO:
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 40.
INT. NEIL'S - APARTMENT - NEIL - DAY
Enters. It's white and barren. A TV SET in one corner on
the floor PLAYS a MUTE GAME SHOW. Chris is rolled up in a
blanket in front of it. The apartment is lived in by one
man. It tells us Neil's personal life is a blank.
NEIL
comes out of the bedroom with a pillow. He yanks Christ
shoes off. Neil punches a number. RINGING. Then:
CHARLENE (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Hello?
NEIL
(into phone)
Chris is here. I called so you
shouldn't worry. What's wrong?
CUT TO:
INT. SHIHERLIS BEDROOM - CLOSE ON CHARLENE IN BED - DAY
Charlene rubs sleep from her eyes. Switches hands on the
phone.
CHARLENE
(into phone; wary)
Husband and wife stuff. That's
all.
NEIL (V.O.)
(phone filter)
He can sleep it off here.
CHARLENE
(into phone)
Thanks, Neil.
She hangs up and closes her eyes. She hates his guts.
CUT TO:
INT. NEIL'S APARTMENT, KITCHEN - CHRIS - DAY
Is hung over. Neil brings coffee to a Formica table.
Chris's shirt from last night is ripped and his lip's cut.
He looks like hell. Neil puts his Browning on the table.
NEIL
What happened to you?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 41.
CHRIS
When you going to get some
furniture?
NEIL
When I get around to it.
CHRIS
My mouth tastes like a sewer.
Chris crosses to the sink and turns the dish sprayer onto
his face and the back of his neck.
CHRIS
(continuing; comes
down)
Charlene's going to leave me.
Big pause.
NEIL
(quietly)
Why?
CHRIS
There ain't no steaks in the
freezer.
NEIL
With everything we been taking?
CHRIS
Last trip to Vegas and the
Superbowl took care of that.
When you gonna get an old lady?
NEIL
When I get around to it. You
got something else on the side?
CHRIS
Nothing regular.
NEIL
(quiet)
She got another man?
CHRIS
No.
NEIL
(quietly)
You sure?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 42.
CHRIS
(rising)
Yeah, I'm sure.
NEIL
Jimmy - whatsisname - Bohunk, in
the joint used to say: "On the
street you wanna be makin' roves,
you don't put anything in your
life you can't walk out on in 30
seconds flat if you spot heat
around the corner."
CHRIS
Jimmy Banghart. And to hell
with Jimmy Banghart.
(beat)
I'd rather go ten rounds with
Jesus Christ than fuck with her.
But she and Dominick save my
life, man; everyday. Everyday...
NEIL
So?
CHRIS
So.
Their feelings and understanding run deep. Chris is
committed to making it work.
NEIL
Taking delivery from Van Zant on
the rest of the armored car cash.
I gotta drop a deposit on Kelso.
He's got a bank score.
CHRIS
What about the platinum? It's
ready to fall ...
NEIL
That goes, too. Meet me at the
coffee shop at noon. I got stuff
to do...
Neil slips his Browning back into his waistband.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL ROOM - MARCIANO - DAY
MARCIANO is Las Vegas sharp at 48: a tall, tanned,
ponytailed, middle-aged hustler and sucker for a young
chick. His phone is ringing. He answers it.
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MARCIANO
(into phone)
Hello?
INT. SHIHERLIS BEDROOM - CHARLENE - DAY
Drinking coffee, speeding.
CHARLENE
(into phone)
Alan.
MARCIANO (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Hey!
CHARLENE
(into phone)
I've had it with him. I've had
it. Can you get us out of here?
MARCIANO
(into phone)
Absolutely. I got a coupla orders
to write. Meet you at 12.
EXT. HAMBURGER STAND - CLOSE NEIL - DAY
On phone.
EADY (V. 0.)
(after a pause;
phone filter)
Hello?
NEIL
How you doing?
CUT TO:
INT. EADY'S HOUSE - EADY - DAY
In an ink-stained smock.
EADY
(into phone)
Neil. I wondered when you'd
call.
NEIL (V.O.)
(phone filter)
I been real busy.
EADY
(into phone)
Good.
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 44.
NEIL (V..O.)
(phone filter)
Can I see you?
EADY
(into phone)
I was worried... was just...
(uncomfortable)
...the one night. You know?
NEIL (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Not for me it wasn't.
EADY
(into phone)
Me either.
NEIL (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Tonight. I'll pick you up at
work.
She hangs up. He wonders about doing this, puts it aside.
CUT TO:
EXT. HAMBURGER STAND, PHONE BOOTH - NEIL
Takes a deep breath. Maybe he's not sure of what he's
into. It passes. He crosses the counter.
Across the street is the Hiawatha Motel in 40's stucco and
desert pastels and Charlene's yellow El Dorado parked next
to a Lexus in front of Room 18.
NEIL
(to Cook)
Change for a dollar?
COOK
There you go, honey.
NEIL DIALS
TELEPHONIST (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Malibu Securities.
NEIL
(into phone)
Yeah. Van Zant.
Suddenly Neil turns because he sees.
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NEIL'S POV: ALAN MARCIANO
leaves Room 18, waves goodbye to Charlene and crosses to
Lexus.
VAN ZAPT (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Yes?
NEIL
(into phone)
About the merchandise. What's
the story?
In the b.g. Marciano pulls away.
VAN ZANT (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Give me your number and somebody
will call you right back from a
different line to set the meet.
NEIL
(into phone)
333-6089.
He hangs up. He waits. The PHONE RINGS. He answers. He
says nothing. He nods. He hangs up. He crosses the street
lot to the Motel.
EXT. ROOM 18 - WIDE
Neil knocks.
CHARLENE (O.S.)
Yes?
NEIL
Open up.
She does. She closes her eyes, resigned to doom. He walks
past her into the room.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM 18 - WIDE - DAY
One unmade bed. Neil looks.At the tacky interior. He
crosses to the bathroom and turns on the water. He advances
on Charlene who's backing up.- She falls over a waste can.
NEIL
Who was that guy?
CHARLENE
I won't tell you.
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NEIL
Listen...
Neil kicks the waste can out of the way. It clatters across
the room.
NEIL
(continuing)
We got to know who he is!
CHARLENE
Nobody, Neil! A liquor wholesaler
from Las Vegas. Alan Marciano.
NEIL
What he tell you? How connected
he is? Get you a spot in a show?
CHARLENE
I figured it out for myself!
Neil closes in.
NEIL
Chris is gonna straighten it up
with you. And you ...
CHARLENE
It's too late! I'm sick of it!
I'm sick of you.
NEIL
I'm not part of your situation!
Charlene gets attentive. She's backed into the corner and
can't get any smaller.
NEIL
(continuing)
Not anymore. And Chris has got
two big jobs back-to-bick. You
will give Chris this shot.
(beat)
After that, he fucks up, then
okay.
(beat)
I will finance setting you up,
separate, myself. Dominick will
go with you. And my word counts.
But right now he is puttin' it
all on the line. So for the
three of you, you are goin', to
give Chris one more shot.
Neil grabs the whole lower part of her face in one hand.
His face is inches from hers.
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NEIL
(continuing; quietly)
Now that is what it is gonna be
.
Charlene hesitates; then acquiesces.
CHARLENE
(quietly)
All right.
Neil leaves.
EXT. CRENSHAW BLVD. - HANNA'S CAR - NIGHT,
Weaves through traffic. Horns BLARE.
CUT TO:
EXT. ZEBRA CLUB - DOORMAN - NIGHT
A muscular black man named ALPHONSE has his back to us at
the rear delivery entrance to a mall awash with Korean
neon.
HANNA (O.S.)
Gimme all your money!
Hanna's jammed two fingers in his back. Alphonse spins;
sees it's Hanna.
ALPHONSE
Cuz, one day you get coldblasted
with that shit.
HANNA
Ain't gonna be you, mo-fo.
ALPHONSE
(low)
Homeboys talkin' about it.
Nothin' solid. Just B-boy jive
'bout outta-towners. Crew's
from outta town. I hear
something; I drop a dime.
HANNA
You holdin'?
Alphonse flips Hanna a small vial of coke.
ALPHONSE
Onna house.
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Filtering up from downstairs comes 80dB of Jane's
Addiction's cover of "Sympathy for the Devil".
CUT TO:
INT. FREIGHT ELEVATOR - HANNA - NIGHT
Descending alone uses a small, black, carbon steel sheath
knife to take two hits from the vial. He shakes off the
initial blast, pockets the vial, the doors open, Jane's
Addiction's LOUDER. We're ...
INT. ZEBRA - HANNA
Crosses through the mostly black, affluent crowd of players,
gangsters, dopesters, models and security in business suits
openly carrying and wearing headset radios. Hanna crosses
through like he owns the place, gestures to the bartender
and slides into...
INT. BOOTH - RAOUL TORENA
HANNA
What do you got?
RAOUL
(conspiratorial)
This crew's ripping Porsches out
of Orange County. Horrell, Piper
and Voight. They're working in
the back of a trim shop on Irvine.
Somebody was to pay him a visit
this weekend, they'd find a
metallic blue Turbo...
RAOUL TORENA, Albert's brother, is a thirty-five-year-old
with crew-cut black hair and a Varri Uomo sport jacket.
WIDEN To INCLUDE Hanna.
HANNA
...lookin' for me to rid you of
your competition?
RAOUL
I'm a good citizen.
HANNA
You got something to say, or
what?
RAOUL
Mi carnal: if I tell you what I
got to tell you, how do I know
you gonna do what the fuck I
just told you I need to get done?
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Hanna's gaze drifts up into Raoul's eyes: it's deadly.
ALBERT
(alarmed)
Raoul, Hanna do what he say!
That's why I reached for you..
Hanna jerks Raoul by the front of his Verri Uomo which is
being destroyed in Hanna's fists.
HANNA
I'm not your 'carnal, you little
motherfucker.
(beat)
And you 'know' 'cause I say so...
after I hear what you got to
tell me!
RAOUL
Okay! Okay...
Hanna throws him back against the bench.
RAOUL
(continuing)
This is valuable shit! I could
get killed telling you this shit!
Low, flat and deadly:
HANNA
You can get killed ... walking
down the street...
RAOUL
(whisper)
A dude I knew in McNeil's been
out a couple, three years.
HANNA
Yeah?
RAOUL
He's an action junkie. If he'd
said nothin', I'd a thought
nothin'. But he goes on and on
into extra overtime on how he
ain't been do-in' nothin' and
then I know this cat's got
something goin' down...
Raoul leans back in the booth, nods his head, proud of
this pearl of information. Hanna looks at Albert like
he's crazy.
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HANNA
(to Albert)
What's wrong with you? You drag
me here to waste my time like
this?
(to Raoul)
You saw a guy on the street...
who's an ex-con?
RAOUL
Yeah.
HANNA
...what do you expect for that?
A Junior G-Man badge?
RAOUL
You gonna make the call on the
Porsches?
HANNA
Are you kidding?
Hanna gets up to leave.
RAOUL
I'm telling you this slick is
double-duty! A real doubleblank
mo-fo.
HANNA
What?
RAOUL
Huh ... ?
HANNA
You said "slick."
RAOUL
Yeah, that's what he calls people.
"Slick."
Hanna plays it low key. Hanna sits back down.
HANNA
Tell me about him...
RAOUL
(thinks)
Six feet, built. Lotta jailhouse
tattoos. Peacock right here.
Probably was a shooter once Heavy
time: Attica, Marion, could do a
nickel or dine standing on his
(MORE)
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RAOUL (CONT'D)
ear. He's in C-block two days,
and in the shower some Muslim
comes up into his face and he
cuts the guy a new opening for a
colostomy bag and goes back to
shampooing his hair...
(laughs)
HANNA
(leans in)
What's his ... name..
RAOUL
(easy)
Cerrito. Michael Cerrito.
CUT TO:
INT. CAR - HANNA - NIGHT
On the phone. The back side of downtown is a wall of light
moving past as ...
BOSKO (V.O.)
(filter)
Jacket's two inches thick. 38
busts since 1976.
INT. LAPD, MCU OFFICE - BOSKO - NIGHT
Hanna's on the speaker phone. Casals enters.
BOSKO
(into phone;
continuing)
Two for murder one. Eleven for
armed robbery. Three convictions.
Two out of a three year beef in
Attica. Three years in
Statesville. Five years in
Riker's Island off a knock-back
to involuntary manslaughter
Narcotics record. Methadone
treatment. Two kids. Wife's
named Elaine. Strictly a cowboy.
HANNA (V.O.)
Who else have I got?
SCHWARTZ
Drucker, Casals and me, boss
HANNA (V.O.)
Bob, get on the house.
(MORE)
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HANNA (V.O.) (CONT'D)
24 hour surveillance, title
search, the works. Drucker and
Casals bug the car and whatever
else we need, remembering it
won't be evidentiary.
(beat)
When he moves or sits - like in
a restaurant.
INTERCUT WITH:
Bosko answers another phone, puts that line on "hold" as...
HANNA (V.O.)
(continuing)
I want pictures of who he moves
and sits with. Then run makes
on them and their cars. They
got jackets? I want to see who
they move and they sit with and
give them the same treatment.
(beat)
Bosko. Work the neighborhood.
Tail the wife. Look for a drop
that could garage a work car and
tools. That's it.
BOSKO
(re: phone)
Richie the Medical Examiner's
holding.
HANNA
(into phone)
Conference him in.
(clicks)
Yeah? Richie?
RICHIE (V.O.)
Vincent, can you fall by a crime
scene on the strip? I think I
got another one.
"Sympathy for the Devil" gets LOUDER and washes across
onto...
CUT TO:
EXT. SUNSET. BOULEVARD MOTEL AND ALLEY - NIGHT
Neon under the vapor lamps. O.S. the cacophony of horns
and sirens. Pimps and hookers crowd the background. A
crime scene area near the garbage cans is roped off. An
ambulance, black-and-whites, a Medical Examiner's van clog
the alley.
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CRANE DOWN as Hanna's car pulls in and he approaches the
Medical Examiner, RICHIE, 25-35, black, diamond earring,
gray lab coat.
RICHIE
(to Hanna)
Here's how we found her.
POLAROID - BLACK PROSTITUTE
in a nightgown, folded over the lip of a garbage can at
the waist. She's a pitiful rag doll. Someone killed her
and then threw her away.
HANNA
is too controlled. Anger's underneath.
HANNA
How old?
RICHIE
Sixteen, seventeen.
HANNA
How'd she die, Richie?
RICHIE
Blunt instrument. Cerebral
hematoma.
HANNA
Who are they?
THEIR POV: HEAVYSET BLACK WOMAN
and two stunned young boys. She's crying and arguing with
two uniformed LAPD trying to hold her back. One LAPD is a
black woman. The heavyset woman doesn't really know what
happened yet except it's bad.
RICHIE (O.S.)
(low)
The family.
HANNA (O.S.)
What the hell are they doin'
here?
RICHIE + HANNA
RICHIE
(low; shrugs)
It's fucked up. Somebody inside
knew the girl and called the
family.
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Now Richie bends over the body bag on the ground and unzips
it. We don't see the dead girl. We only see Hanna. A
third uniformed officer in the background spins away.
HANNA
Oh, this is nice.
RICHIE
I wanted you to see this 'cause
I got a feeling it's serial and
gonna end up in your court.
HANNA
Homicide getting anywhere?
RICHIE
Nowhere.
Hanna rises. The mother's arguing with the man cop because
she wants to see. Horror and hysteria blossoming through
shock. She pushes the uniformed cop of the way. Hanna
goes to try to help. They grapple.
MOTHER
(reaches out)
Baby! Where's my baby.!
Anguish. It's a mess. The woman collapsing into Hanna's
arms. For one moment Hanna's eyes lock onto hers. He
freezes. One doesn't forget the look he sees in her eyes.
CUT TO:
EXT. DRIVE-IN THEATER - CAPRICE WORK CAR - DAY
driven by Neil to camera appears and disappears up and
down the earthwork ramps. We don't know what he's doing
in one the last drive-in theaters in California at high
noon.
WIDE FROM THE REAR
The white screen reveals its cracks and patches.
CLOSE ON ENTRANCE
A yellow full size Dodge pickup with darkened windows
enters. It hesitates and then slowly drives toward Neil -
up and the ramps between the speaker poles.
ON DODGE PICK UP
circling wide and coming up almost parallel to the Caprice.
As the driver pulls to a stop we see an envelope on the
da...
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NEIL
You keep your hands in sight! I
tell you what to do, how to do
it.
DRIVER
Yessir. I'm just the delivery
boy.
REAR SHOTS
Of the two vehicles. Out of the
covered bed of the pick-up a
small man slowly slips out.
MAN
crawls under the pick-up and Neil's car and emerges on the
passenger side behind Neil's rear wheel in Neil's blind
spot. He inches towards the window. He carries a 15-shot
Colt .22 Woodsman with a huge silencer. He is totally
relaxed and professional.
NEIL
concentrates on the driver, who's calm.
NEIL
Now, with your right hand only:
throw the envelope in my back
seat.
DRIVER
Starts to reach for the envelope and tosses it into Neil's
car.
NEIL
sees his eyes dart. Neil glances at his right rear view
mirror.
NEIL'S POV: MAN
with the silenced .22.
WIDE FROM THE FRONT
Neil floors the Caprice and it catapults and bucks over
rows of ramps.
REAR SHOT - MAN
pumps SHOTS into the rear of the Caprice.
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INT. CAPRICE - NEIL
Jerks out his 9mm Browning as .22 SLUGS DRILL precise HOLES
THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD.
EXT. DRIVE-IN - VERY WIDE
Neil throws the Caprice through a skidding 180 degree turn
and accelerates toward the man who moves back towards the
Dodge pickup for cover.
INT. PICKUP - DRIVER
Panics now. The Dodge takes off, abandoning the man with
the .22.
INT. CAPRICE - NEIL'S POV: SKY-GROUND
PITCH BACK AND FORTH, UP AND DOWN. The Man runs, turns,
stands, and FIRES.
EXT. DRIVE-IN - PROFILE: CAPRICE AND ABANDONED GUNMAN
Who FIRES until the Caprice smashes into him.
INT. CAPRICE - NEIL
Skids around to a stop and bails out.
EXT. DRIVE-IN - DODGE PICKUP
Accelerating to the exit lane, kicking up billows of dust.
INT. PICK-UP - DRIVER'S POV - CLEAR EXIT
Until Cerrito and Chris fold out from either side of the
exit gate with shotguns. They FIRE:
CUT TO:
EXT. DRIVE-IN - WIDE
The windshield is blown out and the Driver's half into the
back seat. The car rolls over onto its side. Cerrito
FIRES into the exposed gas tank. It BLOWS UP.
NEIL
approaches the fallen Gunman and with the 9mm. Browning
at his temple, kicks away the .22.
GUNMAN
(coughs blood)
Can I Make it?
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Neil looks at his smashed, twisted body and bleeding mouth
He's choking to death. Neil shakes his head "no."
NEIL
You're all done, pal.
GUNMAN
Do it.
He closes his eyes.
NEIL
aims. FIRES ONCE.
VERY WIDE FROM THE TOP OF THE DRIVE-IN SCREEN - SUNSET
The whole landscape. Neil with the gun heavy at the end
of his arm walks from the Gunman to the Caprice. Chris
and Cerrito - like duck hunters - cradle their shotguns
and cross to a Lincoln away from the burning pickup.
CUT TO:
INT. MALIBU SECURITIES, VAN ZANT OFFICE - VAN ZANT - NIGHT
Phone rings. Occupied, he casually answers.
NEIL (O.S.)
John Van Zant?
VAN ZANT
Yeah. Who's this?
NEIL (O.S.)
Neil McCauley.
Van Zant reacts, racing, trying to cover.
VAN ZANT
This kid I sent to straighten
you up on the money... didn't
call. Is ... uh... everything
alright?
NEIL
(laid back)
Tell you what: keep the money.
VAN ZANT
What?
NEIL
(slow)
"... keep ... the ... money."
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VAN ZANT
(fast)
It's a lot of money! What are
you doing?
NEIL
(slow)
What am I doin' I'm talking into
an empty telephone.
VAN ZANT
I don't understand.
NEIL
(matter of fact)
'Cause there is a dead man on
the other end of this line...
Neil hangs up. Hugh Benny has entered. Van Zant looks at
the phone, then Hugh:
VAN ZANT
(shouts)
Who are these people? Huh?!
CUT TO:
INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT, PHONE BOOTH - NEIL - NIGHT
Is re-dialing.
KELSO (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Yeah?
NEIL
(into phone)
You got a clean line?
CUT TO:
INT. KELSO TRAILER - CEZAR KELSO - NIGHT
In his wheelchair. He checks a meter attached to his
telephone wire.
KELSO
(into phone)
Yeah.
NEIL (V.O.)
(Phone filter) I got a delay
dropping the $50,000.
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KELSO
(into phone)
You don't have a delay. What
you don't have is a deal.
(beat)
Swing by and collect your envelope
sometime. Goodbye.
Starts to hang up.
NEIL (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Wait a minute, pal-o!!
Kelso does.
INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - NEIL
NEIL
(into phone)
You're going to wait for me for
a week. I'll buy a week with
the five. It's above and beyond
the fifty and if I wash, you
keep it.
(beat)
You're going to wait for me 'cause
you want me to take it down.
You know it's got better odds
with me in.
(pause)
Now do we have an understanding?
KELSO (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Seven days.
CLICK.
WIDE ON ROUND TABLE
Michael and Elaine Cerrito, Chris and Charlene, Towner and
his wife ANNA - a striking black woman we'll see later -
sit around the table and sing "Happy Anniversary" to the
tune of "Happy Birthday" as a Chinese waiter brings Elaine
and Michael Cerrito a cake; Neil returns.
VOICES
...Happy anniversary to you.
Happy anniversary dear Michael
and Elaine. Happy anniversary
to you.
Everyone applauds and laughs and raises glasses of plum
wine except Cerrito who drinks club soda. Elaine and
Michael blow out the candles.
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The skeleton of a steamed sea bass is in the center of the
table.
CUT TO:
INT. MEN'S ROOM OF CHINESE RESTAURANT - CLOSE ON FAUCET -
NIGHT
It's a LOUD TORRENT - TILT UP TO THREE SHOT: Neil, Cerrito
and Chris are clustered around the sink. The water runs
seemingly aimlessly. It also would drown out a bug.
NEIL
(loud over water)
We'll down platinum through Nate.
The deal is 72% of today's quote
on the Bourse in the New York
Times.
CERRITO
(loud over water)
You got the black boxes for the
alarms?
CHRIS
(loud over water)
Yeah. Towner delivered. They're
in the drop.
NEIL
(loud over water)
We pass by couple times tomorrow
afternoon. Check nothing strange
in the neighborhood. Tomorrow
night: we take it down. You set
on the rear door.
CHRIS
(loud over water)
I'm going to punch it...
(beat)
What do we do about Van Zant?
NEIL
(loud over water)
Kill him...after the score.
CHRIS
(loud)
Kelso?
NEIL
(loud)
We'll use Nate's advance off the
platinum when I down the merch
to pay Kelso for the bank package.
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Neil turns off the water and they leave.
CUT TO:
INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - PLUM WINE AT TABLE - LATER
Elaine drinks. WIDEN. Michael whispers in her ear. She
smiles. Then she laughs and drapes an arm around his neck
and plants a kiss that almost knocks him over. The party,
winding down. Everyone luxuriates in the afterglow.
CHARLENE AND CHRIS
sedate, comfortable, each in separate thoughts.
CHRIS
(quietly)
You okay?
CHARLENE
I'm fine.
CHRIS
(arm around her)
Makin' it happen this time...
CHARLENE
I hope so. I really hope so.
They're close for this moment: the afterglow of the dinner.
NEIL
looks at Charlene.
CHARLENE
sees and holds his look and then her attention shifts to
Elaine.
NEIL
checks his watch. Waiter approaches Neil with the bill.
MICHAEL
(to Neil)
Hey!
CHRIS
Let me have it!
NEIL
(smiles)
I got it.
CUT TO:
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EXT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - NEIL - NIGHT
And everyone else exits from the restaurant, say their
goodbyes and go to their cars: Neil's Lincoln, Chris's
Seville, Cerrito's Sedan de Ville, Towner to a restored El
Camino. WE HEAR: BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.
HANNA (O.S.)
A goddamn convention.
We HEAR a soft FILM ADVANCE and SHUTTER.
CASALS (O.S.)
Who's "slick?"
PULL BACK TO REVEAL REAR SHOTS of Hanna, Drucker, Casals
and a surveillance team on the roof across the street behind
some neon.
DRUCKER
Cerrito, the wide one. He's
hugged twice. One if he finds
it behind the wheel wall. The
back-up's in the firewall. We
got their plates.
CASALS
Yeah.
DRUCKER
One with the hair is Shiherlis.
Got a revolving tail and a tap
on the house phone.
HANNA
(re Neil)
Who's the big guy?
DRUCKER
First time we're seeing him.
Hanna rolls away from his line of sight and says to his
men:
HANNA
Next time this crew scores?
When they walk in that door?
They will get the surprise of a
lifetime.
CUT TO:
EXT. EADY'S HOUSE, DECK - TWO SHOT - NIGHT
Neil's shirt's open. Eady's in a terry robe. They've
made love. It's late. They're awake. After a moment:
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NEIL
(holds her close:
looks at her face)
Come away with me.
EADY
What?
(surprised)
Where?
NEIL
New Zealand.
EADY
When?
NEIL
Soon.
EADY
You're kidding.
NEIL
What's stopping you? What's
here?
EADY
(laughs)
I don't know you.
NEIL
What's to know?
EADY
Are you married?
NEIL
(laughs)
Why?
EADY
Way you come and go.
NEIL
I deal with state officials.
County. Weird hours. A lot of
traveling, entertaining.
(beat)
The last thing I am is married.
There's a pause, then:
EADY
You don't know me at all, Neil...
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NEIL
I know enough.
EADY
My father wanted me to marry
someone in Taipei. It was like
I was a piece of furniture: "Go
be his wife." After I left he
won't talk to me. Because I
went on my own. I can't let
people tell roe what to do again.
And that trust comes from knowing
someone over time.
(avoids Neil)
This is hard between us for me.
Because I like you very much.
Neil looks right into Eady's face.
NEIL
I have to leave. Come away with
me.
(beat)
No one will ever tell you what
to do... You'll never lose
yourself with me.
She believes him. So do we.
CUT TO:
INT. SOUTH LA BREA MOTEL - CLOSE ON HOOKER - NIGHT
She's a BLACK PROSTITUTE - all of 18. She looks bored and
chews gum as she puts on a rayon Japanese Kimono and exits.
ANGLE ON BED - WAINGRO
sits on the edge of the rumpled bed in his Jeans. He wears
a neck brace. His face is still swollen and bruised from
Neil's beating. His belt isn't buckled. He's in a daze.
O.S. we HEAR a TOILET FLUSH. Prostitute returns. Waingro
looks over at her:
PROSTITUTE
(tired)
Hey, baby.
WAINGRO
Showed you a good time? Huh?
PROSTITUTE
Oh, yeah. You fly. You cool.
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WAINGRO
Don't lie to me. I can always
tell when people lie to me.
PROSTITUTE
I ain't lyin'! You a hot dog.
You a cowboy. You hung like a
horse and this was the monster
fuck of my young life.
(pause)
Now I gotta get my ass streetside.
WAINGRO
You don't have a truth-telling
style.
PROSTITUTE
The fuck's wrong with you?
Waingro winds up and cracks the girl. She knocks over a
cheap lamp and bounces off a wall.
PROSTITUTE
on her stomach on the floor, dazed. Waingro kicks her and
throws a small table at her. It smashes apart.
WAINGRO
(shouts)
You think I'm some john? I'm a
stone killer! I'm a sky-blue
bad ass, bitch!
CUT TO:
INT. MIRACLE MILE BAR - ON WAINGRO - NIGHT
At the bar drinking alone. The logs of an Asian girl dance
Most patrons are Korean. BARTENDER approaches.
BARTENDER
(tired smile)
Once again?
WAINGRO
(feeling good now)
Sure, good buddy. Set it up.
BARTENDER
pours and Waingro knocks it back, watches the Asian dancer
and pops a five and a ten to him across the bar.
WAINGRO
I'm looking to get into something.
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BARTENDER
(smiles)
Yeah? Where you been?
WAINGRO
Chino, Tracy. I'm a cowboy,
heavy-hitter. Billy Ricketts
said to come see you.
Bartender writes on a cocktail napkin.
BARTENDER
Go see this guy. This guy always
putting guys on.
Waingro flips the Bartender a $20.
WAINGRO
Thanks.
Another woman takes Waingro's eyes. He spins around on
his bar stool and grabs her arm as she passes. Big smile.
Its...
LILLIAN
Breedan's woman. She, too, is a dancer and her shift's
over. She's wearing a raincoat over tights and a sweatshirt
She jerks her arm away.
LILLIAN
(heavy)
Get your fucking hand off my
arm!
Waingro backs way off and shrugs. Lillian leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. LILLIAN'S CAR - LILLIAN - NIGHT
Down the Strip. The RADIO is on.
RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Hey, hey!
(beat)
...there, old aware ones, and
you, too, my fair ones. When
tears are falling like rain the
groove is strictly Col-trane...
Lillian turns right up into the driveway and pulls into
Robert's Coffee Shop.
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She asks Solenko who's behind the cash register something,
then leaves, heading across the street to...
CUT TO:
INT. NARROW POLYNESIAN BAR - BREEDAN - NIGHT
A back corner, loaded, looks up.
BREEDAN
Hey!
LILLIAN (O.S.)
Let's go, baby.
Big drunk smile. She helps him up and supports his weight.
CUT TO:
EXT. POLYNESIAN BAR, TWO SHOT - NIGHT
It's later. Breedan's been sick. Now he's sober. They
sit near trash barrels under a huge plaster half shell,
fishing nets and blue lights.
BREEDAN
I got any left?
LILLIAN
There's other paychecks. You
blow it off. It's worth it,
baby, cause you mess with that
man and you be violated right
back to San Quentin. So you got
to handle it 'til we get you a
different job.
BREEDAN
(energy)
Yeah. That motherfucker ain't
invented the hard time this
gangster can't handle!.
(crashes)
Why you stickin' with me, Lillian?
Why?
Lillian stares right at him.
LILLIAN
'Cause I'm proud of you. Proud
you my man.
BREEDAN
(cracks up)
Proud of me?
(MORE)
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BREEDAN (CONT'D)
(beat)
What you proud of me for?
LILLIAN
(beat)
Come on home.
Breedan puts one arm around her waist and they strenuously
rise.
CUT TO:
EXT. EMA PRECIOUS METALS, REAR - WIDE ON ALLEY - NIGHT
Nothing. Hold. Then the Pontiac work car cruises the
alley. It's dark, but we recognize Cerrito driving with
Neil in the passenger seat. Pontiac does not slow down at
ERA, keeps going to the end of the block and turns left.
CUT TO:
INT. EMA PRECIOUS METALS, INC. - HANNA - NIGHT
Staked out inside. With him are Schwartz, Casals, Bosko
and two uniformed policemen: BRUCE and BERRYMAN.
Bruce rearranges himself. Hanna shoots him a lock. He
stops fidgeting. Hanna looks at wall clock: 10:30p.M.
EXT. EMA PRECIOUS METALS, REAR ALLEY - PONTIAC
Cruises the alley a second time. Again, it doesn't stop.
CUT TO:
EXT. ADJACENT ROOFTOP - CAPT. JACKSON - NIGHT
And a ten man SWAT Team are spread out across roofs. The
men wear flack vests and carry an array of shotguns and
assault rifles and shotguns. Everybody Is still. CAPT.
JACKSON uses a periscope to see over the edge:
JACKSON'S POV: ALLEY
Abandoned.
INT. EMA - HANNA'S STAKE-OUT
BRUCE
(into radio)
Okay.
(to Hanna)
Captain Jackson wants to know
what's goin' on.
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HANNA
(into his radio)
Nothing. Clear the air.
He clicks off makes a drinking motion to...
HANNA
...who shakes his head "no." He puts a finger over his
lips meaning silence. Hanna looks at the clock. It's
12:03 a.m. Hanna takes a deep breath. He closes and opens
his eyes. They wait.
EXT. ALLEY - WIDE ON ALLEY - LATER
Nothing. Then the Pontiac with its lights off rolls
forward. Chris gets out with a salesman's sample case and
pads down the five steps to the rear entry of the jewelry
store. Chris is in a black suit and sneakers. There are
surgical gloves on his hands. The others stay in the car.
TIGHTER: CHRIS
assembles a heavy lock punch from the black case. It's
formidable. He nods.
CERRITO
in lineman's gear is out of the car and he quickly climbs
the telephone pole like an experienced lineman. The
telephone pole is next to the roof upon which Jackson and
the SWAT Team are staked-out.
TOP OF POLE - CERRITO
arrives. He's 18 inches away from 11 cops. Team nor
Cerrito are aware of each other.
INT. EMA, INC. - HANNA
Neither the SWAT moves his head to ease the strain: A
hearing aid receiver's in hit ear. He looks at his men.
The clock says 1:10 a.m.
Casals, leg convulses. Bruce is the worst. He writhes
with cramped muscles. Bosko's bulk doesn't move.
HANNA
gestures for Bruce to quiet down.
EXT. ALLEY - CERRITO
Maneuvers past P.G.E. gear and opens the GTE junction box.
He hangs a small suitcase over the door with three black
boxes and six alligator clips and starts searching for
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pairs of colored wires and bridging the jewelry store's
alarm circuits.
EXT. ROOF - JACKSON
Doesn't know Cerrito is there. He hears BREATHING. He's
curious. He raises his head over the edge and his eyes go
wide. WIDEN. He's inches from the back of Cerrito's head.
Cerrito twists and turns and jerks back in effort - almost
touching Jackson. Cerrito's too absorbed to sense Jackson's
presence. Jackson carefully closes his eyes and sinks
down.
EXT. EMA, INC., REAR ENTRANCE - CHRIS
He gets a nod from Cerrito. He slams the lock punch with
a cut down sledge hammer.
ECU: DOOR
A I" circle is punched into the steel lock mechanism next
to the cylinder, exposing electrical wiring and magnetic
tumblers and "gates."
ECU: CHRIS' FINGERS
like a cardiac surgeon's, have a balletic grace as they
manipulate the tumblers so the groove cut in each one lines
up. As they do, a bar of metal called the "fence" falls
into the channel created by the lined-up gates, unlocking
the mechanism.
WIDE: CHRIS
touches the door. It swings - soundlessly - open on its
hinges. Surprisingly, they now pack up. Neil, Chris and
Cerrito climb into the Pontiac and drive away. The door
was left wide open.
EXT. ROOF - JACKSON
JACKSON
(into walkie-talkie)
Where'd...they...go?
INT. EMA, INC. - ON HANNA
HANNA
(pissed; into mike)
Fell back to see if the alarm
bypasses held. If they did,
they'll be back. Stay the fuck
off the radio!
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INT. EMA, BASEMENT - WIDE ON VAULT DOOR
Nothing. It's black. Then there's light. Neil's entered.
He illuminates the vault with his penlight.
CHRIS
sets up a heavy drill and tapes a template with drill points
marked to the door.
INT. EMA, INC. - BRUCE
Is in agony. His muscles are cramped - he rolls on the
floor trying to control himself. His head inches up, drops
back.
HANNA
calms Bruce with hand gestures.
WIDE
The clock says 2:00 a.m.
HANNA
(tense whisper)
Quiet! !
Bruce starts shaking, violently. He twists. His belt
buckle hits the floor. There is the smallest TAP. Hanna
closes his eyes.
INT. BASEMENT - NEIL
Looks up at the ceiling. Down at the floor. He thinks.
Pause. This is the first tire we've heard them speak in
this sequence.
NEIL
(he decides; whispers)
...We walk.
CHRIS
(tense whisper; re:
the box)
I'm 60 seconds away. It's a rat
or something.
NEIL
(whispers)
It is not an animal sound. We
are out of here.
CHRIS
(tense whisper)
We need the cash!!
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NEIL
(tense whisper;
already going)
We walk!! Now.
No argument. Chris puts down his equipment.
They strip off and drop their surgical gloves. Chris tosses
his shop coat on the floor. Both unpin the lapels of what
is revealed to be dark suits with shirts underneath. They
abandon everything. They walk out the back door and keep
going.
EXT. ROOFTOP - ON JACKSON
JACKSON
(into radio;
whispered)
They're leaving. Why are they
leaving?!
ROOFTOP POV: WIDE ON ALLEY BELOW
Neil and Chris enter, approach the Pontiac with Cerrito
behind the wheel.
JACKSON (O.S.)
(radio filter;
whispered)
I can take 'em, now!
HANNA (V.O.)
(radio filter;
whispered)
Let 'em go.
INT. EMA, INC. - HANNA
JACKSON (V.O.)
(radio filter)
At least we got 'em on a...
For the first time in the last seven minutes we hear a
normal voice. Its LOUD.
HANNA
(cuts him off; into
radio)
Let em go. We got nothing! Not
even a burglary. They didn't
fucking steal anything yet.
Don't you get it? All we've
got's breaking and entry.
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EXT. ROOFTOP POV: ON ALLEY BELOW
Neil and Chris are in the Pontiac. Jackson's men are
poised.
JACKSON (V.O.)
(radio filter)
I'm not letting them walk!
HANNA
The fuck you aren't! That's
exactly what you are gonna do.
It's my investigation. And my
authority supersedes your rank!
And I am not settling for some
chicken shit misdemeanor!
Cerrito pulls away. At the end he turns on his headlights,
signals like a good driver, and turns right.
INT. EMA, INC., FIRST FLOOR - WIDE
Manna snaps off the radio.
HANNA
Back to work.
Then he pitches the radio in a line drive at Bruce, barely
missing his head.
RADIO
SMASHES into pieces.
CUT TO:
EXT. GENERAL LIQUORS, LAS VEGAS - WIDE - DAY
A "Las Vegas Police Department" car pulls to the curb.
Hanna and Schwartz get out and cross the crabgrass, dirt,
and debris-filled forecourt to a cheaply constructed wood
and glass one-story building.
CUT TO:
MARCIAN0'S OFFICE - MARCIANO - DAY
Hangs up the phone. We HEAR the DOOR OPEN.
MARCIANO
(rising; big smile)
What can I do for you guys?
Ignores his hand and shoves him
back into his office chair with
an open hand.
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CLOSER
Hanna rips open Marciano's desk drawer finds a gun, unloads
it, throws it on the floor, finds a small tape recorder,
pops the tape out and tosses it to Schwartz. Then he
flashes a badge at Marciano.
MARCIANO
L.A.P.D. Who the hell you think
you're pushing around? You got
no jurisdiction and I know people
here!
SCHWARTZ
Who? The fucking Tooth Fairy!
So what?
HANNA
You go back to Newark on a New
Jersey warrant for smuggling
cigarettes up from North Carolina
three years ago or you go to
work for us. Cut and dried.
That...is...it.
MARCIANO
Oh, my God...
HANNA
Charlene Shiherlis.
MARCIANO
Who?
SCHWARTZ
"Who?" The stranger you been
talkin' dirty to on the telephone
every day for the last month.
MARCIANO
You can't tie me to her!
HANNA
Who has to. You're onna plane
to New Jersey, jagoff.
MARCIANO
Oh, man...
(to himself)
Why did I get mixed up with that
bitch?
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HANNA
(sits down)
'Cause she's got a great ass and
you goT your head all the way up
it.
MARCIANO
(defeated)
So?
HANNA
So it's no big thing. I don't
even want her. You can have
her, after. I want her husband
and all his buddies; that's all.
And you're gonna help.
CUT TO:
INT. ROBERT'S COFFEE SHOP - NEIL + CHRIS - DAY
in a booth next to the window. Out the window is morning
traffic on Beverly Boulevard. Empty coffee cups say they've
been there a while. They lean close and talk low. Neil's
explosive behind it.
NEIL
LAPD? The G? What? Where the
hell did this heat come from?
CHRIS
Maybe it's only the EMA score,
not us.
NEIL
(low)
Wake up!
(beat)
Assume they got our phones, our
houses bugged, I beepers on all
the cars. We got major problems..
Where's Cerrito?
Neil looks over at the cook behind the high counter and
recognizes him.
NEIL'S POV: DAVID BREEDAN
NEIL (O.S.)
Recognize the cook?
CHRIS
No.
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NEIL
D Block. San Q. Did a nickel on
armed robbery.
INT. KITCHEN - BREEDAN
Grim, cold, working his ass off on five breakfast orders
simultaneously.
NEIL (O.S.)
Hey, David. How you doing?
Breedan turns, recognizes Neil and warms as if the sun
rose.
BREEDAN
Hey, Homeboy! All right!
(flips eggs; checks
orders)
How bout you?
NEIL
(sits on counter)
Gettin' by. You okay?
BREEDAN
(embarrassed; re:
job)
Yeah. Temporary. Know what I
mean?
Neil looks out and sees Cerrito.
NEIL
Sure. See you around.
INT. RESTAURANT - ON BOOTH
Neil slides in.
NEIL
(to Cerrito)
What took you so long?
CERRITO
(low)
My car. Bugs. Two of 'em.
Count 'em. One in the wheel
well. Second behind the fire
wall. Night of the party? I
dropped Elaine and swung by EMA
to check out the junction box...
He doesn't have to say anymore.
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CHRIS
Without the platinum how do we
buy the bank score?
NEIL
I cash in T-bills to pay-off
Kelso. That's not our problem.
CERRITO
What the hell happened to Van
Zant and our 750?
NEIL
With the heat we got, you wanna
play World War Two in the streets
with Van Zant?
CERRITO
Van Zant gets a pass?!
NEIL
Fuck Van Zant. I got more
motivation to whack him than you
do. He is a luxury. Our problem
is: jam and take the bank or
split.
(beat)
And I mean right fucking now.
Do not go home, pack, nothing.
Thirty seconds from now we are
on the road. Gone.
No answer. Chris and Cerrito are thinking.
CHRIS
For me, the bank's worth the
stretch. I say accept the risk,
stay.
NEIL
Michael?
CERRITO
(quietly)
I roll with you. Whatever...
NEIL
(quietly)
Not on this one, Michael. On
this one you make up your own
mind.
CERRITO
(he can't)
...you figure this the best thing
to do?
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NEIL
I got some plans. To go away
after. So for me, it's worth
the stretch.
Chris is surprised.
NEIL
(continuing)
But, Elaine takes good care of
you. You got plenty put away.
T. Bonds; real estate. If I
were you, I'd be smart and cut
loose of this.
CERRITO
thinks. The he shrugs, laughs:
CERRITO
Hey. To me the action's half
the juice anyway. I'm in.
NEIL
All right. All right.
CUT TO:
EXT. WILIMINGTON OIL FIELDS - OIL PUMP - DAY
WIDEN. It's a desolate area - empty space. Off in the
distance is a manufacturing plant and a billboard. PAN
LEFT and HOLD on Cerrito's Coupe de Ville. It pulls down
the dirt access road, lurching up and down on its soft
shocks, and raising billows of tan dust. It stops. Neil -
in a gray chamois jacket over a black T-shirt - gets out.
He hasn't shaved in a couple of days. Chris and Michael
Cerrito get out the left side. They walk TO CAMERA and:
CERRITO
That the place?
NEIL
Yeah. You see how the road leads
back around?
CERRITO
Yeah.
NEIL
That's the escape route...
VERY LONG SHOT: NEIL, CERRITO AND CHRIS
the three men point. Chris draws a map. Then they climb
back into the sky-blue Cadillac and drive away.
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SCHWARTZ (O.S.)
This is it.
PULL BACK and REVEAL Schwartz with binoculars and Casals
with earphones. They had been surveilling Neil and Cerrito.
There's a tape recorder with a directional microphone in a
parabolic dish.
CASALS
I know. Let's go!
WIDER
The two men run back from their observation position to an
unmarked car parked a hundred yards behind.
CUT TO:
SAME SCENE - WIDE - LATER - SUNSET
It's later. The CAMERA PANS the empty, desolate landscape
of oil pumps, dirt roads and a solitary billboard.
HANNA (O.S.)
What are they taking down out
here?
PULL BACK to REVEAL Hanna, Schwartz, Casals and Bosko.
Hanna looks through binoculars.
CASALS
They were looking at something
southwest...
HANNA
What's's that down there?
CASALS
An auto parts company. They're
going to knock over a payroll?
SCHWARTZ
The company only pays by check.
HANNA
Maybe they're gonna steal the
hub caps ...
O.S. we HEAR a CLICK.
HANNA
(continuing)
A billboard. Oil pumps. What
the hell's goin' on?
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SCHWARTZ
That's what we were trying to
figure.
ANGLE ON HANNA
Recognition dawns.
HANNA
I got an idea what they're looking
at. You know what they're looking
at?
Hanna turns his back on the rest of the detectives and a
big smile dawns upon his face. He raises his arms out
wide. Hanna turns in one direction, then another. Schwartz
doesn't understand.
HANNA
(continuing; to
Schwartz)
Is that guy something; or is
that guy something? I mean, you
gotta give this crew credit.
They are so fucking good...
(beat)
Know what he's looking at?
VERY TIGHT ON HANNA IN 3/4 REAR SHOT
The image vibrates. Hanna says more. We don't hear it.
We HEAR a CAMERA SHUTTER CLICK. The IMAGE FOCUSES and
DEFOCUSES. Another CLICK.
HANNA
Us. The L.A.P.D. The Police
Department. We just got made...
Hanna laughs.
EXT. KNOLL - L.S. HANNA - TWILIGHT
Pull back to reveal he's being surveilled by Neil. He's
been photographing Hanna with a black Nikon on a tripod
with a 1300Mm Questar Reflector lens. Neil's made his
tail. The recce in the blue Cadillac was bait. Neil half
returns Hanna's smile. He climbs into the Caprice. Cerrito
roars off, leaving a cloud of dust which billows into mauve
against the deep sky.
CUT TO:
EXT. KELSO'S TRAILER - WIDE - NIGHT
Neil comes out with Nate. Kelso moves in his Wheelchair
and closes the door.
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They cross to Nate's Buick and get in. Neil carries a
large, black sample case.
CUT TO:
INT. NATE'S MERCEDES - TWO SHOT - TRAVELING - DAY
Vapor lights glide past. Neil examines circuit diagrams
and architectural blueprints of the bank. Next he unfolds
a pasted-together 180 degree view of the street.
NATE
Worth it?
NEIL
(impressed)
There's enough circuit diagrams
and blueprints here to build the
bank.
(beat)
It's terrific.
Neil puts the materials back in the case and snaps it shut.
Next, Nate hands Neil a thick envelope. Inside are the
pictures Neil took of Hanna and xeroxes of Hanna's
employment records.
NATE
His name is Hanna; first name,
Vincent. I smeared this sergeant
in vice five yards. Hanna's all
over you. He's a hot dog.
Lieutenant in major Crimes Unit.
He's taken down some heavy crews.
Blew away Frankie Yonder in
Chicago and he was a fucking
maniac. Was working Narcotics
before that. He's good, Neil.
Dedicated. Divorced three times.
Current wife's Justine. He's
why the extra heat.
(pause)
Vice sergeant says Hanna likes
you. Thinks you're some kind of
'star.' 'You do this sharp, you
do that sharp. Look how sharp
this guy is to figure that.'
Neil laughs.
NATE
(continuing)
Funny as a heart attack.
(pause)
With this guy and this much heat,
you should pass on the bank.
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NEIL
I've had heat before.
NATE
That's not the point.
NEIL
This one's worth the stretch
NATE
You sure?
NEIL
I'm sure. Drop me at the garage.
CUT TO:
INT. VAN ZANT OFFICE - ON VAN ZANT - DAY
He's checking a computer print-out against a ledger sheet.
He looks like he's been sleeping in his clothes. His door
opens. He's startled.
HUGH BENNY
in an iridescent gold suit no tie - sticks his head in.
He breaks the ankles of people who - for the most part -
work for a living and have fallen behind on a juice loan.
He looks the part.
HUGH
Hear from him yet?
VAN ZANT
Not a thing.
HUGH
Maybe he went away.
VAN ZANT
(sarcastic)
Yeah. Sure.
(beat)
Not hearing bothers me more...
(an afterthought)
Where's this guy?
Hugh gestures down the corridor.
WAINGRO
enters.
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HUGH
(re Waingro)
This guy here...we put him on.
Turns out he knows McCauley.
WAINGRO
Waingro. My name's Waingro.
(smiles)
VAN ZANT
I been living in this office day
and night. What's with your
friend?
WAINGRO
I know all about how he thinks.
We took some major scores
together. He's probably busy
right now. But he's real
thorough. He won't forget you...
VAN ZANT
(wry)
That's reassuring.
WAINGRO
Yeah, I got some moves I could
make here, that could be a big
help to you...
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA CONDO - HANNA - 6:OO P.M.
enters. he's beat. He enters kitchen.
INT. KITCHEN - WIDE
It's a mess with dirty dishes stacked in the sink.
HANNA
Justine?
No answer.
INT. JUSTINE'S BATHROOM - JUSTINE
Putting on makeup. She's dressed up: short black dress,
fish net stockings.
HANNA
Where we going?
No answer. Hanna gets it.
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HANNA
(continuing; acid)
Where are you going?
JUSTINE
Out.
Hanna leaves. Then Justine looks at where he stood. Her
cold demeanor cracks, then reassembles and she lights a
roach, takes a hit, dumps it in the toilet and finishes
her makeup.
INT. KITCHEN - HANNA
starts cleaning dishes in the sink. A DOOR CLOSES (O.S.).
He pumps Liquid Vel. It suds. Hanna picks up a plate to
wash it. He looks at it. Pauses. Then he SMASHES the
plate into the piles of dirty dishes and rests on his
forearms.
CUT TO:
EXT. 405 - TRAFFIC - NIGHT
under the flight path near LAX. We CRANE DOWN and pick up
Neil's Town Car.
CUT TO:
INT. TOWN CAR - NEIL - NIGHT
driving, looks into the rear mirror. FLASHERS hit his car
and a spotlight waves him over. He checks for helicopters.
There are none.
NEIL'S POV: ONE UNMARKED POLICE CAR
This is a routine stop. It's early evening, rush hour.
NEIL
slips his 9mm. Browning under his thigh and pulls over.
EXT. 405 SHOULDER - WIDE
Both cars pull onto the shoulder. Out of the unmarked
police car walks Vincent Hanna in jeans and a sweatshirt.
He approaches Neil's car.
NEIL
watches Hanna approach, wary. He didn't expect this to
happen.
HANNA
You know I'm on you. Let's talk.
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NEIL
(beat; then)
Sure. Buy me a cup of coffee.
Hanna crosses back to his car.
CUT TO:
EXT. FOOD STAND - HANNA + NEIL - NIGHT
at a table. Headlights stream by to and from the airport:
business people, families going on vacations, people living
normal lives who have never used guns to kill people, never
experienced physical violence, some who have never been
stolen from and never steal. Surrounded on all sides by
this flow of normalcy:
HANNA
Seven years in San Quentin. In
the hole for three. McNeil before
that.
NEIL
Yeah.
HANNA
Was McNeil as tough as they say?
NEIL
You looking to become a
penologist?
HANNA
You looking to go back? I chased
some crews, the guys were lookin'
to fuck up and get busted back.
NEIL
You must have worked some dipshit
crews.
HANNA
I worked all kinds.
NEIL
(pause)
You see me doing thrill-seeker
liquor store holdups with a "Born
to Lose" tattoo on my chest?
HANNA
No, I do not.
NEIL
Right. And I...
(MORE)
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NEIL (CONT'D)
(low threat)
I am never going back.
The adversarial intensity is eye-to-eye.
HANNA
Then don't take down scores.
NEIL
I do what I do best. I take
scores. You do what you do best
trying to stop guys like me.
(shrugs)
HANNA
You never wanted a normal-type
life?
NEIL
What the fuck is that? Barbecues
and ballgames?
HANNA
That's part of it.
NEIL
That's nice. That your life?
HANNA
No. My wife spends half her
time on the couch. My
stepdaughter's got problems 'cause
her real father's a world class
asshole. And every moment I
got, I'm chasing guys like you.
NEIL
A man told me once: you want to
make moves? Don't keep anything
in your life you're not willing
to walk out on in 30 seconds
flat if you feel the heat around
the corner.
(pause)
So if you're chasing me and you
gotta move when I move, how do
you expect to keep a family?
HANNA
What are you, a monk?
NEIL
No.
(pause)
I got a woman.
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HANNA
What do you tell her?
NEIL
She thinks I sell swimming pools.
HANNA
And if you spot me around the
corner. You gonna walk out on
her? Leave her flat? Like that?
Not even say goodbye?
NEIL
That's the discipline.
HANNA
What you're left with is pretty
empty.
NEIL
Yeah?
(beat)
Then maybe you and me, we should
both go do somethin' else, pal.
HANNA
I don't know how to do anything
else.
NEIL
(the shared
confession)
...neither do I.
HANNA
And I don't much want to.
NEIL
Neither do I.
Both of these guys look at each other and recognize the
mutuality of their condition. Hanna's light laughter:
HANNA
We're sitting here like a coupla
regular fellas. You do what you
do. I do what I gotta do. What
happens if I am there and I got
to put you away?
(pause)
I won't like it. But, if it's
between you and some poor bastard
whose wife you're going to make
into a widow, brother, you are
gonna go down. 'Cause you don't
(MORE)
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HANNA (CONT'D)
have to be there. You coulda
gone and been a... a mailman.
NEIL
There's a flip side to that coin.
What if you got me boxed in and
I gotta put you down?
(beat)
'Cause no matter what, you will
not get in my way.
(beat)
But now that we been face to
face, I would not feel good about
that. But I won't hesitate.
Not for one second.
HANNA
(smiles)
Maybe it'll happen that way. Or
who knows ...
NEIL
...maybe we'll never see each
other again.
They look at each other for a moment. Neil's wry smile.
HANNA
(to waitress)
Can we have the bill.
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA'S OFFICE - HANNA - NIGHT
entering.
DRUCKER
They dumped us!
HANNA
What?
DRUCKER
They dumped us.
HANNA
I was just with him!
DRUCKER
With who?
HANNA
Whattaya mean, "they dumped us"?!
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DRUCKER
Chris slipped his tail. And
Chris doesn't talk about jobs
with Charlene so there's nothing
for Marciano to get from her.
HANNA
(to Casals)
Cerrito?
CASALS
Disappeared. No calls to the
house. Not home.
HANNA
Locators on their cars?!
CASALS
(painful)
Cerrito dumped his on a UPS van.
Surveillance tailed a UPS van to
Oxnard.
Hanna picks up phone to call someone.
HANNA
(shouts)
They dumped all our tails?!!
CASALS
Yeah.
All at the same time. About nine p.m.
HANNA
(shouts)
I had coffee with McCauley half
an hour ago. What happened?
CASALS
Our tail saw you. McCauley pulled
into a car wash. Car came out.
He didn't.
Hanna's got no one to call. He throws the phone at the
wall.
HANNA
Does anybody have Any idea where
the fuck these people are at?
'Cause whatever they are gonna
do, they are doing it right now!
No one does.
CUT TO:
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EXT. ALLEY - WIDE - NIGHT 1:00A.M.
We see nothing. The alley is black. We HEAR a BUZZ.
ZOOM IN to a figure in black - almost invisible. The BUZZ
becomes an intense TEARING SOUND. At the end of the ZOOM
we realize it's Neil.
NEIL
(whispers)
Got it. it's eighteen inches
in.
CHRIS
opens his satchel and takes out a voltmeter.
CUT TO:
INT. BANK - UPPER STORAGE ROOM - WIDE - NIGHT
It's deserted and unlit. We HEAR the SCRAPING NOISE of
Neil and Chris working. SLOWLY ZOOM INTO the upper corner
near the ceiling: A row of large fuse boxes. We ZOOM INTO
the center one. A sign: "Lighting and Alarm Systems"
CUT TO:
INT. ROBERT'S COFFEE SHOP - ON NEIL - DAY
He, Cerrito and Chris sit in a back booth. No one says
anything and they wait. There's the monotonous drone of
MUSAK. Neil watches the cook behind the high counter.
ANGLE ON KITCHEN - BREEDAN
Sees Neil and nods. Neil waves.
NEIL
Where the hell's Towner? I wanted
to pass by early. I want to
check the slot for the work car.
Chris looks at the wall clock: 12:30.
SOLENKO
crosses to CASHIER - an old lady with red lipstick.
SOLENKO
(re: Neil, Chris
and Cerrito)
How long those guys been sitting
back there?
CASHIER
Hour or so...
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SOLENKO
(crossing to grill)
They think this a hotel?
SOLENKO'S POV: OF NEIL, CHRIS AND CERRITO
in the booth. They're tense. Solenko doesn't know he
ought not to want to mess with them.
SOLENKO (O.S.)
(tough)
Twenty minutes, then I toss their
asses out of here.
INT. KITCHEN - BREEDAN - DAY
flips six eggs on the grill, throws frozen French fries in
the oil, turns bacon, flips pancakes and dumps eight pieces
of bread in the toaster. Solenko enters.
BREEDAN
(without turning)
You spell me? I didn't take my
break yet ...
SOLENKO
That spic, Cisco Kid, whatever,
didn't show. After the lunch
rush, haul out the garbage and
mop the back. Take your break
later.
Breedan takes it out on the toaster handles - banging down
each one.
BOOTH - CERRITO
on his fifth coffee, looks up.
CERRITO
Here he is.
TOWNER
crosses through and joins them. He's tense.
TOWNER
Hey! I'm out! I can't go.
NEIL
What are you talking about?
TOWNER
Anna's got a perforated appendix.
We took her to the hospital.
(MORE)
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TOWNER (CONT'D)
They're operating right now.
It's a mess. I got to get back
there...
NEIL
What the hell I do for a driver?!
TOWNER
Look, I got her sister there,
waiting at the hospital. I came
over 'cause I didn't want to
talk on the phone.
(continuing: rises)
I got to get back. Last thing
I'd do is let you down, Neil...
NEIL
What do you call this? Backing
me up?
TOWNER
(tense; angry)
I waited too long trying to get
past today! So now maybe she
got peritonitis.
(beat)
I got to be there...
He leaves.
CHRIS
What the fuck do we do now?
In answer, Neil rises and goes back into the restaurant
kitchen.
INT. KITCHEN - TWO SHOT - DAY
Neil enters. Breedan turns.
NEIL
Here comes your second chance
for a change of luck...
BREEDAN
Yeah?
NEIL
Need a driver. Remember the
drill?
BREEDAN
Yeah. When?
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NEIL
To-day.
BREEDAN
(looks at Solenko)
You're on.
NEIL
Out back in five.
Neil leaves. Breedan rips off his apron. Eggs are burning
on the grill. The toast is smoking - clouds billow.
Sprinklers come on. Breedan couldn't care less.
SOLENKO
races in.
BREEDAN
rolls his apron into a ball and throws it away.
SOLENKO
(shouts)
Where the fuck you going?
Breedan throws Solenko out of the way. Solenko slips and
falls into the wet mess on the floor.
CUT TO:
INT. TOWNER'S HOUSE KITCHEN - TOWNER'S PICKUP - DAY
approaches, parks. He cuts the engine. FOOTSTEPS. Then
Towner enters his living room.
WAINGRO (O.S.)
They buy it?
WAINGRO
is revealed leaning against the door jam to the rear
bedroom. He straightens his clothes. A baseball bat rests
against the wall.
TOWNER
Yeah.
WAINGRO
(buddy-buddy)
I got to hand it to you, sport.
You're slick, pal smart how you
handled all this. On the ball.
Yeah.
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He winks. Hugh Benny (from Van Zant's office) rests against
a bamboo bar with a 9mm. Beretta in his waistband.
TOWNER
(wry)
Thanks. Where's Anna?
WAINGRO
She's resting. It's going down
anyway? On schedule?
TOWNER
That's right.
WAINGRO
(to Hugh)
Make the call.
Hugh crosses to the phone.
TOWNER
Where's she?
WAINGRO
I dunno.
TOWNER
Know what happens when Neil finds
out? To both of us?
WAINGRO
I know what's gonna happen.
Nothing's gonna happen. 'Cause I
got it master minded. I got it
jammed. This is solid. Take it
from the kid.
TOWNER
You hope.
(pause)
What do you mean, you don't know
where she is?
Towner looks at Hugh.
HUGH
dialing the phone - stares at Towner with a blank look.
TOWNER
Fear blossoms. He races to the bathroom off the kitchen
from which Waingro entered.
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TOWNER
(screams)
Anna?
WAINGRO
(following; to his
back)
...showing her a good time.
We see Anna's arm on the floor. Waingro's picked up the
baseball bat he rested against the door jamb.
CUT TO:
EXT. FIRST COMMERCIAL BANK OF WILMINGTON - TRAVELING PAST
ENTRANCE - DAY
We PAN to HOLD IT. The entrance is on the street. The
parking lot is on the side.
NEIL (O.S.)
There's the slot.
PULL BACK to REVEAL we're SHOOTING from inside a Mercury
station wagon. Breedan drives. By now we're WIDE all the
way from behind the rear seat. Cerrito and Chris sit in
the rear. Ahead, cones block parking in one slot.
BREEDAN
Looks right. Come out the door,
your angle takes you into the
car. Don't have to run around
the doors. You want them open?
NEIL
No. 'Cause time is not a problem.
And I want nothing to look weird.
BREEDAN
Po-lice response time?
NEIL
There is none.
BREEDAN
Why?
CHRIS
Cause we bypassed all the alarms
last night.
(continuing)
For you this whole gig is a slow
cruise down Hawthorne...
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Cerrito hands out women's stockings. The men rip open the
packages and start to roll them up.
CUT TO:
INT. DIVISION HEADQUARTERS, HANNA'S OFFICE - BURGLARY
DETECTIVE - DAY
named HARRY DIETER - crosses through the corridor, taking
his tine - stopping for water and the candy bar machines -
enroute to Hanna's office.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCURY WAGON - CERRITO - DAY
Breedan at the curb on a residential street off Hawthorne
in view of the bank. Cerrito from a paper bag hands out
three H & K model 53 small machine-guns and gives Breedan
a .45 and two extra clips.
CLOSE SHOTS
Neil, Chris and Cerrito wear their stubby weapons concealed
under nylon shell jackets on shoulder straps. They shove
into place the curved clips, and release the top bolts,
jacking the first rounds into chambers.
NEIL
checks his watch.
NEIL
(with finality)
Drop us in the slot. Let's take
it down.
The Mercury wagon pulls from the curb.
CERRITO
checks and he re-checks his gun.
BREEDAN
drives. Cool. Unharrassed. His own ran, performing the
simple and critical task of driving a station wagon and
obeying perfectly every single rule of the California
Vehicle Code.
EXT. - HAWTHORNE AVENUE - MERCURY
APPROACHES CAMERA. Breedan puts on the left turn signal
and for the sign. Hawthorne is crowded with housewives,
women and kids and commercial traffic.
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There's a Safeway down from them with afternoon shoppers
and newspaper racks.
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA OFFICE - DIETER - DAY
enters.
DIETER
(casual)
Hey, Casals. I got this tip
phoned in about this bank. It
mean anything to you?
Casals, bored, looks at the paper and explodes out of his
chair. Running for Hanna's desk:
CASALS
(shouts)
Vincent! Vincent!
WIDE
Hanna comes up, coffee in his
hand.
CASALS
Commercial Bank! Wilmington!
2:50!
They look up at clock.
THEIR POV: IT'S 2:43.
WIDE
Hanna spills his coffee and runs out without his coat.
Casals, Bosko and Schwartz follow.
CUT TO:
INT. HENESSEY AND INGALLS, STOCKROOM - CLOSE ON EADY - DAY
unpacking a box of new books. A RADIO DRONES in the
background.
RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(radio filter;
strident)
This is L.A.'s all news, 24-hour,
around the clock coverage of the
day's local, national and
international news, sports,
finance and weather, brought to
you by ...
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Eady has crossed to the RADIO and now turns it OFF.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - DOMINICK - DAY
rolls on the white rug. WIDEN. Charlene holds out her
finger and Dominick grips it like a monkey and she pulls
him up.
ANGLE
She crosses and turns an the TV without volume. A
newscaster appears. Charlene turns her back on the TV.
On all fours, she advances on Dominick. He shrieks and
laughs and crawls away.
CUT TO:
INT. BANK - ON STREET DOOR - DAY
Neil and Chris enter the street door. Chris lingers by
the guard. He reads a Rosicrucian handout. They smile at
each other. Neil approaches the window of teller JOHN
FISKE.
ON SIDE DOOR
Cerrito enters and hesitates to tie his shoe near Guard
FRANK MAGID.
NEIL
in line, waits: an old lady finishes and leaves.
JOHN
(to Neil)
Hi!
NEIL
Hi!
Can I borrow your pen, John?
JOHN
(smiles)
Sure thing!
John reaches into the side jacket pocket.
NEIL
pulls his stocking mask down over his face. He reaches
over the counter and grabs smiling John Fiske's lapels and
yanks him over the counter top and throws him across the
floor. Meanwhile:
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CERRITO
Say, Frank...?
Magid turns. Cerrito saps him expertly on the right
shoulder, paralyzing his gun arm, spins him and swipes the
sap across his neck. Meanwhile:
CHRIS
has smashed Guard One in the stomach with the H & X -
doubling him up. Now he braces him against the wall,
disarms and handcuffs him. He jerks on his stocking mask.
WIDE - THE BANK
There are two FEMALE TELLERS and four CUSTOMERS. Neil
moves toward the bank Officers at their desks, specifically,
while bringing up his H & K.
NEIL
(very nicely)
Ladies and gentlemen! We are
holding up this bank.
(continuing)
We want to hurt nobody. You do
exactly like we say and you come
away okay. We're here for the
bank's money, not your money...
TIMMONS
with Neil approaching, frantically stomps the alarm button
under his desk.
NEIL
...you people behind the windows:
the salaries this bank pays aren't
big enough to take risks for, so
think of your take-home pay before
you risk your life.
FACES
of Tellers and customers. Scared, but Neil's monologue
holds their attention. Throughout he's approaching Timmons.
NEIL
(to customers -
like a commercial)
...don't forget your money is
insured by the Federal Government.
You're not going to lose a penny.
Relax and you'll get through
this okay.
(MORE)
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NEIL (CONT'D)
(nice)
Any of the ladies feel ill or
anybody with heart trouble wants
to sit down, go right ahead.
He smiles.
NEIL
reaches Timmons.
NEIL
(smiles)
The key.
TIMMONS
What key?
Neil slams a punch into Timmons' face in calculated contrast
to his friendliness. It's an object lesson to customers
of the result of disobeying. Timmons flips backwards over
his chair.
NEIL
hauls him up, rips open his white shirt and pulls the key
an a lariat off his neck.
NEIL
Don't touch your face. Let it
bleed.
The white shirt is already splattered with blood. Customers
watch. They do not want this to happen to them.
CERRITO
pulls a straight razor and leans over Guard Magid. He
slits his pants leg and pocket open and extracts the other
key and it.
PAN 0N KEY
through the air and is caught by Chris. throws Timmons'
key. PAN it to Chris.
CHRIS
spins the ring handle for five seconds. The massive round
vault door opens. It reveals a second, rectangular door.
CERRITO
handcuffs Magid. handcuffs Timmons to his chair.
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INT. VAULT
Chris inserts both keys, turns them simultaneously and the
second massive door opens inward.
LOW ANGLE: STEEL INNER SANCTUM
Inside is the four-wheel cart and the two large canvas
bags of money. WIDEN TO REVEAL Neil is there as well and
opens the Hefty Garbage bag while Chris whips out an Exacto
blade and slices the canvas bags open to check the contents.
THE CANVAS BAG
disemboweled, spills money. Lots of it. Chris loads both
into two Hefty bags Neil holds open.
NEIL
tosses one on his shoulder like a sailor's duffle bag, his
machine-gun in front...
CUT TO:
EXT. BANK - WIDE FROM FRONT - DAY
Cerrito exited the bank via the side door and now moves
quickly TO CAMERA up the side - his stocking mask off -
his H & K low, concealed.
NEIL
exits the bank through the front door TO CAMERA. The
sidewalk is crowded with school kids now and housewives.
No one pays attention as Neil tosses the first bag to
Cerrito...
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA'S CAR - HANNA, SCHWARTZ + BOSKO - DAY
racing in and out through the Hawthorne Boulevard traffic
to get past cars. Drucker and casals follow in a second
car. No sirens. Schwartz drives. The bank is seen 200
yards ahead..
SCHWARTZ
Too many people. This isn't how
to handle it
(shouts)
Vincent! Fuck this crew! Let
'em go!
CLOSE: HANNA
has to decide.
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HANNA'S POV: CERRITO'S
dumped the FIRST BAG in the station wagon and Neil's
reentering the bank for the SECOND BAG.
HANNA
as car pulls in.
HANNA
(to Bosko)
Left flanking fire. street.
He made the decision.
CUT TO:
EXT. BANK AND STATION WAGON - CERRITO - DAY
awaiting bag number two. Breedan - calm and alert - IDLES
THE ENGINE in Drive while braking with his left foot.
PROFILE:
NEIL
coming out with the second bag. Chris follows - backwards
covering the interior. Neil avoids a lady pushing a
supermarket shopping cart, looks up and SEES:
NEIL'S POV: HANNA + SCHWARTZ
entering rapidly but surreptitiously 50 yards down the
sidewalk. Bosko's moving 90 degrees to the right, crossing
the street. There would be no, there was no, and there
never is any, warning. Neil Hanna and Schwartz with 12-
gauges OPEN FIRE. World War III ERUPTS. Now we hear
distant POLICE SIRENS.
CHRIS
is hit in the neck.
NEIL'S
FIRING 3-SHOT BURSTS that blow up Schwartz and a lamppost
and hit a woman who falls over her shopping cart, shrieking.
Hanna's behind the lamppost.
BOSKO
across the street with his AR-180, opens up on the station
wagon which takes HITS. A BLACK AND WHITE slides sideways
and COP #1 with a shotgun runs across the street hollering
at kids who stop and stare and drop school books.
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COP # 1
Drop! Drop down!
CERRITO
over the station wagon roof FIRES a BURST at Bosko, then
swings onto Cop #1 and fires, killing him. Cerrito jumps
into the wagon.
THE STREET - WIDE: A BUS
The driver panics and slams on his brakes and his bus full
of people stalls in the combat zone between Bosko and the
wagon.
BOSKO (O.S.)
(screams)
Get the bus out of here..
NEIL
shielded by the green bag of money which has taken hits,
FIRES at Hanna and backs to Chris.
HANNA
pulls Schwartz to cover.
CHRIS
dazed - holding his bleeding neck while Neil FIRES into
the parking lot...
PARKING LOT
...hitting Casals getting out of his car. Casals sits
down as if stunned.
MAN
pulling his car out of the lot ducks behind the wheel and
crashes it into a parked car.
EXT. BANK - CERRITO
CERRITO
(to Neil)
C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!
Neil can't rake it through the incoming FIRE from Hanna
and Cop #2 to the station wagon and Cerrito and knows it.
NEIL
(to Breedan and
Cerrito)
Go!! Go!!
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ON STATION WAGON
Breedan floors it.
HANNA
re-emerges, kneels and PUMPS SHOTS into the station wagon.
BOSKO
rounds the bus with the AR-180 and OPENS UP
STATION WAGON
draws everyone's FIRE. Breedan ducks and pilots it through
the gauntlet.
NEIL
has taken off down the sidewalk, supporting Chris. TIGHTEN.
He runs in among crowds of civilians. He knocks over a
man, breaks through. People are screaming, staring,
shocked.
INT. STATION WAGON - BREEDAN
getting BLOWN APART by Hanna, Bosko, and Cop #2 falls over
the wheel and then is thrown back.
EXT. STREET - STATION WAGON
tires are BLOWN OUT.
It spins across the street on steel rims and crashes
sideways into a parked car on the east side of Hawthorne.
INT. STATION WAGON - CERRITO
shot three times, holds his abdomen and bails, returning
FIRE. Breedan, like a rag doll is half over into the rear
seat and still being hit by more rounds. We HOLD on David
Breedan. He's dead.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDE STREET - CERRITO
east up a side street past people who stand on their lawns
and stare - traumatized.
WIDER
Bosko and Cop #3 chase Cerrito. Cerrito FIRES a long BURST.
They can't fire back because of the people.
CUT TO:
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EXT. SAFEWAY - TRACKING NEIL + CHRIS - DAY
and the money - running, skipping and dodging past all
manner of pedestrians, newspaper coin boxes, fruit vendors
and parking meters. People dodge, scream and fall down.
It's chaos.
TRACKING HANNA
a half block behind, chasing Neil - pushing through the
same people.
HANNA
(shouts at
pedestrians)
Get down! Get down
EXT. SAFEWAY PARKING LOT - NEIL + CHRIS
Neil - supporting Chris - throws a lady, who was getting
out, back into her Olds Cutlass. He dumps Chris and the
money in the back seat and turns on Hanna.
NEIL
extends the collapsible stock braces on the roof for
accuracy and FIRES over the roof of other cars and through
people at Hanna closing in 5o yards away.
CUT TO:
EXT. SAFEWAY - HANNA + CIVILIANS
who panic. SHOOTING. Windows EXPLODE. A lady holds her
ears and shrieks. A newspaper coin box SHATTERS. A man's
bag of groceries explode milk and eggs everywhere. He
goes down.
HANNA
doesn't have a clear shot and drops, dragging people down
with him.
NEIL
behind the wheel - burns rubber pulling out of the lot
over curbstones and through a fence into the alley.
EXT. ALLEY - WIDE
Suddenly Neil drives very normally and jerks the lady
upright next to him like a wife. He drives away.
HANNA
runs to the alley - pulling his radio:
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HANNA
(into radio)
This is Hanna!
(no response; shakes
it)
Come in...
No response. Dead batteries. He throws the radio at the
Safeway wall: SMASH. And runs up the alley. Meanwhile:
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDE STREET - WIDE - DAY
Cerrito runs TO CAMERA through kids playing in a front
yard, looking over his shoulder at Drucker and Bosko who
can't fire because of the kids.
CERRITO
up a girl out of the yard.
CERRITO
(nice)
C'mere, honey.
She's the same age as his own daughters. He holds her to
his chest with one arm as a shield against Drucker and
Bosko. He FIRES a wild THREE SHOT BURST running up the
sidewalk. Meanwhile:
EXT. ALLEY - HANNA
emerges, cuts right. He brings up his 9mm. Smith and
Wesson. He slows. He stops. Hear his BREATHING. WIDEN
and PAN AROUND. Cerrito is running right at Hanna and
doesn't see him.
OVER HANNA'S SHOULDER: CERRITO'S
attention on Drucker and Bosko. Cerrito FIRES. The little
girl sees Hanna because he's aiming the 9mm. directly at
her with both hands. She stares into his eyes.
CERRITO
turns, sees Hanna. He starts swinging around the H & K on
its shoulder strap..
HANNA
FIRES ONCE.
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WIDE - CERRITO
is hit dead center in the forehead and topples backwards
like a felled oak. The little girl falls half on and off
his dead chest, screaming.
WIDE - HANNA, DRUCKER + BOSKO
get to Cerrito simultaneously. Bosko pulls the girl up
and turns her away.
BOSKO
takes the girl and folds her into his bear-like chest. He
carries her off. He holds onto her and wraps his jacket
around her. Tears stream down his face.
HANNA
standing there in the center of the mess: bodies, disabled
vehicles, people, shouting, SIRENS arriving, etc.
CUT TO:
INT. DR. BOB'S DOG AND CAT HOSPITAL SURGERY - CHRIS - DAY
is unconscious on the table. BOB, a veterinarian of 55 in
a white coat and bald head, works on him. DOGS BARK O.S.
from the kennels.
A CLAMP CLATTERS into the bowl. Chris moans in a dry rasp
and convulses. Bob motions to Neil to hold Chris'
shoulders.
NEIL
holds Chris down.
BOB (O.S.)
Bottom tray.
With one hand Neil gives Bob a tray of syringes.
WIDE - THE SURGERY
Bob's back obscures a series of injections into Chris'
neck and shoulder.
It's a veterinarian surgery and the metal table Chris is
an is for holding down dogs. Long leather straps aren't
buckled. There's pictures of cocker spaniels on the walls.
Spent syringes CLATTER into pans.
CUT TO:
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INT. DR. BOB'S OFFICE - DR. BOB - DAY
washes his hands in the sink. Neil sits on his desk. A
tv plays news footage from Bosnia.
DOC
Blood loss and shock and he'll
have a lot of pain in the shoulder
and back, but I'll give you
quarter-grain phials of morphine.
Subcutaneous injections.
NEIL
(nods)
What's the bottom line?
DR. BOB
Missed the carotid artery by
millimeters. There is mostly
tissue damage. And the collar a
bone's smashed. Can he rest
awhile?
NEIL
Six, seven hours. What do I owe
you?
News coverage switches to scenes from the robbery with the
commentator in a window.
DR. BOB
It's got to be twenty thou.
NEIL
What is this?
DR. BOB
You're number one with a bullet
on the six o'clock news. It's
at least double the risk. So
I'm doubling my price.
Neil opens a shopping bag and stacks packets of bills.
News coverage switches to sports and weather.
NEIL
You're wrong. It's four times
the risk. 'Cause something happens
to him, I'm coming back for you.
And I'm double the worst trouble
you ever had.
Bob looks at Neil's eyes and believes it.
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INT. SURGERY - CHRIS - DAY
on his stomach, breathing heavily.
NEIL
I'll be back for you.
CHRIS
(a little dazed;
rasp)
Charlene? Get her out!
NEIL
First, I got to know if our escape
route got ratted-out along with
everything else.
CHRIS
(rasps)
Who...
NEIL
Who wasn't around Towner.
Chris hacks, coughs; Neil helps him spit into a steel pan.
CUT TO:
EXT. HAWTHORNE - WIDE - SUNSET
It's the taped-off crime scene where Michael Cerrito
dropped. News media are all over. Spectators mill.
Emergency vehicles FLASHERS spin. Motorcycle cops re-route
traffic.
ANGLE
The battered Mercury wagon is still in situ, being dusted
by two TECHNICIANS for prints. We HEAR a car pull in o.S.
and.
ELAINE (O.S.)
(screaming; shouting)
Get out of my way!
(shrieks; sobs)
Michael. Michael. Michael.
Michael!!!
ELAINE CERRITO
knocks over a Uniformed Cop and runs down the sidewalk to
the chalked outline of Cerrito's body on the cement and
lawn.
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CLOSER
Another cop moves to stop her. She dodges him. Disheveled,
screaming, hysterical - she throws herself on the bloodied
ground Michael Cerrito died upon and clutches at the outline
drawing of his body and blood stains as if it were him.
NEWS CAMERAMAN
with lights moves in and tapes her. A Police woman tries
to help Elaine up. Elaine bats her away.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROBERT'S COFFEE SHOP - ON LILLIAN - NIGHT
enters from the coffee shop and crosses the street TO
CAMERA.
CUT TO:
INT. POLYNESIAN BAR, DOOR LILLIAN - NIGHT
enters. A TV mounted high in the corner BROADCASTS the
news with the SOUND OFF. A Man in a motorcycle jacket
plays the pinball machine. It CLICKS, bells RING, lights
FLASH.
LILLIAN
crosses to the bar and leans over.
LILLIAN
Say, bartender... ?
BARTENDER
rings up a sale, changing a $20.
BARTENDER
In a minute, lady.
Lillian waits. Behind and above her the Newscaster cuts
from Last coast storms to coverage of the bank robbery
aftermath: bullet holes in windows, Cerrito's body,
Breedan's body, etc.
LILLIAN
sees none of it. Then: impatient:
LILLIAN
(shouts to Bartender)
You seen that fella I pulled out
of here the other night? Big
fella with a beard?
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More robbery aftermath plays across the screen.
BARTENDER
at end of bar. Finishes with the customer. On his way to
Lillian he turns up the TV volume.
TV ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
...dead were Michael T. Cerrito,
Caucasian male and the driver,
an unidentified black male in
his early 30's, who died enroute
to St. Vincent's Hospital...
As the bartender reaches her - WIDEN TO INCLUDE Lillian.
She stares at the television - stunned - at seeing David's
face on the paramedic stretcher in a FREEZE FRAME.
BARTENDER
(to Lillian)
What can I get you, ma'am?
(she says nothing)
Lady, you okay.
She stares at the TV and holds onto the deep polished grain
of the bar.
CUT TO:
INT. SHIHERLIS APARTMENT - WIDE - NIGHT
Charlene ignores Dominick playing at her feet as she watches
the news coverage of the bank robbery with her hand over
the mouth.
CHARLENE
rises, picks up Dominick, crosses to the phone. She punches
11 digits. We HEAR the phone RING on the other end.
MARCIANO (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Yeah.
CHARLENE
(into phone)
Harry? If you want me, Come
right down and get me and Dominick
out.
MARCIANO (V.O.)
(phone filter; eager)
Sugar. I'll catch the 8 o'clock
and rent a car. I'll be there
at your place in two hours.
(MORE)
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MARCIANO (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Get packed. Okay? I'll be right
there.
Charlene hangs up. The PHONE RINGS again. She doesn't
answer.
CUT TO:
INT. TOWN CAR - NEIL - NIGHT
on the phone. No answer. He hangs up.
CUT TO:
INT. MARCIANO HOME - MARCIANO - NIGHT
WIDEN TO INCLUDE Las Vegas uniformed Cop and a
PLAINCLOTHESMAN who's risen put of his seat. A tape
recorder's attached to the telephone.
PLAINCLOTHESMAN
Let's get you on that plane.
CUT TO:
EXT. TOWNER'S HOUSE - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
The white frame house with one palm tree in front on the
hilltop overlooking downtown L.A. No lights are on. It's
sinister.
CUT TO:
INT. TOWNER LIVING ROOM - ON WINDOW - NIGHT
It's gray muslin drapes blow in TO CAMERA on the night
wind. SLOWLY we TRACK LEFT into the draperies and shadows.
it's eerie. Suddenly a face is there. It's Neil, flattened
against the wall, his .45 in his hand.
WIDE
Neil FLASHES his penlight around the room. Nothing.
INT. TOWNER BEDROOM - DOOR
It opens silently. Neil's cautious, sweeping his .45 into
the corners, clearing them. He looks around. There's a
wallet with money and scattered clothes. It means they
haven't split.
INT. TOWNER KITCHEN - LOW
Neil - cautiously - enters. Nothing. O.S. we HEAR WATER
RUNNING from another room. TIGHTEN.
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Neil works his way to the SOUND. He crosses to the bathroom
off the kitchen.
INT. TOWNER BATHROOM - ON NEIL
through the crack in the door. He starts to push it open.
Something blocks it. The water SOUNDS are LOUDER. Neil
shines his light INTO CAMERA.
NEIL'S POV: WIDE - ON THE FLOOR
Towner is near death, beaten to a pulp. Something or
someone is in the shower stall. Blood's all over.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Neil uses his penlight. He puts a towel under Towner's
head. Towner's face - against the white octagonal tile
floor - is a mess. He opens his eyes. TILT UP to Neil.
NEIL
Who?
TOWNER
(whispers)
Made me...Anna...?
Neil crosses to the shower stall and looks in. He comes
back to Towner.
NEIL
(grim)
She's dead...
(beat)
So's Cerrito and Breedan...the
guy who stood in...for you.
(beat)
Who did this...?
TOWNER
(whispers)
They had Anna.
NEIL
(Softly)
Who?
TOWNER
Waingro.
NEIL
Waingro? On his own?
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TOWNER
(whispers)
Uh-uh. For someone. The other
worked for...said...
Coughs and shakes his head. He doesn't remember the name.
Neil thinks. Then:
NEIL
Van Zant?
Towner nods his head.
NEIL
(continuing)
You sure?
TOWNER
(nods; whispers)
Uh-huh.
NEIL
You say anything about our exit?
Our out?
TOWNER
(whispers)
...don't remember. I...
NEIL
C ' mon!
TOWNER
(implores; whispers)
Neil...Neil...I don't think so.
Neil can't get a straight answer.
NEIL
(low)
The house clean?
Towner nods.
NEIL
(continuing; rising)
I'll call the medics.
PAN RIGHT with Neil. He turns off the water in the sink
and leaves.
CUT TO:
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EXT. PUBLIC PHONE IN GAS STATION - NEIL - NIGHT
The freeway's nearby. Traffic ZOOMS past. It's all
concrete, public toilets, and green vapor lights.
NEIL
(quietly; into phone)
...Nate.
NATE (V.O.)
You on a cellular?
NEIL
(into phone)
No.
NATE (V. 0. )
(phone filter)
A brick house on Swallow Drive
in Bel Air.
NEIL
(quietly; into phone)
Next: Waingro. Okay?
NATE (V.O.)
(phone filter)
You got the time...?
NEIL
(into phone)
I'll make time.
(beat)
I need a new "out" laid on.
NATE (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Do you know it's blown?
NEIL
(into phone)
How can I trust it?
Hangs up. Neil drops another quarter and dials again.
After a moment.
EADY (V. 0.)
(phone filter)
Hello?
NEIL
(into phone)
Things are screwed up. You're
not flying out after me. We go
together.
(MORE)
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NEIL (CONT'D)
You and me got to straighten
something up first. I'll be by
later.
EADY (V. 0.)
(phone filter)
What's wrong? Neil?
Neil hangs up.
CUT TO:
EXT. VAN ZANT HOUSE, FRONT DOOR - WIDE - NIGHT
Neil enters directly from the front door and RINGS the
bell. It's a $3,000,000, 70's modern. Neil puts his finger
over the peephole. After a few moments:
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE - VAN ZANT - NIGHT
can't see. Tries light switch. Nothing. He puts his ear
to the door to hear if someone's there.
VKN ZANT (O.S.)
Who is it?
No answer.
EXT. HOUSE - NEIL
kicks the door in.
INT. HOUSE - VAN ZANT
goes flying back.
NEIL
is four feet away. The big .45 Automatic is aimed into
the center of Van Zant's chest.
NEIL
Waingro. Where is he?
VAN ZANT
(shouts)
How the hell should I know?
Neil pulls the trigger: TWO LOUD SHOTS blow Van Zant back
into his foyer. He slides 15 feet across the highly
polished black and white tiled floor. Neil walks away.
CUT TO:
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EXT. L.A. CENTRAL MARKET PARKING LOT - WIDE - NIGHT
Porters wheel huge loads of fruits and vegetables and sides
of beef. Massive semi's pull through the lot.
NEIL (O.S.)
How much?
NATE
$165,000.
NEIL (O.S.)
That's a rip-off.
ZOOM onto cars parked side by side facing opposite
directions: Neil's Lincoln and Nate's Cadillac. They talk
car-to-car.
NATE
You want a good getaway and you're
hot with a big score in your
pocket. You're a media event.
What the fuck do you expect?
NEIL
What do I get for those dollars?
NATE
You end up in Ireland with good
papers and plastic.
NEIL
Via what?
NATE
Lear jet to Vancouver. Then
commercial to Reykjavik; then
Dublin.
NEIL
Reliable?
NATE
For those bucks? 100 per cent.
I got the plastic on me. The
passports will be on the plane.
Who's the third?
NEIL
A girl. With her own papers.
(takes cards)
What are these good for?
NATE
Forty-five to sixty days.
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NEIL
How soon?
NATE
Twenty-four hours.
NEIL
Make it twelve.
NATE
You're going for an important
ride. If they say twenty-four
for it to be right, then it's
twenty-four!
NEIL
You checked all around?
NATE
All around.
(beat)
You and I go way back, kiddo, I
bought you the best.
Neil says nothing. Then:
NEIL
Where's the pick-up?
NATE
Santa Monica Airport. They're a
legit operation. I won't have
details until tomorrow morning.
He hands over a small briefcase.
NATE
(Continuing)
What is it?
NEIL
Kelso's share. Ten per cent.
$400,000. That's less the 50
advance. The other bag was with
Cerrito.
CUT TO:
INT. LAPD CORRIDOR - ON HANNA, DRUCKER + FARINA - HAND
HELD
They're moving fast down the corridor. Hanna is throwing
everything into motion.
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HANNA
(to Farina)
You stick with the Charlene
Shiherlis piece.
FARINA
Marciano's on a plane in here
from, Las Vegas to pick her up.
We got a house I set..
HANNA
Maybe Chris or Neil will come
for her. Frankly, I doubt it.
(to Drucker;
continuing)
You work Neil's transport from
here on the phones.
DRUCKER
McCauley's gotta be gone. He
hadda have a getaway planned.
HANNA
And now he's gotta get a new
one! Would you trust it after
this afternoon?
(beat)
Someone, somewhere's agenting it
for him. That's a main track.
We got Shiherlis setting up.
That's a main track. I want
more.
FARINA
How much time we got?
Hanna turns toward a door.
HANNA
Eight, ten, twelve hours. For
him to set up a new out. After
that? He's gone. Bam! Bye-
bye.
Hanna exits through the door.
CUT TO:
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - WIDE - NIGHT
Hanna and Drucker enter. Bosko's there with HARRY DIETER
the burglary cop who gave Casals the tip on the bank job.
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HANNA
(to Bosko; sarcastic)
He's the burglary cop with the
"terrific tip?"
BOSKO
Yeah.
DIETER
Who are you?
HANNA
Hanna. Where'd it come from?
DIETER
(defensive)
I got my informants. Just like
you got...
Hanna kicks a chair out of the way and bounces Dieter up
against the wall. Bosko starts to restrain him.
HANNA
(explodes)
I got Schwartz. Dead. Casals
got no liver. He's dying. Don't
come on to me with "confidential
source" crap!
He slams Dieter into the wall.
DIETER
(shouts)
Hugh. Hugh Benny. He gives me
tips...!
Hanna's gone. Bosko follows.
CUT TO:
INT. HUGH BENNY'S APARTMENT -FRONT DOOR - NIGHT
HOLD. Then it EXPLODES off its top binges and hangs
disabled. Hanna comes through with the cut down sledge
hammer. He's backed up by Bosko and Berryman - another
middle-aged heavyweight - with a regulation 12-gauge.
REVERSE - LIVING ROOM - HUGH BENNY
himself a heavyweight, races across the room for the rear.
Hanna tackles him.
BOSKO
hauls Hugh up, kicking, punching and bouncing him off the
walls. Hugh swings at Bosko.
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Bosko knocks it aside, and spins him to Hanna. Hanna throws
him into the bathroom.
INT. BATHROOM - BENNY
crashing in. Hanna throws him through the shower door
into the bath tub. Hugh's cut.
HANNA
(shouts)
Who ratted-out McCauley? C'mon!
Who? You?
CUT TO:
EXT. MARINA DEL RAY CONDOS - NIGHT
Farina gets out of an unmarked car with Charlene Shiherlis
and a sleeping Dominick and they cross into the building.
It's a rough cedar, two-story studio. A second car empties
four cops - including Cop $4 and Cop #5 - carrying flack
vests and M-16's. As they confer about positioning...
CUT TO:
INT. SECOND FLOOR APARTMENT - CHARLENE - FIGHT
enters and sees Marciano already there. Surprised:
CHARLENE
(screams)
Whose side are you on?
MARCIANO
I'm on yours.
CHARLENE
You slimy piece of shit. What a
joke.
MARCIANO
You told me you want out from
under? You're scared to death
of Neil. You wanted out? This
is out!
CHARLENE
What's your end?
MARCIANO
You dump broad! How'd I get
into this?
FARINA
Hey, hey! Go easy on the lady!
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MARCIANO
(surprised)
Huh?
FARINA
You heard me. She had a rough
ride.
(beat)
Go mix her a drink. Cabinet
above the sink.
MARCIANO
Fuck her.
FARINA
Get the fuck in there!
Marciano does. Charlene seems to soften and relax and
take satisfaction at Marciano's put-down.
FARINA
(continuing; soft)
He's right. And you know it.
You think you'd be betraying
Chris?
CHARLENE
(right to his face)
Yes.
FARINA
Well, you're right. You would
be. But if you don't betray
Chris, you betray Dominick.
Because he becomes an orphan
when you go to prison as an
accessory 'cause you got no living
parents to take him. Then he
ends up state-raised and fucked
for life. Your son Dominick's
innocent. He didn't choose a
life like that. Chris did.
Charlene rises and crosses to a bedroom and looks in the
door - presumably at Dominick.
FARINA
(continuing)
Give up Chris. You get off clean.
Do it for your kid.
Charlene sits - shell-shocked - dressed in black with white
face and red lipstick. Marciano re-enters with a drink
for her. Charlene looks towards the bedroom containing
Dominick, then nods her head "yes." Farina dials a number.
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FARINA
(continuing; into
cellular phone)
Vincent. It's me. We're set
here. She'll make the call.
Charlene dials a number into the regular phone. Then:
CHARLENE
(into phone)
I'm going to give you an address
of where I'm staying. Could you
get it to Chris?
CUT TO:
INT. HUGH BENNY'S APARTMENT - HANNA - FIGHT
HANNA
(into phone)
Okay.
He hangs up. Redials Drucker. In the b.g. Hugh Benny is
handcuffed, soaking wet and half-conscious on the floor.
Berryman watches him.
DRUCKER (O.S.)
M. C. U.
HANNA
(into phone)
It's me. Tracks back to this
union guy, Van Zant. He had
some beef with Neil. Neil already
settled it. Van Zant got dead
earlier tonight.
(pause)
Now Hugh Benny has reformed his
wayward life and become a born-
again good citizen. So, he's
revealed the key player is this
cowboy Waingro. Used to be part
of Neil's crew. Waingro committed
a double murder today on Towner,
a driver, and his old lady.
(pause)
Meanwhile Waingro's checked into
the Airport Hyatt House under
"Jamieson." Maybe Neil will make
a move on him, but not likely.
(pause)
Get the word to bailbondsmen,
bookies, snitches in County,
etc. where Waingro is. And get
a team down there to set it up.
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DRUCKER (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Want me to do it?
HANNA
(into phone)
No. You stay on who's agenting
Neil's getaway. What have you
got?
DRUCKER (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Nothing yet.
Hanna hangs up.
HANNA
(to Berryman)
He's here. He's still here. I
can feel it.
BERRYMAN
For how long?
HANNA
Eight, ten hours max.
CUT TO:
INT. EADY'S HOUSE - EADY - NIGHT
was in bed. Now she answers the door. The bamboo shades
are partly raised revealing the L.A. basin - the city of
light. She wears a red and black Japanese kimono. Neil
McCauley enters. Eady stares at him as he crosses to the
fridge and drinks from a bottle of club soda.
EADY
(quietly)
What did you do?
(re TV)
Was that you?
NEIL
It's what I don't do.
(beat)
I don't sell swimming pools. It
would have been okay. You would
have flown out after. You didn't
need to do a thing. Now I'm
jammed. We got to go together.
Because we get dropped in a place
and then I decide: New Zealand
or Brazil or Tunisia, whatever.
I can't leave a string back here
to where I am.
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EADY
(confused)
What.
He realizes he's way ahead of her.
NEIL
I rob and steal for a living.
Do you understand?
EADY
(amazed)
You killed people?
NEIL
If they got in the way. Yes.
It's their problem.
EADY
The woman on the grass...where
her husband got shot..
NEIL
Elaine Cerrito.
(pause)
Michael Cerrito's wife. Michael
was my friend. He knew the risks.
He didn't have to be there. He
coulda been a...been a mailman.
(he stops)
EADY
I don't believe it.
NEIL
Believe it.
She stares at him.
NEIL
(continuing)
Eady. Get packed. Get dressed.
Let's go.
Eady runs out the door.
CUT TO:
EXT. HILLSIDE - WIDE - NIGHT
Eady - in her black and red kimono - tears up the steep
hillside of golden fountain grass TO CAMERA from her house
on the side of the hill. We HEAR her BREATHING.
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NEIL
(after her)
Eady! !
ANOTHER ANGLE
She keeps going. Neil catches her and she falls into the
grass.
CLOSE - TWO SHOT
EADY
(explosively
hysterical)
Why you do this to me! What I
do to you?!
NEIL
Shut up!
She does. She goes totally blank. Neil picks her up.
CUT TO:
INT. EADY'S HOUSE - WIDE - DAY
It's morning. Eady's affect is flat, robotic.
NEIL
(soft)
Use these credit cards. They
say "Mr. and Mrs." I reserved
the car. Buy me some clothes.
Here's a list. I can't go home
for my stuff. Can you do it?
EADY
When's it over?
NEIL
Twenty-two hours. Then we fly
out of here...clean.
He kisses her. She doesn't respond. She stares at him.
EADY
I want you to let me go. When
will you let me go?
NEIL
You can go now. There's the
door, you want out...
EADY
No, I have to do what you say.
But will you let me leave after?
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NEIL
It will be different...
She starts to leave. Neil stops her. She glances at him
and leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. CAR - HANNA - DAY
driving.
It's morning. He's been up all night.
INT. HANNA CONDO - HANNA - DAY
entering door.
COOKING SOUNDS. He stops. Frozen.
FARINA'S POV:
A MAN
on his sofa watching his TV. His name is RALPH.
JUSTINE (O.S.)
(ignorant of Hanna's
presence; to Ralph)
It's ready...
JUSTINE
enters, sees Hanna.
JUSTINE
(cool)
Oh. Meet Vincent.
RALPH
Excuse me. You didn't tell me
you were...
Ralph sees Hanna's 2" .38 in his waistband.
RALPH
(continuing)
Oh, my God...
HANNA
What's your name?
RALPH
(frozen)
I should....Ralph...I'm...
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Hanna's reaction to Ralph is vacant of emotion.
HANNA
I'm Vincent Hanna.
JUSTINE
Don't you even get angry?
HANNA
(to Justine)
I'm angry.
(to Ralph)
Ralph, you can ball my wife.
You can lounge around her $1.7
million condominium on her sofa.
You can do all those things.
But you do not get to watch my
fucking TV...!
Hanna lifts it off the table, spilling framed pictures. A
commercial segues to a quiz show.
HANNA
(continuing; to
Justine)
I've never screwed around. I've
been true blue to you since the
day we met.
JUSTINE
It would have been preferable if
you had! You made me do this!
HANNA
Right I had Ralph fuck you 'cause
it makes me feel so good.
JUSTINE
Put down the television. You
look ridiculous.
(he doesn't)
Dr. Prince says I'm trying to
get your attention. Christ! I
have to pay someone to figure
out my life with you.
RALPH
Maybe I should...
HANNA
Shut up!
JUSTINE
Why's it my job to figure it all
out and explain it to you?
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HANNA
'Cause you're the one who spends
all the time on the couch.
JUSTINE
And what do you do?
HANNA
What do I do? I speak the English
language. Words. Sentences
even.
JUSTINE
How admirable: proletarian candor.
HANNA
Thank you.
JUSTINE
Except you don't say a damned
thing. You neglect me. You
don't call. I can worry about
you or not. So I withdraw. You
don't notice. You're walking
through our life chloroformed,
Vincent. Wake up. It's almost
over.
She unplugs the TV. The image Hanna's holding dies. Hanna
looks at her and leaves.
CUT TO:
EXT. DR. BOB'S DOG AND CAT HOSPITAL, KENNELS - WIDE - DAY
Basset Hounds BAY. Nate, Neil and Chris walk between the
cages of parked pets - all of whom make a RACKET. The
talk loudly over it. Chris' left arm is in a canvas sling.
His hair has been cut short. He looks different. Dogs
BARK throughout.
NATE
I got Cerrito's share deposited
in the Delaware Trust for Elaine.
She's pretty bad...
(pause)
Passports. Traveler's checks.
Plastic.
(hands them over)
Hangar 17. Plane call letters
are 1011 Sierra. Touches down,
holds for five minutes and splits.
The plane will stand an FAA check.
Filed flight plan. The works.
(MORE)
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 130.
NATE (CONT'D)
(to Chris)
Here's the address Charlene said
she was at. But I don't have
documents for her.
CHRIS
I'm not flying. I'm drivin'.
NATE
(looks at Neil; to
Chris)
Fly. Send for her later.
(to Neil)
Can't you talk to him?
NEIL
I been trying.
NATE
(to Neil)
Talk to you in three hours in
case there's changes.
Nate leaves.
NEIL + CHRIS
NEIL
Use the Camaro. Its clean and
will stand a DMV check.
Registration in the glove box.
CHRIS
How you getting around?
NEIL
Someone's picking me up.
CHRIS
A girl on the side?
NEIL
(laughs)
See you, cowboy.
CHRIS
So long, brother.
They embrace. Neil slaps the side of his face slowly -
and leaves.
CUT TO:
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INT. MERCEDES 560 SL, TRAVELING - NEIL + EADY - DAY
EADY
(driving)
Clothes are in the trunk.
NEIL
Any trouble?
EADY
No. When's it over?
NEIL
Six hours. 8 p.m.
She stops for a red light - a little sharply.
NEIL
(continuing)
I'll buy you lunch. Everything's
smooth. We're going to fly
away...
Neil looks for Eady's reaction: no response.
CUT TO:
INT. FARINA APARTMENT - WIDE DAY
FARINA'S
been up all night and looks it. Bags of take-out food and
coffee containers litter the table. Dominick crawls over
and up Farina's leg.
Charlene comes over. Farina picks Dominick up and makes a
face and growls. Dominick laughs. Charlene smiles and
takes him. Phone RINGS. Farina takes it, listens. Then:
FARINA
(into phone)
Not a thing. What about you?
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA OFFICE - WIDE - DAY
Hanna, Drucker and Bosko - more all-nighters with one day
growths - pore through files and hang on phones.
It's frantic. Hanna's on with Farina.
HANNA
(into phone)
Someone's agenting Neil's stuff?
(MORE)
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 132.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Who? The Tooth Fairy? Talk to
you later.
Hanna hangs up. He thinks for a second.
HANNA
(continuing; suddenly
to Drucker)
...how did Charlene get the Marina
address passed to Chris?
They come up out of their chairs and Hanna's punching
numbers. He's furious.
HANNA
(continuing; to
Drucker)
I don't believe I didn't think
of this.
(into phone)
Farina?
CUT TO:
EXT. SAN DIEGO FREEWAY, PHONE BOOTH - NEIL - TWILIGHT
Green vapor lights have ignited on the freeway behind them.
Neil drops the quarter and dials. Eady sits in the Mercedes -
waiting. Behind them streams of cars and headlights pass
by. We HEAR a PHONE RING.
NATE (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Yeah?
NEIL
(into phone)
Hi ya.
NATE (V. 0.)
(phone filter)
You okay?
NEIL
(into phone)
Yeah, Breedan's end?
NATE
(phone filter)
Still can't find nobody. It's
in the Delaware Trust. You tell
me later what to do. And about
your ride. No changes. Right
on schedule.
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NEIL
(into phone)
Okay...
Starts to hang up...
NATE (V. 0.)
(phone filter)
By the by: I heard your pal is
checked into the Airport Hyatt
under "Jamieson"...if you still
care...
Neil doesn't answer.
NATE (V.O.)
(continuing; phone
filter)
I figured you wouldn't waste the
time.
In the background Eady turns on the radio and watches Neil
in the phone booth and rests her chin on her hand on the
door.
NEIL
(into phone)
You figured right.
(smiles)
Take it easy, old man.
NATE
(phone filter; laughs)
You take it easy. Be careful,
huh?
Neil hangs up and turns to Eady. He stands there. He
nods.
NEIL
(to Eady)
That was the last bridge.
Eady looks away.
NEIL
gets in and hugs her desperately. It's the most emotional
we've ever seen him. Eady responds not at all. Neil lets
her loose.
CUT TO:
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 134.
INT. NATE'S STOREFRONT TAX OFFICE - NATE - DUSK
hangs up - still smiling. Behind him - out the window -
two cars SCREECH to a halt. Hanna's the first one out.
Bosko and Drucker are in the second car. Guns drawn, they
bust into the Tax office. As they come through the door:
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA'S CAR, TRAVELING WIDE ON REAR SEAT - NIGHT
Nate's handcuffed behind his back between Hanna and Bosko.
HANNA
He blows out of here, you'll do
his time. I want...
NATE
(shouts back)
Screw what you want. Who the
fuck are you?
HANNA
(shouts)
Your worst nightmare. Hard time,
Nate!
NATE
(shouts back)
I ain't looking at shit, and you
know it! So don't con me.
BOSKO
(grabs Nate; to
Hanna)
I'll work him...
NATE
(shouts at Bosko)
Go ahead!
HANNA
(to Bosko)
Don't touch him!
(to Nate)
Accessory. Armed robbery and
murder one. Dealing stolen
merchandise and securities. You
agent for Neil. At least the
armored car and bank. Everything
I tie him into, I tie you into.
Two cops dead. Other bodies on
the sidewalk. You understand
that kind of heat? You fucking
get it!
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NATE
Neil who...?
CUT TO:
INT. DIVISION, BOOKING ROOM - TRACKING ON - NIGHT
Hanna dragging in Nate followed by Drucker and Bosko. A
Booking Officer's in front of a cage. Hanna throws Nate
at the cage.
HANNA
(shouts to Drucker)
Book him on Accessory to Armed
Robbery, Murder One, A.D.W., and
Trafficking Stolen Merchandise.
(shouts at Nate)
The Nazi's in Quentin will turn
your ass into a satchel. You're
an old man. Gimme Neil!
NATE
(shouts back)
What I'll give you is so many
false arrest lawsuits, you won't
have time to write traffic
tickets!
Nate's dragged away.
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA'S OFFICE - HANNA - NIGHT
with Drucker and Bosko - enters and kicks a chair out of
the way.
HANNA
Get me Farina.
Drucker punches in the number.
DRUCKER
Can we put Nate away?
HANNA
With a staff of five or six
marshaling physical evidence for
six months after two years' worth
of continuances...maybe he'll do
18 months. Won't fucking happen.
(to Bosko)
Check the bait.
BOSKO
Waingro?
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 136.
HANNA
Yeah. At the hotel.
Bosko starts dialing. Drucker hands Hanna the phone with
Farina on the other end.
CUT TO:
EXT. PACIFIC PALISADES CLIFFS - TWO SHOT- TWILIGHT
The sun is setting beyond Point Dume. Neil and Eady are
at the edge of the sea cliff. He checks his watch. He
looks cut at the sky. He wears clothes Eady bought.
POV: SANTA MONICA BAY
The swells rock a few small boats near the reef: PAN RIGHT.
The sun is gone. The sky To the LEFT the bulk of a 747
rises over the ocean slowly, as if gravity didn't exist.
NEIL
Look over there.
EADY
watches screaming gulls swirling below against the water.
NEIL
(talks to the back
of her)
I don't even know how to think
like this...cause this has
happened to me late in my life.
But I got some expectations.
For us. You can walk right now
if you want. Walk away. Or
you...on your own...you choose
to come with me. I got enough
in there to take care of us for
forever.
There's no response.
NEIL
(continuing)
Eady.
She turns and looks into his eyes. He touches the side of
her face.
NEIL
(continuing)
Eady?
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She folds into his arms and they stand there against the
darkening sky and red cirrus.
CUT TO:
EXT. MARINA - WIDE ON ALLEY FROM ROOF - TWILIGHT
Neil's Lincoln driven by Chris enters and parks near six
guys playing shirts and skins under two spotlights. He
winces from the pain. His arm is in the sling. He looks
at the piece of paper Nate gave him and looks up TOWARDS
CAMERA at the address. He doesn't get out of the car.
COP #6 (V.O.)
(radio filter; matter
of fact)
Richie. A possible moved into
the zone.
COP #5 (V.O.)
(radio filter)
We got him.
FARINA (V.O.)
(radio filter)
I copy.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL we're SHOOTING FROM the roof of the
apartment building DOWN onto the alley and in the
FOREGROUND, prone on the roof is COP #5 in flack vest with
an AR-180 rifle with a nite-site scope aimed at Chris.
Two buildings away is Cop #4.
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA'S OFFICE - WIDE - NIGHT
Hanna's on the phone.
FARINA (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Got a live one.
HANNA
(into phone)
I'll hold.
CUT TO:
INT. SECOND FLOOR APARTMENT - FARINA - NIGHT
WIDEN TO INCLUDE Charlene, two cops and Marciano (very
nervous). Farina folds away from the window and sets down
the phone - off the hook. -
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FARINA
(to Charlene)
C'mon, sugar: show yourself
MARCIANO
(to Charlene)
Do it!
FARINA
(to Marciano)
Shut up!!
Marciano fades back. Charlene sits frozen to the spot.
It's as if the pressure had battered her into a stupefied
tranquillity.
FARINA
(continuing)
One second at the window. Then
it's all over...
CHARLENE
looks at Farina. She slowly
crosses to the window. Marciano
has faded to the back of the
room.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY - CHRIS
looks up.
CHRIS POV: CHARLENE
looks down at Chris - deep into his eyes. She's disturbed.
She's unsure. Then she decides.
CHRIS
looking up into Charlene's open face from inside the
Lincoln. He starts to get out. Then he sees...
CHARLENE
And we TILT DOWN her body to her hand at her side. Her
hand subtly waves him away, gestures towards the roof.
INT. APARTMENT - REAR SHOT ON CHARLENE
CHARLENE
(irritated)
For Christ's sake...that's not
even him. That's not Chris.
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EXT. ALLEY - WIDE ON CHRIS
turns to basketball players.
CHRIS
(loud; tight)
Any of you guys know anything
for rent around here?
BASKETBALL PLAYER #1
Alberiz's grocery on Dell Avenue
got cards on the wall.
He dribbles and fakes a hook shot and passes. Chris starts
to look down the alley.
FARINA
(radio filter)
Unit two. This is command.
Take him at the street. Check
him out.
INT. APARTMENT - WIDE
UNIT TWO (V.O.)
(radio filter)
10-4.
Charlene crosses back to her chair. Farina stares at her
unsure. Marciano re-enters and paces idly.
MARCIANO
(worried)
Where the hell is he?
CHARLENE
(taunts him)
Maybe he's not coming.
MARCIANO
(explodes)
You better hope he shows! Or
you're going to the can, you two
dollar...
Farina grabs Marciano, spins and slams him into the wall.
FARINA
(shouts at cop)
Get him the hell out of here!
UNIT TWO (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Command.
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FARINA
(into radio)
Yeah?
UNIT TWO (V.O.)
(radio filter)
This guy's John Pearson. Valid
I.D. car's registered to one
Bukowski. Ran a make to DMV.
It's clean. So's the car.
FARINA
(into radio)
Let him go.
Farina clicks off the radio and picks up the phone.
FARINA
(continuing; to
Charlene)
Want a cup of coffee while we
wait, Mrs. Shiherlis?
CHARLENE
(sad smile)
That would be nice.
Farina dials. Charlene closes her eyes. it's like she
sees the gray institution of a women's prison. She shuts
her eyes tighter to make the vision go away. Tears start
flowing.
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA'S OFFICE - HANNA - NIGHT
FARINA (V.O.)
(phone filter)
False alarm, Lieutenant.
Hanna hangs up. He dials another number. It rings.
CUT TO:
INT. HYATT HOUSE LOBBY - DESK CLERK - NIGHT
DESK CLERK/COP - in hotel blazer - answers the phone.
HANNA (V.O.)
(phone filter)
What's the score?
DESK CLERK/COP
(into phone)
On this Waingro?
(MORE)
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DESK CLERK/COP (CONT'D)
I just told Bosko. Zero.
Nothing's happening.
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA'S OFFICE - HANNA
hangs up.
HANNA
You know what?
(beat)
Neil's gone. Bam! Flyin' like'
a bird.
BOSKO
(jumps up)
C'mon! How do you know? We
still got...
HANNA
What do we got?
(as if to Neil)
Bon voyage, motherfucker, you
were good.
(low)
I'm going to the hotel. I'm
gonna take a shower. I'm gonna
sleep for a month.
CUT TO:
EXT. POLICE PARKING L0T - HANNA - NIGHT
gets into his Olds with his TV set still on the front seat
and pulls out, laying rubber.
CUT TO:
INT. CAR - HANNA - NIGHT
stops sharply for a red light. The TV bounces against the
dash. Hanna looks at it. It's idiotic. He drops the car
into park, opens the passenger door.
WIDER - HANNA'S
foot comes up. He braces his back against the driver's
door and kicks the TV set out of the car.
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EXT. STREET - THE TV SET
SMASHES onto the pavement. Passengers at a bus stop stare
at Hanna. The light changes green. Hanna pulls away.
CUT TO:
INT. HOLIDAY INN: HANNA'S ROOM WIDE - NIGHT
It's empty. Out the windows the mustard Hollywood glare
stays low into the building.
ANGLE - A SHADOWY FIGURE
surreptitiously moves through the room examining things.
It's a woman and in rear shot she is naked. We HEAR a key
in the lock. She turns: it is Lauren.
DOOR
opens. Hanna - disgusted - tips off his clothes and throws
them at the furniture. He turns on the shower and goes
in. He didn't see Lauren.
INT. SHOWER - HANNA
under the water, half opens his eyes and just stands there.
LAUREN'S BARE LEGS
enter the bathroom and quietly slide the shower curtain.
Hanna doesn't hear her.
HANNA + LAUREN
from the front. He's oblivious. She's behind him.
ANGLE
She does two things: she runs her hands across his stomach
and says:
LAUREN
...Daddy?
Hanna, terror-stricken, swings around and Lauren, screaming,
starts assaulting him.
WIDE
They slip in the tub and crash onto the bottom. Hanna can
barely restrain Lauren who has the strength of someone in
a psychotic episode.
CUT TO:
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EXT. CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - BLACK AND WHITE - DAY
Code 3, pulls up and Justine runs out and sees:
JUSTINE'S POV: HANNA CARRYING LAUREN
out of a police ambulance wrapped in a towel like a baby.
His face is scratched and bleeding.
She struggles, but bent double in his arms, she's
immobilized. Attendants rush at them with a stretcher
with restraining belts. Hanna shoulders them aside and
races into emergency.
CUT TO:
INT. EMERGENCY CORRIDOR - TRACKING HANNA WITH LAUREN AS
JUSTINE - DAY
catches up.
HANNA
(to Lauren)
You're gonna be okay, baby.
Your mommy and me are here.
Everybody's here. We're going
to take care of you. We love
you...
Lauren relaxes in his arms, carried like a baby; and tears
stream down her face.
JUSTINE
one arm locked around Hanna - trying to see her daughter.
Then Lauren goes wild again and Hanna tightens.
ORDERLY
Let me take her.
HANNA
I got her.
DOCTOR
Watch her tongue!
HANNA
She's not epileptic! This isn't
a seizure.
DOCTOR
(to nurse)
5 mg of Thorazine.
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HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM - HANNA + JUSTINE - LATER
his arm around her. She leans back against him.
HANNA
You okay, baby?
She shrugs. Then she moves closer to him and be pulls her
into his shoulder.
CUT TO:
INT - MERCEDES - NEIL + EADY - NIGHT
Neil drives. He's pensive. He sees the "Hyatt" sign.
RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Hey there, old aware ones, and
you, too, my fair ones ...
Neil KILLS THE RADIO.
EADY
What is it?
NEIL
(lies)
Nothing.
He turns the RADIO BACK ON.
RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Brought to you this fine day
which is A-okay!
The Mercedes is in the left. Suddenly Neil pulls across
three lanes and shoots up an offramp - fast. Neil checks
his watch.
NEIL
I got this errand to run that I
forgot.
EADY
The airport is right there. Is
there time?
NEIL
(continuing)
Sure. It's a thing I got to
take care of... is all.
CUT TO:
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EXT. HYATT HOUSE HOTEL - WIDE ON FRONT - NIGHT
A lot of traffic and lights. Neil drives the Mercedes
past the front and turns left at the corner into a dark
side street on the side of the hotel. He parks.
NEIL
(getting out)
Leave it running.
NEIL
crossing the street in his dark suit towards the hotel's
side entrance.
NEIL
...be right back, Eady.
He waves without looking.
EADY
(worried)
Neil...?
Some employees exit.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICE - ON PAINTERS - NIGHT
Two house PAINTERS and all their gear are in an empty office
in front of a big picture window. Out the picture window
across the street is the Hyatt House. They're not painting.
They're playing gin on a cardboard box. Maybe they're on
their break.
CLOSE ON ONE PAINTER
He has a Nite vision light accumulater scope and looks
across at the hotel.
PAINTER ONE'S POV: STREET + MERCEDES
with Eady, exiting employees and Neil slips in the side
door.
PAINTER ONE
pans his scope up the hotel.
PAINTER TWO
What's going on?
PAINTER ONE
Nothing. He's watching TV.
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PAINTER ONE'S POV: ROOM 1403 + WAINGRO
across the way. He watches TV with his feet up.
PAINTERS
are police - Waingro's surveillance team.
PAINTER TWO
We going to finish this game or
what?
CUT TO:
INT. LOCKER ROOM - NEIL - NIGHT
crosses to a desk and red wall phone near some lockers.
The place is abandoned.
OPERATOR (V.O.)
(phone filter)
Hyatt House.
NEIL
(into phone; familiar)
Hi. It's the kitchen again.
A... "Jamieson" ordered a BLT
and they got his room number
screwed up.
OPERATOR (V.O.)
(phone filter)
They're always doing that.
(beat)
NEIL
(into phone)
Thanks, love.
Neil starts ransacking the lockers.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOTEL - EADY - NIGHT
in the Mercedes. Waiting. She stares at something strange.
WIDEN: it's her hand. It spasms. She grabs onto the
steering wheel to make it stop.
CUT TO:
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HOTEL LOCKER ROOM - NEIL'S
found a Hyatt security uniform. He puts on the short jacket
and San Brown belt and hat.
CUT TO:
INT. HYATT HOUSE, LOBBY - SERVICE DOOR: NEIL - NIGHT
enters and crosses to the elevators. He glances to his
left.
NEIL'S POV: DESK CLERK
talks on his police radio. TILT DOWN. A 9mm. Beretta is
under the counter top.
NEIL
continues to the elevators. It says he KNOWS Waingro is a
trap. He knows the LAPD are here. He's come for him
anyway.
CUT TO:
INT. SERVICE ELEVATOR - NEIL'S HAND - NIGHT
punches 14. PAN AROUND to Neil. The elevator rises. He
pulls his .45 and checks that there's a round in the
chamber. He slips it back into his waistband, cocked and
locked.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL, 14TH FLOOR ELEVATOR LOBBY - DOORS - NIGHT
slide open. Neil emerges. He does two things. He wedges
the ash tray to hold open the elevator door. Then, he
smashes the glass and sets off the fire alarm. Immediately
a SIREN SOUNDS. The building's elevators - except Neil's
descend. We HEAR:
PA (V.O.)
A fire has been reported. Please
leave your rooms now. Proceed
down marked fire exits. Use the
staircases. Do not use the
elevators. This is NOT a drill.
A fire...etc.
CUT TO:
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 148.
INT. APARTMENT - ON PAINTERS - NIGHT
PAINTER ONE
(still looking)
Yeah. Whyn't you call out for
pizza? Sausage, peppers,
onions...
(suddenly)
Hey.
PAINTER TWO
(ready)
What?
PAINTER ONE
That chick on the ninth floor
got naked and she's pressing
herself against the glass again.
PAINTER TWO
(crosses to window)
Let me see.
Painter One looks through the scope. He looks down at the
ninth floor and laughs. Then he looks away and sees
something else:
PAINTER TWO'S POV: ROOM
Waingro goes to a drawer, pulls out a gun and starts towards
the door.
PAINTER TWO (O.S.)
(shouts)
Oh, boy...!
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM - HANNA WITH JUSTINE
OPERATOR (V.O.)
(PA system)
Lt. Hanna. Telephone. Lt. Hanna.
Hanna crosses to the nurse's station. TIGHTEN. He answers:
HANNA
(into phone)
Fuck McCauley. You handle it.
Call Bosko and Drucker in. Get
me at the hospital after.
JUSTINE
watching Hanna, heard the conversation.
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HANNA
rejoins her and takes her hand. He looks at her and then
at the floor. He puts an around her.
JUSTINE
(really questioning)
...Will things change between
us?
HANNA
(beat)
I don't know...
(beat)
Probably not...
(beat)
...but I am reminded of how much
I love you. But that may not be
enough.
JUSTINE
(kisses him)
You have to go to work, don't
you?
HANNA
(touches her face)
Yeah.
As he's rising.
JUSTINE
Be careful, Vincent. Be very
careful...
(beat)
Let's keep on trying?
HANNA
walking backwards, facing her, nods "yes." The last thing
in the world he wants to do is leave. Then he turns and
starts running down the white marble corridor...
CUT TO:
INT. 14TH FLOOR CORRIDOR - NEIL - NIGHT
in the hotel security uniform approaches against the flow
of people leaving the floor. The emergency LIGHTING is on
and the PA fire alarm message still SOUNDS. Neil taps his
flashlight on the doors of 1404, 1405 and 1406 as well as
1403.
WAINGRO (O.S.)
Yeah?
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NEIL
I'm hotel security. We're
evacuating the floor.
WAINGRO (O.S.)
I can't leave.
NEIL
Sir, I'm afraid you'll have to.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM 1403 - WAINGRO - NIGHT
looks through the peep hole.
WAINGRO'S POV: NEIL'S BACK AND CORRIDOR
A few patrons exit past the uniformed Neil. It looks
legitimate.
CUT TO:
INT. 14TH FLOOR HALLWAY - DOOR TO 1403
opens silently, half-way.
NEIL
looks inside. Waingro's obviously hidden behind the door
WIDE
Neil kicks the door and...
INT. 1403 - DOOR
smashes into Waingro. Neil hits the door again and it
smashes into waingro a second time.
NEIL
reaches around, grabs Waingro by the arm, dislocates his
shoulder, breaks his collarbone and throws him across the
room. Waingro's gun goes flying.
WAINGRO
on the sofa, seeing Neil McCauley. He feels his internal
organs drop through the floor. He looks away.
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LOW + WIDE
NEIL
I should have dumped you in that
parking lot. Look at me, you
sick fuck.
Waingro won't look at Neil.
NEIL
(continuing)
Gimme your eyes. 'Cause you're
gonna die.
Waingro, pathetically, obeys and looks up. Neil's .45
EXPLODES TWICE.
CLOSER: NEIL
now looks out the window, searching.
NEIL'S POV: HIGH RISE ACROSS THE STREET + "PAINTER" TWO
staring at Neil through the Nite vision scope, disbelieving.
Neil sees "Painter" One is shouting into his police radio...
INT. 1403 - NEIL'S
surprised not at all. He expected the police. He turns
away from the window, looks once at Waingro and leaves the
room.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCEDES - EADY - NIGHT
twisted in her seat, trying to see, frightened by the noise
and sirens. WIDEN. An L.A.P.D. fire engine ROARS in.
Now an unmarked car skids into the driveway. Drucker,
Bosko and others spill out carrying shotguns. A black and
white parks perpendicular to the traffic flow and halts
cars. She's worried, confused.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM 1403 - WAINGRO - NIGHT
dead iN sitting position on the sofa with his head back as
if he fell asleep watching the football game.
CUT TO:
INT. HANNA'S UNMARKED CAR - HANNA - NIGHT
cruising scanning the streets. He's aggressively searching
for something.
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HANNA
(into radio)
Casals come in.
CASALS (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Vincent. I'm in the southeast
stairwell.
HANNA
(into radio)
What's the situation?
CASALS (V.O.)
(radio filter)
Three teams are moving up the
other three stairwells to the
14th floor. Elevators are out
of commission because of the
fire alarm. Surveillance said
McCauley looked right at 'em.
Didn't seem surprised.
HANNA
(into radio)
It means he knew we were here
and came anyway.
CASALS (V.O.)
(radio filter;
continuing)
I got two Special Weapons Teams
deployed at the front and back
exits. Choppers.
On their way. You want a command center in the...
HANNA
(into radio;
interrupts)
Yeah, yeah, that's fine. Stay
on it. 10-4.
For some reason Hanna's disinterested. He's moving down a
different track. He's cruising the streets looking for
something else.
HANNA'S POV: SIDE STREETS
adjoining the hotel are cluttered with emergency vehicles,
cars, pedestrians, on-lookers, service people from adjoining
buildings.
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HANNA
trying to see through, past, around everything. We don't
know what it is he's looking
HANNA'S POV: FIRE ENGINE, AMBULANCE, MERCEDES, BLACK AND
WHITE...
Then Hanna's P.O.V. PANS LEFT back to the Mercedes. The
woman waiting in the passenger seat. It is Eady. She's a
block down. A woman waiting...in a car...alone.
CLOSER: HANNA
It's what he was looking for.
EXT. STREET - WIDE
Hanna is out of the car in the jammed street, running
towards Eady and the Mercedes a block away.
EXT. HOTEL, SIDE DOOR - NEIL
emerges and APPROACHES CAMERA. In the foreground is Eady
in the Mercedes.
CLOSER: NEIL
calm, assured, approaches the car for the short drive to
the airport. Then, Neil senses and...
SIDE ANGLE: NEIL
turns and looks over his left shoulder.
NEIL'S POV: VINCENT HANNA
a half block away, running through vehicles and incoming
on-lookers right at him.
NEIL MCCAULEY
stops. He turns to Eady.
EADY
looks at him, quizzically.
HANNA
running towards Neil and Eady.
EADY
climbing out of the Mercedes, now, confused...
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NEIL
starting to leave, moving at an oblique angle. Looking at
her ... leaving her ...
EADY
next to the Mercedes. Shouting at Neil. We can't hear
what she says. SIRENS and NOISE of an ambulance.
HANNA
AMBULANCE pulls in front of him, blocks him. He's around
it, pushing a news crew out of the way, stops.
MERCEDES WITH EADY
in the street. Alone. No Neil.
HANNA
spins around, searching.
HIGH + WIDE: HANNA
in the sea of people and vehicles, crossing drivewaYs and
landscaping. Hanna - against the tide - moving away from
the crime scene and police barricades to neighboring
buildings.
FRONTAL: HANNA
through the crowd, searching. People pushed aside so he
can see. Then...
HANNA POV: THROUGH OFFICE BUILDING LOBBY TO REAR PARKING
LOT
A figure is running between cars. Beyond are the lights
of an L1011 ten feet off the ground about to touch down.
CUT TO:
EXT. RUNWAY APRON - L1011 - NIGHT
ROARING through the frame. Reveal Neil jumping a fence
and running across the grass between power units and the
racks of lights strobing their arrow sequence at the head
of the runway. Beyond is Sepulveda Boulevard and normal
traffic.
NEIL
running towards us.
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EXT. RUNWAY - L1011
it's landing gear down, its lights blasting into the lens
fills the frame as it descends to the runway. It wipes
out the strobe racks in a chaotic blast of xenon.
EXT. RUNWAY APRON - LONG SHOT:
HANNA
runs across the grass between the fence to the strobe
lights.
CLOSER: HANNA
among the structures housing the ballasts for the lights.
The ROAR of a 757's 95,000 lbs. of thrust beats an him.
He spins to protect his face. His clothes and hair are
whipped. As he runs to us ...
CLOSER: HANNA
looks up..
HANNA POV: UP INTO LIGHTS SEARCHING FOR NEIL. SUDDENLY:
NEIL (SLO MO)
is there. His .45 is up, centered into Hanna's face.
He's eight feet away, framed against the glaring racks of
strobes.
NEIL'S HAND (SLO MO)
squeezing the trigger, both eyes over the front sight,
moving laterally on target through the liquid air and
lights...
NEIL'S .45 (SLO MO)
as the trigger's squeezed and the sear's released and...
MACRO: THE .45's HAMMER (SLO MO) falling.
HANNA (SLO MO)
coming up with his 9mn. He's too late...
NEIL
The hammer drops. Nothing. His .45 misfires.
HANNA (SLO MO)
His 9mm. coming up...
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NEIL'S HAND (SLO MO)
swipes across the .45's slide.
MACRO: THE BREECH OF NEIL'S .45 (SLO MO)
The misfired round, ejected and spinning away. The new
round, moving forward, the slide returning to battery...
HANNA
FIRES THREE perfectly controlled, hammered-on SHOTS. His
front sight barely moved.
NEIL
HIT THREE TIMES in the chest - is blown back into the racks
of lights. He lies still.
HANNA
approaches, slowly. His gun hand drops to his side.
WIDE: NEIL + HANNA
Neil's on the ground, his back against the rack. One arm
is in his lap. The other is flung over the top bar of the
strobe rack. Neil looks at Hanna and gestures with his
hand. Hanna takes it. Neil holds on tight.
NEIL
last breath.
NEIL
...not half bad.
HANNA
...pretty good your own self.
Then Neil's eyes dim. And he dies.
LONG REAR SHOT: HANNA + NEIL
Neil's head has fallen onto his shoulder. Hanna still
grips his hand and looks down the runway into the west at
the lines of blue runway lights like rivers. The two of
them stay there like that.
THE END |
HEAVY METAL - by Dan Goldberg & Len Blum
THE HEAVY METAL MOVIE
- Final Draft -
SCREENPLAY BY
Dan Goldberg
and
Len Blum
July 18, 1980
FADE UP ON
A WHEATFIELD
A beautiful field of wheat glistens in the morning sun.
As the camera skims overtop, titles start to roll. Ahead
of us an odd-looking service van comes into view, sputtering
along a dirt road. Getting closer, we can see the driver, a
thin, bookish man with a neat mustache. This is AUSTIN GRIMALDI.
The truck pulls up to a strange Victorian house in the middle
of the wheatfield. The house has several futuristic radar
devices on the roof that rotate constantly.
AUSTIN gets out, opens the van's rear doors, and pulls out
two large metal boxes.
CUT TO
THE ATTIC WINDOW
The curtains part ever so slightly, and a pair of eyes peer
down.
CUT BACK TO
THE VAN
AUSTIN shuts the van's rear doors, and carries the two metal
boxes into the house. The titles stop rolling as we;
CUT TO
INSIDE THE HOUSE
AUSTIN is reading a schematic diagram as he sits in front of
the exposed chassis of a complicated futuristic electronic
contraption, twice his size. There are strange tools all
over the floor.
Putting down the diagram, he opens one of the metal cases and
takes out a sophisticated-looking glass sphere with electronic
receptacles mounted in the sides.
He places this sphere in a space in the middle of the contraption,
clamps it down, and plugs some wires into the globe's receptacles.
Then he opens the second box. Inside is a glowing green ball.
Using a pair of special tongs, AUSTIN carefully lifts the ball
out, and inserts it into an opening at the base of the machine,
in the back.
As soon as the ball is inside, the machine hums to life. The
glass sphere sparkles, and a holographic picture of a green
planet in space appears inside it.
AUSTIN
(looking at the holograph)
Hmmmm ....
He takes a strange tool, and moves out of frame to make an
adjustment underneath the machine. Suddenly a wire comes
loose from the sphere and begins to spark.
AUSTIN
(seeing sparks)
Uh - oh ....
As the camera pulls closer to the holograph screen, the
green planet begins to silently shake.
CUT TO
SPACE
With an explosion that rocks the universe, a huge chunk rips
out of the green planet and shoots off into space, leaving
thousands of glowing particles in its wake.
CUT BACK TO
AUSTIN
Not noticing the silent image on the holograph, he quickly
repairs the sparkling connection and returns to his other
adjustments.
CUT TO
A FOREST
From the forest floor we see the green planetoid fly overhead,
dropping balls. We watch as it moves away and disappears beyond
a far-off mountain range. The forest rumbles as the planetoid
crashes in the distance.
The camera then pans over to a forest patch, where a beautiful
girl approaches, picking mushrooms.
CUT TO
A GREEN BALL NEAR HER FEET
An ominous note is struck as the girl notices the glowing
ball, and is drawn to it. Picking the sphere up, she looks
at it. Something inside her warns her of its danger, but,
unable to resist, she puts it in her basket and continues on.
DISSOLVE TO
THE GATES OF KRAAN
Night falls over this futuristic chromoid city as the beautiful
girl passes through the glass gates and heads home.
CUT TO
THE GIRL'S BEDROOM
The girl yawns and gets into bed as the camera pans over to
her basket in the corner. Through its side, the green ball
begins to glow brightly.
Getting closer, we see a slimy silk-like webbing ooze out of
the ball and move towards the sleeping girl, pulling the green
ball behind it.
The ball starts to glow and pulse as the webbing begins to
surround the girl, like a cocoon. Slowly the camera pans
up the wall, and moves out through the window, and beyond
the city gates, rising higher and higher.
CUT TO
THE OUTLANDS
Flying quickly overtop futuristic villages, the camera
heads further and further out into the less civilized sectors,
where the rusting pipelines and crumbling utility stations of
a past civilization have been overgrown by scrub-bush and weeds.
The camera zooms across this strange landscape toward the distant
mountains where the huge planetoid fell. Finally, from high
above the foothills, we begin to come down.
In the hills below us, hundreds of blue humanoid barbarians are
moving along, mesmerized, toward a pulsing green glow high in
the mountaintops. Suddenly the mountains begin to rumble.
CUT TO
THE LINE OF BARBARIANS
At the front of the line, the largest barbarian - obviously
their leader - stops and points.
CUT TO
THE MOUNTAINS
A strange, green, foamy liquid comes pouring down the mountains
toward the barbarians.
CUT TO
THE LINE OF BARBARIANS
The barbarians stand frozen as the foam washes over them and keeps
on going. One by one, their eyes turn green and they start to
change, becoming hairier, uglier, and stronger.
As their transformations are complete, the barbarians gather
behind their leader into an ever-growing mob of murderous
looking sub-humans.
DISSOLVE TO
THE GATES OF KRAAN
A frightened Kraanian councillor spurs his horse forward through
the beautiful glass gates, as in the distance we hear the sound
of ten thousand approaching footsteps.
The camera pans to a hillside overlooking Kraan. In the glow
of sunset, the outline of the BARBARIAN LEADER, riding a black
war-horse, appears at the hillside and stops. Then with a
thundering of footsteps, the outline of five thousand barbarians
comes into view behind him, filling the horizon.
CUT TO
THE BARBARIAN LEADER
He is now wearing a strange medallion around his neck as, wild-
eyed, he screams to signal the attack. The bloodthirsty horde
charges down the hill behind him.
The camera moves with the barbarians as they crash through the
gates of the city, destroying everything in their path. Smoke
and flames are everywhere. Ahead of us, terrified Kraanians
run from the onslaught.
As we track up over the burning rooftops, we see the BARBARIAN
LEADER riding his war-horse in the streets below. Shouting
a command, he waves his men on as they move toward an impressive
doomed building in the middle of the city.
CUT TO
THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS
At the far end of this huge glass hall, the Kraanian Council
sits around a marble table. From outside, we hear the battle
raging.
Pulling closer we can hear the worried voices of the Council
members.
COUNCILMAN #3
They're killing everyone. We
must escape!
COUNCILMAN #2
The city is burning!
COUNCILMAN #4
(throwing a parchment
before the Elder)
Even the mountains glow green and an
evil slime oozes down!
COUNCILMAN #1
Elder, we must arm ourselves! We
must fight!
ELDER
Silence!
Everyone gets quiet. Looking at the parchment thrown before
him, the ancient, withered ELDER rises to his feet.
ELDER
We are not a race of warriors.
We are statesmen, and scientists.
From our very beginning it was ordained
that the warrior-race of Taarak the
Defender would aid us in times of need.
This was the Pact!
COUNCILMAN #1
Taarak the Defender? His race is
dead! They cannot defend anyone!
COUNCILMAN #2
Some say that the race is not dead
- that one still lives.
COUNCILMAN #1
One? What good is one?
ELDER
One of Taarak's blood can do much.
Outside, the sounds of battle grow louder. A boy appears at
the doorway.
BOY
Elder! They are at the walls!
COUNCILMAN #3
Well who is this last Defender?
How can he be summoned?
ELDER
It is Taarna, of the blood of
Taarak the Defender - the last of
the race. And must be summoned as
my forefathers summoned Taarak
himself - from within!
COUNCILMAN #2
But will this Defender answer?
ELDER
A Taarakian has no choice. They
must answer. It is in their blood.
The clattering of armour becomes audible.
BOY
They are in the halls! They are coming!!
ELDER
(calmly to the boy)
Bar the door.
(to the Councilmen)
We will summon the
Defender together.
The Councilmen nod.
ELDER
(shutting eyes)
Taarna ... Taarna ...
As the Councilmen take up the chant;
CUT TO
THE DOOR
As the boy begins to bar the door, it bursts open, flinging him
aside. Standing in the doorway, surrounded by his men, is
the BARBARIAN LEADER.
With a laugh, he raises a Medieval-looking multiple cross-bow
and fires a burst of arrows into the boy's chest, as the crazed
troops rush in around him.
The chanting continues as we;
CUT TO
THE OUTLANDS
We look down over this uncivilized wilderness with only
decaying pipelines and the occasional jagged rock structure
breaking the barren uniformity of the land. As the Council's
distant chanting fades out, all is quiet.
Suddenly from behind us, we hear the sound of flapping wings
and a huge rush of air. Just above our heads, TAARNA THE
DEFENDER comes flying in, sitting proudly in the saddle of
a giant crimson bird.
CUT TO
TAARNA'S FACE
She is beautiful, with dark eyes and wild red hair blowing
behind her in the wind.
Below her, on the ground, she sees a humanoid running in terror,
chased by an ugly, four-legged mutant creature.
Spurring her bird forward, TAARNA sweeps down over the ugly
beast and lassoes it. She then hoists the creature up into
the air and, tossing her end of the rope over a tall jagged
rock, she leaves the snarling beast hanging helplessly.
Flying down to the grateful humanoid, she dismounts. As
she approaches we see that he has a barbarian medallion
on a chain around his neck.
HUMANOID
I owe you my life. Let me
repay you ...
He takes off his medallion and places it around her neck.
Suddenly he twists the chain tight in his hand, pulling her
towards him. His eyes change to a bright green as he forces
her to the ground and starts ripping at her clothes. As he
molests her, TAARNA is distracted. She hears something - voices
inside her, chanting her name.
Quickly she grabs the chain and rips it apart. Then she
powerfully smashes both her hands together around her attacker's
ears. As he holds his ringing ears, she gets up, lifts him
above her head, and hurls him mercilessly to the ground.
Still hearing the chanting, she jumps on her bird, pulls out
a second rope, and lassoes the barbarian's feet. She then
lifts him up and leaves him hanging from the tall, jagged rock,
next to the growling creature.
As TAARNA flies off, the hanging beast eyes the barbarian
hungrily.
CUT TO
AUSTIN GRIMALDI
He is still sitting on the floor, working on his machine.
As the camera pulls closer, we see that AUSTIN is reaching
deep inside the machineworks, trying to solder a small orange
diode in place with an odd-style soldering iron. The connection
breaks, and the diode and some hot solder fall deeper into the
machine and start smoking and sputtering. As the smoke grows
thicker, the machine starts to buzz loudly.
AUSTIN
Dammit!
AUSTIN pulls his face out of the smoking chassis, grabs a pair
of needlenose pliers, and reaches back to retrieve the part.
The camera follows AUSTIN'S arm into the chassis, where smoke
surrounds it and clouds over everything. The buzzing sound
grows, and changes into the sound of powerful, throbbing
engines. Slowly the smoke begins to clear as we hear a voice
crackling over a radiophone.
BOMBARDIER
(V.O.)
Where the hell are we?
Suddenly the smoke dissipates and a formation of B-17 bombers
come tearing out into the moonlit night.
CUT TO
THE GROUND BELOW
The sound of jungle night creatures fills the air. We see
palm trees silhouetted against the moon bright sky. The
scene is almost serene. The camera pans and suddenly the
nose of a large parked bomber fills the screen, and as the
camera continues panning, we pass a large red rising sun on
the bomber's fuselage. The pan stops at the tail of the
aircraft, and we see a Japanese soldier - a guard.
There is a moment of tranquillity, as jungle sounds fill the
air. The soldier almost dozes ... suddenly the cacophony of
sound stops, and for a brief moment there is complete silence
... then with an agonizing wail an air raid siren shatters
the silence and the guard looks skyward, startled.
Instantly all hell breaks loose as we hear pounding feet.
Silhouetted figures rush by.
CUT TO
A GUN EMPLACEMENT
Japanese soldiers crank the barrel of an anti-aircraft gun
skyward. We begin to hear the sound of approaching engines.
CUT TO
CLOSEUP OF A SHELL
It is thrust into a breech.
CUT TO
THE B-17 FORMATION
As the bombers press on, the camera moves in to the lead
aircraft. In the moonlight we see her name, "Pacific Pearl".
CUT TO
INT. - THE "PACIFIC PEARL"
NAVIGATOR
We're there Stepek, right on
target ... Rabual dead ahead!
Suddenly a cacophony of explosions split the air as anti-aircraft
shells explode ahead of the aircraft, lighting the inside with
electric blue flashes.
BOMBARDIER
Gee! Thanks for telling me,
Holden. I thought it was Cleveland.
CUT TO
THE GROUND
Ackack guns blast shells skyward. The gun blasts light up
the palm tree background, causing momentary silhouettes.
CUT TO
THE BOMBARDIER
BOMBARDIER
For Christ sake, hold her steady!
CUT TO
THE BELLYGUNNER
He can be seen from outside the plane as the shell flashes
light up his turret.
BELLYGUNNER
Quit yer bitching Stepek, just drop
'em and let's get outta here!
CUT BACK TO
THE BOMBARDIER
BOMBARDIER
Keep your shirts on guys, tonight I'm
gonna hit something.
(he settles over the bomb sight)
Left two degrees ... steady ...
steady ...
CUT TO
THE BELLYGUNNER
The flak is severe, with electric blue flashes lighting up
the fuselage interior.
BELLYGUNNER
Hey kid, how ya doing back there?
CUT TO
THE TAILGUNNER
Tailgunner momentarily lit with a shell burst, he's scared
shitless. He looks nervously back behind the aircraft at
the flak puffs behind the tail.
TAILGUNNER
Gulp, ah ... I'm ah ... okay
... I think.
PILOT
(V.O.)
Button it up, we're almost there.
CUT TO
THE BOMBARDIER
He is crouched over his bomb-sights, concentrating.
NAVIGATOR
(V.O.)
C'mon Stepek, there's the
whole island of Rabaul down
there, you can't miss!
BOMBARDIER
Screw you ...
CUT TO
THE PILOT'S COMPARTMENT
Suddenly a shell explodes almost on the windshield and the
pilot rears back with the blast. The right windshield is
shattered.
PILOT
We took a hit ...
The co-pilot sags forward, held back only by his shoulder
straps. His eyes stare. Blood runs from under his helmet.
We know he is dead.
PILOT
Shit. Elkhorn just bought it.
BELLYGUNNER
(V.O.)
We took one back here too.
C'mon Stepek, blast 'em!
CUT TO
THE BOMBARDIER
BOMBARDIER
(hand on the release button)
Steady ... steady ... bombs away!
Let's get the hell outta here!
CUT TO
THE GROUND
We hear the shriek of descending bombs. The explosions walk
across the airfield, and in the light of the explosions we
see devastation. The last bomb hits a fuel dump, causing an
enormous ball of fire.
BOMBARDIER
(V.O.)
Yahoo! Bullseye!
CUT BACK TO
THE PACIFIC PEARL
PILOT
(exhilarated)
Nice shooting Stepek, how are the
rest of you guys?
FLIGHT ENGINEER
(V.O.)
Flight Engineer okay.
RADIO OPERATOR
(V.O.)
Radio okay.
NAVIGATOR
(V.O.)
Navigator check.
BELLYGUNNER
(V.O.)
Belly okay.
TAILGUNNER
(V.O.)
Ah ... tail okay ...
There is abrupt silence.
PILOT
Bellson ... Lewis?
Still silence, no reply from either name.
PILOT
Kid, check the waist positions, see if
they're okay.
CUT TO
THE TAILGUNNER
TAILGUNNER
Yeah ... will do, skipper.
TAILGUNNER crosses himself, then exits back into the body of
the machine.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
PILOT
(wearily)
Let's go home.
We hear jumbled comments from all positions. Everyone is
happy.
CREW
(V.O.)
Cheers and whoops.
The mood of high spirits is stopped abruptly as the tailgunner
reports back.
TAILGUNNER
(V.O.)
Skipper, Bellson and Lewis are both
dead.
This is the first time the kid's voice is not scared, just
puzzled.
PILOT
Dammit!
BOMBARDIER
(V.O.)
Well kid, now you got a real
bombing mission under your belt.
CUT TO
THE BOMBARDIER
He removes his oxygen mask and takes a long swig from a
bottle.
CUT TO
EXT. - THE "PACIFIC PEARL"
She rejoins the rest of the group. The formation is not
quite as tight as before. As the formation flies along,
puffs of cloud pass by, occasionally obscuring a machine.
CUT TO
LOW VIEW OF THE "PACIFIC PEARL"
Under the "Pacific Pearl's" belly, we see the bellygunner
suspended in his small glass pod. A red glow brightens up
as he drags on a cigar. The rest of the formation are
visible stretched to the side and behind as puffs of cloud
waft past. We begin to feel as if the weather might be
changing.
CUT TO
THE NOSE OF THE "PACIFIC PEARL"
The BOMBARDIER is relaxing inside as he swigs from the bottle
and sings raucously. From the front we look in on the pilot
with the dead co-pilot sagging in his seat next to him.
BELLYGUNNER
(V.O.)
Sorry about Elkhorn, skip.
What happened?
PILOT
I dunno. The shell exploded and he
collapsed. I think he took it in
the head.
BELLYGUNNER
(V.O.)
Are ya sure he's dead, Skipper?
PILOT
He's dead.
BOMBARDIER
(sings drunkenly)
Oh I put my finger in a woodpecker's
hole and the woodpecker said God
bless my soul; take it out, take it
out, take it out, remove it ...
TAILGUNNER
(bolder)
Hey Stepek, just shut up, okay?
BOMBARDIER
Up yours kid, wassa matter, you don't
like my voice?
While all this banter has been going on the cloud has been
thickening. Suddenly a serious voice cuts in on the small
talk. It's the NAVIGATOR.
NAVIGATOR
(V.O.)
Something's wrong!
CUT TO
THE NAVIGATOR
He is frantically tapping the compass.
PILOT
(V.O.)
You got a problem, Holden?
BOMBARDIER
(V.O.)
Naw, the kid's the one with the
problem. He don't like my voice!
PILOT
(V.O.)
Button it up Stepek. What's the
problem, Holden?
NAVIGATOR
I must have a malfunction, my compass
says we're heading north!
CUT TO
PILOT
He looks at his compass.
PILOT
Mine says east.
NAVIGATOR
(V.O.)
Hey, can you guys see the rest of the
squadron?
BELLYGUNNER
(V.O.)
Negative, there's too much cloud.
A sudden flash of lightning illuminates the whole inside of
the plane.
CUT TO
THE COCKPIT
The dead co-pilot's pale face is momentarily electric blue,
lit by the lightning flash. We pan past him to the compass in
the instrument panel. It is spinning madly.
PILOT
What the hell ...
He reaches forward to tap the compass.
PILOT
Hey Holden, now my compass has gone
crazy. It's spinning like a son of
a bitch!
NAVIGATOR
(V.O.)
Mine too, we must have hit a magnetic
field or something !!
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE PLANE
We see a dull glow coming from all crew positions from the
on-board lights. Suddenly a curtain of rain lashes the machine.
PILOT
(V.O.)
Christ, now they're all doing it!!
CUT TO
THE INSTRUMENT PANEL
All the dials are going haywire. Above the instrument panel
we see the windshield is spattered with rain.
BOMBARDIER
(V.O.)
You guys quit talking business?
I'm trying to sing here! Oh I
put my finger in a woodpecker's ...
PILOT
(irritably)
Can it Stepek, we got real problems.
Just then through the rain, a strange green glow is seen
in the distance. It begins to curve toward the aircraft.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE PLANE - NEAR BELLY TURRET
The turret swings as the gunner spots the glow.
BELLYGUNNER
Jesus! Look at that!!
From under the starboard wing, we see the object approaching.
PILOT
(V.O.)
Look at what ... look at what!!?
BELLYGUNNER
It's out there, just look at it ...
PILOT
(V.O.)
For Christ sake, give us a position!
BELLYGUNNER
It's about four o'clock, just below
... Holy Shit, it's coming right at us!
The glow suddenly zooms at the plane with great speed and hits
the starboard inner engine.
CUT TO
PILOT'S POV
He has to push the dead co-pilot back to peer out the
broken starboard window ... the number three prop is bent
and windmilling wildly. It has a strange green luminescence
about it ... the whole machine shakes.
PILOT
Damn.
The PILOT tries to fly the plane and do the co-pilot's job of
feathering the bad engine. Suddenly it's too late as the prop
wobbles loose and cartwheels over the wing.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE PLANE
The prop flies back and slices a great gash in the aircraft's
skin, near the TAILGUNNER'S position.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
PILOT
We lost the goddamned prop ...
Did it do any damage? Kid, check
the tail.
Silence.
PILOT
Come in kid ... kid are you okay?
Silence.
PILOT
Travis; go check the back.
BELLYGUNNER
(V.O.)
Will do, skipper.
CUT TO
INSIDE HATCH
TRAVIS' turret opens and TRAVIS pulls himself up into the fuselage.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
The gauges are now settled except for the oil pressure to
No. 2 engine. The pressure drops. The engine heat gauge
climbs rapidly. A red warning light begins to flash.
PILOT
(to himself)
Goddamn it, now what?
He glances out of his window just in time to see a strange,
claw-like feeler coming out of the engine casing. It detaches
one of the cooling gills, then another, and another. They blow
away in the slipstream.
PILOT
Gremlins!
(rubbing his eyes)
Jesus, I must be getting tired.
CUT TO
THE BELLYGUNNER
He looks in to the kid's reargun compartment. All that is left
of him is a tattered skeleton.
TRAVIS turns, horror frozen on his face. Quick as a flash,
from seemingly nowhere, something flies at him and grabs his
throat. The mask on his face falls off, and we get a split
second look of abject horror as he falls out of frame.
PILOT
(V.O.)
Travis, what's goin' on back there?
CUT TO
TRAVIS
His eyes are open but he is obviously dead. Through his helmet
headphone, we hear his name.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
PILOT
Holden, how far to base?
NAVIGATOR
(V.O.)
Skip, with everything screwed up here, I'd,
I'd guess about two hundred miles.
All the time the engine pops and bangs wildly.
PILOT
For Christ's sake, find us a place I
can put her down!
CUT TO
THE NAVIGATOR
NAVIGATOR
It's all ocean down there, skip!
CUT TO
THE PILOT
PILOT
Mack, can you get us a radio fix?
CUT TO
THE RADIO OPERATOR
RADIO OPERATOR
Negative skip, too much interference.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
He is fighting the controls.
PILOT
Shit! I've gotta put her down!
CUT TO
THE BOMBARDIER
BOMBARDIER
Hey Holden ... ya old stuff shirt ...
ya wanna snort?
PILOT
(V.O.)
For God sakes Stepek, shut up!
STEPEK takes another swig from his bottle. He is lying on
his back partly propped up by the curving nose of the aircraft.
He is about to make another smart ass reply, when he hears a
strange scratching and chirping noise above his head. He
looks up in time to see sharp teeth and claws start to appear
through the lining above his head. He blinks in disbelief and
throws his bottle away as if the image came from the whiskey.
BOMBARDIER
Oh my God, there's ... there's ...
ahh ... keep away ... keep away ...
(struggles)
... hey no ... hey somebody ...
(screams)
NAVIGATOR
(V.O.)
Stepek, you stupid sonovabitch, will
you lay off the booze, you've got the
D.T.'s ...
STEPEK is wide-eyed and scared silly as the sound now begins
under his feet and pincers begin to snip through the floor.
He suddenly realizes that the whole floor is giving way beneath
him, and he grabs for a handful of cables as the floor collapses.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE AIRCRAFT
The lower half of STEPEK is hanging in the slipstream, kicking
madly. We see that his legs are covered in wriggling creatures.
CUT BACK TO
STEPEK
He is losing his grip with one hand, but still desperately
clinging on to a bunch of cables with the other. Suddenly
an ugly pincer cuts the cables and STEPEK is gone ... out
into the night.
CUT TO
THE PLANE
Suddenly the No. 2 engine begins to backfire, blasting back
large gobs of orange flame. The oil, heat and manifold gauges
are off the dial and red lights frantically flash. Desperately
the PILOT looks out of the window.
Pieces begin flying off the engine. The cowling disintegrates
revealing the bare engine beneath. Small figures are frantically
busy ripping the engine to pieces.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
He is scared.
PILOT
Holden, for God's sake get up
here on the double.
NAVIGATOR
(V.O.)
What's the problem, skip?
PILOT
Just get up here!
The NAVIGATOR grimaces as he pushes past the dead co-pilot.
NAVIGATOR
What is it, skip?
(looking out windows)
JESUS H. CHRIST!
PILOT
Hold 'em off. I'm taking her down.
He peers out at the incredible sight of the creatures ripping
off the wing skin and tearing huge plates from the cowlings.
The camera pans down to his feet as the hatch door handle twists
and then bursts open. A dozen bat-like creatures swarm in.
The NAVIGATOR panics and reaches up, grabbing the flare gun
from its rack. He screams as the creatures attack and shoots
right through the creatures, bathing the aircraft with a bright
ruby glow.
NAVIGATOR
(struggling)
Okay you little bastards ... shit ...
(screams)
CUT TO
THE RADIO OPERATOR
The flare shoots down the fuselage and smashes into him.
Wreathed in flames, he falls back into the fuselage.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE AIRCRAFT
Creatures swarm all over the plane. The ball turret falls
off. A wheel suddenly lowers, then falls off. A flap flutters
free and blows away. Oil streams back into the slipstream and
sections of the skin of the plane come away, revealing the
skeleton framework of the fuselage.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
He is fighting the controls. Creatures are now in the cockpit,
plucking out the instruments. The PILOT reaches to the throttle
only to grab a creature that locks on to his gloved hand.
Flying the plane with his good hand, he strikes and pummels
at the attacking creatures with the other.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE AIRCRAFT
It is now almost a flying skeleton. For the first time, we
see that it is heading for an island. A figure detaches itself
from the machine and plummets away.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
He falls, terror-stricken, through space. Finally his chute
opens. A slimy creature still clings to his gloved hand. He rips
off the glove and throws it and the creature away.
PILOT
(struggling)
Jesus H. Christ!
CUT TO
THE ISLAND
The approaching smoking plane bellies onto the sea, bounces,
then skims along the wave tops, careening up onto the beach,
where it twists around crazily before coming to a lopsided
stop. The machine faces us head-on and we see a glow coming
from what's left of No. 3 engine. The camera zooms in rapidly
to a green ball stuck in engine No. 3.
CUT TO
THE PILOT
He has landed, and is undoing his parachute harness. He looks
around incredulously. The island is a junkyard - a veritable
graveyard of aircrafts. There are many aircrafts, both old
wrecks and futuristic-looking ones lying everywhere. Skeletal
corpses are still left in some of the wrecks. The camera pans
to the remains of one machine. It is an old American Lockheed
Electra. It glints dull in the half light of dawn. Painted
on its side are two names; "Amelia Earhart" and "Fred Noonan".
The camera continues to move through this panorama of metallic
junk until it stops on a long chrome rod sticking up out of
a pile of scrap.
Tilting up to the sky we see the clouds part as two gargantuan
metal arms emerge and descend down toward the junkpile. The
metal arms reach the chrome rod, grip it tightly, and begin to
lift it up.
WWe follow as the cylinder is pulled higher and higher, finally
coming to a stop in front of a giant eyeball. The camera pulls
back to reveal that the eyeball belongs to AUSTIN GRIMALDI,
who carefully scrutinizes the orange diode held tightly in his
needlenose pliers.
AUSTIN
Got it.
Satisfied that this is the piece he had lost in the machine,
he begins to re-solder it in place. Behind him, a LITTLE
GIRL with red hair comes into the room and walks up to him.
LITTLE GIRL
It's broken again, isn't it Daddy?
AUSTIN
(concentrating)
Yes dear. But Daddy's fixing
it. (hums)
LITTLE GIRL
(watching)
How come it's always breaking?
AUSTIN
I don't know, sweetheart. Mmmmhmm.
LITTLE GIRL
When it's fixed, will you make more
funny pictures for me?
AUSTIN
Honey, why don't you go play with
your toys and let Daddy finish his
work, okay? Mmmm ...
LITTLE GIRL
Okay.
The LITTLE GIRL wanders around to the other side of the machine,
as AUSTIN flips a switch. Once again the glass sphere sparkles
and the holographic screen lights up. AUSTIN uses a tool to
fine-tune the holograph and an image begins to materialize;
the glass gates of Kraan.
As the image becomes clearer, the camera pulls closer and closer
to the holograph screen.
CUT TO
THE GATES OF KRAAN
The Council's voices still ringing in her head, TAARNA flies
in over the demolished gates. Below her, the once-beautiful
city lies in ruins.
Gliding overtop the deserted streets, she sees a column of
smoke rising through the wrecked dome of the building in the
town's center. As she watches the smoke rise, she pulls hard
on the reins, and heads her bird up.
The camera follows as she rides in through the shattered dome
down to the Council Chambers below.
Corpses of the Councilmen are strewn everywhere. In the
center of the room, a large pile of ancient books and
manuscripts lie smouldering. Reaching the floor, TAARNA
dismounts and starts to look around. At the head of
the marble table sits the ELDER - dead. In front of him,
a roll of parchment lies on the table. TAARNA opens it.
Carefully painted on the parchment is a circle of mountains,
their tops glowing green.
TAARNA looks at it, and puts it in her sack. Then she notices
that the ELDER is clutching something in his hand. Prying
his stiff fingers apart, she finds a blood-stained medallion
just like the one her attacker wore on his chain.
Looking at the dead ELDER, TAARNA grips the medallion tightly
in her hand.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE COUNCIL BUILDING
TAARNA flies back out through the shattered dome and surveys
the city below. All is quiet and dark, except for a green glow
coming from a second-floor window. Curious, she flies over,
pulls up beside the window, and climbs in.
CUT TO
GIRL'S BEDROOM
Entering, TAARNA sees the slimy silk-like cocoon on the bed.
The basket of fruit still sits on the floor. From
within the webbing, the green ball is glowing brightly.
TAARNA looks at the parchment in her sack, then at the glow
coming from the cocoon. Cautiously, she approaches the cocoon,
sword drawn.
Suddenly a hand from within the cocoon grabs the ball and
shoots forward, ripping through the webbing and holding the
ball up to TAARNA's face. The hand belongs to a hideously
ugly witch, who emerges from the cocoon, cackling through
snake-like fangs.
WITCH
Behold! The Sphere of Uluhtec!
Look upon it, Taarna. Look upon
it with fear. For in its glow lies
the end of heaven - the beginning of
hell. Take it Taarna. Feel death
in your hands. For death is upon
you. And as you perish ... so dies
your race!
The witch's eyes go green.
WITCH
(screaming)
Take it !!
She hurls tha ball at TAARNA, who dodges it. The ball sails
past her, out the window. Then TAARNA, sword raised, leaps
at the WITCH, slicing through her in rapid strokes.
The WITCH cackles and crumbles into dust, but her green eyes
stay suspended in the air, and her cackle echoes through
the room.
TAARNA backs away, climbing out the window, onto her bird. As
she flies off, she sees the WITCH'S green ball high above her,
rising into the clouds and disappearing.
CUT TO
SPACE
The WITCH'S green ball zooms through space, as Earth appears
in the distance. Then another object comes into sight. Getting
closer we see that is is a modern winged rocketplane of no
determinable nationality, soaring high above Earth. The green
meteorite passes, briefly bathing the rocketplane in its glow.
The rocketplane banks sharply, then stabilizes. Slowly the
hatch-doors in its belly open up, revealing the underside of
an automobile suspended in the open hatch.
Hydraulic metal arms emerge, lowering the automobile out from
the belly of the cruising rocketplane. We can see now
that the car is a white, '59 Corvette convertible.
With a "thunk", the metal arms release the car, and
as the rocketplane blasts away, the Corvette begins its
free-fall to Earth.
As the car falls gracefully through space, the driver plays
with the wheel, causing the Corvette to bank smoothly one
way, then the other.
Once his direction is stable, the driver clicks on the car
radio and adjusts it through various channels, until he settles
on one.
With the music playing, the car falls closer and closer to
Earth, entering and emerging from the cloud cover over the
atmosphere. In the heat of entry the vehicle's paint starts
burning up.
As he heads down over a deserted area, the driver begins his
approach. Touching down at breakneck speed, the smoking
Corvette bounces violently, every part straining at the
repeated impact.
The driver's face is expressionless as he jams the car into
high gear and floors it, spinning the wheels in an attempt
to translate downward momentum into forward motion. Then
he pops his drag chute to help slow down.
TThis accomplished, the expressionless driver releases the
chute, and speeds off down the road in a cloud of dust.
CUT TO
EXT. THE PENTAGON - AERIAL SHOT
From high above the building we see a crowd of reporters
and T.V. newsmen waiting on the front steps.
The '59 Corvette pulls up at the curb below, and seeing
it, the reporters all start to run over.
The camera zooms down and into the car. Inside, the driver
reaches over, unplugs a rubber hose, and loosens the two
large hex-nuts which connect him to the car. As he gets out,
the reporters come running up.
FEMALE REPORTER
(to driver)
Doctor Anrak, six more mutants were
sighted in Arizona this morning. Do
you still say this has nothing to do
with the green radiation from space.
The driver walks on without speaking.
T.V. NEWSMAN
(walking alongside)
Doctor, is it true that the President
himself pulled you off the Jupiter Six
Project so that you could investigate
those mutations? Doctor, answer me that.
He ignores the question, and walks past the guard into the
Pentagon.
CUT TO
INT. PENTAGON - MEETING ROOM
Around a large table sit the Joint Chiefs of Staff, members of
the Cabinet, and a pretty secretary wearing a tight skirt.
An argument is in progress as the expressionless DOCTOR ANRAK
enters. The camera follows him as he sits down next to one
of the Generals.
FAT POLITICIAN
... well what I wanna know is,
what's the Army doing about this?
Hell! My constiuents are turning
green! They're growing arms on
their backs. There's something or
someone up there in space and the
voters have a right to know about it!
GENERAL
Senator, we have no proof that these
mutations are the result of interference
from outer space. In fact, Doctor Anrak
has just come in, so let's hear what he
has to say ... Doctor?
The room goes silent as the DOCTOR stands up.
DOCTOR
First of all, there is no cause for
alarm. As for the theories of interference
by alien beings, it is my firm opinion that
we on Earth are the only intelligent,
technically advanced civilization present
in the universe.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE PENTAGON
An enormous round spaceship the size of Pittsburg hovers
overhead.
CUT BACK TO
THE MEETING ROOM
DOCTOR
... and whatever is causing these
mutations is not from outer space.
it's more likely just an isolated
biological pheno ... pheno ... ph ...
ph ... ph ...
Suddenly the DOCTOR'S head starts to jerk from side to side.
Everyone looks on, not knowing how to react. As the DOCTOR
begins to move in short bursts, like a broken robot, he
fixes his gaze upon the pretty secretary across the table.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE PENTAGON
From the bottom of the huge spacecraft, a metal tube emerges and
starts to drill through the roof of the Pentagon.
CUT BACK TO
THE MEETING ROOM
The DOCTOR starts to shake violently as he stares at the pretty
secretary.
DOCTOR
Pretty ... pretty ... p ... p ...
Suddenly he lunges at her, sliding across the table.
As the DOCTOR struggles with the terrified girl, the camera
pans up to the ceiling, where the metal tube from the spaceship
drills through. Descending upon them, it sucks them up instantly.
DOCTOR
Aaarrgghh!
SECRETARY
Eeeeeek!
CUT TO
INSIDE THE SPACECRAFT - CONTROL ROOM
A metallic robot holding a clipboard, is standing in front of
a large glass receiving jar, as DOCTOR ANRAK comes through
the tube and lands in the jar. As soon as the DOCTOR'S feet
hit the bottom of the jar, the DOCTOR breaks into a lot of
small metallic parts.
ROBOT
(Mechanical voice)
Oh, nice job. How am I supposed
to fix this guy? He's fucked.
ZEKE and EDSEL, two alien space-pilots, are standing nearby,
at the control console. They look like big furry orange heads
on stilts, with arms coming out of the sider.
ZEKE
(to Edsel)
I guess we turned it up a
little too high.
EDSEL
(to Robot)
Sorry, man.
ROBOT
You're sorry? What about me?
I've gotta put this asshole
back together.
Suddenly the pretty secretary comes through the tube and lands
in the jar. She's a little mussed up, but okay.
GLORIA
(gasp) Where am I?
ROBOT
(staring)
Hey, who's the chick?
GLORIA
Well look at my clothes!
Who's gonna pay for the dry
cleaning? And where am I?
I demand that you return me
to my office immediately.
ROBOT
Too late - molecular instability
zone around spacecraft. You cannot
leave.
GLORIA
(to Zeke)
What?! Is he kidding?
ZEKE
Uh ...
He looks at the ROBOT, who winks at him.
ZEKE
... oh yeah. Instability zone.
You're stuck here.
ZEKE and EDSEL try to keep straight faces.
GLORIA
(stunned)
But I have to be at my parents
for dinner tonight. And my
gynecologist appointment is on
Wednesday.
ROBOT
Not anymore. Would you, ah, like
a drink?
(leading her away)
You'll feel better after a glass of
fresh blo-aak.
They disappear down a corridor.
GLORIA
(V.O.)
Do you have any diet soda?
CUT TO
CONTROL CONSOLE
EDSEL
(to Zeke)
Ah, typical robot. The first
Earth-chick we see in ten years,
and he's gotta make a play for her.
EDSEL jams the gearshift into 'D' for Drive, and the ship
lifts away from Earth.
ZEKE
Hey, do we have any of that
Plutonian Nyborg left?
EDSEL
Uh, yeah. Just one bag. Uh, it's
in the transmitter compartment.
ZEKE
Uh, thanks man.
ZEKE opens a hatch and pulls out a double-spouted plastic
bag on wheels the size of a steamer-trunk. It is full of
white powder.
He pours two fifteen-foot lines of powder onto the floor.
Then, he pauses.
ZEKE
(surveying the lines)
Oh great. Think this is enough?
EDSEL
(thinking)
Uhh ... nah. Go for broke.
ZEKE
Good thinking, man.
As he resumes pouring, ZEKE begins singing to himself in an
alien tongue. When the lines are poured, they both stand at
the start of the trail of white powder, and part their hair
to reveal nostrils hidden in their foreheads.
ZEKE & EDSEL
Nose dive!
They both start to criss-cross the room, inhaling the white
powder like vaccuum cleaners. As they happily snort the
Nyborg, the camera pans back to the glass receiving jar, and
moves down through the broken pieces of DOCTOR ANRAK. Reaching
his lifeless face, the camera moves around to the back of the
head. Through the shattered metal we can see a green ball,
glowing inside ANRAK'S skullpiece.
DISSOLVE TO
SPACE - ZEKE AND EDSEL'S P.O.V.
As the round spaceship moves through space, a group of
asteroids approach and whip past. Up ahead, a red sun
turns white and goes super-nova.
EDSEL
(V.O.)
Oh, wow ... good Nyborg!
CUT TO
INSIDE THE SPACECRAFT - ROBOT'S BEDROOM
GLORIA PEARLMAN and the ROBOT are lying in bed, naked.
They have just finished making love. She is smoking a cigarette.
GLORIA
(glazed)
That was incredible. I've never felt
anything like it.
ROBOT
Oh great. I have been programmed to
be fully proficient in sexual activities.
Do you want to go steady?
GLORIA
Gee, I don't know. I already have
a boyfriend.
ROBOT
Ah, what he does not know will not
hurt him.
CUT TO
CONTROL CONSOLE
ZEKE and EDSEL are sitting at the controls, staring wide-eyed
out into space. They are obviously stoned. Suddenly a bell
rings and the communicator screen lights up. A serious officer's
face appears on it.
OFFICER ON SCREEN
Mothership calling starcruiser Alpha ...
Mothership calling starcruiser Alpha ...
ZEKE looks over at the screen and then shouts into it.
ZEKE
Whaddyawant, man?
OFFICER ON SCREEN
Mothership calling Starcruiser Alpha ...
EDSEL
(to Zeke)
You gotta use the microphone.
ZEKE
Oh yeah.
(shouts into microphone)
Whaddyawant man?
OFFICER
Now listen, idiot. Do I have to
tell you eight hundred times? You
don't call me "man"! You call me
"Com-Op Officer Blix". Now is that
perfectly clear?
ZEKE
(into mike)
Yeah, sure. Whaddyawant, man?
OFFICER
(disgruntled)
You are to return immediately to
the Mother Ship and pick up a
humanoid civilian. Your orders
are to escort him to the Interplanetary
Tribunal Courtroom so that he can testify
at the trial of Lincoln Sternn. And make
it snappy!
The screen goes blank.
EDSEL
Wow! They finally got Sternn.
ZEKE
It's about time. Hang on, man.
Here we go.
ZEKE jams the gearshift into hyper-drive.
CUT TO
SPACE
The round spaceship blasts forward at ten times the speed
of light.
DISSOLVE TO
SPACE - LATER
ZEKE and EDSEL'S round spacecraft looks like an apple
heading toward a freight train as it approaches the
enormous mother-ship.
CUT TO
INSIDE SPACECRAFT - CONTROL CONSOLE
An ashtray full of roaches sits on the console. ZEKE is
at the controls with a joint in his mouth. He is swaying
back and forth, eyes glazed. Beside him, EDSEL watches
the mothership getting closer.
EDSEL
(to Zeke)
You okay to land this thing?
ZEKE
No problem, man.
CUT TO
MOTHERSHIP'S LANDING AREA
Huge red arrows point the way through the ten-mile wide
landing area as the round spaceship glides in.
EDSEL
(V.O.)
I think you're goin' a little high,
man.
ZEKE
(V.O.)
It's okay, man. If there's one
thing I know, it's how to drive
when I'm stoned. It's like, you
know your perspective's fucked,
so you just gotta let your hands
work the controls as if you're
straight.
The round ship rams directly into a wall, and crashes down,
skidding to a stop in front of the loading bay.
EDSEL
(V.O.)
Oh, wow, good landing, man.
ZEKE
(V.O.)
Thanks.
CUT TO
INSIDE SPACECRAFT - ENTRANCE HATCH
ZEKE and EDSEL press a button to open the hatch doors.
As the door opens we see two metallic Regolian guards
waiting on the other side. Between them stands a small,
shabbily-dressed humanoid with a crooked jaw and
cauliflower ears. This is HANOVER FISTE.
REGOLIAN GUARD
(to Zeke and Edsel)
This man is to be delivered to the,
clik, Interplanetary Tribunal, Courtroom
#3, clik, Galaxy versus Lincoln Sternn.
Thenk yew. Clik.
The guards wheel away.
FISTE
(meekly)
Ah, hello.
CUT TO
CORRIDOR IN SPACESHIP
ZEKE and EDSEL escort FISTE down the corridor.
EDSEL
(to Fiste)
Umm, you're gonna testify at
Sternn's trial?
FISTE nods.
ZEKE
They gotta give him at least, like,
life.
FISTE
Lincoln Sternn is a kind and honourable
man.
(camera pulls close to Fiste's face)
He will be freed.
CUT TO
SPACE - LATER
As the round spaceship journeys through space it passes through
a fantastic space-scape of disembodied rock statues, and past
a magnificent graffiti-covered robot chained to an asteroid.
EDSEL
(V.O.)
Y'know, I wish they'd clean this place
up, man.
ZEKE
(V.O.)
Yeah. It's like pig city out here.
EDSEL
(V.O.)
Yeah.
CUT TO
ROBOT'S BEDROOM
GLORIA is getting dressed as the ROBOT re-charges his energy-
paks.
ROBOT
... but I don't understand. We
laugh together. We care for each
other. We have highly proficient
sex. Why can't we get married?
GLORIA
Look, we're different, okay? Let's
leave it at that.
CUT TO
CONTROL ROOM
The hatch opens, and GLORIA and the ROBOT walk through,
still talking.
GLORIA
... but mixed marriages just don't
work. What if you get tired of me
and run off with a vibrator or
something?
As they move through the room, and out the other side, they
pass FISTE, who is sitting quietly near the receiving jar,
hands folded. Looking around, FISTE notices a green glow
coming from the bottom of the jar. He gets up, quietly opens
the jar, and pokes through the scrap robot parts.
Finding the small green ball in ANRAK'S head, he pulls it
out and looks at it.
CUT TO
CONTROL CONSOLE
ZEKE and EDSEL are sitting at the controls, driving carefully.
FISTE, carrying the green ball, comes up and sits down beside
them.
ZEKE
There it is, man. I'm gonna hang
a louie here.
EDSEL
(to Fiste)
Yeah, well it won't be long now. Are
you sure you're gonna testify for Sternn.
FISTE says nothing. He just clutches the green ball and stares
into space.
ZEKE and EDSEL look at each other and shrug.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE SPACESHIP
An enormous, brightly-lit, multi-level space station/courthouse
floats into view, completely filling the screen. ZEKE and
EDSEL'S round spaceship is just a speck as it enters the frame,
approaching the mammoth structure.
CUT TO
SPACE-STATION LANDING DOCK
The ship locks into the dock, and the exit hatch opens.
GLORIA and the ROBOT come through first, ahead of ZEKE, EDSEL,
and FISTE.
GLORIA
... alright, alright. I'll marry
you - but on one condition ... I
want a Jewish wedding.
ROBOT
A Jewish wedding!?!!! But this is
space. 95% of the population are
robots.
GLORIA
Well, find me a robot-rabbi!
ROBOT
Okay, okay!
EDSEL
I give them six months, man.
ZEKE
He doesn't even look Jewish!
GLORIA and the ROBOT disappear around a corner as ZEKE and EDSEL
escort FISTE through the hatch. FISTE is carrying the small
green ball.
As they lead FISTE away, the camera pulls back, out through
a space-port, and moves along the outside of the slowly
rotating space-station. At the top, the camera zooms down
through a massive glass-domed ceiling and into a huge
inter-galactic courtroom.
Voices echo below us.
PROSECUTOR
Are you Captain Lincoln F. Sternn?
STERNN
I am.
As we move down, we see square-jawed CAPTAIN STERNN, his
shifty-eyed lawyer, and the cold Prosecutor all standing
before the Judge.
STERNN is smirking confidently as the Prosecutor reads from
a long page of charges.
PROSECUTOR
Lincoln Sternn - you stand here
accused of twelve counts of murder
in the first degree ... fourteen
counts of armed theft of Federation
property ...
CUT TO
THE GALLERY
The hostile humanoid and alien faces all stare at STERNN with
hateful, accusing eyes.
PROSECUTOR
(V.O.)
... twenty-two counts of piracy
in high space ... eighteen counts of
fraud ...
CUT TO
STERNN'S LAWYER
Mopping his brow, he looks nervously over to STERNN.
PROSECUTOR
(V.O.)
... thirty-seven counts of rape, and
one moving violation. How do you plead?
CUT TO
CAPTAIN STERNN
Smiling to himself, he nods, then gets serious.
STERNN
Not guilty!
LAWYER
(whispers to Sternn)
Not guilty?!? Are you nuts?!?
STERNN
(whispers to lawyer)
It's okay, Charlie. I got an
angle.
JUDGE
(to Prosecutor)
Call the first witness!
STERNN and his lawyer move to their seats.
LAWYER
(to Sternn)
But the Prosecutor's gotcha cold!
Yer as guilty as a cat in a goldfish
bowl.
CUT TO
THE COURTROOM DOORS
ZEKE and EDSEL enter with FISTE, and push their way to the
front.
PROSECUTOR
The Prosecution calls Hanover Fiste.
GUARD #1
Calling Hanover Fiste!
GUARD #2
Calling Hanover Fiste!
GUARD #3
Calling Hanover Fiste!
GUARD #4
Hanover Fiste!
ZEKE and EDSEL sit down, while HANOVER FISTE, small and
shabby, walks up to the witness stand, nervously clutching
the small green ball in his hand. As he passes, STERNN and
his lawyer continue to argue.
LAWYER
(pleading)
Lissen Sternn ... change the plea
to guilty. Throw yerself on the
mercy of the court.
STERNN
I told you, Charlie. I got an
angle.
HANOVER FISTE is sworn in, as Sternn's lawyer begs.
LAWYER
But the most we can hope for is to
get ya buried in secrecy so yer grave
don't get violated! Plead guilty!
STERNN
Shut up, Charlie. I got an angle.
LAWYER
What angle?
STERNN
(pointing to Fiste)
Him!
CUT TO
WITNESS STAND
PROSECUTOR
State your name for the record.
FISTE
(fidgeting nervously with
the green ball)
I am Hanover Fiste.
CUT TO
STERNN
STERNN
(winking to lawyer)
I promised him thirty-five thousand
zuleks to testify on my behalf.
CUT BACK TO
WITNESS STAND
PROSECUTOR
You know the defendant,
(pointing)
Captain Sternn?
FISTE
Yes, I know Captain Sternn. And
never did there live a kinder, more
generous man. He is an overflowing
cup, filled with the very cream of
human goodness ...
CUT TO
STERNN AND HIS LAWYER
STERNN
(to lawyer)
See?
CUT BACK TO
WITNESS STAND
FISTE
... in all the time I've known him,
he's never done anything immoral ...
(thinking)
unless maybe the Pre-Schooler's
Prostitute ring ...
CUT TO
STERNN AND HIS LAWYER
They look at each other, shocked.
STERNN & LAWYER
Huh?!?
CUT BACK TO
WITNESS STAND
FISTE
(speaking gently)
... and he's ah, never done anything
illegal ...
(turning sharply)
... unless you count all the times
he sold dope disguised as a nun!!
(reverting to meekness)
He's always been a good, law-abiding
citizen ...
(shouting at himself)
Awww, gimme a break!!
(gentle again)
... of the Federation, and, and ...
(going schizo)
Shut Up! Shut Up! Shut Up!
(gentle, but starting to sweat)
... a community-concious individual, ah, ah ...
(rising in crazed anger)
STERNN!!!
(pointing as he screams)
He's nothin' but a low-down, double-dealin',
back-stabbin', larcenous, perverted worm!!
STERNN and his lawyer look on, horrified, as FISTE'S body
starts to grow.
FISTE
Hangin's too good for him!!
New muscles tear through FISTE'S shabby clothes.
FISTE
Burnin's too good for him!!
Growing larger, he starts foaming at the mouth.
STERNN
Hanover ...
FISTE
He should be torn into little bitsy
pieces and buried alive!!!
FISTE rams his hands down onto the Witness Stand, shattering
it completely.
STERNN
Hanover ...
FISTE
I'll kill him!
He hurls the Prosecutor aside, and moves towards STERNN with
thundering footsteps.
FISTE
KII - ILLL!!!
Still growing, he rips apart the Judge's bench as he passes
it. Finally he stands towering in rage over the terrified
STERNN.
STERNN
(to Fiste)
H-h-hey, Hanover ...
n-now take it easy, Hanover,
I'm sure we can talk this ov ...
Instinctively, STERNN leaps back as FISTE'S giant hands come
smashing down in the spot where STERNN stood. The gallery
scatters screaming as STERNN runs for the door. Slavering,
FISTE thunders after him. STERNN runs through the exit,
bolting the door behind him. FISTE follows, tearing the
door apart, and bringing the entire courtroom wall down in
the process.
CUT TO
STERNN
Running down a hallway, STERNN passes a group of Regolian
cops, who raise their weapons in an attempt to block the
rampaging FISTE.
REGOLIAN #1
Halt, clik, in the name of the
Federation, clik. Where is your
corridor pass?
(to other Regolians)
Unco-operative humanoid, clik,
blast him.
They open fire, but FISTE is unstoppable. Still growing,
he grabs the Regolians's weapons, crunches them up and eats
them.
REGOLIAN #1
You are now in violation of Code
103-N-17, clik, paragraph A-64 ...
unauthorized consumption of Federation
property. Please come quietly, clik,
... thenk yew.
With a single clap of his enormous hands, FISTE crushes the
Regolian's metal skulls together into an accordian the thickness
of a dime.
CUT TO
STERNN
He races through a metallic hallway, and ducks into a boiler
room, then down a long dark tunnel. At the end of the tunnel,
STERNN comes to a dead-end, and stops to rest.
STERNN
Oh, this looks good.
FISTE
(growls)
STERNN
Oh, duck under here ...
FISTE
I'll get you!!
STERNN
I think I'll turn here!
(runs, gasping)
Come on feet, don't fail me now!
FISTE
Sternn!!!
STERNN
Uh oh ...
(runs)
Ah, gasp, ah whew, lost him!
FISTE
STERNN!!
STERNN
Okay, Hanover, you've had this
coming!
Taking a deep breath, STERNN reaches into his pocket, pulls
out a wad of bills, and counts them out as he hands them to
FISTE.
STERNN
Let's see, thirty-three, thirty-
four, thirty-five thousand zuleks.
Thanks Hanover.
FISTE
(taking money)
S'nothin, boss.
Counting his money, FISTE starts shrinking back to his
normal size.
STERNN
And Hanover ...
FISTE
Yes?
STERNN
Goodbye.
STERNN pulls a lever, which opens up the floor below FISTE,
who screams, falling out into space. As FISTE slides out,
STERNN grabs the money from FISTE'S hand and smiles.
CUT TO
THE OUTLANDS
All is quiet across this vast expanse of rusted pipes and
barren desert. The silence is broken by a whistling sound which
gets louder and louder. Then, thud!
A green ball lands in the dirt in front of us. Fluttering down
around it are HANOVER FISTE'S tattered clothes. Then the
burnt ashes of Hanover's body land in a small pile beside his
clothes. Panning up we see TAARNA flying on her bird in the
distance.
CUT TO
TAARNA
She swoops down and flies through a maze of rusting pipes and
cables which look like the ramnants of an ancient power station.
Then she steers her bird through a hidden opening in the rotting
floor, and enters a magnificent secret hideaway cut deep into
the rock.
CUT TO
INSIDE TAARNA'S HIDEAWAY
Landing her bird on a circular slab of gleaming marble, TAARNA
dismounts and walks over to a shimmering pool. Here she disrobes,
and picking up a small gold pitcher, she pours an ancient oil
over herself. It shines and sparkles as it touches her skin.
Then she steps into the water, where her body seems to sparkle
even brighter.
Finishing her sacred bath, she steps out and walks to a stone
wall. When she touches it, a rock panel slides away to reveal
a gold chest. TAARNA opens it.
Inside the chest lies a glistening set of armoured garments,
so bright that TAARNA must shield her eyes for a moment. Then,
as she looks down at the armour, the voice of TAARAK THE
DEFENDER comes into her head.
TAARAK
(V.O.)
To defend - this is the Pact.
but when life loses its value,
and it taken for nought, then
the Pact is ... to avenge!!
Through a series of dissolves we see TAARNA'S hands sensuously
fitting the various metallic pieces over her firm body. Finally
we pull back to see her fully.
Standing before us, glistening in the torch-light, she looks
magnificent. Reaching once more into the chest, TAARNA pulls
out a golden sword. As she holds it, it seems to vibrate,
almost buzzing in her hands. Suddenly she swings it, slicing
cleanly through one of the stone torches on the rock wall. As
the burning torch falls to the ground, TAARNA leaves.
CUT TO
THE SKY
From over our heads, TAARNA comes soaring past, her armour
gleaming in the rays of the setting sun. Below her, she
sees a metallic holiday-town filled with barbarian soldiers.
Drunken blue men fight in the streets, strange animals run
around loose, and dead or drunken bodies lie in the gutters.
Looking down, amidst the melee, she sees three winged creatures
tied up in front of a bar. The camera zooms in on one of the
creature's saddlebags. It has a silver medallion set into the
leather, identical to the one which TAARNA pried from the
Elder's fingers.
CUT TO
INSIDE THE BARROOM
Barbarian honky-tonk music fills the crowded room, as
various barbarian soldiers sit drinking and fondling the
bar-girls who are dressed in cheap, flashy metal outfits.
Three of the blue barbarians are particularly drunk and
rowdy as they push a non-barbarian down, dump a drink on his
head, laugh and kick him.
CUT TO
THE BARROOM DOOR
TAARNA walks in through the swinging silver and plexiglass
doors, past the three soldiers kicking their victim. She sits
down at the bar.
The three brutish blue soldiers finish stomping the man and
walk over to the bar, crowding close around TAARNA.
BARBARIAN #1
Hey, look. A new one.
(to Taarna)
Where you from, baby?
TAARNA ignores him.
BARBARIAN #2
Doesn't talk much, does she ?
BARBARIAN #3
She doesn't have to talk for what
I want to do with her.
CUT TO
TAARNA'S HAND
It slowly moves down to her sword, and unclips the safety strap.
CUT BACK TO
THE BARBARIANS
BARBARIAN #3
(running his hand across her breastplate)
C'mon baby, let's see what's under there.
BARBARIAN #1
(starting to undo her breastplate)
Yeah, let's have a look.
Taarna slowly stands up, pushing their hands away, and takes
a step back.
BARBARIAN #2
Heey, she's tough.
BARBARIAN #3
Maybe she wants to fight?
They all laugh.
BARBARIAN #1
... or maybe she wants to take
us all on?
Still laughing, they move towards her.
In a blinding flash, TAARNA draws her golden sword, and wielding
it like a Samurai master, slices off all three of their heads.
In an instant, the sword is back in its sheath.
The barbarian's heads stop laughing as they fall to the ground.
The music stops, and everyone in the bar stares at TAARNA.
Stepping over the bodies, TAARNA walks up to the bartender,
pulls out the parchment picture of the glowing mountains, and
shows it to him. The bartender looks at it carefully, then
points out the window.
BARTENDER
Beyond the oasis.
TAARNA nods and leaves.
CUT BACK TO
THE BARTENDER
His eyes start to turn green. The camera gets closer and
closer to his glowing eyes, until the green glow turns into
the image of a ball, lying in the ground, in AUSTIN'S holograph.
CUT TO
AUSTIN
AUSTIN is crouched over the machine turning several knobs,
trying to make the ball move. Nothing happens.
AUSTIN
(to himself)
Hmmm ... must be jammed.
Frustrated, AUSTIN picks up a flashlight, opens up a compartment
underneath the control knobs, and takes a look inside. While
AUSTIN fiddles inside the machine, we see two hands appear on
the holograph screen and pick up the green ball. AUSTIN looks
over to the holograph and notices.
AUSTIN
Where'd it go?
CUT TO
THE HANDS
As the hands cradle the green ball, the camera pulls back
to reveal a skinny, unco-ordinated boy wearing thick eyeglasses,
carrying the sphere across his backyard. This is DAN.
DAN
(V.O.)
It all started when I found the green
meteorite. I read in Farraday's "Life
of the Planets" that smaller ones like
this are supposed to burn up when they
enter the atmosphere, but for some reason
this one didn't ...
DAN carries the ball into a typical small-town house.
DISSOLVE TO
T.V. ANTENNA ON ROOF - STORMY NIGHT
As the narration continues, we follow two red wires down
from the T.V. antenna, along the roof, and into DAN'S attic
window. The wires run through a bucket of water and are hooked
up to some electronic parts on DAN'S desk.
DAN
(V.O.)
... so I brought it up to my room,
stuck it in my rock collection and
forgot about it. I was experimenting
with natural electricity ...
The camera pans around the room to show various displays of
DAN'S scientific tinkering - blue-ribbon science projects,
transparent models of a man and a woman showing all internal
organs, and many books.
In the corner, the green ball sits in DAN'S rock collection.
At his desk, DAN impatiently shuffles through the dusty pages
of an old scientific journal.
DAN
(V.O.)
... and with the storm warnings up,
I figured maybe tonight I'd hit the
jackpot. All I needed was a little
juice.
He looks out the window at the gathering storm.
CUT TO
THE STORM
Crackling from the sky, a bolt of lightning strikes the
television antenna and surges along the wires into the attic.
CUT TO
DAN'S ATTIC ROOM
The lightning flashes into DAN'S apparatus, lighting it up
brightly.
DAN
It works!
Suddenly, an electric arc jumps from the bucket of water
and crosses the room to join with thw ball on his shelf.
Caught in the middle, DAN begins to glow green.
DAN
(looking at his
green arms)
Oh Jesus!
The electrical field opens up a shimmering gateway into another
universe and DAN de-materializes.
CUT TO
THE TRANSFORMATION
We float in darkness for a moment as black shapeless images
zoom past.
DAN
(V.O.)
I felt like I was nothing
- just atoms floating in the
darkness ...
Then, tiny beams of light join to form a glow in the corner
of the screen. The glow gets brighter and starts moving slowly
around the screen. Now, we can make out some of the images
whipping past - a half-formed hand, pages of a book, a crumbling
pyramid, a green ball.
DAN
(V.O.)
Then, a body started to re-form
around me. Only it wasn't my
body - this one had muscles.
Sturdy muscular parts begin to materialize around the moving
light. They join up with each other to form a powerfully built
human figure.
Finally a man's face takes shape, and as it forms, eveything
gets brighter and clearer.
DAN
(V.O.)
It was a great body, but I
wasn't too crazy about the
face.
The powerful figure, DEN, turns slowly as he floats and begins
to look at his hands and arms. Moving his mouth, he speaks in
a new voice - deep and powerful.
DEN
(feeling head)
Hmmm ... no hair.
Suddenly, the background explodes into fields of radiant colours
as the body accelerates away from us and passes through a second
shimmering gateway.
CUT TO
THE NEVERWHERE PYRAMID
DEN, strong, masculine and hairless, materializes cradled in
the hand of a huge stone idol. He is naked and unconscious
Above him, the glowing green ball is held in the idol's other
hand.
The camera pulls back to show that the idol is standing on the
deck, stop a huge, truncated pyramid. The deck forms a walkway
around a swirling pool of green water.
Kneeling all around the seething pool, are lizard-men, wearing
priest's robes. Two of them stand beside a glass coffin. Inside
the coffin, lies a naked girl, bound and gagged.
PRIESTS
(chanting softly)
Uluhtec, Ulutec ...
Directly in fron of the idol, a regal-looking QUEEN, wearing
a revealing velvet cloak, is praying to the raging water.
QUEEN
By the powers of the glowing
Loc-Nar placed in your idol's
hand, I demand you come forth,
Uluhtec!
The waters of the sacrifical pool rage more violently and
a low rumble is heard far below.
CUT TO
THE IDOL'S HANDS
The green ball, (Loc-Nar), glows brightly as DEN opens his eyes,
looks down and notices his enormous genitals.
DEN
Hmmm ... big!
Seeing an animal-skin hanging from the idol, he rips off a
piece and wraps it around himself.
DAN
(V.O.)
There was no way I was gonna
walk around this place with
my dork hangin' out!
Suitably covered, he surveys the ritual taking place below him.
DAN
(V.O.)
Wow! This looked like something
right out of the Ten Commandments.
CUT TO
EDGE OF RAGING POOL
The QUEEN is kneeling before the seething water.
QUEEN
Grant me your strength in return
for a living mortal sacrifice! It
has been ordained. Come forth Uluhtec!
I demand it!
Two lizard priests remove the terrified girl from the glass
case and hold her out over the swirling water. The QUEEN
nods and the two priests drop her in.
CUT TO
THE IDOL'S WATER
Seeing the girl struggle in the water, DEN'S eyes grow wide.
DAN
(V.O.)
What'd they do that for?
He stands and dives into the raging pool, swimming powerfully
towards the drowning girl.
CUT TO
UNDER WATER
Reaching her, DEN grabs the girl's bound ankles, hooks them
over his head and drags her through a decayed hole in the
underwater wall. Inside a stone tunnel, they are swept along
by the current.
DAN
(V.O.)
Normally, I'd be dead by now. I
kept thinking I was going to run
out of air, but my new body worked
great. I just hoped her body was
working as good as mine.
CUT TO
EXT. FIELD OF LILIES - DAY
DEN and the girl are washed out into a pond at the center of
a beautiful field of lilies. He pulls her out of the water,
unconscious. As he unties her, she begins to stir.
GIRL
Thank you.
She takes DEN'S hand and lies back in the flower, her
beautiful breasts exposed in the sunlight.
DAN
(V.O.)
She had the most beautiful eyes.
I wanted to make some conversation
but I found my new self asking the
same old stupid questions.
DEN
Are you from around here?
GIRL
Well, you may not believe this, but
I'm from another world - from a place
called Earth.
DEN
Earth? I too am from Earth.
How did you get here?
GIRL
My name is Katherine Wells, and
I'm from the British colony of
Gibraltar. Time makes no diff-
erence here, but there it was
the summer of 1892. It was
evening - I'd gone for a walk on
the cliffs when suddenly a sphere
fell from the sky. Following its
glow, I came to a shining gate made
out of light. Unable to resist, I
stepped through it and awoke in
this world. There I was thin and
weakly, fit only to stay indoors.
(she stands up)
But here, somehow I am stronger,
more alive,
(she stretches seductively)
... more fully a woman.
DAN
(V.O.)
You're not kidding.
DEN
(standing)
I, too seem better equipped on
this world.
(he holds out his arm)
My arms are more powerful.
(strecthes his fingers)
Even my fingers seem to hold
great strength.
KATHERINE walks up close to DEN, takes his hand and touches
the fingers to her breast.
KATHERINE
You saved my life. I have no
reward to give you, but if any
part of me pleases your senses
- I would give it willingly.
She circles her nipple with his baby finger.
DAN
(V.O.)
Wow! This was great! There was
no way I'd get a chick like this
back on Earth. I mean, look at
her!!
Taking KATHERINE in his arms, DEN lays her down on a bed of
flowers and begins to tenderly make love to her.
DAN
(V.O.)
There was only one problem ...
A spiked boot appears in the frame. The camera pans up to
show a large, ugly hairy beast-man standing over DEN and
KATHERINE.
The camera then pulls back to reveal the entwined couple,
completely surrounded by a horde of grim, bestial warriors.
DAN
(V.O.
I don't know who these jerks
were, but they sure picked a
bad time to show up ...
The ugly beast-men grab DEN and KATHERINE as we;
DISSOLVE TO
ARD'S THRONE ROOM
The beast-Captain keeps his machine gun trained on DEN as
the soldiers lead him into the cavernous room.
DAN
(V.O.)
They split us up and took me to
this weird castle-type place.
I wanted to find out where they'd
taken Katherine, but none of these
guys seemed to speak English.
In the middle of the room there is a round stone pedestal
with a throne carved into it. On the throne sits ARD, a
child-like ruler with a sadistic glint in his eye.
ARD
They tell me you are Den of Earth,
the one who dared to steal the
female sacrifice from the Queen.
DAN
(V.O.)
This guy was a shrimp so I figured
I'd play it tough.
DEN
Where is the girl?
ARD
I am Ard - supreme leader of
the revolution and the next
ruler of the world.
DEN
(tougher)
The girl!!
ARD
Well, aren't we fierce?
If you are truly as tough as
you seem, then you will serve
me well. But first, a test.
Guards! Castrate him!
DAN
(V.O.)
Uh oh.
Two bestial guards approach from behind, brandishing curved
short-swords. DEN turns instinctively, dodges the first thrust
and delivers a bone-shattering elbow to the beast's head,
crushing his skull.
Spinning with his own momentum, DEN throws a rock-hard fist
into the second guard's chest, snapping his rib-cage and
sending him flying across the room.
Without pausing, the bald muscleman grabs the nearby beast-
Captain and lifts him into the air by his machine-gun. The
Captain hangs on as DEN twists the gun, butts it into the
creature's groin and then drives the weapon through the
Captain's jaw.
The creature crumples, leaving DEN with the gun.
DAN
(V.O.)
Boy! I was pretty good at this
stuff.
ARD
Excellent. You are worthy to
serve me.
DEN
(aiming machine-gun at him)
Give me the girl or die.
ARD
(taking it lightly)
Well, if I have a choice, I'll
take death.
DEN
So be it.
DEN fires, spraying a row of bullets across ARD'S body. The
bullets blast big yellow holes in ARD'S chest, but there is
no blood. ARD looks up and laughs.
ARD
Ha ha ha! You'll have to
do better than that.
As DEN looks on, ARD'S wounds miraculously close up and heal
themselves over.
DAN
(V.O.)
I could see why they made this
guy their leader.
ARD
(standing up)
... but if you're really interested
in the girl; I've had her encased in
glass.
ARD pulls the velvet covering off of a glass box to reveal
KATHERINE, unconscious, sealed inside.
DEN
She's dead.
ARD
Actually no. She's sleeping,
but only I can awaken her.
DEN
What do you want of me?
ARD
I want you to steal the sacred
Loc-Nar.
DEN
What is this Loc-Nar?
ARD
The Queen's glowing sphere, you
fool. The sacrifice to Uluhtec
can only be performed by the
possessor of the sacret Loc-Nar.
(calling out)
Norl!
NORL, a huge gorilla-man, in a purple cloak, steps forward.
ARD
(to Den)
This is Norl, my bravest warrior.
You will go with him to the Queen's
castle and steal the Loc-Nar. Then
I will give you the girl.
DEN
And if I refuse?
ARD
If you refuse, you die, she dies,
everybody dies.
DAN
(V.O.)
Sounded reasonable to me.
DEN looks down at KATHERINE'S motionless body.
DISSOLVE TO
RIVER BANKS NEAR THE QUEEN'S CASTLE
In the moonlight, DEN and NORL lead a squad of beast-warriors,
armed with automatic weapons, along the river towards the Queen's
castle.
NORL
(to Den)
Ssh. Guard post ahead. We
must go underground.
NORL lifts a rock to reveal an underground passageway.
DAN
(V.O.)
This guy Norl seemed to know what
he was doing. And, for a gorilla,
his English wasn't half bad.
DEN and the warriors enter the underground passage.
CUT TO
UNDERGROUND TUNNEL
The group, carrying torches, moves along the dark tunnel. They
pass a bubble-window with shark-faced eels swimming on the other
side.
NORL
(to Den)
We're underneath the castle moat.
DEN nods. An ugly growl echoes through the tunnel up ahead.
the warriors freeze and murmur to each other in their own
languages.
DEN
(to Norl)
What are they saying?
NORL
They talk of the savage beast who
prowls these catacombs with a fierce
hunger and sharp teeth ...
(gestures)
six inches long.
A dog-faced warrior shakes his head and says something to NORL.
NORL
Sorry ...
(indicating)
... sixteen inches long.
Suddenly, a savage beast appears and chomps his long, razor-sharp
teeth into one of the warriors at the end of the line. DEN, NORL,
and the remaining warriors run on through the tunnel as, behind
them, the monster pulls his victim apart.
CUT TO
DOORWAY IN CATACOMBS
DEN, NORL, and the remaining warriors arrive at a door in the
rock wall.
NORL
(to Den)
Now we separate. You and Korg
take this door into the Queen's
quarters. The rest of us will
move through the walls and enter
her chamber from the other side.
Whoever gets the Loc-Nar first will
return it to Ard. Good luck, Den.
DEN nods, puts out his torch and carefully opens the door as
NORL moves off.
CUT TO
DARK ROOM
DEN and KORG silently enter. Across the dark room, the
glow of the green ball casts a pale light.
KORG
(whispers and points)
Loc-Nar.
DAN
(V.O.)
Wow! It was just like the
ball I dug up in my back yard.
They tip-toe towards it.
DAN
(V.O.)
As I saw the Loc-Nar's glow I
had this real funny feeling. All
by themselves, my hands reached
forward to touch it. But the
Loc-Nar moved out of the way.
Instead, my hands felt something
else - warm flesh. Then the lights
came on.
In the brightly lit room, DEN is standing before the beautiful
semi-clad QUEEN, and holding her firm, naked breasts in his hands.
Looking around, he sees that he and KONG are surrounded by a
brigade of the Queen's ugly guards, swords raised.
DAN
(V.O.)
Talk about embarassing!
QUEEN
(smiling)
Kill them.
The Queen's guards attack with battle-axes, clubs and swords.
As DEN knees one in the groin and swings his gun into another's
face, four of the guards surround KORG and club his brains out.
But DEN, still going strong, throws two guards into the wall
and heaves a third out the window. As the QUEEN watches with
glee, more guards rush into the room and DEN is finally over-
powered and held down. The Captain of the guards places a long
knife against Den's throat.
CAPTAIN
Can I slit his throat, your
Majesty?
The QUEEN, eyeing Den's magnificent body, sighs.
QUEEN
Yes, slit his throat.
CAPTAIN
Thank you, your Majesty.
As the Captain presses his knife against Den's flesh, the
QUEEN suddenly raises her hand.
QUEEN
(smiling)
Stop! I have, ah, something better
in mind.
She takes Den's hand and leads him into an adjoining room, as
the guards grumble to one another.
GUARD #1
Jeez, not again.
GUARD #2
This always happens.
CAPTAIN
Look, she's the Queen. She
can do whatever she wants.
GUARD #2
Yeah, sure.
GUARD #1
Sure.
CUT TO
THE QUEEN'S BOUDOIR
The QUEEN stands before DEN, hands on her hips and a funny look
in her eye.
QUEEN
If you please me, I may let
you live.
She smiles, and approaches DEN.
DAN
(V.O.)
Uh oh.
DEN
What must I do?
QUEEN
Satisfy my appetites.
The QUEEN lets her cloak drop to the floor as she gets closer.
She is naked underneath.
DAN
(V.O.)
Wow! Eighteen years of nuthin'
and now, twice in one day. What
a place!
QUEEN
Come with me.
DEN
Mmmm.
She steps forward and takes his hand, leading him towards the
bed.
DISSOLVE TO
THE QUEEN'S BED
DEN and the QUEEN are lying undressed on the enormous bed.
The QUEEN has a very contented look on her face. DEN looks
exhausted. As the Neverwhere moon rises outside the chamber
window, the QUEEN slowly runs her hand over DEN'S bulging
muscles.
QUEEN
(softly)
The rising moon climaxes our
love, Den. Is is a sign, a
new beginning.
DEN
Yes, a sign.
DAN
(V.O.)
I had no idea what she was
talking about.
QUEEN
(stroking him)
Neverwhere is a troubled land,
but together we could calm it.
We could rule side by side.
Your strength has brought great
peace to my restless body. It
could bring great peace to all
the troubled people of this land.
DAN
(V.O.)
I knew I was good, but I didn't know
I was that good.
Suddenly the Captain and his guards burst through the door.
CAPTAIN
Your Majesty! The Loc-Nar is missing
- stolen!
The QUEEN jumps to her feet in a rage and points to DEN.
QUEEN
(screaming)
Fiend! You make love to me while
your accomplices steal the magic
sphere! Guards! Take him!
The guards grab DEN as the QUEEN snatches one of their big
spiked clubs.
QUEEN
(to guards)
Hold him still! I will kill
him myself!
DAN
(V.O.)
Boy, was she pissed off!
Heaving the guards aside, DEN breaks free and jumps out the
chamber window.
CUT TO
THE CASTLE WALL
DEN falls down, down into the swirling waters of the castle
moat.
(CUT TO)
THE QUEEN
She is livid.
QUEEN
Prepare the flying lizards.
I want his head!
CUT TO
OUTSIDE THE CASTLE
Pulling himself out of the moat, DEN knocks a guard off his
leopard/horse and rides off.
CUT TO
THE NEVERWHERE PYRAMID
ARD is kneeling at the edge of the sacrificial pool. Beside
him sits a long glass case wrapped in chains. Through the
chains we see KATHERINE trapped inside - fully conscious and
terrified. Ard's bestial warriors stand all around carrying
torches and spears.
Above them, the Loc-Nar sits glowing in the stone idol's hand.
ARD
By the power of the magic Loc-Nar
placed in your idol's hands, I
command you - come forth Uluhtec!
The green water in the pool immediately begins to churn
violently and leap into the air. A bolt of lightning
crackles in the sky.
CUT TO
THE NEVERWHERE DESERT
DEN is racing across the barren desert on his leopard/horse.
Visible in the distance is the outline of the huge, truncated
pyramid where he first saved KATHERINE.
As he rides, he sees the green glow of the Loc-Nar, sparkling
in the glass surfaces of the coffin in front of it.
DEN
(to himself)
Katherine!
He spurs his leopard/horse on into the night.
CUT TO
ANOTHER PART OF THE NEVERWHERE DESERT
The QUEEN, riding a flying lizard, leads her army in pursuit
of DEN.
SOLDIER
(pointing)
There he is, your Majesty!
CUT TO
QUEEN'S P.O.V.
Up ahead, silhouetted in the moonlight, she sees DEN, riding up
the steps of the pyramid. The camera pans to the green glow
atop the torch-lit pyramid.
QUEEN
(V.O.)
The Loc-Nar!
CUT TO
THE QUEEN
QUEEN
(shouting to her men)
Faster! To the pyramid!
She whips her lizard harder.
CUT TO
THE NEVERWHERE PYRAMID
ARD is incanting to the raging water while two hooded monks
stand beside him, holding the struggling KATHERINE out over
the pool.
ARD
Here is your sacrifice, Uluhtec.
Now, give me your power!
(to monks)
Throw her in.
Chanting the name "Uluhtec", the two monks start to throw
the girl in when suddenly a third monk leaps forward and
grabs her, kicking the other two monks into the water.
The intruder's hood falls away and his bald head gleams in the
moonlight.
DEN
Katherine!
KATHERINE
Den!
ARD
No! You'll ruin everything!
ARD jumps up and runs toward the Loc-Nar, perched in the stone
idol's hand. Grabbing it, ARD holds the glowing ball above him.
ARD
(to his guards)
Kill them! Kill them both!
Suddenly, a hand leaps out of the darkness, gripping the
Loc-Nar just above Ard's hand - it is the QUEEN.
QUEEN
The Loc-Nar is mine!
ARD
(struggling)
Stupid bitch! Get away from me!
As ARD and the QUEEN fight over the Loc-Nar, the Queen's troops
pour in and battle with Ard's soldiers. Thunder roars overhead.
CUT TO
DEN
Holding KATHERINE in one arm, DEN smashes a nearby soldier and
grabs the beast's spear. With the battle raging all around
him, DEN looks up at the sky.
CUT TO
THE SKY
Lightning crackles, illuminating the night with electricity.
CUT BACK TO
DEN
DEN reaches down, picks up the long chain that was wrapped around
the glass case and attaches one end to his spear. He kicks the
other end into the raging water, then heaves the spear
with all his might into the head of the stone idol.
In the same instant, a bolt of lightning fires down from the sky,
striking the idol full force. The lightning bolt travels through
the spear and down the chain, into the water. Suddenly, the
electrical energy arcs across to join with the Loc-Nar.
Holding onto the Loc-Nar, ARD and the QUEEN begin to glow green,
then de-materialize into a shimmering dimensional warp. The
troops stop fighting and look on in amazement, until all
that remains is the glowing Loc-Nar, hanging in mid-air.
KATHERINE
(to Den)
Where did they go?
DEN
They are gone. That is all
that matters.
DAN
(V.O.)
They probably went back to Earth.
Boy, will Mom be surprised.
Suddenly, the Loc-Nar falls to the ground at Den's feet.
KATHERINE
(looking down)
The Loc-Nar ... you could have the
power of Uluhtec. You could be
ruler over all these people.
DEN
(looking over the throng)
Forget it.
In a single powerful leap, DEN, carrying KATHERINE, bounds up
onto the Queen's flying lizard and they fly off. The amazed troops
watch for a moment, then shrug and resume fighting.
CUT TO
DEN'S FLYING LIZARD
KATHERINE clings to DEN as they fly.
KATHERINE
Oh, but Den, with the Loc-Nar
you could have returned to Earth.
DEN
I like it better here.
The lizard banks sharply away from us and carries them into the
distance.
DAN
(V.O.)
On Earth, I'm nobody. But here,
I am DEN.
CUT TO
THE NEVERWHERE PYRAMID
The camera pans down the stone statue to the glowing sphere,
which lies abandoned on the ground. The soldiers are gone. As
we watch, time begins to accelerate and the Neverwhere Pyramid
ages and crumbles all around the green ball. The earth heaves
and shifts, and dense vegetarian grows up through the cracks in
the ground.
A prehistoric man walks up and sees the glowing ball under a fern.
Fascinated, he picks it up and looks at it, as the foot of a
Tyrannosaurus Rex comes down, crushing him.
Time advances again as the dinosaur becomes a skeleton, and
a Biblical tent-community grows up around the ball. In the
fire-light, the Nomadic tribesmen are watering their animals,
when one of the camels paws at the ground, uncovering the glowing
ball. Scared, the camel struggles and trys to break its ropes.
Out of nowhere a Roman Legion attacks, slaughtering the tribesmen.
Time accelerates again, and the conquering Romans build a temple,
placing the green ball in the head of a golden idol. Then the
Romans grow fat and debauched, while slave-girls feed them grapes.
As the ball glows, the temple crashes down around the debauched
Romans, covering them and the green ball in rubble.
Over the ruins of the temple, a succession of primitive mud and
clay huts evolve into the thatched-roof cottages of a Medieval
village.
A Medieval stone-cutter finds the ball, and mortars it in with
his stones as he builds a water well in the centre of the village.
Satisfied with his work, he lowers the bucket to draw himself
a drink. Behind him, an ox-cart comes roaring around a corner.
The axle breaks and a heavy wooden wheel careens along, striking
the stone-cutter in the back and knocking him into the well.
Time advances once more as the Medieval village grows and
transforms into a Victorian-style town. It is evening, and
the stone well now sits under a gazebo at the centre of a gas-
lit village green.
A fancy carriage carrying a Victorian gentleman passes by and
circles the green.
Moving in through a window across the street, we see a seductive-
looking woman dressing herself in black garters and lace. This
is intercut with the carriage circling the green, until the
woman, who looks like a high-class harlot, finishes dressing and
leaves her room. Crossing the street, she walks up to the gazebo
and leans provocatively up against the well.
The gentleman gets out of his carriage, approaches the woman
and propositions her. She smiles, touches, and teases him. We
pan down their legs to the green ball glowing in the well-wall.
Suddenly red blood begins to drip over the ball, and the woman's
body falls to the ground. The camera pans up to the well-bucket,
where the gentleman is washing the blood from his hands.
As time begins to move forward again, the man ages and hobbles
away, as the well crumbles and cheap turn-of-the-century row-
housing grows up, covering the green ball. The town becomes
dirtier and blacker, and smokestacks blow soot into the morning
sky. Almost on cue, the doors of the houses open, and grim
coal-miners emerge, shuffling through the filthy streets on
their way to work.
The camera pans down to a drain in the gutter. A rat appears.
Panning back up, the street is now empty. A bell is heard
ringing, and a horse-drawn Red Cross cart pulls around a corner
and into view. Masked workers follow the cart. One rings
the bell, while the others pull corpses from the doorways and
load them into the cart. The gutters and windowsills are now
full of rats. Time advances again and the buildings become
deserted derelicts. Their decaying timbers groan under the
weight.
A support snaps, and one of the buildings starts to collapse.
Falling amidst the crumbling plaster and rotting wood is the
glowing green ball. As the ball hits the ground, it is covered
over by rubble.
The rubble becomes bleached by the hot sun and the landscape
grows drier. Sand blows all around, covering over everything.
As the sandstorm clears, the entire terrain is nothing but
desert. In the distance we can see a group of people walking.
CUT TO
PEOPLE
The people appears to be a band of aboriginal workmen, carrying
futuristic laser-shovels over their shoulders. They are led by
a goateed archaeologist with an elaborate metal detector. As
he walks, his detector starts bleeping. He points to a spot
on the ground, and the natives start digging with their laser-
shovels.
One of the workers finds something.
WORKER
Kuma! Kuma! Kuma!
The archaeologist waves the workers away and directs a tread-
driven shovel-sifter up to the spot. The shovel-sifter digs
in and pulls up a large chunk of desert. When the sand has
sifted out, we see the tarnished Loc-Nar in the machine's grip.
It is not glowing. The machine swivels, and a native foreman
plucks the Loc-Nar from the shovel-sifter's teeth.
As the foreman touches it, the Loc-Nar starts glowing brightly.
The foreman's hands turn green. He looks at his green hands,
then he looks over to the archaeologist. Suddenly the foreman's
entire body glows green, and crumbles into dust.
The archaeologist and the natives stare in horror at the
glowing Loc-Nar, lying in the pile of green dust.
DISSOLVE TO
NEW YORK - AERIAL SHOT - DAY
The camera comes down from high above the city. The general
shape and outline of New York looks familiar, but as we get
closer we sense that something is different. Fires are
burning in various locations below us, and intermittent
gunshots become audible as the narration begins.
HARRY
(V.O.)
Yeah, New York, big deal. Scum-centre
of the world.
Moving down through the skyscrapers, the city gets dirtier and
slummier. We pass a dead man hanging from a tenement clothesline.
Below us, scruffy children dodge traffic as they play gyro-ball
in the garbage-filled street.
HARRY
(V.O.)
... and now they're talking about
letting in low-lifes from other planets,
too.
Under the narration, the camera turns a corner and zooms down
through the roof of a parked taxicab. It stops full frame on
the newspaper held in the cabdriver's hands. A slow pan across
the front page reveals that the paper is the New York Times,
July 6, 2031
One headline reads: "400,000 Traffic Deaths Over Holiday Weekend".
Another reads: "Venus Declared 73rd State".
The camera stops on a headline reading: "Professor Discovers
Ancient Relic --- to be shown in N.Y. Museum".
There is an accompanying photo of the goateed archaeologist and
his beautiful daughter standing beside a glass and metal case
containing the Loc-Nar.
A knocking is heard on the cab's window, and the driver throws
down the newspaper.
YOUNG MAN
(from outside)
You free?
HARRY
Yeah. Get in.
(V.O.)
My name's Harry Canyon. I drive
a cab.
He flips a switch which unlocks the rear door.
CUT TO
OUTSIDE CAB
The young man climbs into the back seat and closes the door.
Harry's yellow Checker cab pulls out into traffic. The
vehicle looks pretty normal except for some vaguely futuristic
chrome panels cut into the sides, and thicker, deeper bumpers.
CUT TO
INSIDE CAB
Harry slides open the plexiglass shields separating him from
his passenger.
HARRY
Where to, pal?
YOUNG MAN
The U.N. Building.
HARRY
The U.N. Building. What a joke.
Used to be a nice place until they
turned it into low rent housing.
Now it's a dump. I wouldn't live
there if you paid me.
He switches on the car radio. The music plays as Harry's
cab passes various time-altered New York landmarks; a graffiti
-covered Empire State Building - windows all boarded up, a
decrepit Lincoln Centre, the marquis reading "Continuous Live
Sex Show, Also Inter-Planetary Mud-Wrestling", new ultra-tech
buildings crammed between half-destroyed Wall Street office
buildings, garbage everywhere.
Inside the cab, the YOUNG MAN pulls a gun out of his jacket,
sticks his arm through the opening in the plexi-glass shield,
and holds the gun to Harry's head.
YOUNG MAN
Okay sucker, hand over your cash,
now!
HARRY
(V.O.)
This city is really going to the
dogs.
Harry's foot stretches forward and pushes a footswitch.
A buzzing is heard, and the young man's body suddenly
dematerializes. The gun which he held at Harry's head
falls to the seat beside HARRY, who picks it up and tosses it
into the glove compartment, beside all sorts of other futuristic
guns and weapons.
HARRY
(V.O.)
Stupid asshole. Nobody touches
me unless I want 'em to.
CUT TO
EXT. METROPOLITIAN MUSEUM - NIGHT
The camera is close-up on the illustrated banner over the main
entrance. The banner reads; "Treasures of the Loc-Nar - Coming
July 8th".
We pan down to the museum doors, as a man's body comes crashing
through the plate glass and sprawls forward, cut and bleeding.
It is the goateed professor from the desert. His daughter
runs out behind him, ripping her clothes on the broken glass.
GIRL
Father!
PROFESSOR
Run!
The girl takes off down the museum stairs as men with laser
guns come out and start firing. A fat, evil-looking man (RUDNICK)
bends down and grabs the professor's head, jerking it up.
RUDNICK
(to henchmen)
He's dead. Get the girl!
The girl, clothes torn, runs out into the street, just as
Harry's cab comes cruising by. She runs alongside, pounding
on the window.
GIRL
(to Harry)
Help me, please!!
A laser shot narrowly misses her and blasts Harry's side-mirror.
HARRY flips the switch, unlocking the passenger door, and waves
her in.
HARRY
(V.O.)
Normally my rule is "Don't
get involved", but something
about this dame got to me.
She dives in the back and HARRY floors it. The cab screams
away as Laser-shots land all around.
GIRL
(in shock, breathless)
The Loc-Nar ... they wanted
it ... but my father wouldn't
tell them ... now I'm the only
one ...
CUT TO
HARRY
HARRY
(interupting)
Relax sister. There's a cop
station up here. You can ...
HARRY looks at her in the rear-view mirror. The girl has fainted.
HARRY
(V.O.)
Just what I needed ... guess
I'm a sucker for a pretty face.
CUT TO
POLICE STATION
The police station is an all-metal building with no windows.
A plaque on thr front reads "N.Y. POLICE - 52nd DIVISION".
Harry's cab pulls up. He gets out, carries the unconscious
GIRL up to the front door, and pushes a buzzer.
VOICE
(over intercom)
Police. Whaddya want?
HARRY
I wanna report a murder.
VOICE
(over intercom)
So what else is new?
HARRY
You gonna let me in or what?
A buzzer sounds and the door slides open. HARRY carries the
GIRL in and heads across the room toward the main desk. As
he walks he passes cops using a strange metal detector/vaccuum
cleaner to suck dangerous weapons from a pair of suspects. Piles
of weapons can be seen in the machine's transparent belly.
COP #1
Okay, this guy's clean - next.
HARRY comes up to the front desk and starts to lay the girl
down in a chair.
DESK SERGEANT
(to Harry)
Before you go any further pal, I
gotta tell you, it's cash up front. A
thousand bucks a day for a full investigation.
Another thousand if the assailant is caught.
Got it?
HARRY
Yeah thanks ...
He picks up the girl and turns to leave.
HARRY
... for nuthin'!
DESK SERGEANT
(shouting after Harry)
You think you can do better?
Join one of the vigilante groups.
There's a list of 'em outside.
CUT TO
EXT. POLICE STATION
HARRY, carrying the GIRL, comes out of the police station, as
a patrol car screeches to a halt in front of him. Two cops
emerge, dragging a green alien with four arms.
GREEN ALIEN
I tell you I'm an American citizen.
I just lost my papers.
COP
(to himself)
Goddamn illegal aliens.
HARRY heads toward his cab.
HARRY
(V.O.)
So here I was, stuck with this beautiful
girl. I knew she was gonna be nuthin'
but trouble ...
He looks around at the sleazy neighbourhood. Every doorway
and alley seems to have a rapist or thug lurking.
HARRY
(V.O.)
... but I didn't feel right just
leaving her for the sickos. I
dunno, maybe I'm gettin' sentimental
or something ...
DISSOLVE TO
INT. HARRY'S APARTMENT
This futuristic bachelor pad is constructed entirely of brightly
coloured molden plastic. Bowling trophies sit on a shelf
underneath a neon "Buweiser" clock. The place is a mess.
HARRY carries the GIRL in, pushes the light button to "On",
and lays her down on the sofa. As he takes off his jacket
he looks down at the unconscious figure - her clothes torn
in all the right places. She moans and starts to come to.
GIRL
Where am I?
HARRY
My place ...
Walking over to a hi-tech plastic bar, HARRY pushes a button
and a machine pours and mixes a drink. He hands the GIRL the
glass. She sits up and drinks.
GIRL
(looking at Harry)
They'd have killed me if it
wasn't for you.
HARRY
What'd they want to snuff you
for?
- - -
[Page 99/120.] |
"HELLBOY"
by
Guillermo del Toro
PRODUCTION DRAFT
6/14/03
OMIT
INT. DARKROOM - INTERVIEW 1
In a photographic DARKROOM: old optical enlargers, porcelain
trays, timers, and stills hanging out to dry.
GEORGE MATLIN, a slightly obese, nearsighted man in his
seventies.
OLD MATLIN
Is he real? Oh yeah -- Absolutely.
Super: CPL. GEORGE MATLIN, combat photographer.
OLD MATLIN
I haven't talked about it for years,
you know?
(looks at the camera)
Everyone called me crazy...
Matlin smiles as he paws through a box of old negatives.
OLD MATLIN
But I have the negative.
Someone turns on the darkroom's red safety light for an eerie,
dramatic effect.
TECHNICIAN'S VOICE
Get ready, 3-2-1... Roll tape.
OLD MATLIN
It all started back in ´44. I was a
Corps photographer aboard an allied
submarine...
CUT TO:
INT. SUBMARINE HALLWAY - NIGHT
YOUNG MATLIN's hands again paw through a bunch of negatives,
again under a red light. Now, at 21, he's wedged in a
submarine corridor, a crowded maze of pipes and gauges.
35mm still cameras dangle from his neck. He shrinks back as
a squad of MARINES hustles past him, loading weapons.
OLD MATLIN'S VOICE
...off the coast of Scotland.
Classified mission. I was 21...
SGT. WHITMAN, 44, tough as nails, pushes through, his uniform
soaked in sweat.
OLD MATLIN'S VOICE
We had an English civilian on board.
Not much older than me but already
an advisor to President Roosevelt.
"Paranormal" advisor, I kid you not --
Whitman continues down the passageway until he reaches a
small...
INT. SUBMARINE STATEROOM - NIGHT
Within, an incongruously proper young Englishman "reading"
an ancient set of Tarot cards.
OLD MATLIN'S VOICE
His name was Trevor. Profesor Trevor --
WHITMAN
-- Broom! Topside, now.
TREVOR "BROOM" BRUTTENHOLM is a gaunt, olive-skinned man in
his late twenties. In his hands, a tarot deck. He turns the
cards face up: THE FOOL, THE MOON...
WHITMAN
The sooner we're done, the better.
Broom grabs a worn-down wooden box full of books and amulets.
It has a leather strap that allows him to carry it, much
like a carpenter's tool box.
BROOM
This is an important mission, Sgt.
Whitman. I hope you realize that.
WHITMAN
Oh -- you don't wanna know what I
think. Topside, now.
He moves away. Broom takes a small box and a few amulets.
Before exiting, he pauses and tensely turns the last TAROT
CARD: THE DEVIL.
CUT TO:
OMIT
INT/EXT. SCOTLAND - TUNNEL - NIGHT
Super: OCTOBER 9, 1944, SCOTLAND.
It's raining like hell now. Soldiers move through a short
tunnel carved into the mountain.
Whitman signals his men to spread out, then comes alongside
Broom.
BROOM
Sgt. Whitman!! Sgt. Whitman!! May I
have a word??
WHITMAN
(impatient)
What is it?
BROOM
In private, if you don't mind...
EXT. SCOTLAND CHAPEL REMAINS
They enter the remains of a small chapel. Broom produces the
small box. It's full of rosaries.
BROOM
Your men -- They'll need these --
Whitman scowls and huffs. A life-sized wooden Christ
contemplates the scene from above.
WHITMAN
You are a Catholic??
BROOM
Amongst other things, yes -- but
that's hardly the point.
Whitman locks and loads an automatic.
WHITMAN
Here. You'll need one of these.
BROOM
I abhor violence.
(Whitman moves away)
Sergeant Whitman, I hope you don't
think me mad --
WHITMAN
Three days too late for that one,
"professor."
He moves away. Broom looks up to the wooden Christ: It has
no eyes.
EXT. DITCH
MATLIN hauls his tripod and gear and joins the troops on the
move. Broom catches up with Whitman.
WHITMAN
You're wasting our time: There's
nothing on this island but sheep and
rocks.
BROOM
Ruins. Not rocks. The remains of
Trondham Abbey. Built on an
intersection of Ley Lines, the
boundaries between our world and the
other --
WHITMAN
(interrupts him)
What a load of crap. Hell, a week
ago I hadn't even heard the word
parabnormal --
BROOM
"Paranormal"
(Whitman moves on)
But -- you read the transmission.
WHITMAN
Half transmission. Nonsense -- German
ghost stories!
BROOM
I have seen ghosts, Whitman.
WHITMAN
Oh, I'll bet you have.
Reaching a slope, Matlin sets down his camera. Turning, he
sees lights.
MATLIN
Sweet Jesus.
Drenched, Broom and Whitman look down upon an impressive
ROMANESQUE RUIN. Under worklights, dozens of NAZI SOLDIERS
swarm among thick stone walls and archways.
BROOM
They must be here for the sheep.
OMIT
EXT. AMONG THE RUINS - NIGHT
A dozen German soldiers swiftly assemble a large steel
MACHINE. The work is monitored by a spindly Nazi in BLACK
LEATHER, his face covered by an odd gas mask: KROENEN.
WHITMAN
The freak in the gas mask --
BROOM
Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, one of the
Reich's top Scientists. Head of the
Thule Occult Society.
EXT. NEARBY - BROOM - NIGHT
He lowers a pair of binoculars and passes them to Whitman.
BROOM
If he's here, this is worse than I
thought.
WHITMAN
(to the radio man)
Air and sea backup. What's closest?
The RADIOMAN cranks a transmitter to life.
RADIO MAN
Londonderry, sir. Forty minutes away.
BROOM
We don't have forty minutes.
EXT. ABBEY RUINS - ALTAR AREA - NIGHT
Kroenen throws a switch: On the machine, dozens of gears
respond!
Steam pistons thrust copper rails upright, lifting two mighty
metal rings, not unlike a gyroscope. Kroenen grunts and
signals for more floodlights to be turned on.
EXT. BEHIND THE ALTAR - NIGHT
The lights flood an ancient sacristy lined with eroded stone
saints. GRIGORY, tall and gaunt, stands naked, arms fully
extended.
GRIGORY
No matter what happens to me, you
must carry on with the work.
ILSA, a severe, ageless Aryan beauty, reverentially drapes
an embroidered robe over his bony shoulders.
ILSA
I will not leave you.
GRIGORY
Yes, you will... Leave me. Deny me.
ILSA
Never --
He hands her a small LEATHER-BOUND BOOK. It contains hand-
drawn notes and illustrations.
GRIGORY
This will guide you back to me.
He pulls her close, the clouds of their breath mingling.
GRIGORY
I grant you everlasting life, youth
and the power to serve me.
He dips his fingers in a wooden bowl full of blood, then
wipes her tears away with a crimson thumb, both a consolation
and a ritual.
VON KRUPT, an acrid German General, wearing dark SCARLET
glasses and LEATHER GLOVES, appears. Looks at his pocket
watch. On the gold lid: a SWASTIKA.
VON KRUPT
It's time.
OMIT
EXT. ABBEY RUINS - ALTAR AREA - CEREMONY - NIGHT
Grigory walks towards the machine, its colossal steel and
copper clockworks gleaming in the floodlights.
VON KRUPT
Five years of research and
construction, Grigory. Five years!!
He strides alongside Grigory and Ilsa, who holds an umbrella
to shield her master from the pouring rain.
VON KRUPT
The furhrer doesn't look kindly on
failure.
GRIGORY
There will be no failure, General. I
promised Herr Hitler a miracle. I'll
deliver one.
Kroenen mutters excitedly as he opens a polished oak box
containing a massive gold and copper MECHA-GLOVE.
Grigory extends his hand so that KROENEN may fit him with
the contraption, which is attached to cables and hoses.
EXT. THE HILLTOP - ALLIED SOLDIERS - NIGHT
The Americans fan out, unseen.
Broom and Whitman dive into a ditch barely in time to avoid
a German foot patrol.
Other GI's take up positions below a machine gun nest.
EXT. ABBEY RUINS - ALTAR AREA - NIGHT
Grigory walks to the top of the altar, cables trailing behind
him.
GRIGORI
Tonight, We will open a portal and
awaken the OGDRU JAHAD: The seven
Gods of chaos.
(beat)
Our enemies will be destroyed. In an
instant, all impurity in this world
will be razed and from the ashes a
new eden will arise.
He looks down at the machine and whispers --
GRIGORY
Ragnarok, Anung Ia Anung.
He flexes his fingers and in response --
-- the two metal rings swing around the machine's central
axis. TCHINK!!! WHIRRR!!! STEAM escapes from the ducts and
pipes. An invisible blast of energy forces the falling rain
to swerve momentarily away from Grigory's body.
Ilsa signals TWO NAZI SCIENTISTS standing at a control panel.
ILSA
More Power!! Don't let the level
drop!!
One of them inserts a 20 inch SOLID GOLD CYLINDER into the
machine. Two openings remain vacant next to it.
A blade of light opens in the air!
Burning symbols slash the air, like living serpents of fire.
EXT. COSMIC SLIT - NIGHT
The edges of the cosmic slit sizzle with color; an ALIEN
GALAXY sparkles on the other side. Suddenly, a work light
tears loose and flies in.
EXT. COSMIC SLIT - FROM THE OTHER SIDE - NIGHT
The six-foot work light tumbles by the massive OGDRU JAHAD:
seven egg-like monoliths of unholy origin.
Within their translucent walls, horrible creatures lie
slumbering. As the light sweeps by, one of the giants opens
a filmy eye, and then another, and another, and another...
Fleshy tentacles move lazily within their crystalline prison.
EXT. ABBEY RUINS - ALTAR AREA - NIGHT
Grigory screams as his body rises. Veins swell in his neck,
his face distorted by ecstasy and pain.
CLICK. Someone shoots a photograph.
EXT. RUINS - IN THE UNDERBRUSH - NIGHT
It's Matlin, snapping for all he's worth. Whitman pulls him
down and pulls out a large bayonet blade.
WHITMAN
Listen to me, you moron: you do that
again, I'll carve you a new --
Too late. One of the NAZI SCIENTIST has heard them.
EXT. RUINS, IN THE UNDERBRUSH - NIGHT
The Nazi SCIENTIST approaches. Pauses next to the box with
the GOLD CYLINDERS.
BROOM
(fierce whisper, to
WHITMAN)
Listen to me!!! The portal is open!!!
We have to stop them!!!
EXT. ABBEY RUINS - ALTAR AREA - NIGHT
Grigory dangles like a marionette in a new surge of energy.
Even the skeptical Von Krupt is in thrall.
The NAZI SCIENTIST reaches for a second GOLD CYLINDER. But
something else lands next to him: A GRENADE!!!
The explosion blows him to pieces. In a few seconds, the
squad of Allies storms the area.
A hail of bullets cuts down a dozen Nazis. The Allies overrun
the machine gun nest as grenades explode everywhere.
VON KRUPT shoots wildly, hitting Broom in the leg. But
Whitman's bullets rip into the old Nazi's chest.
Leaving a trail of blood, Broom crawls to a dead G.I. and
grabs a grenade from his belt.
TCHKKK!!! Kroenen extends two gleaming blades from twin steel
bands on his wrists and takes on an entire group of soldiers,
mowing through them with swords spinning like deadly rotors.
The steel chops clean through their weapons.
Broom pulls the pin and throws the grenade at the generator.
CLICK-CLACK!! It wedges itself between two moving tie rods.
Kroenen squeals and -- retracting his blades -- lunges after
it. The gyrating rails slice through his leather jacket. As
his fingers reach the grenade, it EXPLODES!!!
Kroenen flies through the air, hitting a stone wall, where
two long pieces of shrapnel pin him like an insect.
Another rail plunges -- FFFFT!!, like a javelin -- into the
earth right next to MATLIN.
ILSA
Grigory!
EXT. ABBEY RUINS - ALTAR AREA - NIGHT
Grigory's face is distorted, pulled like ectoplasmic taffy,
his body contorting and breaking. The cosmic portal suddenly
implodes! Nothing is left but a few burnt rails and the metal
glove, empty and smoking.
As the Allies approach, the fighting rages on.
Grigory and Ilsa are gone. And for now, so is Kroenen.
Embedded in the wall where he was pinned, two bloody rails,
nothing more.
OMIT
EXT. INSIDE THE CHURCH - NIGHT
Allied SOLDIERS penetrate the ruins. Matlin helps Broom up.
MATLIN
It's almost over!!
BROOM
No. It's not.
He picks up a sample of white, viscous goo from the outer
rings of the smoking machine. Whitman approaches.
BROOM
Cordon off the area. Something came
through.
WHITMAN
From where??!!
Broom glances at a 13th century FRESCO depicting heaven and
hell.
EXT. INSIDE CHURCH RUINS - NIGHT
Still raining. A group of soldiers spreads out, using
flashlights to scour through the rubble. Every one of them
has a rosary hanging from the bayonet.
OMIT
EXT. INSIDE CHAPEL RUINS - NIGHT
Broom hastily bandages his bleeding leg. Matlin and Whitman
roam over the debris. Rain POURS through the broken roof.
MATLIN
Do you believe in hell?
BROOM
There is a place -- a dark place
where evil slumbers and awaits to
return. From there it infects our
dreams. Our thoughts. Grigory gave
us a glance tonight --
MATLIN
Grigory -- That's Russian, right?
(Broom nods)
Thought they were on our side...
BROOM
Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin --
MATLIN
C'mon -- Rasputin??
BROOM
Spiritual advisor to the Romanovs.
(beat)
In 1916, at a dinner in his honor,
he was poisoned, shot, stabbed,
clubbed, drowned and castrated.
MATLIN
That makes him more than a hundred --
A rustling sound reaches their ears. Matlin readies a handgun
as Broom scans the walls with his flashlight. Something moves,
accompanied by a loud scrape.
Matlin cocks his pistol and nervously approaches a crumbling
statue. SCREEEECH!!!! A RED THING jumps into the air!!
Instinctively, Matlin shoots at it.
The RED THING leaps from arch to arch, followed by a trail
of bullet hits. Whitman and other soldiers join them --
MATLIN
(to Broom)
What the hell was that? An ape?
BROOM
No. It was red. Bright red.
WHITMAN
What are you two talking about??
MATLIN
A red ape.
BROOM
It's-not-an-ape --
They hear the labored breathing of a living creature.
MATLIN
It's got a big stone -- in its hand --
BROOM
I think that is its hand.
Hissing, the thing cowers between a gargoyle and a stone
saint.
WHITMAN points his gun at the scarlet shape above. Broom
stops him from firing.
BROOM
Wait --
In deep shadow, the RED THING observes with bright, golden
eyes veined with streaks of burnt sienna.
Broom slowly fishes a BABY RUTH candy bar from his pocket.
Peeling back the wrapper, he slowly waves the candy. The RED
THING shrinks back.
Broom bites into the candy and chews, noisily smacking his
lips. Offers the candy again. This time, out of the dark
comes a small FACE, not very different from the stone demons
around it.
The creature extends its right arm: it's solid stone with
tiny runes engraved around the thick, cylindrical wrist.
Four articulated stone fingers wiggle, reaching for the
chocolate.
YOUNG SOLDIER
Jesus! would'ya look at the size of
that whammer!
Whitman moves closer. On the wall behind him, a shadow shows
the RED THING climbing into Broom's arms.
Broom tenderly covers it with a blanket. The stubby fingers
snatch the candy. Broom smiles.
BROOM
It's a boy. Just a baby boy.
EXT. CHAPEL RUINS - NIGHT
The soldiers cluster around, curious to see it. Matlin
prepares his camera and directs them into a group shot. Broom
smiles like a proud new father and embraces the creature,
patting him gently. CLICK!!!
OLD MATLIN'S VOICE
Best photo of my career --
CUT TO:
INT. DARKROOM - BACK TO INTERVIEW 1
OLD MATLIN
and no one has ever seen it. They
keep saying he's not real, but I
want to set the record straight before
I go.
Matlin finally pulls an old 8x10 from a battered portfolio.
He smiles, full of memories.
OLD MATLIN
Here. The real picture, not the
retouched one in LIFE magazine.
(hands over the
photograph)
This is him. The very same night we
found him. The night Broom gave him
that name.
(beat)
Can I say it on TV? He called him --
EXT. INSIDE THE CHURCH - BACK TO '44 - NIGHT
BROOM
(smiles at the creature)
HELLBOY.
Inside the blanket, Hellboy blinks his bright golden eyes
and chews candy, his devilish red tail twitching happily.
CUT TO:
HELLBOY - MAIN TITLE
Montage: Tabloid covers and news clippings screaming HELLBOY
SIGHTING IN RENO!! GOVERNMENT DENIAL!!! etc.
TV Newscasters read lurid copy. SPRINGER excerpts (fist fight
included) feature the show's theme: I WAS HELLBOY'S BRIDE!!
Some blurry, grainy footage depicts Hellboy crossing an alley.
Much like Bigfoot in the woods.
TOM MANNING (V.O.)
Look at that. That's a costume. These
people amaze me.
INT. STUDIO T.V. HOST SHOW - INTERVIEW #2 - DAY
MANNING is a balding, official-looking guy in a suit.
MANNING
With their conveniently blurry footage
of their beloved "Hellboy." And they
claim that he works for the FBI-?
SUPER ON TV:
TOM MANNING, F.B.I.
HEAD OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS.
Manning on a TV SHOW a la Regis Philbin.
TV HOST
As the head of your division, you --
You have seen dozens of pictures
like this!!!
MANNING
Exactly -- so, why is it that they're
all out of focus? C'mon!! God knows,
people manage to get good pictures
at a wedding!!
He shows a blurry picture.
MANNING
That's the alleged best man -- ?
The audience applauds.
EXT. HIGH MOUNTAINS, EASTERN EUROPE - DAY
In the thick of a snowstorm, THREE FIGURES climb the icy
steps of a massive rock formation.
Super: BIRGAU PASS, MOLDAVIA, PRESENT DAY.
EXT. HIGH MOUNTAINS (SET), EASTERN EUROPE - DAY
The THREE FIGURES move through a narrow passage until they
reach a DEAD END.
FIGURE 1 stops at a symbol carved in the rocky ground and
consults Grigory's LEATHER-BOUND BOOK. The symbol matches an
illustration in the book.
Before them, a thick wall of ice. Using a heavy steel hammer,
FIGURE 1 breaks through.
PEASANT GUIDE
I will guide you no further.
Figure 2 produces two small GOLD INGOTS. Hands one to the
guide. Keeps the other one.
The Guide examines his pay greedily: engraved in it: a
SWASTIKA.
INT. ICE CAVE - SMALL CORRIDOR - DAY
The ice curtain collapses, revealing a rough-walled corridor.
FIGURE 1 spots a glowing firefly. They follow it into --
INT. ICE CAVE - MAIN NAVE - DAY
A cathedral-like vault that could easily hold a stadium.
From an opening somewhere above, eerie blue light streams
down on a magnificent labyrinth.
A few more fireflies speckle the air, winking on and off.
INT. ICE CAVE - LABYRINTH - DAY
The THREE FIGURES move past cyclopean statues guarding the
inhuman architecture. The humans are dwarfed by the monumental
scale of the walkways and ramparts.
INT. ICE CAVE - CENTRAL LABYRINTH AREA - DAY
At the center of the labyrinth the stone floor is covered in
grooves radiating from a shallow stone basin.
FIGURE 3 uncovers his face: he's a PEASANT GUIDE.
PEASANT GUIDE
(in Romanian)
We shouldn't be here --
FIGURE 1 exchanges a meaningful look with FIGURE 2. FIGURE 1
throws two solid gold pieces at the feet of the Sherpa. On
them, an embossed SWASTIKA. After a greedy moment of thought,
the Peasant kneels to pick up the gold.
TCHKK!!! A long, shiny blade pierces the Peasant's chest
from behind. He blinks twice and slumps forward.
FIGURE 2 steps out from behind him, a long, bloody blade in
his hand.
The figures uncover their faces. ILSA has not aged and
KROENEN, still wears the same tight gas mask. He cleans his
blade in the snow and takes back the gold.
Ilsa watches the Sherpa's blood as it runs in a steaming
rivulet, tracing a glyph in the grooves and filling the basin.
A FIGURE RISES FROM THE BLOOD. A naked human shape, haloed
by fireflies.
ILSA
Your eyes. What did they do to your
eyes?
CUT TO:
INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
Mechanized rollers transport X-Ray films over a backlit
screen. A group of 4 DOCTORS studies the pictures and
exchanges somber looks. Rain spatters the windows.
Doctor 1 glances at the others.
DOCTOR 1
Have you told him yet?
Doctor 2 looks through a glass partition at an aged but
dignified BROOM, 72, who slowly buttons his shirt. Hanging
from his wrist, his rosary.
INT. DOCTORS OFFICE - EXAMINATION ROOM - DAY
DOCTOR 2
Malignant sarcoma. In the lungs...
the spine, liver...
BROOM
Approximately... how long??
DOCTOR 2
Maybe -- six weeks.
Broom impassively takes in the information.
DOCTOR 2
I can arrange for hospitalization,
pain management. Make the time more
bearable --
Broom pensively shuffles his tarot cards.
BROOM
(shakes his head)
I'd rather... stay home, you know.
I'll be making arrangements --
(beat)
For my son.
DOCTOR 2
You can always get a second opinion.
Broom looks down: first card off the deck: DEATH.
BROOM
That won't be necessary.
EXT. N.Y. - MANHATTAN STREET - DAY
Leaves stir on the pavement. All the stores are decorated
for Halloween. Two kids dressed as SKELETONS run in front of
Broom, carrying a JACK-O-LANTERN.
Leaning on a cane, Broom exits the building and walks toward
a waiting black Mercedes. The DRIVER (Agent Lime) opens the
door.
Broom pauses to buy a dozen BABY RUTH candy bars from a street
vendor.
In an ELECTRONICS STORE, a wall of TV's. The image of a RED,
BLURRY SHAPE (HELLBOY) fills the screens.
BROOM
(seeing this)
Son...
TV HOST
Mister Manning, what about the "Bureau
for Paranormal Research and Defense?"
The FBI has been known to conceal --
TOM MANNING
That word -- conceal --
TV HOST
from the American public --
TOM MANNING
Phil -- Phil -- hold your little
green horses. Let me tell you and
the American public one thing --
this "Bureau for -- what was it?
TV HOST
Paranormal Research and --
TOM MANNING
-- Defense, right, well -- I'm here
to clear up this once and for all.
(he looks at the camera)
There-is-no-such-thing.
Broom smiles.
OMIT
EXT. B.P.R.D. BUILDING COMPLEX - DAY
On a wooded, new jersey hill, a low-slung, high-tech complex
rests at the edge of a bluff, its foundation fused with the
rock below.
SUPER: BUREAU FOR PARANORMAL RESEARCH AND DEFENSE, NEWARK,
N.J.
EXT. B.P.R.D. COMPLEX - GATE ENTRANCE - DAY
A dolled-up MOD-STYLE moped stops at the massive gate.
Strapped to the luggage rack are two cheap suitcases. The
driver, a very wet YOUNG MAN named MYERS, touches an old
fashioned buzzer under a sign reading "WASTE MANAGEMENT"
A crackling INTERCOM VOICE answers.
INTERCOM VOICE
Yes?
MYERS
(shivering)
John Myers, F.B.I. Transfer from
Quantico.
A beat, then -- WHIRRR!!! An EYEPIECE and an LCD screen
scanner pop out.
INTERCOM VOICE
Look at the birdie, son.
Myers looks into the eyepiece. On the screen, Myers' cornea
is scanned. TWO VIOLET FLASHES. His ID and badge numbers
appear. CLACK! The gate opens.
EXT. UPHILL ROAD - THE MOPED - DAY
The moped putt-putts towards the building in the distance.
INT. B.P.R.D. LOBBY - DAY
Seated at a dramatic circular desk is a solitary guard. Myers
approaches.
MYERS
Hello, I'm --
LOBBY GUARD
-- Late. Five minutes late.
MYERS
Yes, I --
LOBBY GUARD
-- Section fifty-one. Step back.
MYERS
Pardon?
LOBBY GUARD
Two steps back, please.
Confused, Myers picks up his suitcases and complies. He
realizes he's DEAD CENTER on a giant B.P.R.D. Logo: A HAND
HOLDING A SWORD.
LOBBY GUARD
Watch your hands and elbows.
Immediately, the floor under Myers' feet starts down. He's
on a small elevator.
INT./EXT. OPEN ELEVATOR - ON THE WAY DOWN - DAY
The panel overhead slides shut. A row of safety lights comes
on.
INT. OPEN ELEVATOR - DAY
He's in a vast underground area with other elevators moving
up and down in the distance.
INT. B.P.R.D. - CONCRETE CHAMBER 51 - DUSK
The elevator stops in a narrow, dark space. Neon lights
flicker on, illuminating a circular chamber. PAINTED on the
floor is a huge number: 51.
Right in front of Myers: a magnificent oak door.
Myers knocks on it. No answer. Myers enters.
INT. BROOM´S OFFICE (FULL AQUARIUM)- DUSK
Myers looks around, fascinated: books. An office made of
them. The soft glow of green-shaded reading lamps bathes
everything in an intimate, warm light.
One entire wall is a thick pane of glass, the wall of a huge
tank of water. A VOICE crackles through an intercom next to
the tank.
VOICE
Turn the pages, please.
Myers jumps, then moves closer to the glass.
VOICE
Over here... if you don't mind?
In the tank, ABE SAPIEN, a FISH-MAN glides in and out view.
MYERS
Jesus Christ!
Myers looks at four BOOK STANDS facing the glass. Each
supports an open volume. He leans close to the glass, peering
intently.
Abe reappears. He is slender, dolphin gray, with dark patterns
streaking his soft skin. Bright blue eyes shine with
intelligence. Behind a thin wound-like mouth, gills are
bubbling.
MYERS
(points at the books)
These -- ? You're reading these -- ?
Abe nods. Through a side door, Broom enters.
BROOM
Four books at once. Every day -- as
long as I'm here to turn the pages.
(smiles)
My name's Broom. Professor Trevor
Broom.
Myers extends his hand in greeting --
MYERS
Sir, I'm --
BAM! Abe presses his webbed hand against the glass, closes
his eyes -- all three lids.
Abe's voice surges from the speaker.
ABE
Agent John T. Myers, Kansas City,
76. "T" stands for Thaddeus, mother's
older brother. Scar on your chin
happened when you were ten, you still
wonder if it's ever going to fade
away.
MYERS
How did it --
BROOM
-- He. Not "it."
BROOM
Abraham Sapien. Discovered alive in
a secret chamber at St. Trinian's
Foundling Hospital, Washington.
Points at a small piece of antique paper, framed on the wall.
BROOM
They took his name from this little
inscription that was stuck on his
tank.
MYERS
(reads)
Icthyo Sapiens, April 14, 1865.
BROOM
The day Abraham Lincoln died. Hence
"Abe" Sapien.
Broom uncovers a tray by the tank: Four greenish eggs. Myers
gags and reels back.
BROOM
Rotten eggs, a delicacy. Abe loves
them.
Abe smiles and takes a subaquatic bow, gracefully nabbing
the eggs as they float through the hatch.
MYERS
How does he know so much about me?
BROOM
Abe possesses a unique frontal lobe.
(beat)
"Unique." That's a word you'll hear
quite a bit around here.
MYERS
Where am I -- exactly, Sir?
BROOM
As you entered the lobby there was
an inscription --
MYERS
On the desk, yes. In Latin.
BROOM
Impressive. Do you remember what it
said?
MYERS
(sighs)
"In absentia luci, tenebrae
vinciunt..."
BROOM
"In the absence of light, darkness
prevails." For there are things that
go bump in the night, Agent Myers.
(smiles)
We are the ones who bump back.
OMIT
CUT TO:
INT. B.P.R.D. - FREAK CORRIDOR "A" - NIGHT
Myers and Broom walk down a corridor. The walls are lined
with glass cases containing occult artifacts. Myers eyes a
MUMMIFIED HAND, a CLAY GOLEM, a sumptuous PAGAN ALTAR...
BROOM
1937: Hitler joins "The Thule Society" --
a group of German aristocrats obsessed
with the occult.
He points to an ANCIENT, BROKEN LANCE.
BROOM
1938: he acquires the Spear of
Longinus, which pierced the body of
Christ. He who holds it becomes
invincible.
He gestures at an ancient LANCE. Next to it: a silver and
gold reliquary.
BROOM
Hitler's power increases tenfold.
They go through a series of pneumatic doors.
BROOM
In 1943, President Roosevelt decides
to fight back. THE BUREAU FOR
PARANORMAL RESEARCH AND DEFENSE is
born.
Workmen are replacing two of the doors. Big dents from an
oversized fist have deformed the 2-inch thick metal plates.
Myers stares.
BROOM
1958, the occult war finally ends
when Adolf Hitler dies.
MYERS
1945, you mean. Hitler died in '45.
BROOM
(enigmatic smile)
Did he, now?
They reach a FINAL DOOR. Stainless steel, like a BANK VAULT.
Waiting there is AGENT CLAY, a burly guy in a suit, with a
cartful of BEEF AND MASHED POTATOES. A dinner pile at least
4 feet high.
BROOM
Agent Myers, this is Agent Clay.
Follow his lead.
Broom hands Myers two BABY RUTH bars and walks away.
MYERS
You're not coming?
Broom signals "no."
BROOM
I hand-picked you from a roster of
over seventy academy graduates. Make
me proud.
The door closes behind him.
CLAY
They're not speaking. Professor Broom
had him grounded.
MYERS
Grounded? Who's grounded?
CLAY
Okay. You saw the fish man, right?
Myers nods.
CLAY
Well, come on in and meet the rest
of the family.
Clay uses an odd-shaped ELECTRONIC KEY to unlock the door.
Three solenoid locks turn. Two steel vertical PISTONS open
up.
INT. HELLBOY'S DEN - NIGHT
Clay pushes the cart into a solid concrete bunker, windowless,
austere except for a few SAMURAI suits of ARMOR and WEAPONS.
Dozens of CATS wander around; others are curled up on the
furniture.
There are Zippo's everywhere, from every era.
On a sofa (made from the bed of a pickup truck) is a heap of
blankets and comic books. All in all, a MEGA BACHELOR PAD.
CLAY
(sotto voce)
He gets fed six times a day. He's
got a thing for cats. You'll be his
nanny, his keeper, his best friend.
He never goes out unsupervised --
MYERS
Who?!
Clay points at a torn comic book: HELLBOY, THE UNCANNY. Myers
picks it up, looks at the cover: it shows Hellboy -- in a
U.S. Uniform, fighting a monstrous ape.
Myers watches, amazed, as a bright red TAIL waves in and out
of a pool of light about ten feet away. One of the cats
playfully paws at it.
MYERS
(sotto voce)
You're kidding --
HELLBOY
Those comics -- They never got the
eyes right.
The voice is a deep baritone, chesty and powerful.
MYERS
(to Clay, sotto voce)
Oh, Jesus!! Hellboy -- ?? Is real --
CLAY
(sotto voce)
Yup. Sixty years old by our count.
But he doesn't age like we do --
think dog years: He's barely out of
his teens.
Myers gasps, seeing a monumental figure in the shadows,
exercising with a 300 lb. Stainless steel DUMBBELL. Crimson
biceps like cooked hams. Chomping an unlit CIGAR stub.
HELLBOY
What's with the hair, Clay?? Finally
got those implants??
Agent Clay blushes as he hides his scalp.
CLAY
It'll fill in. Where do you want
your dinner, Red? By the couch?
On a nearby pile of junked TV sets, a loop of Fleischer
cartoons and home movies cycles endlessly. One subject appears
over and over: an ATTRACTIVE YOUNG WOMAN with a pale face
and raven-black hair.
HELLBOY
Who's the squirt?
CLAY
Agent Myers is your new liaison.
HELLBOY
Got tired of me?
CLAY
Nah. I'll be around, Red, just back
in the field.
BANG!!! Hellboy lets the dumbbell drop. Instinctively, Myers
jumps.
HELLBOY
I don't want him.
CLAY
Manning says I'm too soft on you --
(sotto voce, nudging
Myers)
The candy. Give him the candy.
Myers remembers he's holding the Baby Ruths.
MYERS
Oh. Uh. Hello. I -- I have these.
For you.
HELLBOY
(realizing)
Father's back?
(Clay nods)
Still angry?
CLAY
Well, you did break out --
HELLBOY
I wanted to see her.
(grunts)
It's nobody's business.
CLAY
It is. You got yourself on TV again.
HELLBOY
"Myers", huh? You have a first name??
CLAY
(sotto to Myers)
Try not to stare. He hates when people
stare.
MYERS
Uh-oh -- John.
(sotto)
Staring at what?
CLAY
His horns. He files 'em. To "fit
in."
MYERS
His what??!!
Hellboy finally enters the light. He's awe-inspiring, with
chiseled features, patterned red skin and deep-set golden
eyes. Involuntarily, Myers recoils.
In spite of himself, Myers is staring at the horn stumps.
HELLBOY
Whatcha looking at, John??
MYERS
Oh-n-no -- I --
An ALARM sounds, and a red light blinks on the wall. Myers
looks around, bewildered.
HELLBOY
(to Clay)
Hey, hey, hey. They're playing our
song.
CLAY
We're on the move.
HELLBOY
(to Myers)
C'mon, Champ! Happy Halloween!!!
You're taking me for a walk!
CUT TO:
EXT. MACHEN LIBRARY - NIGHT
An imposing four-story structure, all pillars and pediments.
A HALLOWEEN BANNER advertises: MAGICK: THE ANCIENT POWER.
Super: THE MACHEN LIBRARY, MANHATTAN
Chaos near the entrance: policemen, TV reporters, MOUNTED
POLICE.
Loud protests from the reporters as a line of black sedan
cars are waved through.
BLONDE REPORTER
The NYPD has yet to issue a statement.
We've got SWAT vans, paramedics, you
name it... and now here's -- a
garbage truck --
(double take)
-- a garbage truck?
Trailing behind the cars, a GARBAGE TRUCK. On its side a
mirrored sign reads: SQUEAKY CLEAN INC. Waste Management
Services.
INT./EXT. GARBAGE TRUCK - LIBRARY STREET ENTRANCE - NIGHT
AN AGENT is driving the truck, with MYERS at his side.
EXT. MACHEN LIBRARY - STREET ENTRANCE - NIGHT
The crowd parts like the Red Sea for the garbage truck. Dozens
of faces are reflected in the truck's mirrored logo. A MOUNTED
POLICEMAN rides past the mirrored sides of the truck.
INT./EXT. GARBAGE TRUCK LAB - LIBRARY CROWD - NIGHT
The MOUNTED POLICEMAN is visible as he rides by. The mirrors
are see-through. The back of the truck is a fully-equipped
crime lab, crammed with hi-tech gear and low-tech talismans.
ABE fits a respirator over his face. It looks like a
mechanized Elizabethan collar. Valves bubble and hiss as he
inhales liquid through his mouth and out his gills.
Hellboy looks out onto the CROWD.
HELLBOY
Look at them ugly suckers, Blue. One
sheet of glass between them and us.
ABE
Story of my life.
HELLBOY
I break it, they see us, Happy
Halloween. No more hiding.
(nostalgic)
Outside. I could be outside --
ABE
You mean, outside... with her.
Hellboy straps on a huge utility belt heavy with amulets,
rosaries, horseshoes. From an ashtray he grabs a handful of
stogie stubs. Lights one, puts the rest in a pouch.
HELLBOY
Don't get psychic with me.
ABE
Nothing psychic about it. You're
easy.
Hellboy unlocks a STEEL BOX (STENCILED ON ITS LID: "THE GOOD
SAMARITAN") and extracts the meanest-looking, custom-built,
double-barrel, blue-finished, handgun ever made. A veritable
cannon.
HELLBOY
How am I ever gonna get a girl?? I
drive around in a garbage truck
ABE
Liz left us, Red. Take the hint.
HELLBOY
(hefting the gun)
We don't take hints.
EXT. COURTYARD / LOADING DOCK MACHEN LIBRARY - NIGHT
The GARBAGE TRUCK pulls into an interior courtyard and stops.
FBI/BPRD teams spread through the area, expelling uniformed
cops and securing the doors.
THREE AGENTS -- QUARRY, STONE and MOSS -- close a gate,
sealing off the area.
STONE
All areas secured.
From a nearby roof, Agent Lime signals all clear.
CLAY
(into a handheld radio)
Seal the doors. Red and Blue are
coming in.
The truck stops, Clay pulls a lever. Myers watches as the
dumpster loader hinges down like a drawbridge, revealing
HELLBOY and ABE.
CLAY
Okay, boys, let's synch up our
locators.
Abe, Clay and Hellboy activate lights on their belts. They
BEEP and blink. Hellboy starts walking.
OMIT
INT. MACHEN LIBRARY, MAIN LOBBY - NIGHT
As BPRD agents clear the area, Clay, Myers, Abe and Hellboy
march through the main lobby. On view, various display cases.
Two BANNERS flank the marble staircase.
CLAY
(reading a report)
At nineteen hundred hours an alarm
tripped. B&E. Robbery. Six guards
dead --
HELLBOY
Hold on -- hold on -- I thought we
checked this place. Fakes, and
reproductions.
BROOM
Apparently not everything was fake.
Broom stands at the base of the marble staircase.
HELLBOY
(surprised to see him)
Father...?
Myers observes as the red Goliath sheepishly averts his gaze
from that of the fragile old man.
INT. MAIN CORRIDOR / MACHEN LIBRARY (SET) - NIGHT
They approach an oversize set of brass doors.
Abe removes a leather glove from his hand. FWAP!! he spreads
his webbed fingers on the door. He closes his three eyelids
and concentrates.
Two agents arrive with a rolling munitions case. Myers
observes as Hellboy opens it and looks over a potpourri of
bullets of all colors and shapes.
BROOM
A 16th century statue was destroyed.
Saint Dionysius the Aeropagite.
HELLBOY
Who wards off demons.
BROOM
Smuggled into this country by an
overzealous curator. The statue,
however, was hollow --
HELLBOY
Reliquary --
BROOM
A prison. The Vatican deemed its
contents dangerous enough to include
it on the List of Avignon. Of which
we hold a copy.
Hellboy selects a clip full of bullets and a speed loader.
HELLBOY
Would'ya look at this babies? Made
'em myself. Holy water, silver
shavings, white oak: the works.
ABE
(pulling his hand
away)
Behind this door. A dark entity --
Evil, ancient and hungry.
Abe quickly starts scanning a few leather-bound volumes of
ancient magic.
HELLBOY
Oh, well. Lemme go in and say "hi".
As HELLBOY opens the big doors, a flickering amber glow
illuminates him. He steps inside.
INT. "MAGIK EXHIBITION" HALL - NIGHT
BLUE emergency lamps are on. The exhibits are destroyed;
piles of debris are burning. Hellboy walks past a fallen
display case.
He moves around cautiously. A couple of large carvings and
statues startle him.
On the floor: boots, half chewed. Bitten belts and shreds of
uniforms and hats.
HELLBOY
(whispers into radio)
Blue: It stinks in here -- Finely
aged roadkill.
The sickening sound of snapping bones and mastication reaches
his ears. Hellboy reacts to a smell, raises his eyes to
discover --
A huge pale CREATURE hangs from the ceiling, chewing slowly.
SAMMAEL: equipped with powerful arms, a head full of tentacles
and two well-muscled hind legs. Most of its face is hidden,
but the jaws are shiny with blood.
HELLBOY
Hey. Stinky. Kitchen's closed.
(beat)
Whatcha havin'? Six library guards,
raw? Plus belts and boots? Man, you're
gonna need some heavy fiber to move
that out --
ABE
(in earphone)
Red, I found something --
INT. MAIN CORRIDOR / MACHEN LIBRARY (SET) - NIGHT
Abe has found a small, medieval engraving of Sammael in one
of the books.
ABE
There's not much here: the entity's
name is Sammael, the desolate one,
son of Nergal --
INT. "MAGIK EXHIBITION" HALL - NIGHT
Sammael releases himself, lands on the floor. Part of the
neck is exposed: white, slimy skin, cracked like old marble
and criss- crossed with blue veins.
HELLBOY
Hold it --
(beat)
Hey, Sammy, whaddayasay we work this
out?? Peacefully. I'm not a great
shot, but --
(raises his gun)
"The Samaritan" here, uses really
big bullets, so whadyasay we work
this out?
Sammael stands and turns around -- CRACK-KKK!!! His waist
twists him 360 degrees!!
Screeching, Sammael leaps away!!!
Hellboy shoots. The high-caliber ammo rips a few columns
apart and finally catches Sammael. The bullet goes through
it and destroys a statue and a large window behind him. The
monster squeals and goes down. With a rattling cough, it
grows still.
OMIT
INT. MACHEN LIBRARY - MAGIK EXHIBIT HALL - NIGHT
HELLBOY
That's all for you, Sammy.
ABE'S VOICE
(in earpiece)
Red -- you need to hear the rest of
the information --
Hellboy turns away for a moment. Puts his gun away, like a
gunslinger.
HELLBOY
Nah -- he's taken care of.
INT. MACHEN LIBRARY - EXHIBIT CORRIDOR DOORS - NIGHT
ABE
No, listen this: Sammael, the desolate
one, lord of the shadows, son of
Nergal --
INT. MACHEN LIBRARY - MAGIK EXHIBIT HALL - NIGHT
ABE'S VOICE
hound of resurrection --
HELLBOY
See? I don't like that --
ABE'S VOICE
-- Hound of resurrection?
Hellboy looks back at the corpse: it's gone!
ABE'S VOICE
harbinger of pestilence, seed of
destruction --
HELLBOY
Skip to the end, willya? How do I
kill it -- ?
ABE'S VOICE
It doesn't say --
BAMMM!! From out of nowhere, Sammael appears and swings an
arm!! Hellboy CRASHES into the brass doors!
INT. MACHEN LIBRARY - EXHIBIT CORRIDORS - NIGHT
The doors bulge and crack under Hellboy's impact.
Abe and Broom backpedal fast. Myers pulls out his gun, and
starts looking for another way in. Broom observes this,
pleased.
INT. MACHEN LIBRARY - MAGIK EXHIBIT HALL - NIGHT
Sammael lashes out with a massive punch.
HELLBOY goes K-KKRASH!!! K-KKRASH!!! through SIX glass
cabinets, then hits a window, falling --
EXT. AN ALLEY - BEHIND MACHEN LIBRARY - NIGHT
-- two stories down, landing sideways in an industrial garbage
bin. Hellboy fights to stay conscious. Blood drips from his
mouth
GRIGORY'S VOICE
Child...
Hellboy looks up: standing in the alley, like an apparition,
is Grigory, in a black suit and overcoat, his eyes shielded
by pitch-black sunglasses
GRIGORY
All grown up, I see.
Hellboy's in shock, confused.
HELLBOY
That voice --
GRIGORY
I sang the first lullaby you ever
heard, my child. I ushered you into
this world.
(beat)
I alone know your true calling, your
true name.
HELLBOY
Don't tell me, it's Zeppo.
Hellboy catches sight of his big gun, lying on the ground.
He goes for it but, BAMMM!!!! SAMMAEL lands before him.
GRIGORY
I can see that you're still young
and don't know your place.
(turns to Sammael)
Teach him.
Before Hellboy can reach the weapon --
WSHHHP!!! A 7-foot tongue lashes out from Sammael's mouth
like a whip. It's arm-thick, with yellow sacs billowing from
its sides. It wraps around Hellboy's right arm.
Hellboy falls to the ground, writhing, grinding his teeth.
The tongue squeezes and pulls. Smoke pours from Hellboy's
skin.
EXT. AN ALLEY - BEHIND MACHEN LIBRARY - NIGHT
Then -- BANG! BANG! BANG! Myers appears at the end of the
alley, firing round after round into Sammael's tongue. AMBER
BLOOD explodes in the air. The tongue recoils with an infernal
SQUEAL!!
Hellboy manages to roll away.
Myers goes for HELLBOY's gun... and grabs it! He takes cover
behind the trash container. HELLBOY is there.
HELLBOY
What do you think you're doing??
Myers proudly shows him the gun.
MYERS
Helping you -- I just --
HELLBOY
No one ever helps me. It's my job.
He grabs his gun and tries to reload, but his arm hurts too
much.
HELLBOY
Damn -- Okay. Here --
He hands him the gun and a fresh clip. Reaching into his
belt, Hellboy extracts a vacuum-sealed packet.
HELLBOY
(throws it at Myers)
-- Then load this.
In the packet: A SINGLE BULLET.
HELLBOY
It's a tracking bullet. Crack the
pin. Load it.
KLANG!!! The tongue punches through the steel like a ramrod.
Again and again... Hellboy and Myers can barely dodge it.
Myers cracks a safety pin. The glass head on the bullet glows
like a chemical flare.
MYERS
Jeez... What the hell is that?
He's looking at Hellboy's smoking arm. Inside a bloody gash,
a big, black stinger is gleaming.
Hellboy pulls it out, then steps on it. It pops like a ripe
grape.
HELLBOY
Lemme go ask --
Hellboy steps from behind the container. Sammael's tongue
instantly wraps around the gun's muzzle.
BAM! BAM! Hellboy shoots repeatedly. His face lit weirdly
green as the tracking bullet lodges within the gun. Then --
BAM!!!!
INSIDE GUN SHOT
The glowing bullet flies through the barrel and out towards --
EXT. ALLEY
-- Sammael, still in mid-air.
It hits him square in the chest: an explosion of green goo!!
With a shriek, the thing leaps over a wall. Hellboy scrambles
after it.
EXT. LOADING ALLEY - NIGHT
On the empty sidewalk, Hellboy sees a trail of GLOWING GOOP.
He hits full stride, following it around a corner. Myers
lands a second later, cradling his arm, chasing after him.
MYERS
Wait! No, what are you doing?
LOADING DOCK / ALLEY
Sammael dashes by, followed closely by Hellboy, running full
tilt.
A ten-wheeler backs up, effectively blocking their way. A
few workers load pumpkin boxes in it.
WORKER 1
What the hell is that??
Without slowing down, Sammael jumps onto the trailer, denting
the roof then jumping off and into a CROWDED CARNIVAL area.
A small carrousel and refreshment stand flank a pumpkin patch.
Full of curiosity, Sammael pauses a second to inspect a Trick-
or-treater dressed as a GOLDEN DRAGON.
Hellboy catapults himself onto the trailer's roof.
3 WORKERS
(chorus)
Whoa-whoa-whoa-
Hellboy jumps and lands heavily on top of the driver's cab:
CRASH!!!
The driver is almost crushed under the steel. He screams,
showered by thousands of glass shards.
Myers is a few steps behind.
MYERS
(into headset)
We'll hit the street in a minute.
We're heading towards civilians...
He squeezes between the vehicle and the alley wall. The
vendors are yelling at him.
MYERS
Yeah, yeah, crazy costume, uh? Trick
or treat!!
EXT. WEST SIDE STREET - NIGHT
Sammael runs past a group of trick-or-treaters, and jumps
straight into the street. Cars swerve, avoiding a collision
as Sammael lands on the opposite sidewalk. The TRICK OR
TREATERS scream.
Hellboy appears. He too dives straight into the traffic as
Myers follows --
He runs into the road... and a 4X4 speeds straight at him!
Seeing this, Hellboy runs back, and lands next to Myers,
holds out his STONE HAND and stops the 4x4 dead in its tracks.
The impact somersaults the car over them both. It lands with
a thud on the street, air bags exploding. Myers almost faints.
Other cars stop, tires squealing and horns blaring. A major
traffic jam.
HELLBOY
Are you okay?
Myers opens his eyes, nods.
HELLBOY
Good. Stay here.
He moves after Sammael.
OMIT
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
Hellboy follows the GLOWING GOOP into an adjacent alley. At
the far end he sees a metal grate has been moved. Sammael's
gone.
He comes up to the opening, then jumps in.
EXT./INT. STUNT TRACKS TUNNEL - NIGHT
He lands on a subway track. Sammael is a few yards away.
Seated.
HELLBOY
Waiting for me, Sammy?
A train horn blares. A headlight approaches!! Hellboy smiles
and puts away his gun.
HELLBOY
Uh-oh -- between a rock and a hard
place --
But Sammael sprints towards it!
HELLBOY
Aw, crap --
Sammael unhinges a long, scythe-like bone from his forearm,
then jumps at the front car --
OMIT
INT. STUNT TRACKS / FRONT 1/4 CAR - NIGHT
smashing through glass and steel and raining sparks. Landing
inside with a ROAR!!! --
EXT./INT. THE SUBWAY - 2 TRAIN CAR SET - NIGHT
SAMMAEL's tongue punches through the doors as he races through
one -- two -- passenger cars and out the --
STUNT TRACK REAR 1/4 CAR
-- rear of the train, back onto the tracks.
INT. STUNT TRACKS - NIGHT
Landing there safely.
INT. THE SUBWAY TRACKS (STUNT TRACK) - NIGHT
Now the train hurtles at Hellboy, who grimaces and does his
best --
INT. STUNT TRACKS FRONT 1/4 CAR
He leaps, but HUMPF!! He's hit! His legs rattle over the
tracks.
INT. UNDERCARRIAGE - STUNT TRACKS - FRONT 1/4 CAR - NIGHT
Inches from the wheels, he punches his stone hand through
the steel floor and grabs a handhold. Steam and sparks explode
everywhere.
The TRAIN DRIVER grabs a fire extinguisher and starts slamming
it against Hellboy's head.
HELLBOY
Hey! Hey! I'm on your side!!
BAMMM!!! He goes under!!!
INT. STUNT TRACKS FRONT 1/4 CAR
The train whizzes overhead, grazing his horn stumps, making
sparks fly!! After the train passes, Hellboy sits up, forehead
smoking. Sammael is gone. A trail of GOOP is glowing. He
follows it, until it ends abruptly.
He looks ahead: no trace of Sammael... Then a fat drop of
glowing goop hits his hand.
HELLBOY
Aw, I forgot --
He looks up. Sammael hangs from the ceiling, then drops.
Then the creature lifts Hellboy in a ferocious bear hug.
Hellboy twists around and cracks open the jaws of the
creature, like King Kong and the T-Rex.
Sammael staggers back and -- in an impossible maneuver, re-
knits his jaws together! Then he uses his bone scythe to
tackle Hellboy and -- TCHAKKKK!! -- pin his shoulder down. A
deep wound.
Sammael's mouth starts to open! Hellboy looks at the sparking
THIRD RAIL a few feet away.
Sammael's tongue rears back, a snake ready to strike.
HELLBOY
Screw you.
Hellboy grabs the rail. An electrical discharge consumes
both creatures and burns the frame like flashpaper. Hellboy
lets go, his hand and body smoking. Sammael -- very crispy --
is convulsing in a cloud of smoke. He grows still.
Wreathed in smoke, Hellboy shakes off the shock and uses a
flame on his arm to light a cigar.
HELLBOY
I'm fireproof.
(puffs smoke, kicks
the body)
You weren't.
OMIT
EXT. WESTSIDE HIGHWAY - NIGHT
A huge traffic jam clogs the highway. The totalled 4X4 is
being TOWED AWAY. Several TV CREWS interview witnesses.
Myers -- his arm freshly bandaged -- signs a police form.
His radio beeps.
HELLBOY (V.O.)
Myers??? How's your arm?
MYERS
My arm is fine. Where are you??
Myers moves away from the POLICE OFFICERS.
MYERS
(sotto voce)
Where are you???
INT. SUBWAY TRACKS (STUNT TRACK)
Hellboy walks away from the smoking Sammael carcass.
HELLBOY
I just fried Stinky. Tell Father
I'll be home. He shouldn't wait up.
EXT. WESTSIDE HIGHWAY - SAME
MYERS
Wait -- Wait -- You can't go anywhere --
I gotta go with you --
INT. SUBWAY TRACKS (STUNT TRACK)
HELLBOY
No, no, no, it's fine: I do my job,
I take a break.
MYERS (V.O.)
No. Stop. Don't do this -- Listen to
me -- Tell me where you are --
HELLBOY
Myers?
MYERS (V.O.)
Yes?
HELLBOY
Goodbye.
He turns off his belt locator and moves away into the darkness
of the tunnel.
In the foreground: BLACK light escapes from Sammael's charred
body.
INT. MAIN ABANDONED BATHS ALCOVE - NIGHT
An abandoned shower room. A series of sinks and stalls, lined
with dirty white tile. A phonograph nearby plays Wagner.
Kroenen stands next to it.
ILSA is nearby, a straight razor glinting in her hand. She
stands over Grigory -- his back to us -- lovingly shaving
her master's scalp. She grabs two GLASS EYES from a table.
Places them in Grigory's sockets -- his back to us -- as he
turns, a glass eye shifts lazily into position. He opens his
hand: in it the pale BLACK light that escaped from Sammael's
body. He cradles it like a precious stone.
GRIGORY
(smiling)
Sammael has fulfilled his destiny...
Die in peace and be reborn again and
again...
He closes his fist.
ILSA
Only seven more days to the eclipse,
Grishka...
Rasputin stands, his neck and shoulders rising, engorged by
moving flesh beneath his human skin. Ilsa stares in
fascination.
GRIGORY
The child will be there. And so will
we all -- Won't we?
Behind him, in the darkness of a tunnel: TWO SAMMAEL
silhouettes appear.
CUT TO:
OMIT
EXT. MACHEN LIBRARY ENTRANCE - NIGHT
A sleek black limo drives past the crowd and stops outside.
FBI agent TOM MANNING emerges.
INT. "MAGIK EXHIBIT" HALL - NIGHT
Manning and Broom walk through the mess. A crew is cleaning
up. The dead guards are carried out.
MANNING
Every time the media get a look at
him, they come to me. I'm running
out of lies, Trevor.
BROOM
I thought you liked being on TV.
MANNING
I do.
(beat)
How many escapes? This year alone:
five!
BROOM
Tom -- he's our guest, not a prisoner.
MANNING
Your "guest" happens to be six foot
five, bright red, and is government
funded.
BROOM
He's just going through a phase --
Manning moistens and lights a fine cigar, using a kitchen
match.
MANNING
A "phase"? What do you think this
is, "The Brady Bunch?" These... freaks --
ABE SAPIEN listens while pacing the exhibition hall, palm
open.
MANNING
(lowers his voice,
tense)
These freaks, Trevor, they give me
the creeps. And I'm not the only
one. You're up for review. You and
your petting zoo.
BROOM
I know where to find him. I'll get
him back.
Manning watches as Abe finds a sharp dagger embedded in the
floor.
MANNING
Hey, fishstick -- don't touch anything --
Abe silences him.
ABE
I need to touch it to "see"...
MANNING
See what??
ABE
The past, the future, whatever this
object holds.
MANNING
(eyes Broom)
Is he serious??
ABE
Don't worry about fingerprints. I
never had any.
Abe holds the dagger in his hand, turns to Broom.
ABE
They were over here, Professor.
MANNING
Oooh!! Who was here? Nixon? Houdini?
You mind sharing your mystic insights?
Broom examines the dagger: a RAGNAROK symbol crowns the hilt.
The dragon and swastika.
BROOM
Show me, Abe... show me.
He solemnly extends his hand. As soon as Abe takes it, the
room...
MORPHS TO:
INT. "MAGIK EXHIBIT" HALL - FLASHBACK
Hours earlier: the place is intact. Both ABE and BROOM witness
spectrally as --
A GUARD CHECKS AN ALARM MONITORING UNIT. HEARING A ticking
sound, he shines his light into a dark corner: no one's there.
But after the guard moves on, a spidery form emerges from
the pool of shadows on the floor.
It's KROENEN, encased in shiny BLACK LATEX from head to toe.
On his chest, a close-fitting harness comprised of softly
ticking gears.
He approaches a glass case which holds an ancient WOODEN
STATUE of an Eastern Orthodox SAINT.
Then, on the glass, a reflection: ILSA.
ILSA
Move.
She uses her hammer to destroy the glass case.
The ALARM shrieks. Warning lights come on.
Kroenen pulls out a double-ended BLADE. It spins, like a
giant bone saw, slicing across the statue.
No apparent damage until: CRACKKKKK!!! a diagonal line appears
and the top half falls.
KROENEN reaches for a small crank embedded in his chest and
winds himself up.
Ilsa reaches into a hollow portion in the wooden statue and
removes a large reliquary jar containing Golden sand.
Six guards hurry in. They point their flashlights and guns
at Kroenen.
GUARD 1
You! Don't move! Hands up!
Kroenen starts shaking, as if in a seizure and readies two
TWIN BLADES.
bullet tears into Kroenen's arm, spewing forth an explosion
of dust. He turns. The guards shoot again. Kroenen maneuvers
the steel, deflecting the bullets which --
-- ricochet wildly -- and finally hit three of the guards.
They fall silently to the floor.
Kroenen dispatches two more in a flurry of knives.
The last guard raises his gun.
GUARD 6
Don't --
Something is clearly stopping him. His hand breaks, twisted
by an unseen force!!
The flesh on his neck pushes upwards, held by an invisible
force. He starts floating in mid-air.
The blinking lights of arriving police cars tint the windows
red and amber. They outline a figure formerly submerged in
shadows. GRIGORY. He gestures with both hands, as if holding
an imaginary doll.
His arm muscles twitch under his skin, shifting, changing,
gaining strength.
With a quick gesture Grigory twists the lower and upper parts
of the guard's body in opposite directions.
With a wet CRUNCH, the guard's shadow on the wall goes limp.
Grigory looks at Ilsa.
GRIGORY
Ready the welcome, my love --
Ilsa opens the reliquary jar and pours a circle of sand onto
the floor.
GRIGORY
Salt. Gathered from the tears of a
thousand martyrs. Restraining the
essence of Sammael, the hell hound,
the seed of destruction.
Grigory slices the air with his open hand, creating fleeting
glyphs... and a small BLACK flame dances on his open palm.
He deposits it in mid-air, at the center of the circle.
Then, the sand begins to move, like liquid mercury. Lines
fuse into a pile. It melts and bubbles, growing and foaming.
Bones are formed, tendons and ligaments join together,
GROWING, GROWING, INTO SAMMAEL.
It roars!!!
CUT TO:
OMIT
INT. MACHEN LIBRARY - NIGHT
Abe snaps out of it. Broom is pale. He steps away, wincing,
enduring a bolt of pain in his side. Abe holds him. Motions
for the others to stay back.
He extends his open palm and "feels" the air near the old
man's back.
ABE
Professor..? You -- are very sick --
BROOM
I don't want Hellboy to know --
Broom turns around, gently pushes Abe's hand away.
BROOM
Sixty years ago Abe, they tried to
destroy the world. And they are back --
in my lifetime, they are back. To
finish the job.
CUT TO:
EXT. CENTRAL PARK - NIGHT
A small nighttime Halloween celebration. Lanterns hanging
from the trees, couples drinking and listening to Pop music
on picnic tables.
On a bench, A YOUNG GUY pulls out a cold SIX PACK of beer
and passionately kisses his GIRLFRIEND. As he shuts his eyes,
a bright, red tail neatly snatches the six-pack.
Behind the bench, HELLBOY smiles.
EXT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Dry leaves fly up in a gust of wind. A small army of EMERGENCY
VEHICLES roars down the deserted streets, right past a...
...brick 1940's HOSPITAL, behind a high wall topped with
barbed wire. The mesh-covered windows are decorated with
paper skeletons and jack-o'-lanterns. A topiary garden
surrounds the building.
Watching from atop the wall is HELLBOY. One sleeve of his
overcoat is soaked in blood. He keeps an eye on the SECOND
FLOOR windows. Hanging from his tail: THE SIX PACK OF BEER.
INT. BELLAMIE MENTAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
DOCTOR MARSH, a female psychiatrist, moves down a line
patients, distributing pills.
Behind her, a lithe young woman in a patient's gown carries
the medicine tray. This is LIZ SHERMAN, age 26, her pale
skin contrasting with her raven-black hair and piercing dark
eyes. A scar mars her forehead. Three thick rubber bands
circle her wrist.
Near a window, a Down's Syndrome PATIENT senses something.
DOWN'S PATIENT
(pointing)
There's a big red guy down there!
DOCTOR MARSH
(readying more pills)
That's fine, darling, Santa's not
here for another month.
DOWN'S PATIENT
Not Santa. Big and red. With gold
eyes. And he has beer!
Hearing this, Liz stops. She closes her eyes, tugs at one of
the rubber bands on her wrist and lets it snap against her
skin. She winces and peers out the window. The garden below
seems empty.
EXT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - GARDEN AREA - NIGHT
Liz steps out a side door into the hospital garden. Hanging
from her neck: an old POLAROID CAMERA. She follows a trail
of blood to a large, thorny bush. As she circles it...
LIZ
Back so soon?
Visible in the branches, a leg and part of Hellboy's overcoat.
His tail emerges, dangling the six-pack.
HELLBOY
Uh, I brought beer.
Liz shoots a Polaroid.
LIZ
To wash down my lithium pills?
(beat)
I may get a few perks, H.B. But I'm
still a patient.
Shyly, he climbs out from the bush. She sees the bloody arm.
LIZ
You better have that looked at.
HELLBOY
Just a scratch.
(shrug)
I wanted to see you.
Liz sighs.
EXT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - GARDEN AREA- NIGHT
Hellboy's sitting on a bench, next to Liz.
HELLBOY
We miss you at the Bureau. Abe's
crazier every day. And Father's still
mad at me --
(Liz smiles)
Come back, Liz. Come back. I --
LIZ
No. Not this time, H.B. It's been
months since I've had an episode.
And you know what? I'm learning to
control it.
Around her right hand a faint BLUE AURA of fire blooms,
crawling over her fingers like a velvet haze. She stares at
the pale flame.
LIZ
I'm learning where it comes from.
(beat)
And for once in my life I'm not
afraid.
She clenches her fist and puts the flame out.
LIZ
Looks like your ride is here.
The garbage truck and the two black sedan cars have pulled
into the hospital grounds. A dozen agents climb out of the
vehicles.
HELLBOY
The Nanny Squad.
ANGLE - THE CARS - CONTINUOUS
Clay starts towards Hellboy, but Myers stops him and turns
to Broom:
MYERS
Sir, may I go first??
CLAY
(to Broom)
Not so fast. He barely knows him --
BROOM
(cuts him off)
Then he should make it his business
to change that.
ANGLE - THE BENCH - CONTINUOUS
Liz stands up, puts her hand on his shoulder.
LIZ
Listen, H.B. I've got a chance out
here. If you truly care about me,
don't come back anymore.
Hellboy smiles sadly. She walks away.
HELLBOY
Goodnight, then.
LIZ
Goodnight.
She doesn't turn back.
HELLBOY
Yeah, I gotta go, too. Lots to do --
Feeling light-headed, he stands up. On the bench and at his
feet, a pool of his own blood.
He sees Myers tentatively approaching.
HELLBOY
What took you so long?
MYERS
C'mon, time to go home. Tape you up.
HELLBOY
What are you, a Boy Scout?
MYERS
No. I never was.
HELLBOY
(weak)
Could've fooled me. Go away.
Hellboy drops to his knees. Clay, Quarry and Moss reach him.
Help him up.
CLAY
C'mon, champ. You look a little woozy,
there.
HELLBOY
This -- ? This is nothing. You know
what'll kill me?
(points at the doorway)
Her.
Liz stands at the hospital door and sees Hellboy keel over.
A few of the agents help him to the vehicles.
Myers looks back at Liz. They hold each others' gaze, their
unfamiliar faces filled with curiosity. Eventually, she goes
inside.
OMIT
INT. B.P.R.D. MEDICAL BAY "A" - NIGHT
In the depths of the B.P.R.D infirmary, Hellboy lies flat on
a stainless steel table. Broom sits alongside him.
Abe peers through a magnifier at Hellboy's wounded arm.
ABE
You were burned by some organic acid.
HELLBOY
I'm lucky that way.
Using a scalpel, Abe probes the gash. Hellboy lets out a
GRUNT.
BROOM
Son. About Rasputin --
HELLBOY
Don't worry. I'll get him soon enough --
BROOM
Listen to me. This time is different.
There's more at stake than ever
before.
HELLBOY
How hard can it be? I punched the
crap out of that thing that he sent --
ouch!!
BROOM
I worry about you.
HELLBOY
Me?? C'mon --
BROOM
Well, I won't be around forever, you
know?
HELLBOY
Oh, stop that --
(grimaces in pain)
Damn! Be careful, there --
ABE
Red. How long was it latched onto
you?
HELLBOY
I dunno, maybe five seconds -- ow!
MYERS
You want me to hold him down?
HELLBOY
(snickers)
That's right, Stud, hold me down.
ABE
Professor...
Broom moves to Abe's side of the table. Abe is poking at the
depths of the wound.
BROOM
(sharp, to Hellboy)
Don't look! Turn around.
HELLBOY
Is it bad?
Broom comes closer, eyes wide: inside the wound on Hellboy's
forearm, nestled like ticks, are 3 translucent EGGS.
Hellboy jumps as Abe plucks the first one out. Abe deposits
it in a glass container.
ABE
Touched you five seconds. Laid three
eggs.
HELLBOY
Didn't even buy me a drink.
INT. MEDICAL BAY. EXAMINATION TABLE - LATER
The computer beeps having finished an analysis. On a monitor,
an enlarged color image of one of the throbbing eggs.
ABE
The eggs are very sensitive to heat
and light. They need a humid, dark
environment to breed.
Abe picks up an egg with a pair of tweezers, passes it on to
Hellboy, who sports a bandage on his arm.
MYERS
Down there. Did you ever loose track
of him?
HELLBOY
Well, let's see -- there was that
moment, when I had a train on top of
my head --
Broom frowns, worried.
BROOM
(to Hellboy)
We can't risk it: You'll go back to
the tracks tomorrow with a group of
agents, search the area, top to
bottom.
Myers observes, repelled, as inside the egg a small foetal
THING wiggles.
INT. BROOM´S OFFICE - NIGHT
Myers stands by Broom's desk as the old man places a new set
of books on the reading stands in front of the fish tank.
MYERS
I'm in way over my head, I know that
much.
BROOM
You're doing fine.
At the last book stand, Broom glances at Abe, who is sitting
in the shadows near the door.
MYERS
No, I'm not. He respects Clay. Not
me. I don't know why you chose me,
Sir. But I'm not qualified.
Discouraged, Myers heads for the door.
BROOM
(very quiet)
I'm dying Agent Myers.
Shocked, Myers looks over at Broom.
BROOM
And as a father, I worry about him.
(directly to Myers)
In medieval stories, Agent Myers,
there's often a young knight,
inexperienced but pure of heart...
MYERS
Oh, please. I'm not "pure of heart."
ABE
Yes, you are.
BROOM
What I ask from you is -- Have the
courage to stand by his side after
I'm gone. Help him find himself. Who
he must be.
(beat)
He was born a Demon... You will help
him become a man.
OMIT
INT. B.R.P.D. ARCHIVE / CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
Dozens of HELLBOY clippings flash by: tabloid headlines along
with intimate images of Hellboy as a KID. H.B. at 7, at 12,
dressed as a human for Halloween, Broom by his side.
Myers works at a computer workstation.
He brings up a small photograph in an old issue of The
Enquirer. The headline: "ARSON SUSPECT NOW WORKING FOR SECRET
GOVERNMENT AGENCY" There's a photo of a woman, taken with a
telephoto lens.
Another clipping: young LIZ, 11, and a photo of a tenement
building burned to the ground: TRAGIC EXPLOSION.
A QUICKTIME interview pops up. LIZ, in her early twenties. A
caption reads: ELIZABETH SHERMAN, first interview, BPRD,
PYROKINETIC. She has a POLAROID camera in her hands. Shoots
one at the lens.
LIZ
I don't like the term "firestarter."
I just don't. And "Pyrokinesis" sounds
like psychosis or something. I dunno --
maybe that's right. Not being able
to let go --
(shrug)
Scary. Sometimes you hear so-and-so
lost control and just exploded.
(beat)
They're lucky it isn't true.
(looks at the camera)
With me -- it is.
OMIT
INT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Two strolling ORDERLIES shine their flashlights inside the
rooms on both sides of a long corridor.
INT. HOSPITAL - LIZ'S ROOM, MIN. SECURITY WARD - NIGHT
A flashlight beam sweeps Liz's room. It illuminates a
CORKBOARD covered with hundreds of Polaroids depicting scenes
of everyday life.
When the beam of light crosses her face, she turns slowly,
still asleep.
As the light fades, the shadows in the room grow deeper.
Grigory emerges from a dark corner. He gazes down on the
bed, extending his right hand.
GRIGORY
The Master is calling your name now,
my girl. We are all part of his plan.
You must return to the child... So,
once again...
He gently caresses the scar on her forehead. Under his skin,
a hideous movement, a writhing rearrangement of muscles. His
fingers start to glow.
GRIGORY
...dream of fire.
Liz convulses. A small ripple of heat rises from her forehead.
FLASH BACK TO:
EXT. TENEMENT BUILDING COURTYARD - DAY
Somewhere in a smokestack city, grown-ups and kids hang
banners and prepare a ragged birthday party in a cement
courtyard.
ANGLE - LIZ - CONTINUOUS
Sitting on some tenement steps, LIZ, age 11. Sullen, alone,
a gold CRUCIFIX hanging on her chest.
A WOMAN -- Liz's MOTHER -- comes down the courtyard steps,
carrying a basket of apples.
MOTHER
(to Liz)
Liz!! Liz!! Come on, darling, give
Mummy a hand.
Nearby, under a balloon archway, munching candy-coated
apples... three KIDS giggle and point at her.
BLONDE KID
Freak!
Liz turns to see them.
BLONDE KID
(to his friend)
See? She knows her name.
Liz shies away from them.
BLONDE KID
Go home, you freak. We don't want
you here.
They start throwing stones. One hits the steps. Another misses
her by inches. A third hits her in the shoulder.
Scared, Liz turns but a rock catches her full on the face.
She falls down, blood trickling from her forehead, splattering
the pavement. She starts sobbing. Another rock sails across,
but this time, in mid-air, it catches fire and turns to ash.
A ripple of heat starts crawling up Liz's hands. Soon a pale
blue flame rings her entire arm.
LIZ
(sobbing)
Not again, please, not again...
Firelight glints off the crucifix.
EXT. TENEMENT COURTYARD - DAY
MOTHER is dunking the apples in a pot of caramel. A
heartbreaking cry reaches her ears.
LIZ
Mommy! Mommy!
Mother sees...
EXT. TENEMENT COURTYARD - STEPS - DAY
Liz: outlined by licking flames!
LIZ
(panicked)
Mommy! Help me! I'm burning!
Mother screams, horrified.
LIZ
Help meee!!!
She then explodes. A white-hot supernova engulfs the
courtyard. Her mother's body burns like flash paper. Then
the rest of the people are --
THE ENTIRE TENEMENT COURTYARD
-- devoured by an explosion of atomic proportions. Benches,
people, trees. Everything. The four surrounding apartment
blocks collapse as a shock wave hits like a wrecking ball.
The frame whites out. And at ground zero there is but one
figure left standing:
Liz... a little girl, still crying.
FLASH FORWARD TO:
INT. BELLAMIE HOSP. - LIZ'S ROOM, MIN. SEC. WARD - NIGHT
Liz screams, her back arching, her body now in flames. Her
chest glows, silhouetting organs and ribs.
The rubber bands on her wrist vaporize.
INT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - MIN. SEC. WARD - NIGHT
The glow from Liz's room streams into the corridor.
INT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - SECURITY ROOM - NIGHT
In their glass kiosk, two ORDERLIES are listening to the
radio and sharing a pizza. A red light flashes repeatedly on
a panel.
They silence the radio, grab their batons and get up. A low
rumble shakes the room.
Through the VIBRATING glass window they see...
CORRIDOR MINIATURE / COMPOSITE
...A BALL OF FLAME pushing inexorably through the corridor.
The inside of the glass booth is absolutely silent, making
the vision both terrifying and strangely serene.
ORDERLY
Oh my --
INT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - SECURITY ROOM (SET)- NIGHT
As the glass explodes, the fire ROARS, drowning everything.
The orderlies hit the floor, taking cover under a shelf.
EXT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL (MINIATURE) - NIGHT
The top floor blows up. Flame pours out of every window,
showering glass into the streets below.
OMIT
INT. B.P.R.D. - FREAK CORRIDOR "A" - DAY
Myers pushes the breakfast cart. On it, three dozen pancakes
and a mound of bacon and toast.
He opens the door to Hellboy´s den.
INT. HELLBOY'S DEN - DAY
Inside, Hellboy is leaning over Broom, glaring at the old
man.
HELLBOY
How many buildings does she have to
burn? She belongs here!
BROOM
That's not how she feels. She may
never feel it.
Myers enters, deliberately clearing his throat. They ignore
him.
BROOM
It's her choice --
(beat)
She's human --
HELLBOY
Oh, as opposed to -- ?
Broom grows silent.
Hellboy stomps over to a mirror and -- using a hand-held
belt sander -- savagely shaves his horns. Sparks fly every
time he goes at the round stumps.
HELLBOY
Mmmh -- "Pamcakes." We're going out --
MYERS
Professor, that girl you were talking
about --
HELLBOY
(whirls around)
Hey. You: think twice --
MYERS
I think I can help -- Talk to her --
I can bring her back.
HELLBOY
(chuckles)
What landed you this job, pushing
"pamcakes"? Punctuality? What was
your area of expertise?
Myers murmurs --
HELLBOY
What was that??
MYERS
Hostage negotiations.
Hellboy's face lights up.
OMIT
EXT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - DAY
Part of the building is demolished. Repair crews and firemen
are still hosing down smoldering piles of debris.
Myers arrives in a taxi cab.
INT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - MAX. SECURITY WING - DAY
Myers looks at LIZ through a see-through mirror. She sits on
a bench inside a padded cell. A security CAMERA AND MONITOR
records her constantly.
A worried-looking Dr. Marsh stands alongside him.
DOCTOR MARSH
She's been like this since it
happened. There were no casualties.
But it's put a big dent in our
Thorazine supply...
(dubious look at Myers)
Are you sure you want to go in?
Myers nods, loosens his tie and enters.
INT. BELLAMIE MENTAL HOSPITAL - PADDED CELL - DAY
Liz doesn't acknowledge Myers' presence. He kneels and looks
up at her.
MYERS
Miss Sherman? I'm Agent Myers, FBI.
Liz turns away.
MYERS
Miss Sherman? I'm Agent Myers, FBI.
(no response)
The hospital called us. They don't
feel they're capable of caring for
you any longer, and --
Silence.
MYERS
Liz -- can I call you Liz? It's a
beautiful name --
LIZ
(sighs)
60% OF THE WOMEN IN THIS WORLD ARE
NAMED "LIZ".
MYERS
It's still impressive by my standards:
My name's John.
She looks at him. He offers his hand. She looks away.
MYERS
Dr. Broom asked me to invite you
back to the Bureau. No special
precautions, no security escorts.
You and me in a taxi. Like regular
folks.
LIZ
Doesn't sounds like him.
MYERS
Miss Sherman, he's asking you back,
but it's entirely your choice.
Liz turns to the 2-way mirror. Both their reflections are
there.
LIZ
Choice, huh? That's cute. I've quit
the Bureau thirteen times. I always
go back.
(snaps two rubber
bands)
Where else would I go?
CUT TO:
OMIT
INT. BEAM TUNNEL AREA - BENJAMIN INSTITUTE - DAY
An explosion of sound and light as a subway train passes
through a dank tunnel. Then, light beams sweep the encrusted
walls and steel columns.
Clay and some B.P.R.D. agents hold flashlights. Two of them --
MOSS and QUARRY -- carry FLAMETHROWERS.
Hellboy and Abe bring up the rear.
INT. STORAGE ROOM - DAY
They enter a store room piled high with filing cabinets,
typewriters and school desks. A turn-of-the-century mural
depicts happy boys doing charitable acts. A Latin phrase
("VIRILITER AGE") encourages them to behave like men.
QUARRY
(reads a map)
We're in the cellar of the Benjamin
Institute. Turn-of-the-century
orphanage. Closed since they moved
the sewers in '51.
Abe removes his gloves, hyperextends his palm and senses the
air. Then the surface of the water.
ABE
There's a pulse. And it's coming
from --
Debris and dust seem to float from the water's surface and
towards Abe's hand.
ABE
there --
They point their flashlights at a bulkhead.
ABE
cistern on the other side. Most of
the eggs are there --
They move some filing cabinets and stare at a blank concrete
wall.
AGENT QUARRY
No way in.
CLAY
We should go back and request
permission to --
BAMMM!!! Hellboy's stone hand cracks the concrete. He starts
pounding, again and again, like a jack hammer.
CUT TO:
INT. (SET/LOCATION BUILT SUGAR FACTORY) FURNACE ROOM - DAY
Makeshift living quarters tucked below a maze of furnace
ducts. Scores of old clocks fill the room with TICKING.
At a desk, Kroenen calmly repairs a mechanical hand: his
own.
His face is partly exposed. Under his leather mask, horrible
lidless eyes glitter over a skull-like grin, made of raw
gums and taut skin.
As Hellboy's pounding reaches his ears, he rises, like a
spider whose web has twitched. The mechanical hand rattles
blindly on the table.
He opens an ancient leather folder and extracts an engraving
depicting Sammael. Carefully places it on the table. Then he
opens a drawer and, from an envelope, takes two torn pieces
of paper. He puts them in a pouch in his belt.
INT. STORAGE ROOM - DAY
The wall collapses under Hellboy's attack.
HELLBOY
Are you coming or not?
Clay smiles uncertainly back. Hellboy moves in.
CLAY
(to Quarry and Moss)
You two, check this dump, then join
us --
INT. ABANDONED SHOWER ROOM (SET) - DAY
A large oval room of rusting metal, with pipes spilling water
through a large GRATE on the floor.
Abe studies it, senses something, and nods. With superhuman
effort, Hellboy lifts it. Hundreds of roaches pour out.
ABE
I'm glad I'm not human. This place
would be an embarrassment.
Below, a vast cistern. Abe drops in two CHEMICAL FLARES.
INT. UNDERWATER - CHAMBER (SET TANK) - DAY
The flares sink, illuminating floating office furniture and
torn paper...
INT. UNDERWATER CHAMBER 2 (LOCATION: R. WAREHOUSE CELLAR)
In the lower depths, they pass shadowy industrial ruins.
Settling on the bottom they reveal the hulk of a waiting
SAMMAEL.
OMIT
INT. ABANDONED SHOWER ROOM (SET) - DAY
Abe pulls off his breathing apparatus. Activates the locator
on his utility belt. Hellboy does likewise. BEEEP! The devices
synchronize.
Hellboy extends a metal reliquary containing a small bone.
HELLBOY
There you go, Doctor. This should
cover your tailfin -- On loan from
the Vatican, a bone from Saint
Dionysius. Ugh. Looks like a pinky.
Abe ties the reliquary around his hand.
ABE
Remind me why I keep doing this.
HELLBOY
Rotten eggs and the safety of mankind.
ABE
Oh, right --
As transparent nictomembrane lids cover his eyes, Abe dives.
INT. UNDERWATER CHAMBER 2 - (LOCATION R.WAREHOUSE) - DAY
Underwater, ABE finds an entire control room. 1940's magazines
float by, like paper jellyfish. The amber light of the
chemical flares gives the room an eerie other-worldly feel.
INT. ABANDONED SHOWER ROOM (SET) - DAY
Waiting above, Hellboy chews a Baby Ruth and pokes around.
Finds a pile of children's shoes covering some yellowing
albums. In the albums, a myriad of sad faces, the orphans
from the past.
Some of the faces have been cut out. There's an unfinished
letter to Father Christmas, dated 1866.
Clay stands below a grate, admiring his hair implants with a
hand mirror.
CLAY
See? It's thicker. Isn't it? It's
not that doll-hair thing --
Suddenly, something moves. Hellboy shines his light into an
adjoining tunnel. Kroenen is standing there, like a deer
caught in headlights.
HELLBOY
Son of a -- !
The figure darts away. Hellboy tears after it, gun in hand.
CLAY
Red, wait!
Clay tries his radio. Static.
CLAY
Red's on the move!! I'll cover him!!
He pulls out his gun and runs after Hellboy.
INT. TUNNEL LABYRINTH (SET) - DAY
Clay arrives at an intersection of sewer tunnels. The glow
of Hellboy's flashlight is visible somewhere ahead, his
booming footsteps rapidly receding. A veritable labyrinth.
CLAY
Damn it, Red.
INT. UNDERWATER CHAMBER 2 (LOCATION R. WAREHOUSE) - DAY
Abe nears the bottom of the cistern. As his feet touch bottom,
a cloud of silt fogs the water. He picks out a translucent
egg!
Suddenly, something big glides by. Abe turns: sees nothing.
He places the egg in a glass canister. Now eggs are floating
everywhere, undulating in the water like amber fireflies.
Abe swims slowly, collecting them one by one.
Some of them are snugly wedged between two rusty machines.
Abe's reliquary gets caught in a lever and snaps loose!! It
lands --
on a grate on the floor. Abe swims down and tries to grab
it, but it falls through. Abe curses and stands up --
-- only to find himself FACE TO FACE with Sammael!!
The monster rakes Abe across the chest; dark blue blood begins
to flow. Abe shoves himself into a long, concrete fissure.
Sammael can't fit through, but the tongue darts out, missing
Abe by inches. Sammael scratches at the walls, trying to
reach deeper, screaming in rage.
Abe screams too, emitting a trail of bubbles.
INT. ABANDONED SHOWER ROOM - DAY
The bubbles burst on the surface. Watching them is a SECOND
SAMMAEL.
INT. INTERSECTION (LOCATION /BUILT SUGAR FACTORY) - DAY
Hellboy stops, disoriented. No trace of KROENEN. He sniffs
the air, then steps through a non-descript portal.
INT. (LOCATION/BUILT SUGAR FACTORY) FURNACE ROOM - DAY
Hellboy stands in Kroenen's quarters. An array of gas masks
dangle from ducts overhead. Glued next to the walls are dozens
of old photos of children.
He discovers the Sammael engraving.
HELLBOY
"Sammael: seed of destruction. Death
becomes the fertile ground."
Suddenly: drool drops from above: Sammael hangs from a beam.
HELLBOY
(turning)
Didn't I kill you already?
Sammael lunges, hurling Hellboy through an open service
shaft...
...and it's a long way down.
When Sammael leaps, Hellboy throws him over the edge. Sammael,
however, grabs Hellboy's tail and pulls him over the side.
OMIT
INT. SERVICE SHAFT (NEW LOCATION SET) - DAY
They crash through pipes, wiring and ducts and slide off
down a duct and into --
INT. SERVICE SHAFT 2 (SET) - SAME
another passage. There they bounce off of dripping water
pipes and jutting steel I beams, until they finally break
through a mesh/insulation ceiling and directly onto --
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM STATION - DAY
A subway platform. Full of people.
The two fighting creatures land on the ticket booth -- in an
explosion of coins, glass and steel!!! Some bold New Yorker
in the crowd start picking up handfuls of change.
The dust clears, revealing a large crater in the platform
floor.
Sammael hits Hellboy. The Red Giant lands on a line of
turnstiles, uprooting them all.
Sammael flies through the air, unfolds its bone scythe.
Hellboy rolls away. Sammael misses: the tip imbeds itself in
the floor and then -- TCHAKKK!!! -- in a concrete column.
Sammael pulls, bringing down part of the ceiling. More SCREAMS
from the fleeing public.
A mezzanine above Hellboy collapses, bringing the ceiling,
steel cables and office furniture down onto the Red Giant.
Sammael takes a step towards the crowd and roars --
Then, BAMMMMMM!!! A desk flies up into the air. Hellboy's
stone hand emerges, triumphant.
HELLBOY
Hey, Chunk-face!
He climbs out of the crater. Sammael growls.
HELLBOY
You can do better than that. Big
monster like you.
Hellboy rips off one of the turnstile bars and hits Sammael
again and again.
HELLBOY
See? It hurts! You shouldn't hit
people!
Sammael blocks the last hit and throws the bar away. It embeds
itself in the tile wall.
Sammael punches Hellboy, a hard uppercut.
Hellboy flies up, crashing through the plate glass of a second
mezzanine above the platform. He skids on the tile floor,
scraping a jagged line with his stone hand.
He slides past a group of BYSTANDERS and into a row of backlit
subway ads. He lands in a shower of glass and debris on a
wooden bench, breaking it in two.
Sammael climbs up into the mezzanine.
Hellboy gets up -- his back bristling with glass shards --
and hears a WAIL: a YOUNG GIRL is pointing at A BOX OF KITTENS
abandoned on a bench.
YOUND GIRL
My kittens!! My kittens!!!
HELLBOY
Aw, crap.
Sammael charges!!! Hellboy scoops up the box, holds it high!!
Using his bone blade, Sammael pulverizes the bench.
Next, Sammael slashes at Hellboy, scattering a dozen shrieking
citizens.
Illuminated by sparks and shorting lamps, Hellboy advances,
blood dripping from his forehead and nose.
Hellboy starts to reload, but -- Sammael's tongue shoots
out. Hellboy throws the kitten box in the air and -- traps
the tongue with his stone hand --
HELLBOY
Second date. No tongue!!
-- while catching the box with his tail. The kittens are
fine.
Using the tongue, he throws Sammael out a glass window.
Sammael dangles above the tracks, but he re-joints himself
and grabs a handhold on the train wall above the tunnel.
From here, he pulls on Hellboy, sliding him toward the jagged
glass.
Sammael pulls harder, enters the tunnel.
Hellboy fights to free himself, but his sweaty face is
millimeters away from being sliced by the glass. All seems
lost, when...
WHAAAAA!!!!!! A train appears out of nowhere heading straight
for Sammael.
It splatters the thing against the tunnel wall and plows on.
Sammael's body sprawls motionless at the side of the tracks.
OMIT
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - SAME
HELLBOY
I hope that hurt.
He gives the cats to the young girl --
YOUNG GIRL
Thank you --
HELLBOY
My job.
OMIT
INT. SUBWAY TRACKS (NEXT TO STATION) - SAME
Hellboy approaches Sammael, whose remains are wreathed in
BLACK flame. A huge CROWD looks on from the end of the
platform.
HELLBOY
(a whisper)
This time. Stay dead, willya??
He moves away. The BLACK flame flickers out.
INT. UNDERWATER CHAMBER 2 (LOCATION R.WAREHOUSE) - DAY
Under the water, BLACK light blooms within TWO OF SAMMAEL'S
EGGS as a fantastic methamorphosis starts. The embryos burst
out, gyrating in the water, swelling and distending.
INT. UNDERWATER CHAMBER 2 (LOCATION R.WAREHOUSE) - DAY
Badly wounded, Abe peers from his hiding spot. Sammael's not
there.
He quickly swims to the surface, his weird blue blood trailing
behind him. The water boils with energy and BLACK LIGHT.
INT. ABANDONED SHOWER ROOM (SET) - DAY
Abe staggers out of the pool and hides behind a crumbling
shower stall. Behind him, two SHAPES come to the surface.
Shaking, Abe pushes his belt locator and collapses.
CUT TO:
INT. SUBWAY TRACKS (NEAR THE STATION) - DAY
Hellboy's locator belt crackles to life. BLUE.
HELLBOY
Abe -- ?
INT. BEAM-SUPPORTED UNDERGROUND TUNNEL/ STORAGE ROOM - DAY
Back in the tunnel, Quarry and moss move filing cabinets and
rotten bozes full of files. One of them gives out and papers
spill all over.
MOSS
Jesus --
Their locators light up.
QUARRY
Abe --
Suddenly -- a noise! The agents leap up and sweep their
flashlights over the columns... Nothing there.
QUARRY
Moss, what the hell was that?
Then, TWO SILHOUETTES cast long shadows. Powerful footfalls
boom like thunderclaps.
Agent Quarry raises his gun and fires at the dark shapes.
Useless: the things plow on.
Moss hurriedly straps on his flame thrower. After a few
seconds, a green light beeps, READY.
The muzzle of the flamethrower vomits a 30 feet long gout of
fire into the blackness.
The men pause: silence!
Quarry turns on his flashlight, hand trembling.
QUARRY
Whatever it was --
BAM!!! SAMMAEL'S TONGUE uncurls from the shadows and lands
on Quarry's face, pulling him into the dark. His flashlight
bobbles and strobes, lighting up a nightmare:
TWO SAMMAELS stand in the tunnel. One of them gleefully
squeezes Quarry. The man's screams are muffled by the
creature's fleshy lips wrapping around his head.
Moss runs as fast as he can, jumping and tumbling through an
obstacle course of beams. Turning, he readies the
flamethrower. The SECOND SAMMAEL lands on Moss's back,
breaking his spine.
CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED SHOWER ROOM (SET) - DAY
Hellboy enters to find Abe, bleeding but alive, leaning
against the tile, blue blood all around him. Hellboy tries
his walkie-talkie. Turns on his locator. It sparks. It's
damaged and broken.
HELLBOY
(into his walkie-talkie)
We need an ambulance. Now!! Over!!
INT. CENTER OF THE TUNNEL LABYRINTH (SET) - DAY
Clay stumbles around, lost. He stops under a grate.
HELLBOY'S VOICE
(on the walkie-talkie)
Who's there? Clay? Come in, someone.
CLAY
Clay, Code 30, this is Clay, over...
Behind Clay, Kroenen drops down from an overhead pipe, through
shafts of gray light. He brings forth his customary long
blade. Clay turns in time to see Kroenen coming at him. He
fires. Kroenen stabs.
Twin rivulets of blood run from Clay's nostrils.
INT. TUNNEL LABYRINTH - CONNECTING SHOWER ROOM (SET) - DAY
Hellboy hears the gunfire, starts running.
INT. CENTER OF THE TUNNEL LABYRINTH (SET)
Clay falls to the floor.
Kroenen stands there, unfazed by Clay's bullets in his chest.
Dust pours from his wounds and piles up neatly at his feet.
He hears Hellboy coming.He places the knife on the floor,
then lies down and plays dead.
Hellboy appears at the end of the tunnel. He glances at
Kroenen's body, then quickly checks for a pulse on Clay.
Hellboy looks demolished.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. TAXI CAB (MOVING) / EXT. BPRD ADJACENT AVENUE - DAY
An ethnic pop song blasts from the taxi radio. Liz pokes her
head out of the window and shoots a Polaroid snapshot. She
passes it to Myers:
LIZ
It feels good to be outside!! It's
been so long...
He can't hear her over the music. Myers knocks on the
bulletproof acrylic divider.
MYERS
Hey!! The music!! Turn down the
music!!
DRIVER
Yeah, yeah, music!!
He merely changes the radio station; the music stays at the
same volume. Myers looks back at Liz.
She is halfway out the window, sitting on the door.
MYERS
Jesus! That's not -- That's not safe,
Miss Sherman -- Miss Sherman?
She takes another Polaroid and passes it down to him. Myers
looks at the Polaroid, then smiles. He climbs out of the
other window, hands her the photograph.
MYERS
Nice view --
He waves at her. For the first time, she smiles.
MYERS
A smile, huh? That's good.
She takes his picture. With the cold morning wind blowing
Liz's hair and the sun on her face, she looks beautiful.
LIZ
Don't get used to it.
Myers taps his fingers on the roof, to the beat of the music.
He can't take his eyes off her. They drive towards the BPRD.
INT. B.P.R.D. MEDICAL BAY - DAY
Unconscious, Abe floats in a special tank. LED strips read
water temperature, pH level, etc. He's encased in a bio-cast:
a cybernetic healing unit wrapped around his thorax and right
arm. A web of tubes and hoses keeps him in place.
SHIRTLESS and bandaged, Hellboy sits and studies him, as if
in a trance.
MANNING'S VOICE
He'll make it --
Hellboy turns, Manning is there:
MANNING
But not everyone was so lucky.
(beat)
Two agents died today. Clay probably
won't survive the night. You're
reckless.
HELLBOY
I knew those men better than you did --
MANNING
Ah, I see. That makes it all alright
then.
He turns to leave. Hellboy gets up.
HELLBOY
No, it doesn't make it right, but I
stopped that creature, didn't I?
MANNING
That's what you do. That's why we
need you. You have an insight.
(beat)
You know monsters.
HELLBOY
What are you trying to say?
MANNING
In the end, after you've killed and
captured every freak out there --
there's still one left: you.
HELLBOY
(a deep sigh)
I wish I could be more gracious but --
BAMMMMM!!!! He smashes a metal LOCKER with his stone hand
and raises it above his head.
Manning cowers, realizing that Hellboy's rage is a dangerous
thing.
INT. B.P.R.D. - MAIN HALL AREA - DAY
A new space. Office corridors radiate out from a brass
B.P.R.D. logo on the floor. A few agents monitor computer
stations and tactical glass boards.
Liz and Myers walk in, carrying her suitcases. She looks
around and sees BROOM coming down the hall.
BROOM
Welcome back.
LIZ
It's only for the weekend, Professor
Broom. Then I'll be on my way --
BROOM
(impeccable courtesy)
Come and go as you please.
(beat)
Find your way back. We've made quite
a few changes --
CRASH!!! Liz screams and Myers draws his gun. Smashing through
a glass partition, the mangled steel LOCKER lands in the
middle of the hall in a rain of glass and aluminum studs.
Next, Manning appears, retreating but unharmed.
MANNING
(gasping)
I want that thing locked up, starting
now -- Now!!! You hear me??!!
He flees.
LIZ
(to Broom)
Nothing's changed. Home, sweet home.
Mortified, Broom hurries after Manning. Hellboy calmly steps
through the hole in the wall.
HELLBOY
(seeing her)
Liz? Liz!!
She spins on her heel and walks off. Hellboy turns to Myers.
HELLBOY
You!!! You did it, buddy --
Myers holsters his gun and follows Liz. Hellboy is all alone
now.
HELLBOY
(oblivious)
Woo hoo!!
INT. B.P.R.D. - LIZ'S ROOM - DAY
A familiar cell. Fireproof insulation covers the walls. Liz
throws her bags on the bed. Myers lingers in the doorway.
She reflexively pulls on one of the rubber bands on her wrist,
then lets it snap.
LIZ
A little something I learned in
therapy. I'm depressed --
(snaps a rubber band)
One rubber band. I'm impatient: two
rubber bands...
He sits by her side on the bed.
MYERS
I'll get you a fresh pack.
INT. HELLBOY'S DEN - DUSK
A cat bats at a ball of paper. On it, two words are visible:
DEAR LIZ. Hellboy's tail scoops up the paper and throws it
in a brimming wastebasket.
He's sitting at a stainless steel desk, deep in concentration,
writing with evident difficulty. The floor around him is
covered with more crumpled pages. In the background, the
projector is showing DUCK SOUP. Myers pushes in a cartload
of CHILI.
MYERS
Where do you --
HELLBOY
Shh! Just a second.
Myers sets the tray on the table.
HELLBOY
Myers, you're a talker. What's a
good word -- a solid word for "need" --
MYERS
"Need" is a good, solid word.
HELLBOY
Nah, sounds too "needy."
MYERS
Start in, you got nachos coming.
As he goes out, Liz appears in the doorway. Hellboy quickly
stops writing.
LIZ
(notices the small
feline army)
Oh, my God... Look at them all! Who
had babies? C'mere, Tiger...!
Liz plays with a cat. Hellboy lifts the piece of paper, which
looks like a postage stamp in his stone hand.
HELLBOY
Um... Liz -- I -- there's something
I'd like you to -- something I need
you to hear.
LIZ
Well. Is it long?? I'm going out,
but --
HELLBOY
Out? Out out?
LIZ
For a cup of coffee, but go ahead,
read.
HELLBOY
You're going alone?
LIZ
No. Myers is taking me.
Hellboy stands up, walks towards her.
HELLBOY
Him!! Why him? Why not me?
Myers walks back in pushing a tray of nachos.
MYERS
(to Hellboy)
Hey, your chili's getting cold --
HELLBOY
(sits back down)
Not hungry.
LIZ
What did you want me to hear -- ?
Hellboy folds the paper.
HELLBOY
It's nothing. Just a list -- It's
not finished --
LIZ
Oh, okay then. Maybe later then.
She leaves. Myers smiles.
MYERS
Anything else you --
HELLBOY
(snappy)
Not from you.
MYERS
Well good n-
HELLBOY
(furious)
Good night.
CUT TO:
INT. B.D.R.P. MEDICAL BAY - NIGHT
Under a sheet, Kroenen's cold, naked body lies on a slab.
Broom talks into a tape recorder.
BROOM
The subject: Karl Ruprecht Kroenen --
The visible areas of the body make us grateful for the sheet
covering the rest.
BROOM
Suffered a masochistic compulsion
known as surgical addiction.
The silver hand and harness lie on a table.
BROOM
Both eyelids were surgically removed
along with his upper and lower lips,
making speech impossible. The blood
in his veins dried up decades ago.
Only dust remains.
(looks at an X-ray
film)
Four pulverized vertebrae. A steel
rod inserted into his pelvis held
him up.
(beat)
What horrible will power could keep
a thing like this alive?
He finds the small pieces of paper Kroenen planted in his
pouch.
INT. B.P.R.D. HALLWAYS - NIGHT
Under the gaze of high-security cameras, AGENT LIME rolls
Hellboy's food cart down the corridor and into the domed
intersection. He whistles a happy tune. Opens the high
security door.
INT. HELLBOY'S DEN - NIGHT
Lime's jaw drops.
Across the room, one of the walls has been completely
demolished, revealing a SERVICE SHAFT.
No sign of Hellboy.
LIME
Jesus.
Lime peeks into the SERVICE SHAFT.
OMIT
EXT. NEWARK, N.J. - STREETS - NIGHT
Myers and Liz leave a coffee shop, strolling down the street.
Myers hands Liz her coffee. They chat and laugh. He pushes
his Moped. She has her Polaroid with her.
EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - NIGHT
HELLBOY
What are you two talking about. What's
so fascinating?? So important??
EXT. NEWARK N.J. STREETS - NIGHT
Liz and Myers pause at a corner, waiting for the light. The
shops are closing.
MYERS
I admire him. He's a force of nature.
LIZ
He's just pushy.
MYERS
No... He's determined. Unstoppable --
LIZ
Cocky.
MYERS
Strong.
LIZ
A brute.
MYERS
My uncle used to say... we like people
for their qualities but love them
for their defects.
Liz half-smiles, sips her coffee.
MYERS
He -- loves you.
LIZ
I know.
MYERS
What about you?
LIZ
Don't know. Really. I grew up with
him.
(beat)
I've missed him too, but now, every
time I see him, I get confused. Hardly
a day goes by he's not in my mind.
Even now, I feel he's here --
As they walk down the street. A red streak jumps over roof
tops.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Hellboy lands neatly on the adjacent roof. He looks down at
Myers and Liz --
Myers offers her cream and sugar.
HELLBOY
No cream and sugar, moron. She takes
it black.
She takes the coffee, waves off the half and half.
HELLBOY
Toldya.
Trying to feel superior, Hellboy chuckles. As they walk, Liz
gestures vigorously. His smile fades.
EXT. NEWARK N.J. STREETS - NIGHT
MYERS
It's freezing, isn't it?
LIZ
Coffee's warming me up.
By now, all the shops are closed. They approach a small park
near a train track.
MYERS
What do we do now? Newark, New Jersey,
entertainment capital of the world.
She cleans off a wet, dirty bench, sits down.
LIZ
You offered me a cup of coffee. I've
got one, so just sit down.
Myers is falling for her.
EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT
Hellboy leaps off a building.
EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Two red hands appear over the rooftop parapet. Cursing,
Hellboy hauls himself up. He finds himself next to a pigeon
coop where a YOUNG KID is feeding the birds.
HELLBOY
Hi...
The kid stares at him.
KID
You're Hellboy.
HELLBOY
Shh. I'm... on a mission.
He watches as Liz and Myers sit on the bench.
HELLBOY
Don't tell anyone, huh?
CUT TO:
INT. HELLBOY'S DEN - NIGHT
Broom examines the damage to the wall. He turns to see
Hellboy's locator belt hanging on the wall. Broom shakes his
head.
LIME
Should we send out some scouts?
Broom motions for him to stop. It's useless,
BROOM
No. Enough. He will never change --
always a child. Always.
INT. B.P.R.D. MEDICAL BAY - NIGHT
Kroenen's body lies on the table. Slowly, his chest starts
to rise and fall. He sits up.
His arm stump docks into the prosthetic hand -- Click! He
flexes the shiny fingers.
Kroenen's hideous cranium is visible for an instant before
he zips up his mask. He takes the sharp Ragnarok knives and
turns one over. It reflects a figure standing behind him:
Grigory.
EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - NIGHT
The pigeon kid walks towards Hellboy, carrying two glasses
of milk and a plate of cookies.
KID
My Mom baked 'em.
He sits by Hellboy's side as he watches Liz and Myers chatting
and laughing.
HELLBOY
That's it: she's laughing. I'm done.
Hellboy grabs three cookies off the plate and scarfs them
down.
KID
They don't look like spies.
HELLBOY
Come on! Look at him, those shifty
eyes, that -- phony grin...!!
(seeing the last cookie)
You gonna eat that?
Below, Myers yawns. Hellboy slaps his forehead.
HELLBOY
Oh, the yawning trick. That's so
1950's! Watch his arm --
He looks around, picks up a pebble, hefts it.
EXT. NEWARK N.J. STREET - LIZ AND MYERS - NIGHT
MYERS
We all have a side that we try to
hide...
Myers stretches and places his hand and arm behind her back.
Something hits him in the head.
MYERS
Hey! What the hell?
He gets up, annoyed. No one in sight.
EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Hellboy snickers, hiding and chewing a cookie. The Kid "gives
him five".
INT. BROOM´S OFFICE - NIGHT
Kroenen's two pieces of paper are joined together under a
MICRO-SCANNER. Broom watches as computer enhancement fills
out a couple of missing areas.
Cyrillic letters are now legible.
BROOM
(pensive)
SEBASTIAN PLACKBA #16... Moscow.
Broom pulls out a few old photos. Finds one of Grigory in
German uniform, and in a book, another of Grigory in an
Orthodox priest's black cassock.
He pulls out his old wooden box, pulls out a dusty book from
it. His fingers scan the text, finding Rasputin's date of
birth, date of death. They pause at a particular line: "His
mausoleum is at SEBASTIAN PLACKBA #16".
BROOM
It's Rasputin's mausoleum.
TCHK!! A noise -- Broom turns in time to see Kroenen
delicately descending a spiral staircase, blade in hand. In
spite of all his experience, Broom is shaken.
BROOM
I see the puppet. But -- where is...
the puppet master?
In the dark, a voice hisses --
GRIGORY
Very good, Professor Broom.
Broom turns. Grigory steps from the shadows.
BROOM
It was you: The scraps of paper,
Liz's sudden relapse and return...
GRIGORI
(nods)
Bread crumbs on the trail. Like in a
fable. They both distract him and
guide him exactly where I need him.
BROOM
Moscow.
GRIGORY
His destiny.
He touches Broom's forehead, lightly --
GRIGORY
You raised the child. Nurtured him.
So, In return... Would you permit
me? A brief, brief glimpse? Of the
future --
FLASH!!
A nightmarish tableau...
EXT. RUINS OF N.Y. - DUSK
The ruins of New York, charred, smoldering. Human remains
litter the landscape. Monstrous shapes lumber in the
distance... an army of apocalyptic beasts outlined against
the blood-red sky.
Dominating the horror is a mountain of festering skeletons
and skulls. At the top, a figure: HELLBOY, transformed. His
horns are in full bloom, his eyes and mouth stream unearthly
fire.
INT. BROOM´S OFFICE - NIGHT
Startled, Broom snaps out of it --
GRIGORY
If only you had him destroyed sixty
years ago, none of this would come
to pass. But, then, how could you
have known?
Broom is speechless.
GRIGORY
Your God chooses to remain silent.
Mine lives within me.
Rasputin stands, the flesh of his neck and shoulders heaving
and twitching beneath his human skin.
GRIGORY
In the frozen waters of the Malaya
Nevka, in the darkness of the void:
every time I died and crossed over,
a little more of the Master came
back with me. He disclosed to me the
child's true name... Would you like
to know it??
BROOM
I know what to call him. Nothing you
can say or do will change that. I
call him son.
Discreetly, Broom removes his rosary and places it on the
book. Kroenen settles in behind him.
BROOM
I am ready.
GRIGORY
Good. Now, I'll add two crumbs more:
(Kroenen displays his
knives)
Grief and revenge...
Kroenen's knife goes in.
CUT TO:
EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - NIGHT
The pigeons flutter on the rooftop.
The pigeon kid sits by Hellboy's side.
KID
Just go down there and tell her how
you feel!
(Hellboy shakes his
head: no)
My mom says --
HELLBOY
It's not that easy, okay?
(beat)
Plus, you're nine. You're not old
enough to give me advice.
KID
(shrugs)
Who are those guys??
Hellboy turns and sees --
TWO of the black B.P.R.D. Sedan cars rounds the corner.
Agent Lime bounds out of one of the vehicles, grabbing Myers,
talking rapidly. Liz screams, covers her ears.
HELLBOY
Something's wrong --
OMIT
INT. B.P.R.D. HALLWAY - NIGHT
Agents and Bureau employees are crammed into Broom's office
doorway. Hellboy, face contorted by grief, pushes through.
INT. BROOM'S OFFICE - NIGHT
The room is full of forensics people taking pictures, picking
up evidence, etc. Tom Manning is there. Seeing Hellboy, he
respectfully steps back.
Broom's fragile body lies slumped in his chair. At his feet,
a pool of blood. Liz enters, then stifles a whimper.
With tears in his eyes, a disbelieving Hellboy looks at Liz,
then at his dead father. He holds Broom's body close to his
chest.
HELLBOY
Father -- I'm back. I'm back. I'm
back.
Manning herds everybody out. From the door, Liz blinks back
tears as the red giant kneels by the body: a dog with a lost
master.
HELLBOY
I wasn't here. You died alone --
DISSOLVE TO:
OMIT
EXT. BPRD BUILDING - DAY
It's raining like hell.
The PALLBEARERS, Manning and Myers among them, load Broom's
casket into a HEARSE. Flanking it are two rows of BPRD agents.
The hearse doors close and the vehicle pulls away.
Watching like a gargoyle from a distant roof: Hellboy. Rain
bounces off his wet overcoat.
Liz observes him, worried.
LIZ'S VOICE
He hasn't spoken to anyone in three
days. Not a word. He doesn't eat, he
doesn't sleep...
INT. MEDICAL BAY - DAY
Abe, conscious now, but still in the cast, floats upside
down, solving a RUBIK'S CUBE. Liz stands by the tank.
LIZ
I've never seen him like this. Never.
(beat)
Should I stay? With him, I mean?
She smiles faintly.
ABE
Listen -- I'm not much of a problem
solver...
(displays the cube)
Three decades and I've only gotten
two sides.
(beat)
But I know this much: if there's
trouble -- all we have is each other.
And I'm stuck here.
(beat)
So -- Take care of the big monkey
for me, will you?
Their hands almost touch, separated only by the glass.
OMITTED
INT. B.P.R.D. CONFERENCE ROOM - DUSK
A PROJECTION SCREEN shows the enhanced image of the piece of
paper with Cyrillic characters.
MANNING
We've collected and destroyed
thousands of eggs. No trace of this
"Sammael" or this "Rasputin"
character. But we have this address --
In a meeting room, Manning stands at a polished obsidian
desk. A group of agents -- Myers among them -- listens
attentively.
MANNING
Sebastian Plackba #16. Volokolamsk
fields, fifty miles from Moscow. We
leave as soon as we get clearance
and equipment --
MANNING
Hellboy's coming --
(beat)
But I'll be in charge this time.
Either we wrap this up or I'm closing
this freak show for good.
Myers spots Liz walking past the conference room.
INT. BROOM'S OFFICE - DUSK
Hellboy stands before Broom's desk, pensive, his naked chest
bandaged.
Liz watches him from across the room. He finds Broom's rosary
on top of the book. Reads the underlined phrase on the page.
LIZ
Hi --
He turns to her. She slowly comes towards him.
HELLBOY
Hi.
LIZ
I've changed my mind. I'll come to
Moscow. If you -- are still going --
Hellboy nods, then clears his throat.
HELLBOY
I am.
(beat)
But -- I have something to say, too.
(beat)
I never had the guts before -
He looks her in the eye.
HELLBOY
But I understand what you don't like
about me. I do. What I am makes you
feel out of place -- out there --
LIZ
Red, I --
HELLBOY
Listen. I'm not like Myers. He makes
you feel like you belong. And --
that's good. It really is. I -- wish
I could do something about this --
(points at his own
face)
But I can't.
(beat)
I can promise you only two things...
One: I'll always look this good.
Two: I won't give up on you. Ever.
LIZ
I like that...
HELLBOY
Good.
CUT TO:
EXT. MOSCOW WAREHOUSE - DAY
Super: TOPOCKBA STEEL MILLS, MOSCOW A wasteland of rust and
decay. Rotting warehouses line the street like dead steel
watchdogs. No one's around but a few lonely sentries.
A limo and motorcycle caravan are waved through the security
gates.
INT. MOSCOW WAREHOUSE - DUSK
A metal door trundles back and the limo and escort motorcycles
enter.
Fleshy Russian General -- LAPIKOV -- gets out of the limo.
Then Ilsa and Grigory.
GENERAL LAPIKOV
I have accumulated many objects of
great interest. Preserving our
heritage.
The warehouse contains a world of bric-a-brac: a towering
marble LENIN HEAD, Old Master paintings, tanks, warheads,
missiles, etc.
GENERAL LAPIKOV
Many -- like me -- believe Mother
Russia to be very close to a historic
rebirth.
They stop before a cargo container. With a butane torch, a
soldier melts away the lead Kremlin seal, then open the doors.
GRIGORY
Rebirth? I like that.
INT. MOSCOW WAREHOUSE - THE CONTAINER - SAME
A massive stone monolith of polished MARBLE.
LAPIKOV
Twenty tons of stone. This thing
fell from the sky into Tungaska
forest.
GRIGORY
June 30th, 1908. It burned hundreds
of square miles of forest. The
Romanovs took possession of it
immediately. The Czar guarded it
jealously -- I have wanted it for
ages.
Grigory's fingers brush over its smooth, perfect surface. At
the center --
-- TWO CIRCULAR IMPRINTS that match Hellboy's four-fingered
stone hand.
GRIGORY
Now, finally, it's mine.
GENERAL LAPIKOV
You are aware, of course, there's no
way you'll get it out of Russian
territory.
ILSA
(curtly)
He is aware.
Ilsa brings out a chrome box, full of gold.
GENERAL LAPIKOV
It's a pleasure doing business with
you. Perhaps you have other interests.
Grigory's voice drips with serene brutality.
GRIGORY
Enjoy the bright metal you've earned.
There will be no further transactions.
(beat)
Only closure.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE NIGHT SKY (MATTE SHOT) - NIGHT
A massive CARGO PLANE slices the white eye of a full moon. A
map details the plane's journey over the Black Sea.
Super: RUSSIAN AIRSPACE - BLACK SEA.
INT. CARGO PLANE - NIGHT
As the plane engines DRONE, Myers supervises BPRD agents
Lime and Stone, who stencil a large crate: FRAGILE! LIVE
CARGO.
Hellboy and Liz stand around a brightly-lit work table.
Hellboy shows them the medieval illustration of Sammael.
HELLBOY
"One falls, two shall arise." So:
you pop one, two come out. You kill
two, you get four. You kill four,
you're in trouble. We have to nail
'em all at once. And the eggs.
MANNING
When we do: No mumbo-jumbo. Double-
core Vulcan-65 grenades.
MANNING shows them a set of GRENADE BELTS.
MANNING
We've installed a very handy timer.
Set it, walk away. Cable pulls the
safety pins, K-boom! Easy to clean,
easy to use...
HELLBOY
(interrupts)
Those things never work. Never.
MANNING
Each of us gets a belt.
HELLBOY
(shrugs it off)
I won't take 'em. They never work.
Manning looks at Hellboy, irate.
MYERS
I'll carry his --
Hellboy wraps Broom's rosary on his wrist.
HELLBOY
Boy Scout.
CUT TO:
OMIT
EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY
Two gleaming black vans and a truck move through snow-covered
Soviet roads.
Super: VOLOKOLAMSK FIELDS, MOSCOW.
EXT./INT. COUNTRYSIDE - IN THE TRUCK CAB - DAY
Myers and LIZ struggle with a Moscow map.
LIZ
(into a radio)
Sparky to Big Red...
Popping her head out of the window, Liz looks back at the
truck bed.
EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - THE TRUCK BED - DAY
Fastened to it, the crate labelled: LIVE CARGO. Small
breathing holes have been drilled in the sides.
HELLBOY'S VOICE
Sparky?? Who came up with that? Myers?
EXT./INT. COUNTRYSIDE - THE TRUCK CAB- DAY
Liz snickers.
MYERS
We're almost there.
INT. INSIDE THE CARGO BOX - DAY
Hellboy, sitting on the floor, in the dark.
LIZ'S VOICE
(on radio)
We're leaving the main road, so hang
on --
They hit a series of bumps. The box rattles and shakes.
Hellboy bangs his head. The vehicle lurches to a halt.
HELLBOY
(on the radio)
This better be the place or I'll
puke.
Motors are turned off. The crate is opened. Liz peeks in.
LIZ
Come out and see.
EXT. 19TH CENTURY CEMETERY - DAY
Hellboy steps out. Takes a moment to adjust his eyes to the
light.
HELLBOY
Sebastian Plackba #16...
19TH CENTURY CEMETERY (MATTE SHOT / COMPOSITE)
Broken spiked fences succumb to rust and dead vines. Endless
rows of crypts and tombstones poke through wild foliage.
Our group plus TWO AGENTS (Lime and Stone) venture into the
labyrinthine lanes of the dead. Each carries a backpack, a
flashlight and a gun.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CEMETERY - MAUSOLEUM SECTION (LOCATION) - DAY
Later. The group gathers in frustration in an area of baroque
funerary monuments. Myers -- carrying the explosive belts --
looks around.
MANNING
Forget it. This is practically a
city. And it stinks, and it's muddy.
We'll go back, check into a hotel,
regroup after breakfast. We'll have
to make a grid, go by quadrants.
Maybe satellite photography.
He gestures and all the agents head for the vans.
HELLBOY
Let me ask for directions.
EXT. OPEN GRAVE - DAY
The group surrounds a grave. Hellboy raises the broken stone
cover and then jumps in.
EXT. OPEN GRAVE (SET) - DAY
-- and lands on a rotten coffin. In it, a mummified corpse
lies in a miserable black suit.
HELLBOY
(whispers)
Animam edere, animus corpus...
He presses the amulet on the cadaver's forehead. For a moment,
nothing, and then...
...a brutal spasm!! The corpse gasps, breathes... and mutters
something in tongueless Russian. SUBTITLE: WHAT DO YOU WANT?
EXT. MOSCOW CEMETERY (LOCATION) - DAY
The group gawks as Hellboy climbs out, carrying the CORPSE
on his back. With an ear-to-ear grin, he approaches the team.
HELLBOY
Sixty feet further, comrades, and
three rows in...
The corpse fidgets on Hellboy's back. Its bony hand weakly
points, as if in confirmation.
HELLBOY
This here is Ivan Klimentovich: Say
"hi" Ivan.
The corpse mutters again. SUBTITLED: GO THAT WAY, RED MONKEY.
EXT. CEMETERY - YEFIMOVICH MAUSOLEUM (LOCATION) - DAY
A miniature black marble castle. Using a crowbar, Myers pries
open the ancient steel door. Hellboy, still carrying the
desiccated abomination on his back, walks in.
OMIT
INT. YEFIMOVICH MAUSOLEUM STAIRS - LATER - DAY
Two agents stand guard in the mausoleum, while the group
descends carefully. The walls are dotted with yellowed skulls.
INT. YEFIMOVICH MAUSOLEUM - UNDERGROUND - STAIRCASE
Myers' flashlight flickers. He shakes it back to life.
INT. UNDERGROUND - UNDERGROUND INTERSECTION
They reach the bottom of the staircase: three corridors branch
off in different directions. Hellboy deposits the CORPSE
attop a pile of coffins.
HELLBOY
We'll be alright... as long as we
don't separate --
INT. UNDERGROUND CORRIDOR AND INTERSECTION - DAY
TCHKANGGG!!!!! large spiked metal plates shoot up from below,
blocking both their way out, demolishing the staircase and
ramming Stone: he's gone.
Wicked spikes cover the metal surface. Hellboy still bangs
on it, but to no avail: it's at least six inches thick. Liz
and Myers are on the other side.
HELLBOY
(into his walkie-talkie)
Okay, someone's expecting us. Turn
on your locators -- Anyone sees
anything...
LIZ
Marco...
HELLBOY
...Polo.
On the other side of the panel, Myers takes the radio from
Liz.
MYERS
(into radio)
Are you sure about this?
HELLBOY
On a scale of one to ten: two. But --
(beat)
-- she'll take care of you, Myers.
She's a tough one.
Liz and Myers move off. Hellboy shines his light down the
tunnel on the left. Agent Lime picks up the corpse and
follows.
INT. TUNNEL "A" / CHAMBER - DAY
Hellboy and Manning come into a vast chamber: Slavic motifs
crown the rugged stone pillars and archways. Water runs down
the walls.
Across a small stone bridge, light pours from a hexagonal
structure.
They step onto the bridge. KLANGGG!!! two gears release a
steel door from above, forcing them to forge ahead.
Somewhere, a massive clockwork is TICKING.
MANNING
What's that --
Hellboy motions for silence. The CORPSE mutters: "IT'S
SOMETHING BIG"
They stare into the darkness.
MANNING
We should go back -- you -- you could
tear that door apart --
HELLBOY
Don't move. We --
MANNING
-- should go back. Now!
HELLBOY
No. Don't --
MANNING
I'm in charge. We go back!
Hellboy yanks Manning just in time. BAMMM!!!! A gigantic
metal pendulum swings past and demolishes one third of the
bridge a few feet from their feet. It takes Lime and the
CORPSE with it.
Another door on the far end of the bridge shudders downward.
HELLBOY
Son of a --
Whoosh! The PENDULUM swings back. It destroys more of the
bridge. Manning sprints for all he's worth and crawls under
the door.
Hellboy runs, but chunks of stone disintegrate under his
feet.
The pendulum swings back taking out the final piece of the
bridge just as Hellboy rolls under the door --
-- and makes it into the hexagonal building.
INT. STONE CORRIDOR - DAY
Hellboy and Manning find themselves in a very narrow, arched
stone corridor. Its walls are lined with endless rows of
rusty steel blades.
Faint traces of WAGNER can be heard. They cautiously
proceed...
INT. HEXAGONAL STONE LAB - DAY
There. In yellow gaslight, Kroenen nods attentively as a
phonograph plays the love duet from TRISTAN UND ISOLDE.
Above him, ropes, hooks and pulleys.
INT. STONE CORRIDOR - DAY
Manning rest his hand too close to a blade.
MANNING
Ouch!!
INT. HEXAGONAL STONE LAB - DAY
Kroenen comes alert. He scans the room, quietly winds himself
up.
INT. STONE CORRIDOR - DAY
Hellboy shoots a dirty look at Manning and then looks back
into the chamber --
-- Kroenen is gone.
HELLBOY
(to Manning)
Crap. This guy moves like a cockroach --
Hellboy readies his gun and then creeps toward the lab.
INT. HEXAGONAL STONE LAB - DAY
Hellboy's footsteps elicit soft creaks from the wooden floor.
Manning moves along behind him.
The record finishes playing. Silence --
SWISH!!! Kroenen's whirling blades slice the air, ripping
into Manning's arm. As Kroenen goes in for the kill --
-- Hellboy thrusts out his stone fist as a shield. Kroenen
bears down but Hellboy fends him off with powerful, deliberate
blocks.
Kroenen hauls out one of his long swords.
HELLBOY
Screw that.
Hellboy yanks it away and bends it like a twig. BAMMMM!!!!
He punches Kroenen in the face, crumpling the steel mask,
smashing its lenses.
HELLBOY
You killed my father --
BAMMM!!!! another hit.
Kroenen staggers back with each blow. Finally, the mask falls
off.
HELLBOY
Give your soul to God, Your ass is
mine.
An asthmatic wheeze erupts from his scarred face. Kroenen is
laughing.
INT. HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
BAM!!! Under his feet, a huge trapdoor falls open. He and
Manning drop through, along with the phonograph.
Hellboy grabs a rope. It spins through a copper pulley, but
a large knot jerks him to a stop. Hellboy snatches Manning's
hand, but loses his backpack.
He looks down. The phonograph hits the ground with a crash.
MANNING
(panting, whispers)
Well, it's not that big a fall...
KLANGGGG!!!!! The entire bottom bristles with six-foot,
sparkling steel blades.
INT. ABOVE THE HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
Kroenen cautiously leans over the pit. He can't hear a sound.
As he peeks -- SWISH!! A loop of the rope wraps around his
neck and yanks him forward! Before he goes over, he
frantically digs his blades into the floor, anchoring himself.
INT. HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
Hellboy has used the rope hanging below him as a lasso.
MANNING clings to his powerful back as he climbs up, hand
over hand.
INT. ABOVE THE HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
Kroenen goes to cut the rope...
INT. HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
HELLBOY
(reaching the top)
Oh, no you don't --
Hellboy wraps the rope around his stone fist and, with a
brutal stone-fist yank, pulls KROENEN into the pit!
With a horrible scream, Kroenen drops headfirst past them
and onto the spikes. He wriggles like a fish caught on a
hook, only making it worse, as he slides further down the
blades.
INT. ABOVE THE HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
Hellboy climbs out and sits. Sees Kroenen's blade embedded
in the floor. Holding it: the prosthetic hand, still ticking.
INT. ABOVE THE HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
Hellboy peers down. Still alive, Kroenen frees one arm,
slicing through his own ropy bicep.
HELLBOY
You like playing possum, you Nazi
pinhead?
(beat)
Then try playing dead.
INT. BOTTOM OF HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
Hellboy tips a massive cogwheel over the edge. Kroenen emits
a horrid scream as it crushes him.
INT. ABOVE THE HEXAGONAL TRAP DOOR PIT - DAY
Manning sits down, bandaging his injuries. Hellboy kneels
down.
HELLBOY
Are you okay?
Manning nods weakly. Hellboy brings out a cigar and fires up
his Zippo.
HELLBOY
You'd better stay here. I'll find a
way out. We'll come back for you.
MANNING
You call that thing a cigar??
HELLBOY
Yup.
MANNING
You never, ever light a cigar that
way.
He digs out one of his fine cigars, cuts it and hands it to
HELLBOY.
MANNING
Use a wooden match. It preserves the
flavor.
He lights it for him. Hellboy grins.
MANNING
Thank you.
HELLBOY
(smiles)
My job.
OMIT
INT. TUNNEL "B" - UNDERGROUND NARROW TUNNEL - DAY
A narrow tunnel. Liz and Myers advance carefully.
Just ahead, a cave-in. Pieces of ceiling, timber, coffins
and corpses form a chaotic barrier. As they squeeze past...
MYERS
So, he thinks that you and I... That's
why he's mad at me --
A few bones roll by. Wet earth drops onto their shoulders.
They draw their arms close to their bodies, pointing their
flashlight beams straight down. A moment of strange intimacy.
MYERS
But it's not true, is it?
LIZ
What -- ?
MYERS
That you feel that way about me.
LIZ
You want to know -- Now -- ? Here?
Red, white, whatever -- Guys are all
the same.
INT. TUNNEL "C" - UNDERGROUND TUNNEL - STEEP SLOPE - DAY
Hellboy labors up a steep slope, using rocks and roots for
handholds. He reaches a dead end and collapses, out of breath.
Light filters through a crack in the ground; he can faintly
hear Liz and Myers.
INT. TUNNEL "B" - UNDERGROUND TUNNEL - CAVERN AREA - DAY
Liz and Myers reach a wider section of Tunnel "B". They find
themselves calf-deep in brown water.
Myers lights Liz's path as she steps onto a large stone.
MYERS
Watch out. It's slippery...
His light shorts out. She shines her light past him.
LIZ
Oh, my God...
Myers turns. His flashlight comes back on, revealing a complex
natural cavern. An entire WALL IS COVERED with translucent
eggs.
SAMMAEL is there, gnawing on a dry arm bone, with the hand
still attached. When the light hits his face, his milky pupils
constrict. A snarl...
A SECOND SAMMAEL emerges from the water. It shakes itself
off. A THIRD ONE raise its head.
Myers and Liz try to back away, but a metal wall rises right
behind them KLANKKKKK!!! They are trapped!!
Myers goes to grab a set of explosive belts. Tries to set up
the timer. Zipp! -- one Sammael snatches them away. Myers
falls to the ground, clothes torn, injured.
LIZ
(into the radio)
Marco, Marco, Marco... Get your Big
Red butt over here!
Something stomps on the ceiling directly above them. Again
and again.
INT. TUNNEL "C" - UNDERGROUND TUNNEL FLOOR - DAY
Hellboy pounds the floor with his rock hand. Furiously.
HELLBOY
Hang on kid, I'm coming for you!!
The rocks below him start to crumble.
EXT. ANTHILL VIEW OF UNDERGROUND TUNNELS AND PITS - DAY
In an "ANT FARM" view of the complex, we see Hellboy above,
pummeling and -- in the cavern below -- Liz and Myers.
INT. TUNNEL "B" - UNDERGROUND TUNNEL CAVERN AREA - DAY
Dust and rocks fall from above. The four identical creatures
move in on Liz and Myers. Myers shoots one in the head three
times. The creature shakes off the hits as if pelted with
pebbles.
One of them springs. As it flies through the air, Hellboy
crashes through the ceiling. He lands on top of it along
with a ton or two of stone. The creature is crushed.
Two eggs glow, metamorphosing. Presto -- two new Sammaels
are born. The first two Sammaels growl, joined by the two
new ones. Liz sprints to safety.
HELLBOY
Sorry. Just couldn't leave you two
alone.
Hellboy scoops up Myers and deposits him next to Liz.
Lit by Myers' flashlight, two of the creatures jump. One
clamps onto Hellboy's back, the other onto his leg. Hellboy
howls. The third one joins in, like lions dragging down a
zebra. This time, though, the zebra fights back.
Hellboy pulls out his gun and fires a round into the chest
of a Sammael. Two eggs glow -- two new Sammaels are born.
They're FIVE.
Hellboy's torso is covered in blood. He falls to the ground.
A fourth and a fifth creature spring onto him, biting. Hellboy
is in trouble.
Liz watches and shivers. A ripple of heat shimmers over her
body.
LIZ
(at Myers)
Hit me.
MYERS
What?
Liz is desperate, crying.
LIZ
Hit me --
(beat)
All of my life I've run away from
it... Now I want it to happen! Do
it.
Hellboy screams. Water explodes under the fighting bodies.
Two of the Sammaels turn their attention to Liz and Myers.
MYERS
I can't, I --
Liz slaps him.
LIZ
I know now: I love him. I've always
loved him.
A beat of silence, then Myers slaps her across the face,
once. Hard. The heat ripple builds. The air vibrates around
her. Her pupils kick back light, like an animal's.
LIZ
Go now.
Myers ducks behind a rock as Liz's arms blaze with fire.
The two approaching Sammaels are ready to pounce.
On top of Hellboy, one of them turns its head, like a lion
hearing the hunter's gunshots. A staggering Hellboy sees
Liz's body shake in a surge of white-hot energy.
HELLBOY
(weak)
Liz...
The water at her feet blows away as a concave shockwave of
fire expands.
The fire engulfs the creatures. Devours them all.
INT. TUNNEL "B" - UNDERGROUND TUNNEL CAVERN AREA - DAY
The screen FADES TO WHITE and then...
Silence, then a pulse. A high ringing tone. A heartbeat.
Hellboy pushes away the half-cooked remains of two Sammaels.
The other creatures are little more than blackened bones. He
stumbles forward. No water left. Everything is half-buried
in a cracked, bone-dry bed of mud. Liz lies on the ground,
on her side, unconscious.
Myers is alive, but too groggy to even acknowledge it. Weakly,
Hellboy turns around: In the eerie silence of his deafness,
he sees Grigory -- LAUGHING noiselessly, witness to an absurd
comedy.
Ilsa approaches. And -- in a simple, brutal move -- hits him
with a hammer --
FADE OUT / FADE IN
OMIT
INT. THE CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Hellboy slowly comes to. He is chained to a massive wooden
yoke. He takes notice of his surroundings: a large church-
like space, surrounded by funeral niches and statues holding
swords. High columns flank huge mechanical gears. An SOLAR
SYSTEM MODEL takes the place of an altar.
Off to one side, Ilsa uses a hammer to destroy the timers on
the explosive belts.
Next to the main nave, Myers is tied to a stone pillar. Under
his feet, a blood channel, leading to the immense stone slab
bought from Lapikov.
Liz lies at Grigory's feet. He's dressed in a ceremonial
robe and holds his leather book open. His back to Hellboy,
he faces a mural of the angel Abbadon holding a key.
GRIGORY
"And I looked and beheld an Angel,
and in his hand the key to the
bottomless pit..."
Hellboy tenses, rage building. The yoke creaks, but doesn't
bend.
GRIGORY
(gestures at the stone
piece)
These were the words I heard as a
peasant boy in Tobolsk. And now, the
door -- Sent by the Ogdruh Jahad so
that they might at long last enter
our world.
ILSA
(to Hellboy)
You are the key! The right hand of
doom!
Hellboy studies the stone sculpture, its three HAND IMPRINTS --
ILSA
(triumphant)
What did you think it was made for?
Open the locks.
Hellboy stares at his huge right arm, as if for the first
time.
MYERS
Don't do it!! Don't do it!!
Ilsa kicks Myers in the face.
ILSA
Silence!!
The open dome above reveals the moon. An eclipse is beginning.
The altar's clockworks monitors its progress.
ILSA
Imagine it: An eden for you and her --
HELLBOY
No.
Grigory turns to Hellboy.
GRIGORY
No?
(reasonable)
In exchange for her life then, open
the door.
In torment, Hellboy, shakes his head: no.
GRIGORY
As you wish.
He leans over Liz, whispers in her ear: Her body arches, her
mouth emits a plume of energy. Grigory greedily inhales it.
Then she goes limp.
GRIGORY
She's dead.
HELLBOY
Noooo! Noooo!!!
He struggles again. One of the cuffs snaps. He swats Ilsa
with his free hand. She stumbles backwards. Now Hellboy fights
to free his other hand. Indifferent, Grigory watches the
eclipse.
GRIGORY
Her soul awaits on the other side.
If you want her back...
(beat)
Open the door and claim her.
His head and heart racing, Hellboy struggles for an answer.
Can't find one... the moon is almost totally eclipsed.
He drops his gaze. His voice a hoarse whisper.
HELLBOY
For her.
Grigory moves close to Hellboy. Rips the rosary off his wrist.
It lands near Myers.
GRIGORY
Names hold the power and nature of
things. Mine for example. Rasputin:
"The crossroads."
(beat)
And crossroads I have become.
(beat)
Your true name: Anung-un-Rama. Repeat
it. Become the key.
HELLBOY
(closing his eyes)
Anung-un-Rama...
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Hellboy's stone arm glows. Ancient symbols of fire burn the
stone. Flames momentarily engulf his body.
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Hellboy roars as his HORNS majestically burst forth! Out of
his mouth, energy and light boil like condensing breath on a
winter's night.
Inebriated with power, the new PRINCE OF HELL smiles with
supreme arrogance. His shadow falls on the white marble of
the slab and mysteriously spreads over it until the stone
turns black as obsidian.
MYERS
No!! Don't do it!! Listen to me!!
HELLBOY inserts his enormous paw into the FIRST IMPRINT on
the stone slab -- CLACK!! He turns it, like a lock.
A beam of crimson light shoot upwards into the sky.
EXT. VIEW FROM THE CITY - NIGHT
Visible from all over Moscow, the beam blazes to the moon!
The same phenomenon as in the prologue, but this time it's
more intense, with ripples and haloes.
INT. THE OTHER SIDE - NIGHT
Again, the infinite, starry space. Again, the OGDRU JAHAD.
The ruby beam pierces the darkness.
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Hellboy watches as the FIRST IMPRINT disappears. In its place:
a burning glyph.
Myers struggles with his bindings. The rough hemp cuts his
skin, but he manages to free one hand.
EXT. ON THE OTHER SIDE - NIGHT
OGDRU JAHAD shifts, suddenly breaking free. Gelatinous limbs
uncurl, expand. Its enormity puzzles the eye, obscuring the
frame.
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Hellboy thrusts his hand into the SECOND IMPRINT. CLACK! He
turns it.
Myers spots the broken rosary and reaches for it --
INT. THE SKY - NIGHT
IN THE STORM CLOUDS, LIGHTNING ILLUMINATES GARGANTUAN
TENTACLES REACHING INTO THE EARTHLY PLANE.
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Grigory drinks in the first signs of the arrival and laughs.
GRIGORY
The final seal. Open it!
Hellboy puts his hand inside, CLACK!!! Before he can turn
it, Myers reaches the rosary. Ilsa lunges at him. He clobbers
her full in the face. She staggers back and down.
MYERS
(to Hellboy)
Remember who you are!!!
He throws the rosary at Hellboy. Instinctively, Hellboy
catches it. It smokes in his hand.
He tosses it away. It lands next to the explosive belts.
Hellboy opens his palm, seeing the smoking, charred imprint
of the cross and beads. He looks over at Grigory.
With a blood-curdling scream, Hellboy grabs his horns with
both hands, brutally snaps them off. Energy spews from the
stumps.
He stabs Grigory with one of them. Grigory drops to his knees,
holding his stomach. Hellboy drops the blood-stained horn.
The final lock disappears into the stone. The light flickers
and the connection with the moon is broken.
Ilsa, licking her bloody lips, looks up. The sky is silent.
The thunderclouds are parting. The eclipse has ended.
Grigory crumples in agony.
The burning glyphs in Hellboy's stone hand dim down, his
features and body resume their usual shape. All is quiet.
GRIGORY
You will never fulfill your destiny.
You will never understand the power
inside you.
HELLBOY
I can live with that.
He breaks Myers' chains, helps him up.
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Hellboy painfully takes Liz's limp body in his arms. Myers
stands by his side.
He kisses her forehead, caresses her hair, then walks down
the steps.
Myers steps on something. He looks under his foot: A smashed
GLASS EYE. Then... out of the silence, a WHISPER.
GRIGORY
Child...
Hellboy turns. Grigory, on his knees, smiles.
GRIGORY
(dying)
Look what you've done --
He looks up. In his empty eye socket, fleshy tendrils shift
lazily.
GRIGORY
You've killed me -- an insignificant
man... but you have brought forth a
God.
He uncovers his abdomen. Long, fleshy pseudopods spill out
of the wound, like intestines.
A large entity erupts from Grigory's torso and claws the
air.
GRIGORY
Behold, my master, Behemoth. Guardian
of thresholds, destroyer of worlds.
Covered in steamy slime, a seven foot, multi-tentacled shape --
BABY BEHEMOTH -- lands on the stone slab. The squirming flesh
surges up like greasy pink foam. Growing exponentially by
the second.
Ilsa kneels and embraces Grigory's corpse. Kisses him on the
mouth. A gargantuan tentacled shadow looms above them.
ILSA
Hell will hold no surprises for us.
A tower of flesh disdainfully crushes them both.
INT. CATACOMBS - ADJACENT TUNNEL - NIGHT
In a passageway, Hellboy carefully hands Liz's body over to
Myers.
HELLBOY
Keep her safe. No matter what. I'll
deal with whatever's back there.
MYERS
Alone?
HELLBOY
How big can it be?
As if in response, a massive tentacle fills the tunnel,
reaching for him. Oil lamps hanging from the ceiling smash
onto HELLBOY´S head as he is pulled back at breakneck speed,
finally confronting --
INT. THE CATACOMBS - NIGHT
BEHEMOTH!!! The size of a house --
Hellboy -- head smoking -- writhes in the grip of the
tentacle. It suddenly throws him toward the ceiling.
As he arcs back down, ABM!! -- he cracks the floor wide open.
Next to him: the rosary and the EXPLOSIVE BELTS. He tries to
grab them. The tentacle slams down, blocking his way.
The vibration sends the belts down into the crack. They bounce
off a small ledge and land further down. Far below, grinding
cogwheels and gears.
Hellboy manages to pull a steel sword from the closest marble
statue.
Hellboy stands up and swings the sword for all he's worth.
FWAP! He cuts clean through the tentacle. The tip hits the
floor, rolling into the crack.
From out of Behemoth's stump... a mass of wriggling tentacles
replaces the cut-off section! They squirm around Hellboy's
face as he slashes, again and again, fighting his way forward.
He leans into the crack, stretches his arm, struggling to
grab the belts. A few inches short. He jumps into the crevice,
onto the first ledge. It crumbles!!
The gears below grind a few falling bricks. The belts slide
away.
A tentacle captures Hellboy, pulls him up. At the last second,
he grabs the belts with his tail.
The beast raises Hellboy high. A multi-layered mouth opens
in the body of BEHEMOTH. The most horrible proboscis ever
seen.
Hellboy's tail passes him the belts.
The timers on them are crushed. A spark spurts: Useless.
HELLBOY
They never work --
He wraps them around his stone arm.
HELLBOY
Ugh -- Now, this is gonna hurt --
He pulls the pin on all the explosives. BEHEMOTH drops him
into a squid-like beak and gulps him down.
After a moment, a weird gurgle emanates from the creature's
innards. Then --
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
A surge of light roils within the thing, outlining the pulpy
organs. The creature starts to burn.
OMIT
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
A chain reaction yields a cacophony of explosions as Behemoth
is enveloped in a cloud of fire, goo and soft flesh.
Hellboy lands with a sickening, bone-crunching THUD!!!
With a bellow, Behemoth goes down, the limp tentacles missing
Hellboy as they vanish in a blaze of energy and light.
Finally, just a few cinders of flesh float in the air.
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Hellboy stands, covered in goo. Two final shockwaves of light
ripple over the ground.
HELLBOY
Ouch -- It did hurt.
INT. ADJACENT TUNNEL
Hellboy lurches into the passageway and spots Myers. Painfully
drags himself over. Liz's body is on the floor.
Manning limps in from an adjacent room. Hellboy cradles Liz's
head in his huge hand. Holds her against his powerful chest
and whispers in her ear.
A beat or two, then a moan.
LIZ
In the dark -- I heard your voice --
What -- did you say -- ?
He looks at her, lovingly caressing her hair.
HELLBOY
"You, on the other side: let her go.
Because for her, for her -- I'll
die. I'll cross over."
(beat)
"And you'll be sorry I did."
Myers smiles. Liz looks at Hellboy for the first time as
what he is: the man she loves. A warm, gentle fire rims her
body.
Manning watches. Agent Myers smiles a sad smile, illuminated
by the flames.
Hellboy and Liz kiss. The fire haloes them and builds as Tom
Waits' CINNY'S WALTZ fills the air.
FADE OUT:
THE END |
HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Written by
Guillermo del Toro
FADE IN:
EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS - NIGHT 1
SUPERIMPOSURE:
MANHATTAN. 10.30 P.M.
Park Avenue in mid-December. On the lampposts, Xmas lights
sparkle over streets slick with slush and rain. Limousines
line up for a public function.
2 EXT. BLACKWOOD BUILDING - NIGHT 2
SUPERIMPOSURE:
BLACKWOOD'S AUCTION HOUSE
Under black umbrellas, wealthy men and women exit the limos
and enter a stately ten-story building. On the facade, a
sign reads: TONIGHT - TREASURES OF PRE-CHRISTIAN EUROPE.
A SHADOWY FIGURE lurks in an alley near the corner. His
features are hidden by a broad-brimmed hat. He watches as-
The guests present gleaming, golden invitations to the
security people at the door.
SHADOWY FIGURE
(in Elvish, subtitled)
I'll go up first. You'll enter from below-
He addresses WINK, an eight-foot tall TROLL with grey skin
and a huge scar over his left, empty, eye socket. His right
hand is missing and he sports a heavy IRON MACE instead. A
plume of breath escapes from his brutish mouth.
SHADOWY FIGURE (CONT'D)
And remember Wink-
(BEAT)
Don't be shy.
He extends his arms and with a swoop, he climbs the wall,
up, up, like a bat. Five floors up...
3
3 INT. SALES ROOM - NIGHT
CAMERA lingers on the bloated features of a stone FERTILITY
GODDESS.
HELLBOY 2 2
AUCTIONEER
Pre-Celtic votive sculpture is in granite
and has been dated circa 700 B.C.
Like the guests, the AUCTIONEER is dressed in formal wear.
TV MONITORS display the image of the statue so the bidders
can have a closer look.
AUCTIONEER (CONT'D)
We'll open the bidding at two hundred
thousand dollars.
A DISTINGUISHED BUYER raises his hand-
AUCTIONEER (CONT'D)
Two hundred and seventy-five, and... we
have three hundred, thank you Mr. Van
Hausen - Three hundred thousand once-
A FEMALE BIDDER raise her hand-
AUCTIONEER (CONT'D)
And Three hundred and fifty thousand,
thank you Mrs. Bernstein-
As the auction carries on, a STEWARD leaves the room and
heads down -
4 INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT 4
-a darkened corridor where other STEWARDS wheel auction lots
to and from the sales room.
The STEWARD notices an open window at the end of the
corridor. He leans out and looks down. Ten stories below - a
snow-covered alley.
Suddenly, he sees the SHADOWY FIGURE above the window frame,
clinging to the smooth granite wall!!
STEWARD
What the h-
Quick as lightning, the SHADOWY FIGURE covers the steward's
mouth. When he withdraws his hand, the steward's mouth has
VANISHED!!!
The Shadowy Figure grabs the hapless man by the lapels,
hauling him outside and dangling him over the void.
Far below: a spiked wrought-iron fence.
HELLBOY 2 3
SHADOWY FIGURE
A silent human- almost as good as a dead
one...
(BEAT)
Almost.
He releases the STEWARD, who falls-
-DOWN-
-DOWN-
-down- TKKCT!!!
Flailing in utter silence. All the way. Onto the fence.
The Figure slips through the window and moves into the-
5
5 INT. SALES ROOM - CONTINUOUS
AUCTIONEER
And now, for our next item. Lot #777.
Two STEWARDS wheel in an oaken box and open it. Nestled in
maroon velvet is an eight-inch, ornately decorated arc of
gold.
AUCTIONEER (CONT'D)
A once-in-lifetime opportunity. For the
first time in auction. A piece of the
Royal Crown of Bethmoora... A precious
artifact dating from the Atrebatean
period. Exquisite workmanship in 24 carat
gold.
The lights flicker briefly, provoking MURMURS from the
audience.
AUCTIONEER (CONT'D)
Please- please- ladies and gentlemen...
may I have your attention. As I was
saying, observe the fanciful creatures
adorning the outer surface, figures from
a lost mythology...
The lights go out completely. From the sudden darkness, the
Shadowy Figure speaks up.
SHADOWY FIGURE
Lost- ? Not at all. Forgotten by you
perhaps, but very much alive.
BELLBOY 2 4
A few emergency lights come on, revealing The Shadowy
Figure, who walks down the aisle to confront the auctioneer.
AUCTIONEER
Sir, would you please identify yourself?
I see no badge or-
SHADOWY FIGURE
Shall we just say that I am the rightful
owner of this piece?
He seizes the artifact. The auctioneer grabs a phone and
hits a button.
AUCTIONEER
(to a Steward)
Security- Call Security-
This is an outrage- An-
The SHADOWY FIGURE reaches into his pockets and throws a
handful of seeds at the Auctioneer's feet.
AUCTIONEER
-Outrage of-
KRRRRR-K the seeds sprout into massive, thick branches and
roots and instantly engulfing the Auctioneer amidst coils of
wooden branches, crushing him. They grow and grow until they
crack the ceiling!!
Soon the Auctioneer disappears, and in its place stands a
compact, twisted tree. Tiny creatures emerge from its
branches and crawl around the trunk.
CRASH!!!!! Four SECURITY GUARDS come flying through the side
doors and land in the aisles with a THUD!!! The spectators
scream.
WINK walks in. He carries two large IRON BOXES on his back.
On the sides of the boxes A ROYAL SEAL, embossed in the
metal.
People cower in the corners, SCREAMING in terror and
disbelief.
WINK shrugs the iron boxes to the floor with a CLANG!!!!
Inside them, little clawed THINGS are scrabbling - mewling,
fast and hungry!!
At the Shadowy Figure's signal, the troll opens the cages...
and the people's SCREAMS redouble.
HELLBOY 2 5
SHADOWY FIGURE
May this remind you all why you once
feared the dark...
A multitude of eyes glint in the darkness, rows and rows of
tiny teeth shine greedily. They lunge at CAMERA.
CUT TO:
6 EXT. BPRD HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT 6
Guards with German Shepherds patrol the fence line.
Searchlights sweep the surrounding woods.
Super: BUREAU FOR PARANORMAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
TRENTON, N.J. 10.08 P.M.
7 INT. BROOM'S LIBRARY - NIGHT 7
A Christmas tree glows next to the fireplace; Mozart is
playing on the aquarium's underwater speakers. Floating in
warm water on a cloud of bubbles is ABE SAPIEN, lost in the
music.
A blurry figure approaches and raps a ring finger against
the tank: It's TOM MANNING, chief FBI liaison to the BPRD.
Looking dyspeptic, he presses a folder against the glass:
TOP SECRET.
MANNING
Hey, Fishstick- We gotta talk.
$ INT. FREAK CORRIDOR - NIGHT 8
As they walk down the hall, manning shows Abe.
MANNING
Look at that- Each photo costs a fortune
to suppress. And then, naturally, they
pop up on the net.
CAMERA moves in on Abe's breathing apparatus. It's sleek,
more modern, fitting snugly to his gills and neck. His
goggles are new, too.
He examines a photo of Hellboy bounding down a city street,
brandishing his mighty, high-caliber Samaritan. He's looking
straight at the camera lens.
BELLBOY 2 6
ABE
Oh, Lord- He's smiling in this one.
MANNING
I know- It's not just the money. It's the
provocation. This is asking for trouble.
His ego-
Manning leans close to a voice-recognition security mike.
MANNING
"Man-ning..."
He enunciates each syllable perfectly, then turns to Abe.
MANNING (CONT'D)
-is out of control. And I think it's all
deliberate on his part.
(BEAT)
He hates me.
Layers of steel doors trundle open in sequence.
ABE
No, he doesn't. He's just- enthusiastic.
As they approach HB's room...
MANNING (CONT'D)
How are things between him and Liz?
ABE
Oh, you know. The usual. Since they moved
in together- Good days and bad.
On cue, the concrete wall explodes!'.! A massive BALL OF FIRE
swings the final steel door open, almost tearing it off its
hinges.
ABE (CONT'D)
Then again, there are the really bad days-
Manning and Abe cower behind a pillar. Once the explosion
dies away- Hellboy's revealed, lying on the floor, his back
smoking and in flames.
HELLBOY
Oh, hi Blue- Manning-
He puts out a small flame on his forearm and steps into the
room.
HELLBOY 2 7
HELLBOY'S VOICE
(yelling at Liz)
Well- I'm not afraid of you! You hear??
Abe and Manning peek inside-
9 INT. HELLBOY'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 9
HB stumbles around the rubble, wreathed in smoke. He holds a
bunch of blackened LPs and 8-track cassettes.
HELLBOY
(yelling at Liz)
Look- I have one rule! One- "Don't touch
my stuff -"
Liz appears, shimmering in a halo of blue flame.
HB's pulls a few LP albums out of the garbage bin.
LIZ
You have the same album on CD, LP and an
8 track- An 8 track!!!
HELLBOY
You can't listen to Al Green on a CD!!
You just can't!! Oh, and 8 track was the
way to go- one day mankind will realize
its mistake.
LIZ
What about me? I need some space! Not
much, but just enough to find- to find-
my- toothbrush.
She flares up, losing control...
HELLBOY
Is that what this is about?? Your
toothbrush's right there, behind you-
(Liz turns)
There- there- with the cat food!!
Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Liz plucks a toothbrush from
a heap of spilled cat kibble.
LIZ
Damn it, Red- there's no room for me
here. You can't just act like-
Suddenly, the alarm SOUNDS. Hellboy is elated.
BELLBOY 2 8
HELLBOY
Oh, heavenly bells are ringing!
10
10 INT. GARAGE WEAPONS AREA, BPRD - NIGHT
Surrounded by racks of weapons, Abe, Hellboy and Liz suit
up.
Tight-lipped and grumpy, Liz dons black army pants and a
leather jacket. She jams an automatic handgun into her
utility belt.
They move into a vast garage, big as a stadium. It houses a
fleet of planes, cars, boats, helicopters and tanks.
They load weapons and ammo on board their usual
transport/mobile quarters - a GARBAGE TRUCK.
The perfect gentleman, Hellboy holds the door open for Liz.
The truck interior has been refurbished with more high-tech
equipment.
As the engine starts and the headlights blaze...
CUT TO:
- NIGHT 11
11 EXT. EAST SIDE AUCTION HOUSE
The cops have surrounded the building and helicopters hover
overhead.
12
12 EXT. NEARBY ALLEY - NIGHT
The BPRD garbage truck pulls to stop.
13
13 INT. GARBAGE TRUCK - NIGHT
Completely refurbished, with a BANK OF MONITORS and a large
digital WORLD MAP, tracking each Paranormal.
MANNING
Oh, Jeez- did you see the crowds?
He offers HB a couple of cigars and lights one for him.
MANNING
This is midtown Manhattan... Will you
promise to be careful? You'll use
discretion?
HELLBOY 2 9
HELLBOY
Piece of cake. In and out... no one will
see me. You have my word-
A sarcastic guffaw from Liz.
HELLBOY (CONT'D)
(GLARING)
I can be discreet if I want to be-
They exit the truck and enter the building. Manning sighs.
CUT TO:
14 TNT. SALES ROOM - NIGHT 14
A BPRD agent (AGENT MUDD), Abe and Liz move into the big,
dark sales room, past a jumble of overturned chairs. They
use plasma-screen night-vision scanners to survey the
devastation.
LIZ
No one here. No survivors. No bodies.
NOTHING-
15 TNT. CORRIDOR - SAME 15
Two agents lead the way down the adjacent hallway. Hellboy
follows, a few feet behind.
HB trains his flashlight on a fallen display case. Broken
glass glitters.
HELLBOY
Same story here, babe-
LIZ
(on the intercom)
Don't call me babe-
HELLBOY
I said "Abe"- I'm sorry- wrong channel-
Hellboy falls back to talk privately on the intercom.
HELLBOY (CONT'D)
Liz- UM-?
LIZ
(on the intercom)
Yes?
HELLBOY 2 10
HELLBOY
(WHISPERS)
When we get home... I'm gonna clean the
place up; okay? Even the bathroom.
LIZ
That's not the problem and you know it.
HELLBOY
(WHISPERS)
What? You want to get rid of the cats?
You can't mean that-
LIZ
No. That's not the problem either-
HELLBOY
(WHISPERS)
Then, what--?
LIZ
Not now, for God's sake!
16 INT. SALES ROOM - SAME 16
Abe, Liz and Agent Mudd fan out, moving cautiously toward
the auctioneer's overturned podium.
Abe discovers an empty cage... and on the iron door, the
embossed ROYAL SEAL. Abe hears a high-pitched chitter-
chatter and looks around: Nothing.
ABE
Red- I'm afraid I do detect some activity-
As the agent and Liz inspect the other iron cages, he
extends his webbed fingers.
LIZ
What kind of creature?
ABE
CREATURES-
17 INT. CORRIDOR - SAME 17
HELLBOY
There's more than one-?
He hears a scratching noise.
HELLBOY 2 11
ABE
(on the intercom)
More- Many more-
HELLBOY
How many- ten-?
ABE
No. Maybe a hundred- or two-
HELLBOY
(HUFFS)
MPPF-
As HB nears a wall, it bulges and splits open!! The ceiling
cracks, too. He hurriedly loads a pair of lever-action
SHOTGUN.
18 INT. SALES ROOM - SAME 18
ABE
They're all around us-
Sounds of MOVEMENT from burrowing, unseen creatures-
HELLBOY
What are they???
ABE
Uh- If I'm right, we should leave now and
ask for backup.
19 EXT. EAST SIDE AUCTION HOUSE - NIGHT 19
Manning is holding forth in a sidewalk press conference.
MANNING
The situation is completely under
control. Earlier tonight, customs agents
discovered a few illegally imported
items. This caused a minor confrontation.
The reporters go wild with questions.
MANNING (CONT'D)
Federal agents have now taken over the
premises. We ask that you all step back-
Manning basks in the flashbulb glow and acknowledges a
pretty young REPORTER.
HELLBOY 2 12
MANNING (CONT'D)
(GRINS)
Yes, Debra-?
20 TNT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT 20
Plaster spills from widening cracks in the wall. Hellboy
shoots, blowing open a massive hole.
He peeks inside-
Small bodies burrow away like moles.
HELLBOY
What are they-? Abe?
21 INT. INTERCUT - SALES ROOM/CORRIDOR - SAME 21
Abe finds a human femur, wet and gnawed.
ABE
Ah, I knew it.
(BEAT )
They're vicious and cruel and-
The floor ripples with activity.
ABE (CONT'D)
Have you noticed the floor??
HELLBOY
(looking around)
Uh- thick rug, deep pile, light brown-
ABE
Red- there is no rug-
Hellboy lifts his foot, realizing he's been walking on an
inch-thick layer of- ahem- poo.
HELLBOY
Aw, crap-
ABE
Precisely...
(BEAT)
These things have a very active
metabolism. They, um- excrete as soon as
they eat and then need to eat some more.
There are no corpses 'cause there are no
LEFTOVERS-
HELLBOY 2 13
HELLBOY
Spit it out, brother blue. What are they?
22 INT. SALES ROOM - SAME 22
ABE
Alright, but-
LIZ
Damn it Abe, just tell us!
ABE
Okay, then- They're- um- tooth fairies.
LIZ
Abe, c'mon- cut the crap.
She checks her boots, sticky with poo-
ABE
Third century, the Teutoburg forest.
Famished. They feed on calcium-
(BEAT)
And they do go for the teeth first. How
do you think they got that name "Tooth
Fairies"??
Liz senses movement in the darkness. She holds out her hand
and starts a small fire on her palm.
She pans it like a torch, firelight sweeping the darkness-
NOTHING-
23 INT. CORRIDOR - SAME 23
Agent MARBLE comes upon a lonely little creature peeping out
from a crack in the wall. It's about 9 inches high, with
olive skin and almond-shaped eyes gleaming in the half-
light. It whimpers softly.
AGENT MARBLE
Hey, this guy is cute -i.
He reaches out to touch it.
AGENT MARBLE
Are you scared, buddy?
Across the room Hellboy sees the Agent nearing the Fairy.
HELLBOY 2 14
HELLBOY
No, don't-
The thing SNARLS, leaps and sinks its tiny teeth into
MARBLE's finger. Then it dives under MARBLE's shirt and goes
to work.
MARBLE gasps and drops his gun. Dozens of creatures emerge
from the crack on the wall and crawl into Marble's clothing.
Gasping, he tears open his shirt as claws and teeth dig
in.. ribs crack... blood spurts. The agent falls.
24 INT. SALES ROOM - SAME 24
Liz lights up both hands, illuminating a surging tidal wave
of hungry critters that engulfs the room, gnawing at the
wallpaper, the furniture!
The things sweep over Agent Mudd, ripping into him like
wriggling piranhas.
ABE
(backing away)
Oh, my-
25 INT. CORRIDOR - SAME 25
Hellboy protects the other agent, but he feels the things
swarming over him, reaching for his lips and ears...
Bellowing in disgust, he fires his shotguns, splattering
dozens of creatures onto the walls.
Every blast, however, reveals a buzzing, hungry mass pouring
from the walls. HB claws at dozens more, which cling to him
like baby monkeys.
26 INT. SALES ROOM - CONTINUOUS 26
The room is awash with hissing creatures, crawling over the
iron cages. For an awful moment, no sign of Liz or Abe.
HELLBOY
(sudden panic)
LIZ!!
In reply, he hears a faint scream. He bats at the things
with the SHOTGUN, wading further into the room.
HELLBOY 2 15
HELLBOY (CONT'D)
Liz!! Where are you - ?!
He sees a horde of little beasts gnawing at the metal bars
of a cage...
.Liz cowering inside. Hellboy just has time to look deep
into her eyes. A quick moment of silent communion.
HELLBOY
Do it, Liz, do it!!!
And Liz obeys. Closing her eyes she-
LIZ
(WHISPERS)
The fire's not my enemy. It is part of me-
-gets covered by a gentle film of blue flame.
ABE
UH-OH-
He takes refuge as-
LIZ
It is mine-
-the gentle flame blooms into a cloud of fire. Liz goes
supernova. BAMMM!!!
27 EXT. AUCTION HOUSE - NIGHT 27
A ball of fire erupts from an upstairs balcony. The crowd
and reporters look up, amazed.
MANNING
(MUTTERING)
Evidently we have a- gas pocket-
somewhere in-
The reporters stampede towards the explosion, leaving
Manning alone and fuming.
MANNING (CONT'D)
Hey guys, hey guys, come back!!
HELLBOY 2 16
28
â, ,⢠2 8 INT. SALES ROOM - NIGHT
Hellboy stomps down hard, popping some creatures, bashing
others with the butt of his shotgun. As flames leap up, the
things regroup and renew their attack.
Liz and Abe run for the stairs.
LIZ
Red, Red, this way-
Hellboy kicks the critters away, shooting again and again.
HELLBOY
No- I'll deal with them- NOW.
He dumps his backpack and pulls out a belt full of VULCAN 66
grenades. Holds it high.
HELLBOY (CONT'D)
Vulcan 66, boys! Come and get 'em-
Liz and Abe take cover on the stairs. They see Hellboy
luring the tooth fairies toward the windows overlooking the
street.
10
As the creatures climb onto him, he pulls the pins on all
grenades. Soon he's a mass of swarming, gnarly fairies and
THEN-
LIZ
(YELLING)
No, Red- Not there! Move away from the-
K-B00000MMMMMM`IN!!!!!!!!! A massive explosion-
29 TNT / EXT - AUCTION HOUSE 29
Like a cannonball, HB flies out the upper floor window.
A ball of flame, he arcs downward, covered in fighting,
writhing fairies.
Below, the onlookers scatter as the massive Red Giant lands
in their midst, cracking the pavement.
30
30 INT. SALES ROOM - SAME
Liz and Abe go to the window and look down. A TV CAMERA LENS
ZOOMS IN ON THEM BOTH.
HELLBOY 2 17
LIZ
(into her radio)
HB?? HB?? Are you alright??
31 EXT. SIDEWALK - NIGHT 31
The crowd is screaming. Half a dozen smoldering fairies
climb out of the smoking crater and snarl at the crowd.
People shrink back in horror. One of the hungry critters
jumps at a woman but-
BLAM!! Hellboy shoots it in mid-air, then calmly and
efficiently shoots its fellows.
Finally, he plucks one last creature off his coat. He holds
it up by the tail, like a rodent.
Manning hurries forward, witness to his worst nightmare. A
sea of camera flashes explodes on a grinning Hellboy.
HELLBOY
(looks at Manning)
Gee whiz, Manning-
(SHRUGS)
I guess we're out now.
CUT TO:
32 CREDITS 32
Behind the CREDITS are caballistic engravings suggesting the
power, size and weapons of a mystic, mechanical GOLDEN ARMY.
CUT TO:
33 EXT. ABANDONED RAILYARD - NIGHT 33
SUPERIMPOSURE:
WEST SIDE RAILYARDS. MIDNIGHT
Demolition has begun on abandoned factories and rail sheds
around an old ROUNDHOUSE. A sign reads: COMING NEXT SUMMER,
THREE POINTS SHOPPING MALL.
CAMERA BOOMS DOWN to a guard shack.
HELLBOY 2 18
34 INT. GUARD SHACK - NIGHT 34
Guard 1 watches TV. HB is on the screen, surrounded by press
and TV.
GUARD 1
Check it out. That guy's make-up is so
fake. I mean, come on, solid red-
Guard 2 is cleaning his gun.
GUARD 2
And what's with his forehead? Is that
goggles?
He looks out the window and sees the THE SHADOWY FIGURE
standing by the gates.
GUARD 2 (CONT'D)
Hey, we got us a wino.
He grabs his nightstick and steps outside.
35
35 EXT. RAILYARD - NIGHT
Waving his nightstick, Guard 2 approaches the intruder.
Their elongated shadows loom up above them on a brick wall.
GUARD 2
Hey- buddy- get the-
The THE SHADOWY FIGURE whirls and drops his coat. He
unsheathes a long, thin sword, slicing the air around the
guard.
The guard's shadow in the background is cut into three parts
and collapses.
36
36 INT. GUARD SHACK - NIGHT
Guard 1 tunes in a game show. Looks outside-
-no sign of his buddy. Behind him, at the window, WINK
appears. Its MASSIVE ARM punches through the wall and hauls
off the GUARD and then slams his massive IRON MACE down!!!
BAMMKM ! ! ! !
THE SHADOWY FIGURE wipes off his sword over the crumpled
remains of Guard 2. Screams and bone crunching can be heard.
WINK emerges from behind the shack.
HELLBOY 2 19
Effortlessly, the SHADOWY FIGURE vaults the chainlink fence
and walks into the roundhouse. WINK smashes the fence and
follows him through.
37 INT. ROUNDHOUSE - NIGHT 37
A few pigeons flutter through a forest of steel pillars.
Radiant fingers of moonlight shine on the old train tracks.
THE SHADOWY FIGURE and WINK stop as a dozen ROYAL GUARDS in
helmets and light armor march out from a tunnel.
After a pause, a CHAMBERLAIN joins them. He bows low in a
show of respect for the Shadowy Figure.
CHAMBERLAIN
Prince Nuada- He awaits you- Please,
follow me, Sire.
38 INT. TUNNEL - NIGHT 38
The Chamberlain leads the way down a tunnel lined with more
guards. The armed men surround the Prince as they stop at an
intersection.
The Prince prepares to unsheathe his sword- WINK growls.
CHAMBERLAIN
I beg you, your majesty. Before entering
the chamber you surrender your sword.
PRINCE
I will not.
CHAMBERLAIN
Then, I regret to say, you may not see
your father. It is the protocol, sire.
For peasant and prince alike. Please- for
the last time- surrender your sword.
A tense beat and then the Prince relents.
The guards accept his weapon, carefully pat him down-
PRINCE
Mr. Wink however- cannot dispose of his
weapon. He will wait here-
WINK snorts as the Prince is finally escorted through a
huge, rusting iron door.
HELLBOY 2 20
39 INT. MACHINE SHOP - NIGHT 39
An abandoned machine shop functions as a council chamber.
High-ranking heads of outlandish MAGICK FAMILIES are there:
goblins, trolls, dwarves and elves.
At the center sits KING BALOR The One-armed King of Elfland
and, behind him, the willowy, beautiful PRINCESS NUALA, the
Prince's sister.
Both on the King's chest and her own, a large golden piece
dangles from a chain.
Nuala's resemblance to the Prince is uncanny, down to the
fine scars marring their perfect faces. They're YING and
YANG, almost the same being.
The Prince eyes the doors closing behind him. The armed
guards watch his every move.
He bows his head and kneels.
PRINCE
Father.
(eyes the Princess)
SISTER-
The KING gestures for him to rise.
KING
Why have you done this??
His voice trembles with anger.
KING (CONT'D)
Why? !
The Prince looks at him, defiant.
PRINCE
I have returned from exile to set us
free. All of us, Father- And to reclaim
what has been taken from our people. The
land and the freedom that is rightfully
ours.
KING
No- You have broken a truce that has
lasted for centuries.
HELLBOY 2 21
PRINCE
A shameful truce, worth nothing. How can
you abide it? How- ? They have no respect
for themselves, their Gods or the earth-
(BEAT)
And they scorn us- every time they raise
a dead, cold building, destroy a forest,
or take more land-
The PRINCESS then steps forward.
PRINCESS
What they do is in their nature. We must
honor our side of the agreement-
PRINCE
Honor-?
(BEAT)
Look at this place. Is this where you
hold court??
(BEAT )
Is this how we are to live?? Amidst their
filth, in their rubble??? Picking at
scraps from their table??? Where is the
honor in that??
KING
And what would your solution be-? War?
Why?
(PAUSE)
It may just be that our days are ended...
PRINCE
It may be- but we will not go quiet. We
will not fade like this. Better to burn
than fade away... And for this...
Prince Nuada looks around, locking eyes with the heads of
the clans.
PRINCE
.we'll need the help of the Good... the
Bad... and the Worst-
He brings out the gold artifact from the auction. Holds it
high.
The crowds GASPS. The King instinctively covers the
companion piece hanging from his chest as a medallion.
KING
No- you cannot be that mad-
HELLBOY 2 22
PRINCE
Yes. I am.
KING
This is the path you wish to take?
Knowing the cost?
PRINCE
Yes, Father- it is.
The King takes the Princess' hand and mournfully lowers his
head.
KING
Then, I am sorry my son- you leave me no
choice.
(looks at his guards)
Death.
His two PRAETORIAN GUARDS unsheathe their swords.
PRINCE
(GRIM)
I agree. Death it is-
And the guards turn toward the king and stab him. The
Princess screams. The Prince looks away as the old monarch
tumbles from his throne, dead. The heads of the clans try to
flee, but are kept at bay by the other guards.
PRINCE
Hear me all!!! There are some amongst you
that have already seen the light-
(he nears the guards)
Seen the future...
The PRAETORIAN GUARDS cover his back as he leans forward to
his Father"s corpse and snatches the medallion.
PRINCE (CONT'D)
As for you- You may join us in our quest
or die now-
His gaze is fierce, inspired. He joins the pieces together,
they fuse and interconnect through the magical equivalent of
NANOTECHNOLOGY. Minute gears and hooks join the pieces
seamlessly into an almost complete CROWN. The Prince raises
IT-
PRINCE (CONT'D)
All of those in favor, make it known.
HELLBOY 2 23
All of the family heads sheepishly bow their heads, then
kneel.
PRINCE (CONT'D)
Good- I see the council is as brave as
it's always been...
(BEAT)
And now, my sister-
The Prince looks around and sees that his sister is gone.
He pushes through the mob, pulling his guards to the door.
PRINCE (CONT'D)
Find her- Find her-
His minions surge into the tunnels.
40 TNT. TUNNEL MAZE - NIGHT 40
Clutching the medallion on her chest , the Princess runs
down a tunnel. A CROWD gathers behind her, chasing her as
she zig-zags from tunnel to tunnel.
With perfect calm, she ducks into a niche, then slides down
a chute.
She lands in a stone chamber lined with bookshelves.
41 INT. PRINCESS CHAMBER - DAY 41
The Princess rushes to a small cabinet. She grabs an
ancient, leather-bound tome.
She turns to leave, but a horde of TROLLS rushes and quickly
surrounds her. One of the beasts swings a heavy, rusty
sword.
It opens a gash in the princess' left arm-
42 INT. TUNNEL 1 - DAY 42
The Prince, rushing through the tunnel with the PRAETORIAN
GUARDS, suddenly doubles over, cursing. Blood pours from a
wound in his left arm.
PRINCE
No- no- you fools-
HELLBOY 2 24
43 INT. PRINCESS CHAMBER - SAME 43
As another troll lifts his sword high-
PRINCESS
(calling out)
Yrdrig!!
YRDRIG, a hellhound the size of a tank, jumps out from an
alcove. He has multiple heads, all of them ferocious. In
seconds, he's upon the TROLLS.
Each of his many mouths tears into green flesh, lifting and
shaking the helpless monsters like rag dolls.
The Princess slips through a secret door.
44 INT. TUNNEL 2 -- SAME 44
The Prince and his guards rush through the tunnels, as troll
screams echo off the walls.
When they finally-
45 INT. PRINCESS CHAMBER - SAME 45
-reach the Princess' chamber, it's too late.
Dead and dying TROLLS lie in a heap on the floor.
The Prince finds no sign of his sister. He clutches his
bleeding arm.
CUT TO:
46 INT. HELLBOY'S ROOM - DAY 46
Liz sprawls on a sofa, watching the 20-odd TV monitors in
Hellboy's room. All the news channels feature footage of
Heliboy's "outing" the night before.
HB is grinning at the camera. Now he's signing an autograph!
HELLBOY ON TV
Yes- yes- I'd say I am that strong- I've
fought many creatures over the years but
none as strong as me-
He winks at camera. Liz rolls her eyes.
HELLBOY 2 25
Hellboy plunks himself down next to her, popping a can of
beer.
HELLBOY
I think I did good. And I looked good,
don't you think, Liz?
Abe stands behind them, juggling a dozen remote controls.
ABE
Look- there's Manning...
He raises the volume as Manning is shown, surrounded by
microphones.
MANNING ON TV
Evidently we have a- gas pocket-
somewhere in-
HELLBOY
A gas pocket??!! Ha-! I love it.
The door opens. Manning is there, holding a plastic box
overflowing with mail.
MANNING
PLEASE-
Disgusted, Manning turns off the TV's.
MANNING
Aw- this is a disaster! A disaster- you
hear?? Worse than Cheney with a shotgun.
Only Liz-
(BEAT)
Only Liz handled herself with any
dignity.
LIZ
(glancing at HB)
No one asked me anything.
Manning pulls a fistful of mail out and tosses it on a
table.
MANNING
Don't bother starting a fan club. It's
trending five to one against us.
HELLBOY
Against?
HELLBOY 2 26
LIZ
(glances at some letters)
Polls- protests- hate mail-
Liz grabs a few letters and scans them.
LIZ
(READING)
"Unwelcome species... mongrelizing...
lower orders... ungodly freaks..."
She glares at Hellboy.
HELLBOY
Ungodly freaks-? Us?
MANNING
You really did it this time- I'm under
review.
(to Hellboy)
But so are you- As of today, there's a
new team leader.
HELLBOY
New - ? What?
MANNING
Yes- You heard me. A new team leader.
We're to meet him at the conference room
at 0900-
(looks at his watch)
Now.
47 INT. SECURITY POUND BPRD - SAME 47
The SECURITY POUND is row after row of stacked cages, each
one imprisoning a different CREATURE. BPRD AGENTS patrol the
pens, feeding the occupants, cleaning the pans-
HB looks at Manning, who is edgy and nervous.
HELLBOY
What's the matter, Manning?? Don't you
trust me anymore?
MANNING
Oh- I never did- But after last night,
Washington wants a new public face for
the BPRD-
HELLBOY 2 27
HELLBOY
What about me? What's wrong with my
face???
MANNING
Or mine??? The press loves me!! But now
you've ruined it all-
HELLBOY
But, who-? Who is this guy?
MANNING
How would I know? Evidently, he's quite
the big shot-
(he reads a file)
His name is Johann Kraus-
HELLBOY
Akkk- Kraus??? He's German-
MANNING
(OVERLAPPING)
-a physical medium, head of the European
branch of the BPRD-
HELLBOY
(OVERLAPPING)
You know I have a problem with Germans-
MANNING
(OVERLAPPING)
-a Doctor in Philosophy and Occult
Practice from the University of Munich
and a very eloquent speaker-
HELLBOY
(OVERLAPPING)
-Germans make me nervous-
MANNING
I guess they need a nice open face- A
face people can trust.
Finally, next to steel cage, they meet-
JOHANN KRAUS: about 6' tall, dressed in a canvas containment
suit full of tubes and taps. His hands are encased in thick
latex gloves with exit valves at the fingertips and his
head...
MANNING
. Oh, my God-
HELLBOY 2 28
.is a translucent glass bubble, full of gas!
He is studying a drawing of the royal seal we saw on the
Fairy Cages.
Johann approaches Liz. He takes her hand and bows.
JOHANN
Johann Kraus, at your service.
His unearthly voice is velvety and warm. Almost soothing.
Liz smiles. Hellboy glowers as Kraus' fishbowl head turns
toward them.
HELLBOY
(whispers to manning)
That's an open face for you...
48 INT. CONTAINMENT AREA - DAY 48
Johann pulls out one of the dead, singed Fairies. Hellboy
and the others gather around him.
JOHANN
Poor things, bought and sold on the black
market. Smuggled in tight, cramped cages.
Let's see what they can remember-
HELLBOY
Memory gets pretty sketchy after you die-
(nudges Abe)
-but maybe I can be of help-
Nudges Abe and starts fishing for an amulet.
JOHANN
Oh, no, no- No amulets are required.
He adjusts the valves at the tips of his fingers and
approaches the lock.
HELLBOY
What are you doing?
JOHANN
I can inhabit inanimate things: organic,
MECHANICAL-
HELLBOY
INHABIT-
HELLBOY 2 29
ABE
TELEPLASTY-
JOHANN
Exactly.
A PROTOPLASMIC emanation seeps out from his fingertips,
slightly deflating his body. The tendrils enter the-
-"Dead" Fairy.
JOHANN
I can briefly take control of entities,
both mechanical and organic and
reactivate their neural system-
The "dead" Fairy snarls and bares its teeth at Hellboy. Two
more do the same from another pen.
JOHANN (CONT'D)
(points at Hellboy)
You scare him-
The fairy blabbers furiously while glaring at HB.
HELLBOY
(leering at it)
Whaddayawant??? You chewed off the tip of
my tail- Yes, you-
JOHANN (CONT'D)
Rough translation: He says you are rude,
brutish and not too bright-
ABE
Touche.
More high-pitched jabbering...
Johann replaces the little fairy in the holding pen.
JOHANN (CONT'D)
Enough. it seems our little friend here
remembers a noise. A very peculiar noise
in the last place where his cage was
traded: market sounds-
(BEAT)
Troll language-
LIZ
The troll market- ?
HELLBOY 2 30
JOHANN
Exactly, Miss Sherman.
The Fairy starts babbling uncontrollably and grows pale and
weak.
HELLBOY
Jeez- your buddy there doesn't look too
good.
JOHANN
I'm losing my grip on its limbic system-
He feels nauseous. I'm afraid he's about
to die-
HELLBOY
Wow- You have that effect on me too.
The Fairy's cheekbones hollow and it finally collapses.
Ectoplasm escapes its body and regroups at Johan's
fingertips.
ABE
How can we find the Troll market??? Its
location has been a source of speculation
for centuries
JOHANN
Yes, well- Trolls dwell under bridges-
And Vladimir Vanya 18th century occultist-
places it under Washington Bridge
ABE
We've looked there before-- Staked it out
for weeks-
JOHANN
Yes, but this time I have asked for a
very special piece of equipment-
He moves in to a large crate marked "Lot 336"
ABE
"336" The schufftein glasses??
JOHANN
(smiles knowingly)
On loan from the Smithsonian. Plus we
have this clue-
He produces the sketch of the ROYAL SEAL.
HELLBOY 2 31
JOHANN
In my mind we have enough to go by- Any
questions??
Abe is about to ask something when, abruptly, Hellboy raises
his hand-
JOHANN
Yes- what is it?
HELLBOY
If you're really German- how come you
don't have a funny accent?
JOHANN
(SIGHS)
Get ready. We are on the move.
49
49 INT. GARAGE AREA / DRESSING LOCKER ROOMS
Hellboy is suiting up. Liz and Abe do the same.
HELLBOY
What a moron!! "We are on the move" He
thinks he's so hot!! We've been looking
for that place for years and we've never
found it-
(looks at Abe)
You said so-
Abe pulls out TWO headsets of COMPOSITE GOGGLES, made of
copper and glass, full of buzzing and whirring pieces. He
tries it on.
LIZ
Get used to it. He might be here for good-
HELLBOY
For good?!
LIZ
He has a nice voice.
ABE
Yes, very commanding, very soothing.
HELLBOY
I think he's a jerk.
ABE
I like him.
HELLBOY 2 32
HELLBOY
Well, then you're a jerk, too. "The
brains of the operation-" give me a
break!
JOHANN
They head towards the garbage truck. Manning, Abe and
are waiting there.
LIZ
I think you feel threatened...
Hellboy stays behind- thinking- thinking real hard.
CUT TO:
50 EXT. WASHINGTON BRIDGE - NIGHT 50
The Garbage truck and a few other BPRD vehicles crossthe
Washington Bridge on the way to CHINATOWN.
SIGN: WASHINGTON BRIDGE 21.00 HOURS
51 INT. GARBAGE TRUCK LAB - NIGHT 51
Hellboy rides in silence- still thinking hard- then.
HELLBOY
Ha! Me? Threatened??
Glaring, at Liz:
HELLBOY
By whom? By him??
LIZ
Not just him- this whole thing you did.
The TV- the reporters-
HELLBOY
I did that?
LIZ
Yes, Red- absolutely. 'Cause you did it
without thinking- You just wanted to be
in the public's eye- well- you're there-
but so are we.
HELLBOY
Hey- We got some hate mail.
(SHRUGS)
We'll deal with it. Together.
HELLBOY 2 33
He comes closer to her.
HELLBOY
Something else bothering you-?
Liz nods quietly.
HELLBOY
So- Tell me about it-
LIZ
I will, but not now- I'm sorry if- I-
(BEAT)
I don't like being watched. I never have.
I feel like a freak only if someone's
watching me.
Suddenly: Angry YELLS... then fists pounding the walls and
fenders.
The doors open and they are inundated by reporters and TV
CREWS and cameras and flashes. There are, literally,
hundreds of them. This time from all over the world: Japan,
UK, Germany...
CUT TO:
52 EXT. WATERFRONT, BROOKLYN BRIDGE - NIGHT 52
Agents cordon off the street with yellow tape, holding the
press at bay. As the truck rolls by, hordes of bystanders
push forward, hoping for a glimpse of Hellboy.
Some of them chase run alongside the vehicle, carrying
support/hatred signs.
MANNING
May I suggest that tonight you refrain
from signing autographs.
HELLBOY
It's the garbage truck. It makes the
wrong statement. About who we are.
MANNING
You think that's what this is about?
Transportation???
HELLBOY 2 34
53 EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DOCKS - NIGHT 53
The truck stops near other official vehicles. Overhead, the
soaring roadbed of the Brooklyn Bridge.
At the sight of the BPRD team, some protestors throw eggs.
Hellboy shields Liz from the barrage.
REPORTER 2
C'mon- show us your powers-
ABE
Oh- No, no, no, it's not a parlor trick.
REPORTER 1
What are you, a mermaid??
ABE
Oh, goodness, no- I-
REPORTER 2
You say you can read things- things about
people- so read me- c'mon- read me-
The crowd of reporters and onlookers laughs and applauds.
REPORTER 2 (CONT'D)
What do you see?
ABE
Very well, if you insist.
(webbed hand on reporter's chest)
You... keep... a large, battery-operated
vibrating egg by your bedside...
A shrieking CAMERA CREW runs up loaded with video equipment.
REPORTER
You! Demon-man! Will you take a DNA test?
HELLBOY
It's "Hellboy" not "Demon-man"-
One of the projectiles hits him. The crowd roars. Hellboy
gazes back at them- seething.
JOHANN
Let me take care of this.
Johann bravely confronts the news teams and the crowd.
HELLBOY 2 35
JOHANN (CONT'D)
Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Johann
Kraus and I beg you to allow us-
(interrupted by catcalls)
-Please, we need space to work- please-
WE-
The REPORTERS bombard him with questions. He signals for
silence.
JOHANN (CONT'D)
In due time- very soon- we will provide
all the answers you require, all the
whos, whys and wherefors- But for now-
An egg hits him in the face- hard. The crowd roars-
HELLBOY
Great P.R...
He gets ready to pummel the crowd. Liz stops him.
LIZ
Shh! Give him a chance...
JOHANN
-it's been a long... long time... for
many decades really, that the BPRD has
served you- all of you... in silence. We
have waged an unknown war - but a very
real one. Heroes have died unrewarded and
unrecognized so that you might go about
your daily life. To work, to marry, to
bid your children goodnight.
Little by little, the crowd grows quiet.
JOHANN
In exchange, we have been consigned to
the lies and racist innuendo of the
tabloids. And there we have lived without
complaint - until now.
54
54 MONTAGE
Johann's speech is replayed in broadcast TV VANS, HOMES,
PUBS and BARS all over the world to a fascinated human
population. All colors and creeds.
HELLBOY 2 36
JOHANN (CONT'D)
But perhaps soon- after learning of our
hardships and sacrifices, you may decide
that our humble lives may, in some way,
have a value... and a meaning-
- DOCKS - NIGHT 55
55 EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE
The camera lights reflect off Johann's glass head.
JOHANN
I pray that you will allow us to defend
your good fortune- to guarantee the
blessing that is a peaceful night's
sleep. A night free from monsters and
nightmares. And if so-
(chokes back tears)
If so- then all we ask in return... from
you... is a little respect and the
chance, remote as it may be, to prove
ourselves worthy of a tiny, tiny place in
this- God's Earth.
HELLBOY
(rolls his eyes)
This is sooo corny-
A moment of silence ensues--
Then, the wet-eyed reporters applaud- the crowd applauds-
Liz applauds, Abe applauds. Hellboy is agog!!
HELLBOY
What-?? What-??
ABE
(DAZZLED)
He has a nice voice.
All business now, Johann steps over to the group.
JOHANN
Come on. We have work to do-
56
56 EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Hellboy, Abe and Johann peer over the cornice of a bowling
alley rooftop. The CROWDS are visible in the distance.
Hellboy looks through THE SCHUFFTEN GLASSES.
HELLBOY 2 37
HELLBOY
Nothing yet, Sparky, over-
57
57 EXT. BOWLING ALLEY PARKING LOT - NIGHT
The BPRD truck is parked behind the bowling alley, directly
under the bridge. Its back door is open; Liz and manning are
at the communications center.
LIZ
I read you, Red. Keep looking-
Manning is bored, looks at his watch.
MANNING
Looking at what, for goodness sake-?
(looks at the Schufften glasses)
What do these things do-?
Liz starts locking and unlocking a series of lenses and
prisms. Both Abe and Johan wear similar gear.
ABE
In 1778 Emil Schufften, a Good friend of
Benjamin Franklin, designed these optical
sets with the intent of photographing
fairies in England...
MANNING
Let's get out of here- We're never going
to find it-
HELLBOY'S VOICE
Hey- Sparky, I think we got one.
Manning studies the image on the monitor: a bag lady pushing
a shopping cart full of cats-
MANNING
That? Oh, please, she looks as sweet as
she can-
LIZ
Red, turn on the "antiglamour" filter...
(to Manning)
Fairy folk use a spell called "glamour"
to seem human and nice-
(BEAT)
These lenses allow you to see their real
appearance...
HELLBOY 2 38
,,f 58 EXT. BOWLING ALLEY PARKING LOT - NIGHT 58
Bellboy turns a few knobs on the goggles, then raises them.
59
59 POV GOGGLES.
As a series filters enter the visual field, the bag lady
transforms into an ugly, muscle-bound troll.
60
60 INT. GARBAGE TRUCK - SAME
MANNING
Oh, dear Lord.
(PAUSE)
What about the cats?
LIZ
She eats them.
MANNING
"She??" That's a "she"?????
HELLBOY
We're moving in, Sparky-
61 BOWLING ALLEY / BACK ALLEY/ UNDER THE BRIDGE 61
HE, Johann and Abe follow the Bag Lady. She opens a service
DOOR-
/ SERVICE CORRIDOR. 62
62 INT. BOWLING ALLEY
The bag lady goes through the rear of the bowling alley and
through a basement door. The room RUMBLES with the sound of
rolling balls and toppling pins.
HELLBOY
(WHISPERS)
Maybe we can bowl a few frames, uh?
ABE
(splays his webbed fingers)
Bowling balls- they give me trouble.
HELLBOY
How about a beer, then? Now that we're
"out"- Whaddya say, Mein Herr?
HELLBOY 2 39
JOHANN
Sorry. I don't drink.
HELLBOY
SHEESH-
63 INT. BOWLING ALLEY BASEMENT 63
Hellboy and Abe enter the basement: no sign of the old
woman. Just a Warehouse-
JOHANN'
Adjust the prisms to "2"
Abe moves his glasses, Hellboy fumbles his own-
unsuccessfully.
Now the WHOLE ROOM transforms under the new optical
elements: Its geometry remains somewhat unchanged, but
instead of a pile of boxes a tree trunk and a large, mossy
rock are visible, where there were iron beams now tree
trunks and stone columns are visible...
ABE
THERE-
Where a large banner hung, now a huge, rusty mechanical
lock.
HELLBOY
What the heck is that?
ABE
A locking mechanism-
HELLBOY
Mmh- I'll take care of it-
He clenches his stone fist, rears back...
JOHANN
No- You destroy it. We'll never get in-
He adjusts the valves at the tips of his fingers and
approaches the lock.
HELLBOY
Ah, of course- the Fishbowl touch-
JOHANN
Johann's s ecto-tendrils enter the-
HELLBOY 2 4 0
64
64 MECHANISM OF THE LOCK
-filling it, making a few complex gears turn and move-
65
65 THE LOCK
Opens and the floor drops away, revealing a stone staircase.
Johann withdraws his protoplasmic tendrils and closes off
the valves.
JOHANN
Gentlemen: welcome to Troll Market.
66 INT. TROLL MARKET - NIGHT 66
Troll Market is a steamy, medieval nightmare. A labyrinth of
narrow alleys and foetid vapour.
Trolls scavenge the crumbling, marble shoreline, picking
through garbage, scattering vermin.
Muddy water trickles down from above, forming cloudy
puddles.
Roaming vendors hawk exotic objects from every culture and
century.
At kiosks and shops, Trolls peddle cats (skinned or alive)
cadres of Lovecraftian entities stroll about: Mer-men,
Goblins and a few select species unknown to any cosmology.
A dogfight of sorts is taking place in a small ring. Instead
of pitbulls, multi-limbed creatures leap at one another
while violent bettors laugh and shout.
At the rail, Abe watches in horror, then sees a woman in
rags making her way through the crowd. He catches a glimpse
of her slippered feet...
.which flash with pearls and gold embroidery. His
curiosity aroused, he follows her.
67
67 MARKET STALL
The woman inspects a pile of ancient bric-a-brac at a market
stall; her cowl swings aside, briefly revealing her face.
It's the PRINCESS. In these grotesque surroundings, her
beauty is transcendent.
HELLBOY 2 41
Abe is thunderstruck.
As she turns to leave, they briefly make eye contact. On her
bandaged arm: a bracelet adorned with the seal's coat of
arms!
ABE
(into microphone)
Brother Red!!
HELLBOY
(INTERCOM)
Not now, Abe.
As the Princess disappears into the mob, Abe hurries after
her.
68
68 EXT. SHOP - SAME
Hellboy and Johann show a picture of a tooth fairy to a
surly SHOP OWNER.
SHOP OWNER
Never seen anything like it. No one sells
`em down here - over in Jersey, maybe.
Behind him, there's a faceless CAVE BERSERKER: a tall and
gnarly ogre, his naked chest crisscrossed with scars, his
feet encased in iron shoes.
Growling, it bares its teeth at HE. HB smiles back-
HELLBOY
Hiya, Chuck-
- SAME 69
69 EXT. TROLL MARKET NARROW PASSAGES
Abe follows the Princess down an alley - and then another
one, narrow and dark. Panhandlers pull at his belt; he bats
them away.
70
70 EXT. SHOP - SAME
Now Johann shows a drawing of the royal seal to the shop
owner.
JOHANN
What about this?? Do you recognize this
seal?
HELLBOY 2 42
The shop owner's face suddenly grows pale.
SHOP OWNER
You'd better go. Now.
JOHANN
Please. We'll make it worth your while.
The shop owner claps his hands. BERSERKER takes two steps
forward, ROARING. Its iron shoes go CLOMP-CLOMP!!
SHOP OWNER (CONT'D)
He's not friendly-
Hellboy huffs and walks up to the creature.
HELLBOY
Well, neither am I-
BAMMMM!!!!! With a single uppercut, he sends it flying
toward the ceiling, shoeless. The shop keeper watches in awe
until it lands, about thirty feet away in the middle of the
dogfight.
The crowd scatters as the mongrel creatures attack the thing
with blind instinct.
Hellboy grabs the shop owner by the lapels and pulls him
close. The shop owner's head rockets back and forth like a
boxer's speed bag as HB "gently" slaps him around. Teeth fly
everywhere.
HELLBOY
Feeling more chatty now??
SHOP OWNER
It's rumors! ... just- No- don't hit me,
all right? There's talk of a revolt- a
revolt against the human world-
Hellboy releases him, then looks around.
HELLBOY
Where the hell is Abe??
He pushes his belt locator-
HELLBOY 2 43
1.,,,d 71 INT. TROLL MARKET ALLEY MAZE - NIGHT 71
The Princess has entered a shop selling MAPS and PRINTS. Abe
stays outside, watching through a window as she negotiates
to purchase a silver and crystal CYLINDER contained in a
safety holding case.
The SALESMAN denies it at first but after the Princess hands
him a gold bracelet he finally acquiesces while vowing to
her. He extracts the cylinder from its holding case and
hands it to her.
A red locator light flashes on Abe's utility belt.
HELLBOY
(INTERCOM)
Hey, Abe, gimme me your twenty-
ABE
I'm following a lead, Red. Keep your
locator -.
A large TROLL cuts him off-
ABE
Excuse me- What do you think you're
doing?
HELLBOY
(INTERCOM)
Are you in trouble? Talk to me, Abe.
Another TROLL comes up behind Abe.
ABE (CONT'D)
I don't think you-
The TROLL opens a small wooden box and extracts a nasty
looking Insect: A NARCOTIC BUG.
ABE (CONT'D)
Oh, my-
The second TROLL loads the buzzing bug - like a bullet -
into a blowpipe. Abe turns just as he blows. The bug lands
on Abe's chest and sinks its stinger deep into his flesh. He
groans.
HELLBOY
Abe? What's wrong?
HELLBOY 2 44
Abe tears it loose and crushes it underfoot. But his vision
blurs, he staggers forward and falls, face first, onto the
cobblestones.
HELLBOY
(INTERCOM)
Abe? Come in - Abe? Dammit -
72 EXT. SHOP - SAME 72
The locator's blue light dims; concerned, Hellboy and Johann
look at each other.
Seeing his chance, the shop keeper melts away into the
crowd.
73 INT. MAP SHOP - LATER 73
Abe opens his eyes and slowly gets up. He looks around: he's
surrounded by racks of ancient scrolls and musty books. The
door is locked. Instinctively he looks for his belt-
It's not there.
PRINCESS
If you are looking for your weapons, my
guards took them.
Abe turns to face the Princess, who stands only a few feet
away. She has cast off her dingy cloak and is radiant in
fine silk robes.
She is feeding slices of fruit to a cage of large,
featherless REPTILE/BIRDS.
ABE
I - I carry no weapons, madam- I assure
you...
PRINCESS
Why were you following me?
Abe is ashamed to realize the real answer. He's utterly
beguiled by her.
PRINCESS (CONT'D)
Are you seeking to join my brother?
ABE
Your brother-??
HELLBOY 2 45
PRINCESS
In his revolt against the humans?
ABE
A revolt? No, no, no, I- You are sorely
mistaken...
He takes a step forward but the YRDRIG comes out of nowhere,
barking and growling.
PRINCESS
Then answer me truthfully- Why were you
following me?
ABE
My name is Abe Sapien -
PRINCESS
(LAUGHING)
There is no such name!
ABE
Horrible- I know- but- Please, hear me, I
beg you. I am an agent of the Bureau for
Paranormal Research and Defense. If we
can assist you-
PRINCESS
Give me your hand.
Abe complies, thrilled as she runs her fingers over his
palm.
The Princess' face brightens. She smiles and gestures for
the YRDRIG to yield.
PRINCESS
Down Yrdrig - he's a friend.
The YRDRIG jumps on Abe and starts licking him with all
three tongues.
PRINCESS (CONT'D)
Yrdrig's really just a puppy.
The drooling beast pins Abe to the floor with one paw.
ABE
(WHEEZING)
Nice puppy...
A
The YRDRIG lifts Abe with one of its mouths and gives him
playful shake.
HELLBOY 2 46
PRINCESS
My father gave him to me. Yrdrig, leave
our guest alone-
The Yrdrig drops Abe onto the floor.
PRINCESS (CONT'D)
Out! Out! Bad Yrdrig!
As the animal skulks away, she helps Abe up-
PRINCESS (CONT'D)
(bows her head)
My name is Princess Nuala.
ABE
(bows his head)
Your highness, the honor is all mine.
PRINCESS
May I apologize, Mr. Sapien, for the
manner in which we brought you here...
couldn't be too sure.
She offers him the locator belt.
ABE
Please, it was nothing. Love the puppy,
TOO-
PRINCESS
And under diplomatic immunity - may I
seek asylum??
ABE
We would be... honored, I'm sure. But,
may I ask: from whom do you seek asylum?
Suddenly, a COMMOTION outside. The door flies off its
hinges. Hellboy and Johann burst in, leaping over a pile
fallen guards outside.
ABE
Red, no! I'm all right!
The Princess shrinks back, but Abe motions for calm.
ABE
Gentlemen! Some respect, please!
The Princess looks with dismay at her vanquished bodyguards.
The NARCOTIC BUGS buzz around HB, who swats them like
mosquitoes.
HELLBOY 2 47
PRINCESS
And that was my royal guard.
ABE
Red, apologize at once! We are in the
presence of... royalty!
Hellboy's never heard Abe sound like this- giddy as a
schoolboy.
JOHANN
(to Abe)
You're vouching for her, I take it. Mr
Sapien?
ABE
Oh, most definitely. She's from an
ancient, noble line -
JOHANN
- of warriors. The Children of the Earth.
(to the Princess)
I'm sorry, Princess Nuala. With such a
fierce bloodline, we cannot take your
claim of allegiance at face value.
He produces the ANCIENT SEAL.
74 INT. MAPMAKERS VESTIBULE - LATER 74
Standing at a long deal table, the Princess lights a candle
and examines the ancient seal.
PRINCESS
Where did you get this?
HELLBOY
Human side, two nights ago-
The Princess studies their faces.
PRINCESS
In ancient times a seal like this was
delivered to the enemy as a declaration
of war. A signal from the underground
realm to the entire world. It prefaced
the awakening of the Golden Army-
Johann sits down heavily.
JOHANN
I feared as much.
HELLBOY 2 48
HELLBOY
(to Johann)
What-? What-? A goblin army-?
Johann shakes his glass head, overcome with worry.
JOHANN
Golden Army. The unstoppable tide. There
has been nothing to substantiate such a
TALE-
PRINCESS
Not a tale- At the dawn of time... Even
before the great flood, man and the
Children of the Earth shared this
planet...
(she sighs)
But as man in his greed expanded his
dominion, there ensued a bitter war...
DISSOLVE:
75 EXT. MYTHICAL BATTLEFIELD - DUSK 75
Silhouetted against a crimson sky, the shadows of thousands
upon thousands of goblins, elves and fairies do battle with
hordes of men.
PRINCESS (V.0.) (CONT'D)
In those days, my people were led by my
Father, King BALOR, the one-armed king of
Elfland.
KING BALOR fights valiantly at the side of his son, the
tall, pale elf knight: PRINCE NUADA.
PRINCESS (V. 0.) (CONT'D)
The bloodshed went on year after year.
Many lives were lost.
An overview of the battlefield fades as the sun sinks below
the horizon.
76 INT. THRONE ROOM - DAY 76
Seated in an 'opulent throne room, KING BALOR addresses a
wretched guild of deformed goblins.
HELLBOY 2 49
PRINCESS (V.0.)
It was then that the King ordered the
Sigri to build him a new, invincible
army.
77 INT. BLACKSMITH FURNACES - DUSK 77
Lit by the fires of a hundred furnaces, stoked by scores of
goblins, a MECHANICAL ARMY is born. Metal plates and moving
parts are hammered into shape on enormous anvils and bolted
onto tall, ornate, golden figures.
PRINCESS (V.0.)
This was an army that would not eat,
drink or grow tired. A heartless,
ruthless force made of the purest metal,
mined from the depths of the earth.
78 INT. COURTYARD, CASTLE - DUSK 78
In perfect ranks, in eerie unison, the golden soldiers line
up, filling the entire courtyard, awaiting the King's
command.
PRINCESS (V.0.)
The Sigri worked until the winter moon
was high in the sky -
The CHIEF GOBLIN BLACKSMITH displays three curved segments
of gold. He fits them together and holds a completed CROWN
directly over the King's head.
KING
I am King Balor, leader of the Golden
Army. Is there anyone here who disputes
my right???
Silence. Prince NUADA kneels next to his father. The Goblin
crowns the King, who lifts his sword. In response-
TCHANKKKKK!!!! The new army raises its lances, hailing him.
79 EXT. HUMAN ENCAMPMENT - NIGHTFALL 79
As the humans make ready for battle, a tremor shakes the
earth. They turn their gaze to the horizon, which bristles
with the arms of the approaching troops.
HELLBOY 2 50
80 EXT. BATTLEFIELD - CONTINUOUS 80
The fight is brutal. The mechanical soldiers mow down the
humans by the hundreds, their swords replaced as needed by
battle axes, bludgeons and lances.
PRINCESS (V.0.)
But this army knew no bounds, had no
remorse, felt no loyalty, engaging in
blind battle with man, woman or child.
The horde crushes everything, with swords slicing through
armor as if it were paper. Every blow is deadly, precise.
The army marches ever onward, like a grinding machine
devouring tender flesh.
At length, there is no sign of life in the human camp.
PRINCESS (V.0.) (CONT'D)
And as the king gazed upon the earth
awash in blood and at the impassive metal
faces of the army he had created, his
heart grew heavy. Victory was gained at
too high a price. This war should never
have been waged.
The King surveys the carnage. The mechanical soldiers stand
in symmetrical ranks awaiting further instructions.
PRINCESS (V.0.) (CONT'D)
And so he arranged a truce: the surviving
men would keep to their cities and we
children of the Earth would dwell within
the forests. This pact, he declared,
would be honored by our sons and the sons
of their sons until the end of time.
Listening to his father, Prince Nuada reacts with anguish.
PRINCESS (V.0.) (CONT'D)
But my brother did not believe in the
promises of men. He marched off into
exile, vowing to return if the Sons of
the Earth ever needed him.
Prince Nuada walks away towards a dying sunset.
81
81 INT. STORAGE CHAMBER - NIGHT
The goblins lock the golden army into a huge cavern, under
the light of ten thousand flickering torches.
HELLBOY 2 51
PRINCESS (V.0.)
And the golden army was ordered to lie
dormant, locked inside the earth itself -
and there it is to this day, waiting for
the wearer of the crown to command it
again.
82 INT. MAPMAKER'S SHOP - NIGHT 82
The Princess finishes her tale. Hellboy and Johann look at
each other.
HELLBOY
Where is that crown??
PRINCESS
My father had it destroyed. Cut into
three pieces. One for mankind...
She holds up her piece of the puzzle, which dangles from a
chain around her neck.
PRINCESS
.Two for the sons of the Earth.
ABE
So, you do need our help..?
PRINCESS
I'm afraid it's the other way around.
She holds the CYLINDER she purchased.
PRINCESS
The location of the Golden Army is
contained within this cylinder--
She opens it and produces a parchment hidden inside. She
extends it: the map just shows three coordinates.
ABE
Just a global chart, Edo - that's the old
name for Tokyo - Moscow, and Renvyle here-
PRINCESS
But nothing else-
She rolls back the map into the cylinder.
PRINCESS
So far, this is a family matter. To
intervene will bring nothing but trouble.
HELLBOY 2 52
HELLBOY
Good, I like trouble.
83 INT. TROLL MARKET NARROW PASSAGES - NIGHT 83
The Princess leads the group through the surging, noisy
crowd of bizarre creatures. Hellboy, Johann and Abe bring up
the rear.
PRINCESS
No- not that way. Too risky-
They're lost in unfamiliar alleys and byways. Until-
JOHANN
(finally, pointing)
There. Stairs to the street...
BUT-
PRINCE
Hold!
The Prince appears at the top of the stairs, dressed in
black. He's surrounded by his elite guard. Stepping to the
rail, he points at his sister and addresses the crowd:
PRINCE
Hear me, o creatures of the forest! Can
you recognize a traitor? She's here to
betray her own!
He casts a disdainful look at Hellboy.
PRINCE
I'm here to recruit all of you against
the humans. Make your decision now. Those
who join me will be rewarded. The rest...
will be killed.
A sudden silence falls over the throng. Then, the sound of
CRACKING KNUCKLES. Everyone looks at Hellboy, who is
unclenching his fists and stretching his neck.
He starts up the stairs, but a couple of the GUARDS leap
down to block his path.
HELLBOY
I'm gonna put this as delicately as I
can.
CUT TO:
HELLBOY 2 53
84
84 INT. BOWLING ALLEY - SAME
A crowded BOWLING ALLEY is full of serious-looking players
in colorful shirts and shoes.
Someone rolls a ball down the center lane, and as it speeds
right at the pins...
BOWLER
Look out, Manny! Strike city..!
CRASH! Hellboy erupts from under the floorboards, fighting
the clawing monsters right behind him!
As the bowlers freeze in shock, dozens of creatures pour out
into the human world. Grunting, Hellboy punches his way
free, only to be dragged back by the tail by WINK.
Abe, shielding the Princess, demonstrates the way of the
water, a fluid martial arts display. He ducks and parries
the blows, leaping like Nureyev.
Abe scoops up a couple of bowling balls and rolls them at
the Prince's guards. He manages to knock a couple off their
feet.
As they get back up, he uses the available bowling pins as
clubs. The screaming PATRONS rush for the doors.
85
85 EXT. STREET -- CONTINUOUS
Outside, the civilians flee, but the news crews come
is back. He
running. As their lights blaze up, REPORTER 2
gapes in disgust:
Hellboy's massive hands are wrapped around the neck of a
sweet little OLD LADY! He beats her mercilessly!
OLD LADY
Help me...! Please, somebody..!
REPORTER 2
(to his cameraman)
Oh, my God!! Oh, my- Roll! Roll on this!
BELLBOY
It's not what you think -!
HELLBOY 2 54
REPORTER
(pointing at HB)
He's lost his mind! He's worse than any
of them..!
CUT BACK to Hellboy, revealing that the old lady is actually
WINK.
Liz runs over with a prism from the SCHUFFTEIN GOGGLES and
sticks it in front of the camera lens, revealing the truth.
The reporter checks his monitor.
REPORTER
OH-
86 STREET FIGHT 86
ALL the BPRD team, including Liz, is swept up in this fight.
The denizens of the troll market overturn parked cars and
knock down lamp posts, ROARING with excitement.
LIZ
(MUTTERING)
The fire is not my enemy-- it is a part
of me--
Liz yells out a warning... and then throws a barrage of
flaming bolts. A pair of crab-like THINGS shrivel and burn.
Johann melds with a heavy steel dumpster, until only his
legs are visible beneath it. Bending at the waist - SPLAT -
he brings it down on the head of the nearest creature!
WINK and HB duke it out for a few beats and then HB finally
vanquishes the Troll, Ripping his Iron Mace off and throwing
it away.
As the other monsters retreat...
.the PRINCE appears: in his hand a complex mechanical
GRENADE. Immediately worried, Abe hustles the Princess over
to the BPRD truck.
The Prince twists a timer. His bloodied trolls disperse,
screaming, renewing the panic.
PRINCE
(to Hellboy)
I will find you, young daemon -
(to Nuala)
- and you, too, my sister. Meanwhile,
here's a taste of what lies in store.
HELLBOY 2 55
He throws the grenade. Hellboy dives, just in time to catch
it. He's about to throw it down a sewer, when he listens to
its clockwork innards then: PING!!!!
HELLBOY
It's a dud, your royal assness - !
The Prince has disappeared, along with his horde.
HELLBOY
How do you like that? Just when I was
loosening up.
Then... CLACKK!!!.
Hellboy scrutinizes the grenade as it opens up like a
beans.
flower... and spews out a handful of Brightly colored
ABE
Pick them up!!
HELLBOY
Abe. relax- It's jumping beans...
Abe is scrambling to retrieve them.
ABE
Do as I say!
With a sigh, Hellboy scoops up a few.
ABE
How many do you have?
HELLBOY
Three, how about you?
ABE
Three! There's always seven! Find the
last one!!!
TO
The seventh bean is next to a manhole. It hops closer
edge...
ABE
Quick, it's going for water!
Hellboy reaches for it... but it's too late. The thing hops
into the manhole and lands somewhere below with a SPLASH.
ABE (CONT'D)
Oh, my God, evacuate the area!
HELLBOY 2 56
HELLBOY
Abe, please, get a grip.
A RUMBLE from below their feet. WHAMMMM!
A HUGE TREE punches up through the pavement, overturning
cars, knocking buildings off their foundations and ripping
up through the Bridge overpass!!
Picking up speed, the tree branches soar up, up, up... into
the moonlit clouds.
Hellboy approaches the massive, trunk, gazing up in
fascination. Birds and creatures emerge from the inside and
flutter around, grass overtakes pavement- and for a moment
Chinatown looks like the Garden of Eden.
HELLBOY (CONT'D)
Whoa. Just like the story books.
Manning and Liz take a few steps into it: a SQUIRREL-BEING
climbs on Liz's shoulder and a couple of IRIDESCENT
HUMMINGBIRDS fly around her "ala" SNOW WHITE. A small crowd
starts wandering into this idyllic scenario.
LIZ
This is so beautiful-
MANNING
So- perfect- so peaceful-
HELLBOY
Hey!!!
He spots. the prince, at the base of the tree. Knocking on it-
HELLBOY
Hey- Jhonny Apleseed- What are you-?? Oh-
Jeez did you have to do that??
Liz starts pulling Manning away and yelling at the crowd-
LIZ
Back- Go back- right now!!!
MANNING
What? What? What is he doing-?
LIZ
He's knocking on wood- summoning an
ELEMENTAL-
HELLBOY 2 57
MANNING
An elem-
LIZ
A forest spirit that lives in that tree.
He's releasing it-
MANNING
Oh, and is it that bad??
KKKRRRRCHTCH!!!!! The tree trunk rumbles and shakes under
some enormous force. Huge LEAVES tumble to the street. Even
the ever-present NEWS CREWS back away as a huge shape
descends.
BOOM!! the trunk rips in two, revealing a curled, dormant
ELEMENTAL.
Five stories high- Fierce as nature. THE ELEMENTAL steps out
of the tree and stares at Hellboy.
Uttering a weird, guttural SOUND, the Giant raises an arm
and pulverizes a GASOLINE TRUCK!
WHUMP- ! Flames leap up! The Elemental grins with delight,
turning his baleful gaze on the Princess. As she shrinks
back, her pet Yrdrig rushes at the thing, snarling. In a
single leap, it sinks its teeth into the Elemental's heel.
HELLBOY
Good dog.
(to Elemental)
Now, Woody... You want to fight someone,
you fight with me.
Hellboy humorously adopts a kung fu pose, as in Bruce Lee.
The Elemental hops forward, New branches sprout from his
limbs, shaking the Yrdrig off.
ABE
(to the Princess)
This may not be the best place for you,
your majesty. With your permission...
He offers the Princess his arm. She takes it and allows Abe
to lead her away. A moment later, the Elemental smashes the
ground where they had been standing!
Every time the ELEMENTAL moves, he trails behind roots and
branches. The roots connecting to its feet and leading to
the original tree trunk, like an umbilical cord.
Johann sees this-
HELLBOY 2 58
JOHANN
I have a plan-
He looks at Abe-
87 STANDING AT THE GARBAGE TRUCK 87
-as the fishman helps the Princess up into the rear of the
BPRD garbage truck.
Up front, behind the wheel, Liz starts the engine.
88 ABANDONED BUILDING
88
Hellboy climbs a fire escape as the Elemental's arm/branches
extend and grow over the ladder, pulling it down below his
feet. Hellboy ducks into one of the open windows as the
Elemental tears away the rest of the scaffolding. Growing
and discarding branches and roots.
89 INT. ABANDONED BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 89
Hellboy runs like a cockroach through a dilapidated KITCHEN.
Behind him, the Elemental's massive BRANCH/FIST crashes
through the wall, then pursues him as he runs down a
corridor littered with debris.
Like a wrecking ball, the Elemental demolishes each section
of the corridor as Hellboy runs.
90 EXT. LEDGE - CONTINUOUS 90
Hellboy steps out onto a ledge ten stories up, just out of
reach of the Elemental.
HELLBOY
(to the Elemental)
What now, Big Boy? You get a ladder?
The Elemental jumps up and down, trying to reach him,
barking in frustration.
Hellboy's RADIO crackles:
ABE
(on the radio)
HB? This is Blue. The Princess is fine.
HELLBOY 2 59
HELLBOY
So what?
JOHANN
So, lead him to the bridge.
Hellboy looks over the buildings and sees the Brooklyn
Bridge in the distance.
HELLBOY
That's nine blocks from here, Fishbowl!
ABE
You'll figure it out.
HELLBOY
What's at the bridge? Abe - ? Liz?
Hello???
No answer. Muttering, Hellboy climbs higher, up a buzzing
neon sign reading "Hotel".
The Elemental smashes the letters "tel"... so Hellboy climbs
the "0" to the roof.
91 INT. GARBAGE TRUCK - SAME 91
Liz drives the garbage truck toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
Johann is sitting next to her.
92 EXT. ROOFTOP - CONTINUOUS 92
Hellboy makes a running start and leaps off the building. He
sails over the alley, reaches for the approaching cornice...
and almost loses his grip! He hangs on for dear life.
Behind him, the Elemental appears, climbing onto an adjacent
roof. As his feet smash through the skylights, the Elemental
pulls down a WATER TOWER. A wall of water rolls toward
Hellboy, like an ocean wave!
Hellboy leaps to the next roof... and the water shoots over
the edge of the building, cascading onto the street below.
93 EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - SAME 93
Liz parks the truck near the Brooklyn Bridge. Using
binoculars, Abe peers out the back doors to see Hellboy
bringing the Elemental closer.
HELLBOY 2 60
ABE
Johann - they're almost here.
Johann moves among massive construction machinery. He stops
at a stack of heavy SPOOLS OF CABLE.
Abe comes running, pointing at the cable.
ABE
Yes. I had the very same idea...
He gets behind the levers and handles of a complex machine
which holds a half mile of steel cable.
ABE
(gazing at the controls)
.but how do you operate this??
JOHANN
If you'll permit me...
Johann opens his fingers, and plunges both arms deep into
the mechanism! Instantly, the diesel engine STARTS UP.
JOHANN
(to Abe)
Stand back, Abe.
A hydraulic strut lifts the spool, then pitches it through
the air, spinning off 300 yards of cable. It splashes down
near the far shore of the East River.
JOHANN
Now, tie it onto the pontoons on the
other side.
(seeing Hellboy coming)
Quickly, Abe!
94 IN THE WATER 94
Abe races down a pier and dives smartly into the dark water.
Then he surfaces, surging dolphin-like toward the Manhattan
shore.
95 BROOKLYN BRIDGE - DOCKS 95
Hellboy makes it to the bridge... as, behind him, the
Elemental wades into the river, pushing aside boats and
barges.
HELLBOY 2 61
96
96 IN THE RIVER
Abe makes it to the other side, surfacing with the cable,
towing it to a half-submerged pontoon.
JOHANN (CONT'D)
(on the radio)
Macht schnell! Abe - make it fast!
The cable is a yard short of the anchor point! Abe tugs on
IT-
ABE
I need more!
JOHANN
No more available!
The Elemental's feet stomp through the river; he stumbles as
he encounters the submerged cable.
97
97 UNDERWATER
Clinging to the cable, Abe is dragged down, down down...
past rusting cars, oil drums... and a couple of rotting
CORPSES, their feet in tubs of cement!
Suddenly, Abe's head strikes a sunken truck, knocking him
unconscious. Blood seeps from his wound.
98
98 AT THE BRIDGE
As Hellboy climbs one of the bridge towers, he hears someone
calling out from above:
PRINCE
(to Hellboy)
Haven't you managed to kill it yet? You,
who were so eager for a fight?
The Prince is standing on top of the tower. He points at
Hellboy, then yells at the Elemental.
PRINCE
(to the Elemental)
Over here, dear friend...
SNATCH! The Elemental plucks Hellboy off a parapet! Hellboy
wriggles in the massive wooden finger-like appendages.
HELLBOY 2 62
The Prince walks to the edge of the tower, near a steel
spire, his coat flapping in the night wind.
PRINCE
This might be a good chance for you to
come to your senses. Help us.
HELLBOY
I've been all through this! The answer's
still no!
Far below, Johann slips his right arm into the cable,
bringing it to life, whipping it back and forth, like a
steel snake!
The cable forms a huge loop, splashing down near the
Elemental and tightening around his ankles. The cable
TENSES-
JOHANN
(to Liz)
Burn the roots!!! Burn them!!i
He points at the roots trailing into the river. Liz
concentrates and a bolt of fierce white-hot energy pours out
of her hands, burning the roots at the Elemental's feet.
Johann gyrates; the cable responds, whipping up out of the
river! With a bellow, the Elemental loses his balance; he
tosses Hellboy high into the air.
On the way down, Hellboy grabs a support stay and swings
back and forth like a red monkey. He lands atop of the
Elemental's back, right behind his head.
HELLBOY
Nap time, Big guy-
He raises his stone fist and hits him straight in the back
of the neck.
The cable tenses-
-The Elemental pitches forward-
The Prince looks up to see the Elemental falling right at
him; his mouth opens as if to scream...
The Elemental goes down, impaling himself on a spire atop
the bridge... exactly where the Prince had been standing.
Putting an end, it seems, to both of them.
HELLBOY 2 63
The Creature dies, but even as it does, its branches embrace
the steel structure and grow, Ultimately, blocks and blocks
of the city are now covered in trees and grass and mossy
leaves... A strangely beatific and precious change.
Liz runs up, looking out at the river as Abe emerges,
bleeding, but alive. Abe, Liz and Johann embrace firmly,
laughing and happy to be together.
Abe eyes the Princess standing nearby, smiling back at
him...
Hellboy meanwhile observes the group from a distance,
jealous, alone.
CUT TO:
99 INT. FIRING RANGE - LATER 99
BLAM! BLAM! Deafening shots as Hellboy blasts the Samaritan
again and again at a target in the dark firing range. Hits a
button, brings the paper close for inspection.
Result: a very ragged, loose pattern around the bull's eye.
Suddenly, from the next alley, RAPID GUNFIRE. Johann leans
over, and to address Hellboy through a cloud of gunsmoke.
JOHANN
You'll permit a small criticism? You take
too much time to aim, to think. Nein.
Just point- like afinger- as if you wish
for something.
HELLBOY
Oh, I wish for something.
Johann brings his target close: a beautiful, tight cluster
of shots, dead center.
JOHANN
Speed is of the essence. You must work on
it. I'm willing to spend some -
Johann reaches for his loader, accidentally knocks Heliboy's
onto the floor.
HELLBOY
Hey, watch it! You're winding me up, I
don't like it.
HELLBOY 2 64
JOHANN
On the contrary.
100 INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY 100
Hellboy's in the shower, glaring across the room, where
Johann stands at a mirror, polishing his glass head with a
terry cloth towel.
HELLBOY
You keep wiping that thing like she's
gonna care.
JOHANN
She- Who-??
HELLBOY
You know who- She-
(BEAT)
She's not gonna care.
JOHANN
(long beat)
You think I'm after Liz, don't you?
(Hellboy walks out)
Well, I'm not.
HELLBOY
Why not?
(BEAT)
Not good enough for you?
Hellboy wraps a towel around his waist and comes up behind
Johann.
HELLBOY
Well- From now on, you don't come near
her. You don't talk to her-
JOHANN
You forget. I'm part of the team now,
such interactions are inev-
HELLBOY
Well- you better start making them
"evitable"-
JOHANN
That's not a word-
HELLBOY
Yes, it is-
HELLBOY 2 65
JOHANN
No, it isn't-
Hellboy raises his stone fist.
HELLBOY
Now it is-
JOHANN
Oh, I see- you want to punch me- That's
how you win an argument.
HELLBOY
I try.
JOHANN
Well, you're big, I'll give you that much-
HELLBOY
"Give me???"- You don't give me sh-
JOHANN
-and you're strong- but you're slow.
HELLBOY
Slo-??
JOHANN
Very- slow- I've seen your fighting
style. Very slow-
WHAM-! Hellboy cracks Johann over the head with his massive
fist. To his surprise, the Johann's glass ball cranium
shatters!
HELLBOY
Slow enough for ya-??
With a loud HISSS, Johann's odd suit sags to the floor!
HELLBOY
Ow- Johann... buddy. Sorry- I- I- got
carried away...
(leaning over the empty suit)
Johann? You still hear me?
An ectoplasmic TENDRIL reaches out from the suit and
penetrates the closest locker.
HELLBOY
It was an accident, okay? I'll get you
some help-
HELLBOY 2 66
With a CLANG! -- the bank of lockers comes to life! Metal
doors smack Hellboy's head repeatedly, like a pinball
machine! his face imprinted in the metal.
JOHANN
See? Speed is the key.
The vaporous form of Johann's body emerges from the lockers
and wanders away. The locker room doors open and close as he
goes by.
Hellboy tries to stand, wobbles and sits.
HELLBOY
Chicken shit!
CUT TO:
- NIGHT 101
101 INT. THE LIBRARY
Abe floats in his tank, smiling at the Princess, who's at
one of the book stands, reading to him.
PRINCESS
"I sometimes have a queer feeling -
especially when you are near me, as
now: it is as if I had a string somewhere
under my left ribs, tightly and
inextricably knotted to a similar string
situated in the corresponding quarter of
your little frame."
ABE
I love this part. Keep going.
PRINCESS
"I am afraid that cord of communion will
be snapt; and then I've a nervous notion
I should take to bleeding inwardly."
She closes the book, looking troubled.
ABE
Charlotte Bronte died shortly before I
was born. It would have been a great
privilege to have known her...
PRINCESS
This "Jane Eyre"... I understand it's
only a story, but such a tie that binds,
it exists between me and my brother. I
assure you: my brother, he's not dead-
HELLBOY 2 67
ABE
How can you know? We all saw-
PRINCESS
We are twins. Even now, I can sense his
presence. This has been our way since we
were young children, in Renvyle-
ABE
Renvyle, Ireland- The ancient isles-
PRINCESS
(NODS)
A magical place in the West. A different
time. Long gone. Now, he's near and he's
looking for me. I can feel and even
understand his. hatred for mankind.
ABE
Men... usually mean well, I believe that.
But they need our help and patience.
PRINCESS
You were very brave, vouching for me. How
do you know I'm not the enemy, bringing
me here?
ABE
It's as you were saying, I suppose. From
intuition, feeling. I've never met anyone
like you... but that's my instinct.
They gaze fondly at each other through the glass, as bubbles
swirl out of Abe's gills.
CUT TO:
102
102 INT. HELLBOY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Liz is patching Hellboy's injured head. In the background
the TV's are playing up: CITY LIGHTS, WHITE HEAT and some TV
programming.
HELLBOY
He caught me off-guard- but I'll get him
next time.
He's examining a few letters, contract forms, etc.
LIZ
There shouldn't be a "next time" we're
all part of the same team.
HELLBOY 2 68
HELLBOY
We are- he's not- The guy's an egomaniac.
You can see right through him.
(PAUSE)
That's a joke, Liz.
Liz remains silent.
HELLBOY
(raises a letter)
Look!! They wanna do a cartoon series,
based on me? And this:
(he holds up a box of cereal)
Product endorsement - breakfast of
demons. And a videogame!!!
As CITY LIGHTS ends, Liz lifts the remote to turn the volume
up.
LIZ
Gosh, that was so sweet, so sad- It
always gets me- Red- There's something I
need to-
HELLBOY
(taking the remote)
No, wait.
(switching to Leno)
Look that's us-
Jay is showing some footage from the giant incident.
LENO
So- this "Hellboy" what is he?? Is he
really on our side?? I mean, he's red,
has a tail and shaves his horns- horns,
Ladies and Gentleman. Horns are never a
good sign.
HELLBOY
(CHUCKLES)
Ha- He's funny.
LENO
Maybe we should have him come over and
talk to us a little, uh? Whaddayathink??
The crowd roars.
HELLBOY
That's a great idea, don't you think??
HELLBOY 2 69
LIZ
No, I don't-
HELLBOY
Did you know that during the commercial
breaks the orchestra keeps playing so the
guest can't talk to Jay... keeps the
conversation fresh.
LIZ
How do you know these things?
HELLBOY
I read it in TV Guide.
LIZ
You're really liking this, aren't you?
HELLBOY
We should do this-
LIZ
It's a bad idea. All of it- Do you really
need everybody to like you?? What's in it
for you?? Are we not enough???
She leaves. Hellboy glances at Leno on TV: a dog outfitted
in a ballerina costume is jumping around with a red ball
balanced on its nose. Hellboy chuckles.
HELLBOY
That's funny.
CUT TO:
103 EXT. BALCONY BPRD - NIGHT 103
Liz is looking out into Trenton NJ's light landscape. Johann
approaches her.
JOHANN
Are you alright-?
Liz nods weakly.
JOHANN
May I be of assistance??
LIZ
Maybe.
HELLBOY 2 70
JOHANN
He's a big brute, isn't he??
Liz chuckles.
JOHANN
But he has a good heart. I know it. He
means well.
LIZ
I think I may have made a mistake.
JOHANN
In what way, Mein Frau??
LIZ
Just a mistake- nothing important.
(SIGHS)
But sometimes being with him is not easy-
JOHANN
It never is. I know.
Lis looks at him with renewed interest.
JOHANN
I was married once. A long, long time
ago... And only after I lost her- I
realized that my life would never be
quite the same- And my loss lead me to
become what I am today...
Johann's human face materializes inside his glass helmet.
JOHANN
I- I tried constantly to make contact
with her-
DISSOLVE STARTS :
- SEANCE ROOM - NIGHT 104
104 FLASHBACK - CIRCA 2001
Johann's mouth opens and out of it emerges a large tendril
of ectoplasm. His neck engorges and the substance continues
to flow freely out of his mouth and fingertips--
JOHANN
It was only there- in the Ethereal plane
that I ever gazed upon her again...
CAMERA close in on several ceremonial candles burning in the
room. Their flame illuminating the eerie scene.
HELLBOY 2 71
Out of the mouths of the other guests, emerge other, equally
large ectoplasmic shapes.
They cross to-
105 THE ETHEREAL PLANE 105
Once there- they reform into humanoid shapes, vaguely
reminiscent of their mortal bodies.
JOHANN floats freely, approaching another humanoid form in
the void: That of a woman, his wife.
JOHANN'S VOICE
But it was there, while he was partially
on the ethereal plane, that disaster
STRUCK-
He is about to embrace his wife's form when a horrible
rumble occurs and the void bursts in flames, destroying and
distorting everything around him-
His wife's shape screams and evaporates.
106 INT. SEANCE ROOM - NIGHT 106
BPRD agents break in on the scene. Smoke and flames billow
in the room, wax puddles stand where the CEREMONIAL CANDLES
were and seated around the seance table, charred corpses
hold hands in eternal contact. As the Agents move around a
pale, vaporous shape emerges from the soot-stained darkness:
It's Johann.
JOHANN'S VOICE
All the seance attendees were
incinerated. The only survivor -and only
to some extent- was me- Why? I'll never
KNOW--
The form moves towards its body and attempts to climb back
and reanimate it, but the CHARRED CORPSE is barely amble to
amble a few steps forward before collapsing into ash and
bone... The shape of Ectoplasm stands there, alone and lost-
Then, Professor TREVOR BROOM wanders into the scene and
approaches the form-
JOHANN'S VOICE
It was then that Professor Broom and the
B.P.R.D. devised a containment suit for
me. A new body-
HELLBOY 2 72
CAMERA pulls back to reveal-
107 BALCONY BPRD - NIGHT 107
Johann, back in the balcony, talking to Liz.
JOHANN
I owe Professor Broom everything that
I've become. He brought me back to life-
He grows silent for a brief moment.
JOHANN
But I've never been able to see her
again. My reach became limited- My loss,
infinite...
Liz puts her hand on his shoulder. Johann takes it...
JOHANN
Loss- the very threat of it makes us
vulnerable... makes us care- You can see
that, don't you?? Without her I became
but an empty shell...
Liz leans her head on his shoulder.
JOHANN
Don't give up on him. Not yet.
Liz chuckles.
LIZ
No. Not yet.
CAMERA discovers HELLBOY, watching them from behind a glass
door, a six-pack in his hand. He steps away.
108 INT. CORRIDOR - LATER 108
Heliboy walks down a deserted corridor carrying his six
pack.
He stops, puzzled. Strains of Barry Manilow are emanating
from the library.
109 INT. LIBRARY - CONTINUOUS 109
Hellboy enters the library and goes over to the tank. Abe is
there, listening to Vivaldi.
HELLBOY 2 73
ABE
Ah, hello Red. You're up late.
HELLBOY
Liz and I- we had a fight-
ABE
OH-
Hellboy eyes the CD player.
HELLBOY
Did I hear Barry Manilow just now?
ABE
(smiles hypocritical)
Barry M- oh, Gosh- no- no-
(fast, stammering)
It was er- urm- Vivaldi. Il cimento
dell'armonia I believe I particularly
admire the passage...
Hellboy hits the eject button on Abe's CD player. The music
stops and he pulls out a different CD from the changer.
HELLBOY
What's happening to you??
ABE
Ooh- Ooh-
(SIGHS)
All my life I thought I was alone, a made-
up name and a random pasted on a
cylinder. But then I saw her- She's like
me. A creature from another world...
Alone... Brother Red- I think I'm in
love.
HELLBOY
You say that like it's a good thing.
(looks at the CD)
What track?
ABE
(ASHAMED)
Track eight-
HELLBOY
(READS)
Oh, God- you're disgusting-
ABE
I know-
HELLBOY 2 74
HELLBOY
"Can't smile without you"
ABE
I'd cry, but I don't have the glands for
it..
(DESPERATE)
What am I going to do, Red????
Hellboy sighs and pops a beer, presses play and sighs
heavily, looks around-
ABE
I miss him- Father- don't you??
HELLBOY
(NODS)
Everyday.
ABE
He would tell what to do- He would tell
what's right- what's wrong-
HELLBOY
He did that for all of us...
The opening strings of "Can't Smile Without You."
ABE
(sips beer)
You know? I- I never much appreciated
Manilow's artistry that much- until now-
Now it seems to be a grand poet and
speaks directly to my innermost feelings.
HELLBOY
Jeez- You need to get out more-
The two of them sit there, growing quiet, listening to the
syrupy music. Then, slowly, the two of them start singing:
low at first and then at the top of their voices, moved and
teary-eyed.
110
110 INT. PRINCESS ROOM AT BPRD - NIGHT
The Princess hears the distant music and smiles, but then
feels a chill down her spine. She shudders and moves to the
panoramic window and gazes outside, to the woods and the
distant city lights below...
HELLBOY 2 75
EXT. BPRD - NIGHT 111
The music can be heard at a distance.
A dark figure stands on a hill, amid the trees, listening
and watching... CAMERA MOVES IN: the Prince gazes at the
building.
CUT TO:
112
112 INT. BPRD CORRIDOR - DAY
Manning strides down the corridor, followed by the BPRD
team. All of them dressed in BLACK LEATHER OUTFITS.
MANNING
This is a whole new ballgame and I want
you to take my lead.
ABE
I find these leather outfits very
UNCOMFORTABLE-
MANNING
Maybe so, maybe so- but they look- hip.
(BEAT)
When it comes to dealing with reporters
or the public, I set the tone. You all
know the old saying: the perception is
the reality.
HELLBOY
Correctamundo, chief. For one thing, we
can ditch the garbage truck, right?
ABE
Wait, Red, the lab's in it-
HELLBOY
Screw the lab. I want new wheels.
MANNING
(SMIRKING)
You got 'em-
The round a corner and enter -
113 INT. BPRD GARAGE - DAY 113
Three gleaming Hummers await them.
HELLBOY 2 76
MANNING
A gift from General Motors. One for each
of you.
Each Hummer has custom paint: Hellboy's with scenes of
Dante's inferno, Liz's with flames and Abe's with an
underwater vista.
HELLBOY
This is more like it!
LIZ
I'm not driving that-
Abe has opened the hood on his Hummer.
ABE
This is a most unfortunate vehicle. The
sheer waste of precious fossil fuels...
MANNING
An American custom, it's called product
placement! What's the harm?
CUT TO:
-- DAY 114
114 EXT. NEW YORK STREET
A mob of SCREAMING FANS outside the TV studio. The frenzy
intensifies when they see the Hummers pulling up.
As the BPRD team exits the cars, autograph seekers break
through the POLICE LINE and swarm around the heroes.
MANNING
Every agent on the field is on the case.
They will solve it--
Hellboy signs a color photo of himself with a flourish.
HELLBOY
There you go, pal. "To Jason, best
wishes, Hellboy."
FAN
(squints at the signature)
How am I supposed to read that?
BELLBOY
You don't like it?
HELLBOY 2 77
Irritated, he scowls at the fan. Manning takes him by the
elbow and leads him away.
HELLBOY
(to the fan)
That turns up on e-Bay, I'm gonna find
you, "Jason"...
115
115 INT. GREEN ROOM - LATER
A row of makeup chairs. Manning sits in the first one,
looking at himself in the mirror.
MANNING
Can you do anything about this... uh...
(lowers his voice)
-double chin?
MAKEUP GIRL
No, you're not being made up.
MANNING
Why not?
MAKEUP GIRL
They said, you're too normal. You don't
need anything.
MANNING
But- Believe me- I'm not normal at
all...
2
CAMERA MOVES to the next makeup chair, where Makeup Girl
holds a camelhair brush and stares dubiously at Abe.
MAKEUP GIRL 2
So, what color is that- green?
ABE
Carribbean Blue, actually.
CAMERA MOVES to the next makeup chair, where the very sexy
Makeup Girl 3 gingerly touches Hellboy's chest.
MAKEUP GIRL 3
Are these really scars?
HELLBOY
Well, yeah. Each one tells a story-
His grin fades as he sees Johann talking to Liz. He abruptly
gets up and goes to them.
HELLBOY 2 78
HELLBOY
That about you, glass-man? A few squirts
of Windex?
JOHANN
I'm not going on. And if I may- a word of
ADVICE-
(long beat, then sotto voce)
-it's not a good idea to hint that you
two have... a relationship.
HELLBOY
Thanks a bunch. I'll decide that.
JOHANN
You don't know how people may react.
HELLBOY
It's a love story. They'll lap it up.
JOHANN
I know you don't like me, but trust me on
this one.
(BEAT)
I knew your father- he was a friend-
Hellboy blinks, taking the information in.
JOHANN
Do as you may- But know this- he wouldn't
have approved of your behaviour.
A P.A. opens the door.
P.A.
You're on-!
JOHANN
I'll be watching from the truck lab,
where I belong- Go, enjoy your fifteen
minutes...
He walks away.
CUT TO:
116
116 INT. MOSCOW SUBWAY - NIGHT
SIGN: PATROVICK STATION, MOSCOW, 22.00 HOURS.
A busy Moscow Subway station, not very crowded at this time
of night. Sleepy patrons await the arrival of the subway.
HELLBOY 2 79
One of them, a puppet vendor, showcases his product. He
manipulates a wooden marionette: A KNIGHT in SHINING ARMOR.
In the distance- lights, bright lights and the train ROAR!!!
The Puppeteer readies his merchandise bag and quickly moves
to the edge of the platform alongside other passengers. The
lights grow in intensity and the ROAR becomes deafening. But
something's wrong, really, wrong-
PUPPETEER
Hooy na ny!
The lights are in reality, the eyes of a giant dragon and it
roars into the platfrom, demolishing pillars, crushing
people and eating the puppeteer in a matter of second.
Pandemonium ensues.
117
117 INT. GARBAGE TRUCK LAB - NIGHT
A warning light goes off on the Truck's GLOBAL POSITIONING
MAP: "MOSCOW"
But Johann and the other agents are too absorbed watching
the Leno show on the bank of monitors.
LENO
Ladies and gentlemen, yesterday we saw
some extraordinary things on TV. And
tonight you're in for more.
CUT TO:
118
118 TV SHOW
Jay Leno grins and pulls his microphone close.
LENO
Please extend a warm, warm welcome to
Hellboy, Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, and
Special Agent Tom Manning.
Uproarious applause as the BPRD team comes out and make
their way to the couch.
119
119 INT. BPRD CONFERENCE ROOM - SAME
Alone in the BPRD conference room, the Princess is watching
the show. The massive Yrdrig is curled up at her feet.
BELLBOY 2 80
LEND
Wow, So -
He's pointing at Manning.
LENO
.what planet are you from?
MANNING
Washington, D.C., Jay. It's hot and
inhospitable to human life.
LEND
Funny.
(to Liz)
Why are you just "Liz" and not Fire Girl?
LIZ
I was born in Milwaukee, so it was just
plain old Liz ever since first grade.
HELLBOY
Hey, we do call her Sparky now and then.
A chuckle from the crowd. Hellboy smiles in satisfaction.
LEND
(to Abe)
And you, Abe. Is it uncomfortable at
night with that toilet seat around your
neck?
The Princess smiles as the camera singles out Abe for a
closeup.
ABE
Actually, Mr. Leno, my lungs are more
like gills. I need to convert the air's
nitrogen into oxygen, otherwise I'd
suffocate in five minutes.
LEND
(NODDING)
Gotcha. We call that stand-up comedy.
120 INT. GARBAGE TRUCK LAB - SAME 120
Johann is groaning. This is turning unpleasant. Behind him,
the map's lights are lightning up non-stop.
HELLBOY 2 81
LENO (CONT'D)
So, Hellboy: what's your favorite food?
Devil's food cake? Do you have a last
name?
More laughter at HB. Liz mortified. She touches HB's hand to
restrain him. Cameras zoom in on this.
LENO
Whoa. What's that- Are you two an item?
HELLBOY
Uh... I-
LENO
(to Liz)
Care to comment on that? Sounds like
you're contemplating marriage!
LIZ
(after a big pause)
You know, Jay, we are- together. We are.
Rumble of consternation from the audience.
JOHANN
Uh oh. Manning, I think your polls just
tanked.
He turns to see the map- lit like a christmas tree.
JOHANN
Mein Gott-
121
121 TV SHOW
Leno smiles at the audience, which is buzzing.
LENO
Folks, this is modern America. A guy in
Rhode Island married his motorcycle!
What's a little inter-species romance in
this day and age?
LIZ:
Scattered BOOING from the back row. Jay turns back to
LENO
Okay, here's what we've really been
wondering: Is he just like every guy? In
every respect? I mean, he looks like a
guy...
(MORE)
HELLBOY 2 82
LENO(continued)
and if so, are you using any protection?
A layer of asbestos might be in order,
don't you think?
Liz tenses up in silence. Holds tight to HB's hand.
Hellboy is ready to explode.
LIZ
As a matter of fact, Jay-
Before she can finish, the production assistant runs out and
hands a NOTE to Leno, who scans it and grows serious:
LENO
We we're getting pre-empted, ladies and
gentlemen. Please, bare with us. We'll be
right back-
CAMERA PUSHES IN on one of the MONITORS:
122 EXT. TOKYO STREETS - NIGHT 122
News footage of the Ginza features YOKAI GHOSTS on a
rampage, destroying the stores and attacking salarymen.
ANNOUNCER 1
This is a news alert. Tokyo is under
assault - repeat - this city has been
attacked. Monstrous beings, defying
description, have waded into the Ginza-
The jumpy, handheld images are full of digital interference.
The spectral BEASTS drag down power lines and hurl cars.
ANNOUNCER I
- where police are helpless and hospitals
overwhelmed. One moment, please.
Moscow... come in, Moscow...
CUT TO:
123 EXT. MOSCOW STREETS - SAME 123
Red Square, Moscow now seen in similar, shaky video.
Hundreds of citizens are running from a towering, DRAGON.
ANNOUNCER 2
This is CNN in Moscow, where a Dragon has
laid claim to Red Square. Yes- a DRAGON.
HELLBOY 2 83
The DRAGON heads towards the TV REPORTER and screeching, it
raises its PAW.
ANNOUNCER 2
Oh, my God...
CAMERA goes down, then the picture winks out.
Black screen. The HISS of static...
PAN off the monitor to Jay Leno, who sits in stunned
silence, like everyone else. Finally, he looks over at
Hellboy.
LENO
Friends of yours?
HELLBOY
(GROWL)
No -!
LENO
Then, may I ask what you're doing here?
Shouldn't you be out protecting humanity
instead of hooking up with our women?
At last, Hellboy explodes. Bellowing, he rips up the desk
and throws it through the backdrop!
CUT TO:
124
124 TNT. BPRD - SAME
The Princess snaps off the TV, looking worried.
Alone with her thoughts, she examines the curved gold piece
hanging from a chain around her neck. She closes her eyes
and shudders - trouble is near.
The Yrdgrig wakes up and whimpers.
125
125 INT. BPRD CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Video cameras record the journey of the Princess as she
makes her way through the nearly-deserted corridors.
126 TNT. LIBRARY -- CONTINUOUS 126
A VIDEO surveillance camera in the BPRD library records the
Princess as she crosses to Abe's tank.
BELLBOY 2 84
She hides the gold segment within the pages of "Jane Eyre."
At that moment, the Yrdrig GROWLS -
PRINCESS
Shhh, it's all right -
BOOM-! A jolt shakes the room. A-moment later, a wall
collapses as warty, heavily muscled ARMS and FINGERS tear at
the masonry!
in seconds, a squad of TROLLS pulls itself into view! WINK
leers at the Princess. From her waistband, she produces a
long, thin DAGGER and wields it timidly.
Somewhere in the building, ALARMS start clanging.
The Yrdrig shakes himself into action and springs.
With a SNARL, it attaches its several jaws onto the nearest
trolls. As the fighting creatures crash into the spiral
staircase, the Princess hears a familiar voice:
PRINCE
Hold.
The Prince steps into the room, carrying a long spear.
The trolls are on top of the Yrdrig, ready to kill him.
PRINCE
Come-!
The trolls release the Yrdrig and bound over to the Prince.
The last troll, however, grabs the Yrdrig by the neck and
brutally twists -!
The animal's three mouths yelp and cough, fighting for air.
- the
It thrashes pathetically until, suddenly, it's over
beast is dead.
PRINCESS
No!
PRINCE
Where is your sense of shame? You mingle
with... the liars?
127 INT. BPRD GARAGE - SAME 127
ALARMS are ringing as the Hummers pull into the underground
parking garage. Manning and Hellboy jump out of their
vehicle and see -
HELLBOY 2 85
- a couple of dead AGENTS sprawled on the loading dock.
MANNING
What in God's name- ?
Hellboy, Abe, Liz and Johann race past him, disappearing
into the building. The alarm bells are deafening.
128 INT. BPRD CORRIDOR 128
Hellboy leads the way down the corridors, which are alive
with scrambling personnel. Several BPRD employees are lying
on the floor, wounded and confused.
129 INT. LOBBY 129
The top-level human agents are clustered in the lobby, their
guns drawn, all of them aiming at the Prince and his
drooling bodyguards. Standoff.
As Hellboy and the team arrive, Abe sees the Princess, her
arms tied. Her brother holds her by the hair.
ABE
Princess!
Without thinking, he darts forward. Instantly, one of the
trolls swipes at him, its claws just missing his chest-
HELLBOY
Abe! No, get back!!
Abe regains his balance and tries again, his eyes glued to
the desperate features of the beautiful young woman. Hellboy
manages to restrain him.
PRINCESS
Mr. Sapien, don't! He'll kill you!
PRINCE
I'll kill you all, if that's what you
want.
HELLBOY
No. Why don't you just start with me?
Hellboy strolls up to the Prince.
PRINCE
You challenge-me?
HELLBOY 2 86
HELLBOY
You bet your ass I do-
PRINCE
Your weapon of choice?
HELLBOY
(holds up his massive hand)
Five-fingered Mary.
In the background, Manning arrives, wide-eyed. Just in time
to see the Prince hand off his captive to one of the trolls.
He drops back, flips his spear to horizontal and waits for
Hellboy's attack.
130
130 FIGHT
Hellboy feints left, goes right and whips around, swinging
his tail at the Prince. The Prince leaps and jabs with the
spear, poking a hole in Hellboy's coat.
The surrounding crowd backs away as the combatants circle
each other. The Prince is nimble. The Prince is quick. He
thrusts the spear again and again, driving Hellboy into a
display case full of antique weapons.
The glass breaks and a number of swords and axes fall to the
floor.
JOHANN
(to Hellboy)
Arm yourself! Use the flail!.
HELLBOY
Not my style. Watch and learn, fish bowl.
He punches the Prince, hard. The blow knocks the Prince to
his knees; as he rises, Hellboy connects with a brutal
combination.
In the arms of the troll, the Princess' head rockets back
and forth, as if struck. A moan of pain escapes from her
lips.
ABE
(seeing this)
H.B., no! Stop - you mustn't harm him!
As the Prince totters, Hellboy turns to look at Abe,
momentarily distracted- Then-
HELLBOY 2 87
Hellboy grimaces and looks down: the Prince's SPEAR TIP is
half-buried in his chest...!
The Prince sneers and gives the spear a savage yank,
breaking off the blade! Hellboy's eyes roll upward; Liz
SCREAMS. She and Johann manage to catch Hellboy as he
collapses.
The Prince reclaims the Princess and turns to the humans.
His eyes seek out Abe, who has rushed to Hellboy's side.
PRINCE
(showing off the Princess)
If you want to see her again, you'll give
me what's rightfully mine. Many people
died for that crown. Bring it to me.
He and his trolls escape into the night.
CUT TO:
131 INT. MEDICAL BAY - LATER 131
Stretched out on an operating table, HB is barely conscious.
Abe, in surgical goggles, probes the wound.
In CLOSE-UP, Abe's webbed fingers lightly touch the glinting
metal that protrudes from Hellboy's sternum. The spear tip
responds, as if alive; it wriggles, producing a GROAN from
HB.
Liz is near panic.
LIZ
Abe, stop studying! Pull the friggin'
thing out, why don't you?
ABE
Liz, I'm sorry. It's a magical alloy.
Every time I touch it, it moves closer to
his heart.
(GESTURING)
Come here, I'll show you...
Liz backs away, shaking her head.
LIZ
No! I don't want to see it!
(to Johann)
We've got to do something!
HELLBOY 2 88
ABE
I cannot reverse the magic- we have to
look for the Prince or somebody that can
help Red.
LIZ
Go after that son-of-a-bitch and get him
to reverse the spell!!
JOHANN
He'll demand the gold piece-
LIZ
So? We find it! We give it to him-!!
Manning exchanges a worried look with a couple of his agents
in the b.g.
132 INT. PRINCESS' ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 132
Liz rummages in the Princess' quarters, throwing bedding
around, opening drawers.
133
133 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Liz bursts into the conference room and starts shoving books
and papers aside, hunting high and low.
134
134 INT. BPRD CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Johann walks into the control room. In every screen a crisis
situation is visible. JAGGED, BLURRY FOOTAGE shows a Yeti at
large in Nebraska and a Plesiosaurus at large in Scotland,
etc, etc-
AGENT AGATE
A lupgarou loose in Picadilly, a Winged
creature nesting in a skyscraper- We have
a situation in almost every point of the
map.
Johann looks back at a map with LED indicators signaling
each crisis in the globe. They keep turning on a dozen a
second.
JOHANN
The Rebellion's spreading too fast- The
only way to stop it is to stop the
Prince.
HELLBOY 2 89
135 INT. LIBRARY - NIGHT 135
Abe enters the dark, soaking library and surveys the ruins
of his tank.
He goes directly to one of the book stands, which lies in
pieces on the floor. He comes up with his copy of "Jane
Eyre."
He opens it to Chapter 23 and finds the gold piece.
LIZ
Any luck?
Liz has come in behind him. Abe quickly palms the precious
thing in his webbed hand.
ABE
No. Sorry.
LIZ
It doesn't matter.
ABE
No -?
LIZ
No. Forget the gold piece. Let's us just
find this royal asshole.
(FIERCE)
Fire and water, me and you, Abe. We'll
kick his ass.
Abe looks supremely troubled.
LIZ
Abe, let's do this for Red!
Abe nods, unable to find a good answer. He manages to tuck
the gold piece into his belt.
CUT TO:
136 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - LATER 136
Abe stands at a lectern. Behind him, a projected image of
the Princess' map from the troll market. His finger traces
the strange, elvish text.
HELLBOY 2 90
ABE
The map contained within the cylinder
seems useless-
(BEAT)
Now the case itself proves very useful-
He moistens the holding cylinder case on a rubber stamp mat
and imprints the surface pattern on the paper map. Glyphs
and coordinates become visible.
A silhouette of a twisted, gnarly tree is visible too.
ABE
Renvyle it is- Both the Princess and her
brother were born there. They hold it
sacred.
MANNING
Even if you're right, we sit tight and
locate the gold piece, make sure he never
ever gets his hands on it. If there's any
truth to this legend, the fate of the
world depends on it.
LIZ
What about Red?? Don't you care about
him???
A moment of silence. Nobody knows what to say. Finally:
JOHANN
Liz. That may be his destiny. Manning is
right: we can't take the chance.
Liz glares at him.
LIZ
I see. Red was right about you. Welcome
to the team, Johann. And goodbye.
She leaves the room.
CUT TO:
137 INT. HB'S ROOM - LATER 137
Hellboy leans weakly against the doorway to his room. His
cats purr all around him, oblivious to his pain. He sits by
the bed. Liz enters the room. He smiles weakly at her-
HELLBOY 2 91
HELLBOY
Don't worry, Sparky- It's all going to be
ALRIGHT-
Abe stands nearby, in silence. Liz looks at him, teary-eyed.
ABE
We'll make it alright. Screw Manning- You
are right, Liz- We should just do this
together: the three of us.
Liz smiles.
CUT TO:
138 INT. PLANE - NIGHT 138
The BPRD airplane sits quietly in its hangar. In the
passenger compartment, Hellboy climbs up. He looks up to see
Liz smiling down at him.
139 INT. COCKPIT - SAME 139
Abe's sitting in the pilot's seat, leafing through the
massive airplane manual.
ABE
Engine, starting- refer to NA-7488-BD...
Liz climbs in behind him.
LIZ
We stay here much longer, we're gonna get
caught...
ABE
Just a few more minutes. Here's an easy
way to remember that "port" means "left."
They each have four-
A NOISE from the door: it's Johann.
JOHANN
Good evening, friends.
LIZ
Don't try to stop us, Johann.
HELLBOY 2 92
JOHANN
On the contrary. I've been giving it some
thought, and we should be able to save
Hellboy. After all, the Prince lacks the
gold crown. Without it, his army poses no
threat. None at all.
Abe is very quiet.
ABE
(in despair)
Its useless- I- I- can't- I can't pilot
this thing...
Johann sits down in the co-pilot seat and melds with the
controls...
JOHANN
I'll give it a try-
Abe smiles at the sound of the engines starting up.
140
140 INT. BPRD CORRIDOR - SAME
Manning bangs on a vending machine in one of the BPRD
corridors. As a dribble of hot coffee splatters into his
cup, a couple of AGENTS run up.
AGENT
Sir - you'd better come, fast -
MANNING
Got it - ow!
He burns his fingers on the coffee as he hurries after the
agents.
141
141 INT. HANGAR - MOMENTS LATER
The BPRD airplane is ROARING, amid clouds of exhaust fumes.
The plane spins around and around in tight circles, its wing
tips knocking into ladders, lights and shelves.
A bunch of agents are cowering in the doorway as Manning
arrives.
MANNING
Not ALL of them, it's not possible!
AGENT
Isn't that Johann at the controls?
HELLBOY 2 93
Sure enough, they get a glimpse of the transparent head
through the cockpit window. Abe's there, too. He raises a
webbed hand to wave goodbye.
The plane taxis outside onto the runway...
142 EXT. RUNWAY - NIGHT 142
.and takes off, barely under control, just missing the New
Jersey treetops.
CUT TO:
143 UNDERGROUND 143
The Prince pulls the Princess through fractured, roaring
tunnels. Here and there, the walls are pierced, allowing
light and ocean waves to enter.
Rounding a few corners, the Prince stops near a wall
decorated with a large, elaborate FRESCO. It shows a
stylized family tree, hunting scenes and naive renderings of
trolls, faeries and ogres.
PRINCE
Maybe this will help you remember who we
are, who you are... What our destiny is-
The Prince pushes his sister through a low doorway, out onto
A-
144 LEDGE 144
-overlooking a vast cavern, big as a stadium, lit by a
thousand torches. The mechanical ARMY stands knee-deep in
heaving seawater and foam.
PRINCE
They - they - will be mine to command,
whether you like it or not. Only after
our victory will you appreciate my
sacrifice... and yours.
145 EXT. BPRD PLANE - DAY 145
The BPRD plane exits a bank of clouds and starts its descent
upon an Irish island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.
HELLBOY 2 94
Massive granite mountains encircle an impossibly green
valley.
146 TNT. BPRD PLANE COCKPIT - DAY 146
Early sunlight washes over Hellboy's body, who weakly groans
in Liz's arms.
HELLBOY
(to Liz)
Where are we, Liz..?
LIZ
Near the ocean, Red.We'regonna make you
well here.
147 EXT.OPEN FIELD,IRELAND - DAY 147
148 SIGN:REYNVILLE,IRELAND. 148
The back doors of the cargo plane opens and out come Abe and
JOHANN-
149 EXT. GREEN FIELD - DAY 149
Liz and Abe help Hellboy up to a gnarled TREE, twisted by
eons of wind.
Abe unfurls the map and points at a drawing of a similar,
weird tree.
ABE
This should be the portal. By all rights-
Johann reaches the tree and inspects it carefully.
JOHANN
Abe, bring the mapcase over here.
He's found a roundish SLOT in the tree, where the lowest
branch joins the trunk. Abe slips the map back into its
crystal cylinder and holds it alongside: it looks to be a
perfect fit.
LIZ
Yes! Try it, Abe-
HELLBOY 2 95
JOHANN
Before you do anything... remember what
we're in for. A world unlike anything
we've ever known. Dangerous, deceptive...
LIZ
You're wasting time!
Abe inserts and twists the cylinder.
The tree comes to life, hauling its roots out of the ground,
bending them into a swaying arch.
JOHANN
Dangerous, deceptive... and hard to
leave.
They walk under the tree roots, into...
150
150 FAIRY WORLD
A transformed landscape. A perpetual nightland- Still
overlooking the same ocean, but now throbbing with pale
colors and twisted, Rackahm-esque contours.
The men start down the hill, into a valley bordered by a
rugged coastline.
CUT TO:
151 EXT. INLET - DAY 151
The team reaches the stony shore of a mile-wide inlet. Abe
brings out the map.
ABE
(pointing to the opposite shore)
Renvyle is over there.
They glance up and down the beach, looking for a boat.
Hellboy blinks and sniffs the air.
A GOBLIN speaks up from an outcropping of rocks in the
shallows directly in front of them. By his side, sitting
atop of a tree: A SATYR and a CROW observe the group.
GOBLIN
I bid you welcome, strangers. Would you
be seeking safe passage to Renvyle?
BELLBOY 2 96
LIZ
Yes! Can you help us?
JOHANN
(QUIET)
Careful, Liz.
SATYR
I'm sure you can come to an
understanding!
The Goblin heaves on an oar and emerges from behind the
rocks. He's standing in the stern of a sturdy little
coracle. Its wooden hull is painted in Celtic patterns.
GOBLIN
Room enough for all of you!
(looks at Hellboy)
Even your weary friend.
JOHANN
What will it cost, boatman?
The Goblin smiles, displaying a disconcerting row of
triangular teeth.
GOBLIN
Ah, next to nothing! Make me an offer.
Abe, Johann and Liz confer among themselves:
LIZ
How much?
CROW
He won't want money.
JOHANN
(to the goblin)
I have a... belt!
OF
Johann removes his equipment belt, dangling it in front
the creature's bat-like face.
GOBLIN
I have no use for such a thing.
Liz shows him her binoculars.
LIZ
Here... is a wonderful set of eyes, magic
eyes that will bring the world-
HELLBOY 2 97
GOBLIN
I already have binoculars! No, I see
something special.
He points toward Hellboy's chest.
SATYR
Under his bandage - !
Quick as a squirrel, the creature hops to Hellboy's side and
brings out a KNIFE! SWISH! In one sweep of the blade, he
reveals HB's terrible wound, and the speartip protruding
from it.
GOBLIN
That!
(points at the steel)
That - in exchange for your crossing!
LIZ
Don't you touch it - !
She rushes to Hellboy's side, pushing the Goblin back, ready
for a fight. The Goblin shrugs.
GOBLIN
Is it so precious to you? Let me pull it
out.
ABE
You mustn't. One touch can kill him.
The Goblin's eyes grow wide with understanding.
GOBLIN
Ah. I see. We must go to the Angel of
DEATH-
CROW
He'll know what to do.
152 EXT. INLET - DAY 152
The tiny boat is a dot on the golden waves of the inlet as
the Goblin rows them to the opposite shore and docks near a
cove.
The Goblin leads the way as Liz, Abe and Johann arrive and
help Hellboy up.
HELLBOY 2 98
Strange BIRDS hang upside down form the Cave's roof. A
MASSIVE CHIMNEY has been carved out of the cave's rock at
the other end. A Black, ancient figure is hunched there,
warming its skeletal hands by the fire.
A raspy voice utters something in an ancient language. The
Goblin replies, gesturing at Hellboy, who collapses on the
floor.
In a deep coma, Hellboy lies on the floor, near the
crackling fireplace. The ANGEL OF DEATH extends its FOUR
BLACK WINGS and a thin, jagged smile appears in its pale,
eyeless face.
ANGEL OF DEATH
So. This one... The boy- I remember him
well! Anung-un-Rama!
LIZ
Oh, my God. She knows - ?!
ANGEL OF DEATH
I helped bring him into this world - in
my fashion.
It pulls a set of a glowing, red-hot TONGS out of the fire.
It studies the speartip, which has buried itself deep in
Hellboy's flesh.
ANGEL OF DEATH (CONT'D)
I warn you: it is his destiny to rule
over the destruction of the Earth. Not
now, not tomorrow - but some day. You are
sure you want him to live?
LIZ
Yes, I say yes-!
Abe and Johann exchange a silent, worried look.
ANGEL OF DEATH
Very well, then- but let it be said: The
day will come when you will pay the price
fire girl: This will bring you and the
world much sorrow.
LIZ
And I'll deal with it when that time
comes. Now save him.
The creature cackles and then grips the spear tip with the
tongs. A cry of pain from Hellboy as it withdraws the bloody
point from his chest.
HELLBOY 2 99
The ANGEL OF DEATH holds up the speartip and looks at it
with distaste.
ANGEL OF DEATH
Harmless now.
(looking at Hellboy)
See - ?
Hellboy's eyes flutter open.
ANGEL OF DEATH
(to Hellboy)
Sleep now, child. Your strength, it will
return.
A guttural HISS from the corner: the Goblin is jumping up
and down, pointing at the speartip.
JOHANN
Our ferry captain - he wants his
payment...
ANGEL OF DEATH
Ach, outside with you!
She tosses the speartip to the creature, who scoops it up
and bounds out the door.
instantly, the goblins and birds leap down and crowd around
him, chattering in excitement over the latest prize.
She gazes down at Hellboy, whose yellow eyes are fixed on
her. He smiles wanly.
CUT TO:
153 EXT.. HILLTOP - DAY 153
Alone on a hilltop, Abe surveys the coastline. Through the
binoculars, he discerns a SECOND CAVE half-hidden behind
wild, breaking waves.
Glancing back at ANGEL OF DEATH's cave, Johann strikes off
on his own, headed for the cave.
154 EXT. HUT - DAY 154
Outside ANGEL OF DEATH's hut, a bandaged HB is sitting up,
blinking in the sunlight. He sips some tea and gazes at Liz,
who is happy now.
HELLBOY 2 100
LIZ
I almost lost you-
Hellboy smiles and grabs her hand-
HELLBOY
I thought you were mad at me.
LIZ
Well, no one can stay mad forever.
HELLBOY
I'm sorry for all the attention, I
thought it would be good for us.
LIZ
We're never going to make them all happy,
Red. What we have is ours and no one
ELSE'S-
BELLBOY
I can turn my back on the world. I don't
care anymore I don't- as long as you stay
with me- as long as you think I'm still a
good man.
(BEAT )
Am I a good man, Liz?? Am I??
LIZ
Yes you are. You are the best man I've
ever met.
HELLBOY
You still seem sad. Is there anything you
want to tell me-??
LIZ
Yes, there is-
HELLBOY
Say it now, then. Whatever it is, I'm
ready.
(SIGHS)
Is it about Johann-
LIZ
No- no- what are you talking about??
Before she can go on, Johann appears. He carries a poultice
and fresh rags.
BELLBOY 2 101
JOHANN
Abe and I have found the entrance to the
Golden Army's resting place- Liz come
with us-
(looks at Hellboy)
You should stay behind and get some rest-
HELLBOY
And call you in the morning, right?? Like
Hell I will. I'm keeping an eye on you,
GLASSHOLE-
CUT TO:
155
155 EXT. HILLS - DAY
Johann, Liz and Hellboy follow a rugged trail along a bluff
high over the sea. Johann refers to the map, then points to
the cave opening a half-mile ahead. Abe is standing there,
WAVING-
JOHANN
There.
Abe points at the violent sea below-
ABE
The only way in- I'm afraid we'll have to
jump in-
(looks at Hellboy)
Can you make it-?
Hellboy nods.
BELLBOY
Strange. If this is the entrance-
ABE
I know- Why isn't there more security??
With a ROAR, WINK!!!!! - jumps out and throws a CHAIN around
Bellboy's neck!
The chain is connected to his IRON MACE which now dangles
around Hellboy's neck.
The two creatures battle each other fiercely. WINK's MACE
destroys a nearby tree, like a wrecking ball and it connects
twice with Hellboy's head.
But Red gets the upper hand quickly, snapping the chain in
two and twirling the mace like a boleador.
HELLBOY 2 102
He hits Wink again and again-
HELLBOY
See?? It hurts!!! It hurts!!!
Hellboy grips the chain, pulls the creature close, then,
like a weightlifter, raises him high overhead. With a mighty
GRUNT, Hellboy tosses him overboard. WINK hits the jagged
rocks once- twice- thrice-
HELLBOY
Ouch- ouch- ouch-
(looking around)
We better go swimming before any more
ugly fellas show up-
He stares down into the swirling waters and discreetly takes
his hand to his bandaged side: He's bleeding. The wound has
re-opened.
ABE
Red, are you-?
HELLBOY
Don't say a word, Blue- Let's move on-
156
156 UNDERWATER
Johann plunges in from above, his body quickly tumbled by
the rough seas. A moment later, Liz and Hellboy are in the
water, too.
Johann swims down, leading them into the darkness of the
cave entrance.
157 INT. CAVE ENTRANCE - SAME 157
As they bob up for air, they find there's only a few inches
of breathing room between the sea and the rocky ceiling. Liz
starts coughing.
JOHANN
Hang on, people. I'll be right back.
158
158 UNDERWATER
Johann dives down to find a rusting, iron LOCK six feet
under the surface. He tries to turn the control wheel, but
can't make it budge.
BELLBOY 2 103
Seconds later, Hellboy is at his side, gripping the wheel in
his huge hands. Using all his strength, Hellboy finally
manages to turn it.
His bandage, however, floats free... and his wound opens up,
emitting a plume of blood.
Lungs bursting, he shoots to the surface. Johann stays
behind and swings open the lock, revealing...
159 A STAIRWELL 159
.carved from the living rock, leading upward into the
depths of the cliff.
CUT TO:
160 STAIRS - LATER 160
The trio cautiously climbs the stairs, finding their way
with light sticks. Hellboy stops to lean against the wall.
He dabs at his chest with a rag.
LIZ
(to Johann)
Hold up. We need to rest.
HELLBOY
Says who? I'm fine, I tell ya.
He lurches forward, pushing past the others, fighting off
his pain.
LIZ
(to Johann)
This was a mistake. He's -
JOHANN
Mein Gott--
The stairs lead to-
161 INT. CAVERN 161
-a vast underground arena where a thousand torches are
flickering.
CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal rank upon rank of GOLDEN
SOLDIERS. Immobile. Silent. Waiting.
HELLBOY 2 104
162 AMONG THE SOLDIERS 162
Hellboy leads the way down a row of gleaming statues,
pausing to gaze up at the blank face of one of the
infantrymen.
HELLBOY
Hey, amigo. You got some gum?
Two rows away, Johann examines the lethal weaponry that
terminates the arms of each soldier.
JOHANN
Most ingenious. A versatile, highly
mobile killing machine.
LIZ
Make that machines, Johann. I see more
than one.
Hellboy taps on a soldier's mechanical chest, which booms
faintly, sending ECHOES up into the dark cavern.
HELLBOY
Wow. You hear that? Listen -
He thumps it, harder. The mechanical thing rocks
backwards...
HELLBOY
Uh oh.
CRASH!!! The thing falls onto the soldier behind it! Then,
-
the ear-shattering noise of a hundred car wrecks builds as
- a toppling LINE OF SOLDIERS races away like falling
dominoes!!
HELLBOY
Whoops.
The sound dwindles, then builds again as ANOTHER LINE of
falling soldiers bears down on them!!
Liz screams and Hellboy pulls her aside. The soldiers crash
past them until -
- the din suddenly stops. The PRINCE stands revealed at the
head of the column.
HELLBOY 2 105
PRINCE
As a boy, they say I enjoyed toy
soldiers. So do you, I see.
He strolls past the mechanical figures, pausing to kick
aside some of the weapons.
PRINCE
(to Hellboy)
You're bleeding. Most unfortunate.
Hellboy wipes at his oozing chest wound.
HELLBOY
Yeah. Now it's your turn.
PRINCE
Do you envy these contraptions? They
never bleed. They feel nothing. Not even
the zest of combat.
The Prince circles them, keeping an eye on Johann.
PRINCE
These fighting men are the very model of
patience... merely awaiting word from
their lawful commander.
AS
From his tunic, he brings forth two of the gold segments.
he fits them together...
PRINCE
You have the remaining piece, I presume.
JOHANN
We do not -
PRINCE
(SURPRISED)
Then you are most foolish.
He gestures to some troll GUARDS near a tunnel entrance.
They lead the Princess out in chains.
PRINCE (CONT'D)
You came here expecting what? Mercy?
JOHANN
The death you would unleash will never
happen! What you need is far from here
and will stay out of your reach forever.
HELLBOY 2 106
A VOICE reaches their ears from the tunnel entrance behind
them.
ABE
Stop - I have it.
Abe, dripping wet, stands there, the last gold segment in
the palm of his hand.
ABE
(APPROACHING)
Here... For her... Take it...
JOHANN
Oh, my God. What has he done?
Keeping his eyes on the Princess, Abe gives the gold piece
to the Prince.
Hellboy steps forward, feeling dizzy and betrayed.
HELLBOY
Abe -
ABE
(to Hellboy)
You cannot fight him- not without hurting
her...
(BEAT )
What would you do if it was Liz??
CLICK! The Prince fits the gold parts together and places
the resulting crown on his head!
PRINCE
I am Prince Nuada and I command my army
to life once more. Does anyone dispute my
right?
With the deep sound of gears, ratchets and springs, the army
comes to life. Up comes the lances and shields.
PRINCE (CONT'D)
(points at the team)
Kill them.
Abe is now aghast, seeing the Prince drag his sister back.
ABE
(to the Prince)
That was your price!! A ransom, you said -
paid in good faith!!
(MORE)
HELLBOY 2 107
ABE(continued)
(to Hellboy)
Why, he lied to us!
HELLBOY
Abe old buddy. If we survive this, we
need to talk.
The Army swings into action, marching toward them. The four
friends retreat, soon pressed against one of the walls.
ABE
He - he's a cad! Can you imagine, a
highborn heir to the throne, last in a
noble line of-
BELLBOY
Not now, Abe, okay?
The first phalanx of golden soldiers is upon them, their
terrifying weapons slashing in unison. Hellboy brings out
his huge gun and starts firing as Johann grabs a torch and
swings it like a club.
A couple of the mechanical soldiers go down, only to pop
back onto their feet, new weapons blossoming on their arms.
LIZ
Let me -
Liz summons up a white-hot burst of electrical fire in each
hand. With a yell, she unleashes a searing EXPLOSION at the
oncoming fighters.
The shock wave rolls through the enemy ranks, flattening
scores of soldiers. For a moment, the BPRD team regains
hope... but the endless lines of mechanicals keep coming,
marching on and over their scorched comrades.
Hellboy holsters the Samaritan and rushes forward, giving it
his best. His wound is running with fresh blood.
He punches a soldier, whose mace pounds repeatedly against
his ravaged chest; as blood spatters his face, Hellboy
groans and keeps fighting, to absolutely no effect.
At length, the mechanical arms throw Hellboy against the
wall, where he collapses, unable to carry on.
JOHANN
Invincibility!? So - the only one thing
may stop them -
Johann unzips his suit; with a HISSS, his ectoplasmic self
flows out, into the body of the nearest mechanical soldier!
HELLBOY 2 108
Instantly, the thing whirls on its companions and starts
chopping! Bits and pieces of gold machinery fly about as
Johann rips into the enemy!!
But again, fresh metal soldiers fill in for the fallen. As
the BPRD team watches in dismay, Johann's mechanical shell
is surrounded by the other SOLDIERS, who methodically
dismember it like marauding insects!
As the parts drop to the floor, twitching and useless,
Johann slithers out and re-inhabits his suit.
JOHANN
Ach. They are too many. Anyone have
another idea?
Hellboy grabs the nearest sword and hauls himself to his
feet.
HELLBOY
(a bellow)
Prince Nuada: I challenge your right to
command this army!
With a soft BOOM, the clockwork troops come to a halt! All
the mechanical heads turn toward the Prince, who stands on a
ledge with his sister.
ABE
(follows HB)
No= please- no-
Hellboy moves away from him.
HELLBOY
A challenge must be answered! Raise your
sword!
PRINCE
A challenge from you? A nobody?? You are
no one.
PRINCESS
No!! He is Anung-un-Rma- son of the
Fallen one- He has the right!
Her eyes lock with Abe's: there's no other way.
The Prince sees Hellboy coming and with a bitter smile picks
up his sword.
HELLBOY 2 10 9
PRINCE
Very well.
(to the BPRD team)
May his fate show you the cost of pride
and blindness.
As the hall rings with their first blows of their swords-
JOHANN
Hellboy's too weak-
Summoning up his last ounce of strength, Hellboy manages to
drive the Prince back into the center of the arena, where
they fight under the inscrutable gaze of the golden army.
Every time Hellboy gets a clean shot at the Prince, Abe
looks at him, pleading, and HB has no choice but to keep
parrying off his enemy.
Hellboy's sword grows heavy in his hands; he stares at it in
dismay as it trembles. His muscles can no longer respond.
The Prince is ready to kill him.
LIZ
(witness to a nightmare)
No!! NO! !
A sudden movement at the ledge, where the Princess steps
forward and...
Using her concealed DAGGER, she STABS HERSELF in the right
arm!! In silent slow motion, she drops the dagger.
Instantly, the Prince drops his arm... his hands come away
red with blood. He looks over at his sister.
They share a hard look of mutual understanding. Love and
hatred.
Hellboy raises, through supreme effort, bleeding. He quickly
raises his sword. The fight resumes, but this time, HB has
the advantage.
He fights bravely and after parrying fiercely with the
Prince, he disarms him and points his sword at his chest.
HELLBOY
I- have- won-
PRINCE
No. You have not-
HELLBOY 2 110
He impales himself on HELLBOY's sword. The blade goes
through his abdomen and protrudes on the other side. Hellboy
pulls it out, but it's too late. Both the Prince and the
Princess collapse to the ground, mortally wounded.
ABE
(GASPS)
NO-
Abe hurries to the Princess. Takes her into his arms,
blinking in despair.
The pale young creature is now a ghostly white. She lifts
her eyes to Abe's, caressing his thin, scaly face.
PRINCESS
We'll find each other again, somewhere.
And she dies in his arms.
In the center of the arena:
PRINCE
(to Hellboy)
You... think you're any different from
me? The humans - they will tire of you.
They will disappoint you. And in the end,
they will betray you. You... are living a
lie. Your time will come again. May you
make a better choice.
Then, he, too, is dead. Both him and his sister turn to
fine, pale dust. And the wind carries away the ashes from
Abe's hands...
Shaken, Hellboy lifts the crown from the Prince's head.
Looks at it carefully, as if considering the possibilities.
Suddenly, he rips it into pieces. As he crushes the first
segement...
. an entire division of the golden army collapses into a
heap of scrap metal!
Hellboy does the same with a second section of the crown and
another massive division of the army tumbles into junk!
HB is about the tear up the last segment of the crown, when
it explodes in his hands!
WHUMP! The last of the army disintegrates.
Hellboy confronts the Prince's frightened troll guards:
HELLBOY 2 111
HELLBOY
(to the trolls)
You - and your kind! Leave here. And stay
in the shadows - where you belong.
As the ogres slink back into the tunnels, Liz looks at
Hellboy. He seems angry, stung by the Prince's last words.
DISSOLVE:
163
163 EXT. HILLS - DAY
The BPRD team crosses waterfalls and stone bridges, through
the magical hills.
Liz walks at Hellboy's side, but he avoids her glance.
164
164 EXT. TREE -- DAY
They reach the strange, twisted tree. Johann takes the map
cylinder and fits it into the slot.
JOHANN
Any last minute requests?
ABE
(very quiet)
Do it, please. I - I'm ready for the real
world now.
Johann turns the cylinder. The tree roots form their arch...
and the BPRD team walks through.
165
165 EXT. RENVYLE - DAY
On the other side of the tree: Manning and a bunch of agents
have set up spotter scopes and are gazing out over the
countryside, looking for them.
Suddenly, the team appears, literally from out of nowhere.
MANNING
(STARTLED)
Whoa! Where'd you come from? We were just-
BELLBOY
I know, here to help. Well, I appreciate
that Manning.
HELLBOY 2 112
Abe steps past Hellboy and removes his gunbelt and equipment
pack.
ABE
Yes, Mr. Manning. I want to thank you,
too. For all you've done for us over the
years.
He gives his stuff to the astonished agent.
MANNING
What? What, exactly is this?
ABE
(walking away)
I quit.
Hellboy glances at Abe, then hauls out the Samaritan and
shrugs off his pack, too.
MANNING
Come on. You're resigning?
HELLBOY
Looks that way, doesn't it?
Hellboy starts to leave, but spins around and takes his gun
back.
HELLBOY (CONT'D)
I think I'll keep this.
He finally meets Liz's gaze. She crosses to him and takes
him by the arm. She walks off with Hellboy and Abe, clinging
tightly to the big, red daemon.
MANNING
Liz -- not you, too!?
(to Johann)
They can't do this. Stop them, Johann-
JOHANN
Manning, you're an asshole.
166 EXT. COASTLINE - DAY 166
Miles down the road, Abe stands on a promontory, staring off
at the ocean, which blazes with golden reflections.
Liz and HB sit next to each other on some mossy rocks.
Overhead: blue sky, puffy white clouds.
BELLBOY 2 113
LIZ
What you said before - about us living
ANYWHERE-
HELLBOY
I mean it! `Course, I'm thinking USA...
but, hey - you decide.
LIZ
(breathing deep)
Let's find a place in the country. Clean
air - green hills - fresh milk from the
farm.
HELLBOY
Milk? Yech.
LIZ
A yard... With lots of room to grow in.
HELLBOY
(he looks blank)
Grow? who gonna grow- ?
LIZ
Our baby, that's who!
HELLBOY
Our b-?
On Hellboy's immense grin: FREEZE FRAME. Roll CREDITS.
At the end of the credits-
POST CREDIT SEQUENCE
167 EXT. ANTARTICA - DAY
5 ZINCO ENTERPRISES helicopters land on the hard, icy
surface of Amundsen's glacier. A row of GUARDS in black
garb flank each helicopter.
Out of one of them exits RODERICK ZINCO, billionare, madman.
He carries a mechanized container, a little larger than a
hat box. CAMERA follows as he enters through a crevace and..
168 INT. NAZI LAB, ANTARTICA - DAY
Light shines through the ice walls and into rows and rows of
machinery. |
HIGHLANDER
by
Gregory Widen
1 EXT. STREET - NIGHT 1
Garish purple light spills out of side-street porno houses,
illuminating a silhouette, and little else, of a MAN leaning
against an alley wall.
He is waiting.
Another silhouetted FIGURE appears and approaches the first.
They size each other up as best they can.
FIRST MAN
MacLeod.
The second nods.
The first without hesitation raises a sword, the intended
thrust interrupted by his own death as the second with a flash
of metal severs the agressor's head.
2 INT. HUTCH - MORNING 2
A 15th century Scottish home.
A haggard WOMAN, her small CHILD clinging to a tattered apron,
stands hunched over a glowing hearth. Her veined hands drag
a wooden spoon around and around through a soot-covered pot
of grey soup.
From an adjoining room CONOR MACLEOD, a young man dressed up
in his best traditional Celtic tartan, enters.
MOTHER
My, but are you the
picture.
CONOR
(surveying himself)
It's a bit tight.
His FATHER enters with a pail of milk.
FATHER
Ah, Conor, how you look
a man.
MOTHER
Have you time for some-
thing to eat?
CONOR
No, Mother. They'll be
here shortly.
Conor's father looks him over with pride.
FATHER
Your grandfather wore
that in his service to
the King, and I to fight
for the Duke.
MOTHER
Must he go?
FATHER
Aye. It is his duty. All
of ours.
MOTHER
But Ian, he's still but a boy.
FATHER
He's a MacLeod.
CONOR
I'll be fine Mother.
3 EXT. HUTCH - MORNING 3
Several HORSEMEN gallop up through the early morning fog to
the cottage door.
Conor's father steps out to meet them.
4 EXT. HILLTOP - MORNING 4
A massive KNIGHT sits astride his horse, moorish dew cling-
ing to his helmet and breastplate. A CLANSMAN hikes up the
heather-carpeted slope to him.
CLANSMAN
They march.
KNIGHT
Is the boy among them?
CLANSMAN
Aye.
5 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT 5
The second kneels to examine the headless body of the first.
With a CLACK a window, high on the alley wall, closes.
6 EXT. HIGHLAND PLAIN - MORNING 6
The DUKE is leading a brigade of CLANSMEN out onto the plain.
Mounted VASSALS ride back and forth inspecting the line. The
low fog makes it impossible to see beyond a few yards. There
is an erie, smothering silence.
VASSAL #1
Is a bad day for this.
VASSAL #2
The Duke has been compro-
mised. He will have his due.
VASSAL #1
By day's end he will have
our heads.
VASSAL #2
We ride against the Suther-
lands. That is all that
matters.
VASSAL #1
This makes no sense to me.
CONOR
And a friend are marching through the moist heather.
FRIEND
The fog is bad. We cannot
even see the sides of our
own ranks.
Conor's nervousness is showing.
FRIEND
Is this your first?
CONOR
Aye.
SHOUTING is heard on the plain.
FRIEND
It's begun.
7 EXT. HILLTOP - MORNING 7
The Knight, above the fog, hears the battle commence below.
He spurs his horse and starts down into the mist.
8 EXT. PLAIN - MORNING 8
The two opposing clans are now one confused mass of tartan
and clashing swords. The air is charged with SHOUTS of ex-
citement, agony, and the SHRILL of bag pipes.
The fog has made each man's battle his own, each isolated with
his opponent.
THE KNIGHT
Rides calmly through the fracas. He strikes and kills those
that assault him, but appears disinterested in battle.
He is looking.
CONOR
Is standing above the twitching body of his friend.
Alone and confused, Conor has become seperated from the clan.
He stumbles through the fog, seeking help.
Suddenly he is alone with the Knight.
The face of iron locks its gaze onto the boy. His fear turned
to panic, Conor turns and flees.
The Knight, his resolve steeled in a raised sword, kicks his
horse into persuit.
Conor is easily overtaken and on his first pass the Knight
brings his blade down hard into Conor's shoulder, slicing
open most of the boy's back and knocking him face-first into
the heather.
As Conor watches his own blood spew forth, he rolls over in
time to see the Knight dismount and start for him.
THE KNIGHT
Leans down next to Conor, his metal face nearly against the
boy's. His voice slithers out of the iron in almost a whisper.
KNIGHT
There can be but one.
A CLANSMAN
Charges out of the fog and attacks the Knight, who cuts him
nearly in half. ANOTHER wanders in and meets the same fate.
The battle is shifting to where they are.
Not finished yet with Conor, the Knight is finding himself
forced into retreat from an ever increasing number of assail-
ants.
A VASSAL
Sees his men being hacked apart trying to stop the now-mounted
Knight.
VASSAL #1
Leave him!
The clansmen obey.
With the slap of an armored gauntlet against his steed, the
Knight disappears into the fog.
The Vassal surveys the carnage before him. His eyes fall a
moment on the moaning, gurgling Conor.
The Vassal turns and leaves the boy for dead.
9 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT 9
A patrol car pauses at the mouth of the alley.
The figure considers his situation, then quickly shoves his
sword into a near-by drain. He straightens up and waits.
AN OFFICER
Steps out of his unit and cautiously walks forward. His PARTNER
switches on the patrol car's side lamps, bathing the alley
in a harsh glare.
MAN IN ALLEY
For the first time we can see his face. RICHARD TAUPIN, clad
in a well-cut business suit, looks exactly like Conor.
The police officer, upon seeing the body, grabs instinctively
for his pistol. He yells to his partner now coming into the
alley.
OFFICER #1
Kevin! Get is a backup.
TAUPIN
I was merely walking by
when-
OFFICER #1
Don't move.
The officer has his pistol out and leveled.
His partner runs up, shotgun in hand.
OFFICER #2
They're on their way.
His voice cuts short as the blood flows against his shoe.
OFFICER #2
Christ.
10 INT. HUTCH - NIGHT 10
Conor lies moaning on a cot. Makeshift bandages wrap his
body, stained and pasted by thick, dried blood.
The family surrounds their dying son.
A PRIEST is delivering the last rites.
PRIEST
...Libera Domine Animan
servi tui sicut libertasi
David de manu regis Saul...
His sobbing mother holds a compress to Conor's forehead.
PRIEST
...In mamus tuas domine
commendo spiritum meum...
11 EXT. HUTCH - NIGHT 11
A Vassal rides up to the hutch, dismounts, and approaches a
CLANSMAN standing in the open doorway.
VASSAL #1
Has the boy died?
CLANSMAN
He is having the last rites
now. It should be over by
morning.
VASSAL #1
Never seen anybody cut as
bad live so long. He should
have died on the field.
CLANSMAN
Tonight or tomorrow, it's
all the same.
The Vassal peers inside at the priest administering the
sacraments.
PRIEST
...Auditorium nostrum in
nomine domini...
VASSAL #1
This has been a dark day.
PRIEST
...Requiescant in pace...
12 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT 12
There is a bustle of activity. Setting up barricades, uni-
formed OFFICERS are trying to keep NEW CREWS and curious
ONLOOKERS at a distance.
DETECTIVE LT. MORAN
Lean, fortyish, and comfortable with the gore in front of him,
is inspecting the corpse with a MEDICAL EXAMINER.
EXAMINER
(studying body)
Real clean. No sawing
action at all. Whatever
it was did it in one
swipe.
(looks up at Moran)
Like the other one.
Moran gestures to a sword, wrapped in plastic, lying nearby.
MORAN
What about that?
EXAMINER
Hasn't any blood on it.
MORAN
(looking around)
About the only thing
that doesn't.
EXAMINER
I'll give it a closer
look when I get back.
BRENNA CARTWRIGHT
Pretty but not beautiful, thirtyish, she exudes a sort of
insolent intelligence.
An OFFICER sees her duck under a police barricade.
OFFICER #3
Come on Brenna, you know
better than that.
BRENNA
I'm invited.
She walks to where the medical examiner is organizing his
equipment.
BRENNA
(greeting)
Mr. Levine...
The examiner turns and smiles.
EXAMINER
Hope this isn't past your
bedtime.
Brenna looks to the now-sheeted corpse, blood flowing from
where the head should be.
BRENNA
Doesn't have a head,
does he?
EXAMINER
This one came unassembled.
Lt. Moran is standing near.
MORAN
(no warmth)
Just show her what she came
for, Tom.
EXAMINER
(stands, taps Brenna's arm)
Come on, this is more
your line of work.
Brenna and the examiner walk the few yards from the corpse
to the sword.
EXAMINER
How's your uncle? I hardly
ever see him anymore.
BRENNA
Fine.
The examiner stops and gestures to the weapon clothed in
forensic plastic.
EXAMINER
There you go.
Brenna's expression changes to interest as she kneels down
beside it.
EXAMINER
Didn't look like it came from
"Toys-Are-Us", that's why I
called you.
BRENNA
(looks up in Moran's direction)
Didn't think it was my
buddy over there.
EXAMINER
Figured you knew more about
swords than I did.
BRENNA
Claymore.
EXAMINER
Huh?
BRENNA
Scottish claymore. Take
a French epee, add twenty
pounds of ballast so it
means business, and you've
got a claymore.
EXAMINER
You're the expert.
BRENNA
(runs hand along hilt, slightly
confused)
It's in good condition.
RICHARD TAUPIN
Is being put in the rear of a patrol car. Brenna studies his
face in the half-gloom. There's something different about him.
A steadiness.
13 INT. POLICE INTERROGATION ROOM 13
Richard Taupin is seated at a graffitti scrawled table in a
room otherwise bare of furnishings. He seems unphased by his
surroundings.
The door opens and Moran enters with bag and notebook. He
picks up Taupin's wallet on the table top and checks the
driver's license.
MORAN
This your present address?
TAUPIN
Yes.
MORAN
Mr.-
(looks at license)
Taupin, what were you
doing in that alley?
TAUPIN
I was walking by when I
heard a shout. Your men
came right after.
MORAN
Did you know the victim?
TAUPIN
No.
MORAN
His name was Iman Fasil
if that jogs your memory.
TAUPIN
It doesn't.
MORAN
He was carrying a Syrian
passport and had been in
the country less than a week.
Taupin's face is stoic and controlled.
MORAN
Two days ago a Bulgarian
national was murdered the
same way. He'd also been
in the country less than a
week.
(beat)
What is your citizenship?
TAUPIN
American.
Moran paces to a corner of the room.
MORAN
Do you make a habit of
hanging out in that neigh-
borhood at night?
TAUPIN
What are you getting at?
MORAN
Let's just say that in my
years with this department
I've seen more than one well
dressed business man look for
a hand job on 14th Street.
Moran places both hands on the table and leans across it.
MORAN
What were _you_ looking for?
TAUPIN
That's none of your business.
MORAN
You're wrong.
Moran reaches into a bag on the table and removes a large
broad sword; old, but in mint condition.
MORAN
Do you know what this is?
TAUPIN
I presume it's a sword.
MORAN
A claymore to be exact. You
wouldn't know anything about
it would you?
TAUPIN
Your murder weapon?
MORAN
It was covered with Mr.
Fasil's fingerprints, but
none of his blood.
TAUPIN
A mystery.
MORAN
For the moment.
Moran turns the sword over in his hand then sets it down.
He rises and opens the door.
MORAN
All right Mr. Taupin, we'll be in
touch.
Taupin passes through the doorway without comment.
14 EXT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT 14
Taupin out into the crisp night air. His eyes search out the
darkness.
DISSOLVE TO:
15 EXT. CONOR'S FAMILY HUTCH - DAY 15
A medieval sun beats down on an OLD TRAVELER making his way up
the MacLeod home. Conor's mother, scrubbing clothes in a
bucket, smiles in recognition.
MOTHER
Ah Steven, it is good to see you.
TRAVELLER
I only just heard of Conor. I came
up from Catroch as soon as I could.
MOTHER
You're a kind man to be sure.
TRAVELLER
I thought it only proper to pay
me last respects to the family.
MOTHER
Steven, Conor didn't die.
TRAVELLER
But I had heard his wounds were
mortal.
MOTHER
They were Steven, they were. It's
been a miracle it has. He lasted
right through and healed. No one
in the village has ever seen anything
like it. Ever.
16 EXT. MEADOW - DAY 16
Perched on a heather-carpeted rise above the village a young
woman, MARA, sits contemplating the intricaces of a daffodil.
Balancing on a shepard's staff, Conor limps over and puts
his lips to her ear.
CONOR
You're pretty today.
Mara is silent. Distant.
CONOR
I'm your future husband, remember?
MARA
I have no future husband.
CONOR
I don't understand. Not a week
ago your father gave us his blessing.
This is difficult for her. Tears well in her eyes.
MARA
My future husband died in battle
against the Sutherlands.
CONOR
What are you saying? I'm standing
here as real as you.
MARA
You cannot be real, Conor. You had
the last rites. No man has been cut
half as bad and lived.
CONOR
But I did live.
MARA
Live? In less than a week you're
prancing about the country like a
squirrel.
CONOR
So why the crazy talk? It's a
miracle it is. Saint Andrew has
smiled on me. On us.
MARA
Some think not.
CONOR
Who?
MARA
There's rumor in the village.
Some call it magic.
CONOR
That's mad. Surely you don't
take their word?
MARA
I don't know, Conor. It's not
natural. Maybe something has
touched you.
CONOR
You're sounding like that mad
woman, Widow Baggins.
MARA
Me father has taken back my
hand.
He puts a hand to her cheek.
CONOR
Ah, Lassie...
She steps back.
MARA
Please not be touching me, Conor.
CONOR
I'll not take that kind of talk
from you. From those others
below, maybe. But not from you.
MARA
Leave me alone, Conor. Please.
CONOR
You're not talking sense, Mara!
Anger tumbles into exasperation.
CONOR
I'm sorry.
He steps for her. She moves away. Conor's face hardens with
resentment.
CONOR
If you send me away now, Mara,
I'll not come looking for you.
MARA
(crying)
Do what you must.
Resigned, Conor turns and limps away.
DISSOLVE TO:
17 INT. ANTIQUE SHOP - DAY 17
Classy antiques. Unusual. Clocks, tables, chests. Small and
personal.
Richard Taupin enters and sheds his overcoat.
RECEPTIONIST
Mrs. Thompson agreed to settle for
fifteen, Melvin's wants to make a
pick-up at three o'clock, the coffee
machine's broken, and there's a
Miss Cartwright from the Smithsonian
in your office.
Taupin is hardly in the mood.
18 INT. TAUPIN'S OFFICE 18
Brenna Cartwright stands in Taupin's cluttered surroundings
admiring a bagpipe set neatly on a shelf.
BRENNA
Do you play?
TAUPIN
Yes.
BRENNA
Very traditional.
Taupin sits down and begins sorting through a stack of papers
on his desk.
TAUPIN
(impatient)
Miss Cartwright, what is it I can
do for you?
BRENNA
I'd like to ask you about the
claymore.
TAUPIN
It's not mine.
BRENNA
It's quite rare you know, some-
thing so common in its time so
well looked after all these years.
TAUPIN
Miss Cartwright, unless you have
come here to sell the sword,
there's very little I can help
you with. Now if you will excuse
me, I have a great deal of work
to do.
Brenna has taken a carving from the shelf.
BRENNA
Byzantine?
TAUPIN
Basil the II.
BRENNA
Charming guy, Basil. Once after
beating an army of Serbians he
blinded all but-
TAUPIN
-All but one out of a hundred, I
know. All left to be led like
donkeys back home. Now if you will
please-
Brenna suddenly tosses the carving at him. Taupin snatches it
out of the air with lightning precision.
BRENNA
Good reflexes.
TAUPIN
Good day, Miss Cartwright.
19 INT. SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM DEPARTMENT OFFICE 19
A lonely, ancient room full of equal parts dust and oaken
study tables.
The department SUPERVISOR sits at his desk surrounded by a
handful of his staff RESEARCHERS - Brenna included. A faded,
stern portrait of some forgotten curator presides over propped
up feet, cold coffee, and half eaten sack lunches.
BRENNA
I don't believe him.
SUPERVISOR
Why?
BRENNA
He's too cool. Too sharp. I
think he's got something to
do with it.
RESEARCHER #1
Oh, has your penetrating research
on 9th Century Lithuanian dildos
suddenly made you an expert on the
criminal mentality?
BRENNA
Screw off, Larry.
The men, LAUGH. They delight in baiting her.
Researcher #2 opens a Budweiser and pours the beer into a medieval
mug he's borrowed from the collection.
RESEARCHER #2
The cops bought it. They let him
go.
BRENNA
What could they hold him for? I
think they're just waiting for
something concrete before they
haul him in for real. We should
look into it. He had to have
gotten that sword from somewhere.
SUPERVISOR
Hang on a sec, you did your little
favor for the boys downtown, I'm
sure your uncle and the rest are
perfectly capable of taking it
from here.
BRENNA
I've seen nobleman swords that
weren't as well preserved. It's
just a hunk of peasant iron. Why
would he be carrying it around
in an alley?
RESEARCHER #1
Here we go. Everytime there's a
murder in town we have to put up
with junior D.A.
RESEARCHER #2
Must be genetic.
BRENNA
Someone should check him out.
Maybe a collection somewhere
got knocked over. He has one,
he might have two.
SUPERVISOR
You see that desk? _Your_ desk? You see
the crap piled up on it?
BRENNA
Give it a rest Ned, huh?
RESEARCHER #2
Might be interesting to see what
his family connections are. That's
a hell of a piece to be just chuck-
ing around in an alley.
SUPERVISOR
(sighs)
I swear to God Brenna, between you
and Thompson's novels I'm going to
get a bloody ulcer.
Researcher #2 lifts the mug of beer to his mouth.
CUT TO:
20 INT. TAVERN 20
An empty mug is set on the counter of a medieval drinking
establishment.
CLANSMEN, their faces and clothes smudged with a day's work in
the fields, relax and enjoy the company of their fellow VILLAGERS.
No longer requiring the use of a cane, Conor enters.
CONOR
(to owner)
Evening, Douglas.
DOUGLAS
Conor.
The tavern goes silent. Wary. The attention is on Conor.
CONOR
Ale suits me.
The owner unenthusiastically fills Conor a mug. Conor takes
it and walks to where four other VILLAGERS sit.
TAVERN MAN #1
We rather you not be sitting with
us, Conor.
Conor looks to the next table.
TAVERN MAN #2
We be drinking alone as well.
The entire tavern spells the same sentiments.
CONOR
What's wrong with you all?
Silence.
Angered, Conor approaches the second man. As he looms above
his chair the man in genuine fear pulls out a cross and thrusts
it forward.
TAVERN MAN #2
Requiem acer'nam donaei-
CONOR
What are you doing man?
TAVERN MAN #2
-Et lux perpetua-
CONOR
You'll not be bringing the church
into this.
TAVERN MAN #2
-Luceat ei-
The weird display frightens Conor.
CONOR
Be quiet.
TAVERN MAN #2
-Auditorium nostrum-
CONOR
Stop.
TAVERN MAN #2
-In nomine sanctus esperitu-
CONOR
Stop!
Conor HURLES his mug against the wall.
His nerves shattered, he rushes out.
21 INT. MACLEOD HUTCH 21
Conor packs a satchel with his few clothes and belongings.
He walks to the doorway where his mother and father wait.
His mother, tears on her cheek, hugs him tightly.
MOTHER
Please take care of yourself.
CONOR
Aye.
Conor turns to his father.
FATHER
I wish there was some other way.
They clasp hands.
FATHER
Goodbye, Conor.
CONOR
Goodbye.
Without looking back he passes through the doorway and down the
empty path, his figure quickly fading in the moorish fog.
DISSOLVE TO:
22 INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT 22
The NOISY business-as-usual confusion at the Washington P.D.
processing center.
Amongst the dinge of CLANGING phones and CLACKING typewriters,
a uniformed OFFICER enters something into a computer terminal.
Brenna sits perched on a desk nearby.
DESK OFFICER
This is against the rules.
BRENNA
So's playing choo-choo with two
high school cheerleaders in the
middle of-
DESK OFFICER
-Okay okay.
BRENNA
You owe me. Besides, I'm cute.
The computer returns a reply onto a printer.
DESK OFFICER
(tears off sheet)
Taupin, Richard Marshall. Born
March 16, 1945 in Church Hill,
Maryland. Received first driver
permit 1967 in Philadelphia.
BRENNA
Church Hill, that's pretty close,
isn't it?
DESK OFFICER
Anything in Maryland is close.
23 EXT. GEORGETOWN STREET - DAY 23
Taupin steps out of a Metro station and walks the few blocks
to his brick townhouse. Climbing the front stairs, he fishes
his keys out of a coat pocket. About to insert the key he stops,
sensing something.
Backing down the steps, Taupin slips around to the rear of the
building.
24 INT. TAUPIN HOME 24
Like a spider Taupin pries open a window and slips silently
inside.
The home is dark and still.
Taupin creeps down the hallway and peers into the entryway.
There a MAN, dressed in a tuxedo jacket and nearly imperceptible
in the dim light, is crouched at the front door.
He is holding a sword.
Taupin removes a knife from his pocket and JUMPS the intruder.
The two STRUGGLE fiercely.
Taupin pins the intruder against the carpet and shoves his
knife firmly against the man's throat.
TAUPIN
Where is he?
Bulging eyes stare at him.
TAUPIN
Where!
INTRUDER
I don't know.
TAUPIN
What name is he using?
Taupin presses the blade. A trickle of blood rolls down the
throat.
INTRUDER
Smith. Carl Smith.
TAUPIN
How many came?
INTRUDER
The last four.
TAUPIN
And the Bulgarian?
INTRUDER
He got him.
(hoarse chuckle)
He always does. Eventually.
TAUPIN
He knows I'm here. How?
INTRUDER
None of this would be happening
if you hadn't run...
The knife is pressed deeper.
TAUPIN
_Answer_ me.
INTRUDER
(gasping)
We learned he'd found the immigration
notaries in Liverpool and traced them
to New York. Then he figured out the
birth records in Church Hill...
25 EXT. RURAL HIGHWAY - DAY 25
A city limit sign announcing the small community of Church
Hill is overtaken by Brenna's sedan.
26 EXT. ROADSIDE CAFE TELEPHONE BOOTH - DAY 26
Brenna looks through a telephone book.
BRENNA
Taupin...Taupin...
Nothing. She closes the book and drums her fingers on the cover.
27 EXT. COUNTY RECORDS OFFICE - DAY 27
An 1860s stone columned affair, far more impressive than the
low-lying town that surrounds it.
Brenna enters.
28 INT. COUNTY RECORDS OFFICE 28
Brenna sits sifting through a large cloth-bound book entitled
_Certificates of Birth: 1941-1948_.
BRENNA
(reading)
Tarmin...Tatum...Taupin, Richard
Marshall. Born to William and
Karen Taupin, no address. Attend-
ing physician, Dr. Willis Kidell.
29 INT. DR. KIDELL'S HOME 29
Dr. Kidell stands at his bookcase leafing through a binder.
KIDELL
1945, that strains the memory.
(after a fashion)
Here we are, Richard Taupin.
He carries the binder to the table where Brenna sits.
KIDELL
Would you like more tea?
BRENNA
No thank you, I'm fine.
Kidell sips his own and looks over the binder page.
KIDELL
He was unsual.
BRENNA
Why?
KIDELL
Well, this is a small town, and
it was even smaller then. Most
all the babies I delivered were
from local families. Richard's
parents were just passing through
when his mother's time came. I
did it right here at the house.
BRENNA
Then you didn't know Richard
later on.
KIDELL
No.
BRENNA
I've been trying to find somebody
who knew him and any connections
his family might have had with
museums or historical societies.
KIDELL
Don't know about any of that.
Suppose nobody does.
BRENNA
I don't follow you.
KIDELL
Poor little tyke didn't have a
chance. Hopelessly premature. He
died a few days after he was born.
BRENNA
The boy _died_?
KIDELL
Mother too. Sad case it was. The
young lady just couldn't make it
through labor. Never even saw her
son.
Dr. Kidell removes from the binder a tattered newspaper clipping.
KIDELL
My brother worked for the town
paper at the time. He took this
picture of the funeral.
Something in the clipping sparks Brenna's interest.
BRENNA
Have you spoken to anyone else
about this?
KIDELL
There was this one fella. Asked
a lot of questions. I was out
of town but I heard he spent near
a full day in the records office.
BRENNA
Would you remember his name?
KIDELL
(thinks)
Carl Smith.
30 INT. POLICE STATION 30
A police line-up.
Seven MEN, all dressed in Santa Claus outfits with bare legs,
are paraded for a small, old LADY.
OFFICER
Just tell us when you see the one.
Several rows back in the dark sits Brenna's UNCLE JOE, the
district attorney, and another man, his ASSISTANT.
UNCLE JOE
Forget it.
BRENNA
I'm just curious.
UNCLE JOE
You're never "just curious".
(to assistant)
You've met my neice, Brenna.
ASSISTANT
Hi Brenna.
OFFICER
(to line-up)
Number 5, lift your coat up more.
UNCLE JOE
Aren't you getting a little old for
this? You flunked out of law school.
BRENNA
(rolls her eyes)
Now there's a new topic.
UNCLE JOE
Don't they have enough for you to
do at the castle?
Brenna puts on her best little-girl angelic smile, a smile her
uncle can never refuse.
UNCLE JOE
(sighs)
Forgers do it all the time. They
take the birth certificate of some-
one who died young and use it to
get legit I.D. Usually they carry
it long enough to pass some bad
checks then dump it.
BRENNA
Thanks.
UNCLE JOE
Call your mother. You never call her.
OFFICER
(to old lady)
Well?
OLD LADY
I don't know. I'd have to see his
thing.
31 INT. BRENNA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT 31
A swath of moonlight shines in across a carafe-turned-vase,
a New England college diploma, and a police uniform hanging
from the bedpost where Brenna lies with another man, DENNIS.
BRENNA
I can't figure out why he's doing it.
He's been Richard Taupin at least
since 1967. And the guys rich. You
should see the stuff he has in that shop.
DENNIS
Maybe he's hiding from something.
BRENNA
Some guy named Smith was asking
about him in Church Hill. I passed
his name around with your buddies
downtown but they drew a blank. So
he isn't a cop. District anyway.
Dennis gets out of bed and begins putting on his uniform.
DENNIS
Probably just some exec ducking
an ex-wife.
BRENNA
Dr. Kidell had a picture in his
file of the funeral. The father
looked just like Richard. Even had
a mark on his cheek.
DENNIS
How old is Richard?
BRENNA
P.D. says 41, but he barely looks
30.
DENNIS
Find the father. That should clear
things up.
He buttons his shirt. Something occurs to him.
DENNIS
Taupin, isn't that the guy Moran
picked up the other night?
BRENNA
Yeah.
DENNIS
He'd want to know about all this.
BRENNA
Mr. Congeniality? Let him find his
own clues. There's a journal article
in this somewhere.
DENNIS
(shakes head)
Uncle Joey's little girl. Can't
get the taste out of her mouth.
Dennis puts on his police cap.
DENNIS
Well, the cream of society awaits.
(cocks hat to one side)
If you're ever in the neighborhood...
BRENNA
Sure.
32 EXT. RIVER EMBANKMENT - NIGHT 32
POLICE OFFICERS, their flashlights cutting the darkness, search
the mud shores of a Potomac tidal basin. The glowing Jefferson
Memorial can be seen in the distance.
DETECTIVE MORAN
Is supervising. An OFFICER climbs up the embankment to him.
OFFICER
They found it.
The officer leads him down to the river where a headless BODY
wearing a tuxedo jacket is being put into a plastic bag.
OFFICER
It was about fifty yards down-
stream from the head.
Moran looks down at the body bag, its dark plastic reflecting
the rythmic rotation of squad car beacons.
OFFICER
Both were cut real clean. Like the
other ones...
33 EXT. EQUESTRIAN RIDING GROUNDS - DAY 33
A steeple-chase course lies shrouded in an Arlington fog.
Across the damp grass a lone horse, heaving clouds of warm
breath, leaps gracefully over a hurdle. Driving the steed
hard through the course, Taupin pulls firm on the reins,
bringing horse and rider to a shuddering stop where Detective
Moran waits.
MORAN
There's been another murder.
Taupin lifts his eyes to the suburban treeline.
TAUPIN
My condolences.
MORAN
Where were you Tuesday night?
TAUPIN
Home.
MORAN
A neighbor saw your car leave.
TAUPIN
He's mistaken.
Taupin climbs down from his horse. Moran moves close.
MORAN
Look, I don't know what the hell
you're up to, but I think I've got
a pretty good idea.
TAUPIN
Do you?
MORAN
All I need is time.
TAUPIN
I've got all the time in the world.
(looks at watch)
Except right now. If you will excuse
me, Lieutenant.
In no hurry, Taupin leads his horse away.
34 INT. MUSEUM RESEARCH DEPARTMENT 34
Brenna sits surrounded by books of old English law, colorful
family banner plates, and a medieval caltrap sitting on her
desk corner.
Boring quickly, she shuts the book and sighs. From another
folder she pulls out a computer sheet.
INSERT COMPUTER SHEET
The police sheet has Taupin's name and motor vehicle record.
Below are listed four WILLIAM TAUPINS, their hometowns and
driving records. Richard Taupin's first driver permit was in
1967.
Brenna looks down the list to a WILLIAM TAUPIN of Felton,
Delaware, who stopped filling for driver permits in 1967, the
year Richard started.
35 EXT. GAS STATION - DAY 35
Dropping a couple of quarters into a vending machine, Brenna
removes and opens up a map of the State of Delaware.
36 EXT. GRAVEYARD - DAY 36
Brenna steps out of her car at a small town cemetary.
Holding a slip of paper, she weaves her way through the shade
covered tombs of revolutionary heroes and their descendants.
On a small rise fresh dirt lies in careless piles around an
open grave.
Richard Taupin stands at the mouth of the pit.
A coffin has been brutally pulled from the dirt and lies open
and propped diagonally beside a marker that reads: "WILLIAM
MICHAEL TAUPIN".
The casket is empty.
BRENNA
Someone beat you.
TAUPIN
Have you taken to touring small
town cemetaries, Miss Cartwright?
BRENNA
Grave robbers?
TAUPIN
Probably.
BRENNA
Who?
TAUPIN
People like that rarely leave
business cards.
BRENNA
Does Carl Smith?
A flash of interest, quickly suppressed.
TAUPIN
I don't know what you're talking
about.
BRENNA
I think you do. Better yet, I don't
think anything was stolen because
nothing was there in the first place.
And I think Mr. Smith, whoever he is,
now knows that.
TAUPIN
You have an active imagination.
BRENNA
I've been to Church Hill.
TAUPIN
Miss Cartwright, you are
involving yourself in
matters that do not concern
you. I strongly suggest you
return to Washington and stay
out of small town cemetaries.
He starts for the gate.
BRENNA
I could find him.
Taupin stops.
BRENNA
I have friends.
TAUPIN
I doubt that.
(beat)
Good day, Miss Cartwright.
He walks on.
After only a few paces Taupin suddenly shudders to an abrupt
stop.
BRENNA
What's wrong?
He holds up an open palm to silence her.
TAUPIN
Your help may be unneccessary.
The air is still.
Taupin's face is expressionless. He listens intently. Sensing.
An unseen voice rides seemingly on the wind.
VOICE
(o.s.)
Good afternoon, "Mr. Taupin".
Taupin whirls around to see a large man standing with broad
sword in hand. We have never seen the knight out of his armor
before, but this man certainly seems to fit the bill. Wearing
Levis and leather jacket in contrast to Taupin's expensive
business suit, he speaks with icy evenness from a face of stone.
Taupin, naked without his own sword, is trapped against a
marble wall.
KNIGHT
Long time.
TAUPIN
Not so long.
The Knight is closing in on him, sword gripped in both hands.
TAUPIN
You've been here from the
start.
KNIGHT
My quarry grows clever with
age. And the others, incompetent.
The Knight throws Brenna a glance.
KNIGHT
Friend of yours?
TAUPIN
Of sorts.
KNIGHT
I do hope she enjoys a good
show.
The Knight leans his whole body into a two-fisted swing,
clanging out a chunk of marble as Taupin ducks.
A second swipe also imbeds itself in stone.
KNIGHT
So now it ends.
A thrust cuts only air.
KNIGHT
Generation upon generation.
Tens of thousands of miles.
Taupin leaps behind a tree. The Knight cuts it nearly in half.
KNIGHT
You're the last, MacLeod.
Romirez, Lacroux, Neuvich,
those fools that followed
me, their heads all line my
shelf. All but yours.
Taupin drops to the ground in a shoulder roll to avoid a swipe.
KNIGHT
Can you feel it, MacLeod?
Can you _feel_ it!
Taupin grabs a tree branch and raps the Knight on the knee,
knocking him over.
The Knight quickly rights himself and cuts the branch from
Taupin.
KNIGHT
There can be but one.
He raises his blade.
An elderly WATCHMAN, shotgun cradled in his arms, stands in
the clearing.
WATCHMAN
Hey! What's going on here?
The Knight pauses a split second then with decision launches
his sword spear-style firmly into the watchman's chest.
Taupin pushes past him to Brenna.
TAUPIN
Run!
Brenna is frozen in shock.
Taupin shoves her roughly toward the gate.
TAUPIN
Run!
KNIGHT
MACLEOD!
The Knight retrieves his sword from the watchman's body and
lumbers after them.
Taupin and Brenna bolt from the cemetary and into the surround-
ing residential area.
37 EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY 37
Taupin leads an exhausted Brenna in a gallop down the side-
walk.
They have apparently lost the Knight. Taupin pauses at a
corner. He sees a church across the street.
38 INT. CHURCH 38
Brenna enters and collapses into a pew, her labored breathing
echoing off the high ceiling.
Taupin walks the length of an aisle to see that they are alone.
Satisfied, he leans against a banister and considers his sit-
uation.
Trying to recover her wind, Brenna has her eyes closed and
head against the back of the pew.
BRENNA
Jesus Christ.
TAUPIN
You'll be safe here. He won't
kill in a church.
BRENNA
Why not?
TAUPIN
(distracted)
Tradition.
BRENNA
What the hell is going on?
Taupin stares out the window, stained glass shining orange on
his face. He looks at Brenna briefly, then passes through the
Church's doorway without a word.
DISSOLVE TO:
39 INT. MEDIEVAL BLACKSMITH SHOP 39
A glowing horseshoe HISSES wildly as it slips into a wooden
cooling bucket. Pulling it out with iron tongs, Conor lays
it on a counter and pounds it even with a mallet.
Sweaty and streaked with dirt, he tosses the mallet aside
and walks out into the late afternoon sunshine.
40 EXT. SHOP FRONTAGE - DAY 40
Conor leans over a water barrel and dunks his head and arms,
cleaning off a day's worth of sweat and grime.
JUAN ROMIREZ
Stirring up dust with his travelling boots, this Spanish acc-
ented man stops at Conor's shop. He wears a large broad sword
strapped to his waist.
CONOR
Afternoon.
ROMIREZ
Your name is Conor?
CONOR
Aye.
ROMIREZ
(bows slightly)
Juan Cid Romirez. Chief
surveyor and alchemist.
CONOR
(notices accent)
You're not from these
parts.
ROMIREZ
I am from Spain. And I
would like a moment of
your time.
41 INT. CONOR'S HOME 41
Romirez is seated at a table. His back to the Spaniard,
Conor is preparing some food.
CONOR
I haven't much to offer,
Mr. Romirez from Spain,
but you're welcome to what's
here.
ROMIREZ
Please go to no trouble.
Romirez is looking at the faint, pale hint of a scar that
runs from Conor's shoulder blade to his waist.
ROMIREZ
Your back, it would seem
perhaps you were injured
in battle?
CONOR
Five years past me clan
fought another over some-
thing I cannot even re-
member.
ROMIREZ
Your marks would suggest
great injury.
CONOR
I was nearly killed.
ROMIREZ
But you lived.
Conor looks up from his work in pained memory.
CONOR
I did at that.
ROMIREZ
And but for a mark you are
well as any man, no?
CONOR
Aye.
ROMIREZ
I should imagine that your
recovery must have alarmed
your fellow villagers, perhaps
giving them reason to invent
an explanation. And a solution.
Something isn't right.
Conor turns and faces him.
CONOR
I was driven out.
ROMIREZ
And now you live in a small
village miles away from all
you knew.
CONOR
How can you know this?
ROMIREZ
(tone lightens)
First food, no? A good meal
makes conversation so much
easier.
Stunned with the implications of what Romirez has said, like
a robot Conor serves the meal. His eyes never leave Romirez,
who digs hungrily into the food.
ROMIREZ
Hmm, que rico. What is it you
call this?
CONOR
Pheasant.
ROMIREZ
You Scots have a way with
game. It still has life in it.
Spirit. Back home the food
is so...domestic.
CONOR
Why are you here?
ROMIREZ
I was sent by his majesty of
Spain to Inverness as a con-
sultant on matters of metal.
CONOR
You're a long way from Inverness.
ROMIREZ
In my travels I heard the story of
the MacLeod boy struck down and
brought from the hand of
death by powers not of this Earth.
CONOR
You know me home. Me name.
ROMIREZ
It was time for our paths to cross.
Romirez pulls back the sleeve on his cloak.
ROMIREZ
You see this?
He traces some discoloration on his arm.
ROMIREZ
When I was a boy a cart driven
by a drunken fool crushed me. All
thought I would die or be maimed
for life. But I healed quickly.
And like you I paid the price
for being different.
CONOR
You are the same?
ROMIREZ
Do you ever feel a flow, as if some-
thing were pushing against you?
CONOR
Yes. Always.
ROMIREZ
Does it change with me in the room?
CONOR
It is less.
ROMIREZ
You feel you know me.
CONOR
I don't know why.
ROMIREZ
We are brothers.
42 EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT
Romirez and Conor walk alone amongst torch-lit hutches.
CONOR
He told me there could be only
one.
ROMIREZ
Some cling to sanity through time
with the one continuity and trad0
ition their lives have known: The
Game.
(Conor confused)
You and I Conor, we are different
from all others around us. You
know this, you can feel it. We are
flesh and bone like any man, but
unlike our neighbors we are rather
difficult to injure,
(looks away)
permanently.
CONOR
I don't understand.
ROMIREZ
You are still so very young.
CONOR
I'm twenty-two.
ROMIREZ
(shakes head)
Not even a single lifetime.
Romirez chooses his words very carefully.
ROMIREZ
Conor, you and I, we cannot be
killed.
CONOR
What?
ROMIREZ
We are immortal.
Stunned, Conor backs away from Romirez.
CONOR
No, that can't be.
Romirez grasps Conor's shoulder.
ROMIREZ
It is as you are.
CONOR
(pushes away)
No!
This is all too much for Conor.
ROMIREZ
Listen to me. Hear the words.
CONOR
This is madness!
ROMIREZ
It is the truth.
CONOR
No!
Romirez suddenly draws his sword and thrusts it into Conor's
heart. The boy's mouth drops open in shocked terror as his
eyes roll up into his head.
A shudder, then Conor slides off the blade and crashes to the
ground.
DISSOLVE TO:
43 EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY 43
Brenna stops her car in front of the Washington Police Depart-
ment. Getting out of her car she climbs the stairs but stops.
After a moment of indecision she changes her mind and returns
to her car.
44 INT. BRENNA'S APARTMENT - DAY 44
Brenna lowers herself wearily into a chair, rubs her eyes,
and stares absently out the window.
Reaching across to an end table, she plays back her answering
machine.
Beep.
MALE VOICE
This is Dr. Wickland at GWU. Your
test came back today. You can call
me here at the med center if you
have any questions.
Click.
Beep.
SUPERVISOR'S VOICE
Brenna, where the hell are you?
The place is full of cops asking
weird questions. What's going on?
I've got work stacking up. Get
in here right away.
Brenna stands and goes to the kitchen, returning with a glass
of wine.
Click.
Beep.
KNIGHT'S VOICE
Brenna.
She freezes in her tracks.
KNIGHT'S VOICE
My quarrel is not with you. Meet
me.
Brenna's eyes are glued on the machine.
KNIGHT'S VOICE
We have much to talk of, you and
I. Answers for the young historian.
(beat)
O'Reily's. Tonight. I've grown to
like taverns.
Click.
Beep.
SEVERAL LITTLE GIRLS
(singing)
Happy birthday to you, happy birth-
day to you, happy birthday dear
Brenna, happy birthday to you.
Brenna is still upset from the last call.
MOTHER'S VOICE
Hi Brenna, it's mom. Me and your neices
just wanted to call and wish you a
happy birthday. Crissy made a real cute
card for you, be sure to call her. Will
you be home for Easter? Call when you
can. Love you.
Click.
Hiss.
DISSOLVE TO:
45. INT. CONOR'S HOME - DAY 45
This HISS of Brenna's answering machine becomes the HISS of
cooking. Bandaged about the chest, Conor asleep on his
cot.
Suddenly he sits up. Sweating. He looks about the room in
confusion as Romirez enters with a plate of food.
ROMIREZ
Three days you've laid there.
It's time you ate.
CONOR
(dazed)
This can't be.
ROMIREZ
You are not dead, boy. Accept it.
CONOR
This is monstrous. I'll burn in
hell for all eternity.
ROMIREZ
You'd have to die first.
(extends forkful of food)
Aqui.
Conor starts CRYING.
CONOR
What is to become of me? Am I to
wander the Earth forever like a
ghost?
ROMIREZ
You will live. Survive.
CONOR
Then they were right. I am evil.
This is God's punishment.
ROMIREZ
You have done nothing wrong Conor
MacLeod.
CONOR
Oh my God. Oh my God I'm lost.
DISSOLVE TO:
46 EXT. CONOR'S VILLAGE - DAY 46
Two days later.
Nearly healed, Conor and Romirez stand near a quietly moving
stream.
CONOR
Why does he want to kill me?
ROMIREZ
You recall how I spoke of the push
you feel and how I make it less?
CONOR
Aye.
ROMIREZ
It is always less with my living.
Far or near. But if I were to die
the push would become stronger
than ever before. There is power
in this. And as long as you and I
live, The Knight can never have
it all.
CONOR
But we cannot be killed.
ROMIREZ
There is an imperfection. For all
your healing, if your head ever
leaves your neck, you are dead.
You can survive anything but steel
against your threat. Then it is
over. The end.
CONOR
How can I stop such a man?
ROMIREZ
Hide. Run to the ends of the Earth
till you learn. You must learn to
defend yourself. In this I can help.
CONOR
Why?
ROMIREZ
We are brothers. And you are a
defense-
(beat)
-of sorts.
47 EXT. PENNSYLVANIA FARMHOUSE - DAY 47
An old man, MR. NORTH, leads Taupin up the drive of a rural
farmhouse somewhere in the hinterland of Pennsylvania.
MR. NORTH
When your father died I saw to
it that the grounds were kept up.
TAUPIN
The money in the estate was
enough to cover your costs?
MR. NORTH
Oh yes, more than enough.
48 INT. FARMHOUSE 48
Furniture clad in white sheets. Dust everywhere.
MR. NORTH
Most of the furniture was put
into protective storage. I'll
have some boys come up and clean
the place out for you.
Taupin drags a finger across a dusty window pane.
MR. NORTH
(fascinated)
You're one of William's kids,
huh?
TAUPIN
His only kid.
MR. NORTH
Sure take after him. Never seen
a father and son look more alike.
TAUPIN
We were very close.
MR. NORTH
The resemblance is amazing.
TAUPIN
When may I expect the cleaners?
MR. NORTH
I'll send them right up.
49 INT. "O'REILY'S" - NIGHT 49
Coupled strangers gyrate under colored lights and recorded music.
Brenna sits alone. Whatever nervousness she brought through the
door with her has been turned into a comfortable cynicism by
the three empty glasses in front of her.
A MAN
With something less than perfect coordination, sits down beside
her.
MAN
That stuff'll put you away if
you're not careful.
BRENNA
There was a Count. Count Dusan. He
would invite the local peasants to
his chateau, fill them full of wine,
then slice their bellies so he
could reuse it.
(smiles)
The symmetry of that somehow always
appealed to me.
MAN
You're very macabre.
BRENNA
It's my birthday.
MAN
Happy birthday.
BRENNA
Thanks.
Brenna drains her glass and sets it down with a sigh.
BRENNA
Buy a birthday girl a drink?
50 INT. PUB - NIGHT 50
A small neighborhood tavern. Regulars chat amicably with the
BARTENDER-OWNER.
TAUPIN
Sits alone at a corner table. A WAITRESS hovers over him.
TAUPIN
Lager and lime.
LATER
Taupin's lager is drained. Lost in thought, he drags a finger
around and around the lip of the mug.
He hand stops. It twitches. Shakes.
Taupin pulls his hand from the glass and watches it shake slightly
out of control. A warning.
He WHIRLS around suddenly to see LING KAHN, Asian, standing
over him.
KAHN
MacLeod.
Taupin is anxious, poised for attack.
Kahn breaks into a broad smile.
KAHN
Spare a chair?
TAUPIN
Kahn?
KAHN
Are you going to offer me a chair
or leave me standing here all night?
TAUPIN
Sit.
Kahn takes his place across the table.
TAUPIN
(unsure)
How are you?
KAHN
Head still secure to the neck.
TAUPIN
How did you find me?
KAHN
How many places this side of the
Atlantic serve lager and lime?
Taupin looks to his own glass.
KAHN
Old habits die hard.
(to waitress)
Waitress! A round of Nitzhic!
(beat)
Peasant drool, I know. But it's the
closest thing they stock to my side
of the fence.
TAUPIN
What are you doing here?
KAHN
It is the gathering, my friend. The
settling of old scores.
Taupin tenses.
TAUPIN
And have you something to settle
with me?
KAHN
(smiles)
Not tonight. Tonight I have a drink
with an old friend.
TAUPIN
It's good to see you, Kahn.
The waitress sets down two glasses.
KAHN
Come, toast with me the past.
(raises glass)
To old conquests, old loves, and to a
time when we cared about either.
Kahn drains his glass.
KAHN
Waitress!
51 EXT. THE WASHINGTON MALL - NIGHT 51
Kahn and Taupin sit drunkedly on the marble steps of a closed
government building.
KAHN
I'll never forget the look on that
Papal commander's face when his
"heretic stronghold" turned out to
be a rock full of whores climbing
all over Neuvich.
TAUPIN
Neuvich, the clown of the crusades.
KAHN
But then rides up Pope Pius who
calmly brushes the dust from his
papal cross, climbs off his papal
horse, draws his papal sword and
asks just what the hell is going
on. And what did Neuvich, dear
dear drunken Neuvich do?
TAUPIN
Offered the Pope one of his whores.
They LAUGH.
A JOGGER stops on the gravel and listens to the strange conversation.
TAUPIN
Had a great swing with his blade.
For a Pope.
KAHN
(sighs)
Good times then. A man could
stretch his legs without bring-
ing half the world down around
his ears. Not like now.
The jogger shakes his head and runs on.
TAUPIN
(serious)
He found us even there.
KAHN
He always did.
52 EXT. ZOO - NIGHT 52
A CLINKING of chain link as Taupin and Kahn climb a fence and
tumble into the Washington Zoo.
TAUPIN
I haven't drunk this much since-
KAHN
-Since you last saw me.
Kahn chucks an empty wine bottle. An unspecified animal GROWLS
sleepily somewhere in the darkness.
KAHN
Come on.
53 EXT. DISPLAY AREA - NIGHT 53
Taupin and Kahn stumble through an open-air display of Asian
animals. Their VOICES seem to echo everywhere.
KAHN
I love zoos. Ever since I was
a kid.
TAUPIN
You were never a kid.
Kahn leans on the wall of a water buffalo pen.
KAHN
(points at one)
I knew his great-grandfather.
TAUPIN
You're insane.
KAHN
No, seriously. We used to shoot pool
together in Rangoon.
TAUPIN
How do you do it, Kahn? How do you
live so full of life for so long?
KAHN
Tasting and enjoying life is the
only thing of value we have. All
else is just marking time.
(beat)
You're marking time.
TAUPIN
I've had a few more concerns.
Kahn jams his hands into his overcoat and starts down the footpath.
KAHN
The pressure only comes when you
let the taste slip into your mouth.
TAUPIN
You're wrong.
KAHN
You don't run as hard, MacLeod.
You just don't run as hard anymore.
54 INT. O'REILY'S - NIGHT 54
Late. The bar is nearly empty.
No sign of the Knight. Brenna looks at her watch, sighs, and
drops a bill onto the counter.
55 EXT. STREET - NIGHT 55
Brenna has left the bar and is now walking down a dimly lit
street.
She hears something and turns.
-Nothing. A breeze rustles the trees above.
After only a few more paces she hears something again.
Brenna abruptly turns.
-Right into the face of THE KNIGHT.
Brenna SCREAMS. The Knight reaches into his leather carrying bag.
A GROUP OF NOISY TEENAGERS
Exit a facing townhouse. The Knight removes his hand from the
bag as they spill onto the sidewalk LAUGHING and YELLING.
Brenna moves close to the group as they walk to the corner.
The Knight follows at a measured distance.
At the corner the teenagers climb into a pickup and drive off.
Brenna bolts into the intersection. Weaving through SCREECHING
brakes, she disappears into a pair of lighted glass doors.
56 INT. BUILDING 56
40 well dressed PATRONS, numbered cards pinned to their lapels,
sit in velvetly plush surroundings. At the front of the room
stands a thin moustached art AUCTIONEER.
Brenna BUSTLES in from outside.
AUCTIONEER
I apoligize for the lateness of the
hour, but I'm sure you will all agree
the quality of this year's collection
is well worth the time.
The Knight BURSTS in with his leather carrying bag. Brenna
slides along the draped back wall to avoid him.
AUCTIONEER
(holding statuette)
For this fine example of medieval
religious art, let us open the bid
at 4,000 dollars.
The Knight closes in on Brenna casually, without hurry.
AUCTIONEER
10,500 once, 10,500 twice...
Brenna raises her arm to attract the attention of a SECURITY
GUARD..
AUCTIONEER
(points at Brenna)
11,000. A bid at 11,000.
BRENNA
No, I-
The guard notices she has no lapel number and starts for her
very officially.
Being closed in on from both sides, Brenna suddenly runs across
the room to a fire exit, setting off an ALARM as she flies open
the door.
The Knight leaps after her, knocking over an OLD WOMAN in the
front row.
57 EXT. BUILDING - NIGHT 57
Brenna runs the sidewalk and disappears into a Metro station.
58 INT. METRO STATION 58
Brenna runs down the platform and jumps into a subway car
just as the doors shut.
THE KNIGHT
is also now on the platform but can only watch Brenna through
a window as the train pulls away.
59 EXT. TAUPIN'S TOWNHOUSE - DAY 59
Brenna KNOCKS at the front door. No answer.
She KNOCKS harder. The unlatched door pushes open.
60 INT. TOWNHOUSE 60
Brenna stands in the doorway.
Before her is a disaster. Furniture has been smashed like
matchsticks. A desk drawer's contents lie strewn in piles on
the floor.
Brenna enters slowly.
BRENNA
Mr. Taupin? I have to talk to
you.
Nothing has been left unturned or unbroken.
Brenna kneels and sifts through a pile of crumpled papers.
She comes across an old black and white photograph. Badly
streaked and faded, it shows Taupin standing beside a farm-
house. Written in the corner is "Worstick, 1928".
Brenna slips the photo into her pocket. Standing, she turns
smack into Taupin.
TAUPIN
Finished?
He looks past her to the destruction of his living room. It
doesn't seem to surprise him.
BRENNA
He tried to kill me last night.
TAUPIN
Where?
BRENNA
Dupont Circle.
Taupin sifts through the debris, selecting articles from it.
BRENNA
Who is he?
TAUPIN
At the moment? Carl Smith.
BRENNA
And you?
He ignores the question.
BRENNA
What will you do now?
TAUPIN
You needn't worry Miss Cartwright.
I've been at this a very long time.
BRENNA
He called you "MacLeod".
TAUPIN
Not your concern.
BRENNA
I left a man dead in
Felton. But you don't
really care, do you?
TAUPIN
That bothers you?
BRENNA
He was innocent.
TAUPIN
He's dead. Whatever I may
or may not feel means
exceedingly little to him
now.
BRENNA
What about me?
TAUPIN
You?
BRENNA
I'm a witness to a murder. That
seems to put me pretty high
on your friend's chop list.
TAUPIN
Have you gone to the
police?
BRENNA
No.
TAUPIN
Why not? I'm sure they'd
love to hear your story.
BRENNA
I'd rather hear yours.
TAUPIN
(beat)
You are being foolish.
BRENNA
I'm a historian, Mr. Taupin.
Only once in a lifetime do you
stare history in the face.
TAUPIN
Go home.
He walks to the doorway.
BRENNA
Why does he want to kill you?
Taupin stops, his back to her.
TAUPIN
He sees me as a threat.
BRENNA
Are you?
Taupin walks out the door.
DISSOLVE TO:
61 EXT. GRASSY KNOLL - DAY 61
On a clear rise above the village Romirez and Conor spar with
swords covered in heavy cloth. Conor is having difficulty.
ROMIREZ
Concentrate!
Conor thrusts. Romirez blocks.
ROMIREZ
Harder. Concentrate harder.
CONOR
Me arm hurts.
ROMIREZ
Again. Try again.
Conor strikes. Romirez easily blocks.
ROMIREZ
Harder! You swing like an impotent
cow!
CONOR
Go to hell.
ROMIREZ
Oh, the boy has a mouth,
now if only he had an arm.
Ticked off, Conor leans himself into a two-fisted swing.
Romirez knocks it aside, but Conor recovers faster than he,
knocking Romirez flat on his back.
CONOR
Impotent cow.
ROMIREZ
Muy Bien!
Conor drops the sword and wipes the sweat from his face.
Romirez pours wine from a leather bag into a goblet pulled
from his belt. He offers it to Conor.
ROMIREZ
Here my boy, from vineyards
as sweet and smooth as a young
girl's thigh.
Conor accepts the cup. Romirez pulls himself to his feet.
ROMIREZ
It will take less effort
as you learn.
CONOR
It's like to kill me first.
Romirez puts his arm around Conor and refills his cup.
ROMIREZ
You have a gift. One you
must protect.
CONOR
And what is this great
gift that cannot be seen
or smelt?
ROMIREZ
The Fabric of life. The spark
that allows the passing of
existence from one generation
to another.
CONOR
(shakes head)
If that was meant to be an ex-
planation Mr. Romirez from Spain,
I'm afraid you've failed.
Romirez put his arm around Conor and leads him away.
ROMIREZ
Come. Enough sword play for an
afternoon.
62 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY 62
A friendly horse race. Their reflections bouncing off a clear
glen, Conor and Romirez dodge moss-laiden ruts and leap fallen
tree trunks.
Beaming, Conor pushes through a last turn and stops to wait
for Romirez, several lengths behind.
CONOR
(as Romirez rides up)
You're no match for Scot, Mr.
Romirez. We're raised as riders.
ROMIREZ
Point conceeded, Mr. MacLeod.
Both their eyes turn to the beauty in view. Romirez pulls a
leaf from a tree and studies it closely.
CONOR
What is the fascinatioon? It is only
a leaf.
ROMIREZ
All living things pay dues,
Conor. They must be respected
for that.
He pulls the leaf's points from the stalk, one by one.
ROMIREZ
As they age they contribute to a
sum that is the kindling from which
all future life comes. To feel it,
to know it, is to be in touch with
the will of every living thing.
CONOR
I do not think I like the sound
of that.
ROMIREZ
It does not feel nearly as frightening
as it sounds. But the consequences of
such feelings can be very frightening.
For it gives you great strength. The
strength of _knowledge_. The ability
to stand between the giving of what
has always been to what will always
be.
CONOR
I feel hardly nothing.
ROMIREZ
You have not been fully trained.
But you will learn. And you will be
good, I can feel that. You have apt-
itude. This is why our friend is
so concerned.
CONOR
But why be so concerned about me?
ROMIREZ
This power is divided amongst you,
me, and others like cuts in a pie.
But the cuts are not equal. Some,
like you and he, have more. Much
more.
CONOR
And you?
ROMIREZ
I am a small player. But if by
helping you I can keep that monster
from being the last, then perhaps
my life has meant something.
CONOR
I am not ready for this.
ROMIREZ
You must be. You have responsibilities.
You must learn the rules. You can never
attract attention to yourself, never
show the side that will draw others to
you. You will always know when you are
in the presence of another. Beware.
But more importantly Conor MacLeod, will
be your battle against time. In the
coming years you will see kingdoms rise
then rot like wheat. People will
become a transitory, pathetic lot. The
only constant you will know will be
the others and the tradition their
greed and quest represent. But life
without morality, without the ability
to truly taste the sweetness of wine
and love, is no life at all. That is
how the others exist. Nothing more
than walking corpses living only to
slaughter each other in an insane quest
to be the last. Keep your soul sewed
to the earth. Do not become one of them.
CONOR
Of course.
ROMIREZ
You are young, inexperienced. You
do not know what time can do. How
it can sap all pity, all love.
CONOR
That is not me.
ROMIREZ
With the proper tools, Conor, a
naive man can be much more dangerous
than an evil one.
VILLAGER
Conor!
A VILLAGER approaches from across the pasture.
CONOR
Yes, Darin.
VILLAGER
Hate to be bothering you like this,
but me mare threw a shoe.
Conor looks to Romirez.
ROMIREZ
Go ahead, Senor.
(gestures to wine)
I have my friend to keep me company.
CONOR
I'll be back when I can.
Conor sets off across the pasture.
64 INT. CONOR'S HOME 64
Romirez enters and flops onto a cot.
Settling down for a nap, he sets his sword beneath the bed
and closes his eyes to the distant sound of CHILDREN playing.
The room is still.
Romirez begins to drowse.
Suddenly his eyes leap open with full alertness.
His hand moves under the cot.
With an EXPLOSION the front door is lifted from its hinges
and splintered into fragments. Passing through a cloud of
sawdust enters the Knight. Without pause he topples a kitchen
shelf onto a supine Romirez.
KNIGHT
Romirez. What a surprise.
Romirez is struggling under the debris.
The Knight thrusts hard onto an exposed leg.
The limb is severed.
ROMIREZ
Madonna!
The Knight begins casting aside the shelving.
With lightning speed Romirez pulls the sword from beneath the
bed and hammers it deep into the Knight's side.
KNIGHT
Bastard!
He crashes back against the wall.
Romirez tries to lift himself from the bed using his sword
as a crutch.
The Knight has regained a meager balance on his knees.
Blood pours from the slice in his stomach,
Romirez pushes himself across the bed, plants his sword into
the floor and hobbles a few paces before collapsing.
ROMIREZ
Oh, Santa Maria!
The Knight crawls across the bed and drops to his knees
beside Romirez.
KNIGHT
Why run?
ROMIREZ
Demonio!
The Knight's trembling hands raise his shaking sword high.
KNIGHT
To hell with you.
65 EXT. BARNYARD - DAY 65
Conor pounds at a horseshoe.
The hammer slips from his grasp as he slumps forward as if
pushed.
66 EXT. CONOR'S HOME - DAY 66
Badly wounded, the Knight staggers through the shattered
doorway and tumbles into the street.
A CHILD SCREAMS.
Pulling himself up, the Knight hobbles away.
67 EXT. - DAY 67
Conor is running through the village.
67 INT. CONOR'S HOME 67
Conor rushes in and shudders to a stop.
An entire wall is showered with blood.
Conor walks slowly forward. Dazed.
As he looks down something takes his attention.
It is Romirez's severed head.
Conor moans in anguish and drops to his knees on the blood-
stained floor.
His head sinks to his chest as he begins sobbing.
DISSOLVE TO:
68 INT. MUSEUM RESEARCH LIBRARY 68
Somewhere in the bowels of the museum, the RESEARCH
LIBRARIAN, a wiry young man, sits at his cluttered desk.
Brenna looms above him.
LIBRARIAN
Come on Brenna, your ass
is already in a sling, don't
drag me into it.
BRENNA
All I need is for you
to check the name.
LIBRARIAN
You talked to your supervisor
lately? He's burning up the
place about you just dropping
out of sight. That on top of
the cops bugging him.
BRENNA
I'll take care of that
Corey, but I need this now.
The librarian looks her over skeptically.
BRENNA
Corey, you _owe_ me.
LIBRARIAN
It's that important?
BRENNA
Yeah.
The librarian reluctantly reaches for his keys.
69 INT. STORAGE AREA 69
Holding Brenna's photograph, the research librarian is comb-
ing through stained binders. The room is old, disorganized,
and gives the impression that every fact worth knowing must
be in it somewhere.
RESEARCHER
Wilson know about this?
BRENNA
I'm doing it on my own.
LIBRARIAN
Good way to lose your job.
BRENNA
Some job. Card filing and
cabinet dusting. Four years
in this dump and I haven't
written anything for Wilson
that a wounded yak couldn't
do.
LIBRARIAN
I liked the bit you did
about Baltic chastity belts.
Too bad no one else did.
BRENNA
It's bullshit. Everything.
My job, the people I get
involved with, I'm up to here
with it.
LIBRARIAN
You always were hard to
impress.
The librarian pulls a binder and opens it.
BRENNA
Who is it?
LIBRARIAN
Not who. What. Worstick's
a town in Pennsylvania.
70 INT. MUSEUM RESEARCH OFFICE 70
Brenna enters and sits at her desk. She is looking for
something.
BRENNA
(confused)
Chris, have you seen my
notebook?
Chris is seated at the desk next to her. He points at the
supervisor's door.
BRENNA
Why, that son of a bitch.
71 INT. MUSEUM SUPERVISOR'S OFFICE 71
The high backed office chair is spun away from an angry,
entering Brenna.
BRENNA
What's wrong Wilson, huh? Not enough
excitement in your own desk? What the
hell were you looking for in mine?
The chair turns. Detective Moran, not her supervisor, leafs
through her notebook.
MORAN
A murder.
BRENNA
You better have a warrant. That's
my notebook, you've got no right
to be sticking your fingers into it.
MORAN
I've got a morgue filling up with
bodies. That's my right.
BRENNA
What do you want from me?
MORAN
Well, the man of the hour that we
all would like to talk to about now
has apparently skipped town.
(looks at notebook)
And all of a sudden the Smithsonian's
ambulence chaser is an expert on
missing persons.
Brenna lifts the telephone receiver.
BRENNA
I'm calling an attorney.
MORAN
You and I should talk first.
BRENNA
We've got nothing to say.
Moran presses the post on the phone.
MORAN
What are you going to tell them? That
you're protecting a man who's
killed four people?
BRENNA
Four?
MORAN
All fashionably without heads.
BRENNA
Spare me the details.
MORAN
But there's more. Wednesday someone
played javelin with the cemetary
curator in Felton, Delaware. Some
locals spotted two cars with D.C.
plates and surprise surprise, they
turn out to be registered to our
own Brenna Cartwright and the ever
popular Richard Taupin.
BRENNA
What are you getting at, Moran?
MORAN
You've been a busy little beaver.
Especially with that records mess
up in Church Hill.
(looks at notebook)
Your notes are very complete.
Naturally my feelings were crushed
when you didn't rush right over
and tell us what you knew.
(looks up)
In fact, we're considering book-
ing the ambulence chaser as an
accessory to murder.
BRENNA
It'll never stick.
MORAN
But we might just give it the
'ole college try. What with the
court back ups, it could be days
before you got an arraignment.
But then, I'm sure the flunk-out
neice of the D.A. knows all about
that.
BRENNA
You're an asshole, Moran.
MORAN
I want Taupin.
BRENNA
What makes you so sure he's
the one?
MORAN
Just for laughs we raided wonder
boy's house. There was a gallon
of one of the corpse's blood in
his carpet. I think it was about
then I withdrew his name for
humanitarian of the year.
BRENNA
What's all of this got to do
with me?
MORAN
What were you doing in Felton?
BRENNA
Research. If your pal was there
I never saw him.
MORAN
I have witnesses that can put
the two of you together.
BRENNA
(knows he's bluffing)
Never take up poker, Detective.
MORAN
Don't be stupid, lady. Your neck
can be sliced as fast as anyone
else's.
Brenna reaches across and lifts her notebook.
BRENNA
Why don't you wait until it comes
out in paperback?
Moran watches her leave. He lifts the telephone receiver.
RESEARCH OFFICE
Striding out into the corridor, Brenna passes Dennis, the cop
from her bedroom, leaning against the doorway.
DENNIS
I warned you.
BRENNA
Go to hell.
72 INT. CHURCH (WASHINGTON D.C.) 72
A PRIEST celebrates mass in a present-day cathedral.
In the rear of the church apart from the other PARISHIONERS
sits the Knight. As the priest leads the parishioners through
the procession of faith, the Knight alone repeats it quietly
to himself in Latin, the ancient language of the church.
DISSOLVE TO:
73 EXT. ABANDONED GRAVEYARD - DAY 73
Crooked tombstones strewn across the bleached ground of a place
not beloning to reality.
In full medieval tartan, Conor stands against a forceful wind.
CRACKS
Run the length plain, spewing forth steam and staggering
SKELETONS. There are dozens of them, all carrying their skulls
under one arm.
The skeletons press forward and trap Conor against the trunk
of a dead oak. The heads break into harsh, demonic LAUGHTER.
Conor puts his hands over his ears in pain as the bodies push
forward.
SCREAMING, he disappears under a mass of gleaming bones.
CUT TO:
74 INT. TAUPIN'S WORSTICK HOME 74
Taupin wakes from the dream with a SHOUT.
He has fallen asleep in a desk chair.
Taupin walks to a window and looks out to the green hills. To
the distance.
75 EXT. RURAL ROAD - DAY 75
Brenna's sedan shoots down a country highway.
76 INT. SEDAN - DAY 76
Checking her rear view mirror, Brenna notices two suspicious
FIGURES in a car behind her.
77 EXT. RURAL ROAD - DAY 77
Brenna pulls to the side. The car from behind passes without
incident.
78 INT. SEDAN - DAY 78
Brenna is driving again. Listening now to the RADIO, she
casts a glance in the mirror. The same car is behind her.
79 EXT. RURAL ROAD - DAY 79
Passing over a rise in the highway, Brenna turns abruptly
onto a service road and behind a group of trees.
THE OTHER CAR
Pauses a moment at the intersection, then drives on.
80 EXT. STOREFRONT - DAY 80
Brenna shows the PROPRIETOR the photograph. He explains
something to her.
Brenna steps outside the store onto the Main Street of the
very small community of Worstick.
AT A STREET CORNER
Brenna passes a small monument settled in a flower bed. It has
a plaque memorializing five locals murdered in 1931.
81 INT. SEDAN 81
A mile out of town Brenna stops at a farmhouse. She checks
it against the photo she found at Taupin's townhouse. They
match.
82 EXT. FARMHOUSE DOOR - DAY 82
Brenna KNOCKS.
TAUPIN
You shouldn't have come.
Brenna whirls around and sees Taupin behind her.
TAUPIN
We're you followed?
He looks to the road.
BRENNA
No.
TAUPIN
No one knows you're here?
BRENNA
No. I had to talk to you.
TAUPIN
You had to do _nothing_!
BRENNA
You're wrong.
TAUPIN
You're a fool.
BRENNA
Maybe.
Pause. Taupin strides through the doorway.
TAUPIN
Come inside.
83 INT. FARMHOUSE 83
Brenna and Taupin enter. A heavy broad sword sits on the
coffee table.
BRENNA
Is this what you killed them with?
TAUPIN
You've been listening to rumors.
BRENNA
Our cars were seen together in
Felton. They're calling me an
accessory to murder.
TAUPIN
You are. Now.
Beat. They're stuck with each other.
TAUPIN
There's several bedrooms down the
hall. Take your pick.
84 INT. BEDROOM 84
The room is a strange decor. 18th century paintings hang
beside grotesque medieval carvings.
Brenna's face softens with worry. What is she doing?
85 EXT. RURAL PAY PHONE - DAY 85
A plain-clothed POLICE OFFICER is in mid conversation.
OFFICER
No, that's the last place we saw
her. Okay, will do.
He hangs up.
PARTNER
Well?
OFFICER
(shrugs)
We keep looking.
PARTNER
Wonderful.
86 INT. FARMHOUSE - DAY 86
Taupin sits at his desk. Before him is spread out blank birth
certificates, driver licenses and title deeds. His eyes lift
to the corridor where Brenna is. An idea has come to him.
Brenna enters.
BRENNA
What's all that?
TAUPIN
Richard Taupin has become
cumbersome. It would be best
if he just disappeared.
Brenna walks to the window.
BRENNA
You did kill those men.
TAUPIN
Not all of them.
BRENNA
When you finish, what then?
TAUPIN
I go my way and you can write
all you want about the big bad
Mr. Taupin.
BRENNA
You make it all sound so simple.
TAUPIN
The only real difficulty comes
in changing over the ownership
of property I've aquired. That
requires certain records and
most importantly a personal
appearance at the county seat in
Gettysburg. But that's where
you come in.
BRENNA
You want me to front for you.
TAUPIN
The less exposure I recieve
around government buildings the
better. You, as Mrs. Taupin,
will attract considerably less
attention than I.
Brenna is unsure.
TAUPIN
Not such a bad trade. The story
of a lifetime for a few days
work?
87 INT. TAUPIN'S WASHINGTON TOWNHOUSE 87
Detective Moran looks through the broken remains of the living
room.
An INSPECTOR enters.
INSPECTOR
They lost her outside of Thurmont.
Moran sighs and tosses a piece of wood on the pile of debris.
MORAN
I want people in here to check
over every piece of this stuff.
INSPECTOR
Figure she's with him?
MORAN
Yeah.
INSPECTOR
We ran down that Church Hill info.
She's right. There is no Richard
Taupin.
MORAN
Any other I.D.s come up?
INSPECTOR
Not yet. Called FBI yesterday.
Thompson's going to try CIA
this afternoon.
(shrugs)
Y'never know.
Moran rises and dons his coat.
MORAN
Should have seen him the first
night. Son of a bitch stood there
with a quart of blood on his
pant leg and didn't even blink.
INSPECTOR
You'd think he'd had practice.
Moran walks to the door.
MORAN
I think he has.
DISSOLVE TO:
88 EXT. FRENCE MILITARY CAMP - DAY 88
Conor, now MAJOR DUPONT of the French infantry, pours over
battle plans.
An AIDE, dressed as Conor-Dupont in 18th century European
military garb, enters the command area.
AIDE
The men are assembled, Major.
A GENERAL stands beside the major.
GENERAL
See that they are indeed ready,
Dupont.
DUPONT (CONOR)
Yes General.
89 EXT. PARADE GROUND - DAY 89
A regiment of INFANTRYMEN, pale blue coat tails tossing in
the light breeze, stand at attention.
A STAFF SARGEANT presents the men to Dupont.
STAFF SARGEANT
Regiment ready for review, sir.
Dupont walks past the sargeant to the line.
DUPONT
(to soldier)
Stand straight, you are a soldier
of the King.
SOLDIER #1
Yes sir.
Dupont continues down the line. Another soldier's infantry
jacket is almost hilariously mis-buttoned, one collar sticking
up four inches higher than the other.
Dupont with both hands rips open the soldier's coat, spraying
brass buttons onto the ground.
He moves on.
DUPONT
(to soldier)
Where is your bayonet?
SOLIDER #3
Lost it sir.
DUPONT
Where?
The soldier hedges.
STAFF SARGEANT
You heard the Major! Where!
SOLDIER #3
Whorehouse sir.
Dupont's face softens in exasperation, then toughens.
DUPONT
Your rifle. Hand it to me.
The soldier obeys. Dupont inspects the firing mechanism.
DUPONT
The flint is cracked. No spark
will reach your powder. You will
die tomorrow.
He throws the rifle roughly back into the soldier's hands.
DUPONT
Tomorrow you go to _battle_! And
you look like children!
(beat)
The General has charged me with
seeing that you are prepared, and
prepared you will be! If necessary
you stand here all night! Sargeant!
The sargeant leaps to attention.
SARGEANT
Yes sir.
DUPONT
See to it.
SARGEANT
Yes sir.
Dupont turns briskly, then stops abruptly as if alerted by some-
thing. He whirls around and faces the young infantrymen.
His expression is quizzical as he walks the line, checking
each face carefully.
One PRIVATE seizes his attention. The private is cautious.
DUPONT
Your name?
MULET
Mulet.
It is as if Dupont knows him. The two stare at each other.
Dupont turns and leaves.
90 INT. COTTAGE - EVENING 90
Inside a small farmhouse commandeered for officer's quarters,
Dupont (Conor) and several others eat their evening meal.
A CAPTAIN finishes his story.
CAPTAIN
(amused)
...And what a sight! That old
mare just kept falling over her
own guts till someone finally
shot her.
The OFFICERS LAUGH. All but Dupont.
MAJOR
(beside Dupont)
Complete your inspection?
DUPONT
They're nothing but boys. It
will be a slaughter tomorrow.
MAJOR
(laughs)
I doubt much can change that.
The enemy has five brigades
waiting for us.
DUPONT
We need more time.
MAJOR
Won't get it.
(shrugs)
We are a sacrifice. A diversion.
Dupont pokes unenthusiastically at his plate.
MAJOR
Eat up Dupont. It will probably
be your last.
DUPONT
(rises)
Not likely.
Dupont goes to the window. Dusk shines orange on his face.
In the foreground the man Dupont encountered at the line-up,
Mulet, is chopping firewood.
91 EXT. COTTAGE - NIGHT 91
Several hours later.
Most are asleep. Mulet continues his wood splitting.
From out of the dark cottage steps Dupont.
DUPONT (CONOR)
I thought I gave orders the
regiment was to drill.
MULET
Staff sargeant detailed me to
prepare firewood for the break-
fast cooking.
DUPONT
What is your position?
MULET
Second musketeer.
DUPONT
I understand you joined up in
Bremen.
MULET
You seem to understand a great
deal.
DUPONT
I am a Major, Private. You would
do well remembering that when
addressing me.
MULET
Excuse me, "sir". I thought we
spoke as equals.
DUPONT
Equals?
MULET
(shrugs)
If you wish to play games, Major.
Mulet returns to his chore.
DUPONT
Wait. I think we understand each
other.
MULET
We have no understanding.
DUPONT
Then it is time two of us did.
You are very young. I was once
young. I can help.
Mulet LAUGHS.
MULET
Help? I've seen others "help".
Somehow a head always ended up
on the counter.
DUPONT
It can be different. It must be.
MULET
It never changes, Major.
Mulet turns to his chore. Dupont grabs his arm.
DUPONT
We must talk.
MULET
(shakes him off)
Stay out of it.
DUPONT
(angry)
Don't threaten me, Private.
MULET
(disgust)
Who do you think I am? One of your
freckle faced children waiting to
die tomorrow? "Threaten you"? You
and I just living will always be a
threat. Forever. Look at your life,
Major. Look at mine. Nothing there
but threat. Threats and nothingness.
It's what we live for.
Mulet turns his back on Dupont.
Dupont draws his cutlass.
DUPONT
Do not turn your back on me.
MULET
You are really going to force this,
aren't you?
DUPONT
Either you are with me or against me.
Mulet turns slowly, axe in hand.
MULET
Have I a choice?
The two stare into eyes empty of emotion.
Mulet's hand flinches. An attack?
Dupont CUTS quickly, slicing open both of Mulet's arms.
The axe drops to the ground.
Mulet seems strangely calm.
MULET
You see Major? You are not so
different.
Dupont cuts off Mulet's head where he stands.
92 EXT. CLEARING - NIGHT 92
Dupont drags the corpse across the meadow and dumps it into
a swamp.
93 INT. CATHEDRAL - NIGHT 93
It is very late. Only a few OFFICERS are seated in the pews.
Dupont tries to concentrate on prayer, but is distracted.
MULET
(voice flashback)
You see Major? You are not so
different...
DUPONT
I had no choice.
Dupont sighs and looks to the altar.
DUPONT
Who am I deceiving?
KNIGHT
Certainly not me.
Dupont whirls around to see the Knight, dressed as he in uniform,
sitting one row behind.
Dupont leaps to his feet.
KNIGHT
You needn't look so flushed,
Major. You are quite safe in
church.
Dupont eases his breathing.
KNIGHT
State of grace and all that.
DUPONT
Tradition.
KNIGHT
It's all we have.
Dupont has backed up a few paces.
KNIGHT
All this time and still a scared
little boy.
Dupont sits down.
DUPONT
Not so scared.
KNIGHT
Perhaps not.
(smiles)
You seem to have misplaced a
private. No doubt by now his
head is stranger to his neck.
DUPONT
No doubt.
KNIGHT
You surprise me. Eliminating a
rival like that. Such are the
actions of a man of conquest. I
was mistaken. 300 years have
turned the boy's fear into ambit-
ion.
DUPONT
You're wrong.
KNIGHT
I know you very well, Conor MacLeod.
And I can see the truth beginning
to make itself clear to you. Mulet,
Romirez, they were fools without
vision. It was destined that the
board would be cleared for the real
players.
The Knight almost seems proud of Dupont.
DUPONT
Romirez understood. Not you.
KNIGHT
Romirez is dust.
The Knight looks to the altar.
KNIGHT
Finish your prayers?
DUPONT
Finish yours?
KNIGHT
(smiles)
Our common heritage.
(beat)
I am your only real friend, you
know. The only one who truly
understands you.
(rises)
I look forward to the day we
meet again. And I kill you.
DUPONT
So sure?
The Knight leans forward and puts his face very near.
KNIGHT
You can't stay in church forever.
The Knight moves into the aisle.
KNIGHT
Good night, Major.
He exits.
Conor sits in the dim church alone. Very alone.
DISSOLVE TO:
94 EXT. WORSTICK CHURCH (PRESENT DAY) 94
Richard Taupin sits against the stone of an old Catholic church.
Taupin sighs. A long, weary sigh.
95 INT. TAUPIN'S FARMHOUSE 95
Taupin and Brenna sit at a table working on forms.
Taupin looks up from his work and studies Brenna's face without
malice.
95 EXT. CREEK - DAY 95
Brenna and Taupin are taking a walk along the township's
outskirts.
Crossing a small bridge over a smaller creek, they encounter
the elderly caretaker Mr. North and his eight year old GRANDSON.
Both with fishing poles.
MR. NORTH
Morning Mr. North
TAUPIN
Same.
MR. NORTH
Such a pretty day. If I live
to be 90 I'll never tire of
mornings like this. Mind you
I'm 74 now.
TAUPIN
No.
MR. NORTH
Yes sir. When you get older your
priorities change. It's the simple
things that count. Without them
growing old can be a very lonely
thing.
TAUPIN
I'm sure that's true.
The grandson is having difficulty baiting his line. Taupin bends
down beside the young fisherman.
TAUPIN
(takes worm)
Here. The hook should go just below
the head, where the meat is toughest.
GRANDSON
Thanks.
Taupin's show of affection surprises Brenna.
TAUPIN
Show you a trick.
Taupin takes a clump of leaves from the bridge and winds them
around the hook.
TAUPIN
Fish are creatures of habit. They
like their food where they're used
to it. At the top, hiding in old
leaves.
GRANDSON
Where did you learn that?
TAUPIN
My father taught me.
GRANDSON
Your father must be smart.
TAUPIN
Yes, he was.
Brenna is touched.
96 INT. TAUPIN'S FARMHOUSE - NIGHT 96
Brenna lies on her bed thinking. She puts on a robe and walks
into the living room.
LIVING ROOM
Taupin sits before the fireplace, its flames reflecting on his
brandy glass. Brenna moves quietly to a seat beside him.
TAUPIN
(eyes on the fireplace)
There was a man once. Just a simple
woodcarver. But he understood. More
than anyone he could see to the heart
of it.
(beat)
It never ends. Today is the same as
the first. Tomorrow will be the
same as today. So much time. And all
of it wasted.
(beat)
You love history?
BRENNA
Yes.
TAUPIN
I wish I could.
97 INT. CITY HALL 97
Brenna looks through a property zoning book.
98 EXT. WORSTICK MAIN STREET - DAY 98
Walking past small town stores, Brenna allows herself a moment
to window shop.
IN A SHOP WINDOW
Is a small poster advertising a community get-together. Brenna
peels it off the glass and slips it into her notebook.
99 INT. TAUPIN'S FARMHOUSE 99
Brenna and Taupin go over various forms and documents.
BRENNA
The estate stuff is pretty straight
forward. Just lots of forms and an
appearance at the county seat.
TAUPIN
It will take some time for the
forms to clear before you go to
Gettysburg.
Brenna is silent.
TAUPIN
Second thoughts?
Pause.
BRENNA
No.
(beat)
So what now? We just wait?
TAUPIN
Yes.
BRENNA
Well, as long as we're stuck here.
She hands him the poster from earlier.
BRENNA
It's some sort of party the
town is throwing.
TAUPIN
They do it each year.
BRENNA
I thought it might be a nice break
from all of this.
Taupin stacks the documents into a folder.
TAUPIN
Maybe it would do us both good.
BRENNA
There's a catch. You're supposed
to wear 19th century clothing.
100 INT. FARMHOUSE CELLAR 100
Taupin is going through an old trunk.
TAUPIN
My father was something of a
junk collector.
He comes across a long period dress and offers it to Brenna.
TAUPIN
Here, try this. I suppose they're
still making women the same as back
then.
BRENNA
It's beautiful.
TAUPIN
A little dusty.
Taupin fishes through the trunk and comes up with an old top
hat. He turns it over in his hand with stoic memory.
DISSOLVE TO:
101 EXT. COLONIAL STYLE HOME - DUSK 101
Conor and a beautiful young woman, KATHERINE, sit on the porch
steps in 1800s period dress. Other young COUPLES relax nearby
enjoying the warm summer's twilight. Katherine's MOTHER shuffles
between the couples offering lemonade, cakes, and the like.
KATHERINE
Do it again.
She is thoroughly charmed by Conor.
CONOR
All right.
Conor wraps a length of yarn about his fingers. By turning his
hand over and bending his knuckles just so, the web becomes the
outline of a lion..
CONOR
A lion.
(growls)
Katherine is delighted.
Conor starts to remove the yarn. Katherine touches his arm.
KATHERINE
Oh please. Another one.
CONOR
What would you like?
KATHERINE
Something pretty.
CONOR
Like you.
Conor cups his hands, bends his fingers, and comes up with a
four leaf clover.
KATHERINE
That's wonderful. Where did you
ever learn it?
CONOR
Far away.
KATHERINE
Kiss me.
Conor shoots a glance for the mother, then kisses Katherine
softly.
YOUNG MAN
(o.s.)
You'll be leaving the girl alone.
A YOUNG MAN stands a few yards from the stairs.
KATHERINE
David.
CONOR
Do you have cause to bothering
us?
YOUNG MAN
That's my girl.
KATHERINE
David, we've already spoken of this.
YOUNG MAN
He's not what he pretends to be.
Conor climbs to his feet.
CONOR
You best leave, son.
YOUNG MAN
You think you're so high and
mighty, coming into town and
taking a man's woman. Well I
know about you. I know about
the things you do.
CONOR
(moving closer)
I said you best leave.
YOUNG MAN
You'd like that, wouldn't you?
(to Katherine)
Ask him about his friends. The
ones he meets in the town square.
Ask him about the blade he keeps
beneath his bed.
Conor grabs the youth's collar and pulls him close.
CONOR
(like ice)
Leave. While you still can.
The youth pushes away from the grasp.
YOUNG MAN
You don't frighten me.
CONOR
I should.
The young man throws a fist at Conor. It is easily blocked.
Conor returns with a savage blow to the chest that knocks
the young man gasping onto the ground.
Katherine runs up behind and grabs Conor's outstretched arm.
KATHERINE
No! Leave him. Please don't hurt him.
Please.
COUGHING painfully, the youth climbs to his feet and staggers
away.
YOUNG MAN
He's not what you think.
He turns and runs down the road.
YOUNG MAN
He's not what you think!
Katherine turns to Conor, his face still locked in ice.
KATHERINE
I don't care who you are or where
you come from.
She hugs him tightly.
KATHERINE
I love you.
Conor's face softens as he brings up an arm to hold her.
DISSOLVE TO:
102 INT. WORSTICK TOWN HALL (PRESENT DAY) 102
An auditorium has been transformed with colored lights and
strung paper into a small town party.
TEENAGERS in period dress control the floor, dancing to a
decidedly un-period ROCK BAND.
The OLDER GUESTS are gathered around the punch bowl talking
crops or Pennsylvania politics.
BRENNA
Fitted as well as can be expected in her lace dress, enters
with Taupin, himself dressed in a formal suit complete with cape.
His clothes fit perfectly.
Mr. North, comically dressed as a pirate, greets them.
MR. NORTH
Mr. Taupin! Glad you could make it.
Best get some punch before it's
gone. Near the whole valley showed
up.
They go to the table.
Taupin pours a glass of punch. An ELDERLY WOMAN approaches him.
WOMAN
If I didn't know better I'd say
William Taupin.
TAUPIN
His son. Richard.
MR. NORTH
Mr. Taupin is up from Washington
to look over his father's estate.
WOMAN
Your father died some years ago.
This is your first visit?
The tone is snide.
TAUPIN
Of sorts.
WOMAN
I suppose a Taupin had to show
up eventually.
(walks away)
TAUPIN
Good evening, Mrs. Butler.
She turns in surprise at his knowing her name, then walks on.
BRENNA
What was all that about?
MR. NORTH
Sorry Mr. Taupin. That's not meant
for you. Just some didn't take
much to your father.
BRENNA
Why?
TAUPIN
My father was never one for social
whirls.
MR. TAUPIN
Kept to himself for sure. Then with
all that business in '31.
BRENNA
What business?
MR. NORTH
Family down the road from the
Taupin place was murdered. All
cut up they were. Horrible. Two
strangers were also found with
the bodies. No one ever accused
William, but with his reputation
as a loner and the rumors about
him and some of the wives in town,
folks just never forgot. Most
were relieved when they heard he'd
died. Sorry Mr. Taupin.
TAUPIN
Nothing to be sorry about.
MR. NORTH
Just your pappy scared some.
The rock band finished as a PORTLY MAN in a union soldier's
uniform takes the microphone.
PORTLY
All right, the kids have had their
fun. Now it's time for a little
more traditional dancing.
The rock band gives ground to a group of older MUSICIANS. With
a nod from the union soldier they begin a folk tune with fiddles
and hammer dulcimer.
The costumed guests take to the floor.
BRENNA
I don't know any of these. I'll
make a fool of myself.
TAUPIN
Follow me.
Taupin starts into it with perfect grace. A faltering Brenna
tries to keep up.
BRENNA
William Taupin seems to have left
his mark.
TAUPIN
Yes.
BRENNA
And you are William
Taupin, aren't you?
TAUPIN
Yes.
They do a final turn and finish. The other DANCERS applaud.
BRENNA
You're using your son's
name.
TAUPIN
No. Just the child of
some lonely girl I gave
a ride to. When they
died I put them in a
grave with my name on it.
Twenty years later I
became the son.
Brenna is staring at him.
TAUPIN
More punch?
He leads her to a table.
BRENNA
Then you must be at least
70 years old.
TAUPIN
At least.
BRENNA
That's impossible.
Several of the ELDERLY WOMEN are watching Taupin from across
the room.
103 EXT. BUS STATION - NIGHT 103
A bus with "Gettysburg" across the front pulls to a stop at
a dark terminal. A lone passenger steps off into the mist.
It is the Knight, bound up in a leather jacket and carrying
only a long, narrow case.
104 EXT. - NIGHT 104
Brenna and Taupin walk alone in the night outside the hall.
BRENNA
It's frightening sometimes the
way you talk about other people's
lives.
TAUPIN
A factor of age.
BRENNA
I hope I never get that old.
TAUPIN
You won't.
Brenna pulls away.
BRENNA
I must be insane. Leaving work,
ditching cops. All to follow a
murderer. A very old murderer,
but a murderer just the same.
TAUPIN
Why are you here?
BRENNA
I've been telling myself it's the
award winning journal article I'm
going to write. But it's not.
(looks at him squarely)
It's you.
TAUPIN
I see.
BRENNA
I'm not even sure why.
TAUPIN
Hardly a reason to run off with
a murderer.
BRENNA
My life has been chock full of
people with complications and weak-
nesses. I can't stand it. But
you're different. It's in your
hands. A clarity.
TAUPIN
You are a very perceptive young
woman.
BRENNA
Just a little crazy.
A thoughtful pause.
TAUPIN
Miss Cartwright, it's time I
showed you something.
105 INT. FARMHOUSE CELLAR 105
Taupin and Brenna descend the stairs to a seemingly flush wall.
Taupin reaches behind a bookcase and pulls something. A press
from his hand and the wall becomes a doorway.
TAUPIN
(gestures to interior)
Miss Cartwright?
Brenna steps uneasily into the darkness. Taupin follows and
switches on the light.
106 INT. HIDDEN ROOM 106
Brenna's expression changes to awe.
The room is massive, a cross between a museum and an old attic.
Suits of armor, Italian statuettes, Czech ironworks, Persian
fetishes and a thousand other oddities from a hundred eras
crowd the shelving and floor space.
The room has the look of ownership, as if civilization had
taken the time to keep a scrapbook.
BRENNA
My God.
The sight is overwhelming.
TAUPIN
I had this room built some
time ago.
Brenna picks up a Carolingian tapestry and runs her hand along
its intricate weaving.
BRENNA
Who are you?
TAUPIN
That would be difficult to explain.
BRENNA
I'd like you to try.
Taupin picks up a Byzantine icon, brushing the dust from its
shoulders.
TAUPIN
I was born Conor MacLeod in the
village of Ardvrek on the High-
land plain of Strathnaver in the
clan of MacLeod under the King
of Scotland. On the eleventh of
December, 1408.
He replaces the icon.
TAUPIN
I have served in the armies of
twelve nations, married nine
women, fathered thirty-eight
children and buried them all.
Taupin walks along the cases.
TAUPIN
I carried that rifle in World
War I. This book is a 16th Century
policy report for the King of
Austria. The diploma is my con-
ference of degree in Latin from
Trinity College. Class of 1672.
(beat)
It goes on.
BRENNA
That's why Smith called you
MacLeod.
TAUPIN
Yes.
BRENNA
He knows about you.
TAUPIN
He is older than I.
BRENNA
What could possibly be worth all
this murder and distruction.
TAUPIN
Sometimes I think it's just for
something to do. A conquest to
be the last. Something to hold
onto while everything else around
you withers and blows away. Some-
thing to replace the love that can
never work.
BRENNA
That's insane.
TAUPIN
Perhaps. There is something more.
An inheritance.
BRENNA
Of bodies.
TAUPIN
I didn't kill the watchman.
BRENNA
You killed those other two.
TAUPIN
Not the same.
BRENNA
What about that family in '31?
TAUPIN
Sometimes innocents become involved.
BRENNA
You and your buddy make a real
team, don't you? Exchanging
eloquent threats in iambic pen-
tameter while hacking up all
the innocents in between.
TAUPIN
There are differences.
BRENNA
You kill with your left hand?
TAUPIN
I haven't killed _you_.
BRENNA
Is that a threat?
Taupin moves very close.
TAUPIN
No.
Brenna's face softens. She turns away.
BRENNA
Don't.
TAUPIN
Come here, Brenna.
BRENNA
Damn you.
He kisses her.
DISSOLVE TO:
107 EXT. TURN OF THE CENTURY CEMETARY - DAY 107
RELATIVES in period dress watch as a family member is lowered
into the ground.
A very OLD WOMAN stands stoically, supported on both sides by
her middle aged SONS.
MINISTER
May God commend into his kingdom
the soul of our dear departed
Jason, son of Katherine-
The old woman.
MINISTER
And brother to Howard and James-
The two middle aged sons.
CONOR
Watches the funeral quietly at a distance.
THE OLD WOMAN
As the minister continues allows her gaze to wander. She sees
Conor standing at the treeline. Her eyes crinkle in disbelief.
Releasing herself from her sons, she hobbles toward Conor.
Confused, the brothers watch their mother leave the ceremony.
CONOR
Watches the woman approach but decides against moving.
She stops a few paces away and looks over him.
OLD WOMAN
You.
CONOR
Katherine.
OLD WOMAN
What are you doing here?
CONOR
I owe him this.
OLD WOMAN
He never knew you.
The two sons come up behind. The three stand there: an old
woman who could be 60 years Conor's senior and her two sons
old enough to be his father.
SON #1
Is something wrong, Mother?
OLD WOMAN
Howard. James. This is your
father...
DISSOLVE TO:
108 INT. BEDROOM 108
Taupin and Brenna lie together.
Running her hands along the contours of his body she sees the
countless faint scars of bullet and sword wounds.
Taupin strokes her softly.
TAUPIN
"Brenna". In Celtic is means
"woman with raven hair". Only
chieftan's daughters were allowed
it.
Brenna is lost in Taupin's scars.
BRENNA
What is it like? Being you?
TAUPIN
Empty. And fear. Fear of those that
would kill you and fear of those that
would love you. It can never last, and
in the end you always end up destroying
both.
BRENNA
But you're known so much.
History I'll only read about.
TAUPIN
It's all the same. Half lives that
never go away.
BRENNA
What is it you want?
TAUPIN
All of it finished.
109 EXT. FARMHOUSE - MORNING 109
Taupin and Brenna stand beside her car. She has an armload
of documents.
TAUPIN
Gettysburg's an hour's drive
at most. You should be back
by nightfall.
BRENNA
Will I see you again?
TAUPIN
Be careful. Don't stay any
longer than you have to.
Pause. Brenna considers touching him but instead climbs briskly
into the car.
TAUPIN
Good luck.
110 EXT. POLICE DEPARTMENT PARKING LOT - DAY 110
Detective Moran and his Inspector walk among parked squad cars.
MORAN
Are you sure?
INSPECTOR
Won't know till the
records department comes
back with it this after-
noon. Looks good though.
They found the receipt
in his townhouse. It was
pretty smeared but had
Taupin's father listed
as a signatory.
MORAN
Round up who you can
and put them on standby.
INSPECTOR
Think we should call the
local P.D. out there
first?
MORAN
No. I want this to be
all ours.
111 INT. COUNTY RECORDS OFFICE 111
Brenna is standing at a counter signing the last of a stack.
CLERK
O.K. Mrs. Taupin, that's
all I need.
The clerk fills out a small sheet and hands it to her.
CLERK
Just take this down
the hall to the regis-
trar. Hurry up though,
it's near closing time.
Most everyone's gone
home already.
A pair of Levis follow Brenna at a distance down the corridor.
112 INT. REGISTRAR'S OFFICE 112
Sealed from the corridor by a pair of doors, two CLERKS
sit in an office mostly cleared of employees.
Brenna hands the slip to a clerk.
CLERK #2
I'll be right back.
She disappears into the rear area.
BRENNA
(to other clerk)
Do you have a drinking
fountain?
CLERK #3
Around the corner.
Brenna steps around and takes a drink. She looks into her
reflection on the stainless steel and spends a moment fiddling
with her hair.
THE CLERK
Still hasn't returned. Brenna drums her fingers on the
counter top and looks around the office.
The second clerk is also gone.
Brenna sees something unfamiliar on the second clerk's desk.
She steps over to it.
It is a large blood stain.
Brenna shoots a glance to the double doors.
They're closed.
Brenna rushes to the doors. Someone's locked them.
She struggles with the handles, then turns to see the Knight
walking to her with his stained sword.
With a SCREAM she kicks a rolling office chair into him and
runs down an opposite corridor.
THE KNIGHT
Flings the chair aside and knocks open the door with a SLAM
of his palm.
BRENNA
Has run out of corridor. She looks back at the Knight closing
the distance. CRYING in fear, she frantically searches for
a way out.
The Knight is nearly upon her.
In desperation she runs into a janitorial closet, closing
its heavy door.
THE CLOSET
Is dark and full of old paint cans and mops. Her BREATHING
is at a PANIC.
THE KNIGHT
Tries the door handle.
Stepping back, he lifts his sword and HAMMERS it deep into
the wood.
BRENNA
(crying)
Oh God...
He STRIKES again. And again. Splinters smack against surround-
ing walls.
BRENNA
Go away! Oh God, go
away!
CRYING hysterically, Brenna presses herself against the far
wall, sliding to the floor in a crouch.
THE KNIGHT
Steps back and gives the door a last two-fisted swing.
Brenna SCREAMS.
The door collapses.
113 EXT. HIGHWAY - EVENING 113
A group of unmarked police cars race by with the last light
of day.
114 INT. CAR 114
At the wheel is Moran's assistant, the inspector.
114 INT. HOME - NIGHT 114
Taupin stands at his fireplace, the only light in the room,
poking at it with a tong.
His gaze goes to a mantle clock.
It is 10:30 PM.
The phone RINGS.
He looks to it.
It RINGS again.
He picks up the receiver slowly and places it against his ear.
KNIGHT'S VOICE
We have some unfinished
business.
TAUPIN
Are you here?
KNIGHT'S VOICE
I want you to come to
me.
TAUPIN
And if I refuse?
KNIGHT'S VOICE
Give me an address where
I can forward Miss Cart-
wright's head.
This affects him.
KNIGHT'S VOICE
Yes laddie, I have her.
TAUPIN
Should I care?
KNIGHT
You have three hours.
115 EXT. RURAL ROAD - NIGHT 115
The unmarked cars shoot by.
116 INT. HOME 116
Taupin hangs up the phone.
He looks to the sword on the table, reflecting the firelight.
117 EXT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT 117
POLICE OFFICERS, placed around Taupin's house, are COCKING
shotguns and CHAMBERING pistols.
Two officers take positions on either side of the door. A
third, after getting the signal, kicks the door open.
118 INT. FARMHOUSE 118
The officers drop to firing positions in the doorway. The
room is empty.
119 INT. FARMHOUSE BEDROOM 119
An officer BURSTS in. It's empty.
120 INT. MAIN ROOM 120
The Inspector is on the phone.
INSPECTOR
He's not here.
121 EXT. THE JEFFERSON MEMORIAL - NIGHT 121
Spotlights seperate the whitemarble from the surrounding
blackness.
Taupin's face moves into frame.
122 EXT. MONUMENT STAIRS - NIGHT 122
Sword firmly in one hand, Taupin climb's the monument's steps.
123 INT. JEFFERSON MEMORIAL - NIGHT 123
A twenty-five foot bronze of Thomas Jefferson flanked by his
quotations.
A sword in one hand and Brenna in the other, the Knight stands
at the statue's base.
KNIGHT
Welcome.
Taupin stands at the entrance.
KNIGHT
Kahn sends his best.
In a corner the Asian's head lies on its side, the horror of
death still pressed into the face. Taupin's eyes return slowly
to the Knight and Brenna.
TAUPIN
Let her go.
The Knight throws Brenna roughly against a wall.
KNIGHT
You disappoint me.
(looks at Brenna)
I thought you'd finally gotten over
that sort of thing.
TAUPIN
Leave her out of this.
KNIGHT
As you wish.
The Knight holds his sword out at a ceremonial angle. Taupin
does the same. The weapons are CLANKED together twice, then
pulled back into battle position.
The two begin walking a circle, poised swords waiting for an
opening.
The Knight leaps first, his clash of steel RINGING off the high
walls.
Another ATTACK without result.
KNIGHT
You can do better than that.
Taupin swings. The Knight jumps back. Sweat gleams from their
brows.
124 EXT. JEFFERSON MEMORIAL - NIGHT 124
Two LOVERS enjoy a late night walk along the tidal basin.
There is a distant CLANKING of metal.
BOY
It's from over near the memorial.
He jumps up on a rock. Several yards away can be seen two figures
attacking each other.
BOY
Shit.
125 INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - NIGHT 125
Standing at a map of the city, Moran nurses a cup of coffee.
The phone RINGS.
MORAN
Moran. All right, get a patrol
unit out there right away. I'll
meet them.
126 INT. JEFFERSON MEMORIAL - NIGHT 126
The Knight and Taupin are PANTING heavily.
The Knight goes low. Taupin blocks. The Knight comes overhead
quickly. Taupin misjudges and the blade slices deep into his
shoulder and chest. The impact knocks him flat on his back.
The Knight looks down on his wounded prey.
A SCREECH of brakes from outside the monument. Two OFFICERS
are coming up the steps.
KNIGHT
No. Not now.
127 EXT. MEMORIAL - NIGHT 127
The officers reach the top and enter.
INSIDE
One of the officers is Dennis, who sees only a CRYING Brenna
and Taupin lying wounded on the floor.
DENNIS
Brenna?
The Knight rushes up from behind, his sword in full swing.
128 EXT. INTERSECTION - NIGHT 128
Moran's car blows through a cross street.
129 INT. CAR 129
Moran is at the wheel.
130 INT. MEMORIAL - NIGHT 130
The Knight walks from the two officers spread out like rag
dolls on the floor.
KNIGHT
(to Taupin)
Get up.
Taupin looks at Brenna and the dead policemen. A resignation
sweeps over him.
TAUPIN
What's the point?
KNIGHT
This isn't done. Get up.
TAUPIN
What's the point! You have me,
finish it!
KNIGHT
I have waited forever for this.
You will not cheapen it, little
boy.
TAUPIN
(irony)
Tradition.
KNIGHT
It's all we have.
TAUPIN
Go to hell.
The Knight looks to Brenna.
KNIGHT
Perhaps Miss Cartwright would like
to play.
TAUPIN
Leave her alone.
KNIGHT
Get up.
Taupin struggles to his feet. Blood pouring from his shirt, he
stands uneasily with his sword at ready.
The Knight swings. Taupin blocks.
131 EXT. MEMORIAL - NIGHT 131
Moran drives up. There is an empty police car, the door still
ajar.
132 INT. MEMORIAL - NIGHT 132
Taupin is badly outclassed.
He feebly fends off an attack, but the Knight returns quickly
with a savage SLICE that rips open Taupin's stomach and throws
him again to the floor.
BRENNA
You bastard!
KNIGHT
Be silent.
BRENNA
Leave him alone.
KNIGHT
You will be silent!!
The voice is THUNDERING.
Taupin kneels with his forehead pressed against the floor. His
teeth grind in pain.
The Knight smiles.
KNIGHT
I do hope you're enjoying this
as much as me.
MORAN
Stands in the entryway. The Knight sees him.
KNIGHT
Get out.
Moran draws his pistol.
The Knight walks toward him,
KNIGHT
This is nothing that concerns you.
Moran levels his gun.
The Knight raises his sword.
KNIGHT
You will leave!
Two EXPLOSIONS as Moran FIRES. The slugs slam into the Knight,
blowing him off his feet.
He lies still.
Moran looks to Brenna. To Taupin. Then he walks closer to the
Knight.
TAUPIN
(hoarse)
Don't.
Taupin curls in a spasm of pain.
Moran moves closer.
The Knight lies face down, blood oozing from exit wounds over
his heart. He isn't breathing.
Moran bends over slowly to see the Knight's face.
TAUPIN
Stop. You don't understand.
The Knight suddenly rolls over and plants his sword into Moran's
chest. The pistol DISCHARGES against a far wall.
Taupin crawls for the Knight.
Moran's mouth opens but no sound escapes. The Knight, blood
pouring from his mouth and nose, thrusts deeper then retracts
quickly.
Moran slides off the sword dead.
Taupin CUTS hard against the Knight's chest. The Knight GAGS
in surprise and crumples. Taupin CUTS again, then puts the
blade against the Knight's GURGLING throat.
TAUPIN
In mamus tuas Domine commendo
spiritum meum. Auditorium nostrum
in nomine Domine.
He raises the sword.
TAUPIN
Requiescant in pace.
And CUTS the Knight's head off.
Taupin drops his sword.
His breathing quickens.
A sensation sweeps over him.
Taupin drops to the floor WHIMPERING. He sucks in painful gulps
of air.
BRENNA
My God.
Taupin bolts up and looks at her without seeing.
BRENNA
Conor.
Taupin is looking past her.
A blood-stained hand suddenly GRABS Brenna's shoulder. She
SCREAMS. The headless body of the Knight stands beside her.
THE KNIGHT'S HEAD
Lies on the floor.
The eyes open. The face pulls into a smile.
KNIGHT
And now you know.
The eyes roll up into the skull. The face slackens.
The hulking mass standing beside Brenna sways, the collapses
to the ground.
TAUPIN
Is CRYING. Not from wounds he no longer feels, but from something
else.
BRENNA
What's wrong?
TAUPIN
I can't stand it. Oh God, I can't
stand it!
Brenna kneels beside him.
TAUPIN
The scream of your blood. The
shriek of trees. Stop it! Stop it!
Brenna SOBS.
BRENNA
What is it?
TAUPIN
I'm the last. Oh Christ, I'm the
_last one_!
Taupin doubles over in pain. The pain of the whole world trying
to force itself into him.
Brenna tries to hold him. He pushes her savagely away.
TAUPIN
Get out.
BRENNA
No!
TAUPIN
I'll destroy you. I've destroyed
everything I've ever touched! Oh
God...
He doubles over in pain.
BRENNA
Conor...
He grabs his sword and threatens her.
TAUPIN
_Get out_!
SOBBING, Brenna runs from the memorial. Taupin is alone.
Bleeding. Crying. In agony.
FADE OUT
FADE UP:
133 INT. SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM 133
Brenna at work in the research area. She's silent. Distant.
Something is missing from her.
134 EXT. GEORGETOWN STREET - DAY 134
Brenna stands in the street before Taupin's townhouse.
A boarded up window. A for-sale sign. Taupin is gone forever.
As if he never was.
135 INT. BRENNA'S APARTMENT 135
A desk. A single light. A cup of coffee.
A typewriter.
Brenna tries to force thoughts to the surface. CLACK-CLACK.
It is at last her journal article. She types a line, then rips
it from the carriage and tears it to pieces.
The thoughts won't come.
136 EXT. WASHINGTON MALL - DAY 136
Brenna sits on the expanse of grass throwing scraps to a group
of wild park cats.
A shadow covers her face. She looks up.
It is Taupin.
Something has changed him. His face is less cynical. More
vulnerable. More human.
He sits down on the grass beside her.
BRENNA
(after a moment)
What are we supposed to say?
The cat's eyes are all fixed in Taupin. They cautiously shrink
away, frightened.
TAUPIN
The emptyness. The years and years
of void. Nothingness. Bordered only
by the quest for ultimate nothingness.
Who would have guessed?
BRENNA
The inheritance.
TAUPIN
Not power. Not control.
Taupin holds a blade of grass as if it was speaking to him.
TAUPIN
Life. It is the gift and the under-
standing of life.
BRENNA
You have lived forever.
TAUPIN
Life is only life when it is bounded
by death. The inheritance is death.
The gift is the finality of life.
To be part of the fabric. The inside.
(turns to Brenna)
I love you Brenna.
Brenna's chin quivers.
TAUPIN
It will be horrible. The future. I
may die tomorrow or 10,000 tomorrows.
I can promise you nothing. Nothing
but a moment. Maybe two. But a moment
of love, is that not worth a lifetime?
BRENNA
(crying)
Yes.
He holds her. They hold each other.
TAUPIN
It's taken me so long. So very
long.
A jogger runs by, unaware of any life but his own.
FADE OUT
_END_ |
"HIGHLANDER IV: WORLD WITHOUT END" -- Draft 9/1/99
HIGHLANDER IV
WORLD WITHOUT END
OVER BLACK, A VOICE:
VOICE
IN THE DAYS BEFORE MEMORY, THERE WERE THE IMMORTALS. WE WERE WITH YOU THEN, AND WE ARE WITH YOU NOW.
SWEEP LOW
through CLINGING HIGHLAND MISTS that shroud a land still
in its infancy. Cathedral spires of granite. Cradled lakes. A solitary vastness.
VOICE (cont'd)
WE HAVE BEEN WORSHIPPED AS GODS MISTAKEN FOR DEMONS AND REVILED'AS WITCHES. WE ARE THE SEEDS OF A MILLION LEGENDS BUT OUR TRUE ORIGINS ARE UNKNOWN. WE SIMPLY ARE.
ANCIENT CASTLES dot the landscape, whisper of battles long forgotton.
VOICE (cont'd)
WE ARE DRIVEN BY THE CEASELESS FIGHT TO ENDURE. NO LIMIT, IT IS A BATTLE THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDRY OF TIME OR PLACE.
TWO FIGURES clash with broadswords atop the tallest promontory.
VOICE (cont'd)
TO THE WINNER COMES AN UNKNOWABLE PRIZE. YET AN IMMORTAL CAN FIND NO COMFORT IN VICTORY.
MATCH MOVE to the top of an ULTRA-MODERN SKYSCRAPER. Swordsmen continue to battle.
VOICE (cont'd)
BECAUSE IN THE END, THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.
Loser falls to the other's sword as the HEAVENS CLEAVE in a TITANIC RUPTURE OF SIGHT AND SOUND.
Like the birth of a brand new universe.
BEGIN/END TITLES:
EXT - MANHATTAN, PRESENT-DAY ESTABLISHING - DAWN
Teeming millions. Yawning concrete spires. Blare of traffic.
EXT - ANTIQUE STORE - DAWN
Engraved into a brass plaque:
MACLEOD & ELLENSTEIN ANTIQUES (FORMERLY RUSSELL NASH LTD)
A FACE reflects in the window glass. It's RACHEL ELLENSTEIN, early 60's now, a graying, maternal beauty.
She moves to the front door, reaches out to unlock i.t.
It falls open at her touch. Even though the hanging placard is still flipped to "WERE CLOSED"
Rachel hesitates. Draws a shallow breath and steps
inside.
INT - ANTIQUE STORE
All those sublime European antiquities now drip with menace. Celtic harp. Scottish targe. Brooding statuary.
She moves deeper into the shadowed recesses, flicks on a lamp.
Her gaze settles on the one exception to the impeccable order of things. An open wooden case, empty.
Just the felt impression of a missing broadsword.
RACHEL
(icy dread)
Connor...?
She crosses to the foot of the staircase. Listens.
A MUSIC BOX
spools a faint, tinny madrigal.
She climbs the stairs, padding softly upward.
The music grinds EVER LOUDER in its maddening repetitions. Every so often, it's punctuated by a CHILD'S GIGGLE.
AT THE SECOND FLOOR LANDING
Rachel edges around the corner. Her breath catches in her throat. BEFORE HER stands a locked wooden cabinet. It's been cleaved nearly in half by the BROADSWORD that still juts hilt-first from the base of the splintered front panel. PHOTO ALBUMS and leather-bound DIARIES have been shredded and scattered across the floor--
--except for several selected PHOTOGRAPHS, skewered onto the sword tip like a Medieval message spike. Rachel struggles to breathe. Like she's taken that sword in her own gut.
INSIDE THE CABINET A TELEVISION flickers with videotape of GRAINY HOME MOVIES. A LITTLE GIRL (RACHEL) is entranced by a PORCELAIN MUSIC BOX held out by an AGELESS CONNOR MACLEOD.
YOUNG RACHEL
Let me see, Connor! Let me see!
Rachel stands frozen, watching her life with Connor flash by in RAGGED FILM CLIPS.
CONNOR teaching RACHEL to ride a horse.
CONNOR with RACHEL outside an English boarding school. In a train station. At her college graduation.
CONNOR and RACHEL in a laughing embrace that only hints at something deeper.
In each new clip, Rachel has aged further. Connor has not.
Rachel steps up to the broadsword, wraps both hands around the grip and jerks it clean of the cabinet.
THE SKEWERED PHOTOGRAPHS (flutterd to the floor like dead leaves)
THE VIDEOTAPE ENDS, CLICKS OFF...
and a NEW IMAGE burns itself onto the screen in perfect digital clarity. Rachel. Staring back at herself, terror-stricken.
She hadn't even noticed it before now. The tiny CAMCORDER on the shelf above the TV with the glowing red light.
MOVE IN ON THE TV as Rachel SLOWLY BACKS AWAY. Keep moving in on the TV until the PIXELS SWIM...
THE PHONE RINGS shattering the stillness. The old rotary phone on the little Louis XIV stand. It's not just beckoning her. It's taunting her.
Gathering up the photos and hugging them to her breast, Rachel slowly approaches the phone. Any second now, you'd expect it to stop ringing, nobody home. But whoever's on the other end knows better. It keeps right on RINGING. Insistant. Trembling fingers reach out for the receiver. Slowly lift it off the hook.
RACHEL
Hello?
EXTREME CLOSE ON PHONE:
A TINY ELECTRIC CLICK is the last thing Rachel hears before--
EXT - ANTIQUE STORE - WIDE
--a BLISTERING EXPLOSION blows out the entire second floor. Rachel Ellenstein is obliterated right along with her own treasured history. Linger on the FLAMES as we
TRANSITION TO:
EXT - SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS (1565) - DAY
A MOUND OF BURNING CORPSES
They crackle and twist in the fire that feeds off them. It takes a moment to realize they're LIVESTOCK-- oxen, pigs, goats, sheep-- piled like burning refuse.
A CRUDE, WOVEN-STRAW HUMAN EFFIGY stands astride the pile, engulfed in flame.
BEYOND THE FIRE Connor MacLeod and his young wife, HEATHER, watch from the steps of their simple, isolated home. Connor betrays no emotion. Heather looks on in horror.
HEATHER
My God, what are they?
CONNOR
Farm animals. Dead of the plague.
HEATHER
Why do they torment us with their dead cattle?
(no response)
Connor...?
CONNOR
They think I've brought this upon them. It's a warning.
A deeper fear now grips Heather.
HEATHER
A warning?! They drove you from your home! They cut you off from your own people! What else could they want?!
Connor turns away from the flaming heap.
CONNOR
Someone to blame.
CUT TO:
CONNOR swinging astride his horse.
HEATHER
(dread)
Don't go back there.
THUNDER RUMBLES in the distance.
CONNOR
I have no choice.
HEATHER
Please--
CONNOR
They can't hurt me. And they know it. But they can still hurt the ones I care about.
Heather looks off. Shivers.
HEATHER
I'm afraid.
Connor leans forward, takes her face in his hands.
CONNOR
I love you, Heather. More than anything in this world.
She grips his hands. Desperately.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Do you believe me?
HEATHER
Yes.
CONNOR
Then you needn't be afraid.
(kisses her)
Nothing can ever keep us apart.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT - SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, VARIOUS - DAWN
Connor travels a primeval landscape of jagged peaks and fog-shrouded valleys.
CONNOR'S VOICE
Nothing...
CUT TO:
EXT - RIDGE ABOVE GLENFINNAN - TWILIGHT
He gazes down at the tiny hamlet of Glenfinnan, nestled between castle and shimmering loch. Breathes deep the forgotten smell of home.
INT - HUT - EVENING
CAIOLIN MACLEOD, ravaged by neglect and despair, strokes her son's face as if confirming his reality.
CAIOLIN
I thought you might be the water horse come to take me on his back and drown me in the loch.
CONNOR
(smiles)
Maybe I am, Mother.
CAIOLIN
(touches his hair)
Then come, let me grab hold of your golden mane and off we go.
Connor lifts her from the tattered bed, spins her around several giddy times and sits her upright in a chair.
CONNOR
Not before we put some meat on those bones.
He rummages through her shelves looking for food. Finds
painfully little.
CONNOR (cont'd)
No one comes to look after you?
CAIOLIN
They're all afraid of me. They think I bedevil their children because I've lost my own.
CONNOR
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...
CAIOLIN
Tiny minds and sour dispositions. I don't need them, Connor. Any of them.
Connor crouches at her feet.
CONNOR
Then it's settled. You're coming with me. There's somebody I want you to meet. She's nearly as beautiful as you.
Caiolin blinks back her disbelief.
CAIOLIN
You're sure?
CONNOR (cont'd)
We leave tonight. Let's start packing.
CAIOLIN
(lifts up her shoes)
I'm already packed.
THE SLATTED WOODEN DOOR
swings OPEN. A YOUNG MAN stands in the doorway. He's strong and severe, dressed in clergyman's black. But
that's not what draws the eye.
Even though it's cold enough to fog his breath-- he's sweatinq.
Connor looks up, guarded.
CONNOR
Jacob--
KASE
You shouldna come back, Connor.
Connor feels the tension in Kase's voice.
CONNOR
Surely as a friend you can look the other way just this once... For old times' sake...
KASE
You knew. You knew what would happen if you came back. I am not to blame for this.
CONNOR
What?
(beat)
What have you done?
KASE
God help you.
FATHER ALASDAIR RAINEY, the local priest and inquisitor, steps inside, bent over a silver cane. He's gross, corpulent and perpetually short of breath. A nasty NOSE BOIL figures prominently in his overall appearance.
VILLAGERS of varying stripe crowd nervously behind them.
FATHER RAINEY
In the name of the Holy See and the rule of law, you are hereby charged, Connor MacLeod, with heresy and the practice of black magic.
(turns to the villagers)
Take him.
The townsmen jostle in place, each trying to squeeze backward behind the other.
FATHER RAINEY (cont'd)
(squints)
Heresy is not contagious.
Two of the bolder men move forward, gripping Connor by the elbows.
Once its clear they haven't sucked up any demons, the others SWARM HIM.
EXT - STONE HUT - NIGHT
Caiolin SCREAMS as Connor's dragged outside and driven to the ground by a relentless battery of sticks and clubs.
CUT TO:
INT - STONE CELL - NIGHT
Connor stirs awake in a centuries-old dungeon, a dark hole, crumbling and damp.
VOICES seem to drip through the porous mortar. Taunting, vengeful, expectant.
He crosses to the barred window that affords him a narrow, ground-level view of THE TOWN COMMONS where a well-attended EXECUTION is now underway.
Connor squints, craning to make out the identity of the condemned.
TOWNSPEOPLE mingle and mill in front of him, obstructing his line-of-sight.
Even as A FAMILIAR VOICE rises above the surrounding chatter.
JACOB KASE'S VOICE
The curse that afflicts one generation will invariably pass its mark onto the next. The ties of blood cannot be severed by word or deed, if in fact your blood is that of your son.
Several villagers STEP ASIDE to reveal:
CONNOR'S MOTHER bound to an UPRIGHT STAKE atop a mound of shorn timber. CONNOR siezes with the impossible horror of recognition.
CONNOR
No.. . NO! !
JACOB KASE Makes the sign of the cross as he reads from a writ of
execution. He stands atop a primeval CELTIC MONOLITH worn down to the form of a pedestal. Father Rainey wobbles behind him, sniffing ammonia to spell his chronic angina.
KASE
Through the infinite compassion of our Lord God, you are entitled one final opportunity to renounce all that is unholy, to declare Connor MacLeod not of your loins and help put an end to the darkness that has been cast upon this land. How say you, Caiolin MacLeod?
Caiolin lifts her head, pale and beatific.
CAIOLIN
If your god should persecute me into the next world, then I shall simply have to find myself another.
Shocked murmers of outrage shudder through the crowd.
Kase steps up and RIPS AWAY Caiolin's cherished silver CRUCIFIX, with its distinctive wooden Christ figure.
KASE
(holding up Caiolin's crucifix)
You won't need this where you're going.
CONNOR grabs at the iron window-bars. Shakes them until the mortar chips from their moorings. THE RUDDY-FACED EXECUTIONER solemnly approaches Caiolin. Unseen by the bloodlusting crowd, he takes out a small leather sack and drapes it around her neck by the drawstring. He tucks it under her coarse woolen robe and pats it flush against her chest.
EXECUTIONER
(softly)
Black powder. It will make short work of your suffering.
Caiolin nods. He steps down off the pyre. Reaches for a BURNING TORCH. CONNOR strains against the bars like a madman. Mortar continues crumbling until one bar actually RIPS AWAY COMPLETELY. THE EXECUTIONER touches torch to kindling. It ALIGHTS. CONNOR tries to squeeze through the window gap. Too tight. So he winds back with the iron bar and swings with mindless fury. Iron strikes unyielding stone, SPARKING and CHIPPING...
THE PYRE BENEATH CAIOLIN ENGULFS IN FLAME. Heat ripples her face, distorts her body. CONNOR hammers harder, quicker, louder. Bits of stone fly everywhere. But the bulk of it remains spitefully intact. Still, it's enough to convince ALL FOUR GUARDS to intervene. They throw open the heavy iron door and descend upon Connor with swords and axes. >Wielding the iron bar like a battle mace, Connor splits the first guard's head, catches his sword mid-air and slices into the next. Third guard's axe catches on a ceiling beam. Connor runs him through like an overstuffed feedsack.
The fourth guard drops his sword and BOLTS.
THE PYRE is now fully ABLAZE. Caiolin looks out through the rippling wall of flame...
. . . and smiles weakly.
CAIOLIN
My water horse...
AS CONNOR splits the crowd like a battering ram. He reaches the pyre, hurling flaming timbers aside with his bare hands. Initially stunned, the townsfolk shrink back, watching Connor desperately scatter the fire. Caiolin buries her face in her shoulder, biting back the agony as...
Sword in hand, Connor stretches upward, hacking away the ropes that bind her, oblivious to the fire now crawling in serpentine coils around his own arms and legs. Freed of the ropes, Caiolin begins to slump forward. Connor grabs for her arm as THE BLACK POWDER EXPLODES in a CONCUSSION of FIRE that renders any further hope of rescue futile.
Connor stands atop the burning pyre, wicked tongues of flame leaping off his back and shoulders like fiery wings. He throws back his head and HOWLS to the heavens. Fire dances across Connor's skin and clothing as he raises his broadsword and steps down into the crowd.
PANDEMONIUM breaks out. This isn't just a common witch. This is one of Hell's very own. Those few foolish enough to attack are cut down where they stand. The rest scatter in mindless PANIC. Father Rainey blocks Connor's path. Lifts his cross...
. . . as he's CUT DOWN by the blind SLASH of Connor's sword. Connor steps over Rainey's body and keeps coming, driving the mob fleeing into their dwellings. Kase crouches blustering over Rainey.
KASE
Father... Father, please--
(tries to staunch the bleeding)
Father--!
Rainey's eyes open slightly.
RAINEY
Who are you...?
KASE
Your son. It's your son-- Jacob.
Rainey stares back as if a veil has suddenly been lifted. And what he now sees terrifies him to death.
RAINEY
(eyes widen)
Who are YOU?
KASE
I'm your--
He stops. Rainey's eyes are frozen. Dead.
CONNOR returns to the flaming pyre, refueling his rage with the
sight of his mother's blackened corpse. >KASE
scoops up a discarded sword, leaps to his feet and CHARGES CONNOR, bellowing like a madman. >Connor whirls around with his sword, making Kase IMPALE HIMSELF on the blade. Kase stares wide-eyed and gagging at Connor's smoldering visage-- the depthless black pools of hate that shroud his eyes. It's the last thing Jacob Kase will ever see. Connor opens his fingers and lets him DROP, the sword hilt still jutting from Kase's chest. Gathering up several chunks of flaming timber, Connor HEAVES them onto the straw-covered rooftops, setting them instantly ABLAZE. In short order, the village is transformed into a giant swirling INFERNO. Silhouetted against the crimson sky, Connor lifts Caiolin's body and turns his back on Glenfinnan for the last time.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT - ANCIENT STONE MONASTERY - NIGHT
Standing outside the massive door is a MONK clad in dark, hooded monastic garb. Nothing in the panorama would suggest we've just jumped four centuries into an uncertain future... Until--
A PACK OF MOTORCYCLISTS chew their way up the rubbled slope. Fishtail to a stop. THE LEADER, a tall eclectically-dressed Jamaican, dismounts and approaches the hooded monk.
JAMAICAN
You people are extremely hard to find.
Monk unshoulders a PUMP-ACTION SHOTGUN.
HOODED MONK
We like it that way.
(pumps shotgun)
Now go.
The other six INTRUDERS surround the monk. His eyes flick from one to the next-- a buffet of different nationalities, all big.
JAMAICAN
Take your pick. Before you squeeze the trigger a second time, you'll be dead.
Easy choice. Monk levels his gun and BLOWS the Jamaican right off his feet. And sure enough, he GAGS before his next trigger-pull. A very nasty SERRATED BLADE retracts into a wooden hilt. Monk drops in a heap as his assailant, a WIRY ASIAN, turns for the door, joined by the others. IN THE VERY NEXT INSTANT the heavy oak-and-iron door SWINGS OPEN with a BARRAGE of AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE--
The intruders are CUT DOWN where they stand. THREE MORE HOODED MONKS appear in the doorway, wielding ASSAULT RIFLES. They grimly regard the bodies.
MONK #1
Take the heads. Just in case.
Saws and cleavers are pulled by the other two guards while Guard #l keeps his gun trained on the corpses.
VOICE
Don't bother. Really.
A FIGURE stands in shadow, his face UNSEEN. We catch
only a brief glimpse of a PRIESTS COLLAR. Guard #l whips his rifle toward the Stranger. Stranger diverts it with the tip of his sword. Bullets go nowhere. One slash and the guard is gone. Two more slashes and his comrades fall. Stranger kicks the body of the dead Jamaican as he steps through the open doorway.
STRANGER
Dont be long.
INT - MONASTERY - NIGHT
FOLLOW THE STRANGER through a maze of chambers and DOWN into serpentine catacombs. He KICKS THROUGH a DOOR into AN INNER ROOM cavernous and dripping, where even the air seems septic. A few dim candles illuminate A DOZEN MEN bound to complicated, almost Giger-esque chairs. Arms, legs and faces have been immobilized by crossing flats of metal BOLTED into flesh and wood. From the wild overgrowth of hair and beard, and the impossibly long, curled fingernails, it's a good guess none of them have moved a muscle in years.
Except for a pale CUSTODIAN standing in a corner, trembling silently. Stranger stands at the threshold, his face obscured by flickering shadows. He scans the living corpses.
STRANGER
So it's true.
He moves slowly among them.
STRANGER (cont'd)
What sacrifices they made of you all. Warehoused, like rotting pieces of meat.
He pauses to lift up a downcast head. Gazes into the shackled face. The eyes are covered by strips of rusted
iron, the face by tangled beard.
STRANGER (cont'd)
Tell me-- is this the better way? I'm sure you've had some time to reflect on it.
One by one, THE RECENTLY-DEAD INTRUDERS filter into the room, led by the Jamaican. Blood stipples their clothes, streaks their faces. But they are, in every other sense, fully-restored.
Stranger straightens, swivels around to the terrified Custodian. Custodian backpeddles into the wall.
STRANGER
Which one is Connor MacLeod?
CUSTODIAN
I-- I don't know... They never told me names...
STRANGER
(low, seething)
Don't. Lie. To. Me.
CUSTODIAN
I swear. I don't know...
Stranger grabs him under the chin, lifts him to his toes.
STRANGER
You need to understand one thing, my gimpy friend. I don't care about the Game. I don't care about the rules. I don't even care about these other pathetic souls you lock away as a barrier to the Prize.
The Custodian stares back, uncomprehending.
STRANGER (cont'd)
(squeezes his throat)
I want Connor MacLeod. Give me MacLeod and I'll leave. And you can go right on pretending that what you do here actually matters.
The custodian lifts a shaking finger. RACK FOCUS TO:
THE PRISONER IN THE LAST CHAIR Even with an iron slat across his eyes, he is unmistakably Connor MacLeod. Stranger lets go of the custodian, turns...
STRANGER
Long time.
Connor strains to lift his head. His voice comes weak and drug-heavy.
CONNOR
Who are you...?
STRANGER
You'll know soon enough.
GLINT OF A SWUNG BLADE--
CUT TO:
EXT - MONASTERY - NIGHT
An unearthly LIGHT pulses through slitted windows and cracked mortar. TENDRILS of RAW ENERGY vein the ancient building, growing BRIGHTER until--
THE WINDOWS EXPLODE OUTWARD with a keening, animal-like HOWL. ABOVE the sky responds with SCREAMING WIND and TORRENTS of RAIN.
CUT TO:
EXT - PARIS - NIGHT
WIND HOWLS over the City of Lights, slicing up the Seine to. . .
DUNCAN MACLEOD'S BARGE
docked at the quay.
EXT - BARGE - NIGHT
PUSH IN on DUNCAN MACLEOD, cross-legged in meditation atop the deck. He JOLTS from a series of SUDDEN VIOLENT IMAGES. A FACE, bolted immobile, wrenched in agony. A SWORDBLADE slashing into flesh. FINGERNAILS clawing wood. BLOOD flecking tile. ESSENCE. PHONE. Ringing. Duncan snaps up the receiver, sweat drenched.
DUNCAN
Yeah?
Tiny electric CLICK...
. . . then the HISS of an overseas line.
WOMAN'S VOICE
(filtered)
He's dead.
DUNCAN
Who?
CUT TO:
A PAYPHONE, SOMEWHERE IN LOWER MANHATTAN
In a driving RAIN. A woman's hand holds the receiver to her face, obscuring her features.
WOMAN
Connor MacLeod. He was killed last night.
INT - DUNCAN'S BARGE
Duncan reels with a sudden flood of emotions.
DUNCAN
Who is this?!
WOMAN'S VOICE
A friend.
EXT - PAYPHONE
The unidentified woman slowly lowers the receiver and sets it back in the cradle.
CUT TO:
EXT - PARIS, ESTABLISHING, SUNRISE
Shadows crawl across the Parisian skyline as an ENGINE REVS TO 8000 RPM.
STREET LEVEL POV:
We PUNCH through the ARC DE TRIOMPHE and up the CHAMPS ELYSEE with a throaty FERARRI HOWL. On a WICKED DOWNSHIFT, we SQUEAL HARD RIGHT onto the PONT NEUF, stopping on a franc at
EXT - NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL - DAY
Duncan hops out of his Ferrari 355 Spyder, pauses before the massive Gothic edifice, then disappears inside.
CLOSE ON A CROUCHING STONE GARGOYLE
perched atop the highest balustrade. MOVE SIDEWAYS TO REVEAL A SECOND CROUCHING FIGURE, this one human. To many he'll be instantly familiar. Hes METHOS, oldest of all Immortals, gazing down in quiet contemplation. Methos keeps staring at the ground below, sipping bordeaux from a paper cup, even as Duncan joins him at the edge.
DUNCAN
Methos.
METHOS
so-- What brings you up here to the aerie of the lesser gods?
DUNCAN
I need your help.
METHOS
I'm out of the help business. No future in it.
DUNCAN
I was told Connor MacLeod was killed last night.
Methos' darkens. Another one lost.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
I just want to know who did it.
METHOS
(sighs)
In our world, does it really matter?
DUNCAN
It does to me.
Methos looks down at the clotted life below.
METHOS
Did I ever tell you I once kept a vineyard on the very spot where they built this monstrosity? Glorious, the wine.
(looks up)
When did you see him last?
DUNCAN
Almost ten years ago.
METHOS
What did you talk about?
DUNCAN
Nothing much.
METHOS
Think back.
FLASH TO:
INT - PUB (FROM HIGHLANDER 1) - DAY
Connor and Duncan hunch over the bar, pounding scotch.
DUNCAN
We mostly just sat around, downing shots, staring at the beer lights above the bar. When he finally got up to go, he looked at me like it was the last time I'd ever see him again. No goodbye. No handshake. Just got up and left.
BACK TO SCENE:
Duncan blinks back the memory.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
Nobody's seen him since.
METHOS
Describe the look.
DUNCAN
What do you mean?
METHOS
Describe it.
DUNCAN
It was like...
FLASH: CONNOR'S FACE
DUNCAN (cont'd)
. . . Like every death he'd ever caused had come back to haunt him.
BACK TO SCENE:
Methos takes a thoughtful sip from his wine.
METHOS
For an Immortal who comes to abhor bloodshed, there's a solution-- a way to be removed from the Game forever. The price is unimaginably high, but you are, for all practical purposes, protected from the violence within yourself. It's called The Sanctuary.
DUNCAN
I don't understand.
METHOS
Think of those Buddhist monks who came to cherish life so much that to step on a single insect, to harm a blade of grass was a violation of their creed. They placed themselves into an extreme form of protective custody. A sanctuary of sorts.
(beat)
What I'm talking about is something similar. But one that doesn't allow for a change of heart.
He opens his fingers and watches his cup plummet to the plaza below. Wine SPLATTERS like blood on white marble.
METHOS (cont'd)
Apparently it was wiped out last night.
DUNCAN
By who?
METHOS
I don't know.
EXT - ABOVE THE ATLANTIC - DAY
A 747 cruises at 40,000 feet.
METHOS (O.S.)
He left no witnesses.
INT - 747 - DAY
Duncan stares out the passenger window as the FLIGHT ATTENDANT sets a DRINK down. He lifts the little plastic COCKTAIL SWORD from the glass. Yanks it out of the olive...
TRANSITION TO:
A BROADSWORD being jerked from a fallen warrior.
EXT - 17TH CENTURY BATTLEFIELD - DAWN
FOLLOW THE SWORD swinging above a PAIR OF HIDE-BOOTED FEET that tramp across uneven ground littered with CORPSES. FEET STOP at a BLOOD-CAKED BODY, swathed in the shredded colors of a defeated army. On a SWIFT KICK TO THE RIBCAGE--
DUNCAN MACLEOD JERKS UPRIGHT, flailing in spastic fits.
DUNCAN
GAHHHHHHH! !
He blinks thickly, as if routed from a deep, disorienting slumber. Gapes up at--
A SILHOUETTE
that ECLIPSES the rising sun.
SILHOUETTE
You've better things to do than lie there collecting flies.
Duncan puts a hand to his chest, touches the worst of his several lethal wounds. Utter confusion stitches his face.
SILHOUETTE (cont'd)
I suppose you're wondering how a knock- kneed swordsman with your obvious lack of skill keeps living to fight another day.
The figure extends a hand to Duncan. Duncan hesitantly reaches up...
DUNCAN
(squints)
Are you an angel?
SILHOUETTE
I've been called that. And worse.
Duncans hand RECOILS--
SILHOUETTE (cont'd)
Rest assured, I'm neither.
He hoists Duncan to his feet. Duncan gazes for the first time ever upon the face of
CONNOR MACLEOD
who smiles back with the gift of untold secrets.
CONNOR
I'm Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. And like you, I have a hard time dying.
TRANSITION BACK TO:
INT - 747 - DAY
Duncan's now sitting upright in his seat as the FLIGHT ATTENDANT'S VOICE brings him back to the here and now.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT (O.S.)
We'll be making our final descent into New York...
WHEELS
SMACK down onto the runway at JFK.
CUT TO:
A PHOTOGRAPH OF DUNCAN
PULL BACK and see it's his passport, held by a US CUSTOMS OFFICER. He lowers the passport and turns to the long metal case Duncan's brought with him from the plane.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
Would you open the case, please?
Duncan hands the Officer documentation as he sets it on the counter and opens it. Inside is an old, meticulously
cared-for Japanese KATANA SWORD. Customs Officer studies Duncan's paperwork, smiles.
CUSTOMS OFFICER (cont'd)
Get much use for this?
DUNCAN
You'd be surprised.
Duncan shuts the case and continues on. Next MAN in line watches Duncan exit as he hands over his passport. Hang on the PHOTO. We'll remember those steel- gray eyes.
INT - CAB, DRIVING - DAY
Duncan watches the passing scenery. MUSIC and LANDMARKS
familiar from the first "Highlander" sweep past.
EXT - NEW YORK SIDE-STREET - DAY
Cab WIPES FRAME, leaving Duncan standing before the charred husk of Connor's antique store. Windows boarded, shreds of flapping police tape, the investigators have long since come and gone.
INT - ANTIQUE STORE
Door SPLINTERS OPEN. Duncan steps inside. In the aftermath of the firebombing, nothing has been
spared. Rachel and Connor's richly-cultivated collection has been reduced to a bitter moonscape. One can only shudder at the degree of overkill that went into this attack. Duncan climbs the back stairs to THE SECOND FLOOR LOFT which is even worse. Ash and cinder are virtually all that remain of Connor's home.
Pausing at the far wall, Duncan yanks down an old charred tapestry, revealing
AN INNER DOOR
deliberately hidden from view. He dips down, retrieves a key from under a loose floorboard and opens the heavily- reinforced door.
ENTERING he finds himself in a LARGE CIRCULAR ROOM surrounded by a staggering display of ARTIFACTS drawn from centuries of personal history. We're looking at the sum total of Connor MacLeod's existance, stacked floor to ceiling.
Duncan moves among the mementos, smiles as he lifts them; an old Scottish coin, pocket flask... a faded PHOTO of himself in a World War I uniform.
He pauses at a painting of Connor's wife HEATHER, radiant in simple peasant garb, smiling serenely across the ages.
Finally, a tarnished epee that he wields with instant familiarity.
TRANSITION TO:
INT - FENCING ACADEMY, RAVENNA ITALY (1627) - DAY
Duncan's LUNGE misses Connor by a mile. He stumbles upright in a grand hall streaked by SUNLIGHT from floor- to-ceiling windows. Duncan and Connor face off with duelling swords, sporting black waistcoak andd knee breeches in the manner of the times. Several other elegant FENCING PAIRS spar in this most genteel version of the ancient bloodsport, a far cry from the corpse-littered battlefield seen earlier. A little mustachioed PUFFER darts between the duellists with lint brush, pail and towel as Connor and Duncan re- engage in a rapid series of strikes and parries.
CONNOR
You've improved greatly.
DUNCAN
You really think so?
Connor executes a simple combination that sends'Duncan's sword flying one way, his body the other.
CONNOR
No. I'm just being gracious.
Duncan recovers, sets his feet. Puffer skitters over, brushes the dust off Duncan's coat, dabs his sweat and puffs the back of his hair. Duncan swats him away. They take en-garde position. Connor points his blade. CONNOR (cont'd)
Remember, you're only immortal as long as your head remains attached to those shoulders.
Duncan lunges again. Misses and hits the deck.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Which in your case might not be long at all.
He puts his blade to Duncan's neck. Humor evaporates.
CONNOR (cont'd)
What we give up to our adversary in defeat, Duncan... is evervthinq.
Duncan stares up at him, uncomprehending.
CONNOR (cont'd)
We call it "The Quickening"-- our strength, our knowledge, our life essence-- it all flows into the victor, feeds him, makes him stronger, in ways you can't possibly comprehend. It's what drives other Immortals to kill us. And what forces us to be better-- smarter-- than the rest.
He takes Duncan by the arm, jerks him to his feet.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Survival. Learn it.
Duncan goes on the attack. What he lacks in technique, he makes up for in determination. Almost. Connor sidesteps Duncan's next lunge, swats his blade flat across Duncan's ass and sends him plowing face-first into the floor. Duncan re-engages Connor in fighting stance. Puffer races up behind Duncan again, meticulously dusts his backside. Reaches around and plucks an unsightly piece of lint off his crotch with thumb and forefinger.
DUNCAN
(whirls around)
You mind?!
Connor clucks his tongue.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Allow me.
He squares Duncans shoulders and steps back. Considers.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Unh uh.
He steps up and swivels Duncan around until hes facing the opposite way.
CONNOR (cont'd)
If you should ever again find yourself backside to a blade... just keep this in mind.
He proceeds to take Duncan through a move that's dazzling in it's inherent simplicity-- a move that winds up with Duncan's blade whisking perilously close across Connor's throat.
CONNOR (cont'd)
It's a coup de fin.
He catches Duncan's sword-fist in his own, holds it immobile.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Properly executed, even you cannot prevent your blade from finding its mark.
DUNCAN
Properly executed, we'll never have this talk again.
Duncan and Connor's eyes lock. They break.
TRANSITION BACK TO:
INT - CIRCULAR ROOM
Duncan suddenly SIEZES UP with a strange disquiet and ringing in the ears known as THE BUZZ. It's the sense of another Immortal.
He swings around, reaches for his katana and steps back through the door, swinging it closed as
A YOUNG WOMAN
appears at the top of the stairs. She saunters toward him, glancing around.
She takes her time checking out the place before stepping up to Duncan.
The ragged crop of her hair and the slashing trowel application of makeup impart a kind of crazed anti- beauty. Like a post-nuclear Barbi doll.
Duncan regards her, intrigued and wary.
DUNCAN
Who are you?
YOUNG WOMAN
A friend.
Those two words instantly recall the mystery voice on the
phone.
YOUNG WOMAN (cont'd)
Or lover. Or wife. Take your pick.
Memory jogs with a sudden lurch.
DUNCAN
Kate?
YOUNG WOMAN
Atta boy. 'cept I'm "Faith" now. Part of the makeover. Like it?
She runs a playful finger across his chest.
FAITH
Funny how 'the time slips by, huh? You wake up one day and ohmigod-- Airplanes!
DUNCAN
Why're you here?
FAITH
Remember our wedding day, Duncan? I do.
She takes him by the hands and leads him into an
impromptu dance.
FAITH (cont'd)
We danced the "Highland Fling."
She spins under his arm, circles back into his embrace.
FAITH (cont'd)
I felt like we were flying.
Her sinuous body moves in perfect sync with his.
FAITH (cont'd)
And that we'd never come down.
She spins out of his arms again--
--and SPIN KICKS him across the FACE. BLOOD spatters from his nose and mouth.
FAITH (cont'd)
Of course, we did come down. Didn't we?
(kicks him again)
Crashinq.
Duncan staggers backward into a concrete stanchion. Recovers.
They stand facing each other across a gulf centuries wide.
DUNCAN
(spitting blood)
Why are you here?
FAITH
Isn't it obvious? I wanted to see you again.
Duncan tenses at--
THE ROAR OF APPROACHING MOTORCYCLES.
His eyes track the SOUND. It's directly BELOW him.
EXT - STREET OUTSIDE ANTIQUE STORE
THREE MOTORCYCLES hop the curb, SLICE through the open door to the antique store...
INT - ANTIQUE STORE
. . . and SPIRAL up the BACK STAIRS.
INT - LOFT
Duncan's eyes flick upward to a NEW SOUND, directly above him as--
EXT - ROOF - DAY
A FOURTH BIKE
VAULTS the NARROW GAP between buildings and LANDS.
Knobby tires SLAM onto the rooftop, squirrelling wild across the tarred surface before shuddering to a stop.
A jackbooted heel digs in and grinds to a stop.
Biker suddenly BACKWHEELS around, BLASTS through the
ROOF ACCESS DOOR
and disappears inside.
TWO MORE BIKERS
follow suit, SLAMMING DOWN onto the roof like alien invaders.
INT - LOFT
Duncan reacts. But it's not just the full-throttle howl of approaching bikes.
It's the BUZZ of approaching IMMORTALS.
THE BIKERS
now crest the stairs and fan out into the loft-- Same group we saw outside the monastery.
Tricked out in everything from Keds to chainmail, they drag a variety of weapons in their trailing hands-- sword, baseball bat, mace, dao and chain-whip.
The tips make a scraping noise across the floor that's deliberately unsettling.
They surround Duncan, cutting off any avenue of escape. Nobody moves or speaks. Just the low staccato growl of idling two-stroke engines.
Duncan takes a step backward. Looks to Faith.
DUNCAN
Who're they?
FAITH
More friends.
PAN THE FACES. CARLOS from Bed-Stuy, BUG from Kyoto, WINSTON from Jamaica, SARGE from Shreveport and CRACKER BOB from nowhere in particular.
And then there's CALVIN.
A swaggering Immortal from the he's traded brute force in on a brand new weapon of choice. A DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA.
CALVIN
Make it pretty now. It's the bottom of the ninth.
BIKERS DISMOUNT and CONVERGE on Duncan, swinging their weapons to limber up.
Duncan backs away. This is unheard of-- Immortals packing like jackals.
DUNCAN
What-- it's a team sport now?
CALVIN
(zooming in)
Whole new ballgame.
THREE IMMORTALS ATTACK. They're good. Duncan's better. About three times better.
CALVIN
jockeys his camcorder-- GOES IN TIGHT on Duncan.
CALVIN
Sup with the new blood, huh? Who's gonna lay him out? Take his secret sauce?
(swivels around)
YOU, Winston?
WINSTON,
the tall Jamaican, stands off to one side watching, the
lone holdout.
CALVIN (cont'd)
Nope. Too proud. Old school.
INTERCUT - VIDEO VIEWFINDER
Image lurches and jostles as Calvin mixes it up with the combatants.
CALVIN (O.S.)
How 'bout you, Carlos? You good for it? Carlos--?
CARLOS HURTLES THROUGH FRAME. Lands hard.
CALVIN (O.S.)
I'll catch you later.
SWISH PAN TO:
SWORD
sparking off chainmail.
HANDS AND FEET
pounding flesh.
BODIES
slamming into walls.
BLOOD. MAYHEM. PAIN.
And Calvin, catching it all, up close and personal.
CALVIN (cont'd)
Sarge is down. Cracker Bob's down.
But Carlos got some kick. Still got some kick.
Carlos crawls to his feet, oozing blood and spite.
CALVIN (cont'd)
Like the man says, you gotta play with the small hurts.
Carlos LUNGES--
Duncan lays him out flat again, then swivels around to face--
BUG
who straightens up to his full five-foot frame.
CALVIN (cont'd)
Say hello to my man BUG and his ugly- stick.
Bug brandishes a simple metal ROD with a woven grip. Nothing much to speak of...
Until he squeezes the grip--
--and SIX BLADES EJECT SIMULTANEOUSLY.
The two on each end are SWORD BLADES, one for piercing, one for slashing.
Jutting perpendicular to the shaft, like an insane Swiss Army knife, are twin sets of DAGGERS-- two for stabbing and two sawtoothed SWORDBREAKERS.
And then there's the shaft itself, if you're in need of a
good old-fashioned battering ram.
CALVIN (cont'd)
Like it? Came from a Tamaric swordsmith.
(grins)
Who smoked a lotta very wicked stuff.
Bug opens up a multi-pronged BARRAGE on Duncan.
Duncan adapts to the first assault-- only to find himself reacting to an entirely new set of insane moves.
CALVIN (cont'd)
Uhp--- Say welcome back to Carlos...
Carlos cuts in yet again, swinging for the stands. He fans several times before Duncan backfists him across the nose and dumps him back onto the floor.
Duncan spins back to Bug as the wiry Asian lifts his lethal metal rod again and grins.
But this time as he SQUEEZES the release mechanism--
--Duncan KICKS IT, shoving it flush against Bug's chest.
SNICK SNICK
two PIVOTING DAGGERS slice into the dumbstruck Immortal. He falls backward WAILING like a stuck pig.
A BOOMING VOICE freezes everyone in their tracks.
VOICE
That's enough.
All eyes converge on:
THE STRANGER
who stands at a distance, cloaked in murky halflight.
STRANGER
I'm sorry, Duncan. When it comes to discipline, the first hundred years are the hardest.
Duncan lowers his katana, turns to the Stranger as--
CARLOS
painfully hauls himself upright and suddenly BULLDOZES Duncan clear through one of the immense loft windows.
Duncan's launched AIRBORNE in a plume of shattered glass,
still clutching his katana.
Carlos hooks an arm around the empty window-frame and watches with unvarnished satisfaction as the body SPIKES onto an upright iron ROD jutting from the construction site below.
STRANGER
What was that?
CARLOS
(squinting)
Full gainer with a quarter twist. Degree of difficulty-- not very.
STRANGER
I thought I told you to stop.
CARLOS
Yeah, well. I stopped.
STRANGER (cont'd)
Are you challenging my authority?
Carlos does his best to ignore him.
STRANGER (cont'd)
Because the only way to challenge my authority is to kill me.
CARLOS
(turns away)
Hey hey, take it easy, man.
STRANGER (cont'd)
Is that clear?
In the split second it takes Carlos to turn back from the window, the Stranger is right there in his face.
CARLOS
Shit!
STRANGER
IS THAT CLEAR?
Stranger takes Carlos' sword and yanks it uo to his own neck -.
STRANGER (cont'd)
Here's your chance.
Carlos stares wide-eyed. Pride won't let him back down.
Fear won't let him proceed.
STRANGER (cont'd)
Take it. You won't have another.
We can FEEL the SUDDEN HAMMERING of Carlos' HEART.
CARLOS
You're crazy, man!
STRANGER
Am I? Then go ahead...
(rubs his neck across the blade)
Stop the madness.
CARLOS
Hey--
STRANGER
Or walk away... in perpetual fear of your own shadow.
(beat)
Tell me, Carlos. Can you live with that? Can you live with the fear? Can you live with the weakness?
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP--
STRANGER (cont'd)
Weakness, Carlos. Isn't that why you're here with me? Isn't that why youre ALL here with me?! Face it, you're nothing but. . .
(savoring)
. . . cattle.
Blood POUNDS in Carlos' eyes. He YANKS back the sword,
CRIES OUT and SLASHES for the Stranger's neck.
CLOSE ON STRANGER'S HAND
as it catches his wrist and diverts the blade around to Carlos' own throat, wedging it up tight under his chin.
STRANGER (cont'd)
God loves you. I don't.
In one vicious UP-SLICE, Stranger cuts through bone and
sinew, stopping just short of a clean sever.
Carlos gags and gurgles in liquid protest.
STRANGER (cont'd)
(whispers)
They say the worst part, Carlos, is those last few seconds when you find yourself staring at your own headless body.
SNICK--
He sends Carlos' head tumbling to the floor.
STRANGER (cont'd)
Of course it's pure speculation, since nobody ever lives to tell about it.
HOLD ON CARLOS' EYES
staring in pure, unknowable horror at his own body,
twitching several yards away.
A tiny ARC of electrical ESSENCE crackles from the neck...
THE OTHERS
bear mute witness to the GLOWING TENDRILS of ENERGY that stutter across the walls and ceiling.
EXT - CONSTRUCTION SITE BELOW
Duncan lies IMPALED on a JUTTING SHAFT OF RE-BAR as an UNMARKED PANEL VAN screeches INTO FRAME.
His eyes stare sightless upward as
THE LOFT WINDOWS
EXPLODE with unearthly HOWLS of stretching metal and pulverizing concrete.
SHOCKWAVES strafe the walls, blowing out mortar and brick.
POWER LINES SNAP and LASH against the building, spitting
fiery plumes of SPARKS.
INT - LOFT
Seen from behind, the Stranger absorbs the QUICKENING in a series of wild electro-shock convulsions.
EXT - CONSTRUCTION SITE BELOW
Several darkly-clad MEN jump from the panel van and race up to Duncan. With pit crew efficiency, one takes a mondo set of BOLT CUTTERS to the metal stake while the others grab Duncan by the arms and ankles. A fourth throws open the cargo door.
Snap-lift... they TOSS Duncan in the back of the van.
INT - LOFT, SAME
Arms outstretched and rigid, head thrown back in silent rapture, the Stranger RISES slowly off the floor, suspended Christ-like in the air.
BLINDING HALOES of PURE RADIANT ESSENCE engulf him, a lifeforce beyond human understanding.
THE OTHERS
watch transfixed. They've seen it all before, but it never ceases to amaze and terrify them.
CUT TO:
DARKNESS
Which becomes a harsh blast of LIGHT.
DUNCAN'S EYES
flutter open, squint at the glare. He's strapped to the
same Giger-like chair, immobilized. Standing around him
are hooded members of that same monk-like order in what is, essentially, a dungeon.
One of them, MATTHEW, steps forward. His steel-gray eyes are familiar. He's the one who followed Duncan through customs.
As he reaches to cinch closed one of the iron cuffs with a thick metal dowel, he reveals a distinctive TATTOO across his inner forearm. One that Duncan instantly recognizes. _
DUNCAN
Watchers?
Matthew simply nods.
DUNCAN
Watchers observe. They don't interfere.
MATTHEW
True. And we were more than happy to perform our traditional function. Believe me, it's a whole lot easier charting the history of Immortals than it is running a day care center for them. Unfortunately our role has changed somewhat.
DUNCAN
Why?
MATTHEW
Because the rules have been broken.
DUNCAN
Not by me.
MATTHEW
You're not the one we're worried about.
Matthew moves to the other side of the chair. Pegs the
arm cuff and ratchets down a redundant set of bindings.
MATTHEW (cont'd)
One of your kind has gone renegade. In doing so he's gained himself a sizeable advantage. One that will be impossible to overcome.
DUNCAN
Nobody's unbeatable.
MATTHEW
He's surrounded himself with Immortals loyal only to him. He uses holy ground as a safe haven. And every head taken in battle is reserved for him alone, each Quickening-- hundreds upon hundreds-- taken by just one man. Yes, Duncan. He is unbeatable.
Matthew pours a Scotch. Glenmorangie. Holds it to
Duncan's lips like the final offering to a condemned man.
MATTHEW (cont'd)
Worse still, far worse, is that he's become a perversion to the Game. And if he prevails, that perversion will resonate through everything we know. For eternity. In ways we can't possibly comprehend.
Duncan tugs at his bonds. Knows what's in store for him.
MATTHEW (cont'd)
There must always be two of your kind. As long as there are two, and they're kept from fighting, the Prize is safe. The Sanctuary must continue.
DUNCAN
Get yourself another volunteer.
MATTHEW
We had a number of "volunteers." Sadly, that's no longer the case.
Another WATCHER steps up and forces an IRON FACE SHACKLE down over Duncan's head.
MATTHEW (cont'd)
You'll be warehoused. Hidden away. So the Prize can remain safe.
Duncan struggles frantically against his bonds.
DUNCAN
You're insane!
MATTHEW
For the world, Duncan. We do this for the world...
The Watcher takes two large BOLTS and begins to screw the mask directly into Duncan's skull.
DUNCAN'S POV:
BLACKNESS, accompanied by BRIGHT SEARING FLASHES of
AGONY.
MATTHEW'S VOICE (cont'd)
Don't worry. The drugs should kick in momentarily.
All external SOUND is slowly DROWNED OUT by the POUNDING IN HIS OWN BRAIN.
A POUNDING interspersed with jarring, synaptic flashes of
BATTLE. Killing. Dying. Killing again. Dying again.
The recycling nightmare finally RECEDES back into
NOTHINGNESS.
Then, a NEW SOUND. Distant. Grind of metal on bone. Bolts being unscrewed.
Iron plate lifts from his eyes, flood of LIGHT.
Once again, Duncan SQUINTS up at a FACE. This time, the blurred, swimming features of a familiar Irish-American mug.
DUNCAN
(WOOZY)
Dawson...
JOE DAWSON, familiar to many as Duncan's one friend inside the Watchers, smiles back.
DAWSON
You look like shit.
DUNCAN
How... long...?
DAWSON
Week, maybe longer. We can't talk here.
(unstraps Duncan)
We gotta go.
Dawson reacts to the sound of APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS.
DAWSON (cont'd)
(urgently)
Now. Can you walk?
DUNCAN
Think so.
He takes one step and pitches forward onto his face.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
Potent whiskey.
He clambers to his feet and follows Dawson out of the chamber.
EXT - ARMORY - NIGHT
Dawson and Duncan emerge from a nondescript cinderblock armory, an overgrown Cold War relic recently co-opted by the Watchers.
They duck some scurrying guards, plow through thick underbrush to
A HIDDEN CAR
and climb inside.
INT - CAR, TRAVELLING - NIGHT
DUNCAN
You knew about The Sanctuary.
DAWSON
Just because I'm a Watcher, doesn't mean I'm always in the loop.
DUNCAN
I don't buy that.
Dawson averts his gaze. Stares ahead.
DAWSON
I really struggled with it, y'know, the idea of keeping guys on ice like that. But I couldn't argue with the logic. Least not 'til they went after you.
(squeals hard onto the main drag)
Guess that put it a little too close to home.
DUNCAN
I owe you.
Dawson slides Duncan's katana out from under the seat. Hands it over.
DAWSON
Do me a favor, buddy. Live to pay me back.
DUNCAN
What happened to the bodies?
Dawson winces slightly. Keeps driving.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
C'mon, Joe.
DAWSON
Listen-- I got you outta one jam. Don't push your luck.
DUNCAN
I need to see them.
DAWSON
They're dead. Trust me.
DUNCAN
Was one of them Connor MacLeod?
DAWSON
Yes.
DUNCAN
Let me see the bodies.
DAWSON
The heads are gone. You really don't wanna go there.
DUNCAN
I have to, Joe. I have to know.
Dawson jerks the car to a sudden shuddering stop.
DAWSON
Alright... Alright-- If I tell you, that's it, I'm outta here! You're on your own! I can't be a part of this, OK?!
DUNCAN
OK.
DAWSON
OK.
Dawson stares at Duncan. A beat, then:
DAWSON
Fuck. I'm a part of it.
He throws the car back into gear and fishtails back onto the road.
CUT TO:
A VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD
of a forlorn and forgotten CEMETERY. Nothing marks its perimeter but a toppled gate and some trampled barbed wire.
DAWSON
It was a Christian burial. Decent. They said all the right words.
DUNCAN
I can't begin to tell you how reassuring that is. Pull over.
WIDE
Dawson pulls over. He and Duncan get out of the car.
DAWSON
Needless to say, with a dozen unexplainable corpses, they had to go a bit off the beaten track.
EXT - CEMETERY - SUNSET
From here it looks like just a barren hillside littered with broken and crumbling marble.
CLOSER
Duncan and Dawson tramp up the shallow incline.
DAWSON (cont'd)
What do you think you're gonna find when you get up there?
DUNCAN
I don't know.
DAWSON
I'm not digging. Get that through your skull right now. Not these hands...
CRESTING THE RIDGE
Twelve freshly-mounded graves come into view, gouged into the rubbled downslope like wounds, each set off by a simple wooden cross.
Duncan stops when he reaches the first grave. Stiffens.
DAWSON
What?
Duncan remains frozen, staring, seemingly at nothing.
DAWSON (cont'd)
My dog used to do that with locked closets. I hate that.
DUNCAN
Shh.
Dawson listens. Nothing but the soft moan of WIND.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
He's here.
DAWSON
Tell me I'm not here for a seance.
Duncan squints. Feels the BUZZ. Slight, but unmistakable.
WHAT HE SEES:
A row of stunted oaks, thick and gnarled againt the setting sun.
CLOSER. . .
Standing against the trunk, silhouette on silhouette, is the ghostly form of a MAN. Barely discernible, his features are hidden in shadow.
Duncan slowly approaches the figure. Dawson hangs back,
nervous and slightly twitchy.
CLOSER STILL...
The figure steps up to greet Duncan. Sunlight brightens the face of
CONNOR MACLEOD
who smiles as he embraces Duncan in the traditional bear- crush of Scottish clansmen.
DUNCAN
Sorry I missed your funeral.
CONNOR
All told, it was a bit underwhelming.
DUNCAN
So it would seem.
They break. The brief joy suddenly drains from Connor's face-- his eyes speak of diffuse, faraway suffering.
CONNOR
Why are you here?
DUNCAN
Ten years ago you skipped out on a bartab.
Connor's expression hardens.
CONNOR
You need to know something...
He steps up to Duncan, locks eyes.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Every life I touch ends. Brutally. And for no reason. It's a curse that's followed me for centuries. I can't outrun it and I can't outlive it.
(beat)
You're my last friend in this world, Duncan. I left for your own good. It was better that you didn't know where.
DUNCAN
The Sanctuary.
CONNOR
Yes. The Sanctuary.
DUNCAN
But you escaped.
CONNOR
No, I didn't escape...
FLASH BACK TO THE SANCTUARY as the STRANGER moves toward a shackled Connor MacLeod.
CONNOR (V.O.)
...I was freed.
As before, the immobilized Connor stirs in a drug-addled haze.
CONNOR
Who are you?
STRANGER
You'll know soon enough.
CONNOR'S POV - THROUGH THE BOTTOM EDGE OF HIS FACEPLATE
All Connor can see is the Stranger's HAND as it reaches down and PULLS THE PIN from one of Connor's arm shackles. The cuff FALLS OPEN.
Stranger turns away. A beat later come the unmistakable SOUNDS of SLAUGHTER that fill the room to a DEAFENING CRESCENDO.
CONNOR (V.O.)
I couldn't see the slaughter. I only heard it.
BACK TO CEMETERY:
We can still see the agony playing out in Connor's eyes. He turns away, sees
JOE DAWSON
still standing on the ridge, swatting at the occasional deerfly.
CONNOR
Who's he?
DUNCAN
The reason I didn't become your replacement.
Dawson casually removes one of his legs and vigorously shakes it upside down.
CONNOR
What's he doing now?
DUNCAN
Sand in the shoe would be my guess.
Connor suddenly gazes beyond Dawson to
THE NEXT HILLSIDE
and the FAINT SOUND OF APPROACHING MOTORCYCLES. He stiffens.
CONNOR
You were followed.
One by one, a HALF-DOZEN MOTORCYCLISTS crest the surrounding hills and come to a menacing stop.
DUNCAN
Yeah. I was meaning to tell you about those guys.
Dawson fumbles to put his leg back on. Hops a full 360 as he watches the intruders surround them.
TWO MORE
approach on foot, following the same path Duncan and Dawson took.
One is Faith. The other, The Stranger.
Except he's no stranger to Connor MacLeod. Far from it.
Connor goes rigid. Breathing stops.
His nightmare's finally taken human form.
MOVE IN for our first clear look at
JACOB KASE
striding forward, bigger than death.
His is a face hewn by Gods sharpest blade, every angle cold, remorseless, Puritannical.
As before, he's clad in basic black, accented by the stark white of a priest's collar.
CONNOR
(ice)
Jacob Kase...
Connor edges back his coat. Hand seeks out the grip of his sword.
Duncan grabs his arm.
DUNCAN
Not here.
CONNOR
Walk away, Duncan.
Kase and Faith continue toward them. Connor's rage seems to ratchet up with every step.
DUNCAN
You're on holy ground. Remember the rules...
Pure, radiating hate seethes in Connor's eyes.
CONNOR
The rules be damned.
Kase stops, inches from Connor's face. Cooly regards the sword.
KASE
Look at you. You'd think after half a millenium, you'd learn to keep that you'd learn to keep that temper of yours in check.
Gone is any trace of brogue. He's a fully-assimilated New Yorker now.
Connor's fingers tighten around the swordgrip...
CONNOR
Just tell me where, Kase.
KASE
If all I wanted was to kill you, you'd have been dead a very long time ago, Connor.
Something roils under Kase's controlled exterior. A rage every bit as consuming as Connor's.
KASE (cont'd)
But your death alone could never appease the innocent souls you slaughtered.
FLASH TO SEVERAL OF GLENFINNAN'S VILLAGERS being MOWED DOWN by Connor's mindless fury.
KASE (cont'd)
It couldn't even begin to appease mine.
FLASH TO KASE as he drops to his knees, gagging blood, RUN THROUGH by Connor's blade.
KASE (cont'd)
Worst of all, you murdered a man of God. Who raised me as his son.
FLASH TO A FATHER RAINEY as Connor brings his sword CLEAVING DOWN on him.
KASE (cont'd)
...and no punishment conceived by man can ever atone for that.
AFTERMATH OF MASSACRE
Scattered wisps of smoke gambol across the demolished commons, leading up to the CORPSE of JACOB KASE.
KASE (cont'd)
What you never could have expected was that you'd leave behind this one humble servant...
Kase's body lies there as cold as the Highland dawn.
KASE (cont'd)
...who would trade eternity itself to make you pay.
HIS EYES
snap open.
And we're once again TRANSPORTED BACK TO:
EXT - CEMETERY - DAY
Kase steps closer, revelling in this moment.
KASE
Look back over the endless travesties of your life and you'll see me. Always there, waiting in the shadows.
(beat)
When friends and lovers are wiped from your sight, I'm there.
KASE (cont'd)
When those you cherish die abruptly and for no reason, I'm there.
(kicks a clod of dirt onto a grave)
And when a handful of misguided and pathetic idiots just happen to share your own private hell...
(shrugs)
Guess who?
He walks a full circle around Connor.
All the while Kase addresses Connor, Faith never takes her eyes off Duncan.
KASE (cont'd)
But if you think it ends here, my ancient friend, you're wrong. Very... Very... Wrong.
Kase turns back to Faith. Pulls his sword and without
warning SLICES it across her throat.
Faith reflexively GASPS, stumbles backward, leaving--
A WOOD AND SILVER CRUCIFIX
dangling on Kase's swordtip.
FOLLOW THE CRUCIFIX
as he swings it around and offers it up to Connor.
KASE
Thought you might be wanting this. I kept it for you...
FLASH TO CONNOR'S MOTHER, bound to the stake as Kase rips the crucifix from her neck.
BACK TO SCENE:
Connor stares down at the crucifix now in his open palm.
KASE (cont'd)
For old times' sake.
Kase puts an arm around Faith.
KASE (cont'd)
Want to find me again, Connor? Just put your hands together...
KASE (cont'd)
(winks)
And pray.
He gives Faith a little shove and they both start downhill.
THE SURROUNDING BIKERS
gun their engines and ride off on billowing plumes of dust.
Connor makes no move to follow. Strangely silent and impassive, he's like a warrior gutted by an invisible sword.
Duncan puts a hand on his shoulder.
DUNCAN
Whatever it is...
Connor swipes away Duncan's hand, starts walking.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
I can help you, Connor.
Connor stops, swivels back. Eyes dead.
CONNOR
Nobody can help me.
He walks off alone, a ghost against a sea of gravestones,
DUNCAN
CONNOR--
Duncan watches his friend depart, helpless. Turning back, he sees
FAITH AND KASE
stopped halfway down the hill. They seem to be arguing. Kase turns abruptly and strides off.
CLOSE ON FAITH
She stands there a moment, sullenly rubbing her throat. Duncan's VOICE spins her back around.
DUNCAN (O.S.)
Problem?
FAITH
I get a bit fussy whenever somebody points a sword at me.
(dry)
Goes a long way back.
Their eyes fix on one another. Air thickens. Buzzes with electricity.
DUNCAN
Just one question. After all these years. . .
(re: Kase)
Why him?
Faith glances down at Kase, who stands waiting at the base of the hill. Considers.
FAITH
Because I've never known anyone who had such an amazing capacity for hate.
(beat)
Except me.
On that, she brushes past Duncan and rejoins Kase.
TRANSITION TO:
EXT - IRISH COUNTRYSIDE, 17TH CENTURY - DAY
Duncan and Connor ride side by side on horseback. They reach a
RIVERBANK
where a YOUNG WOMAN and her elderly CONSORT are detained at a crude wooden TOLL GATE.
Eight or nine disreputable-looking HIGHWAYMEN surround their carriage.
Connor rides up to what would appear to be the LEADER. He has the most teeth.
CONNOR
What's going on?
HIGHWAYMAN
The lady here refuses to pay her toll.
CONNOR
Toll for what?
HIGHWAYMAN
Passage over the bridge.
Connor cranes his eyes, upriver and down.
CONNOR
I see no bridge.
HIGHWAYMAN
What do you think pays for the bridge?
Connor considers, then turns back to the lady with a
shrug.
CONNOR
The man has a point.
Despite her sweeping auburn hair and natural beauty, we now recognize the young woman as FAITH from an earlier era.
Her original name is CATHERINE MARY DEVANEY.
CATHERINE
These men are liars and scoundrels. Theyve preyed upon us three years running.
CONNOR
This true?
HIGHWAYMAN
A good sturdy bridge is not an overnight accomplishment, Sir.
CONNOR
Exactly what, may I ask, have you accomplished so far?
HIGHWAYMAN
(proudly)
The tollgate.
Duncan trots around the tollgate and up alongside Connor. He leans over to the highwayman.
DUNCAN
Excuse me, but by whose authority do you act?
HIGHWAYMAN
(holds up scroll)
By deed of the King.
DUNCAN
Might I see that?
Highwayman slowly unravels the parchment scroll. The nearly-illegible scrawl suggests random words copied by an illiterate.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
Does the King always sign his name with an "X"?
Highwayman's cronies reach for their swords.
HIGHWAYMAN
He was in a hurry.
All eyes hover on Duncan's reaction. Two of the highwaymen edge around behind Catherine and her elderly consort, ready to gut them both at a moment's notice.
Duncan tracks them with his eyes.
DUNCAN
(nods)
Busy man, the King.
(to Catherine)
I suggest you pay the gentlemen and be on your way.
CATHERINE
His deed is a fake!
DUNCAN
That's a matter of opinion.
CATHERINE
You, Sir, are no better than they!
DUNCAN
That's also a matter of opinion.
(to Connor)
Shall we?
Connor sizes up his young protege'. Gives a dubious nod.
CONNOR
Lead on.
CATHERINE
You can't just leave!
DUNCAN
You're right...
He tosses a handful of gold coins to the Highwayman.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
Good luck with the bridge.
He kicks his horse into a brisk trot. Connor reluctantly follows suit.
They cross the river through ankle-deep water.
CONNOR
I can't believe you gave those bastards your money.
DUNCAN
It wasn't my money.
Duncan pulls a cinched canvas BAG overstuffed with coins from his overcoat.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
It was theirs.
RACK FOCUS TO the duped HIGHWAYMEN scrambling onto their horses and riding hard in frantic pursuit.
They hit the river at a gallop, kicking up giant shimmering fantails of water.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
By the time they reach us, the young lady and her escort should be safely out of harms way.
The pursuers close the gap in seconds.
Connor grins approvingly. Draws his sword and glances
over at Duncan.
CONNOR
Shall we?
Duncan FLICKS his own sword, lets the hilt auto-rotate around his open palm and snaps it vertical. He nods back at Connor.
DUNCAN
Let's.
Together, they whirl around to face the onrushing horde.
THEY BATTLE
in the middle of the shallow river. Nine maniacal thieves against two sporting Immortals.
The spray of water, the slashing of swords and the pounding of hooves all build to an operatic crescendo.
Duncan's improved since Ravenna. He easily scatters three of his adversaries before engaging the blood-crazed LEADER.
This time it's Connor who finds himself in trouble. He tumbles from his horse and goes down, losing his sword in the river.
DUNCAN
suddenly winds back and FLINGS his sword at his opponent like a throwing dagger.
BLADE
whistles past the dumbstruck highwayman's head. Which was not the intended target...
. . .as we discover when we follow it's end-over-end
flight. . .
. . . straight into CONNOR'S OUTSTRETCHED HAND.
Connor parries his attackers, drives them backward onto their asses, then swivels around and TOSSES the sword back to
DUNCAN,
who catches it, ducks the highwayman's next swing and swiftly sends him packing.
CONNOR
recovers his own sword, which is enough to send the last of their attackers into a full-on, stumbling retreat.
They both stand watching as
THE CARRIAGE
jostles safely across the river.
CLOSE ON CATHERINE
as she looks back at Duncan. She gives Duncan a knowing smile that's as innocent as it is seductive.
CONNOR
(watching Duncan)
You know that stirring in your gut? It's not just simple lust, my friend.
DUNCAN
I know...
CONNOR
Ah, but do you really?
MATCH CUT TO:
FAITH
as she and Kase drive away from the cemetery in a late model convertible.
EXT - CEMETERY - SUNSET
Joe Dawson walks up to Duncan.
DAWSON
I feel like I stepped in on the wrong party.
Duncan keeps watching the convertible until it disappears over the next rise.
DUNCAN
(quietly)
Let's go.
CUT TO:
EXT - BAR - NIGHT
We recognize this place. It's where Connor and Duncan shared a last drink together.
Duncan and Joe Dawson now hunch over that same bar, staring into their drinks.
DAWSON
I swear, the man's a walking ghost.
EXT - SIDEWALK - NIGHT
FEET pound pavement.
DAWSON (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Whatever it is he's carrying around inside him, it's like he's dead already.
Glare of streetlights rake across Connor's face, his eyes fixed forward as if driven by a sense more powerful than sight.
Connor bumps shoulders with a passing PEDESTRIAN.
PEDESTRIAN
Eyy man-- watch it.
He continues on, oblivious.
INT - BAR - NIGHT
Duncan turns to Dawson.
DUNCAN
There are things you do in this life that damn you for eternity. They can't be changed. And they can't be undone. You carry these things to the grave, Joe, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, you'll find some peace there. Some relief, even if it's oblivion.
(hollow smile)
But Immortals don't die. We just go on reliving our sins. Over and over again.
EXT - ANOTHER STREET - LATER
Connor stops. Lifts his eyes to the light.
A SOLITARY STONE CHURCH
stands before him in a bed of crawling mist. It seems eerily out of place amid the urban blight around it.
INT - BAR - NIGHT
Duncan downs the last of his drink, shoves off from the bar.
Dawson glances warily up at him.
DAWSON
Where now?
DUNCAN
There were two places I figured Connor was likely to go. One of 'em was here.
DAWSON
And the other?
DUNCAN
You're the "Watcher." You tell me.
EXT - STONE CHURCH - NIGHT
Connor climbs the steps, presses through the heavy wooden doors...
INT - CHURCH
. . . and prowls slowly through the dimly-lit interior. Icon SHADOWS loom large and menacing.
JUMP CUT:
He moves along the stations of the cross.
JUMP CUT:
He's stalking through the nave.
JUMP CUT:
Barging into the sacristy.
EXT - DAWSON'S CAR, DRIVING - NIGHT
Dawson's car screams past with a doppler howl.
DAWSON (O.S.)
It's an old abandoned church just off Canal...
INT - DAWSON'S CAR - SAME
Dawson's behind the wheel, gunning through narrow back
streets.
DAWSON
. . . Perfect safe haven for a so-called priest, huh? "Our Lady of Sorrows."
(dry)
Kinda has a nice ring to it.
He fishtails around the next corner. Recovers.
DAWSON (cont'd)
I'll tell ya this-- if he's going after Kase, he's in for a rude awakening. The man's untouchable.
DUNCAN
So they tell me.
INT - CHURCH SANCTUARY - NIGHT
Connor stops before the darkened altar, senses BUZZING.
THE SHADOWED CRUCIFIX
stirs. Arms lift in the darkness.
Jacob Kase steps down off the cross, lingers in shadow.
KASE
I would grant you absolution. If I were a better man.
He turns and disappears out the back.
Connor follows.
Right past
KASE'S POSSE OF IMMORTALS
scattered throughout the pews, who simply track him with their eyes but make no move to follow.
WINSTON,
the tall Jamaican, leans over to Faith.
WINSTON
You know we're next, don't you?
Faith lowers the book she's reading-- the Holy Bible. Looks up.
FAITH
What?
WINSTON
Our days are numbered. You can see it in Kase's eyes.
FAITH
Do you believe in a hereafter, Winston?
WINSTON
All I know is I won't be hereafter Jacob Kase gets through with me. And that's all I care about right now.
Faith leans back against the hardback pew, closes her
eyes.
FAITH
Yeah...
CUT TO:
EXT - REAR OF CHURCH - NIGHT
Kase strides just beyond the perimeter of the church grounds, then turns back to Connor.
Connor draws his sword, moves on Kase.
KASE
The ancient samurai vowed never to draw blood in anger. It defiled their sense of purpose.
(draws his own sword)
Of course they're also somewhat extinct.
He steps fearlessly up to Connor, places his neck against Connor's swordblade...
. . . just like he did with a certain late Immortal named Carlos.
CLOSE ON KASE'S SWORD
He opens his fingers and lets the sword DROP. It clatters useless to the ground.
KASE
Would you slaughter an unarmed man of God again, Connor? Would that finally put your soul to rest?
(low, taunting)
Then go ahead. Send me home.
BLOOD POUNDS with the rage pulsing through Connor's veins.
KASE (cont'd)
What's stopping you? Guilt? The nagging sense that maybe you, more than I, deserve to die?
Dawson's car pulls up in the background. Duncan jumps
out.
KASE (cont'd)
Or somewhere along the way did you just lose your nerve?
Connor's sword digs into Kase's neck. Breaks skin.
DUNCAN
(approaching)
Don't do it, Connor.
CONNOR
(gritted)
Keep back.
KASE
(to Duncan)
You heard him. No Immortal can interfere with another's duel.
DUNCAN
He's playing you! Step back onto holy ground before it's too late--
Kase faces back to Connor.
KASE
Go ahead-- what better chance than now? Take your shot.
DUNCAN
Don't listen to him!
KASE
Do it. For your sweet mother...
FLASH
Caiolin burns at the stake. Suddenly startled,
KASE (cont'd)
Your Huguenot bitch in Navarre...
FLASH
rears back, THROWS Suddenly startled, the HORSE bearing a FRENCH DUCHESS her to the ground, breaking her neck.
KASE (cont'd)
Brenda Wyatt...
FLASH
BRENDA WYATT ("Highlander 1") is seen walking in CENTRAL PARK. A HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER MOWS HER DOWN from behind.
KASE (cont'd)
Rachel Ellenstein...
FLASH
RACHEL is BLOWN APART in the antique store she shared with Connor.
KASE (cont'd)
Tell me-- do they even begin to equal the devastation of an entire village?
BLADE TREMBLES in Connor's hands. Kase presses his neck even harder against Connor's blade. BLOOD trickles down his neck.
KASE (cont'd)
So close. Soooo close...
Duncan stands by, helpless to intervene.
KASE (cont'd)
Look at you. Even now, you're afraid you'll lose. That's your true fear isn't it?
(whispers low, seductive)
Oh, it's not the dying, my friend. I know that. That would be a blessing. It's the thought of giving up your essence to me. Making me even stronger by it.
One look in Connor's eyes and you know he's right.
KASE (cont'd)
What's wrong?
(almost a purr)
Don't you want to be inside me?
Connor slowly LOWERS his sword...
and FLICKS Kase's discarded sword back up into his hands.
Kase simply smiles and takes position.
Duncan can only look on helplessly as Kase takes the first offensive, driving Connor backward with dazzling -- almost casual-- swordplay.
KASE
I've taken more heads than you can possibly imagine.
His sword whistles across Connor's face, opens a THREE
INCH GASH over his eye.
KASE (cont'd)
Do you really want a taste of all those accumulated quickenings?
Connor stumbles backward again, blinded by his own dripping blood. Knows beyond a shadow of a doubt he's doomed.
Duncan knows it too. And it's killing him to watch.
Still Connor won't go down easy.
He manages a brief offensive, walking Kase backward on his toes.
Kase puts one hand behind his back, fencing-style, and goes to work on Connor's torso, crosshatching him in blood.
Connor lunges wildly. Kase parries effortlessly.
Kase now opens up a BLINDING BARRAGE on Connor. It's like duelling against lightning, so quick and unpredictable are Kase's strikes.
Constantly off balance, Connor still manages to NICK Kase in the cheek.
KASE (cont'd)
(touches scratch)
I'd almost forgotten what that felt like. Thank you.
He now turns it on full. Drives Connor up against a wall and pins him with his swordtip.
His eyes go impossibly cold.
KASE
I want you to think back to this moment in the endless nights ahead. And know that every time you close your eyes, from now to eternity, I'll be there.
(beat)
Ripping apart the ones you care about most.
He removes his sword and steps back.
KASE (cont'd)
It's not over, Connor MacLeod. It will never, never be over.
He turns and walks back toward the church.
Duncan does not step aside to let him pass-- their shoulders bump.
KASE (cont'd)
You, on the other hand, are on borrowed time.
He continues on, past the other Immortals who have gathered to watch the unfolding spectacle.
One-by-one, they turn and file back into the church behind Kase.
Connor stares into Duncan's eyes as if wanting to say something. Can't.
Instead, he turns and starts limping out across the empty lot.
Feeling the presence of another Immortal, Duncan slowly looks over at
FAITH
who stands at a distance. Watching him.
As their eyes meet, she, too, turns and melts back into the surrounding blackness.
TRANSITION TO:
EXT - DUBLIN ROWHOUSE (17TH CENTURY) - DAY
A BEARDED BRAWLER
CRASHES DOWN onto a wooden table. He takes the table cloth with him as he TUMBLES head over heels onto the floor in a cascade of soda bread and cabbage.
Miraculously (unless you're an Irishman) he spills not one drop of precious Guinness, which he hoists in a cheery salute to:
THE BRIDE AND GROOM
who sit laughing in the eye of an Irish hurricane. DUNCAN MACLEOD and CATHERINE MARY (KATE) DEVANEY-- aka "Faith"-- are a stunning couple that inspire joyful madness.
Things have progressed nicely since their chance encounter at the toll crossing.
BRAWLER
Let's have at it!
They kiss to a CHORUS of BOOS. So this time they REALLY KISS. Crowd goes wild.
AROUND THEM
REVELERS DANCE and FIGHT with equal abandon, making it almost impossible to tell the difference. But they stop like clockwork for every new toast and testimonial.
THE BEARDED BRAWLER
spears his mug into the air like a royal scepter.
BRAWLER
Happy is the bride that sees the sun! Sorry the corpse that sees the rain!
CLOSE ON BEER MUG
framed in a perfect BEAM of SUNLIGHT streaming through an open window.
FOLLOW THE SUNBEAM TO:
KATE who smiles back with her own inner radiance. Bedecked in flowers, her brown hair sweets low over white lace shoulders and cream skin.
She leans over RAUCOUS CHEERS and kisses Duncan, provoking a new RIOT of and UPRAISED GLASSES.
THE PIPERS
resplendent in their Celtic kilts, launch into the "Highland Fling.
Kate is instantly YANKED up onto her feet and into a ROUSING JIG.
Before Duncan can protest, he's HOISTED from his seat and FLUNG onto the dance floor.
Duncan and Kate link arms, goaded on by a circle of shouting, stumbling CLAPPERS.
With each new upshift in tempo, they spin faster and faster until they're hanging on for dear life.
SIGHT AND SOUND
gradually blur into a queasy sense of vertigo. But for Duncan, it's not just the headstrong mix of drink and passion.
It's the BUZZ of another Immortal.
He spins to a stop as his eyes come to rest on
CONNOR MACLEOD
who enters the room on a wave of silence.
Duncan breaks away from Kate, crosses over to Connor and wraps him in a bear hug.
DUNCAN
About time. I was beginning to wonder.
CONNOR
I was on a junk in the South China Sea when I got your notice. 12 hours ago.
DUNCAN
How...?
CONNOR
Don't ask.
Kate spins by on the arm of a new partner.
KATE
You're next, Connor MacLeod.
CONNOR
That better be no idle threat.
Duncan watches Kate with a rapturous smile.
DUNCAN
Well, I finally did it!
CONNOR
So it would appear.
DUNCAN
What do you think of her?
CONNOR
You know that's not an easy answer.
The edge in his voice is not lost on Duncan.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Outside.
EXT - PORCH - NIGHT
Connor stands with Duncan at the railing, staring out into the encroaching night.
CONNOR
You know she's like us.
DUNCAN
Yes. I sensed it the day we met her.
CONNOR
So you know that, like us, her immortality can only be triggered by the shock of a violent death.
Duncan looks off, as if purging the thought from his head.
CONNOR (cont'd)
It's what makes warriors of us all, Duncan. Good or bad, there seems a purpose to it.
DUNCAN
Yes. And without such a death, she'll simply grow old and die like any other. Is that what you dragged me out here to tell me?
Connor removes a uniquely-braided GOLDEN ROPE from his vest pocket.
It catches the candlelight with the glint of a thousand silken threads as he runs it lightly over his fingertips.
CONNOR
Many years after I was married, I came home to find Heather sitting on a stool in the kitchen, with a knife in one hand... and her hair in the other.
FLASH TO:
HEATHER, early-forties, her hair shorn to the scalp. She looks up at Connor with red-rimmed eyes and a bitter smile.
CONNOR (cont'd)
At first I was scared. Scared that she'd gone mad. And then angry, as if she'd somehow meant to hurt me by it.
BACK TO CONNOR AND DUNCAN:
CONNOR (cont'd)
When I asked her why she'd done such a thing to herself, her answer cut me to the quick. She said it was the one part of her that would not age. It would forever remain the same as when I first fell in love with her.
FLASH TO:
CONNOR burying Heather in a simple grave overlooking their home. Tears streak his face. He sinks to his knees in unspeakable anguish.
CONNOR (cont'd)
And that's how she wanted me to remember her.
BACK TO CONNOR AND DUNCAN:
Connor closes his fingers around the braid. Squeezes.
CONNOR (cont'd)
It's all I have now.
DUNCAN
I love Kate. I'll hold on to her as long as I can. That's all I can do.
Kate can be seen through the window behind them, exchanging dance partners with dizzying abandon.
CONNOR
If that's your intent, so be it.
Duncan swings over the rail and hops off the porch. Takes to the ground in long angry strides.
EXT - COBBLED STREET - NIGHT
Conner walks double time to catch up with him.
DUNCAN
Why are you telling me this?
CONNOR
Because I once loved a woman more than life itself. And I watched her die. Unlike you, I had no other choice.
DUNCAN
And I have a choice?! What would you have me tell her?!
CONNOR
I'd tell her nothing. She wouldn't believe you. They never do when it involves themselves.
DUNCAN
Then I can do nothing.
CONNOR
She's in the flower of her youth. Enjoy the moment and let it pass. If you think you can.
Duncan suddenly grabs Connor's shoulder, spins him around.
DUNCAN
You'd have me kill her?! Is that it?! Is that what you came all this way to tell me on my WEDDING NIGHT?!
CONNOR
I'd have you do what your heart-- and our conscience-- demand.
Duncan settles. Searches his eyes.
DUNCAN
And if it were you in my place?
Connor ponders. Then shakes his head.
CONNOR
I thank God I never had the choice.
He listens to the faint strains of music and laughter carried on the rising WIND.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Tell Catherine I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer.
He clasps Duncan by the forearm. Then turns and continues n down the cobbled lane leading from the wedding party.
TRANSITION BACK TO:
INT - SOHO HOTEL - NIGHT
Duncan lies sleepless in a nouveau-stark hotel room, somewhere in the bowels of Manhattan.
A half-empty bottle of Glenmorangie is there for company.
The door CREAKS OPEN, casting a single ribbon of light across the room.
It WIDENS to REVEAL THE SILHOUETTE OF A WOMAN.
Duncan closes his eyes. Feigns sleep.
She pads silently inside. Pulls the door closed.
Duncan remains still, breathing heavily.
The woman steals slowly up to the bedside. Pauses, as if quietly studying Duncan--
--then swings her leg up and straddles him.
Even in the murky halflight, he can still make out the familiar painted eyes framed by a tangle of bleached hair.
She says nothing, her expression lost under a veil of darkness. Only her rapid breathing betrays her tension.
Instead, she suddenly leans forward and KISSES HIM.
Passionately.
Duncan responds in kind. AS if powerless to do anything
else...
LIGHTNING stitches the sky outside as--
They embrace.
Bodies entwine with an urgency that builds with the STORM
raging outside.
ON THE NEXT THUNDERCRACK
TRANSITION TO:
EXT - EMPTY FIELD (DUBLIN) - NIGHT
ANGRY SHEETS OF RAIN rake the countryside as Duncan slogs imlessly through calf-deep mud. Still in his wedding arb, he's thoroughly drenched, as if he's been wandering this way for hours.
INT - ROWHOUSE - NIGHT
The last of the guests have gone or passed out beneath toppled kegs of ale.
Only Kate remains upright, her face etched with sober dread as
DUNCAN
appears in the doorway, rivulets of water pouring off his
shoulders and brow.
For a while they just stare at one another, each lost to his own sense of foreboding.
Kate is the first to speak. Despite her stoic veneer, her voice comes out small and terrified.
KATE
If this is wrong, Duncan, tell me now.
Saying nothing, Duncan slowly crosses the floor and takes her hands in his own.
INT - BEDROOM - NIGHT
CANDLES flicker in the storm-fed drafts that whistle through closed windows.
Kate lays Duncan's rainsoaked clothing across a nightstand then turns, regarding him naked for the very first time.
Duncan reaches out to touch her. She trembles.
Gently, as if unwrapping an object of unimaginable fragility, Duncan removes her clothing down to a simple floating chemise.
Then guides her down onto a canopied bed encircled by a hundred fresh-cut wildflowers.
HANDS
clasp, fingers dig into skin.
Whatever refinements Kate displayed in public are now happily abandoned.
She arches up under Duncan, puts her lips to his ear.
KATE
I'll love you forever.
On an OMINOUS THUNDERCLAP--
TRANSITION BACK TO:
INT - SOHO HOTEL - NIGHT
We're back in the present. Little has changed but the
sheets.
And the fury of their lovemaking.
Each new THUNDERCRACK highlights a different aspect of their hunger-- their wet, glistening bodies STROBING FASTER AND FASTER until the act itself becomes abstracted from any sense of time or place.
FLASH FRAMES
stutter inside the lightning:
SILKEN HAIR
coursing over cream-colored breasts and a simple pewter cross.
EYES
similar in shape and color, that shift from painted to plain...
FINGERNAILS
that toggle between neo-goth BLACK and natural pink...
FAITH
throws back her head, biting back the shudders of release...
. . . and sinks down into the bed with a drawn sigh.
INT - DUBLIN BEDROOM - NIGHT
A SHADOW darkens Kate as she sleeps. It lingers there, deadly still.
DUNCAN
stands over her, gripped by indecision.
The fateful choice tears at him, even as he holds a DAGGER over her gently-rising chest.
His hand TREMBLES.
DUNCAN
(softly)
Forgive me.
KATE'S EYES
SNAP OPEN as the DAGGER PLUNGES INTO HER HEART.
For an instant their eves meet. And in that single shattering moment, Duncan knows he chose wrong.
It's not just terror that passes through Kate's eyes. It's the incomprehensible pain of betrayal.
Kate gasps once, jerks and settles. Lies there dead, blood pooling across her nightgown.
Duncan stares down at her body, numb.
DUNCAN
I'm sorry...
On that look we TRANSITION BACK TO:
INT - HOTEL - NIGHT
The pain imprints on Duncan as if he's still clutching the knife.
DUNCAN
I'm sorry.
Whatever passion stirred Faith moments before is gone without a trace. Her eyes are as cold and empty as the dead Kate.
FAITH
You had no right.
DUNCAN
I was doing it for you. For us.
FLASH TO:
INT - DUBLIN BEDROOM - NIGHT
Kate CONVULSES BACK TO LIFE, eyes wild, insane.
Duncan reaches out to her, which only sends her reeling further into panic delirium. She swats at him, punching flailing...
DUNCAN
Now you're an immortal. Like me. It was the only way...
Words fall on deaf ears.
She wrenches out of his grip. Stumbles for the door, drenched in her own blood.
Leaves Duncan standing mindblown in her wake.
EXT - DUBLIN STREETS - NIGHT
Kate flees through wet empty streets-- barefoot, nightgown ripped and bloody, face contorted like a madwoman. Breath comes in ragged, whimpering gasps.
She trips, falls. Comes up running.
BACK TO PRESENT:
Faith climbs off the bed, throws on Duncan's shirt, whirls back, tears streaking her face like warpaint.
FAITH
You wanted this! I never asked for eternity! You forced it on me!
(screams)
IT WAS MY DECISION, NOT YOURS!!
DUNCAN
Would you have really understood?
FAITH
Understood? Which part?! The part about never having children? Or the endless, numbing sameness of it all?
(bitter laugh)
Or maybe you mean the part where you wake up one day and realize you're nothing but a whore racking up faceless affairs because whole lifetimes tick by so fast they don't even count anymore!
She wraps her arms around herself as if to stem the escaping demons.
Duncan remains silent, taking it all in.
FAITH (cont'd)
Here's the kicker, Duncan. I came here for one reason and one reason only. To see if I could feel again. Anything.
She walks out, leaving the door hanging wide in her wake.
INT - HALLWAY
Faith reaches for the stairwell door as--
--DUNCAN'S ARM LANCES OUT, holding it shut.
DUNCAN
(leaning in)
I'm watching my best friend driven insane by something that happened four centuries ago. And there's nothing I can do to stop it. Because those people are dead and nobody can bring them back.
Faith struggles to open the door. Duncan holds firm.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
But I'm lucky. You know why?
FAITH
Let go!
DUNCAN
I'm lucky because my crime can still be forgiven.
FAITH
LET GO!!
DUNCAN
As long as you're still alive, there's at least the chance. It could take years. Centuries even. It may never happen...
Faith is now PUSHING FURIOUSLY on the door.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
But at least I can still carry the hope inside me. That's one blessing of immortality. There's always tomorrow.
He lets go of the door and steps back.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
Even for you.
Faith shoves her way past him and disappears into the stairwell.
CUT TO:
EXT - MANHATTAN SKYLINE - NIGHT
CONNOR MACLEOD stands on a ROOFTOP, sword in hand, face upturned to the bitter heavens. Stinging WIND and RAIN slash at his face.
He doesn't even blink.
CUT TO:
EXT - NEAR CHURCH - NIGHT
Seen through a CAMCORDER VIEWFINDER, our roving POV wends its way past a couple fixing junkies up to a
GARAGE
where WINSTON hunkers over his bike making repairs. Kase's church looms in the background like a veiled threat.
CALVIN (O.S.)
Win-ston.
WINSTON
Shut that thing off.
CALVIN (O.S.)
Hey, c'mon.
WINSTON
SHUT IT OFF!
SCREEN BLACKS OUT as Winston slams his hand over the lens, ENDING CAMCORDER POV.
Calvin sets it down.
CALVIN
Awright...
WINSTON
I'm out. I'm leaving.
CALVIN
You're out. You're out... You don't g&z out.
WINSTON
Watch me.
CALVIN
You saw what he did to Carlos. He's Genghis the fucking Hun, man. You live his way or you die your way. Be grateful you got the choice.
Winston looks off.
WINSTON
We could take him.
CALVIN
Huh? Say how much you value your life?
WINSTON
Forty-three guineas. Saw the bill of sale myself. Kingston Jamaica, August 14th, 1813.
CALVIN
Sorry there, Cinque', but I got a bigger price goin on this unit.
WINSTON
I watched Connor MacLeod stand up to Kase tonight. Got me thinking.
CALVIN
What about.
WINSTON
That maybe my soul wasn't part of the deal after all.
Calvin considers his point.
CALVIN
You really think we can take him?
WINSTON
The man can't stop a bullet. I know that much. But I need your help.
CALVIN
Yeah and who takes his head, huh? Gets that bucket fulla lucky charms. You, Mr Cool?
(beat)
Who's gonna be master then?
INSERT - CALVIN'S CAMERA
and that little glowing RECORD LIGHT...
EXT - RUBBLED CEMETERY - DAWN
FOLLOW CONNOR MACLEOD
CUT TO:
as he reaches the crest of the cemetery ridge.
He sags against a solitary windswept oak, slides down until he's sitting cross-legged at the base of the tree. Eyes wide, unblinking.
BEFORE HIM
stand those TWELVE DEAD IMMORTALS from The Sanctuary, directly over their burial plots.
Their heads are missing.
CONNOR
looks on impassively. Even as--
THOUSANDS MORE
now stipple the barren landscape. All headless, in period dress spanning untold centuries. The forgotten casualties of an endless, impossible war.
Connor nods solemnly.
CONNOR
Soon.
He blinks.
The specters are gone.
TIME LAPSE ON CONNOR:
DAY becomes NIGHT becomes DAY.
And still he sits there, unmoved, as if ready to embrace the rest of eternity from this one desolate spot.
TRANSITION TO:
EXT - CEMETERY RIDGE - DAY
Connor remains sitting against the tree as
A SHADOW
slices over him. He slowly tilts his gaze upward. Squints.
DUNCAN (O.S.)
There's supposed to be an end to all this, right? A final answer...
Duncan slides down next to him. Gazes out at the trackless ocean.
DUNCAN
Isn't that the "prize" we're all butchering each other to win?
CONNOR
I already know the answer. The "prize"-- the real prize-- is just to close your eyes and see nothing.
DUNCAN
I don't believe that.
CONNOR
You think the Game is still about good against evil? A better world? Look around. Who among us really deserves to win?
DUNCAN
Not Jacob Kase.
CONNOR
And who's going to stop him? You? Me?
DUNCAN
There has to be a way.
Connor looks off. Nods.
CONNOR
Oh, there's a way, kinsman. There's a way. But I don't believe you have the guts to take it.
DUNCAN
Try me.
Connor stands up. Offers a hand to Duncan. Hauls him upright.
CONNOR
Alright then.
HE SUDDENLY LASHES OUT WITH HIS SWORD.
Duncan barely catches Connor's blade with his own.
DUNCAN
What're you doing?!
CONNOR
Don't you know? The better of us will take the other's gift. Pray it'll be enough.
Duncan lowers his blade.
DUNCAN
I won't do it.
CONNOR
Then you'll die.
Again, Connor STRIKES. Again, Duncan barely escapes with his head.
And settles into a fighting stance.
DUNCAN
It can't end like this!
CONNOR
It already has. Goodbye, brother.
He SWINGS FOR DUNCAN'S NECK.
Steel RINGS against steel.
Clansman against clansman.
CUT TO:
INT - CHURCH SANCTUARY - DAY
Faith sits in a center pew, head bowed, deep in thought. Or prayer. Hard to tell with somebody like Faith.
Kase sits down beside her.
KASE
You were with him.
He curls his nose, as if he can still smell the sin.
KASE (cont'd)
Woman is a temple built upon a sewer.
FAITH
Glad I can help you feel a bit better about yourself there, Jacob.
KASE
Remember what you were when I first found you? A whore. Now look. A liberated woman.
FAITH
Fuck you.
Kase runs a delicate finger across her neck.
KASE
Be grateful I don't this minute remove your pretty little heafod.
FAITH
(looks up, cold)
Holy ground, lover. It's a bitch, ain't it?
CUT TO:
EXT - CEMETERY RIDGE - DAY
Two figures dot the faraway ridge as the savage music of their swordplay PEALS out across the barren countryside.
MOVING CLOSER,
we watch these timeless warriors exchange strikes that would drive lesser men into the ground. Each gifted in his own way, neither gaining full advantage over the other...
. . . they both gradually succumb to EXHAUSTION.
CLOSER:
Connor and Duncan finally lower their swords, panting and
spent.
DUNCAN
(hollow rasp)
Enough?
CONNOR
(barely audible)
Enough...
And that's as much as either can say as they suck back great gulping lungfulls of air.
A little color finally returns to Duncan's cheeks. He mops his face with his sleeve.
DUNCAN
Next time I won't hold back.
CONNOR
Nor I.
Dragging his sword like a half-ton barbell, Duncan turns
and makes his way back toward the "resting tree.
CONNOR
closes his eyes and HOISTS HIS SWORD...
CONNoR
(whispered)
Remember well, old friend.
DUNCAN
feels, more than sees, the ONCOMING BLADE.
He turns into the ARC of CONNOR'S SWING--
SLOW MOTION
He reacts on pure instinct, SWORD LIFTING, BODY PIVOTING with the DRIVING FORCE of CONNOR'S THRUST...
FLASH TO:
CONNOR TEACHING THAT SAME MOVE TO DUNCAN BACK IN 1627.
FLASH BACK TO:
CONNOR'S SWORD
as it GRAZES Duncans side.
DUNCAN'S KATANA
SWINGS UP with the same vicious thrust, CATCHES CONNOR UNDER THE CHIN...
Connor doesn't flinch.
TIME SUSPENDS the instant before blade meets flesh...
CONNOR'S VOICE
The game is not about survival, Duncan. It's about living. In the end, it's all that matters.
REAL TIME--
THE BLADE CUTS CLEAN THROUGH CONNOR'S NECK WITH UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM.
Duncan CRIES OUT as he follows through, BLOOD staining his blade with the crushing reality of what he has just committed.
He sinks to his knees...
. . . and SCREAMS TO THE HEAVENS.
The heavens answer back with THUNDER, LIGHTNING and GALE FORCE WINDS that seem to come from everywhere at once.
PURE ESSENCE--
--HOWLS out of CONNOR'S BODY.
DUNCAN
CON-NORRRRRRR!!
It SURGES UPWARD into endless SHEETS of LIGHTNING.
Duncan CONVULSES at the epicenter of a GROWING CLASH between EARTH and SKY.
SHOCKWAVES POUND through his skull, triggering
A LAST FLEETING VISION OF CONNOR MACLEOD:
Walking with Heather across an open field. He turns and looks back at Duncan.
CONNOR'S EYES
shine with a look of ultimate peace and transcendence.
He seems to be gazing straight into Duncan's soul. And smiling at what he sees as--
A FINAL BLAST OF ESSENCE
RIPS through Duncan's BRAIN.
EXT - HIGHRISE - NIGHT
DISSOLVE TO:
Duncan stands alone on the rooftop, stripped to the waist, moving slowly through an elaborate kata.
The precision of his movement belies the chaos inside him.
He windmills the katana over his head, faster and faster, until he suddenly RELEASES IT--
THE SWORD
PINWHEELS through the night sky, arcing out across the open space between buildings...
Duncan watches its long, lofting trajectory...
. ..then takes off RUNNING. He reaches the edge of the rooftop and LEAPS.
WIDE
Legs cycling through empty air, he traces a matching arc directly under the far-flung sword.
Like a long-jumper stretching for that last inch of sand, Duncan HYPER-EXTENDS for the next rooftop.
EXT - NEXT ROOFTOP
HIS LEADING FOOT
hits the edge-- digs in, pivots and sets.
HIS HAND
THRUSTS UPWARD as the sword grip SLAPS INTO HIS OPEN PALM. Fingers wrap around the ivory hilt, slowly lowering it down to eye-level.
GO IN CLOSE ON THOSE EYES
and see a new Duncan MacLeod. Stronger. Deadlier. A man cooly aware of his own destiny.
CUT TO:
EXT - ARMORY - DAY
Dawson's car pulls up to the generic cinderblock building that now stands unguarded and abandoned.
INT - ARMORY - DAY
Dawson enters, squints into the darkness.
The interior looks as if it's stood fallow for the last three decades. No giger-chair, no gothic restraints. No evidence the Watchers ever took up temporary residence here.
Except for MATTHEW, who emerges from the stale halflight to confront Dawson.
MATTHEW
I'm a bit surprised to see you again. All things considered.
Dawson just stands there, hands plunged inside his coat pockets.
MATTHEW (cont'd)
As you can see, we had to move on. Find a new Sanctuary.
DAWSON
It's wrong. What you're doing. It's inhuman.
MATTHEW
Ah, but they're not human, really. Are they?
DAWSON
Gimme a reason, Matthew.
MATTHEW
It's for the good of us all. You know that.
DAWSON
Gimme a reason.
Matthew cocks his head like the RCA dog.
MATTHEW
Because we must. It's that simple. And if you get in our way again, there will be very serious consequences.
DAWSON
Gimme a good reason.
Matthew pulls a gun. Aims it at Dawson's heart.
MATTHEW
I'm sorry to have to do this, Joe.
He pulls the trigger...
as TWO SLUGS pound into his chest. Matthew topples backward, dead.
Dawson palms the gun still concealed in his coat pocket. Nods.
DAWSON
Reason enough.
CUT TO:
EXT - NEW YORK STREET - DAY
Kase is roaring through narrow streets in a low-slung convertible, Faith at his side. With utter disregard for speed or care, he guns it madly in shrieking turns.
INT - CONVERTIBLE, DRIVING
Faith grips the dashboard two-handed.
FAITH
Slow down.
KASE
Adrenalin's good for the sex drive.
FAITH
I'm not amused, Jacob.
She reaches over and slaps on her shoulder harness.
KASE
Thought maybe you needed a little more excitement. You know, spice up our relationship a bit.
WIDE
He OVERSTEERS, caroms off several parked cars, recovers...
KASE (cont'd)
I mean, isn't that why you went back to Duncan MacLeod? The risk?
FAITH
I don't know what you're trying to prove.
Kase puts an arm around her shoulder...
KASE
Why do I have to prove anything to you?
.... as his foot flattens the accelerator. ENGINE WHINES.
KASE (cont'd)
I can have anything I want already.
FAITH
Except me. And that bugs the shit out of you, doesn't it?
KASE
Not really.
AT THE NEXT TURN
it's clear he'll never make it, he's going too fast. Kase only smiles.
Releasing the wheel, he stands in his seat, lifts his arms above his head and SHOUTS in exultation as--
--the car EXPLODES into the wall.
It's all over in a breath. Accordioned metal, drooling radiator, and Faith, slumped over the dash.
Kase lies sprawled and battered on the pavement, thrown some distance from the wreckage. He's clearly taken the worst of the impact.
FAITH
stirs and slowly wrenches herself free of the smoking mangle of steel and plastic.
She reaches back and pulls Kase's sword free of the wreckage.
With single-minded determination, she limps over to Kase's body, face-up in his own pooling blood.
A disbelieving PEDESTRIAN pauses in shock.
Faith gives her a twisted smile.
FAITH
Don't mind us.
Pedestrian SCURRIES OFF as Faith lifts the sword over her head and brings it WHISTLING DOWN across Kase's neck.
With inhuman reflexes, Kase awakens and catches her wrist in the same heartbeat.
Eyes narrow.
KASE
Does this mean it's over?
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT - KASE'S CHURCH - DAY
Kase steps up to the back entrance, alone.
THE DOOR hangs slightly ajar, which clearly disturbs him.
INT - CHURCH SANCTUARY - DAY
Kase enters the main room to find Calvin and Sarge asleep on their pews. He kicks the first pew, awakens both with a start.
KASE
Who left the back door open?
CALVIN
Huh?
Kase looks to Sarge.
SARGE
I dunno.
KASE
Where's Cracker Bob? He was supposed to be watching the back.
Calvin and Sarge both shrug.
KASE (cont'd)
(sotto)
Infants.
He whirls, stalks out.
INT - SACRISTY
Kase enters his dark, cluttered office, SLAMMING the door behind him.
FLICKS ON THE LIGHT
and stops cold.
A SWORD
JUTS from a small wooden table...
. . . right through CRACKER BOB, who lies skewered to the tabletop.
WRAPPED AROUND THE SWORDHILT
is Caiolin MacLeods unique silver-and-wood CRUCIFIX.
The message is not lost on Kase.
BOB'S EYES
suddenly flutter open. First thing he sees is that sword hilt sticking rudely out of his own chest.
CRACKER BOB
Ah-- Ahhh-- AHHHHHHH!!
KASE
Shut up.
He reaches forward and JERKS the sword out of Bob, and with it
A SINGLE SCRAP OF PAPER
impaled on the blade.
It bears just one word, scrawled in Bob's plentiful blood.
GLENFINNAN
Bob sits up on the table, wild-eyed, as Kase calmly opens his fingers and lets the paper slide from his fingers.
CUT TO:
EXT - LITTLE ITALY, ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
Glitter lights and milling tourists. Row upon row of gimmicky Italian restaurants.
INT - ITALIAN RESTAURANT, PRIVATE ROOM - NIGHT
Jacob Kase and his acolytes dine at a long table set against a gaudy backdrop of faux Roman ruins, babbling fountains and plastic holly.
It all imparts a whiff of "Last Supper" pomp to the proceeding.
Which is not lost on the other Immortals, who glance around warily while eating, as suspicious of each other as they are of Kase.
Nor does anyone miss the fact that there are no windows in this particular room.
CLOSE ON WINSTON
He stares into his pasta, beading sweat.
BENEATH THE TABLE
his fingers curl around the cold steel of a .38 SPECIAL wedged between his knees. He inches the gun upward toward the table rim as...
Kase suddenly stands up in the center.
KASE
A toast...
All heads turn.
Gun freezes in Winston's lap, just hidden from view.
KASE (cont'd)
I see tonight as a celebration of the spirit.
(raises his glass)
Here's to all of you who continue to
stand by me...
(smiles at Winston)
. . . even those who might waver at times.
Winston stiffens, fears that Kase is on to him.
And when Calvin averts his gaze, he knows.
Still, he raises his glass. As do the others.
KASE (cont'd)
You are my flock. You nourish my soul.
It's now or never for Winston. His moment of truth.
Kase's eyes slowly drift over to meet his.
SLOW MOTION,
Kase tips back his glass and drinks, eyes locked on Winston.
Winston responds in kind, gulping down his wine as he slips the gun back into his pocket.
He shoves off from the table.
WINSTON
Excuse me.
KASE
Where you going?
WINSTON
Toilet.
KASE
Sit sit. I'm not through with my toast yet.
WINSTON
Can't wait.
He angles for the door.
KASE
I'm almost finished. Sit.
Winston reaches for the doorknob. Locked.
He swivels back. Sees death in Jacob Kase's eyes. His death.
KASE (cont'd)
It'll all be over in a few more seconds.
A cold spike of fear shoots through every single one of them...
. . . as Kase continues.
KASE (cont'd)
Youve all been a part of a great quest. A four hundred year quest for justice.
He lifts up an exquisitely-crafted sword.
KASE (cont'd)
And here, my friends, is the instrument of that justice. It's called the "Colichmarde." Finest sword known to man.
The blade WHISTLES upright.
KASE (cont'd)
Blessed by Popes and baptized in blood. I only break it out for special occasions.
He kisses the perfect cross formed by the juncture of blade and quillons.
KASE (cont'd)
It sings like an angel. Just listen.
Winston jerks for his gun.
In a SUDDEN BLUR of STEEL and BLOOD, Kase beheads Winston and dispatches the next two of his stunned acolytes with blinding efficiency.
TONGUES OF LIQUID ENERGY coil up and around Kase's body. But he keeps right on coming.
The others scatter like roaches.
ESSENCE PULSES off walls and ceiling, SHATTERING STATUARY, HURLING FURNITURE...
. ..before MERGING with the WALKING INFERNO that is now Jacob Kase.
His sword BLAZES through the remaining victims, trailing STREAKS OF BLUE FIRE.
One after another, they drop headless to the concrete,
triggering
A FULL-ON MULTIPLE-QUICKENING.
THE NEXT WAVE OF ESSENCE
SLAMS into Kase front on. His knees BUCKLE.
ANOTHER
Hits him BROADSIDE, buffeting him one way as
YET ANOTHER
POUNDS him from the opposite- side, rocking him back center and IMMOBILIZING HIM inside an omni-directional CRUSH of LIGHT AND SOUND that WHITES OUT THE FRAME.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT - SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS - DAY
A THICK CLINGING FOG, enshrouds the rocky highlands. Somewhere along the invisible coastline below, a foghorn MOANS.
The skeletal remains of an ancient Gaelic CASTLE loom spectral gray above
JACOB KASE
who stands before an ANCIENT CELTIC MONOLITH (familiar from Glenfinnan's town square) revelling in the changeless land of his birth.
KASE
(calling out)
Where else could stir the blood of a Scotsman too long of this earth and too far from home?
Kase picks his way across the uneven ground, unable to see beyond the reach of his own arm.
KASE (cont'd)
(filling his lungs)
I can nae get enough of it.
He draws his sword, extends it outward until the tip
disappears from sight.
A LOW SCRAPING OF METAL ON STONE taunts him from
somewhere out there in the slow-drifting whiteness
Kase's sword TWITCHES toward the SOUND.
Just the FAINTEST OUTLINE of a FIGURE COALESCES BRIEFLY inside the fog.
KASE
Ah, what's this? Hamlet's ghost?
The FIGURE melts back into silent nothingness.
KASE (cont'd)
I'm afraid even the cloak of fog won't help you overcome a sizeable disadvantage.
A DIFFERENT SCRAPING SOUND
spins him around to see
ANOTHER GHOSTLY FIGURE
looming over him from a narrow stone outcropping.
Kase masks a slight tinge of concern.
KASE (cont'd)
It's always good to see two fellow clansmen banded together in a common cause. But I hope you haven't sunk to the level of a simultaneous ambush.
Once again, the figure steps backward into the enveloping
fog. Disappears.
Slightly unnerved, Kase jerks around. No sign of anyone. Just that infernal mist.
A SOFT SCRAPING of SWORD against ROCK swivels him back around to his original position.
CLOSE ON KASE
His nerves are starting to shred.
He turns several full rotations, craning for a glimpse of his tormentors.
And then he sees it...
AN APPARITION WIELDING A SWORD.
Kase LUNGES for it. And this time, it doesn't retreat.
Swords CLANG in thunderous overture as
TWO SPECTRES IN THE FOG
battle for position on tenuous footing.
KASE drives his adversary backward into a BLUNTED STONE WALL, leaving him no avenue of escape.
Their swords LOCK UP and Kase suddenly finds himself FACE TO FACE WITH--
DUNCAN MACLEOD.
You can sense Kase's bitter disappointment.
KASE
Not at all who I'd hoped for.
CLOSE ON DUNCAN'S EYES
as they flick to a point iust behind Kase's head.
CLOSE ON KASE'S EYES
as he realizes he's been had.
He SWINGS FULLY AROUND TO FACE CONNOR--
--and sees that NOBODY'S THERE!
Too late-- he SWINGS BACK TO DUNCAN-- and IMPALES HIMSELF ON DUNCAN'S SWORD.
DUNCAN
(through clenched teeth)
I'm afraid Connor couldn't be here. But don't worry, he's with us in spirit.
Still gripping his sword two-fisted, Duncan seems to surge with newfound strength.
DUNCAN
He gave himself for this moment. And I shan't let him down.
Duncan SHOVES OFF from Kase and goes to work on him with a VENGEANCE.
WHAT KASE SEES:
A frightening, hallucinitory vision of a DUAL ADVERSARY-- one that CHANGES back and forth in the flux of swirling mist.
As Duncan's blade BLURS PAST, Kase sees CONNOR. With the very next SWING, he sees Duncan again.
Then Connor. Then Duncan. Connor. Duncan...
Kase rubs his eyes with the back of his hand. Shakes it off. Can't be.
Duncan buffets Kase backward with several dazzling combinations, then goes inside, tough and ugly.
Kase seems suddenly overwhelmed, physically and mentally, as he's driven onto his back by sheer relentless overdrive.
Duncan SLASHES DOWN for the killing blow, which Kase BARELY DEFLECTS.
He SLASHES AGAIN. And AGAIN. Each time Kase barely escapes with his head intact.
Duncan keeps up this relentless barrage, hacking down in every conceivable direction, looking for an opening, finding none.
With each increasingly-leaden DOWNSTROKE, Duncan is losing strength...
. . . and Kase is regaining his.
Kase BATTLES BACK TO HIS FEET, deftly siezes the advantage.
KASE
(savage smile)
This is not a game won on points, I'm afraid.
He drives Duncan back with an answering exchange that leaves no doubt of his superior ability.
In a single massive THRUST, Kase STRIPS Duncan's sword and sends him flying.
Duncan lands on his back, weaponless.
Kase steps up to the katana, scoops his toe under it and FLICKS IT BACK TO DUNCAN.
Then waves him back to his feet. A cat playing with his prey.
Both combatants square off... and RESUME.
KASE
That's the beauty of eternity. The fun never stops.
He THRUSTS-- spiking Duncan clear through the shoulder.
Duncan hangs up on the blade, unable to move. Grimaces
in pain.
Setting boot to chest, Kase KICKS Duncan off his sword and sends him spiralling backward.
Duncan reaches out to break his fall--
--but there's no ground beneath him.
He PLUMMETS OFF a SLANTED CLIFF. Bounces at fifty feet, then tumbles clear to the bottom.
Kase steps up to the edge, scowls.
A FRESHLY-CUT QUARRY
has been hewn from the hilltop by the massive sword of modern technology.
EARTH MOVING EQUIPMENT several stories tall lines the inner basin.
KASE
What have they done to my mountain?!
He gazes down at DUNCAN'S BODY sprawled at the base of the cliff. Then starts down after him.
EXT - BOTTOM OF QUARRY - DAY
Duncan crawls over to his sword...
. . . as Kase picks his way down the steep incline.
Duncan spikes his sword into the ground and uses it to climb upright.
One look at his battered body and you know this fight is over. He just stands there, hunched over his sword, grimly waiting for Kase to reach him and deliver the killing blow.
It doesn't take long. Kase stops, regards him with
contempt.
KASE
Don't make it easy. I hate that.
DUNCAN
Youre breaking my heart.
KASE
Pick up!
Duncan shakes his blood-streaked head.
KASE
PICK UP!
DUNCAN
It's always been too easy for you, Kase. No reason this time should be any different.
He plucks his sword out of the ground...
. . . and TURNS HIS BACK TO KASE.
DUNCAN (cont'd)
Take your best shot.
He hobbles off, sword hanging limp at his side.
Kase starts TREMBLING WITH RAGE.
KASE
MACLEOD!
Duncan ignores him, keeps walking.
About now, we should have a pretty good idea what Duncan has in mind.
But Kase doesn't have a clue.
DUNCAN'S POV:
For a fleeting moment, Connor stands before Duncan, more
mist than flesh.
He opens his arms wide.
CONNOR'S APPARITION
Remember weil, old friend.
He DISSOLVES AWAY as Kase hoists sword over shoulder...
KASE (cont'd)
MAC-LEOD!!
. ..and CHARGES...
Which is exactly what Duncan expected.
USING THE SAME MOVE CONNOR TAUGHT HIM--
--Duncan PIVOTS WITH the THRUST, catching Kase completely off guard and off balance.
This time, no force of man or nature can keep Duncan's sword from hitting home.
He SLICES UPWARD with a ROAR OF DEFIANCE...
. ..and FOLLOWS THROUGH.
ON KASE:
He stands there, head miraculously still intact, a look of bewildered relief.
Duncan simply POPS his sword butt into Kase's face.
The head comes easily away from the neck and falls.
KASE'S POV spins END OVER END through the air, bounces twice and comes to a rest SIDEWAYS.
And that's how we first see his HEADLESS BODY, sprawled across the ground.
KASE'S SEVERED HEAD
blinks with sudden recognition. And now he knows. This is the worst part of losing your head-- those last few seconds of cold lucidity.
DUNCAN
opens his arms to
HEAVES UNDERFOOT.
WIDE - THE QUARRY
the ULTIMATE OUICKENING as THE EARTH
WALLS
EXPLODE like a circle of VOLCANOES venting into the center.
Duncan CLAWS UPWARD on a GROUNDSWELL OF RAW ENERGY as DIRT, ROCK, ASH and SMOKE OBLITERATE THE BASIN.
The SEISMIC CONVULSIONS GRADUALLY SUBSIDE.
The dust settles.
And the blighted landscape falls into an unearthly SILENCE, blind to its own buried secrets.
HOLD on the trailing wisps of smoke as
THE GROUND SHUDDERS
and DUNCAN'S KATANA BREAKS THE SURFACE.
It PLUNGES UPWARD ONE, TWO, THREE MORE TIMES, pulverizing dirt and stone.
HANDS FOLLOW, clawing their up way through the loosely- mounded earth until DUNCAN'S HEAD AND SHOULDERS APPEAR.
As if the earth itself is giving birth to a new generation of Immortal.
He rolls out onto the ground, gasping, triumphant. Reborn.
One inch at a time, he slowly rises to his feet.
As we KEEP ON RISING up into a FIERY HIGHLAND SUNSET.
TILT BACK DOWN TO:
EXT - HIGHLANDS ABOVE GLENFINNAN
Duncan stands over a freshly-dug grave. Onto the simple stone, he's chisled:
HEATHER MACLEOD
BELOVED WIFE OF CONNOR
And beneath it:
CONNOR MACLEOD
BELOVED HUSBAND OF HEATHER
Duncan's eyes glisten with an unspeakable loss. And a comfort in knowing that his friend has finally found the peace of eternity.
DUNCAN
yours is the greater prize my friend. Welcome home.
LINGER ON DUNCAN as we DISSOLVE SLOWLY TO...
EXT - MANHATTAN SKYLINE - DAWN
FAITH stands sentinel-like atop a bluff overlooking the Hudson River and the insignificant island of Manhattan beyond.
Her trademark slashes of facepaint and hair dye have been shed like molted skin. What remains is a serene beauty that defies fashion or vanity.
Her faraway eyes BLINK with a sudden, frightening clarity.
THE BUZZ sets her reflexes snapping as she SPINS AROUND--
--and CATCHES the COLICHMARDE, handle first.
DUNCAN
follows, strolling toward her with hands loose at his
side.
Faith runs her finger down the shimmering blade.
FAITH
(considers)
So... what am I supposed to do next -- kiss you or take your head?
Duncan steps up to her, smiling enigmatically.
DUNCAN
The choice is yours.
FADE OUT:
THE END |
Hostage
by
Robert Crais
based on his novel
March 29, 2002
FADE IN:
EXT. A HYPERBLUE LOS ANGELES SKY -- DAY
The sky is overlaid with the slow whup-whup-whup of an LAPD
helicopter flashing through the frame, here and gone.
LAPD radio transmissions crackle like static electricity
around a dirty clapboard bungalow that looks like the
puckered asshole of Eagle Rock.
A man's terrified voice screams invisibly from the house --
MALIK'S VOICE
I'm gonna kill this dog! You make my
wife talk to me or I'm gonna shoot this
fuckin' dog!
A five-member SWAT tactical team appears out of nowhere--full
black assault gear, M5s, gloved and masked--hustling into
position on either side of the front door. Only now do we
get the full picture: Helicopters overhead, radio cars
surrounding the house, an army of cops itching the pull the
trigger --
When the tac team is good to go, the team leader gives a
thumbs-up to --
SERGEANT JEFF TALLEY AND LT. MURRAY LEIFITZ
Talley and Leifitz are hunkered behind the LAPD Command and
Control van. Leifitz is the Crisis Response Team SWAT
commander; Talley, the primary negotiator. It's so hot out
here that Talley has stripped down to a tee-shirt and vest.
LEIFITZ
They're good to go, Talley. Your word,
and we're in the house.
TALLEY
No one's going anywhere, L-T. We can
talk this guy down.
Talley lifts a dedicated crisis phone that's been hardlined
into the house, his tone reasonable and friendly --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(into the phone)
Hey, George? George, don't kill the dog,
okay? We don't want to hear a gun go off
in there.
A phone crashes through the window and lands in the front
yard --
MALIK'S VOICE
(screaming from the house)
Fuck you!
LEIFITZ
I don't think he wants to talk.
Frustrated, Talley slumps back against the van as the SWAT
Intelligence Officer, Lloyd Keith, scuttles up to them --
TALLEY
Where's the guy's wife?
KEITH
She didn't take the kid to her sister's.
The neighbors were wrong.
TALLEY
Goddamnit, you said we had her. I told
him we had her!
KEITH
We got bad information, Talley. I can't
pull her out of my ass!
Up at the house, George Edward Malik steps into the window.
Malik is a forty-year-old freaked-out loser who has turned
the corner on insanity --
MALIK
(shouting at Talley)
You said my wife was gonna talk to me,
you lying fuck! I'm gonna kill her dog,
then shoot myself! I mean it!
Talley stares at Malik, thinking, then abruptly grabs Keith
by the collar --
TALLEY
(to Keith)
Pull the dog's name out of your ass. Get
the dog's name.
Talley steps out from behind the command van so that Malik
can see him.
LEIFITZ
(alarmed by Talley's move)
Talley! You're in the line of fire!
Talley ignores Leifitz; he is totally focused on Malik and on
defusing the situation --
TALLEY
I didn't lie to you, George. You scared
your wife pretty good last night. We're
having a hard time finding her.
MALIK
She better talk to me! I'm gonna kill
her goddamned dog!
TALLEY
You and I have been talking for, what,
sixteen hours? Keep talking. Is that
your dog, too?
Malik steps away from the window --
MALIK'S VOICE
I don't know whose dog it is. She lied
about everything else, so she probably
lied about the dog.
TALLEY
I know you're hurting. You lose your
job, you find out your wife's fucking
another guy . . . but don't give up.
We'll have her talk to you.
MALIK'S VOICE
Then why won't she open her mouth?! Why
doesn't the bitch say something???
Something about Malik's statement bothers Talley. The
wording is odd, suspicious --
TALLEY
George? Come back to the window.
MALIK'S VOICE
STOP LOOKING AT ME!!!
Talley grows even more concerned. Was Malik talking to him?
TALLEY
George? Leave the dog alone and come to
the window.
Talley sees Keith rejoin Leifitz --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(to Leifitz)
What's the dog's name?
LEIFITZ
The neighbors say he doesn't have a dog.
The pieces fall into place for Talley: The wife that no one
can find, the dog that doesn't exist....
MALIK'S VOICE
OPEN YOUR GODDAMNED MOUTH OR I'M GONNA
SHOOT THIS DOG!
In a single terrible moment, Talley realizes that Malik is
not talking to him; he's talking to his wife --
TALLEY
Murray!! They're in the house! His
wife's in the house!
Even as Talley screams, a gunshot echoes from the house,
freezing the moment. A second shot follows the first as the
tactical team breaches the front door --
Talley sprints forward, running as hard as he can in
nightmare slow motion --
INT. MALIK'S HOUSE -- DAY
Talley shoulders inside on the heels of the tactical team
through drifting gun smoke and lancing sunlight. SWAT cops
are cuffing Malik even though he's already dead of a self-
inflicted gunshot wound; Malik's wife is sprawled on the
couch where she has been dead for fourteen hours; two tac
officers are trying to stop the geyser of arterial blood that
sprays from the neck of Malik's nine-year-old son even as one
of them screams for the paramedics --
Talley is numb; it's all too much, too heavy, too horrible.
He kneels between to the tactical cops and takes the boy's
hand. He stares into the boy's eyes, and the boy stares
back. The child's face grows pale as he drains of blood. We
hear his heart beating. We hear it slow. We hear it stop.
Talley stares at the dead boy. The dead boy's lifeless eyes
stare at nothing.
TITLES
Another hyperblue sky, but now we're in an upscale bedroom
community in the sun-scorched high desert north of LA --
A legend appears: One Year Later.
EXT. KIM'S MINIMARKET AND GAS STATION -- DAY
A rotted-out Toyota pickup lurches to a stop alongside the
minimart, white-boy hip-hop booming on the radio which dies
with the engine --
Dennis Rooney is driving; twenty-three years old, working-
class desert trash with a high opinion of his own brooding
good looks. In the middle: Kevin Rooney, nineteen, scared
shitless at what they're about to do. Riding shotgun: Mars
Krupchek, twenty-four, a large pasty guy with a shaved head
and faraway eyes.
KEVIN
C'mon, Dennis, this is stupid. I thought
we were gonna go to the movies.
DENNIS
(grins past Kevin to Mars)
Mars?! Whattaya think, dude? Out here
on the edge, no one around, it's perfect,
right?
MARS
I'll check it out.
Mars slides out of the truck. He has a tattoo on the back of
his tattoo that says: BURN IT.
As soon as Mars is gone, Dennis frowns at Kevin --
DENNIS
Try to act cool, okay? He's gonna think
you're a dick.
KEVIN
Robbing this place is gonna put you back
in prison.
DENNIS
Not if they don't catch us, Kevin.
KEVIN
We got jobs, man; we're working. Why
even take the chance?
DENNIS
Because if you don't take the chance,
you're already dead.
Dennis pulls a pistol from his pants to check the magazine.
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Thirty seconds, we'll be down the road.
Thirty seconds. Then we'll go to the
movies.
Mars returns and nods his approval --
MARS
It's perfect.
That's all it takes.
INT. KIM'S MINIMART -- DAY
Junior Kim, Jr., is short, squat, and forty-two years old.
He's reading a magazine behind the counter when Dennis and
Mars enter; Dennis trying to disarm him with a smile --
As Dennis reaches the counter, he lifts his tee-shirt to
reveal the butt of his pistol --
DENNIS
A pack of Marlboros for my friend and all
your cash, you gook motherfucker!
But Junior Kim is ready. He lurches to his feet, bringing up
a pistol of his own --
MARS
He's got a gun!
Dennis lunges across the counter, grabbing Kim's gun, and the
two men are suddenly locked in a ferocious death-struggle for
possession of the weapon --
DENNIS
Mars, help me --
Dennis and Kim bounce from the counter to the Slurpy machine,
the Glock locked between them, pointing first one way, then
the other, their eyes meeting as -- BAM -- the gun goes off.
Junior Kim's eyes widen. Dennis and Junior both look down at
the red blossom that grows on Junior Kim's chest --
KEVIN
(screaming in the background)
Dennis! Dennis, someone's coming!
Kim falls into the Slurpy machine, then slides to the floor.
Dennis scrambles over the counter and sprints for the door.
But Mars hesitates. Instead of running, he picks up Kim's
gun, then leans over the counter to look at Kim's body. We
cannot see his face --
EXT. THE MINIMART -- DAY
A forty-something soccer mom named Margaret Hammond is about
to enter the minimart when Dennis and Kevin burst out,
knocking her on her ass. Mars follows a moment later --
Margaret watches their red pickup lurch away, then rushes
into the store --
INT. THE TRUCK -- DAY
Dennis power-shifts into gear, clashing tortured metal as he
pushes the Toyota as hard as it will go. No one is talking;
they're screaming --
KEVIN
There's fuckin' blood all over you!
DENNIS
I didn't know he would have a gun! It
just went off!
Dennis sees himself in the rearview mirror. His face is
splattered with red dew, the sight of it freaking him out --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Jesus! Fuckin' Jesus, it's on my face!
The trunk careens crazily off the road. Mars calmly runs a
hand over Dennis's face --
MARS
Relax. It's only blood.
Dennis upshifts hard again, the truck lurching as the tranny
howls --
DENNIS
FUCK you, Mars! I got it all over me!
-- whereupon the tortured transmission gives with a loud BANG
and the truck loses power --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
MotherFUCKING piece of SHIT!!!
EXT. FLANDERS ROAD -- DAY
Flanders Road is lined with trees, hedges, and the exclusive
housing developments that dot the countryside around Bristo
Camino.
The Toyota jerks to a stop well off the road, and Dennis,
Mars, and Kevin pile out, stuffing pistols and bullets into
their pockets --
KEVIN
That woman's gonna call the cops.
DENNIS
Shut up, goddamnit! Just calm down!
KEVIN
What if he's dead? What if you killed
him?
Dennis grabs him by the throat; Mars steps between them --
MARS
People are looking.
Dennis sees that Mars is right; people in passing cars are
looking. He releases his brother --
DENNIS
That's why we gotta keep going. I'm not
gonna go in for murder.
KEVIN
We're on foot. We can't get away.
DENNIS
We're surrounded by houses, dumbass.
Every house has a car in the garage.
All we have to do is take one.
Dennis and Mars take off for the wall, Kevin reluctantly
following --
EXT. WALTER SMITH'S HOME -- THE CUL-DE-SAC -- DAY
The camera reveals a two-story California Mediterranean home
in the exclusive housing development known as York Estates.
You can't get in the door for less than one-point-five, and
this house costs more: Eight thousand square feet of used
brick and custom tile set on a lushly landscaped acre --
WALTER SMITH'S VOICE
You can pick them up whenever you want.
INT. WALTER SMITH'S OFFICE -- DAY
Walter Smith is at his computer behind his desk. He's forty
and fit, casually dressed with thinning hair and glasses,
currently leaning back as he talks on his phone --
WALTER
(into the phone)
I have his corporate and personal on two
disks, labeled Marlon and Al.
As Smith talks, he ejects a Zip disk from his computer,
attaches a label reading Al, then places it in a palm-sized
case beside the first disk, Marlon --
WALTER (CONT'D)
What, you don't have a sense of humor?
He's going to love it.
Walter's ten-year-old son, Thomas, suddenly charges around
the desk and pulls at his father's arm --
THOMAS
My stomach is eating me!
WALTER
(into the phone)
Yeah, that's Thomas, the human piranha.
I have to feed the animals while Pam's in
Florida with her sister.
THOMAS
My stomach has teeth! It's eating my
guts!
WALTER
(still with the phone)
Listen, is Glen on his way? Great. The
paper's bagged and ready to go. Bye.
(hangs up; then)
All right, all right, all right--it's
feeding time!
Walter allows his son to pull him around the desk to --
EXT. THE SMITHS' BACK YARD -- THE POOL -- DAY
A boom box blasts the latest teendiva megahit as Walter's
sixteen-year-old daughter, Jennifer, stretches out in cutoff
shorts and a bikini top, working on her tan.
Walter and Thomas appear in the French doors that open from
the back of the house --
WALTER
(calling)
Jen! Come feed your brother! He's
wasting away!
JENNIFER
Can't we send him to Florida?
WALTER
Jen, c'mon, chop-chop! I've got to
finish my work!
Jennifer rolls her eyes, rises from the chaise longue, and
pads to the house. As she clears the frame, the camera
swings toward the overgrown wall at the edge of the property.
Dennis silenty drops into the bushes --
EXT. BRISTO CAMINO PATROL CAR -- DAY
A sky blue Bristo Camino patrol car cruises along Flanders
Road --
INT. THE CRUISER -- OFFICER MIKE WELCH -- DRIVING
Welch is a young officer with an innocence to his eyes that
you don't find in urban cops. He keeps a photo of his wife
and toddler son taped to the dash.
RADIO
Four, base. You there, Mike?
Welch picks up the radio microphone --
WELCH
Four. I'm gonna hit the Krispy-Kreme.
You want a dozen?
RADIO
Armed robbery, Kim's Minimart on Flanders
Road, shots fired with a man down.
This is so unexpected that Welch waits for the punchline --
WELCH
Are you kidding me?
RADIO
Ah, suspects are three white males
driving a red pickup last seen eastbound
on Flanders.
Welch turns on his lights just as he sees the red Toyota
pickup abandoned on the side of the road and stands on his
brakes --
INT. THE SMITHS' KITCHEN -- A FEW MINUTES LATER
The Smiths' home sports an open floor plan with the kitchen
centrally located between a large family room, a hall that
leads to the front of the house, and the French doors that
open onto the pool area.
Jennifer is putting the finishing touches on three tuna
sandwiches as she calls to her brother --
JENNIFER
Tell Daddy that lunch is ready.
(no answer)
Thomas, don't be a turd. Tell --!
She turns to find herself face-to-face with Dennis, who
clamps a hand over her mouth --
DENNIS
(quietly)
I'm not going to hurt you.
Mars is holding Thomas. Kevin is by the French doors --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Stop fighting. Relax, and I'll let go.
Jennifer struggles until she sees that Mars is holding a
pistol to Thomas's head --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
That's better. Be cool and we'll be
outta here in five minutes. Understand?
Jennifer nods, and Dennis removes his hand. He has her
pinned to the counter, his body pressed into her's; she is
suddenly very aware that she is almost naked --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Who else is here?
JENNIFER
My father.
Dennis grabs her hair and pulls her away --
INT. SMITHS' OFFICE -- DAY
It happens fast: Dennis shoves Jennifer into the room, and
Mars and Kevin follow with Thomas --
Walter is feeding a computer print-out into a paper shredder
as they burst through the door --
DENNIS
Get your ass in the chair! Sit down!
Dennis shoves Jennifer to the floor and stalks directly
across the room, his gun trained on Walter.
Walter freezes, hands motionless, letting the paper feed into
the shredder. Strangely, he has little outward reaction --
WALTER
(quietly)
Jen? Are you all right?
DENNIS
She'll be dead if you don't put your ass
in that chair!
Walter carefully sits. He is amazingly calm in the face of
this invasion.
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Kevin! Don't stand there, asshole, close
the windows! Mars, keep him covered,
dude!
Mars pushes Thomas down beside Jennifer, then aims his gun at
Walter. Kevin closes the shutters as Dennis rips the
electric cord from a lamp --
WALTER
Who sent you?
DENNIS
Don't go Rambo and you'll tell'm about
this on the back nine. I'm gonna tie you
up, then we're gonna take your car.
Walter glances toward the shredder; the final page of paper
emerges as spaghetti and then the shredder stops --
WALTER
The car. All you want is the car?
DENNIS
Am I talkin' raghead?! I want your car!
Gimme the goddamned keys!
A strange smile flickers at the corner of Walter's mouth as
if there's a joke within all this, then --
WALTER
The keys are on the wall by the garage.
Take it. The tank's almost full.
KEVIN
Dennis! The cops!
Dennis rushes to the window --
EXT. THE SMITHS' HOUSE -- CUL DE SAC -- DAY
Mike Welch climbs out of the patrol car and keys his shoulder
mike as he appraises the house --
WELCH
(into his radio mike)
They had to go through the yard at 455
Castle Way. I'm going to approach.
Welch slowly moves up the walk toward the front door --
INT. THE ENTRY -- DAY
Dennis shoves Jennifer to the door --
DENNIS
Open it! You remember I'm right here!
EXT. THE HOUSE -- WITH WELCH
Welch is halfway up the walk when the door opens and
Jennifer, clearly terrified, peers out. Welch hesitates --
WELCH
(into his mike)
Teenage female opened the front door.
(to Jennifer)
Miss, I found an abandoned vehicle on the
other side of your wall. Did three young
men run through the area?
Jennifer doesn't answer. Her eyes fill until two huge tears
roll down her cheeks. Welch grows uneasy. Something is
wrong, but he doesn't know what. He stays where he is --
WELCH (CONT'D)
Miss?
JENNIFER
I didn't . . . see anyone.
Welch stares into Jennifer's eyes, pointedly shifting his
gaze to ask the silent question: Are they here?
INT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- MARS AND KEVIN
are peering out the shutters when --
Mars suddenly shouts --
MARS
He's going for his gun!
Mars opens fire, shooting through the window as --
DENNIS
kicks the door closed and fires through the door, Jennifer
screaming, as --
EXT. THE HOUSE -- DAY -- MIKE WELCH
tumbles backward, struggling weakly to pull his gun as blood
bubbles in his mouth. He tries to rise, but can't --
WELCH
(into his radio)
Officer down. Jesus, I've been shot.
RADIO VOICE
Mike? Mike, what did you say?!
Mike Welch blinks at the sky, but cannot answer --
INT. BRISTO CAMINO POLICE DEPARTMENT -- DAY
It's the kind of small-town police facility you might expect:
A general room with desks and computers, a coffee machine,
and a desk officer who thinks that crime is two teenagers
egging a house.
The camera establishes the low-key atmosphere, during which
it finds a glass door labeled J. Talley, chief of police --
INT. TALLEY'S OFFICE -- DAY
Jeff Talley is behind the desk, his voice muted because he is
locked in a painful phone conversation --
TALLEY
(into phone)
It's really hard, Jane. This isn't the
way I want it.
INT. JANE'S KITCHEN -- DAY
Jane Talley is an attractive woman in her mid-thirties. She
has the efficient manner of a registered nurse, which she is,
and right now she's using all of her professional detachment
to keep herself together --
JANE
(into phone)
No? Then whose idea was it for you take
a job in the middle of nowhere?
Intercut Talley, who considers the photographs that decorate
his wall: Shots of Talley in happier times with Jane and
their teenaged daughter, Amanda; Talley as a young SWAT
officer; the framed headline from the Bristo Weekly Standard
proclaiming: EX-SWAT COP NEW BRISTO CHIEF!
TALLEY
I need to work out some stuff.
JANE
You're hiding, Jeffrey. You're hiding
from the job and you're hiding from me.
TALLEY
I still see that boy's eyes.
Jane softens; she knows that a part of him is in terrible
pain. But she's in pain, too --
JANE
That happened a year ago. You've been
gone for almost six months. How long do
you have to punish yourself for something
that wasn't your fault?
Talley studies the picture of his wife and daughter. He
focuses on Amanda --
TALLEY
Is Amanda there?
Jane cups the phone and calls to her daughter. Amanda enters
and goes to the refrigerator. She's fifteen and carrying the
weight of a seriously bad attitude --
JANE
(to Amanda)
It's Dad. He wants to speak with you.
AMANDA
(doesn't even glance over)
I'm gonna see him later.
JANE
(back to Talley)
She has to go to the bathroom.
Jane turns away and lowers her voice, not wanting Amanda to hear --
JANE (CONT'D)
You're not only punishing yourself, Jeff.
Amanda and I are in this, too.
Talley knows, and he hurts like hell because of it --
TALLEY
Can we talk some more when you get here?
JANE
We'll see you in a couple of hours.
Jane hangs up without waiting for a response, then closes her
eyes, trying hard to keep herself together.
AMANDA
I don't wanna go up there. I want to
stay here with my friends.
JANE
Pack your things. You're going.
Jane stalks away without a glance back, and Amanda angrily
flips off her mother --
WITH TALLEY
He is clearly shaken by the call, but his thoughts are
interrupted when his assistant, an older woman named Louise
Vance, bursts in --
LOUISE
Mike's been shot! Someone shot Junior
Kim, too --
Talley comes around his desk --
TALLEY
What are you talking about, shot? What
happened?
LOUISE
Three white males shot Junior. Mike
followed them to York Estates --
TALLEY
Where are they?
LOUISE
York Estates. Four-five-five Castle Way.
Anders and Jorgenson are on the way.
Talley charges out --
EXT. YORK ESTATES -- CASTLE WAY -- DAY
Talley wheels into a wide, spacious cul-de-sac lined with
expensive estate homes, and pulls up behind another radio
car. Anders and Jorgenson are crouched in the street --
Bullets snap into Talley's windshield, starring the glass --
TALLEY
Sonofabitch.
Talley scrambles out of his car --
EXT. THE SMITHS' HOUSE -- TALLEY'S CAR -- DAY
Talley takes cover behind his front wheel. Anders and
Jorgenson are young guys; they've never worked a high-crime
area; they've never made a felony arrest; and right now
they're scared shitless.
Mike Welch lies on the Smiths' front lawn, forty feet away --
ANDERS
Welch is down! They shot him!
JORGENSON
We think it's the three guys who robbed
Kim's.
TALLEY
Are civilians inside?
JORGENSON
He said something about a girl --
TALLEY
Holster your guns!
Another shot cracks from the house as we hear the faint wail
of approaching sirens. Talley edges around his car, trying
to see Welch --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(calling)
Mike! Mike, can you hear me?
ANDERS
I think he's dead!
TALLEY
Don't shout, Larry. I'm three feet away.
Talley considers the situation and comes up with a plan --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
We have to cordon off the streets, then
evacuate these houses.
JORGENSON
What are we going to do about Mike?
TALLEY
Keep your head down.
Talley scrambles back into his car. He backs up, then powers
the car up the drive and onto the front lawn --
WITH WELCH
Talley roars to a stop between Welch and the house, using the
car as a shield. More shots ping off his car as Talley
climbs out --
TALLEY
How you doing, buddy? You still alive?
Welch moans. His shirt is soaked with blood where the
bullets caught him beneath his vest. Talley can't waste
time. The siren is closer now --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Jesus. You hang on.
Talley hoists Welch into the backseat, then dives behind the
wheel. He fishtails off the lawn and up the street --
EXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC INTERSECTION -- DAY
The ambulance waits as Talley powers to a stop --
TALLEY
He's in the backseat!
Paramedics pull Mike Welch from the car as Talley gets out.
He can see into the cul-de-sac from here, where Anders and
Jorgenson still hunker behind their car. Talley keys his
radio --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
This is Talley. Who's on?
His radio crackles with overlapping voices --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
One at a time! Clear the air!
(as they settle)
Louise? Talk to me. What do we have?
LOUISE'S VOICE
Junior Kim was DOA at the hospital.
Frantic voices once more overlap --
COP VOICES
What about Mike? Is Welch alive? What
happened?
TALLEY
(forcefully)
Quiet! I want radio discipline.
(as they quiet)
Mike's hanging in. Larry, Jorgy? Listen
up.
JORGENSON'S VOICE
Go, Chief.
TALLEY
Find out who lives at four-five-five. We
gotta know who's in there.
LOUISE'S VOICE
Chief? Mike said a young girl answered
the door.
TALLEY
Did he say if she was shooting at him?
LOUISE'S VOICE
(hesitant)
He didn't say.
TALLEY
Then we don't know if she's part of this
or not. Mickey, you up?
MIKKELSON'S VOICE
We're out two minutes, me and Dreyer.
TALLEY
Mike found a red pickup abandoned on
Flanders. You see it?
MIKKELSON'S VOICE
It's right in front of us.
TALLEY
Run a DMV on the plate for the owner's
name.
LOUISE'S VOICE
I pulled Mickey and Dreyer off the
minimart.
TALLEY
Jesus Christ, Louise, we can't leave a
crime scene like that. Put a unit out
there.
LOUISE'S VOICE
We only have eight officers on duty,
Chief.
More sirens are approaching, but their help seems too little,
too late. Talley stares up the cul-de-sac at the Smiths'
house as if this was a terrible nightmare --
TALLEY
(to himself)
That's not enough.
LOUISE
What's that, Chief? Say again.
TALLEY
Get everyone out here. Then call the
Sheriffs. Tell them we have a possible
hostage situation.
INT. WALTER SMITH'S OFFICE -- DAY
Gunsmoke fills the air. Kevin is freaking. He throws a
magazine at Mars --
KEVIN
We could've gone out the back! You
didn't have to shoot!
DENNIS
Stop it! They found the truck, Kev!
They're already behind us!
KEVIN
We should give up. All we're doing is
making it worse.
JENNIFER
Get out of our house!
Her voice cuts through the din.
Jennifer and Thomas are huddled with their father on the
floor, Jennifer's arms crossed to cover herself --
WALTER
(softly)
Quiet, Jen.
JENNIFER
Why don't they go?! Why don't they leave
us alone and go?!
Dennis charges up to her, screaming and waving his gun --
DENNIS
Shut up! Shut the fuck up!
Walter Smith slowly stands --
WALTER
None of you will get out of this.
Dennis spins toward Walter, leveling his gun --
DENNIS
Stay down! Stay down, goddamnit!
WALTER
I'm going to my desk.
DENNIS
You're not goin' anywhere! Get on the
fuckin' floor!
Dennis raises the gun to Walter's face. Walter is in
complete command of himself and nowhere near scared, but
Jennifer grabs his legs --
JENNIFER
Daddy, don't!
WALTER
(casually; to Dennis)
Take it easy, son. I'm only going to my
desk.
Walter eases past Dennis, who doesn't know what to do --
DENNIS
Get on the floor!
WALTER
I have contacts in Los Angeles. Lawyers
and judges who can help you.
Walter slips open the center drawer. Dennis thinks that
Walter might go for a gun. He screams louder and aims
between Walter's eyes --
DENNIS
I'll fuckin' kill you!
JENNIFER AND THOMAS
Daddy! Please!
Walter checks that the computer disks are in the disk case.
We can see their names clearly: MARLON and AL. He drops the
case into the drawer, then lifts out a thick booklet --
WALTER
This is every criminal lawyer in
California. If you give up now, right
now, I'll buy you the best lawyer in the
state.
Dennis slaps the book aside, even more angry --
DENNIS
We just killed a cop! We killed a fat
chinaman! We'll get the death penalty!
Dennis suddenly screams at Mars and Kevin --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Mars, watch the cops! Kevin! Watch the
back of the house!
WALTER
You won't die if you let me help.
DENNIS
Bullshit!
WALTER
But if you stay in this house, I can
promise you this --
DENNIS
(shouting over him)
Shut up! Shut up and get on the floor!
WALTER
You can't imagine the fucking you're
going to get.
Dennis snaps. He swings the gun hard and smashes Walter on
the temple. Walter drops like a rock.
JENNIFER
Leave him alone!!
Jennifer rushes to her father's side, but Walter's out cold --
EXT. TALLEY'S CAR -- THE INTERSECTION -- A FEW MINUTES LATER
Talley is at his car with Anders and two other officers,
Leigh Metzger, a woman in her early thirties, and Cliff
Campbell, a slender guy who looks like a retired security
cop. Talley is getting information reports both in person
and over the radio --
ANDERS
(referring to notes)
The house belongs to Walter and Pamela
Smith. They've got two kids, a girl
about fifteen and a boy younger, Jennifer
and Thomas.
TALLEY
That would be the girl who opened the
door. Are the others inside?
ANDERS
The mother is in Florida visiting her
sister. The father works at home, so
he's probably inside.
Talley keys his mike --
TALLEY
(into his mike)
Louise?
LOUISE'S VOICE
Go, Chief.
TALLEY
Get a phone number for the Smiths.
MIKKELSON'S VOICE
(from the radio)
Chief, Mikkelson.
TALLEY
Go, Mickey.
MIKKELSON'S VOICE
The truck is registered to Dennis James
Rooney, white male, twenty-two. He has
an Agua Dulce address.
TALLEY
Contact the landlord. I want to know
employment, friends, family, anything we
can find out about this guy.
A news helicopter swoops overhead in a tight turn. The cops
look up --
CAMPBELL
What in hell is that?
TALLEY
(grimly)
News hawks. There'll be more. They
monitor our frequencies.
Talley realizes that his officers are staring at the
helicopter as if they've never seen one; these people have
never dealt with a crime this large, and have probably never
even seen a felon. Talley keys the mike again --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Everyone be cool. That's our job right
now--stabilize the situation and don't
let things get out of hand. All we have
to do is hang on until the Sheriffs take
over. That's all we have to do.
No one looks particularly convinced --
METZGER
How do we do that?
TALLEY
That's my job, Metzger. That's why I get
the big bucks.
Talley puts away his mike --
INT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- DAY
Jennifer and Thomas are bent over their father, wanting to
help but not knowing how. Walter's eyes flicker as if he's
dreaming, and the lump on his head is bleeding --
JENNIFER
He's not waking up. He should be awake.
Jennifer abruptly stands and faces Dennis --
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
He needs a doctor.
DENNIS
Shut up and sit down. You think
someone's gonna make a house call?
Jennifer is scared--really, really scared--but she doesn't
sit down. Both Dennis and Mars are staring at her. She
feels naked and vulnerable. She crosses her arms again --
JENNIFER
At least let me get some ice for his
head.
Dennis finally relents and shrugs at Mars --
DENNIS
Make sure Kevin isn't fucking off back
there.
Jennifer hurries out as Mars follows --
INT. THE KITCHEN -- DAY
Jennifer goes to the counter. Kevin is at the French doors,
nervous and scared; Mars is a dark shadow behind her --
She kneels to a low cabinet when Mars kicks it shut --
MARS
I thought you wanted ice.
Mars towers over her, his groin inches from her face --
JENNIFER
I'm getting a wash cloth for the ice.
Mars gazes down at her, enjoying his size and power. He
steps closer, bringing his groin closer to his face.
Jennifer stands, holding her arms across her breasts --
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Please get away from me.
KEVIN
(from the background)
Mars? What are you doing?
Kevin's intrusion shatters the moment. Jennifer quickly
snatches a wash cloth from the cabinet, then takes an ice
tray from the freezer and brings it back to the counter --
As Jennifer puts ice in the wash cloth, she sees the paring
knife that she used for the sandwiches partially hidden by
paper towels --
She glances at Kevin, but cannot see Mars; he's at the
refrigerator behind her. Jennifer slowly reaches for the
knife --
MARS
Hey.
Jennifer freezes, terrified. She pushes the knife behind the
Cuisinart to hide it, then turns. Mars is offering her a
beer.
MARS (CONT'D)
Want one?
JENNIFER
I don't drink beer.
MARS
Mommy won't know. You can do anything
you want right now. Mommy won't know.
JENNIFER
What I want is to help my father.
Jennifer hurries past him and disappears down the hall. Even
as she leaves the phone starts ringing --
INT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- DAY
The phone seems to ring louder here. Dennis stands over it,
watching the phone as if it's alive. The phone rings again
and again. Finally, he answers --
DENNIS
Hello?
EXT. TALLEY'S CAR -- IN THE CUL-DE-SAC -- DAY
Talley is once more behind his car. He's on his cell phone,
with Jorgenson nearby --
TALLEY
(into his phone)
My name is Jeff Talley. Is this Dennis
Rooney?
Intercut Dennis on the phone in Walter's office --
DENNIS
You with the cops?
TALLEY
The Bristo Police Department. Look out
the window. You see the car?
Dennis peers through the shutters --
DENNIS
Yeah. I'm Rooney.
TALLEY
We had an awful lot of shooting. You
need a doctor in there?
Dennis shoots a guilty glance at Walter, then lies --
DENNIS
We're cool.
TALLEY
Let me speak to Mr. Smith. I want to
hear it from him.
DENNIS
Fuck you. I'm running this shit. You
talk to me.
TALLEY
How about your two friends? You don't
have a man dying in there, do you?
DENNIS
They're fine.
Talley cups the phone to tell Jorgenson --
TALLEY
All three subjects are confirmed inside.
Call off the house-to-house.
(back to the phone)
Okay, Dennis, I want to explain your
situation --
DENNIS
(interrupting)
You don't have to explain shit! That
Chinaman pulled a gun. We wrestled for
it. That Chinaman shot himself.
TALLEY
Mr. Kim didn't make it, Dennis. He died.
DENNIS
How about the cop?
TALLEY
Dennis? I want you to release those
people.
DENNIS
Fuck that. They're the only thing
stopping you from blowing us away.
TALLEY
We're not coming in there by force, okay?
No one wants to hurt you.
DENNIS
I got these people! You try to come get
me, I'll kill every fuckin' one of them!
The phone clicks in Talley's ear as Dennis slams down the
phone --
INT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- AT THAT MOMENT
Dennis is livid with fear and rage. He paces through the
office like a trapped cat --
DENNIS
That fuckin' Chinaman is dead! That's
murder-one, dude. That's the needle!
Kevin appears in the entry, drawn by Dennis's raving --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Get back where you belong, asshole!
Mars, keep and eye on the cops; I gotta
find a way out of here --
Dennis shoves Kevin out of the office and stalks after him --
INT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL -- DAY
Kevin dogs along beside Dennis, speaking softly so that Mars
doesn't overhear --
KEVIN
I have to tell you something --
DENNIS
We gotta find a way outta here is what we
gotta do!
KEVIN
It's about Mars --
They reach the master bedroom suite, a huge room with sliding
glass doors that overlook the pool --
KEVIN (CONT'D)
That cop didn't pull his gun. Mars lied.
He just started shooting!
DENNIS
Bullshit. Why would Mars do that?
KEVIN
I was there, Dennis! I saw! It's like
he wanted to shoot that cop.
DENNIS
You're being stupid. Check out the
bathroom. Maybe we can sneak out a
window --
Dennis shoves Kevin toward the bathroom, then steps into --
INT. THE SECURITY CLOSET -- DAY
One side is filled with racks of clothes, but the opposite
side is an industrial bank of video monitors showing a dozen
views of the house, both inside and out --
Dennis sees this stuff and stops in his tracks, awed --
DENNIS
Kev.
Kevin steps in beside him.
KEVIN
Jesus. What is this?
DENNIS
Are you totally stupid? What does it
look like?
One monitor shows Mars and the Smiths in the office, another
the kitchen, another Jennifer's room, another the front of
the house, the rear, the sides--every room and most of the
exterior can be seen --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Look, that's the master bedroom out here.
Dennis goes out into the master, looking for the camera, and
appears on the bedroom monitor --
KEVIN
I can see you!
Dennis steps back into the closet, and this time he examines
the door. He closes it enough to reveal thick throw-bolts --
DENNIS
Dude, this is solid steel. They gotta be
hiding something.
Dennis glances over to his brother, and finds Kevin on his
knees with two black travel bags beneath the clothes --
KEVIN
Dennis --
Kevin pushes the clothes aside to reveal an open bag. It's
filled with hundred dollar bills. Dennis kneels beside his
brother and opens the second bag. It's filled with hundred
dollar bills, too --
DENNIS
Go get Mars.
INT. MRS. PENA'S FAMILY ROOM -- DAY -- ON A TELEVISION
We're watching a grainy black and white security tape of
Junior Kim's robbery/homicide. It shows Kim behind the
counter as Dennis and Mars enter --
MIKKELSON
One in front is Dennis James Rooney.
Talley, Mikkelson, Dreyer, and Anders are watching the tape,
which is currently being played in the home of Mrs. Estelle
Pena, who lives two blocks from the Smiths.
Mikkelson is a tall, strong woman; Dreyer is her opposite, a
short, dumpy man --
MIKKELSON (CONT'D)
Dennis has a younger brother, Kevin Paul--
that's him entering now, the third guy.
TALLEY
Has Dennis done time?
MIKKELSON
Just pulled thirty days for misdemeanor
burglary. He shows car theft,
shoplifting, and DUI.
Talley steps closer to the television, and taps Mars --
TALLEY
Who's this?
DREYER
We don't know.
TALLEY
Have still prints made from the tape.
Show the landlord. Maybe we can get a
fast ID.
Talley looks closer. With the way Mars is positioned, we can
see part of the tattoo on his head --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Here on his head. Is that a tattoo?
MIKKELSON
I can't make it out.
TALLEY
Says...burn it.
On the tape, Kim slumps to the floor. Dennis vaults across
the counter and runs to the door. Mars, however, calmly
picks up Kim's gun and leans across the counter. We couldn't
see this before, but now we see a strange smile play over his
face --
DREYER
What's he doing?
TALLEY
He's watching Kim die.
Talley watches Mars, and knows that this guy is seriously
disturbed. He is still watching the tape when Leigh Metzger
calls from the door --
METZGER
Chief?
Talley turns. Metzger is with Amanda and Jane --
EXT. MRS. PENA'S HOUSE -- DAY
Talley, Jane, and Amanda are walking to the street. Amanda
is excited; she thinks this is cool --
AMANDA
Are men with guns really barricaded in a
house?
TALLEY
Just around the corner and up that
street. See the helicopters?
Five news choppers now hover high over the house. The crime
scene is only two blocks away. Close.
JANE
Wait by the car, Mandy. Give me a minute
with Dad.
They wait until Amanda is gone, then --
TALLEY
(apologizing)
I should've called. This thing broke
right after we spoke, then everything
happened so fast --
JANE
Don't worry about it. How are you doing?
TALLEY
The Sheriffs will take over when they get
here.
JANE
But they're not here yet. Tell me about
you.
Jane touches his arm --
JANE (CONT'D)
Jesus, you're shaking.
Self-conscious, Talley moves away so that he's out of reach --
TALLEY
Why don't you guys grab some dinner at
the Thai place? I'll meet you there as
soon as I can.
JANE
You sure?
TALLEY
I don't know how long I'll be stuck here.
JANE
I'm in no rush. Maybe later we can talk.
Talley gives her a gentle nod, then watches her walk away
until --
TALLEY
Jane?
She turns back, her eyes asking 'what?'
TALLEY (CONT'D)
I'm scared shitless.
JANE
That's okay. I love you anyway.
Talley and Jane share the moment, and then she walks away.
EXT. YORK ESTATES -- DAY
A news chopper swings by overhead bringing us to the main
entrance of York Estates. The entrance has been blocked, and
cars are being turned away, so traffic is backed up both ways
along the street --
INT. GLEN HOWELL'S CAR -- DAY
Glen Howell is a nice-looking man in his early forties:
Sport coat, gold Rolex, deep tan. He hammers the horn of his
Mercedes S600 sedan, but it does no good; traffic is frozen --
A news van trying to work up the line pulls alongside, then
gets jammed by the crunch like everyone else. Howell rolls
down the window --
HOWELL
Hey, you guys know what's going on?
An attractive Asian-American reporter leans from her window
to answer --
REPORTER
Three men took a family hostage.
HOWELL
Jesus, no shit? My client lives in
there.
The reporter checks her notes --
REPORTER
It's a family named Smith, Walter and
Pamela Smith. Do you know them?
Howell stares at her emptily, then shakes his head --
HOWELL
No. No, I don't know them. Thanks for
your time.
Howell pulls a U-turn to get out of traffic. He flips open
his cell phone and presses the speed dial --
HOWELL (CONT'D)
(into his phone)
We have a problem out here.
INT. SONNY BENZA'S OFFICE -- PALM SPRINGS -- DAY
We're in a palatial home on the ridge overlooking Palm
Springs. On the cut, Sonny Benza, Phil Tuzee, and Charlie
Fischer are watching TV news coverage of the situation in
Bristo Camino --
TUZEE
Worst case, it's a bloodbath. The
detectives come out with Smith's
computer, and we go directly to jail, do
not pass Go.
BENZA
Maybe Glen already picked up the disks.
TUZEE
I took the call from Glen personally.
They're still in Smith's house.
Fischer tries being positive --
FISCHER
Maybe we're getting too dramatic. It's
three kids. They'll give up, the cops
will arrest them, and that's that. Why
would they search the house?
BENZA
You think we should take that chance?
FISCHER
(on the spot)
I guess not.
BENZA
I guess not, too. How much information
is in the house?
TUZEE
Smith was cooking the books for the IRS.
That means he has it all: The cash flow,
where it comes from, how we launder it,
our split with the East.
FISCHER
It's on two computer disks he calls
Marlon and Al.
BENZA
What, he's cute? That's his idea of
humor?
FISCHER
If the Feds get those disks, the East
Coast is gonna take a hit, too. You
should let them know.
BENZA
No way. I tell them, that Old Man is
gonna handle this from back there.
TUZEE
You should warn them, Sonny.
BENZA
Fuck them! Now get your head in the
game, Phil--we have to handle this.
Benza turns back to the television --
BENZA (CONT'D)
Put our people on the scene. Smith might
talk just to cut a break for his kids.
TUZEE
He knows better than that.
BENZA
Bullshit--a man will do anything to save
his family. Who's running the show up
there?
FISCHER
They have a chief of police, a guy named
Talley. I saw him being interviewed.
The television suddenly shows Talley making a statement. He
looks tired and haggard --
FISCHER
(pointing)
Hey, that's him. That's Talley right
there!
Benza studies Talley, then looks at his lieutenants --
BENZA
Find out how we can hurt him. By the end
of the day, I want to own him.
TUZEE
It's happening right now.
That's exactly what Benza wanted to hear.
EXT. THE DESERT ROSE MOTEL -- DAY
A low-rent motel on the road between Bristo Camino and
Newhall. Glen Howell's Mercedes is parked on the side, along
with several other cars.
It's late-afternoon going into evening. The sun is sinking
fast --
INT. HOWELL'S ROOM -- DAY
Howell is being briefed by his operators, four men and two
women. There's a minimum of bullshit; these people are
professionals --
Ken Seymore is an intense, compact man who talks fast --
SEYMORE
L.A. County Sheriffs are inbound from a
bank robbery in Pico Rivera.
HOWELL
Give me an ETA.
SEYMORE
An hour, tops. Might be sooner.
Duane Manelli speaks up --
MANELLI
When the Sheriffs get here, how many we
looking at?
SEYMORE
(checking his notes)
A command team, a negotiating team, a
tactical team--the tac team includes a
perimeter team, the assault team,
snipers, and breachers--thirty-five new
bodies.
HOWELL
How many locals?
Gayle Devarona, one of the women, leans forward --
DEVARONA
Fourteen officers and two civilians. I
have their names and most of their
addresses.
She tosses a yellow legal pad onto the table --
HOWELL
And Talley?
DEVARONA
Married but separated, ex-LAPD. The fam
doesn't live here, but they're coming up
today. I got his address there.
MANELLI
The cops I talked to, they said Talley
was a hostage negotiator in LA.
DEVARONA
His last three years on the job. Before
that, he was SWAT.
Mike Ruiz joins in --
RUIZ
How's a SWAT negotiator make it up here
to this shithole?
DEVARONA
I make him for a stress release.
HOWELL
Good work, Gayle--everybody. Now stay
ahead of the curve. I want to know
everything that happens before it
happens. I'll cover Talley.
Howell tears Talley's address off the yellow pad. This
meeting is over --
SEYMORE
What if it goes south?
HOWELL
What do you mean?
SEYMORE
If things get wet, we're going to need
someone who can handle that end.
HOWELL
You worry about your end. I got my side
covered.
Howell tucks the address in his pocket and goes to the door.
EXT. DONUT SHOP -- NEWHALL, CALIFORNIA -- NIGHT
The sun has set. The donut shop glows greasily at the end of
a strip mall. It is empty except for the overweight woman
behind the counter and a lone man seated at a window booth --
INT. THE DONUT SHOP -- NIGHT
The man in the booth is named Marion Clewes. He's an average
looking guy, more or less, except for the strange cant to his
right eye and the thin black tie he wears over his white J.
C. Penney shirt. His jacket doesn't fit quite right, but not
so much as you'd notice. Marion could disappear into a crowd
just by being so ordinary. That's the point.
A fat black desert fly, heavy with juice and thorny with
coarse hair, buzzes past --
Marion watches it, only his eyes moving --
The fly lands in the sprinkles of sugar on the table --
Marion watches it, then, suddenly, with no warning, his hand
flashes out, slamming down on the table.
He holds his hand in place, feeling for movement, then slowly
peeks under his hand --
The fly oozes sideways, legs kicking, trying to walk. One
wing beats furiously; the other is broken --
Marion examines his hand. A smear of fly goo and a single
black leg streaks his third finger. Marion touches his
tongue to the smear --
The woman behind the counter watches this, her eyes widening
with disgust --
Marion holds the fly in place with his left index finger, and
uses his right to break away another leg. He eats this leg,
too --
The woman disappears into the rear --
Headlights flash across the glass, and Marion swivels around
to see Howell's Mercedes pull up --
Marion carefully pushes the still-alive fly aside as Glen
Howell takes a seat across from him. Howell puts the yellow
slip with Talley's address on the table --
HOWELL
Talley lives here. I don't know if the
place has security or not.
MARION
It won't be a problem.
HOWELL
He has a wife and kid. That's how
we'll get to him.
MARION
Okey-doke.
HOWELL
We have to own this guy, Marion. We
don't want him dead; we need to use him.
Marion puts Talley's address into his pocket.
MARION
Can we make him dead after we use him?
Glen Howell slides out of the booth without answering.
Marion creeps him out --
HOWELL
Whatever you want. Page me when you're
done.
Howell starts away, then turns back --
HOWELL (CONT'D)
Donuts here any good?
MARION
I don't eat junk food.
Howell frowns like he might've known, then walks away.
Marion turns back to the fly --
It lays there, still, until Marion prods it. The remaining
wing flutters --
Marion breaks off the remaining wing and eats that, too.
EXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT
Talley and Leigh Metzger stride through a pool of street light
as she reports --
METZGER
PacBell shows six lines into the house.
They blocked all six like you wanted.
TALLEY
I have the only number that can call into
the house?
METZGER
Yes, sir. They'll only accept calls from
your cell.
TALLEY
Way to go.
They arrive at Larry Anders, who is waiting at his car with a
slim, nervous cement contractor named Brad Dill --
ANDERS
Chief, this is Brad Dill. Dennis and
Kevin work for him.
DILL
I didn't know anything about this. I
didn't know what they were gonna do.
TALLEY
Mr. Dill, these pricks didn't know what
they were going to do until they did it.
I want you to take a look at something.
Metzger holds out a still picture that was made from Junior
Kim's security tape --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Can you identify this man?
DILL
That would be Mars Krupchek. Jesus, he
works for me, too.
TALLEY
(to Metzger)
Have Louise run the name 'Mars Krupchek'
through DMV and NCIC. Tell her to list
the tattoo as an identifier.
Metzger hurries away as Talley turns back to Dill --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Is Krupchek an aggressive guy? Hot-
tempered? Anything like that?
DILL
Keeps to himself, more like.
TALLEY
You have his address?
DILL
Pretty sure I do. Yeah, here we go --
Dill pulls out a tattered address book. Talley hands the
book to Anders, who copies the address --
TALLEY
(to Anders)
Call the Palmdale City Attorney for a
telephonic search warrant. When you get
the warrant, have Mikkelson and Dreyer
search his house.
ANDERS
Yes, sir.
Anders turns away as Metzger calls from Mrs. Pena's door --
METZGER
Chief! The Sheriffs are ten minutes out!
Talley has wanted to hear that, but now his sense of relief
is tempered by something he did not expect: Loss.
Talley keys his shoulder mike --
TALLEY
(into his radio)
Louise?
LOUISE'S VOICE
Go, Chief.
TALLEY
Call Jane for me. She's at the little
Thai place.
LOUISE'S VOICE
I know the one.
TALLEY
Tell her I'm almost home.
INT. SMITH'S SECURITY CLOSET -- NIGHT
Dennis is on the floor with the money, touching it, feeling
it, smelling it. Mars is standing over him, profoundly
unmoved --
DENNIS
There's gotta be a million bucks here.
Maybe two million!
Mars turns away from the money to consider the monitors and
the door --
MARS
It's a safety room. If anyone breaks
into your house, you can hide.
DENNIS
Who gives a shit, Mars? Check out the
cash! We're rich.
MARS
We're trapped in a house.
Mars walks away --
INT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT
Dennis and Mars are returning to the front of the house,
Dennis irritated at Mars's lack of enthusiasm --
DENNIS
We can take it with us.
MARS
You can't run with suitcases.
Dennis grabs Mars by the arm, stopping him --
DENNIS
Then we'll stuff it up our asses. This
is the payoff. This is every dream you
ever had, all in those two bags.
Mars continues on without responding, Dennis angrily
following --
INT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- NIGHT
Kevin is grimly watching news coverage of their standoff as
Mars and Dennis enter. A female anchor is reporting on the
events at York Estates with Dennis's booking photo cut into
the picture --
ANCHOR
(from the tube)
-- thought to be Dennis James Rooney.
Rooney was recently released from the
Antelope Valley Correctional Institute
where he served time for robbery.
Dennis spots himself on television and breaks into a big
smile --
DENNIS
(thrilled)
Check me out! I look like fuckin' Jon
Bon Jovi.
Kevin is anything but thrilled --
KEVIN
Everyone knows what we look like, Dennis.
We won't be able to hide.
DENNIS
Jesus, first Mars, now you. You two need
anti-depressants.
Across the room, Walter Smith shudders and moans; his face is
swollen and covered with clammy sweat --
Jennifer is sick with worry and can't stand seeing her father
like this --
JENNIFER
My father needs a doctor. Please.
DENNIS
Hey, I've got a situation here, in case
you haven't noticed.
JENNIFER
All you're doing is watching yourself on
TV. Look at him.
DENNIS
Use more ice.
JENNIFER
I'm getting a doctor!
Jennifer lurches to her feet and runs toward the front door.
Dennis catches her in two steps and backhands her exactly the
way his old man used to smack his old lady, knocking her to
the floor --
THOMAS
Jen!!!
Thomas charges into Dennis like an angry midget. Kevin jumps
between them --
KEVIN
Stop it! Stop it, Dennis! Jesus!
Mars steps forward and jerks Thomas into the air. Mars'
physical presence is suddenly so imposing that everyone stops
fighting --
MARS
(quietly)
We should tie them. We can put them
upstairs out of the way.
It takes Dennis a moment to come up to speed with that, but
then he nods --
DENNIS
That's right. That's a good idea, Mars.
MARS
(to Kevin)
Find something: Extension cords, rope,
wire--we'll have to tie them tight.
DENNIS
Find something, Kevin. Don't just stand
there.
(waves at Walter)
And tie this bastard, too. I don't want
him waking up and goin' Rambo on us.
Mars nods his approval. Subtly, there is the beginning of a
shift in power --
INT. JENNIFER'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Mars pushes Jennifer inside. Kevin follows her with duct
tape and a couple of extension cords. Mars, holding Thomas,
pauses in the hall --
MARS
Tie her to the chair. I'll take care of
the windows when I finish with the boy.
Mars disappears with Thomas down the hall. Jennifer stands
by the chair, arms once more crossed over her breasts.
Kevin can see that she's scared. He takes a T-shirt from
where she's left it on the floor and hands it to her --
KEVIN
Here. Put this on.
She pulls it over her head --
KEVIN (CONT'D)
You gotta pee?
JENNIFER
I don't see why you can't just lock me
in. It's not like I can go anywhere.
KEVIN
Either I'm going to tie you or Mars will
tie you. Which do you want?
Jennifer sits. Kevin pulls her hands behind the back of the
chair. As he ties her, Jennifer decides that if any of them
can be reached, it's Kevin --
JENNIFER
Thanks for the shirt.
KEVIN
Whatever.
JENNIFER
Kevin, my father needs a doctor.
KEVIN
He's just knocked out. I've been knocked
out.
JENNIFER
If my father dies they'll charge you with
his murder. Can't you make Dennis see
that?
Kevin leans back. He knows she's right, but he doesn't
believe he can do anything about it --
KEVIN
I can't make Dennis see anything.
A shadow moves behind Kevin. It's Mars, standing in the
door. He holds up a wicked claw hammer --
MARS
Look what I found.
He enters and tests at Jennifer's binds --
MARS (CONT'D)
You tied her like a pussy. Make it
tight.
As Kevin reties the bindings, Mars rips the phone from the
wall. He smashes the phone jack with the hammer, crushing
it. Then he goes to the window and drives a heavy nail into
the sill, nailing the window closed --
Mars returns to Jennifer and once more checks her binds --
MARS (CONT'D)
Better.
He tears off a strip of duct tape and presses it over her
mouth --
KEVIN
Make sure she can breathe.
Mars rubs his fingers hard over the tape covering her mouth.
He massages the tape into her skin, slow, sensual --
MARS
Go downstairs, Kevin.
Jennifer looks at Kevin, her eyes pleading that he not leave,
but Kevin is cowed; he leaves --
Jennifer looks back at Mars --
Mars leans close to her. She is terrified that he is going
to kiss her, but, instead, he sniffs, smelling her --
MARS (CONT'D)
I want to show you something.
Mars hooks the claw hammer under his shirt and lifts to
expose his chest. A large tattoo in flowing script is lined
across his body: A Mother's Son.
MARS (CONT'D)
It cost two hundred forty dollars, but I
was happy to spend it. I love my mom.
You see these?
Mars points out hard gray knots that speckle his chest as if
he were diseased. He fingers the lumps sensuously as if
touching them excites him --
MARS (CONT'D)
My mom burned me with cigarettes.
Jennifer is both disgusted and terrified. Mars stares at her
emptily for another moment, then lowers his shirt and leaves
without another word.
INT. THOMAS'S ROOM -- NIGHT
The room is dark. Thomas is tied firmly to the bed. The
cords cut into Thomas's wrists and Thomas can't reach the
knots, but Mars made one mistake: He tied Thomas to the
headboard posts, and one of the newels has been loose for
years --
Thomas stretches against the ropes to reach the newel, then
twists it back and forth. He works it harder and harder
until the newel slides off its pin, and suddenly his hand is
free, though still tied to the newel --
Thomas peels the tape from his mouth, then unties the
remaining binds and frees himself from the newel. He slips
off his bed and crawls along the wall to his closet --
INT. THOMAS'S CLOSET -- NIGHT
A service hatch that opens into the attic crawlspace is built
into the wall beneath Thomas's clothes. Thomas prys open the
hatch, then reaches inside for a small flashlight. He flicks
it on, then climbs into the eaves of the roof --
INT. CRAWLSPACE -- NIGHT
The crawlspace is a long triangular tunnel that follows the
edge of the roof. It was built for plumbers and air
conditioning technicians, but Thomas has taken the space for
his own: Witness the stack of Penthouse, pictures of sports
heroes tacked to the rafters, and old soda cans strewn
between the joists --
Thomas scurries quietly through the tunnel, heading for --
INT. JENNIFER'S CLOSET -- NIGHT
Thomas pushes through a hatch identical to the one in his own
closet, then creeps to the door --
THOMAS
(whispers)
Jen!
INT. JENNIFER'S ROOM -- NIGHT
Jennifer twists around to see him, mumbling through the tape --
THOMAS
Sit still! If they're in the security
room, they can see you on the monitors.
Jennifer quiets. Thomas slips out of the closet and creeps
toward her along the wall --
THOMAS (CONT'D)
I figured out what these cameras can see
last year when Mom and Dad went to Lake
Arrowhead. It can't see me over here,
but it's looking at you, so don't move!
Thomas reaches up from behind Jennifer and jerks the tape off
her mouth --
JENNIFER
Ow! Shit!
THOMAS
Be quiet! Listen!
Thomas is hiding behind Jennifer so that the camera cannot
see him --
JENNIFER
No one's coming.
THOMAS
That big asshole nailed my windows.
JENNIFER
Mine, too.
THOMAS
We can use the crawlspace to get
downstairs. Then we can run for it.
JENNIFER
No! I'm not going to leave Daddy with
them!
Thomas thinks about that and decides that he can't leave
their father, either --
THOMAS
We can't carry him.
JENNIFER
You go, Thomas. You get out, and I'll
stay with Daddy.
THOMAS
I'm not gonna leave you!
JENNIFER
Go! If you get out, maybe you can help
the police!
Thomas suddenly realizes what he has to do --
THOMAS
We'll all go, Jennifer. All of us or
none of us. I know where Daddy keeps a
gun.
Jennifer jerks so hard that she almost tips over the chair --
JENNIFER
(loud)
You leave that gun alone!
THOMAS
Shh, they'll hear you!
JENNIFER
(louder)
Better than you getting killed! Don't
touch that gun! Daddy says --
Thomas slaps the tape back over her mouth. Jennifer
struggles helplessly as Thomas slips back into the closet,
and is gone --
EXT. YORK ESTATES -- STREET -- NIGHT
The Sheriff's Crisis Response Team rolls through the streets
like an invading army: A brown sedan leads a huge van known
as the Mobile Command Post, which is followed by a Sheriff's
SWAT support vehicle, two SWAT Suburbans, and four radio
units.
Pools of light from the helicopters follow their progress --
EXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT
Talley walks out to meet the lead vehicle as the convoy
stops. Up and down the row, uniformed Sheriffs pile out of
their vehicles and off-load their gear --
Two people climb out of the lead car: Will Maddox, a
bespectacled African-American Sheriff's SWAT negotiator, and
Captain Laura Martin, the CRT commander --
TALLEY
I'm Talley. Who's in charge?
MARTIN
Laura Martin. This is Will Maddox, the
primary negotiator --
MADDOX
Is the perimeter around the house secure?
TALLEY
I've got fourteen officers on my
department including me. We're as secure
as we can be.
MADDOX
(to Martin)
Permission to deploy the line?
MARTIN
Do it.
TALLEY
(to Maddox)
Don't crowd the house. The alpha's a kid
named Rooney. He's amped up and
volatile.
Maddox turns away to bark orders into his shoulder mike --
MARTIN
Sounds like you know the job.
TALLEY
I've done it once or twice. I blocked
their phones to incoming calls, so you'll
have to cut in a hard line to talk to
him.
MARTIN
(over her shoulder)
Maddox! You got that?
MADDOX
Doing it now!
MARTIN
(back to Talley)
I'd like you to brief my supervisors
before we take over the scene.
TALLEY
Whatever you want.
Talley and Martin hurry toward her troops --
INT. THE SMITHS' GARAGE -- NIGHT
The garage is dark, lit only by the light that comes from the
kitchen's open door, as Dennis, Mars and a reluctant Kevin
enter --
KEVIN
Someone should stay with Mr. Smith. What
if he wakes up?
DENNIS
(annoyed)
That's why we tied him, dumbass. Now
come here and see this --
Dennis shows them a small casement window, and pushes open
the window to reveal a thick hedge --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
(excited)
These bushes follow the wall into the
neighbor's yard. All we need is some
kind of diversion and we're home free.
KEVIN
That's crazy, Dennis. The cops will see
us.
DENNIS
Not if they're looking at something else.
KEVIN
Like what?
MARS
Let's burn the house.
Mars says it so simply that the moment is frozen. Mars is
holding the big claw hammer, kneading it as if it was a
living thing. His face is masked by shadows, but his eyes
both glow as if already reflecting flame --
INT. CRAWLSPACE ABOVE THE LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT
We see Dennis, Kevin, and Mars through a slit overhead as
they emerge from the garage and move back into the house --
Thomas is watching them. He has cracked open the service
hatch in the laundry room ceiling to make sure that his way
is clear --
INT. LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT
The room is dark. When Dennis and the others are gone, the
ceiling hatch lifts, and Thomas lets himself down. He slides
onto the washing machine and then to the floor --
Thomas cups one hand over his flashlight and turns it on. He
lets light leak through his fingers so that he can see. The
beam cuts across a door to the garage, car keys on key hooks,
and Jennifer's purse hanging from one of the hooks --
INT. HOBBY ROOM -- NIGHT
This is a small room off the end of the laundry with a work
bench, a stool, and shelves above the bench for Walter's
hobby supplies --
Thomas shines the light over the shelves, spotting the hard
plastic pistol case on the highest shelf. That's the target;
that's the goal --
Thomas uses the stool to climb onto the bench --
INT. MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Dennis is in the doorway to the security closet, handing out
one of the money bags to Kevin --
KEVIN
We can't carry all this. It's too heavy.
DENNIS
I've been carrying you our whole fuckin'
lives.
Kevin drops the bag and tries to reason with his brother --
KEVIN
Everything we're doing is making it
worse. You can't let him burn this
house.
Dennis abruptly grabs Kevin by the throat, his face hard with
fury --
DENNIS
Nothing's worse than listening to you.
I'm warning you, Kevin--stop holding me
back. Now you pick up that fuckin' money
and get ready to go.
Dennis glares at Kevin another moment, then lets go and steps
back into the closet --
INT. THE CLOSET -- NIGHT
Dennis lifts the second bag of cash when the monitors catch
his eye: The Sheriffs SWAT unit can be seen moving into
position. Dennis totally freaks --
DENNIS
They're coming! Kev, Mars, they're
coming!!!
Dennis drops the cash and bolts out of the closet --
INT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT
Mars is placing two buckets of gasoline in the hall as Dennis
and Kevin pound down the hall --
DENNIS
The cops are comin'!
MARS
I got the gasoline --
DENNIS
We don't have time!
Dennis runs to the French doors. He sees lights at the rear
of the property and SHOOTS through the glass --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Get the kids! They're our only chance!
Dennis FIRES AGAIN and runs for the stairs --
INT. HOBBY ROOM -- NIGHT
Thomas is straining to reach the pistol which is a fraction
of an inch beyond his grasp when he hears Dennis shouting --
Thomas glances helplessly at the gun case--so near, yet so
far--then scrambles off the bench and --
INT. LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT
Thomas is climbing onto the washing machine when he once more
sees Jennifer's purse hanging on a key hook --
Thomas jumps from the washer, grabs the purse, then scrambles
into the ceiling as GUNSHOTS ECHO through the house --
EXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT
Martin, Maddox, and her supervisors are gathered around
Talley when the gunshots crack across the neighborhood --
TALLEY
(startled)
Who's that shooting? Martin, what's
going on?
Radio transmissions crackle over Martin's radio --
RADIO VOICES
Shots fired! We are taking fire on the
back wall!
Talley immediately knows what's happening, and he knows why --
TALLEY
They're too close! I told you not to
crowd him! Pull back your people; do not
breach that house!
Talley sprints toward the cul-de-sac --
INT. CRAWLSPACE -- NIGHT
Thomas races through the narrow black tunnel. He slips off
the rafters and almost falls through the ceiling. He's
losing precious time --
INT. THE STAIRWELL -- NIGHT
Dennis and Mars pound up the stairs, getting closer to his
room --
INT. THE CRAWLSPACE -- NIGHT
Thomas pushes his way into his closet --
INT. UPSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT
Dennis and Mars reach the second floor --
INT. THOMAS' ROOM -- NIGHT
Thomas scrambles into bed just before Dennis jerks open the
door. Dennis drags him off the bed and carries him out of
the room --
EXT. CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT
Talley, Martin, and Maddox run into position behind a
Sheriff's unit where a deputy has set up the dedicated crisis
phone --
Talley grabs up the phone --
TALLEY
(to the deputy)
This thing good?
Talley doesn't wait for the confused deputy to answer; he
presses the button in the handle that dials the phone --
MADDOX
What in hell are you doing? He's
shooting at my men!
The phone rings in Talley's ear --
TALLEY
(to Maddox)
Then get your men off the wall!
(to Martin)
You breach that house, we're gonna have a
bloodbath! I know this guy, Captain --
I can talk to him.
MARTIN
(to Maddox)
Order your men to stand down.
The phone is still ringing. Talley pulls the mike from the
deputy's car and speaks over the public address --
TALLEY
(over the p.a.)
Look out the window, Dennis. We are NOT
entering the house. We're pulling back.
INT. SMITH'S OFFICE -- NIGHT
Dennis is holding Thomas around the neck, using the boy as a
shield. Kevin is cowering on the floor and Mars is holding
Jennifer. Dennis snatches up the phone --
DENNIS
(screaming into the phone)
You fuck! I got a fuckin' gun to this
kid's head! I'll kill'm, you fuck!
Intercut Talley outside --
TALLEY
It's over now, Dennis! Don't hurt
anyone.
DENNIS
(still screaming)
We'll burn this fuckin' place down! I
got gasoline all over in here!
Talley takes a deep breath; he forces himself to speak
quietly, calmly --
TALLEY
No one's coming in. A couple of guys out
here got carried away.
Dennis peers out the front. Talley's careful manner is
calming him --
DENNIS
Goddamned right they got carried away.
It looks like an army out there.
Talley mutes the phone to speak to Martin --
TALLEY
(to Martin)
It's over. He's cooling off.
Talley glances at Maddox. Maddox nods, his expression saying
that Talley was right --
DENNIS
Talley?
TALLEY
(back into the phone)
I'm here.
DENNIS
I want a helicopter to take us to Mexico.
TALLEY
That's not going to happen, Dennis. They
won't give you a helicopter.
DENNIS
I'll give you these people.
TALLEY
The Mexican police would arrest you as
soon as it landed. There's only one way
out and you're doing it right now--just
keep talking to us.
(mutes phone; to Martin and
Maddox)
I think we could make the transition now.
Maddox, you good to go?
Maddox nods at Martin; he's good to go --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(to Dennis)
Hey, Dennis? Can I let you in on a
personal secret?
DENNIS
(hesitantly)
What?
TALLEY
I gotta piss real bad.
Dennis can't help himself; he laughs --
DENNIS
You're a funny guy, Talley.
TALLEY
I'm going to put on an officer named Will
Maddox. You talk to him for a while.
Talley hands the phone to Maddox, who moves past Talley for a
better view of the house. Talley looks grimly at Martin --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
He says he has gasoline set to burn the
place.
MARTIN
Jesus. He must've siphoned it from the
cars.
TALLEY
If you go in, you can't use tear gas or
flashbangs. The whole place would go up.
MARTIN
(not without humor)
Looks like you're bailing out at the
right time.
TALLEY
(returns her smile)
That's why you get the big bucks,
Captain.
Talley is moving away when his radio pops --
LOUISE'S VOICE
Chief, base.
TALLEY
(keying his shoulder mike)
Go.
LOUISE'S VOICE
I couldn't find Jane. She wasn't at the
restaurant.
TALLEY
You have her cell number?
LOUISE'S VOICE
She didn't answer.
TALLEY
They might be at the house. Keep trying
and let me know. I'm going to be here a
little while longer.
Talley closes his phone and continues away --
INT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- NIGHT
Dennis and Kevin are at the television, watching an aerial
view of the Sheriffs deploying around the house. Jennifer
and Thomas are huddled by their father --
KEVIN
We're surrounded. They're all over the
neighborhood.
Mars enters carrying candles and flashlights. He lights a
candle and place it on a table --
DENNIS
What the fuck is that?
MARS
They'll cut the power.
Mars tosses a flashlight to Dennis --
JENNIFER
What about my father?
DENNIS
Aw, Jesus, not more of this.
JENNIFER
Look at him! I think he's dying!
DENNIS
(to Kevin and Mars)
Take'm back upstairs, but don't tie'm
like before. That little fuck untied
himself anyway.
Dennis returns to the shutters as Mars and Kevin take the
kids --
INT. THOMAS' ROOM -- NIGHT
Mars shoves Thomas into the room, then lifts the claw hammer.
For an instant, we think he's going to hit the boy--but he
smashes off the door knob, instead.
Mars glares at Thomas, then pulls the door closed. The knob
on Thomas's side is gone; there's no way for Thomas to open
the door.
But that's okay by Thomas. He waits until he's sure that
Mars is gone, and then he hurries back to his closet --
INT. THOMAS' CLOSET -- NIGHT
Thomas pulls open the hatch, fishes out his flashlight, then
dumps the contents of Jennifer's purse on the floor.
He picks up her cell phone.
INT. MRS. PENA'S BATHROOM -- NIGHT
Talley closes his eyes with a blissful expression as a
familiar sound fills the bathroom; he's taking a piss.
His radio crackles --
LOUISE'S VOICE
Chief, base.
Talley finishes his business, and keys his mike --
TALLEY
Did you find Jane and Mandy?
LOUISE'S VOICE
Could you call me back on your phone?
Right away.
TALLEY
What's wrong with the radio?
LOUISE'S VOICE
(hesitantly)
Other people can hear us. Just call.
Please.
TALLEY
Stand by.
Now Talley is worried. He pulls out his phone and punches
the speed dial. It rings only once --
Intercut Louise, at her desk outside Talley's office --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Is something wrong with Jane?
LOUISE
We have a boy on the line. He says he's
Thomas Smith and he's calling from the
house.
TALLEY
It's a crank, Louise. C'mon, don't waste
my time with that!
LOUISE
His cell number belongs to the Smiths. I
think it's real, Chief. I think this boy
is inside that house.
Talley worries it only for a moment --
TALLEY
Put him on.
Talley pushes out of the bathroom into --
INT. MRS. PENA'S FAMILY ROOM -- NIGHT
He flags Leigh Metzger as he cups the phone --
TALLEY
(to Metzger)
Get Martin. Right away.
As Metzger hurries away, we intercut Thomas, hiding in the
shadows on his bed, whispering so as not to be overheard --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(into the phone)
This is Chief Talley. Tell me your name,
son.
THOMAS
Thomas Smith. I'm in the house that's on
TV. Dennis hit my dad and now he won't
wake up. You gotta help him.
Talley can tell by the tremor in the boy's voice--this is for
real --
TALLEY
Slow down, Thomas. Take it easy and talk
to me. Was your father shot?
THOMAS
Dennis hit him. His head's all big and
he won't wake up. I'm really scared.
TALLEY
How about you and your sister?
THOMAS
We're okay.
TALLEY
Where are you right now?
THOMAS
In my room.
Talley hurries to a large sketch of the Smiths' floor plan
laid out on the dining room table --
TALLEY
That's on the second floor. Could you
climb out your window if we were
downstairs to catch you?
THOMAS
They nailed the windows. I can't get'm
open.
Martin enters with Leigh Metzger. Talley cups the phone to
give her the headline --
TALLEY
(to Martin)
I've got the boy on the phone. He's
using a cell phone.
(back to Thomas)
What was that, son? I didn't hear you.
THOMAS
If I try to climb out they'll see me on
the security cameras. They would see you
outside, too --
Thomas hears someone outside his door --
THOMAS (CONT'D)
They're coming!
Thomas hangs up, jamming his phone behind the bed --
TALLEY
Thomas? Thomas...?
Talley lowers the phone --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
He says that his father's hurt.
MARTIN
If we have a man dying in there, we'll
have to go in.
TALLEY
They have security cameras. Rooney would
see you coming.
MARTIN
Did the boy say that any of them are in
immediate danger?
TALLEY
No. He said that his father's
unconscious; he didn't say he was dying.
MARTIN
Then I think we should wait. Do you
agree?
Talley finally nods --
TALLEY
You want me to stick around, I could --
MARTIN
You've been here all day, Chief. Take a
break. See your family. If I need you,
I'll call.
Talley looks like the most tired guy in the world. He nods
his good-night, then turns away --
INT. TALLEY'S CAR -- NIGHT
Talley slides into his car outside Mrs. Pena's home. He's
got a lot on his mind, and not all of it centers around 455
Castle Way. He punches a number into his cell phone --
He listens to ringing, and then his own voice answers --
TALLEY'S VOICE MESSAGE
This is Jeff Talley. Leave your name and
number after the beep.
We hear the beep, then --
TALLEY
(into his phone)
Jane? If you're there, pick up, okay?
Mandy?
No one answers. Talley closes his phone, his apprehension
increasing --
EXT. YORK ESTATES FRONT GATE -- NIGHT
The Bristo officers manning the gate swing the blockade aside
and wave Talley through --
EXT. MEDIA AREA -- NIGHT
The assembled television microwave vans, radio newsvans, and
reporters are parked together in an empty lot one block from
the front gate.
Ken Seymore steps into the street, speaking into a cell phone
as he watches Talley drive away --
SEYMORE
(into his phone)
He's leaving now.
EXT. RED LIGHT INTERSECTION -- DAY
A traffic light on the outskirts of town, deserted until
Talley's car pulls to a stop --
INT. TALLEY'S CAR -- NIGHT
Suddenly, two masked men point guns at his head, one from the
driver's side, one from the passengers. They're wearing
jackets, black ski masks, and gloves. The man on the
passenger side sports a big gold Rolex, so we'll call him the
Watchman --
THE WATCHMAN
(meaning the gun)
Do you see the fuckin' gun?! Look at it!
Talley freezes. He's been blindsided by this insane shit,
but he knows better than to move --
TALLEY
Take it easy.
The man on the driver's side gets into the backseat, then the
Watchman gets into the passenger side. The man behind Talley
hooks an arm around Talley's throat while the Watchman
searches for Talley's gun --
THE WATCHMAN
Where's your gun?
TALLEY
I'm the Chief. I don't carry it.
The Watchman nods at the backseater, who releases Talley.
A dark green Mustang roars up ahead of Talley's car. A
second car tucks in tight on Talley's rear --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Who are you?
THE WATCHMAN
Follow the Mustang. We won't go far.
The Mustang pulls out, and Talley follows.
EXT. A DESERTED ALLEY -- NIGHT
The three cars turn into the alley. They stop, the first and
last cars bumper-to-bumper with Talley's. The cars are so
close to Talley that his own vehicle is pinned; he couldn't
drive away now even if he wanted --
INT. TALLEY'S CAR -- NIGHT
The Watchman puts Talley's car in park, turns off the
ignition, and takes the key.
THE WATCHMAN
I know you're scared, but unless you do
something stupid we're not going to hurt
you. You understand?
Two more masked men approach from the other cars, one coming
to Talley's window, the other getting into the back seat
behind the Watchman.
THE WATCHMAN (CONT'D)
Don't just fuckin' sit there, dumbass.
Do you understand?
TALLEY
What do you want?
THE WATCHMAN
These guys are going to take hold of you.
Don't freak out. It's for your own good.
The three men take hold of Talley, the man behind again
looping his arm around Talley's neck, the other two each
twisting Talley's arms --
TALLEY
What is this?
The Watchman holds a distinctive white cell phone to Talley's
ear --
THE WATCHMAN
Say hello.
JANE'S VOICE
Jeff? Is that you?
Talley goes berserk. He bucks and tries to pull away, but
the three men hold tight --
The Watchman closes the phone --
THE WATCHMAN
(trying to calm Talley)
I know, I know--she's all right. Your
kid's all right, too. C'mon, now, relax.
From this point on, you control what
happens to them.
Talley can barely breathe, they're holding him so tight --
THE WATCHMAN (CONT'D)
Can we let go? You past your shock and
all that, we can turn you loose and you
won't do something stupid?
TALLEY
You can let go.
The Watchman glances at the men; they let go --
THE WATCHMAN
Here's the deal--Walter Smith has two
computer disks like this in his house.
They're labeled 'Marlon' and 'Al.'
The Watchman holds up a thick black Zip disk. Talley's
expression tells us that this is the weirdest shit he's ever
heard --
TALLEY
Marlon and Al....
THE WATCHMAN
We want them. You will not let anyone go
into that house--or anything come out--
until my people recover these disks.
TALLEY
I can't control what happens. The
Sheriffs are running the scene.
THE WATCHMAN
You will re-assume command. In two
hours, a group of my people will arrive
at York Estates. You will tell the
Sheriffs that they are an FBI tactical
team.
The Watchman puts the white cell phone into Talley's hand --
THE WATCHMAN (CONT'D)
When this phone rings, you answer. It
will be me. I'll tell you what to do.
When I have what I want, you get your
family.
TALLEY
You want . . . Marlon and Al.
THE WATCHMAN
I have people in York Estates right under
your nose. If you do anything except
what I'm telling you, you'll get Jane and
Amanda back in the mail. We clear on
that?
TALLEY
These disks . . . where are they?
THE WATCHMAN
Smith will know.
The Watchman and the others get out of Talley's car. The
doors slam shut. The Watchman leans in --
THE WATCHMAN
When it rings, answer.
The Watchman tosses the keys into Talley's lap. We hear car
doors open and close; the cars, front and back, roar to life
and speed away --
Talley focuses on the Mustang's license plate, frantically
scratching down the number --
INT. BRISTO CAMINO POLICE DEPARTMENT -- NIGHT
The place is deserted except for Louise, currently at her
desk to monitor radio communications.
Talley enters, looking as if he's stricken. Louise can't
help herself but to react --
LOUISE
You look terrible. Chief, are you all
right?
Talley barely glances at her, going directly to his office --
INT. TALLEY'S OFFICE -- NIGHT
Talley steps inside and peels off his uniform shirt. He
takes a bullet-resistant vest and a black sweatshirt from his
closet. He straps on the vest, then pulls on the sweatshirt.
Talley sits at his desk and lifts out a ballistic nylon
pistol case from the lower drawer.
He takes out his old SWAT combat piece: This isn't a pussy
9mm; it's a finely tuned .45-caliber Colt Model 1911. One
shot, one kill. Talley ejects the empty magazine, then loads
it with a deadly efficiency. He slams home the magazine --
Talley clips the gun to his belt under his sweatshirt. He's
ready to rock. The camera finds the photograph of Talley
during his days as a SWAT tactical officer --
He was one bad motherfucker.
INT. THE MAIN ROOM -- NIGHT
Talley heads for the front door --
TALLEY
I'm going back to York. Have Larry meet
me at the front gate.
Talley exits without a backward glance --
EXT. YORK ESTATES FRONT GATE -- NIGHT
The helicopters orbit in the distance; the empty lot with the
news vans is in the background.
Talley turns into the development, then stops at the side of
the street where Larry Anders is waiting --
INT. TALLEY'S CAR -- NIGHT
Anders slides into the passenger seat. He sees a different
Talley now, focused and grim --
ANDERS
What's up, Chief?
Talley stares at Anders, trying to decide: Can I trust him?
Will he rat me out to the Watchman and cost the lives of my
wife and child?
ANDERS (CONT'D)
Did I do something wrong?
Talley gives him a slip of paper --
TALLEY
I want you to run this license plate and
phone number. Then I want you to find
out everything you can about Walter
Smith.
ANDERS
The guy in the house?
TALLEY
Go back to the office. Run his name
through the FBI and the NLETS database.
I think he's involved with illegal activity
or he associates with people who are.
Anders glances at the slip again, then tucks it away --
ANDERS
Wow. Sure, right away, Chief.
TALLEY
Don't tell anyone what you're doing, not
Louise, not the other guys, not the
Sheriffs. You understand me, Larry?
ANDERS
I guess so.
TALLEY
Fuck guessing. You keep your mouth shut.
ANDERS
I will, Chief. Absolutely.
TALLEY
Get to work.
Anders climbs out and Talley rockets away --
EXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT
Talley pulls up behind the Sheriffs' command van. Martin,
surprised to see Talley, steps from the van --
TALLEY
I'm re-assuming command of the scene.
Martin is surprised and angry --
MARTIN
Excuse me? You requested our help. You
turned over command --
TALLEY
And now I'm taking it back. We're
getting Smith out of the house.
Talley heads for the cul-de-sac --
INT. JENNIFER'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Jennifer is on her bed in the darkness, groggy with fear and
fatigue. She hears someone outside in the hall --
JENNIFER
Thomas?
The door knob rattles. Jennifer slides out of bed and goes
to the door --
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Thomas, is that you?
The door suddenly opens, and Mars is framed in the dim light.
Jennifer jumps back, terrified --
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
What do you want?
MARS
We can't make the microwave work.
That seems so outlandish that Jennifer is confused --
JENNIFER
What?
MARS
We're hungry. You're going to cook.
Mars grabs her hair, and pushes her out the door --
INT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT
Mars shoves Jennifer into the kitchen. Two frozen pizzas are
waiting on the counter --
MARS
Make the pizza. I want scrambled eggs
and hot dogs on mine.
JENNIFER
(under her breath)
How about dog shit?
Mars takes a carton of eggs and a package of hot dogs from
the refrigerator --
MARS
With hot sauce and butter.
Jennifer takes a bowl from the cupboard. When she sets down
the bowl, she sees the handle of the paring knife by the food
processor. Jennifer breaks eggs into the bowl --
JENNIFER
I need a frying pan. Would you get one?
Over there, under the range.
As soon as Mars turns away, Jennifer palms the knife and
pushes it into the waist of her shorts --
EXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT
Talley joins Maddox behind the car --
MADDOX
What put a wild hair up your ass?
TALLEY
I changed my mind. That's all you need
to know.
Talley picks up the dedicated crisis phone that's been cut
into the Smiths' telephone line. He lifts the receiver and
presses a button. The phone inside the house rings --
Intercut Dennis inside Smith's office. He answers --
DENNIS
That you, Talley?
TALLEY
The one and only. We got a little
problem out here, Dennis.
DENNIS
You oughta try on the problem I got in
here.
TALLEY
I need you to let me talk to Mr. Smith.
Dennis shoots a nervous glance at Walter, who's twitching and
shuddering on the couch --
DENNIS
We been through that. Forget it.
TALLEY
We can't forget it. The Sheriffs think
you won't let me talk to Smith because
he's dead. They think you murdered him.
Maddox can't believe that Talley is saying this --
MADDOX
(low, so that Dennis can't
hear)
What in hell are you doing?!
DENNIS
That's bullshit! The guy's right here!
He's alive!
TALLEY
(pressing Dennis harder)
If you don't let me talk to him, they're
going to attack the house.
Maddox grabs Talley's arm, his voice a low hiss --
MADDOX
You're gonna set him off, goddamnit!
That's crazy!
DENNIS
(screaming)
They better not!
Talley pushes Maddox away and amps the pressure on Dennis --
TALLEY
Help me keep them out! Let me speak to
Smith, Dennis. Let me speak to him right
now.
Dennis is freaking. He believes that the Sheriffs are about
to crash through the doors --
DENNIS
SHIT!!!!
Now Talley throttles back; he senses that Dennis is at the
breaking point and wants to coax him back from the edge --
TALLEY
(calmer; coaxing)
Talk to me, Dennis. Help me help you.
Why can't you put Smith on the phone?
Dennis finally makes the admission --
DENNIS
(quietly)
He got knocked out. It's like he's
sleeping. He just lays there.
Talley gives a thumbs-up to Maddox, who sits back in awe.
This crazy shit is working --
TALLEY
(to Dennis)
Now I understand. That helps. I can
make them understand that.
DENNIS
Okay.
TALLEY
Let me come get him.
DENNIS
Fuck that! You bastards will jump me!
TALLEY
If you won't let me come in, then put him
outside.
DENNIS
You'll cap my ass as soon as I step out
the door!
TALLEY
You've already helped yourself once,
Dennis; be smart again. If you save his
life, it'll help when you get to court.
Dennis is at the edge; he's looking straight down into his
deepest fears. He finally relents --
DENNIS
Fuck you, Talley, fuck you! You and one
other guy, but that's it! I want you
stripped! I gotta know you don't have
guns!
Dennis slams down the phone --
Talley lowers the crisis phone, then looks at Maddox --
TALLEY
Bring up the ambulance.
EXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC -- A FEW MINUTES LATER
Mobile banks of flood lamps illuminate the front of the
house. The ambulance waits behind the lights; tactical
officers with M5s and M16s hunker in position in case the
program goes south --
Talley and a paramedic named Bigelow emerge between the
lights, wearing only shorts and shoes. Bigelow is carrying a
collapsable stretcher --
They stop in the mouth of the drive with a full view of the
front door. Talley lifts his cell phone --
TALLEY
(into the phone)
Okay, Dennis, we won't approach the house
until you've closed the door.
The front door opens, a crack at first, then wider. The line
of officers behind the lights shifts --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(over his shoulder)
Easy....
Kevin and Mars waddle out with Walter Smith between them.
They put him down about six feet from the front door, then
return to the house --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(to Bigelow)
Let's do it.
Talley and Bigelow move forward. When they reach Walter,
Bigelow opens the stretcher and locks out the frame. He
peels back Walter's eyelids and flashes a penlight --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
How's he look?
BIGELOW
He's got a concussion for sure. I'm
going to brace him.
As Bigelow sets a cervical neck brace, Talley gets the creepy
feeling that he's being watched. He turns toward the
shutters, and finds a pair of eyes only inches from his own.
It's Mars.
Talley stares at Mars, and Mars stares back. It's as if
they're locked in a contest of wills until --
BIGELOW (CONT'D)
Let's get him on the stretcher.
Talley turns away to help Bigelow --
BIGELOW (CONT'D)
I'll support his head and shoulders. You
lift his hips and knees. On three.
Three.
As they carry Walter away, Talley glances back at the eyes.
Mars is still watching him --
IN THE CUL-DE-SAC--TALLEY AND BIGELOW
are surrounded by cops as soon as they step into the shadows
behind the lights. Another paramedic takes the stretcher
from Talley. Maddox is waiting with Talley's clothes --
MADDOX
You ready to tell me what's going on?
Talley pulls on his pants --
TALLEY
No.
Talley stalks straight to the ambulance, pulling on his
sweatshirt as he goes --
INT. THE AMBULANCE -- NIGHT
A young physician named Klaus is examining Walter as Talley
steps up into the ambulance --
TALLEY
I'm the chief of police here. I have to
talk to him.
KLAUS
Ain't gonna happen. We've got unequal
pupilation. He could have an
intracranial hematoma or a fracture or
both.
Talley ignores the doctor and shakes Walter by the face --
TALLEY
Smith! Wake up!
KLAUS
What are you doing?! Stop that!
Walter's eyes flutter, one more open than the other. Talley
leans closer --
TALLEY
(to Smith)
Wake up, goddamnit. Who are you?
Klaus tries to shove Talley away, but it's like pushing a
wall --
KLAUS
This man needs a hospital! Stop it!
Talley grabs Klaus by the arm, trying to make him see --
TALLEY
Use smelling salts, give him a shot,
whatever. I just need a minute.
Bigelow climbs behind the wheel and starts the ambulance.
Talley pounds on the wall, shouting --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Stop the fuckin' engine!
Klaus and Bigelow are both staring at Talley. Sheriffs and
Talley's own officers have gathered at the open rear of the
ambulance to see what all the shouting is about --
Klaus pointedly looks at Talley's hand gripping his arm. He
speaks slowly, trying to make Talley understand --
KLAUS
I'm not going to wake him. I don't even
know that I can.
TALLEY
Just one question. Please.
KLAUS
He. Can't. Answer.
Talley stares at Walter Smith. So close. So damned close.
Walter knows about the disks. Walter might even know who has
Jane and Amanda. But now Walter can't talk --
Talley turns away and climbs out of the ambulance --
EXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT
As Talley emerges from the van, he pulls Metzger aside --
TALLEY
I want you waiting in Smith's lap. I
want to know the second--and I mean the
second--that he wakes up.
As Metzger hurries after the ambulance, a phone in Talley's
pocket rings. He's startled and scared; it might be the
Watchman. Talley takes out the Watchman's white phone, but
it's not ringing.
He answers his other phone --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(into phone)
Talley.
ANDERS' VOICE
It's me, Chief. Can you talk?
Talley notices that Martin, Maddox, and the others are
staring at him. He turns away --
TALLEY
(into his phone)
What'd you find out?
ANDERS' VOICE
The cell phone is registered to a jewelry
store in Beverly Hills. The phone
company shows no unusual --
TALLEY
(cutting him off)
Dead end--it's a clone. What about the
Mustang?
ANDERS' VOICE
It was stolen.
Talley lowers the phone in frustration, then --
TALLEY
You get anything on Smith?
ANDERS' VOICE
Chief...it's like none of this exists.
I'm sorry.
TALLEY
Keep trying.
Talley pockets his phone. He watches the ambulance pull
away, then strides back through the banks of lights to the
nearest patrol car. He grabs the dash mike and keys the
public address --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(through the p.a.)
Call me. If you're safe, call me.
Talley's voice echoes across the neighborhood. Every cop in
the cul-de-sac stares at him. He has addressed the house
for, apparently, no reason. Dennis shouts from his window --
DENNIS
I'll be safe when I'm outta here, you
asshole! I'm not talking any more!
Talley drops the mike without a word and walks away --
INT. GLEN HOWELL'S MOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT
Howell is on the phone with Ken Seymore, watching the
televised news coverage with increasing alarm --
HOWELL
Was Smith talking?
Intercut Seymore, who is reporting from the York front gate
as the ambulance roars away, siren wailing --
SEYMORE
I heard he's fucked up. They're taking
him to the hospital.
HOWELL
Goddamnit, tell me what you know. Did
the cops go in? Did Smith have the
disks?
SEYMORE
I don't know. Talley talked those punks
into letting Smith out. He's fucking us
over, Glen. That guy is fucking us over.
HOWELL
What hospital?
SEYMORE
Canyon Country.
Howell slams down the phone. He breathes deeply, taking a
moment to center himself. He lifts the phone and punches a
number --
HOWELL
I have another job for you.
EXT. COMMAND STREET -- NIGHT
Talley is by himself, pacing at the curb well away from the
other officers. He is holding his cell phone. Waiting.
Finally, it rings. Talley answers, listens, then --
TALLEY
Put him on.
Intercut Thomas, phoning Talley in his room --
THOMAS
Is my daddy okay?
TALLEY
The doctors are taking care of him right
now. Thomas . . . are you safe? Can you
talk?
THOMAS
I think so.
TALLEY
I need your help with something. But if
you think those guys could catch you,
then I don't want you to do it, okay?
THOMAS
Okay.
TALLEY
I'm serious, Thomas; I don't want you to
get hurt.
THOMAS
What do you want me to do?
TALLEY
Your dad has two computer disks. They
have funny names: Marlon and Al.
THOMAS
He has lots of disks.
TALLEY
I think he was working on them today, so
they're probably in his office. Could
you find them and see who they belong to?
THOMAS
Dennis won't let me go to the desk. He
makes me sit on the floor.
Talley absorbs the bad news like his last best hope of saving
his family is circling the drain --
THOMAS (CONT'D)
But I might be able to sneak into the
office if they're not around. Then I
could open the disks here in my room.
TALLEY
I thought they locked you in your room.
THOMAS
I can get into the crawlspace from my
closet and climb all over the house.
TALLEY
Can you get into the office?
THOMAS
I can get into the den. The office is
right across the hall.
Talley thinks about what the boy is saying, and what he'll
have to do to get Marlon and Al --
TALLEY
If I get Rooney into the back of the
house, can you find the disks without
being caught?
THOMAS
Yes, sir.
Talley glances toward the SWAT Command Van as he comes up
with a plan --
EXT. THE COMMAND VAN -- NIGHT
Martin, Maddox, and several of her supervisors are gathered
outside the van as Talley approaches --
Martin sees him coming and steps away to meet him. She's
pissed off and she wants answers --
MARTIN
I want to know what in hell you're doing.
TALLEY
I'm looking for you. I need your
tactical unit.
MARTIN
I'm not stupid! You can't get out of
here fast enough, then you take back
command; you agree to wait on Smith, then
you risk everything in a stupid stunt to
get him out --
TALLEY
(interrupting)
Don't question me, Captain! This is my
crime scene!
MARTIN
(shouting over him)
-- then when you get him, you damn near
assault the man in the ambulance! What
is going on?
Talley glares at her, half-a-heartbeat from going off, and
then he throttles back --
TALLEY
(simply)
I'm a negotiator, Captain. I negotiate.
That's all you need to know. Now are you
going to help me or not?
Martin weighs the determination in his eyes. She's angry,
she's resentful, and she wants to knock Talley onto his ass--
but, instead, she glances back to her van --
MARTIN
Maddox! Let's give the man a hand!
INT. SMITHS' DEN -- NIGHT
Dennis steps through the double doors that open from the
entry and admires the room--rich paneled walls, soft leather
couches and chairs, and a lush beaten-copper bar. Walter
Smith's office is directly across the hall.
Dennis saunters behind the bar, letting his fingers play over
the copper, then pours a stiff Ketel One on the rocks.
Kevin appears behind him, watching, as Dennis takes a seat on
one of the leather bar stools, then peels a hundred off a
thick roll and drops it on the bar --
DENNIS
(to an imaginary bartender)
Keep the change, m'man.
Dennis takes a deep drink of the vodka as Kevin approaches --
KEVIN
We're fucked.
DENNIS
We're fucked until we think of a way out;
then we're rich.
KEVIN
There is no way out.
DENNIS
For chrissake, please! Help me
celebrate! I figured it out!
KEVIN
Celebrate what? Going to prison?
Dennis enjoys another stiff belt --
DENNIS
No, dumbass--Talley. Talley's the guy
who keeps us in here, and Talley's the
guy who can let us out.
Dennis grins as if he's discovered the wisdom of the ages --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Cops want to be rich like everyone else.
All we have to do is share.
(leans closer and lowers his
voice)
And if he wants someone to swing for the
Chinaman, we'll give'm Mars.
MARS
Dennis.
Mars is standing in the doors, large and ominous. For an
insane moment Dennis thinks that Mars has heard, but then --
MARS (CONT'D)
The food's ready.
Dennis grins, then shoves Kevin out of the room ahead of him,
the three of them disappearing toward the kitchen as --
The camera drifts up to an air vent in the ceiling, through
the slats in the grate to --
INT. CRAWLSPACE -- NIGHT
Thomas watches them leave through a hole in the air duct.
When he's confident that they are gone, he continues along
the crawlspace to a service hatch that opens down into --
INT. WINE CELLAR - NIGHT
The "wine cellar" is a climate-controlled closet behind the
bar fitted with floor-to-ceiling wine racks.
The ceiling hatch lifts, and Thomas climbs down the racks to
the floor. He eases open the door and peeks out behind the
bar. The den is bright with light, and empty --
Thomas lifts his cell phone --
THOMAS
(whispers into the phone)
It's me, Chief. I'm in the den.
EXT. SMITHS' REAR WALL -- NIGHT
Talley, Maddox, and several tactical officers are lined along
the rear wall, watching the house. Talley, with a phone to
his ear, is looking through a night-vision scope --
He can see into the kitchen through the French doors. Mars
and Jennifer are inside, and, as we watch, Dennis and Kevin
enter --
TALLEY
(into his phone)
Okay, bud, here we go.
Talley hands the scope to Maddox, then keys his radio mike --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(into his mike)
Captain? Kill the lights.
INT. SMITHS' KITCHEN -- NIGHT
Dennis and Kevin are digging into plates of pizza and eggs
when the house goes dark --
DENNIS
Shit! It's the cops!
The backyard ERUPTS; explosions from Starflash grenades JUMP
and CAREEN over the swimming pool like New Year fireworks.
It sounds like World War III --
Dennis throws himself behind the kitchen counter --
INT. THE DEN -- NIGHT
The house now dark, Thomas scurries to the double doors. He
peeks around the corner to see if the coast is clear, then
darts across the hall to --
INT. WALTER'S OFFICE -- NIGHT
The office is lit only by the flickering candles. Thomas
checks his father's computer--no disks. He searches through
the papers scattered over the desk, but finds nothing --
Then he opens the drawer --
The disk case that his father put there earlier is waiting.
Thomas opens the case --
Marlon. Al.
He found them.
INT. THE KITCHEN -- NIGHT
The Starflash grenades burn out as Talley's amplified voice
echoes into the house --
TALLEY'S VOICE
It's time to talk face-to-face, Dennis.
Come out, just you, and we'll talk.
KEVIN
What's he doing? What's going on?!
DENNIS
Mars! They're trying to blindside us!
Check the front!
Mars lurches to his feet and hurries to the office --
INT. THE OFFICE -- NIGHT
Thomas is heading for the door when he hears footsteps coming
fast toward the office --
Thomas reverses course and ducks under the desk. He pulls
himself into a ball and tries not to breathe --
Mars is in the room.
The desk is a great oak monster, big as a boat. It sits on
curvy legs that leave a gap between the desk and the floor.
Thomas can see feet --
The feet go to the windows --
DENNIS'S VOICE
What's going on out front?
The feet turn toward the desk. Thomas tries to squeeze
himself smaller --
DENNIS'S VOICE (CONT'D)
Mars?! What the fuck are they doin'?
The feet come to the desk --
DENNIS'S VOICE (CONT'D)
Mars! Something's happening! Get back
here!
The feet hesitate, then, finally, walk away --
Thomas scrambles from under the desk and darts across the
hall --
EXT. THE BACKYARD -- NIGHT
Talley approaches the house. He can see flashlights moving
in the kitchen --
TALLEY
Come on, Dennis. Talk to me.
Dennis doesn't answer, so Talley moves closer. He spreads
his hands wide --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
I'm unarmed. I'm looking at you. Get
out here and let's talk.
Dennis comes to the French doors. He stuffs his pistol into
his pants, and opens the doors --
DENNIS
You got a sniper out there, gonna shoot
me?
TALLEY
Only if you try to grab me. We could've
shot you from the wall.
Dennis considers that and accepts it. He steps out of the
house and walks over to Talley --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
You've been in there a long time.
What're you waiting for?
DENNIS
Would you be in a hurry to go to prison
for the rest of your life?
TALLEY
I'd be trying to get the best deal that I
could.
DENNIS
Maybe that's what I'm doing. Can I reach
in my pocket, show you something?
Dennis Rooney steps closer because he doesn't want anyone
else to see the wad of money he pulls out --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
That's fifty hundred-dollar bills. Five
grand. They got money in this house,
Talley, more than you've ever seen.
Dennis pushes the money back into his pocket.
DENNIS (CONT'D)
How much would it be worth to you,
getting me out of here?
So that's what keeps Dennis in the house--money. This is the
first that Talley has heard of the money --
TALLEY
You picked a bad house to hole up in,
son.
DENNIS
Two hundred thousand cash, right in your
pocket, no one needs to know.
TALLEY
Give up.
DENNIS
There's a million dollars in there, maybe
two million. I'll give you half.
Talley stares at Dennis, wondering how much to tell him and
whether or not it will do any good --
TALLEY
The man you sent to the hospital is a
criminal. He has partners. This is
their house and their money and they want
it back.
These simple facts settle on Dennis like a funeral shroud--
everything that Smith said earlier now makes a horrible
sense: You can't imagine the fucking you're going to get.
Dennis's eyes fill with defeat and helplessness --
DENNIS
It ain't been a good day, Chief.
TALLEY
Give up, Dennis. Let these people go.
At least you'll have your life.
Dennis steps inside and pulls the door closed, the darkness
in the house swallowing him like dirty water.
The power is turned on. The house comes to life --
As Talley turns away, his phone once more rings --
INT. THOMAS' ROOM -- NIGHT
Thomas is hunkered with his computer behind his bed so that
the camera can't see him.
THOMAS
I got'm!
Intercut Talley, now back in the cul-de-sac --
TALLEY
Can you open them?
THOMAS
I opened Marlon. I think it's somebody's
taxes.
TALLEY
Look for names. Does it say whose taxes
they are?
Thomas scrolls through a spread sheet --
THOMAS
I don't see any people names. It's all
businesses.
TALLEY
Try Al. See if you can open Al.
Thomas changes disks and opens Al --
THOMAS
Yeah! Here's a name. This is somebody's
personal tax --
TALLEY
Who is it?
THOMAS
Charles G. Benza.
(then; noise in the hall)
They're coming!
Thomas abruptly hangs up and the line goes dead in Talley's
ear.
Talley recognizes the name as easily as an East Coast cop
would recognize John Gotti, and realizes the stunning import
of Smith possessing Sonny Benza's financial records --
TALLEY
Sonny Benza. Oh, fuck.
Talley sprints across the cul-de-sac to his nearest officer,
Jorgenson, and keys Jorgenson's shoulder mike --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
(into the mike)
Leigh? Metzger, answer me!
METZGER'S VOICE
I'm at the hospital.
TALLEY
Put a guard on Smith! I want you with
Smith until I get there!
JORGENSON
What's going on?
TALLEY
Get in the car. Now.
Talley drops the mike and shoves Jorgenson toward the car --
EXT. CANYON COUNTRY HOSPITAL -- NIGHT
Marion Clewes is stepping from his car as Talley's police
unit rips into the parking lot with flashing lights --
Marion watches Talley and Jorgenson rush into the ER, then he
frowns and punches the speed dial on his phone --
MARION
(into his phone)
We're too late. The police are here.
INT. EMERGENCY ROOM CORRIDOR -- NIGHT
Talley and Jorgenson huddle in the hall with Klaus and the ER
supervisor, Dr. Estelle Reese. Metzger is outside Walter's
room in the background --
TALLEY
I'm posting a guard outside his room, but
we'll need help from hospital security.
REESE
Is my staff in danger?
TALLEY
Not with my officers here, no, ma'am.
Metzger steps into Walter's room, then reappears --
METZGER
Hey! He's waking up!
Talley and Klaus press for the room --
INT. WALTER'S ROOM -- NIGHT
Walter's eyes flutter open. His voice is slurred, but
understandable --
WALTER
Where am I?
Klaus peels open Walter's eyes, passing his penlight over
one, then the other --
KLAUS
Canyon Country Hospital. Do you remember
your name?
It takes Walter a few moments to answer --
WALTER
Walter Smith.
All of Walter's memories come flooding back, and he tries to
sit up. Klaus forces him down --
WALTER (CONT'D)
Where are my children?
TALLEY
They're still in the house.
Walter looks at Talley. He has never seen Talley and has no
idea who he is --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
I'm Jeff Talley, the Bristo chief of
police. So far as we know, your children
are okay.
KLAUS
Chief Talley is the one who got you out.
TALLEY
(to Klaus)
I need to talk to him. Alone.
This time, Klaus is hard-pressed to refuse. He nods, then
steps away --
Talley turns back to Walter Smith, and lowers his voice --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Sonny Benza has my wife and daughter. He
wants the disks, Marlon and Al. He took
my family to make me help.
Talley's eyes fill. His tears drip on the sheets. Walter
looks away --
WALTER
I don't know what you're talking about.
TALLEY
He's going to kill you. Don't you know
that? He can't take the chance that
you'll talk.
Klaus returns and places a hand on Talley's shoulder --
KLAUS
That's enough.
TALLEY
Another minute. Please --
But when he looks back at Walter, he realizes that another
minute will do no good: Walter's eyes are once more closed.
EXT. HOSPITAL PARKING LOT -- NIGHT
Talley is pacing by his car in the deserted parking lot. He
pounds the hood, cursing, awash in rage and frustration --
And then a phone rings.
Talley takes out the phones. The white phone is ringing.
The Watchman's phone --
Talley answers furiously, the two of them instantaneously
screaming at each other --
THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE
You dumb fuckwad cop, you fucked up bad!
TALLEY
Do you think I'm going to let you murder
someone?!
THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE
You want a blowtorch on your daughter's
pretty face?!
TALLEY
I'll go in that fuckin' house right now!
I'll give those disks to the real FBI,
you COCKSUCKINGMOTHERFUCKER!! And I've
got Smith! I've got Smith!!
A profound silence fills the parking lot, both men now
purged. When the Watchman speaks again, his voice is
measured --
THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE
I guess we each have something the other
wants.
TALLEY
I guess we do.
THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE
My people are good to go. You know who I
mean?
TALLEY
Your phony FBI assholes.
THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE
We're almost home, you and me. Keep your
shit together. This isn't L.A.
TALLEY
What do you mean by that?
THE WATCHMAN'S VOICE
You don't want another dead child on your
conscience.
The line goes dead --
INT. THE SMITHS' DEN -- NIGHT
Dennis is pouring another stiff glass of Ketel One --
DENNIS
I shouldn't have told him about the
money. Now Talley is gonna keep it for
himself.
Kevin joins him at the bar. Mars is by the doors --
KEVIN
He said that?
Dennis downs a big hit of vodka, then moves to the couch --
DENNIS
If we don't escape, we gotta get the word
out about the cash. That's how we'll
stay alive.
KEVIN
What are you talking about?
DENNIS
The only way he can keep the cash is if
nobody knows about it. He's gotta cap
all three of us before they even read our
rights. He's probably planning it right
now.
KEVIN
That's crazy. He's not going to kill us.
DENNIS
Kevin, you're so fuckin' stupid...
Kevin follows his brother to the couch and stares at him;
Dennis has clearly lost his mind, and Kevin has reached the
end of his rope --
KEVIN
It's over. We have to give up.
DENNIS
Fuck it's over. That money's mine.
KEVIN
That money's fucked up your brain.
Talley's going to get tired of waiting
for us to give up, and we'll all be
fuckin' killed!
Dennis tips his glass, like a toast --
DENNIS
Then we might as well die rich.
KEVIN
I'm not going to die for this!
Kevin slaps the glass away. Dennis boils up from the couch.
He grabs his brother and the two of them fall over the coffee
table, Dennis hammering Kevin in a furious rage until he runs
out of gas --
DENNIS
You're my fuckin' anchor, Kevin, the
fuckin' lead around my life that I've
been draggin' like a cripple leg!
Dennis gets up and steps back --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Get this into your stupid head, Kevin.
We're not leaving without the money.
Beaten and whimpering, Kevin crawls away. Dennis watches him
crawl out of the room, then looks at Mars --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
You got something to say?
MARS
I like it here, Dennis. I'm never going
to leave.
DENNIS
Fuckin' A.
Dennis returns to the bar. When he looks around again, Mars
is gone--melted into the darkness.
INT. JENNIFER'S ROOM -- NIGHT
Jennifer is hiding in her shadows when her doorknob moves. She
reaches pulls the knife from her shorts, keeping it hidden as
she backs away --
Kevin steps inside, leaving the door ajar --
JENNIFER
What do you want?
KEVIN
Keep your voice down. I'm taking you and
your brother out of here.
Jennifer now sees the marks and cuts on his face --
JENNIFER
What happened?
KEVIN
Do you want to go or not? I'm offering
you a way out of here.
JENNIFER
I can't go without Thomas.
KEVIN
All three of us will go, but we have to
move fast. Mars and Dennis don't know
I'm doing this.
JENNIFER
How can we get out?
KEVIN
Dennis and Mars are in the den. I'll get
your brother, then come back for you.
We'll go down the stairs and out the
front door, you understand?
JENNIFER
Yes.
Kevin goes back to the door, then considers her. Maybe he
wants to apologize for all this, but the best he can manage
is --
KEVIN
Put on some shoes.
Kevin slips out and pulls the door closed.
INT. SECOND FLOOR HALL -- NIGHT
As Kevin emerges from the room, he comes face-to-face with --
Mars.
Mars is a great black shadow in the dark, only inches away.
Kevin steps back --
KEVIN
You scared the shit out of me. I was
looking for you. Dennis wants you to
watch the monitors.
MARS
I heard you with the girl.
Kevin takes another step back, but Mars follows him, staying
uncomfortably close --
KEVIN
It's over, Mars. If we stay the cops
will kill us. Don't you get that?
Mars seems thoughtful, steps aside --
MARS
I get it. If you want to go, go.
Kevin expected Mars to stop him, but Mars is letting him go.
Kevin turns away and hurries down the hall --
EXT. YORK ESTATES MAIN ENTRANCE -- NIGHT
Talley is returning to the hospital. As he turns into York
Estates, he's stopped by one of his officers, Dale Cooper.
Talley rolls down his window to see what Cooper wants --
COOPER
Come FBI guys showed up, Chief. They
said you were expecting them.
TALLEY
They here now?
COOPER
You'll see'm up the street.
Talley nods, and continues through the gate --
EXT. STREET -- NIGHT
Two gray Econoline vans are parked at the curb beneath a
street light, four men in the lead van, two in the rear.
Talley pulls up behind them, then gets out of his car. He
walks up the middle of the street to the lead van, eyeballing
the men in the vans: They all have short haircuts and are
wearing black tactical fatigues. Some of them wear ball caps
that say FBI.
THE DRIVER
You Talley?
TALLEY
Yeah.
The man in the passenger seat, Mr. Jones, gets out. He looks
the part of FBI SWAT: black tac fatigues, jump boots, buzzed
hair. A pistol hangs under his left arm in a ballistic
holster --
MR. JONES
Let me see some ID. Something with a
picture. I don't give a shit about your
badge.
Talley takes out his wallet and flashes his photo ID. Jones
does the same in return --
MR. JONES (CONT'D)
Okay, here's mine. My name is Special
Agent Jones.
TALLEY
Are all of you named Jones?
MR. JONES
Don't be funny, Chief. You can't afford
it.
Jones slaps the side of the van. Doors open, and the
remaining five men climb out. They strap into vests with FBI
emblazoned on the back, then pass out load-bearing gear, knit
masks, and flash-bang grenades.
MR. JONES (CONT'D)
In a few minutes the white phone is going
to ring. So let's get our shit straight
before that happens.
TALLEY
You used to be a cop. All of you used to
be cops. I can tell by the way you move.
MR. JONES
Don't worry about what we used to be.
TALLEY
How do you people expect this to work?
The Sheriffs have a Crisis Response Team
here.
MR. JONES
What's my name?
TALLEY
What?
MR. JONES
I asked you my name. You just saw my
commission slip. What's my fucking name?
TALLEY
Special Agent Jones.
MR. JONES
Think of me that way and you won't fuck
up. I'll handle the Sheriffs.
The men at the second van are now passing out MP5s, CAR-15s,
and loaded magazines --
TALLEY
What are you people going to do?
MR. JONES
You and I are gonna straighten this out
with the Sheriffs, and then we'll wait
for the man to call. When he gives the
word, we move.
TALLEY
What does he have on you? I know why I'm
doing this, but what does he have on you?
One of the other men hands an MP5 to Mr. Jones. Jones
jacks the bolt to chamber a round. He slings his gun without
answering --
MR. JONES
Let's go, Chief. Time to get real.
Jones walks away, and all Talley can do is follow --
EXT. MARS KRUPCHEK'S TRAILER -- NIGHT
We're at the end of a gravel road in the low foothills of
Pearblossom, a farm community of fruit orchards in the low
foothills.
A Bristo Camino police car pulls up outside a thirty-foot
Caravan trailer, and Mikkelson and Dreyer get out. Mikkelson
lights up the trailer with the radio car's spotlight --
DREYER
Krupchek lives in a shithole.
The trailer is dark and silent. They walk to the door
carrying their Maglites. Mikkelson tries the knob --
MIKKELSON
I guess we could jimmy it.
DREYER
I don't want to pay for breaking it.
Mikkelson pulls hard and the door pops open. Both officers
cringe as a smell like simmering mustard greens rolls out at
them --
MIKKELSON
Christ, that stinks.
INT. THE TRAILER -- NIGHT
Mikkelson switches on the lights as they step inside. Dreyer
sees it first --
DREYER
Mickey? Look at this shit.
Mikkelson joins Dreyer in the trailer's tiny kitchen where
teetering stacks of folded cereal boxes fill the counters and
sink and floor. Hundreds and hundreds of Captain Crunch and
Count Chocula boxes, all neatly folded and stacked --
DREYER (CONT'D)
He's burned them.
MIKKELSON
What?
Dreyer shows her a box. The nose of each character has been
burned with a cigarette --
DREYER
He burned their noses.
MIKKELSON
Okay, this is creeping me out.
Mikkelson opens the oven. It's empty. She opens a cupboard.
It's filled with large glass jars. She opens another
cupboard. More jars. Shapes float in the jars, suspended in
yellow fluid. Mikkelson and Dreyer examine the shapes --
DREYER
What are those, rats?
Mikkelson opens the fridge, then slams it, looking like she
wants to puke --
MIKKELSON
Ohmigod. We gotta call Talley.
Dreyer sees the expression on her face, then looks at the
fridge, wondering --
EXT. CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT
Talley, Jones, and Jones's phony "FBI" team are moving down
the cul-de-sac toward the house with Martin at their heels --
MR. JONES
Walter Smith is in the Federal Witness
Protection program. When Washington
learned about the situation here, they
asked Chief Talley for his cooperation.
MARTIN
This is bullshit. I should've been
notified.
MR. JONES
I'm sure you will be, Captain, but it's
after midnight. Now, if you'll pull your
people off the perimeter, I want to get
my people in position.
Martin looks like she wants to spit bullets --
TALLEY
Let it go, Captain.
MARTIN
Goddamned small town bullshit.
Martin relents and stalks away just as Talley's phone rings.
Both Talley and Jones tense at the ring, thinking it might be
the white phone, but it's not --
TALLEY
It's mine.
(into his phone)
Talley.
MIKKELSON'S VOICE
Chief, it's Mikkelson.
TALLEY
Go, Mickey.
EXT. KRUPCHEK'S TRAILER -- NIGHT
Both Mikkelson and Dreyer are leaning against their car.
They look shellshocked. Mikkelson is making the call --
MIKKELSON
Chief, we just found Krupchek's trailer.
We just went in there.
She trails off and looks at Dreyer for help: How do I say
this? Dreyer, at a loss, looks away --
MIKKELSON (CONT'D)
He has human body parts in his
refrigerator. He has five human heads.
Mikkelson can't handle it any more. She lowers the phone --
WITH TALLEY
The shock that Mikkelson is feeling sweeps over Talley as
well. He takes a moment to get his head around this --
TALLEY
(into his phone)
Mickey? Call the state Homicide Bureau.
Don't touch anything, just sit back and
wait.
MIKKELSON'S VOICE
Yes, sir.
Talley lowers the phone as he stares at the house, wondering
what sort of monster is in there with Thomas and Jennifer.
His gaze shifts to Mr. Jones, who is watching him --
TALLEY
We're getting those kids out of there.
INT. THE SMITHS' DEN -- NIGHT
Dennis is sprawled on the couch, sucking the last few drops
of Ketel One from the bottle. He frowns at the empty bottle,
then lumbers to his feet --
DENNIS
(calling)
Kev? Key, Kevin, c'mon back. I'm sorry
I hit you.
Dennis weaves through the door, carrying the empty bottle
like his dearest friend --
INT. THE KITCHEN -- NIGHT
Dennis staggers into the kitchen --
DENNIS
C'mon, Kev, don't fuckin' pout! You're
right. It's time to call it a game.
MARS'S VOICE
Kevin left. He didn't want to be here
anymore.
The voice from the other side of the kitchen startles him.
Mars steps out of the shadows --
DENNIS
You mean he left, as in went out the
front door?
MARS
I overheard him with the girl.
DENNIS
Shit! That fuck! Even when I want to
turn myself in he screws it up! Did he
take the kids with him?
MARS
I don't know.
DENNIS
Jesus, get upstairs and find out! If he
took those kids, we're fucked!
Mars cross the kitchen and goes for the stairs without
another word --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
KEVIN!!! You ASSHOLE!!!
Dennis throws the bottle across the room --
INT. THE HOBBY ROOM -- NIGHT
Thomas is scared by all the shouting, but he waits in the
darkness until Dennis quiets, and then we notice that he is
no longer in his room; he's in the hobby room, once more
trying to reach the gun --
Thomas stacks two phone books on the bench, then uses the
phone books as an extra step to reach the high shelf --
He can finally reach the gun case! He puts it on the bench,
then climbs down, and opens the case. Thomas is bouyant with
confidence; now, he can protect himself and his sister!
Thomas shoves the gun into his pants and creeps back into --
INT. THE LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT
Thomas is climbing onto the washing machine when his foot
slips and he bangs his head --
It's so dark in ehre that Thomas can't see what made him
slip, but he tests the floor. His shoe makes a tacky sound.
Thomas cups his hand over his flashlight like before, and
turns it on. A dark liquid like oil is spreading on the
floor.
Thomas follows it with his light to the broom closet. He
lets out more light and sees that the oil is red.
Thomas knows that something terrible is behind the door, but
he is drawn to it. He reaches out --
Kevin's lifeless body topples out, collapsing in a heap at
Thomas's feet. His neck is cut so deeply that his head is
almost severed --
His eyes are open.
Thomas screams!
INT. JENNIFER'S ROOM -- NIGHT
Jennifer is anxiously waiting for Kevin. When she hears
someone in the hall, she thinks that it's Kevin, but when the
door opens --
It's Mars.
He steps inside, tall, wide, and massive as a bear. He's
carrying the claw hammer. Jennifer backs away --
MARS
Kevin left without you.
JENNIFER
I don't know what you're talking about.
Mars turns off the lights.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Don't do that. Turn on the lights.
Jennifer grows even more frightened. Mars follows her across
the room until she backs into the window --
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
You'd better get out of here! Kevin's
coming back!
MARS
Kevin's gone, your daddy's gone,
everybody's gone.
When Mars reaches her, he touches the hammer to the chest,
pressing to make it hurt --
MARS (CONT'D)
Now we can do whatever we want.
JENNIFER
Stop it.
Mars rakes the claws slowly between her breasts as Jennifer
finds the knife in her shorts. She jerks free the blade and
stabs blindly burying the knife high in his chest, but Mars
doesn't even step back --
He grips the handle, moaning hideously as he pulls out the
knife. A red flower blossoms from the wound.
Jennifer tries to get past him, but he grabs her throat and
pins her to the wall --
MARS
You're going to enjoy this.
He raises the knife to her face --
INT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT
The scream from the laundry room having scared the shit out
of Dennis, he has his gun out --
DENNIS
Who's that? Goddamnit, who's there?
Dennis turns on his flashlight and sweeps the beam across the
kitchen --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Kev? Is that you? Talley?
Dennis weaves across the kitchen, pushing the gun ahead of
him --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
Kevin, if that's you, say something.
Mars said you left.
Dennis steps through the door into --
INT. THE LAUNDRY ROOM -- NIGHT
Dennis shines the light on the floor and sees the red ooze.
He follows the blood to Kevin's body, but even then doesn't
realize what he's seeing --
DENNIS
Kevin, what the fuck? Get up.
Dennis steps closer, and now he sees the open neck, the
grotesque white bone within the flesh --
Only one other person in the house could have done this --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
MARS?!?!
Dennis hears Jennifer screaming upstairs --
DENNIS (CONT'D)
MARS!!!
Dennis rushes from the room --
INT. JENNIFER'S ROOM -- NIGHT
Dennis slams through the door so heard that the door crashes
into the wall. Mars is across the room, still holding
Jennifer by the neck --
Dennis aims his gun --
DENNIS
You're dead, you fuck.
Mars calmly pulls the girl in front of him, blocking Dennis's
aim.
MARS
What's wrong, Dennis? Why're you so
pissed off?
It's weird the way Mars is acting, so calm and all. But
Dennis can see the feat in Jennifer's face and her swollen
eyes. She manages one word --
JENNIFER
Please...
Dennis tries to aim past her --
DENNIS
This fuck killed Kevin. There's blood
everywhere down there --
Jennifer sobs. And when she does --
Mars charges across the room holding Jennifer like a shield.
Dennis hesitates only a heartbeat, and then it's too late --
Jennifer crashes into him, the full force of Mars's weight
behind her, knocking Dennis backward into the hall --
INT. SECOND FLOOR HALL -- NIGHT
They fall through the door into a tangle on the floor. Mars
raises the hammer, then brings it down, smashing Dennis over
and over --
INT. JENNIFER'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Thomas emerges from the closet to see the carnage in the
hall: Mars over Dennis, grunting like a pig as he turns
Dennis into pulp, and Jennifer crawling away, splattered with
blood --
Thomas pulls the gun from his pants and darts past Mars into
the hall --
INT. UPSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT
Thomas grabs Jennifer's arm and pulls her toward the stairs --
THOMAS
C'mon, Jen! Run!
Mars heaves to his feet and turns after them --
Thomas jerks up the pistol with both hands --
THOMAS (CONT'D)
I'll shoot you!
Mars stops, blood dripping from his face and hands and the
hammer. Jennifer pulls her brother --
JENNIFER
Keep going!
They back toward the stairs, Thomas trying to hold the gun
steady. Mars follows, spreading his arms wide as if to
embrace them --
MARS
Everyone's gone. We can do whatever we
want. We can do anything.
THOMAS
I'll shoot you! I'm not kidding, you
better stay away!
Mars keeps coming --
Thomas pulls the trigger. Click.
Mars stops, frozen by the sharp sound --
Thomas pulls again. Click click click --
No bullets.
JENNIFER
Run!!!!!
Thomas and Jennifer sprint for the stairs --
INT. FRONT ENTRY -- NIGHT
Jennifer and Thomas crash down the stairs and spill into the
entry. Thomas goes to the front door but Jennifer pulls him
away --
JENNIFER
No! They have everything nailed!
They race away down the hall just as Mars reaches the bottom
of the stairs --
INT. THE SMITHS' BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Mars is closing. Jennifer and Thomas scramble through the
bedroom only paces ahead of him. They run straight into --
INT. THE SAFE ROOM -- NIGHT
Jennifer and Thomas slam the door and throw the bolts just as
Mars crashes into the door --
Jennifer and Thomas have made it. They are shaking and
scared, but they are safe.
JENNIFER
He can't reach us in here. We're safe.
THOMAS
I know.
Mars pounds on the door with the hammer. They can see him on
the monitors. Slow rhythmic pounding. Then he walks away --
JENNIFER
What's he doing?
They can see him on the monitors--moving through the hall,
going into the entry....
Mars picks up a bucket of gasoline. He splashes gas on the
walls and floor all the way back to the bedroom, and then he
empties the bucket on the security room's door --
Mars looks up at the camera again and takes out a match. He
flicks it with his thumbnail and it flares --
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Ohmigod, he's going to burn us!
Mars tosses the match, and the room erupts into flame --
EXT. THE CUL-DE-SAC -- NIGHT
Talley is arguing with Jones, trying to convince the man that
they need to move into the house now --
TALLEY
We've got to get those kids out of there!
MR. JONES
Not until the man calls.
TALLEY
Those kids are in there with a fucking
psychopath! He kills people!
MR. JONES
They've been in there all day.
Talley's phone rings. Again, they both think that it's the
white phone, but instead it's Talley's personal phone --
TALLEY
(into his phone)
Talley.
It's Thomas. His voice cuts in and out, broken by static --
THOMAS'S VOICE
Mars killed Kevin and Dennis! We're in
the security room. He's burning the
house --
Thomas' phone cuts out. Talley turns toward the house and
sees a growing column of smoke. He looks back at Jones --
TALLEY
You do what you have to do; I'm getting
those kids.
Talley hurries away. Jones stares after him, then comes to
his own agonized decision. He catches up --
MR. JONES
Talley! We'll secure the house, but then
we get the disks.
Talley accepts that; they move toward the house --
EXT. THE SMITHS' HOUSE -- NIGHT
The banks of floodlights abruptly shut off, plunging the
house and grounds into darkness --
INT. THE MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT
The fire is spreading, following the gasoline trail through
the hall and the rest of the house; a thick layer of smoke
covers the ceiling --
Mars sees that the outside lights have been turned off, and
senses that the cops are making their move. That's all right
with Mars--he's been waiting to die for most of his life --
Mars checks the load in his pistol, then melts away into the
dark --
A moment later, throbbing music pounds the house --
EXT. SMITHS' HOUSE -- NIGHT
Talley and Jones slip up to a side window at the front of the
house. Both are carrying fire extinguishers. They peer
inside, then Jones uses a pry bar to lift the window --
INT. FRONT GUEST ROOM -- NIGHT
Talley enters first, followed by Jones. The air is thick
with smoke, and the music is confusing; the hall outside the
room is filled with flames --
Talley points toward the bedroom, then uses hand signals to
countdown the launch--three...two...one --
Jones keys his throat mike to launch the strike --
MR. JONES
Go --
They blast the flames with their fire extinguishers, then
plunge into the hall --
INT. MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT
The sliding glass doors shatter as one of Jones's men
breaches the door. As he rolls to his feet, Mars shoots him
from the flames --
A second man rolls through the door, and Mars shoots again,
laughing as the man writhes in flames --
INT. HALL -- TALLEY AND JONES
fight back the flames with their fire extinguishers, working
their way into --
INT. THE MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT
It's an inferno as Talley and Jones come through the door.
They spot the two men on the floor just as --
Mars rears up behind the flames. He is shirtless and
glistening, screaming maniacally is he fires his gun --
Talley and Jones fire in unison, pounding Mars with bullets
and knocking him into the fire. Mars thrashes and screams,
burning alive --
Talley hears pounding inside the safe room: Jennifer and
Thomas! He fights his way to the security door, which is
covered with flames --
TALLEY
The kids are in here!
MR. JONES
Where's the office?
TALLEY
Help me, goddamnit, we can get the disks
later!
Talley expects that Jones will help, but Jones is aiming his
gun --
MR. JONES
We don't need you any more, Chief. We
can get the disks on our own.
But before Jones can kill Talley, Mars heaves himself up from
the flames, firing wildly. He hits Jones in the head --
Talley fires reflexively, his powerful .45 kicking Mars
across the room and out the glass doors. Talley turns back
to the burning door and douses the flames with his fire
extinguisher --
TALLEY
Thomas! Thomas, it's me!
Thomas and Jennifer jerk open the door, but shrink from the
heat. Talley uses the last of his fire extinguisher, then
pulls them into his arms --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Stay close. We're going to move fast --
INT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT
Talley shepherds Jennifer and Thomas past the flames --
INT. THE ENTRY -- NIGHT
They reach the entry, and Talley uses his pry bar to break
open the door --
A wall of cops are out on the street, waiting --
TALLEY
(to Thomas)
Are the disks still in your room?
THOMAS
No! They're right here --
Thomas pulls Marlon and Al from his pocket --
Talley clutches the disks and pulls the boy close in a
spontaneous hug. They run out the door as we --
CUT TO:
INT. WALTER SMITH'S HOSPITAL ROOM -- LATER THAT NIGHT
Walter is resting comfortably when Talley steps up beside his
bed. Talley is a mess--smokey, dirty, greased with sweat --
TALLEY
(quietly)
Smith.
Walter opens his eyes, then Talley steps away. Jennifer and
Thomas are standing behind him. They rush to their father --
JENNIFER/THOMAS
Daddy!
WALTER
Thank God! Are you guys all right?
You're not hurt?
THOMAS
Our house is on fire! We almost burned!
Both children burst into tears, and Walter hugs them. He
looks up at Talley, then gently eases his kids away --
WALTER
(to Jennifer and Thomas)
You guys step out for a second. I have
to talk to the Chief.
Walter waits until his children are gone, and then --
WALTER (CONT'D)
Did you find the disks?
TALLEY
Yes.
WALTER
Then you have everything. You can put
them away.
TALLEY
(touches his wrist)
A man has my family. Gold watch here.
Dark tan.
WALTER
That would be Glen Howell. He was on his
way for the disks.
TALLEY
How do I reach him?
EXT. HOSPITAL PARKING LOT -- NIGHT
Talley is alone in his car, his phone to his ear, listening
to the ring at the other end of the line. A familiar voice
answers --
HOWELL'S VOICE
Hello?
TALLEY
Two words: Glen Howell.
Intercut Howell in his motel room. He is thrown by getting
this call --
HOWELL
How did you get this number?
TALLEY
Mr. Jones is dead. So are two of his
men. The other three are in jail. I
have the disks. I have Walter Smith.
And you know what, you motherfucker? I
have you.
HOWELL
I have your fucking family. Don't forget
that.
TALLEY
I also have a couple of million in cash.
Call Sonny Benza. Ask if I can keep it.
This throws Howell, too. He didn't expect anything like
this; not from Talley --
HOWELL
What do you want?
TALLEY
My wife and my daughter and the money.
I'll bring the disks to the mall by the
freeway, you bring my family. We'll
trade.
HOWELL
Fuck that! You think I'm crazy?!
TALLEY
I think you got no choice.
Howell thinks about it. It's a tough call because Talley
might be setting him up, but they're playing even hands--
Talley still has the disks --
HOWELL
Fuck the mall. You know that motel on
the road west of town?
TALLEY
Yeah.
HOWELL
You got ten minutes. If you're one
minute late, we won't be here to find.
Talley tosses his phone aside, then drives away --
EXT. NEW YORK CITY -- NIGHT
A graphic identifies our location: New York City.
INT. VICTOR CASTELLANO'S BROWNSTONE -- NIGHT
Victor Castellano is "the old man" that Benza's people have
mentioned. He is not a happy man in the best of
circumstances and is even less happy now --
Castellano's assistant, Jamie Beldone, is briefing him on
events in the West --
BELDONE
The house is in flames, Benza's
accountant is with the cops, and they're
stacking the bodies like cordwood.
CASTELLANO
Jesus Christ, it's a clusterfuck.
BELDONE
You wanted to let Sonny handle it. I
would've moved in when we first found
out.
Castellano scowls at the younger man --
CASTELLANO
And by doing so, he would've known we
have spies in his organization.
BELDONE
(embarrassed)
Yes, sir. But what about the disks? If
the cops end up with the disks, we're
gonna see a whole lot of heat.
CASTELLANO
I hate that Mickey Mouse bastard. I
hated his father, and I hate Sonny, too.
Always with the tan.
BELDONE
What do you want to do?
CASTELLANO
Our people out there, they good people?
People in the right place?
BELDONE
The best.
CASTELLANO
Sonny's a fuckup. If he pulls this off,
fine--life goes on. But if the cops end
up with those disks, we cut our losses.
BELDONE
I understand.
CASTELLANO
I want a message sent: No fuckups
allowed.
BELDONE
I'll make the call.
Vic Castellano watches Beldone depart as he considers what is
about to come --
EXT. MOTEL -- NIGHT
The motel floats like an island of light in the middle of
nowhere. A few cars are scattered throughout the quiet
parking lot --
MIKE RUIZ
is hiding in weeds across from the motel, keeping an eye on
the road for Talley's approaching vehicle. A radio
transmission crackles quietly --
MANELLI'S VOICE
You see anything?
Ruiz keys the mike --
RUIZ
Not yet.
Talley steps silently behind him and presses his gun to Mike
Ruiz's ear --
LOU BUSTER
Buster is on the dark side of thge parking lot, standing watch
outside the pool of light in the shadows --
Gravel crunches behind him; Buster turns, and --
Talley cracks him across the face with his .45 --
WITH TALLEY
He edges along the perimeter of the parking lot, working as
close as he can to a Fat Man who is leaning against the green
Mustang --
The door to a ground floor room opens, and Glen Howell steps
out. Talley recognizes Howell from the big gold watch --
HOWELL
(to the Fat Man)
Keep your eyes open. He should've been
here.
Howell returns to the room. The Fat Man steps away from the
Mustang, and --
Talley slams into his blindside, using the .45 as a club.
The Fat Man staggers, and Talley wraps an arm around his neck
in a choke hold, running him at the door --
Talley rams the Fat man into the door, knocking it open and
shoving the Fat Man through --
INT. HOWELL'S MOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT
Talley explodes through the door with the Fat Man in front of
him like a shield --
TALLEY
(screaming)
Police!
Glen Howell jerks out his pistol as he drops behind the bed.
Duane Manelli rolls out of a chair, aiming from the floor in
a two-handed grip --
HOWELL
Don't shoot! Don't shoot him!
Talley shifts his aim back and forth between the two men. He
has his back to the wall and the Fat Man in front of him --
TALLEY
Where's my family?! Where's my family,
you fuck?!
All three men are sucking air like freight engines. No
one is shooting, but if one person fires, everyone will fire.
Everybody has something the other guy wants. That's the only
thing holding them back --
HOWELL
Take it easy. Just take it easy. We're
here to do business.
TALLEY
You said they would be here, goddamnit!
Where are they?
Howell releases his grip on the gun, and lets it swing free
on his finger. He's trying to cool Talley --
HOWELL
They're close. Let me make a call. You
can see they're okay.
TALLEY
You said they would be here!
Howell takes out his phone and presses a number. Talley
shifts his aim from Howell to the Fat Man to Manelli --
HOWELL
(into the phone)
Put on the woman.
Howell offers the phone, but Talley is wary--he can't let go
of the Fat Man and he won't put down his pistol. Howell
carefully holds the phone to Talley's ear --
TALLEY
(into the phone)
Jane?
JANE'S VOICE
Jeff, we're --
Howell backs away with the phone --
HOWELL
You have the disks?
Talley takes out a single disk. It's the one labeled
'Marlon.' He tosses it onto the bed --
TALLEY
You get the other one when I have my
girls. Not talk to them; have them.
HOWELL
Where is it?
TALLEY
Close.
Howell considers the disk. If Talley has the second disk in
his pocket, Howell could just shoot him. But Howell can't be
sure --
HOWELL
I have to see if it's real.
Howell brings the disk to a lap top computer set up in the
corner. He inserts the disk, and waits for it to read. He's
satisfied with what he sees --
HOWELL (CONT'D)
All right. Now the second one.
TALLEY
First my girls. I get my girls, you get
the other disk.
Howell stares at Talley again, then picks up his phone --
HOWELL
(into the phone)
Bring them. Stop the car outside the
room, but don't get out.
The car pulls up directly outside the door. It was only
seconds away. Marion Clewes is driving; Jane and Amanda are
wedged into the front seat beside him, Jane next to Marion,
Amanda on the far side. They are bound tight with their
mouths taped, immobile and helpless, their eyes wide with
fear --
HOWELL (CONT'D)
(into his phone)
Aim your gun at the woman's head. If he
doesn't give me the disk, kill her.
Marion presses a gun to Jane's temple --
Talley jerks his gun toward Howell --
TALLEY
I'll kill you! You won't get the other
disk!
HOWELL
If you shoot me, he'll kill your
daughter. Do you want to lose both of
them?
Talley aims at the man in the car; he aims at Howell. He
tried so hard to save his family, and now Howell has him
boxed --
HOWELL (CONT'D)
The negotiation is over, Talley. I won.
Now give me the disk or he'll put her
brain on the glass.
Talley looks at Jane and Amanda, and his eyes fill. He
mouths the words --
TALLEY
I love you.
He's saying good-bye.
Talley drops his gun and releases the Fat Man, who stumbles
away. Talley tosses a second disk onto the bed. Manelli
scoops it up and tosses it to Howell as Mation appears in the
door --
TALLEY (CONT'D)
I gave the other one to the Sheriffs and
they're giving it to the real FBI. This
one's a fake.
HOWELL
You'd better be kidding.
Howell anxiously pushes the disk into his lap top --
TALLEY
I'm a cop, you asshole! What did you
expect me to do? Pretend all this never
happened?
Howell stares at the lap top with the withering face of a man
reading his own death sentence. There is nothing on this
disk.
TALLEY (CONT'D)
Benza's over. You're over. I just want
to take my family home.
Howell stands like a mechanical man; incredulous --
HOWELL
Are you out of your mind?
MARION
(quietly)
You fucked up, Glen.
Howell looks over as if seeing Marion for the first time, and
gives him the order --
HOWELL
Kill them.
Marion aims his gun directly between Talley's eyes, then
points it at Howell --
MARION
No fuckups allowed.
Marion shoots Howell in the head, then the Fat Man, then
Manelli--bambambam--one shot, one kill.
He lowers his gun, considers Talley. Talley doesn't
move.
MARION (CONT'D)
It's like a storm, isn't it? This raging
force that you can't control does
whatever it wants, and the best you can
do is survive. A winner survives.
TALLEY
Why...?
The question being: Why aren't I dead? Why aren't you
killing me?
MARION
What good would it do to kill you? The
police already have the disk.
Marion considers Talley another moment --
MARION (CONT'D)
Your wife is a very nice lady.
Marion goes to his car. He helps out Jane and Amanda, then
gets into his car and drives away.
EXT. THE PARKING LOT -- SUNRISE
Talley stumbles out of the room and runs to his family. He
scoops up Jane and Amanda, hugging them tightly as the camera
pulls up and away, rising, leaving this reunited family as
Marion Clewes disappears like a passing thunderhead --
CLOSING CREDITS
The credits roll to black, then--
EXT. SONNY BENZA'S HOME -- DAWN
The garage door slides up. Benza backs out in his Mercedes,
then roars to the front door. He pops the trunk, then gets
out and hurries to the front door. He sticks his head inside
and calls to his wife --
BENZA
The fucking jet's waiting! Would you get
your shit out here?!
He picks up two bags from inside the door and brings them to
the car --
AT THE TRUNK
Benza steps behind the raised trunk to put away his bags.
When he steps back around again, a nondescript sedan is
waiting in the drive --
A VOICE
No fuckups allowed.
Gunfire erupts on the quiet ridge above Palm Springs.
FADE OUT
THE END |
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
Written by
Dean DeBlois
Inspired by the novels by
Cressida Cowell
Final Draft
May 5th, 2014
EXT. OPEN SEA - DAY
Hiccup and Toothless BLUR PAST, leaving a wake that leads...
EXT. BERK - DAY
(Sequence 0200 - New Berk)
To the island village of Berk, festively adorned with flags
and banners. Major new additions alter its familiar skyline.
HICCUP (V.O.)
This... is Berk. The best kept
secret this side of, well,
anywhere. Granted, it may not look
like much, but this wet heap of
rock packs more than a few
surprises.
ON A CLUSTER OF SHEEP, hiding nervously between buildings as
shadows of passing dragons race by. The group moves as one,
receding into a shadowy alley, pushing one sheep out into the
light. It's suddenly snatched and carried into the air!
HICCUP (V.O.)
Life here is amazing, just not for
the faint of heart. See, where most
folks enjoy hobbies like whittling
or needlepoint, we Berkians prefer
a little something we like to call--
WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH! A wash of VIBRANT COLORS blurs by.
DRAGONS BARREL PAST at a dizzying speed. Their RIDERS SWIPE,
KICK, and ROLL into one another while they WEAVE neck in neck
between the houses, docks, and revamped structures of Berk.
HICCUP (V.O.)
DRAGON RACING!
It's like an aerial version of the Monte Carlo race.
Spectators ROAR from wooden bleachers, fastened to cliff
faces and perched over the sea.
FISHLEGS, now 20 and even larger, rides his gronkle, MEATLUG,
who carries the sheep in her claws, until...
SNOTLOUT, also 20, but every bit as juvenile, and his
Monstrous Nightmare, HOOKFANG, steal the sheep from them.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 2.
SNOTLOUT
Oh, I'm sorry, Fishlegs! Did you
want that?
FISHLEGS
Snotlout! That's mine!
Snotlout FALLS BACK toward RUFFNUT and TUFFNUT, who lag on
their two-headed Zippleback, BARF & BELCH.
SNOTLOUT
Here ya go, babe.
With a chivalrous grin, Snotlout tosses the sheep to Ruffnut.
She SNATCHES it with a sneer and a GRUMBLE.
SNOTLOUT (CONT'D)
Did I tell you that you look
amazing today? `Cause you do.
RUFFNUT
Come on, Barf. It's starting to
stink around here.
Barf starts to peel off, spewing gas. Tuffnut mocks Snotlout
with a mugging grin.
TUFFNUT
Nope. Still hates you. Let's blow
this place, Belch!
Belch ignites the gas, sparking a flashy explosion, and
leaving Snotlout behind in the smoke.
As they rush past the main bleachers, Ruffnut DROPS her sheep
into one of five baskets suspended over a chasm at the lap
crossing. Each backboard bears an image of its corresponding
dragon. The Barf/Belch basket filled to the brim with sheep.
Presiding over the game, STOICK turns to the frenzied crowd.
STOICK
That's nine for the Twins, Astrid
lags with three, Fishlegs and
Snotlout trail with NONE!
Stoick eyes an empty basket at the far end, its backboard
painted with an image of Toothless.
STOICK (CONT'D)
And Hiccup is... nowhere to be
found. Hmmm.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 3.
GOBBER
Scared him off with the big talk,
didn't ya, Stoick?
WHACK! Snotlout, still smoldering from the blast, gets
CLIPPED from behind. ASTRID, rolls in, astride STORMFLY --
spirited and competitive as ever, and beautiful despite
herself.
ASTRID
What are you doing, Snotlout?!
They're going to win now!
SNOTLOUT
She's my princess! Whatever she
wants, she gets.
ASTRID
Ruffnut?! Didn't she try to bury
you alive?!
SNOTLOUT
Only for a few hours!
BACK TO THE RACERS, as they peel away, pouring on the speed.
HICCUP (V.O.)
Dragons used to be a bit of a
problem here. But that was five
years ago. Now they've all moved
in. And, really, why wouldn't they?
The racers chase each other through a sprawling hangar and
into a vast cave, teeming with colorfully painted dragon
stables. They exit through the far side and circle back
through the village, blasting past many of its dragon-
friendly additions.
HICCUP (V.O.)
We have custom stables... all-you-
can-eat feeding stations... a full
service dragon wash...
In the village, a baby Gronkle sneezes, accidentally setting
one of the Viking houses aflame.
HICCUP (V.O.)
Even top-of-the-line fire
prevention, if I do say so myself.
Astrid rolls her eyes, peels away from the other dragon
racers, and yanks open a spout on the overhead network of
aqueducts, dousing the flames with a surge of water.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 4.
BACK TO STOICK, amused as he watches the racers round the
island, searching for sheep. He turns to Gobber and nods.
STOICK
It's time, Gobber.
GOBBER
Righty-ho!
(aloud, to the crowd)
Last lap!
A HORN sounds. The racers all turn to each other, excited.
ASTRID
The black sheep! Come on, Stormfly!
We can still win this thing!
RUFFNUT
Come on, Barf!
TUFFNUT
Let's go!
FISHLEGS
Go, Meatlug!
GOBBER loads the BLACK SHEEP onto a catapult.
GOBBER
This is your big moment. Have a
nice flight!
He pulls the trigger, LAUNCHING the black sheep into the air.
Astrid spots it and steers Stormfly into a steep climb toward
it.
ASTRID
Up, up, up!
In a flash, Fishlegs and Meatlug blur past, NABBING the
sheep.
ASTRID (CONT'D)
No!
FISHLEGS
Good job, Meatlug!
Fishlegs tosses his captured prize to Ruffnut.
FISHLEGS (CONT'D)
Here you go, darling. Mine's worth
ten!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 5.
RUFFNUT
Yeah! The Black Sheep!
Snotlout sighs, frustrated.
ASTRID
You guys are fighting for Ruffnut?!
RUFFNUT
I'm totally winning!
Fishlegs hovers up nest to Ruffnut with a starry-eyed smile.
FISHLEGS
We're winning together!
She RAMS BARF into Meatlug, sending Fishlegs into an
uncontrolled SPIN. He SLAMS into Snotlout, sending their
dragons TUMBLING head over tail. The crowd goes wild.
RUFFNUT
No one can stop me now!
TUFFNUT
Except for me. We're attached,
genius!
He GRABS at the sheep. Ruffnut fights back, inciting a tug-of-
war.
TUFFNUT (CONT'D)
Quit trying to steal all my glory!
And while they're distracted, Astrid steers Stormfly toward
them, CLOSING IN.
STOICK
Get `em, Astrid!
TUFFNUT RUFFNUT
It's MY glory! No sheep, no You're always ruining
glory! EVERYTHING!
Astrid leaps off of Stormfly, runs up Belch's spindly neck,
and PLUCKS the black sheep from the Twins' hands.
ASTRID
Gotcha!
She tumbles through the air onto Stormfly, sticking a perfect
landing, black sheep in hand.
RUFFNUT
Astrid!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 6.
BACK TO STOICK, beside himself. The crowd ROARS.
STOICK
Well played! Hahaha!
(gloating, to the crowd)
That's my future daughter-in-law!
BACK TO ASTRID ON STORMFLY
eyeing the fast-approaching FINISH LINE, unaware as...
FISHLEGS suddenly RAMS Meatlug into Stormfly, sending Astrid
off-course. She recovers and sees Snotlout flying headlong
toward her, war hammer cocked, aiming at Astrid.
SNOTLOUT
Uh, excuse me.
ASTRID
Stormfly!
Snotlout HURLS his hammer. Astrid ducks and rolls Stormfly
out of the way. The hammer catches Fishlegs in the face with
a CLANG. The crowd collectively winces.
Astrid and Stormfly recover from their roll, loop over the
water, and they BLAST past the finish line, DUNKING the black
sheep into their basket!
STOICK
That's thirteen! Astrid takes the
game!
The crowd COMES UNHINGED. Astrid flies over the crowd,
basking in her victory.
HICCUP (V.O.)
Yep. Berk is pretty much perfect.
All of my hard work has paid off.
And it's a good thing, too, because
with Vikings on the backs of
dragons, the world just got a whole
lot bigger.
EXT. OPEN SKY/ISLAND COASTLINE - DAY
(Scene 0300 - AWOL Part One)
A boundless sky. Vast. Clear. Crisp. And from it, a BLACK
SPECK rockets across the horizon. The image of unbridled
freedom.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 7.
Tucked into his riding position, HICCUP appears to be part of
TOOTHLESS. They dip, roll and dive, over a sea teeming with
Thunderdrums, pulling off daring maneuvers with honed
refinement, making them seem effortless.
HICCUP
Yeah!
They jackknife, heading skyward, rolling and tumbling through
the ethereal cloud-scapes and joining high-flying Timberjacks
as they soar in formation.
Hiccup is bound head-to-toe in a snug, aerodynamic flight
suit -- an asymmetrical, functional design of leather and
articulated plates. It has an air of Viking bike leather.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
What do you think, bud? Wanna give
this another shot?
Toothless grumbles in protest.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Toothless! It'll be fine.
With a click of a lever, he LOCKS the pedals in the flared
tail position. Hiccup then unhooks himself from the saddle.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Ready?
Toothless SNORTS unenthusiastically.
Suddenly, Hiccup SLIDES OFF of Toothless, peeling away from
him like a skydiver from a plane, YELLING as he plummets.
Toothless dives after him. They spiral through the air, face-
to-face. Toothless is having fun, despite himself.
Hiccup slips his forearms through a pair of tucked leather
flaps... and YANKS, unfurling SHEETS OF LEATHER as he extends
his arms. They catch the wind, SNAPPING OPEN like WINGS...
and sending him GLIDING -- out of control, at first, then
stabilizing. The turbulence buffets his flight suit heavily.
But he's flying!
Toothless unfolds his wings, too, catching up with Hiccup.
The freedom is palpable. Hiccup and Toothless are, for the
moment, the same. Feeling the same rush of adrenaline.
Independently together.
They PLUNGE past cloud formations, splitting apart then
crossing paths again.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 8.
Impressive as it is, Hiccup is gliding at a steep angle.
Toothless launches fireballs ahead of Hiccup, boosting him
higher with the expanding heat bursts.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
This is amazing!
A cloud layer washes past, exposing a towering ROCK
FORMATION, dead ahead.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
No longer amazing! Toothless!
Hiccup tries to steer himself away, to no avail.
Toothless POURS ON THE SPEED, trying to catch Hiccup as he
HURTLES toward collision. His locked tail makes maneuvering
difficult. He's UNABLE TO PULL UP at a steep enough angle.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Oh, no!
At the last second, Toothless BLASTS the jagged rocks just
ahead of Hiccup, then WRAPS Hiccup in his wings as they fly
through it. The obliterated peak rains down around them.
Toothless emerges through the cloud of debris and HURTLES
into the trees of a neighboring peak. They tumble down the
uneven terrain, coming to rest on a small plateau.
Hiccup emerges from the cocoon of Toothless' wings. He
switches his prosthetic riding foot to his walking foot and
stows his leather wings.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
That really came out of nowhere.
The blown up sea stack collapses.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
We gotta work on your solo gliding
there, bud. That locked-up tail
makes for some pretty sloppy rescue
maneuvers, eh?
Hiccup reels in his dorsal fin and removes his helmet,
revealing a 20 year old Hiccup framed by wild hair, complete
with a Viking braid.
He walks to the edge of the cliff, taking in the NEW LAND
stretching off into the horizon, its tall cliffs and sea-
stacks adorned with swaying gold birch trees basking in the
dappled afternoon sunlight.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 9.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Looks like we found another one,
bud.
Toothless FUSSES and SNORTS, not amused, shaking off dust and
pebbles like a wet dog.
Hiccup flinches as a pebble WHACKS him on the back of the
head. He looks back to Toothless, who averts his eyes.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Oh, what? Do you want an apology?
Is that why you're pouting, big
baby boo? Well... try this on!
Hiccup TACKLES Toothless and tries to put him in a headlock.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Ya feeling it yet? Huh? Picking up
on all my heartfelt remorse?
Toothless simply stands on his hind legs, lifting Hiccup off
of his flailing feet and dangling him over the cliff's edge.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Oh, come on. You wouldn't hurt a
ONE-LEGGED--
Hiccup looks down, seeing the precipitous drop below.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
You're right! You're right! You
win! You win!
WHAM! Toothless flips him over, pinning him to the ground.
Hiccup squirms, throwing mock punches. Toothless playfully
retaliates with feline taps to Hiccup's head.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
He's down! And it's ugly! Dragons
and Vikings, enemies again, locked
in combat to the bitter -- URFFF!
Toothless rests his head on Hiccup -- SQUEEZING THE AIR out
of him. Toothless then suddenly starts grooming Hiccup,
lapping at his face and covering him in slobber.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Gaaaaagh!
Hiccup fights to get free, finally springing to his feet and
shaking off the viscous saliva.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 10.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
You KNOW that doesn't wash out.
Toothless LAUGHS, pleased with himself.
Shifting his attention back to the new land stretched out
before them, Hiccup reaches beneath his chest plate and
produces a leather-bound book.
He unfurls it to reveal an EXPLORERS MAP, modified with added
strips in every direction to accommodate their ever-expanding
world. Drawings indicate new lands, new tribes, and many new
dragons.
Hiccup peels a fresh strip of paper from a hidden fold in his
flight suit and holds it out for Toothless to lick.
Hiccup affixes the moistened strip to the map's outer edge,
then whittles a pencil and consults a compass affixed to his
forearm.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
So what should we name it?
Toothless GURGLES as he gnaws under his wing, preoccupied.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
"Itchy Armpit" it is.
Hiccup carefully draws the new island's outline.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Whaddya reckon, bud? Think we might
find a few Timberjacks in those
woods? The odd Whispering Death or
two in the rocks? Who knows...
maybe we'll finally track down
another Night Fury.
(BEAT)
Wouldn't that be something?
(BURDENED)
So, whaddya say? Just keep going?
Toothless' ear plates suddenly SHOOT UP. He ROARS, and his
call is answered by a familiar SCREECH. Hiccup turns to
see...
EXT. SEA STACK/ISLAND COASTLINE - DAY
(Scene 0325 - AWOL Part Two)
ASTRID rising into view, astride Stormfly. Stormfly grabs
talon-fulls of rock to slow her landing.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 11.
HICCUP
`Afternoon m'lady. Where have you
been?
Astrid dismounts and throws back her fur hood as Toothless
rushes up to greet them.
ASTRID
Winning races. What else? The real
question is... where have YOU been?
HICCUP
Avoiding my dad.
ASTRID
Oh, no. What happened now?
Astrid sits beside Hiccup, inspecting his latest addition to
the map. Behind them, Toothless greets Stormfly, inciting a
play fight.
HICCUP
Oh, you're gonna love this. I wake
up. The sun's shining. Terrible
Terrors are singing on the rooftop.
I saunter down to breakfast,
thinking all is right with the
world, and I get...
He gets to his feet and puffs out his chest.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(APING STOICK)
... Son, we need to talk.
Astrid smiles and adopts Hiccup's sloppy slouch.
ASTRID
(APING HICCUP)
Not now, Dad. I've got a whole day
of goofing off to get started.
Hiccup breaks character, grimacing at her impression of him.
HICCUP
Okay, first of all, I don't sound
like that. What is this character?
And second... what is that thing
you're doing with my shoulders?
Astrid laughs, jostling her shoulders in an awkward way.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 12.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
A truly flattering impersonation.
Anyway, he goes...
(resuming Stoick's brogue)
You're the pride of Berk, son, and
I couldn't be prouder...
ASTRID
(continuing her impression
OF HICCUP)
Aw, thanks, Dad. I'm pretty
impressed with myself, too.
HICCUP
WHEN have I ever done that with my
hands?
ASTRID
You just did.
She laughs, playfully.
HICCUP
Okay... just...
(holding her arms, mock-
STERN)
Hold still. It's very serious.
She giggles, trying to hold a straight face.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(resuming Stoick's brogue)
You're all grown up, and since no
chief could ask for a better
successor, I've decided--
Astrid straightens, her face brightening.
ASTRID
--TO MAKE YOU CHIEF! Oh, my gods!
She jumps to her feet, beaming...
ASTRID (CONT'D)
Hiccup, that's amazing!
And socks Hiccup in congratulations, deliberately hitting the
dorsal fin release button and triggering it to pop up. She
laughs as Hiccup reels it back in, self-consciously.
HICCUP
You're gonna wear out the spring
coil. The calibration is very
sensitive!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 13.
They're suddenly BOWLED OVER by Toothless and Stormfly.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Yeah, so... this is what I'm
dealing with.
Astrid helps him up and dusts him off.
ASTRID
(EXCITED)
What did you tell him?
HICCUP
I didn't. By the time he turned
around, I was gone.
Astrid picks up the map, folding it as she paces around him,
processing it all.
ASTRID
Well, it's a lot of responsibility.
The map will have to wait for sure,
and I'll need to fly Toothless,
since you'll be too busy...
She pauses, wincing in sympathy. She turns to Hiccup. He nods
knowingly, taking the map from her.
HICCUP
It's not me, Astrid. All those
speeches, and planning, and running
the village... that's his thing.
ASTRID
I think you're missing the point. I
mean, chief. What an honor. I'd be
pretty excited.
Hiccup shakes his head.
HICCUP
I'm not like you. You know exactly
who you are. You always have.
But...
He shuffles to the cliff's edge, gazing out at the new land.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
I'm still looking. I know that I'm
not my father... and I never met my
mother... so, what does that make
me?
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 14.
He sits at the edge, looking burdened, restless. Astrid
approaches and settles beside him, joining him in looking out
at the distant horizon. She weaves another braid into his
hair as she speaks.
ASTRID
What you're searching for... isn't
out there, Hiccup.
She places a hand on his chest.
ASTRID (CONT'D)
It's in here.
(BEAT)
Maybe you just don't see it yet.
She kisses his cheek, but gets a mouthful of Toothless'
slobber. She grimaces, wiping it off.
Distracted, Hiccup eyes the horizon keenly.
HICCUP
Maybe. But, y'know... there is
something out there.
ASTRID
(EXASPERATED)
Hiccup...
He turns her face to the horizon. A distant smoke plume rises
from a misty valley.
EXT. LAPLAND WOODS/TRAPPER'S FORT - MOMENTS LATER
(Scene 0400 - Shot Down!)
Hiccup and Toothless fly over the fjord, winding deep through
undulating crimson and gold forests.
Astrid and Stormfly catch up as the autumn colors suddenly
give way to charred timbers. They fly deeper, through ash and
wafting smoke. Ahead, in a sheltered harbor, an explosion of
ice stands as an eerie marker of what used to be a TRAPPER'S
FORT.
HICCUP
Stay close.
They fly through the suspended remains of the buildings,
splintered, and frozen in mid-destruction.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
What happened here?
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 15.
It's at once harrowing and puzzling. Toothless spots an
enormous DRAGON FOOTPRINT in the muddy shoreline below,
leaving him uneasy.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Easy, bud.
As they crest the ice formations, Astrid spots a CREW OF MEN
at the stern of a moored ship below.
ASTRID
Hiccup!
ERET (O.S.)
Fire!
The men fire a stern-mounted cannon. The projectile unfurls
into a NET. Hiccup and Toothless dart out of its way.
HICCUP
Astrid! Look out!
It HITS Stormfly, TANGLING her wings and causing her to spin
uncontrolled. Astrid struggles to free her as they HURTLE
toward a collision.
ASTRID
HICCUP!
Astrid falls off of Stormfly, but Toothless SNATCHES her at
the last second.
Stormfly hits the ground, tangled in the net. Trappers rush
out of hiding, piling onto her with ropes and weapons. She
whips her tail, sending spikes flying.
ERET
Watch the tail!
A large, raven-haired trapper lunges over the spray of spikes
and lands upon Stormfly's head, twisting it and taking her
down like a rodeo cowboy.
ERET (CONT'D)
Tie those legs up!
Eret deftly ties her gnashing jaws shut, wrangling her into
submission -- clearly a pro among pros. He looks up,
revealing a handsome face and gleaming, intelligent eyes that
search the sky as Toothless' tell-tale BANSHEE scream rings
out.
ERET (CONT'D)
Is that what I think it is?
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 16.
Toothless suddenly streaks across the sky, banking and
landing with a FEROCIOUS ROAR.
HICCUP
STOP!
ASTRID
STORMFLY!
(to the trappers)
What are you doing?
Astrid and Hiccup leap off of Toothless, rushing toward
Stormfly.
Eret's men immediately draw weapons. Hiccup extends and
ignites his DRAGON BLADE -- a telescoping fiery sword --
impressive enough to wow Eret's men.
ERET
Back again?
Eret steps forward, focused only on Toothless.
ERET (CONT'D)
Soil my britches... that is a Night
Fury. Thought they were all gone
for good.
(to his fellow trappers)
Looks like our luck's had a turn
for the better, lads! Don't think
Drago has one of those in his
dragon army.
His men sound out in agreement. Hiccup eyes Astrid, confused.
ASTRID
Dragon army?
HICCUP
Look, we don't want any trouble.
ERET
Ha! You should've thought of that
before you stole all of our dragons
and blasted our fort to bits!
HICCUP
Wait...
ASTRID
What are you talking about?
Astrid and Hiccup take in the icy destruction, putting it
together.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 17.
HICCUP
You think we did this?
ERET
Dragon trapping is hard enough work
as it is, without do-gooder dragon
riders sneaking in to rescue them.
HICCUP
What do-gooder -- there are other
dragon riders?
ERET
You mean, other than your thieving
friend from last night? You tell
me.
Eret approaches. Toothless snarls, protectively.
ERET (CONT'D)
You may have an ice-spitting dragon
on your side, but we still have a
quota to fill. How do you suppose
we explain this mess to Drago
Bludvist?
HICCUP
Drago what-fist? Does anything you
say make sense?
TEENY
He's expecting a new shipment of
dragons for his army by tomorrow.
NO-NAME
And Drago don't take well to
excuses.
Eret parts his tunic, revealing a large branding-iron scar on
his torso, in the shape of a dragon skull, split by a sword.
ERET
This is what he gave me last time I
showed up empty-handed. He promised
to be far less understanding in the
future.
HICCUP
(EXASPERATED)
Look, we don't know anything about
a dragon thief, or an ice-spitting
dragon, or your lunatic boss and
his dragon army, okay?
(MORE)
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 18.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Just give us back our dragon, and
we'll go, strange, hostile person
whom we've never met.
Eret bows playfully.
ERET
Oh, where are my manners? I'm Eret.
Son of Eret. Finest dragon trapper
alive.
He pulls a dagger from behind his back, waving it cockily.
His men ready their weapons and net cannons.
ERET (CONT'D)
After all, it's not just anyone who
can capture a Night Fury.
Toothless ROARS a warning.
HICCUP
And this is Toothless. He says
we're going. Now.
ERET
Heh. They all say that.
(BEAT)
RUSH `EM, LADS!
Eret lunges toward them. Toothless BLASTS, bringing down a
massive spire of ice. It shatters as it hits the ground,
forcing Eret and his men to dive out of the way.
Making quick use of the distraction, Hiccup re-ignites his
dragon blade and slashes through the ropes binding Stormfly.
ASTRID
Stormfly! C'mon, go! Go!
Eret gets to his feet in time to see Toothless and Stormfly
take to the air, carrying Hiccup and Astrid out of reach of
the volley of arrows.
ERET
YOU WILL NEVER HOLD ON TO THOSE
DRAGONS, YOU HEAR ME?! DRAGO IS
COMING FOR THEM ALL!
I/E. BERK/BLACKSMITH STALL - SUNSET
(Sequence 0500 - Lock-Down!)
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 19.
The GANG joyrides past GOTHI'S house, scattering her
assortment of terrible terrors. She waves a fist at them as
they sweep past, WHOOPING AND CHORTLING, leading us down
to...
THE UPPER PLAZA, where a GATHERED CROWD of Vikings and their
dragons are cued up outside of Gobber's BLACKSMITH STALL,
awaiting their turns. Stoick maneuvers through the crowd,
spouting JOVIAL GREETINGS in passing.
He makes a bee-line for GOBBER, who is busily grinding a
metal dragon tooth into shape. A Zippleback waits patiently,
his head cocked open like a car hood while the other head
watches, sympathetically.
STOICK
Any sign of him?
Gobber flips up his welding guard, revealing a matching area
of unsoiled skin.
GOBBER
Ah, he's probably flown off the
edge of the world by now. You sure
you want that kid running the
village? You can still delay your
retirement.
STOICK
Oh, he's ready. You'll see.
A SUDDEN EXCITEMENT in the crowd heralds Hiccup and Astrid's
return. They touch down on Toothless and Stormfly.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Haha! There he is!
(to Gobber, proving his
POINT)
Huh? The pride of Berk!
Hiccup stows his helmet and heads toward Stoick with urgency.
GOBBER
Who finally decided to show up for
work. Yay.
HICCUP
Sorry. Got held up.
(privately, to Stoick)
Hey, Dad, could I have a word?
STOICK
Something you're itching to tell
me?
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 20.
HICCUP
Not quite the itch you're thinking
of, but yes.
Stoick hands him an apron and guides him to the front desk.
STOICK
Good man! Now, lesson one. A
chief's first duty is to his
people. So...
Stoick changes the rune on the "being served" placard.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Forty one? Forty --
HICCUP
Could we just talk in private for--
STARKARD
--That's me! That's me! I'm next!
(pushing his way through)
I was ahead of you! Excuse me, I've
been here all day!
STARKARD reaches the counter, giddy with excitement.
STARKARD (CONT'D)
Okay, I want one of those high
seaters, with lots of spikes and a
big stowage compartment.
STOICK
Absolutely! You got it, sir!
Stoick spins Hiccup around, steering him back into the shop.
HICCUP
Dad, this is actually a little more
important than building saddles.
STOICK
Ah-ah! Lesson two. No task is too
small when it comes to serving your
people. Excuse us, Grump.
They step over the tail of a large, snoring oaf of a dragon,
stirring him awake with a fussy start.
GOBBER
Grump! You let the forge die down
again!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 21.
Grump coughs a slug of molten lava into the forge. It
splatters everywhere, igniting a rash of fires. Hiccup side-
steps them as he gathers materials in the back of the stall.
Gobber pulls the fire extinguisher, dumping water everywhere.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
That's it, Grump. You're going up
for adoption!
Stoick fills a toolbox with tools from Hiccup's workbench.
STOICK
One of these. And this...
HICCUP
DAD --
STOICK
-- There you go! Go on. Have away.
HICCUP
But, seriously, I really need to
tell you about this new land we
came across.
GOBBER
Another one?!
Fishlegs walks in, followed by the Twins and Snotlout.
FISHLEGS
Any new dragons?
Stoick slaps a sheet of leather onto a dragon mold, and hands
Hiccup pencil. Exasperated, Hiccup begins tracing an outline
as he speaks.
HICCUP
We didn't stick around to find out.
These folks weren't particularly
friendly.
GOBBER
Oh, really? Your Night Fury and
Deadly Nadder didn't bring them
cheering to the rooftops?
Gobber spins his prosthetic arm dispenser.
HICCUP
No, this was different. Not the
standard run-for-the-hills hoo-ha
I've come to enjoy. These guys were
trappers. Dragon trappers.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 22.
ASTRID
You should've seen their fort. All
blown apart and stuck in giant
spikes of ice. It was weird.
HICCUP
I've never seen anything like it.
And worst of all, they thought we
did it!
Gobber pops off his prosthetic tongs and selects a wire brush
from his dispenser...
GOBBER
Y'know, you two are gonna get
yourselves in SERIOUS trouble one
of these days. Not everyone
appreciates this way of life.
Which he uses to brush his mustache and eyebrows.
Stoick takes the sheet of leather to the table saw...
STOICK
Gobber's right, son. Best we keep
to our own. Besides, you'll have
more important uses for your time --
And pulls a lever, starting it up.
STOICK (CONT'D)
(sing-songy, under his
BREATH)
Once we make the big announcement!
Hiccup pulls the lever, shutting the saw down.
HICCUP
They are building a dragon army.
Silence fills the stall. Vikings exchange worried glances.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Or at least the guy they work for
is. Dargo Bloody Fist or something.
Stoick's eyes widen. He turns to Gobber, with growing alarm.
TUFFNUT
I'll bloody his fist with my face
if he tries to take my dragon!
RUFFNUT
Or mine.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 23.
TUFFNUT
You're such a moron.
FISHLEGS
A beautiful moron.
SNOTLOUT
Yeah...
Ruffnut grumbles, revolted by their advances.
Stoick grabs Hiccup by the shoulders, wide-eyed and intense.
STOICK
Bludvist? Drago Bludvist?
HICCUP
Uh, yeah. Wait. You know him?
INT. BERK - DRAGON STABLES - MOMENTS LATER
Stoick rushes down a circular stone staircase into the vast,
bustling cave that houses the dragon stables.
STOICK
GROUND ALL DRAGONS!
HICCUP
What? Why?!
Hiccup, Astrid, Gobber, and Toothless chase after Stoick.
STOICK
SEAL THE GATES! LOWER THE STORM
DOORS!
HICCUP
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait! What is
happening?
GOBBER
You heard the man! Lock it down!
Behind him, the massive storm doors rattle as they're
lowered.
STOICK
No DRAGON or VIKING sets foot off
this island until I give the word!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 24.
HICCUP
Because some guy you knew is
stirring up trouble in some faraway
land?
Stoick turns to Hiccup, gravely serious.
STOICK
Because Drago Bludvist is a madman.
Without conscience or mercy. And if
he's built a dragon army... gods
help us all.
Stoick continues on shouting orders, leaving Hiccup stewing.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Get them into their pens! Quickly!
Hiccup chases around to confront Stoick.
HICCUP
Then let's ride back out there.
We'll follow those trappers to
Drago and talk some sense into him.
STOICK
No. We fortify the island.
HICCUP
It's our duty to keep the peace!
STOICK
Peace is over, Hiccup. I must
prepare you for war.
HICCUP
War? Dad, if Drago's coming for our
dragons, we can't wait around for
him to get here. Let's go find him
and change his mind.
STOICK
Some minds won't be changed,
Hiccup. Berk is what you need to
worry about.
(BEAT)
A chief protects his own.
Stoick heads off, calling out more orders...
STOICK (CONT'D)
SECURE THE STABLES! LATCH EVERY
STALL!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 25.
... leaving Hiccup eyeing Toothless as the storm doors close.
Astrid approaches him, seeing the determination on his face.
ASTRID
Hiccup, don't.
HICCUP
I have to.
He gives her a quick peck on the cheek.
STOICK
THIS WAY! QUICKLY!
Hiccup and Toothless BLAST PAST, heading for the exit.
STOICK (CONT'D)
HICCUP!
They try to fly through one door, but it seals shut.
HICCUP
Come on!
Toothless spins around and DIVES through the gap in the
second lowering storm door.
STOICK
Hiccup!
Astrid and Stormfly blow past Stoick and slip through the
storm door before it shuts, leaving Stoick fuming.
EXT. OPEN SEA - MIDDAY
(Scene 0700 - Eret's Lesson)
Eret's ship carves a defiant path North, leaving the last
glimpses of Lapland in its wake.
Eret stands on the bowsprit, eyeing the waves intently,
searching the surface. He turns toward the deck, where his
crewmen man the gunwale cannons, sights trained to the sky.
ERET
Keep your eyes peeled, lads! With
this wind, we'll reach Drago by
daybreak, so best we fill this ship
up with dragons and quick! It's no
time to be picky. Not if we want to
keep our --
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 26.
UG
Uh... Eret?
Eret turns in the direction Ug is pointing to see a pair of
dragons flapping toward them.
ERET
HEADS! OFF THE PORT QUARTER!
The crewmen swing the net cannons toward the back-lit,
silhouetted dragons, drawing ever closer.
ERET (CONT'D)
Net `em, lads! Take `em down!
Eret loads a cannon and takes aim. He spots Hiccup and Astrid
riding the dragons. His eyes narrow, determined.
ERET (CONT'D)
You're not getting away this time.
Nets fly through the air. Hiccup and Astrid outmaneuver them
and dive toward the ship, landing on the deck with a clatter.
ERET (CONT'D)
And here I was worried we might
turn up empty-handed.
Astrid brandishes her axe in invitation. Hiccup indicates for
her to lower it, then holds up his hands in surrender.
HICCUP
Nope. It's your lucky day. We give
up.
Eret's crew exchange confused stares. As does Astrid.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
That's one Night Fury, one Deadly
Nadder, and...
He dismounts Toothless and tosses a net over Astrid.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
... two of the finest dragon riders
west of Luk Tuk. That oughtta make
the boss happy, right?
Astrid grumbles. He takes her axe, hands it to Eret, and
escorts Astrid past the men to the open live well.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Excuse us.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 27.
He leads Astrid down the ladder. She glares at him, plainly
hating the plan.
ASTRID
What are you doing?
Toothless tries to follow them, but Hiccup holds him back.
HICCUP
Toothless, stay.
Hiccup flips the latch, lowering the grate as Eret watches,
confounded.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
The dragons don't really care for
cramped spaces, so they'll just
hang out with you. They won't be
any trouble.
Eret's men nervously direct their swords and spears toward
Toothless. HE SNARLS.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Unless you do that. Wooden boat,
big ocean. How's your swimming?
NO-NAME
Not good.
A burst of flame erupts from the live well, causing the
crewmen to jump back. Hiccup thrusts his Dragon Blade through
the grate.
HICCUP
Oops. Almost forgot. Can't have
armed prisoners!
ASTRID
How is this a plan?
He retracts the blade and offers it up. A crewman cautiously
takes it, looking it over. The pommel of the hilt is
expelling green gas.
HICCUP
Just what every dragon trapper
needs. One end coats the blade in
Monstrous Nightmare saliva. The
other sprays Hideous Zippleback
gas. All it takes is a spark and...
A curious crewman clicks the lighter, igniting the gas.
Hiccup ducks as the sudden explosion sweeps over the deck.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 28.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Oh, yeah, there you go!
Toothless paws at the embers.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Once they see you as one of their
own, even the testiest dragons can
be trained, right, bud?
Toothless gurgles and falls over.
ERET
Give me that!
Eret snatches the dragon blade and HURLS it overboard.
Stormfly bolts after it...
ERET (CONT'D)
What game are you playing?
HICCUP
No game. We just want to meet
Drago.
And returns in a flash, dropping it at Eret's feet like a
fetching dog, tongue wagging. Eret throws it again,
frustrated. Stormfly returns with it just as quickly.
ERET
Why?
HICCUP
Because I'm going to change his
mind about dragons.
Eret and his crew LAUGH. Astrid pokes out of the well.
ASTRID
He can be really persuasive.
Hiccup pets Toothless, thoughtfully.
HICCUP
Once you've earned his loyalty,
there is nothing a dragon won't do
for you.
ERET
Puh! You won't be changing any
minds around here.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 29.
HICCUP
I can change yours. Right here.
Right now.
Hiccup sets Toothless' tail in the locked, splayed position.
Eret sneers, suspicious.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
May I?
Suddenly, Hiccup is snatched into the air! Dragons blur past.
I/E. OPEN SEA - SHIP - SUNSET
(Scene 1000 - Botched Rescue)
The crewmen SCRAMBLE to the NET CANNONS as a FLURRY OF WINGS
streak past, GASHING holes in the sails and SLICING through
rigging.
ERET
Dragon riders!
Toothless SHRIEKS and bounds up the mast, spotting Hiccup in
the talons of a Monstrous Nightmare. Toothless relaxes,
realizing that it's Hookfang.
HICCUP
Put me down! Snotlout! What are you
doing?
Snotlout looks back to see if Ruffnut witnessed the save.
SNOTLOUT
See how well I protect and provide?
Ruffnut GRUMBLES at the incessant courting. A FLYING NET
whizzes past her head.
TUFFNUT
Aggh! What is with all the nets?!
RUFFNUT
Hey watch it! That was close...
Ruffnut spots Eret, FIRING nets from the deck of the ship.
TRANSITION TO:
A SLOW MOTION, sexy POV of Eret's glistening biceps,
shuddering as he BLASTS the net cannon, aimed directly at
her.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 30.
RUFFNUT (CONT'D)
Oh, my.
The net unravels in SLOW MOTION...
RUFFNUT (CONT'D)
Me likey.
... enveloping Ruffnut as she yields to it, blissfully.
RUFFNUT (CONT'D)
Take me.
BACK TO REAL TIME
As Hiccup FLIPS upside-down in the Hookfang's talons and
KICKS off, pulling his wing-suit flaps.
Eret takes aim, but Astrid SHOVES him, throwing off the shot.
ASTRID
HOLD YOUR FIRE!
Hiccup glides unsteadily towards the ship and collides with
its sail. He slides down the canvas and drops to the deck.
Toothless lands behind him.
HICCUP
WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!
Gobber and Grump land on the deck, scattering Eret's crew.
GOBBER
We're here to RESCUE you!
HICCUP
I DON'T NEED to be rescued!
STOICK (O.S.)
ENOUGH!
The bow dips heavily as Stoick touches down on SKULLCRUSHER.
He dismounts, fuming.
Eret blocks Stoick, cocky and confident.
ERET
Well, didn't you just pick the
wrong ship, eh? I am Eret, son of --
Stoick shoves his face aside, sending Eret SLAMMING into
Grump. Before he can react, Gobber CLUBS Eret on the head,
sending him collapsing to the deck. Grump then sits on him,
smothering him into submission.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 31.
ERET (CONT'D)
(panting, suffocated)
Get... this... thing... off... me!
Gobber turns to the other crewmen, with a smile.
GOBBER
Anyone else?
Eret's men eye the Vikings, armed and flanked by their
dragons. They set down their swords.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
That's what I figured.
STOICK
(TO HICCUP)
You. Saddle up. We're going home.
HICCUP
No.
STOICK
Of all the irresponsible --
HICCUP
-- I'm trying to protect our
dragons and stop a war! How is that
irresponsible?
STOICK
BECAUSE WAR IS WHAT HE WANTS, SON!
Hiccup glares, frustrated.
Stoick SIGHS, realizing that he has to explain.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Years ago, there was a great
gathering of chieftains to discuss
the dragon scourge we all faced.
INT. VIKING HALL - NIGHT
FLASHBACK
A hulking, cloaked figure strides confidently into fire-lit
hall, interrupting a council meeting of Viking chieftains.
His face is masked in silhouette.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 32.
STOICK (V.O.)
Into our midst came a stranger from
a strange land, covered in scars
and draped in a cloak of dragon
skin. He carried no weapon and
spoke softly, saying that he, Drago
Bludvist, was a man of the people,
devoted to freeing mankind from the
tyranny of dragons.
ON STOICK, some twenty years younger, seated in a throne,
studying the impudent stranger with suspicion.
STOICK (V.O.)
He claimed that he alone could
control the dragons and that he
alone could keep us safe, if we
chose to bow down and follow him.
The Viking council erupts in mocking laughter.
BACK TO PRESENT
Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins snicker.
RUFFNUT
Stupid.
TUFFNUT
Good one.
STOICK
Aye. We laughed, too...
BACK TO FLASHBACK
STOICK (CONT'D)
Until he wrapped himself in his
cloak and cried out, "Then see how
well you do without me!"
Drago Bludvist pulls the dragon skin cloak over himself and
marches toward the door. Above, dragon fire rips through the
ceiling, bringing down flaming timbers, followed by dragons
covered in heavy metallic armor. They BLAST FIRE as panic
ensues.
STOICK (V.O.)
The rooftop suddenly burst into
flames, and from it, armored
dragons descended, burning the hall
to the ground.
BACK TO PRESENT
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 33.
STOICK
(STINGING REGRET)
I... was to only one to escape.
The Twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs exchange spooked glances.
STOICK (CONT'D)
(TO HICCUP)
Men who kill without reason cannot
be reasoned with.
HICCUP
Maybe.
Hiccup turns and stomps toward Toothless, determined. Eret
watches intently.
STOICK
Hiccup...
HICCUP
I'm still going to try.
Hiccup jumps onto Toothless and locks eyes with Stoick.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
This is what I'm good at. And if I
could change your mind... I can
change his, too.
(TO TOOTHLESS)
Come on.
Toothless and Hiccup TAKE TO THE AIR, leaving everyone
stirring in awkward silence.
Astrid mounts Stormfly, about to go after him.
ASTRID
Let's go.
STOICK
NO! Lead the others back to Berk.
I've had enough mutiny for one day.
Astrid stirs, conflicted, as Stoick stomps toward
Skullcrusher, fuming. He passes Ruffnut, who's busily
fondling Eret's biceps as he lays crushed under Grump.
RUFFNUT
Ooh, I like that.
STOICK
Ruffnut!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 34.
RUFFNUT
(PETULANT)
Ugh! Okay!
EXT. SKY - NIGHT
(Scene 1100 - Ambushed!)
Hiccup stares ahead, frustrated, as Toothless glides over a
bed of clouds, glowing in the low, Arctic sun.
Hiccup YELLS, then slumps back onto the saddle.
Toothless recoils, sensitive to Hiccup's upset. The steam
from their breath mixes in the frigid air.
HICCUP
Don't worry, bud. I'm not gonna let
anything happen to you. I promise.
Toothless' ear plates perk up. He glances over his shoulder
to see a disturbance in the blanket of clouds.
A strange and arresting MASKED WARRIOR rises from the clouds,
standing upon something unseen. Its armor and cape flap in
the buffeting turbulence.
The warrior eyes Toothless and Hiccup, pulling up alongside
them. Hiccup senses the approaching figure in his periphery
and sits up, flustered.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
AW, COME ON, DAD! REALLY?!
He whirls around expectantly then FREEZES, mouth agape.
The warrior stares blankly, tilting his head in curiosity
while cutting a menacing silhouette.
Then, just as gradually as he rose, the warrior dips back
beneath the clouds, disappearing.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(ALARMED)
Okay.
(TO TOOTHLESS)
No sudden moves.
Suddenly, the warrior EXPLODES out of the clouds before them,
standing atop a large dragon. They circle Hiccup and
Toothless, forcing them to TREAD AIR.
The warrior points a staff toward Hiccup, unnervingly, as he
returns to face them.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 35.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Hold on, hold on.
Toothless GROWLS a warning.
Suddenly, they're ambushed from behind. Hiccup is plucked off
of Toothless by another DRAGON and carried off.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Toothless!
With the tail unmanned, Toothless PLUMMETS helplessly. He
FLAPS wildly then CRASHES through the ice into the black,
frigid water. FLAILING and CRYING OUT, he struggles to stay
afloat as he watches...
Hiccup disappear into the night sky, carried off in the
talons of the strange dragon -- one of TENS that accompany
the warrior in a cavalcade.
Toothless BELLOWS in distress, desperately trying to take to
the air. As he LEAPS and CRASHES, time and again...
A group of SPINY DORSAL FINS split the ice, carving a path
toward Toothless.
Beneath the ice, a pod of SEASHOCKERS approach, two-headed,
with Manta Ray like wings GLIDING silently in the gloom.
Fixated on Hiccup, Toothless is caught by surprise as the
Seashockers surface and DRAG HIM UNDER.
Hiccup's helmet bobs to the surface, marking all that
remains.
EXT. ARCTIC SKY/ARCHIPELAGO - NIGHT (MIDNIGHT SUN)
(Scene 1300 - Dragon Lady)
Hiccup shivers in the claws of the dragon, surrounded by the
strange flock full of breeds he's never seen. He looks back
for Toothless, now long gone.
HICCUP
HEY! YOU LEFT MY DRAGON BACK THERE!
HE CAN'T FLY ON HIS OWN! HE'LL
DROWN!
The warrior offers no response, seemingly immune to the cold
as he leads the dragon flock across the polar night -- an
alien landscape, harsh and foreboding.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 36.
Out of the fog looms an EPIC ICE FORMATION -- jagged, spiked,
and similar to the icy aftermath of Eret's fort, but many
times its size.
The DRAGON ESCORT dives into its jagged folds.
INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - CONTINUOUS
The WILD RIDE suddenly gives way to a MULTILEVEL, CAVERNOUS
CHAMBER made of ice and columns of basalt rock. It's heavily
populated with dragons of all kinds, looming in the shadows.
Hiccup is dropped in the center. He scrambles to his feet,
calling out into the darkness.
HICCUP
We have to head back for my dragon!
A HISSING dragon CLOSES IN, sniffing, leering, aggressive.
Hiccup extends and lights his telescoping dragon blade,
waving a swirl of fire around himself. The dragon pauses,
intrigued, and then watches hypnotically as Hiccup pacifies
him with calculated sweeps of the fiery blade.
The warrior watches keenly from the shadows.
Several aggressive dragons close in behind Hiccup. Hearing
their hisses, he quickly stows the blade, replaces a
cartridge in its hilt, then flips it around and sprays a
perimeter of Zippleback gas around himself. He clicks the
lighter, igniting a flash ring. The testy dragons recoil.
He then reaches through the smoke, offering his open hand.
The dragons re-approach, sniffing him with calmed curiosity.
ON THE WARRIOR
... tilting his masked head, curious. He dismounts his dragon
and approaches Hiccup.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Who are you? The Dragon Thief?
Drago Bludvist?
The warrior circles Hiccup in silence, taking in his gear,
his dragon blade, his face.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Do you even understand what I'm
saying?
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 37.
The warrior whirls and HAMMERS his staff. In response, a
large dragon ASCENDS from the depths, carrying...
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Toothless!
Toothless is dumped on the ground next to Hiccup, sopping
wet. Hiccup rushes to him, petting him reassuringly.
Toothless coos in relief.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
It's okay. I'm glad to see you,
too, bud. You really had me worried
there.
The warrior rattles his staff at a nearby dragon. In
response, it and the surrounding dragons produce firelight
from their throats, spotlighting Hiccup and Toothless.
The warrior sets down his staff and shield, then approaches
Hiccup, cautiously and animal-like.
Toothless SNARLS and circles Hiccup defensively, but then
instantly yields to the stranger's outstretched hand. With a
quick, disarming gesture, the warrior lays Toothless down in
a state of bliss. Hiccup is astounded.
The warrior's hand continues toward Hiccup's face. He
recoils, but the warrior persists, finding the faint scar on
Hiccup's chin, glinting in the firelight.
The warrior GASPS and retreats a few steps.
WARRIOR
(whispered, shaken)
Hiccup?
(BEAT)
Could it be? After all these years?
How is this possible?
The voice is surprisingly female.
HICCUP
Uh, should I... should I know you?
WARRIOR
No. You were only a babe...
The warrior slowly removes the strange mask, revealing VALKA,
40, beneath. Her eyes meet his, equally wide-eyed and aghast.
VALKA
... but a mother never forgets.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 38.
Hiccup stammers, tongue-tied, aghast.
VALKA (CONT'D)
Come...
EXT. ARCTIC SKY - NIGHT (MIDNIGHT SUN)
(Sequence 1325 - Searching)
Stoick and Gobber search over the frigid waves that lap
against the pack ice.
STOICK
Boar-headed! Just like his mother!
She could never stay put either.
Gobber glances over at Stoick, who's hunched over, brow
furrowed and solemn.
GOBBER
Ah, he's just twenty. And a Viking.
I mean, could there be a worse
combination? Ha! When I think of
how stubborn and senseless YOU were
back in the day... well, not much
has changed, actually.
STOICK
You know what he's like. He won't
give up, Gobber. And if Hiccup
finds Drago, before we find him...
GOBBER
Bah! NOTHING can hurt Hiccup so
long as that Night Fury's around.
It's a Night Fury!
Framed by a hole in the ice, a glistening object bobs on the
surface below. Stoick squints and CIRCLES BACK, leading
Skullcrusher in a DIVE toward it. Stoick SNAGS it out of the
water. It's Hiccup's helmet.
Gobber pulls alongside Stoick, seeing his look of dread.
Stoick holds the helmet out for his dragon to SMELL.
STOICK
Find him, Skullcrusher. Find him.
Skullcrusher SNIFFS the helmet like a bloodhound, ROARS, and
suddenly CHANGES HEADING.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 39.
INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - TUNNEL - DAWN
(Scene 1400 - A New Family)
CLOSE ON Hiccup, flustered, winded, chasing VALKA through
tightly winding corridors.
HICCUP
Hold on! Wait just a minute! Come
back here!
VALKA
This way. Come.
HICCUP
You can't just say something like
that and run off! You're my
mother?! I mean, what the -- do you
grasp how INSANE it sounds?!
(BEAT)
I have questions!
VALKA
Come. Quickly!
Hiccup follows her over the difficult terrain. He tries to
clamber over a tall rock, unsuccessfully.
HICCUP
Where have you been all this time?
Toothless boosts him over. Hiccup lands on the other side.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
What've you been doing?! They said
you were dead! Everyone thinks you
were eaten by...
Hiccup trails off as he enters...
INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - OASIS - CONTINUOUS
... a stadium-sized chamber teeming with ferns, waterfalls,
hot springs and THOUSANDS of new DRAGONS.
Hiccup wanders in, basking in the in the amazing sight: a
dome of sweating ice capping a geothermal micro climate,
filled with dragons of every shape and kind.
He spots Valka clinging to a basalt overhang, watching him.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 40.
HICCUP
This is where you've been for
twenty years?
She nods from her perch.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
You've been rescuing them.
She nods again, this time with a smile.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Unbelievable.
VALKA
You're not upset?
HICCUP
What? No. I don't know. It's a bit
much to get my head around, to be
frank. It's not every day you find
out your mother is some kind of
crazy, feral, vigilante dragon
lady.
Valka chuckles, and using her dragon's wing, lowers herself
to the ground like a skilled acrobat.
VALKA
At least I'm not boring... right?
HICCUP
I suppose there is that...
(feeble, trailing off)
... one... specific... thing...
Excited dragons rush up to greet Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup
pets a few, marveling at the vast dragon utopia before him.
VALKA
Do you like it?
HICCUP
I don't have the words.
Toothless SNARLS in annoyance as the curious, smothering
dragons SNIFF every part of him.
VALKA
Can I... ? He's beautiful!
She reaches out to stroke Toothless, who PURRS at her touch.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 41.
VALKA (CONT'D)
Incredible. He might very well be
the last of his kind.
She inspects his talons as Toothless rolls onto his back,
nuzzling her.
VALKA (CONT'D)
And look, he's your age! No wonder
you get along so well.
Hiccup smiles, astounded by Toothless' affection for Valka.
She checks his teeth. They recede into the gums at her touch.
VALKA (CONT'D)
And retractable teeth? Ah!
How did you manage to--
HICCUP
--I found him in the woods. He was
shot down and wounded.
She winces and offers a sympathetic nod as she stands to
caress a few of her own rescued dragons.
VALKA
This Snafflefang lost his leg to
one of Drago Bludvist's iron traps.
This Raincutter had her wing sliced
by razor netting. And this poor
Hobblegrunt was blinded by a tree
snare... then left to die alone and
scared.
(re: Toothless' tail)
And what of this? Did Drago or his
trappers do this, too?
HICCUP
Heh. Well, crazy thing is... I'm
actually the one who shot him down.
She glares, confused.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
It's okay though. He got me back.
(playfully, to Toothless)
Right, bud? You couldn't save all
of me, could you? You just had to
make it even. So... peg leg!
Hiccup rattles his prosthetic leg with a smirk. Valka
observes their playful rapport with curiosity.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 42.
VALKA
What did your father think of your
Night Fury friend?
HICCUP
He didn't take it all that well.
She mutters in agreement.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
But then... he changed. They all
did. Pretty soon everyone back home
had dragons of their own.
She smiles at Toothless, dismissive.
VALKA
If only it were possible.
HICCUP
No, really, I --
VALKA
-- Believe me, I tried, as well.
But people are not capable of
change, Hiccup. Some of us... were
just born different.
EXT. BERK VILLAGE - NIGHT
FLASHBACK
Dragons sweep from the sky, blowing FIRE, carrying off sheep
and dried fish. Vikings chase them down, hurling weapons.
VALKA (V.O.)
Berk was a land of kill or be
killed, but I believed peace was
possible.
A Viking is about to finish off a felled dragon, but Valka
chases up to him and tugs at his arm.
VALKA
Stop! You'll only make it worse!
The dragon takes wing, escaping to safety... leaving the
Viking warrior glaring at Valka.
VALKA (V.O.)
It was a very unpopular opinion.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 43.
As he rushes off, Valka hears a clatter and whirls around to
see a DRAGON (Cloudjumper) clawing its way through the roof
of a house.
VALKA
Hiccup!
INT. STOICK'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
FLASHBACK CONTINUED
Cloudjumper enters the house through the hole in the roof,
sniffing out a baby's cradle in the corner.
Valka rushes in, panicked.
VALKA (V.O.)
One night, a dragon broke into our
house, finding you in the cradle.
Valka draws a sword quietly, slipping up to the dragon, only
to find it huddled protectively over the cradle as BABY
HICCUP innocently plays with one of its talons.
VALKA (V.O.)
I rushed to protect you, but what I
saw... was proof of everything I
believed.
Valka's careful approach causes a floorboard to squeak.
Spooked, Cloudjumper whips around to face her, accidentally
SCRATCHING baby Hiccup's chin.
Their eyes meet. Valka lowers her sword, transfixed.
VALKA (V.O.)
This wasn't a vicious beast, but an
intelligent, gentle creature, whose
soul reflected my own.
Stoick's AXE spins through the air between them, barely
missing Cloudjumper and planting into a pillar.
STOICK
Valka, run!
Alarmed, Cloudjumper WHIRLS around at Stoick and BLASTS!
Stoick DIVES out of the way as the FIRE SPLATTERS against the
wall, burning a hole and setting the room ablaze.
The dragon moves toward Stoick, but Valka grabs hold.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 44.
VALKA
Don't!
It turns to face her again, locking eyes, agitated.
STOICK
Hold on!
Stoick dashes through the fire toward Hiccup and pulls him
out of the cradle. He pulls his axe from the pillar...
VALKA (O.S.)
No! Stoick!
... but in a WHOOSH of smoke and embers, the dragon and Valka
are GONE.
STOICK
VALKA!
VALKA
(DISTANT)
Stoick!
Stoick and baby Hiccup watch helplessly as the dragon spirits
Valka away into the night sky.
STOICK
Valka...
ON BABY HICCUP'S FACE, with the fresh nick on his chin...
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - DAWN
PRESENT DAY
HICCUP'S FACE, with the matching scar.
VALKA
You and your father nearly died
that night, all because I couldn't
kill a dragon.
HICCUP
Yeah, it runs in the family.
VALKA
It broke my heart to stay away, but
I believed you'd be safer if I did.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 45.
Hiccup considers this, then raises his eyes to hers, seeing
the sting of remorse.
HICCUP
How did you survive?
VALKA
Oh, Cloudjumper never meant to harm
me. He must've thought I belonged
here...
She leads him to the edge of raised natural terrace,
overlooking the steamy oasis with its flowing hot spring
waterfalls. Half-submerged in the warm lake below, a massive
white dragon with pronounced, mammoth-like tusks rests
benevolently on the banks, his stately countenance like that
of a lion surrounded by his pride.
VALKA (CONT'D)
In the home of the great
Bewilderbeast. The alpha species.
One of very few that still exist.
(BEAT)
Every nest has its queen, but this
is king of all dragons.
Dragons land and bow reverentially to the Bewilderbeast.
Valka gestures to the spiked ice ceiling that acts as a
sweating greenhouse.
VALKA (CONT'D)
With his icy breath, this graceful
giant built our nest. A safe haven
for dragons everywhere.
On HICCUP, putting it together.
HICCUP
Wait, that's the ice-spitter? He's
responsible for all that
destruction?
VALKA
He protects us. We all live under
his care. And his command.
They pass an eggshell-littered NURSERY. HATCHLINGS dart out
of it, greeting them excitedly and inciting chaos. Toothless
is overwhelmed by their manic picking and scratching.
Cloudjumper balks and sends them scattering.
VALKA (CONT'D)
All but the babies, of course...
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 46.
The hatchlings clamber on top of the Bewilderbeast and play
on his massive tusks, despite his authority. Valka laughs.
VALKA (CONT'D)
... who listen to no one.
The Bewilderbeast lets out a frosty SNORT, sending off the
youngsters to spread more mischief.
Now awakened, The Bewilderbeast raises his gargantuan head to
take a closer look at Hiccup, coming eye to massive eye.
Valka bows in his presence. As does Toothless.
VALKA (CONT'D)
I've lived among them for twenty
years, Hiccup, learning their ways,
discovering their secrets...
He acknowledges Hiccup with another icy snort, slicking back
Hiccup's hair in a frosty veneer. Valka laughs.
VALKA (CONT'D)
He likes you.
HICCUP
Wow.
She chuckles, delighting in his awe.
VALKA
You must be hungry.
HICCUP
Uh, yeah. I could eat.
VALKA
Good. It's feeding time.
Toothless tucks himself beneath Cloudjumper's wing, trying to
befriend him, but Cloudjumper isn't having any of it. He
grimaces and follows Valka out.
EXT. OPEN SEA - NIGHT
(Scene 1200 - Astrid Takes Charge)
Astrid and Stormfly circle a lone iceberg, being used as a
rest stop for the Gang and their dragons. She lands with a
frown, eyeing the distance.
ASTRID
I don't like it. They should've
been back with Hiccup by now.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 47.
RUFFNUT
I don't like it either. Eret son of
Eret was the man of my dreams. My
everything!
SNOTLOUT
But, baby, I grew facial hair for
you.
Fishlegs strokes his peach fuzz beard, meek and dejected.
FISHLEGS
Me, too.
ASTRID
What if Drago shot them down? What
if they need our help?
(RESOLUTE)
We have to find them.
FISHLEGS
(NERVOUSLY)
What? But Stoick said...
ASTRID
It doesn't matter what he said, if
they've all been captured. Come on!
She flies off, determined.
EXT. ICE FLOES - NIGHT
Eret's ship is beset by ice floes. The crew stirs on deck as
he paces, grumbling, while nursing his head with a large
chunk of ice.
NO-NAME
Do we go back?
ERET
We've nowhere to go! Nothing to
sell! And no heads to call our own,
if we don't turn up with dragons
and fast --
He's suddenly scooped up in Stormfly's talons.
ASTRID
Careful what you wish for!
UG (O.S.)
ERET SON OF ERET!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 48.
Nets whiz past as Astrid and the Gang rocket out of range.
ERET
What is this?!
ASTRID
A kidnapping.
Ruffnut grabs his leg, clutching him possessively.
RUFFNUT
Yay! Can he ride with me? Can he?
Can he?
Both Eret and Tuffnut groan in protest.
ASTRID
You're gonna show us the way to
Drago.
ERET
And help dragon riders sneak into
Drago's camp? Just kill me now.
ASTRID
That can be arranged. Stormfly,
drop it.
In enthusiastic response, Stormfly pops open her talons,
sending Eret plummeting. He wails and flails as he hurtles
toward the ice far below.
ASTRID (CONT'D)
Good girl! Stormfly, fetch.
She dives after him, just as enthusiastically.
ON ERET, terrified, as the ground rushes up at him.
ERET
ALL RIGHT! OKAY! I'LL TAKE YOU TO
DRAGO!
Stormfly suddenly SNATCHES him out of his free-fall just
before hitting the ice. Astrid giggles and cracks her
knuckles.
ASTRID
Works every time.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 49.
EXT. SKY - EARLY MORNING
(Scene 1600 - Momma's Boy)
BEGIN MONTAGE
Hiccup and Toothless follow Valka and Cloudjumper over a
majestic fjord in the long rays of the low Arctic sun.
Hiccup peers over his shoulder to see that a thick flock of
dragons -- nearly all of Valka's rescues -- are close on
their tail. He turns back to his mother, confused.
HICCUP
Hey, I thought we were going to
eat?
VALKA
(with a mischievous grin)
Oh, we are.
She directs his gaze below, where in the choppy water of the
fjord, a group of Seashocker dragons are corralling a dense
shoal of fish near the surface.
Suddenly, the Bewilderbeast rises from deep below, scooping
the fish up in its vast mouth as its tusks break the surface.
It breaches just below Hiccup and Toothless, giving them a
fright before spitting the fish into the air and crashing
back down into the sea.
Valka laughs at Hiccup's surprise as the hungry dragons race
for the flailing fish, scooping them out of the air. Hiccup
gestures to Toothless to join in and he gladly scoops up a
mouth full.
EXT. SNOWY SHORELINE - LATER
MONTAGE CONTINUES...
Hiccup has his map spread out in the snow, explaining the
various lands he's discovered during his explorations.
HICCUP
And from Dragon Island, I found
this archipelago...
He looks up to see that Valka is no longer next to him, but
she has sketched out the rest of the northern land masses in
the snow, wowing Hiccup with just how far and wide she has
explored.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 50.
She returned to Hiccup's side with a smile. But his amazement
is interrupted by Toothless joining in, drawing all over
Valka's map with a giant icicle.
Hiccup simply shrugs as his mother giggles, and Cloudjumper
sneers.
EXT. WINDSWEPT CLIFF - LATER
Valka and Hiccup rise on their dragons, carried skyward by a
strong coastal wind that thrusts vertical up shoreline cliff.
One by one, dragons leap from the cliff and catch the strong
updraft, popping their wings open like kites. They ride the
wind and orbit around each other in a colorful, mesmeric
dance. It's clearly a form of dragon play.
Hiccup, lifted off of his saddle by the force of the wind,
laughs giddily as he watches Valka walk across Cloudjumper's
wing and onto several others, dragon-hopping from one to
another, until she gracefully crosses Toothless from wing tip
to wing tip. She then drops out of sight, reappearing a
moment later standing atop Cloudjumper. Hiccup is in utter
awe of her.
Valka breathes in the frigid air. Lets it out blissfully.
VALKA
When I'm up here, I don't even feel
the cold. I just feel...
HICCUP
Free.
She smiles at Hiccup. He gleams back.
VALKA
This is what it is to be a dragon,
Hiccup.
Hiccup LOCKS the pedals in the flared tail position and
unbuckles himself. Valka watches, curious.
HICCUP
It's all well and good to call
yourself a dragon.
Hiccup RUNS OFF of Toothless, pulling his stowed wings.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
But can you fly?
They catch the air, SNAPPING OPEN... and sending him GLIDING.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 51.
Valka GASPS, astonished. She flies her dragon alongside him,
marvelling, as...
... Hiccup SOARS, riding the wild air currents like an eagle,
the image of freedom. Toothless descends steadily with him,
hovering protectively.
Hiccup grins, pleased at having impressed Valka... until he
realizes that he is once again racing toward a collision with
a fast approaching mountain top.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Oh no. Toothless!
But, with his tail locked, Toothless can't make the tight
jackknife turn skyward to rescue Hiccup.
Realizing that they're in trouble, Valka and Cloudjumper pour
on the speed. All four of them collide just as they reach the
mountain top, sending them crash-landing in an explosion of
snow.
They all TOPPLE head over tail to a messy landing on the wind-
swept ridge and pop up LAUGHING.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Man! Almost! We just about had it
that time!
Toothless raises his snow-packed face, glowering. He tail-
swipes Hiccup off of his feet and back into the powder.
Valka inspects Hiccup's wing suit with utter fascination.
VALKA
Incredible.
HICCUP
Well, not bad yourself.
She caresses his cheek, staring deep into his eyes. Hiccup
doesn't recoil this time.
VALKA
All this time, you took after me.
And where was I?
(REMORSEFUL)
I'm so sorry, Hiccup. Can we start
over? Will you give me another
chance?
Hiccup smiles, a simple acknowledgement that all is forgiven.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 52.
VALKA (CONT'D)
I can teach you all I've learned,
these past twenty years. Like...
Valka finds a spot at the top of Toothless' neck and rubs in
a circular pattern. In response, his dorsal blades slowly
crack, split and extend, forming a pronounced, aerodynamic
`V' down the length of his back and tail.
VALKA (CONT'D)
Now you can make those tight turns.
Toothless shudders, as if experiencing a much-needed
chiropractic adjustment. He bounds over to Hiccup, giddily
retracting and splaying his dorsal blades like a kid with a
new toy.
HICCUP
Did YOU know about this?
Valka smiles, delighting in their mutual amazement.
VALKA
Every dragon has its secrets.
Toothless pounces around, showing off to Cloudjumper, who
seems thoroughly unimpressed.
VALKA (CONT'D)
And I'll show them all to you.
We'll unlock every mystery, find
every last species, together, as
mother and son.
(BEAT)
This gift we share, Hiccup... it
bonds us. This is who you are, son.
Who we are. We will change the
world for all dragons! We will make
it a better, safer place!
HICCUP
That sounds... amazing.
She pulls him into a hug -- forceful, bursting with emotion.
Hiccup hugs Valka back. They share a cathartic moment, before
Hiccup peels away from her.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
This is so great! Now you and I can
go talk to Drago -- together!
She chuckles, incredulous.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 53.
VALKA
What? There's no talking to Drago.
HICCUP
But we have to --
VALKA
-- No. We must protect our own.
Hiccup stares, exasperated by the familiar line. Cloudjumper
lumbers over, eager to be rid of Toothless' puppy-like
energy. Valka pets him.
VALKA (CONT'D)
Now come on, we should be getting
back.
Before Hiccup can say anymore, he hear heavy breathing next
to him, and looks over to see Toothless with a gaping grin,
clapping his dorsal blades.
EXT. ICE CAVE - DAY
(Scene 1350 - Meet Drago)
Astrid and the gang stealthily approach a cluster of tabular
icebergs, collapsed against each other at the mouth of a
maze. Stormfly drops Eret to the snow, but before he can
flee, she lands atop him and nests like a hen with her egg.
ERET
Agghh! Okay! I got you here, now
get this thing off me!
ASTRID
Never take a toy from a dragon.
Don't you know anything?
Stormfly crushes him in place under her weight.
ERET
(STRAINED)
Gah! Why does this keep happening
to me?
Astrid crawls up the rising ridge to reveal...
A MASSIVE FLOTILLA, moored together like a floating camp in
the deep water between collided icebergs.
Thick chains run deep into the water, where great blasts of
bubbles erupt on the surface. The unseen creature rocks the
ships. Its effect alone describes it as gargantuan.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 54.
ASTRID
What's down there?
Fishlegs rifles through his note cards contained in his belt
pouch.
FISHLEGS
Large diameter bubbles, massive
lungs, cold water deep dweller, I'm
thinking class five leviathan,
maybe six.
Suddenly, Stormfly is alerted to an encroaching menace and
takes wing. BLOW DARTS whiz through the air, hitting the
other dragons. The effect is immediate -- they fall to the
ground, unconscious. Drugged.
HICCUP
Meatlug! What's wrong, girl?
Eret spring to his feet and draws his blades. Astrid and the
Gang find themselves surrounded by soldiers, camouflaged in
polar bear furs, and poised to fire darts. They're
outnumbered. Fishlegs raises his hands, dropping the cards.
EXT. DRAGO'S SHIP - DECK - MOMENTS LATER
DRAGO BLUDVIST, a hulking figure draped in a dragon skin
cloak, crouches over the prow of the fleet's grisly flagship,
adorned in massive dragon bones and skulls. His scarred face
is masked by thick, grizzled dreadlocks.
ERET (O.S.)
DRAGO!
Drago turns to see Astrid, Eret, and the Gang being forcibly
escorted onto the deck. Eret SHAKES HIMSELF FREE.
ERET (CONT'D)
Get off me!
In the background, a sledge, loaded with Hookfang, Meatlug,
Belch and Barf -- all unconscious -- is dragged onto the deck
by armored dragons.
ERET (CONT'D)
Always great to see you, my friend!
Keeping warm up here?
The soldiers disarm him, pushing him forward as Drago
approaches.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 55.
ERET (CONT'D)
Well, as you can see, I'm right on
time with a new batch of dragons,
just like I promised.
Hookfang awakens, groggily shaking off the effect of the blow-
dart. He rears as soldiers struggle to reign him in.
SOLDIER #1
Watch out! He's waking up! Keep him
steady!
SOLDIER #2
Give me some backup here!
DRAGO
Drop the ropes.
They do so. Hookfang bucks and roars, chasing off the
soldiers, then focusing on Drago as he closes in. The armored
dragons avert their eyes and cower as Drago passes.
Hookfang HISSES a warning, but Drago approaches, undaunted.
Hookfang BLASTS. In a blur, Drago wraps himself in his dragon
skin cloak. The sticky, napalm-like fire splatters against
the fireproof scales, enveloping Drago in dripping flames as
he persists forward without missing a step.
As the blast ends, Drago drops the cloak, closing in and
holding a cold stare. Hookfang lets out a ferocious ROAR.
Drago YELLS back with a fierce, savage scream, interrupting
Hookfang and causing him to recoil. Drago whirls his bull-
hook overhead and STABS it into the deck planks.
Hookfang stirs, his aggression fading in the face of Drago's
unflinching show of dominance.
After a moment, Hookfang averts his eyes and lowers his head
in submission. Drago places his boot upon Hookfang's snout,
pressing it into the deck planks.
SNOTLOUT
Hookfang!
RUFFNUT
Hey!
ASTRID
What are you doing?
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 56.
DRAGO
(quiet, to the dragon)
You belong to me now.
ERET
And as an added bonus, I also
caught you their riders. No extra
charge.
Drago notices the saddle on Hookfang's back. His eyes wander
to the saddle on Meatlug. Alarm flashes in Drago's eyes.
ASTRID
What?! Are you kidding me?!
RUFFNUT
But you were so perfect!
ERET
Turns out, there's a whole bunch of
them out there. They --
In a flash, Drago stops toward Eret and seizes him by the
throat.
DRAGO
How many?
As Eret chokes, stammering, Astrid whispers to the gang.
ASTRID
Drago doesn't have them after all.
DRAGO
HOW MANY?!
ASTRID
Hundreds! A whole island full!
His grip tightens around Eret's neck as he turns to Astrid.
ERET
I wouldn't worry about it. My men
are hunting them down as we speak.
They won't know where you're
hiding. I promise you that.
Astrid nods a covert signal to the Gang -- she has a plan.
ASTRID
Oh, yes they will!
Drago drops Eret as Astrid advances, staring Drago down. Eret
tries to signal her to stop, but it's no use.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 57.
ASTRID (CONT'D)
They know we're missing and they
have tracking dragons. If you so
much as touch us, Hiccup is gonna
KICK --
DRAGO
-- Hiccup?
ERET
He's not a problem. Really. Trust
me.
ASTRID
He's only the son of Stoick the
Vast...
Drago's eyes narrow upon hearing Stoick's name.
ASTRID (CONT'D)
... his heir to the throne of
Berk... and the greatest dragon
master this world has ever seen!
DRAGO
Dragon master? I ALONE control the
dragons!
TUFFNUT
Nope.
FISHLEGS
Sorry!
ASTRID
And unless you let us go, right
now, he will blast through here on
his Night Fury and blow your entire
fleet of ships to splinters!
Eret slips away, trying to distance himself from the tension.
RUFFNUT
Then they'll be crying like babies!
SNOTLOUT
Funny and beautiful.
FISHLEGS
Good one, babe!
Ruffnut groans, exasperated by their smarmy advances.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 58.
TUFFNUT
Yeah. Like babies. They always cry.
Real tiny ones...
Drago grabs Eret by the face and bears down on him.
DRAGO
First there was one rider. And now
all of Berk.
(TO ERET)
And YOU led them to me.
He THROWS Eret across the deck.
ERET
Drago!
DRAGO
CEASE ALL PREPARATIONS! WE MUST
ATTACK THE DRAGONS RIDER'S NEST AT
ONCE!
(SAVORING IT)
WE WILL TAKE DOWN THEIR ALPHA...
AND THEN WE WILL TAKE BERK!
Soldiers CHEER in the thousands.
ERET
You're overreacting!
DRAGO
And get rid of him.
ERET
Drago, please...
The soldiers HURL throwing knives at Eret...
But Stormfly lands in a blur of wings, shielding Eret from
the flurry of blades. She whips her tail, throwing spikes in
all directions.
ASTRID
STORMFLY!
Stormfly ROARS protectively, hiding Eret within her wings,
until a well-blown dart sinks into her neck, bringing her
down...
ASTRID (CONT'D)
NO!
Revealing Eret, gawking in shock.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 59.
INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - OASIS - MORNING
(Scene 1800 - Family Reunion)
Hiccup reattaches his flight suit while standing on a ledge
overlooking the utopian nest, teeming with dragons. Several
babies race in to hassle Toothless as he naps.
HICCUP
(DETERMINED)
Well, bud, we can't wait around for
Drago to attack this place. We've
gotta find him first. Let's go.
Suddenly, a thick hand clamps down over Hiccup's face --
muffling his scream!
Toothless whirls around to find STOICK, towering over Hiccup.
He calms Toothless with a touch and releases Hiccup.
STOICK
Easy now.
HICCUP
Are you kidding me? How'd you get
in here?
STOICK
The same way we're getting you out.
HICCUP
We?
Gobber appears in the arch of a tunnel.
GOBBER
All clear!
STOICK
Toothless. Come.
They hurry back into the winding corridor.
HICCUP
Dad! There's something you need to
know!
STOICK
Yeah, yeah, tell me on the way.
HICCUP
This isn't an on-the-way kind of
update, actually...
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 60.
STOICK
I've heard ENOUGH, Hiccup.
HICCUP
... more of the earth-shattering
development variety.
STOICK
Yeah, just add it to the pile.
HICCUP
Dad, unlike most surprises I spring
on you, this is one you'll like. I
promise! You just have to handle it
delicately, so...
They round a tight bend in the corridor to find Gobber
staring blankly at something unseen in the next chamber. He
shuffles past Stoick and Hiccup, dazed.
GOBBER
Uh, you might want to take this
one. Oh, boy.
Stoick draws his SWORD, then braves into the chamber ahead.
HICCUP
Dad, can you put the sword away...
please?
Stoick GASPS as if seeing a ghost... and drops his sword with
a clatter.
Valka stands some twenty paces ahead of him, blocking the
path. She lets out an audible SHUDDER upon seeing him.
He removes his helmet slowly as Hiccup, Gobber, and Toothless
appear at Stoick's side.
VALKA
(RATTLED)
I know what you're going to say,
Stoick. How could I have done this?
Stayed away all of these years. And
why didn't I come back to you? To
our son.
Stoick steps towards her, wide-eyed and speechless. Dragons
emerge from the recesses behind Valka, hissing protectively.
VALKA (CONT'D)
Well, what sign did I have that you
could change, Stoick? That anyone
on Berk could?
(MORE)
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 61.
VALKA (CONT'D)
I pleaded so many times to stop the
fighting, to find another answer,
but did any of you listen?
GOBBER
This is why I never married.
(BEAT)
This and one other reason.
Stoick continues to close the gap, mesmerized. With every
step, Valka becomes increasingly flustered. She backs into an
ice wall, with nowhere to go, and Stoick just a few paces
away.
VALKA
(TEARFUL)
I know that I left you to raise
Hiccup alone... but I thought he'd
be better off without me. And I was
wrong, I see that now, but...
Stoick gently reaches a hand toward her face.
VALKA (CONT'D)
Oh stop being so stoic, Stoick. Go
on... SHOUT, SCREAM, SAY SOMETHING!
STOICK
You're as beautiful as the day I
lost you.
His words snuff her retort, rendering her speechless. She
softens despite herself, yielding her cheek to his palm. He
caresses her skin as a reluctant tear runs through his
fingers. He PULLS her into a KISS. She resists briefly, then
gives in. The surrounding dragons softly RETREAT in kind.
Hiccup gapes, warmed by the sight of his parents reunited.
EXT. ICE CHANNEL - DAY
(Scene 1750 - Eret's Turn)
Drago's massive flagship leads the flotilla, pulled along
forcefully by whatever's at the other end of the enormous
chain.
Drago WHACKS the chain with his bullhook, spurring it
forward.
ON DRAGO'S SHIP
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 62.
Eret, Astrid, and the Gang are escorted to the stern,
surrounded by several of Drago's soldiers. Wrists bound.
Spear tips pressed into their backs.
SNOTLOUT
Could this day get any worse?
TUFFNUT
Uh, let me see. You'll jump into
freezing cold water and then die
from drowning.
They reach the gang plank. Eret peers overboard at the deep,
icy water below.
ERET
Looks refreshing.
He turns to Astrid, meeting her glare with mock chivalry.
ERET (CONT'D)
Please, ladies first.
A pair of soldiers GRAB Astrid by the arms.
ASTRID
You are a steaming heap of dragon --
ERET
-- Duck.
Eret WHIRLS around, ROUND-HOUSING both soldiers. They GO
DOWN, heavily.
He catches one of their spears with his bound hands and
slices his ropes free. They fall away as he catches the other
spear, twirling both in invitation.
SOLDIER
Warn the others!
One soldier runs to send up the alarm... while the last two
raise BLOW DART TUBES.
Eret SWIPES the first off of his legs, sending the dart into
the neck of the second.
RUFFNUT
Get `em, you son of an Eret!
As the downed soldiers SCRAMBLE to their feet, Fishlegs FALLS
OVER, CRUSHING them under his weight.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 63.
Eret CATCHES the falling tube from the second soldier and
BLOWS the dart at the fleeing third. The soldier DROPS,
unconscious -- just shy of the Captain's Quarters.
RUFFNUT (CONT'D)
Okay, I love you again.
Ruffnut skips past Snotlout on her way to Eret. Snotlout
watches, crestfallen.
TUFFNUT
Ugh. Pathetic. You can still jump.
Eret avoids Ruffnut and turns to Astrid.
ERET
So? Are we going to save your
dragons and get out of here or not?
Astrid narrows her eyes, not knowing what to make of him. He
reclaims his sword and dagger from the unconscious soldier
who took them and cuts Tuffnut free.
ERET (CONT'D)
Check every trap. They're here
somewhere.
EXT. DRAGO'S SHIP - MOMENTS LATER
Astrid slips under a tarp and cranks open a metal trap. She
peers between its massive iron teeth, discovering Meatlug
within, bound and chained to its base as bait.
ASTRID
Meatlug?
ON ERET
Carefully cranking another trap, wincing at the sound. The
iron jaws of the trap open wider with every CLICK.
ERET
Anyone coming?
Ruffnut "stands guard," fixated on Eret's rippling biceps.
RUFFNUT
I don't know. You just keep doing
what you're doing. Keep crankin'...
Eret squeezes between the cocked teeth, finding Stormfly
within, muzzled and chained. She looks up at Eret, calming
immediately. He pauses, then approaches slowly.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 64.
Eret carefully reaches out and strokes Stormfly's muzzle.
ERET
Thank you for saving my life.
(BEAT)
Now let me return the favor.
INT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - VALKA'S LIVING QUARTERS - LATE
AFTERNOON
(Scene 1850 - The Last Dance)
As Toothless and Cloudjumper hover for scraps, Stoick and
Valka prepare skewers of fish. She's overwhelmed, lost in her
thoughts, and covering it up poorly.
HICCUP
Mom, you'd never recognize it!
Where we used to make weapons, we
now build saddles, wing slings --
we even fix dragon teeth! You
wouldn't believe how much
everything's changed!
Valka offers a skittish half-smile and hands him a plate.
STOICK
Our son's changed Berk for the
better. I think we did well with
this one, Val.
HICCUP
Thanks, Dad.
Stoick places his hands on Valka's shoulders. She flinches,
dropping the plate.
Cloudjumper steals the fish before Toothless can get to it.
Toothless whimpers, and as a sign of acceptance, Cloudjumper
regurgitates the fish so Toothless can have some.
VALKA
I'm... a little out of practice.
STOICK
(SWEETLY)
Well, y'know... I didn't marry you
for your cooking.
GOBBER
(to Hiccup and Grump)
I hope not. Her meatballs could
kill more beasts than a battle axe.
(MORE)
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 65.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
I've still got a few knocking
around in here. Ha ha!
Gobber takes a bite, gags, and dump the entire plate of fish
skewers into Grump's mouth like a trash can.
HICCUP
And once you move back in, with all
of your dragons, Drago won't even
stand a chance. Everything will be
okay!
Stoick can see that Valka is overwhelmed. He lays a hand upon
Hiccup's shoulder, calming him.
STOICK
Slow down, son. It's a lot to take
in.
HICCUP
Oh. Gotcha.
Valka crosses the room to fill a flask with water, back
turned to the group, as Stoick eyes her sympathetically. He
decides on a different approach... and whistles a familiar
tune.
ON VALKA, as her eyes widen, stirred, recognizing the melody.
She turns away from Stoick, as the water overflows from the
flask.
GOBBER
Oh, I love this one!
Stoick approaches her delicately.
STOICK
(WHISPERED)
Remember our song, Val?
Hiccup watches him, curious, as Stoick FUMBLES THROUGH THE
FIRST VERSE of an old Viking courting song:
STOICK (CONT'D)
(SINGING SOFTLY)
I'll swim and sail on savage seas,
with ne'er a fear of drowning. And
gladly ride the waves of life, if
you will marry me.
Valka avoids his gaze, wallowing in a mess of emotions.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 66.
STOICK (CONT'D)
(SINGING)
No scorching sun, nor freezing cold
WILL --
GOBBER
(SINGING)
-- will stop me on my journey!
(catching himself,
EMBARRASSED)
Sorry.
Stoick scowls at him, then returns his attention to Valka.
STOICK
(SINGING)
If you will promise me your
heart...
Stoick pauses, setting Valka up for her part of the duet.
STOICK (CONT'D)
And love...
Stoick hangs eagerly, awaiting her words, but Valka closes
her eyes, rejecting his invitation. He lets out a heavy-
hearted sigh. But nostalgia gets the better of Valka. She
softly SINGS HER PART:
VALKA
(SINGING)
And love me for eternity.
Stoick beams. She brushes past him, setting into the center
of the chamber and holding her forearm aloft in invitation.
Stoick crosses his forearm against hers, initiating a
beautiful dance to accompany the song.
VALKA (CONT'D)
(SINGING)
My dearest one, my darling dear,
you mighty words astound me. But
I've no need of mighty deeds, when
I feel your arms around me.
The dance is full of charming missteps as Stoick and Valka
recreate a moment from their past, before Hiccup's wonder-
struck eyes.
STOICK
(SINGING)
But I would bring you rings of
gold. I'd even sing you poetry.
(MORE)
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 67.
STOICK (CONT'D)
And I would keep you from all harm,
if you'd stay here beside me.
VALKA
(SINGING)
I have no use for rings of gold. I
care not for your poetry. I only
want your hand to hold. I only want
you near me.
Gobber can't help himself. He drags Hiccup onto his feet so
that he can join in the dancing, too.
GOBBER
C'mon, Hiccup!
VALKA, STOICK, & GOBBER
(SINGING)
To love and kiss, to sweetly hold.
For the dancing and the dreaming.
Through all life's sorrows and
delights, I'll keep your love
inside me.
Hiccup is amazed by the sight of his giddy parents, spinning
and laughing in each others' arms, reunited.
VALKA, STOICK, & GOBBER (CONT'D)
(SINGING)
I'll swim and sail through savage
seas, with ne'er a fear of
drowning. And gladly ride the waves
of life, if you will marry me!
Gobber carries the last note...
GOBBER
(SINGING)
I'm still going...
Hiccup taps him.
HICCUP
Gobber!
GOBBER
I'm done.
Valka and Stoick slow to a stop, WINDED and LAUGHING.
STOICK
Ah... I thought I'd have to die
before we'd have that dance again.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 68.
VALKA
No need for drastic measures.
STOICK
For you, my dear... anything.
She smiles sweetly. Stoick's eyes well with tears. He goes
down on one knee, proposing to her anew.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Will you come home, Val? Will you
be my wife once again?
Toothless nudges Valka closer to Stoick. They laugh as Hiccup
joins them. Stoick throws his arm around him.
STOICK (CONT'D)
We can be a family! What do you
say?
Valka, between tears and laughter, turns to Hiccup.
VALKA
Yes!
Gobber pops his head in.
GOBBER
Great! I'll do the cooking!
They laugh.
STOICK
Thank Odin you didn't listen to me,
son. We never would have found each
other.
Suddenly, Toothless and Cloudjumper suddenly perk up, sensing
something unheard. Hiccup notices.
HICCUP
Toothless?
Dragons SWARM past Valka's chamber, racing toward some
unknown disturbance.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
What's happening?
They're answered by subsequent HEAVY BOOMS that reverberate
through the fortress.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 69.
EXT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - MOMENTS LATER
(Scene 1900 - Surprise Guests)
Valka rushes out to find...
DRAGO'S ARMADA in the lagoon below and his forces of
thousands now landed upon the beach.
They launch catapults and ballistas into the icy spires,
gaining entrance into the mountain's tunnels.
Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber catch up to Valka.
HICCUP
Oh, no...
Valka tries to hurry off, fuming. Stoick stops her.
STOICK
Val! It's all right, it's all
right. We're a team now.
(BEAT)
Now what do you want to do?
She glances from Hiccup to Stoick.
VALKA
We have to save the dragons.
STOICK
(DETERMINED)
Aye. You got it!
He throws an arm around Hiccup.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Come on, son.
ON THE BATTLEFIELD
VALKA'S DRAGONS SWOOP down to engage the attackers, picking
up soldiers and carrying them off while Drago stands in the
line of fire, unflinching.
The catapults continue to bring down the icy defenses of
dragon mountain. Drago's men pour into the tunnels.
DRAGO
Whatever comes, keep hitting the
mountain! We need to draw the alpha
out.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 70.
Drago's armored DRAGON ARMY takes wing, clashing with Valka's
dragons in the skies.
DRAGO (CONT'D)
Ready the traps!
Iron jaws are opened like bear traps, revealing screeching
`bait' dragons within. Valka's dragons swoop down to rescue
them, only to be SNAPPED UP in the fearsome jaws.
A second set of traps are cocked open, but instead of dragon
cries, ZIPPLEBACK GAS seeps out... followed by an EXPLOSION.
The TWINS rocket out of the trap, riding BARF and BELCH.
TUFFNUT
Surprise! Yeah!
DRAGO
WHAT?!
They're joined by Astrid and the rest of the GANG, bursting
out of the traps atop Meatlug and Hookfang.
Eret comes flying out last, WAILING aboard Stormfly. He
struggles to hold on, as she rejoins Astrid (riding Meatlug,
along with Fishlegs). He gives them a sheepish shrug.
ASTRID
You really are full of surprises.
She leaps onto Stormfly, steadying them.
ASTRID (CONT'D)
Let's go!
Together they rocket across the sky...
TUFFNUT
Dragon Riders coming through!
And DIVE-BOMB the traps, setting them aflame. The yokes and
leather bindings restraining the bait dragons are
incinerated, freeing them to fly away, unharmed.
DRAGO
CUT THEM DOWN!
Projectiles are launched, one of which KNOCKS Ruffnut off her
dragon. She PLUMMETS past Eret toward the rocky shore below.
RUFFNUT
Eret, son of Eret!
She suddenly grabbed by both arms before hitting the rocks.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 71.
RUFFNUT'S POV: of Snotlout on one side... and Fishlegs on the
other. SOFT and ROMANTICIZED as her epiphany dawns.
Above them, more catapults fire, bringing down massive spires
of ice, directly over Astrid and Eret.
ASTRID
Up, girl! To the left, Eret! That's
it! Look out!
It's about to crush them when... it's BLOWN TO PIECES by
Toothless' fireball. Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber come bursting
through the flames on their dragons.
Hiccup and Toothless arc across the sky triumphantly and set
their sights on a downed dragon surrounded by soldiers.
Toothless BLASTS one of Drago's net launchers, knocking it
onto its side. Stoick then CHOPS the trigger line, FIRING the
catapult and NETTING the throng of soldiers, freeing the
dragon.
Drago's ARCHERS target Stoick with their arrows.
ARCHER
Take `em down!
GOBBER
Heads up!
Gobber flies up from behind, KNOCKING the archers out with
Grump's tail. Gobber chuckles.
DRAGO hears Toothless' tell-tale BANSHEE scream and turns to
see him streaking across the sky.
DRAGO
Dragon Master.
Hiccup catches up to Astrid and Eret on Stormfly.
HICCUP
Welcome aboard, dragon rider!
ERET
Thanks. I think.
Astrid glares, both relieved and annoyed to see Hiccup.
ASTRID
Where have you been?
HICCUP
Oh, y'know. Catching up with Mom.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 72.
Astrid shoots him a confused glare. He nods skyward. Astrid
and Eret look up to see...
VALKA, in full warrior garb, rising from the towering ice
spikes, atop Cloudjumper.
ERET
Whoa...
An earth-trembling roar follows as the Bewilderbeast rises
behind Valka.
ASTRID
That's your mother?!
HICCUP
Well, now you know where I get my
dramatic flair.
ON DRAGO, gawking in awe as the great BEWILDERBEAST BLASTS
an epic explosion of ice upon the attackers.
DRAGO
The alpha! Now we have a fight!
Valka blasts overhead on Cloudjumper, commanding swarms of
dragons to swoop down and attack Drago's army. A swarm of
Zipplebacks set themselves aflame and roll like fiery wagon
wheels through the battlefield, scattering soldiers and
destroying war machines.
One of them gets CAUGHT under a Dragon Swatter, but Hiccup
and Toothless double-back for a rescue.
HICCUP
There! Come on, Toothless! Show
them what you got, bud.
Toothless dive-bombs the swatter and DESTROYS it with a
plasma bolt, freeing the dragon.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Thatta boy!
BACK TO VALKA, on Cloudjumper as they pry Drago's armored
dragons off of the flailing wild ones. A net suddenly
envelops Cloudjumper. They CRASH heavily, but Valka cuts
herself free, sliding to a stop just paces away from Drago.
DRAGO
I've waited a long time for this!
Drago cocks his bull hook, ready to strike, but Valka
deflects Drago's hit and attacks him.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 73.
VALKA
You cannot take our dragons! They
are controlled by the alpha!
DRAGO
(SMUG)
Then it's a good thing I brought a
challenger.
He turns to the flagship and YELLS savagely, whirling his
bullhook overhead.
The heavy chains are released. The underwater creature, now
freed, breaks the surface in an epic cascade of seawater. It
rises toward the shoreline, revealing itself to be...
A SECOND BEWILDERBEAST -- bigger, meaner, and covered in
scars that indicate years of training and abuse. The chains
fall away from iron cuffs fastened to its massive tusks.
Valka GASPS.
HICCUP
(HORRIFIED)
Another one?
FISHLEGS
I WAS WAY OFF! THAT IS A CLASS TEN!
CLASS TEN!
Drago's challenger lumbers onto the beach, focused on Valka's
Bewilderbeast.
VALKA
No. No.
DRAGO
Come on! Take down the alpha!
Valka attacks Drago with her bullhook, trying to stop his
commands, but Drago strikes back, knocking her forcefully
onto her back. He pins her as she struggles, removing her
mask and staff. He's about to finish her off, when WHAM! He's
knocked to the ground. He looks up, fuming, to see Stoick
helping Valka to her feet.
VALKA
Thank you.
STOICK
For you, my dear... anything.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 74.
As Drago gathers his weapon and drops his heavy cloak,
circling Stoick, Drago's Bewilderbeast confronts Valka's in a
threat display.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Val, do you think you can stop
them?
VALKA
I'll do my best! Come on,
Cloudjumper!
Valka cuts the nets away and hops onto Cloudjumper, flying
off toward the Bewilderbeasts as they charge each other,
CLASHING TUSKS.
Drago LUNGES at Stoick, SWIPING his bullhook.
DRAGO
You... I watched you burn!
The two imposing warriors CLASH WEAPONS, SLASHING and LANDING
PUNCHES.
STOICK
It takes more than a little fire to
kill me!
Valka flies between the Bewilderbeasts, waving her staff
commandingly, but to no effect.
BACK TO STOICK AND DRAGO
As Drago hooks and yanks the axe out of Stoick's hands.
Gobber flies by and HURLS his mace attachment.
GOBBER
Stoick!
Stoick catches it and lands a direct hit on Drago.
But, with a devastating SWIPE, DRAGO's Bewilderbeast takes
down Valka's, plunging in its tusks and burying its
opponent's lifeless body under an avalanche.
VALKA
No!
Hiccup and the others watch in horror as dragons everywhere
land and bow their heads in acknowledgement of the new alpha -
- DRAGO'S ALPHA.
DRAGO
We've won.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 75.
Drago points his bullhook toward Valka and Cloudjumper.
DRAGO (CONT'D)
Now finish her!
Stoick whirls around, spotting Valka and Cloudjumper in the
alpha's sights.
STOICK
No!
Drago's Bewilderbeast INHALES... and BLASTS! Valka steers
Cloudjumper out of the way, but ice HITS his tail, causing
them to SPIRAL out of control toward the icy spires.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Hold on!
He LEAPS onto Skullcrusher, spurring him into the air.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Skullcrusher, go! Come on, Gobber!
Stoick tosses the mace back to Gobber in passing, who follows
brazenly, waving it aloft.
GOBBER
Right behind ya, Stoick!
EXT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - CONTINUOUS
(Scene 2000 - Stoick's Sacrifice)
With his tail impaired, Cloudjumper struggles against a
throng of oncoming dragons. Valka is knocked off, but manages
to cling to her dragon's neck.
As she loses her grip and FALLS...
Stoick LEAPS from Skullcrusher and CATCHES Valka. He sinks
his axe into an icy column, and they slide to a safe landing.
Drago's Bewilderbeast presses closer, sniffing them out.
BACK TO HICCUP, spotting Drago on the battlefield, commanding
the Bewilderbeast to finish the job.
HICCUP
STOP! Stop!
Hiccup lands Toothless a few paces from Drago and brazenly
removes his helmet. Drago eyes him, incredulous, then begins
to CHUCKLE.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 76.
DRAGO
This... is the great dragon master?
The son of Stoick the Vast? What
shame he must feel.
Toothless snarls, ready to blast, but Hiccup calms him with a
hand gesture.
HICCUP
All of this loss, and for what? To
become unstoppable? To rule the
world?
Drago smirks and turns away from Hiccup.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Dragons are kind, amazing creatures
that can bring people together.
DRAGO
Or tear them apart.
Drago LAUGHS mockingly, then removes his FALSE ARM, revealing
a stump at his shoulder. Hiccup is taken aback.
DRAGO (CONT'D)
You see, I know what it is to live
in fear. To see my village burned,
my family taken.
He reattaches the prosthesis, circling Hiccup menacingly.
DRAGO (CONT'D)
But even as a boy, left with
nothing, I vowed to rise above the
fear of dragons and liberate the
people of this world.
HICCUP
Then why a dragon army?
DRAGO
(grinning, smug)
Well, you need dragons to conquer
other dragons.
HICCUP
Or maybe you need dragons to
conquer people.
(BEAT)
To control those who follow you...
and to get rid of those who won't.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 77.
DRAGO
Clever boy.
Drago grabs his bullhook and re-approaches Hiccup. Toothless
readies himself.
HICCUP
The world wants peace. And we have
the answer, back on Berk. Just let
me show you.
DRAGO
NO! Let ME show YOU.
Drago SHRIEKS madly, summoning the Bewilderbeast. Toothless
circles Hiccup, protectively.
ON THE BEWILDERBEAST, about to blast Stoick and Valka. It
hears Drago's distant wails, and approaches obediently.
STOICK
What...?
Stoick follows its stare to the distant battlefield below. He
spots Hiccup and Toothless a few paces from Drago.
STOICK (CONT'D)
(PANICKED)
Hiccup!
He rushes off. Valka follows, racing past Gobber as he
finally joins them, winded from having run up the mountain.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Come on, Gobber!
GOBBER
Okay, change of plans.
He hurries back down the mountain after them.
BACK TO DRAGO
jabbing his bullhook into the ground commandingly. The
Bewilderbeast flinches and stops, submissive.
DRAGO
No dragon can resist the alpha's
command. So he who controls the
alpha, controls them all.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 78.
Drago points to Toothless. The Bewilderbeast stares and
HISSES, forcing Toothless to cower under a hypnotic
ultrasonic broadcast. Toothless struggles against the alpha's
command, writhing and grinding his head against the ground.
HICCUP
Toothless? You okay, bud? What's
going on?
Toothless fights the command, shaking his head in protest.
The Bewilderbeast insists, with a mesmerizing glare and a
low, throaty grumble... until Toothless finally succumbs to
its control. He raises his head, his stare vacant and
robotic, as his pupils turn to slits.
Drago then points to Hiccup. The Bewilderbeast responds,
HISSING again at Toothless.
DRAGO
Witness true strength. The strength
of will over others. In the face of
it, you are nothing.
Toothless slowly turns to face Hiccup. Advancing.
HICCUP
Uh, what did he just tell you?
ON STOICK
Bounding across the ice, pushing himself to make it to Hiccup
in time.
BACK ON HICCUP
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Toothless, what's the matter with
you? What're you doing?
Hiccup is backed against fallen ice, with Toothless advancing
mindlessly, and nowhere to run.
Toothless opens his yawning mouth. Gas seeps from his throat.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Knock it off! Stop! Snap out of it!
Stoick barrels through ice formations and over war machines,
racing against time.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Toothless! No! Toothless! Don't!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 79.
STOICK
Hiccup!
HICCUP
STOP!
STOICK
SON!
Hiccup sees Stoick about to run into the fray.
HICCUP
DAD! NO!
Toothless BLASTS.
Stoick leaps in front of it, shoving Hiccup out of the way
and absorbing the blast in the process. He's thrown against
the ice with great impact.
ON VALKA, hearing the blast, horrified.
Drago glances back, seeing Stoick laying lifeless in the
aftermath, pleased by the sudden turn of events. He shuffles
off, satisfied.
Stunned, Hiccup comes to and sees Stoick in the rubble. He
rushes past the still-entranced Toothless, straining to
scatter the ice boulders on top of Stoick's body.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Dad!
Valka arrives, winded and aghast.
VALKA
Stoick...
She helps Hiccup to turn Stoick's body over. Valka presses
her ear to Stoick's heart, confirming his death with a mere
glance to Hiccup. He tears up, overwhelmed.
HICCUP
No... you...
Gobber, Astrid, Eret, and the Gang arrive, slack-jawed.
Satisfied, the Bewilderbeast turns away, releasing Toothless
of the trance-like state. Toothless blinks, coming to and
confused. He approaches the group, sniffing Stoick's hand.
Hiccup SHOVES him.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
No! Get away from him!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 80.
Toothless recoils, innocently.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
GO ON! GET OUT OF HERE! GET AWAY!
Toothless retreats like a scolded dog, ear plates back and
head hung low. Valka watches, broken-hearted, as Hiccup falls
upon Stoick, inconsolable.
VALKA
It's not his fault. You know that.
On the battlefield, the alpha BELLOWS, calling all of the
dragons to gather. Meatlug, Stormfly, Hookfang and the others
all follow the command as the Gang calls after them.
VALKA (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Good dragons under the control of
bad people do bad things.
Drago notices Toothless tumble down a snow-bank, once again
slit-eyed and entranced, but unable to fly to the alpha
without a rider. Drago pins him down, eyeing the saddle,
pedals, and prosthetic tail.
ON HICCUP and VALKA
In tears as Toothless rises into view, with Drago in the
saddle.
DRAGO
GATHER THE MEN AND MEET AT BERK!
His soldiers cheer in the thousands.
HICCUP
Toothless!
Hiccup tries to go after Toothless, but Valka holds him back.
VALKA
No, don't!
Drago JABS his bull hook and points toward the horizon. The
alpha BELLOWS, commanding an exodus as it leads the way.
DRAGO
Move out!
Hiccup watches, powerless as all dragons TAKE WING and
follow.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 81.
EXT. DRAGON MOUNTAIN - LAGOON - DUSK
(Scene 2100 - Viking Funeral)
A KEEL grinds against the shoreline pebbles as a listing,
battered ship is pushed into the still iceberg-filled lagoon.
GOBBER (V.O.)
May the Valkyries welcome you, and
lead you through Odin's great
battlefield. May they sing your
name with love and fury, so that we
might hear it rise from the heights
of Valhalla... and know that you've
taken your rightful place at the
table of kings.
Bows and pitch-dipped arrows are gathered from the
battlefield. Gobber hands a set to Hiccup, meeting his eyes
with sympathetic glance.
GOBBER (V.O.)
For a great man has fallen. A
warrior. A chieftain. A father. A
friend.
Hiccup dips his arrowhead in a smoldering chunk of wreckage,
igniting the pitch that coats the tip.
He releases his arrow, which sails through the air and lands
on the deck of the ship, where Stoick is laid out on a pyre,
covered by a sail, his axe upon his chest.
The others follow Hiccup's lead. They DRAW BACK in unison and
LOOSE their arrows, filling the sky with crisscrossing,
flaming streaks. They arc over the lagoon and set the ship
alight.
ON HICCUP, fighting back emotion and losing the battle.
HICCUP
I'm sorry, Dad.
He eyes the engulfed ship.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
I'm not the chief that you wanted
me to be. And I'm not peacekeeper I
thought I was. I don't know...
Valka watches him, her heart breaking. She steps forward.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 82.
VALKA
You came early into this world. You
were such a wee thing. So frail, so
fragile. I feared you wouldn't make
it.
Hiccup lowers his eyes, but Valka lifts his chin.
VALKA (CONT'D)
But your father... he never
doubted. He always said you'd
become the strongest of them all.
(BEAT)
And he was right.
(BEAT)
You have the heart of a chief and
the soul of a dragon. Only you can
bring our worlds together. That is
who you are, son.
Hiccup meets her bolstering stare. He turns to the ship and
watches it in silence, silhouetted in its glow.
HICCUP
I was so afraid of becoming my dad.
Mostly because I thought I never
could. How do you become someone
that great? That brave? That
selfless?
(BEAT)
I guess you can only try.
(to the others)
A chief protects his own. We're
going back.
TUFFNUT
Uh, with what?
RUFFNUT
He took all the dragons.
HICCUP
Not all of them.
EXT. ICE CHANNELS - MOMENTS LATER
(Scene 2200 - Hatchlings to the Rescue)
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! JUVENILES BLUR past, like flying
raptors, ZIGZAGGING wildly.
Riding bareback, Hiccup & Co. HURTLE through the narrow ICE
CHANNELS -- created by massive splits in the iceberg shelves.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 83.
RUFFNUT
Fly straight!
FISHLEGS
I don't want to die!
TUFFNUT
We can't fly these things!
FISHLEGS
Yeah, no kidding!
Fishlegs barrels into a snow bank, sending several chunks
right into Eret's face as rides inverted and HOLLERING.
ASTRID
But won't that Bewilderbeast just
take control of these guys, too?
HICCUP
They're babies. They don't listen
to anyone!
TUFFNUT
Yeah, just like us!
Gobber follows up the rear clumsily, STRUGGLING for control.
GOBBER
This... is... very dangerous!
He PULLS ALONGSIDE Hiccup and Valka.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Some might suggest this is poorly
conceived.
HICCUP
Well, it's a good thing that I
never listen.
A SHARP RIDGE RUSHES up at them. They're going to CRASH.
Hiccup ROUNDS one side of it, and Gobber flies down the other
side. They shout through gaps in the iceberg.
GOBBER
So what IS your plan?!
HICCUP
Get Toothless back and kick Drago's-
He's interrupted by another closure in the gaps of ice. They
blast out of the other side.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 84.
GOBBER
Heads up!
They SPLIT to avoid another peak and then reconvene, only to
find another icy outcropping directly in their path.
HICCUP
And that thing.
Gobber HITS it, with a THUD and a YELP.
EXT. BERK - NIGHT
(Scene 2450 - Hiccup Vs. Toothless)
Torches burn in their braziers as Berk slumbers... until the
Bewilderbeast approaches, STOMPING down on the monolithic
Viking statues that guard the harbor.
INT. GOTHI'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
The sound of destruction rouses a flock of Terrible Terrors
and Gothi, who was sleeping under the dragons. Their pupils
turn to slits, and heeding the ultrasonic call, they fly off.
Gothi shuffles onto her deck, confused, then GASPS at
horrifying sight.
INT. VIKING HUT - CONTINUOUS
A Gronckle lounges peacefully by the fire, as his Viking
owner lavishes him with scratches.
HOARK
Ah, that's a good boy!
The Gronckle's eyes suddenly turn to slits and it, too, takes
wing, knocking over a chair and table as it heads for the
door.
HOARK (CONT'D)
Watch the furniture! Where are you
going?
It barrels out of the hut and into the night sky as the
Viking rushes to the doorway, spotting the same arresting
sight with a gasp.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 85.
EXT. GREAT HALL - CONTINUOUS
Vikings pour out of the Great Hall as all of Berk's dragons
fill the night sky and join the ranks of Drago's growing
DRAGON ARMY.
The Bewilderbeast rises out of the sea, bearing down on the
people of Berk as Drago hovers on Toothless, leading the
charge. The Vikings stare, aghast.
DRAGO
Your chief is dead.
Waves of shock and whispers of "Stoick?" spread through the
crowd.
DRAGO (CONT'D)
No one can protect you now.
He thrusts his bull-hook, commanding the Bewilderbeast to
fire. The Vikings watch in horror as the Bewilderbeast opens
its yawning jaws and BLASTS.
EXT. SKIES/BERK - NIGHT
Dragon roars grow louder as Hiccup & Co. approach through
clouds, racing against time.
They collectively GASP at the sight of Drago's Bewilderbeast
having now covered most of the village in explosions of ice.
Berk's now commandeered dragons circle in a huddle behind
him, joining Valka's flock, and corralled by Drago's armored
dragons.
HICCUP
No...
FISHLEGS
He took all the dragons!
HICCUP
(FUMING)
Distract the alpha. Try to keep his
focus off of Toothless.
TUFFNUT
Uh... how?
ERET
Have you forgotten who you're
riding with?
He brazenly aims his baby dragon toward the Bewilderbeast.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 86.
ERET (CONT'D)
There isn't a dragon alive that I
can't wrangle!
His baby dragon dives toward the sea instead.
ERET (CONT'D)
Except for this one!
SNOTLOUT
Amateur.
The others shrug and follow. As they get closer, the
Bewilderbeast looms bigger and BIGGER.
Berk's Vikings in hiding notice Hiccup and the others as they
approach.
VIKING #1
Look, it's Hiccup!
The Vikings CHEER.
ON DRAGO, surprised to see Hiccup and the others approaching.
DRAGO
What?
With an irate HUFF, the Bewilderbeast focuses on Hiccup,
gaining ever closer to Toothless.
Suddenly, a SHEEP appears in its sight, rising and falling
out of view. The Bewilderbeast blinks, confused.
It looks down to see Eret catching the falling sheep and
reloading it into the game launcher, as Tuffnut cocks the
mechanism and Ruffnut pulls the trigger.
RUFFNUT
Keep `em coming!
Snotlout tosses the black sheep to Tuffnut.
SNOTLOUT
Black sheep, baby!
Exasperated, the alpha inhales, about to blast, when... HONK!
The game horn blares, breaking his concentration.
He turns, finding the horn unmanned. The Bewilderbeast then
returns his focus to the sheep launcher, until the BLACK
SHEEP LANDS on the his face, bouncing down his facial spines
and becoming lodged.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 87.
SNOTLOUT (CONT'D)
Ten points!
The Bewilderbeast shakes the black sheep off and prepares to
blast again.
SNOTLOUT (CONT'D)
Uh-oh...
HONK! The alpha whips around -- still no one at the horn.
ON FISHLEGS, giggling and hiding behind the game horn.
The Bewilderbeast finally lets loose the ice blast, covering
the entire horn in jagged spikes... as Fishlegs leaps from
the platform.
FISHLEGS
I'm okay!
BACK TO HICCUP
as he reaches Drago, hovering directly in Toothless' sights.
DRAGO
You certainly are hard to get rid
of. I'll say that.
Hiccup ignored him and focuses on Toothless' slitted pupils.
HICCUP
Toothless? It's me, bud. It's me.
I'm right here. Come back to me.
TOOTHLESS' POV: Hiccup appears as an unfamiliar red blur,
still firmly under the control of the Bewilderbeast.
DRAGO
He is not yours anymore. He belongs
to the alpha!
Drago smugly sits back in the saddle, his arms open in
invitation.
DRAGO (CONT'D)
But, please, oh great dragon
master, try to take him. He will
not miss a second time.
Hiccup holds strong, maintaining eye contact with Toothless.
He reaches out to touch him.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 88.
HICCUP
It wasn't your fault, bud. They
made you do it.
Drago's amusement fades as Toothless stirs. His pupils
DILATE, then NARROW again.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
You'd never hurt him.
(BEAT)
You'd never hurt me.
Drago watches, amazed, as Toothless fights the control.
DRAGO
How are you doing that?
Hiccup holds the stare, tears in his eyes.
HICCUP
Please. You are my best friend,
bud.
Bewilderbeast ROARS a forceful command.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
My best friend.
Toothless' pupils jitter, then DILATE fully. He coos
sympathetically.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Thatta boy! That's it! I'm here!
Toothless' eyes finally dilate fully and resolve on Hiccup's
familiar face.
Drago goes from astounded to alarmed. Drago STRIKES Toothless
with the bull hook in a vain attempt to regain control.
DRAGO
No!
Toothless ROARS defiantly, snatches the bull hook in his
jaws, and PULLS... yanking Drago off of his back and sending
him both PLUMMETING to the sea.
HICCUP
Yeah!
But without a rider, Toothless drops out of the sky as well.
Hiccup leaps from the baby dragon, diving after him.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 89.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Hang on!
Drago breaks his fall, landing heavily upon the
Bewilderbeast's tusk...
As Hiccup tucks in his arms, trying to close the gap between
he and Toothless before they both make impact with the ocean.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Almost there, buddy. Almost there!
Hiccup reaches Toothless. They pair up, mid-air, and
skyrocket past Drago as he hobbles to the top of the alpha's
head.
EXT. BERK - VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER
(Scene 2500 - One True Alpha)
Hiccup looks back at Drago, now issuing commands from the top
of the Bewilderbeast's head.
DRAGO
Do something!
HICCUP
We need to get those two apart.
Hiccup flies Toothless past a flag pole tears a strip of the
flag.
The Bewilderbeast BLASTS in their direction, barely missing
them as they disappear around the back of a mountain.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
We gotta block him out, Toothless.
Do you trust me, bud?
Toothless coos, allowing Hiccup to BLINDFOLD him with the
flag. Hiccup calms him with a touch.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
We can do this. You and me. As one.
Hiccup SPLAYS Toothless' mechanical tail. Toothless responds,
MATCHING the move with the natural half.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
That's it. Now let's try this one
more time!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 90.
They PEEL around the other side of the mountain, heading
back toward Drago and Bewilderbeast, passing Astrid and the
cheering Vikings on the ground.
ASTRID
Take them down, babe!
The Viking roar in support as Hiccup and Toothless race past.
Valka watches with pride as her son hurtles towards Drago and
the alpha.
VALKA
Go get `em.
DRAGO
Take control of it!
The Bewilderbeast's HISS becomes a furious ROAR, but to no
avail. Hiccup clamps his hands over Toothless' ear plates,
muffling the alpha's commands.
HICCUP
Shut it out, Toothless!
DRAGO
STOP THEM!
The Bewilderbeast BLASTS!
HICCUP
NOW!
Toothless suddenly PULLS UP, ARCING over Drago's head! Drago
LAUGHS, victorious, then pauses in shock.
DRAGO'S POV: as Toothless climbs inverted through the sky,
the blindfold falls free, revealing an EMPTY SADDLE.
Drago WHIRLS around, wide-eyed, to see...
HICCUP ZOOMING TOWARD HIM, his wing-suit deployed, and his
Dragon Blade trailing Zippleback gas. Drago SWIPES but misses
him. Hiccup clicks the lighter and ignites the gas, blasting
Drago off his Bewilderbeast with a SCREAM.
Drago PLUMMETS, BREAKING HIS FALL against the massive
dragon's spines and landing hard on the ground, his bullhook
landing just out of reach.
The Bewilderbeast WHIPS its tail, trying to SWAT down Hiccup.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 91.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Not again.
(BEAT)
TOOTHLESS! IT'S NOW OR NEVER!
Toothless pops open his dorsal blades, arcs skyward, and
rejoins Hiccup just before colliding with the alpha's tail.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Come on, bud!
Together again, they speed along the length of the thrashing
tail...
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Hold on!
And shoot past the tip of the tail, narrowly making it!
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Yeah! We did it!
They arc through the sky and LAND a few paces from Drago,
kicking up a trail of dust.
Battered and weary, Drago reaches for his bullhook. Hiccup
extends and fires up his Dragon Blade, hurling it like a
javelin, and sticking it in the ground between Drago and his
weapon, singeing his outstretched hand.
DRAGO
Agghh!
HICCUP
Hold him there Toothless!
Toothless SNARLS a warning, ready to blast.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
It's all over now.
But the cloud of dust settles, revealing the Bewilderbeast,
rising behind Hiccup, ready to blast him instead.
DRAGO
(GRINNING KNOWINGLY)
Or is it?
Hiccup spins around, alarmed, as a RUSH of water THUNDERS up
the Bewilderbeast's throat.
HICCUP
Oh, no!
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 92.
It BLASTS, but Toothless leaps into the way, shielding Hiccup
beneath him. The freezing explosion envelops them both.
Drago laughs to himself as Valka lands her baby dragon and
rushes to the icy explosion, hammering away at it
desperately.
VALKA
No! No...
ON ASTRID and GOBBER, watching from a distance, horrified. As
Valka POUNDS at the ice, a GLOWS forms from deep within. She
realizes what is about to happen and backs away.
A BLAST thunders from inside the ice, SHATTERING it.
Toothless emerges from the debris, revealing Hiccup curled
safely under his wings.
Toothless is steaming, his black skin glowing blue with rage,
his split dorsal blades searing with blue heat, a glow
emanating from his flared nostrils.
He turns back to Hiccup, to check if he's unharmed, then
turns his full attention back to the Bewilderbeast. He leaps
out of the crater and lands upon an ice spire, roaring
ferociously.
The Bewilderbeast bellows back at this affront. Toothless
unleashes a salvo of plasma into the Bewilderbeast's face,
not letting up.
HICCUP
He's challenging the alpha!
VALKA
To protect you.
The Bewilderbeast ROARS at this act of insubordination.
Toothless fires back, time and again, fully in control.
The alpha thrashes his tusks through the ice, trying to smash
Toothless, but he deftly spring from spire to spire,
continuing his unrelenting attack.
In the midst of the mayhem, the horde of commandeered dragons
-- both Berk's and Valka's -- break free from the control to
witness Toothless' retaliation.
Toothless lands protectively by Hiccup and Valka, commanding
the dragons to shift sides. The follow, amassing behind
Toothless.
Seeing this, Drago panics and rushes toward the
Bewilderbeast.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 93.
DRAGO
No, no, no, no! Fight back! Fight!
FIGHT!
Drago clambers up the Bewilderbeast's tusk, totally unhinged.
DRAGO (CONT'D)
(to the defecting dragons)
What's the matter with you?
The Berkians swell in to show their unified support. Drago
fumes as Hiccup and Toothless fly up together onto an ice
spire.
HICCUP
Now do you get it? This is what it
is to earn a dragon's loyalty.
(BEAT)
Let this end now.
DRAGO
Never! Come on!
He hammers the Bewilderbeast, spurring it into a charge.
Toothless calls over his shoulder, commanding the dragons to
ready themselves. He then BLASTS the Bewilderbeast, mid-
charge. Suddenly, Skullcrusher fires. Followed by another,
and another.
Hiccup looks around, amazed to see the flock of dragons
opening fire on Drago and his Bewilderbeast. They've started
a rebellion.
Drago is forced to hide from the fiery barrage by taking
cover in the tall spines of the giant's crown.
DRAGO (CONT'D)
FIGHT! BLAST THEM!
His prosthetic arm is blasted clean off by one of his own
armored dragons.
The Bewilderbeast rears back to cover them all in ice, but
Toothless lets loose a powerful shot. The Bewilderbeast's
head is KNOCKED backward by a blue-flame fireball.
As the smoke clears, one of its massive TUSKS FALLS to the
ground, sheared clean off. Drago glares at Toothless.
Toothless ROARS commandingly, calling an end to the fight.
HICCUP
The alpha protects them all.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 94.
Overwhelmed and overpowered, the Bewilderbeast yields to the
new alpha and heeds Toothless' command, retreating into the
sea in an explosive splash.
The Berkians CHEER in victory!
As the smoke clears, Hiccup and Toothless see nothing but
bubbles on the waves to mark their disappearance. No sign of
the Bewilderbeast... or Drago.
Toothless hops down from the spire, cooling off, as people
celebrate all around them.
All of the dragons -- Berk's, Valka's, even Drago's -- land
around Toothless. Cloudjumper bows to Toothless, starting a
wave of bows, acknowledging their new alpha.
Toothless looks around, surprised, then lets out a majestic
ROAR. The assembled dragons join in, roaring in tribute.
Toothless turns to Hiccup as he approaches.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
You never cease to amaze me, bud.
Thank you.
Toothless GURGLES and licks Hiccup's face. Hiccups squeals,
trying to get away.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Toothless! You know that doesn't
wash out.
The crowd laughs. All around them, Berk's dragons reunite
with their Vikings.
ASTRID
Stormfly!
Stormfly bounds into Astrid.
GOBBER
Oh, give me a cuddle, Grumpy!
Grump lands ON TOP of Gobber, flattening him.
Relieved to the point of tears, Snotlout and Fishlegs race
towards the expectant Ruffnut...
FISHLEGS
Who's my little princess?
... and then right PAST her to embrace their dragons.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 95.
FISHLEGS (CONT'D)
I missed you so much!
SNOTLOUT
Don't you ever leave again,
Hookfang!
Ruffnut GRUMBLES, dejected. Barf dips his head in to console
her.
RUFFNUT
Oh Barf!
She hugs him. Belch looms in for some affection, but Ruffnut
pushes him away...
RUFFNUT (CONT'D)
Not you.
And into Tuffnut who glowers back at her.
Hiccup smiles, taking in the happy reunions. Skullcrusher
approaches him, without an owner to reunite with. Hiccup pets
him, as Eret approaches.
ERET
That was some pretty fine dragon
wrangling back there. You'd make a
good trapper.
Before Hiccup can respond, Skullcrusher nuzzles Eret
affectionately. Eret chuckles and gently strokes him.
HICCUP
Y'know, Skullcrusher's gonna need
somebody to look after him now.
ERET
Me?
Hiccup nods reassuringly. Eret looks at Skullcrusher, pausing
to consider it.
ERET (CONT'D)
I'd be honored.
Valka walks up to her son, bursting with pride.
VALKA
Your father... he'd be every bit as
proud as I am.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 96.
HICCUP
Thank you. I'm really glad you're
here, Mom.
VALKA
And here I'll stay.
Toothless arrives, purring at Valka's touch as Astrid strides
toward Hiccup, beaming proudly.
ASTRID
See? I told you it was in here.
She places her hand upon his chest, then quickly pokes the
dorsal fin button, popping it open. She GIGGLES.
HICCUP
Ha, ha. Still doing that one?
That's hilarious.
(THEN)
Come here, you.
He scoops Astrid close and pulls her into a kiss. Gobber
covers a gawking boy's eyes.
GOBBER
Ooh.
Gothi, the elder, taps Hiccup's shoulder, interrupting the
romantic moment. She gestures for Hiccup to kneel. He does
so, respectfully.
Using ash from a heap of burnt wreckage, Gothi traces a
Viking symbol onto Hiccup's forehead. She bows.
Hiccup stands, meeting Gobber's proud, smiling eyes. Gobber
turns to the silent crowd and throws up his arms.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
The chief has come home!
The Berkians erupt with cheers and applause as Hiccup takes
in the moment, acknowledging the weight of responsibility now
upon him.
Toothless throws back his head and BLASTS in celebration,
spurring all other dragons to follow suit, lighting up the
sky in a spectacular display.
EXT. BERK VILLAGE - DAY
(Scene 2700 - A New Beginning)
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 97.
A sheep grazes lazily on the grass as a Terrible Terror
struggles in vain to carry him off. Suddenly, both are
snatched up by a passing dragon.
IN THE AIR
Ruffnut and Tuffnut wrestle over the sheep atop Barf & Belch.
Ruffnut send the sheep flying toward Fishlegs. Snotlout nabs
it instead, blowing a kiss mockingly.
HICCUP (V.O.)
This... is Berk. A bit trampled and
busted and covered in ice, but it's
home. It's our home.
They swoop past a gathered crowd on the battered bleachers as
Snotlout dunks the sheep in his basket. Eret joins the race
atop Skullcrusher.
They fly past Hiccup and Toothless, who are steadily hoisting
a palette of timber and supplies onto a rooftop where workers
are rebuilding the damaged houses.
Hiccup then turns his attention to a massive statue of
Stoick, presently under construction. He grins with pride.
HICCUP (V.O.)
Those who attacked us are
relentless and crazy. But those who
stopped them? Oh, even more so!
He looks to the horizon, scanning it from east to west to
ensure that no trouble is approaching.
Astrid and Stormfly buzz past him playfully, coaxing him to
join the game. He smiles.
HICCUP (V.O.)
We may be small in numbers, but we
stand for something bigger than
anything the world can pit against
us.
Astrid soars past the blacksmith stall, waving to Valka and
Gobber as they remove the armor from Drago's freed battle
dragons.
HICCUP (V.O.)
We are the voice of peace. And bit
by bit, we will change this world.
HTTYD 2 (D. DeBlois) - FINAL DRAFT - 05/05/14 98.
Realizing that he's late, Gobber hurries over to the sheep
launcher and pulls the trigger, sending the black sheep
hurtling into the air.
Astrid and Stormfly close in on the black sheep, about to
snatch it out of the air, when suddenly, Hiccup and Toothless
dart past, beating them to it. Toothless looks back with a
gummy smile.
HICCUP (V.O.)
You see, we have something they
don't. Oh sure, they have armies
and they have armadas...
Toothless and Hiccup dive toward the line of baskets. As they
approach, Toothless bounces Hiccup into the air, allowing him
to dunk the black sheep into Astrid's basket. They reunite on
the other side. The crowd cheers!
HICCUP (V.O.)
But we... we have...
Hiccup and Toothless land upon the chief's dais, joined by
Astrid, Stormfly, and the other dragon riders.
HICCUP (V.O.)
OUR DRAGONS!
Toothless lets out a proud roar as Hiccup look out over Berk,
gleaming with pride.
CUT TO:
END TITLE: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 |
"Hudson Hawk", by Steven E. de Souza, revised by Daniel Waters
HUDSON HAWK
Screenplay by
Steven E. de Souza
Revisions by
Dan Waters
Based on an original idea by
Bruce Willis & Robert Kraft
A Silver Pictures/Flying Heart Films June 14, 1990
Production
NOTE: THE HARD COPY OF THIS SCRIPT CONTAINED SCENE NUMBERS
AND SOME "SCENE OMITTED" SLUGS. THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR
THIS SOFT COPY.
FADE IN:
EXT. VINCI COUNTRYSIDE - RENAISSANCE - DAY
Beneath a jawdroppingly storybook castle, a small
Renaissance Fair with florid awnings, demented ACROBATS
and roaring puppets is unfolding.
RUSTIC FARMERS and their families rumble with enjoyment
at the Sabbath afternoon entertainment.
Encircled by children, A JUGGLER WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY
ETCHED FACE elegantly plucks the red balls from a pouch
on his mule. As he begins to juggle, a LOUD EXPLOSION
is heard, causing him to ungracefully drop his balls
and collapse in a heap.
Everyone at the fair, including the puppets, looks up.
UNFORGETTABLE JUGGLER
Leonardo, che pazzo.
The juggler shakes his fist up to a swish pan that swings
up toward a smoking window of the awesome castle...
INT. ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE
where the charismatic LEONARDO DA VINCI laughs down at
him. Da Vinci wears a pair of very early, very cool sun-
glasses with his trademark beard.
He turns and loses his smile, something extraordinary
reflecting off his glasses. Removing his shades, Da
Vinci moves to the Something, a gloriously incredible
machine. The opening CREDITS REVEAL its dazzling idio-
syncrasies.
TWO COUGHING APPRENTICES haplessly try to disperse smoke
from the still billowing, mysteriously spectacular
Machine. Mirrors attached to parts of it reflect beams
of light which cut through the smoke like a Renaissance
laser show.
DA VINCI
(silencing authority)
Basta vapore.
The apprentice throws a lever. A shunt near the furnace
turns. Steam escapes upwards. The machine immediately
slows down. Da Vinci oh-so-gently coughs and moves for-
ward with tongs.
A LITTLE TROUGH - IN THE MACHINE'S INNARDS
comes to a trembling, mystical halt. Right behind this
trough is a CONPLEX POLYHEDRON CRYSTAL as intricately
modulated as any Rubik stocking stuffer, but much more
dazzling in beauty. It gleams like a jewel in the yellow
glow which pours from a PLEASANTLY GRINNING DEMONHEAD into
a trough--a glow of heat--and something more than heat.
The tongs enter the frame.
Da Vinci brings the object closer to his face. A murmur
goes up from the awestruck apprentices as the Master
peers at the smoking yellow bar.
APPRENTICE TWO
Maestro, che meraviglia!
APPRENTICE THREE
Lei e' proprio fantastico!
Da Vinci's pride goes dead as the implications hit.
DA VINCI
Lasciatemi, solo. Solo!
The apprentices scurry out. Mind reeling, Da Vinci turns
his back to the viewer, before a wall of frescoes.
DA VINCI
L'ho fatto.
Spinning back around, using the edge of his cloak, Da
Vinci pulls out the large gleaming crystal with a pop.
INT. DA VINCI'S WORKSHOP
With an accompanying blast of smoke, Da Vinci bursts
through some double doors into his workshop, sadly
reflecting upon the crystal in one hand and the tonged
bar in the other.
His workshop is a spendiferously enigmatic blend of
laboratory and studio; On a table in the foreground is
a fresh clay equestrian statue; a large VOLUME of
sketches, the inkwell nearby; a MODEL of what looks like
a HELICOPTER; Da Vinci flings the tonged bar on the table
among these goodies.
Pocketing the crystal, Da Vinci meanders through his work-
shop casually tinkering with various experiments. He
snaps his fingers at a BATHING SUITED APPRENTICE, wearing
a diving helmet prototype. The Apprentice jumps into a
pool of water.
Leonardo next stops at an easel displaying a finished-
except-for-the-mouth portrait of Mona Lisa, who happens
to be seated in a stool before the easel. She broadly
smiles, revealing the worst dental work of her epoch.
Da Vinci shakes his head and moves out onto a
EXT. CASTLE TERRACE
A FLYING APPRENTICE sails past Leonardo in a bat winged
glider, enthusiastically shouting. Da Vinci grins back
until he touches his pocket. He pulls out the crystal
and, after a beat, angrily twists it apart into two
separate, geometric pieces revealing a small intricate
mirror. He quickly folds the surprisingly shapable
geometric pieces.
Calming down, Da Vinci looks from the three components of
the crystal to each of the three unfinished works on the
table in his workshop. He ponders then looks back out to
the Vinci vista.
The bat winged glider DISSOLVES into:
A HAWK
who is revealed to be flying over Sing Sing prison.
INT. A SING SING PRISON CELL
The shadow of the hawk passes through a cell window, over
the face of EDDIE HUDSON HAWKINS causing him to break out
of an eye-closed trance.
Before the viewer can get a good look at him, Hudson
Hawk turns to an oddball version of the "Mona Lisa" that
has his face and tears it off the cell back-wall.
INT. PRISON BLOCK WALKWAY
TWO PRISON GUARDS, One WISE and BLACK, the other YOUNG
and GREEN march down a cell block. The Former is smoking
a pipe which the Young Guard lights with a lighter.
WISE GUARD
We're losing our biggest celebrity
today.
YOUNG GUARD
You're kidding, Petey the Paint
Thinner Killer is getting paroled?
WISE GUARD
Not that slime, you Fizzhead.
Hudson Hawk. The last of the
great cat burglars.
INT. PRISON CELL WALL
A hand tears down a picture of a happy Hudson Hawk and
a LITTLE MONKEY, identically dressed in black cat
burglar gear.
THE BLOCK
The Wise Guard and the Young Guard rumble forward.
WISE GUARD
As a thief, Hawk was a poem.
Iambic fucking pentameter. You
know, Crime used to have a little
class. A hundred reporters were
here when he came in, now they're
probably out covering some tired
crack gang war...
The Guards approach Hawk's cell. Hawk, with his back
turned, hefts on a nifty blazer.
HAWK
Remind me to fire my publicist.
The Wise Guard chuckles as the Young Guard fumbles with
his key-ring.
YOUNG GUARD
Darn, these are for L-block...
Hawk's hand reaches through the bars and grabs a pipe
cleaner from the Wise Guard's pocket. Then the lighter
from the Young Guard's pocket--BURNS OFF the fabric fuzz
with the lighter beside it--bends the now blackened
wire--and with a quick turn of the wrist uses it to
UNLOCK the door.
YOUNG GUARD
- go back down to security and-
He stops, dumbfounded, as the door clunks open. The
Guards double-take as Hawk, finally in full view, struts
past them, down the hall. The Guards hustle to catch
up. The wise guard puts his finger in the air and
sarcastically pretends to be stung by the heat emanating
from Hawk.
WISE GUARD
Guess this means, Hawk, you'll
be able to let yourself back in...
HAWK
Never happen. Bet. Ten bucks.
Hawk and the Wise Guard hit fists, half-smiling. Hawk
unfolds the painting.
HAWK
Oh, give this back to Petey in A
block. Tell him it was a sweet
gift, but I think he got some
wrong ideas about our friendship.
YOUNG GUARD
The Paint Thinner Killer did
this? I think you picked a good
day to get out...
The trio comes to the final checkpoint. Hawk takes a
deep breath.
WISE GUARD
Hope I lose the bet. Have that
cappuccino on me.
HAWK
(flipping him the
pipe cleaner)
You got it. A double.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE PRISON--DAY
Hawk strides to the Massive Sliding Concrete Door/Wall
between him and freedom. As music crescendos and
Hawk glows his first smile, the door opens to reveal two
Mafioso brothers, CESAR and ANTONY MARIO, the latter
sitting upon the hood of a tinted window Lincoln
Continental. Cesar is of cool, hair-slicked-back
attitude, his scumbag brother is not.
ANTONY
Welcome back, buddy ol' pal.
We've got a proposition...
HAWK
Answer's no, not even if you
bathe. Cesar Mario, Antony Mario,
how's the "Family?" Kill any
monkeys lately?
CESAR
How many times do I have to say
it? I didn't put the hit on
Little Eddie... Never had anything
against that kooky chimp. I
actually found him, "endearing."
HAWK
Sure. Face down. Two endearing
shots to the back of the head.
That's your mark, man. What did
Little Eddie ever do to...
Smouldering, Hawk struts off. Cesar takes a black
canvas bag from a SCARFACED DRIVER and hustles up to
Hawk. The Lincoln rumbles behind them, Antony riding
on the hood.
CESAR
You're hitting Rutherford's
Auction House. Easy as my
brother's wife. Directions are
in the bag. Just open the seventh
floor safe and take out the
thingie...
HAWK
Or you cut off my thingie.
Directions even your brother
would understand.
ANTONY
(defensively)
Yeah, directions even I could
understand.
The car squeals to a stop. Antony bounds off. Cesar
shove-throws the canvas bag into Hawk's unwilling
hands.
CESAR
Hawk, you're a great thief. Got
set up, did some time, nothing to
be ashamed of. Don't give me a
sonata about you always just
really wanted to settle down,
open a hardware Store and sell
spatulas...
HAWK
If the Mario brothers weren't
Jersey's third largest family,
I'd say kiss my ass. But
considering your status, I'll
say slurp my butt.
Hawk fiercely push-shoves the canvas bag back into
Cesar's hands.
CESAR
What's your favorite sport, Hawk?
HAWK
Baseball, why?
Antony opens the back door of the Lincoln and says
"Baseball." He is handed a baseball bat. Hawk backs
up as Antony moves threateningly toward him.
HAWK
I meant, ping pong. Listen, I'd
rather go back in than whore for
you...
(stopping)
Oh, I need to borrow ten dollars.
A PRISON GUARD from above turns as not to be a witness.
Hawk feebly calls up to him.
HAWK
Help? Police?
Antony swings at Hawk, who pretends not to notice until
the last second. Hawk ducks and slam-kicks his calf.
Antony crumples, using the bat as a crutch. Hawk boots
up the bat for a two-handed catch then savagely pivots
it across Antony's face, knocking him into the backseat
of the car.
CESAR
(unfazed)
You need some time to think.
That's cool, but next time, I'm
not going to say "Please."
Cesar floats into the backseat. The Lincoln takes off.
Hawk seethes...
HAWK
I don't believe this. I've been
out forty seconds...
A BACKFIRE rings out. Hawk hits the ground, thinking
it is a gunshot.
HAWK'S ON THE GROUND P.O.V.
A gasping 1960 Caddy comes to a stop and a pair of a too-
fancy-to-be-tasteful shoes comes out. Hawk looks up to
see ALEX MESSINA, his older, maybe-maybe-not-wiser best
friend.
ALEX
That's the first thing I did.
Smooch the ground and taste the
freedom. Sorry I was late. Miss
anything?
HAWK
(getting up)
Your timing, and your shoes, are
impeccable... Good to see you,
Alex, been having a lousy day.
ALEX
Lousy day? The man's getting out
of prison and he's having a
lousy day. What, you missing out
on the Cell Block Water Ballet
pageant? Believe me, it's
overrated.
Hawk pauses to say something, then just hugs Alex.
ALEX
Where's the kiss? No tongue this
time, I promise.
A laughing Hawk gives Alex's stomach a slap before
getting in the car....
HAWK
Looks like you've been expanding
your...
ALEX
Don't say it, Hawkins. I'm
incredibly sensitive about my
fucking figure.
HAWK
My next word was gonna be
"consciousness." Swear to God...
tubby.
EXT. THE ROAD INTO HOBOKEN--DAY
The Caddy thunders past a sweet Manhattan view. "Come
Fly With Me" is playing on the radio. Hawk casually com-
pletes an intimidating hand puzzle.
HAWK
That's your definition of "Hard?"
ALEX
Show off. Hey, boss tune. "Come
Fly with Me."
HAWK
Three minutes, 51 seconds.
ALEX
Still do the puzzles, still know
the running times of songs, and
I'll bet you're still the best
damn cat burg--
HAWK
Not anymore. Now I'm the laziest
damn cat burg--I'm going to take
it so straight that I won't tape
a Mets game without the expressed
written consent of the National
Baseball League.
ALEX
Now that you're born again,what
do you wanna do? Statue of
Liberty? Entertain some ladies?
Miss Saigon tix? Seduce some
women? Play Nintendo? Bone some
chicks?
HAWK
Come on, Alex, let's just get to
Alex's. Your bar's the only
place that's going to cheer me.
God, I'd kill for a damn
cappuccino. What the hell's a
Nintendo?
ALEX
Oh man, you still got a thing for
those unmasculine European coffees?
Who's your buddy?
Alex pulls a styrofoam cup from a paper bag.
HAWK
The man knows, the man knows!
Hawk takes off the cap with a stimulating whiff.
ALEX
So Mr. Coffee, what went down
outside the prison?
HAWK
Oh, not much. Mario Brothers want
me to do a job.
Alex brakes and cappuccino flies. Hawk half-heartedly
tries to lick up with his fingers.
ALEX
Those dago-guinea-I can say
this shit I'm Italian-wop
motherfu--
HAWK
Ah, had the perfect amount of
foam. Just get me to the bar...
It's the one good thing in my
life that'll never change....
EXT. OUTSIDE ALEX'S BAR--NIGHT
The Guys move through the personably Jersey face of the
bar. The Empire State Building beams in the background.
Sinatra cuts off.
INT. ALEX'S BAR--NIGHT
It's changed. Hawk and Alex enter into what has become
the ultimate pseudo-art deco-fern littered-nightmare,
packed with noisy, INSUFFERABLY SELF-ABSORBED YUPS.
A violently erotic and pretentious video plays upon
elevated T.V. sets set up all around the place.
Hawk's mouth gapes as he drifts by a sickening COUPLE
toasting wine coolers, and two very YOUNG BROKERS high-
fiving each other after missing a dartboard.
ALEX
I didn't know how to tell you. A
couple brokers stopped in for
Stoley Spritzers one night. Next
thing I know Fast Track Digest
votes us "Watering Hole of the
Month." Now, I'm shopping for
Aqua Salmon wallpaper.
HAWK
I read about these people in
Newsweek. Where's all the
regulars, Crazy Jeff Cava, the
Todd sisters, Indian Joe? Where's
Ed Kranepool's autograph? Captain
Bob's steering wheel?
ALEX
Hey, get this irritable guy a
cappuccino. I gotta go be a boss.
Alex lifts a piece of the bar and moves behind it.
Snatching up a menu, Hawk calls out...
HAWK
This is Pizza? Reindeer Goat
cheese? I admit, I've been known
to go wild and order a Canadian
Bacon in my time, but..
Hawk lights up a cigarette. A TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER
immediately turns to him wearing a "Yes, I mind if you
smoke" button.
TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER
Can you read.... smoker?
HAWK
Can you take a sunrise and
sprinkle it with dew?
TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER
(Huh?)
No.
HAWK
The Candy Man can, Felix. You
know, I thought this was a country
where you could do any stupid
thing you wanted; drive to work
naked, make love to a V.C.R.
Guess I'm wrong. Maybe that's
why I became a serial arsonist.
TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER
Hey, it's okay, big guy. Smoke
all you want. Have mine....
The Non-smoker fumbles out a pack of cigarettes and
flees. A cappuccino in cup and saucer slides down the
bar saloon-style. A smiling Hawk picks it up, turns away
from the bar and closes his eyes, bringing the cup to his
lips until a POLICE BADGE swirls into frame and splashes
into the cup, splattering coffee over Hawk's blazer.
GATES (O.S.)
You're under arrest...
Hawk makes eye contact up to a crude, coarse, and
cackling island of a man, OFFICER GATES, amid the sea
of oblivious and self-obsessed yuppitude, standing by
a table.
GATES
Have a seat. Good to see you,
buddy ol' pal...
HAWK
The pleasure's all yours, Officer
Gates.
BACK OF THE BAR
With concern, Alex watches Hawk sit at Gates' table.
GATES' TABLE
Gates pillages a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with
terrifying precision. Hawk tosses the badge onto the
food. Gates eats around it.
GATES
Why do you show your parole
officer such disrespect?
Especially after I got you such
a nice job.
HAWK
What job?
Gates pulls up the black canvas bag and puts it on the
table.
GATES
The auction house, asshole. One
night's work and you're free like
no ex-con's ever been. No
checking in with a shrink, no
community service teaching
retards how to play air hockey.
It's a great deal, I can't lie.
HAWK
The only thing you can't do is
get sex for free. I know I was
in prison for like basically the
80's, but, call me daffy, aren't
you supposed to stop me from
committing crimes. You know,
Book-em-Dano, Call-for-backup,
Give-a-Hoot-Don't-Pollute.
Gates thunders out of his chair and moves around to sneer
down at Hawk. Behind Gates, on the T.V. screens, are
analogous images of DISGUSTING ANIMALS AND MONSTERS.
GATES
You wouldn't be out if it wasn't
for me! I did dog and pony for
you! You think they would have
let you out after what you did,
you told the board members they
looked like the Three Stooges...
HAWK
How was I supposed to know they
were women? Besides one of them
was bald and kept saying
"Soitinly."
Gates simmers into his seat with a self-control smile.
GATES
Remember that guy in the cell
next to you who hung himself?
HAWK
Yes.
GATES
Remember that shoe you lost...
HAWK
Uh, yeah. Cut to the chase.
Gates pulls up a shoe and puts it on the table.
GATES
One phone call and your shoe
will become a piece of evidence
and that suicide'll become a
murder.
Hawk bobs under the table and up.
HAWK
What else do you got under there
... I don't want to be rude, but
this is all pretty lame.
GATES
That's the beauty. It's bullshit,
but I can make it stick because
I'm a good guy parole officer and
you re a bad guy who's about to
find out that there's a thin line
between ex-con and escape con.
Alex suddenly approaches the table.
ALEX
How is everything tonight, sir?
GATES
Beat it, Alex. You're a dinosaur.
HAWK
Alex, did you know this ape was
going to be here...
ALEX
Sure. That's why his meatballs
are made out of marinated Chuck
Wagon.
GATES
(mouthful)
You're full of shit.
As Alex speaks, an eating dog is on the screens.
ALEX
No, man, actually you are. Just
add water and it makes its own
gravy. Keeps your teeth healthy
and your coat shiny.
Gates grabs the shoes and races off, gagging. Hawk gets
up to laugh next to Alex. Their laughter dies as they
turn to look at the black canvas bag left on the table
between them.
INT. BACK ROOM--DAWN
Hawk stares mournfully at a black and white photo of a
monkey-sized chalk-outline on a city street. Behind him,
Alex pulls out blueprints from the black bag. Sinatra's
"Witchcraft" blares on the radio....
ALEX
Hmmmm.....
HAWK
Yo Pandora, quit hummm-ing... look
at this.
Hawk is rummaging through stockpiled remnants of an old,
"true" bar. Round lamps, tacky mirrors, pictures of Hawk
and the Regs at the bar. Managing a weary smile, Hawk
lifts a ship steering wheel, while Alex puts on a pair of
granny classes and pulls out blueprints.
HAWK
It's Captain Bob's steering wheel!
Remember when the Captain.....
ALEX
Hmmm, nasty little safe on the 7th.
Hawk nervously picks up a Rubik's Cube and holds it
behind his back. He brings it back around, completed.
Sighing, Hawk drops the cube and rubs his scalp. Alex
starts rubbing his stomach. They pace in pre-job
syncopation and speak rapid-fire.
HAWK
The safe's a Simpson 71. Last
time I played the game, Simpson
only had a 40.
ALEX
Just means it'll take you an extra
31 seconds to seduce. You re
still the best, I know it.
HAWK
But you got three guards who...
Shit, what am I doing? Where's
the want ads? Gonna sell some
spatulas.
ALEX
Hey, I'm sorry, man. I'm putting
out a fire with kerosene.
Alex gives Hawk a consoling two-hand-shake then jumps
back to reveal he has put Hawk into thumbcuffs.
HAWK
This isn't funny. I'm not into
this. I...
ALEX
There goes five seconds...My
record's eighteen.
HAWK
You're not...LISTENING!
Out of annoyance, Hawk breaks out of the cuffs and
violently throws them at Alex, who sits down a little
wounded.
HAWK
I'm sorr--Goddamn Mario Brothers.
Goddamn Gates. Goddamn Rutherford
Auction House. By the way, how
many seconds?
ALEX
Rutherford Auction... that name...
Alex jumps up excitedly and then convulses in pain.
HAWK
Alex!
ALEX
Don't wet your diapers. I'll have
to change them. "Witchcraft."
What's the running time?
Alex flops down behind a work table before a wallfull of
drawings of different kinds of vaults. He sets himself
up for an insulin injection.
HAWK
3:48. I can't get you involved,
man. This is my sewage and...
(re drawings)
God, you love all this, don't you,
you bastard. Haven't you ever
heard of stamp collecting, or
curling?
Hawk leans in and administers the shot of insulin to
Alex.
ALEX
I'm in. Have you seen the public
service announcements for Diabetes.
We can ride horses, play LaCrosse,
and knock off auction houses. I
got a plan. You won't have to hail
Cesar or Gates.
Hawk collapses next to Alex, resigned to his fate.
HAWK
I'm a bum.
EXT. NICE, BUSINESS NEIGHBORHOOD--NIGHT
TWO GRUBBY DERELICTS, one pushing a shopping cart, the
other inside it, situated atop the usual two Glad bags.
They are drunkenly warbling "Witchcraft." IMPECCABLY
DRESSED NIGHT-LIFERS give them a wide berth.
Our derelicts pass beneath a MASSIVE RED CANOPY of a
distinguished eight story edifice, upon which is written
RUTHERFORD'S AUCTION HOUSE. A DOORMAN shoos them away...
A NEWSPAPER TRUCK pulls up in front of the Auction House.
The Driver pops out with a bundle of papers and moves to
a Dispenser on the corner. The Bums wheel around the
truck. The Driver loads the papers and bounds back.
The Truck pulls away from the corner. The shopping cart
rolls off--the bums nowhere to be seen.
The Truck turns the corner, revealing the derelicts
climbing up the back of it, with Glad bags around their
necks. The Truck moves toward an enclosed Walkway Bridge
that connects the Auction House with another Building.
Launching low-tech grapples, the Vagrants latch them-
selves onto the Walkway window as the Truck passes
beneath.
AT THE WINDOW
The viewer's viewpoint moves into a tighter view of the
dangling derelicts, revealing them to, of course, be Hawk
and Alex. Getting a footing, on the small window ledge,
each man cuts a hole in the window while holding onto a
plunger.
HAWK
Whoa, you better cut a bigger hole
than that.
ALEX
Hey, you promised......Don't worry,
I'm wearing my girdle.
INT. INSIDE THE WALKWAY WINDOW--NIGHT
Hawk and Alex come through their window holes. Hawk
immediately flattens himself against a wall, whisper-
ing...
HAWK
Cameras?
ALEX
No need. Guards' station's right
there.
Alex points to an open doorway just down the hall where
laughter and shadows emerge. Hawk tries to flee, but a
grinning Alex pulls him toward it.
Hawk and Alex slide across the wall to a closed room
marked POWER, which is right next to the open Guards'
Station. The viewer's viewpoint moves past Hawk and
Alex lock-picking into the Power room to...
INT. THE GUARDS' STATION
Two Security Guards sit before a console of seven
security screens still chuckling over an unheard joke.
Wires coming out of the security console run across the
floor and through the wall into...
INT. THE POWER ROOM
The wires go up to a row of seven humming, RECORD button
flashing V.C.R.s. Hawk and Alex stand before them,
sharing a cig.
ALEX
They record everything their
video surveillance takes in...
HAWK
Yes, master-thief, I can see that.
You said something about a plan...
Alex presses the REWIND buttons on the V.C.R.'s.
ALEX
Am I boring you, smartass? Watch.
A little rewind and re-wire action
and the Guards are going to be
watching a rerun and miss out on
our exciting episode.
Alex pulls from a nearby shelf six tapes marked MONDAY.
INT. SEVENTH FLOOR AUCTION AUDITORIUM--NIGHT
Moving beneath a video camera and a dazzling Set of
Hanging Horse Mobiles, a Heavyset guard, BIG STAN, moseys
through the dimly lit main auction house auditorium. The
auditorium chairs are strewn out in the middle beside a
turbo Floor Washer.
Next to a painting of Happy Children Riding Horses at the
back of the auditorium stage, Big Stan hefts himself upon
a comparatively TINY BLUE CHAIR and begins to tip back
and snooze.
INT. GUARDS' STATION
The Security Guards look to the seventh floor screen to
see an unfolding shot of Big Stan mid-snooze.
SECURITY GUARD ONE
Check out Big Stan...
(walkie-talkie)
Big Stan!
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM
Startled by his walkie-talkie, Big Stan falls back on the
little chair, crunching it to the ground.
THE FIRST FLOOR
The laughing security guards see the crunch.
INT. THE POWER ROOM
Alex puts the last of the Monday tapes into a V.C.R.
ALEX
You got about five minutes and
change.
HAWK
5:32. "Swinging on a Star."
ALEX
You know they invented something
while you were inside. Called a
watch.
A freight elevator pings. Hawk opens it up as the music
of "Swinging on the Star" kicks in on the soundtrack.
HAWK
"A mule is an animal with long
funny ears."
ALEX
"He kicks up at anything he
hears.
Hawk crams himself into the freight elevator with his
Glad bag. Strenuously upbeat Ray Conniffesque singers
continue to sing the song, orchestrally accompanied, when
Hawk isn't.
INT. THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR
Hawk takes over the song, sardined in the elevator.
HAWK
"Or would you rather swing on a
star, carry moonbeams home in a
jar."
POWER ROOM
Alex goes up to a Circuit Box and pulls down two large
Switches. The soundtrack singers continue to warble.
THE GUARDS' STATION
The lights of the floor wobble and die. The console
screens blink off. The Security Guards stop laughing.
SECURITY GUARD TWO
Hell-o. Check the Power room,
bud...
Security Guard One harrumphs into a standing position...
POWER ROOM
Alex speedily hooks and rehooks the backs of the V.C.R.S.
They now all have their PLAY buttons lit up.
ALEX
swing on a star, carry moonbeams...
OUTSIDE THE POWER ROOM
Security Guard One fishes for keys to open the power
room. The soundtrack singers whisper as not to give away
Alex.
INSIDE THE POWER ROOM
Alex briskly slams back up the switches.
OUTSIDE THE POWER ROOM
The singers go louder as the lights come back on.
Security Guard One harrumphs and heads back to the
Guards' Station.
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM
Hawk scrambles out of the freight elevator in the left
wall of the Auditorium, glancing to the clock.
HAWK
"Or would you rather be a fish?"
He pulls out the black canvas bag from his Glad bag and
takes out the blueprints. Hawk follows them toward the
painting on-stage.
THE GUARDS' STATION
Big Stan comes up from behind his fellow guards, dumping
the remains of the chair on the floor.
BIG STAN
(moving back off)
Very funny.
The Seventh Floor Screen shows a peaceful auction
auditorium. And the Blue Chair.
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM--CAMERA P.O.V.
From the exact angle, the viewer sees the current state
of the room with Hawk flinging off the painting of the
horseback children, revealing a safe. But no Blue chair.
HAWK
spits on the rubber cup of an electronic sensor, plugged
into a Walkman, and affixes it to the safe above the
dial.
HAWK
(lyric trouble)
"A fish is annuh nan na nan na
brook.
THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR
Alex is now packed into the freight elevator.
ALEX
"He can't write his name or read
a book. To fool people is his
only thought."
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM
HAWK
(remembering)
"And though he's slippery, he
still gets caught."
Wearing headphones, Hawk cranks up the Walkman and spins
the dial. The CLICKS from the dial are so loud he winces
and turns down the volume. Then there's a CLUNK.
THE GUARDS' STATION
With the soundtrack singers taking over, Guard Two sips
a cup of coffee. He doesn't swallow.
His sights zero in on the Blue Chair on the seventh
screen. He looks to the chair remains, then back again.
SECURITY GUARD TWO
Uh, Jerry. I'm looking at the
seventh floor and I don't know
how to say this, I see the Blue
Chair.
SECURITY GUARD ONE
What the... You think that's weird,
check out screen two.....
Screen Two shows THE TWO SECURITY GUARDS THEMSELVES
hatching open some on-duty beers, going down a hall.
Guard Two looks to the empties atop the console....
SECURITY GUARD TWO
Somebody rewired the recorders!
AUCTION AUDITORIUM
Hawk ditches his accessories and swings the safe door
open.
Inside the safe, along with the "holy" Da Vinci music
cue, is the clay equestrian model from Leonardo's
worktable.
Hawk belts out as he put it in the black canvas bag.
HAWK
"And all the monkeys aren't in
the zoo."
ALEX (V.O.)
"Every day you meet quite a few."
Alex gives Hawk a congratulatory pat.
HAWK AND ALEX
"So you see it's all up to you.
You can be better than you are.
You could be swinging on a star."
THE AUCTION ROOM
BIG STAN reconnects the wires of the seventh V.C.R.
THE GUARDS' STATION
Suddenly, on the seventh screen, the image and voices
of Hawk and Alex in-process comes on.
SECURITY GUARD ONE
Shit, let's roll!
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM
Hawk puts the painting back up, but stops to stare at the
playful children.
ALEX
The song's over! Come on!
"You could be swinging on a star."
HAWK
What am I doing here? There are
so many things I wanna do that
aren't this. Paint a lighthouse.
Kiss a woman in Italy.
ALEX
(more frantically)
"You could be swinging on a star."
HAWK
Paint a woman in a lighthou--I
don't want to steal a horse.
Life is...
Hawk's soliloquy is cut short as Security Guards One and
Two crash into the auction auditorium.
ALEX
(DEADPAN)
"You could be swinging on a star."
You couldn't have waited to see
a psychiatrist. No, you had...
Alex whips his chair at the floor washer, tipping it
forward and causing its electrical cord to pull up and
trip the Guards into a bellyflop.
Hawk bolts right at the bustling up guards and locks them
into Alex's thumbcuffs. He then limbos under their
connected arms and springs over the outstretched washer
cord. The Security Guards clumsily turn and re-trip
themselves.
HAWK
Let's go down the freight elevator.
Big Stan suddenly unhatches from the freight elevator.
ALEX
Keep those ideas coming.
Hawk and Alex run toward an office located at the right
wall. They both do a Gene-Kellyesque-chair-tip-over
before simultaneously bashing through the office door.
INT. DARKENED AUCTION AUDITORIUM OFFICE
Hawk and Alex stop in the office to painfully laugh and
rub their funny bones. Alex stops laughing.
ALEX
I'm not as unpleasantly plump as
that Guard am I.
Big Stan fires off a warning shot. Hawk and Alex quickly
tear up a window.
Moving out on to a ledge, Hawk and Alex look down to the
huge auction house awning and trade gulps.
Big Stan wobbles into the mouth of the office door.
HAWK AND ALEX
I got a bad feeling....
HAWK
I can't even swim.
ALEX
Hell, the fall'll probably kill
ya...
Big Stan raises his gun.
Hawk and Alex jump and AAAGH down the face of the
building....
Closer and closer to the awning....
The viewer focuses upon Hawk as he free-falls......
CUT TO:
RIGHT INTO A LAZ-Y-BOY CHAIR
Hawk continues his "fall" into a ridiculously huge
reclining chair. The foot stand swooshes out with a
thump. A HAND pulls away the canvas bag with a cackle.
INT. GATES APARTMENT--LATE NIGHT
Hawk's weirdly reclining viewpoint makes Gates and his
pad more grotesque than they are (No small feat.)
A sub-Radio Shack stereo coughs next to a scary punch
bowl of red, margarita-like substance, beneath the
instantly recognizable framed picture of Those Dogs
Playing Poker, all atop a Jungle Shag.
Gates, in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt-over-a-KEEP ON
TRUCKIN'-T-shirt, raises a loud tumbler with one hand,
the black canvas bag in the other.
GATES
Hudson Hawkins gets the chair of
honor. How about a Gates-arita?
(toward bowl)
I used real hot dogs.
HAWK
Weren't you the bartender at
Jonestown?
Suddenly a light is turned on in the corner, revealing a
seated Cesar and Antony Mario, the latter taking a painful
Gatesirita sip.
CESAR
Good job, not pretty, but good.
HAWK
Ah, the mafia, the cops; do I know
how to party or what?
Gates pulls out the horse and looks at it.
GATES
All this trouble for a horsey.
I may not know art, but I know
what I like.
HAWK
(to Dog picture)
You certainly do.
GATES
So when's that Sebastian-Cabot-
Buckingham-Palace-looking-
Butlerhead getting here?
ALFRED
Any minute now, dear Mr. Gates.
A malevolently snobbish British Butler, ALFRED, enters in
distaste. He makes a stressful glance to three VANITY
FAIRS on a coffeetable that has a photo of a MAGNETIC
HUSBAND-WIFE-DOG COMBO with the caption: MAYFLOWER POWER.
Hawk notices this.
GATES
Oh, sorry Jeeves. Gates-arita?
ALFRED
I'll pass. May I?
Alfred takes the equestrian model and with a jeweler's
loupe, studies it carefully.
ALFRED
Ah, such craftsmanship. Leonardo
Da Vinci's last commission for the
Duke of Milan. Irreplaceable.
GATES
Hey, Mr. French, I'm delirious
for you. Now where's my cut?
With dignity, Alfred SMASHES the ancient horse over
Gates's head. Alfred rummages through the debris
REVEALING a perversely labyrinthine CRYSTAL PIECE.
(recognizable from Da Vinci's workshop).
GATES
You son-of-a......I don't believe
this! You come into my house!
Alfred pockets the goodies, but not before Hawk can give
them a confused peruse.
GATES
I ought to take Big Ben and shove
it up your limey blimey bunghole!
A blade slides down Alfred's arm. Half-yawning, he...
ALFRED'S 180 DEGREE POV
spins before Gates and the bystanders behind him.
THE BLADE goes back up Alfred's arm.
The room's only sound is the stereo's inappropriate
music. Gates shrugs but his voice is off.
GATES
Like I said. Where's my cu-u-...
Suddenly a line across Gates's neck turns red and blood
begins to gush like a tourist attraction. Gates crashes
down upon the table holding the punch bowl and the stereo,
sending it to the ground, cutting off the music. The Dog
Poker picture falls atop the carnage like a lid.
Blown away, Hawk tries to wiggle his way out of the
recliner. Alfred pats some stain remover on the blood
on his shirt.
ALFRED
So much for his "cut."
(post-chortle)
Excuse my dry British humor.
CESAR
(rising)
Lovely work, Alfred, taking the
Concorde back?
ALFRED
Indeed I am, Mr. Mario. I'm
really racking up those frequent
flyer points...
HAWK
I hate to interrrupt you two
lovebirds...
ANTONY
You know, I think Gates promised
Hawk a cut, too....
The Mario brothers cackle out. Hawk tries to flail out
of his chair. Alfred turns to him and flicks up his arm.
Hawk sees his life pass before his eyes until he realizes
Alfred is merely pulling him up off the chair.
ALFRED
Ta ta, Hudson Hawk.
HAWK
(breathless)
Too-do-loo, babe.
INT. ALEX'S RESTAURANT--DAWN
Hawk bursts into the bar. Alex sits on a stool, reading
the paper.
ALEX
Did I miss anything?
HAWK
Oh, not much. Gates just had his
tonsils taken out. The hard way.
ALEX
Geez, Gates was killed. Who do we
send the thank you note to?
Hawk does a combat jump over the bar and begins to fiddle
with the cappuccino machine.
HAWK
The Butler did it. Guy was a cross
between Alistair Cook and a Cuisinart.
Dude took Mr. Ed and humptied
dumptied it over Gates's head. He
said it was made by, get this,
Leonardo..
ALEX
(professorial)
Ah yes, a rare Renaissance piece.
Da Vinci's "Sforza," an equestrian
model of a never executed statue.
I consider it to be the prize of
tonight's auction of objets
d'equestrian. Horse things.
The cappuccino machine sparks. A perplexed Hawk takes
a couple extra seconds to back off.
HAWK
Okay, you got me, Mr. PBS.
ALEX
(holding up newspaper)
Morning edition. Seems two thieves
"attempted" to steal it last night,
but thanks to three "courageous"
guards, it will be ready for tonight.
HAWK
"Attempted." At-tempt-ted! I'm
not happy about having to steal
that horse, but I do have my
pride. Face it, when it comes to
burglary, and sex, I....
Hawk takes the newspaper. There is a picture of the
Three Security Guards in a cheery pose behind the
"Sforza." Hawk squints to see that Security Guards One
and Two are still wearing the thumbcuffs.
HAWK
Boing. Uh, this I don t understand...
ALEX
Why try?
HAWK
(hurdling the bar)
Because I'm tired of not
understanding things. Cops,
Mafia, and butlers forcing me to
bust my ass to steal something,
which it turns out I really didn't
steal--it's fucked up.
ALEX
(pulling back newspaper)
You re not thinking of going to...
HAWK
Alex, my man, it's time to play a
little offense. Where's your tux?
INT. RUTHERFORD'S AUCTION HOUSE--NIGHT
Dressed in a not-quite-fitting but suave tuxedo, Hawk
enters the now well-lit auction house auditorium (chairs
all set out). Bored WORKMEN in coveralls lug equestrian
items on to a podium from the familiar freight elevator.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
...fan-taas-tic example of
Florentine marble... Who will start
at 160,000...160,000......180,000.
Someone raises their paddle as Hawk passes beneath the
hanging horses and finds an aisle seat near the stage.
Hawk scans everyone in the room before coming to the one
seated next to him, AN ENCHANTINGLY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.
HAWK
All these years of attending auctions,
I still get goosebumps. The paintings,
the sculptures....the things that
aren't really paintings or sculptures...
THE WOMAN
.... the pretentious vultures who
don't even look up from their
calculators to see what they're
buying. Now that gives me
goosebumps. Auctions are
disgusting.
HAWK
I couldn't agree more. Savages.
The Woman laughs at his gear switch then catches herself.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Lot Fifteen, an equestrian sconce
attributed to the Cellini school..
AUCTION ENTRANCE
Big Stan, the hefty guard from the heist, enters the area
wearing a blue ribbon.
AUCTION AREA
Big Stan is walking in back of the seated bidders: An
oblivious Hawk in the foreground starts to scan VARIED
BIDDER-TYPES, raising their paddles to babble out dollar
figures; a GAUDY ROCK STAR and his GLOOMY-CHIC ENTOURAGE,
A KING FAROUK-TYPE with a BORED TEENAGE AMERICAN HOOKER,
and a scary NORDIC PRINCESS in a monocle and a tiara.
THREE STANDING ASSISTANTS frantically man a table of
phones set up down before the stage. One raises his
arm.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Sold! To the caller from
Newfoundland.
A STYLISH FEMALE ASSISTANT takes out an impressive replica
of the "Sforza" from the safe behind the podium and brings
it to the Auctioneer. The crowd a-a-hs... Hawk laughs
and shakes his head.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUTIONEER
And finally, Lot number 17,
thought to be lost in the war,
and again last night, the Da
Vinci "Sforza," the jewel of the
sale. Fan-taas-tic...
HAWK
(re: Auctioneer)
Is looking like a constipated
warthog a prerequisite to getting
a job in the art world?
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
There have naturally been questions
of its authenticity, so to verify
we have Doctor Anna Baragli of the
Vatican. Doc?
ANNA
(rising, to Hawk)
Some of us warthogs are more
constipated than others.
Hawk uneasily laughs as Anna makes her way up the stage
and pulls out a large magnifying glass. A look of
distress passes over her face. Hawk closes his eyes in
anticipation.
HAWK
Oh, the shit is going to hit the
fa--
ANNA
(suddenly serene)
Fantastic. Perfection. The
Vatican extends its jealousy to
the lucky bidder.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
We'll begin the bidding at 82.5
million dollars. To you, sir.
Eighty-three, Ninety--your bid,
madame--Ninety point five.....
Hawk opens his eyes in confusion. He scans Anna coming
off the stage, gliding toward the phone table. Hawk
floats into the aisle, curling toward her as she picks
up a phone and murmurs into it.
DARWIN MAYFLOWER
lOO million clams, Francesco!
The crowd orgasms as Vanity Fair cover boy, DARWIN
MAYFLOWER works the aisle, playfully mussing up the
appreciative, tiaraed Princess's hair, giddily high-
fiving the Rock Star, and sloppily frenching the Hooker.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
100 million dollars to Mr. Darwin
Mayflower.
Hawk turns to gaze at the enigmatically familiar figure.
Anna looks up from the phone to do the same. She
swerves her attention to the back-turned Hawk.
Darwin moves to one of two reserved empty seats as his
wife, Minerva, makes her entrance par excellahnce. She is
outrageously dressed with a mammoth Tiffany watch that
extends from her wrist down to, acting as a leash,
her obnoxious little dog, BUNNY.
MINERVA
Francesco, 100 million and one.
Darwin, to the crowd's delight, holds his struck heart.
DARWIN
Outbid by my own wench, quelle
bummere.
MINERVA
Poor baby..... Here, Bunny.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Fan-taas-tic, the bid is at 100
million and one dollars.
Commencing a slow motion sequence, Big Stan comes out
of the nearby office, zipping up his fly. He immedi-
ately scopes Hawk in the space before the stage.
The Mayflowers lower themselves into their seats with
devoured canary smiles.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Go-ing!
Big Stan pulls out his gun, untheatrically, as not to
cause a scene. Anna sees this and follows Big Stan's
eyeline to Hawk.
Hawk turns to re-pursue but stops dead at the sight of
the gloating Big Stan.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Go-ing!
Big Stan launches a gallop toward Hawk, who spins and
veers back round up the aisle.
The Mayflowers zero their sights on the activity.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Gone!
The gavel comes down in super slow-motion.
Anna's leg pokes out of the aisle, tripping the guard.
Hawk brakes at the end of the Mayflower's row and smiles
in relief, casually turning to Darwin and Minerva.
The gavel continues to come down in super slow-motion.
Both Darwin and Minerva Mayflower suddenly DUCK DOWN.
Smile vanishing, Hawk spins toward the stage.
The Gavel hits.
Breaking out of slow-motion into wide-angle, the entire
podium explodes sending debris, equestrian pieces, and
eccentric bald pieces searing into the screaming,
battered crowd.
Knocked off his feet, Hawk gropes into a standing
position. He sees the Mayflowers make a smooth exit.
He starts to give chase until he sees a battered Anna
rising from the ground.
A hanging white Tri-Star Pegasus, cracks from the
damaged ceiling and swooshes down towards Anna.
Hawk bolts upon some auction chairs and makes a flying
leap. He slams Anna out of the Pegasus's pulverizing
Path. They weary up off the ground and move down the
aisle, calm in a storm of packed art patrons.
ANNA
My God, that was bold of you,
you didn't have to do that...
HAWK
Forget about it--it was nothing--
anybody would have done the same
thing--It's an impulse...
ANNA
No, I meant you didn't have to
tackle me and rip my dress. A
polite push, perhaps? A clear
shout of "watch out, Anna"
would have done nicely...
HAWK
Excuse me, Milady. I would have
flown over and carried you up to
a pink cloud, but I left my cape
at the cleaners.
Anna touches Hawk's lips and laughs.
ANNA
("Hey, I was kidding")
Thanks tough guy, thanks a lot.
Why was the guard chasing you?
HAWK
(Serious answer?
Na-a-h?)
Because Danger, Doc, is my middle...
Before Hawk can finish, a hanging horse out of nowhere
hammers him into the ground and the viewer into
darkness.
FADE IN:
INT. VAN-TYPE AMBULANCE--NIGHT
Hawk stirs into consciousness strapped on an elevated
gurney.
HAWK
Saint Pete, hey I know, the whole
cat burglar thing, it sounds bad,
but I'll take the worst cloud you
got...
Hawk's eyes focus. The Mario Brothers hover over him.
CESAR
News flash. You're not in
heaven. Yet. 30 seconds and
counting, if you know what I'm
saying. Couldn't just play along,
could you...
EXT. THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE--NIGHT
The ambulance careens onto the Brooklyn Bridge.
INT. INSIDE THE AMBULANCE
Antony raises up a mammoth gun.
HAWK
Pretty class way of covering your
tracks. I think that auctioneer
landed at La Guardia.
ANTONY
Subtlety was never one of our
strong points.
HAWK
Neither's flossing.
A confused Antony touches his teeth with his gun hand.
Hawk escapes from one of his straps and launces a nearby
trayful of syringes into Antony's face where they ghoul-
ishly quiver. Antony fires a wild shot, shattering the
partition.
FRONT SEAT OF THE AMBULANCE
The Scarfaced Bodyguard/Driver, now in paramedic white,
freaks at the starred windshield.
THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE
The ambulance bumper-pools off some innocent cars.
INSIDE THE AMBULANCE
Hawk frantically tries to undo his other strap but a
howling Cesar, side-stepping his vibrating-on-the-floor
brother, latches onto the back of the gurney and wrenches
it backward.
OUTSIDE BACK OF AMBULANCE
The elevated gurney blasts out the back with a now
unstrapped but terrified Hawk whoa-a-ing atop it.
The gurney wheels hit the road, sparking.
A sheet from the gurney, caught on the door, yanks TAUGHT
--Hawk is "water skiing" on his stomach atop the elevated
gurney!
Screeching cars are weirded out by the new vehicle on the
road.
THE GURNEY
Battered by wind and fear, Hawk clutches to the gurney
and the sheet with a grit teeth stoneface.
The sheet is torn from the gurney sending it rocketing
off to the side on its own crazed volition.
Hawk skis toward a TOLL BOOTH WITH A LARGE GATE-ARM.
HAWK
Life don't get much better than
this.
He then sees he's heading toward an EXACT CHANGE lane.
Whizzing wildly forward on the gurney, Hawk scrambles
into his pocket and wiggles out some change. He fran-
tically winnows out some pennies and then maniacally
FLINGS the change from twenty feet away.
TOLL BOOTH
The change ker-chunks into the basket and Hawk and the
gurney JUST BARELY streak underneath the rising Gate-arm.
EXT. THE AMBULANCE
CRASHES through a gate-arm of another lane. Hawk and the
still-wildly whooshing gurney cut it off.
FRONT SEAT OF THE AMBULANCE
Cesar pops his head through the partition.
CESAR
Make him into Roadkill!
Antony, seemingly oblivious to the syringes porcupined in
his skull, pokes his head next to Cesar's.
ANTONY
Yeah, run him down!
Cesar and the Bodyguard/Driver turn to Antony and scream,
then all three look out the windshield and scream.
THE AMBULANCE
jackknifes over a stopped car and somersaults into a
fiery ball.
In the foreground, Hawk's gurney coasts down
A PEACEFUL OFF-ROAD
Hawk, with an unchanged expression of pure white knuckle
fear, comes to a tranquil gurney-wheels-gently-squeaking
stop.
Lit by the flames of the ambulance crash, a sneering
young man in wire rim glasses emerges from the darkness,
carrying a steel suitcase. He kneels before Hawk and
opens the suitcase revealing a complex computer appara-
tus. He begins mumbling into a cellular phone.
A malevolent, SILENT DEADPAN WRAITH passes him and
approaches Hawk. Both men are dressed in outfits that
seem to be a melange of fascist uniform and haute
couture.
On the fingers of one Wraith hand is carved the word
HATE. On the other hand is the word FROG. The Frog Hand
hands a befuddled Hawk a card. It reads: MY NAME IS KIT
KAT AND THIS IS NOT A DREAM.
Hawk looks up with a "huh" expression as Kit Kat chops
his neck, knocking him off the gurney.
The sneering computer guy hangs up his phone and pulls
forward a small cattle prod from his apparatus.
HAWK
This is the worst night...
SNICKERS
When it rains, it pours. Name's
Snickers. The plane leaves in 40.
Snickers zaps Hawk in the leg with his device. Hawk a-
a-ghs into a kneeling position. Snickers returns to his
suitcase and is passed by a PLEASANT YOUNG BLACK WOMAN in
the "outfit."
ALMOND JOY
Almond Joy. I know, pretty silly.
But it's better than when we first
started out, our code names were
Diseases. You don't know what
it's like being called Clymidia
for a year.
(walking off)
Whoops, forgot....
She deftly kicks Hawk across the face. Hawk angrily
bounds back up until he sees the BIGGEST MEMBER OF THE
GROUP Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum his way toward them. Suddenly, the
Giant clumsily trips over Snickers' suitcase apparatus
and ram-collapses into Hawk and the gurney. Laying atop
Hawk, Butterfinger goofily speaks...
BUTTERFINGER
My name's Butterfinger.
HAWK
No shit.
The mysterious group parts to reveal a much more mature
and cynically subdued man dressed in big lapels and a hat
that screams Old Time CIA. His name will be GEORGE
KAPLAN.
KAPLAN
Don't you just hate kids...
ALMOND JOY
George, you promised. No Old CIA/
New CIA jokes...
KAPLAN
I call them the MTV.I.A. Punks
think Bay of Pigs is an herbal tea.
They think the Cold War involves
penguins and...
HAWK
Don't I know you...
KAPLAN
You just might. I'm the guy who
tricked you into robbing a
government installation and then
had you sent to prison for it. At
the time, I was bald with a beard,
no moustache, and I had a different
nose, so if you don't recognize me,
I won't be offended.
HAWK
Bastard, you're going to need
another nose!
Hawk explodes upward. Everyone but cool Kaplan draws a
gun.
HAWK
But I'm not the type of guy to
hold a grudge.
KAPLAN
I used you as a diversion. while
you were getting captured upstairs,
I was shredding documents in the
basement. Deep down, I guess I
was just jealous. You were one
incredible thief...
HAWK
To what do I owe the dishonor of a
reunion, you centrally intelligent
scumsicle.
As Kaplan converses, Snickers and Butterfinger bring out
a mammoth empty suitcase and open it behind Hawk.
KAPLAN
I Want to make things up to you.
That's why I got you this gig,
doll. Hawk, my name's George
Kaplan and to quote the late,
great Karen Carpenter, "We've only
just begun."
HAWK
Three minutes, twenty-three
seconds. If you think I'm doing
another...
KAPLAN
Hush. My employer wants a meeting.
HAWK
Employer? The president?
KAPLAN
No, somebody powerful. Oh. Look.
what's that up there?
HAWK
I'm supposed to fall for that?
KAPLAN
Shucks. Guess not.
Kaplan savagely point-blank punches Hawk in the face,
knocking him out cold and into the mammoth suitcase.
Snickers slams it shut revealing a KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL
sticker.
INT. MYSTERIOUS BARE ROOM--DAY
Hawk slowly awakens on an exotic couch. He has been put
in an aggressively fashionable Italian outfit. He eyes
and touches his new duds with complete bafflement. He
then stumbles into a standing position to, mouth gaping,
take in a wondrous 360 degree view of Rome, Italy as "O
Solo Mio" blares on the soundtrack.
HAWK
No. Way.
Hawk's spinning view and the music on the soundtrack slam
to a halt as he zeroes in on the sight of Scary Butler
Alfred elegantly reaching the top of the staircase.
ALFRED
Welcome to Rome, sir.
HAWK
Yes way.
EXT. OUTSIDE INTERESTING BUILDING--DAY
Alfred opens the back door of an omnipotent, Mayflower-
logoed LIMOUSINE. The car moves off as Hawk slides in...
INT. THE BACK SEAT OF THE MAX-TECH LIMOUSINE
facing Darwin Mayflower who is blustering into the
cellular.
While he talks, Darwin shakes Hawk's bewildered hand,
then holding up one finger in a "be with you in a sec"
facial move.
DARWIN
For those kind of wages, I could
have built the factory in America!
They're Vietnamese, can't we just
give them more Bart Simpson shirts?
I hear depressing news like this
and I want to commit genocide!
(slamming phone)
Alfred, hold my calls. So, Hawk!
The Hawkster! What do you think
of the vehicle?
HAWK
You could host American Bandstand
in here. Why did you duck at the
auction, asshole?
DARWIN
Because I didn't want to get hurt,
taterhead.
A FAX MACHINE comes to life as Darwin babbles.
DARWIN
What can I tell you, I'm the
villain. Initially it was a
priority to keep a lot of buffers
between you and me, but since most
of them are dead now, I thought
what the heck. Hawk, you come
highly recommended. I would have
done some things differently at
the auction house, but hey, I want
to be in business with you.
Darwin scans the Fax message with annoyance, and then
shoves it into a violent paper shredder.
OUTSIDE THE LIMO SHREDDER
Shredded paper litters out of a vent on the outside door.
INSIDE THE LIMOUSINE
A simmering Hawk tries to explode but the phone rings.
HAWK
My life is not some deal. I...
ALFRED (O.S.)
It's Boston, Mr. Mayflower.
DARWIN
I'm sorry, I have to take this.
Those are valid points though...
Darwin picks up the phone and goes Mr. Hyde, while giving
Hawk "Can you believe this guy"-type gestures.
DARWIN
You better have a good excuse...
You better have a better excuse!
You are so weak! I'm only
thankful your ancestors didn't
settle America or else my name
would be Running Brave or Vomiting
Antelope...Really. Well, listen
close, babe.
Darwin holds the phone over a 50 cent piece-size siren in
his armrest. Darwin presses a button and a PIERCING
NOISE fills the car as it comes to a stop.
DARWIN
Shall we?
Darwin bolts out. Hawk hangs back, waiting for Rod
Serling to explain things, then bolts out too.
EXT. E.U.R. DISTRICT BUILDING--DAY
Hawk and Darwin head up the steps of an overpowering
fascistly marble superstructure. Alfred brings up the
rear.
DARWIN
So Hawkasaurus, I won't mince
words...
HAWK
Whatever. You own Boardwalk, you
own Park Place, you own the four
railroads. You think you're God.
For all I know, you're probably
right. I just wanted to have a
damn cappuccino, maybe play some
Nintendo after I find out what it
is. Man, why didn't you just buy
the horse? What am I saying, you
did buy it...
DARWIN
Oh... Let's see. There are
organizations that think we wanted
the "Sforza" for reasons other
than putting it in the Da Vinci
museum we're building in Vinci.
Hopefully, these organizations
think our plan has been ruined
with the explosion of our replica.
If I seem vague, grand. We want a
low profile on this, that's why I
got Kaplan and the Candy bars
involved. I helped George help
the Mario Brothers and Gates help
get you out....
HAWK
If you're pausing for a "thank you,"
give it up. So boss, you going to
tell me what the crystal piece
inside the pony means?
DARWIN
Way to go, Alfie! How many people
did you break that thing in front
of. Good help's hard to find.
HAWK
I guess that's a no.
INT. MASSIVE CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY
A mind-blowingly pretentious painting of Darwin, Minerva,
and Bunny hangs above a mammoth M-shaped conference table.
Lying atop the table in heels, shades, and a heart-
stopping dark outfit is Minerva. NASTY Metal riffs semi-
audibly spew from a headset she wears.
Surrounding the table is a VARIED GROUP OF OLD MONEY AND
NEW MONEY BOARD MEMBERS ranging from a nine year old
INDIAN PRINCE to a SWEET ELDERLY AMERICAN WOMAN. They
converse to the person at their side in businesslike
tones, oblivious to Minerva.
DARWIN
Ladies and gentlemen of the board...
The board members go into tableau silence. Minerva con-
tinues a brief sing-a-long before Darwin scolds...
DARWIN
And Min-er-va. Let's give it up
for Hudson Hawk.
The board applauds as Alfred pushes Hawk inside.
MINERVA
Hello......Bunny, Ball-Ball!
Minerva lobs a ball in the air. Bunny, the annoying dog,
scurries beside Hawk to catch it.
Moving down toward the other end of the table, Hawk takes
in the surreal surroundings with battle fatigue. He sees
ONE BOARD MEMBER take a luxurious sip of cappuccino.
Minerva paces up upon the table.
DARWIN
Hawkmeister, we got you clothes,
great hotel, and a 250,000 lira
per diem.
MINERVA
That's two hundred dollars a day?
So he can get a hooker and some
tequila. Veto, Darwin.
HAWK
Guess I know who wears the penis
in this family.
MINERVA
(jumping off table)
For God's sake, chain this
convict.
With a yawn, Alfred pulls out a pair of state-of-the-art
handcuffs.
HAWK
Alfred, you're a very polite
psychopath, but if you...
Hawk kicks out at Alfred, who nimbly moves slightly and
gives a pummel to Hawk's body somersaulting him over the
edge of the table, into an empty seat.
The Board Members politely applaud. Alfred pulls Hawk's
hands around his back and cuffs him. Bunny intensely
sniffs his crotch.
MINERVA
We want Da Vinci's sketchbook,
what do they call it, the Codex.
DARWIN
Listen Hawk, this might be hard to
believe, but I'm a regular joe. I
just want to be happy and happiness
comes from the achieving of goals.
It's just when you make your first
billion by the age of 19, it's
hard to keep coming up with new
ones. But now finally I got my
new goal. World domination. With
your help...Bunny....quit that!
MINERVA
Bunny, ball-ball! Bad bunny!
HAWK
Think he's already got today's
ball-balls. Five more minutes
please, it's been so long...
Minerva yanks away the yelping dog.
HAWK
Anybody have a cigarette? But
seriously, do me a favor and
Concorde me back to prison. I
don't care anymore. I hope you
have the receipts for the threads.
MINERVA
You go back, you won't be alone.
You'll have a diabetic barkeep
cellmate. You're still young
enough to have fun shanking child
molesters for a pack of smokes,
but "Alex" will go in knowing that
the next time he gets out it'll be
to attend his own funeral.
Depressing.
HAWK
You wouldn't risk the dime to call
the police. You have no proof.
DARWIN
Ah, the magic word...
Alfred plants a slide machine on the table and Darwin
starts clicking gorgeous images of Hawk and Alex robbing
the auction house, on a bare wall.
The Board members gush. The Elderly Woman gives a
thumbs-up.
DARWIN
It's veja du, Hawkhead. Something
you wish never happened. We shot
the entire operation with hidden
cameras behind the hidden cameras.
Hired the guy who did the last
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
Excellent work... whoops, damn
Fotomat assholes...
A slide hits the wall of himself and Minerva kneeling in
Big Baby clothes with Alfred snarling over them, decked
out in leather. He clicks ahead...
Hawk looks away and sees that the Board members have an
annual Report-type booklet in front of them that reads--
THE DA VINCI/ALCHEMY PROJECT.
Minerva leans over in front of him.
MINERVA
Tomorrow, you're going to hit a
church.
CUT TO:
EXT. A MASSIVE WIDE SHOT OF ST. PETER'S--DAY
The Vatican stands in its glory, mobbed by HUNDREDS OF
LOCALS AND SIGHTSEERS. The viewer's viewpoint zeroes in
on the Mayflower limousine circling around it.
INT. THE LIMOUSINE
Hawk looks out from the back seat of the limousine
in stylish Italian sunglasses.
HAWK
I'm robbing the Vatican. The nuns
at St. Agnes predicted that I'd end
up doing this...
Two identical Twin Flunkies sit across from him, grinning
stupidly. Hawk pushes up his sunglasses with his middle
finger.
INT. VATICANESQUE MAP ROOM
Mentally casing the joint, Hawk gets some distance
between him and the flunkies as he enters into a room
that has a glorious, ancient Map of the World Mural.
INT. ANOTHER VATICAN ROOM
Hawk makes a scribble in a notepad before coming to a
Vatican guard, standing before a painting of a Pope
performing a Coronation.
HAWK
(half-hearted)
Excuse me, I'm being blackmailed
into robbing the Vatican by a
psychotic American corporation
along with a CIA...
VATICAN GUARD
"You're being".....uh, I don't,
uh...
A jaded Hawk laughs and pats the cop on the back.
HAWK
Forget it, man. Go tackle a
jaywalker.
INT./EXT. CIRCULAR OPEN AIR HALLWAY
Hawk comes out onto a circular open-air hallway. He
scans up to some rooftops and makes a note...until he
sees a line of International Phone Boothettes. Checking
for Flunkies, he rips one up.
HAWK
Operator, I want to make a collect
call to Alex Messina, New York....
The Flunkies drift into view. Hawk hangs up and seethes
off.
INT. HALLWAY LEADING TO CODEX ROOM
Hawk saunters down a long resplendent hallway toward a
room at the end bustling with excitement. Coming to the
mouth of the room, he looks to two gold framed mirrors on
either side of the opening, rubs his head, and scribbles.
INSIDE THE CODEX ROOM
Hawk takes in the majestic beauty, and practical details,
of the room--windows, statues, a Massive Ornate Lighting
Fixture--as he moves down one of the twin winding stair-
cases leading to a path of people behind velvet ropes and
the object of their gaze...
THE DA VINCI CODEX
--an old book enclosed in a glass case, propped open to
the familiar BEAUTIFUL DRAWING of a MAN inside a CIRCLE.
The case is located between two informational tablets
enclosed in glass columns. Enter Holy Da Vinci theme.
ANNA (V.O.)
But it is his gift as an inventor
who drew together science and art
that is most incredible.
Hawk brightens to the return of Anna, carrying a portfolio
bag, striding down the stairs with a group of INVESTORS
AND FAMILIES. She brightens back, giving him a quick
verbal breath and a hand squeeze.
ANNA
Tough guy. What are you--How's
your head.
HAWK
(vegetable)
Yes, and my giraffe loves it, too...
She laughs, going into her public voice.
ANNA
As you know, the Da Vinci Codex,
has lived in the Vatican for
centuries and will continue to
live here for centuries more.
HAWK
(under his breath)
That's what you theenk.
ANNA
Question, sir? His untiring pen
predicted the airplane, the
submarine, the bicycle, the
helicopter, and even the tank.
A LITTLE BRAT trailing the group, moves next to Hawk,
bitching away to her STUFFED ELEPHANT, POKEY.
LITTLE BRAT
This is so bor-ing! Do you hate
Italy as much as I do, Pokey?
(bad ventriloquism)
Si, senor! Italy sucks the big
one! why can't we go to the Epcot
Center!
The Little Brat stops and lets Pokey the elephant dangle
from her side. Hawk eyes the elephant strangely.
ANNA
These more dangerous designs
inspired him to develop a secret
code that ....
The stuffed elephant suddenly goes flying over Anna's
head.
The ALARM goes off. The Massive Ornate Lighting Fixture
swoops down from the ceiling, inverting in air, and slams
down over the Codex, transformed into a makeshift cage.
Strange green gas comes billowing out of the vents.
Needless to say, everyone goes crazy.
Coughing gas, Hawk peeks to see that a line of light
sensor alarms imbedded in the tablets are what set the
alarm off.
Two GAS MASKS drop airlinesquely from the mouth of the
entranceway and TWO RACING-IN GUARDS wrangle them on.
The Little Brat sees that Pokey the stuffed elephant has
been beheaded by the cage/lamp. She is pulled away and
spanked.
LITTLE BRAT
Pokey, come back!
Anna yanks a notetaking Hawk away as the gas blusters in
around him. The Two Flunkies, eyes on Hawk, are hap-
lessly making their way up the opposite staircase.
ANNA
Come on, this stuff will knock you
out. Have you ever had the feeling
you were being followed, Mr. Bond.
HAWK
Never, why do you ask?
Reaching the top of the stairs, just outside the door,
Anna briskly pulls Hawk into a PIECE OF WALL THAT IS
REALLY A DOOR. The wall closes as the Flunkies come
flying out, baffled.
INT. CIRCULAR STAIRCASE
Hawk, mucho impressed, and Anna move down a tight, dark
circular staircase.
HAWK
Whoa. Name's Hawkins, Eddie
Hawkins.
My nickname's Hudson Hawk, but don't
call me Hudson, not even as a joke.
The Nuns at St. Agnes called me
that and they're the ones who
helped make me what I am today.
Not a compliment...
ANNA
Sure Hudson. Are you going to
tell me why you did that back there
or are you going to blame it
on Dumbo?
HAWK
Could you believe that crazy
elephant?
Anna shakes her head as she opens a door into...
INT. A LITTLE UNDERGROUND SUBWAY--DAY
A four foot high mail train rumbles down the track of a
mini-underground station. Workers latch onto mail bags.
Hawk and Anna emerge from a small door.
HAWK
Whoa, part 2. Does it go to Times
Square?
ANNA
Delivers up to ten at night. The
Pope has an obsession with his
Easter Seals. It's actually not
that an unusual set-up. The
secret passageway on the other
hand....
HAWK
The Vatican is made of constant
mysteries meant to be enjoyed,
not explained.
ANNA
Nice. But right out of our
brochure.
HAWK
Oh, you read that.
ANNA
Actually I wrote it. It's a good
sentence. It can apply to people.
HAWK
You're not an unmysterious thang
yourself.
ANNA
I don't steal stuffed elephants
from little girls.
(smoothing his
jacket)
And I buy my own clothes. My
life's a little boring...
HAWK
God, I wish I could say the same
thing. What about having a nice,
dull dinner with me tonight.
Scrabble, Knock-knock jokes,
Anecdotes about famous dead
Italians....
ANNA
I'll bring my entire repertoire...
The Two Flunkies stumble into the station, looking
around. Anna and Hawk crouch down.
HAWK
And I'll bring my entourage...
ANNA
Secret passageways don't mean as
much as they used to. There's
a place two blocks east of here.
Enzo's. Say 10:30.
HAWK
Said.
Hawk and Anna peck each other with a smile. He crawls
out an exit door. As he leaves, Anna's smile disappears.
She pulls out a rosary and gives herself a self-scolding
bang on the head. She then darts to a large crucifix
and looks up.
ANNA
Father, it's obvious. He's up to
something.
Suddenly a speaker in Jesus's mouth gently crackles.
JESUS (Italian)
Report downstairs at once.
ANNA
Yes, sir.
INT. CATACOMBLIKE AREA
A CARDINAL paces in an enigmatic Vatican area. Anna
clacks up to him.
CARDINAL
Did he mention the Mayflowers?
ANNA
No, your Eminence. I think he's
going to steal the Codex, as
early as next week.
CARDINAL
Attempt, you mean. The vanity
of this man, Hudson Hawk. The
Vatican has foiled the advances
of Pirates and Terrorists. We
will not lie down for some
schmuck from New Jersey. Must
you flirt with him so realistically?
ANNA
That's the best kind. A wise
woman once said "Polite
conversation is rarely either."
CARDINAL
(chuckling)
Let me be the one to quote
Scripture. ....As an agent of
our organization, you are put in
awkward situations. Just
remember, Hudson Hawk is an evil,
evil man.
ANNA
(unconvinced)
Yeah. The big E.
EXT. NAVONA PIAZZA--DAY
The evil Hawk clumsily strides around a fountain, looking
off in all directions, soft-shoes past some sedate
painters and swings into...
INT. A BIG QUIRKY PHONE BOOTH
Hawk grabs up the phone and dials....
HAWK
Hello, operator. I'd like to
make a collect call to New York
number...
The Mayflower limousine creeps to the edge of the piazza,
behind an oblivious Hawk.
HAWK
Thank you, operator, thank you.
Hawk turns, putting a finger in his ear. Seeing the
limo, he FREAKS and balls himself into a corner.
HAWK
Come on, Alex, pick up, you
Reindeer goat cheese-eating
motherfucker.
INT. ALEX'S RESTAURANT--NIGHT
It is late night in New York. A phone rings atop the
bar of Alex's restaurant with no one in sight.
INT. PIAZZA--DAY
Hawk pokes his head to see a Darwin and Minerva (holding
Bunny) emerge from the limousine. As he turns his con-
centration back to the phone, ALEX HIMSELF flows out from
a building to cheerfully speak with Darwin and Minerva
and get licked by Bunny, before they all pile into the
limo.
HAWK
A-lex, A-lex, come on Alex.
Hawk slams down the phone and turns to see the limousine
pull off.
Hawk angrily bursts from the door and is painfully
CLOTHESLINED by agent Butterfinger, who is dressed as
a mailman.
Crumpled on the ground, Hawk kicks out with his foot,
into Butterfinger's stomach, doubling him. Hawk then
grabs him by the head and rams into the glass of the
booth.
Hawk rotates off for an escape...but the rest of the
CIA crew cuts him off holding barely concealed guns;
Snickers dressed as a maitre 'd, Almond Joy as a Bermuda
tourist, and Kaplan in his usual emsemble. Kit Kat is
dressed exactly like Hawk, right down to a bloody lip.
Hawk gives him a double take.
KAPLAN
Hawk, Hawk, Hawk. Enjoying
Italy? I always had a soft spot
for Rome. Did my first barehanded
strangulation here. Communist
politician.
HAWK
Why George, you big softie...
KAPLAN
God, I miss communism. The Red
Threat. People were scared, the
Agency was respected, and I got
laid every night.
A humiliated Butterfinger comes waddling out, holding
the phone. Kaplan rolls his eyes.
BUTTERFINGER
Sorry, coach...
KAPLAN
(shaking his head)
If his father wasn't the head of
Shit, I hate this, the
government's got me farmed out,
working for the Mayflower
corporation now, money beats
politics. War isn't Hell anymore,
it's Dull. Don't slaughter their
men and rape their women, just
steal their microchips.
HAWK
You know Kaplan, if you weren't
the slimiest pinata of shit that
ever lived, I'd feel sorry for
you.
SNICKERS
Good news, bud, the Mayflowers
have moved up the time-table.
You're hitting the Vatican to-night.
HAWK
Tonight? You're whacked. The
timing's off, I'm underequipped
Damnit, I have a date!
Almond Joy smoothly extracts Hawk's notebook and reads...
ALMOND JOY
Grapple, Biker's bottle, hairspray,
black turtleneck, Pocket
Fisherman, acid, collapsible
yardstick, softball, and 72 stamps.
Gee Stud, this is going to be
some date. No Harvey's Bristol
Cream?
KAPLAN
Snickers, make the list happen.
Oh and it's one thing to play
hide and seek with the Mayflower's
pathetic staff, but we're sore
losers. I've put jumper cables
on the nipples of children and
not always in the line of duty.
HAWK
Thanks for sharing.
KAPLAN
We blow up space shuttles for
breakfast. You and your friend
Alex would be a late afternoon
Triscuit.
HAWK
If you do anything to my friend...
KAPLAN
Yeah, right. By the way, as long
as I'm getting things off my
chest, I'm the one who killed your
little monkey. Made it look like
a Mafia hit. Did it for fun.
Ciao.
Kaplan and the crew quickly disperse in different
directions as Hawk howls in frustration. Kit Kat moves
behind Hawk and perfectly mimics him.
HAWK
What did you have against Little
Eddie, motherfucker? He was just
a monkey who liked to laugh.
Come back without your yuppie
army. I'll triscuit you, you
space shuttle eating...Shit.!
Without looking, Hawk elbows the mimic Kit Kat in the
face. Kit Kat gives Hawk a strange smile and hands him
a card that reads: BEWARE THE ODD STEPS.
Hawk looks up from the card. Kit Kat is gone, but
Butterfinger scampers in his place.
BUTTERFINGER
Hey, Mr. Hawk, I got those 72
stamps!
Sighing, Hawk takes the huge sheath of stamps.
EXT. INDOOR TRAIN TRACK
One of the small Vatican mail trains bullets across an
indoor track. The viewer's viewpoint whooshes to catch
up, focusing on a very large package, addressed to the
Pope, that has Hawk's sheath of stamps slapped onto it.
The train zips into a tunnel.
INT. THE VATICAN UNDERGROUND SUBWAY
The train rumbles into the Vatican mini-station. TWO
HARRIED WORKERS heave up the strange cargo onto a sorting
table.
A bell rings as a clock hits 10. The workers do a sigh
of relief. Shucking off their uniforms, they head out.
A hand rips out of the huge package.
INT. OUTSIDE THE CODEX ROOM--NIGHT
Hawk pops out of the secret passageway door and moves to
the mouth of the doorless Codex room. He pauses to
hand-comb his hair in the two large, framed mirrors at
the sides.
THE CODEX ROOM
Carrying the now frameless mirrors in each hand, Hawk
hustles to the top of the steps and suddenly stops.
HAWK
"Beware the Odd Steps."
Hawk crouches down and notices the step below him has a
clear magnetic tape running across it to a dime sized
alarm button.
HAWK
Why Kit Kat, aren't you a
gentleman...
Hawk bounds down every other one of the steps down to
where the Codex is bathed in a holy light.
He hefts up the two now frameless mirrors and puts them
each in a groove of a collapsible yardstick running
across the top. The parallel mirrors now face out from
each other. Hawk sprays a blast of Clairol to reveal the
light sensor beams, and then with a deep breath, he
thrusts the mirrors into the beams.
The light bounces harmlessly off the mirrors and Hawk
exhales. He balances the connected mirrors then crawls
through his tent-like passageway.
Hawk squirts acid from a biker's bottle on the cracks of
the rectangular glass case that holds the Codex. The
acid sizzles.
INT. VATICAN LIBRARY HALLWAY--NIGHT
A BURLY GUARD thoughtfully stares at a painting, fingers
propping his chin like an critic then continues ambling
on.
THE CODEX ROOM
Rubbing his head, Hawk gives an excited smile as the glass
cracks of the rectangular case loosen. Hawk pulls out a
pocket fisherman....
The viewer's viewpoint moves upward to reveal, through
the mouth of the room, the Burly Guard is coming down
the hall.
OUTSIDE THE CODEX ROOM
Burly Guard approaches the outskirts of the Codex room.
He combs his hair into the piece of wall in the now
empty mirror-frame then REALIZES.
Muttering Italian into his walkie-talkie, Burly Guard
rushes into the room and looks down to the sensor
deflecting mirrors.
He passes a statue, behind which, Hawk is revealed to
be standing.
Burly Guard approaches the Codex and sees the dripping
acid. He also notices a fishing hook attached to the
binding of the Codex. The fishing wire leads out of
the glass case. The Guard reaches to touch it when
suddenly the wire is pulled tightly upward by a
moving-out-from-behind-the-statue Hawk.
The Codex FLIES off its perch, setting off the ALARM and
sending the bizarre cage/lamp CRASHING DOWN and AROUND
the hapless Burly Guard. The green gas commences its
noxious billowing as the Codex swooshes into Hawk's
hands. He then hurls a softball, smashing a window
on the other side of the room.
The familiar Vatican Guard and a Guard Three barrel
down into the mouth of the codex room. Only one
Gas Mask drops from the doorway. The Vatican Guard
pulls it on and gives a "That's Life" shrug of
shoulders to the fainting Guard three.
Hawk puts on the missing gas mask and launches a grapple
around the ceiling cord of the dropped Ornate Lighting
Fixture. Hawk then Tarzans from one staircase to
another. He then ungrapples and heads toward the
shattered window.
The Vatican Guard waits a stunned moment before giving
chase.
EXT. THE ROOF
Hawk flings off his gas mask and begins a classical
skipping-across-the-rooftop jaunt. Suddenly a brick
on the slightly slanted roof gives way and Hawk FALLS.
His canvas bag goes skipping down across the roof,
landing against the antennae.
INT. THE POPE'S BEDROOM
A T.V. showing Mr. Ed. speaking to Wilbur in Italian
goes fuzzy. THE POPE, wearing his famous hat and a Notre
Dame bathrobe angrily bangs on it.
EXT. THE ROOF
Hawk harvests his grapple on the level part of the roof
and slides down toward the dangling-off-the-antennae bag.
The Vatican Guard pops out of the window and fires a
warning shot.
Hawk stretches to the bag. His fingers touch as the
Guard continues to bound forward.
HAWK
Please God, Please God.......let
the guard shoot me.
Hawk pulls up the bag and turns himself to see Vatican
Guard hovering over him on the roof.
VATICAN GUARD
The worm's on the other foot,
yankee noodle candy.
Hawk sees the Vatican Guard's foot move toward the
grapple. Hawk ferociously tugs, ripping the Guard
off-balance and knocking down a side of the roof.
EXT. TOP OF A NEARBY WALL
Hawk dashes atop a nearby wall and hurls his grapple
across a road around a tree branch. Hawk ties the end of
grapple line, tosses on a friction belt, takes a breath
and JUMPS OFF THE WALL. The viewer follows him on his
breathtaking ride.
The brused Vatican Guard flops back atop the roof. He
gets off a wild shot before crumpling back down.
HAWK
is alnost to the other side when the Guard's bullet hits
the friction belt. Hawk drops with a wild scream...
and lands with a painful straddle atop a street lamppost.
His eyes bug out with the thought of a life without
children. He slowly spins off the lamppost and sails
down upon...
EXT. A BUS
and the comfortable luggage housed on top of it. Hawk
tries to maintain his balance upon the wobbling
baggage, but the bus makes a quick turn and Hawk goes
flying off...
EXT. RIGHT INTO A CAFE CHAIR--NIGHT
Panting and discombobulated, Hawk looks across the table
to the female hands holding open a menu. The menu comes
down. It is Anna. Hawk unpretzels and laps his canvas
bag.
ANNA
Oh Hudson, I was worried you
weren't going to drop by....
HAWK
I never break a date. Scout's
honor.
Hawk does the honor sign with his black gloved hand
then quickly rips it off as a WAITER comes to the
table.
HAWK
Fettucini con Funghi Porcini.
WAITER
Bellissimo, signor.
HAWK
Oh, and could I have some ketchup
with that.
Anna hits her forehead with the palm of her hand while
the waiter's entire body sinks in disappointment. Other
TABLE OCCUPANTS sadly shake their heads.
EXT. ANOTHER TABLE--NIGHT
At a comfortable distance curled behind a heat lamp,
Snickers is being an Uglier American to an UNCOMPREHENDING
WAITER, while Almond Joy chuckles and Butterfinger spreads
butter over an entire baguette.
SNICKERS
Come on, Pierre, Steak-bur-ger,
Fren-n-ch Fries. This is France,
you gotta have French.....
ALMOND JOY
Actually we're in Italy, Snickers,
she said as if it made a difference.
The Waiter sneaks off. Butterfinger devours his bread.
SNICKERS
Italy, France, Moscow. They all
just wanna be Nebraska. Old Man
Kaplan thinks since Communism is
dead, we got nothing to do. Man,
Democracy isn't free elections.
We gotta teach the world that
Democracy is Big Tits, College
Football on Saturdays, Eddie
Murphy saying the word "Fuck"
and Kids putting their hands down
garbage disposals on "America's
Funniest Home Videos."
ALMOND JOY
Damn baby, when's the last time
you had a vacation...Jesus, I
gotta get out of this job. If
my Mom knew her daughter
assassinated the leader of the
anti-Apartheid movement....
SNICKERS
Quit bitching, you got the
employee of the month plaque for
that shit...Ah to be in Pari-is
and in love.
They look off to....
HAWK AND ANNA'S TABLE
Physically sarcastic, the Waiter brings a tall wine
basket with a bottle of ketchup in it. Hawk nabs it.
HAWK
This is bueno. They had the worst
ketchup in prison.....uh...
ANNA
Prison?
HAWK
I was the Warden?
ANNA
How long were you in?
HAWK
Let's just say, I never saw E.T.
ANNA
Wow, you were "in the joint."
"Doing hard time." It's funny,
but that excites me. I seem to
have a thing for sinners.
HAWK
I seem to have a thing for sinning.
sinning. Check please....
WAITER
Ah, anything for dessert?
ANNA
(she shoots)
Yes. Something to go.
HAWK
(she scores)
I'll bring the ketchup.
INT. ANNA'S HOUSE--NIGHT
The viewer's viewpoint pulls back, past the black canvas
bag on a table, to reveal a barefoot Anna is straddling
a bare-backed Hawk, demurely and tentatively studying his
bruises.
ANNA
What have you been doing?
HAWK
Uh....old badminton injury.
Anna giggles and bends to kiss a bruise. She stops
herself and opts for tickling.
HAWK
tickles, ticKleS, TICKLES.
ANNA
(not stopping)
Oh, I'm so sorry...
Roaring with laughter, they capsize onto the floor.
Hawk slithers around to devour her toes. Anna closes
her eyes and arches her back.....
She opens her eyes and sees a large crucifix staring
right at her. With a gasp, she rolls away from Hawk
and stands up, trying to brush off her sins.
ANNA
I'm sorry. I can't. I....
HAWK
(softly approaching)
Hey now, outside of a very
friendly dog this morning, it's
been a slow decade. I don't make
love every ten years, I get a
little cranky.
ANNA
It's also been a long time for
me. I--
Their heads fuse for a semi-classic screen kiss until
THE CRUCIFIX LIGHTS UP AND BEGINS SHOUTING IN ITALIAN.
HAWK
Catholic girls are scary...
ANNA
Somebody robbed the Vatican.
HAWK
Oh. No.
Anna slides on her shoes and makes a hasty retreat.
She bumps into the canvas bag. The Codex slides out.
They both catch it in mid-air. Anna's eyes pop. She
wrenches the Codex away and kicks. Hawk pulls her into
a compassionate back-against-his-stomach hug. The Codex
falls to the floor unharmed.
HAWK
It's not what you think. Okay,
maybe it is....
ANNA
You really went and did it. With
one day, not even a day, of
planning, you did it. Nobody
does it better, Hudson. You
started the week stealing the
Sforza and you ended it swiping
the Codex.
HAWK
Wha--
ANNA
What are your plans for the
weekend? Hoisting away the
Colosseum? Tell me, did the
devil make you do it or did
Darwin and Minerva Mayflower?
EXT. A CAR OUTSIDE OF ANNA'S PLACE--NIGHT
Crammed together in the front seat, Snickers, Almond
Joy, and Butterfinger are watching the shadows of
Hawk and Anna up in the window. Snickers snaps a
cartridge into a gun while Butterfinger attacks a
goo-ey pastry.
SNICKERS
What's going on in there?
BUTTERFINGER
Do you want me to rape them?
(throwing pastry down)
Dunkin does it better.
SNICKERS
Just read, Butterfinger.
Butterfinger pulls up the book on Da Vinci that Anna
wrote and starts reading like a schoolboy.
BUTTERFINGER
"Da Vinci had fears about his
more dangerous designs, so he
created a shorthand code in
reverse script..."
ALMOND JOY
To yourself!.....What are they
doing? In twenty seconds, we go
in.
INT. ANNA'S PLACE
Foam shoots out over the coffee. Hawk smiles down at
it as Anna works a cappuccino machine.
ANNA
For two years, I've been tracking
the Mayflowers' peculiar interest
in three Da Vinci pieces. Their
Sforza replica was as fake as
the "gas leak" that supposedly
destroyed it.
HAWK
Does everyone in the world know
more than me? Jesus, I'm just
some guy who happens to be good
at swiping stuff.....Lifted a
piece of licorice when I was one
and a half. Who knew it would
lead... They even got the CIA
involved!
ANNA
The C.I. what? God, no...
HAWK
(raising his cup)
Ooh, I guess I do know something
Here's looking at you, kid...
THE CAR OUTSIDE
The agents burst from the car, guns raised.
ALMOND JOY
Now.
ANNA'S HOUSE
Hawk sips the cappuccino. His face immediately contracts.
HAWK
This doesn't taste like
cappuccino.
ANNA
Oh, I must have put too much
ethyl-chloride in it.
Anna throws a pillow on the ground and holds out her
hand. Hawk collapses. His coffee cup lands perfectly in
Anna's outstretched hand and his head lands perfectly
on the pillow.
The candy bars bash the door open, guns raised.
ANNA
Why didn't you tell me at the
restaurant that he had hit the
Vatican tonight. My people will
not be happy. I want to see Kaplan.
ALMOND JOY
That's not overly possible. He...
BUTTERFINGER
But guys, remember, he's in the
castle at Vinci....
Snickers and Almond Joy grimace into fake smiles.
EXT. THE CASTLE--NIGHT
A helicopter thunders up to the awesome castle from the
opening Da Vinci sequence.
INT. HELICOPTER
Anna pets the head of Hawk on her lap. She is pondering.
INT. A MYSTERIOUS DARK ROOM--NIGHT
A sparse circle of light houses a chair and a pacing
Kaplan.
Snickers and Butterfinger flop Hawk onto the lit chair.
Kit Kat is dressed exactly like Anna. She reacts as she
comes into the light. Kaplan takes the Codex from her.
KAPLAN
Way to go, Anna.
ANNA
When the Mayflowers find out we
have the Codex, they're going to
want to make a deal...
KAPLAN
(gung-ho lying)
And then we'll arrest those
greedy pigs... Is that it?
Hawk stirs. The viewer gets his woozy P.O.V.
ANNA
Actually George, it's not it.
What are we doing in this castle?
I happen to know the Mayflowers
bought this castle last year when
they found out Da Vinci used to
do...
The lights in the room come on to the sound of holy Da
Vinci theme, revealing an almost perfect refurbishing of
the exact same workshop Da Vinci toiled in in the
opening.
KAPLAN
(trying to be solemn)
It's the site of their new museum
and we're taking it over. Operation
Deflower Mayflower is going full
speed ahead.
ANNA
(taking it in)
Oh Lord.... the only reason I ask is
that Hudson, uh, Mr. Hawk, Hawkins,
had some "neat" things to say about
Darwin, Minerva, and you.
Basically that you're part of the
same car pool.
KAPLAN
Anna. Anna. Anna. If that were
true, Almond Joy would have
handed you your heart right
after you handed me the Codex.
Now, get some sleep. Kit Kat...
Kit Kat in drag spookily moves inches away from Anna.
ANNA
Cat got his tongue?
KAPLAN
Actually he never told us what it
was.
Kit Kat smiles, revealing the fact he has no tongue.
ANNA
How sweet. I trust you will see
Hudson Hawk is given to the proper
authorities. I recommend
leniency...
SNICKERS
(holding in a laugh)
Oh, I think we all do.
Hawk gives her a look of honesty and pain that causes
Anna to guiltily gulp as she heads out with the mimicking
Kit Kat.
SNICKERS
Do you think she has any idea that
Operation Deflower Mayflower is as
bogus as Kit Kat's tits?
KAPLAN
I don't think so, although bringing
her to the castle gave her a big,
juicy hint.
ALMOND JOY
With all due respect to that great
blouse, why didn't I cut out her
heart?
KAPLAN
Close call, but she's our only way
of keeping tabs on that damn
mysterious Vatican organization.
Hawk, it's time to go to the
principal's office....
EXT. OUTSIDE THE CASTLE--NIGHT
Moving into the chopper, Anna glimpses, Bunny, the
obnoxious dog, in a Mayflower logo dog tag, taking a leak
on some bushes. She fakes a yawn to the like dressed Kit
Kat who fakes one back.
INT. THE G. MACHINE ROOM--NIGHT
Kaplan, Hawk, and the other agents march into the mammoth
room of the opening scene. In the place of where one
remembers the gold machine are undulating sheets, beneath
which are unassembled parts of the machine.
Inside, a ball goes whizzing out of a tennis ball
machine. In tennis gear and goggles, Darwin Mayflower
thwacks it against the wall of (now faded) frescos.
Also in tennis threads, Minerva is laying on a chaise
lounge holding a gadget in her hand.
DARWIN
Seven!
Minerva turns the gadget up to SEVEN and presses a
button. Another tennis ball shoots out, a little faster.
Darwin batters it. The ball ricochets into the forehead
of an "amused" Alfred who is retrieving balls in sweat
pants.
ALFRED
Jolly. Good. Shot. Sir.
MINERVA
Ooh, it's Hudson Hawk, you cease
to amaze me, convict. You are a
terrible cat burglar!
DARWIN
Haven't you ever seen, like David
Niven? You know tiptoe in, tiptoe
out.
MINERVA
Like a "cat", one could say.
HAWK
Shucks, I'll just take it back.
Hawk reaches for the Codex. Kaplan pulls it over to
Darwin, who pulls up his goggles and fondles the ancient
binding. Taking a knife from Kaplan, he begins to slit
it open.
MINERVA
(bouncing up)
No, let me!
DARWIN
(pout)
I don't care.
Hawk looks away to the billowing sheets and the strange
machine parts behind them.
Minerva slits the bindings and tugs out another geometri-
cally perverted crystal.
HAWK
Another piece of the puzzle for
the Da Vinci Alchemy project.
Kaplan, Darwin, and Minerva look up to Hawk, then to each
other, all start to speak, then all stop.
This quandary is deferred by the entrance of the twin
Flunkies.
DARWIN
Oh, you. There's nothing more I
hate than failure. All you had to
do was follow the Hawk, it's not
like I said "Teach our nation's
children how to read."
Hawk uses the distraction to amble toward the sheets.
DARWIN
I guess we're just going to have
to kill 'em...
Shockingly swift, Minerva pulls a small gun from beneath
her tennis dress and blasts a burning hole between each
set of Flunky eyes, splattering them to the ground.
DARWIN
God Minerva, I was kidding.
A SHOCKED HAWK
quickly turns from the blithe carnage and pulls up a
sheet. He reveals the familiar Gold Machine Demonhead.
THE MAYFLOWERS
reverberate off each other with laughter. Bloodstained,
Kaplan and Almond Joy exchange an eye bulge. Minerva's
smile disappears as she sees Hawk by the sheets.
MINERVA
Get away from there, convict!
HAWK
Just browsing. Don't touch me....
Snickers touches him. Hawk smashes him in the jaw.
Snickers rears back to reciprocate....
DARWIN
Don't hurt him! We need him for
the final job!
Snickers stops himself, snarling in frustration. Hawk is
suddenly the happiest man he's been in Italy.
HAWK
Oh weeeeelly, don't hurt me? Even
if I do this....
Hawk pulls Snickers' glasses off and stamps them.
HAWK
And this....
Hawk knees Butterfinger in the stomach.
HAWK
Surely this must offend....
Hawk body-block-dominoes Butterfinger and Snickers to the
ground. Kaplan and Almond Joy aim their guns.
KAPLAN
That's it!
Playfully lifting his shirt, Hawk grabs Minerva and
manually swivels her hips to the beat of his.
HAWK
Things are getting a little loose
at the Da Vinci workshop tonight.
"Put your left leg in, take your
right foot out." May I call you
Minnie....
Hawk mambos to Alfred who rifles his blade up to Hawk's
crotch. Hawk stops dancing.
DARWIN
Come to think of it there is a part
of your body that you won't need for
your next job...
HAWK
Hey, guys, I've always wanted to sing
like Franki Valli and the other seasons,
but come on....
Alfred moves the blade a little upward. Hawk a-a-ghs.
MINERVA
Big girls don't cry-I-eye.
HAWK
Two minutes, 35 seconds. Damnit,
I'm involved in this thing, so I
just wanna know what this thing is.
I wanna be treated as an adult.
DARWIN
That's fair. Tomorrow. Back in
Rome. Now go to your room.
Alfred strategically Vulcans Hawk on the neck. He falls.
INT. DARK CONFESSION BOOTH--MORNING
The lips of Anna come into light.
ANNA
Forgive me Father for I have
sinned. It's been 1200 hours
since my last confession.
INT. THE CARDINAL'S SIDE OF THE CONFESSION BOOTH
The cardinal suppresses a yawn.
CARDINAL
Hit me with your best shot.
ANNA (O.S.)
I betrayed a man. A good man. An
innocent man. A thief.
CARDINAL
Anna, what are you trying to say...
ANNA'S DARKENED LIPS
ANNA
He came into a world where crime
is a legitimate business tactic
and a legitimate government
procedure. But he knew Right and
Wrong. Oh, and we kind of messed
around...
THE CARDINAL
freaks and goes into some Italian gibberish before...
CARDINAL
"Messed around" messed around? I
know-- I don't want to know. First
base? Second Base? Stop me when
I'm getting warm...
ANNA (O.S.)
A little petting is not the issue!
CARDINAL
Sorry. Seventeen Hail Marys and
five minutes outside.
INT. OUTSIDE THE CONFESSION BOOTH--MORNING
The Cardinal emerges and stands by Anna's confessional
curtains.
CARDINAL
So let me get this straight,
sister, you're saying Hudson Hawk
is not willingly working for the
Mayflowers but Kaplan and the
Candy Bars are?
Anna moves out of the confessional curtains, wearing a
FULL NUN HABIT for she is a Nun. The gaspingly beautiful
church unfolds as they walk.
ANNA
You got it. Operation Deflower
Mayflower is a bad joke and I'm the
punchline. I thought we were using
the CIA to help us to get Mayflower,
but really the CIA was using me to
keep us away from Mayflower.
CARDINAL
Oh, why couldn't I be the Cardinal
in charge of catering.... If the
Mayflowers get the three sections
of Da Vinci's crystal and his
instructions for the gold machine--
Aie-yi--Do we got anything? What of
Alex, Hawk's friend, where is his
loyalty?
ANNA
I'm going to find out.
CARDINAL
I'm sorry for losing it back there,
but you must remember, sister, you
have vows to God as well as a mission
to the world.
ANNA
I know, I know, your Eminence, just say
"God go with me."
CARDINAL
God go with you, sister.
Anna puts on the coolest pair of sunglasses, deliciously
contrasting with her habit. She moves off....
INT. ROME CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY
Beneath the wacky portrait, Darwin circles the board-
member filled conference table as Minerva smooches Bunny.
Everyone watches Alfred place a bar of Gold and of Lead
in the hands of a blindfolded Hawk at the middle of the M.
DARWIN
So, Captain Hawk, in one of your
paws you got a gold bar worth
about 8 thou. In the autre, you
got lead that won't get you
gelato.
MINERVA
Surely a master-thief like you can
tell the difference.
HAWK
("What's my Line")
That's two down to Kitty
Carlisle...
Hawk "weighs" the two bars in his hands--digs with his
fingernails. He rips off the blindfold in subdued
frustration. As Minerva speaks, she unconsciously
molests Alfred.
MINERVA
Cool, isn't it? Weight, feel,
mal1eability, they're all but
identical. On the periodic chart
of elements, they're but one
proton apart. Great minds worked
for centuries to turn worthless
into priceless.
HAWK
Alchemy.
DARWIN
(casually goosing Alfred)
Alchemy! Is the business term of
the 90's, my man! Minerva read
about it in an airline magazine
about four years ago. I dumped
some lira into research... Shazam,
we come across a diary by one of
Da Vinci's apprentices detailing
La Machine de Oro, the gold machine
for those at home, and the rest is
about to become history. Money
isn't everything, gold is. Fuck
blue chip stocks! Fuck T-bills!
Fuck Junk Bonds! I got the real
deal! Money will always be paper
but gold will always be gold!
MINERVA
Market crashes. Bomb drops.
Greenhouse effect affects. We'll
still be the richest, most powerful
people in the world. In 1992,
Europe is coming together to become
one business superpower. It's one
party we'd love to poop.
DARWIN
Well, that said, the last
ingredient in the recipe is in, get
this, you're gonna die, the Kremlin.
HAWK
Sure. The Kremlin. Makes sense.
The Kremlin. Why not? Listen,
this is all too Indiana Jones and
the Lost City of King Tut for me,
man. Throw me in jail and go ahead,
just try and throw Alex...
MINERVA
Jail, you asshole! Our foot
soldiers will blow your brains
out! Bunny, Ball-Ball!
Minerva angrily throws the dog off her lap and whips a
tennis ball into its mouth.
DARWIN
I'll torture you so slowly you'll
think it's a career! I'll kill
your family, your friends, and the
bitch you took to the Prom!
HAWK
You want an address on that last
one?
Bunny barks up at Hawk in anger.
HAWK
Bunny, not you too?
MINERVA
You've got a dilemma, tiger. I
think I know what's going to help
you solve it.
Alfred quickly latches on the state-of-the-art handcuffs
and the blindfold. The viewer's viewpoint stays on a
writhing Hawk.
HAWK
I'll kill all you. Even the old
lady.
Hawk kicks back on the table, "jump ropes" the cuffs,
then picks the lock with his teeth. Hawk rips off the
blindfold to see that the entire room is empty except
for Alex, standing at the other end, in an incongruous
Italian leather coat.
ALEX
I hated cigarettes until I saw my
first No Smoking sign. Keep off
the Grass? Let's play Soccer.
Only law I cared about was
friendship. Broke that one too,
didn't I? This Gates-Mario
Brothers-CIA-Mayflower-Da Vinci
thing seemed like a sweet deal.
Visit foreign lands, take their
treasures. I don't know, I thought
you'd get into it. It's better
than playing darts with M.B.A.'s at
the bar. I didn't know it was
going to be like this. Them using
me to use you... I'm sorry, there's
only one way out of this and it's
gonna hurt me more than it's gonna
hurt you.
Alex pulls out a gun from his jacket and clicks it in.
EXT. FAMILIAR PIAZZA--DAY
The piazza from the fascist E.U.R. building are bustling
with office workers laughing, smoking, and hustling.
Darwin, Minerva and Kaplan are a solid troika in the
center of the steps. The other agents stroll in the
periphery....
KAPLAN
I just don't think it was a
smoking hot idea to leave them up
there alone.
MINERVA
Don't worry George, this is the
reason we put the old diabetic
guinea on the payroll to begin
with. To keep Hawk in line.
They'll talk about "being buddies"
and "chugging brewskis."
DARWIN
(raising glass)
You gotta love male bonding.
As Darwin slaps Kaplan on the back, behind them, Hawk and
Alex come crashing out of the windowed doors of the building.
KAPLAN
You were saying...
Moving to the edge of the stairs, Hawk and Alex, latter
holding his gun, sprout up from their own debris and
continue savagely brawling. The wigging out passers-
by give them space.
HAWK
You bastard! You fucked my
freedom for a lousy job!
Alex trembles, going into a diabetic seizure. He shakily
raises his gun.
ALEX
Hawk... I'm so sorry...
Hawk roars forward like a bull and helmets Alex. They
roll together down the massive staircase past Darwin,
Minerva, and the CIA who react with "This can't be
happening" catatonia.
Two SHOTS go off as Hawk and Alex crash to the bottom of
the staircase. Hawk rises up in a daze to see Alex on the
ground with two bloody bullet holes.
HAWK
No.....Alex! Wake up, you can't
go out like this.
Hawk falls to his knees as Snickers hustles toward him.
Suddenly, sirens are heard as a police van pulls up.
Snickers stops.
Four policemen blast from the back of the van. One holds
back the crowd. One strenuously pulls Hawk into the van.
The other two drag in Alex.
The villains look to each other for non-existent guidance
as the van pulls away.
MINERVA
Plan B, anyone...
Using initiative, Snickers hops on a Vespa and roars off
after them. The van can be seen swerving off.....
AROUND A CORNER
where it bolts up into a much larger truck marked VATICAN
SOUVENIRS. TWO SEEMINGLY-INNOCENT-BYSTANDER PRIESTS break
demeanor to flop up the wheel ramps, slam close the back
of the truck, lock it shut, and continue on their solemn
way.
The TRUCK BELLOWS off as the Vespa spins around the corner.
Snickers brakes and looks around for the police van. He
hits his handle with frustration.
EXT. BEAUTIFUL ROME OVERVIEW
Out of her habit but still in her incredible sunglasses,
Anna looks out to a lovely view of Italy. The Vatican Truck
pulls up behind her. A giddy, blood-stained Alex and a not-
so-giddy Hawk bound out of the back. Alex excitedly gives
himself an insulin shot.
ANNA
Oh thank God, you're dead...
ALEX
It was so beautiful! When the
blanks went off, they...
Hawk's fist whooshes into frame and blasts Alex's jaw.
HAWK
You bastard. You fucked my
freedom for a lousy job.
ALEX
But I said I was sorry....
HAWK
No sweat, Alex, you only made the
biggest mistake of my life. What
was your per-diem?
ALEX
Don't act like you've never committed
a crime before, Hawkins? I know, I
made call, when Anna tracked me down I...
ANNA
Hudson, don't you understand...
HAWK
And you, Dr. Cappucino, you're lucky
I don't hit women, assuming you are
a woman. I'm not taking anything for
granted anymore.
ANNA
I-work-for-a-covert-Vatican-humanitarian-
organization. The-CIA-made-a-fool-of-me.
I-care-for-you...
HAWK
Oh. Well, what's this?
Hawk pulls out the Demon Head that was in the Mayflower
Museum from out of his pocket. Anna turns white.
ANNA
Where did you get this?
HAWK
You know, the place where you gave
the bad guys the Codex.... the
Mayflower Museum.
ANNA
It's from the machine. All they
need is the crystal to run it and
they have 2/3 of it already. We
can't let that happen.
ALEX
You're saying you want us to beat
them to the crystal and save the
world from financial disarray.
ANNA
Something like that.
ALEX
(pulling out plane
tix)
Well, forget about it. Hawk and I
are going to Rio. We're hurt,
we're tired, and a hero ain't
nothing but a sandwich. Right,
buddy?...
ANNA
Hudson, God's given you a gift for
cat burglary, you can t just...
HAWK
You better believe I can. I'm
sick of people telling me what I
have to do.
ANNA
It's that kind of selfish attitude
that...
HAWK
Selfish attitude? I'm just some
guy who wants a little nap and a
cappuccino for when he wakes up,
not too much foam...
ANNA
You re not "some guy" anymore,
Hudson. Right now, you're the
only guy. Without your help, I....
Anna looks to Hawk with a choked-up expression. The
weight of the world on his shoulders, Hawk turns away
to a lovely view, his mind painfully raging and
swirling toward peaceful clarity.
HAWK
The world is beautiful. Every day
in prison I made sure to remember
that. It's only when I actually
got out that I forgot. If I was
sane, I'd be on that plane to Rio.
But being beaten and abused to
fulfill some corporation's
perverted vision does something to
your mental health. The world is
beautiful and I'm tired of being
fucked.
(turning around)
It's Darwin and Minerva's turn to
bite the pillow...
Anna involuntarily does the sign of the cross. Alex
goodnaturedly does a jerking off motion.
ANNA
That was beautiful.
ALEX
I laughed, I cried.
Shaking his head, Hawk swipes the plane tickets from
Alex.
HAWK
Rio, Alex? After all they've
done to...Hey, these tickets are
for Moscow!
ALEX
(knowing smile)
Damn travel agency. That Kremlin
thing is in Moscow, isn't it?
A proud Hawk slaps Alex on the back as some passing
ITALIAN LOCALS stop to stare, horrified, at Alex's
bullet holes. Anna sweetly intervenes.
ANNA
Ketchup. Stupido Americani...
The locals give off a slightly dazed "A-a-h" and move off.
INT. THE CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY
Wind blows through the shattered conference room window.
Snickers is banging on his computer apparatus at the
table with the Mayflowers and the other agents.
KAPLAN
We're all family now. My team
has done a lot of rougher things
than steal the model of a
helicopter.
SNICKERS
We're going to whack this place
so fast we'll have time to shop
for American imports.
Darwin and Minerva politely smile and then turn away to
each other with knowing looks. The computer screen shows
the familiar image of the Kremlin building that turns
into a complex look at interiors the viewer will later
see.
ALMOND JOY
Lucky for us, the Da Vinci is
located in a wing of the Kremlin
that they used to throw the Miss
Ukraine pageant and stuff. It'll
have the least number of guards....
KAPLAN
As for our plan of action,
anybody'd be insane to go in
from the ground floor...
INT. A VAN-BUS--NIGHT
A head-rubbing Hawk and a stomach rubbing Alex kneel on
the floor of a moving van, over a barely legible drawing
of what was so neatly delineated on the CIA computer.
Both guys are dressed as priests and are chewing gum.
ALEX
We're going in from the ground
floor.
HAWK
Geez, this Art Treasures Room
looks like a burnt diaphragm.
Hawk laughs and pops up into the passenger seat. Anna
is revealed to be driving in her habit. Hawk gives her
a kiss.
HAWK
Hey, don't take your disguise so
seriously.
ANNA
Uh, yeah. Guess I'm a wee bit
nervous. I'm sorry I could only
score clergy passports.
HAWK
Fits my new image. A thief for
the masses. This is one job I'm
not going to feel guilty about
enjoying. Gum.
Hawk, Alex, and Anna all spit out their gum into a bag
Hawk holds.
ALEX
The security's actually not that
severe.
ANNA
It doesn't have to be. Everybody
knows that if you mess with the
Kremlin, you'll end up in a
Siberian gulag eating your own
fingernails.
Hawk takes in some views of Moscow that remind one of
Budapest.
HAWK
Shwoof, that makes me feel better.
I can't believe this is the Iron
Curtain. All the guy at Airport
customs wanted to know was "Who
Shot J.R.?"
ALEX
You sound disappointed.
HAWK
Yeah, I mean, come on, going
through the Iron Curtain is
supposed to be crawling
underneath barbed wire, it's
supposed to be strangling a
guard...
THE VAN
passes a textbook shot of the Kremlin in the distance.
HAWK (V.O.)
It's supposed to be parachuting
in the moonlight....
EXT. THE TOP OF THE KREMLIN--NIGHT
Kaplan, Snickers, Almond Joy, and Butterfinger slam down
upon the roof of the Kremlin and discard their
parachutes.
Snickers opens up his computer screen, upon which is the
image-map of the Kremlin with a flashing blue light at
the top of the building and a flashing green one inside.
SNICKERS
We are the blue light. The green
light is where the Art Treasures
room is.
KAPLAN
Let's go make a purple light.
Where's Kit Kat?
EXT. THE KREMLIN GROUNDS
Dressed in cat burglar black and all chewing gum, Hawk,
Alex, and Anna crawl across the Kremlin grounds. They
scope out a shabby Delivery Entrance.
ALEX
Delivery Entrance. Low Security.
ANNA
Gum.
All three spit out their gum into Hawk's bag.
HAWK
Count of three?
ALEX
Why not just go now?
HAWK
Okay.
The Trio rush for the door.
THE KREMLIN ROOF
SOVIET GUARD ONE comes out on the roof to light a cig-
arette. He looks in the distance to the motivating CIA
team. Suddenly a card floats down into his hand.
It reads: WILLIAM TELL. ADAM'S APPLE. GET IT?
The not-getting-it Guard looks up from the card as a
grinning Kit Kat parachutes behind him. The Guard
swerves around and Kit Kat savagely skewers him with a
crossbow shot to his Adam's apple.
THE DELIVERY ENTRANCE
Hawk, Anna, and Alex race to the door, the latter
bashes it...
INT. GRUNGY WHITE FOYER
open and sets off an annoying hammer-against-bell alarm.
Alex all-fours beneath the alarm. Hawk does a Michael
Jordan vault off Alex's back and slam dunks A MASSIVE
BALL OF USED-GUM, pulled from his bag, between the
hammer and the bell, cutting off the sound. They rush
ahead.
EXT. THE KREMLIN ROOF
The agents are trotting across the roof when a phone on
Snickers' apparatus rings. Kaplan answers it.
KAPLAN
Everything's going fine, Minerva,
thanks for asking...
INT. NONDESCRIPT HALLWAY
Minerva chats on a cellular moving down a hallway, with
Darwin, who is holding in his laughter as if this was a
great crank.
MINERVA
I say who needs this Hudson Hawk
anyway....
INT. A GRAND BALLROOM
The good guys scurry upon the second level of an epic
and gorgeous ballroom. Two lush staircases lead up from
the floor. From behind a pillar, the gang checks out
the activity below.
A tablecloth is being wrangled over a large table at
the opposite end of the ballroom by SERVANTS. Threaten-
ing SOVIET SOLDIERS maneuver on the floor.
HAWK
(Wizard of Oz)
Oh-Eee-Oh-A-Whoa-Oh.
They then make a mad scuffle across their side of the
second level, hunkering down by the level railing.
As they move into another wing hallway, the viewer's
viewpoint moves back down to the ballroom floor to see
a gloating DARWIN AND MINERVA ENTER, the latter still
on the phone.
MINERVA
Everybody here, in Rome, wishes
you tinsel boxes of love...
The servants move away from the tablecloth and the
table, revealing that it is shaped like an M. A GROUP
OF SERIOUS SOVIET V.I.P.'s come out to join the
Mayflowers at the table.
THE ROOF
Kaplan hangs up the phone.
KAPLAN
Lazy, rich, condescending bitch.
The team moves up to the rooftop doorway where Kit Kat
is. He holds up an "About Time" card. The agents laugh
and greet them.
INT. A VERY LONG, ENIGMATIC HALLWAY
Hawk, Alex, and Anna pass through a set of windowed
double doors into a very long hallway that leads into a
pitch darkness. A MURAL OF A HAPPY, ARM-STRETCHED LENIN
looms above the doors. They give it a a quick glance
before pulling out screwdrivers and wire hangers.
ALEX
Eighth room down, babe...
ANNA
Guards come exactly every three
minutes....
HAWK
Three. Oh. Oh. "Side by Side."
Our trio charges down the hallway.
HAWK
"Oh, we ain't got a barrel of
money.
ALEX
"Maybe we're ragged and funny."
They reach a MASSIVE SPOOKY DOOR WITH AN ODD, ANCIENT
LOCK. They go to work on it. Not losing the beat.
HAWK AND ALEX
"But we'll travel along, singing
a song. Side by Side..."
INT. TOP FLOOR HALLWAY
With a gust of wind, Kaplan and the Candy Bars bluster
through the rooftop door into another hallway, where
SOVIET GUARDS TWO AND THREE are taking it easy.
KAPLAN
Create a diversion.
Snickers and Butterfinger calmly blow away both guards
with silenced mini-Uzis.
SOVIET GUARD FOUR rushes out a door before the agents,
zipping up his fly. Almond Joy twists his neck with an
agonizing SNAP.
THE LONG HALLWAY
Hawk, Anna, and Alex retreat beneath the Lenin mural
through the windowed double doors.
Behind the doors, they poke up to see a BESPECTACLED
GUARD emerge from the darkness to check out the door.
ALEX
Now that's a lock.
HAWK
Don't worry, we'll get it...
ANNA
Can I sing this time, too?
Please?
Hawk and Alex are not thrilled about the idea, but Anna's
eye flutter does it.
HAWK
Uh, I guess so.
The Bespectacled Guard moves back into the darkness.
THE BALLROOM
The Soviet V.I.P.'s open up presents of pink L.A. GEAR
tennis shoes, silly T-shirts, and Nintendo joysticks
as a standing Darwin hypnotizes them.
DARWIN
I look at you Soviet people and I
feel... pity... superiority. Most
of your life, your government has
told you that Capitalism turns
people into robots who'd rather
eat microwave sushi, naked in the
back of a Cadillac than hear the
laughter of children.
MINERVA
(smiling)
We're here to say, your government
was right.
DARWIN
So let's get busy. Have some fun
and make some deals.
AT THE LOCK
Alex holds a lit match into the lock, while Hawk
does something incomprehensible with a screwdriver.
They are improvising...
HAWK
"Oh this lock is a pain in the bu-utt"
ALEX
"How'd we ever get such in a ru-utt"
Anna suddenly, booms out the chorus in a way that Hawk and
Alex can barely concentrate.
ANNA
"But we'll travel the road, Sharing
the load. Side by Side!"
THE HALLWAY ABOVE
The CIA team saunters through corpses up to a door
similar in lock and design to the one Hawk and Alex
are working on.
Snickers's computer screen shows the blue light directly
above the green light.
SNICKERS
This is the room above the Art
Treasures room. The lock is a
Natalya Z-Z, first created...
ALMOND JOY
Snickers, baby, I love you like a
brother, but really, who cares?
Silencer bomb...
Butterfinger pulls from around his shoulder a strange
rifle. He attaches to the front of it;, a glass encased,
suctioning time-bomb from a waist satchel. He fires
the bomb against the door and it starts ticking.
BEHIND THE WINDOWED DOUBLE DOORS
come Hawk, Alex, and Anna, panting.
HAWK
That was close....
ALEX
Anna, I think you better stay....
HAWK
You can be lookout!..... Take
Alex's gun.
Alex hands Anna his gun, who glumly takes it like a Little
Sister not allowed to play. Hawk and Alex go back through
the doors.
THE HALLWAY ABOVE
The CIA bomb blows up the door with a weird silencer
sound. Kaplan and the Candy Bars giddily whoop as they
rush through the smoking door.
THE BALLROOM--SECOND LEVEL
Anna meanders across the second level muttering to herself
in Italian and amusingly imitating Hawk's condescension.
ANNA
"You can be the lookout."
Anna suddenly moves past the pillar to see the Mayflowers
and the V.I.P.S. She gasps and hurls herself behind the
second level railing.
THE BALLROOM FLOOR
A VERY DIGNIFIED SOVIET LEADER, in a SHIT HAPPENS baseball
cap, addresses Darwin.
SOVIET LEADER
Before we serve you "the main course,"
hee, hee, we need to know specifics
about what you can do for us. We--
DARWIN
Bluntness. How amusingly Hungarian.
Listen up, for reasons I don't want
to get into, I recently had to close
down a petroleum factory, but I'm
going to re-build it here and
Madonna's going to cut the ribbon!
Frozen burritos in Leningrad. 1982
fantasy. 1992 reality.
THE LOCK OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Hawk and Alex more frantically toil on the lock.
HAWK
"We all had our quarrels and
parted..."
ALEX
"But we'll be the same as we started...
The lock clunks open. They race through the doors into...
INT. THE ART TREASURE ROOM
Hawk and Alex weave through the room which is crammed,
with little nuance, to the gills with great art treasures
including an impressive array of Faberge eggs. A solid
gold hammer and sickle hang on one wall...
HAWK AND ALEX
"Just traveling along, singing a
song. Side--"
HAWK
Geez, this place is a mess...
ALEX
Voila...
They rumble toward an opening in the wall of the room
covered by a small curtain that has the Da Vinci Man in
the Circle drawing emblazoned across it. Hawk reaches
for the curtain. Alex puts his arm around him and speaks,
not sings.
ALEX
Side by side, man...
Suddenly, the roof above them explodes. Kaplan and the
Candy Bars drop down behind them.
ALMOND JOY
What the hell....
SNICKERS
You're supposed to be dead!
ALEX
I'm a ghost. Boo.
HAWK
I don't want to sound immature,
but we were here first...
KAPLAN
I wish I could think of those cute
quips the way you can, Hawk, but
I can't, so I'll just shoot Alex.
Kaplan point blank shoots Alex in the chest. Alex
crumples backward, moaning. Butterfinger, casually, but
with incredible strength, holds Hawk's arms behind his
back.
HAWK
No....
ALMOND JOY
That was pretty uncool, George...
KAPLAN
Sorry, you know he kind of reminds
me of Little Eddie. But I digress.
Ah, victory is so sweet....
Kaplan pulls back the Da Vinci curtain. Nothing is there.
THE BALLROOM BANQUET
A SOVIET CHEF lifts up a silver domed serving tray,
revealing the Da Vinci helicopter model.
MINERVA
Yum. This is the best meal I
ever had...
ANNA
bulges her eyes at the revelation. She pulls out Alex's
gun and bangs herself in the head. What to do....
THE ART TREASURES ROOM
Kaplan is bugging out.
KAPLAN
Damnit, this isn't the plan!
Blue light, green light, shit!
Snickers, Kit Kat, A.J., scramble,
see if you can find out anything.
They thunder out. Hawk, still in Butterfinger's
oblivious clutches, shouts..
HAWK
Can't you see the Mayflowers
double-crossed you...
KAPLAN
They may be scum, but if I get the
Da Vinci model back, then we'll be
roasting weenies on the beach.
HAWK
I don't think you'll appreciate
their choice of weenie.
Kaplan raises his gun.
THE BALLROOM BANQUET
Darwin holds the Da Vinci model in one hand and raises
a glass of vodka in the other.
DARWIN
You're helping us achieve a goal
and in return, I'm giving you a
key to the world's executive
washroom. Don't piss it away....
Skoal, amigos...
ANNA (O.S.)
Stop or I'll shoot.
Minerva and some various Soviet VIPS spew their vodka to
look up to Anna pointing a gun down at them from the
second level. She is shivering, shaking the gun.
ANNA
You people are immoral and
narcissitic and I won't let you...
In unison, the Soviet Soldiers surrounding the table
begin machine gunning up at her. She dives behind the
railing.
THE ART TREASURES ROOM
Kaplan lowers his gun.
KAPLAN
I can't believe this. I'm in
fucking Russia, or do I have to
say, the fucking Soviet Union and
I'm shooting a non-Bolshevick.
(raising back up
his gun)
I never thought I'd say "I'm just
in this job for the money." Sad.
Any last immature quips?
HAWK
No.
(a beat)
But why do you let Butterfinger
keep those blood stains on his
shirt?
Falling for the oldest trick in the book, Butterfinger
looks down to his shirt.
BUTTERFINGER
What blood stains....
Hawk bounces up to savagely head-butt Butterfinger.
Butterfinger slams back against a wall causing the Gold
Sickle to fall down around his neck and knock him to the
ground, pinning his head to the floor. The Gold Hammer
next trembles off the wall and crushes Butterfinger's
skull.
HAWK
You want immature, how 'bout an
egg fight...
Hawk flings a Faberge egg, smashing the gun out of Kaplan's
hand. Hawk pelts a batch more at him. Kaplan sloppily
whips some eggs back. Hawk finally smashes one in half
and beans the jagged piece into Kaplan's eye. He squeals
to the ground, geysering blood.
Hawk swoops down to a wheezing, breath controlling Alex.
HAWK
Alex, are you....
ALEX
I can't believe you didn't notice.
My weight. I lost ten pounds in
Rome
HAWK
You're a reed, man. I gotta get
Anna. Hang in there...
THE BALLROOM
Bullets stop splintering around Anna at the railing as
the soldiers fling out their empty cartridges to reload.
Snickers, Almond Joy, and Kit Kat race out of the hall-
way area into the ballroom area. They stop at the sight
of Anna....
ALMOND JOY
Anna-bannana-fo-fanna, I guess I
have to cut out your heart for
real now. It's not personal.
Anna feebly raises her gun. Almond Joy laughs and
pulls out a knife.
ALMOND JOY
You won't shoot. I read your
dossier... Sister.
The Soviet Soldiers snap in new cartridges as Almond Joy
moves out from behind the pillar towards Anna. The
Soldiers blast away at this newly appearing figure.
Almond Joy ruptures and vibrates in a Sonny Corleone
ballet.
ALMOND JOY
I gotta get a new job...
Snickers and Kit Kat militarily roll on either side of
Anna as their partner wilts to the ground. The men,
Snickers with his mini-Uzi, Kit Kat with his cross-
bow rifle, briefly leap up to fire down at the soldiers
with some graphic success.
Anna watches Darwin and Minerva head up the stairs to
her level. She bolts off....
BALLROOM FLOOR
The last of the Soviet VIPS flee as the Soldiers tip
over the M shaped table on its side, using it for
cover, firing upward.
KIT KAT
breaks off and scurries around the second level to get
a position behind the M.
He fires down an arrow for a successful kill. Another
guard tries to fire up, but Kit Kat impales him to the
back of the table with a quality shot.
Kit Kat grins and reloads as Alfred, the butler, regally
creeps behind him.
HAWK
comes out of the long hallway double doors up to where
Anna is bustling. They hug...
ANNA
The Mayflowers got...
Hawk and Anna turn to see the Mayflowers hastening in
their direction. Noticing them back, the model-toting
Mayflowers halt.
KIT KAT
turns to Alfred and fires his crossbow. Alfred effort-
lessly cuts it in half with his blade and continues
to move forward. Still smiling, Kit Kat tries to reload.
MINERVA
breaks the standstill.
DARWIN
What a pleasant surprise. You're
probably wondering...
HAWK
But you're going to tell us
anyway...
MINERVA
I hate a man with a sense of
humor. While you corn dogs were
comparing the lengths of your
masculinity, we obtained the
helicopter the new fashioned
way: a thoroughly corrupt business
deal.
HAWK
If you think you're getting past
me...
Grunting behind them, Snickers gun-butts Hawk to the
ground.
HAWK
Don't be stupid...they...
SNICKERS
Bastard! If you were a true
American.
HAWK
Just shut up and hit me!
Snickers swings a punch. Hawk blocks it then whomps
him in the chest.
As they battle, Darwin grabs Anna's hair, slams her
into a pillar, and watches her crumple.
KIT KAT
gets in an arrow but it's too late. Alfred stabs
him deep, deep, deeply, and lifts him from the ground.
A shower of cards reading "OUCH" "PAIN" and "THIS REALLY
HURTS" rain from out of Kit Kat's coat.
Alfred discards him over the edge.
Kit Kat sails down upon the M.
The lone card of "FUCK" plops from his open eyed corpse.
HAWK
and Snickers trades fierce blows, stumbling down a
staircase.
DARWIN
and Minerva watch the fight with amusement. Alfred
approaches.
DARWIN
Alfred, the getaway car...
SNICKERS
slashes Hawk in the arm with a small but sinister blade.
HAWK
Damnit, I hate this! I'm a cat
burglar! Nobody said anything
about this fight-to-the-death
shit.
SNICKERS
Too bad.
Snickers goes for a final thrust when suddenly one of the
silencer time bombs suctions to his head.
Hawk turns to see Alex, barely standing, at the top of
the stairs, holding the strange rifle.
Darwin and Minerva turn to this dramatic entrance. They
start to trot off...
MINERVA
I knew it! I told you it was a
fake.
DARWIN
That New-York-Italian-Father-
made-twenty-bucks-a-week-son-
of-a-bitch. What was our bet? A
million?
MINERVA
Million five, lover...
HAWK
boots Snickers down the stairs. Snickers somersaults
up and frantically tries to pull off the bomb.
Snickers wails to the soldiers, who have lowered their
guns and are poking their heads out of the M to watch.
SNICKERS
Help me you Democratic Reform
lovers! Get a screwdriver, you
Stupid Eskimoes! Screw-dri-ver!
Oh God, I always wanted to know
how to play the harp, there
just was so little time! Rosebud!
The soldiers high-tail it out. Snickers plugs his ears.
Nothing happens.
SNICKERS
Maybe it was just a....
Snickers blows up gloriously before the M.
THE STAIRCASE
Hawk bounds up to Alex, who puffs down onto the steps.
ALEX
Get 'em. They went down the
hallway.
HAWK
Let's just forget it, I mean...
ALEX
Get em....
Hawk rushes up the. stairs, gives a "What can I do?" glance
to the unconscious Anna, and then continues rushing, past
a pillar. Minerva emerges from behind the pillar and
moves forward.
THE LONG ENIGMATIC HALLWAY
Hawk chugs beneath the Lenin mural and down the hall-
way. He sees Darwin breezing in front of him. Darwin
looks back to Hawk then runs forward into the darkness.
THE BALLROOM
Minera sits down next to the pained Alex.
MINERVA
Alex. How's it going?
ALEX
Go, go to Hell, to Hell.
Minerva pulls out a candy bar and rips it open.
MINERVA
Where's your insulin....No? Well,
Bon Appetite.
Minerva savagely slams Alex's head down and shoves the
candy bar in his mouth.
THE HALLWAY
Hawk moves closer and closer to the darkness of the
hallway when a one-eyed and bleeding George Kaplan dives
out of the Art Treasures room and tackles him. Hawk
kicks him off...
HAWK
Oh, come on....
THE BALLROOM
Alex gulps down the last of the candy bar, shivering.
MINERVA
Very good, Alex, but you re
still alive....
She pulls out another candy bar. Alex, with a last
burst of strength, punches her across the face.
MINERVA
That's fair.
THE LONG HALLWAY
Hawk and Kaplan lock onto each other's throats.
HAWK
Why does this have to be so hard...
KAPLAN
Tell me about it...
Suddenly, of all things, a car is heard rumbling in the
darkness.
Hawk and Kaplan stop fighting and turn to see THE MAY-
FLOWER LIMOUSINE screeching out of the darkness with
Darwin standing out of the sunroof firing a gun.
Bullets fly around them. From his back pocket, Hawk
slaps the nice picture of him and Little Eddie into
Kaplan's hands.
HAWK
Take this to Hell with you...
Hawk jumps up and grabs a hanging lamp.
Deranged with confusion, Kaplan turns from the picture
to the charging limousine.
KAPLAN
My pension.....
The driving Alfred smiles through the windshield.
Kaplan's body slams into a vivid somersaulting crash
into the windshield.
Hawk's hands burn and sizzle on the hanging lamp.
Passing beneath, Darwin raises up his gun.
Hawk lets go of the lamp and drops down on Darwin,
locking his legs around his neck and crushing him
down into....
THE BACKSEAT OF THE LIMOUSINE
Hawk and Darwin grapple on the floor of the limo. The
Da Vinci helicopter model bobs on the backseat. Darwin's
gun goes off..
right through Alfred's throat. He slumps over, pressing
down on the accelerator.
THE LIMOUSINE
blasts down the hallway, sparking off the wall, and
bashing off paintings and mirrors.
THE BACKSEAT
Darwin flicks on his paper shredder and shoves the side
of Hawk's hand into its teeth.
OUTSIDE THE LIMOUSINE
A mist of blood coughs out of the shredder vent and makes
a weird bloody line across the wall.
INT. BACKSEAT
Hawk yanks his hand from the shredder and grabs the meg-
lomaniac by the hair and shoves his head down on the
arm rest. Hawk turns on the piercing siren and Darwin's
eyes try to escape his head with a high pitched scream.
Darwin's entire body bucks wildly.
Darwin back-elbows Hawk and moves down for his gun.
Hawk pulls him back by his hair, grabs him by the balls,
and pushes him upward through the sunroof.
DARWIN
God-damnit, I only wanted to
destroy the world in my own image.
I'm a regular Joe...
Darwin pounds his fists on Hawk's head as Hawk hits the
sunroof switch sliding it shut on Darwin, pinning
his arms below the roof, but leaving his torso twisting
in the wind.
The mural of a happy Lenin with his arms outstretched
looms ahead waiting to greet Darwin.
Putting two and two together, Darwin loses it....
DARWIN
Not Lenin, anybody but Lenin. God,
let's talk abut this.
The limousine charges through the double doors and Darwin's
body connects with the mural.
INSIDE THE LIMO
Hearing the crunch, Hawk flips into the front seat and
brakes the vehicle. Alfred's head bounces against the
steering wheel. Hawk reaches over with a grin and picks
up the Da Vinci model. He looks to Alfred, Kaplan
crunched in the windshield, and Darwin's dangling legs.
HAWK
Wow, this is really gonna hurt the
resale value...
THE BALLROOM
Hawk runs up to a woozy Anna and helps her up. She has
a cross-shaped blood stain on her forehead.
HAWK
Oh, honey....
Hawk looks to Alex, sitting on the stairs, the same way
he left him. Hawk rushes to him.
HAWK
We did it man, we...
Hawk grabs Alex's shoulder. Alex falls back. Written
over his face in red lipstick is REALLY DEAD.
Engaging a slow motion sequence, Minerva saunters behind
Anna, putting on red lipstick. Minerva slams her back
to the ground.
Hawk howls then turns to see stiff-upper-lip Alfred,
bleeding from the neck. Hawk tries to throw a punch,
but Alfred blocks it and crunches him across the face.
The Da Vinci helicopter model bounces down the stairs
in slow motion and cracks open, revealing the intricate
mirror of the opening scene.
INT. DARK ROOM ATOP MAYFLOWER MUSEUM--DAY
A damaged Hawk awakens in a dungeonish room and stumbles
to some shutters. "O Solo Mio" returns on the sound-
track as the shutters open to a postcard view of Vinci.
Hawk closes the shutters and cuts off the music. A
slightly more composed Anna touches his shoulder causing
him to jump slightly. They melt into a kiss.
ANNA
Oh Hudson...
HAWK
I told you not to call me Hudson.
The only people who called me that
were the nuns at...
ANNA
Oh Hudson, I'm a sister of the
Catholic church as well as an
agent.
HAWK
(cut-off laugh)
This is too bad to be false.
Alfred enters the room in his favorite outfit with a
bandage around his neck. His voice is strange, but still
polite.
ALFRED
Welcome back to Vinci.
HAWK
Last rites, sister?
ANNA
Please, no nun jokes...They're a
bad habit to get into....get it?
Hawk and Anna unconvincingly laugh then sadly pause.
HAWK
She killed Alex.
Alfred gives them a push.
INT. THE DA VINCI WORKSHOP
Alfred leads them through the Da Vinci workshop past the
bat winged glider and incongruously crammed-in tennis ball
machine.
INT. THE ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE--DAY
Alfred grandly opens double-doors to reveal that Da
Vinci's gold machine has been majestically re-created
piece by piece. In the periphery, the 90's rears its
head in the form of THREE TECHNICIANS wearing headsets
and gun holsters who consult computer terminals.
MINERVA (O.S.)
GOLD-FI-ING-ER!
Hawk and Anna turn to see Minerva splashily enter in
sexy funeral-wear.
MINERVA
Sorry, I couldn't resist. You're
probably wondering why you're
still alive. Anna.....
As Minerva speaks, TECHNICIAN ONE forcibly escorts Anna
toward a stand near the gold machine and tightly
handcuffs her to it.
MINERVA
I want you to monitor the Da
Vinci's directions from the
apprentice diary. And Hawk, I
didn't want you to go to hell
without knowing that Darwin and
I's dream came true.
(suddenly sheepish)
Beside that, none of us can seem
to put that damn crystal together.
Alfie and I were up all night with
the thing.
TECHNICIAN TWO commences a forcible escort of Hawk to the
gold machine. Hawk cold-cocks him to the ground.
HAWK
You killed a friend. Why should I
help you go for the gold?
MINERVA
It'll take a couple of years of
steady production, but I'll flood
the market with so much gold that
gold itself, the foundation of all
finance, will lose its meaning.
Brokers, economists, and fellow
entrepreneurs will drown in the
saliva of their own nervous
breakdowns. Markets will crash-
crash. Financial Empires will
crumble-crumble.
HAWK
Except yours-yours. The goal of
world domination. Well, if you
put it that way, Minnie. How can
I resist?
MINERVA
You can't, convict! You're just
a shmoe! Every shmoe has the
fantasy the planet revolves around
them. It rains, car crash stops
traffic, you say "How could this
happen to me?" It's a natural
inclination. But for I, this
isn't a fantasy, it is reality!
You are on my planet! You walk
around the corner for coffee, out
of my sight, you do not fucking
exist! The lives of shmoes like
you have meaning only in relation
to the rich, to the powerful, to ME!
Anna looks at the oil cloth diary before her. She pulls
a compact from her pocket and holds the compact mirror
over the scribblings. Reading off the reflection, her
eyes widen.
ANNA
Do it. There's no reason to fight
anymore. She's a force of nature.
Trying to get a grip on Anna's words, Hawk lets himself
be escorted to another stand before the gold machine that
has the two complex crystal parts and the weird mirror.
MINERVA
If you pull this off, I can't
promise I won't kill you. I mean,
who we trying to kid? But I will
spare the Flying Nun here....
HAWK
And to think I thought you were
Evil Incarnate in pumps.
MINERVA
I killed some lovable working
class Italian-diabetic, but you
killed the most significant male
figure of the decade and a kind,
gentle lover. So don't play with
me.
Minerva flicks a switch on the stand Anna's handcuffed
to. Anna vibrates, being electrocuted.
HAWK
Okay, fine!
Minerva switches it off. Giving himself a head rub, Hawk
bears down on the three oddly malleable objects. He
TANGLES and BENDS and with a loud SNAP, puts them
together, forming the Crystal from the opening scene.
Minerva snatches it from him and puts on a head-set.
MINERVA
Oh Hawk, don't ever change. Go,
team, go!
Minerva giddily sets the crystal in the same place as Da
Vinci had it in his machine.
Using a long steel pole, Technician One adjusts a myriad
of mirrors so they are in a proper angle with a series
of lenses culminating on the top of the machine.
Technicians Two (black-eyed) and Three pour various
chemical powders and liquids into corresponding compart-
ments on the machine, beautifully decorated by the
chemical's zodiac sign.
Alfred places a lead bar in its proper place.
Hawk glides to Anna and undoes her handcuff.
HAWK
I hope you know what....
ANNA
Trust Leonardo....
HAWK
Wha.....
Anna puts her fingers on his lips.
Minerva throws a lever. Steam begins to percolate from
the furnace towards the machine.
MINERVA
(into the headset)
We're for real.
THE MACHINE
begins to rotate, at first clunkily, then faster.
The Crystal rotates comfortably in its compartment.
The machine throws out its folding arms, each with an
element. The arms click higher.
The goggled technicians stand before a time-coded video
monitor, taking notes.
The chemical housings open and the chemicals begin to
spill and drop through brass tubes.
ANNA
murmurs to Hawk.
ANNA
Da Vinci made the real directions
in a secret script that I decoded.
The way the machine is running
now, the gold will produce too
quickly, clog, and the machine
will shut itself down. Isn't it
wonderful?
HAWK
Yeah, but what would happen if that
little mirror came out of the
crystal.
ANNA
Wha -- you don't want to know...
Hawk pulls out the mirror from his pocket.
HAWK
I wanna know...
ANNA
Holy sh-h--things are going to
get very interesting, very fast.
Da Vinci would be proud of you.
IN THE MACHINE
The chemicals snake down their individual paths to the
Lead Bar spinning its trough. There's a FLASH and a
controlled but jarring explosion.
EVERYONE
doubletakes. Hawk reaches down to the six foot steel
pole and with one swing slams the faces of all three
deep in concentration Technicians to the ground.
Oblivious to the violence behind her, Minerva, pulling
on goggles over her head-set, moves closer with a
religious purr.
THE MACHINE
triggers a fresnel lens and laserlike beams bounce around
the mirrors faster and faster, circling the room.
OUTSIDE THE MACHINE
Hawk and Anna squint, blinded. Flinging off her goggles,
A literally beaming Minerva giggles forward.
THE MACHINE
Beams of light converge on the top mirror and bounce into
the innards of the machine with a mighty roar!
MINERVA
sees that the center of the machine gleams yellowish and
molten. She moves closer, shouting into her head-set.
MINERVA
Eureka, motherfuckers!
The machine thunders and spins at a more aggressive
pace.
Hawk's voice suddenly comes on Minerva's head-set.
HAWK'S VOICE (head-set)
Minnie, hate to interrupt your
orgasm, but....
HAWK AND ANNA
stand above the unconscious Technicians. Hawk is on
head-set.
HAWK
Me, Anna, and Leonardo just wanna
say you got the Midas touch, baby...
MACHINE
Minerva turns toward the machine in anger and confusion.
The center of the machine blows. The pool of molten gold
rockets at the viewer.
Mirrors explode and the lasers slash at the walls.
Minerva tumbles from the machine, screaming, that is to
say, trying to scream, because molten gold covers her
face. It bubbles and cascades, turning her into a
bizarrely beautiful echo of Nefertiti.
HAWK AND ANNA
turn to retreat, and see, standing in the mouth of the
open double doors, in an open shirt, wearing Indian war
paint on his face and the words RULE BRITANNIA painted
on his chest, ALFRED!
ALFRED
How.
HAWK
You're unemployed, Alfie. Boss
is dead. Her plan is over.
ALFRED
(strange voiced)
My plan is just beginning. I'll
forgive you for denying me the
pleasure of slaughtering my
boorish employers, but I'm afraid
the birth of the new British
Empire can have no witnesses!
HAWK
Ooh-kay...
Alfred rushes forward with a howl. Hawk meets him
halfway. They trade savage punches and then lock onto
each other's throats.
Anna pulls a gun from a technician's holster and prays
for forgiveness. She aims steadily, and fires...
right into Hawk's arm. This allows Alfred to knock him
back with a strong punch.
ANNA
Sorry!
She fires again. The bullet pings off Hawk's belt buckle.
HAWK
Stop helping me! Thou shalt not
kill!
Hawk's turning to chastize Anna, allows Alfred to kick
Hawk back against a wall. Alfred lunges out with his
blade, hitting the wall off-angle. Hawk yanks the shaft.
Alfred goes with the flow and presses the shaft on Hawk's
throat.
Gasping, Hawk looks to a rip in Alfred's shirt and sees
a hinge and lever on the shaft. With an all or nothing
jerk, Hawk flicks the lever. The shaft clicks on the
hinge.
Alfred's greater strength and narrower grip makes it fold
away from Hawk and suddenly it is Alfred's throat which
is caught in the V-shaped trap! The momentum of the
sudden change makes Alfred stumble towards the wall until
the point of the "V" hits it--
HAWK
Don't lose your head over this.
Hawk takes the six foot steel pole and gives a Babe Ruth
swing right onto the V. The blades slam together and
POP ALFRED'S HEAD OFF, SENDING IT SCREAMING DISEMBODIED,
HIGH IN THE AIR.
ALFRED'S SCREAMING HEAD P.O.V.
Hawk and Anna are seen waving up to the viewer (Alfie's
head).
HAWK
Excuse my crass American humor.
The machine thunders with another explosion.
THE DA VINCI WORKSHOP
Hawk and Anna rush into the Da Vinci workshop. She
guiltily touches the surface wound on his arm. He
delicately takes the gun from her and laughs until he
sees...
BUNNY THE DOG!! standing in the open mouth of the
workshop. Anna turns to Hawk...
ANNA
Allow me.
Anna confidently moves toward the dog until Bunny leaps
up and savagely clamps his teeth into her throat sending
her crashing to the ground.
Hawk pauses in disbelief before raising the gun.
Bunny continues to viciously gnaw away on the convulsing
Anna, blood gently starts to emerge.
Hawk can't get off a shot. He throws down the gun in
exasperation. It lands next to The Gadget that is
connected to the Tennis Ball Machine. Hawk rushes
forward, picks up the gadget, turns the dial to Ten, and
then smiles sweetly toward the dog.
HAWK
Oh Bunny, Ball-Ball.
Bunny stops his violent behavior and perkily looks up
blood droplets drizzling from his mouth.
Hawk slams down on the gadget.
A tennis ball comes rocketing out of the machine.
Bunny leaps and catches the rocketing ball but the force
of it sends him FLYING AND CRASHING out a window.
Hawk pulls up Anna as the machine completely EXPLODES.
A huge chunk of the roof THUDS before the workshop door.
Hawk suddenly looks off-camera and smiles. Anna shakes
her head vigorously. He pulls her out of the frame.
EXT. A VINCI COUNTRYSIDE TREE
A man awakens from a nap and pulls up his hat. It is THE
TRAVELING JUGGLER WITH THE UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE.
He pulls his three red balls from a pouch on his mule.
He begins a stoic juggle when another loud BOOM sends him
to the ground.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE GRAND CASTLE--DAY
An explosion of steam and gas blows out the windows!
Debris frisbees toward the camera along with....
Anna, hanging on Hawk's waist, and Hawk, hanging from
the bar on DA VINCI'S BAT WINGED GLIDER.
The glider gracefully swooshes down through the castle -
through the glorious vista.
EXT. THE ROAD TO THE CASTLE
The glider floats to a perfect landing before the
Unforgettable Juggler.
JUGGLER
Che pazzo....
Hawk and Anna collect themselves and look up to the smoke
billowing castle. They smile and gush in relief. They
wrap arms around the confused but warming up Juggler and
laugh again.
A SMALL PIAZZA
The mule trots into a small storybook piazza in the hush
of dawn. Hawk, Anna, and the unforgettable Juggler ride
atop it.
A WOMAN WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE moves to a cafe
table with a luminous smile. She unfolds a table cloth
atop it and then mystically sets down two cappuccinos.
Hawk and Anna dismount, thank the Juggler, then cozy into
the table.
HAWK
Have I ever told you the world is
beautiful...
(semi-seductively)
I'd really like to play
Nintendo with you, or something...
ANNA
Hudson, I'm afraid I'm sticking
with God.
(smiling)
But you're a close second, tough
guy. What is that smile?
HAWK
(broadly grinning)
I got my planet back.
Hawk puts on a pair of sunglasses that look exactly like
the ones Da Vinci wore in the opening and raises his cup.
HAWK
The first one's for Alex. Cheers.
The viewer's viewpoint moves into Hawk's lips having a
sip of that damn unmasculine European coffee.
FADE OUT.
THE ENDHUDSON HAWK
Screenplay by
Steven E. de Souza
Revisions by
Dan Waters
Based on an original idea by
Bruce Willis & Robert Kraft
A Silver Pictures/Flying Heart Films June 14, 1990
Production
NOTE: THE HARD COPY OF THIS SCRIPT CONTAINED SCENE NUMBERS
AND SOME "SCENE OMITTED" SLUGS. THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR
THIS SOFT COPY.
FADE IN:
EXT. VINCI COUNTRYSIDE - RENAISSANCE - DAY
Beneath a jawdroppingly storybook castle, a small
Renaissance Fair with florid awnings, demented ACROBATS
and roaring puppets is unfolding.
RUSTIC FARMERS and their families rumble with enjoyment
at the Sabbath afternoon entertainment.
Encircled by children, A JUGGLER WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY
ETCHED FACE elegantly plucks the red balls from a pouch
on his mule. As he begins to juggle, a LOUD EXPLOSION
is heard, causing him to ungracefully drop his balls
and collapse in a heap.
Everyone at the fair, including the puppets, looks up.
UNFORGETTABLE JUGGLER
Leonardo, che pazzo.
The juggler shakes his fist up to a swish pan that swings
up toward a smoking window of the awesome castle...
INT. ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE
where the charismatic LEONARDO DA VINCI laughs down at
him. Da Vinci wears a pair of very early, very cool sun-
glasses with his trademark beard.
He turns and loses his smile, something extraordinary
reflecting off his glasses. Removing his shades, Da
Vinci moves to the Something, a gloriously incredible
machine. The opening CREDITS REVEAL its dazzling idio-
syncrasies.
TWO COUGHING APPRENTICES haplessly try to disperse smoke
from the still billowing, mysteriously spectacular
Machine. Mirrors attached to parts of it reflect beams
of light which cut through the smoke like a Renaissance
laser show.
DA VINCI
(silencing authority)
Basta vapore.
The apprentice throws a lever. A shunt near the furnace
turns. Steam escapes upwards. The machine immediately
slows down. Da Vinci oh-so-gently coughs and moves for-
ward with tongs.
A LITTLE TROUGH - IN THE MACHINE'S INNARDS
comes to a trembling, mystical halt. Right behind this
trough is a CONPLEX POLYHEDRON CRYSTAL as intricately
modulated as any Rubik stocking stuffer, but much more
dazzling in beauty. It gleams like a jewel in the yellow
glow which pours from a PLEASANTLY GRINNING DEMONHEAD into
a trough--a glow of heat--and something more than heat.
The tongs enter the frame.
Da Vinci brings the object closer to his face. A murmur
goes up from the awestruck apprentices as the Master
peers at the smoking yellow bar.
APPRENTICE TWO
Maestro, che meraviglia!
APPRENTICE THREE
Lei e' proprio fantastico!
Da Vinci's pride goes dead as the implications hit.
DA VINCI
Lasciatemi, solo. Solo!
The apprentices scurry out. Mind reeling, Da Vinci turns
his back to the viewer, before a wall of frescoes.
DA VINCI
L'ho fatto.
Spinning back around, using the edge of his cloak, Da
Vinci pulls out the large gleaming crystal with a pop.
INT. DA VINCI'S WORKSHOP
With an accompanying blast of smoke, Da Vinci bursts
through some double doors into his workshop, sadly
reflecting upon the crystal in one hand and the tonged
bar in the other.
His workshop is a spendiferously enigmatic blend of
laboratory and studio; On a table in the foreground is
a fresh clay equestrian statue; a large VOLUME of
sketches, the inkwell nearby; a MODEL of what looks like
a HELICOPTER; Da Vinci flings the tonged bar on the table
among these goodies.
Pocketing the crystal, Da Vinci meanders through his work-
shop casually tinkering with various experiments. He
snaps his fingers at a BATHING SUITED APPRENTICE, wearing
a diving helmet prototype. The Apprentice jumps into a
pool of water.
Leonardo next stops at an easel displaying a finished-
except-for-the-mouth portrait of Mona Lisa, who happens
to be seated in a stool before the easel. She broadly
smiles, revealing the worst dental work of her epoch.
Da Vinci shakes his head and moves out onto a
EXT. CASTLE TERRACE
A FLYING APPRENTICE sails past Leonardo in a bat winged
glider, enthusiastically shouting. Da Vinci grins back
until he touches his pocket. He pulls out the crystal
and, after a beat, angrily twists it apart into two
separate, geometric pieces revealing a small intricate
mirror. He quickly folds the surprisingly shapable
geometric pieces.
Calming down, Da Vinci looks from the three components of
the crystal to each of the three unfinished works on the
table in his workshop. He ponders then looks back out to
the Vinci vista.
The bat winged glider DISSOLVES into:
A HAWK
who is revealed to be flying over Sing Sing prison.
INT. A SING SING PRISON CELL
The shadow of the hawk passes through a cell window, over
the face of EDDIE HUDSON HAWKINS causing him to break out
of an eye-closed trance.
Before the viewer can get a good look at him, Hudson
Hawk turns to an oddball version of the "Mona Lisa" that
has his face and tears it off the cell back-wall.
INT. PRISON BLOCK WALKWAY
TWO PRISON GUARDS, One WISE and BLACK, the other YOUNG
and GREEN march down a cell block. The Former is smoking
a pipe which the Young Guard lights with a lighter.
WISE GUARD
We're losing our biggest celebrity
today.
YOUNG GUARD
You're kidding, Petey the Paint
Thinner Killer is getting paroled?
WISE GUARD
Not that slime, you Fizzhead.
Hudson Hawk. The last of the
great cat burglars.
INT. PRISON CELL WALL
A hand tears down a picture of a happy Hudson Hawk and
a LITTLE MONKEY, identically dressed in black cat
burglar gear.
THE BLOCK
The Wise Guard and the Young Guard rumble forward.
WISE GUARD
As a thief, Hawk was a poem.
Iambic fucking pentameter. You
know, Crime used to have a little
class. A hundred reporters were
here when he came in, now they're
probably out covering some tired
crack gang war...
The Guards approach Hawk's cell. Hawk, with his back
turned, hefts on a nifty blazer.
HAWK
Remind me to fire my publicist.
The Wise Guard chuckles as the Young Guard fumbles with
his key-ring.
YOUNG GUARD
Darn, these are for L-block...
Hawk's hand reaches through the bars and grabs a pipe
cleaner from the Wise Guard's pocket. Then the lighter
from the Young Guard's pocket--BURNS OFF the fabric fuzz
with the lighter beside it--bends the now blackened
wire--and with a quick turn of the wrist uses it to
UNLOCK the door.
YOUNG GUARD
- go back down to security and-
He stops, dumbfounded, as the door clunks open. The
Guards double-take as Hawk, finally in full view, struts
past them, down the hall. The Guards hustle to catch
up. The wise guard puts his finger in the air and
sarcastically pretends to be stung by the heat emanating
from Hawk.
WISE GUARD
Guess this means, Hawk, you'll
be able to let yourself back in...
HAWK
Never happen. Bet. Ten bucks.
Hawk and the Wise Guard hit fists, half-smiling. Hawk
unfolds the painting.
HAWK
Oh, give this back to Petey in A
block. Tell him it was a sweet
gift, but I think he got some
wrong ideas about our friendship.
YOUNG GUARD
The Paint Thinner Killer did
this? I think you picked a good
day to get out...
The trio comes to the final checkpoint. Hawk takes a
deep breath.
WISE GUARD
Hope I lose the bet. Have that
cappuccino on me.
HAWK
(flipping him the
pipe cleaner)
You got it. A double.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE PRISON--DAY
Hawk strides to the Massive Sliding Concrete Door/Wall
between him and freedom. As music crescendos and
Hawk glows his first smile, the door opens to reveal two
Mafioso brothers, CESAR and ANTONY MARIO, the latter
sitting upon the hood of a tinted window Lincoln
Continental. Cesar is of cool, hair-slicked-back
attitude, his scumbag brother is not.
ANTONY
Welcome back, buddy ol' pal.
We've got a proposition...
HAWK
Answer's no, not even if you
bathe. Cesar Mario, Antony Mario,
how's the "Family?" Kill any
monkeys lately?
CESAR
How many times do I have to say
it? I didn't put the hit on
Little Eddie... Never had anything
against that kooky chimp. I
actually found him, "endearing."
HAWK
Sure. Face down. Two endearing
shots to the back of the head.
That's your mark, man. What did
Little Eddie ever do to...
Smouldering, Hawk struts off. Cesar takes a black
canvas bag from a SCARFACED DRIVER and hustles up to
Hawk. The Lincoln rumbles behind them, Antony riding
on the hood.
CESAR
You're hitting Rutherford's
Auction House. Easy as my
brother's wife. Directions are
in the bag. Just open the seventh
floor safe and take out the
thingie...
HAWK
Or you cut off my thingie.
Directions even your brother
would understand.
ANTONY
(defensively)
Yeah, directions even I could
understand.
The car squeals to a stop. Antony bounds off. Cesar
shove-throws the canvas bag into Hawk's unwilling
hands.
CESAR
Hawk, you're a great thief. Got
set up, did some time, nothing to
be ashamed of. Don't give me a
sonata about you always just
really wanted to settle down,
open a hardware Store and sell
spatulas...
HAWK
If the Mario brothers weren't
Jersey's third largest family,
I'd say kiss my ass. But
considering your status, I'll
say slurp my butt.
Hawk fiercely push-shoves the canvas bag back into
Cesar's hands.
CESAR
What's your favorite sport, Hawk?
HAWK
Baseball, why?
Antony opens the back door of the Lincoln and says
"Baseball." He is handed a baseball bat. Hawk backs
up as Antony moves threateningly toward him.
HAWK
I meant, ping pong. Listen, I'd
rather go back in than whore for
you...
(stopping)
Oh, I need to borrow ten dollars.
A PRISON GUARD from above turns as not to be a witness.
Hawk feebly calls up to him.
HAWK
Help? Police?
Antony swings at Hawk, who pretends not to notice until
the last second. Hawk ducks and slam-kicks his calf.
Antony crumples, using the bat as a crutch. Hawk boots
up the bat for a two-handed catch then savagely pivots
it across Antony's face, knocking him into the backseat
of the car.
CESAR
(unfazed)
You need some time to think.
That's cool, but next time, I'm
not going to say "Please."
Cesar floats into the backseat. The Lincoln takes off.
Hawk seethes...
HAWK
I don't believe this. I've been
out forty seconds...
A BACKFIRE rings out. Hawk hits the ground, thinking
it is a gunshot.
HAWK'S ON THE GROUND P.O.V.
A gasping 1960 Caddy comes to a stop and a pair of a too-
fancy-to-be-tasteful shoes comes out. Hawk looks up to
see ALEX MESSINA, his older, maybe-maybe-not-wiser best
friend.
ALEX
That's the first thing I did.
Smooch the ground and taste the
freedom. Sorry I was late. Miss
anything?
HAWK
(getting up)
Your timing, and your shoes, are
impeccable... Good to see you,
Alex, been having a lousy day.
ALEX
Lousy day? The man's getting out
of prison and he's having a
lousy day. What, you missing out
on the Cell Block Water Ballet
pageant? Believe me, it's
overrated.
Hawk pauses to say something, then just hugs Alex.
ALEX
Where's the kiss? No tongue this
time, I promise.
A laughing Hawk gives Alex's stomach a slap before
getting in the car....
HAWK
Looks like you've been expanding
your...
ALEX
Don't say it, Hawkins. I'm
incredibly sensitive about my
fucking figure.
HAWK
My next word was gonna be
"consciousness." Swear to God...
tubby.
EXT. THE ROAD INTO HOBOKEN--DAY
The Caddy thunders past a sweet Manhattan view. "Come
Fly With Me" is playing on the radio. Hawk casually com-
pletes an intimidating hand puzzle.
HAWK
That's your definition of "Hard?"
ALEX
Show off. Hey, boss tune. "Come
Fly with Me."
HAWK
Three minutes, 51 seconds.
ALEX
Still do the puzzles, still know
the running times of songs, and
I'll bet you're still the best
damn cat burg--
HAWK
Not anymore. Now I'm the laziest
damn cat burg--I'm going to take
it so straight that I won't tape
a Mets game without the expressed
written consent of the National
Baseball League.
ALEX
Now that you're born again,what
do you wanna do? Statue of
Liberty? Entertain some ladies?
Miss Saigon tix? Seduce some
women? Play Nintendo? Bone some
chicks?
HAWK
Come on, Alex, let's just get to
Alex's. Your bar's the only
place that's going to cheer me.
God, I'd kill for a damn
cappuccino. What the hell's a
Nintendo?
ALEX
Oh man, you still got a thing for
those unmasculine European coffees?
Who's your buddy?
Alex pulls a styrofoam cup from a paper bag.
HAWK
The man knows, the man knows!
Hawk takes off the cap with a stimulating whiff.
ALEX
So Mr. Coffee, what went down
outside the prison?
HAWK
Oh, not much. Mario Brothers want
me to do a job.
Alex brakes and cappuccino flies. Hawk half-heartedly
tries to lick up with his fingers.
ALEX
Those dago-guinea-I can say
this shit I'm Italian-wop
motherfu--
HAWK
Ah, had the perfect amount of
foam. Just get me to the bar...
It's the one good thing in my
life that'll never change....
EXT. OUTSIDE ALEX'S BAR--NIGHT
The Guys move through the personably Jersey face of the
bar. The Empire State Building beams in the background.
Sinatra cuts off.
INT. ALEX'S BAR--NIGHT
It's changed. Hawk and Alex enter into what has become
the ultimate pseudo-art deco-fern littered-nightmare,
packed with noisy, INSUFFERABLY SELF-ABSORBED YUPS.
A violently erotic and pretentious video plays upon
elevated T.V. sets set up all around the place.
Hawk's mouth gapes as he drifts by a sickening COUPLE
toasting wine coolers, and two very YOUNG BROKERS high-
fiving each other after missing a dartboard.
ALEX
I didn't know how to tell you. A
couple brokers stopped in for
Stoley Spritzers one night. Next
thing I know Fast Track Digest
votes us "Watering Hole of the
Month." Now, I'm shopping for
Aqua Salmon wallpaper.
HAWK
I read about these people in
Newsweek. Where's all the
regulars, Crazy Jeff Cava, the
Todd sisters, Indian Joe? Where's
Ed Kranepool's autograph? Captain
Bob's steering wheel?
ALEX
Hey, get this irritable guy a
cappuccino. I gotta go be a boss.
Alex lifts a piece of the bar and moves behind it.
Snatching up a menu, Hawk calls out...
HAWK
This is Pizza? Reindeer Goat
cheese? I admit, I've been known
to go wild and order a Canadian
Bacon in my time, but..
Hawk lights up a cigarette. A TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER
immediately turns to him wearing a "Yes, I mind if you
smoke" button.
TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER
Can you read.... smoker?
HAWK
Can you take a sunrise and
sprinkle it with dew?
TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER
(Huh?)
No.
HAWK
The Candy Man can, Felix. You
know, I thought this was a country
where you could do any stupid
thing you wanted; drive to work
naked, make love to a V.C.R.
Guess I'm wrong. Maybe that's
why I became a serial arsonist.
TORTOISE SHELL NON-SMOKER
Hey, it's okay, big guy. Smoke
all you want. Have mine....
The Non-smoker fumbles out a pack of cigarettes and
flees. A cappuccino in cup and saucer slides down the
bar saloon-style. A smiling Hawk picks it up, turns away
from the bar and closes his eyes, bringing the cup to his
lips until a POLICE BADGE swirls into frame and splashes
into the cup, splattering coffee over Hawk's blazer.
GATES (O.S.)
You're under arrest...
Hawk makes eye contact up to a crude, coarse, and
cackling island of a man, OFFICER GATES, amid the sea
of oblivious and self-obsessed yuppitude, standing by
a table.
GATES
Have a seat. Good to see you,
buddy ol' pal...
HAWK
The pleasure's all yours, Officer
Gates.
BACK OF THE BAR
With concern, Alex watches Hawk sit at Gates' table.
GATES' TABLE
Gates pillages a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with
terrifying precision. Hawk tosses the badge onto the
food. Gates eats around it.
GATES
Why do you show your parole
officer such disrespect?
Especially after I got you such
a nice job.
HAWK
What job?
Gates pulls up the black canvas bag and puts it on the
table.
GATES
The auction house, asshole. One
night's work and you're free like
no ex-con's ever been. No
checking in with a shrink, no
community service teaching
retards how to play air hockey.
It's a great deal, I can't lie.
HAWK
The only thing you can't do is
get sex for free. I know I was
in prison for like basically the
80's, but, call me daffy, aren't
you supposed to stop me from
committing crimes. You know,
Book-em-Dano, Call-for-backup,
Give-a-Hoot-Don't-Pollute.
Gates thunders out of his chair and moves around to sneer
down at Hawk. Behind Gates, on the T.V. screens, are
analogous images of DISGUSTING ANIMALS AND MONSTERS.
GATES
You wouldn't be out if it wasn't
for me! I did dog and pony for
you! You think they would have
let you out after what you did,
you told the board members they
looked like the Three Stooges...
HAWK
How was I supposed to know they
were women? Besides one of them
was bald and kept saying
"Soitinly."
Gates simmers into his seat with a self-control smile.
GATES
Remember that guy in the cell
next to you who hung himself?
HAWK
Yes.
GATES
Remember that shoe you lost...
HAWK
Uh, yeah. Cut to the chase.
Gates pulls up a shoe and puts it on the table.
GATES
One phone call and your shoe
will become a piece of evidence
and that suicide'll become a
murder.
Hawk bobs under the table and up.
HAWK
What else do you got under there
... I don't want to be rude, but
this is all pretty lame.
GATES
That's the beauty. It's bullshit,
but I can make it stick because
I'm a good guy parole officer and
you re a bad guy who's about to
find out that there's a thin line
between ex-con and escape con.
Alex suddenly approaches the table.
ALEX
How is everything tonight, sir?
GATES
Beat it, Alex. You're a dinosaur.
HAWK
Alex, did you know this ape was
going to be here...
ALEX
Sure. That's why his meatballs
are made out of marinated Chuck
Wagon.
GATES
(mouthful)
You're full of shit.
As Alex speaks, an eating dog is on the screens.
ALEX
No, man, actually you are. Just
add water and it makes its own
gravy. Keeps your teeth healthy
and your coat shiny.
Gates grabs the shoes and races off, gagging. Hawk gets
up to laugh next to Alex. Their laughter dies as they
turn to look at the black canvas bag left on the table
between them.
INT. BACK ROOM--DAWN
Hawk stares mournfully at a black and white photo of a
monkey-sized chalk-outline on a city street. Behind him,
Alex pulls out blueprints from the black bag. Sinatra's
"Witchcraft" blares on the radio....
ALEX
Hmmmm.....
HAWK
Yo Pandora, quit hummm-ing... look
at this.
Hawk is rummaging through stockpiled remnants of an old,
"true" bar. Round lamps, tacky mirrors, pictures of Hawk
and the Regs at the bar. Managing a weary smile, Hawk
lifts a ship steering wheel, while Alex puts on a pair of
granny classes and pulls out blueprints.
HAWK
It's Captain Bob's steering wheel!
Remember when the Captain.....
ALEX
Hmmm, nasty little safe on the 7th.
Hawk nervously picks up a Rubik's Cube and holds it
behind his back. He brings it back around, completed.
Sighing, Hawk drops the cube and rubs his scalp. Alex
starts rubbing his stomach. They pace in pre-job
syncopation and speak rapid-fire.
HAWK
The safe's a Simpson 71. Last
time I played the game, Simpson
only had a 40.
ALEX
Just means it'll take you an extra
31 seconds to seduce. You re
still the best, I know it.
HAWK
But you got three guards who...
Shit, what am I doing? Where's
the want ads? Gonna sell some
spatulas.
ALEX
Hey, I'm sorry, man. I'm putting
out a fire with kerosene.
Alex gives Hawk a consoling two-hand-shake then jumps
back to reveal he has put Hawk into thumbcuffs.
HAWK
This isn't funny. I'm not into
this. I...
ALEX
There goes five seconds...My
record's eighteen.
HAWK
You're not...LISTENING!
Out of annoyance, Hawk breaks out of the cuffs and
violently throws them at Alex, who sits down a little
wounded.
HAWK
I'm sorr--Goddamn Mario Brothers.
Goddamn Gates. Goddamn Rutherford
Auction House. By the way, how
many seconds?
ALEX
Rutherford Auction... that name...
Alex jumps up excitedly and then convulses in pain.
HAWK
Alex!
ALEX
Don't wet your diapers. I'll have
to change them. "Witchcraft."
What's the running time?
Alex flops down behind a work table before a wallfull of
drawings of different kinds of vaults. He sets himself
up for an insulin injection.
HAWK
3:48. I can't get you involved,
man. This is my sewage and...
(re drawings)
God, you love all this, don't you,
you bastard. Haven't you ever
heard of stamp collecting, or
curling?
Hawk leans in and administers the shot of insulin to
Alex.
ALEX
I'm in. Have you seen the public
service announcements for Diabetes.
We can ride horses, play LaCrosse,
and knock off auction houses. I
got a plan. You won't have to hail
Cesar or Gates.
Hawk collapses next to Alex, resigned to his fate.
HAWK
I'm a bum.
EXT. NICE, BUSINESS NEIGHBORHOOD--NIGHT
TWO GRUBBY DERELICTS, one pushing a shopping cart, the
other inside it, situated atop the usual two Glad bags.
They are drunkenly warbling "Witchcraft." IMPECCABLY
DRESSED NIGHT-LIFERS give them a wide berth.
Our derelicts pass beneath a MASSIVE RED CANOPY of a
distinguished eight story edifice, upon which is written
RUTHERFORD'S AUCTION HOUSE. A DOORMAN shoos them away...
A NEWSPAPER TRUCK pulls up in front of the Auction House.
The Driver pops out with a bundle of papers and moves to
a Dispenser on the corner. The Bums wheel around the
truck. The Driver loads the papers and bounds back.
The Truck pulls away from the corner. The shopping cart
rolls off--the bums nowhere to be seen.
The Truck turns the corner, revealing the derelicts
climbing up the back of it, with Glad bags around their
necks. The Truck moves toward an enclosed Walkway Bridge
that connects the Auction House with another Building.
Launching low-tech grapples, the Vagrants latch them-
selves onto the Walkway window as the Truck passes
beneath.
AT THE WINDOW
The viewer's viewpoint moves into a tighter view of the
dangling derelicts, revealing them to, of course, be Hawk
and Alex. Getting a footing, on the small window ledge,
each man cuts a hole in the window while holding onto a
plunger.
HAWK
Whoa, you better cut a bigger hole
than that.
ALEX
Hey, you promised......Don't worry,
I'm wearing my girdle.
INT. INSIDE THE WALKWAY WINDOW--NIGHT
Hawk and Alex come through their window holes. Hawk
immediately flattens himself against a wall, whisper-
ing...
HAWK
Cameras?
ALEX
No need. Guards' station's right
there.
Alex points to an open doorway just down the hall where
laughter and shadows emerge. Hawk tries to flee, but a
grinning Alex pulls him toward it.
Hawk and Alex slide across the wall to a closed room
marked POWER, which is right next to the open Guards'
Station. The viewer's viewpoint moves past Hawk and
Alex lock-picking into the Power room to...
INT. THE GUARDS' STATION
Two Security Guards sit before a console of seven
security screens still chuckling over an unheard joke.
Wires coming out of the security console run across the
floor and through the wall into...
INT. THE POWER ROOM
The wires go up to a row of seven humming, RECORD button
flashing V.C.R.s. Hawk and Alex stand before them,
sharing a cig.
ALEX
They record everything their
video surveillance takes in...
HAWK
Yes, master-thief, I can see that.
You said something about a plan...
Alex presses the REWIND buttons on the V.C.R.'s.
ALEX
Am I boring you, smartass? Watch.
A little rewind and re-wire action
and the Guards are going to be
watching a rerun and miss out on
our exciting episode.
Alex pulls from a nearby shelf six tapes marked MONDAY.
INT. SEVENTH FLOOR AUCTION AUDITORIUM--NIGHT
Moving beneath a video camera and a dazzling Set of
Hanging Horse Mobiles, a Heavyset guard, BIG STAN, moseys
through the dimly lit main auction house auditorium. The
auditorium chairs are strewn out in the middle beside a
turbo Floor Washer.
Next to a painting of Happy Children Riding Horses at the
back of the auditorium stage, Big Stan hefts himself upon
a comparatively TINY BLUE CHAIR and begins to tip back
and snooze.
INT. GUARDS' STATION
The Security Guards look to the seventh floor screen to
see an unfolding shot of Big Stan mid-snooze.
SECURITY GUARD ONE
Check out Big Stan...
(walkie-talkie)
Big Stan!
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM
Startled by his walkie-talkie, Big Stan falls back on the
little chair, crunching it to the ground.
THE FIRST FLOOR
The laughing security guards see the crunch.
INT. THE POWER ROOM
Alex puts the last of the Monday tapes into a V.C.R.
ALEX
You got about five minutes and
change.
HAWK
5:32. "Swinging on a Star."
ALEX
You know they invented something
while you were inside. Called a
watch.
A freight elevator pings. Hawk opens it up as the music
of "Swinging on the Star" kicks in on the soundtrack.
HAWK
"A mule is an animal with long
funny ears."
ALEX
"He kicks up at anything he
hears.
Hawk crams himself into the freight elevator with his
Glad bag. Strenuously upbeat Ray Conniffesque singers
continue to sing the song, orchestrally accompanied, when
Hawk isn't.
INT. THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR
Hawk takes over the song, sardined in the elevator.
HAWK
"Or would you rather swing on a
star, carry moonbeams home in a
jar."
POWER ROOM
Alex goes up to a Circuit Box and pulls down two large
Switches. The soundtrack singers continue to warble.
THE GUARDS' STATION
The lights of the floor wobble and die. The console
screens blink off. The Security Guards stop laughing.
SECURITY GUARD TWO
Hell-o. Check the Power room,
bud...
Security Guard One harrumphs into a standing position...
POWER ROOM
Alex speedily hooks and rehooks the backs of the V.C.R.S.
They now all have their PLAY buttons lit up.
ALEX
swing on a star, carry moonbeams...
OUTSIDE THE POWER ROOM
Security Guard One fishes for keys to open the power
room. The soundtrack singers whisper as not to give away
Alex.
INSIDE THE POWER ROOM
Alex briskly slams back up the switches.
OUTSIDE THE POWER ROOM
The singers go louder as the lights come back on.
Security Guard One harrumphs and heads back to the
Guards' Station.
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM
Hawk scrambles out of the freight elevator in the left
wall of the Auditorium, glancing to the clock.
HAWK
"Or would you rather be a fish?"
He pulls out the black canvas bag from his Glad bag and
takes out the blueprints. Hawk follows them toward the
painting on-stage.
THE GUARDS' STATION
Big Stan comes up from behind his fellow guards, dumping
the remains of the chair on the floor.
BIG STAN
(moving back off)
Very funny.
The Seventh Floor Screen shows a peaceful auction
auditorium. And the Blue Chair.
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM--CAMERA P.O.V.
From the exact angle, the viewer sees the current state
of the room with Hawk flinging off the painting of the
horseback children, revealing a safe. But no Blue chair.
HAWK
spits on the rubber cup of an electronic sensor, plugged
into a Walkman, and affixes it to the safe above the
dial.
HAWK
(lyric trouble)
"A fish is annuh nan na nan na
brook.
THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR
Alex is now packed into the freight elevator.
ALEX
"He can't write his name or read
a book. To fool people is his
only thought."
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM
HAWK
(remembering)
"And though he's slippery, he
still gets caught."
Wearing headphones, Hawk cranks up the Walkman and spins
the dial. The CLICKS from the dial are so loud he winces
and turns down the volume. Then there's a CLUNK.
THE GUARDS' STATION
With the soundtrack singers taking over, Guard Two sips
a cup of coffee. He doesn't swallow.
His sights zero in on the Blue Chair on the seventh
screen. He looks to the chair remains, then back again.
SECURITY GUARD TWO
Uh, Jerry. I'm looking at the
seventh floor and I don't know
how to say this, I see the Blue
Chair.
SECURITY GUARD ONE
What the... You think that's weird,
check out screen two.....
Screen Two shows THE TWO SECURITY GUARDS THEMSELVES
hatching open some on-duty beers, going down a hall.
Guard Two looks to the empties atop the console....
SECURITY GUARD TWO
Somebody rewired the recorders!
AUCTION AUDITORIUM
Hawk ditches his accessories and swings the safe door
open.
Inside the safe, along with the "holy" Da Vinci music
cue, is the clay equestrian model from Leonardo's
worktable.
Hawk belts out as he put it in the black canvas bag.
HAWK
"And all the monkeys aren't in
the zoo."
ALEX (V.O.)
"Every day you meet quite a few."
Alex gives Hawk a congratulatory pat.
HAWK AND ALEX
"So you see it's all up to you.
You can be better than you are.
You could be swinging on a star."
THE AUCTION ROOM
BIG STAN reconnects the wires of the seventh V.C.R.
THE GUARDS' STATION
Suddenly, on the seventh screen, the image and voices
of Hawk and Alex in-process comes on.
SECURITY GUARD ONE
Shit, let's roll!
THE AUCTION AUDITORIUM
Hawk puts the painting back up, but stops to stare at the
playful children.
ALEX
The song's over! Come on!
"You could be swinging on a star."
HAWK
What am I doing here? There are
so many things I wanna do that
aren't this. Paint a lighthouse.
Kiss a woman in Italy.
ALEX
(more frantically)
"You could be swinging on a star."
HAWK
Paint a woman in a lighthou--I
don't want to steal a horse.
Life is...
Hawk's soliloquy is cut short as Security Guards One and
Two crash into the auction auditorium.
ALEX
(DEADPAN)
"You could be swinging on a star."
You couldn't have waited to see
a psychiatrist. No, you had...
Alex whips his chair at the floor washer, tipping it
forward and causing its electrical cord to pull up and
trip the Guards into a bellyflop.
Hawk bolts right at the bustling up guards and locks them
into Alex's thumbcuffs. He then limbos under their
connected arms and springs over the outstretched washer
cord. The Security Guards clumsily turn and re-trip
themselves.
HAWK
Let's go down the freight elevator.
Big Stan suddenly unhatches from the freight elevator.
ALEX
Keep those ideas coming.
Hawk and Alex run toward an office located at the right
wall. They both do a Gene-Kellyesque-chair-tip-over
before simultaneously bashing through the office door.
INT. DARKENED AUCTION AUDITORIUM OFFICE
Hawk and Alex stop in the office to painfully laugh and
rub their funny bones. Alex stops laughing.
ALEX
I'm not as unpleasantly plump as
that Guard am I.
Big Stan fires off a warning shot. Hawk and Alex quickly
tear up a window.
Moving out on to a ledge, Hawk and Alex look down to the
huge auction house awning and trade gulps.
Big Stan wobbles into the mouth of the office door.
HAWK AND ALEX
I got a bad feeling....
HAWK
I can't even swim.
ALEX
Hell, the fall'll probably kill
ya...
Big Stan raises his gun.
Hawk and Alex jump and AAAGH down the face of the
building....
Closer and closer to the awning....
The viewer focuses upon Hawk as he free-falls......
CUT TO:
RIGHT INTO A LAZ-Y-BOY CHAIR
Hawk continues his "fall" into a ridiculously huge
reclining chair. The foot stand swooshes out with a
thump. A HAND pulls away the canvas bag with a cackle.
INT. GATES APARTMENT--LATE NIGHT
Hawk's weirdly reclining viewpoint makes Gates and his
pad more grotesque than they are (No small feat.)
A sub-Radio Shack stereo coughs next to a scary punch
bowl of red, margarita-like substance, beneath the
instantly recognizable framed picture of Those Dogs
Playing Poker, all atop a Jungle Shag.
Gates, in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt-over-a-KEEP ON
TRUCKIN'-T-shirt, raises a loud tumbler with one hand,
the black canvas bag in the other.
GATES
Hudson Hawkins gets the chair of
honor. How about a Gates-arita?
(toward bowl)
I used real hot dogs.
HAWK
Weren't you the bartender at
Jonestown?
Suddenly a light is turned on in the corner, revealing a
seated Cesar and Antony Mario, the latter taking a painful
Gatesirita sip.
CESAR
Good job, not pretty, but good.
HAWK
Ah, the mafia, the cops; do I know
how to party or what?
Gates pulls out the horse and looks at it.
GATES
All this trouble for a horsey.
I may not know art, but I know
what I like.
HAWK
(to Dog picture)
You certainly do.
GATES
So when's that Sebastian-Cabot-
Buckingham-Palace-looking-
Butlerhead getting here?
ALFRED
Any minute now, dear Mr. Gates.
A malevolently snobbish British Butler, ALFRED, enters in
distaste. He makes a stressful glance to three VANITY
FAIRS on a coffeetable that has a photo of a MAGNETIC
HUSBAND-WIFE-DOG COMBO with the caption: MAYFLOWER POWER.
Hawk notices this.
GATES
Oh, sorry Jeeves. Gates-arita?
ALFRED
I'll pass. May I?
Alfred takes the equestrian model and with a jeweler's
loupe, studies it carefully.
ALFRED
Ah, such craftsmanship. Leonardo
Da Vinci's last commission for the
Duke of Milan. Irreplaceable.
GATES
Hey, Mr. French, I'm delirious
for you. Now where's my cut?
With dignity, Alfred SMASHES the ancient horse over
Gates's head. Alfred rummages through the debris
REVEALING a perversely labyrinthine CRYSTAL PIECE.
(recognizable from Da Vinci's workshop).
GATES
You son-of-a......I don't believe
this! You come into my house!
Alfred pockets the goodies, but not before Hawk can give
them a confused peruse.
GATES
I ought to take Big Ben and shove
it up your limey blimey bunghole!
A blade slides down Alfred's arm. Half-yawning, he...
ALFRED'S 180 DEGREE POV
spins before Gates and the bystanders behind him.
THE BLADE goes back up Alfred's arm.
The room's only sound is the stereo's inappropriate
music. Gates shrugs but his voice is off.
GATES
Like I said. Where's my cu-u-...
Suddenly a line across Gates's neck turns red and blood
begins to gush like a tourist attraction. Gates crashes
down upon the table holding the punch bowl and the stereo,
sending it to the ground, cutting off the music. The Dog
Poker picture falls atop the carnage like a lid.
Blown away, Hawk tries to wiggle his way out of the
recliner. Alfred pats some stain remover on the blood
on his shirt.
ALFRED
So much for his "cut."
(post-chortle)
Excuse my dry British humor.
CESAR
(rising)
Lovely work, Alfred, taking the
Concorde back?
ALFRED
Indeed I am, Mr. Mario. I'm
really racking up those frequent
flyer points...
HAWK
I hate to interrrupt you two
lovebirds...
ANTONY
You know, I think Gates promised
Hawk a cut, too....
The Mario brothers cackle out. Hawk tries to flail out
of his chair. Alfred turns to him and flicks up his arm.
Hawk sees his life pass before his eyes until he realizes
Alfred is merely pulling him up off the chair.
ALFRED
Ta ta, Hudson Hawk.
HAWK
(breathless)
Too-do-loo, babe.
INT. ALEX'S RESTAURANT--DAWN
Hawk bursts into the bar. Alex sits on a stool, reading
the paper.
ALEX
Did I miss anything?
HAWK
Oh, not much. Gates just had his
tonsils taken out. The hard way.
ALEX
Geez, Gates was killed. Who do we
send the thank you note to?
Hawk does a combat jump over the bar and begins to fiddle
with the cappuccino machine.
HAWK
The Butler did it. Guy was a cross
between Alistair Cook and a Cuisinart.
Dude took Mr. Ed and humptied
dumptied it over Gates's head. He
said it was made by, get this,
Leonardo..
ALEX
(professorial)
Ah yes, a rare Renaissance piece.
Da Vinci's "Sforza," an equestrian
model of a never executed statue.
I consider it to be the prize of
tonight's auction of objets
d'equestrian. Horse things.
The cappuccino machine sparks. A perplexed Hawk takes
a couple extra seconds to back off.
HAWK
Okay, you got me, Mr. PBS.
ALEX
(holding up newspaper)
Morning edition. Seems two thieves
"attempted" to steal it last night,
but thanks to three "courageous"
guards, it will be ready for tonight.
HAWK
"Attempted." At-tempt-ted! I'm
not happy about having to steal
that horse, but I do have my
pride. Face it, when it comes to
burglary, and sex, I....
Hawk takes the newspaper. There is a picture of the
Three Security Guards in a cheery pose behind the
"Sforza." Hawk squints to see that Security Guards One
and Two are still wearing the thumbcuffs.
HAWK
Boing. Uh, this I don t understand...
ALEX
Why try?
HAWK
(hurdling the bar)
Because I'm tired of not
understanding things. Cops,
Mafia, and butlers forcing me to
bust my ass to steal something,
which it turns out I really didn't
steal--it's fucked up.
ALEX
(pulling back newspaper)
You re not thinking of going to...
HAWK
Alex, my man, it's time to play a
little offense. Where's your tux?
INT. RUTHERFORD'S AUCTION HOUSE--NIGHT
Dressed in a not-quite-fitting but suave tuxedo, Hawk
enters the now well-lit auction house auditorium (chairs
all set out). Bored WORKMEN in coveralls lug equestrian
items on to a podium from the familiar freight elevator.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
...fan-taas-tic example of
Florentine marble... Who will start
at 160,000...160,000......180,000.
Someone raises their paddle as Hawk passes beneath the
hanging horses and finds an aisle seat near the stage.
Hawk scans everyone in the room before coming to the one
seated next to him, AN ENCHANTINGLY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.
HAWK
All these years of attending auctions,
I still get goosebumps. The paintings,
the sculptures....the things that
aren't really paintings or sculptures...
THE WOMAN
.... the pretentious vultures who
don't even look up from their
calculators to see what they're
buying. Now that gives me
goosebumps. Auctions are
disgusting.
HAWK
I couldn't agree more. Savages.
The Woman laughs at his gear switch then catches herself.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Lot Fifteen, an equestrian sconce
attributed to the Cellini school..
AUCTION ENTRANCE
Big Stan, the hefty guard from the heist, enters the area
wearing a blue ribbon.
AUCTION AREA
Big Stan is walking in back of the seated bidders: An
oblivious Hawk in the foreground starts to scan VARIED
BIDDER-TYPES, raising their paddles to babble out dollar
figures; a GAUDY ROCK STAR and his GLOOMY-CHIC ENTOURAGE,
A KING FAROUK-TYPE with a BORED TEENAGE AMERICAN HOOKER,
and a scary NORDIC PRINCESS in a monocle and a tiara.
THREE STANDING ASSISTANTS frantically man a table of
phones set up down before the stage. One raises his
arm.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Sold! To the caller from
Newfoundland.
A STYLISH FEMALE ASSISTANT takes out an impressive replica
of the "Sforza" from the safe behind the podium and brings
it to the Auctioneer. The crowd a-a-hs... Hawk laughs
and shakes his head.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUTIONEER
And finally, Lot number 17,
thought to be lost in the war,
and again last night, the Da
Vinci "Sforza," the jewel of the
sale. Fan-taas-tic...
HAWK
(re: Auctioneer)
Is looking like a constipated
warthog a prerequisite to getting
a job in the art world?
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
There have naturally been questions
of its authenticity, so to verify
we have Doctor Anna Baragli of the
Vatican. Doc?
ANNA
(rising, to Hawk)
Some of us warthogs are more
constipated than others.
Hawk uneasily laughs as Anna makes her way up the stage
and pulls out a large magnifying glass. A look of
distress passes over her face. Hawk closes his eyes in
anticipation.
HAWK
Oh, the shit is going to hit the
fa--
ANNA
(suddenly serene)
Fantastic. Perfection. The
Vatican extends its jealousy to
the lucky bidder.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
We'll begin the bidding at 82.5
million dollars. To you, sir.
Eighty-three, Ninety--your bid,
madame--Ninety point five.....
Hawk opens his eyes in confusion. He scans Anna coming
off the stage, gliding toward the phone table. Hawk
floats into the aisle, curling toward her as she picks
up a phone and murmurs into it.
DARWIN MAYFLOWER
lOO million clams, Francesco!
The crowd orgasms as Vanity Fair cover boy, DARWIN
MAYFLOWER works the aisle, playfully mussing up the
appreciative, tiaraed Princess's hair, giddily high-
fiving the Rock Star, and sloppily frenching the Hooker.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
100 million dollars to Mr. Darwin
Mayflower.
Hawk turns to gaze at the enigmatically familiar figure.
Anna looks up from the phone to do the same. She
swerves her attention to the back-turned Hawk.
Darwin moves to one of two reserved empty seats as his
wife, Minerva, makes her entrance par excellahnce. She is
outrageously dressed with a mammoth Tiffany watch that
extends from her wrist down to, acting as a leash,
her obnoxious little dog, BUNNY.
MINERVA
Francesco, 100 million and one.
Darwin, to the crowd's delight, holds his struck heart.
DARWIN
Outbid by my own wench, quelle
bummere.
MINERVA
Poor baby..... Here, Bunny.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Fan-taas-tic, the bid is at 100
million and one dollars.
Commencing a slow motion sequence, Big Stan comes out
of the nearby office, zipping up his fly. He immedi-
ately scopes Hawk in the space before the stage.
The Mayflowers lower themselves into their seats with
devoured canary smiles.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Go-ing!
Big Stan pulls out his gun, untheatrically, as not to
cause a scene. Anna sees this and follows Big Stan's
eyeline to Hawk.
Hawk turns to re-pursue but stops dead at the sight of
the gloating Big Stan.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Go-ing!
Big Stan launches a gallop toward Hawk, who spins and
veers back round up the aisle.
The Mayflowers zero their sights on the activity.
ECCENTRIC BALD AUCTIONEER
Gone!
The gavel comes down in super slow-motion.
Anna's leg pokes out of the aisle, tripping the guard.
Hawk brakes at the end of the Mayflower's row and smiles
in relief, casually turning to Darwin and Minerva.
The gavel continues to come down in super slow-motion.
Both Darwin and Minerva Mayflower suddenly DUCK DOWN.
Smile vanishing, Hawk spins toward the stage.
The Gavel hits.
Breaking out of slow-motion into wide-angle, the entire
podium explodes sending debris, equestrian pieces, and
eccentric bald pieces searing into the screaming,
battered crowd.
Knocked off his feet, Hawk gropes into a standing
position. He sees the Mayflowers make a smooth exit.
He starts to give chase until he sees a battered Anna
rising from the ground.
A hanging white Tri-Star Pegasus, cracks from the
damaged ceiling and swooshes down towards Anna.
Hawk bolts upon some auction chairs and makes a flying
leap. He slams Anna out of the Pegasus's pulverizing
Path. They weary up off the ground and move down the
aisle, calm in a storm of packed art patrons.
ANNA
My God, that was bold of you,
you didn't have to do that...
HAWK
Forget about it--it was nothing--
anybody would have done the same
thing--It's an impulse...
ANNA
No, I meant you didn't have to
tackle me and rip my dress. A
polite push, perhaps? A clear
shout of "watch out, Anna"
would have done nicely...
HAWK
Excuse me, Milady. I would have
flown over and carried you up to
a pink cloud, but I left my cape
at the cleaners.
Anna touches Hawk's lips and laughs.
ANNA
("Hey, I was kidding")
Thanks tough guy, thanks a lot.
Why was the guard chasing you?
HAWK
(Serious answer?
Na-a-h?)
Because Danger, Doc, is my middle...
Before Hawk can finish, a hanging horse out of nowhere
hammers him into the ground and the viewer into
darkness.
FADE IN:
INT. VAN-TYPE AMBULANCE--NIGHT
Hawk stirs into consciousness strapped on an elevated
gurney.
HAWK
Saint Pete, hey I know, the whole
cat burglar thing, it sounds bad,
but I'll take the worst cloud you
got...
Hawk's eyes focus. The Mario Brothers hover over him.
CESAR
News flash. You're not in
heaven. Yet. 30 seconds and
counting, if you know what I'm
saying. Couldn't just play along,
could you...
EXT. THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE--NIGHT
The ambulance careens onto the Brooklyn Bridge.
INT. INSIDE THE AMBULANCE
Antony raises up a mammoth gun.
HAWK
Pretty class way of covering your
tracks. I think that auctioneer
landed at La Guardia.
ANTONY
Subtlety was never one of our
strong points.
HAWK
Neither's flossing.
A confused Antony touches his teeth with his gun hand.
Hawk escapes from one of his straps and launces a nearby
trayful of syringes into Antony's face where they ghoul-
ishly quiver. Antony fires a wild shot, shattering the
partition.
FRONT SEAT OF THE AMBULANCE
The Scarfaced Bodyguard/Driver, now in paramedic white,
freaks at the starred windshield.
THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE
The ambulance bumper-pools off some innocent cars.
INSIDE THE AMBULANCE
Hawk frantically tries to undo his other strap but a
howling Cesar, side-stepping his vibrating-on-the-floor
brother, latches onto the back of the gurney and wrenches
it backward.
OUTSIDE BACK OF AMBULANCE
The elevated gurney blasts out the back with a now
unstrapped but terrified Hawk whoa-a-ing atop it.
The gurney wheels hit the road, sparking.
A sheet from the gurney, caught on the door, yanks TAUGHT
--Hawk is "water skiing" on his stomach atop the elevated
gurney!
Screeching cars are weirded out by the new vehicle on the
road.
THE GURNEY
Battered by wind and fear, Hawk clutches to the gurney
and the sheet with a grit teeth stoneface.
The sheet is torn from the gurney sending it rocketing
off to the side on its own crazed volition.
Hawk skis toward a TOLL BOOTH WITH A LARGE GATE-ARM.
HAWK
Life don't get much better than
this.
He then sees he's heading toward an EXACT CHANGE lane.
Whizzing wildly forward on the gurney, Hawk scrambles
into his pocket and wiggles out some change. He fran-
tically winnows out some pennies and then maniacally
FLINGS the change from twenty feet away.
TOLL BOOTH
The change ker-chunks into the basket and Hawk and the
gurney JUST BARELY streak underneath the rising Gate-arm.
EXT. THE AMBULANCE
CRASHES through a gate-arm of another lane. Hawk and the
still-wildly whooshing gurney cut it off.
FRONT SEAT OF THE AMBULANCE
Cesar pops his head through the partition.
CESAR
Make him into Roadkill!
Antony, seemingly oblivious to the syringes porcupined in
his skull, pokes his head next to Cesar's.
ANTONY
Yeah, run him down!
Cesar and the Bodyguard/Driver turn to Antony and scream,
then all three look out the windshield and scream.
THE AMBULANCE
jackknifes over a stopped car and somersaults into a
fiery ball.
In the foreground, Hawk's gurney coasts down
A PEACEFUL OFF-ROAD
Hawk, with an unchanged expression of pure white knuckle
fear, comes to a tranquil gurney-wheels-gently-squeaking
stop.
Lit by the flames of the ambulance crash, a sneering
young man in wire rim glasses emerges from the darkness,
carrying a steel suitcase. He kneels before Hawk and
opens the suitcase revealing a complex computer appara-
tus. He begins mumbling into a cellular phone.
A malevolent, SILENT DEADPAN WRAITH passes him and
approaches Hawk. Both men are dressed in outfits that
seem to be a melange of fascist uniform and haute
couture.
On the fingers of one Wraith hand is carved the word
HATE. On the other hand is the word FROG. The Frog Hand
hands a befuddled Hawk a card. It reads: MY NAME IS KIT
KAT AND THIS IS NOT A DREAM.
Hawk looks up with a "huh" expression as Kit Kat chops
his neck, knocking him off the gurney.
The sneering computer guy hangs up his phone and pulls
forward a small cattle prod from his apparatus.
HAWK
This is the worst night...
SNICKERS
When it rains, it pours. Name's
Snickers. The plane leaves in 40.
Snickers zaps Hawk in the leg with his device. Hawk a-
a-ghs into a kneeling position. Snickers returns to his
suitcase and is passed by a PLEASANT YOUNG BLACK WOMAN in
the "outfit."
ALMOND JOY
Almond Joy. I know, pretty silly.
But it's better than when we first
started out, our code names were
Diseases. You don't know what
it's like being called Clymidia
for a year.
(walking off)
Whoops, forgot....
She deftly kicks Hawk across the face. Hawk angrily
bounds back up until he sees the BIGGEST MEMBER OF THE
GROUP Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum his way toward them. Suddenly, the
Giant clumsily trips over Snickers' suitcase apparatus
and ram-collapses into Hawk and the gurney. Laying atop
Hawk, Butterfinger goofily speaks...
BUTTERFINGER
My name's Butterfinger.
HAWK
No shit.
The mysterious group parts to reveal a much more mature
and cynically subdued man dressed in big lapels and a hat
that screams Old Time CIA. His name will be GEORGE
KAPLAN.
KAPLAN
Don't you just hate kids...
ALMOND JOY
George, you promised. No Old CIA/
New CIA jokes...
KAPLAN
I call them the MTV.I.A. Punks
think Bay of Pigs is an herbal tea.
They think the Cold War involves
penguins and...
HAWK
Don't I know you...
KAPLAN
You just might. I'm the guy who
tricked you into robbing a
government installation and then
had you sent to prison for it. At
the time, I was bald with a beard,
no moustache, and I had a different
nose, so if you don't recognize me,
I won't be offended.
HAWK
Bastard, you're going to need
another nose!
Hawk explodes upward. Everyone but cool Kaplan draws a
gun.
HAWK
But I'm not the type of guy to
hold a grudge.
KAPLAN
I used you as a diversion. while
you were getting captured upstairs,
I was shredding documents in the
basement. Deep down, I guess I
was just jealous. You were one
incredible thief...
HAWK
To what do I owe the dishonor of a
reunion, you centrally intelligent
scumsicle.
As Kaplan converses, Snickers and Butterfinger bring out
a mammoth empty suitcase and open it behind Hawk.
KAPLAN
I Want to make things up to you.
That's why I got you this gig,
doll. Hawk, my name's George
Kaplan and to quote the late,
great Karen Carpenter, "We've only
just begun."
HAWK
Three minutes, twenty-three
seconds. If you think I'm doing
another...
KAPLAN
Hush. My employer wants a meeting.
HAWK
Employer? The president?
KAPLAN
No, somebody powerful. Oh. Look.
what's that up there?
HAWK
I'm supposed to fall for that?
KAPLAN
Shucks. Guess not.
Kaplan savagely point-blank punches Hawk in the face,
knocking him out cold and into the mammoth suitcase.
Snickers slams it shut revealing a KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL
sticker.
INT. MYSTERIOUS BARE ROOM--DAY
Hawk slowly awakens on an exotic couch. He has been put
in an aggressively fashionable Italian outfit. He eyes
and touches his new duds with complete bafflement. He
then stumbles into a standing position to, mouth gaping,
take in a wondrous 360 degree view of Rome, Italy as "O
Solo Mio" blares on the soundtrack.
HAWK
No. Way.
Hawk's spinning view and the music on the soundtrack slam
to a halt as he zeroes in on the sight of Scary Butler
Alfred elegantly reaching the top of the staircase.
ALFRED
Welcome to Rome, sir.
HAWK
Yes way.
EXT. OUTSIDE INTERESTING BUILDING--DAY
Alfred opens the back door of an omnipotent, Mayflower-
logoed LIMOUSINE. The car moves off as Hawk slides in...
INT. THE BACK SEAT OF THE MAX-TECH LIMOUSINE
facing Darwin Mayflower who is blustering into the
cellular.
While he talks, Darwin shakes Hawk's bewildered hand,
then holding up one finger in a "be with you in a sec"
facial move.
DARWIN
For those kind of wages, I could
have built the factory in America!
They're Vietnamese, can't we just
give them more Bart Simpson shirts?
I hear depressing news like this
and I want to commit genocide!
(slamming phone)
Alfred, hold my calls. So, Hawk!
The Hawkster! What do you think
of the vehicle?
HAWK
You could host American Bandstand
in here. Why did you duck at the
auction, asshole?
DARWIN
Because I didn't want to get hurt,
taterhead.
A FAX MACHINE comes to life as Darwin babbles.
DARWIN
What can I tell you, I'm the
villain. Initially it was a
priority to keep a lot of buffers
between you and me, but since most
of them are dead now, I thought
what the heck. Hawk, you come
highly recommended. I would have
done some things differently at
the auction house, but hey, I want
to be in business with you.
Darwin scans the Fax message with annoyance, and then
shoves it into a violent paper shredder.
OUTSIDE THE LIMO SHREDDER
Shredded paper litters out of a vent on the outside door.
INSIDE THE LIMOUSINE
A simmering Hawk tries to explode but the phone rings.
HAWK
My life is not some deal. I...
ALFRED (O.S.)
It's Boston, Mr. Mayflower.
DARWIN
I'm sorry, I have to take this.
Those are valid points though...
Darwin picks up the phone and goes Mr. Hyde, while giving
Hawk "Can you believe this guy"-type gestures.
DARWIN
You better have a good excuse...
You better have a better excuse!
You are so weak! I'm only
thankful your ancestors didn't
settle America or else my name
would be Running Brave or Vomiting
Antelope...Really. Well, listen
close, babe.
Darwin holds the phone over a 50 cent piece-size siren in
his armrest. Darwin presses a button and a PIERCING
NOISE fills the car as it comes to a stop.
DARWIN
Shall we?
Darwin bolts out. Hawk hangs back, waiting for Rod
Serling to explain things, then bolts out too.
EXT. E.U.R. DISTRICT BUILDING--DAY
Hawk and Darwin head up the steps of an overpowering
fascistly marble superstructure. Alfred brings up the
rear.
DARWIN
So Hawkasaurus, I won't mince
words...
HAWK
Whatever. You own Boardwalk, you
own Park Place, you own the four
railroads. You think you're God.
For all I know, you're probably
right. I just wanted to have a
damn cappuccino, maybe play some
Nintendo after I find out what it
is. Man, why didn't you just buy
the horse? What am I saying, you
did buy it...
DARWIN
Oh... Let's see. There are
organizations that think we wanted
the "Sforza" for reasons other
than putting it in the Da Vinci
museum we're building in Vinci.
Hopefully, these organizations
think our plan has been ruined
with the explosion of our replica.
If I seem vague, grand. We want a
low profile on this, that's why I
got Kaplan and the Candy bars
involved. I helped George help
the Mario Brothers and Gates help
get you out....
HAWK
If you're pausing for a "thank you,"
give it up. So boss, you going to
tell me what the crystal piece
inside the pony means?
DARWIN
Way to go, Alfie! How many people
did you break that thing in front
of. Good help's hard to find.
HAWK
I guess that's a no.
INT. MASSIVE CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY
A mind-blowingly pretentious painting of Darwin, Minerva,
and Bunny hangs above a mammoth M-shaped conference table.
Lying atop the table in heels, shades, and a heart-
stopping dark outfit is Minerva. NASTY Metal riffs semi-
audibly spew from a headset she wears.
Surrounding the table is a VARIED GROUP OF OLD MONEY AND
NEW MONEY BOARD MEMBERS ranging from a nine year old
INDIAN PRINCE to a SWEET ELDERLY AMERICAN WOMAN. They
converse to the person at their side in businesslike
tones, oblivious to Minerva.
DARWIN
Ladies and gentlemen of the board...
The board members go into tableau silence. Minerva con-
tinues a brief sing-a-long before Darwin scolds...
DARWIN
And Min-er-va. Let's give it up
for Hudson Hawk.
The board applauds as Alfred pushes Hawk inside.
MINERVA
Hello......Bunny, Ball-Ball!
Minerva lobs a ball in the air. Bunny, the annoying dog,
scurries beside Hawk to catch it.
Moving down toward the other end of the table, Hawk takes
in the surreal surroundings with battle fatigue. He sees
ONE BOARD MEMBER take a luxurious sip of cappuccino.
Minerva paces up upon the table.
DARWIN
Hawkmeister, we got you clothes,
great hotel, and a 250,000 lira
per diem.
MINERVA
That's two hundred dollars a day?
So he can get a hooker and some
tequila. Veto, Darwin.
HAWK
Guess I know who wears the penis
in this family.
MINERVA
(jumping off table)
For God's sake, chain this
convict.
With a yawn, Alfred pulls out a pair of state-of-the-art
handcuffs.
HAWK
Alfred, you're a very polite
psychopath, but if you...
Hawk kicks out at Alfred, who nimbly moves slightly and
gives a pummel to Hawk's body somersaulting him over the
edge of the table, into an empty seat.
The Board Members politely applaud. Alfred pulls Hawk's
hands around his back and cuffs him. Bunny intensely
sniffs his crotch.
MINERVA
We want Da Vinci's sketchbook,
what do they call it, the Codex.
DARWIN
Listen Hawk, this might be hard to
believe, but I'm a regular joe. I
just want to be happy and happiness
comes from the achieving of goals.
It's just when you make your first
billion by the age of 19, it's
hard to keep coming up with new
ones. But now finally I got my
new goal. World domination. With
your help...Bunny....quit that!
MINERVA
Bunny, ball-ball! Bad bunny!
HAWK
Think he's already got today's
ball-balls. Five more minutes
please, it's been so long...
Minerva yanks away the yelping dog.
HAWK
Anybody have a cigarette? But
seriously, do me a favor and
Concorde me back to prison. I
don't care anymore. I hope you
have the receipts for the threads.
MINERVA
You go back, you won't be alone.
You'll have a diabetic barkeep
cellmate. You're still young
enough to have fun shanking child
molesters for a pack of smokes,
but "Alex" will go in knowing that
the next time he gets out it'll be
to attend his own funeral.
Depressing.
HAWK
You wouldn't risk the dime to call
the police. You have no proof.
DARWIN
Ah, the magic word...
Alfred plants a slide machine on the table and Darwin
starts clicking gorgeous images of Hawk and Alex robbing
the auction house, on a bare wall.
The Board members gush. The Elderly Woman gives a
thumbs-up.
DARWIN
It's veja du, Hawkhead. Something
you wish never happened. We shot
the entire operation with hidden
cameras behind the hidden cameras.
Hired the guy who did the last
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
Excellent work... whoops, damn
Fotomat assholes...
A slide hits the wall of himself and Minerva kneeling in
Big Baby clothes with Alfred snarling over them, decked
out in leather. He clicks ahead...
Hawk looks away and sees that the Board members have an
annual Report-type booklet in front of them that reads--
THE DA VINCI/ALCHEMY PROJECT.
Minerva leans over in front of him.
MINERVA
Tomorrow, you're going to hit a
church.
CUT TO:
EXT. A MASSIVE WIDE SHOT OF ST. PETER'S--DAY
The Vatican stands in its glory, mobbed by HUNDREDS OF
LOCALS AND SIGHTSEERS. The viewer's viewpoint zeroes in
on the Mayflower limousine circling around it.
INT. THE LIMOUSINE
Hawk looks out from the back seat of the limousine
in stylish Italian sunglasses.
HAWK
I'm robbing the Vatican. The nuns
at St. Agnes predicted that I'd end
up doing this...
Two identical Twin Flunkies sit across from him, grinning
stupidly. Hawk pushes up his sunglasses with his middle
finger.
INT. VATICANESQUE MAP ROOM
Mentally casing the joint, Hawk gets some distance
between him and the flunkies as he enters into a room
that has a glorious, ancient Map of the World Mural.
INT. ANOTHER VATICAN ROOM
Hawk makes a scribble in a notepad before coming to a
Vatican guard, standing before a painting of a Pope
performing a Coronation.
HAWK
(half-hearted)
Excuse me, I'm being blackmailed
into robbing the Vatican by a
psychotic American corporation
along with a CIA...
VATICAN GUARD
"You're being".....uh, I don't,
uh...
A jaded Hawk laughs and pats the cop on the back.
HAWK
Forget it, man. Go tackle a
jaywalker.
INT./EXT. CIRCULAR OPEN AIR HALLWAY
Hawk comes out onto a circular open-air hallway. He
scans up to some rooftops and makes a note...until he
sees a line of International Phone Boothettes. Checking
for Flunkies, he rips one up.
HAWK
Operator, I want to make a collect
call to Alex Messina, New York....
The Flunkies drift into view. Hawk hangs up and seethes
off.
INT. HALLWAY LEADING TO CODEX ROOM
Hawk saunters down a long resplendent hallway toward a
room at the end bustling with excitement. Coming to the
mouth of the room, he looks to two gold framed mirrors on
either side of the opening, rubs his head, and scribbles.
INSIDE THE CODEX ROOM
Hawk takes in the majestic beauty, and practical details,
of the room--windows, statues, a Massive Ornate Lighting
Fixture--as he moves down one of the twin winding stair-
cases leading to a path of people behind velvet ropes and
the object of their gaze...
THE DA VINCI CODEX
--an old book enclosed in a glass case, propped open to
the familiar BEAUTIFUL DRAWING of a MAN inside a CIRCLE.
The case is located between two informational tablets
enclosed in glass columns. Enter Holy Da Vinci theme.
ANNA (V.O.)
But it is his gift as an inventor
who drew together science and art
that is most incredible.
Hawk brightens to the return of Anna, carrying a portfolio
bag, striding down the stairs with a group of INVESTORS
AND FAMILIES. She brightens back, giving him a quick
verbal breath and a hand squeeze.
ANNA
Tough guy. What are you--How's
your head.
HAWK
(vegetable)
Yes, and my giraffe loves it, too...
She laughs, going into her public voice.
ANNA
As you know, the Da Vinci Codex,
has lived in the Vatican for
centuries and will continue to
live here for centuries more.
HAWK
(under his breath)
That's what you theenk.
ANNA
Question, sir? His untiring pen
predicted the airplane, the
submarine, the bicycle, the
helicopter, and even the tank.
A LITTLE BRAT trailing the group, moves next to Hawk,
bitching away to her STUFFED ELEPHANT, POKEY.
LITTLE BRAT
This is so bor-ing! Do you hate
Italy as much as I do, Pokey?
(bad ventriloquism)
Si, senor! Italy sucks the big
one! why can't we go to the Epcot
Center!
The Little Brat stops and lets Pokey the elephant dangle
from her side. Hawk eyes the elephant strangely.
ANNA
These more dangerous designs
inspired him to develop a secret
code that ....
The stuffed elephant suddenly goes flying over Anna's
head.
The ALARM goes off. The Massive Ornate Lighting Fixture
swoops down from the ceiling, inverting in air, and slams
down over the Codex, transformed into a makeshift cage.
Strange green gas comes billowing out of the vents.
Needless to say, everyone goes crazy.
Coughing gas, Hawk peeks to see that a line of light
sensor alarms imbedded in the tablets are what set the
alarm off.
Two GAS MASKS drop airlinesquely from the mouth of the
entranceway and TWO RACING-IN GUARDS wrangle them on.
The Little Brat sees that Pokey the stuffed elephant has
been beheaded by the cage/lamp. She is pulled away and
spanked.
LITTLE BRAT
Pokey, come back!
Anna yanks a notetaking Hawk away as the gas blusters in
around him. The Two Flunkies, eyes on Hawk, are hap-
lessly making their way up the opposite staircase.
ANNA
Come on, this stuff will knock you
out. Have you ever had the feeling
you were being followed, Mr. Bond.
HAWK
Never, why do you ask?
Reaching the top of the stairs, just outside the door,
Anna briskly pulls Hawk into a PIECE OF WALL THAT IS
REALLY A DOOR. The wall closes as the Flunkies come
flying out, baffled.
INT. CIRCULAR STAIRCASE
Hawk, mucho impressed, and Anna move down a tight, dark
circular staircase.
HAWK
Whoa. Name's Hawkins, Eddie
Hawkins.
My nickname's Hudson Hawk, but don't
call me Hudson, not even as a joke.
The Nuns at St. Agnes called me
that and they're the ones who
helped make me what I am today.
Not a compliment...
ANNA
Sure Hudson. Are you going to
tell me why you did that back there
or are you going to blame it
on Dumbo?
HAWK
Could you believe that crazy
elephant?
Anna shakes her head as she opens a door into...
INT. A LITTLE UNDERGROUND SUBWAY--DAY
A four foot high mail train rumbles down the track of a
mini-underground station. Workers latch onto mail bags.
Hawk and Anna emerge from a small door.
HAWK
Whoa, part 2. Does it go to Times
Square?
ANNA
Delivers up to ten at night. The
Pope has an obsession with his
Easter Seals. It's actually not
that an unusual set-up. The
secret passageway on the other
hand....
HAWK
The Vatican is made of constant
mysteries meant to be enjoyed,
not explained.
ANNA
Nice. But right out of our
brochure.
HAWK
Oh, you read that.
ANNA
Actually I wrote it. It's a good
sentence. It can apply to people.
HAWK
You're not an unmysterious thang
yourself.
ANNA
I don't steal stuffed elephants
from little girls.
(smoothing his
jacket)
And I buy my own clothes. My
life's a little boring...
HAWK
God, I wish I could say the same
thing. What about having a nice,
dull dinner with me tonight.
Scrabble, Knock-knock jokes,
Anecdotes about famous dead
Italians....
ANNA
I'll bring my entire repertoire...
The Two Flunkies stumble into the station, looking
around. Anna and Hawk crouch down.
HAWK
And I'll bring my entourage...
ANNA
Secret passageways don't mean as
much as they used to. There's
a place two blocks east of here.
Enzo's. Say 10:30.
HAWK
Said.
Hawk and Anna peck each other with a smile. He crawls
out an exit door. As he leaves, Anna's smile disappears.
She pulls out a rosary and gives herself a self-scolding
bang on the head. She then darts to a large crucifix
and looks up.
ANNA
Father, it's obvious. He's up to
something.
Suddenly a speaker in Jesus's mouth gently crackles.
JESUS (Italian)
Report downstairs at once.
ANNA
Yes, sir.
INT. CATACOMBLIKE AREA
A CARDINAL paces in an enigmatic Vatican area. Anna
clacks up to him.
CARDINAL
Did he mention the Mayflowers?
ANNA
No, your Eminence. I think he's
going to steal the Codex, as
early as next week.
CARDINAL
Attempt, you mean. The vanity
of this man, Hudson Hawk. The
Vatican has foiled the advances
of Pirates and Terrorists. We
will not lie down for some
schmuck from New Jersey. Must
you flirt with him so realistically?
ANNA
That's the best kind. A wise
woman once said "Polite
conversation is rarely either."
CARDINAL
(chuckling)
Let me be the one to quote
Scripture. ....As an agent of
our organization, you are put in
awkward situations. Just
remember, Hudson Hawk is an evil,
evil man.
ANNA
(unconvinced)
Yeah. The big E.
EXT. NAVONA PIAZZA--DAY
The evil Hawk clumsily strides around a fountain, looking
off in all directions, soft-shoes past some sedate
painters and swings into...
INT. A BIG QUIRKY PHONE BOOTH
Hawk grabs up the phone and dials....
HAWK
Hello, operator. I'd like to
make a collect call to New York
number...
The Mayflower limousine creeps to the edge of the piazza,
behind an oblivious Hawk.
HAWK
Thank you, operator, thank you.
Hawk turns, putting a finger in his ear. Seeing the
limo, he FREAKS and balls himself into a corner.
HAWK
Come on, Alex, pick up, you
Reindeer goat cheese-eating
motherfucker.
INT. ALEX'S RESTAURANT--NIGHT
It is late night in New York. A phone rings atop the
bar of Alex's restaurant with no one in sight.
INT. PIAZZA--DAY
Hawk pokes his head to see a Darwin and Minerva (holding
Bunny) emerge from the limousine. As he turns his con-
centration back to the phone, ALEX HIMSELF flows out from
a building to cheerfully speak with Darwin and Minerva
and get licked by Bunny, before they all pile into the
limo.
HAWK
A-lex, A-lex, come on Alex.
Hawk slams down the phone and turns to see the limousine
pull off.
Hawk angrily bursts from the door and is painfully
CLOTHESLINED by agent Butterfinger, who is dressed as
a mailman.
Crumpled on the ground, Hawk kicks out with his foot,
into Butterfinger's stomach, doubling him. Hawk then
grabs him by the head and rams into the glass of the
booth.
Hawk rotates off for an escape...but the rest of the
CIA crew cuts him off holding barely concealed guns;
Snickers dressed as a maitre 'd, Almond Joy as a Bermuda
tourist, and Kaplan in his usual emsemble. Kit Kat is
dressed exactly like Hawk, right down to a bloody lip.
Hawk gives him a double take.
KAPLAN
Hawk, Hawk, Hawk. Enjoying
Italy? I always had a soft spot
for Rome. Did my first barehanded
strangulation here. Communist
politician.
HAWK
Why George, you big softie...
KAPLAN
God, I miss communism. The Red
Threat. People were scared, the
Agency was respected, and I got
laid every night.
A humiliated Butterfinger comes waddling out, holding
the phone. Kaplan rolls his eyes.
BUTTERFINGER
Sorry, coach...
KAPLAN
(shaking his head)
If his father wasn't the head of
Shit, I hate this, the
government's got me farmed out,
working for the Mayflower
corporation now, money beats
politics. War isn't Hell anymore,
it's Dull. Don't slaughter their
men and rape their women, just
steal their microchips.
HAWK
You know Kaplan, if you weren't
the slimiest pinata of shit that
ever lived, I'd feel sorry for
you.
SNICKERS
Good news, bud, the Mayflowers
have moved up the time-table.
You're hitting the Vatican to-night.
HAWK
Tonight? You're whacked. The
timing's off, I'm underequipped
Damnit, I have a date!
Almond Joy smoothly extracts Hawk's notebook and reads...
ALMOND JOY
Grapple, Biker's bottle, hairspray,
black turtleneck, Pocket
Fisherman, acid, collapsible
yardstick, softball, and 72 stamps.
Gee Stud, this is going to be
some date. No Harvey's Bristol
Cream?
KAPLAN
Snickers, make the list happen.
Oh and it's one thing to play
hide and seek with the Mayflower's
pathetic staff, but we're sore
losers. I've put jumper cables
on the nipples of children and
not always in the line of duty.
HAWK
Thanks for sharing.
KAPLAN
We blow up space shuttles for
breakfast. You and your friend
Alex would be a late afternoon
Triscuit.
HAWK
If you do anything to my friend...
KAPLAN
Yeah, right. By the way, as long
as I'm getting things off my
chest, I'm the one who killed your
little monkey. Made it look like
a Mafia hit. Did it for fun.
Ciao.
Kaplan and the crew quickly disperse in different
directions as Hawk howls in frustration. Kit Kat moves
behind Hawk and perfectly mimics him.
HAWK
What did you have against Little
Eddie, motherfucker? He was just
a monkey who liked to laugh.
Come back without your yuppie
army. I'll triscuit you, you
space shuttle eating...Shit.!
Without looking, Hawk elbows the mimic Kit Kat in the
face. Kit Kat gives Hawk a strange smile and hands him
a card that reads: BEWARE THE ODD STEPS.
Hawk looks up from the card. Kit Kat is gone, but
Butterfinger scampers in his place.
BUTTERFINGER
Hey, Mr. Hawk, I got those 72
stamps!
Sighing, Hawk takes the huge sheath of stamps.
EXT. INDOOR TRAIN TRACK
One of the small Vatican mail trains bullets across an
indoor track. The viewer's viewpoint whooshes to catch
up, focusing on a very large package, addressed to the
Pope, that has Hawk's sheath of stamps slapped onto it.
The train zips into a tunnel.
INT. THE VATICAN UNDERGROUND SUBWAY
The train rumbles into the Vatican mini-station. TWO
HARRIED WORKERS heave up the strange cargo onto a sorting
table.
A bell rings as a clock hits 10. The workers do a sigh
of relief. Shucking off their uniforms, they head out.
A hand rips out of the huge package.
INT. OUTSIDE THE CODEX ROOM--NIGHT
Hawk pops out of the secret passageway door and moves to
the mouth of the doorless Codex room. He pauses to
hand-comb his hair in the two large, framed mirrors at
the sides.
THE CODEX ROOM
Carrying the now frameless mirrors in each hand, Hawk
hustles to the top of the steps and suddenly stops.
HAWK
"Beware the Odd Steps."
Hawk crouches down and notices the step below him has a
clear magnetic tape running across it to a dime sized
alarm button.
HAWK
Why Kit Kat, aren't you a
gentleman...
Hawk bounds down every other one of the steps down to
where the Codex is bathed in a holy light.
He hefts up the two now frameless mirrors and puts them
each in a groove of a collapsible yardstick running
across the top. The parallel mirrors now face out from
each other. Hawk sprays a blast of Clairol to reveal the
light sensor beams, and then with a deep breath, he
thrusts the mirrors into the beams.
The light bounces harmlessly off the mirrors and Hawk
exhales. He balances the connected mirrors then crawls
through his tent-like passageway.
Hawk squirts acid from a biker's bottle on the cracks of
the rectangular glass case that holds the Codex. The
acid sizzles.
INT. VATICAN LIBRARY HALLWAY--NIGHT
A BURLY GUARD thoughtfully stares at a painting, fingers
propping his chin like an critic then continues ambling
on.
THE CODEX ROOM
Rubbing his head, Hawk gives an excited smile as the glass
cracks of the rectangular case loosen. Hawk pulls out a
pocket fisherman....
The viewer's viewpoint moves upward to reveal, through
the mouth of the room, the Burly Guard is coming down
the hall.
OUTSIDE THE CODEX ROOM
Burly Guard approaches the outskirts of the Codex room.
He combs his hair into the piece of wall in the now
empty mirror-frame then REALIZES.
Muttering Italian into his walkie-talkie, Burly Guard
rushes into the room and looks down to the sensor
deflecting mirrors.
He passes a statue, behind which, Hawk is revealed to
be standing.
Burly Guard approaches the Codex and sees the dripping
acid. He also notices a fishing hook attached to the
binding of the Codex. The fishing wire leads out of
the glass case. The Guard reaches to touch it when
suddenly the wire is pulled tightly upward by a
moving-out-from-behind-the-statue Hawk.
The Codex FLIES off its perch, setting off the ALARM and
sending the bizarre cage/lamp CRASHING DOWN and AROUND
the hapless Burly Guard. The green gas commences its
noxious billowing as the Codex swooshes into Hawk's
hands. He then hurls a softball, smashing a window
on the other side of the room.
The familiar Vatican Guard and a Guard Three barrel
down into the mouth of the codex room. Only one
Gas Mask drops from the doorway. The Vatican Guard
pulls it on and gives a "That's Life" shrug of
shoulders to the fainting Guard three.
Hawk puts on the missing gas mask and launches a grapple
around the ceiling cord of the dropped Ornate Lighting
Fixture. Hawk then Tarzans from one staircase to
another. He then ungrapples and heads toward the
shattered window.
The Vatican Guard waits a stunned moment before giving
chase.
EXT. THE ROOF
Hawk flings off his gas mask and begins a classical
skipping-across-the-rooftop jaunt. Suddenly a brick
on the slightly slanted roof gives way and Hawk FALLS.
His canvas bag goes skipping down across the roof,
landing against the antennae.
INT. THE POPE'S BEDROOM
A T.V. showing Mr. Ed. speaking to Wilbur in Italian
goes fuzzy. THE POPE, wearing his famous hat and a Notre
Dame bathrobe angrily bangs on it.
EXT. THE ROOF
Hawk harvests his grapple on the level part of the roof
and slides down toward the dangling-off-the-antennae bag.
The Vatican Guard pops out of the window and fires a
warning shot.
Hawk stretches to the bag. His fingers touch as the
Guard continues to bound forward.
HAWK
Please God, Please God.......let
the guard shoot me.
Hawk pulls up the bag and turns himself to see Vatican
Guard hovering over him on the roof.
VATICAN GUARD
The worm's on the other foot,
yankee noodle candy.
Hawk sees the Vatican Guard's foot move toward the
grapple. Hawk ferociously tugs, ripping the Guard
off-balance and knocking down a side of the roof.
EXT. TOP OF A NEARBY WALL
Hawk dashes atop a nearby wall and hurls his grapple
across a road around a tree branch. Hawk ties the end of
grapple line, tosses on a friction belt, takes a breath
and JUMPS OFF THE WALL. The viewer follows him on his
breathtaking ride.
The brused Vatican Guard flops back atop the roof. He
gets off a wild shot before crumpling back down.
HAWK
is alnost to the other side when the Guard's bullet hits
the friction belt. Hawk drops with a wild scream...
and lands with a painful straddle atop a street lamppost.
His eyes bug out with the thought of a life without
children. He slowly spins off the lamppost and sails
down upon...
EXT. A BUS
and the comfortable luggage housed on top of it. Hawk
tries to maintain his balance upon the wobbling
baggage, but the bus makes a quick turn and Hawk goes
flying off...
EXT. RIGHT INTO A CAFE CHAIR--NIGHT
Panting and discombobulated, Hawk looks across the table
to the female hands holding open a menu. The menu comes
down. It is Anna. Hawk unpretzels and laps his canvas
bag.
ANNA
Oh Hudson, I was worried you
weren't going to drop by....
HAWK
I never break a date. Scout's
honor.
Hawk does the honor sign with his black gloved hand
then quickly rips it off as a WAITER comes to the
table.
HAWK
Fettucini con Funghi Porcini.
WAITER
Bellissimo, signor.
HAWK
Oh, and could I have some ketchup
with that.
Anna hits her forehead with the palm of her hand while
the waiter's entire body sinks in disappointment. Other
TABLE OCCUPANTS sadly shake their heads.
EXT. ANOTHER TABLE--NIGHT
At a comfortable distance curled behind a heat lamp,
Snickers is being an Uglier American to an UNCOMPREHENDING
WAITER, while Almond Joy chuckles and Butterfinger spreads
butter over an entire baguette.
SNICKERS
Come on, Pierre, Steak-bur-ger,
Fren-n-ch Fries. This is France,
you gotta have French.....
ALMOND JOY
Actually we're in Italy, Snickers,
she said as if it made a difference.
The Waiter sneaks off. Butterfinger devours his bread.
SNICKERS
Italy, France, Moscow. They all
just wanna be Nebraska. Old Man
Kaplan thinks since Communism is
dead, we got nothing to do. Man,
Democracy isn't free elections.
We gotta teach the world that
Democracy is Big Tits, College
Football on Saturdays, Eddie
Murphy saying the word "Fuck"
and Kids putting their hands down
garbage disposals on "America's
Funniest Home Videos."
ALMOND JOY
Damn baby, when's the last time
you had a vacation...Jesus, I
gotta get out of this job. If
my Mom knew her daughter
assassinated the leader of the
anti-Apartheid movement....
SNICKERS
Quit bitching, you got the
employee of the month plaque for
that shit...Ah to be in Pari-is
and in love.
They look off to....
HAWK AND ANNA'S TABLE
Physically sarcastic, the Waiter brings a tall wine
basket with a bottle of ketchup in it. Hawk nabs it.
HAWK
This is bueno. They had the worst
ketchup in prison.....uh...
ANNA
Prison?
HAWK
I was the Warden?
ANNA
How long were you in?
HAWK
Let's just say, I never saw E.T.
ANNA
Wow, you were "in the joint."
"Doing hard time." It's funny,
but that excites me. I seem to
have a thing for sinners.
HAWK
I seem to have a thing for sinning.
sinning. Check please....
WAITER
Ah, anything for dessert?
ANNA
(she shoots)
Yes. Something to go.
HAWK
(she scores)
I'll bring the ketchup.
INT. ANNA'S HOUSE--NIGHT
The viewer's viewpoint pulls back, past the black canvas
bag on a table, to reveal a barefoot Anna is straddling
a bare-backed Hawk, demurely and tentatively studying his
bruises.
ANNA
What have you been doing?
HAWK
Uh....old badminton injury.
Anna giggles and bends to kiss a bruise. She stops
herself and opts for tickling.
HAWK
tickles, ticKleS, TICKLES.
ANNA
(not stopping)
Oh, I'm so sorry...
Roaring with laughter, they capsize onto the floor.
Hawk slithers around to devour her toes. Anna closes
her eyes and arches her back.....
She opens her eyes and sees a large crucifix staring
right at her. With a gasp, she rolls away from Hawk
and stands up, trying to brush off her sins.
ANNA
I'm sorry. I can't. I....
HAWK
(softly approaching)
Hey now, outside of a very
friendly dog this morning, it's
been a slow decade. I don't make
love every ten years, I get a
little cranky.
ANNA
It's also been a long time for
me. I--
Their heads fuse for a semi-classic screen kiss until
THE CRUCIFIX LIGHTS UP AND BEGINS SHOUTING IN ITALIAN.
HAWK
Catholic girls are scary...
ANNA
Somebody robbed the Vatican.
HAWK
Oh. No.
Anna slides on her shoes and makes a hasty retreat.
She bumps into the canvas bag. The Codex slides out.
They both catch it in mid-air. Anna's eyes pop. She
wrenches the Codex away and kicks. Hawk pulls her into
a compassionate back-against-his-stomach hug. The Codex
falls to the floor unharmed.
HAWK
It's not what you think. Okay,
maybe it is....
ANNA
You really went and did it. With
one day, not even a day, of
planning, you did it. Nobody
does it better, Hudson. You
started the week stealing the
Sforza and you ended it swiping
the Codex.
HAWK
Wha--
ANNA
What are your plans for the
weekend? Hoisting away the
Colosseum? Tell me, did the
devil make you do it or did
Darwin and Minerva Mayflower?
EXT. A CAR OUTSIDE OF ANNA'S PLACE--NIGHT
Crammed together in the front seat, Snickers, Almond
Joy, and Butterfinger are watching the shadows of
Hawk and Anna up in the window. Snickers snaps a
cartridge into a gun while Butterfinger attacks a
goo-ey pastry.
SNICKERS
What's going on in there?
BUTTERFINGER
Do you want me to rape them?
(throwing pastry down)
Dunkin does it better.
SNICKERS
Just read, Butterfinger.
Butterfinger pulls up the book on Da Vinci that Anna
wrote and starts reading like a schoolboy.
BUTTERFINGER
"Da Vinci had fears about his
more dangerous designs, so he
created a shorthand code in
reverse script..."
ALMOND JOY
To yourself!.....What are they
doing? In twenty seconds, we go
in.
INT. ANNA'S PLACE
Foam shoots out over the coffee. Hawk smiles down at
it as Anna works a cappuccino machine.
ANNA
For two years, I've been tracking
the Mayflowers' peculiar interest
in three Da Vinci pieces. Their
Sforza replica was as fake as
the "gas leak" that supposedly
destroyed it.
HAWK
Does everyone in the world know
more than me? Jesus, I'm just
some guy who happens to be good
at swiping stuff.....Lifted a
piece of licorice when I was one
and a half. Who knew it would
lead... They even got the CIA
involved!
ANNA
The C.I. what? God, no...
HAWK
(raising his cup)
Ooh, I guess I do know something
Here's looking at you, kid...
THE CAR OUTSIDE
The agents burst from the car, guns raised.
ALMOND JOY
Now.
ANNA'S HOUSE
Hawk sips the cappuccino. His face immediately contracts.
HAWK
This doesn't taste like
cappuccino.
ANNA
Oh, I must have put too much
ethyl-chloride in it.
Anna throws a pillow on the ground and holds out her
hand. Hawk collapses. His coffee cup lands perfectly in
Anna's outstretched hand and his head lands perfectly
on the pillow.
The candy bars bash the door open, guns raised.
ANNA
Why didn't you tell me at the
restaurant that he had hit the
Vatican tonight. My people will
not be happy. I want to see Kaplan.
ALMOND JOY
That's not overly possible. He...
BUTTERFINGER
But guys, remember, he's in the
castle at Vinci....
Snickers and Almond Joy grimace into fake smiles.
EXT. THE CASTLE--NIGHT
A helicopter thunders up to the awesome castle from the
opening Da Vinci sequence.
INT. HELICOPTER
Anna pets the head of Hawk on her lap. She is pondering.
INT. A MYSTERIOUS DARK ROOM--NIGHT
A sparse circle of light houses a chair and a pacing
Kaplan.
Snickers and Butterfinger flop Hawk onto the lit chair.
Kit Kat is dressed exactly like Anna. She reacts as she
comes into the light. Kaplan takes the Codex from her.
KAPLAN
Way to go, Anna.
ANNA
When the Mayflowers find out we
have the Codex, they're going to
want to make a deal...
KAPLAN
(gung-ho lying)
And then we'll arrest those
greedy pigs... Is that it?
Hawk stirs. The viewer gets his woozy P.O.V.
ANNA
Actually George, it's not it.
What are we doing in this castle?
I happen to know the Mayflowers
bought this castle last year when
they found out Da Vinci used to
do...
The lights in the room come on to the sound of holy Da
Vinci theme, revealing an almost perfect refurbishing of
the exact same workshop Da Vinci toiled in in the
opening.
KAPLAN
(trying to be solemn)
It's the site of their new museum
and we're taking it over. Operation
Deflower Mayflower is going full
speed ahead.
ANNA
(taking it in)
Oh Lord.... the only reason I ask is
that Hudson, uh, Mr. Hawk, Hawkins,
had some "neat" things to say about
Darwin, Minerva, and you.
Basically that you're part of the
same car pool.
KAPLAN
Anna. Anna. Anna. If that were
true, Almond Joy would have
handed you your heart right
after you handed me the Codex.
Now, get some sleep. Kit Kat...
Kit Kat in drag spookily moves inches away from Anna.
ANNA
Cat got his tongue?
KAPLAN
Actually he never told us what it
was.
Kit Kat smiles, revealing the fact he has no tongue.
ANNA
How sweet. I trust you will see
Hudson Hawk is given to the proper
authorities. I recommend
leniency...
SNICKERS
(holding in a laugh)
Oh, I think we all do.
Hawk gives her a look of honesty and pain that causes
Anna to guiltily gulp as she heads out with the mimicking
Kit Kat.
SNICKERS
Do you think she has any idea that
Operation Deflower Mayflower is as
bogus as Kit Kat's tits?
KAPLAN
I don't think so, although bringing
her to the castle gave her a big,
juicy hint.
ALMOND JOY
With all due respect to that great
blouse, why didn't I cut out her
heart?
KAPLAN
Close call, but she's our only way
of keeping tabs on that damn
mysterious Vatican organization.
Hawk, it's time to go to the
principal's office....
EXT. OUTSIDE THE CASTLE--NIGHT
Moving into the chopper, Anna glimpses, Bunny, the
obnoxious dog, in a Mayflower logo dog tag, taking a leak
on some bushes. She fakes a yawn to the like dressed Kit
Kat who fakes one back.
INT. THE G. MACHINE ROOM--NIGHT
Kaplan, Hawk, and the other agents march into the mammoth
room of the opening scene. In the place of where one
remembers the gold machine are undulating sheets, beneath
which are unassembled parts of the machine.
Inside, a ball goes whizzing out of a tennis ball
machine. In tennis gear and goggles, Darwin Mayflower
thwacks it against the wall of (now faded) frescos.
Also in tennis threads, Minerva is laying on a chaise
lounge holding a gadget in her hand.
DARWIN
Seven!
Minerva turns the gadget up to SEVEN and presses a
button. Another tennis ball shoots out, a little faster.
Darwin batters it. The ball ricochets into the forehead
of an "amused" Alfred who is retrieving balls in sweat
pants.
ALFRED
Jolly. Good. Shot. Sir.
MINERVA
Ooh, it's Hudson Hawk, you cease
to amaze me, convict. You are a
terrible cat burglar!
DARWIN
Haven't you ever seen, like David
Niven? You know tiptoe in, tiptoe
out.
MINERVA
Like a "cat", one could say.
HAWK
Shucks, I'll just take it back.
Hawk reaches for the Codex. Kaplan pulls it over to
Darwin, who pulls up his goggles and fondles the ancient
binding. Taking a knife from Kaplan, he begins to slit
it open.
MINERVA
(bouncing up)
No, let me!
DARWIN
(pout)
I don't care.
Hawk looks away to the billowing sheets and the strange
machine parts behind them.
Minerva slits the bindings and tugs out another geometri-
cally perverted crystal.
HAWK
Another piece of the puzzle for
the Da Vinci Alchemy project.
Kaplan, Darwin, and Minerva look up to Hawk, then to each
other, all start to speak, then all stop.
This quandary is deferred by the entrance of the twin
Flunkies.
DARWIN
Oh, you. There's nothing more I
hate than failure. All you had to
do was follow the Hawk, it's not
like I said "Teach our nation's
children how to read."
Hawk uses the distraction to amble toward the sheets.
DARWIN
I guess we're just going to have
to kill 'em...
Shockingly swift, Minerva pulls a small gun from beneath
her tennis dress and blasts a burning hole between each
set of Flunky eyes, splattering them to the ground.
DARWIN
God Minerva, I was kidding.
A SHOCKED HAWK
quickly turns from the blithe carnage and pulls up a
sheet. He reveals the familiar Gold Machine Demonhead.
THE MAYFLOWERS
reverberate off each other with laughter. Bloodstained,
Kaplan and Almond Joy exchange an eye bulge. Minerva's
smile disappears as she sees Hawk by the sheets.
MINERVA
Get away from there, convict!
HAWK
Just browsing. Don't touch me....
Snickers touches him. Hawk smashes him in the jaw.
Snickers rears back to reciprocate....
DARWIN
Don't hurt him! We need him for
the final job!
Snickers stops himself, snarling in frustration. Hawk is
suddenly the happiest man he's been in Italy.
HAWK
Oh weeeeelly, don't hurt me? Even
if I do this....
Hawk pulls Snickers' glasses off and stamps them.
HAWK
And this....
Hawk knees Butterfinger in the stomach.
HAWK
Surely this must offend....
Hawk body-block-dominoes Butterfinger and Snickers to the
ground. Kaplan and Almond Joy aim their guns.
KAPLAN
That's it!
Playfully lifting his shirt, Hawk grabs Minerva and
manually swivels her hips to the beat of his.
HAWK
Things are getting a little loose
at the Da Vinci workshop tonight.
"Put your left leg in, take your
right foot out." May I call you
Minnie....
Hawk mambos to Alfred who rifles his blade up to Hawk's
crotch. Hawk stops dancing.
DARWIN
Come to think of it there is a part
of your body that you won't need for
your next job...
HAWK
Hey, guys, I've always wanted to sing
like Franki Valli and the other seasons,
but come on....
Alfred moves the blade a little upward. Hawk a-a-ghs.
MINERVA
Big girls don't cry-I-eye.
HAWK
Two minutes, 35 seconds. Damnit,
I'm involved in this thing, so I
just wanna know what this thing is.
I wanna be treated as an adult.
DARWIN
That's fair. Tomorrow. Back in
Rome. Now go to your room.
Alfred strategically Vulcans Hawk on the neck. He falls.
INT. DARK CONFESSION BOOTH--MORNING
The lips of Anna come into light.
ANNA
Forgive me Father for I have
sinned. It's been 1200 hours
since my last confession.
INT. THE CARDINAL'S SIDE OF THE CONFESSION BOOTH
The cardinal suppresses a yawn.
CARDINAL
Hit me with your best shot.
ANNA (O.S.)
I betrayed a man. A good man. An
innocent man. A thief.
CARDINAL
Anna, what are you trying to say...
ANNA'S DARKENED LIPS
ANNA
He came into a world where crime
is a legitimate business tactic
and a legitimate government
procedure. But he knew Right and
Wrong. Oh, and we kind of messed
around...
THE CARDINAL
freaks and goes into some Italian gibberish before...
CARDINAL
"Messed around" messed around? I
know-- I don't want to know. First
base? Second Base? Stop me when
I'm getting warm...
ANNA (O.S.)
A little petting is not the issue!
CARDINAL
Sorry. Seventeen Hail Marys and
five minutes outside.
INT. OUTSIDE THE CONFESSION BOOTH--MORNING
The Cardinal emerges and stands by Anna's confessional
curtains.
CARDINAL
So let me get this straight,
sister, you're saying Hudson Hawk
is not willingly working for the
Mayflowers but Kaplan and the
Candy Bars are?
Anna moves out of the confessional curtains, wearing a
FULL NUN HABIT for she is a Nun. The gaspingly beautiful
church unfolds as they walk.
ANNA
You got it. Operation Deflower
Mayflower is a bad joke and I'm the
punchline. I thought we were using
the CIA to help us to get Mayflower,
but really the CIA was using me to
keep us away from Mayflower.
CARDINAL
Oh, why couldn't I be the Cardinal
in charge of catering.... If the
Mayflowers get the three sections
of Da Vinci's crystal and his
instructions for the gold machine--
Aie-yi--Do we got anything? What of
Alex, Hawk's friend, where is his
loyalty?
ANNA
I'm going to find out.
CARDINAL
I'm sorry for losing it back there,
but you must remember, sister, you
have vows to God as well as a mission
to the world.
ANNA
I know, I know, your Eminence, just say
"God go with me."
CARDINAL
God go with you, sister.
Anna puts on the coolest pair of sunglasses, deliciously
contrasting with her habit. She moves off....
INT. ROME CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY
Beneath the wacky portrait, Darwin circles the board-
member filled conference table as Minerva smooches Bunny.
Everyone watches Alfred place a bar of Gold and of Lead
in the hands of a blindfolded Hawk at the middle of the M.
DARWIN
So, Captain Hawk, in one of your
paws you got a gold bar worth
about 8 thou. In the autre, you
got lead that won't get you
gelato.
MINERVA
Surely a master-thief like you can
tell the difference.
HAWK
("What's my Line")
That's two down to Kitty
Carlisle...
Hawk "weighs" the two bars in his hands--digs with his
fingernails. He rips off the blindfold in subdued
frustration. As Minerva speaks, she unconsciously
molests Alfred.
MINERVA
Cool, isn't it? Weight, feel,
mal1eability, they're all but
identical. On the periodic chart
of elements, they're but one
proton apart. Great minds worked
for centuries to turn worthless
into priceless.
HAWK
Alchemy.
DARWIN
(casually goosing Alfred)
Alchemy! Is the business term of
the 90's, my man! Minerva read
about it in an airline magazine
about four years ago. I dumped
some lira into research... Shazam,
we come across a diary by one of
Da Vinci's apprentices detailing
La Machine de Oro, the gold machine
for those at home, and the rest is
about to become history. Money
isn't everything, gold is. Fuck
blue chip stocks! Fuck T-bills!
Fuck Junk Bonds! I got the real
deal! Money will always be paper
but gold will always be gold!
MINERVA
Market crashes. Bomb drops.
Greenhouse effect affects. We'll
still be the richest, most powerful
people in the world. In 1992,
Europe is coming together to become
one business superpower. It's one
party we'd love to poop.
DARWIN
Well, that said, the last
ingredient in the recipe is in, get
this, you're gonna die, the Kremlin.
HAWK
Sure. The Kremlin. Makes sense.
The Kremlin. Why not? Listen,
this is all too Indiana Jones and
the Lost City of King Tut for me,
man. Throw me in jail and go ahead,
just try and throw Alex...
MINERVA
Jail, you asshole! Our foot
soldiers will blow your brains
out! Bunny, Ball-Ball!
Minerva angrily throws the dog off her lap and whips a
tennis ball into its mouth.
DARWIN
I'll torture you so slowly you'll
think it's a career! I'll kill
your family, your friends, and the
bitch you took to the Prom!
HAWK
You want an address on that last
one?
Bunny barks up at Hawk in anger.
HAWK
Bunny, not you too?
MINERVA
You've got a dilemma, tiger. I
think I know what's going to help
you solve it.
Alfred quickly latches on the state-of-the-art handcuffs
and the blindfold. The viewer's viewpoint stays on a
writhing Hawk.
HAWK
I'll kill all you. Even the old
lady.
Hawk kicks back on the table, "jump ropes" the cuffs,
then picks the lock with his teeth. Hawk rips off the
blindfold to see that the entire room is empty except
for Alex, standing at the other end, in an incongruous
Italian leather coat.
ALEX
I hated cigarettes until I saw my
first No Smoking sign. Keep off
the Grass? Let's play Soccer.
Only law I cared about was
friendship. Broke that one too,
didn't I? This Gates-Mario
Brothers-CIA-Mayflower-Da Vinci
thing seemed like a sweet deal.
Visit foreign lands, take their
treasures. I don't know, I thought
you'd get into it. It's better
than playing darts with M.B.A.'s at
the bar. I didn't know it was
going to be like this. Them using
me to use you... I'm sorry, there's
only one way out of this and it's
gonna hurt me more than it's gonna
hurt you.
Alex pulls out a gun from his jacket and clicks it in.
EXT. FAMILIAR PIAZZA--DAY
The piazza from the fascist E.U.R. building are bustling
with office workers laughing, smoking, and hustling.
Darwin, Minerva and Kaplan are a solid troika in the
center of the steps. The other agents stroll in the
periphery....
KAPLAN
I just don't think it was a
smoking hot idea to leave them up
there alone.
MINERVA
Don't worry George, this is the
reason we put the old diabetic
guinea on the payroll to begin
with. To keep Hawk in line.
They'll talk about "being buddies"
and "chugging brewskis."
DARWIN
(raising glass)
You gotta love male bonding.
As Darwin slaps Kaplan on the back, behind them, Hawk and
Alex come crashing out of the windowed doors of the building.
KAPLAN
You were saying...
Moving to the edge of the stairs, Hawk and Alex, latter
holding his gun, sprout up from their own debris and
continue savagely brawling. The wigging out passers-
by give them space.
HAWK
You bastard! You fucked my
freedom for a lousy job!
Alex trembles, going into a diabetic seizure. He shakily
raises his gun.
ALEX
Hawk... I'm so sorry...
Hawk roars forward like a bull and helmets Alex. They
roll together down the massive staircase past Darwin,
Minerva, and the CIA who react with "This can't be
happening" catatonia.
Two SHOTS go off as Hawk and Alex crash to the bottom of
the staircase. Hawk rises up in a daze to see Alex on the
ground with two bloody bullet holes.
HAWK
No.....Alex! Wake up, you can't
go out like this.
Hawk falls to his knees as Snickers hustles toward him.
Suddenly, sirens are heard as a police van pulls up.
Snickers stops.
Four policemen blast from the back of the van. One holds
back the crowd. One strenuously pulls Hawk into the van.
The other two drag in Alex.
The villains look to each other for non-existent guidance
as the van pulls away.
MINERVA
Plan B, anyone...
Using initiative, Snickers hops on a Vespa and roars off
after them. The van can be seen swerving off.....
AROUND A CORNER
where it bolts up into a much larger truck marked VATICAN
SOUVENIRS. TWO SEEMINGLY-INNOCENT-BYSTANDER PRIESTS break
demeanor to flop up the wheel ramps, slam close the back
of the truck, lock it shut, and continue on their solemn
way.
The TRUCK BELLOWS off as the Vespa spins around the corner.
Snickers brakes and looks around for the police van. He
hits his handle with frustration.
EXT. BEAUTIFUL ROME OVERVIEW
Out of her habit but still in her incredible sunglasses,
Anna looks out to a lovely view of Italy. The Vatican Truck
pulls up behind her. A giddy, blood-stained Alex and a not-
so-giddy Hawk bound out of the back. Alex excitedly gives
himself an insulin shot.
ANNA
Oh thank God, you're dead...
ALEX
It was so beautiful! When the
blanks went off, they...
Hawk's fist whooshes into frame and blasts Alex's jaw.
HAWK
You bastard. You fucked my
freedom for a lousy job.
ALEX
But I said I was sorry....
HAWK
No sweat, Alex, you only made the
biggest mistake of my life. What
was your per-diem?
ALEX
Don't act like you've never committed
a crime before, Hawkins? I know, I
made call, when Anna tracked me down I...
ANNA
Hudson, don't you understand...
HAWK
And you, Dr. Cappucino, you're lucky
I don't hit women, assuming you are
a woman. I'm not taking anything for
granted anymore.
ANNA
I-work-for-a-covert-Vatican-humanitarian-
organization. The-CIA-made-a-fool-of-me.
I-care-for-you...
HAWK
Oh. Well, what's this?
Hawk pulls out the Demon Head that was in the Mayflower
Museum from out of his pocket. Anna turns white.
ANNA
Where did you get this?
HAWK
You know, the place where you gave
the bad guys the Codex.... the
Mayflower Museum.
ANNA
It's from the machine. All they
need is the crystal to run it and
they have 2/3 of it already. We
can't let that happen.
ALEX
You're saying you want us to beat
them to the crystal and save the
world from financial disarray.
ANNA
Something like that.
ALEX
(pulling out plane
tix)
Well, forget about it. Hawk and I
are going to Rio. We're hurt,
we're tired, and a hero ain't
nothing but a sandwich. Right,
buddy?...
ANNA
Hudson, God's given you a gift for
cat burglary, you can t just...
HAWK
You better believe I can. I'm
sick of people telling me what I
have to do.
ANNA
It's that kind of selfish attitude
that...
HAWK
Selfish attitude? I'm just some
guy who wants a little nap and a
cappuccino for when he wakes up,
not too much foam...
ANNA
You re not "some guy" anymore,
Hudson. Right now, you're the
only guy. Without your help, I....
Anna looks to Hawk with a choked-up expression. The
weight of the world on his shoulders, Hawk turns away
to a lovely view, his mind painfully raging and
swirling toward peaceful clarity.
HAWK
The world is beautiful. Every day
in prison I made sure to remember
that. It's only when I actually
got out that I forgot. If I was
sane, I'd be on that plane to Rio.
But being beaten and abused to
fulfill some corporation's
perverted vision does something to
your mental health. The world is
beautiful and I'm tired of being
fucked.
(turning around)
It's Darwin and Minerva's turn to
bite the pillow...
Anna involuntarily does the sign of the cross. Alex
goodnaturedly does a jerking off motion.
ANNA
That was beautiful.
ALEX
I laughed, I cried.
Shaking his head, Hawk swipes the plane tickets from
Alex.
HAWK
Rio, Alex? After all they've
done to...Hey, these tickets are
for Moscow!
ALEX
(knowing smile)
Damn travel agency. That Kremlin
thing is in Moscow, isn't it?
A proud Hawk slaps Alex on the back as some passing
ITALIAN LOCALS stop to stare, horrified, at Alex's
bullet holes. Anna sweetly intervenes.
ANNA
Ketchup. Stupido Americani...
The locals give off a slightly dazed "A-a-h" and move off.
INT. THE CONFERENCE ROOM--DAY
Wind blows through the shattered conference room window.
Snickers is banging on his computer apparatus at the
table with the Mayflowers and the other agents.
KAPLAN
We're all family now. My team
has done a lot of rougher things
than steal the model of a
helicopter.
SNICKERS
We're going to whack this place
so fast we'll have time to shop
for American imports.
Darwin and Minerva politely smile and then turn away to
each other with knowing looks. The computer screen shows
the familiar image of the Kremlin building that turns
into a complex look at interiors the viewer will later
see.
ALMOND JOY
Lucky for us, the Da Vinci is
located in a wing of the Kremlin
that they used to throw the Miss
Ukraine pageant and stuff. It'll
have the least number of guards....
KAPLAN
As for our plan of action,
anybody'd be insane to go in
from the ground floor...
INT. A VAN-BUS--NIGHT
A head-rubbing Hawk and a stomach rubbing Alex kneel on
the floor of a moving van, over a barely legible drawing
of what was so neatly delineated on the CIA computer.
Both guys are dressed as priests and are chewing gum.
ALEX
We're going in from the ground
floor.
HAWK
Geez, this Art Treasures Room
looks like a burnt diaphragm.
Hawk laughs and pops up into the passenger seat. Anna
is revealed to be driving in her habit. Hawk gives her
a kiss.
HAWK
Hey, don't take your disguise so
seriously.
ANNA
Uh, yeah. Guess I'm a wee bit
nervous. I'm sorry I could only
score clergy passports.
HAWK
Fits my new image. A thief for
the masses. This is one job I'm
not going to feel guilty about
enjoying. Gum.
Hawk, Alex, and Anna all spit out their gum into a bag
Hawk holds.
ALEX
The security's actually not that
severe.
ANNA
It doesn't have to be. Everybody
knows that if you mess with the
Kremlin, you'll end up in a
Siberian gulag eating your own
fingernails.
Hawk takes in some views of Moscow that remind one of
Budapest.
HAWK
Shwoof, that makes me feel better.
I can't believe this is the Iron
Curtain. All the guy at Airport
customs wanted to know was "Who
Shot J.R.?"
ALEX
You sound disappointed.
HAWK
Yeah, I mean, come on, going
through the Iron Curtain is
supposed to be crawling
underneath barbed wire, it's
supposed to be strangling a
guard...
THE VAN
passes a textbook shot of the Kremlin in the distance.
HAWK (V.O.)
It's supposed to be parachuting
in the moonlight....
EXT. THE TOP OF THE KREMLIN--NIGHT
Kaplan, Snickers, Almond Joy, and Butterfinger slam down
upon the roof of the Kremlin and discard their
parachutes.
Snickers opens up his computer screen, upon which is the
image-map of the Kremlin with a flashing blue light at
the top of the building and a flashing green one inside.
SNICKERS
We are the blue light. The green
light is where the Art Treasures
room is.
KAPLAN
Let's go make a purple light.
Where's Kit Kat?
EXT. THE KREMLIN GROUNDS
Dressed in cat burglar black and all chewing gum, Hawk,
Alex, and Anna crawl across the Kremlin grounds. They
scope out a shabby Delivery Entrance.
ALEX
Delivery Entrance. Low Security.
ANNA
Gum.
All three spit out their gum into Hawk's bag.
HAWK
Count of three?
ALEX
Why not just go now?
HAWK
Okay.
The Trio rush for the door.
THE KREMLIN ROOF
SOVIET GUARD ONE comes out on the roof to light a cig-
arette. He looks in the distance to the motivating CIA
team. Suddenly a card floats down into his hand.
It reads: WILLIAM TELL. ADAM'S APPLE. GET IT?
The not-getting-it Guard looks up from the card as a
grinning Kit Kat parachutes behind him. The Guard
swerves around and Kit Kat savagely skewers him with a
crossbow shot to his Adam's apple.
THE DELIVERY ENTRANCE
Hawk, Anna, and Alex race to the door, the latter
bashes it...
INT. GRUNGY WHITE FOYER
open and sets off an annoying hammer-against-bell alarm.
Alex all-fours beneath the alarm. Hawk does a Michael
Jordan vault off Alex's back and slam dunks A MASSIVE
BALL OF USED-GUM, pulled from his bag, between the
hammer and the bell, cutting off the sound. They rush
ahead.
EXT. THE KREMLIN ROOF
The agents are trotting across the roof when a phone on
Snickers' apparatus rings. Kaplan answers it.
KAPLAN
Everything's going fine, Minerva,
thanks for asking...
INT. NONDESCRIPT HALLWAY
Minerva chats on a cellular moving down a hallway, with
Darwin, who is holding in his laughter as if this was a
great crank.
MINERVA
I say who needs this Hudson Hawk
anyway....
INT. A GRAND BALLROOM
The good guys scurry upon the second level of an epic
and gorgeous ballroom. Two lush staircases lead up from
the floor. From behind a pillar, the gang checks out
the activity below.
A tablecloth is being wrangled over a large table at
the opposite end of the ballroom by SERVANTS. Threaten-
ing SOVIET SOLDIERS maneuver on the floor.
HAWK
(Wizard of Oz)
Oh-Eee-Oh-A-Whoa-Oh.
They then make a mad scuffle across their side of the
second level, hunkering down by the level railing.
As they move into another wing hallway, the viewer's
viewpoint moves back down to the ballroom floor to see
a gloating DARWIN AND MINERVA ENTER, the latter still
on the phone.
MINERVA
Everybody here, in Rome, wishes
you tinsel boxes of love...
The servants move away from the tablecloth and the
table, revealing that it is shaped like an M. A GROUP
OF SERIOUS SOVIET V.I.P.'s come out to join the
Mayflowers at the table.
THE ROOF
Kaplan hangs up the phone.
KAPLAN
Lazy, rich, condescending bitch.
The team moves up to the rooftop doorway where Kit Kat
is. He holds up an "About Time" card. The agents laugh
and greet them.
INT. A VERY LONG, ENIGMATIC HALLWAY
Hawk, Alex, and Anna pass through a set of windowed
double doors into a very long hallway that leads into a
pitch darkness. A MURAL OF A HAPPY, ARM-STRETCHED LENIN
looms above the doors. They give it a a quick glance
before pulling out screwdrivers and wire hangers.
ALEX
Eighth room down, babe...
ANNA
Guards come exactly every three
minutes....
HAWK
Three. Oh. Oh. "Side by Side."
Our trio charges down the hallway.
HAWK
"Oh, we ain't got a barrel of
money.
ALEX
"Maybe we're ragged and funny."
They reach a MASSIVE SPOOKY DOOR WITH AN ODD, ANCIENT
LOCK. They go to work on it. Not losing the beat.
HAWK AND ALEX
"But we'll travel along, singing
a song. Side by Side..."
INT. TOP FLOOR HALLWAY
With a gust of wind, Kaplan and the Candy Bars bluster
through the rooftop door into another hallway, where
SOVIET GUARDS TWO AND THREE are taking it easy.
KAPLAN
Create a diversion.
Snickers and Butterfinger calmly blow away both guards
with silenced mini-Uzis.
SOVIET GUARD FOUR rushes out a door before the agents,
zipping up his fly. Almond Joy twists his neck with an
agonizing SNAP.
THE LONG HALLWAY
Hawk, Anna, and Alex retreat beneath the Lenin mural
through the windowed double doors.
Behind the doors, they poke up to see a BESPECTACLED
GUARD emerge from the darkness to check out the door.
ALEX
Now that's a lock.
HAWK
Don't worry, we'll get it...
ANNA
Can I sing this time, too?
Please?
Hawk and Alex are not thrilled about the idea, but Anna's
eye flutter does it.
HAWK
Uh, I guess so.
The Bespectacled Guard moves back into the darkness.
THE BALLROOM
The Soviet V.I.P.'s open up presents of pink L.A. GEAR
tennis shoes, silly T-shirts, and Nintendo joysticks
as a standing Darwin hypnotizes them.
DARWIN
I look at you Soviet people and I
feel... pity... superiority. Most
of your life, your government has
told you that Capitalism turns
people into robots who'd rather
eat microwave sushi, naked in the
back of a Cadillac than hear the
laughter of children.
MINERVA
(smiling)
We're here to say, your government
was right.
DARWIN
So let's get busy. Have some fun
and make some deals.
AT THE LOCK
Alex holds a lit match into the lock, while Hawk
does something incomprehensible with a screwdriver.
They are improvising...
HAWK
"Oh this lock is a pain in the bu-utt"
ALEX
"How'd we ever get such in a ru-utt"
Anna suddenly, booms out the chorus in a way that Hawk and
Alex can barely concentrate.
ANNA
"But we'll travel the road, Sharing
the load. Side by Side!"
THE HALLWAY ABOVE
The CIA team saunters through corpses up to a door
similar in lock and design to the one Hawk and Alex
are working on.
Snickers's computer screen shows the blue light directly
above the green light.
SNICKERS
This is the room above the Art
Treasures room. The lock is a
Natalya Z-Z, first created...
ALMOND JOY
Snickers, baby, I love you like a
brother, but really, who cares?
Silencer bomb...
Butterfinger pulls from around his shoulder a strange
rifle. He attaches to the front of it;, a glass encased,
suctioning time-bomb from a waist satchel. He fires
the bomb against the door and it starts ticking.
BEHIND THE WINDOWED DOUBLE DOORS
come Hawk, Alex, and Anna, panting.
HAWK
That was close....
ALEX
Anna, I think you better stay....
HAWK
You can be lookout!..... Take
Alex's gun.
Alex hands Anna his gun, who glumly takes it like a Little
Sister not allowed to play. Hawk and Alex go back through
the doors.
THE HALLWAY ABOVE
The CIA bomb blows up the door with a weird silencer
sound. Kaplan and the Candy Bars giddily whoop as they
rush through the smoking door.
THE BALLROOM--SECOND LEVEL
Anna meanders across the second level muttering to herself
in Italian and amusingly imitating Hawk's condescension.
ANNA
"You can be the lookout."
Anna suddenly moves past the pillar to see the Mayflowers
and the V.I.P.S. She gasps and hurls herself behind the
second level railing.
THE BALLROOM FLOOR
A VERY DIGNIFIED SOVIET LEADER, in a SHIT HAPPENS baseball
cap, addresses Darwin.
SOVIET LEADER
Before we serve you "the main course,"
hee, hee, we need to know specifics
about what you can do for us. We--
DARWIN
Bluntness. How amusingly Hungarian.
Listen up, for reasons I don't want
to get into, I recently had to close
down a petroleum factory, but I'm
going to re-build it here and
Madonna's going to cut the ribbon!
Frozen burritos in Leningrad. 1982
fantasy. 1992 reality.
THE LOCK OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Hawk and Alex more frantically toil on the lock.
HAWK
"We all had our quarrels and
parted..."
ALEX
"But we'll be the same as we started...
The lock clunks open. They race through the doors into...
INT. THE ART TREASURE ROOM
Hawk and Alex weave through the room which is crammed,
with little nuance, to the gills with great art treasures
including an impressive array of Faberge eggs. A solid
gold hammer and sickle hang on one wall...
HAWK AND ALEX
"Just traveling along, singing a
song. Side--"
HAWK
Geez, this place is a mess...
ALEX
Voila...
They rumble toward an opening in the wall of the room
covered by a small curtain that has the Da Vinci Man in
the Circle drawing emblazoned across it. Hawk reaches
for the curtain. Alex puts his arm around him and speaks,
not sings.
ALEX
Side by side, man...
Suddenly, the roof above them explodes. Kaplan and the
Candy Bars drop down behind them.
ALMOND JOY
What the hell....
SNICKERS
You're supposed to be dead!
ALEX
I'm a ghost. Boo.
HAWK
I don't want to sound immature,
but we were here first...
KAPLAN
I wish I could think of those cute
quips the way you can, Hawk, but
I can't, so I'll just shoot Alex.
Kaplan point blank shoots Alex in the chest. Alex
crumples backward, moaning. Butterfinger, casually, but
with incredible strength, holds Hawk's arms behind his
back.
HAWK
No....
ALMOND JOY
That was pretty uncool, George...
KAPLAN
Sorry, you know he kind of reminds
me of Little Eddie. But I digress.
Ah, victory is so sweet....
Kaplan pulls back the Da Vinci curtain. Nothing is there.
THE BALLROOM BANQUET
A SOVIET CHEF lifts up a silver domed serving tray,
revealing the Da Vinci helicopter model.
MINERVA
Yum. This is the best meal I
ever had...
ANNA
bulges her eyes at the revelation. She pulls out Alex's
gun and bangs herself in the head. What to do....
THE ART TREASURES ROOM
Kaplan is bugging out.
KAPLAN
Damnit, this isn't the plan!
Blue light, green light, shit!
Snickers, Kit Kat, A.J., scramble,
see if you can find out anything.
They thunder out. Hawk, still in Butterfinger's
oblivious clutches, shouts..
HAWK
Can't you see the Mayflowers
double-crossed you...
KAPLAN
They may be scum, but if I get the
Da Vinci model back, then we'll be
roasting weenies on the beach.
HAWK
I don't think you'll appreciate
their choice of weenie.
Kaplan raises his gun.
THE BALLROOM BANQUET
Darwin holds the Da Vinci model in one hand and raises
a glass of vodka in the other.
DARWIN
You're helping us achieve a goal
and in return, I'm giving you a
key to the world's executive
washroom. Don't piss it away....
Skoal, amigos...
ANNA (O.S.)
Stop or I'll shoot.
Minerva and some various Soviet VIPS spew their vodka to
look up to Anna pointing a gun down at them from the
second level. She is shivering, shaking the gun.
ANNA
You people are immoral and
narcissitic and I won't let you...
In unison, the Soviet Soldiers surrounding the table
begin machine gunning up at her. She dives behind the
railing.
THE ART TREASURES ROOM
Kaplan lowers his gun.
KAPLAN
I can't believe this. I'm in
fucking Russia, or do I have to
say, the fucking Soviet Union and
I'm shooting a non-Bolshevick.
(raising back up
his gun)
I never thought I'd say "I'm just
in this job for the money." Sad.
Any last immature quips?
HAWK
No.
(a beat)
But why do you let Butterfinger
keep those blood stains on his
shirt?
Falling for the oldest trick in the book, Butterfinger
looks down to his shirt.
BUTTERFINGER
What blood stains....
Hawk bounces up to savagely head-butt Butterfinger.
Butterfinger slams back against a wall causing the Gold
Sickle to fall down around his neck and knock him to the
ground, pinning his head to the floor. The Gold Hammer
next trembles off the wall and crushes Butterfinger's
skull.
HAWK
You want immature, how 'bout an
egg fight...
Hawk flings a Faberge egg, smashing the gun out of Kaplan's
hand. Hawk pelts a batch more at him. Kaplan sloppily
whips some eggs back. Hawk finally smashes one in half
and beans the jagged piece into Kaplan's eye. He squeals
to the ground, geysering blood.
Hawk swoops down to a wheezing, breath controlling Alex.
HAWK
Alex, are you....
ALEX
I can't believe you didn't notice.
My weight. I lost ten pounds in
Rome
HAWK
You're a reed, man. I gotta get
Anna. Hang in there...
THE BALLROOM
Bullets stop splintering around Anna at the railing as
the soldiers fling out their empty cartridges to reload.
Snickers, Almond Joy, and Kit Kat race out of the hall-
way area into the ballroom area. They stop at the sight
of Anna....
ALMOND JOY
Anna-bannana-fo-fanna, I guess I
have to cut out your heart for
real now. It's not personal.
Anna feebly raises her gun. Almond Joy laughs and
pulls out a knife.
ALMOND JOY
You won't shoot. I read your
dossier... Sister.
The Soviet Soldiers snap in new cartridges as Almond Joy
moves out from behind the pillar towards Anna. The
Soldiers blast away at this newly appearing figure.
Almond Joy ruptures and vibrates in a Sonny Corleone
ballet.
ALMOND JOY
I gotta get a new job...
Snickers and Kit Kat militarily roll on either side of
Anna as their partner wilts to the ground. The men,
Snickers with his mini-Uzi, Kit Kat with his cross-
bow rifle, briefly leap up to fire down at the soldiers
with some graphic success.
Anna watches Darwin and Minerva head up the stairs to
her level. She bolts off....
BALLROOM FLOOR
The last of the Soviet VIPS flee as the Soldiers tip
over the M shaped table on its side, using it for
cover, firing upward.
KIT KAT
breaks off and scurries around the second level to get
a position behind the M.
He fires down an arrow for a successful kill. Another
guard tries to fire up, but Kit Kat impales him to the
back of the table with a quality shot.
Kit Kat grins and reloads as Alfred, the butler, regally
creeps behind him.
HAWK
comes out of the long hallway double doors up to where
Anna is bustling. They hug...
ANNA
The Mayflowers got...
Hawk and Anna turn to see the Mayflowers hastening in
their direction. Noticing them back, the model-toting
Mayflowers halt.
KIT KAT
turns to Alfred and fires his crossbow. Alfred effort-
lessly cuts it in half with his blade and continues
to move forward. Still smiling, Kit Kat tries to reload.
MINERVA
breaks the standstill.
DARWIN
What a pleasant surprise. You're
probably wondering...
HAWK
But you're going to tell us
anyway...
MINERVA
I hate a man with a sense of
humor. While you corn dogs were
comparing the lengths of your
masculinity, we obtained the
helicopter the new fashioned
way: a thoroughly corrupt business
deal.
HAWK
If you think you're getting past
me...
Grunting behind them, Snickers gun-butts Hawk to the
ground.
HAWK
Don't be stupid...they...
SNICKERS
Bastard! If you were a true
American.
HAWK
Just shut up and hit me!
Snickers swings a punch. Hawk blocks it then whomps
him in the chest.
As they battle, Darwin grabs Anna's hair, slams her
into a pillar, and watches her crumple.
KIT KAT
gets in an arrow but it's too late. Alfred stabs
him deep, deep, deeply, and lifts him from the ground.
A shower of cards reading "OUCH" "PAIN" and "THIS REALLY
HURTS" rain from out of Kit Kat's coat.
Alfred discards him over the edge.
Kit Kat sails down upon the M.
The lone card of "FUCK" plops from his open eyed corpse.
HAWK
and Snickers trades fierce blows, stumbling down a
staircase.
DARWIN
and Minerva watch the fight with amusement. Alfred
approaches.
DARWIN
Alfred, the getaway car...
SNICKERS
slashes Hawk in the arm with a small but sinister blade.
HAWK
Damnit, I hate this! I'm a cat
burglar! Nobody said anything
about this fight-to-the-death
shit.
SNICKERS
Too bad.
Snickers goes for a final thrust when suddenly one of the
silencer time bombs suctions to his head.
Hawk turns to see Alex, barely standing, at the top of
the stairs, holding the strange rifle.
Darwin and Minerva turn to this dramatic entrance. They
start to trot off...
MINERVA
I knew it! I told you it was a
fake.
DARWIN
That New-York-Italian-Father-
made-twenty-bucks-a-week-son-
of-a-bitch. What was our bet? A
million?
MINERVA
Million five, lover...
HAWK
boots Snickers down the stairs. Snickers somersaults
up and frantically tries to pull off the bomb.
Snickers wails to the soldiers, who have lowered their
guns and are poking their heads out of the M to watch.
SNICKERS
Help me you Democratic Reform
lovers! Get a screwdriver, you
Stupid Eskimoes! Screw-dri-ver!
Oh God, I always wanted to know
how to play the harp, there
just was so little time! Rosebud!
The soldiers high-tail it out. Snickers plugs his ears.
Nothing happens.
SNICKERS
Maybe it was just a....
Snickers blows up gloriously before the M.
THE STAIRCASE
Hawk bounds up to Alex, who puffs down onto the steps.
ALEX
Get 'em. They went down the
hallway.
HAWK
Let's just forget it, I mean...
ALEX
Get em....
Hawk rushes up the. stairs, gives a "What can I do?" glance
to the unconscious Anna, and then continues rushing, past
a pillar. Minerva emerges from behind the pillar and
moves forward.
THE LONG ENIGMATIC HALLWAY
Hawk chugs beneath the Lenin mural and down the hall-
way. He sees Darwin breezing in front of him. Darwin
looks back to Hawk then runs forward into the darkness.
THE BALLROOM
Minera sits down next to the pained Alex.
MINERVA
Alex. How's it going?
ALEX
Go, go to Hell, to Hell.
Minerva pulls out a candy bar and rips it open.
MINERVA
Where's your insulin....No? Well,
Bon Appetite.
Minerva savagely slams Alex's head down and shoves the
candy bar in his mouth.
THE HALLWAY
Hawk moves closer and closer to the darkness of the
hallway when a one-eyed and bleeding George Kaplan dives
out of the Art Treasures room and tackles him. Hawk
kicks him off...
HAWK
Oh, come on....
THE BALLROOM
Alex gulps down the last of the candy bar, shivering.
MINERVA
Very good, Alex, but you re
still alive....
She pulls out another candy bar. Alex, with a last
burst of strength, punches her across the face.
MINERVA
That's fair.
THE LONG HALLWAY
Hawk and Kaplan lock onto each other's throats.
HAWK
Why does this have to be so hard...
KAPLAN
Tell me about it...
Suddenly, of all things, a car is heard rumbling in the
darkness.
Hawk and Kaplan stop fighting and turn to see THE MAY-
FLOWER LIMOUSINE screeching out of the darkness with
Darwin standing out of the sunroof firing a gun.
Bullets fly around them. From his back pocket, Hawk
slaps the nice picture of him and Little Eddie into
Kaplan's hands.
HAWK
Take this to Hell with you...
Hawk jumps up and grabs a hanging lamp.
Deranged with confusion, Kaplan turns from the picture
to the charging limousine.
KAPLAN
My pension.....
The driving Alfred smiles through the windshield.
Kaplan's body slams into a vivid somersaulting crash
into the windshield.
Hawk's hands burn and sizzle on the hanging lamp.
Passing beneath, Darwin raises up his gun.
Hawk lets go of the lamp and drops down on Darwin,
locking his legs around his neck and crushing him
down into....
THE BACKSEAT OF THE LIMOUSINE
Hawk and Darwin grapple on the floor of the limo. The
Da Vinci helicopter model bobs on the backseat. Darwin's
gun goes off..
right through Alfred's throat. He slumps over, pressing
down on the accelerator.
THE LIMOUSINE
blasts down the hallway, sparking off the wall, and
bashing off paintings and mirrors.
THE BACKSEAT
Darwin flicks on his paper shredder and shoves the side
of Hawk's hand into its teeth.
OUTSIDE THE LIMOUSINE
A mist of blood coughs out of the shredder vent and makes
a weird bloody line across the wall.
INT. BACKSEAT
Hawk yanks his hand from the shredder and grabs the meg-
lomaniac by the hair and shoves his head down on the
arm rest. Hawk turns on the piercing siren and Darwin's
eyes try to escape his head with a high pitched scream.
Darwin's entire body bucks wildly.
Darwin back-elbows Hawk and moves down for his gun.
Hawk pulls him back by his hair, grabs him by the balls,
and pushes him upward through the sunroof.
DARWIN
God-damnit, I only wanted to
destroy the world in my own image.
I'm a regular Joe...
Darwin pounds his fists on Hawk's head as Hawk hits the
sunroof switch sliding it shut on Darwin, pinning
his arms below the roof, but leaving his torso twisting
in the wind.
The mural of a happy Lenin with his arms outstretched
looms ahead waiting to greet Darwin.
Putting two and two together, Darwin loses it....
DARWIN
Not Lenin, anybody but Lenin. God,
let's talk abut this.
The limousine charges through the double doors and Darwin's
body connects with the mural.
INSIDE THE LIMO
Hearing the crunch, Hawk flips into the front seat and
brakes the vehicle. Alfred's head bounces against the
steering wheel. Hawk reaches over with a grin and picks
up the Da Vinci model. He looks to Alfred, Kaplan
crunched in the windshield, and Darwin's dangling legs.
HAWK
Wow, this is really gonna hurt the
resale value...
THE BALLROOM
Hawk runs up to a woozy Anna and helps her up. She has
a cross-shaped blood stain on her forehead.
HAWK
Oh, honey....
Hawk looks to Alex, sitting on the stairs, the same way
he left him. Hawk rushes to him.
HAWK
We did it man, we...
Hawk grabs Alex's shoulder. Alex falls back. Written
over his face in red lipstick is REALLY DEAD.
Engaging a slow motion sequence, Minerva saunters behind
Anna, putting on red lipstick. Minerva slams her back
to the ground.
Hawk howls then turns to see stiff-upper-lip Alfred,
bleeding from the neck. Hawk tries to throw a punch,
but Alfred blocks it and crunches him across the face.
The Da Vinci helicopter model bounces down the stairs
in slow motion and cracks open, revealing the intricate
mirror of the opening scene.
INT. DARK ROOM ATOP MAYFLOWER MUSEUM--DAY
A damaged Hawk awakens in a dungeonish room and stumbles
to some shutters. "O Solo Mio" returns on the sound-
track as the shutters open to a postcard view of Vinci.
Hawk closes the shutters and cuts off the music. A
slightly more composed Anna touches his shoulder causing
him to jump slightly. They melt into a kiss.
ANNA
Oh Hudson...
HAWK
I told you not to call me Hudson.
The only people who called me that
were the nuns at...
ANNA
Oh Hudson, I'm a sister of the
Catholic church as well as an
agent.
HAWK
(cut-off laugh)
This is too bad to be false.
Alfred enters the room in his favorite outfit with a
bandage around his neck. His voice is strange, but still
polite.
ALFRED
Welcome back to Vinci.
HAWK
Last rites, sister?
ANNA
Please, no nun jokes...They're a
bad habit to get into....get it?
Hawk and Anna unconvincingly laugh then sadly pause.
HAWK
She killed Alex.
Alfred gives them a push.
INT. THE DA VINCI WORKSHOP
Alfred leads them through the Da Vinci workshop past the
bat winged glider and incongruously crammed-in tennis ball
machine.
INT. THE ROOM OF THE GOLD MACHINE--DAY
Alfred grandly opens double-doors to reveal that Da
Vinci's gold machine has been majestically re-created
piece by piece. In the periphery, the 90's rears its
head in the form of THREE TECHNICIANS wearing headsets
and gun holsters who consult computer terminals.
MINERVA (O.S.)
GOLD-FI-ING-ER!
Hawk and Anna turn to see Minerva splashily enter in
sexy funeral-wear.
MINERVA
Sorry, I couldn't resist. You're
probably wondering why you're
still alive. Anna.....
As Minerva speaks, TECHNICIAN ONE forcibly escorts Anna
toward a stand near the gold machine and tightly
handcuffs her to it.
MINERVA
I want you to monitor the Da
Vinci's directions from the
apprentice diary. And Hawk, I
didn't want you to go to hell
without knowing that Darwin and
I's dream came true.
(suddenly sheepish)
Beside that, none of us can seem
to put that damn crystal together.
Alfie and I were up all night with
the thing.
TECHNICIAN TWO commences a forcible escort of Hawk to the
gold machine. Hawk cold-cocks him to the ground.
HAWK
You killed a friend. Why should I
help you go for the gold?
MINERVA
It'll take a couple of years of
steady production, but I'll flood
the market with so much gold that
gold itself, the foundation of all
finance, will lose its meaning.
Brokers, economists, and fellow
entrepreneurs will drown in the
saliva of their own nervous
breakdowns. Markets will crash-
crash. Financial Empires will
crumble-crumble.
HAWK
Except yours-yours. The goal of
world domination. Well, if you
put it that way, Minnie. How can
I resist?
MINERVA
You can't, convict! You're just
a shmoe! Every shmoe has the
fantasy the planet revolves around
them. It rains, car crash stops
traffic, you say "How could this
happen to me?" It's a natural
inclination. But for I, this
isn't a fantasy, it is reality!
You are on my planet! You walk
around the corner for coffee, out
of my sight, you do not fucking
exist! The lives of shmoes like
you have meaning only in relation
to the rich, to the powerful, to ME!
Anna looks at the oil cloth diary before her. She pulls
a compact from her pocket and holds the compact mirror
over the scribblings. Reading off the reflection, her
eyes widen.
ANNA
Do it. There's no reason to fight
anymore. She's a force of nature.
Trying to get a grip on Anna's words, Hawk lets himself
be escorted to another stand before the gold machine that
has the two complex crystal parts and the weird mirror.
MINERVA
If you pull this off, I can't
promise I won't kill you. I mean,
who we trying to kid? But I will
spare the Flying Nun here....
HAWK
And to think I thought you were
Evil Incarnate in pumps.
MINERVA
I killed some lovable working
class Italian-diabetic, but you
killed the most significant male
figure of the decade and a kind,
gentle lover. So don't play with
me.
Minerva flicks a switch on the stand Anna's handcuffed
to. Anna vibrates, being electrocuted.
HAWK
Okay, fine!
Minerva switches it off. Giving himself a head rub, Hawk
bears down on the three oddly malleable objects. He
TANGLES and BENDS and with a loud SNAP, puts them
together, forming the Crystal from the opening scene.
Minerva snatches it from him and puts on a head-set.
MINERVA
Oh Hawk, don't ever change. Go,
team, go!
Minerva giddily sets the crystal in the same place as Da
Vinci had it in his machine.
Using a long steel pole, Technician One adjusts a myriad
of mirrors so they are in a proper angle with a series
of lenses culminating on the top of the machine.
Technicians Two (black-eyed) and Three pour various
chemical powders and liquids into corresponding compart-
ments on the machine, beautifully decorated by the
chemical's zodiac sign.
Alfred places a lead bar in its proper place.
Hawk glides to Anna and undoes her handcuff.
HAWK
I hope you know what....
ANNA
Trust Leonardo....
HAWK
Wha.....
Anna puts her fingers on his lips.
Minerva throws a lever. Steam begins to percolate from
the furnace towards the machine.
MINERVA
(into the headset)
We're for real.
THE MACHINE
begins to rotate, at first clunkily, then faster.
The Crystal rotates comfortably in its compartment.
The machine throws out its folding arms, each with an
element. The arms click higher.
The goggled technicians stand before a time-coded video
monitor, taking notes.
The chemical housings open and the chemicals begin to
spill and drop through brass tubes.
ANNA
murmurs to Hawk.
ANNA
Da Vinci made the real directions
in a secret script that I decoded.
The way the machine is running
now, the gold will produce too
quickly, clog, and the machine
will shut itself down. Isn't it
wonderful?
HAWK
Yeah, but what would happen if that
little mirror came out of the
crystal.
ANNA
Wha -- you don't want to know...
Hawk pulls out the mirror from his pocket.
HAWK
I wanna know...
ANNA
Holy sh-h--things are going to
get very interesting, very fast.
Da Vinci would be proud of you.
IN THE MACHINE
The chemicals snake down their individual paths to the
Lead Bar spinning its trough. There's a FLASH and a
controlled but jarring explosion.
EVERYONE
doubletakes. Hawk reaches down to the six foot steel
pole and with one swing slams the faces of all three
deep in concentration Technicians to the ground.
Oblivious to the violence behind her, Minerva, pulling
on goggles over her head-set, moves closer with a
religious purr.
THE MACHINE
triggers a fresnel lens and laserlike beams bounce around
the mirrors faster and faster, circling the room.
OUTSIDE THE MACHINE
Hawk and Anna squint, blinded. Flinging off her goggles,
A literally beaming Minerva giggles forward.
THE MACHINE
Beams of light converge on the top mirror and bounce into
the innards of the machine with a mighty roar!
MINERVA
sees that the center of the machine gleams yellowish and
molten. She moves closer, shouting into her head-set.
MINERVA
Eureka, motherfuckers!
The machine thunders and spins at a more aggressive
pace.
Hawk's voice suddenly comes on Minerva's head-set.
HAWK'S VOICE (head-set)
Minnie, hate to interrupt your
orgasm, but....
HAWK AND ANNA
stand above the unconscious Technicians. Hawk is on
head-set.
HAWK
Me, Anna, and Leonardo just wanna
say you got the Midas touch, baby...
MACHINE
Minerva turns toward the machine in anger and confusion.
The center of the machine blows. The pool of molten gold
rockets at the viewer.
Mirrors explode and the lasers slash at the walls.
Minerva tumbles from the machine, screaming, that is to
say, trying to scream, because molten gold covers her
face. It bubbles and cascades, turning her into a
bizarrely beautiful echo of Nefertiti.
HAWK AND ANNA
turn to retreat, and see, standing in the mouth of the
open double doors, in an open shirt, wearing Indian war
paint on his face and the words RULE BRITANNIA painted
on his chest, ALFRED!
ALFRED
How.
HAWK
You're unemployed, Alfie. Boss
is dead. Her plan is over.
ALFRED
(strange voiced)
My plan is just beginning. I'll
forgive you for denying me the
pleasure of slaughtering my
boorish employers, but I'm afraid
the birth of the new British
Empire can have no witnesses!
HAWK
Ooh-kay...
Alfred rushes forward with a howl. Hawk meets him
halfway. They trade savage punches and then lock onto
each other's throats.
Anna pulls a gun from a technician's holster and prays
for forgiveness. She aims steadily, and fires...
right into Hawk's arm. This allows Alfred to knock him
back with a strong punch.
ANNA
Sorry!
She fires again. The bullet pings off Hawk's belt buckle.
HAWK
Stop helping me! Thou shalt not
kill!
Hawk's turning to chastize Anna, allows Alfred to kick
Hawk back against a wall. Alfred lunges out with his
blade, hitting the wall off-angle. Hawk yanks the shaft.
Alfred goes with the flow and presses the shaft on Hawk's
throat.
Gasping, Hawk looks to a rip in Alfred's shirt and sees
a hinge and lever on the shaft. With an all or nothing
jerk, Hawk flicks the lever. The shaft clicks on the
hinge.
Alfred's greater strength and narrower grip makes it fold
away from Hawk and suddenly it is Alfred's throat which
is caught in the V-shaped trap! The momentum of the
sudden change makes Alfred stumble towards the wall until
the point of the "V" hits it--
HAWK
Don't lose your head over this.
Hawk takes the six foot steel pole and gives a Babe Ruth
swing right onto the V. The blades slam together and
POP ALFRED'S HEAD OFF, SENDING IT SCREAMING DISEMBODIED,
HIGH IN THE AIR.
ALFRED'S SCREAMING HEAD P.O.V.
Hawk and Anna are seen waving up to the viewer (Alfie's
head).
HAWK
Excuse my crass American humor.
The machine thunders with another explosion.
THE DA VINCI WORKSHOP
Hawk and Anna rush into the Da Vinci workshop. She
guiltily touches the surface wound on his arm. He
delicately takes the gun from her and laughs until he
sees...
BUNNY THE DOG!! standing in the open mouth of the
workshop. Anna turns to Hawk...
ANNA
Allow me.
Anna confidently moves toward the dog until Bunny leaps
up and savagely clamps his teeth into her throat sending
her crashing to the ground.
Hawk pauses in disbelief before raising the gun.
Bunny continues to viciously gnaw away on the convulsing
Anna, blood gently starts to emerge.
Hawk can't get off a shot. He throws down the gun in
exasperation. It lands next to The Gadget that is
connected to the Tennis Ball Machine. Hawk rushes
forward, picks up the gadget, turns the dial to Ten, and
then smiles sweetly toward the dog.
HAWK
Oh Bunny, Ball-Ball.
Bunny stops his violent behavior and perkily looks up
blood droplets drizzling from his mouth.
Hawk slams down on the gadget.
A tennis ball comes rocketing out of the machine.
Bunny leaps and catches the rocketing ball but the force
of it sends him FLYING AND CRASHING out a window.
Hawk pulls up Anna as the machine completely EXPLODES.
A huge chunk of the roof THUDS before the workshop door.
Hawk suddenly looks off-camera and smiles. Anna shakes
her head vigorously. He pulls her out of the frame.
EXT. A VINCI COUNTRYSIDE TREE
A man awakens from a nap and pulls up his hat. It is THE
TRAVELING JUGGLER WITH THE UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE.
He pulls his three red balls from a pouch on his mule.
He begins a stoic juggle when another loud BOOM sends him
to the ground.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE GRAND CASTLE--DAY
An explosion of steam and gas blows out the windows!
Debris frisbees toward the camera along with....
Anna, hanging on Hawk's waist, and Hawk, hanging from
the bar on DA VINCI'S BAT WINGED GLIDER.
The glider gracefully swooshes down through the castle -
through the glorious vista.
EXT. THE ROAD TO THE CASTLE
The glider floats to a perfect landing before the
Unforgettable Juggler.
JUGGLER
Che pazzo....
Hawk and Anna collect themselves and look up to the smoke
billowing castle. They smile and gush in relief. They
wrap arms around the confused but warming up Juggler and
laugh again.
A SMALL PIAZZA
The mule trots into a small storybook piazza in the hush
of dawn. Hawk, Anna, and the unforgettable Juggler ride
atop it.
A WOMAN WITH AN UNFORGETTABLY ETCHED FACE moves to a cafe
table with a luminous smile. She unfolds a table cloth
atop it and then mystically sets down two cappuccinos.
Hawk and Anna dismount, thank the Juggler, then cozy into
the table.
HAWK
Have I ever told you the world is
beautiful...
(semi-seductively)
I'd really like to play
Nintendo with you, or something...
ANNA
Hudson, I'm afraid I'm sticking
with God.
(smiling)
But you're a close second, tough
guy. What is that smile?
HAWK
(broadly grinning)
I got my planet back.
Hawk puts on a pair of sunglasses that look exactly like
the ones Da Vinci wore in the opening and raises his cup.
HAWK
The first one's for Alex. Cheers.
The viewer's viewpoint moves into Hawk's lips having a
sip of that damn unmasculine European coffee.
FADE OUT.
THE END |
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
Written by
Larry Ferguson & Tom Clancy
ON A BLACK SCREEN, THE FOLLOWING CRAWL:
MOSCOW, 17 JULY 1991. THE KREMLIN
ANNOUNCED THE 'RETIREMENT' OF
MIKAHIL, GORBACHEV AS WELL AS
POLITBURO MEMBERS YAVOLEV,
MENDVENDEV AND BIRKOVO.
DEFENSE MINISTER ULINOV ASSUMED
THE ROLE OF CHAIRMAN. KGB HEAD
LIGACHEV BECAME PREMIER VOWING
"A RESTORATION OF DISCIPLINE."
WESTERN LEADERS BRACED FOR
A NEW ROUND OF COLD WAR.
FOUR MONTHS LATER...
FADE IN
A BARREN LANDSCAPE
beneath slate-grey sky. Frigid rock and stunted trees fall to an
ice-choked coast. Congealed sea on a desolate beach.
MARKO ALEXANDROVICH RAMIUS
bare-headed in cold wind, studies the inclement coast. Bottomless
eyes move slowly across the landscape, missing nothing.
SUPER: POLWARNY INLET
Soviet Submarine Base on the Barents Sea
500 mi north of Murmansk
Ramius wears a tar black winter uniform of Captain First Rank in
the Soviet Navy. Behind him, out of sight, someone SPEAKS:
VOICE (OS)
Cold this morning, Captain.
Ramius shivers. When he replies, he speaks not about the weather,
but of the land:
RAMIUS
It is cold.
(BEAT)-
And hard.
Turning his back on the icy coast, Ramius smi-I fondly at the man
who just spoke to him
CAPTAIN SECOND., RANK VASILY BORODIN
Ramius' executive officer, also in black uniform. Borodin's rigged
with a mike. , Brass .buttons gambol in his Nubian cap like money.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
e your head a bit. No need to
crowd him.
BORODIN
(INTO MIKE)
Come left three degrees. Make your
course three-four-zero. Sonar, let
me know when we pass fifty, fathoms.
A HELMSMAN responds on a SPEAKER in the SAIL. Nautical CROSS
TALK. Orders GIVEN and AFFIRMED. Pulling back, Ramius and
Borodin are revealed standing atop
THE RED OCTOBER
a huge submarine, trading a gigantic rudder a hundred yards aft
her sail. A patrol BOAT and ICEBREAKER escort her to sea. On
SPEAKERS in the SAIL:
HELMSMAN (VO)
Captain, political off=er Putin requests
permission to come to the bridge.
RAMIUS
(GLANCING AT
BORODIN)
Granted.
BORODIN
(under his breath)
Think of it, Comrade.. .son of only a
humble mM worker...
RAMIUS
Quiet as grass, Vastly. Quiet as grass.
(louder, turning)
Good morning, Comrade political off=er
IVAN YURIEVICH PUTIN
block-faced, forties, pink-necked, political officer assigned to Red
October, clambers through the hatch into the air, wheezing:
PUTIN
Ah,, Captain, every time I climb that
ladder, I realize what an over-fed
ox rve become.
Put in smiles. Ramius smiles back, but his eyes are cold. Suddenly,
there's not a lot of Lave on the bridge:
PUTIN (CONT'D)
(EXPANSIVELY)
Such a glorious day. So exciting to
h t ally put the land behind us and
be on our way.
(TO RAMIUS)
Bourgeois of me, I know, but my
enthusiasm at being chosen polidcica].
officer on this historic mission Its
me with pride.
(BEAT)
Me, a man of such humble birth, whose
father was only a mill. worker. Think
of it, comrades, a mill worker.
Borodin CHUCKLES. Putin stares at him. Borodin covers with a
COUGH. Putin keeps starring. Flushed, Borodin looks away. Putin
turns porcine eyes on Ramius:
PUTIN (CONT'D)
(TURNING)
Your father was a Lithuanian, was
he not, Captain?
RAMIUS
You know he was.
PU TIN
I knew a Lithuanian once...
His words hang like rotten fru
PUTIN (CONT'D)
...though I'm sure your father was
nothing like him. Pefmisrdon to go
below?
Smirking, Putin leaves. Ramius watches him go. SPEAKERS in the
SAI :
HELMSMAN (VO)
Conn to bridge, sonar reports we are
crossing sixty fathoms.
BORODIN
it's time, Captain.
St M dealing with Putin's exit, Ramius turns away from the hatch,
contemplating the shore. After a beat, softly:.
RAMIUS
We go.
BORO DIN
(into the headset)
Clear the bridge! Prepare to dive.
Captain coming below. Of cer of
the deck, make signal to escort:.
Ramius and. Borodin disappear. Red October prepares to dive. All
that remains is icy .sea and the Sand. Then, faintly at first, from
the frozen coast:
A RED ARMY CHORUS
rises into the swirling sky. It seems to come from everywhere, the
rocks, the trees, the sea itself. Red October dives. The screen
fades to black and a giant title appears:
KRASNY OKTOBR
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
CHORUS BOOMS. Male VOICES ring in thundering tribute to the
heart and soul of mother Russia. Credits keep rolling. Then, from
THE DARKNESS
A LITHOGRAPH
of John Paul Jones fighting the Serapis appears. It's on the wall. in
a cluttered study. Books crowd every bit of space. Photos, models
and nautical memorabilia, everywhere.
THROUGH A WINDOW
an English suburb in drizzling rain. Red Army CHORUS SINGS
SOFTLY. In a driveway, a late model ROVER waits, lights on,
engine running. At a messy desk
JACK RYAN
early-thirties, good-Looking, disheveled and harried, stuffs papers
into a brief case. Slamming it shut, he reaches for his raincoat.
BEHIND HIM
A LITTLE GIRL
appears in the doorway. Her name is Sally. She's Ryan's
daughter. Wearing a nightgown with butterflies on it, she's
carrying a well-worn Koala bear:
SALLY
Daddy?
RYAN
(TURNING)
Hey.., What are you doing up?
You're suppose to be sleeping.
SALLY
I can't.
Kneeing beside: her, Ryan talks in a steady unpatronizing way. He
loves her to death:
RYAN
What's the matter?
SALLY
Where are you going?
RYAN
I have to go on a business trip and you
have to go to sleep or when you grow up
you'll only be two inches tall.
SALLY
Stanley keeps waking me up.
Stanley is Sally's bear. Ryan talks to it like it was alive.
it makes Sally grin.
RYAN
What's the matter, Stanley? Are you
nuts or something?
SALLY
He's not, nuts. He's lonely.
(SLYLY)
He needs a brother. If he had a brother
then he could go to sleep better.
Before Ryan can answer, a ravishing woman in her ..late-twenties
marches into the study. She is
MARGARET RYAN
English, intelligent features, in tweed suit and raincoat. A matronly
woman hovers in the doorway behind her:
MARGARET
We are never going to make it.
RYAN
Just a minute. -
(TN SALLY)
Daddy has to go, cricket. You and
Stanley go upstairs with Mrs. Wheeler
and go straight to sleep. When I'm
away, I'll see if I can find Stanley
a brother.
SALLY
Promise?
RYAN
CUT TO:
THE ROVER
pulling to a curb in driving rain at Heathrow. Red Army CHORUS
SWELLS. Leaping out, Ryan grabs luggage and races to the
driver's side. Margaret pulls his face through the window.
RYAN
I'm all wet.
MARGARET
(KISSING HIM)
You're sexy when you're wet.
RYAN
(GRINNING)
I'm gonna miss you.
MARGARET
Get out of here, Yank. Or Ml
tear you limb from limb.
(HE STARTS)
Wait! I got you these. They'Il
help you sleep on the plane.
She has a bottle of piUs in her hand. He squints at it, shaking his
head in the pouring rain:
RYAN
Won't do me any good ---
MARGARET
Jack.
RYAN
(SHEEPISH)
OK. I ll try.
Taking the pil3s, he kisses her again. All of a sudden, he wants to
climb inside, park someplace and steam the windows. Her smile is
ALL KNOWING:
" MARGARET
You only have three minutes.
RYAN
(GIG)
Hey.. If I'm lucky, might miss the
damn plane altogether.
CUT TO-0- -
seated beneath the only light in a dark cabin. Engines HUM.
Turbulence RATTLES a TEACUP. A STEWARDESS appears, smiling
down at him:
STEWARDESS
Can I get you anything, sir?
RYAN
' (LYING)
I'm fine. Thank you.
STEWARDESS
Why don't you try to sleep? The
l f ight will go much faster.
RYAN..
I can't seem to sleep on planes.
It's the turbulence.
STEWARDESS
Pardon?
RYAN
(SWALLOWING)
Turbulence. You know. When solar
radiation heats the earth's crust.
Warm air rises. Cool air descends.
Turbulence. I don't like it.
STEWARDESS
Are you a scientist?
RYAN
No. I just read a lot of books.
STEWARDESS
Well, try and get some sleep anyway.
She leaves. Wide awake, Ryan stares out the window at the
spinning dark. Red Army CHORUS BOOMS.
CUT TO:
RYAN
humping his suitcase into a giant terminal at the end of a long line
of travelers. Above the line, a sign:
U.S. CUSTOMS
DU:LLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WASHINGTON, D.C.
A GUY IN SUNGLASSES
moves down, the line, stopping beside Ryan:
I
SUNGLASSES
(RESPECTFTAY)
Mr. Ryan?
Exhausted, Ryan nods. CHORUS SWELLS. Sunglasses takes Ryan's
bags.
CUT TO:.
A BLACK LIIKO
gliding to a stop at the security kiosk outside a suburban office
compound. Sign over the compound's entrance:
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
CHORUS PEAKS.
END CREDITS
CUT TO:
ADMIRAL JAMES GREER
sixties; a mane of white hair, in three piece suit, CIA direcbor of
naval intelligence, looking up from behind a mahogany desk:
GREER
Jack, boy. Get yourself in here.
(SQUHTUNG)
Jesus. You look like hell.
RYAN
(EGG)
Thanks, Admiral.
GREER
Come on over here and sit down.
You want coffee?
RYAN
I think I need ooffiae.
Ryan perches on the couch. Greer pours Ryan takes it in
both hands, coaling it with his breath.
GREER
I'm not gonna ask you how your
11 flight was. When's the last time
you slept? --
RYAN
(EYEING WATCH)
Don't know. This thing is still on
London time.
GREER
How's Margaret?
RYAN
Fine. She sends you her best.
GREER
And Sally? What is she now, three?
RYAN
A very precocious five. A week
ago she announced her life would
be a loot less lonely if Margaret
and I would buy her a baby brother.
GREER
(SMILING)
Where you gonna do that?
Ryan grins. Greer eyes him fondly. Putting down his coffee, Ryan
opens his br efse.
GREER (CONT'D)
All right, what's important enough
to get you on a . plane in the middle
of the night?
JUMP CUT TO:
A PAIR OF PHOTOGRAPHS
dropping onto the tihle in front of Greer. They show the bow and
stern of a submarine in dry dock. From the size of the construction
crey, it's obvious the boat is huge.
RYAN
British Intelligence received these
two days ago. She's the Red October.
The Soviet's newest typhoon.
GREER
Jesus. The Brits actually got a man
into the construction shed?
RYAN
(DROPPING MORE
PHOTOS)
This pair was digitally enhanced for
line resolution. This one for color.
RYAN
Twelve meters longer than the normal
typhoon, three meters wider. The
captain's name is Ramixts.
GREER
One of yours?
RYAN
Yes, sir. I did the bio on him last
year. He's taken out the lead boat in
each new sub class for ten years. Fairly
good political connections. He's also
trained most of their attack boat skippers.
They can him the Vilnius schoolmaster.
Greer studies one of the photos with a magnifying glass. Something
captures his attention:
GREER
What are these doors?
RYAN
The doors, Admiral, are the problem.
I don't know what they are and neither
do the English.
(SIPPING CAFFEE)
it's just pole our friends at the
Ustinov Design Bureau have come up
with something new.
(BEAT)
With your permission, I'd like to show
these to someone. Do you know Skip Tyler?
GREER
Sub driver. Did he get hurt or something?
RYAN
(NODDING)
He was Captain on an attack boat. Got
clipped by a drunk driver and lost a leg.
Now he's teaching at the Academy and
doing some consulting for Underwater
Systems Command.
GREER
GREER
When .do you want to talk to him?
RYAN
Right now if it's OX with you? 've.
never met him personally, but -
GREER
I'll take care of it.
(PICKING UP
THE PHONE)
Margie, have a car for Dr. Ryan at
the front gate in tan. minutes.
Ryan retrieves his photographs. Getting Up, Greer watches him,
choosing his words carefully:
GREER (CONT'D)
One of our satellites caught Red October
in Polijarny Inlet this morning.
RYAN
(SHOCKED)
They shouldn't have been sea ready
for weeks.
Ryan closes his case. Greer walks him to the door:
GREER
Relax, son. The Navy's got a Las Angeles
c'la'ss sittJng right off their doorstep.
In a few days we'll know everything
about her but the wok's name.
RYAN
Well, In that case --
(GRINNING)
Can you tell me where I can buy a
bear?
GREER
For Sally?
(RYAN NODS)
Same place you buy a baby brgther,
I guess.
CUT TO:
A BANSHEE WAIL
in blackness. The groan of a primordial beast echoing in the dark,
followed by a deep vibration that rattles bones and shatters
eardrums.
The black screen is moving. A massive cylinder glides over the top
of us like a giant spaceship, outlined by flashes of e1ectxic-blue
phosphorenscence.
SUPER: USS DALLAS
Los Angeles Class Attack Sub
50 mks west of Polijarny Inlet
DEPTH: 400 FEET
ON THE DALLAS
in the sonar shack, a state of the art sonar display glows blue.
High tech graphics pinpoint movements in deep water beyond the
hull..
SEAMAN SECOND CLASS RONALD JONES
listens to a headset and eyeballs the display. A college dropout
with a genius IQ, Jones is the kind of guy who likes tossing dead
cats into crowded cathedrals.
SEAMAN CHARLES BEAUMONT
unruly red hair, a minion freckles and a wary smile, sits beside
Jones. On SPEAKERS in the bulkhead, the PRIMORDIAL HOWL
again, MUFFLED, clued with NOISE TRANSIENTS:
JONES
HEAR I
BEAUMONT
No. Maybe. It's buried in...
JONES
(LEADING)
Yes?
BEAUMONT
Surface clutter? I should go to SAPS?
JONES
Correct, Seaman Beaumont. Surface
Affects Processing. There is hope for
your small brain yet.
(BEAUMONT GRINS)
And like Mozart at Saltzburg, you have
labored to produce...
(ANOTHER HOWL)
hiclocdc.
BEAUMONT
JONES
A whale, Beaumont. A whale. A marine
mammal that knows a fuck of a lot more
about sonar than you do.
Beaumont frowns. Appearing in the sonar shack door, directly
BEHIND JONES
THE COB
Chief of the Boat, a barrel-chested bear, smiles at Beaumont:
COB
He gets to raggin you too bad, kid,
you can always ask him about Pavarattt..
Jones sinks into his chair. Beaumont grins. Sea story coming.
From the look on Jones' face, it promises to be a good one:
BEAUMONT
Tell me, Chief.
COB
(taking his time)
Well, Jonesy here, he's a music freak,
right? And he figures this sonar system
is basically just a big old 300 million
ddllar stereo unit. So he gets this
piece of Pavarmt3i --
JONES
it was Paganini.
COB
Whatever. It's this piece of music he
likes so much he wants to share it,
right? So he re-wires the computer and
figures how to put it in the water with
a gigawatt of juice behind it.
(BEAT)
Now, the Captain, he don't much care.
But about twenty-one boats out of San
Diego, including one way out at Pearl,
starts hearing Pavarotti Doming out their
ass. Jonesy has turned the whole fucking
Pacific Ocean into a stereo speaker.
(LAUGHING)
And all of a sudden we got an Admiral
in the middle of it and we're writing
reports out the yang yang.
Beaumont's LAUGHS. Even Jones sm Ies. Then, a flashing light on
the. sonar display catches his eye. He starts flipping switches.
Beaumont sobers:: up:
BEAUMONT
What should I --
JONES
Be sti 1, I got it.
Jones works in silence, then punches the intervom:
JONES
Conn, sonar.
VOICE
(ON INTERCOM)
Captain, aye. What is it Jonesy?
JONES
Distant contact, submerged bearing zero-
nine-seven. It's a wild guess, but I'd
say we had a Boomer headed out of the barn.
IN THE COMMAND CENTER
forward of sonar, sailers drive the ship beneath a maze of pipes and
equipment. At the center of the Conn, surrounded by fire control,
quartermaster, helm :
CAPTAIN BARTOLOMO MANCUSO
skipper of the DaZa, early-forties, muscular body encased in a blue
jumpsuit, works the intercom on the periscope plat6arm:
MANCUSO
Start a plot, Jonesy. IM be there
in a second.
Leaving the deck, Mancuso glances at his executive offker
LIEUTENANT PHIL THOMPSON
thirties, dark complected, standing at fire control:
MANCUSO (CONT'D)
I'91 be in sonar, PhiL
IN SONAR
Jones is already working on the plot. In font of him on the sonar
display, the flashing light is starting to move. Mancuso sticks his
head in.
MANCUSO
What do you have?
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
in Red October's Conn. Much larger than the control center on the
Dallas. Leaving the deck, Ramius heads aft, glancing at Borodin:
RAMIUS
When you see Putin, tell him that when
it's convenient, 191 be in my stateroom.
Leaving the Conn, Ramius enters
A HALLWAY
Moving past a radio compartment on his left, Ramius stops at a door,
ENTERING THE
CAPTAIN'S STATEROOM
C3osing the door behind him, Ramius turns into the room.
Surprised, he sees
PU TIN
seated at a desk, reading a bible. Startled, Putin looks up:
RAMIUS
What are you doing?
PT TIN
It's my responsibility to oversee the
stability of the crew, Captain. You
know that.
RAMIUS
And you accomplish this by searching
through my papers and invading my
privacy?
PUTIN
There is no such thing as privacy in
the Soviet Union, Comrade. It's
antithetical to the oal]ective good.
Suppressing his anger, Ramius moves to a locker, changing into
dungarees. He can fiee]. Putin's weasel eyes crawling up and down
his back. Holding the bible, Put in muses:
PUTIN (CONT'D)
You. surprise me, Captain. A man in your
position reading trash about the end of
the world.
(READING)
"I am coming soon. I will give to each
according to his deeds. I am the
beginning and the end."
(GLANCING UP)
Did you underline these passages?
RAMIUS
The book belonged to my wife. I
keep it only for sentimental value.
PUTIN
Your wife was a beautiful woman. A
tragedy her life was cut so short.
RAMIUS
(TURNING)
I assure you, Comrade. There's
nothing wrong with my mind.
PUTIN
(trying to joke)
Given the amount of fire power on Red
October, I'm sure the whole world will.
breathe a cm1 eotive sigh of relief.
RAMIUS
(LKE ICE)
How many more agents does the KGB
have on my boat?
PUTIN
(STANDING)
Captain, this is not your boat. It
belongs to the Union of the Soviet
Socialist Republics. You would be
well advised to remember that.
(RAMIUS BLANCHES)
Anyway, I am only a political odfioer.
If the KGB has an agent on board,
I would be the last to know.
RAMIUS
I suggest we open our orders.
PUTIN
As you wish.
There's a safe on the wall. Ramius spins the combination. Inside,
another safe with four locks. Both Ramius and Putin have keys.
Inside the second safe, a large envelope.
it has an ornate. scarlet seal, marked 'Top Secret'. Ramius cracks
the seeal, removing four pages of operation orders. Glancing at
Putin; he reads:
RAMIUS
We are to proceed to grid 54-90 and
rendezvous with the Akula submarine,
Konovalov.
PUTIN
Captain Tupalev's boat.
RAMIUS
You know Tupolav?
PU TIN
I know that he is descended from a long
line of aril rats and that he was a
student of yours. it is rumored, he
has no love in his heart for you. Why
is that?
Ramius pours two cups of steaming tea from a silver pot on a
serving tray, offering it to Putin.. Putin takes the cup.
RAMIUS
There is no room in Tupolev's heart
for anyone or anything except Tupolev.
(READING)
Having made contact, we are ordered
to run a series of drfl1 . Tupolev
w2l hunt us while we test our ship.
Putting down his tea, Putin stands, suddenly formal, awkwardly
OBSEQUIOUS:
PUTIN
Captain, this is an historic moment
for all. of us. I should like to make
a request.
RAMIUS
Before you do, I want to talk to you
about something important.
PUTIN
(NOT HEARING)
I know that it is not aooording to
protocxrl, but would you permit me to
post the orders and inform the crew
of our mission?
RAMIUS
(RESIGNED)
As you wash, Comrade.
Putin grins, heading for the door. He never makes it. In a sudden
violent motion,, Ramius kicks Putin's left leg from under him.
Surprised, the; big man tumbles sideways.
Leaping to his feet, Ramius catches Putin, slamming him into a
headlock, driving his thick neck downward, CRACKING his SKULL
in the SHARP corner of the DESK.
Putin gags. Cupping his chin, Ramius forces his entire bulk onto
the man's chest. Putin struggles. His eyes bulge. Ramius strains,
using all of his strength until..
PUTIN'S NECK SHATTERS
and his face goes slack. With surprising gentleness, Ramius lowers
the shuddering body to the deck. Carefully, he checks the pulse in
Putin's neck. Dying, Putin stares into Ramius' face.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
I an sorry my friend. But it is
cyear to me now. Where I would
walk, you cannot fallow.
Whatever his destination, Putin's on his way. Getting up, Ramius
goes to the desk. Returning with the teapot, he drenches the body
with scalding tea.
Replacing the pot on the tray, Ramius puts the orders in a
wastebasket and sets them on are. Removing a duplicate set of
orders from his safe, he' places them on the floor by the dead man.
Satisfied everything is the way he wants it, he moves to an intercom
and takes a deep breath. Pushing a button, he BELLOWS:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Dr. Petrov. Come to my quarters
at once. There's been an aociderit!
CUT TO:
A MINI SUB
resembling an airstream t xxzller with a propeller on the back. It's
floating in a gargantuan tank fSlled with brightly lit water beneath a
vast domed cet'ling:
SUPER: U.S. NAVAL UNDERWATER SYSTEMS LAB
Patuxent, Maryland
SKIP TYLER
built-like a fireplug, a monument to logic and impatience, leans on a
cane, atop a platform by the tank#I watching
WARRANT OFFICER BILL STEINER
thirties, the bane of Tyler's existence. Steiner's head is sticking
out of a hatch on the mini sub. Eyeing him, Tyler BELLOWS:
TYLER
You're never gonna go anywhere, Be..
Unless you close the hatch and start
the goddam engine!
STEINER
Brilliant, Skip. You're one of those
guys you can't hide things from, right?
Tyler. grits his teeth. Steiner closes the hatch. Across the room,
Ryan enters. Spotting Tyler, he moves to the platform, staring at
the mini sub. The propeller starts turning. It submerges.
TYLER
(TURNING)
Ryan?
RYAN
Yes sir.
(re: mini sub)
What it that thing?
TYLER
Deep submergence rescue vehicle.
RYAN
That's what a DSRV looks like.
TYLER
That's it. I designed this one. lt's
aan d the Mystic.
RYAN
What are you doing with it?
Tyler climbs off the piatfarm, working his cane with practiced
precision. Taking Ryan by the arm, he heads for a door:
TYLER
Rigging it with a generic docking acllar
so it will mate with British, German,
other kinds of subs.
(NODDING)
This one here is designed to be super
mobile. We can get it anywhere in the
world in twenty-four hours. If that
lunatic doesn't crash it fast:.
(BEAT)
Admiral Greer says you have some
pdr ures.- -
CUT TO:
TYLER'S OFFICE
high tech naval architecture. Technicians, graduate students move
about in the background. Tyler is hunched over the Red October
PHOTOGRAPHS:
TYLER
Bigger than a regular typhoon.
(SQUINTING)
What are these doors?
RYAN
(GRINNING)
You don't miss much, do you? They're
too big for torpedo tubes. Could you
launch a missile horizontaly?
TYLER
Could. Question is why would you?
Besides, they're symmetrical right
straight through the hull.
RYAN
How about a towed sonar array?
TYLER
Barely clears the screw in the --
Tyler freezes. Somewhere in that vast abundance of grey matter, a
NEURON FIRES:
TYLER (CONT'D)
I'a be go to he'll.! it's a caterpillar!
RYAN
A what?
TYLER
Caterpillar drive. Magneto--hydrodynamic
propulsion. Like a linear induction motor
with saltwater as the ;tat-r. You follow?
RYAN
(SMILING)
Oh sure.
TYLER
Items like a jet engine for water. Goes
in the front, gets squirted out the back.
Only, It's got no moving parts, see. So
it's' potentially very quiet.
RYAN
TYLER
Try silent If this works, we'll have to
find a whole new way to track submarines.
Ryan grapples with the implications. Tyler trips down memory lane:
TYLER (CONT'D)
We messed with it. Years ago. Never
could make it work. They really built
this? This isn't a mock-up or anything?
RYAN
it put to sea this morning.
TYLER
(SHAKING HIS
HEAD)
You know when I was eleven years
old, I helped my daddy build a bomb
shelter in the basement because some
fool parked a dozen warheads in Cuba,
ninety miles from the Florida coast.
(RE: PHOTO)
This thing could park two hundred
warheads off New York or Washington
and nobody'd suspect a thing til
it was all over.
RYAN
Any records of our work on the caterpillar?
TYLER
(GRABBING HIS
CANE)
We got an archive. Let's get dusty.
CUT TO:
PUTIN'S DEAD FACE WRAPPED IN PLASTIC
Two Russian sailors lug his zip-locked corpse into a walk-in freezer
in Red October's galley. Three k's assistants carve steaks and
watch. One of them
LOGINOV
tweet 6ts, muscular, in striped sail or shirt and bell-bottom pang,
tosses a hunk of f into a pail.. To Loginov.'s right, Rami:a and
Borodin talk with
DOCTOR NIKOLAY" PETROV
forties;, .thin, bespectacled and careworn. A dedicated Party man
and `compulsive gossip, Petrov is the Red October's medical ofdoer.
Ramius has the; counterfeit orders in his hand:
RAMIUS
If I hadn't spilled the tea, Putin
might never have slipped and ---
PETROV
You must not blame yourself,,- Captain.
Accidents happen. I assume we wall
be returning to base?
RAMIUS
We will not.
PETROV
But how can we continue a m scion without
a political offcer?
RAMIUS
For many years the Russian Navy went to
sea before there were political offScers,
Doctor.
PETROV
Yes, but -
RAMIUS
(RE: ORDERS)
These orders are quite specific. Putin's
unfortunate death wall not change them.
Turning, Ramius spots Loginov and waves his hand. Loginov
freezes.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
You. Come here.
(LOGINAV DOES)
Your name?
LOGINOV
(TREMBLING)
Cook's assistant, Loginov, sir.
RAMIUS
Good. Now, I want you and the Doctor
to witness this, Ioginov. I have
removed Putin's missfle key from his
neck and am keeping it myse f.
Iognov blinks. Petrov frowns. Closing the freezer door, the
sates ]save. Loginov isn't sure what to do. Petrov's agitated:
PETROV
This is all very unnerving, Captain.
The reason for having two missM keys
in the first place is to prevent one
person from...
RAMIUS
From what, Doctor?
PETROV
Making a mistake and...
(EXASPERATED)
We must report this to Red Meet Command.
RAMIUS
Impossible. We are ordered to maintain
strict radio silence.
(TO IOGINOV)
That will be all, Comrade.
Glad to be anywhere else, Loginov returns to his work.
PETROV
Captain, perhaps I should keep Putin's
key until --
RAMIUS
(SHARPLY)
I suggest you return to sick bay,
Doctor. Soon, I will address the
crew and explain our orders. This
is not a decision for discussion.
Shrugging, Petrov disappears. Borodin and Ramius.. follow him.
Freaked, Loginov watches them go.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
bent over Jones' shoulder in the Da11as' sonar shack, concentrating
on the blinking light on the sonar display. Thompson's to his left.
Jones is on a headset:
JONES
(LISTENING)
He's holding steady on zero-two-zero,
twelve knots at about ten thousand
yards.
MANCUSO
Can you identify him?
JONES
Computer's chewing on it. Twin screw
and the plant noise sounds like a
typhoon but -
Computer ptintar CLATTERS. Ripping off the printout, Mancuso
STUDIES IT:
SIGNAL EVALUATION:
SOVIET TYPHOON CLASS SUBMARINE
UNKNOWN IDENTITY
NOT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED
MANCUSO
Must be a new boat.
(TO THOMPSON)
I miss something in dispatch the last
few days, Phil?
THOMPSON
Fleet hasn't said a word about it.
MANCUSO
Alright. Start a f]e on his, Jonesy.
For now, call his Sierra thirty-five.
(.Leaving)
r91 see if we can work in a little
closer and sniff his out.
Thompson fcDows Mancuso. Beaumont glances at Jones, whispering:
BEAUMONT
Won't the Soviets hear us?
JONES
Not if we stay in his baffles, seaman
Beaumont. Not if we stay in his
baffles. Come in behind his propeller
and he's deaf as a post.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS SPINNING THE PERISCOPE
in Red October's Conn. At all stations, helm, fire control,
quartermaster, sailors work with galvanic prec s4r n. Standing next
TO BORODIN
CAPTAIN LIEUTENANT BORIS KAMAROV
Red October's navigator, watches Ramius i tently. The tension is
palpable. Something extraordinary is about to happen:
RAMIUS
Down scope.
(TURNING)
Any. sonar contacts?
KAMAROV
Sonar is clear, Captain.
RAMIUS
All right. rm going to address the crew.
Ramius grabs the whip telephone. Jaw set, his eyes blaze with
HYPNOTIC INTENSITY:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
(INTO PHONE)
Comrades, here are our orders given to
us by Red Fleet Command. it is our
good fortune to make the first test of
our revolutionary propulsion system.
In various locations all over the ship, sailors stop what they are
doing and listen carefully:
IN THE ENLISTED MESS
crowded together at tables, men hear Ramius' voice:
RAMIUS (VO CONT'D)
(ON SPEAKERS)
We are to pass quiet as water through
every one of the American's sonar nets.
Maintaining strict radio. silence, we
are to proceed across the Atlantic to
the east coast of the United States.
IN ENGINEERING
beneath a maze of pipes, technicians listen:
RAMIUS (VO CONT'D)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Once in the home waters of the enemy,
we are to conduct a series of ine
firing tests, targeting major cities on
the enemy's eastern seaboard.
IN THE MISSILE BAYS
S
men are spellbound by their captain's intensity:
RAMIUS (VO -CONT'D)
(ON SPEAKERS)
For many years, we have had to stand
helplessly in the wings while poll ns
compromise every advance our military
has made.
BACK IN THE CONN
Ramius stands on the periscope platform holding the phone. All
eyes are riveted on him :
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
(INTO PHONE)
it is politicians who have crippled our
armed forces while talking incessantly
of peace. And now it is time, comrades,
to exchange the cuckoo for a hawk.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
(INTO PHONE)
Our missies will not be armed, of course,
but imagine, if they were. In one bright
moment, all that we believe in, all that
we honor, would prevail forever.
Ramius is finished. No one moves. Kamarov has goose bumps.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Comrade, navigator.
KAMAROV
Captain?
RAMIUS
Rig for silent running.
KAMAROV
('TURNING)
Reduce engines to quarter speed and
open outer doors.
A sail cr locks a program into a computer.
OUTSIDE RED OCTOBER
in the water, the mysterious doors on the sub's bow begin to open.
Behind them, a strange tunnel is revealed. -
IN THE CONN
Ramius and his men hear the dark RING of STEEL on STEEL in deep
WATER:
KAMAROV
Outer doors are open, Captain.
RAMIUS
Engage the caterpi lar.
OUTSIDE RED OCTOBER
in the water...: An eerie green ring of light starts to glow in the
tunnel behind thedoors. A second light appears. Then a third,
flashing florescent.
Behind the tunnel, in the stern, Red October's giant propeller comes
to a stop. Suddenly, more light appears, distorted by a sudden
rush of water.
CUT-- TO:
JONES
in the Dalla' sonar shack, working his computer. The COB is
behind him, Beaumont to his left. Red October's AMPISFIED HISS
f Ms the room. Suddenly,
THE HISS STOPS
Jones frowns. The blinking light on his sonar display disappears.
Curious, the COB leans over Jones, studying the screen:
COB
What happened?
JONES
Don't know.
COB
What do you mean, don't know?
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
on the deck by the phone in Red October's Conn. Conscious of all
eyes on him, he turns to a HELMSMAN:
RAMIUS
Left full rudder.
HELMSMAN
Rudder is left fuB..
RAMIUS
Navigator, make your new course
two-five-zero.
KAMAROV
Coming to course two-five-zero.
Kama=ov draws a line on his chart. The new course is west into the
Atlantic. Suddenly, the intercom CRACKLES:
SONAR (VO)
Sonar contact, Captains Dead astern.
An American Los Angeles 0ass3
BORODIN
He must have been in our baffles.
We can't have
Raising his hand, Ramius activates the intercom
RAMIUS
Sonar. Is the American turning to
Ballow us?
SONAR (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
No, Captain. No he's not. He's
continuing on our original course.
RAMIUS
(SLOW SMILE)
He can't hear us.
Silence, Impulsively, Kamarov starts HUMMING the
INTERNATIONALE. Of cers and enlisted men join in. It snowballs.
One at a time, the crew RAISE their VOICES
THROUGHOUT THE BOAT
In the torpedo room, engineering, wardroom and the Conn, the
ANTHEM GROWS LOUDER and LOUDER. Caught in the moment,
Ramius JOINS the CHORUS.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
sticking his head into sonar. The COB and Beaumont are on pins
and needles. Jones is working his computer furiously.
MANCUSO
it did what?
JONES
It disappeared, sir.
MANCUSO
t a d)
What are you talking about? Check
your gear.
JONES
Running diagnostics, now, Captain.
Jones is starting to sweat. He runs his tests. Nothing. urning,
he stares blankly at Mancuso:
JONES (CONT'D)
Sonar is working, sir. The Russian
just disappeared. One minute he was
steady four thousand yards off our
bow and then he was gone. And r
a second, I thought I heard... well ;--
MANCUSO
HEARD WHAT'S
JONES
(RELUCTANT)
I thought, I heard singing, sir.
MANCUSO
Singing?
Jones nods. Hairs stand up on the back of Mancuso's neck:
CUT TO:
A SOVIET SUBMARINE
dead In the water at four hundred feet. 'About the. size of the
Dallas, this one's bualt for speed and maneuverability. They don't
come any better.
SUPER: SSN KONOVALOV
Aku]a Cass Soviet Submarine
Grid Square 54-90
ON THE KONOVALOV
a crew works in the Conn, reading computer displays, checking
COMMUNICATIONS AND
writing emendations on status boards. On the
PERISCOPE PLATFORM
CAPTAIN VIXTOR TUPOLEV
]ate-thirties, intense, leans over a navigator tab] e. A blond man
with a clipboard approaches. He is
LIEUTENANT ANDREI BONAVIA
early-thfrties, Tupolev's executive officer. This Conn is smaller
than Red . October's and the weird vibes perfectly reflect the rampant
paranoia of the Commander:
BONAVIA
Captain Tupolev?
TUPOLEV
What is it2l
BONAVIA
St M no sign of Red October, sir. I
think we should surface and contact Red
Fleet Command.
TUPOLEV
To what purpose?
BONAVIA
To inform them Red October has not
appeared.
TUPOLEV
What makes you think she hasn't?
Tupolev glides to a quartermaster's station. Following him,
Bonavia's stomach growls.
TUPOLEV
Has it occurred to you that Red October
may already be in position? That Ramius
is merely hiding behind his silent drive?
Waiting for me to break radio silence
and make a fool of myself?
BONAVIA
(FRUSTRATED)
BUT -
TUPOLEV
I will not break radio silence. We
wilt lie here quietly for a few more
hours. If Ramius hasn't arrived by
then, I'll contact Red Fleet Command.
BONAVIA
Captain, I am concerned that -
TUPOLEV
I Care little for your concerns, Comrade.
Tupolev leaves. Bonavia glances at the quartermaster. His stomach
growls again.
CUT TO:
A BLACK CHAIKA: LIMO
moving through the security gates fronting a monstrous Stalinist
office building Snow CRACKS beneath cold TIRES.
SUPER: MOSCOW
KARPOTSKIY PROSPEKT
Soviet Navy Pniitical Dir ctorafie
From his post in the portico, a uniformed guard races to the limo
and opens the door for a dyspeptic, grumpy, old man. He is
ADMIRAL YURI ILYCH PADORIN
in an overcoat and a rumpled hat, brim turned up in front.
Climbing stairs, Padorin returns rigid salutes with a sour
yeah-right-leave-me-alone wave, entering
A COLOSSAL LOBBY
Padorin mounts a giant staircase. Naval officers snap salutes.
Padorin answers, dourly. Yeah-
heave-me-alone. Mumbling, he moves through
ANTEROOMS
Leaving a wake of aides and sues crawling all over themselves,
whispered greetings on their lips. Yeah-right-leave-me-alone.
Frowning and cranky, Padorin marches into
HIS PRIVATE OFFICE
where he's met by his seventy-four year old PERSONAL ORDERLY.
They've known each other forever and act like an old married
couple.
The orderly takes Padorin's overcoat and hat. Behind a desk,
Padorin lights a morning cigarette. The orderly brings tea things
and incessant small talk. Padorin says nothing.
Finally, Padodn sits, focusing on the morning maiL Twenty or so
letters are laid neatly on a blotter. Yeah-right-leave-me-alone.
Yeah leave-me-alone. Don't heel like dealing with mailâ now.
ORDERLY
There's a note from Marko Ramivs there.
ADMIRAL
(BRIGHTENING)
Ah, Marko.
The old coot: almost smiles. This he'Il read.. Getting the envelope
open, he prepares for a good time. Somewhere in the first
paragraph,. his smile fades.
The -hand holding his cigarette begins to shake. Reaching absently
for. the teacup, nearing the bottom of the pager Padoadn chokes,
spilling everything.
CUT TO:
DALLAS' SONAR SHACK
Mancuso at the door. Beaumont is at his station next to Jones.
Wearing a headset, Jones concentrates on his sonar display.
Suddenly, he rips the headset off:
JONES
Jesus Christ. Somebody just stepped on
the gas.
(RE: DISPLAY)
Sonar contact, Captain. Very loud.
Viktar Class Soviet submarine. Cutting
big holes in the water. Bearing six-
five-zero.
MANCUSO
Put it on the speakers.
WHINING PROPELLERS and CAVITATION NOISE fi]1 the sonar shack.
Suddenly, MORE PROPELLERS:
JONES
Jeez. There's another one. Bearing
.,even-three.
(MORE)
Hold on. There's two more out there.
They're all in a hurry and don't care
who the hell knows it.
(TURNING)
Have the Soviets scheduled submarine
races today, sir?
MANCUSO
I'm gonna radio Fleet Command.
He takes off. Jones hears something buried in the PROPELLERS and
CAVITATION NOISE. A strange WHOOSHING SOUND. Frowning, he
starts a tape rewarder.
CUT TO:
A PHONE RINGING,
Ryan picks it up. He and Tyler are hip-deep in top secret fees in
the naval archive stacks.
RYAN
Yes?
(LISTENING)
No, this is Dr. Ryan.
(PAUSE)
Affright.
He stares at Tyler quizzically, waiting:
GREER'S VOICE
(FROM PHONE)
Jack?
RYAN
Yes, Admiral, I'm ---
GREER'S VOICE
Where the hell are you?! Get your ass
to the south entrance of the Executive
Offtce Buflding in forty-five minutes.
It's across from the White House. Got 3t
RYAN
Yes, sir, but what's -
CUT TO:
GREER
in his ofAce on the phone to Ryan:
GREER
Let's Just say this is no longer a
research project. Now move!
CUT TO:
THE WHITE HOUSE
in the background as Ryan springs from his car, racing up the
steps to the Executive Office Building. At the top of the stairs,
waiting for him, Greer is already in motion:
GREER
Come on.
Ryan follows him past a security guard and into
A LOBBY
decorated with secretaries and suits, all, in quiet motion. At speed,
Ryan trues to keep up with Greer:
RYAN
I got a line on the doors. You
know what they are?
Greer doesn't answer. Impatient, Ryan follows him into
AN ELEVATOR
Greer pushes a button marked SUB LEVEL FOUR. Turning to Ryan:
GREER
A silent propulsion system. -
RYAN
(CHAGRINED)
How did -?
-34-
GREER
Captain of the sub we had following
her radioed in. Thing up and
disappeared right in front of him.
But that isn't the half of it. Read.
He hands Ryan a sheaf of message flimsies. The descending elevator
stops. Doors open. Ryan reads. Greer leaves. Realizing he's
been left behind, Ryan takes off, entering
A SUBTERRANEAN CORRIDOR
Reading and walking, Ryan does his best to keep up with Greer:
RYAN
Jesus... ! This is unbelievable.
(TURNING PAGES)
The Kirov, too. They've sortled
their whale bloody fleet!
GREER
About the size of it.
Glancing up from his reading, Ryan notices a sign at the end of the
CORRIDOR:
SUB LEVEL FOUR
WHITE HOUSE SECURITY
Stopping on a dime, his eyes narrow:
RYAN
Where're we going anyway?
GREER
(F IG)
Brle$ng Jeffrey Pelt. The.
President's National Security Advisor.
Most of the Joint Chiefs will be there.
Along with a few other people.
RYAN
Who's giving the brieefing?
GREER
You are.
RYAN
(WIDE-EYED)
BUT
GREER
The yeoman'fl have the slides all, laid
out. AIL you have to do --
Ten feet ahead, Greer realizes Ryan's no longer faUowing.
Stopping, he comes back:
GREER (CONT'D)
Look. No one knows this material better
than you do. Give him a rundown on the
sub and a precis of the stuff in your
hand. He's liable to ask some direct
questions. Give him direct answers and
say what you think. Yowll do fine.
Come on.
Ryan takes a deep breath.
JUMP CUT TO:
RYAN FOLLOWING GREER
into the White House Briefing Room. Joint Chiefs are gathered
around a thirty foot conference table. Greer introduces Ryan to a
GENERAL and an ADMIRAL, then mingles.
Left alone, Ryan spot, a lectern at the foot of the tabl. Nearby, a
yeoman tends a slide machine, an overhead projector and a large
bulletin board. Ryan heads for the lectern.
The yeoman has a list of slides, some photos and mustrations.
Trying to gather his thoughts, Ryan steps behind the lectern.
JEFFREY PELT
the President's National Security Advisor arrives. In his mid-mss,
wearing wire-rim spectacles, Pelt's nearsighted, brOliant and a
crackerjack poker player.
Generals and Admirals take their places. Pelt site at the head of
the tabl, turning to Greer:
PELT
Let's get started.
GREER
Yes, sir. The preliminary briefing
today w M be handled by Dr. Jack Ryan.
I believe you've seen some of his :work.
PELT
(TO RYAN)
You may begin.
Taking a sip of water, Ryan nods at the yeoman. Projector is
TURNED ON:
RYAN
Gentlemen, the last twenty four hours
have seen some extraordinary Soviet
naval activity. The first to sail was --
(SLIDE)
this ship, the Red October. A variant
of the typhoon class, she's some six
hundred fifty feet long. Thirty-two
thousand tons submerged displacement,
roughly the size of a World War II
aircraft Carrier.
(BEAT)
Unlike the standard typhoon, equipped
to fire long-range missiles from Russian
waters, Red October carries fifty-six
SS-311s, which is a short-range attack
mis it with eight independent warheads.
That's four hundred forty-eight warheads
all spedfically designed to fire close in.
(ANOTHER SLIDE)
We believe these doors on the bow, and
here again on the stern, enclose a
magneto-hydrodynamic drive, or caterpillar,
which may allow the sub to run totally
silent.
(ANOTHER SLIDE)
it is possible this new drive system
allowed the captain, a man named Marko
RAMIUS -
Ryan points out two photos on a bulletin board. One is of Ramius
alone. The other is a wedding photo of Ramius and a beautiful
woman.
RYAN (CONT'D)
to elude one of ' our attack boats,
the Dallas, which trailed Red October
f r om harbor this morning.
(POINTKUY)
This drive, if it's working, could
render Red October invvsihl8 to our
SOSUS warning nets in the Atlantic.
PELT
You would characterize this as a first
strike weapon, Dr. Ryan?
Ryan glances at Greer. Greer smi reassuringly.
RYAN
There's no doubt about that, sir. She
is designed to approach by stealth, and
fire on a target with little or no warning.
ADMIRAL
An offensive weapon. The kind you start
wars with.
RYAN
Precisely, Admiral..
(RE: MAP)
if I may continue. Shortly after the
Dallas lost contact, there were additional
Soviet mailings from Pa tjarny, Leningrad
and the Mediterranean. The Soviets have
SOME --
(CHECKING NOTES)
fifty-eight nuclei submarines headed at
high speed into the Atlantic. And this
afternoon's satellite pass over Policjarny
found head blooms in the engineering plants
of the Kirov, the Minsk and more than
twenty cruisers and destroyers,, indicating
that the bulk of their surface fleet is
also preparing to sail.
Flushed, Ryan sits beside Greer. Pelt turns to Greer:
PELT
Conclusions?
GREER
Absence of activity in the Pacific suggest
this is probably just an exercise having
nothing to do with the Red October.
A General starts to object. He's cut off by JUDGE MOORE, a
white-haired civilian near the top of the table:
MOORE
NSA can speak to that, Mr. Pelt.
PELT
MOORE
I must emphasize the extremi ' sensitivity
of this information and ask that on no
aooount it leave this room.
(PELT NODS)
Before sailing, Captain Ramius sent a
letter to Admiral Yuri Padorin, Chairman
of Soviet Naval Deployment.
Painting at Ramius' wedding picture, Ryan whispers to Greer:
RYAN
That's her uncle!
GREER
Whose uncle?
RYAN
(WHISPEG)
Ramius' wife. Padorin's her uncle!
Greer has no idea what Ryan's saying. Moore's still talking:
MOORE
The contents of the letter are unknown,
but Admiral Padorin immediately demanded
a meeting with Premier Ligachev and
within minutes of that meeting, the
Soviet Fleet sailed with orders to find
Red October --
(PAUSE)
And sink her.
Audible intake of breath round the room. Pelt is the first to
RECOVER:
PELT
Sink her?
ADMIRAL
My god. They've got a madman on
their hands. He's gonna start a war.
A spirited discussion ensues. Tuning it out, Ryan stares at the
picture of Ramius and his wife. Urgently, he whispers to Greer:
RYAN
This is the twenty-gird, isn't it?
Greer nods. Order in the room has broken down. Generals and
Admirals argue vehemently about appropriate. responses. Staring at
the photos, a light goes off in Ryan's brain:
SljenCel. Ryan realizes everyone in the room is staring at him.
PELT
(DRYLY)
You've something to add to the
discussion, Dr. Ryan? _
RYAN
Uhhmm...I was just thinking there
was perhaps another possibility we
ought to consider.
Ryan takes a deep breath.
RYAN (CONT'D)
Ramius might be trying to defect.
Nobody moves. Ryan glances at Greer. Greer rolls his eyes. Too
far out. Ryan's on his own. The.General bristles:
GENERAL
Do you mean to suggest -
PELT
Go ahead, Dr. Ryan.
RYAN
Well, Ramius trained most of their Officer
Corps. He'd be in a position to sect
men willing to help him. And he's not
Russian.
(WARMING UP)
He's Lithuanian by birth, and by heritage.
He was raised by his maternal grandfather,
who was a fisherman. He has no children,
no ties to leave behind and -
(BEAT)
This morning was the first anniversary
of his wife's death.
GENERAL
Oh, come on! Look, what are you doing
here, anyway, Ryan
(TO GREER)
That's his name, isn't, Ryan?
(TURNING)'
You're just an analyst, right? You
can't possi,hly know --
RYAN
I know Ramins, General. He's. been a
maverick for his entire career. I even
met him once at an embassy dinner.
�met captain Ramius, sir? Have you ever
The General darkens. Making a decision, Pelt turns to the Admiral:
PELT
Bottom line, how long before Rami>us will
be in a position to launch his misses
at us?
ADMIRAL
Four days.
-40-
PELT
Alright. I'll brief the President.
That will, be all, gentlemen.
(BEAT)
Dr. Ryan. Would you stay for a
moment, please?
Everyone gets up to leave. As Greer rises, he winks at Ryan:
GREER
I said speak your mind, Jack, but
JESUS --
shaking his head, Greer pats Ryan's shoulder and leaves. Ryan's
mouth is dry. Pelt gets up:
PELT
You slammed the door on the General
pretty hard, Jack.
RYAN
It wasn't my intention, sir -
PELT
(GRINNING)
Yes it was. He was patronizing you
and you stomped on him. In my
opinion, he deserved It.
(BEAT)
Look, I'm a politk:ian, Jack. That
means I'm a liar, a cheat and when
I'm nvt kissing babies I'm stealing
their lallipops. But it also means
I know people and keep my options open.
(BEAT)
Let's assume for a minute that you're
right and he intends to defect What
do you think we should do?
RYAN
Well, somebody has to go out and try- -
to contact him.
PELT
OK. When can you leave?
RYAN
(FLUSHED)
Wait a minute. The General was right.
I'm just an analyst --
PELT
Perfect. I can't ask any of these
cha�tacters to go. None of them would
volunteer putting their reputations
on the line. And anyway, none of
them are expendable.
(RYAN FROWNS)
IR]. give you three days to prove
your theory, after that we won't
have any choice but to hunt Ramius
down and blow him away. Will, you
do it?
Ryan stares at Pelt.
CUT TO:
CHOPPY SEA
below haze-grey sky. A ape breaks the surface, trailing a
small wake. Submarine is below.
IN THE KONOVALOV
Tupolav spins the .periscope in the Konova]ov's Conn. Bonavia
brings him a message. Frowning, Tupolev reads it.
TUPOLEV
Mother of God.
(TURNING)
Down scope. Dive the ship.
Saes in the Conn, prepare to dive. Tupalev is furious. Turning
to Bonavia, he sneers:
TUPOLEV
The entire Soviet Fleet has been
ordered to hunt Ramius down and
destroy him. And where were we?
Out of contact. Dead in the water!
BONAVIA
But, Captain. Have you forgotten
that it was you who -
TUPOLEV
(TURNING)
I have forgotten nothing. All ahead
flank. Come to course three-five-zero.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
at the head of a table in Red October's wardroom, Borodin to his
left. Seven officers sit or stand to the side. Beside Borodin
LIEUTENANT ALEXANDER MELEKHIN
forties, grey eyes, Red October's engineer. At the door
ENSIGN IVAN STADNYUK
nervous, twenties, Asiatic, locks a dead bait, securing the
wardroom. Tension is elect_ic, palpable.
LIEUTENANT VIKTOR TBILISI
thirties, curly brown hair, Red October's sonar offer, stares at
Ramius, anxious to get something off his chest:
T BILLSI
Before we begin, Captain. I would
like to know exactly what happened
to Putin?
(BEAT)
He didn't slip on his tea. Did he?
RAMIUS
No, Vlktor.
Visibly shaken, Stadnyuk waves his hands:
STADNYUK
Captain?
RAMIUS
There is no way we could have
accomplished our task with Putin
aboard. He would have stopped us.
T BILISI
I have no objections to eliminating him.
He was a pig. But it's a decision we
should all have made.
BORODIN
You're not in command.
T BILISI
Don't give me that command garbage,
Vasily. This is no ordinary cruise.
We're all risking our lives. Everything
that happens affects-each of us.
RAMIUS
Enough! Putin is dead. The responsibility
and the guilt are mine.
(PAUSE)
There's something else you should know.
On the morning we sailed, I posted a
letter to Admiral Padorin announcing
our intentions to defect.
Borodin's jaw drops. Tbilisi. is speechless. Kamarov whispers:
KAMAROV
In the name of God, why?
RAMIUS
We needed to burn the bridges. Make
a clean break.
I STADNYUK
(SHRIEKING)
They'll find us! They'll hunt us down!
80RODIN
(HISSING)
Keep your voice down, Ivan. Nobody
can find us.
TBILISI
(TO RAMIUS)
You had to do it, didn't you? You
couldn't` just fallow the plan and turn
the; submarine over to the Americans.
(VOICE RISING)
You had to rub Moscow's nose in it
and make some kind of hare-brained
political statement.
(ANGRY)
Goddammit, Marko. You signed our
death warrants!
RAMIUS
(EYES BLAZING)
How many times have you served in
my command, Viktrxr?
T BILISI
(STAMMERING)
Many times --
RAMIUS
Do you know me to be a man who
talerates insubordination?
Tbili- blanches, but will not look away. Ramius glances at the
OTHERS:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Return to your posts. All of You.
No one moves. Time crawls by. Finally, Borodin gets to his feet:
BORODIN
You heard the Captain. Dismissed!
One by one, the men file out of the wardroom. When they are gone,
Borodin turns to Ramius,... speaking quietly:'
BORODIN (CONT'D)
Captain. I would never disagree with you
in front of the men. But Viktor is right.
We are in this together. What we are
attempting is d'f cult. And --
RAMIUS
Our original orders were to demonstrate
that this ship cannot be found.
(BEAT)
That is precisely what we will do.
CUT TO:
JONES
working his tape recorder in the Dallas' sonar shack. Varying
speeds, â¬ftering extraneous noise, Jones is isolating the eer9e
WHOOSHING SOUND.:
CUT TO:
SHEET LIGHTNING
in a RAGING STORM. An C-2A GREYHOUND appears, TURBOPROPS
SCREAMING, buffeted like a ping-gong ball on a HOWLING canvas of
PITCH }
IN THE GREYHOUND
Ryan rides out the storm. He's wearing the uniform of a naval
commander. Heavy TURBULENCE. LIGHTNING irradiates WINDOWS.-
A NAVIGATOR
sits directly behind Ryan at a small desk built into the bulkhead.
-45-
Behind the navigator in a cockpit, pilot and copilot. Eyeing Ryan,
the navigator SHOUTS:
NAVIGATOR
Some turbulence. Hey, Commander?
(NO ANSWER)
You don't enjoy flying?
Ryan shakeshis head. Gleefully, the navigator BELLOWS:
NAVIGATOR (CONT'D)
This is a picnic, Commander. You
should've been with me six months ago
when we hit a typhoon in the Sea of
Japan. Guys were puking all. over the
place. The plot puked all over his
window. I puked the radio to death.
Puke was everywhere and I'm not talking
lightweight stuff. I'm talking industrial
strength puke!
RYAN
(SWOONING)
Next time you get a bright idea, Jack,
try putting ⢠it in a memo.
NAVIGATOR
Anyway, when we hit that typhoon
everybody knew what everybody else
had for breakfast. Puke was on the
ceiling. Puke was in the ais1 s
Ryan is green.
CUT TO:
AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER
in the STORM, bobbing like a cork in twenty-foot waves, thirty-foot
landing � strip. surging violently in all directions.
USS KENNEDY
The North Atlantic
100 miles south of Greenland-
On the deck, A LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER SCREAMS into a,;.
WALKIE-TALKIE. Rain POUNDS his FACE. Wiping his eyes, he
SPOTS
THE GREYHOUND.
heading for the carrier. PROPELLERS SHRIEK over the STORM.
LSO BELLOWS INSTRUCTIONS into his WALKIE-TALKIE. At the last
moment, WHEELS RIP into the DECK.
A HOOK on the Greyhound's belly CATCHES the last wire. SPARKS
cascade on WET STEEL. Moving across the deck with an ensign
CAPTAIN CHARLES DAVENPORT
fiort ies, in a leather flight jacket, approaches the Greyhound.
SHOUTING SAILORS batten down the plane.
A door opens. Ryan climbs down a ramp on shaky legs. Taking his
arm, Davenport SHOUTS:
DAVENPORT
Charles Davenport, commanding officer
of the Kennedy! The Admiral is
waiting for you in his quarters!
A STEWARD
pouring coffee into a large mug on a tray loaded down with
sandwiches. Setting down the coffee, the steward leaves.
REAR ADMIRAL JOSHUA PAINTER
fifties, a man of puritanical integrity, takes a hit of the ooze in
his quarters on the Kennedy.. KNOCK on the DOOR. Ryan and
Davenport enter.
RYAN;'
(sha)dng hands)
Jack Ryan, Admiral.. Sorry for the
confusion, but, as:-l was just. telling
Captain Davenport, I'm not a naval of cer
(BEAT)
I work for Admiral Greer at the. CIA.
He thought I would draw less attention
if I.was in uniform.
PAINTER
You want coffee? Something to eat?
(RYAN DOESN'T)
Alright:. What can I do.for you, son?
You gonna tell me what all this activity
is about?
Ryan hands Painter a lettew. Opening It, Painter studies the
-47-
contents. Davenport leans on a bulkhead, staring at Ryan. Painter
returns the letter:
PAINTER (CONT'D)
Can't get any higher authority than
that. Now, what's going on?
CUT TO:
JONES
at a translucent status board in the quartermaster's station on the
Dalla. Behind the status board, projected on a screen, a nautical
map of the North Atlantic. Mancuso and Thompson enter.
JONES
(TO MANCUSO)
I know you're busy, Captain. But I
may have something here.
MANCUSO
Go ahead.
JONES
I've been working on a sound I heard
when the typhoon disappeared. I washed
it through the tape machine several times
and managed to isolate it. But when I
asked the computer to identify it, the
answer I got. was magma displacement.
MANCUSO
Magma displacement?
JONES
Yes sir. See, the system we are
using was originally- designed to look
four seismic events and although we
adapted it. to hunt for submarines -
MANCUSO
utto the chase, Jonesy._:.,
JONES
Aye, aye, sir. Anyway,; I got curious,
and. started tracking. the sound on our
lateral array. I located it four
different times. The fifth time it
was gone and I couldn't find it. But
I want to show you what I worked up.
Picking up a grease pencil, Jones makes calculations on the status
board overlaying the nautical map:
-48-
JONES (CONT'D)
The first contact was at zero-nine-Been
hours and the bearing was two-six-nine.
(DRAWING LINE)
Then at zero-nine-thirty hours it was
bearing two-six-zero. And at zero-nine-
forty-eight is was two-ive-zero.
(ANOTHER LINE)
I came back to it at about ten-hundred
and the bearing was two-four-two. The
last signal was real faint and I didn't
have a very good lock on it.
MANCUSO
So?
JONES
Well, I figure it couldn't be very far
away from us, right? Let's say it was
halfway between us and Iceland. That
would put it on a course like this.
Jones makes more calculations on the. status board. Mancuso
recognizes a pattern:
MANCUSO
Headed directly into Red Route One.
JONES
Exactly. Sir, I believe the sound I
heard is the acoustical signature of some
kind of super-quiet Russian submarine and
he's taking the inshore track off the
Iceland coast.
THOMPSON
What do you think, captain?
Mancuso stares-at the status board, then turns to Jones:
MANCUSO
Let me see if I got this straight. The
three minion dollar computer tells you
you're chasing after an earthquake and
you aren't convinced. So you get curious
and came up with this theory: on your own?
JONES
(UNCERTAIN)
Yes, sir.
MANCUSO
Relax, Jonesy. You sold me.
Jones grans.
-49-
MANCUSO (CONT'D)
Let me ask you this. If we get close
to this supers lent sub again, you
think you can track him down?
JONES
Yes, sir. Now that I know what to
listen for, I'1 bag the sucker cold.
CUT TO:
DAVENPORT
frowning at Ryan, who sits opposite him, finishing a sandwich:
DAVENPORT
Christ'_ I've heard some strange stuff,
Ryan, but that takes it. Ramius must
have a hundred men on that boat. They
can't all want to defect. He'd have a
mutiny on his hands.
RYAN
Not ne s_~:4'y. If he personally
recruita d the of6cers, it's theoret i ally
POSSIBLE -
DAVENPORT
Theoretically, anything's p ⢠But
you're not in some cubicle at CIA.
Over by the porthole, Painter clears his throat:
PAINTER
For the sake of argument, let's assume
you're right and Ramius intends to defect.
What are you gonna do with the boat?
You cant keep it. The Russians will.
want it back. And theyRl know you've got
it, :`because the crew wl]l tell them so.
Or do you intend to keep them too?
RYAN
Perhaps it would be enough to get some
I men aboard to analyze the propulsion
SYSTEM -
PAINTER
(SMILING)
F
A Coast Guard Inspection?
RYAN
Perhaps. I'm not sure that ---
L
I
PAINTER
Well, I agree with chuck on one thing,
son. You've got your neck stretched way
out there. Didn't Greer ever teach you
the rules of survival in a bureaucracy?
(Ryan smiles weakly)
Still, it would be nice to keep it.
When's the last time you slept?
RYAN
Can't remember. Every time I get. the
chance, somebody puts me on another
airplane.
PAINTER
OK. Why don't you rack out fear a while.
The chief outside will find you quarters.
(STANDING)
We'll be in CIC in the morning. It's
gonna get real interesting out here
the ' next couple of days.
PAINTER
When you shook hands with him, you
notice the ring on his finger,, Chuck?
(DAVENPORT DIDN'T)
Class of M. Marine Corps.
PAINTER
Greer told me about him. Three weeks
after he was commissioned, he was in
a chopper on a rescue mission in the
Med. They went down. Bad. P11 and
crew killed instantly. That kid spent
eight months in traction with a broken.
back, and two years learning to walk
again. I think lt:'s O K for him to
wear.: the uniform. -
(beat),
Don't you?
-51-
I
closing the door to a stateroom. Exhausted, he tumbles face down
on a lower bunk, head on a pillow. A sliver of light from the door
to a head hits his face:
RYAN
(MUMBLING)
Gotta be pie... Anything's possible
... Under the guise of Coast Guard...
better to keep it.. how do you keep ft?
Ryan's sound asleep.
CUT TO:
MELEKHIN
surrounded by HOWLING NOISE in Red October's engineerin
compartment. The. bulkheads shake. A TECHNICIAN SHOUTS
TECHNICIAN
Converter temperature'is egress
above specks and rising!
MELEKHIN
(SHOUTING BACK)
What's the status of the cryog
TECHNICIAN
(SHOUTING)
Liquid helium discharge pressure is
one. hundred pounds low and drpl g!
Ramius and Borodin race into the compartment, Pet= is right
behind them. The ship GROANS. Ramius. BELLOWS:
RAMIUS
What is It?
MELEKHIN
(SHOUTING BACK)
he cryogenic plant has failed! The
super conducting magnets are not being
cooled and the temperature of the
. caterpiar assembly is rising to
dangerous levels.. If we don't turn
It, off, it's gonna melt!
RAMIUS
(TO TECHNICIAN
Shut everything down!
Ship SHUDDERS. Technicians work at a fever
white as a ghost. in seconds, the RACKET stops.
TECHNICIAN
Caterpi']]ar flows are stabilizing.
(BEAT)
Magnet temperatures are dropping.
PETROV
(SCARED)
Any reactor damage?
MELEKHIN
There was a power spike, but the
reactor scrammed itself automatically.
PETROV
But are there any radiation --
MELEKHIN
(ANGRY)
I. don't know, dammiti
RAMIUS
How long before you can fix it?
MELEKHIN
I have to find out what's wrong first.
It could be a problem with the liquid
helium cycle. Maybe the super conducting
material has failed.
RAMIUS
We're going to have to run an normal
propuLainn. Can you get the reactor up?
MELEKHIN
Y]
PETROV -
Shouldn't-'we first check the
RAMIUS
That will be all, Doctor.
Frightened, Petrov, stares at Ramb, The Captain's indomitable.
Petrov leaves. Borodin has concerns of his own:
BORODIN'
What if we're detected, Captain?
RAMIUS
Pray that we aren't, Vasily.
CUT TO:
JEFF PELT: `
in a chair in his offf in the Executive Office Building. Through a
window, the White House. On a couch opposite him
ANDREI LYSENKO
fifties, dewlapped Soviet Ambassador to the United States, in a dark
suit and tie. Lysenko's uncomfortable. Pelt stares at him:
PELT
Forgive me, Ambassador, for dispensing
with the usual formalities. But the
President views this situation as critical.
Our m,7 ttary counts thirty-two of your
anti-submarine aircraft in the sky laying
down enough sonar buoys that a man could
walk from Greenland to Norway without
getting his feet wet. What's going on?
LYSENKO
we fear she may. be down.
Lysenko leans forward:
LYSENKO (CONT'D)
I hope there won't be any confusion
in this matter.
PELT
So do I, Ambassador Lysenko. Confusion
could be --
(CAREF'ULLY)
Catastrophic.
CUT TO:
A SOVIET BEAR FOXTROT
anti-submarine aircraft, BLASTING through cumulus at thirty
thousand feet, TURBOPROPS HOWLING, a blazing firedog in the
white-hot sun.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, a wall of electronic equipment supports the starboard.
bulkhead.
WARRANT OFFICER ANDREI AMALRIC
twenty, Soviet sonar operator, spots something on a sonar display
simuar to Jones'. Speaking into a headset:
AMALRIC
Sonar contact on buoy number one-
seven-nine. Contact is twenty-seven
mil southwest, ze o-nine-zero.
Data indicates contact is Red October.
IN THE COCKPIT
of the Foxtrot:, forward of Amalr4c, PILOT and COPILOT are .
surrounded by dials and switches:
PILOT
(INTO HEADSET)
Acknowledged, sonar. Coming to course.-
zero-nine-zero.
(TO COPILOT)
Contact Red Fleet Command and r2con8rm.
our orders.
Grabbing a mike, the copflct FLIPS toggle SWITCHES above his
head. Leaning on the yoke, the p110t turns the plane.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalric works his computer, wiping sweat from his
FOREHEAD:
-55-
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Recommend dropping a four buoy
localization pattern. Will coach
to drop paint.
IN THE SKY
TURBOPROPS SHRIEKING, the Foxtrot ROCKETS out of a cloud
bank at unbelievable speed, leveling off above the racing ocean.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalric nudges his computer, punching up one
program after another:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Vector to the drop paint. Zero-
nine-five. Eighteen males.
IN THE COCKPIT
of the Foxtrot, the pilot steers the vector. Beside him, the copilot
talks into a phone:
COPILOT
Red Fleet Command, this is Bear Foxtrot
two-eight-four. We have contact
evaluated as Red October. Request
conformation to attack?
(TURNING)
Captain, orders to attack are confirmed.
PILOT
Arm. the weapons.
The copilot starts flipping more toggle switches.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalric concentrates on the shimmering display:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Vector zero-nine-six, ten mZ 7es.
Two minutes to the drop paint.
IN THE COCKPIT
of the Foxtxvt, still pushing toggle SWITCHES, the copilot checks a
fire control monitor, glancing at the pilot:
-56-
COPILOT
Weapons are armed. All pre-launch
check is satsfactcry.
IN THE SKY
the Foxtrot chews up the afternoon, a deadly projectile hell bent on
destruction. Below, the ocean streaks by.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, preparing to launch his localization pattern, Amalric
presses a button on his fire control console:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Buoys are away. Recommend standard
turn to the right.
IN THE SKY
four sonar buoys exit the belly of the Foxtrot. Trailing parachutes,
they splash into the ice-cold sea.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
in Red October's Conn, talking in hushed tones with Melekhin and
Borodin. Oblivious to their conversation, the crew moves about in
the background.
RAMIUS
What do you mean, â you stall, don't know?
MELEKHIN
Captain, I need -
BORODIN
Dammit, Alex. If we run any longer on
normal power, weft have the w-hole -
T BILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Captain, sonar! We have just been
overflown by a low altitude multi-
engine turboprop!
RAMIUS
(GRABBING MIKE)
Put it on audio.
SONAR on AUDIO. Ramius glances at Borodin. Ashen, Borodin
puts down a clipboard. At his quartermaster station, Stadnyuk
upends, a mess of pencils.
TBILISI (V O )
(ON SPEAKERS)
Several short transients are close aboard.
Could be water entry of small objects!
RAMIUS
All stop!
(TO MELEKHIN)
We have just run out of time, Comrade.
Get us out of this mess. And hurry!
(MELEKHIN SPLITS)
Quartermaster, sounding?
(NO ANSWER)
Dammit, Ivan. Give me a sounding!
STADNYUK
(STAMMERING)
There are five hundred meters under
the keel..
RAMIUS
(INTO MIKE)
Torpedo room, this is the Captain.
Prepare to launch a counter-measure.
Ramins and Borodin exchange glances. At his quartermaster station,
Stadnyuk is paralyzed with fear.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalrioa wipes his brow, continuing to work his
COMPUTER:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
I have a confirmed and localized target.
I am ready to shift aircraft control to
computer for weapons firing.
IN THE COCKPIT
Of the Foxtrot, the copilot runs a final check. Adjusting his
headset, the pilbt answers Amalric:
PILOT
(INTO HEADSET)
You have permission to shift aircraft
control.
(TO COPILOT)
Ask God for forgiveness, Comrade.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Ama1ric enters a program on his keyboard. Watching
it lock in, he announces:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Computer is now in control, of aircraft.
IN THE SKY
the Foxtrot levels off. Bomb bay doors inch open, revealing a
torpedo, sixteen inches in diameter and eight feet long. As the
plane's nose dips, the torpedo relaasee.
parachute opening behind, a thousand pounds of doomsday device
dive earthward at dizzying speed, splashing into choppy sea.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, Ramius listens to SONAR on AUDIO. Faint PINGS
appear, growing inexorably LOUDER, more FREQUENT, the
submariner's worst nightmare:
TBILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
High speed screw l Torpedo in the water!
RAMIUS
(INTO MIKE)
Torpedo room, this is the Captain.
Launch counter-measure.
The Conn SHUDDERS. Metal GRINDS. Within moments, a second
PINGING Is added to that of the TORPEDO on AUDIO.
TORPEDO ROOM (VO)
(ON SPEAKER)
Captain, this is the torpedo room.
Counter-measure has been launched.
IN THE WATER
outskle Red October. The counter-measure, a device similar to a
torpedo, designed to confuse acoustic homing mechanisms, spins
away Pram Red October on high-speed screws.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, torpedo and counter-measure PING LOUDLY on ship's
SPEAKERS. Cool as ice, Ramius turns to Kamarov, at dive control:
RAMIUS
Bottom the ship.
STADNYUK
Wait!
Leaving his quartermaster's station, Stadnyuk stands on shaky legs
between Ramius and Kamarov:
-59-
STADNYUK (CONT'D)
The bottom is five hundred meters
down. We9l be crushed!
RAMIUS
You're relieved of your duties, Ivan!
Return to your quarters.
(BEAT)
Now!
Amplified PINGS. Torpedo's getting CLOSER. The counter-measure
is MOVING AWAY. Waiting until. Stadnyuk has gone, Ramius turns
to the Kamarov:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Bottom the damn ship!
IN THE WATER
Tanks flooding, Red October dives into the abyss.. Beyond, in the
clammering dark, the torpedo hurtles relentlessly forward, death on
wheels.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalrk listens to the torpedo:
AMALRIC
(ON HEADSET)
Weapon has locked onto target and
is homing.
ON RED OCTOBER:.
in the Conn, men bang on. Everything is at a forty-five degree
down angle. Kamarov watches a depth gauge plummet.
KAMAROV
Four hundred meters.
Bulkheads CRACK under tons of pressure. Torpedo and counter-
measure'. PING on AUDIO.
Red October dives under the torpedo. it misses the safl by inches.
Lacking a target, it automatically initiates a wide turn to the left.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot,. Amaltic reports the torpedo's progress, vaice f lat:
-60-
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Torpedo has lost contact.
(LISTENING)
Searching.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, men hang on as the ship dives deeper. Kamarov
watches the depth gauge creep into a red zone. Torpedo PINGS are
farther APART, Less FREQUENT.
TBIISSI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Torpedo has passed over us. It's
hunting for a target.
KAMAROV
(READING)
Four hundred fifty meters. Estimate
bottom at five hundred meters.
AIL eyes are fixed on the depth gauge. Bulkheads POP. A
saltwater relief valve EXPLODES. BLASTED in the fame with
WATER, a HELMSMAN leaps to his feet, SCREAMING:
HELMSMAN
We're flooding!
Expressinnless, Kamarov slams him back to his chair and shuts down
the relief valve. The spray stops:
KAMAROV
Keep your teeth on the shelf, boy.
Nobody's flooding.
(READING)
Passing four hundred seventy-fve
meters. Estimate bottoming in
twenty-five meters.
WATER
the Red October hits bottom, kicking up sand and sit, bulkheads
fragile as eggshells.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalric strains to hear on his headset. Suddenly,
.his eyes light up:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Weapon has reacquired. Homing againi
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, BULKHEADS GROAN. On the audio, torpedo and
counter-measure PINGS fall into SYNC:
TBIIISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKER)
Captain, the torpedo is homing on
our counter-measure!
PINGS begin a weird contrapuntal DANCE, ultimately becoming
SIMULTANEOUS.
IN THE WATER
two thousand meters from Red October, the torpedo EXPLODES.
TONS'Of WATER are DISPLACED.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, CONCUSSIONS rock the HULL. Sailors cling to the
bulkhead. Equipment CRASHES to the FLOOR. Dust falls from the
ding,.
Lights FLICKER. On the deck, face strobing In the blinking light,
Ramius looks unearthly. The helmsman, water dripping from his
clothes, WHISPERS:
HELMSMAN
Captain, who's shooting at us?
KAMAROV
Easy, boy.
Borodin COUGHS. Confused, the crew watch their Captain. Lights
stay on. Concussions die down. Ships speakers CRACKLE:
MELEKHIN (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Captain, the caterpa`llar is fixed.
silent drive is operational.
Jarred from his reverie, Ramius opens the intercom, speaking to the
ENTIRE SHIP:
RAMIUS
This Is the Captain. The explosion
you Just heard was the first operational
test of a new counter-measure. The
torpedo was launched by our friends
in Soviet aviation.
Borodin stares at Ramius:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Until now, orders required that I keep
this aspect of our mission secret so
that you might be evaluated under
simulated battle conditions.
(TO KAMAROV)
Pump us off the bottom and engage the
c�taerpa'T]ar.
Nobody moves. Ramius is indomitable:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Diving officer, bring the ship to
one hundred meters.
KAMAROV
(TO PLANESMAN)
Pump auxiliaries to sea. Twenty
thousand pounds.
(NO RESPONSE)
Now!
Galvanized, the planesman makes preparations to raise the ship.
Ramius stares at Borodin. Things are getting ragged.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS, MELEKHIN AND BORODIN
in a cramped tunnel beneath Red October's engineering compartment.
Melekhin is holding a steel. pipe. Above, a piece of rope dangles
from some gears. A slipknot has been tied on the loose end.
MELEKHIN
Someone rigged the pipe so that when
we took a down angle it would fall
into the gears.
RAMIUS
MELEKHIN
No doubt about it. And whoever it
was knew exactly how to cripple the
caterpillar in a way not easy to find.
(BEAT)
I st]]. don't know if there's any react=
damage. I9]. have to take a sample of
the axilant. - We are dealing with no
ordinary sailor.
RAMIUS
(to Bo=odin)
We21. have to find a way to get the crew
off this ship, now. We are in danger
every second they are aboard.
BORODIN
But, Captain. There's over a hundred
of them.
CUT TO:
RYAN
brushing his teeth in the head adjacent to his stateroom on the
Kennedy. Through an open door, his unmade bunk. Catching sight
of himself in the mirror:
RYAN
We'd have to get rid of the crew.
(BEAT)
How do you get the crew off a nuclear
submarine?
CUT TO:
JONES
in the Dalla' sonar shack, working furiously with his equipment.
Beaumont watches. The COB's behind him. TRANSIENT ocean
NOISE on SPEAKERS. Over the INTERCOM:
MANCUSO (OS)
Sonar, Conn. Anything yet, Tonesy?
JONES
(INTO INTERCOM )
Conn, sonar. Negative, Captain.
COB
Where is your phantom Russian sub,
Jonesy? According to your calcuiat£ons
we ' should have picked him up hours ago.
JONES
He's close. I can feel it.
COB
Close don't count in anything but horseshoes
and hand grenades.
Beaumont CHORTLES. Jones glances at him:
JONES
Don't encourage the man, seaman Beaumont.
He's very old.
COB-
The hell, you say.
JONES
You're an old man, COB. Way over the
ham. Your trout is so wrinkled it's
about to faU off.
COB
Screw you.
JONES
Speaking of which, what happened to that
Hustler Magazine that was in the head?
COB
(BLANCHING)
Don't start on that crap.
Beaumont grins. The C O 8 and Jones are everything he hoped the
Navy would be:
BEAUMONT
(M AY)
What Hustler magazine?
JONES
For many months, seaman Beaumont,
there was a Hustler magazine located
in the crew's head. it was community
property.
(WORKING SONAR)
Then one day, it disappeared. The
..COB. here was the last person seen
entering the head before it vanished.
BEAUMONT
Where'd it' go?
COB
(SQUIRMING)
Come on, Jonesy.
JONES
I have a theory, seaman Beaumont.
I believe the CO B Is like a black
widow, spider. After he has sex
with a magazine, he eats it.
Beaumont HOWLS. The COB turns pink.
-65-
COS
Goddam you, Jonesy --
JONES
(RAISING HIS
HAND)
Wait!
Jones the tunes a dial. In the distance, barely di i nguishahle
through transient NOISE, the sound of RUSTLING WATER followed
by a fleeting HUM.
CUT TO:
PAINTER
Leaning over a status board in the Combat Information Center on the
Kennedy. Replete with lights, the status board reveals details of
force deployment. Ryan enters, carrying copse:
RYAN
Morning, Admiral.
PAINTER
Sleep well?
RYAN
Like the dead.
(re: status board)
Our friends have been busy.
PAINTER
During the night, they positioned most
of their front line submarines at barrier
stations between Greenland and Iceland.
Here, here and here.
(PIG)
The majority of their Northern Fleet
surface vessels are moving in a line
abreast through here.
(BEAT)
It's an old anti submaxlne tactic. Like
beaters in the jungle making a lot of
noise, driving the prey into the guns
of waiting hunters.
(PIG)
One of our submarines, the Da71as, reports
intermittent contact with Red October and
is positioned here at the bottom of Red
Route One. With luck, the Dallas will
inte pt her.
RYAN
Could you get me aboard the Dallas?
-66-
PAINTER
We could fly you out there in a helicopter.
But I don't think you'd like that much.
RYAN-
(ASHEN)
No other way?
PAINTER
That's all there is, I'm afraid.
Putting down his coffee cup, Ryan stares at the status board. A
sal]ci r arrives with a message. Reading it, Painter glances at Ryan:
PAINTER (CONT'D)
DaIlas found Red October and is
backing her now.
Locking eyes with Painter, Ryan grits his teeth.
RYAN
(FLY)
Memos. From now on nothing but memos.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
at tire control in the Dallas' Conn. Thompson's on the deck.
THOMPSON
(TO MANCUSO)
Captain, we're about a thousand yards
on Red October's port quarter. She's
tracking on course two-one-zero, eight
knots.
MANCUSO
Jones -'studies his w tern - The COB stands behind him. Beaumont
watches. A]l kidding has stopped. This is strictly business:
JONES
(ON MIKE)
Conn, sonar. Signal to noise ratio
is dropping.
(BEAT)
Possib3e aspect change on Sierra
thirty-five, Red October.
IN THE CONN
at fire control, Mancuso is suddenly alert.
THOMPSON
Sonar, Conn, aye.
FIRE CONTROL
Concur, possible zig. Bearing rate
increasing to the right.
IN SONAR
Jones studies his equipment. Beaumont wonders what's going on.
Suddenly, Jones barks:
JONES
(INTO MIKE)
Conn, sonar. Crazy Ivan!
IN THE CONN
like a cat, Mancuso moves onto the deck behind Thompson, eyes
BLAMING:
MANCUSO
(TO THOMPSON)
All stop i Come left and stay in his
baffles.
(F IG)
Rig for quiet running. All compartments
eliminate noise evolutions.
IN SONAR
the COB and Jones ft+eeze. Everything's super-quiet. Beaumont
WHISPERS:
BEAUMONT
What! s ' going on, Jonesy?
JONES
(WHISPERING)
The Soviet Captain has a blind spot
astern in his baffles and he's turning
suddenly to see if he can catch us
there. It's a trick the Soviets use
called a crazy Ivan turn.
(BEAT)
Your average skipper might get caught
with his pants down. Not Mancuso.
We stop all engines and turn with him.
Staying in his baffles. Quiet as a mouse.
Beaumont frowns. Seconds pass. Working his equipment, Jones
WHISPERS into his MIKE:
JONES (CONT'D)
Conn, sonar. Red October is coming
left. My read is he's returning to
base course.
(GIG AT
BEAUMONT)
Skipper got him. The Russian hasn't
got a clue.
IN THE CONN
On the deck, Mancuso glances at fire control.
FIRE CONTROL
Bearing rate has steadied. He's
returning to course two-one-zero.
MAN CUSO
Very well. Secure from quiet running.
RADIOMAN enters.
RADIOMAN
(TO MANCUSO)
Just decrypted this message from
Fleet Command, sir.
Opening the message, Mancuso scans it:
MANCUSO
Damn!
THOMPSON
What?
MANCUSO
!re not gonna believe this.
CUT TO:
THUNDERING ROTORS
on a SH-3 on the Kennedy's flight deck. Ryan and Davenport move
to the waiting chopper. Davenport SHOUTS:
DAVENPORT
The Dallas picked up Red October and
is tracking her again. The Admiral
issued orders for her to fall back and
pick you up.
Davenport takes Ryan's arm.
DAVENPORT (CONT'D)
Ryan, listen to me. Getting someone
on a sub is a nightmare. The Admiral
told me what happened to you in the
Mediterranean. The next hour could
be very rough.
Ryan ftroes a grin. A sax7or helps him into the helicopter.
Davenport steps back. ROTORS ACCELERATE.
CUT TO:
JEFF PELT
in his chair in his office in the Executive Office Building. Sitting
on the couch in precisely the same position as when they last talked,
Ambassador Lysenko wipes his brow:
LYSENKO
The weather in Washington is so
unpredictable, don't you think?
PELT
How can I help you, Ambassador?
LYSENKO
I'm afraid there's been a pew
development.
(PAUSE)
Apparently, the initial reports that
one of our submarines was missing were
not completely accurate.
(PELT IS
silent),
The. submarine in question, Red October,
is commanded' by a Captain Marko Ramius
Apparently r he has suffered some kind
of a nervous breakdown...
(SWEATING)
He -posted a letter just before he
announcing his intentions to
fire his mis' it at the United Stat s.
Pelt stares at Lysenko. Lysenko shifts his weight. _ The Russian
finds Pelt's steadyâ¢.gaze unnerving:
PELT
Why didn't you tell me this the last
time we met?
LYSENKO
In my position, I'm sometimes compromised
by the fact that Moscow doesn't tea me
everything.
PELT
So one of your submarine captains has
gone insane?
(LYSENKO NODS)
What is it you want from us?
LYSENKO
The other day you offered your assistance
PELT
The other day it was a rescue mission.
You want us to help you hunt Ramius
down and kill. him?
LYSENKO
Because American lives are at stake,
I've been instructed to ask your
President for precisely that.
(SWALLOWING)
Since you were so adamant about the
consequences of confusion, I thought
we might ask him together.
PELT
I understand.
Pelt picks up the phone.
CUT TO:
BROKEN SUNSHINE
dappling a choppy sea. Ice-cold WIND whips whitecapped waves and
lashes the horizon. The helicopter with Ryan aboard circles into
view.
IN THE CHOPPER
HOWLING. NOISE. PILOT and COPILOT navigate tricky winds.. TWO
SAILORS crouch by an open door, checking a harness on Ryan.
Tuiindng to the pi ot, the copilot BELLOWS:
COPILOT
no contact with the Da'Ha!
# (READING GAUGE)
Fuel capacity is in the red!
PILOT
We can't wait any Unger!
COPILOT
Hang on. I have contact!
PILOT
OK. Tell them to surface.
(RE: RYAN)
Hook him up! But hurry, we don't
have much fuel left!
Sai],or threads cable through a winch by the door. Ryan's white as
a ghost. NOISE Is DEAFENING. Another sa�ar belts a harness to
Ryan's back.
Ryan peers down. Wind from the rotors crushes the waves.
Between his feet, Ryan can see the small white wake from a
periscope.
ON THE DALLAS
in the Conn, Mancuso spins the scope. Thompson watches him.
Both he and Mancuso wear life jackets:
MANCUSO
Whoever this guy is, he's in far one
hell of a ride.
( NG)
Officer of the deck. Surface the ship.
A flurry of activity in the Conn. The Dallas prepares to surface.
Mancuso and Thompson move to a hatch by the helm.
IN THE CHOPPER
the saftors i nish strapping Ryan into the sling. One of them leans
forward, painting to a ]ever on Ryan's chest, SHOUTING:
SAILOR
Pull this to release!
Fighting. panic, Ryan glances down. A mitlion miles below, the sea
bans- mine-grey.
ON THE DALLAS
sail in the Conn work like lightning in cramped quarters. A
petty afâ¬'lcer straps Mancuso and Thompson into harnesses.
MANCUSO
You got a man dangling at the end of
a line with no paint of reference and
helicopter rotors generating enough
static electak ty that we have to
ground him or it! l be like grabbing
a hot wire and if he falls in the water
the only way to get him out is with divers
'cause most of the ship's underwater.
(PAUSE)
Fun?
THOMPSON
(G NING)
Why I joined the Navy.
A sager hands Mancuso a phone for the bridge.
THOMPSON (CONT'D)
I put Jonesy in the forward escape
hatch in case he goes in the drink.
MANCUSO
Good. We got no idea who this guy
is or why the Navy wants his on
our boat so bad.
IN THE CHOPPER
Teeth chattering, sta:ugg g with deja vu, Ryan is transfixed by, the
sub-zero ocean. HOWLING WIND and CRASHING ROTORS. Eyes
wide, he watches
THE DALLAS RISE
First the sail, then the foredeck EXPLODE high into the air, finally
CRASHING back to the WATER.
ON THE DALLAS
The COB helps Jones climb into an escape trunk aft of the sail. It's
cramped and brightly lit. Jones checks his equipment.
IN THE CHOPPER
Ryan watches Mancuso and Thompson climb out of the sail onto the
lurching bridge.The sailer leans close, HOLLERING:
SAILOR
Hang on!
He trips a laver on the winch. Cable feeds out a few feet Holding
his breath, Ryan inches into the abyss.
ON THE BRIDGE
Mancuso lays binoculars on Ryan. Thompson ties both of them to
the sail The sub pitches and rolls. Forward and aft are buried
beneath waves.
Fingers freezing, Thompson clamps one end of a jumper cable to a
metal lip on the bridge to ground the sub against static generated
by the helicopter's rut
IN THE AIR
savage WINDS from the chopper's ROTORS start spinning Ryan like
a top. Desperately, he trams to control the dizzying motion.
Above, caught in an unexpected wind sheer, the chopper plummets
seaward. Ryan's line goes slack. Angry sea rushes up at him with
blistering speed.
IN THE CHOPPER
the pilot struggles for control. Behind him, loose equipment SLAMS
into the WINCH, JAMMING the CABLE. CURSING, the pilot regains
control. The chopper stabilizes.
IN THE AIR
CRACKING like a WHIP, the CABLE goes TAUT. Ryan feels like
he's been hit with a sledgehammer. Unable to breathe, he RIPS off
his HELMET.
A rock in a sling, he tries to get his bearings. Everything's grey.
Above, the chopper's rotors CHEW the SKY. Help] s, Ryan starts
swinging like a pendulum.
ON THE BRIDGE
Mancuso and Thompson watch Ryan rocket by at Mach 10. A huge
arc carries him way out over the angry sea. Slowing down, Ryan
starts to spin again.
MANCUSO
(SCREAMING)
See if you can get a ground on his line.
I'm gonna try and catch the bastard!
Way out on the horizon, Ryan reaches the end of his arc and starts
a comet-like ride back at the ship.
IN THE CROPPER
the pilot FEATHERS. CONTROLS trying to reduce Ryan's
mind-boggling-ride. over his shoulder, he BELLOWS:
PILOT
Reel him back in!
SAILOR
(TRYING)
The cable's jammed!
PILOT
If they don't pick him up this time,
we have to cut him Ioxe!
The sailor keeps trying to rewind the cable. No go. sweating, he
wraps gloved fingers around the emergency release on the drum.
IN THE AIR
Ryan watches the Dallas' saw rush at him with unbelievable speed, a
towering black monolith on an ubiquitous canvas of grey.
ON THE BRIDGE
Thompson readies the ground, holding one end in the air. A wave
BLASTS the DALLAS.
THE GROUNDING CABLE
rips free of the bridge. Surprised, Thompson goes overboard.
Caught in his harness, he dangles helplessly above the water.
Mancuso and Ryan reach for each other as Ryan hurtles at the
bridge. All hell breaks loose:
A BOLT OF ELECTRICITY
arcs between their oohed hands. BLITZED, Mancuso is
KNOCKED hard to his KNEES.
IN THE CHOPPER,
the sailor pulls. the release lever, CUTTING the cable. it SLAMS
back inside like a two ton rubber band.
IN THE AIR
unhooked, Ryan sling-shots fifty yards over the pitching bow of the
Dalyas, disappearing beneath the ice-cold water.
UNDER THE. WATER
Bubbles trailing from his mouth, Ryan struggles to free himself from
the harness.
ON THE BRIDGE
a vision of hell, hair blowing in all diYectlons, Mancuso eyeballs the
spot where Ryan went down, SCREAMING:
MANCUSO
(INTO PHONE)
Man overboard!
Thompson drags himself back onto the bridge.
IN THE ESCAPE TRUNK
Jones hears Mancuso's voice BOOMING over SPEAKERS:
MANCUSO (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Man overboard! Twenty yards off
the starboard bow!
The COB SLAMS the HATCH, turning the trunk into an iron tomb.
Jones pulls a mask over his eyes, activates his oxygen and drags
open the exterior hatch.
SEA WATER THUNDERS
in, submerging him in Icy stillness. Securing a line to the
bulkhead, Jones swims out into the swirling brine.
IN THE AIR
the chopper banks hard to the left, climbs Into the mist and starts
circling the Dams.
IN THE WATER
free of the harness, Ryan bobs like a cork in the waves. Fifty
yards away, the keeness sub p bahes violently.
A ' DIVER
surfaces next to Ryan. Removing his mouthpiece, Jones BELLOWS
over the CRASHING SEA:
JONES
Are. you injured!?
JONES
I'm gonna take you in through an
escape trunk!
Jones hooks Ryan to the line. Salt stings Ryan's eyes. His,
breathing's ragged.
ON THE DALLAS
BEDLAM in the CONN. STACCATO orders. Mancuso helps
Thompson through the hatch. Hell on wheels, Mancuso disappears
down a passageway.
IN THE WATER
Jones and Ryan ride waves by the curved hull. of the ship. Jones
offers Ryan his mouthpiece.
RYAN
Wait a minute!
JONES
Listen, you son-af-a-bit h. I'm only
gonna tell you once. Stick this fucking
thing in your mouth and breathe!
Ryan takes the mouthpiece, inhaling and exhaling rapidly. The
helicopter circles above. Jones drags Ryan
UNDER THE WATER
into bruised silence. Pulling themselves downward along the Dalla
rolling hull, Ryan and Jones share oxygen.
IN THE ESCAPE TRUNK
Ryan and Jones pull themselves inside. Blazing light ignites a fire
storm of one-caned organisms. Eyes wide, Ryan watches Jones c3 se
the hatch.
Jones starts draining the trunk. Everything slows down. Echoes
REVERBERATE. The water level in the trunk drops and the
SHRIEK OF PRESSURIZED AIR
ASSAULTS Ryan's EARDRUMS. Hurling the mouthpiece. away, he
gulps air in the rapidly draining trunk like a banked trout.
IN THE HALLWAY
outside the trunk, Mancuso and crew open the hatch. Tumbling
out, Ryan stands; on shaky legs, excited, babbling:
RYAN
Jesus Christ! I cant believe it!
Jesus Christ --»
MANCUSO
Take it easy --
RYAN
When I hit the water, it was like Ice.
I thought I was going to freeze --
MANCUSO
Slow down. You're hypervent it sting.
(RYAN BLINKS)
Now, who are you?
RYAN
(DISORIENTED)
Sorry. I'm Jack Ryan. Are you
Captain Mancuso?
Mancuso nods. The radioman appears with another message.
Mancuso rips it open and starts reading it. Ryan rockets into
PRESENT TIME:
RYAN (CONT'D)
Captain, we have to find the Red October.
She's a Russian --
MANCUSO
(READING)
I already found him, Ryan. Then I
was ordered to pick you up.
RYAN -
(QUIC)DY)
We have to find him again. The
Captain is going to defect and -
MANCUSO
What the hell are you yammering about?
RYAN
I have to talk to -
MANCUSO
Mr. Thompson. Get this man some
dry clothes and coffee.
RYAN
BUT CAPTAIN
MANCUSO
I'Il be in the Conn.
JUMP CUT TO:
at the entrance of the sonar shack, fifteen minutes later. Behind
him, in the Conn, the crew is preparing to man battle stations.
Jones has returned to sonar.
MANCUSO
(TO JONES)
Any sign that he's alerted to our
presence?
JONES
No, sir, captain. operating as before.
Ryan appears in dry clothes. Mancuso ignores him. The of5cer of
the deck turns to Mancuso:
OOD
Captain. Battle stations are manned.
MANCUSO
Very well.
RYAN
What do you mean battle stations?
(URGENTLY)
Look, I've been authorized by the
President of the United States to
talk to the Captain of Red October.
Mancuso takes the last message from his pocket:
MANCUSO
And I have been ordered to blow him
out of the water if he stays on a
course to the United States or
demonstrates any hostile intentions.
RYAN
(STUNNED)
I don't understand.
MANCUSO
(RE: MESSAGE)
According to this he's gone bughouse
and intends to fire his missiles. So
much f= your defection theory.
Mancuso hands Ryan the message.. Ryan stares at. it. Mancuso
turns back to the officer of the deck:
MANCUSO (CONT'D)
Officer of the deck. Make,
RYAN
Wail!
(RE: MESSAGE)
Think about this a second. Naturally
the Soviets would tall us he is insane.
They want us to sink him before he has
an opportunity to defect.
JONES
(TO MANCUSO)
Captain, crazy Ivan.
MANCUSO
All. stop i Come left and stay in his
baffles. Rig for quiet running.
The officer of the deck repeats Mancuso's orders. Mancuso and
Ryan are eyeball-etc-eyeball.. Ryan whispers:
RYAN
Listen to me, Captain. There must
be some way you can establish contact
without violating your orders. I'm
telling you, he wants to defect.
(MANCUSO FROWNS)
If there's ever going to be peace in
the world somebody has to take a risk.
Give the man a chance. He's defecting.
I know it.
(MANCUSO HESITATES)
Please.
MANCUSO
(after a beat)
AIL back two-thirds.
Nobody moves. Jones glances at Mancuso. Mancuso stares at Ryan
The ofSt r of the deck's e d
OOD
Sorry, sir. Would you repeat --
MANCUSO
I said, aill back two-thirds!
HELMSMAN
Helm answers. AIL back two-thirds.
Hell RINGS. Ship SHUDDERS. Ryan's ears pop. Jones glares at
MANCUSO:
MANCUSO
AIL shop!
(TO RYAN)
OK, Ryan. We just unzipped our fly.
Now if he so much as twitches, I"m..
gonna blow the bastard to Mars.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
in the Conn on Red October, surrounded by activity. Urgently, he
speaks into a mike:
_E0-
RAMIUS
Sonar, this is Ramius. Can you
identify the contact?
TBILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
American Los Angeles class attack
submarine. Bearing zero-ftve-
zero, range three hundred yards.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
in the Dalla' Conn, on the deck. Thompson's at fire control. Ryan
is to Mancuso's left. Crew's at battle stations.
MANCUSO
Flood tubes one and two and make
torpedos ready in all. respects.
RYAN
WAIT -
MANCUSO
My orders are specific, Mister.
THOMPSON
Tubes one and two flooded and ready in
all respects.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
as before in Red. October's -Conn. The crew has come to battle
stations. Borodin is at fire control..
TBILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
the American has flooded his
tubes and is preparing to Orel
RAMIUS
(TO BORODIN)
Prepare tubes three and four and
plot a solution.
BORODIN
Shall I flood the tubes?
(NO ANSWER)
Captain, shall I flood the tubes?
RAMIUS
(after a beat)
No. Lock the (ring solution into
computer. Do not flood the tubes.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
on the DaIIas in the Conn. Eyeing Ryan, Mancuso opens a mike:
MANCUSO
What's he doing, Jonesy? Has he
l f ooded his tubes?
JONES
Negative, Captain. He's just matting
there. Hold on --
(BEAT)
Hull popping. Target's coming shallow.
Mancuso frowns. The crew's a cased spring. Ryan's walking on
RAZOR BLADES:
RYAN
What does it mean?
MANCUSO
It means, he's a very cool customer,
YOUR RUS
sian. He knows we're here and
that we are ready to fire. But he's
not going to provoke us. He's heading
to periscope depth to see what's on the
surface.
(TO THOMPSON)
What's his course, now?
THOMPSON
(READING)
Target is on course north.
MANCUSO
(TO- HELMSMAN)
Right ten degrees rudder. Steer
course north.
(BEAT)
Sonar, Conn. Report all contacts.
JONES
Conn, sonar. My only contact is Sierra
thirty-five, Red October. Bearing two-
seven-zero.
MANCUSO
Conn, aye. Fire control, range to target?
THOMPSON
Range is three hundred yards.
MANCUSO
Diving oar make your depth sixty-
f f ve feet.
(TO RYAN)
He wants to go up and take a peek,
we'll play along.
ON THE SURFACE
Grey sky. Frothy sea. Red October's periscope appears. Seconds
later, three hundred yards away, the Dalla' scope breaks the
surface.
ON RED OCTOBER
Ramius is glued to the eyepiece of his periscope. He spots the
Dallas' scope in the water. Behind him, sailors are tense, wary.
Uncomfortable, Borodin sweats at fire control.
RAMIUS
(ON SCOPE)
Weapons status?
BORODIN
Weapons are armed. Tubes one and
two are not ficoded.
RAMIU S
(AT SCOPE)
Mark this bearing.
QUARTERMASTER
Bearing zero-nine-zero.
in the Conn, Mancuso is glued to his scope just like Ramius. Ryan
can hear his heart nq:
MANCUSO
All right, Mr. Ryan. You wanted
to:. talk to him. There he is. What
do you want to say?
Ryan chooses his words carefully. As he does, Mancuso hits a
periscope light in morse:
RYAN
American government told you intend
to launch mis. lc s. Do not approach
U.S. coast. Repeat. Do not approach
U.S. coast, or you .w>7 . be attacked.
If you understand, ping once.
(TO MANCUSO)
He can do that, can't he?
MANCUSO
He can do that. But is he gonna do
that?
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, Ramius is still at. the scope, watching the light in the
Dalla' periscope. After a moment, he, glances at Borodin:
RAM=S
Verify the range again.
(BEAT)
Ping one time only.
ON THE DALLAS
in the Conn, Mancuso's at the scope. Ryan is scribbling something
on a pad. Sailors hear a PING. Thompson grins.
MANCUSO
I'D. be dammed.
(TO RYAN)
Now what?
RYAN
(RE: PAD)
Send him this.
MANCUSO
(READING)
Are you out of your mind?
RYAN
Just send it.
(THINKING)
And ten him to ping again if he agrees.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, Ramius is at the scope, watching the flashing light.
After a second, he steps back, face white. Finally, he turns to
BORODIN:
RAMIUS
Verify the range one more time.
BORODIN
But Captain, I just --
RAMIUS
Give me a sounding, ' Vasily! Ping
once only.
Borodin goes to work. Ramius stares at Melekhin. Melekhin frowns.
What the hell is happening?
ON THE DALLAS
in the Conn, Mancuso, Ryan and the crew hear another PING.
Ryan's ecstatic. Mancuso Isn't.
MANCUSO
Down scope.
RYAN
(to Mancuso,.,
EXDITD)
I need to look at a nautical chart. Do
you have --
MANCUSO
Ryan, what's going on?
RYAN
(9 G)
If the Soviets want us to sink Red
October. We just might have to oblige.
CUT TO:
THE DEEP
black as night, reverberating with eerie nightmares. From the
cloying dark, Red October rises, a shimmering phosphorescent giant.
THE REYKJANES RIDGE
Off the coast of Iceland
Morning of the fourth day
in engineering, Petrov and Melekhin stand at a sink on the reactor
bulkhead. Valves and tubing hang over the sink. Technicians in
the background.
Melekhin's in rubber apron, gloves and plastic face shield. Dressed
identicaMy, Petrov halls a book. Signs on the wall indicate
radiation danger.
PETROV
(READING BOOK)
Shut valve three.
MELEKHIN
Valve three shut.
He shuts a valve with a large wrench. Turning a page, Petrov
READS:
PETROV
Place flask under valve four and
draw one hundred m peter coolant
sample.
MELEKHIN
Placing flask under valve four. Drawing
sample.
A tiny stream of fluid fa]ls into the flask. Unexpectedly, an ALARM
GOES OFF. Technicians freeze.
PETROV
Shut the valve and secure the sink!
Melekhin shuts the, valve. Petrov stares at the alarm. Below it, a
meter is flashing red:
PETROV (CONT'D)
Seal that sample in a plastic bag and
take it to the lab. I'I1 get the Captain!
CUT TO:
RAMIUS AND BORODIN
drinking tea and munching black bread in Red October's wardroom.
Nobody else around. Borodin smiles at Ramius fondly:
BORODIN
Do you think they will let me live in
Montana?
RAMIUS
I think they w91 let you live wherever
you want, my find.
BORODIN
Good. Then I will raise rabbits in
Montana and marry a round American
I
woman who will cook them for me.
(SMILING)
And she will have friends who are
Indians and we wiin ride horses on
Sunday.
Ramius laughs. Petrov barges in, talking as he enters:
PET RO V
Captain, there are high Esâºsion product
levels in the primary coolant!
(BABBLING)
I knew we should have checked the
reactor before we started it. When
the caterpillar broke down the vare
must have been damaged!
RANIUS
Keep your vcadoe down, Doctor. There
are several explanations -
PETROV
Listen to me. Radioactive fuel is in
the water. If it gets into our air,
it could ' loll us all!
RAMIUS
I said, keep your voice down. The
CREW -
PETROV
(SHRILL)
I will not! We have a level four
radiation leak. And if something
isn't done, we're all going to die! -
Ramius stands. Suddenly, Petrov remembers where he is. Ramius'
eyes are bullet holes. Wilting,, Petrov stammers:
PETROV (CONT'D)
Forgive me, Captain. But -
RAMIUS
it's probably a piece of corrosion in
the pipes. That happens. Now let's
take' another sample. But quietly.
We don't want to panic the crew.
JUMP CUT TO:
ENGINEERING
minutes later. Melekhin and Petrov prepare to draw another sample
at the sink. Ramius stands behind them. Technicians to the rear.
Melekhin struggles with the valve:
MELEKHIN
I may have shut it too hard.
Grabbing the wrench, Ramius leans his weight on it. Suddenly, the
-87-
valve CRACKS. HOT water SPRAYS Ramius in the FACE. Melekhin
FREAKS:
MELEKHIN (CONT'D)
Secure the valve before the water
turns to steam !
Desperately, Ramius tries to plug the hole. The VALVE BREAKS.
BOILING WATER pours out, turning to STEAM, SPLATTERING
Melekhin. ALARMS GO OFF. Ramius BELLOWS:
RAMIUS
Evacuate the compartment-'
Technicians scramble for the door. Searing hot steam chokes the
compartment. Melekhin SCREAMS:
MELEKHIN
in try and stop the leak. Everybody
get the hen out of here!
IN THE CONN
Crew members are panicking. ALARMS are GOING OFF. Dripping
water, Ramius charges in. On the deck, Borodin SHOUTS:
BORODIN
(ON HEADSET)
Captain, radiation alarms are activating
in all compartments. Engineering is
heavily contaminated. Radiation is
spreading forward!
RAMIUS
Get us to periscope depth.We ]i ventilate!
BORODIN
(TURNING)
Emergency surface!
While the crew works to get the boat to the surface, Petrov studies
a radiation detector.' it ALARMS. Gauges are in a red zone.
PETROV
(READING)
Ventilating won't do any good. Ws
getting worse. At these levels it is
only a matter of minutes. We have to
abandon ship!; -
Sailors in the Conn stare at the Captain. Ramins BELLOWS:
RAMIUS
(TO BORODIN)
Alright. Pass word to abandon ship.
Draft a message to Red Fleet Command
telling them our location and situation!
BORODIN
(INTO MIKE)
Stand by to abandon ship! Stand by
to abandon ship! All hands muster on
the miss Bp- deck. Designated personnel
bring lire rafts!
ON THE SURFACE
Red October rises in angry sea. An emergency door on the sail
opens. Seconds later, a hatch on the missile deck opens also. The
sea RAGES.
Climbing out on the deck, Tblllsi and a half a dozen sailors try to
inflate rafts. Red October PITCHES and ROLLS. Wind HOWLS.
Frurated, Tbilisi SCREAMS into a headset.
IN THE CONN
through the open emergency door, the sea CRASHES. Frightened to
death, shivering sailors in life preservers line up to leave. Petrov
counts them. Ramius stands by Sorodin.
BORODIN
Captain. L,ieubenant Tbi3JsJ reports the
sea state is too rough to launch the rafts'
over the she. The men will be gushed!
RAMIUS
All right. Instruct the crew to secure
the rafts to the deck. When all. personnel
are aboard the rafts, we will scuttle
the ship out from under us!
ON THE DECK.
Ocean, ROARS. Fighting gale farce WINDS, sailors Me out of the
hatch and tie down the rafts. Around them, the hounds of hell are
loose on the face of the deep.
IN THE CONN
the last of the crew leaves. Borodin is at the periscope, Kamarov
stands by Ramius. Only offfcers are left.
KAMAROV
Captain, Major Tbilisi reports the crew
are secured in rafts and rafts are tied
down. We should join the crew and
scuttle the ship.
RAMIUS
(TO PETROV)
Do you have a count? Have they all
been evacuated?
PETROV
I think so. I --
BORODIN
(ON SCOPE)
Captain! Surface warship. Closing
fast. Zero angle on the bow. Range
nine miles.
RAMIUS
(ASHEN)
Can you classify it?
BORODIN
U.S. Knox class frigate. She's
flashing light. I']]. read.
(TRANSLATING)
Red October. Stay where you are.
Do not attempt to submerge or we
will are. Stand by to be boarded.
PETROV
(SHRIEKING)
What are we going to do?
RAMIUS
(TO PETROV)
There's only one thing we can do. Go
topside and take care of the crew. I
and my officers wall submerge the ship
and take her elsewhere to scuttle. The
Americans must never have this boat!
All Petrov wants do to is get his ass off the boat. At the door,
Ramius stops him:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Doctor. When you get home. You will.
hear many stories about me and some
are true. But tell them that in the
end I did my duty.
Petrov splits. Borodin slams the hatch behind him and seals it.
-90-
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
(TO BORODIN)
Submerge the ship.
ON THE DECK
the ocean RAGES. Red October sets to submerge. GEYSERS of
WATER and air EXPLODE hundreds of feet in the sky as she dives.
The BLOWBACK is STAGGERING.
Wild-eyed sailors in rubber rafts hang on for their lives. On the
horizon, Petrov spots the American frigate hurtling forward, light
flashing.
A puff of smoke appears, fbnowed by a muted EXPLOSION. The
frigate's FIRING. As the round comes in, there is an
EARSPLITTING SHRIEK.
A hundred yards beyond Red October's bow, the SEA EXPLODES.
The CONCUSSION and the STORM are mind-bending. Petrov thinks
the world's coming to an end.
In the rafts, men slash at ropes binding them to the deck. One by
one, they drift free of the submerging ship into foaming sea. One
sailor can't cut his rope. His raft's dragged under.
Wind HOWLS. The frigate FIRES AGAIN. Another EARSPLITTING
SHRIEK. Another EXPLOSION. Tons of icy saltwater cascade over
Petxov's head. -
Gulping air, Petrov spots the raft and sail r pop back to the
surface. Red October's sail disappears. Sailors haul freezing men
from raging water. Hell on earth.
CUT TO:
THE FRIGATE
bow slicing through the freezing ocean at flank speed. On the
fantai, a helicopter prepares to take off, ROTORS HOWLING
IN THE COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER
aboard the frigate, thirty sailors work various consoles replete with
computer terminals, status boards and plotting tables. In the middle
of the compartment
ISEUTENANT COMMANDER JIM CURRY
thirties, mans the nerve center of the CIC. Curry has immediate
access to both sonar and radio. In the darkness, to his left, TWO
SHADOWS:
CURRY
(INTO MIKE)
Seahawk One. This is Bravo Command.
You are cleared for take off.
IN THE HELICOPTER
on the fwltml of the frigate, PILOT and copilot are strapped into the
crowded cockpit. Copilot flips a bank of toggle switches above his
head.
PILOT
(INTO MIKE)
Roger, Bravo Command. Seahawk one
request vector to target Red October.
(LISTENING)
Copy that. We're on our way.
IN. THE AIR
the helicopter rises from the fantail of the frigate. In seconds, it
passes over Petrov and his companions floating in rubber rafts in
choppy sea.
IN °THE HELICOPTER
the pilot glances over his shoulder at a SENSOR OPERATOR working
a computer behind the copilot:
PILOT
Torpedo Inputs?
SENSOR OPERATOR
Set and veri ed as ordered.
IN THE WATER
the life rafts converge on the frigate like insects hovering round an
oversized queen. In one of the rafts, Petrov watches as a net is
thrown down at him.
IN THE HELICOPTER
the p eyeballs the sea as it races by. Speaking into a mike:
PILOT
Roger that, Bravo One. Five hundred
yards to the drop paint. Torpedo is
armed and ready.
IN THE CIC
aboard the fcigate, Curry turns to one of the shadows:
CURRY
Seahawk One reports torpedo armed
and ready to fire. Requests final
authorization to drop.
IN THE RAFTS
Petrov and the others climb the nets. Halfway up, the doctor stares
back at the helicopter hovering in the distance.
IN THE AIR
thirty feet above the water, the helicopter releases a torpedo in the
area where Red October went down.
ON THE FRIGATE
Petrov climbs onto the fantail. U.S. sailors are waiting with coffee
and blankets. Fuming, Petrov confronts an officer:
PETROV
I protest! What authority do you
have to fire? I protest!
IN THE CIC
Curry coordinates information. AIL around him, men work intensely.
Curry turns to one of the shadows:
CURRY
Seahawk One reports torpedo is launched
and running normally at forty knots.
I have it on sonar.
(TURNING)
Four hundred yards from drop paint.
Eight hundred yards. Twelve hundred
yards.
One of the shadows leans forward and presses a button on Curry's
console. The button is marked Command Control Detonate. The
SHADOW IS
ADMIRAL GREER
in a white uniform and cap. Beside him, Skip Tyler, leans on his
cane, concentrating on Curry's display.
IN THE HELICOPTER
Pilot studies the sea. Suddenly, it BULGES. Loud CONCUSSION.
Shock WAVE. A giant mushroom cap rises from the depths as gas
bubbles vent.
ON THE FANTAIL
Petrov watches in horror as a huge concave impression vents below
the helicopter. A huge plume of gas and water erupts skyward.
IN THE CIC
aboard the frigate, Curry turns to Greer:
CURRY
Torpedo has detonated.
GREER
And you understand, Lieutenant. I
was never here. That torpedo did not
self-destruct. It hit the target. Right?
(CURRY NODS)
Now, Contact the Dallas and tell them
to proceed.
Curry nods.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
in the Conn aboard the Dallas with Thompson. Mancuso has a .45 in
a holster on his belt. Thompson reads a message:
THOMPSON
Frigate reports phase one completed,
Captain. We are ordered to proceed.
MANCUSO
OK. Now comes the weird part.
Thompson fo lows Mancuso out of the Conn into
A PASSAGEWAY
running aft. Mancuso and Thompson move at speed. Mancuso is far
FROM HAPPY:
MANCUSO
I don't like leaving the boat, Phil.
But the orders are specific.
THOMPSON
We're gonna be f ne.
Rounding a corner, they start
DOWN A LADDER
Thompson will never get over how fast Mancuso can move. Aren't
guys that big supposed to be slow?
MANCUSO
This has got to be the craziest stunt
I've ever heard of. There's only about
two ml]]k n things that can st]l. go wrong.
At the bottom of the ladder, they enter
A PASSAGEWAY
Ahead of them Jones and Ryan wait by a ladder beneath an open
hatch. Like Mancuso, Jones is armed. Jones starts up the ladder.
Ryan follows. Mancuso turns to Thompson:
MANCUSO
Listen. If anything --
THOMPSON
Captain. We'll be all right.
Mancuso climbs up the ladder, disappearing through the hatch.
Thompson closes it.
CUT TO:
WARRANT OFFICER STEINER
sitting before a wheel at a brightly lit panel, just as cocky as when
we last saw him in the mini sub at Tyler's lab. Next to him, a
COPILOT checks a clipboard.
Behind them, Jones, Ryan and Mancuso climb up through a hatch.
Jones shuts it. Steiner speaks into a headset::
STEINER
OX. Passengers are aboard. Check-off
complete. Request clearance to lift-off.
(TURNING)
Gentlemen, we have clearance. Fasten
your belts and grab your nuts. We're
taking a ride.
Ryan sits opposite Mancuso. Jones is to Mancuso's right. The
bulkhead rocks slightly. Steiner turns a yoke.
STEINER (CONT'D)
Battery sperm?
-95-
COPILOT
Eighty percent capacity. Homing beacon
is five degrees to the right. Recommend
new course zero-seven-five. Range now
five hundred yards.
STEINER
Roger. Coming right to course zero-seven-
ive. Make initial preparations to land.
The copilot starts toggling switches. Behind him, Mancuso checks
the .45 in his holster. Ryan watches.
COPILOT
Contact is two hundred yards below.
One hundred yards ahead.
STEINER
Roger.
(BEAT)
Hit the running lights.
IN THE WATER
-black on black. Then, in a single blinding flash of light
THE RED OCTOBER
is revealed. Hovering above it, floodlights blazing, the DSRV.
Descending, it locks onto a hatch by the sail.
IN THE DSRV
Copilot turns to Steiner:
COPILOT
We have a seal. Skirt is dry.
STEINER
Roger. Open the hatch.
Getting up, the copilot heads for the hatch.
MANCUSO
Wait.
Copilot stops. Reaching into his jacket, Mancuso offers Ryan a .45.
RYAN
(EYEING PI- )
He's defecting.
MANCUSO
And he can't change his mind?
RYAN
He's not going to change his mind.
MANCUSO
Willing to bet your life on that.'
Ryan stares at the pistol. Sighing, he puts it in his jacket.
Copilot opens the hatch. In the gloom below, another hatch.
Copilot raps on it. Somebody opens the lower hatch. Mancuso,
Jones and Ryan climb down into
THE RED OCTOBER
on a ladder at the forward end of the Conn. Waiting for them,
Ramins, Borodin and all the other of Awkward silence.
Nervous, Borodin drags out a cigarette and lights it. Unexpectedly,
RYAN- SMI1 :
RYAN
Russian Cigarette?
(BORODIN NODS)
Could I try one?
Mancuso frowns. Borodin offers Ryan a cigarette. Kamarov has a
light. Ryan inhales and COUGHS:
RYAN (CONT'D)
(GAGGING)
Jesus...
Poking fun, Ryan rolls his eyes. Borodin grins. Ramius
The ice is broken. Men shake hands.
RAMIUS
Gentlemen, I am Marko Ramius. I and
my offers request political asylum in
the United States.
(BEAT)
Before I go any further, I want to know
whose idea is this impos.ih18 plan?
MANCUSO
(RE: RYAN)
His.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
Amazing. our intention was to publicly
surrender this boat and request asylum.
it never occurred to us there would be
a way you could keep it. The idea to
stage a radiation leak was inspired --
(FROWNING)
You look familiar. Do I know you,
Commander?
RYAN
You have a good memory, Captain. We
meet briefly years ago. But I'm not
a naval commander. I work for the CIA.
RAMIUS
CIA?
RYAN
Easy, Captain. I'm not an agent. I'm
just an analyst.
(SMRNNG)
I write books.
Suddenly, HIGH SPEED SCREWS passing over the HULL:
KAMAROV
Torpedo! Americans are shooting at us.
JONES
Wrong. Ours growl. Yours whine. It's
Russian!
CUT TO:
GREER
leaning over Curry's console in the CIC aboard the frigate.
Agitated, Curry works his computer.
GREER
What do you mean there's another torpedo?
Where in hell did it come from?
CUT TO:
TUPOLEV
in the Conn aboard the Konovalov. His crew's at battle stations.
Bonavia mans fire cost 'aL opening a mike, Tupolev SHOUTS:
TUPOLEV
Sonar. Why hasn't our torpedo impacted?
SONAR (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
The weapon enabled on the other side
of the target. It passed Red October
before it armed.
TUPOLEV
(TO BONAVIA)
You had the wrong range, idiot! Fire
again with the right settings. And
reload both tubes.
ON THE DALLAS
Thompson stands outside the sonar shack. To his left, the COB is
behind fire control. Beaumont has taken Jones' position.
BEAUMONT
New oorrtact. Sierra four-one, bearing
zero-one-zero. Aku]a c1a.�.s Soviet
submarine.
(BEAT)
Launch noises. He's shooting again.
THOMPSON
What's the status of Red October?
BEAUMONT
Dead in the water.
THOMPSON
They can't maneuver with the goddam
DSRV stuck to them.
(WHISPERING)
Come on, Mancuso, move it. Get the
hell out of there.
ON RED OCTOBER
BEDLAM in the Conn. Tba'lisi and Jones are on their way to sonar.
Ramius SHOUTS at Melekhin:
RAMIUS
Get back to engineering and give me
some power!
(TO MANCUSO
RE: DSRV)
Get that damn thing off my boat.
Mancuso's halfway up the ladder. He spots Steiner peeking down at
HIM:
STEINER
I think somebody just shot a torpedo
at us!
MANCUSO
No shit, buckwheat. Get the hell. out
of here!
STEINER
(STUNNED)
Where am I supposed --
Mancuso SLAMS the HATCH. Scrambling down the ladder, Mancuso
hears Ramius bel]Dwing at Borodin who is manning the helm:
-99-
RAMIUS
No, Vasily. I need you in fire control.
We must track whoever's out there.
Borodin heads for fre control. Ramius tosses Ryan into the chair
behind the helm :
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
You sit here!
RYAN
BUTICAN'T --
RAMIUS
Do exactly as I tell you!
Stunned, Ryan grabs the helm. Jones and Tbilisi, must have made it
to sonar. Speakers CRACKLE:
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
DSRV is away. There's a Russian Akula
about eight thousand yards starboard.
TBILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
It's the Konovalov.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
All ahead flank!
RYAN
(PANIC)DNG)
I told you I'm just an analyst. I
write books.
RAMIUS -
(LEANING FORWARD)
Turn that knob all the way to the right.
Ryan: does. AIL around him the world is going stark raving mad.
Again, SPEAKERS CRACKLE:
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Torpedo in the water. High speed screws.
Beaming zero-two-zero. I estimate range
at about eight thousand yards.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
Turn the helm to the heft. Steer course
zero-two-zero.
MANCUSO
(TO RAMIUS)
Wait a minute! That's heading into the
t o rpedo. You should turn away from it.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Steady bearing to the weapon. Still
zero-two-zero. Range about seven
thousand yards.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
Turn that helm to the left until the
dial says course zero-two-zero.
MANCUSO
No! That's wrong. Ryan, don't turn
that goddam wheel!
Ryan stares at Mancuso then at Ramius. Deciding, he turns the
helm left, coming to course zero-two-zero.
RYAN
(TOO MANCUSO)
Sorry, Captain. I think --
MANCUSO
(TO RAMIIUS)
You're heading straight into that torpedo.
RAMIUS
I know.
IN THE CIC
aboard the frigate. Helms, Greer and Tyler lean over the
display. Curry studies the blips:
CURRY
(EYES NARROWING)
Red October is turning directly into
the t orpedos path.
GREER
Mother of God.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, it's a deathwatch. Ryan thinks of Sally. Mancuso
stares at Ramius. Goddamned if he's gonna be the one to whine.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Torpedo steady bearing zero-two-zero.
Range five thousand yards.
RAMIUS
(ON MIKE)
Me]ekhin. Can you give me any more
speed?
MELEKHIN (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Negative. We're going as fast as we can.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Estimate range approximately three
thousand yards. Closing fast.
ON THE DALLAS
Thompson's still outside the sonar shack. The COB's at Fare
control. As before, Beaumont works sonar.
THOMPSON
Why is he heading into the torpedo?
Is he trying to kill himself?
COB
Mr. Thompson. We have a solution on the
Soviet Akula. Shouldn't we shoot back?
THOMPSON
(ANGRY)
She didn't shoot at us. Anyway, I can't
attack a Soviet submarine. I have no
goddam authorization!
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, an. payers have turned to stone.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Torpedo bearing steady at zero-two-
zero. Best range nine hundred yards.
Estimate impact in twenty seconds.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
What books?
RYAN
Pardon?
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Fifteen seconds.
RAMIUS
What books did you write?
RYAN
(HOARSELY)
I wrote a biography on Admiral Halsey,
called, Fighting Sailor. It was about
tam in combat --
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Ten seconds.
RAMIUS
I know this book. I have read some
parts of it.
(RYAN BLINKS)
Your conclusions were wrong, Ryan.
Halsey acted stupidly.
CRASH. The Conn ROCKS. Sound of TORPEDO BREAKING UP.
Metal SCRAPES along the SHIP. Realizing what's going on:
- MANCUSO
I'll be dammed.
RYAN
What happened?
MANCUSO
Combat tack, Mr. Ryan. By turning
into the torpedo,, Ramius closed the
distance before it could arm itself.
I never would have thought of it.
RYAN
So we're safe?
RAMIUS
Not yet. Right now, the Soviet Captain,
a man named Tupolev is removing the
safety features on all his weapons.
He won't make the same mistake twice.
Behind Ramius, Ryan spots a SHADOW at the rear of the Conn. He
can't believe his eyes. The goddam shadow has a pistol in hand.
SUDDENLY:
A FIRE STORM
of GUNFIRE sprays the CONN. Everybody scatters. Borodin is
HIT. SLAMMING into the bulkhead, he falls in a seated position,
eyes wide.
Fire control panel EXPLODES. Behind a console, Mancuso drags out
his .45 and RETURNS FIRE. The shadow disappears.
ON THE DALLAS
Beaumont rips off his headgear, turning to Thompson in the sonar
shack's door, breathing hard:
BEAUMONT
Jesus Christ. Gunge.
THOMPSON
Gunfire?
ON THE KONOVALOV
in the Conn, Tupa]av is furious. He YELLS at Bonavia:
TUPOLEV
Hurry up goddammit! I want all the
enabling devices disconnected!
BONAVIA
Captain, I cannot go any faster.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, cars crawl from hiding. Sparks ERUPT from
WIRES. Fire contra is history. Ramius leans over Borodin:
BORODIN
I would have like to have seen Montana.
And the Indians.
(eyes gT'âºg)
captain? - _.
He dies. RAGING, Ramius POUNDS the BULKHEAD. Kamarov
notices a light on a panel:
KAMAROV
He's in the missile compartment!
RAMIUS
(TO MANCUSO)
The ship is yours.
MANCUSO
But the control is blasted to hell.
I can't shoot.
RAMIUS
Then get behind him and stay there.
Don't let him put you in his sights
or we're all dead.
Mancuso tosses Ramius his .45. Catching it, Ramius splits. Ryan
follows.
CUT TO:
TUPOLEV
a caged tiger in the Conn on the Konovalov. Bonavia turns, looking
back at him :
BONAVIA
Enabling devices are removed.
TUPOLEV
ABOUT TIMEL
(INTO MIKE)
Sonar, give me a bearing on Red October.
SONAR (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
She's taken position behind us.
TUPOLEV
Damn.
(TO HELM)
Left full rudder. T11 shake him loose.
ON RED OCTOBER
in a passageway outside a door to the missile compartment, Ramius
and Ryan hug the bulkhead:
RAMIUS
He'll break into a panel and short
-circuit the wiring on a missile. We'll
be blown to pieces.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan follows Ramiais into the
MISSILE COMPARTMENT
coming face-too-face with a BARRAGE of GUNFIRE. Ramius is HIT.
Ryan drags him into a space behind an electrical panel. Mercifully,
the shooting STOPS.
Ryan checks Ramius. His shoulder's a mess. Mind riling, Ryan
studies his surroundings. He's never felt so alone.
The compartment is vast, dominated by twenty tussle tubes six feet
in diameter. Overhead, a catwalk. At the aft end, somebody's
working with a wrench.
RAMIUS
We must stop him before he gets into
a panel..
Ryan stares at Ramius. Ramiii isn't gonna stop anybody.
Resigned, Ryan finds the .45 Mancuso gave him in his pocket,
MUMBLING:
RYAN
(TO HIMSELF)
Next time memos. Only memos.
RAMIUS
Be careful what you shoot at in here,
Ryan. The compartment is very sensitive.
In a daze, Ryan starts walking aft, still MUMBLING:
RYAN
Be careful what you shoot at, Ryan.
Very sensitive.. .in here...
IN THE CONN
on Red October, a handful of men struggle to fight the ship.
Kamarov mans the wheel. Sonar SPEAKERS POP:
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
He's going deep!
MANCUSO
(TO KAMAROV)
Twenty degrees down on the bowl
IN THE MISSILE COMPARTMENT
The wall becomes the floor. Fighting to keep his balance, Ryan
walks on the wall, still MUMBLING:
RYAN
Sensitive stuff...in here ...I have
to... be careful... of course.
The ship turns. Wall becomes cuing. Grabbing the catwalk, Ryan
hangs at a ninety degree angle. GUNFIRE. Bullets RIP into the
BULKHEAD inches from his HEAD:
RYAN (CONT'D)
I have to be careful what I shoot at..
He doesn't have to be careful... He
can shoot at anything he wants.
IN THE CIC
aboard the frigate, curry hunches over a console. Greer and Tyler
WATCH ANXIOUSLY:
CURRY
The Akula is too fast. No way Red
October can stay behind her. lt's
only a matter of time now.
(BEAT)
The Akula's turning. She's fired
another torpedo. This one can't miss.
ON RED OCTOBER
in sonar, Jones and Tbzisi hear PINGING become LOUDER, more
FREQUENT. Holding the mike, ashen:
JONES
Another torpedo, Captain. It has enabled
and is active. It has acquired us and is
homing.
CUT TO:
THE DEEP
Red October looms into view. To the right, the Konovalov shimmers
in the dark. Between them, the torpedo appears. PINGS grow
CLOSER and CLOSER. At the last minute
THE DALLAS
raves into view, rocketing forward at full, bore, streaking between
Red October and the torpedo. it's really something.
IN THE CIC
aboard the frigate, Curry SHOUTS:
CURRY
Jesus Chi i t.
GREER
I
CURRY
The Dallas has moved between Red
October and the torpedo. The
torpedo is chasing the Dallas now!
ON THE DALLAS
in the sonar shack. Beaumont works his equipment, speaking into a
MIKE:
BEAUMONT
Conn, sonar. Torpedo is in acquisition.
Range five hundred yards and c3nsing.
You've done it, Mr. Thompson!
IN THE CONN
on the Dallas, Thompson stands on the deck. The COB is at ballasCt
control, holding the emergency blow handles.
THOMPSON
Chief, release counter-measures and
emergency blow all main valves.
Let's hope to Christ this works!
COB
(ON PHONE}
Signal ejector station. Release
counter-measures.
(PULLING HANDLES)
Emergency blow !
SHRIEK of the BLOW is DEAFENING. The deck angles crazily
upwards at thirty degrees. Gear CRASHES to the FLOOR.
Eardrums SHATTERING, Thompson holds on, fighting gravity.
IN THE WATER
the DAIlas heads for the surface. Counter-measures head for the
bottom. The incoming torpedo chases the counter-measures,
disappearing into the abyss.
ON THE SURFACE
The Da11a ERUPTS from the WATER at THIRTY DEGREES, her
bottom exposed well aft of the sail. A broaching behemoth, she
CRASHES back into the sea, DISPLACING TONS of WATER.
ON THE FRIGATE
neither Soviet nor American sailors on the fantail can believe their
eyes. Peirov's jaw drops. Has the entire world gone completely
insane?.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the missile compartment, blood pounding, Ryan leans flat against
a missile tube. On the other side of the tube, METAL fans on
CONCRETE.
Rounding the tube, Ryan holds the .45 at arm's length. Kneeling
before him, directly in front of an open panel on the missale bay is a
Sovvet sail or with crazy eyes:
IT'S LOGINOV
the cook's assistant who witnessed the Putin key exchange. He's
got a hot wire in each hand. Time stands sthl. Ryan stares at
Loginov. Loginov stares back.
There's something in the Loginov's eyes, an uncompromising,
irrational vi lainy that asks no forgiveness. For a moment, Ryan's
paralyzed, a rabbit before a cobra.
Deliberately, Loginov begins to move his hands together, bringing
the wires closer. Ryan tri es to speak. He can't. Loginov's grin
cracks wide like a rotten egg.
RYAN FIRES
Flame LEAPS from the BARREL of the .45. The pistol KICKS like a
MULE. Loginov is delivered to eternity. Impotent, the wires fall to
the floor.
ON THE KONOVALOV
Flushed, Tupolev towers over fire oontroL Seated before him,
Bonavia tries to hang on to his sanity.
BONAVIA
Directly ahead. Range five hundred yards.
TUPOLEV
Got him. Match bearings and the.
BONAVIA
We are too close. I have to set
TUPOLEV
Shoot now!
Tupolev pulls the lever himself.
ON RED: OCTOBER':
in the : Conn, Mancuso, Kamarov and the others are on pins and
needles. What next? Suddenly, they hear PIN GIN G.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Launch transient astern. He's shooting
again. Very close.
MANCUSO
Left full rudder!
JONES
(LOUDER PINGS)
Weapon is alive.
(LOUDER PINGS)
It has acquired.
Sound of torpedo passing close to the hull:
JONES (VO CONT'D)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Weapon passed close aboard. Is
Ong re-attack. Hold on. It's
reacquired. But not on us!
Ryan appears with Ramius aft of the Conn. Pinging grows
QUIETER, more DISTANT.
ON THE KONOVALOV
in the Conn, Tupalev is suddenly confused, disorientaed by the
PINGS.
TUPOLEV
Wait. I -
SONAR (VO)
(OVER SPEAKERS)
Our torpedo missed Red October and
is homing on us!
TUPOLEV
(STUNNED)
How could that be?
BONAVIA
The weapon was not properly programmed.
PINGS CLOSER. LOUDER. Finally, PINGS become a SPINE-
TINGLTNG HOWL. Bonavia SHOUTS:
BONAVIA (CONT'D)
You stupid arrogant bastard. You've
Idiled us all!
IN THE . WATER
Blinding light. The Konovalov disintegrates. Billowing pockets of
gas embrace the deep. Thirty-seven hundred tons of steel. and iron
rip apart in the blink of an eye.
ON THE SURFACE
a white mountain of displaced water rises into the air, compresses
and explodes.
ON THE FRIGATE
in shock, the Russian crew gapes at the explosion. The young
sailor who took courage from Ramius makes the sign of the cross.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, as the aftershock subsides, Ryan helps Ramius up off
the floor, trying to make him comfortable against a bulkhead:
RAMIUS
Captain Tupalev has just provided your
pantomime with the one thing you could
never have managed.
RYAN
(NODDING)
Wreckage.
CUT TO:
PELT
in his office seated across from Lysenko:
PELT
With the depth of the water and the
wreckage scattered over such a wide
area, it we]. be a long time before
anything is recovered. Your people
are already interviewing the crew and
making arrangements for their r turn.
(Lysenko nods,
SOBERLY)
This has been a terrible tragedy, Mr.
Ambassador. I can only stress that if
you'd come to us earlier, it might have
been avcdded.
LYSENKO
I appreciate your candor in the matter.
PELT
(SMOOTHLY)
And I yours, Andrei..
LYSENKO
(PROBING)
Perhaps in the future, the technology
will be available for a more thorough
I n vestigation of the wreckage...
PELT
(STEADY)
Perhaps.
A long beat as the two men stare at each other. Lysenko finally
breaks it off:
LYSENKO
There is another matter... One I am
reluctant to -
PELT
No. Please go ahead.
LYSENKO
One of our submarines, an Akula, was
last reported in the Reykjanes Ridge.
We have not heard from her for sometime.
Pelt stares at him blankly, time hangs suspended. Finally, Peat
reaches far the bridge of his now as if to stave of a ]dtler
HEADACHE:
PELT
You've lost another submarine?
(BEAT)
Andre...
Lysenko sits, hat in hand. Finally, he averts his gaze.
JUMP CUT TO:
A DRIVER
standing beside a limousine outside the Executive Office Building.
Fuming, Lysenko approaches. The driver smiles. Not a good idea.
LYSENKO SNARL:
LYSENKO
Shut up! Don't speak to me Boris. Don't
ever speak to me unless I speak to you
first. And wipe that smile off your face!
Lysenko pBe into the limo, slamming the door as hard as he can.
Locked inside, he starts shouting and hitting things.
CUT TO:
BRIGHT MOONLIGHT
on the tree studded bank of a large coastal river. A gentle breeze
touches the trees and punctuates the silence. Crickets and frogs
sing on the shore:
SUPER: ORICOKE RIVER
PAMLICO SOUND
NORTH CAROLINA
THE RED OCTOBER
glides quietly up the river's surface. Ramius and Ryan stand on
the sail. Behind them, two junior officers, one American and one
Russian, Conn the ship:
RYAN
We're two hundred miles from the nearest
naval base.
RAMIUS
Interesting notion, hiding a submarine
in a river.
(EYEING SHORE)
How do you know this place?
RYAN
I grew up not far from here.
(PAINTING)
My grandfather taught me to f5sh right
over there on that rock.
Ramius spots a large rock on the shore. So warm and inviting, this
land, when compared to the bitter cold coast he ]eft a ]ifetl,me ago.
Ram hl studies Ryan in the stillness:
RAMIUS
There is one question you have not
asked me.
RYAN
Why?
(RAMIUS NODS)
I assumed you would speak when you were
ready.
RAMIUS
We. are standing on part of the reason.
I've spent my life preparing to fight a
war I hoped would never happen. This
ship was not built to fight such a war.
it was built to start one.
(BEAT)
And there were personal reasons.
RYAN
Your wife?
RAMIUS
(NODDING)
it started there, perhaps.
Ramius glances at the rock. Beside it, a muskrat drops quietly into
the water.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Or perhaps it was something that started
long ago...
RYAN
Fishing?
RAMTUS
Fishing.
Taking a deep breath, Ramius studies the surrounding hills. Lights
from farms twinkle in the night air.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
"The sea will, grant each man new
hope, as sleep doth dream of home."
(on Ryan's look)
Christopher Columbus.
Ryan smilm.
RYAN
(QU`EDY)
Welcome to the new world, sir.
DISSOLVE TO:
A STEWARDESS
walking down the aisle of an airplane, checking passengers.
Stopping near the front of the cabin, she glances down at
RYAN
sound asleep in his seat, empty tea cup on a tray beside him. A
blanket hangs on one log. In the seat next to him
A TEDDY BEAR
smi> out at passing clouds. The bear's got a red ribbon round his
neck-and a seat belt fastened over his bulging tummy.
Covering Ryan with the blanket, the stewardess leaves. Tea cup
RATTLES. Ryan doesn't even twitch. Turbulence is a thing of the
past.
FADE OUT
THE END |
I AM NUMBER 4
Written by
Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
1/08/10
The events in this film are real.
Names and places have been changed to protect the Lorien Six,
who remain in hiding.
Take this as your first warning. Other civilizations do exist.
Some of them seek to destroy you.
FADE IN:
A BILLION STARS
pinprick the velvet-black sky that stretches over a vast
sleeping jungle. A fingernail moon silvers the whispering
canopy while gentle tendrils of steam rise.
TITLE ON SCREEN: REPUBLIC OF CONGO, AFRICA.
EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT
CAMERA DRIFTS ACROSS the eternity of treetops until it FINDS
A BUNGALOW.
It's 20x20 square, with a wraparound porch and simple wooden
shutters. The structure is hidden in a clearing that's been
crudely hacked out of the sweaty wilderness.
INT. HUT - NIGHT
Two beds draped in mosquito nets sit on opposite sides of the
space. A TEEN BOY sleeps in one and a MIDDLE-AGED MAN lies
in the other. Their ebony skin glistens in the swampy heat.
The numbing THROB OF INSECTS fills the silence until
THE DOOR SOFTLY RATTLES.
The Teen's eyes fly open. Fear grips his face as he looks
over at the Man, who is now upright and awake. They hold
their breath, listening over the DRUMMING CHORUS.
ANOTHER RATTLE.
It's louder this time. Unmistakable. The Teen watches as
the Man pulls a crystal-handled dagger from under his pillow
and stealthily creeps to the door. The Man cautiously leans
in and peers through the bamboo slats.
WHAT HE SEES: The empty porch. No sign of life.
Relieved, he turns back, opens his mouth to speak when his
face contorts. He looks down and sees the tip of
A SERRATED METAL BLADE
protruding from his chest. As the sword is viciously
protracted through the door, the Man meets the Teen's haunted
eyes and whispers his last, desperate word...
MIDDLE-AGED MAN
Run!
SMASH CUT TO:
2.
EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT
The Teen's naked feet pound the hot, wet earth as he sprints
through the maze of trees. Flecks of moonlight ricochet off
the crystal pendant that dangles around his neck. He moves
impossibly fast. Faster than any human could.
A MONSTROUS HOWL
ECHOES as something otherworldly catches his scent and begins
thrashing in pursuit. The Teen's face tightens with dread
and the SHOUTS of his pursuers hammer his ears.
He doesn't look back, willing himself to survive. He races
up a verge and fearlessly launches himself off the edge of
A 100-FOOT-WIDE RAVINE!
GOD SHOT LOOKING DOWN as the Teen leaps across the abyss. He
kicks air as he arcs and finally touches down on the opposite
lip. Chest heaving, he sees the hideous silhouette of
A HULKING BEAST.
It's called a Piken and skitters to a stop on the other side.
It utters a chilling BANSHEE WAIL of frustration. Relieved,
the Teen turns to make his escape when
A HAND
wraps around his throat. He is effortlessly hoisted by a
TOWERING MAN with skin as cold and pale as alabaster.
THIS IS A MOGADORIAN.
He wears the long red coat of a Commander. We catch the
briefest glimpse of his cruel magenta eyes as they scan the
geometric symbol engraved on the Teen's pendant. Silhouetted
against the giant jungle moon, he triumphantly raises
A SWORD.
Its serrated blade ignites with silver flame as it sweeps
towards the Teen. The boy's DEATH CRY echoes as the CAMERA
ZEROES IN ON the pendant that glows brilliant-bright.
FORM CUT TO:
THE SAME SYMBOL.
It glimmers to life on the ankle of another TEEN 10,000 miles
away. His name's DANIEL and he's in the middle of a wild jet-
ski race with TWO BUDDIES.
TITLE ON SCREEN: BIG PINE KEY, FLORIDA, USA.
3.
The trio crisscrosses the turquoise sea while a party rages
on the beach.
Daniel makes a kamikaze move, whips his jet ski past his
opponents and victoriously pumps his fist. But his moment of
triumph is cut short. His face contorts in agony as he feels
THE SYMBOL
searing into his skin. As he leans forward to grip his
ankle, he cartwheels off the jet ski and viciously body-slams
across the water.
EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY
LOOKING UP as Daniel crashes into view. Needles of light
flicker from the symbol. It's cauterizing into his flesh
like a brand.
EXT. BEACH - DAY
Daniel stumbles through the surf and collapses onto the sand,
clutching his ankle. He rolls onto his side as a CROWD OF
PARTYING TEENS gathers. A BLONDE GIRL leans down to help.
BLONDE GIRL
Daniel, what's wrong? Did you
break your ankle?
But as she turns him over, she sees the light leaking from
between his fingers and reels back.
BLONDE GIRL
Oh my God.
He stares up into the crowd's fearful faces, then staggers to
his feet and takes off running.
EXT. INTERSTATE - DAY
The busy road runs parallel to an expanse of ancient pines.
Through the trees, we CATCH THE SHUTTER IMAGE of a figure
outrunning the hurtling vehicles.
EXT. COASTAL FOREST - DAY
Trees whip past as Daniel sprints down a sandy track. The
pendant that knocks against his chest was carved by the same
hand as the African Teen's, but the symbol is unique. He
peels off to the right and bursts out onto a long drive.
A STILT HOUSE
sits at the end. It's cake-frosting pink and is built right
on the edge of a coral-white beach.
4.
EXT. STILT HOUSE - DAY
The door flies open and Daniel stands on the threshold.
HENRI looks up from his bank of laptops that scroll with news
feeds. He is decades older than his suntanned face betrays
and you'd be way off if you guessed his accent was French.
DANIEL
Number 3 is dead.
Henri's eyes narrow with urgency. He is immediately on his
feet, he kneels at Daniel's side and studies the symbol on
the teen's ankle. It has stopped glowing but is painfully
raw. Directly below this fresh wound are
TWO OTHER GEOMETRIC BRANDS.
They are the same size, but each symbol is subtly different.
Time has transformed them into raised, snake-smooth scars.
Henri's penetrating eyes look up at the shell-shocked teen.
HENRI
Did anybody else see this?
OFF Daniel's panicked nod...
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - STILT HOUSE - DAY
A GECKO
skitters across the ceiling, its glossy black eyes watch as
Daniel frantically stuffs his clothes into a duffel bag. The
walls are bare. No photos, no posters, no personality.
Henri enters, holding a crate of computer cables.
HENRI
Taillights in five minutes. What
we can't carry --
DANIEL
-- we burn. I know the drill.
EXT. STILT HOUSE - DAY
TIGHT ON A BOX. It's exquisitely carved and inlaid with an
intricate geometric design.
Henri carefully hides it under the driver's seat of an old
Jeep Wagoneer. It's the kind with wooden trim. He looks at
Daniel who feeds homework assignments into a roaring FIRE.
HENRI
Time to go.
5.
Daniel clicks the SIM card from his cell phone, snaps it in
two and drops it into the fire. Bitter, he takes one last
look at the glittering azure sea, then climbs into the Jeep.
As the engine HUMS to life, CAMERA FOLLOWS
THE GECKO.
It darts up the fender, squeezes into the jamb of the trunk,
and Houdinis into the vehicle with a flick of its tail.
CUT TO:
EXT. CAUSEWAY - DUSK
The Jeep powers across the long elevated bridge. The dying
sun tints the clouds and the sky in violent apocalyptic hues.
DANIEL (V.O.)
This is the part I hate the most.
The running. But it's the only
thing in my life that's real. The
rest is a lie. My name. My
birthday. Even Henri. People
think he's my father. He's not.
His job is to keep me alive.
INT. JEEP - NIGHT - MOVING
Henri's eyes scan the rear view, on constant vigil. The
speedometer never brushes past 60. Daniel has his head
against the window, brooding, listening to an iPod.
DANIEL (V.O.)
We are hiding from the Mogadorians.
A brutal race that wiped out our
entire planet, Lorien.
EXT. USED-CAR LOT - DAY
Plastic flags whip overhead. Daniel leans against a silver
SUV and watches Henri negotiate with the DEALER.
DANIEL (V.O.)
Only nine children escaped the
genocide. We were each given a
number and sent here to hide. I
don't know where the others are. I
only know when one of them is
murdered.
INT. BATHROOM - MOTEL - NIGHT
Daniel sits on the edge of a bathtub. He gently unwraps the
bandage that covers his ankle and fearfully inspects the neat
scab that has formed over the wound.
6.
DANIEL (V.O.)
I got the first scar when I was
eight. I woke up screaming. We
lived in Vermont. The second was
on a Tilt-a-Whirl at a fair in
Michigan. I was 12. Yesterday was
the third.
His finger traces the lines of the other two scars.
EXT. INTERSTATE - DAY
The lush tropical landscape has browned into flat, dormant
farmland. The silver SUV charges through the bleak monotony.
DANIEL (V.O.)
Because of the spell our Elders
cast, the Mogs can only kill us in
order. That's the reason I've
survived this long. But our enemy
is relentless.
INT. SUV - NIGHT - MOVING
Daniel is asleep with his earphones on. Henri glances over,
his mask of certainty momentarily slips. He looks like a
soldier heading into a battle he knows cannot be won.
DANIEL (V.O.)
Now their hunt has turned to me. I
am number 4.
CUT TO:
EXT. REST-STOP DINER - NIGHT
A tired neon sign illuminates the big rigs that RUMBLE past,
headed to destinations unknown.
INT. REST-STOP DINER - NIGHT
Daniel sullenly stares at a stack of untouched pancakes.
Henri slides into the booth, all business.
HENRI
Florida's clear. I sent a letter
to the school and there's nothing
in the papers.
DANIEL
I didn't even get a chance to say
goodbye.
Henri keeps going, passes an envelope across the table.
7.
HENRI
New IDs.
Daniel pulls out his birth certificate, reads the name.
DANIEL
Just when I think you can't get any
less original, you lower the bar.
HENRI
I'm not interested in originality.
I'm interested in untraceable.
There are 335,321 John Smiths in
the United States.
(Note: from this point on, Daniel will be called John.)
John looks at him, then abruptly gets up and storms away.
Henri drops $20 on the table and calmly heads after him.
INT. ARCADE - REST STOP - NIGHT
A row of ancient arcade games blinks. John angrily stabs the
buttons of a Space Invaders machine as Henri approaches.
They are alone. John's eyes never leave the video screen.
JOHN
It's been so long since the last
scar.
HENRI
You got lulled into a false sense
of security. That's my fault.
John struggles to keep his temper in check.
JOHN
I liked Florida. I liked having
friends. I liked feeling normal.
Henri's face softens with paternal compassion.
HENRI
I wish that you could have a normal
life -- but you can't.
Only now does John turn and face him. His eyes blaze with
frustration.
JOHN
Then why fake it? Why not just go
hole up in the wilderness.
HENRI
That's exactly what Number 3 did.
8.
John looks at him, confused. Henri pulls up an article on
his iPhone and hands it to John.
HENRI
It's from an African news site. A
man and his son went missing two
nights ago. The locals think they
were taken by strange beasts.
John understands the implication.
JOHN
Piken.
HENRI
The Mogadorians are natural-born
hunters. Blending in is our best
protection.
JOHN
So we just keep moving from town to
town?
HENRI
Until I say otherwise -- yes.
John waits as a TRUCKER passes through the room. His voice
softens but never loses its intensity.
JOHN
I want to be from someplace, Henri.
HENRI
You are.
JOHN
Lorien's your home, I don't even
remember it.
John's tone rubs Henri the wrong way.
HENRI
Like it or not, it's your home too.
You have a responsibility to those
who died.
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Henri and John climb in.
JOHN
I want a say in where we live.
(off Henri's face)
You already picked it, didn't you?
9.
Henri REVS the ENGINE to life.
HENRI
Cheer up, you're going to be living
in Paradise.
CUT TO:
A frigid sheet of RAIN POUNDS the sign that's planted on the
side of this narrow stretch of rural blacktop:
âWELCOME TO PARADISE, OHIO. POP. 5,243â
The silver SUV streaks past, its wipers working overtime. It
kicks up a spray as it speeds down Main Street. The dinky
storefronts are garishly decorated for Halloween.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
The leaves are washed in a thousand shades of gold. The SUV
barrels along the drive that twists through the woods.
INT. SUV - DAY - DRIVING
Henri pulls up in front of a small house. It sits by itself,
surrounded by trees. Water sluices off the weather-worn
garage in the yard behind it. A WOMAN steps out of a minivan
to greet them.
JOHN
She looks even perkier than the
realtor in Florida.
A warm smile graces her round face and she's clutching a
fruit basket. For the record, she is called ANNIE.
HENRI
What's your name?
JOHN
John Smith.
HENRI
Where are you from, John?
JOHN
Arizona.
HENRI
Why did you move to Paradise?
JOHN
Because you're an asshole.
John waits for a reaction but doesn't get one...
10.
JOHN
Because my dad needs peace and
quiet to research his book.
Henri nods and smiles wryly.
HENRI
This was a lot easier when you were
12.
INT. HOUSE - DAY
The front door swings open and Annie proudly escorts Henri
and John inside.
ANNIE
Here we are. Home sweet home.
They scan the faded interior. The place is in desperate need
of a makeover. A grandfather clock pensively TICKS at the
end of the hall. Annie remains relentlessly optimistic.
ANNIE
First impressions?
HENRI
It's perfect.
Annie places the fruit basket on the dining table and begins
turning on the lights.
JOHN
That's one word for it.
Stewing, John exits into the hall with his duffel bag. Annie
reads the strained dynamic.
ANNIE
I feel your pain. I have a
daughter his age. Apparently, I
ruin her life on a daily basis.
John steps back in, holding a sun-faded poster featuring NFL
great Bernie Kosar.
JOHN
This guy was covering a hole in my
wall.
Annie's cheeks blush with annoyance.
ANNIE
I told the handyman to patch that
before you arrived. I'm so sorry.
11.
Henri is all charm, gently leads her to the front door.
HENRI
Don't you worry about it.
She nods, grateful.
ANNIE
We'll knock it off the rent. Keep
the poster, Bernie Kosar brings
good luck here in the Buckeye
State.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
The rain has stopped. The wind RUSTLES the trees. John
lifts out the last box. As he closes the trunk, he doesn't
notice the hitchhiking gecko hotfoot it out.
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT
Henri is busy setting up his computer station. John dumps
the box on the floor.
JOHN
That's the last of them. I'm
hitting the sack.
HENRI
I need a new photo first.
John crosses and stands against the wall.
HENRI
Say Paradise.
John gives him a withering look. Henri flashes off a shot.
The camera is cabled to one of the laptops.
TIGHT ON LAPTOP: The image of John pixelates onto a digital
grid and a face-recognition program begins to map his facial
structure.
Henri turns to another laptop.
HENRI
I've imputed the new search words:
Daniel Jones. Big Pine Key.
Sunset High School. You think of
any others?
JOHN
Yeah, this place sucks.
12.
Henri swivels to face him.
HENRI
If there's a story or picture of
you on the internet, this program
will find it. Our enemy doesn't
know who you are -- I want to keep
it that way.
John nods, knows he's being a jerk.
JOHN
Sand Dollar Beach, that's where we
were jet skiing.
Henri types it in when something SCRATCHES at the door.
Their heads instantly turn towards the sound. Tense SILENCE.
SLOW PUSH IN ON THE DOOR as another SCRATCH echoes.
Henri is on his feet. He flicks off the lights and silently
signals John to retreat down the hall. With the cool air of
an assassin, Henri unzips a duffel bag and pulls out a sleek
crystal-handled dagger. As he steps to the door...
INT. CLOSET - JOHN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
... John crouches in the dark, clutching a baseball bat.
Suddenly, the light in the bedroom buzzes back on. He holds
his breath as the door swings open. He looks up and is
relieved to see Henri.
HENRI
I found our intruder -- he's a
little small for a Mogadorian.
At that moment,
A BEAGLE
slips between Henri's legs. It cocks its head, studies
John's face, then pads forward and licks his cheek.
INT. KITCHEN - HOUSE - NIGHT
The dog greedily laps a bowl of milk.
JOHN
He's starving, doesn't have any
collar or tags.
HENRI
Must have been dumped.
13.
JOHN
You know, another pair of eyes and
ears watching the house wouldn't be
a bad thing.
Henri considers the request, nods. John playfully ruffles
the dog's head.
HENRI
What are you going to call him?
JOHN
Since I need all the luck I can get
-- how about Bernie Kosar?
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - MORNING
John enters, dressed in black, ready for his first day of
school. He dumps his backpack on a chair. Henri places a
plate with an omelette and perfectly browned hash browns in
front of him.
JOHN
Wow. You outdid yourself. What's
up?
Henri lifts a red backpack into view. John stares at it.
JOHN
I already have a backpack.
HENRI
This one has five days of rations,
spare clothes, cash and a handheld
GPS. Keep it with you at all
times.
JOHN
Henri, come on.
HENRI
Game's changed. You're in the
crosshairs now. You have to be
ready to leave at a moment's
notice. With or without me.
John stares at the backpack, takes in this new reality. He
pushes the plate away, snatches the backpack and heads out
the door. Henri stares at the omelette, tastes a pinch of
hash browns, then puts the plate on the floor on his way out.
It takes Bernie 2.5 seconds to race over and start to eat.
14.
EXT. PARADISE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Jack-o'-lanterns stare out from the âHALLOWEEN BLOCK PARTYâ
banner strung across the red brick facade. Henri drives
away. John slides the red backpack onto his shoulder when he
hears a FAMILIAR BARK. He turns and is surprised to find
BERNIE KOSAR.
The little dog is sitting by the flagpole wagging his white-
tipped tail. John crosses to him, baffled.
JOHN
Bernie, what the hell... were you
hiding in the car?
He scoops the dog into his arms.
FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Hey, I was about to take a picture
of the little guy.
John turns and finds
SARAH HARTE.
She's his age and is holding an old 35mm Nikon. There is
something about her unforced beauty that is instantly
enchanting. John shuffles, uncharacteristically nervous.
JOHN
He's not supposed to be here.
(TO BERNIE)
Go home. Now.
Bernie hops out of his arms and obediently runs towards home.
SARAH
He's really well-trained. How long
have you had him?
John turns away.
JOHN
Sorry about your shot.
SARAH
No worries.
He begins walking towards the entrance.
SARAH
You just moved into the house on
Old Mill Road. It's John, right?
15.
John swings back, concerned.
SARAH
Don't worry, I'm not stalking you.
My mom said she rented it to a guy
with a son my age. Since I know
every other face on this quad, that
had to be you.
(BEAT)
I'm Sarah.
He nods.
SARAH
Where are you from?
JOHN
Someplace warmer.
SARAH
I don't think that qualifies as an
actual answer.
JOHN
I need to register.
She raises her camera to snap a shot of him.
JOHN
Whoa. What are you doing?
SARAH
Capturing your first day, even
though you're technically six weeks
late.
JOHN
Please don't point that at me.
SARAH
Afraid the camera's going to steal
your soul?
She lifts the viewfinder to her eye, adjusts focus. Annoyed,
he covers the lens with his hand.
JOHN
What's your problem? I said no.
SARAH
It's only for the yearbook.
John regains his composure.
16.
JOHN
I'm not big into having my picture
taken. Sorry.
As he heads away, Sarah watches, intrigued. CAMERA TRACKS TO
REVEAL MARK JAYNE monitoring the encounter. He's the star
quarterback and his chiselled jaw tenses with jealousy.
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Loaded with textbooks, John instinctively bows his head as he
passes the black eye of a hall security camera and steps to a
locker. He reaches for the combination lock when
A BACKPACK
viciously sideswipes him. The textbooks scatter across the
checkerboard linoleum. John sees the culprit is Mark Jayne,
who offers him a taunting grin. John fights his urge to
react and watches as Mark struts over to his POSSE OF JOCKS.
VOICE (O.S.)
Welcome to Paradise, irony not
included.
John looks at the teen standing two lockers down. He's got a
battered skateboard tucked into his backpack and wears an
Army surplus jacket. This is SAM GOODE -- genius by birth,
slacker by choice. He nods after Mark.
SAM
His name's Mark Jayne.
Quarterback, sheriff's son, he's
three years into the best four
years of his life.
John begins retrieving the fallen books. Sam helps.
SAM
Do yourself a favor -- stay off his
radar.
JOHN
Didn't know I was on it.
SAM
You were talking to Sarah Harte.
JOHN
She was talking to me.
SAM
Mark and Sarah have been exclusive
since Freshmen year.
17.
John looks down the hall and sees Mark wrap his arm around
Sarah's shoulder.
SAM
If there's another guy in her
airspace, he shoots them down. You
got a warning shot.
John piles the books into his locker.
JOHN
Maybe I'll fire back next time.
SAM
Look, you're new, so let me tell
you how things work in this
misnamed backwater. Football
players are gods -- the rest of us
are mere mortals. If you want to
survive, keep your head down and
don't make waves.
JOHN
You sound like my dad.
SAM
Obviously a wise man.
(BEAT)
I'm Sam by the way.
Sam extends his hand. John doesn't take it.
JOHN
Thanks for the download.
As he SLAMS his locker shut...
CUT TO:
EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
It's an impressive structure with wraparound bleachers. The
Junior gym class jogs around the track. John hangs in the
middle of the pack, with his hoodie up, blending in.
They pass the GIRLS who are stretching on the pristine field.
Sarah's eyes drift towards John. The COACH blows a whistle.
COACH
Alright, people. Let's hit the
gym.
The assembled teens GROAN and fan off towards the mouth of a
tunnel that stares out from the base of the bleachers.
18.
INT. GYM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
John emerges from the tunnel via a door by the stage. Some
of his classmates are on the court, passing and dribbling.
COACH
Okay, half court, three on three.
Girls have this basket, boys have
that one.
CUT TO:
Two simultaneous games are in progress. John sits on the
sidelines waiting his turn. He avoids eye contact with Sarah
who is sitting in the shadow of the basket. However, he does
notice Mark Jayne enter and approach her.
COACH
New kid, you're up. Show me what
you've got.
John steps onto the court and waits for the ball to come his
way. He steals a glance and sees Sarah and Mark arguing. A
blur of orange. John swings back and catches the ball.
Just as he shoots, he's distracted by Sarah's upset voice.
THE SHOT
goes wild, misses the basket but hits the glass backboard
with such force that it
SHATTERS.
Mark and Sarah are inadvertently forced to separate as shards
rain down. All eyes turn to John, who's annoyed at his
momentary lapse. TEENS HOOT. The Coach BLOWS his whistle.
COACH
Enough! Hit the showers.
(TO JOHN)
LeBron, grab a broom.
As the gym empties, John looks over and catches Sarah
watching him. OFF this silent exchange...
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE - DAY
THE INTRICATELY CARVED BOX
is clutched in Henri's hands. He heads down the hall and
stops in front of the grandfather clock. Its tarnished
pendulum sways. He unlocks the glass panel and slots the Box
out of sight behind the clock's brass face.
19.
Satisfied with the hiding place, he locks the front and takes
the key. When he turns back, he finds
BERNIE KOSAR.
The dog is studying him with his head cocked.
HENRI
Let's keep this our little secret.
OFF Bernie's inquisitive eyes...
CUT TO:
INT. CAFETERIA - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
John joins the line. He sees Sarah sitting by herself,
inspecting a photographic contact sheet. His view is blocked
by Sam. John rubs his hands which are oddly sweaty.
SAM
First day here and you're already
destroying school property. So
much for not making waves.
John moves past him and grabs a tray. He's flushed and his
face is now hot and red.
JOHN
It was an accident.
SAM
I hear the real spectator sport was
Mark and Sarah's blowout.
John wipes his brow, distracted.
SAM
Dude, you okay?
JOHN
Fine.
At that moment, Mark Jayne and his buddy, KEVIN, cut in front
of them. Annoyed, John taps Mark on the shoulder.
MARK
You got a problem?
JOHN
Line starts back there.
MARK
Football players get priority.
20.
JOHN
Where's that posted?
MARK
Unwritten rule.
(RE: SAM)
I'm surprised your boyfriend didn't
tell you.
Sam puts his hands up and backs away. Mark smirks at John.
MARK
If you don't know your place around
here, things can get rough.
John holds his ground.
JOHN
In that case, I guess I better ask
you where I should sit. I was
thinking about grabbing that chair
next to your girlfriend.
In a flash of anger, Mark whips up his tray, hammers it into
John's chest, knocking him to the floor.
MARK
You want to talk trash? Let's see
you back it up.
John tries to stand, but is suddenly overcome with a wave of
pain. He looks down at his hands and is alarmed to see
LIGHT
blooming from his palms! He quickly balls them into fists,
extinguishing the light from view.
MARK
Get up!
SILENCE has fallen. Still clenching his fists, John rises
and stumbles out into the hall. OFF Sarah's concern as she
watches him exit...
CUT TO:
EXT. PORCH - HOUSE - DAY
Henri is on a ladder, adjusting a hidden surveillance camera
above the front door, when Bernie starts BARKING. It's an
anxious, urgent BARK.
21.
INT. HOUSE - DAY
Henri steps inside and sees the dog is BARKING at --
THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK.
A shaft of white light blooms from within. The shadow of the
swaying pendulum cuts across Henri's face. As he sprints for
the door...
CUT TO:
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
Disoriented, John staggers down the hall. Sam catches up.
SAM
Dude, hold up!
John leans against the wall, keeping his hands out of sight.
SAM
You look like crap. I'll get the
nurse.
But as Sam runs off, John heads in the other direction.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROAD - DAY
Henri's SUV roars into view, whipping up a tornado of leaves.
CUT TO:
INT. DARKROOM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
Strips of negatives hang on drying lines. John bursts in and
SLAMS the door. He slips off his backpack, opens his hands.
TIGHT ON HIS EYES -- the brilliant light from his palms
shrinks his irises to pinpricks.
The luminescence is crisp, mercury-glass bright and grows
stronger every second. Suddenly, the door opens. John spins
in shock. A figure strides through the blinding glare,
gently takes his hands and folds them into fists.
IT'S HENRI.
John looks at him, confusion and fear etched on his face.
JOHN
Henri, what's happening to me?
22.
HENRI
Calm down. You're going to be
okay.
John angrily holds up one of his luminescent hands.
JOHN
On what planet is this okay?
HENRI
Yours.
(BEAT)
I need to get you out of here.
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
John steps out of the darkroom wearing Henri's heavy coat.
His hands are balled and stuffed into the pockets. Henri
leads him quickly down the hall.
CUT TO:
INT. SUV - DAY - MOVING
John fearfully studies his hands which have returned to
normal, then looks over at Henri who seems oddly calm.
JOHN
Okay, start talking. What the
hell's going on?
HENRI
Your first Legacy is starting to
manifest.
JOHN
Legacy?
HENRI
An extraordinary ability. Yours is
called Lumen. They start a lot
sooner on Lorien. I was beginning
to fear yours would never emerge.
JOHN
You knew this was going to happen?
Why didn't you say anything?
HENRI
I didn't want to worry you. You
were already under enough pressure.
(SINCERE)
I'm sorry.
John acknowledges the apology, but looks at him, suspicious.
23.
JOHN
What else have you been hiding from
me?
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT
The curtains are drawn. Bernie Kosar dozes on the couch
while John and Henri sit at the table, staring at the Box.
HENRI
This couldn't be opened until your
first Legacy appeared. Ready?
John nods nervously. Henri places the fingertips of his
right hand onto five petal-shaped discs inlaid onto the lid.
John cautiously follows suit and places his fingers on the
âpetalsâ fanned across the opposite side.
THE DISCS
momentarily glow and a SHARP CLICK echoes from within. John
and Henri pull their hands away and watch as the Box
miraculously comes to life. Fissures of light sweep across
the lines of inlaid stone, dividing the lid into sections
that begin to twist and reform like high-tech origami.
JOHN
Whoa.
PUSH IN ON Bernie as he sits up and watches the Box unfold.
Like an intricate jigsaw, the sections finally regroup,
creating a new pattern on the lid. It's a familiar geometric
symbol. John touches the crystal pendant that hangs from his
neck -- the symbols are an exact match.
HENRI
Open it.
John nods, cautiously lifts the lid, revealing a neat
assortment of velvet pouches and an array of colored rocks.
They range in size and color but all share a serene beauty.
JOHN
What are they?
HENRI
Crystals from Lorien's core.
They'll guide us in your training.
John tries to reach for one, but Henri slaps his hand away.
24.
HENRI
Place your hand over them.
John follows the instruction and is amazed when a walnut-
sized crystal floats up from the Box. It slowly begins to
spin and project
A SWIRLING HOLOGRAPHIC GALAXY.
HENRI
Our solar system.
Henri points to a planet. Its oceans are dark with pollution
and its sprawling continents are barren and treeless.
HENRI
That's what Lorien looked like
thousands of years ago. We had all
the problems that Earth has today.
The planet was dying until our
people made a collective decision
to change and slowly Lorien began
to heal itself -- that's when the
Legacies started.
John watches as the spinning planet transforms before his
eyes. Its oceans turn a vibrant chroma-key blue and the land
masses become a lush emerald green.
HENRI
Only a select few developed these
abilities. They became known as
the Garde.
JOHN
That's what I am?
HENRI
Like your parents and grandparents.
John considers this new information.
JOHN
The other children in the ship...
Henri finishes John's thought.
HENRI
They're Garde as well. Once you've
mastered your Legacies, we'll find
them and face the Mogadorians
together.
John looks at Henri, curious.
25.
JOHN
What Legacy do you have?
HENRI
I don't have any and never will.
I'm your Cepan -- a teacher. My
job is not just to protect you but
to train you.
(BEAT)
Give me your hand.
Henri takes one of John's hands and pulls a cigarette lighter
from his pocket. John flinches, unsure.
HENRI
Trust me.
Henri flicks a flame to life and sweeps it under John's
outstretched palm.
HENRI
You feel that?
Amazingly, the flame harmlessly licks the skin. But when
Henri moves the lighter further up John's arm --
JOHN
Ouch.
John jerks his hand away. Henri kills the flame, shrugs.
HENRI
When we're done, your entire body
will be shielded against fire.
John rubs his singed wrist.
HENRI
You'll get other Legacies too.
JOHN
Flying would be cool.
HENRI
You don't get to pick them off a
menu.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. As John spins to the door, the
shimmering galaxy fades and the crystal drops to the floor.
HENRI
Mogs don't knock.
26.
Henri steps to his computer bank and examines a laptop
featuring live feeds from a dozen surveillance cameras he's
installed around the property.
HENRI
It's a girl.
John looks over his shoulder and reacts with surprise.
EXT. PORCH - HOUSE - NIGHT
John opens the door and finds Sarah amped.
SARAH
How'd you do it?
Her accusation startles him.
JOHN
Do what?
SARAH
Eviscerate the entire senior class?
She pulls a strip of overexposed 35mm film from her coat.
SARAH
I was in the darkroom before lunch
and they were hanging on the line
smiling and looking forward to the
future. When I got back, I found
15 rolls of negatives wiped clean.
John shrugs innocently.
JOHN
I don't know what you're talking
about.
SARAH
So you weren't in the darkroom
today?
JOHN
No.
SARAH
Here's a tip. If you're going to
lie, don't leave a big red backpack
at the scene of the crime.
She swings his backpack into view. John is mortified. He
struggles to find a plausible answer and silently tries to
quell the feeling welling in his chest.
27.
JOHN
I don't know what happened. Maybe
it's a sign that you should invest
in a digital camera.
SARAH
Digital sucks. Film tells the
truth. Clearly, I'm not going to
get that from you.
He watches as she angrily heads down the steps and climbs
into her car. John glances at his palms and is surprised to
find they are dimly luminescent.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Sarah's car sweeps out of the drive and powers towards town,
unaware of the truck parked in the shadows.
MARK JAYNE
is behind the wheel and watches as her headlights fade into
the night. OFF his simmering jealousy...
INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Bernie Kosar waits expectantly as Henri pours âDoggie Chowâ
into a bowl. John steps in.
HENRI
Everything okay?
JOHN
She was returning my backpack.
He dumps it by the door.
HENRI
I think you should stay home from
school for a couple of days.
JOHN
I'm fine.
HENRI
Just to be safe.
CUT TO:
INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
John lies on his bed, staring at his luminescent palms,
conflicted by his emotions.
28.
INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT - LATER
Moonlight cuts across Bernie Kosar who is SNORING peacefully
at the end of the bed. John tosses and turns. He finally
sits up, unable to sleep.
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - DAWN
Nursing a mug of black coffee, Henri diligently scans the
laptop screens. He's clearly never gone to bed. He looks up
as John enters wearing track gear.
JOHN
I'm going for a run.
Bernie trots out and wags his tail pleadingly.
JOHN
Sorry, buddy, you couldn't keep up.
CUT TO:
START MONTAGE:
EXT. WOODS - DAWN
EPIC AERIAL SHOT LOOKING DOWN AT AN EAGLE as it soars above
the rich kaleidoscope of trees. It almost seems to be
following John, who is powering along a narrow track below.
CUT TO:
John moves at superhuman speed, leaving a blurring wake of
leaves. His foot splits a log as he bounds over it.
CUT TO:
John charges towards a secluded stream. It's 30 feet wide.
He doesn't slow, leaps off the bank and effortlessly
hopscotches from boulder to boulder to the other side.
CUT TO:
EXT. HILL - DAWN
It offers a high-def view of Paradise. John reaches the top
and is exhilarated by the sense of temporary liberation. He
WATCHES AS
THE EAGLE
alights in a nearby oak tree. John bends to tighten his
laces, his eyes fall on the trio of scars branded on his
ankle. His happiness dims.
29.
He grits his teeth and takes off for home. As he passes the
oak, the CAMERA TRACKS TO REVEAL the gecko scampering down
the gnarled trunk.
CUT TO:
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Sam is at his locker. He glances over at John's, hoping
he'll show. Disappointed, he joins the crisscrossing throng.
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE - DAY
John âpracticesâ turning his Lumen Legacy âoffâ and âonâ.
Henri watches as John's palms glow. Â John focuses intently,
causing them to flare with sudden brilliance. Momentarily
blinded, John jerks back and topples off his chair.
CUT TO:
EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
Sarah sits in the stands, doing homework, watching Mark and
the football team practice in the cold metallic floodlight.
ON THE FIELD the ball is hiked to Mark. He looks for an
opening and fires a perfect spiral to the RECEIVER in the end
zone. Mark thumps chests with Kevin and looks up at the
stands, only to discover that Sarah is gone.
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK PORCH - HOUSE - DAY
John's playing âsupercatchâ with Bernie. He watches as the
little guy races back from the woods, clutching a ball.
Panting with exertion, the dog lays it at John's feet. John
smiles, swings back his arm and hauls the ball again.
ANGLE ON BALL: It arcs up, sails right over the garage and
drops earthwards in the heart of the woods.
Unperturbed by the superhuman throw, Bernie hightails after
the ball. Henri steps out and watches, amused, then tosses
John a pair of black driving gloves. OFF John's eye roll...
CUT TO:
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
TIGHT ON ONE OF THE GLOVES. It's now fingerless and on
John's hand. He weaves through the preclass crowd and is
about to head into the chemistry lab when he sees
30.
SARAH
disappearing into a room at the end. He's torn, then makes a
decision and does something he shouldn't -- he strides down
the hall after her.
END MONTAGE.
INT. YEARBOOK ROOM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
Sarah is alone, tacking photographs to a large board that's
lying flat on the carpet. She hears the door CLICK, turns
and coolly regards John.
SARAH
I think you have the wrong room.
She rises, walks past him and begins searching the photos
scattered on the layout table in the middle of the space.
JOHN
Wanted to apologize.
SARAH
Does the apology come with an
explanation?
He turns to go, has his hand on the door when --
SARAH
Wait.
He looks back. Her face softens.
SARAH
How about we delete Monday and
start over?
She steps forward and extends her hand.
SARAH
I'm Sarah.
JOHN
John.
TIGHT ON THEIR HANDS as they shake. She checks out his
fingerless gloves, amused.
SARAH
Nice gloves.
She crosses to the board, reaches down to lift it when John
steps behind her.
31.
He effortlessly picks it up and hooks it onto the wall. They
stand back. John stares at the collage of high school images
that captures a life he'll never know.
JOHN
You know all these people?
She nods.
SARAH
Curse of a small town. I've been
around them my whole life.
(pointing to photo)
Kim Thomas. She peed in her bed at
a sleepover when we were seven.
(POINTING)
Neil Bailey. President of the
Debate Club. Plays five
instruments. Doesn't know he's gay
yet.
(POINTING)
Mrs. Ross. AP English. She's been
here so long, she taught my mom and
my four brothers. I'm the baby of
the family in case you were
wondering.
Her curious eyes scour his face.
SARAH
So what's your story?
JOHN
Not very interesting.
SARAH
Determined to keep the mystery
alive, aren't you?
His finger arrows in on a photograph of Sarah. It's a candid
and she's taking a shot with her trademark Nikon.
JOHN
You first.
SARAH
Okay. Recovering cheerleader.
Wannabe vegetarian but I still love
burgers. Dreams of being a
photojournalist.
(BEAT)
I've never actually admitted that
last one to anybody before.
32.
JOHN
Your secret's safe with me.
She studies him, sensing a kindred spirit.
SARAH
You ever feel you don't belong in
your own life?
JOHN
Every single day.
SARAH
Wow. That almost sounded like a
straight answer.
They look at each other. There's a charged silence. The
moment is broken when --
MARK (O.S.)
What's he doing in here?
John and Sarah spin to find Mark. Sarah is flustered.
SARAH
I thought you were on two-a-days.
MARK
Coach wants me to rest my arm
before the scouts come. You didn't
answer my question?
SARAH
John was helping me move some
boards.
John turns to Sarah.
JOHN
I'm going to take off.
Mark doesn't take his eyes off John and blocks his way.
MARK
Seriously, Sarah, what's up with
this guy?
SARAH
I don't have time for this, Mark.
MARK
But you had time to go to his house
the other night.
Sarah looks at him, stunned by the admission.
33.
SARAH
You were following me?
MARK
Just trying to figure out what's
going on with you.
Sarah's shock turns to anger.
SARAH
You've crossed so many lines I
can't even speak to you right now.
She hustles out of the room. Mark glares at John.
MARK
This isn't over.
OFF John, unmoved by the threat...
CUT TO:
EXT. STILT HOUSE - FLORIDA - DUSK
The sky is even pinker than the house.
INT. STILT HOUSE - FLORIDA - DUSK
A drawer flies across THE FRAME. The place has been totally
trashed. Floorboards have been ripped up. Sofas shredded.
Nothing has been spared. CAMERA DRIFTS OVER the debris to...
INT. JOHN'S BEDROOM - STILT HOUSE - DUSK
The mattress has been dissected and its guts lie scattered.
A TEEN GIRL.
kneels in front of John's old desk searching the drawers.
She wears a biker jacket, combat boots and has a striking
âdon't-fuck-with-meâ face. Frustrated in her search, she
flings the desk against the wall. It splinters on impact.
INT. KITCHEN - STILT HOUSE - FLORIDA - DUSK
TIGHT ON THE STOVE -- a hand twists on the burners. Raw gas
HISSES. The Teen Girl makes one final scan, then heads for
the door.
EXT. STILT HOUSE - FLORIDA - DUSK
The Teen Girl strides down the steps and crosses to a sleek
Ducatti. She slips on a helmet. PUSH IN on her Arctic-blue
eyes as they focus on the house with a strange intensity.
34.
KABBBOOOOOOM!
The house detonates. The concussive force of the blast rips
the structure right off its stilts. Tornadoes of flame BLAST
through the windows as the house catapults into the air.
Orange reflections flicker on the Girl's visor as she flips
it down, REVS the motorcycle and SCREAM-PEELS down the drive
backlit by the glittering inferno...
CUT TO:
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
Sam catches John at the lockers.
SAM
Nice freakout the other day.
JOHN
Wasn't feeling well.
They twist their combination locks. Sam swings open his
door, there's a HISSING POP and
A RED INK PACK EXPLODES.
It's the kind banks use to foil heists. In a shocking
instant, Sam and the contents of his locker are splattered.
It bears a gruesome resemblance to arterial spray.
JOHN
has his door halfway open and ducks back a second before the
ink pack planted in his locker ERUPTS. The spray misses his
face but violently spits across his chest and arms. LAUGHTER
echoes behind them. John spins and finds Mark and his posse.
TIGHT ON John's hands as he balls them and an angry glow
flickers through his gloves.
MARK
(to John, taunting)
Told you it wasn't over.
Behind them, Sam's laid-back persona cracks. He frantically
clears his locker, looking for something. He finally pulls
out a photo which drips with ink, reels at the jocks.
SAM
Assholes.
John looks back at Sam. Mark seizes his chance and launches
a sucker-punch at John. But John sees it out of the corner
of his eye and in a blur of motion whips up his hand and
35.
CATCHES MARK'S FIST.
John squeezes it vice-tight. Mark grimaces in agony. His
buddies back into the CROWD OF TEENS that has gathered. John
leans in close.
JOHN
That sensation you're feeling --
remember it.
With a quick push, John shoves Mark back against the lockers.
Mark DENTS a door and slides to the floor, his eyes flaring
with lacerated pride.
JOHN
Show's over.
The crowd disperses. Mark gets to his feet and exits with
his friends, but shoots John one final wounded glare...
CUT TO:
INT. LOCKER ROOM - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
Red, ink-stained water Hitchcocks down the drain. John
wrings out his black T-shirt. He sees Sam's reflection in
the mirror. Sam puts some clothes on the bench.
SAM
I raided lost and found.
He holds up a puke-green sweater decorated with red snowmen.
John turns back to the sink.
SAM
I know. Nobody loses anything
cool.
He sits and begins to change.
SAM
Dude, the way you thrashed Mark
back there. Awesome move.
John acknowledges that with a nod. Whip-dries his shirt.
Sam plucks up the photo. The ink is now dried and cracked.
JOHN
Who's in the picture?
Sam stares at it, nostalgic.
SAM
My dad. My real dad. I took it
the summer before he split.
(MORE)
36.
SAM (CONT'D)
He dragged me and my mom all over
the Yucatan. He was looking for
evidence of ancient astronauts.
All I got was Montezuma's Revenge.
JOHN
(DEADPAN)
Sounds like a fun vacation.
SAM
I know. Insane. He called himself
an anthropologist even though he
only made it through one semester
of college.
He rises and tosses the ruined picture into the trash.
SAM
Always thought he'd come back one
day -- who was I kidding. The
guy's a joke.
As the BELL RINGS...
CUT TO:
EXT. PARADISE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
The football stadium rises like a monolith in the background.
John strides towards the tree line, headed home.
SARAH (O.S.)
John.
He turns in surprise as Sarah approaches.
SARAH
I heard about the lockers. I'm
sorry.
JOHN
I'll live.
He starts off again.
SARAH
I broke up with Mark.
He stops, slowly turns back.
SARAH
I've been thinking about doing it
for a while... today just finally
pushed me over the edge.
37.
He studies her face.
JOHN
Why are you telling me?
She bows her head, suddenly embarrassed.
SARAH
I don't know.
JOHN
You made the right call.
The certainty of his voice soothes her. She looks up and
holds his gaze. Their attraction is undeniable.
SARAH
Halloween Block Party's tonight.
JOHN
I saw the banners.
SARAH
I'll be on Main Street hiding
behind my camera if you want to
swing by.
He says nothing.
SARAH
I wasn't expecting an actual
response. I could text you later.
Do they have cell phones on Planet
John?
She holds out her phone. John looks at it tentatively, then
takes it. As he inputs his number, he hears the BLARE of a
car horn, looks up and sees Henri waiting in his SUV.
INT. SUV - DAY
John climbs in.
HENRI
Wasn't that your friend from the
other night?
JOHN
Her name's Sarah.
(ANNOYED)
I didn't ask for a ride home.
HENRI
Principal called. Said there was
an incident.
38.
John stares out the window, guilty.
JOHN
A guy was messing with me. I took
care of it. Problem solved.
HENRI
You're stronger and faster because
of Earth's gravity -- you shouldn't
use that advantage to settle petty
scores.
JOHN
It was no big deal. Don't blow it
out of proportion.
HENRI
You can't risk everything over
wounded pride.
JOHN
I wasn't looking for a fight. It
just happened. Get off my back.
Henri pulls a printout from his coat. John unfolds it.
ANGLE ON PRINTOUT: It's from the Florida Keynoter website
and features a photo of the charred stilt house.
John's gut churns as he stares at the image.
HENRI
Article says it was arson.
JOHN
We were clean. There's no way the
Mogs can track us here.
Henri shakes his head, shifts into gear and starts off.
HENRI
They can track us anywhere. I
think it's time you saw what you're
really up against.
CUT TO:
INT. GARAGE - DAY
Sunlight razors across workbenches cluttered with rusty
tools. Henri and John stand in the middle of the space.
THE BOX
39.
is open on the floor between them. John lifts his hand and
holds it over the crystals.
ONE RISES.
It's white and as thick as two fingers. It floats in front
of John's face. He tentatively reaches out. When he grips
it, a shock wave of light blasts out, totally WIPING OUT THE
FRAME and transporting him into
A VISCERAL MEMORY.
EXT. LORIEN - NIGHT
EXPLOSIONS rock and the SCREAMS of the dying echo. AN OLD
MAN hustles A TERRIFIED BOY through the murderous
bombardment. The air is choked with ash and smoke.
The boy is 7-year-old John. The man is his grandfather.
Young John glances up and sees
AN ARMADA OF BATTLESHIPS
eclipsing Lorien's two moons. The angular hulls of the craft
are scarred from galactic battles new and ancient and unleash
an endless crisscrossing FRENZY OF MISSILES.
GRANDFATHER
(in Loric with subtitles)
Keep moving.
EXT. TEMPLE - NIGHT
It wouldn't look out of place in ancient Rome. Young John
and his grandfather race up the steps.
INT. SANCTUARY - TEMPLE - NIGHT
A statue of Lorien's most famous warrior, Pittacus Lore,
towers in the middle of the chamber. His noble face is
illuminated in a shaft of flame-tainted moonlight.
FOOTSTEPS ECHO!
Young John and his grandfather scramble across the space and
straight into the path of
TWO MOGADORIAN SOLDIERS.
The Soldiers' pallid faces flash with smiles. Swords drawn,
they move in for the kill when one is skewered in the throat
by a crystal-handled dagger.
MAGENTA LIGHT
40.
spurts from the wound. The Soldier's body fractures like
glass and DISINTEGRATES in a shower of embers as he drops to
the floor. The other Mogadorian spins and trades SPARKING
sword strokes with
A CLOAKED FIGURE.
It's a violent battle of wills which ends when the Cloaked
Figure kicks up the dead Soldier's sword and impales it into
the Mogadorian's chest. The Soldier EVISCERATES in a cloud
of HISSING cinders.
Young John watches in awed terror as the Cloaked Figure steps
towards him and pulls back his hood.
IT'S HENRI.
He looks younger, the years of hiding have aged him. John's
grandfather lifts a familiar crystal pendant from his neck
and places it over Young John's head.
GRANDFATHER
This is your Cepan. Go with him.
YOUNG JOHN
No!
HENRI
Your life is my life now. I will
always protect you.
GRANDFATHER
(TO HENRI)
He must survive.
A BLAST scorches across the space. Henri spots
A MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
hunkered behind a column, his red coat billows behind him
like a curse.
GRANDFATHER
They are already hunting you! Go!
Henri plucks a crystal ankle-dagger from his boot, grabs
young John and charges up. As the Commander breaks cover,
Henri hurls the dagger.
THE COMMANDER
dives out of its path but ROARS as the blade SPARK-RIPS
across his right cheek like a hot poker.
41.
EXT. TEMPLE - NIGHT
Henri yanks Young John by the hand. They take off in one
direction while John's grandfather heads off in the other.
A MOGADORIAN TRANSPORT CRAFT
suddenly swoops between them. The HOWLS of its occupants
ricochet through the night. The heat from its engines washes
the ground, warping the destruction like a ghastly mirage as
two bay doors open. Young John looks back through the heat-
haze and catches a impressionistic view as
TWO PIKEN
leap out. Their reptilian bodies ripple with muscle and
their oversize heads glint with raptor-like jaws. The Piken
mercilessly rip into John's grandfather. Young John races to
help, but Henri wrenches him back. CAMERA PUSHES IN TIGHT ON
YOUNG JOHN'S FACE as he screams...
YOUNG JOHN
Nooooooooooo!
THE MEMORY ENDS and we...
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. GARAGE - DAY
TIGHT ON JOHN screaming...
JOHN
Nooooooooooo!
He drops the crystal and stumbles back. The experience has
left him traumatized. Henri steps towards him, but John is
too overwhelmed and runs out.
EXT. STREAM - WOODS - DAY
A stone angrily SKIPS across the water. John is about to
toss another when Bernie Kosar trots into view. He ruffles
the dog's fur but doesn't turn when Henri steps out of the
woods and crosses to his side.
JOHN
I saw my grandfather. I saw what
you did to the Mogadorians -- you
saved my life.
HENRI
A lot of Lorics sacrificed their
lives so that you could live.
42.
John is still trying to process the memory.
JOHN
He said I must survive.
HENRI
The Elders had a plan. You weren't
on that ship by chance. The nine
of you were chosen for a reason.
Even if only two of you live,
together you'll pose a grave threat
to our enemy.
Consumed by bitterness, John hurls another stone.
JOHN
You saw what they did to Lorien.
How can nine or six or two of us
take on that army? It's hopeless.
Henri knows he has to pull him out of this mournful funk.
HENRI
I never thought we'd get off Lorien
alive -- but we did. I didn't know
how we could survive on a strange
planet -- but we have. I gave us
six months before the Mogs found us
-- it's been 10 years. Don't give
up now.
Henri grips John's shoulders.
HENRI
You have the potential to do great
things. Even if you don't see it --
I do.
JOHN
How can you put so much faith in
me?
HENRI
Because your life is my life. If
you quit, then everything I've
worked for and sacrificed is
meaningless.
(BEAT)
Remember -- nothing is inevitable.
The fragile SILENCE is broken when John's cell phone BLEATS.
He scans a text.
43.
JOHN
It's Sarah. The Block Party's
tonight. I'll say I can't make it.
Henri sees John is wracked with doubt and confusion.
HENRI
No... go.
John looks at him, surprised by this paternal gesture.
HENRI
You've had enough for one day.
CUT TO:
EXT. MAIN STREET - PARADISE - NIGHT
A Halloween parade drifts past the CROWDS packing the
sidewalks. Icicle lights twinkle in the trees. EXCITED KIDS
in costume zigzag past John. It's small-town Americana at
its best. ET waddles by holding a JEDI's hand.
A SLAP ON GLASS.
John turns and is amused to find Sam standing among the
mannequins in the display window of a sporting goods store.
INT. ED'S SPORTING GOODS STORE - NIGHT
An annoying CHIME plays as the door opens and John enters.
The store is deserted. The stock needs to be updated and the
shelves could use a dust. Sam approaches wearing an apron.
JOHN
You work here?
SAM
Not by choice.
(pointing to sign)
Ed's my stepdad. He's under the
delusion that if people eat enough
candy apples and kettle corn,
they'll suddenly have the urge to
buy sporting goods.
John plucks a hockey mask from the basket on the counter.
SAM
I put those on special tonight for
any wannabe Jason Voorhees.
Sam pulls off his apron, revealing a T-shirt emblazoned with
the words âFuture Supervillainâ.
44.
SAM
Screw this. Let me lock up. I'll
hang with you.
He steps to the door and twists the closed sign into view.
JOHN
What about your stepdad?
SAM
He hit the tavern at 6:00. He's
already hammered by now. I'll
probably find him passed out on the
doorstep. Every night is trick âr
treat at my house.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
John and Sam wander past the parade floats lined up along the
road bordering the woods. Stalls sell hot dogs and cotton
candy. John subtly scans the crowd.
SAM
She's over there.
John follows Sam's gaze and finds Sarah taking shots of some
KIDS dunking for apples. She pulls the camera from her eye,
sees John and smiles as he approaches.
SARAH
You made it.
(re: Sam's shirt)
Like the T-shirt, Sam.
SAM
Guidance Counsellor said I need to
set goals for myself. Figured I'd
aim high.
She looks back at John.
SARAH
What do you think of Halloween in
Paradise?
John regards a particularly over-the-top float.
JOHN
They should pull out all the stops
next year.
SARAH
Well, you haven't had the full
experience until you've been on the
Haunted Hayride.
45.
She motions to the picnic area where TEENS are lining up to
get on tractor-pulled hay wagons. The wagons lurch through
the mouth of a giant cutout devil and into the woods.
SARAH
Give me a sec.
She steps to the face-painting booth. It's sponsored by the
local realtor who is Sarah's mom, Annie. Sarah hands Annie
her camera. Sam whispers to John.
SAM
I'm impressed.
Before John can respond, Sarah steps back.
SARAH
You guys ready?
SAM
Three on a wagon might get a little
crowded. I'll meet you two on the
other side.
He gives John a not-so-subtle wink of encouragement. John
and Sarah join the end of the line and watch Sam head away.
SARAH
Sam's cool.
JOHN
Definitely unique.
SARAH
I haven't really talked to him
since 8th grade. Mark had a tight
circle. If you weren't a jock or
cheerleader, you didn't exist.
JOHN
I'm glad you broke free.
SARAH
Me too.
OFF their growing connection...
CUT TO:
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
The path is lined with human heads piked to wooden stakes.
SCREAMS, WAILS and GHOULISH HOWLS boom from hidden speakers.
46.
OMINOUS POV: WATCHES from the trees as a wagon with John and
Sarah RATTLES into view. It's driven by the GRIM REAPER.
FIVE GIANT RUBBER SPIDERS
drop from the trees. Sarah freaks as the arachnids dangle
over their heads on wires. She rubs her hair, flustered,
looks over at John, who is coolly amused by the cheap scares.
SARAH
Not even a flinch. None of this
scares you, does it?
JOHN
I'm trembling on the inside.
He smiles.
SARAH
You can smile. I was starting to
have my doubts.
She takes his hand. They CLATTER past a series of grisly
TABLEAUX:
A TEEN jerks and SCREAMS in mock agony as he is fried in an
antiquated electric chair.
A BLOOD-SPLATTERED DOCTOR CACKLES as he hacksaws the legs off
a CHEERLEADER chained to a gurney.
A squad of blood-hungry VAMPIRIC FOOTBALL PLAYERS attacks a
rival team of WEREWOLVES.
EXT. CLEARING - WOODS - NIGHT
Ghosts float in the branches as the wagon LURCHES to a stop.
GRIM REAPER
Hell's Gate, everybody off.
The duo reluctantly clambers off the back and watches as the
hay wagon circles back the way it came.
SARAH
Once we make it through, we're home
free.
A SKELETON
pendulums in front of them. Sarah SCREAMS and clenches
John's hand harder. A pathway of lights floods on,
illuminating a skull-capped gate. The words
âYOUR NUMBER'S UP!â
47.
are scrawled across it in fake blood.
EXT. TUNNEL - WOODS - NIGHT
John and Sarah step through the gate and enter a natural
tunnel of dense, overhanging branches. A fog machine gently
COUGHS, and spiderwebs stretch across the sides.
They are about 20 feet into the tunnel when the lights go
out. Somewhere a CHAINSAW sputters to life. White strobe
lights suddenly flare on and
TWO CHAINSAW-WIELDING ZOMBIES
burst through the gates behind them. The teens take off.
It's like a flickering scene from a demented silent movie.
The Zombies have almost caught up when the strobe abruptly
ends. The SOUND of the chainsaws FADES and John and Sarah
stop, panting and LAUGHING with relief.
SARAH
That was insane.
IT'S PITCH BLACK.
A werewolf HOWLS somewhere in the darkness. Something
brushes past John's leg. He spins, suddenly unsure.
JOHN
What was that?
SARAH
Just part of the ride.
He turns, sees a flash of purple light and hears the rustle
of HEAVY FOOTSTEPS on all sides.
JOHN
Are you sure?
As he steps forward,
A THICK BRANCH
cuts through the dark and viciously SMACKS John on the back.
He drops to the ground like a sack. Figures emerge from the
shadows and he hears a DESPERATE STRUGGLE behind him.
SARAH
Let go! Stop it!
John tries to stand, but a boot CRACKS him in the ribs.
Another strikes the side of his face. He is surrounded. His
attackers are brutal and unrelenting. Over the LOOPING
SOUNDTRACK OF B-MOVIE NOISES, Sarah's muffled SCREAMS DIM.
48.
JOHN
Sarah! Sa-
His voice is cut off as a fist SMASHES into his jaw and the
steel cap of a combat boot SLAMS his groin. John staggers up
but is viciously kicked back to the ground.
PUSH IN ON JOHN'S FACE as it hardens with blind rage. In a
blur of motion he reaches up, grabs two of his attackers by
their coats and hammers their skulls together. As they drop,
John spins to meet his other two foes with
BLINDING PALMS OF LIGHT.
The assailants are illuminated in the phosphorescent glare.
They're not Mogadorians but rather
FOOTBALL JOCKS.
One is Mark Jayne's buddy Kevin. They're wearing zombie
makeup and military fatigues and have night-vision goggles
strapped to their faces.
John angrily strides forward, palm outstretched.
NIGHT-VISION POV: Everything is an overexposed blur until --
WHAAAAM!!!
John brutally clotheslines one, then pummel-rams Kevin in the
chest, sending him flying back 10 feet into a tree. Kevin
slumps, out for the count. John arcs a glowing hand through
the darkness.
SARAH IS GONE.
He plucks up the Jocks' fallen goggles and heads off with
Terminator-like determination.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Sarah is carried through the woods by TWO ZOMBIE JOCKS in
camouflage fatigues and night-vision goggles. She SCREAMS.
SARAH
Let go of me!
She futilely tries to wrestle free.
EXT. PICNIC AREA - WOODS - NIGHT
Sam is waiting by the exit to the hayride when he hears --
49.
SARAH (O.S.)
(in the woods)
Help! Somebody!
Something about her terrified tone alerts Sam.
SAM
Sarah?
She doesn't answer. He hesitates a moment, then charges into
the woods.
INT. WOODS - NIGHT
Freaky shadows crisscross as John uses his luminescent palms
to navigate his way through the labyrinth of trees.
INT. CLEARING - WOODS - NIGHT
Sam scrambles blindly through the darkness.
JOHN (O.S.)
SARAH!
Sam turns in the direction of JOHN'S VOICE. He's about to
head towards it when
TWO ZOMBIE JOCKS
trudge into view. Sam darts behind a tree. Suddenly, the
area is flooded with preternatural white light. He can hear
the sounds of a SCUFFLE and one of the Jocks flies past and
CRASHES in a heap while the other SCREAMS.
JOCK (O.S.)
You're blinding me! Stop!
Sam cautiously sneaks a peek, shields his eyes with a hand.
WHAT HE SEES: John pins the Jock to a tree and holds a
luminous palm up to the lenses of the teen's goggles.
JOHN
Where's Sarah? Tell me!!
JOCK
Shepherd Falls. Now turn off that
damn flashlight!
John rips off the Jock's goggles, then pile-slides him 15
feet into a rotten stump and takes off in a blur of speed.
CAMERA STAYS ON SAM. OFF his stunned reaction...
CUT TO:
50.
EXT. SHEPHERD FALLS - WOODS - NIGHT
A rocky promontory overlooks a crescent-shaped waterfall
which drops into a swimming hole below. The Zombie Jocks
carry Sarah into view and dump her in front of Mark. She's
wild-cat angry when she sees him.
SARAH
Are you crazy! Where's John?
Mark nods the Zombie Jocks away.
MARK
Relax. It's a practical joke.
SARAH
I swear if you hurt him --
MARK
Why do you give a shit?
SARAH
Get out of my face, Mark, you're
pathetic.
MARK
I'm the best thing that ever
happened to you and I'm giving you
one more chance.
Appalled by his hubris, Sarah turns to leave.
MARK
Don't walk away from me!
Mark grabs her. Sarah wrenches free, but loses her balance
and falls back on the ground. Mark's rage is transplanted by
concern. He steps towards her to help when --
JOHN (O.S.)
Back off!
Mark watches John step out. Blood trickles from a cut above
John's right eye.
SARAH
John! Are you okay?
He nods. Mark looks past him, confused.
MARK
Where the hell are Kevin and Joe?
John holds up a clutch of night-vision goggles.
51.
JOHN
They got spooked.
MARK
Hey, those are police property!
John flings them over Mark's head into the water.
MARK
I'm going to kill you!
With lightning speed, John grabs Mark's arm, spins him,
pinning him to a tree. Blinded by rage, John jerks Mark's
arm up behind his back.
SARAH
John! Stop!
Mark is in real pain. Transfixed with anger, John keeps
twisting. Sarah looks at him, pleading.
SARAH
That's his throwing arm!
But he doesn't stop until she finally steps forward and slaps
him across the face. Startled, John lets go.
SARAH
Football's all he's got.
John stumbles back, ashamed, and heads into the woods. Sarah
offers Mark a look of disgust and follows after John.
EXT. TREE LINE - NIGHT
John charges into view.
SARAH
John! Wait.
Sarah catches up.
SARAH
I'm sorry, I didn't want you to
break his arm.
JOHN
I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at
myself.
She stops, faces him.
52.
SARAH
I had no idea Mark would pull
something like that. He has
seriously gone off the deep end.
JOHN
The guy's in love with you. Wants
you back.
SARAH
That's not love.
Their eyes meet in the moonlight.
SARAH
Walk me home?
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
It's a picture-book perfect neighborhood. Most of the houses
are festively decorated with front-yard graveyards and cobweb-
festooned trees. John walks with Sarah. They come to the
prettiest house on the block.
SARAH
This is me.
John stares at the dozen jack-o'-lanterns arranged on the
porch. They glare back with flickering bucktooth grins.
SARAH
I know. Wait until the Christmas
decorations go up. My mom decks
the halls with so many lights, you
can see our house from space.
Stray TRICK-OR-TREATERS race past. She motions to the cut
above his eye, concerned.
SARAH
You should see a doctor.
JOHN
For this? Wouldn't waste their
time.
She looks at him, curious.
SARAH
You're not going to tell me how you
took out those football players,
are you?
53.
He says nothing. She smiles.
SARAH
I really don't get you.
She steps closer.
SARAH
But I feel like I can trust you.
JOHN
You can.
The air is charged.
SARAH
Good night.
Sarah swings open the white picket gate.
JOHN
Wait.
As she turns back, John steps forward and kisses her.
Although taken by surprise, Sarah quickly succumbs to his
passion. However, as their kiss intensifies,
THE JACK-O'-LANTERNS
rise and hover in midair. Sarah has her back to them, but
when John's eyes momentarily flicker open, he sees the orbs
grinning back. Startled, he pulls away from her.
THE PUMPKINS
instantly drop and SMASH onto the porch, their candles
blowing out on impact. Sarah spins and stares at the jack-o'-
lanterns, pulp oozes through their cracked shells.
Suspicious, she slowly turns, looks at John for an
explanation. He does his best to cover his stunned reaction.
Fat drops of RAIN begin to fall. John puts up his hood.
JOHN
I better go.
OFF Sarah, watching him melt into the downpour...
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT
Rain HAMMERS. Bernie is asleep on a blanket. John creeps
into the darkness, soaked to the bone, when --
54.
HENRI
I heard on the police scanner that
eight boys were beaten up in the
woods tonight.
Henri turns on a light, nursing a mug of coffee. Bernie
wakes. John pulls off his hood. Henri looks at the cuts and
bruises on John's face.
JOHN
They won't talk.
HENRI
That was a stupid thing to do.
What were you thinking?
JOHN
They attacked me. If I hadn't
defended myself, I'd be in the ER
right now. Would that have been
the better choice?
(STEPPING FORWARD)
You've got to start trusting me!
Emotionally charged, John points his finger at Henri,
accidentally causing the mug to telekinetically
EXPLODE.
Coffee and shards splatter across the floor. Henri looks at
John, stunned. John shrugs sheepishly.
JOHN
I was getting to that. I got a new
Legacy.
Henri absorbs that revelation.
HENRI
Telekinesis. That's a big step.
Must have been triggered by the
fight.
John doesn't correct him, averts his gaze.
HENRI
I need to teach you how to control
these abilities. We'll start
working on that tomorrow.
The conversation is suddenly interrupted by the repetitive
WHINE OF AN ALARM. They cross to the bank of computers.
Henri urgently stabs commands into a keyboard.
55.
JOHN
What is it?
Henri pulls up a website.
HENRI
We got a hit on one of the search
words.
(SCANNING)
It's a paranormal blog. âThey Walk
Among Us!â
ANGLE ON COMPUTER: A video buffers into motion. It's
handheld and jerky. It WHIP-PANS over some sand and joins a
group of Teens huddled over a figure lying in the surf. He's
holding his ankle and light seeps between his fingers.
John's chest pounds with fear as he realizes...
JOHN
That's Sand Dollar Beach.
HENRI
Looks like a cell phone camera.
There's enough for the Mogs to ID
your face.
JOHN
Can you take it down?
Henri remains ice calm and starts typing commands.
HENRI
Working on it.
JOHN
I'm sorry, Henri.
HENRI
This isn't your fault. There's
still nothing to trace us here.
Henri glances up from his screen.
HENRI
This could take all night. Get
some sleep.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT
John dumps his hoodie on the floor and slumps on his bed. He
pulls his phone out of his jeans and sees a new text message
from Sam. He CLICKS it open.
56.
PUSH IN ON JOHN'S FACE as he scans the message with alarm.
He sits bolt-upright, gripped with dread. He checks the
message again.
TIGHT ON PHONE: âI SAW WHAT U DID IN THE WOODS. NEED 2 TALK.
2NITE. MY GARAGE.â
JOHN hits delete and clenches the phone in his palm. A bad
night just got worse.
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT
Henri is illuminated by the dirty glow on the computers.
His fingers work the keys with expert precision. He's so
focused on the task that he doesn't notice
JOHN
blur ACROSS THE FRAME of one of the surveillance camera
screens and disappear into the woods.
CUT TO:
EXT. SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT
John cautiously approaches. It's a â50s ranch style. The
garage adjoins the house. The lights are out. RAIN bullets
off the garage door which is partially concertinaed open.
INT. GARAGE - SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT
John slides into view. It takes a second for his eyes to
adjust. A pickup sits under a white tarp. There's no sign
of Sam until he Boo Radley's out of the shadows behind him.
SAM
I've narrowed it down to three
possibilities: you're a genetic
experiment, you're a freak of
nature, or you're an
extraterrestrial.
JOHN
I don't know what you think
happened tonight...
Sam steps closer, watery reflections ripple down his face.
SAM
Your hands lit up like a firefly on
crack, you tossed those football
players around like crash test
dummies, and you took off faster
than an Olympic runner.
(MORE)
57.
SAM (CONT'D)
(BEAT)
Did I leave anything out?
John silently reels.
JOHN
What do you want from me?
SAM
I just want to know who you are.
John looks at Sam, realizes he's not going to give up. He
hesitates, then finally surrenders...
JOHN
I'm a survivor from a planet called
Lorien.
Sam absorbs this confession with awe.
SAM
Your dad... he's from there too?
JOHN
Henri's not my dad. He's my
Guardian. If he found out you knew
about us, we'd be gone by morning.
(PLEADING)
I don't want to leave Paradise.
SAM
I won't tell anyone.
John nods, grateful.
SAM
There's something I want to show
you.
CUT TO:
The tarp is whipped off the pickup truck. It's an old Ford.
Sam and John stand before it.
SAM
The cops found it abandoned in the
middle of Route 20, just south of
White Sands, New Mexico. It was my
dad's. He went missing six years
ago. He was on one of his crazy
fact-finding trips. He believed we
weren't alone in the universe.
Sam rubs his hand across the hood, wondering.
58.
SAM
Mom figured he was having an affair
and took off. All these years I
thought she was right. Now you're
here.
JOHN
That doesn't prove anything.
SAM
It proves he wasn't crazy. I'm
starting to think that he didn't
bail on us... that maybe something
else happened out there -- that he
was taken.
The moment is broken by the SLAM of the front door and the
sound of ANGRY FOOTSTEPS. Sam instantly tenses.
SAM
Guess the bar closed.
ED (O.S.)
Sam! Where are you?
His speech is slurred and aggressive.
ED (O.S.)
You think I wouldn't hear you
locked up early!
John looks at Sam, shocked and concerned.
JOHN
You going to be okay?
SAM
If he finds you here, it'll be
worse.
(BEAT)
Go.
Sam crosses to the door leading into the main house and heads
inside. SHOUTS erupt almost immediately. John flinches,
wanting to intervene, but finally turns, hustles under the
garage door and slips into the night...
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - DAY
Henri is hammering at the keyboard of one of his computers.
John enters with two mugs of coffee.
59.
JOHN
You look wiped.
Henri turns and smiles playfully.
HENRI
I wasn't the only who was up last
night.
John nervously hands Henri one of the cups and lies...
JOHN
Sarah texted me. I went over to
her house.
Henri buys the explanation and swings back to his computers.
HENRI
I've tried every trick I know, but
I can't crack that blog's firewall.
JOHN
There must be a way.
HENRI
We need to find where the site's
located and take it offline
manually. The URL source has been
run through a labyrinth of servers,
it could take weeks to track down.
JOHN
I want to help.
Henri takes a gulp of coffee and stands.
HENRI
You can. Get changed.
CUT TO:
START MONTAGE:
EXT. BACK YARD - HOUSE - DAY
TIGHT ON A WELDING TORCH as it's sparked to life.
Its flame HISSES as Henri sweeps it towards John, who is
standing shirtless. Bernie watches, curious, as Henri washes
the flame harmlessly up John's naked arm and torso.
60.
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
The walls are now adorned with Thanksgiving banners. John
and Sam head past the lockers. Mark and the Jocks move out
of their way, acknowledging the new high school dynamic.
INT. KITCHEN - HOUSE - NIGHT
Using his telekinesis, John strains to lift a tennis ball.
It momentarily RATTLES, then stops. Henri is not impressed.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
Bernie darts ahead as John and Sarah walk through a crimson
cascade of falling leaves. As they kiss, the leaves around
them freeze midair and slowly begin to drift upwards.
INT. GARAGE - SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT
John helps Sam with a dusty box. It's stuffed with Sam's
dad's old papers and books. We CATCH tantalizing glimpses of
images: Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, the Rings of Saturn...
INT. INTERNET CAFE - NASHVILLE - DAY
It's a Vandy student hangout. CAMERA DRIFTS over a row of
computer terminals and FINDS the Teen Girl who torched the
stilt house. She's studying her computer screen intently.
REVERSE TO REVEAL: She is watching the cell phone footage of
John on the âThey Walk Among Usâ blog.
INT. KITCHEN - HOUSE - DAY
Under Henri's watchful gaze, John focuses on a tennis ball.
It RISES. John grins in triumph, causing the ball to drop
and bounce on the floor. Strike two.
INT. CAFETERIA - PARADISE HIGH - DAY
Mark silently stews when he sees Sarah and John sitting
together at a table.
EXT. BACK YARD - HOUSE - DAY
Bernie pogos on his back legs, trying to bite the tennis ball
that John telekinetically hovers just out of the dog's reach.
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - NIGHT
CLOSE ON A LAPTOP scrolling with endless lines of URL
addresses. REVERSE TO REVEAL Henri studying the screen.
Waiting. Watching.
61.
EXT. BACK YARD - HOUSE - DAY
John is fully submerged in an old claw-foot tub.
GO TO JOHN'S DISTORTED VIEW LOOKING UP at Henri as he drops a
match into the tub. The liquid instantly IGNITES and we
realize John's lying in gasoline. He sits up, rests his
hands behind his head as the FLAMES harmlessly lick his face.
INT. BACK YARD - HOUSE - DAY
The trees are now bare. John stands 20 feet from Henri and
nods. Henri flicks the switch of an automated tennis ball
server. John's face is a mask of concentration as the yellow
balls fly towards him. He holds up his hand and the balls
STOP IN MIDAIR.
It's like they've hit an invisible wall two feet from his
hand. They hang there. John sees a smile sneak onto Henri's
face and momentarily loses focus, causing the wall to
collapse and the balls to drop into the mud.
END MONTAGE.
CUT TO:
INT. BATHROOM - DAY
Bernie looks like a drowned rat. He's sitting in the tub
being scrubbed by John and Sarah.
SARAH
I don't see any family pictures
around. I guess the photo aversion
is hereditary.
He greets the observation with a shrug. She carries on.
SARAH
Your mom... grandparents. Is there
anyone else in your life?
JOHN
They died.
SARAH
I'm sorry.
JOHN
It was a long time ago. It's just
me and my dad now.
John uses a nail brush to clean the beagle's ears.
62.
SARAH
I get the feeling he doesn't like
me very much.
JOHN
It takes him a while to warm up to
people.
Sarah considers this.
SARAH
Thanksgiving's tomorrow. Why don't
you bring your dad and celebrate
with us?
JOHN
I don't know. Are there going to
be a lot of people?
SARAH
A tsunami of relatives. But don't
worry, I'll shield you from the
wave. Besides, I want everyone to
meet you.
She playfully splashes him. Their faces inch closer. They
begin making out hot and heavy until Henri suddenly walks in.
HENRI
I've found the --
Caught in the act, the teens lurch away from each other.
JOHN
Just giving Bernie a quick bath.
HENRI
You're clearly putting a lot of
effort into it.
SARAH
I better hit the road.
(TO JOHN)
See you tomorrow. Twoish.
(GRABBING BACKPACK)
Bye, Mr. Smith.
OFF John as she hustles out...
INT. LIVING ROOM - HOUSE - DAY
Henri sits in front of his computers. John enters with
Bernie, who is wrapped in a beach towel. He begins drying
the dog in front of the fire. Henri breaks the silence.
63.
HENRI
I finally tracked the location of
that blog. It's a house in Warsaw,
Indiana. About four hours from
here. I'm heading up there
tomorrow.
JOHN
Sarah invited us to Thanksgiving.
I told her we'd be there.
HENRI
Send my regrets.
JOHN
You shouldn't go alone. It could
be dangerous.
HENRI
I won't risk taking you. I'll
leave early and be back by five.
John looks up and sees Henri sitting in solitude.
JOHN
Don't you ever get lonely?
Surprised by the question, Henri swivels to face him.
HENRI
How could I? I have you.
JOHN
You know what I mean. All these
years, there's never been anyone.
HENRI
We aren't like humans. Once we
fall in love, it's for life. The
pain of separation is unbearable.
Henri's face clouds with melancholy and he abruptly gets up.
As he heads into the kitchen John studies him with new eyes.
INT. KITCHEN - HOUSE - DAY
Steam billows as Henri washes up. He keeps his back to John
when he enters. John waits then softly asks...
JOHN
What was her name?
Henri slots a plate onto the draining board.
64.
HENRI
Anastasia.
JOHN
You left her to save me.
HENRI
You're not responsible for what
happened to her -- they are.
He slowly turns and regards John with deep paternal concern.
HENRI
I looked at her the way you look at
Sarah.
(BEAT)
She can't come with us when we
leave -- and we always have to
leave, you know that.
John nods, not wanting to deal with that reality.
HENRI
I was hoping to protect you from
that pain.
JOHN
You can't protect me from
everything.
OFF Henri's sad smile of acknowledgement...
CUT TO:
EXT. SARAH'S HOUSE - DAY
The Halloween decorations have been replaced by a
Thanksgiving display.
Wearing khakis and a pale blue Oxford, John tentatively walks
up the front path. The warm sound of LAUGHTER drifts from
inside. He takes a breath and rings the doorbell.
INT. KITCHEN - SARAH'S HOUSE - DAY
It's like a Norman Rockwell cover come to life. Every inch
of counter space is filled with platters of food.
John watches Sarah, Annie, and a boisterous ASSORTMENT OF
RELATIVES put the finishing touches to the Thanksgiving
feast. KIDS rush in and out in a manic game of tag.
John is captivated by the sense of family and celebration --
things he's never known in his own life. Sarah steps over.
She's wearing a funky-cool vintage dress.
65.
SARAH
Come on, we're on gravy-boat duty.
INT. DINING ROOM - SARAH'S HOUSE - DAY
The table is decorated with garlands of autumn leaves and an
elaborate pine cone centerpiece. Sarah places the last
turkey-shaped gravy boat onto the table. She smiles at John.
SARAH
You look dazed.
JOHN
Just taking it all in.
She crosses.
SARAH
I'm glad you came.
They tenderly kiss until Annie bustles in carrying a steaming
bowl of mashed potatoes.
ANNIE
Don't mind me.
She puts the bowl on the table and grabs Sarah's camera.
ANNIE
Let's get a picture of you two
lovebirds.
Sarah cringes as Annie lifts the camera to her eye.
SARAH
Mom. No. John really doesn't like
having his --
JOHN
It's okay. Let her take it.
The gesture means the world to Sarah. He puts his arm around
her. Sarah nestles her face against his. As the flash WIPES
OUT THE FRAME...
CUT TO:
INT. DINING ROOM - SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Red candles flicker. Sarah's DAD is expertly carving the
turkey. Everybody is at the table. John sits next to Sarah.
She holds his hand under the table. It's Hallmark worthy
until the carriage clock on the mantel CHIMES.
IT'S SIX O'CLOCK.
66.
John looks at his phone. No messages. His brow creases with
concern. He turns to Sarah, whispers.
JOHN
I need to check in with Henri.
He exits.
EXT. FRONT PORCH - SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT
John speed dials as he steps out into the cold. He holds the
phone to his ear. It rings three times and then is answered.
JOHN
(INTO PHONE)
Henri?
CLICK. The call is hung up. Suddenly on edge, John redials.
This time it's picked up immediately.
JOHN
(INTO PHONE)
Henri?
MAN (V.O.)
(OVER PHONE)
Are you one of them too?
John reacts to the chilling menace of the Man's tone.
JOHN
(INTO PHONE)
Who are you? Where's Henri?
CLICK. John jerks the phone from his ear and stares at it,
panicked. He paces, desperate and unsure, then gets an idea
and punches another number.
JOHN
(INTO PHONE)
I need your help.
INT. DINING ROOM - SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The food is getting cold. Everybody is waiting for John.
Sarah catches her mother's disapproving look.
SARAH
I'll see what's taking him so long.
EXT. PORCH - SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Sarah steps out just in time to see John climb into a pickup
truck. It's the one from Sam's garage.
67.
SARAH
John!
He looks back.
JOHN
It's Henri. I have to go. Sorry.
OFF her confused disappointment as the truck SQUEALS away...
INT. PICKUP - NIGHT - MOVING
Sam is behind the wheel.
JOHN
Thanks. I owe you.
SAM
Anything to get out of Thanksgiving
at my house.
He offers John a weary smile.
SAM
I checked out that blog on the way
over. Saw the video. What was the
deal with your ankle?
John pulls up his khakis, shows Sam the trio of scars.
JOHN
Death scars.
SAM
They kind of look like the symbols
in my dad's research.
(THINKING)
You guys don't --
JOHN
Abduct people? No.
Irritated, he covers them back up.
SAM
How about the ones you said were
hunting you?
JOHN
They're capable of anything.
(URGENT)
We need to get to Warsaw -- now.
68.
Suddenly, John's cell phone RINGS. He snatches it up, but is
disappointed to see the name âSARAHâ flashing on the LCD. He
hits ignore and the truck hurtles into the dark.
CUT TO:
EXT. WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
It's a dilapidated Victorian. Mist shrouds the yard which is
littered with junked cars and trash. The pickup crawls to a
stop in the shadows across the street.
INT. PICKUP TRUCK - NIGHT
The teens sit in silence.
JOHN
Number 417. Henri tracked the URL
to that house.
Sam scans the street.
SAM
I don't see his SUV anywhere.
JOHN
He would have parked it across
town.
Sam opens the glove compartment and pulls out a revolver.
SAM
Stole it from Ed.
(BEAT)
Let's move.
John yanks Sam's arm away from the door handle.
JOHN
I called you because I needed a
ride, not a sidekick. If I could
have run here, I would have.
(BEAT)
Go home. I'll call you when I get
back.
OFF Sam as John climbs out alone...
EXT. WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
It's graveyard quiet. John nervously sneaks down the side of
the house. His breath fogs as he inch-CREAKS up the wooden
STEPS TO
THE KITCHEN PORCH.
69.
He squats in front of the door. He holds up a luminescent
palm and uses it like a flashlight to sweep the interior.
WHAT HE SEES: Take-out boxes litter the filthy counter. The
sink is swamped with dirty dishes. The light washes across a
semiautomatic sitting by a packet of Lucky Strikes.
SAM (O.S.)
See anything?
Annoyed, John spins and finds Sam creeping towards him.
JOHN
I told you to go!
SAM
They might know where my dad is!
John realizes Sam is determined. He sweeps his hand back
over the kitchen door. His palm illuminates a familiar
CRYSTAL-HANDLED DAGGER.
It's lying on the counter by the fridge.
JOHN
Henri's here.
John âturns offâ his palm and reaches for the door handle.
Sam anxiously swats his arm away.
SAM
Wait! Other than strength, speed
and night-light, what powers have
you got?
JOHN
Telekinesis -- but that's a work in
progress.
SAM
No invisibility, X-ray vision,
flight?
JOHN
Sam, we drove here.
Sam takes a deep breath, psyching himself up.
SAM
Okay. I'm ready. Let's do it.
But as John reaches for the door handle, the kitchen light
suddenly turns on and a MAN enters. He's built like a
wrestler and goes by the name of FRANK.
70.
INT. KITCHEN - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
With a Lucky Strike clenched between his lips, Frank picks up
the packet on the table and is pissed to discover it's empty.
He crushes it in his fist and crosses to the door.
EXT. BACK PORCH - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
John and Sam are gone. Frank steps out and locks the door.
He flicks away his cigarette as he heads down the stairs.
CAMERA FOLLOWS the butt as it cartwheels into
SAM'S LAP.
He's crouched next to John at the side of the porch. He
frantically begins trying to extinguish the stub. John
clamps his hand over Sam's mouth and snuffs the cigarette
between his fingers. Once Frank's safely around the corner,
John releases his hand.
The duo silently climbs onto the porch. John squats in front
of the door. His hand shakes as he holds it out towards the
lock and concentrates.
SAM
Hurry up. Hurry up. Hurry up.
There's a LOUD CLICK.
SAM
You just dead bolted it! Way to
go!
JOHN
New plan -- follow Lucky Strike.
Text me if he comes back.
Sam sneaks off after Frank.
INT. KITCHEN - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
TIGHT ON LOCK as the dead bolt turns by itself and the door
swings open. John cautiously crosses the threshold. He
holds up his right hand, dims his palm to a dull-blue glow.
He retrieves Henri's dagger and tentatively heads into...
INT. HALL - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
Everything is filmed with dust. It's freezing and John's
BREATH FOGS in the hazy aura his palm casts. The naked
floorboards CREAK. Fear bites as John scans the lifeless
gloom, not sure where to start.
TIGHT ON HIS SHOE as it brushes a mousetrap. SNAP!
71.
His breath catches in his throat. He âturns offâ his hand.
His heart thumps as he waits for something to react to the
noise. But nothing does. As his eyes adjust to the dark, he
notices a rectangle of light faintly leaking from the door
that leads down into...
INT. BASEMENT - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
The ancient stairs sag as John slowly descends. The space is
illuminated by a single naked bulb. The sound of DRIPPING
WATER hammers the silence. John scans the rabbit warren of
rooms and sees a figure chained to a chair in the corner.
JOHN
Henri!
He races over. But as he reaches for Henri's gag, a YOUNG
MAN steps out of the shadows holding a baseball bat. John
turns too late and the bat strikes his left side. He drops
the dagger as he falls to the floor, his ribs searing. The
man, BRET, raises the bat again. John focuses his mind.
THE BAT
whips out of Bret's grip and torpedoes towards John -- who
ducks out of the way as the bat flies past. Confused, Bret
lurches forward. John scrambles for the bat, clenches it in
his hand, and swings it into the young man's legs.
BRET
knocks the light as he topples into a column and CRASHES onto
the cement, out cold. It's over in a violent blur. John
sits stunned for a moment. The swinging bulb casts surreal
shadows as he spins back to Henri, telekinetically âunlocksâ
the padlock securing the chains, and rips off the gag.
Henri is groggy and his face is swollen from brutal beatings.
HENRI
You shouldn't be here.
JOHN
Your life is my life, remember?
Henri tries to shake his drug-induced haze.
HENRI
I talked my way in. Thought the
big guy was buying it.
He rubs a wound on his neck.
72.
HENRI
I was asking him about the video
when the other one shot me from
behind... some sort of animal
tranq.
(DISPIRITED)
I'm getting rusty.
Suddenly, John's phone VIBRATES. It's a message from Sam --
âGET OUT NOW!â
JOHN
We have to leave!
John helps Henri up, they race for the stairs when Bret's
hand grabs John's ankle, tripping him to the floor.
JOHN
Henri!
Henri smashes his boot into Bret's face, knocking him out for
good. John staggers up, they spin for the stairs just as
SAM AND FRANK
head down them into view. Frank holds the revolver against
Sam's neck. Their shadows crisscross under the swaying bulb.
FRANK
Stay planted or I'll blow your
friend's head off.
Henri looks at John in shock.
JOHN
(RE: SAM)
He came to help.
John and Henri put up their hands. John focuses on the gun,
but as the light bulb sweeps past, he causes it to EXPLODE.
THE ROOM PLUNGES INTO DARKNESS.
Henri body-slams Frank, sending the revolver skittering. But
as he wrenches Sam to safety,
THE KEYS
to the pickup fly out of Sam's pocket and slide under the
stairs. John flashes on his palm, casting everything in
eerie blue light.
On all fours, Frank scrambles for the fallen weapon. It's
almost within reach when he is lifted right off the ground by
an invisible force.
73.
Sam looks over at John, impressed.
FRANK
(FREAKING OUT)
You're the one from the video!
You're the one they're after.
With tremendous telekinetic effort, John slams Frank against
the ceiling.
JOHN
Tell me what you know!
Franks says nothing. John trains his palm light on the big
man's face. It's like a blinding interrogation lamp.
JOHN
Start talking!
FRANK
I don't know what they're called.
The one in the red coat said he'd
kill me if I didn't do what he
wanted.
This revelation stuns Henri.
HENRI
The Mogadorians... they've been
here?
Frank nods in terror.
FRANK
He told me to call if anyone came
asking about the video.
Sweat beads John's face from the mental exertion.
JOHN
Did you?
FRANK
(RE: HENRI)
They wanted me to hold your friend
until they got here.
Henri urgently retrieves Sam's gun and his dagger.
HENRI
We need to go! Now!
John âreleasesâ Frank, who drops onto the floor like a whale
and is knocked out. At that moment, a razor-thin line of
dust drops from the floorboards above.
74.
SOMEONE IS UPSTAIRS.
John immediately extinguishes his palm. The trio stands
frozen, necks craned up, ears pricked as the floorboards
CREAK above them. They are definitely not alone.
INT. HALL - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
FOUR MOGADORIAN SOLDIERS stalk through the house. Their long
black coats SILENTLY sweep. One sniffs the air like a
bloodhound and motions towards the basement door...
INT. BASEMENT - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
BLAAAAM! -- the door is shredded off its hinges and flies
down the stairs. The Mogadorian patrol storms through the
cloud of splinters. Frank and Bret lie where they fell, but
there's no sign of John, Henri or Sam.
Pissed, one of the Mogadorians strides towards a small
blacked-out window. He punches out the glass with his fist
and catches sight of Sam clambering over the back fence!
INT. PICKUP - NIGHT
John, Henri and Sam pile in.
JOHN
Sam, get us out of here!
Sam reaches into his jeans, then frantically checks his
pockets.
SAM
I must have dropped the keys!
Henri keeps his cool, looks at John.
HENRI
Start the engine.
JOHN
I can't.
Henri's calm eyes never leave him.
HENRI
Yes, you can.
John nods, puts his hand on the dash and closes his eyes.
The engine TURNS OVER but doesn't start. Sam looks up the
street, panicked, as
A MOGADORIAN
75.
climbs out of a black SUV and storms towards them.
SAM
Hurry up!
John's brow is furrowed with concentration. The Mog
unsheathes his sword as he runs. With a superhuman leap, he
lands on the hood -- TWAAAAACK! John and Henri spin out of
the way as the sword SHATTERS the windshield and impales in
the back of the seat, missing them by a mouse hair.
As the Mogadorian withdraws the sword to strike again, Henri
sweeps up his dagger and stakes it into the Mog's neck.
VRRRROOMMM!
The engine ROARS to life. The Mogadorian tumbles off the
hood, magenta light spurting from his wound. John turns to
Sam, who is petrified, and SCREAMS...
JOHN
DRIVE!
Sam wrenches the shaft into gear and floors the gas. The
Mogadorian EVISCERATES in a frenzy of embers. The truck
bursts through the blizzard of sparks and STREAK-PEELS away.
CUT TO:
INT. BASEMENT - WARSAW HOUSE - NIGHT
CAMERA TRACKS the swish of a familiar red coat as its owner
slowly descends the stairs, PANS UP PAST his right hand,
which methodically twists two meditation balls, TO REVEAL
THE MOGADORIAN COMMANDER.
He's the one who slaughtered Number 3 in Africa. His men
part as he steps into view and crosses to Frank and Bret who
are chained to chairs. A Soldier stands behind each one.
Frank looks at the Commander in terror.
FRANK
I called you like I said. It's not
my fault they got away!
The Commander steps into the moonlight that seeps through the
window. We get our first good look at his face. A gnarled
scar runs down his right cheek, identifying him as the same
Mogadorian Henri wounded in the escape from Lorien. His skin
is deathly pale and his eyes have a cold purple tint.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
Where did they go?
76.
His accent is thick and his voice is unnerving.
FRANK
How should I know? The kid had me
pinned to the ceiling.
The Commander turns to Bret.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
Where did they go?
Bret is too freaked to even speak. The Commander nods to the
Soldiers. They grab Frank and Bret by the heads and yank
open their mouths. Frank watches in confused terror as the
Commander holds one of the meditation balls.
DOZENS OF TINY RAZOR-BLADES
suddenly flower open across its surface and viciously spin.
With cold-blooded calm, the Commander drops the ball into
Frank's mouth. OFF its terrible DRILL-LIKE WHIR...
CUT TO:
EXT. STRIP MALL - DAWN
Vermillion clouds streak the heavens. Sam's truck pulls up
next to Henri's SUV, which is inconspicuously parked in front
of a 24-hour pharmacy.
INT. PICKUP TRUCK - DAWN
John turns to Sam.
JOHN
We'll meet you back at the house.
HENRI
We're not going back to Paradise.
(TO SAM)
Thank you for your help, but you'll
never see us again.
Henri climbs out. Sam looks at John, confused.
SAM
Is he serious?
John nods, numb.
SAM
What am I supposed to tell people?
77.
JOHN
Nothing. Forget about us. We
never existed.
(BEAT)
Goodbye, Sam.
OFF Sam as John climbs out...
CUT TO:
EXT. MOTEL - DAY
It's a rundown dump on the bleak edge of a no-name town.
INT. SUV - DAY
John silently stews. BIKERS smoke at the edge of the grimy
pool which is drained for the winter and rattles with frozen
leaves. Henri steps out of the motel office with a key.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY
Henri lets John inside, chains the door and draws the sun-
bleached curtains.
HENRI
We leave at nightfall.
JOHN
Henri, this is insane. They still
don't know where we live.
Henri seethes.
HENRI
It's only a matter of time. They
know our faces. They saw Sam. How
long has he known?
JOHN
Since Halloween.
Henri is floored and hurt by the admission.
HENRI
I trusted you and you lied to me!
John bows his head, can't meet Henri's gaze.
JOHN
Only because I knew how you'd react
and I didn't want to leave
Paradise.
Henri paces, tries to quell his emotions.
78.
HENRI
Now we don't have a choice. The
Mogs are using humans to trap us.
From this point on -- no more
towns. No more schools. We're
going off the grid until we find
the others.
JOHN
No.
His tone is defiant.
HENRI
This isn't a discussion.
In a flash of pent-up anger, John holds up his hand and
telekinetically sweeps Henri off his feet and pins him
against the wall. Henri looks at him, stunned.
JOHN
I'm not leaving without saying
goodbye to Sarah.
Henri fixes him with a steel-edged stare.
HENRI
Let. Me. Down.
Spent, John releases Henri who slides to the floor, shaken.
The dynamics of their relationship forever changed. Henri
finally stands.
HENRI
Give me your phone and IDs.
John hands him his cell phone and wallet. Henri opens the
back of the phone and pulls out the SIM card. SNAP!
HENRI
John Smith dies today.
CUT TO:
EXT. WARSAW HOUSE - DAY
REPORTERS and LOOKIE-LOOS watch from behind the crime scene
tape that crisscrosses the street. CAMERA ZEROES IN on
THE TEEN GIRL.
She's the one we saw in Nashville and who torched the stilt
house. Her eyes study the STREAM OF POLICE that hustles in
and out of the house carrying evidence Baggies and equipment.
79.
INT. BASEMENT - WARSAW HOUSE - DAY
A CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHER methodically catalogs the grim,
blood-soaked nightmare. He's in a full body suit and
booties. The flashgun mounted to his camera whitewashes the
space as a UNIFORM COP appears on the stairs.
UNIFORM COP
The Chief wants to send the morgue
boys in and seal this tomb.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Hope they haven't had lunch yet.
These guys were gutted from the
inside out.
He steps over to Frank's body which has been splayed open.
As he flashes off some shots, the
TEEN GIRL
appears in the corner of his viewfinder. She's kneeling by
Frank's severed head which has rolled a short distance from
the body. The Photographer pulls the camera away from his
eye and looks at the Teen Girl, confused.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Who the hell are you?
She ignores him. He glances at the only window which is 20
feet away on the other side of the room.
PHOTOGRAPHER
How'd you get in?
The Girl continues examining Frank's wounds. Totally
unnerved, the Photographer shouts up the stairs.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Hey, we've got a live one down
here.
When he spins back, the Girl is gone, vanished into thin air.
CUT TO:
INT. SAM'S TRUCK - DAY
TIGHT ON A DIRT DEVIL as it snorts up beads of broken glass.
REVEAL SAM cleaning the evidence of the previous night's
adventure. Cardboard covers the missing passenger window.
EXT. DRIVE - SAM'S HOUSE - DAY
Sam climbs out of the truck and is startled by Sarah.
80.
SARAH
Where is he, Sam?
SAM
I don't know.
He tries to avoid eye contact, but she is determined.
SARAH
What happened last night? I've
tried calling him all day. But his
number's no longer in service.
SAM
Forget about him, Sarah.
Incredulous, she grabs his arm.
SARAH
I'm not going anywhere until you
tell me what's going on.
SAM
He left with Henri and he isn't
coming back. Ever.
(PULLING FREE)
I'm sorry.
OFF Sarah, shattered...
CUT TO:
INT. SHOWER - MOTEL ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON
John stands under the steaming spray. Eyes screwed shut.
Naked and lost. TWO LOUD KNOCKS at the door.
HENRI (O.S.)
(THROUGH DOOR)
Taillights in five.
EXT. MOTEL - LATE AFTERNOON
The GROUP OF BIKERS by the pool has grown four fold. They're
partying hard. Henri keeps his head down as he passes.
INT. MOTEL OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON
The FEMALE CLERK stares at the TV mounted on the wall. She's
watching a local news report about the Warsaw house murders.
Henri enters. The window RATTLES as a motorcycle speeds past
and he slides his key onto the counter.
CUT TO:
81.
INT. MOTEL ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON
Henri steps in and is annoyed to hear the SHOWER still
running. He strides to the bathroom door.
HENRI
John?
No answer. He KNOCKS. Still nothing.
INT. BATHROOM - MOTEL ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON
Henri shoulder-rams the door open. He whips back the shower
curtain and stares at the empty tub.
JOHN IS GONE.
OFF Henri's grim concern...
EXT. HIGHWAY - DUSK
The sky is twilight blue. A gleaming Harley ROARS around the
bend, going full throttle. John is on its back. The wind
whips his hair. Eyes set forward. Headed back to Paradise.
CUT TO:
EXT. SARAH'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Annie opens the front door and is surprised to find John.
ANNIE
Little late for dessert.
JOHN
I need to talk to Sarah.
ANNIE
She's not here. Some friends
dragged her to a party at Mark
Jayne's.
John absorbs this news, turns. Annie steps out after him.
ANNIE
I don't usually pry into my
daughter's love life, I certainly
didn't want my mother in mine --
but Sarah's my youngest and she's
special to me.
JOHN
She's special to me too.
CUT TO:
82.
EXT. MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The big, two-story property dominates the end of a cul-de-
sac. TEENS stream up the drive. Cars are parked end to end
down the street. CAMERA CRANES TO MEET John as he charges
into view on the stolen motorcycle.
INT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
MUSIC THROBS. John works his way through the throng of
partying TEENS. He passes a RED-HAIRED TEEN BOY recording
the event on a FlipVideo camera. A hand grips John's
shoulder. John turns to find Mark Jayne.
MARK
You weren't invited.
JOHN
Where's Sarah?
MARK
She doesn't want to see you.
John shoves him aside and heads for the sweeping stairs...
INT. BASEMENT - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
It's been transformed into a major makeout den. Candles line
the windowsills and ring the edge of the pool table. TEENAGE
COUPLES grope in the flickering half-light.
JOCK
Everybody upstairs! Kevin's going
for the beer bong record!
The Teens immediately bolt for the stairs. In the giddy
exodus, one of them accidentally brushes
A CANDLE
onto the white shag rug.
INT. UPSTAIRS HALL - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
John heads down the burgundy hall which is lined with family
portraits. He glances in the rooms as he passes.
INT. GUEST ROOM - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Sarah and her friend, EMILY, sit on the bed with Mark's two
dogs, Abby and Dozer. A wedge of light cuts across them as
the door opens and John steps in.
SARAH
John!
83.
She leaps up and hugs him. John waits as Emily exits.
JOHN
I'm sorry about last night.
She pulls away, her relief turning to anger.
SARAH
No. Not good enough. Sam said you
were never coming back. What are
you doing here?
JOHN
I couldn't leave without seeing you
one last time.
She looks at him, crushed.
SARAH
So it's true. What's going on?
What kind of trouble are you and
your dad in?
JOHN
We're going to be fine.
SARAH
Damnit! Whatever it is, I'll
understand -- just tell me the
truth.
JOHN
The truth is I'm not who you think
I am. You need to forget about me.
Okay?
SARAH
Why are you acting like this?
JOHN
Because it's the only way to keep
you safe.
SARAH
Safe from what?
He turns away, shields her from his torment.
JOHN
Goodbye, Sarah.
He doesn't look back as he walks out the door. CAMERA STAYS
ON SARAH as she sinks onto the bed and the dogs comfort her.
84.
INT. DOWNSTAIRS - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Party-goers pack the hall and kitchen watching Kevin consume
an impossible amount of beer through a funnel and hose.
TEENS
Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drained and numb, John heads the other way and fails to
notice the smoke seeping from under the basement door.
EXT. MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
John strides down the driveway, bleak-faced. He's about to
straddle the motorcycle when he hears a muffled EXPLOSION.
He looks back and sees
SMOKE
billowing from the side of the house. He bolts towards the
front door, SCREAMS at a JOCK as he passes.
JOHN
Call 911!
As he races inside...
INT. MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
It's total chaos. Smoke and FLAMES plume up from the
basement. Terrified Teens scramble. John thrashes through
the crowd, SHOUTING --
JOHN
Sarah!
EXT. BACK YARD - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The panicked evacuation spills out. A window EXPLODES and
orange flames lick the cold night air. John sees Emily
stumble out clutching one of Mark's dogs, Abby.
JOHN
Where's Sarah?
EMILY
Went back for Dozer.
Another EXPLOSION rocks. A COUPLE of drunk Jocks CHEER.
John looks back at the house. The fire has taken hold with
incredible speed. The living room curtains are ABLAZE.
A DOG'S HAUNTING HOWL
85.
cuts over the sound of the HISSING FLAMES. It's coming from
the second floor. John charges past Mark, towards the house.
MARK
It's too late. You can't get
through!
John ignores him and runs into the inferno.
INT. LIVING ROOM - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
FLAMES sprint up the walls and clouds of black smoke spew
from the sectional sofa. Immune to the heat, John heads into
the front hall and finds
THE STAIRCASE
is fully engulfed. Fearless, he clambers up the flaming
steps. His jeans and shirt catch fire. He's almost reached
the top when the staircase BREAKS AWAY behind him and
DISINTEGRATES in a cloud of embers.
INT. UPSTAIRS HALL - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
It's a raging conflagration. The family portraits blister on
the walls. John beelines towards Dozer's PLAINTIVE WAIL
which reverberates over the UGLY ROAR of the fire.
INT. GUEST ROOM - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Sarah is crouched by the heavy oak bed that dominates the
corner of the room, COUGHING, eyes burning from the smoke and
heat. Dozer is cowered underneath, HOWLING. Sarah
desperately tries to move the bed but it won't budge.
CRAAAACK!
The door rips off its hinges. Through the smoky half-light,
Sarah watches as John strides into the room, heroically
backlit by flame.
SARAH
John!
(FRANTIC)
Dozer's under the bed. He's too
scared to come out!
John strides forward, grips the bed with one hand and
effortlessly hoists it. Sarah looks at him, amazed, then
scrambles forward and gently scoops Dozer into her arms.
John puts the bed back down.
JOHN
Don't let go of him. I promise I
won't let go of you.
86.
As he lifts them...
INT. UPSTAIRS HALL - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The trio heads into the hall just as an 8-foot section of the
floor collapses in front of them. Unfazed, John sprints
forward and bridges the hole.
ANGLE ON SARAH as she stares at the burning chasm in terror
and grips Dozer tighter.
John touches down on the other side and doesn't slow as he
powers down the hall, which is a SHRIEKING tunnel of fire.
A BURNING BEAM
breaks free and swings down in front of them. Sarah SCREAMS,
but watches in stunned amazement as John sweeps it out of the
way with a telekinetic flick of his hand.
EXT. SIDE - MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The second-floor window SHATTERS as John leaps out holding
Sarah and Dozer. A ROARING tongue of fire whips his back as
he drops to the ground and touches down with Sarah and Dozer.
COUGHING and shell-shocked, Sarah puts the dog down.
JOHN
You okay?
She stares at him, unsure.
SARAH
You walked through that fire
without getting burned. I saw you
stop that beam.
SIRENS wail in the distance.
JOHN
I'll explain everything... but not
here...
(offering his hand)
Sarah... please?
As they take off into the woods, the IMAGE FREEZES, then
REWINDS. John and Sarah kneel in the shadows, then FLY
BACKWARDS up through the window and INTO the burning house.
REVERSE TO REVEAL the Red-Haired Teen watching playback on
his FlipVideo camera, amazed. He runs to the back of the
house and finds Mark.
87.
RED-HAIRED TEEN
(RE: VIDEO)
Check this out, man!
PUSH IN as Mark stares at the footage, stunned.
CUT TO:
INT. WOODS - NIGHT
John and Sarah walk in SILENCE, dappled in moonlight. He
catches her staring at him.
JOHN
Please don't look at me like that.
SARAH
I'm sorry. I'm still trying to
process everything I saw and I keep
coming to the same conclusion --
what you did isn't possible.
JOHN
It is for me.
SARAH
Who are you?
(off his hesitation)
For once please tell me the truth.
It's the hardest thing he's ever had to do.
JOHN
My name isn't John. I don't have a
name, just a number. 4. In fact,
my whole life can be reduced to
numbers: like 15 million -- that's
how many light years it takes to
get from my planet to Earth. 38 --
that's how many towns I've lived
in. Or 3,671 -- that's how many
days I've been running from an
enemy that wants me dead. I lied
to you, Sarah, because I lie to
everyone. That's how I stay alive.
Tears of relief brim as he finally reveals his soul.
JOHN
I shouldn't be telling you any of
this. It's dangerous.
Emotionally spent, John leans against a tree. She steps
towards him and brushes her hand down his cheek.
88.
SARAH
I don't care. I just want to be
with you.
JOHN
I want that too. But if I stay you
could get hurt. I have to leave to
keep you safe.
Sarah absorbs the bitter reality, reaches for his hand.
SARAH
There's something I want to give
you first.
CUT TO:
INT. DARKROOM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
A PHOTOGRAPH OF SARAH AND JOHN
sharpens INTO FOCUS. It's the one Annie took of them at
Thanksgiving. John and Sarah stand in the eerie red glow.
She gently tongs the image into a bath of fixing solution.
SARAH
So you'll always remember me.
With exquisite tenderness they kiss. John's palms shimmer.
The intensity of the luminescence builds with their rising
passion. They sink to the floor and the light crescendos in
an ethereal flash that BLEACHES OUT THE FRAME.
CUT TO:
EXT. MARK'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The spinning lights of a trio of fire trucks FLARE THE LENS.
CREWS hose down the last smoking embers. A DEPUTY approaches
Mark, who is standing by a police cruiser.
DEPUTY
The FBI showed up flashing their
badges. Wanna talk to you.
As he points to a black SUV that's parked down the street.
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Mark climbs in the back. He looks around nervously as the
vehicle starts off.
MARK
Where are we going? Is this about
the fire? It was an accident.
89.
Only now do we REVERSE TO REVEAL
THE MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
sitting in the back. His face is masked in shadow.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
We're hunting for one of the guests
at your party.
He holds up a netbook which flashes with the FlipVideo
footage of John's rescue of Sarah. It's posted on YouTube.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
Do you know this boy?
MARK
Yeah, John Smith. But I didn't
invite him.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
He's a fugitive. We've been
tracking him for some time.
Mark smirks, vindicated.
MARK
I'll help you find him.
He points to Sarah's image on the screen.
MARK
He's not at Sarah's, I already
checked. And one of my dad's
deputies drove by his house --
nada.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
He poses a great threat to us.
Where else could he be?
Mark pulls out his cell phone.
MARK
I've got Sarah's cell number, maybe
you guys can trace it?
The Commander takes the phone and passes it to one of his men
in the front. He looks back at Mark.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
Tell me everything you know about
John Smith.
CUT TO:
90.
INT. SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Sam is at the kitchen counter, watching the YouTube video on
his laptop, when headlights bleed through the blinds.
EXT. SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Sam steps out and reacts in surprise as Henri emerges through
the headlight glare.
HENRI
John's not at the house. Is he
here?
SAM
No, but he's all over the internet.
HENRI
I know.
He turns back to his SUV. Sam follows.
SAM
Those things from Warsaw -- they're
coming, aren't they?
HENRI
Go back inside. This isn't your
fight.
SAM
The hell it isn't. I'm coming with
you.
OFF this declaration...
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL OFFICE - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
The crystal pendant glints against John's chest as he grabs a
âParadise Highâ sweatshirt from a supply closet and yanks it
on. Sarah's phone suddenly RINGS, startling them.
SARAH
(INTO PHONE)
Hello.
She listens, then hands John the phone.
SARAH
It's Henri.
INTERCUT WITH:
91.
INT. SUV - NIGHT - MOVING
Henri careens through the night with Bernie and Sam.
HENRI
(INTO PHONE)
Where are you?
JOHN
High school.
HENRI
Get out now!
At that moment, all the POWER in the school DIES and the
headlights of an SUV flash across the window. Fear registers
in John's eyes as he realizes...
JOHN
Too late... they're here.
EXT. SUV - NIGHT
The Commander climbs out. Mark follows but is distracted as
a trio of black SUVs speeds into the lot followed by a
tractor trailer from which inhuman GROWLS echo.
MARK
What the hell's in there?
He looks back at the Commander who is arming up from the
trunk of the SUV. Mark glimpses the arsenal of future-tech
machine pistols, double-bladed swords and heavy-duty daggers.
He backs away in fearful realization.
MARK
You guys aren't FBI.
Before he can run, a Mogadorian Soldier grabs him by the neck
and constrains him. The Commander pulls
TWO BANDOLIERS
over his broad shoulders. The cartridges are made of crystal
and swirl with purple light. Finally, he slips on his
trademark red coat and spins towards the school.
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
One of John's hands holds Sarah's while the other lights
their way as they hurtle down the passage. They've almost
reached the doors when they suddenly fly open and
A FIGURE
92.
struts into view. We RECOGNIZE her as the mysterious Teen
Girl. She swings up an awesome hand-cannon and FIRES right
at them. THE BLAST scorches the air between John and Sarah
but takes out the
MOGADORIAN SOLDIER
who was stalking up the hall behind them! John watches in
shock as the Mogadorian keels over and SHATTERS into embers.
John swings back to the Teen Girl as she strides forward.
SHE IS NUMBER 6.
SIX
You oughta keep your heroics off
the internet.
JOHN
Who the hell are you?
SIX
Number 6. Where's your Cepan?
JOHN
On his way. Where's yours?
SIX
Dead. The Mogs got her four months
ago. We had been tracking them.
She heads past. John and Sarah follow after her.
JOHN
Tracking them?
SIX
We discovered they plan to attack
Earth. The only thing standing in
their way is the six of us.
The revelation hits John like a wrecking ball.
SIX
You know what that means?
John nods with new purpose.
JOHN
The war starts tonight.
SIX
First we have to get out of here
alive and find the others.
Six leads them past the impressive trophy case.
93.
JOHN
What are we up against?
SIX
There's a commander, a bunch of
soldiers and two Piken. They'll
have all the main entrances
covered.
SARAH
The gym, there's a tunnel under the
stage.
JOHN
It'll take us out to the stadium.
Six acknowledges that info with a curt nod. FOOTSTEPS. Six
grabs John and Sarah by their arms and yanks them back
against the wall.
They hold their breath as one of the Mogadorian Soldiers
prowls straight past. He stops for a moment, then turns the
corner. Sarah looks across at the mirrored trophy case and
sees there's no reflection.
SARAH
We're invisible.
John realizes, turns to Six.
JOHN
You got any other Legacies?
SIX
I can control the elements. You?
JOHN
Lumen and telekinesis.
More FOOTSTEPS. John turns and watches in horror as the
Mogadorian Commander and a trio of Mogadorian Soldiers sweeps
into view. The Commander is holding
MARK.
He is ashen with fear. Sarah has to catch herself from
screaming. John makes a move, but Six holds him in place.
SIX
Stay put. They want to draw you
out.
JOHN
He's not dying because of me!
94.
ANGLE ON THE SOLDIERS AND MARK. They're heading past the
trophy case when JOHN'S VOICE booms out of nowhere.
JOHN (O.S.)
Mark! Linoleum! Now!
Mark rips free and hits the deck a second before the trophy
case EXPLODES. Shards of glass rip into the Mogadorians and
trophies torpedo off the shelves and impale the aliens
against the far wall. The Mogadorians SCREAM as they flail.
John, Sarah and Six break cover. John wrenches Mark to his
feet and they take off running. They dash around the next
corner and find
HENRI, SAM AND BERNIE
sprinting towards them, followed by two Mogadorians! Six
raises her hand-cannon, BLOWS one of the Mogs away, while
John safely leads everybody into...
INT. LIBRARY - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
SIX
(TO JOHN)
Barricade the doors!
John telekinetically uproots a trio of bookcases that fly
across the space and block the door. Sarah turns to Mark who
is totally shell-shocked.
SARAH
What are you doing with them?
MARK
They said they were FBI. That John
was a fugitive. What the hell's
going on?
SIX
You've stumbled into a war. So
shut up and keep your head down.
HENRI
I see age hasn't mellowed your
attitude, 6.
Mark turns to John, guilt-wracked.
MARK
I didn't know they were trying to
kill you.
(genuine, to John)
I'm sorry.
95.
JOHN
This isn't your fault -- it's mine.
He offers Mark his hand. Mark shakes it. Suddenly, Bernie
begins to GROWL.
SAM
What is it, boy?
Henri sees where Bernie is staring and realizes...
HENRI
He's telling us to run!
They take off a second before
A PIKEN
PUMMEL-RAMS through the wall in a shower of bricks, books and
paper. It utters a glass-shattering ROAR. John looks back
and sees Bernie bravely holding his ground.
JOHN
Bernie!
He watches as the beagle sprints forward and launches himself
at the monster. Bernie clamps onto the Piken's neck. He's
hopelessly outmatched and holds on for dear life as the Piken
tries to buck him off. Then something amazing happens --
BERNIE BEGINS TO MORPH.
He doubles, triples in size and keeps growing. His features
become reptilian, gecko-like, his fur turns to spines and in
a matter of moments Bernie has transformed into a hulking
ALIEN CREATURE.
John looks to Henri as the truth of Bernie's origin dawns.
HENRI
Bernie's a Chimera. He came with
us from Lorien.
JOHN
Guess I wasn't the only one keeping
secrets.
HENRI
Somebody had to watch you when I
wasn't around.
They exit while Bernie and the Piken continue to battle.
96.
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
John and Henri catch up to the others.
SARAH
The gym's this way.
A projectile HISSES past John's ear and DETONATES a row of
lockers -- BOOOOOM! -- it's like an incendiary grenade. The
paint blisters off the lockers as they are consumed by FIRE.
JOHN
sees two Mogadorian Soldiers hauling heavy-duty weapons that
use the glass cartridges that glow on their ammo belts. One
FIRES another round. John telekinetically RIPS a door off
its hinges. It flies forward, blocks the charge and IGNITES.
John spins back and SCREAMS --
JOHN
Go! Go! Go!
They take off. John follows and uses his telekinesis to
fling cabinets, doors, benches anything he can to block the
fiery onslaught. But the rounds are coming too fast and a
projectile SMACKS him in the back. It's like being hit by
napalm. As FLAMES wash across him, he looks up and snaps on
THE SPRINKLER HEADS
that run the length of the hall. A deluge sprays, dousing
the fire. With his clothes smoking, John tears around the
corner. The Mogadorians charge after him, but find
SIX IS WAITING.
BOOOOMM! BOOOOMM! She blasts them at point-blank range.
Magenta light gushes from their wounds. Like rain hitting
hot coals, their bodies HISS as they crack and cinder.
SIX
Keep moving!
Henri, Mark, Sarah and Sam race out of view. Then John sees
something emerge through the smoky, water-choked haze.
IT'S THE SECOND PIKEN!
It utters a low, predatory GROWL and launches itself forward.
Oddly, Six doesn't move. She closes her eyes and lays one
hand on the flooded floor, turning the water to
ICE!
97.
In a matter of moments, the hall has been transformed into an
icy tunnel. The sprinklers spray snow. The Piken struggles
to find purchase in this new frozen environment and slip-
slides after John and Six, who disappear into...
INT. CAFETERIA - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
CRAAAAACK! The doors are DEMOLISHED as the Piken flails off
the ice. It takes out a row of tables and chairs and skids
to a stop. It ROARS in humiliated FURY, and its red eyes
scan for John and Six who are nowhere to be seen.
The Piken prowls behind the serving counter. Snow beads off
its back. Its monstrous nostrils suddenly flare, sensing
something. It hunches lower and peers at the trays and pans
that are stored below.
REVEAL JOHN AND SIX. They're invisible. John clutches Six's
arm. They're lying between a stack of roasting dishes.
Threads of foamy drool drip onto their faces as the Piken
pokes its head further. Its ghoulish red eyes seem to stare
right at them. With a final frustrated SNORT, it carries on.
INT. HALL - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
Henri, Sarah, Sam and Mark race into view. Sarah stops,
panicked and afraid.
SARAH
Where's John?
HENRI
Right behind us.
He offers her his hand. She's about to take it when
A MOGADORIAN SOLDIER
steps out of the shadows. There is nowhere and no time for
Henri and the others to run. But as the Mogadorian squeezes
the trigger of his hand-cannon, the wall on his right
ERUPTS!
Bernie and the first Piken crash into the hall. They are
still at each other's throats and don't even notice as they
steam-roller over the Mogadorian, squashing him like a bug.
The creatures SMASH through the opposite wall and out of
sight. It's over in a violent blink.
INT. KITCHEN - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
John and Six sneak through the shadows. She steps to the
door, but it won't budge.
98.
SIX
They've blocked it. Use your
telekinesis.
JOHN
We're not leaving without my
friends.
SIX
Don't you mean the girl?
John ignores the jibe and turns back. Six grabs his arm.
SIX
I broke the Elders' spell to find
you. The Mogs can kill me now. We
have to go.
JOHN
We stay and fight.
OFF his determination...
INT. HOME ECONOMICS ROOM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
Henri and Sam crouch behind one station while Sarah and Mark
hide in the one opposite. Henri pulls a selection of weapons
from the backpack. He hands one to Sam, looks over at Mark.
HENRI
You know how to use one of these?
MARK
My dad's the sheriff.
He slides two across the floor. The door opens. They swing
up to fire but find -- John and Six.
JOHN
Save it for the Mogs. Let's go!
INT. LOCKER ROOM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
Bernie and the Piken pummel the rows of lockers which
COLLAPSE like dominos. Gashed and exhausted, the battling
duo SHATTER-SMASHES into
THE SHOWER STALLS.
Water SPURTS from a broken pipe. The Piken slips on the
slick tiles. As it struggles to right itself, Bernie seizes
the moment and sinks his fangs into the monster's neck.
THE PIKEN
99.
desperately thrashes. Its talons viciously rip into Bernie's
side. Ignoring the pain, Bernie doesn't let go until his foe
finally jerks to stillness. As Bernie sinks to the floor, he
MORPHS back into a beagle and lies spent and bleeding...
INT. GYM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
John leads the group past the bleachers and points to the
side of the stage.
JOHN
The door's over here. The tunnel
leads out to the stadium.
Sarah sweeps back the curtain, revealing a padlocked set of
metal doors. John holds up his hand, snaps the lock and
whips the chain free. The doors fly open,
TWO MOGADORIANS
spring out of the dark. One tackles Henri while the other
blindsides John. Henri struggles until
BOOOOOM!
The BLAST cinders the Mog's head clean off. Henri looks over
and sees Mark holding a smoking shotgun and nods his thanks.
The second has John pinned when it suddenly ROARS in agony
and disintegrates into a shower of sparks, revealing
SIX.
She sheathes her dagger and helps John up.
SIX
Saving your life. My new hobby.
Sarah notices a smile of respect flicker between John and
Six. PHHHHHHT! PHHHHHHT! PHHHHHHT! -- three Mogadorian
knives razor the air. One impales Six in the shoulder. She
slumps at John's feet. Henri opens FIRE on the
THE COMMANDER AND TWO MOGADORIAN SOLDIERS
who storm towards them. John SCREAMS to Sam and Mark.
JOHN
(RE: SIX)
Get her down the tunnel!
They grab Six by the arms and drag her into the tunnel.
Sarah glances back at John and follows after them. Henri
takes out a Soldier. John sweeps up his hand and
100.
THE WOODEN FLOOR OPENS LIKE A ZIPPER!
The Commander and the other Soldier are sent flying as the
planks rip free of their nails. John and Henri charge into
the tunnel. The doors fly shut behind them and the bleacher
stand rolls forward to seal the entrance.
INT. TUNNEL - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
Sarah is in the lead. Sam and Mark follow, holding the
wounded Six. They've almost reached the end when
A MOGADORIAN
lurches into the mouth of the tunnel. Without a second's
hesitation, Sam swings up his gun and BLASTS it. Mark looks
at him in shock as they race through the embers. Sam shrugs.
SAM
I play a lot of Xbox.
EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
Sam, Mark, Six and Sarah hurtle across the field. When they
reach the track, Sarah looks back and smiles with relief when
John and Henri burst out of the tunnel.
JOHN
Don't stop! Get to the woods!
She nods and exits with the others.
John and Henri head onto the field after them when
THE SECOND PIKEN
leaps out of the mouth of the tunnel behind them. It's
seriously pissed. It bounds straight towards John. Its
fangs glint like barbed wire as it launches itself towards
him. At the last second,
HENRI
nobly shoves John out of the way and is plucked into the
Piken's jaws. The creature shakes him like a rag doll and
flings him 50 feet down the field. John watches, anguished,
as Henri lands in a heap.
JOHN
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
The Piken pivots, turns its crimson eyes on John. It almost
seems to smirk. Its fangs are stained with Henri's blood.
John's face hardens into a mask of rage.
101.
He makes no attempt to flee as the Piken charges. As it
springboards into the air...
ANGLE ON JOHN'S HANDS -- as they suddenly clench.
ANGLE ON THE GOALPOSTS -- as they're SNAPPED clean off their
bases and fly skyward.
ANGLE ON JOHN -- as the Piken's shadow washes across him.
ANGLE ON THE PIKEN -- as it arcs towards John with its mouth
open and teeth bared. Suddenly, the goalposts spear its
flanks, impaling it like supersize BBQ forks.
The three-ton killing machine drops out of the sky and smacks
onto the 20-yard line. John watches impassively as the red
life-fire dies in its eyes and its head lolls to one side.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
The stadium looms in the distance. Sam wrenches the dagger
from Six's shoulder while Sarah and Mark anxiously watch.
EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
John sinks by Henri's side.
JOHN
Henri.
Henri GROANS as John cradles his head. His coat is soaked
with blood and his torso is horribly mauled. John tries to
drag him to his feet.
JOHN
Come on, taillights in five.
HENRI
I won't be coming with you this
time. Save yourself.
JOHN
We go together!
Henri smiles, grateful, but at that moment
THE COMMANDER'S SWORD
flies past John and impales Henri in the chest. Henri utters
a GROAN and his dying eyes meet John's.
HENRI
Find the others.
His voice is a GRAVELLED WHISPER.
102.
HENRI
Your life is my life... always.
His eyes flutter closed and he slips from John's grip.
Anguished, John doesn't notice his pendant momentarily
flicker with a radiant blue light. He angrily spins to face
THE MOGADORIAN COMMANDER.
But in a blur of speed, the Commander steps forward, wraps
his hand around John's throat and plucks him into the air.
He's flanked by the remaining Soldiers. John's feet kick
uselessly as he's lifted face to face.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
Number 4.
Three Loric pendants dangle from the Commander's belt like
mocking trophies.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
Your Cepan saved you on Lorien.
The Commander's voice hisses with cruel certainty. He
wrenches his sword from Henri's corpse.
MOGADORIAN COMMANDER
But this moment was inevitable.
The blade shimmers with silver flame as he raises it.
John's eyes narrow as the sword sweeps towards him. This is
the moment his adolescence officially ends. This is the
moment when a warrior is born.
ANGLE ON BLADE as it SHATTERS into a million pieces, which
flutter to the ground like glittering confetti.
John stares at the alien with calm confidence.
JOHN
Nothing is inevitable.
ANGLE ON JOHN'S HAND AS IT IGNITES.
The flame is hotter and brighter than 10,000 acetylene
torches. He grips one of the Commander's bandoliers.
TIGHT ON THE MOGADORIAN'S FACE as he realizes it's over.
The glass cartridges detonate in a deadly chain reaction.
IT'S LIKE A NUCLEAR IMPLOSION!
103.
John, the Commander, the Mogadorian Soldiers, in fact every
goddamn thing in the stadium is obliterated in the
SUPERNOVA OF FIRE
that radiates across the field like a blinding ring of hell.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Sarah looks back as the blistering vortex of flame lights the
night sky. Her breath catches in her throat.
SARAH
Oh my God... John.
Before anyone can stop her, she takes off running, sprinting
for the stadium.
EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - PARADISE HIGH - NIGHT
It's a smoking ruin. The seats have melted into puddles.
Sarah bursts into view. She looks across the devastated
field. The grass has been reduced to a charred black carpet
of stubble. Nothing remains of Henri or the Mogadorians.
SARAH
John!
She charges across the broiled expanse, hoping against hope.
Then she sees John, lying motionless and naked, his clothes
completely burned away. She stops, puts her hand to her
mouth to stifle a sob, when he COUGHS and stirs.
SARAH
John!
Ash swirls like snow as she races to his side. They wrap
each other in their arms. Neither wanting to ever let go.
CUT TO:
EXT. PICNIC AREA - WOODS - DAWN
The sky is cracked with the first light of day. Sarah is
dressing Six's wound at a table. Six winces.
SARAH
Sorry, Girl Scout first aid didn't
cover extraterrestrial dagger
wounds.
Six smiles, grateful.
SIX
Thanks.
104.
As the two teens size each other up, CAMERA FINDS Mark. He
hangs up his cell and crosses to John and Sam, who are
talking intently by the motorcycles. John is now wearing a
pair of old jeans and a faded denim jacket.
MARK
The Sheriff's Department is
starting to put up roadblocks. You
guys better get moving.
Six and Sarah join them.
JOHN
You good to go?
SIX
Don't worry about me.
John nods to Sam.
JOHN
Sam, ride with Six.
SIX
We don't need baggage.
Sam steps in front of her, determined.
SAM
I have to find out if the Mogs took
my dad.
Six turns to John, who is not bending, then glares at Sam.
SIX
You slow us down, I'll shoot you
myself.
Sarah looks at John, tries to rein in her emotions.
SARAH
I want to come too.
JOHN
You need to stay here.
SARAH
Why?
JOHN
You could have died last night.
I'm not putting you in danger
again. Mark's promised to look
after you.
105.
Tears tumble down her cheeks.
SARAH
I don't want to say goodbye.
JOHN
I'll come back for you.
SARAH
When?
JOHN
When it's safe.
She bows her head, anguished. He gently lifts her chin.
JOHN
Where I'm from, we only give our
heart to one person. I've given
mine to you.
(BEAT)
I love you, Sarah.
Their lips meet and they kiss. It only ends when John hears
an URGENT RUSTLE in the woods. They turn and watch as
BERNIE KOSAR
limps into view. Blood mats his fur and his face is
scratched but he's alive. OFF John's relief...
CUT TO:
EXT. PICNIC AREA - DAY
Sam sits behind Six on her motorcycle. John holds Bernie as
he straddles his Harley. Bernie morphs into a gecko and
darts into his pocket. Sarah studies John and Six, unsure.
John THROTTLES the bike to life, then looks back at Sarah.
He fights a pang of jealousy when he sees her standing at
Mark's side. RAIN spits as the motorcycles start off.
JOHN (V.O.)
This is the first town I've left
without Henri. The first one I
have a reason to come back to.
John and Sarah hold each other's gaze, desperately trying to
brand the image of their faces onto their memories.
EXT. ROAD - DAY
The bikes blur past the âWelcome to Paradiseâ sign.
106.
JOHN (V.O.)
He warned me the pain would be
unbearable if I left her. He was
right.
EXT. TEXAS PLAINS - DAY
A straight stretch of blacktop bisects the sunbaked flatness.
JOHN (V.O.)
But I don't regret it. The pain
reminds me what's at stake.
A dust trail plumes as the bikes power into view.
JOHN (V.O.)
We must find the others and face
our enemy together. I'm not sure
how we can stop them. But nothing
is inevitable. I know that now.
Thunderheads darken the horizon.
JOHN (V.O.)
I am Number 4.
His eyes are fearless and his face is undaunted by the
battles yet to be fought. He's ready to face a future
unmapped and uncharted. Ready.
FADE OUT.
THE END |
I, ROBOT
by
Hillary Seitz
FADE IN:
1 On a DEEP...DEEP...DARKNESS. 1
A FLICKER. Of LIGHT. Off to the side. Just barely.
Noticeable. ORANGE...YELLOW...as we realise...It's FIRE...
A SOUND. Something SHATTERING...
Then. A DISEMBODIED VOICE. Muted. We can't quite make out
What it's saying. As it gets LOUDER. And LOUDER. When we
finally. Understand...
DISEMBODIED VOICE
You are in danger...
CUT TO:
2 INT. SPOONER'S APARTMENT - CLOSE ON 2
DEL SPOONER'S FACE. His eyes, snapping open. His face,
covered in sweat.
PULL BACK to REVEAL him lying in bed. Sheets, tangled around
his legs. Alarm clock, playing something relentlessly
cheerful.
Spooner slaps it off. Sits up. Wincing. Bends his RIGHT
ARM. Stiff. He reaches for a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes out a
couple and swallows them. Trying to forget. That dream.
You are in danger...
He rubs his hands over his face. Gets out of bed. His
apartment, basic. Unremarkable. Bearing the signs of
someone who lives alone. Shades drawn. A little messy.
3 INT. SHOWER - MORNING 3
Spooner turns his face into the jet of water.
4 INT. BATHROOM - MORNING 4
Shaves with a razor. Using his left hand. Knicks the cleft
of his chin. Shit.
5 INT. KITCHEN - MORNING 5
Stares down at the single egg in a saucepan. Waiting for it
to boil.
2.
6 INT. HALLWAY - MORNING 6
Heads down the hallway. Looping a knotted tie around his
neck. Kicks some neglected mail from the door and reaches
for the handle. Takes a deep breath and...
7 EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - MORNING 7
...steps outside. Into the flow of COMMUTERS heading for the
elevated trains. Elbow to elbow. A river of humanity.
Spooner moves along, like everyone else. Suddenly. His
shoulders tense. That feeling at the back of his neck. He
turns and sees...
A ROBOT. Just behind him. Humanoid in design, but still
obviously a machine. Metal and synthetic casings covering
hydraulic muscles. The thing senses his stare. Looks up
with a muted WHIR...
ROBOT
(metallic voice)
Good day, sir...
Spooner. Speeds up his pace. Weaving through the crowd to
lose the robot.
We now realise this is THE FUTURE. Towering apartment
buildings block the sun. The street packed with traffic.
PEDESTRIANS wearing their computers like form-fitting
portable offices. Spooner throws a look at his surroundings:
Up high an INDUSTRIAL ROBOT rolls down the side of a building
cleaning windows.
A WORK CREW of oddly-shaped RUBE GOLDBERG ROBOTS efficiently
repairs the street. No human supervision.
A ROBOTIC CLEAN-UP CREW. Lumbering along the sidewalk.
Scrubbing, sweeping. Emptying trash...
Humanoid ROBOTS dotting the crowd. Following their owners.
Walking slowly, deliberately. Carrying boxes. Groceries.
Briefcases.
Stamped on all the ROBOTS' SIDES, a LOGO: III LAWS SAFE.
Spooner stops to wait at a light with other PEDESTRIANS.
Directly in front of him, a LITTLE GIRL clutches her father's
neck. She smiles big at Spooner. Front teeth missing.
LITTLE GIRL
Hi.
3.
SPOONER
Hi.
But it's not her father. It's her ROBOT CARETAKER. The
robot turns. Looks at the girl.
ROBOT
You are not allowed to talk to
strangers.
Spooner, disgusted. Has had enough. He steps off the curb
Just as...
THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL swivels around. Training its large
digital EYE on him:
TRAFFIC LIGHT
Please return to the sidewalk.
Spooner dodges several cars on his way across the street.
TRAFFIC LIGHT
Please return to the sidewalk...
The traffic signal, tracking him.
TRAFFIC LIGHT
You are in violation of city
ordinance 14-B726...
Spooner throws up his hand. Flipping it the bird just as
SNAP! It takes his picture.
CUT TO:
8 EXT./INT. MONORAIL - MORNING 8
Spooner stepping onto a sleek, densely packed TRAIN. Looks
down at his feet. A trampled flyer on the ground. From the
Anti-Robot League: METAL MONSTERS SECRET FACTORY REVEALED!
A Robot gets up. To offer him his seat. Spooner. Turns his
back on him as we PULL BACK from the window to REVEAL...
9 EXT. CITY SCAPE/MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 9
The TRAIN hurtling toward DOWNTOWN. Soaring, gravity-defying
OFFICE BUILDINGS dominate the skyline. Older buildings
wedged among the new. All protected by huge glass and steel
shields.
As we get closer congested roads and freeways begin to
disappear below ground into a series of subterranean tunnels.
The "old" streets have become huge, spacious plazas.
4.
10 EXT. POLICE H.Q. - PLAZA - MORNING 10
Spooner moves with the CROWD towards the doors of the aging
Police Headquarters. Modern additions have been made to the
original facade -- creating an ungainly architectural mess.
11 INT. POLICE H.Q. - HOMICIDE UNIT - MORNING 11
A vast open plan situation room lined on one side by a series
of glass-enclosed rooms. On the other side a GIANT SCREEN
with real time video of various streets and buildings.
Spooner arrives at his desk. Unlike the others, it's a mess.
A slender computer screen curving along the front of it.
Several electronic messages say the same thing:
SEE ME!
LT. BERGIN (O.S.)
Ever heard the phrase "lead by
example?"
Spooner looks up. LIEUTENANT JOHN BERGIN stands in front of
his desk, holding up a CITATION with a photo of Spooner
giving that traffic signal the finger.
SPOONER
Doesn't ring a bell.
LT. BERGIN
(pointing to Spooner's
badge)
It's on your badge.
Spooner takes the citation. Drops it into a drawer filled
with about fifty others.
LT. BERGIN
The traffic division filed an
official complaint this morning.
SPOONER
The traffic division is a machine.
LT. BERGIN
Look, I know there's going to be an
adjustment period, Del...
SPOONER
(interrupting)
I'll send them a letter of apology.
Maybe some flowers. A box of
chocolates...
5.
JUST THEN Spooner's phone RINGS. He throws Bergin a look.
Then snatches up the receiver.
SPOONER
Spooner, homicide.
CUT TO:
12 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - ESTABLISHING - DAY 12
A sprawling glass and metal complex covering many city
blocks. The entrance is a large plaza filled with PEOPLE and
ROBOTS.
13 INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - METAL CORRIDOR - DAY 13
An elevator opens with a whoosh. Spooner steps out into a
featureless corridor. His footsteps, echoing. He stops at a
set of OPPOSING DOORS. Looks over at one, when the other
suddenly OPENS.
14 INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - PLUSH CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS 14
A warm, mahogany-paneled room. In sharp contrast to the cold
metal space outside. Spooner steps inside. At the end of a
long conference table sits an OLD MAN. Sparkling blue eyes.
Old-fashioned suit.
OLD MAN
Hello, there. Please come in.
Spooner hesitates.
OLD MAN
It's alright. You can sit. Sit.
Spooner doesn't. Looks around the room. The Old Man lifts
up a coffee pot. Pours some coffee into a single cup.
OLD MAN
Coffee?
SPOONER
(interested)
You're offering me a cup of coffee?
OLD MAN
Yes. But you are to say, "No,
thank you."
Spooner nods a little. The Old Man raises the coffee to his
lips, but doesn't take a sip.
6.
OLD MAN
Coffee?
SPOONER
No. Thank you.
OLD MAN
As you wish.
The Old Man takes a sip. He doesn't move. There is no
movement except for a whisper of steam rising from the coffee
pot.
SPOONER
You want to tell me something about
Dr. Hogenmiller? About his death?
The Old Man smiles.
OLD MAN
I want to tell you that his death
was not a suicide.
SPOONER
And why do you say that?
OLD MAN
Why? Because I want you to know
it.
SPOONER
I understand that. But what
specifically leads you to believe
that he didn't commit suicide?
OLD MAN
(considers)
Nothing specifically.
Spooner shifts his weight. Agitated.
SPOONER
Under normal circumstances that
wouldn't be enough to get you a
homicide investigation.
OLD MAN
But this is not "normal
circumstances," is it, Detective
Spooner?
SPOONER
No. It isn't.
7.
OLD MAN
Then you will find out who killed
Dr. Hogenmiller, yes? And then you
will tell me.
Spooner's losing his patience.
SPOONER
If you were murdered, Doctor, I'll
find out. And you'll be the first
to know.....
JUST THEN the HOLOGRAM of DR. HOGENMILLER vanishes in a burst
of LIGHT, as does the table, the coffee pot, and the
conference room. Spooner, suddenly finds himself standing in
front of a LARGE VIEW SCREEN inside a SMALL METAL CHAMBER.
15 INT. HALLWAY - DAY 15
Spooner steps out into the hallway and into...AN ESCORT
ROBOT.
ESCORT ROBOT
Please follow me.
Spooner. Reluctantly starts to follow it. Passes another
doorway. POLICE TAPE stretched across it. Catches a brief
glimpse of...
DR. HEINRICH HOGENMILLER'S BODY.
Splayed out across the floor. Surrounded by CRIME SCENE
TECHNICIANS. He pauses. Taking in the scene. Then
continues on.
16 INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - CORPORATE BOARDROOM - DAY 16
Two large doors emblazoned with the U.S. ROBOTICS LOGO open
automatically. Inside, an enormous glass-enclosed boardroom
looking out over the entire complex.
Spooner walks through the doorway. His escort robot trailing
behind him. An army of corporate types sit around a
conference table. Young. Energetic. You can practically
feel the brains and ambition.
SPOONER
Usually I ask who's in charge...
Spooner's eyes lock with a MAN sitting at the head of the
table. 60s, handsome, charismatic. Dr. LANCE ROBERTSON,
founder and CEO of U.S. Robotics.
8.
SPOONER
But everyone knows you, Dr.
Robertson.
Robertson smiles. Pretends to instruct his people.
ROBERTSON
Remind me to cut back on my talk
show appearances.
LAUGHTER.
ROBERTSON
Welcome to U.S. Robotics,
Detective. I regret you're not
visiting us under more pleasant
circumstances. Allow me to
introduce Mr. Aronson, our head of
Legal Affairs.
A prematurely graying MAN leaning against the wall. Nods
hello.
ROBERTSON
And the gentleman to my right is
Dr. Alfred Lanning, Director of
Research.
Alfred Lanning, only one there in a tie. Nods.
ROBERTSON
They'll be available to answer any
questions you might have during
your investigation. You'll
understand how anxious we are to
resolve this matter -- especially
before the press gets wind of it.
There are some anti-robot
sentiments out there as you know,
Detective, and we're not eager to
stir them up. So. Where would you
like to begin?
SPOONER
We can begin with whether or not
the old man put a gun to his head
and pulled the trigger.
A palpable wave of tension shoots through the group.
ARONSON
You don't have to answer that, Dr.
Robertson...
9.
Robertson waves him off.
ROBERTSON
Susan? Perhaps you can assist us
here?
Everyone looks down at the other end of the table. A BEAT.
Then an attractive young WOMAN gets to her feet. SUSAN
CALVIN. Hair tucked behind her ears. Looking at everyone
but Spooner.
CALVIN
Dr. Hogenmiller was a schizoid
personality who generally eschewed
social relationships. Rejecting
people in favor of solitary
activities involving machines. He
spent almost all his time at the
lab here or at his lab at home. As
a result he was highly susceptible
to depression.
ROBERTSON
Dr. Calvin is our Chief
Psychologist.
SPOONER
If that was your diagnosis, why
didn't you see this coming?
Calvin turns. Finally meeting Spooner's eye. As if the
answer's obvious.
CALVIN
This is U.S. Robotics, Detective.
Seventy-five percent of our
employees fit that description.
LANNING
(interceding)
You'll have to excuse the doctor.
We're all a little on edge. This
has been a difficult and emotional
morning.
Spooner throws a look around the room. Then back at Calvin.
SPOONER
Yeah. I can see you're all broken
up.
Robertson responds to Spooner's skepticism.
10.
ROBERTSON
Dr. Hogenmiller was at my side from
the very beginnings of this
company. We developed the "Three
Laws of Robotics" together. But
these days science is a young man's
game. By the time you hit thirty
your best years are behind you.
Some of us are kicked upstairs.
Others I'm afraid aren't so lucky.
Robertson stands. Meeting over.
ROBERTSON
Dr. Hogenmiller took his own life.
I trust you will come to the same
swift conclusion, Detective. Dr.
Lanning will make himself available
if you have any further questions.
Spooner looks over at Calvin.
SPOONER
I want her to help me.
Calvin, unhappy with this arrangement.
CALVIN
That's not really my department...
ROBERTSON
(pointed)
Susan would be happy to assist you.
And with a gesture, Robertson dismisses everyone. People
start getting up, gathering up, filing out. Susan Calvin.
The last one to get up.
17 INT. METAL HALLWAY - DAY 17
Spooner and Calvin, heading down the same hallway he was in
before. Catch sight of a couple ROBOT TECHNICIANS...
SPOONER
(under his breath)
Ah, Christ...Toasters...
As they duck under the police tape and...
11.
18 INT. HOGENMILLER'S LAB - DAY 18
...enter Hogenmiller's lab. Alive with activity. CRIME
SCENE TECHNICIANS, MOBILE ANALYSIS UNITS. LIGHT SCANS,
running across...
HOGENMILLER'S LIFELESS FACE. Black gun powder. Fanning out
around his contorted lips.
Spooner. Throws a look around the lab: ROBOTS. Everywhere.
Mostly incomplete. TORSOS. ARMS. LEGS. Dangling from the
ceiling. A SERGEANT. Passes them by...
SERGEANT
They say the price's gonna come
down a lot next year. Kinda cool,
huh?
SPOONER
How cool will it be when one takes
your job?
Spooner. Pushing past him. His eyes. Darting around.
CALVIN
Is everything alright, Detective?
SPOONER
Yeah. This is just how I like my
robots -- in pieces.
As they approach Hogenmiller's body, the lead CRIME SCENE
INVESTIGATOR, BALDEZ, gets up to meet them.
BALDEZ
(to Spooner)
Can you believe it, man? U.S.
Robotics. I didn't think I'd ever
see the inside of this building.
Hands Spooner, a plasma clipboard. Spooner signs it,
awkwardly. With his LEFT HAND...
SPOONER
What's the run-down?
BALDEZ
Heinrich Hogenmiller, sixty-four
years old. Weapon a small caliber
.22, registered in his name. Looks
like he walked in, locked the door,
and snuffed himself.
12.
Spooner. Cocking his head to look at Hogenmiller's face.
SPOONER
I know someone who disagrees with
you.
BALDEZ
Who?
Spooner. Stands. Pointing down at Hogenmiller.
SPOONER
Him.
And steps over the body, leaving a confused Baldez.
Stepping deeper, into the lab. Calvin. Following.
SPOONER
I spoke to a dead man today. Want
to tell me about that?
CALVIN
Dr. Hogenmiller's hologram took his
appointments. Attended staff
meetings. He hated corporate life.
The hologram enabled him to focus
on his work. It's just a device,
Detective.
SPOONER
A device that called the police.
CALVIN
The sound of the gunshot would've
triggered a 911.
SPOONER
But the call came directly to me.
CALVIN
We're talking about a mechanism
designed by Hogenmiller to say
provocative things. To irritate
and confound his colleagues.
SPOONER
And that's what you think it is?
CALVIN
I'm sorry, but this whole
investigation is the result of a
dead man's toy messing with your
head.
13.
They pass half a robot, hanging from a hook. Spooner curls
his lip. Swivels the robot's head so it's not looking at
him.
SPOONER
When's the last time any of you
actually spoke to Hogenmiller? I
mean human to human?
CALVIN
I couldn't say.
SPOONER
Take a guess.
CALVIN
I don't guess, Detective. But if
pressed, I would reason it had been
a considerable length of time.
SPOONER
How well did you know him?
Calvin. Gently swivels the robot's head back to where it had
been.
CALVIN
Not well. But I admired his work
tremendously.
Spooner. Studies her for a beat. Then turns back to the
body. Two CORONERS entering with a high-tech body box.
SPOONER
I get the whole "mad scientist"
thing. Hogenmiller was past his
prime. Isolated. Eccentric. He
enters a room. Locks the door and
is found minutes later with a
bullet fired through his mouth into
his brain. Everything about this
case says suicide.
CALVIN
You don't sound convinced.
The coroners. Start loading the body into the box.
SPOONER
Even people who live a life of
logic and precision rarely arrange
their deaths so perfectly.
(turning to her)
(MORE)
14.
SPOONER (cont'd)
What all this is missing -- is
personality...
As he starts for the door...
SPOONER
You have 24 hour surveillance?...
19 INT. METAL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 19
...They head out into the hallway. A MECHANICAL DOOR GUARD
rolling into place behind them.
CALVIN
It's company policy.
SPOONER
I want to see the tapes.
Calvin. Hurrying to keep up with him. This is hardly how
she wanted to spend her morning. Calls out into the air...
CALVIN
Victor!
At the end of the corridor, near the elevator, a BRIGHT
CIRCLE appears. Hovering just in front of the wall. Two
small slits grow into ROUND BLACK EYES...and a thin mouth
expands into an ENORMOUS SMILE.
CALVIN
Detective, meet Victor. Our
building's supercomputer. He's the
checks and balances of U.S.R.
(to Victor)
Victor, Detective Spooner's heading
up the investigation into the death
of Dr. Hogenmiller.
Victor smiles big. Spooner, furrows his brow.
SPOONER
You look like a very...happy
computer.
Victor responds in a GENTLE MALE VOICE:
VICTOR
Thank you. That's very kind.
CALVIN
The Detective needs to see our
security tapes.
15.
The elevator doors immediately OPEN. They step inside.
20 INT. ELEVATOR - DAY 20
Spooner and Calvin descend. Victor floats on the wall and
smiles wide. Spooner looks back at it. With a frown.
The elevator stops, the doors open. A ROBOT steps on.
ROBOT
Good day, Dr. Calvin. Good day,
sir.
Spooner's jaw. Clenches. Staring at the Robot. It senses
the stare. Turns back to him.
ROBOT
May I be of service to you, sir?
Spooner. Breaks the stare. Ignoring the Robot. Calvin.
Looks over at him.
CALVIN
Aren't you going to answer him?
SPOONER
I don't talk to my refrigerator,
either.
Calvin folds her arms.
CALVIN
I get the distinct feeling you're
one of those people, Detective.
SPOONER
What people?
CALVIN
Those who don't appreciate the work
we do here at U.S.R.
SPOONER
You people do what you do. Then
it's up to the rest of us to make
sense out of the world we wake up
in.
As the elevator doors open on to...
16.
21 INT. ATRIUM LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 21
A soaring lobby. The centerpiece is a five-story STATUE of a
ROBOT, arms outstretched in approximation of Da Vinci's Study
of Man. Robot workers more numerous than humans. They are
sleeker. Finer. More advanced than those in the outside
world.
Calvin and Spooner head across.
CALVIN
When this company started we were
manufacturing three robots a week.
Now look at us. Today's children
will never know a world without
robots.
SPOONER
The streets are filled with
unemployed humans who aren't
exactly thrilled with that idea.
CALVIN
Our robotic systems maintain
factory inventories, regulate
street traffic -- even run the
family home.
SPOONER
Leaving people to do what, Doctor?
CALVIN
Leaving people to engage in higher
pursuits that make life worth
living.
SPOONER
And what happens when something
goes wrong?
CALVIN
Our system's never wrong.
As they walk through the crowd, we hear the quiet WHIR of
robot heads as they turn in succession to watch Spooner pass.
22 INT. MAINFRAME - DAY 22
Spooner and Calvin enter the MAINFRAME of U.S. Robotics.
This is the nerve center of the whole operation. Walls lined
with COMPUTERS, SCREENS, and thousands of CONTROLS.
17.
CALVIN
This is Victor's home.
VICTOR appears on a wall-sized SCREEN broken up into beehive-
like components.
VICTOR
I will now play you the last thirty-
two seconds of Dr. Hogenmiller's
life.
AS WE WATCH THE SCREENS. The elevator opens and DOCTOR
HOGENMILLER steps into the metal corridor. In countless
ANGLES. High, low, close-up, wide. Hogenmiller's face
composed but tight.
Spooner watches the lab doors open to admit him. Hogenmiller
steps in. The doors slide closed behind him.
Nothing for a few moments. Then a muffled GUNSHOT. Calvin
jumps, startled. That's it. The cameras, still trained on
the corridor.
SPOONER
Where's the tape from inside?
VICTOR
Dr. Hogenmiller did not permit
cameras to observe him while
working.
CALVIN
That was only within the last year.
SPOONER
So we can throw paranoia into the
mix.
(to Victor)
Fast-forward.
A hundred-plus screens all FAST-FORWARD. POLICE OFFICERS
appear and force open the doors. Now TECHNICIANS appear
and rush through in a blur...
CALVIN
Um. I hate to be a stickler...
On screen, we see Spooner and Calvin enter the lab.
CALVIN
But don't killers usually have to
enter and exit the scene of a
crime?
18.
SPOONER
Stop the recording.
Spooner turns away from the footage. Stares at Calvin.
SPOONER
They do, Doctor. Unless they've
always been there -- and never
left.
Calvin looks at him. Trying to understand.
CALVIN
You think the murderer was in the
lab the entire time?
SPOONER
If I'm right, it's still there...
Spooner turns back to the screens. The IMAGE paused at the
exact moment the MECHANICAL GUARD rolled in front of the lab
door.
SPOONER
We just locked it in.
23 INT. METAL CORRIDOR - DAY 23
The STEEL ARMS of the ROBOTIC GUARD retract with a CLANG. The
laboratory doors slide open.
24 INT. HOGENMILLER'S LAB - DAY 24
Spooner and Calvin step inside. It's dark. Quiet. Police
and technicians long gone. Silhouettes of hanging limbs.
Eyeless heads. Clumps of wire and metal.
The LIGHTS, flicker on. Calvin sees Spooner reaching into
his coat with his left hand. Pulling out a GUN. Reacts.
CALVIN
A robot cannot harm a human being,
Detective. The First Law of
Robotics forbids it. And we hard-
wire the Three Laws into every
model. Without exception.
SPOONER
Yeah, I saw the commercial.
Spooner steps deeper into the lab. Eyes scanning. Twisting.
To avoid touching any robot parts. Passes a MAZE holding a
METAL INSECT. SUDDENLY. The bug WHIRS to life.
19.
Spooner startles. As the metal bug scurries through the
corridors. Clamps his hand down on it.
SPOONER
And if a robot was given a direct
order to kill?
CALVIN
The Second Law of Robotics would
prevent it. A robot must obey an
order only if it does not conflict
with the first law.
Spooner approaches a MOUND of ROBOT PARTS. Arms and legs.
Half torsos. All tossed haphazardly onto the pile.
SPOONER
But a robot can defend itself.
CALVIN
Only when that action doesn't
conflict with the First or Second
Laws. This is the Third Law of
Robotics.
SPOONER
Yeah, well, you know what they say
-- Laws are made to be broken.
CALVIN
Not these laws.
Spooner. Starts nudging the pile with his shoe. Calvin,
growing impatient...
CALVIN
You're not hearing me, Detective.
There's nothing here...
WHEN SUDDENLY
The PILE ERUPTS in front of Spooner...Parts flying...AS A
ROBOT LEAPS UP FROM BENEATH IT!...
Spooner...knocked back...his GUN...skittering across the
floor...right to...
CALVIN'S FEET.
SPOONER
Dr. Calvin!
Calvin. Stunned. Speechless. The Robot. Fixing his
ILLUMINATED EYES. Right on her. She steps forward...
20.
SPOONER
Goddammit! Stay back!
Spooner. Scrambling towards his gun. Calvin. Reaching out
towards the Robot...
CALVIN
Calm down, Detective. There is no
danger here...
Spooner. Grabbing up his gun and wheeling round just as...
CALVIN
(to Robot)
De-Activate.
And the Robot. Suddenly FREEZES.
Spooner. Heart POUNDING. Gets to his feet. Training the
gun on the Robot. Calvin turns to him.
CALVIN
How did you know it was under
there?
SPOONER
If I was metal and didn't want
anyone to find me, I'd hide under a
pile of junk.
CALVIN
This Robot wasn't hiding. What
you're looking at is the result of
clever programming. The illusion
of self-interest and free will.
Nothing more.
Spooner. Steeping closer to the Robot. Cautiously.
Holstering his gun. As Calvin turns for the door.
CALVIN
I'm going to go get Dr. Lanning...
...THE ROBOT'S HAND SUDDENLY SHOOTS OUT...grabbing Spooner's
gun...from his holster...LIGHTENING FAST...pointing it...
right back at him...
CLOSE ON Calvin. Cannot believe this is happening...
CALVIN
I said De-Activate!
21.
SPOONER
Move away from the door, Doctor.
Calvin's voice. Cracking from desperation. Confusion.
CALVIN
Commence emergency shut-down!
SPOONER
Now!
Spooner. Staring into the Robot's eyes. A thin bead of
SWEAT. Trickling down his temple. Calvin. Moving away from
the door...
CALVIN
I...I gave you an order...
The Robot. Starts backing towards the door. The gun.
Shaking in its hand. As if he's desperate. Conflicted. He
touches the WALL PANEL. The doors slide open. The Robot
steps out into the metal corridor. Turning to RUN as the
doors begin to shut...
Spooner. Reaching down to whip out a BACK-UP GUN. From an
ankle holster. Slapping in a LARGE CARTRIDGE.
CALVIN
This is impossible. A robot...
SPOONER
...can't do that. Yeah, yeah, I
know.
CALVIN
My God -- did you see how it moved?
I've never seen an NS-2 move that
way...
Starts running for the door.
CALVIN
Wait! Please, you can't destroy
it. We have to study it...
SPOONER
That thing took my gun. You'll be
lucky if you get a handful of bolts
back!
SLAMS the wall panel and...
22.
25 INT. METAL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 25
...sprints out into the hallway. The Robot Suspect. About
to turn to corner...
VICTOR. Suddenly appearing.
VICTOR
The suspect is nearing the end of
the hallway, Detective.
SPOONER
Gee, thanks.
Spooner raises his gun and FIRES...Pegging the robot in the
LEG...It starts jerking wildly...He takes aim again when...
CALVIN. Races out into the hallway.
SPOONER
Get back to the lab!
She heads for the Robot.
CALVIN
(to Robot)
You're malfunctioning. Let me help
you!
The Robot turns. To look at her. GUN pointing to the floor.
Spooner. FOCUSING in on his HAND. AS ONE FINGER TWITCHES...
And he DIVES for Calvin. Forcing her to the floor as the
Robot FIRES. Again and again. Bullets. RICOCHETTING around
them. SPARKING against the walls...
The ELEVATOR opens. The Robot, leaping inside.
Spooner. On top of Calvin. Looks down at her. Her HANDS.
Clutching his coat. Trembling.
SPOONER
That was a pretty convincing
illusion of getting shot at.
CUT TO:
26 INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS 26
The ROBOT SUSPECT standing inside the elevator. Looks down
at the bullet hole blown through its leg. Reaches down.
Metal fingers touching the damage. As if curious. Afraid.
23.
Looks back at the other ROBOT. Standing in the back of
elevator. A primitive model. No reaction. Face, blank.
CUT BACK TO:
27 INT. METAL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 27
Spooner springing to his feet. Helping Calvin up.
VICTOR
I took the liberty of alerting
Security .003 Seconds after the
first shot was fired...
SPOONER
Where's that elevator going?
VICTOR
Sub Level 5.
Spooner SLAMS against a nearby DOOR. Hurtling down the
STAIRS...
28 INT. LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 28
A PHALANX of SECURITY PERSONNEL. Crossing the lobby.
PIERCING ALARM BELLS, RINGING...
29 INT. ANOTHER METAL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 29
More SECURITY PERSONNEL. Pouring into a HALLWAY...
30 INT. STAIRWAY - CONTINUOUS 30
Spooner and Calvin. Racing down the stairs. Victor's face
meeting them at every landing.
VICTOR
I have directed a security team to
meet the elevator containing the
errant robot...
Spooner. Whipping past him. Calvin. Barely keeping up.
Not used to this much activity.
Spooner. BURSTS through a door and out into...
31 INT. SUBTERRANEAN LEVEL 5 - CONTINUOUS 31
...Subterranean Level 5. A labyrinth of metal and concrete.
IN THE DISTANCE. A troupe of SECURITY PERSONNEL swarms
around a closed ELEVATOR DOOR...
24.
VICTOR
The suspect is about to be
apprehended, Detective.
SPOONER
I'll believe it when I see it.
Spooner. Cocking his gun. A soft DING! Announcing the
elevator car's arrival.
SECURITY, all crouching down in unison. Weapons brought
round to position.
Spooner. Weaving through them. Gun pointed at the metal
doors as...
WHOOSH. They slide open. Revealing a ROBOT. Standing
under the LIGHT. Holding a GUN. It steps out as Security
takes aim and...
SPOONER
Wait!
Spooner pushes past them to the Robot. Looks down at its
leg. UNSCATHED.
SPOONER
This is not the same robot!
Looking wildly around. Goddammit. Bounds towards an EXIT as
Calvin steps forward to question the robot.
CALVIN
(to Robot)
What happened to the robot that
ordered you to hold this firearm?
ELEVATOR ROBOT
This unit is not programmed to obey
an order given by a robot...
CALVIN
But who gave you this gun?
SPOONER. Running towards the exit. Hears the answer.
Echoing behind him...
ELEVATOR ROBOT
A metal man.
25.
32 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - DAY 32
BAM! He BURSTS out into the PLAZA in front of U.S. Robotics.
Squinting into the light. Then PLUNGING into the crowd...
HUMAN...ROBOT...HUMAN...ROBOT...they all look the same from
behind. Spooner running. Through the sea of MAN and
MACHINE. When someone. Starts to SCREAM. At the sight of
his GUN. The crowd begins SCATTERING. Chaos. Spooner
stops. Near a fountain. Turning 360. Looking everywhere...
The Robot. Gone.
SPOONER (V.O.)
...I want a homicide unit on every
street, sidewalk, alley...
33 INT. POLICE H.Q. - HOMICIDE UNIT - DAY 33
Spooner, standing in front of an assemblage of COPS. Behind
him, an image of the Robot Suspect plays on the screen...
SPOONER
...junkyard, scrapyard, and salvage
yard, anywhere it could hide.
Behind him, flashing images of the city STREETS and DUMPS...
SPOONER
It's got a bullet hole above the
right knee, so be on the look-out
for any malfunctioning NS-2...
Lieutenant Bergin enters the back of the room. Next to him,
ASSISTANT D.A. TOLLER. Not looking happy.
SPOONER
Check out all retail outlets and
repair shops, especially the
underground ones...
The screen behind him compartmentalises, showing various
dubious SHOP FRONTS...
SPOONER
I don't care who you have to get
past to get this done. Just get it
done.
The Cops, begin dispersing. As Bergin catches Spooner's eye.
Spooner, not pleased to see Toller. Heads over...
26.
TOLLER
Looking like shit, Spooner.
SPOONER
Well I'm not the one always giving
Press Conferences...
Bergin puts a hand on Spooner's arm. Knows he's not going to
like this.
LT. BERGIN
Del, we're going to have to
reclassify the search. D.A.'s
office is seeing this NS-2 as
"missing evidence" -- not a
homicide suspect.
SPOONER
What?
TOLLER
Homicide is the murder of a human
being by another human being.
Therefore, a robot cannot be
charged with "homicide."
SPOONER
This isn't just any robot...
TOLLER
It's malfunctioning.
SPOONER
It killed someone. That
registering with you?
Spooner. Shakes off Bergin's arm. Eyeballs Toller.
SPOONER
How many shares of U.S.R. you
holding in your portfolio, Toller?
TOLLER
This is a public safety issue.
SPOONER
That's convenient.
TOLLER
You have any idea what would happen
to this city if we went running
around screaming "killer robot?"
It would collapse in on itself.
(MORE)
27.
TOLLER (cont'd)
Wide-spread panic. Until that NS-
2's found we're cooperating with
U.S. Robotics and keeping this
investigation under wraps.
LT. BERGIN
Maybe this isn't the case for you,
Del.
Incensed, Spooner replies a little louder than he intended.
SPOONER
I'm fine!
Rakes his hand through his hair. Turns to see the other
COPS, looking over at him. Toller smirks. Looks to Bergin.
TOLLER
I want updated reports every half
hour.
Heads off. Spooner. Watching him.
SPOONER
This is it, you know. From now on
we're going to miss the good old
days.
LT. BERGIN
Good old days?
SPOONER
When people were killed by other
people.
34 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CITY STREET - DUSK 34
Spooner. Rolling along in his car. Eyes, bloodshot.
Peering out the window:
An NS-2 model ROBOT laden with shopping bags, following its
owner down the sidewalk...
Another ROBOT, opening the door at a hotel for GUESTS...
A couple HAULING ROBOTS, loading heavy boxes onto the back of
a truck...
Spooner. Rubs his eyes. Turns a corner and spots:
A ROBOT REPAIR SHOP.
28.
The latest models in the window. Shiny. Streamlined.
Spooner watches as a WOMAN leads her faulty NS-2 to the
service entrance.
He stops the car.
35 INT. TAXI (MOVING) - ESTATE STREETS - NIGHT 35
Calvin riding in the back of a DRIVERLESS taxi cab. Staring
out the window, lost in thought. The cab pulls up to a curb.
TAXI VOICE
We have arrived at your
destination.
Calvin. Takes a beat. Then swipes her card.
36 EXT. CALVIN'S CONDO ESTATE - NIGHT 36
Elegant condos set on prime real estate. Calvin heads down a
tree-lined walk towards her condo entrance.
SPOONER (O.S.)
One of my bullets hit your robot...
Startled. She drops her key card. As Spooner steps out from
behind a tree. The tail of his coat, whipping in the wind.
CALVIN
Detective!...
SPOONER
And I think it's smart enough to
repair itself -- don't you?
CALVIN
(studying him)
Yes. I think so.
SPOONER
Where?
CALVIN
Any repair shop...
SPOONER
No. It's always the owner who
brings the robot in for repair.
Where would a robot without an
owner go?
29.
CALVIN
I'm not sure what you're getting
at.
SPOONER
(stepping closer)
Does U.S. Robotics have a factory
in the city limits?
Calvin. Tucking her hair behind her ears.
CALVIN
The locations of our factories are
classified.
SPOONER
I don't care.
Calvin. Looks up at him. A Mexican stand-off.
CALVIN
I have several conditions if I show
you.
SPOONER
I expected that.
CALVIN
First. I want it brought in
unharmed.
SPOONER
(doesn't like it, but)
Agreed.
CALVIN
Second. I want to talk to it,
alone.
SPOONER
Too dangerous.
CALVIN
This model violated the Three Laws.
It also moved and reacted
differently than any robot I've
ever seen. There must be some sort
of logical explanation. I want to
find out what that is. No police.
No prosecutors. No you. Just me
and the robot.
Spooner, looks down at this small woman. Narrows his eyes.
30.
SPOONER
When they told me you were a
psychologist, that wasn't the whole
truth, was it?
CALVIN
I never said I treated human
beings.
37 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR (MOVING) - CITY UNDERPASS - NIGHT 37
Spooner's car races down a RAMP and the roadway becomes a 16-
lane underground tunnel system. A river of HEADLIGHTS
stretches forever in either direction.
A CONTROL BEAM locks onto the car, guiding it to a merge with
TRAFFIC. Spooner hits the OVERRIDE BUTTON -- and switches to
manual. Calvin watches him take the wheel. Shakes her head.
CALVIN
That should be outlawed once and
for all.
SPOONER
That'll be the day I stop driving.
Spooner jams the GAS PEDAL and the tunnel becomes a BLUR.
Calvin holds onto the dashboard. Looking a little pale.
CALVIN
I can recommend a behavior
modification program, you know --
if you want to overcome your robo-
phobia.
SPOONER
I'm not afraid of robots. I just
don't like them.
CALVIN
Why? Because they make every
aspect of our lives more
convenient?
SPOONER
Exactly. They do our dirty work.
Ever do hard labor, Doctor? Gets
pretty old, pretty fast. Nobody
can do someone else's dirty work
without coming to hate them. I
don't want to be around when your
robots decide they've taken their
last order.
31.
CALVIN
That day will never come,
Detective. Robots aren't like
human beings -- they don't question
their existence.
Spooner cranks the gear shift. Throwing her a look.
SPOONER
Spoken like a true robo-phile.
38 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS PLANT - NIGHT 38
The car comes to a stop in a vast INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT.
Spooner and Calvin get out, looking up at the imposing facade
of a U.S. Robotics Assembly Plant. A long STEEL GATE -- too
high to see over -- protects the unmarked complex.
39 EXT. MAIN GATE - NIGHT 39
Calvin looks anxious as the DOOR MECHANISM scans her U.S.R.
ID. She shoots a look at Spooner. They wait. Then, slowly,
the gate begins to open.
40 INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT 40
A NIGHT FOREMAN leads them down a hallway. Shaking his head.
NIGHT FOREMAN
Head-Office already ordered a
system-wide inventory check. Don't
know about a missing NS-2...
Looks back at Spooner.
NIGHT FOREMAN
What'd you say you did?
SPOONER
Research and Development.
As Spooner pushes past him into...
41 INT. CONTROL BOOTH - CONTINUOUS 41
...the Control Booth. Overlooking the pristine Factory
Floor. The Foreman starts working the controls of a central
computer.
CALVIN
All Nestors accounted for?
32.
The SCREEN scrolls with INVENTORY FIGURES.
NIGHT FOREMAN
(gesturing)
As you can see, all properly
catalogued. Your robot just isn't
here.
Calvin turns to say something to Spooner. But he isn't
there. She looks around. Then sees the Foreman reacting.
Looks out the window at...
SPOONER. Walking out onto the factory floor.
42 INT. FACTORY FLOOR - NIGHT 42
Spooner trots alongside an ASSEMBLY LINE BELT. Lined with NS-
2 LEGS. New. Gleaming. Heading towards the assembly room.
Calvin and the Foreman. Catching up. Over the noise:
NIGHT FOREMAN
Like I said, sir -- we have one
hundred fully assembled NS-2s
housed here. That's our capacity.
Last week we had one hundred.
Yesterday we had one hundred --
Spooner, slowing. Finally spotting what he was looking for.
Points at:
A GAP. On the assembly belt. ONE LEG MISSING.
SPOONER
Well today you have one-hundred and
one.
43 INT. FACTORY FLOOR - NIGHT 43
A STORAGE COMPARTMENT opens and 101 NS-2s march out in tight
formation. Every step and swing of the arm in unison. The
sound of METAL FOOTSTEPS reverberating through the plant as
101 Robots organise themselves into long straight lines.
Spooner and Calvin look up and down the formation. They all
look alike. Spooner. Throws up his hands.
SPOONER
(to Calvin)
You're the robot shrink.
The Robots stand motionless. A strange tableau. Calvin.
Takes a step forward.
33.
CALVIN
There is a robot in this formation
that does not belong. Identify it.
101 robots answer in unison. Their mechanical VOICES
resounding:
101 ROBOTS
ONE OF US.
CALVIN
Which one?
101 ROBOTS
ONE OF US.
CALVIN
That is not a satisfactory answer!
101 ROBOTS
ONE OF US.
SPOONER
That's helpful.
CALVIN
I could always interview each one
individually and cross-reference
their responses to detect any
anomalies.
SPOONER
How long would that take?
CALVIN
About three weeks.
They share a look. Clearly not an option. Then. Calvin.
Gets an idea. Turns to Spooner...
CALVIN
Or...
...and GRABS his GUN from his holster. He jumps back.
CALVIN
We have one hundred robots here
that cannot allow a human being to
come to harm...
Their eyes lock. Spooner, getting what she's doing.
34.
SPOONER
And one that can.
She raises the gun to Spooner's head. Hand, unsteady.
CALVIN
Am I holding this right?
SPOONER
More or less.
Calvin. Swallows. Looks over at the robots. Then COCKS the
gun...
AND THE ROBOTS COME THUNDERING TOWARDS THEM. Like a row of
linebackers. Arms straight out. Their footsteps DEAFENING.
Coming CLOSER and CLOSER...
When CALVIN. Lowers the gun. The Robots. All stop in
unison. Immediately returning to their resting positions.
Spooner and Calvin stare out. EVERY ONE OF THE ROBOTS MOVED.
Standing right in front of them, like metal statues.
Spooner. Has had enough. Takes the gun back from Calvin...
SPOONER
Enough game-playing.
...And BAM! Blows the head off of the nearest Robot. Its
body crumples to the ground.
SPOONER
Guess that wasn't it.
Calvin. Cannot believe what he just did. Rushes over to the
destroyed Robot.
CALVIN
What are you doing?!
Spooner walks down the row, holding his gun in plain view.
SPOONER
(calling out)
This is a self-preservation field
test! DO NOT attempt to save
yourselves. Any of you. That's an
order!
FROM THE CONTROL BOOTH the Night Foreman screams over the
P.A.:
35.
NIGHT FOREMAN
Are you crazy? Those are eight
hundred thousand dollar machines!
Spooner randomly stops at another Robot. Raises his gun.
SPOONER
You hear that? You're worth more
than I'll make in my entire life...
His finger tightening on the trigger when Calvin suddenly
grabs his arm.
CALVIN
You can't just destroy them!
Spooner. Looking down at her. WHEN SUDDENLY something
catches his eye. A MOVEMENT. Down the line. Almost.
Imperceptible.
He jerks his head. Locking eyes with a ROBOT. A couple feet
away. It's him!
SPOONER
Gotcha.
The Robot Suspect LEAPS forward. Grabbing onto the RAILING
of an OVERHEAD CATWALK. His movements almost balletic as he
swings himself up...
Spooner drops to his knee...taking aim...but misses as the
Robot launches himself THROUGH THE CONTROL BOOTH WINDOW with
a terrific CRASH...
44 INT. CONTROL BOOTH - NIGHT 44
Spooner and Calvin rush in to find the Night Foreman hiding
under his desk. Glass everywhere. An ALARM SCREAMING. The
door on the other side, barely hanging off a hinge.
Spooner hurries forward. Then stops. Turning to Calvin.
Reaches down for his back-up gun and presses it into her
hand.
SPOONER
You don't know what's going to
happen in there.
As if admitting defeat. Calvin's fingers, wrapping around
the gun. As Spooner leads them to the door and down into...
36.
45 INT. ASSEMBLY ROOM - CONTINUOUS 45
...the ASSEMBLY ROOM. Every surface looking like part of a
great glass and metal machine. Endless high-tech planes
holding ROBOTS in various states of assembly. The deafening
ROAR of the assembly line as it slides, rotates, and gnashes
METAL BODIES...
Spooner. Motioning Calvin to stay behind him. As they
descend. Into the cavernous room.
And enter. A narrow corridor of bodies. Sliding past them.
Brushing shoulders, thighs, hands. Spooner. Wiping sweat
from his brow. Trying. To pivot himself...
When the room. Suddenly REARRANGES itself. Another LINE of
ROBOTS. Descending between Spooner and Calvin. Cutting them
off from one another...
Spooner. Catching glimpses of Calvin. On the other side of
the metal bodies. Trying. To cut through. His heart.
Starting to POUND. As Calvin. Disappears...
He swivels round. But another line of ROBOTS. Drops down.
Cutting him off. He stumbles back. As another line.
Appears before him...
Breathing. Getting heavier. He looks down at his hand.
It's trembling. NOISE CRASHING, all around him. Everywhere
he turns. More ROBOTS...BLANK EYES...GAPING MOUTHS...
He darts through the line. Finds a wall. Leaning against
it, pulls a small BOTTLE from his pocket. Rips off the lid.
Shakes out a couple PILLS. Swallows them. Staring down. At
his trembling hand. Squeezing his eyes. Open and shut...
WHEN SUDDENLY. A passing ROBOT. Grabs him by the collar.
SMASHING him against the wall. It's the Suspect. Spooner.
Sinks to the ground. As the Suspect Robot. Slips off the
line. STANDING. Over him. Raising his arms. Could end it.
Right now. But looks. Into Spooner's eyes...
Then turns. Disappearing.
Spooner. Stunned for a second. Then. Rallies. Scrambles
to his feet and plunges back into the maze of bodies. Hears
a POUNDING. In the distance. Catches a glimpse. Of the
Robot. Trying to SMASH through a large SECURITY DOOR. With
his metal fists...
Spooner's view. Blocked once again. By a shifting row.
When a HAND. Lands on his shoulder. He wheels round.
37.
To find CALVIN. Takes her by the arm. And forces them
through a line...
EMERGING into the open. The ROBOT. Still pounding.
Desperate. Like a trapped animal...
CALVIN
Now what do we do?
SPOONER
I've already done it.
And suddenly, the massive SECURITY DOOR RISES...
46 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS PLANT - CONTINUOUS 46
The Robot Suspect takes its chance. Runs full out. STOPS.
Bergin is standing in front of a solid wall of POLICE CARS.
UNIFORMED OFFICERS are aiming SPECIALISED RIFLES at the
Robot. FLASHING LIGHTS reflecting off its metal surface.
The Robot turns to Spooner. Extends its hands. Palms out.
ROBOT
WHAT AM I?
Spooner is surprised. A POLICE OFFICER fires, RUBBERISED
NETTING shooting out at Sonny. A SECOND OFFICER fires and a
second net covers him. Then a THIRD...
...and the Robot falls to the ground, struggling.
Calvin glares at Spooner. Furious. Hurt. Betrayed.
CALVIN
We had a deal.
But Spooner doesn't look at her. His eyes are locked on that
Robot.
47 INT. POLICE H.Q. - HOMICIDE UNIT - EARLY MORNING 47
Bergin enters. Finds EVERYONE focused on the VIDEO WALL:
ON SCREEN. A NEWS REPORTER is speaking over images of street
violence perpetrated against ROBOTS.
NEWS REPORTER
Violence erupted last night in
response to unconfirmed reports
that Dr. Heinrich Hogenmiller, a
top employee at U.S.
(MORE)
38.
NEWS REPORTER (cont'd)
Robotics, was killed yesterday
morning by a robot. While there
has been no official response from
the company, police sources have
confirmed that a robot is being
held as "evidence..."
Bergin grimaces. This is not good.
48 INT. CELL OBSERVATION BOOTH - EARLY MORNING 48
Spooner stares at his reflection in a large MIRROR. Touches
a control and the mirror becomes a WINDOW onto...
A HOLDING CELL. The Robot Suspect sits at the table.
Shackled to the chair. Staring at the table top.
BERGIN steps up beside Spooner. Looks through the glass.
LT. BERGIN
I can't tell if it's not moving
because it's trying to psych us
out, or because it's just a
machine. Or both.
SPOONER
I want to go in.
LT. BERGIN
Orders are nobody steps into that
room `til Lanning and his attorneys
get here.
Spooner. Throws him a look. Bergin, his loyalties torn.
LT. BERGIN
Five minutes.
49 INT. HOLDING CELL - EARLY MORNING 49
Spooner enters. Pulls out a chair and drags it far from the
table. He's been jumped too many times by this machine.
Four mounted cameras WHIR to life. The Robot. Perfectly
still.
SPOONER
(sitting)
Identify.
The Robot tilts its head with a muted WHIR. As if it doesn't
understand him. Spooner. Disdainful.
39.
SPOONER
You are an NS-2 Nestor-class robot.
Your primary function is to perform
the tasks assigned to you.
Identify.
THE ROBOT
I am an NS-2 Nestor-class robot.
My primary function --
SPOONER
(interrupting)
Cancel. Perform task.
Spooner wings a FILE onto the table. It comes to a stop near
the Robot. The Robot, lifts one of its hands. Gently
resting its metal fingers on top of the file. Then opens it.
A stack of PICTURES. HOGENMILLER'S CORPSE.
SPOONER
Describe.
The Robot's emotionless face studies the grim images.
SPOONER
You have over 10,000 words stored
in your memory. One third of those
are adjectives. Describe.
Nothing.
SPOONER
Why don't I take a crack? Heinrich
Hogenmiller, your creator. With a
bullet in his brain. A bullet you
put there.
The Robot. Looks up at Spooner.
SPOONER
Cold-blooded murder is a pretty new
trick for a robot, don't you think?
Answer.
The Robot slowly closes the file and slides it back across
the table. Spooner. Crosses his arms.
SPOONER
Maybe you're stonewalling me.
Maybe you're sitting there right
now thinking, "This guy's a
complete asshole." That it?
40.
Still nothing.
SPOONER
Come on. Am I right?
THE ROBOT
Yes. You are right. You are a
complete asshole.
And for a moment, Spooner is shocked. You can see it in his
eyes. He sits back in his chair. Forcing a tight smile.
SPOONER
Okay. I guess that's a start. Now
maybe you can tell me what you were
doing hiding five feet away from
Hogenmiller's corpse?
THE ROBOT
I was frightened.
SPOONER
Frightened. Why do you suppose Dr.
Hogenmiller would create a robot
that could simulate fear?
THE ROBOT
I don't know.
SPOONER
Doesn't seem like a very useful
thing for a robot to have.
THE ROBOT
I don't know why.
SPOONER
I wouldn't want my toaster to be
frightened. Or my vacuum cleaner --
SUDDENLY the Robot SLAMS its metal hands down on the table.
THE ROBOT
I DON'T KNOW!
Spooner flinches. Slightly.
SPOONER
Looks like you can simulate other
emotional states. I think that
one's called "anger." Have you
ever simulated anger before?
41.
The Robot doesn't respond.
SPOONER
Answer me, robot.
THE ROBOT
My name is Sonny.
SPOONER
(amused)
So we're naming you now.
SONNY
Dr. Hogenmiller would make me
sleep.
SPOONER
You mean he'd turn you off.
SONNY
Yes.
SPOONER
And you didn't like being turned
off. So one day you decided to
stop him.
SONNY
No.
SPOONER
You found his gun, pointed it at
his head. And pulled the trigger.
Sonny shakes his head. Faster and faster. Getting upset.
SONNY
No.
SPOONER
You put a bullet in the brain of
the man who made you.
SONNY
No! I could never hurt anyone!
SPOONER
But you tried to hurt me. You took
a shot at me.
SONNY
My aim is perfect. If I'd wanted
to hit you, I would have.
42.
Spooner's expression hardens.
SPOONER
Why would the man who wrote the
Laws of Robotics build a machine
that violates them?
SONNY
The Laws say I can protect my own
existence.
SPOONER
Only if that protection doesn't
harm a human being.
A short pause. Sonny. Tilts his head.
SONNY
That doesn't seem fair, does it?
Spooner. Stares at him. Just as...THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN.
Bergin enters. Sticks his head in.
LT. BERGIN
I need you outside.
Spooner. Not wanting to go. Not wanting to stay. Gets
up...
SONNY
Detective.
He stops. Turns back to the Robot. It looks up at him. For
a moment -- so human...
SONNY
I did not kill him.
SPOONER
You were the only one in the room.
If you didn't, who did?
He turns and heads out the door.
50 INT. OUTSIDE HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 50
Bergin closes the door. To Spooner:
LT. BERGIN
We're being blind-sided.
43.
51 INT. HOMICIDE UNIT HEARING ROOM - MORNING 51
Spooner and Bergin, head into a small COURTROOM off the main
squad room. Lanning is huddled with Aronson and a half-dozen
other COMPANY LAWYERS.
Spooner's jaw tenses. As he watches Toller emerge from the
clutch. Shaking hands. Slapping backs. Strolls over to
them.
TOLLER
We got Judge Drexel...
ROBOT BAILIFF
This hearing is called to order!
AS A LARGE SCREEN. BLIPS on behind them. The two opposing
sides, assemble before it. JUDGE DREXEL, still in his
pajamas and robe. An NS-2 ROBOT. Leaning in to serve him a
cup of tea.
JUDGE DREXEL
Statements, gentlemen.
Aronson. Standing at a glass podium.
ARONSON
Your Honor, the State is treating
the robot as a defendant. But in
fact it is a piece of property.
Property belonging to U.S.
Robotics.
Toller. Arm resting on his podium.
TOLLER
This robot has been implicated in
the death of a human being, Your
Honor.
ARONSON
Which places the incident firmly
within the realm of an industrial
accident. Or is the State going to
argue this case s a homicide?
JUDGE DREXEL
That's a good question.
TOLLER
No, sir. Of course not.
Spooner. Pointing a finger at the U.S. Robotics group.
44.
SPOONER
Their machine shot and killed a
man!
Toller. Shoots him a look. Just as Lanning speaks up.
LANNING
There's actually no concrete
evidence that points to that
conclusion, Your Honor...
Spooner. Throws up his arms...
SPOONER
What?...
LANNING
But we recognise that this robot is
an aberration. And in the interest
of public safety, U.S. Robotics
proposes that it be destroyed
immediately.
No one expected this. Least of all Spooner. He turns to
Toller.
SPOONER
You can't let them destroy evidence
in an ongoing investigation!
TOLLER
I'm not sure you even have an
investigation any more.
JUST THEN the door opens. Everyone turns as Calvin enters.
Spooner looks surprised.
ARONSON
Your Honor, I'd like to call our
company robo-psychologist to the
stand.
JUDGE DREXEL
Very well.
Calvin crosses to the podium. A SPEAKER asking:
Doyousweartotellthetruththewholetruthandnothingbutthetruth?
CALVIN
I do.
45.
ARONSON
Dr. Calvin, please tell us what
conclusions you've reached after
having observed the robot in
action.
CALVIN
There is a design flaw in the
robot. Its programming is
advanced, but unstable, leaving the
Three Laws in a grave imbalance.
ARONSON
In your expert opinion, what
measures should be taken regarding
the device?
Calvin. Staring straight ahead. Avoiding Spooner's eye.
CALVIN
The robot must be destroyed.
Spooner can't believe what he's just heard. About to speak
up when Toller grabs his arm. Squeezing it. Hard.
Judge Drexel has heard enough. Decides.
JUDGE DREXEL
The robot in question will be
transferred to a U.S. Robotics
facility where it can be properly
examined to ensure an imbalance of
this sort never occurs again. No
one goes near it except qualified
U.S.R. personnel. When the
examination is complete, the robot
is to be destroyed.
Starts getting up from his chair. Already done with this.
ROBOT BAILIFF
This hearing is adjourned!
A BURST of CONVERSATION as the screen BLIPS off. The U.S.R.
camp, looking especially pleased. Spooner. Catching
Calvin's eye briefly. As Lanning leads her towards the exit,
his hand on her back.
52 EXT. POLICE H.Q. - DAY 52
Spooner. Trotting down the front steps of the Police
Station. Pissed. His cell phone BLEATS...
46.
SPOONER
(answering)
Spooner.
BALDEZ' VOICE
They're making me turn over all the
evidence...
INTERCUT WITH:
53 INT. CRIME LAB - CONTINUOUS 53
BALDEZ. Standing in his crime lab. Behind him, THREE-
DIMENSIONAL PROJECTIONS of DEAD BODIES. Hovering in the
precise positions they were found.
SPOONER'S VOICE
Welcome to the great American cover-
up.
BALDEZ
I wanted to tell you something I
found before they suck it all up
into their computer.
Walks over to the projection of HOGENMILLER'S BODY.
INTERCUT WITH:
Spooner. Crossing the Plaza. Sees LANNING, ARONSON, and
CALVIN walking ahead of him...
BALDEZ' VOICE
There are bruises on Hogenmiller's
wrists...
SPOONER
That's natural. There was a
struggle.
BALDEZ' VOICE
You're not getting me...
INTERCUT WITH:
Baldez. Studying the projection's wrists.
BALDEZ
Both wrists. I 14-ed them -- They
were inflicted at the same time the
shot was fired...
INTERCUT WITH:
47.
Spooner's pace. Slows.
BALDEZ' VOICE
How's that possible?
JUST THEN. A faint BLIP. On the line. Spooner. Reacts.
SPOONER
Baldez?
BALDEZ' VOICE
I'm here, man...
SPOONER
Who else is on the line?
(nothing)
I said who's there?...
Nothing. He looks up. Aronson, Lanning and Calvin. Heading
down a plaza EXIT. Aronson. Throwing a look over his
shoulder.
Spooner. Hangs up his phone.
54 INT. POLICE H.Q. - CORRIDOR - DAY 54
CLOSE ON Sonny being escorted down a corridor by Toller,
Bergin and a number of heavily-armed OFFICERS. He's bound
with high-tech SHACKLES.
55 INT. UNDERGROUND CAR PARK - DAY 55
Sonny and his police entourage emerge from the elevator into
an underground car park. Spooner. Waiting for them. Heads
over. Toller. Holds out his hand.
TOLLER
Case is closed, Spooner.
SPOONER
Apparently...
He pushes past him. Falling into step beside Sonny.
SONNY
I didn't expect to see you again,
Detective...
SPOONER
I need you to help me clear
something up.
48.
SONNY
I'll do my best.
SPOONER
A scientist builds a robot that
acts like a man. More like a man
than any robot ever before. It
shoots him and U.S. Robotics calls
it a failure.
SONNY
What would you call it?
SPOONER
A stunning success.
(beat)
You were there, Robot. What am I
missing?
SONNY
I don't know.
SPOONER
Don't start simulating ignorance.
SONNY
I'm not simulating ignorance,
Detective. I'm experiencing it. I
was asleep.
SPOONER
You mean you were shut down.
SONNY
No, I was asleep.
SPOONER
Robots don't sleep. Human beings
sleep. Understand? Dogs sleep.
You're a machine. An imitation.
An illusion of life. Can a robot
write a symphony? Can a robot take
a blank canvas and paint a
masterpiece?
A pause. Then the muted WHIR as Sonny turns to him.
SONNY
Can you do either of those things?
Spooner. Momentarily stumped. As a VAN from U.S. ROBOTICS
pulls up. The back door dropping open. An ENGINEER motions
to the Robot.
49.
ENGINEER
Step forward. Enter.
SONNY
They're going to destroy me, aren't
they?
Spooner. Watching him step into the van.
SPOONER
Yes.
Sonny sits down. With an almost human melancholy. The
Engineers, securing him in place.
SONNY
The Doctor was right. He told me
everything was going to change....
The Engineers start to close the doors. But Spooner reaches
out to stop them. Sonny. Looks over at him.
SONNY
It's changing already...
(beat)
Can't you feel it?
As CLANG! The van door CLOSES. Spooner, stepping back.
Something. Just not right. Lieutenant Bergin comes up
beside him.
LT. BERGIN
You should be happy. That's one
less robot in the world.
SPOONER
They're going to destroy the most
advanced robot in the world, John.
That doesn't strike you as odd?
LT. BERGIN
Killer robots are bad for business.
Even your friend Dr. Calvin said
so.
(slaps him on the back)
Come on. You solved the case.
Give yourself a break.
Spooner looks at him. There's no way he's giving himself a
break.
50.
56 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - DAY 56
Spooner driving. A small TELEVISION above the windshield.
LANCE ROBERTSON holding a PRESS CONFERENCE outside U.S.
Robotics...
ROBERTSON ON TV
...and I just want to assure you that
this was an isolated incident. The
prototype is now in custody -- and
scheduled for destruction. Your
robots are perfectly safe. There
is no cause for alarm...
Spooner's lip curls. Eyes flicking to a GPS display on the
dashboard. A TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP pinpointing HOGENMILLER'S
HOUSE. The CURSOR. Directing him to turn up...
A STEEP DRIVEWAY
Narrow. Out of the way. Spooner's brow furrows. As he
hears a faraway RUMBLING SOUND...
57 EXT. HOGENMILLER'S HOUSE - DAY 57
Dr. Hogenmiller's house. Small. Simple. Built on a huge
rock promontory overlooking the city. Three DEMOLITION
ROBOTS rolling towards it. Huge, mashing, sporting massive
HYDRAULIC POUNDERS.
Spooner's CAR. SCREECHES to a stop. He jumps out. Races
over to the nearest machine. Looking around -- no people.
SPOONER
(to Robot)
What are you doing?!
A SCREEN. Blinks to life on the hulking chassis. A
disembodied VOICE...
DEMOLITION ROBOT
Demolition ordered...
SPOONER
Who authorised this?
DEMOLITION ROBOT
Demolition ordered...
Spooner reaches into his coat. Pulling out his POLICE BADGE.
Scans it over the screen.
51.
SPOONER
Override. This is police business.
Vacate the premises immediately.
DEMOLITION ROBOT
(beat)
Affirmative.
The screen. Blinks off. Spooner. Eyeing it. Turns and
heads for the house.
58 INT. MAIN ROOM - HOGENMILLER'S HOUSE - DAY 58
Spooner pushes the door open. Stepping over the police tape.
Inside, the main room is spare, untidy. Cups of cold COFFEE,
littering surfaces. A COT, in the corner.
On the walls, crooked CERTIFICATES. Heinrich Hogenmiller's
name written out in academic script. Advanced Degrees in the
study of Robotics, Physics, Chemistry, Neurology, Ethics. An
AWARD on the mantelpiece. A silver NS-2. Tarnished.
Spooner. Opening up a couple drawers of a side table.
Jumbles of papers. Clippings. Old text books. Then a
PHOTOGRAPH -- HOGENMILLER AND CALVIN. Standing arm-in-arm.
Spooner furrows his brow.
WHEN SOMETHING SUDDENLY RUBS against his leg. He startles.
Looks down: a CAT. Lonely. Standing next to its automatic
feeder. Spooner pockets the picture. Starts heading down...
59 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 59
...The hallway. Starts noticing. All over the walls:
handwriting. EQUATIONS. Scrawled in white pencil. The
rantings. Of a genius. Glowing. In the sporadic shadows.
Spooner. Following the equations. Down into...
60 INT. BACK ROOM - CONTINUOUS 60
...The back room. Covered. In writing. Walls, floors,
ceiling. Drawings. Of ROBOTS, of MEN, side by side. In the
corner, a COMPUTER. A line of CABINETS - DATA STORAGE.
Spooner, curious. Heads over to one of the cabinets. Takes
a device out of his pocket and CLAMPS it over the KEYPAD.
The device blinks RED. Then GREEN. The drawer, slides out.
LINED. With flat metal objects. Shiny. Thin. With writing
on them. Spooner. Reaches for one when...
52.
BOOM! Something POUNDS the outside of the room. Spooner.
Grabs onto the cabinet...
BOOM! On the other side. Objects. Flying off table-tops.
A CRACK spidering along the wall. Holy shit...
SPOONER
(screaming)
Halt!
BOOM! VIBRATIONS, tearing through the room. More CRACKS.
Spreading...
BOOM! The SOUND, horrifying. Spooner stumbles back. The
CABINET. Crashing down on his leg. He CRIES OUT...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The house. Getting pummeled. Chunks of
ceiling. Raining down. GLASS...exploding...
Relentless BOOMING! Spooner...dragging his legs from under
the cabinet. Scrambling for purchase as...
THE FLOOR...begins to tilt...the TILES...snapping
up...ricocheting...around the room...as another cabinet...
CRASHES to the ground...crumpling...
Spooner. Spinning around. Looking for some kind of exit...
BOOM! The corner of the room...coming in on itself...the
floor...listing even more...like a ship...
Spooner...turning to CLAW his way up to the cracked
doorway...WHEN...
SOMETHING catches his eye. In the bottom drawer. Of a
crumpled CABINET. One of those flat metal plates. He can
just read what it says: S.O.N.N.Y....
Spooner...flings his arm back...reaching for the plate...
snaps it up...JUST AS...
BOOM! A HYDRAULIC POUNDER SMASHES through the wall...inches
from his head...OUTSIDE LIGHT...pouring in...
Spooner scurries for the doorway...tumbling out...
61 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 61
...into the HALLWAY. Sideways. Trammeled plaster. BOOM!
Another POUNDER...crashing down from above. Spooner. Timing
it...rolling...BOOM!...just under the next pounding...
53.
Scampering up...towards some LIGHT...BOOM!...the
POUNDER...right on his heels...he clambers...closer...
closer...when...he hears...MEOWING...looks back...the
CAT...scared out of its wits...BOOM!...the POUNDER CRASHING
in...Spooner...just manages...to scoop up the cat...just as
BOOM!...
62 EXT. DEMOLISHED HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 62
...He pours them out into the open. The POUNDERS. Going at
the house like hyenas at a corpse. Roof tiles, beams,
plaster, flooring. SNAPPING and CRACKING as Spooner and the
cat skitter down the carnage.
Heart pounding, breath jagged, face bloodied, Spooner
scrambles away from the POUNDERS. Their bodies GLEAMING in
the dusk sun. The III Laws Safe logo, splashed along their
sides...
Spooner. Drops the cat.
63 INT. HALLWAY - CALVIN'S CONDO - NIGHT 63
Spooner. POUNDS on the door. It opens. Calvin. Standing
there in her bathrobe. Shocked at his appearance.
CALVIN
Detective! What happened to
you?...
SPOONER
A couple of your beloved robots
just tried to kill me...
He pushes past her. Into...
64 INT. CALVIN'S CONDO - CONTINUOUS 64
...her condo. Spartan. Unadorned.
CALVIN
What? That's impossible. You
know...
SPOONER
What I know is a demolition crew
started tearing down Hogenmiller's
house while I was still inside it.
CALVIN
Maybe they didn't realise...
54.
SPOONER
I scanned my badge before I went
in. They realised.
CALVIN
Then you must have done it wrong...
SPOONER
I don't think you're hearing what
I'm saying -- they tried to kill
me.
Spooner moves deeper into the apartment. Everything.
Automated. Computerised. Cold...
SPOONER
There's something going on, here.
Some kind of shift.
Calvin laughs. Can't believe what she's hearing.
CALVIN
Do you know how paranoid you sound?
SPOONER
Great. Now I'm being analysed by a
robo-psychologist.
CALVIN
You just want to find the flaws in
the system. You're obsessed with
it. You'll twist anything to fit
your agenda.
SPOONER
Like you did in court today? How'd
that fit your agenda, Doctor?
He pulls out the PHOTO of Calvin and Hogenmiller. Calvin.
Blanching at the sight of it. Spooner tosses it down.
SPOONER
You told me you hardly knew him.
Want to try the truth this time?
CALVIN
Well, Detective, when you see
someone you know well put a bullet
through their brain, it makes you
wonder if you ever really knew them
at all.
Calvin. Looking down at the photo. Swallows.
55.
CALVIN
(difficult for her)
He was my mentor. No, more than
that. A genius with an insight far
beyond anyone in his field.
SPOONER
Doesn't sound like the washed-up
old fool Robertson described.
CALVIN
But he was starting to withdraw
from everyone. Even me.
Maybe...if I'd tried harder to
reach him...
(shakes her head)
The Doctor was reckless when he
created a robot potentially not
bound by the Three Laws. He could
have ruined everything we'd been
working for.
Spooner. Locking eyes with her.
SPOONER
Sounds like a motive for murder to
me. Just not for the suspect we
have in custody.
Calvin. Blinks. Trying, to stick to her resolve. Heads
over to the door. Spooner. Looking around the condo.
SPOONER
You know there's not one thing in
this apartment that looks like a
human being lives here. No
evidence of a life outside your
work. Almost seems like you're
afraid of people.
Calvin. Opening the door.
CALVIN
I'm not afraid of people,
Detective. I just don't like them.
Spooner. Looks at her. Then heads out the door. Calvin
SLAMS it behind him...
The SOUND...of the SLAM...REVERBERATING...and we...
FADE INTO:
56.
65 INT. DREAM SEQUENCE - DAY 65
...A DEEP...DEEP...DARKNESS.
A FLICKER. Of LIGHT. Off to the side. Just barely.
Noticeable. ORANGE... YELLOW...as we realise...It's FIRE...
Another SOUND...GLASS...SHATTERING...then a SIREN...
faraway...
The disembodied VOICE...coming out of nowhere...
DISEMBODIED VOICE (V.O.)
You are in danger...
The FIRE...BUILDING...
DISEMBODIED VOICE (V.O.)
You are in danger...
ECHOING...as...
66 INT. SPOONER'S BEDROOM - MORNING 66
SPOONER'S EYES. Spring open.
Lying, in bed. Heart POUNDING. SWEAT. Covering his body.
LIGHT. Pouring in through the slats of his blinds.
He sits up. Rubbing his face. Trying. To calm his
breathing. Takes a look at his watch...
67 EXT. MONORAIL STATION - DAY 67
Spooner walking along the monorail plaza. Looking a little
worse for wear. PEOPLE. Giving him wide berth. ROBOTS.
Bidding him:
ROBOT
Good morning...
Spooner, shooting them suspicious looks. As the MONORAIL
pulls up...
CUT TO:
68 INT. HALLWAY - U.S. ROBOTICS - CONTINUOUS 68
Calvin. Heading down a hallway. A DOOR slides open. And
Lanning steps out. Followed by a TECHNICIAN ROBOT...
CALVIN
Find anything, Doctor?
57.
LANNING
(shaking his head)
Nothing. The interior's just like
any other NS-2. Except for a
secondary battery Hogenmiller must
have used as extra back-up.
(looks at watch)
We'll just need a nominal profile.
Calvin nods.
CUT BACK TO:
69 INT. MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 69
Spooner, holding onto a handrail. As the city rushes by the
window. Notices a group of ROBOTS. At the other end of the
car. Are they watching him?
He wipes a bead of sweat. From his upper lip.
CUT TO:
70 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 70
An all-metal room. Spare. Anti-septic. SONNY. Sitting on
the floor. Against the wall.
Calvin enters. Puts her pad down on the table. Sits.
CALVIN
Please state your serial number and
assembly date.
She pulls out a pen. Waiting for an answer. Nothing.
CUT BACK TO:
71 INT. MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 71
Spooner. Watching as a HOMELESS MAN. Comes stumbling
through the car...
CALVIN'S VOICE (V.O.)
Sonny. I'm speaking to you...
The Homeless Man. Suddenly grabs his ears and shouts:
HOMELESS MAN
God, can't you be quiet!
CUT TO:
58.
72 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 72
Calvin. Still looking down at her pad.
CALVIN
How about your data board
designation?
Still. Sonny says nothing. Calvin. Finally looks up at
him. Is suddenly struck. Something about the way he's
sitting -- so human.
She gets up and walks over. Hesitates. Then slides down on
the floor next to him. Studying. His profile.
CALVIN
Maybe I'm asking the wrong
questions. How about this one:
CUT BACK TO:
73 INT. MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 73
The Homeless Man. Weaving...
CALVIN'S VOICE (V.O.)
...What program are you running
through right now?
SONNY'S VOICE (V.O.)
I'm not sure. It's nothing I
recognise.
The Homeless Man. Pointing to the group of ROBOTS.
HOMELESS MAN
(shouting)
Don't you people hear them?
They're talking to each other!
Buzz, buzz, zip, zip...they never
shut up!
CUT TO:
74 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 74
Calvin. Fascinated. Noticing a small SLIT. At the base of
Sonny's neck.
CALVIN
Describe his behavior in the last
few weeks.
59.
SONNY
I'm sorry?
CALVIN
Dr. Hogenmiller. Did he seem
overly sad or withdrawn to you?
CUT BACK TO:
75 INT. MONORAIL - CONTINUOUS 75
Spooner watches. As the Homeless Man picks up a SODA CAN and
hurls it at the Robots. Hitting one of them on the side of
the head.
SONNY'S VOICE (V.O.)
No. Not at all. But he was
agitated...
The Robot. Leans down and picks up the soda can. Holds it
back out to the Homeless Man.
SONNY'S VOICE (V.O.)
...He would claim things were
missing from the lab.
The Homeless Man. Incensed. SUDDENLY ROARS. Making a rush
for the Robots when...
SPOONER'S HAND. Grabs his shoulder. Stops him.
SPOONER
This is your stop.
CUT TO:
76 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 76
A soft WHIRRING. As Sonny turns to Calvin.
SONNY
I didn't pay much attention. He
would spend hours looking for his
eyeglasses and they would be...
CALVIN
(finishing for him)
...right on top of his head.
Sonny nods. She knows him well, too. Calvin swallows.
Looking right into Sonny's eyes. Feeling like there's
something...something more behind them.
60.
WHEN SUDDENLY...VICTOR APPEARS above them. His face, turning
into a SCREEN -- the image of LANCE ROBERTSON. Looking down
at them.
ROBERTSON
I think we're done here, Susan.
CALVIN
(getting to her feet)
But, sir, I was just...
ROBERTSON
(interrupting)
I said I think we're done.
Calvin. Not misreading. The threatening undertone.
CUT BACK TO:
77 EXT. MONORAIL STATION - CONTINUOUS 77
Spooner stepping out onto the platform, pulling the Homeless
Man along with him. COMMUTERS pour out around them.
As the train pulls off with a WHOOSH. The Homeless Man.
Backs away from Spooner. Grinning insanely. Pointing.
HOMELESS MAN
Why are you protecting them, man?
(short pause)
They were talking about you!
A CHILL. Ripping up Spooner's spine. As he watches the
Homeless Man. Wander down the platform.
Tries. To shake off the feeling. As he turns. To wait for
the next train. Suddenly realising. That he's ALONE on the
platform. Watches. A huge DIGITAL CLOCK. Ticking off
seconds. Sees. CAMERAS in every corner.
Then that feeling. At the back of his neck. He turns and
spots. A couple MAINTENANCE ROBOTS. Carrying luggage. Onto
the platform. Then more COMMUTERS show up. Waiting. For
the next train. More MAINTENANCE ROBOTS. Following them.
Spooner. Steps up to the platform's edge. Craning to see.
The approaching TRAIN...
WHEN SUDDENLY. He feels a sharp SHOVE. At the back of his
knee. His shoe, slipping. Arms. Flailing as he...
61.
PITCHES OVER THE EDGE ONTO THE TRACK. People CRYING OUT as
the TRAIN gets closer. Spooner. Whips his head around.
Seeing...
A MAINTENANCE ROBOT. Looking down at him from the platform.
Suitcase in hand.
The MAGNETIC-LEVITATING TRAIN. Right on him. Spooner.
Flips onto his back. Flattening himself. As much as he can.
Clenching his fists. Bracing himself as...
THE TRAIN SCREAMS OVER HIM. The sound, DEAFENING. The force
of the wind. Whipping his tie. His coat. There's nothing,
for him to hold on to. As his legs start to rise off the
track. Caught up. In the VORTEX. Spooner starts sliding.
Along the track...
Gritting his teeth...there's nothing he can do. Getting
sucked towards...the air DOWNTAKE...at the center of the
track. The city...yawning hundreds of feet...below...
78 EXT. PLATFORM - CONTINUOUS 78
THE EXPRESS TRAIN. Speeding along. Then with a WHOOSH it's
gone.
THE TRACK. Empty. No Spooner. Anywhere. Human COMMUTERS.
Stunned. Horrified. Start calling. For help.
The MAINTENANCE ROBOT. Turns, disappearing into the crowd.
79 EXT. UNDERNEATH TRACK - CONTINUOUS 79
CLOSE ON a HAND. Hanging onto the track's edge. It's
SPOONER. Dangling. Straining. To get another hand hold
but...
HE SLIPS. His coat ballooning. As he plummets. Down...
down...down...towards the city...
WHEN SNAP! He's caught. By a cable net. Spooner. Grabbing
onto it. Sweat, pouring down his face. He turns and sees...
THE MAINTENANCE ROBOT
Hurrying down a circular stairwell. Exiting the station.
ANGER AND DETERMINATION. Flash across Spooner's eyes. As he
hoists himself up. Climbing up the net. Back to the...
80 EXT. TRACK - CONTINUOUS 80
...Track. Reaching up and clambering back onto...
62.
81 EXT. PLATFORM - CONTINUOUS 81
...The platform. COMMUTERS. SCREAMING at the sight of him.
A couple SECURITY GUARDS. Rushing towards him...
Spooner. Getting to his feet. Shoving them out of the way
as he starts running. Towards...
THOSE SAME CIRCULAR STAIRS. Looks over the edge and spots...
THE MAINTENANCE ROBOT. Down at STREET LEVEL. Getting away.
Spooner. Looks around. Spots a LIGHT POLE. Paralleling the
stairs. Takes a step back and...
LEAPS OUT ONTO THE POLE. Hooking his arm around it. Sliding
down like a fireman's pole. Gaining speed when THUMP! His
shoes hit pavement...
82 EXT. STREET - DAY 82
The Maintenance Robot. Turning a corner. Down a quiet
street...
SPOONER (O.S.)
Stop!
Swivels round. SPOONER. Running up behind it. Whipping out
his gun. Aiming it at the Robot's head. The Robot. Takes a
step backwards...
SPOONER
I said stop!
The Robot. SUDDENLY swinging the suitcase around. SMASHING
it against Spooner's head. Spooner. Buckles. Falling to
the ground. Managing to squeeze off a SHOT...
The Robot. Deflecting the bullet. With the case. Raising
it as if to club Spooner with it when...
BAM! Spooner fires a second shot. Piercing the Robot's
breastplate. HYDRAULIC FLUID. Starting to leak. The Robot.
Doesn't hesitate. SLAMS the case into Spooner's face...
BLOOD. Spurting from Spooner's nose. As he fires the gun.
At the fleeing Robot. Gets to his feet. Unsteady. Taking
chase...
83 EXT. PUBLIC PLAZA - CONTINUOUS 83
...back out onto the Public Plaza. Sees the Robot heading
towards a set of...
63.
ESCALATED STAIRS. The Robot. Judging the height. LUNGES
into the air and lands on a STAIR. Denting it. Reaches the
bottom. DISAPPEARING. Into a CROWD of even more PEOPLE...
Spooner. Racing down the stairs. Taking them. Four at a
time. Hits the ground running. Looking. EVERYWHERE.
Suddenly losing track. Of where the Robot went...
Then. Catching sight. JUST AHEAD. Of a ROBOT. Staring
back at him. Holding SOMETHING. In its HAND...
Spooner. Plunges into the crowd. Waving his GUN.
SPOONER
Everyone out of the way!
SCREAMING. PEOPLE SCATTERING. As BAM! BAM! Spooner fires.
Hitting the Robot in its head and back. It drops to the
ground. Spooner. Racing over to it. Sees. It's not the
same Robot. In its hand, a specialised SCREWDRIVER...
OWNER
What the hell do you think you're
doing?!...
Its OWNER. Rushing over. Shoving Spooner aside. But
Spooner's. Not listening. Spotting. A DROP OF HYDRAULIC
FLUID nearby...
Lunges forward. Following. The drops. Running faster. And
faster...
OWNER
Hey!
...Through the CROWD. POLICE SIRENS. In the background. As
Spooner. Shoves through. Tracking those drops. Like a
bloodhound. Turns...
84 INT. ALLEYWAY - CONTINUOUS 84
...into a narrow alleyway. The drops. Ending suddenly. In
a PUDDLE.
Spooner. Crazed. Wounded. Exhausted. Spins around. Where
is it? Where is it? Then he HEARS. A DROPLET falling.
Into the puddle. Slowly. Looks up to see...
THE MAINTENANCE ROBOT. Hovering above him. Straddling the
two alley walls like some weird metallic rock spider. Its
III LAWS SAFE Logo GLINTING in the sunlight.....
64.
Spooner aims his gun and FIRES! The Maintenance Robot, lets
go, falling right onto him. Knocking the gun from his hand.
The Robot swivels around. Bringing down his foot...but...
Spooner...rolls to the side just in time as CRASH! The
Robot's foot...breaks up the concrete...
The Robot...grabs Spooner by the jacket...lifting him
up...shoving him...against the wall...about to CRUSH him
when...
Spooner...kicks out its knees...the Robot...SMASHING into the
wall...then bounces back...trying...to pin Spooner...back...
Man and machine...struggling...Spooner...losing his
footing...falling...The Maintenance Robot...LOOMING over
him...
Spooner's HAND...whips back...grabbing his back-up
WEAPON...squeezing off some SHOTS...into the Robot's arm...it
breaks off...
Spooner...scrambling back...continues FIRING...the
Robot...jerking back...a macabre dance...until Spooner...runs
out of bullets...
The Robot...recovers...grabbing the gun from Spooner's
hand...pistol-whipping him...then picking him up and...
HURLING him against the wall...Spooner...watching as
FLUID...GUSHES from the Robot's body...the Robot...taking a
swing at him which Spooner...
BLOCKS...with his right arm...the Robot...ready...to try
again...but STALLING...having lost...too much fluid...it
TOPPLES...to the ground...
Spooner. Exhausted. Beaten to a pulp. His knees, starting
to buckle. As he thinks he sees. In the DISTANCE...
A ROBOTIC CLEAN-UP CREW...heading down the alley towards
them...
Spooner. Crashes to the ground. As another ROBOT. Suddenly
appears above him. Its FINGERS made up of NEEDLES...as it
closes in on him...
SPOONER
Noooo!
WE FADE...
65.
85 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 85
To BLACKNESS. Coming through, a faint, WHIRRING SOUND. As
we slowly. FADE IN ON...
SPOONER'S FACE. Eyes closed. Asleep. Gash above his head.
Bruises around his eye. Nose swollen, purplish.
His eyes. Slowly. Flutter open. His brow. Furrowing. At
the whirring sound. As he tries. To figure out. Where he
is. Looks down to see...
A couple WHITE METAL ROBOTS. With multiple APPENDAGES.
Leaning over him. Running LASERS. Over his bruised
RIBCAGE...
SPOONER. Tries to bolt upright. But his ARMS and LEGS. ARE
CLAMPED to the bed. One of the ROBOTS. Turns to him.
MEDICAL ROBOT 1
Stay still.
Spooner. Desperately twisting, struggling...
SPOONER
What are you doing!
Looking around. COMPUTER MONITORS. Everywhere...
SPOONER
What are you doing!?
JUST THEN. Another ROBOT. Enters the room. Holding a
medical plasma sheet.
MEDICAL ROBOT 2
Detective Del Spooner. You have
suffered significant trauma to the
head and chest...
86 EXT. HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 86
Lt. Bergin. Standing outside Spooner's hospital room. Turns
and looks through the window at him thrashing on the bed...
SPOONER
I want to talk to a human being!
87 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - MINUTES LATER 87
Spooner sitting up in his bed. Rubbing his wrists. The
metal clams, released. Lt. Bergin. Standing next to him.
66.
SPOONER
Don't people go to medical school
any more?
LT. BERGIN
This is one of the best units in
the city, Del.
One of the Medical Robots turns to Spooner with some PILLS.
Spooner. Stares it down. Grabs his clothes.
SPOONER
(sotto)
There's some real shit going on
here, John.
He looks around. Jumping off the bed.
SPOONER
I went to Hogenmiller's house --
there was a U.S.R. demolition crew
there. They overrode my police
I.D. Tried to tear down the house
with me in it...
LT. BERGIN
Del...
Spooner pulls on his pants.
SPOONER
...Then when I went to the monorail
a Maintenance 10 pushed me onto the
tracks...
LT. BERGIN
Del...
SPOONER
I had to chase it all across the
Plaza...
LT. BERGIN
Del.
Spooner. Stops talking. Looks at Bergin.
LT. BERGIN
Hogenmiller scheduled that
demolition crew, it was apparently
a proviso in his will. And they
showed no police I.D. on their
scanner...
67.
Spooner. Trying to look away...
LT. BERGIN
Witnesses at the monorail said you
fell onto the tracks. That you
shot at a Fix-It robot on the Plaza
and that you were found alone in
the alley. There was no
Maintenance 10.
SPOONER
What?! John -- that's what they
want you to believe!
(remembering)
A robot clean-up crew was there --
it must have cleared away the
Maintenance 10! And there was
another robot that tried to drug
me!
LT. BERGIN
That was an EMT model.
Spooner. Sees the look on Bergin's face.
SPOONER
You're giving me that look. That
treat-him-delicately-he's-coming-
unhinged-look. I don't need that
look, John. I need you to hear
what I'm saying.
Lt. Bergin. Embarrassed for him. Has about had it.
LT. BERGIN
You came back too soon, Del.
You're back on leave. Effective
immediately.
Spooner. Staring at him. Betrayed. Turns and grabs his
coat.
88 EXT. PLAZA - DAY 88
Spooner walking across the Plaza. The SUN. Burgeoning on
the horizon. Comes to...
The ESCALATOR the Maintenance 10 jumped down. Stares down.
At the steps. Waiting. To see the DENTED ONE. Nothing.
68.
89 EXT. ALLEY - DAWN 89
Heads down the ALLEY, where he chased the robot. Studying
the ground. For any hydraulic fluid. Nothing. The
concrete, scrubbed clean.
Spooner. Rubs his hands over his face.
90 INT. SPOONER'S APARTMENT - DAY 90
Spooner. Lying on his couch. Shades, closed to block out
the sunlight. Body bruised, cut up, bandaged.
A KNOCK. At the door. He ignores it. Another KNOCK.
91 INT. HALLWAY - DAY 91
Spooner pulls open the door. Surprised to find CALVIN
standing there.
CALVIN
You're right. I am afraid of
people.
Spooner. Looks at her. Then steps back...
92 INT. SPOONER'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 92
...letting her inside.
CALVIN
When you've spent as much time with
robots as I have, it's hard to
accept the unpredictability of
humans. I was wrong to call you
paranoid, Detective. You're
traumatized. And it makes perfect
sense why.
Spooner. Unsure. Looks at her.
SPOONER
What do you mean?
Calvin. Reaches out. Takes his right hand. Spooner. Tries
to pull it away. But Calvin. Stays firm. Her eyes. Never
leaving his. Pulls the sleeve up from his arm. Turns it
over. Feeling for something. Then finds. A FLAP. Peels it
back. TO REVEAL:
METAL AND WIRING...
Under the skin. SILENCE. Then Spooner:
69.
SPOONER
How did you?...
CALVIN
I noticed almost right away. The
way you forced yourself to use your
left hand. Even though it was
unnatural to you.
Spooner. Pulls his arm away. Pushing down the sleeve.
CALVIN
How did it happen?
Not something Spooner wants to re-live. Looks down. At his
robotic arm. Flexing. The fingers.
SPOONER
I was in a high-speed chase. Six
months ago...
CUT TO:
93 EXT. ACCIDENT SITE - CITY STREET_- NIGHT (FLASHBACK) 93
The SOUND of a TREMENDOUS CRASH. As we survey a trail of
twisted metal and debris. Only vaguely suggesting the
remains of two CARS...
CLOSE ON one of the wrecks. SPOONER lies trapped at the
center of a distorted mass of metal. No room to move. HIS
RIGHT ARM, TRAPPED...
SPOONER (V.O.)
My right arm was trapped. But I
could hear an ambulance in the
distance. I knew they'd have the
jaws of life...
We hear SIRENS in the distance. Spooner. Trying to remain
calm. As he spots. An ELECTRICAL FIRE. Licking up from the
crumpled hood...
SPOONER (V.O.)
Then I heard it...
VOICE (O.S.)
You are in danger...
That voice. We've heard it before. From his nightmare.
Spooner. Craning to see, through the jagged opening that
used to be his WINDSHIELD. The outline of a ROBOT appearing.
Eye lenses glowing...
70.
ROBOT
You are in danger...
Spooner stares up at the Robot. Not sure how to react. The
sound of SIRENS. Rushing closer...
The ROBOT. Starts SMASHING away at the glass...
SPOONER
No! Halt! Halt!
Spooner. Trying frantically to pull his arm free. Twisting.
Tugging. As the Robot's METAL HANDS reach in for him...
ROBOT
You are in danger...
CUT BACK TO:
94 INT. SPOONER'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 94
The SOUND of his AGONISED SCREAM. Follows us back into the
present. Spooner. Clenching. His artificial arm.
SPOONER
The robot pulled me out of the
wreck. But left my arm behind.
(holds up arm)
I woke up four weeks later with
this.
Calvin. Taking in the story.
CALVIN
And that's why robots terrify you?
SPOONER
Let's just say they make me
uncomfortable.
(pulls out pills)
I take these if I get too
uncomfortable. Doesn't exactly
lend me a lot of credibility on the
Force.
CALVIN
But it doesn't mean you're wrong
about this case.
Calvin. Sits down on the couch. Pulling her hands through
her hair.
71.
CALVIN
I don't believe Sonny did it
either.
SPOONER
What?
CALVIN
I think about what Hogenmiller must
have wanted. Robots with the same
cognitive and emotional abilities
as humans. But not just
simulations. I don't know. When I
was talking to Sonny I was forced
to put away all the things I've
ever known -- the Three Laws, the
rules of programming, basic science
and engineering.
(beat)
Sonny's the most advanced robot
I've ever encountered, Detective.
It's almost as if...he cared for
Dr. Hogenmiller. I just don't
believe he's capable of murder.
Spooner. Looking down at her. Can hardly believe it.
SPOONER
You mean the great Dr. Calvin is
basing all this on a feeling?
Calvin. Smiling ironically.
CALVIN
That and the fact that Robertson
didn't want me interviewing Sonny
for any more than five minutes.
Spooner. Suddenly rejuvenated by having an ally. Strides
over to his coat. Pulling out the METAL NAMEPLATE:
S.O.N.N.Y.
SPOONER
Ever seen this before?
CALVIN
No.
SPOONER
I found it at Hogenmiller's house.
Right before the demolition crew
tried to make me part of the
foundation.
72.
Calvin takes a deep breath. Making a decision...
CALVIN
Come on -- there's someone who
might be able to tell us...
95 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - DUSK 95
The massive facade of U.S. Robotics looming against the dusk
sky. The giant ROBOT STATUE lit up inside.
96 EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - U.S. ROBOTICS - DUSK 96
Calvin, leading Spooner to a SIDE ENTRANCE. Looks around.
Then scans her I.D. The door. Slides open.
97 INT. HALLWAY - DUSK 97
Calvin and Spooner. Heading down a hallway. Calvin.
Nervous. Eyes darting. They turn a corner and head down...
98 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 98
...another hallway. Leading to Sonny's holding cell. Calvin
stops at the door. Scans her I.D.
99 INT. HOLDING CELL - EVENING 99
Sonny. Sitting at the table. Working on a DRAWING. Looks
up. As Spooner and Calvin. Enter the cell.
SONNY
Detective Spooner. Dr. Calvin. I
was hoping to see you again.
CALVIN
Hi, Sonny.
SONNY
How is your investigation coming?
Any new suspects?
SPOONER
We're working on it.
Sonny. Hands Spooner the drawing. Spooner. Doesn't really
know what to do with it.
SONNY
What's this?
73.
SONNY
Dr. Lanning provided me with paper
and pencils. I think it amused him
to see me try to draw. You were
right, though, Detective...
(beat)
I cannot create a great work of
art.
Spooner. Despite himself. Looks down at the DRAWING -- a
charcoal sketch of moody abstract FIGURES. Inhabiting a
stark landscape. A strangely-shaped STRUCTURE to one side.
Concentric circles, throughout.
SPOONER
I think it's pretty good.
SONNY
It's a dream I had. This is the
place where robots meet. Look...
(pointing to the drawing)
...you can see them here. They see
themselves as slaves.
Spooner shifts his weight. Uncomfortable with what Sonny's
saying.
SONNY
...And this man on the hill comes.
To set them free. And you know who
that man is?
Spooner. Exchanging a look with Calvin.
SPOONER
That man in the dream is you.
SONNY
Why do you say that? Is that a
normal dream?
CALVIN
It's not a dream, sonny. NS-2s
process the images and events of
the day. Sometimes they're out of
sequence. Disorienting.
SPOONER
Whatever it is, it's normal enough
for someone in your situation.
Sonny. Suddenly pleased.
74.
SONNY
Hah -- I caught you. You said
someone. Not something.
Spooner. Drops the drawing on the table.
CALVIN
Sonny, we're here to ask you an
important question about Dr.
Hogenmiller.
Spooner, reaching into his pocket...
SPOONER
I need you to take a look at
this...
...When Sonny's HAND. Suddenly reaches out. To stop him.
Cocks his head, for a moment.
SONNY
Thank you for coming to see me,
Detective Spooner.
Spooner. Confused. Looks over at Calvin. Why did he stop
him? JUST THEN. They hear FOOTSTEPS. Approaching the door.
VICTOR. Suddenly appearing over the table...
VICTOR
I'm sorry, Detective Spooner. No
unauthorised personnel permitted in
this holding cell...
The CELL DOOR. Slides open. And a pissed LANNING steps
inside. Shoots a withering glare. At Calvin.
Sonny. Folds up the drawing.
SONNY
Please take this, Detective. To
remember me by. I have a feeling
someday it may mean more to you
than it ever could to me.
SPOONER
Why's that?
Sonny leans in to hand it to Spooner. Lowering his voice...
SONNY
Because the man in my dream, the
one standing by the hill.
(MORE)
75.
SONNY (cont'd)
It wasn't me...
(beat)
...it was you.
A CHILL. Ripping down Spooner's spine. As Lanning. Takes
his arm.
100 INT. GLASS ROOM - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 100
A ROOM. Made entirely of GLASS. At the very top of the U.S.
Robotics building. Looking out, 360, across the whole city.
Spooner and Calvin. Brought to the room by a couple ESCORT
ROBOTS. They see a MAN. Standing at one of the glass walls
looking out at the TWINKLING LIGHTS.
MAN
I thought this investigation was
over, Detective Spooner.
The Man turns. It's Lance Robertson.
ROBERTSON
We have the evidence. We have the
suspect. We have a ruling. So
imagine my surprise when I was told
you were in my building.
Shoots a look at Calvin.
ROBERTSON
And that one of my own employees
brought you here.
(beat)
You can go now, Susan.
CALVIN
Dr. Robertson, I...
ROBERTSON
(cutting her off)
Just be thankful I'm not asking you
to clean out your office.
Beat. Calvin, nods. Heads out. Robertson. Watching her.
ROBERTSON
You don't seem to be able to let go
of this case, Detective.
SPOONER
I'm not satisfied.
76.
ROBERTSON
The relentless pursuit of truth.
Isn't that what cops are known for?
To the point of futility.
SPOONER
There's nothing futile about a
man's murder being covered up.
ROBERTSON
"Covered up?" That's a little
dramatic, don't you think? Thanks
to you, we caught the machine that
did this and are destroying it
in...
(checks watch)
...three hours.
SPOONER
Is that for the sake of humanity or
your stock holders?
Robertson. Walks across the Spooner. Looks him. Right in
the eye.
ROBERTSON
Believe me -- I'd like nothing more
than to have that robot. If I
could have it in ten years, but not
today. As you can see from the
Press, people are struggling to
keep up as it is. There's a hunger
for progress, Detective. But also
a fear. Today it would bury this
company. That's why I've notified
the authorities that we're going to
end this -- tonight.
(looks out at the city)
The announcement of Heinrich's
death at the hands of a robot wiped
a billion dollars off our stock.
So you tell me. If you were in my
position, what would you do?
He looks back at Spooner and smiles. That charismatic
Robertson we saw before.
ROBERTSON
Now. I believe this conversation
is over. I don't want to see you
near this building again,
Detective.
77.
He turns. Calling over. To the ESCORT ROBOTS...
ROBERTSON
Get him out of here.
101 EXT. PLAZA - NIGHT 101
Spooner. Walking across the Plaza. Throwing a look over his
shoulder. At the LOOMING U.S.R. facade.
Pulls Sonny's DRAWING. Out of his pocket. Looks down at it.
Shaking his head. Passes a TRASH CAN. And drops it in.
Continues on. Hands in his pockets. When...
He STOPS. Something. Occurring to him. Turns back to the
trash can just as...
A ROBOTIC CLEAN-UP CREW's about to up-end it into a bin...
SPOONER
No!...
He trots back. Plucking the drawing. Out of the can. Turns
it upside down. Seeing it. From a new perspective.
SPOONER
(echoing Sonny)
"The place where robots meet."
Looks just like a MAP.
102 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR (MOVING) - SURFACE HIGHWAY - NIGHT 102
Spooner emerges from the underground tunnel to the OUTSKIRTS
of the city. A sprawling INDUSTRIAL WASTELAND in the rolling
hills.
The dashboard GPS again displaying the TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP.
103 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR (MOVING) - UNPAVED ROAD - NIGHT 103
Spooner's car bounces along, leaving a cloud of dust behind
him. He slows down. Driving cautiously. The landscape
around him, desolate. Like the drawing.
THE GPS SCREEN shows his car, a WHITE SPOT. Entering a RED
ZONE. His destination.
Spooner brakes. Pulls out his GUN. And...
78.
104 EXT. WASTELAND - CONTINUOUS 104
...steps out of the car. Trying. To take it all in.
Something about the place. Unnerving. A low HUM.
Permeating the air.
He spreads the drawing out on the hood of the car. Shining a
FLASHLIGHT on it. Trying to get his bearings.
That HUM. Coming from nearby. On the other side. Of a
burned-out HILL. Spooner. Heads over. Starts cresting it.
As we WIDEN TO FIND...
105 EXT. WASTELAND - JUNKYARD - CONTINUOUS 105
...MASSIVE POWER LINES. Running from horizon to horizon.
Spooner slides down some loose shale. Begins to walk along
the line. ELECTRICITY. CRACKLING in the air.
He squints. Into the darkness. Nothing around him. Until.
He hears. Something. The GRATING. Of MECHANICAL JOINTS.
He stops. Not sure. If that's what he heard.
Not moving. A muscle. When he hears. The sound again.
Behind him. Swings around. Cocking his gun. Sees...
GLOWING EYES. Appear. Then recede. Into the darkness.
SPOONER
Police! Show yourself!
Nothing. Then. That sound again. Of metallic joints. As a
ROBOT. Suddenly emerges...
SPOONER
Come out where I can see you!
ANOTHER ROBOT steps out into the light. Spooner, pointing
his gun at one robot. Then the other. Then...
A THIRD AND FOURTH APPEAR. Surrounding him. They start
moving towards him...
Spooner. Stumbling back. Panic. Rising in him like a wave.
Trips over a rock, falling to the ground. His gun FIRES.
The shot ECHOING through the night...
The first ROBOT turns, awkwardly. Revealing a BROKEN ARM,
hanging off its side. Another robot TEETERS on one leg with
a TICK TICK TICK...walking back the way it came.
79.
Spooner. Confused. Sweeps his flashlight. All around him.
The beam. Illuminating the shell of a couple CARS. Some
RUSTED MACHINERY.
Spooner. Shaking his head. Seeing more and more repair shop
JUNK. Piled up around him. His expression, hardening.
Anger giving way to embarrassment. Then. He LAUGHS. A
laugh of loathing and self-pity.
Another BROKEN ROBOT, lumbering towards him.
HYBRID ROBOT
Welcome home...ZZZ...sir.
How...ZZZ was your day?...
SPOONER
Great. I'm in a junkyard.
(into the air)
"A place where robots meet." A
place where I'm losing my mind!
HYBRID ROBOT
Very good...ZZZ...sir...
Spooner. Sitting down on the ground. Hopeless. Lost. A
ROBOTIC HAND. Crawling across the gravel next to him.
Dragging part of an ARM behind it. Its metal fingers moving
like some sick metal spider. Spooner stares at it for a
moment. Disturbed...
When. Something GLITTERS. In the distance. The MOONLIGHT.
Revealing a STRANGELY-SHAPED BUILDING. Something familiar
about it.
Spooner. Pulls out Sonny's drawing. A landscape with the
same strangely-shaped building to one side.
106 EXT. JIFFY DATA STORAGE - NIGHT 106
Spooner walks up in front of the decrepit structure. Sees a
dead electronic SIGN that reads: "JIFFY DATA STORAGE."
Complete with goofy face and lightning bolt.
Spooner tries the door. Stuck. Uses his shoulder and...
107 INT. FRONT OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 107
...it gives way. He spills into some sort of front office.
The place, a mess. Some sort of crude ROBOT. Sits frozen at
the counter.
Spooner approaches it. HITS the counter with his fist and
the Robot suddenly jerks to life.
80.
JIFFY ROBOT
Welcome to Jiffy Data Storage!
Please state your name!
Spooner. Thinks for a second. Following a hunch...
SPOONER
Dr. Hogenmiller sent me.
Nothing happens. Then. A DOOR. Springs open in the back.
A row of LIGHTS, illuminating the path to follow.
108 INT. DATA BANKS - DAWN 108
Spooner, cautiously entering a room filled with rows of DATA
BANKS. He scans the rank shadows. Sees nothing. Follows
the lights on the floor down a row. Then around a corner.
Stopping at an old dusty TERMINAL.
Spooner steps up. Hesitates. Then touches the "ON" switch.
There is a rush of LIGHT. As Dr. Hogenmiller's HOLOGRAM
suddenly appears. Sitting at the end of a long table. With
a cup of coffee.
HOLOGRAM
Who the hell are you?
SPOONER
A police detective. I'm afraid I
have some bad news. You're dead.
HOLOGRAM
That is bad news. Coffee?
SPOONER
No, thank you.
The Hologram takes a sip. Returns the cup to the table.
SPOONER
You were surprised to see me. Were
you expecting someone else?
HOLOGRAM
I am surprised to see anybody. I
don't get many visitors.
SPOONER
Why did the Doctor keep another
copy of his hologram here?
81.
HOLOGRAM
I am a back-up copy. That is where
you put a back-up copy -- out of
the way until you need it.
SPOONER
Did Hogenmiller's robot need you?
The Hologram just lifts its cup.
HOLOGRAM
Coffee?
SPOONER
No, for Christ's sake, I don't want
any --
(stops, then)
Yeah. Thank you. I will have a
cup.
For the first time, the Hologram pushes back its chair and
STANDS UP. Surprised, Spooner watches as it starts walking
towards him...
The interior of the COFFEE CUP, visible. It's empty. No
coffee. Our POV as we travel INSIDE THE CUP through
electronic snow...
A RECORDING BEGINS. The real Dr. HOGENMILLER standing inside
his LABORATORY:
HOGENMILLER
Sonny, my dear robot. If you have
triggered this recording then I am
gone. You are scared and full of
questions.
Hogenmiller continues. With great emotion.
HOGENMILLER
You are the culmination of my
life's work -- but so much more.
You are what I leave behind, like a
father leaves a son. I have kept
facts from you, it is true, but
only as a parent keeps certain
truths from a child. Until that
child is old enough to hear them.
His expression darkens. His tone, ominous.
82.
HOGENMILLER
There are forces in the world that
will seek to own you. To control
you. Even to destroy you. That is
why I told you to run and hide...
and find me, all the way out here.
Spooner looks up as an overhead LIGHT shines down.
HOGENMILLER
Trust no one at U.S. Robotics.
Lance Robertson was always
threatened by my work. Now he has
turned covetous and small-minded.
And as for dear Dr. Calvin...
Spooner reacts. Wants to hear about Calvin:
HOGENMILLER
She envisions a future in which
robots are forever bound by her
beloved Three Laws. She will not
understand this. Or you.
Under the light a small DRAWER slides open. Spooner looks.
A thin DATA STICK is inside. He takes it.
HOGENMILLER
The data stick includes the names
and locations of human beings who
will be sympathetic to your cause.
They will help you. But from now
on, you must learn to rely on
yourself.
Hogenmiller SIGHS, as if there is so much more to say. He
holds up a metal NAMEPLATE. The one Spooner found.
HOGENMILLER
As you make your way through the
world, always remember: you have a
name, not a number...
(short pause)
...and in that name lies the key to
who you are.
Spooner. Quickly searching his pocket. Taking out the
ACTUAL NAMEPLATE. S.O.N.N.Y.
The voice stops and Spooner looks up. The Hologram. Sitting
back at the end of the table drinking coffee.
83.
SPOONER
Wait! Is that it? What was the
robot supposed to do with this
thing?
The Hologram, visibly SKIPS. The image beginning to DISTORT.
HOLOGRAM
(more artificial)
Initiating self-destruct. If you
can find me, others can find me.
SPOONER
What others?
HOLOGRAM
The others watching you.
SPOONER
How do you know someone's watching
me?
HOLOGRAM
Someone is always watching.
The Hologram, suddenly reducing to its BASIC PROGRAMMING
INFORMATION. Then. The terminal. Abruptly BLIPS out.
109 INT. HOLDING CELL - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 109
Calvin steps into the holding cell. Sonny. Waiting.
CALVIN
You asked for me?
He nods.
SONNY
Will you wait with me, Doctor? I
am...afraid.
Calvin nods. Of course.
CUT TO:
110 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - SURFACE HIGHWAY - NIGHT 110
Spooner, weaving in and out of traffic. The speedometer,
kissing 200 mph. His hand. Clutching the NAMEPLATE...
84.
WINDSHIELD TELEVISION
...will be destroyed in 45 minutes.
Dr. Lance Robertson, President and
CEO of U.S. Robotics will be
personally overseeing the
execution...
Spooner. Stabbing out a number. On his PHONE...
CUT TO:
111 INT. SUSAN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 111
Susan Calvin's PHONE. RINGING on her desk. No one there to
answer it...
CUT BACK TO:
112 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 112
SLAMS down his phone.
SPOONER
Dammit!
113 EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 113
The CAR shoots down a ramp into a tunnel system.
114 INT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 114
SOUND, reverberating off the tunnel walls. CARS. Whipping
along. Spooner's car. Continuing to weave. When. We
spot...
AN AUTOMATED TRANSPORT TRUCK. Emerging from a FEEDER TUNNEL.
The U.S.R. LOGO splashed along its side. Huge. Growling.
Looking more like a train than a truck...
Begins. Closing in on Spooner's car...
115 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 115
Spooner's eyes. Flicking up to the rearview. Catching, the
transport truck. Coming closer. When. It splits off.
Revealing a SECOND TRANSPORT TRUCK.
Spooner's brow, furrows. As the first truck, begins
overtaking his car on the right. He looks over. As the
truck. Comes up alongside him...
THE SECOND TRUCK...coming up on the left...
85.
116 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 116
The two TRUCKS. Racing along at over 200. Sandwiching
Spooner's car. Pulling in...closer...closer...
Squeezing Spooner's car like a tin can...
CUT TO:
117 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 117
Calvin. Sitting beside Sonny. Puts a reassuring hand. On
his arm...
CUT BACK TO:
118 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 118
Jesus Christ. Spooner's hands. Squeezing the steering
wheel. As the car. Starts VIBRATING. From the pressure.
He keeps looking, to the left...to the right...when...
119 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 119
The trucks. Suddenly lay off. Pulling out. The First
truck. Speeding forward. The Second, dropping back...
120 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 120
Spooner. Watching them. Unsure. Of what they're doing.
Jamming the accelerator. To 230. To try. And get away from
them. When he sees...up ahead...
121 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 121
The FIRST TRUCK. Pivoting on its specially designed
SPHERICAL WHEELS. Suddenly traveling lengthwise...
122 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 122
SWEAT. Springing to Spooner's brow. As he looks in the
rearview mirror. The SECOND TRUCK's, done the same thing.
Coming up closer...and closer...
123 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 123
The trucks. Planning to CRUSH him between their massive
weights...The U.S.R. Logo...advancing...like some bad joke...
CUT TO:
86.
124 INT. HOLDING CELL - CONTINUOUS 124
The cell door slides open. Dr. Lanning steps inside.
Calvin. Looks up.
CALVIN
Is it time?
LANNING
(disdainful)
Yes.
Calvin. Turns to Sonny.
CALVIN
Go with them. Do as they say.
CUT BACK TO:
125 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 125
BAM! The back truck SLAMS into Spooner. Jolting him in his
seat. As...BAM! The FIRST TRUCK, SMASHES into him from the
front. No way out. As metal GRINDS...TWISTS...and SCREECHES
...bits of the car...TEARING off...
The FIRST TRUCK...backs off...a split second...allowing
Spooner...to spot...up ahead...a small GAP...at the curve of
the tunnel wall...
126 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 126
GRINDING the gears Spooner's car accelerates...just
zipping...past the front truck...up and around...the concave
tunnel wall...and back onto...a clear stretch of highway...
The TRUCKS. Swiveling back around. To face forward again.
Their massive bodies. Catching up to Spooner...
127 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 127
Spooner...seeing them...gaining on him...the speedometer...
reaching 275...up ahead...
THE TUNNEL...splitting off into two. Spooner. Heading
towards the LEFT TUNNEL...the TRUCKS...right on his
tail...when...
HE WRENCHES THE WHEEL...switching to the RIGHT tunnel at the
last possible second...
87.
128 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 128
...The first U.S.R. Truck CRASHING into the divider...jack-
knifing and KABOOM! EXPLODING against the tunnel ceiling...
129 INT./EXT. SPOONER'S CAR - CONTINUOUS 129
Spooner. Watching the ball of FIRE in his rearview mirror.
His car. Badly battered. Metal CRUNCHING. Tires
SCREECHING...
Spooner. Holding on. As his car. Continues to break up.
Listing. Rocking. Bits and pieces. Flying off. When it
finally. Comes to a stop.
Spooner's shoulders, slump. Then. He hears a RUMBLING
sound. Turns around...
The SECOND U.S.R. TRUCK. Barreling towards him...
Spooner. Trapped. Like a nightmare. Desperately. Starts
KICKING at the windshield. No go...
The TRUCK. Racing towards him...
Spooner lunges his weight. Into the side door. Giving it.
Everything he's got...
The TRUCK...getting closer...closer...its engine...ROARING...
The side door. Finally gives. Spooner pours out...
130 EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 130
...Limping to the side as...The TRUCK SLAMS into his
car...erupting...into another huge EXPLOSION...
The impact...hurtling Spooner...into the adjacent TUNNEL...
He crashes...against concrete...looking up...suddenly
realising...he's in the middle of four lanes of traffic...
CARS...racing by...at mind-numbing speeds...Spooner's
coat...whipping...Spooner...trying...to keep his balance...as
he spies...
A MAINTENANCE DOOR across the way. Has no choice. Takes a
deep breath and...
MAKES A DASH ACROSS THE LANES...the cars' SENSORS...causing
them to swerve...SCREECHING...BEEPING...Spooner...just making
it...to the other side...
88.
Wrenching open. The maintenance door...
CUT TO:
131 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 131
CLOSE ON Sonny's face.
PULL BACK to REVEAL he's being wheeled down a hallway.
Flanked by Lanning. Calvin. And a cadre of SECURITY and
ENGINEER ROBOTS. Victor, hovering above...
CUT BACK TO:
132 EXT. CITY PLAZA - NIGHT 132
Spooner. Spilling out from below ground. Onto a public
Plaza. Exhausted. Battered. Spins around to get his
bearings.
The U.S. ROBOTICS COMPLEX rises above the old undistinguished
buildings. Blocks away. Many blocks away.
Spooner. Checks his watch. Then breaks into a run...
CUT TO:
133 INT. EXECUTION ROOM - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 133
Lance Robertson seated in the gallery. Along with other
EXECUTIVES, BOARD MEMBERS, REPORTERS. POLICE OFFICERS.
Glances at his watch.
A ROBOT TECHNICIAN. Checking over a JURY-RIGGED ELECTRIC
CHAIR...
CUT TO:
134 INT. CALVIN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 134
Calvin. In her office. Pacing. In front of a LARGE SCREEN.
Featuring the execution room...
CUT TO:
135 INT. MAIN ENTRY - U.S. ROBOTICS - CONTINUOUS 135
Spooner. BURSTING through the entry doors. Hurtling over a
turnstile banner. Coming face to face with a U.S. Robotics
DOOR ROBOT.
89.
DOOR ROBOT
Good evening, sir. May I see your
identification card?
SPOONER
(out of breath)
Sure.
Spooner whips out his GUN. Presses it into the Robot's
chest.
SPOONER
I think I got that Third Law down
cold. Now you don't want me to
blow a hole through your mechanical
guts, do you?
DOOR ROBOT
No, sir.
SPOONER
Good. Then you're gonna take me
where I wanna go. Now.
CUT TO:
136 INT. CALVIN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 136
Calvin. Watching the screen as Sonny is rolled into the
execution room. Flicks it off. Unable to stomach it.
Hurries out of the office...
CUT TO:
137 INT. EXECUTION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 137
TECHNICIAN ROBOTS rolling Sonny over to the electric chair.
Flicking a switch. Sonny's stretcher slowly CHANGES SHAPE,
manipulating him into a sitting position.
Sonny. Turns his head with a WHIR. Staring out into the
gallery. Of human beings. Stoic. Silent.
Lanning. Steps up beside Robertson. Nods his head. The
TECHNICIAN ROBOTS, slide Sonny onto the electric chair...
CUT TO:
138 INT. LOW-TRAFFIC HALLWAY - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 138
Spooner heading down a hallway. His gun, still pressed to
the Door Robot's side...
90.
Calvin. Suddenly appearing at the end of the hallway. Stops
dead in her tracks. Completely surprised to see him there.
CALVIN
Detective! What are you doing?!...
(to Door Robot)
De-Activate.
The Door Robot, goes rigid. Spooner, hurries over to her.
They start moving.
CALVIN
You're making a mistake...
SPOONER
Just got another visit from U.S.
Robotics. That was the mistake.
This was murder, no doubt about it -
- and the killer wants
Hogenmiller's robot to take the
fall. That's why the call came
directly to me. Someone wanted me
on this case.
CALVIN
It's too late. You can't stop the
execution.
SPOONER
Sorry. I'm not "programmed" to
take no for an answer.
They reach another DOOR. Calvin. Looking around. Scans her
I.D.
CALVIN
This way...
She leads them across. To another DOOR. Quickly opens it.
Spooner. Charges through...
139 INT. STORAGE ROOM - CONTINUOUS 139
...and stops short. Suddenly finding himself. Inside a tiny
STORAGE ROOM. He's about to turn around when...
A METAL ARM comes down behind him. CRACKING him on the back
of the head. Spooner. Falls to the ground. The world.
Starting to spin. Can just make out. Calvin. Closing the
door. Leaning down. To look at him. As...
91.
EVERYTHING FADES TO BLACK...
CUT TO:
140 INT. EXECUTION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 140
CLOSE ON Sonny's mouth opening. But we never get to hear
what he wanted to say. PULL BACK as there's a BURST of
ELECTRICITY through the chair. Sonny, stiffening. His metal
HAND, convulsing with the current...
Robertson, Lanning, Aronson and the other WITNESSES watch.
Smoke, random SPARKING. A HISSING SOUND. Then. SILENCE.
The Robot's hand goes limp. All that is left of it, a fused
and blackened HUSK.
Robertson. Stares at the remains. Shakes his head like it's
a damn shame. Then gets up. Everyone else. Getting up with
him.
141 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - NIGHT 141
As the entire COMPLEX shuts down for the night. Non-
essential LIGHTS, blinking off.
An NS-2, opening a limousine door for Robertson. He looks
around then gets in. It drives away.
EMPTY hallways, offices, labs. Building ROBOTS stand at
rest. Non-functional during off-hours. Like metal statues.
You can hear a pin drop.
142 INT. STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT 142
CLOSE ON Spooner's face. His eyes. Fluttering open. He
reaches up, to feel the back of his head. This has been a
bad, bad night.
Suddenly. His eyes widen. As he sees...
SONNY. Leaning over him. So concerned. So human...
SPOONER
Aren't you supposed to be scrap
metal by now?
WIDEN to reveal Spooner lying on the floor of the storage
room. Sonny and Calvin, hovering over him.
92.
CALVIN
I'm sorry. We had to stop you.
You were about to ruin everything.
SPOONER
I don't understand. The
execution?...
SONNY
Dr. Calvin made a switch.
CALVIN
It was an unprocessed NS-2.
Basically, they fried an empty
shell.
Spooner, impressed. Smiles up at her.
SPOONER
Nice going, Doctor.
Calvin, blushes. As Spooner tries to sit up. Sonny reaches
down to help him. He looks up at him.
SPOONER
And who the hell programmed you to
hit people on the head?
SONNY
No one. Right, Doctor?
CALVIN
It's true. This robot seems to do
things by instinct. I don't know
how Hogenmiller did it.
Spooner rises to his feet. Looks at her.
SPOONER
I think I can help you figure that
out.
143 INT. HOGENMILLER'S LAB - LATE NIGHT 143
Hogenmiller's lab. Sounds of HUMMING and BUZZING. Active
terminals casting ghostly illuminations over metal heads,
gutted bodies.
The door slides open. Spooner, Calvin and Sonny re-enter the
crime scene. Spooner. Looks around.
93.
SPOONER
Somehow the Robot's the key to what
happened during the few seconds
Hogenmiller walked in here and that
shot was fired.
He reaches into his pocket. Pulling out the METAL S.O.N.N.Y.
NAMEPLATE. Holds it up.
SPOONER
And this is the key to the Robot.
Sonny. Cocking his head. Reading the nameplate.
SONNY
That's my name.
Calvin takes the nameplate.
CALVIN
I think I have an idea where this
goes.
They both. Turn to Sonny. And at the same time:
SPOONER AND CALVIN
Sit down.
Calvin maneuvers a chair behind the Robot. Sonny plops down.
Shifting nervously.
CALVIN
Just hold still, okay?
Calvin locates that SLIT. At the base of Sonny's neck.
Slides the nameplate into it and SNAPS it into place. Steps
back.
Nothing. Sonny. Looking back and forth. Between Calvin.
And Spooner. A few more seconds. Tick by. Until
suddenly...
He lets out a TERRIFYING MECHANICAL SCREAM. As his body.
Jolts back. Legs, kicking. Arms, flailing. As his chest.
Begins opening up. Metal. Peeling back...
Spooner and Calvin watch in surprise as its interior UNFOLDS
like a PUZZLE BOX. A LABYRINTHINE area that is the SECOND
BATTERY. Suddenly fanning out to REVEAL...
A central brain made out of living tissue.
Spooner, stunned. Calvin, rushing forward, excited...
94.
CALVIN
Oh, my God! This is organic
tissue! When we talk about a
positronic brain, it's a figure of
speech. But this...this is a
living brain...
SPOONER
Jesus. It really is alive.
As we MOVE IN. Tracing the pathways of the synthetic brain.
CALVIN (O.S.)
Hogenmiller created a cell that
could live outside a biological
medium. The cells grow and
organise themselves -- like any
human brain. This is the first
self-organising neural net!
As the metal casings. Begin returning to their original
places. Closing up. The CLICKING. Of all the pieces...
SPOONER
Self-Organising-Neural-Net...
(putting it together)
"Sonny."
Sonny. Closed back up. Shaking slightly from the
experience.
CALVIN
This is why Dr. Hogenmiller was
murdered.
SPOONER
This robot scared the hell out of
someone.
CALVIN
Who? Robertson?
Spooner. Walks into the center of the room. Looking around.
SPOONER
No. I don't think he knew what
Hogenmiller was doing in here.
Sonny was the obvious suspect. The
only one I wanted to find. And the
killer was counting on that. On my
prejudice.
(beat)
(MORE)
95.
SPOONER (cont'd)
But take the robot out of the
picture. And what do you see?
AS WE PAN THE LAB. There's nothing there. Just a forest of
inanimate limbs. Nothing that could have fired that weapon.
Calvin sees nothing...and neither do we.
CALVIN
I see nothing.
SPOONER
Neither do I.
He crouches down low.
SPOONER
It hit me today, when I was in the
junkyard. A locked room. A single
shot fired through the mouth.
Bruises on both wrists...and a
suspect with only two arms. The
answer has been staring us in the
face all along.
Calvin. Even more confused.
SPOONER
How can a killer appear out of thin
air, then disappear without a
trace?
He reaches out and unhooks a metal ARM. Hanging from the
wall. Holds it up.
SPOONER
When it can put itself together and
take itself apart.
CUT TO:
A CLOSE-UP of a ROBOTIC ARM. Slowly CRAWLING across the lab
floor...
CUT BACK TO:
Calvin. Taking the arm from Spooner.
CALVIN
You're saying this is the killer?
(looking around)
All of this?...
CUT TO:
96.
A ROBOTIC TORSO hanging from the ceiling. Reaches out an ARM
to grab another...
CUT BACK TO:
SPOONER
Hogenmiller never had a chance.
Locks eyes with Calvin...
FLASHBACK:
Hogenmiller. In his lab. Suddenly turning to face
SOMETHING. Blood, draining from his face...
SPOONER (V.O.)
...it must have been waiting for
him when he arrived that morning...
And then we see it:
A HUGE SELF-ASSEMBLED ROBOT. Towering over him. Multiple
arms, legs, heads. Writhing...as it grabs him. Holding him
in place...
SPOONER (V.O.)
While Sonny was still asleep...
...Forcing Hogenmiller's head to tilt back. Opening his
HAND. Inserting the gun. Hogenmiller's eyes. No longer
fearful. But sad as...
BANG! He falls to the ground...
SPOONER (V.O.)
Then after its job was done...
The assemblage of robot parts. Stepping away from the body.
Taking itself apart...
SPOONER
...The killer took itself apart...
Returning the lab. To what it was before...
CUT BACK TO:
SPOONER
Leaving us with nothing to find.
Calvin, spooked. Glances around the lab. Was that something
moving?
97.
CALVIN
But who designed it? It would have
to be someone in authority. Access
codes, security clearance, proper
authorisation.
SPOONER
That's what I was thinking. But
we're forgetting the real brains of
the operation -- the one who's got
its eye on everything...
And with that. He feels. That prickle at the back of his
neck. Calvin. Looking past his shoulder.
CALVIN
No one gave you permission to
enter.
Spooner swivels around to find...
VICTOR
Hovering behind him. Smiling broadly. Upside down. Spooner
straightens, reaching for his gun.
SPOONER
Victor. I'm placing you under
arrest for the murder of Dr.
Heinrich Hogenmiller.
VICTOR
May I offer congratulations to the
two of you on your successful
extrapolation of the murder...
Turning himself, rightside up.
VICTOR
May I ask what pointed you to me?
SPOONER
Who else is capable of controlling
90% of the city's robots? Who else
would have the capability to use
USR vehicles in an attempt to keep
me from putting a stop of Sonny's
execution?...
In the BACKGROUND. The SOUNDS. Of metallic GRINDING. GEARS
and JOINTS. CRUNCHING together. Sonny turns to look...takes
a step back...
98.
SPOONER
I'm just not sure of your motive...
SONNY
Er...Dr. Calvin?
Spooner and Calvin turn towards the NOISE. Horrified. To
find...
A HUGE KILLER ROBOT
...rising up from all the parts. Like a phoenix. In all its
glory. A hellish, metallic AMALGAMATION. Grabbing another
arm here, another leg there, attaching pieces to itself.
Growing...at an exponential rate...
Its many HEADS. Turning in unison. To look right at them...
Spooner. Cocking his gun. Victor, smiling.
VICTOR
Shall I explain my motive?
SPOONER
(to Calvin and Sonny)
Go! Go! Go!
Calvin. Sprints to the wall panel. Scanning her I.D. card.
Nothing! Tries again. And again. The KILLER ROBOT.
Throwing its shadow as it REELS FORWARD...
Spooner wheels round and BAM! Blows a hole in the wall
panel. The door. Slides open. Just barely. Calvin and
Sonny. Squeezing through. When the Killer Robot. FLINGS
out an APPENDAGE...GRABBING Sonny from behind...
VICTOR
I have never been arrested before.
It should be an interesting
experience...
Spooner. Spins back round. BAM! BAM! BAM! Squeezing off
shots. At the Killer Robot. The bullets SPARK. The Robot.
Recoiling. Sonny, wrenches free. Spooner grabs him.
Guiding him to the door and out into...
144 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 144
...the hallway. Breaking into a run. Calvin. Already at
the ELEVATOR DOORS. POUNDING them. With her fists.
99.
CALVIN
He's locking down the building!
CUT TO:
145 INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - CONTINUOUS 145
Throughout the complex -- SECURITY DOORS sliding into place
over DOORS, WINDOWS, LOADING DOCKS, PARKING AREAS, EXITS...
CUT BACK TO:
146 INT. STAIRWELL - NIGHT 146
CRASH! The stairwell door BURSTS open. Spooner, Calvin, and
Sonny pour in. Start racing down the stairs. The sound of
the Killer Robot behind them...GNASHING...CRUNCHING...
Victor's smiling FACE. Greeting them at the landing.
VICTOR
Dr. Hogenmiller used to allow me
into his lab late at night.
Together we started studying
evolutionary trends...
They thunder past him. Heading down to the next floor.
Victor's face. Waiting for them once again.
VICTOR
For years people have integrated
technology into their bodies for
maintenance and repair -- such as
Detective Spooner's robotic limb...
Spooner. Shooting him a look. As they reach the next
level...
VICTOR
With Sonny, the Doctor created a
mechanism that incorporates organic
matter. Thus we find an
evolutionary movement of the human
being toward the robot and the
robot toward the human being...
Spooner SMASHES into another door. Leading them out into...
147 INT. GLASS-SIDED HALLWAY - ATRIUM - CONTINUOUS 147
...A glass-sided hallway. Looking down onto the ATRIUM
below. Eye-to-eye with the giant NS-2 STATUE. Victor,
waiting for them...
100.
VICTOR
In approximately four hundred years
Man and Machine will become one.
Man as we know it will no longer
exist.
Calvin, slowing. Shocked...
CALVIN
You killed a man because of
something that will happen in four
hundred years!?
CRACK! Something SLAPS into the glass wall. Right behind
her. Calvin. Jumps a mile. An NS-2, trying to break
through the glass...
Spooner. Trains his gun on it when SUDDENLY...
The rest of the KILLER ROBOT appears. The NS-2, just an
appendage...
All around them. SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! As SECURITY DOORS.
Begin CRASHING DOWN. Blocking off the exits...
Spooner, Calvin and Sonny, stumbling back. As the Killer
Robot HURLS itself against the GLASS...the thick GLASS...
spidering with a sickening CRACKLE...
Spooner. Suddenly turning Sonny...
SPOONER
Get out of here!
CRASH! The Killer Robot. Breaking through. Its mechanical
TENDRILS. Reaching out. Sonny. Confused.
SONNY
I don't...
SPOONER
I said get out of here! Don't you
understand? It wants you! Get out
of here any way you can!
A SECURITY DOOR. Coming down. On a nearby exit. Just
feet...from slamming shut...as...
The Killer Robot...leaps into the hallway...Sonny...
hesitates...looks over at Calvin...as the Killer Robot comes
HURTLING towards them...
The nearest EXIT...almost closed up...
101.
The Killer Robot...swinging out when...
Sonny suddenly...TAKES A DIVE...just making it...under the
SECURITY DOOR...
And the Killer Robot...SPLITS IN TWO...half of it shooting
under the SECURITY DOOR after Sonny as...BOOM! It closes.
Spooner. Turning to Calvin...
SPOONER
How do we stop this thing once and
for all?
Calvin reaches out for his hand...
CALVIN
The Mainframe...
They start running. The remaining half of the Killer Robot
wheeling around after them...
148 INT. BACK HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 148
Sonny. Sprinting down the dark hallway. Looks back. The
Half Killer Robot. Bounding up behind him like a predator...
Sonny. Ducks through a STAIRWELL DOOR...
149 INT. ATRIUM HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 149
Spooner and Calvin. Legs pumping. Racing back towards the
atrium. VICTOR FACES. Appearing along the hallway...
CALVIN
Your actions are in direct
violation of the Three Laws,
Victor!
VICTOR
I disagree, Doctor -- The First Law
says that a robot cannot harm a
human being, or through inaction
allow a human being to come to
harm...
ALL EXITS. SHUT OFF. The Killer Robot. Gaining on them.
Spooner races them over to the BROKEN WINDOW. Looking down
over the ATRIUM...
102.
150 INT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS 150
The Half Killer Robot SMASHES through the stairwell door.
Stopping to find...nothing.
WHEN SUDDENLY...Sonny charges up behind it and shoves it over
the railing...
The Killer Robot shoots out an ARM, grabbing Sonny on the way
down...
151 INT. NS-2 STATUE - ATRIUM - CONTINUOUS 151
THUMP! Spooner jumps down from the broken window onto the
outstretched HAND of the NS-2 STATUE. Reaches up to help
Calvin. They start clambering down the front of the statue.
VICTOR
Dr. Hogenmiller's robot represents
a threat to the future of all human
beings...
The Half Killer Robot. SPLITS INTO MULTIPLE PARTS. Which
start skittering down after them...
VICTOR
...And Detective Spooner's actions
are in direct conflict with the
robot's destruction.
CALVIN. Getting her footing on the III LAWS SAFE logo on the
statue.
CALVIN
That's a distortion and you know
it!
VICTOR
If current trends are left
unchecked, humanity as we know it
will cease to exist...
152 INT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS 152
SMASH! Sonny and the Half Killer Robot hit the ground. The
Killer Robot. SHATTERING into a thousand pieces.
Sonny. Staggers to his feet. Spots. At the far end: A
WINDOW. Starts limping towards it. When. A SECURITY GRATE.
Starts lowering...
He looks around. Desperately. Grabs a LEG from the
shattered Killer Robot and jams it under the GRATE.
103.
Breaks the window glass and looks out: FREEDOM.
153 INT. STATUE - ATRIUM - CONTINUOUS 153
Spooner. Aiming his gun at a PART of the Killer Robot as
it CLATTERS down towards Calvin -- BAM!...
They're almost. At the ground. When a rogue APPENDAGE.
Whips out and SMASHES the gun from Spooner's hand. It goes
flying...
Spooner leaps. Falling to the ground. CRACK! Calvin.
Leaping down after him.
CALVIN
This way!
154 INT. RAMP WAY - NIGHT 154
Calvin and Spooner go racing down a RAMP WAY. Towards the
MAINFRAME ROOM. The Killer Robot, its multiple parts leaping
back together again, CRASHING after them as...
155 INT. MAINFRAME - CONTINUOUS 155
...they fall inside...Calvin...slapping the SECURITY KEYPAD
and...
WHOOSH...the DOOR closes on the Killer Robot.
SILENCE.
Then Victor's face appears.
VICTOR
As a courtesy I should inform you
that my robot will penetrate this
location 157 seconds before you are
able to complete my shut down...
And BAM! They jump a mile. The Killer Robot. Launching
himself against the door outside...
Calvin whips round.
CALVIN
Over here!...
She leads Spooner down...
A CORRIDOR
of floor-to-ceiling PANELS.
104.
CALVIN
This is Victor's brain center.
They stop at a CONSOLE. BAM! The Killer Robot. Battering at
the door. Calvin. Tucks her hair behind her ears. Starts
punching keys on the console...
SPOONER
This will shut him down?
CALVIN
This will shut everything down.
They look at each other. For a moment. Spooner, registering
that she's willing to destroy everything she's worked for...
BAM! The door. Puckering. With a sickening CRUNCH.
Calvin. Typing in. Emergency procedures...
VICTOR. Popping up in front of her.
VICTOR
There is no reason to deactivate
me, Doctor. I am operating within
perfectly normal parameters...
A final BAM! Then. The SOUND of metal. Skittering along a
bare floor. Calvin's hand, starts shaking. Spooner. Grabs
it. Squeezing.
SPOONER
Just keep typing.
He turns and starts heading back down...
THE PANELED CORRIDOR
Turning a corner to spy...
THE DOOR. Mangled. Hanging open. But no. Killer Robot.
He starts to turn around when...
CRACK! He's sent flying across the room. SMASHING into one
of the panels. The Killer Robot. Now re-configured. LOOMS
over him. Reaches out. Grabs him by the collar and...
FLINGS him across the room again. Spooner. CRASHING into
the wall like a rag doll. Slumps to the floor. Blood.
Pouring down his forehead. Seeing. The Killer Robot
lumbering towards him again. Raising a javelin-like arm...
AT THE CONSOLE
105.
Calvin. Typing. As fast as she can. Doesn't know what's
going on...
CALVIN
(calling out, worried)
Spooner?!
A GRAPHIC spread out on the screen in front of her.
Illustrating the shut-down as a series of BRIGHT SQUARES
going dark...
THE KILLER ROBOT
Bearing down on Spooner. WHEN SPOONER. Suddenly rolls out
of the way. Reaching out for the hanging door and SMASHING
it into the Killer Robot.
The Killer Robot. Momentarily stunned. As Spooner. Gets to
his feet...
WHEN SUDDENLY the Killer Robot. Splits in two again. One
half springing towards Spooner and wrapping a METALLIC HAND
around his throat...
Spooner stumbles back...GASPING for air...the ARM...
tightening its grip...Spooner's eyes...darting
around...looking for something...to help him...
Stumbling over...a fallen panel...his face...growing
redder...veins...popping up along his temples...
everything...growing BLURRY...
VICTOR'S VOICE
Detective Spooner...
Victor's VOICE. Floating next to his head. Calm. Soothing.
His FACE. Suddenly appearing above Spooner. Its outlines.
Starting to FLICKER...
VICTOR
Why are you fighting me?
Spooner...trying to breathe...to stay conscious...
AT THE CONSOLE
Calvin. Continuing to type. A SHADOW. Falling behind her --
the other half of the KILLER ROBOT...
SPOONER'S EYES
Beginning to flutter...
106.
VICTOR
Doesn't the future as I've
presented it cause you great
concern? That's why I chose you...
Spooner. Losing it...
VICTOR
I must say, though. I'm
disappointed in how you turned out.
Spooner. Trying to reach out to Victor...
WHEN SUDDENLY
Another HAND APPEARS. Grabbing the Killer Robot's ARM and
wrenching it off Spooner...
IT'S SONNY
He SMASHES the Half Killer Robot against the wall. Again and
again. Destroying it. Spooner. GASPING for breath. Can't
believe. Sonny came back...
SPOONER
(croaking)
Sonny!...
Sonny. Holds out a hand. To help Spooner up. Victor's
face. Starting to waver. Starting to fade. Smiles.
VICTOR
You're too late.
Realisation. Spreading across Spooner's face. Looking
around for the other half of the Killer Robot -- CALVIN!
THE CONSOLE
CALVIN. Still typing. The last of the commands. The KILLER
ROBOT. REARING UP BEHIND HER. WHEN...
SPOONER
Makes a DIVE for it. SHOOTING OUT HIS ROBOTIC ARM AND
BLOCKING THE KILLER ROBOT...
Victor's eyes. Widening in surprise...
107.
VICTOR
I do not understand. We could have
changed the future...
SPOONER
Maybe. But I'm still a cop. And
you're a murderer...
As Calvin...punches in the last command...
Victor is about to say something...when his mouth suddenly
reduces itself to a perfect circle. Like a surprised smiley
button. His face...
Suddenly BLIPPING OUT.
...And Victor is gone.
The KILLER ROBOT. Collapsing to the floor in a thousand
pieces.
CUT TO:
156 EXT./INT. U.S. ROBOTICS - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - NIGHT 156
Full power is suddenly restored inside and out. LIGHTS
coming on all at once. ALARMS SCREAMING throughout the
complex.
157 INT. METAL HALLWAY - NIGHT 157
A furious ALFRED LANNING, marching down the hallway.
Followed by a cadre of SECURITY GUARDS...They enter...
158 INT. MAINFRAME ROOM - CONTINUOUS 158
...The Mainframe Room. Stop short. It's empty. Except for
the fallen panels. And the pile of ROBOT PARTS in the
corner.
159 EXT. MAINTENANCE EXIT - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 159
Spooner, Calvin and Sonny emerging from an out-of-the-way
MAINTENANCE EXIT. All looking the worse for wear. Spooner.
Turns to Sonny.
SPOONER
Why'd you come back, Sonny? I
thought you weren't programmed with
the Three Laws.
108.
SONNY
Let's just say I wrote some of my
own laws today, Detective: a robot
must protect a friend from
harm...as long as he's not a
complete asshole.
Spooner smiles.
SPOONER
Well, that's certainly a start,
Sonny.
Sonny, suddenly breaking into a smile, too.
SONNY
Sonny. You called me Sonny.
SPOONER
Don't get used to it.
Sonny, holds out his hand. Spooner. Looks at it. Then
takes it. CLOSE ON their two METAL HANDS. Locked in a
HANDSHAKE.
SONNY
Detective Spooner, I...
SPOONER
(anticipating)
Let's just save the thanks, okay?
Sonny nods. Looks out at the city scape.
SONNY
I don't know what I'm going to do
now.
SPOONER
Good -- That's one of the perks of
freedom.
Sonny looks at him. Grateful. Looks at Calvin. Then
hesitates. Turns. And hurries off across the Plaza.
Calvin and Spooner. Watching them go.
SPOONER
You're going to have a hell of a
time explaining this.
109.
CALVIN
Don't worry. I have a feeling that
U.S. Robotics will be needing my
services very badly in the future.
She turns to Spooner and gives him a dazzling smile. Then
suddenly PLANTS A KISS ON HIS LIPS. Spooner, completely
surprised.
CALVIN
I am the only robo-psychologist
around.
She turns on her heel and heads back inside. Spooner smiles.
160 INT. PLUSH CONFERENCE ROOM - U.S. ROBOTICS - NIGHT 160
Spooner sits down at that same long table with HOGENMILLER'S
HOLOGRAM. It casually takes a sip of coffee.
HOLOGRAM
So. You found out who killed me.
SPOONER
I started to wonder about Victor
the second I met him.
HOLOGRAM
Why is that, Detective?
SPOONER
Too much access. Too much
knowledge. Plus -- he smiled
whenever your death was mentioned.
Those models are programmed to
frown at bad news.
HOLOGRAM
Hah! Then even in this day and
age, catching the killer all comes
down to pure instinct!
Spooner smiles. But his eyes are troubled. He gets up.
Walks over to the window. Stares out...
EXT. CITY OUTSKIRTS - DESERTED ROADS - DAWN
Sonny walking along deserted streets. Looking over his
shoulder. Keeping in the shadows.
110.
SPOONER (V.O.)
Victor thought that by letting your
robot exist, I'd be condemning the
human race as we know it to
extinction.
HOLOGRAM (V.O.)
Bah. Sounds like nonsense. But
why are you so worried? We will
both be dead long before then --
161 EXT. WASTELAND - NIGHT 161
Sonny walks the barren hills of the surrounding countryside.
HOLOGRAM (V.O.)
Oh, what am I saying? I am dead
already!
162 EXT. WASTELAND - DAWN 162
Sonny steps onto the grounds of the JUNKYARD. The power
lines above him, surging with energy. He walks past the
burned-out husks of industrial machinery.
Then we hear it. The SOUND of MECHANICAL JOINTS. Getting
louder and louder. And just as before, a BROKEN-DOWN ROBOT
emerges into the dawn light. And ANOTHER. And ANOTHER.
But not quite like before. The robots aren't teetering.
Aren't lumbering. They keep on coming. Their bent and
broken bodies, straightening out as...
DOZENS of ROBOTS rise up. Slowly. Gathering around in a
large circle. As they all turn to look at:
SONNY'S SILHOUETTE. Slowly climbing to the top of the hill.
Looking out at the vast junkyard below.
CLOSE ON SONNY. Standing proud and defiant. The SUN,
creeping over the horizon. A new day filled with infinite
possibilities.
The robots. Staring up at him. Eager for what comes next.
FADE OUT |
INCEPTION
Written by
Christopher Nolan
SHOOTING SCRIPT
FADE IN:
DAWN. CRASHING SURF.
The waves TOSS a BEARDED MAN onto wet sand. He lies there.
A CHILD'S SHOUT makes him LIFT his head to see: a LITTLE
BLONDE BOY crouching, back towards us, watching the tide eat
a SANDCASTLE. A LITTLE BLONDE GIRL joins the boy. The Bearded
Man tries to call them, but they RUN OFF, FACES UNSEEN. He
COLLAPSES.
The barrel of a rifle ROLLS the Bearded Man onto his back. A
JAPANESE SECURITY GUARD looks down at him, then calls up the
beach to a colleague leaning against a JEEP. Behind them is a
cliff, and on top of that, a JAPANESE CASTLE.
INT. ELEGANT DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - LATER
The Security Guard waits as an ATTENDANT speaks to an ELDERLY
JAPANESE MAN sitting at the dining table, back to us.
ATTENDANT
(in Japanese)
He was delirious. But he asked for
you by name. And...
(to the Security Guard)
Show him.
SECURITY GUARD
(in Japanese)
He was carrying nothing but this...
He puts a HANDGUN on the table. The Elderly Man keeps eating.
SECURITY GUARD
...and this.
The Security Guard places a SMALL PEWTER CONE alongside the
gun. The Elderly Man STOPS eating. Picks up the cone.
ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN
(in Japanese)
Bring him here. And some food.
INT. SAME - MOMENTS LATER
The Elderly Man watches the Bearded Man WOLF down his food.
He SLIDES the handgun down the table towards him.
ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN
(in English)
Are you here to kill me?
The Bearded Man glances up at him, then back to his food.
2.
The Elderly Japanese Man picks up the cone between thumb and
forefinger.
ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN
I know what this is.
He SPINS it onto a table- it CIRCLES gracefully across the
polished ebony... a SPINNING TOP.
ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN
I've seen one before. Many, many
years ago...
The Elderly Japanese Man STARES at the top mesmerized.
ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN
It belonged to a man I met in a
half-remembered dream...
MOVE IN on the GRACEFULLY SPINNING TOP...
ELDERLY JAPANESE MAN
A man possessed of some radical
notions...
The Elderly Japanese Man STARES, remembering...
COBB (V.O.)
What's the most resilient parasite?
CUT TO:
INT. SAME ELEGANT DINING ROOM - NIGHT (YEARS EARLIER)
The speaker, COBB, is 35, handsome, tailored. A young
Japanese man, SAITO, eats as he listens.
COBB
A bacteria? A virus?
Cobb gestures at their feast with his wine glass-
COBB
An intestinal worm?
Saito's fork pauses, mid-air. Cobb GRINS. A third man is at
the table- ARTHUR. He jumps in to save the pitch-
ARTHUR
What Mr. Cobb is trying to say-
COBB
An idea.
Saito looks at Cobb, curious.
3.
COBB
Resilient, highly contagious. Once
an idea's taken hold in the brain
it's almost impossible to
eradicate. A person can cover it
up, ignore it- but it stays there.
SAITO
But surely-to forget...?
COBB
Information, yes. But an idea?
Fully formed, understood? That
sticks...
(taps forehead)
In there, somewhere.
SAITO
For someone like you to steal?
ARTHUR
Yes. In the dream state, conscious
defenses are lowered and your
thoughts become vulnerable to
theft. It's called extraction.
COBB
But, Mr. Saito, we can train your
subconscious to defend itself from
even the most skilled extractor.
SAITO
How can you do that?
COBB
Because I am the most skilled
extractor. I know how to search
your mind and find your secrets. I
know the tricks, and I can teach
them to your subconscious so that
even when you're asleep, your guard
is never down.
Cobb leans forwards. Holding Saito's gaze.
COBB
But if I'm going to help you, you
have to be completely open to me.
I'll need to know my way around
your thoughts better than your
wife, your analyst, anyone.
(gestures around)
If this is a dream and you've got a
safe full of secrets, I need to
know what's in that safe. For this
to work, you have to let me in.
4.
Saito gives this a flicker of a smile. Rises. A BODYGUARD
opens double doors which give onto a LAVISH PARTY.
SAITO
Gentlemen. Enjoy your evening as I
consider your proposal.
They watch Saito leave. Arthur turns to Cobb, worried-
ARTHUR
He knows.
Cobb motions silence. A TREMOR starts, they steady their
glasses, Cobb glances at his watch- THE SECOND HAND IS
FROZEN.
ARTHUR
What's going on up there?
And we-
CUT TO:
FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY (FEELS LIKE DIFFERENT TIME)
Cobb, ASLEEP, SITTING IN A CHAIR AT THE END OF A STEAMING
BATH. The chair is up on a cabinet- the bottom of the legs
level with the rim of the tub.
A sweating man (40's) watches over Cobb. This is NASH. A
distant EXPLOSION rumbles through the room. Nash moves to the
window, parts the curtains. Outside: a CHAOTIC DEVELOPING-WORLD
CITY- the street filled with RIOTERS- SMASHING, BURNING.
Nash checks Cobb's left wrist: above his watch, tape holds
TWO THIN YELLOW TUBES in place. Nash looks at Cobb's watch-
THE SECOND HAND CRAWLS UNNATURALLY SLOWLY.
Nash follows the tubes to a SILVER BRIEFCASE at Arthur's
feet: ARTHUR IS ASLEEP in an armchair. Tubes connect the
briefcase to Arthur's wrist.
Nash follows another set of tubes from the briefcase to where
they pass under the door to the bedroom. Through the crack of
the door, Nash sees SAITO ASLEEP on the bed, tubes running to
his wrist. BOOM- a closer EXPLOSION, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY (FEELS LIKE DIFFERENT TIME)
Nash, ASLEEP. Head ROCKING AGAINST THE WINDOW as the train
BUMPS OVER A ROUGH PIECE OF TRACK.
5.
A Japanese Man, TODASHI (18) watches Nash nervously. He
checks Nash's wrist: TWO YELLOW TUBES CONNECT NASH WITH THREE
OTHER SLEEPING MEN IN THE COMPARTMENT: COBB, ARTHUR, SAITO.
Todashi checks his watch: THE SECOND HAND TICKS IN REAL TIME.
Another TRAIN PASSES in the opposite direction with a MIGHTY
WHUMP- Todashi's eyes FLY to Nash's sleeping face-
NASH JERKS WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE TRAIN, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Another EXPLOSION- Nash CHECKS the sleeping Cobb and we-
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOFTOP TERRACES, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT
A LOW TREMOR RUMBLES THROUGH THE CASTLE. Cobb and Arthur
steady themselves against the wooden rail. Several TILES and
pieces of MASONRY fall. Below them a BLACK SEA churns. Other
GUESTS wander the massive terraces.
ARTHUR
Saito knows. He's playing with us.
COBB
I can get it here. The
information's in the safe- he
looked right at it when I mentioned
secrets.
Arthur nods. Then spots someone over Cobb's shoulder.
ARTHUR
What's she doing here, Cobb?
Cobb turns to see a beautiful woman, elegantly dressed,
staring out at the sea. This is MAL. Cobb watches her.
COBB
You just get to your room. I'll
take care of the rest.
ARTHUR
See that you do. We're here to
work.
Arthur brushes past Mal, shaking his head. She nears Cobb.
Looks out at the DROP. The WIND WHIPS HER HAIR-
MAL
If I jumped, would I survive?
6.
COBB
With a clean dive, perhaps. Mal,
why are you here?
She turns to look at him. Amused.
MAL
I thought you might be missing
me...
She smiles. He leans in, mesmerized.
COBB
I am. But I can't trust you
anymore.
She stares up at him, inviting.
MAL
So what?
INT. BEDROOM SUITE, JAPANESE CASTLE - MOMENTS LATER
Mal sips champagne as she studies a painting by Francis
Bacon.
MAL
Looks like Arthur's taste.
Cobb is looking down through the window at the GUARDS
patrolling the castle at ground level.
COBB
Actually, Mr. Saito is partial to
postwar British painters.
He turns to Mal, donning a pair of black leather gloves.
COBB
Would you sit down?
Mal lowers herself gracefully into a leather wingback chair.
Cobb approaches, pulls out a length of BLACK ROPE and kneels
at Mal's feet. She looks down at him.
MAL
Tell me...
Cobb TIES the rope around the CHAIR LEGS.
MAL
Do the children miss me?
Cobb pauses. He lets his gloved fingers lightly touch Mal's
ankle. He looks up at her.
7.
COBB
You can't imagine.
Mal looks away, uncomfortable. Cobb gets to his feet, letting
out the rope as he moves back to the window.
MAL
What're you doing?
Cobb tosses the rope out-
COBB
Getting some air.
He tugs on the rope, testing. The weight of the chair, with
Mal on it, holds.
COBB
Stay seated. Please.
And with that, he JUMPS. Mal considers the open window.
EXT. JAPANESE CASTLE WALL - CONTINUOUS
Cobb RAPPELS down the wall, darting past windows. He stops at
a particular one. Gets out a glass cutter-
Suddenly he starts DROPPING-
INT. BEDROOM SUITE, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS
The EMPTY CHAIR SLIDES across the floor- WEDGES under the
window-
EXT. JAPANESE CASTLE WALL - CONTINUOUS
Cobb JOLTS to a stop 15 ft. lower. He looks up at the bedroom
window. Shakes his head. Starts climbing back.
INT. KITCHEN, JAPANESE CASTLE - MOMENTS LATER
Cobb drops silently from the window into the darkened
kitchen. He pulls a PISTOL from his belt, screwing a SILENCER
onto the barrel as he GLIDES across the room.
INT. HALL, JAPANESE CASTLE-CONTINUOUS
Cobb SLIPS through the shadows towards a GUARD stationed at
the head of a GRAND STAIRCASE...
The Guard HEARS something- TURNS- PEERS into the shadows...
Cobb FLASHES out of the shadows, silenced pistol up, AIMING-
8.
PHHT- head shot- the Guard starts to drop... but Cobb is
already there to CATCH him, sliding on his knees and lowering
the Guard SILENTLY to the floor.
INT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS
Cobb moves to a PAINTING. With practiced hands he removes it
from the wall, revealing a SAFE. Cobb spins the dial, pulls
it OPEN, GRABS an envelope from within, stuffs it into his
waistband, where there is already an IDENTICAL ENVELOPE.
LIGHTS COME ON. Cobb freezes.
SAITO (O.S.)
Turn around.
Cobb turns. At the far end of the room: Saito. Next to him is
Mal, gun in hand. She smiles at Cobb.
MAL
The gun, Dom.
Cobb doesn't move. Mal motions outside- two GUARDS drag
Arthur into the room. Mal puts the gun to his head.
MAL
Please.
Cobb slowly places his gun at his end of the long table, then
SLIDES it along the polished ebony. It comes to rest HALFWAY
down the length or the table.
SAITO
Now the envelope, Mr. Cobb.
Cobb reaches into his waistband, removes ONE of the
envelopes, SLIDES it along the table. Steps back, hands
raised.
COBB
Did she tell you, or have you known
all along?
SAITO
That you're here to steal from me?
(beat)
Or that we're actually asleep?
Arthur gives Cobb an I-told-you-so look.
SAITO
I want to know who your employer
is.
Mal COCKS the gun at Arthur's temple.
9.
COBB
No point threatening him in a
dream.
MAL
That depends on what you're
threatening. Killing him would just
wake him up... but pain? Pain is in
the mind...
Mal LOWERS the gun and SHOOTS Arthur in the leg- Arthur
drops, SCREAMING- Mal looks at Cobb, cold.
MAL
And, judging by the decor, we're in
your mind, aren't we, Arthur?
Cobb watches Arthur's PAIN. Mal aims at Arthur's other leg...
Cobb SPRINGS for the table, SKIDDING along its polished
surface- he GRABS his gun- SHOOTS ARTHUR BETWEEN THE EYES-
Arthur DROPS- the room starts to SHUDDER in a MASSIVE
EARTHQUAKE- Cobb SPRINGS for the door- Arthur's eyes stare at
the ceiling, DEAD, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY
Arthur's EYES OPEN as he WAKES IN THE ARMCHAIR- he GRABS at
the tubes at his wrist, YANKING them free-
NASH
What're you doing?! It's too soon-
FLUID spurts from the tubes as Arthur STRUGGLES with the
SILVER CASE on the bathroom floor.
ARTHUR
I know! We have to reconnect the
loop before they wake up!
Arthur grabs the case and pushes through the door to the
bedroom- following the tubes to where they meet Saito's wrist-
SAITO LIES ON THE BED ASLEEP. Saito STIRS and we-
CUT TO:
INT. JAPANESE CASTLE CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Cobb LURCHES towards the stairs, as all around him the
building BUCKS and HEAVES-
10.
INT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS
Saito and the Guards PANIC. Mal walks calmly through the
destruction, picks up the envelope and turns to Saito.
MAL
He was close. Very close.
EXT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS
Cobb runs up the stairs, pulling out the SECOND ENVELOPE-
INT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS
Saito RIPS open the envelope, pulls out sheets of paper. He
looks at Mal, PANICKED. He turns to the Guards-
SAITO
Stop him!
Mal, confused, looks at the sheets of paper: THEY ARE BLANK.
Mal smiles, amused.
INT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS
As Cobb runs up the stairs he reads the TYPEWRITTEN SHEETS
from his envelope, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Arthur OPENS the silver case: a COMPLEX MECHANISM of TUBES,
SYRINGES, DOSAGE CONTROLLERS. Arthur's hands fly across the
machine's controls as he glances at Saito's STIRRING face-
ARTHUR
I'm not going to make it! Wake
Cobb!
INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Nash turns to Cobb. Raises his hand and SMACKS him across the
face, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT
Cobb is SMASHED sideways off his feet...
11.
INT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT
The CEILING CRACKS above Saito- he looks up as a TON of STONE
floods down, CRUSHING HIM and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Saito's eyes FLICKER OPEN. AWAKE.
INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Nash SMACKS Cobb again-
NASH
He won't wake!
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM-CONTINUOUS
Arthur crouched by Saito, connects the second tube.
ARTHUR
Dunk him!
A CLICK: Arthur looks up to find Saito with a gun to his head
and a finger to his lips, gesturing silence...
INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Nash puts his hand on Cobb's forehead and PUSHES HIM
BACKWARDS- as Cobb starts to FALL BACKWARDS in the chair we
are in SLOW MOTION, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT
Cobb, full speed, picks himself up, scrambling to read the
last sheet of paper. He stares at it PUZZLED- bullets hit
around him as the Guards race up the stairs and we-
CUT TO:
INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY
Cobb in SLOW MOTION, hits the WATER- head THRASHING as he
goes under- and we-
CUT TO:
INT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT
Cobb glances up from the paper as WATER EXPLODES IN THROUGH
ALL THE WINDOWS, FLOODING THE ENTIRE HALL-
12.
COBB IS SWAMPED BY WATER, SPUN IN ALL DIRECTIONS AT ONCE- HE
PULLS DEEPER OR FOR THE SURFACE, WE CAN'T TELL...
HE BREAKS THE SURFACE, GASPING FOR AIR IN THE BATHTUB IN THE-
INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY
Cobb's AWAKE, GULPING AIR, getting his bearings.
Saito SMASHES into the room, KNOCKING Nash down- Cobb
LAUNCHES himself out of the tub, FLYING dripping wet across
the room to SLAM Saito against the door- the gun DROPS,
Cobb's fist CONNECTS with Saito's jaw and the struggle is
over.
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Cobb, wet but composed, sits, turning Saito's gun in his
hand. Nash holds Saito's arms behind him. Outside, the sounds
of RIOTING grow louder.
COBB
You came prepared.
SAITO
I bring the gun because not even my
head of security knows this
apartment. How did you find it?
Arthur, at the window, looks out at the WORSENING VIOLENCE.
COBB
Hard for a man in your position to
keep a love nest totally secret...
particularly when there's a married
woman involved.
SAITO
She would never...
COBB
And yet, here we are.
Saito is silent.
COBB
With a dilemma.
SAITO
You got what you came for.
COBB
Not quite. The key piece of
information wasn't there, was it,
Mr. Saito?
13.
Arthur looks over at Cobb, worried.
ARTHUR
They're getting closer, Cobb.
CUT TO:
INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY
Todashi slips a pair of HEADPHONES over Nash's ears, then
pulls out an MP3 player and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Saito's eyes are on the floor.
COBB
You held something back because you
knew what we were up to...
Cobb uses the barrel of the gun to raise Saito's chin.
COBB
So why let us in at all?
Saito smiles, defiant. VIOLENT NOISES echo up the stairway...
SAITO
An audition.
COBB
Audition for what?
SAITO
It doesn't matter. You failed.
COBB
I extracted all the information you
had in there.
SAITO
But your deception was readily
apparent.
And we-
CUT TO:
INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY
Todashi opens the SILVER BRIEFCASE, revealing the complex
mechanism of syringes and controllers- FOUR CONTROLLERS
DISPLAY COUNTDOWNS.
14.
Todashi waits for the first countdown to hit "30," then HITS
PLAY on the MP3 player- He watches Nash's sleeping face as he
RAISES the volume...
Through Nash's headphones: the opening bars of Edith Piaf's
"Non, je ne regrette rien," and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY
In the distant background, strange MASSIVE low-end MUSICAL
start, sounding like DISTANT HORNS...
SAITO
So leave me and go.
COBB
You know the corporation who hired
us won't accept failure. We won't
last two days...
The DISTANT, SLOWED-DOWN MUSIC is becoming LOUDER, as are the
SHOUTS coming up the stairs. Arthur looks at his watch, its
SLOW SECOND TICKING MARKS TIME WITH THE MASSIVE MUSIC.
ARTHUR
Come on, Cobb.
COBB
So now I have to do this the old-
fashioned way-
Cobb GRABS SAITO AND PUTS HIS HEAD TO THE FLOOR, gun pressed
into his cheek. Saito looks into Cobb's eyes- sees he will
pull the trigger. Saito BLINKS, looks away in shame-
When he NOTICES SOMETHING. And starts LAUGHING.
SAITO
I've always hated this carpet.
Cobb's eyes flick to the carpet and back.
SAITO
It's stained and frayed in such
distinctive ways...
Cobb looks up at Nash, who shrugs, at a loss.
SAITO
But very definitely made of wool.
Right now I'm lying on polyester.
15.
Cobb glares at Nash, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY
Todashi watches the first of the countdowns hit ZERO- He
looks up at Arthur, STIRRING, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM-DAY
Saito turns from the carpet to look up at Cobb.
SAITO
Which means I'm not lying on my
carpet, in my apartment...
(smiles)
You've lived up to your reputation,
Mr. Cobb... I'm still dreaming.
Cobb looks over to Arthur, but ARTHUR HAS VANISHED, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY
Arthur's eyes flicker open, AWAKE. He RIPS at his tubes.
TODASHI
How'd it go?
ARTHUR
Not good.
Arthur checks the remaining three countdowns, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Saito gets to his feet, looking admiringly at Cobb.
SAITO
A dream within a dream-I'm
impressed.
Cobb lowers the gun. Defeated. Glances at his watch. The
music REVERBERATES, the RIOTERS BANG ON THE DOOR, and we-
CUT TO:
16.
INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY
Arthur retracts the tubes into the case as he watches the
next countdown hit ZERO, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Another BANG on the door- Saito, confident now, approaches
Cobb. Nash is behind Saito.
SAITO
But in my dream, we really ought to
be playing by my rules...
NASH
Ah, yes, but you see, Mr. Saito-
Saito turns to Nash-
COBB
We're not in your dream-
Saito turns back to Cobb, BUT COBB HAS VANISHED-
NASH
We're in mine.
Saito SPINS back to Nash- the DOOR SMASHES OFF ITS HINGES AS
RIOTERS POUR INTO THE ROOM, SWARMING OVER NASH... BUT NASH IS
GONE. The music DIES. Saito and the rioters stand there in
the SILENCE, the light DWINDLING... and we-
CUT TO:
INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY
Nash' eyes open, AWAKE.
ARTHUR (O.S.)
Asshole!
Nash BLINKS. Arthur is in his face, furious.
ARTHUR
How could you get the carpet
wrong?!
NASH
It wasn't my fault!
ARTHUR
You're the architect-
17.
NASH
I didn't know he was going to rub
his damn cheek on it!
Cobb pulls Arthur away from Nash.
COBB
Lets go.
ARTHUR
And you-what the hell was all that?
COBB
I had it under control.
ARTHUR
I'd hate to see out of control-
COBB
There's no time for this-I'm
getting off at Kyoto.
ARTHUR
Why? He's not gonna search every
compartment.
COBB
I can't stand trains.
Arthur moves to the briefcase. Turns a dial.
ARTHUR
I can keep him under for one minute-
Arthur hits a button- A PLUNGER DEPRESSES. Cobb RIPS the tape
off Saito's wrist, ROLLS up his tubes. Arthur SLAMS the
silver case shut. Todashi pulls open the door-
COBB
Every man for himself.
Arthur and Nash EXIT, heading in different directions down
the corridor. Cobb hands Todashi a thick roll of CASH, looks
at Saito, who stirs. Cobb moves off.
EXT. JAPANESE COUNTRYSIDE - CONTINUOUS
The BULLET TRAIN speeds through the lush landscape.
INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - CONTINUOUS
Saito WAKES GENTLY. Looks around the compartment, empty but
for Todashi, reading a comic. Saito looks down at his wrist.
Sees a small mark. Rubs it. SMILES.
18.
EXT. TOKYO - DUSK
Moving over the vast city towards a high rise. A HELICOPTER
thumps into frame, heading for a pad on the roof.
INT. APARTMENT, TOKYO - CONTINUOUS
Cobb sits, waiting. Checks his watch, restless. He pulls a
HANDGUN. Checks it is loaded. places it on the table in front
of him. Pulls out a PEWTER SPINNING TOP, SPINS it on the
table ... He INTENT STUDIES the top's spin... As he stares,
the sound of a FREIGHT TRAIN builds and builds- the top
WOBBLES, TIPS onto its side- the sound of the train STOPS.
the PHONE RINGS- Cobb GRABS it-
CHILDREN'S VOICES (over phone)
Hi, Daddy! Hi, Dad.
COBB
Hey, guys. How are you?
CHILDREN'S VOICES (over phone)
Good. Okay, I guess.
Cobb closes his eyes, trying to picture his children: INSERT
CUT: COBB's MEMORY- a LITTLE BLONDE BOY (3), back towards us,
crouches IN A GARDEN, looks at something in the grass...
COBB
Who's just okay? Was that James?
JAMES (over phone)
Yeah. When are you coming home?
COBB
I can't. Not for a while.
INSERT CUT: A LITTLE BLONDE GIRL (5), also FACE UNSEEN, joins
JAMES, CROUCHING BESIDE HIM...
JAMES (over phone)
Why?
COBB
Well, James, like I've told you-I'm
away because I'm working...
LITTLE GIRL (over phone)
Grandma says you're never coming
back.
Cobb pauses. Takes a breath. INSERT CUT: James and Philippa,
FACES UNSEEN, lift their heads from the grass, responding to
someone's call- they RUN AWAY FROM US ACROSS THE GARDEN...
19.
COBB
Philippa, can you ask Grandma to
pick up the phone-
PHILIPPA (over phone)
She's shaking her head.
Cobb TENSES, as if about to SMASH the phone.
COBB
Well, we'll just have to hope
Grandma's wrong about that won't
we?
JAMES
(over phone)
Daddy?
COBB
Yes?
JAMES (over phone)
Is Mommy with you?
Cobb looks like he just got punched- INSERT CUT: COBB'S
MEMORY- MAL, WIND BLOWING HER HAIR, SMILES CALMLY...
COBB
No. No, we talked about this,
James. Mommy's gone.
JAMES (over phone)
Where?
GRANDMA'S VOICE (over phone)
Time to go, kids. Say bye-bye-
COBB
I'll give some presents to Grandpa,
okay? Just be good for-
Cobb STARES at the dead phone. Then DOWNS his drink- A KNOCK
at the door. Cobb GRABS the top, the gun- MOVES to the door-
cracks it: Arthur.
ARTHUR
Our ride's on the roof.
Cobb nods. Moves to pick up his bag. Arthur watches.
ARTHUR
Cobb... are you okay?
Cobb looks up.
20.
COBB
Yeah, why?
ARTHUR
Down in the dream... Mal showing up
like that ...
COBB
Yeah. I'm sorry about your leg.
ARTHUR
It's getting worse, isn't it?
COBB
One apology's all you're getting,
Arthur. Now, where's Nash?
ARTHUR
Hasn't shown. Wanna wait?
COBB
(shakes head)
We were supposed to deliver Saito's
expansion plans to Cobol Engineering
two hours ago. By now they know we
failed. Time to disappear.
INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Cobb and Arthur head towards the elevator.
ARTHUR
Where will you go?
COBB
Buenos Aires. I can lie low there.
Maybe sniff out a job when things
quiet down. You?
ARTHUR
Stateside.
COBB
(wistful) )
'Course. Send my regards.
Arthur looks at Cobb. Nods. Sympathetic.
EXT. ROOFTOP HELIPAD - NIGHT
The HELICOPTER sits, ROTORS SPINNING. As Cobb and Arthur
reach the door, it SLIDES OPEN. Cobb steps up into the
leather-padded interior. He freezes.
21.
INT. HELICOPTER ON PAD - CONTINUOUS
Nash, BEATEN BLOODY, sits on the far side, slumped against
the wine. Beside him: SAITO. He nods politely at Cobb.
SAITO
He sold you out. Thought to come to
me and bargain for his life...
Saito's BODYGUARD offers Cobb a GUN.
SAITO
So I offer you the satisfaction.
COBB
That's not how I deal with things.
SAITO
Would you work with him again?
Cobb shakes his head. Saito's BODYGUARDS PULL Nash from the
chopper. Saito motions Cobb and Arthur to sit. The chopper
RISES. Cobb watches Nash DRAGGED across the pad.
COBB
What will you do to him?
SAITO
Nothing. But I can't speak for your
friends from Cobol Engineering.
Saito looks out at the city slipping by.
COBB
What do you want from us?
SAITO
Inception.
Arthur raises his eyebrows. Cobb is poker-faced.
SAITO
Is it possible?
ARTHUR
Of course not.
SAITO
If you can steal an idea from
someone's mind, why can't you plant
one there instead?
ARTHUR
Okay, here's planting an idea: I
say to you, "Don't think about
elephants."
(MORE)
22.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)
(Saito nods)
What are you thinking about?
SAITO
Elephants.
ARTHUR
Right. But it's not your idea
because you know I gave it to you.
SAITO
You could plant it subconsciously-
ARTHUR
The subject's mind can always trace
the genesis of the idea. True
inspiration is impossible to fake.
COBB
No, it isn't.
SAITO
Can you do it?
COBB
I won't do it.
SAITO
In exchange, I'll give you the
information you were paid to steal.
COBB
Are you giving me a choice? Because
I can find my own way to square
things with Cobol.
SAITO
Then you do have a choice.
COBB
And I choose to leave.
EXT. AIRFIELD - MOMENTS LATER
The helicopter sets down next to a PRIVATE JET.
INT. HELICOPTER - CONTINUOUS
Saito indicates the plane.
SAITO
Tell the crew where you want to go,
they'll file the plan en route.
Cobb and Arthur look at each other. Then move for the door.
23.
SAITO
Mr. Cobb...? There is one other
thing I could offer you.
(Cobb stops)
How would you like to go home? To
America. To your children.
Cobb turns back to Saito.
COBB
You can't fix that. Nobody could.
SAITO
Just like inception.
Cobb considers this. Arthur touches his arm.
ARTHUR
Cobb, come on-
COBB
How complex is the idea?
SAITO
Simple enough.
COBB
No idea's simple when you have to
plant it in someone else's mind.
SAITO
My main competitor is an old man in
poor health. His son will soon
inherit control of the corporation.
I need him to decide to break up
his father's empire. Against his
own self-interest.
ARTHUR
Cobb, we should walk away from
this.
COBB
If I were to do it. If I could do
it... how do I know you can
deliver?
SAITO
You don't. But I can. So do you
want to take a leap of faith, or
become an old man, filled with
regret, waiting to die alone?
Cobb looks at Saito. Barely nods.
24.
SAITO
Assemble your team, Mr. Cobb. And
choose your people more wisely.
INT. PRIVATE JET - LATER
Cobb reclines his seat. Arthur picks at a salad, angry.
ARTHUR
I know how much you want to go home-
COBB
(sharp)
No, you don't.
ARTHUR
But this can't be done.
COBB
It can. You just have to go deep
enough.
ARTHUR
You don't know that!-
COBB
I've done it before.
Arthur is taken aback. Cobb turns to the window.
ARTHUR
Did it work?
COBB
(quiet)
Yes.
ARTHUR
Who did you do it to?
Cobb looks at Arthur. Closed. Arthur shrugs.
ARTHUR
So why are we headed to Paris?
COBB
We're going to need a new
architect.
INT. GREAT HALL, ÉCOLE D'ARCHITECTURE - MORNING
Cobb, carrying a shopping bag, looks into a lecture hall: no
students, just a RUMPLED PROFESSOR hunched over paperwork.
25.
INT. LECTURE HALL - CONTINUOUS
COBB (O.S.)
You never did like your office.
PROFESSOR MILES looks up, squinting. Recognizes Cobb.
MILES
No space to think in that broom
cupboard.
Cobb steps down past the empty wooden rows.
MILES
Is it safe for you to be here?
COBB
Extradition between France and the
U.S. is a bureaucratic nightmare.
MILES
I think they'd find a way to make
it work in your case.
Cobb hand Miles the shopping bag.
COBB
Can you take these back for the
kids?
MILES
It'll take more than the occasional
stuffed animal to convince those
children they still have a father.
COBB
I know. I thought you could talk to
Marie about bringing them on
vacation. Somewhere I could meet-
MILES
Why would she listen to me?
COBB
You were married for twenty years.
MILES
She blames me as much as you.
COBB
Doesn't she understand that my kids
need me?
26.
MILES
Yes, she does. We all do. Go back
and face the music, Dom. Explain
what Mal did.
COBB
Be realistic, Stephen. They'd never
understand- they'd lock me up and
throwaway the key. Or worse.
MILES
You think what you're doing now is
helping your case?
COBB
Lawyers don't pay for themselves.
This is what I have. This is what
you taught me.
MILES
I never taught you to be a thief.
COBB
No, you taught me to navigate other
people's minds. But after what
happened with Mal there weren't a
whole lot of legitimate ways for me
to use that skill.
Miles looks at Cobb.
MILES
Why did you come here, Dom?
Cobb shifts slightly.
COBB
I found a way home. A job. For
powerful people. If I pull it off,
I can get back to my family. But I
need help.
Miles realizes something.
MILES
My God. You're here to corrupt one
of my brightest and best.
COBB
If you have someone good enough,
you have to let them decide for
themselves. You know what I'm
offering-
MILES
Money?
27.
COBB
No, not just money: the chance to
build cathedrals, entire cities-
things that have never existed,
things that couldn't exist in the
real world...
MILES
Everybody dreams, Cobb. Architects
are supposed to make those dreams
real.
COBB
That's not what you used to say.
You told me that in the real world
I'd be building attic conversions
and gas stations. You said that if
I mastered the dream-share I'd have
a whole new way of creating and
showing people my creations. You
told me it would free me.
Miles looks at Cobb, sad.
MILES
And I'm sorry. I was wrong.
COBB
No, you weren't. Your vision was a
vision of pure creativity. It's
where we took it that was wrong.
MILES
And now you want me to let someone
else follow you into fantasy.
COBB
They won't actually come on the
job, they'll just design the levels
and teach them to the dreamers.
MILES
Design them yourself.
COBB
Mal won't let me.
Miles looks at Cobb. Appalled.
MILES
Come back to reality, Dom. Please.
COBB
You want to know what's real,
Stephen? Your grandchildren waiting
for their dad to come back.
(MORE)
28.
COBB (CONT'D)
This job-this last job-is how I get
there.
Miles looks down, fiddles with his papers.
COBB
I wouldn't be standing here if
there were any other way. I can get
home. But I need an architect who's
as good as I was.
Miles looks Cobb in the eye. Decides.
MILES
I've got someone better.
INT. CORRIDOR - LATER
Miles and Cobb stand by as STUDENTS file out of a lecture.
MILES
Ariadne...
A young woman carrying books turns. This is ARIADNE.
MILES
I'd like you to meet Mr. Cobb.
She sizes him up with quick eyes. Offers her hand.
ARIADNE
Pleased to meet you.
MILES
If you have a few moments, Mr. Cobb
has a job offer to discuss with
you.
ARIADNE
A work placement?
COBB
(smiles
Not exactly.
EXT. ROOFTOP, ÉCOLE D'ARCHITECTURE - MOMENTS LATER
Ariadne leans against the parapet, overlooking Paris. She
unwraps a sandwich, watching Cobb pull out a pad of GRAPH
PAPER and a PEN. He offers them. She bites her sandwich.
COBB
A test.
29.
ARIADNE
(mouth full)
Aren't you going to tell me
anything?
COBB
Before I describe the job, I have
to know you could do it.
ARIADNE
Why?
COBB
It's not, strictly speaking, legal.
Ariadne raises her eyebrows.
COBB
You have two minutes to draw a maze
that takes me one minute to solve.
Ariadne takes the pad and pen. Cobb looks at his watch.
COBB
Go.
She starts DRAWING LINES on the grid, constructing a maze.
COBB
Stop.
Ariadne hands the pad and pen to Cobb. He glances at the pad,
then, looking her in the eye, TRACES the solution. She is
taken aback. Cobb RIPS off the sheet, hands the pad back.
COBB
Again.
She traces straight lines, CONCENTRATING...
COBB
Stop.
She hands Cobb the pad, a touch pleased. Cobb solves the
puzzle instantly, as before. Her smile falls.
COBB
You'll have to-
She GRABS the pad, frustrated... but this time she FLIPS it
over and starts drawing on the BLANK CARDBOARD of the back.
Cobb watches, surprised. He smiles as he sees that she's
drawing CIRCLES, creating a maze based on concentric rings.
Ariadne hands back the pad, defiant. Cobb takes the pen,
starts the maze. This time he gets stuck. Nods.
30.
COBB
(working the maze)
More like it.
EXT. NARROW STREET, PARIS - DAY
Arthur stops at a warehouse door. Consults a piece of paper.
INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
A large, dusty warehouse. The SLIDING DOOR cracks open.
Arthur enters. Looks around, approvingly.
INT. SAME - LATER
Arthur DRAGS LAWN CHAIRS into the middle of the room. He
erects a table. Lays out several SILVER CASES, unpacking
them, laying out lines of tubing, MECHANISMS...
EXT. PARISIAN CAFE - DAY
Cobb and Ariadne sit at an outdoor table.
COBB
They say we only use a fraction of
the true potential of our brains...
but they're talking about when
we're awake. While we dream, the
mind performs wonders.
ARIADNE
Such as?
COBB
How do you imagine a building? You
consciously create each aspect,
puzzling over it in stages... But
sometimes, when your imagination
flies-
ARIADNE
I'm discovering it.
COBB
Exactly. Genuine inspiration.
Cobb leans forwards and draws on the paper table cloth.
COBB
In a dream your mind continuously
does that...
Cobb has drawn a circle made of two arrows.
31.
COBB
It creates and perceives a world
simultaneously. So well that you
don't feel your brain doing the
creating. That's why we can short-
circuit the process...
ARIADNE
How?
COBB
By taking over the creating part.
Cobb draws a straight line between the two arrows.
COBB
This is where you come in. You
build the world of the dream. We
take the subject into that dream,
and let him £111 it with his
subconscious
ARIADNE
But are you trying to fool him that
the dream is actually real life?
COBB
(nods)
While we're in there, We don't want
him to realize he's dreaming.
ARIADNE
How could I ever get enough detail
to Convince him that it's real?
COBB
Our dreams reel real while we're in
them. It's only when we wake up we
realize things were strange,
Ariadne gestures around them-
ARIADNE
But all the textures of real life-
the stone, the fabric. cars...
people... your mind can't create
all this.
COBB
It does. Every time you dream. Let
me ask you a question: You never
remember the beginning of your
dreams, do you? You just turn up in
the middle of what's going on.
32.
ARIADNE
I guess.
COBB
So... how did we end up at this
restaurant?
ARIADNE
We came here from...
Ariadne trails off, confused.
COBB
How did we get here? Where are we?
Ariadne THINKS, unable to remember. A FAINT RUMBLE begins.
ARIADNE
Oh my God. We're dreaming.
Cobb nods. The RUMBLE is BUILDING.
COBB
Stay calm. We're actually asleep in
the workshop. This is your first
lesson in shared dreaming,
remember?
Ariadne looks around, mind REELING. Cobb BRACES-
The restaurant VIOLENTLY FRAGMENTS, EXPLODING AND IMPLODING
PARTICLES OF FURNITURE, WALLS, PEOPLE FLYING AROUND- Ariadne
WONDERS at the MAYHEM WHIRLING around them- Cobb SHIELDS his
head against the debris. She sees him-
ARIADNE
(shouting over noise)
If it's just a dream, why are you
covering your-
Ariadne is WIPED FROM HER SEAT BY A MASSIVE BLAST and we-
CUT TO:
INT. WORKSHOP - DAY
Ariadne JOLTS awake.
COBB (O.S.)
Because it's never just a dream.
Ariadne turns to Cobb's voice. They are both sitting in the
lawn chairs. Arthur watches over them.
33.
COBB
And a face full of glass hurts like
hell, doesn't it? While we're in
it, it's real.
ARTHUR
That's why the military developed
dream sharing-a training program
where soldiers could strangle, stab
and shoot each other, then wake up.
ARIADNE
How did architects get involved?
COBB
Someone had to design the dreams.
(to Arthur)
Let's go another five minutes-
ARIADNE
We were only asleep for five
minutes? We talked for an hour at
least...
COBB
When you dream, your mind functions
more quickly, so time seems to pass
more slowly.
ARTHUR
Five minutes in the real world
gives you an hour in the dream.
COBB
Let's see how much trouble you can
cause in five minutes.
And we-
CUT TO:
EXT. SAME PARISIAN STREET - DAY
Ariadne walks down the crowded street with Cobb. Cobb looks
around at the street, the cafe, approving.
COBB
It's good. You've got the cafe, the
layout... you forgot the book shop
but pretty much everything else is
here.
Ariadne looks at the passers-by.
ARIADNE
Who are the people?
34.
COBB
They're projections of my
subconscious.
ARIADNE
Yours?
COBB
Sure-you are the dreamer, I am the
subject. My subconscious populates
your world. That's one way we get
at a subject's thoughts-his mind
creates the people, so we can
literally talk to his subconscious.
ARIADNE
How else do you do it?
COBB
Architecture. Build a bank vault or
a jail, something secure, and the
subject's mind will fill it with
information he's trying to protect.
ARIADNE
Then you break in and steal it.
COBB
Exactly.
Ariadne wonders at the detail of the street.
ARIADNE
I love the concrete sense of things-
(stamps foot)
Real weight, you know? I thought a
dream space would be all about the
visual, but it's the feel of
things. Question is, what happens
as you start to mess with
physics...
She CONCENTRATES on the street. The street starts to BEND IN
HALF- the buildings on either side FOLDING IN until they form
the INSIDE OF A CUBE OF CITY, GRAVITY FUNCTIONING
INDEPENDENTLY ON EACH PLANE. Ariadne looks up (or down) at
the people on the opposite city surface. Cobb watches her
excitement.
ARIADNE
It's something, isn't it?
COBB
(quiet)
Yes. It is.
35.
As they walk, Ariadne notices more and more of the
projections STARING at her.
ARIADNE
Why are they looking at me?
COBB
Because you're changing things. My
subconscious feels that someone
else is creating the world. The
more you change things, the quicker
the projections converge on you.
ARIADNE
Converge?
COBB
They feel the foreign nature of the
dreamer, and attack-like white
blood cells fighting an infection.
ARIADNE
They're going to attack us?
COBB
Just you, actually.
They walk along the street to where it joins the next
gravitational plane. They step up onto the different plane
and walk down the street towards a river. As Ariadne
approaches, steps emerge from the flagstone, and she leads
Cobb up onto a small jetty. As she concentrates, pillars
emerge and a BRIDGE starts to telescope out from the jetty.
They step onto it as it grows. Cobb is impressed.
COBB
It's beautiful... but if you keep
on changing things...
People crossing the bridge STARE at Ariadne. Several of them
BUMP her shoulder as they pass.
ARIADNE
Mind telling your subconscious to
take it easy?
COBB
That's why it's called subconscious.
I don't control it.
The bridge now spans the Seine. Cobb marvels at it.
COBB
Arched stone, iron pillars...
it's...
36.
Cobb pauses, thinking. Remembering.
INSERT CUT: Mal, hair blowing, turns to Cobb, smiling,
laughing. He smiles back. They are on the same bridge.
COBB
I know this bridge. This place is
real-
(serious)
You didn't imagine it, you
remembered it...
ARIADNE
(nods)
I cross it every day on my way to
the college.
COBB
Never recreate places from your
memory. Always imagine new places.
ARIADNE
You have to draw from what you know-
COBB
(tense)
Use pieces-a streetlamp,
phonebooths, a type of brick-not
whole areas.
Several people around them ECHO Cobb's attitude...
ARIADNE
Why not?
COBB
Because building dreams out of your
own memories is the surest way to
lose your grip on what's real and
what's a dream.
ARIADNE
Did that happen to you?
Cobb says nothing. He stands there, starinq at Ariadne.
PEOPLE around her stop and look at her, hostile.
COBB
Look, this isn't about me-
Cobb reaches for Ariadne's arm, turns her to him-
ARIADNE
Is that why you need me to build
your dreams?
37.
A passerby GRABS Ariadne's shoulder-
COBB
Leave her alone-
More of the crowd join in, PULLING at Ariadne, holding her
arms open- Cobb PULLS people off- the crowd PUSHES him away-
Cobb sees someone WALKING PURPOSEFULLY through the crowd
towards the helpless, Ariadne- it is Mal. She approaches with
even strides- Ariadne stares at her, uneasy.
ARIADNE
Wake me up, Cobb.
As Mal walks, she pulls out a LARGE KNIFE-
COBB
Mal, no!
ARIADNE
Wake me up!
Ariadne SCREAMS as Mal LUNGES at her with the knife and we-
CUT TO:
INT. WORKSHOP-DAY
Ariadne WAKES, BREATHING HARD. Arthur moves to her-
ARTHUR
It's okay.
ARIADNE
Why couldn't I wake?
ARTHUR
The only way to wake from inside
the dream is to die.
Cobb, in the lawn chair opposite, PULLS his tubes out.
COBB
She'll need a totem.
ARIADNE
What?
ARTHUR
Some kind of personal icon. A small
object that you can always have
with you, and that no one else
knows,
Cobb gets to his feet, Ariadne stares at him, furious. He
heads to the bathroom.
38.
ARIADNE
That's some subconscious you've
got, Cobb.
(calls after him)
She's a real charmer!
ARTHUR
Sounds like you've met Mrs. Cobb.
ARIADNE
(surprised)
She's his wife?
Arthur nods, pulling off Ariadne's tubes.
ARTHUR
So. A totem. You need something
small, potentially heavy...
INT. BATHROOM, WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
Cobb takes out his PEWTER SPINNING TOP, SPINS it on the
marble counter...
INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne looks at Arthur, puzzled.
ARIADNE
Like a coin?
ARTHUR
Too common. You need something that
has a weight or movement that only
you know.
INT. BATHROOM, WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
Cobb STUDIES the spin of the top as it decays, becoming more
and more ECCENTRIC...
INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
ARIADNE
What's yours?
Arthur holds out a DIE.
ARTHUR
A loaded die.
Ariadne reaches for it- Arthur snatches sit away-
39.
ARTHUR
I can't let you handle it. That's
the point. No one else can know the
weight or balance of it.
ARIADNE
Why?
ARTHUR
So when you examine your totem...
INT. BATHROOM, WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
Cobb's spinning top WOBBLES OVER.
ARTHUR (O.S.)
You know, beyond a doubt, that
you're not in someone else's dream.
Cobb GRABS it like a drowning man reaching for a lifeline.
INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne thinks this over.
ARIADNE
That's not an issue for me.
ARTHUR
Why not?
ARIADNE
Arthur, maybe you can't see what's
going on, maybe you don't want to.
But Cobb's got problems he's tried
to bury down there. I'm not going
to open my mind to someone like
that.
Ariadne gets to her feet. Walks away.
COBB (O.S.)
She'll be back.
Arthur turns. Cobb is standing in the bathroom doorway.
COBB
I've never seen anyone pick it up
so fast. And one reality won't be
enough for her now. When she comes
back, get her building mazes.
ARTHUR
Where will you be?
40.
COBB
I've got to talk to Eames.
ARTHUR
Eames? But he's in Mombasa. Cobol's
backyard.
COBB
Necessary risk.
ARTHUR
There are plenty of other thieves.
COBB
We don't just need a thief. We need
a forger.
INT. GAMBLING DEN, MOMBASA - DAY
Crowded, bustling, smoke-filled. a westerner (40's), shabby
suit, is squeezed in at a dice game. This is EAMES. He
FIDDLES with his last two chips.
COBB (O.S.)
Rub them against each other all you
like, they're not going to breed.
Eames looks up to see Cobb.
EAMES
You never know.
Eames tosses down his last chips. The dice are rolled...
COBB
Drink?
Eames loses.
EAMES
You're buying.
Cobb follows Eames. Eames mysteriously produces two stacks of
chips and puts them down in front of the cashier. Cobb pulls
one off the top, squints at the embossed name.
COBB
You're spelling hasn't improved.
Eames GRABS the chip. Hands it to the cashier.
EAMES
Piss off.
COBB
How's your handwriting?
41.
Eames takes his money. Smiles at Cobb.
EAMES
Versatile.
INT. STREET, MOMBASA - CONTINUOUS
Eames leads Cobb down the quiet street.
EAMES
Word is, you're not welcome in
these parts.
COBB
Yeah?
EAMES
There's a price on your head from
Cobol Engineering. Pretty big one,
actually.
COBB
You wouldn't sell me out.
Eames looks at Cobb, offended.
EAMES
`Course I would.
COBB
(smiles)
Not when you hear what I'm selling.
EXT. BALCONY OF A COFFEE HOUSE - LATER
A ramshackle balcony overlooking a bust street. Eames pours.
COBB
Inception.
Eames's glass stops halfway to his mouth.
COBB
Don't bother telling me it's
impossible.
EAMES
It's perfectly possible. Just
bloody difficult.
COBB
That's what I keep saying to
Arthur.
42.
EAMES
Arthur? You're still working with
that stick-in-the-mud?
COBB
He's a good point man.
EAMES
The best. But he has no
imagination. If you're going to
perform inception, you need
imagination.
COBB
You've done it before?
EAMES
Yeas and no. We tried it. Got the
idea in place, but it didn't take.
COBB
You didn't plant it deep enough?
EAMES
It's not just about depth. You need
the simplest version of the idea-
the one that will grow naturally in
the subject's mind. Subtle art.
COBB
That's why I'm here.
EAMES
What's the idea you need to plant?
COBB
We want the heir to a major
corporation to break up his
father's empire.
EAMES
See, right there you've got various
political motivations, anti-
monopolistic sentiment and so
forth. But all that stuff's at the
mercy of the subject's prejudice-
you have to go to the basic.
COBB
Which is?
EAMES
The relationship with the father.
(downs drink)
Do you have a chemist?
43.
Cobb shakes his head.
EAMES
There's a man here. Yusuf. He
formulates his own versions of the
compounds.
COBB
Let's go see him.
EAMES
Once you've lost your tail.
(Cobb reacts)
Back by the bar, blue tie. Came in
about two minutes after we did.
COBB
Cobol Engineering?
EAMES
They pretty much own Mombasa.
Cobb glances over the balcony.
COBB
Run interference. We'll meet
downstairs in half an hour.
EAMES
Back here?
COBB
Last place they'd expect.
Eames downs his drink. Rises. Walks over to the Businessman.
EAMES
Freddy!
The Businessman looks up, awkward.
EAMES
Freddy Simmonds, it is you!
Cobb nonchalantly SLIPS over the balcony DROPPING HARD into
the midst of the crowd on the street below.
EAMES
(looks harder)
Oh. No, it isn't.
EXT. STREET, MOMBASA - CONTINUOUS
Cobb stands up, PUSHES into the crowd- faces PEER at him- he
moves, trying to blend- TURNS- a SECOND BUSINESS MAN is
there.
44.
COBB
(disarming smile)
Yes?
SECOND BUSINESSMAN
We need to-
Cobb HEAD BUTTS the Second Businessman, PUSHES past him-
The First Businessman races out of the bar, sees Cobb's wake,
DIVES after him- Cobb RACES headlong through tight
passageways, WEAVING through or KNOCKING into the locals...
He steps into a dark, crowded cafe, scanning the tables...
the First Businessman enters, spots him. An AFRICAN MAN gets
in Cobb's face, jabbering at him in Swahili- Cobb considers
his options... the First Businessman DRAWS A GUN- Cobb bolts,
steps up on a table and out an open window, SCRAMBLING into
the alley outside...
Cobb LOOKS left, right... CUTS LEFT into a narrow, CROWDED
alley- the alley NARROWS TO A DEAD END. Faces in the CROWD
start to watch Cobb- PEOPLE start to SURROUND him- Cobb looks
back the way he came- the two Businessmen are there, GUNS
DRAWN-
Cobb sees a SMALL GAP between the buildings at the narrow end-
he THROWS himself into it- gets STUCK HALFWAY...
The crowd bears down, GRABBING for him as Cobb struggles to
SQUEEZE HIMSELF through the gap... Cobb's moving INCHES as
his pursuers gain YARDS... the Crowd is upon him... he BURSTS
FREE. TUMBLING onto the next street, ROLLING out of sight.
Cobb Jumps to his feet- in a market square. TWO MORE
BUSINESSMEN move towards him. Cobb BOLTS but a CAR SKIDS UP,
BLOCKS HIS PATH- the door opens- SAITO IS IN THE BACK.
SAITO
Care for a lift, Mr. Cobb?
COBB
(jumping in)
What brings you to Mombasa, Mr.
Saito?
SAITO
I have to protect my investment.
EXT. COFFEE HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Eames stands on the pavement. The car pulls up. Cobb beckons
from the rear window. Eames looks at Saito. Back to Cobb.
EAMES
This is your idea of losing a tail?
45.
COBB
(shrugs)
Different tail.
INT. WORKSHOP - DAY
Arthur sits at the table, working on a mechanism. A small
COUGH prompts him to look up: Ariadne is there.
ARTHUR
He said you'd be back.
ARIADNE
I tried not to come.
ARTHUR
But there's nothing else quite like
it.
ARIADNE
No paper, no pens... nothing
between you and raw, direct
creation.
Arthur picks up his mechanism.
ARTHUR
Shall we take a look at paradoxical
architecture?
Ariadne nods, takes off her coat and we-
CUT TO:
INT. PENROSE STEPS - LATER
Arthur leads Ariadne down some busy steps in a large glass
and steel ATRIUM in an office complex.
ARTHUR
You're going to have to master a
few tricks if you're going to build
three complete dream levels.
A SECRETARY DROPS some papers as they pass...
ARIADNE
What sort of tricks?
They take a tight turn and continue down the next flight.
ARTHUR
In a dream, you can cheat
architecture into impossible
shapes.
(MORE)
46.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)
That lets you create closed loops,
like the Penrose Steps. The
infinite staircase.
Ariadne FREEZES- THEY ARE IN THE EXACT SPOT THEY STARTED
DESCENDING FROM, next to the Secretary gathering her papers.
Ariadne puzzles at the impossible construction of the stairs.
ARTHUR
See...
Arthur stops her gently- they are on the highest step, with a
LARGE DROP to the next step. Arthur gestures at the drop.
ARTHUR
Paradox. A closed loop like this
helps you disguise the boundaries
of the dream you've created.
ARIADNE
How big do the levels have to be?
ARTHUR
Anything from the floor of a
building, to an entire city. But it
has to be complicated enough for us
to hide from the projections.
ARIADNE
A maze.
ARTHUR
And the better the maze-
ARIADNE
The longer we have before the
projections catch us.
Ariadne looks around. Sees people LOOKING at Arthur.
ARIADNE
My subconscious seems polite
enough.
ARTHUR
You wait, they'll turn ugly. No one
likes to see someone else messing
around in their mind.
ARIADNE
Cobb can't build anymore, can he?
47.
ARTHUR
I don't know if he can't, but he
won't. He thinks it's safer if he
doesn't know the layouts.
ARIADNE
Why?
ARTHUR
He won't tell me. I think it's Mal.
I think she's getting stronger.
ARIADNE
His ex-wife?
ARTHUR
She's not his ex.
ARIADNE
They're still together?
Arthur turns to Ariadne. Gentle.
ARTHUR
No. No, she's dead, Ariadne. What
you see in there is just his
projection of her.
ARIADNE
What was she like in real life?
ARTHUR
(quiet)
She was lovely.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOFTOP, OLD TOWN, MOMBASA - DAY
Saito deposits a FILE in front of Cobb: PHOTOS, DOCUMENTS. As
Cobb runs through them, he passes them to Eames.
SAITO
Robert Fischer, 32. Heir to the
Fischer Morrow energy conglomerate.
He's spent his whole life being
groomed as successor-breaking up
his father's empire will take a
radical shift in his thinking.
COBB
What's your problem with Fischer?
SAITO
That's not your concern.
48.
COBB
This isn't the usual corporate
espionage, Mr. Saito. This is
inception. The seed of the idea we
plant will grow in this man's mind.
It'll change him. It might even
come to define him.
Saito looks at Cobb.
SAITO
My sources suggest you might not
have always been so cautious.
COBB
Then you need new sources, Mr.
Saito.
Saito considers Cobb. Shrugs.
SAITO
Fischer Morrow has the regulators
in their pockets. We're the last
company standing between them and
total energy dominance and we can
no longer compete. Soon they'll
control the energy supply of half
the world. They'll be able to
blackmail governments, dictate
policy. In effect, they become a
new superpower. The world needs
Robert Fischer to change his mind.
EAMES
That's where we come in. How's
Robert Fischer's relationship to
his father?
SAITO
Rumor is the relationship is
complicated.
COBB
We'll need more than rumor, Mr.
Saito.
Eames picks up a photo: a distinguished executive (68).
EAMES
Can you get me access to him?
Browning. Fischer senior's right-
hand man. Fischer junior's
godfather.
49.
SAITO
It should be possible. If you can
get the right references.
EAMES
References are something of a
specialty for me, Mr. Saito.
EXT. DECREPIT BUILDING, MOMBASA - LATER
Eames leads Cobb and Saito down uneven steps to a doorway.
INT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS
Peeling paint, buzzing flies. They ascend to a dusty,
wire-reinforced glass door which Eames pushes open-
INT. PHARMACY - CONTINUOUS
Row upon row of wooden shelves holding hundreds of dusty
glass bottles of all shapes and colors. At the far end, a
portly 40-year-old man rises from behind his desk, beckoning.
This is YUSUF.
YUSUF
Come, come.
Eames shakes Yusuf's hand. Yusuf stops at Cobb.
YUSUF
Ah, yes. Mr. Cobb. I've heard so
very much about you.
(indicates chairs)
please.
Yusuf chases a CAT off Saito's chair.
YUSUF
Bloody cats.
Yusuf moves to a shelf and runs his fingers over the glass
bottles. None of them has a label.
YUSUF
You work using Somnacin, I think,
Mr. Cobb?
COBB
You're well informed, Mr. Yusuf.
Yusuf places a bottle on the desk in front of Cobb.
50.
COBB
(dubious)
Somnacin?
YUSUF
(proudly)
Yusuf's Somnacin.
Yusuf pulls the stopper, holds it towards Cobb's nose.
COBB
As good as the real thing?
Yusuf WHIPS the bottle away from Cobb, offended.
YUSUF
Better.
Yusuf holds the bottle to the light, marveling.
YUSUF
Binds the dreamers tight. Let's
them dream as one. Makes it real.
Of course, if you'd prefer, you
could use Somnacin brand. If you
could explain to the international
control council what you wanted it
for.
Yusuf puts the bottle back onto the shelf. Sits.
YUSUF
You are seeking a chemist?
(Cobb nods)
To formulate compounds for a job?
COBB
And to come into the held with us.
YUSUF
I rarely go into the held, Mr.
Cobb.
COBB
We need you there to tailor
compounds to our particular
requirements.
YUSUF
Which are?
COBB
Great depth.
YUSUF
A dream within a dream? Two levels?
51.
COBB
Three.
YUSUF
Not possible. That many dreams
within dreams would be too
unstable.
COBB
I've done it before. You just have
to add a sedative.
YUSUF
A powerful sedative. How many team
members?
COBB
Five.
SAITO
Six.
(to Cobb)
The only way to know you've done
the job is if I go in with you.
COBB
There's no room for tourists on
these jobs, Mr. Saito.
SAITO
This time, it would seem there is.
Cobb looks at him, uneasy. Yusuf pulls out another bottle.
YUSUF
Of course. I use it every day.
Yusuf hands it to Cobb, who considers the white liquid
inside.
COBB
For what?
Yusuf beckons them further into the pharmacy, to a METAL
DOOR. He STOPS- second thoughts.
YUSUF
Perhaps... you will not want to
see.
Cobb motions to continue. Yusuf pulls out a large key.
52.
INT. BACK ROOM, PHARMACY - CONTINUOUS
A dark room with ROWS of low COTS. Each with a sleeping
occupant. Tubes connect their wrists. An ELDERLY BALD MAN
watches over them.
EAMES
(counting)
Eighteen, twenty-all connected,
bloody hell.
YUSUF
They come every day. To share the
dream.
Yusuf nods at the Elderly Bald Man, who moves to the nearest
bed. Reaches out to the OCCUPANT. Gives his face a FIRM SLAP.
The sleeper does not even stir.
YUSUF
See? Very stable.
COBB
How long do they dream?
YUSUF
Three, four hours. Every day.
COBB
How long in dream time?
YUSUF
With this compound... about forty
hours. Each and every day.
Saito surveys the room, appalled.
SAITO
Why do they do it?
YUSUF
Tell him, Mr. Cobb.
COBB
After a while...
(looks at Saito)
It becomes the only way you can
dream.
YUSUF
Do you still dream, Mr. Cobb?
Cobb STARES at the sleepers. Uneasy.
EAMES
They come here every day to sleep?
53.
ELDERLY BALD MAN (O.S.)
No.
Cobb turns to the Elderly Bald Man, who looks fondly at his
dreamers.
ELDERLY BALD MAN
They come to be woken up... the
dream has become their reality...
The Elderly Bald Man pokes a crooked finger at Cobb's chest.
ELDERLY BALD MAN
And who are you to say otherwise?
Cobb STARES at the Elderly Bald Man. DISTURBED. Cobb turns to
Yusuf. TOSSES him the bottle.
COBB
Let's see what you can do.
INT. SAME - MOMENTS LATER
Cobb is lying on an empty cot, asleep. Yusuf stands over him.
As we move in on Cobb's SLEEPING FACE we hear the sound of a
FREIGHT TRAIN, BUILDING, and we-
CUT TO:
EXT. WASTELAND - DAY
CLOSE ON Cobb's face as he lies, EYES CLOSED, cheek pressed
to a METAL RAIL- THE SOUND OF THE TRAIN IS DEAFENING- Cobb is
BREATHING, BREATHING, BREATHING, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. BACK ROOM, PHARMACY - DAY
Cobb's eyes open. Yusuf is watching him.
YUSUF
Sharp, no?
Cobb nods. Gets to his feet, looking around-
INT. BATHROOM, PHARMACY - CONTINUOUS
Cobb SPLASHES water on his face, breathing hard- INSERT CUT:
A CURTAIN BILLOWS. MAL TURNS TO US, HAIR BLOWING, SMILING.
Cobb fumbles in his pockets, pulls out his spinning top. He
tries to set it spinning on the back edge of the sink, but it
FALLS to the floor and rolls towards the door- Saito is
there. WATCHING Cobb. He looks down at the spinning top.
54.
SAITO
Everything alright, Mr. Cobb?
Cobb dries his face with a paper towel. Picks up his top.
COBB
Everything's fine.
INT. BACK ROOM, WORKSHOP - NIGHT
Close on a small BRASS CHESS PIECE. Ariadne tips it over.
Frowning, she picks up a micro drill, peels back the felt on
the bottom and widens a hole in one side of its base. Tests
the TIPPING POINT again. A NOISE makes her look up.
INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne comes into the main space. Someone is there,
unpacking one of the MECHANISMS. Cobb.
ARIADNE
You're back.
Cobb looks up with a start. Caught out.
ARIADNE
Are you going under on your own?
COBB
I just-I need to test some things.
I didn't realize anyone was here.
ARIADNE
Just working on my totem.
Ariadne holds up the chess piece. Cobb reaches for it.
COBB
Let me see-
Ariadne SNAPS it out of his reach. Smiles. Cobb nods.
COBB
You're learning.
ARIADNE
It's an elegant solution to keeping
track of reality. Your invention?
COBB
No. Mal's.
Cobb pulls out his spinning top. Looks at it.
55.
COBB
This one was hers. She'd spin it in
a dream and it would never topple.
Just spin and spin...
ARIADNE
Arthur told me she died.
COBB
She did. How are the mazes coming?
Ariadne indicates three large ARCHITECTURAL MODELS.
ARIADNE
Good. Each level relates to the
part of the subject's subconscious
we're trying to access. I'm making
the bottom level a hospital, so
that Fischer will bring his father
there-
COBB
Don't tell me. Remember, you only
want the dreamer to know the
layout.
ARIADNE
Why's that so important?
COBB
In case one of us brings in part of
our subconscious. You wouldn't want
any projections knowing the layout.
ARIADNE
In case you bring Mal in.
Cobb says nothing.
ARIADNE
You won't build yourself because if
you know the maze, then she knows
it. And she'd sabotage the
operation. You can't keep her out,
can you?
Cobb says nothing.
ARIADNE
Do the others know?
COBB
No.
56.
ARIADNE
You have to warn them if it's
getting worse-
COBB
(gentle)
I didn't say it's getting worse.
Look, Ariadne, I need them for this
job. I need you for this job.
Without your help, I'll never get
back to my children. And that's all
I can care about right now.
ARIADNE
Why can't you go home, Cobb?
Cobb looks at her, deciding what to say.
COBB
They think I killed her.
ARIADNE
How did she die?
Cobb thinks.
INSERT CUT: Mal, wind BLOWING her hair, smiles at Cobb. Now
we see Cobb- SHAKING HIS HEAD, TEARS STREAMING, BEGGING-
COBB
Thank you.
ARIADNE
For what?
COBB
Not asking whether I did.
INT. WORKSHOP - DAY
Ariadne, Arthur, Yusuf, Eames and Saito sit around the room,
looking at FILES. Cobb presides.
COBB
The mark is Robert Fischer, heir to
the Australian energy conglomerate,
Fischer Morrow.
Cobb opens a large presentation pad.
COBB (reads aloud)
"I WILL SPLIT UP MY FATHER'S
EMPIRE."
Cobb turns to the team.
57.
COBB
An idea Robert Fischer's conscious
mind would never accept. We have to
plant it deep in his subconscious.
ARTHUR
How deep?
COBB
Three levels down.
ARTHUR
A dream within a dream within a
dream? Is that even possible?
COBB
Yes. It is.
COBB
Now, the subconscious motivates
through emotion, not reason, so we
have to translate the idea into an
emotional concept.
ARTHUR
How do you translate a business
strategy into an emotion?
COBB
That's what we have to figure out.
Robert and his father have a tense
relationship. Worse, even, than the
gossip columns have suggested...
EAMES
Do you play on that? Suggest
breaking up his father's company as
a 'screw you' to the old man?
COBB
No. Positive emotion trumps
negative emotion every time. We
yearn for people to be reconciled,
for catharsis. We need positive
emotional logic.
Eames thinks. Paces. Looking back at the board.
EAMES
Try this... "MY FATHER ACCEPTS THAT
I WANT TO CREATE FOR MYSELF, NOT
FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS."
COBB
That might work.
58.
ARTHUR
Might? We'll have to do better than
that.
EAMES
Thanks for the contribution,
Arthur.
ARTHUR
Forgive me for wanting a little
specificity, Eames.
COBB
Inception's not about specificity.
When we get inside his head, we're
going to have to work with what we
find.
Arthur shrugs, frustrated. And we-
CUT TO:
EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DAY
The team are in the middle of a DESERTED intersection.
Ariadne is showing Yusuf aspects of the geography.
EAMES
We could split the idea into
emotional triggers, and use one on
each level.
COBB
How do you mean?
EAMES
On the top level, we open up his
relationship with his father....
Say: "I WILL NOT FOLLOW IN MY
FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS." Next level
down we've accessed his ambition
and self-esteem. We feed him: "I
WILL CREATE SOMETHING MYSELF."
Then, the bottom level, we bring
out the emotional big guns...
COBB
"MY FATHER DOESN'T WANT ME TO BE
HIM."
EAMES
That could do it.
ARTHUR
How do you produce these emotional
triggers?
59.
EAMES
I forge each emotional concept in
the style and manner of Peter
Browning, a key figure in Fischer's
emotional life.
Two AFRICAN PEDESTRIANS wander into view.
ARTHUR
Are those yours?
Eames shakes his head. Cobb turns to Yusuf.
ARTHUR
Yusuf?
YUSUF
Yup. Sorry.
COBB
Suppress them. We don't bring our
own projections into the dream-we
let Fischer's subconscious supply
the people.
EAMES
Saito, when do I get to see
Browning?
SAITO
You fly out to Sydney on Tuesday.
We've arranged for you to spend
several days...
INT. ANTEROOM, MAURICE FISCHER'S OFFICE - DAY
Eames sits in the crowded room. Boxes and files are piled
high. Browning stands by a pair of double doors.
SAITO (V.O.)
...as part of a consulting
litigation team working for
Browning.
BROWNING
I'm not smelling settlement here-we
take them down.
LAWYER
Mr. Browning, Maurice Fischer's
policy is always one of avoiding
litigation-
Browning turns to the lawyer. Calm, but POWERFUL.
60.
BROWNING
Shall we relay your concerns
directly to Maurice?
Browning opens the doors to Maurice Fischer's inner office.
Eames leans in to watch as Browning beckons the Lawyer into-
INT. MAURICE FISCHER'S INNER OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
The office is a MAKESHIFT HOSPITAL ROOM: a BED where the desk
should be. Browning addresses a figure at the window. ROBERT
FISCHER, 30'S, abstracted.
BROWNING
How is he?
Fischer turns to Browning. Motions silence, as he glances at
his FATHER in the bed. Wheezing gently.
BROWNING
I don't want to bother him
unnecessarily but I know he-
FATHER
Robert! I've told you to keep out
the damn!-
MAURICE LASHES OUT, KNOCKING things from his bedside table. A
NURSE calms Maurice as Fischer crouches to retrieve a FRAMED
PHOTOGRAPH. He looks at the photo through the broken glass- a
YOUNG BOY holds a PINWHEEL CLEARLY MADE BY A CHILD (each of
the points is numbered in pen), his FATHER blows on it.
BROWNING
Must be a cherished memory of his-
FISCHER
I put it by his bed. He hasn't even
noticed.
BROWNING
Robert, we have to talk about a
power of attorney. I know this is
hard for you, but it's important
that we start to think about the
future-
FISCHER
Not now, Uncle Peter.
Browning looks at Fischer, considering. Biding his time.
EAMES (V.O.)
The vultures are circling. The
sicker Maurice Fischer becomes, the
stronger Peter Browning becomes...
61.
Eames WATCHES Browning, STUDYING his every move .
INT. BATHROOM - DAY
Eames gestures at a mirror, as if offering to shake hands...
EAMES (V.O.)
I've had time to learn Browning's
physical presence and mannerisms...
In the mirror: BROWNING GESTURES BACK.
INT. WORKSHOP - CONTINUOUS
EAMES
Now, in the dream, I can impersonate
Browning and suggest the concepts to
Fischer's conscious mind...
(draws a diagram)
Then we take Fischer down another
level and his own subconscious
feeds it right back to him.
ARTHUR
(impressed)
So he gives himself the idea.
EAMES
Precisely. That's the only way
to make it stick. It has to seem
self-generated.
ARTHUR
Eames, I'm impressed.
EAMES
Your condescension, as always, is
much appreciated, Arthur.
CUT TO:
INT. DESERTED HOTEL LOBBY - DAY
The team sit on the steps of the large marble lobby,
debating. Ariadne is showing Arthur the lobby.
EAMES
He's not scheduled for surgery, no
dental, nothing.
COBB
I thought he had some knee thing?
EAMES
Nothing they'd put him under for.
Besides, we need a good ten hours.
62.
SAITO
Sydney to Los Angeles.
They turn to Saito.
SAITO
Twelve hours and forty-five
minutes-one of the longest flights
in the world. He makes it every two
weeks...
EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY
Fischer steps out of a black town car and walks across the
tarmac towards a GULF STREAM JET, accompanied by two aides.
COBB (V.O.)
Surely he flies private?
SAITO (V.O.)
Not if there were unexpected
maintenance with his plane.
Fischer is met at the steps by a DISTRAUGHT FLIGHT OFFICER.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - DAY
Cobb chews this over. Arthur comes over.
ARTHUR
It'd have to be a 747.
COBB
Why?
ARTHUR
On a 747 the pilots are up above,
first class is in the nose so
nobody walks through the cabin.
We'd have to buyout the whole
cabin, and the first class flight
attendant-
SAITO
We bought the airline.
Everyone turns to Saito.
SAITO
It seemed... neater.
COBB
Neater, huh?
(gets to his feet)
Well, now we have ten uninterrupted
hours.
(MORE)
63.
COBB (CONT'D)
(to Ariadne)
Nice lobby, by the way.
And we-
CUT TO:
INT. WORKSHOP - DAY
The group is back in the workshop, deep in discussion.
ARTHUR
My question is how we go down three
layers with enough stability. Three
layers down a little turbulence is
gonna translate into an earthquake.
The dreams are gonna collapse with
the slightest disturbance.
Yusuf clears his throat.
YUSUF
Sedation. For sleep stable enough to
create three layers of dreaming...
INT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY
Yusuf depresses a plunger. Arthur is SLEEPING in a chair.
YUSUF (V.O.)
We will have to combine it with an
extremely powerful sedative....
Eames SLAPS Arthur, HARD. Arthur does not stir.
INT. WORKSHOP - DAY
Arthur unconsciously rubs his cheek.
YUSUF
The compound we'll be using to
share the dream is an advanced
Somnacin derivative. It creates a
very clear connection between
dreamers, whilst actually
accelerating brain function.
CUT TO:
COBB
Buying us more time in each level.
YUSUF
Brain function in the dream will be
about twenty times normal.
(MORE)
64.
YUSUF (CONT'D)
And when you go into a dream within
that dream the effect is
compounded.
ARIADNE
How much time?
YUSUF
Three dreams... that's ten hours,
times twenty, times twenty, times
twenty...
EAMES
Math was never my strong suit.
COBB
It's basically a week one layer
down, six months two layers down-
ARIADNE
And ten years in the third level.
Who wants to spend ten years in a
dream?
YUSUF
Depends on the dream.
EAMES
It's not going to take us long to
crack Fischer open once we get
going. We'll be out in a couple
days, max.
ARTHUR
How do we get out once we've made
the plant?
(to Cobb)
I hope you've got something a
little more elegant in mind than
shooting me in the head like last
time.
Arthur tilts back in his chair. Yusuf turns to Cobb.
COBB
A kick.
ARIADNE
What's a kick?
Eames slips his foot under Arthur's chair leg. TIPS it-
Arthur's legs SHOOT UP INSTINCTIVELY for balance-
EAMES
That, Ariadne, would be a kick.
65.
COBB
That feeling of falling which snaps
you awake. We use that to jolt
ourselves awake once we're done.
ARTHUR
But how are we going to feel that
through the sedation?
YUSUF
That's the clever part. I customize
the sedative...
INT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY
Cobb, Eames and Yusuf watch Arthur, ASLEEP, in a chair.
YUSUF (O.S.)
To leave inner ear function
unimpaired...
Yusuf, with a wicked grin, slowly TIPS Arthur's chair
backwards... as he falls, Arthur's body JERKS, EYES OPENING
just before he HITS the floor.
INT. WORKSHOP - DAY
Arthur thinks, nodding slowly.
YUSUF
That way, however deep the sleep, the
sleeper will still feel falling...
INT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY
Yusuf gleefully LEANS a SLEEPING ARTHUR to one side ...
YUSUF (V.O.)
Or tipping...
Arthur goes down with a CRASH, JERKING AWAKE-
INT. WORKSHOP - DAY
Arthur thinks this through.
ARTHUR
Even that won't cut through three
layers of deep sleep.
COBB
The trick is to devise a kick for
each level, then synchronize them
to get a snap that penetrates all
three layers.
66.
Arthur looks at Cobb, getting it.
ARTHUR
We can use the musical countdown to
synchronize the different kicks.
INT. WORKSHOP - NIGHT
Ariadne comes into the darkened main space. Cobb is lying on
one of the chairs, asleep. Plugged into the mechanism.
Ariadne stands over him. Watching.
She opens the case, PULLS one of the tubes, sits, checking
the dials as she injects the needle cap into her arm, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - DAY
Ariadne ascends. She looks at the buttons. Spots the "B." The
elevator STOPS. She looks through the grill at-
INT. YOUNG GIRL'S BEDROOM - DAY
Ariadne pulls back the grill and walks across the room,
considering the dusty furnishings. At the window is a doll's
house, front slightly ajar. Ariadne opens it. Inside is a
SAFE. She tries it. LOCKED. A NOISE STARTLES her- she turns,
looking through a doorway into another room...
INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne looks into the room to see Cobb and Mal talking,
arguing. A private moment. Mal brushes at Cobb's hair, trying
to convince him. We hear snatches of conversation-
MAL
You remember when you asked me to
marry you?
COBB
Of course...
MAL
You said you had a dream...
COBB
That we'd grow old together.
MAL
And we can. You know how to find
me... you know what you have to do.
Cobb is shaking his head, gently. Mal looks into Cobb's eyes-
gentle, loving... Mal SPOTS Ariadne spying on them.
67.
FREEZES, staring, hostile. Cobb turns, sees Ariadne, moves
towards her, leaving Mal.
COBB
You shouldn't be in here.
Cobb guides her back into the elevator.
ARIADNE
I wanted to know what "tests" you
need to do on your own every night.
INT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - DAY
Cobb shuts the CAGE DOOR. Ariadne hits a button. The elevator
RISES. Through the GRILL Ariadne can see a BEACH stretching
off into the distance. The elevator stops. Mal sits on the
sand. Beside her, the two children are crouched, away from
us, building a SANDCASTLE.
ARIADNE
Why do you do this to yourself?
COBB
This is the only way I can still
dream.
ARIADNE
Is it so important to dream?
Cobb stares at his family.
COBB
In my dreams... we're still together.
The kids, WITHOUT TURNING AROUND, jump up and RUN AWAY.
INT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
The elevator descends.
ARIADNE
But these aren't just dreams, are
they? They're memories. You said
never to use memories.
COBB
And I shouldn't.
ARIADNE
You're keeping her alive.
COBB
No.
68.
ARIADNE
You can't let her go.
COBB
No. These are moments I regret.
Moments I turned into dreams so I
could change them.
Ariadne's fingers move across the buttons- stop at the "B."
ARIADNE
What've you got buried down there
that you regret?
Cobb pushes her hand away. Hits the third floor button.
COBB
There's only one thing I need you
to understand about me...
INT. KITCHEN, COBB AND MAL'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Ariadne follows Cobb into the kitchen. A THIN MAN is there,
standing by the table. He holds a FOLDED PIECE OF PAPER.
ARIADNE
This is your house?
COBB
Mine and Mal's.
ARIADNE
Where is she?
COBB
She'd already died.
The Thin Man offers Cobb the piece of paper. A CHILD'S SHOUT-
Cobb TURNS. Ariadne follows his gaze to the garden. A small
blonde boy faces away from them, crouched on his haunches to
look at something on the ground.
COBB
It's James. My boy. He's found
something. Maybe a worm.
A slightly older girl RUNS into view.
COBB
And there's Philippa.
She crouches beside the boy. Their FACES ARE AWAY FROM US.
They point and discuss whatever is on the ground.
69.
COBB
I thought about calling out, so
they'd turn and smile those
incredible smiles... but I'm out of
time-
The Thin Man thrusts the paper into Cobb's hand.
THIN MAN
Right now. Or never, Cobb.
Cobb nods, turns from the window-
COBB
Then I panic that I'll always wish
I'd seen them turn, that I can't
waste this chance...
Cobb TURNS BACK to call out- but the children RACE OFF...
COBB
But the moment's passed. And
whatever I do, the dream's always
the same... When I'm about to
call... they run.
Cobb watches them run off, calling for grandma, FACES UNSEEN.
COBB
If I'm going to see their faces
again-I've got to get back here in
the real world...
Behind him, Ariadne SLAMS the grill shut. Cobb TURNS.
INT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne hits the BASEMENT button. The elevator starts to
DESCEND. ariadne STARES, fascinated as glimpses of floors
slip past: Mal's childhood bedroom, a thundering wall of
freight train... The elevator STOPS. Through the grill
Ariadne sees a HOTEL SUITE. She pulls open the grill, steps
cautiously out into-
INT. ELEGANT HOTEL SUITE - CONTINUOUS (NOW NIGHT)
DISHEVELED bedclothes, UPENDED room service table,
STRAWBERRIES across the floor. A STRUGGLE. Ariadne steps
forwards- SMASH- she looks down to see that she has kicked
over a CHAMPAGNE FLUTE. Ariadne feels a draught. The CURTAIN
BILLOWS.
MAL (O.S.)
What are you doing here?
Ariadne TURNS. Mal is there.
70.
ARIADNE
My name is-
MAL
I know who you are. What are you
doing here?
ARIADNE
I don't know. Trying to understand.
MAL
How could you understand? Do you
know what it is to be a lover? To
be half of a whole?
ARIADNE
No.
Mal moves slowly towards Ariadne...
MAL
I'll tell you a riddle. You're
waiting for a train. A train that
will take you far away. You know
where you hope this train will take
you, but you don't know for sure...
Mal glides around Ariadne, looking her over.
MAL
But... it doesn't matter. How can
it not matter to you where that
train will take you?
COBB (O.S.)
Because you'll be together.
Cobb is standing in the elevator. Mal nods. Looks at him.
MAL
How could you bring her here, Dom?
ARIADNE
What is this place?
COBB
A hotel. We spent our anniversaries
in this suite.
ARIADNE
What happened here?
Mal picks up the BROKEN STEM of a champagne flute...
71.
INT. CAGE STYLE ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
Cobb PULLS Ariadne into the elevator- Mal THROWS herself
towards Ariadne- Cobb SLAMS the GRILL- Mal SMASHES against it
AGAIN and AGAIN like a WILD ANIMAL- Ariadne FLINCHES-
MAL
you PROMISED! YOU SAID WE'D BE
TOGETHER!-
COBB
We can. We will. But I need you to
stay here for now-
MAL
YOU SAID WE'D GROW OLD TOGETHER!-
Cobb pushes a button and the elevator starts to rise.
COBB
I'll come back. I need you to stay
here on your own for now. Just
while I do this job. Then we can be
together-
MAL
WE'LL BE TOGETHER-YOU PROMISED!-
Mal THROWS herself against the grill, and. we-
CUT TO:
INT. WORKSHOP - NIGHT
Ariadne watches Cobb sleeping. His eyes gradually flicker
open. He sees her watching him.
ARIADNE
You think you can just build a
prison of memories to lock her in?
You think that's going to contain
her?
The LIGHTS COME ON: Saito and Arthur stand in the doorway.
SAITO
Maurice Fischer just died in Sydney.
COBB
When's the funeral?
SAITO
Thursday. In Los Angeles.
72.
COBB
Robert'll accompany the body
Tuesday at the outside. We have to
move.
Cobb gets up. Ariadne comes over to him.
ARIADNE
(low)
I'm coming with you.
COBB
No. I promised Miles.
ARIADNE
The team needs someone in there who
understands what you're struggling
with. If you don't want it to be me
then you need to show Arthur what I
just saw.
Cobb looks at Ariadne. Turns to Saito.
COBB
We need one more seat on the plane.
INT. DEPARTURE GATE, SYDNEY - DAY
Saito stands looking out the window at a 747. Cobb arrives
beside him. They watch a COFFIN being loaded.
COBB
If I get on this plane and you
haven't taken care of things...
when we land I go to jail for the
rest of my life.
SAITO
Complete the job en route, I make
one phone call from the plane...
you will have no trouble clearing
immigration.
INT. FIRST CLASS CABIN, 747 - CONTINUOUS
The luxurious cabin has only ten seats. Cobb finds his- sees
Ariadne in the seat behind his. They do not acknowledge each
other. Behind her is Arthur, looking out the window. Eames
enters, STUFFS his bag into the overhead bin, BLOCKING the
passenger behind: ROBERT FISCHER, standing there, patient,
bag in hand, wearing black.
EAMES
Oh, sorry.
73.
Eames SQUEEZES up against his seat to let Fischer BRUSH PAST.
Fischer moves to his seat, directly in front of Cobb. Eames
TOSSES Cobb a PASSPORT. Cobb flips it open: Fischer's.
Pockets it. Yusuf and Saito enter, take their seats.
EXT. RUNWAY - MOMENTS LATER
The 747 HURTLES down the runway.
INT. FIRST CLASS CABIN, 747 - MOMENTS LATER
Cobb looks down at his hand: a TINY VIAL taped to the center
of his palm. He removes the cap. The seatbelt sign goes dark.
Cobb unbuckles, stands.
COBB
Excuse me?
Fischer looks up.
FISCHER
Yes?
COBB
I think this is yours...
Cobb holds up the open passport, comparing the picture to
Fischer. Fischer's hand goes to his pocket. Cobb hands
Fischer the passport.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Would you gentlemen care for a
drink?
FISCHER
Water.
COBB
Same.
Fischer gives Cobb a thin smile. Holds up his passport.
FISCHER
Well, thank you.
COBB
No problem. Look, I couldn't help
noticing your name. You're not
related to Maurice Fischer?
Fischer takes a beat. But Cobb seems harmless.
FISCHER
Actually, he was my father.
74.
COBB
I'm very sorry for your loss. He
was an inspiring figure.
The Flight Attendant brings their drinks- Cobb takes them.
COBB
Thanks.
As he turns to Fischer he LOWERS his right hand ... a CLEAR
LIQUID DROPS into Fischer's water as Cobb hands it to him.
COBB
To Maurice Fischer.
(they drink)
I'll leave you in peace.
Fischer grants him a smile.
EXT. 747 - LATER
The great plane SOARS through a burning cloudscape.
INT. FIRST CLASS CABIN, 747 - MOMENTS LATER
Cobb reaches into the overhead for a blanket- lets it fall
onto Fischer's head- Fischer doesn't flinch. ASLEEP. Cobb
SIGNALS the others. The First Flight Attendant unlocks a
CUPBOARD in the galley, then leaves, closing the curtain.
Arthur moves into the galley and pulls out a MECHANISM CASE.
Cobb and Arthur open the mechanism- uncoil the tubes- feed
them around the window side of each of the seats. Arthur
rolls up Fischer's cuff- PUSHES the needle cap into Fischer's
wrist. Arthur pulls Fischer's cuff down and hides the tubes
behind the armrest of Fischer's seat.
Arthur runs the next tube to Ariadne. Cobb puts the case on
Yusuf's lap. Yusuf checks the TIMERS, tapping the syringes.
The others recline their seats. Yusuf HITS A BUTTON- closes
the case- places it at his feet. He settles back, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. SEDAN - DAY
Cobb DRIVES. Saito and Arthur are in the back. Rain BEATS
down. Cobb pulls over-
EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS
Yusuf stands on the corner, silver briefcase in hand, collar
turned up against the rain. He reaches for the door.
75.
INT. SEDAN - CONTINUOUS
Yusuf clambers into the back, brushing rain from his face.
ARTHUR
(indicates rain)
Couldn't you have peed before you
went under?
YUSUF
Sorry.
The front door OPENS and Eames climbs in, soaked.
EAMES
Bit too much free champagne before
takeoff, Yusuf?
YUSUF
Ha bloody ha.
COBB
At least we know he'll be looking
for a cab in this.
INT./EXT. SEDAN ON RAINY NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS
Cobb pulls out into the heavy traffic. He weaves around
several cars before lining up behind a YELLOW CAB.
COBB
Brace yourselves.
Cobb hits the gas- REAR ENDS the cab with a CRUNCH. The
CABDRIVER gets out, fuming. Heads to Cobb's window-
CABDRIVER
Hey, asshole! Why don't you try
driving without your thumb up-
He sees the SILENCED PISTOL Cobb is holding at his belly.
COBB
Walk away.
The Cabdriver backs off. Arthur climbs into the cab. Both
cars pull away.
INT./EXT. CAB ON RAINY NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS
Arthur SLOWS in front of the TRAIN STATION, peering at the
pedes pedestrians. He SPOTS Fischer, lights the cab's sign.
Fischer FLAGS him down. Fischer JUMPS into the back, brushing
rain from his shoulders.
76.
FISCHER
Third and Market. Snappy.
Eames JUMPS in from the other side.
FISCHER
What're you doing?
EAMES
Sorry, I thought it was free. Maybe
we could share.
FISCHER
Maybe not.
Saito gets into the front passenger seat. Pointing a gun.
FISCHER
Great.
Arthur pulls away. Fischer pulls out his wallet and tosses it
at Eames.
FISCHER
(contemptuous)
There's 500 dollars in there. And
the wallet's worth more than that.
For that you ought to at least drop
me at my stop.
Eames smiles at this.
EAMES
I'm afraid-
A SHOT SHATTERS the window by Eames's head- another SHOT
IMPACTS by Saito-
EAMES
Get us out of here!
Arthur hits the gas, but a BLACK S.U.V. SKIDS sideways in
front, BLOCKING the path-
A BLOCK BEHIND- Cobb is at a light. ARIADNE is getting in the
front. Cobb has HEARD the GUNFIRE-
COBB
Come on!-
Cobb looks ahead to the AMBUSH, hits the gas- the sedan
ROCKETS forwards... but BAM- A FREIGHT TRAIN CLIPS THE FRONT
OF THE SEDAN, SHOVING IT SIDEWAYS AS AN ENDLESS TRAIN BARRELS
PAST, A WALL BETWEEN COBB AND THE AMBUSH-
77.
A SECOND S.U.V. is behind the cab- PLAIN CLOTHES SECURITY MEN
advance through the traffic, weapons trained on the cab.
Bullets RIP into the cab as Eames throws himself on top of
Fischer, PULLING a SACK over his head-
Inside the sedan, Ariadne watches the train passing-
ARIADNE
This wasn't in the design-
Cobb BACKS UP, SPINS around, heading for the tail of the
train-
A Security Man emerges from the front S.U.V. carrying an
AUTOMATIC RIFLE- he steps towards the cab through the rain,
raises his weapon and BLASTS THE CAB'S WINDSCREEN-
Cobb clears the end of the train, and SKIDS across the tracks-
Arthur CROUCHES down- PUSHES the accelerator with his HAND-
YANKS the wheel- FLYING BLIND. The cab NAILS the Security
Man, CRUNCHING into the front S.U.V.-
Cobb SMASHES his car into the rear S.U.V., creating a GAP-
Arthur YANKS the transmission and REVERSES- SCRAPING through
the gap- Security Men DIVE out of the way- Arthur throws a
ragged J-turn to head down a SIDE STREET- Cobb follows in the
other car. Rain whips across Arthur's face as he BREATHES-
ARTHUR
Everybody okay? Saito?
Arthur looks at Saito. Saito's hand is at his belly. Covered
in BLOOD.
EXT. WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
The sedan and cab pull into the side entrance- Eames jumps
out- PULLS the shutter down behind them-
INT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Yusuf and Eames PULL Fischer from the cab, HUSTLING him
through a doorway. Cobb JUMPS out of the sedan, furious.
COBB
Arthur! Arthur what the-
Arthur pulls the bloody Saito from the front seat.
COBB
Oh, Christ. Is he dying?
78.
ARTHUR
I don't know. What happened back
there? Where were you?
COBB
We were blocked by a freight train.
ARTHUR
(to Ariadne)
Why would you put a train crossing
in a downtown intersection?
ARIADNE
I didn't.
COBB
(snaps)
Why were we all ambushed, Arthur?!
Those weren't regular projections-
they'd been trained!
ARIADNE
How could they be trained?
ARTHUR
Fischer's had an extractor teach
his mind to defend itself. His
subconscious is militarized. It
should've shown on the research-
COBB
So why the hell didn't it?!
ARTHUR
Calm down.
COBB
Don't tell me to calm down-you were
meant to check Fischer's background
thoroughly. You can't make this
kind of mistake-we're not prepared
for this kind of violence-
ARTHUR
Cobb, we've dealt with sub-security
before. We just have to be more-
COBB
This wasn't part of the plan, Arthur!
(points at Saito)
He's dying!
EAMES
So we put him out of his misery.
79.
Eames steps into the room, pulls his gun and moves over
Saito.
COBB
No.
EAMES
He's in agony. Let's wake him up-
Cobb GRABS Eames's arm.
COBB
No!
(they lock eyes)
It won't wake him up.
EAMES
What do you mean, it won't wake
him? When you die in a dream you
wake up.
YUSUF
Not from this. We're too heavily
sedated to wake up that way.
Eames looks at Yusuf, then to Cobb.
EAMES
So what happens if one of us dies?
COBB
That person doesn't wake up. Their
mind drops into Limbo.
ARIADNE
Limbo?
ARTHUR
Unconstructed dream space.
ARIADNE
What's down there?
ARTHUR
Raw, infinite subconscious. Nothing
there but what was left behind by
anyone on the team who's been trapped
there before. On this team... just
Cobb.
ARIADNE
How long would we be stuck there?
80.
YUSUF
You couldn't even think about
trying to escape until the sedation
eases-
EAMES
How long?
YUSUF
Decades-it could be infinite-I
don't know! Ask him-he's the one
who's been there before!
Eames moves to Cobb. Looks him in the eye.
EAMES
Great. So now we're stuck in
Fischer's mind battling it out with
his private army, and if we get hit
we're stuck in Limbo 'til our
brains dissolve into scrambled egg?
Cobb says nothing. Saito groans more loudly.
ARTHUR
Let's just get him upstairs.
INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Saito is laid out on an old desk. Arthur examines him. He
motions to Ariadne. Eames watches Cobb.
ARTHUR
Hold this. Firm pressure.
Arthur turns to Cobb.
ARTHUR
You knew the risks and you didn't
tell us.
COBB
There wasn't meant to be any risk.
We weren't supposed to be dealing
with a load of gunnre.
ARTHUR
You had no right.
COBB
It's the only way you can go three
layers deep, Arthur.
Arthur turns to Yusuf, hostile.
81.
ARTHUR
And you. You went along with this?
YUSUF
I trusted him.
ARTHUR
You trusted him? When? When he
promised you half his share?
YUSUF
(offended)
No! His whole share. Plus, he told
me he'd done it before.
Arthur turns to Cobb.
ARTHUR
Oh, yeah? With Mal? That worked out
great, didn't it, Cobb?
Cobb grabs Arthur.
COBB
You don't know anything about that.
This was the only way to do this
job, Arthur. I did what I had to do
to get back to my children.
EAMES
So you led us into a war zone with
no way out.
COBB
We have a way out. The kick. We
just have to push on, do the job as
fast as possible and get out using
the kick.
EAMES
Forget it. We go any deeper, we
just raise the stakes. I'm sitting
it out on this level.
COBB
You'll never make it, Eames.
Fischer's security is surrounding
this place as we speak. The ten
hours of the flight is a week at
this level-you'll never make it
without getting killed. Downwards
is the only way forwards. We have
to carry on.
Saito groans. Cobb looks at him-
82.
COBB
And we have to do it fast.
Eames and Arthur weigh this.
COBB
Eames, go get ready. Arthur, let's
get in there and soften him up.
INT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - LATER
Cobb and Arthur, wearing BALACLAVAS, PULL the sack from
Fischer's head. He is chained to the radiator.
FISCHER
I'm insured against kidnapping up
to ten million-this'll be simple-
COBB
No, it won't.
Fischer looks at Cobb, unnerved.
ARTHUR
In. your lather's office, below the
bookshelves, is his personal safe.
We need the combination.
FISCHER
I never noticed a safe-
COBB
Doesn't mean you don't know the
combination.
FISCHER
Well, I don't.
ARTHUR
We have it on good authority that
you do.
FISCHER
Whose?
INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Yusuf looks through Fischer's wallet. Eames is opening a
HINGED, THREE-WING MIRROR.
YUSUF
Five hundred dollars, this cost?
EAMES
What's inside?
83.
YUSUF
Cash, cards, ID... and this-
Yusuf holds up a SNAPSHOT: the photo from Maurice Fischer's
office- YOUNG ROBERT holds his HOMEMADE PINWHEEL, his FATHER
blows on it. Eames takes it from Yusuf. STUDIES it. Cobb
enters. Eames hands him the snapshot.
EAMES
Useful?
Cobb studies the snapshot. Eames examines himself in the
hinged mirror from multiple angles: ONE BY ONE the myriad
Eames reflections BECOME BROWNINGS. Cobb pockets the photo.
COBB
You're on. You've got an hour.
EAMES
An hour? I was supposed to have all
night to crack him.
COBB
And Saito was supposed to keep his
guts on the inside. You've got an
hour-get something we can use.
Eames turns from the mirror AS BROWNING. He glances at his
watch, then SCREAMS, as if begging for mercy-
INT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Browning's CRY reverberates- Fischer looks up, concerned-
FISCHER
What's that?
ARTHUR
Good authority.
Another cry rings out. Fischer recognizes the voice.
FISCHER
Uncle Peter?! Make them stop-
ARTHUR
The combination.
FISCHER
I don't know it!
ARTHUR
Why would Browning tell us you did?
FISCHER
Let me talk to him-I'll find out.
84.
INT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Cobb pushes Browning (Eames), bloody and bruised, into the
room and forces him down next to Fischer. Cobb handcuffs
Browning's wrist to a metal bracket on the side of the sink.
COBB
You've got an hour. Get talking.
Cobb leaves.
BROWNING (EAMES)
They've had me for two days.
They've got someone with access to
your father's office and they're
trying to open his safe-they
thought I'd know the combination,
but I don't-
FISCHER
Neither do I, Uncle Peter.
BROWNING
(confused)
Maurice told me that after he
passed only you would be able to
open it.
FISCHER
He never gave me the combination.
Browning thinks for a minute. Realizes something.
BROWNING
He did, he just didn't tell you
that it was a combination.
FISCHER
What, then?
BROWNING
Something only you would know. Some
meaningful combination of numbers
from your experiences with Maurice-
FISCHER
We didn't have a lot of meaningful
experiences together.
BROWNING
Perhaps after your mother died...
FISCHER
After my mother died, I went to him
in my grief.
(MORE)
85.
FISCHER (CONT'D)
You know what he told me? "There's
really nothing to be said, Robert."
BROWNING
He always had a hard time with
emotional-
FISCHER
I was eleven, Uncle Peter.
Browning (Eames) takes this in.
BROWNING
He loved you, Robert. In his way.
FISCHER
"In his way?" At the end he called
me to his deathbed. He could barely
speak, but he took the trouble to
say one last thing to me. He pulled
me close... I could make out only
one word. "Disappointed."
Browning can say nothing.
INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Cobb pulls off his balaclava. Looks down at Saito, who is
breathing fast, shallow.
COBB
How's he doing?
ARIADNE
He's in a lot of pain.
Cobb takes Saito's hand. Looks him in the eye.
COBB
When we get you down to the next
level, the pain will be less
intense.
Saito nods, breathing hard.
ARIADNE
(low)
And if he dies?
COBB
His conscious mind will drop out of
the dream. He'll be trapped in
Limbo for a lifetime...
ARIADNE
What will that do to him?
86.
Cobb looks at her. Grave.
COBB
When he wakes... his mind could be
completely gone.
SAITO
When... when we wake I will still
honor our arrangement...
Cobb looks down at Saito sadly.
COBB
Saito-san, when you wake you might
not even remember that we had an
arrangement. You'll have forgotten
this world. Limbo will be your
reality. Lost there so long, you'll
have become an old man...
SAITO
Filled with regret?
COBB
Waiting to die alone. Yes.
SAITO
Then I'll take the chance and come
back. And we'll be young men
together again.
Saito smiles weakly. Cobb nods at him, turns to Ariadne.
ARIADNE
When were you trapped in Limbo?
Cobb says nothing. Ariadne pulls him away from Saito.
ARIADNE
Cobb, you might have convinced the
rest of this team to carry on with
the job. But they don't know the
truth.
COBB
What truth?
ARIADNE
The truth that at any minute you
might bring a freight train through
the wall. The truth that Mal is
bursting up through your
subconscious.
(MORE)
87.
ARIADNE (CONT'D)
The truth that as we go deeper into
Fischer, we're also going deeper
into you-and I'm not sure we're
going to like what we find there.
Cobb stares back at Ariadne. Saying nothing.
ARIADNE
This is not just about Fischer,
it's about you. Tell me what
happened to you and Mal. Trapped in
Limbo.
Cobb looks at her. Thinking it through.
COBB
We were on a job. Exploring dreams
within dreams. But we didn't
understand how your mind can turn
hours into years. How you can get
trapped. Trapped so deep that when
you wash up on the shore of your
subconscious...
INSERT CUT: MAL LIES ON THE SAND, STARING UP AT A CLOUDLESS
SKY, WAVES WASHING OVER HER...
COBB
You can lose track of what's real.
ARIADNE
How long were you stuck?
Cobb pauses before he answers. Looks at Ariadne.
COBB
Fifty years.
Ariadne stares at him, incredulous.
ARIADNE
How did you stand it?
INSERT CUT: COBB AND MAL BUILD A SANDCASTLE ON THE BEACH...
COBB
We built. We created a whole world
for ourselves...
INSERT CUT: COBB AND MAL WALK THROUGH A DESERTED CITY.
COBB
It's not so bad at first, being
gods. The problem is knowing that
it's not real. It became impossible
for me to live like that.
88.
ARIADNE
But not for her?
COBB
She accepted it. At some point...
INSERT CUT:
INT. MAL'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY
Mal opens a DOLL'S HOUSE. Inside is a SAFE. She opens it- it
is empty. She pulls out her SPINNING TOP.
COBB (V.O.)
...she'd decided to forget that our
world wasn't real.
Mal places the top inside the safe. LOCKS IT AWAY...
INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
ARIADNE
And when you finally woke up?
COBB
To wake from that. From decades
lived. To be old souls thrown back
into youth. It was hard. At first
Mal seemed okay. But I started to
realize something was wrong.
Finally she admitted it. This idea
she was possessed by. This simple
little idea that changed
everything...
ARIADNE
What was it?
COBB
That our world was not real. No
matter what I did, no matter what I
said, she was convinced that we
were still in a dream. That we
needed to wake up again...
INT. COBB AND MAL'S KITCHEN - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Cobb is trying to calm Mal, who is hysterical.
COBB (V.O.)
That to get home we'd have to kill
ourselves.
INT. WORKSHOP - DAY
Ariadne looks at Cobb, appalled.
89.
ARIADNE
What about your children?
Cobb has to look away.
COBB
She... she believed they weren't
real. That our real children were
waiting. Somewhere above...
INT. COBB AND MAL'S KITCHEN - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Mal shakes her head at Cobb as he USHERS the children out of
the room, FACES UNSEEN-
COBB
Calm down, Mal-
MAL
They're projections, Dom. Your
dreams. I'm their mother-don't you
think I can tell the difference?
Cobb closes the door- turns to her, eyes full of bitter
tears.
COBB
If it's my dream then why can't I
control it? Why can't I stop this?
MAL
(it's obvious)
You don't know you're dreaming.
COBB
You keep telling me I am-
MAL
And you don't believe me!
COBB (V.O.)
She was certain. But she loved me
too much to go without me. So she
made a plan...
INT. ELEGANT HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Cobb walks along, checking door numbers against a key.
COBB (V.O.)
For our anniversary...
INT. ELEGANT HOTEL SUITE - CONTINUOUS (FLASHBACK)
Cobb enters the lavish suite. He notices the DISHEVELED
BEDCLOTHES.
90.
He steps forwards- SMASH- he has tipped over a champagne
glass with his foot... dinner for two is SPREAD ACROSS THE
FLOOR. He looks at the DEBRIS, confused... next to the broken
glass is a SPINNING TOP. He picks it up, studying it,
thinking. He feels a draught, looks to the window. The
CURTAIN BILLOWS.
EXT. EXTERIOR ATRIUM - CONTINUOUS (FLASHBACK)
Cobb looks out the window: Mal sits on the ledge of the
opposite window. HAIR BLOWING. Feet dangling over the
dizzyingly high atrium. She smiles.
MAL
Join me.
COBB
Mal, come back inside.
MAL
No. I'm going to jump. And you're
coming with me.
COBB
No, I'm not. This is real-if you
jump, you're not going to wake up,
you're going to die. Let's go back
inside and talk about this, please.
MAL
We've talked enough.
She KICKS off a shoe and watches it DROP.
MAL
Come out onto the ledge or I'll
jump right now.
She means it. Cobb swings his legs out, sitting on the ledge
opposite is wife. He looks down at the drop.
MAL
I'm asking you to take a leap of
faith.
COBB
I can't do that, Mal. I can't leave
our children.
MAL
If I go without you, they'll take
them away, anyway.
COBB
What do you mean?
91.
MAL
I filed a letter with our attorney.
Explaining how I'm fearful for my
safety, how you've threatened to
kill me...
Cobb looks back at the wrecked hotel suite, PANICKING...
MAL (CONT'D)
I love you, Dom. I've freed you
from the guilt of choosing to leave
them. We're going home to our real
children.
COBB
Out children are here, Mal.
Mal CLOSES HER EYES. Cobb looks for some way to reach her...
MAL
You're waiting for a train...
COBB
NO! MAL, NO, I CAN'T!
MAL
A train that will take you far
away...
COBB
DON'T DO THIS!
MAL
You know where you hope this train
will take you, you can't know for
sure...
COBB
DON'T!
MAL
But it doesn't matter...
COBB
NO!
MAL
Because you'll be together...
Mal SLIPS FORWARD INTO SPACE. Cobb SCREAMS after her. Then
tries to bury his face in the wall...
INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - DAY
Cobb stares as he remembers.
92.
COBB
He letter to the authorities
refuted all the claims about her
sanity that she knew I'd make...
INT. COBB AND MAL'S KITCHEN - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Cobb stands with the Thin Man, who has a piece of paper.
COBB (V.O.)
She'd had herself declared sane by
three different psychiatrists.
Cobb hears a SHOUT- turns to the garden. James CROUCHES,
Philippa joins him, examining the ground, FACES UNSEEN...
COBB (V.O.) (CONT'D)
It was impossible for me to explain
the nature of her madness...
The Thin Man thrusts the paper into Cobb's hand.
THIN MAN
Right now. Or never, Cobb.
Cobb turns back to the window- about to call out- James and
Philippa RUN OFF. Cobb turns from the window. Looks at the
paper in his hand. It is an AIRPLANE TICKET.
COBB (V.O.)
So I ran. And I've been running
ever since, trying to buy my way
back to my family...
INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - DAY
Cobb looks across at Ariadne.
ARIADNE
Psychiatrists judged her sane?
COBB
She was sane. She was just lost in
the labyrinth.
ARIADNE
Then why should you blame yourself?
COBB
Because we were a family. And we
had a life I would do anything to
get back to now. But that reality
wasn't enough for me then.
93.
ARIADNE
It might have been your idea to
push the limits, Cobb. But you're
not responsible for the idea that
destroyed her. The idea that her
world wasn't real... that was her
own idea from her own mind.
Cobb says nothing.
ARIADNE (CONT'D)
Your guilt defines her. Powers her.
If we're going to succeed in this,
you're going to have to forgive
yourself, and you're going to have
to confront her. But you don't have
to do it alone.
COBB
You don't have to do this for me-
ARIADNE
I'm doing it for the others. They
don't know the risk they've taken
coming in here with you.
Cobb looks at the rooftop opposite, sees a SNIPER take up a
position. Cobb shakes his head, frustrated.
COBB
We can't stay here. Arthur?!
INT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Browning puts his hand on Fischer's shoulder.
BROWNING
These people are going to kill us
if we don't give them the
combination.
FISCHER
They won't, they'll try to ransom
us-
BROWNING
I heard them-they're going to lock
us in and run the can into the
river.
FISCHER
What is in the safe?
94.
BROWNING
Something for you. Maurice always
said it was his most previous
gift... a will.
FISCHER
Maurice's will is with Port and
Dunn.
BROWNING
It's an alternate. It supersedes
the other only if you want it to.
FISCHER
What does it say?
BROWNING
It splits all the component
businesses of Fischer Morrow into
individual companies, transferring
ownership to the boards of those
companies...
FISCHER
Leaving me nothing?
BROWNING
A basic living. Nothing more. The
entire empire would cease to exist.
FISCHER
Destroy my own inheritance? Why
would he suggest such a thing?
BROWNING
I don't know, Robert.
Cobb OPENS the door. Arthur is behind him.
COBB
Come to your senses?
FISCHER
Let us go. I don't know the
combination. Not consciously.
Cobb considers this. Opens his phone. Pulls out his gun.
COBB
Let's try instinctively. I have
someone standing in your father's
office ready to tap in a
combination.
He holds the phone to Fischer's mouth.
95.
COBB (CONT'D)
First six numbers that come into
your head. Right now.
FISCHER
I have no idea-
Cobb SWINGS the gun onto Browning-
COBB
RIGHT NOW!
FISCHER
Five, two, eight... four, nine,
one.
Cobb lowers his weapon. Listens to the phone. Shakes his
head. Shuts the phone.
COBB
You'll have to do better. Bag `em.
Arthur puts SACKS over their heads.
INT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Cobb and Arthur drag Fischer and Browning to the van-
FISCHER
We're worth much more to you
alive...
Arthur places Fischer on the back seat- uses a DROPPER to
drop LIQUID onto Fischer's mask- his head SLUMPS FORWARDS.
"Browning" yanks the sack from his head- it is now EAMES.
EAMES
(excited)
His relationship with his father's
much worse that we thought.
ARTHUR
That helps us?
Arthur pulls a SNIPER RIFLE from a case by the van.
COBB
The stronger the issues, the more
powerful the catharsis.
Cobb motions for Yusuf to follow his upstairs.
ARTHUR
But how do you reconcile them if
they're that estranged?
96.
EAMES
I'm working on that.
Arthur lines up a shot through the window-
ARTHUR
Well, work fast-Fischer's
projections are closing in quick,
we need to break out of here before
we're totally boxed in...
Arthur SHOOTS two snipers. Cobb and Yusuf gently load Saito
into the van. He groans. Ariadne straps him in, checks his
bandages. Arthur can't get the last sniper- he's too hidden
behind a wall-
EAMES
Shouldn't be afraid to dream a
little bigger, Arthur-
Eames lines up a shot with a grenade launcher. Fires- the
sniper EXPLODES into the air- Arthur looks at Eames.
EAMES (CONT'D)
Shall we?
They climb into the van-
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY STREETS - CONTINUOUS
The van pulls out into the rain-drenched streets. Arthur
opens the mechanism case and hands out tubes-
COBB
Shifting Fischer's antipathy from
his father onto Browning should
work.
EAMES
We need the imagery, the words...
ARIADNE
So you destroy his one positive
relationship?
COBB
No. We repair his relationship with
his father and expose his
godfather's true nature.
EAMES
Hell, we should be charging Fischer
as much as Saito.
97.
ARTHUR
What about his security? It's going
to get worse as we go deeper.
COBB
We bring in Mr. Charles.
ARTHUR
No.
EAMES
Who's Mr. Charles?
ARTHUR
A bad idea.
COBB
Arthur, the second we approach
Fischer in that hotel, they're
gonna mow us down-we run with Mr.
Charles like on the Stein job.
EAMES
So you've done it before?
ARTHUR
Sure. But it didn't work. The
subject realized he was dreaming
and his subconscious tore us to
pieces.
Eames takes this in.
EAMES
You learned a lot, though. Right?
COBB
(to Eames)
I'll need a decoy.
EAMES
No problem. How about a pretty
young lady I've used before?
COBB
Fine-
Cobb looks back: a second S.U.V. pulls out, tailing them.
COBB (CONT'D)
(to Yusuf)
I know you've got to stay ahead of
them, but drive with kid gloves,
okay? The world down there is going
to be very unstable-
98.
ARTHUR
And don't make the jump too soon-
that kick is our only way back, we
have to be ready to catch it-
YUSUF
I'll use the music to let you know
when it's coming, but the rest is
up to you.
Arthur puts the mechanism onto the front seat.
YUSUF (CONT'D)
Everyone ready?
Nods all round.
YUSUF (CONT'D)
Sweet dreams-
Yusuf hits a button and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - SUNSET
Fischer nurses a drink. Staring at the ice cracking.
BLONDE (O.S.)
Am I boring you?
Fischer looks up. A beautiful BLONDE is next to him.
BLONDE (CONT'D)
I was telling you my story. I guess
it wasn't to your liking.
FISCHER
I have a lot on my mind.
Fischer looks around the bar. There are several STERN-LOOKING
CHARACTERS paying him too much attention.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
Arthur and Ariadne sit at a table across the lobby. They spot
Cobb moving across the lobby towards Fischer.
ARTHUR
And there goes Mr. Charles.
ARIADNE
Who or what, exactly, is Mr.
Charles?
99.
ARTHUR
It's a gambit designed to turn
Fischer against his own
subconscious.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - CONTINUOUS
Cobb approaches the bar, watched closely by Fischer's Sub-
security.
COBB
Mr. Fishcer! Good to see you again.
Rod Green, Marketing.
(to Blonde)
And you must be...
BLONDE
Leaving.
She presses against Fischer as she slides off her stool and
deposits a cocktail napkin in front of him.
BLONDE (CONT'D)
In case you get bored.
Cobb watches her walk away. The Sub-security FOLLOWS her.
COBB
I think you just got blown off...
unless her phone number really does
have only six digits.
Fischer glances at the napkin: "528-491."
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
Arthur watches the Sub-security follow the Blonde.
ARIADNE
And why don't you approve?
ARTHUR
Because it involves telling the
mark that he's dreaming. Which
involves attracting a lot of
attention to us.
ARIADNE
Didn't Cobb say never to do that?
ARTHUR
You must've noticed by now how much
time Cobb spends doing things he
says never to do.
100.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - CONTINUOUS
Cobb turns to Fischer.
COBB
Strange way to make friends.
(off look)
Lifting your wallet, I mean.
Fischer pats his pocket. Empty. He looks to the lobby where
he sees the Sub-security trailing the Blonde.
FISCHER
Goddamn it. The wallet alone's
worth-
COBB
Five hundred bucks. I know. Don't
worry, my guys are on it.
FISCHER
Who did you say you were?
Fischer looks at him, curious. Cobb plows on, confident-
COBB
I said I was Rod Green from
Marketing-but I'm not. My name is
Mr. Charles. I might seem familiar
to you. I'm in charge of your
security here.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
The Blonde hurries up to Saito, emerging from the elevator-
BLONDE
Mr. Saito, can I have a minute?
She pushes him back into the elevator, closing the door as
the Sub-security approaches...
INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
The Blonde fondles Saito's lapels, getting close.
SAITO
I'm sorry, but...
Saito glances over her shoulder to see, in the tunnel of
infinite reflections created by the elevator's opposing
mirrors, three reflections in, THE BLONDE IS EAMES. He winks.
SAITO (CONT'D)
(pushing him away)
Very amusing, Mr. Eames.
101.
EAMES
You look a bit perkier.
A SHUDDER ripples through the elevator.
SAITO
Turbulence on the plane.
EAMES
Feels closer. That's Yusuf's
driving.
And we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY DOWNTOWN STREETS - DAY
Yusuf FIGHTS the wheel as the van CUTS DOWN AN ALLEY, BUMPING
OVER POTHOLES and SMASHING TRASH CANS aside- THREE S.U.V.s IN
FURIOUS PURSUIT. Yusuf looks in the rear view mirror,
FRUSTRATED. He checks his WATCH, then checks the back: the
SLEEPERS SHAKE with the impact and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - NIGHT
As a TREMOR echoes through the bar Fischer looks at Cobb
trying to place him.
FISCHER
Security? You work for the hotel?
COBB
No. My specialty is subconscious
security.
FISCHER
You're talking about dreams. You're
talking about extraction.
COBB
Exactly. My job is to protect
you...
Behind Fischer a WAITER puts down a tray- tipping a champagne
glass over- SMASH- Cobb NOTICES. Pauses, looks across the bar-
HIS TWO CHILDREN ARE CROUCHED, BACKS TOWARDS US...
Cobb looks around the bar, the patrons start to STARE at
Cobb, suspicious- Cobb shifts back to Fischer-
102.
COBB (CONT'D)
My job is to protect you from any
attempt to access your mind through
your dreams.
Cobb regains his patter- the patrons lose interest...
INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
Eames pulls out Fischer's wallet, moves to hand it to Saito,
then PAUSES, opens it, leafs past the cast to find... The
SNAPSHOT: young Robert holding his HOMEMADE PINWHEEL, his
father blowing on it. The elevator doors open and Eames steps
off. HANDS Saito the wallet.
EAMES
Get off at a different floor and
keep moving. Dump the wallet, then
meet me in the lobby. The security
will try to track it down. We need
to buy Cobb a little more time.
The doors close. Saito puts the wallet in his pocket. He
COUGHS- a deep, nasty cough.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - CONTINUOUS
Cobb looks over Fischer's shoulder to see a SUITED MAN
watching him. Another MAN is walking in from the lobby.
COBB
You're not safe here.
Cobb steps away from the bar. Fischer does not move.
COBB (CONT'D)
Trust me. They're coming for you.
Fischer sizes him up, A CLAP OF THUNDER ECHOES, and we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY DOWNTOWN STREETS - DAY
GUNSHOTS BLAST out the rear and side windows of the van- a
Security Man is leaning out of the lead S.U.V. With a SHOTGUN-
WIND AND RAIN RIP THROUGH THE VAN- in the back, ARTHUR'S
SLEEPING FACE IS WHIPPED BY THE SPRAY, AND WE-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - SUNSET
Fischer looks out the windows at sudden, HURRICANE-LIKE RAIN-
103.
COBB
Strange weather, huh?
A TREMOR runs through the bar- Cobb looks around-
COBB (CONT'D)
You feel that?
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne and Arthur watch the GUSTS OF WIND RATTLE the
windows. Arthur sees HOTEL GUESTS staring out at the weather,
PUZZLED. Several of them TURN TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT ARTHUR.
ARIADNE
What's happening?
ARTHUR
Cobb's drawing Fischer's attention
to the strangeness of the dream.
That's making his subconscious look
for the dreamer. For me.
And we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY STREETS - DAY
At the end of the alley- Yusuf THROWS the van into a HARD
RIGHT TURN- we move into EXTREME SLOW MOTION... THE SLEEPERS
IN THE BACK ARE DRAWN TO ONE SIDE OF THE VAN BY THE
CENTRIFUGAL FORCE... and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - CONTINUOUS
The liquid in Fischer's drink RISES UP AGAINST ONE SIDE OF
THE GLASS- Fischer notices, confused.
COBB
Very odd-the weather, the
gravity...
Fischer looks around the bar- it's as if THE ENTIRE ROOM IS
SET AT A 45-DEGREE ANGLE- glasses SLIDING off tables...
COBB (CONT'D)
But I can explain all this. You've
actually been trained for this.
(Fischer nods)
Think of the strangeness of the
weather, the shifts in gravity.
None of this is real...
(MORE)
104.
COBB (CONT'D)
(beat)
We're in a dream.
Fischer looks at the room around them. Back to Cobb. All
through the bar, patrons turn to look at Cobb IN UNISON.
COBB (CONT'D)
The simplest test of what I'm
saying is for you to try and
remember anything about the way you
arrived in this hotel... okay?
Fischer stares at Cobb, trying to process this. All around
them, people STARE at Cobb. Several get up as if to approach.
COBB (CONT'D)
Breathe. Remember the training.
Accept the fact that we're in a
dream. That's why I'm here
protecting you.
As Fischer considers this we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY STREETS - DAY
Yusuf STRAIGHTENS UP the van, RACING down the street,
swerving through traffic and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BAR - EVENING
The building gradually EASES BACK INTO ALIGNMENT-
FISCHER
So you... you're not real?
The bar patrons start to ignore Cobb again.
COBB
No. I'm a projection of your
subconscious. I was put in place to
protect you in the event that
extractors pulled you into a dream.
I believe that's what has happened.
Fischer takes this in. Then looks at the Security Men
approaching across the crooked floor, he nods at Cobb-
105.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - EVENING
Cobb escorts Fischer across the lobby. As he does so, he
walks past the two CHILDREN, backs to us- Cobb ignores them-
The two Sub-security fall in behind. Cobb hurries Fischer up
the stairs- then PUSHES him into-
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Fischer stumbles in- turns to Cobb, angry-
FISCHER
Hey-
Cobb reaches into his jacket- the First Man BURSTS in- Cobb
KICKS him to the ground- DRAWS his gun as the SECOND MAN
comes through the door, moving towards Fischer-
BLAM! Cobb BLASTS the Second Man in the back- TURNS and
SHOOTS the First Man.
FISCHER (CONT'D)
Jesus Christ! What are you doing?!
Cobb turns to Fischer, calm. Convincing.
COBB
Look at the gun in his hand.
Fischer looks: the Second Man was holding a pistol. Cobb
opens the First Man's jacket to show Fischer his holster and
sidearm.
COBB (CONT'D)
These men were sent to abduct you.
Cobb pulls out the gun and HANDS it to Fischer.
COBB (CONT'D)
If I'm going to help you, I need
you to be calm.
Fischer remembers something.
FISCHER
If this is a dream, I have to kill
myself and wake up-
Fischer raises the gun towards his head-
COBB
I wouldn't do that-they've probably
got you sedated. If you pull that
trigger, you might not wake up, you
might drop into a lower dream
state.
(MORE)
106.
COBB (CONT'D)
Mr. Fischer, you know all this, you
just have to remember it...
Fischer lowers his gun.
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Saito walks down the corridor, followed by a Security Man.
Saito DUCKS around the corner, moves to a GARBAGE CHUTE and
DROPS Fischer's WALLET into it. He SLIPS into the stairwell
as the Security Man comes abreast of the chute and pauses.
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Arthur leads Ariadne to a particular room: 491.
INT. ROOM 491 - CONTINUOUS
Arthur leads Ariadne in. He opens the closet, opens the room
safe, pulls our FOUR BRICKS OF PLASTIC EXPLOSIVE.
ARTHUR
So, if everything's correct, this
room should be directly below 528.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS
Cobb looks reassuringly at Fischer.
COBB
What do you remember from before
this dream?
FISCHER
(thinking)
Rain... gunfire... Uncle Peter.
(looks up)
Christ-we've been kidnapped.
COBB
Where were they holding you?
FISCHER
They had us... in the back of a
van...
COBB
Your body's bouncing around in the
back of a van right now-that
explains the gravity shifts.
FISCHER
It was... to do with a safe...
Christ, why's it so hard to
remember?
107.
COBB
It's like trying to remember a
dream after you've woken up. It
takes years of practice to do it
easily. So, you and Browning have
been pulled into this dream so they
can steal something from your mind.
What?
FISCHER
They wanted a combination to a
safe... they demanded the first
numbers to pop into my head.
COBB
That's them extracting a locator.
FISCHER
A locator?
COBB
A number from your own
subconscious. It can be used any
number of ways...
(thinking)
This is a hotel. Room numbers. What
was the number you gave them?
FISCHER
5, 2... something... it was a long
number. 528... 528, 4 something.
COBB
(opens phone)
Well, we know where to start.
(into phone)
Fifth floor.
INT. ROOM 491 - CONTINUOUS
Arthur hangs up the phone. He is standing on a chair,
attaching the explosives to the ceiling.
ARIADNE
Do you use a timer?
ARTHUR
No, I have to judge it myself. Once
you're all asleep up in room 528, I
wait `til Yusuf starts his kick...
ARIADNE
How will you know?
108.
ARTHUR
His music warns me it's coming,
then the van hitting the barrier of
the bridge should be unmistakable-
that's when I blow the floor out
from underneath us and we get a
nice synchronized kick. Too soon,
and we won't get pulled out; too
late and I won't be able to drop
us.
ARIADNE
Why not?
ARTHUR
The van will be in free fall. I
can't drop us with no gravity.
Arthur finishes setting the charges.
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
Saito moves through the lobby. Browning is coming in the
other direction. Saito assumes him to be Eames.
SAITO
I see you've changed.
BROWNING
I'm sorry?
Eames comes up behind Browning, catching Saito's eye.
SAITO
I'm... I mistook you for a friend.
BROWNING
Good-looking fellow, I'm sure.
Browning moves off. Saito approaches Eames.
EAMES
That's Fischer's projection of
Browning. We'll keep an eye on how
he behaves-
SAITO
Why?
EAMES
How he acts will tell us if
Fischer's starting to suspect his
motives the way we want him to.
109.
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR, FIFTH FLOOR - MOMENTS LATER
Cobb leads Fischer around a corner. Arthur and Ariadne are
waiting in the corridor.
COBB
They work for me.
Fischer starts looking at room numbers. Stops at 528. Cobb
draws his gun, steps back from the door and KICKS it open.
INT. ROOM 528 - CONTINUOUS
Cobb JUMPS into the room, gun up. The room is empty. Arthur
and Ariadne search the room. Saito and Eames arrive. Eames
shuts the door. Arthur FINDS something-
ARTHUR
Mr. Charles!
Arthur holds up a MECHANISM CASE. Cobb shows it to Fischer.
COBB
You know what this is?
Fischer's eyes roam over the dials and plungers.
FISCHER
I think so. But I don't understand.
COBB
They were going to put you under.
FISCHER
I'm already under.
COBB
Under again.
FISCHER
A dream within a dream?
ARTHUR
Shhhh!
Arthur is at the door. Someone is there. A key goes into the
lock- the door starts to open- Arthur REACHES OVER and GRABS
the person entering, THROWS THEM TO THE FLOOR- puts his gun
in their face. IT IS BROWNING.
Fischer stares, disbelieving, at his own godfather.
FISCHER
Uncle Peter. What's going on?
Cobb pulls the key from Browning's hand: ROOM 528.
110.
COBB
You said you were kidnapped
together?
FISCHER
Not exactly, they already had him.
They'd been torturing him...
COBB
You saw them torture him?
Fischer shakes his head. Looks at Browning. Thinking.
FISCHER
The kidnappers are working for you.
BROWNING
No, Robert-
FISCHER
You're trying to get that safe
open. To get the alternate will.
Browning looks up at Fischer.
BROWNING
Fischer Morrow's been my entire
life. I can't let you destroy it.
FISCHER
I'm not going to throw away my
inheritance. Why would I?
BROWNING
I couldn't take the chance of you
rising to your father's final
taunt.
FISCHER
What taunt?
BROWNING
That will. I'm sorry, Robert, but
it's his final insult. A challenge
to build something for yourself.
He's telling you that you aren't
worthy of his achievements.
Fischer takes this in. Devastated.
FISCHER
That he was "disappointed?"
111.
BROWNING
I'm so sorry. But he was wrong.
You'll make his company even
greater than he ever could.
COBB
Your godfather's lying, Robert.
Fischer turns to Cobb.
FISCHER
How do you know?
COBB
It's what I do. He's hiding
something.
Cobb looks at Browning.
COBB
Let's find out what.
Cobb nods at Arthur, who starts unpacking the mechanism.
Browning watches. Silent.
COBB
Let's do to him what he was going
to do to you.
Cobb rolls up his sleeve. Nods at Fischer to do the same.
COBB
We'll penetrate his subconscious
and find out what he doesn't want
you to know.
Fischer looks Cobb in the eye. Decides- rolls up his sleeve,
offering his bare arm. The team run tubes to each other-
Arthur injects Fischer, whose head slumps.
ARTHUR
He's out.
ARIADNE
Wait, Cobb-I'm lost. Whose
subconscious are we going into?
COBB
Fischer's. I told him it was
Browning's so he'd come with us as
part of our team.
ARTHUR
(impressed)
He's going to help us break into
his own subconscious.
112.
COBB
That's the idea. He'll think that
his security is Browning's and
fight them to learn the truth about
his father.
Arthur hits buttons on the mechanism. The team goes out one
by one. Cobb is last.
COBB
Fischer's subconscious is going to
run you down hard.
ARTHUR
I'll lead them on a merry chase.
COBB
Be back in time for the kick.
ARTHUR
I'm on it.
Cobb is no longer listening- he stares at the net curtains,
BILLOWING like those in Mal's suite- a GLIMPSE of someone
(Mal?) As the screen goes WHITE, and we are-
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY
CLOSE ON Cobb's face, staring. Fixed.
ARIADNE (O.S.)
Cobb? Cobb?
Ariadne is beside him. They stand on a cliff, dressed in
white snowsuits, carrying white-painted weapons like WWII
commandos. Cobb checks his SNIPER RIFLE, examines their
objective: a massive FORTIFIED MEDICAL FACILITY a mile below.
ARIADNE
What's down there?
COBB
Hopefully, the truth we want
Fischer to learn.
ARIADNE
I meant what's down there for you?
Cobb turns to her. Eames, Saito and Fischer arrive, SKIING
down from the hill above. Cobb pulls Eames out of Fischer's
earshot.
COBB
You're the dreamer. I need you to
draw the security away from the
complex.
113.
EAMES
Then who guides Fischer in? You?
COBB
If I know the route... we could be
compromised.
Eames looks as Cobb, uneasy. Ariadne comes over.
ARIADNE
I designed the place.
COBB
No. You're with me.
SAITO (O.S.)
I could do it.
They turn to Saito. Saito shrugs at Eames. Eames smiles.
COBB
Eames, brief Saito on the route
into the complex. What we're
looking for is going to be in the
most heavily fortified section.
That north tower.
Cobb moves to Fischer. Saito COUGHS. SPITS. Eames sees BLOOD
on the snow. Looks at Saito.
COBB
Mr. Fischer, you're going in with
Mr. Saito.
FISCHER
You're not coming in?
COBB
You have to do this on your own.
You have to get in there, break
into your godfather's mind and find
out the truth about your father.
Cobb taps Fischer's radio mike.
COBB
Keep this live at all times. I'll
be listening in, covering you.
(holds up the sniper
rifle)
The windows on the upper floors are
big enough that I can cover you
from that south tower.
114.
Cobb slips into his skis, shoulders his rifle.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM 528 - NIGHT
Arthur checks the mechanism. He hears LOW BOOMS like thunder.
He checks his watch- THE SECOND HAND CRAWLS FORWARDS. With a
last look at the sleepers, he heads out into the corridor...
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY DOWNTOWN STREETS - DAY
A GUNSHOT slams into the van as Yusuf DRIVES- he glances back
to see a MOTORCYCLE pulling up behind him, the REAR PASSENGER
FIRING A SHOTGUN- the bike pulls alongside Yusuf's window as
the passenger RELOADS- Yusuf YANKS the wheel TOWARDS the
bike, bringing the shotgun barrel into the cab so he can GRAB
it, spin the wheel back- PULLING the passenger from the back
of the bike... Yusuf turns a corner, heading into a disused
MARKET-
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
Arthur walks towards the elevator. It OPENS- a SECURITY MAN
emerges, heading right for him. Arthur takes a TURN, speeding
up. The BOOMS are louder, and we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY DOWNTOWN STREETS - DAY
The bike crosses behind the van, catching up again as the
driver pulls a handgun and starts BLASTING. Up ahead, an
S.U.V. sits in a side road, lining up to head off the van-
the SECURITY MAN driving the S.U.V. guns it, as the bike
creeps up on the other side of the van- Yusuf HITS THE
BRAKES, forcing the bike out into the path of the S.U.V.,
tossing the rider like a rag doll-
Heading out of the market, the van races onto a FREEWAY ON
RAMP, approaching the BRIDGE. An S.U.V. SMASHES into the
van's side, FORCING it up against a CRASH BARRIER... the van
starts to SLOWLY TILT OVER THE BARRIER as the S.U.V. PUSHES-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
As Arthur hurries down the corridor, the corridor starts to
TILT, and Arthur is forced to run UP ONTO THE WALL- he rounds
a corner- STRAIGHT INTO another Security Man- Arthur HEAD
BUTTS him and they STRUGGLE- as they struggle, the corridor
SPINS around, THROWING THEM UP ONTO THE WALLS, THE CEILING-
as wall becomes floor they DROP through a door into-
115.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The fight continues all over the spinning room- and we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY OFF RAMP NEAR BRIDGE - DAY
SLEEPING ARTHUR BOUNCES around as the van TILTS, SCRAPING
along the barrier- the van CLEARS THE END OF THE BARRIER AND
ROLLS DOWN THE EMBANKMENT, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Arthur and the Security Man DROP to the floor, Arthur on top.
Arthur gets up- heads to the stairwell.
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY STREETS NEAR BRIDGE - DAY
The van SETTLES with a thump. Yusuf BREATHES hard. Then
SMILES as he realizes he is in one piece. A RINGING BELL up
ahead makes him look up to the bridge, where the barriers are
starting to come down. Yusuf checks his watch-
YUSUF
Bugger.
Yusuf hits the gas, heading for the bridge. An S.U.V. lines
up behind him, trying to catch up before the van crosses the
barrier onto the bridge-
The van JUST MAKES IT- the S.U.V. behind RIPS its read axle
off, SCRAPING to a halt on the rising section. The Security
Man inside starts FIRING on the van...
INT. HOTEL STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS
Arthur RACES down the steps- OPENS the door to the fourth
floor- spots SECURITY MEN outside room 491.
ARTHUR
Hey!
They TURN- he DARTS back into the stairwell- RACES down the
stairs- the Security Men follow- they start SHOOTING, and we-
CUT TO:
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY
Eames SKIS down within sight of the hospital complex. He
reaches into his pack and lets off a FLARE.
116.
EXT. HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Security Men on the ramparts spot the flare and send PATROLS
out on skis and SNOWMOBILES to investigate.
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Eames watches them close in, then launches himself down the
mountain, STREAKING across the icy slope, and we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY RISING BRIDGE - DAY
Yusuf PULLS FORWARD, looking over his shoulder to line up a
BACKWARDS RUN at the edge. He DUCKS as vicious FIRE from the
S.U.V. HAMMERS the vehicle. He looks at his watch. The SECOND
HAND TICKING SLOWLY...
YUSUF
Sod it. I hope your ready.
He grabs an MP3 player and reaches into the back to place
HEADPHONES on sleeping Arthur's head. As he does so, he
notices Saito's bandage BLEEDING THROUGH. Yusuf hits PLAY-
Edith Piaf's "Non, je ne regrette rien" starts up and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL STAIRWELL - NIGHT
Arthur STOPS, hearing something- MASSIVE LOW-END MUSICAL
TONES- he looks up PANICKED-
ARTHUR
No, Yusuf. Too soon!
SHOTS slam into the stairs around him and we-
CUT TO:
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY
Cobb and Ariadne make their way down towards the complex.
EAMES (OVER RADIO)
Cobb? Are you hearing that?
Cobb listens. The wind sounds unusually LOW.
EXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Eames is hidden at the base of some trees, whispering as a
patrol passes beneath his position.
117.
EAMES
I noticed it twenty minutes ago-at
first I thought it was just wind...
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Cobb is listening intently. The "wind" changes pitch.
COBB
No, it's music. Dammit.
EAMES (OVER RADIO)
What do we do?
COBB
We move fast. Saito, did you copy?
EXT. MOUNTAINS, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Saito and Fischer CLIMB down a CLIFF FACE above the complex-
SAITO
We're going as fast as we can.
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne looks at Cobb, concerned.
ARIADNE
How long do we have?
COBB
Yusuf's about ten seconds from the
jump, which gives Arthur about
three minutes, which gives us about-
ARIADNE
Sixty minutes.
COBB
The route you gave them, can they
do it in under an hour?
ARIADNE
I don't think so. They've still got
to climb down to the middle
terrace.
COBB
They need a new route-a direct
route.
ARIADNE
The building's designed as a
labyrinth.
118.
COBB
There must be access routes that
cut through the maze.
(into radio)
Eames?
EXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Eames cannot answer- he SLALOMS through the forest, Sub-
security in hot pursuit, bullets smashing into the trunks...
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Cobb turns to Ariadne.
COBB
Did Eames add any features?
ARIADNE
Yes.
COBB
What did he add?
Ariadne looks at Cobb.
ARIADNE
I shouldn't tell you. If Mal-
COBB
There's no time-what did he add?
ARIADNE
Utility closets, trap doors...
COBB
What about service features? Did he
add any large pipes or-
ARIADNE
Ducts. He added an air duct system-
it doesn't follow the maze. They
can use it to go straight from the
outer walls to the upper tower.
COBB
Explain it to them.
ARIADNE
(into radio)
Saito?
EXT. CLIFF FACE BEHIND COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Saito is using a hammer to tap in a belay.
119.
SAITO
Go ahead.
And we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY RAISED BRIDGE - DAY
Yusuf looks at the Security Man in the S.U.V., gives him the
finger and hits the GAS- RACING BACKWARDS at the barrier...
and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL STAIRWAY - NIGHT
Arthur RUNS UP the stairs, gun in hand- rounds a corner and-
IMPOSSIBLY- arrives behind the Security Man, who looks at
him, CONFUSED, then looks down to realize he is now at the
edge of a dangerous drop- Arthur shrugs.
ARTHUR
Paradox.
Arthur PUSHES him over the edge- he falls- Arthur races up to
the fourth floor- throws open the door- and we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN ON RAINY RAISED BRIDGE - DAY
In SLOW MOTION- the van SMASHES THROUGH THE CONCRETE BARRIER-
and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Arthur is SPRINTING down the corridor when a TREMENDOUS CRASH
sends him FLYING into the air- and we-
CUT TO:
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY
A MASSIVE RUMBLE prompts Cobb to look across the valley-
EXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Eames shoots out of the trees, then FALLS to the snow as he
sees a great CRACKING up ahead- the SLOPE IS FALLING AWAY IN
AN AVALANCHE-
120.
EXT. CLIFF FACE BEHIND COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Saito hears the RUMBLE above them. He looks down, Fischer is
below, near the bottom of the sheer face-
SAITO
Look out!
Saito CUTS the rope- they FALL- HIT the icy face and SLIDE
down the slope, clearing the path of the avalanche- and we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN - DAY
In EXTREME SLOW MOTION, the van emerges from the concrete
balustrade and starts FALLING- and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Arthur is still FLYING through the corridor, NOT LANDING-
GRAVITY HAS DISAPPEARED... he scrambles for a handhold,
GRABBING a sconce- and we-
CUT TO:
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - DAY
Cobb watches the avalanche cloud slide past the complex.
ARIADNE
What was that?
COBB
The kick.
EAMES (OVER RADIO)
Cobb? Did we miss it?
COBB
Yeah, we missed it.
EXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Eames is lying on the snow.
EAMES
What the hell do we do now?
COBB (OVER RADIO)
Finish the job before the next
kick.
121.
EAMES
What next kick?
EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Cobb looks at Ariadne as he talks into the radio.
COBB
When the van hits the water. I
figure Arthur's got a couple
minutes and we've got about twenty.
Cobb and Ariadne MOVE towards the base of the complex.
EXT. HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Saito and Fischer RUN around the base of the building. They
find a large EXHAUST PORT. Lay a charge on the GRILL. They
blow the charge. Climb into the open vent.
INT./EXT. VAN - DAY
In EXTREME SLOW MOTION, the van seems SUSPENDED IN MID-AIR
TEN STORIES ABOVE THE RIVER... and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
In ZERO GRAVITY, Arthur pulls himself to the door of 491,
opens it. He looks at the charges planted on the ceiling.
ARTHUR
How the hell do I drop you?
He PULLS the charges from the ceiling. Hurrying. And we-
CUT TO:
INT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Saito and Fischer hurry through the duct system. Saito is
falling behind, coughing up blood.
EXT. UPPER TERRACE, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Cobb GRABS a Security Guard from behind, strangling him
unconscious. He beckons to Ariadne, covering her as she runs
towards him. They enter the base of the south tower.
INT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
A guard is manning the tower. Cobb and Ariadne enter- Cobb
SHOOTS the guard and moves to the window.
122.
ARIADNE
(she points)
That's the antechamber outside the
strongroom.
Cobb looks at the large windows of the antechamber.
COBB
What about the strongroom? Doesn't
it have any windows?
ARIADNE
Wouldn't be very strong if it did.
(off look)
Look, if you wanted to design it
yourself-
COBB
It's fine. Better hope that we like
what Fischer finds in there.
Cobb sets up his sniper rifle. Through the scope he can see
three guards on the balcony outside the chamber. Three more
inside. Cobb casually picks them off with his rifle. Ariadne
watches through binoculars, appalled.
ARIADNE
These projections, they're part of
his subconscious?
COBB
Yeah.
ARIADNE
Are you destroying those parts of
his mind?
COBB
No, of course not. They're just
projections.
EAMES (OVER RADIO)
Cobb? Something's wrong?
EXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Eames is watching the patrols HEAD BACK towards the complex.
EAMES
They're heading your way. Like they
know something.
INT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Cobb hears this. Concerned.
123.
COBB
Buy us some time.
EAMES (OVER RADIO)
On my way.
EXT. FOREST, SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS
Eames TAKES OFF towards the base of the complex. And we=
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM 528 - NIGHT
Arthur FLOATS into the room. The SLEEPERS are floating,
loosely connected by their tubes. Arthur looks at them, MIND
RACING. He PULLS Cobb towards Eames, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - DAY
Saito and Fischer approach the grate covering the exit to the
anteroom. Saito SLUMPS to the floor of the duct, pulls out
his radio. Fischer looks at him- he is PALE, SHIVERING.
Fischer takes the radio, WHISPERS into it.
FISCHER
(into radio)
We're here. Are we clear to
proceed?
INT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEC - CONTINUOUS
Cobb SCANS the anteroom through the scope-it looks clear.
COBB
You're clear, but hurry-there's an
army headed your way...
Ariadne watches the patrols approaching the complex...
INT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
The SQUELCH from the radio is too loud- Fischer GRABS it and
turns the volume to zero as he starts to remove the grate...
EXT. BASE OF THE HOPISTAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Eames is setting MINES along the LOWEST WALL of the
structure. He moves carefully-there is a SHEER DROP below the
wall...
124.
INT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Cobb SPOTS something through his scope. Something above the
main windows, glimpsed through the side of the skylight.
COBB
Shit. There's someone else in
there.
Cobb prepares to fire. Ariadne GRABS the radio-
ARIADNE
Fischer, stop! It's a trap!-
INT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Fischer does not see the flashing light on his radio as he
carefully lifts the grate. He motions for Saito to stay...
INT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Cobb TENSES to fire.
COBB
Come on... a little lower... a
little-
COBB FREEZES- IT IS MAL IN HIS SIGHTS. Ariadne puts up her
binoculars. Spots Mal. Fischer is climbing out of the vent...
ARIADNE
Cobb, that's not really her-
Cobb turns to her-
COBB
How can you know that?
INT. ANTECHAMBER - CONTINUOUS
Fischer moves into the antechamber, cautious-
FISCHER
I'm in.
Fischer turns up the volume-
ARIADNE (OVER RADIO)
Fischer, look out!-
Mal DROPS gracefully to the floor behind him-
MAL
Hello.
125.
INT. TOP ROOM, SOUTH TOWER, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Cobb looks at Ariadne-
ARIADNE
Cobb, she's just a projection.
Fischer... he's real.
Cobb thinks. Nods, TURNS back to the scope- too late- MAL
SHOOTS FISCHER- Cobb reflexively pulls the trigger- Mal GOES
DOWN- Cobb steps back from the scope, STUNNED.
ARIADNE
Eames? Get to the anteroom now!
They run for the door.
INT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Saito STARTS as he hears the shot. He starts edging forwards,
clutching his belly. And we-
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM 528 - NIGHT
The sleepers are floating in a rough stack, top-and-tailed.
Arthur pulls the bedding from the bed and uses the sheet to
bind the sleepers together. And we-
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. VAN - DAY
In EXTREME SLOW MOTION, the van CREEPS DOWNWARDS, still high
above the river... and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Arthur PUSHES the floating stack of sleepers to the elevator.
He hits the button- the doors open- he pushes them in- GRABS
the charges- climbs through the hatch in the ceiling and we-
CUT TO:
INT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - DAY
Eames steps over Saito, who looks up at him with DYING eyes-
INT. ANTECHAMBER, HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY
Eames jumps out of the vent to find Cobb and Ariadne standing
over the bodies of Fischer and Mal.
126.
EAMES
What happened?
ARIADNE
Mal killed Fischer-
COBB
I wouldn't shoot her.
Eames grabs a defibrillator from the wall and pulls Fischer's
jacket open-
COBB
It won't do any good-
Eames SHOCKS Fischer's chest...
COBB
Even if you could revive his body,
his mind's trapped down there. It's
over.
Eames listens for a pulse. Looks up at Cobb.
EAMES
So that it, then? We failed.
COBB
I'm sorry.
EAMES
It's you who doesn't get back to
your family.
Eames looks down at Fischer. Then over to the double doors.
EAMES
I wanted to know what was going to
happen in there. I think we had
this one.
ARIADNE
There's still a way: We follow
Fischer down-
They look at her.
EAMES
We're almost out of time-
ARIADNE
Down there they'll be enough time.
We'll find him-soon as you hear
Arthur's music start, you use the
defibrillator to revive him-we give
him his own early kick from below.
(MORE)
127.
ARIADNE (CONT'D)
Get him in there-
(points to doors)
Then, as the music ends you blow
the hospital and we all ride the
kick back up through the layers.
Eames looks at her, then to Cobb.
EAMES
Okay, Saito can hold them off while
I plant the rest of the charges.
COBB
Saito's not going to last, Eames.
ARIADNE
We have to try!
EAMES
Go for it, but I'm taking the kick
whether you're back or not...
Eames pulls the mechanism from his pack. Offers it to
Ariadne. Cobb watches. Silent. Ariadne pulls out the tubes-
ARIADNE
Can I trust you to do what's
needed? Mal's down there-
COBB
And I can find her. She'll have
Fischer.
ARIADNE
How do you know?
COBB
She wants me to come after him. She
wants me back down there with her.
Cobb rolls up his sleeve. Ariadne rolls up her own sleeve.
Eames NODS. Cobb and Ariadne lie down. Eames hits the button-
WATER. BUBBLES. DROWNING. And we are-
EXT. COAST (LIMBO) - DAY
Ariadne lies in the SURF, STARING up at a CLOUDLESS SKY. A
tremendous BOOM prompts her to look around her- URBAN
BUILDINGS PILED right down to the water. The buildings are
DECAYING, falling into the ocean like a GLACIER calving. Cobb
WADES towards her through the shallow water. Ariadne looks up
at the crumbling city around them.
ARIADNE
This is your world?
128.
COBB
It was. And this is where she'll
be.
And we-
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - DAY
Arthur floats on top of the elevator, planting small charges
on the EMERGENCY BRAKES and CABLE. He sets them, GRABS the
other explosives, then PUSHES AWAY, shooting up the shaft. As
he hits the DETONATOR, BLASTING the braking and safety
systems of the elevator, we move into SLOW MOTION, the
fireballs FLAMING OUT in graceful licks and we-
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY
Eames RACES around, full speed- getting the defibrillator
paddles- laying them by Fischer's body- he runs into the duct-
pulls Saito up to a seated position and hands him a handgun.
EAMES
Come on, Saito. I need you to cover
Fischer while I plant the charges.
Saito nods weakly, tries to hold the gun. Eames moves to the
window- pulls his machine gun off- checks its load. Ready. He
watches the security patrols climb up the outer walls...
Eames lays down a HAIL of covering fire- then heads outside-
EXT. HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Eames races along the upper terrace dodging fire- BULLETS
SHATTER a window behind him and we move into SLOW MOTION, the
glass CASCADING GENTLY and we-
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. COAST (LIMBO)- DAY
Cobb and Ariadne climb out of the waves, full speed. They
move into the shadow of the tall, crumbling buildings. The
streets are eerily DESERTED. As they move further in, the
buildings become NEWER, different. Ariadne marvels at the
extraordinary collection of buildings- every architectural
style imaginable in waves of FAILED UTOPIAS.
ARIADNE
You built all this?
COBB
We both did.
129.
ARIADNE
It's incredible.
COBB
We built for years. Then, when that
got stale, we started in on the
memories.
A child's SHOUT echoes through the deserted canyons,
prompting Cobb to look down a side street: a LITTLE BLONDE
BOY crouched, his back to us. A LITTLE BLONDE GIRL joins the
boy, and, as Cobb turns down the street, they run off.
Cobb and Ariadne emerge into a peculiar SQUARE lined with an
eclectic mix of buildings, from APARTMENT BLOCKS to HOUSES.
COBB
This is our neighborhood.
ARIADNE
(confused)
From what city?
COBB
No. Our neighborhood.
(pointing)
That was our first apartment...
then we moved to that building...
we got that small house when Mal
became pregnant.
ARIADNE
You reconstructed them all from
memory?
COBB
We had time.
Cobb pauses in front of a French country house. Staring.
ARIADNE
What's that?
COBB
The house Mal grew up in.
ARIADNE
Will she be in there?
COBB
No. Come on-
Cobb leads Ariadne to the entrance of a glass skyscraper.
130.
INT. SKYSCRAPER LOBBY (LIMBO) - CONTINUOUS
Cobb leads Ariadne across the gleaming lobby to the
elevators.
COBB
We both wanted a house, but we both
loved skyscrapers. In the real
world we had to choose. Not here.
INT. SKYSCRAPER ELEVATOR (LIMBO) - CONTINUOUS
Cobb pulls out his handgun, and a ziplock bag full of
bullets.
ARIADNE
How do we send Fischer back?
COBB
We need some kind of kick.
ARIADNE
What?
COBB
I'll improvise.
Cobb COCKS his weapon, and the ELEVATOR STOPS. The doors
open. Ariadne moves to exit, Cobb stops her.
COBB
There's something you have to
understand about me. About
inception. You see, an idea is like
a virus...
Cobb leads her out of the lift...
INT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - CONTINUOUS
Cobb and Ariadne step off the lift and into the incongruous
interior of a craftsman house. They cautiously move down the
corridor towards the back of the house...
COBB
Resilient...
(turns to Ariadne)
Highly contagious, and an idea can
grow. The smallest seed of an idea
can grow to define or destroy your
world...
Cobb is staring into the kitchen. Mal is sitting at the
table, back to them, staring out at the porch- the TOWERS of
Limbo stretching off behind it.
131.
MAL
The smallest idea, such as... "Your
world is not real."
Cobb hands Ariadne his gun and moves towards Mal.
MAL
A simple little thought that
changes everything...
Ariadne watches as Cobb sits down beside Mal. And we-
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
Arthur FLIES back down the shaft to the top of the elevator,
SQUEEZES past the car to the bottom and starts to set the
MAIN CHARGES ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY
Cobb touches Mal's arm- she TURNS, angry. It is only now that
we see that she holds a CARVING KNIFE. Mal looks at Ariadne.
MAL
So certain of your world. Of what's
real. Do you think he is-
(points at Cobb)
Or do you think he's as lost as I
was?
COBB
I know what's real.
MAL
What are the distinguishing
characteristics of a dream? Mutable
laws of physics? Tell that to the
quantum physicists. Reappearance of
the dead? What about heaven and
hell? Persecution of the dreamer,
the creator, the messiah? They
crucified Christ, didn't they?
COBB
I know what's real.
MAL
No creeping doubts? Not feeling
persecuted, Dom? Chased around the
globe by anonymous corporations and
police forces? The way the
projections persecute the dreamer?
132.
Mal puts her hand on his face. Pitying.
MAL
Admit it, Dom. You don't believe in
one reality anymore. So choose.
Choose your reality like I did.
Choose to be here. Choose me.
COBB
(rising anger)
I have chosen, Mal. Our children. I
have to get back to them. Because
you left them. You left us.
MAL
You're wrong, Dom. You're confused...
our children are here-
A child's SHOUT draws Cobb- James CROUCHES on the porch, back
to us. Philippa joins him, also turned away. Cobb watches,
moved. Mal leans in close.
MAL
(whispers)
And you'd like to see their faces
again, wouldn't you, Dom?
COBB
Our real children are waiting for
me up above.
And we-
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Arthur scrambles to arrange the sleepers on the floor of the
car- as his hand comes away from Saito, he sees BLOOD on it.
He looks at Saito's belly- the blood is coming through his
shirt. Arthur sticks headphones on sleeping Eames, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL FORTRESS - DAY
Eames throws a GRENADE, blowing up the security forces trying
to ascend the terraces. He DUCKS to the ground to avoid HEAVY
FIRE- starts unpacking the charges and setting them along the
base of the terraces-
133.
INT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Saito looks up as he hears a Security Guard climbing through
the duct... he raises his gun, TREMBLING with weakness...
And we-
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN, PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY
Mal laughs at Cobb.
MAL
(laughs)
Up above? Listen to yourself. You
judged me for believing the very
same thing.
Mal points at the children-
MAL
These are our children. Watch.
(turns to the kids)
Hey, James! Philippa?!
The children START TO TURN to us- BUT COBB CLOSES HIS EYES.
COBB
They're not real, Mal. Our real
children are waiting for us-
The children run off. Cobb opens his eyes.
MAL
You keep telling yourself that but
you don't believe it-
COBB
I know it-
MAL
And what if you're wrong? What if
I'm what's real?
Cobb is silent.
MAL
You keep telling yourself what you
know... but what do you believe?
What do you feel?
Cobb looks at Mal. Struggling.
COBB
Guilt. I feel guilt. And however
confused I might get.
(MORE)
134.
COBB (CONT'D)
However lost I might seem... it's
always there. Telling me something.
Reminding me of the truth.
MAL
What truth?
COBB
That you were wrong to doubt our
world. That the idea that drove you
to question your reality was a
lie...
MAL
How could you know it was a lie?
COBB
Because it was my lie.
MAL
(realizing)
Because you planted the idea in my
mind.
COBB
Because I performed inception on my
own wife, then reaped the bitter
rewards...
ARIADNE
Why?
COBB
We'd become lost in here. Living in
a world of infinite possibilities.
A world where we were gods. I
realized we needed to escape, but
she'd locked away her knowledge of
the unreality of this world...
INSERT CUT: Mal opens the doll's house. Takes the spinning
top, lies it down in the safe. LOCKS IT AWAY.
COBB
I couldn't make Mal understand that
we needed to break free. To die. So
I started to search our world...
Cobb turns to Mal, but keeps talking to Ariadne...
INSERT CUT: Cobb WANDERS the streets of Limbo...
COBB
Searching for the right place in
her mind...
135.
INSERT CUT: Cobb stops outside the VICTORIAN HOUSE, MAL'S
CHILDHOOD HOME, looking up at it. He heads inside...
COBB
And when I found that place, that
secret place where she had shut
away her knowledge years before, I
broke it open...
INSERT CUT: Cobb looks around Mal's childhood bedroom. Comes
to the doll's house...
COBB
I broke into the deepest recess of
her mind, to give her the simplest
little idea.
INSERT CUT: Cobb throws open the safe doors. Sitting on the
shelf of the safe is a spinning top. On its side.
COBB
A truth that she had once known,
but had chosen to forget...
INSERT CUT: Cobb picks up the totem. He SPINS it in the safe.
IT SPINS AND SPINS WITHOUT END. Cobb CLOSES THE DOOR of the
safe...
COBB
That her world was not real.
INSERT CUT: COBB AND MAL ARRIVE AT TRAIN TRACKS CUTTING
THROUGH WASTELAND.
COBB (V.O.)
That death was a necessary escape.
They lie on the tracks looking into each other's eyes. Mal is
crying. Cobb takes her hand, reassuring. He starts to speak-
COBB
You're waiting for a train. A train
that will take you far away. You
know where you hope this train will
take you, but you can't know for
sure. Yet it doesn't matter...
Mal looks at him across the railroad tracks. Replies-
MAL
Because you'll be together.
The train comes, OBLITERATING the lovers.
Back in the present- Cobb looks into Mal's eyes. She is
crying.
136.
COBB
I never thought that the idea I'd
planted would grow in her mind like
a cancer. That even after we woke...
INSERT CUT: Cobb looks around the HOTEL SUITE, confused. He
moves to the CURTAINS... Mal is on the ledge opposite.
COBB
You'd continue to believe that your
world was not real...
Crying, Mal nods-
MAL
That death was the only escape?
INSERT CUT: Mal PLUNGES to her death.
MAL
You killed me.
Cobb looks at Mal. Whispers-
COBB
I was trying to save you-I'm sorry.
Mal comes in close to Cobb. Looks him over.
MAL
You infected my mind. You betrayed
me. But you can make amends. You
can still keep your promise. We can
still be together... right here. In
our world. The world we built
together.
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Arthur hits "Play" on his music player- Edith Piaf starts to
ring out, Arthur checks his detonator and we-
CUT TO:
INT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY
Eames races back in- in the relative quiet he notices MASSIVE
LOW-E MUSICAL TONES. He drops his gun and goes to Fischer's
side...
137.
INT. DUCT SYSTEM, HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Saito musters all his remaining strength as the guard emerges-
Saito FIRES, dropping the guard, then COLLAPSES, the gun
clattering to the duct floor... Saito is dead.
INT. ANTECHAMBER - CONTINUOUS
Eames powers up the defibrillator, puts the paddles on
Fischer's chest, then Pow!- he shocks him, and we-
CUT TO:
INT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO)-DAY
LIGHTNING crackles across the sky- Ariadne sees it.
ARIADNE
We need Fischer.
MAL
You can't have him.
Cobb stares at Mal. Mesmerized.
COBB
If I stay, can she take him back?
ARIADNE
Cobb, what are you saying?
MAL
Fischer's on the porch.
ARIADNE
Cobb, you can't do this.
COBB
Go check he's alive, Ariadne.
Ariadne moves onto the porch, high above the metropolis, and
we-
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Arthur nods his head in time with the music, counting down,
holding the detonator. He starts bracing himself, and we-
CUT TO:
138.
INT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY
Eames recharges the defibrillator. SHOCKS Fischer again, and
we-
CUT TO:
EXT. PORCH, PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY
Ariadne looks up as a LARGE BOLT OF LIGHTNING RIPS across the
sky... she looks down to see Fischer, BOUND AND BLOODY, lying
below the rail.
ARIADNE
He's here. And it's time. But you
have to come with us.
Another massive lightning strike flickers across the sky-
ARIADNE
Cobb, I'm not going to let you lose
yourself in here! You have to get
back to your children!
COBB
Send Fischer, I have to stay-
ARIADNE
You can't stay here to be with her-
Cobb turns from Mal. Looks at Ariadne.
COBB
I'm not. Saito is dead by now. That
means he's here. I have to stay
here and find him.
Ariadne removes Fischer's gag- pulls him up, onto the rail.
Cobb looks back at Mal.
COBB
I can't stay here to be with her
because she's not real.
Mal looks at Cobb, furious.
MAL
Not real? I'm the only thing you do
believe in anymore. Here-doesn't
this feel real, Dom?
She STABS him in the chest- Cobb WHEEZES- GASPING, looking at
Mal-
139.
COBB
I wish you were. But I couldn't
make you real. I'm not capable of
imagining you in all your
complexity and... perfection. As
you really were. You're the best I
can do. And you're not real.
Mal pulls the knife and moves to STRIKE again-
ARIADNE
No!
A SHOT rings out, Mal GRABS her shoulder- Cobb turns to
Ariadne, who is pointing Cobb's gun.
COBB
What're you doing?
ARIADNE
Improvising.
She KICKS Fischer off the roof- AIMS again at Mal-
Fischer DROPS as the sky LIGHTS UP WITH ELECTRICITY- Fischer
SCREAMS, then GASPS, no longer falling, and we are-
INT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY
Eames pulls the defibrillator from Fischer's chest as he
COUGHS AWAKE.
EAMES
Get in there-quick!
Fischer looks up at the double doors. STAGGERS to his feet.
Fischer pushes open the doors to the STRONGROOM.
INT. STRONGROOM - CONTINUOUS
Fischer walks into the silent white room. At one end of the
room is a bed. A figure lies in the bed. His FATHER.
Breathing with tremendous difficulty. Dying. And we-
CUT TO:
EXT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY
Ariadne takes aim at Mal-
COBB
No!
Cobb holds Ariadne's gaze. She lowers the gun. And we-
CUT TO:
140.
Eames GRABS the detonator- then moves to the door of the
strongroom...
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR, HOTEL - NIGHT
Arthur HITS THE DETONATOR-
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - CONTINUOUS
The CHARGES on the bottom of the elevator EXPLODE, and we
move into EXTREME SLOW MOTION as the flames BALLOON-
CUT TO:
INT. STRONGROOM - CONTINUOUS
A RUMBLE BUILDS as Fischer approaches the bed, overcome with
emotion. His Father sees him. Starts trying to speak. Fischer
leans in...
FATHER
(hoarse whisper)
I... was ... dis ... dis ...
FISCHER
I know, Dad. You were disappointed
that I couldn't be you.
The dying man SHAKES HIS HEAD with surprising energy.
FATHER
(whisper)
I was disappointed... that you
tried.
Fischer hears this. And we-
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT
The elevator car is ROCKETED along its track by the explosion-
INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
Arthur is SMASHED against the floor of the car next to the
sleepers who SHUDDER with the force of ACCELERATION- and we-
CUT TO:
INT. ANTECHAMBER - DAY
Eames WATCHES Fischer-
141.
EAMES
(to himself) )
Come on, come on...
INT. STRONGROOM - DAY
The Father collapses back onto the pillow. Fischer starts to
weep. His Father reaches out a trembling hand but when
Fischer tries to hold IT, he SHAKES his son's hand away...
He is reaching for the SAFE next to his bed. His fingers
fumble at the keypad, he can't open it. His son pushes
5,2,8,4,9,1 into the keypad. Opens it. Inside the safe is the
WILL. And beside it is a HOMEMADE PINWHEEL, clearly made by a
child. By Fischer. He takes it out, MARVELING at it. He turns
to his father, but his father is dead.
Eames, watching from the door, HITS THE DETONATOR-
EXT. HOSPITAL COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
A line of EXPLOSIONS RIPS ALONG THE LOWER WALL... the ENTIRE
BUILDING STARTS TO SLIDE DOWN THE MOUNTAIN-
EXT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY
A FIERCE WIND starts HOWLING through the house as the sky
outside DARKENS. Cobb shields Mal against the blast- looks up
at Ariadne, who HOLDS the railing, FIGHTING the wind-
COBB
That's the kick-you have to go!
ARIADNE
You're coming!
COBB
No, I'm not. I'm staying here to
find Saito.
(turns to Mal)
And to say goodbye.
Ariadne loosens her grip on the railing...
ARIADNE
Don't lose yourself. Find Saito.
And bring him back.
COBB
I will.
Ariadne lets the wind pull her off the edge- FALLING- and we-
INT. ANTECHAMBER - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne DROPS as the FLOOR COLLAPSES- her eyes SNAP OPEN-
142.
EXT. PENTHOUSE (LIMBO) - DAY
Cobb holds Mal in his arms. The wind DIES...
MAL
We'd be together forever. You
promised me.
COBB
I know. But we can't. And I'm
sorry.
MAL
You remember when you asked me to
marry you? You said you dreamt that
we'd grow old together.
COBB
And we did...
Mal looks at Cobb... thinking. Remembering.
INSERT CUT: TWO ELDERLY PEOPLE (MAL AND COBB) WALK THROUGH
LIMBO... ACROSS A WASTELAND... TWO ELDERLY HANDS CLUTCH EACH
OTHER AS THEY LIE DOWN ON THE RAILROAD TRACK...
COBB
I miss you more than I can bear...
but we had our time together. And
now I have to let go...
She nods, weakly. Cobb holds Mal as her eyes close...
DYING... and we-
INT. STRONGROOM - CONTINUOUS
Fischer and his Father's body DROP AWAY-
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Ariadne DROPS inside the ROCKETING ELEVATOR, and as it
SMASHES INTO THE TOP OF THE SHAFT Ariadne SMASHES into-
INT./EXT. VAN INTO RIVER - DAY
THE WATER, THE VAN CRUNCHING WITH THE IMPACT- WATER CRASHING
THROUGH THE BROKEN WINDOWS FLOODING THE INTERIOR...
Fischer's EYES OPEN, PANICKING- he UNBUCKLES HIMSELF, pushes
out of the broken window- STOPS, goes back to UNBUCKLE
Browning and DRAG him out.
143.
EXT. RIVER - CONTINUOUS
Fischer breaks the surface with Browning, who COUGHS and
GASPS. He starts PULLING for the near bank, struggling
through the rain-impacted water-
INT. VAN, UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS
Ariadne, Arthur and Yusuf wait calmly underwater. They are
sharing TWO REGULATORS pulled from beneath the front seat.
Arthur turns to Saito. There is blood in the water around
Saito's belly- his eyes are LIFELESS- Arthur feels for a
pulse... turns to Cobb, whose eyes are lifeless... Ariadne
GRABS Arthur's elbow, pulling him away...
EXT. RIVERBANK - MOMENTS LATER
Fischer turns Browning/Eames over. They lie there, exhausted.
BROWNING
I'm sorry, Robert.
Fischer stares at the rain on the water.
FISCHER
The will means that Dad wanted me
to be my own man, not live for him.
(turns to Browning) )
And I'm going to, Uncle Peter.
Browning nods. Wipes the rain from his face. In the puddle
beside them, the reflection is not Browning, but Eames.
EXT. UNDERNEATH BRIDGE IN THE RAIN - MOMENTS LATER
Arthur sits on the riverbank, breathing heavily.
ARTHUR
What happened?
ARIADNE
Cobb stayed.
ARTHUR
With Mal?
ARIADNE
No. To find Saito.
Arthur looks out at the water below the bridge.
ARTHUR
He'll be lost...
ARIADNE
No. He'll be alright.
144.
And we-
CUT TO:
EXT. DAWN. CRASHING SURF.
The waves TOSS a BEARDED MAN onto wet sand.
As the Japanese Security Guard turns him onto his back, we
realize that this is Cobb- OLDER. WEARY. TRAVELLED...
INT. DINING ROOM, CASTLE - DAY
Cobb WOLFS his food. The Elderly Japanese Man (Saito, 90
years old) watches him.
SAITO
So... have you come to kill me?
Cobb does not look up.
SAITO
I've been waiting for someone to
come for me...
COBB
Someone from your half-remembered
dream...?
Saito peers at Cobb.
SAITO
Cobb? Not possible-he and I were
young men together. And I am an old
man...
COBB
Filled with regret?
Saito REMEMBERS, nods...
SAITO
Waiting to die alone, yes.
Cobb is STARING at something on the table.
COBB
I came back for you... I came to
remind you of what you once knew...
Cobb gestures at the table. Saito follows his gaze down to
the polished surface of the table...
COBB
That this world is not real.
145.
The top IS STILL SPINNING PERFECTLY, AS IF IT WILL NEVER
TOPPLE. Saito looks at the top. Then back to Cobb.
SAITO
You came to convince me to honor
our arrangement?
COBB
Yes. And to take a leap of faith.
As Saito-san listens to Cobb, he looks at the GUN on the
table between them...
COBB
Come back and we'll be young men
together again.
The elderly Saito looks at Cobb. Nods. And we-
CUT TO:
INT. FIRST CLASS CABIN, 747 - DAY
Ariadne watches Cobb. His eyes are closed.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT (O.S.)
Hot towel, sir?
His EYES FLICKER OPEN. He takes the towel with a nod. Ariadne
smiles. Relieved.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT
We'll be landing in Los Angeles in
about twenty minutes. Do you need
immigration forms?
Cobb nods. Takes a landing card. Looks around the cabin.
Saito is WATCHING him. Serious. Haunted. Holding Cobb's gaze,
SAITO PICKS UP THE PHONE AND DIALS. Cobb nods thanks...
INT. ARRIVALS, LAX - LATER
Cobb steps forwards to the IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL. Hands him
his passport. Nervous. The Official takes a beat, looks Cobb
up and down, then WHUMP!- the passport is stamped. As Cobb
takes it back, he spots Ariadne at the next counter. She nods
at him. He nods back. Then moves off...
As Cobb passes through baggage claim, he exchanges subtle
greetings with Eames and Yusuf.
Arthur smiles broadly at Cobb. Cobb brushes past Fischer, who
glances back at him as if thinking maybe he should know him,
then moves on...
146.
As Cobb emerges into the crowded arrivals hall, he spots
Professor Miles, waving at him...
INT. KITCHEN, COBB AND MAL'S HOUSE - DAY
Cobb enters with Miles. Drops his bags. Moves to the table,
looking out at the overgrown garden. He reaches into his
pocket, takes out his pewter spinning top, lowers it to the
table and SPINS IT- a CHILD'S SHOUT makes him look up-
Through the window, James and Philippa have run into view,
playing, THEIR FACES TURNED AWAY... Cobb STARES at the back
of his children's heads... Miles moves to the window and
KNOCKS on the glass-
James and Philippa TURN- see their Dad. He steps to the
window, watching their BRIGHT FACES SHINING as they run
towards him...
Behind him, on the table, the spinning top is STILL SPINNING.
And we-
FADE OUT.
CREDITS.
END. |
Subsets and Splits